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PayPalHalf-Life Legacy is an enhanced fan mod of Valve's original shooter and it's releasing December 12th. The developers claim it is the "ultimate restoration for the legendary title". It comes with full controller support, achievements, speedrunning, dynamic weapon lighting, Steam Workshop support, Rich Presence for Steam & Discord and much more.
The developers noted they've been trying to sort out a Native Linux version, but they've been facing some problems with it. As they said:
We also have important news to share regarding the Linux version of the game. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have been unable to port Half-Life Legacy to Linux, unlike Cross Product.
Linux is a platform we've been targeting since late 2020 and one of the major reasons keeping us on it is Steam Deck playability. Sadly, due to a very strange issue we have spent many hours of our time diagnosing, we cannot release Half-Life Legacy with native Linux support. Despite this, the game has been tested via Proton on Linux Mint and Steam Deck (Steam OS) where it works with no major issues, so for now, Steam Play saves the day.
We will add native Linux support as soon as we can but this issue is not easy to solve. If you're confident with vague debugger errors and complicated issues, feel free to reach out to us via our Discord or a comment on this post, but I do warn you - it's not easy.
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If you're confident with vague debugger errors and complicated issues, feel free to reach out to us via our Discord or a comment on this post, but I do warn you - it's not easy.
Icculus, where art thou?
Turkeysteaks 5 hours ago
Some day, some day...
I never played HL. Any.
I ran HL 1 when it was brand new. It was said to have great physics. The first box got stuck in the first wall. Stopped playing it.
Now, I want to get a Steam Frame next year, and I want to play HL Alyx.
What would be the best way to get into HL nowadays?
I do appreciate some half modern graphics...
Would that be Black Mesa then?
Quoting: EikeWould that be Black Mesa then?
There are arguments to be made for both the original and Black Mesa, so if graphics are appreciated then Black Mesa is definitely a good choice. HL2 still holds up by itself. I'd definitely recommend doing those before HL:Alyx though.
Quoting: EikeLet me take this opportunity...First, you need to possess the ability to count.
What would be the best way to get into HL nowadays?
Afterwards, you play Half-Life, then Half-Life 2.
Quoting: EikeWould that be Black Mesa then?
Absolutely not. Black Mesa is a terrible choice for a first time player. Playing Black Mesa ruins at least half of the experience of Half-Life 2 when you get to it, since it uses the same engine to remake the first game. It breaks the fundamental ways Half-Life and Half-Life 2 were meant to be played.
Black Mesa is for fans who have already experienced the games for what they are.
Quoting: EikeWould that be Black Mesa then?
Quoting: EhvisBlack Mesa is definitely a good choice.
Quoting: PyrateBlack Mesa is a terrible choice for a first time player.
Thanks for clearing that up! ;)
No, seriously: Thanks both for your opinions!
BloodScourge 3 hours ago
We will add native Linux support as soon as we can but this issue is not easy to solve. If you're confident with vague debugger errors and complicated issues, feel free to reach out to us via our Discord or a comment on this post, but I do warn you - it's not easy.How about you bug Valve about their engine?
Quoting: EikeLet me take this opportunity...
Now, I want to get a Steam Frame next year, and I want to play HL Alyx.
Might I suggest the NoVR mod for HL Alyx. So, no VR equipment necessary. I used it to play thru the entire game, and it was fantastic!
https://github.com/HLANoVR/HLA-NoVR
Quoting: StellaI don't really get how this is different from Black Mesa?
It seems Legacy is way closer to the original (be that good or bad...).
Thanks for clearing that up! ;)
No, seriously: Thanks both for your opinions!
It honestly comes down to how you view these things, if you consider them as a work of art or as mass produced fastfood-tier entertainment.
HL1 was harder for me to get immersed in, I haven't gone back and finished it yet. Technically there are no issues, Valve is still maintaining it well.
But you could also start with the original, and skip ahead to HL2 if the original doesn't work for you.
Last edited by Mambo on 3 Dec 2025 at 4:04 pm UTC
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