A month on from the release of Half-Life: Alyx, it looks like the anticipated launch of modding tools, or Workshop Tools, for the game is nearing.
SteamDB, a site that unofficially interfaces with Steam to track new listings in its database, has uncovered a Half-Life: Alyx – Workshop Tools listing. There’s not much more to go on than that, but activity within Steam does at least suggest a launch could be nearing. We’ve followed up with Valve to ask for an official date for release.
Even without these tools, the modding scene around Alyx has begun to thrive. Modders have already integrated Alyx into Valve’s authoring tool, Hammer. We’ve already seen a fan-made, wave-based survival mode and one developer even made the entire first level of Wolfenstein 3D playable inside Alyx. However, the release of the official Workshop Tools pack is expected to make the process of modding much more streamlined. We also wonder if the use of the term ‘Workshop’ could mean integration with Steam Workshop, and allow streamlined downloading/installing of mods through Steam and the game itself.
Modding has become a core part of every major Half-Life release in the past and we’d expect Alyx to be no different. The Workshop Tools are expected to mainly include mapping tools so that you can take Alyx’s existing mechanics and assets and put them in new environments, but we’re hoping to see some impressive stuff all the same.
Outside of the modding world, Alyx made Steam’s list of 20 Top Sellers for March, an impressive feat considering it’s only available on VR headsets. In case you weren’t aware, we think the game is absolutely essential, and a worthy addition to any VR library, mods or not.
