Source-code
eXogen
Join Date: 2002-11-23 Member: 9712Members
Join Date: 2002-11-23 Member: 9712Members
<div class="IPBDescription">why not?</div> Half-Life has been out since 1998 and we've gotten some good games out of it. But lately technology in graphics and engines have gone up quite a bit, comapring UT2003 to Half-Life. I dont see any future games coming out in the future usiing the half-life engine, so why not release the source-code for all the mod makers out there? Just think what would come out of some mods if that were released. You saw what happened when they released the Quake engine source-code. So what do you think, do you think they should release it or keep it to themselves??
Comments
iD released their source to Quake and I'm talking out of my backside, right? If so, never mind <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
there would be more than 1 version of hl , so for every "new" mod or version , u had 2 download the complete hl .
u wouldnt need a cdkey anymore , so u cant ban anybody on ur server or maybe only at some versions .
cheaters would be very intrested in the source <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo-->
No
Releasing the sourcecode just means you can make new games with it
Mods, CD-keys, and cheats would still be the same...
Half-life would be the same only you could make new games with the engine
Anyway im not really eager to see it released...
Don't get me wrong, I would absofrickinloutley LOVE for the engine to be open sourced. Then we could do all manner of neat things to bring the engine at least up to date w/ modern standards. 32-bit color, shaders, terrain systems, perhaps even fancy lighting shizzle.. oh yes it'd be nice.
But that probably won't happen. In fact, in all odds we're more likely to see the Quake 3 engine source before HL's. Now the Q3 source, that's something I'd like to get my hands on. /me waits 2 years.
-Meh
Unless.......(insert idea here)
Unless.......(insert idea here) <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Unless.......HL2 was better?
Gpling Half-life would be really nice <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> . A linux client would be possible (valve never fulfilled this promise <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif'><!--endemo--> ) and the server could be made to do smp amongst other things. I'd love to lose the stupid GUI too.
The problem is half-life's so good it's still selling....
<a href='http://crystal.sourceforge.net/drupal/' target='_blank'>Crystal Space</a> is worth a look. (lgpl)
And here's the final word on the HL engine, for those who want to check me go read up on several places: HL is made primarily w/ the quake 1 code, but with the quake 2 renderer, all of it heavily modified & customized.
And as far as HL having 32bpp color, well, kinda. Each texture is STILL on a 256 color pallete, so you're just not gonna get the variety of colors that you would w/ a 32bit pallete like what modern engines (oh say, everything since 1999) have.
...Like what I said.
What needs to happen is Valve should start upgrading the engine....
I don't care if theres some idiot still out there playing Counter-Strike on a PII 200 MHz with 32 mb of ram. Let them suffer.
While full 32bpp support would be nice, I really just want lighting enhancements with shadows and things.
Counter-Strike went STRAIGHT downhill after it went retail.
Anyway, enough of my off-topic ranting...
Actually, you're wrong.
Half-Life is limited to 256 colours PER TEXTURE.
Try loading any of Q3A's textures into Photoshop, then convert to 256 (Indexed) colour-mode, with a custom-generated palette, none of the preset palettes. You'll be relatively hard-pressed to notice the differences, in PS or in-game.
Requesting 32bpp rendering is actually quite valid, as it's sorely lacking ATM. Though this 'oversight' is amusing as a possible exploit. Load a HL-engine game up with -32bpp in software-rendering. It still renders the 16bpp data and writes it to the 32bpp frame-buffer. Result? Rainbow colours that nukes any use from shadows or flashlights.
This is one of the reasons I'm glad NS doesn't work right in Software mode, is that when both sides use seperate models, like here, this 'trick' is overly-powerful then.
I'll assume you dont mean blob shadows
Which means you mean those rendered things which stretch from a lightsource and cast real-time shadows ?
Which in turn is one of the most advanced technologies we have in todays games...
A linux client would be possible (valve never fulfilled this promise sad.gif ) and the server could be made to do smp amongst other things.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Wow, it took more than a page of posts for someone to mention a linux port...
Anyway, there are alot of reasons gamers wan't source released, among them are (in no particular order):
1. Portability - Yippie! Linux client!
2. Enhancability - Yippie! Vertex shaders!
3. Bug fixes - Yippie! No more sound bug!
4. Preservation - HL would never die no matter how much operating systems changed in the near future as someone could always port it.
Unfortunatly there aren't very many reasons for developers to release source, theres no money to be had that way. ID does it, I think, because Carmack just likes to do that sort of thing; which is more or less the same reason they bother porting to POSIX compliant OSs. But because they release the source you can still play Doom in WinXP using enhanced versions like glDoom (Apparently the original has sound issues).
Anyway, I doubt Valve will release the source even if HL2 ever becomes more than vaporware since they have no motivation to do such a thing. Sad really....
Look at the date. Go figure.
Say, didn't valve buy cs? what about Steam? cs 1.6 by valve? ricochet? wuzzat? HL being patched?
still clueless?
man, I can't believe how many people fell for that...