An upcoming mod forHalf-Lifethat brings ray tracing effects to the classic game has been delayed, but fortunately fans ofQuakecan get the visual boost instead. As two of themost influential FPS games ever made, leading on from the groundbreaking work of the likes ofDoom, both releases have left an impact on gaming in general, as well as their respective genres. Of course, each one has aged as the years have gone by, but that’s where the modding community comes to the rescue.
In fact, id Software’s gothic shooter came back into the limelight not that long ago. Last August, aremaster ofQuakelaunched on Steam, which came bundled with a number of goodies, including 4K visuals and a brand-new expansion pack. It also reinstated the full version of one of John Romero’s maps, which had to be cut in the original to save space on the disk. No doubt many have been getting back into the iconic game, but the new remaster has also provided newcomers the chance to step back across the ages and check out this classic FPS.
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Now user Sultim Tsyrendashiev, also known as sultim-t, has released their own mod for the originalQuake, which implements full ray tracing capabilities. A trailer opens by saying, in the style of G-Man, that a similarHalf-Lifemodification has had to be delayed, before the video then bursts into life by showing the new and improved version ofQuake. A side-by-side comparison shows that, while still retaining the look of the original game, it’s got lovely lighting effects galore, with some spectacular reflections, shadows, and overall illumination. It all looks very impressive, especially for a game this old.
The same modder has been working on aray tracing mod forHalf-Lifefor some time now, which was reported on at the start of this year. There doesn’t appear to be any indication as to why this one has been delayed. In the video, during a black screen with white text that appears, similarly to Valve’s maiden release, it simply says that the reason is “awaiting further data,” which suggests it could be awhile before it emerges.
Half-Lifeis revered to this day, whileQuakestill has an active community. The former helped push the genre forward by integrating environmental storytelling and bringing the world Gordon Freeman, while the latter achieved fully 3D modeling, taking what id Software learned fromDoomand setting new boundaries once again.
Quakewas originally released in 1996 and is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.Half-Lifewas released in 1998 for PC, and was later ported to PS2.
