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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by Spartan on Sun Feb 12th at 5:58pm 2006

Usually I wouldn't promote any kind of petition but this time I'm going to . Valve wants to release the Half Life 2 expansion pack as episodic content. Meaning we will get it in peices. Probably meaning we have to pay more too. Most people including myself are against this. So someone over at Interlopers made a petition. Please sign.

http://www.petitiononline.com/hl2after/petition.html






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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by MisterBister on Sun Feb 12th at 6:09pm 2006

Well uh, im not against it at all. Actually i like it pretty much. This way valve can make the story endless (if they want), and we dont necessarily need to loose more money because of it.

If you didnt like the first episode, then you dont need to by the following episodes, which means that you save the money. As long as one episode doesnt cost more than an average expansion pack.



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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by 7dk2h4md720ih on Sun Feb 12th at 7:29pm 2006

Online petitions are worthless and never achieve anything. Online petitions about a video game objecting to the fact that you'll "probably" have to pay more...

Valve can and will charge whatever they want for what they make, and no amount of penny-pinching internet f**ks will change that.


(I'm just kidding, I totally signed it) <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_wink.gif">



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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by omegaslayer on Sun Feb 12th at 7:49pm 2006

Sorry I just laughed when I saw how many signatures were on there. A grand total of 7!!!!! But seriously, unless there is like a total shutdown of the half life community (unlikely to happen as there are about 100 threads that spawn daily at the steampowered forums), valve wont even whince over this petition.
But why are you mad that you have to pay? I mean the man hours that the valve emplyees are putting in has to have some kind of benifit right? I mean who here works for free? Paying for this game is just a way for the fellow level designers/modeler/sound artists to pay their morgage/food/dental/car/gas. Its just a legitament business. And if I recall, when did valve ever say the wernt going to charge people for the so called "Aftermath"?

So I wish you people good luck. And ill look back on you while im fragging combine soldiers with the WTFBBQPWNED gravity gun =P



Posting And You



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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Sun Feb 12th at 9:45pm 2006

Spartan, I'm just wondering where you got the information that what was formerly known as Aftermath and is now known as Episode 1 would be broken into pieces? From the interview I read (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6144151.html) it just seemed like Aftermath was being renamed and would be released as the same product. The name change just indicated there would be other content released later to further the story (a second expansion seperate from Aftermath if you will).

Personally I don't understand everyone's outcry over Episodic content. In a way, Opposing Force and Blue Shift were the same thing as Episodic content just under a different name, as they both continued/fleshed out the story behind HL1.




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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by Crono on Sun Feb 12th at 11:54pm 2006

The general view is something feels like you "got more for what you paid" if you have something physical. They're still selling Aftermath in retail stores for $19.99 (USD). So, I'm sure online will have the same deal, or more likely, a better deal ... like always.


Blame it on Microsoft, God does.



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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by wil5on on Sun Feb 12th at 11:56pm 2006

I agree, AtM, I never heard anything about Aftermath getting split up.

Personally, I didnt consider BS or OpFor canon, as they were made by a different developer. BS, to me, did seem to fit the story better, and shows how Barney got out, but I won't consider it part of the story. OpFor seemed to add a lot of elements not seen in the Valve games (Race X, for example), until these elements are included in a Valve game I'm just going to consider the whole thing a separate story. But this is probably a discussion for another thread.




&quot;If you talk at all during this lesson, you have detention. Do you understand?&quot;
- My yr11 Economics teacher



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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by DrGlass on Tue Feb 14th at 12:11am 2006

I paid $60 and got something like 25 games from valve, and I didn't even have to go out and buy them, nor will I have to run around looking for all those CDs when I get a new computer.

Valve is not a greedy company like most steampower posters think, Gabe paid for alot of HL2 out of pocket.

Like I always say, I respect and trust valve.




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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by French Toast on Tue Feb 14th at 12:21am 2006

I completely support whatever VALVe does. Online petitions are pointless, just look at Mothers Against Maddox.




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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by 7dk2h4md720ih on Tue Feb 14th at 12:29am 2006

? quote:
I paid $60 and got something like 25 games from valve, and I didn't
even have to go out and buy them, nor will I have to run around looking
for all those CDs when I get a new computer.


Do these 25 games include a bunch of mods Valve didn't make? Regardless of the fact that they were old games, it can't be argued that it wasn't good value.



? quote:

Valve is not a greedy company like most steampower posters think, Gabe paid for alot of HL2 out of pocket.


Yes they are. They want your money, and they want as much of it as they can get. They'd take your house and sell it and make suits of money and piss on you while you're destitute, living in the gutter. But that's ok though, they're a company, and that's what companies do.



? quote:

Like I always say, I respect and trust valve.


I harbour no grudges against valve, as they introduced me to the greatness of TFC. I wouldn't go so far as to say I trust them though.





? quote:
I completely support whatever VALVe does. Online petitions are pointless, just look at Mothers Against Maddox.


This reminds me Spartan, Valve told me to thank you for the free advertising. Counter-productive!



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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by DrGlass on Tue Feb 14th at 6:03am 2006

? quote:

? quote:
I paid $60 and got something like 25 games from valve, and I didn't
even have to go out and buy them, nor will I have to run around looking
for all those CDs when I get a new computer.


Do these 25 games include a bunch of mods Valve didn't make? Regardless of the fact that they were old games, it can't be argued that it wasn't good value.



I'm only pointing out that with a single purchace I got a handfull of $50 games (in their time of course) plus a number of very good MODs. All of that on any computer with internet and a steam client.

? quote:
? quote:
Valve is not a greedy company like most steampower posters think, Gabe paid for alot of HL2 out of pocket.


Yes they are. They want your money, and they want as much of it as they can get. They'd take your house and sell it and make suits of money and piss on you while you're destitute, living in the gutter. But that's ok though, they're a company, and that's what companies do.



It isn't a good plan for a business to not want to make a profit, but to say they want all my money and my house... what evidence have you seen of that? I have spent maybe $100 over steam, plus $50 for counter-strike back in 1999, $150 is well worth all everything I've gotten. HL1 & HL2, CS, CS:S, etc. plus hammer.

I feel that alot of people have trouble with steam/valve due to outside factors, like ISP or computer configuration and shake a fist at valve and dont consider that Valve may have a hard time getting a 100% system that will work 100% of the time for 100% of the people. Just not possible.

also, valve's games and service out last most other games. HL1 was last updated april of 2004, thats 8 years worth of updates. The most anyone paid for that game, ever, was $50. Sounds real greedy






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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by Andrei on Tue Feb 14th at 10:52am 2006

I remember playing an unofficial HL1 mod that was episodic, something about a zombie-infested Vietnam. It was pretty frustrating being able to play 1/6 of the game and then having to wait for the next 1/6 to be released and so on. I'd rather play something for 12 hours in a row than 3 hours now, maybe 2 hours next month, etc.

And I'm shocked that it hasn't occured to you that valve are actually crab-people after our internal organs.




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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by KungFuSquirrel on Tue Feb 14th at 3:54pm 2006

uhh... minor problem with this 'petition'...

They're not splitting the expansion pack into smaller episodes... they're making the expansion pack the first of multiple episodes. Meaning you're getting more over time. It's not like Aftermath was some 25-hour ordeal (hell, HL2 wasn't :P ) that they're splitting into 2 hour chunks and still selling for 19.99. They're giving you what they've done already, and just saying they're making a bunch more.

Probably will go something like the Sin model... A few chunks that add up to roughly the length of a full new game priced accordingly. (Sin is 9 ~6 hourish episodes for $15 each - each trio representing a new 'game' of about 18 hours. Adds up to roughly $45 per title for a trilogy, maybe slightly less as they figure final pricing.)


<A HREF="http://www.button-masher.net" TARGET="_blank">www.button-masher.net</A>



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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by Andrei on Tue Feb 14th at 4:34pm 2006

? quote:
They're not splitting the expansion pack into smaller episodes... they're making the expansion pack the first of multiple episodes.


Ohhh, I see. Then everything is going to be OK.





But I still think valve are crabpeople.




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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Tue Feb 14th at 5:27pm 2006

That's what I tried to explain earlier. :




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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by DrGlass on Tue Feb 14th at 7:02pm 2006

thus I am right




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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by 7dk2h4md720ih on Tue Feb 14th at 7:05pm 2006

? quote:


It isn't a good plan for a business to not want to make a profit, but
to say they want all my money and my house... what evidence have you
seen of that? I have spent maybe $100 over steam, plus $50 for
counter-strike back in 1999, $150 is well worth all everything I've
gotten. HL1 & HL2, CS, CS:S, etc. plus hammer.


I feel that alot of people have trouble with steam/valve due to outside
factors, like ISP or computer configuration and shake a fist at valve
and dont consider that Valve may have a hard time getting a 100% system
that will work 100% of the time for 100% of the people. Just not
possible.


also, valve's games and service out last most other games. HL1
was last updated april of 2004, thats 8 years worth of updates.
The most anyone paid for that game, ever, was $50. Sounds real greedy




I was being facetious about both the Valve taking your house and pissing on you comments. Would you like me to colour my text to make it more apparent when I'm joking?

I think your perspective is a little different to mine. Eight years of bug fixing, while commendable, isn't exactly desirable. It?s pretty na?ve to think that they wouldn?t have charged $60 if they thought that they could have gotten more money that way.



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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by DrGlass on Wed Feb 15th at 11:05pm 2006

? quote:
Eight years of bug fixing... ...isn't exactly desirable



? quote:
It?s pretty na?ve to think that they wouldn?t have charged $60 if they thought that they could have gotten more money that way.


I dont see your point, $60 was a great deal in my opinion. Valve could have charged $65 or $165... but the price was $60. How does that make them greedy, I'm not saying they arn't greedy, but how can you judge something like that based on the assumption that they only give us good deals because they can't charge us more.





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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Thu Feb 16th at 2:38am 2006

As far as I know, the assumption that they only give us good deals because they can't charge us more is pretty much true. I'm not just talking about Valve, but every company/vendor of every commodity ever.

Every price is set at a level to maximize profits. If Valve figured they'd maximize profits at $250 for a copy of HL2, I'm sure they would have made that the price.




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 Re: Episodic content
Posted by DrGlass on Thu Feb 16th at 9:31am 2006

Right, but that doesn't make them greedy does it?

I dont think so. They set a price that most of the public and fan base (or fan base's parents) can afford.

That isn't what matters though, I trust Valve becuase I dont see any evidence not to trust them, and support them. I guess its just a matter of your own trust and point of view.





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