User:Shoejar/sandbox

Gameplay
In an early video interview with Gamespot, Valve design manager Robin Walker spoke at length about the episodic storyline, providing some details about Episode Two gameplay: "... you'll be seeing things like new vehicles and so on, definitely dealing with new characters, [and] the loss of some of our old characters."

Valve's director of marketing, Doug Lombardi: "[Enemies will] tend to circle around and expose you from multiple sides, so you find yourself moving around a lot more and rushing forward a lot less... We're working on scenarios in which we present the player with a set of high-level battle goals and a large nonlinear space in which to fight... It's fun watching players formulate a strategy, execute it at a tactical level, and then revise their strategy based on the outcome."

An interview in the August 2006 issue of PC Gamer magazine told readers to expect more physics puzzles, as Episode Two will have even more puzzles than Episode One, including the "biggest physical puzzle" yet in the series. "Puzzles reset a player's emotional state and get them ready for combat," Valve project manager Erik Johnson explains. "It's all about pacing, and we've found a mix that works for us."

An interview at the 2006 Gaming Convention in Germany revealed that Episode Two will be slightly longer than Episode One. It was later confirmed by Doug Lombardi that Episode Two will be about two hours longer than Episode One.

Locales


The first look at new environments was revealed in the game's first trailer: a forest base in the countryside surrounding the outskirts of City 17. The setting allegedly provides more "freeform" gameplay, and if true will mark a significant departure for the traditionally strictly linear Half-Life series. A range of mountains seen in the backdrop of the Episode Two trailer (and indeed the finale of Episode One, if one uses development tools to get a closer look) suggests another possible locale.

Another identifiable gameplay area is shown in the trailer's Myrmidont scene. Underground Antlion tunnel networks were originally conceived for Half-Life 2, but dropped in favour of an increased dose of vehicular gameplay. The presence of Antlion larvae on the walls of the trailer's tunnel strongly suggests the return of the environment, and opens the possibility of the implementation of the 'Antlion King' creature, cut from Half-Life 2 along with the tunnels.

A monitor scene in Episode One shows an 'Arctic base' (as described by a commentary node) area, possibly previewing an area for a future episode.

It is noteworthy that although Valve have stated several times that City 17 is set in an area like Eastern Europe, they have been careful to never explicitly state that it is located in Eastern Europe. The ramifications of this distinction are not yet clear. An interview with PC Gamer magazine revealed that a great portion of the outdoor forestry will be modeled from referencing places like Estonia. Possible locations include riverbeds, old mines, a Vortigaunt camp (mentioned in Episode One) and an abandoned missile silo, which, as has also been revealed in the PC Gamer article, may act as a makeshift basecamp for Eli Vance, Dr. Isaac Kleiner, and the rebels.

Erik Johnson, engineer and project lead for Valve says, "There are lots of cool, crusty old places that are fun for the player to explore--and they already look like Half-Life." When asked how much distance in terms of geographical space Gordon will travel, Valve's director of marketing, Doug Lombardi, replied with, "Almost as much as you did in Half-Life 2," giving the assumption that the player will be making his way through numerous locales.

Creatures


The new Hunter synth (pictured) was revealed in the initial teaser trailer, and briefly in a recorded message in Episode One. They have a powerful gait similar to a gorilla's, are very swift, and are clearly well-suited to the forest environment seen in the trailer.

An interview in the August 2006 issue of PC Gamer magazine reveals that the Hunter stands 8 feet tall (2.45 m), and Erik Johnson, the game's project lead, states that the Hunters are "big and impressive, but they can go anywhere the player can go." Hunters will work alongside the larger, less-mobile Striders, in order to rout out the hide-and-fire tactics necessary to take them down. Ted Backman, senior artist for Valve, talks about how the Hunter will have an expressive face, being sort of a non-human character with more of a performance. "We want the Hunter to be able to express nervousness or aggression, [to show you] whether it's aggressive, hurt, or mad." Hunters will be able to communicate with their Strider counterparts, sending out distress calls and warnings to fellow combatants via distinctive howls. Backman also explains how the Hunter is now vulnerable to getting hit by heavy objects, but only before stating that this may be changed by the final build of the game.

Two new breeds of Antlion have been seen in newer trailers. The first is a glow-in-the-dark antlion grub, which seems to be unable to attack the player but whose death can trigger attacks by antlions. There is also a form of glowing antlion whose blood (or tissues) are highly acidic; the player will take considerable damage if the player is in mêlée range when these antlions die. It is assumed that these antlions are thematically similar to the poison headcrabs of the original Half-Life 2; a creature that the player will be compelled to seek out and destroy as a primary target. It is unknown, story-wise, why these breeds of Antlions were not seen (or mentioned) during the events of Half-Life 2.

Weapons


Controversially, Valve's developers have stated that new weapons are not a current priority, stating that the gravity gun is the direction of innovation they are most interested in. Lack of new weapons was a criticised aspect of Episode One.

An interview in the PC Gamer magazine revealed that only one new weapon will be added to Gordon Freeman's arsenal: the Strider Buster, which is about the size and shape of a small pumpkin (indicated by its placeholder model), and can be picked up and fired using the gravity gun. Level designer Dario Casali describes it as a "sticky bomb that you fire at a Strider's underbelly that will draw power from the Strider's internal power source"; recent footage indicates that, once attached to the Strider via the Gravity Gun, the player can then shoot the bomb with a normal weapon, ideally destroying the enemy outright. According to issue 168 of the British magazine Edge, the longer the Strider Buster is left attached to its target, the more damage it deals upon detonation.

Reportedly, the Gravity Gun will not become super charged again, like it does near the Citadel's core, as it makes for unbalanced gameplay that, as Erik Johnson puts it, "[is] fun for a while, but [is] a hard design challenge."

Vehicles
The new vehicle to be introduced into Episode Two has been dubbed the "Hybrid"; it will be a clunky, rebel-made, two-seater vehicle, with one seat for the driver and another for a passenger who can also act as gunner. The specific armaments of the vehicle are currently unknown, though the concept art shows it sporting a ram at the front. It's also stated in the interview that the vehicle is reportedly built by two escapee citizens in the woods. PC Gamer states the player will be able to take any NPC for a ride in the vehicle.

The new vehicle will be controlled similarly to Half-Life 2's dune buggy, and will be available for about half of the game, implying that the player will use it as a mode of stop-and-explore transport in the larger forested areas that would be too large to easily cover on foot.

A Steam update on 16 February 2007 revealed a concept for a possible second new vehicle which resembles a gutted-and-rebuilt 1969 Dodge Charger.