For a very long time, the possibility of the long-anticipated Half-Life 3 was nothing more than an illusion, but in the past few months, evidence piled up regarding a new project codenamed HLX, which could actually be the game that most fans of the series lost hope in.
Although Half-Life 3 has yet to be officially announced, we already have some information on how the game might play. For some time, dataminers have taken a close look at every update made to the Source 2 engine, which powers Valve's currently supported games, such as Counter-Strike 2, and have discovered a wealth of information related to the gameplay mechanics that will power the project codenamed HLX.
In case you haven't followed all the leaks, some dedicated users have created a board on Miro that compiles all the known information regarding the yet-to-be-announced Half-Life 3, providing an excellent overview of the game's core mechanics and engine features.
Core Gameplay and Player Systems
At its core, Half-Life 3 will provide an immersive experience, featuring core gameplay mechanics centered on unique environmental interactions through fire and heat conductivity mechanics, as well as a granular weapons system with a physics engine that determines how projectiles interact with the environment. Vehicles will also be return from Half-Life 2, with simulation features that focus on realistic low-level wheel and suspension physics and mechanics that will handle passengers, FOV changes depending on speed and more.
| Feature | Key Elements |
|---|---|
| Fire and Heat Conductivity | Highly detailed simulation for tracking heat transfer, focusing on how different materials and the player react to fire and heat sources. |
| Weapons | Granular system covering multiple fire modes, attachments, and the specific rules defining how projectiles interact with deformable physics. |
| Vehicles | Realistic handling and movement based on simulation of Wheel Dynamics, including tire friction, suspension, and responsive damage tracking. |
Physics, Fluids and Other Environmental Interactions
The Gravity Gun will play a significant role in Half-Life 3's environmental interactions, powered by a physics system that handles complex object manipulation with high precision. Another core element of the game's environmental interactions will be represented by the simulation of multiple liquid types, as well as their interactions with the environment and the player. A complex physics system will also handle character ragdoll behavior and the destruction of environmental objects. Additionally, advanced world manipulation via precise physics adjustments and the ability to alter the gravity of specific locations will provide an even more immersive experience, offering numerous gameplay possibilities.
| Features | Key Elements |
|---|---|
| Gravity Gun | Dedicated, complex system for lifting, manipulating, and launching objects with high precision. Essential for core physics-based puzzles and combat. |
| Ragdoll & Destruction | Advanced, physics-driven death animations and object shattering. Focuses on granular, realistic destruction of large props and entities. |
| Water / Liquids | Simulation of diverse fluid types (acid, oil, water) and their unique physical interactions, visual effects, and environmental consequences. |
| Deformable Physics | Implementation of objects capable of bending, denting, or deforming under stress and force, adding realism. |
| Track/Train Changes | Specific engine modifications to handle the physics, tracking, and switching of large moving platforms, trains, and interactive machinery. |
| Gravity Shifting | Core system for modifying local or global gravity vectors, used for complex puzzle design and unique gameplay scenarios. |
| BasePhys Adjustments | Low-level customization layer for the base physics engine parameters, allowing precise tuning of collision, friction, and mass for every object type. |
Core Engine Features
The Half-Life 3 gameplay mechanics will be further compounded with some of the core engine features. Chief among them will be an enhanced audio experience with positional sound systems that provide accurate 3D audio implementation, augmenting stealth gameplay mechanics. This will enable NPCs to detect player noise and react accordingly.
The supposed complexity of the game's world will be compounded by the SpatialOctree data partitioning structure, which will organize every visual element to deliver highly optimized interactions between a multitude of in-game elements. A G2 Generation system will also be introduced, enabling the rapid creation of levels and areas. Further enhancing the world's immersion will be a save system that manages data persistence across maps and more.
| Features | Key Elements |
|---|---|
| Positional Sound | High-end 3D audio engine ensuring accurate spatialization, including environmental effects like echo, reverberation, and sound occlusion. |
| SpatialOctree | A high-performance spatial partitioning data structure used to organize all world entities, geometry, and light sources for efficient lookup and query operations. |
| G2 Generation | Dedicated tools for Automated Content Generation, suggesting methods for procedurally or systematically creating assets and environments. |
| Map Shared Environment | System for managing environment data that must remain consistent and synchronized across different map sections. |
| Game System / Save System | Framework essential for saving and restoring the entire state of the game world, including the status of all interactive physics objects. |
Visual Features and Rendering
Although the Half-Life 3 gameplay features promise to be the main focus of the experience, the next entry in the series is also set to feature some great visuals featuring a realistic global illumination and shadow mapping systems alongside necessary optimization tweaks that will ensure that models and effects not currently on screen are not drawn, and an LOD and AI system that will manage the level of detail of distant objects depending on the distance from the player.
| Features | Key Design Elements |
|---|---|
| PostFX Effects | Cinematic visual enhancements, including advanced implementations of Lens Dirt, detailed blurs, and tunable chromatic aberration. |
| Lighting / Shaders | Physically-based rendering (PBR) foundation with specialized components like Skylight for global illumination and custom shaders for material fidelity. |
| Observer Fields | Critical performance optimization using sophisticated Occlusion Culling logic to ensure only visible elements are processed by the GPU. |
| AI LOD | Level-of-Detail system that scales both the geometric complexity of models and AI based on viewer distance. |
| Detail Props | Efficient system designed for the mass rendering of numerous small, non-essential environment objects (debris, scattered items) with minimal performance impact. |
As all of this information has been datamined, there's the chance some of these features may not make it into the final version of Half-Life 3. Still, they paint a very exciting picture for a game whose release may be a hallmark for reasons other than its now legendary status. Hopefully, it really won't take much longer to learn everything about the game directly from Valve itself.
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