Black Mesa

[Grogan]

There's a big update to Black Mesa released, after being on Steam for 10 years. I haven't had this game installed in years, and I've never finished the final which has all the complete chapters.

I installed it again to see what's improved, the Linux version seems to work well. What's curious about this is, the game uses DXVK natively (on Windows too!) now. It also seems to support ToGL (Valve's directx to opengl), there must be a setting or directive for it.

It's been a long time since I've bashed headcrabs with a crowbar

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app ... 3764844460

Resonance Decade Update
In celebration of our ten year anniversary on Steam, we’ve pushed our longstanding public beta to mainline. This update includes substantial improvements including:

Fixes to startup related crashes
Fixes to physics engine related crashes
Steam Deck Improvements
Linux Improvements

Full patch notes:
Relaxed triangle vertex validation in ToGL to accept structurally valid input even when geometry is ambiguous, resolving various graphical issues in Studio MDL models
Resolved crashes in Hammer and HLMV when rendering high-quality models by increasing vertex buffer limits to match those defined in the original model format
Resolved a crash that occurred during the mortar sequence at the end of the Gargantua chase in the Surface Tension chapter
Fixed an issue where func_rotating entities would unexpectedly stop spinning after a certain amount of time on some maps
Recompiled all weapon models using the updated Studio Model Compiler to prevent visual glitches caused by incorrect or outdated tangent data
Updated bundled DXVK (Windows) to version 2.6.1
Added support for models with a total vertex count exceeding 65535, lifting the previous global limit
Added hit feedback sound effects during multiplayer combat
Removed ALL false positive virus reports (according to VirusTotal)
Refined conflict resolution logic for configuration overrides, especially when auto-configuration clashes with cloud-synced settings
Shadow Quality Mode can now correctly be set to Ultra, without enabling unsupported features
Updated bundled DXVK (Windows) to version 2.6
Fixed secondary camera views rendering incorrectly on brush models
Adjusted CSM depth bias to improve shadow precision on ToGL
Enabled God Rays on ToGL
Revised pickup and run mechanics for smoother player interaction
Significantly improved ToGL binary shader cache, now enabled by default, resulting in faster load times after the first run
Resolved Soft Particles rendering artifacts, which were especially noticeable on ToGL
Fixed behavior of Environment Map Masks in ToGL, where all surfaces were forcibly marked as bump-mapped to reduce shader combinations and work around engine limitations
Fixed auto-aim logic when the player is unarmed
General auto-aim tweaks to improve accuracy and consistency
Fixed certain 4-way blended materials appearing black in ToGL
Completed a full validation pass to ensure all materials are well-formed and error-free within the Material System
Reduced rendering path discrepancies between Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA for improved consistency across GPUs
Added dismissable Rogue Point call to action at main menu
Improved stability of the Hit Sounds system
Fixed incorrectly displayed blinking overlays on brush models in ToGL
Suppressed display of God Rays Disks appearing through walls in ToGL
Bumped shader cache version for ToGL
Added snd_mixahead to auto-config and updated auto-config version
Linux build now uses stricter floating-point math for improved stability
Improved IVP stability by introducing coordinate sanitization in key areas
Fixed Hit Sound system functionality under the Old UI
Fixed a regression affecting Model and Particle browsers in Hammer after the Secondary Camera fix
Addressed display issues causing waterfall flickering in Xen
Introduced a slight vertical offset on teleport to prevent instant ground collision
Fixed a crash occurring in the Nihilanth encounter on Linux
Improved overall performance on Linux, with noticeable gains in the Lambda Core teleport puzzle
Introduced Vulkan layer exclusion rules to prevent certain startup crashes with DXVK
StudioMDL now attempts to generate VTX files with legacy indexing for improved tool compatibility
Prevented crashes in the New UI when encountering unusual server names
Improved runtime stability by reviewing and fixing cases of unsafe use of short-lived data, including uninitialized variables affecting server-side ragdolls.
Introduced force limit on gibs from damage to prevent excessive speeds during explosions.
Resolved an issue that caused the settings to crash due to concurrent exclusive access to the internal game save file during gameplay.
Fixed the missing "_back" cable texture set, addressing visual inconsistencies.
Thanks to npc_pigeon, narkvic, and the community for their efforts in identifying the solution. These additional files effectively mitigate the engine's error messages about missing VMT files, enhancing overall performance in scenarios featuring moving ropes. This is particularly noticeable during the rocket elevator sequence in "On A Rail."
Aligned the Vertex Format in the Skin GBuffer shader with that of the Prop GBuffer shader to ensure consistency across shaders handling similar data.
Updated backup code for statically lit bump-mapped props, ensuring that props are marked as non-statically lit if the static lighting checksum does not match, preventing lighting artifacts.
Recompiled all Inbound Tram models using the newer Studio Model Compiler to resolve tangent-related issues and improve visual fidelity.
Enhanced the Job Pool to support more than 16 threads, optimizing performance for multithreaded tasks.
Updated DX Support Autoconfig to align Intel/AMD GPUs with NVIDIA, ensuring that the game launches at 1080p by default instead of a low 4:3 resolution like 640x480.
Introduced functionality to automatically run auto-configuration if the configuration version differs, ensuring that every installation reconfigures itself on the first launch after an update.
Addressed various issues within the game, resulting in improvements in several areas. Feedback from players who opted into previous beta tests indicates that the sporadic crashing they experienced has been resolved.

Be sure to let us know how things are working!

[Zema Bus]

I'll check it out.

[Zema Bus]

I got it downloading.

[Grogan]

Well, I used to have a lot more patience. This game is pretty miserable. It's been a long time and I've forgotten where I'm supposed to go and it's been a struggle at every turn. Ammo is scarce at the beginning, and they've shortened the reach of the crowbar. (I know I used to be able to bash headcrab infected enemies multiple times before they could touch me with their claws, it was my main strategy). It's not like this game has sophisticated dodge mechanics or anything either, the combat is rudimentary.

It's a cool game though, and I want to see the full ending this time. The older version stopped short of teleporting to the Xen dimension or whatever it is (I've never seen it... I didn't actually play the first Half Life)

Just remember when playing this, safety first!

safetypostersblmesa.jpg (123.34 KiB) Viewed 4277 times

[Grogan]

I've found out that some of my assumptions (mainly because I saw dxvk libraries) were untrue. The DXVK ("Vulkan") option is only an alternative for Windows (default DirectX 9c). The Linux native version is still OpenGL.

[Dark Angel]

I've been playing this as well and I think it still holds it's own. The ending is also different to the original, as is the Gonarch boss fight part way through the Xen dimension. Same concept but much better executed. It's still a little disturbing being attacked by a four legged crab with a massive swinging ball sack.

[Grogan]

I'm going to try to get there, a little at a time. I have to confess that I'm more into relaxing, easy RPG'ish type games nowadays.

Last time I tried Borderlands 2 at level 80, wildlife preserve... ouch

[Dark Angel]

Wildlife Preserve was always savage.

The achievements in Black Mesa are amusing. I've got all but one for the Gonarch boss area. There's one where you have to let it knock you into the abyss. What the guides DON'T tell you is exactly HOW it has to happen. I got knocked flying multiple times before I unlocked it. Hit with the legs? Nope. Slammed with it's head? Nope. Launched with a flying object? Still not good enough. You have to get hit and launched off the top of the cliff by it's swinging nut-sack! Tea-bagged to death!

Another achievement is to finished it off with your crowbar. Again, you spend an excruciating amount of time whacking this thing in the plums as it squirts white fluid and little crab things at you.

[Grogan]

Heheh... I've never seen that part of the game. This gives me incentive (not so much the achievements, your description of the boss)

[Dark Angel]

Ok, got the last specific area achievement for the Gonarch's Lair. Found all the exploration team's corpses. Can't just run over them, you have to pause and interact with them. Just a tap of the 'E' key but it's easy to run past them.

[Grogan]

It's hard to know sometimes what your quest doohickey is in this game, because there's no indication of an interactive object, you have to walk up to everything and press E.

[Dark Angel]

Pretty much. It's old school in that regard. There's very little hand-holding anywhere and sometimes the terrain is also deceptive. Sometimes it's also really really specific. In there section where a security guard guides you out of the hanger, if you do exactly what they say you'll get out without being seen by the soldiers and you get an achievement for that. Other times things are really random and not remotely obvious. There's an achievement for picking up a purple hat and carrying it through the whole game up to Xen, than another one if you carry it the whole way to the Nihilith end boss. As you'd have noticed you can't carry something and use a weapon at the same time so these are massive pain in the arse things to do. There's times you can put things down and do a bunch of stuff around them, but you do a lot of sitting it down, clearing areas, then going back for the stupid thing. I haven't done the hat or pizza ones but there's a gas tank one for the Gonarch that I have done. You have to carry a yellow gas tank from the Xen laboratories all the way to the Gonarch's Lair, though several different areas, then put it on a small teleporter. In the end there is four different ways to end the Gonarch battle, each with a different achievement. You can kill it, finish it with your crowbar, use the gas to kill it from an area that only opens if you bring the gas tank, or bring the gas tank and decide to not kill it at all and simply escape to the next area called "Interloper". Whacking it in the stones with your crowbar until it dies is probably the most satisfying way after all the alien spunk it sprays at you.

[Grogan]

I'll just be happy if I can get that far

I'm at the part in the silo where I have to get past that tentacle monster, after the rail car ride and navigating those lakes of green goo.

[Dark Angel]

If you drop explosives on it you can stun it for long enough to sprint to the doors. Takes a rocket motor to kill the fucker though.

[Grogan]

Yes, I remembered that actually but not the rocket test fire (I couldn't remember the objective there). It's coming back to me. I just threw a few satchels before I quit at that part, I had just saved before I got in there and wanted to pick it up later anyway. An unpleasant part is a good place to break it off

I played through the old Black Mesa twice, but it was ages ago. That was when it first became a "game" (standalone) on Steam, free at that time. Before that it was a mod I think. (I'd never played any half life game back then, Black Mesa was my first)

[Dark Angel]

I played through HL 1 and 2 on console. The Gonarch and Nihilith end boss fights are MUCH better in Black Mesa than in the original, especially the Gonarch fight. You spend the whole last third of the Gonarch fight scrambling for ammo and hiding under a ledge looking at nothing but four legs and a giant scrotum in the original.