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Marc Laidlaw has left Valve

D

Dmax3901

Member
Been playing through HL2, Ep1 and Ep2 over the last few days.

Something I've noticed is that the writing isn't that important. The visual storytelling and level design are what I love about these games, and Portal 2 showed they can still do a great job of that.

In HL2, the main exposition is from the scientists and it's all sci-fi stuff like stabilising the core and sending data packages etc. It's all stuff that makes you go "ok if you say so".

Alyx says a lot of "Gordon, you've done it again!" "Looks like it's up to you again Gordon" etc. Nothing groundbreaking. Even the emotional moments all come down to the actual performance.

The vortigaunt stuff, in Ep2 especially, really stood out to me. It's all pretty out there. Vortessence? Ant-lion husbandry? It's all kind of weird. I love the mystery of the Combine and the advisors and the g-man, but a lot of that stuff is great from what ISN'T said.

G-man dialogue is great too, although again the performance elevates it.
 
T

Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!

Member
Dmax3901 said:
Been playing through HL2, Ep1 and Ep2 over the last few days.

Something I've noticed is that the writing isn't that important. The visual storytelling and level design are what I love about these games, and Portal 2 showed they can still do a great job of that.

In HL2, the main exposition is from the scientists and it's all sci-fi stuff like stabilising the core and sending data packages etc. It's all stuff that makes you go "ok if you say so".

Alyx says a lot of "Gordon, you've done it again!" "Looks like it's up to you again Gordon" etc. Nothing groundbreaking. Even the emotional moments all come down to the actual performance.

The vortigaunt stuff, in Ep2 especially, really stood out to me. It's all pretty out there. Vortessence? Ant-lion husbandry? It's all kind of weird. I love the mystery of the Combine and the advisors and the g-man, but a lot of that stuff is great from what ISN'T said.

G-man dialogue is great too, although again the performance elevates it.
Click to expand...

Mark Laidlaw did much more in the HL games than write the script
 
D

dude

dude
Writing is more than just the text you read in the game. The visual storytelling is only as good as the story it tells - and that's what the writer does, write the actual story. The words on the screen are just a small part of that.
 
D

Dmax3901

Member
dude said:
Writing is more than just the text you read in the game. The visual storytelling is only as good as the story it tells - and that's what the writer does, write the actual story. The words on the screen are just a small part of that.
Click to expand...

But HL2 and the episodes have laid such a strong foundation for what's to come. We have the Combine, the resistance, advisors, gman, the borealis, finding Judith and the aftermath of Eli's death. It's all right there waiting to unfold. I hope Valve have/had the answers to all our questions ahead of time and weren't making things up as they went along.

As long as the people who design the moment to moment gameplay and level environments are still working at Valve I say bring it on.

I in no way mean to discredit Laidlaw, I'm just saying I'm happy for someone else to take up the mantle, preferably with a huge notebook of unused material.
 
D

Drencrom

Member
I don't even care if we a get a new game at this point.

I just want to know how the series end storywise so that I can get some closure. Half-Life is one of the best gaming series, to think Valve will just leave the series unintentionally on a cliffhanger is just absurd.

The fact that we will never know what happens with Gordon/Alyx, what do they find on the Borealis and who the fuck G-man is just saddening to me...
 
S

Surfinn

Member
Sad to me that the story may never be finished. And they could easily just never publicly address it, considering it's been 8 years already. What's their incentive to talk about it or have to deal with it, at this point?
 
Soodanim

Soodanim

Gold Member
It's the start of another ARG. Every 3³ letter spells out "Here we go again" and the first letter of every third line spells out "Confirmed".
 
N

NumberThree

Member
TheSinkingKnight said:
https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLife/comments/40hxb1/its_time_the_fans_know_what_is_going_on/

WUT?
Click to expand...

The product may release this year, the biggest factor that I've heard is marketability. Not for Half-Life 3 to be a commercial (?) success, but for one that doesn't hurt others' sales.
Click to expand...
I see, the problem with Half-Life 3 is that it would destroy the game industry by making every other game redundant. Valve are just protecting us. Thank you GabeN for your sacrifice.
 
S

SpaceWolf

Banned
TheSinkingKnight said:
https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLife/comments/40hxb1/its_time_the_fans_know_what_is_going_on/

WUT?
Click to expand...

bullshit.gif


People never seem to learn with Reddit, do they?
 
Y

yuraya

Member
TheSinkingKnight said:
https://www.reddit.com/r/HalfLife/comments/40hxb1/its_time_the_fans_know_what_is_going_on/

WUT?
Click to expand...

Its most likely fake but some of that stuff like the car destructibility sounds so good.

I wouldn't be shocked if Valve pulled a Bethesda this year tho. Reveal it at E3 and sell millions when it releases in Nov like Fallout 4. Bethesda had F4 leaked earlier last year as well when people found out about Boston being the city for the game long before the reveal.
 
S

Skulduggery

Banned
yuraya said:
Its mot likely fake but some of that stuff like the car destructibility sounds so good.

I wouldn't be shocked if Valve pulled a Bethesda this year tho. Reveal it at E3 and sell millions when it releases in Nov like Fallout 4. Bethesda had F4 leaked earlier last year as well when people found out about Boston being the city for the game long before the reveal.
Click to expand...

Valve has a content showcase coming up this month, how about that
 
C

Corto

Member
Zia said:
We, They, Us, Valve. Can't even keep his POV constant for the duration of his story.

And it's obviously a fake because he mentions the jungle level but left out both the lava and ice maps, the latter of which is the centerpiece of the game. Pfft.
Click to expand...

What clown are you eating? You are a dick smoking.
 
J

JPon87

Neo Member
I can understand the 'Half-Life is dead!' thing, but not because of him leaving. There are plenty of other factors. He probably finished the bullet points of Half-Life 3 long ago! He already had his input on the general story from start to finish I'm sure. Whether Valve develops/finishes/releases the game or not, that's a separate issue!
 
B

balladofwindfishes

Member
The music Kelly's been recording and working on is being made to be a dynamic score, or at least most of it is from what I know. What this means is that player interactions, choices, and movements will effect the music they hear. However this is also put in the control of the AI. So pedestrians and survivors and enemies can trigger certain music to be heard and blend together to create a really unique soundtrack, that will also never get old or tiring or repetitive.
Click to expand...
This was possible in Source 1. Dota 2 has had dynamic music since alpha.

Actually, L4D has it as well, although it's more subtle (each Special Infected will as a little subtle music to the background when they're near)

Portal 2 might have had it as well, don't remember. I think it did for bouncing on gel and walking on beam bridges.

So it's not something that would be used to show off Source 2 as some huge feature.
 
S

Surfinn

Member
balladofwindfishes said:
This was possible in Source 1. Dota 2 has had dynamic music since alpha.

Actually, L4D has it as well, although it's more subtle (each Special Infected will as a little subtle music to the background when they're near)

Portal 2 might have had it as well, don't remember. I think it did for bouncing on gel and walking on beam bridges.

So it's not something that would be used to show off Source 2 as some huge feature.
Click to expand...

Although it's probably BS, I think he means a mixture or blend of music to hear something different every time, not just a trigger playing a particular track.
 
F

Fox318

Member
Hey guys my uncle works for Valve and he showed me the work they've done Half-Life 3.
spoiler:
Employees were too busy moving their desks around to actually start coding. all they had was a clip of Eli Vance dead looping

Also they added Mario and Marth to the roster
 
D

dave is ok

aztek is ok
balladofwindfishes said:
This was possible in Source 1. Dota 2 has had dynamic music since alpha.

Actually, L4D has it as well, although it's more subtle (each Special Infected will as a little subtle music to the background when they're near)

Portal 2 might have had it as well, don't remember. I think it did for bouncing on gel and walking on beam bridges.

So it's not something that would be used to show off Source 2 as some huge feature.
Click to expand...
Portal 2 definitely had adaptive music
 
A

A-V-B

Member
That post just reads like the sort of stuff everyone wants to hear. And he can't even spell Alyx's name right when assuredly it's in the code for her character.

This and Silent Hills, wounds that will never stop hurting, man.
 
M

MayMay

Banned
That post sounds..... weird. Totally unbelievable, I'm surprised someone actually came up with something that stupid.

Like, we get to play as Gman? really? What a joke lol
 
S

Sibylus

Banned
Seems about as specific and elaborate as your average fan trollpost, this time with really stupid errors.

Like, no mention of the fact that Kelly Bailey hasn't been with Valve for nearly five years now.
 
A

A-V-B

Member
Sibylus said:
Seems about as specific and elaborate as your average fan trollpost, this time with really stupid errors.

Like, no mention of the fact that Kelly Bailey hasn't been with Valve for nearly five years now.
Click to expand...

Shit, I didn't know that. Both Half-Life's writer and their composer are gone.
 
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