Maps from the TF2 pre-beta beta.

[The Political Gamer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owaka that suggests maybe a forest themed map? I dunno, but look at badwater, dustbowl and all that, all real place names...

Sawmill?

 

[YM]

Sawmill?

Seriously?

do you really think they had the alpine theme planned way back before day 0?

I don't think so.

This thread is just full of terrible conspiracy theorists at work, all reading far too deeply into stuff.
:facepalm:

 

[Terr]

This thread is just full of terrible conspiracy theorists at work, all reading far too deeply into stuff.:facepalm:

That's exactly what they are trying to make you think! :O

 

[A Boojum Snark]

My first thought was Owaka -> Osaka

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/98931/pics/osaka_r0001.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/98931/pics/osaka_r0002.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/98931/pics/osaka_r0003.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/98931/pics/osaka_r0004.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/98931/pics/osaka_r0005.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/98931/pics/osaka_r0006.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/98931/pics/osaka_r0007.jpg

But as far as I know Zouave didn't get hired by valve so they probably wouldn't have been able to remake it. Might have been someone experimenting, if these names even mean anything. They could have just been generic names in a placeholder motd file. Or they were maps that got scrapped when they settled on the 1960s spy theme stuff.

 

[grazr]

googled map names and found this (2005). Seems like this information is from hl2 beta. So, version of game and maps were very old. But there weren't such maps in hl2 beta...
And why tf2 mapping world discuss this only right now? Rare info?

http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Half-Life_2_Beta

Incase you were interested.

 

[lana]

Sawmill?

In Owaka? No way.

 

[Pc_Madness]

Wasn't Gravelpit known as Bridge originally?

 

[Penguin]

Shit, Owaka, that'd be nice.

Official jungle theme'd be badass.

 

[zpqrei]

Shit, Owaka, that'd be nice.

Official jungle theme'd be badass.

More badass than your avatar?

 

[gamemaster1996]

http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Half-Life_2_Beta

Incase you were interested.

There's a pricture link there which is this http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/half-life/en/images/9/97/City_17_buildings_and_inner_wall.jpg

Wonder why they changed hl2's style...Maybe episode 3'll change a bit and Gordon will go into hiding?!

EDIT: Also maybe speedway is fastlane?!

 

[jpr]

EDIT: Also maybe speedway is fastlane?!

:|

 

[Trotim]

:|

maybe speedway is snowdrift

 

[lana]

Maybe speedway is drybed.

 

[Fraz]

Maybe Speedway is Scouts Mom, and spy likes Speedway.

 

[absurdistof]

Well back to what grazr posted (far more interesting ), I think gamemaster that they changed it because a) it was really dark, some might even call it a rip of 1984 b) it was massive. Not to say that I wouldn't like a full beta game, but I have to say, the title suits the second much more appropriately.

I'd love a mod that went through and redid the entire half life 2 game as it was in the earliest of alphas.

 

[Nutomic]

Here you go:

http://www.moddb.com/mods/missing-information

This is still wip and contains only a small part of the original hl2, but they want to continue with it.

 

[EArkham]

You know, in the several years I lived in Japan I never once heard a person use the word "Owaka". Is it slang? Maybe a dialect?

It's definitely not a commonly used word. I dunno if it's a dialect or archaic or what; my Japanese isn't that good. I was under the impression it was only used formally, as in "farewell party" but that's just a guess on my part. Keigo, maybe?

Anyway, given the tendency to name maps after places, I'm thinking more likely it's based on the location that midget31394 linked to and "farewell" is just coincidence.

Kep