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Half-Life: Alyx |OT| Three's Company

lukilladog

Member
Game is not doing very well on twitch, it´s number 174 right now and has been struggling to make it to top 100 for the last few days. Its popularity didn´t last a week so It seems to me that HL is dead.
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Game is not doing very well on twitch, it´s number 174 right now and has been struggling to make it to top 100 for the last few days. Its popularity didn´t last a week so It seems to me that HL is dead.
it's a single player game for 10-15 hours. You watch it once and You are done.
And once big streamers finished it, that's all there is for it's twitch presence.
18k steam reviews.
Ep2 has 14k reviews
hl2 70k
It's doing great for being a vr only game in times when You cannot buy Rift S, quest or index and You have to hunt for them or wait months.
 

Romulus

Member
Game is not doing very well on twitch, it´s number 174 right now and has been struggling to make it to top 100 for the last few days. Its popularity didn´t last a week so It seems to me that HL is dead.


Since when did Twitch ranking mean a game is dead? VR is horrible to watch videos of in the first place. It's janky and completely unrepresentative of what the player is seeing. It's not fun to watch, and VR has never done well on Twitch.

Here's another stat. It's still selling in the top 8 on Steam despite having small VR userbase. It was top 1-3 in sales for 5 days going against games like Doom Eternal that literally has a 50x larger install base.


Not to mention one of the best-rated games of all time on steam. As VR headsets come back in stock, you can rest assured the install base will grow. Even the Samsung Odyssey+ was having trouble recently staying in stock. The install base will be much larger for the next HL game. At least 3-5x larger.
 
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Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Game is not doing very well on twitch, it´s number 174 right now and has been struggling to make it to top 100 for the last few days. Its popularity didn´t last a week so It seems to me that HL is dead.

I imagine this is a really boring game to watch for the most part. The entire appeal is being immersed in the world via a VR headset. Unless the streamer is consciously working to put on a show and being very deliberate in his or her movements, I bet it would not be entertaining to watch at all.
 
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Grinchy

Banned
Doom Eternal, which is the brand new entry in the Doom franchise, is currently below Half-Life Alyx on Twitch. It sucks that Doom is dead! I was really liking it again, but shit, if it has low viewership on Twitch at any random time I click on the browse games list, it's fucking dead.
 

Romulus

Member
Doom Eternal, which is the brand new entry in the Doom franchise, is currently below Half-Life Alyx on Twitch. It sucks that Doom is dead! I was really liking it again, but shit, if it has low viewership on Twitch at any random time I click on the browse games list, it's fucking dead.

That's mindblowing that they're even close, much less than Alyx is above Doom considering the install base disparity. Shows the argument is complete bs, neither are dead.
 

Grinchy

Banned
That's mindblowing that they're even close, much less than Alyx is above Doom considering the install base disparity. Shows the argument is complete bs, neither are dead.
Yeah it just all comes down to which big streamers are playing which games at any given time. In an hour, some 20,000-viewer streamer will start playing Doom and it'll suddenly be in the top 15. If I check then, Doom won't be dead anymore!

The one game that did blow my mind when it came to twitch viewership was Crackdown 3. I checked on it one day during its first week out and it had 4 viewers at that moment. FOUR. I've never seen any newish game of any level of quality that people had heard of down at the bottom of the list like that.
 
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Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Tried to pick back up Asgard's Wrath today, and man, it really drives home just how much work Valve put into Alyx. You can barely interact with anything in this game!
 
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Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
It's a great game though in it's own way.

Yeah, I've heard good things about it, and I love the visuals, so I'm going to keep going, but I think I need to wait a bit more to forget about how Alyx plays before continuing.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Got to the beginning of chapter 3. Holy shit, that first undead encounter on the train. This game is seriously amazing. There is no other vr experience like it. The closest I felt to this level of polish on a narrative-based game was The Gallery Episode 1. The gunplay with the pistol is also top-notch. I am glad I haven't watched or read anything as it helps the atmosphere.
 
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Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
The only big complaint I have about the game is how little interaction is possible with objects and NPCs via the amazing physics engine. It seems like such a wasted opportunity to not be able to bludgeon enemies with a hammer or crush them with barrels and shit, especially after the cool stuff that was possible in Half-Life 2.
 
Got to the beginning of chapter 3. Holy shit, that first undead encounter on the train. This game is seriously amazing. There is no other vr experience like it. The closest I felt to this level of polish on a narrative-based game was The Gallery Episode 1. The gunplay with the pistol is also top-notch. I am glad I haven't watched or read anything as it helps the atmosphere.
For the pistol DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT buy the reflex sights. Wait and just go straight for the laser sight, you will regret it if you don't.
 
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Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
For the pistol DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT buy the reflex sights. Wait and just go straight for the laser sight, you will regret it if you don't.

Agreed 100% on this. It actually becomes harder to line up a shot with the reflex sights in my opinion.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
I did get the reflex upgrade yesterday. It was the only one that I had enough resin for. I actually found it helped my aim quite a bit.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Dude... Chapter 3 holy fuck.

The fucking flashlight sections... and with the explosives everywhere. What the fuck. I have never been more stressed out playing a game while loving every minute of it. It took me about 2 hours to get through Ch 3 from start to finish.

I'll pick up chapter 4 tomorrow after work.
 

sol740

Member
As I am slowly inching my way through one of the creepier, headcrab-infested areas, senses heightened, and nerves pulled tight like violin strings, my cat jumps up and "attacks" my knee out of nowhere.

I think I shit myself.
 
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cyberheater

PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
Dude... Chapter 3 holy fuck.

The fucking flashlight sections... and with the explosives everywhere. What the fuck. I have never been more stressed out playing a game while loving every minute of it. It took me about 2 hours to get through Ch 3 from start to finish.

I'll pick up chapter 4 tomorrow after work.
Yeah. Most intense gaming I’ve ever played. It’s brilliant.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Nice presentation of some of the good features in the game.
 
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Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
I agree, but it kinda sucks we get this level of game so rarely! VR or not, this is a once in a generation game imo.

I want more experiences like this pumped directly into my veins. The only other vr games that have even gotten close to this level of enjoyment for me are: The Gallery Ep 1, Vanishing Realms, Rec Room, Budget Cuts, and Compound. I want more.
 

Romulus

Member
I want more experiences like this pumped directly into my veins. The only other vr games that have even gotten close to this level of enjoyment for me are: The Gallery Ep 1, Vanishing Realms, Rec Room, Budget Cuts, and Compound. I want more.

Have you tried Asgard's Wrath? 30 hour AAA RPG VR exclusive.
 

Type_Raver

Member
Dude... Chapter 3 holy fuck.

The fucking flashlight sections... and with the explosives everywhere. What the fuck. I have never been more stressed out playing a game while loving every minute of it. It took me about 2 hours to get through Ch 3 from start to finish.

I'll pick up chapter 4 tomorrow after work.

All I'll say is Jeff.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Dunno who Jeff is. Got through chapter 4. Had some weird tracking issues across multiple games today. It wasn't there previous days. I am hoping it is an anomaly.

I am hoping I can keep playing after work is over this week. Shit is piling up though, so I might just need to marathon over the weekend.

It feels so good to step into the world of City 17 every time I play.
 

Type_Raver

Member
Here is a small panorama from a scene in chapter 8, stitched it from 5 screenshots to make this image.

49748055281_19c21c91e3_o.jpg
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Here is a small panorama from a scene in chapter 8, stitched it from 5 screenshots to make this image.

49748055281_19c21c91e3_o.jpg
Thanks! Have higher quality ? Share other screenshots too if You have!

Btw - not to Rift S users... I just got ksc75. The positional with this is crazy and even though these are not bassy headphone, REPLAY THE TRAIN SEQUENCE.
I like my porta pro a bit more so far but these are almost just as good and fit on ears without and rift attachemens
 

Type_Raver

Member
Thanks! Have higher quality ? Share other screenshots too if You have!

Btw - not to Rift S users... I just got ksc75. The positional with this is crazy and even though these are not bassy headphone, REPLAY THE TRAIN SEQUENCE.
I like my porta pro a bit more so far but these are almost just as good and fit on ears without and rift attachemens

Thanks man :)

Thats as big as it gets.
Each screenshot is about 1500px on the long edge, and you always loose some resolution per image for overlap.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Chapter 6 felt like a good amount of time for a chapter. Firefights feel really good and present a nice challenge. Fighting against the combine feels way less stressful than the Xen/headcrabs.

The progression in gameplay complexity really is top notch. I've been doing a terrible job throughout the game of relying solely on my guns and largely ignoring the grenades and environmental assists (gas canisters). The firefights in this chapter really forced me to get more creative in my approach.

I do wonder what the first half of the game feels like on a second playthrough. Too easy?
 

Grinchy

Banned
My dream VR build would include a room that's essentially fully dedicated to VR gaming with a base station in each corner so I could literally walk in a huge open space. I have to imagine that being able to walk and move around in that much space would be awesome for this game if combined with a wireless headset.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Chapters 7 & 8 wrapped. I started chapter 9 but saved and exited after the story segment that starts it. Holy shit.

I think I am going to wind up just beating it tonight. There's just too much momentum going on.

Also, antlions are fun to fight in VR.

What's the obsession with Jeff about? The level was a cool break from the typical gunplay.

Chapter 8 was better than chapter 7.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
After sitting on the experience for day I have come to the conclusion that HL:A is the best gaming experience I have had to date. Not the best game, but best experience. Experiences transcend the games, elevating them, revolutionizing the medium of gaming.
Notable and similar experiences for me were using the Wiimote in Wii Sports for the first time and then using teleport, forced physical crouching in Budget Cuts next. In some ways, HL:A is reminiscent of the first really solid 3D-plane movement ala Mario 64.

Valve seems to prefer using the HL name to introduce revolutionary technology. With that framework in mind, Alyx really is worth the Half-Life moniker. Valve could have easily called this Episode 3, as it intertwines with the Episodes. They could have also named it Half-Life 3--though debatable, as any other title with a non-Freeman character is number numbered. Regardless, the set-up for the 3rd titled entry is undeniable. If no HL3 in VR, then... what brings it to light? How long until something else revolutionary comes along?

The core gameplay is the best Valve has done. The game certainly isn't perfect. One nitpick I had is related to Chapter 7. The person you meet is solely there to introduce a mechanic/situation and nothing else. I thought for certain the guy would come back into the story but no. He's just a guy you meet for a brief moment and nothing more. What the hell was he doing there? This was really the only immersion breaking for me during the entire game. That and some pacing issues in Chapter 5 aside, the game is flawless for a first time experience. I am certain my opinion will change on subsequent playthroughs.

Regardless of the future of the HL franchise, I am excited to see what else Valve has in store for the VR space.
 

zeioIIDX

Member
And I've beaten the game. That sure was something.

They have to do 3 after that ending.

Yeah...I just beat it this morning, finally. The entire final chapter left me speechless from the moment I opened "that door" and
it flew off its hinges
to the moment I realized I could
shoot energy from my palms like the Vortigaunts
...I almost had tears in my eyes from how overwhelmingly incredible everything was. I love when games go the Super Metroid route and
give the player a huge power increase in the final moments.
This game is amazing and I'm so glad I took my time playing it (20 hours lol). I think it's tied with Control for me as far as best game I've played in the last several years. It's certainly the best VR game I've ever played and I actually prefer it to Half-Life 2. Dead serious.
 
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