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Source Engine
Game production
Short description
In this series, the most popular and well-known game engines in the computer game industry are introduced. This article is about the development history and features of the Source Engine.
About the engine
The Source Engine is the game engine of the US game developer Valve. It is considered the successor of the "Half-Life" engine "GoldSrc". The programming language used is based on C++ and the development platforms are Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, PlayStation and Xbox. In 1999, the development of the source engine began and lasted for 5 years. The first release of the engine took place in June 2004 together with the release of "Half-Life: Source". In 2010, further development was largely discontinued and the Source Engine 2 was released. The most famous games based on the engine are probably "Portal", "Portal 2", "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive", "Titanfall", "Apex Legends" and many more.
Features and technologies
In the following, the most important features and technologies that the engine uses and supports are presented in more detail.
Modeling and animation
The Source Engine has a wide range of modeling and animation features. These include, for example, the realistic simulation of musculature and advanced lip synchronization for character models. An integrated modeling function in the form of a plug-in facilitates the work of artists and significantly improves their workflow. The engine also features a skeleton animation system and a facial animation tool.
Environment
One of the trademarks of the Source Engine is probably the so-called "Hammer Editor". Generally speaking, it is used for the creation of "source maps" and the construction of the level architecture. In addition, the individual levels are compiled and executed here. The "VMPI tool", which was released in November 2007, significantly reduces the time required for the creation of entire maps. Another special feature of the engine is the integrated "3D Skybox".
Physics
The physics system of the Source Engine is composed of two different modules. On the one hand, there is the "VPhysics System", which was derived from the "Havok Physics" Engine. This enables a physically accurate simulation of props and objects within the game world. On the other hand, the "QPhysics System" is used for the player and NPCs. The code of the system is largely based on the source code of the "Quake Engine".
Miscellaneous
Other notable highlights of the Source Engine include a sophisticated AI system for NPCs, a full "DSP system", surround sound support, and the "Sound Resource Browser" within the "Hammer Editor".
Source Engine 2
The Source Engine 2 was completed in August 2014 along with the "Dota 2 Workshop Tool". In March 2015, the engine was finally unveiled to the public at the GDC. The "Source Engine 2" features several innovations compared to its predecessor. On the one hand, the "Hammer Editor" was completely revised and a modern "Polygon Mesh Edit" tool was added. On the other hand, the latency time as well as the audio and speech processing could be improved significantly. Furthermore, the engine supports "DirectX 11" and "Vulkan" and is suitable for creating VR games. In addition, Valve's in-house physics engine "Rubikon" has been integrated.
Conclusion
Many well-known game series like "Half-Life" or "Counter Strike" were created with the help of the Source Engine. The sophisticated AI system of the NPCs and the "Hammer Editor" are particularly impressive.
Questions & Wishes
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