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Black Mesa has delayed the 'Xen' levels again, big update due in December

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Black Mesa [Steam], the fan-made recreation of Half-Life has once again delayed the release of the Xen levels. They were last delayed for December this year, where the developer said "we consider December to be a do-or-die deadline", but sadly they've had to miss that target again.

Here's what they said:

Straight to the bad news: we are pushing back the release of Xen. We are truly sorry for getting everyone's hopes up and then delaying... again. We worked very hard to make December, but we are not yet ready. As a team, we take FULL responsibility for that. We have an internal deadline we are confident in, and we will be getting everyone more details as we get closer to that date. 

I'm personally fine with them delaying it, considering it was one of the worst parts of the original. I can't knock them for trying to make the best of it, hopefully the delays will be worth it. The screenshots we saw previously did look extremely promising.

The good news, is that they're going to release a big update anyway in December, with some tech they developed for the Source Engine. They say they will also give another update on Xen progress in December too. As for what's coming in the patch, let's take a look!

Lens Flare has been added to important light sources, although they claim they're taking care not to blind you with it. Still looks a little harsh to me, hopefully you can tune it a bit. See an example below:

Dynamic Lights have been added to more sections of the game, which can certainly make you feel more immersed in the experience. Also 4 Way Texture Blends, Image Based Ambient Lighting and Cascade Shadow Maps & Godrays will perform better. You can see an example of the rays from dynamic lights below:

See the announcement here. It certainly sounds like it's going to be quite incredible once it's finished. However, there's only so many times I can play through the same story before it feels a bit tired. Hopefully the graphical upgrades and the updated encounters are enough to really pull me back in.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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4 comments

Feist Nov 27, 2017
Sounds like a really nice & enjoyable update and as for the delay, as long as they are working on it and getting it right, everything is fine by me.

Kudos for the apology, if only everyone who promises linux-ports and never deliver did the same thing, I would be much more forgiving. (and less cranky)
14 Nov 27, 2017
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If you look at the thumbnail to this article with your peripheral vision, it looks like a hand going down the back of someone's pants.

The light flare in the first picture does look sort of harsh but also pretty realistic.
BloodaxeNOR Nov 28, 2017
Man, I wish they would release support for the Steam Controller API. That would make it better than HL2! When this is done, I'm doing a full Half-Life playthrough for sure ;-)
rafebelmont Nov 28, 2017
I am dying to play the first one again, but I am holding it to play this version. I can wait, we are always waiting (deep down there, you know it) for the third game anyway...
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