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Half-Life 2 Episode 2 Delayed into 2007 86

Posted by Zonk from the i-hope-judith-mossman-can-wait dept.
Eurogamer is reporting that the next episode of Half-Life 2 has been delayed out into 2007. Originally slated for the Holidays this year, their high standards has pushed the delay between Episodes 1 and 2 to 8 months. This information comes as part of an article Eurogamer is running with Valve's Doug Lombardi. From the article: "It's just sort of classic Valve being overly aggressive on our dates. But we're aiming for Q1 right now and we're really far along in the playtest stage. You know, our thing is always that we're trying to make really good experiences and so we're going to manage to that rather than the schedule."
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Half-Life 2 Episode 2 Delayed into 2007 More

Half-Life 2 Episode 2 Delayed into 2007

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  • Are we really surprised? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by thebdj ( 768618 ) on Friday August 25, 2006 @09:29AM (#15977507) Journal
    I remember how long HL2 got delayed. I bought my ATI AIW 9600 Pro, because of the deal for HL2. Just so happens it got so delayed you only got the key. Of course, they did lots to try to make this up by providing the original HL catalog. These sorts of things happen, this isn't the first game delayed and surely won't be the last, especially when Valve is involved.
    • I bought the same card for the HL2 deal. Although, after entering the code and playing half the game, valve decided my cd-key had already been activated. I was not a happy camper.
      • after entering the code and playing half the game, valve decided my cd-key had already been activated

        We know this is a lie, piracy doesn't effect real people.
        • Lol, i have the card the cdkey is printed on from the box. I have the reciept for the video card along with proof of purchase. I still have the original box stating that it comes with HL2 (upon release). Correct me if i'm out of line, but I believe that's more than enough proof for valve. Of course, valve never got back to me. That's the only thing I don't like about Valve. They don't care if your cdkey IS infact stolen from you. P.S. As pissed as i was, when HL2DM was released i couldn't hold out any
          • I still have the original box stating that it comes with HL2 (upon release). Correct me if i'm out of line, but I believe that's more than enough proof for valve.

            I agree with you completely. It's crap when this type of thing happens and if a company is using the old CD key system they should have a procedure in place for dealing with situations like this. But still, this is proof that pirates are doing harm to the legitimate public.

            Where did you get this copy of HL2 from with the bad CD key? I'm wonderin
            • I bought it at best buy. The box was sealed and (apparently) brand new. The keycode has a scratchy stuff (like lottery ticket stuff) over it so i had to scratch that off to see the key. I had the key in a lock box until the game was released (overkill i know). I'm thinking it was most likely take by blunt force or incidently came up on a keygen before i activated it. The odd thing is, i got to play 1/2 of the game before valve started yelling at me for using an activated key. Although, even through al
              • I'm a little confused with your story. When I installed HL2, I registered an email address with Steam and then registered my HL2 CD-Key to that email address. If you were able to play the first part of the game, I would assume you did this; which would make it impossible for someone else to re-register your CD-Key. What did I miss?
                • That's where i was confused! I had pre-loaded the game before it was released. I already had a steam account before that. So i added the cdkey to my account. No problems. I got the game unlocked and started playing. At one sitting i went through 1/2 the game. When i went to go back in the game the next day, it wouldn't let me load it up saying "You cannot play this game because the cdkey you are using is activated under another account" (or some to that effect). I had saved games halfway through the
              • Although, even through all that, i'm not sour i had to go and buy another copy.

                Not slighting you, I definitely personally understand the need-it-now tech mentality. But unfortunately it's exactly that sort of behavior that software companies rely on these days to continue not caring about legitimate customers getting listed as pirates by the companies' flawed DRM systems. They know we (or at least a profitable percentage of 'we') will pay no matter what, sometimes more than once like in your case. I'm re
                • I can agree with that. I would have done just that if i DID pay full price for a game and that happened. The copy I received was a FREE copy with a purchase of an ATI card at that time. I had plans to buy one of those cards before they offered the card but that did seal the deal. Had i paid $60 for the first copy, i would have put up a HUGE stink! Paying a total of $120 for HL2 would be insane. You are right though. I was fighting it up until they released the HL2DM (my favorite game of all time was

  • No problem here... (Score:5, Funny)

    by NOCjock ( 995398 ) on Friday August 25, 2006 @09:29AM (#15977510)
    I'm still trying to get past the zombies at the elevator...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by eln ( 21727 ) *
      Oh, that's easy. Play on commentary mode, and when things get too intense, start one of the commentary tracks going. While the commentary is playing, blow everyone away while you're invulnerable.

      Or did you want to get past it without cheating? In that case, my strategy the first time around involved a lot of running in circles and firing at random. Somehow, it worked.
    • Here's a hint for ya - you know the "zombines" that suicide-bomb you with grenades? You can pull the grenade out of their hand with the gravity gun. You could toss it right back at them but that elevator sequence is pretty cramped. It'd probably be best to just lob it out of harm's way.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mrbooze ( 49713 )
      I didn't think that section was *that* hard, though probably amongst the most difficult of the episode.

      Anyway, I believe I saw in a steam update recently that they toned that encounter down a little.
    • Use the flares! I discovered this during the second play-through. They littered the area with flares, which I originally thought was just to provide light while your battery recharges. But if you use the gravity gun to launch the flares at zombies, the flare will start them on fire. If you're lucky, they will then start each other on fire. The flare falls to the ground after it starts the zombie on fire, so you can even use until it burns out.
  • I'll just hop into a slow-time warp, and bam!
  • Half-Life 2 Episode 2 is set to ship with Team Fortress 2. The vaporware curse lives on!

  • Quality (Score:4, Insightful)

    by CodemasterMM ( 943136 ) on Friday August 25, 2006 @09:31AM (#15977526) Homepage
    Valve's games constantly have very high quality, outstanding story and very enjoyable gameplay. To make their game as perfect as possible, I feel that giving them another 3-4 months is acceptable.

    Good luck, Valve! Expect me to be buying Episode 2 soon.
    • DAMN STRAIGHT! I'm glad the parent said something, or I'd have to jump in. For the experience I got with Episode 1, I say, take your time, Valve... that way we KNOW it will be good when it comes out.

      Deadlines have killed even the strongest franchises. Anyone else remember Ultima IX?
    • Expect me to be buying Episode 2 soon.
      Not too soon, apparently.
    • I'm with you on that one. The whole halflife series is my favorite, so if Valve wants some more time to make it better, not a problem. I'll just be patient and know i'm getting my money's worth when it does come out.

    • Re:Quality (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Don_dumb ( 927108 ) on Friday August 25, 2006 @09:50AM (#15977705)
      HL2 was infamously delayed but unlike other postponed and hyped games (cough, *Daikatana*, cough), it really was worth it.
      This site is full of stories of producers releasing games before the developers want it to happen. I am glad Valve still has the right priorities.

      Incidentally I have just played through HL2 again and was reminded just how great it was (I kept finding ways to do things that I didn't notice before), now I am off home to get Ep1.

      • Re:Quality (Score:4, Funny)

        by Ford Prefect ( 8777 ) on Friday August 25, 2006 @10:18AM (#15977942) Homepage
        Incidentally I have just played through HL2 again and was reminded just how great it was (I kept finding ways to do things that I didn't notice before), now I am off home to get Ep1.

        If you're looking for other, highly apocryphal single-player Half-Life 2, there's always my very own MINERVA [hylobatidae.org]. People seem to quite like it. Some mini-reviews from random forums:

        "Despite the website that oozes more angst and self-hatred than an emo concert at an emo convention, this is worth downloading."

        "That pompous, cliche tone gave the sense that a smarmy Brit with two dictionaries, three encylopedias and a latin textbook shoved up his ******* was faxing you orders. That might fly in Far Cry or some other attempt at remotely-located-brainiac-is-playing-God/head-game s-with-you, but not the HL2 universe in which this is situated."

        "A second-rate Half-Life 2 mod."

        "i made a box map with a giant penis that has better lighting that this shit"

        "So the deal is I am going to break up with my girlfriend, stop going to college, quit my job and make the best game in history, and make fun of adam foster in the credits for his use of shoddy worksmanship which has befuddled you all."

        I read it all on the internet, so it must be true... ;-)

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by LMN8R ( 979699 )
          haha, those comments are awesome. That's your mod? I really enjoy the two episodes released so far and can't wait for the third. Any idea when that will be?

          • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

            by Ford Prefect ( 8777 )
            haha, those comments are awesome. That's your mod? I really enjoy the two episodes released so far and can't wait for the third. Any idea when that will be?

            Yup, it's mine - final part of Metastasis should get released by the end of the year. Or something. Before Episode Two, anyway. ;-)

            Actually, despite being in a very much corporate environment right now, I think I'll reboot this 'ere MacBook Pro [hylobatidae.org] into Windows XP, and let the office ring with the sound of gunfire. And other noises associated with MINERVA de
            • Yup, it's mine
              If that's really your MOD, then let me thank you. I REALLY enjoyed the first two parts. I'm not big on MP games or mods, so I was glad when someone mentioned Minerva (great SP MOD).

              Anyway, keep up the good work! I can't wait for part 3!

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by RiscIt ( 95258 )
          Speaking of things that aren't finished...... ;-)

          Or is it?

          I haven't played through Minerva in awhile, but I remember it ending deep in the bowels of the map ro.... I mean the shaft... to be honest I have no idea where I was, but I remember it didn't have an ending, and it stopped in an airlock.

          Has there been more added? Is it done? yes? no? ETA? gimme gimme gimme! :-D

          I know these may seem like obvious questions, but the website is a little less than clear....
        • Cool. People just giving me games. I will give it a go.
          Thanks
      • I very much enjoyed HL2 (even after its delay), but I don't think it was flawless (remember the sound-stutter bug?). But the 'invisible' updating by Steam surely helps in quickly erasing such problems (at least for me), and to this day I think it was worth every penny I paid for it.

        I haven't gotten around in buying Episode 1 yet (still busy with Prey), but I will probably buy it once Episode 2 comes along.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Cruise_WD ( 410599 )
      I should hope it's a little more than "acceptable."

      Game developers should be free to take as long as they like in making a game.

      Sure, that means they may release a game with graphics that are three years out of date and gameplay elements that have appeared in several other games too. So don't buy it.

      If, however, it's an amazing game with superb gameplay balance and rock-solid out of the box, then go get that sucker.

      I'm not "waiting" for any game - I have more than enough to do in the meantime that I'm happy

    • Valve's games constantly have very high quality, outstanding story and very enjoyable gameplay. To make their game as perfect as possible, I feel that giving them another 3-4 months is acceptable.

      The quality thing is all good and fine, but would you accept that excuse for a 4-month delay from, say, "Scientific American," or "Motor Trend"? How about the next episode of "24"?

      The fact is, I waited a long time for both Doom 3 and Half-Life 2, both for "quality" and other reasons, and this wait wasn't a big pro

  • Wait... Hang on, does this mean I missed the release of HL2?
  • They must be holding out to make it fully Vista-compatible...

    But to be a little more serious, if they have such high standards, why didn't they set more realistic dates in the first place? It's better to be early than late (except from some marketing standpoints).
  • If the rumoured release of Duke Nukem Forever this year is true then TF2 which is being released with Episode 2 is going to be on it's way to taking longer than Duke Nukem Forever.

    TF2 was originally due out in 1998 as a mod for Quake 2, since then it's seen numerous engine moves, it's no suprise that it's being delayed again along with Episode 2 as Valve I'm sure have yet to ship a product without putting it back a few times ;)

    Still, Prey made it out the door which almost brought me to tears, I've been wait

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Duds ( 100634 )
      The current Prey isn't Prey, that was cancelled. A different team later got the rights and started from scratch so that doesn't count.

      Where as DNF is celebrating it's 10th year of the same team apparently doing fuck all.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by DJRikki ( 646184 )
        "Where as DNF is celebrating it's 10th year of the same team apparently doing fuck all."

        I didnt know the British government were behind DNF
  • Good things come to those who wait. HL2 was definitely worth the long wait.

  • http://www.forumplanet.com/planethalflife/topic.as p?fid=2348&tid=1938761 [forumplanet.com]

    Some good stuff in there... EP2 is looking better than EP1, and I'm willing to give them some more time with it.

  • Idea? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by no.17 ( 997011 )
    It better ship with a free headcrab/crowbar gift pack.

  • Which means... (Score:3, Informative)

    by hollismb ( 817357 ) on Friday August 25, 2006 @10:05AM (#15977834) Homepage
    That the XBOX 360 version will be delayed as well, which is fine, because there is a fairly good selection of titles coming out for it this holiday season (Splinter cell, Rainbow six, F.E.A.R.). For those that don't know, the upcoming XBOX 360 version ships with Half Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2, all on the same disc. That's a pretty good deal for 59 bucks if you ask me.

  • Episode 1 (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Turn-X Alphonse ( 789240 ) on Friday August 25, 2006 @10:22AM (#15977988) Journal
    I honestly don't care.

    Since I picked up Ep 1 I've had nothing but trouble with it, Valve tech support has been little more than a joke and I'm still waiting for a patch to fix the basic things. How urgent is it to fix a major bug which stops scripts (this means you can't play at all) running? Acording to Valve it's not even remotely important, since they'd rather quick fix a hard part of the game then releasing a real patch so I can play the damn game.

    I gave Valve a chance with HL2, I gave them another chance with episode 1. Now I've run out of good will and I just want my damn games to run out of the box (should note there was a bug to even INSTALL it which required a work around). So Ep 2 can come out now or never for all I care. Untill Valve get decent tech support which does more than direct you to the FAQ you use to contact them I'll take a look again, but untill then I can find enough HL2 mods to last me till the end of time.
    • Anyone else had this kind of trouble. I've had no problems with EP1 since i bought it. You using Steam or a store bought copy? I'm interested to know if this is a large problem. Valve is known to have shotty tech support and their forums are a joke, but i've not once had trouble with my own installations of valve. I Loved HL2 and ep1 was no dissapointment. I'm not partial to the episodic content idea, but if they could just make the game a little longer i won't mind puttin out the cash for it. I don't min
    • Sorry to hear that. I didn't have a single problem with Ep1; it ran flawlessly on mine.
    • I had a small problem with HL2 a while ago. I had some difficulty contacting Valve's tech support (the FAQ said to click a link that wasn't there) but when I finally wrote to them they got back to me within 48 hours. Otherwise I've had no trouble.

      For the record, I bought HL2 in a box and Episode One on Steam. I've been so incredibly satisfied with Steam that I've bought a couple more games and don't regret for a moment not owning a box. I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble playing such fantastic g
  • Does anybody know if Valve are planning to release all three episodes for a low price when they're all released?

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by spyrochaete ( 707033 )
      PC Gamer magazine's previes of Episode Two a couple of months ago confirmed that yes, a Half Life 2 complete compilation will be for sale after the third episode is released. No doubt they'll sell a mega pack including Half Life Source and its expansions as well.
      • Cheers, thanks for that. :)


        Guess I'll just wait for Episodes and Portals to be complete.

        • If you own HL2 and you have a fairly beefy computer (good enough to run HL2 at max detail at a good resolution and framerate) do yourself a big favour and drop $20 on Episode One. I was really skeptical at this episodic release and pricing scheme but Valve packed a whole lot of gaming goodness into the 4.5 hour first expansion. I really love Episode One and you will too. :) When all is said and done, $60 for about 14 hours of expansion packs amounts to a very fair price - especially since each of the 3 e
          • When all is said and done, $60 for about 14 hours of expansion packs amounts to a very fair price - especially since each of the 3 episodes are designed with mega intensity in mind!


            I'm afraid I don't agree with you there.

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by Kelbear ( 870538 )
            I don't know if the episodic medium did anything to help improve quality.

            However, at the same time, I didn't feel that quality suffered in anyway either. Getting the same amount of play hours and effectively the same price.

            However, I though EP1 was better than HL2. And I loved HL2. I just can't attribute this quality to the medium is all. I think Episode 1 was better than HL2 primarily because they've just grown more experienced. HL2 taught them some lessons, and after playing through the commentary you see

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by KDR_11k ( 778916 )
            I didn't play HL2 past Ravenholm so I don't think that "you must buy Ep1" bit applies to me...

            And 20€ for 4.5 hours is a bit much considering how many games (granted, slightly older ones) you can get at that price point that will last you much longer. Knowing Valve I can get Prey for 20 € before Ep1 even drops to 15.
            • Well, definitely don't play Episode One before finishing the original. Are you really forced to buy it for 20 though? I'm in Canada and I bought the game on Steam for $20 USD with no tax.

              If you play shooters to shoot then definite get Prey as it's a great action game with cool weapons. But if you play shooters for the experience of a virtual world then DEFINITELY play through HL2 because its world just keeps getting more beautiful and believable with every step.

              • Re: (Score:1)

                by KDR_11k ( 778916 )
                I suppose I could buy Ep1 online but for that I'd need a credit card.

                But if you play shooters for the experience of a virtual world then DEFINITELY play through HL2 because its world just keeps getting more beautiful and believable with every step.

                Dunno, I didn't like the atmosphere and the scripted sequences. The former made me want to stop playing, the latter made the whole thing look like an animatronic display since noone ever reacted to what your character did outside of pushing the button he was promp
                • Dunno, I didn't like the atmosphere and the scripted sequences. The former made me want to stop playing, the latter made the whole thing look like an animatronic display since noone ever reacted to what your character did outside of pushing the button he was prompted to push.

                  You've got to have scripted sequences in a story-based shooter. There's really no other way to do it. At least HL2 adds a little immersion to these sequences since the NPC eye tracking is EERILY realistic - when they look at you t

  • I commend Valve for doing the right thing and delaying the game to avoid compromising its quality. I enjoyed HL2, though I haven't had a chance to play Episode 1, Valve games are consistently great.

    That said, we've been building games for what, 20 years now? While it's commendable to do the right thing when a delay inevitably hits, the industry as a whole has more delays than on-time releases, or something. Is it not possible to do it right the first time AND hit the schedule?

    Where's the problem coming

    • Where's the problem coming from? Overaggressive scheduling?

      Definitely. Extending the schedule means paying a lot of people's fulltime salaries and publishers and financiers have little patience for this.

      You're 100% right that Valve games have benefitted greatly from extending release dates. I replay their games on a pretty much annual basis and the high quality is what makes games as old as Half Life still enjoyable today. 5 years from now everyone will remember Half Life 2 for its outstanding qua
    • the problem is coders browsing /. when they're supposed to be coding
  • I doin't care about EP2 after the sidappointment of EP1, but I'm really looking formward to playing Portal. Is that delayed as well? God, I hope not. The video made it look like a lot of fun.

  • Worth the Wait (Score:2, Insightful)

    by i_ate_god ( 899684 )
    I'd rather Valve refines and refines some more untill their video games are perfect.

    HL2 is so meticulously detailed in all aspects. It's refreshing that Valve lives up to its artistic priorities before their business ones.
  • I think I express everybody's concern when I say I hope this means Episode 2 will be longer than Episode 1. Episode 1 was so short that I finished it the day after I begun, and I was even going fast, more like saving/loading all he time to save ammo and HP, and a bit for fun too :-). And I must say that I never finished such a game before, even in weeks.
    • I finished the game on release day and I was really disappointed when it ended, but in retrospect I definitely feel like I got my $20 worth.

      Also, one of HL2's best features is its autosave function. I dropped the habit of F5ing all the time after playing HL2, and I don't think I regretted relying on autosave even once in Episode One. It's so well done that I neglect to save while playing other FPS titles and I often get disappointed when I have to replay an entire level.

  • Oh well. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by the_REAL_sam ( 670858 ) on Friday August 25, 2006 @12:49PM (#15979392) Journal

    HL2 Episode 1 didn't even work after I shelled out the $20 for it. I complained online as did many others. No fix after 6 months. Who knows, perhaps they'll fix their bug by then. Otherwise I'm not going to buy Episode 2.

    YOU LISTENING TO ME, VALVE?! OTHERWISE I WON'T BUY IT!!!!

    Until I get a better system. But I'm not going to buy a new computer just for your game.

    • You already tried Eposide 1? I'm going to finish Half Life 2 with SMOD and
      bind "q" host_timescale "0.3"
      bind "g" host_timescale "1.0"

      All people should enjoy Half Life 2 physics (from Havoc?) before commenting on "needing" a PPU or real-physics capable GPU.

      http://jooh.no/clips.html [jooh.no]

      • No, I didn't get Episode 1 to work. It crashed every time I launched it.

        In fact, I reinstalled my entire OS, and it STILL didn't work.

        No need to be impatient; they'll get around to fixing the bug...?eventually?

  • I was disappointed when I purchased EP2 through Steam for two simple reasons.

    1. I saw it for $12 a week later at BB.
    2. It was really short. Really, really short.

    On the plus side, I did enjoy what little there was. Still not worth $20 though.

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