Your Half Life 3 ideas?

[Fiberawptic]

Ok, this could be extremely cliche, but honestly, just for the sake of discussion, i wonder what you guys think Valve could do with the story of the HL universe if they were to make a full-length game that would be the third full half life game...

Im aware Episode 3 hasn't been even revealed yet but still, we can discuss a half life 3 inspite of that.

heres my idea: because hl2 really felt so distinct from the original, and felt like a very different experience, i think hl3 should be like that to hl2. They should be very distinct, with new characters, weapons, enemies, environments.

I think valve should make a brand new engine, that would be top of the line, best graphics, best sound, best animation. Most importantly, the AI should be extremely extremely ground breaking, like on par with the visuals.

They would have to create really intriging and innovative gameplay aspects (ie, half life 2 had physics which was incredibly groundbreak for the time)

Utmost important: Story. My idea, and this is just my idea, and it may seem pretty wierd. I think gordon causes the downfall of the combine at the end of episode 3 and the gman puts him back into stasis because you had 'done your job'. In half life 3, to make it seem so its not using hl2s formula too much, i think you should just start off in a very futuristic world instead of the gman telling you to wake up. Then as you go further into the game, you start to remember how you got in this world and why you are here.

Ok so heres the story, you end up in this very utopian city/world that takes place hundreds of years ahead of half life 2 (so it would seem extremely different since hl2 was dystopian). You don't know why but you make your way through this huge city and meet a lot of people and try to gain status and relationships. You become quickly aquainted with the enemies forces (like combine police at half life 2), but theres a few of them , but the main one is the secret elite force that works for this government-type agency that is trying to gain total control of the world. They start to supress the people, and like in half life 2, you rebel against them. You meet the gman again towards the middle of the game and he tells you vague info on what going on. As you play more, you see him towards the end and he makes it clear that you were transported into a world after being in stasis for over 200 years because the world was starting to fall apart again in the arms of power hungry people trying to gain absolute control. he sends you in to essentially fix the problem. You continue to understand more and eventually find the individual most responsible and, well, he could turn out to be a cliche boss fight, or not get killed, or w.e, havent thought about it.

BTW, i kinda made it seem like an RPG game with the relationships and status thing, but basically the game would still be linear, but just really open ended. Like you can take multiple ways to get to an objective that you have to complete, and the environments should be pretty big to allow more possiblities in combat fights and such...

Whats your crazy ass idea?

 

[Fiberawptic]

Shit, i forgot to add that the technology had became infinitly better in the hl3 world utopia, because after the combine was defeated, the humans (who worked with other alien species who would appear as allies or some even enemies) took a lot of the remains of the combine technology and manipulated it...

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Story

It should be set 10 years in the future after the downfall of the combine on Earth. Humanity have broken out of their chains and have started major civic reconstruction efforts; assisted by the countless technological devices the combine have left on Earth. Children are now a normal site, and schools are common place. population areas are still relatively damaged, but the construction efforts are gradually taking shape.

Gman pulls you and Alyx; who was entrapped by Gman, out of stasis on a critical mission, which is to find Dr Kleiner. Because Gman has been distracted, he hasn't been able to keep a close eye on Kleiner. So you are inserted to the location of his new research laboratory, which is in a city similar to Milan, Italy. The citizens there are constantly on guard from creatures of both Xen and Combine origin, though the latter are in a weakened state after being cut off. They tend to retreat if suffer any losses.

There you follow up on any leads as to where he is. You learn his last location was a Backup Data Storage Vault at the Swiss Alps. This vault contained all scientific data collected by all major players in Theorectical Sciences before the Resonance Cascade, and that it has never been found by the Combine.

There you find information regarding another corporation; The Rainier Group, who collected data on Seismic activities around the world. The last bit of data collected was during the Portal Storms, which had placed Subterranean activity at a disused Mine in the Swiss Alps.

When you arrive at the location you find that Kleiner's bodyguards have all been charred to a cinder and the mine is giving off intense radiation. But not before you and Alyx, both in a helicopter piloted by Barney (now who is about 45-50) spot a orb floating away from the mine, illuminating the mountainous terrain in the night sky.

Further observations show that a Hunter group have also been terribly incapacitated from this object, weathing in pain from the intense burns on their shells. You find a group of people with 1st degree burns hiding in the woods, most of suffering from shock and radiation sickness. You learn from the small group that they were sentries posted outside the mine, whilst another group went into the mine with Kleiner; the latter group died, along with Kleiner.

You also learn that another orb similar to the one found in the mines, has the ability to mutate flora and fauna to its liking and has been the likely cause of attacks on smaller settlements and mass migration of every wild creature imaginable.

 

[Mech Man]

I think that HL3 would likely see the portal storms actually get worse some how. It is plausable and it would give the xenanian wild life another shot at teaching those pesky humans a lesson.

 

[pomegranate]

I think HL3 should carry on more or less straight off from the end of HL2 EP3, there's already been a big time shift between HL1 and HL2 so to do that again wouldn't be an interesting development (exactly the same as how the 50 year gap in between Alien and Aliens was so dramatic, and the 200+ year jump to Alien Resurrection wasn't four times a dramatic, but was just 'meh'). Also, to jump from the settings and characters of HL2 to something entirely unrelated, that is only linked to the previous games by the G-Man, would be very frustrating to anyone interested in the story so far - there's no way the continuing story of HL1 and HL2 are going to be satisfactorarily wrapped up in EP3. And how would even be Half-Life?

My main idea for HL3 is that it's set largely off-Earth.
I'd guess that the situation around the world is much the same as it is around City 17 - surpressed, locked down urban populations with dangerous wastelands all around. I'm not sure how many new and interesting environments can be worked out in HL2-era Earth.. unless HL3 has a massive technological jump that would change the whole experience - like the difference between GTAIII and GTAIV.
I think the idea has been raised before that the next logical step in the struggle against the Combine would be to take the fight to them.
So I think settings like an huge, multilayered alien city (perhaps like in 5th Element, only not friendly) would be cool - get things weird again. I'd like to see more of the alien armies of the Combine - not the goofy Metrocops and Overwatch anymore. Above all, I'd like to see more open-ended gameplay. In spite of the openess of the environments in Episode 2, there was no real reason to explore and most of the time no option than to go along a dileanated course. I'd like more interactive, effectable environments... I'd like to see more thoughtful gameplay choices... I was playing through HL2 today and I remembered how disappointed I was when I realised that it makes no difference if you destroy a scanner before it takes your picture, the soldiers are still gonna be triggered to show up at the same place - point being that I think more should be done to make it less obvious how every encounter is scripted.
I also think the characterisation needs further work - HL2 moved things on a lot, but I still didn't feel characters were realistic - with the exception of Alyx and Eli, they felt were more like shallow charicatures than characters in a movie I was in. Especially the rebels with their 'funny' comments, which to me were unrealistic and ruined the immersion. Main characters and NPCs were too jovial, too quick to be colloquial, considering the terrifying danger and what was at stake.
I've also been thinking about how the storylines and technology of Portal and HL are going to run together after Ep 3 - the portal gun technology could be developed into an awesome weapon - perhaps the weapon that allows the resistance to defeat the Combine - imagine being able to point something a bit bigger at an enemy installation, pull the trigger and next it's falling to the ground from a mile up. Imagine dropping a platoon's APC on top of them, squashing them dead. Think bigger, and think of landscape deformability, moveable buildings... I can't see how the local teleportation can't come into HL somehow after Ep 3.

 

[Maestro]

I think there shouldn't be a Half-Life 3.

Valve is dangerously close to going the way of Bungie. They'll lose their ability to innovate if all they do is stick with one idea for a decade.

They should start a new series which will, surely, be as awesome as HL/HL2 but completely different.

 

[Fiberawptic]

I think there shouldn't be a Half-Life 3.

Valve is dangerously close to going the way of Bungie. They'll lose their ability to innovate if all they do is stick with one idea for a decade.

They should start a new series which will, surely, be as awesome as HL/HL2 but completely different.

For starters, dont ever, and i mean EVER compare Valve to Bungie. Half life has already proved itself to not just be a game series where each game is practically the same thing but with nicer graphics but offer something new and different to the point where it does feel like a different series... I think half life is a series connected by only very few things, but otherwise is extremely diverse in general. Also, what makes you think they are falling down hill? if anything, episode 2 was the best half lifes ever been, but its really just an episode and not as grand/new/long as the original hl2 so it doesn't surpass it. I think hl3 would be the end of the series but would allow valve to birth a new era in their developement process. meaning they would have a new engine and everything, so its like 3 eras of valve: half life 1 era, hl2 era, and hl3 era...

I think HL3 should carry on more or less straight off from the end of HL2 EP3, there's already been a big time shift between HL1 and HL2 so to do that again wouldn't be an interesting development (exactly the same as how the 50 year gap in between Alien and Aliens was so dramatic, and the 200+ year jump to Alien Resurrection wasn't four times a dramatic, but was just 'meh'). Also, to jump from the settings and characters of HL2 to something entirely unrelated, that is only linked to the previous games by the G-Man, would be very frustrating to anyone interested in the story so far - there's no way the continuing story of HL1 and HL2 are going to be satisfactorarily wrapped up in EP3. And how would even be Half-Life?

My main idea for HL3 is that it's set largely off-Earth.
I'd guess that the situation around the world is much the same as it is around City 17 - surpressed, locked down urban populations with dangerous wastelands all around. I'm not sure how many new and interesting environments can be worked out in HL2-era Earth.. unless HL3 has a massive technological jump that would change the whole experience - like the difference between GTAIII and GTAIV.
I think the idea has been raised before that the next logical step in the struggle against the Combine would be to take the fight to them.
So I think settings like an huge, multilayered alien city (perhaps like in 5th Element, only not friendly) would be cool - get things weird again. I'd like to see more of the alien armies of the Combine - not the goofy Metrocops and Overwatch anymore. Above all, I'd like to see more open-ended gameplay. In spite of the openess of the environments in Episode 2, there was no real reason to explore and most of the time no option than to go along a dileanated course. I'd like more interactive, effectable environments... I'd like to see more thoughtful gameplay choices... I was playing through HL2 today and I remembered how disappointed I was when I realised that it makes no difference if you destroy a scanner before it takes your picture, the soldiers are still gonna be triggered to show up at the same place - point being that I think more should be done to make it less obvious how every encounter is scripted.
I also think the characterisation needs further work - HL2 moved things on a lot, but I still didn't feel characters were realistic - with the exception of Alyx and Eli, they felt were more like shallow charicatures than characters in a movie I was in. Especially the rebels with their 'funny' comments, which to me were unrealistic and ruined the immersion. Main characters and NPCs were too jovial, too quick to be colloquial, considering the terrifying danger and what was at stake.
I've also been thinking about how the storylines and technology of Portal and HL are going to run together after Ep 3 - the portal gun technology could be developed into an awesome weapon - perhaps the weapon that allows the resistance to defeat the Combine - imagine being able to point something a bit bigger at an enemy installation, pull the trigger and next it's falling to the ground from a mile up. Imagine dropping a platoon's APC on top of them, squashing them dead. Think bigger, and think of landscape deformability, moveable buildings... I can't see how the local teleportation can't come into HL somehow after Ep 3.

Your ideas are great, and i see what you mean about it seeming to be rediculous to have hl3 seem rather unrelated to hl2. But the thing is, a series of any kind (movies, games, books) tends to fall into the trap of just and ongoing, never-ending plot, and it gets tedious and frustrating knowing that even if you beat a certain game in the series, that theres just going to be another one right after to make your efforts previously in the series pointless. I think it would be best to wrap up the entire story of hl2: the combine, alyx, all the other characters, rather than pull off the 'stay tuned next time as the fight continues!" kind of ending that episode 3 could present.

My idea is somewhat connected to half life 2. I dont think i made it clear, which was my fault, but heres the jist of it: hl3 takes place on earth just like hl2. But its around 150-200 years later where earth has become an extremely high-tec and advanced society BECAUSE after the 'historic' fall of the combine, they wielded the alien technology that the combine put up and used it... So ever since, mankind not only rebuilt itself, but became extremely powerful. As the power rose ever so high, its typical an elite organization tries to rule it to gain power. This sparks a full-scale war on earth between humans, aliens, all kinds of beings. The g-man gets you out of stasis to get in the fight and save earth from self-destruction.

 

[coheedswicked]

alright the way i see it. each half-life installment lets you see a bigger picture. That is to say that in half-life 1 all we knew was the threat from xen, then in half-life 2 we realized that xen was just the beginning and all they were trying to do was to get away from the combine. now while we don't know for certain which side (if any) the g-man is really on, i get the impression that he, from the beginning has been working against the combine, and (as has been stated in numerous theories) that he initiated the resonance cascade to draw the combine to earth, a location he chose for the fight back against this galactic empire. and because the combine is a galactic empire losing one planet (earth) is not going to lead to their downfall, it just wouldn't make any sense considering theyve scarcely been on earth for 2 decades and therefore probably dont even have a huge investment (in the grand scheme of things) in earth. In episode 3 i think we will find out much more about the g-mans true motives, maybe hes working for a competing (and perhaps less evil) galactic empire or rebelion, maybe he's from another newly conquered combine planet and that planet is attempting to resist as well and he is attempting to gain earth as an ally. in any case, i believe that the story/setting of hl3 will be bringing the fight to the combine, maybe including working more closely with the g-man, his ability to instantaneously teleport you seemingly anywhere would allow him to place you on a critical planet(s) to the combine or even the homeworld itself. the point is, there's still alot of fight left in the combine and the traveling to other worlds (not like xen ;-) could provide interesting and perhaps even ground breaking gameplay. an any case like my original point has stated, the half-life games are connected by the fact that each game expands on the same conflict essentially and the next logical expansion would be to enter into a possibly pre-existing war that the combine are fighting.

btw. i agree it does seem like the half-life and portal stories will overlap and the use of local teleportation as pomegranate has described would be awesome

 

[pomegranate]

It is a decent concept you've got there, but apart from being set in the same fictional universe, it's not really connected in any meaningful way with the previous events, apart from the legacy of the technology from that era. To start what amounts to a new storyline in the third and likely final act of a saga would be very unsatisfactory - from a narrative viewpoint, it's as if everything in HL2 + Eps is now forgotten and insignificant, because there's something more important in the future. This to me would undermine the drama of HL3 itself - If you're revived at another random point in the future, you can't be confident that you won't again be suspended after you deal with this momentary situation, how can you get fully involved in the story?
Besides any of this, I would be surprised and disappointed if the G-Man still has this sort of control over Gordon at the end of Ep 3 - what we've seen in Ep 1 and 2 is clearly building to some kind of confrontation with him. . .

 

[Maestro]

For starters, dont ever, and i mean EVER compare Valve to Bungie. Half life has already proved itself to not just be a game series where each game is practically the same thing but with nicer graphics but offer something new and different to the point where it does feel like a different series... I think half life is a series connected by only very few things, but otherwise is extremely diverse in general. Also, what makes you think they are falling down hill? if anything, episode 2 was the best half lifes ever been, but its really just an episode and not as grand/new/long as the original hl2 so it doesn't surpass it. I think hl3 would be the end of the series but would allow valve to birth a new era in their developement process. meaning they would have a new engine and everything, so its like 3 eras of valve: half life 1 era, hl2 era, and hl3 era...

If you could please point out where I said HL was going downhill I'll shut up.

What I said is they'll eventually get so set into one series that when the story arc runs its course they'll be left with nothing to think up. If you do one thing too much then you're going to lose innovation (US automakers anyone?).

Anyway, I also think that Halo was an enjoyable game. Halo 2 and 3...were a waste of time. Regardless, as you can see they've run out of ideas and are desperately trying to make up new parts to the Halo story.

 

[coheedswicked]

Half-Life has one huge advantage over halo... Marc Laidlaw. He's the reason why the story of half-life is so intriguing, he's an excellent writer and has a very well thought out and relatively unique universe that he's created

 

[nofreeman]

Well Half-Life 3 for me, i wouldn't mind it going in the way of the Combine the way they started out, and how they move from each planet in a destructive manner, their culture and why they need to live off other species, you could be a young Thing whatever they are?? growing up in a the combine world experiencing the straggle they had with their world and getting corrupted to the point were your in a role to destroy a world or manipulate it into your habitat, with a new Graphics Engine could make it a brand new gaming experience, but all Half- Life games are so yeah!!!.

 

[Shift]

Anyone wanting more open-ended gameplay won't get anything as vast as what EP2 gave us, because Half-Life has always been about linear gameplay, it just wouldn't suite a free roam mechanic at all.

 

[pilot7893]

I think running into Chell after her escape and her using the portal gun to help them would be interesting.

 

[Maturin]

I think running into Chell after her escape and her using the portal gun to help them would be interesting.

Just imagine the dialog!

Gordon: ...

Chell: ...

Gordon: ...

(Dumpster falls from the ceiling and crushes him)

 

[coheedswicked]

theyd just communicate tellepathicly

 

[arcv]

That meeting would be all cake and crowbars.

 

[the cow says moo]

Just imagine the dialog!

Gordon: ...

Chell: ...

Gordon: ...

(Dumpster falls from the ceiling and crushes him)

I lol'd.

 

[kupocake]

Valve is dangerously close to going the way of Bungie. They'll lose their ability to innovate if all they do is stick with one idea for a decade.

I think both companies are worthy of defence over that comment. Bungie have only made three Halo games to date (one expansion sized-project upcoming), and they've done so in a few years less than the decade plus that it will take Valve to get from Half-Life to Episode Three. Bungie are now persuing non-Halo properties, and good for them.

As for Valve, the main reason it has taken so many years to see Half-Life through three normal-game sized instalments is that they're completely beyond charges of 'sticking with one idea'. Hell, it would do them some good to stay focused on one thing sometime. If HL modding and the embryonic ideas for the Steam platform hadn't been swirling around at the turn of the millennium, would we have got Brotherhood of Arms? Wasn't the will they won't they acquisition of Turtle Rock and Left 4 Dead ultimately the main delaying factor for Episode Three?

That said, I almost could do without Half-Life 3... but not 'more Half-Life'. As Bungie washes its hands slowly of the Halo franchise, the money machine growls deeply and screams 'MOAR'. Regardless of which shooter is better, or even the ridiculous degree to which Halo outsells Half-Life, you can't be a Half-Life fan and not feel a little jealous of all that is out there for Halo fans. It started with the books, then you got the graphic novels, the models etc. And now there are RTS games, and episodic adventures by new developers. I want this for Half-Life. Not on quite the same scale (frankly, we can cope without novelizations, and I suppose there is a little bespoke merchandise at the "**** you tea drinking swine" Valve store), but more games that expand the setting would be frankly awesome.

I suppose what is oddest is that after Half-Life 2's release, it was a fairly wide assumption that there would be at least some kind of 'alternative viewpoint' expansion pack, probably by a third-party developer. It was just kind of assumed that Half-Life was that kind of rapidly-expanding franchise. Of course, Portal got here eventually, but only by chance and in a very small slice.

Also, every month that passes without news of Episode Three makes me a little more suspicious that it's going to end up as a full-sized game.

 

[Shift]

I want Half-Life novels.

 

[WriterforHire]

I've actually been thinking a lot about Half Life 3. Or rather, post Combine Earth, and I must say, the more I think about it, the more I'm intriqued. When you really stop to think about it, I feel extremely hard pressed to believe that the Combine situation will be dealt with and swept away with in Episode 3. Gordon hasn't even killed a single Advisor yet! Every single enemy we have faced so far has either been Xen wildlife or altered humans in some way. But what of the actual Combine forces? The beginning (or core) race? They have remained unscathed. So has the entirity of the Combine Empire. Lets say, by some miracle, Gordon manages to somehow utterly collapse the transhuman branch of the Combine. Guess what? The Combine aren't done yet. There's still the rest of their Empire and all it'll take is for them to realize that their "colony" has rebelled and then reinforcements will arrive, en mass. So the rebels will have to constantly worry about the threat of the Combine. But also, what of other transdimensional Empires? How will the world protect themselves against other alien civilizations bent on war? What of the other Xen wildlife? Even with the Combine gone, Xen wildlife is a epidemic to the human race. What about rebuilding efforts? How will humans rebuild with such threats at their back?

But, particularly, the thought that thought that most interests me. What of government?

It's a well known fact of history that when a prior established government is overthrown it is the rebels that take authority. Such is easily seen in the American, French and Spanish (or Latin American) Revolutions. So, are we to assume that the rebels will take over when the fighting is done. If so, how far will the government spread? Will the world be broken up into hundreds of small countries again? Surely that'll be suicide! If the Combine took down Earth in it's prime in seven hours, them dividing like that would spell out death. But even with numbers on Earth at a all time low, how do they encorporate a world government? Will they even think of doing such a thing. Or will any government arise at all, or will it merely be anarchy?

Now, I realize, quite well, that a lot of you did not like that bit of speculation up there (no matter how logical it all seems to me) but there's one more matter. Let's say a government is brought up (let's ignore the world government thing, for now, 'kay?) if such a government is raised, via the rebellion...then who will be in charge? Naturally, this would have been Eli, but seeing as the rebellion's leader is now dead, then who will be calling the shots. Will some want Gordon to be the ruler? He is, after all, a messianic figure. Who helped singlehandedly take down the Combine. It'll make sense logcially: He defeated the Combine once - if they show up again - he'll beat them again. People tend to lean towards the "Heroes" when looking for leaders. If such a movement happens, what will the G Man do? Will it fit into his overall scheme of things?

No matter what way you spin it, things will not be "normal" on Earth for a really, really long time. If ever again.

 

[Sheepo]

There was an interesting idea posted a while back that suggested the gravity gun technology should be incorporated into the HEV gloves. You would have whatever weapon equipped, like normal, then could hit 'use' and then left and right trigger would allow you to use your hands as gravity guns, and 'use' again would allow you to move things normally (beginning of HL2) and then you return to weapons how you normally do. I like the idea.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

That sounds a bit weird, but I'd have to try it in order to make an opinion.

 

[arcv]

Will some want Gordon to be the ruler?

Oooh, Sid Meier's Half-Life Civilization! That's the whole secret, HL3 will actually be a civilization-building game. Very clever on Valve's part, I must say.

 

[WriterforHire]

Oooh, Sid Meier's Half-Life Civilization! That's the whole secret, HL3 will actually be a civilization-building game. Very clever on Valve's part, I must say.

I realize the sarcasm in this remark, but I seriously want you to consider it. The Citizens of City 17 and the Rebels already adore Gordon and put him on this pedestal. Why, when the Combine is finally put down, wouldn't they turn to him for guidance still? Washington was the warhero that helped America defeat the British, and they wanted him to be king. Gordon is the warhero that'll help the world defeat the Combine, why wouldn't they want the same?

 

[kupocake]

I object to the idea of the world's most favourite mute becoming a ruler

 

[Polaris]

I think both companies are worthy of defence over that comment. Bungie have only made three Halo games to date (one expansion sized-project upcoming), and they've done so in a few years less than the decade plus that it will take Valve to get from Half-Life to Episode Three. Bungie are now persuing non-Halo properties, and good for them.

As for Valve, the main reason it has taken so many years to see Half-Life through three normal-game sized instalments is that they're completely beyond charges of 'sticking with one idea'. Hell, it would do them some good to stay focused on one thing sometime. If HL modding and the embryonic ideas for the Steam platform hadn't been swirling around at the turn of the millennium, would we have got Brotherhood of Arms? Wasn't the will they won't they acquisition of Turtle Rock and Left 4 Dead ultimately the main delaying factor for Episode Three?

That said, I almost could do without Half-Life 3... but not 'more Half-Life'. As Bungie washes its hands slowly of the Halo franchise, the money machine growls deeply and screams 'MOAR'. Regardless of which shooter is better, or even the ridiculous degree to which Halo outsells Half-Life, you can't be a Half-Life fan and not feel a little jealous of all that is out there for Halo fans. It started with the books, then you got the graphic novels, the models etc. And now there are RTS games, and episodic adventures by new developers. I want this for Half-Life. Not on quite the same scale (frankly, we can cope without novelizations, and I suppose there is a little bespoke merchandise at the "**** you tea drinking swine" Valve store), but more games that expand the setting would be frankly awesome.

I suppose what is oddest is that after Half-Life 2's release, it was a fairly wide assumption that there would be at least some kind of 'alternative viewpoint' expansion pack, probably by a third-party developer. It was just kind of assumed that Half-Life was that kind of rapidly-expanding franchise. Of course, Portal got here eventually, but only by chance and in a very small slice.

Also, every month that passes without news of Episode Three makes me a little more suspicious that it's going to end up as a full-sized game.

Excellent post. I agree with all of that, Half-Life really needs more ... more games, more stories, more media, more toys and all that jazz...

 

[WriterforHire]

I object to the idea of the world's most favourite mute becoming a ruler

Oh, I'm not saying I want him to be. None of the stuff I mentioned up there is stuff I personally want to happen but rather stuff I think must be adressed or will be adressed in a post Combine world. I'm particularly interested in the government thing. Will there be mulitple countries like the pre-Combine world? How can things ever be normal again, like that? Who'll be calling the shots in the end?

 

[Maturin]

Eegad! The last thing Half-Life needs is a franchise! Marc Laidlaw's world is elegant and compelling in its simplicity.

 

[Polaris]

I don't mean franchise, I mean merchandise! There is a difference.

 

[Maturin]

I don't mean franchise, I mean merchandise! There is a difference.

I don't want to see so much as a plush toy before Raising the Bar becomes a free download.

 

[Hurricane]

I agree with pomegranate that it will most likely move from getting rid of the combine to striking back at them. Although probably not in a big futuristic alien city. Since the vorts have become our allies and helped us out so much, we would want to free their planet first (this is assuming that it is still under combine control. I know that Gordon freed them from the Nihillanth, but it was never really made clear whether or not their planet was still occupied). They don't seem like the type to gather in metropolises like humans, but rather spread themselves across the countrysides.

 

[Fiberawptic]

I think both companies are worthy of defence over that comment. Bungie have only made three Halo games to date (one expansion sized-project upcoming), and they've done so in a few years less than the decade plus that it will take Valve to get from Half-Life to Episode Three. Bungie are now persuing non-Halo properties, and good for them.

Since when was releasing games quicker the better thing to do? Bungie hardly took any steps outside of the formula they used for the original Halo with their sequels. I like the Halo series and all, but honestly, they made each game so damn similar its not even funny. They all use the same engine BTW, just updated, and all the same gameplay mechanics with every now and then some new but completely unoriginal ones. Valve actually spent like what, 3-4 years developing a brand new engine for their sequel? The half life series is infinitely more diverse and less-formulaic than Halo. Look at Halo 1 and then Halo 2, and compare their overall differences to the leap from half life to half life 2.

Bottom line: Valve takes longer to get games out the door, but the end product is exponentially better than anything Bungie releases. As bungie knows when its working on a Halo sequal that they dont have to worry about how the quality of the actual game turns out, as long as all the kids or grown-up nerds are completely hyped about it and that the marketing plan is HUGE, they'll still make a shit load of money. Valve is more private and not as comercially, so they rely more on actually making their games good.

And yes, Bungie isn't going to play out the halo series to death (not anymore at least) and so yes, good for them. I can agree with you there.

As for merchandise and mass marketing- ARE YOU ****ING CRAZY?! You want there to be a wide variety hl2 action figures and comic and books and all that gay crap that is made just to get money? Halo can get away with it because it is more child-friendly and a lot of youngens like it. But half life has always been to me a more mature, deeper, darker story than most franchises, and that would be shattered by phoney merchandise. I dont envy halo fans because they get their parents to waste money on stupid crap, i'm happy that all i have to do is buy whatever the next half life game is to be on top of everything... The valve store is just find and i thinking your getting ahead of yourself if you really want more.

When you said you wanted more half life but not a Half life 3, what do you mean? Like more episodes? You mention expansion packs, but why bother? I couldn't care less if we never got any expansions seeing how we are getting episodes which are 100x better in quality and actually move the story foward, where expansions mainly just go back to a situation we've already played through but through a different perspective... And Portal had nothing to do with their being no expansion packs, unless your talking about the interference in releasing Episode 2, which was probably minute if any...

 

[Sheepo]

That sounds a bit weird, but I'd have to try it in order to make an opinion.

Not really, I mean we've see Gordon's hands not holding a weapons every now and then, just imagine them in a kind of force choking motion.

 

[kupocake]

I don't want to see so much as a plush toy before Raising the Bar becomes a free download.

Hey, screw you buddy. This thing is worth a gazillion dollars and you're not getting it!

Bottom line: Valve takes longer to get games out the door, but the end product is exponentially better than anything Bungie releases.

Sorry, but you're wrong about something completely subjective and immeasurable, since you're so quick to claim that you're right. The Half-Life games are better, but not to an "exponential degree" that is the direct result of development time. Especially that large portion spent on ironing out the entire difficulty curve into one sanitised boredom festival.

'Exponential' would imply that the completely immeasurable notion of 'good' was found to be hundreds of times greater in Half-life, and that such a huge amount of 'better' was the result of the last few weeks of development. So why do the games take years longer to develop? My 'Bottom Line' is that Half-Life development could be shorter. Hell, Valve came up with 'Valve Time'. They wouldn't argue that they're a very slow moving, easily distracted company.

As for merchandise and mass marketing- ARE YOU ****ING CRAZY?! You want there to be a wide variety hl2 action figures and comic and books and all that gay crap that is made just to get money?

Yes, that's what I said. Specifically mentioning 'god no books'. but yes. To you it's 'Gay Crap', to others it isn't. You want to substantiate why it's 'Gay Crap'? Did a homosexual graphic novel excrete on you when you were younger? No? Cry Some More (TM).

And sorry for cheapening your Mother Theresa game series with the notion that it may actually exist to, you know, make money. I forgot that the Valve corporation was some kind of philanthropic Jesus figure (that totally isn't completely minted off developing the world's most successful digital download system).

Halo can get away with it because it is more child-friendly and a lot of youngens like it.

So now Halo is the gaming equivalent of Joe Camel? A 16+ game selling itself to children? Those dastards! I agree that it has this whole Matel-endorsed design-ethic, but that just goes to state why Half-Life merchandise would actually be worth putting into vacuum packs.

I dont envy halo fans because they get their parents to waste money on stupid crap, i'm happy that all i have to do is buy whatever the next half life game is to be on top of everything...

What kind of compulsive nut are you? Could it be... are you blissfully unaware of the existence of merchandise at the Valve Software Store? When I make this big reveal, will the existence of this childish crap (headcrab caps, companion cube plushes, all manner of lameness) cheapen the mature world that the company created, but compel you to buy every last Aperture Science mug in the store for fear of not owning every last piece?

You don't like it, you don't buy it. What a bizarre post.

As for your rant about expansion packs, since you clearly haven't understood a word I said in it, I'm going to say that your idea for a banana powered, monkey piloted Zeppelin is fascinating, but not what I'm looking for right now.

 

[Fiberawptic]

Hey, screw you buddy. This thing is worth a gazillion dollars and you're not getting it!

Sorry, but you're wrong about something completely subjective and immeasurable, since you're so quick to claim that you're right. The Half-Life games are better, but not to an "exponential degree" that is the direct result of development time. Especially that large portion spent on ironing out the entire difficulty curve into one sanitised boredom festival.

'Exponential' would imply that the completely immeasurable notion of 'good' was found to be hundreds of times greater in Half-life, and that such a huge amount of 'better' was the result of the last few weeks of development. So why do the games take years longer to develop? My 'Bottom Line' is that Half-Life development could be shorter. Hell, Valve came up with 'Valve Time'. They wouldn't argue that they're a very slow moving, easily distracted company.

Yes, that's what I said. Specifically mentioning 'god no books'. but yes. To you it's 'Gay Crap', to others it isn't. You want to substantiate why it's 'Gay Crap'? Did a homosexual graphic novel excrete on you when you were younger? No? Cry Some More (TM).

And sorry for cheapening your Mother Theresa game series with the notion that it may actually exist to, you know, make money. I forgot that the Valve corporation was some kind of philanthropic Jesus figure (that totally isn't completely minted off developing the world's most successful digital download system).

So now Halo is the gaming equivalent of Joe Camel? A 16+ game selling itself to children? Those dastards! I agree that it has this whole Matel-endorsed design-ethic, but that just goes to state why Half-Life merchandise would actually be worth putting into vacuum packs.

What kind of compulsive nut are you? Could it be... are you blissfully unaware of the existence of merchandise at the Valve Software Store? When I make this big reveal, will the existence of this childish crap (headcrab caps, companion cube plushes, all manner of lameness) cheapen the mature world that the company created, but compel you to buy every last Aperture Science mug in the store for fear of not owning every last piece?

You don't like it, you don't buy it. What a bizarre post.

As for your rant about expansion packs, since you clearly haven't understood a word I said in it, I'm going to say that your idea for a banana powered, monkey piloted Zeppelin is fascinating, but not what I'm looking for right now.

Keep your inflammatory assumptions and petty insults to yourself. My post was hardly lashing out at you, but you seem to think it was appropriate to do so in your response. You didn't even notice that i mentioned the Valve Store when saying you are rediculous to demand more than is already sold there...

Is saying Halo is a game many children like an assumption? Of course, but is it true? Yes, I don't know everyone in the world and everyone that has played halo, so before you pull off the predictable retort- "how do you know what every persons age is who plays halo?", allow me to say it is one of the biggest main stream games next to Mario and its hard not to hear Halo brought up in many discussions based on video games. It was Bungies move, a smart move at that, they weren't going to make the game hardcore and packed with lots of gore and adult elements, then they loose half their audience, and sure, they rate it M, but that doesn't stop many kids from getting it when their parents see its not so bad anyway.

Yes, it is an opinion to say one franchise is better than the other, but honestly, dont hide behind your mathematical reasoning and basing everything off measurable units to avoid the truth that Halo is one of the most comercialized and hype-dependent games in VG history. Knowing 6-8 million people would still buy the game even if it gets critically panned and is of poor quality, Bungie could do whatever they want and didn't have to adopt the Valve mentality of making sure every game they put out is innovative and high quality. Another reason why Valve's superior in that respect, they don't depend on crazy marketing campaigns (left 4 dead being a slight exception) and loads of hype to get large sales numbers, if the game is good and they release it, critics will talk all about it and the game over time will become huge. Half life and halo are probably extremely close in sales figures. halo 2- 8 million, halo 1- 5 million, halo 3- 8 million. half life 1- 9 million, half life 2- estimated 8 million including steam, half life 2 episode 1- estimated 2 million with steam, orange box - 3 million (episode 2). thats about halo- 21 million total, and half life - 22 million. Thats estimated, but not far at all from the actual figures.

 

[kupocake]

Keep your inflammatory assumptions and petty insults to yourself. My post was hardly lashing out at you, but you seem to think it was appropriate to do so in your response.

Just because I can put condescension into actual observations instead of going 'hur hur, that stuff you want is crap', doesn't mean I should hold back. You need taking down a peg and I don't mind telling you so.

allow me to say it is one of the biggest main stream games next to Mario and its hard not to hear Halo brought up in many discussions based on video games.

Dateline 2009: Video Gaming mainstream now for adults? We'll have more at ten.

but honestly, dont hide behind your mathematical reasoning and basing everything off measurable units to avoid the truth that Halo is one of the most comercialized and hype-dependent games in VG history.

6-8 million ... 2- 8 million ... 1- 5 million ... 8 million ... 1- 9 million ... 8 million ... 2 million ... 3 million ... 21 million ... 22 million.

"it's like goldy and bronzy only it's made out of iron"

 

[Shift]

I don't consider bringing out books on the series just a simple way of making money but more another way of telling stories about other aspects and ventures of the Half-Life universe.

 

[Maturin]

If March Laidlaw wants to write a book, that's fine. He's a published author and it's largely his story. But Half-Life doesn't need a book particularly and probably shouldn't have one. It's just that kind of setting.

 

[coheedswicked]

ya. Valve is pretty strict about the whole "tell the story through the game" thing