Blogs - Mr.Walrus

Greetings from the Bureau of Exploration. We are a government bureau dedicated to the discovery and cataloging of strange locations: majestic abandoned structures, clandestine natural wonders, the otherworldly aspects of the everyday. Here is where we post images and field reports of our expeditions to parts unknown.

Well, as a good many of you probably already know (Yes, this is news from a month ago, so naturally I just got it today), Kelly Bailey appears to have disappeared from Valve. He's made the music for all of the Half Life games and several other Valve projects, developing a pretty large fanbase. His tracks are the embodiment of awesomeness, just like everything else in the Half Life series, and everyone agrees that without him it just wouldnt be the same. He also was the example used to construct the layout of Gordon Freeman's face. And now he's just gone. He's not on their site, Valve isnt saying or answering anything on the subject, and apparently he's been out for over half a year and there's no news from him or anybody else about what he's doing.

I've searched the web thouroughly and gotten no answers on why he's absent. Was he fired? Did he leave? Did Gabe Newell accidentally sit on him? I think that the theories involving him leaving without having something against Valve or him dying (Definately that one) can be ruled out. If he had left without argument or died, I'm almost certain that Valve would have put up something thanking him for his hard work on their games. But Valve isnt just ignoring the subject, theyre intentioanlly avoiding it; From what I've heard, literally nobody has gotten answers from them. There was apparently also a "last post" from him in Valve's forums, which got deleted. Hmm...

Did Valve fire him? I find that unlikely, as tons of their community simply adore his songs (Me included) and having him gone will likely decrease popularity. I also find it unlikely that he would just suddenly leave, as he's put enormous amounts of effort into the company. The really strange thing is just that neither he nor Valve seem to be saying anything whatsoever- There are no announcements on his new projects or reasons for why he left.

My current theory is that the Gman kidnapped Kelly Bailey, much like Gordon Freeman (They're arguably the same person) and Kelly Freeman will appear a few decades in the future to fight a giant alien race or make a soundtrack for those that do. That, or Valve decided to place him into stasis for defiance or something.

Anyway, the reason I made this post (Other than to gripe about it) was to ask the Moddb community the same questions everyone else is asking. Do any of you guys know why he's gone, or where his next piece of work will appear next? If not, what are your theories and thougts on the matter?

Thanks for reading,

Mr.Walrus

Well, its been years and years since the HL2 addons, EP1 and EP2. Where is EP3, and what is going to happen when it comes, if it comes? Will it be that amazing game we've all been waiting for, or that crappy sequel that everybody dreads? These are my thoughts on the subject.

Some of my friends think that Valve has become the new EA: Greedy assholes who spit out shit games at high prices. And in a lot of ways, they have. Left 4 Dead is a perfect example of that, as is their horrid sequel. So is this going to carry over into Half Life 2: Episode 3, or will Valve do what they did with HL2: Pitch all their money into one huge budget, throw it out to the development team, and make a kickass game?

From what I can see, there are two things that can happen. Its either going to get a low budget, A bad story, short gameplay, and a rehashing of the Orange Box Engine, or its going to get the biggest budget yet, a strong and interesting story, a runtime that can compare to HL2's, and a totally new engine.

Valve Corporation has admittedly getting greedier over the years, and might just spew out a sack of shit as a final "up yours" to the fans. Or not even release it.

But, if we're lucky, they'll say "to hell with it", throw a huge amount of money towards it, and make that final, epic conclusion. And really, I dont see why they wouldnt! It worked with HL2, proving that big bucks and some originality go a long way in gaming. They might go for nostalgia and make HL3, or EP3, their big finish; their best game ever made, capable of claiming the crown that HL2 has held for so long.

And in all honesty, I think they will. I think that Valve has been quietly working on it HL3... That L4D and L4D2 were their sad little moneymaking machines to keep them running as they worked on HL3. Forgive me for being a Valve fanboy, but I think that HL3 has been in development than much longer than we might think, and that Valve will finally let out that grand sequel we've been looking for in a few years.

What will really make me decide if that is true or not is Portal 2. It looks like its been in development for a while; When we play, we shall see if Valve is still making their good ol' quality products or are trying to rip us off. If its great, HL3 will be better, if it sucks, HL3 will most likely be crap.

Please tell me your thoughts on this review, I want to know everybody's opinions on what Valve is about to do.

Raider7

Well chaps, Im here to tell you the results from the Snails vs. Narwhals voting.

SNAILS DOMINATED!!

Not only did we win, but we won with TWICE AS MANY VOTES! Mr.Mellon, I can confidently say that Narwhals have lost hands down to snails.

So thanks voters, you helped contribute to a good cause. Or the snail voters did. And the final word, is of course....

The snails are watching.

Mr.Mellon Aug 22 2010, 4:32pm says:

This is not the usual modding jabber I have, this is more on history- I was thinking last night, and came to what I think is a very interesting conclusion.

I thought in my bed when I couldnt sleep "Who is the person that has affected the world the most?" My obvious first choices were people like Lenin or Hitler. But when I really thought about it, it was someone we dont even know the name of.

The assassinator of Archduke Franz Ferdiand is the one. Garvrilo Princip was a Serbian citizen, and due to the tension between countries in the late 1800's and the early 1900's, he set the powder keg to WW1 when he shot Ferdinand with a pistol. This caused the massing of armies, the invention of the war plane, the tank, and the gases of war. It also weakend the Russian Empire's army, allowing Lenin and the Soviet Union to rise to power.

But not only was it WW1, it was also WW2. Germany only ate Hitler's words for the entire countries morale had gone so low that they would follow anyone nationalist. The Nazis, the killing of the Jews, the Atom bomb, and hundreds of other devestating machines of battle are also because of this man with a pistol.

After the war, the Soviets and the Americans started the Cold War, where massive amounts of armies and weapons were built and kept waiting.

The Korean war started mainly because of the Cold war.

The Vietnam war started mainy because of the Cold war, too.

Basically, in the end, the killer of Archduke Franz Ferdinand indirectly caused 5 wars, the building of more weapons than ever before seen, the Nazis, the Soviet Union, and the killing of millions of people. Of course, he can't really be "blamed" for this, for who would have ever guessed this to be the outcome? Also, who knows... If the arms race between European countries before WW1 had continued, would it have been more devestating? Or what would all these amazing inventions related to warfare be like, if we had never had a war like that?

It kinda makes you think, dosent it? If this Princip had barely missed and the Archduke got away, the entire world would be a completely different place.

My personal favorite and in my opinion, best released single player mods for HL2

Best HL2 Single Player Released mods:

10. Riot Act: Another Half Life 2 classic, by uoz (no full name provided). Its like the old Nova Prospekt map- But way better. With the help of your trusty escaping allies, get out of the prison while you still can. No new models are in the mod, and there is little storyline, but its basically the classic, good old-style HL2 mod that a lot of people would love to play. Play when you have spare time, its well worth it. About thirty minutes long.

9. Rock 24 is a half life 2 classic, by Henley Bailey. After being taken to an island prison, you must fight your way out. Beautiful mapping, a new coloring for citizens, and a pretty good storyline, this mod is a load of fun to play. Sadly, moddb has no download link. Youll have to get it from somewhere else. Its about a one and a half hours long, HL2 story related.

8.Dear Esther: A very differently-styled mod by the chineseroom. Its neither a puzzle mod, nor a combat mod, it’s a storyline mod. You look at gorgeous mapping, hear the tales of different people, and slowly discover the secrets of the island… A wonderful mod by all accounts. Well worth the download. Shoot-em’-up fans and those that hate puzzle mods should not play this mod though… It requires a certain mindset to enjoy. Not HL2 based, no new models. About thirty minutes to forty five minutes long.

7. Rebellion: by Raphael Gilot, is a space-faring, well thought out mod. Using many scripted sequences and good storytelling, Rebellion is a great mod. Yet not only is it fun to play- It really shows how great a mod can be without new models, more than any other mod I have ever played. Raphael creates a sci-fi world, anything but HL2 storyline, and makes it seem like a totally new game with nothing really new. A great mod, about 30 minutes long.

6. Strider Mountain: by SPY interactive, is probably the second longest mod for HL2. Good mapping is there, with some new models from FPSbanana. An excellent mod for those that love combat, for this mod has tons of it. While a little weak on storyline, its got a great soundtrack, interesting gameplay, and some cool puzzles. Worth the download! About 3 and a half hours long, depending on how fast you can play the mod. It is related to Half Life 2 in storyline, but has a very different feel to it.

5. The Citizen: A great mod by Chris Fox and Jose Ameyugo. The Citizen does not present any new models, yet has good mapping and excellent storyline. Fight your way through the armies of Combine in City 17, attempt to assassinate Breen, and even put on a Combine suit at one time. An excellent, fun mod to play. This is a classic HL2 mod. About an hour long.

4. Get a Life: presented by Cide (full name not presented) has some very large, amazing elements- Ill start with a list.
1. This is, without doubt, the longest mod HL2 mod you will ever play, except maybe for SMOD. I estimate about 11 hours of gameplay. You wont run out!
2. Custom models. TONS of custom models. All weapons, people, enemies, and several props are totally redone. This mod looks nothing like Half Life 2.
3. Very good mapping. While not the best mapping I have ever seen, I think it has better mapping than probably 85% of other mods. The effort REALLY shows!In this mod, you are whisked away into a strange, weird world. While a bit weak on storyline, here is a saying from the description:

• To give the player the best gaming experience possible, GaL will offer a custom HUD, an innovative healing system with several damage zones, drugs that will trigger a "bullet-time" effect, upgradeable weapons and enhanced enemy AI
• About 11 hours of gameplay
• 24 maps with varied environments
• 61 characters
• 13 weapons

On all accounts, this is not a bad mod ^^ This really shows how far source can come. Not related to HL2. Warning: This mod is VERY hard to beat. I had to use god mode all the way. It uses a new system of healing, with each body part having different condition. Again, very hard, and sometimes, very scary :O

3. Random Quest: A very interesting mod by Chris Fox and Jose Ameyugo. Using fantastic mapping abilities, voice acting, and several custom skins, Random Quest is the ultimate adventurous mod. While many other mods have long stretches of combat, in areas such as the underground, Random Quest has bizarre combat and mapping, and has a massive storyline element. This wacky mod is not first on this list because of its short length- Only about a half hour long. Yet its fun combat and interesting puzzles make it well worth it, so play when you have time. Not related to HL2.

2. Research and Development: This is an outstanding, groundbreaking mod by Marcello Bortolino, with no shooting involved. Fight the Combine, and triumph, with only bugbait and a gravity gun. Command antlions, drive zombie-killing trucks you have to assemble, and hold bulletproof glass on trains to stop Combine from shooting you up. This mod is detailed to the last extent, and can easily be defined as beautiful. One hour to an hour and a half, uses HL2: EP2, HL2 storyline.

AND THE BEST:

1.Minerva: by Adam Foster, is on the top of this list for various reasons. Its long, interesting, has plenty of combat, and has a good storyline. After you are dropped off onto an island by a helicopter, a mysterious speaker guides you down into a massive underground Combine base. While it has no new models and does not use Half-Life 2, Episode 2 graphics, this entrancing and interesting mod is an amazing feat and shows just how awesome a mod can be without custom content. Several hours long, HL2 storyline.

Hope you agree with what I think, please leave a comment- happy holidays! J