[56K Warning] Viktor Antonov (presentazione), Gabe Newell (intervista) e Movie!!

[Psiche]

Publisher: Vivendi
Developer: Valve Software
Data di rilascio: Settembre 2004
Genere: FPS
Sito Ufficiale: http://www.half-life2.com



La discussione che segue prende in esame 3 interessanti avvenimenti della scorsa settimana.

Il primo è il congresso di Siggraph (http://www.siggraph.org/s2004/) tenutosi in Los Angeles dove Viktor Antonov della Valve ha mostrato alcuni demos di HL2 dell'E3 tenutosi a Maggio di quest'anno e, con delle diapositive, ha cercato di mostrare "come appariranno i giochi di prossima generazione" ovviamente secondo Valve. Per far ciò, ha utilizzato una presentazione con Powerpoint di alcuni tematiche quali la creazione, la ricerca, l'architettura, l'illuminazione ed il concetto dell'arte diretta di Half Life 2 nella versione finale.
Queste immagini che seguono ricreano i punti culminanti di quella presentazione.


Il secondo avvenimento riguarda l'intervista a Gabe Newell particolarmente indicativa dato che è prossima al rilascio del gioco. In questa serie di battute, Gabe ci fà sapere che verrà commercializzata sia la versione CD (composta da 4 CD) che quella DVD, indica in 25 ore circa la durata del gioco, annuncia il rilascio del Benchmark in prossimità della chiusura gioco e, altro dettaglio curioso, decide di offrirci in anteprima la trama iniziale di HL2 simile per certi aspetti a quanto accaduto in HL 1:
Siamo su un treno diretto verso la Città 17 senza armi. Allontanandoci da esso non mancheremo di notare uno schermo gigante vicino al quale c'è un tipo con la barba ed un faree da pazzo che stà dicendo qualcosa... altri retroscena, dettagli, conferme e smentite si trovano ovviamente nell'intervista.


Infine il terzo avvenimento che riguarda Half Life 2: La pubblicazione della seconda parte del video dell'E3 in formato Bink con eccellente dettaglio (1024x768). Vari link per poterlo scaricare si trovano in fondo al secondo post... ovviamente è OBBLIGATORIA la visione!


HalfLife2 City 17


Location: Research



Location: Architecture



Location: Infrastructure





Location: Level of Detail



Lighting: Style

[Psiche]

Lighting: Season



Lighting: Palette


Lighting: Season


The Combine: Juxtaposition







Intervista a Gabe Newell

Q: Are there dynamic shadows from the flashlight or muzzle flash in CS: Source?

A: I didn't actually ask this, but I did not see any when I played CS: Source

Q: How much will the source engine cost (modder/developer question) ?

A: There is no known price as of yet, but if you use steam as your distribution method it will be considerably cheaper.

Q: If you picked up a item with the manipulator and changed levels, would the item stay with you?

A: Robin Walker was asking this question, and he responded with a big YES.

Q: Will mods be set up the same way as they are in Half-Life 1 (will there be folders for each mod)?

A: Yes, they will be set up the same way as Half-Life 1.

Q: Can maps be as big as they are in Battlefield 1942 and if not, can they be made to be larger?

A: The maps in Half-Life 2 are much too dense in objects to make them as big as BF1942. The ability is there but you wouldn't be able to make them with as many objects as most Half-Life 2 maps are, and if you do, you would need a insane amount of RAM to handle it.

Q: Team Fortress Classic, any news on it going to source or TF2?

A: TF2 is being worked on at VALVe, and will most likely be announced after Half-Life 2.

Q: Day Of Defeat: Source, how about any news about it?

A: Day Of Defeat: Source is being worked on but will not be available at Half-life 2 launch.

Q: Back in September 2003, you were talking about releasing several different versions of the game. Such as a multiplayer-only version, and singleplayer-only version. Are these versions still planned?

A: Back when Sierra was still in business, they had plans for a value-priced edition that would have been a singleplayer only version. Once Sierra was shut down, they scrapped the plans for those versions and ended up with 2 versions: 1 "normal" version (includes both single and multiplayer) and one Collectors Edition (more on that below).

Q: Will we see any graphical enhancements and/or support for future technologies through Steam?

A: Gabe talked about how through Steam they could add enhanced graphics as they become available. "If a user say, installs a brand new x900 (assuming that's what is next) that has some fancy new features that their old card didn't support, such as pixel shader 3 (for example). We (VALVe) could release a small update to the game to download that content to that user's computer as soon as Steam discovers the new Video Card". Basically they can release custom content to your computer depending on your system; and if you upgrade to hardware that enables a new technology, it can enable it!

Q: With the original Half-Life being ported to Source, are you giving it a overhaul like you did with Counter-Strike or is more of a direct port?

A: The original Half-Life will be more of a direct port, with some minor enhancements added. So, no it's not getting as significant of an overhaul as Counter-Strike.

Q: Lots of modders are asking the boundaries of the new engine, in regards to physics. How much can you apply to a level or game before it gets laggy either on or offline?

A: Most (NOT ALL) of the physics calculations are done client-side using a prediction method. Server-side physics are handled very efficiently, so essentially you can apply whatever level of physics you want. VALVe doesn't recommend a over-indulging on physics, however.

Q: Will the new level design allow Terrain Deformation, or will it be be more like Half-Life 1 (where you had to set a breakable spot in Hammer)?

A: Half-Life 2 will not have any Terrain Deformation, but it can be enabled or used in mods. On a side note, Team Fortress 2 will have Terrain Deformation.

Q: Will there be realistic model damage in Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: Source (like Solider Of Fortune)?

A: Realistic model damage is apparent in Half-Life 2 to a degree, it's not as extreme as SOF.

Q: How many CDs or DVDs will the game be (and if possible, the Collector's Edition)?

A: Doug Lombardi told me that Half-Life 2 will most likely be 4 CDs and 1 DVD. The Collector's Edition might be the only one in DVD format, however.

Q: In Counter-Strike: Source, will objects be able to inflict damage? For example, if a grenade sends a barrel flying into your face, will you take damage?

A: I myself am still not 100% on this, I did attempt to test it with a grenade and some barrels. I ended up throwing the grenade a little too close to myself and almost committed suicide.

Q: Will there be bump-mapping on player or NPC models?

A: Bump mapping on player models seemed pretty apparent in my Counter-Strike: Source play test, but I am not 100% sure.

Q: I do believe you have already answered this one, but any truth to the rumors that Half-Life 2 will be rated Teen?

A: Currently in Rating Pending status at ESRB. VALVe has no intention of watering down the game to try and get a Teen rating. On a related topic, the box art I received from VALVe has a Rating Pending on the front, but already planning for a Mature rating, on the back of the box is the Mature rating for "animated violence and blood".

Q: When will the Benchmark tool be released, or is it still planned?

A: The Benchmark tool is still planned, and will be released closer to the release of the game.

Q: Is there any reasonable way to kill one of the strider monsters?

A: Gabe's response: "Just play the game".

Q: How long is the game, and how linear is it?

A: The game itself is roughly around 25 hours of game play. As far as how linear the game is, it sort of depends on the user playing. VALVe had many play testers say the game did not feel linear at all. One thing is certain: it's much less linear than the original.

Q: What is one of the coolest features of the new Hammer map editor?

A: Robin Walker joked: "it Crashes a lot less!" One big new thing is that entities can have input and output now, so they can have less scripted sequences, and that helps the AI to be a lot smarter. Some other features are:

• There is now a search feature enabled in Hammer, allowing you to only search for items that you want or need.
• You can now preview sounds directly in the Hammer browser.
• You can tie entities together in new ways, for example:
  1. You could make it so that the faster a train goes the brighter a light gets.
  2. You could make it so that a NPC knows where a briefcase is and so if you move it, they might mention that in the conversation.
  3. During one sequence a combine solider asks you to pick up a can and put it into a certain garbage can, if you put it in the wrong one or if you try and put something else in they know what you have put in.

Q: I remember a rumor that you guys had to rebuild a lot of story elements because of the Source leak, is this true?

A: No. No content was rebuilt because of the leak.

Q: What controls are you giving Mod makers in regards to networking?

A: Mods will be given almost full control of networking, including the Lag Compensation code and the hierarchy of the network. Mods in Half-Life 2 have much more control over things like networking.

Q: Does the game start off the same way as Half-Life 1?

A: The game starts off similarly as Half-Life 1: you are on a train headed for City 17 and you have no weapons. You step out of the train and notice a giant screen with some crazy guy with a beard talking about something. You start to walk and something flies up to you and takes your picture. "Wonder what that was?" As you continue on, you see a combine shove another guy into a luggage cart, knocking over some of the bags. If you try and interfere or throw something at the combine, he beats you with a stick. On the other side of the area is a combine solider ordering around what looks like an Alien Slave from the first game. I didn't get a close-up look so I can't be sure. That's as much as I'm going to spoil.

Q: What has changed in terms of characters animation since Half-Life 1?

A: There is a lot more blending of animations since the original where the characters were kind of jerky between walking and standing still. In Half-Life 2, if the character is walking, running or even just talking, he can have a whole set of gestures going at the same time. In addition, with the face poser tool, you can manipulate much more animations from the facial region. You can make the characters wink, raise an eyebrow (or both eyebrows), etc. The main characters will have a LOT more animations than some NPCs. You can also speed up or slow down different gestures with smooth animations between them.









Download movie trailer of E3 2004 (1024x768, 1:20, Bink) - 61Mb

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[Kola_Gurra]

mamma grandiosos!!!

che grafica pazzesca che si vede da sti screen...


ottimo

ma alcune sono foto vere per caso?

[Thunder82]

Originariamente inviato da Psiche


Location: Infrastructure

Ma questa è una foto dai non è possibile che sia un gioco

[Psiche]

Originariamente inviato da Kola_Gurra
mamma grandiosos!!!

che grafica pazzesca che si vede da sti screen...


ottimo

Ricorda che si è tentato di spiegare il concetto di arte visiva dei giochi di prossima generazione contrapposti alla rtealtà. Dunque alcune sono immagini reali.

[Thunder82]

Originariamente inviato da Psiche
Ricorda che si è tentato di spiegare il concetto di arte visiva dei giochi di prossima generazione contrapposti alla rtealtà. Dunque alcune sono immagini reali.

ah ecco

[Maury]

[Psiche]

Originariamente inviato da Thunder82
ah ecco

Si ma con esattezza sai indicare quante e quali sono?

[TheDarkAngel]

Originariamente inviato da Psiche
Si ma con esattezza sai indicare quante e quali sono?

si
5

Originariamente inviato da Psiche
Si ma con esattezza sai indicare quante e quali sono?

sono 4 secondo me...

aspetta che le metto qui...

queste per caso?

[Psiche]

Originariamente inviato da PabbeloHW
queste per caso?

CUT

L'articolo non lo specifica. E' solo una lunga serie di Immagini con quella premessa.

Cmq IMHO sono 6.

[_Xel_^^]

Uhm secondo me anche quella specie di stazione con i fari in alto...

...quindi 5 IMHO

Ciau!

[TheDarkAngel]

Originariamente inviato da Psiche
L'articolo non lo specifica. E' solo una lunga serie di Immagini con quella premessa.

Cmq IMHO sono 6.

vero sono 4..
quella del cunicolo è fatta col motore..
basta vedere le finestre e i cassonetti che fanno schifo.. (e c'e' pure una luce con scalettata lolz)
confermo 4... il resto tutto motore grafico

[fabiannit]

Anche per me sono 5
cmq stupenda grafica

[_Xel_^^]

Ho dubbi su questa...

http://www.planethalflife.com/featur...Slide22_hi.jpg

O è un render o esiste veramente

Quindi le finte vanno a 6 IMHO...



Ciau!

io resto per 4

[TheDarkAngel]

questa potrebbe sembrare reale ma non lo è per niente..
basta guardare l'aflato.. mai visto così piatto e così ricorsivi i solchi
anche i cartoni a sinistra dell'asfalto si vede che sono tutt'uno con lo spiazzo

[Thunder82]

imho le foto sono 4, esattamente queste:

http://www.planethalflife.com/featur...lide05a_hi.jpg

http://www.planethalflife.com/featur...Slide08_hi.jpg

http://www.planethalflife.com/featur...lide13a_hi.jpg

http://www.planethalflife.com/featur...lide19a_hi.jpg