Episodic content

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

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.

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) :wink:

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

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.

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.

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.

---

"If you talk at all during this lesson, you have detention. Do you understand?"

• My yr11 Economics teacher

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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 :razz: ) 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.)

---

www.button-masher.net

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.

<br style="color: gray;">
But I still think valve are crabpeople.

That's what I tried to explain earlier. :\

thus I am right

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.

Eight years of bug fixing... ...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.

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.

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.

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.

Personally, I really like Valve and all the games they've
produced. I trust them to continue to support their products and
I trust them to produce high quality products in the future.

But the question of whether or not they are greedy... I guess it just comes down to personal world view.

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.

No offence doc, but it seems to me that you've already made up your
mind that VALVe is "good" and it's going to take something really
serious to change that.

I was of the same mindset, but that "really serious" thing for me was
Steam. Much as I like their games, I do not want them in control of the
entire game experience (for lack of a better word). Steam is buggy,
intrusive and absolute hell for people without unlimited bandwidth. I
don't trust them to continue supporting any of my games, and I don't
even trust them to continue the Steam system.

That's because they'll do whatever's needed to maximize their profits, and that doesn't always suit me.

Of course, it's obvious that very few people think like I do, because
their profits keep soaring. But that doesn't change the fact that they
aren't very good, or very "trust"able.

Yeah -- I like Steam because since it's been around I've had unlimited
fast-speed internet. If I were on 56k or had limited monthly
bandwith, I would have a drastically different prespective.

Yeah -- I like Steam because since it's been around I've had unlimited
fast-speed internet. If I were on 56k or had limited monthly
bandwith, I would have a drastically different prespective.

I feel the same way.

But even if I did feel diffrently about steam, I would be more upset
with valves lack of support for those of us with limited
resources. Even so, that doesn't seem greedy to me... steam is
just built for that kind of enviroment.

If they had 3rd party adds on steam (like AIM, MSN, etc.) or
tracking/spyware then I would question them. I didn't just on the
trust train the moment I got my first valve game, its been 6 years and
they have built trust with me as I have with them. but like we
all seem to agree on, its just your personal experience.