The most reliable way to get a high-quality startup_loading.vtf is to find it in your existing Steam library.
. This will automatically download any missing original assets. Extract from SDK Base : The file is contained within the depot_206_dir.vpk Source SDK Base 2007 . You can extract it using and place it in your game's materials/console/ Create a Placeholder : You can "trick" the engine by copying any other file (like background01.vtf ) in the same folder and renaming it to startup_loading.vtf Manual Mod Fix : If you are playing a mod like , ensure the game is installed in the same Steam library as Half-Life 2 . You may also need to edit the gameinfo.txt file to correctly point to the base game's assets. startup-loading.vtf download