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Valve vet Chet Faliszek and Riot's Kim Voll form a co-op game studio
Half-Life 2 writer Chet Faliszek and Riot Games veteran Dr. Kimberly Voll are launching a new game studio with a focus on co-op titles. Dubbed Stray Bombay, the venture will leverage Voll's AI prowess to power "not just enemies but...the entire experience," according to the duo's new blog post. Faliszek, meanwhile, will tap into his wealth of work for Valve's co-op titles like Portal 2 and the Left 4 Dead series.
Left 4 Dead series sells more than 12 million
The Left 4 Dead series has sold more than 12 million copies, Valve writer Chet Faliszek noted in an interview with VG24/7. Faliszek talked about the company's approach to promoting its games, saying Valve doesn't rely much on marketing because "when a game does really well at pre-release, they're going to know that you're not just talking a bunch of PR crap.""We just let the game speak for itself because the internet has made this thing where you can't pull the wool over people's eyes any more. They're going to know you're hyping," he said. Either the zombie apocalypse creates some high-quality wool, or Left 4 Dead must be a pretty great series.
The importance of playtesting: What Portal 2 could have been
When Erik Wolpaw and Chet Faliszek first sat down to write Portal 2, they went mad. It certainly appears that way now, when the final version of Portal 2 that shipped in 2011 was such a resounding success, especially for a highly anticipated sequel. The first iteration Wolpaw and Faliszek envisioned got rid of three important mechanics in the Portal universe: Chell, GLaDOS and, as we knew and are still reeling over, portals. In a talk at GDC, Wolpaw and Faliszek explained why they thought that was a good idea, and how they learned it was pretty much the dumbest thing ever.The original Portal 2 had three new things in place of the classic ideas: F-stop (the new portal mechanic), Cave Johnson (antagonist replacement) and Betty (GLaDOS substitute). Betty was a knee-high personality sphere on wheels, a piece of concept art showed, and she spoke in quick legalese, "like those ads for medicine where they show puppies while they talk about the rectal bleeding you're going to have," Wolpaw said.
Building Counter-Strike: Global Offensive atop a strong community
I can't imagine how hard it is to be a development studio with some of the most beloved franchises under its belt. Fans expect so much. It can't be easy to be Valve -- doubly so when trying to develop the next entry in one of the studio's popular competitive franchises, Counter-Strike. Valve's Chet Faliszek really wants to please the fans and eventual communities that will spring up around Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.%Gallery-134634%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive loses cross-play
A lot can change in six months. As of last summer, Valve had planned to offer cross-play for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on the PC, Mac, and PS3. But based on what it's learned from the beta, Valve has decided to strip the functionality in favor of offering constant updates for players on the PC and Mac."The beta has proved we want to update not just the beta, but the game itself post-launch frequently on the PC," Valve's Chet Faliszek revealed to Joystiq. "To do that we need to separate the platforms so one doesn't hamstring the other. So for that, we have removed the idea of cross-platform play -- essentially make all platforms stronger by not mixing them."If you would like to get into the ongoing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive beta, fill out Valve's survey. If you want cross-play back in the game, wait to sign one of the dozens of online petitions currently being created.
Valve: Any Half-Life 3 clues are 'community trolling the community'
So your friend heard from his friend who used to go out with a girl who was a cousin of a Valve developer that Half-Life 3 would be released as a Steam exclusive this March? Or maybe you just crawled across a convincing website which seemed to point to another, long-awaited iteration in the Half-Life series? Well bad news, friends: "You are being trolled." That's the word from Valve writer Chet Faliszek, who says on the Steam forums that "there is no ARG," and there are no official hints out there at all that a third Half-Life game is coming any time soon. We don't care how convincing that secret FTP that the guy on IRC told you about was: any Half-Life 3 rumors so far are completely unofficial, as great as that fan-made Portal short was. Then again, it would be just like Valve to say that an official ARG wasn't official, wouldn't it? Maybe they're just trying to hide the real story by saying it too is a fake! Conspiracy!
Counter Strike: GO beta delayed to address early feedback
Originally planned for October, it looks like the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive closed beta has been delayed. According to an ESEA News interview with Valve's Chet Faliszek, the beta was pushed back after the company received feedback from the Counter-Strike experts who have already tested the game. Faliszek noted that there are some fundamental issues that need to be resolved before the beta is made available to a wider audience. He didn't offer any updated release date for the beta, though he did reveal that the initial wave of the beta will include 10,000 players and will grow "in steps" as Valve tests "infrastructure and scalability." Eventually, the beta will be made available to everyone. Faliszek added that there will be no set end date for the beta, saying "we have no mandate from anybody of when we have to ship this." Essentially, he said, the final version of the beta will be the game that Valve actually releases to the public. "It will be the release game that you're just playing," he said, "and then at some point we'll say, 'Okay, now we're going to officially release it.'"
Portal 2 will not support PlayStation Move [update]
Update [2:30PM]: "Portal 2 does not include support for Sony's motion controller," Valve clarified in a press statement today, saying quotes in a German language PlayStation Blog interview that had indicated PlayStation Move integration was in the works had been "lost in translation." (See our original post after the break.)
Portal 2 getting user-created content 'on all platforms,' has two endings
Though mod tools for Portal 2 will only arrive on PC ("there's a bunch of dependencies that require the Windows platform"), Valve's Chet Faliszek confirmed during a recent interview that the fruits of those tools will make their way to "all platforms." Faliszek specifically noted that "the content that comes out is agnostic, and so we will be seeing that on all platforms." That said, the content may not be distributed the same way across all platforms. "Depending on the platform you're on, I should say, will depend on how we're delivering it," Faliszek said, also confirming that the PS3 version would get user-created content via Steam for PS3. In other Portal 2 news, speaking with VideoGamer, Faliszek revealed that each of the game's two campaign modes (single-player and co-op) will have their own individual surprise rewards for completion. "Both sets of credits [will feature something special], because we've got two credits," he explained. "So we had to do something twice as amazing." Presumably, Mr. Coulton has been hard at work on a hot new mix (mixes?) for GLaDOS. This time, we're holding out hope for a big dance number.
Valve reveals 'The Sacrifice' DLC for L4D1 and 2, digital comic
Both Left 4 Dead titles will be getting a new DLC pack -- titled "The Sacrifice" -- in the future. Valve's Chet Faliszek announced as much on the latest episode of GameTrailers TV, detailing the DLC's story as an explanation of how the first L4D crew lost a member (during "The Passing") and saying that the content will work across both games. Owners of Left 4 Dead 2 will be able to play as the first game's fearsome foursome and even be able to choose which member of that crew will end up having his or her brains eaten by the horde. Faliszek also noted that the content will be free -- like usual -- for Steam users, and the series will be arriving on Steam for Mac as well. If that wasn't enough, L4D1's "No Mercy" campaign has been updated for the sequel and will be included with "The Sacrifice" when it ships. Though players will be able to choose which crew member passes in "The Sacrifice," a 150-page, four part digital comic details events leading up to the new DLC will have a more definitive finale which will effect the future content for the series (we can't be more specific without spoiling "The Passing"). Faliszek didn't give a price or a release window on the show, but he did admit that this "is not the end, we're gonna continue going" with future content for the series. Update: According to an interview with PC Gamer (via Shacknews), it seems "The Sacrifice" will be available (at least on PC) as of October 5 for free, though it will cost 560 MS Points ($7) on Xbox 360. We've reached out to Valve for clarification on the release date for 360 and Mac.
Left 4 Dead 2: now with 4 times as many pre-orders
As if blissfully dancing on the grave of its opposing and recently deceased boycott, Valve's shambler-shooting sequel, Left 4 Dead 2, seems destined to surpass its predecessor. Speaking to CVG, Chet Faliszek revealed that pre-orders for the game had quadrupled those enjoyed by the original game. "As we get closer to launch we see the reaction to the demo, pre-orders are four times what Left 4 Dead 1 was, people's excitement, the boycott itself and how it's changed..." he said. "I think people are just excited now."Having tested what the power of the people can accomplish (most of all when wielding skull-smashing implements) Valve can finally let that excitement wash over them, content that fans have latched on to what's in the game -- and not what's missing. "Honestly I made the joke and it's true: If you put $20 in a box and charge $10 for it someone would complain you didn't put $50 in a box," added Faliszek. "Not to say some of the concerns raised aren't valid, but you're always going to have some kind of upset and that's not how we work. We work at looking at the project and trying to get it out."Valve gets Left 4 Dead 2 out on November 17th.
Chet Faliszek crushes Left 4 Dead 2 DLC rumors
Remember those pair of error messages that a few folks found in the demo for Left 4 Dead 2, referecing "Miracle" and "Apocalypse" DLC? Yeah, those ain't no thing. At least, not according to Valve's Chet Faliszek, who recently addressed the error messages while speaking at the Eurogamer Expo. "What, those error messages?" he reportedly said, "Why, those ain't no thing." Of course, Kotaku's slightly more accurate transcription of this quote had Faliszek saying, "if you're reading in the forums and you're reading about the 'Miracle' DLC or whatever, that's test code." He added, "to get tested through Microsoft certification we had to do test scenarios with DLC. We haven't actually come out internally with what we're going to do yet." Hmph. We liked our version better.
Interview: Left 4 Dead 2's Chet Faliszek
During PAX 2009, we stopped by Valve's booth to chat with Chet Faliszek, one of the leading minds behind Left 4 Dead 2. Read on for insight into the differences between Left 4 Dead and its upcoming sequel, the possibility of user-created levels on Xbox 360 and just what's possible with the L4D2 editing tools: So, you guys have talked about fleshing out the story in Left 4 Dead 2 a bit more, and having a more involved plot. How do you do that with a game like this? I think that's one of those "I'm just going to ask you to wait and see." Some of it is simply ... Left 4 Dead 1's world was at the same stage every place you went. The infection had been there for a little bit. This time we're seeing what it's like to be in a city before the infection hits. And you see different people's reaction to that, as you cross around the country, and there's some other bits we tie in with the original Left 4 Dead in Left 4 Dead 2 as well.
All 10 Left 4 Dead 2 melee weapons over here!
Speaking to Valve's Chet Faliszek at PAX, we asked how many melee weapons will make it into Left 4 Dead 2. At the time, Faliszek told us he wasn't sure, but he knew there were more melee weapons in Left 4 Dead 2 than there were guns in the original game. We followed up with Faliszek after the show and we can now share all ten of the game's melee weapons. Without further ado, they are: Baseball Bat Cricket Bat Crowbar Electric Guitar Fire Axe Frying Pan Katana Machete Tonfa (police baton) Chainsaw The question you have to ask yourself: Which one of these would you abandon your teammates for? Remember, a teammate constricted by a Smoker is a teammate that can't pick up that katana over there.
An amusement park full of zombies, care of Left 4 Dead 2
How exclusive is this footage? So exclusive it's not even named yet! At least that's what Valve's Chet Faliszek told Geoff Keigley about Left 4 Dead 2's amusement park campaign on the most recent episode of GTTV. If you skip past the first half of the episode found after the break (which, inconveniently enough isn't available as a standalone video), you'll get a few minutes of new gameplay from the upcoming zombie-murdalizin' sequel. As you might imagine, there are zombies. There are also amusement park rides. As if clowns weren't terrifying enough! Come on, Valve! %Gallery-64704%
