Why do People love Valve so much?

[bafrali]

snip

Well excuse me if my version of sublety doesn't involve dragons or colosi from the get go.

It is one thing to make a gigantic map and fill it with random things but it is quite different to actively isolate the player from the action in a moderately long for the sake of pacing . That actually takes the risk of losing the players who expected a shooting gallery and find out that they are weaponless for a good chunk of the game and It doesn't need giant creatures in your face to be immersive.

What I really want to know is what makes them beyond just videogames? What do they have over say Half Life 2? Damsels, Dragons, Radiation what?

 

[Tanakh]

That's the reason I dislike Counter Strike not Valve I also have issues with the mechanics and I don't see what It has over say Call of duty but yea that git IS probably the big Reson Is that petty? Probably but hey what you gonna do?

And that alone tells me you either haven't played one of the two or are totally dense...

As for the reason to love valve, I don't, just like Gabe, like Icefrog (most of the time), love DotA (some of the time) and love my companion cube... and like steamworks, had fun at L4D2, have fond memories of Portal 2 multiplayer, love event's of Valve such as The International 2 or the summer sale. Actually I guess I like em a lot, but would never love a company that wasn't mine.

Arent all micro payments optional?

Not if you like to win, they ain't. There generally are 3 types of F2P schemes:

- You are given the game for free but is so broken you are forced into paying to unlock basic gampelay mechanics/content (SW:ToR).

- You are given the game for free but to be competitive/see the content without farming to the bone you need to pay (Planetside/LoL).

- You are given all content for free and pay for vanity items (DotA2).

Now, as much as I like ARTS (DOTA, LoL, etc) the idea of farming for half a year to be able to "unlock" the basic abilities and characters to pull off basic mechanics it's simply retarded, on the other hand I can respect and even invest in vanity items that don't disrupt the so crucial balance in a PvP game.

So yeah, all micropayments are optional, but some of them are necessary in order to win/see content, and I hate those.

 

[dragongit]

Valve is company that likes to have one major focus at a time when it comes to game releases. Sure they will work on a few games at a time but you never see them try to rush 2 games out in the same year like many other companies do. Right now their focus seems to be directed towards finishing Dota 2. People always wonder if they will have something up at E3 but often we're left disappointed because they don't even show up. Who knows this year maybe they will announce a game with the number 3 in it... wait maybe thats why they don't go to E3 often...

 

[Gameguy20100]

That's the reason I dislike Counter Strike not Valve I also have issues with the mechanics and I don't see what It has over say Call of duty but yea that git IS probably the big Reson Is that petty? Probably but hey what you gonna do?

And that alone tells me you either haven't played one of the two or are totally dense...

As for the reason to love valve, I don't, just like Gabe, like Icefrog (most of the time), love DotA (some of the time) and love my companion cube... and like steamworks, had fun at L4D2, have fond memories of Portal 2 multiplayer, love event's of Valve such as The International 2 or the summer sale. Actually I guess I like em a lot, but would never love a company that wasn't mine.

What? I said that CS wasnt fun for me and Cod sometimes was.

and what the hells a companion cube? that small block with hearts on it?

 

[Vigormortis]

Upon reflection, a thought occurred to me. We've all been going about this the wrong way.

To the OP, and anyone else who is asking the same question he is, ask yourselves this question:

"Why do I love ________" Feel free to insert whatever thing you love in the blank.

Now, come up with a reason or two why you feel that way about that "thing".

Think of a reason? Good. Take what ever reason or reasons you came up with, specifically the essence of the reason, and apply that same line of thinking to the "Why do you people love Valve?" question.

Bingo. You've answered your own question. No need to continue the incessant, useless line of questioning. The answer's there in front of you.

Now, before you go on about your day, consider this:

Imagine that at least twice every week someone started a discussion thread asking "Why do you love ________?" Further more, imagine that the first post, and many thereafter, in each of these threads not only questioned you on your opinion but also (directly or indirectly) implied you were stupid or a fanboy for holding that opinion. And, no matter how many times you and others who share your opinion explain yourselves, these same people keep asking you this question.

Now imagine that that's been going on for years.

How would you feel towards the OP of a thread like that? How would you feel about someone who, for the umpteenth time, threw into question your level of intellect for having the opinion you hold?

You'd think rather negatively of them, wouldn't you? You'd be tempted to tell them to "shut the hell up and use the fucking forum search function for once", right? Am I right?

Yeah...


[edit]

For those who didn't quite catch it, here's what I was getting at, only simplified:

People have differing opinions. Don't like it? Too bad. Deal with it.

 

[Vigormortis]

....so I'm probably talking out of ignorance.

And yet, despite this, you're more than willing to make sweeping generalizations about, and to pass judgement on, the company, it's products, and anyone who may be a fan of either.

Seems your attitude and lack of objectivity towards the whole affair speaks louder of your character than the assertions you and others have been making about the character of the Valve fans.

 

[DoPo]

To the OP, and anyone else who is asking the same question he is

But...that's not really the question the thread is asking. And many others for that matter. It's not even a question - it's a rant which is masked as a question and it's not out of curiosity, it's to shoot down some of the others' reasons for liking what they like. So both the "asker" is going to feel better they aren't like the masses of sheep who follow something blindly with flawed reasoning (fanboys) and the "answerer" are supposed to be shocked by the revelation that their opinion apparently sucks and they are supposed to correct it.

Now... and I don't want to plug myself it's just the only example I can think of at the moment. Let me give you brief background - Halo was the first game I ever stopped playing and uninstalled before finishing it. I simply could not understand why people liked it. I mean, seriously - it looked like most shooters at the time, what exactly was so special with that game that it wasn't only liked, there were follow ups and they were all sort of, kinda, well received. At least enough to be notable. So why did people like it? Did they, dare I say it, not know any better? I could ask that and phrase it they way I did now or...you know I could try something better. So I did [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.402889-May-I-have-the-Cliffs-Notes-to-the-Halo-franchise-I-expect-spoilers] - I didn't preemptively attack anybody, I didn't try to imply they were wrong for liking it, I didn't shoot down any of their reasons, I simply asked. Because I actually wanted to know as opposed to...not caring.

 

[Souplex]

My theory is an elaborate conspiracy.
When Half Life 2 came out, and was a reheated piece of shit compared to Half Life 1's magnificence, all games journalists came together and made a pact.
They would mindlessly praise everything that Valve did.
Then when Half Life 3 came out, they would dump pig's blood on Gabe Newell.
But while Gabe Newell is incompetent, he isn't stupid. He caught wind of this plan, and started releasing episodically. Then simply not releasing at all.
It's that or people genuinely like them, but this seems way less crazy.

 

[Austin Howe]

snip

I didn't understand some of that, but anyway.

Bethesda games, despite their poor writing in general, can at least feel like they might be about something, particularly their last two titles. They are by far the worst example I would give of games with subtlety considering those are mostly small moments that have impact but no real thematic depth. I may remember the skeleton the toaster in the bathtub in Fallout 3, and there may be a striking beauty to walking across snow-covered mountains whilst beautiful music plays in Skyrim, but neither of those games can reasonably claim to actually be about anything. But I would still recommend them for that emotional impact of that subtlety.

Ico is a fairly simple coming-of-age story that just happens to have a particularly great way of attaching the player to Yorda, and probably the best example of controller vibration ever. Most games just use it to communicate the physical impact of an explosion or landing from a high jump. In Ico, it's either one of two things, or maybe even both: the patter of Yorda's feet as she tries to keep up with Ico, or the beating of Ico's heart when he's holding Yorda's hands, which are both their own kind of poetry. I wouldn't call that game thematically complex, but it was the first game that made me cry in many years, so there ya have it.

Shadow of the Colossus has similar emotional impact for being as cold and unrelentingly bleak as Ico is ultimately warm, uplifting, and human. The big, empty world filled with ruined structures that there is absolutely no reward for exploring and a constant howling wind. I wouldn't be able to be more specific without writing a lot more words than I already have, but it's about death, obviously, and that theme and that motif of death is woven through every element of the game. In essence, everything about the game is big, but really that's just proof that big can also be subtle.

 

[bafrali]

snip

So you found all of that in those games but didn't find any atmosphere or subtle character moments in Half Life or Portal? Games that gave us City 17 and Glados? Or maybe they are not emphasized well enough for you.

Anyway it is obvious that this is going nowhere so I will just cop out with the different opinions card.

 

[w9496]

I'm not a fan of Valve, but maybe my perspective is different since I play my games on the Xbox, so I haven't had much experience with Steam other than it annoying the freaking hell out of me.

I don't like how they've used the same crap engine to build all of their games. The Source engine was cool and high tech when it came out and is great for the modding community(or so I hear), but it is absolute shit to design a full retail game off of.

I don't care for my L4D2 not working well after Cold Stream either. The disc is fine, but constantly crashes my console when I have Cold Stream downloaded. There are also several glitches that came with the DLC that haven't been rectified, the game rebooting itself mid-match being the most common for me.

Half life 2 was a good game though, as were the 2 episodes following it. They aren't my favorites, but still classics none the less.

 

[Tanakh]

What? I said that CS wasnt fun for me and Cod sometimes was.

and what the hells a companion cube? that small block with hearts on it?

Ohh... well, I guess the comparison took me by surprise because both have nothing to do with each other sides being FPS.

And this is my companion cube:

There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My companion cube is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.

 

[Vigormortis]

But...that's not really the question the thread is asking. And many others for that matter. It's not even a question - it's a rant which is masked as a question and it's not out of curiosity, it's to shoot down some of the others' reasons for liking what they like. So both the "asker" is going to feel better they aren't like the masses of sheep who follow something blindly with flawed reasoning (fanboys) and the "answerer" are supposed to be shocked by the revelation that their opinion apparently sucks and they are supposed to correct it.

If that were true (and honestly, I'm inclined to think that it is in most cases), then the question bares asking:

Why do these posters not face even the slightest bit of moderator wrath?

If this thread, and others like it, are nothing more then thinly veiled personal attacks on other forum members, then why are they not locked immediately? I was under the impression personal attacks were verboten.

For that matter, is there not also a general rule that, before posting, one should use the thread search feature? Specifically, to make sure the forum isn't flooded by dozens...nay, hundreds....of repeat threads?

I don't know. Just seems like no one is allowed to pick on anyone else around here unless the target of the malice is a Valve fan. Then it's a free-for-all.

Now... and I don't want to plug myself it's just the only example I can think of at the moment. Let me give you brief background - Halo was the first game I ever stopped playing and uninstalled before finishing it. I simply could not understand why people liked it. I mean, seriously - it looked like most shooters at the time, what exactly was so special with that game that it wasn't only liked, there were follow ups and they were all sort of, kinda, well received. At least enough to be notable. So why did people like it? Did they, dare I say it, not know any better? I could ask that and phrase it they way I did now or...you know I could try something better. So I did [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.402889-May-I-have-the-Cliffs-Notes-to-the-Halo-franchise-I-expect-spoilers] - I didn't preemptively attack anybody, I didn't try to imply they were wrong for liking it, I didn't shoot down any of their reasons, I simply asked. Because I actually wanted to know as opposed to...not caring.

If only your case were similar to the ones we see week after week. If only the posters incessantly asking us "Why we like Valve so much" actually gave a damn about our answers. Instead, they just twist our words so they can use them as more ammunition to fire back at us.