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Marc Laidlaw reveals Half-Life 2 Episode 3's story synopsis

Syf

Banned
That last bit was sad to read. Glad for some closure but it's horrible to think what should have been. Thanks for the post Marc.
 
It's fine, bro. Valveshield GAF tells me they're working a bunch of games that'll blow our minds (a Dota TCG) and delivering quality updates for all the games I play every day that never get updated.
They'll buy another mod out any day now and put a slot machine it it, s'cool.
 

HariKari

Member
And here we are. I spoke of my return to this shore. It has been a circuitous path to lands I once knew, and surprising to see how much the terrain has changed. Enough time has passed that few remember me, or what I was saying when last I spoke, or what precisely we hoped to accomplish. At this point, the resistance will have failed or succeeded, no thanks to me. Old friends have been silenced, or fallen by the wayside. I no longer know or recognize most members of the research team, though I believe the spirit of rebellion still persists. I expect you know better than I the appropriate course of action, and I leave you to it. Except no further correspondence from me regarding these matters; this is my final epistle.

Subtle shot at Valve.
 

Dalius

Member
That would have been a great story to play through. Sounds like some crazy set pieces, especially the end. It also seems to leave the story open for another chapter (Where did G Man and Alyx go?)

That was good read though. I'm glad we finally got the end of Half Life 2.
 

snap

Banned
how does the borealis stuff work with the crew of the borealis realizing the combine were closing in and activating the device to prevent it from falling in combine hands?

didn't that portal 2 easter egg imply it was lost some time in the 1950s?

edit: and didn't glados kill everyone before the combine invaded? or is the portal universe henceforth non-canon to the half life universe?
 

epmode

Member
I love Valve the Steam/VR company but Valve the game developer can fuck right off. This sucks.

Thanks, Marc.
 
Valve is a skin crate company now.

Just gonna say it again: The updates to Team Fortress 2 were the beginning of the end of Valve as we once knew them. Everything they did with that game from the microtransactions and the general monetization of everything, they ended up applying to their entire company model as a whole.
 
Holy shit. I remember this quote back in 2013

>by Cody Miller, Dinklebot - Never Forget, Saturday, August 31, 2013, 17:41 (1454 days ago) @ Grizzlei

I was made aware that the only thing a non-disclosure agreement allowed a playtester to divulge is that they participated in a game study and nothing more, not even the most minor aspects of the game.

Yes I enjoy taking the fun out of everything. :)

8 have an NDA regarding HL2 EP 3 that expires in 2017. If that day comes and the game isn't out yet, I'm totally posting spoilers.
 

wamberz1

Member
Shit that was actually really good....

So Vance was the G-mans new agent, huh? Wonder if they were planning her as MC for a potential sequel.

Vortigaunts bros to the end.
 
Valve has sadly gone the route of low budget card games and skins/crates for old games.......ohh how I wish greed wasn't a thing, we would be getting much better games than we do now.

Dota is one of the best mobas, CSGO is one of the best FPS.

We have actual good single player FPS games in Metro, Wolfenstein, Doom, Titanfall 2 if what you're looking for is a single player FPS.
 

RRockman

Banned
That sounded really freakin cool.

I like the distant finale, but the same time I'm really salty about losing Alyx to the G-man. I wonder what plans get had for her...
 

Falk

that puzzling face
You know, I wonder if some crazy people from the modding community would take it on themselves to build this game. I mean, we got Black Mesa

And then Valve in Valve fashion would hire them and turn it into a lootcrate game

How long until someone makes this into a standalone mod for HL2?

2fast
 

Marcel

Member
So this is it?

That's it. The story just being hung out there like that shows the franchise is well and truly dead. Valve deserves every mean thing, thrown shade, sideways glance and bit of anger they will receive as a result of all this.
 

pizzacat

Banned
alyx would have been such a pos


I actually want to see the Wallace scene

Him being scared in that form sounds hilarious
 

Mr. F

Banned
For as frustrated as people are on the outside, I can't imagine being as invested as a writer on the project and having to put up with so much back and forth only to have it all scrapped. Bummer
 
I vividly remember looking up PC performance guides in order to optimize my system for the upcoming Half Life 2.

RIP

Oh yeah, obligatory:

giphy.webp
 

Severance

Member
This actually sounds really great. I would have loved to play through it, oh man. It still leaves the question, who is the G-Man and what does he want? I guess we aren't meant to truly know, since he is of another dimension entirely. I assume Alyx is left to the same fate as Gordon in the past games, to awaken in another time and place for whatever serves the G-Man's agenda. C'mon Valve.
 

KingBroly

Banned
Just gonna say it again: The updates to Team Fortress 2 were the beginning of the end of Valve as we once knew them. Everything they did with that game from the microtransactions and the general monetization of everything, they ended up applying to their entire company model as a whole.

Nah, I'd say creating Steam was the beginning of the end. That became more of a goal for them to maintain.
 

guybrushfreeman

Unconfirmed Member
For as frustrated as people are on the outside, I can't imagine being as invested as a writer on the project and having to put up with so much back and forth only to have it all scrapped. Bummer

He's certainly seemed frustrated in the past and given this action it does feel like he's not happy with how it turned out. I'm happy he decided to share it with everyone now. He deserves to be able to at least get it out there after everything
 

snap

Banned
and before certain valve apologists come in and say "they were holding this back for when they could trailblaze a new gameplay mechanic not seen before" it's already here. so much of the plot having to do with time manipulation implies that was what they were planning--having some sort of way to control time in your environment a la that one titanfall 2 level. there was no reason not to finish this and put it out, even if that meant letting another studio work on it.
 
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