Current events: Difference between revisions

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(FF released, better late than never.)
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{{messagebox
| margin = 1em
| text = <span style="font-weight:bold;color:white;border:none;padding:0;font-size:1.2em;margin:0;">Looking for release news?</span>
This page is rarely updated when a new mod is released. ''[http://www.moddb.com/ Try visiting ModDB] to stay up to date in this regard.''}}
<!-- DO NOT DELETE ABOVE THIS LINE -->


==[[Fortress Forever]] Released==
{{notice|This page is a historical artifact that hasn't been updated in over a decade. It is only being kept as an interesting curiosity.}}
''September 13, 2007:'' Fortress Fans, the time you've been waiting for is here! Whether you've followed the mod since the beginning, or are just looking to tide yourself over before TF2 it matters not. Team Fortress is a game we love, and we invite you to give the mod a try.
*[http://fortress-forever.com/ Official site with screenshots, videos and download links]


==The Orange Box now available for preorder==
{{cleanup}}
''September 11th, 2007:'' The Orange Box is now available for [http://www.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=package&SubId=469&cc=US preorder] from Steam, including the ability to play in the Team Fortress 2 beta starting September 17th.


==VTF Shell Extensions 1.05, with Vista support==
== Blackmesa Released! ==
''August 20th, 2007:'' The [[VTF Shell Extensions]] tool, which enables Windows to display the contents of [[Valve Texture Format|VTF]] files as thumbnail images, has been updated to support Vista. [http://www.wunderboy.org/sourceapps.php#vtf_shell Download version 1.05 here.]
[[File:Logo-trans.png|right|300px]]
''September 14, 2012:'' The [[Black_Mesa_(Source)|Blackmesa]] Mod is finally released!


==New version of XSI Mod Tool available for modelers!==
== Portal 2 Released ==
[[File:Portal2_logo.jpg|right|50px]]


[[Image:Xsimodtool-logo.jpg|right|200px]]
''April 19, 2011:'' [[Portal 2]], the follow-up to [[Portal]] was Released by [[Valve]].


''August 14th, 2007:'' '''[http://www.softimage.com/products/modtool/ A new version of the SoftImage|XSI Mod Tool is available!]''' This brings the tool from version 4.2 to 6.0. [http://www.softimage.com/products/modtool/learn.aspx A series of tutorials] from [[Books#Mod_Your_World_(DVD_Series)|Noesis Interactive's DVD range]] are available for free to help you get started.
== Left 4 Dead 2 Released ==
''November 17, 2009:'' [[Left 4 Dead 2]], the follow-up to [[Left 4 Dead]] by [[Valve]] was released!


==Illustrative Rendering in Team Fortress 2==
Хорошая Графика Советую
''August 13th, 2007:'' [http://www.valvesoftware.com/publications/2007/NPAR2007_IllustrativeRenderingInTeamFortress2.wmv Watch this TF2 tech demo] for an overview of Valve's technological and artistic direction. Prepare for big words!


==Steam community==
== Softimage Mod Tool 7.5 ==
''August 5th, 2007:'' The Steam community beta has now been released. You can take a look at it here to find out more about it: [[The Steam Community]]
[[File:Softimagemodtool-logo.jpg|right|100px]]


==Nigredo Studios Site Relaunch==
''April 19, 2009:'' An update to the [[Softimage Mod Tool]] (formerly XSI Mod Tool) has been released. Download it from [http://www.softimage.com/products/modtool/ Softimage] or [http://www.moddb.com/downloads/autodesk-softimage-mod-tool-75 ModDB].
''24 June, 2007:'' The [http://www.NigredoStudios.com Nigredo Studios] website has been relaunched with information on their upcoming 'FPRPS' (First Person Role Play Strategy) title.


==Natural Selection 2 Texturing==
== XSI Mod Tool 6.01 ==
''23 May, 2007:'' The [[Natural Selection 2]] team have posted a video of team member Jason Lange creating a base texture for a cannister prop from scratch. If you've ever wondered what goes into making a material, [http://www.unknownworlds.com/blog/2007/05/natural_selection_2_texturing.html watch it now!]


==Facial animation version 3: hardware acceleration!==
[[File:Xsimodtool-logo.jpg|right|100px]]
''15 May, 2007:'' Spot something unusual in [http://steamgames.com/v/index.php?area=game&AppId=960 TF2's latest video]?


<blockquote cite="http://steamgames.com/v/index.php?area=news&id=1039">We are pleased to announce that the next generation of facial animation technology for Source will be released in Team Fortress 2. By leveraging the rapid pace of advancement in PC graphics, videogames can now match and actually surpass the facial animation used in feature film and broadcast television production. We've released a video of this real-time, in-game, in-engine facial animation in action in support of ATI's launch of the [http://ati.amd.com/products/hdseries.html Radeon HD 2000 series]. By running entirely on the GPU of the videocard, the facial animation not only looks dramatically better, but frees up the CPU to perform other tasks like physics or AI.</blockquote>
''January 08, 2009:'' An unannounced update to the [[XSI Mod Tool]] has been released. Download it from [http://www.softimage.com/downloads/XSI_Mod_Tool/ Softimage] or [http://www.moddb.com/downloads/xsi-mod-tool-601 ModDB].


Whether or not the new system ''requires'' DirectX 10 remains to be seen.
== Neotokyo returns! ==


==Source Particle Benchmark==
[[File:Nt map ujiwa wide.jpg|thumb]]
''May 10, 2007:'' Video available: [http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/halflife2episode2/video_player.html?id=JHAww2Co5b4Ouzbf]
==4 New modding DVD movies are available==
Valve have updated their store with 4 new DVD movies about modding:
*[http://store.valvesoftware.com/productpages/video/product_NoesisCharAnim.html ADVANCED CHARACTER ANIMATION WITH HALF-LIFE 2 DVD, $49.95]
*[http://store.valvesoftware.com/productpages/video/product_NoesisCstmPropsAnim.html CUSTOM PROPS & ANIMATION FOR SOURCE® POWERED GAMES, $49.95]
*[http://store.valvesoftware.com/productpages/video/product_NoesisAdvancedLvlDsgn.html ADVANCED SOURCE® LEVEL DESIGN DVD, $49.95]
*[http://store.valvesoftware.com/productpages/video/product_Noesis02.html CHARACTER DESIGN & INTEGRATION WITH HALF-LIFE 2 and MAYA DVD, $39.95]


==Sign up now for the [[Deep 6]] alpha==
''November 20, 2008:'' [[Neotokyo]] is almost complete. Catch up with what Studio Radi-8 have been doing all this time by [http://www.neotokyohq.com/media.html looking through their newly-released media], and by listening to [http://www.moddb.com/mods/neotokyo/features/development-banter-neotokyo their chat with ModDB].
''3 Apr, 2007:'' [[Deep 6]] is a multiplayer-only [[wikipedia:Six degrees of freedom|6DOF]] game built with the Source engine. Developers [[Leaping Lizard Software]] are currently looking for closed-alpha testers!


<blockquote><p>Taking a cue from the pulp comics of the 1940s and 50s, Deep 6 takes players into a world submerged under the sea, where the battle of World War II rages on. Players take command of a fighter-sub, caught up in the ongoing battle between the Axis and Allies for control of the lost city of Atlantis.</p>
== Half-Life Turns 10 ==
''November 19, 2008:'' [[Half-Life]], Valve's first commercial release and critically acclaimed winner of over 50 Game of the Year awards, celebrates it's 10th anniversary today.


<p>Focusing solely on multiplayer combat, Deep 6 contains four different game modes that will keep players coming back for more, including Deathmatch/Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and two more never-before-seen gamemodes- "Rip Off" and "Blitzkrieg." Combat is fast-paced and frenetic... with full 360 degrees of movement, combat can come from any direction - at any time. A large arsenal of new, unique weapons makes sure combat is diverse and rewarding.</p></blockquote>
== Left 4 Dead Released ==
''November 18, 2008:'' [[Left 4 Dead]], the cooperative survival horror, has been released on Steam! 


'''[http://www.deep6game.com/alphasignup.html Sign up here]'''. You'll need [http://steamgames.com/v/index.php?area=search&category=16 a Source SDK game] to play, as the installation is currently in mod form.
== Mods get Steamworks ==
''August 11, 2008:'' Five mods have been given special access to the [[Steamworks]] SDK, and will be releasing future versions over Steam. [http://steamreview.org/posts/steamworksmod/ More details here!]


==Source and the Wiimote==
== Added tools: Particle Editor etc. Released ==
''31 Jan, 2007:'' The [http://wii.hl2world.com/ Half Life 2 Wiimote Mod] has successfully integrated the Nintendo Wii's motion controller to the Source engine. There are [http://wii.hl2world.com/media.html plenty of demo videos to watch], with the nunchuck's use particularly interesting: flick it to precisely throw a grenade, rotate it to twist an object held by the gravity gun, and plenty more. The mod has full, 360 degree motion support, including Red Steel-style viewmodel movement and ironsights for extra accuracy!
''June 10, 2008:'' Much of the new tools from the Orange Box have been released today, you can grab them by restarting steam. To use the tools add the <nowiki>-tools</nowiki> command as a launch option to any Orange Box engine game/mod or the Orange Box Source SDK Base.


==Steam Winter Update==
If you have any problems, visit the [[OB Editor Known Issues]] page.
''5 Jan, 2007:'' [http://storefront.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=coming_soon The Steam Winter Update is due for release next week.] Valve send word of some highlights:


<blockquote>
== Reissues (HL1 mod) released! ==
;New User Interface
''May 26, 2008:'' [[Reissues]], a single player [[:Half-Life|Half-Life 1]] mod created by various designers in the community, has now been released! Enjoy.
:Steam's got a new coat of paint. We've stripped away all the non-essentials and created a new streamlined appearance, available in five different colors.
;Favorites
:Steam's catalog of games has grown quite a bit over the past year or so. The new Favorites feature in the My Games tab of Steam allows for quick access to your favorite Steam games and additional functionality for personalizing your Steam library of content.
;Background Client Updates
:Since the Steam client was first released, it has always kept itself up to date -- but now it'll do so without making you wait during startup. Instead, it will acquire new updates in the background and then (once they're downloaded) ask if you'd like to restart and apply them. Steam will also let you know what's new whenever a new update is ready to apply.
;Guest Passes
:Guest Passes allow owners of certain Steam games (purchased either via Steam or at retail) to let their friends play games for free, for a limited time trial. The first game to take advantage of this new feature will be Day of Defeat: Source.
</blockquote>


==Pirates, Vikings, and Knights II  - Beta release==
== SourceU educational licensing opens ==
''1 Jan, 2007:'' [[Pirates, Vikings, and Knights II|PVKII]] has hit the web, picking up the shards from it's HL1 predecessor, twisting and turning them to create leaner, meaner and prettier non-historically accurate action than ever before.
''March 26, 2008:'' [http://source.valvesoftware.com/sourcesdk/sourceu.php SourceU] is a licensing program for schools (presumably including colleges and universities):
Pitting nimble Pirates, powerful Knights and mighty Vikings against each other on the HL2 engine, PVKII features an innovative melee combat system, nearly 100% custom content and a complete lack of ninjas, designed to be all that its predecessor was, and more!
<blockquote cite="http://source.valvesoftware.com/sourcesdk/sourceu.php"><p>This educational licensing program bundles Valve's game development technologies and invaluable learning resources. By using Source engine technology in the classroom, educational institutions around the world can teach a variety of creative and technical disciplines, from 3D modeling and animation to game design.</p>


*[http://www.pvkii.com/ Official site with screenshots, videos and download links]
<p>The educational program is available to public or private schools starting with the 2008-2009 school year.</p>


== Poke646: Vendetta released ==
<p>To find out how you can join the program, email us at [mailto:sourceu@valvesoftware.com?subject=SourceU%20inquiry sourceu@valvesoftware.com].</p></blockquote>


''21 Dec:'' Five years on, the sequel to the acclaimed [[Poke646]] single-player mod has been released - combining cryptic puzzles, fierce combat and stunning audio and visuals, all running on the ancient yet versatile engine from the original [[Half-Life]] game. If the original Poke646 could have been described as Half-Life's swan song, then [[Poke646: Vendetta|Vendetta]] is a startlingly clear voice from beyond the grave - showing that good design and artistry can more than overcome any technological hurdles placed in their path!
== DIPRIP demo released ==


* [http://www.poke646.com/ Official site with screenshots, videos and download links]
[[File:Diprip-menu.jpg|right|200px|D.I.P.R.I.P. menu art]]


== Multithreading the Source engine ==
''March 7, 2008:'' Vehicular combat mod [[D.I.P.R.I.P.]] [http://www.moddb.com/mods/diprip/news/diprip-is-now-available-for-download has been released!] The 1.0 demo features three vehicles, three maps, and one game mode.
''2 Nov:'' Bit-Tech are hosting [http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2006/11/02/Multi_core_in_the_Source_Engin/ a preview of the Source engine's new multithreading technology]. Valve's solution automatically scales to any number of cores and is backwards-compatible - but mods will need to recompile to take advantage of it, and of course restructure code to see the full benefit.


Multi-threading support is due out before the end of the year.
== Valve's GDC presentations available ==
''February 29, 2008:'' Four of the presentations given by Valve at the [http://www.gdconf.com/ Game Developers Conference] are now available from [http://www.valvesoftware.com/publications.html their publications page]. They are:


== Source for Xbox 360 available now ==
*Kim Swift and Erik Wolpaw, '''[http://www.valvesoftware.com/publications/2008/GDC2008_PortalPostMortem.pdf Integrating Narrative and Design: A Portal Post-Mortem]'''
''16 Oct:'' Source is now officially available for licensing on the Xbox 360. Currently only [[wikipedia:Threewave Software|Threewave Software]] and Valve themselves are known to be developing for Microsoft's new console with it.
*Jason Mitchell, '''[http://www.valvesoftware.com/publications/2008/GDC2008_StylizationWithAPurpose_TF2.pdf Stylization With a Purpose: The Illustrative World of Team Fortress 2]'''
*Elan Ruskin, '''[http://www.valvesoftware.com/publications/2008/GDC2008_CrossPlatformDevelopment.pdf How To Go From PC to Cross Platform Development Without Killing Your Studio]'''
*Alex Vlachos, '''[http://www.valvesoftware.com/publications/2008/GDC2008_PostProcessingInTheOrangeBox.pdf Post Processing in The Orange Box]'''


Source360 is an 'official middleware solution', so it looks like MS thought it was pretty good too. :-)
== [[SDK_Base|Source SDK Base - Orange Box]] available ==
''February 23, 2008:'' The Source 2007 version of SDK Base from which Source mods can run for cross-game compatibility is available now. To use it, assuming your code has been updated of course, simply change your mod's AppID to <code>218</code>.


<blockquote><p>Valve is pleased to announce the availability of the Source engine technology as an official middleware solution for developers on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.</p>
SDK Base Orange is only a 10MB download on top of the old SDK Base. Unfortunately it doesn't yet provide access to Episode Two content, but that's likely to change soon.


<p>Source, the technology that powered Valve's Half-Life 2, is already the benchmark game technology on Microsoft's Windows platform, offering state of the art performance in graphics, networking, artificial intelligence, physics simulation and more. The version of Source, available for Xbox 360, is optimized to utilize the platform's advance graphics hardware and offer full support for Xbox Live.</p>
== Source website updated ==
''February 23, 2008:'' There's a stylish new Source website: [http://source.valvesoftware.com/ source.valvesoftware.com]. Thank god they updated those screenshots!


<p>"The combination of Source and the Xbox 360 provides game designers throughout the industry the chance to create powerful entertainment experiences," said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "Whether they're pursuing a traditional FPS, RTS, RPG or delving into new genres, Source and the Xbox 360 are designed to offer the flexibility and tools to allow designers to pursue any design imaginable."</p>
==[[Valve]] Unveils Steamworks==
''January 29, 2008:'' Valve has released [http://www.steampowered.com/steamworks/ Steamworks], ''a complete suite of publishing and development tools ranging from copy protection to social networking services to server browsing.'' Steamworks is available '''free of charge''', and will allow developers complete control over many aspects of production and post-production of their games.


<p>For more information about licensing Source or leveraging any of Valve's technologies, please email [mailto:jasonh@valvesoftware.com Jason Holtman].</p></blockquote>
''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 (...) 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.'' &mdash; [[Gabe Newell]].


== The Ship SDK ==
* Read the press release for more information: [http://www.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=news&id=1423 Valve Unveils Steamworks]
''03 Oct:'' A third-party version of [[The Ship SDK]] has been built and released for those inclined to make maps for [[The Ship]].

Latest revision as of 17:28, 30 January 2024


Info.png
Looking for release news? This page is rarely updated when a new mod is released. Try visiting ModDB to stay up to date in this regard.
Note.pngNote:This page is a historical artifact that hasn't been updated in over a decade. It is only being kept as an interesting curiosity.
Broom icon.png
This article or section needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality.
For help, see the VDC Editing Help and Wikipedia cleanup process. Also, remember to check for any notes left by the tagger at this article's talk page.

Blackmesa Released!

Logo-trans.png

September 14, 2012: The Blackmesa Mod is finally released!

Portal 2 Released

Portal2 logo.jpg

April 19, 2011: Portal 2, the follow-up to Portal was Released by Valve.

Left 4 Dead 2 Released

November 17, 2009: Left 4 Dead 2, the follow-up to Left 4 Dead by Valve was released!

Хорошая Графика Советую

Softimage Mod Tool 7.5

Softimagemodtool-logo.jpg

April 19, 2009: An update to the Softimage Mod Tool (formerly XSI Mod Tool) has been released. Download it from Softimage or ModDB.

XSI Mod Tool 6.01

Xsimodtool-logo.jpg

January 08, 2009: An unannounced update to the XSI Mod Tool has been released. Download it from Softimage or ModDB.

Neotokyo returns!

Nt map ujiwa wide.jpg

November 20, 2008: Neotokyo is almost complete. Catch up with what Studio Radi-8 have been doing all this time by looking through their newly-released media, and by listening to their chat with ModDB.

Half-Life Turns 10

November 19, 2008: Half-Life, Valve's first commercial release and critically acclaimed winner of over 50 Game of the Year awards, celebrates it's 10th anniversary today.

Left 4 Dead Released

November 18, 2008: Left 4 Dead, the cooperative survival horror, has been released on Steam!

Mods get Steamworks

August 11, 2008: Five mods have been given special access to the Steamworks SDK, and will be releasing future versions over Steam. More details here!

Added tools: Particle Editor etc. Released

June 10, 2008: Much of the new tools from the Orange Box have been released today, you can grab them by restarting steam. To use the tools add the -tools command as a launch option to any Orange Box engine game/mod or the Orange Box Source SDK Base.

If you have any problems, visit the OB Editor Known Issues page.

Reissues (HL1 mod) released!

May 26, 2008: Reissues, a single player Half-Life 1 mod created by various designers in the community, has now been released! Enjoy.

SourceU educational licensing opens

March 26, 2008: SourceU is a licensing program for schools (presumably including colleges and universities):

This educational licensing program bundles Valve's game development technologies and invaluable learning resources. By using Source engine technology in the classroom, educational institutions around the world can teach a variety of creative and technical disciplines, from 3D modeling and animation to game design.

The educational program is available to public or private schools starting with the 2008-2009 school year.

To find out how you can join the program, email us at sourceu@valvesoftware.com.

DIPRIP demo released

D.I.P.R.I.P. menu art

March 7, 2008: Vehicular combat mod D.I.P.R.I.P. has been released! The 1.0 demo features three vehicles, three maps, and one game mode.

Valve's GDC presentations available

February 29, 2008: Four of the presentations given by Valve at the Game Developers Conference are now available from their publications page. They are:

Source SDK Base - Orange Box available

February 23, 2008: The Source 2007 version of SDK Base from which Source mods can run for cross-game compatibility is available now. To use it, assuming your code has been updated of course, simply change your mod's AppID to 218.

SDK Base Orange is only a 10MB download on top of the old SDK Base. Unfortunately it doesn't yet provide access to Episode Two content, but that's likely to change soon.

Source website updated

February 23, 2008: There's a stylish new Source website: source.valvesoftware.com. Thank god they updated those screenshots!

Valve Unveils Steamworks

January 29, 2008: Valve has released Steamworks, a complete suite of publishing and development tools ranging from copy protection to social networking services to server browsing. Steamworks is available free of charge, and will allow developers complete control over many aspects of production and post-production of their games.

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 (...) 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. — Gabe Newell.

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