The development of Valve's HLX project, speculated to be Half-Life 3, is proceeding with optimization, changes to gameplay mechanics, and new features.
In a new video shared on YouTube, known Valve dataminer and leaker Tyler McVicker provided an overview of every update made for the HLX project found in the most recent Counter-Strike 2 update. While no major change has been introduced, quite a bit of work has been done on the project, with the expansion of the vehicle system, a new particle system specifically made for HLX that will handle liquids, a friction system, and a new system that will determine what happens when an enemy part is destroyed.
The most notable changes introduced in the project rumored to be Half-Life 3 in what has been Valve's busiest month in decades, looking at Perforce activity, the version control software used by the company that creates builds based on the most recent version of files, are related to optimization. For example, a new system that logs how much time is needed to load any game element has been introduced, suggesting work on load times optimization. Also, some cleanup and further optimization have been made in the enemy AI files, specifically for the system determining how an enemy reacts to events. This is particularly notable, as doing optimization work on these systems suggests the game is content locked. From this alone, it is impossible to tell when the project speculated to be Half-Life 3 will be revealed, but the fact that such work is being done suggests that the wait is definitely becoming shorter.
While it was rumored that Half-Life 3 HLX could finally be revealed this Summer, the project remains a complete mystery. Although there's still this year's The Game Awards show, it's unlikely Valve will need any major gaming event to unveil what may be one of the most anticipated games of all time, so an announcement could really be coming at any time, to the joy of all those who have continued to be fans of the series despite its absence from the spotlight.
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.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
