Weekly Steam News (04/02/05)

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KagePrototype

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Valve have once again released a progess update over Steam, detailing some information on the upcoming HL2 Deathmatch update, as well as plans to add HDR (High Dynamic Range) lighting to 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.[br]

[br]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.[br]

[br]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.[br]

[br]Below are a few early concept sketches of the level early in its development.
Click to expand...
[br]

​
[br]To view the update yourself, simply restart your Steam Client.
 
So you cut the black guy, racism at its finest.



j/k ;p
 
cocook said:
is it like doom 3's lighting but better ?
Click to expand...

No, that's just a unified lighting system. I'm not entirely sure what exactly HDR is myself (definition-wise), but there is a video that shows it off in the Source engine in the downloads section. :) It's under "Source".
 
so it wasnt included in the original game, although it was meant to be :p or was that video just showing off what its capable of ?
 
Awesome! I can't wait to try out that HDR! Man, these updates sure keep me happy :)
 
or was that video just showing off what its capable of ?
Click to expand...

Exactly. :) I don't think Valve saw the point in having HDR in HL2. I'm sure someone more familiar with HDR could help explain.
 
Woooooooooo HDR and also crowbar coming to dm YES!
 
Does anyone else think that this could be the ATi Levels?

"it will be made available free of charge to Half-Life 2 customers that meet a specific set of high end hardware requirements"

I'm sure that my 6800gt is more than capable of running it, but as there has been no sign of the ATi levels?!?

Then again, I havent been keeping up with the HL2 news...
 
"it will be made available free of charge to Half-Life 2 customers that meet a specific set of high end hardware requirements"
Click to expand...

heh, marketing at its best... Everybody: Buy the newestt ATI card to play this level.

HDR is that effect when you walk outside a dark room into the sunlight and everything gets brigter like your eye is adjusting... kind of... probably not 100% correct... go download that source HDR video to get a better visual of it. I know there's different kinds of HDR so i'm not gonna overgeneralize and says its THIS kind cause my flame suit is at home.
 
So can't someone just get the map, bung it on a server and then let people download it?
 
Doesn't HDR just make everything look weird and shiny like in that bink video?
 
I must thank Bliink for bringing me this peice of information. I was glancing at her profile (no reason, i do that to random people when i'm bored) when I randomly clicked the homepage.

...

validting? OH SHIT, i fell into a trap! DAMN J00 BLIINK!! *CANCEL *CANCEL *CANC-

Hmmm... what's this?

...

OMGZ0RS

I'm very exited about this. My favorite thing about HL2 was it's graphics, and the profound light the coastal enviroments bask in. I can't wait to put my ATI radion 9800 to the test :D

*edit* oohh this is the first news thread i've posted in... I might post here when i'm bored, instead of checking peoples profiles randomly...
 
isis said:
Does anyone else think that this could be the ATi Levels?

"it will be made available free of charge to Half-Life 2 customers that meet a specific set of high end hardware requirements"

I'm sure that my 6800gt is more than capable of running it, but as there has been no sign of the ATi levels?!?

Then again, I havent been keeping up with the HL2 news...
Click to expand...
When I read it I thought immediatly of the ATI levels. I hope my ATI 9800 supports it, I don't think my 9800 supports all the effects that are going to be used in the ATI levels but HDR should be possible I think.
 
As I understand this is the 1st ATI Level ...

now is my X800 Pro good enough or do I have to upgrade it to get a fully compatible PCI express system with a X850 XT?
 
Dinkleberry said:
So can't someone just get the map, bung it on a server and then let people download it?
Click to expand...

I assume all can download it, but only those with uber computers will be able to play it with HDL. (Atleast I hope/expect/need).


....MYCROFTXXX?
 
I wonder, are these levels going to be "inserted" into the full game so when we play the game we will also play these? Or will it be a entirely seperate level from the main game that you access some other way?
 
aeroripper said:
I wonder, are these levels going to be "inserted" into the full game so when we play the game we will also play these? Or will it be a entirely seperate level from the main game that you access some other way?
Click to expand...

I believe it'll be another shortcut in the Play Games list. Like CZ and its deleted scenes.
 
HDR is basically a way of rendering which allows you to have levels of brightness above 255 255 255. That is to say things can be whiter than normal color rendering allows. So you can get that effect of looking at the sun which kind of half blinds you, or if youre skiing and you have a whiteout, or if youre in a dark room with one light source which is extra bright, etc.

PS - and Hydra, we dont actually know for sure that there will be another selection in the games list just for this.
 
As far as I know HDR is an effect that makes the meshes react to the skybox etc. ... maybe that's just in 3d applications?
 
This is sweet... So they are saying that it will be less than a month till we get the stunstick, slam, and crowbar???!!?

WOOHOO!
 
As far as I know HDR is an effect that makes the meshes react to the skybox etc. ... maybe that's just in 3d applications?
Click to expand...

If you mean the meshings lighting then i sorta guess that's similar. It looks cool though, really gives the map a real-world look if you can run it good and its done well.
 
HDR!!!!!!

Edit: replacement:

OMGHAX!!!11111one

I realy should stop being so lude, if anyone thinks my posts rare unsatisfactory let me know.
 
^edited

Anyeways, basicly HDR on it's own you wnot notice a difference because basicly what it is is that you cna have colors brighter than white, like 200% white for example.

On it's own this does nothing because everything over 100% is clipped back down for display.


Now, normaly to make this whoe thing actualy have a point what you'l do is "bloom" the scene. This means realy bright things get a glow around them, for example a shiny metal gun with the light reflecting off it will casue the area around it to glow.

Basicly HDR helps in this process becasue without it thered be a fixed maximum amount of glow, by using HDR you can have, for example, two white lights that both apear 100% white on the screen but one is actualy 200% and thus the area around it glows brighter.

Hope i was informative... and not lude.
 
I hope they incorperate this new level into Highway 17, because that would be oddly cool.

I imagine the way they'd do it is have an extra HL2 cache that includes the new content, and overrides the old content anywhere it overlaps, a bit like there are caches downloaded on-demand to support extra languages.
 
Wow love these weekly updates. Id say this is one of the best :)
 
alan8325 said:
Yes. ;(
Click to expand...

I really doubt it. I'm sure you just need to meet a certain criteria of Hardware in order to play it, in otherwords, the latest ATI or Nvidia cards.
 
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