This might explain why Valve's been holding back on Half-Life 3.
It's been nearly eight years since Half-Life 2 first released. Since then, fans have been clamoring for the sequel that'll continue the tale of Gordon Freeman. Year by year, hype for the franchise has been steadily building, yet any sign of Half-Life 3 continues to elude us, so much to the point that it's become an Internet meme.
Now, it looks like there's a reason why Valve's been putting off the conclusion to the trilogy. Recently, Valvetime.net user Barnz did some digging into Source Filmmaker, Valve's video capture and editing software for Team Fortress 2, and discovered coding that pointed to the existence of the Source 2 engine. The file, located in the path file
".../SourceFilmmaker/game/sdktools/python/global/lib/site-packages/vproj/vproj.py", references the Source 2 engine with the following comment in line 1387:
"Return an str with the current engine version.
"If key doesn't doesn't exist, assume 'Source', otherwise invalid -- assume next-gen 'Source 2'."
There are more references to the Source 2 engine in the Pastebin file of the source code here, if you want to see for yourself.
While this news doesn't confirm the reference of Half-Life 3, or even reference it, being busy developing the Source 2 engine seems a good enough excuse as to why it hasn't rolled around yet. Considering the amount of hype now for the game, it's no surprise that Valve wants to "wow" fans with a Half-Life 3 on newer technology.
This just means you didn't play Half Life when it was originally released. It was a major game changer for the FPS genre. Hasn't aged well though IMO.
Half Life 2 was an excellent game. It's not nearly as good as many praise it to be (e.g. best or one of the best ever) but it was very good.
If this is true then you have a great comment that adds to the discussion, but it would be even better if you provided a cite.
Just so you (an others) realize what the original Half Life game pioneered:
1)This was the first FPS games that had a movie-like intro, where you were just thrust into the beginning sequence as if you were really Gordan Freeman. It set the scene and gave important information about places, concepts, and in-game controls. Much like getting a guided tour at a new job. EVERYBODY COPIES THIS NOW.
2) This was the first FPS game that did not stop after every level and give you a bunch of kill statistics (ala Doom). The game simply flowed from one level to another, often without you realizing it. Cave-ins or doors locking behind you kept you from going back to previous levels. Very creative. Again, this greatly improved the immersion in the game. EVERYBODY COPIES THIS NOW.
3) There were scripted, movie like scenes that played out in front of you when you approached an area. Maybe a guard shooting and loosing to a creature, or a fellow scientist getting gobbled up. The scene was withing the game so it felt real, like it was happening in front of you. Again, EVERYBODY COPIES THIS NOW.
4) Lots and Lots of voice acting to improve the realism, rather than reading a bunch of text. EVERYBODY COPIES THIS NOW.
5) A simple "non-weapon" (crowbar) to be used when all else fails. (ALMOST) EVERYBODY COPIES THIS NOW.
I could go on but hopefully you get the point.
Just so you (an others) realize what the original Half Life game pioneered:
1)This was the first FPS games that had a movie-like intro, where you were just thrust into the beginning sequence as if you were really Gordan Freeman. It set the scene and gave important information about places, concepts, and in-game controls. Much like getting a guided tour at a new job. EVERYBODY COPIES THIS NOW.
2) This was the first FPS game that did not stop after every level and give you a bunch of kill statistics (ala Doom). The game simply flowed from one level to another, often without you realizing it. Cave-ins or doors locking behind you kept you from going back to previous levels. Very creative. Again, this greatly improved the immersion in the game. EVERYBODY COPIES THIS NOW.
3) There were scripted, movie like scenes that played out in front of you when you approached an area. Maybe a guard shooting and loosing to a creature, or a fellow scientist getting gobbled up. The scene was withing the game so it felt real, like it was happening in front of you. Again, EVERYBODY COPIES THIS NOW.
4) Lots and Lots of voice acting to improve the realism, rather than reading a bunch of text. EVERYBODY COPIES THIS NOW.
5) A simple "non-weapon" (crowbar) to be used when all else fails. (ALMOST) EVERYBODY COPIES THIS NOW.
I could go on but hopefully you get the point.
This just means you didn't play Half Life when it was originally released. It was a major game changer for the FPS genre. Hasn't aged well though IMO.
Half Life 2 was an excellent game. It's not nearly as good as many praise it to be (e.g. best or one of the best ever) but it was very good.