Probably nothing you can really do since iirc, OpenGL titles don’t have an AA compatibility bit option like DX titles do. But, doesn’t Steam HL (even pre-Steam Pipe) already have 4x MSAA on by default?

On the Collector's Edition of HL2 (the one which works under WinXP without Steam) I was able to force 8xSGSSAA using the 0x000000C1 flag in Nvidia Profile Inspector.

The instructions are on the relevant PCGW page.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2026-01-13, 10:50:

On the Collector's Edition of HL2 (the one which works under WinXP without Steam) I was able to force 8xSGSSAA using the 0x000000C1 flag in Nvidia Profile Inspector.

The instructions are on the relevant PCGW page.

This thread is about HL1.

MrEWhite wrote on 2026-01-13, 13:50:

This thread is about HL1.

My bad, I misread the title.

No idea about the first game, I don't think I ever tried forcing AA there.

MrEWhite wrote on 2026-01-13, 10:46:

Probably nothing you can really do since iirc, OpenGL titles don’t have an AA compatibility bit option like DX titles do. But, doesn’t Steam HL (even pre-Steam Pipe) already have 4x MSAA on by default?

🤔

Well, I am using the D3D renderer, since it was still available in that version. It does not include antialiasing, it seems (at least with this renderer).
I just tried the old Uplink demo and apart from the same issues I had with the WON version of Half-Life, antialiasing seems to work properly. No weird vertical lines alongside each letter.
Guess they made changes to the renderer between original and digital versions?

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2026-01-13, 13:55:

MrEWhite wrote on 2026-01-13, 13:50:

This thread is about HL1.

My bad, I misread the title.

No idea about the first game, I don't think I ever tried forcing AA there.

👌

No worries! Anyway, thanks for trying to help!

I know it's not the only game where this happens. Theoretically, if you knew where the game code submits relevant vertices, shifting their coordinates by -0,5 would probably fix the text with forced anti-aliasing. It would require low level h4x0r skillz to implement.

I don't know if there's a universal solution in the driver settings.

UCyborg wrote on 2026-01-13, 21:28:

I know it's not the only game where this happens. Theoretically, if you knew where the game code submits relevant vertices, shifting their coordinates by -0,5 would probably fix the text with forced anti-aliasing. It would require low level h4x0r skillz to implement.

I don't know if there's a universal solution in the driver settings.

Would DDrawCompat help with that?

https://github.com/narzoul/DDrawCompat/wiki/C … natepixelcenter

https://github.com/narzoul/DDrawCompat/wiki/C … ealtpixelcenter

Could be, I'll try later. I hope it can be configured for minimal intervention, I remember trying DDrawCompat years ago, out-of-box experience wasn't very good for games that don't need much of its fixes. Perhaps my assumption that pixel centering tweak only has to be done for some vertices was wrong.

"Pixel center" term slipped, now I remember there was a setting like that in old AMD drivers (Radeon HD 4xxx era at least). I used to use ATI Tray Tools with Radeon HD 4890 and the option being accessible from right-click context menu on the tray icon and having application specific profiles. The program is over 15 years old now, may not even be usable with modern AMD boards. I suspect NVIDIA doesn't have the setting unless hidden behind some very obscure name / flag.

DDrawCompat seems to add some odd visual glitches that are noticeable when objects are observed from the distance. Can't tell what should be changed to alleviate them. Text is better with AlternatePixelCenter enabled and forced MSAA, though still looking a bit odd.

Out of curiosity, what's the reason to prefer D3D over OpenGL in this case?

UCyborg wrote on 2026-01-14, 22:23:

DDrawCompat seems to add some odd visual glitches that are noticeable when objects are observed from the distance. Can't tell what should be changed to alleviate them. Text is better with AlternatePixelCenter enabled and forced MSAA, though still looking a bit odd.

Out of curiosity, what's the reason to prefer D3D over OpenGL in this case?

Honestly, I decided to use D3D because it was my go to whenever I played the game and after reading that OpenGL might be missing things, like the Overbright option or forced Antialiasing.
(Correct me if I am wrong, I have already read so much stuff about this game that I might just be mixing stuff up. 🤣)
As for the version of the game itself, trying to run the most recent version that still supports EAX effects, to make use of the X-Fi Titanium I have.
I might actually try to force Antialiasing in OpenGL when I run the game again, just to see if it really works or not, at this point.

🤔

If you have NVIDIA GPU, overbright works with OpenGL renderer if you enable extension limit with NVIDIA Profile Inspector for hl.exe, though it also disables multi-texturing (no idea what that does visually). With D3D, vision under water is crystal clear (which is wrong), no fogging in the distance. Judging by one of my old posts on this forum, some textures may also have an issue with color banding, though can't recall where it's apparent. "Loading" sprite also looks weird to me under D3D, at least without forcing alternate pixel center. Forcing MSAA in general shouldn't be an issue with OpenGL.

They claim overbrights are fixed with Anniversary Update, though it doesn't seem to work on my end (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti, driver version 546.29 from late 2023). Regardless, I think it's the most polished version overall. You can add back 3D sound and EAX with combination of MetaHook + MetaAudio plugin. MetaAudio does fix one issue with original sound renderer with cutting off sound playback of certain entities, eg. I notice in Hazard Course, if you get away from the talking hologram and come back, its sound is permanently cut while it keeps playing with MetaAudio.

Years ago, I tried patching some annoyances of WON version here, though menus are still horrible (can at least force native resolution with command line parameters to not suffer from resolution switches), there's none of bugfixes in server and client logic, no HUD scaling and other fixes from Anniversary Update etc., though if you lookup the original Xash3D engine on ModDB, from its extras, you can take valve/dlls/hl.dll and valve/cl_dlls/client.dll and copy them your WON installation to get some smaller bug fixes in server and client logic.

Still, Half-Life being Half-Life, there are always some glitches, so the question is, which version do you find the least distressing? 😜

UCyborg wrote on 2026-01-15, 22:00:

If you have NVIDIA GPU, overbright works with OpenGL renderer if you enable extension limit with NVIDIA Profile Inspector for hl.exe, though it also disables multi-texturing (no idea what that does visually). With D3D, vision under water is crystal clear (which is wrong), no fogging in the distance. Judging by one of my old posts on this forum, some textures may also have an issue with color banding, though can't recall where it's apparent. "Loading" sprite also looks weird to me under D3D, at least without forcing alternate pixel center. Forcing MSAA in general shouldn't be an issue with OpenGL.

They claim overbrights are fixed with Anniversary Update, though it doesn't seem to work on my end (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti, driver version 546.29 from late 2023). Regardless, I think it's the most polished version overall. You can add back 3D sound and EAX with combination of MetaHook + MetaAudio plugin. MetaAudio does fix one issue with original sound renderer with cutting off sound playback of certain entities, eg. I notice in Hazard Course, if you get away from the talking hologram and come back, its sound is permanently cut while it keeps playing with MetaAudio.

Years ago, I tried patching some annoyances of WON version here, though menus are still horrible (can at least force native resolution with command line parameters to not suffer from resolution switches), there's none of bugfixes in server and client logic, no HUD scaling and other fixes from Anniversary Update etc., though if you lookup the original Xash3D engine on ModDB, from its extras, you can take valve/dlls/hl.dll and valve/cl_dlls/client.dll and copy them your WON installation to get some smaller bug fixes in server and client logic.

Hmm... I see. Well, just tested with OpenGL and forced antialiasing works, although the transparency one does not. Tried D3D with the Directx9 Fix option from NVIDIA Profile Inspector, no changes to the weird text.
Apparently, depending on which renderer is picked, you get some things at the expense of others. 😅

UCyborg wrote on 2026-01-15, 22:00:

Still, Half-Life being Half-Life, there are always some glitches, so the question is, which version do you find the least distressing? 😜

Uhh... can I ask the audience for help on this one? 🤣 JK
I did not consider the 25th Anniversary, because I believe they did not update the expansions, right? Or at least to the same extent as the main game?
(And since I will most likely record the gameplay, I just wanted to have all three remaining consistent on how they look and stuff. Picky, I know... 😑)

I haven't got around the expansions, though engine updates should apply to them. Still, even 25th anniversary still has crowbar bug with beating dead bodies (maybe it's considered a feature now), they didn't add back the option to delete saved games. MetaAudio doesn't work well with Creative Audigy 5/Rx's OpenAL for me, though it's fine with OpenAL Soft. Specifically, there's an issue with sounds that stop playing. No idea how is it supposed to work with X-Fi cards' native OpenAL, though it was presumably tested on one of those, considering the setting to workaround some bug with them...

Apparently over time with new GPUs / drivers, various spots on maps have an issue with flickering (a phenomenon known as z-fighting). I remember finding someone publishing fixed original maps.

It took me long time 'till I got around finishing HL1, if I recall, I eventually did it with WON version, either latest official or with some unofficial patching on top. I remember adding the mod that inserts Half-Life: Uplink's maps into the main storyline. The only really clear memory I have is obsessing over various quirks back then... I also recall that you had to put some setting that I don't recall anymore to autoexec.cfg if you wanted to avoid getting temporarily stuck while running right after reloading save game, I think this applied to official stock 1.1.1.0 version and probably survived for some time on Steam versions, the issue was that the specific value of that variable was only meant for multiplayer. Later WON version patches were notorious for introducing issues in singleplayer with fixes for multiplayer.

Sooo, I don't have any specific advice, being someone that obsessed over these bugs a lot and never found "the perfect way" to experience Half-Life.