Mutli Core: Increase to overall performance using Valve’s hybrid multi-core architecture providing the resources where needed, when needed.

Water Effects: flowing water visualized through normals and flow maps.

Physics: Derived from Havok Physics, A CPU only physics model that is network-enabled and bandwidth-effiecient.

Networking: Uses a Lag compensated client-server architecture for fluid online gameplay.

HDR: High Dynamic Range rendering was added in Half-Life: Loast coast.

Rendering: through both Direct3D and OpenGL which allows it to function on most platforms.

MDL is still used as the complied model format and has some small differences.

Hammer continues to be used to develop maps.

VPK (introduced with L4D) is used to store the files for some games with many small files. Since the introduction of steampipe their new content distribution system files are downloaded to a common folder directly and a. GCF which made the loading of many small files easier to manage. VMF (Valve map file) which is a text based format and is similar to its spiritual successor. vmt (Valve material file) which is a text file describing how a Texture is to be rendered. VTF (Valve texture file) which is typically accompanied by a. They also introduced their own texture format based on Targa called. WAD for texture loading and storage but rather opted for an easier Materials folder system.

BSP as its compiled map format however it is a newer version and is not backwards compatible. Since Source was originally forked from Goldsrc it should come as no surprise that Source retained many of Goldsrc’s Features and toolsets.

Source engine sdk flowmaps water