You're right, no other mods have ever been sold on Steam.
As for the team declining the offer (if an offer were made and I'm still looking for a story or confirmation from someone on here who knows more), the reason I read was that they just want it to be free.
Uhhhhhhh....You do realize a mod being sold on Steam and a mod using Valve's very own IP being sold on Steam are completely different things, right?
What, if only Valve could find some way to negotiate who gets money out of this?
Go on, tell me what I'm doing wrong Internet IP Expert.
darleysam on
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Zilla36021st Century. |She/Her|Trans* Woman In Aviators Firing A Bazooka. ⚛️Registered Userregular
The presentation of this game is phenomenal. This little group of programmers is creating more hype than most big-name companies, and how is that even surprising? It's Half-Life.
What saddens me just the tiniest bit is that I consider Opposing Force and Blue Shift necessary parts in the canon - they are to Half-Life what Episodes 1-3 are to Half-Life 2. Yet I know that they most likely won't be represented in this remake.
I don't know how I ever got this far without ever having heard of Someplace Else and MINERVA, though. I just downloaded them, so in a couple of hours I'll be fully immersed.
You're right, no other mods have ever been sold on Steam.
As for the team declining the offer (if an offer were made and I'm still looking for a story or confirmation from someone on here who knows more), the reason I read was that they just want it to be free.
Uhhhhhhh....You do realize a mod being sold on Steam and a mod using Valve's very own IP being sold on Steam are completely different things, right?
What, if only Valve could find some way to negotiate who gets money out of this?
Go on, tell me what I'm doing wrong Internet IP Expert.
I um...I never said anything about Valve negotiating money.
Your claim was "Hey there's other mods on Steam so this could be, too!" I was simply pointing out the fact that legally, a third-party mod that didn't use Valve's own IP was wholly different from a third-party mod that did use Valve's own IP.
The presentation of this game is phenomenal. This little group of programmers is creating more hype than most big-name companies, and how is that even surprising? It's Half-Life.
What saddens me just the tiniest bit is that I consider Opposing Force and Blue Shift necessary parts in the canon - they are to Half-Life what Episodes 1-3 are to Half-Life 2. Yet I know that they most likely won't be represented in this remake.
They never were official canon. The "expansions" were made by different companies and also introduced a completely random race of aliens for no good reason. Wouldn't make sense to put that in this mod
I will play this game when it is released, anticipating it as eagerly as a AAA commercial title. And then I shall weep with jealousy as several members of the team are hired by valve.
You're right, no other mods have ever been sold on Steam.
As for the team declining the offer (if an offer were made and I'm still looking for a story or confirmation from someone on here who knows more), the reason I read was that they just want it to be free.
Uhhhhhhh....You do realize a mod being sold on Steam and a mod using Valve's very own IP being sold on Steam are completely different things, right?
What, if only Valve could find some way to negotiate who gets money out of this?
Go on, tell me what I'm doing wrong Internet IP Expert.
I um...I never said anything about Valve negotiating money.
Your claim was "Hey there's other mods on Steam so this could be, too!" I was simply pointing out the fact that legally, a third-party mod that didn't use Valve's own IP was wholly different from a third-party mod that did use Valve's own IP.
But hey, keep on being high and mighty!
I'm not being high and mighty! I've stated numerous times that this is a rumour I have heard, I won't try to claim it as fact unless I can find actual evidence of this (which I am trying to find, but can't yet). I responded in that manner because you came over as patronising, and that pisses me right off. There is clear evidence that Valve are happy to offer the developers of good-quality mods the opportunity to sell them on Steam and divide the profits from this. Yes it would be a slightly different situation with the mod actually being based on Valve's own IP, but I fail to see how this is some insurmountable stretch.
With that said, unless I do uncover something more substantial, I'm dropping this here.
Can't wait to watch this trailer when I get home, though.
The presentation of this game is phenomenal. This little group of programmers is creating more hype than most big-name companies, and how is that even surprising? It's Half-Life.
What saddens me just the tiniest bit is that I consider Opposing Force and Blue Shift necessary parts in the canon - they are to Half-Life what Episodes 1-3 are to Half-Life 2. Yet I know that they most likely won't be represented in this remake.
They never were official canon. The "expansions" were made by different companies and also introduced a completely random race of aliens for no good reason. Wouldn't make sense to put that in this mod
I'm pretty certain Gabe Newell said that they were interested in re-visiting the Adrian Shephard character someday, that's about as close to canon as I can find.
The presentation of this game is phenomenal. This little group of programmers is creating more hype than most big-name companies, and how is that even surprising? It's Half-Life.
What saddens me just the tiniest bit is that I consider Opposing Force and Blue Shift necessary parts in the canon - they are to Half-Life what Episodes 1-3 are to Half-Life 2. Yet I know that they most likely won't be represented in this remake.
They never were official canon. The "expansions" were made by different companies and also introduced a completely random race of aliens for no good reason. Wouldn't make sense to put that in this mod
I'm pretty certain Gabe Newell said that they were interested in re-visiting the Adrian Shephard character someday, that's about as close to canon as I can find.
All in all, I wouln't say that they aren't officially canon, at least not yet.
I'm pretty sure I read that they officially aren't canon somewhere, though I'll be damned if I remember where. I still need to finish HL1 and Blue Shift and Opposing Forces. Also, the trailer makes me want to reinstall SMOD and play back through HL2 (which is a good thing).
I will play this game when it is released, anticipating it as eagerly as a AAA commercial title. And then I shall weep with jealousy as several members of the team are hired by valve.
If Valve snaps up the team after Black Mesa's released, wouldn't that be a good thing? I mean, they've got talent, and they would then have funding and a big support chain to keep putting out good stuff.
korodullin on
- The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (2017, colorized)
I'm pretty certain Gabe Newell said that they were interested in re-visiting the Adrian Shephard character someday, that's about as close to canon as I can find.
Some had thought that Shephard might be the protagonist for Valve's game, Portal due to the main weapon, the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (ASHPD), bearing the initials A.S.H.P.D. - Adrian Shephard. However, Gabe Newell remarked that this was a 'total freak coincidence' and that Shephard would not appear in the game.[3]
I will play this game when it is released, anticipating it as eagerly as a AAA commercial title. And then I shall weep with jealousy as several members of the team are hired by valve.
If Valve snaps up the team after Black Mesa's released, wouldn't that be a good thing? I mean, they've got talent, and they would then have funding and a big support chain to keep putting out good stuff.
I don't think he was saying it was a bad thing, he's saying he would be jealous. I guess he wants to be hired by Valve too?
The presentation of this game is phenomenal. This little group of programmers is creating more hype than most big-name companies, and how is that even surprising? It's Half-Life.
What saddens me just the tiniest bit is that I consider Opposing Force and Blue Shift necessary parts in the canon - they are to Half-Life what Episodes 1-3 are to Half-Life 2. Yet I know that they most likely won't be represented in this remake.
They never were official canon. The "expansions" were made by different companies and also introduced a completely random race of aliens for no good reason. Wouldn't make sense to put that in this mod
I'm pretty certain Gabe Newell said that they were interested in re-visiting the Adrian Shephard character someday, that's about as close to canon as I can find.
All in all, I wouln't say that they aren't officially canon, at least not yet.
I'm pretty sure I read that they officially aren't canon somewhere, though I'll be damned if I remember where. I still need to finish HL1 and Blue Shift and Opposing Forces. Also, the trailer makes me want to reinstall SMOD and play back through HL2 (which is a good thing).
Man I was working my way through Opposing Force recently but it seems to get constantly crash now at one specific point,
just as you're opening the door to the chamber that Gordon Freeman's jumping through a portal to Xen.
Worked fine when I played the non-steam version years ago, of course, that was a different PC too. I was looking forward to getting told off for trying to create a paradox.
The presentation of this game is phenomenal. This little group of programmers is creating more hype than most big-name companies, and how is that even surprising? It's Half-Life.
What saddens me just the tiniest bit is that I consider Opposing Force and Blue Shift necessary parts in the canon - they are to Half-Life what Episodes 1-3 are to Half-Life 2. Yet I know that they most likely won't be represented in this remake.
They never were official canon. The "expansions" were made by different companies and also introduced a completely random race of aliens for no good reason. Wouldn't make sense to put that in this mod
I'm pretty certain Gabe Newell said that they were interested in re-visiting the Adrian Shephard character someday, that's about as close to canon as I can find.
All in all, I wouln't say that they aren't officially canon, at least not yet.
I'm pretty sure I read that they officially aren't canon somewhere, though I'll be damned if I remember where. I still need to finish HL1 and Blue Shift and Opposing Forces. Also, the trailer makes me want to reinstall SMOD and play back through HL2 (which is a good thing).
Man I was working my way through Opposing Force recently but it seems to get constantly crash now at one specific point,
just as you're opening the door to the chamber that Gordon Freeman's jumping through a portal to Xen.
Worked fine when I played the non-steam version years ago, of course, that was a different PC too. I was looking forward to getting told off for trying to create a paradox.
That's actually a known bug and Valve is currently working on fixing it.
Impersonator on
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HonkHonk is this poster.Registered User, __BANNED USERSregular
edited December 2008
Fuck me sideways!! This trailer was 50 times better than what I expected and I expected alot. Everything from props to animations are looking stunning - and that desert skybox, you know which I'm talking about, was especially awesome!
The presentation of this game is phenomenal. This little group of programmers is creating more hype than most big-name companies, and how is that even surprising? It's Half-Life.
What saddens me just the tiniest bit is that I consider Opposing Force and Blue Shift necessary parts in the canon - they are to Half-Life what Episodes 1-3 are to Half-Life 2. Yet I know that they most likely won't be represented in this remake.
They never were official canon. The "expansions" were made by different companies and also introduced a completely random race of aliens for no good reason. Wouldn't make sense to put that in this mod
I'm pretty certain Gabe Newell said that they were interested in re-visiting the Adrian Shephard character someday, that's about as close to canon as I can find.
All in all, I wouln't say that they aren't officially canon, at least not yet.
I'm pretty sure I read that they officially aren't canon somewhere, though I'll be damned if I remember where. I still need to finish HL1 and Blue Shift and Opposing Forces. Also, the trailer makes me want to reinstall SMOD and play back through HL2 (which is a good thing).
Man I was working my way through Opposing Force recently but it seems to get constantly crash now at one specific point,
just as you're opening the door to the chamber that Gordon Freeman's jumping through a portal to Xen.
Worked fine when I played the non-steam version years ago, of course, that was a different PC too. I was looking forward to getting told off for trying to create a paradox.
That's actually a known bug and Valve is currently working on fixing it.
That's good to know, hopefully it won't take too long. I thought it was just me getting that.
It was funny logging into OpFor for the first time in years and seeing an ad for Left 4 Dead whilst it was syncing.
Valve has also specifically requested the final beta build before release so they can review it.
Take that as you will.
"That's right, WE'RE gonna play it first, Neener Neener Neener!"
Yeah, I wouldn't look at it as more than that. I just couldn't see Valve putting a cease and desist on these guys. If anything it'll sell MORE copies of HL2 just so people can play it.
Valve has also specifically requested the final beta build before release so they can review it.
Take that as you will.
"That's right, WE'RE gonna play it first, Neener Neener Neener!"
Yeah, I wouldn't look at it as more than that. I just couldn't see Valve putting a cease and desist on these guys. If anything it'll sell MORE copies of HL2 just so people can play it.
I think back when they actually issued that request (around the same time they told them to drop the Source moniker) it was for the purposes of quality control.
The presentation of this game is phenomenal. This little group of programmers is creating more hype than most big-name companies, and how is that even surprising? It's Half-Life.
What saddens me just the tiniest bit is that I consider Opposing Force and Blue Shift necessary parts in the canon - they are to Half-Life what Episodes 1-3 are to Half-Life 2. Yet I know that they most likely won't be represented in this remake.
They never were official canon. The "expansions" were made by different companies and also introduced a completely random race of aliens for no good reason. Wouldn't make sense to put that in this mod
I'm pretty certain Gabe Newell said that they were interested in re-visiting the Adrian Shephard character someday, that's about as close to canon as I can find.
All in all, I wouln't say that they aren't officially canon, at least not yet.
I'm pretty sure I read that they officially aren't canon somewhere, though I'll be damned if I remember where. I still need to finish HL1 and Blue Shift and Opposing Forces. Also, the trailer makes me want to reinstall SMOD and play back through HL2 (which is a good thing).
Wait, why would they not be canon? There's nothing contradictory in either of them, and they were both directly commissioned and overseen by Valve. It's not like Sierra went behind their backs and sold out their IP.
...that was just incredible. I know it was going to be good but, damn.
You know, it's funny. All those years ago I picked up the original Half Life for I dunno, about £15 and when BM:S finally comes out, I can easily see myself donating £15 to those guys just as a little token thank you for being so awesome.
If I’m honest, I’d feel somewhat guilty for playing it for free, anyway.
The presentation of this game is phenomenal. This little group of programmers is creating more hype than most big-name companies, and how is that even surprising? It's Half-Life.
What saddens me just the tiniest bit is that I consider Opposing Force and Blue Shift necessary parts in the canon - they are to Half-Life what Episodes 1-3 are to Half-Life 2. Yet I know that they most likely won't be represented in this remake.
They never were official canon. The "expansions" were made by different companies and also introduced a completely random race of aliens for no good reason. Wouldn't make sense to put that in this mod
I'm pretty certain Gabe Newell said that they were interested in re-visiting the Adrian Shephard character someday, that's about as close to canon as I can find.
All in all, I wouln't say that they aren't officially canon, at least not yet.
I'm pretty sure I read that they officially aren't canon somewhere, though I'll be damned if I remember where. I still need to finish HL1 and Blue Shift and Opposing Forces. Also, the trailer makes me want to reinstall SMOD and play back through HL2 (which is a good thing).
Wait, why would they not be canon? There's nothing contradictory in either of them, and they were both directly commissioned and overseen by Valve. It's not like Sierra went behind their backs and sold out their IP.
If I remember right, there were one or two other expansions that were by a different company and aren't canon, one had two doctor chicks using the #s 1 and 3 hazard suits that are missing at the start of HL1. I never played it, but after reading about it, I'd love seeing those docs/additional suits showing up in HL2 somewhere.
I will play this game when it is released, anticipating it as eagerly as a AAA commercial title. And then I shall weep with jealousy as several members of the team are hired by valve.
If Valve snaps up the team after Black Mesa's released, wouldn't that be a good thing? I mean, they've got talent, and they would then have funding and a big support chain to keep putting out good stuff.
I don't think he was saying it was a bad thing, he's saying he would be jealous. I guess he wants to be hired by Valve too?
A: The team consists of around 90 different people, as well as half the incidental textures being made as part of community contests on the BMS forums.
B: A lot of the people who are doing the hard coding and bulk texture works already have jobs for rival developers or businesses. These aren't out of work high schoolers, most are professional artists and coders with wives and children and stuff.
C: Why would Valve snap them all up? At best they are decent at texture work and modelling. They have no depth of level design, writing or artistic direction because the game is supposed to be a like for like recreation of a 10 year old game. Other than minor cosmetic changes the game is a facelift, not an homage.
I mean not to take away from their achievement, but this isn't like, say, Splashdamage making Quake Wars or the Counter Strike team.
[QUOTE=Scooter;8039652If I remember right, there were one or two other expansions that were by a different company and aren't canon, one had two doctor chicks using the #s 1 and 3 hazard suits that are missing at the start of HL1. I never played it, but after reading about it, I'd love seeing those docs/additional suits showing up in HL2 somewhere.[/QUOTE]
As is the case with the other games in the Half-Life series, Decay is a first-person shooter. Like the original title it is based on, Decay requires players to engage in combat with hostile non-player characters and complete various puzzle solving tasks to advance through the game. However, Decay differs from Half-Life and its first two expansion packs, Opposing Force and Blue Shift, in that it is designed for cooperative multiplayer gameplay. This requires players to work together to progress through the game's levels and complete puzzles as they arise in-game. Although intended to be played by two people in split screen mode, Decay can still be played by a single player.[3] In this case, the player can only control one character at a time, and can switch between the two characters quickly. When not in use, a character has sufficient artificial intelligence to defend themselves, but otherwise does not move from where they have been left by the player.[4]
The presentation of this game is phenomenal. This little group of programmers is creating more hype than most big-name companies, and how is that even surprising? It's Half-Life.
What saddens me just the tiniest bit is that I consider Opposing Force and Blue Shift necessary parts in the canon - they are to Half-Life what Episodes 1-3 are to Half-Life 2. Yet I know that they most likely won't be represented in this remake.
They never were official canon. The "expansions" were made by different companies and also introduced a completely random race of aliens for no good reason. Wouldn't make sense to put that in this mod
I'm pretty certain Gabe Newell said that they were interested in re-visiting the Adrian Shephard character someday, that's about as close to canon as I can find.
All in all, I wouln't say that they aren't officially canon, at least not yet.
I'm pretty sure I read that they officially aren't canon somewhere, though I'll be damned if I remember where. I still need to finish HL1 and Blue Shift and Opposing Forces. Also, the trailer makes me want to reinstall SMOD and play back through HL2 (which is a good thing).
Wait, why would they not be canon? There's nothing contradictory in either of them, and they were both directly commissioned and overseen by Valve. It's not like Sierra went behind their backs and sold out their IP.
If I remember right, there were one or two other expansions that were by a different company and aren't canon, one had two doctor chicks using the #s 1 and 3 hazard suits that are missing at the start of HL1. I never played it, but after reading about it, I'd love seeing those docs/additional suits showing up in HL2 somewhere.
That would be Half-Life: Decay. It was a co-op exclusive for the PS2 release. It got modded in, so if you're really interested you can grab it here:
The presentation of this game is phenomenal. This little group of programmers is creating more hype than most big-name companies, and how is that even surprising? It's Half-Life.
What saddens me just the tiniest bit is that I consider Opposing Force and Blue Shift necessary parts in the canon - they are to Half-Life what Episodes 1-3 are to Half-Life 2. Yet I know that they most likely won't be represented in this remake.
They never were official canon. The "expansions" were made by different companies and also introduced a completely random race of aliens for no good reason. Wouldn't make sense to put that in this mod
I'm pretty certain Gabe Newell said that they were interested in re-visiting the Adrian Shephard character someday, that's about as close to canon as I can find.
All in all, I wouln't say that they aren't officially canon, at least not yet.
I'm pretty sure I read that they officially aren't canon somewhere, though I'll be damned if I remember where. I still need to finish HL1 and Blue Shift and Opposing Forces. Also, the trailer makes me want to reinstall SMOD and play back through HL2 (which is a good thing).
Wait, why would they not be canon? There's nothing contradictory in either of them, and they were both directly commissioned and overseen by Valve. It's not like Sierra went behind their backs and sold out their IP.
If I remember right, there were one or two other expansions that were by a different company and aren't canon, one had two doctor chicks using the #s 1 and 3 hazard suits that are missing at the start of HL1. I never played it, but after reading about it, I'd love seeing those docs/additional suits showing up in HL2 somewhere.
That would be Half-Life: Decay, the third of the "expansions" to the original half-life, and PS2 exclusive. You're correct that it wasn't done by Valve, but by Gearbox - same folks who did Opposing Force and Blue Shift, if I'm not mistaken. Hence why they might not be considered "canon" - none of them were done by Valve themselves.
And holy crap, I totally missed that the mod which brought Decay to PC is finally out.
The official word on Blue Shift and Opposing Force is, essentially, "they are canonical insofar as they don't interfere with the story of the Valve-made games".
Basically, BS and OP happened, except where they didn't. Whenever it's eventually decided to pull ideas from them, or deny ideas from them, if that ever is decided, then their status as part of the story will change.
The official word on Blue Shift and Opposing Force is, essentially, "they are canonical insofar as they don't interfere with the story of the Valve-made games".
Basically, BS and OP happened, except where they didn't. Whenever it's eventually decided to pull ideas from them, or deny ideas from them, if that ever is decided, then their status as part of the story will change.
And this is just fine, because very little if any of the stories will end up interfering with anything canon and we can keep pretending they're entirely real. It'd be nice if Valve did more to acknowledge them, though, yeah.
The official word on Blue Shift and Opposing Force is, essentially, "they are canonical insofar as they don't interfere with the story of the Valve-made games".
Basically, BS and OP happened, except where they didn't. Whenever it's eventually decided to pull ideas from them, or deny ideas from them, if that ever is decided, then their status as part of the story will change.
And this is just fine, because very little if any of the stories will end up interfering with anything canon and we can keep pretending they're entirely real. It'd be nice if Valve did more to acknowledge them, though, yeah.
Uh....Race-X?
Blue Shift is pretty much canon, but the only parts of Opposing Force that have been "accepted" by Valve are that Adrian Shephard was there and did some stuff, and that the G-Man
activates the nuke at Black Mesa and puts Shephard in stasis. Valve specifically requested that Black Mesa be nuked.
Race-X on the other hand, was called "problematic" and was said that it should be ignored.
Just when I was writing off this remake as Vaperware they go and release this great trailer and with a (tentative) Release Date to boot. It looks like it's coming together amazingly well. Looking forward to replaying their version of Half-Life 1.
One thing I have to keep reminding myself when thinking about this project is how much bigger Half-Life 1 was compared to Half-Life 2 and the Episodes. I can run through Half-Life 2 in about 10 hours now that I know what I'm doing without rushing too much. Half-Life 1 was closer to 20 hours if I remember right. Here's hoping that the game lives up to the nostalgia and hype, especially after seeing that trailer.
Posts
What, if only Valve could find some way to negotiate who gets money out of this?
Go on, tell me what I'm doing wrong Internet IP Expert.
What saddens me just the tiniest bit is that I consider Opposing Force and Blue Shift necessary parts in the canon - they are to Half-Life what Episodes 1-3 are to Half-Life 2. Yet I know that they most likely won't be represented in this remake.
I don't know how I ever got this far without ever having heard of Someplace Else and MINERVA, though. I just downloaded them, so in a couple of hours I'll be fully immersed.
I um...I never said anything about Valve negotiating money.
Your claim was "Hey there's other mods on Steam so this could be, too!" I was simply pointing out the fact that legally, a third-party mod that didn't use Valve's own IP was wholly different from a third-party mod that did use Valve's own IP.
But hey, keep on being high and mighty!
The weapon sounds are really bad though
They never were official canon. The "expansions" were made by different companies and also introduced a completely random race of aliens for no good reason. Wouldn't make sense to put that in this mod
Hitting headcrabs with the crowbar is still hilarious to watch.
I'm not being high and mighty! I've stated numerous times that this is a rumour I have heard, I won't try to claim it as fact unless I can find actual evidence of this (which I am trying to find, but can't yet). I responded in that manner because you came over as patronising, and that pisses me right off. There is clear evidence that Valve are happy to offer the developers of good-quality mods the opportunity to sell them on Steam and divide the profits from this. Yes it would be a slightly different situation with the mod actually being based on Valve's own IP, but I fail to see how this is some insurmountable stretch.
With that said, unless I do uncover something more substantial, I'm dropping this here.
Can't wait to watch this trailer when I get home, though.
I'm pretty certain Gabe Newell said that they were interested in re-visiting the Adrian Shephard character someday, that's about as close to canon as I can find.
This link is vague on the subject
http://www.halflife2.net/wiki/index.php/Canon
All in all, I wouln't say that they aren't officially canon, at least not yet.
I'm pretty sure I read that they officially aren't canon somewhere, though I'll be damned if I remember where. I still need to finish HL1 and Blue Shift and Opposing Forces. Also, the trailer makes me want to reinstall SMOD and play back through HL2 (which is a good thing).
If Valve snaps up the team after Black Mesa's released, wouldn't that be a good thing? I mean, they've got talent, and they would then have funding and a big support chain to keep putting out good stuff.
- The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (2017, colorized)
I remember this specifically. Also:
I don't think he was saying it was a bad thing, he's saying he would be jealous. I guess he wants to be hired by Valve too?
Man I was working my way through Opposing Force recently but it seems to get constantly crash now at one specific point,
Worked fine when I played the non-steam version years ago, of course, that was a different PC too. I was looking forward to getting told off for trying to create a paradox.
That's actually a known bug and Valve is currently working on fixing it.
Take that as you will.
That's good to know, hopefully it won't take too long. I thought it was just me getting that.
It was funny logging into OpFor for the first time in years and seeing an ad for Left 4 Dead whilst it was syncing.
"That's right, WE'RE gonna play it first, Neener Neener Neener!"
Yeah, I wouldn't look at it as more than that. I just couldn't see Valve putting a cease and desist on these guys. If anything it'll sell MORE copies of HL2 just so people can play it.
I think back when they actually issued that request (around the same time they told them to drop the Source moniker) it was for the purposes of quality control.
Wait, why would they not be canon? There's nothing contradictory in either of them, and they were both directly commissioned and overseen by Valve. It's not like Sierra went behind their backs and sold out their IP.
You know, it's funny. All those years ago I picked up the original Half Life for I dunno, about £15 and when BM:S finally comes out, I can easily see myself donating £15 to those guys just as a little token thank you for being so awesome.
If I’m honest, I’d feel somewhat guilty for playing it for free, anyway.
If I remember right, there were one or two other expansions that were by a different company and aren't canon, one had two doctor chicks using the #s 1 and 3 hazard suits that are missing at the start of HL1. I never played it, but after reading about it, I'd love seeing those docs/additional suits showing up in HL2 somewhere.
A: The team consists of around 90 different people, as well as half the incidental textures being made as part of community contests on the BMS forums.
B: A lot of the people who are doing the hard coding and bulk texture works already have jobs for rival developers or businesses. These aren't out of work high schoolers, most are professional artists and coders with wives and children and stuff.
C: Why would Valve snap them all up? At best they are decent at texture work and modelling. They have no depth of level design, writing or artistic direction because the game is supposed to be a like for like recreation of a 10 year old game. Other than minor cosmetic changes the game is a facelift, not an homage.
I mean not to take away from their achievement, but this isn't like, say, Splashdamage making Quake Wars or the Counter Strike team.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life:_Decay
That would be Half-Life: Decay. It was a co-op exclusive for the PS2 release. It got modded in, so if you're really interested you can grab it here:
http://decay.half-lifecreations.com/
I don't believe anyone's said that's not canonical either.
EDIT: Well MY post has a link to the mod, so THERE!
That would be Half-Life: Decay, the third of the "expansions" to the original half-life, and PS2 exclusive. You're correct that it wasn't done by Valve, but by Gearbox - same folks who did Opposing Force and Blue Shift, if I'm not mistaken. Hence why they might not be considered "canon" - none of them were done by Valve themselves.
And holy crap, I totally missed that the mod which brought Decay to PC is finally out.
Edit: Beat'd hard. On all points.
Basically, BS and OP happened, except where they didn't. Whenever it's eventually decided to pull ideas from them, or deny ideas from them, if that ever is decided, then their status as part of the story will change.
And this is just fine, because very little if any of the stories will end up interfering with anything canon and we can keep pretending they're entirely real. It'd be nice if Valve did more to acknowledge them, though, yeah.
A cease and desist order isn't Valve's style, but I could definitely see them buying Black Mesa when it finishes and then selling it on Steam.
I mean, they did that for Counterstrike and Day of Defeat, right?
So anyway I watched the trailer and.. good gracious, I too need some new superlatives.
Uh....Race-X?
Blue Shift is pretty much canon, but the only parts of Opposing Force that have been "accepted" by Valve are that Adrian Shephard was there and did some stuff, and that the G-Man
Race-X on the other hand, was called "problematic" and was said that it should be ignored.
Honestly, when I first played OpFor I didn't even notice the difference. They were just more aliens. To shoot.
One thing I have to keep reminding myself when thinking about this project is how much bigger Half-Life 1 was compared to Half-Life 2 and the Episodes. I can run through Half-Life 2 in about 10 hours now that I know what I'm doing without rushing too much. Half-Life 1 was closer to 20 hours if I remember right. Here's hoping that the game lives up to the nostalgia and hype, especially after seeing that trailer.