HalfLife2 RTX Demo Is out!

[oxrufiioxo]

AMD already made improvements with the 9070 XT which is way faster than the 7900 XTX in most RT games while being a bit slower in raster. Did they sacrifice raster performance for better RT? Perhaps, we'll never know. All we know is that it's a bit more balanced architecture than RDNA 3.

Considering it's 64 vs 84 compute units the raster uplift is also pretty large I honestly believe all those rumors about there being some fundamental issues holding RDNA3 back Considering the node isn't a ton different and the only other major difference is it's monolithic.

While I still think FSR4 is the most impressive stride they made offering a card that competes with or beats cards with significantly more compute units is impressive and just vs what they're done previously might be the best card they've offered in a long time. Honestly if this was RDNA 3 and they had a full stack I'm pretty confident they wouldn't have dropped to less than 20% market share. A 7900XTX sized card with RDNA4 would have been extremely appealing to me


Awesome first step they just need to build on this and not assume Nvidia is going to phone it in next generation.

Hopefully they come up with their own form of remix that runs best on their hardware and competes with the Nvidia version because honestly I'm more excited about older games getting this treatment than most games coming out over the next couple years mostly do to how bad the western developers have become in 2025 and eastern developers taking so long to release games on pc.

 

[Darkholm]

Why is this so crucial to gaming?

It isn't.

 

[lexluthermiester]

It isn't.

Your opinion. Not everyone shares it.

 

[Scattergrunt]

Now we need Doom 3 RTX and FarCry RTX to fully complete the “it’s 2004 again and my PC can’t run it” bingo card.

To be perfectly honest? Doom 3 would be great with raytracing, considering the games tone and level design.

 

[wolf]

Your opinion. Not everyone shares it.

There are certainly others in this thread congratulating each other for agreeing on a take, so I'll join in and agree with yours . Immersive visuals are super important to me personally, I adore and seek out the immersive aspects of games, I want to lose myself in them, and techniques that strive for realism and immersion are eminently desirable to me. Sure that doesn't need to be RT (because I can already hear the papers shuffling and throats clearing to clap back at that and repeat the same rhetoric), but it's what we've got and when well deployed (like here), it's awesome looking. The lighting works in the way my brain expects which enhances the suspension of disbelief.

To be perfectly honest? Doom 3 would be great with raytracing, considering the games tone and level design.

DOOM 3 would make for a fantastic full remaster / RTX remix, the dynamic lighting in it and dark moody horror aspects ... I am excited just musing about it. As long as they remaster the actual original, not the BFG edition, but I'd take what I can get.

 

[Apocalypsee]

DOOM 3 would make for a fantastic full remaster / RTX remix, the dynamic lighting in it and dark moody horror aspects ... I am excited just musing about it. As long as they remaster the actual original, not the BFG edition, but I'd take what I can get.

+1 this, also put EAX as well. After EAX died, I haven't heard sound as good. When I played Last of Us Part 1, a lot of time I say to myself 'If this game got EAX treatment it would be awesome'. That is one aspect that has been lost in pursuit of better graphics

 

[oxrufiioxo]

There are certainly others in this thread congratulating each other for agreeing on a take, so I'll join in and agree with yours . Immersive visuals are super important to me personally, I adore and seek out the immersive aspects of games, I want to lose myself in them, and techniques that strive for realism and immersion are eminently desirable to me. Sure that doesn't need to be RT (because I can already hear the papers shuffling and throats clearing to clap back at that and repeat the same rhetoric), but it's what we've got and when well deployed (like here), it's awesome looking. The lighting works in the way my brain expects which enhances the suspension of disbelief.

While I would agree it's not needed for every game type Visuals do lead to more immersion especially in games that go for a realistic visual look but even something cartoony like fortnite looks far better with Hardware Lumen even though I wouldn't play that game type with current hardware with it enabled.

Developers are really slow to adopt anything and unfortunately they've used some of these technologies as a crutch on top of most engines not being designed to take advantage of it from the ground up.
For every Indiana jones that makes great use of RT we have 5 games like RE4 remake that have joke level RT that does not make the experience better in any way. I am hoping over time the reverse is true.

 

[AusWolf]

To be perfectly honest? Doom 3 would be great with raytracing, considering the games tone and level design.

And considering how badly it ran on PCs of that time. Now it could run just as badly.
(only joking - I do agree with you)

There are certainly others in this thread congratulating each other for agreeing on a take, so I'll join in and agree with yours . Immersive visuals are super important to me personally, I adore and seek out the immersive aspects of games, I want to lose myself in them, and techniques that strive for realism and immersion are eminently desirable to me. Sure that doesn't need to be RT (because I can already hear the papers shuffling and throats clearing to clap back at that and repeat the same rhetoric), but it's what we've got and when well deployed (like here), it's awesome looking. The lighting works in the way my brain expects which enhances the suspension of disbelief.

And I'm here right in the middle - I love visuals, but only if
1. They add to the atmosphere of the game, and
2. It's an actual game I can enjoy, not a slideshow.

DOOM 3 would make for a fantastic full remaster / RTX remix, the dynamic lighting in it and dark moody horror aspects ... I am excited just musing about it. As long as they remaster the actual original, not the BFG edition, but I'd take what I can get.

I praise the painting, not the paint brush. But yeah, Doom 3 would make good use of that paint brush.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

And I'm here right in the middle - I love visuals, but only if
1. They add to the atmosphere of the game, and
2. It's an actual game I can enjoy, not a slideshow.

Yeah the midrange whatever you want to call it these days has been really lackluster when it comes to heavy RT performance and all these technologies that could help them RR/SR/FG/MFG all are much better the higher you go up the stack.... It's probably one of my biggest disappointments that the sub 500 usd market has been so neglected with just a bunch of cards with caveats

That's just the world we live in though with only 1 cutting edge silicon maker and both intel/Samsung tripping over themselves.

I praise the painting, not the paint brush. But yeah, Doom 3 would make good use of that paint brush.

I definitely would love a Remix version of Doom 3 but even OG Doom looks pretty neat with RT.

 

[AusWolf]

I definitely would love a Remix version of Doom 3 but even OG Doom looks pretty neat with RT.

2D sprites and RT? I'm not sure I'm into that kind of exotic combination. Even Minecraft RT was a "but why" moment for me.

When I said I like visuals, I meant that I like a coherent art style that complements the game's atmosphere. I'm not quite sold on the idea of realistic lighting in a 2D / pixel-art game. Maybe that's just me.

As for the video, there's just too many dark areas now, with too much glow. I can't even see what's going on half the time. This would look awesome in Doom 3, but not here, imo.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

2D sprites and RT? I'm not sure I'm into that kind of exotic combination. Even Minecraft RT was a "but why" moment for me.

When I said I like visuals, I meant that I like a coherent art style that complements the game's atmosphere. I'm not quite sold on the idea of realistic lighting in a 2D / pixel-art game. Maybe that's just me.

As for the video, there's just too many dark areas now, with too much glow. I can't even see what's going on half the time. So sorry, not for me.

It's neat but I agree probably a step too far it does look pretty cool in some regards while staying mostly true to the original.

 

[AusWolf]

It's neat but I agree probably a step too far it does look pretty cool in some regards while staying mostly true to the original.

Well, I think even being true to the original is a hit and miss with this one. Outside scenes are far too bright, for example. And in shadowy areas, you really can't see in front of your nose.

The original has a great lighting system, imo. It's not realistic at all, but it's simple and it works. You see what you have to see without being overly bright or dark. With RT added, there's to great swings into one direction or another.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Well, I think even being true to the original is a hit and miss with this one. Outside scenes are far too bright, for example. And in shadowy areas, you really can't see in front of your nose.

The original has a great lighting system, imo. It's not realistic at all, but it's simple and it works. You see what you have to see without being overly bright or dark. With RT added, there's to great swings into one direction or another.

Yeah, I believe it's just a mod made by a couple people I've actually never tried it but it's been two years since that video not sure if it's been improved since.

The last I heard anything about it. I believe part one hasn't been updated since 2022.

Doom 2: RAY TRACED mod

Global illumination. Shadows. Reflections-Refractions. Fluid-simulated blood. Voxels. And entirely redone lighting in each DOOM II map.

www.moddb.com

 

[Darkholm]

Your opinion. Not everyone shares it.

Good.

 

[JustBenching]

There is a killer app for VR. Half-Life Alyx. The problem is, I can't see myself paying hundreds for a headset only to be able to play one killer app.

Alyx is bonkers insane. The interactivity with the world is really ahead of its time. You can literally grab a pen from the ground, paint a wall with it, then throw it on a plastic cup and drop the cup etc. Even reloading your gun is crazy.

 

[AusWolf]

Alyx is bonkers insane. The interactivity with the world is really ahead of its time. You can literally grab a pen from the ground, paint a wall with it, then throw it on a plastic cup and drop the cup etc. Even reloading your gun is crazy.

I really do want to play it very much! Only if someone lent me a VR headset (they're too expensive to buy one just for one game).

 

[wolf]

I really do want to play it very much! Only if someone lent me a VR headset (they're too expensive to buy one just for one game).

Best way forward for just a single game, and 200% worth your time if anyone will lend you the headset for a week or two just to get through it. Landmark in video game history imo.

 

[lexluthermiester]

To be perfectly honest? Doom 3 would be great with raytracing, considering the games tone and level design.

DOOM 3 would make for a fantastic full remaster / RTX remix, the dynamic lighting in it and dark moody horror aspects ... I am excited just musing about it. As long as they remaster the actual original, not the BFG edition, but I'd take what I can get.

Not to break from topic too far, but hell yes! Doom3 RTX & Quake4 RTX? Fricken hell yes please!!

There are certainly others in this thread congratulating each other for agreeing on a take, so I'll join in and agree with yours . Immersive visuals are super important to me personally, I adore and seek out the immersive aspects of games, I want to lose myself in them, and techniques that strive for realism and immersion are eminently desirable to me. Sure that doesn't need to be RT (because I can already hear the papers shuffling and throats clearing to clap back at that and repeat the same rhetoric), but it's what we've got and when well deployed (like here), it's awesome looking. The lighting works in the way my brain expects which enhances the suspension of disbelief.

And that's really what RT is about as a GFX effect, immersion. It's a very good step toward realistic lighting that very closely mimics real life.

 

[Assimilator]

Alyx is bonkers insane. The interactivity with the world is really ahead of its time. You can literally grab a pen from the ground, paint a wall with it, then throw it on a plastic cup and drop the cup etc. Even reloading your gun is crazy.

I didn't find Alyx particularly compelling in the hour I tried it with a friend's VR setup. I play games to escape from my clumsy prison of flesh not to be reminded of it, and the manual reloading just felt like pointless busywork that accomplished the latter. To be blunt, Alyx didn't feel like an actual game, more just an overly long tech demo that repeatedly shoved "hey isn't VR cool!" and "hey isn't Source 2's enhanced physics cool!" in your face at every step. And that might be acceptable for many, but I play games to have fun, and didn't find much of the latter in that one.

 

[Scattergrunt]

And that's really what RT is about as a GFX effect, immersion. It's a very good step toward realistic lighting that very closely mimics real life.

.. What matters is that its done well. And alot of the opinions for / against RT string heavily on that. I don't think anyone really truly believes RT is awful all around, I think most reasonable people will admit that yes, RT looks good, and can be better than rasterized lightning (keyword on can, as sometimes, raster lightning is so good RT isnt even necessary.)
CP2077 is still where I'd put the best implementation of RT in an actual game though, in terms of visuals. While I think the game as a whole didnt need it, the fact it exists to add that extra little bit of immerison really does help if you wanna get lost in the world. It's not the most optimized thing in the world but you can atleast finetune your settings with it, thankfully.

Me personally, I already find most really good levels of rasterized lightning 'immersive enough'. I don't think every game needs RT either unless it really does benefit the experience. Take games like Inscrpyton, Half Life, even Dead Space, would benefit greatly from RT.

I think the issue I have with most RT implementations is that alot of them are extremely overdone (unless thats the point, such as in this games case, which I dont mind in that scenario.). I like effects such as small GFX stuff such as reflectiveness of water puddles in RE2R, beacuse the game knows the rasterized lightning already carries it enough to not warrant having full RT, or games like CP2077 where sure, the rasterized lightning is already good, but the RT implementation is so well done that it adds onto the lightning further given by the rasterization (to my understanding of how CP2077's RT works, anyway.)

RE2R and CP2077 are, unsurprisingly, games I turn on RT for. But most other games I simply dont.
Also I did try out HL2RTX. I don't have much to say about it besides its exactly what I expected. Performance was, fine.

 

[Zach_01]

My vote: Something else

The something else:
Lets cut the crap with HL2 RTX and give us something useful like HL3…

 

[JustBenching]

I didn't find Alyx particularly compelling in the hour I tried it with a friend's VR setup. I play games to escape from my clumsy prison of flesh not to be reminded of it, and the manual reloading just felt like pointless busywork that accomplished the latter. To be blunt, Alyx didn't feel like an actual game, more just an overly long tech demo that repeatedly shoved "hey isn't VR cool!" and "hey isn't Source 2's enhanced physics cool!" in your face at every step. And that might be acceptable for many, but I play games to have fun, and didn't find much of the latter in that one.

But isn't that the point of vr? To feel like you are there? I get your point but that's not a game issue, that's just what vr is supposed to be trying to achieve.

 

[Scattergrunt]

My vote: Something else

The something else:
Lets cut the crap with HL2 RTX and give us something useful like HL3…

HL2 RTX has no involvement from Valve other than it being put on steam(?). They did not develop it.

 

[R-T-B]

I thought you had a beefy GPU?

I believe his personal gpu is still my old EVGA 3090ti, sans cooler (he watercooled it). So beefy yes, but aging a tad bit. Hardly bad by any stretch though.

 

[windwhirl]

I won't vote yet, as I don't have a RT-capable GPU yet (hopefully this year I'll upgrade my veteran RX 580) so Half Life 2 with RTX might be the title with which I'll evaluate if all these years later RTX is worth a damn or not. Well, HL2 RTX and Metro Exodus Enhanced edition.

I do play at 60 hz and I care more about quality than the refresh rate (as long as it doesn't go below 60) so I'm probably inclined to approve of RTX in general if I see the quality is sufficiently better.