Half Life 2: Aftermath

[Fabricated]

http://files.filefront.com/Half_Life_2_Aftermath_Trailer/;4029210;;/fileinfo.html

Looks cool. Fucking short trailer though.

[Moaner]

Half Life 2 is the only game I've actually finished in years (excluding Hearts of Iron 2), so I'm really looking forward to this expansion.  I have no idea where they are going with the story but those stalkers looked very cool.  They way they twitched around reminded me of Sadako in Ringu which is definitely a good thing.

I'm ready for a Sin trailer now.

[MrHat]

I played it for a while, but didn't want to play anymore because my computer was having hissy fits (I NEED NEW COMPUTER).

[HRose]

I'm ready for a Sin trailer now.

The shooter of the (next) year will be Prey.

From the few screenshot released Sin looked pretty bad.

Btw, Prey will be initially released ONLY online through a similar Steam.

[stray]

Prey uses the Doom 3 engine, I think. Not that that bars it from being the next big thing necessarily...

Storywise, I'm not too impressed with what I've read. I don't see why it's being touted like it's going to be something new. It's got a Cherokee protagonist.....Fighting aliens. That's innovative storyline? That's the same premise in almost every FPS, except this guy isn't Gordon Freeman or the Master Chief.

As for the Aftermath trailer: Meh. Same goes for FEAR. I'm not a big horror genre fan, I guess.

[HRose]

Prey uses the Doom 3 engine, I think. Not that that bars it from being the next big thing necessarily...

Storywise, I'm not too impressed with what I've read. I don't see why it's being touted like it's going to be something new. It's got a Cherokee protagonist.....Fighting aliens. That's innovative storyline? That's the same premise in almost every FPS, except this guy isn't Gordon Freeman or the Master Chief.

Watch the trailer then we speak :)

It's about 11 minutes of gameplay.

[NiX]

Cause we all know gameplay videos give you an exact idea of how the game plays and how the story is.

[Ironwood]

Totally.  It's like movie trailers.  OMG, The Prequels will RAWK !!!

[HRose]

Cause we all know gameplay videos give you an exact idea of how the game plays and how the story is.

The features the video shows are impressive and rather innovative. It's that kind of stuff that really amazes you the first time you see it because you just don't expect it to happen.

In particular when the entire room starts to flip upside down with you, the monsters and the objects under the physic model. To this you can add the different gravity systems in the same room, the portals, the spirit walk, the lack of death and "game over", the flying ship and all the other details (for example the use of the environment, like rooms with stings coming out the floor while you are engaged in a close combat).

The graphic of the environments is just unbelievable and the same can be said for the weapons and the monsters. I just absolutely loved the look of it and even loved some of the animations.

Beside the innovative features it seems also they are doing a lot on the AI side. The monsters will work in teams and will flee when in a bad situations. They'll even run to the stimpacks to use them.

Of course this isn't an assurance of the quality of the game. It may still suck. But what I've seen is impressive for a bunch of concrete features that ARE absolutely awesome. The trailer is there to confirm they exist and that they seem to work rather well (like the portals).

If they *do* deliver all this, the story is optional.

[stray]

I'll say that the trippy effects, wormholes, and whatever are cool. The graphics though, are Doom 3, albeit with better physics (I'm not saying that's bad or anything....I'm just saying).

Essentially though, it's another Save the World/Kill the Martians/Mutants FPS thing....Except with Cherokees!

Now, I'd love to see someone develop a game with Cherokee or other facets of real Native American History, but this just looks like the brainchild of some guy who watched the Doors, Predator, and Aliens one night and said "I've got a great idea for a game! Oh man, this one is gonna be deep.."

I hate to be a hater, but besides the physics/portal stuff, I'm not really feeling it. Most likely it'll be a better Doom than what Doom turned out to be, but...Well...It's still pretty much the same thing.

[eldaec]

I enjoyed HL2, thought it was really well put together, even if the physics emphasis sometimes made it feel like a tech demo.

I'd happily buy and play more HL2, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I reinstall Steam. So I'll pass.

[eldaec]

In particular when the entire room starts to flip upside down with you, the monsters and the objects under the physic model.

While I'm sure the new HL version of this will be impressive, Jedi Knight already had a level where this happens, right after fighting Darth Maw you kill/save Jan, confirm your dark/light arrangements, and get tossed into a spaceship that falls out of the sky, you have to use the rotation of the environment to escape.

[Murgos]

The shooter of the (next) year will be Prey.

Heh, I remember someone saying that in what?  1999, '98?  Somwhere in there.  I wouldn't hold my breath.

[Sky]

HL2 is probably the last straight-up shooter I'll buy. Too short, too shallow, too repetetive. Like most shooters. That well has finally dried up for me.

[Furiously]

HL2 is probably the last straight-up shooter I'll buy. Too short, too shallow, too repetetive. Like most shooters. That well has finally dried up for me.

Come on Sky, confess, you also bought Bloodrayne 2.

[Moaner]

Thanks for the heads up on Prey.  Personally I think it looks amazing.  I had heard it was in development again, but I had no idea there was actually game play footage to be seen.  The physics look great, the weapons look interesting, and the atmosphere looks right up my ally.  It looks like I'm going to have to upgrade my computer though which sucks.

I guess I don't have a problem with a shallow FPS.  As long as it 'feels good' to blow someone's face off and some thought went into the level design, I'm entertained.

As for Sin, I'm in it more for the nostalgia than anything else.  I really enjoyed the first one.  The campaign was solid and the quirky DM was a blast.

[Shockeye]

Did someone say delay?

I'm sure most of you will have recognised by now, that a full scale release of the next Half-Life 2 episode, Aftermath, isn't really going to be possible in the November ETA that has been speculated on previously. I've had this confirmed to me by Doug Lombardi this evening, with a revised ETA:

Just wanted to give you a quick update on Aftermath, specically its ETA. We're working very hard to finish this new episode for HL2, however, its going to take us a bit more time to get it into top shape. As such, the target release for this one is now Feb/March of next year.

Undoubtedly many of you will fail to see the positive side of this, so allow me to elaborate. Judging by Doug's statement there, it seems as though Aftermath isn't finished or if it is finished then it's currently not good enough to be appreciated by us all.

[Soukyan]

While I'm sure the new HL version of this will be impressive, Jedi Knight already had a level where this happens, right after fighting Darth Maw you kill/save Jan, confirm your dark/light arrangements, and get tossed into a spaceship that falls out of the sky, you have to use the rotation of the environment to escape.

Is the rotation of the fall different every time? If not, then it is a scripted "physics" and not a true dynamic physics. Now if the fall were to incur a different rotation every time, then that's quite cool. Also, in Prey, they appear to use the physics engine alot, but it seems to be more integrated into play instead of having a tech demo feel as in Half-Life 2 as someone else mentioned before. Not that I'm knocking HL2 because I loved it.

[Murgos]

Wait, you are saying that you wont be happy if the physics of a falling object is a deterministic event that it must be non-deterministic to make you happy? Am I Rite?

Do yourself a favor and google up the following:  Moment of inertia, Newton's Second Law, torque, Linear and Angular Momentum, Work, Kinetic Energy and probably power also.

You do know that people set some really accurate clocks by the movement of falling bodies?

One, last google for ya!  Pendulum.

[Soukyan]

Wait, you are saying that you wont be happy if the physics of a falling object is a deterministic event that it must be non-deterministic to make you happy? Am I Rite?

Do yourself a favor and google up the following:  Moment of inertia, Newton's Second Law, torque, Linear and Angular Momentum, Work, Kinetic Energy and probably power also.

You do know that people set some really accurate clocks by the movement of falling bodies?

One, last google for ya!  Pendulum.

I understand all of the concepts. Just wondering if it has the same path every time or if some of the variables change thereby giving a different experience each time through, if you want to break it down. If it does, so be it. I thought it might be neat if it was different every time. From your answer, I'm guessing it isn't. *shrug* So no, you are not "rite". Do yourself a favor and google "wrong".

Angry much? ;)

[Rasix]

Manage your damn Fantasy Football team!

[Soukyan]

Manage your damn Fantasy Football team! :cthulu:

I did ;) Unfortunately, it looks like my TE replacement tanked (but yay Steelers!) and if my WR manages to pull out an amazing game Monday night, I may still win. Outlook is hazy.

[Murgos]

I understand all of the concepts. Just wondering if it has the same path every time or if some of the variables change thereby giving a different experience each time through, if you want to break it down. If it does, so be it. I thought it might be neat if it was different every time. From your answer, I'm guessing it isn't. *shrug* So no, you are not "rite". Do yourself a favor and google "wrong".

Angry much? ;)

Not angry, the point was that realistic physics is not physics thats different each iteration.  Sorry to confuse you, if you hand't already known that I guess I should have known that it would be pointless to bring it up in an internet thread.

[Kenrick]

/necro

Okay, so anyone have any idea when the holy hell this expansion is actually coming out?

[Yegolev]

I find nothing.  Downside of distribution without a publisher riding your ass.

[Soukyan]

/necro

Okay, so anyone have any idea when the holy hell this expansion is actually coming out?

It is now going by the name of Half-Life 2: Episode One. GameSpot has a release date of April 24, 2006 listed.

[Azazel]

So is it going to feature Jar Jar Binks now?

[Kenrick]

Nope, just midichlorians.