Half-Life 2 RTX can be easily fixed to look much closer to the original game in terms of ambiance and atmosphere with some choice tweaks showcased in a recent video.
The video put together by 2kliksphilip highlights how volumetrics and light bounce impact the ambiance in the currently available demo of the RTX Remix project the most. The first is easily fixed by reducing the Max Accumulation Distance, which makes volumetrics update much faster once a light source has been covered, and the Froxel Max Distance settings, which, reduced to 0, completely eliminates fog and similar effects.
The other setting that was changed to make Half-Life 2 RTX look much closer to the original is the Max Expected Average Radiance, which was set to 0 to limit how much lighting bounces around. This creates a much darker atmosphere that's more in line with the limited light bounce the Source 1 engine was capable of. The amazing adjustability of RTX Remix has also allowed the modder to show how Ravenholm would look during the early morning by setting a negative value to fog distance.
Besides being an excellent showcase of how RTX Remix can significantly upgrade older games' visuals, the Half-Life 2 RTX demo is also an excellent showcase of Sampler Feedback technology, which can be used to significantly lower VRAM usage, which can be a game-changer in the future for those playing games on GPUs with low VRAM. You can learn more about how the classic game is changed by RTX Remix by checking out Alessio's piece.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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