Modernware 2 servers will be a hit on the PC

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Olly

I am a big fan of making bold statements.

Last week I claimed FPS games on consoles are for Jeremy Kyle contestants.

Back in August, I made a confident hypothesis that Left 4 Dead 2 dissidents, despite their claims they will boycott the game, will still be playing on Left 4 Dead 2 servers when the game is released.

I base my standpoint on those that blow hot air and huff and puff, are exactly the same as myself. If Modernware 2 bombs, and as some fear, it’ll be a bad console port, I’ll delete this post and pretend I never made the claim. And I assure you, if you follow my tactics, you’ll get very far in life.

Diclaimer- I am joking. Tongue in cheek time! I would never make a very good life coach.

Call of Duty 6- a poor console port?

The grapevine is an interesting medium. Sometimes drunk with chinese whispers. Other times with grains of truth. One of the rumours is that Modernware 2 has been made for the consoles first, PC last. Fuelled further by a delayed release date, it’s thought that Call of Duty 6 will be ‘ported’ over to the PC to suit a small demand.

I can feel you spitting that energy drink at the screen right now, my gamer friend. I feel you. For those that aren’t familiar with the phrase ‘porting’. Essentially, the game is made for the console. It’s then adapted to work on the PC. But primarily its based round the consoles. Why? Demand. For every one of us PC gamers, there are hundreds of controller noobs, who have a morbid fear of mice. Because they suck at gaming.

Try youtoooobing for Call of Duty 6 videos. All console based. PS3, XBOX 360. Am I breaking it to you yet?

Check this out:

While for a COD veteran, there are all the familiar signs there of a franchise. But is it just me, or is that rather ‘consoley’? ‘Arcadey’? The dictionary is no use to me here. It’s not a traditional PC online FPS game. You’ve been forgiven for imaging old skool CS and Quake players vommiting at the site of this vid, the poor mites. It’ll be ported.

So why will it still be a huge success?

Before continuing, I think it’s time to add in my exit strategy, should I need to change my mind after the last release.

This depends on a masses of factors.

Firstly the support for Linux binaries, a real hot topic of debate. Well, call me Derron Brown, but no hope here. Last year we were waiting weeks and weeks for the release of Call of Duty 5 linux server binaries. Now given the recent revelations, can you see them being rushed out? Sadly, this is a sign of changing times.

If you’ve ever read the book Who Moved My Cheese? (don’t ever claim this blog isn’t educational!), you’ll understand why we’ve adapted, moved on, and we’re now going to have Windows support for Call of Duty 6 servers with the hope we can host from day one. We just couldn’t afford to be waiting round like idiots for the linux binaries again. Third time bitten, er, third time shy? :)

So on the basis of the Windows dedicated server, we are then looking at how well IW support the dedicated servers. Will the servers be customisable? With the patches be frequent and fixing?

Learning from COD5, while I cannot see the same level of support Valve provide for their FPS games, I think it’ll be enough to appease the community. Because let’s face it, there’s only one COD game a year, and when all counts, the gamers don’t have much choice these days.

It should be an interesting run up to Christmas regardless. And the game makers and everyone involved (bar the poor game server providers) will make a fortune, no doubt :)

Posted in COD 6 Modernware 2 | 7 Comments

Why console FPS games are for Jeremy Kyle contestants

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Olly

I need to be given some credit on this. Going back 20 years, I had an Amstrad CPC 464. An early Alan Sugar invention. In fact, one of his better inventions when you wonder what Amstrad have bought out over the years- email machines, fax / email machines, hybrid Sega / PC’s. It was a fantastic computer.

My dad was into his computers. So our second one was a Commodore Amiga 500. When you go from early basic graphics, to 16bit, it’s quite a jump. When we first had the Amiga setup, Dad had it hooked up to the TV (and it was a big TV at the time- had you shown me my 50″ 1080p Samsung at that time I’d have fainted). We upgraded to an Amiga 1200. I am to this day a big fan of the Amiga….what a fantastic gaming machine it was. While all my friends had Mega Drives, and a few Super Nintendos, I maintain to this day, my Amiga was far superior.

Then we bought our first PC….and it went on from there. I was hooked on PC gaming.

Then in 1995ish the Playstation, appeared- and I still resisted. I just found it shite. The graphics were substandard. I’d be better off taking a jolly to Skegness and going in the arcades. Those were the graphics.

The PS2 I finally submitted to. And while I had a crap PC (this is going back 8 years) and had no money, it was a cheaper way of gaming while building a good PC wasn’t affordable. MOHAA brings back memories :)

Fast forwarding. I own a PS3, an XBOX 360 and a WII. I play games on them all- albeit not much at the moment. You would NOT play FIFA on a PC. No way, it’s a console game. I do not want to use keys to play against my mates. Go away.

My brother Tom and Lawrie are both avid console freaks. Everytime I call and see my Mum, I can hear TAT TAT AT AT AT AT coming from upstairs. Lawrie is playing Battlefield Heroes. XBOX 360, and it looks utter turd.

Tom is really into COD4 and 5. He’ll play COD6 like a heroin addict when it is released in a month or two. He thinks he’s fantastic as these games, and I say to him.

‘Aim noob’

Why?

Going back a few years, I got very very very good at CS 1.6. I am talking playing for hours and having scores of 100/6. It was pure practise and instinct (and vodka). I probably sound big headed, but I was high skilled. I became very very good with the mouse.

Have you tried aiming on an FPS game on the consoles? It’s TERRIBLE. With the mouse, if you are really really good, you SNAP the mouse onto a target and blow their brains out. On the console you laboriously push in the general direction of the opponent. Try it- it’s linear. It’s terrible. It’s low skill.

FPS gaming on consoles is low skill. The controller don’t work for FPS games.

Console gamers would get shat on if they had to use a mouse- they simply don’t have the ability or intelligence.

The irony is that the vast majority are playing console FPS all day long- Jeremy Kyle’s contestants. The real skilled players come out at dark- after work, college or university.

So it would seem the developers are dumbing down gaming. Gaming used to be for geeks. For the intelligent. It’s becoming increasingly for dip-shites.

I am quite sure when I speak to my grandchildren in 40 years time, I’ll be telling them how good gaming used to be :)

Add a comment below and just tell me I am wrong.

Posted in From the office | 15 Comments

Team Fortress 2 update

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Olly

A new update for Team Fortress 2 servers has been released.

A required update for Team Fortress 2 is now available. Please run hldsupdatetool to receive the update. The specific changes include:

Team Fortress 2:
- Added “tf_allow_player_use” server ConVar to control players executing +use while playing (defaults to 0)
- Fixed a bug where full backpacks resulted in an item being repeatedly found each time the game is started
- Fixed being able to burn players/buildings that are in the water while standing outside the water
- Fixed teleporting Spies getting stuck in enemy players standing on the exit
- Fixed server log not listing telefrag kills as weapon “telefrag”
- Fixed the Pyro’s airblast pushing Spectators in free-look mode
- Fixed Pyro’s Hadouken killing Scouts that have used Bonk! and are phasing
- Fixed freezecam screenshots sometimes being saved outside the Screenshots folder
- Fixed deathnotice and server log entries not using the unique item names/icons when buildings are destroyed
- Fixed a case where the weapon selection menu wasn’t drawing the images of non-standard items if the player was using hud_fastswitch 1 and using slot7-10 to view the panel
- Fixed CTF HUD not centering the flag panel if there is only one active flag

Community requests:
- Added the ability to set a parent for the item_teamflag entity
- Added OnPickUpTeam1 and OnPickUpTeam2 outputs to the item_teamflag entity
- Added intro movie .mp3 files to the sound/misc folder

Jason

Posted in Team Fortess 2 News | Leave a comment

Cs Source update 26/08/09

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Olly

An optional update for Counter-Strike: Source is now available. Please run hldsupdatetool to receive it. The specific changes include:

Engine:
- Fixed an exploit that allowed files to be uploaded to the server at arbitrary locations in the file system
- Fixed a server crash caused by a client packet claiming to be an HLTV client when HLTV is disabled on the server
- Fixed a server crash caused by spoofing a client disconnect message
- Fixed a server crash caused by sending malformed reliable subchannel data

Counter-Strike: Source:
- Novint Falcon support is now enabled by default

Jason

Please note at this moment in time, this has broken every Linux based Counter-Strike Source server worldwide!

For more information, please visit our forums.

Posted in Counterstrike news | 1 Comment

Left 4 Dead + Team Fortress 2 Update

Posted on August 21, 2009 by admin

Left 4 Dead Engine:
- Fixed an exploit that allowed files to be uploaded to the server at arbitrary locations in the file system
- Fixed a server crash caused by a client packet claiming to be an HLTV client when HLTV is disabled on the server
- Fixed a server crash caused by spoofing a client disconnect message
- Fixed a server crash caused by sending malformed reliable subchannel data

Left 4 Dead:
- Novint Falcon support is now enabled by default

Orange Box Engine:
- Fixed an exploit that allowed files to be uploaded to the server at arbitrary locations in the file system.
- Fixed a server crash caused by a client packet claiming to be an HLTV client when HLTV is disabled on the server
- Fixed a server crash caused by spoofing a client disconnect message
- Fixed a server crash caused by sending malformed reliable subchannel data
- Fixed a server crash related to unbounded settings on some convars

Team Fortress 2:
- Bullet spread algorithm changed to fire a bullet right down the crosshair under these circumstances:
– The first bullet of a spread weapon (except for rapid fire spread weapons like the minigun)
– The first bullet of a non-spread weapon if it’s been >1.25 seconds since firing
- Added a “Disable HTML MOTDs” option to the multiplayer->advanced dialog
– Added “motdfile_text” convar to servers, which allows them to specify a text file that’s shown instead of the HTML MOTD to clients who’ve turned on this option
- Fixed radius damage not tracing out of enemies when the explosion occurs within them
– Fixes rockets & grenades doing no splash damage when fired point blank into enemies
- Added missing snowpuff particles for DX8 players (honest)
- Restored LOD for the Demoman player model
- Fixed being able to alt-fire with the fists while stunned as a Heavy
- Fixed CTF_Sawmill not ending the map when mp_timelimit hits during the middle of a round
- Fixed the “The Big Hurt” achievement not being awarded for players who already have the required count
- Fixed sv_pure not reloading the map’s custom particle file
– Custom particle effects contained within maps must now be placed in the \particles directory
- Fixed another case where items weren’t being validated properly in class loadout slots

Community requests:
- Removed centerprint texts for TF_FLAGTYPE_INVADE CTF game mode
- Changed TF_FLAGTYPE_INVADE CTF game mode capture reward from 10 kills to 1 capture
- Added OnCapTeam1 and OnCapTeam2 outputs to the item_teamflag and func_capturezone entities
- Fixed HUD “carried” image for the TF_FLAGTYPE_ATTACK_DEFEND and TF_FLAGTYPE_INVADE CTF game modes using the wrong team color
- Fixed dropped flag for the TF_FLAGTYPE_INVADE CTF game mode using the wrong skin

Posted in Left 4 Dead | Leave a comment

More Team Fortress 2 / Day of Defeat: Source Updates

Posted on August 15, 2009 by admin

A required update for Team Fortress 2 and Day of Defeat: Source is now available.

Team Fortress 2
- Fixed “r_rootlod” being marked as a cheat, which prevented it from being changed and caused a significant performance loss for some GPUs.
- Changed “The Big Hurt” Scout achievement to be “Stun 2 Medics that are ready to deploy an ÃœberCharge.”
- Fixed Announcer overtime bug on KOTH servers using mp_timelimit.
– Due to many requests, added server ConVar “tf_overtime_nag”. When set to 1, it keeps the broken announcer behavior.
- Fixed tournament stopwatch not displaying the time in the HUD.
- Fixed a bug with cloak meter regen and drain rates.
- Fixed Spies not being able to go invis while reloading.
- Fixed pipebombs sticking to saw blades.
- Fixed weapons not being hidden properly during loser state anims.
- Fixed a case where radius damage didn’t reduce damage to self.
– Fixes Demomen taking too much damage from their pipebombs.
- Fixed a case where items would never show up in the backpack, even though they were available to equip.
- Fixed a case where items weren’t being validated properly in class loadout slots.

Community requests:
- Removed centerprint texts for TF_FLAGTYPE_ATTACK_DEFEND CTF game mode.
- Changed TF_FLAGTYPE_ATTACK_DEFEND capture reward from 30 kills to 1 capture.

Posted in Team Fortess 2 News | Leave a comment

Team Fortress 2 / Day of Defeat: Source Updates

Posted on August 14, 2009 by admin

Updates to team fortress 2 gaming servers and day of defeat source gaming servers have been released

New Content
- Added King Of The Hill game mode.
- Added custom animations played by the losing team during the post-win state. They are moved into third person camera to enjoy them.
- Added lots of new hats.

Additions / Changes:
- Added “Auto Reload” option to the multiplayer advanced options.
– Clip-based weapons that reload a full clip at a time can now have their reloads aborted by firing.
- Pistol now fires at a fixed rate, not based on the speed at which you press the firing button.
- Added a color blind option to add a Jarate icon above enemies who are busy accepting a terrifying existence where they have no dignity.
- Significantly reduced the amount of network traffic being sent.
- Capturing the flag in a CTF game mode gives the entire capturing team 10 seconds of critboost.
- Sappers attached to a teleporter automatically place another Sapper on the other end of the teleporter, if it exists.
– Engineers wrenching a teleporter will repair the other end as well, and remove Sappers from both if they exist.
- Disguised Spies no longer trigger On-Hit effects (like the Blutsauger’s heal).
- Removed self-inflicted minicrits. Fixes Jarate’d Soldiers/Demomen having ineffective rocket/grenade jumps.
- Added an item panel to the spectator cam that shows non-standard items being carried by the player you’re spectating.
- Added an “Inspect” key that allows you to look at items being carried by your team mates.
- Backpack improvements:
– Added drag & drop to move items around. Item positions are maintained on the backend.
– Added multi-select, allowing you to delete multiple items at once.
– Added a new key to the key binding page that opens your inventory directly to your backpack.
– Fixed mouseover panel being incorrectly position when the backpack first appears.
- Cloaked Spies standing in valid backstab positions no longer raise their knife.
- Added current map name and gametype to the bottom right of scoreboard.
- Added class icons to tips on the loadout and loading screens.
- Improved visuals around flags when they’re being carried by a player.
- Improved critboosted visuals, making it much clearer when an enemy has critboost.
- Updated the loading panel to show the game type under the map name during level transition.
- In-game chat dialog now supports full Unicode characters.
- Added BLU main menu background.
- Added response caching for some server queries to help reduce the CPU load from DOS attacks.
- Teammates no longer block friendly radius damage. Prevents nearby teammates causing rocket/grenade jumps to fail.

Map Changes:
- Update PLR_Pipeline
– Increased the starting advantage in the third round if a team has won the first two rounds.
– Fixed carts not continuing to the second round if they’re capped at the same time in the first round.
– Fixed being able to shoot pipebombs over the starting gates in the first round.
– Fixed being able to open the doors in the first round before the setup time was finished.
– Fixed players getting stuck in some doors.
– Fixed players being able to get onto rooftops and out of the map boundaries.
– Fixed other minor bugs and exploits.
- Added community map Arena_Offblast
- Added community map Cp_Yukon
- Update Arena_Sawmill
– Fixed DirectX8 bug where some models would not be visible.
– Fixed exploit with building teleporters outside of the map.
- Updated CP_Granary
– Made a few changes to improve balance based on competitive community feedback.

Item Reworks:
- The Force of Nature
– The enemy knockback now only `works in close range and behaves more like the Pyro’s air blast.
– Enemies cannot be juggled by the FaN’s effect.
– The self-knockback has also changed to respect the firer’s view angle. Looking up while shooting will no longer propel the enemy upwards.
– Knockback is now scaled by damage done.
- The Sandman:
– A Scout will receive 1 point for stunning an enemy and 2 points for a long range stun.
– Stunned players now take 75% of all incoming damage instead of 50%.
– Ãœbercharged players can no longer be stunned.
– Heavies spinning their mini-guns will continue to spin when stunned (whether the left or right mouse button is pressed).
– The minimum distance to stun a target has been reduced.
– The negative attribute has changed from “no double jump” to “-25 max health”.

Fixes:
- Fixed various issues around layout & presentation of items inside the Backpack and “X is carrying” item dialogs.
- Fixed an exploit that allowed players to work around sv_pure.
- Particle files are now protected by sv_pure.
- Fixed critboost effect getting stuck on when you die while critboosted.
- Fixed Timer HUD element backgrounds not being the correct color if you change teams during waiting for players.
- Fixed a couple of issues with the way critboosts affected The Huntsman and the Spy’s knife.
- Fixed an exploit where you could reload The Huntsman faster than intended.
- Fixed Heavy “civilian” exploit.
- Fixed a set of exploits using the DXSupport config files.
- Fixed r_screenfademinsize and r_screenfademaxsize exploits.
- Fixed sentries firing at a fully cloaked Spy if they’re still the closest target.

Community requests:
- Added a HUD element for hybrid CTF & CP maps.
– Supports 1 or 2 flags, and any number of CPs.
– Mapmakers need to place a “tf_logic_hybrid_ctf_cp” entity in their map to enable it.
- Added custom kill server log text “train” and “saw” for deaths caused by these environmental hazards.
Format: “%s<%i><%s><%s>” committed suicide with “world” (customkill “%s”) (attacker_position “%d %d %d”)
- Added new “medic_death” event for server logs:
Format: “%s<%i><%s><%s>” triggered “medic_death” against “%s<%i><%s><%s>” (healing “%d”) (ubercharge “%s”)
– healing is the amount the Medic healed in that life
– ubercharge (1/0) is whether they died with a full charge
- Added “func_respawnflag” trigger entity. It will remove & return the flag if a flag carrier touches it, or if the flag falls into it.

Posted in Team Fortess 2 News | Leave a comment

Left 4 Dead 2 – why you will buy this game

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Olly

Back in June I blogged a head-to-head between Left 4 Dead and Killing Floor. Which one is better? Well a mixed response, from both sets of die hard supporters. Killing Floor certainly has its fan-boys (and girls – sorry laala). Left 4 Dead, recently has had a little backlash from the gaming community.

Why?

Firstly, the lack of support for custom content. Only with a very recent update was support for downloads (from the server) added. Before, any custom content had to be downloaded manually. Not a way to fill your server, huh?

Secondly, the lack of extra campaigns. Two in total since the release of the game. In Valve’s defence, they did add the new game mode- Survivor. But it’s done little to fan the flames of the angry crowd that bought the game.

In comparison, Team Fortress 2 servers have enjoyed update after update, with tweaks and new game play. Left 4 Dead just hasn’t had the new content.

Now, Left 4 Dead 2 is announced, due November. Boycott groups are rife.

But Valve aren’t really doing anything different to the many developers / publishers. Just look at the FIFA / Pro Evolution Soccer franchise, that pushes out, what could be described as ‘patches’ each year- flogging that, and updated players for £50 a time. Good business if you can get it.

Left 4 Dead 2 will be a different game, it will have different content. And with the buzz, and the marketing, and the cool videos on the web, and on TV……those guys boycotting won’t be able to resist.

While in principle, Valve should have provided more support for Left 4 Dead- I don’t see it truly harming the sales figures. In fact, expect them to eclipse last year’s game of the year.

Or will I be eating a slice of humble pie? Let me know :)

Posted in Left 4 Dead | 2 Comments

Another Left 4 Dead update!

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Olly

An optional update for Left 4 Dead is now available.  Please run hldsupdatetool to receive it.  The specific changes include:

- Lobbies and games you’ve recently joined and left will be ignored for two minutes.  This will prevent a player from ending up in the same lobby or game when quickly searching for another.
- Restored Find a Game Lobby/Find a Game in Progress to the Create Lobby screen available from the Lobby Browser.
- Updated localization text.
- Fixed an issue where VPK.EXE would not extract all files.

Jason

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Left 4 Dead game server update (17th July)

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Olly

 Finishing off our week of updates, a Left 4 Dead game server update as released a few days ago.

Left 4 Dead has been updated to include a lobby browser.  This is an optional update.  The lobby browser (under Play Online) will show you a list of optimal games available for you to join.  The browser pares down the thousands of lobbies and games currently being played to show you the best list of  games available to you.  This list includes official and add-on campaigns, including add-on campaigns you have not yet installed, making it a great way to discover them.   You can filter by difficulty, official and/or add-on campaigns and by lobbies and/or games in progress.

The Play on Steam Group Server screen now displays which Steam group it’s searching while updating the list.

After calling a vote to change difficulty in game it is now correctly updated in matchmaking.

Add-on Campaigns:
- When downloading a new version of an add-on and installing it (by double clicking the .VPK file), it will now correctly overwrite the pervious version, even while Left 4 Dead is currently running.
- Addressed a crash when two mission files with the same name are installed.
- Steam Group Servers now will now correctly offer download links when running add-on campaigns.

Server:
- The server will now warn if the public or private tags exceed their limits.  Public tags are limited to 63 characters.  Private tags used for matchmaking are now limited to 1024 characters.

SDK:
- The VPK tool can now handle campaigns larger than 500MB.
- You can now drop an add-on a VPK file onto the VPK tool to have it extract it for you.
- Detail.vbsp and lights.rad have been added to the distribution.

Note that the Linux Steam objects have been renamed.  This shouldn’t cause any issues.

Jason

Posted in Left 4 Dead | Leave a comment