What is Valve working on these days?
- Thread starter fluffydelusions
- Start date
neogaffer1
Banned
I'm pretty sure gaben or someone else said at some point that they were going to focus on multiplayer games because that's where the real money is at. Which would explain why TF2, CS:GO, DOTA 2 and even L4D3 are going to get more support than anything else. I'd imagine that they're only working on HL3 to please the fans; other than that the ship has sailed on singleplayer games.
Edit: This: http://www.screwattack.com/news/val...tles-over-more-half-life-games-newell-reveals
In all seriousness there are a whole generation of gamers who think of Valve as nothing more than 'the dota guys' and the makers of steam. *maybe* they are identified with Portal. They have (implicitly) let any good will their fans were carrying about HL/Gordon Freeman dissolve into the small attention span of the internet.
I'm honestly not sure how big of a deal an announcement would be at this point. It's just been too long.
I'm honestly not sure how big of a deal an announcement would be at this point. It's just been too long.
jediyoshi
Member
Have you stopped paying attention since TF2, then? What do their CSGO and Dota 2 updates account for? What about maintaining Steam and continuing to work on their next iteration of Source? Don't you think they're doing something right if their games consistently maintain the top of the most played listings?
Neuromancer
Member
Probably nothing I'm interested in, sorry to say. Unless it's Halflife 3 and along the vein of Halflife 1 in tone and atmosphere.
victimroyalty
Banned
I would love to think Left 4 Dead 3 and ports of Left 4 Dead 2 to Xbox One for testing.
MatthewB92
Member
I hope they name L4d3 l4D1 Part 2.
Well, we know that L4D2 has been ported to Source 2 a la Dota 2:
The image is relatively old but was confirmed when Valve released the new Dota 2 SDK:
This was leaked earlier this year:
And was later confirmed to be correct when Valve released the Source 2 version of Dota 2 based on some of the file names in that screenshot.
Based on that list they are working on a Source 2 port of TF2, Dota 2 and L4D2, as well as L4D3, Half Life 3 and CS2. That list was leaked in January before CS:GO got really popular so it's possible plans may of changed and they could be porting GO to Source 2.
Of course they are still working on updates for games. For example in the Halloween update for TF2 code was found for an upcoming War update between the Spy and Engineer.
Edit: just barely beaten by JaseC.
And was later confirmed to be correct when Valve released the Source 2 version of Dota 2 based on some of the file names in that screenshot.
Based on that list they are working on a Source 2 port of TF2, Dota 2 and L4D2, as well as L4D3, Half Life 3 and CS2. That list was leaked in January before CS:GO got really popular so it's possible plans may of changed and they could be porting GO to Source 2.
Of course they are still working on updates for games. For example in the Halloween update for TF2 code was found for an upcoming War update between the Spy and Engineer.
Edit: just barely beaten by JaseC.
Emulated Hype
Member
I sincerely hope that they announce Half Life 2: Episode 4 just to fuck with everyone.
Zeyphersan
Banned
Valve doesn't need to work anymore, everyone else works for them
Yeah TF2 is probably going to get the End of the Line update need week, which is pretty much an entirely community created update, with a new video about that's about 15 minutes long, a new map (which I'm happy to say I helped alpha and beta test) and a bunch of cosmetic items.
Shining Sunshine
Banned
They're working on CS:GO cases.
Somehow I feel that they're quietly shelving the Steam OS/Machine project.
I highly doubt that. They've been updating it still, latest was the 22nd. I think a big reason it was delayed was because they had to move from ubuntu to debian and had to rewrite a lot of stuff, along with the controller not turning out how they wanted. They're probably not going to talk about it until they've implemented some of the bigger features like entertainment media(netflix/spotify and whatnot) or a finalized steam controller.
They never really worked to begin with. They just bought out modders and their ideas and published. Of to say they never made anything themselves but the majority of things they have "made" isn't really theirs.
alexandros
Banned
So many edgy comments here. Anyway, they are working on maintaining their current services and games and developing new ones. The problem, I feel, is that Valve may be understaffed for the amount of big projects they have on their plate. In addition to providing content and new features for games like Dota, TF2 and CS:GO and working on expanding Steam and adding features to it, they have the delayed Steam Machines, the delayed Controller, Steam OS, Source 2 and (logic dictates) at least a couple of games in various stages of development. I assume that they're not hurting for cash so these all seem like an overwhelming undertaking for such a small company.
ZombieSupaStar
Member
Have you stopped paying attention since TF2, then? What do their CSGO and Dota 2 updates account for? What about maintaining Steam and continuing to work on their next iteration of Source? Don't you think they're doing something right if their games consistently maintain the top of the most played listings?
CS is just a mess, from 1.6 to condition zero, to source, to cs:go, I gave up caring (and moved on to natural selection, then that tanked).
And I have no interest in MOBAs hell I get pissed playing TF2, a MOBA would kill me.
For the people who are saying they are working on updating thier current games. Isn't the csgo team like 3 people and the TF2 team around the same number of people? I have no clue about the amount of employees that are on dota but I'm sure the amount of people that are working on these three games is a small portion of the 50+ people at valve.
And I'm sure their professional economist is putting in some good work too.
And I'm sure their professional economist is putting in some good work too.
this bullshit again?
Oh, so THAT'S what happened to that fan video! Valve said "finish it for us."
They take the property and build on ideas that aren't originally theirs. Its the business they know, they are more of a improver of things than actual creators. Again that's not to say they themselves don't make great products with what they acquire from others.
DeadManWalking
Member
printing money with dota.
They should put up HL3 through the Greenlight Process and have it there indefinitely so the entire internet would implode.
D
Deleted member 102362
Unconfirmed Member
TAC-21 for CS:GO.
Fantastical
Death Prophet
Nothing I'm interested in, it seems. 
plasmawave
Banned
Fume.
Holy shit...When Half Life 3 is actually finally revealed, GAF is going to self destruct.
Bidermaier
Member
I liked valve making games but since they stopped... They have matured the PC game industry now they are making an open source system, away from corporations patents licenses and crap. Pretty big stuff.
I don't think it's exclusively revolving around HL3, although obviously that's the key title. Valve have given some mixed messaging in regards to where they see their development going, and the longer we go without hearing anything about new titles, the more the doubt will grow I think. That's not disregarding their multiplayer software, but there's no doubt that despite some crossover, the core audience of Half-Life or Portal is different than the core audiences for CS/TF/DotA.
I think really it's the sense of unknowing that causes the more vocal complaints. The absurd allusions to HL3 despite their decision not to formally acknowledge it at all. The hints at Source 2, but to what end? Is it positioning to revolutionize the FPS genre as the previous Half-Life entries did? Or is it just going to improve scalability in Dota 2 and renderer in TF2?
I understand the rational behind the secrecy, but I think it's backfired. You can't talk about HL3 via a Ricochet sequel euphemism, then also believe no one can be frustrated by the anticipation for a game since it's not announced.
Secrecy is something this industry holds strangely dear, I'd I've never understood it. Considering they take so much from the Hollywood model, this is something they've taken the opposite stance on, and I think to its detriment. As soon as a producer is attached to a film script, a project is announced, it gets an IMDB page, everything is public. As soon as they're ready to fix a release date, it's public, and it can be years away. Around the launch of The Orange Box, Valve said a HL3 would take eight to ten years. There's nothing wrong with that. This year, Richard Linklater released Boyhood, after more then twelve years in the making, and people swooned all over it. Terry Malick's Tree of Life was in various stages of development for thirty years, and it's a masterpiece. There's nothing wrong with spending a decade on HL3, and more importantly, there's nothing wrong with letting people know that, even if you don't have anything to show when you tell them.
It's the unknowing that creates this doubt and negativity. If Valve just said "We're working on L4D3 and HL3 on Source 2, we'll show them if and when we're ready", obviously you'd still see a bunch of 'showmetherecipts.gif' posts, but at least they wouldn't be actively causing the frustration surrounding the mystery. And more importantly, if they're not, announce it. You have half the fanbase pointing to vague AMA statements and years old podcasts as proof, you have the other half pointing at vague quotes about the death of single player and where staff are most valuable versus potential player hours.
No one really knows what they're doing, and I don't understand how that benefits Valve or their fans.
Well... SteamOS, the controller, L4D3, HL3, Dota 2, CS:GO, TF2 and likely still a lot of testing with various tech prototypes for biometric control and the likes.
Edit: And ofcourse, Source 2 which I almost forgot - And they're fiddling with porting both Dota 2 and CS:GO to it, or atleast the leaks point to that being the case. And ofcourse the fact that Dota 2's map-editor is in Source 2.
Their most ground-breaking, innovative series was all of their own creation. And it takes a lot more than a neat idea or tech-demo to create a game. It's so very, very different. They pick neat ideas and prototypes and the people involved, and mature them into great games with good concepts and well-written stories, which isn't exactly easy.
I mean, they find a neat idea and build it into a property - a story, a game, franchise, IP or whatever you want to call it, which is a lot more work than simply "improving" the original idea. It's as much work if not much more than making something entirely from scratch really.
Edit: And ofcourse, Source 2 which I almost forgot - And they're fiddling with porting both Dota 2 and CS:GO to it, or atleast the leaks point to that being the case. And ofcourse the fact that Dota 2's map-editor is in Source 2.
Their most ground-breaking, innovative series was all of their own creation. And it takes a lot more than a neat idea or tech-demo to create a game. It's so very, very different. They pick neat ideas and prototypes and the people involved, and mature them into great games with good concepts and well-written stories, which isn't exactly easy.
I mean, they find a neat idea and build it into a property - a story, a game, franchise, IP or whatever you want to call it, which is a lot more work than simply "improving" the original idea. It's as much work if not much more than making something entirely from scratch really.
kutthoat5150
Member
a super secret project that Gabe said would make today, (2011 when it was quoted), look like the stone ages but won't be ready until another 5 years so sometime in 2016.
this was mentioned by him in the iPad app "The Final Hours of Portal 2"
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1856618
this was mentioned by him in the iPad app "The Final Hours of Portal 2"
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1856618
All the 'revolutions' I can imagine require new technology, VR, biometrics, etc. And he already said they don't want to tie their games to hardware people don't own. Although the current VR job listing on Valve's site talks about building products for 100M users, which is all of Steam's userbase, the huge majority of which will not own VR or biometrics in the next two years, or even ten years.
Don't those games have dedicated teams? I vaguely remember the TF2 team being pretty small at this point. It seems like the majority of devs are dedicated to Dota, while they've got TF2 and CS:GO self sustaining with user created content at this point, for the most part.
I loathe Valve's "show, don't tell" communication policy about upcoming games. They could drop a little info here or there and it wouldn't kill them or their fans. The total silence is just an overreaction to HL2's launch shenanigans.
It must be nice to have a revenue hose flowing so strongly that you have a hard time spending it all, even if you pay most employees lavishly.
I took a tour of Valve this past summer, and in the hall next to the lobby there were a series of character busts that I didn't recognize. I asked the tour guide (a guy that worked on the dota docu) and he said he wasn't at liberty to say and asked me to not take pictures of them. I asked if it was the "cancelled space game" he kind of acted weird and ushered me on.
So maybe a space game?
So maybe a space game?
L4DANathan
Member
Yep, can't wait for L4D3.
You forgot the part where they stack all the money into a life-size statue of Gordon Freeman, then have an ARG for the announcement of HL3.
A man can dream.
The TF2 team is quite small indeed. Few seniors and new hires - It's actively used as a "training" project for new hires, getting your feet wet if you will.
Intriguing... Perhaps Stars of Blood indeed is alive and kicking still? If so, I'd be very glad. The aesthetics of the concepts looked incredible.
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
I know that list leak was real. I don't know what Valve is working on. I'm not exactly savvy with their recent history. But if I were to hazard a guess;
a) Source 2 is their highest priority, mainly to iron out some seriously archaic Source engine limitations, and more importantly significantly improve tools and workflow at the very least for internal use. Using Source would slow down production quite a bit.
b) Laying framework for making Source 2 a "big thing" within the community. I gather they want Source 2 to be adopted in a similar way Unity is; an easy-to-use, multifacited, modern engine capable of running across an assortment of platforms/hardware configurations and free for students and indy devs to tinker with.
c) Left 4 Dead 3, Valve's first big "traditional" next generation game and a showcase for Source 2. Both the technical improvements over Source and what that means for game design/presentation, and the creative sandbox for modders.
d) Porting Team Fortress 2 fully to Source 2 because why the fuck not.
e) Considering Portal 3.
f) Trying to muster enthusiasm from anybody to work on Half-Life 3, a game that at this point will probably cost a small fortune to make given then steadily increasing costs of game development and Valve's shifted focus to F2P.
a) Source 2 is their highest priority, mainly to iron out some seriously archaic Source engine limitations, and more importantly significantly improve tools and workflow at the very least for internal use. Using Source would slow down production quite a bit.
b) Laying framework for making Source 2 a "big thing" within the community. I gather they want Source 2 to be adopted in a similar way Unity is; an easy-to-use, multifacited, modern engine capable of running across an assortment of platforms/hardware configurations and free for students and indy devs to tinker with.
c) Left 4 Dead 3, Valve's first big "traditional" next generation game and a showcase for Source 2. Both the technical improvements over Source and what that means for game design/presentation, and the creative sandbox for modders.
d) Porting Team Fortress 2 fully to Source 2 because why the fuck not.
e) Considering Portal 3.
f) Trying to muster enthusiasm from anybody to work on Half-Life 3, a game that at this point will probably cost a small fortune to make given then steadily increasing costs of game development and Valve's shifted focus to F2P.
