Design Change breaking continuity

[BlitzSkype]

Alright. I gotta admit. It look stunning. The graphic, the fluidity of animation, the lightning, the interaction with the environnement. This trailer is truly amazing.
But on the other hand, from what i'm seing, i can hardly consider this game as canon.

Major change in the design of the environnement have been made, and break the continuity with Half Life 2. And this isn't like something forgivable such as moving GLaDOS back from the parking to her room. No, here we're talking about thing that just doesn't works with the HL2 lore.

The striders now seem to have metallic enhancements, and platform similar to the one you can put on your dinosaur in ARK SE. Plus they look like a rip off of tallboys from dishonored, which ironically whose design were inspired by the strider of HL2, since it's both Victor Antonv behind the game design.

The Citadel is seen wired to the whole City 17 (assuming that's C17), while in HL2 only a few cable are barely linking it to the surrounding of it's base. Now those cable are seem spreading across the whole city.
That huge ship floating in the sky, looking menacing, is something sooo big and out of place i can't even begin to imagine what story they have created around it.
And the look of the Combine soldiers and CP units has a Cinematic mod feel to me, which isn't good actually. They have been rewanped.
And those gravity gloves ... well, i'm wondering if they have a link with the gravity gun, but they seem like an innovation that come too soon.


SO

Don't get me wrong. I don't want to shoot this game just a few minute after it's announcement and trailer release.
It look great. It looks like it's going to once again with a Half Life IP set up the bar, this time for VR, in all aspect of the platform. The mechanic such as looking around to grab bullets, connecting your hand to heal yourself from the mural station, the puzzle ... they seem well though and really interesting.

But knowing this is supposed to be a prequel, i wonder if this game can decently fit into the canon set up in HL2.



From the trailer, it looks like Alyx will have to destroy that thing in the sky, and save (once again) her father, who may have been captured.
Now think about it. If she manage to destroy such a thing, it would be such a symbol, it could have led to an uprising, way before Gordon's arrival and the destruction of Nova Prospect. And the Combine would have taken the resistance as a bigger threat sooner.
It also mean that Eli's capture may have failed once before.
Those cable hanging from the Citadel, and those platform strider are yet to be reconned. Either you will have destroy them by the end of the game, either we're supposed to pretend they've always been part of the universe, though you can clearly see they weren't in the previous game.

I know i might sound confused, but there is sooo much about this trailer that make me wonder how can this game insrt itself into the chronology ? Would Laidlaw consider it canon ? Did he took part in the developpement before leaving actually ?


It's stil look really great for me though. But clearly you can see the previous writer pawn's isn't involved in this. Not as he started HL2 atleast.

I'm not judging the final product, since it hasn't been released yet. But clearly, it raised concern in me that i'm trying to confusely share with you. I'm curious to hear your opinion on the matter.

[BlitzSkype]

Not to mention that i woud rather have seen Half Life 2 Episode 3 or even Half Life 3 than a spin off tho.

[FREMONT]

I share similar sentiment. What gets me wrong is it being set before HL2 yet introducing content and plot points that may contradict with the original storyline and universe. Like the original STAR WARS films and its prequels, compare the two sets and it almost seems like two different universes. Hopefully the new VR title will suffice the pallet of die hard fans and newcomers alike.

And I have to say, you make a good point about Laidlaw, considering HLVR has almost been in development for (4?) years. I really wonder what he knows and feels about this, along with others who worked on the series.

Game looks neat overall, and judging by how the gaming community reacts (like with Death Stranding), there might be controversy surrounding each step of the way to March 2020 and beyond release.

[Garou]

Old models and environments are dated design and wouldn't look good in 2020.

[FREMONT]

Nguyên văn bởi BlitzSkype:

Not to mention that i woud rather have seen Half Life 2 Episode 3 or even Half Life 3 than a spin off tho.

The release of the new HL title might help settle the waters on how the public might react to new titles in the franchise. Any overwhelming reaction be it negative or positive might settle how Valve continues its development of games.

[BlitzSkype]

Nguyên văn bởi FREMONT:

Nguyên văn bởi BlitzSkype:

Not to mention that i woud rather have seen Half Life 2 Episode 3 or even Half Life 3 than a spin off tho.

The release of the new HL title might help settle the waters on how the public might react to new titles in the franchise. Any overwhelming reaction be it negative or positive might settle how Valve continues its development of games.

I share your opinion (not totally about the star wars prequel tho :P ) but regarding that last matter, just take a look at the video of the final hours of HLA :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9K0eJEmMEw

Tyler McVicker, know as Valve New Network, speculate that their whole approach to the community reaction is likely the key of making HL3 or not. If people don't like Half Life Alyx, it is likely we won't get it, and that's kind of psychological blackmail here.
Still, our concern about the canon are more legitimate than those people pretending to be offended at the fact that this is a VR game, yet has been CLEARLY announced as much all this time (or leaked actually).

[BlitzSkype]

Nguyên văn bởi Eagle--:

Old models and environments are dated design and wouldn't look good in 2020.

You still can update them to make them acceptable in 2020, yet not radically change their design.

[eyeliner smear]

Nguyên văn bởi BlitzSkype:

The Citadel is seen wired to the whole City 17 (assuming that's C17), while in HL2 only a few cable are barely linking it to the surrounding of it's base. Now those cable are seem spreading across the whole city.

I'm pretty sure they are support cables, In the trailer it looks like the citadel is being built so they are probably to keep it from falling to pieces.

[Pathblinder]

You would not have and likely will not get half life 3 with or without this. Valve have no incentive to finish off the story, the only reason they have made this game at all is to push VR deeper into the market.

It's a sad truth.

The citadel has an "under construction" vibe to me in this trailer. Whether or not it's a redesign or the majority of those wires are later removed doesn't matter all that much. It captures a certain aesthetic that was likely aided by the enhanced hardware we have now compared to when HL2 released.

The Citadel was just made to look more fancy and the wires almost seem to intrude on the flesh of the city, like a hostile creature taking over its host by force. I feel it is very symbolic of the combine as a whole.

As for the combine rework - I feel it's a little off as well. But we'll likely see Metrocops in their standard attire here and there. They're likely introducing new unit types with this game, which I don't mind. Really, the only stand out change seems to be they are wearing actual equipment to store their stuff. Instead of just walking around without a backpack.

Honestly im more concerned with them changing alyx's voice actor. It's a change that really ruins the announcement for me.

[BlitzSkype]

I like your ideas guys. The Citadel under construction or expanding like a disease accross the city.
But it just feel kind of weird. Alyx must be close to her age in HL2 in this game, seing her set of skill, heigh and knowledge. So i believe this happen not so long before Half Life 2. So the citadel if probably at this point, already finished.
Plus a lot of hint from Laidlaw and also theory from the Half Life wikia state that citadel may fall from the sky rather than being build on the invaded word. That would explain the crater around it, since the stomp can't have created such a big hole.

But really your view are quitte convicing and intersting. I'm curious to see what explanation they'll give us.

[GrenouilleDeLys]

I think the strider has a rig structure around them to help to walk because the gravity is not the same.

[eyeliner smear]

Nguyên văn bởi BlitzSkype:

I like your ideas guys. The Citadel under construction or expanding like a disease accross the city.
But it just feel kind of weird. Alyx must be close to her age in HL2 in this game, seing her set of skill, heigh and knowledge. So i believe this happen not so long before Half Life 2. So the citadel if probably at this point, already finished.
Plus a lot of hint from Laidlaw and also theory from the Half Life wikia state that citadel may fall from the sky rather than being build on the invaded word. That would explain the crater around it, since the stomp can't have created such a big hole.

But really your view are quitte convicing and intersting. I'm curious to see what explanation they'll give us.

I think you forget the Combine is a multi species, expansive empire. they could easily build 5 citadels in a day. Doesn't mean theyll go that fast though.

[BlitzSkype]

Nguyên văn bởi Istana:

I think you forget the Combine is a multi species, expansive empire. they could easily build 5 citadels in a day. Doesn't mean theyll go that fast though.

Yeah but where would they find the ressource on earth to build such thing ?

[Chimp Factory [M04]]

I am guessing its a different city/location with some different aesthetic; but the crater idea for City 17's citadel sounds neat.

This citadel is smaller; and if I remember right from lore city 17 was the capital of sorts. This could be a small outlying city or something since they mention a weapon for production and testing.

Looking with cautious optimism towards this game, its promising so far but I am a tad cynical after the last few rotten years of games.

[Pathblinder]

Let's also not forget that the combine likely have to heavily modify the citadels for the native species. Which would take some work and time. Especially if Earth is just a minor world the combine conquered and not worth their full resources.

[BlitzSkype]

Yeah good point. Maybe Earth Citadel were modified with stomps to prevent antlion to flood the cities, a problem that other world wouldn't have.