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[dlauv]

e3, friend. Believe. Gabe loves us.

 

[OmnipotentO]

I'd honestly prefer a novel at this point. Just let someone else finish it that way for closure. Question is who?

 

[OnionPowder]

It wouldn't be so bad for me if they could even manage their "games as a service"

Their support of CSGO is laughable. Game is plagued with hackers

At least The Lab was awesome. Gave me glimpses of the Valve of old.

 

[Hyrule Warrior]

Episode 2 is just a great example of why I hate cliffhanger endings to begin with, especially with video games. They take so much damn time and money now, that a sequel is never assured, so don't give me an experience that could end up incomplete. I think there's a huge difference between leaving a game open for a sequel, and just not finishing the arc of the story also. Leave people loving the experience that they want to come back, but don't just leave them unfulfilled.

 

[Sad Affleck]

I'd honestly prefer a novel at this point. Just let someone else finish it that way for closure. Question is who?

That's easy, Marc Laidlaw.

 

[Orthogonal]

I'm more upset that Gabe won't be honest with us and just say that it's never happening. Doing nothing but leaving a remote hope on the table is insulting. They have no shame.

 

[accx]

Man you shouldn't give up on HL3 releasing... Believe!

Spoiler

If it were to ever release i'd never buy it just for the principle.

 

[Bluth54]

Their support of CSGO is laughable. Game is plagued with hackers

Valve is actually working on using machine learning to detect hackers.

Hard to say how long it will be until it's fully deployed though.

 

[OmnipotentO]

That's easy, Marc Laidlaw.

Oh he's a valve guy! I'm in!

I was thinking maybe one of the old star wars novel authors or one of the halo novel writers... Orson Scott Card maybe? 🤔 Valve needs to let someone do it!

 

[Ionic]

Valve is actually working on using machine learning to detect hackers.

Hard to say how long it will be until it's fully deployed though.

This is definitely the end game towards combating hacking, but it's really easy feeling the void of not having great anti-cheat while this is being worked on internally.

 

[sono]

e3, friend. Believe. Gabe loves us.

I am just picturing in my mind the fan reaction videos

 

[VDenter]

It will happen eventually, like most things that have some kind of demand. The problem is you might be in for a long wait but it will definitely happen.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

You make it sound like they left it that way intentionally. They're more close to those characters in many ways, it can't have been easy for them either.

I'm sure money helped a lot in easing their pain.

 

[Orthogonal]

We all hate it and I agree that the best thing to do is move on. Half-Life 3 will happen eventually, I'm sure of that, but it won't be anytime soon. I believe that Valve will go back to Half-Life once either of the following happens:

- Most big publishers leave Steam and create their own services. Steam already lost EA and I think Activision and Bethesda will probably be next. If the rest of them leave, Steam profits will crater and Valve will need original content to pull people in. Then you'll see all of Valve's big franchises make a comeback, Half-Life included.

- Microsoft somehow succeeds in locking down Windows and Valve has to release a linux-based console as Steam's main platform. A new console needs big exclusives and it doesn't get much bigger than Half-Life.

Very astute observation. With Half Life 2 being a catalyst for Steam it is ironic that it ended up being the death knell for their entire productive output in the end. Outside of incremental support for Dota 2 and CSGO, they have nothing on the horizon and no real incentive as they just sit back and take in store seller fees.

With the continued migration to more digital sales it is only a matter of time before every publisher cuts out the middle-man with their own platform. Valve will be forced to re-enter the development game. The question will then be, can they still do it?

 

[Bluth54]

This is definitely the end game towards combating hacking, but it's really easy feeling the void of not having great anti-cheat while this is being worked on internally.

Oh yeah I feel that. I play a lot TF2 and that game has a serious cheating problem as well. Hopefully the machine learning system isn't more than a year or two off from being fully deployed.

Very astute observation. With Half Life 2 being a catalyst for Steam it is ironic that it ended up being the death knell for their entire productive output in the end. Outside of incremental support for Dota 2 and CSGO, they have nothing on the horizon and no real incentive as they just sit back and take in store seller fees.

They've already announced they have multiple full VR games in development (at least one of which should be announced this year).

 

[Orthogonal]

They've already announced they have multiple full VR games in development (at least one of which should be announced this year).

That is interesting. Anything substantial with those announcements like genre, concept art ect?

 

[Bluth54]

That is interesting. Anything substantial with those announcements like genre, concept art ect?

There's not a lot of info, all we do know is that they'll be full games and Valve announced during Steam dev days last year they hopped to announce at least one of them in 2017.

 

[Surfinn]

They've already announced they have multiple full VR games in development (at least one of which should be announced this year).

There's not a lot of info, all we do know is that they'll be full games and Valve announced during Steam dev days last year they hopped to announce at least one of them in 2017.

/searches E3 exhibitor list

Shocking

 

[valouris]

I'd rather see the Ricochet storyline continue tbh.

 

[ashecitism]

This is a dumb question but why haven't they done a full remaster of the orange box for consoles?

They're done with consoles.

 

[Nessus]

Part of me doesn't want a Half-Life 3 written by someone other than Laidlaw. I love the universe he built, and if there ever is a sequel it won't be the way his story ended.

 

[Surfinn]

Part of me doesn't want a Half-Life 3 written by someone other than Laidlaw. I love the universe he built, and if there ever is a sequel it won't be the way his story ended.

It'd be like someone creating new HP books who isn't JK Rowling.

 

[Sad Affleck]

With the continued migration to more digital sales it is only a matter of time before every publisher cuts out the middle-man with their own platform. Valve will be forced to re-enter the development game. The question will then be, can they still do it?

I believe so. They employ a lot of extremely talented people and if the need presents itself they can go on a hiring spree. I'm sure lots of developer big names would jump at the chance to work at Valve and create the next Portal, Half-Life or original IP.

Eventually Valve will have to go the Netflix route and create its own set of 'Valve Originals'. It will happen once they lose the GTAs, the Skyrims and most other multi-million sellers.

 

[bananas]

It'd be like someone creating new HP books who isn't JK Rowling.

(looks at the Force Awakens avatar)

 

[bombshell]

Sony might bring it this E3

Spoiler

lol

 

[fatherKratos]

There are days when I log in to gaf for the first time in the morning, there is a part of me hoping, that the news of HL3 announcement last night, would have melt the internet

 

[SpaceWolf]

Me for the last few years:

Spoiler

It'll come. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but some day.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

I remember staying up in college until early morning for Episode 2 to unlock and playing straight through it. Can't believe it's been so long.

 

[Necron]

That ending is still extremely frustrating. I'd take a book to finish off the story at this point.

 

[Bluth54]

That ending is still extremely frustrating. I'd take a book to finish off the story at this point.

If they decided to finish the story outside of videogames it would probably be in comics since they have in house comic artists.

 

[Sinfamy]

I'm expecting it at this year's E3.
Quote me now, ridicule me later.

 

[sn00zer]

Half Life 2 was my favorite game for a very very long time and I only recently realized I don't think I would even be excited if HL3 was announced.

I also realized there are a few games that really scratch the Half Life itch:
-Resistance 3
-Titanfall 2 campaign
-Black Mesa (duh)
-Destiny to a weird degree
-Dead Space

None of them really hit the story highs of HL2 but they definitely nailed the aesthetic and alien pew pewing

 

[IrishNinja]

i get you, OP

i've felt this way about Golvellius: Valley of Doom since like '88

 

[hamchan]

Yeah it sucks. And it extra sucks that Valve can do it if they really want to, they just don't want to. There are no external forces holding them back. I have no faith in a Twin Peaks style revival 25 years later for this franchise.

 

[PillarEN]

Yeah it sucks. What a great final battle though to conclude ep2. I had my laptop over when visiting some family and a younger cousin of mine decided to play some HL2 on the laptop and the game still holds up today. Like you could just redo the graphics but keep everything else the same and I would easily believe the game was from the present day. I'm really more impressed by it now than I was when it was first released.

 

[Sad Affleck]

I'm expecting it at this year's E3.
Quote me now, ridicule me later.

There are only two possible ways for HL3 to be revealed: Either through an elaborate ARG that will take the internet months to decipher or one day it will just appear on Steam as 'available now'. Valve doesn't do E3 anymore.

 

[ashecitism]

HL3?

It's been nearly 8 years since L4D2 was released. A series that is still popular today and has an incredible amount of potential in terms of multiplayer and customization. There's so much room for the series to grow and they're just sitting on it.

Pretty sure L4D3, which we know they worked on 4 years ago at least fell victim to their internal VR push. People have been saying "this is the year" for years now.

 

[stenbumling]

Honestly forgot that ending, but yeah, that's one hell of a cliffhanger to leave us with. I don't really care about a new Half-Life game anymore, I just want to know what happened to episode 3 and what halted development.

Spoiler

Yes, I know why, I just want to hear them say it officially.

If there will be a new Half-Life game, it will most likely be a reboot.

 

[McLovin]

I gave up too. If a rumor came out HL3 was at e3 I wouldn't even bother looking for leaks.

 

[Trup1aya]

I would disagree. They made promises with the episodic nature they moved to. I thinks fans who bought into that episodic story are owed an ending to the narrative.

Hell, give us a book to read.

I never did finish hl2 (my disc scratched), but i decided to check out the ending thanks to this thread...

It should be a crime to end a much beloved series like that.

 

[Dunkley]

I gave up on it too after even this video started becoming outdated.

 

[jcjimher]

When people cry for more of a game I always think yeah I wouldn't mind playing more of that.

When people are crying because of the story not ending though.. ugh the story wasn't that good to begin with. It's ok I guess but it never was the main appeal at all to me. The gun play and atomsphere were great.. but the story just seemed generic scifi.

Same with Shenmue.. you are not missing out on an amazing story.

As a long time Shenmue fan I've meditated about this for some time, because the feeling of urge and emptiness of an unresolved cliffhanger didn't correspond to the objective quality of the plot like you say.

But my main conclusion is that videogames are a much more powerful medium to make a person invested in the characters and the story, since the player "acts" instead of watching. And it can be quite painful even if you accept it. I hope you Half-Life players can have a moment like us Shenmue fans and get some announcement of closure!

 

[Discotheque]

valve sucks.

its a damn shame to see where they're at now compared to even just a few years ago when they made Portal 2. they had entertaining narratives and really dope scripted games. now its just f2p basura.

 

[PizzaFace]

Duke Nukem Forever came out,

Twin Peaks continued 26 YEARS later,

And there are many more examples,

There will be another Half-Life game.

 

[Man with Knife]

___

 

[Jackpot]

It's not really a cliffhanger as there is no "how are they going to resolve this?" mystery. They'll mourn Eli, and then continue on with the mission they originally planned to do.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Because Valve prints money. No need to make games anymore.

I think this is the crux of it. The amount of time, money and effort they'd expend making HL3; that'd be put to much better use invested elsewhere, like Steam, Dota or a new Counter-Strike instalment.

 

[Lightning_Roller]

I'd honestly prefer a novel at this point. Just let someone else finish it that way for closure. Question is who?

I just want closure. Give me a novel, graphic novel something.

 

[TheOctodad]

I just imagine Gabe and George RR Martin as two college bros who keep procrastinating on their projects while going to every party.

 

[oneils]

I haven't played the episodes for this reason. I was waiting for episode 3 to release before starting episode 1. So my ending is the ending of HL2. *smugface* (god this post is cringeworthy lol!)