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Half-Life: 25th Anniversary Documentary [video]

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Re: Half-Life: 25th Anniversary Documentary [video]

#61

Post by alargemoose »

smcl wrote: post #30
pipes wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Similar with goldeneye team, I think only one team member had done game Dev before (or something like that).

Goldeneye was developed by Rare, who had been in existence for 10 years by the time Goldeneye was released. I'd be really surprised if they had landed the rights to a big IP and then turned a bunch of newbies loose on it.

The 90s were a very different time my friend, prepare to be really surprised!

https://youtu.be/3AEvEIYzMbU?si=S5NDh1874vsE72Kl?t=8m28s

This is video is a wider retrospective about the game that I think is worth watching, but I linked to a clip in it from a GDC talk given by the games director. Where he states himself that only he and one other goldeneye 007 team member “had ever made a game before”

Re: Half-Life: 25th Anniversary Documentary [video]

#62

Post by capableweb »

billfruit wrote: post #58

Recently tried to re-play HL2. Found it was highly motion sickness inducing, possibly due to unnaturally fast change in perspective when turning. Had to give up very soon. Newer games tend to fare better in that respect.

> possibly due to unnaturally fast change in perspective when turning

Couldn't you just move the mouse slower so the turning is slower? Or lower the mouse sensitivity?

Re: Half-Life: 25th Anniversary Documentary [video]

#63

Post by rib3ye »

eur0pa wrote: post #46
AndriyKunitsyn wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because technically, they didn't. As they say in the documentary, the version of the game that they made after the first year or so was bad, and they acknowledged it, and they changed their processes and introduced the "cabal" - so they basically paid that first year to gather experience. And what's important, their publisher Sierra was okay with it. I don't see that happening today, to be honest, in "AAA" titles at…

The problem is with these "AAA" games. I've spent a dozen years having great fun with perfectly enjoyable and memorable 7/10 games. Nowadays a 7/10 is a death sentence for a gaming studio. The industry is poisoned.

Somehow audiences will respect effort vs resources as long as there is community outreach and the price makes sense.

There are a lot of 5/10 games that are successful on Steam because the devs set the right expectations for the experience.

Recently Vampire Survivors comes to mind. Definitely a 6/10, but something about the balance of no-effort art and masterful game tuning makes it VERY sticky.

Re: Half-Life: 25th Anniversary Documentary [video]

#64

Post by Cthulhu_ »

whywhywhywhy wrote: post #50
eur0pa wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is with these "AAA" games. I've spent a dozen years having great fun with perfectly enjoyable and memorable 7/10 games. Nowadays a 7/10 is a death sentence for a gaming studio. The industry is poisoned.

The criteria has changed I feel, a 7/10 in the 90s/00s probably meant it had some good ideas, a highly creative setting, an innovative tech or gameplay mechanic so the end product, while 7/10 because one of the parts just didn't hit the mark or it was just very buggy, the actual game was still enjoyable. The modern AAA mentality has stripped too much of it down to formulas they consider working or "best practices" (e…

In hindsight, we spent a lot of time on said 7/10 games, and they were just fine.

But it was a different time, mainly in terms of what was available, how much time you had, and how much time a game took.

Most games we had were copied shareware games from diskettes; on occasion a CD with loads of shareware games, and on rare occasions someone had a copy of the full version of a game like Doom.

But nowadays a lot of games - AAA and indie both - are at least 40 hour games, if not (a lot) more; Assassin's Creed Valhalla takes 123 hours to "do everything" (platinum); I've got over 300 hours in Factorio and about half that in Kerbal Space Program; FFXVI took me 60 hours to finish, I still have outstanding sidequests, and that one doesn't even have that many side activities or time sinks.

And then there's the "live services" (or MMOs if they have a multiplayer aspect, or MMORPGs if it's WoW or FFXIV) which are designed to have great / tight gameplay loops but effectively infinite game. I've got a lot of hours in FFXIV and they keep adding Stuff to it. If I had infinite time there's a few side activities in it that cost just as much time to "finish" as the base game's stories.

Re: Half-Life: 25th Anniversary Documentary [video]

#65

Post by account42 »

_cenw wrote: post #44
smcl wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“It” wasn’t pointed out at all in the original post. Just “look on the far left” with no indication of what. I’m not convinced this 3/E means anything. If they’re making HL3 or HL2:Ep3 then we’ll find out soon enough. Many people have tried to read the tea leaves by scouring textures and images in GTA V over the years, and every time they’ve been made to look stupid. If there’s an announcement to be made around HL, V…

It's obviously someone at Valve having fun, unlike y'all down this comment chain.

"Remember that game we promised then never oficially canceled and instead gaslit you over and still refuse to talk about? Funny, right?"

Re: Half-Life: 25th Anniversary Documentary [video]

#66

Post by Cthulhu_ »

nickpeterson wrote: post #25
epolanski wrote: post #2

One thing I have found extremely interesting was how Valve hit the jackpot with many early hires. It was literally people that often didn't even have a CS or let alone gaming background and yet so many of them proved to be relentlessly resourceful, creative and hard working. The guy who wrote most of the HL code wasn't even a developer and at the time was studying to become a lawyer or accountant iirc. I can't but th…

I’m sure all these people were talented, but it reinforces my own belief that the most important things are passion and focus. I feel like the tech world fixates on 10x programmers like Carmack, but motivated people can pull off amazing things.

Carmack was the giant whose shoulders a lot of games - including Half-Life - stood on; I'd say he's a 100x or 1000x even, but then, engine developers are usually unknown and underrated. The work he did and what the Unreal engine now does is not to be underestimated.

Re: Half-Life: 25th Anniversary Documentary [video]

#67

Post by fishtacos »

7thaccount wrote: post #38
hypercube33 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a video somewhere where gaben is really self destructive about how half life 2 turned out and I think it's why we don't see half life 3 or any other new games - I think he's overly critical about his work. Watching this 25th documentary really felt like the team had a nostalgia trip making it and fond memories of the game. I wonder if the spark is gone with that teams weird dynamic.

Turned out? Like as in bad? I remember playing it when it came out and couldn't believe graphics had gotten that advanced. The gravity gun? That blew my mind. Both the games were amazing experiences for me even though I didn't get to play them in full until years later. I'd like another game to help me understand the lore better.

Half Life 2 was not only mind-blowing, but also my introduction to a relatively newfangled thing called Steam that I was NOT a fan of at first (DRM-wise). Through the years I acquired 2800+ games on the platform, as a sort of digital hoarder with the hope of at least trying every game I purchased (often in bundles/sales) as an exclusive PC player - before I got too old or too dead. I just don't see that happening anymore... Just not enough time left but to sample.

Back to HL2 - it's the 2nd game I've ever finished twice (FF VII being the other), still love the story, the very cool physics gun, the incredible dystopian narrative and setting, and it holds up today wonderfully 19 years later.

It's a shame we'll likely never see an HL3. There are so many talented development firms they could outsource it to, with current engines like UE5, it would be fantastic with the proper writers. Maybe even the original ones. Alright, done gushing here.

Re: Half-Life: 25th Anniversary Documentary [video]

#68

Post by underlipton »

Loughla wrote: post #42
nickpeterson wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m sure all these people were talented, but it reinforces my own belief that the most important things are passion and focus. I feel like the tech world fixates on 10x programmers like Carmack, but motivated people can pull off amazing things.

I think for most hiring, regardless of industry, the secret is searching for passion, focus, (I would add) ability/willingness to learn new skills, and a positive attitude toward other humans. Specific job skills can be taught or learned. If you have the right attitude, positive outlook, and are inherently someone who learns things, you can be very successful in most jobs. Too often, hiring filters for specific job s…

There are a lot of people who are loathe to admit this, because they draw a lot of their self-worth from their expertise and the success derived from it. To say that most people, with the right attitude, could perform just as well is anathema. They get and keep jobs, but their behavior is often toxic and keeps teams from success. In extreme cases, they may jealously guard their domain and undermine coworkers.

On the flip-side, there are a lot of people dealing with trauma of one kind of another. Outwardly, they may seem to be negative or acerbic or closed-minded, when, internally, they are trying mightily to get their passion and earnestness to break through a wall of their own bitterness or anxiety.

I don't know that recruiting or management have reliable methods of dealing with either pro-socially.

Re: Half-Life: 25th Anniversary Documentary [video]

#69

Post by polytely »

billfruit wrote: post #58

Recently tried to re-play HL2. Found it was highly motion sickness inducing, possibly due to unnaturally fast change in perspective when turning. Had to give up very soon. Newer games tend to fare better in that respect.

Did you try playing with the FOV settings?, I've heard from other people with similar problems that increasing them can help a lot.

Re: Half-Life: 25th Anniversary Documentary [video]

#70

Post by dysoco »

epolanski wrote: post #2

One thing I have found extremely interesting was how Valve hit the jackpot with many early hires. It was literally people that often didn't even have a CS or let alone gaming background and yet so many of them proved to be relentlessly resourceful, creative and hard working. The guy who wrote most of the HL code wasn't even a developer and at the time was studying to become a lawyer or accountant iirc. I can't but th…

They hit the jackpot or, a reasonably motivated developer, under a cool project to keep them engaged and a nurturing environment with peers in the same situation is on high chance of flourishing?
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