Half-Life 3 Non-Linear or Online... ?

I like these guys, but this is bullshit.
They make weird assumptions on the fly and then start talking about stuff based on that. If someone watches Half-Life 2 lets play he doesnt see everything. A game is not only about its story but also about being a challenge, experiencing it yourself, which is a different experience then watching it. Besides the sandboxy gameplay of Half-Life makes every player play a little different. The thing is I think Half-Life would be more open anyway if the engines back then supported that. I expect Half-Life 3 to be a linear singleplayer game with very open levels and a lot of exploration, but linear. Maybe like Dark Souls level design only with bigger and more open levels.
But thats all just speculation.
At the end of the day I think Valve will do what makes the most sense for a game like Half-Life (which might not make everyone happy). I dont think they will restrict themselves so they can monetize stuff and they wont make an unnessesary multiplayer, if they make multiplayer it will make sense for the game. Why should Valve worry about money when it comes to Half-Life 3? They have shit tons of money anyway, I think Half-Life 3 will be more like their baby, their masterpiece. Besides singleplayer games like Skyrim and GTA 5 sell tons of copies anyway and Half-Life is a big name, dont tell me its old, Diablo is old too Diablo 3 sold 10 million copies on PC alone in the first month or so. Besides Valve knows how to market a game.
I trust Valve.

Also one last thing. All this speculation is only here because Valve takes so long to finish the game, but if you think about it its actually not that long if you consider that Half-Life 3 will be bigger than any Valve singleplayer game before for obvious reasons and its development time is still shorter than TF2´s development time.
 
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I also really enjoy Inside Gaming, and I met them about a month ago. That said, the thing EVERYONE forgets in discussions like these is that Half-Life has never been a purely singleplayer game. It has always had excellent singleplayer, linear campaigns, but every major installment has featured a competitive multiplayer aspect at one stage or another.

Valve will make Half-Life 3 use the same linear design the series is praised for, but it'll also feature some kind of co-operative and/or competitive multiplayer aspect a la Portal 2.
 
Omnomnick said:
I also really enjoy Inside Gaming, and I met them about a month ago. That said, the thing EVERYONE forgets in discussions like these is that Half-Life has never been a purely singleplayer game. It has always had excellent singleplayer, linear campaigns, but every major installment has featured a competitive multiplayer aspect at one stage or another.

Valve will make Half-Life 3 use the same linear design the series is praised for, but it'll also feature some kind of co-operative and/or competitive multiplayer aspect a la Portal 2.
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That makes me think, because the location of Half-Life 3 is in the antarctica, where the borealis is. Wouldn't it be suitable to have a free roam area of the frozen deserts? Driving around, finding small combine and rebel stations and trying to get to your objective. Kind of like the chapter Highway 17 or Water Hazard, but with different branching paths to your objective. I think that would be a pretty fresh change to Half-Life, and who knows, maybe Source 2 can handle a large open area without too many loadings?
 
Lolcomputer said:
That makes me think, because the location of Half-Life 3 is in the antarctica, where the borealis is. Wouldn't it be suitable to have a free roam area of the frozen deserts? Driving around, finding small combine and rebel stations and trying to get to your objective. Kind of like the chapter Highway 17 or Water Hazard, but with different branching paths to your objective. I think that would be a pretty fresh change to Half-Life, and who knows, maybe Source 2 can handle a large open area without too many loadings?
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It's most certainly not in Antarctica. It's more likely going to be in an arctic region somewhere given it would be far closer to Eastern Europe.

That said, it is entirely possible a number of environments will be more open-ended than others, but that doesn't instantly make the game an open-world. Valve will probably use the same kind of level design as Highway 17, Water Hazard, and most of Episode Two, except with slightly larger environments and optional areas to explore. It's important to stress that the game will almost definitely move back onto a tightly controlled, linear path, as, even though people hate to admit it, it is by far the best way to control the pace and flow of the player's experience.
 
Gabe seems to do what he want's. He doesn't seem to follow so called rules. Instead he makes his own path. Instead of making games multiplayer co-op free roam, he thinks about virtual reality and the oculus rift.

Of course I do this too, I'm just as guilty of the crime. But does anyone else think that every time we talk about half life 3, everytime we make a meme, every time we imagine what it's going to be, we are making the personal expectation higher for the future game/ keeping the expectation up? Higher expectation means higher chance of fail and slimmer chance of surpassing our expectation. Even if it just meets are high expectation, all it did was meet it, it didn't surpass it. And Valve, who is currently on the top of the food chain knows this. So they have 2 options, Option 1: make a game to the best of their ability, and hope it blows peoples mind, but take the huge risk that if i doesn't surpass peoples impossibly hyped up expectations, it will be the biggest let down in gaming history and it would have been done by the biggest name in the industry or option 2: "Delay" it as long as possible and not risk losing their spot on the top of the food chain. Kind of like a president who's been having a great 2nd term and just wants to casually ignore that elections are coming up.

To say that their isn't impossibly high expectations on HL3 would be a lie. We're to blame.
 
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high expectations are not necessarily a bad thing
 
Aizawa said:
high expectations are not necessarily a bad thing
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Yes I suppose that's possible.

But then the question comes down to this: How high are the actual expectations. I kind of believe that they are impossibly high -for most people.
If you like the first two half life games enough to join this website, it's possible that your expectations won't be as high and you'll just be happy getting an ending to a series you like and having your questions answered like who is the G-Man. (and having half life 2 win game of the decade award did not help at all with the high expectations thing. Thats why I voted Bioshock.)
 
Emnu said:
I just want a conclusion to the story, so many loose ends :cry:
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the funny thing is I love the story of Half-Life. Even if it doesnt look like it on the surface, I think Half-Life has one of the best storys ever, especially its storytelling, BUT I kinda dont care about the story anymore. I know that finishing the story will be easy anyway (for Valve) and even if its not like a masterpiece story it will still be enough for me, but I have high expectations for everything else.
And I have high expectations for a reason! There is difference between hype and high expectations btw.
 
Valve doesn't do SP games anymore, they are more interested in making MP games with "social experiences"

If we get Half-Life 3, it might be like a free to play styled left 4 dead co-op game but with hats and ponies.
 
SpotEnemyBoats said:
Valve doesn't do SP games anymore, they are more interested in making MP games with "social experiences"

If we get Half-Life 3, it might be like a free to play styled left 4 dead co-op game but with hats and ponies.
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Making Half-Life 3 F2P would be an odd combination, considering that Half-Life's design doesn't exactly match with microtransactions. If it turns F2P, then I'd expect severe changes to the core design of the series, which I don't think would happen. I think they will add some sort of co-op or deathmatch into the game, just like the previous installments, just with more depth. Because you can't really make Half-Life, if it doesn't have an isolated SP experience. But hey, none of us are fortune tellers, maybe they'll do something innovative and new to the series.
 
Lolcomputer said:
Making Half-Life 3 F2P would be an odd combination, considering that Half-Life's design doesn't exactly match with microtransactions. If it turns F2P, then I'd expect severe changes to the core design of the series, which I don't think would happen. I think they will add some sort of co-op or deathmatch into the game, just like the previous installments, just with more depth. Because you can't really make Half-Life, if it doesn't have an isolated SP experience. But hey, none of us are fortune tellers, maybe they'll do something innovative and new to the series.
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Valve have said that Portal 2 is the last "isolated singleplayer experience" during the Final Hours of Portal 2. Remember that the last 4 out of 5 of Valve's titles had an in-game cash shop, it's very possible that the next few games of whatever it may be, will have a cash shop as well and "social gaming" aspects.
 
valve also said they want to make episodes now and then said that the episode model didnt work out. Right now we cant tell what they will do.
 
Perhaps Half-Life 3 will evolve into a:

SUPER INNOVATIVE MMO-RPG FPS HYBRID
WITH BRAND NEW SPANKING AKUBRAS!!!
 
The episodic formula failed because they couldn't deliver in a timely matter (most likely), the trilogy was originally supposed to be concluded by Christmas 2007.

The "social experiences" and cash shop have not even close to being a failure, its been a major success. So much so that steam has silly card games and competitions based on who buys the most games during steam sales. Valve would be stupid to abandon their current business strategy when fans desire more hat simulators and are throwing money at them.

Gabe said it himself:

So, if somebody becomes the group manager of X, they’re going to really resist it when X is not what you want to do in the next round of games. You don’t want them to sort of burrow into that – you want them to recognize that being really good at Half-Life level design is not as nearly as valued as thinking of how to design social multi-player experiences. You've had them feel like they have an organization and title tied up to something when the key is to just continue to follow where the customers are leading.
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I was watching that video and the clips of Half-Life 2 and the episodes, and I realized that I'm still in love with Half-Life and its linearity. I think that when you have a great story and a great game, it doesn't need to have a multi-player component or even an open-world. Good books and films are still following the linear formula and they're still churning out new timeless pieces of art. A video game can still be the same, even today.

Valve should do what they have done in the past, and that's to release an epic single-player game and an addictive multi-player game on the side.

But if they have found a way to successfully change the formula, then I'm alright with that, too. But it better be ****ing good.
 
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I just wanted to say that we cant say anything about how hl3 will turn out
 
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Some people said "cash shop" is major success. That's not entirely true, it works well for TF2 and Dota2, but for instance, Valve had admitted that it failed badly in Portal 2. In that regards Valve said they realize that this model is very good, but not suitable for every game. That's why Portal 2 has bscly no support these days and why they haven't added it to L4D2. I doubt they will put it in the next Half-Life game, unless they change it'S format drastically. I think that's unlikely to happen though....
 
This is what I got from the video:

1) Half-Life 3 will be like Destiny.
2) Valve knows what they're doing with story, but for some reason they need to emulate The Last of Us to make a good story.
3) Silent protagonist is SO 2004, therefore Gordon will not return for HL3 or he will have a stupid personality now.
4) It's apparently a good idea to develop HL3 and Portal 3 each on their own, then stitch them together into one compartmentalized game, then take the result and convert it into a MOBA.
5) Valve only cares about money, therefore HL3 will have no risks in it at all.

....and all of that is remarkably... wrong.
 
A load of shit. Multiplayer may be growing in popularity but Valve can make sequels 4 Counter strike, Left 4 dead, and TF2 they dont need to change Half life into a multiplayer game besides "How could it be a good game??". Valve aren't stupid it will be single player, Gordon will continue to be silent because he is one of the most iconic silent protagonists in gaming and Half life 3 WILL NOT BE LIKE DESTINY!!!.
 
ZykerGaming said:
A load of shit. Multiplayer may be growing in popularity but Valve can make sequels 4 Counter strike, Left 4 dead, and TF2 they dont need to change Half life into a multiplayer game besides "How could it be a good game??". Valve aren't stupid it will be single player, Gordon will continue to be silent because he is one of the most iconic silent protagonists in gaming and Half life 3 WILL NOT BE LIKE DESTINY!!!.
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Exactly. People just make up weird assumptions about how HL3 will turn out beacuse they take so long (which is as i said not THAT long)
 
Gabe's comments in the Washington Post says otherwise, but in any event I doubt we'll ever see another Half-Life game.
 
Opportunity for what? Valve makes so much more money on free to play hat simulators compared to isolated single player games. From what Gabe said its "where the customers are leading". There's also the pattern.
 
If I was running HL3 development, I would try to make it the best of both worlds. In singleplayer Gordon Freeman would go on an epic journey across multiple key locations, but in straightforward linear fashion with very limited and controlled openness. In multiplayer the player could join the one of the few key formations within Resistance and enjoy PvE experience against Combine, and explore the open world of HL3 universe far beyond singleplayer lore. The multiplayer would be available for everybody who bought the game + additionally monetized with microtransactions.
 
Hey. I've been following the site for a long time, but just decided to make an account now, in response to this.

In my opinion, unless Valve's leaks were controlled, they're definitely working on HL3, And I sincerely doubt they were. I also think Half-Life is really good at integrating lots of different gameplay styles in one game, using a lot of depth for little complexity. I think they'll continue to have a lot of different mechanics in the game without changing it entirely, if that makes sense.

As for this isolated single player conundrum, they might try and have a multiplayer that evolves as a story, but they wouldn't ever remove the traditional SP. That was the best part of the Half-Life and Portal series. They'll probably still have their traditional deathmatch multiplayer, but on the side, but with a lot more complexity. I think something that would work very well for them would be to use something similar to TF2, in that the story continuously evolves through out-of game experiences working with in-game experiences. They may also have either a co-op or something that would be set in the same universe as Single-player, except having nothing to do with Gordon.

Also, they're finding the Borealis. I don't know what Aperture tech they'll find, but they'll definitely find something. Also, they may not show what the G-Man is, but I think they'll reveal some information or at least shed him in a new light. Revealing too much will demistify him, though, which would be a travesty - it's integral to his character.

Finally, I know the game community suck everything out of every ounce of information, but, in my opinion, we really shouldn't look into it. VALVe will definitely make an epic, great game. I'm not buying in to this ruining expectations thing - I bet VALVe will exceed mine, but I don't want to think too much about it. Same with the Marvel universe. If I do, I might spoil it for myself by guessing too much. Do what you will, though.
 
I don't know why we're even talking about money....valve makes so much money through steam and they're competitive titles. They could probably just give half-life 3 away. That's extremely unique in the game industry where so often publishers make the decisions. They also have some of the most talented developers in the industry. These are not money grubbing business men sitting around a table discussing how to ring the most money out of fans. These are artists and engineers who have spent huge chunks of their lives on their passion of making video games. they're now in an incredible position where their decisions are pretty much just based on creativity and time. I have no doubt that what ever they make will be groundbreaking. I just hope I'm alive when its released....
 
Pikminiman said:
^This, a thousand times over. You, sir, have very succinctly and very effectively summarized why I love Valve's singleplayer games so darn much.
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Thanks. I love that a lot about VALVe, too, but, personally, I believe mechanics, pacing, and a lot of other minute details depend on the feel you're trying to present. It works with both Half-Life and Portal for different reasons: In HL you're a scientist: you don't know much about weapons, initially, which is why you have to use them wisely and in interesting ways. In Portal, the very purpose of the game is to test combinations of simple things. But, high-speed moments, for example, could use additional complexity to show the intensity of the situation. Laziness or boredom could be represented by fewer, more intuitive commands. People often say all games need X or Y, but, in reality, each game needs to find its mechanics on its own. That's one reason why I think trying to figure out what VALVe is trying to do is futile - Half-Life's gameplay depends on what the character is doing right now. Its puzzles work for of that reason. That's just my opinion on game development, though, and the only mod I've ever tried developing was just cancelled, so I may not be the go-to guy on the subject.
 
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