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lb:half-life [2025-08-09 17:11:16] – ↷ Page moved from playground:half-life to lb:half-life ninjasrlb:half-life [2025-09-12 09:39:06] (current) – [Half-Life] ninjasr
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 ====== Half-Life ====== ====== Half-Life ======
 +{{ img:b:r:half-life.png?460 }}
 **Half-Life** is an FPS game franchise created by [[lb:Valve]] based around a theoretical physicist getting caught in an alien invasion that he probably caused. Now his goal is to kill everything. **Half-Life** is an FPS game franchise created by [[lb:Valve]] based around a theoretical physicist getting caught in an alien invasion that he probably caused. Now his goal is to kill everything.
  
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 The Quake-like style involves entering a room and then quickly eliminating everything inside it...as in, running and gunning. Pretty self-explanatory.\\ The Quake-like style involves entering a room and then quickly eliminating everything inside it...as in, running and gunning. Pretty self-explanatory.\\
 The slow-and-steady style involves carefully maneuvering thru the environment and then out-thinking your opponents...like sneaking up on them, or dispatching them in an otherwise clever way.\\ The slow-and-steady style involves carefully maneuvering thru the environment and then out-thinking your opponents...like sneaking up on them, or dispatching them in an otherwise clever way.\\
-The former approach is encouraged with the fast movement, the fact it's in a modified Quake engine and...that's all I can think about. The latter approach is encouraged by making the enemies quite tough, making Gordon fragile (relatively-speaking) and...that's all I can think about.+The former approach is encouraged with the fast movement, the fact it's in a modified Quake engine and...that's all I can think of. The latter approach is encouraged by making the enemies quite tough, making Gordon fragile (relatively-speaking) and having puzzles thruout the game.
  
 Originally, I believed that the slow-and-steady playstyle was the intended gameplay style and Valve simply failed to nudge player psychology in that direction...but since I've learned just how...//unusual//...Half-Life's development was, I'm now convinced there just wasn't a unified vision: different devs working on the game prioritized different playstyles. This then combined together into a strange mess. Originally, I believed that the slow-and-steady playstyle was the intended gameplay style and Valve simply failed to nudge player psychology in that direction...but since I've learned just how...//unusual//...Half-Life's development was, I'm now convinced there just wasn't a unified vision: different devs working on the game prioritized different playstyles. This then combined together into a strange mess.
  
 The choice of a //theoretical physicist// as the main character makes a lot of sense in the context of the slow-and-steady playstyle...since a theoretical physicist is unlikely to have much combat experience, which would make him more wary and careful when actually engaging in combat.\\ The choice of a //theoretical physicist// as the main character makes a lot of sense in the context of the slow-and-steady playstyle...since a theoretical physicist is unlikely to have much combat experience, which would make him more wary and careful when actually engaging in combat.\\
-But there are a few issues with this. First: Gordon being a theoretical physicist is practically a footnote and barley has any baring on anything; Second: the game doesn't actually emphasize Gordon's lack of experience/fragility almost at all.\\+But there are a few issues with this. First: Gordon being a theoretical physicist is practically a footnote and barely has any baring on anything; Second: the game doesn't actually emphasize Gordon's lack of experience/fragility almost at all.\\
 If I were in their position and I really wanted to encourage that playstyle (which I'm not sure they wanted to) I would have: If I were in their position and I really wanted to encourage that playstyle (which I'm not sure they wanted to) I would have:
   * Made Gordon even more susceptible to damage, which forces players to be a lot more careful.   * Made Gordon even more susceptible to damage, which forces players to be a lot more careful.
   * Given players more options for avoiding fights/dealing with fights in creative ways.   * Given players more options for avoiding fights/dealing with fights in creative ways.
   * Made Gordon a woman.   * Made Gordon a woman.
-That last point is of import because women are generally perceived as more fragile and weaker than men.((:fn:>Which is because they are. Sorry not sorry.)) It may not seem like much, but it's something you can rely on 99% of players to think, which //will// subtly adjust their behaviors.\\+That last point is of import because women are generally perceived as more fragile and weaker than men.((:fn:>Which is because they are. Sorry not sorry.)) It may not seem like much, but it's something you can rely on 99% of players to think, which //will// subtly adjust their behaviors. Whereas most people probably don't have the same view of theoretical physicists. That isn't to say that people think theoretical physicists are body-builders: they just don't think of them period.\\
 Something else this would have done is differentiate Half-Life from other games of the time since, to my knowledge, there //weren't// any FPS games released back then that had female protagonists. Something else this would have done is differentiate Half-Life from other games of the time since, to my knowledge, there //weren't// any FPS games released back then that had female protagonists.
  
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 I say this because Half-Life 2 is //too radical// a departure from what Half-Life originally was and I see no reason why it had to be this way. Actually, I think Half-Life 2 goes out of its way to be different from the first game, to its detriment.\\ I say this because Half-Life 2 is //too radical// a departure from what Half-Life originally was and I see no reason why it had to be this way. Actually, I think Half-Life 2 goes out of its way to be different from the first game, to its detriment.\\
-The other big issue is the chaotic development. Valve is filled with geniuses, yes, but they're also stupid. A lot of the development stories you hear from HL2's development indicate that they really don't know how to cooperate. Though let's step aside for a bit.+The other big issue is the chaotic development. Valve is filled with geniuses, yes, but they're also stupid. A lot of the development stories you hear from HL2's development indicate that they really don't know how to cooperate. Though I'll leave that for Valve's eventual article.
  
 Major proof that Valve didn't really know what they were doing is with the Combine. The Combine are the main enemies you face thruout Half-Life 2 and there isn't a lot of enemy variety: most Combine Overwatch look, sound and act the same way. Comparatively, the first game has a much higher variety of enemies. Even Opposing Force has more variety.\\ Major proof that Valve didn't really know what they were doing is with the Combine. The Combine are the main enemies you face thruout Half-Life 2 and there isn't a lot of enemy variety: most Combine Overwatch look, sound and act the same way. Comparatively, the first game has a much higher variety of enemies. Even Opposing Force has more variety.\\
lb/half-life.1754759476.txt.gz · Last modified: 2025-08-09 17:11:16 by ninjasr
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