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Portal 2 engine branch: Difference between revisions

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(I was wrong. Tactical Intervention is indeed based on Portal 2 engine, modified one at that (for example, no VPK, no Valve Server Plugin, etc))
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[[File:Portal_2_-_Screenshot_6.jpg|340px|thumb|Improved shadow mapping in {{p2|1}}.]]
[[File:Portal_2_-_Screenshot_6.jpg|340px|thumb|Improved shadow mapping in {{p2|1}}.]]
[[File:Sp_colo_tbeam_paint0241.jpg|340px|thumb|Blob particles in {{p2|1}}.]]
[[File:Sp_colo_tbeam_paint0241.jpg|340px|thumb|Blob particles in {{p2|1}}.]]
The {{portal2branch|4}} was introduced with {{portal2|1}} in 2011. It was forked from the {{l4dbranch|2}} between {{L4D}} and {{l4d2}}, with some elements added on from the {{asbranch|2}} (which it succeeded). It was superseded by the {{csgobranch|2}}. With the release of Portal 2, this marks the first time Source engine was ported to {{ps3|1}}, since the release of {{tob|1}}.
The {{portal2branch|4}} was introduced with {{portal2|1}} in 2011. It was forked from the {{l4dbranch|2}} between {{L4D}} and {{l4d2}}, with some elements added on from the {{asbranch|4}} (which it succeeded). It was superseded by the {{csgobranch|2}}. With the release of Portal 2, this marks the first time Source engine was ported to {{ps3|1}}, since the release of {{tob|1}}.
{{Note|{{csgo|1}} used to be on the branch that debuted with it, but as of {{cs2|1}}'s official release, which upgraded the game to Source 2, and renamed CS:GO to Counter-Strike 2, this make Portal 2 engine branch the latest Source 1 branch with newest features (alongside {{tf2branch|1}}) that still being actively maintained by Valve.}}
{{Note|{{csgo|1}} used to be on the branch that debuted with it, but as of {{cs2|1}}'s official release, which upgraded the game to Source 2, and renamed CS:GO to Counter-Strike 2, this make Portal 2 engine branch the latest Source 1 branch with newest features (alongside {{tf2branch|1}}) that still being actively maintained by Valve.}}


Revision as of 09:40, 24 June 2025

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Portal 2 engine branch
In-game screenshot of Portal 2, running on Portal 2 engine branch.
In-game screenshot of Portal 2, running on Portal 2 engine branch.
Developer(s)
Release date(s)
April 18, 2011
Forks
Titanfall branch Titanfall branch (heavily modified)
Improved shadow mapping in Portal 2.
Blob particles in Portal 2.

The Portal 2 engine branch Portal 2 engine branch was introduced with Portal 2 in 2011. It was forked from the Left 4 Dead engine branch Left 4 Dead engine branch between Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, with some elements added on from the Alien Swarm engine branch Alien Swarm engine branch (which it succeeded). It was superseded by the CS:GO engine branch CS:GO engine branch. With the release of Portal 2, this marks the first time Source engine was ported to PlayStation 3, since the release of The Orange Box.

Note.pngNote:Counter-Strike: Global Offensive used to be on the branch that debuted with it, but as of Counter-Strike 2's official release, which upgraded the game to Source 2, and renamed CS:GO to Counter-Strike 2, this make Portal 2 engine branch the latest Source 1 branch with newest features (alongside Team Fortress 2 branch) that still being actively maintained by Valve.

Features

New since the Alien Swarm engine branch Alien Swarm engine branch is:

Improved shadow mapping
The entity env_projectedtexture is significantly improved. Compared to previous implementations, it has higher default resolution, better edge filtering and support for the caching of shadows from static objects.
Video playback on materials
Added support to render Bink Video in-game on surfaces, used for elevator screens in Portal 2.
Blob particles
A particle renderer that renders blobs of liquid, used for paint gel in Portal 2. A similar blob particles system are originally present in Source 2007 or Source 2009, but was disabled in code.
World portals
World portals that can seamlessly link together separate parts of the world. This feature is exclusive to this engine branch.
Sound operators
For defining complex audio behaviour.
Finished water debris flow
The base texture water flow feature from the Alien Swarm engine branch has been finished, with flowed normals now distorting color lookup and the flow map's alpha channel controlling color map opacity.

Tools

Hammer new features
DotA Camera - restrict the camera to be in the DotA orientation and distance from the ground. Likely included because Valve likely used Portal 2 Hammer to create Dota 2 maps (during it's development), or simply was mistakenly (or for whatever reason) backported to Portal 2 Hammer.

PS3 exclusive features

Official PS3 Support
PS3 is now officially supported by Valve. Unlike the PS3 port of The Orange Box The Orange Box, which was outsourced to Electronic Arts (EA), which ended up suffering from occasional frame drops and other technical issues as Valve had difficulties utilizing the SPEs cores on the PS3 at the time. The PS3 version of Portal 2 takes advantages of SPEs cores on the RSX processor, allowing for better performance. Of little use to modders, needless to say.
MLAA anti-aliasing
Post-processing effect used to reduce stair-step (aliasing) effect on geometry and transparent textures, while having less performance impact compared to MSAA.
Steam integration (Steamworks)
PlayStation 3 version of Portal 2 Portal 2 features Steam integration. Achievements are synced with both PSN and Steam, and PS3 users were able to complete co-op levels with Steam friends. Steam services on PS3 were shut down in 2016.
PlayStation Move support
Portal 2 on PS3 supports PlayStation Move motion controller.

Availability and usage

List of games that runs on Portal 2 engine branch.

A third-party, heavily modified version of this engine used for Titanfall & other games by Respawn Entertainment, called the Titanfall branch Titanfall branch, is also available, and it is used on the following games:

Source code and SDK Base for these branches is not available. However, authoring tools exist for custom content.

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