Valve Reevaluates Episodic Gaming

Dr. Eggman writes "CVG has a recent article on Valve's future plans for episodic gaming. After the third episode of Half-Life 2 is out, Valve plans to sit down with the community and figure out what is working and what's not. Gabe Newell also wants to spend time with Telltale Games and Blizzard, both developers of episodic and episodic-like game content. It it worth it to try to release content on an episodic basis? 'We just want to sit down with three examples in front of us and talk it over with gamers to find out what they would like us to do next.'"

The problem with episodic gaming...

[nojjynb]

... isn't that we aren't getting a full game, or that they're spreading out the story over 3 or 4 games. No, the problem is when they say they'll release them between 9 and 12 months apart, and they don't release the second episode for 2 years.

I'm a fan of the quick, 8 hour episodes, released yearly. I'm not a fan of having to wait 2 years for that type of content when many games put out full blown sequels. Honestly, either work on upgrading the engine, or work on the episodic content, not both at the same time. Besides, why should what is essentially an overgrown expansion pack run on a different engine than the original? Bang out the new content while you have another team working on upgrading the engine, then you could go back and make the old content run on the new engine, or not, as you please.

Re:The Orange box insult to existing HL2 owners.

[Aladrin]

It's only an insult if you let it be. You -knew- that the price would come down if you waited. If you wait long enough, the price comes to down almost nothing. In this case, it came down to exactly nothing, if you purchase the Orange Box. (Orange Box is $50, the price of a new game, and includes 3 new games, even if one is just an episode.)

You paid to play it when it came out, and all the time up until Orange Box is released. If you feel like you were cheated, DON'T BUY NEW GAMES. This will happen every single time. The price ALWAYS comes down eventually. You will, of course, miss the best years of the product's life, especially online. That's up to you.

So buy it or don't, but don't claim you've been cheated. No, the truth is, the people that waited have a small bonus.

Re:The Orange box insult to existing HL2 owners.

[Anonymous Coward]

People keep saying this, and it keeps not making sense.

If you want 2 or more of the things bundled in the Orange Box, it's a good deal. Any 2. Look at the individual prices, and the bundle price... there are 3 new products there, for the price of 2. There are also two older products bundled in as well, which you may already own. They're not going to hurt you in any way -- they're free.

Imagine you're buying a car. It's a car you like, and it's on sale for 30% off, and they give you a free hat with it. But you already HAVE a hat! Holy crap! What a slap in the face to hat owners! Those bastards!

Re:The Orange box insult to existing HL2 owners.

[adagioforstrings]

Well, unlike the other folks here, I agree with you. The "Black Box" was the set that contained only the three games you mentioned. Valve eliminated it because stores apparently didn't want two SKUs for basically the same thing. The list price for the three we don't have is $80, but consider that Episode 2 is priced $10 (50%!) higher than Episode 1, and the other two games are arguably $5-$10 higher than similar products in the past. I probably won't play TF2 much just because I don't have time for multiplayer anymore. Who knows how much of a game Portal is. I've prepurchased all the new Valve games in the past, but this time it's just a little hard for me to swallow. I may actually wait for reviews this time before purchasing. If someone else feels like they get the value out of it, then fine, but I'm not sure I will.

Re:The Orange box insult to existing HL2 owners.

[east coast]

I just want to go on the record and say that Lost Coast hardly counts as a game or an episode. Any semi-talented HL2 player could run the entire map in under a half an hour. It was more like a demo and, IMHO, I think that's what Valve meant it as; a demo of their new rendering techniques.

Re:The problem with episodic gaming...

[*weasel]

Exactly.

Valve re-evaluating episodic gaming is like me re-evaluating my relationship with Salma Hayek.

Re:The Orange box insult to existing HL2 owners.

[W2k]

I'm certain they'll offer Episode 2 on its own once it's out. Likely it'll be priced the same as Ep1 was on release, which was about $30 if I remember incorrectly. So some people will no doubt whine that they are being ripped off when TOB, which contains the full game in addition to lots of other goodies, is only $15 more.

So let them whine. It's a bundle; the whole point of a bundle is that you get more value for less money. If this includes some stuff you don't want, do a simple cost/benefit and decide if it's worth it anyway; if not, don't buy the bundle. It's STUPIDLY SIMPLE. Yet some people will still whine, like Valve should be obligated to provide a good deal that fits their needs precisely. Childish and immature.

Re:The problem with episodic gaming...

[Lord_Dweomer]

Not to mention that episodic gaming as a whole has been one thinly veiled attempt at milking more money out of consumers "per episode" than it would normally cost for the game. Remember way back in the day when companies used to release free content patches? Yeah, that'll never happen again. Episodic content will ensure you get nickle and dimed for everything you've got.

Re:The problem with episodic gaming...

[BeanBagKing]

I for one will not chastise a company that pushes a release date back, even this far, in order to make a quality product. I've played far too many games that are bugged, crash, some won't even install correctly. I've played several that are easier to pirate because piracy removed a lot of the problems I was having (I still own a copy however). I've said it before and I'll say it again. If the product is worth it (as half-life 2 certainly is), I'm willing to wait the time it takes to make it perfect. Do I wish that they could release every 6 months? of course. Do I want them to rush it out the door in 6 months the way a lot of companies would do? No, that would kill the game, and I hope most people here realize it. Failing them meeting the 6 month date, do I wish they could have given me an accurate time line to begin with? again, of course, but as someone who dabbles in code and computers myself, I know the unexpected pops up. Way to go Valve for making one of the few games I've enjoyed enough to play through to the end, and leaving me still wanting more.

Re:The problem with episodic gaming...

[ShadowsHawk]

Except their NOT $20 each. Ep1 was $20 and Ep2 will be $30. We're already at $50, so unless Ep3 is $10, we're not getting what was promised. As for the 'Orange box'; I already own Half-Life 2 and Ep1. They should be rewarding loyal fans rather than punishing them.