Source engine's next upgrade.

So, i was wondering, how would empires look with the new source engine that will come out with EP2?
The guys at HL2world got their hands on the GDC particle benchmark, and it's running on a newer build, and contains, dynamic shadows,self shadowing and some other cool features!
Pictures:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/LaCabra/particle_benchmark0002.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/shadowtest0006zve.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/shadowtest000877u.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/shadowtest0035b2l.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/shadowtest0039ng0.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/shadowtest0067d6d.jpg
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w306/Tuskin38/gm_construct0009.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v124/JoshuaC/d2_prison_020001.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v124/JoshuaC/d2_prison_020002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v124/JoshuaC/d2_prison_020003.jpg

So yeah,I think that some game play changes are coming.

 

It's about time they added those things. I hope they completely rebuild the engine, so we don't have to fucking compile EVERYTHING we want to use. It will be a performance drag, but they can do it. It's been done before, many times.

 

Meh, it's not like I'll be running games at 16xAA, ultra-high resolution textures, HDR, and at 1280x720 :/

 

I just hope the system specs don't rise. I also hope they at least include options to set the detail & effects back to looking like the current Source engine if the specs do rise a bit.

 

Sounds good, I just hope they add soft shadows by the final build.

 

ONly complaint is the shadows from the vort and the stained glass lights are to sharp. Looks like the shadows are drawn black. Need to be bleared and defused slightly like the others. I wonder though. Will this work with the original HL2 game as in a engion upgrade or will it have to be compiled in map like HDR?

 

It will work just like the last engine upgrade, and there is no HDR in HL2.

 

They do have soft edged shadows there..
it's not the newest build any ways, and they still have a lot of time to upgrade it.

 

I'm going to get a new computer again, it seems.

 

I've been planning on a Core2Duo/Quad (or maybe a Xeon) and an 8800 GTS/GTX soon anyway...but the Source Engine has generally been pretty efficient, and I hope Valve follows this trend.