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Journal subgeek's Journal: half-life 2 delay info 9

Journal by subgeek

it turns out that HL2 wasn't delayed mostly to the code theft. last week [H]ard|OCP pointed me to this tidbit on games fusion that has a quote straight from gabe newell confirming this. for the lazy, when asked if the code theft is what delayed the release, mr. newell replied, "No, the fundamental reason was because we underestimated the amount of work left to do and how long it was going to take, especially when the team were so demoralised after the leak." today [H] pointed me to an editorial on arstechnica scolding valve for its misleading statements. if they're right, that's pretty crappy. it's quite possible that they're being a little harsh, but it's difficult to tell. i'm sure it did have an adverse effect on morale. they could have thought they were closer than they were. there are several could haves. but when they discovered the true nature of their condition, it would have served as a lot of good faith toward the community to let that information be known.

i still think there's a chance that valve is taking the opportunity for all of the "tuning, tuning, and more tuning" because the hardware that would make the game compelling is still pricey. hopefully the arrival of second gen dx9 hardware signifies a drop in prices and will help encourage valve to release their game before HL2 is passed up by other games like farcry.

perhaps they could learn something from id. they've made no firm promises or engaged in getting hype going. they did miss the nov 30 release date, but it was more of a whisper than a promise. it's easier not to be disappointed when there's no hype to base expectations on.

i'm sure this week's e3 will bring out some news. valve's handling of the HL2 release and making habits of at worst lying to the community and at best intentionally misleading it are disturbing.

there's a good chance that it won't stop me from playing the game. i want my damn HL2 and doom 3.

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half-life 2 delay info More

half-life 2 delay info

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  • The reason it was delayed WAS because of the theft. The theft meant that Steam (their pay to play system) code was in the source tree. They needed to change how most of it was coded so that people weren't getting hl2 for free. At least, that's what I was told.
    • that may be, but that isn't what gabe newell is saying now. the problem is that he can't have been telling the truth both times. he was either telling the truth last fall when he said they had to delay because of the theft, or he is telling the truth now when he says that the code theft wasn't the main factor.

      if somehow he thought the delay was due to the code theft and now it is due to polish they discovered the game needed after the re-write of stolen parts, that may explain it. but that's not how it
      • I wish he would blame the theft. Then gamers are more likely to beat the hell outta the pirates when they see them. Instead they are pointing the bad light at themselves instead of the criminals.
        • i think the hackers played a part in the delay. i think those responsible should be punished. i also want them to make the game be really worth the wait. it's a tight spot for mr. newell. i like to think that it's been a rollercoaster for him and the rest of the valve team. whether it could have shipped last year or not, they didn't need the extra stress from the code theft.
    • I was a little chagrined when this reasoning for the delay was revealed.

      I hope that most of these kinds of critical software systems are built without the need for source-code secrecy.

      When the intelligence community builds enciphering machines, they assume right off the bat that the "bad guys" have a copy of the machine. The security of a system should be designed so that possession of the machine (source code) doesn't weaken the system.
  • isn't that big of a deal since the product isn't their rationale, it's their product. As long as they don't lie about the quality of the gameplay, the gaming service, I don't care.

    In fact since there isn't some investment being made in a game not yet released (unlike paying a monthly fee for a MMORPG that is still buggy but "going to be fixed soon" ala Star Wars Galaxies) they can blow steam up our asses as much as they want.

    The only threat of delaying a game is A) people losing interest and B) someone e
    • the ars editorial points is mostly uppity about all the trash talking they did about nvidia's products. if they were saying that when they knew it wouldn't really matter because their game would not be ready, that's pretty low. if they thought their game would actually be ready, (which is likely since they gave out those coupons) it's not that big a deal.

      it's not really a big deal to lie about how long it will take to finish it, but using scapegoats and lying when the truth would have sufficed is irritat
  • Duke Nukem Forever

    and Fading Suns: Noble Armada

    and BattleCruiser 3000

    Oh wait, BC3K did come out. But we would have been better off if it hadn't...

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