> They've been working on this engine for five years. It is the cumulation of > five years of work, during which time they had zero profit coming from that > project. Do you really think they would let it fall by the wayside in > neglect? Valve has stated that they will fully support this new engine, even > better then they did HL1 (the support of which, lets face it, could have been > better.) They are also in a better position to do so, since the engine is > entirely the IP and not an offshoot of another engine. Valve has also stated > they are taking a break before they start coding HL3. I think we're in for > some pretty good support this time around.
Yes, that was pretty much what I was trying to get at, and I'm well aware of all of that, but I can't help being a consumate cynic. However, I would tend to guess that you're not entirely correct about "zero profit." And even if there was really zero profit, which I doubt, what with Steam, and the occasional re-releasing of HL1 in various bundled packages, publishers tend to throw cash the way of developers to ensure that the game in development goes on schedule and gets out the door. And let's not forget that, with successful games, tends to come enough cash to take as long as you need/want to get sequels out the door. If it weren't for that, Duke Nukem Forever would probably have been abandoned at least 3 years ago. As it is, we're left to wonder which will come first, ship date or Broussard/3DRealms running out of cash. As for HL2, I'm certain you're right, it makes sense that we'll get even more support than before because of the IP issues as well as their past experience with how important the mod community turned out to be with HL1. The convenience of Steam + the power of compiled mods instead of scripted ones + great support from Valve + hype factor is going to be pretty hard to beat. _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders
