Valve: "Valve Time" is a Compliment

[Dogstile]

Let's be honest, if it wasn't for Steam, Valve would have gone bankrupt and shut down years ago with the kind of game development schedule they have at the moment.

Even you must admit you HAVE to be exagerating to prove a point right?
I mean, jokes aside, Orange Box (and then hat sales), L4D, L4D2, Portal 2, F2P TF2 (getting shitloads more money bc of hats), Valve has gotten quite a bit of good games out there, not to count the crazy ammount of free content they offer after every game is released, TF2 Updates, Portal 2 extras, L4D 1 & 2 Free content... Its not like they've been doing absolutely nothing over the span of years.

The longest period of time without a game release has been what? 1 year?

(also, right now, DOTA 2 and CS:GO Getting lots of work and updates done onto them)

Remove the games that Valve employees didn't make or come up with the idea for (for example, finding a cool project and buying it + staff) and that list becomes a lot shorter.

Valve is a publisher now, not a developer.

You should really look up what publisher and developer mean... just wow...

I get that technically they're different. But think of it this way:

EA: Buys a company under company name, lets them make game, puts out game.
Valve: Buys a company, doesn't let them keep company name, puts out game as valve game.

I mean, I get that there are a few tiny differences, but to me it seems they roughly do the same thing. They're basically a publisher now, I doubt valve staff have ever truly finished a product they've come up with the idea for in a while now. The people who do are the companies that they buy.

Edit: Hell, didn't they hire a completely different team to do l4d2 and leave the team that came up with it to sorta float off into nothingness?

Edit edit: To humour you, these are from google/dictionary.com when searching define: "insert thing here".

Publisher: a person or company whose business is the publishing of books, periodicals, engravings, computer software, etc.

Developer: A person or organization that develops something.

I'm still of the opinion that they develop nothing of their own recently (aside from, you know, portal and even that was an idea from somewhere else). They buy, they market, they sell.

Publisher.

 

[Torrasque]

Let's be honest, if it wasn't for Steam, Valve would have gone bankrupt and shut down years ago with the kind of game development schedule they have at the moment.

I don't really believe Valve actually believes in any of these stuff, they just know they can get away with it because of the money made from Steam. They could wait till they actually release a game of their own (that's not a mod) for another decade and people will still worship them like they were gods.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hide behind my imaginary Internet flame shield.

That's actually true infact I think at some point Bethesda almost went under because their development cycle took too long(and other things) and if it wasn't for the huge success that Morrowind then we probably wouldn't have Skyrim today.

Fact is for most game devs releasing a game in under 3 years isnt really a matter of choice but neccesity and Valves approach to game development is only plausible due to their constant fountain of revenue (Steam).

Exactly. And great point about Bethesda as well.

What some people (especially most valve fans) don't realize is that it's not exactly easy for the developers to just take their time to perfect their game. In fact, its probably impossible for most. Besides the fact that most developers are being pressured by their publishers to release their games, but they keep losing money and more money the longer they develop their game. Their have been many cases as well that I'm sure some people here have heard of where game companies have gone bankrupt before they could even finish their game, now their gone forever. Is that want you guys want?

Its a double-edged sword, and Valve and Besthesda (and a maybe another that I'm forgetting at the moment) are the only exceptions to this because of either their past success (Bethesda), they have so much money that it doesn't really matter, or they have another source of income (Steam). Otherwise, it's impossible for another developer to do what Valve does with their games. Its either take your time with your game and go bankrupt with that game never seeing the light of day, or rush the game to just get it out there at the very least and get some sort of commendations for it and hope for the best.

I agree with everything said in these three posts, and will just add: Blizzard.

Blizzard has much worse development cycles and relies more heavily on the success of their past games to carry their future games to victory. I mean, just look at the hype train that lead up to SC2: Wings of Liberty's release, and especially D3's release. I'd argue that Blizzard Time is much more wonky than Valve time, because Blizzard knows how popular they are.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Bioware: Three Mass Effect games in five years, and despite the ending of ME3 being hotly debated, some of the best games if not the best games of their respective years. In the same amount of time, two Dragon Age games, one of which was very well received, the other polarising but with a dedicated fanbase and Star Wars the Old Republic, an MMO which at least did get well received, even if it was crushed by WoW pretty quickly.

Bethesda: Two Elder Scrolls games in six years, both incredibly well received and Skyrim looking set to become an early contender for game of the decade judging by the nerd response to it. Also, two Fallout games, one of which, while badly received by fans of old Fallout, basically revived what was a near dead franchise, created a great game which accoridng to the Escapists very own competition is one of the eight best games ever, and could go on to win or be in the top four.

You know Bethesda didn't make Fallout:NV, and Bioware has a team of over 800 people right now, don't you? Just saying.

Valve also didn't make TF2, Left 4 Dead, Portal, etc. Yet people still count them anyway. So if your (I don't mean you, just others that put those games in their "list" as Valve games) gonna count them, I guess we should also count Fallout New Vegas on Bethesda since they did publish the game after all.

Difference is, TF2, L4D 1+2 and Portal 1+2 were at least partially developed in house, whereas, say FO:NV was developed entirely by Obsidian.

I'm not saying Valve thought up those games all by themselves, but they at least put plenty of work into them. To say that some other people made the mods for these games entirely and then sold it to Valve for Valve to publish is foolish.

 

[UNHchabo]

Valve also didn't make TF2, Left 4 Dead, Portal, etc. Yet people still count them anyway. So if your (I don't mean you, just others that put those games in their "list" as Valve games) gonna count them, I guess we should also count Fallout New Vegas on Bethesda since they did publish the game after all.

If you take a modder, hire them, and give them a staff and a budget, they are no longer simply a modder. It takes a lot of work to turn a prototype into a polished product.

 

[Tony2077]

i wish they'd announce a game that even interest me

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

Exactly. And great point about Bethesda as well.

What some people (especially most valve fans) don't realize is that it's not exactly easy for the developers to just take their time to perfect their game. In fact, its probably impossible for most. Besides the fact that most developers are being pressured by their publishers to release their games, but they keep losing money and more money the longer they develop their game. Their have been many cases as well that I'm sure some people here have heard of where game companies have gone bankrupt before they could even finish their game, now their gone forever. Is that want you guys want?

Its a double-edged sword, and Valve and Besthesda (and a maybe another that I'm forgetting at the moment) are the only exceptions to this because of either their past success (Bethesda), they have so much money that it doesn't really matter, or they have another source of income (Steam). Otherwise, it's impossible for another developer to do what Valve does with their games. Its either take your time with your game and go bankrupt with that game never seeing the light of day, or rush the game to just get it out there at the very least and get some sort of commendations for it and hope for the best.

You say it like it's a bad thing. I say congratulations to Valve for being so bold as to create and maintain Steam, one of the largest digital distribution systems we've ever seen. Other developers can't afford to take the same amount of time, it is too risky, but I can't imagine they're going up to the very last second to put the fine detail in, I'm far more inclined it's a publisher rush. Regardless of what it is that limits them, Valve shouldn't be looked down on because they can go to the level of detail and polish that all developers want.

OT: I wish more companies followed Valve's structure but, like Jove said, they simply can't. If all developers followed Valve's methods then we'd not really see Valve as a company that stands tall both as a publisher and a developer. I'd be happy with less pressure from publishers to meet a certain release date.

 

[Juan Regular]

Valve hire talented people, get them to their HQ, form a cabal around then and let the rest of Valve work on the game they make if they want to. That is very different from simply publishing in my opinion. A bunch of HL´s development team worked on Portal and L4D. TF2 also isn´t a mod for Half Life. TF1 was a Quake mod that Valve turned into a commercial game and TF2 was develeoped in-house by Valve itself from scratch.

 

[samaugsch]

It's okay Valve. We'll all forgive you once Half-Life 3 comes out.

But seriously, who else does this? Actually taking the time and effort to go over their games with a fine-tooth comb in order to make sure that they are up to a specific standard, instead of treating their franchises like a machine where you just pull a lever and another installment pops out.

I applaud this kind of business practice. It shows they care about their fanbase enough to risk their ire for taking so long on a much anticipated game, in order to make sure that game is something that is worth such a wait.

I just hope this doesn't end up like the next DNF. :/

 

[The Bandit]

Valve also didn't make TF2, Left 4 Dead, Portal, etc. Yet people still count them anyway. So if your (I don't mean you, just others that put those games in their "list" as Valve games) gonna count them, I guess we should also count Fallout New Vegas on Bethesda since they did publish the game after all.

If you take a modder, hire them, and give them a staff and a budget, they are no longer simply a modder. It takes a lot of work to turn a prototype into a polished product.

I like how they think TF2 and Portal were finished products before Valve got a hold of them. I'm sure those modders made their games look that good lololol

 

[Carnagath]

I wish more companies would do things the way Valve did. Quality over quantity in my opinion.

Everyone wishes they could do that, they just can't afford it.

 

[draythefingerless]

Let's be honest, if it wasn't for Steam, Valve would have gone bankrupt and shut down years ago with the kind of game development schedule they have at the moment.

I don't really believe Valve actually believes in any of these stuff, they just know they can get away with it because of the money made from Steam. They could wait till they actually release a game of their own (that's not a mod) for another decade and people will still worship them like they were gods.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hide behind my imaginary Internet flame shield.

actually they wouldnt have gone bankrupt. valve employs a certain environment of experimental lab at their facilities. what steam does is make that possible. but valve has put out some of the most famous games in history, and they have done it periodically. they havent missed a year without publishing at least one game, and almost all are highly productive. so no, they would not have gone bankrupt without steam. what they wouldnt have however, is the experimental environment they have now, where you can just start a project and work on it, and if it dont work, fuck it, start a new one. they would most likely focus their team on more concrete projects, but i highly doubt they would rush to meet deadlines. remember that valve is not owned by anyone but themselves, never was. they dont have corporate fucks over their heads, demanding money. and that is what trully differentiates them.

 

[Metalrocks]

taking your time is always good. i can live with that, better having a good game then a rushed out the door game like ?A loves to do. but not telling us if your working even on HL3, is not very nice either.

 

[Nazulu]

I hope they have someone there that knows quality control, because more time spent on perfecting it doesn't mean it will instantly be better. I just hope it's a bit longer than the previous episodes.

 

[irishda]

That's been Blizzard's motto for a long time, and look how people felt about Diablo 3. Honestly, I'll laugh my ass off if the same situation happens with Half-life 3.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Considering how much of their annual profit is now generated purely from selling silly hats to TF2 players, does that put Gabe in the 'milliner's club'?

*hides*

*EDIT* I am concerned however, that Half Life 3 could be better than HL2 and Portal combined and still not be good enough for the expectation that's built up around it.

If I was Gabe, I'd release this amazing but generic plot driven FPS.... then a week later drop the patch that changes the protagonist into Gordon Freeman and all the titles into 'Half Life 3' and the setting to Black Mesa etc.

Let the masses go ape at this wonderful new game, original IP, rate it 98 at Metacritic, shovel awards at it, then...with the patch, reveal it was Half Life 3 all along, and watch people trying to backpeddle and say it aint that good

*gabetrollface*

 

[Vigormortis]

Let's be honest, if it wasn't for Steam, Valve would have gone bankrupt and shut down years ago with the kind of game development schedule they have at the moment.

I don't really believe Valve actually believes in any of these stuff, they just know they can get away with it because of the money made from Steam. They could wait till they actually release a game of their own (that's not a mod) for another decade and people will still worship them like they were gods.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hide behind my imaginary Internet flame shield.

Sorry, but this little "fact" has never made sense. Not even in the slightest.

I don't understand how anyone fails to notice that Valve releases a minimum of one game every year. That's more game output then most larger developers. Which is made more impressive by the fact that they have a grand total of ~250 employees.

But clearly, Valve are just lazy developers who are content to sit on their laurels, simply getting paid by Steam sales and TF2 hats. Yep. That's how they've stayed "afloat" all these years.

Valve also didn't make TF2, Left 4 Dead, Portal, etc. Yet people still count them anyway. So if your (I don't mean you, just others that put those games in their "list" as Valve games) gonna count them, I guess we should also count Fallout New Vegas on Bethesda since they did publish the game after all.

I love reading these kinds of statements. They're so cute.

Funny thing is, most developers get their game ideas from external sources. This isn't some phenomenon exclusive to Valve. On the contrary. Most devs get their fresh new ideas by hiring fresh, new talent. I.E. budding game designers. (most of whom; get this; got their start by making mods. :O ) Even then, some devs don't even hire the people who come up with the ideas. They will just buy the ideas from the original creators and rarely if ever credit them for it.

Oh, and on the topic of "Valve didn't create TF2", you might wanna let Robin Walker in on that little epiphany. You see, he's a Valve employee and he seems to have this rather crazy notion that he was the design lead of the original Team Fortress mod team.

So, if what you say is true, either Mr. Walker is lying about creating Team Fortress or he isn't actually a Valve employee. The former of which would be quite controversial, while the latter of which would make filling in the last decade plus of his resume quite awkward.

 

[Vigormortis]

If you take a modder, hire them, and give them a staff and a budget, they are no longer simply a modder. It takes a lot of work to turn a prototype into a polished product.

Shh. You're making sense. Stop making sense UNHchabo!

 

[ThriKreen]

The Mass Effect team was the Central Bioware team, Dragon Age was made by the Edmonton studio and KOR was made by Bioware Vancouver. So your example doesn't tread water.

Both Mass Effect and Dragon Age are made at the main Bioware office in Edmonton. "Out-sourcing" for ME3 Multiplayer was most likely done by the Montreal studio.

There is no Bioware Vancouver studio. You're thinking of Bioware Austin which handles the SWTOR MMO.

 

[banksy122]

Let's be honest, if it wasn't for Steam, Valve would have gone bankrupt and shut down years ago with the kind of game development schedule they have at the moment.

Even you must admit you HAVE to be exagerating to prove a point right?
I mean, jokes aside, Orange Box (and then hat sales), L4D, L4D2, Portal 2, F2P TF2 (getting shitloads more money bc of hats), Valve has gotten quite a bit of good games out there, not to count the crazy ammount of free content they offer after every game is released, TF2 Updates, Portal 2 extras, L4D 1 & 2 Free content... Its not like they've been doing absolutely nothing over the span of years.

The longest period of time without a game release has been what? 1 year?

(also, right now, DOTA 2 and CS:GO Getting lots of work and updates done onto them)

Remove the games that Valve employees didn't make or come up with the idea for (for example, finding a cool project and buying it + staff) and that list becomes a lot shorter.

Valve is a publisher now, not a developer.

You should really look up what publisher and developer mean... just wow...

I get that technically they're different. But think of it this way:

EA: Buys a company under company name, lets them make game, puts out game.
Valve: Buys a company, doesn't let them keep company name, puts out game as valve game.

I mean, I get that there are a few tiny differences, but to me it seems they roughly do the same thing. They're basically a publisher now, I doubt valve staff have ever truly finished a product they've come up with the idea for in a while now. The people who do are the companies that they buy.

Pretty much this. Although I would be careful if I were you for that people here will now accuse you of comparing Valve to EA. In fact, you should borrow my flame shield.

Wait wait wait wait...Are you saying that Valve hiring modders, giving them a good job with a good income and good benefits and releasing the modders game under Valves name is the same as EA controlling a companies IP and making them dumb them down to "Broaden the appeal" and then throwing the broken company out the door? I think you don't understand what Valve do with modders.

 

[Rainboq]

The Mass Effect team was the Central Bioware team, Dragon Age was made by the Edmonton studio and KOR was made by Bioware Vancouver. So your example doesn't tread water.

Both Mass Effect and Dragon Age are made at the main Bioware office in Edmonton. "Out-sourcing" for ME3 Multiplayer was most likely done by the Montreal studio.

There is no Bioware Vancouver studio. You're thinking of Bioware Austin which handles the SWTOR MMO.

My bad, its been a few long days of non-stop coding.