Half-Life & Portal series, general discussion (v3) - Games

[QUOTE=Blu_ninja;39063684]How ironic would it be if aliens invaded earth before HL3 comes out.[/QUOTE] It'd be more ironic if in the Half-Life games, just before the Combine's invasion, HL3 was in development. And then the Combine invades our universe just like what happened in the game's lore. However, I have yet to see a Headcrab zombie walking down the street, or a neighbours leg getting bitten off by a Bullsquid as he tries to get into a "safe zone".

[QUOTE=EpicRandomnes;39063676]No. Episode 3 has been delayed because [I][U]VALVE DUG THEMSELVES INTO A HOLE[/U][/I]. So few people realize this. VALVe has always made it open that they like free reign over their ideas. They hate being boxed into something with no way out. They don't want to jump the gun and get too far ahead of themselves. And Episode 2 did just that; they jumped the gun on the series plot and now they're stuck there. They've locked themselves into Borealis, big huge secret power and an Arctic setting. And it's not just a trailer this time, like with Episode 2, this time they can't retcon it, or keep it as preliminary ideas and subject to change. And they know that they have to stop this in HL3/EP3, because if they end it in a cliff-hanger of "what will we do with this new technology?" It's just gonna start it all over again.[/QUOTE] I think that development was progressing nicely from ~2006 to mid-2008, during which time they were quite happy to talk about the forthcoming third episode and the closing of the story arc. But at some point they realised that they weren't happy with the direction it was going in or the way the story was ending, and decided to re-think everything.

[QUOTE=EarlCdwards;39065267]I think that development was progressing nicely from ~2006 to mid-2008, during which time they were quite happy to talk about the forthcoming third episode and the closing of the story arc. But at some point they realised that they weren't happy with the direction it was going in or the way the story was ending, and decided to re-think everything.[/QUOTE] Exactly. But they're having trouble re-thinking it with the hole they dug themselves into.

[QUOTE=EpicRandomnes;39065332]Exactly. But they're having trouble re-thinking it with the hole they dug themselves into.[/QUOTE] Every creative endeavor goes through a hole-digging phase. I'm confident they're already out of the hole. Indeed, I believe the hole has been replaced with a mountain. A mountain from which Gabe will descend on a certain date in June. He will hoist a glittering ORANGE BOX over his head. A tear will streak down his cheek. "It is finished."

[QUOTE=EpicRandomnes;39063676]No. Episode 3 has been delayed because [I][U]VALVE DUG THEMSELVES INTO A HOLE[/U][/I]. So few people realize this. VALVe has always made it open that they like free reign over their ideas. They hate being boxed into something with no way out. They don't want to jump the gun and get too far ahead of themselves. And Episode 2 did just that; they jumped the gun on the series plot and now they're stuck there. They've locked themselves into Borealis, big huge secret power and an Arctic setting. And it's not just a trailer this time, like with Episode 2, this time they can't retcon it, or keep it as preliminary ideas and subject to change. And they know that they have to stop this in HL3/EP3, because if they end it in a cliff-hanger of "what will we do with this new technology?" It's just gonna start it all over again.[/QUOTE] No, it was delayed because they wanted to finish the series off in the best way they could. That means they are willing to delay the game and change things if needed, until they think they have it right. I don't actually think any of the story-based games Valve have made that didn't change from was first shown. Half life 1 was completely changed from what they originally planned. Half Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, Team Fortress 2 and L4D also got plenty of changes. Delaying the game doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the choices they've made for the story so far. Having some story elements planned doesn't mean they've "dug themselves into a hole".

They also started Source 2. I wonder if they ran into limitations with the Source engine and decided that they needed a new engine to tell the story / make the game they wanted to make.

[QUOTE=EpicRandomnes;39063676]No. Episode 3 has been delayed because [I][U]VALVE DUG THEMSELVES INTO A HOLE[/U][/I]. So few people realize this. VALVe has always made it open that they like free reign over their ideas. They hate being boxed into something with no way out. They don't want to jump the gun and get too far ahead of themselves. And Episode 2 did just that; they jumped the gun on the series plot and now they're stuck there. They've locked themselves into Borealis, big huge secret power and an Arctic setting. And it's not just a trailer this time, like with Episode 2, this time they can't retcon it, or keep it as preliminary ideas and subject to change. And they know that they have to stop this in HL3/EP3, because if they end it in a cliff-hanger of "what will we do with this new technology?" It's just gonna start it all over again.[/QUOTE] they didn't do any of that; they had the whole plot pretty much fleshed out before episode 1 or 2 IIRC

I pretty much had the Valviest Christmas ever! I got some posters too, and a couple more t-shirts that are in the wash. Some of it's official, some's not, but it's all awesome! [T]http://imgur.com/SiEzr.jpg[/T]

[QUOTE='[CWG]RustySpannerz;39067628']I pretty much had the Valviest Christmas ever! I got some posters too, and a couple more t-shirts that are in the wash. Some of it's official, some's not, but it's all awesome! [T]http://imgur.com/SiEzr.jpg[/T][/QUOTE] I wish I had your money. I'll likely be finding the cash to get a couple Dota 2 and L4D2 posters, maybe the Gordon Freeman figurine from NECA. Nice haul you've got there regardless, where'd you find the Gabe-face shirt?

[QUOTE='[CWG]RustySpannerz;39067628']I pretty much had the Valviest Christmas ever! I got some posters too, and a couple more t-shirts that are in the wash. Some of it's official, some's not, but it's all awesome! [T]http://imgur.com/SiEzr.jpg[/T][/QUOTE] How is the headcrab plush?

[QUOTE='[CWG]RustySpannerz;39067628']I pretty much had the Valviest Christmas ever! I got some posters too, and a couple more t-shirts that are in the wash. Some of it's official, some's not, but it's all awesome! [T]http://imgur.com/SiEzr.jpg[/T][/QUOTE] Where did you get most of it from? Some of it i'd really like (such as the mugs) but i can't find anywhere to get them for a reasonable price because i'm in the UK.

[QUOTE=nightlord;39066648][B]No, it was delayed because they wanted to finish the series off in the best way they could.[/B] That means they are willing to delay the game and change things if needed, until they think they have it right. I don't actually think any of the story-based games Valve have made that didn't change from was first shown. Half life 1 was completely changed from what they originally planned. Half Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, Team Fortress 2 and L4D also got plenty of changes. Delaying the game doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the choices they've made for the story so far. Having some story elements planned doesn't mean they've "dug themselves into a hole".[/QUOTE] You mean HL3/EP3 is the last Half-Life game ? This is surprising, I've yet to see anything that could indicate this. [editline]2nd January 2013[/editline] Or did you mean the episodic series ?

[QUOTE=_Axel;39069172]You mean HL3/EP3 is the last Half-Life game ? This is surprising, I've yet to see anything that could indicate this. [editline]2nd January 2013[/editline] Or did you mean the episodic series ?[/QUOTE] It's the end of the current story arc, at least. Not necessarily the end of Gordon, but at least the Resistance/Combine part of his life.

I believe no number of games can cover everything about Half Life/Portal universe. This excites me :D

[QUOTE=Pocket Medic;39068447]I wish I had your money. I'll likely be finding the cash to get a couple Dota 2 and L4D2 posters, maybe the Gordon Freeman figurine from NECA. Nice haul you've got there regardless, where'd you find the Gabe-face shirt?[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.redbubble.com/people/ocarina04/works/8582324-gaben-and-knives?body_color=silver&p=t-shirt&print_location=front&size=medium&style=mens[/url] Googled it.

[QUOTE=_Axel;39069172]You mean HL3/EP3 is the last Half-Life game ? This is surprising, I've yet to see anything that could indicate this. [editline]2nd January 2013[/editline] Or did you mean the episodic series ?[/QUOTE] It's the end of the current story arc, it won't be the last Half life game.

[QUOTE=Meatpuppet;39066829]they didn't do any of that; they had the whole plot pretty much fleshed out before episode 1 or 2 IIRC[/QUOTE] Not exactly. VALVe loves re-working their ideas. VALVe locked themselves into a set course that now they cannot avoid. Unless they were to redesign Episode 2 they're stuck doing an Arctic setting, with a big massive ship called the Borealis. They want to go back and change it, but they can't. Also, with Half-Life 1 they never said they would do X thing. They had complete freedom. They could change it to their liking at any moment. Half-Life 2 was similar, no one really knew it was coming and VALVe never said they would do this or that. Episode 1 was similar, except for the EP2 trailer at the end. Episode 2 revealed the plot points of the next game, so now they can't avoid it.

[QUOTE=EpicRandomnes;39070382]Not exactly. VALVe loves re-working their ideas. VALVe locked themselves into a set course that now they cannot avoid. Unless they were to redesign Episode 2 they're stuck doing an Arctic setting, with a big massive ship called the Borealis. They want to go back and change it, but they can't. Also, with Half-Life 1 they never said they would do X thing. They had complete freedom. They could change it to their liking at any moment. Half-Life 2 was similar, no one really knew it was coming and VALVe never said they would do this or that. Episode 1 was similar, except for the EP2 trailer at the end. Episode 2 revealed the plot points of the next game, so now they can't avoid it.[/QUOTE] What if they just make it so that they delay their trip to the Borealis because [sp]Eli died[/sp] and then something big happens that stops them from going there. They could always come up with an excuse to not go to the Borealis.

[QUOTE=nightlord;39069963]It's the end of the current story arc, it won't be the last Half life game.[/QUOTE] That's what I thought. Sorry for misinterpreting your sentence. I'm even more eager to see how the next story arc unveils. With the massive setting difference between HL1 and HL2, I can't imagine how different and innovative this game will be.

[QUOTE=BigJoeyLemons;39070611]What if they just make it so that they delay their trip to the Borealis because [sp]Eli died[/sp] and then something big happens that stops them from going there. They could always come up with an excuse to not go to the Borealis.[/QUOTE] Seems like a cheap thing IMO. However, there could be an alternative to having Episode 3 stuck entirely in an arctic setting would be as such; for the first third of the game we could have the arctic/ship setting, then hit us with a Wham! bar and have the Borealis warp to another universe with Gordon, Alyx and Barney still inside. Speaking about Barney, I want Barney to come back.

[QUOTE=EpicRandomnes;39070382]Not exactly. VALVe loves re-working their ideas. VALVe locked themselves into a set course that now they cannot avoid. Unless they were to redesign Episode 2 they're stuck doing an Arctic setting, with a big massive ship called the Borealis. They want to go back and change it, but they can't. Also, with Half-Life 1 they never said they would do X thing. They had complete freedom. They could change it to their liking at any moment. Half-Life 2 was similar, no one really knew it was coming and VALVe never said they would do this or that. Episode 1 was similar, except for the EP2 trailer at the end. Episode 2 revealed the plot points of the next game, so now they can't avoid it.[/QUOTE] What makes you think they want to change it? Nothing suggests that at all. They're not stuck doing an Arctic setting with the Borealis, that's just what they've suggested is going to happen. There are plenty of ways they could avoid it and it's not like the entire game is going to be about that one thing. They Delay is not because of the story.

[QUOTE=BigJoeyLemons;39070611]What if they just make it so that they delay their trip to the Borealis because [sp]Eli died[/sp] and then something big happens that stops them from going there. They could always come up with an excuse to not go to the Borealis.[/QUOTE] The problem with that idea is that because the Borealis was brought up as such a big thing, it's pretty much guaranteed to be in the next game in some form. Kleiner wants to use it against the Combine, the Combine want to use it against the Resistance, and Eli wanted it destroyed altogether. At the same time, Mossman is in trouble up there as well, so I get the feeling we'll probably have to go up there anyway and save her ass.

Does anyone know what exactly is on the Borealis?

Probably some kind of teleportation device. I think it might be somewhat to the similar Anti Mass Spectrometer. Heck, maybe Aperture created their own little resonance cascade on the Borealis but instead of teleporting aliens into the facility it teleported the ship away. Mostly speculation on my part though.

[QUOTE=nightlord;39070807]What makes you think they want to change it? Nothing suggests that at all. They're not stuck doing an Arctic setting with the Borealis, that's just what they've suggested is going to happen. There are plenty of ways they could avoid it and it's not like the entire game is going to be about that one thing. They Delay is not because of the story.[/QUOTE] Exactly. Now that we know Source 2 has been in development for some time now, I'm betting that's probably a major reason as to why the next installment has been taking so damn long to make. The Source engine we have now just wasn't going to cut it, and they probably wanted to do something friggin' amazing as this story reaches a climactic point. And we know Valve, if it means putting a release date off to improve something they think could or should be improved, they will. What's more is, they've said that this new engine was going to be [I]next-gen,[/I] right? So I imagine they're also waiting for the next generation of consoles to hit the market.

[QUOTE=tempunary;39070865]Does anyone know what exactly is on the Borealis?[/QUOTE] We can pretty safely assume that it is something related to teleportation technology, seeing as the ship is Aperture-owned and somehow disappeared on its own, but no one really knows what that implies exactly. For all we know, it could be anything from a straight-up portal gun for the player to use to some more vague piece of equipment that will be used to drive the plot forwards.

It's definitely gotta be a big teleporter thing; I'm probably gonna bet that it's gonna be sort of like Event Horizon where they ship went somewhere absolutely bonkers and now there are things way worse than Xen fauna stalking it's halls.

[QUOTE=ironman17;39071044]It's definitely gotta be a big teleporter thing; I'm probably gonna bet that it's gonna be sort of like Event Horizon where they ship went somewhere absolutely bonkers and now there are things way worse than Xen fauna stalking it's halls.[/QUOTE] Now that's something I'd be down for. Set the first part of the game after the intro chapter in the belly of the Borealis, now infested with evil creations straight out of Lovecraft. Finish the franchise as you started it: Make the first two hours of the game survival-horror-esque, gradually make the shooting element evolve from there and keep ramping up the stakes and tempo from there into an explosive crescendo.

[QUOTE=JS21O3;39070871]Probably some kind of teleportation device. I think it might be somewhat to the similar Anti Mass Spectrometer. Heck, maybe Aperture created their own little resonance cascade on the Borealis but instead of teleporting aliens into the facility it teleported the ship away. Mostly speculation on my part though.[/QUOTE] I'll be very disappointed if it's just some sort of teleportation device, unless it involves something like Time Travel as well. I think it should be something unexpected on the Borealis though. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of Aperture. The Borealis has (Or at least it did in Episode 2) a large amount of guns on it. If it was just a teleporting research ship it wouldn't need those. I hope they keep them.

I think it'd actually be pretty awesome if Valve used some of the silliness of Portal, and it turned out there was actually nothing really useful to either the Combine or the Resistance on the Borealis except some crazy ideas Cave Johnson came up with way back when, like combustible lemons or something.