Forum:EP3 Wishes

New stuff for EP3
First, I hope that I didn't open a second forum on this stuff but I couldn't a find one and would love to hear your opinions and wishes. What events, gameplay elements, new weapons, improvements and other stuff would you like to see in EP3?

Here's my list:

=Some background infos =

Give us some informations about the GMan. That would be fun. Also, I'd love some more background about the Combine. Their technology, their world, what exactly has happened in the 20 years Gordon was in stasis. Maybe there should be an intel file system like in Black Ops. If you collect documents hidden in game (similiar to the Lambda caches), you get some PDFs or something you can read in the pause menu.

=SOME non-linear gameplay=

Don't get me wrong, I don't want Valve to make a sandbox HL game, but some sections from the other HL2 installments had the potential for non-linear gameplay with multiple ways to reach the goal. These include the C17 railroad, the Canals, Ravenholm, the Coast, some parts of C17 in EP1, the Victory Mine and the surroundings of White Forest Base.

=New weapons=

I know, the HL2 arsenal IS well balanced, but I've been using it for about 30 hours of gameplay (HL2 installments and mods) and it DOES get a bit boring. They don't have to reinvent the wheel, but maybe they should upgrade the textures and sounds of the current guns and add one or two per section. My personal wishes would include:

I've seen these things in SMOD and I loved them. They would even be logical: if we assume that the Combine would now have to deal with a world-wide rebellion, these things would come in handy for riot control. How such a weapon would work in-game is a difficult question. It could either be a CS-style ballistic shield that gives you cover and allows you to fire your pistol while holding it, or it could be be [MW2-Style|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkhwuM_T1ZU] so could beat people down with it. Or both. Or nothing at all, which would be even more likely. Same reason. However, they shouldn't make it too Crowbar-like. I'd say it should deal half the damage but be able to stun an enemy. You could stun them, then swap to your Magnum and finish them of. Nice combo. It should have an Alt-Fire mode in which it could used like a reusable stun grenade: You throw it at an enemy, it stuns them, you pick it up again and recharge it at the next power outlet or use it again as a grenade but discard it afterwards. This means that there should be a steady suplly of these things. No, this isn't crazy, since it would bridge the gap between the USP Match and the Magnum. It could be the standard sidearm for the resistance, since the 1911-pattern handguns are likely the world's most common pistols. Perhaps you should be able to silence it. The UCP would share ammowith the MP7. That's why. It would also be the superiour gun against the heavily armoured Overwatch troopers since it was especially designed to defeat body armour, whereas 9mm weapons are currently being phased out because they are ineffective at penetrating kevlar. Having just one SMG is stupid, and I'd love to see a supressed weapon in EP3. There should be some sections of the game where, with the right tactic and a silent weapon (crossbow, UMP45-SD), you could silently kill patrolling soldiers and take out the rest of them one-at-time without being noticed. Something like that was actually possibly in the HL2 chapter "Highway 17". It was at the house where Overwatch soldiers were burning human corpses in a bonefire. If you did it right, you could kill them all without getting anyone's attention. Something like that should be possible again in EP3. Lots of players wanted a sniper rifle in EP3. This IS indeed not a reasonable expectation since it wouldn't fit HL2s more or less fast and dynamic gameplay. I'd advocate for something in between a sniper and assault rifle: a 7.62mm semi-automatic Battle Rifle. It should have high damage and recoil and deal lethal headshots against anything except Overwatch Elites. A trusty FAL or G3A3 would also be a realistic weapon for any rebel. Anybody knows what I'm talking about. I want it. Period. There's an entry about this on this wiki as well, so I'm not gonna describe it. We got a rocket launcher, we got grenades, so we need a dedicated grenade launcher. I'd say something similiar to the [China Lake|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Lake_Grenade_Launcher], but more homemade to keep the resistance theme. It should be more powerful and accurate than the MP7s unrealistic Alt-Fire.
 * Slot 1:Combine Energy Riot Shield
 * Slot 1:CP Stunstick
 * Slot 2:Colt 1911 Pistol
 * Replacing the USP Match with a [UCP|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HK_UCP]
 * Slot 3:A .45 ACP SMG (preferably a UMP45)
 * Slot 4:Some kind of 7.62mm Battle Rifle
 * Slot 5:Hopwire Grenade
 * Slot 5:Black Hole Grenade
 * Slot 5:40mm Pump-Action Grenade Launcher

=Offensiv Gameplay=

In HL2 Freeman didn't know what was going on. He just stumbled in and wreaked havoc. That's more or less OK. In EP1 and EP2 he and Alyx were being hunted by the Combine. While fending of the Combine ambush at the White Forest Inn WAS fun, too, I got tired of being hunted. The Combine are trapped on Earth and have an uprising to deal with. I guess they have more urgent problems than Freeman and Alyx, since they succeeded in closing the superportal. I think it would be fair if I'd get to be the hunter again. I wanna raid their outposts like I did on the coast. I wanna snipe them. I wanna blow them up. I want to join ranks with the rebels again and take them head-on. (Personally, I'd love to shoot them from a hunter-chopper. I mean, they've done it to me like a dozen or more times or so, and I think it should be my turn now...)

=Stand-alone melee attacks=

The crowbar is good, but I can be annoying if you walk around a corner with an empty gun, only to be greeted by one of these Overwatch pussies (mean the Overwatch Shotgun Soldier), who unloads a shell into your face before you can react. In such situations, I just want to smash my AR2's buttstock into his his ugly face (no offense). Being forced to switch weapon to smash a crate or clear my path is annoying. I mean, the Overwatch guys CAN melee with their guns. And they surely aren't über. I'm über. But I can't do that. That's unfair. In EP3, you should be able to melee with your gun or, at least, [kick|http://w0rf0x.obsidianconflict.net/screens/smod2/ep2_outland_06a0091.jpg] people in the face.

=The ability to add objects to your inventory=

I don't know why Freeman can carry half a ton worth of weapons. It's just a fact. But if he can carry that much stuff, he should also be able to carry normal objects like medpacks, G-Gun ammo, flares and batteries. Or whatever he likes to. When you approach a certain area and you know there's a fight comin', there are almost always lots of supplies lying around, so you can heal and prepare yourself. But even with full health, an intense firefight always leaves you with about 80-70 HP. I know that. And that's why I should be allowed to carry some medipacks or alt-fire-grenades in reserve, even if I currently don't need them. Just for example, always having a sawblade with you isn't a bad thing.

=Dedicated Gravity Gun ammo=

In EP2, Mr. Magnussen created the Strider Buster. That's good. Against striders, at least. However, the Magnussen Device was, like the G-Gun, btw, bulky and impractical. I want some other kind of dedicated G-gun ammo which is effective against infantery. Some kind of a combination of explosives and flechette, perhaps. It should be small and either explosive or dense enough to kill by blunt force.

=Multiplayer=

Whoa. Now I'm getting really heretic. I know multiplayer was never HL2's style. Well, there was something called Half-Life 2: Deathmatch. HL2DM (sorry, fanboys) sucked. Maintaining the singleplayer experience and gameplay is a good IDEA. But it's dumb to give players so much health. If you have 100 health (and usually 100 suit charge), then it takes felt 300 MP7 rounds to kill you. That's good for you. But bad for the game. Because this means that there are just two good ways to kill you: G-Gun and RPG. G-Gun is not to bad (but it still sucks that firearms are useless in this game.) RPG and explosives is much worse. It means that players always camp at RPG and SLAM ammo spawns and blow up anything that moves, or they bunny-hop around like total tards and n00btube anyone with their highly-realistic, semi-auto grenade launching MP7. Both ruins the experience.

Let's face it. WW3 (or WW4, if you count the 7-Hours-War) is coming. Noone's gonna stop the uprising anymore. There has never been a better setting for a HL-themed MP-shooter. Combine VS rebels, until nothing remains. To make a possible MP mode enjoyble, Valve has accept the fact that no-one but Freeman has the Über-HEV-Suit allowing him to withstand like 200 hits and carry 12 guns at a time. MP should be with regenrating health instead of the HP system. 6-10 shots, and that was it. No more. You're dead. You should just get two or three guns. You should e able to lean around corners. We're done. That's all a good HL2MP would need.

That's it. What're your wishes?