Details for the First Animation Update for Half-Life Alyx No-VR Coming October 2023 news

What will this update include?

Our first major animation update will include a lot, so let's break it down in a list and we will get into more details about all these additions throughout the article. So here is what you can expect:

➡️ Alyx’s arms and hands fully modelled and animated
➡️ Weapon firing animations for all 3 weapons
➡️ Weapon idle animations for all 3 weapons
➡️ Reload & draw animations for all 3 weapons
➡️ Upgrades for all 3 weapons
➡️ Visually see each upgrade as you add each one
➡️ Updated HUD
➡️ Bug fixes and other updated game wide
➡️ Multi-tool (maybe…this may not make the cut for this update)

Not every animation we want to include in the game will be part of this first update. We focused on ensuring the weapons were ready to go first. For example, the health stations work and are animated but Alyx does not reach out her hand when using it, that will remain the same with this update but future animation updates will include those non-gameplay essential animation flourishes that add to the immersion but are not essential for gameplay. We have a long list of those types of animations we want to add but this update focuses on weapons.

Alyx's Arms and Hands

Overall, the biggest part of this update will be Alyx's arms and hands. No more floating guns, Alyx will now hold all weapons in her hands in different ways depending on the weapon. Note that Valve created these weapons to be held with one hand in mind or bracing it with your second hand. So we have used those natural ways players held the weapons in VR to inspire how these positions should look in game as well. The arms and hands have been created from the ground up by the team, with only the weapon models being carried over from Half-Life Alyx directly.

Exploring City 17 with Alyx's arms and hands using her various weapons really makes a huge difference to the experience. If it is your first time playing Half-Life Alyx No-VR then it is the perfect time to play! Returning players will find a lot of amazing animation updates along with game-wide updates and bug fixes we will outline later in this article.

Weapon Firing and Idle Animations

We wanted to provide each weapon with a weight and feel when firing them that gives the player a sense of feedback that is satisfying. From recoil, how the weapon ejects casings, how Alyx braces the weapon a bit more when its firing and all those little details that make these animations bring the entire experience together. The immersion that these animations will bring to the game will be a massive improvement for all players.

We have assembled an amazing team of animators, both new to animating and some that have been animating Half-Life weapons for years! Please take the time to check the credits and give these amazing animators some praise and thanks, along with our entire development team!

Reload and Draw Animations for Weapons

Even the quickest animations, where blink and you miss it, are so important in the collective identity of a weapon. How it behaves, how Alyx holds it, how she draws it and more. These animations are extremely important as well, and we wanted to ensure all the basics were covered for all 3 weapons for this update.

As always we love to provide some behind-the-scenes looks at how this all happens, so above are some shots of the weapons, hands and arms being rigged to work together by our amazing animators. Recently withoutaface became our Animation Team Lead as well, congratulations!

We also intend to add as many "fun" animations that we can which the Half-Life games are known for. An example of this would be a curious Gordon Freeman sticking his finger at a Snark in the original Half-Life. These may not make the October 2023 update but rest assured there are other updates to come after this one where more of these animations will be added.

Weapon Upgrades from Combine Fabricators

Combine Fabricators are where Alyx/players upgrade their weapons throughout their adventure in City 17. These have been functional and working for awhile in the released version of our game, however now they will properly add each upgrade as a visual attachment on the weapon. This gives each weapon a brand new visual identity by the time they are upgraded and is a great visual representation of the players work digging for resin, along with the upgrade functionality too of course!

These upgrades make Alyx's weapons stronger and more versatile to use, with our animators and 3D modelers adding their own touches to these models for flatscreen gameplay.

Updated HUD and other Game-Wide Additions (Bug Fixes etc)

While our amazing animation team has been at work (we just had new talented animators join including MTB and LIL PIF that you may know from other Half-Life mods) our other developers have been adding and updating many other parts of the entire game.

The entire experience is already playable from beginning to end credits and beyond, however we will continue to enhance the experience. For example the health HUD is now entirely animated with the 3 hearts just like in the VR version! Check out the video and GIF below!

The flashlight has also seen some updating, with it now casting shadows on all props, enemies, dead bodies and other things around the environment!

These additions and updates, along with other bug fixes and tweaks will mean that this will become the best way to play Half-Life Alyx without VR like never before! This includes things like viewmodels not clipping into the environment, updates to physics and other enhancements to things we don't want to spoil!

Multi-tool aka the "Alyx"

The Muli-tool or the "Alyx" as Russell and Alyx have called it, is fully animated and in game, however it is not fully functional in being able to open locked combine containers and doors and used with toner puzzles. This is something we are hoping to get in for the October 2023 launch but if we cannot it will still be accessible through the game's console to find and play with. It will become one of the top items for the next animation update if it doesn't make this one!

If we do decide to delay the Multi-tool to the next update, be assured it is to ensure it is ready for use by our players and in the best and most stable shape for use in game for its various functions.

Release Date

We are committed to a release in October 2023 but do not have a final day at this time. We will be releasing another article on ModDB along with a new trailer to announce the final date in the coming weeks! Thank you again to all our players, we continue to near the 100k players of our No-VR mod and we know many have been waiting for this animation update to finally play. Get ready to dive in for the first time or replay this amazing Half-Life story again with these amazing updates!

Animation Update Teaser Trailer!

As one last thing, here is a short teaser trailer showcasing the pistol, shotgun and SMG in action! Thank you again to all our amazing fans around the world!