Poll Question 023 - Would you pay for a Half-Life 2 Bonus Content Pack from Valve?

HL or should i say steam is a real money maker so i doubt i pay for something except if it’s really from high quality

Not a chance. I’m already paying 60 dollars straight to Valve for what is essentially Half-Life 2 in 3 seaparate episodes, which is 20 dollars more expensive than other on-store-shelf games. Collector’s edition software costs 50 to 60 bucks, but thats usually only because it includes other overstock in its package.

half-life 2 episode 1 was a horrible 1/3 of a 60 dollar game, there’s no freakin way I’m paying for a mere “Bonus Pack”

Valve, lower your prices. 60 dollars for a game without a box, manual, or hard-copy is outrageous. Especially since you don’t have to pay stores or distributors. Furthermore, release your games without 3 or 4 delays each and you’ll save yourself a lot of cash.

I think that if they were to sell it as a “mini-game” (think Lost Coast), I think I would pay as much as $15, so that I could know that they think everything is polished enough to be in a game. I think that just as a “content package” it would not work as well, so people who both make and play mods would be reluctant to use and/or buy it.

Also, you put two “a”s before “Half-Life 2″ in the question.

On the basis that there are already some truly awesome replacement models for HL1, HL2 & Ep 1 made by the modding community, why aren’t Valve’s originals already out there and available? As for payinng for them, how would you know what you were paying for? If they showed any previews they’d be ripped off the second screenshots were released….(Not necessarily such a bad thing if your business model is making the source code freely available to the modders….)

Having said that, I bet there are models that never left the prototype stage that the modders ought to have access to, I’m sure that the likes of the truly gifted modders, like Leon or “Gary” should just be given, but that’s Valve’s call I guess.

I occasionally try new replacement models, I’ve just got the Hornet Combine for example which I really really like, and lately Vertthrasher’s weapons…. Some prove to be too demanding for my fairly average machine, and some are a bit lame or pointless, (Not these though) but on the whole I go along with the assertion that if these “lost” or “forgotten” models were actually any good then they’d be out there already…its an interesting thought though.

I also am, as has been said above, very aware that I’m paying a fairly substantial sum for several instalments of HL2, each of which keeps getting delayed (and I suspect shorter, but we’ll see on that one)…”stuff that didn’t make the grade and is available to market at a later date” is very reminiscent of (or even analogous to) the way the old pop industry manages to dig out old demos & “Rarities” years after a lead singer dies or whatever….you (or I) might not like it, but it is simply business economics. Its also true though that the quality of these only really means anything to the real purists…..

Gypsy James Said:

On the basis that there are already some truly awesome replacement models for HL1, HL2 & Ep 1 made by the modding community, why aren’t Valve’s originals already out there and available? As for payinng for them, how would you know what you were paying for? If they showed any previews they’d be ripped off the second screenshots were released….(Not necessarily such a bad thing if your business model is making the source code freely available to the modders….)

I don’t think this is exactly what Phillip means. I don’t know if you have ever mapped before, but having models does not simply make an enemy/npc/object. You often need some sort of code behind it as an entity, and much of Valve’s code is pretty bug-free for what is in the game. For example, the Zombines in Episode One was mostly just new code, no actual new models (as far as I know). Some of the things he is talking about would have new models, but code behind them as well.

However, I am beginning to wonder how any of these enemies, weapons, etc. would fit into the Half-Life storyline or if they would not even need to.

zeroth404 Said:

Not a chance. I’m already paying 60 dollars straight to Valve for what is essentially Half-Life 2 in 3 seaparate episodes, which is 20 dollars more expensive than other on-store-shelf games. Collector’s edition software costs 50 to 60 bucks, but thats usually only because it includes other overstock in its package.

half-life 2 episode 1 was a horrible 1/3 of a 60 dollar game, there’s no freakin way I’m paying for a mere “Bonus Pack”

Valve, lower your prices. 60 dollars for a game without a box, manual, or hard-copy is outrageous. Especially since you don’t have to pay stores or distributors. Furthermore, release your games without 3 or 4 delays each and you’ll save yourself a lot of cash.

In my eyes, the episodes are a bargain for a new release title. In Australia, new release titles come up around 85-100 dollars. Console games are even more expensive, clocking in around the $120 mark. (And yes, I mostly do buy new releases while they’re still fresh, and so do other fellow Aussies. Even the console players put a few bucks in for ‘Gears Of War’ as soon as it was released!)

Where do you live, by the way? I thought Valve released Ep.1 for $20 retail and Steam? (Although on retail release here it was around about $35, give or take. I’m not sure about EU countries, Asia etc.)

As for the Bonus Content pack, I’d say NO. I don’t mod, but I would’nt even pay for it even if MINERVA: Metastasis 3 (And onwards.) or the new hit from Koumei Satou required this pack.

It’s a good idea, but if it actually were implemented, I think Vavle would make it free, since they really do encourage and endorse modding. (Think Counter-Strike and Garry’s Mod.)

Then again, they could be hungry for a few bucks and charge it for a small amount. I’d say only 5-10 dollars.

“(Think Counter-Strike and Garry’s Mod.)

Then again, they could be hungry for a few bucks and charge it for a small amount. I’d say only 5-10 dollars”

Garry’s mod is now $10 via steam.Nothing will remain free if they get a following.

I’d probably pay a small amount, simply to see more HL2-related stuff (I can’t get enough of it). However I don’t think the mod community will ever really need “bolstering” with low-quality content when it’s perfectly capable of creating high-quality content on its own.