I'm wondering about the texture quality. HL2 is very old (from 2004 - 18 years), but devs said that high-res texture packs should work in VR too. Would much prefer if the mod contains new high-res textures - but I doubt that... Weapons seem to have new models and (high-res) textures...
Half Life 2 Texture Pack
The graphics seem upscaled slightly at the very least, but Half Life 2 graphics aren't the worst for a game that's 18 years old. I think it's safe to assume that high-res textures aren't packaged with the mod but then again, they also could be. Hard to tell until the mod fully releases based on screenshots alone.
Leaked with the prototype was a collection of .zip files known as the "WC Mappack". The .zip files contain over 1,000 .VMF files (the editable sources of a map), all at different stages of completion and dates, from mid-December 2000 to around mid-2003. When run through Hammer, most maps can be compiled but will be missing textures and models.
oldtrans.txt also reveals that textures were named based on what location they were going to be used at one point. The locations are Urb (City 17), Vert (Vertigo, a cut skyscraper location), deep (Kraken Base, another cut location), hyp (Hyperborea, an old name for the cut Borealis), Waste (the Wasteland, which became the final's Coast and Nova Prospekt locations) and Spi (most likely Spire, see above). There are folders in the WC Mappack corresponding with these location names, but they are empty.
Meanwhile, an add-on for the Call of Pripyat AtmosFear mod has been released. Absolute Nature 2 is a texture pack that aims to improve the visual quality of the game. It also allows you to select from five preset styles for each area, subtly changing the look of the world. A nice idea, available to download from ModDB.
Half-Life 2 originally came out in 2004 as a sequel to one of the most influential FPS games ever made and blew players away. The title introduced immersive storytelling and game-world fluidity with Valve's brand new advanced Source engine setting a new standard for the industry. Almost two decades later, Half-Life 2 is regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time and continues to receive support from its fans. A remastered version of each episode in one package, Half-Life 2: Remastered Collection was spotted a few months ago and could bring improved graphics, textures, and load times to the ageless classic. While being created by fans, the collection is acknowledged by Valve and could possibly be revealed and released for the launch of the Steam Deck. 2ff7e9595c