Hello everyone, Welcome to Fall, and a Black Mesa beta patch post! We have pushed a build to public-beta that includes a bunch of fixes to some lingering issues, and WAY better Linux/Steam Deck support. ___________________________________________________________________

Highlights

• Improved game start up for a smother first time launch and improved stability
• Fixed an issue that caused the game to crash to the menu when changing video settings during gameplay
• Fixed performance issue with moving wires (Thanks to npc_pigeon, narkvic, and the community)
• Re-added DXVK for Windows as a launch option
• Significantly better native Linux implementation and Steam Deck support

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Detailed Patch Notes

Windows:

• Reintroduced DXVK support on Windows.
• Upgraded DXVK to version 2.4.1 and removed the redundant custom Vendor ID from the configuration file.
• Improved the Qt runtime setup in the Windows Launcher to preload necessary libraries for ANGLE if needed.
• Restored throttling policies and their application to game processes under power management.
• Updated the launcher icon on Windows

Platform independent:

• Resolved an issue that caused the settings to crash due to concurrent exclusive access to the internal game save file during gameplay.
• Fixed the missing "_back" cable texture set, addressing visual inconsistencies.
• Thanks to npc_pigeon, narkvic, and the community for their efforts in identifying the solution. These additional files effectively mitigate the engine's error messages about missing VMT files, enhancing overall performance in scenarios featuring moving ropes. This is particularly noticeable during the rocket elevator sequence in "On A Rail."
• Aligned the Vertex Format in the Skin GBuffer shader with that of the Prop GBuffer shader to ensure consistency across shaders handling similar data.
• Updated backup code for statically lit bump-mapped props, ensuring that props are marked as non-statically lit if the static lighting checksum does not match, preventing lighting artifacts.
• Recompiled all Inbound Tram models using the newer Studio Model Compiler to resolve tangent-related issues and improve visual fidelity.
• Enhanced the Job Pool to support more than 16 threads, optimizing performance for multithreaded tasks.
• Updated DX Support Autoconfig to align Intel/AMD GPUs with NVIDIA, ensuring that the game launches at 1080p by default instead of a low 4:3 resolution like 640x480.
• Introduced functionality to automatically run auto-configuration if the configuration version differs, ensuring that every installation reconfigures itself on the first launch after an update.
• Addressed various issues within the game, resulting in improvements in several areas. Feedback from players who opted into previous beta tests indicates that the sporadic crashing they experienced has been resolved.

ToGL/Linux:

• Updated ToGL/Linux shaders with the latest GBuffer changes to ensure the application of up-to-date rendering techniques.
• Cleaned up the shadow filter state in ToGL/Linux, resulting in more accurate and stable shadow rendering.
• Migrated ToGL/Linux to use the OpenGL 3.3 Compatibility Profile, enhancing compatibility with a broader range of hardware and driver configurations while maintaining access to modern OpenGL features.
• Introduced an optional experimental Binary Shader Cache for ToGL/Linux, accessible via the -glusebinarycache command line option on Linux and native Steam Deck builds, which improves shader load times on supported platforms.
• Resolved a half-pixel halo issue in the ToGL/Linux rendering pipeline, improving visual accuracy in rendered scenes.
• Added per-triangle and optional per-vertex validation for studio models to resolve issues in ToGL/Linux related to static and dynamically lit models. A second pass for per-vertex validation can be enabled via the +r_studio_validate_vertices 1 command line argument.
• Improved lighting buffer quality on ToGL/Linux to resolve a red hue in specular highlights, ensuring consistent visual output across platforms.
• Added a missing window icon on ToGL/Linux to address a minor visual issue.
• Configured default arguments for the Linux launcher to optimize display settings on Steam Deck, ensuring a better out-of-the-box experience for AMD/Intel GPU users.
• Fixed debug assertions in Havok that leaked into the release build on Linux, preventing potential crashes during runtime.

Proton/Linux:

• Forced the shipped DXVK configuration on Proton if no overrides are provided, enhancing compatibility with Proton 9.x and newer versions.

Tools:

• Implemented proper support for mirrored UVs in the Studio Model Compiler, ensuring that newly compiled meshes do not introduce visual bugs due to incorrect tangent data.

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What We Need Help With

• Is the game getting flagged by any antivirus (Such as BitDefender)?
• On AMD GPUs (7 Series) is the game still crashing on public-beta when players go underwater? We have not been able to replicate it on a number of machines with AMD GPUs, and people who have switched to our new test branch have not had the crash happen! Please file a support log on Discord if you touch the water in Unforeseen Consequences and the game crashes
• How is Steam Deck and Linux Working? Is the out of memory crash still happening?

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Troubleshooting Virtual Desktop Installed

If you have Virtual Desktop and the game will not launch, please try the following:

• Check for a Windows update
• Validate the game files
• Install the following redistributables:

MSVC 2013

• https://download.microsoft.com/download/2/E/6/2E61CFA4-993B-4DD4-91DA-3737CD5CD6E3/vcredist_x86.exe
• https://download.microsoft.com/download/2/E/6/2E61CFA4-993B-4DD4-91DA-3737CD5CD6E3/vcredist_x64.exe

MSVC 2013 Update

• https://download.microsoft.com/download/C/C/2/CC2DF5F8-4454-44B4-802D-5EA68D086676/vcredist_x86.exe
• https://download.microsoft.com/download/C/C/2/CC2DF5F8-4454-44B4-802D-5EA68D086676/vcredist_x64.exe

DirectX Redistributables:

• https://download.microsoft.com/download/1/7/1/1718CCC4-6315-4D8E-9543-8E28A4E18C4C/dxwebsetup.exe

The game should now launch on the regular desktop. ___________________________________________________________________

Launch Options

Some information on the launch options and what they do. Black Mesa Default - This is the main option for people to use. This launch option uses DirectX 9C to render the game, and uses DirectX 11 to render the menus. Splitting the way we render the game gives a bit more performance, and gives us more support for rendering the menus. Black Mesa No Workshop - This will not mount workshop content to help rule out issues or crashes. Note: it is not foolproof. The best way to rule out mods causing issues with the game is by uninstalling the game, deleting local files for Black Mesa in the Steam directory, unsubscribing from mods, then reinstalling the game. Black Mesa DXVK - Renders the game through the DirectX to Vulkan conversion layer. This is a good option for certain cards that do not have great DirectX9 support. Note: Some issues are not 100% solved. Windowed fullscreen still acts as regular fullscreen It is possible to lose your mouse while in the menu. Pressing the console button (`) twice will fix this Black Mesa DX9 Fallback - There may be a situation where a specific hardware setup needs to be run in full DX9 (for both the game and UI in DirectX 9). We included this as a launch option to make troubleshooting even easier. Intel Arc Cards We have been testing on an Intel A750. The game seems to run fine on the card, but for some reason the new UI does not draw. You can hear the buttons when you roll over them with the mouse, but it is not displayed on screen. We will look into this to get the game 100% on Arc cards, but for the short term use -oldgameui as a launch command and let us know if there are any other issues that appear on Arc cards. ___________________________________________________________________

Known Issues

• The monitor in AM is displaying four screens again :(
• DXVK Windowed full screen still acts as regular full screen
• In DXVK, it is possible to lose your mouse while in the menu. Pressing the console button (`) twice will fix this
• Linux does not have sun lens flares

The best place to post feedback is in the Discord server so that our community manager, Cybrfox, can sift through it and get it to us for fixes! Thank you for all your support. Happy Halloween!