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We also got an important update back in 2019
So what is that "updated SDK" they promised to give us in the near future?
This is source code for the Half-Life itself (the dll files inside valve folder) but not the GoldScr engine (hl.exe)
Fair enough
They did. Read the whole update
That said, I question the direction this remake is going. The original game worked fully offline with no launcher, mods were all side loaded, you could play over a LAN with no internet access, host your own server, etc.
How's this "anniversary edition" going to behave compared to the original? I bet most of the features that made the original great will be deprecated. Bare minimum, they're turning HL1 into how they handled Half-Life 2, being fully locked into Steam.
Meanwhile, the classics that hold up are the ones like Doom-Quake1/2, which went open source, which makes it massively harder to implement "modern" changes that lock out all the best functions.
Do you want a new skin, level pack, graphics update, or TC for Quake2? Just download it. You don't have to grind EXP, unlock lootboxes, buy DLC, be locked into any launcher service, modding service, or engine limitations. Now will Half-Life turn into HL reforged? Probably not, but I don't think it's going to replicate the original experience either, and THAT'S why we're getting this update the way it is.
Put it this way: FSR3 went open source, and almost IMMEDIATELY modders made FSR3 mods for The Last of Us Part I and Dead Space. If Half-Life was fully open source, the game would be FIXED way faster than Valve, DRM would be gone, modding compatibility would be perfect, graphics improved, limitations removed, and the game would have more users playing. What's Valve's priority? User freedom, or user control?
It was user freedom until the sequel and steam. Hell, that was the plot of the story. Gordon "Freeman". Then HL2 came out with Steam, and we got 1984 the FPS, which does everything wrong, deconstructs the original premise, user experience, gameplay, and locks you into a walled garden service. It wasn't "bad" per se, but we lost the original's greatness and didn't notice until years later. Where's the next Team Fortress or Counter-Strike? The cool new stuff stopped being made because Valve didn't want *unregulated* cool new stuff. Meanwhile, do a google search for Doom total conversions, which is huge, still going on, and modders are making games with GZdoom high quality enough to sell. Valve didn't want to turn Half-Life into that, even though that was their starting point, so they rug pulled, and everyone moved on to other engines. Perhaps Half-Life can be redeemed, but that's up to Valve to release it's control over the engine, and let things organically take off.
What proprietary stuff? It's built off Quake which is open, and valve owns their own code. Not to mention it's got enough new code to be a new engine at this point. Both this or even HL:Source. Even if there was some nebulous reason that wasn't theoretical, Valve could have just remastered the game from Xash3D, and they DIDN'T. The simple fact that Valve isn't charging for this update means that Valve doesn't have any 3rd party obligations. The only thing stopping Valve is Valve, and not releasing the source is about keeping users tied to the steam ecosystem, and controlling what modders do with it. Which is ridiculous, being how old the engine is, and how valve has no economic tether to the game. It's just being used as a service exclusive, which is the real reason, even though it's bad for player counts due to limited modding.
Valve not releasing the source is on the same basis why Epic pulled Unreal off stores. There's no justification aside from their own company objectives, which explains both actions. Valve wanted us locked into steam since HL2, and open sourcing bypasses that. That's the real reason, as well as making it a "better" experience than Xash3D OOTB. Gotta keep you in the walled garden, make it easier to stay locked in than free range.
Gabe Newell once said, "It’s a service issue." Thing is, Steam wasn't only about piracy, but cutting out RETAILERS, resale rights, and creating a monopoly. Now it's about creating a service just good enough to discourage open source and modding. Gabe is a huge hypocrite with Steam, considering he complained about Windows 8, which was so bad Valve created SteamOS. So he knows this walled garden stuff is CANCER, does it anyway while charging 30% for publishing games, and STILL keeps Half-Life closed source even after having the biggest monopoly in PC gaming.
I can forgive Valve being a monopoly due to having a superior service, but not open sourcing Half-Life after 25 years is a joke. If it eventually goes open, it's because it really doesn't matter anymore, and the current build is too unfinished to release. Which makes sense, but it's not going to hurt anything by doing it now, bugs will be fixed faster, and the community can contribute new features.
They did promise to update SDK.
But something to keep in mind. Source SDK 2013 still hasn't been updated with changes from Half-Life 2's Steam Deck update. It released 2 years ago. Last SDK update is from 8 years ago.