Here's one for serious Valve enthusiasts and people wanting to get juice details on their cancelled projects, and everything that led up to Half-Life: Alyx.
Half-Life: Alyx - Final Hours is an interactive storybook, written by Geoff Keighley, that takes fans inside Valve Software to chronicle the company’s past decade of game development, including the return of Half-Life. There's so much detail in there it's crazy, it's also pretty amazing to learn it all with this new Valve Software that doesn't seem to mind talking a bit more. If you're curious, that does include a cancelled Half-Life 3. Yes, it really actually was a thing (as if there was any doubt) but it along with a lot more didn't make the cut.
Direct Link
As for all the projects mentioned that got canned, I won't go over them all in-depth because that spoils a lot of the fun but there's a few big obvious ones like Half-Life 3, that no doubt fans will be sad to learn of its fate. Unlike previous games, it sounded quite different with plans to be more replayable with some random generation, taking some inspiration from Left 4 Dead. Left 4 Dead 3 was also going to be a thing, in a more open world setting. Both games didn't get too far, sounds like Source 2 wasn't in a good state. Other Half-Life themed games and Left 4 Dead attempts were also mentioned, like one involving a time-travelling ship. There was even going to be an RPG, a voxel-based destruction game and a VR game made with original Kerbal Space Program developers.
Hilariously, Vader was the name of their first attempt at a VR headset with an estimated eye-watering $5K price tag that was clearly far too ambitious.
The good news is, Valve don't sound done with Half-Life and that they're "not afraid of Half-Life no more" and future projects might even be outside of VR for the rest of us. Nothing confirmed there though. Other better news perhaps, is that another major "top secret" project is under way and has been since 2018 but no idea what it is.
You can find Half-Life: Alyx - Final Hours on Steam for £7.19 / $9.99 / €8.19. It doesn't officially support Linux but it's possible to run it with the Steam Play Proton compatibility layer. You may need the community made Proton GE though.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: PatolaQuoteThe good news is, Valve don't sound done with Half-Life and that they're "not afraid of Half-Life no more" and future projects might even be outside of VR for the rest of us.I'd rather prefer the opposite happened, that VR became cheap, accessible and compatible so that everybody would buy one set and enjoy the immersion and gameplay additions it offers.
While that might be true, VR is not a replacement for games. It is a separate thing with separate games. One thing is very clear to me is that there is no way to have both a normal and VR version. One will suffer because of the other. And since most of us don't really want to be wearing a headset all of the time, we need both to be a thing regardless of the price of VR systems.
Quote"not afraid of Half-Life no more"
I understand that fear. HL3 couldn't ever have lived up to the enormous expectations.
Quoting: EhvisQuoting: PatolaQuoteThe good news is, Valve don't sound done with Half-Life and that they're "not afraid of Half-Life no more" and future projects might even be outside of VR for the rest of us.I'd rather prefer the opposite happened, that VR became cheap, accessible and compatible so that everybody would buy one set and enjoy the immersion and gameplay additions it offers.
While that might be true, VR is not a replacement for games. It is a separate thing with separate games. One thing is very clear to me is that there is no way to have both a normal and VR version. One will suffer because of the other. And since most of us don't really want to be wearing a headset all of the time, we need both to be a thing regardless of the price of VR systems.
You are right, VR is a separated thing, same as 2D games and 3D games are. 2D games still appearing, and the new VR technology won't stop 3D or 2D keep be released. But to be honest, i can not imagine that next GTA will be 2D as the first releases, since they jumped to 3D is hard to go back. For this reason i really hope new Half Life become VR.
Quoting: HJhow did you get it to run on proton? it has broken videos for me.Try Proton GE.
Quoting: EhvisWhile that might be true, VR is not a replacement for games. It is a separate thing with separate games. One thing is very clear to me is that there is no way to have both a normal and VR version. One will suffer because of the other.
I would say though, that Alyx is a remarkably powerful demonstration that VR games doesn't have to be that different from other games. Yes the "interface" towards the game is different but in regards to content itself, I would say it is a demonstration that VR can be a "replacement" for other games (if I understand you correctly). VR gaming is not restricted to just simple arcade action and concepts revolving around basic physics.
So yes - the games needs to be tailored for the VR experience. Absolutely. But I dare say that any genre game can work in VR. So in that respect one could replace the other.
Last edited by Beamboom on 10 July 2020 at 11:49 am UTC
Quotea VR game made with original Kerbal Space Program developers.Whaaaaat?
That might explain the KSP2 débacle to some extent.
Hopefully they finish polishing Source 2 and give it to us so we can start a whole new mod golden era again. I was missing Source forts, Zombie master, Dystopia, Neotokyo, Project Valkyrie and it just so happens that half of them are now open source AND built for Linux as well (played zombie master this week).
(While thinking at this, source forts might have been fortnite ancestor...)
Spoiler, click me
Last edited by a0kami on 10 July 2020 at 1:45 pm UTC
Quotefirst attempt at a VR headset with an estimated eye-watering $5K price tag
I would say Index's €1K price tag is still eye-watering. I check regularly on their site but they won't budge an inch, it's always €1K, take it or leave it
Comandante Ñoñardo Jul 10, 2020
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