HL2 DM & Source Engine Update Plans

New Counter-Strike Source Map Coming Soon on the Steam Website (thanks Voodoo Extreme) has details on plans to release a new Counter-Strike map via Steam, Half-Life 2 deathmatch updates, and a high dynamic range lighting feature for the source engine:
Over the next month or so there will be a couple of interesting releases via Steam, in addition to the upcoming Counter-Strike map cs_compound.

First, we'll be releasing an update to Half-Life 2: Deathmatch that will include the Slam, Stunstick, and the Crowbar. We're not ready to release the contest winning maps just yet, but we will be releasing a new map we've built at Valve to tide people over while we sort out the contest winners. There will also be a release to Counter-Strike: Source around the same time that will address a few minor issues.

One feature that we'll be adding to the Source engine in the coming months is high dynamic range lighting. To showcase this we've taken a part of the Highway 17 chapter of Half-Life 2 and worked it into a single level that incorporates HDR along with some new gameplay. We're calling this short level "The Lost Coast," and it will be made available free of charge to Half-Life 2 customers that meet a specific set of high end hardware requirements. We'll be publishing those requirements soon.

Below are a few early concept sketches of the level early in its development...
View : : :
56 Replies. 3 pages. Viewing page 1.
Newer [  1  2  3  ] Older
56.
 
Re: The original HDR
Feb 6, 2005, 11:46
Rob
56.
Re: The original HDR Feb 6, 2005, 11:46
Feb 6, 2005, 11:46
Rob
 
I'll take your word for it Rob, but if something breaks FSAA, I say we don't need it in any of our games.

Bold statement, unfortunately you likely don't know what you're missing. The advancements that can be made are not subtle, and for the vast majority of gamers will have much more impact than FSAA. I agree FSAA is a tough thing to lose, and hopefully hardware vendors will fix the limitation so it doesn't happen in newer cards (this could be years though), but I imagine you'll see newer rendering engines (possibly Unreal 3) not supporting FSAA without turning off half the rendering features.

55.
 
Re: No subject
Feb 6, 2005, 11:33
55.
Re: No subject Feb 6, 2005, 11:33
Feb 6, 2005, 11:33
 
***You, sir, are an idiot. Unlike other games, they actually PROMISED us these content packs, and we PAID for them. It's not like we are asking for a freebie..***


Hardly an idiot. If you pay for a pig in a poke, you shouldn't complain when it turns out to be a cat. Who is the idiot here? Enjoy your cat, gamer.

This comment was edited on Feb 6, 11:34.
Avatar 18037
54.
 
Re: valve is on crack
Feb 6, 2005, 02:59
54.
Re: valve is on crack Feb 6, 2005, 02:59
Feb 6, 2005, 02:59
 
Whoa, that's just a whole mess of wrong. First of all, those are Combine soldiers (Well, Civil Protection Officers), not manhacks (Which were the flying buzzsaws). Second of all, that baton is called a Stunstick (Which will also be added to HL2 DM). Thirdly, the "Slam" was, in the leak at least, a satchel charge.

All my mistake then. Thats what I get for listening to other people. I always called them the Combine, and I was told they were the Manhacks.

----------------------------------------------------
Zero Tolerance Games Counter-Strike: Source server.
http://www.ztgames.com
53.
 
Re: The original HDR
Feb 6, 2005, 02:15
53.
Re: The original HDR Feb 6, 2005, 02:15
Feb 6, 2005, 02:15
 
Originally they weren't supporting FSAA due to how their texturing system worked.. FSAA fucked it up somehow.. Luckily instead of just not including it, they caved to popular demand and made a work-a-round or something.

This comment was edited on Oct 19, 2024, 05:41.
52.
 
Re: The original HDR
Feb 6, 2005, 01:12
52.
Re: The original HDR Feb 6, 2005, 01:12
Feb 6, 2005, 01:12
 
The likely reason they had HDR before and now don't is that to get optimal speeds it breaks FSAA (a frustrating hardware limitation that takes too long to explain here), which is I suspect why some time before release they said they weren't supporting FSAA. In the end if they're doing it right then it can make a big impact on the atmosphere presented.

I'll take your word for it Rob, but if something breaks FSAA, I say we don't need it in any of our games.
Slightly less realistic lighting I can live with, but I'll be damned if I'll keep looking at those jaggies for the rest of recorded time.

Creston


Avatar 15604
51.
 
Re: valve is on crack
Feb 5, 2005, 23:52
51.
Re: valve is on crack Feb 5, 2005, 23:52
Feb 5, 2005, 23:52
 
It's the baton the manhacks used.
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/halflife2/screens.html?page=313

Whoa, that's just a whole mess of wrong. First of all, those are Combine soldiers (Well, Civil Protection Officers), not manhacks (Which were the flying buzzsaws). Second of all, that baton is called a Stunstick (Which will also be added to HL2 DM). Thirdly, the "Slam" was, in the leak at least, a satchel charge.

This comment was edited on Oct 19, 2024, 05:42.
50.
 
Re: valve is on crack
Feb 5, 2005, 22:03
50.
Re: valve is on crack Feb 5, 2005, 22:03
Feb 5, 2005, 22:03
 
I don't consider de_tides to be worth playing.

Because we all know your opinion means so much to everyone.
/sarcasm off

I'm not a fan of Tides either...but that doesn't mean there aren't alot of people out there that do like it. And its obvious from the quality of the map that Turtle put alot of effort into it, and the bots. It was a remake from Condition Zero, and obviously a fairly popular map if they chose it to be upgraded.

And the Prodigy remake is simply fantastic (but that's just my opinion.

What the hell is Slam?

It's the baton the manhacks used.
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/halflife2/screens.html?page=313

Releasing a map called cs_compound ?? Wtf ??

How about releasing cs_militia, as_oilrig, de_inferno,

Yea shame on Valve for making *original* CS maps instead of always remaking the old ones. They have already said they are working on de_militia and an official de_inferno.

As already mentioned. There has been a quality remake of de_inferno for months now. Been running on my server since December sometime.

----------------------------------------------------
Zero Tolerance Games Counter-Strike: Source server.
http://www.ztgames.com
49.
 
Re: valve is on crack
Feb 5, 2005, 20:06
49.
Re: valve is on crack Feb 5, 2005, 20:06
Feb 5, 2005, 20:06
 
-New CS source maps (de_tides and de_prodigy)

I don't consider de_tides to be worth playing. The doorways and buildings in general are too small, but if you one of those players that likes to be a dick to everyone & block doorways at the spawn, then this map is for you. (too bad there are too many of those kinds of players. Anyway, I'd give this map a 1 out of 10 stars.)

48.
 
No subject
Feb 5, 2005, 19:58
48.
No subject Feb 5, 2005, 19:58
Feb 5, 2005, 19:58
 
What a bunch of whiners the hardcore gaming community is. Christ.

47.
 
Re: valve is on crack
Feb 5, 2005, 16:18
47.
Re: valve is on crack Feb 5, 2005, 16:18
Feb 5, 2005, 16:18
 
Content?

-HL2 DM
-CS Source bots
-New CS source maps (de_tides and de_prodigy)

Plus there's upcoming stuff
-New HL2 DM maps (Valve made and contest winners)
-New HL2 DM weapons
-New CS source maps
-New HL2 sp maps

How is that not content?

This comment was edited on Oct 19, 2024, 05:42.
46.
 
Re: The original HDR
Feb 5, 2005, 15:09
46.
Re: The original HDR Feb 5, 2005, 15:09
Feb 5, 2005, 15:09
 
Rob, thanks for the explanation - it's cleared my confusion regarding MRTs up!

45.
 
Old Maps & HDL
Feb 5, 2005, 13:53
45.
Old Maps & HDL Feb 5, 2005, 13:53
Feb 5, 2005, 13:53
 
why people want to play the same old things they've been playing for god knows how long, except with slightly nicer textures, is beyond me.

Exactly, & especially shit maps like asshole_oilrig.

Anyway, I seem to remember a video with one of those mama-bugs showcasing the possibility of Half-Life2 at full capability with all the passes intact & I almost forgot all about ID software. The lighting was incredible! It made the entire game seem different. If this is what all this is about then bring it on.

44.
 
Re: The original HDR
Feb 5, 2005, 13:12
Rob
44.
Re: The original HDR Feb 5, 2005, 13:12
Feb 5, 2005, 13:12
Rob
 
...the amount of RAM given to render targets varies.

There is no problem with using render targets with FSAA, it's multiple render targets that's a problem. MRTs is when you render to 2 or more render targets in one pass, so you could have a thousand render targets with no problem, as long as you don't render to two of them at the same time. Much of the fluctuation you see in memory is likely shadow maps, which are rendered one at a time and only need one RT.

43.
 
Re: The original HDR
Feb 5, 2005, 12:55
43.
Re: The original HDR Feb 5, 2005, 12:55
Feb 5, 2005, 12:55
 
FSAA is automatically disabled on newer cards if you use MRTs (multiple render targets),

I'm not saying you're wrong about this - you evidently know far more about graphics programming than I do - however, when I'm playing HL2, if I keep an eye on the per-frame texture budget (I was trying to track down the causes of the stuttering at the time), the amount of RAM given to render targets varies. This leads me to believe that MRTs are used, presumably for screens, the water effect, and a few other bits.

FSAA works perfectly well in HL2, so what part of the puzzle am I missing? I'm looking to learn here, this is an interesting discussion!

42.
 
Re: more maps!!
Feb 5, 2005, 12:43
42.
Re: more maps!! Feb 5, 2005, 12:43
Feb 5, 2005, 12:43
 
Just hope to see the return of Team Fortress soon!

You mean like http://www.etfgame.com ? TFC is a watered down TF/Q3F/ETF.

41.
 
Re: No subject
Feb 5, 2005, 12:40
41.
Re: No subject Feb 5, 2005, 12:40
Feb 5, 2005, 12:40
 
shacknews had a link to http://www.daionet.gr.jp/~masa/rthdribl/

thanks for the link, elvis! that is a pretty cool demo... i wasn't aware of HDR lighting until reading this thread, and the demo makes it clear what a huge leap in realism is possible.
- tron -
---
"tron is big and tron is full of action... it's a hell of a ride!"
-from the Tron 2.0 box
40.
 
No subject
Feb 5, 2005, 12:38
40.
No subject Feb 5, 2005, 12:38
Feb 5, 2005, 12:38
 
Thi is reply to th guy who was talking about priorities: Valve have released their game: everything we get at this point is a freebee (except for DoD:S, for those who paid for it). HDRI however is something which is an improvement to the engine...you know, the thing which gets licensed to make new games with? That which gets in the big bucks? Yeah, Valve has it's priorities in order when they release not just content (which any mapper can make), but also engine improvements (which the likes of Epic et al only include in the next itteration of the engine).

39.
 
No subject
Feb 5, 2005, 12:19
39.
No subject Feb 5, 2005, 12:19
Feb 5, 2005, 12:19
 
Afew things. What the hell is Slam? You don't need a 3ghz computer to run BF1942 on high even and it still looks great. Can't compare to Quake 2 man, your on crack. I ran it maxed out on my 2.4ghz cpu awhile ago and it ran flawless though now I'm at 3.2ghz.
Thats another thing. This HDR seriously needs a good computer. I remember if you turned it on in Far Cry, man did it lag. I'm on a 3.2ghz P4, 1.5gb PC3200, and 6800 GT 256mb overclocked. I bet you need a monster for HL2 to handle it as well although I will admit HL2 runs so much better than Far Cry so it might be better at handling this as well. Adios!

Face your Fears, Live your Dreams, No Fear -Manny Pacquiao
Avatar 16605
38.
 
Re: The original HDR
Feb 5, 2005, 12:13
Rob
38.
Re: The original HDR Feb 5, 2005, 12:13
Feb 5, 2005, 12:13
Rob
 
no, HDR generally doesn't break FSAA.

Again, depends on the implementation. FSAA is automatically disabled on newer cards if you use MRTs (multiple render targets), even if the back buffer is not one of the MRTs. This is not documented, and you won't find out until you implement it, but it does happen on both NVidia and ATI cards.

37.
 
Re:
Feb 5, 2005, 12:05
37.
Re: Feb 5, 2005, 12:05
Feb 5, 2005, 12:05
 
great more DM. How about something with a darn objective. Jeez not everyone like frigging DM.

Yeah, and some people do. Some people don't like having to fish around for an hour to find a server where teams actually play as teams and don't just screw around. Objective based multiplayer is great, but only if the people you're playing with actually follow the objective.

Parallax Abstraction
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
StateOfGaming.org Coming Soon
Parallax Abstraction
Twitch | YouTube | Podcast
Avatar 13614
56 Replies. 3 pages. Viewing page 1.
Newer [  1  2  3  ] Older