Poll: The Source Engine

[BlindMessiah94]

The engine is fine.

They should just make more games, more often.

Like an FPS...

With bot support...

because I hate humans...

and online play...

and am bored of L4D...

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

Gameplay is certainly more important than graphics, but the Source engine is starting to get pretty outdated. I wouldn't mind seeing them try to create a new one in stead of painfully squeezing every last drop out of Source. Preferably one with better mod support and less shitty developer tools.

 

[PwnSt0nes]

Whoever posted that must have a masters degree in bullshiting.

I can't recall even once where someone desperately wanted a new Source engine.

lol not that everyone is like "OMFG NEW ENGINE OR WE ALL LEAVE" but yah everyone in any steam group chat ive ever been in talks about a new engine almost daily.

 

[Crayzor]

I don't think they need a new engine. Left 4 Dead looks great to me, and I'd rather they focused on actually making games than building a new engine.

 

[Good morning blues]

The Source engine's modularity means that it can make dramatic improvements between games without needing to create a new game engine. The Source engine that Valve is using now is not the same Source engine that they were using when Half-Life 2 came out. Left 4 Dead 2 certainly doesn't look particularly behind the curve compared to other games coming out these days.

 

[Diligent]

Game engines newer than the Source engine still have characters that look like waxy/plastic potato men. The facial animations in the source engine are awesome. The physics, which were once the key selling point about it, could certainly use some upgrading.
Other than that, I voted who cares as long as the games are fun and engaging.

 

[Theron Julius]

Just now i saw a post that said

almost 99% of all people who play valve games are begging for a new engine

Now i for one don't have a problem with the engine and think it looks great, a lot of my mates also think this way. So i was curious as to how accurate this statement was and decided to ask a larger audience. You.

How many valve fans think that they need to make a new engine?
Is the current version fine, with updates each release?
Or should they build a new engine?
Should valve make a new engine, or focus on releasing quality games

Additionally did you know that 80% of all random statistics are complete bullshit? Indeed, I agree with you. There's no need for a new engine. The Source engine is pretty good.

 

[Bek359]

There's no reason for them to make a new engine. That would just delay things like Ep. 3 even more.

 

[Weaver]

Your post is kind of misleading. With a new engine they can do new things that enhance gameplay and game quality. For instance, in source we got a physics engine. This lead to physics puzzles in HL2, which is gameplay.

I'd like if they get a new source engine, the current one still looks alright but it's starting to lag behind in terms of PC graphics.

 

[Dexiro]

They should stick with it so i don't have to buy a new computer just so i can finish the series. My pc struggles to run the source engine as it is.

 

[Thedutchjelle]

Even STALKER which supposedly has omgwtfbbq graphics still has piss poor facial animations. Source is just the best in that.

I like Source. I don't own many modern games so I don't got anything to compare Source too, but in my opinion, the 'style' and 'feel' of the source engine is still very good. The level design and art design of the different games that use the engine matters as well - Half life 2, TF2, Portal, they still feel and look great to me.

Also: Physics. It's 2010, and I don't tolerate if I can't pick up some tiny tin can, but that that tin can is unkillable and locked into the world for all eternity.

 

[oktalist]

I'd like there to be a new engine... will make level design better.

This does not follow.

You can make great levels with a bad engine, and terrible levels with the best engine ever.

I think he meant it will make level designing better, i.e. make the level editor easier to use. Hammer is certainly not the best out there. But they don't need a whole new engine just to be able to make a new level editor.

The engine itself is fine. There could be no possible reason to replace it. It's constantly being updated with new features anyway; it's not as if it's still the same engine they used for HL2. It's still comparable with any other engine out there.

 

[oktalist]

With a new engine they can do new things that enhance gameplay and game quality. For instance, in source we got a physics engine. This lead to physics puzzles in HL2, which is gameplay.

I'd like if they get a new source engine, the current one still looks alright but it's starting to lag behind in terms of PC graphics.

There is a difference between writing a whole new engine from scratch, or just updating the current one. Updating is what they've always been doing, concurrently to developing games, so there is no trade-off between updating the engine or working on games as some people are suggesting. Since HL2 they have added HDR, a new particle system, hardware-accellerated facial animation, multi-core processor support and much more, plus it's been ported to 360, PS3 and Mac, with a Linux port in the works (it is rumoured).

There is simply no point in starting a new engine from scratch. The first version of the Source engine was itself just an upgrade to the engine from the first Half-Life. Hell, the current Source engine still contains some code from id's original Quake engine.

 

[Caligulove]

I think graphics are a pitfall that many devs fall into, then forget about making good gameplay. I mean, look at Crysis and the FarCry series. They look amazing but there are many more games out there that are just more fun to play, and because of that- theyre kind of forgettable for me.

I still think art design and creativity go much farther than sheer graphical might. I still think Half-Life 2, and all its episodes look great! because of that attention to the art and the environment, not to mention that they use that element in their storytelling.

Not to mention the update to the source engine in Ep2 made a lot of significant improvements over what was lacking before.

 

[joshthor]

i think the engine looks great, the people look good, and in general the environments look pretty good. also, it runs amazingly. now. i think they REALLY need to update CS:S graphics (im in the beta. there is literally NO improvement whatsoever in the graphics). the guns look good, the people look decent, but the environments are very lacking.

 

[Baron Von Evil Satan]

I hope they keep the source engine around for a long time. It's so much better than all the other engines that just render everything in gun metal grey and dog shit brown.

 

[Plurralbles]

Id' rather Source than Unreal.

As I can't run Unreal 3 games D:

I hope they keep the source engine around for a long time. It's so much better than all the other engines that just render everything in gun metal grey and dog shit brown.

Seriously dude? Are you serious on that?

That's a developer's call, not a limit on the engine. lol

 

[gmer412]

I have no problem with the source engine. Honestly I'd rather look at a really high quality Source game, than most games that use the Unreal Engine. Yeah maybe it's not as high of a poly count but it just looks cleaner to me.

I agree with you there, most of the games now have everything shining so much with so much bloom and HDR, its like the Dev's don't go outside to actually see that a little bit of sun on your arms doesn't actually make them shine like a florescent tube.

Kudos to you, sir. Both for the avatar and for pointing this out. I have had this opinion for a long time and I'm glad someone shares it.

OT: The source engine still looks really good to me. Maybe I just don't pay that much attention to that sort of thing, but I see no reason to complain.

Edit: Defer to the below poster. Note avatar as well. If this "surprise" that is apparently coming at or before E3 isn't Ep. 3? I will be very disappointed. And Gabe, you won't like me when I'm disappointed.

 

[Yrgen]

The engine is fine, just give us EP3!

 

[Johnnyallstar]

For now, the current version is fine. They still have some of the best facial animations in the business. Though I would love to see them plop down a new engine that's even better, but as for right now, it's fine.

Besides, just look at Vindictus, it runs a modified Source Engine, and you tell me if you've seen any MMO that looks this good and has HALF the world interaction through physics.


I think Aion (which runs the Cry engine) may be prettier, but it's got nothing on Vindictus in terms of world interaction. Embed enemies into walls, use enemy corpses as weapons, beat people down with broken tombstones, and much more.