Overpromotional?

[Nanostrike]

[QUOTE=͡

 

[Gartley]

Gonna rant here, but this has seriously been bugging me. Valve lost almost all respect from me after doing what they did to Team Fortress 2. I dealt with them using Half-Life 2's release to FORCE you to use Steam. I ignored the Half-Life 2 "Episodes" being pretty blatant cash-ins (Mostly ignored this due to the fact that they DO advance the story). I ignored them shovelling out a Left 4 Dead sequel less than a year after the first game as a cash-grab.

And I can even overlook them taking an amusing, quirky game like Portal and turning it into a mainstreamed monstrosity that's endless "Cake is a lie" catchphrase makes me wanna strangle my nerdier friends that endlessly say it.

But I can't overlook them taking what was one of my favorite adversarial, team-based FPS games and pimping it for all it's worth. It was bad enough when they added the "Mann-conomy" crap that lets you pay money for ingame items that can give you a sizable advantage over those who don't have them (Yes, I know you can get them without paying, but that requires both time and luck. There's no guarantee you'll get the one you want/need).

But then they went all-out and started adding hats and even in-game, gameplay-affecting items for promotions' sake. It's reached the point where they're making a mockery of all the "We're not in it for the money" stuff that they used to say about the game. I still enjoy Valve games (Except TF2), enjoy using Steam, and think that Valve has good developers, but I don't respect them anymore.

I'll try and not derail to much but in Valves defence; I'll start by saying I agree with everypoint about TF2, I used to enjoy that game but first came the hats, now the MannCo. And it sucks.
Forcing you to use Steam... I never had a problem with that. I always had Steam running anyway, and it got in the way less then a whole load of other DRM implemented by the likes of UbiSoft and GFWL, Which won't let you save UNLESS you are logged in. (Effected me most in Assassins Creed, totally breaking game flow while it struggled to connect to the server).
L4D2 was a total cop out and mistake after promissing content for the first.
Due to Valve time eposidic game development was never going to be a great idea for Valve.
Portal wasn't made mainstream by Valve, it was just one of those things that made it big, the subsquent development and marketing of Portal2 was playing to its strengths. And your friends are just like any other idiots that feel the need to repeat catchphrases.
And I think Valve earn MAJOR kudos (at least from me) by taking the leap and ignoring the platform barriers, first Mac, now PS3. I can now play Portal2 with 2 friends I would have never been able to before.

 

[C_Gibby]

Aye, Valve is a company that is trying to improve gaming as well, much like TWI and Valve games are great but they've screwed up quite a lot of times in the past couple of years, I'm a bit skeptical of their new games. But I do think Portal 2 looks pretty damn fun, but I hear it's pretty short and it's also full-price. TWI have spoiled me.

 

[Gartley]

Yeah, it hasn't been perfect but then Valve have been knocking around for quite some time now. So just by the law of averages there are going to be some mistakes. Still, they are doing a better job then any other AAA studio.

I know I'm in danger of sounding like a fanboy (or a Hammer Legion Member ) but when I see what the likes of Epic, Infinityward and 2kGames keep churning out. I'd rather give my money to Valve anyday.

Just get Portal2 C_Gibby, it's awesome, ok SP might be a little short for a full priced game but then you get the CoOp that more than makes up for it.

 

[thefleshpound]

Well, I really like that kind of ads. You get a new map, new content and a feeling that the game is still being updated!

 

[kablooie!]

I don't really see an issue.... All I noticed was a new map and people randomly talking about potatoes... it's quite funny.

 

[HaTeMe]

[QUOTE=͡

 

[thefleshpound]

I just cant help thinking that all this effort put into this portal stuff (which rly doesnt fit in the game) or the xmas specimens could have been used to create something like - I dunno - a new perk, a new specimen, a weapon pack or best of all, a new gamemode. While I like having new maps and all that its just not enough to bring me back to this game. The same old waves with the same old specimens and same old elements in the game... it gets boring after 500 hours xD

Love Twi for all the free content but still, something more than visuals would be nice.

I don't think that it's only about the work to create the kind of content you mentioned. It's more about the balance of the whole game...It's really really difficult and you can't just put in a new zombie and see what happens.

 

[timur]

I don't think that it's only about the work to create the kind of content you mentioned. It's more about the balance of the whole game...It's really really difficult and you can't just put in a new zombie and see what happens.

revival of the KF Beta?

It would be worth a shot, and quite excellent for testing out possible avenues to expand the game.

 

[Faneca]

VALVe is a large company and over the years, they have bought more mods and released them as games than they developed games.

CS:S is just a remake of CS in the Source engine. CZ was made by VALVe with Gearbox, Rogue & Ritual Entertainment and Turtle Rock. Portal was made by a group of guys from the DigiPen IT College.
So basicly, only the games they have made are the Half-Life series, L4D series, Portal 2, Condition Zero (partly), CS:S, DoD:S, TFC and TF2 and they are making DOTA2.

Not all that much from a large mainstream company, even tough they did good things such has help the community in the past develop their mods.

 

[buhen]

TFC

Actually, TFC was a Half-Life mod based on TF mod for Quake, so TFC isn't Valve's either.

 

[Steg]

Actually, TFC was a Half-Life mod based on TF mod for Quake, so TFC isn't Valve's either.

Yeah, a mod that Valve made. (It was F'ing terrible, btw)

 

[SMIFF]

or best of all, a new gamemode.

This, KF desperately needs a new game mode so beasts like me play it more.

 

[C_Gibby]

This, KF desperately needs a new game mode so beasts like me play it more.

This ^ But really, I'd just settle for a few A-to-B style mission maps like Candlesmoke.

 

[HaTeMe]

I don't think that it's only about the work to create the kind of content you mentioned. It's more about the balance of the whole game...It's really really difficult and you can't just put in a new zombie and see what happens.

You think I dont know that? Still, its certainly much easier to implement a specimen than a gun without causing too much balance issues. Plus they can always just use the Beta again and let the community test the new stuff before its released like they did with the balance update.

 

[Zoridium JackL]

You think I dont know that? Still, its certainly much easier to implement a specimen than a gun without causing too much balance issues. Plus they can always just use the Beta again and let the community test the new stuff before its released like they did with the balance update.

i highly doubt that it is easier.

 

[213]

kf lost its charm when all the stupid crossover characters came in. well, actually the horzine commando guy looked pretty stupid already.

with the british soldiers and police, at least they're based on their real life counterparts. it's a great contrast there. then when the fantasy characters came in the piss was took.

 

[timur]

i highly doubt that it is easier.

Well, here's the deal:
Zeds, on one hand, have extreme effects on perk roles and tactics when added.

But on the other hand, it is much easier for players to adapt to the game than for the game to adapt to the players; humans are naturally good problem solvers, so really its difficult to screw up the game as a whole when you add a zed.

 

[Zoridium JackL]

Well, here's the deal:
Zeds, on one hand, have extreme effects on perk roles and tactics when added.

But on the other hand, it is much easier for players to adapt to the game than for the game to adapt to the players; humans are naturally good problem solvers, so really its difficult to screw up the game as a whole when you add a zed.

i suppose

 

[Nanostrike]

Valve's handling of Alien Swarm is depressing as well. They bought the rights from the dev team, released it free with about as much content as a tech demo, then just...dropped it, hoping the modding community would carry it. It hasn't.

I can only hope they're planning some big retail release with it, because as it stands, the original devs gave up their rights to Valve who appear to just be sitting on it.


Portal 2 is excellent in quality, but very short. Beat it in about 6 hours total on my first playthrough. I have a friend who played Portal a ton who beat it in only 4! IMO, worth a buy, but not at full retail price. Not by a long shot.