Black Mesa
Posted: Tue May 13, 2025 2:19 am
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
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Recompiled all weapon models using the updated Studio Model Compiler to prevent visual glitches caused by incorrect or outdated tangent data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!