Half Life Junkie

As of today, a new version of Steam is available through a public opt-in beta, open to all Steam users. This Steam update provides several major upgrades to the platform’s core functionality. We’ve overhauled the Steam user interface to enhance the way you already buy and play games, adding more info about the things that matter — getting games, playing them with friends, and staying current in the gaming world.

If you already have Steam installed on your computer, you can take part in the beta by clicking this link and then selecting “2010 UI Update” under Beta Participation.

Full details: http://store.steampowered.com/uiupdate/

When you start up your copy of Left 4 dead 2, they’re be a mandatory update to address some issues:

■Fixed performance problem when rendering lots of decals, notably when fighting tanks with shotguns
■Fixed rcon response not working on Linux dedicated servers
■Fixed matchmaking problem matching into Advanced and Expert games
■Fix bug that would cause other specials to try to pummel a player a Charger disconnects or reconnects
■Fixed versus mode results panel being cut off in transition stats screen in non-english
■Found games: fixed non-player entries drawing the wrong type of icon in the selected item name label
■Game mode selector on main menu now takes keyboard input

Left 4 Dead has been updated with a host of fixes, tweaks and new features, including enhancements to Versus mode for improved competitive play. The full change list is below. For PC users the update will be applied automatically via Steam. Meanwhile, the update will be made available to Xbox 360 players in the coming weeks.

General
* Fixed Survivors being able to climb surfaces marked for versus infected only
* Fixed a class of SurvivorBot bugs dealing with rescuing downed players
* Players can no longer grab ladders while flying through the air after a Tank punch
* Shooting near a car with an alarm that has already fired the alarm will no longer make chirping noises
* Improved loading time
* Fixed mini-gun physics exploit
* Fixed propane tanks (and other physics objects) causing players to fall through elevators
* Fixed rare achievement bug issues
* Fixed several map exploits
* Fixed various match making issues
* Fixed NAT traversal issues

Versus Changes
* Added HUD elements to show status of other infected players
* Changed color of infected player name in chat to red
* Fixed exploit where players could spawn infected bots
* Fixed instance where a Survivor changing to the infected team would be attacked by infected bots
* Normalized special infected melee damage
* Made the following client commands cheat protected: “Kill” and “explode”
* Fixed exploit where infected players could run away and teleport back to gain health
* Players can only change teams once per map
* Players can’t change teams while other players are still loading
* Tank spawns at the same % through the map for both teams in versus mode
* Made the Tank and Witch spawn directly on the escape route
* Increased chance of getting the Tank or Witch
* Fixed team swap issue

Hunter
* Easier to pounce a Survivor who is meleeing
* Increased Minimum damage a Hunter pounce does

Smoker
* Fixed Smoker tongue tolerance
* Smoker now has to be killed or the tongue destroyed for the tongue to break
* Survivors cannot bash someone off the tongue until the Survivor being pulled is paralyzed or hanging
* Tongue attacks that fail to paralyze or hang a Survivor will use the shorter ability delay timer
* Fixed cases where the ability timer was not using the correct time
* Fixed case where you could point at a Survivor but not register a tongue hit
* Fixed Smoker tongue not targeting and landing properly through PZ ghosts
* Smoker tongue does damage every second while dragging paralyzed Survivors

Tank
* Bashable objects now appear with a red glow
* Tanks hitting a car with an alarm disables the alarm permanently
* Tank frustration timer is only reset by hitting Survivors with rocks or fists
* Reduced autoshotgun damage against Tanks

Witch
* Witch spawns at the same % through the map for both teams
* Avoids spawning within a certain % of the tank
* Fixed an exploit where the Witch could be woken up and tricked into attacking Survivors

The developers of the Enterprise: Temporal Cold War single-player mod have just released their 22nd Media Update. The material contains some WIP stuff, two wallpapers, an audio compilation of the mod’s current soundtrack, and a link leading to a Podcast17 interview with three of the developers.

You can discuss the update here.

Project Valkyrie is a multiplayer first person shooter for Half-Life 2. (Requires an HL2 game to play) Players suit up in the Valkyrie suit, equipped with a powerful arm cannon integrated into the suit and the ability to morph into a sphere for faster mobility and different attack capabilities.

For more info and media see:

http://www.moddb.com/mods/project-valkyrie

Grab it here:

http://www.project-valkyrie.com/files/ProjectValkyrie_AlphaRC2-Win32-Full.exe

http://www.onboarderror.com/Project%20Valkyrie/ProjectValkyrie_AlphaRC2-Win32-Full.exe

hen7, the mastermind behind Portal: The Flash Version, has recreated all of the levels from the Flash game and put them in the real Portal game.
These aren’t just a bunch of maps though, it has a complete storyline (over 40 levels!) that even adds new features to Portal, such as electric floors and crushers.

For more information and download links, check out the thread at http://www.hl2world.com/bbs/portal-the-flash-version-mappack-vt49430.html

Quote:

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Jason Ruymen opened his big mouth to say:
The concept is similar to web page metatags, where server operators can specify descriptive tags in any manner, and clients can search for servers by specifying the tags they’re interested in. Some tags are automatically filled in, based on server convars. For example, in TF2 we’ve removed the restrictions on a variety of server options (like friendly fire & respawn wave times), and now the tag system will automatically add a tag when they’re changed, so that customers who want to play on these servers can easily find them.

As you can see, we’ve put a new tab onto it called “Custom”. Servers with tags will appear in this list, where the player can specify a list of tags they’re interested in. The “Add Common Tags” button will give them a list of the top 20 tags in use across all the servers, so they’re able to easily choose the popular tags. Untagged servers will show up in the old Internet games list.

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In other words, friendly fire enabled again, plus a cool way of ignoring servers with annoying mods.

Tomorrow at 11 am PST all PC versions of Team Fortress 2, the class-based multiplayer action game named PC Game of the Year by Gamespy.com, will receive its largest update since the product was first made available on October 10, 2007, as part of Valve’s best-selling Orange Box compilation.

The free update includes global optimizations for networking, graphics, and player statistics, plus improvements to Source TV for tournament viewing.

In addition, three of the currently available maps (Dustbowl, Granary, CTF_Well) have been iterated for enhanced performance and gameplay.

The release is headlined by the introduction of “Badlands,” a new map that pushes control-point gameplay onto vertical landscapes.

Available free to all Team Fortress 2 PC gamers around the world automatically via Steam, there are too many features and improvements included in this update to list here. To view the full release notes and/or find out more about Team Fortress 2, please visit www.steamgames.com.

Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announce Steamworks, a complete suite of publishing and development tools - ranging from copy protection to social networking services to server browsing - is now available free of charge to developers and publishers worldwide.

Steamworks, the same suite of tools used in best-selling PC titles Half-Life 2 and The Orange Box, is available for all PC games distributed via retail and leading online platforms such as Steam. The services included in Steamworks may be used a la carte or in any combination.

Specifically, Steamworks offers:

• Real-time stats on sales, gameplay, and product activation: Know exactly how well your title is selling before the charts are released. Find out how much of your game is being played. Login into your Steamworks account pages and view up to the hour information regarding worldwide product activations and player data.

• State of the art encryption system: Stop paying to have your game pirated before it’s released. Steamworks takes anti-piracy to a new level with strong encryption that keeps your game locked until the moment it is released.
• Territory/version control: The key-based authentication provided in Steamworks also provides territory/version controls to help curb gray market importing and deliver territory-specific content to any given country or region.
• Auto updating: Insures all customers are playing the latest and greatest version of your games.
• Voice chat: Available for use both in and out of game.
• Multiplayer matchmaking: Steamworks offers you all the multiplayer backend and matchmaking services that have been created to support Counter-Strike and Team Fortress 2, the most played action games in the world.
• Social networking services: With support for achievements, leaderboards, and avatars, Steamworks allows you to give your gamers as many rewards as you would like, plus support for tracking the world’s best professional and amateur players of your game.
• Development tools: Steamworks allows you to administer private betas which can be updated multiple times each day. Also includes data collection tools for QA, play testing, and usability studies.

“Developers and publishers are spending more and more time and money cobbling together all the tools and backend systems needed to build and launch a successful title in today’s market,” said Gabe Newell, president of Valve. “Steamworks puts all those tools and systems together in one free package, liberating publishers and developers to concentrate on the game instead of the plumbing.”

“As more developers and publishers have embraced Steam as a leading digital distribution channel, we’ve heard a growing number of inquiries regarding the availability of the platform’s services and tools,” said Jason Holtman, director business development at Valve. “Offering Steamworks is part of our ongoing efforts to support the needs of game developers and our publishing partners.”

Steam is a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC games and digital content. With over 13 million active accounts and more than 250 games, plus hundreds of movie files and game demos available, Steam has become a frequent destination for millions of gamers around the world.

For more information regarding Steamworks, please visit www.steamgames.com/steamworks.

Valve today revealed that it has tapped the songwriting talents of Jonathon Coulton, computer programmer turned modern day rock star, for a surprise single to be included in its massive multi-platform game offering, The Orange Box.

The original cut to be included in The Orange Box was co-authored by Coulton and the Valve design team/fans who specifically solicited Coulton to help produce the surprise single.

Coulton is known for his witty pop songs referencing subjects like science fiction, math and video games as well as his fiercely loyal following online. After quitting his day job as a computer programmer, Jonathan created “Thing a Week” where he wrote one new song every week and posted it to his website which quickly turned into over 500,000 downloads from his website. “I am delighted the Valve design team selected me to help make the surprise single a success. If it’s not every geek’s dream to be immortalized in a video game, it was mine,” said Jonathan.

Slated for release on the PC and Xbox 360 on October 10, The Orange Box features three highly-awaited new games by Valve: Half-Life® 2: Episode Two, the second installment in the Half-Life 2 episodic trilogy; Team Fortress® 2, the sequel to the game that put class-based, multiplayer team warfare on the map; and Portal, the game that blends puzzles, first person action, and adventure gaming to produce an experience like no other.

In addition, to bring gamers up to date with the Half-Life 2 universe, The Orange Box also includes Half-Life 2, the best-selling and highest-rated action game series of all time, and the episodic debut Half-Life® 2: Episode One.

The Orange Box will have a suggested retail price of $49.95 on the PC, and $59.95 on the Xbox® 360 and Playstation® 3 console systems. A 10% pre-purchase discount is currently being offered at participating retailers and via Steamgames.com.

For more information about The Orange Box, please visit www.steamgames.com.

For more information about Jonathon Coulton, please visit www.jonathancoulton.com.