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| ru = Goldsource:ru}}
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{{Infobox engine
'''Goldsource''' (also known as '''GoldSrc'''), is the heavily modified version of the [[Quake]] engine that [[Half-Life]] runs on. For information about converting Goldsource content to the Source engine, see [[Porting Goldsource content to Source]].
|title = GoldSrc
|image = Hl engine logo.png
|imagewidth    = 128px
|imagetooltip = "Powered by the Half-Life engine" logo used on some game boxarts.
|image2 = Screenshot-Half-Life_Surface_Tension.png
|imagetooltip2 = Screenshot in-game of {{hl1|1}}, using the GoldSrc Engine.
|developer = [[Valve|Valve Corporation]]
|releasedates = November 19, 1998
|codelang = [[WP:C++|C++]], [[WP:C_(programming language)|C]], [[WP:Assembly language|Assembly language]]
|sdk = [[Half-Life SDK]]
|platform = {{Win|1}}, {{Mac|1}}, {{Linux|1}}, {{xbox|1|nt=1}}, {{ps2|1}}<!-- only first-party games -->
|website =
|links = [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife/ GitHub page]<br>(SDK v2.5 source code & bug reports)<br>[https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife/tree/steam_legacy SDK v2.4 on GitHub] ({{code|steam_legacy}} branch) <br>[https://twhl.info/wiki/page/category%3AGoldsource_Tutorials '''GoldSrc tutorials'''] on '''TWHL'''
|license = [[WP:Proprietary software|Proprietary]] (source code available for non-commercial purposes)
|previousengine =
|nextengine = {{Src|2}}
}}
{{gldsrc|4}} (also known as {{gldsrc|bold|nt=0}}, and formerly just the {{gldsrc|bold|nt=2}}) is a 3D video game engine created by {{Valve|1}} in 1996. It was the driving force behind many famous games of the late 90s and early 00s, such as {{hl|1}}, {{tfc|1}}, {{cs|1}}, and {{dod|1}}. GoldSrc is a heavily modified version of the {{quake|1}} engine and runs on C++ (with some "C" code). GoldSrc and its level editor, {{hammer3|1|nt=6}}, were released by Valve for public use, making it the source of countless community-made modifications.


== Features ==
GoldSrc was replaced by its successor, {{src|4.1}}, in 2004, which currently holds first place as the choice engine for Valve modders. Though GoldSrc is past its prime, many gamers and some third-party developers still seek to use it for mods and level design.
-List Features Here-


==SDK==
The engine is actively being updated and maintained by Valve as of 2023, recently with the {{hl|1}}'s 25th-anniversary updates which increased the engine limits and fixed many bugs.
The GoldSrc SDK is known as the Half-Life SDK.  
 
As of August 30th 2013, it is available on Steam under the "Tools" section.
[[File:Half-life shadows.jpeg|thumbnail|Screenshot in-game of {{hlbs|1}}, using stencil Shadows.]]
The code can be found on [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife?files=1 Valve's Github Page]
 
[[File:Cry of Fear Lake.png|thumbnail|Screenshot in-game of {{cof|1}}, which runs on a heavily modified version of GoldSrc.]]
 
[[File:Counter-Strike Condition Zero - Screenshot 3.jpg|thumbnail|Screenshot in-game of {{cscz|1}}, using detail textures and higher-definition player models.]]
 
[[File:Counter-Strike_%28Xbox%29_-_Screenshot_3.png|thumbnail|In-game screenshot of {{csXbox|1|nt=2}} on Xbox.]]
 
==Features==
{{todo|expand here or add links}}
=== [[:Category:GoldSrc Programming|Renderer]] ===
GoldSrc has two in-game renderers [[Software renderer|Software Renderer]] and [[OpenGL]] (previously three as [[Direct3D|Direct3D 6]] support was removed in the 2013 SteamPipe Update) both renderers have differences.
* '''Colored lighting''' - Quake simply had monotone lighting
* '''Transparent textures''' - Glass can now be used in maps
* '''Transparent Water'''
* '''Water ripple'''
* '''Water waves'''
* '''Dynamic iris simulation''' - adjust screen brightness automatically. A feature similar to Source's [[HDR|HDR Rendering]]. {{csXbox|only}}
* '''Texture Filtering''' - First introduced with [https://quake.fandom.com/wiki/GLQuake GLQuake], a version of {{Quake|1}} that runs on OpenGL.
** '''Anisotropic filtering''' (16x by default) supported since the 2013 SteamPipe update.
* '''Skeletal animation''' - allowing for more stable animation of models, compared to the vertex animation in Quake
* '''Higher poly counts''' - GoldSrc allows for far more detailed models than Quake
* '''[[Half-Life High Definition Content|HD models]]''' - Higher polygon and texture quality for in-game models.
* '''[[Detail textures (GoldSrc)|Detailed textures]] ''' - Textures that are overlaid on a WAD texture to increase the perceived detail of the surface, without increasing texel size (which would result in using up more [[AllocBlock]]). Extensively used in {{dod|2}} since version 1.2 and {{cscz|2}}.
{{bug|hidetested=1|Detail texture rendering has been broken since the 25th Anniversary update.}}
 
==== Since 2013 SteamPipe Update====
* '''FBO renderer''' - A new method of rendering the game, which allows MSAA to work with GoldSrc engine. This also allows the game to run on fullscreen in a borderless window (which also makes Alt+Tab faster), and aspect ratio that are different from your monitors, for example, 4:3 on 16:9, will not be stretched to fill the black bars.
{{note|You can disable the new FBO renderer using {{code|-nofbo}} command line, note that this will also disable MSAA.}}
* '''MSAA [[anti-aliasing]]''' - GoldSrc now natively support anti-aliasing, specifically, MSAA 4X, which is enabled by default on most modern hardwares. This will reduce the amount of jagged edges/staircases effect on the geometry.
* Support for '''Anisotropic filtering''' - Increases visual quality of textures at steep angles to the camera. GoldSrc uses 16x Aanisotropic filtering by default, can be adjusted using {{ent|gl_ansio}}{{sic}} console command.
 
==== Since 25th Anniversary ====
* '''Widescreen "Hor+" FOV'''
** Instead of cropping the image and reducing FOV when using widescreen, the image will be expanded.
* '''Shaders support''' (OpenGL)
** With shaders support, it also fix the issues with overbright lighting not working under OpenGL.
* '''Dynamic Shadows'''
{{note|This feature was originally from {{quake|4|nt=5}}. To enable Dynamic Shadows {{code|r_shadows}} must be set to {{code|1}}}}
* '''[[Software renderer|Software Renderer]] support on {{Linux|1}}'''
 
=== AI ===
* '''AI flocking''' - [[NPC]]s can group together, seen with [[monster_houndeye (GoldSrc)|Houndeyes]].
* '''Scripted sequences''' - Used extensively to tell Half-Life's story.
* [[GoldSrc Bot|Player Bots]] - play multiplayer offline with bots. {{only|{{cscz}}{{csXbox}}}}
=== Sound System ===
* Use [https://www.radgametools.com/miles.htm Miles Sound System] middleware (since 2001)
** Used for in-game voice chat feature, and later for MP3 playback (MP3 playback previously undocumented and unused on WON version but later used in Steam version of GoldSrc since 2003).
* Supports [[MP3]] (since 2003), [[WAV]] audio files, aswell as CD audio.
* '''Hardware accelerated audio (A3D/EAX)''' - improves [[DSP]] sound effects (such as removing echo's buzzing noises), and add surround sounds support (Removed since 2013 SteamPipe update).
** Requires Sound Blaster-compatible (or A3D-compatible) sound cards (but can be bypassed using workaround below).
** While support for A3D/EAX was removed in most GoldSrc games since SteamPipe update (but can be restored using {{pcgw|Half-Life#MetaAudio|MetaAudio|icon=hide}}, which requires disabling {{Vac|1}} to work), there are some GoldSrc games that still support A3D/EAX. However, starting with Windows Vista or later, it requires {{Pcgw|Glossary:Sound_card#DirectSound_hardware_path|an workaround|icon=hide}} to enable A3D/EAX audio.
 
=== UI ===
* '''[[VGUI]]''' - Introduced in 2000 (Half-Life update 1.1.0.0), and used for displaying scoreboard (replacing the old Opposing Force-styled scoreboard) and later Steam Tracker (a predecessor to "Friends").
** With VGUI and Tracker, it adds a in-game overlay (can be opened with F1) with two window called Half-Life Desktop and Tracker, allowing you to add/message friends or find servers to play. Tracker was replaced by Friends when Steam was launched in 2003, and eventually replaced by Steam Overlay in 2007. Most users at the time did not use Steam Beta and install Steam Tracker so players will see "Tracker Error: TrackerUI.dll invalid, not loading" appearing on the [[Developer Console]].
* '''[[VGUI2]]''' - Introduced in 2003 update (Steam), Valve's custom GUI interface mimics most of the Windows controls. This will allow the game to switch between the game and the menu quicker, without switching resolutions to 640x480, which adds delay.
** In early versions of Half-Life, as well as older versions of Steam before mid-late 2000s or 2010s, changing skins in the Steam client will also affect the VGUI in Half-Life and all other GoldSrc games.
 
=== Programming and Platforms ===
* GoldSrc supports various platforms, such as {{Win|3}}, {{mac|3}} and {{Linux|3}}, aswell as consoles ({{Ps2|1}}, {{xbox|1}}).
*All, or most of the engine code written on C/C++ using Visual Studio 2010, and 2019 (since 25th anniversary) or later.
 
=== Networking ===
* Support for both [[wikipedia:Local area network|LAN]]-based multiplayer and Internet-based multiplayer games
* [https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/multiplayer/networking Steam Networking] support
** Added with the release of {{hl|name}} 25th Anniversary Update.
** Allows self-hosting using [https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/multiplayer/steamdatagramrelay Steam Datagram Relay], meaning users can easily create joinable servers without port forwarding.
 
=== Tools ===
* {{hammer3|2}} (formerly Worldcraft)
** WYSIWYG World editor
** Create [[Brush|world brushes]]
** Place [[NPC|AI NPCs]]
** Place [[Tool textures (Source)|triggers, clip brushes]], logic, etc.
** Allows level designer to hook up I/O between entities to control AI within the game
** {{Note|While it's functional, it is recommend to use modern [[Valve_Hammer_Editor_(GoldSrc)#Hammer_alternatives|third-party alternatives]] (such as {{jack|1}}) instead.}}
* {{hlmv|2|nt=1|linkto=gldsrc}}<!-- not sure if Goldsrc ver of HLMV should be listed here but Valve acquired it and later uses it on Source so keep it here for now. -->
** Full [[model]] previewer
** Rotate models in any direction
** Set up hit boxes
** View physics hull
** View normals
** Wireframe, shaded or textured view modes
* [[StudioMDL (GoldSrc)|StudioMDL]]
** Model compiler
* [[QCSG]], [[QBSP2]], [[QRAD]], [[VIS]]
** Map compilation tools (bsp, lighting and visibility)
** {{Note|It is recommend to use ZHLT, VHLT and derivatives map compilation tool ([[HLCSG]], [[HLBSP]], [[HLVIS]], [[HLRAD]]) instead, as some of the tools are bugged, especially QRAD which requires {{code|[[light_environment_(GoldSrc)|light_environment]]}} on every [[PVS]].}}
 
=== Other ===
* In-game advertisements ({{cs|2}}, removed since SteamPipe) - Introduced in 2007.
==== Since 25th Anniversary ====
* '''Increased engine limits''' - Valve has increased engine limitations, allowing for more entities and detailed maps.
*'''[[func_vehicle_(GoldSrc)|func_vehicle]] entity''' support from {{cs|4}}
*'''Native {{Steamdeck|4}} support'''
* '''[[Steam Input]] support''' - Steam Input support was added, which allows the game to support more controllers and buttons. VGUI menu can be navigated using the controller.
 
== Versions and forks ==
{{Cleanup}}
<!-- To edit the list of the branches, please visit the template page "Template:Goldsrc branches" instead. Or use the edit button shown near the template itself-->
<center><small> [[Template:Goldsrc branches|Click here to edit this list.]] </small></center>
{{Goldsrc branches}}
 
== Half-Life SDK ==
{{main|Half-Life SDK}}
{{todo|when were SDK 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 released?}}
As of August 2013, it is available on {{steamicon|4}} under the "Tools" section. With it comes {{hammer3|4.1|nt=4|linkto=3.x}}, the 3ds Max sources for many cut and retail NPCs as well as player and weapon models, tools for packing textures into [[WAD]]s, and detailed documentation on implementing baseline features such as voice chat into a [[mod]].
 
The full source code for Half-Life SDK (2.5), which contains changes from Half-Life 25th anniversary update, can be found on [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife?files=1 Valve's GitHub Page]. Source code for previous version (SDK 2.4) can be found [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife/tree/steam_legacy here].
 
{{note|{{hammer3|4.1|nt=5|linkto=3.x}} is the final GoldSrc-only editor released by Valve and can be downloaded separately, such as through the {{sven|4.1|addtext={{nbsp}}SDK}}.}}
{{clr}}
 
== Products using GoldSrc {{Table tools|Goldsrc_games}} ==<!-- DO NOT remove the underscore on this template, as it would break the edit, purge, etc... button completely -->
This is the list of games that uses the {{gldsrc|4}} engine.
<!-- To edit the list of the game, please visit the template page "Template:Goldsrc games" instead, then go to one of it's subpages there. Or use the edit button shown near the template itself-->
=== Officially Licensed ===
<center><small> [[Template:Goldsrc games/Licensed|Click here to edit this list.]] </small></center>
{{Goldsrc games/Licensed}}
 
=== Modifications ===
{{todo|Document modifications once hosted on Valve's mod master server and what's currently on Steam to download.}}
{{todo|Some of these mods had beta releases prior to their 1.0 release. We may want to document that too.}}
<center><small> [[Template:Goldsrc games/Mods|Click here to edit this list.]] </small></center>
{{Goldsrc games/Mods}}
*See [[:Category:GoldSrc games|GoldSrc games category]] for more games, and for articles about the game which uses the GoldSrc engine.
 
== Specifications ==
{{Engine Limits}}
 
== Bugs and Limitations ==
{{update|Half-Life 25th Anniversary Update fixes a lot and breaks other stuff.}}
Use [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife/issues GitHub] in order to prevent duplicate or outdated bug reports at the wiki.
{{Bug|only=goldsrc|Various GoldSrc non-standalone mods has been broken with the recent {{hl1|4}} update, as part of its 25th anniversary. Some of these games would crash on startup with Visual C++ error.<br> Other games like {{tfc|4}} was also affected, but appears to work almost perfectly fine aside from HUD scaling fixes were non-functional. And another one such as {{cs|4}}, which has been fixed to support the 25th anniversary update, may have other problems and issues that can crash the game. Additionally, mods that use custom OpenGL renderer (such as {{Paranoia|4}} (non-Xash3D version) and older version of {{cof|4}}, etc...) will be also crashed on startup aswell ([https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife/issues/3710 Issues #3710]).{{Workaround|To temporarily fix this, select the beta branch {{code|steam_legacy}} on {{hl1|1}} (and in some games such as {{cs|1}}) by going to Half-Life > Properties... > Betas > select {{code|steam_legacy}}. Once those games has been fixed, you can opt out by set the beta branch to "None".}}}}
{{Bug|only=goldsrc|Overbright lighting ({{cmd|gl_overbright|1}}) is broken due to an [[OpenGL]] extension used for multi-texturing, which is required for the [[Detail textures (GoldSrc)|detail textures]] used by {{czero|4.1}}, {{dod|4.1}}, and some third-party mods. <br>This make the color less saturated and lighting much less brighter, as well as introduce chromatic aberration on brightly lit lightmaps. <br>The issue was fixed in the 25th anniversary update, which deprecated the {{code|gl_overbright 1}} in favor of {{code|gl_use_shaders 1}}. However, there are [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife/issues/3424 more issues] that was yet to be fixed with the new overbright lighting.<br> This issue can be also found on [[Quake|GLQuake]], but for different reasons. {{workaround|To fix this for the older version of {{hl1|4}} ({{code|steam_legacy}} branch) and most standalone mods, see {{pcgw|Half-Life#OpenGL_overbright_lighting|Overbright lighting}} section in PCGamingWiki's Half-Life page for more information.{{Important|Please note that using DLL-based solutions in {{vac|4.1}}-protected multiplayer servers may result in a false positive ban. Use {{code|[[Command-Line Parameters|-insecure]]}} to disable VAC for local servers. This is not an issue for singleplayer, which is unaffected by VAC. Additionally, GPU driver hacks do not trigger VAC.}}}}
{{note|Even though the overbright was properly fixed with the 25th anniversary update and with the November 19 hotfix patch, which fixes the brightness issues after enabling overbright, along with another one that [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife/issues/3424#issuecomment-1822924828 fixed the underwater fog bug], models [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife/issues/3424#issuecomment-1823797137 may not be affected] by the overbright lighting.}}
}}
{{Bug|only=goldsrc|On some systems running {{win7|4|nt=3}} or later, the engine may suffer from extremely low frame rates during gameplay, especially on Intel iGPUs. {{workaround|<ul><li>Set the game ({{file|hl|exe}}) to "'''High Priority'''" in [https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-11/how-to-run-task-manager-on-windows-11-6-ways/m-p/2701239 Task Manager].<li>{{pcgw|Half-Life#OpenGL_overbright_lighting|Disable multitexturing}}.}}}}
{{Bug|only=goldsrc|Running any GoldSrc game other than {{hl|4}} over around 100-120FPS or higher can cause issues with movable objects (and prior to [https://steamcommunity.com/games/70/announcements/detail/1586880891220596672 October 8, 2019 update], NPC turn rate), being slower or faster. Player movements in {{cs|4}}, {{cscz|4}} and {{czds|4}}, after jumping, will be much slower than normal for few seconds. {{Note|NPC turn rate bug will remains existed on most older, non-standalone mods (which was made on a older version of GoldSrc/HL SDK) when loaded on current version of HL1 (or other GoldSrc games) that have this bug fixed unless the dlls file ({{code|hl.dll}} and {{code|client.dll}}) on the mod folder itself was renamed. But keep in mind that this method may breaks some mods and cause it to crash, or made several new additions such as new weapons, new NPCs, etc... from the mod stops working.}}}}
{{Important|<!--not a bug-->Creative EAX and Aureal A3D Audio are no longer supported since [[SteamPipe]] update in 2013. This also removes support for surround sound, and drastically impacts how certain [[DSP]] effects sound (such as buzzing noises on DSP's Weirdo 1-3). [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife/issues/38 A feature request about restoring EAX/A3D sound can be found at GitHub] (issue #38).{{workaround|Use MetaAudio; see the {{pcgw|Half-Life#Audio|Audio}} section on PCGamingWiki's Half-Life page for more information.{{Important|Please note that using MetaAudio in {{vac|4.1}}-protected multiplayer servers may result in a false positive ban. Use {{code|[[Command-Line Parameters|-insecure]]}} to disable VAC for local servers. This is not an issue for singleplayer, which is unaffected by VAC.}}}}}}
{{Important|<!--not a bug-->[[OpenGL]] mode is somewhat different from [[software mode]]. Furthermore, the wave effect on water does not work with software renderer. See [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v&#61;9jwDqjFaL4c patbytes's "Half-Life - A Look at Water" on YouTube]. Issue [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife/issues/2165 2165].}}
 
== Trivia ==
* The term "GoldSrc" comes from development of the [[Source]] engine. A few months before the release of {{hl1|1}}, the Half-Life engine's source code was split into two branches: {{mono|Src}} and {{mono|GoldSrc}}. The {{mono|GoldSrc}} branch was the [[Wikipedia:Gold master|gold master]] version of the codebase, and would be used for the proper release of the game. The {{mono|Src}} branch, comparatively, would be continually iterated upon, adding and changing features for use in [[Half-Life 2|the sequel]], with the term "Source Engine" eventually being picked up by marketing.{{cite|1}}


== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[Wikipedia:GoldSrc]]
* For information about converting GoldSrc content to the Source engine, see [[Porting GoldSrc content (maps, models, etc.) to Source]]
* [[w:GoldSrc|GoldSrc]] on Wikipedia
* [[Half-Life SDK|GoldSrc SDK (Half-Life SDK) Documentation]]
* [[GoldSrc SteamPipe Directories]]
 
== External links ==
* [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/halflife/ Source code + GitHub Issues] - bug reports and the GoldSrc source code can be found here.
 
{{References|1=
{{citation|cite id = 1|last=Johnson|first=Erik|archive-url = https://developer.valvesoftware.com/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Erik_Johnson&oldid=10088#GoldSource|title = User talk:Erik Johnson|date=1 September 2005l, 12:53|url=https://developer.valvesoftware.com/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Erik_Johnson#GoldSource|website=Valve Developer Community|access-date=31 July, 2025}}
{{citation|cite id = 2|title=Half-Life 25th Anniversary Update|url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/70/view/6941797379568863069|website=Steam|date=17 November, 2023|access-date=31 July, 2025}}
{{citation|cite id = 3|title=Relation between Paranoia & COF|url=https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Talk:Cry_of_Fear#PARANOIA_-%3E_Cry_of_Fear|website=Valve Developer Community|date=19 Feb 2024|access-date=31 July, 2025}}
}}{{Gs-branch-navbox}}
[[Category:Game engines]]


[[Category:Glossary]]
[[Category:Valve]]

Latest revision as of 16:36, 31 July 2025

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id Tech 2 id Tech 2 ▶ GoldSrc GoldSrc ▶ Source Source ▶ Source 2 Source 2

GoldSrc
"Powered by the Half-Life engine" logo used on some game boxarts.
Screenshot in-game of Half-Life, using the GoldSrc Engine.
Screenshot in-game of Half-Life, using the GoldSrc Engine.
Developer(s)
Release date(s)
November 19, 1998
Written in
License
Proprietary (source code available for non-commercial purposes)
Links
GitHub page
(SDK v2.5 source code & bug reports)
SDK v2.4 on GitHub (steam_legacy branch)
GoldSrc tutorials on TWHL
Successor

GoldSrc GoldSrc (also known as GoldSource, and formerly just the Half-Life Engine) is a 3D video game engine created by Valve in 1996. It was the driving force behind many famous games of the late 90s and early 00s, such as Half-Life, Team Fortress Classic, Counter-Strike, and Day of Defeat. GoldSrc is a heavily modified version of the Quake engine and runs on C++ (with some "C" code). GoldSrc and its level editor, Valve Hammer Editor, were released by Valve for public use, making it the source of countless community-made modifications.

GoldSrc was replaced by its successor, Source Source, in 2004, which currently holds first place as the choice engine for Valve modders. Though GoldSrc is past its prime, many gamers and some third-party developers still seek to use it for mods and level design.

The engine is actively being updated and maintained by Valve as of 2023, recently with the Half-Life's 25th-anniversary updates which increased the engine limits and fixed many bugs.

Screenshot in-game of Half-Life: Blue Shift, using stencil Shadows.
Screenshot in-game of Cry of Fear, which runs on a heavily modified version of GoldSrc.
Screenshot in-game of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, using detail textures and higher-definition player models.
In-game screenshot of Counter-Strike on Xbox.

Features

Todo: expand here or add links

Renderer

GoldSrc has two in-game renderers Software Renderer and OpenGL (previously three as Direct3D 6 support was removed in the 2013 SteamPipe Update) both renderers have differences.

  • Colored lighting - Quake simply had monotone lighting
  • Transparent textures - Glass can now be used in maps
  • Transparent Water
  • Water ripple
  • Water waves
  • Dynamic iris simulation - adjust screen brightness automatically. A feature similar to Source's HDR Rendering. (only in Counter-Strike (Xbox))
  • Texture Filtering - First introduced with GLQuake, a version of Quake that runs on OpenGL.
    • Anisotropic filtering (16x by default) supported since the 2013 SteamPipe update.
  • Skeletal animation - allowing for more stable animation of models, compared to the vertex animation in Quake
  • Higher poly counts - GoldSrc allows for far more detailed models than Quake
  • HD models - Higher polygon and texture quality for in-game models.
  • Detailed textures - Textures that are overlaid on a WAD texture to increase the perceived detail of the surface, without increasing texel size (which would result in using up more AllocBlock). Extensively used in Day of Defeat Day of Defeat since version 1.2 and Counter-Strike: Condition Zero Counter-Strike: Condition Zero.
Icon-Bug.pngBug:Detail texture rendering has been broken since the 25th Anniversary update.

Since 2013 SteamPipe Update

  • FBO renderer - A new method of rendering the game, which allows MSAA to work with GoldSrc engine. This also allows the game to run on fullscreen in a borderless window (which also makes Alt+Tab faster), and aspect ratio that are different from your monitors, for example, 4:3 on 16:9, will not be stretched to fill the black bars.
Note.pngNote:You can disable the new FBO renderer using -nofbo command line, note that this will also disable MSAA.
  • MSAA anti-aliasing - GoldSrc now natively support anti-aliasing, specifically, MSAA 4X, which is enabled by default on most modern hardwares. This will reduce the amount of jagged edges/staircases effect on the geometry.
  • Support for Anisotropic filtering - Increases visual quality of textures at steep angles to the camera. GoldSrc uses 16x Aanisotropic filtering by default, can be adjusted using gl_ansio[sic] console command.

Since 25th Anniversary

  • Widescreen "Hor+" FOV
    • Instead of cropping the image and reducing FOV when using widescreen, the image will be expanded.
  • Shaders support (OpenGL)
    • With shaders support, it also fix the issues with overbright lighting not working under OpenGL.
  • Dynamic Shadows
Note.pngNote:This feature was originally from Quake GLQuake. To enable Dynamic Shadows r_shadows must be set to 1

AI

  • AI flocking - NPCs can group together, seen with Houndeyes.
  • Scripted sequences - Used extensively to tell Half-Life's story.
  • Player Bots - play multiplayer offline with bots. (only in Counter-Strike: Condition ZeroCounter-Strike (Xbox))

Sound System

  • Use Miles Sound System middleware (since 2001)
    • Used for in-game voice chat feature, and later for MP3 playback (MP3 playback previously undocumented and unused on WON version but later used in Steam version of GoldSrc since 2003).
  • Supports MP3 (since 2003), WAV audio files, aswell as CD audio.
  • Hardware accelerated audio (A3D/EAX) - improves DSP sound effects (such as removing echo's buzzing noises), and add surround sounds support (Removed since 2013 SteamPipe update).
    • Requires Sound Blaster-compatible (or A3D-compatible) sound cards (but can be bypassed using workaround below).
    • While support for A3D/EAX was removed in most GoldSrc games since SteamPipe update (but can be restored using MetaAudio, which requires disabling VAC to work), there are some GoldSrc games that still support A3D/EAX. However, starting with Windows Vista or later, it requires an workaround to enable A3D/EAX audio.

UI

  • VGUI - Introduced in 2000 (Half-Life update 1.1.0.0), and used for displaying scoreboard (replacing the old Opposing Force-styled scoreboard) and later Steam Tracker (a predecessor to "Friends").
    • With VGUI and Tracker, it adds a in-game overlay (can be opened with F1) with two window called Half-Life Desktop and Tracker, allowing you to add/message friends or find servers to play. Tracker was replaced by Friends when Steam was launched in 2003, and eventually replaced by Steam Overlay in 2007. Most users at the time did not use Steam Beta and install Steam Tracker so players will see "Tracker Error: TrackerUI.dll invalid, not loading" appearing on the Developer Console.
  • VGUI2 - Introduced in 2003 update (Steam), Valve's custom GUI interface mimics most of the Windows controls. This will allow the game to switch between the game and the menu quicker, without switching resolutions to 640x480, which adds delay.
    • In early versions of Half-Life, as well as older versions of Steam before mid-late 2000s or 2010s, changing skins in the Steam client will also affect the VGUI in Half-Life and all other GoldSrc games.

Programming and Platforms

  • GoldSrc supports various platforms, such as Windows, macOS and Linux, aswell as consoles (PlayStation 2, Original Xbox).
  • All, or most of the engine code written on C/C++ using Visual Studio 2010, and 2019 (since 25th anniversary) or later.

Networking

  • Support for both LAN-based multiplayer and Internet-based multiplayer games
  • Steam Networking support
    • Added with the release of Half-Life 25th Anniversary Update.
    • Allows self-hosting using Steam Datagram Relay, meaning users can easily create joinable servers without port forwarding.

Tools

Other

  • In-game advertisements (Counter-Strike Counter-Strike, removed since SteamPipe) - Introduced in 2007.

Since 25th Anniversary

  • Increased engine limits - Valve has increased engine limitations, allowing for more entities and detailed maps.
  • func_vehicle entity support from Counter-Strike Counter-Strike
  • Native Steam Deck Steam Deck support
  • Steam Input support - Steam Input support was added, which allows the game to support more controllers and buttons. VGUI menu can be navigated using the controller.

Versions and forks

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Year Version / Game Company Features Base Notes
1998 - 1999 v1.0.x.x/SDK v1
Old WON		 Valve Valve Software Per-texture palettes
Colored lighting
Skeletal Models
Support for HW accelerated audio (EAX/A3D)		 Quake (id Tech 2) v30 .bsp, v10 .mdl
2000 - 2001 v1.1.0.x/SDK v2.0
New WON
Counter-Strike 1.0 - 1.3		 Valve Valve Software VGUI
Prediction-based Networking
Miles Sound System (since 2001)		 Old WON v30 .bsp, v10 .mdl
VGUI was introduced with May 25, 2000 update (1.1.0.0), used for new Scoreboard (replacing old Opposing Force/text-based scoreboard), and the console & chat font was also changed to be slightly bigger (plus removing the orange gradient on the font).
The netcode (originally from QuakeWorld), has been replaced or significantly updated in 2001, adding prediction-based networking.
2002 v1.1.0.9-v1.1.1.0/SDK v2.0
v1.0.1.4 (Steam Beta)
New WON & Steam Beta
Counter-Strike 1.4 & 1.5
Day of Defeat Beta 1.3		 Valve Valve Software VGUI2 (since 2002)
Steam Beta/Tracker (optional, since 2002)
VAC 1.0		 New WON v30 .bsp, v10 .mdl
In 2002, the late WON build around 1.1.0.9 was the first version to support Steam Beta (and Tracker). Most users at the time did not use Steam Beta and install Steam Tracker so players will see "Tracker Error: TrackerUI.dll invalid, not loading", however user was able to open Half-Life Desktop overlay by pressing F1, providing limited functionality (Resume and Quit game option only) for those who did not have Steam Beta installed. VGUI2 was also introduced at the same time with Steam Beta, and used for Tracker feature aswell.
2001 (leak)[Clarify] Dreamcast Captivation Digital Laboratories
Gearbox Software Gearbox Software		 Compressed model textures v1.0.1.3/SDK v1 v30 .bsp, v11 .mdl
2001 PlayStation 2 Gearbox Software Gearbox Software LOD models Dreamcast[citation needed] v40 .bs2, v10 .dol
2002 007: Nightfire Gearbox Software Gearbox Software Direct3D 8 renderer
MSAA support		 v1.1.0.x/SDK v2.0 (New WON)[citation needed] (For PC) v42 .bsp, v14 .mdl
Console version uses custom in-house engine while PC version uses heavily modified GoldSrc.
2003 Xbox Ritual Entertainment Ritual Entertainment
Turtle Rock Studios Turtle Rock Studios		 Improved lighting
Dynamic iris simulation (HDR-like brightness adjust)		 Counter-Strike: Condition Zero engine branch earlier version[citation needed] v30 .bsp, v11 .mdl, .sxwad format instead of wad
2003 Counter-Strike Neo engine branch Namco Heavily modified OpenGL Renderer
Native linux support		 v1.1.x.x/SDK v2.0
Confirm:only for ver.1

Counter-Strike: Condition Zero engine branch (ver.2)[citation needed]		 v30 .bsp, v10 .mdl [confirm]
2003 Day of Defeat Valve Valve Software Widescreen resolution support v1.1.x.x/SDK v2.0 v30 .bsp, v10 .mdl
2003 Steam Valve Valve Software
Turtle Rock Studios Turtle Rock Studios
Gearbox Software Gearbox Software[citation needed]
Ritual Entertainment Ritual Entertainment		 Detail textures (since 2004)
Steamworks (replaces WON)
Steam Friends
VGUI on Main menu & Console
VAC 2.0 (since 2005)		 v1.1.x.x/SDK v2.0[confirm] v30 .bsp, v10 .mdl [confirm]
Starting with this version, game files are no longer packaged inside .pak files, and instead either stored directly on filesystem, or stored in .gcf files prior to SteamPipe.
This version is compatible with most games/mods built on WON/Retail version (many speedrunners often use 2001 WON client/server.dll on 2005 version of Half-Life).
Note.pngNote:* - Initially at launch, Steam Friends is a instant messaging feature, allowing player to chat with friends, or play minigames (Parlor Games) with friends. Later it was updated in January 2006 with Friends v2 (aka Friends Beta), which removes Parlor Games and relies on newer Steam API. The Friends menu option was later removed around Agugust 2007 as Steam Overlay (released at the same time with the launch of Steam Community) replaced most of it's feature.
The first version of Friends no longer works as the old Steam server for this version was offline, while Friends v2 still partially works with latest Steam client, but buggy (message will only shown on Steam client and will not appear in-game).
2013 2013 SteamPipe (SDK 2.4) Valve Valve Software Linux and Mac support
FBO renderer
MSAA (4X) support
Removed support for EAX/A3D surround sound and Direct3D 6 renderer
Removed support for Quake MDLs (2019).		 Steam v30 .bsp, v10 .mdl
GCF has been removed and game files are now placed directly on the filesystem after SteamPipe.
2013 Cry of Fear engine branch Cry of Fear engine branch Team Psykskallar Improved Paranoia's OpenGL Renderer Steam/Paranoia HLSDK fork Paranoia HLSDK fork[3] v30 .bsp, v10 .mdl [confirm]
Heavily modified, and based on pre-SteamPipe version.
2016 Svengine Svengine Sven Co-op Team AngelScript
FMOD audio (restores EAX/surround sound features)
Extended engine limits		 2013 SteamPipe v30 .bsp, v10 .mdl
Significantly modified with extended engine limits and scripting using AngelScript.
2023 25th anniversary, aka HL25 (SDK 2.5) Valve Valve Software Increased engine limit
Steam Input
Shaders
Steam Networking
High-DPI support for VGUI
Widescreen (Hor+) FOV
WebM		 2013 SteamPipe v30 .bsp, v10 .mdl
Introduced with Half-Life 25th Anniversary Update, fixing various bugs and increased engine limit. The HLSDK was later updated with code introduced with said update.

Half-Life SDK

Main article:  Half-Life SDK
Todo: when were SDK 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 released?

As of August 2013, it is available on Steam Steam under the "Tools" section. With it comes Hammer 3.x Hammer 3.4, the 3ds Max sources for many cut and retail NPCs as well as player and weapon models, tools for packing textures into WADs, and detailed documentation on implementing baseline features such as voice chat into a mod.

The full source code for Half-Life SDK (2.5), which contains changes from Half-Life 25th anniversary update, can be found on Valve's GitHub Page. Source code for previous version (SDK 2.4) can be found here.

Note.pngNote:Hammer 3.x Hammer 3.5 is the final GoldSrc-only editor released by Valve and can be downloaded separately, such as through the Sven Co-op Sven Co-op SDK.

Products using GoldSrc ViewDiscussEdit templatePurge

This is the list of games that uses the GoldSrc GoldSrc engine.

Officially Licensed

Click here to edit this list.
Year Title Developer(s) Publisher(s) Platforms Notes
1998 Half-Life Half-Life Valve Sierra Entertainment (retail)
Valve (digital) 		PC: Windows, Mac, Linux
Console(s): PlayStation 2, Dreamcast (cancelled) 		First official game to use the GoldSrc engine.
The macOS Mac port (for Mac OS 9, OS X on PowerPC systems) by Logicware was originally cancelled in 2000 before it's was silently released for Intel Macs running OS X/macOS in 2013 by Valve.
The game received a major update in November 17, 2023, for it's 25th anniversary, which fixes tons of bugs, added new maps and content and increased engine limits.
1999 Half-Life: Opposing Force Half-Life: Opposing Force Gearbox Software, Valve PC: Windows, Mac, Linux First official expansion for Half-Life Half-Life.
Team Fortress Classic Team Fortress Classic Valve PC: Windows, Mac, Linux Remake of Quake mod, Qtf-16px.png Team Fortress in GoldSrc engine.
2000 Counter-Strike Counter-Strike Valve Sierra Entertainment (retail)
Valve (digital) 		PC: Windows, Mac, Linux Originally was an Half-Life mod, it was later available to purchase separately from Half-Life. The game later become popular when it was released and kick-start several tournaments involving Counter-Strike games.
Gunman Chronicles Gunman Chronicles Rewolf Entertainment Sierra Entertainment PC: Windows
Ricochet Ricochet Valve Valve PC: Windows, Mac, Linux
2001 Deathmatch Classic Deathmatch Classic PC: Windows, Mac, Linux
Half-Life: Blue Shift Half-Life: Blue Shift Gearbox Software, Valve Sierra Entertainment (retail)
Valve (digital) 		PC: Windows, Mac, Linux
Console(s): Dreamcast (cancelled) 		Second official expansion to the original Half-Life, as well was set hours earlier and during the event of Half-Life. Players play as Barney Calhoun, who later returned in Half-Life 2 series.
Half-Life: Decay Half-Life: Decay Gearbox Software Sierra Entertainment Console(s): PlayStation 2 Half-Life last expansion, exclusive to PlayStation 2. An unofficial port of Half-Life Decay for PC developed by Hoaxer, was released in 2008.
James Bond 007: Nightfire James Bond 007: Nightfire Gearbox Software (PC) Electronic Arts PC: Windows, Mac (PowerPC) Highly modified engine with MSAA support (up to 8X) and Direct3D 8 (DX8). The console version was developed by Eurocom and uses an entirely different engine.
Is the only GoldSrc game to be ported to PowerPC-based Mac (Half-Life port to PPC Mac was cancelled).
2003 Day of Defeat Day of Defeat Valve Activision, Valve (digital) PC: Windows, Mac, Linux
Counter-Strike (Xbox) Counter-Strike (Xbox) Ritual Entertainment, Turtle Rock Studios Xbox Game Studios (formerly Microsoft Studios) Console(s): Original Xbox
Counter-Strike Neo Counter-Strike Neo Namco Namco PC (Arcade)
2004 Counter-Strike: Condition Zero Counter-Strike: Condition Zero
Condition Zero Deleted Scenes Condition Zero Deleted Scenes 		Valve, Ritual Entertainment, Gearbox Software, Turtle Rock Studios Sierra Entertainment, Valve (digital) PC: Windows, Mac, Linux Last Valve game to be developed on GoldSrc engine (CS Online and Nexon Studio does not count).
2008 Counter-Strike Online Counter-Strike Online Valve, Nexon Nexon PC: Windows Free to play game based off Counter-Strike: Condition Zero Counter-Strike: Condition Zero with micro-transcations and skins, as well as many other game modes like Zombies.
This version doesn't require Steam, and is only available in Asia. The console commands has been restricted to only some commands to prevent cheating and other exploits.
2012 (Mod)
2013 (Steam) 		Cry of Fear Cry of Fear Team Psykskallar Team Psykskallar PC: Windows Runs on older (pre-Steampipe), but highly modified version of GoldSrc (Steam 2003-2012, while using Paranoia OpenGL renderer), featuring better graphics. Standalone mod.
2014 Counter-Strike Nexon Counter-Strike Nexon Valve, Nexon Nexon PC: Windows Last officially licensed game to use the GoldSrc engine. Worldwide (America, Europe) version of Counter-Strike Online Counter-Strike Online. Originally called as Counter-Strike: Nexon Zombies.
1999 (Mod)
2016 (Steam) 		Sven Co-op Sven Co-op Sven Co-op Team Sven Co-op Team PC: Windows, Mac, Linux GoldSrc was later forked into Svengine since version 5.0, which was slightly different than GoldSrc, and has support
for Hor+ FOV, better audio via FMOD, and so on..., as well as increased engine limitations.
Sven Co-op is a co-op mod that allows you to play Half-Life Half-Life, it's expansions and other single player campaigns with multiplayer.
Year Title Developer(s) Publisher(s) Platforms Notes


Modifications

Todo: Document modifications once hosted on Valve's mod master server and what's currently on Steam to download.
Todo: Some of these mods had beta releases prior to their 1.0 release. We may want to document that too.
Click here to edit this list.
Year Title Developer(s) Platforms Notes
1999 USS Darkstar Black Widow Games PC: Windows
Redemption Maverick Developments PC: Windows An updated version, Absolute Redemption, was released in 2000.
2000 They Hunger Black Widow Games PC: Windows
Wasteland Half-Life Wasteland HL Team PC: Windows
Adrenaline Gamer Adrenaline Gamer Team PC: Windows
Firearms The Firearms Team PC: Windows
WANTED! WANTED! Maverick Developments PC: Windows
Front Line Force Front Line Force Team PC: Windows
Heart of Evil Heart of Evil Team PC: Windows
2001 BuzzyBots The BuzzyBots Team PC: Windows
Vampire Slayer Vampire Slayer Team PC: Windows
2002 Desert Crisis DC Team PC: Windows
Natural Selection Natural Selection Unknown Worlds PC: Windows
The Specialists The Specialists Team PC: Windows
Earth's Special Forces Earth's Special Forces Team PC: Windows
2003 The Wastes The Wastes Team PC: Windows Successor to Wasteland Half-Life.
Project was revived and released in 2018 on FTE FTE and FreeCS FreeCS/Nuclide
Action Half-Life Akimbo Team Productions PC: Windows
2004 Science and Industry Science and Industry Team PC: Windows
The Trenches The Trenches Team PC: Windows
2005 Zombie Panic! Zombie Panic Team PC: Windows
2006 The Battle Grounds Battle Grounds Team PC: Windows
Digital Paintball Digital Paintball Team PC: Windows
2007 Paranoia Paranoia Paranoia Team PC: Windows Features modified OpenGL renderer for better graphics, downside of this is that the custom OpenGL renderer file "opengl32.dll" may get deleted by the game when launching any GoldSrc game outside Paranoia or prevents the player from playing multiplayer (due to VAC VAC, which might also ban users for custom dlls file).
2015 Headcrab Frenzy! Crystice Softworks PC: Windows, Linux
2020 Halfquake Trilogy Philipp Lehner PC: Windows
Digital Paintball Redux DPB Redux Dev Team PC: Windows
Half-Life: Absolute Zero Half-Life: Absolute Zero Cobalt-57 PC: Windows
2023 Half-Life: MMod Half-Life: MMod MMod Team PC: Windows, Linux
2024 Half-Life: ESCAPE 2.0 RETROtastisch PC: Windows
Delta Particles Yuri Epifantsev PC: Windows
Year Title Developer(s) Platforms Notes

Specifications

Engine Limits
Limits GoldSrc Pre-25th GoldSrc Post-25th Xash3D Xash3D Svengine Svengine
Maximum number of dynamic sound channels 8 32 64 N/A
Default max number of server entities (MAX_EDICTS) 900 1200 600 - 8192 8192
Absolute max number of server entities (via liblist.gam edits) 2048 2048 8192 N/A
Maximum number of temporary entities (MAX_TEMPENTS) 500 N/A 300 - 2048 N/A
Maximum number of particles (MAX_PARTICLES) 4096 N/A 1024 - 131072 N/A
Maximum number of beams (MAX_BEAMS) 64 N/A 64 - 512 256
Maximum number of visible entities in the package (MAX_VISIBLE_PACKET) 256 1024 2048 N/A
Maximum number of pre-cacheable models and sprites (MAX_MODELS) 512 N/A 1024 (4096 in FWGS) 8192
Maximum number of pre-cached sounds (MAX_SOUNDS) 512 N/A 2048 4096
Maximum number of entries to read sentences made up of sentences (MAX_SENTENCES) 1536 2048 4096 N/A
Maximum number of user messages (MAX_USER_MESSAGES) 128 N/A 191 N/A
Max number of loaded textures (MAX_TEXTURES) 2048 N/A 4096 (8192 in FWGS) N/A
Max number of GL textures (MAX_GLTEXTURES) 4800 10000 4096 (8192 in FWGS) N/A
Number of messages titles.txt (MAX_MESSAGES) 1024 N/A 2048 N/A
Maximum size of indexed textures 512х512 512x512 8192х8192 N/A
Maximum size of full color textures 512х512 512x512 8192х8192 N/A
Maximum number of models on the map (MAX_MAP_MODELS) 256 N/A 768 (1024 in FWGS) 4096
Maximum number of map leafs (MAX_MAP_LEAFS) 8192 N/A 32767 65536
Maximum number of entities per packet (MAX_PACKET_ENTITIES) 256 1024 256 512
Maximum number of spans (software renderer geometry limit) 3000 6000 N/A Removed
Maximum number of surfaces (software renderer geometry limit) 2000 4000 N/A Removed
Maximum number of edges (software renderer geometry limit) 7200 14400 N/A Removed

Bugs and Limitations

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This article or section needs to be updated to include current information regarding the subject because:
Half-Life 25th Anniversary Update fixes a lot and breaks other stuff.
Remember to check for any notes left by the tagger at this article's talk page.

Use GitHub in order to prevent duplicate or outdated bug reports at the wiki.

Icon-Bug.pngBug:Various GoldSrc non-standalone mods has been broken with the recent Half-Life Half-Life update, as part of its 25th anniversary. Some of these games would crash on startup with Visual C++ error.
Other games like Team Fortress Classic Team Fortress Classic was also affected, but appears to work almost perfectly fine aside from HUD scaling fixes were non-functional. And another one such as Counter-Strike Counter-Strike, which has been fixed to support the 25th anniversary update, may have other problems and issues that can crash the game. Additionally, mods that use custom OpenGL renderer (such as Paranoia Paranoia (non-Xash3D version) and older version of Cry of Fear Cry of Fear, etc...) will be also crashed on startup aswell (Issues #3710).
PlacementTip.pngWorkaround:To temporarily fix this, select the beta branch steam_legacy on Half-Life (and in some games such as Counter-Strike) by going to Half-Life > Properties... > Betas > select steam_legacy. Once those games has been fixed, you can opt out by set the beta branch to "None".
  [todo tested in ?]
Icon-Bug.pngBug:Overbright lighting (gl_overbright 1) is broken due to an OpenGL extension used for multi-texturing, which is required for the detail textures used by Counter-Strike: Condition Zero Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, Day of Defeat Day of Defeat, and some third-party mods.
This make the color less saturated and lighting much less brighter, as well as introduce chromatic aberration on brightly lit lightmaps.
The issue was fixed in the 25th anniversary update, which deprecated the gl_overbright 1 in favor of gl_use_shaders 1. However, there are more issues that was yet to be fixed with the new overbright lighting.
This issue can be also found on GLQuake, but for different reasons.
PlacementTip.pngWorkaround:To fix this for the older version of Half-Life Half-Life (steam_legacy branch) and most standalone mods, see Pcgw icon.png Overbright lighting section in PCGamingWiki's Half-Life page for more information.
Icon-Important.pngImportant:Please note that using DLL-based solutions in VAC VAC-protected multiplayer servers may result in a false positive ban. Use -insecure to disable VAC for local servers. This is not an issue for singleplayer, which is unaffected by VAC. Additionally, GPU driver hacks do not trigger VAC.
Note.pngNote:Even though the overbright was properly fixed with the 25th anniversary update and with the November 19 hotfix patch, which fixes the brightness issues after enabling overbright, along with another one that fixed the underwater fog bug, models may not be affected by the overbright lighting.
  [todo tested in ?]
Icon-Bug.pngBug:On some systems running Windows Windows Vista or later, the engine may suffer from extremely low frame rates during gameplay, especially on Intel iGPUs.
PlacementTip.pngWorkaround:
  [todo tested in ?]
Icon-Bug.pngBug:Running any GoldSrc game other than Half-Life Half-Life over around 100-120FPS or higher can cause issues with movable objects (and prior to October 8, 2019 update, NPC turn rate), being slower or faster. Player movements in Counter-Strike Counter-Strike, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Condition Zero Deleted Scenes Condition Zero Deleted Scenes, after jumping, will be much slower than normal for few seconds.
Note.pngNote:NPC turn rate bug will remains existed on most older, non-standalone mods (which was made on a older version of GoldSrc/HL SDK) when loaded on current version of HL1 (or other GoldSrc games) that have this bug fixed unless the dlls file (hl.dll and client.dll) on the mod folder itself was renamed. But keep in mind that this method may breaks some mods and cause it to crash, or made several new additions such as new weapons, new NPCs, etc... from the mod stops working.
  [todo tested in ?]
Icon-Important.pngImportant:Creative EAX and Aureal A3D Audio are no longer supported since SteamPipe update in 2013. This also removes support for surround sound, and drastically impacts how certain DSP effects sound (such as buzzing noises on DSP's Weirdo 1-3). A feature request about restoring EAX/A3D sound can be found at GitHub (issue #38).
PlacementTip.pngWorkaround:Use MetaAudio; see the Pcgw icon.png Audio section on PCGamingWiki's Half-Life page for more information.
Icon-Important.pngImportant:Please note that using MetaAudio in VAC VAC-protected multiplayer servers may result in a false positive ban. Use -insecure to disable VAC for local servers. This is not an issue for singleplayer, which is unaffected by VAC.
Icon-Important.pngImportant:OpenGL mode is somewhat different from software mode. Furthermore, the wave effect on water does not work with software renderer. See patbytes's "Half-Life - A Look at Water" on YouTube. Issue 2165.

Trivia

  • The term "GoldSrc" comes from development of the Source engine. A few months before the release of Half-Life, the Half-Life engine's source code was split into two branches: Src and GoldSrc. The GoldSrc branch was the gold master version of the codebase, and would be used for the proper release of the game. The Src branch, comparatively, would be continually iterated upon, adding and changing features for use in the sequel, with the term "Source Engine" eventually being picked up by marketing.[1]

See also

External links

References

References
1. Johnson, Erik (1 September 2005l, 12:53), User talk:Erik Johnson. Valve Developer Community. Archived from the original. Retrieved on 31 July, 2025.
2.  (17 November, 2023), Half-Life 25th Anniversary Update. Steam. Retrieved on 31 July, 2025.
3.  (19 Feb 2024), Relation between Paranoia & COF. Valve Developer Community. Retrieved on 31 July, 2025.
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