Valve is famous for crafting games that are polished and intuitive. But that’s no accident: the developer has a near-religious obsession with playtesting. Learn more, in this video.
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=== Before you watch ===
Content warning: Blood, Combat
=== Sources ===
[1] Valve reflects on The Orange Box, ten years later | PC Gamer
[2] Developer Commentary | Portal
[3] Portal Beta 2005 & More 2006 Content | Logan on YouTube
[4] Beyond the Box | 1UP
Archive: ://
[5] Kim Swift - ’Our Journey From Narbacular Drop To Portal’ | IGS 2007
[6]... Narbacular Drop | Digipen Institute of Technology
[7] Valve’s Design Process for Creating Half-Life 2 | GDC 2006
YouTube mirror:
[8] Valve’s philosophy with User Research... | Steve Bromley
[9] The Science of Playtesting | GameSpot
[10] Opening the Valve | Eurogamer
[11] Valve Is Finally Ready to Talk About Its Games Again... | The Escapist
[12] Thinking With Portals | Game Developer Magazine
[PDF]
[13] 126 - Josh Weier Interview | Kiwi Talkz
[14] The Cabal: Valve’s Design Process For Creating Half-Life | Game Developer Magazine
Mirror:
[15] Handbook For New Employees | Valve
[PDF]
[16] The 100 greatest video games of all time... | GQ
[17] The Final Hours Of Half-Life 2 | Gamespot
[18] Why Are Valve’s Games So Polished? | IGN
[19] Half-Life 2: Episode One Update Released | Steam
[20] How fidgeting playtesters convinced Valve... | PC Gamer
[21] Christine Phelan - Creating a Nightmare... | Konsoll 2021
[22] Integrating Narrative into Game Design... | GDC 2008
[23] RPS Interview: Portal’s Kim Swift... | Rock Paper Shotgun
[24] Meet the minds behind Half-Life 2 | PC Gamer
[25] The Final Hours of Portal 2 | Steam
=== Chapters ===
00:00 - Intro
01:25 - Playtesting Portal
05:47 - Valve’s History
08:38 - Playtesting Tips
15:43 - Conclusion
=== Games Shown ===
Portal (2017)
Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
Far Cry 3 (2012)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (2021)
Portal 2 (2011)
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023)
Narbacular Drop (2005)
Half-Life 2 (2004)
skate. (Unreleased)
Left 4 Dead (2008)
Half-Life 2: Episode One (2006)
Half-Life Alyx (2020)
God of War Ragnarök (2022)
Untitled Magnet Game (Unreleased)
Superliminal (2019)
Viewfinder (2023)
=== Credits ===
Music provided by Epidemic Sound - (Referral Link)
Narbacular Drop - Full Walkthrough | COG in the Game
Konsoll 2021: Christine Phelan - Creating a Nightmare in Half-Life: Alyx | Konsoll
F-Stop (After-Image) - “lab_intro_scripted2“ | fstop
Portal 2: F-STOP PROJECT CAPTURE - Full Walkthrough | Bolloxed
Exposure by LunchHouse Software | LunchHouse Software
Mirror:
=== Subtitles ===
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