RipTen Videogame Blog » Gabe Newell

Stuff That Never Gets Old: Gabe Newell’s Watching Me

Chad Lakkis — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:00:30 +0000

Do you ever feel like, Gabe Newell’s watching you? No? Well, maybe it’s just on Steam… (oh oh oh)

I remember the first time I saw and heard this video, and to this day, every time I hear the loop, it manages to remain on repeat for the next several hours, usually until someone barges into my office screaming “STOP IT! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE STOP!!!” I usually wait another hour so after that (to make sure they know who’s boss) and then slowly ween myself off the GabeN funk fest. Though it should go without saying, I’m going to say it anyway. If you haven’t seen this yet, you will be mesmerized, and if you have something to do in the next sixty minutes or so I suggest you hold off and watch this after. You were warned.

Stay tuned next week for more videos we wish we’d been clever enough to make ourselves.

Valve Release Steam Mobile App for iOS and Android

Sam Naylor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:00:53 +0000

Valve have today announced a free mobile app which is integrated with their digital distribution service, Steam.

The Steam app supports Steam friends and chat, viewing community groups and user profiles, gaming news, sale info and purchasing games, and viewing screenshots.

Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve, said:

The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers. Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale – these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone.

You can download the free app for Android or iOS here and link it to your Steam account. It is just a beta sign-up at the moment, however:

Those who wish to join the beta just need to download the Steam app (free of charge) and log in to their Steam account via the mobile app to express interest in the beta. Gamers will be added to the Closed Beta as the service ramps up.

And now for something completely different, courtesy of Chad:

Gabe Newell Addresses Steam Forum Hacks, Admits Accounts May Have Been Compromised

Dave Oshry — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:40:38 +0000

If anyone thought that any company was safe from this sort of thing, it was Valve.

Well, apparently not.

Over the past weekend, Valve’s Steam Forums were intruded upon, but company President Gabe Newell has stated in a press release that it went beyond that, and that user accounts may have been compromised.

Today, he sent out this letter:

Dear Steam Users and Steam Forum Users,

Our Steam forums were defaced on the evening of Sunday, November 6. We began investigating and found that the intrusion goes beyond the Steam forums.

We learned that intruders obtained access to a Steam database in addition to the forums. This database contained information including user names, hashed and salted passwords, game purchases, email addresses, billing addresses and encrypted credit card information. We do not have evidence that encrypted credit card numbers or personally identifying information were taken by the intruders, or that the protection on credit card numbers or passwords was cracked. We are still investigating.

We don’t have evidence of credit card misuse at this time. Nonetheless you should watch your credit card activity and statements closely.

While we only know of a few forum accounts that have been compromised, all forum users will be required to change their passwords the next time they login. If you have used your Steam forum password on other accounts you should change those passwords as well.

We do not know of any compromised Steam accounts, so we are not planning to force a change of Steam account passwords (which are separate from forum passwords). However, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to change that as well, especially if it is the same as your Steam forum account password.

We will reopen the forums as soon as we can.

I am truly sorry this happened, and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Gabe.

Just to be safe, go change your Steam passwords… NOW.

Stay tuned to RipTen as this story unfolds.

Valve’s New Intro Screen is Creepier than Ever

Dave Oshry — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:45:13 +0000

Valve’s intro cinematics have always been rather “interesting.” Featuring acutal humans with actual Valves placed in their heads – they’re actually quite disturbing.

Luckily for you, Valve has cranked the disturb-o-meter 9000 up to 11 and it appears that their latest into (which was mined from a leaked version of DotA 2) is their creepiest yet.

You’ve been warned:

Stay tuned to RipTen fo… OMFG HE MOVED!!

Anyhow, if you want to see something really neat, check out the original Valve intro they wanted to use in Half Life.

via [LambdaGen]

Valve Says Microsoft Needs To Be More “Comfortable” In Opening Up XBL

Chris Carlson — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:30:23 +0000

Gabe Newell says that the company still wants to bring Steamworks to Xbox LIVE, but Microsoft needs to relax and be more comfortable letting them do it. Having Steamworks on the PS3 has allowed Valve to offer cross-platform play for Portal 2 between the PC and deliver updates without restrictions.

Speaking with Eurogamer, Gaben stated:

We certainly can deliver a lot of value to customers to the degree to which we have those capabilities. With the PS3 obviously we made a lot more progress with that.

When asked about Microsoft, Newell added:

“The main thing is having Microsoft get comfortable with it and let us do it. Right now, there’s a huge amount of updates and free content we’ve been able to deliver to people who have The Orange Box that we haven’t been able to deliver to the Xbox because of the restrictions that have been placed on us on Xbox Live.

We’d love to see those relaxed. Other developers on the PS3 are starting to benefit from Sony’s more open approach. Hopefully that will help Microsoft see that’s a good strategy for making customers happy, that the barbarians won’t tear down the walls of Xbox and turn it into some chaotic wasteland”

Protesters Picket for Half-Life 3 and Lunch with Gabe Newell

Justin Carter — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:59:30 +0000

Valve has been known for delaying their games. Not on the same level as the average Ubisoft or Rockstar game, but enough to have people frothing at the mouth. Two people are currently protesting outside the developer’s Washington offices in exchange for the release of Half-Life 3. Both men have signs that say “Canada 4 The Release of Half-Life 3″ and “Half-Life 3…Is It Left 4 Dead?” The good thing about this protest is that Gabe Newell was kind enough to buy them both lunch and take a picture with them, as seen above.

Still, there’s something wrong with this protest: no one is going to want Canada in exchange for Half-Life 3. If anything, you demand the world in exchange for Half-Life 3. Of course, there’s also the matter of them having to wait for the next 10 years before they get what they want, but at least they’re being calm about it.

[Via Game Informer]

What’s Happened To The Once “Glorious” Steam Sale?

Shaun Hammond — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:00:46 +0000

You’ve probably heard of the glorious Steam Sales. Yeah the ones that happen on special events such as Christmas holidays, where PC gamers around the world flock onto Steam to check what the daily specials are, making the sale itself a special event of it’s own. On many gaming websites you find super active threads asking what people are buying or holding out for. It’s as if this was a “Steam’s Closing Down SALE!”, but we all know it will be back to normal in about a week.

But I think the once “glorious” Steam sale might be getting a bit too traditional. What I mean is that they’re not very special anymore. I remember the first Steam Sale that I participated in. It was such an awesome experience buying all of these games for the amazing price of $5. I don’t know how aware you are with the prices of video games over here in New Zealand or in Australia, but it really sucks when we’re paying about $80-100 USD for a new release game. Naturally, I bought around 20 games in these sales, especially knowing how expensive they’d be otherwise.

When the next sale came along, I only bought about five games, and up to the 2010 Christmas Sale it was only ever one purchase each sale. I’m not even sure if it’s just me that is having this problem, but I didn’t even purchase one game in the Steam summer camp event. If that’s not a shock to you, then it’s clear that we have a problem.

Sure, people that are new to Steam will still get that amazing rush that me and a lot of others got, but there are only so many people that will join Steam. This makes me think Steam Sales will become less important. Any Valve game (excluding Portal 2) that goes on sale now already seems pointless. Counter-Strike: Source is now owned by basically everyone, but you can’t expect those people to keep playing it forever. The Half-Life series is now getting on in age and if you haven’t experienced it yet, you probably won’t want to – By now it’s lost it’s novelty.

U Mad?

I think Valve knows it’s happening too. With things like the ‘Steam Summer Camp’ asking you to buy a certain game and earn an achievement in it, it’s hard not to do because I know some of you achievement junkies just have to do it all. Not only is it specific achievements, but the addition of Team Fortress hats are also an extra incentive upon the low asking price. Everyone loves TF2 hats…

I don’t think anyone but Valve can foresee what direction the Steam sales take in the future, but I think that for most users it’s moving away from the Black Friday Sale feeling and heading into a daily fire sale system. While I won’t argue the benefit for the consumers, as I’m sure we all love cheap games, it really makes buying games at full price seem like daylight robbery.

So what are your thoughts on this? Are Steam Sales still banging for you, or are you feeling what I’m feeling? Please, let me know.

Team Fortress 2 Is Now Free To Play!

Dave Oshry — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 01:18:18 +0000

Everybody here at RipTen loves TF2. Everyone except me that is, because I’ve never played it. Well, apparently Valve has become aware of this and has decided to finally get my jew ass into TF2 by making it free to play. Oy! You know I can’t resist that deal.

Nothing will be changed about the game itself, it’ll just be free now. Those who purchased Team Fortress 2 before this change will have “Premium” accounts, which have a variety of features that free accounts do not. However, all you’ll have to do is buy a fancy hat or crate key, and your account will be upgraded accordingly.

Feast your eyes upon the press release!!

June 23, 2011 - Valve, creators of bestselling game franchises (such as Half-Life, Portal, Left 4 Dead, and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), announced today that after four years and over 200 updates, its popular and critically-acclaimed online action game Team Fortress 2 (TF2) is now Free To Play (F2P).

The F2P announcement comes as part of the “Über Update”. Released today, it is the largest content pack delivered to TF2 since it shipped in 2007.

New players interested in experiencing what PC Gamer calls “the most fun you can have online” will have access to training and offline practice modes, so they can hone their skills before jumping into the ever-expanding TF2 universe.

To celebrate the launch of the Über Update, Valve has released “Meet the Medic,” the latest in its series of TF2 animated shorts.

TF2 is now Free to Play for PC & Mac players via Steam.

For more information on Free to Play, visit:

http://www.teamfortress.com/freetoplay.

For more information on the “Über Update” and “Meet the Medic”, visit:

http://www.teamfortress.com/uberupdate.

Valve Not Showing Any Titles At E3 2011

Dave Oshry — Wed, 18 May 2011 18:55:59 +0000

Why Gaben why!? Why do you torture us so?

No Half Life 3? No Counter Strike 2? NOT EVEN ANY DOTA 2 ACTION!?

Ladies and gentlemen, I think I speak for everyone when I say…

I AM DISAPPOINT

Maybe it’s a double cross!? Maybe even a triple cross? Or even a Serbian jew double-bluff?

Let’s hope so…

Stay tuned.

Valve Definitely Not Done With Single Player Gaming

Bryce Wilson — Sat, 07 May 2011 08:19:28 +0000

Just over a week ago RipTen reported on a supposed rumor that Valve was parting ways with singleplayer gaming elements after the release of Portal 2.

Well, During a recent interview, Gabe Newell spoke out on the rumor saying:

“I think what we’re trying to talk about is the fact that, not that we’re not doing single player games. Portal 2 was a pretty good example of what we’ve learned over the years in terms of how to create those experiences. It’s more that we think we have to work harder in the future, that entertainment is inherently increased in value by having it be social, by letting you play with your friends, by recognizing that you’re connected with other people.”

That wasn’t the end however, with Valve’s big boss and pioneer of numerous well known titles continuing with:

“That’s the thing that we’re trying to say, is that, single player is great but we also have to recognize that you have friends, and we wanna have that connected as well. So, it’s not about giving up on single player at all, it’s like saying, we actually think that there’s a bunch of features and capabilities that we need to add into our single player games to recognize the socially connected gamer.”

Sounds to me like Valve is truly intent on pioneering the mainstream AAA social gaming experience.

Good on ya Gaben.

Sure, games like Farmville or Zynga Poker allow you to chat with your friends, but how many allow you to trap your friends in an infinite portal loop whilst you brag to them via text and voice messaging?

S2 Games and Heroes of Newerth Are Not Worried About Valve and DotA 2

Dave Oshry — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:00:46 +0000

Once upon a time, there was a game called Defense of the Ancients (DotA) Well, actually it’s still around, but that’s besides the point. What started as a Warcraft III mod soon became it’s own genre, and once the allure of DotA began to fade, worthy successors (clones if you will) popped up in the forms of the hardcore (Heroes of Newerth) and the not-so-hardcore (League of Legends)

Both HoN by S2 Games and LoL by Riot Games are supported by rabid fans and have been quite successful. However, being an experienced (albeit mediocre) HoN player myself, I jumped at the chance to sit down with the guys at S2 games to talk to them about the elephant in their arena. What elephant, you ask? Valve’s DotA 2.

I wanted to know if S2 was worried about an industry giant such as Valve teaming up with the man who has carried DotA since 2005 (IceFrog) to create an actual sequel to the game that itself inspired HoN. Many people think DotA 2 will kill games like LoL and HoN, but S2 - they ain’t scared, not one bit.

So, I sat down with S2 Games Design Director James Fielding and Senior Designer Pu Liu to find out just why they aren’t afraid of the mighty Gaben:

I was surprised by S2′s confidence, even if I did think that deep down inside they were a bit nervous about what Valve’s game could do to their market share.

However, I got a real kick out of hearing James say things like “We’re interested to see how DotA 2 lives up to the bar we’ve set” and, “If I were in Valve’s shoes, I’d be a little afraid of having to follow up our act”

Yet, quite frankly, S2 has set the bar quite high.

HoN is an extremely well polished and well balanced game. It’s got everything a DotA fan could want and S2 supports the game feverishly. So, as Pu said, “The announcement of DotA 2 is only more motivation for us to set the bar even higher”

Should S2 be worried about Valve and DotA 2? Only time will tell.

Is Portal 2 Valve’s Final Single Player Game?

Bryce Wilson — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 05:37:20 +0000

It would appear that Valve, pioneers of Half Life, Portal and Left 4 Dead, are dropping out of the single-player experience race, with Portal 2 rumored to be their last foray into single-player campaigns.

The news has alarmed a lot of PC gaming fans, with Valve being one of the platforms leading developers of recent times, and even more so after the release of Portal 2 and it’s subsequent 96% score on MetaCritic.

The source for this claim is none other than Geoff Keighley. Geoff recently helped release an Apple iPad application titled “The Final Hours of Portal 2″.

Keighley is quoted as saying “Portal 2 will probably be Valve’s last game with an isolated single-player experience”. He goes on to say this news was given to him directly by Gaben.

What do you think?

If you’re still strangely on the fence about Portal 2, check out the RipTen review by clicking here.

Source: [MCV] via [PCR Online]

Portal 2 Pre-order Bonus Will Include Custom Bots

Garrett Hartman — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 23:10:11 +0000

Ah, Portal 2 – you carry along such lofty expectations lest you make us wait until 2011. In a effort to steal some steam from…well Steam, Gamestop is listing all pre-orders will save $5 and (wait for it) “Custom Bots”! The offer applies to both online and in store purchases. If you’re not excited you may have to check your pulse.

Just think of the possible customizable combinations: Short bots, tall bots, millitary bots. I may have to take a valium.

So far no word on what effect bot customizations may have on gameplay.

Source

Team Fortress 2 Engineer Update: Day 2

Sam Naylor — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:37:42 +0000

Valve’s Team Fortress 2 update page has updated once again, and another drop of information about the update has been revealed. As you can see above, the update today has unveiled the “Wrangler”- a manual control for your Sentry Gun.

The Wrangler lets you take control of the Sentry Gun, and creates a shield that absorbs 66% of incoming damage for the Sentry- and doubles the gun’s firing rate (including rocket firing times). However, the Sentry will not automatically aim at targets with the Wrangler equipped, and has a three second cooldown period if the Engineer switches away from his Wrangler.

Also announced today is a new Valve-designed payload map, “Upward”.

Check back tomorrow for the next drople of information about the Engineer update, and let us know what you think of today’s weapon and map in the comments.

Final Day of Steam Sale: The Best of the Sale

Sam Naylor — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 17:58:34 +0000

The final day of Steam’s magnificent sale is here, and with it comes a new set of deals. Today all of the discounts are on titles that sold particularly well, meaning there’s nothing new on offer, but now’s your chance to grab something you missed the first time round.

Today’s your last day to grab a bargain, so make sure you trawl the site to see if there’s anything that catches your eye. Today’s the day to fill your shopping cart if you haven’t already!

Just Cause 2: 50% off
Killing Floor: 75% off
Grand Theft Auto IV: 75% off
World of Goo: 75% off
Trine: 80% off
Battlefield: Bad Company 2: 33% off
BioShock 2: 50% off
Red Faction: Guerrilla: 75% off
Thief Deadly Shadows: 85% off
Left 4 Dead 2: 66% off
Tales of Monkey Island: Complete :66% off
Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Complete: 75% off
Borderlands: 66% off
Mass Effect 2: 44% off
ARMA II: 50% off

Steam Sale Day 10: Metro 2033, Portal, Just Cause 2 and More

Sam Naylor — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 17:26:39 +0000

Today’s set of Steam deals has been revealed, and includes savings on Metro 2033, Portal, Just Cause 2 and a handful more.

The all-week deals remain, of course, which can be found scrolling at the top of the page here.

It’s nearly the end of the Steam Summer sale now, which brings me great sadness. I only wish it could be ‘Steam Sale day’ every day of the year. Today’s deals are a good set- Dave’s beloved Metro 2033 is on sale, along with Just Cause 2, a game I have spent a lot of time in (and I’ve only done two missions). Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is also on sale, albeit at a price which is still high for a sale.

Metro 2033: 50% off
Portal: 90% off
Just Cause 2: 50% off
Devil May Cry 4: 75% off
Freedom Force: Freedom Pack: 75% off
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse: 50% off
Mount & Blade: 66% off
Battlefield: Bad Company 2: 33% off
World of Goo: 75% off

Steam Sale Day 8: Dragon Age, Thief, Bioshock and More

Sam Naylor — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:17:22 +0000

Today’s set of Steam deals has been revealed, and includes Dragon Age: Origins, Thief, Bioshock, and more.

The all-week deals remain, of course, which can be found scrolling at the top of the page here.

Thief is probably the best deal today, although GTA is also a decent price. Be wary though that it doesn’t support an Xbox 360 controller like GTA IV does on PC, so you might be in for a bit of tech wizardry if you want to play with a controller. Dragon Age is popular but I don’t think the price is low enough to justify a purchase for me.

Here are the deals:

Madballs in Babo:Invasion 80% off
Titan Quest Gold 75% off
Dragon Age: Origins 40% off
Thief: Deadly Shadows 85% off
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 75% off
The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom 50% off
Tropico 3 75% off
Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures 75% off
BioShock 75% off
X3: Gold 66% off

Valves Already-Available E3 Portal 2 Demo Footage Will Re-Release As Seven Part Direct-Feed Mini Series

Dave Oshry — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 05:20:44 +0000

We know you loved all the readily available footage from Valve’s behind the scenes E3 2010 demo of Portal 2. Of course you did. Valve knows it too. But you probably hated the fact that it was all shot off-screen by the press in attendance. Of course you did!

Well, now you’ll have the opportunity to witness that great Portal 2 demo footage in all of it’s high-def glory, as long as you don’t mind having the whole thing drawn out over seven separate timed releases.

That’s right, if our behind the scenes footage didn’t quite get you close enough to the action of the portal 2 E3 demo, Valve will be showing it all over again, in seven parts. Why seven parts you ask? Who knows, but I bet it has something to do with advertising, or merchandising, or Gabe really really enjoying his strangle hold over us all.

Either way, be sure to check out the first installment (titled “Meet Wheatly”) below, direct fromValve’s YouTube channel, and stay tuned to RipTen for all of your Portal 2 news.

Steam Sale Day 5: Oddworld, Tales of Monkey Island, Dogfighter, and More

Sam Naylor — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:17:48 +0000

Today’s set of Steam deals has been revealed, Oddworld, Tales of Monkey Island, Dogfighter, and a handful more.

The all-week deals remain, of course, which can be found scrolling at the top of the page here.

Oddworld seems to be today’s best deal, but Tales of Monkey Island at 66% off is also a really tempting deal. If you want to know a bit more about Dogfighter, you can read our review here.

Steam Sale Day 4: EVE Online, Dawn of War II Gold, Half-Life and More

Sam Naylor — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:16:58 +0000

Today’s set of Steam deals has been revealed, and includes savings on EVE Online, Dawn of War II Gold, Half-Life and a handful more.

The all-week deals remain, of course, which can be found scrolling at the top of the page here.

I highly recommend EVE Online- it’s the best MMO there is. WoW’s for some people, but for real men there’s EVE. The learning curve is more of a learning knife edge, but for seasoned gamers it’s incredibly rewarding. Obviously Half-Life is an excellent game, if a little dated now, and Dawn of War is also really good. Lots of good deals today, but I’m hoping they up their game, as we’ve not truly seen anything as crazily good value as the Winter sale yet.

Sid Meier’s Civilization (All games): Various Discounts
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II Gold: 50% off
Kane and Lynch: Dead Men: 75% off
Half-Life: 80% off
Flotilla: 75% off
Max Payne Bundle: 75% off
EVE Online: 90% off (Note: Subscription fee after 1 Month)