Ethical Hedonism
Banned
Sad that I'll never play this. 
Marc Laidlaw reveals Half-Life 2 Episode 3's story synopsis
- Thread starter dex3108
- Start date
TheLostBigBoss
Banned
Just because there are meta-narratives, doesn't mean the plot points aren't any less real.
Also, when talking about the story, we have to remember that at the end of Episode 2, the portal was destroyed and the Combine were effectively cut off from Earth. The rush for the Borialis was the last chance for the Combine to establish contact with the Combine universe/home world.
So, destroying the Borealis actually prevents the reinforcements/second wave of the invasion from coming. What the remaining forces on Earth are doing and if Earth is still under control of the Combine are a different question.
lol yeah I've actually always said the same thing.
Maybe like shit isn't neccessarily accurate. Valve treats its fans the way a casino treats the marks who go inside to play.
What a shitty birthday this is.
badnewsbeers
Member
Not following through on promises IS treating fans like shit.
Radiant Silvertuna
Neo Member
Ok Black Mesa devs, it's time to get to work.
Ros8105
Member
Oh yeah, fans are so entitled, wanting a sequel for this story driven videogame, where the last one ended with a huge cliffhanger. How dare they.
But you see it's the gamer's fault for wanting a product that was advertised, wanting the story of said product to be finished and being willing to pay for its existence all the while.
Various Artists
Banned
............I'd be ok with this!
LabouredSubterfuge
Member
Well that's my day fucking ruined. Time to get fucking drunk.
I'm the last person to ever stand in defense of a for profit company but yes that's actually entitlement. Same with fans demanding book sequels.
Let's not get carried away, Valve never formally announced Episode 3, let alone advertise it.
Everything involves opportunity costs. Spending time X on the steam platform and hats seems to return way more capital than spending time X on developing games. Business is never about passion, it's about the money. And money is a medium that make it easier to live your passion.
Various Artists
Banned
Except they did though.
https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.ne...ision/latest?cb=20120414093117&path-prefix=en
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
DeathoftheEndless
Crashing this plane... with no survivors!
A company wants to make money? Breaking news.
Yeah, that's the definition of entitlement.
... it was sold as an episodic experience. This isn't a sequel that shouldn't or never existed. It's a sequel that they said was coming. To a game that is the sole reason for the studio's existence and early fandom. Add to that they've spent the last decade toying with those fans' expectations.
There's no accurate analogy I can make because really no one in any medium is afforded the autonomy to do nothing, but it'd be like HBO cancelling Game of Thrones before Sunday's show airs and then funding nothing but middling reality TV for the next decade because that's what sells, meanwhile hinting that that last episode of Game of Thrones might come at some point.
Gareth Bryne
Member
Sad to see this is how it ends, at least I get to see the story play out in my head now, though.
Can you light a bag of poo on the steps of the Valve office for me while wandering nearby? ;_;
Can you light a bag of poo on the steps of the Valve office for me while wandering nearby? ;_;
DoctorEkkoUK
Member
So now that the story is out what is stopping an enterprising group of fan artists and devs creating a game that follows this story, with maybe just enough change to the visuals and names to stop it being taken down by valve?
After the success of Black Mesa I wouldn't be surprised if this happened.
tl;dr half life 3 fan game when?
After the success of Black Mesa I wouldn't be surprised if this happened.
tl;dr half life 3 fan game when?
Breaking news: some fans of video games are unhappy with a game developer turning into a glorified Walmart store manager and online bookie for teenagers.
I doubt Laidlaw would've released this fan fiction if there was even a sliver of hope that Ep 3 was ever coming out.
ebullientprism
Member
I am genuinely curious, why was this posted now?
Force an acknowledgement from Valve? Have the fans stop bugging him? Give people some closure?
Or is it just to tell everyone that it is dead?
Force an acknowledgement from Valve? Have the fans stop bugging him? Give people some closure?
Or is it just to tell everyone that it is dead?
PairOfFilthySocks
Member
Oh, spare me this "entitlement" bullshit. People aren't mad because they feel "entitled" to a sequel, they're mad because the latest entry in the story ends on a cliff-hanger.
A small child could understand the frustration of an incomplete story, especially when the story is good. I'm struggling to understand why I'm seeing such difficulty grasping this notion in response to this news.
If the passion for making half life games fizzled out, the devs probably shouldn't have had the series end with a whopper of a tease. I appreciate the complexity of creating games like this, but let me boil the core issue down to a simple explanation:
Valve, an independent company with extraordinary resources, teased and teased and ultimately stopped giving a shit about a new entry in their flagship beloved series, whose last entry ended with a scene that specifically made people want to buy and play the next one.
And the audience is supposed at fault here? What a crock of shit.
I don't see that happening. No reason for Gabe or Valve lawyers to do that.
Barry Burton
Member
Sure, but it would have at least been decent of them to say, at one point, that they were not making a new Half-Life game and had no current plans to do so. They announced Half-Life 2: Episode 3. Rather than officially cancelling it, they've opted to say and do nothing. No, their fans are not entitled to a sequel but I think they've owed them that much.
Sometimes, people are actually entitled to something.
If you pay for episodes 1 and 2 with the promise of a 3rd. You are in fact at least slightly entitled to the 3rd, even if you've not paid for it. It'd be like paying for 2 episodes of a series on Google Play, under the promise of a series, which then never comes to fruition.
"Entitled" isn't a word you can just throw around to get out of an obligation in the hope that people won't remember all the stuff you've said.
No, honestly, I still remember when and where I was when playing Episode 2, it was that big a deal back then. I was super excited for the 3rd episode that they said was coming, I actually do feel entitled to that episode. Entitlement can be completely justified and I feel it is in this case.
This blog post is the closest I'll come. Honestly, it's probably enough, but I'm still pissed.
Marc is probably sore about it as well and this is a way to give himself and the fans some modicum of closure, because we'll never get it from Valve themselves.
HandsomeCharles
Member
No, if you paid for episode 3 then you'd be entitled to episode 3 (or a refund). Nobody paid for it, nobody is entitled to it.
I totally understand that, as much as I'd love to have a sequel or even more games, I understand that money and profit makes valve run smoother, I just wish there was some passion in a privately held company like this, cause it could change gaming. Passion goes to die in a lot of the publicly held companies, but somewhere like valve they have the ability to be more passion driven because of the financial situation they are in. Potential unused but totally well understood why.
Pagusas
Elden Member
You are very wrong sir, and that type of thinking will screw you over in life.
DeathoftheEndless
Crashing this plane... with no survivors!
Said fans are idiots, who don't understand that Steam is a much greater contribution to gaming than Half-Life.
So fans are entitled to a sequel because the last one ended on a cliffhanger?
It would be decent of them, but its not owed.
Baron_Calamity
Member
The really odd part for me is my Mom when playing the original HL2 hated Alyx. Felt she was fake, needy, and ultimately would betray you. 13 years later, turns out she was right.
Trump getting elected was a clue but this just seals it.
Unless someone decides to leave the industry, we will never hear it. That would be career ending.
He comes off as a Troll like Notch at this point. Glad we have been seeing less and less of him.
But it was the end of Dr. Freeman's story, which is good enough.
I like it bleak yet still somewhat happy. The main character survives, actions were sucessful, but it didn't have the expect results. it never could.
How many ex-valve work at Respawn?
What did they say?
Thats mean.
If the G-man is some future version of Gordon created as a side effect to the Borealis, he didn't need to save Gordon, he already knows he survives. Maybe the G-man was created when Gordon dies on board the Borealis when it does its space time suicide bomb thing. The Vort grabbing Gordon was an attempt to stop the G-man from being created in the first place. Just nonesense I know but something to think about for the next few decades without HL.
Sure Earth is fine. Maybe better than ever. The people on the other hand....
So... Has Titanfall 3 been confirmed? I thought 2 kinda flopped.
Valve is making games. Some SP games at that. They are just never going to be released. Unless someone feels it will make them money on the level of DOTA / CS, with panel at Valve that oks things for release will never ok it. It seems like a huge waste of talent and money but thats Valve I guess.
Because anything HL was officially killed sometime last year. The people leaving valve (aka the people who would make a HL / Portal game) over the past year was a clear sign. This is just the final nail.
Guess this is the last time I can use this image I made:
Trump getting elected was a clue but this just seals it.
Unless someone decides to leave the industry, we will never hear it. That would be career ending.
He comes off as a Troll like Notch at this point. Glad we have been seeing less and less of him.
But it was the end of Dr. Freeman's story, which is good enough.
I like it bleak yet still somewhat happy. The main character survives, actions were sucessful, but it didn't have the expect results. it never could.
How many ex-valve work at Respawn?
What did they say?
Thats mean.
If the G-man is some future version of Gordon created as a side effect to the Borealis, he didn't need to save Gordon, he already knows he survives. Maybe the G-man was created when Gordon dies on board the Borealis when it does its space time suicide bomb thing. The Vort grabbing Gordon was an attempt to stop the G-man from being created in the first place. Just nonesense I know but something to think about for the next few decades without HL.
Sure Earth is fine. Maybe better than ever. The people on the other hand....
So... Has Titanfall 3 been confirmed? I thought 2 kinda flopped.
Valve is making games. Some SP games at that. They are just never going to be released. Unless someone feels it will make them money on the level of DOTA / CS, with panel at Valve that oks things for release will never ok it. It seems like a huge waste of talent and money but thats Valve I guess.
Because anything HL was officially killed sometime last year. The people leaving valve (aka the people who would make a HL / Portal game) over the past year was a clear sign. This is just the final nail.
Guess this is the last time I can use this image I made: