Valve researching sign language for use in Half-Life 2: Episode 3


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Valve's Gabe Newell appears to have recently conducted a focus group with deaf individuals in order to learn more about sign language and how it can be applied to games, notably the upcoming Half-Life 2: Episode 3. Why? To help develop Alyx's character, and further the animation technology implemented in the Half-Life games. Newell explains: "[Alyx] had a crush on someone who was hearing impaired, so she taught Dog how to sign so she could practice. Something happened, maybe, the person is off fighting the Combine someplace else, but that's why she and Dog would start signing with each other when they wanted to communicate without making noise, or communicate without other people knowing ... It gave us the excuse to build the technology for signing."

The focus group responds by noting the importance of facial expression whilst signing. While the Half-Life franchise has been known for its believable facial animation, it might take even more to fully realize the nuances necessary for authentic signing. It'll be interesting to see if Valve is up to the challenge.

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Maybe that'll give them a reason to redo the finger models from NPCs and such, right now the hands are either a giant blob with a texture on it, or the fingers are just blocks.

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How about they devolpe somthing like this seperatly and stop focusing on a putting a useless (Half Life) technology into Half Life Episode 3, and get the damn game out already.

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The episodes have really helped speed up development. :s

It would have working if Valve didn't keep creating a completely separate game engine with new tricks for each Episode...

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How about they devolpe somthing like this seperatly and stop focusing on a putting a useless (Half Life) technology into Half Life Episode 3, and get the damn game out already.

Artists make the game, coders the engine. Try to ponder on that one.

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The episodes have really helped speed up development. :s

That's what I have been thinking this entire time. They are fantastic games, but damn are they taking a long time to put out each episode

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YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!! A game that will have some feature that best suits me!

BUT they need to also research the fact that there are many different ways to sign the same words. Different countries have different signing delicts and methods.

What I use currently is a mixture of signed english and Auslan (Australian sign language).

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YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!! A game that will have some feature that best suits me!

BUT they need to also research the fact that there are many different ways to sign the same words. Different countries have different signing delicts and methods.

What I use currently is a mixture of signed english and Auslan (Australian sign language).

Dude, you're shouting too loudly! :p

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Can't wait :D I don't mind if they take their time personally, as long as they finish it right. I mean the series is what, 11 years old? What a waste it would be to have a crappy ending.

A few years from now Gabe Newell will discover the magic of Slim-Fast.

Fixed.

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Looks like you completely missed the point.

I tried really really hard to find to find sign language images for "How Did He Miss The Point?" but it was too much work to find individual images, and it turned out to be something like 18 images..

But it should give you an idea.

Just how did he miss the point?

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I tried really really hard to find to find sign language images for "How Did He Miss The Point?" but it was too much work to find individual images, and it turned out to be something like 18 images..

But it should give you an idea.

Just how did he miss the point?

Because it wasn't as a way of allowing deaf people to know what was happening in the dialogue, it was actually part of the game.

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Just how did he miss the point?

They weren't studying sign languages so they could translate character dialogs etc for deaf people. It's used in relation to the characters, so Alyx and Dog can communicate without noise.

Edit: Beaten to it.

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Source was really great for its time, but IMO it needs to be reworked, to bring it up to the standard of more modern engines, like the Unreal 2.5 / 3 Hybrid used in Bioshock, and version 3 used in UT3 (very impressive lighting and shading effects), and hopefully some DX10 goodness.

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Source was really great for its time, but IMO it needs to be reworked, to bring it up to the standard of more modern engines, like the Unreal 2.5 / 3 Hybrid used in Bioshock, and version 3 used in UT3 (very impressive lighting and shading effects), and hopefully some DX10 goodness.

Source is constantly being reworked, just like the Unreal Engine (which is not too new either).

Just look at the difference between HL2 and HL2:EP2. They're definitely keeping this engine up to date, and it's still very good imo.

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