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Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update

half-life.com

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Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update

#251

Post by wolrah »

nopelynopington wrote: post #244
wolrah wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> most VR people can't play Alyx without buying a whole new computer. When Alyx first came out I had a PC that was the minimum recommended specs for VR from the day the Vive launched (4790K and Geforce 970). The game ran fine. It sure as hell got better when I upgraded to a 3900X and 3070, but it plays just fine on the original minimum requirements VR PC which was a $1500 PC in 2015. The idea that PC VR requires a ma…

This is very interesting, I've wanted to play Alyx for a long time but could never justify the cost, assuming it needed a very expensive gaming pc. Maybe now I can afford it Would be a huge selling point for the steam deck if it could manage it on min specs

> This is very interesting, I've wanted to play Alyx for a long time but could never justify the cost, assuming it needed a very expensive gaming pc. Maybe now I can afford it

Nope, no need for an expensive gaming PC, just an actual gaming PC.

As with cars, phones, etc. if your budget is tight you can always get so much more value by going for a used model from a generation or two back than you would get by spending the same money on something new.

> Would be a huge selling point for the steam deck if it could manage it on min specs

Steam Deck can technically run a few VR titles but it doesn't do it well. There is a lot of evidence that Valve has prototype standalone headsets running on Steam Deck derived hardware platforms (often referred to as "Deckard") but the hardware just isn't there for full quality PC VR.

Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update

#253

Post by IYasha »

markus_zhang wrote: post #129

For anyone who wants a creative hobby, grab the game, download the SDK and start making maps/mods. It took a lot of effort to craft beautiful map, but comparing to later engines, HL2 is still easier to learn and make maps for. (DOOM and Quake are also good targets and both have a large community)

HL1 is also good for a hobby, if not better. There are open-source alternatives to the engine and better editors, and the off-steam community still delivers!

Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update

#254

Post by KronisLV »

talldayo wrote: post #246
sheepdestroyer wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What prevents to precompile shaders on windows, in a similar way it's done on those other platforms?

Technically, nothing. It's perfectly possible to precompile shaders on Windows - it's just not convenient or logical for most PC users. On console, precompiling makes sense because you know exactly what hardware a user will have and you can optimize for one or two sets of hardware. The effort required to automatically package and download these shaders for users on their first load is worth it, so it's a viable fix t…

Thank you for the explanation! Honestly, it feels like precompiling all the shaders should be done during loading the assets initially, with the in place option being optional.

Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update

#255

Post by balls187 »

drumttocs8 wrote: post #53
balls187 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Not a single company has my loyalty anymore. FromSoft

It's Larian for me

Several commenters have mentioned Larian. I raged quit BG3, but maybe I go back and check out their other titles.

I couldn't deal with my one of our party members, but have no issues with COD PUG's. Go figure.

Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update

#256

Post by Halian »

jsheard wrote: post #66
Halian wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why hasn’t the requisite software been updated to perform a non-SGX handshake? That seems like a yawning oversight. o_O

The UHD DRM scheme requires some kind of secure enclave for key management, and SGX was the only suitable system for that on PCs. There is no non-SGX system they would certify.

That seems less than optimal.

Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update

#257

Post by cubefox »

HatchedLake721 wrote: post #101
karim79 wrote: post #95

I can never understand why they haven't made a HL3. Given that they could literally make approximately 3.88 bajillion dollars from it in 24 hours. I suppose this is the very definition of developer integrity.

They already make 7.76 bajillion dollars every hour from Steam, they don’t need to make anything for money.

Exactly. They probably make more profit from most Steam games than the publishers of those games themselves. Basically like Apple with the App Store. Steam exemplifies a failure mode of capitalism: Rent seeking.

Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update

#258

Post by account42 »

XorNot wrote: post #4
jsheard wrote: post #3

It doesn't seem to be mentioned here, but HL2 (which now includes the sequel episodes) is completely free to claim on Steam until the 18th, if you're new to the series. https://store.steampowered.com/app/220/HalfLife_2/ Also try clicking on the gravity gun at the end of the anniversary page.

Also I highly recommend Black Mesa, which is the remake of HL1 in the HL2 engine. The Xen levels went from what they were to possibly some of my favorite levels in the game, and the music scoring is top-notch. It feels great to play.

Black Mesa is all right but please just play the original if you want to play Half-Life.

Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update

#259

Post by account42 »

willis936 wrote: post #76
ramesh31 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Valve is still a top tier org, but they simply make too much money in the publishing business to bother with game development anymore. Any sales would be peanuts to what they are making through developer fees and the marketplace. This is why all of their releases in the last decade have been F2P.

Sounds like a perfect environment to make games. No budget or schedule pressure, virtually limitless resources so the staff can strive to make art with love and without the corruption of chasing a bottom line. The entire media industry on almost every format is chasing nostalgia because they refuse to recreate the environment that made endearing stories and experiences in the first place.

Except the employees are still evaluated (by their peers) based on how they contribute to the company's bottom line.

It could be a decent environment for making great games if Gabe wantet it to be. It isn't one right now, Gabe is still a businessman first.

Re: Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update

#260

Post by account42 »

willis936 wrote: post #203
chii wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> virtually limitless resources so the staff can strive to make art with love and without the corruption of chasing a bottom line. which means they have no obligation to ship. And so it is with the valve-time, they never shipped. Some pressure (monetary usually) is required. Not to mention that "strive to make art" is not a commercially viable objective - the owners of steam will basically be operating a charity for…

>the owners of steam will basically be operating a charity for these artists If that's what it takes to make something worth playing, then so be it. Was Bungie in its day a charity? Or did they just get it? 20 years later the magic is gone and Microsoft is desperately trying to figure out how to make the goose lay an egg. As long as they're optimizing quarterly reports they'll never get there.

Too bad for you (and me) that it's not us deciding this but Gabe and he prefers micro transactions, loot boxes and other profit schemes over art.
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