Source Engine Aesthetics is a museum of level design vibes from 2004 to 2022 | PC Gamer - sullivandeards

Source Engine Aesthetics is a museum of level invention vibraharp from 2004 to 2014

An image from half-life 2 mod Snowdrop Escape

(Pictur credit: SDE Dev Team, Valve)

What do Sinning Episodes, Dark Messiah of Mightiness and Magic, and Pirates, Vikings, and Knights 2 have in common? They're all Source engine games, which substance that even though they have wildly different art styles, they somehow all look like Source engine games.

Identifying a game's engine is kind of like identifying what kind of paint was secondhand: Even if they're very dissimilar from each other, two oil paintings both aspect like oil paintings, non acrylics or watercolors. The effect is comfy to see via Chirrup account Source Locomotive Esthetics, which was created by Dusk developer David Szymanski. He's on a commission to collect painting screenshots from the Source geological era of mods and games, as well as close to general dreamscapes.

Crippled: Dark Messiah of Might and MagicBy: Arkane Studios pic.twitter.com/29LiykGbpoMarch 8, 2021

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The shots of mainstream games are long-familiar, though still enjoyable to see again. And there are some surprises—Ravenholm doesn't look as memorable as I cerebration IT would.

The mods are where there's a really interesting diversity of ideas on exhibit, even if what you see is mostly the unvarying One-half-Life story 2 textures and models. It's in how those components are used that the creators express themselves.

Mod: Snowdrop Escape (Incomplete-life 2)By: SDE Dev Team photo.twitter.com/qtVrWeCUWzMarch 2, 2021

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A Half-liveliness 2 map called Insurrection that @duxworth was running on spinal column in 2007 with roughly friends. He unfortunately discovered girls, and the map was never finished 😛 photograph.twitter.com/54NF6UHteSMarch 6, 2021

There is real gift in roughly of these old maps: Get you seen the Warcelona safari for Left 4 Dead 2, which faithfully recreates famous locations in Barcelona? I hadn't and IT's awing:

plaça espanya and montjuic from warcelona press for l4d2 pic.twitter.com/MON5nPOpQ1March 1, 2021

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the amount of detail is tall pic.twitter.com/R6GbPsegayMarch 1, 2021

On that point's an embarrassment of other fascinating talk about and imagery connected the account. If you're on Chirrup, you can follow @sourcepics.

Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in scheme games. When he's not on his PC, he can be constitute performin every tabletop game under the solarize.