Valve’s pivotal first-person shooter “Half-Life” just got a new patch, nearly 19 years after its November 1998 launch. The patch is now live on Steam, and it fine-tunes a handful of bugs. It’s one of those updates that come off as surprising, given it’s the first time the developer has updated the game in four years.
While the patch notes aren’t exactly a cause for a meltdown, some fans kind of took it that way. They believe “Half-Life 3” might finally be released. To be fair, it’s unprecedented for a developer to update an almost two-decade-old game, which is why the Steam community have been left with genuine hope of a brand-new title.
The patch notes indicate fixes for previously reported crashes, including a weapon-dropping exploit that had players disconnected from the server. Valve also fixed a save file issue. With the announcement of the update on Steam, the comment section had been filled with numerous “Half-Life 3 confirmed!” comments, although Valve made no mention of it.
‘A Place in the West’
That said, we may be forever stuck in gaming limbo waiting for the third installment, but at least we have a comic book to keep us busy. Coming this July 21 is the third chapter for the “Half-Life” comic series, titled “A Place in the West.” Have a look:
Although Valve isn’t involved with the writing process, it did give “A Place in the West” the license to use the “Half-Life” IP.
The comic started out as a fan series, but it amassed so many readers the developer gave it a green light. The comic’s first two chapters were sold on Steam, where the third chapter, “The Pit,” will also be released for $2.
HL3 rumors
“Half-Life 3” rumors are rife, but Valve boss Gabe Newell is having none of it. At this point, Hl3 remains a mythological beast – it isn’t real, but people love the idea so much it’s almost a reality.
Earlier this year, Newell admitted that even Valve employees themselves disseminate the HL3 hoax, just for the fun of it. In an interview in February, the executive said: “Some of the more childish members of our company have worn Half-Life 3 T-shirts to GDC.”
The last HL game, “Half-Life 2: Episode Two” was released in 2007.
Valve had said a follow-up would be released, but the game never materialized. Valve has maintained tight-lipped of a possible new title for years now, so that’s leaves fans to settle for the new update, which we have to thank Valve for making sure the game remains playable, and a comic book to boot.
