Valve Talks About Lack of Communication

There's an interview on Rock, Paper, Shotgun talking with Valve employees Jan-Peter Ewert, Jeff Cain, and Louis Barinaga. Whatever the pretext of the conversation, RPS chose to focus on communication, which they suggest is often a one-way street, noting the company is often silent on questions about topics like the delayed Diretide event for Dota 2, company layoffs, and the long-overdue Half-Life 2: Episode 3. When asked specifically about the lack of information about whether there would be a Diretide this year, Ewert and Cain defend their silence, saying:
Jan-Peter Ewert: I don’t think there is a lot of improvement to be made there. The thing is, if you feel something is wrong and your customers tell you something should be fixed, the right response is to fix it – not to tell them, “Yeah, at some point in time we’ll fix it.” Because that’s expectation. And if you’re ultimately not able to fix it, then that only makes people even more angry.

So I think the right response around SteamOS or anything we do will be what we did with Diretide, which is to bring out the thing people want [if it works out behind-the-scenes], not just tell them we’ll fix it.

Jeff Cain, business development: Reactions start even if people don’t hear anything. We’re listening. Things happen.
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27.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 12, 2014, 10:55
nin
27.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 12, 2014, 10:55
Jan 12, 2014, 10:55
nin
 
AngelicPenguin wrote on Jan 12, 2014, 03:42:
Suppa7 wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 23:04:

Half-life 2 was a bad sequel all around to half-life 1.

Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion, but I have to believe you are in the vast minority on that one.

Holy trolling, Batman...

26.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 12, 2014, 03:42
26.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 12, 2014, 03:42
Jan 12, 2014, 03:42
 
Suppa7 wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 23:04:

Half-life 2 was a bad sequel all around to half-life 1.

Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion, but I have to believe you are in the vast minority on that one.
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25.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 12, 2014, 00:14
25.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 12, 2014, 00:14
Jan 12, 2014, 00:14
 
I'm a huge fan of both. HL1 is a classic but HL2 and episodes are the superior games by far.
Avatar 17249
24.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 11, 2014, 23:04
24.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 11, 2014, 23:04
Jan 11, 2014, 23:04
 
qsto wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 05:41:
Suppa7 wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 04:34:
I don't get the hype about half-life 3, Half-life 2 wasn't as good as the original. So many parts of that game dragged so badly.
I think you reminisce HL1 with far too rose-coloured glasses. On A Rail was a convoluted mess and I really shouldn't even have to mention Xen at this point...

Nope. One has to remember when half-life was released. You can't use say call of duty 4 or Mass effect 2 and compare it to half-life because the lessons behind the blending of cinema and games had not yet been learned by the industry. Half-life 1 was a gameplay based game, Half-life 2 proved that valve didn't understand what made half-life 1 good and they tried to go all cinematic but the game was filled with gimmicks (the boat, the buggy, etc). It was a desperate attempt by the developers to hide the fact they didn't know what made half-life 1 fun.

Half-life 2 was a bad sequel all around to half-life 1. I felt compelled to finish half-life despite Xen. Whenever I started HL2 I always would quit during the buggy section or ravenholm because I was bored out of my fucking mind. The pacing in Half-life 2 was just so fucking bad I wanted to stab my eyes out.

I had to force myself to finish Half-life 2 because it was missing the intrinsic push really good games have to finish them.

This comment was edited on Jan 11, 2014, 23:14.
23.
 
Re: Shell shocked
Jan 11, 2014, 14:38
23.
Re: Shell shocked Jan 11, 2014, 14:38
Jan 11, 2014, 14:38
 
HorrorScope wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 13:28:
Panickd wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 10:14:
Gabe wasn't pissed at Windows 8 because it's a shitty OS, he was pissed because Microsoft made the first step to setting up it's own digital distribution network which would have cut Steam out of the picture.

Since I don't own 8... does anyone have any insight on how their store is going?

For the record, I do agree with Panickd. I think Gabe was very much reacting to the possibility of being pushed out of the picture.

Likely needlessly. For one, Microsoft will never, ever mandate their app store for Windows desktops. It would eviscerate their enterprise market, and as anyone that watched CES knows, this is the only thing healthy for them right now (not a single consumer Windows laptop was shown at CES. Not one. For everyone claiming that laptops and desktops are alive and well for consumers, well, that's a bad sign.)

Will Microsoft mandate it for other versions of Windows? If they're smart, no, they'd just allow it and acknowledge that most people will choose it because it's a better option, similar to how I think Android works. But Microsoft often isn't smart and often lacks this confidence. Regardless, Steam isn't on those platforms, SteamOS doesn't seem to be going to those platforms, and I don't see SteamOS being a viable phone and/or tablet OS, so I don't know if Valve is thinking that way.

A Microsoft Store for Windows could very much take casual games from Steam, and it could very well take applications, which Steam has only shown limited interest in. Movies and music? Sure. But I think Steams policies have well entrenched it in hardcore gaming and Microsoft can't even begin to touch it.
22.
 
Re: Shell shocked
Jan 11, 2014, 13:28
22.
Re: Shell shocked Jan 11, 2014, 13:28
Jan 11, 2014, 13:28
 
Panickd wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 10:14:
Gabe wasn't pissed at Windows 8 because it's a shitty OS, he was pissed because Microsoft made the first step to setting up it's own digital distribution network which would have cut Steam out of the picture.

Since I don't own 8... does anyone have any insight on how their store is going?
Avatar 17232
21.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 11, 2014, 13:26
21.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 11, 2014, 13:26
Jan 11, 2014, 13:26
 
I don't really care if they tell me or not. I don't really look for Valve products. I use Steam as a digital distribution device that often has good deal going on. Very secondary as a game organization device. As for their games... couldn't care less, Half Life in my world is overrated and if there is anything not finished up on the story, I can day dream, like I have on many games and much better movies in the past. Steam O/S-Box, we'll see, I wasn't asking for our needing either. So I'm not sitting hear awaiting news from them because they really don't make products beyond Steam that I use all that much. I was school girl happy that they finally allowed me to download while playing a Steam game.
Avatar 17232
20.
 
Re: Shell shocked
Jan 11, 2014, 13:08
20.
Re: Shell shocked Jan 11, 2014, 13:08
Jan 11, 2014, 13:08
 
Dev wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 12:56:
Panickd wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 10:14:
Steam is the money maker at the company so that's where they focus a lot of their time and energy.
That would be the logical thing to do, yes, in a traditionally managed company. But that's not what's happening.
They are focusing time, energy, and money, on custom hardware, custom controllers, biofeedback stuff, optical stuff, customOS, and others. Meanwhile they are letting steam languish a bit, not bothering to to hire (or contract!) UI specialists to improve some of the very obvious crap. They used to run some very cool events in the steam sales, now its kinda boring. And they continue to have inexcusable front end problems.

But all of that stuff is feeding back into Steam. They even released their own SDK for the Occulus device so that Steam wouldn't be left out of that. Everything they're doing is about expanding the reach and control of Steam as a platform right now.
19.
 
Re: Shell shocked
Jan 11, 2014, 12:56
Dev
19.
Re: Shell shocked Jan 11, 2014, 12:56
Jan 11, 2014, 12:56
Dev
 
Panickd wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 10:14:
Steam is the money maker at the company so that's where they focus a lot of their time and energy.
That would be the logical thing to do, yes, in a traditionally managed company. But that's not what's happening.
They are focusing time, energy, and money, on custom hardware, custom controllers, biofeedback stuff, optical stuff, customOS, and others. Meanwhile they are letting steam languish a bit, not bothering to to hire (or contract!) UI specialists to improve some of the very obvious crap. They used to run some very cool events in the steam sales, now its kinda boring. And they continue to have inexcusable front end problems.
18.
 
Re: Shell shocked
Jan 11, 2014, 10:14
18.
Re: Shell shocked Jan 11, 2014, 10:14
Jan 11, 2014, 10:14
 
mystery8 wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 00:14:
It seems like they're so shell shocked (still) about Half-Life 2's shenanigans that they won't even announce anything until its ready to go.

The interview is full of non-information and does kinda come off as a bit indifferent. We've been waiting years and years and just silence.

Years and years go by as we wait for something of Episode 3 or a full Half-Life sequel. And what we get is Steam OS, Steam Box, more and more Steam stuff. Which is all good, sure.

But I'm starting to wonder if what my friend said last year is true.

Valve isn't a game developer anymore.

I sure hope that's not the case.

Steam is the money maker at the company so that's where they focus a lot of their time and energy. Gabe wasn't pissed at Windows 8 because it's a shitty OS, he was pissed because Microsoft made the first step to setting up it's own digital distribution network which would have cut Steam out of the picture. If not for that Valve would never have brought Steam to Linux and the SteamOS wouldn't exist. Everything that Valve does now is about cash flow and making it easier on themselves for cash to flow to them.

Besides, judging by what they've done with DOTA 2 and TF 2 I would say that Half-life 3 is probably a non-starter at the company now. If you can't endlessly monetize a game by selling hats and other digital crap to people dumb enough to buy them then it's not a game worth making.
17.
 
Re: Shell shocked
Jan 11, 2014, 06:36
17.
Re: Shell shocked Jan 11, 2014, 06:36
Jan 11, 2014, 06:36
 
mystery8 wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 00:14:
It seems like they're so shell shocked (still) about Half-Life 2's shenanigans that they won't even announce anything until its ready to go.

The interview is full of non-information and does kinda come off as a bit indifferent. We've been waiting years and years and just silence.

Years and years go by as we wait for something of Episode 3 or a full Half-Life sequel. And what we get is Steam OS, Steam Box, more and more Steam stuff. Which is all good, sure.

But I'm starting to wonder if what my friend said last year is true.

Valve isn't a game developer anymore.

I sure hope that's not the case.

dude Valve have not developed a game in litterally YEARS. they are a publisher more than anything and someone who buys IP's and rebrands them.

Everyone on Bluesnews is synical, get over it.
edit: i cant spell, this is my disclaimer.
Avatar 23977
16.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 11, 2014, 05:41
16.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 11, 2014, 05:41
Jan 11, 2014, 05:41
 
Suppa7 wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 04:34:
I don't get the hype about half-life 3, Half-life 2 wasn't as good as the original. So many parts of that game dragged so badly.
I think you reminisce HL1 with far too rose-coloured glasses. On A Rail was a convoluted mess and I really shouldn't even have to mention Xen at this point...
15.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 11, 2014, 04:34
15.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 11, 2014, 04:34
Jan 11, 2014, 04:34
 
I don't get the hype about half-life 3, Half-life 2 wasn't as good as the original. So many parts of that game dragged so badly.

Half-life is a great game without enough depth to its story/universe to drag it out over the # of games they produced. Let's be honest here. Half-life 2 was just average to mediocre on release. They improved it with the next few episodes but so many other game devs run rings around valve.
14.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 11, 2014, 03:01
14.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 11, 2014, 03:01
Jan 11, 2014, 03:01
 
harlock wrote on Jan 11, 2014, 02:33:
people are still waiting for that shit?

never even really cared about HL3 anyways.. HL2 was ok for me, it didnt give me a blowjob or anything like that

But todays game do?? Clown
13.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 11, 2014, 02:33
13.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 11, 2014, 02:33
Jan 11, 2014, 02:33
 
people are still waiting for that shit?

never even really cared about HL3 anyways.. HL2 was ok for me, it didnt give me a blowjob or anything like that
12.
 
Shell shocked
Jan 11, 2014, 00:14
12.
Shell shocked Jan 11, 2014, 00:14
Jan 11, 2014, 00:14
 
It seems like they're so shell shocked (still) about Half-Life 2's shenanigans that they won't even announce anything until its ready to go.

The interview is full of non-information and does kinda come off as a bit indifferent. We've been waiting years and years and just silence.

Years and years go by as we wait for something of Episode 3 or a full Half-Life sequel. And what we get is Steam OS, Steam Box, more and more Steam stuff. Which is all good, sure.

But I'm starting to wonder if what my friend said last year is true.

Valve isn't a game developer anymore.

I sure hope that's not the case.
11.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 10, 2014, 23:22
11.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 10, 2014, 23:22
Jan 10, 2014, 23:22
 
What's he going on about? There's plenty of 'communication' going on between your PC and SteamDRM... whether you want there to be or not.
10.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 10, 2014, 21:22
10.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 10, 2014, 21:22
Jan 10, 2014, 21:22
 
jdreyer wrote on Jan 10, 2014, 20:08:
When you have your addicts on the short leash, you don't have to tell'em shit.

Yeah, exactly. No need to tell'm the next shipment comes in Friday. What if something goes wrong and it doesn't? Best to keep them in the dark, that way they won't be disappointed when shit doesn't turn out like they expect.

This is just an extension of Gabe's management style. I love the guy but I've stated on Blue's before that his agenda is no different than any other manager's, he just has the freedom to cherry pick his team and be as opaque as he wants. That is exactly in line with these statements: the end justifies the means. It's Steve Jobs with a communist twist!

This comment was edited on Jan 10, 2014, 21:27.
9.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 10, 2014, 20:39
9.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 10, 2014, 20:39
Jan 10, 2014, 20:39
 
Yes, but communication helps - so long as you actually deliver. It's one thing to talk out your ass and another to deliver on it. If you deliver or are in the process of doing so, it certainly helps to assuage a lot of confusion and angst by giving a simple 'Hey, here's what we're working on.' So long as people know that the devs know it goes a long way. No feedback at all is definitely the wrong way to go. Even if they just said, 'No we're not ever going to anymore HL.' it would be better than wondering for years.
"The horse I bet on was so slow, the jockey kept a diary of the trip." - Henny Youngman
8.
 
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication
Jan 10, 2014, 20:08
8.
Re: Valve Talks About Lack of Communication Jan 10, 2014, 20:08
Jan 10, 2014, 20:08
 
When you have your addicts on the short leash, you don't have to tell'em shit.

I do need to hurry up and play my games before Gabe dies of a heart attack. I don't know what the future of Valve and Steam will be when he dies.
If Russia stops fighting, the war ends. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine ends. Slava Ukraini!
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