Portal 2.

[xelliea]

Now even though this game hasn't come out yet, there is still a lot of hype and speculations about it, and who could blame them, the original was amazingly clever, funny and interesting, so here is a place to discuss the sequel or any speculations about it.

(If there another thread for this, I can't find it but please say).

[Yana]

I could be mistaken, but I imagine this would be covered by the Steam Thread(s).

[Muz]

I could be mistaken, but I imagine this would be covered by the Steam Thread(s).

You could say the same about Dragon Age, Dragon Age 2, Shogun 2, and a host of other games that have their own threads and are sold on Steam, no?

Did anyone fall for the "975GB single player Portal 2 demo" April Fool's Day joke?

[The Linker]

Eh, the Steam Thread is generally the place, yeah. Though it's not necessarily the place to talk exclusively about any Steam game (there's so very many by now), it generally is where all Valve talk goes.

It's really a Valve thread mixed with a video game version of Random Banter. :smalltongue:

I don't know what the ruling would be, personally, in regards to this possibly being a second thread on the same topic. We've certainly been discussing it in the Steam Thread. Right now it's kind of quiet on the subject. Not much new to talk about besides these awesome Cave Johnson ads coming out every week.

[Muz]

Oh, so THAT'S what goes on in there. I'd always assumed it was just a place to talk about Steam itself (and, as such, never looked at it). :smallfrown:

[Bayar]

Eh, the Steam Thread is generally the place, yeah. Though it's not necessarily the place to talk exclusively about any Steam game (there's so very many by now), it generally is where all Valve talk goes.

It's really a Valve thread mixed with a video game version of Random Banter. :smalltongue:

I don't know what the ruling would be, personally, in regards to this possibly being a second thread on the same topic. We've certainly been discussing it in the Steam Thread. Right now it's kind of quiet on the subject. Not much new to talk about besides these awesome Cave Johnson ads coming out every week.

Speaking of which, there is a new video out.

[Seonor]

Everyone who wants to try the new paint based puzzles can download Tag: The Power of Paint (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag:_The_Power_of_Paint) made by the same people who where hired by Valve to implement the system in Portal 2.

It is somewhat old and made by a group of students but it is still awesome.

[Mewtarthio]

No offense to the Steam thread guys, but I'm not wading through 1000+ pages of the video game equivalent of random banter in hopes of finding Valve-related news. It just seems like it'd be the equivalent of getting up to date on your current events by eavesdropping on the conversations of old friends, y'know?

[Erloas]

Yeah, the Steam thread is too random to follow for any useful information.

I will wait and see what they've actually done with the game before I decide when I'm going to get it.
The first one was amazing, but it was short and priced accordingly. I'm not sure how well the charm of the game will carry over into a longer game, and the game will have to be a lot longer to justify the price.

Although honestly I'll probably wait until its on sale regardless because I haven't been playing any games enough lately to justify full price. I've already bought too many games on steam that I haven't got around to putting more then a couple hours into.

[GeekGirl]

Did anyone fall for the "975GB single player Portal 2 demo" April Fool's Day joke?

It was about 6 mb to actually download and had an awesomely bad demo. I highly recommend it ^_^

[Jahkaivah]

Yeah, the Steam thread is too random to follow for any useful information.

There is however, actually useful information, and more discussion.

Whenever there is a development on anything Valve related just take a look at the recent pages, it will probably be discussed.

[The Linker]

Did you know about the human face spotted in the latest video? Or the massive steam-wide Half-life related ARG going on right now? The Steam Thread does. :smalltongue:

One factor to consider is that, well, the majority of the BIGGEST fans of Portal and the ones most interested in talking about it aren't going to be talking about it here. It is of course up to you how much you care about that.

[Erloas]

Well just to reaffirm what I already knew, I checked the last 3 pages of the steam thread and there was all of 2 posts semi related to portal. Which is the same thing thats happened the last 3-4 times I've checked the thread for something steam related. 80% random banter, 19% TF2, 1% something I might be interested in.

[The Linker]

You could always... post about Portal 2 while you're in there. Start a discussion about it. Take your last post and stick it in there. If you say "Do you guys think Portal 2 will be long enough to justify the price tag as compared to the first one?" I guarantee you'll get a response and lots of people will start discussing it. :smallbiggrin:

[Muz]

Why bother even having threads any more? Why not just one big gigantic thread where everyone talks about everything? Organization is silly! </sarcasm>

[Zevox]

So, as I did enjoy the first game, I'm somewhat interested in this one. But a question: for the console version, is this going to be another XBLA title like the first, or is it a full $60 disk? I've never been clear on that, and it would likely have a significant effect on when I decide to pick the game up.

Zevox

[MoelVermillion]

Why bother even having threads any more? Why not just one big gigantic thread where everyone talks about everything? Organization is silly! </sarcasm>

Well that's a valid viewpoint and I can't argue with it but at the end of the day probably most of the forum's Valve fans are going to be posting in the Steam thread instead of this one. If you don't want to participate in the Steam thread that's cool but unfortunately you will probably be cutting yourself off from a lot of potential discussion on the game, unfortunately them's the breaks.


So, as I did enjoy the first game, I'm somewhat interested in this one. But a question: for the console version, is this going to be another XBLA title like the first, or is it a full $60 disk? I've never been clear on that, and it would likely have a significant effect on when I decide to pick the game up.

Zevox

While my recent search has found nothing official outside of a throw away line by Gabe Newell about "waiting for the discs to get manufactured" there are quite a few people claiming that its a disc release on the internet so there was probably some press release I missed about it. For what its worth Valve claims that the single player is roughly two and a half times as long as the first game and the co-op campaign doubles it against for a total five times as long game, with all this extra content going around I think a disc release would make sense.

[Valaqil]

So, as I did enjoy the first game, I'm somewhat interested in this one. But a question: for the console version, is this going to be another XBLA title like the first, or is it a full $60 disk? I've never been clear on that, and it would likely have a significant effect on when I decide to pick the game up.

I'm not sure what you mean, so I'll answer two questions at once. First, I'm pretty sure it's a disc. I bought it via Amazon (good pre-order deal, imo) and I really doubt I'll get a box and have to download it through the XBOX Marketplace or something. Secondly, Valve has said that both the single-player and co-operative campaigns are each 2 - 2.5 times longer than the original and, consequently, they think the whole game is ~5 times longer than Portal.

Ninja'd.

[Zevox]

While my recent search has found nothing official outside of a throw away line by Gabe Newell about "waiting for the discs to get manufactured" there are quite a few people claiming that its a disc release on the internet so there was probably some press release I missed about it. For what its worth Valve claims that the single player is roughly two and a half times as long as the first game and the co-op campaign doubles it against for a total five times as long game, with all this extra content going around I think a disc release would make sense.

I'm not sure what you mean, so I'll answer two questions at once. First, I'm pretty sure it's a disc. I bought it via Amazon (good pre-order deal, imo) and I really doubt I'll get a box and have to download it through the XBOX Marketplace or something. Secondly, Valve has said that both the single-player and co-operative campaigns are each 2 - 2.5 times longer than the original and, consequently, they think the whole game is ~5 times longer than Portal.

Ninja'd.
I see. That's too bad. The first game was fun, but not so fun that I'd want to pick up a full $60 sequel right away, no matter how much longer it is (and incidentally, co-op doesn't count for me - I've never been interested in co-op in games, and don't know anyone who would play it with me even if I were). I'll probably rent it instead, or wait and pick it up when it's cheaper or something.

Zevox

[RPharazon]

For what its worth Valve claims that the single player is roughly two and a half times as long as the first game and the co-op campaign doubles it against for a total five times as long game, with all this extra content going around I think a disc release would make sense.

That doesn't inspire confidence considering one can speedrun the entirety of Portal in about 30 minutes, without rushing.

[The Linker]

I think they're going off the theoretical playtime of a guy who's never been there and has to figure out all the puzzles.

[Jahkaivah]

Why bother even having threads any more? Why not just one big gigantic thread where everyone talks about everything? Organisation is silly! </sarcasm>

Not so much a question of organisation as community, threads discussing individual Valve games are inevitably hampered by the fact that the bulk of people interested enough to have an active discussion about it are already part of the steam group on this forum and will use their thread for said discussion. Keeping it in one thread helps to build the community who would be naturally interested in the games each other are playing because it's all on steam.


I think they're going off the theoretical playtime of a guy who's never been there and has to figure out all the puzzles.

I believe 2-3 hours is considered the typical Portal playtime. Portal 2 single-player measures up to be about the length of Half Life 2 minus episodes.

[GeekGirl]

Incase (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZMSAzZ76EU) anyone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i-nMWgBUp0) is interested in an Aperture Investment Opportunity. Some good deals there.

[Rockphed]

Quotes regarding "Steam Thread vs Separate threads for each game debate"


Oh, so THAT'S what goes on in there. I'd always assumed it was just a place to talk about Steam itself (and, as such, never looked at it). :smallfrown:


There is however, actually useful information, and more discussion.

Whenever there is a development on anything Valve related just take a look at the recent pages, it will probably be discussed.


You could always... post about Portal 2 while you're in there. Start a discussion about it. Take your last post and stick it in there. If you say "Do you guys think Portal 2 will be long enough to justify the price tag as compared to the first one?" I guarantee you'll get a response and lots of people will start discussing it. :smallbiggrin:


Well just to reaffirm what I already knew, I checked the last 3 pages of the steam thread and there was all of 2 posts semi related to portal. Which is the same thing thats happened the last 3-4 times I've checked the thread for something steam related. 80% random banter, 19% TF2, 1% something I might be interested in.


Not so much a question of organisation as community, threads discussing individual Valve games are inevitably hampered by the fact that the bulk of people interested enough to have an active discussion about it are already part of the steam group on this forum and will use their thread for said discussion. Keeping it in one thread helps to build the community who would be naturally interested in the games each other are playing because it's all on steam.

See, the "One topic, one thread" rule works both ways. As evidenced by the people in this thread, not everyone who cares about Portal 2 pays any attention at all to Steam. If it weren't for my getting Portal for free at some point, I wouldn't have a steam account. If I buy Portal 2 it will be either from Amazon or from a brick and mortar store, not through a service that makes me log on to the internet to be able to use the games I supposedly own.*

Furthermore, by attempting to discuss all the products of Valve in a single place you cut people who don't pay attention to gaming news off from the information you are trying to disseminate. I have vaguely been paying attention to Portal 2, but if I had been only paying attention to these forums, this thread would be the first I would have seen about it.

*This has been my experience with Steam. I am sure you could tell me a way to have things behave differently, but I really don't care. IF I cared, I would go to the steam thread.

Portal 2 looks pretty boss. I seem to recall a trailer where we saw a variety of useful devices for moving about(beyond the portal gun and the platforms of Portal). Furthermore, I am rather enthralled by the idea of the cooperative campaign.

Unfortunately, I am currently unable to stretch my budget to get Portal 2. I'll have to wait and see if I can't con somebody into getting it for me at some point.

[Jahkaivah]

See, the "One topic, one thread" rule works both ways. As evidenced by the people in this thread, not everyone who cares about Portal 2 pays any attention at all to Steam. If it weren't for my getting Portal for free at some point, I wouldn't have a steam account. If I buy Portal 2 it will be either from Amazon or from a brick and mortar store, not through a service that makes me log on to the internet to be able to use the games I supposedly own.*

Furthermore, by attempting to discuss all the products of Valve in a single place you cut people who don't pay attention to gaming news off from the information you are trying to disseminate. I have vaguely been paying attention to Portal 2, but if I had been only paying attention to these forums, this thread would be the first I would have seen about it.

*This has been my experience with Steam. I am sure you could tell me a way to have things behave differently, but I really don't care. IF I cared, I would go to the steam thread.


Thing is I am not arguing against the existance of this thread but rather merely pointing towards the other thread which is likely to have a fair bit more discussion about the matter having explained why. And thus far it has.
I suppose I'll link this here as well. (http://www.thinkwithportals.com/comic/)

[The Linker]

If I buy Portal 2 it will be either from Amazon or from a brick and mortar store, not through a service that makes me log on to the internet to be able to use the games I supposedly own.*

*This has been my experience with Steam. I am sure you could tell me a way to have things behave differently, but I really don't care. IF I cared, I would go to the steam thread.

This will happen no matter where you get the game from. Portal 2 and other Valve games need a steam account to run even if you get 'em in physical form.

I just realized I never bookmarked the new [Steam] thread. Reading through it? We've quintupled the amount of Portal 2-related posts present in this thread. :smalltongue:

[Rockphed]

This will happen no matter where you get the game from. Portal 2 and other Valve games need a steam account to run even if you get 'em in physical form.

I just realized I never bookmarked the new [Steam] thread. Reading through it? We've quintupled the amount of Portal 2-related posts present in this thread. :smalltongue:

Hmmm, in that case, I am never paying money for a game from valve. If I get it for free, then I will take it, but I refuse to pay money for something I cannot use when not connected to the internet.

[Mewtarthio]

Hmmm, in that case, I am never paying money for a game from valve. If I get it for free, then I will take it, but I refuse to pay money for something I cannot use when not connected to the internet.

Steam has an Offline Mode, so you really only need to connect every once in a while.

[Erloas]

Hmmm, in that case, I am never paying money for a game from valve. If I get it for free, then I will take it, but I refuse to pay money for something I cannot use when not connected to the internet.

You can use Steam games without being connected to the internet. You have to connect at least once when you first get the game and I believe there is a time limit on how long you can play between connecting to the Steam servers but it is fairly long. It is at least a week because thats how long I know I have went, but it is probably a lot longer.

And if you refuse to buy games that don't need at least some network checks you are going to fairly quickly find your options all but gone. Everyone is going to that idea, Steam is just one of the best methods currently out there. They've had a lot of time to work the bugs out.

[dromer]

You can use Steam games without being connected to the internet. You have to connect at least once when you first get the game and I believe there is a time limit on how long you can play between connecting to the Steam servers but it is fairly long. It is at least a week because thats how long I know I have went, but it is probably a lot longer.

And if you refuse to buy games that don't need at least some network checks you are going to fairly quickly find your options all but gone. Everyone is going to that idea, Steam is just one of the best methods currently out there. They've had a lot of time to work the bugs out.

IIRC: If the copy protection doesn't need network access, then Steam is fine with going offline. All that requires internet is downloading the games themselves.

[Valaqil]

Hmmm, in that case, I am never paying money for a game from valve. If I get it for free, then I will take it, but I refuse to pay money for something I cannot use when not connected to the internet.

What is Offline Mode and how do I use it? (https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3160-AGCB-2555)

I don't buy many games through Steam. Compared to the majority of people in the Steam thread, I have few games that are in my Steam library. But it gives great deals, works well (online and offline) and is unobtrusive when connected. (I don't think I can't list _once_ when I've had a problem with Steam.) If you don't want to use it, there certainly are good reasons to avoid it. On the other hand, I, personally, don't think it's a bad thing.

[Rockphed]

What is Offline Mode and how do I use it? (https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3160-AGCB-2555)

I don't buy many games through Steam. Compared to the majority of people in the Steam thread, I have few games that are in my Steam library. But it gives great deals, works well (online and offline) and is unobtrusive when connected. (I don't think I can't list _once_ when I've had a problem with Steam.) If you don't want to use it, there certainly are good reasons to avoid it. On the other hand, I, personally, don't think it's a bad thing.

Hmmm, seems I misjudged steam. :smallredface: I still find it annoying, but I will stop hating on valve now. Please carry on with discussing portal 2.

[xelliea]

So it is out now and may I just say it is great, the story is really well done.