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Latest Comments by sub
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is out now
28 April 2022 at 10:44 am UTC Likes: 1

Wasn't that planned to be a free upgrade for those already owning it?

FLASHOUT 3 will bring high-speed combat racing later this year
27 April 2022 at 10:26 am UTC

The colours remind me of the fantastic Motorhead.
Anyone remebering that one?

Unfortunately, the version on Steam is just the emulated PSX version,
which explains the bad rating.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/393290/Motorhead/

Classic Sonic games being delisted to make way for Sonic Origins
27 April 2022 at 9:22 am UTC Likes: 1

I remember as a kid Sonic on the MD/Genesis looked just awesome.
The whole cool aesthetics and clever use of the available colour palette, the level design and the fast gameplay.
Yet, when I first played it, it was basically no fun (for me).
I can't even tell why, but the Mario games were always the by far better platformers for me judging by the gameplay.

2013 classic Proteus gets an update for Linux and Steam Deck
21 April 2022 at 2:19 pm UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: hardpenguinOne of the Humble Linux debuts if I recall correctly?

Good times.

Introversion classic Darwinia gets remastered with better Steam Deck support
20 April 2022 at 8:49 pm UTC

Quoting: Anza
Quoting: subWonder why they didn't update

DEFCON: Everybody Dies

given the current situation.

I saw interesting video about it. Apparently there have been study about how the game effects people.

As for remastering, it really might not need more than Darwinia. Graphical style is intentionally simplistic after all.

Wow. Thank you!

Introversion classic Darwinia gets remastered with better Steam Deck support
20 April 2022 at 11:55 am UTC Likes: 2

Wonder why they didn't update

DEFCON: Everybody Dies

given the current situation.

Erik Wolpaw to Valve on Portal 3 — 'we should just do it'
19 April 2022 at 4:58 pm UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: SkyGuyWhyValve should just do some jams. You don't need 75 people to make a game, get five, make some gameplay. It's the artsy stuff that takes time - graphics, sound, that stuff. And then all the programmer time spent messing with the engine to support the artsy things.

Gameplay though? Gameplay goes crazy fast when you cut the turnaround times of asking for animations and stuff to go with your experiments out of the picture. Mess with some gameplay, design some levels, go all untextured and programmer art and recycled assets from previous games and you're golden, five guys who know what they're doing can make a whole huge game like that in a couple months.

Get your five guys to make the whole game start to finish like that. It'll look like crap but that's not important, it just has to play good. Then, when it's already fun, and the levels are basically designed, and the story is written, then you bring in the big team for the final stretch on the expensive bits. Replace your boxy CSG test levels with real art. Animate new models. Bring in the voice actors and get the sound guys doing their thing. Screw with the engine to push boundaries, like you do. But the key here is that the game part of the game is already made, there's a very clear picture of what work needs to be done.



Heck, you're making Portal 3, right? Portal is 90% puzzles. And Valve made that whole slick fancy level editor for fans to use, right? The one that's so ridiculously easy to use that a braindead monkey can make Portal test chambers in a few minutes a pop?

Build the first version of Portal 3 in the Portal 2 test chamber editor. Do you even need five guys? You could have a comprehensive prototype in a snap and bring in the big guns to go from there. Bro if you really wanted to make Portal 3 you absolutely *could* solo it, forget all the polish, make the scaffolding. Save the set dressing for later, that's where the time is spent.

Or say you don't solo it. Say that you get all 300 people at the company... for one, single day. Everyone, business people included. Sit everyone in front of the portal 2 test chamber editor, even the accountants, remember, brain dead monkeys can do it. Have everyone shoot for 5 levels, tell them to go wild, make anything they want. See what they come up with. Make it a party, get everyone in a room together bouncing ideas off each other with the level editor right there to realize them as fast as you can think it up. Then have everyone play each other's levels, try to sort out the best stuff. Boom. Just like that, you've got a huge amount of content to jump off with. 300 x 5, we're talking 1,500 levels here, no way you can't find two dozen or so ideas worth exploring further.

And if it's a party? A party with 300 of the most creative people on the planet hanging out together to just make something? No risk, no strings attached? You're gonna get a lot more than just levels. You're going to get jokes out the wazoo. Story ideas. New mechanics, people going "wouldn't it be cool if...?"

You don't have to commit to a 3 year development cycle with all hands on deck, you can start something good just having a little bit of fun.

Are you working in project management?

(I hope not )

Erik Wolpaw to Valve on Portal 3 — 'we should just do it'
19 April 2022 at 12:27 pm UTC Likes: 4

Quoting: BeamboomImagine sitting on a *guaranteed* multi million seller game franchise and choose NOT to release a sequel.
And they even have several of those. They're livin' the good life over there at Valve.

Well, I guess we're easy to overlook the numbers.
While it seems to be big money, it's actually significantly less compared to Steam sales
and putting all your resources in there.

The estimates for Valve's annual revenue is like 7-10 billion USD.
Compare that to the total of sold Half Life copies (~ 9 million) over many, many years -
even if you assume they were all sold at max price (they weren't).
In particular, if you consider how much pressure it must be for Valve always trying to keep
or surpass their standards for their games (I can only imagine). So there is a risk for reputation loss.

Don't get me wrong. I'd love to see Valve getting back to their franchises.
And there IS room for hope. And I'd also claim there is way more value for Valve having those franchises alive
with recent high-class releases than "just" what they directly earn from them.
I just hope they see this.

Erik Wolpaw to Valve on Portal 3 — 'we should just do it'
19 April 2022 at 10:14 am UTC Likes: 9

I like that pushing from Erik.

Yet, that also means Portal 3 is not in development.
Unless, they're playing with our little hearts.

GPD are getting quite desperate against the Steam Deck
6 April 2022 at 11:58 am UTC Likes: 4

First time I've heard of that company.