Valve May Release... A Submarine Game?
Long before Half-Life and Prospero, Valve was working on a submarine game.
In a recent episode of Steamcast (#47), developer Valve Software- known for its Half-Life and Left 4 Dead shooters as well as the Steam platform--admitted to prior plans of developing a submarine game long before the ill-fated sci-fi game Prospero and the studio’s first title, Half-Life. Apparently the submarine dream is far from dead.
"Well, a lot of the ideas for Prospero have sort of influenced our other games subsequently," said Valve bossman Gabe Newell. "So, you know, whether or not we actually go back and do that specific game, I don't know. It actually has a lot of appeal to us. We're all sort of fond of it."
He also admitted that nothing truly dies at Valve, indicating that game development may be similar to writing novels. Many authors write a portion of one particular novel, set it aside to write another novel, and then come back later to write a few more chapters. Sometimes it's years before writers return to their a previous work and actually complete the book. Stephen King is a good example.
"It’s just a question how long until we get around to doing it," he added, referring to Prospero. "We just have so many opportunities to do so many different things. I mean, I even get emailed from people saying ‘What about Ricochet 2,' which is kind of astonishing. We actually have twenty-six people who’s first Valve game they ever bought was Ricochet on Steam. So, like I said, nothing ever appears to ever really die, you just haven’t gotten around to doing it yet, so I’d put Propsero into the camp."
He then revealed that the studio originally worked on the unnamed submarine game. "And even further back than Propsero, the other game that Mike [Harrington] and I were talking about before we’d even had anybody other than us working on it was a submarine game," he said. "Mike was absolutely certain there was an opportunity to create fantastic underwater visuals and gameplay. So if people want to know the even furtherest back thing we have haven’t gotten around to shipping yet, it would have to be the unnamed submarine game."
Currently Valve Software is gearing up to kick Portal 2 out the door. Last week Newell announced that the game was complete. "It's pretty much put to bed and we're just waiting for final approvals and to get the discs manufactured," he said.
Portal 2 is slated to hit the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC/Macs in April.
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Is Valve working on HL Episode 3? WTF?!?
I think the last submarine game I played was Tom Clancy's 688, and before that was Nintendo's Silent Service. I enjoyed both.
Hope the game doesn't...
*puts on sunglasses*
Sink.
YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHH!
I guess this article pretty much sums up the Half Life saga, not greatest way to please the fans.....
My first submarine game was Sub Hunt for Intellivision. After that was 688i. Now I'm on to Silent Hunter. I've played SH3 and now I'm on 4. My main gripe is having to micro manage my crew.
Is Valve working on HL Episode 3? WTF?!?
Who said that it is different from submarine game?
Clancys was pretty awesome... I would buy this....
My last submarine game was on the Atari 2600, if you can do better Valve I'd like to see it! >_
Thumbs up to you Sir Supertrek32.
I'd personally like to see Prospero be made I think it would be great to have a sci-fi game other than the Half-life series from Valve. Though I would much rather see EP 3 first.
As for the submarine game I would say that certainly isn't on my wish-list from Valve. It wouldn't be so bad I suppose if that wasn't the whole game and part of it included submarine use it would be tolerable but for a modern game it simply would not be appealing.
.. Surprise!
i guess it's another way to say HL Episode 3 is dead.
Knowing Valve, it'll be the best game ever and we'll wonder how we ever lived with out it.
Who cares about HL EP3?
Give us HALF-LIFE version 3
when everyone really just wants HL3, this game would be as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
Subwar 2050 FTW
Now with Duke Nukem Forever coming out with a release date, it seems HL:Episode 3 is the new "gonna come out eventually" game. maybe it won't take 12 years or so this time?
Is Valve working on HL Episode 3? WTF?!?
They have a team dedicated to EP3 and are working on it. My guess is they want it to be the perfect close to the HL2 series. And I understand. HL2 raised expectations, just like HL2, to a all time high and because of it we have even better FPS games these days. And the Episodes thus far have been amazing in story and gameplay.
HL2: EP3 will probably be just mind blowing and worth the wait.
As for the Submarine game, if VALVe releases it, I will buy it. They deserve my money. They have given me some of the best gaming ever in my life.
Hope the game doesn't...*puts on sunglasses*Sink.YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHH!
Umm... Submarines are meant to submerge. Looks like your joke.... *puts sungalsses on* just got blown out of the water.
YEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!
Battleship the game
a submarine game with the lastest tech would be really nice.
I'm getting bored with FPS games, a submarine game would be a nice change of style. Subhunt on DOS was pretty fun all around.
Valve - please give us word on the next Half-Life game!!! We've waited so long already...
Good, finally something different on the market. I swear to god if I see another FPS franchise come out it won't be pretty.
Yay! Gief us a new submarine-game. :-) I'll be waiting.
And, yeah, HL3 to please. :-)
I remember playing Red Storm Rising on an original IBM PC, in glorious 4 colors (one of those colors was black). Nothing beats the satisfaction of stalking a carrier and then pounding it with torpedoes. Hope they make a good one.
how about Episode 3??? wtf??
The last submarine game I played was while I was serving onboard SSN-720 USS Pittsburgh, on a laptop in the crew's mess... it was Sub Command for win95 i think. Sometimes I miss being a sonarman on that fast attack, and at other times I'm glad I don't have a 3-section duty to deal with nowadays. I still look on my dolphins with a sense of pride, and probably always will.
HL2: EP3 will probably be just mind blowing and worth the wait.
You mean probably have mind blowingly old graphics?
so... halflife 3 will be on a submarine and incoporate the portal gun?
but srsly i could see a submaring game being interesting esp to the flight sim croud
Stephen King's Gunslinger and Valve's Half Life, I believe, are a perfect match. They show what can be done with a little (or a lot) of patience.
Hopefully The HL series doesn't also take over 20 years to finish though. But we'll wait if we have to.
They have a team dedicated to EP3 and are working on it. My guess is they want it to be the perfect close to the HL2 series.
Close ?? I want HL series to continue
The first Valve game I ever bought was half-life. I started playing it and like a good but I couldn't stop. I thought about it all the time until I started playing again from where I left off. I told all my friends about it. They all ended up buying it eventually. It just continues from there... HL2, Ep 1, Ep 2, Team Fortress classic, TF2, Left for Dead, LFD 2, and of course my college years playing counter-strike. Love thier games and really looking forward to what will come out next!