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[sflufan]

I don't get it. One of Valve's trademarks is rich storytelling. But their co-op and multiplayer efforts are thin on story. Seems like a lose-lose for their talented writers.

Uhhhh..."rich storytelling"? No, not quite.

The talent in Valve's writers lies in the characterization of NPCs and being able to convey the story subtle manner, but it's certainly not what I would characterize as "rich storytelling".

Valve's stories are relatively simple affairs, with no real deep themes or elements, but it is the way they tell these simple stories that elevates them.

 

[CrookedRain]

Valve are masters at trolling their fans now. Killing Floor knocking 5 minutes off the clock... never forget.

 

[Saty]

Presumably because they want to make more co-op/MP content in the same amount of time.

Wouldn't it be the same content but with the option to play it with another person?

 

[Shurs]

I feel that maybe people are reading too much into the pulled quote.

It could be possible that what they mean is that, from now on, their games that have a multiplayer element will have it integrated into the campaign, not that all of their games will have multiplayer.

A single player Half Life 3/Ep3 without any multiplayer (campaign co-op or otherwise) could be coming without contradicting the quote.

 

[Future PhaZe]

I'm interested in an effort from Valve to defy the standards that coop games have these days. Hopefully they really push it to the next level.

 

[Nirolak]

Wouldn't it be the same content but with the option to play it with another person?

Oh, you mean like a Halo campaign?

Yeah, that would fit under their description of not having isolated singleplayer content.

I feel that maybe people are reading too much into the pulled quote.

It could be possible that what they mean is that, from now on, their games that have a multiplayer element will have it integrated into the campaign, not that all of their games will have multiplayer.

A single player Half Life 3/Ep3 without any multiplayer (campaign co-op or otherwise) could be coming without contradicting the quote.

The context Keighley gives in his response definitely suggests they mean no singleplayer only titles, otherwise he wouldn't be making worried statements about singleplayer.

 

[f0rk]

I trust Valve.

 

[anddo0]

Sounds like a terrible decision.

Pretty much this.

I'm a big fan of Valve. But this is the wrong move IMO.

 

[XPE]

Maybe Gordon Freeman and Adrian Shephard will be teaming up =P

 

[JWong]

Sounds like a terrible decision.

Yeah, can't deliver good story when someone is an active element in your game.

Let's say your coop partner likes to spontaneously shoot you in the face. Kind of ruins any moment.

 

[StuBurns]

I feel that maybe people are reading too much into the pulled quote.

It could be possible that what they mean is that, from now on, their games that have a multiplayer element will have it integrated into the campaign, not that all of their games will have multiplayer.

A single player Half Life 3/Ep3 without any multiplayer (campaign co-op or otherwise) could be coming without contradicting the quote.

But they said Portal 2 is the last one, that implies there is nothing like Portal 2's single player only campaign coming right?

 

[Ickman3400]

Then Portal 2 will be the last Valve game I ever play. I can live with that since I love them for Steam way more than any of their games.

 

[sflufan]

They said that Portal 2 is "probably" the last one, but when it comes to Valve making statements (ie, episodic content every 6 months), I tend to ignore until the actual product is evident.

 

[fallengorn]

What they mean is every game will involve hats and people trading them.

 

[Zzoram]

Episode 3 co-op would be fine. Half-Life 2 has been basically co-op the entire game anyways, Alyx is with you most of the time.

 

[Saty]

The context Keighley gives in his response definitely suggests they mean no singleplayer only titles, otherwise he wouldn't be making worried statements about singleplayer.

But the 'isolated sp' phrasing not only means that there won't be future sp titles only but that the sp itself will be tooled to accommodate co-op\mp play. That's what makes this statement weird to me.

 

[Exuro]

I mean I like co-op as much as the next guy, but having to rely on someone else for the core story to play through... I just don't like that idea. I love portal 2's setup. Amazingly well done pixar level storytelling single player and very clever and entertaining co-op mode. I don't think you'd be able to combine(har har) those together. If I want to continue the core story/mode I don't want to need a second player but I also don't want to have to play with an AI if I can't find another player. Don't like it.

 

[Shurs]

Oh, you mean like a Halo campaign?

Yeah, that would fit under their description of not having isolated singleplayer content.


The context Keighley gives in his response definitely suggests they mean no singleplayer only titles, otherwise he wouldn't be making worried statements about singleplayer.

I guess we'll see.

Don't know if I'm buying it, though.

Makes a good headline, either way.

Bring on The Crossing.

But they said Portal 2 is the last one, that implies there is nothing like Portal 2's single player only campaign coming right?

Portal 2 has both single and multi.

If a game were single player-only, it wouldn't contradict the statement, as I see it.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Weird wording. Could mean a whole lot of things. To Valve the Portal games could be isolated, whilst Half Life is not.- one has direct interaction with people.

To sort this out, Keighley needs to post the exact question he asked Valve to garner this response. Without that, the answer is about as useless as most of the content he shits out.

 

[Oreoleo]

To quote Hank Hill: I don't know whether to laugh, or vomit.

 

[sflufan]

I guess we'll see.

Don't know if I'm buying it, though.

Makes a good headline, either way.

Bring on The Crossing.

"The Crossing" was never a Valve product.

It was using the Source engine and had Valve's art director from HL2 on board, but it was entirely Arkane's product.

And it's now totally dead. Just forget that it even existed.

 

[The Praiseworthy]

That's it.... I'VE HAD IT!!!

F**K CO-OP F**K MP.

 

[StuBurns]

Episode 3 co-op would be fine. Half-Life 2 has been basically co-op the entire game anyways, Alyx is with you most of the time.

That's not even nearly true. In EP1 it is though.

 

[Nirolak]

Weird wording. Could mean a whole lot of things. To Valve the Portal games could be isolated, whilst Half Life is not.- one has direct interaction with people.

To sort this out, Keighley needs to post the exact question he asked Valve to garner this response. Without that, the answer is about as useless as most of the content he shits out.

Well, someone could ask him for it: http://twitter.com/#!/geoffkeighley

I would myself, but I lack Twitter.

 

[D4Danger]

Valve say a lot of things

remember when we were going to get a Half-Life episode every three months... ahahahaaaaa

 

[Gilgamesh]

I don't like co-op and I don't like multiplayer (save for the fighting and racing genres). I dabble in the multiplayer components of first person shooters and other genres, but for me, the focus has to be on the single player content because that's what I care about.

 

[Kyaw]

DO. NOT. WANT.

I want to be able to play single player games myself, not with some other stranger.

 

[Lonely1]

Episode 3 Hype - 3.

 

[Sh1ner]

This ...

I love co-op as the next person but never, ever make it the core experience.

It can work, one plays as Alyx the other plays as Gordon, the only problem is one does all the speaking and one doesn't or suddenly they are both mutes :|

 

[Corky]

It can work, one plays as Alyx the other plays as Gordon, the only problem is one does all the speaking and one doesn't or suddenly they are both mutes :|

Yeah, I'm going to have to ask you to keep that version of Half life for yourself, that'll be greeat.

 

[StuBurns]

DO. NOT. WANT.

I want to be able to play single player games myself, not with some other stranger.

What if you can though? They're not going to make HL3 forced co-op with a friend, if Alyx is there or whoever, there'll be an AI alternative, you could still play solo.

 

[Nirolak]

Valve say a lot of things

remember when we were going to get a Half-Life episode every three months... ahahahaaaaa

Yes, you're right, Valve missed their release date for the Half-Life 2 episodes.

We should now forever doubt any statement they ever make and find it highly questionable, just because they use the word "probably".

 

[Graphics Horse]

DO. NOT. WANT.

I want to be able to play single player games myself, not with some other stranger.

Chill out.
It more or less just means co-op mode would not be a seperate set of levels. You know, like Portal 2.

 

[stupei]

In that segment of the article Gabe is talking about the direction of the industry and how they want to be not only ahead of the curve, but setting its course, and that they see social entertainment experiences as the future of gaming. And then the Portal 2 being the last game with single player comes in.

I just can't imagine narrative the way Valve does it working without a single player component, though. Hopefully they change their mind after vigorous play testing. I'm fine with -- and even excited by -- the idea of Valve innovating, but I don't want to lose what they already do so well completely.

Edit: This wasn't actually the most interesting thing in the article, though, just the most potentially distressing. I think the stuff about how they originally intended to have Chell speak at one point is far more intriguing.

 

[Sh1ner]

Yeah, I'm going to have to ask you to keep that version of Half life for yourself, that'll be greeat.

Didn't say I would like play it like that, just saying it can work. I can't wait for the reveal for ep 3. Loving the rumor mill around it.

edit: I am loving Portal 2 co op btw :3

 

[Eccocid]

man i love co-op! i wish every game in existence had same couch co-op! (especially FPS games)

 

[JaseC]

Am I the only one not ignoring the word "probably" here? Virtually everybody in this is acting as though Valve have decided with absolute certainty that none of their future games will have an isolated SP component.

 

[Oreoleo]

It can work, one plays as Alyx the other plays as Gordon, the only problem is one does all the speaking and one doesn't or suddenly they are both mutes :|

The only way I can see it working to the satisfaction of fans is if Valve tried to do something in the vein of Resident Evil 2. Gordon/Alyx get split up and have 2 separate campaigns that intersect for certain sections. Though I'm not sure how the mechanics of timing the campaigns so 2 people can play those sections together would work out. And I wouldn't be super excited at the prospect of seeing Gordon represented in game. But it's an idea. But fuck me I don't want co-op in Half-Life at all.

 

[K.Jack]

I'm not going to complain about the implication this may have, when to do so, I have to speculate about what it means for a game I've given up on ever seeing.

 

[RoboPlato]

Valve say a lot of things

remember when we were going to get a Half-Life episode every three months... ahahahaaaaa

Yeah, this is my perspective on it. I'm sure we'll get an occasional single player game but they're just going to step up development on stuff like L4D. Any time Valve says probably means that they're just throwing an idea around.

 

[jj984jj]

I'll probably be unhappy with Valve if that happens.

 

[stupei]

Am I the only one not ignoring the word "probably" here? Virtually everybody in this is acting as though Valve have decided with absolute certainty that none of their future games will have an isolated SP component.

Probably not, but there isn't a lot to say on the topic of a game that probably won't come out for another two years unless we freak out.

 

[Prophet Steve]

Am I the only one not ignoring the word "probably" here? Virtually everybody in this is acting as though Valve have decided with absolute certainty that none of their future games will have an isolated SP component.

Well, chances are high and most do not agree with that opinion.

 

[Lasthope106]

I trust Valve.

Valve is the one company that I can trust to deliver a revolutionary co-op game. They already have enough experience with L4D, and Portal, and probably have mountains of data about what works and what doesn't.

With that said though, I would still prefer a single player campaign for the next Half-Life.

 

[Corky]

. I can't wait for the reveal for ep 3.

I'm gonna say it ; if the next installment of the Half Life series is "just" another ~6h expansion based on the same engine as hl2 - I'm gonna be sad.

Let's not kid around, if it takes ( whether or not they've been working on it all this time or not is irrelevant by now) around 8 years, if the game hits 2012, then it sure as hell better be called Half Life 3 and have the same generational jump between 2 and 3 as we had between 1 and 2.

Come at me bro(s)

 

[Angry Fork]

Why not just sell the single player component for 40$ then? I don't understand why you have to have SP + MP for 60$ when you can just have SP for 40 if they're so worried about not providing enough "value". That way you don't stretch your resources too thin, and all the SP people are happy. I just do not understand why every company is like "oh they must play OUR multiplayer game!!!" and act like it's going to work when the majority of people already picked their stuff.

They either stay on COD or PC people stick with RTS or Counter Strike/TF2. Team Fortress 2 and Counter Strike should be the main Valve multiplayer stuff. Please do not shoe-in random Half Life multiplayer, it makes no sense, it's a single player franchise please keep it that way.

Maybe i'm just angry because I have no friends and forcing co-op on someone like me just depresses me, and then I have to stick with the stupid shitty AI like Sheva in RE5 in order to finish the game. And with multiplayer I just get angered easily by multiplayer games that shouldn't be there or have no purpose other than being there for the sake of it or providing more "value". I'm tired of having to choose between a million MP games that's why I stick to only TF2 now and a lot of other people do the same thing. If you have a million games with great multiplayer that basically all do the same shit then how are you going to get anybody on YOUR particular game? It's a fools errand.

 

[StuBurns]

Edit: This wasn't actually the most interesting thing in the article, though, just the most potentially distressing. I think the stuff about how they originally intended to have Chell speak at one point is far more intriguing.

Most interesting thing to me (not read it all yet) was Kim's version of Portal 2 being rejected. Actually seems pretty uncool to me, she makes something everyone loves and has no control over where to take the sequel. Gabe seems like a cool guy, but that's a dick move I think.

Am I the only one not ignoring the word "probably" here? Virtually everybody in this is acting as though Valve have decided with absolute certainty that none of their future games will have an isolated SP component.

Well the point is if they think that's likely now, then the games they're messing with now almost certainly won't be single player only, so EP3/F-Stop most likely at the very least.

 

[B_Rik_Schitthaus]

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Now, think of that extended to have drop-in/drop-out co-op.

...Alyx griefing will be gold.

 

[Brazil]

Man, this subject will fuel bitter tears in the Steam forums for years to come.

 

[JaseC]

Probably not, but there isn't a lot to say on the topic of a game that probably won't come out for another two years unless we freak out.

Haha, true.

Well, chances are high and most do not agree with that opinion.

It's not as though Valve have a history of following trends or including modes that don't belong.

Well the point is if they think that's likely now, then the games they're messing with now almost certainly won't be single player only, so EP3/F-Stop most likely at the very least.

I think it's a little early to be even reasonably sure of whether they will or won't. "Probably" simply isn't definitive enough either way.

Maybe I'm just a little too optimistic for my own good.