You know it's a good remaster when no one complains about it overwriting the original. (yes it is called an update, but I think that proves my point)
Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update
181–190 of 277 posts
Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update
#182Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's also a $60 purchase that requires a beefy Windows machine in addition to the headset. VR is a small market to begin with, and most VR people can't play Alyx without buying a whole new computer.
> most VR people can't play Alyx without buying a whole new computer. When Alyx first came out I had a PC that was the minimum recommended specs for VR from the day the Vive launched (4790K and Geforce 970). The game ran fine. It sure as hell got better when I upgraded to a 3900X and 3070, but it plays just fine on the original minimum requirements VR PC which was a $1500 PC in 2015. The idea that PC VR requires a ma…
Yeah, I think it's a pretty nonsense arguement if you've tried running it on constrained hardware. I played Alyx on a 1050ti and it was pretty much flawless for 72hz gameplay. Anything weaker than that outright isn't going to run anything in VR very well.
Also worth noting - you don't need Windows to play Alyx either. SteamVR supports Linux perfectly well, and other games that don't ship native Linux-native builds can still run through Proton. If you own VR in any capacity whatsoever, you should be capable of playing Half Life Alyx; that was Valve's selling point for anyone that had Steam and a headset.
Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update
#183Earlier quoted context omitted.
Valve is still a top tier org, but they simply make too much money in the publishing business to bother with game development anymore. Any sales would be peanuts to what they are making through developer fees and the marketplace. This is why all of their releases in the last decade have been F2P.
Sounds like a perfect environment to make games. No budget or schedule pressure, virtually limitless resources so the staff can strive to make art with love and without the corruption of chasing a bottom line. The entire media industry on almost every format is chasing nostalgia because they refuse to recreate the environment that made endearing stories and experiences in the first place.
Look at Star Citizen on other end... Too much resources can lead to endless scope creep, moving targets and potentially never actually shipping anything.
Right constraints make things happen.
Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update
#184Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've played through HL2 and its expansions so many times as a kind of meditative relaxation thing I couldn't tell you how many times. I could never get used to Ravenholm though. Thinking about it even now years later stresses me out a tad.
For whatever reason, Ravenholm didn't particularly unsettle me. I don't know what it is, maybe expectation from the praise it receives left me underwhelmed, or maybe it's the fact that I was quite literally a toddler when the game came out and only first played it in 2019? To be fair, I did enjoy it and could feel the intent of it being the horror section. I could see it usettling me if I played it at the time, but I…
I think an important aspect that's kinda faded away here is the visceral detail of the zombies, which were unusual at the time, mixed with the fact that you need to utilize the physics engine to get around, which created a unique kind of "panic" since at a glance there often seemed like there was no escape from certain circumstances.
If you want a similar feeling from a more modern game I recommend trying Prey (the new one). Terrible name that doesn't fit the title imo, but playing it felt similar to when I first played half life years ago, more than any other game I've played since then at least (except Half Life: Alyx).
Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update
#185Earlier quoted context omitted.
Really? Most of the people I know that are huge Souls fans weren't big on Armored Core. Then I've never heard anyone mention 2018's Déraciné and if you go a couple more years back their track record becomes fairly poor.
I liked armored core well enough, but it's not like I can build my skills over multiple games like I can with fromsoft
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Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update
#186It doesn't seem to be mentioned here, but HL2 (which now includes the sequel episodes) is completely free to claim on Steam until the 18th, if you're new to the series. https://store.steampowered.com/app/220/HalfLife_2/ Also try clicking on the gravity gun at the end of the anniversary page.
I think they are also merging Ep1 and Ep2 together into HL2 now and have gradual progression of HL2 to E1 and then to E2. I just browsed my Steam game library and can't find separate copies of E1 and E2 there because of being merged with HL2.
This is in the article.
Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update
#187Earlier quoted context omitted.
Lots of people praise VSCode and have neutral to positive opinions about GitHub. I haven't heard any more complaints about Windows than I've been hearing over the past 20 years or so anyway.
I think this is right, but both of those largely escape microsoft branding. I think a better example would be XBox and Windows as a gaming platform (vs macos, though Linux is definitely gaining ground). Windows itself, and especially Teams, have very negative reputations.
Teams, yes, but I don't hear many people having a worse opinion on Windows than the decades before, it seems like it's a vocal minority who care while most people just use Windows and get on with their lives.
Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update
#188I can never understand why they haven't made a HL3. Given that they could literally make approximately 3.88 bajillion dollars from it in 24 hours. I suppose this is the very definition of developer integrity.
Half-Life 3 would not align with Valve’s long-term focus on monopolising PC distribution, skins, microtransactions, and innovative hardware tech (hence Half-Life: Alyx instead of HL3)
I guess they could, if not flat structure and billion-dollar yachts and what else is there.
Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update
#189Earlier quoted context omitted.
The hype died down a little since most people who wanted in got invites by now. Still has a healthy player base and is a very good game though imo. If you want an invite feel free to add me on Steam, my friend code is 216728
Oh wow thanks, I will do that. I admit I haven't tried in awhile but thank you.
Np, I got your friend request. Sent the invite, it might take 1-2 days and it'll email you at the addy attached to your Steam acct.
Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update
#190Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wished they hire the Arkane team that got laid off. Put them to work on a new single player ip and let Victor Antonov add some of his design into it. They dont have to do anything new, just make it good enough, like Titanfall 2.
But that would go against > I believe they also said they don't want to do more of the same I've heard this too, with Half Life they want each game to be groundbreaking. Arkane have done great games, but they're not all groundbreaking, and arguably none of them are to the level that HL1/2 were.
That's why they should hire someone else to do the leg work (That's what they used to do anyway). There isn't exactly a lot of unique things in Portal 2 compared to the original but the sheer polish and testing Valve applied to their games (when they want to) is still unmatched.