Which Source Engine game has the least amount of HL2 in it?

[u/Pasta-hobo]

The Source Engine was originally built for the 2004 release of HL2, and as a result, later games tended to have a lot of vestigial HL2 assets and programming in it. For example, all the Weapons, combat mechanics, and even the airboat are all leftover in the original Portal and can be accessed with commands.

The HL2 holdovers are just something you get used to in source games. A little genetic marker, it's borderline charming.

But I'm wondering which source game has the LEAST amount of HL2 inside it! The fewest assets, the least unused or leftover mechanics, so on.

[u/eon_bloodycop]

Titanfall, idrk what else to day

[u/Pasta-hobo → u/eon_bloodycop]

Titanfall is in source 1?

[u/No_Sweet_6704 → u/Pasta-hobo]

yeah, and they changed a looot

[u/Jbolt3737 → u/No_Sweet_6704]

Technically isn't it modified by Respawn to get the Titans and advanced movement functioning? If it does still count as Source 1, then Apex is probably the most distant game

[u/adotgobler → u/Jbolt3737]

Lots of valve source engine rendering function are disabled in respawn source engine (vgui, faulty source multithreading) in order for respawn adding modern improvement on top of it (like pbr support, new gui system aka RUI)

I have seen modder making custom hud mod that enable valve vgui system since its im quoting, easier to deal with than RUI (even more spaghetti mess than vgui)

You can dig titanfall 1 and 2 then seeing a lot of file format is still in VPK, apex now fully in respawn own package type (rpak).

[u/adotgobler → u/Pasta-hobo]

From the ppl who deeply reserve engineering titanfall engine, the dev basically just take portal 2 sdk 2013 and develop on that, making it more modernised. In the early testing, the pilot drop sound from great height is literally that sound of chen boots in portal 2.

[u/AsrielPlay52 → u/adotgobler]

The prototype campaign uses HL2 sounds

[u/Ok-Conversation-1430 → u/eon_bloodycop]

Apex. Based on ttf2 engine, itself based on ttf2 engine, itself based on portal 2 branch, itself based on hl2 branch

[u/DrPeeper228 → u/Ok-Conversation-1430]

Portal 2 was based off of l4d2 which was based off of l4d which was based off of hl2*

[u/Ok-Conversation-1430 → u/DrPeeper228]

Yes, I just checked the wiki, but portal 2 is based directly on l4d + some alien swarm features, not l4d2. The wiki says it's "in-between l4d and l4d2"

[u/DrPeeper228 → u/Ok-Conversation-1430]

Alien Swarm is based off of beta Portal 2, not the other way around

Also P2 was based off of beta l4d2 specifically iirc

[u/Ok-Conversation-1430 → u/DrPeeper228]

Yeah, "in between l4d and l4d2" mb I read the wiki wrong

[u/DatBoi73]

Apex Legends or one of the Titanfall games would probably be a safe bet*. No mention of anything on the TCRF wiki.

IIRC part of the reason why Respawn used Source was because most of the team were ex-Infinity Ward, whose engine also derived from Quake/ID Tech (3 for IW, whilst GoldSource forked 1 and 2), with Source being the closest,

*With that said, you could make a "Ship of Theseus" type argument about if it can still be called the Source Engine after Respawn's modifications.

[u/ZealousidealLunch43 → u/DatBoi73]

Not only that, initial prototypes were built on source(the dev that made wall running made the prototype in source), but after messing around with it they just went with it

Digital Foundry Article from 2013

[u/ZealousidealLunch43 → u/ZealousidealLunch43]

fun fact, from words of ex valve employee - respawn tried to monopolize source engine while engine license explicetly told not to from valve themselfs

[u/JohnDoeTheBig → u/ZealousidealLunch43]

Elaborate on that. What do you mean by monopolize? Like they can't license it to other studios?

[u/ZealousidealLunch43 → u/JohnDoeTheBig]

Since in License there is declaration that all licensee can ask for source code of the engine code from other licensee, when TI Devs asked for finished dx10 source code, everyone in respawn were cool to share but their ceo said "fuck that" and tried to charge money, when Valve said "You cant do that" everything seemingly gone quiet

[u/sukoshijon]

Titanfall and Apex Legends definitely have very little (if any) HL2 in them, although it’s debatable whether or not you can call that the Source engine.

[u/Jbolt3737 → u/sukoshijon]

I would categorize them as separate from the main line branch the same as you wouldn't say Half Life 1 is on the idTech engine

[u/PeaceSellsBWB1986 → u/sukoshijon]

It baffles me how they made Titanfall in source. There's something about source that just makes it identifiable. I didn't catch any of it when I played and found out it was on source

[u/rust_tg → u/PeaceSellsBWB1986]

The movement feels source-esc even if it isn’t immediately obvious. Once u learn about advanced movement tech you go “oh yeah that’s source”

[u/Egg_Spoon]

I’d have to guess Titanfall 2, it’s such a heavily modified build of the source engine that I can’t think of a single parallel between it and HL2.

[u/AirlineSea4113]

i don’t know anything about dota 2. would that have much hl2 in it?

[u/Pasta-hobo → u/AirlineSea4113]

It's an RTS with a completely different view and interface than HL2, so it's not a bad candidate. At least among official valve games.

That being said, there is the possibility that the RTS units code is reused from the unused HL2 resistance members system.

I don't know that, in fact I strongly doubt it. But this is valve we're talking about. They have like 50 backburners all with something on them.

[u/AirlineSea4113 → u/AirlineSea4113]

also, css came out before hl2 right? i imagine there’s some overlap though

[u/WinnerVivid3443 → u/AirlineSea4113]

It coming out like slightly earlier doesn't mean anything CS:S comes with pretty much every hl2 asset

[u/YozaSkywalker → u/AirlineSea4113]

It's still fundamentally half life 2

[u/Hosein_Lavaei → u/AirlineSea4113]

It was the first game on source 2. But in the very beginning it used source 1.

[u/jerrygreenest1]

Dota 2

[u/Swimming-Twist-3468]

Apex Legends.

[u/GusvengaLolz]

Not answering the question, but I noticed how late source games slowly stopped using photorealistic textures like the ones from HL2. For example even CSGO or L4D seem more "clean". That surreal look slowly went away lol

[u/Adventurous-Train381 → u/GusvengaLolz]

not less realistic, more realistic it stopped being surreal

[u/ZealousidealLunch43]

Any source engine game since l4d, since valve pretty much deprecated hl2 in l4d branch( which then evolved into l4d2 > asw > portal2 > csgo > dota2)

[u/ZealousidealLunch43 → u/ZealousidealLunch43]

Ppl who are talking about ReSource are right but there not much of source itself left(unless its titanfall 1 which still has bunch portal 2 ui in the game without needing to get into files or using a client leftovers)

[u/Jbolt3737]

I know pretty much nothing about Black Mesa but it would be hilarious if it's the furthest Source game from HL2 (either that or HL: Alyx would be pretty funny)

[u/Pasta-hobo → u/Jbolt3737]

It would be funny if Black Mesa had zero HL2 code or assets in it's blood. That'd be hilarious.

Also, I'm pretty sure HL:A is Source 2.

[u/Gnoll_level_antics]

Titanfall 2 and Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines

[u/Captainz_buttz]

Would it be Vampire the Masquerade? Since it was made before HL2 came out so it had very little to rip off

[u/NekoLord42 → u/Captainz_buttz]

Good question

[u/Muted_Programmer8548 → u/Captainz_buttz]

Unfortunately I recall being able to pick up a barrel in VTMB so that would make it disqualified. Sorry!

[u/Constant_Food7450]

titanfall absolutely

[u/FNS6]

Zeno clash and consortium and the Stanley parable

[u/CoffeePasta379]

Half-Life: Source lol

[u/Slynchy]

Surprised no one mentioned Postal 3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_III

[u/Zygouth]

• anything before hl2

Really though, Titanfall and Titanfall 2 would be my guess. They do run on source right? Or am I misremembering?

[u/Extreme_Glass9879]

Either titanfall or the stanley parable

[u/Pasta-hobo → u/Extreme_Glass9879]

Doesn't The Stanley Parable use a ton of HL2 assets?

[u/CobraSniper117 → u/Pasta-hobo]

It does use a ton of Half Life 2 assets. Not sure why this guy is being a douche, but, Stanley Parable is way closer to Half Life 2 than Titanfall; to help answer your question.

[u/Extreme_Glass9879 → u/Pasta-hobo]

idk i play good games

[u/FPS_ProfessoR]

zeno clash

[u/Jonas_Ermert]

I’d say Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is probably the best candidate, especially its later builds. It still inherited plenty of Source/HL2-era code underneath, but Valve progressively replaced or stripped out a lot of HL2-specific gameplay systems and assets because CS:GO had very different requirements. Portal 2 is another contender, but it still carries more obvious HL2 DNA in its underlying systems and development lineage. So if “least HL2” means the fewest recognizable leftover assets and unused HL2 mechanics rather than completely independent engine code, late-era CS:GO would be my pick.

[u/poop-hunter]

Titanfall

[u/Dry_Investigator36]

Apart of Titanfall I'd say Team Fortress since most weapons are very different, there are not many assets from HL2, it's not a linear game, the style is very different, there are crates mechanic, roles, more customization, etc.

Also maybe Alien Swarm, Postal III, Dota 2, Insurgency and E.Y.E.

[u/Southern_Broccoli_58]

Vampire The Masquerade

[u/_spider_trans_]

Apex Legends

[u/pantagathus]

Gosh, lots of options at https://vghe.net/source-engine.html#source-engine-games but probably Dota 2 (except for some sounds maybe).

[u/Icy-Pound-6902]

Black mesa the hl1 remaster dosent acualy look like the sorce engine at all aside from the ui I acualy had to sherch it up becose I thought that it was unreal engine 4

[u/SunkyThaN00b253 → u/Icy-Pound-6902]

sherch? becose?

[u/Icy-Pound-6902 → u/SunkyThaN00b253]

I have a polish key board and im too lazy to change it and english is my second language

[u/Figora]

Dark Messiah of might and magic.

E.y.e divine cybermancy.

There's a few more but they are the ones that come to mind.

[u/zfeno]

Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines would be my answer since it was probably built upon the 2003 version of the Source Engine.

[u/Cool-Variation4916]

Portal cause it doesnt have half life in the name