Half-Life: Alyx, a VR expansion of the Half-Life series starring Alyx, is now getting Steam Workshop support as detailed in a new Steam blog post. Players will be able to create new levels, models, textures, and animations. Then others, using Steam Workshop, can browse and play what the community has uploaded.
Included in the first Beta release of the Alyx Workshop tools suite are new or updated versions of:
- Hammer, the latest version of the Source 2 level editor.
- Material Editor, the tool for creating and tuning materials in Source 2.
- ModelDoc, a tool for viewing, editing, and compiling models with animation, collision, and other gameplay attributes.
- AnimGraph, our animation tool used to create complicated animation setups with blends and transitions.
- Particle Editor, for making new particle effects.
- Subrect Editor, for creating smart texture sheets known as “hotspots.”
- Source Filmmaker, the Source 2 cinematic renderer and animation tool.
The update also includes several sample maps to demonstrate how Valve authored enemy encounters in the game, as well as showcase some new features of the Half-Life: Alyx level art pipeline, This includes tile meshes, static and dynamic cables, and texture hotspotting.
The entire set of maps is also included as editable source for reference — this includes a large collection of interactive objects and prefabs. We’ll have news on more features and some smaller additional tools and examples in an future update. Valve also started compiling Half-Life: Alyx Workshop Tools documentation for players wanting to start work on their first addon.
The Workshop update adds a native Linux version of the game using the Vulkan rendering API, as well as optional support for using Vulkan on Windows. Spectator mode (the view other people see when watching someone play) now supports two zoom levels, and can be run in full screen mode. There is also now an option to draw the Spectator HUD directly in the SteamVR “VR View” window.
You can check out our review of Half-Life: Alyx review, which was given a perfect score and called “an amazing experience that blends action and storytelling with a profound level of immersion.” Alyx almost had a crowbar in the game but the hook was causing too many issues, including getting stuck on doorframes.
A player shows off their juggling skills by juggling bottles, plates, and grenades while playing the game. Meanwhile the creator of the famous Garry’s Mod has teased he’s working on a sequel to the sandbox playground and it’s possible it’ll use the Source 2 engine.
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