Valve has "good reasons" for Ep 3 delays
Valve isn't ready to talk about Half-Life 2: Episode 3 just yet, though hints at new Source Engine features in the future.
"I get a ton of email every day saying why aren't you talking about Episode 3? And there are very good reasons why we're not talking about Episode 3, which I can't talk about yet, but I will," Newell said to G4.
Although Gabe adamantly refuses to talk about why exactly Half-Life 2: Episode 3 is taking so long to develop given that the episodic model should focus on a smaller game with a faster release, he hints that a major reason for the delays could be new features being added to the Source engine.
"We've been able to take steps forward in the technology. Left 4 Dead couldn't have shipped without Episode 1 and Episode 2, right?" he noted. The Source engine itself has been going since 2004, but Valve has been strapping new features to the original release ever since.
"[Those advances also] put us in a position to be able to do Portal and Team Fortress 2, and all of these products were enabled by moving to these shorter development cycles."
New features is all very well and good of course - but we'd still like to see just a little glimpse of what Valve has got planned for Episode 3. Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
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Discuss in the forums ReplyIs Gabe back on the crack?
Im all for waiting for EP3 - the 'story' best take more than 3/4 hours this time - a story that changes depending on your actions would let Gabe'y poos off the hook entirely.
Thats what I was thinking, with the shorter development cycles. But surely the couldn't have been using waterfall for stuff like half life 2?
Do we really need engine tweaks holding up the release? HL2 episodes have never been at the cutting edge from a graphical standpoint, but it hasn't stopped them selling well. Some of us just want the next piece of the story and nuts to an extra bit of bling.
/rant
I think he means "longer" instead of shorter. Typical Valve to say "there's reasons.. but we can't say" so just don't say it and avoid coming off as a prat?
Besides, though I haven't played the full version of L4D, i've found the AI Director quite an interesting idea, and there's no reason not to expect Valve to rethink some portions of Ep 3 in order to take full advantage of it.
I don't mind the delay (though I'm dying to know the rest of the story). I'm sure that when it finally comes out, it will be awesome.
Source runs off Havoc physics, I don't see why they would change that as it would really screw things up for mods (like gmod).
Only if GMod updates to the latest version of the engine - and it won't. GMod is currently using the version of the Source Engine that shipped with The Orange Box and hasn't even updated to the L4D version. In fact, Garry's said he won't push it to the next version of the engine again because of the hardware requirements - Orange Box version can run on DirectX 7 upwards, but L4D require DirectX 9 or upwards, IIRC. Apparently he doesn't want to lose that portion of the market when he could move on to new projects instead.
By breaking their "Big game" into smaller chunks, their engine development can hit regular milestones that act as "platforms" for other games/projects. Instead of having to chose between either Source HL2, or wait for Source HL3, you get a period set of in between choices that while not as advanced, happen much more regularly and are thus flexible.
Even more focused "engine" people like Epic, still usually require a software release (game) to "cement" each iteration of their engine tech. (See the issues companies had with Unreal Engine 3 and having to "wait" until Gears of War came out so that it was "done").
The irony of Valve switching to "Shorter" release cycles, is that it merely brings them in line with other developers "regular" schedules. So to the actual consumers/gamers, we get these games no real faster then most other titles anyhow.
Was just an example off the top of my head :p
And yea, I read about that, shame, oh well.
The question I'd like answered is just how much longer can they drag Source out for? As nice as some of it (like AI director), its really starting to get a bit long in the tooth. Most of the current Source games rely on fantastic vision rather then graphics:
http://www.bit-tech.net/blog/2009/02/23/presentation-versus-graphics/
Not a bad thing but having both would be very very nice. :D
Half-Life 1, Opposing Force, Blue Shift. (With Team Fortress and Counter-Strike in there too.)
This time though we get:
Half-Life 2, Ep1, Ep2, Ep3. (With Team Fortress 2, Portal)
I would have preferred to see the return of Shepard. Despite G-Man pretty much banishing him forever, I could see him bringing him back in 'desperation'. (Like when the Volg-wtfe's keep Gordon and the G-Man apart.)
And Barney isn't around you 24/7, so it wouldn't be hard to work him into an expansion.
I loved the story from HL2/Ep1-2 so far, but it doesn't mean the alternate perspectives weren't cool.
Orange Box version only runs on DX 8 and upwards. Then they dropped DX8 support in the L4D version.
do we have to go over Valve time? shorter development just means not 3 years.
agreed. However we always have the right to bitch when the game is of sub par quality because we paid for it
Touché
Actually, it's almost been 2 years, so assuming they announcing something before Christmas, by the time they actually release it, it'll have been 3 years.
Release a month later?
If they even announce that, it'll get at least 3 delays pushing it back a good 6 to 8 months like it always happens :)
"The half-life of a quantity whose value decreases with time is the interval required for the quantity to decay to half of its initial value."
as taken from wikipedia!
ROFL
*screenshoted
+rep
they probably will have a new source for DX11
50% of Valve empoyees are busy counting the money made with L4D.
The other 50% are busy thinking of a marketing campaign to justify L4D2.
What's with the sudden Valve bashing trend ?
Basically you can have it when they tell you that you can have it...
EDIT: Although both will probably be awesome games that will more than justify the extended time spent in development...
At least Blizzard let a trickle of constant info out... With Valve, you hear about once in a blue moon if you're lucky
Not agreed. I think that after almost 10 years of source engine. Don't you guys think the 'Valve people' can design map levels blindfolded by now? Besides that, the source engine get bloated with all those extensions. Better design a new and better source engine. ( SE2 ? )
A SE2 sounds more logical to me. Besides that Halve Life always was the one that brought the engine improvements or a new engine HL1 -> HL2.
Anyone with access to Hammer and half a brain for route planning can design maps using the source engine these days.
SE2 might be more logical, and overdue, but at this stage? Unlikely.
Somehow I doubt they'd do an entirely new engine just for an Episode (unless they have other, bigger plans for The Orange Box 2). Besides, they've spent ages making portal tech work with the current version and we know that they're going to use it until the end of this year at least (for L4D2), so a new engine is still going to be a year or two off at least IMHO.
Maybe for Half-Life 4.
..So 2020?