Aftermath... Date:  24/Dec/01 Update: Merry Christmas, all! (it's been Christmas for 30 minutes, here).  Well, there's some crashing, and quite a few bugs, as expected... but all in all, the release seems to have gone really well. 10,000 hits in one day, and almost everyone seems to be happy, judging from E-mails and players on Internet servers. Nice! The main bug people have been reporting, is the "Out of sfx_t" client-side crash bug. The problem is, according to Another1, it's a bug in the core Half-Life engine that only Valve can fix (we can't alter that code). It seems to be caused by some sounds being added to the precache list over and over 'till it hits the limit, or something like that :/. With some really big maps in 2.0 (Shattered), and more sounds going on in general, it tends to be hit much sooner than in 1.9. We've contacted Valve about it, and they were going to help, then they stopped replying... so I don't know if anything's being done or not. Once Another1 gets back, I'll get more information from him and we'll see what we can do. Maybe if other people who experience it, report it to Valve, things'll go more quickly... need to know more about what to report, first, though. Anyway, once Another1 does get back, we'll start on a small patch to fix some of the larger bugs, and also a Linux port (he forgot to send me the latest source code before leaving, so we can't do either at the moment :/  ). This patch would include the latest bonus list, by the way... so anyone who donates now would get the bonus features when that patch was released. :) -Sven Viking

 

SvenCo-op BETA 2.0 BETA RELEASED!! Date:  21/Dec/01 The time has finally come.... to tell you that this was all a trick to get your money, and-- Heh, better not finish this joke, in case someone believes it. Seriously: SvenCo-op Beta 2.0 is now available for download!! Keep in mind that since it's a beta, several things are buggy/unfinished, and you should have a lot of fun! There's a heck of a lot of new stuff in there... here's a list of just some of the biggest things. Two complete new monsters - the Heavy Weapons Grunt and the Baby Gargantua. Personal Medkit added. Its ammo regenerates slowly, and it can be recharged from health chargers/medkit items. Health is given to the user as a reward for healing others. All-new, vastly improved Uzi models with all-new vastly improved Uzi code. The Valve single-player maps should work properly now!... Except for a couple of chapters that're skipped 'cos we haven't had time to fix them yet. Other than that, you should be able to play from just after the train ride to the very end. New, high-quality maps such as Hostile Planet by the FireArms Head Mapper, Shattered by the X-mod Head Mapper, and Wired by PHL mapper Paul Shuttle Improved versions of old maps, such as Stadium3 and Osprey Lots of fancy mapping options, including per-monster models/health, switch-able spawnpoints, etc. More to come in 2.0 Final, such as per-map sound replacement. Anti-llama features (more in 2.0 Final), and a VGUI voting system. Can move players about with your crowbar. MP3 player (works perfectly on some systems, but is buggy on others, at the moment) Improved friendly monster models, new player models, etc. Bonus weapons: The gold Uzi/s and Electric Crowbar. Usable by donors and some other people in net games, and everyone in LAN games. Auto-downloader for fixes, maps, updates, and extras. MP3 playlist editor by Sniper. Tons of bug fixes, tweaks, and smaller features (3rd person view works now, client-side weapons, etc.) There are so many changes that we've actually lost all record of some of them! Hopefully all that'll more than make up for bugs that we haven't had time to fix yet, and such. Important Update: If the installer is minimized when it reaches the end of installation, you won't be able to maximize it again. Clicking the taskbar item then clicking Enter should fix this. Thanks Ceown. Update: More mirrors added.   Click Here to go to the SvenCo-op Beta 2.0 Download page!   Thanks to all the team members, mappers, skinners, server ops, beta testers, donors, etc. who've helped with this release! Also thanks to everyone who offered to mirror the Beta2 file, including Barrysworld, and Jeh from PHL! SvenCo-op fans: Remember to spread word of the release! Tell your friends, your favourite news site (unless they already know, of course... already E-mailed PHL, by the way), your family members and your pets. It all helps. Anyway, have fun with the new beta... hope we haven't forgotten anything too important. It was release now or delay by a few weeks, though (I'm not likely to be around for the next 2-3 weeks, and after that I'll be pretty busy... Another1 went away this morning... etc.) BTW: Message to server ops: When trying to install on a dedicated server, the installer'll probably think you're installing to the wrong directory. Just click "Yes" twice when it asks you if you're sure. -Sven Viking

 

Nothing important, and Screenshots Too! Oh yeah: Need mirrors Date:  19/Dec/01 Update: Umm, see above. While you wait, you could always play the SvenCo-op Trading Card Game! (See attachments). Well, as you can see on the Progress page, we have most things done... we're almost out of time, too. So we're basically busy running about like chickens with their heads on fire trying to get the last few important things done in time for the release.  Anyway, here are three screenshots of DeathBog's Mega Monster Massacre map, which makes use of 2.0's model replacement technology. The mission briefing reads: You have been programmed for one reason and one reason alone, to annihilate all Mega-Monsters that oppose you and fly into space! The factory assembly line will reconstruct you when you are destroyed. Different monsters' life forces are attached to Runes along the way. (As you can probably guess, it's not supposed to be totally serious). Probably the strangest map I've ever played, but certainly not the least enjoyable :).  Oh yeah, thanks to everyone who's offered to mirror the public beta installer when it's ready... a few more high-quality mirrors'd still be useful, though. Is there anyone who could get it onto FilePlanet really quickly, for example (took over a week to get 1.9 mirrored on there). E-mail me if you can help, thanks. P.S., afraid that from now on, donations are unlikely to get you the bonus features until the release after the public beta (probably 2.0 Final). You're welcome to try, of course ;), but if you're only donating so as to get the bonus features, you might be best to wait for a while. Thanks to everyone who's donated so far, by the way!! -Sven Viking