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August 5, 2008  Lombardi:

Doom  Single-Player Mode Helped Birth

Half-Life

  Valve's Doug Lombardi says the success of

Half-Life

 and its sequel paid dividends in both resources and inspirationthat continue to be invested in new titles and technology,permanently setting the company's quality bar -- but how did

Half-Life

 make its ascent in an era where everyone was chasing

Quake

  "We've been very fortunate in the success of our early games, andbeing careful to make sure that every game after

Half-Life

 sort-of lived up to a quality bar that was set by that," Lombardisaid in a recent interview with Gamasutra.

  The breakout success of the original

Half-Life

 was especially notable considering it debuted in an era where

Quake

-chasing and the burgeoning multiplayer space was the focus formany.

  But Valve co-founders Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington, Lombardisaid, "really wanted to go back to their single-player experienceof

Doom."

  "They wanted to go back and take a look at what they felt when theyplayed

Doom

 in single-player, and expand on that, and put more story, and moreacting, character development, and that type of stuff," Lombardisaid.

  "So, it was a good fortune of timing, to be zagging while everyoneelse was zigging, or whatever the clich?is, that I think we hit asweet spot for people."

  The era's less-than-ideal connectivity, Lombardi said, "made it apain in the ass" to play many multiplayer games, and

Half-Life

 happened to arrive at a time when there was an itch needing to bescratched.

  "And then I think there's also that idea of your first game, oryour first album in the music industry, that puts you on the maptends to be a hallmark that people remember you by," he added.

  "They also have a reminiscence, or whatever the right word is forit, but there's a certain charm about the first game that youplayed from a certain company, if you've followed that company, orthat band, or that studio, or whatever. "

Half-Life was a great game - not to take anything away from it - but I thinkthat all those factors sort of contribute to people keeping it inits special place."