Game Informer does an interview with an anonymous Valve employee on HL3 - Polidicks

This writer is pretentious as fuck. edit: interview was interesting though

[QUOTE=Atlascore;51660015]What happened to Valve? For real, can someone please explain what the 360 people at Valve actually do? The flat structure makes it sound like a day care for adults. I wish I got paid top dollar to come into work five days a week and jack off to my own ideas while producing absolutely nothing.[/QUOTE] Short answer: A collective of people working on whatever project inspires their passion (be that Steam Hardware, DOTA, or something new that we haven't seen) Longer answer: Hard to really grasp, but if you haven't ever read their employee handbook it's worth a quick read [url]http://www.valvesoftware.com/company/Valve_Handbook_LowRes.pdf[/url]

[QUOTE=Atlascore;51660015]What happened to Valve? For real, can someone please explain what the 360 people at Valve actually do? The flat structure makes it sound like a day care for adults. I wish I got paid top dollar to come into work five days a week and jack off to my own ideas while producing absolutely nothing.[/QUOTE] No idea who to blame but the company as a whole just stopped giving a shit about it's consumers. Now they just monetize the fuck out of everything. Dota and CSGO are still great games but they're full of stupid problems that you'd think are easy to fix but Valve just doesn't seem to care enough to do it.

[QUOTE=Dirty_Ape;51659995]This writer is pretentious as fuck. edit: interview was interesting though[/QUOTE] how are they being pretentious

[QUOTE=Blade Rx69;51659989]That's the problem: they [I]are[/I] interested in making it. They just can't quite figure out how to make it live up to and exceed the expectations they and the community have of it. The reason they've remained silent is because the development of it has been changing direction so much. They figure that telling the community "It's gonna be this" and a year later "It's gonna be that" then "We're not sure what it's gonna be" would be worse that staying silent.[/QUOTE] On the flip side, leaving your top rated series on a cliffhanger with the promise of a final episode to wrap things up...and then not saying a word for 10 years is arguably much worse. I just don't understand why Valve thinks a total lack of communication is a smart move. Hell, if you go to the Half-Life and Valve websites, they STILL list the episodes as a "trilogy."

[QUOTE=Elv02;51660023]Short answer: A collective of people working on whatever project inspires their passion (be that Steam Hardware, DOTA, or something new that we haven't seen) Longer answer: Hard to really grasp, but if you haven't ever read their employee handbook it's worth a quick read [url]http://www.valvesoftware.com/company/Valve_Handbook_LowRes.pdf[/url][/QUOTE] take that manual with a grain of salt: it's a PR move. a lot of Valve's image is carefully crafted to appear like that but actual operations in the company are not.

[QUOTE=JeanLuc761;51660103]On the flip side, leaving your top rated series on a cliffhanger with the promise of a final episode to wrap things up...and then not saying a word for 10 years is arguably much worse. I just don't understand why Valve thinks a total lack of communication is a smart move. Hell, if you go to the Half-Life and Valve websites, they STILL list the episodes as a "trilogy."[/QUOTE] At the very least, Gabe believed it to be the better move. [quote=Gabe]"In terms of Ricochet 2," Newell explained, "we always have this problem that when we talk about things too far in advance we end up changing our minds as we're going through and developing stuff, so as we're thinking through the giant story arc which is Ricochet 2, you might get to a point where you're saying something is surprising us in a positive way and something is surprising us in a negative way, and, you know, we'd like to be super-transparent about the future of Ricochet 2." "The problem is, we think that the twists and turns that we're going through would probably drive people more crazy than just being silent about it, until we can be very crisp about what's happening next," he continued.[/quote] [url=http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/04/valves-newell-explains-continuing-silence-on-next-half-life/]Source[/url]

[QUOTE=JeanLuc761;51660103]On the flip side, leaving your top rated series on a cliffhanger with the promise of a final episode to wrap things up...and then not saying a word for 10 years is arguably much worse. I just don't understand why Valve thinks a total lack of communication is a smart move. Hell, if you go to the Half-Life and Valve websites, they STILL list the episodes as a "trilogy."[/QUOTE] Agreed. At very least, they should communicate. Whether they come out and say "we have no interest in making Half Life 3" or "we don't know what to do with Half Life 3", they really should just come out and be honest. 10 years is a long fucking time for a cliffhanger to not be resolved. Part of me just wants them to release something at the very least. Even if it's terrible compared to HL2, it'll at least be out and the subject will be able to be put to rest with time. And, let's be real, nothing Valve can put out can match the "hype" generated towards it at this point, so it's best to just get it over with and let people grieve and move on.

not surprising or disappointing but really shameful and embarrassing at this point.

[QUOTE=JeanLuc761;51660103]On the flip side, leaving your top rated series on a cliffhanger with the promise of a final episode to wrap things up...and then not saying a word for 10 years is arguably much worse. I just don't understand why Valve thinks a total lack of communication is a smart move. Hell, if you go to the Half-Life and Valve websites, they STILL list the episodes as a "trilogy."[/QUOTE] I'd probably do the same thing in their shoes given how bananas the Internet goes over these kinds of things. If Gabe actually confirmed at one point that they were were working on a sequel and then announced its cancellation the next month, I'm convinced Valve HQ would find start finding death threats and dogshit in their mailbox.

[QUOTE=Im Crimson;51660187]I'd probably do the same thing in their shoes given how bananas the Internet goes over these kinds of things. If Gabe actually confirmed at one point that they were were working on a sequel and then announced its cancellation the next month, I'm convinced Valve HQ would find start finding death threats and dogshit in their mailbox.[/QUOTE] I'm sure they're already getting death threats from not finishing Episode 3/HL3. Hell, Valve is so prolific at this point, I'd be surprised if they don't get death threats from just existing.

[quote]You also have a body of influencers and decision makers. When I say decision makers, Gabe is probably the king of that group. When he proclaims where the wind blows, it just blows that way. If you fight it for too long, you are going to find yourself either out or executed or just exiled. It’s really a weird climate for them. [/quote] [quote]You have a whole bunch of pet and big projects going on. All of that is getting more gravity than this third episode of Half-Life. There’s something with that third episode that isn’t sitting right with Gabe and other people at Valve. Ultimately it just starves to death. The people that tried to give it life find themselves better off working on other projects. [/quote] sounds to me like it's not that devs don't want to work on it, it's that the "influencers" don't want them to. Someone screwed up and diverted attention away from half-life at a point when they were gung-ho to get episode three out after episode 2, and it's gotten harder and harder to fix that mistake ever since. [quote]That’s why they won’t talk about it anymore. Every time they talk about it, the hunger comes back. That’s why they ignore it.[/quote] of course, it's easier just to not take responsibility. Keep killing off HL projects and giving "no comment" answers and hoping everyone will just forget. pathetic

I think the thing about EP3 is that if it would be anything less than 10/10 it would turn into a shitstorm of the likes we've never seen.

this is from early 2015. there is another attempt to make it now. the last leaks hinted a hl game with rpg elements. wont be surprised if they cancel it though. edit: and a vr spinoff

[QUOTE=MILKE;51660282]I think the thing about EP3 is that if it would be anything less than 10/10 it would turn into a shitstorm of the likes we've never seen.[/QUOTE] The pressure to please Half-Life fans (and to a certain extent Portal fans, probably) i can imagine is a big contributing factor thats only gotten worse over the years. [editline]12th January 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=testinglol;51660285]this is from early 2015. there is another attempt to make it now. the last leaks hinted a hl game with rpg elements. wont be surprised if they cancel it though. edit: and a vr spinoff[/QUOTE] Probably a good position to tackle it, the expectations are so high so you might as well go crazy with it and do something new. I swear to god if it is an RPG and theres no Fallout style companions im going to be pissed, i want to roam around with Barney shooting the shit. [editline]12th January 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=1STrandomman;51660280]sounds to me like it's not that devs don't want to work on it, it's that the "influencers" don't want them to. Someone screwed up and diverted attention away from half-life at a point when they were gung-ho to get episode three out after episode 2, and it's gotten harder and harder to fix that mistake ever since. of course, it's easier just to not take responsibility. Keep killing off HL projects and giving "no comment" answers and hoping everyone will just forget. pathetic[/QUOTE] I read it more as there hasnt been a version yet thats stuck well with Gabe and the like. Remember how many iterations TF2 went through? Realistic military shooter, humans vs. aliens, etc. for years until they found a version that clicked. I'd wager its something along those lines, and i'd rather it be that way than upper management forcing out a product regardless of the quality and we end up with another Duke Nukem Forever. Their perfectionism is a blessing and a curse i suppose. It hurts, but i want a good game too instead of just a conclusion is what im saying.

[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;51659513]What about the writers? Last time Valve released anything with a proper story was in 2011.[/QUOTE] Writing comics, blog posts, VR demos and working on unannounced stuff that might not see the light of day. Anyway Wolpaw clearly has enough time on his hands that he's allowed to work on Psychonauts 2.

How can so many people call on of the most profitable video games developers, publishers, distributors of all time a failure and write multi paragraph justifications about it? If they're making a shit load of cash it's pretty much guaranteed that they're organizational structure isn't a failure. They're working on Steam, Steam Machines, SteamOS, Steam Controller, Vive, CS:GO, DOTA2, TF2, Source 2. But nah they're just lazy.

[QUOTE=plunger435;51660349]How can so many people call on of the most profitable video games developers, publishers, distributors of all time a failure and write multi paragraph justifications about it? If they're making a shit load of cash it's pretty much guaranteed that they're organizational structure isn't a failure. They're working on Steam, Steam Machines, SteamOS, Steam Controller, Vive, CS:GO, DOTA2, TF2, Source 2. But nah they're just lazy.[/QUOTE] If leaks are to be believed, some new iteration of HL3 at the moment and L4D3 as well. Steam Machines were a bit of a failure though.

[QUOTE=AaronM202;51660370]If leaks are to be believed, some new iteration of HL3 at the moment and L4D3 as well. Steam Machines were a bit of a failure though.[/QUOTE] I forgot to add Steam Link to the list too.

[QUOTE=Drury;51659072]See what id did with Wolfenstein, do something like that, have it have a definitive ending, ship that and everyone will be happy. Then feel free to go on with the VR gimmicks and shit.[/QUOTE] I'd actually really trust Machine Games if they had to do a Half-Life game.

[QUOTE=plunger435;51660349]How can so many people call on of the most profitable video games developers, publishers, distributors of all time a failure and write multi paragraph justifications about it? If they're making a shit load of cash it's pretty much guaranteed that they're organizational structure isn't a failure. They're working on Steam, Steam Machines, SteamOS, Steam Controller, Vive, CS:GO, DOTA2, TF2, Source 2. But nah they're just lazy.[/QUOTE] Since Valve isn't doing exactly what that person wants them to do, they are failing in the eyes of that person. Which, to be fair, often ends up being the longtime fans of their franchises. Nobody likes seeing their favorite things getting neglected, so they rationalize why it's happening.

[QUOTE=LTJGPliskin;51660387]I'd actually really trust Machine Games if they had to do a Half-Life game.[/QUOTE] Didn't Machine Games produce Wolfenstein NO?

[QUOTE=plunger435;51660349]They're working on Steam, Steam Machines, SteamOS, Steam Controller, Vive, CS:GO, DOTA2, TF2, Source 2. [/QUOTE] Sales platform, hardware, OS, hardware, hardware, microtransactions, microtransactions, microtransactions, engine. Valve certainly isn't a failure as a business, but they're an abject, utter, total failure as a creative game developer, which was what made Valve popular in the first place. Their organizational structure is clearly earning them money but it's also clearly worthless for the projects that they claim to still be pursuing.

Isn't it so damned pathetic that Valve has fallen into the pit that Blizzard spent the 2000's rotting in? It's like, we traded Blizzard being The World of Warcraft Factory for Valve becoming The DOTA2 and CSGO Factory. Oh well at least we got [del]Team Fortress 3[/del] Overwatch out of that trade.

Its no wonder that we havent heard anything from Valve when the truth is "No one can get their shit together" At least now we know.

[QUOTE=madmanmad;51659057]Doesn't really matter if any of this is true or not anymore, i gave up hope a long time ago[/QUOTE] It tells us they atleast tried. :cry:

[QUOTE=LTJGPliskin;51660387]I'd actually really trust Machine Games if they had to do a Half-Life game.[/QUOTE] I'd be interested to see their take on it/pitch to Valve at the very least. New Order and Old Blood were both amazing games. As big a Half-Life fan as I am, I admit that if Valve came clean and told fans and the press that the series no longer interests them and that they want to move onto other IPs and projects, I'd be both saddened and relieved at the same time. I still hold out some hope, but if they completely miss the 20th anniversary next year then that'll say it all for me.

[QUOTE=certified;51660423]Isn't it so damned pathetic that Valve has fallen into the pit that Blizzard spent the 2000's rotting in? It's like, we traded Blizzard being The World of Warcraft Factory for Valve becoming The DOTA2 and CSGO Factory. Oh well at least we got [del]Team Fortress 3[/del] Overwatch out of that trade.[/QUOTE] What? World of Warcraft, DOTA2, and CS:GO have some of the biggest video games user bases ever. Just because you personally don't like them doesn't mean millions of people don't enjoy them everyday.

[QUOTE=Atlascore;51660415]All of their major sources of cash flow are lazy as fuck. I mean Steam practically runs itself, and CS:GO, Dota 2, and TF2 all make their money off selling [B]community created[/B] skins. Steam controllers were a success, I'll give you that. But I seriously doubt selling them brings in much money, especially compared to all the bank they're making off Steam and micro-transactions. SteamOS and Steam machines were colossal failures. Vive is an HTC product, Valve just supplied a lot of the tech.[/QUOTE] It can be lazy or efficient depending on how you look at things. If you could do something easy and earn a lot for it, wouldn't you do it? It's pretty much the ideal of any person or business out there. It's not like the community creators don't benefit from that arrangement. If you get a skin accepted in game, you'll make a very pretty penny for it. Besides, Valve is the one supporting and maintaining the games to keep people interested and playing them in the first place. For the rest, this is the reality of research and ventures. Research and development are not free, and not everything will be a success. Plenty of businesses have failed products.

[QUOTE=TurtleeyFP;51659309]I'm just happy for some [i]closure[/i] after 10 years of silence.[/QUOTE] Got ya' covered. [video=youtube;DVXxl86qyeY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVXxl86qyeY[/video]