45 New Screen Shots of Half-Life 2!

[Varsity]

Frankly? Ugly, CS:S is very CPU intensive. With HL2 on the same engine I can't see it running very well at all.

Ragdolls and clientside physics objects can thankfully be turned off. Still won't look good but 1.5 is more than enough.

[Xtreme $niper]

Hrm just wondering how well this will play on a 3ghz P4 w/HT system with 1gig ram and a ATI X300 128mb card?

[mikey]

Ragdolls and clientside physics objects can thankfully be turned off. Still won't look good but 1.5 is more than enough.

you not played with the newest updates? im getting 2x the framerates than when it was 1st released!

[Spookie]

Ragdolls and clientside physics objects can thankfully be turned off. Still won't look good but 1.5 is more than enough.

Thats true, but isn't the physics half the game :D :laugh:

[HideAndGoatse]

Doom 3, eat your heart out

ya! :laugh:

[tronmaster]

Thanks for the screenshots, the game is getting closer and I can't wait!! :D

[se7en.hu]

Nice ;)

[Chode]

I disagree here. I wouldn't say HL2's graphics are any worse then Doom 3's, just different. In fact I think HL2 looks more realistic and natural; the characters look better too imo.

Makes me want even more for the modding community for Doom 3 to really kick into gear, but I guess they still need the SDK for that. It would show a lot of people that the engine basis for both Doom 3 and Half Life 2 is the Quake Engine. I know Valve say that Source is written from Scratch, but it is at least "inspired" from their earlier modification of the Quake engine.

Doom 3 is capable of brightly lit areas and is not confined to claustrophobic corridors, it is just how iD implemented this engine for their game of the same name.

Graphically, Half Life 2 may prove a better game than Doom 3. But as it stands it is near impossible to compare the game engines. Hopefully some Doom 3 mods will assist comparisons.

(idea for mod makers: Port a Half Life map into Doom 3. Then we will be able to near perfectly compare the games)

[biorK]

It's not that I'm saying HL2 will be bad. Hell no. It may well be better than Doom 3 (I am quite sure about that), it's just the constant slagging of doom 3 by HL2 fanbois (who, haven even played the finished game yet) which is ****ing me off. For example see below:

Lol! So you're allowed to make all these judgements without even TESTING HL2? Come on...

Nice screenies. Thanks.

[Hoopla]

Common people, this is pointless -- stop comparing the games already, they are both great in their own way and the only winners are us.

It's a great year to be a gamer :cool:

[Varsity]

I know Valve say that Source is written from Scratch, but it is at least "inspired" from their earlier modification of the Quake engine. games)

In what ways...and how is that relavant to the visuals?

[Chode]

It is obvious through both legal and questionable sources that parts of Quake Tech are still inside the Source engine.

Legal: Console commands remain near identical....too identical. Plus the general "feel" of the engine (as played in Counter Strike: Source Beta) feels like a Quake engine. I know the last one isn't too technical, but it's hard to explain so I just ask that you trust me.

Questionable: A quick peruse of :ninja: code reveals a heck of a lot of Quake tech still in the engine at that stage. I would be willing to believe that they were using old parts of the engine just as placeholders, but analysis of CS: Source Beta reveals that the main executable for the game is not only the exact same filesize as the stolen build, but even shares the same created/modified date. This indicates that any modifications to Source since E3 2003 were not to the main executable itself (where the Quake tech still is).

It may only share some basic mapping concepts and DirectInput calls, but the common components are obvious. This isn't a bad thing, as there is no point in re-inventing the wheel. Their customisations to the Quake engine they used in Half Life 1 were still graphically viable for use in a modern game engine. Heck, even when programming god John Carmack started Doom 3 they took Quake 3, removed all the graphics components, and started from there. Any other modifications they made as they went.

I mean, Valve have done a great job in creating Source (or rather, it appears they have...won't know till we all play the game) but it still shares common roots with Doom 3. It could be said that they were close cousins.

Edited October 5, 2004 by Chode

[Varsity]

The console commands are the same to make the transition to the new engine easy but I take your point about the leak code. I guess we won't know whether they were just palceholders or not, at least until we get the SDK.

[Chode]

I'm sure there's some clause in the licensing of game engines. Something about if more than 50% of the code is modified/custom code then it can be called a unique engine. I'm positive this is the story with the game engine used by Ion Storm for Deus Ex 2/Thief 3. Originally built on Unreal Tech, but modified to such a degree that it is considered it's own unique game engine.

In fact, I'm positive that enough of the Quake engine was modified for Half Life 1 that it was never referred to as the Quake Engine but the Half Life engine.

Or I'm talking crap....either way is good. :)

[leovanham]

but..is it ok to buy an ati 9800 pro for my 1,5 ghz or is it a bottleneck?

[ANova]

I'm sure Valve did base at least some of Source off of the Quake engine, but 90% or more of it has been written from scratch. The engine doesn't feel at all similar to Doom 3 imo.

[Chode]

I'm sure Valve did base at least some of Source off of the Quake engine, but 90% or more of it has been written from scratch. The engine doesn't feel at all similar to Doom 3 imo.

Oh agreed. Doom 3 doesn't even feel like Quake 3, a lot has changed. Though I suspect that Half Life 2 may ultimately feel a lot like Half Life 1 (though a lot better, of course)

Allow me to attach a speculative diagram:

[FatCat]

the people really look real, I love it kinda creepy too..

[leovanham]

i have just one qeustion!! should i buy a 9800 pro for my 1,5 ghz systen or is it a bottleneck?? thnx