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[EatChildren]

My guess is we'll have a formal announcement by mid-2012 (July).

Formal announcement of DOTA2 at E3 2011. Release date November.
Delayed until 2012.
Released November 2012.

March 2013 Half-Life 3 announced. Release date November.
Delayed until 2014.
March 2014 Left 4 Dead 3 announced. Released in November.

Half-Life 3 AWOL.

 

[JaseC]

Formal announcement of DOTA2 at E3 2011. Release date November.
Delayed until 2012.
Released November 2012.

March 2013 Half-Life 3 announced. Release date November.
Delayed until 2014.
March 2014 Left 4 Dead 3 announced. Released in November.

Half-Life 3 AWOL.

Haha, can you imagine the backlash? It would be catastrophic.

 

[Hey You]

No Left 4 Dead talk, will not listen.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I'm honestly not sure we'll even hear about Half Life 3 in 2012 at this rate.

It seems like it's been moved to the back burner for sure.

 

[Angry Fork]

I'm honestly getting worried about Half Life 3 the way they keep talking about singleplayer+. I think the idea Gabe is getting at is that he wants to mesh "social"/multiplayer gaming together with singleplayer so that it's not a separate thing anymore. But ...I don't want that at all for Half Life. You could do that with any other Valve franchise i'm okay with it but Half Life (atleast Episode 3/HL3/the end of the storyline) absolutely has to stay a single player experience like HL1 and 2.

I think the reason the game is taking so long though is eitiher 1. they're not sure where to take the series because they may think they have to incorporate all current/COD FPS standards and they're not sure if they should or not (I hope they don't please) OR because they're trying to figure out how to connect some kind of forced co-op/multiplayer crap to it which would completely kill the experience.

Man I loved COD4 it was great but it really ruined everything when it comes to FPS imo. If Half Life gets the same treatment as every other FPS just to live up to today's standards i'll be so fucking pissed. Same with forced multiplayer shit.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

Valve will not go the CoD way at all, don't worry. They feel safe doing their own thing and that will continue.

As for the multiplayer I'm sure that Valve won't have it impact the main story of Half-Life and the single player experience will be everything we've come to expect.

 

[JaseC]

I'm honestly not sure we'll even hear about Half Life 3 in 2012 at this rate.

It seems like it's been moved to the back burner for sure.

That's just what Valve want you to think.

 

[EatChildren]

OR because they're trying to figure out how to connect some kind of forced co-op/multiplayer crap to it which would completely kill the experience.

This is exactly what Gabe was trying to disprove though. He wanted to specify that it didn't mean social conectivity doesn't mean co-op or multiplayer or any less of a single player driven experience, just some kind of social connectivity.

In Valve's world that could mean anything from leadboards and data sharing, to a special single player toolkit that allows a more open approach to single player level building to encourage extended use of a single player game through fan made content.

The worry that it's going to be shoehorned co-op and multiplayer is short sighted and missing the point that Gabe was trying to make.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

That's just what Valve want you to think.

I hope so, but it appears that L4D2/Portal 2/DOTA 2 has been the focus of Valve lately and I can't imagine that many people have been working around the clock on HL3.

Prove me wrong, Gabe!

 

[Grisby]

Eh, I'm one of the guys who doesn't care so much about Valves other franchises. I just want my Half-life.

I'll probably be dead before they release the next one, :/

 

[K' Dash]

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabe!!! >:O

Where is my HL3?

 

[Slavik81]

Thanks, that's what I was interested in. Honestly, I think it was a good choice. I'd be surprised if Valve doesn't have a team currently working on a new engine, but forcing it too soon would have delayed Portal 2 quite a bit. I'd love to hear if/how that decision was made, but that would mean hearing about where they are at with a new engine, which won't happen anytime soon.

That's pretty much the textbook example of how to create a failed software project. I doubt that's the approach they're taking.

A massive parallel rewrite is very dangerous, as you need to do double the work to add new features in the interim.

 

[Heavy's Sandvich]

No shit, it's just some dude on reddit, what did you expect? His questions were decent anyway- glad he brought up the 'single player' thing.

Someone not to say "killer" to every answer!

 

[Arsenic]

Just trying to make it easier to read. Questions + responses

What is Valve up to these days?
Decompressing from Portal 2 and working on DOTA 2

With the addition of STEAM to the PSN is Valve planning on shifting development focus to consoles or are you going to remain developing games primarily for the PC?
"Agnostic" toward platforms. Develop game and then determine platform.

How does Valve plan on differentiating the game from the very popular "League of Legends"?
Valve is less interested in what other companies are doing, but should be more interested in what Valve is doing.

How do micro transactions affect the future of Valve's business model?
Valve looks to create a community feeling. Marketplace is set up for community members to create their own part of the game. Through this the creators are able to be rewarded for making cool things.

Do you still plan on making single player games? (dispelling a rumor) .
Yes still making single player games but Valve looks to improve on multiplayer.

Do you ever get a chance to play games for fun anymore? If so, what games are you playing?
Yes, loves to play games. WoW, Sword and Poker (iPad), DOTA 2.

Do you plan on deviating from SOURCE or do you plan on indefinitely updating the current engine?
Very convenient to build on a stable set, but will have to improve eventually.

What games in the last decade do you believe have improved the gaming industry?
Parts of Spore, MMO's, Plants vs Zombies (as an example of "casual" games), social gaming (Cityville).

Will Chell from Portal and Gordon Freeman from HL be meeting?
The whole reason those two games take place is for crossover story. It'd be hard to have one of the characters not being the player and meeting them. It'll be a decision for the future.

Why are some of your most famous protagonists silent? How do you feel this affects the games as a whole?
"It's just a choice you make" and that choice is just a narrative choice and alters how the player and the character interact.

What advice would you give to somebody aspiring to get into the gaming industry?
The rules are changing quickly on what a career path looks like. Build something, release it to people, get feedback, re-release it. Do your own work and get recognized for it.

I read that you collect knives. How many knives do you own? What do you like about them?
"Too many." They have aesthetic qualities and functional.

What was your favorite game to work on?
Enjoys the people more than working on a specific game.

 

[King Cobra]

I really hope they are working on a new engine. I think they owe the PC market that much.

 

[sykoex]

I really hope they are working on a new engine. I think they owe the PC market that much.

I think they're waiting to see what next gen consoles are capable of.

 

[Mr_Elysia]

The poor dude gets an interview with Gabe and his mic all but gives up the ghost six minutes in. His heart must have sunk when he listened back to it. Good on him for getting the audio back to such a listenable point. Even if it does sound like a soundboard conversation.

 

[charlequin]

I think the reason the game is taking so long though is eitiher 1. they're not sure where to take the series because they may think they have to incorporate all current/COD FPS standards and they're not sure if they should or not (I hope they don't please) OR because they're trying to figure out how to connect some kind of forced co-op/multiplayer crap to it which would completely kill the experience.

I'm not sure why everyone's theory seems to be "they're sitting on HL3 so they can think of dumb shit to put in it that will ruin it." I think it's far more likely that they recognize how revolutionary HL1 was, they remember just how much stuff they did to improve and expand HL2, and they probably don't want to release HL3 until they can make a similarly huge and impressive leap with it.

I really hope they are working on a new engine. I think they owe the PC market that much.

Well, like pretty much everyone in the engine business (except id with their distinct iterative techs) these days, Valve aren't really doing fully distinct engines anymore; they're keeping a single platform framework that they expand piece by piece as necessary.

One of their big goals with Source is to improve their (old and fairly terrible) dev toolchain first; other serious technical upgrades probably won't happen until after that.

 

[Draft]

Seems like Gabe / Valve do lots of interview with local high school kids. How cool.

 

[Chesskid1]

what's the thing in his hand on the youtube video photo?

 

[King Cobra]

Engines can be modified, the fact that the source engine has run on the original xbox and is still running on new PC's now makes me feel a little disappointed.

 

[Mr_Elysia]

Seems like Gabe / Valve do lots of interview with local high school kids. How killer.

Fixed for youthful fidelity.

 

[Exuro]

Engines can be modified, the fact that the source engine has run on the original xbox and is still running on new PC's now makes me feel a little disappointed.

Are you trying to say that the source engine hasn't been modified?

 

[SapientWolf]

Engines can be modified, the fact that the source engine has run on the original xbox and is still running on new PC's now makes me feel a little disappointed.

A lot of their success on the PC is owed to how scalable the engine is. Not everyone is rocking a high end gaming rig. Source runs fine even on integrated graphics.

 

[King Cobra]

On the contrary, I am trying to say that it has been modified to extreme levels. The way I see it now they are trying to squeeze juice out of orange peels right now.

And about everyone not having high end rigs. I understand the fear of putting out a engine that only high end rigs can run. But for one look at the cryengine, Crytek by no means is going bankrupt. Plus Valve wasn't worried about the amount of high end rigs when they released half life 2. So why would that be a valid excuse many years later?

 

[Treefingers]

what's the thing in his hand on the youtube video photo?

It's a Game Developers Choice Award

 

[RurouniZel]

At this point they should just say that Half Life 2: Episode 3 is actually Half Life 3. Surprise!

 

[Stallion Free]

On the contrary, I am trying to say that it has been modified to extreme levels. The way I see it now they are trying to squeeze juice out of orange peels right now.

And about everyone not having high end rigs. I understand the fear of putting out a engine that only high end rigs can run. But for one look at the cryengine, Crytek by no means is going bankrupt. Plus Valve wasn't worried about the amount of high end rigs when they released half life 2. So why would that be a valid excuse many years later?

HL2 didn't require a high-end rig.

 

[Treefingers]

Engines can be modified, the fact that the source engine has run on the original xbox and is still running on new PC's now makes me feel a little disappointed.

Uh Source has been modified tons. It is very very far from what it was when HL2 came out.

 

[Hylian7]

That's it, if I get re-elected as my university's computer science organization's president again, I'm definitely getting Gabe for a meeting in some form.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

At this point they should just say that Half Life 2: Episode 3 is actually Half Life 3. Surprise!

I don't understand why people get so hung up over the Ep 3/HL3 names. It doesn't matter what it's called, it will still be the same game regardless.

 

[Yeef]

I'd just love for them to add DX10/11 support to source and streaming capabilities (rather than requiring singular maps with loading screens in between).

They've already gone on record as saying that they don't plan on upgrading to DX11 until it 'makes sense' so that probably won't be for a long time, but allowing continuous map loading rather than discrete loading is still a possibility (however slim).

 

[Ellis Kim]

Crysis 3 a Plants vs Zombies clone confirmed

 

[SapientWolf]

On the contrary, I am trying to say that it has been modified to extreme levels. The way I see it now they are trying to squeeze juice out of orange peels right now.

And about everyone not having high end rigs. I understand the fear of putting out a engine that only high end rigs can run. But for one look at the cryengine, Crytek by no means is going bankrupt. Plus Valve wasn't worried about the amount of high end rigs when they released half life 2. So why would that be a valid excuse many years later?

Crytek isn't going bankrupt but they're not doing anywhere near Valve's numbers on the PC.

 

[Nizz]

There should be a shot of the knife collection here: http://www.giantbomb.com/giant-bomb-valve/17-4014/

2:25 mark

Wow, you weren't kidding. Gabe loves the knives! :0 Valve did such a great job with Portal 2 on PS3. For their first time developing on the platform, they knocked it out of the park.

 

[King Cobra]

This only proves my point, they have a huge fan base. So if anything they should have less fears about releasing a new engine.

 

[Stallion Free]

I get the feeling from that Giantbomb video that no employees (you see two) had any real interest in speaking to Giantbomb and that Valve had no desire to show Giantbomb a real tour.

 

[AlimNassor]

I'm honestly getting worried about Half Life 3 the way they keep talking about singleplayer+. I think the idea Gabe is getting at is that he wants to mesh "social"/multiplayer gaming together with singleplayer so that it's not a separate thing anymore. But ...I don't want that at all for Half Life. You could do that with any other Valve franchise i'm okay with it but Half Life (atleast Episode 3/HL3/the end of the storyline) absolutely has to stay a single player experience like HL1 and 2.

I think the reason the game is taking so long though is eitiher 1. they're not sure where to take the series because they may think they have to incorporate all current/COD FPS standards and they're not sure if they should or not (I hope they don't please) OR because they're trying to figure out how to connect some kind of forced co-op/multiplayer crap to it which would completely kill the experience.

Man I loved COD4 it was great but it really ruined everything when it comes to FPS imo. If Half Life gets the same treatment as every other FPS just to live up to today's standards i'll be so fucking pissed. Same with forced multiplayer shit.

They aren't going to do COD gameplay, they didn't in Episode 2 at a time when games had regen health.

 

[prodystopian]

That's pretty much the textbook example of how to create a failed software project. I doubt that's the approach they're taking.

A massive parallel rewrite is very dangerous, as you need to do double the work to add new features in the interim.

I don't understand why you are saying this. I understand why massive rewrites are problematic, but Valve can't rely on the Source engine literally forever.

 

[Chrono Helix]

- They're not done with single player games as the stupid rumour stated. Gabe specifies it more as a "Single Player+" attitude, where they believe socially connected gaming is important should play some part in the experience. That doesn't mean there wont be single player games, just that they'll adopt ideas that use social networking and other social concepts.

I seem to remember someone from Valve who couldn't stop talking about Demon's Souls in an interview about Portal 2. Perhaps they'll be taking some inspiration from that?

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

I get the feeling from that Giantbomb video that no employees (you see two) had any real interest in speaking to Giantbomb and that Valve had no desire to show Giantbomb a real tour.

They seemed pretty friendly on the Portal 2 spoilercast.

 

[PillowKnight]

I seem to remember someone from Valve who couldn't stop talking about Demon's Souls in an interview about Portal 2. Perhaps they'll be taking some inspiration from that?

Which interview was it? I'd love to read it.