- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
The havok engine runs HL2
um, no. The havok engine does not 'run' HL2, the Source engine does. Ragdoll physics and the Havok physics system are not one and the same thing. If you think Havok runs HL2, you need to have another look at the trailers.
The havok system is an overused gimmick, brilliant when it first came out, but in my opinion, limited and gimicky. It was a nice 'preview' of the future of gaming. The Havok engine did not have any significant impact on gameplay, it was primarily superficial. The HL2 source engine changes this.
Halo2 uses its own physics engine, that combines animations with the environment, which works much better than Havok in my opinion. Halo1 hinted at this, but was a 'mock' physics system,did the job though.
Of course HL2 is the most advanced and promising of the physics system, integrating physics with the gameplay to an extent that hasn't yet been seen in gaming.
[Edited on 5/29/2004 5:33:17 AM]