Half-Life 1’s impressive ray-traced mod gets a trailer

Half-Life 1 is one of the most beloved PC shooters, but its massive polygons and low-resolution textures may not appeal to first-timers today. Fortunately, modder Sultim_T has created a mod that adds ray tracing to the game, and it’s definitely worth a look.

If you’re not familiar with ray tracing in retro games, this feature essentially replaces the game’s built-in lighting with dynamic rays that dramatically alter the game’s visuals. You can see the difference for yourself in the release trailer above, which also showcases new reflective weapon models and improved water effects. Weapons containing heavy particles such as the Gluon Cannon and the Tau Cannon have also been visually improved.

It’s worth noting that most players who missed Half-Life 1 the first time around should probably check it out Black Mesa, a fan-made remake that completely rebuilds the game from the ground up. However, if you have an RTX card and are interested in a more traditional experience – given that Black Mesa makes significant changes to many parts of the game, especially the final Xen levels – check out this mod. If you want more GoldSrc action, check out modern Half-Life mods like Half-Life: Echoesor a work-in-progress project that attempts to represent a mission pack developed by Gearbox Blue shift to the Black Mesa engine.