Could some one please post a few screenshots comparing the game at max with HIGH shadow detail to the game at max but with MEDIUM shadow detail? I am one of the few with a switchable graphics laptop that keeps high shadows from being selectable. The high setting simply isn’t there, and it is because the game thinks the HD 4000 is being used, yet the game renders based on my 7970m.
I am curious what the difference is. Thanks!
I took a few shots in Blast Pit for you, but I literally noticed no difference, so I’m not going to post them.
Yea in most source games (CS:GO,TF2…) pretty much the only difference between low and high settings is the shading on the guns… and AA.
Eeyup, the difference is pretty much nothing:
That’s actually a picture of high, medium and low. The only reason you can tell is because the blue effect flickered on one of the screenshots.
Thanks guys! Great to know.
The high shadows setting is mainly used for the dynamic flashlight shadows. It actually does make a significant difference, but only when using the flashlight. I can get some screenshots tomorrow for you if you’re interested.
This is a bug in Source that has existed since the beginning of time, and it only happens to people with switchable graphics. Nobody has ever found a fix and a while back I even led a pretty large effort at finding one, with no avail. I cant provide screenshots, as i also have switchable graphics, but I can provide comfort in the fact that your PC is not the problem, its Source.
If you could do that, I would appreciate it.
At medium, I noticed the flashlight doesn’t produce shadows behind the objects it shines light on. I could guess when shadows are set to high, the light from the flashlight does produce shadows behind objects.
Some thing I don’t get is why Valve never implemented more dynamic lighting/shadowing into Source (until recently). The particles and textures can look amazing, but it seems Valve intentionally left out intense lighting and shadowing until Portal 2, even though the techniques already existed. Just some thing about source games, they look beautiful but always looked a little “off” because the lighting and shadows were always sort of basic, as if the only thing missing were enough shadows to take away that dry look. Individual objects have little to no shadowing applied to them, as if the lighting engine just assigns one light value on the whole object. Black Mesa looks the best out of all of the Half-Lifes, but because it is Source 2007, it still can look dry at times.
Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.
