HL2: EP1 video

[blue60007]

For all you Half-Life fans - Valve just released a EP1 teaser video. Check the media section in Steam. I just watched it - not much to it (it is just a teaser), but interesting nonetheless. I think they'll be spotlighting each of the main characters in upcoming "teaser videos" as this one was all about Alyx.

Also, Half-Life 2: Episode One goes gold

[TwoRails]

That's good news, blue60007! Thanks for the tip. I'm on my way to find the teaser

[juppy]

Thanks for the info, blue! One question though.....how can they say Episode 1 has already gone gold if it doesn't come out for another week yet? Are they judging off of pre-orders or what?

[blue60007]

That'd be my guess. I've got a pre-order copy of it already.

[blue60007]

Oh, just remembered. They released Teaser 2 last night...just got a chance to download it a bit ago. I wonder if there will be a 3rd tonight?

[Two|Bit]

I think going golf means that they are ready to ship, it has nothing to do with how many things have sold

[blue60007]

http://gameinformer.com/News/Story/2...1422.35562.htm

There's one small spoiler on the 4th image that I wish they wouldn't have put in there. Not a biggy though, and not surprising at all. Only two days (well, like 36hrs)!

[juppy]

Originally Posted by Two|Bit I think going golf means that they are ready to ship, it has nothing to do with how many things have sold

I dunno.....I would still think it would have to do with sales, because that's how games, music, etc, have always been rated, by achieving a certain number of copies sold to reach a certain status...... silver, gold, platinum, double platinum, etc.

[spyder003]

Originally Posted by juppy how can they say Episode 1 has already gone gold if it doesn't come out for another week yet? Are they judging off of pre-orders or what?

When a game goes gold, it means all development on the game is final. It's sent off to the publisher to be copied, boxed, and shipped off.

[Turbo91Bird]

Only 6 hours of game play? Boooooooooooooo.

[blue60007]

Just a few more hours! I think it'll be released at like 10am...but I won't get to play until 5pm....

Well, it only costs $20. I'd rather have 6 hours of gameplay every 6 months over one big game 6 years later.

[DragonNOA1]

Originally Posted by spyder003 When a game goes gold, it means all development on the game is final. It's sent off to the publisher to be copied, boxed, and shipped off.

Exactly. I think it may have come from having a master disk made out of gold and using that to press all the other disks (the ones we buy). So it goes gold and then they make all the CD's then we buy it on the day its available.

[blue60007]

Yeah, I think that's right (after I did a quick bit of googling).

[juppy]

Okay, cool. Thanks for clueing me in on the "gold" status.

Two|Bit, looks like you were right after all......good call.

[Hi Ho]

I don't know about a master disk made of gold. Gold would be way too soft to be used as a master dye. There are far cheaper and harder alternatives.

[Turbo91Bird]

Originally Posted by blue60007 Just a few more hours! I think it'll be released at like 10am...but I won't get to play until 5pm.... Well, it only costs $20. I'd rather have 6 hours of gameplay every 6 months over one big game 6 years later.

That is true.

[blue60007]

I think it's just a high quality gold coated CD.

Well, I'm about to go play........

[Turbo91Bird]

I played about 10 minutes of it and deleted it.....



just kidding, so far so good. Graphics are incrediable. GO DOG!

[blue60007]

Eek!

SO, what'd you guys think? I think it's going to be time for a new rig for me soon - this one is really pushing the limits of it.

[TwoRails]

It's always a good time for a new rig.... if the budget allows!! - That's why I kinda never had but a few "new" rigs, as they just morph more than anything

What-cha running now? (sorry, I forget)

[blue60007]

Current rig's in the sig in the first post (argh, couldn't find anything to rhyme there).

I've been kinda holding out for Conroe/Core 2. My current summer job should solve the budget thing.

[juppy]

I just bought the Episode 1 game today and had a not-so-nice surprise. All this time Valve has been saying all the hardware requirements were going to be the same as the first Half-Life 2 game. Well, guess what.......for the most part they are but it requires a DVD-ROM drive. I have a CD drive and a CD burner drive.....no DVD though. If I'd known this beforehand, I would've gotten a DVD-ROM ordered so I'd be ready to go, but since they said the requirements were going to be the same I didn't see any need for it. Guess I'll be waiting until the end of the coming week til Newegg can get me a DVD drive shipped.

[TwoRails]

Originally Posted by blue60007 Current rig's in the sig in the first post (argh, couldn't find anything to rhyme there). I've been kinda holding out for Conroe/Core 2. My current summer job should solve the budget thing.

We have roughly similar rigs, blue60007, and that need for speed is pretty strong. I'm been holding out for the AM2 to get stronger, hoping that will drive 939 X2 prices down. Can't afford a whole build, but I figure a 4800+ X2 would be a nice jump. They are out of range as they are still over $600

[TwoRails]

I hear ya, juppy, about "needing" a DVD. A couple of us were talking the other day about "modern" game requirements and it's getting pretty steep. Games have almost always driven hardware, but it seems like the target audience is getting narrower. It seems like "they" would sell a lot more games if they were compatible with at least somewhat older systems.

[juppy]

That's true, TR. I had the same problem quite a few months back when I wanted to get the last game in the Myst series. Only media I could find it on was DVD-ROM. I even found a really nice deal on a bulk edition for like the last 3 Myst games all together, but there again, DVD only (even though the two earlier games came out originally on CD-ROM). I skipped over getting that game and a DVD drive back then, coz I wasn't THAT addicted to the Myst games. Half-Life 2 though.....well, that's another story. I gotta have it! Oh well, ordered a DVD drive from Newegg last night, so I won't have to put up with HL2 withdrawls for very long at least.

[blue60007]

I think it's a good idea to switch to selling games on DVDs now - having to load 6 (thousand) CDs is just silly...1 dvd is much nicer. Getting a DVD-ROM isn't a big deal (most can be had for $20 or less), but I guess waiting for that drive would be the problem. Also, I imagine the "recommended" hardware config went up because of the addition of HDR (which looks NICE). That chopped my performance in half.

Didn't even know HL2: EP1 came on DVD only, I bought all the games through Steam and downloaded through there. I got a "Source Pack" or something like that for my birthday and it included a pre-order copy of EP1, and it took 15% off the *entire* order (cause it had a pre-order game). Not a bad deal...then I backed up the games to a couple DVD-Rs so I wouldn't have to re-download. There we go again with the DVD drive - that would have been like 8 CDs.

[TwoRails]

Oh ya, DVD is really the way to go. And they are cheap for "us." I just think about the folks that have to go to places like Best Buy to have one installed ... Never priced the job, but I visualized them just saving up another $100 and getting an E-Machines instead. LOL.

Heck, I remember when some stuff came on 10 - 12 floppies. (Wasn't the record 21 floppies for something?) When CDs became more mainstream back then, at least you had a choice most of the time on which media to get, or a coupon for one or the other would come in the box. Seems like DVDs are being phased in more quickly (or is it my imagination?).

PS: Not sure, but doesn't FEAR come in both CD and DVD boxes? (Now that's a good game, too!)

[blue60007]

Ah, I see your point about "us".

Lol, I'm not old enough to remember games on floppies...I think games were just starting on CDs (about the Win 3.11/95 era).

Yeah, FEAR comes in a regular CD version and a DVD Director's edition (or whatever they call it). Basically they charge you more for a DVD and throw in something useless. I have the CD version, cause I didn't need to pay extra for some useless stuff. It's 5 CDs I think. I do have BF2 on DVD, and they did the right thing - offer CD and DVD for the same price. I've also got UT2004 on DVD (that was a special verison, but it was cheap enough to go that way). COD2 is a whopping 6 CDs...which is a pain in the you know where to swap those out (but not as bad as 21 floppies!! ).

[juppy]

Originally Posted by blue60007 Also, I imagine the "recommended" hardware config went up because of the addition of HDR (which looks NICE). That chopped my performance in half.

Can't you turn the HDR off in the options like on the Lost Coast demo?

Originally Posted by blue60007 Yeah, FEAR comes in a regular CD version and a DVD Director's edition (or whatever they call it). Basically they charge you more for a DVD and throw in something useless.

LOL! Nice explaination, because now that I stop and think about it, that's pretty true!

Originally Posted by TwoRails Heck, I remember when some stuff came on 10 - 12 floppies. (Wasn't the record 21 floppies for something?

I don't know what the record was, but I remember getting all those floppies way back when. Games made by Sierra were some of the biggest offenders, as I recall. I don't remember exactly, but I think it's like King's Quest 5 or maybe 6 that I've got that came on about 10 or 11 floppies.

I agree with you guys though, DVD's are probably the way to go, if for nothing more than increased capacity. I mean heck, HL2 came on 5 CD's and I remember thinking how much of a pain it was switching them all out when installing. Now Episode 1 is just 1 DVD.....much easier, as mentioned.

[blue60007]

Originally Posted by juppy Can't you turn the HDR off in the options like on the Lost Coast demo?

Certainly, but if you want those effects, the requirement gets bumped up.