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Half-Life: Alyx


Helmsly

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Valve leveraging Half-Life for their VR initiative? Smart move, but always seemed kind of inevitable.

I highly doubt this is going to be what Half-Life fans have been waiting for, in which case, I'm going to be keen to avoid the impending onslaught heading Valve's way :laughing:

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This could be really, really cool, but I'll keep my dreams in check. It probably won't be Half Life 3, but if it is a lengthy single player with a good multiplayer with Valve polish, it could truly be an amazing journey. It will probably make a lot of people bite the bullet and purchase a used or new VR headset, which will only make the community and the platform grow.

I'm optimistic, but I doubt it will be as big as some people hope.

......but here's hoping!

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1 hour ago, Shorty said:

Poor Valve lol, what have they done to tank their reputation so hard. Imagine saying that about the creators of Half Life 2, L4D and Portal

Yes. When was the last time they (themselves) made a meaty (let's assume that's what it is) single player game? Even this, when it comes down to it, is just a vehicle to sell more hardware. So I really wasn't expecting much. Game development has been a side business for Valve for a very long time.

Edited by Sméagol
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Well, of course they want to sell more VR headsets. I mean, it's kinda like calling out Nintendo for being jerks because they want you to buy the Switch to play their games. But Valve is at least giving you the option to play it on every PC VR headset, which is really nice. 

I think it's time for me to sell my CV1 and get a Rift S or a Valve Index, if it becomes avaliable in Norway. This just looks that good! 

Oh, and they confirmed it will be a big campaign similar to HL2. 13-15 hours, if my memory serves me right. 

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I'm not calling them jerks. I'm just saying what it is, and that's fine in itself. It's just that a lot of people waiting for HL3 will be pissed. Even if this is similar in quality (which in itself is bad), it's not going to have the impact a HL3 would have, simply because a lot of people won't have the hardware and are unwilling to buy it for this.

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Well, of course they want to sell more VR headsets. I mean, it's kinda like calling out Nintendo for being jerks because they want you to buy the Switch to play their games. But Valve is at least giving you the option to play it on every PC VR headset, which is really nice. 
I think it's time for me to sell my CV1 and get a Rift S or a Valve Index, if it becomes avaliable in Norway. This just looks that good! 
Oh, and they confirmed it will be a big campaign similar to HL2. 13-15 hours, if my memory serves me right. 
You should also look into getting a Quest and a Link cable. You get the best of the wired pc games and the portability of the Quest too.
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On 11/22/2019 at 1:18 PM, Sméagol said:

Yes. When was the last time they (themselves) made a meaty (let's assume that's what it is) single player game? Even this, when it comes down to it, is just a vehicle to sell more hardware. So I really wasn't expecting much. Game development has been a side business for Valve for a very long time.

Sure but that doesn't mean it's surprising that the game looks good. They have found that making games is not as financially viable as just maintaining what they've got and running the Steam store, that doesn't mean they've forgotten how to make games. I'm not defending their choice of practise, just surprised that you'd be surprised that it looks well made.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 25/11/2019 at 1:01 PM, Shorty said:

Sure but that doesn't mean it's surprising that the game looks good. They have found that making games is not as financially viable as just maintaining what they've got and running the Steam store, that doesn't mean they've forgotten how to make games. I'm not defending their choice of practise, just surprised that you'd be surprised that it looks well made.

It does mean they have forgotten to make games. Or to be precise, they don't have many employees left who worked on the original half-life games. I mean, I can't be arsed to look up sources, but I remember news articles about people leaving Valve, like the writers. And lo and behold, there's news right now that the new game from the makers of Firewatch has been delayed, because apparently they've been bought by Valve, and among others, they're the ones working on Half-Life Alyx. They're dependent on other studios (whether bought or collaborations) and hired external people for their games. Half Life Alyx, in my opinion doesn't look good, it looks ok. But I was expecting absolutely nothing anymore, so in that regard it was a nice surprise. To be precise, I think Half Life Alyx looks like Half Life 2 episode 3 but 10 years too late, only adding VR support as an improvement.

Edited by Sméagol
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https://www.roadtovr.com/valve-index-sold-out-stock-half-life-alyx/

Looks like Alyx has made its mark. Valve Index headsets are selling out in a lot of regions. Now, the question is how many did they have in stock in the first place, but it's still a good sign.

I will most likely order the Index myself when it becomes available here in Norway (if it does...)

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23 hours ago, Shorty said:

Why would you need Index for this? It works on the Rift right?

You don't need an Index at all, I just think that when I first do upgrade from my original Oculus Rift CV1, I might as well invest and go all the way. The quality is supposed to be miles ahead of the OG Rift, and the Rift S did not do the job for me.

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I don't feel like the quality upgrade could possibly be good enough until there's a revolutionary improvement. Headsets much smaller and lighter, screen door effect 100% eliminated, minimal wires or a smarter solution to wires. Etc. etc. I (think) I'll be happy with my standard Rift until something really comes along and makes a big leap forward (100x bigger than the Rift -> Rift S). The actual visuals will mostly only be improved by the performance of the PC.

I do however absolutely encourage you to buy the Index so you can fund this development, for my sake :)

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Haha! I will be the sacrifice. 

I think if we were to wait until all of your improvements are checked, we won't be getting any new headsets in 5-8 years. And to be fair, if I am to be waiting that long, I would rather wait in style :p. I have tried the Rift S, and I've seen how much better the experience is with a better screen than the OG Rift, so if the Index is an even bigger leap than the Rift S I think that pretty much justifies the upgrade.

 

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  • 2 months later...

Valve also released three videos without spoilers. This REALLY brings me back, and I love how true to the original they are. And the combat, exploration and atmosphere just look phenomenal! I can't wait to play this in March! Too bad I can't get the Index headset, or that my VR-space has now become the bedroom for the twins :p. Oh well, I'll manage somehow.

 

 

 

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