[HL2] With HDR set to "none" some levels lack all lighting/shadows. Additionaly after playing such a level, previously good looking levels exhibit the same behaviour.

[d00m3d]

Bare with me as I explain how to reproduce this and what causes this.

The steps:

Start HL2.
Set HDR to None or Bloom (if available).

New Game -> Point Insertion. Everything looks fine.
Esc.
New Game -> A Red Letter Day. Everything looks fine.
Esc.
New Game -> Route Kanal. Everything looks fine.
Esc.
New Game -> Water Hazard. Everything looks fine.
Esc.

New Game -> Black Mesa East. Looks horrible.

Esc.
New Game -> Try the maps that previously looked fine; Point Insertion or A Red Letter Day or Route Kanal or Water Hazard. Suddenly they look horrible too!

The issue: With HDR turned off in some levels the lighting / shadows are missing. The levels in question; the first maps of Black Mesa East, Highway 17, Sandtraps, Nova Prospekt, Entaglement. There are probably more maps, I only checked the first one of each chapter. After loading such levels, if one attempts to load one of the normal looking levels, the lighting / shadows will be missing from those as well.

The reason: I believe these levels have not been compiled with LDR. Only HDR. Currently HL2 has some levels compiled with HDR that cause this issue and others with LDR that cause issue #572

The solution: I have a solution for fixing the lighting on the levels that DID look ok, until you launched a map that has this issue. Open the console and type: mat_fullbright 0

The plea: Ideally Valve should compile both LDR and HDR versions of the maps, so that they both look great in HDR without messed up skyboxes (#572) and be playable in LDR. Alternatively remove LDR altogether?

Win7 x64, GTX 460 user.

[stevethepocket]

That's weird. I would have thought they can't use a map that's compiled with only HDR lightmaps, because the LDR version is used in tandem to create the fade-in/fade-out effect.

But yeah. I heard people talking on the forums about it, and finally figuring out that the LDR lightmaps were missing on most of the maps, because they had copied over the maps from the Xbox 360 version, where HDR is always on. They need both versions for every map, even if it means a major increase in hard drive requirements. Judging by how small Episode One is, especially compared to Episode Two, I have to wonder if it too is missing its LDR lightmaps...

[McMasterGold]

I can confirm this happens when I switch off HDR. When HDR is on, the issue is gone too.

[niobium93]

This happens to me too both in linux and windows. Would be nice to see this fixed as soon as possible.

[spinktvis]

Confirmed as well. Additionally, for example in d1_eli_1 / Black Mesa East, were the screenshots are from in the OP, it is also missing the detailprops like grass and reed. in the entire map.

I would appreciate if Valve can recompile all the maps with the proper HDR (since a lot of the so called HDR maps are missing HDR completely, for example d1_trainstation_1) and LDR switches so this and a lot of other issues related to this can be fixed once and for all.

[stevethepocket]

I'd appreciate it more if they'd make sure it also fixes #632. Well, I would have appreciated it much, much more if they'd dealt with both those issues before the game came out of beta, so Windows users wouldn't be stuck downloading two huge updates in a row.

[ghost]

Hello, is someone working on this bug?

It start's on Black Mesa East but everything back to normal when I restarted game on Junkyard. But after Ravenholm, brightness is always on maximum like on screens in first post. Now I'm on Coast and I quit - it's impossible to play.

Some tips are working like mat_dxlevel 90; mat_hdr_level 2; mat_hdr_enabled; mat_fullbright 0. But on EVERY level (or after death) problem are all over again and sometimes codes from line above not working.

I've buyed HL2 on Steam but I feel cheated - people wrote about this bug from loong time on Steam Forum or here on Github, but bug still exist. Did anyone working on this or Valve stop patching serious bugs and don't care about this issue after all?

Intel HD 2500 on Lenovo B570e, Linux Fedora 20, drivers up to date. It seems that bug is cross-platform, Windows or Linux, problem is somewhere in game.

[ghost]

This affects me too. April 2017 year.

[cruizba]

This error happens to me in January 2019 :(

[ghost]

Still present as of the latest update. Use this fix until the game is patched:
https://gamebanana.com/maps/165807

[stevethepocket]

It can also be fixed by just playing Half-Life: Update instead. Valve really dropped the ball by accepting that mod onto Steam instead of just pushing it out as an actual update to the game.

[rataje]

God really, with Filip Victor's Update version everything is fine but using normal hl2 destroys my game in d2_coast_01 completely! All previous bug fixes were completely pointless. I don't know what people had, but this lightmap problem is still there. Ridiculous!

[GiovanH]

Experiencing the same issue.

[severthesestrings]

Ugh, I can't believe this has been a bug this long.

Anyways, here is a list of all maps in HL2 stuck at full bright with HDR off
d1_eli_01
d1_town_05
d2_coast_01
d2_coast_03
d2_coast_04
d2_coast_05
d2_coast_06
d2_coast_07
d2_coast_09
d2_coast_11
d2_prison_01
d2_prison_02
d2_prison_03
d2_prison_05
d2_prison_06
d2_prison_07

[LudiCruz-Liam]

Can confirm this still exists in the current DXVK beta branch, might have a chance now to notify some devs.

[niobium93]

@LidiCryz-Liam what DXVK beta branch? I don't see that in the betas section of the games properties?

[LudiCruz-Liam]

@niobium93 it's part of the standard 'beta' updates branch for each HL2 based game. Updates are likely being worked on for the upcoming release of the Steam Deck.

[megakarlach]

As of 2024, this was after the Steam Deck update was released. Still not fixed. HL2 was last updated in Nov 17, 2023.