Half Life Junkie

The team behind PVKII announced that the new Beta 2.1 is ready for this week release, the new version will include new game modes and fixes. Look below:

Holy Grail now replaces all Booty Tag maps. Players fight as a team to take control of the grail. The grail will give the player who holds it [...]

The popular co-op mod have released their newest version 1.3. This version now includes many improved tweaks, maps, new enemies, new weapons and improved online play. The biggest change is that the mod now runs on the Episode 2 engine, so you can enjoy the co-op play with Half-life 2, Episode 1 and Episode 2 [...]

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

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.

It doesn’t look like Valve has said so, but Steam Community is now available on Steam. Just go into your settings, beta participation, and pick Steam Community.
If you’re not too smart, there is a cool wiki entry with pictures at http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/The_Steam_Community
If you want to be really cool, you can also join the HL2World group at http://steamcommunity.com/groups/HL2World

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Updated with press release:
The largest update for Steam, a leading online platform for PC games and digital entertainment, is now open for public beta testing. The update, which will be available free of charge, introduces an expansive set of social networking and online multiplayer features to a growing PC platform serving games and digital entertainment to over 13 million accounts.

The new Steam community features are designed to connect gamers with friends and other gamers, create and join groups, and organize matches and tournaments. The initial batch of features rolled out in the beta version include:

• Steam ID. Create a personal profile-complete with a photo or avatar, biographical details, favorites, and more-viewable on the Web and within the Steam client.

• Friends. Add peers to a personal Friends List that shows in real-time who’s online and available to chat or play a game. Accessible from within the Steam client or while playing a game, the Friends List makes it easy to invite friends to chat, play a game, or join a group.
• Groups. Create and join public and private groups comprised of gamers who share a common interest, such as fans of a particular game, map or mod, or competitive teams. The Group Profile page displays information about the group, recent activities, news and announcements, and a schedule of upcoming events. Groups can quickly initiate a text or voice chat; plan a game, tournament, LAN party, or any other event; and track group gameplay statistics.
• Statistics. From both a personal Steam ID or Group profile, users can view a range of gameplay statistics, such as most played games or maps and average playing time.
• Chat. Initiate a chat with friends and groups using integrated instant messaging, text chat, and voice features.
• Events. Schedule matches, tournaments, and in-person gatherings, such as LAN parties. Upcoming events are displayed in both a list and calendar view, and members can receive reminders that help keep everyone on schedule.

The Steam community features may be accessed within the Steam client or from within any game available in the Steam library of games - a growing collection that includes new releases and classic titles from leading publishers and independent developers around the world. Additionally, certain features, such as the user’s Control Panel, Friend’s List, and Groups pages may be accessed and managed using any Web browser.

This upgrade marks the largest extension to the Steam platform since its first commercial release in March 2004. In its three year history, Steam has defined the next generation online gaming platform delivering hundreds of games to millions of users with services such as Guest Passes, Automatic Updates, Free Weekends, and access to purchased games from any PC.

To explore the Steam community features, install the Steam client available at www.steampowered.com. Click the Community tab within the Steam interface to take a tour of the features and create a profile.