Valve Software handbook for new employees [pdf] (2012) • Hacker News Board

Re: Valve Software handbook for new employees [pdf] (2012)

#51

Post by jsheard » Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:21 AM UTC

Almondsetat wrote: post #8

tstrimple wrote: post #5

Valve hasn’t released anything of note since this has been published. So I guess we should take these as anti patterns. Valve is more of a hat generation company than a game company so it seems like no one should take any game related advice from them.

HL Alyx and Dota 2 aren't of note?

Dota 2 is of note, but that was a pretty safe project being a straight remake of an already popular mod with the mods developer at the helm. Their major titles since 2012 were:

  CS:GO (remake of a remake)
  Dota 2 (remake)
  Artifact (flopped)
  Underlords (flopped)
  Alyx (good)
  Counter-Strike 2 (remake of a remake of a remake)
  Deadlock (early beta, but promising)

They haven't completely lost the sauce, but it's rare to see the old Valve show up these days.

Re: Valve Software handbook for new employees [pdf] (2012)

#52

Post by lomase » Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:22 AM UTC

nvarsj wrote: post #36

TulliusCicero wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In addition to the other products mentioned: Deadlock is maybe the best new big budget IP in recent memory, in terms of theme/setting and art style and character design. Particularly after the update a week ago, the game is stylish as hell now. Even the main menu music is a banger: https://youtu.be/WkGDC3idX1E Now, the game isn't exactly out yet, but it is pretty widely accessible, and the core of the game is just fa…

I pretty much have the opposite feeling about Deadlock after putting 200+ hrs into it (not that much but enough to understand the game). There was a recent streamer that said it best: the game design fundamentally punishes you for engaging with other players. Instead, it rewards you for running around the map breaking static entities (boxes, statues, static creeps, etc.). Which is, frankly, boring. There's just no wa…

Deadlock is a MOBA, not a FPS.

Re: Valve Software handbook for new employees [pdf] (2012)

#53

Post by noduerme » Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:22 AM UTC

LauraMedia wrote: post #20

Chet Faliszek, writer for games like Half-Life and the lead writer for Portal/Portal 2 has since confirmed that this handbook was never given to employees. It was created and released as part of advertising them as an employer.

It's a great pitch. Sounds like a utopia.

Re: Valve Software handbook for new employees [pdf] (2012)

#54

Post by Hamuko » Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:22 AM UTC

nvarsj wrote: post #32

Hamuko wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Arguably by 2012, Valve was already transitioning out of the game development business and into the services business. Team Fortress 2 was already out, Left 4 Dead 2 was already out, Portal 2 was already out, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive came out in the same year, and Dota 2 came out the next year. Really the only things that have been made since that period are Half-Life: Alyx (2020), Counter-Strike 2 (2023) and…

Everyone forgets about Artifact :).

I think even Valve would prefer you to forget about it.

Re: Valve Software handbook for new employees [pdf] (2012)

#55

Post by bsjaux628 » Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:23 AM UTC

bob1029 wrote: post #27

Valve gets a lot of heat for slowing down on first party gaming content, but I think Steam has been a net positive for the gaming community. There are certainly some cases where the accessibility has created "noise" and other trouble, but overall I think this is a good thing. Their 30% cut is absolutely justified once you start looking into everything they do for you as a developer and the market that you have access…

Do we also point out being the first to implement DRM and erode digital ownership, being the first to tie game installation to a platform client, creating micro transactions or being fine with child gambling (CS skins) in the net negatives, or are we not allowed to criticize Lord Gabel today?

Re: Valve Software handbook for new employees [pdf] (2012)

#56

Post by lomase » Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:23 AM UTC

jsheard wrote: post #51

Almondsetat wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HL Alyx and Dota 2 aren't of note?

Dota 2 is of note, but that was a pretty safe project being a straight remake of an already popular mod with the mods developer at the helm. Their major titles since 2012 were: CS:GO (remake of a remake) Dota 2 (remake) Artifact (flopped) Underlords (flopped) Alyx (good) Counter-Strike 2 (remake of a remake of a remake) Deadlock (early beta, but promising) They haven't completely lost the sauce, but it's rare to see…

Making remakes old popular mods is not a safe project.

Re: Valve Software handbook for new employees [pdf] (2012)

#57

Post by monkeyelite » Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:25 AM UTC

rendaw wrote: post #43

LauraMedia wrote: post #20

Chet Faliszek, writer for games like Half-Life and the lead writer for Portal/Portal 2 has since confirmed that this handbook was never given to employees. It was created and released as part of advertising them as an employer.

Is it meaningfully different if it's not given to employees but given to everyone before they become an employee? I'd agree it's a meaningful distinction if the company wasn't actually as written... but it sounds like everything in there is accurate?

Propaganda isn’t false - and wasn’t always pejorative. It’s a selection of true things arranged to tell an appealing story.

Re: Valve Software handbook for new employees [pdf] (2012)

#58

Post by Cyph0n » Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:29 AM UTC

Panzer04 wrote: post #46

bob1029 wrote: post #27

Valve gets a lot of heat for slowing down on first party gaming content, but I think Steam has been a net positive for the gaming community. There are certainly some cases where the accessibility has created "noise" and other trouble, but overall I think this is a good thing. Their 30% cut is absolutely justified once you start looking into everything they do for you as a developer and the market that you have access…

The other things is steam doesn't constrain competition (afaik? Open to being wrong but this is how I'd understood it). Devs can sell their own games, games can be on other platforms, etc. Despite that gamers think it's worth the convenience and utilities steam provides to keep shopping there. Steam isn't dominant because it's strangling competition like the app store and similar. People can trivially download altern…

Yet for some reason, people still use Steam as a “gotcha” to justify why Apple’s terms are fair.

But as you’ve hinted at, Steam is very different from the iOS App Store because it is competing organically with other app stores on Windows. Steam does not control Windows or the hardware, so it cannot “force” itself to be the only option to download games on Windows.

And even when it does have full control over the platform and HW (Steam Deck), it’s just a light wrapper around a standard Linux distro (Arch).

Re: Valve Software handbook for new employees [pdf] (2012)

#59

Post by monkeyelite » Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:30 AM UTC

nvarsj wrote: post #35

> spent the last decade going out of its way to recruit the most intelligent, innovative, talented people on Earth, telling them to sit at a desk and do what they’re told obliterates 99 percent of their value. Well that hits close to home. I wonder why every other mega successful company thinks the opposite.

Because being smart and talented is not the same skill as being self managing. Good structure helps people use the skills they are good at.

And because self managing people do not automatically organize to achieve the same goals.

Re: Valve Software handbook for new employees [pdf] (2012)

#60

Post by SXX » Sun, Aug 24, 2025, 10:31 AM UTC

nvarsj wrote: post #35

> spent the last decade going out of its way to recruit the most intelligent, innovative, talented people on Earth, telling them to sit at a desk and do what they’re told obliterates 99 percent of their value. Well that hits close to home. I wonder why every other mega successful company thinks the opposite.

Mega successful companies dont think that way. They very often buy startups or just asquihire teams to kill competition before it become dangerous to them.