Info received from Valve ONLY - NO questions/discussion

[Hectic Glenn]

We're looking into this, but there isn't a timeline for it yet.

-----Original Message-----
From: Hectic Glenn [mailto:*********@******.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 2:34 PM
To: Erik Johnson
Subject: Switch/Maestro

Any plans to use Switch for purchase over steam? It's extremely popular
in
Europe, and the Uk, and would be a worthy investment. Please consider,
as it
would benefit many people i have spoken to on halflife2.net,
hlfallout.com
and steam forums. I hope you get the time to read this and consider,
Thank
you for your work in the games industry lastly. All the best,Hectic Glenn

 

[SwissError]

Response (PatrickMc) 10/14/2004 11:56 AM
Hello,

We do not plan on offering any additional payment methods at this time. You will have to wait and purchase the game in retail.


--------------------------------------------------------
Customer (SwissError) 10/11/2004 01:28 PM
Hi there.

Unfortunatedly I don't have a credit card which is my own and my sister doesn't want to give it to me

Now I'm interessted in the other payment option which will follow. Can you tell me which payment otion you plan to add?

Thanks
SwissError - Member of the Move In! Mod - Team

 

[Tim]

This was a querey I sent to Gabe regarding Mike Harrington:

Hello Mr. Newell,
You do not know me, but in the past few months I have been researching
your
company (as I was required to research a Software Development company as

part of my Software Design And Development course I am currently
undertaking
in my senior year of high school) and in my research I discovered much
information regarding the original Half-Life (as that was the Software
Application I chose to focus on), including that along with you, Mike
Harrington was a Co-Founder of your company, Valve Software. I am
E-Mailing
you as I am curious as to what has become of Mr. Harrington, as along
with
the research I performed on Half-Life I have completed a fairly broad
search
into information regarding Half-Life 2 (and other Valve Software
endeavors)
and during this search I did not come across any information (whether it
be
an interview or mention a in a news article) on Mr. Harrington's current

position in the company or whether he still works there. There is also
no
mention of him on the employee list on http://www.valvesoftware.com.
I apologize any inconvenience this may cause as I am aware of what a
busy
man you are. I will understand if you do not reply.

Sincerely Tim Kitevski

Answer

Mike retired to build a boat and sail around the world.

 

[Mendasp]

We're going to start preloading the localized assets next.

Make sure that your Steam client is set to Spanish if you want to
preload those assets.

-----Original Message-----
From: Gabe Newell
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 1:49 PM
To: Erik Johnson
Subject: FW: Localization

-----Original Message-----
From: Mendasp
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2004 1:03 PM
To: Gabe Newell
Subject: Localization

Since the preload doesn't include localization (because it doesn't,
right?), will those files be available the moment it's unlocked on
Steam?

PS: He knows I'm spanish because I mentioned it several times in the email, those parts of my email are irrelevant, his reply is untouched, though.

 

[DeltaBlast]

From PHL:

Half-Life 2 Ship Date Global

10/18/2004 12:24 PST | Half-Life 2 | by Pratt

I contacted Vivendi to check if the November 16th date was only for North America, or worldwide as well:
"It should be global"
Hope that helps - especially for you UK fans who ask us almost daily.

 

[grumpycrab]

Confirmation (again) from Valve that the RETAIL game requires authentication via Steam AND the Internet. (JonH is from Valve/Steam Support - sorry there are no headers - the reply was received via Steam Support on the Web)

QUOTE

Response (JonH) 10/19/2004 01:18 PM
Hello,

"Will it require setting up a STEAM account so that the game can be authenticated ONLINE at install time? (and then play OFFLINE)"
Exactly, this is how the game will be 'activated'.

UNQUOTE

--
Grumps

 

[Maxi]

I just got more info about Half-Life 2 from the finnish computer store , Verkkokauppa.com. Apparently Half-Life 2 is k-18. So you'll need your parents to buy the game if you're under 18 years of age.

More information about the Collectors Edition aswell.

Näillä näkymin Vivendi Universal pyrkii saamaan Collector'sin kauppoihin
30.11.2004

That translated means that "Currently, Vivendi is trying to release the Collectors edition on 30.11.2004, or on the 30th of november 2004. Precisely two weeks after the Standard Edition.

 

[cliffe]

http://www.multiplayer.it/articolo.php?id=13826

Originally Posted by DeltaBlast
Now the main question is; Is this from the strategy guide or raising the bar?

The scans are from Raising the Bar and are a good indication of the format of the book as a whole.

Also note that David Hodgson is no longer the author, as any narrative detailing logistics has been dropped in favor of a more in depth "behind the scenes, making of" narrative straight from Valve developers.

Cliffe
VALVe

 

[Xile{t}]

Installing on multiple computers

Question:
I have recently purchased Hl2 silver via steam, i have several computers at my house that are all connected to the internet, i'm assuming it would be ok but is it ok for me to install hl2 on all my machines?

Reply: (only 1 day wait )
Doug Lombardi to me
7:50pm (22 minutes ago)

Yes -- you can use both machines

 

[Pyoko]

Raising the Bar

I asked about the book "Raising the Bar" since the amazon stores seem to have conflicting details regarding its release and here is what I got:

Hinckley, Jill
<[email protected]>

Hi,

The proper ISBN is 0761543643. The book will be 288 pages and hardcover
(Amazon's info is outdated). It should be in stores by mid-November.

Thanks.

 

[FISKER_Q]

I just wanted to add this because of the discussion about the book, just to clear some things.

Jess Cliffe to me

Hey Thomas,

Regarding the book, yes, like any good making of book (star wars, LOTR,
etc) the developers have to be the one's talking about how they created
the game (characters, the world, monsters, etc).

The Steam team is looking into any potential fraud issues.

-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Larsen [mailto:*]
Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2004 11:12 PM
To: Jess Cliffe
Subject: Raising the Bar, Tax fraud

Hey Cliffe

I just saw your post on hl2.net, does that mean that you and other
developers actually wrote the book, or what are you trying to say?

Also what are you doing against people comitting fraud? I read a couple
of days ago that people from EU were using other countries to skip the
tax. I was also thinking why you are going from 17,5% to xx% usually
everyone just does the 17,5% regardless of which country.

Although i understand that you have to take it from whatever tax the
country it has.

Cheers,
Thomas Larsen

 

[The Lost EVA]

From Doug Lombardi:

Hi,

All versions of Half-Life 2 require an Internet connection upon
installation. This is
for authentication/anti-piracy purposes. Once this has been completed,
the owner of either the retail or the Steam version can play Half-Life 2
single player in offline mode.

Cheers

 

[Chris D]

I'd just like to reiterate once again:

This thread is for posting full responses from Valve only. That means no witty remarks, no quick questions, no discussion and no comments.

Also, I'd also like to remind you all that you should try to check to see if something has been answered already before posting here

For obvious reasons, these rules don't apply to Valve staff

Thank you!

 

[James Isaac]

Hi,

Each copy must be authenticated on the PC onto which it is being installed -- it makes no difference whose Internet connection is used to perform this action.

Thanks for your interest in our games and for taking the time to write to us.

Cheers

-----Original Message-----
From: James Isaac [mailto:*************]
Sent: Friday, October 29, 2004 1:27 AM
To: Doug Lombardi
Subject: Half-Life 2 Internet Activation Question

Hi,

I was just wondering, if you don't have internet access, but you bought Half Life 2 and need to activate it, would it be possible to go round to
a friend's house who has internet and activate it there, then play it at your house?

This doesn't apply to me, but I have a friend who it does apply for, and he would really like to know.



Thanks for reading,
James

 

[Bait]

From www.half-life2.de

maniacoli:
Hi Doug,
First, Congratulations for completing Half-Life 2, and realising it in the near Future!
I've ordered a copy of the Half-Life 2 Gold Pack via Steam. Now I have some Questions:
As I won't get a Gamepack with DVD and Instructions Booklet, how can i get one?
Will there be a 'Half-Life 2 Instructions Booklet.pdf' via Steam or Support, or will the
Steam Users don't get one ?

Doug Lombardi:
Hi,
There is no instruction booklet in any version of the game. However, Prima will be publishing the official strategy guide.
Thanks for your interest in our games and for taking the time to write to us.
Cheers

 

[UndeadScottsman]

I figured this information should be put into this thread so people can view it even when the thread it originated on dissapears into obscurity.

*Rumours about Valve firing the author of Raising the Bar and changed the content of the book, which according to peole who read it, was pefect*

Yes, the Gunman chapter was gripping.

*People getting offended by how snarky that reply sounded*

Woah, now. The Gunman chapter has been a running joke between David and I (most effective with his British accent) ever since it was put on the chopping block. He wanted it gone from the beginning and I agreed with him. The negativity in this thead is a little startling, especially considering that David and I have spent countless late nights for the past couple months trying to make this book a homerun for hardcore fans.

Anyway, people are getting pretty worked up about this without need. All decisions for the book were based on external feedback. Sections that were boring (HL mac, HL PS2 were trimmed while adding much more content on what people thought was cool). David has been great and has continued to contribute to the project and work with me, the whole time. There was no fallout and he is still a key member of the book team. He was fine with wanting to concentrate on "making of" elements and was happy with the decision. Any content that was cool from the earliest drafts of the book was brought forward and remains. Things like the source code leak and release dates are more appropriate for other venues (eg Gamespot). This is a "behind the scenes, making of" coffee table book with a lot of art, not a novel.

Everyone who has seen the early drafts of the book and has seen the final product has said to us that it is a lot better. The whole process had one thing in mind: what you, the fans, would find most interesting. I'm not interested in conspiracies, only making this book something you all would get into. What we think the book should be is meaningless: the only thing that means anything is how those independent, outside potential readers rate it. Based on feedback we've gotten from outside the company, I am confident you guys will enjoy it. The final book is *much* better than the early drafts.

I hope that clears things up.

*People calm down a bit*

So anyway, all I can say is that this book is for you guys. And I hope you like it, I think you will.

One thing that might be noteworthy to you all is that the hl2.net forums have shaped the book quite a bit. For example, based on threads here that ask about certain aspects of the game, I've made sure those levels/creatures/etc were explained and talked about at length. For example, after reading a thread here where a lot of people were asking about the hydra I annoyed Ken Birdwell to write a big bit about the Hydra development. He finally gave in. Another example was the thread on how Gordon's model came about. I read that here and I set out and made a full spread on all the different people used for Gordo reference and how they were morphed and shaped (with accompanying visuals), etc. There have been quite a few examples like this...

Regardless, we can discuss the merits of the book when it's finally out. Looking forward to seeing it on the shelves and reading what you guys think.

Cliffe

*When is Raising the Bar coming out*

Scheduled to start printing by end of week. So, not too long. (Originally posted on 10/25)

 

[Teddy]

I sent an email to valve asking if they had any updates about the SDK's release, here's the reply I got from the magnificent Jay Stelly

-----Original Message-----
From: Jay
To: Teddy
Subject: Re: Quick question about the SDK for us fans

We don't have an update for you yet - but expect some news really soon.

 

[Varsity]

Two e-mails, two hours, two replies. One probably more interesting than the other.

From: Tom Edwards
To: Yahn Bernier
Subject: VGUI2 tools in the SDK?

Hi Yahn, I was wondering if we'll get any tools for creating VGUI2 apps with the Source SDK?

This is planned, not sure if it'll be in the very first SDK release

Yahn

From: Tom Edwards
To: Yvan Charpentier

Hello Yvan, I'd like to ask you a favour. I'm trying to make a skin to match my Windows theme but it's getting really hard to produce game icons that look good both on their 'normal' background colour and on the 'selected' colour - the two contrast quite strongly, you see. It's easy enough to make them look good on one but having them work on both is really quite difficult! What are the chances of Steam supporting PNGs for skin images? They can have translucency rather than simple transparent/not transparent pixels and would make good skins a lot easier to make.

Thanks for your time!

Hi Tom,

This is not on our TODO list in the near future.
Thanks for the suggestion, we will consider it.

-Yvan
Valve

 

[01000101]

HL2 Activation for 56k users

HL2 Activation for 56k users.

Hello Cliffe,

I had a quick question about activating HL2 when it's released. I am unable to get broadband where I live and only have a 56k connection. The problem is, it only connects at a maximum speed of 26.4Kbps. My question is, when I receive my copy of HL2 in the mail, and try to activate it, will I have to download a large file or patch over Steam to have it activated? I'd hate to get it in the mail and have to wait all day to be able to play it.


Thanks for your time.

Shouldn't be too big.

 

[JohnB]

Upgrade from HL2 retail to silver package?

Asked this question on the Steam support site:

Will it be possible to upgrade from HL2 retail to the silver package? For $10?

Thanks,

John.

Response (PatrickMc) 11/09/2004 01:40 PM

Hello,

No that will not be possible.

I've got to say that's hugely disappointing and rather anti-competitve. In the UK the retail DVD release costs less than the Steam release by a fair margin...

 

[Sparta]

From: Daniel Fox [mailto:************]
Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2004 3:14 AM
To: Yahn Bernier
Subject: Quick Modding question


I was just wondering if, when HL2 is released, if its possible to be able to access certain files that will allow you to manipulate certain enemy stats (things like health, and accuracy) to make the game easier/harder or whatever.

Because i remember there was a .ini file with Deus Ex: IW and Thief 3 that allowed you to do that.

Basically i'm just wondering if you can change the difficulty levels manually without having to unzip/unpack a ton of files, or without using the SDK


There's a skill .cfg file that can be tweaked. Other than that, a MOD will have access to all of the code to change these things.

The game ships with 3 skill settings built in.

Yahn

 

[Kusa]

Difference of Localized Contents between Steam and Retail

Our local distributor implies the CE version can't use any localized contents, so I decided to ask a quetion.

-----
Response (Nickp) 11/11/2004 11:12 AM
Hello,

Yes, Steam will check your language settings when it is updating and will automatically download any localized version content.
--
Customer (me) 11/10/2004 04:26 AM
Hi,
I have a question on treating the Collector's Edition in Steam service.

CyberFront(our local distributor) claims that the CE version have English contents only. From what they say, the CE version doesn't have localized contents on a DVD.

So, can we download the localized contents(such as dialogues) via Steam
when we activate HL2 and set to a desired language even if it is the CE version?

 

[NextWish]

http://www.hlfallout.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=16714

A store, unknown where so far has broken street date with VALVe and Vividendi Universal Games (VUG\VUGames). This does NOT impact the release of Half-Life 2 whatsoever. Any rumours of people able to play Half-Life 2 over Steam are false as VALVe does not activate content servers for this particular game until 12:01am PST on 16 Nov 2004.

http://img115.exs.cx/img115/7973/no_lies_at_all.jpg

Hello,
We noticed that you just registered a Half-Life 2 key. Where did you come across a copy of the game?

You're not in trouble or anything, but you're registered pretty early, and the game isn't activated just yet.

Thanks,
Erik Johnson
Valve

In an E-Mail sent to all EBGames associates, the president of EBGames has stated that the persons who broke the street date at their stores have been terminated. As well, should anyone else break the street date the employee, manager, and district manager will all be held responsible. The e-mail was sent yesterday at aprox 5:30 PM EST.

http://www.hlfallout.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=16897

 

[Wikt]

Gabe's reply: Yep.

-----Original Message-----
From: Wikt [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2004 8:59 AM
To: Gabe Newell
Subject: eBay bid on HL2 Screenshot

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=5534899126

There is an user "gabe_newell" who placed a bid on this very rare
(hehe) item that is a HL2 screenshot.
I just wanted to ask a question. Could you confirm that it is you? If
so, this would be very nice of you to support a fan who would really
like to play your game.

I have found this on the HL2.net forums, which I am a fresh member of.

Thank you,
Wikt

 

[Manhog]

I mailed Gabe a while back with an idea for integrated Steam backup. Seems like he read it.

From: Gabe Newell <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 11:48:14 -0800
Subject: RE: Idea for Steam auto-backup+DVD cover
To: Manhog <manhog#remove#@gmail.com>


yep



-----Original Message-----
From: Manhog [mailto:manhog#remove#@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 13, 2004 7:55 AM
To: Gabe Newell
Subject: Fwd: Idea for Steam auto-backup+DVD cover

Hi again!
I'm not implying that you got the backup idea from my last mail - I'm
just curious to know if you read it or not.
cheers

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Manhog <manhog#remove#@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 10:05:38 +0200
Subject: Idea for Steam auto-backup+DVD cover
To: [email protected]

Hi.
First off, congratulations on getting great pre-launch reviews all
over!
I can't wait to actually get the game.
After seeing the different HL2 steam packages, I've cancelled my
retail pre-order and decided to go with the steam silver package. The
only thing I miss a bit is getting a nice looking DVD case for my
collection. I can't think of anything else that would make me want the
retail box, especially since I'd like to contribute to Valve by
purchasing over Steam.

Now - Wouldn't it be nice to have a funcion in steam that made a
backup of the necessary files to a CD/DVD/HD if the game was purchased
over steam?

If you right-click on Half life 2 It could read

>Launch game
>Update news
>Create desktop shortcut
>Backup game
>Properties

I know that the simplest way to do it is just to look up and burn the
cfg-files yourself, but for users who are not so familiar with *simple
stuff like that, knowing when they purchase the game over steam that
pressing a button would get them that DVD-disc, would propably inspire
more to get it via Steam. No?
Also, You would give the user the option to print out a DVD cover
afterwards. (a different version than the retail cover perhaps? A
couple of different cover arts? That would be easy to do.)
Bundling an automatic DVD burner with steam might be too much - I
don't know - I don't know that much about software. If so - The option
"backup game" could launch an easy step-to-step guide, making the
backup file on the HD for the user to burn himself?
Anyway - The bottom line is I think that getting the potential
Steam-buyers to know that they can also get a DVD to put in their
shelf easily after purchase, will multiply your online sales.

I like the idea of getting stuff directly from the makers, skipping
the middle-hands, and I hope you're succsessful in getting people to
do so.
Cheers and don't forget to relax now when the game hits the shelves.

Yours
Manhog

Maker of custom map de_priory for CS
http://zetterstrand.com/cs/screenshots.htm

 

[teobg]

From: Gabe Newell [[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 11:41 AM
To: Teodor Ganchev
Cc: Viktor Antonov
Subject: RE: Wrong info in your article "The Final Hours of Half-Life 2"!!!

Thanks for helping get the record straight, Teodor

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Teodor Ganchev [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 7:18 AM
To: Gabe Newell
Subject: FW: Wrong info in your article "The Final Hours of Half-Life 2"!!!
Importance: High


Hi Gabe,

I think you started this in an interview a year ago by saying that Viktor was born in Romania…
Bulgaria and Romania are neighboring countries, but Bulgaria is Slavic and Romania is not, hence the name Antonov.

P.S. Can’t wait for the game tonight!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Teodor Ganchev [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2004 5:27 PM
To: '[email protected]'
Cc: '[email protected]'
Subject: Wrong info in your article "The Final Hours of Half-Life 2"!!!

http://www.valvesoftware.com/people.php

This is a part of Valve’s website about Viktor:

"Viktor Antonov - Art Director/Conceptual Designer
Viktor has been a conceptual designer for the videogame industry since 1996. He first joined Valve from Xatrix Entertainment where his responsibilities included designing environments, lighting and atmosphere on projects such as Kingpin. He holds a transportation design degree from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and has also designed for commercials, animation and film in the USA and Europe. Viktor was born and spent his childhood in Sofia, Bulgaria after which he has been living in Paris France, Montreaux Switzerland, Los Angeles and Seattle. You can view some of his art at Vulkanbros.com."

I think you need to edit your article as you incorrectly state that he was born in Romania instead of Sofia, Bulgaria and misspelled his last name as well!


http://www.gamespot.com/features/6112889/p-6.html


Best regards,

Teodor Ganchev

 

[Navy Man]

Thanks! Let me know what you think of the game.

Gabe

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: **************[mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 3:46 PM
To: Gabe Newell
Subject: Thankyou and your wonderful team


Hey there,

All the best for the launch, and I hope you get what you set out for.

You and your team are amazing!

adam



^_^ got a reply in like 12 mins or something crazy, very happy he replied !

 

[Teddy]

It's not coming tonight. There are a few more things that need to get into the SDK before release.

Jay

-----Original Message-----
From: Teddy
Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 6:10 PM
To: Jay Stelly
Subject: I can't stop asking questions about the SDK

Hi again jay,

Sorry to pester you, but I was wondering if you might have any news for the fans regarding the last half of the SDK's release.. Can we expect it at midnight tonight (with hl2), or are you still working hard at it?

Thanks for all your great work, i'm a big big fan
Teddy
http://dystopia-mod.com/

 

[Syphoon!!]

Well I sent two congratulatory emails after finishing, one to Gabe and one to Marc. The one to Gabe was pretty general (because it was so generally good), and the reply simple, so I won't bother posting. But I've seen more than one complaint about the lack of proper background explanation, so here's what Marc had to say:

Me to Marc:
Title: Congratulations on the story
I've just played HL2 through, and its just struck me that its the
first FPS I can really think of that really follows the story writing
rule of "Show, don't tell". _Nothing_ is ever really explained about
the Combine, but an explanation of sorts emerges out of the
environment and little dialogue-less scenes like

Spoiler

when you pass the
'casket' carrying the screaming thing beside you

. Well done. I hope to
be able inject a game with half the quality of story some day.

Spoiler

(PS: Please don't let Alyx die, I was feeling quite protective of her :-( )

Marc to me:
Thanks for your mail, Nathan. We're getting a bit of flak for sticking
to that golden rule, which is certainly not the norm in games, but I
know we did the right thing. Trying to push the narrative technique as
much as we push the technology! Hopefully it's like a good record,
though...doesn't quite make sense the first time you hear it, then you
discover that you can't get it out of your head, then you just have to
play it again, and you start to notice things you didn't catch the first
time, and after awhile you accept it for what it is.

Gratified,
Marc Laidlaw

 

[anguished]

I asked about the FOV (field of view), why it was lowered to 75 and was this the reason some people have been experiencing motion sickness while playing the game.


Hi xxx,

Thanks for writing. I'm glad that you've been enjoying Half-Life 2. As for the FOV questions: very early in HL2's development as our world got more detailed and fully realized we ran into some interesting issues that caused us to shift the FOV. Sometime in 2001 or early 2002 we made the decision to move to a tighter FOV, settling on 75 after some extensive testing. While FOV 90 is perhaps more representative of our visual experience in some ways - especially taking peripheral vision into account, in general a tighter FOV felt more accurate and appropriate for rendering the world and the objects in them given the goals we were pursuing in Half-Life 2. For example:

1) Characters all seemed frustratingly distant in FOV 90, and if you really tried to move up as close as possible to them, they'd be viewed with ugly wide-angle distortion on their faces - giving the experience an unpleasantly distorted or hallucinatory quality. And of course it was extremely unflattering to the characters!

2) Architecture and spaces feel oddly and unnaturally huge at FOV 90 - structures are unnaturally diminished at a distance, and it feels as if the player is moving at great speed through the world. In addition, every turn of the player's head emphasizes the distortion inherent in this wide-angled rendering, as objects move from the less distorted center to the extremely distorted edges of the screen.

We've been rigorously playing and testing Half-Life 2, Counterstrike Source and Half-Life Source for a long time now - and we've found nothing to suggest that the FOV change is a significant factor in causing motion sickness. We have, however, put a great deal of work and attention into reducing the motion sickness that can be experienced in the vehicles in Half-Life 2. During our early playtests, many of us were experiencing motion sickness from driving the buggy and the airboat - especially the airboat. We've done a lot of work on tuning the experience to reduce any ill effects - especially looking at how we manage the players head/view in relationship to the movement of the vehicles. Interestingly, for all of the vehicle sequences we revert back to FOV 90 so that you have more peripheral vision which is helpful when moving at these faster speeds. Even so, some people still do experience some motion sickness effects from long stretches in the vehicles - personally, I find that I am most affected by the intense jarring that occurs when you slam into something in the airboat at high speed - like when you miss a jump or something.

Thanks for the kind words about the game!

Best wishes,

Bill Van Buren
Valve

 

[RISEN1]

"The latest report from DougV

DougV (head of support for Steam) sent out a status report internally today. With his permission, I'm sharing some of it here for your information. It shows you where people are reporting problems, and thus what's probably priority right now to fix.


In an internal Valve email, DougV posts...

quote:
As we close the end of the first week of HL2 I wanted to give everyone an update on how support is doing. Currently there are 3 main problems that are driving support incidents (roughly 95% of incidents created). They are:

1. The "Audio-Stuttering" problem
2. The "Memory Read" errors
3. Problems with SecuRom copy protection

The remaining 5% of Support Incidents are complaints about single-player requiring Steam, How to play in Offline Mode, and account problems.



I hope you all find these useful and informative."


Confirmation from Valve ,just got it.

 

[Varsity]

I've been lazy. Lots of e-mails, no posting!

From: Tom Edwards [mailtomg]
Sent: Saturday, November 06, 2004 3:55 AM
To: Yahn Bernier
Subject: Minimsing Hammer on compile

Hi Yahn, great job with the SDK preview. I've noticed that after I compile a map and Hammer starts CSS, there is a very long gap between the preparing to play screen and Source loading, and that I can skip it by minimising Hammer. Is there any way then, to make Hammer minimise when it executes the game program?

I think the gap is because both apps have to share the d3d context (and minimizing an app "releases" the context) and so the textures have to be swapped out of hammer and into the engine. We tend to have people here who do switch back and forth so I'm not sure we would automatically do something like minimizing hammer.

Sounds like you could get into the habit of minimzing hammer before running the engine and it would become second nature in a few hours.

Take care,

Yahn

From: Tom Edwards [mailto:wtf]
Sent: Saturday, November 06, 2004 11:18 AM
To: Yahn Bernier
Subject: Re: Minimsing Hammer on compile

Fair enough. I've just another question though: I have a crazy idea of building a working catapult in Source. I've tried to use Softimage but my screen just isn't big enough. Is there any other way to make the different components? And, will there be a dedicated vphysics contraption program or is it all done through Hammer? Thanks again!

The hook should all occur in hammer. I think you should be able to do it, I know someone here created one a while back to mess around with.
Yahn

From: Tom Edwards [mailto:bbq]
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 2:38 PM
To: Yahn Bernier
Subject: Hammer's 'Helpers', and springs

Hi Yahn, we're a bit stuck with Hammer. While trying to use a spring entity we found mention of helpers, which it would seem are the undocumented white circles you can toggle on and off. I was wondering if you could give some info on them? Aside from the usual questions, we're wondering why they are scalable on prop_physics and it's children?

From: Jay Stelly
Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2004 2:55 PM
To: Yahn Bernier; SRCSDK
Subject: RE: Hammer's 'Helpers', and springs

These are the fade in/out radii. I'm not sure if there's a big
advantage to them being helpers, but that's what he's asking about.

 

[f0rked]

From: A Gellan
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2004 3:35 PM
To: Gabe Newell
Subject: Bloodlines

Hey Gabe. First off, I would like to say congratulations on making IMO
the best PC game ever! Secondly, I was wondering if you'd had a chance
to play Vampire - The Masquerade Bloodlines, and have any thoughts on
what they've done with the Source engine.

Also, any word on the full SDK release?

Hope you find time to reply


Haven't had a chance to, yet. SDK coming soon.

 

[MoD]

From: Tzafrir Rehan [mailto:]
Sent: Friday, November 26, 2004 12:50 PM
To: Marc Laidlaw
Subject: Am I the influence?


Hullo marc,

I wrote this to Gabe, but got no reply :<

Could you perhaps shed some light on this issue?

I would like to feel important

Also, I wanted to ask you, whose dialogs was it more fun to write, Breen, or the Vortigaunts?

--

MoD (Tzafrir Rehan).
----- Original Message -----
From: Tzafrir Rehan
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2004 10:39 PM
Subject: Am I the influence?


http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=45581

Am I just being megalomaniac?

Or did I earn me a place in the hall of fame?

--

Tzafrir Rehan,

AKA MoD.

reply:

Hi, Tzafrir,

I'm not sure what your question is. Crows were one of the very first things we wanted in HL2 (it was a pet feature request of Ted Backman's almost from the moment we finished HL1), so we had versions of crows in the game for a long time; Adrian didn't get to do much work on their AI till fairly late in development. Does that answer your question?

My biggest regret is that we never really got the biozeminades working.

Marc Laidlaw

Reply:

From: Tzafrir Rehan [mailto:]
Sent: Saturday, November 27, 2004 12:52 AM
To: Marc Laidlaw
Subject: Re: Am I the influence?


I had a feeling little Tzafrir couldn't be all that important

I really appreciate your reply, it is really important for me.

Was any of your novels translated into hebrew that you know of?

--

Tzafrir.

Reply:

With this many people thinking about the ramifications of every screenshot, perhaps there's some kind of psychic osmosis going on!

As for my novels in Hebrew, not yet. Not that I know of, anyway.

 

[jimbones]

Concerning the source games not working after hl2dm update:

We're working on a fix, should be out in a few minutes.

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?p=1052178#post1052178

 

[jamesko20]

Regarding new features in HL2DM

This means we will probably be getting some new stuff for HL2DM soon.

We'll continue working on it, Scott and Jess already began working on
new levels that will hopefully include the new gametype we've been
working on (if all goes well).

Great to hear you're having fun with the game!

-----Original Message----- From: Andrew [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 3:28 PM
To: Adrian Finol
Subject: HL2M Development

Hey Adrian,
I've just spent the last 3 hours playing HL2M, can't believe how
addictive and fun it is.

I was wondering if you guys intend to continue to develop it? E.G. new
maps and hopefully new gametypes? Specifically I was thinking more in
terms of CTF, and new official maps that are specifically made for TDM
and CTF. Even a vehicle based map .

Love the game, and thanks again,
Andrew

 

[Azlan]

Pistol Exploit

Thanks, Aaron. We're on it.

-----Original Message-----
From: Aaron Thompson [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 12:32 PM
To: Gabe Newell
Subject: HL2DM bug/exploit

Hi Gabe,

I'm an admin in a HL2DM server (205.138.192.71) and I witnissed a player

doing an exploit with a handgun. He held down the secondary fire button
for
about 8 seconds, then fired and was able to kill players with one shot.
I
went to a few other servers today and it appears that this exploit is
spreading.

Just thought I'd let you all know. Not sure if this is the right place
to
email for bugs.

Sincerely,

Aaron (Azlan) Thompson

 

[switch]

I had concerns about the publishing of HL2DM maps for the contest so i fired off an email to valve.

-----Original Message-----
From: Bill [mailto:***@***]
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2004 7:49 AM
To: Gabe Newell
Subject: DM Map Contest rules - publishing & submission

Hi, If you cant answer this please pass it onto someone who deals with
the competition.

In the rules of the Deathmatch map making contest is says this:

/"Contest Entries may not have been previously published"

/Does that mean that no part of the development of a map has for any
time been publicly available?

The reason I am saying this is I released an alpha version of my map
with lots of things missing for testing and critique purposes only, but
would that count as being 'published' and invalidate my map for
submission?

How about someone downloading the map as they join my internet game
while I am testing my map hosted on my machine?


I also read about submission and it mentions submitting on CD and DVD,
is there no other way to submit it by an upload form or email? Its just
there is a lot of hassle that goes with internation shipping.

Thanks for reading and please respond,

Bill

----------

Bill,

Regarding your map being previously "published" -- the rules have been
clarified to now state
"Each Contest Entry may not have been distributed prior to December 1,
2004."

Regarding the CD/DVD requirement -- this one isn't going to change. I
hope you'll be able to ship a copy of your map on CD-ROM so that it can
be entered in the contest.

Thanks,

-Greg

 

[eediot]

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom ***** [mailto:****@****.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 25, 2004 2:02 AM
To: Doug Lombardi
Subject: City 17 locking doors?

Hey Doug,

I'll try and keep this short and sweet. First off, congratulations to
you and everyone at Valve for making the single best game the world has
seen [right up there above Soccer, even].

Secondly, I've finally been spurred into action by the possibilities of
not only source, but the world of Halflife 2 itself. I am researching
the world of Halflife 2 in order to make a singleplayer mod based in a
city near to City 17, where you play as a [silent, of course] freedom
fighter. Among other questions, which I will leave for another email,
I'd like to know how the locks on the doors in City 17 work? I've been
looking at them [in my less than beastly machine, mind you], and I can't
figure out how they work. I was trying to think up a way for the
character to open the door to their apartment with a pass, or a keycode,
or some form of identification. However, after looking at the locks
themselves, I can't figure out how a person [combine or no] would
authorise themselves as someone capable of access to that door.

I've uploaded two images to a website in the hopes that you could help
me with this problem. I want to try and keep the world as true to
Halflife 2 as possible, and have as many things correspond correctly as
I can.

Locking/Authorisation device:

http://img109.exs.cx/img109/8397/d1_trainstation_010046.jpg

Other side of door [I don't believe this does anything]:

http://img109.exs.cx/img109/1280/d1_trainstation_010049.jpg

Thanks for your help, and again, my congratulations on making the best
game known to mankind thus far, on both PC and console.

Many thanks,
Tom *****

-----------------------------

From: Doug Lombardi <****@****.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 14:50:58 -0800
Subject: FW: City 17 locking doors?
To: ****@****.com


Hi Tom,

I've asked a few folks around here about this, and each time they just
start beating me relentlessly <g>

Wish I could provide more. Sorry.

Thanks for the kind words about the game, and good luck with your
project and just let us know if you have any other questions, etc.

Cheers

 

[Chris D]

From: Chris Deeming [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, December 17, 2004 12:54 PM
To: Gabe Newell
Subject: Real or fake?

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

* Yes, indeed there are mini 'episodes' in the works to progress the Half Life story
* VALVe really does have a 6 foot, gold-plated crowbar in it's main office area, it's NOT a Photoshopified image
* Headcrab plush toys will actually soon be a product on the gamer's market along with action figures
* More Deathmatch maps are on the way, including some remakes of past classic maps
* Snarks may make another appearance as multiplayer weapons/traps
and
* Yes, there will be a patch/update coming soon that will add a cheat to the current repitoir that will spawn or give you the modded, blue grav-gun without having to glitch the game...

...but the news that tops it all...

* The G-Man doesn't work for anybody...yet. Meaning the writters don't even know yet. The story is SO incomplete, even thus far that we've only BEGUN the HalfLife story. Nothing beyond that of HL3 has been written or even thought of yet and it's likely there will be as high as HL6 before anything brought to a close.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

I dunno, just seems really doubtful if you ask me.

Yes, fake. Not sure if this is purported to come from someone here, but the "writters" part pretty much gives it away. It should be "writter." (From Marc Laidlaw)