Half-Life 2 SDK Robust enough?

[mapperben]

Hey Everyone,

Stayed up late playing the best game ever last night. I will get some sleep later. However I wanted to ask a serious question.

The SDK for the level editing of HL2 is out there. There’s a model viewer out there. There’s a version of SoftImage XSI out there that only works with HL2. The question to be answered: Does the HL2 SDK provide enough robustness and access to key parts of the code for the programmers to do something more than make HL2 or Counterstrike 2 game levels? Can it be used to make another type of game play (other than FPS ).

Will the SDK for instance give me the ability to make a RTS, an RPG or a Tactical Turn Base game?

What about a cool 3D side scroller or a racing game. Does it the SDK have this ability right now?

Thanks for any help
Ben

 

[Teddy]

Once the code is released (with the rest of the SDK) you will be able to make any of the above things. It'll be extrememly difficult to make anything but a FPS if it's your first time, but you can only try

Honestly, the SDK can only be used to make maps at the moment.

 

[mapperben]

Thanks for the reply. Actually this is not for me. I like mapping and content creation myself.

This is for a friend of mine who is looking to possibly refer the Half-Life2 utilities to the Guildhall at SMU .

I just want to be sure before I tell him that they should invest their students futures in it.

Does anyone know exactly when they will be releasing the source code?

Ben

 

[johnshafft]

umm the guild hall is about learning how to develop new games, and creating new ccontent, and becoming a gaming insider

Teaching to just one perticular tools set is an aweful idea, and Im sure the people running the guildhall have plenty of access to the full SDK if they want a trial. especially considering the work so closely with gearbox and we all know how close they are to Valve.

A mapper should know the fundimental of any form of 3d modeling tools from autocad to The wide veriety of Game editors. I would be pretty pissed if I paid 30k(full program cost, last time I checked) to be taught Hammer when you can download it for free (or with the purchase of hl2)

 

[neozero]

At the moment, it seems that the SDK is going to be available for more than an FPS game.

Consider the following:
1. If Valve wants to comepete with the modding of the Unreal engine then it must make an incredibly robust SDK

2. The SDK is labeled "SourceSDK", not HL2 SDK

3. None of the special features of source "A.I., Facial expressions, Shaders, and physics" necessarily have to be applied to a FPs.

 

[nagual678]

i think that the fact that people managed to do a soccer and a rally mod is too good for valve to throw away the possibility.

trust me, it will be possible to do everything you want with the full sdk