I would run 

that really captures the design of that iconic monster that was so disturbing on first seeing it 

That is fantastic... 

that looks... digusting! :) 

 

Do want. 

http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/abrash/

mentions Quake a bit at the start but is an mostly an interesting post about how Valve works and fundamentally different to most companies. 

haven't looked at it yet, but I remember thinking that Valve as a company was going nowhere, like wtf is their income etc, during the long long delay after Half-Life, while people were "waiting" "for" "Team - Fortress"! lol wtf. Turns out they basically became the Facebook of games. Last 15 years, all the money is in distribution systems not content. I mean, fuck content, systems is where you really just destroy the world and win emperor status. Valve was way smarter than I realized at the time, they were looking ahead. I was like "where's their new game?" and they were like "We don't need to produce games." Still I'm a bit nostalgic for the era when you did in fact need to produce games. 

well, someone does... 

Left 4 Dead? Team Fortress 2? DOTA 2? I don't see any shortage of games from Valve... 

What planet do you live on?
Oh and Willem forgot to mention Portal2, Valve has been releasing a new game almost every year for a while now. 

Fuck, I did. I should be flogged for that as it was one of my faves last year too... 

I have heard from a lot of people that work at Valve about their culture. I have seen it tried in several other companies but it always fails because people are initially uneasy with the notion of just doing something creative on their own initiative. (Even he admits new people to the company take 6 months) Companies have always been about management/leads telling people what to do.

One other thing worth mentioning is that all Valve staff are multi-talented in several fields. Lots of people at Valve can code, do art, create levels and animate models and often several disciplines at once. You certainly have to be a very creative special person to work at Valve, after all it is the pinnacle of the games industrial IMHO. 

Team Fortress -> Mod
L4D -> Turtle Rock game
portal -> Student game
DOTA -> mod

They certainly have a talent for finding and grabbing awesome but underfunded stuff :p

As actually completely original from-within-Valve, feels like it's time for Half-Life 3 though :E 

That is so grossly unfair I don't even know where to begin. You think Portal was anything like what we know it as when they hired that team? Please. 

What game starts off exactly as it finishes? Not many. 

 

Zwiffle, everyone knows the rumor that Prey 2 was canceled was deliberately spread by HH themselves, with the intention to create an atmosphere of FUD which is supposed to make the fans be less critical in their reception, due to relief and gratitude when it's finally revealed that the game is going to be released after all, so they readily accept the fact that it doesn't include any of the things they promised and instead turns out to be another rail shooter.

Quite clever, but ultimately despictable! Shame on you! 

 

Is where everyone in the industry really wants to work. 

That would be nice if it were true. 

it's called earth afaik, I could be wrong. I was referring to this period of non-output from valve (ie post-HL), when they were working on steam/industry position not games. I'm not talking about what they've done SINCE hl2 - note my original post. I'd say "thanks for playing" but that's a really gay sassy modern phrase and I'd rather just go have gay sex - so I will. 

from wikipedia:
1998 Half-Life
1999 Half-Life: Opposing Force
2001 Half-Life: Blue Shift
2004 Half-Life 2

so there was really only the 3 year gap between blue shift and hl2. that's not that bad, considering how much they added into hl2. 

look I can live in the past if I want. In fact, to me, it is still 1998. And I demand the right to defy you, history, physics, and sanity, so there.

But my issues aside, surely we all remember how long it took them to deliver half life 2, and how funny it was when their demo was revealed as not-gameplay-at-all. Shit, don't tell me people don't remember this. And that is not the overall reason, there was a long time. Team fortress was supposed to come out in 2000 wasn't it! Came out like half a decade later, didn't it! 

It's like the flamers who get pissed off that Episode3 isn't ready and accuse Valve of not thinking episodic content through properly.

If Newall or whoever did respond I guess the response would be something along the lines of 'Uh, sorry, too busy milking your bank account right now, please check back later'

Content production is slow and complex, and when you can measure it in years plans often change.

I doubt there's many on this forum that won't buy whatever game they make next. It could be Cooking Mama Vs Zombies and it'd go like hot cakes.