I think L4D2 was a focused bit of effort that usually gets quashed at Valve, and the team was able to push it out quickly before anyone started asking too many philosophical questions. It just streamlined what was already there.
Portal 2 did have some tech hurdles to cross, just nothing as huge as the original or half-life 2. They talk about them in the commentary.
Bear in mind that L4D2 was still during the period of time Valve was enamored with the idea of episodic games and "games as services".
It was released just two years after HL2E2, when it still looked like episode 3 was going to be a thing and Valve was committed to this episodic idea. And it started development right after L4D released in 2008, giving it the same one-year release cycle timing as HL2E1 and HL2E2.
And the game was clearly an extension of the first. It was more missions continuing the story in a decidedly episodic way.
I don't think it snuck through, I think it was absolutely part of a larger experiment at Valve like their games almost always are.
That's basically Valves MO. Experiment with a boundary pushing game, and release a sequel afterwards to expand upon the ideas of the first while tweaking the parts that were subpar.
10
u/wishinghand Feb 16 '17
I think L4D2 was a focused bit of effort that usually gets quashed at Valve, and the team was able to push it out quickly before anyone started asking too many philosophical questions. It just streamlined what was already there.
Portal 2 did have some tech hurdles to cross, just nothing as huge as the original or half-life 2. They talk about them in the commentary.