Current events
Ep1
1 June: Half-Life 2: Episode One Has been relased
NightFall Returns
16 May: NightFall, one of the most anticipated Half Life 2 Mods, according to a recent poll on Interlopers has returned from its almost dead status. The mod has moved to a micro site of the Nigredo Studios commercial site at http://nightfall.nigredostudios.com
The mod has also announced Episode 1 that will be released very soon.
Atari back catalogue arriving on Steam
14 May: Most or all of Atari's PC back catalogue is to be made available through Steam as a part of their new GamersFirst budget range.
Source Engine Beta
11 May: A beta test program for the Source engine has been launched. You can find more information about it on the Source Engine Beta page.
Steam Platform Update
5 May: A major platform upgrade was released today including the addition of a My media section accompanied by Zombie movie and 9 trailers. The server browser now supports SiN 1 Multiplayer.
Half-Life 2: Episode One Begins Preload
2 May: Today, preloading and prepurchasing began for Half-Life 2: Episode One, the next episode in the Half-Life series of games. It is bundled with Half-Life 2: Deathmatch and Half-Life Deathmatch: Source.
Hidden: Source Beta 3 Released
27 Apr: Half Life 2 mod Hidden: Source, the ModDB Editor's Choice Multiplayer Mod of 2005, Has just released the feature-packed Beta 3. The new version has been massively upgraded with new high tech weaponry, an original techno-orchestral soundtrack, an all new new map and lots more. You can find a long list of mirrors on the main page of the Hidden:Source website.
Garry's Mod coming to Steam
15 Apr: The Steam Review has posted a news article on Garry's Mod (v9.1) being sold on Steam for a price of $10. Link to article
Earth 2160 Released on Steam!
11 Apr: Valve Corporation informally announced today that Earth 2160, an RTS from Zuxxez Entertainment AG, will be available on steam for just $19.95, starting today. Valve has not posted a press release, and has said to visit The Official Website.
A new Soundcache system
29 Mar: VDC users are exploring possible improvements to Source's Soundcache system. If you have any experience with soundcaches or packaging and distributing a mod, please consider dipping in!
Talk:Soundcache#A new Soundcache system
VDC now on IRC
26 Mar: There's now an unofficial Valve Developer Community IRC channel on IRCnet, #vdc. Do please join the crowd if you're into IRCing!
Episode One delayed
25 Mar: Half-Life 2: Episode One has been pushed back to May 31st, a month later than previous release estimations. SiN Episodes: Emergence has also been delayed to May, and Ritual staff member Michael Russell had this to say on the official forums [2]:
There is actually a very good reason for the game being released in May. However, it's not my place to say what that reason is.
What I can say is that we wouldn't be moving the release date that far back if the end result wasn't going to be good for the game, good for gamers and good for Ritual as well.
Stay tuned...the answer will be revealed...
Presumably both games are waiting on the same development.
Next-Gen Source for consoles to be revealed 'very, very soon'
22 Mar: In an interview with Firing Squad [3], Doug Lombardi revealed that Valve' next-generation iteration of Source is about to be revealed:
FiringSquad: Valve has secured a number of licenses for its Source engine from both big and small developers. Overall is Valve happy with the amount of interest in the engine and does it plan to expand its licenses in the future?
Doug Lombardi: We feel like this effort is just beginning. We're very interested in getting the word out to the community that Source is available for 3rd party licensing, it's a flexible set of technology, and we'll be announcing a next generation console version (created in house at Valve) very, very soon.
Turtle Rock developing 'next-gen' Source title for Steam
16 mar: Long-time Counter-Strike contributors (including the CS Souce bot) have announced a standalone game being built on Source and Steam [4]:
Turtle Rock Studios, the independent studio that has co-developed recent Counter-Strike games with Valve, today announces a new Source-based title in development for the PC, to be released via Valve’s Steam online platform for digital distribution.
Turtle Rock Studios was founded by Michael Booth in 2002, and has grown to include industry veterans who have contributed to such titles as Nox, Red Alert II: Yuri's Revenge, and Command & Conquer: Generals.
“Working with Source and Steam allows us unprecedented flexibility in our development process, provides instantaneous world-wide distribution, and affords us the creative freedom to focus on building a game universe of our very own.” said Booth. “We’re excited to be working with this technology and to reveal more about the project over the coming year.”
Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 Released
14 mar: Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, Tripwire Interactive's first-person action game set on the Russian Front of WWII, is now available via Steam for just $24.95.
For more information, please visit http://www.steampowered.com.
Empires
3rd Mar: The Empires team is set to release the first version of its Source MOD this weekend, and have put out a giant trailer ahead of the game's launch that you may get off of their site. If playing a game that is a cross between a real-time strategy game and a first person shooter is something you'd be interested in checking out, keep an eye on the Empires site this weekend.
Abilities of Source
3rd Mar: Several projects have been completed using Source; it makes sense to show the public how the Source engine has many applications. Check out Source in Academic Work for the showcase of projects built with the Source engine.
MINERVA: Metastasis 2 released
3rd Mar: The second map in the award-winning 'MINERVA: Metastasis' trilogy has been released. Featuring further exploration and infiltration deep inside the mysterious island base from the first part, you shall uncover some of the secrets behind the Combine's mechanised occupation of the island and also reveal many more.
Lauded by gamers across the globe, it is the second part of a provocative, literary, apocryphal and brutal series which will redefine the way you think of Half-Life 2.
MINERVA: Metastasis 2 is part two of the episodic and ongoing MINERVA series by Adam Foster. It contains an updated version of Metastasis 1, and can be cleanly installed over any existing installations.