User:Klow/Skyboxes

This is a list of all skyboxes. This will probably never be turned into an article, but the non-speculative information can be used here and there across the wiki.

More information at Sky List from the Valve Developer Community.

Leak skyboxes

As many of the Half-Life 2 leak textures, the skyboxes have also been through several iterations of the same files overwritten several times before becoming the version retrieved in 2003. Some of them can be determined through envmap files, old screenshots, concept art and the files of other Source games.

City 17

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  sky_c17_01. Used in the revisions of city_test, e3_lab or revisions of d4_palace01. Seems to still be the old version that was able to survive through the constant texture overwriting, deleting and renaming, since older sky_c17 skyboxes are usually darker.

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  sky_c17_02. Used in revisions of City 17 maps and other related areas such as c17_01, c17_04, rooftops, sniper, etc.

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  sky_c17_02. Darker version found in the 2023 repo. To add.

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  sky_c17_02, older version. Community remake, based on the envmap testroom_lights_outside, which uses sky_c17_02.

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  Envmap testroom_lights_outside.

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  sky_c17_03. Used in 2001 Citadel-related maps such as proto_c17inner01 or proto_citadel_garbage, but also much recent maps such as the E3 2003 demo "Barricade", set in the map e3_c17_01. Likely the recent version, as the older versions are usually darker. Of note is that the envmap citadel_002, set in proto_citadel_garbage which uses sky_c17_03, uses a sky similar to the oldest version of sky_c17_05. So they may be related, identical, or the envmap simply uses sky_c17_05. Regardless, the 3 2001 era maps using that sky_c17_03 make more sense with a dark sky.

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  sky_c17_04. Used in proto_c17citadel_skybox and revisions of vert_01 and vert_03. vert_02 and vert_04 use the missing sky_vert01. It can be seen in the Vertigo envmaps, set in vert_03.

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  The Vertigo envmaps (Here vert_atrium01), set in vert_03, feature an older version of sky_c17_04. It is mostly green-tinted, with tones of red at the top.

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  sky_c17_04, older version. Initially found in the 2023 repo leak with pink Xes and restored by the community.

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  Concept art based off the 3D skybox of map vert_01_014. The map using sky_c17_04, this concept art also shows the older version of that sky.

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  sky_c17_05. Used in proto_citadel_skybox3, most Citadel interior maps using the prefix proto_citadel, revisions of d1_sewer, the E3 2002 map e3_strider, and several prefab maps.

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  sky_c17_05, older version 1. Initially found in the CS:S files with pink Xes and restored by the community. The fact that it's older is from the envmap citadel_001.

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  citadel_001 envmap.

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  sky_c17_05, older version 2. Community remake, recovered as sky_template from Dark Messiah, the proof that it's that skybox is in the e3_strider screenshot and the E3 2002 trailer).

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  sky_template as found in DM.

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  The old sky_c17_05.

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  Ditto.

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  sky_c17_morning01. Missing, used in VanceHQ, camocity, streetfire, or testroom_buildings 02 and 03.

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  sky_c17_overcast01. Missing, used in the first nether_01 (February 2001) only.

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  sky_station01. Unused.

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  sky_trainstation01. Used in 2003 maps of the City 17 Trainstation or the Canals. Same as unused sky_bloomtest01. Reused as retail sky_day01_01, but with a different bottom face.

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  sky_urb01. Missing and used in more than 100 maps. Concept art set in the map c17_old07 that uses that skybox features a yellow sky, suggesting sky_urb01 is yellow. Thus the second old sky_c17_05, with its yellow tones, may be that sky under another name; the wiki uses this one in its screenshots as a replacement.

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  The concept art set in c17_old07.

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  Concept art based on the map proto_citadel_002, featuring a yellowish sky. Interestingly, that map uses the first old sky_c17_05, and one of the faces of the envmap citadel_001 features a yellow landscape.

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  Concept art based off the map c17_05. Interestingly, c17_05_05 uses sky_urb01.

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  Concept art for the first City 17 Trainstation. While no maps are known to exist, it features a yellow sky, and some revisions of c17_01, set in the neighborhood, use sky_urb01.

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  Concept art for the old Consulcast with an orange sky. It is featured in the map c17_04; revision c17_04_12 features sky_urb01.

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  Concept art for the Canals with yellow sky.

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  Envmap citfar_01 used on the E3 2002 Citadel model. May be an old skybox.

Wasteland

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  wastelands001. Missing, found in the 2023 repo as sky_wasteland01. Used in old Wasteland maps and Marc's HLDM cloister map.

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  sky_wasteland01. Used in old Wasteland maps but also more recent City 17 ones.

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  wastelands002. Missing. Used in maps such as wasteland_bridge05.

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  sky_wasteland002. Missing. Used in cavetest01 only.

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  sky_wasteland02. Used in a more than 500 maps, as it is usually the default skybox of test and prefab maps. Also used in City 17 maps featuring the Cremator, various revisions of canals_01 and canals_02, prison maps, other canal maps, etc. sky_wasteland02 is used in retail but as a variant of the leak's sky_depot01.

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  sky_wasteland03. Used in revisions of quarry_town and ickypop.

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  sky_wasteland04. Used in various prison / wasteland / coast-related test maps, and the E3 2003 demo "Coastline" set in the map e3_seafloor.

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  sky_wasteland05. Used in several 2003 coast maps and e3_seafloor as well.

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  sky_quarry01. Dusk sky used for the start of the old Ravenholm (quarry town), notably the E3 2002 and 2003 docks "Town" and "Docks"), e3_town or e3_techdemo_6. An older version is also known to have existed, as seen in the old Ravenholm segment from the E3 2002 trailer for Half-Life 2. Also found as sky_dawn01 in the Half-Life: Source files but unused.

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  The old sky_quarry01 seen in the Half-Life 2 E3 2002 trailer.

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  Another instance of the old sky_quarry01 in an early Ravenholm screenshot.

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  sky_quarry03. Nighttime sky used for the journey through the old Ravenholm, notably the E3 2003 "Traptown" set in the map e3_phystown. sky_quarry02 may have existed but is not in the files and not referenced to in any map. Reused with some alterations for the retail's sky_day01_09.

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  sky_depot01. Mostly used for the Depot and early prison. Reused in retail with a different bottom color as sky_wasteland02.

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  sky_airexchange01, the Air Exchange skybox. Envmap airex_01 features a sky with minor differences.

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  Envmap airex_01, with a slightly different sky.

Arctic regions

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  sky_hyper01. Missing. Found in nov_bor_001 only. Pretty old as it references the Hyperborea.

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  sky_spire. Used in demo_arctic and jf-roof7. "Spire" is also a reference to the earliest stages of development.

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  sky_borealis01. Used for Borealis maps throughout the game's development.

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  sky_borealis01 found in the Half-Life 2 files but unused.

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  The envmap env_borealis02. May be an old skybox.

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  The envmap borealis_sea. Higher resolution of the previous envmap, with some alterations.

Skyscraper

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  sky_vert01. Missing. Used for the Vertigo maps, but only revisions of vert_02 and vert_04, vert_01 and vert_03 using sky_c17_04, the sky found in the Vertigo envmaps. Also used in the following street battles. Also in city_test03, replaced with sky_c17_01 in the next revisions.

• Sky c17 04 old remake.png

  Community remake of the old sky_c17_04, used in vert_01 and vert_03. See above for more details.

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  sky_palace01. Used for Palace, only in skybox_palace and test map model_lighttest.

Citadel

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  sky_citadel01. Used in more recent maps set near the Citadel's base.

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  sky_citadel02. Used in 2003 City 17 maps.

Test

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  shadertest. Wasteland-like landscape used in test maps.

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  sky_bloomtest01. Unused, but same as sky_trainstation01.

Leak envmaps

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Retail skyboxes

Half-Life

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  city.

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  stars.

Half-Life 2

During the ill-fated 2010 updates, they were altered; each part hidden below the horizon was removed. These are the original files.

Day 1: City 17, Canals, Black Mesa East and Ravenholm

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  sky_day01_01. Used for the City 17 Trainstation neighborhood including the plaza, the tenements and Kleiner's Lab. Same as the Half-Life 2 leak sky_trainstation01 and sky_bloomtest01, but with a different bottom face.

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  sky_day01_04. Used for the Canals.

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  sky_day01_05. Ditto. Reused at the very en of Portal, on the parking lot.

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  sky_day01_06. Ditto.

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  sky_day01_07. Ditto.

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  sky_day01_08. Ditto.

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  sky_day01_09. Used for Black Mesa East and Ravenholm. Originally used for the leak's Ravenholm as sky_quarry03. Also used as night in Half-Life: Source.

Day 2: The Coast and Nova Prospekt

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  sky_day02_01. Used for the end of Ravenholm and the start of the Coast.

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  sky_day02_02. Used for Coast.

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  sky_day02_03. Ditto.

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  sky_day02_04. Ditto.

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  sky_day02_05. Ditto.

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  sky_day02_06. Ditto.

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  sky_day02_07. Ditto.

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  sky_day02_09. Ditto.

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  sky_day02_10. Used for Nova Prospekt.

Day 3: Street war and Citadel

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  sky_day03_01. Used for the street war.

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  sky_day03_02. Ditto.

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  sky_day03_03. Ditto.

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  sky_day03_05. Ditto, and the Citadel's foot.

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  sky_day03_06. Used at the top of the Citadel.

Test and other

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  sky_borealis01. Unused. The leak uses a variant.

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  sky_wasteland02. Skybox already used in the leak with small differences as sky_depot01; the original sky_wasteland02 has the sun at a different spot. It is not seen in-game, though is used as the unseen skybox for credits. Used for the test maps given with the Source SDK, and Half-Life: Source.

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast

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  sky_lostcoast.

Half-Life 2: Episode One

In-game, it includes more dynamic elements and sprites such as the Citadel, swirling clouds at its top, and ruins.

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  sky_day03_06. Used during the intro only, when the story picks up where HL2 left off. same as Half-Life 2.

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  sky_ep01_00. Used at the Citadel's foot.

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  sky_ep01_01. Unused, mostly the original color of sky_ep01_00, and derived from Half-Life 2’s sky_day03_05.

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  sky_ep01_02. Used for the street war and the Hospital's exterior.

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  sky_ep01_04. Used for the neighborhood following the City 17 Underground.

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  sky_ep01_04a. Used for the street war, the Hospital itself and the Technical Trainstation.

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  sky_wasteland02. Used in the unseen skybox for credits.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two

In-game, it includes more dynamic elements and sprites such as the destroyed Citadel and the Superportal, a vista of City 17, and the Outlands' hills and trees.

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  sky_ep02_01. Used in the Outlands and the start of the Victory Mine.

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  sky_ep02_02. Used in the Victory Mine.

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  sky_ep02_03. Used in the Outlands.

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  sky_ep02_04. Used in the Outlands, the White Forest Inn and White Forest.

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  sky_ep02_05. Used in and around White Forest.

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  sky_ep02_06. Ditto.

Half-Life: Source

While Half-Life: Source reuses most of the original Half-Life skyboxes, it features variants, used and unused.

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  night. Used at the High Altitude Launch Center.

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  sky_quarry01. An early Half-Life 2 skybox used in its leak.

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  sky_wasteland02. Used for daytime skies, along with a newly made 3D skybox. Source SDK skybox also used in its leak, mostly sky_depot01 with a different bottom color.

Portal

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  sky_escape_01. Skybox for the map escape_01, but not seen in-game. Actually the Half-Life skybox neb7 with Xen islands in the HL map c4a1.

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  sky_day01_05. Reused from Half-Life 2, with a forest vista before.

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  escape_vista_01 + escape_vista_02. The forest vista, with the sky from the original photo visible when viewing the file itself.