Gabe Newell On What Makes Valve Tick

iGrooCk said:
Its really funny hearing Gabe talk about all that talent that they attract. Is that talent sitting there watching and making sure Steam is up and running? Sure its important, but they are a gaming company. Its kind of silly hearing people talk about Gabe as if hes a gaming god. If he was then HL3 would be a priority. They fucked up LFD releases with lots of lost promises, so I hope it wont happen to HL series.

I hope I am wrong and they are hard and work on releasing HL3, but will all the talk of steam boxes and focusing mainly on steam makes me wonder. They certainly wouldnt be releasing HL3 for the money, because they are practically swimming in it from all Steam sales combined. Which is why I am tired of hearing of all the so called talent they are attracting. If they are then release some kind of hint of what you are working on, otherwise you will alienate people from your titles and go down the path of Duke Nukem.
Click to expand...

I guess I am not as obsessive about HL3 as some folks ... there are many good game franchises these days on PC and my interest in FPS games has waned as they became more focused on Multiplayer (which I hate) ... I would actually like them to continue to beef up and support Steam as that has become my primary gaming platform (although I am not into them as deep as some people I still have 340 games on my Steam account ... my GOG account only has about 85 or so) ... I need a robust and stable digital gaming system (like Steam) far more than I need another FPS game (no matter how good it might be) ... I think there remains plenty of places for Steam to continue expanding as well (soundtracks, wallpapers, books, better documentation or extras with games, etc) that will make them a more user friendly and value added store (hopefully they can become the Amazon of the gaming world) :cool:
 
In all honesty, how many of you actually think the Steam OS is that mindblowingly good?

I dont get all the hype surrounding it. They are simply pushing their Steam client onto the big screen. But how is that any different than what were currently doing on our PCs?

I personally hate consoles. There is a reason I use a PC. It also gives a choice of hooking up a huge TV to it and game that way...aka playing on steam...same as steambox.
Who is valve trying to attract with this model? Majority of people who are diehard console players will not game on a PC, so why would they on a steambox which is essentially the same?
Not to mention exclusive titles which are available for consoles only, whether its PS4 or Xbox1. The only thing that will make a steambox attractive is THE SAME price point to compete with current consoles and EXCLUSIVE titles. Otherwise there is no point to it, we are able to do everything a steambox offers on our current machines.
 
Cali3350 said:
How did valve possibly not make Dota 2. Please explain that.
Click to expand...

I cant find the source now, but a gaming website said that it was designed by a different firm, or majority of it was designed by them. They partnered with Steam later. Something along those lines.
 
iGrooCk said:
I cant find the source now, but a gaming website said that it was designed by a different firm, or majority of it was designed by them. They partnered with Steam later. Something along those lines.
Click to expand...

http://www.valvesoftware.com/games/dota2.html
Originating as a fan-made Warcraft 3 modification, Dota was an instant underground hit. After coming to Valve, the original community developers have bridged the gap to a more inclusive audience, so that the rest of the world can experience the same core gameplay, but with the level of polish that only Valve can promise.
Click to expand...
Was that what you were reading before?
 
iGrooCk said:
In all honesty, how many of you actually think the Steam OS is that mindblowingly good?

I dont get all the hype surrounding it. They are simply pushing their Steam client onto the big screen. But how is that any different than what were currently doing on our PCs?

I personally hate consoles. There is a reason I use a PC. It also gives a choice of hooking up a huge TV to it and game that way...aka playing on steam...same as steambox.
Who is valve trying to attract with this model? Majority of people who are diehard console players will not game on a PC, so why would they on a steambox which is essentially the same?
Not to mention exclusive titles which are available for consoles only, whether its PS4 or Xbox1. The only thing that will make a steambox attractive is THE SAME price point to compete with current consoles and EXCLUSIVE titles. Otherwise there is no point to it, we are able to do everything a steambox offers on our current machines.
Click to expand...
Add to that pricing of atleast 499 with specs to run console ports that will chug on a Steambox vs. say an Xbox One or a PS4 for cheaper price. I am so sold on the Steambox lol.
 
Success = get lucky then buy-out and/or copying anything good + establish a monopoly

Damn, call me enlightened on this glorious day.

Counter-Strike = lucky
Steam distribution = bit-torrent copy (they even hired the torrent creator for a bit as I recall)
Steam Market = copy of Korean f2p cash shops
L4D = copy of cs mod
DOTA 2 = buy-out

I'll give them credit for TFC and TF2 though.
 
flegg said:
Success = get lucky then buy-out and/or copying anything good + establish a monopoly

Damn, call me enlightened on this glorious day.

Counter-Strike = lucky
Steam distribution = bit-torrent copy (they even hired the torrent creator for a bit as I recall)
Steam Market = copy of Korean f2p cash shops
L4D = copy of cs mod
DOTA 2 = buy-out

I'll give them credit for TFC and TF2 though.
Click to expand...
Also Half Life 2 = Overhyped.
I remember Farcry totally taking the thunder from HL2 lol.
 
flegg said:
Success = get lucky then buy-out and/or copying anything good + establish a monopoly

Damn, call me enlightened on this glorious day.

Counter-Strike = lucky
Steam distribution = bit-torrent copy (they even hired the torrent creator for a bit as I recall)
Steam Market = copy of Korean f2p cash shops
L4D = copy of cs mod
DOTA 2 = buy-out

I'll give them credit for TFC and TF2 though.
Click to expand...

If CS is lucky, then so is CoD, Battlefield, etc :eek:

And how is L4D a copy of CS?

Steam Market F2P? lol

You're trying too hard
 
flegg said:
Success = get lucky then buy-out and/or copying anything good + establish a monopoly

Damn, call me enlightened on this glorious day.

Counter-Strike = lucky
Steam distribution = bit-torrent copy (they even hired the torrent creator for a bit as I recall)
Steam Market = copy of Korean f2p cash shops
L4D = copy of cs mod
DOTA 2 = buy-out

I'll give them credit for TFC and TF2 though.
Click to expand...

Idiocy. Repeated and reliable success for almost 20 years is not "luck"
 
Re: DOTA 2

iGrooCk said:
I cant find the source now, but a gaming website said that it was designed by a different firm, or majority of it was designed by them. They partnered with Steam later. Something along those lines.
Click to expand...

Icefrog, who works on DOTA mod in the Warcraft 3 engine, was hired by Valve to help create DOTA 2 from the ground up in Source. Throw in observer features, matchmaking, esports features, an entire economy surrounding the game, and you have DOTA 2.

It was made and continues to be made in the Valve studio. You don't get something with that level of polish and scope without a studio such as Valve.
 
iGrooCk said:
Its really funny hearing Gabe talk about all that talent that they attract. Is that talent sitting there watching and making sure Steam is up and running? Sure its important, but they are a gaming company. Its kind of silly hearing people talk about Gabe as if hes a gaming god. If he was then HL3 would be a priority. They fucked up LFD releases with lots of lost promises, so I hope it wont happen to HL series.

I hope I am wrong and they are hard and work on releasing HL3, but will all the talk of steam boxes and focusing mainly on steam makes me wonder. They certainly wouldnt be releasing HL3 for the money, because they are practically swimming in it from all Steam sales combined. Which is why I am tired of hearing of all the so called talent they are attracting. If they are then release some kind of hint of what you are working on, otherwise you will alienate people from your titles and go down the path of Duke Nukem.
Click to expand...

I think that you don't understand the way Valve works. The employees work on whatever they feel like working on. If they don't want to work on HL3, then it is a dead project. What makes Valve games "fun" is that they work on whatever the employees are inspired to work on. So if a SteamBox is their inspiration, then they pour every ounce of their expressive artistic, and technical talent into it to make it the best that it can be. If an employee thinks a SteamBox is boring, then they will work on something else.

They will be doing whatever they wish to do. If they identify a problem in a system, then they will prioritize their time to it. Usually they team up with like minded individuals in the corporation while doing so. There is no mandate for them to push a particular product. It's all about free will and getting the job done when you commit to it. The thought process is that if you allow an employee to shape and mold something that they are interested it, then it will be the most inspired work of art that they are capable of. Customers know the difference between inspiration and cookie cutter.

Maybe the people that want HL3 should send Valve some art, scripts, ideas, or whatever else to inspire the employees to jump on it. That might impress them enough to at least think about it again. Heck a small subset of employees might be working on it right now for all we know. You'll never know about it until the project is ready though. :)
 
flegg said:
Success = get lucky then buy-out and/or copying anything good + establish a monopoly

Damn, call me enlightened on this glorious day.

Counter-Strike = lucky
Steam distribution = bit-torrent copy (they even hired the torrent creator for a bit as I recall)
Steam Market = copy of Korean f2p cash shops
L4D = copy of cs mod
DOTA 2 = buy-out

I'll give them credit for TFC and TF2 though.
Click to expand...

Well this was an extremely naive and shortsighted thing to say. I actually chuckled
 
Say what you want about Gabe, Valve, and Steam. If it weren't for them, PC gaming would not have made the comeback that it has.
 
LeninGHOLA said:
Steam is a BitTorrent copy? Intredasting.
Click to expand...

I believe it was blizzard that contracted the bittorrent dude to get them their content downloader, don't know about valve, but their downloader doesn't seem to be a torrent hive either.
 
so much FUD in this thread, not worth the read. i think at some point someone said CS:GO, L4D, and TF2 were all basically the same game. that should get at least a temporary ban imo for knowingly attempting to spread ignorance.
 
cageymaru said:
I think that you don't understand the way Valve works. The employees work on whatever they feel like working on. If they don't want to work on HL3, then it is a dead project. What makes Valve games "fun" is that they work on whatever the employees are inspired to work on. So if a SteamBox is their inspiration, then they pour every ounce of their expressive artistic, and technical talent into it to make it the best that it can be. If an employee thinks a SteamBox is boring, then they will work on something else.

They will be doing whatever they wish to do. If they identify a problem in a system, then they will prioritize their time to it. Usually they team up with like minded individuals in the corporation while doing so. There is no mandate for them to push a particular product. It's all about free will and getting the job done when you commit to it. The thought process is that if you allow an employee to shape and mold something that they are interested it, then it will be the most inspired work of art that they are capable of. Customers know the difference between inspiration and cookie cutter.

Maybe the people that want HL3 should send Valve some art, scripts, ideas, or whatever else to inspire the employees to jump on it. That might impress them enough to at least think about it again. Heck a small subset of employees might be working on it right now for all we know. You'll never know about it until the project is ready though. :)
Click to expand...
I actually know quite well the way their organization is structured. There are no titles, per say, and even Gabe refers to himself as a worker rather than a CEO. Not to mention the freedom of moving around the building as you please to work on a project of your desire.

I never understood Valves approach to talent acquisition. Its quite clear they want quality vs quantity, but why couldn't they combine both by hiring more people to finish the projects sooner? Last I checked they have around 300 employees. Valve seems to be very fragmented as of late.
Again I hope I am wrong and they are working on HL3. It took them 6 years to make HL2 so fingers crossed for the next title. I think they owe people a closure to a series they started, or at least answer some of the questions that have been asked since HL 1 came out.
 
ekuest said:
so much FUD in this thread, not worth the read. i think at some point someone said CS:GO, L4D, and TF2 were all basically the same game. that should get at least a temporary ban imo for knowingly attempting to spread ignorance.
Click to expand...

Seriously. I hope they're just trolling because if theyre that braindead then god help us.
 
Hornet said:
If CS is lucky, then so is CoD, Battlefield, etc :eek:

And how is L4D a copy of CS?

Steam Market F2P? lol

You're trying too hard
Click to expand...

Because Valve didn't make cs.

Because the creators of L4D themselves said they were inspired by a CS mod.

TF2 hats were inspired by Korean cash shops and TF2 even went f2p.

I'm really not stretching the truth at all here.

"Counter-Strike was one of L4D's greatest inspirations, specifically a mod known as Condition Zero which depicted a zombie apocalypse. When CEO Mike Booth showed this mod to the game's creators, they instantly latched on to the concept."
 
And what comeback are you guys talking about?

All the kids playing league of legends nowadays? That's valves doing?
 
Don't get me wrong I love valve. But let's not pretend they are something they are not.
 
DPI said:
Seriously. I hope they're just trolling because if theyre that braindead then god help us.
Click to expand...

They're claiming that those games are all just HL multiplayer mods.
 
Go look at all the top games on twitch and name one that a valve employee came up with the original concept for. Cuz there ain't one.
 
Gaben...just release HL3 or GTFO. If I had to choose between Steam and HL3 the words "Half Life 3" would be out before you could get done asking the dam question.
 
pcjunkie said:
Gaben...just release HL3 or GTFO. If I had to choose between Steam and HL3 the words "Half Life 3" would be out before you could get done asking the dam question.
Click to expand...

i disagree more than i can even express using simple words. do you know how many games i bought before steam? none i think. i played a couple my brother or friends bought but that was pretty much it. now i have 400+ games on steam plus a few on amazon and gog. without steam i never would have played most of my favorite games. HL3 may or may not come and i dont really care too much either way. but steam has completely revolutionized pc gaming not just for me but as an entire industry. i wouldnt give it up for HL3, HL3ep1, and HL3ep2 combined.
 
ekuest said:
i disagree more than i can even express using simple words. do you know how many games i bought before steam? none i think. i played a couple my brother or friends bought but that was pretty much it. now i have 400+ games on steam plus a few on amazon and gog. without steam i never would have played most of my favorite games. HL3 may or may not come and i dont really care too much either way. but steam has completely revolutionized pc gaming not just for me but as an entire industry. i wouldnt give it up for HL3, HL3ep1, and HL3ep2 combined.
Click to expand...

Don't care if you disagree, using even more elaborate words. That's my personal opinion. Somebody else would have come up with a concept like Steam, it was inevitable. Don't get me wrong steam has been very good for pc gamers. Since Valve owns the HL IP nobody else could create a HL game except them (or somebody they farm it too) so I'm sticking with my choice. :)
 
pcjunkie said:
Don't care if you disagree, using even more elaborate words. That's my personal opinion. Somebody else would have come up with a concept like Steam, it was inevitable. Don't get me wrong steam has been very good for pc gamers. Since Valve owns the HL IP nobody else could create a HL game except them (or somebody they farm it too) so I'm sticking with my choice. :)
Click to expand...

I'm gonna say Steam had more of an impact on the industry than the Half Life series, but it's a close race ;)
 
Pringle said:
I'm gonna say Steam had more of an impact on the industry than the Half Life series, but it's a close race ;)
Click to expand...

which one we'd rather have is personal opinion, but i dont think theres any way to claim half life had more of an impact on pc gaming than steam. that's just ridiculous. half life is just a series of above-average fps games, while steam single-handedly revived pc gaming and revolutionized the gaming industry as a whole. xbox live and psn are basically copies of steam. and without steam something else would have come along eventually, yes, but stop and think what the pc gaming marketplace would be like if EA had beaten valve to being the first digital distribution system.
 
ekuest said:
which one we'd rather have is personal opinion, but i dont think theres any way to claim half life had more of an impact on pc gaming than steam. that's just ridiculous. half life is just a series of above-average fps games, while steam single-handedly revived pc gaming and revolutionized the gaming industry as a whole. xbox live and psn are basically copies of steam. and without steam something else would have come along eventually, yes, but stop and think what the pc gaming marketplace would be like if EA had beaten valve to being the first digital distribution system.
Click to expand...

Bullshit. Valve didn't revive shit. The only thing they revived is indie projects that I and many others have no interest it. If I want to play such a game Ill go do it on my iPad. Oh yes, they revived the sale of hats for Team Fortress 2, that was a monumental achievement.

Fact of the matter is that games were being sold just fine before Valve. Valve designed an aggregate to purchase them without a physical copy, and gave you a library to store them in.
If Valve wanted to revive anything then they would attract developers to design Steam Exclusives, but its nothing but indie crap thats already been done.
 
Well prior to getting Valve's Steam, I only had three PC games.

Star Craft
Unreal Tournament
Battlefield 2

I had no interest in buying other games until one day I seen Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on sale on Steam for like $4. I bought it in 2010. Now I have over 100 games in my steam library. Without Steam, I wouldn't have bought 90% of these games.

I am pretty sure I'm not alone.
 
iGrooCk said:
Bullshit. Valve didn't revive shit. The only thing they revived is indie projects that I and many others have no interest it. If I want to play such a game Ill go do it on my iPad. Oh yes, they revived the sale of hats for Team Fortress 2, that was a monumental achievement.

Fact of the matter is that games were being sold just fine before Valve. Valve designed an aggregate to purchase them without a physical copy, and gave you a library to store them in.
If Valve wanted to revive anything then they would attract developers to design Steam Exclusives, but its nothing but indie crap thats already been done.
Click to expand...

You hit the nail on the head. Steam is something we could do without any moment and most people would not even bother.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top