Just after Portal 2 was released, Valve and Geoff Keighley also released The Final Hours of Portal 2 , an interactive book about the making of 2011 s best potato-based puzzle game. The most revealing story in the book was about how Valve had spent some time making a game that was
Just after Portal 2 was released, Valve and Geoff Keighley also released The Final Hours of Portal 2, an interactive book about the making of 2011 s best potato-based puzzle game. The most revealing story in the book was about how Valve had spent some time making a game that was Portal s follow-up in name only. It was set in the past, without Chell or the GlaDOS that we know, and had a new mechanic called F-Stop . It was essentially a different game and was never released.
Valve remained coy about what F-Stop was in the hope of eventually using it, but they never did. In an unlikely twist, a developer using the Source Engine for their own game were given permission to show off F-Stop s secrets. It was based around the Aperture Camera , which could copy, paste, and rescale items in the world.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo is conference that is known for high points that shake up the gaming world, along with low points that can't be shaken from memory. Not to say all the conferences are triumphant or memorable, but each stood out in their own way. Here are some of
The Electronic Entertainment Expo is conference that is known for high points that shake up the gaming world, along with low points that can't be shaken from memory. Not to say all the conferences are triumphant or memorable, but each stood out in their own way.
Here are some of our favorite highlights over the years from the big event, and maybe we'll add on a few more after next week.
Last week, Valve and border game manufacturer Cryptozoic announced they would be working together on a board game based on the Portal series , but details were scant on just how the board game would work. Today we've gotten a clearer picture of the upcoming adaptation, as well as
Last week, Valve and border game manufacturer Cryptozoic announced they would be working together on a board game based on the Portal series, but details were scant on just how the board game would work. Today we've gotten a clearer picture of the upcoming adaptation, as well as a surprising bit of info on who came up with the idea.
We've seen the promo shots of the Steam controller and heard generally positive reactions from indie developers, but we haven't yet seen it in action. That changed today, with a demonstration video that shows the prototype being used to control games ranging from the generally co
We've seen the promo shots of the Steam controller and heard generally positive reactions from indie developers, but we haven't yet seen it in action. That changed today, with a demonstration video that shows the prototype being used to control games ranging from the generally console-friendly shooters to more PC-centric titles.
Valve has signed off on a deal with Toon Hero creator Trigger Happy, to allow use of their Portal 2 characters and assets in the cartoon creator app. It starts rolling out this week with the addition of P-Body, one of the two co-op robots from the game.
Valve has signed off on a deal with Toon Hero creator Trigger Happy, to allow use of their Portal 2 characters and assets in the cartoon creator app. It starts rolling out this week with the addition of P-Body, one of the two co-op robots from the game.
Do you crave more Portal 2 development insight? Enough to pay for it? Fret not: Portal 2 - The Final Hours is now available on Steam as well as iPad. It'll set you back £1.49/$2.00 The 15,000 word multimedia experience/interactive documentary/digital book was created by Geoff Kei
Do you crave more Portal 2 development insight? Enough to pay for it? Fret not: Portal 2 - The Final Hours is now available on Steam as well as iPad. It'll set you back £1.49/$2.00
The 15,000 word multimedia experience/interactive documentary/digital book was created by Geoff Keighley during Portal 2's development. Valve gave him "fly on the wall" access to their offices, resulting in a "gripping and dramatic story brought to life by exclusive photos, videos, interviews, interactive experiences, and other surprises."
Read on for the details and Craig's mini-review.
According to Steam, The Final hours of Portal 2 reveals:
That Portal 2 actually began as a prequel to the first game without portals or GLaDOS.
The Directed Design Experiments created after Half-Life 2: Episode 2, including video of a never-before-disclosed project, Two Bots, One Wrench.
How the story of Portal 2 evolved during development. See images and read surprising details.
How it worked with Jonathan Coulton to create "Want You Gone," the closing song to the game.
The interactive bits from the iPad version are also intact for the Steam release, albeit with less fingerprints/smudging. You'll get to:
Play with portals in an interactive diagram where you learn how portals work.
Muck about with a 360 degree panorama photos of the Valve office and design labs.
Listen to the songs that inspired the Portal 2 development team.
Hear Jonathan Coulton's Portal 2 song in various stages of development.
Puppet Wheatley in an interactive experience
Destroy Aperture Science by wiping your fingers over the screen (we assume you'll need a touch screen for that)
Interact with fans and voice your opinion via polls and a feedback form.
Craig was fiddling with the iPad version, back when it was hot on the App Store. He says that Keighley's "Access to Valve is remarkable, giving a glimpse into the surprising number of failures that goes into making their impeccable games. Buy it if you want to know everything about Portal 2." He also mentions that it took him about an hour and half to read the whole thing.
Portal 2 - The Final Hours is a digital book now available on Steam! The Final Hour of Portal 2 takes you deep within the top-secret offices of Valve for an unvarnished look at the creative process behind the new video game Portal 2. Journalist Geoff Keighley was granted unpreced
Portal 2 - The Final Hours is a digital book now available on Steam!
The Final Hour of Portal 2 takes you deep within the top-secret offices of Valve for an unvarnished look at the creative process behind the new video game Portal 2. Journalist Geoff Keighley was granted unprecedented “fly on the wall” access to Valve to create this staggering 15,000 word multimedia experience. From the hush-hush Portal prequel that was shelved to the last minute scramble to complete the game’s story, The Final Hours of Portal 2 is a gripping and dramatic story brought to life by exclusive photos, videos, interviews, interactive experiences, and other surprises.
