Those "clues" are weak sauce, whoever thought they were genuinely hints at at new HL game is an idiot.

I mean "5+7=12 and the dates of the next E3 are 6/5/12 and 6/7/12" WTF?! That's retarded!

Veloxe:
If we add up the numbers in the E3 dates (6/5/12 and 6/7/12) 6+5+12=23. 2+3=5. 6+7+12=25. 2+5=7. 5+7=12. 1+2=3!! Clearly it can only mean one thing! That if you look for patterns in random data you can probably find it even if it isn't really there.

Kinda sad they came out and said everything wasn't connected. I always like watching how deep people go with ARGs. Especially when they are apparently making it all up by themselves. Although this probably won't stop them from trying.

The numbers and constellations could be entirely fake, but there ARE head crabs in that video.

atomicmrpelly:
Those "clues" are weak sauce, whoever thought they were genuinely hints at at new HL game is an idiot.

I mean "5+7=12 and the dates of the next E3 are 6/5/12 and 6/7/12" WTF?! That's retarded!

Watch the video.
Wait for one of the random red flashes on the screen.
Pause it.
It is a head crab.

Wheatley's speech was set in Portal 2 fiction - that is all

But Valve originally intented for HL and Portal to exist in the same universe. They dropped the idea about the same time Portal 2 came out.

Greg Tito:
Snip

OT: Are they going to announce Episode 3 any time soon?

I shat bricks. I thought Valve were discontinuing it... Phew...

triggrhappy94:

Wheatley's speech was set in Portal 2 fiction - that is all

But Valve originally intented for HL and Portal to exist in the same universe. They dropped the idea about the same time Portal 2 came out.

I'm not sure what you mean.

Portal and Half-life games all take place in the same universe. That's always been true.
However, they have never interacted beyond references to each other. Anything more has only ever been speculation by the fans.

So, I'm not sure which part has been dropped?

TLS14:

rapidoud:

TLS14:

I hope you aren't hinting that HL3 will go the way of Duke as in "vaporware and shit" rather than just "vaporware".

You leave your game sitting on the cooler for half a decade and see how good it is.

That's a good point, but the problem with that is Duke was still worked on over that 14 years. It was passed from dev to dev, yes, but nonetheless, each dev was still doing something to further the development of the game.

Besides, it was 6 years between the release of HL1 and HL2, so half a decade isn't really anything to fret about. It's a long time by today's standards because of all the 1 or 2 year development times for various games and their sequels being put out these days. That's just my opinion anyways; I really don't think this much time will kill Half-Life's quality, but I could be wrong.

Yeah, but you cannot compare the time difference between Half-Life 1 and Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Episode Three.

For starters, Half-Life 1 didn't really end on a cliffhanger. Episode Two did. Also, VALVe never said in 1999 that the next game would come out in about a year. (That was the point of the episodes, shorter development times).

Also, when did Half-Life 2 get announced? At E3 2003. From November 1999 to May 2003 is almost three-and-a-half years. Which means that it has taken longer for VALVe to announce Ep3 than Half-Life 2.

But the real kicker for me is that it took them five years to make Half-Life 2. BUT they were a much smaller company and were, simultaneously, working on the Source engine, Team Fortress 2, motherfucking Steam, working with Turtle Rock Studios with Counter-Strike: Source ... and they may have even been already working on DoD: Source and Half-Life 2 Deathmatch. really, when you look at how many people work at VALVe now, it doesn't make any sense as to why it took this long to even just announce the son-of-a-bitch, except that they are either not going to make it or they just completely fucked everything up. Plain and simple.

And besides, Gearbox was making Half-Life 1 expansions in the meantime, so we had something to hold us off. :-P

... Sigh. Sorry. Had to get that off my chest. :-|

Greg Tito:
Valve fanboys, redouble your efforts! You are definitely on to something.

You're a cruel, cruel man, Greg.

next thing we know, Gabe will be saying that Portal 2 is canonically Episode 3 :p

Pescetarian:
Dammit, "No Half-Life 3 ARG" does not mean "No Half-Life 3" This is how modern journalism works. For real news, go to the Steam Forums.

Do not ever tell anyone to go to the Steam forums. You might as well be telling them to go burn in hell.

I've noticed a shocking similarity between HL3 prediction methods and Doomsday prediction methods...

This is where Gabe needs to man up and say at least whether or not it is in the works. If anyone is trolling the fans, I hate to say it Valve, but it's you.

SirBryghtside:

sir.rutthed:

MiracleOfSound:
Sigh. I really hope HL3 doesn't go the way of Duke. After all this build up now I really doubt it can live up to my hopes.

What buildup? All the hype has been purely from the fans. I honestly think Valve are just sitting there waiting to see how long the community will go on trolling their selves before everyone either stops caring or dies of old age.

How about the end of Episode 2?

Anyway, everyone already knew what they said in the OP.

HOWEVER, it doesn't deny this. Note the shape of the Christmas tree lights, which, if you think about it, don't quite make sense.

What, the fact that they zigzag? I have seen tree lights drawn thusly since people started drawing electric tree lights. I just don't see any symbolism, if you see it please explain.

Maze1125:

triggrhappy94:

Wheatley's speech was set in Portal 2 fiction - that is all

But Valve originally intented for HL and Portal to exist in the same universe. They dropped the idea about the same time Portal 2 came out.

I'm not sure what you mean.

Portal and Half-life games all take place in the same universe. That's always been true.
However, they have never interacted beyond references to each other. Anything more has only ever been speculation by the fans.

So, I'm not sure which part has been dropped?

Yes, let us remember the Aperture Science vessel Borealis that was discovered encased in ice in Episode 2, and the Borealis dry dock Chell discovers in Portal 2. So we know for a fact that HL3 (or Episode 3) will directly involve Aperture Science since the last thing mentioned in Ep2 was the Borealis and how freaking important whatever-it-was onboard would be in stopping the Combine.

They're stepping it up for Half-Life 3. It's scheduled for release on 12/21/2012. They're bringing the game into real life. Hope you've practiced with your crowbar arm!

whats the deal about HL3 anyway? am i the only not not anticipating it in any way?

They're stepping it up for Half-Life 3. It's scheduled for release on 12/21/2012. They're bringing the game into real life. Hope you've practiced with your crowbar arm!

i think you got the date wrong, its 20/12/2010

I'm left wondering if Valve are deliberately trying to make a mockery of the series. So much for smaller playable content released more quickly.

Greg Tito:
Wheatley's speech was set in Portal 2 fiction

Is this the same Portal fiction that co-exists in the Half-life universe?

Also he opens that with "You are being trolled." <- notice the period, end of the sentence, he does not state whom he trolling you, it could be a subtle "everything after this statement is trolling you" play on words.

Though if not a hint at Half-life 3 could it be a hint at Portal 3, I'd like that (though not sure where the story could go).

Frostbite3789:

Pescetarian:
Dammit, "No Half-Life 3 ARG" does not mean "No Half-Life 3" This is how modern journalism works. For real news, go to the Steam Forums.

Do not ever tell anyone to go to the Steam forums. You might as well be telling them to go burn in hell.

This man speaks the truth. It's like R&P in there.

Sampler:

Greg Tito:
Wheatley's speech was set in Portal 2 fiction

Is this the same Portal fiction that co-exists in the Half-life universe?

Yeah, but like a few thousand years in the future now.

MiracleOfSound:
Sigh. I really hope HL3 doesn't go the way of Duke. After all this build up now I really doubt it can live up to my hopes.

i was just thinking that. as much as i want to see half life 2 episode 3, i feel like after all this time and all this build up (by fans, not valve), it isnt going to be worth the wait. i mean, it seems clear to me that valve doesnt really care about half-life anymore

I'm not a half life fan,but I understand what it feels when a games sequel or next instalment isn't or is legiet. It feels like the duke nukem forever mess again. A game that takes loads of time to be made,while waiting so long. Just how different half life 3 would be if it was made? Maybe gabe knows something we don't

Will Valve ever stop trolling its fans?

YOU FOOLS! DO YOU NOT SEE!? HALF LIFE THREE, PORTAL THREE, LEFT 4 DEAD THREE! IT IS A THREE BANANZA! WHICH CAN ONLY MEAN ONE THING. THEY SHALL RELEASE IT ON MARCH THIRD, THREE-THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED... Wait for it... AND THREE!! THE PLAN OF THREES, THE TRI-FORCE! THE THREE AMIGOS. THE THREE MUSKETEERS. IT IS ALL LEADING UP TO THIS.
THE ULTIMATE THREE DOWN!

Or it really does not mean anything, and over exuberant exageration is fun! But hey, either way it is fun buisness!

Watching all this hype brings a quote from Terry Pratchett to mind:

Look at Om, now. One minute he was a bloodthirsty little deity in some mad hot country, and then suddenly he was one of the top gods. It had all been done by not answering prayers, but doing so in a sort of dynamic way that left open the possibility that one day he might and then there'd be fireworks. (The Last Hero)

I really hope Valve releases HL3 before HL2's 10 year anniversary, otherwise HL3 will become like Duke Nukem Forever and in the next game we'll see Dr. Freeman going to a Combine strip club.

Here's my question, what IS valve working on? Are they even working on HL3 or whatever the next installment will be? If not then what are they doing? Besides rolling in mountains of cash I mean :3

You know, this should really be called something like 'Quake says stuff about Half Life 3' rather than 'Valve: There is no Half Life 3.' It would be more honest then, rather than desperately attention grubbing.

Oh course there is no Half-Life 3.

But there will be a Half-Life 2: Episode 3

atomicmrpelly:
Those "clues" are weak sauce, whoever thought they were genuinely hints at at new HL game is an idiot.

I mean "5+7=12 and the dates of the next E3 are 6/5/12 and 6/7/12" WTF?! That's retarded!

It's National Treasure logic!

Aircross:
Oh course there is no Half-Life 3.

But there will be a Half-Life 2: Episode 3

Five-plus years to make a five hour game campaign ending lol

Vulpis:
As some people I know about have pointed out...who needs HL3? What we want is *Episode* 3, which is not the same thing...and which nothing at *all* one way or another was said about.

Look, firstly, why episode 3? Just because they make a new game doesn't mean that it wont continue the storyline.

Secondly, if they make a new game, chances are they are using a newer version, if not a completely new version of the source engine. Episodic games in the series run on basically the same engine and chances are they use the same features, weapons, mechanics etc.
A new game is designed to breed new life into the series in a different way to episodics and will almost always add more weapons, npc's etc.

Which do you want? An episodic that may take less time but will be changing the game less (and, honestly I want new ideas for the series, like maybe bringing back the combine assassins, or new environments we haven't seen in HL before), or a new game designed to improve the already great gameplay. Take your pick.

Smeggs:
[

Aircross:
Oh course there is no Half-Life 3.

But there will be a Half-Life 2: Episode 3

Five-plus years to make a five hour game campaign ending lol

Episode =! Five Hour Game. Jeez, how many times do you people need to be reminded of this? The name of the game is meaningless to the product itself.

To be honest, though, if they ever make the damned thing, I hope they make it a full game and name it "Episode Three". You know why? Because they should save "Half-Life 3" for an entirely different game with an entirely different storyline and call it Episode Three just to keep everything in context. See what I mean?

But even then, if they decide call it Half-Life 3, it'll still be okay with me because, firstly, it's just a name and, lastly and most importantly, the series no longer means shit to me after this long and I refuse to buy it.

... Although, just because of the "VALVe can't count to three jokes, I hope they decide to name it Half-Life 4. And the video presentation of the game would have a Gaben Trollface overlay. Admit it, that would be classic! XD

A lot of people seem to be wondering what Valve has been doing all this time while episode 3 was supposed to be in the making. Isn't it obvious? It's hats. They've been working on hats. DUUUUUHH!