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Half-Life: Alyx’s Surprise Liquid Physics Update Looks Good Enough To Drink

Quench your virtual thirst with the ‘Boozy Liquid Shader.’

With a majority of the United States still under lockdown as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, Matthew Wilde, Visual Effects Developer at Valve, has been using his newfound free time to develop brand new liquid physics for Half-Life: Alyx and the results are nothing short of incredible.

Released yesterday as part of update 1.4 for HL:A, the Boozy Liquid Physics Shader fills previously-empty in-game bottles with realistic liquid that “sloshes around as you shake them.” While it may seem like a relatively minor addition, it’s these kinds of details that, when combined, add up to a truly immersive in-headset experience. HL:A already features an incredible physics engine; the inclusion of realistic liquids only further enhances the already gorgeous environments.

In addition to the Boozy Liquid Shader, update 1.4 introduces a handful of other updates and improvements, including additional subtitle languages, five new example maps for the Workshop, and various crash fixes.

Check out the full patch notes for a rundown of all the new fixes and additions.

Earlier this month Valve introduced the Half-Life: Alyx Workshop, allowing creators to modify the core HL:A experience. Despite having only been open less than two weeks, developers have already begun sharing some truly incredible projects, such as Jedi Alyx – Lightsaber Training, Portal 2 – Speed Ramp, and SpacePort (A halo themed adventure) just to name a few.

Image Credit: Valve Corp.

About the Scout

Former Writer (Kyle Melnick)

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