Half life Episode 3 <-- Ever really see light of day???

[kwo]

Ok,

First, yes I know this is "old-news" to some, but for those who have limited time/budgets, we sometimes have to wait a while to play games.....

...and for me that was in the form of Half-life 2 Episode 2 over the Christmas holidays.

Rather short, but supposedly that was the intent behind the "short-episodes, more FREQUENT updates".

My bone of contention....that whole concept of "frequent".

Yes, I have done wiki, gaming searches and scoured the 'net about the next release, but concrete info seems rather skimpy with vague suggestions about... concept art and maybe 2010......

Does anyone know:

1.) IF a 3rd and final installment will be released and,

2.) Approximately WHEN?

I just want to know whether to hold out hope, or just right it off as, 'that's the end, folks".


PC Gaming'd

ATOT Moderator ElFenix

 

[amdhunter]

It'll be released when it's done.

 

[rasczak]

i hear it's getting released in 2050. Just before Christmas.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: amdhunter
It'll be released when it's done.

Just like Duke Nukem.

 

[BassBomb]

The reason you can't find info on it is because it won't be here soon, maybe Q4 2009 if we are lucky or they surprise us at E3.

They did say that alot of things they wanted to do in the entire series will be done or tried out in episode 3.

Yeah the episode concept failed for them.. I would rather they return to what a 4 year cycle with a killer long game? But that might not work in their favor for revenue.

Maybe they are working on a new engine for episode 3 which may help explain why it is taking so long.

Oh and I wish we had a place to talk about Gaming.. especially PC Gaming

 

[KeithTalent]

Good god, wrong forum. Is it that difficult to post in the correct forum? No, it's not.

KT

 

[ballmode]

When that HL2 came out it was ahead of its time, now 4 years later, nothing has changed except updates to the HDR engine...

they should have just made the original game finishing it instead of these updates... it tarnishes the legacy and leaves me uninterested

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: ballmode
When that HL2 came out it was ahead of its time, now 4 years later, nothing has changed except updates to the HDR engine...

they should have just made the original game finishing it instead of these updates... it tarnishes the legacy and leaves me uninterested

Particles, better textures, improved shaders, motion blur (I think?),

 

[kwo]

*sigh*

Ok, I don't post much, and frankly, didn't realize you had expanded the number of forums to include something like this.

No, it doesn't excuse me, I was just used to posting random thoughts in off-topic.

I have now been dutifully spanked, strung-up, and quartered.

Keith, by all means move, delete, or do with this thread as you wish.

R

 

[MikeyLSU]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
Yeah the episode concept failed for them.. I would rather they return to what a 4 year cycle with a killer long game? But that might not work in their favor for revenue.

The reason it failed is because they wanted to make big improvements with each episode like they would with a new game.

If they would have just stuck to the formula by not changing the engine and just working on the storyline it would have worked out much better.

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: BassBomb

Originally posted by: ballmode
When that HL2 came out it was ahead of its time, now 4 years later, nothing has changed except updates to the HDR engine...

they should have just made the original game finishing it instead of these updates... it tarnishes the legacy and leaves me uninterested

Particles, better textures, improved shaders, motion blur (I think?),

L4D still looks good with great lighting and some great particle fx. They just took too long between episodes.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: kwo
*sigh*

Ok, I don't post much, and frankly, didn't realize you had expanded the number of forums to include something like this.

No, it doesn't excuse me, I was just used to posting random thoughts in off-topic.

I have now been dutifully spanked, strung-up, and quartered.

Keith, by all means move, delete, or do with this thread as you wish.

R

It's all good, I just like to vent in OT once in a while.

As for the OP, I think if Episode 2 is any indication, we will be waiting for quite a while. It is a shame the whole episodic gaming concept did not work out as intended because it was a fantastic idea. Unfortunately, the realities of getting episodes out as quickly and cheaply as they wanted, seemed to be too difficult a task.

KT

 

[sanzen07]

Has EP3 even been officially announced by Valve yet? If not, expect to see it 3-4 years after the date they announce it. Hell even if they have announced it expect to see it in 3-4 years.

 

[Sureshot324]

IMO it's because of the switch to episodic content that Valve has put out so many other great games over the past view years. Before that, they would put pretty much all their effort into one game for 5+ years. By cutting the development cycle down to around 2 years, it keeps things fresh for the developers and makes them more creative. That's why we have TF2, Portal, L4D, etc.

 

[emilyek]

Valve has a single game they created: Half-Life. Everything else was initiated by what are, effectively, modders.

The only thing the episodic boondoggle has done is help pave the way for DLC-based IP nonsense, making Half-Life a paragon of the once admirable PC title transformed into a consolized cash cow franchise that never ends.

Needless to say, Half-Life-- and gaming, generally-- has suffered for it. Personally I blame Doug Lombardi, Gabe Newell's bad angel.

Valve would do well to turn back the clock to 2004.

But they wont, of course.

 

[BassBomb]

HL2 is definitely not a mod of HL1 but after HL2 I would agree with your statement and from HL1 before HL2 was released similar thing took place.

 

[ja1484]

Valve has confirmed it is coming. As usual, God only knows when.

Considering Ep 1 arrived ~18 months after Half-Life 2 and Ep2 was another year after than, and the fact that Valve has said Ep 3 will be larger than either of them, I wouldn't get my hopes up for anything before Holiday Season '09.

That's pure speculation, to be clear.

As good as things have been so far, they can take however long they need as far as I'm concerned.

What I would've liked: Here we are 5 - 6 years later with another games worth of content. I'd rather have waited without the episodes to have this content as Half-Life 3. I like the atmosphere that develops around a major release like that.

But that's just me.

 

[legcramp]

May 5th 2009

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: ja1484

Valve has confirmed it is coming. As usual, God only knows when.

Considering Ep 1 arrived ~18 months after Half-Life 2 and Ep2 was another year after than, and the fact that Valve has said Ep 3 will be larger than either of them, I wouldn't get my hopes up for anything before Holiday Season '09.

That's pure speculation, to be clear.

As good as things have been so far, they can take however long they need as far as I'm concerned.

What I would've liked: Here we are 5 - 6 years later with another games worth of content. I'd rather have waited without the episodes to have this content as Half-Life 3. I like the atmosphere that develops around a major release like that.

But that's just me.

HL3 will be a different storyline

Episode 3 will end the "HL2" storyline

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: Sureshot324
IMO it's because of the switch to episodic content that Valve has put out so many other great games over the past view years. Before that, they would put pretty much all their effort into one game for 5+ years. By cutting the development cycle down to around 2 years, it keeps things fresh for the developers and makes them more creative. That's why we have TF2, Portal, L4D, etc.

We have Portal and L4D because Valve bought up two studios who had their own ideas for games. Nothing to do really with the HL2 team (although they probably worked on them a bit).
TF2 (in one form or another) was also in the works well before (I expect) there was even a notion of episodic content succeeding HL2.

 

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: BassBomb

Originally posted by: ja1484

Valve has confirmed it is coming. As usual, God only knows when.

Considering Ep 1 arrived ~18 months after Half-Life 2 and Ep2 was another year after than, and the fact that Valve has said Ep 3 will be larger than either of them, I wouldn't get my hopes up for anything before Holiday Season '09.

That's pure speculation, to be clear.

As good as things have been so far, they can take however long they need as far as I'm concerned.

What I would've liked: Here we are 5 - 6 years later with another games worth of content. I'd rather have waited without the episodes to have this content as Half-Life 3. I like the atmosphere that develops around a major release like that.

But that's just me.

HL3 will be a different storyline

Episode 3 will end the "HL2" storyline

EP3 will end "the current story arc" of Half-Life 2, whatever that means. I'm betting that just means we're done with the City 17 business and going back into stasis at the end of Ep 3. Valve has said Ep3 isn't the end of Half-Life or Gordon's adventures, so I'm wagering Half-Life 3 is g-man pulling Gordon out of stasis for another mission in another time and place with new characters.

 

[Polish3d]

The episodic content has been awful as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Via]

I think a lot more casual gamers than anyone thinks were upset by HL 2:EP1's brevity.

IMO that's possibly the real reason EP 2 wasn't released as a stand alone product.

 

[tranceport]

I enjoyed both episodes as well as HL2. I like the combine and their technology. It was really fun.

I agree that episodic gaming failed. It was an excellent idea and I agree it should have focused on the story.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

They're going to release it as a boxed set with Duke Nukem Forever