HalfLife2 RTX Demo Is out!

[FoulOnWhite]

Vote something else. With a 3080 10g

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Vote something else. With a 3080 10g

Crazy to think the 3080 OG is almost a half decade old at this point i still think people who grabbed one near launch at or around MSRP got their $$$ worth.

 

[FoulOnWhite]

Crazy to think the 3080 OG is almost a half decade old at this point i still think people who grabbed one near launch at or around MSRP got their $$$ worth.

It is still ok for games i play. don't get me wrong, i would love a 4090 or better but not gonna happen unless i find a wallet with £3k in it

 

[oxrufiioxo]

It is still ok for games i play. don't get me wrong, i would love a 4090 or better but not gonna happen unless i find a wallet with £3k in it

Yeah I have the ti version in my secondary pc it isn't much faster than your card and still more than adequate for sure.

 

[lexluthermiester]

What matters is that its done well.

That is true of anything of course. Anyone remember how janky T&L was BITD? They got it figured out. The same is true for RT. It's a work in progress.

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

This is correct, it's a community project. However, it would not at all be surprising if Valve was offering assistance here like they did with Black Mesa.

I didn't find Alyx particularly compelling in the hour I tried it with a friend's VR setup.

You didn't play it long enough. Alyx was a very compelling VR experience, but it requires a bit of patience to work into.

 

[Scattergrunt]

That is true of anything of course. Anyone remember how janky T&L was BITD? They got it figured out. The same is true for RT. It's a work in progress.

Still isnt where I personally want it to be but you already know my opinion on that soo...

This is correct, it's a community project. However, it would not at all be surprising if Valve was offering assistance here like they did with Black Mesa.

I actually doubt it, surprisingly. Valve has been very closed off in recent years, and the resources Orbifold required were already out there I'd imagine, plus they had help from NVIDIA in terms of the software. I doubt they needed anything from valve other than paying the cost to put it on steam.

You didn't play it long enough. Alyx was a very compelling VR experience, but it requires a bit of patience to work into.

It simply looks like he isnt into VR games.

 

[Arkz]

Ok just loaded it up, smooth out of the door on a 3080, must auto set graphics mode as I can see crappy dlss artefacts. Unlike Portal RTX that was a stutterfest till I opened the RTX Remix menu to adjust it.
Having just opened said menu on this I see it's set its self to ultra perf rendering in 1280x738 (yes 738 not 720) using the CNN ray reconstruction model. Doesn't look as bad as I expected scaling all the way up to 4k tbh. I wish they'd fix the scaling on the menus though, looks tiny in 4k.
Switched to transformer model which didn't look much better but dropped framerate to 47. Changed back and weirdly it's now at 55 not 60.
Part of my dislike of DLSS is how bad certain things can look in motion, ranging from not so bad in quality to downright awful in ultra perf. Reviews always show still shots, where it usually resolves nicely, but in motion some things look terrible.

Standing still

Moving


If I switch to dlss quality the internal res is 2.6k/QHD and the framerate drops to 22 ha ha. Still has the crappy effect on the wire fence just not as bad. Oh and the fence still looked crap with the transformer model too. Gone back to ultra perf but funny to see it using 8.3GB when running internally in less than 720p. If I turn off ray reconstruction it looks shockingly bad. As I tweak settings it seems to be eating more vram, even when I revert settings. Up to 9.7GB now.

Over all I wouldn't play it like this, the upscaling artefacts on fences and grass look too bad and distracting when moving. Weirdly in the RTX Remix menu I lowered the settings to low and only gained 2fps.

As with Portal RTX I wish there was an option to turn off RT all together and just be able to play the game with all the other updated assets. Oh well

 

[lexluthermiester]

Still isnt where I personally want it to be but you already know my opinion on that soo...

With you on that. I expected, from both NVidia and AMD, that improvements to RT performance would be much more advanced. Granted RT is mathematically intensive, so it is possible that advancements are more difficult than is commonly understood. Still the software side if it hasn't improved as quickly as was expected either. Simulating real world physics in computer modeling continues to be a very taxing task.

I actually doubt it, surprisingly. Valve has been very closed off in recent years, and the resources Orbifold required were already out there I'd imagine, plus they had help from NVIDIA in terms of the software. I doubt they needed anything from valve other than paying the cost to put it on steam.

That could go either way. Valve most definitely helped out the Black Mesa project and given that this is a mod for one of Valves own games, I see it as very likely that at least some assistance is being rendered, or at the very least, offered.

 

[Ruru]

I've also started the serie with HL 2 since I've only ever played CS 1.6 before that but the trailers of HL 2 impressed me so I've pre ordered it. 'That was my first time doing that actually..'
I did play HL 1 in the form of Black Mesa a few years ago just to have a general idea of the game. 'the original is way too retro for my taste at this point'

HL2 got MUCH players thanks to ATI back in the day, HL2 was bundled with many Radeons.

 

[Sithaer]

HL2 got MUCH players thanks to ATI back in the day, HL2 was bundled with many Radeons.

Not in my case sadly, I've had to buy it.
I've played it on this thing:

Yeah I'm one of those weirdos who keep old hardware boxes around. 'Just opened it up now, why the hell does it have 2 sata cables in it,oh well good to know'

 

[Ruru]

Not in my case sadly, I've had to buy it.
I've played it on this thing:
View attachment 391047
Yeah I'm one of those weirdos who keep old hardware boxes around.

IIRC that was an exclusive for the XT cards, maybe later the higher end (9800 and X800) Pro cards had HL2 as a bundle?

And of course the boxes must be kept!

 

[LabRat 891]

Portal RTX and HL2 RTX both are completely unplayable on anything other than Navi 48 or Team Green.


RT-upgrade Source Engine games? yes please.

Source "RTX"? no thanks.

 

[AusWolf]

IIRC that was an exclusive for the XT cards, maybe later the higher end (9800 and X800) Pro cards had HL2 as a bundle?

And of course the boxes must be kept!

I'm not sure. Neither my 9600 XT, nor my X800 XT came with HL2. I think the X800 had PoP: Warrior Within included. Or was it my GeForce 7800 GS? I can't remember.

Actually, HL2 was the first game that I bought the collector's edition of.

 

[Apocalypsee]

I'm not sure. Neither my 9600 XT, nor my X800 XT came with HL2. I think the X800 had PoP: Warrior Within included. Or was it my GeForce 7800 GS? I can't remember.

Actually, HL2 was the first game that I bought the collector's edition of.

I can't remember which card comes with HL2 but could be BBA 9600XT? My Powercolor 9600XT Bravo comes with Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness which I never play

 

[wolf]

Goddamn slideshow of 25 FPS 12-years-old Cinematic mod owns this utter unoptimised pile of RayTraced crap.

Respectully...... LOL hell no.

The Cinematic Mod completely changes ruins the game, it's a stark departure from the art style and atmosphere, feels overdone and cluttered, and manages to change maps too.

I understand the sentiment against RT, but at least it respects the source and comes across as a love letter to it, not a completely different game.

 

[Darkholm]

Respectully...... LOL hell no.

The Cinematic Mod completely changes ruins the game, it's a stark departure from the art style and atmosphere, feels overdone and cluttered, and manages to change maps too.

I understand the sentiment against RT, but at least it respects the source and comes across as a love letter to it, not a completely different game.

As someone said to me in this thread: "Your opinion. Not everyone shares it." I will stick to that

 

[wolf]

As someone said to me in this thread: "Your opinion. Not everyone shares it." I will stick to that

Absolutely, personal preference reigns supreme as always. Nice to have a little balance.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I understand the sentiment against RT

You do? I sure don't. Other than the hit to performance there are no down sides. I think some people just needlessly fear change and are too short-sighted to understand the tangible benefit RTRT has to offer.

As someone said to me in this thread: "Your opinion. Not everyone shares it." I will stick to that

Except that your opinion(shared by a few others) is grounded in a tech(rasterization) that has no way to progress or improve. It's a way of doing things that served it's purpose far longer than it needed to. Even when done really well, Rasterization fakes things in the real world, poorly. On the other hand, even when done poorly, RTRT mimics the real world effectively.

 

[wolf]

You do? I sure don't. Other than the hit to performance there are no down sides. I think some people just needlessly fear change and are too short-sighted to understand the tangible benefit RTRT has to offer.

The performance is basically the only one, I understand some don't think the visuals are worth the hit (and won't enable upscaling to help) which makes sense when both the RT performance and upscaling they had available sucked a big one. I had no such issues with my 3080, or even A2000 to be honest. Other than that there is an obvious anti Nvidia element for some too, but that's neither here nor there for me.

Tell you what though, the cinematic mod ain't it chief. I get the impression that take got some of it's reacts purely because they dislike RT, rather than liking the abomination that is the mod.

 

[AusWolf]

Except that your opinion(shared by a few others) is grounded in a tech(rasterization) that has no way to progress or improve. It's a way of doing things that served it's purpose far longer than it needed to. Even when done really well, Rasterization fakes things in the real world, poorly. On the other hand, even when done poorly, RTRT mimics the real world effectively.

The question is not whether raster can be improved (of course everything can be improved, even if we haven't found the way yet), but what can be done to improve RTRT. At its present stage, it's not good enough to replace raster, far from it. The performance hit is too great.

 

[lexluthermiester]

The performance is basically the only one, I understand some don't think the visuals are worth the hit (and won't enable upscaling to help) which makes sense when both the RT performance and upscaling they had available sucked a big one. I had no such issues with my 3080, or even A2000 to be honest. Other than that there is an obvious anti Nvidia element for some too, but that's neither here nor there for me.

In all honestly, DLSS4 seems like it's hit a sweet spot and is finally refined enough to be worth using. Framegen irritates me because it seems like a lazy compromise. However, it doesn't seem to do any harm either. Still I don't like fake frames or the idea of it.

Tell you what though, the cinematic mod ain't it chief. I get the impression that take got some of it's reacts purely because they dislike RT, rather than liking the abomination that is the mod.

To each their own. I think the beta demo shows that a potentially wonderful thing is brewing.

The question is not whether raster can be improved (of course everything can be improved, even if we haven't found the way yet), but what can be done to improve RTRT. At its present stage, it's not good enough to replace raster, far from it. The performance hit is too great.

Those are fair points. However, those say that RT is a fad that will go away are just silly and short-sighted to fault. Those folks can't see the writing on the wall.

 

[wolf]

To each their own. I think the beta demo shows that a potentially wonderful thing is brewing.

Absolutely, I'm not sure if we crossed wires, I love the RTX remix version, but the "cinematic mod" that's quite a few years old now is horrendous.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Absolutely, I'm not sure if we crossed wires, I love the RTX remix version, but the "cinematic mod" that's quite a few years old now is horrendous.

OH! Ok, yeah I think I misunderstood you.

 

[Darkholm]

The performance is basically the only one, I understand some don't think the visuals are worth the hit (and won't enable upscaling to help) which makes sense when both the RT performance and upscaling they had available sucked a big one. I had no such issues with my 3080, or even A2000 to be honest. Other than that there is an obvious anti Nvidia element for some too, but that's neither here nor there for me.

I did not say that RT is a dud, just saying it has no impact on gaming that big like some people saying it is. It is very implement-dependable how it looks and how it performs. For example I will compare 2 games where I have 150+ hours:

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition
Far Cry 6

Both games have implemented RT. Metro looks really good with it but Far Cry 6 looks the same with or without it. Is it worth the penalty on performance? We could say "on Metro yes, on FC6 no".

Tell you what though, the cinematic mod ain't it chief. I get the impression that take got some of it's reacts purely because they dislike RT, rather than liking the abomination that is the mod.

Played HL2 from 2004 and played it multiple times every year ever since. This RT mod is nothing special to me and perf hit is too great to celebrate it as a great mod. Cinematic mod changes the game and it gives the game different touch which I like. Yes, atmosphere is a little different but if I compare "eye-candy" stuff, Cinematic mod beats this RTX Demo, IMHO. Really cannot understand why someone here cannot accept that, it is my opinion and I do not need someone to explain me how am I wrong. Also, you can see GPUs I have in my rigs and that I'm well equipped for RT/PT + DLSS4 excursions, but I have to say that SOMEWHERE RT perf hits are not worth the looks. I hope this is clear now.

 

[JustBenching]

I did not say that RT is a dud, just saying it has no impact on gaming that big like some people saying it is. It is very implement-dependable how it looks and how it performs. For example I will compare 2 games where I have 150+ hours:

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition
Far Cry 6

Both games have implemented RT. Metro looks really good with it but Far Cry 6 looks the same with or without it. Is it worth the penalty on performance? We could say "on Metro yes, on FC6 no".

FC 6 is amd sponsored and yeah, RT doesn't make any difference as is the case with every amd sponsored games, because their cards can't actually run RT so they try not to make heavy use of it.