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The easiest to use and most flexible NoVR mod for Half-Life: Alyx! This mod allows you to play Half-Life: Alyx without a VR headset, not needing specialized drivers or anything like that. It allows you to play the game in any way and anywhere you like from beginning to end! We developed the only NoVR mod that allows you to play in a very easy way, with many VR interactions preserved in some form for a flat screen.



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Report issues and follow the project development on GitHub


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YouTube Channel with Gameplay Videos: Youtube.com



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Twitter Account: Twitter.com


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Join the Discord: Discord.gg



Credits - GB_2 Development Team

Team and Projects Led by GB_2 - Twitter.com

Project Management, Steam Deck Version and Motion Controls by Spider-Man - Twitter.com

Development Support by Esdras Tarsis - Twitter.com

Discord Server Management by ITz TarekInnit and syph0 - Youtube.com

Scripts for Other Mods Created by Hypercycle - Github.com

Animation Lead, HUD, Development Support and more by withoutaface - Github.com

Animation and 3D Modelling by Jake, Demonic, Seal, UnearthlyGoose, MTB and LIL PIF

Art and Banners by norosetoday and Matteo (previously 50percentJoe) - Twitter.com

Video Editing by beats343

Launcher and Main Menu Animated Backgrounds by Half-Peeps - Youtube.com



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Happy New Year!

The team has put together a year wrap up of development and since the mod began its development this year, it will chronicle development since the very beginning to now!

We were honoured to have found out today that we were part of Lambda Generation's Favourite Mods List of 2023, check out their video below and if you haven't joined their amazing community do so today!

Video from Lambda Generation on YouTube "Our Favourite Mods from 2023"


We are also so thankful to have won single-player mod of the year and ranked 4th in the players choice mod of the year here on ModDB but will talk about that more below. This mod began in March 2023 making it only 9 months old! We have come a long way as a team and the mod itself, and we cannot thank you all enough for your support.

Major Milestone and ModDB Awards!

We reached a major milestone with downloads now reaching OVER 100 000 DOWNLOADS between ModDB and GitHub. This is a massive milestone and we are so happy that we can now say that we have helped over a hundred thousand Half-Life fans experience this entry in the series.

moty


The Mod of the Year awards on ModDB for 2023 was a huge success for Half-Life Alyx NoVR and was a massive morale boost for the team. The mod won two major awards:

Editor's Choice - Singleplayer Mod of the Year

Player's Choice - 4th Best Released Mod of the Year


The mod was also highlighted by the ModDB team under the Q1 Review of 2023, that article along with the other award articles are listed here:

We cannot thank our fans and the hard working people behind ModDB for their support, votes, feedback and kind words. Without such an amazing community backing us we would not be where we are today! Thank you all again so much! Peace and love!


March 2023 - The Start of it All

This is the month that the mod began its development with the first video uploads becoming available and a public open source GitHub repository for the mod. Half-Life Alyx also marked its 3 year anniversary of release this very same month. After 3 years with no mod released yet for Half-Life fans without VR, NoVR became the first, but unfinished, to release an alpha version of the mod with the aim at first to allow players to play it fully from start to finish.

On March 12, 2023 the first video would be uploaded to YouTube with the mod fully open source to all, that video can be found below, remember this is an old video showing the first days of the mod.

On March 12, 2023 the first video was released to YouTube and the mod available open source


The mod would finally make its debut on ModDB after a few weeks of only being on GItHub, as the team wanted to get it in a better spot before pushing it to a much larger platform. We will be listing all the articles we have published here on ModDB at the end of each month and linking to them so you can delve deeper into early development if you never had a chance to read them.

Article #1: March 28th, 2023



April 2023 - Maintaining Momentum

In April 2023 the mod would complete its first goal of allowing players to complete the game from start to finish, no need to noclip, all interactions and scripted events intact, the entire Jeff fight playable and more. While many interactions and such were omitted and floating guns were used at this time, all of that would change in the coming months.

As we became the first NoVR mod to achieve this goal, we became the number one most popular mod on ModDB (it is not easy knocking STALKER Anomaly off that perch) and have regularly been the number one Half-Life mod. As our mod requires a copy of Half-Life Alyx (a full price game) it does have a higher price of entry compared to Source 1 mods. So we appreciate everyone is purchasing a copy from Valve but trusting us to give them a flatscreen experience players expect.

Of course as the mod became extremely popular with many outlets covering our progress and helping spread awareness that the game was now accessible without VR. PC Gamer, Ars Technica, Polygon and many more showcased our mod to the world! Some of these articles are listed below, please note these articles are discussing a much older version of the mod.

April was an extremely busy month as the team continued to push forward and ensure the story could be completed from start to finish with as many interactions preserved.

During this month we saw the team expand and many new additions added to the game, including toner puzzles! The team also started working on a Launcher for the game to make installation and regular updates easier for players. Half-Peeps, a popular Source Filmmaker YouTuber, worked with us to use some of their Half-Life Alyx environmental videos as backdrops for the Launcher and possibly in game in the future if a proper Source 2 SDK would be released.

Subtitles were also improved in this build and enhanced, and since the game comes with many languages by default, has become a great way to play the game no matter what language you speak.

Video from May 2023 showcasing these latest additions from the team that month


Article #6: May 3rd, 2023



Summer 2023 - Animation Team Assembles

As the summer months began, more polish and bug fixes would be pushed to the mod on a regular basis. However, the next challenge for the team was now in sight, viewmodel and animation development for Alyx's arms, hands and weapons. Slowly our animation team was formed with no easy task in front of them. As noted already, there is no Source 2 SDK, so while creating models and animations in external programs like Blender is easy, porting them into the game so they aren't a broken mess that don't work is a monumental task. There are still some things that we are having trouble fixing, such as animation loops overlapping, which are major milestones we intend to reach in 2024.

It was during these summer months that Alyx's arms and hands began to take shape, along with her gravity gloves and the weapons she would use in her fight against the Combine. We showcased what we were working on during these months and promised a major animation update before the end of 2023.

This was now the main focus for the team, the floating guns had to be replaced before the end of the year!

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The first early looks at Alyx's arms, hands and weapons being implemented


Article #7: July 2nd, 2023


Article #8: August 29th, 2023



September 2023 - Prepare for Launch

On August 29th, 2023 we had announced that the first major animation update would release in October 2023 but had not yet finalized a date. In late September we provided our release date of October 27th, 2023. This first update helped establish the foundation of how we can properly implement new animations and viewmodels into Source 2. It was a major milestone for the team and we aim to add more animations and improve ones based on your feedback.

The team continued to work on animations, fix bugs, playtest and ensure the update would include as many new updates as possible for players! Not only animations and models but a new HUD with animated hearts like in the VR version, an updated flashlight that casts shadows, Alyx's multi-tool was added to the game and many other new additions.

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Seeing Alyx's Muti-tool in game for the first time was a treat for the team!



October 2023 - Animation Update Launch

All this hard work on establishing the animation foundation would be released on October 27th, 2023. This would be the largest single update the team would push in 2023, a massive undertaking with no SDK.

That major update released this month not only included the new viewmodels and animations but also had so much more:

  • Alyx’s animated arms and hands
  • Firing, idle, reload and holster animations for all weapons and grenades
  • Upgrades for all weapons that can be visually seen with each enhancement
  • Combine Fabricator changes for easier use by the player
  • Reflex sight upgrades highlighting enemy weak points
  • Dedicated inspect button
  • Additional toner puzzles added throughout the game
  • Enhanced flashlight
  • Updated HUD with 3 animated hearts (not available on Steam Deck)
  • Fixes to the Jeff and Strider encounters for a smoother gameplay experience
  • Other bug fixes and updates throughout the entire game
  • Multi-tool (can be equipped and is animated but currently not functional)

With a new HUD, pockets, toner puzzles, viewmodels, weapon upgrades and so much more the game was now even closer than ever to achieving as much parity as possible with the VR version. One thing was for sure, there was no mod like ours, while there are many projects out there by mod teams that bring flatscreen experiences to VR (just look at the excellent work done by the teams who brought Half-Life 2 and its episodes to VR) there are not many teams doing it the other way around like we are.

Launch Trailer for the Animation Update


The team is immensely proud of what they achieved so far and as we started to head into the end of 2023, the mod was now sitting at a solid 0.5 version.

Article #9: October 27th, 2023



November 2023 - Feedback and Updates

November found the team reviewing all feedback, bug reports and more from the animation update. Pushing many updates and fixes that would help fix some of the things players wanted to see adjusted either from animations or gameplay. The team worked hard to push numerous updates to ensure player feedback was implemented in a timely manner.

Another major update that would be pushed this month is a brand new main menu, along with the usual bug fixes and stability improvements throughout the game. We also helped celebrate Half-Life's 25th anniversary this month with a special 25th anniversary update to go along with a sale of the game itself too.

New Main Menu launched near the end of 2023


Article #10: November 18th, 2023



December 2023 - Awards and the Future

December 2023 was a very busy month, we talked earlier in the article about awards which happened this month as well so let's focus on the other exciting updates in December! The month continued with new updates to the game weekly and a new playtester role for the Discord server, bringing us a new small team of playtesters that can review updates before we push them out. Most updates for the mod will be fairly substantial moving forward, with more moving pieces, so we will be doing more playtesting on a private branch of the GitHub repository, before placing it on the Main branch for all to access. This will ensure better quality control as we start moving towards a 1.0 version hopefully by the end of 2024.

This month also brought accolades to the team from a variety of outlets, along with ModDB that we covered earlier in the article, along with great coverage on YouTube such as:

Half-Life Alyx NoVR Showcased by Tyler McVicker in December 2023


YouTuber Jovapex put together an amazing showcase of what the mod can do!


FPS YouTuber ZlimBratSki Co-Streamed a Live Event and Giveaway with us for the mod in December!


2023 started in March for the mod and from beginning to end the year was filled with a lot that the team is proud of. As mentioned before we are working with no Source 2 SDK, converting a VR game to flatscreen and many other challenges that Source 1 mods simply do not have to work against, along with the relatively new nature of Source 2 as well. Despite all that we continue to break new ground in Source 2 modding and it is your enthusiasm, feedback and passion that keeps us going. We are proud to say we are the most successful Source 2 mod on the planet!

The updates won't be stopped as we released more gameplay features in the last days of 2023 and already have more ready for 2024. The end of 2023 had a lot of updates added, such as helmets now being wearable, with masks coming next as one of the first updates for 2024.

Wearable helmets are available now with masks coming soon in early 2024!


We also added all the weapon upgrades for you to use, they just don't have animations attached to them at this time, which is how things worked before when we had floating guns. So the last two weapon upgrades are experimental and available now. We also solved many softlock issues with the pockets which we added once again at the end of the year.

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The next major update is to add the final weapon upgrades along with their animations


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The shotgun with all its upgrades in action!


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The shotgun is devastating fully upgraded and at close range


Another update coming in recently over the holidays that you might have missed is a full update to the Steam Deck controller layout via Steam Controller Configuration tools. If you got a Steam Deck as a gift then you could play Half-Life Alyx NoVR anywhere you like!

HLASteamDeck3


The Steam Deck and Controller layout for the mod is now the 2.0 version with these latest additions:

  • Sprint and crouch are now toggled actions (this can be modified like any part of this layout)
  • Buttons for using items in your pockets added
  • Adjusted touchpad and analog stick aiming sensitivity
  • Grab and use objects clicking the right touchpad and slide to aim - great for using the gravity gloves
  • Tertiary weapon mode with dedicated button added
  • Toggle gyro aiming in layout options with custom sensitivity settings
  • And many more changes!

As always, modify this layout however you like, it is a great foundation for a controller setup as well like an Xbox or Playstation controller.

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Details for the Steam Deck and Controller Layout Version 2.0 on Steam


Moving ahead into the new year, our main goals for 2024 include:

  • Making the final 6 achievements attainable with NoVR
  • Animations and final adjustments to the final weapon upgrades
  • Addition of more toner puzzles throughout the entire game
  • Preliminary prototype of the locker puzzles
  • Additional animations such as Alyx's hand on the health station, injecting a syringe and more
  • Map edits to ensure smooth locomotion on all maps without getting caught on items
  • Improved weapon sway and movement along with snappier ADS speed
  • And much more!

As noted we intend to aim for a 1.0 release by the end of 2024, so most major parts of the project should wrap up by the end of the year. This is all tentative and of course it could take longer, but based on the first 9 months of development we should be on track.

Of course after the 1.0 release the team will continue to support and update the mod, and it being open source from the beginning means anyone can branch off and continue the project in whatever way you please!

Internally the team has been thinking about two major things, a new name for our game development studio and what our next project will be. At this time we know it will be an immersive sim using the Godot engine and will be a fully fledged independent game. Don't expect any other news about that next project until 2025 or beyond.

For a final treat here is a comparison of day one of the mod to how it looks today:

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Half-Life Alyx NoVR as it looked as of March 12, 2023 (Half-Life 2 arms, weapons and HUD)


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Half-Life Alyx NoVR as it looks today January 1st, 2024 (Custom arms, hands, gloves, HUD Pockets UI and more!)



If you have any detailed questions about the mod we have updated our FAQ with these latest details from this update, so if you have any in-depth questions please check the FAQ at this link here:

HALF-LIFE ALYX NOVR FAQ


Thank you again to all our players!


Half-Life Alyx by Valve Software

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Editors Choice - Mod of the Year 2023

Editors Choice - Mod of the Year 2023

Feature 25 comments

Welcome to the Editor's Choice awards for the 2023 Mod of the Year Awards, where we show recognition to the mods from the past year that we've found to...

Players Choice - Mod of the Year 2023

Players Choice - Mod of the Year 2023

Feature 21 comments

The voting period for the Top 100 mods has closed, and it's now time to announce the winners of the 2023 Mod of the Year Awards, as chosen by you!

2023 Modding Year In Review - Quarter 1

2023 Modding Year In Review - Quarter 1

Feature 9 comments

Check out our breakdown of the top modding headlines from January to March 2023!

New Mod Updates - Alyx's Pockets are Back! Final Days for Mod of the Year Voting!

New Mod Updates - Alyx's Pockets are Back! Final Days for Mod of the Year Voting!

News 2 comments

We have pushed new updates that add Alyx's pockets back into the game, fixing the previous issues, along with various other updates including fixes to...

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HLA NoVR Launcher Installer (June 22nd, 2024)

HLA NoVR Launcher Installer (June 22nd, 2024)

Full Version 13 comments

We have created a new easy installer (Windows only) for the launcher with all kinds of new fixes and improvements!

[OUTDATED] Half-Life Alyx NoVR - Manual Install (December 27th, 2023)

[OUTDATED] Half-Life Alyx NoVR - Manual Install (December 27th, 2023)

Full Version 5 comments

We have pushed new updates that add Alyx's pockets back into the game, fixing the previous issues, along with various other updates including fixes to...

Half-Life Alyx NoVR - Steam Deck (December 27th, 2023)

Half-Life Alyx NoVR - Steam Deck (December 27th, 2023)

Full Version 2 comments

THIS VERSION IS FOR STEAM DECKS ONLY AND REQUIRES A MANUAL INSTALL We have pushed new updates that add Alyx's pockets back into the game, fixing the previous...

[OUTDATED] Half-Life Alyx NoVR - Launcher (December 27th, 2023)

[OUTDATED] Half-Life Alyx NoVR - Launcher (December 27th, 2023)

Full Version 50 comments

We have pushed new updates that add Alyx's pockets back into the game, fixing the previous issues, along with various other updates including fixes to...

Half-Life Alyx NoVR - Launcher - Linux - Beta (December 27th, 2023)

Half-Life Alyx NoVR - Launcher - Linux - Beta (December 27th, 2023)

Full Version 1 comment

THIS VERSION OF THE LAUNCHER IS FOR LINUX ONLY AND WE ARE STILL TESTING IT We have pushed new updates that add Alyx's pockets back into the game, fixing...

Half-Life Alyx NoVR - Steam Deck Version (December 1st, 2023)

Half-Life Alyx NoVR - Steam Deck Version (December 1st, 2023)

Full Version 2 comments

A brand new update for the mod specifically for the Steam Deck! This includes all the latest updates that the regular version has except for the new Main...

Post comment Comments  (0 - 10 of 207)
YaeMiko
YaeMiko - - 68 comments

Maybe it has been reported already, but if not:
Unless loading from autosaves (after dying etc), it is likely for scripting to break.
Shotgun is missing the sights mod as well, but I presume that it is not implemented yet. Haven't tried any other upgrade for it yet as I focus on Alyx's pistol.

These 2 things aside, thank you for all the work that has been put into this mod.

Edit:
Really likes to crash upon death as well.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
HECUmarine108
HECUmarine108 - - 110 comments

For some reason whenever I use the wearables, the gas mask just covers part of the screen with an orange "error" sign.

It's not game breaking or anything aside from obscuring the player's vision, but the construction helmet does not have this issue. Although the gas mask still works in the Jeff chapter, it disappears whenever it gets removed whereas the helmet doesn't.

Just a minor issue I have, but the rest of the game is fine.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
Guest
Guest - - 698,127 comments

how to play with addons?

Reply Good karma Bad karma+2 votes
Guest
Guest - - 698,127 comments

is there way to disable the version name on the bottom left corner?

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
Guest
Guest - - 698,127 comments

please make it possible to start a new game with an addon

Reply Good karma Bad karma+2 votes
Alexasha
Alexasha - - 12 comments

Silly question but still. Is the whole story mode playable start-to-end right now? Or should I wait until the mod is fully released?

Reply Good karma Bad karma+3 votes
Unknown_Illuminati
Unknown_Illuminati - - 22 comments

Yes, fully playeble

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Sixteen60G
Sixteen60G - - 81 comments

The title screen isn't displaying any interface. Can't play it.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+3 votes
Unknown_Illuminati
Unknown_Illuminati - - 22 comments

Why i can't play in custom campaings? Or that feature not avalible in novr mod?

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HECUmarine108
HECUmarine108 - - 110 comments

Cause custom campaign mods are currently not supported by NoVR until the devs make them compatible in the next update.

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