Valve Software
Latest
Valve extends Steam store beyond games
Adding to the growing list of companies providing storefronts for selling apps, Valve Software has announced its plans to expand the Steam distribution platform beyond selling games. Starting September 5, users will be able to purchase apps from a growing selection of software titles, including photo editing, multimedia & productivity applications. Similar to the App Store, the Steam platform offers functionality to app developers to enable automatic software updates & cloud-based data storage. Because of this, independent developers who have fallen out of favor with the App Store & Apple's iCloud offering may find this to be an intriguing development. [via Joystiq] Show full PR text STEAM EXPANDS BEYOND GAMES Launch Set of "Software" Titles Coming Sept 5 Aug 8, 2012 -- Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the first set of Software titles are heading to Steam, marking a major expansion to the platform most commonly known as a leading destination for PC and Mac games. The Software titles coming to Steam range from creativity to productivity. Many of the launch titles will take advantage of popular Steamworks features, such as easy installation, automatic updating, and the ability to save your work to your personal Steam Cloud space so your files may travel with you. More Software titles will be added in an ongoing fashion following the September 5th launch, and developers will be welcome to submit Software titles via Steam Greenlight. "The 40 million gamers frequenting Steam are interested in more than playing games," said Mark Richardson at Valve. "They have told us they would like to have more of their software on Steam, so this expansion is in response to those customer requests." For more information, please visit www.steampowered.com.
Report: Source 2 references buried in Source Filmmaker code
Valve fans are getting more than machinima film editing tools in the Source Filmmaker application, apparently – savvy code hackers at ValveTime.net uncovered references in the code to a "Source 2 engine," indicating that a second iteration of Valve's "Source" engine is in the works. The references go beyond text, as several tool icons (labeled "Source 2 tools") were also found.Moreover, the engine is labeled as "next-gen," hinting at what its likely application will be – next-gen video games. Valve has yet to announce any next-gen projects, and the company's never said a word about its next Source iteration.Half-Life 2, the Left 4 Dead series, and several other Valve games are based on the original Source architecture, dating all the way back to 2004. It's been criticized in recent years for inflexibility and agedness, and a reboot certainly wouldn't hurt. Valve had yet to respond to request for comment as of publishing.
Payday's bank robbers take over Left 4 Dead's Mercy Hospital
Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time! The bank robbing bad guys from Payday are getting crossed with Left 4 Dead's zombie-filled Mercy Hospital – apparently prior to the events of L4D – in an upcoming mission pack. See for yourself above.
Steam Summer Sale, Day 6: Black Ops, Spec Ops, Limbo (and other stuff too!)
Another day passed, and your bank account is that much lighter, but Valve's annual Steam Summer Sale is back with a whole mess of new discounts. For instance, that copy of Train Simulator 2012 you've been holding out on? It's seeing a massive 90 percent discount, and will cost you just $3.49 if you snap it up soon.Or how about that Wargame: European Escalation game you've had your eye on, eh? That's ... oh who're we kidding? You want Grand Theft Auto IV for your PC and you want it for like $5. Done. The same could be said for RTS classic Company of Heroes (just $2.50!) and recently released third-person shooter Spec Ops: The Line ($33.50). Head on over to the Steam Store for the full listings of sales, which expire tomorrow afternoon.
Far Cry 2 creative lead Clint Hocking now working for Valve
Clint Hocking – the designer behind Far Cry 2 and the original Splinter Cell – vacated his latest gig at LucasArts last month. Though he didn't leave a forwarding address, a recent tweet depicted his son in the Valve headquarters lobby, with the word "Arrival." Valve reps confirmed his new employment there to Joystiq today via email, but stopped short of saying what Hocking's work at the Washington-based studio would entail.Hocking previously worked at LucasArts on projects unknown, and has spent the past few years out of the spotlight (our past three stories on him involve exiting or entering new jobs).
PSA: Valve's Source Filmmaker ready for public use, goes open beta
Steam's Source-based machinima crafting tool, the Source Filmmaker, is out of closed beta and ready for use by the rest of us. Valve announced the news last evening on its Source Filmmaker blog, alongside word of a database for organizing, viewing, and rating the various creations of SFM users. We found the one above in there and thought it rather appropriate for the news. We hope you'll agree.
Valve Source Filmmaker makes a movie out of any Source game, now you're directing with Portals (video)
Creating machinima with a video game engine usually requires accepting one of two truths: either that it will require a lot of fudging or that it will have all the sophistication of playing with action figures. Valve Software isn't very happy with that dichotomy, which is why it's posting its very own movie-making tool, Source Filmmaker, as a public beta. Any game that runs on the Source engine, whether it's Left 4 Dead 2, Portal 2 or another in the family, can have gameplay run-throughs edited and dissected right down to custom facial expressions. As Valve expounds in the video after the break, throwing a gaming-grade PC at the task gives directors the advantage of seeing exactly how any changes will look in the final scene; there's no rough wireframes or pre-rendering here. Budding Francis Ford Coppolas can sign up for an invitation to the Filmmaker beta at the project page. If you'd just like to see how far someone can go with the end results, we've also included the latest Team Fortress 2 character profile video, Meet the Pyro, after the jump.
Licensed Portal 2 turret replica to arrive later this year, leave ammo at home
If an enthusiast-built Portal 2 turret piques your interest, Gaming Heads' Valve-licensed miniature replica may very well force your wallet open. Modeled using Portal 2's in-game assets and cast in "high quality poly-stone," these mini-turrets aim to intimidate intruders with a motion activated light-up eye. In addition to the stoic and silent basic model, the company's offering an exclusive edition, which plays sounds and voice samples from the game. Only 1,100 of these hand-painted facsimiles will be produced (350 with sound, 750 without), but the company notes that other figures based on the adorable death machines are in the works. Pre-orders have already begun, so collectors will want to act fast -- provided they're ready to pony up $300-325, of course.
Valve announces Steam for Schools, helps teachers create educational Portal 2 levels
Who ever said being a scientific guinea pig couldn't be educational? With Steam for Schools, teachers can now use Portal 2's level editor to create lessons focused on boosting critical thinking, spatial reasoning and problem solving skills. Announced at the Games for Change festival in New York City, the educator edition of Steam comes with a free copy of Portal 2 and the Portal 2 Puzzle Maker. Students and teachers alike can use the tools to create puzzles, but distribution is handled by teachers alone. (That's right, kids -- no level sharing unless the teach says so.) An accompanying website serves as a gathering place for teachers to collaborate, and aims to provide sample lesson plans centered on science, technology, engineering and math. If you're an educator who can't wait to bring a Portal-assisted physics lesson to life, see the links below to sign up for the ongoing beta. Now if you'll excuse us, we're off to "study."
Designing edutainment, the Valve way: make a good game first
"People don't sit around at Valve and say 'We're educating.' They are educating the player. But it's just good game design," Valve Software's director of education programs Leslie Redd told me in an interview yesterday afternoon. She and her coworker, Valve's Yasser Malaika, were on stage earlier in the day during New York City's annual Games for Change Festival presenting Valve's latest and boldest education initiative: Steam for Schools.The program offers educators a modified version of Steam that puts control in the hands of teachers – and offers students a chance to snag a free, unmodified version of Portal 2 and its puzzle maker. Teachers are able to add "lessons" as they see fit, created in Portal 2's puzzle maker – several of which are already available.It's a first for Valve, and really for any game developer operating today. Thankfully for those of us who love Valve for its video games, not much (if anything) is changing in Valve's approach to game design. "Having a fun game is so connected to learning and mastery and agency and social dynamics. You can't really design a good game without really considering all those things and putting in the effort to understand how your customers respond to those things. And it feels like that process has a lot of value, more than the product," Malaika said.
'Steam for Schools' is a free version of Steam for students, facilitates Portal 2-based lessons
"Steam for Schools" is Valve's next push into edutainment. This summer, educators can apply for beta inclusion in the program, which includes a "limited version of Steam" featuring Portal 2, the game's level editor, and its workshop for hosting and organizing user-created levels. This new version of Steam will be free for educators (in and out of beta), and will give educators administrator access – meaning that kids cannot share levels."We have a limited version of Steam, which is called 'Steam for Schools.' And what we're doing is asking for teachers, after school programs, organizations – anywhere where there's a student relationship, which includes homeschooling – for them to submit a form to be part of it. It's still in beta," Valve's Leslie Redd told attendees of today's Games for Change festival in New York City. The initiative is a continuation of what Valve head Gabe Newell spoke about during his keynote at last year's Games for Change event, where he professed 'no difference' between education and entertainment approaches.The Washington-based company intends on opening up that level of access in the future, but Redd said that "children need that walled garden." In the future, Valve intends to allow more openness.Valve isn't receiving any outside funding or grants for the program. "Valve is a commercially successful company," Redd explained with a smile. Of course, facilitating a massive education program for free is pretty great public relations. Other publishers aren't involved just yet, but Redd said there've been some initial talks.For more information, Valve's "Teach with Portals" website is now open and will expand in the coming months as the beta extends across the summer (hey, that starts today!).
Custom-made Aperture Science gas mask will make sure you're still alive, won't open portals
Valve's Portal series has been used as the pretext for many achievements outside of puzzle gaming, including getting hitched. Keeping you from shuffling off this mortal coil, however, is still new. Two Horns United has given a gas mask a decidedly nerdy visual upgrade that resembles the game's iconic Aperture Science Portable Quantum Tunneling Device, right down to the light-up energy chambers. Best of all, unlike some homebrew projects, you'll have a (probably limited) chance at buying one yourself after June. Coworkers might look at you oddly as you strap a portal gun to your face during a safety drill, but you'll have the quiet satisfaction of knowing you're truly ready for a neurotoxin attack, not to mention taking the title of a Jonathan Coulton song very literally.
Payday dev collaborating with Valve on Left 4 Dead 'co-operative initiative'
Payday: The Heist studio Overkill Software and Valve Software are working on ... something together. What that something is remains to be seen, as Overkill game director Ulf Andersson only described the collaboration as a "co-operative initiative" between the two companies. We do know that it'll involve both Overkill's Payday: The Heist and Valve's Left 4 Dead – two team-focused four-player co-operative romps (enough hyphens for you?)."We are working on a very cool blend of Payday and Left 4 Dead," Andersson wrote on his company's official site. "I am sure it is so exciting that it will have some players check into the hospital before we are done." Oh, hospital, you say? We see what you're doing there, you crazy Swedes you!Andersson apparently couldn't help himself, and added one more zombie-themed quip. "Keep an eye out for more on this infectious and developing story." We know at least one guy we won't be letting into the safe house.
Steam remote downloads exit beta, make impatience an option for everyone
That was quick. Just two weeks after Valve posted a new Steam beta that allows remote game downloads, it now has a truly polished release for everyone. Both Mac and Windows gamers can now queue up demos and full games, whether it's from a browser at work or from the Steam mobile app. Appropriately, Valve will let you reinstall games as well as start downloading a purchase as soon as the credit card clears. Either way, it'll guaranteed that your new copy of Bastion or that attempt to relive your Quake nostalgia will be ready when you get home.
Valve not planning any product announcements for E3 2012, will be attending
At this year's E3, you can officially leave any Valve Software product announcements firmly off your pre-show bingo cards. Valve rep Doug Lombardi told Joystiq this morning, "We have no product announcements planned for this year's show," confirming a reported email exchange between a ValveTime.net forum member and Valve Software head Gabe Newell.In the purported exchange, which Valve declined to confirm, Newell told the forum member, "We are not announcing anything at E3. Really." The email goes further than that, adding, "We are not announcing Half-Life 3 or Portal 3 or Left 4 Dead 3. We are going to be showing stuff everyone already knows about (CS:Go [Counterstrike: Global Offensive], Dota 2, 10' UI [Steam 'Big Picture Mode'])."So, while it looks like Valve is attending E3, don't get your hopes too high for any software or hardware announcements. The other possibility, of course, is that we're being lied to (it wouldn't be the first such instance before E3). We're giving Valve the benefit of the doubt.
Gabe Newell is secretly a Brony, explains Valve structure as a response to his time at Microsoft
We'll get to the Valve management talk in a minute. First and foremost, we have to highlight this critical information regarding Valve Software head and co-founder Gabe Newell's secret identity as a Brony, and how that relates to pranks at Valve: "If you leave your phone at your desk someone will use it to send an email that says 'I like ponies.' Some people will make more and more elaborate photos of ponies that people might like. There are some incredibly entertaining characters who work here. Of course, then everybody found out that I actually like the TV show My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic, so I never hear the end of it."That was Newell speaking with Bloomberg BusinessWeek in a recent interview, following up on the recently loosed Valve Software new-hire handbook. But now that you know about Newell's affinity for magical friendship as it pertains to ponies, you might be interested to know how Valve's bizarre management structure (or lack thereof) got the way it did. As it turns out, Newell formed Valve's structure as a direct response to Microsoft's rigidity. He related a story regarding Microsoft Windows market penetration and id Software's FPS classic, Doom, to illustrate his point."There was concern among people who were working on Microsoft Office that people would buy computers and reformat their hard drives and install MS-DOS instead of Windows," Newell said. So, in order to find out if that theory was true, Microsoft didn't just ask its customers, it conducted surveys to get hard numbers. Thankfully for MS, the theory didn't cause any real issues. But the results of the survey were enlightening to Newell nonetheless."What was so shocking to me was that Windows was the second highest usage application in the U.S. The number one application was Doom," Newell explained. To him, this was a revelation. "It was a 12-person company in the suburbs of Texas that didn't even distribute through retail, it distributed through bulletin boards and other pre-Internet mechanisms ... Microsoft was hiring 500-people sales teams and this entire company was 12 people, yet it [id Software] had created the most widely distributed software in the world."%Gallery-153864%
'Definitely panic if there's caviar': A guide to working at Valve Software
"If you stop on the way back from your massage to play darts or work out in the Valve gym or whatever, it's not a sign that this place is going to come crumbling down like some 1999-era dot-com start-up. If we ever institute caviar-catered lunches, though, then maybe something's wrong. Definitely panic if there's caviar."Those few sentences, culled from page 19 of Valve Software's "Handbook for New Employees," are perfectly emblematic of the rest of the uniquely Valve book. The above illustration is pulled from early on in the handbook, where the company's much discussed "flat" hierarchy is detailed. A Valve rep confirmed the book's legitimacy to Joystiq after it leaked this weekend on Flamehaus.Seen above everyone else, of course, is company co-founder and president Gabe Newell. But even Newell isn't beyond being overridden. "We do have a founder/president, but even he isn't your manager," the book states."We want innovators, and that means maintaining an environment where they'll flourish," it reads. "That's why Valve is flat. It's our shorthand way of saying that we don't have any management, and nobody 'reports to' anybody else." Bizarre? Yes. Successful? Apparently! A timeline depicting Valve's birth in 1996 shows the company's steady growth into the powerhouse it is today across a variety of projects, all the while espousing Valve's adherence to lack of structure.%Gallery-153864%
Valve job listing points to hardware plans for 'whole new gaming experiences'
Yes, there are employees at Valve right now who are working on some form of gaming hardware. What that gaming hardware is, however, remains to be seen. A job listing discovered by Engadget this week offers more clues as to what that hardware could be, specifically pointing to job skills like "hardware design, prototyping, testing, and production across a wide range of platforms."Getting more direct, the "electronics engineer" position entails working "with the hardware team to conceive, design, evaluate, and produce new types of input, output, and platform hardware." Wait, platform hardware? That sounds an awful lot like the Steam Box rumors we heard earlier this year (rumors that were later semi-shut down).But don't get your hopes up just yet – just because Valve is experimenting with different types of hardware doesn't mean that it's looking to produce a piece of consumer hardware any time soon. We've reached out to Valve for further clarity, but aren't expecting much beyond silence.
'This is Aperture' music video channels The Nightmare Before Christmas
This past holiday, while we were busy sipping eggnog and chorusing the neighbors with classic holiday tunes, a group of dedicated Steam forum members were creating an incredible Christmas music album featuring Valve characters. "Goodbye Christmas Caroline" spawned more than an album, though, as one especially holiday spirit-filled member then crafted an entire music video around one particular track."This is Aperture" takes the characters we've come to know and love fear from the world of Aperture Science and recasts them as singers in a magnificently dorky rendition of The Nightmare Before Christmas' "This is Halloween." Take a look at the rather impressive re-creation above and then compare it against the original just after the break! Consider it a late holiday gift from us to you, but, ya know, one that we totally didn't make.
Steam launches Android and iOS app for free, in beta
Valve today announced and launched Steam applications for both iOS and Android platforms. The app, dubbed "Steam Mobile," allows users to chat, read a limited selection of syndicated gaming news (might we also suggest another mobile app for that?), browse groups and profiles, and purchase games while on the go. Like many Valve products before it, the App is launching in limited beta, with only invitees currently able to log in. Snagging the App and attempting to sign in lets Valve know that you're interested, and select folks will then receive an invite should they be chosen.Company president and co-founder Gabe Newell said the app comes at the request of many fans over the years -- it marks Valve's first foray into the mobile space. "Mobile is changing the way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone," Newell said.No news is given regarding the potential for iOS or Android game selling through the Steam mobile portal, but it seems unlikely -- at least on Apple devices -- given various terms of service restrictions regarding competition with the official application stores. Both the Android and iOS versions are available as of right now.
