Posted: 02-11-09 In: HL2: Episode 1, HL2: Episode 2, Half-Life 2 By: DigiQ8 | (17) comments | Add your comments

Gamasutra had an interview with Laidlaw and fellow Valve writer Erik Wolpaw. Laidlaw made some comments on Gordon Freeman's development as a lead character and how it has more to do with his external interactions rather than internal mechanisms.

So we were trying to do a thing where it wasn't about one guy who is saving the world heroically for his own reasons, You're doing it with your allies and friends. It's part of a larger effort. It's not just Gordon Freeman against the universe. It's Gordon Freeman as part of this group.

He mentioned that Alyx's actions sly smiles, concerned expressions, compliments gives Gordon Freeman an air of importance.

She gives back to you emotion, which is the only way we can tell the internal story of Gordon Freeman -- by the way the other characters treat him. So by having the characters like you and be glad to see you, you think, 'Oh, I'm an important person in this world.' Alyx was a great way of affirming that, and the things that are perilous to Alyx are going to be things that you care about.

Read the full interview here.