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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!
Portal 2's second DLC is an 'in-game editor,' arrives 'early next year'
Valve has just unveiled plans for the second downloadable content package coming to this year's big sequel, Portal 2: an "in-game editor!" According to a PR statement from the company, the next DLC is currently "in development and targeted for release early next year." Apparently some form of community functionality will be attached to player creations, allowing other users to "view, play, and vote" on various levels. Outside of some cursory details -- the editor will allow players to create and share both single-player and co-op levels -- little is known about how editing will work, or if the DLC will arrive on both PC/Mac and consoles. With Steam support on all but one console, the Xbox 360, we wouldn't be surprised if the second Portal 2 DLC doesn't arrive everywhere. But then Valve head Gabe Newell indicated differently in a recent interview, so we just can't be sure. We've reached out to Valve for some clarity.%Gallery-137276%
PSA: Portal 2's 'Peer Review' DLC now available, full game for half price on Steam
It may have missed it's planned "summer" launch window, but Portal 2's first, totally free DLC "Peer Review" is being made available to download today via Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Valve's own Steam distribution service. As previously detailed, the content delivers a brand new co-op track for everybody's favorite anthropomorphic duo, and once again features everybody's favorite murderous robot. And hey, if for some crazy reason you don't already own Portal 2, we're not sure we can continue this relationship. But we've got a way you can get things fixed up: pick up the game on the cheap right now, for just $14.99 (that's 50 percent off, folks).
Dota 2 launch moved up to satisfy seething fans
Valve Software has plans to launch Dota 2 in some form much sooner than originally intended. "We're going to take the current version of Dota 2, which has The International set of heroes, and get it out there as fast as we can," project lead Abdul "Icefrog" Ismail said in a Dota 2 blog post. The team had originally planned on "adding new features and slowly growing the number of heroes until we reached a level of parity with Dota 1" before launching the pseudo-sequel, but is moving the launch up in order to satisfy player demand. Regular post-launch updates are still planned. Icefrog additionally notes that the game will remain "invite only" for the time being, though he's hoping to minimize that period. It's still unclear whether Dota 2 will launch as a free-to-play title like competitor League of Legends, but it seems we'll find out much sooner than later.
Counter-Strike: GO gets Arsenal Mode with help from modders
When Valve launches its new download-only Counter-Strike game next year, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, it'll add several "Arsenal" modes to the multiplayer FPS. The Washington-based developer has announced a partnership with the creators of the popular "Gun Game" mod, on which Arsenal is based. In Gun Game, players start with a simple gun and then gain access to more powerful weaponry as they score kills. The Arsenal "Arms Race" and "Demolition" modes will collectively add eight maps to CS: GO, and "expand on the classic Counter-Strike gameplay." Beyond its Gun Game lineage, we haven't yet seen how Arsenal mode plays out. We'd bet on there being quite a few dead terrorists by the end, though.%Gallery-134634%
Rumor: Dota 2 client leaked, contains 'ep3' code
You'll forgive us if we're highly speculative about code supposedly unearthed from the leaked beta client for Valve's upcoming action RTS, Dota 2. It supposedly includes information from a folder named "ep3." Now wait a minute, stop huffing -- we know, we know -- and hear us out. As reported by Valve fan site Lambda Generation, the Dota 2 beta client has apparently leaked via Vietnam, and eager fans datamined the code for info, apparently plundering a string of code regarding something called "ep3." As you might imagine, both the dataminers and gaming websites are saying the folder pertains to the comically nebulous Half-Life 2: Episode 3, with the code pointing to two weapons -- an ice gun and a flamethrower -- as well as three "weaponizers" (concrete, liquid, and metal). But wait, why would Valve leave code for another one of its projects in the beta code for Dota 2, especially a project that it refuses to acknowledge exists? In short, Valve's done some similarly cheeky things in the past to promote its games, albeit not nearly as deep as this would be. We've reached out to Valve for word, but don't expect to hear anything official.
Notch explains why Minecraft has yet to get Steam'd
Minecraft has been widely available for quite some time in various forms (alpha, beta), but when it fully launches this November, it won't be available on Steam. "Being on Steam limits a lot of what we're allowed to do with the game," Mojang president and founder Markus "Notch" Persson explains in a post on his Tumblr blog. "We (probably?) wouldn't be able to, say, sell capes or have a map marketplace on minecraft.net that works with Steam customers in a way that keeps Valve happy," he adds. Notch worries that inclusion on Steam would divide the PC/Mac market of Minecraft users, rather than offer more to existing players. It's not as though there's any animosity though, with Notch kicking off the post by lavishing a paragraph of praise upon "the best digital distribution platform I've ever seen." He also notes that Mojang "are talking to Valve about this" to try and make things work for everyone, but, understandably, "We just don't want to limit what we can do with Minecraft." [Image credit: Steam forums]
Gabe Newell on monetization before game design (spoiler: it stinks!)
Valve Software's upcoming "Action RTS," Dota 2 doesn't have a business model just yet. Valve co-founder and president Gabe Newell says he hasn't even begun thinking about the pricing model. "The primary focus for us at this point is not worrying about monetization, and it's instead worrying about getting the game right," he explains in an interview with Gamasutra. Rather, he explains that his company's goal at the moment is "on building something that cool" for the legion of hardcore MOBA fans, "and then we'll worry about monetization ... we're not going to worry about that until later." Further pressing the point, Newell adds, "Premature monetization is the root of all evil." As the interviewer suggests, however, real world economics force many developers to consider monetization models from the design level. Newell sees this more simply. "I think not sucking is way more of an important thing to pay attention to first," he adds, referencing the Dota 2 model of extensive playtesting and iteration before discussing a financial strategy -- a development ideology that works for a successful company like Valve, but may not be possible (or of interest) to other studios. It is a position we can get behind, however.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive trailer is wholly inoffensive
The first gameplay trailer for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is actually quite pleasing. That is, if you're into the fast-paced slaughter of virtual opponents. It's okay, folks -- they're terrorists, so that's kinda how these things work.%Gallery-131820%
Half-Life fan film 'Escape From City 17' concludes
It's been a few years since we last heard from the Purchase brothers, co-creators of the "Escape From City 17" live-action short. The duo makes the wait worth our while, however, with this thrice-as-long sequel to their original 2009 Half-Life fan film.
Dota 2 Gamescom trailer ponders the nature of heroism [update]
The International is right around the corner, and in order to get you hyped up for the global public debut of Dota 2, Valve has a question for you: "What does a hero truly need?" If you listen to the gorgeously animated wizard/wiseman in the trailer above, a hero's needs depend on their circumstances. Archers may need speed, warriors may need strength, and floaty lightning people obviously need floaty lightning. If you listen to the millions of people anxiously awaiting the start of Gamescom, however, the answer is "immediate, total and unending access to this game." Update: Proving once again that it's impossible to keep something this big under wraps, the deep, dark bowels of the internet have regurgitated these purported in-game screenshots. It's important to note that the veracity of these screens is still uncertain, and that we won't truly know how the game looks until later this week. For now though, let your feverish, detail-starved eyes feast.%Gallery-130669%
Steam Trading beta lets you exchange in-game items for games
It may still be known officially as "Steam," but after this week's announcement of the Steam Trading beta, we're referring to the service's virtual world as "Bartertown." As of today, Steam users can opt-in to the "Steam Trading" beta program, giving them the opportunity to trade Team Fortress 2 items and Steam gifts with other Steam users. For now, the only game that supports the trading of items is Team Fortress 2, but Valve says support for Portal 2 will arrive "reasonably soon," and that it plans on offering support for "several third-party games in the next few months." Interested parties can participate by simply heading into the Steam client settings and selecting the option to opt-in to the Steam Trading beta. As participants ourselves, for the next 12 hours we'll be accepting any and all copies of full games for a very special, one-of-a-kind Team Fortress 2 hat, hand-selected by the Joystiq staff member of your choice*. *Choice is limited to Joystiq staff members available at time of trade. Joystiq reserves the right to refuse choice based on a variety of factors, but mostly whim.
Dragon Age 2 abducted from Steam, EA points finger at 'restrictive' terms of service as the culprit
The mysterious disappearance of Dragon Age 2 from Steam this week, just before the launch of the game's latest DLC, is yet another thorn in the side of EA's relationship with Valve's Steam digital distribution game service. As many had assumed, the game wasn't removed due to the recent (re)launch of EA's own digital distribution service, Origin, but in fact because DA2's latest DLC doesn't play nice with the Steam Terms of Service. As the DLC -- named "Legacy" -- is delivered via an in-game store, rather than via Steam's own client, the game was removed. "Unfortunately, Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to sell downloadable content," EA senior VP of global online David DeMartini noted in a statement. He also pointed out that the game is currently available on a variety of other "major download services," from GameStop to Direct2Drive, and that he hopes "to work out an agreement to keep our games on Steam." It's not clear why EA refused to deliver the DLC via Steam's client, but it appears the company won't be changing its stance just yet.%Gallery-127945%
Team Fortress 2 Free2BeKicked mod creator speaks on F2P transition
Turns out the guy who created the "Free2BeKicked" mod for Team Fortress 2 (that kicks players who joined after the free-to-play changeover off of private servers completely) doesn't have the courage of his convictions. His name is Asher Baker, and Giant Bomb held a quick interview with him, in which he says he's not in favor of banning new players just because they wanted to check out a free game. He does, however, say that "a community needs a barrier to entry," and "if there is no barrier to entry -- and no recourse against those people [who take advantage] -- it could be bad." Users are unhappy about the mod, though Valve hasn't made a ruling on it just yet (and while Baker says the company probably wouldn't be happy with it, it is running on private servers, presumably out of Valve's reach). Baker says he's even received death threats about the mod, but given that this is a game about shooting, stabbing and generally blowing other players up, who knows how serious those are. In the end, Baker says free-to-play could go either way for the game's community. "It's brought in lots of new players, but I'm not sure it's worth the long-term cost," he says. "I think that once the droves of inexperienced players dies down, we're going to be left with a (slow) steady stream of new players, but primarily just cheaters and people evading server bans."
Watch Gabe Newell's excellent Games for Change keynote in full right here
Sure, you read our thorough coverage of Valve co-founder and president Gabe Newell's Games for Change keynote last month, but we know how you like moving pictures. We do too! And that's why we're doubly happy to finally present the entire, highly entertaining speech, just above.
Newell sees no distinction 'between games and educational games'
The majority of Valve president and co-founder Gabe Newell's keynote address yesterday at the Games for Change Festival was dedicated to his perception of games as educational tools. And that was fitting for the event, which is dedicated primarily to the educational and socially beneficial elements of gaming, and fitting for Valve Software, a company known most recently for releasing a game steeped in science. Newell explained: "The interesting thing about Portal 2 is it doesn't sort of fit the traditional simplistic model of what a game is. It's not a collection of weapons. It's not a collection of monsters. It's really about science. It's about spatial reasoning, it's about learning physics, it's about problem solving. And often, during the course of the game, you're going to be solving problems with somebody else. The social model inside of it is collaborative and not competitive." After rolling a short clip of the game for audience members, Newell went on to profess, "There seems to be this distinction between games that are educational, and games that are going to be commercially successful. I'm not really sure I buy into that." Citing sales of Portal 2 as proof, Newell pointed out that Valve has seen "$165 million dollars in gross revenue" from the game since April 18. "We can do this. We can make educational, commercially successful games, which are gonna help us both on the game side and on the educational side." He reaffirmed this to me in an interview after the speech, saying, "I just don't believe in this distinction between games and educational games. A lot of times [the label] 'educational games' is a way of being an excuse for bad game design or poor production values."
Valve interested in Wii U; 'It fits better into our scalability model,' says Newell
This morning, Valve head and co-founder Gabe Newell gave one of several keynotes at New York's Games for Change Festival, speaking to a variety of topics surrounding education and gaming. And while we'll have a full breakdown of that keynote in the coming hours, we thought you might like to know what Newell had to say about Nintendo's Wii U and his studio when we put the question to him. "Wii U seems to be a lot more powerful than the previous generation," he told Joystiq. "It sort of fits better into the scalability in terms of graphics performance and CPU performance, so I think it'll be a lot easier for us to fit it into our scalability model." Valve has yet to release any of its games on a Nintendo console, though Gabe told us, "We've always loved Nintendo." He also pointed out that Valve has been slowly transitioning from the PC to console counterparts, starting with Xbox 360 and more recently moving to the PlayStation 3 in a major way with Steam getting ported to Sony's console. And it looks like Nintendo may be next, as Newell restated, "Now it's a lot easier to look at Wii U and have it fit within that framework." As for us, we're most excited to see what Valve might do with the WiiPad.
You're free to play these free-to-play games through Steam
The Steam service just launched a slate of five free-to-play games, available from its client like any other Steam offering. Spiral Knights, Forsaken Worlds, Champions Online: Free for All, Global Agenda: Free Agent, and Alliance of Valliant Arms are now available for download through Valve's service. So why get these F2P clients from Steam instead of just downloading the versions that were previously released through their own websites? Well, for one thing, each game will offer exclusive in-game content to Steam players this week, starting tomorrow in Spiral Knights and ending Sunday in AVA. Furthermore, these games will all support Steam's existing microtransaction backend, making the purchase of in-game content as easy as the impulse-buy of TF2 items. Bye, money!
Portable Portal 2 Personality Cores are ready for adventure
We've grown quite attached to the Personality Cores we've met in our jaunts through Aperture Science, and leaving the adorable AIs in the gameworld has always been hard for us. You too? Cheer up! Now you can bring them with you, thanks to robot engineer Chris Myles.
Portal 2 Authoring Tools now available in beta for PC gamers
Finished Portal 2 but haven't had your fill of Aperture Science testing chambers? Aside from handing out a slew of free content in the coming months, Valve is releasing the Portal 2 Authoring Tools -- essentially giving PC users access to some of the nuts and bolts behind the developer's critical hit. The tools are free for owners of the game on PC, and can be found in the Tools tab of Steam accounts. As with previous Source Engine mod kits released by Valve, you'll be able to employ all of the game's assets: single player and co-op levels, character skins, sound effects, music, and 3D models are all at your disposal. Beyond the basics, Valve is including an updated version of Faceposer (facial animation software), some "examples maps and instances to help build new maps," and an "updated suite of command-line compiling utilities." That last part sounds dangerous, so we'll leave it up to you to figure out what it does.
