Since we’re talking about Valve, we’ll only believe it when we see the game in action. The team seems to dislike the number three.

In the video below, Tyler McVicker discusses the significant updates Valve has made to Deadlock and DotA 2. These updates include more changes to the Source 2 engine than we’ve seen in years for the HLX project. Some of these changes strongly suggest that the project is nearing completion. For example, one of the new changes is a complete rewrite of the save and load system. This allows the state of any entity within the game world to be edited in the save file. No other Source 2–powered game has this feature, not even Half-Life: Alyx, used a system ported over from the previous version of the engine. This addition may not sound significant, but it is. Rewriting such a basic system from scratch is usually part of the polishing phase at the end of development.

They also added three new player “flags” that determine if the player cannot be saved, is driving a vehicle, or is in a vehicle driven by an NPC. These are generally additions made toward the end of development, so it looks like work on the rumored Half-Life 3 project is nearing completion. However, just because work on HLX may be nearing completion doesn’t mean that the game will be announced by Gabe Newell’s company any time soon.

Meshlets have been supported. Surface features with attributes specifically related to vehicle-based gameplay have been modified. Player and NPC transportation by vehicle has also been changed. There is a system that simulates electrical interactions, similar to systems that allow elements to be flammable and materials to deform. This system can electrify surfaces and props. There is also an improved vision and hearing system that allows enemies to better detect the player. Additionally, there is a wind system that interacts with volumetric fog and elements based on flammability. This system is linked to a fan system that allows wind to move players, NPCs, and objects…

Given the extensive work on the HLX project, rumored to be Half-Life 3, it’s clear that Valve is working on something. But when will Valve announce it?

Source: WCCFTech