A little over four years ago, we wrote an article to announce that version 2.0 of a little community-made ‘mod’ going by the name ‘Half Life 2: Update‘ had been released in response to Valve’s infamous 2010 Mac update that brought a weak implementation of HDR (High Dynamic Range) to Half Life 2 and an insane number of crippling bugs.

Half Life 2: Update fixed many of those bugs – unofficially – and enhanced many of the HDR effects in the vanilla game and just today, the lead developer Filip Victor has announced that the third and final iteration will be released for free on Steam this Friday, March 27th.

Is your map looking a little bit flat? Does it need that extra zing? Then High Dynamic Range can help you add that warm glow to your creation.

HDR is a subtle effect; a simple explanation is that is the effect of your eyes adjusting to a dark room after being in the bright outside. This means that darker areas will be darker initially, and will then rise to a brightness level more suited for interior gameplay. This dynamic balance of brightness adds contrast to your map, meaning an overall brighter and vibrant experience.