Steam News

Team Fortress 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1 & 2, and Portal Update Released

June 23, 2009, 3:21 pm - Valve - Product Update

Updates to Team Fortress 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1 & 2, and Portal have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Team Fortress 2, Episode 1 & 2, and Portal

• Added support for the Novint Falcon
  

• Added an option to the advanced multiplayer menu to select left or right handed view models
  
• Fixed a bug where a spectator's wearable items could be seen floating around the player they were spectating
  
• Fixed a bug where a fake Spy hand would appear on the screen of other players
  
• Custom death animations now only play 25% of the time
  
• Fixed teleporters not being build-able in some places where they should be (such as within the pit at the end of Badwater Basin)
  
• Fixed rare client crash on connection and level change
  
• Removed refract from water ripples caused by bullet impacts for performance reasons
  
• Added log entries for player extinguished events using the medigun, jarate, flamethrower and dispenser
  
• Started tracking localization settings to help make decisions regarding localization in the future
  
• Fixed the blank progress bar in the upper-left of the screen when the client scheme is reloaded
  

• Added spawn flag to func_respawnroomvisualizer that allows it be non-solid to players
  
• Added SetSolid input to func_respawnroomvisualizer to change solidity to players dynamically
  
• Added OnWonByTeam1 and OnWonByTeam2 outputs to the TFGamerulesProxy
  

• Fixed a bad detection case in the "Friendship is Golden" achievement
  
• Changed the description of the "Triple Prey" achievement so it better describes how to get it
  
• Critical arrows now have a trail and correctly deal enhanced damage
  
• The Huntsman now defaults to be right handed
  
• Friendly arrows will no longer trigger the near miss sound on you
  
• Fixed several sources of floating arrows
  

• Fixed disguised Spies occasionally looking like they have invulnerability, instead of the correct fake Spy mask
  
• Disguised spies will no longer lose their disguise weapon when they interact with a weapon locker
  
• Fixed a bug where the spy's watch would randomly change models during play
  
• Fixed uncloaked spies flickering in and out of the cloak effect when taking damage
  
• The Cloak and Dagger now always regenerates at its intended rate. Previously it only regenerated at the correct rate when the spy was cloaked
  
• Increased the Cloak and Dagger regeneration rate slightly
  
• Capped the rate of energy loss from moving faster than run speed (falling / air toss) while cloaked with the Cloak and Dagger
  
• The Dead Ringer's cloak consume rate has been slightly reduced, giving about an extra second of cloak time on a full meter
  
• Emerging from the Dead Ringer's cloak now drains up to 40% of the cloak meter instead of 100%. This drain only happens if the meter is at least 60% full
  
• The Dead Ringer's cloak meter can now be regenerated from ammo sources
  
• The Ambassador now only crits when fully accurate and no longer penetrates enemies
  
• The Spy can no longer change weapons from the knife while shocked by the Razorback
  
• Force-A-Nature & Flamethrower air blast knockback effects no longer work on disguised spies
  
• Fixed disguised Spies showing the wrong teleporter effects when using an enemy teleporter
  

Orange Box Engine Update Released

February 20, 2009, 3:25 pm - Valve - Product Update

Updates to the Orange Box Engine have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Orange Box Engine

• Fixed stats and achievements not working in Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Portal
  
• Fixed incompatibilities with MODs
  

Orange Box Engine Update Released

February 17, 2009, 3:16 pm - Valve - Product Update

Updates to the Orange Box Engine have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Orange Box Engine

• Updated the engine to report SteamIDs using the Steam_0 format instead of Steam_1
  
• Fixed problems in Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Source mods running the current Orange Box engine
  
• Reverted the change that capped rate at 30000
  

Portal and Half-Life 2: Episode 2 Update Released

June 9, 2008, 4:57 pm - Valve - Product Update

Updates to Portal and Half-Life 2: Episode 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Portal and Half-Life 2: Episode 2

• Added a new advanced video option that allows the user to easily change the field of view to any value they wish between 75 degrees and 90 degrees
  
• Updated the particle rendering code and particle data files to make them compatible with the particle editor included in the Source SDK
  

PC Games From The Orange Box Flying Solo Into Retail April 9 and 11

March 13, 2008, 1:02 pm - Valve - Press Release

March 13, 2008 - Valve, creators of Half-Life® 2 and Counter-Strike®, today announce the retail launch dates for the stand-alone, PC versions of Team Fortress® 2, PortalTM, and the Half-Life 2: Episode Pack are April 9th in North America and April 11th around the globe.

Portal - the unique single player game that mixes puzzle, adventure and first-person action - is expected to retail for approximately $19.99. Portal has been named Game of the Year by over 30 publications worldwide and earned 40 more awards for special achievements in game design, writing, and music ("Still Alive" by GLaDOS and Jonathon Coulton).

Team Fortress 2 (TF2), the sequel to the game that put team-based, multiplayer gaming on the map, is expected to retail for approximately $29.99. TF2 has been named Multiplayer Game of the Year by Gamespy.com, PC Gamer magazine, and other leading media outlets. This retail version, like all PC versions of TF2, includes the recently released Badlands map and the ability to receive auto updates via Steam® including the upcoming release of Goldrush, a new gameplay mode and map that combines the escort style gameplay of Hunted with the timed attack and defend gameplay of Dustbowl.

The Half-Life 2 Episode Pack - which includes both of the award winning new episodes for the highest rated and best selling first-person action franchise of all time, plus Half-Life 2 Deathmatch for online play - is expected to retail for just $29.99. As was the case with The Orange Box, customers who already own one of these titles will have the ability to conveniently "gift" the game via Steam to a friend.

"Given the unique nature and length of the games inside The Orange Box, the compilation approach was the right vehicle for the debut of these titles at retail," said Doug Lombardi, vice president of marketing at Valve. "With the flexibility of having different pricing and packaging options via Steam, we were able to test the market viability of the individual products. The results show an overwhelming demand for these stand-alone offerings as well as The Orange Box. This gives us tremendous confidence as we bring gamers more ways to get these titles at retail."

All three packages include support for Steamworks achievements, automatic updates and more, and do not require Half-Life 2 to play.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two/Portal Update Released

January 25, 2008, 11:16 pm - Valve - Product Update

Updates to Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Portal have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Half-Life 2: Episode Two/Portal

• Fixed crash when attempting to update the achievement count
  

Valve and NVIDIA Offer Portal: First Slice Free to GeForce Users

January 9, 2008, 11:52 am - Valve - Press Release

The most recent Steam Hardware Survey shows more Steam gamers play on NVIDIA GeForce hardware than any other graphics platform. In an effort to further support this popular PC gaming configuration - Steam games plus NVIDIA hardware - Valve and NVIDIA have entered into an agreement to collaborate on development, distribution, events, and more.

Effective immediately, all NVIDIA gamers may receive a free copy of PortalTM: First Slice, a special version of the award-winning new game from Valve, by visiting www.steamgames.com/nvidia1 and "Taking the Test." Steam will then auto-detect the presence of NVIDIA hardware and make Portal: First Slice available immediately, free of charge. To make it easy for all NVIDIA customers to redeem this offer, a link to the Steam offer will also be included in all NVIDIA drivers.

"More Steam gamers, including myself, play on NVIDIA hardware than any other GPU," said Doug Lombardi, vice president of marketing at Valve. "That's a testament to the company's long history of innovation and quality. By working together with NVIDIA to expand our development, distribution, and marketing efforts, we're increasing our ability to serve the millions of NVIDIA customers logging onto Steam and help us prepare for our next generation of content."

Throughout the coming year, the companies will also be working together to support competitive gaming events for Counter-Strike® and Team Fortress® 2 and will continue to work together to define and support the breakthrough features of tomorrow's games and graphics hardware.

"Valve's endorsement of our technology and tools is yet another example of how the world's leading gaming companies are working with NVIDIA," said Roy Taylor, vice president of content relations at NVIDIA. "Portal is the hottest new, award-winning title from Valve, and we're delighted that Valve will offer First Slice exclusively to GeForce customers."

Portal: First Slice is now available to all NVIDIA customers. For more information about the offer or to take the test, please click here.

Source Engine Update Released

November 27, 2007, 12:06 pm - Valve - Product Update

Updates to the Source Engine have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Source Engine

• Fixed surround sound not working properly when running Windows Vista
  
• SourceTV relay proxies can record demos now with tv_autorecord 1
  
• Fixed jittery demo playback
  

Portal Update Released

October 30, 2007, 4:50 pm - Valve - Product Update

Updates to Portal have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

Portal

• Optimized Portal demos to have fewer issues when going through actual Portals

Valve Uncrates The Orange Box

October 10, 2007, 12:00 am - Valve - Product Release

Valve is pleased to announce the official 'uncrating' of The Orange Box, now available on Steam.

The Orange Box features three top-rated 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.

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—together, more than 30 hours of award-winning gameplay. Purchasers of the PC version of The Orange Box who already own Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One can conveniently “gift” them to a friend from within Steam.

All games included in The Orange Box are available separately or as part of two exclusive Steam collections: The Source Premier Pack and The Valve Complete Pack.