Recently, a group has been formed called the ''Call for Communication'' or ''HL-CFC'', this steam group is setting out to get information on Half Life 3. Not even in a gameplay terms, but whether or not the game will come out and close the current story arc. How will they do this? by playing Half Life 2 at 2:00 pm EST on February 4 until people decide not to play it anymore.

Here is the full story for with more detail.

Full story from the escapist -

In an effort to discover what's going on with Half-Life, the Call for Communication Steam Group is asking the entire internet to play some Half-Life 2this weekend.When last we heard from Dr. Gordon Freeman and the gang, there was a fan, the shit was hitting it, and it was 2007. 2007, people! That's over four years ago! I can't even bring myself to make an "episodic" joke at this point, but I do wish I had some idea what Valve was up to with the franchise. So do a lot of other gamers out there, many of whom have come together in the Call for Communication (Half-Life) Steam Group, dedicated to digging up the truth.
"The entire trilogy of episodes was supposed to be completed and released by 2007, and if Valve have decided to do other things for the time being, that is fine," the group's profile says. "All that we ask for is a basic response on the matter, and to let fans know whether or not the current story arc is scheduled to conclude at another point in time."
But asking nicely about these things never goes anywhere, so the HL-CFC has come up with a Plan B: playing the crap out of Half-Life 2 this weekend to remind Valve that there's still a lot of love for the game. The "Red Letter Day" begins at 2:00 pm EST on February 4 and runs until everyone gets tired of playing and decides to go do something else.
It's a brilliant idea. Getting out and marching in the streets is a serious hassle, but firing up a game on Steam? That's something that a lot of us will probably be doing anyway. Whether or not it will do any good is an entirely different matter but at this point it certainly can't hurt, and with over 36,000 members, Valve might actually sit up and take notice.
Feel like helping out, or just playing some HL2 on Saturday? Head over the Call for Communication (Half-Life)group on Steam, put your name on the page and get ready to kill for the truth!

So, will you join? The link to the steam group is here, it currently has 37,324 Members.

Think it will work?

You crazy? 'Course it's not gonna work!!!

What a dumb ass idea.

@IAmNotBatman said:

You crazy? 'Course it's not gonna work!!!

Don't shoot the messenger! :P

That's not how things work.

Hey at least it's something proactive.

I wouldn't play Half-Life 2 again unless you paid me to do so!

Sure, an excuse to revisit HL2 is good enough for me.

I certainly would love something more than silence over the future of the Half-Life series.

@MB: Mind elaborating on why rather than being negative and contrarian?

@NekuSakuraba: Grr :S

I think this whole thing is really stupid. Valve will reveal Half Life 3 when they're good and ready, demanding that they talk about it before that seems silly to me.

@Cloudenvy said:

I wouldn't play Half-Life 2 again unless you paid me to do so!

Change play to finish and this is my answer.

Do people really think this will work? Valve will put out Half-Life 3 when they are good and ready to and not a second sooner. After hearing how long the process for making Portal 2 was, I can't help but wonder why they would do anything different for this.

I got an invite from these people and was sick in my mouth. Another Half Life game couldn't possible live up to people's expectations, and Half Life fans only have themselves to blame.

What a dumb ass idea.

Valve already knows that people still love half life. The time between 1 and 2 is about 7 years. They like to take their time. I thought we already established this.

What makes them think this will work? I would really like to know.

I'm a member of that group and I have HL2 installed and ready to go on February 4th. It's gonna be really amazing to have hundreds if not thousands of people playing it simultaneously.

Here's why I won't participate in the affairs:

I don't see how that will make Valve say anything.

@Lagaroth said:

@Cloudenvy said:

I wouldn't play Half-Life 2 again unless you paid me to do so!

Change play to finish and this is my answer.

Don't worry, it's not worth it for the ending.

Episode 1 and 2 are pretty decent though.

@Video_Game_King: Cause that dude is way too awesome for you to bother him on a busy February 4th?

@dudeglove said:

Why are you reading the escapist.

People are passing the article around on Steam.

@HeavyDuty32:

No; because that picture is my best way of making PC gamers cringe.

@AlisterCat said:

I got an invite from these people and was sick in my mouth. Another Half Life game couldn't possible live up to people's expectations, and Half Life fans only have themselves to blame.

Half-Life 2 is one of my favorite games ever, but after playing through it a few times, it's clear to see where they can improve. If Half-Life 3 has better graphics, a whole new wealth of guns, and continues the story that the ending of Episode 2 had, I don't see how it couldn't live up to peoples expectations. And if anyone can do that, it's Valve.

@Azteck said:

I don't see how that will make Valve say anything.

They are holding Valve hostage by saying ''Hey Vavle, you don't tell us about Half Life and we'll play your games!''

@NekuSakuraba said:

@IAmNotBatman said:

You crazy? 'Course it's not gonna work!!!

Don't shoot the messenger! :P

BANG BANG

@Landon said:

@AlisterCat said:

I got an invite from these people and was sick in my mouth. Another Half Life game couldn't possible live up to people's expectations, and Half Life fans only have themselves to blame.

Half-Life 2 is one of my favorite games ever, but after playing through it a few times, it's clear to see where they can improve. If Half-Life 3 has better graphics, a whole new wealth of guns, and continues the story that the ending of Episode 2 had, I don't see how it couldn't live up to peoples expectations. And if anyone can do that, it's Valve.

It's not so much that they can't make an amazing game that lives up to the franchise, it's that people have been waiting long enough that they have expectations of it being the best game ever.

It shouldn't work. Ever.

But Valve are awesome.

As Ryan said on twitter a couple of days ago, it will be funny to see all the fanboys realizing how much different their nostalgia is from the actual game.

Hey, if a letter writing campaign can convince Nintendo to bring a game to the US maybe this will happen too.

That's silly.

@NickL said:

it will be funny to see all the fanboys realizing how much different their nostalgia is from the actual game.

Not really because the game still plays very well. It hasn't dated badly so I never really did quite understand what he was getting at with that rubbish.

@NickL said:

As Ryan said on twitter a couple of days ago, it will be funny to see all the fanboys realizing how much different their nostalgia is from the actual game.

I played Half-Life 2 and the episodes for the first time about 6 months ago, so I didn't have any nostalgia for them, but I felt they held up fairly well. I've heard Ryan comment on how HL2 has some crappy jumping puzzles, but those didn't bother me. There are some parts where the game felt a little ye-olde-PC-gamey, but for the most part I think HL2 is a competent game that is better than a lot of new releases. And EP2 is just freakin' awesome.

@Azteck said:

I don't see how that will make Valve say anything.

They are holding Valve hostage by saying ''Hey Vavle, you don't tell us about Half Life and we'll play your games!''

@Sooty said:

@NickL said:

it will be funny to see all the fanboys realizing how much different their nostalgia is from the actual game.

Not really because the game still plays very well. It hasn't dated badly so I never really did quite understand what he was getting at with that rubbish.

Seemed to be pretty dated last time I played it (years ago). Maybe that's just because I had moved onto better games by that point.

This is a god damn retarded idea.

Next thing you know there'll be....no new information because why would Valve ever let something slip.

"We'd love to talk about Half Life 3, but we just don't think anyone wants to hear about it.

OH WAIT A MINUTE! LOOK AT THIS, PEOPLE DO LIKE HALF LIFE!" -Valve

PSSSSSSSSTTTTTT!!!! OKAY, GUYS!!

I really, really, really love Quake. I want a new Quake really, really, really badly.

If everybody get on and plays Quake 4 at the same time (February 14, 2012 at 9 pm EST) maybe iD will say something about a new Quake that they are obviously hard at work on.

Who's with me?

@MB said:

What a dumb ass idea.

I couldn't finish HL2 when I played for fun; I doubt I could stomache ten minutes doing it for a "cause."

@RuthLoose said:

PSSSSSSSSTTTTTT!!!! OKAY, GUYS!!

I really, really, really love Quake. I want a new Quake really, really, really badly.

If everybody get on and plays Quake 4 at the same time (February 14, 2012 at 9 pm EST) maybe iD will say something about a new Quake that they are obviously hard at work on.

Who's with me?

Only if I get to play the part where you are on the conveyor belt getting mutilated over and over. (That was Quake 4 I'm thinking of right?)

Excuse for me to play HL2 again?

Fuck yes!

@Lagaroth said:

@RuthLoose said:

PSSSSSSSSTTTTTT!!!! OKAY, GUYS!!

I really, really, really love Quake. I want a new Quake really, really, really badly.

If everybody get on and plays Quake 4 at the same time (February 14, 2012 at 9 pm EST) maybe iD will say something about a new Quake that they are obviously hard at work on.

Who's with me?

Only if I get to play the part where you are on the conveyor belt getting mutilated over and over. (That was Quake 4 I'm thinking of right?)

I am pretty sure the part you are thinking of in Quake 4 was the feeling of playing whole game.

Or it was this video starting at 2:00.

It was the part in the video from 2:00 on. But it is probably the most memorable part of any FPS I've ever played. Though I could have sworn it was a conveyor belt not a chair on rails.

Edit: I'm not a big FPS fan though. So my library of memorable moments is... limited.

I'm so tired of this. You guys seriously don't think valve knows that they could engrave "Half Life 3" on a turd and it would sell millions? You don't think they know people want it? I doubt they're not putting it out to mess with you. They probably didn't start development until they felt they had good ideas for making something interesting, and a good storyboard. And they won't put it out until they're satisfied it meets their standards.

Would you guys rather have had a half-assed mediocre HL3 come out 2 years ago and now instead talking about how valve ruined the Half Life franchise?

The game will come when it comes, please accept that.

Hey, say what you will about the futility of it all, but at least a bunch of people will be playing a damn fine game.

Well this is pretty cringeworthy. No thanks.

LOL!?!?!
 
Play Half-Life 2? AGAIN? Fuck that game and the group. They can shove that overrated piece of shit up their dumb-ass ass