Half Life 2 Episode 3 Discussion - Games

I just want...a new Half Life game...please

[QUOTE=Editorman;31502617]I'd would like anyway to see: New Graphic's,High Tech new Weapon's,The secret about G-Man... and that Alyx Vance never dies.[/QUOTE] The secret about G-Man is in video : Half-Life:Portal to Black Mesa :smug:

I honestly wouldn't mind even if the graphics looked exactly like Episode 2. I just want more HL2.

[QUOTE=razorbeamz;31505127]I honestly wouldn't mind even if the graphics looked exactly like Episode 2. I just want more HL2.[/QUOTE] i would seriously not buy episode 3 if they didn't upgrade shit again. ep 2 was already pushing it in terms of reused assets.

[QUOTE=Nugiman;31507492]i would seriously not buy episode 3 if they didn't upgrade shit again. ep 2 was already pushing it in terms of reused assets.[/QUOTE]No it wasn't? They made many new models, and also updated old models.

[QUOTE=Meatpuppet;31507628]No it wasn't? They made many new models, and also updated old models.[/QUOTE] On top of that Ep2 had improved eye shaders, better phong, and gnomes.

[QUOTE=Meatpuppet;31507628]No it wasn't? They made many new models, and also updated old models.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=brandonsh;31507961]On top of that Ep2 had improved eye shaders, better phong, and gnomes.[/QUOTE] Most of the "updated" models were subtle rigging/face flex improvements aside from the Vortigaunt model, which they remade from scratch. Not to mention that the new eye shaders were only used on the Vortigaunt model and many, many models do not have phong shading even when they could or should have it. The simple fact is that no matter what shader effects they added, HL2's models and textures were showing their age in 2007. They have quite a low polycount even for their time (the .357 world model is just the [I]HL1 non-HD model[/I] reskinned!) and the textures are quite blurry and grainy even for their modest resolution. Still, i strongly doubt it's graphics that are holding up a new Half-Life game, but the gameplay.

I'm going to love Ep. 3 with no visual upgrades. But with redone shaders and models like the rebels and other stuff, this might be the game of the century for me... Damn it, Ep. 3 makes me wet.

Oooooooooh my gawsh Valve just make it already, why woulnd't you continue making these half life games, the half life games are so awesome.

[QUOTE='[CWG]RustySpannerz;31510798']I'm going to love Ep. 3 with no visual upgrades. But with redone shaders and models like the rebels and other stuff, this might be the game of the century for me... Damn it, Ep. 3 makes me wet.[/QUOTE] They seriously need to redo 90% of the game's models. They're just so 2004.

[QUOTE=JurajIsNotPirat;31511214]They seriously need to redo 90% of the game's models. They're just so 2004.[/QUOTE] That could be part of the reason why the damn game is taking so long. They ARE remaking a good portion of the game's assets.

[QUOTE=Marcolade;31511391]That could be part of the reason why the damn game is taking so long. They ARE remaking a good portion of the game's assets.[/QUOTE] Plus they're switching engines/ making a whole new one.

[QUOTE=red_pharoah;31514202]Plus they're switching engines/ making a whole new one.[/QUOTE] This has been confirmed. It's a complete engine overhaul with never before seen features.

[QUOTE=kolya;31519439]This has been confirmed. It's a complete engine overhaul with never before seen features.[/QUOTE] Um, no. It's been confirmed that they are [B]not[/B] making a new engine or, as you called it, "a complete overhaul".

[QUOTE=Editorman;31502617]I'd would like anyway to see: New Graphic's,High Tech new Weapon's,The secret about G-Man... and that Alyx Vance never dies.[/QUOTE] I want to see a scene where a Advisor or Combine soldier ambushes you and knocks your crowbar from your hands. Just as it is about to finish you off Alyx comes up from behind bashing its head in with your crowbar, viciously beating it and bursting into tears as she tries to let out the horrible anguish caused by her father's death.

I'm sure at some point Alyx will go batshit insane on an advisor.

[QUOTE=UntouchedShadow;31521485]I'm sure at some point Alyx will go batshit insane on an advisor.[/QUOTE] Or die at the hands of one.

I'd like to see her, in a fit of rage, somehow manage to get on top of one and start riding it like a fucking bucking bronco.

I've always wondered how Eli and Mossman got out of the citadel and to White Forest in less than 10 minutes. Surely, they were out of the citadel by the time the Dark fusion reactor exploded. I've always wondered how. Does this mean that White Forest also has a teleporter?

[QUOTE=Code Shooter;31509838]Most of the "updated" models were subtle rigging/face flex improvements aside from the Vortigaunt model, which they remade from scratch. Not to mention that the new eye shaders were only used on the Vortigaunt model and many, many models do not have phong shading even when they could or should have it. The simple fact is that no matter what shader effects they added, HL2's models and textures were showing their age in 2007. They have quite a low polycount even for their time (the .357 world model is just the [I]HL1 non-HD model[/I] reskinned!) and the textures are quite blurry and grainy even for their modest resolution. Still, i strongly doubt it's graphics that are holding up a new Half-Life game, but the gameplay.[/QUOTE] this man speaks the truth. valve is just lazy. other companies push technology further with every release and they keep releasing their blocky source engine games and everyone buys them saying "the graphics aren't that great, but.." i remember when valve also brought games out that blew our minds visually.

[QUOTE=Rowtree;31523189]I've always wondered how Eli and Mossman got out of the citadel and to White Forest in less than 10 minutes. Surely, they were out of the citadel by the time the Dark fusion reactor exploded. I've always wondered how. Does this mean that White Forest also has a teleporter?[/QUOTE] The period of time between the reactors explosion and the start of EP1 is unknown. It is likely that they teleported to Klieners old lab and made their way to the trainstation.

Couldn't it be that they're finally working on getting image-based rendering working and that's why it's taking so long? They'd need the artists to not only make a 3D version of everything but also a 2D version. Getting rid of all the artifacts and stuff like that would require some serious brainpower aswell. [QUOTE]Gabe Newell: The coolest technology that we cut was the image-based rendering techniques that Gary McTaggart was working on. It would have opened some very cool design choices for us. I'm pretty sure we'll see that used in the future.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE]Gabe: There’s this technology that was really exciting that I’d like to see us get into production, which is a different approach to rendering complexity: Moving things into and out of an image domain and then seamlessly interpolating between those motions as you move around. So that everything close to you is physical and geometry, and everything really far away from you is an image, but you have no way of telling that if you do it properly and things can fly out and come back -- so as far as you’re concerned it all feels like the world to you, but as far as your rendering is concerned, you’re keeping your polygon budgets and your shader budgets and your fillrates under control. We’re focusing on things that have more obvious gameplay significance like NPCs and vehicles and stuff like that earlier, because it’s always good to do gameplay stuff, but I would like us to come back to that -- I’d love to be able to put people down into cities where they can navigate the entire city and have them feel like “my god there’s a huge amount of stuff going on around me”. That anything I can see I can walk over and in the background that stuff is going from being essentially a skybox to a sort of a low res version of geometry to a high res version of geometry as I get closer to it. [/QUOTE]

Wow, that would revolutionize game optimization... Also, nice first post.

[QUOTE=CaLeB-;31530878]Wow, that would revolutionize game optimization... Also, nice first post.[/QUOTE] On a side note, lovin' the new videos. :buddy:

I like the source engine personally, it grew on me- Just like in the days of goldsrc. Some new features would be cool to add, and some updated models. A super definition half life game would just feel weird to me IMO. I just hope we have some word about what is going on with the game, it's been so quite about it.

[QUOTE=CaLeB-;31530878]Wow, that would revolutionize game optimization... Also, nice first post.[/QUOTE]As cool as it sounds, I get the idea that it's going backwards.

[QUOTE=Saure Heringe;31523946]Couldn't it be that they're finally working on getting image-based rendering working and that's why it's taking so long? They'd need the artists to not only make a 3D version of everything but also a 2D version. Getting rid of all the artifacts and stuff like that would require some serious brainpower aswell.[/QUOTE] Pardon me if I'm saying something stupid, but isn't that somewhat similar to [url=http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/LOD]Level of Detail[/url]?

[QUOTE=Marcolade;31534782]Pardon me if I'm saying something stupid, but isn't that somewhat similar to [url=http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/LOD]Level of Detail[/url]?[/QUOTE]Similar, but instead of still having to load the whole model, albeit less detailed, it only loads an image, maybe even a couple of pixels in extreme cases.

[QUOTE=Meatpuppet;31535061]Similar, but instead of still having to load the whole model, albeit less detailed, it only loads an image, maybe even a couple of pixels in extreme cases.[/QUOTE] Crysis did a similar thing turning distant vegetation into sprites.

[QUOTE=garrynohome;31537726]Crysis did a similar thing turning distant vegetation into sprites.[/QUOTE] I may be misteaken but if far away models appear as sprites, then where'd the shading go? or will it be the type where it's too far away to notice?