Today, Half-Life 15 years old

15 years ago, November 19, 1998 published the first game of the series Half-Life of a young company Valve. Already whole generation grew up on games of that time and HL really was a breakthrough at the time. Half-Life is still the most successful game of the genre, the quantity sold 20 million copies.




Half-Life was one of the first games in which the story develops entirely within the game space without videozastavok. Game publication praised the innovative style of narration, which is the main advantage of the game. Another strength of the Half-Life called artificial intelligence opponents. Half-Life is one of the first games where the players will be allies. Many publications note that Half-Life revolutionized the genre of first-person shooter, and marked the beginning of a new stage of its development blockquote>

Gabe Newell after graduating from Harvard University, took a job at a company Microsoft, participated in the development of early versions of Windows, becoming a millionaire.


Gabe Newell i>

Mike Harrington and Gabe Newell, worked 13 years at Microsoft, left the company, after which they create - Valve.



Mike Harrington i>

After the founding of the group Valve, they purchased from John Carmack engine first Quake. Harrington and Newell were recruited not professional programmers, designers, and people from the people, the authors modifications, self-taught amateurs, which in other companies no one would have looked. Of course, the company has been and professionals, all the plot surprises were approved by writer Marc Laidlaw fiction.
In undertaking the work, Valve immediately formed two teams working on different projects. The first project - Quiver, was supposed to be a first person shooter similar to the game Doom, with emphasis on the alien monsters, weapons and adrenaline.



Another project - Prospero, was supposed to be a grim literary game, built on sources ranging Mist and ending with Borges. But when Half-Life has reached a critical mass, gradually began to involve every member of the team, became the scene borrowed from Prospero, thereby creating a Half-Life great emphasis on story and atmosphere.



Meanwhile, Valve has been clear that Half-Life can not become a good enough game, if you do not give developers time that would rethink and redo everything from the beginning. In late 1997, Gabe gives the team a year, on what would bring the Half-Life to mind. This extra time has changed the world.
Initially, there was no Gordon Freeman, about it not even thought of. Was Ivan Space Biker, fat, sweaty, red-haired man with a beard, which was supposed to cut the outer space on your futuristic motorcycle.


Well, then, you already know what turned the game.

PS: The comments suggest to remember those times and share memories.

For those who did not play, that's the plot summary: i>



Source: habrahabr.ru/post/202808/

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