The "I EMAILED SOMEBODY AT VALVE!" thread, post your questions and replies here - Games

[QUOTE=Ctrl+Alt+Llama;39376967]I seem to remember a couple pages back some one asked for Lan part prizes and they said no.[/QUOTE] that's because they asked the front desk

[QUOTE=Super_Noodle;39361730][B]I mean I bought the game, but what a fucking jackass I must be to call it MY game.[/B][/QUOTE] Yes, yes you are.

[QUOTE=Super_Noodle;39360238]So after hearing about the latest "improvement" to HL1, I decided to snap and email Gaben. I know it's not going to get anything accomplished, but it still feels good to yell at someone to alleviate the rage. [thumb]http://puu.sh/1SEMh[/thumb] I'm surprised "A pissed of Steam user." is the only unnoticed typo I made considering the fact that I was kinda seething when I wrote the letter.[/QUOTE] Everyone hates you. You're just another CoD fanboy. Go back to your Xbox and TV and leave this section of the forum, dumb no-brain.

[QUOTE=Swog;39380181]Everyone hates you. You're just another CoD fanboy. Go back to your Xbox and TV and leave this section of the forum, dumb no-brain.[/QUOTE] man yeah that is the way to solve things

[QUOTE=Swog;39380181]You're just another CoD fanboy. [/QUOTE] You definitely haven't met the Noodle that I know.

[QUOTE=01271;39299126]Sent to the Webmaster. Now to wait for an answer.[/QUOTE] 1 week, no answer, posted it on steam discussions for the new steam beta, no real answer there either. Looks like it'll be ignored.

An odd one, but I had to know. So I sent it to Jess Cliffe, who helped make Counter-Strike. [Quote] Hello, I wasn't sure who to send this to, but it has been bugging me for 6 years. Do you know what the Certificate of Pompousness in cs_office actually says? I can't for the life of me read it from the texture. Ian. [/Quote] More or less. Woe is me for forgetting to do it via my Gmail so I could get logs.

[QUOTE=itak365;39385011]An odd one, but I had to know. So I sent it to Jess Cliffe, who helped make Counter-Strike. More or less. Woe is me for forgetting to do it via my Gmail so I could get logs.[/QUOTE] Steam offline messaging rolled out recently so you may be able to get the last chat you did. [editline]28th January 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Mio Akiyama;39377939]that's because they asked the front desk[/QUOTE] Actually they didn't it was direct to Alyssa ,see page 81.

In light of recent events, I just sent this email to multiple people at the company. [quote]To whom game modding may concern at VALVe Software, I have enjoyed your games since I first got Portal for free during the May 2010 free offer. Since then, I have bought and fallen in love with many of your most popular titles. Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2, and Portal make up a four-part trinity of some of my top favorite video games, and I rarely regret time I spend playing them. Of particular credit I give to your works are the abilities of game modding. These opportunities to customize the resources of the game to my own preference are ones I enjoy oh so very much. Custom maps that extend my playthrough adventures, reskins & new models that make the world look different and amusing. Even entire new gameplay experiences. It’s such an outstanding chance you’ve given PC gamers over the years to be able to change their experience, and I only wish more developers would follow your lead. In recent months, though, some of your actions towards the modding community have, for a lack of a better term, been troubling. When you introduced the VPK system for your game files, you appeared to have our best interests at heart by giving us the chance to more easily implement mods. But the thing is, you haven’t given all your games full support for such mods. Left 4 Dead and Portal 2 can only easily have new maps added, anything else (new character models, texture changes) has virtually no support, and it’s such a dreadful setback when I can’t have multiple reskins without serious trouble. Was the GCF system really hard enough to warrant this “simplification”? I personally don’t think so. Something is wrong, and should be rectified. Another bit of disheartening move on your part is the state of the Source SDKs. While I am not a custom mapper, I’ve heard of many complaints of major bugs and a lack of proper attention. I have seen interviews and e-mails where it is said that you are working on a major overhaul, and that gives me hope. But the lack of word or timeframe on this worries me. Are mappers going to be able to use Hammer properly by the time your next big title hits? Along those lines is also the matter of a lack of proper development kits for your recent games, as in titles from Left 4 Dead onwards. The major drawbacks of this are a severe inability to create another game or large-scale mod with the resources of games since Left 4 Dead. Portal: Prelude, Azure Sheep, Pirates, Viking & Knights 2, all these great game mods can’t be equaled with your recent game releases due to the lack of proper SDKs for them. And this is a horrible move when it could mean so much potential. Nearly every game you’ve made beyond Half-Life started with a full-fledged game mod, created by fans who wanted to create a different experience with the help of an official game’s resources. Through your interest and generosity, you were able to turn those mods into a real game that everyone could enjoy. If you can’t provide the support modders need, how can the next Team Fortress, Counter-Strike, or DOTA come into existence? One last thing regards recent events. Not too long ago, a patch was made to the original Half-Life games and expansions that made them use the High Definition models, the ones Gearbox Software made for the release of Half-Life: Blue Shift, by default. They are a nice pack of models, I like them too, but the version of the pack Steam has used since the games’ arrival on Steam are bugged with missing animations that harm classic Half-Life mods like Sweet Half-Life or Azure Sheep that use the original models. Furthermore, the way the patch was implemented means that custom models fans want use can’t be used, because the patch prevents override of the original models being used by the game. In short, Half-Life has been made partially unmoddable. For a game that spawned the world-shaking franchise of Counter-Strike and Team Fortress, this is a dreadful choice of implantation of the new models. Why was this done? Why was the option taken away? Why can’t the game be modded like it used to be? I write this to address one of the biggest issues I see developing in VALVe Software that I’m not particularly pleased by. I have had concerns about the methods of your game updates, the handling of Team Fortress 2 and the Left 4 Dead series, and your position on the state of Half-Life, but this matter of the future of your treatment of game modding, something that’s a cornerstone of your company’s history, concerns me the most. I am writing to many people at your company because I am hoping I can get the right people to hear this. I don’t know if one single person or group of people handles all matters of game mods, but I do know that multiple people at the company have had varying levels involvement with the modding community, and would know to some extent of the important this skill has been, and should be, to VALVe’s past, present and future. If you take the time to read this, and show this to others to whom the issues I have might be more relevant, I thank you wholeheartedly, and hope something can be done to relieve my worries. Gosh knows I read too much pessimistic feelings on your actions on the various web forums. You guys are still the best game company I've ever seen, but I just don’t want to see your imperfections become a ghastly stain on your reputation. Sincerely, (my real name here), a Concerned Fan[/quote] This will probably have little effect on anything, but I felt like I had to do something. At the least, I feel like I've cleared my consciousness quite a bit.

[QUOTE=Drewsko;39394050]In light of recent events, I just sent this email to multiple people at the company. This will probably have little effect on anything, but I felt like I had to do something. At the least, I feel like I've cleared my consciousness quite a bit.[/QUOTE] who'd you send it to? I wrote something of a tirade about the Portal 2 Authoring Tools to one of the people listed on their site as working on Hammer, and also through a ticket on steam support (when I emailed the front desk they said that would be the best way to send suggestions/complaints about the auth tools) but I haven't gotten a response from either.

[QUOTE=p0rtalplayer;39394462]who'd you send it to?[/QUOTE] Gabe, Chet, Robin, the Front Desk, Alyssa (a bit redundant, admitedly) and I presume the SDK team (the address went [email]sdk@valvesoftware.com[/email])

[quote]four-part trinity[/quote] um

Just talked to a Valve ex-employee who worked on Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms. He says that he probably has 2 builds of it (one before the name "Brotherhood of Arms" and one named "Brotherhood of Arms"), but he won't be able to get to them until Summer, and he wants permission from the other devs. Can't wait...

[QUOTE=SiPlus;39402534]Just talked to an ex-Valve employee who worked on Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms. He says that he probably has 2 builds of it (one before the name "Brotherhood of Arms" and one named "Brotherhood of Arms"), but he won't be able to get to them until Summer, and he wants permission from the other devs. Can't wait...[/QUOTE] That would be amazing if those came out. You'd get to check out the map that inspired DaveJ to create Dust I + II.

[QUOTE=En Ex;39402653]That would be amazing if those came out. You'd get to check out the map that inspired DaveJ to create Dust I + II.[/QUOTE] It's from the 1999 version, not 1998.

[QUOTE=SiPlus;39402534]Just talked to an ex-Valve employee who worked on Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms. He says that he probably has 2 builds of it (one before the name "Brotherhood of Arms" and one named "Brotherhood of Arms"), but he won't be able to get to them until Summer, and he wants permission from the other devs. Can't wait...[/QUOTE] So it seems in summer, we got incoming!

[QUOTE=Uzbekistan;39404002]So it seems in summer, we got incoming![/QUOTE] We can only hope, our success depends on the decision of Walker and Cook.

Alyassa said she would be sending me a small token 17 days ago. How long does it usually take to receive something like this from her?

[QUOTE=Royalpain;39430647]Alyassa said she would be sending me a small token 17 days ago. How long does it usually take to receive something like this from her?[/QUOTE] Who said it? Mary said that to me and I'm sitting here 5 months later with nothing.

[QUOTE=Drewsko;39394050]In light of recent events, I just sent this email to multiple people at the company. This will probably have little effect on anything, but I felt like I had to do something. At the least, I feel like I've cleared my consciousness quite a bit.[/QUOTE] FYI [quote]Next update will support a "-nohdmodels" command line parameter to disable loading of the model pack.[/quote] [url]https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/891[/url]

Well, this happened. [IMG]http://gm4.in/i/d55.png[/IMG]

I have to admit, I'm super impressed with Alfred's work so far.

[QUOTE=danharibo;39438036]I have to admit, I'm super impressed with Alfred's work so far.[/QUOTE] What's his position at Valve?

[url]http://www.valvesoftware.com/company/people.html[/url] Software engineer. Right now he works with the linux ports and bring third-party apps to steam.

[QUOTE=kimr120;39438358][url]http://www.valvesoftware.com/company/people.html[/url] Software engineer. Right now he works with the linux ports and bring third-party apps to steam.[/QUOTE]It's awesome that he's fixing some issues with the games too, I hope that he/they give Half Life the same treatment.

[QUOTE=bu5hman;11930482]He'd actually start orbiting his enormous belly.[/QUOTE] A fat joke a day keeps Episode 3 away.

[QUOTE=Dictator Dean;39439700]A fat joke a day keeps Episode 3 away.[/QUOTE] Or as Gabe called it in his talk, Half Life 3.

[QUOTE=Royalpain;39430647]Alyassa said she would be sending me a small token 17 days ago. How long does it usually take to receive something like this from her?[/QUOTE] It took a year to get mine. [sp] Not joking [/sp]

Who would I contact for information about the steam web API?

Got a response now. Sent it to Chet but got a response from David Monroe. They seem interested, so hopefully they will sponsor us for the next LAN.