Mar 20, 2013

Left 4 Dead 2 - Chet

<center><img src="http://media.steampowered.com/steam/news/10182/cats.jpg?t=1363741096"></center>
Have you added any <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=550">Workshop</a> items to your game? If not, time to do it. The creative modders of L4D2 continue to add new content every day. The <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=130407073">Cat mod</a> pictured above changes all the common infected into cats. Do you shoot them or do you hug them? A little tip, hugging will not end well and shooting them is really, really hard. To download and keep your cats and other mods up to date, just click the subscribe button on the item page. Next time you start the game you will see the game automatically downloading the custom content.

Right now that content is set to not play on Valve dedicated servers – but that is about to change. We are working to allow the custom content to be usable in non-competitive modes like Campaign and Survival. For now you can see it by playing on third party servers or local games.

We have a few more things in the works.

We are hard at work on the Linux release. While we don’t have a solid ETA yet, we are internally testing on Linux, MAC, and PC. Right now, it is looking pretty good. We will have more news as we get closer to release.

In Left 4 Dead Beta our new scripted mode – EMS (Extended Mutation System) continues its testing with more mods and features being added. When this is released, we will also be updating some match making features to let you more easily find games and lobbies for your favorite Mutations.

Lastly, this Friday we will have a few special little teases for the L4D2/RE6 mashup. Until then, we saw this <a href="http://mattstarbuck.blogspot.com/2012/08/cat-chucker.html">great piece of concept art</a> posted over on Reddit. I think combining this with <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/id/splinks/myworkshopfiles/?appid=550">Splink’s</a> <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=130407073">Cat mod</a> would be perfect. It just leaves us with one question, is that a new special or a new survivor?

Mar 20, 2013

Working The Shop

Left 4 Dead 2 - Chet

</center>
Have you added any Workshop items to your game? If not, time to do it. The creative modders of L4D2 continue to add new content every day. The Cat mod pictured above changes all the common infected into cats. Do you shoot them or do you hug them? A little tip, hugging will not end well and shooting them is really, really hard. To download and keep your cats and other mods up to date, just click the subscribe button on the item page. Next time you start the game you will see the game automatically downloading the custom content.

Right now that content is set to not play on Valve dedicated servers – but that is about to change. We are working to allow the custom content to be usable in non-competitive modes like Campaign and Survival. For now you can see it by playing on third party servers or local games.

We have a few more things in the works.

We are hard at work on the Linux release. While we don’t have a solid ETA yet, we are internally testing on Linux, MAC, and PC. Right now, it is looking pretty good. We will have more news as we get closer to release.

In Left 4 Dead Beta our new scripted mode – EMS (Extended Mutation System) continues its testing with more mods and features being added. When this is released, we will also be updating some match making features to let you more easily find games and lobbies for your favorite Mutations.

Lastly, this Friday we will have a few special little teases for the L4D2/RE6 mashup. Until then, we saw this great piece of concept art posted over on Reddit. I think combining this with Splink’s Cat mod would be perfect. It just leaves us with one question, is that a new special or a new survivor?

Mar 20, 2013

Working The Shop

Left 4 Dead

Have you added any Workshop items to your game? If not, time to do it. The creative modders of L4D2 continue to add new content every day. The Cat mod pictured above changes all the common infected into cats. Do you shoot them or do you hug them? A little tip, hugging will not end well and shooting them is really, really hard. To download and keep your cats and other mods up to date, just click the subscribe button on the item page. Next time you start the game you will see the game automatically downloading the custom content.

Mar 19, 2013

Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat: Source and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch Updates Released

Day of Defeat: Source - Valve

Updates to Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat: Source and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:

Source Engine Changes (TF2, DoD:S, HL2:DM)

Disabled Java for the in-game web browser

Team Fortress 2

Added support for running VR mode on the Oculus Rift
Fixed a server crash related to game stats
Fixed custom paint not showing in the tool tip when you mouse-over an item in your backpack
Fixed the Spy not holding sappers correctly in third person
Fixed a bug where sentries would not rotate to face their target under some circumstances
Fixed a scoreboard bug where domination count was reduced by 2 when a dominated player left the server
Fixed the Fists of Steel not reducing damage from ranged weapons that use energy rings
Fixed the death notice icon for the Eureka Effect
Fixed the Neon Annihilator sometimes floating in the world after death
Fixes for strange parts:
- The Big Earner can no longer accept Long-Distance Kills strange parts
- The Festive Grenade Launcher can now accept Critical Kills strange parts
- The Neon Annihilator can now accept Sappers Destroyed strange parts
Removed some description text from the Manmelter that incorrectly stated its projectiles could not be deflected
Updated the Blind Justice so it can be equipped with other misc-slot items on the Demoman's face
Updated the backpack image for the Upgrade to Premium Gift item
Updated Mann Vs. Machine
- Fixed the boss health bar sometimes disappearing
- Fixed the uber Medics in Wave 4 of the Broken Parts mission charging at the incorrect rate
Updated the localization files

Mar 19, 2013

Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat: Source and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch Updates Released

Team Fortress 2

Disabled Java for the in-game web browser

Team Fortress 2

Added support for running VR mode on the Oculus Rift
Fixed a server crash related to game stats
Fixed custom paint not showing in the tool tip when you mouse-over an item in your backpack
Fixed the Spy not holding sappers correctly in third person
Fixed a bug where sentries would not rotate to face their target under some circumstances
Fixed a scoreboard bug where domination count was reduced by 2 when a dominated player left the server
Fixed the Fists of Steel not reducing damage from ranged weapons that use energy rings
Fixed the death notice icon for the Eureka Effect
Fixed the Neon Annihilator sometimes floating in the world after death
Fixes for strange parts:
- The Big Earner can no longer accept Long-Distance Kills strange parts
- The Festive Grenade Launcher can now accept Critical Kills strange parts
- The Neon Annihilator can now accept Sappers Destroyed strange parts
Removed some description text from the Manmelter that incorrectly stated its projectiles could not be deflected
Updated the Blind Justice so it can be equipped with other misc-slot items on the Demoman's face
Updated the backpack image for the Upgrade to Premium Gift item
Updated Mann Vs. Machine
- Fixed the boss health bar sometimes disappearing
- Fixed the uber Medics in Wave 4 of the Broken Parts mission charging at the incorrect rate
Updated the localization files

Mar 19, 2013

Future Shock

Team Fortress 2

Ever since we saw The Terminator, we've been keeping an eye out for the singularity that will trigger the robot apocalypse. So when Oculus VR contacted us about incorporating its terrifying future technology into TF2, we immediately called the police.

Luckily the Bellevue, WA police commissioner also saw The Terminator, and was able to patiently explain to us that this is nothing like that. So good news! We're adding Virtual Reality mode to TF2, custom-designed to work with Oculus's soon-to-ship Rift dev kits. All you'll have to do to get in on the non-terrifying, Terminator-free future of Team Fortress is pre-order a Rift kit. Once you've got it, add "-vr" to your command line options in Steam to access VR mode. Be sure to post in the forum and tell us what you think about it!

Still scared? Us too. (We accidentally watched The Terminator again in between paragraphs.) Visit the VR How-To Page on the official TF2 Wiki, which is packed with information about this new mode, and depressingly little information about how to stop the naked men that are on their way from the future to kill you.

Mar 19, 2013

Team Fortress 2 to add Oculus Rift support, obligatory hat celebration

Team Fortress 2

I can finally look forward to the best chance I have for merging my consciousness with the Heavy as he bellows his way across Gold Rush. Valve put out a notice yesterday announcing the Oculus Rift's VR sorcery will soon work for Team Fortress 2 in a free update later this week, marking the first Valve game to take advantage of the Kickstarted, consumer-priced goggles.

Rifters, as I'm calling them from now on, can switch on a new "VR mode" in the free multiplayer shooter's options to make use of the hardware's low-latency head-tracking and high FOV. Speaking to Engadget, Valve programmer Joe Ludwig says Team Fortress 2 was "sort of the obvious choice" for the Oculus' shakedown because of the community's willingness in the past to serve as guinea pigs for trying out new major features from the developer. Well, guinea pigs who stab, immolate, and blow up each other, but you get the idea.

As with anything even remotely involving Team Fortress 2, Rifters will bag an exclusive hat modeled after the goggles, seen in the crazily grainy screenshot below. (In other words, wave goodbye to your "decline trade" key.) The Oculus team hopes for a consumer version of its VR headset sometime this year, and other big-name games are already under the modder's anvil to include support for it.

Mar 19, 2013

The New Hatness: Rift VR Coming To TF2 This Week

Team Fortress 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Nathan Grayson)

Meet The Palmer Luckey.

In case you’re in need of a reminder, the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is really, really cool. But that won’t be here until the fuuuuuuture>, right? You will play it atop your hoverboard, which you will rebelliously ride inside your hoverhouse, which will drift above the hoverground, which will perpetually bob above a void of infinite nothingness. Which will also be hovering. Or so you think. In non-virtual reality, however, the VR wonder device is right around the corner, with backer dev kits shipping this very month. And now, Oculus and Valve have teamed up to announce the first officially supported game for the eyeball-teleporting tomorrow glasses: the ever-experimental Team Fortress 2. Naturally, there will also be a hat involved. I hope it hovers.

(more…)

Mar 18, 2013

Valve Adding Virtual Reality Support To Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2

Valve has announced that they are adding an "experimental virtual reality mode" to their multiplayer first-person shooter Team Fortress 2. It will be playable by anyone with an Oculus Rift developer kit. The mode will be released in the coming days.

The full release from Valve:

Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, and Left 4 Dead), today announced the addition of an experimental Virtual Reality mode to Team Fortress 2. The new mode will be released in the coming days as part of an update to the popular Free to Play game.

Anyone with an Oculus Rift Developer Kit will be able to use their device to play all of Team Fortress 2 on the PC. All game modes and classes are supported with the new Virtual Reality mode.

"When we first played an early version of Virtual Reality mode in Team Fortress we were blown away by the immersion we experienced.", said Joe Ludwig at Valve. "VR is just getting started, but it is going to have a big impact on gaming. This update will let us share that experience with more of the Team Fortress community."

"Valve's done an incredible job bringing Team Fortress 2 to virtual reality! TF2 is the most-played game in my Steam library, so you can imagine how excited I am to play it in the Rift with all of our backers," said Palmer Luckey, Founder of Oculus VR, Inc.

In addition to gaining access to the new Virtual Reality mode, owners of the Oculus Rift will also be granted a unique Oculus Rift in-game hat. Steam codes to redeem for this item will be sent out by Oculus.

Team Fortress 2 is Valve's Free to Play team-based online game. The game has had more than 350 updates since its release with The Orange Box in 2007.

Okay, step one: Get an Oculus Rift dev kit. Step two: Play this. Step three: Get that Crysis mod that Nathan Andrews made and play that.

Mar 15, 2013

Resident Evil 6 / Left 4 Dead 2 Mash-up

Left 4 Dead 2 - Chet

<center><table width=460 border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><TR><TD><a href="http://media.steampowered.com/steam/news/10153/RE6PC_x_L4D2_Nick_04.jpg?t=1363370816"><img src="http://media.steampowered.com/steam/news/10153/RE6PC_x_L4D2_Nick_04_small.jpg?t=1363371226" border=0></a></TD><TD><a href="http://media.steampowered.com/steam/news/10153/RE6_x_L4D2_The_Witch_02.jpg?t=1363370806"><img src="http://media.steampowered.com/steam/news/10153/RE6_x_L4D2_The_Witch_02_small.jpg?t=1363371219" border=0></a></TD></TR></Table></center>
Thinking of <a href='http://store.steampowered.com/app/221040/'>pre-ordering Resident Evil 6</a>? We now have six more reasons to do it. The first four are Nick, Coach, Ellis, and Rochelle. All are crossing over to fight monsters in the new PC exclusive game mode for RE6 - The Mercenaries No Mercy.

They aren’t coming alone. Joining them from the infected side is the Witch and a special version of the Tank. The Tank even comes in a new form - the Mini Tank. It is all the ferociousness of the giant Tank but in a cute cuddly but deadly package.

That covers L4D2 in RE6, but what kind of self-respecting mash-up only goes one way? Don’t worry, we’ve got that covered. First up, we are adding three RE6 creatures to the Left 4 Dead 2 Workshop - Lepotitsa, Napad and Ogroman as Special Infected replacements.

For the Resident Evil 6 characters we have a different idea. This is where you come in. Both the Left 4 Dead 2 and Resident Evil 6 communities are invited to create their own take on RE6’s original cast and submit them to the <a href='http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse?appid=550&browsesort=trend'>L4D2 Workshop. </a>

To create a character and submit it to the Workshop you will need access to the L4D2 Authoring tools. And just in case you have been living hole, covered in cement, at the bottom of a lake to protect yourself from the zombie apocalypse and you just now came out of said hole and still have not purchased L4D2 - we have even put <a href='http://store.steampowered.com/app/550/?snr=1_7_15__13'>L4D2 on sale</a> this week for an incredible 75% off!

Just remember when you submit your RE6 character - include the Resident Evil 6 tag. That will make sure it shows up in the <a href='http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=550&requiredtags[]=Resident+Evil+6'>Resident Evil 6 tab</a> and we will pick the best ones to add to our official Resident Evil 6 Collection.

Make sure to check out <a href='http://www.capcom-unity.com/brelston/blog/2013/03/15/left-4-dead-2-infects-resident-evil-6'>Capcom’s Resident Evil 6 page</a> for even more info.