Steambox prototype ready in 4 months: "Valve Time"

[DEATH eVADER]

The BBC caught up with Gabe Newell at the BAFTA ceremony, and Gabe seems to think Valve will have prototypes to give to customers, to gauge their reactions, in 3-4 months.

Also another question fired towards Gabe about the state Half-Life 3, and again no comment.

He also said that he's always looking at ways of evolving other Games, such as Day of Defeat and Ricochet (I don't know if its the indev joke).

He also said that despite a slump in game sales last year, he said that game sales on steam were up by 50%.

 

[Lobster]

I wouldn't be surprised to see a Day of Defeat relaunch someday.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

You could certainly redecorate the Payload gamemode from TF2 for DoD use, and it would make the game more interesting.

 

[morgs]

Yeah that'd work quite well actually, escorting a tank through a town or something.

 

[SpotEnemyBoats]

Sigh, at this point Valve is just thinking of games to release than a 3rd sequel to a franchise that just ****ing won game of the decade. *pulls hair uncontrollably*


Let it be known I'd love a Day of Defeat 2 on Source 2 engine.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

This is excruciatingly unexciting.

 

[Maestro]

This is excruciatingly unexciting.

Isn't everything from Valve nowadays? Steambox is mildly interesting but unlikely to budge me from my perch atop PC games.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Allow me to elaborate. Just a heads up, I'm about to get wordy and there's no tl;dr. I just wasn't happy with my vague pessimistic post.

This begs the question as to what Valve really does and is these days, and why I'm so damned bored with their public image lately. Entering the "living room experience," attempting to penetrate the murky depths of "competitive gaming" and a very public love affair with micro-transactions and cross-marketing.

Everything sans the short and sweet Portal 2 these past few years has just been dull as ever. It's never seemed to grim to proclaim yourself a Valve fan.

Am I a Valve "fan" in a post-Orange Box era? Not really, no.

...but Steam's feature set is impressive. I'm glad Steam is where it is today. It does some seriously awesome things. Never in a million years, growing up, did I imagine Valve would become more well known for developing software and hardware platforms than building beautiful industry changing worlds and methods of play.

Sure I'm nostalgic, but I haven't found another company with the charm and innovation the Valve of our childhood produced. The Valve that labored over products which changed the way you thought about narrative, not just "video game narrative."

Valve was just starting to blur some lines, to further wisen society with each major release. Every landmark title: Half-Life, Half-Life 2, Episodes 1/2, Portal 1/2 grasps more closely at this seemingly impossible to reach benchmark of creating a sort of industry defining "perfect game."

Valve captured us by the formula of story telling without treading the path of the archaic Doom/Quake origins of the industry. Conversely, Valve was unique in never introducing ham-fisted and contrived story elements through the likes of cut-scenes or removal from character.

The Valve of years past took the "Show, don't tell" concept from the likes of other literature platforms and translated it to interactive media. That achievement is genuinely incredible, even triumphant. Each title Valve made a more mainstream yet equally brilliant stride toward perfection in game design. Ones that were beginning to reach dinner tables of non-"gamers." Boy, do I miss that excitement, that potential.

I'm not angry about the company's transformation, the sands of time do this to all artist collectives. I think Valve still does brilliant work to this day. They're just no longer focused on progressing the medium of games themselves. They're the largest private publisher of digitally delivered goods and behave ethically as a company.

What I do feel is a sort of profound sadness about the passing of the old Valve. The reality that they will never be as colorful, imaginative and playful as the company we grew up with.

Gabe and Co. answered the G-Man on his famous ultimatum "It's time to chooose" - but instead of plunging into the nebulae, they remained on the tram. Somebody had to.

 

[Eejit]

Nice post, but I'm far from convinced that the broadening of Valve's focus means they can or will no longer continue to produce the quality of games they once did... although it seems likely that taking more on their plate has contributed to slowing progress on what used to be their sole work.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Considering Gabe maintains the stance of retaining a small operating floor side projects that he gets obsessed with become primary projects with hire-ins to boot. I should also mention I addressed your first point, I do indeed have a "the magic is over" sensation when it comes to Valve as a development studio.

Also, Source mods never really took off in the same way GldSrc ones did. I've turned to other games yes *gasp* ArmA 3 for massive mod communities to fit any gameplay style.

 

[Eejit]

I should also mention I addressed your first point, I do indeed have a "the magic is over" sensation when it comes to Valve as a development studio.

I saw that, I was saying that that sensation is far from universal or inevitable.

Also, Source mods never really took off in the same way GldSrc ones did. I've turned to other games yes *gasp* ArmA 3 for massive mod communities to fit any gameplay style.

The majority of mods are shit. Always have been, always will be. The ones that aren't generally become (sometimes pseudo-) stand-alone games. I don't really care about what engine they begin life with.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Yeah, I gotcha, you are if the belief that they could still have some great games on the way. That may be, but I'll believe it when I play it.

 

[ríomhaire]

How much of that is simply nostalgia? How much of that is due to the fact that the Valve of your childhood is the Valve of your childhood? Do you really think the magic that was in Half-Life 1 is not in Portal 2 or is it just that you're used to it now and it washes over you because you don't have the innocence of a child any more? To be honest it only sounds like you're talking about Half-Life 1 and maybe Half-Life 2 as well. This magical image of Valve parading progress in how stories are told consists of a grand total of two titles that had six years between them. If anything their pace at churning things out has increased over the years. Valve could do anything at this point and it would never live up to your nostalgia.

 

[Maestro]

I agree with BHC not because of nostalgia, but because they really haven't released any games I genuinely love to play. Multiplayer bores me within a few days at most simply due to the fact that playing the same 5 maps over and over is ****ing boring. I bought L4D2 but have yet to put in more than maybe 25 hours on it because it is completely unengaging.