What is Valve working on?

M

mewrei

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Aug 8, 2012
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7
Gentlemen,

Some extreme speculation involved here.

So Gaben tells us that technology is not currently "there" for Half-Life 3, and they're going to wait, but I'm at an impasse at how much "waiting" they're actually doing.

Enter Ben Krasnow. If you don't know him, Ben is a hardware hacker on YouTube that performs a bunch of relatively advanced experiments (including making home-made aerogel, extracting pure caffeine using supercritical CO2, freeze-drying ice cream, etc). I've become a huge fan of Ben because he's a rare embodiment of a true hardware hacker.

According to Ben's Google+ page (https://plus.google.com/115054970849159689228/about), he's a graduate of UCSB in mechanical engineering (after a 2 year stint at CalTech). He's worked mostly as a sysadmin and programmer, before starting his own company making computer peripherals that work in MRI machines. One can infer by the sophistication of his home workshop, that he did everything from there (and by the materials he lists in his tour).

However, also according to his Google+ profile, he now works for Valve (title "Hacker Extraordinaire"). However, he lives and apparently also works in the Bay Area.

Watching Ben's tour of his workshop, he specifically states that he uses Hakko soldering irons at work (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5i9f9GJS9M&feature=plcp), implying he travels off-site to work somewhere, and he's working with electronics.

Further, Ben has a vid about mounting an LED in a contact lens using home-made parts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHECpEhJdB8&feature=plcp), so Ben apparently has some level of knowledge of the topic.

Knowing that background on Ben, and who he works for, the plot thickened with the Oculus VR system that hit KickStarter a few weeks ago (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-gamehistory). Namely, Valve's level of interest in the project.

All this said...is Valve working on a VR system for Half-Life 3? They definitely have the capital and now that they have a pretty solid revenue stream from Steam and their other games, they can be a little more risky with their other projects.
 
tin-foil-hat.jpg


I sure could use some Half-life 3.
 
I don't see Valve requiring a peripheral for HL3 but maybe as an option.
 
bigdogchris said:
I don't see Valve requiring a peripheral for HL3 but maybe as an option.
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Half Life 3 will ship with a real, functioning gravity gun... over Steam. That's the hold up, the game, and the gun have been ready for years. They're just trying to figure out how to download a physical object over Stream.

So, be very wary if you opt into the Steam beta stuff and they change the TOS to allow them to turn your monitor into a trans-dimensional portal. That kind of think never goes well the first couple of tries.
 
FreiDOg said:
So, be very wary if you opt into the Steam beta stuff and they change the TOS to allow them to turn your monitor into a trans-dimensional portal. That kind of think never goes well the first couple of tries.
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Yeah, about that cat...

Not saying this is a definite anything (hence why I called this extreme speculation), but there are a few coincidences that line up.
 
LOL Pisc.

Seriously, haven't we learned by now? This is what's going on at Valve:

hwxvfb.jpg
 
At least it explains why HL3 is taking so long. Lot of lunches. Got to stay healthy.
 
No way. One of Valves key goals in developing games has always been that they are available on a broad range of hardware for their fanbase. Requiring a VR headset or cyborg eye implants isn't going to happen.
 
DOTA 2, CS: GO, TF2, general Steam support team, small group working on Linux Steam/porting Source, more than likely a team working on Source 2, and these are just things we generally know about.

Basically, they have projects going on.
 
TwistedAegis said:
No way. One of Valves key goals in developing games has always been that they are available on a broad range of hardware for their fanbase. Requiring a VR headset or cyborg eye implants isn't going to happen.
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Sure, but having integrated support as part of the launch is something that valve would do. They wouldn't require it, it would just be a big thing at the launch to drive sales.

Personally, I think that Source 2 will be the engine for HL3 and I think that theories about VR headsets are just that, theories. However, they *could* happen.
 
They are literally working on making a Steam App Store to sell software/apps to people, building a Linux version of Steam and trying to convince loyalists that Windows 8 is a terrible OS.

In reality Gabe is terrified of the Windows Store on Windows 8 and scrambling.
 
Short Term:
They are dabbling with Counter Strike: Global Offensive(They offloaded this game to HPE)
Dota 2
Steam for Linux
Source Engine for Linux
Bringing software outside of games to Steam
Updates for all of their titles
Greenlight
Steam Workshop
Hammer v5

Long Term:
Valve Anti Cheat 3
Source Engine 2
Steam Console(Speculation)
The next Half Life

Im sure there are more projects then listed that are still only known about internally.
 
Hopefully some server improvements. Steam has gone down for a minute or two several times this week and in the last few days. :eek:

Also improve the damned downloader and have tabbed browsing already! :p
 
Could someone please get them to put tabbed browsing in their store. I know I can do it from my browser, but having it built into steam would be nice. I can't be the only one that hates that going back to a search page brings you to the beginning of the results rather than page 23, where I was.
 
LOL! More Gabe fat jokes please, MOARRR!

And Bomo, I agree that the overlay browser could use a bit of tending to. As far as games are concerned I'd rather see them stray from making Half-Life 3 and do something different. Gaming has changed a lot since HL2 and I highly doubt they can exceed what they did with that game or even come close, honestly.
 
source engine 2 would be cool.. although in my opinion source engine is still pro. dota 2 looks great.. I mean its not battlefield 3 but some of the hero detail is amazing and the spell effects look great too
 
Valve games suck now. They should redo the Steam UI again, except make it good. Just more Steam improvements please.
 
dremic said:
source engine 2 would be cool.. although in my opinion source engine is still pro. dota 2 looks great.. I mean its not battlefield 3 but some of the hero detail is amazing and the spell effects look great too
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Finally someone who gets it.

At some point they'll slap a "2!" sticker on it and everyone will say "FINALLY!"
 
Business6 said:
LOL! More Gabe fat jokes please, MOARRR!

And Bomo, I agree that the overlay browser could use a bit of tending to. As far as games are concerned I'd rather see them stray from making Half-Life 3 and do something different. Gaming has changed a lot since HL2 and I highly doubt they can exceed what they did with that game or even come close, honestly.
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To be fair, a lot of people didn't think they could top Half Life 1.

Just look at the awards and accolades the first HL game got!! :)

Now, with HL2, they won a bunch of awards again and managed to exceed expectations. What is interesting about this is that Blizzard has been unable to follow the same example with their release of Diablo 3.
 
Honestly, this is kinda what bothers me about Valve. They haven't brought out anything that WE ALL WANT(hint hint hint hint Half Life 3 hint hint hint cought hint cough, shit my cold is bad). L4D was nice, but it wasn't something we all wanted. CS:GO, well nice again but CS source and 1.6 probably had years more left to live...seriously, make something we fucking WANT. :p
 
xIronCrossx said:
Honestly, this is kinda what bothers me about Valve. They haven't brought out anything that WE ALL WANT(hint hint hint hint Half Life 3 hint hint hint cought hint cough, shit my cold is bad). L4D was nice, but it wasn't something we all wanted. CS:GO, well nice again but CS source and 1.6 probably had years more left to live...seriously, make something we fucking WANT. :p
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speak for yourself, only thing I'm excited about with half life 3 would be if the dm is any good. Have no interest in single player games and theirs many others like me that feel the same way.
 
valve is working on....................................................


DOTA2
 
Half Life 3. And it will be awesome. I'm in such crippling anticipation, and I love every second of it.
 
Valve does all sorts of experimental skunkworks projects these days. It is valuable even if nothing directly comes from the process, there is always something to be learned.

xIronCrossx said:
Honestly, this is kinda what bothers me about Valve. They haven't brought out anything that WE ALL WANT(hint hint hint hint Half Life 3 hint hint hint cought hint cough, shit my cold is bad). L4D was nice, but it wasn't something we all wanted. CS:GO, well nice again but CS source and 1.6 probably had years more left to live...seriously, make something we fucking WANT. :p
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I know this is a highly unpopular opinion but Half Life is probably the least interesting thing they could be doing right now. I LOVE the entire series and Episode 2 in particular, but in the face of 10000 other "serious" and on-rails cinematic shooters out there, I'm glad that Valve has been doing other things. They pioneered the on-rails cinematic shooter, and now that's all you see these days.

The creative well in FPS has been tapped dry and I'm sure they know it, the genre has never been more boring. They nearly perfected the directed single player game with Portal 2 and diluted the hardcore competitive aspect of their multiplayer games. L4D is super casual, CS:S isn't as good as 1.6, and competitive balance with TF2 went out the window with the introduction of the Mann Store.

I'm not saying that any of the above is bad, with the exception of CS:S I really love all of Valve's games. That said, I think the above is partly why they're focusing so much on the (AWESOME) DOTA 2.

Curating such a deep and interesting and hardcore game like they are without diluting it is a serious left turn for Valve given everything they've released over the last few years. It is probably the most interesting move they could have made, and it will probably be their most popular multiplayer game ever. Even in limited beta the number of active players blows away everything else.

Either way, I'm sure they'll eventually take the curtains off of Half Life 3 when they found they've done something worthwhile and innovative with it. I'm glad they're taking their time rather than releasing boring sequels like everyone else out there.
 
fdiaz78 said:
We sure have some mean spirited folks here slamming Gabe on his weight.
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And then a bunch of these same folks will turn around and vouch for a fat, ugly, lowlife degenerate like Kim Dotcom.

Both people being far more successful in life than any of them will ever be. The first by honorable means. The second by less than honorable means.
 
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