Half-Life 2 Not Really "Episodic" After All

Valve marketing guy Doug Lombardi says the developer may have chosen the wrong word when it described the follow-ups to Half-Life 2 as "episodes."

Ever get annoyed by the fact that Valve seems to take longer to make an "episode" than most developers take to make an entire game? Lombardi says it's because they're not really episodes at all, they're just shorter games. "The notion of the word 'episode' conjures up this idea of television where you get something new every week," he said in an interview with CVG. "And people say, 'We thought that episodic meant we were going to get something new every six months or every year.'"

Though they may not be episodes in the strictest sense, Lombardi believes that Valve is on the right path with shorter games. "I think a lot of folks in the industry saw the same problem that we did with Half-Life 2 in that making a 20-hour game with rich graphics, story, etc., is a really expensive proposition both in time and money," he said. "And some have started making games about the same length as Episode 2, but they haven't changed what they call it, and they haven't changed the price."

"In a way you're charging people $50 but they're only getting $18 worth out of it - that's not necessarily the best way to go," he added. "So I think we tried to be a bit more honest about it, and maybe we chose the wrong word in 'episode' in that it conjured up this TV analogy."

I give credit to Valve for charging a reduced price for shorter gameplay, but his comment about gamers misunderstanding his use of "episode" smells like a little bit of retconning: In early 2006 he told GameSpot that Half-Life 2 was going episodic, and when asked if that meant there would be a "regular flow of content," he said, "Yes."

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"In a way you're charging people $50 but they're only getting $18 worth out of it - that's not necessarily the best way to go,"

Not necessarily? I'd say it's in *no* way the best way to go. Be interesting to find out what caveats he's got attached to that statement in his mind.

Blayze:

"In a way you're charging people $50 but they're only getting $18 worth out of it - that's not necessarily the best way to go,"

Not necessarily? I'd say it's in *no* way the best way to go. Be interesting to find out what caveats he's got attached to that statement in his mind.

In context, I think he's just trying to softball it when ripping on other developers.

-- Alex

Malygris:
Lombardi says it's because they're not really episodes at all...

Sounds like they realized what the rest of us had already figured out by this point.

I can't really complain though. All of their "box" content they release at the same price range as a regular game always includes more than enough value for their content.

So valve have flip flopped on this. I want my regular flow of content or a long wait for a 20-hour game with rich graphics, story, etc. Damn you Valve!

Malygris:
"And people say, 'We thought that episodic meant we were going to get something new every six months or every year.'"

I might be wrong, but from what I remember one of the reasons we thought this is Valve specifically SAID the episodes would be coming out about every 6 months.

Alex_P:

Blayze:

"In a way you're charging people $50 but they're only getting $18 worth out of it - that's not necessarily the best way to go,"

Not necessarily? I'd say it's in *no* way the best way to go. Be interesting to find out what caveats he's got attached to that statement in his mind.

In context, I think he's just trying to softball it when ripping on other developers.

-- Alex

He has a point, I'm sure we're not the only gamers out there who are tired of spending 60 bucks on a game that only lasts 8 to 10 hours. I heard Mirrors Edge is only going to be 8 hours long...so why not offer that game to us for 30 bucks instead of 60? Shouldnt we only have to pay for what we get out of the game? my god i could write a whole economics thesis on this topic.

I guess I'm the only one pissed off at Valve for only releasing episode 2 as part of either the Orange Box or the Episode Pack. Either way they're screwing over the users who already have the previous content. What gives Mr. Newell?

If the Orange Box only had Half Life 2: Episode 2 for $50 then yeah, we'll have a problem. But it came with Portal and Team Fortress 2, which makes it a good value.

As far as I'm concerned they can take as much time as they want to make their games if they continue to do it right.

WNxSajuukCor:
If the Orange Box only had Half Life 2: Episode 2 for $50 then yeah, we'll have a problem. But it came with Portal and Team Fortress 2, which makes it a good value.

As far as I'm concerned they can take as much time as they want to make their games if they continue to do it right.

It makes it a good value for someone who want's everything that comes in the box. But for someone who just wants Episode 2, or who already has HL2 and episode 1 it feels like a slap in the face. Especially when episode 1 was released on it's lonesome. the whole point of episodic gaming was supposed to be "Smaller, cheaper games more often."
Dosen't seem to me like it's working.

EvilEngineNumberNine:
I guess I'm the only one pissed off at Valve for only releasing episode 2 as part of either the Orange Box or the Episode Pack. Either way they're screwing over the users who already have the previous content. What gives Mr. Newell?

I was pretty irritated about this too, actually. TF2 is of no use to me with my current internet connection, and I'd already paid full pop for both HL2 and Ep1, so the idea of paying 50 or 60 bucks for Ep2 and Portal really rankled. so much so, in fact, that I still don't own the Orange Box, or Ep2, or anything else. It drives me nuts some days that I haven't played them, but such is the breaks.

The funny part is that when Valve DID get around to releasing Ep2, Portal, etc., individually, I still didn't bother getting them because they were 20 bucks each - it's a far better deal to buy the Orange Box (now 40 bucks) and get the full package. I'm close to buying the Orange Box, I will someday, but between that and Steam I'm not quite ready to forgive Valve yet, which means I'm not quite ready to give them any more money than I absolutely have to.

Exactly how I feel. I'm waiting for steam to have a sale on the Episode Pack and then I'll snatch it up. Kinda killing the HL2 Episode experiance for me though.
Ep2 is available as a single game now? Last I checked it was only available as a part of the $29 "Episode Pack" along with Ep1. Where'd you find it? 'Cause I really want to play Ep2. Mebbe i should wait till Ep3 though as they'll prolly screw me over with that one too. It seems like loyal gamers are getting screwed over at every turn in order to make more money. It feels like a bad time to be a gamer.

I was actually referring to the Episode Pack, which is as close to "on its own" as I've found. I know Portal and TF2 are available in stand-alone packs, but they're way too much on their own compared to what the whole package costs. I'll wait until the Orange Box hits 30 bucks and then I'll pick it up.

No-one is bashing halo 3 for being shorter than episode 2, but valve is? Quite frankly the games thay have released I would gladly wait 3 years and pay £70 for, which theyre not! But anyway, I am in a bit of a different position, I only own the orange box on ps3, so the I hadn't played any of the games on it when I brought it, still, I would like to point out that there is less materal cost in releasing them as a package.

I have to admit that my reaction to the title was "no, really? you noticed?"

But regardless, HL2 can get away with some crap, they've set themselves a good baseline and fans to propel them through some waiting, I think.

Whatever there called, I prefer the episodes much more than the origanal Half-life 2. While I like to think I've got the most out of my money, I have a very low attention span. If a game plows on for more than 10 hours then I just loose interest, especially if you've got a game life HL2 where it is mostly about going from one area to the next with only odd snipets of whats going on. HL2 was a slog for me. Not a bad game, but just too much piled on at once.

I prefer my game campaigns short and sweat. Plus, I think now that Alyx is with you at all times you always have someone pushing the story along, rather than with HL2 were I would find myself forgetting what my motivation was. HL ep2 is easially in my top 3 shooters, especially with the brain picklingly fantastic cliff hanger. Im really, REALLY looking forward to episode 3

I think in Valve Time they've basically stuck by their promise. The way I see it they've released two episodes with a combined content of about 13 hours in the 4 intervening years since Half-Life 2. If they can get a 7 hour episode 3 out in 2010 then what they've done is release 20 hours of Half-Life content in 6 years, just like when they made Half-Life 2, but with 2 massive chunks available before the "final" release date.

By the way, Episode 2 is now available through Steam for $15 and it looks like the episode pack can be had for a song. Alternatively the game is easily short enough to get through in a weekend if renting the Orange Box for 360 is an available option--If it takes you a little longer you'll probably end up paying under $10 between rental and late fees.

I highly recommend it. It's a solid continuation of the Half-Life story with some really great sequences, including a really amazing climax that reminded me of the battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back.

Black yeoman:
No-one is bashing halo 3 for being shorter than episode 2, but valve is? Quite frankly the games thay have released I would gladly wait 3 years and pay £70 for, which theyre not! But anyway, I am in a bit of a different position, I only own the orange box on ps3, so the I hadn't played any of the games on it when I brought it, still, I would like to point out that there is less materal cost in releasing them as a package.

Well Halo3 also offered a multiplayer experience, adding a vast amount of longevity to it. Above all else, there is also a new campaign mode being soon released for Halo. So really, Halo is much longer than episode 2.

It is frustrating that there is so much time between titles, but this is the best game series in the world in my opinion and I don't care how long they take to come out as long as they keep comming out as excellent as they have so far.

conqueror Kenny:

Black yeoman:
No-one is bashing halo 3 for being shorter than episode 2, but valve is? Quite frankly the games thay have released I would gladly wait 3 years and pay £70 for, which theyre not! But anyway, I am in a bit of a different position, I only own the orange box on ps3, so the I hadn't played any of the games on it when I brought it, still, I would like to point out that there is less materal cost in releasing them as a package.

Well Halo3 also offered a multiplayer experience, adding a vast amount of longevity to it. Above all else, there is also a new campaign mode being soon released for Halo. So really, Halo is much longer than episode 2.

I was also going to say that I've replayed the Halo 3 campaign many times, under different difficulty levels and with different "Skull" modifiers changing how the encounters play out, sometimes with online co-op but mostly solo; I don't think I've touched HL2Ep2 since completion, though. Indeed, I think I've played Portal for longer than Ep2... but maybe that's just me.

-- Steve

shMerker:

By the way, Episode 2 is now available through Steam for $15 and it looks like the episode pack can be had for a song. Alternatively the game is easily short enough to get through in a weekend if renting the Orange Box for 360 is an available option--If it takes you a little longer you'll probably end up paying under $10 between rental and late fees.

I'm going buy it now you sweet, sweet angel.

So Half Life 2: Episode 2 (Liverpool 3) isn't an episode? What exactly is it then? Spin-Off? Add-On? Total Mod? Marketing Jargon? Overpriced Module?

As they say... you can have it fast, good or cheap (pick 2 at most).

The series is excellent and the price is reduced because they're shorter, the price for this is Valve Time and longer waits. I much prefer this system to the all too common method of "push it out the door prematurely and riddled with bugs, we'll fix that with a patch... maybe, but charge full price".

To be honest, Valve can have all the time in the world so long as the quality stays up.

The_root_of_all_evil:
So Half Life 2: Episode 2 (Liverpool 3) isn't an episode? What exactly is it then? Spin-Off? Add-On? Total Mod? Marketing Jargon? Overpriced Module?

I agree. If it's not episodic then why is Valve boldly publishing such games as "Half-Life 2: Episode 2"?

Regardless of what they call it, all I know is that Valve is releasing shorter games for cheaper, and more frequently then they would if it were a full game... I'm happy as long as the release the excellent games they have been so far.

No clue What its supposed to be... i havent been in a hurry to play up to the end yet though so.. dont know

"Er... *wipes sweat* by 'episode', we clearly meant six hours of gaming released every two years or so... *cough* I mean, obviously it was YOU who was mistaken."

Definitely retconning.

I like that they focus more on short games. It's their strong point.

When Valve gets all done , I wonder if they can consolidate all of the recent games. HL3+episodes1,2,3 into one single continuous game where you blow up the citadel, see the gman end game speech from hl2, and it goes right into episode 1 intro seamlessly.

GoldenShadow:
When Valve gets all done , I wonder if they can consolidate all of the recent games. HL3+episodes1,2,3 into one single continuous game where you blow up the citadel, see the gman end game speech from hl2, and it goes right into episode 1 intro seamlessly.

Since the HL2 Episodes are actually HL3. Then no, they probably won't. That would be like them smashing together HL2 and HL1. They might collate the episodes though.

Valve's only backtracking now because they realize that they completely screwed the pooch on episodic gaming, got shown up by Telltale Games' Sam and Max seasons, and ended up looking like colossal idiots. They didn't want to release them as expansion packs because the attach rate has historically been poor for most x-packs. They couldn't release them as full games because the price point would turn off consumers. So they hitched their wagons to this idea of "episodic gaming" even though they didn't have the first clue what that term entails.

Personally I hope more developers follow the Telltale model. It keeps PC gaming in the news when sites have a "new game" to review so often.

Ritual REALLY screwed the pooch with SIN: Episodes. They haven't released episode two yet and episode one was released in 2006.

I heard SIN did awful and they couldn't keep supporting it.

Wow. Shot right out of the sky eh? The first episode was actually fun and had some pretty cool ironsight shooting mechanics before it became popularized. I kinda wanted to see how it turned out. Ah well.

It's not so much that Sin did awfully - although it was pretty half-assed - but Ritual was acquired by MumboJumbo in early 2007 and turned to casual game development, and that was pretty much that.

Which, as long as we're on the topic, is one of the risks of episodic development. If you're the sort who cares about story even in your FPSs, like me, you end up hosed because the developer goes tits-up halfway through the series, and things just stop dead wherever they happen to be. It's not cool.