A modder has taken up the real-time path traced torch of placing ray tracing into the unique Half-Life, planning for a launch in 2022—that’s, this 12 months. Russian modder sultim_t dropped a teaser of how Half-Life with ray tracing seems to be in motion on YouTube, and says they will launch each the total construct and supply code when it is prepared.
Ray tracing will calculate world illumination, permitting detailed reflections, refraction, mushy shadows, and detailed visible results from lighting. Sultim_t’s work builds on earlier work by different modders to convey Vulkan ray tracing to Xash3D, an engine for modding Half-Life’s engine. Spectacular mods like this are, as all the time, an iterative, time-consuming course of.
In my opinion, I like the vibe on outdated video games like this that add ray tracing. It is that first demo of Quake 2 with ray tracing again in 2019 that basically acquired me excited concerning the aesthetic of it. One thing about these crisp, trendy reflections and lighting mixed with the outdated lo-res textures and polygons establishes a exact aesthetic I can not assist however love. In a manner, it’s kind of like seeing an outdated, soiled portray restored to its former glory.