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[Sliver]

Episode 4 AKA Return to Ravenholm. This was apparently being developed between 2006-2007 by Arkane Studios, but ultimately ceased development. Some screenshots were leaked around three years ago, and just recently some more were found in some dudes portfolio.

...these new screenshots come to us via the personal portfolio of Robert Wilinski, a Senior Environment Artist at Arkane Studios between 2007 and 2008, who was likely an important component within the “Return to Ravenholm” and “The Crossing” projects. A deeper discussion of these screenshots can be found in the Spotlight Exclusive episode listed above, but feel free to take a closer look at all 11 new screenshots below! The final two screenshots we've included also highlight The Crossing, so check them out too! If you don’t know what The Crossing is or why you should care, be sure to check out our previous episode covering the topic!

Quote from Marc Laidlaw on "Episode 4":

...there was indeed a project called Return to Ravenholm. We are big fans of Arkane and wanted to come up with a project we could work on together. We threw ideas around, they built some cool stuff, but we eventually decided that it didn’t make sense to pursue it at the time. As I recall, we felt like a lot of the staples of Ravenholm–headcrabs and zombies!–were pretty much played out, and the fact that it would have to take place sometime before the end of Episode 2 (so as not to advance beyond where Valve had pushed the story) was a creative constraint that would hamper the project…and Arkane.

Here's a few:

Link to all of them and a video: http://www.valvetime.net/threads/ne...evealed-valvetime-spotlight-exclusive.246580/

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Half Life is dead. This is a false flag

 

[overcast]

Why did they have to take Half Life from us :[

 

[CryptiK]

Explains why Dishonored had that Half-Life feel with the Art.

 

[soulassssns]

Oh man stop throwing salt on the wounds.

 

[LegendOfGood]

I'm crying.

RIP Half-Life.

 

[injurai]

I swear I've seen these before a long time ago. At least screenshots have leaked multiple times from it. It was basically meant to be ep.4 and of course ep.3 never came.

Explains why Dishonored had that Half-Life feel with the Art.

Yeah, same lead artist. Must have made connections with them during this spurt of development.

 

[Sliver]

I swear I've seen these before a long time ago. At least screenshots have leaked multiple times from it. It was basically meant to be ep.4 and of course ep.3 never came.



Yeah, same lead artist. Must have made connections with them during this spurt of development.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=46333201&postcount=112

 

[Dennis]

wut

 

[injurai]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=46333201&postcount=112

Do I really get around gaf that much? Props on the memory.

 

[MayMay]

Ahhh lovely, nice that we're at least getting stuff about EP4 while EP3 rots in the void.

Always interesting to look at that stuff.

 

[John Kowalski]

So a Blue Shift sort of thing? That would be pretty cool.

 

[Dennis]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=46333201&postcount=112

What the hell this is old news?

I had forgotten all about and I even posted in that thread.

 

[Sliver]

Do I really get around gaf that much? Props on the memory.

Ha, I was just looking at my old thread for some research on the subject, honest.

 

[jacobeid]

Holy shit are you serious.

 

[Yukinari]

So why didnt Valve just hire Arkane to do the bulk of the work on Half Life while having a supporting role to make sure the games are of the quality we expect?

They cant even be bothered to direct someone to do the work for them anymore?

 

[Massive_Edge]

i was thinking..do you guys think the reason Valve in general has been reluctant to release half life 3 is because there waiting for some type of groundbreaking technology, game mechanic etc.

i honestly think HL 3, in their minds, has to be a groundbreaking game like 1 and 2 were, it just can't be another great game to them...

 

[Dennis]

So why didnt Valve just hire Arkane to do the bulk of the work on Half Life while having a supporting role to make sure the games are of the quality we expect?

They cant even be bothered to direct someone to do the work for them anymore?

Because this way they hurt us more.

 

[Frozenprince]

Half-Life has been dead for almost 10 years.

Just let it go.

 

[Dennis]

i was thinking..do you guys think the reason Valve in general has been reluctant to release half life 3 is because there waiting for some type of groundbreaking technology, game mechanic etc.

i honestly think HL 3, in their minds, has to be a groundbreaking game like 1 and 2 were, it just can't be another great game to them...

HL3 VR is a go then.

 

[Snacks the sober sea lion]

i was thinking..do you guys think the reason Valve in general has been reluctant to release half life 3 is because there waiting for some type of groundbreaking technology, game mechanic etc.

i honestly think HL 3, in their minds, has to be a groundbreaking game like 1 and 2 were, it just can't be another great game to them...

That was what I thought it might be. Then CSGO and Dota exploded and now I feel more like they just don't give a damn when they have that much cash.

Half-Life has been dead for almost 10 years.

Just let it go.

Episode 2 came out 8 years ago. Half-Life has only been dead around 5-6 years, dude.

 

[injurai]

HL3 VR is a go then.

More anecdotal recollections from my memory for this thread. But I also swear that a Valve employee said that HL3 would not be a VR game.

 

[John Kowalski]

So why didnt Valve just hire Arkane to do the bulk of the work on Half Life while having a supporting role to make sure the games are of the quality we expect?

They cant even be bothered to direct someone to do the work for them anymore?

Mark explains it. It didn't fit their schedules and they wouldn't be free enough to make a product worthy of the investment.

 

[Lancelot]

Half-Life 3 CONFIRMED!

 

[Ingueferroque]

Looks great.

 

[EatChildren]

This really, really hurts.

 

[Gnome Scat]

Half-Life has been dead for almost 10 years.

Just let it go.

So was DOOM but a new game's coming out in 2016, there's always a chance a new one is in development.

 

[injurai]

So was DOOM but a new game's coming out in 2016, there's always a chance a new one is in development.

Isn't it a reboot. It's not even iD. Still looks awesome to me, but it's dividing a lot of people.

 

[anthn]

Man, this probably would have done gangbusters. People were always itching for more Ravenholm.

 

[Gnome Scat]

Isn't it a reboot. It's not even iD. Still looks awesome to me, but it's dividing a lot of people.

It's still by id and it is a reboot, but at least the franchise is back after a long time. The same will happen to Half-Life if there is enough interest in the franchise.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

First Half Life, 4 screenshots

 

[tuxfool]

None of these screenshots summon up any notion of being in Ravenholm. They just look like a bunch of industrial rooms. They could be anywhere in city 17.

 

[Mikey Jr.]

Fuck Ravenholm.

Would never had played this if the whole thing was located there.

 

[K-BillyDJ]

I am surprised no one doesn't remember this. Usually this is mentioned in the same sentence as The Crossing.

 

[Alpha Phoenix]

This makes me super sad

 

[Polioliolio]

But seriously, when is Half Life 3 or Left for Dead 3 coming? Or something that's not MOBA.. I'm not hip with the MLG kiddos, I don't want thaaayaaat.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Arkane Studios has a pretty great track record, I wonder how this would have turned out. Still no HL3 stings eternal.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

"it would have to take place sometime before the end of Episode 2 (so as not to advance beyond where Valve had pushed the story) was a creative constraint that would hamper the project… and Arkane."

So nothing of value was lost?

 

[Yazzees]

Shame this couldn't see the light of day, but at this point I'm pretty convinced anything like this, let alone Half-Life 3 itself, will simply never happen.

 

[Crimsonclaw111]

I kinda want to play through Half Life 2 but I'm tempted to wait until 3 is announced.

I did play the first and bits of the second though.

 

[ForsakenLotus]

The timing of these leaks is odd. Half-Life 3 at PSX confirmed!

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

3 is never coming. I don't know why you guys do this to yourself. After all these years, it's just not gonna happen. It'll be another Duke Nukem situation at best. Whatever we think in our heads it'll be, it won't.

 

[MillionStabs]

These are some nice photoshops, OP

 

[sikkinixx]

Valve has become just the worst company. ;_;

 

[Teknoman]

Episode 4? There wasnt even a 3.

 

[Teknoman]

I kinda want to play through Half Life 2 but I'm tempted to wait until 3 is announced.

I did play the first and bits of the second though.

If you've never played 2, ep1 and ep2, just go ahead.

 

[alexandros]

This really, really hurts.

Yeah

 

[_woLf]

God fucking damnit valve

 

[Crimsonclaw111]

If you've never played 2, ep1 and ep2, just go ahead.

Yeah I'll play then eventually. Backlog though

 

[ChoklitReign]

So that's why nobody can make another Half-Life: the games we have are so good all the best ideas have been done.