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Joystiq interviews Doug Lombardi about Xbox 360 Source
Yesterday, Valve released the Source Engine middleware for the Xbox 360. But what does that mean for Xbox 360 games, PC games, and modders who use Valve's free version of Source? Valve intends for big developers to fluidly move between the two platforms. But the announcement also means one less hurdle for home developers to release an Xbox game, assuming they attract a publisher to clear the maze of licensing and distribution.Valve's Director of Marketing, Doug Lombardi answered a series of emailed questions to delve deeper into these issues. He explained the general difference between the free and middleware versions of Source, how this announcement could still apply to modders, and how PC and Xbox versions of Source games could technically be networked immediately.
360 gets Source, developers cheer
Valve announced today that it is now offering the 360 optimized version of its Source engine. The Source engine powers Valve's very successful Half-life 2, as well as the upcoming Portal and Team Fortress 2. Gabe Newell, president of Valve, had this to say:"The combination of Source and the Xbox 360 provides game designers throughout the industry the chance to create powerful entertainment experiences. Whether they're pursuing a traditional FPS, RTS, RPG or delving into new genres, Source and the Xbox 360 are designed to offer the flexibility and tools to allow designers to pursue any design imaginable."The availability of this engine to 360 developers means two things. One, developers can make games quickly and more efficiently. Two, Valve will be making oodles of money. At any rate, it looks like the Unreal Engine just got some new competition (maybe more when the Offset Engine shows up). In the end, it's not like it really matters. We just want our Counter-Strike Source, am I right?[Via OpenXBOX360]
Call of Duty 2, other Activision games on Steam
Just after our keyboards cooled from typing the Psychonauts-on-Steam story, we learned that four Activision titles -- Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty: United Offensive, and Gun -- are on the way to Valve's game download service. Oh, we'll play your game, Activision/Valve PR, and give you another post now. But you're on thin ice.Despite the PR play, we're interested in a big publisher putting somewhat-recent, top-tier games on Steam. We're not convinced that all games will shift to download-only sales -- brick-and-mortar is still magical to us -- but we expect most games to be offered as a physical/virtual choice. (And we don't think downloading in a physical store is the answer.)However, we expect to save money downloading a game, and these releases will cost about the same as the ones with glossy boxes and printed manuals. Where's the value? We never have to leave home? Call of Duty 2 will be $39.95, and all of the others will cost $19.95. All four will be 10%-off for their initial two weeks, but Valve couldn't tell us the exact launch schedule other than that it will happen this month. Maybe the company is saving the date for another press release.See also:Psychonauts and Valve make steamy, Steam-y loveRoboBlitz hitting SteamEB-Gamestop launches download service, "largely garbage" declares 1UP
The new economics of Counter-Strike
In an effort to ensure a more diverse usage of armaments, Valve is implementing a Dynamic Weapon Pricing system into Counter-Strike: Source. Essentially, all guns are divided into two categories: pistols and everything else. Within each category, data is collected from the servers as to how much money is spent on each gun. Every Monday, the price of guns will be adjusted to correlate with its popularity from the previous week -- the higher its demand, the higher its price.With this system, Counter-Strike users will be able to balance the game through their habits. Players will continue to have a starting bank of $800, but each week will be forced to tweak their strategy in order to accommodate for market trends. The MAC-10, for example, is on a downward trend and the price is falling. As soon as the gun becomes viable for its respective price range, the demand will increase. Eventually, we foresee, an equilibrium will be reached where the change in price from week to week will be marginal.The projected value of each gun and piece of equipment can be tracked on the DWP market page, where Valve has also provided a more in-depth explanation of their price-adjusting algorithm.[Via Pro-G]
Psychonauts and Valve make steamy, Steam-y love
Last night, reading about RoboBlitz coming to Steam, we knew we weren't alone in wondering where our promised Psychonauts was. The BAFTA award winning (congrats, guys!) critics darling may not have been the belle of the retail ball, but she was always beautiful to us ... and now, Steam subscribers everywhere can take her out dancing for the digitally distributed price of $19.99 starting tonight!If you're hearing the sweet, sweet sound of romance in the air, you may wanna turn down the Barry White and listen up, cause Psychonauts developer Tim Schafer has something he wants to say you ... and only you ... in his low, deep, gravelly baritone:"So for the press release. uh. man, it's tough because every single 'steam' related play on words has already been done," said Schafer. "Double Fine and Valve: With a love this hot, you know there's gotta be STEAM! How about that?"Ooooh! We like that, and we know you do as well, dear reader. Just when you thought we'd already beaten that equine to death, sawed its head off, and tucked it gently into Doug Lombardi's comfy bed, here comes the ever dependable Schafer, pitching in with one. final. sawing. thrust! Phew!That's hawt. The comic Psychonauts art director Scott Campbell made commemorating the tryst is even hawter.
Duct tape + cardboard = DI? Half-Life 2 costume
A Planet Half-Life member, who goes only by the online nom de guerre "Kevin," created this incredible Gordon Freeman costume with nothing but duct tape and cardboard (seriously, that's it). In exchange, he has earned the admiration of nerds and Halloween costume partygoers everywhere. Why do cosplayers always have to dress up as Final Fantasy characters, or Mario anyway? Joystiq salutes you, Dr. Freeman. Just don't bring any of those headcrabs to our staff party.[Via Aeropause]
RoboBlitz hitting Steam
The proficient program plumbers at Valve have issued a press release announcing the imminent arrival of RoboBlitz on their digital distribution network, Steam. Developed by Naked Sky Entertainment and powered by Unreal Engine 3, the action game is largely comprised of physics, explosions, robots and maladjusted space pirates (it says here). Tian Mu, CEO of Naked Sky, explains that after realizing how hot Steam was, he simply needed to have his game all over it."Steam is an attractive platform for the release of RoboBlitz. We're looking forward to being able to release to Steam's huge PC audience. Additionally, we have long-term plans to expand RoboBlitz with new content. Through Steam, we have a great avenue for delivering the game and updates directly to over 10 million gamers' PCs."RoboBlitz will see release in the "coming weeks," most likely alongside the previously announced Xbox Live Arcade version. The game is priced at $14.99 on Steam -- that roughly translates to 1200 MS Points on the Xbox 360, should the price remain the same on both platforms. Check out the (fairly old) trailer after the break.
Half-Life 2 gets all tactical and stuff
Primotech has posted a rundown of the new Half-Life 2 mod, SMOD: Tactical. This mod-of-a-mod transforms geeky Gordon Freeman into a Counter-Terrorist super-soldier, who can slow time and put down baddies with a few well-placed shots.Tactical's most striking elements are the remodeled weapon set and hip visual effects. You'll blast through City 17 with new toys like the 1911 .45 caliber pistol, M4 carbine with EOTech Holographic Weapon Sights, and Artic Warfare Magnum sniper rifle. The experience is heightened by depth-of-field and screen-blur effects and the aforementioned "bullet time" feature.Download the alpha version (191.55 MB .rar file) here.[Thanks, Alex]
TGS Marketplace content, 9/22
Here's the rundown of today's Marketplace content.Fuzion Frenzy 2 demoPortal TrailerTGS Showfloor video 1TGS Showfloor video Day 1 (Japan)GM Sensui Interview (Japan)Xbox Live The Party #1 (Japan)Xbox Live The Party #2 (Japan)Xbox Live The Party #3 (Japan)Xbox Live The Party #4 (Japan)Not much for those of us outside Japan., but the Fuzion Frenzy 2 demo is certainly welcome. We guess that whole "no demos on Friday" thing is pretty much dead by now.360 at the Tokyo Game Show:Lost Planet and Viva Piñata videoMicrosoft TGS briefing video now availableToday's Marketplace content, 9/21DOAX2 video makes us feel naughtyLost Odyssey intro videoVideo of Trusty Bell
TGS: Today's Marketplace content, 9/21 [update 1]
Another day, another batch of content. TGS rolls on, and Microsoft gives us more to drool over. Now, without further ado, today's content:Vista Game MontageFusion Frenzy 2 trailer (Weren't we just talking about this?)Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom trailerTeam Fortress 2 trailerTable Tennis trailer (Japan only)TGS ThemeWe haven't had a chance to watch any of these, but we'll give you the skinny once we do. If anybody spots one of these trailers floating around the interweb, send us a tip and we'll post it.360 at the Tokyo Game Show:DOAX2 video makes us feel naughtyLost Odyssey intro videoVideo of Trusty BellSee Blue Dragon gameplay (finally)And the mystery XBLA game is ...Update: We've realized there will be a lot of content in the next few weeks. Changed headline to reflect the date that the content went up.
Video Valve: HL2: Ep 2, Portal & Team Fortress 2
Here's a long clip from the 1Up Show featuring awesome footage of Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2. Is this the best value in triple A gaming or what?
Team Fortress 2 screens
Nice BFFT. How sweet is it that the once dead Team Fortress 2 is the included multiplayer in Half-Life 2: Episode 2? I love value-added sqad-based shooters.
Ubisoft shares Dark Messiah of M&M with Steam
Valve has been busy piling up games with hearts of gold in their increasingly popular, and increasingly cramped, Steam bordello. With the recent additions of Introversion's DEFCON and seventeen members of the burgeoning PopCap clan, Steam is really (steaming up/under pressure/on fire). Sure, a little service called Xbox Live ain't doing so poorly, but they're not delivering highly anticipated AAA retail titles yet, so there. Today, Valve announced a deal with Ubisoft to distribute their Source-based, first-person RPG, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic over Steam. More importantly, the release will be simultaneous with the retail release this October. Unlike Half-Life 2, which is distributed digitally over Steam and in stores by EA, Valve does not own this property, they're just the messengers. Ubisoft is acknowledging the demand for digitally distributed AAA content and using the largest platform they can find to promote it. We're still waiting on governement-distributed protein pills and personal submarines, but the third pillar of our future vision is now realized.Check out a video of Dark Messiah, and today's press release, after the break.
TF2 shows its class(es)
We rounded up some GC coverage for you just yesterday, but this Team Fortress 2 video deserves a spot right here on the front page. We know how you hate having to add a whole step to the process by clicking on external links. You demand simplicity, and rightfully so. Thus, here's the video for your viewing pleasure, right on the main page. The game has a really great cartoony quality, reminding us all that not every next gen game has to be Crysis to look amazing. Honestly, we find ourselves at a loss to pin down our favorite class. The Demoman, with his twice exploding time bomb? The super speedy Scout? Then again, the Engineer's auto turret is pretty freaking sweet. How about you? What's your favorite?
Half-Life 2: Episode Two delayed 'til Feb 2007 [Update 1]
Doug Lombardi, of Valve fame, announced that Half Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal will all be pushed back to February of next year. The reason? Valve was a bit aggressive with their release date. Too aggressive, they say. As a shift in management practice, Lombardi says: "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." Good for you guys. Really.Now, about Portal... seems Lombardi is interested in the idea, so much so that he wants to toss it into future episodes. It's that cool and fun to play with. This brings up memories of the gravity gun. You know, that insanely neat tool/weapon/toy used in the main game of Half-Life 2. Just for fun, what was your greatest moment with the gravity gun? Rig up any incredibly complicated traps just to get that one enemy? With that in mind, are you looking forward to playing with the portal gun on your PS3? Or PC, but PS3 eventually.[update: fixed image... brain farts are not uncommon when portals are involved. Thanks, insane_cobra!]
HL2: Episode Two delayed till 2007
Valve Software has been one of the main proponents in the push for episodic gaming, a fact which quickly comes to mind in light of Half-Life 2: Episode Two getting its own push into the future. Releasing Half-Life 2 expansion episodes in lieu of Half-Life 3 was supposed to curb development time, something which Valve is always struggling to keep on a leash before it wrecks the office and eats all the calendars. Alas, it has run amok once again, causing Episode Two to slip to February 2007. In other words, the release gap between the first and second "episodes" has now grown to 8 months. Valve's Doug Lombardi tells Eurogamer that the delay is simply "classic Valve being overly aggressive on our dates" and that the title will likely end up being a "little longer" than the first title. A further point of consideration is that Episode Two is being developed in conjunction with several other included games (Portal, Team Fortress 2) and console versions. Lombardi also states that the extra games will result in a slightly higher price than that of the single Episode One release ($19.99), with the all-inclusive console releases expected to retail at full price. With any luck, this will be the last delay in store for Valve's upcoming release -- otherwise, we'll have to start questioning just how far the word "episodic" can stretch.
Portal, Team Fortress 2 Live at Leipzig
Valve is planning on showing new real time offerings of HL2: Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 at the upcoming Leipzig Games Convention. While the demos won't be playable, Valve's Doug Lombardi promises that they will include "never-before-seen" action. Considering we've only gotten one official peek at the games so far, we will take what we can get. So, like, who else is "hella" excited about this Half-Life 2 monster package?
Five days of free Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45
We figured we'd hold onto this until you could actually get your hands on it ... so now, after 1:00PM PST on Wednesday, August 2nd, you can open up your Steam client, download Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, and play the entire dubya-dubya-aye-aye squad-based multiplayer shooter for five whole days and spend exactly nothing! Idea being, once those five days are up, you're going to have a serious hankering to leave the files on your system and pony up the $24.95 asking price to unlock the thing and keep on playing. Anyone whose been playing this want to offer their feedback to the class?
Students snatched up to develop Portal
There's an interesting rags to finely rendered riches story to be found in an interview conducted with Valve's newest employees -- the DigiPen students responsible for Narbacular Drop, a crazy foray into transitive gameplay that now serves as the inspiration for Valve's mindbending Portal. Kim Swift, one of the developers on the project, notes how rapidly their run-in with Gabe Newell changed their careers and their lives:"Gabe watched our demo and basically hired us on the spot. It was kind of shocking. We stood around in the parking lot afterwards gibbering to ourselves for about 20 minutes."The rest of the interview clarifies some issues regarding the Half-Life 2: Episode Two companion, ruling out multiplayer (for now) and firmly labeling the game as a level-based adventure of puzzles and experiments gone awry. Swift was slightly lethargic in sharing information with regards to where exactly Portal fits into the Half-Life universe, though we'd bet a headcrab or two that the protagonist will be a Black Mesa alumni. Perhaps Adrian Shepherd has become an unwitting test subject for the Aperture Science Laboratories? That suggestion isn't too outlandish, at least not to the same degree as this response from Swift when she seemingly misunderstands a question about EA potentially purchasing Valve:"As far as I know, Valve has no plans of purchasing EA."Win-win scenario in an alternate universe: Valve-EA releases a Half-Life game on time, every year.Previously: Half-Life 2 confirmed for Xbox 360, PS3 First trailer of Valve's Portal released Team Fortress 2 is so 'incredibles'
Geek out with SiN Episodes: Statistics
Poor Ritual, they get out the door with their (admittedly pretty decent) episodic title first, only to get shown up by the superlative Half Life 2: Episode One a short while later. It's a little early to be declaring victors, especially when Ritual and Valve are allies in the fight for episodic content, but if you're eager to compare the two, now you can do so ... empirically.Following the 1.4 patch, SiN Episodes is collecting data automatically (but anonymously of course) so they're able to analyze this stuff and (purportedly) create a better game. So, using the recently released data from SiN Episodes: Emergence and the data released for Valve's HL2:E1, we can determine that, in fact, HL2: E1 is the longer game on average clocking in at 5h 23m versus SiN's 4h 49m. The other metrics don't match up as nicely, but there's plenty to geek out over. Hardest level: se1_highrise03. Killingest weapon: Magnum. You get the idea.
