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Left 4 Dead 2 “Last Stand” Update

The Last Stand Community Update has been released!
Visit https://www.l4d.com/laststand/ for all of the details.

Summary of the more than 1000 changes across the entire game:

– Fixed an exploit that could lag or crash a server by spawning infinite pistols.
– Rate-limit commands to prevent client command DOS attacks against servers.
– Fixed the ability to bypass the damage filter on the gas station’s rolling door by going idle.
– Fixed avoiding damage from the charger by toggling in/out of idle while being body slammed.
– Fixed clearing the boomer screenspace effect by taking a break.
– Fix griefing exploit where a survivor would fire the grenade launcher and then switch to spectator to skip the friendly-fire check
– Record the team of a vote caller at the time the vote is called, so if the caller disconnects the other players can still have their votes checked against the caller’s team. Fixes team-based votes locking out new voters if the caller disconnects.
– Build a map load command on the server instead of directly executing the command that’s received as part of the server reservation packet. Fixed potential server takeover exploit.
– Fixed SI ghosts playing jump landing sounds
– Prevent players from joining the survivor team as a character already occupied by a human player.
– Marked “voice_all_icons” (used for testing) as a cheat command. Clear the voice state whenever the value changes so voice bubbles don’t stay visible when switching between cheat enabled/disabled games.
– Marked cl_survivor_light_* cvars as cheats.
– Made survivor_teammatefocus_* convars replicated, so they can still be used as a legitimate way to play but are forced to be consistent for all clients.
– Removed a three-second window where an infected player could force a faster transition from the observer state to the ghost state by pressing a key.
– Don’t spam open/close door client commands while the door is in the process of opening or closing.

– Fixed spawn areas permanently excluded from spawn set when a survivor dies, idles, or changes character.
– Fixed mobs unable to spawn if survivors stand in specific areas during a finale.
– Always restore the default pain pills decay rate when the director resets.
– Fixed the L4D1 survivor gestures not playing on dedicated servers.
– Allow SI to destroy breakables in finale areas during survival and scavenge modes once the round begins.
– Fixed breakables sometimes failing to unblock the nav when they break.
– Don’t stumble the charger if the charge attack starts while already in contact with the victim.
– Fixed L4D1 survivors not selecting their canonical preferred weapons when scavenging.
– Allow survivors to pick up ammo while fighting a tank or in close combat if they are less than 40% full.
– Bots will use pills only if health 50
– Bots consider health to be critical at 30 (was 40). This means real health must be 5 before a bot will use first-aid over a full temp health buffer.
– Fixed a few cases where specials may choose to wait in an ambush position when the game mode says they should be assaulting the survivors
– If a chase path that’s trying to lead the target fails, fall back to a non-leading path. Leading paths that run off a cliff aren’t always handled properly and can cause the target to be treated as unreachable.
– Revised the logic for fitting both tank and witch spawn locations into the flow. Previously they would frequently collide and the witch would get culled; now they should always find some combination of spawn locations that fit the within the map constraints.
– Fixed the director’s “arc value” not always handling campaigns shorter than five maps correctly.

– Allow competitive achievements (versus, scavenge) to also be earned in Versus Survival.
– Incapped survivors are counted as escaped if they’re in the rescue vehicle.
– Enabled CS weapons for all players
– Viewmodels use the skin value of the world pickup model, same as gas cans.
– When a weapon is holstered, transfer the current skin to the addon model.
– Clear the viewmodel fire layer when performing a melee attack to fix the stuck helping hand bug.
– Fixed the mp5’s melee shove canceling its reload animation.
– Turned on boomer gibs by default, except in low violence mode.
– Restored burn skins for infected
– Fixed witch kills getting recorded as common zombie kills in the stats.
– Increased “ammo_shotgun_max” from 56 to 72

– Removed “Single Player” option from the main menu carousel.
– Enabled the “Private Game” option in lobby permissions.
– Added a rematch vote to the end of versus survival matches.
– Fixed voice chat not working in lobbies.
– No vote cooldown in singleplayer modes
– Allow “Change all-talk” vote in versus survival mode.
– cl_downloadfilter defaults to “none”
– Fixed genericpanellist not drawing panels when they extended beyond both the top and bottom of the frame.
– Suppress warnings about func_orator not having a model

AND MORE
– Hundreds of fixes and tweaks to animations, models, dialog, map layouts and exploits.

Steam Input
– Added a Joystick style action that can receive console-style aim assist
– Fixed the “Turn Around” action
– Added a “Reset Camera” action for use with motion controls
– Rescaled mouse sensitivities so that the adjustment sliders in the configurator have more useful range
– Fix controller input on Orders/Response Quick Menu’s
– Fixed controllers not being able to skip to the end of the post-campaign stats scrawl

SCRIPTING AND MODDING

– CHANGES
– Run mapspawn_addon.nut for all active addons after the base version runs.
– Run scriptedmode_addon.nut and director_base_addon.nut for all active addons after the base version runs.
– Support for new population file overrides for the base game mode. So the load order is now “population.txt”, “population_.txt”, “population_.txt”, which each script optionally overriding place definitions from the previous files.
– Any time the addon load order changes, both the director and the nav mesh immediately refresh their population data. Fixes campaigns using the wrong populations and errors from precaching the wrong models.
– Func_nav_attribute_region and point_nav_attribute_region will remove attributes if the spawn key “remove_attributes” is set to true.
– Allow scripts to force the witch bride spawn, regardless of the variant setting
– “InterceptChat” can return false to prevent sending the message to other clients.
– “DamageType” field of “ScriptAllowDamage” is now read/write, so it can be used to change the damage type.
– Fixed being unable to create subdirectories in /left4dead2/ems
– New game event “player_left_safe_area”, called every time the first survivor leaves the start area regardless of map number, restarts, etc.
– Added the userid of the offending player to “triggered_car_alarm” game event.
– Fixed script funcs SetContext and SetContextNum not recognizing that a duration of zero means ‘forever’. To avoid breaking existing scripts, the ‘forever’ parameter is now -1.
– Track convars set from script so they can be reverted when the session ends.
– New gender “police”, can spawn & drop tonfas like the riot control commons, but doesn’t have the protective gear.
– Added a new keyfield “weaponskin” to item and weapon spawners to set the skin of the spawned item or weapon. Supported by “weapon_item_spawn”, “weapon_melee_spawn”, “weapon_scavenge_item_spawn”.
– Removed spurious parenthesis from “ToKVString” and “_tostring” script functions
– Director now calls into an optional script function “GetCustomScriptedStageProgress” during FINALE_CUSTOM_SCRIPTED stages. The function should return a value from 0-1 to indicate the completion percentage of the stage. The default time-based completion percentage is passed in as a parameter.
– Added weapon spawners and configurable spawner entries for CS weapons.

– NEW FUNCTIONS
CBaseEntity
GetMaxHealth
SetMaxHealth
GetModelName
SetModel( modelname )

CBaseAnimating
GetAttachmentBone, Get the named attachement’s parent bone index
GetAttachmentOrigin, Get the attachment id’s origin as vector
GetAttachmentAngles, Get the attachment id’s angles as p,y,r vector
GetBoneOrigin, Get the bone id’s origin vector
GetBoneAngles, Get the bone id’s angles as a p,y,r vector
LookupActivity, Get the named activity index
LookupBone, Get the named bone index
LookupSequence, Looks up a sequence by sequence name or activity name
SetSequence, Set a sequence by id
ResetSequence, Reset a sequence by id. If the id is different than the current sequence, switch to the new sequence
GetSequence, Get the current sequence id
GetSequenceActivityName, Get the activity name for a sequence by id
GetSequenceName, Get a sequence name by id
GetSequenceDuration, Get a sequence duration by id
GetBodygroup, Get a bodygroup by id
GetBodygroupName, Get the bodygroup id’s name
FindBodygroupByName, Find a bodygroup id by name
GetBodygroupPartName, Get name by group and part
SetBodygroup
GetModelScale
SetModelScale, (scale, change_duration) Changes a model’s scale over time
SetPoseParameter, (id, value) Sets a pose parameter value

CBaseFlex
GetCurrentScene, Returns the instance of the oldest active scene entity (if any).
GetSceneByIndex, Returns the instance of the scene entity at the specified index.
PlayScene, Play the specified .vcd file.
LookupAttachment
IsSequenceFinished

CTerrorPlayer
DropItem, Make the player drop an item/weapon
SwitchToItem, Make the player switch to an item/weapon
SnapEyeAngles, Sets the view angles
GiveItemWithSkin( itemname, skin )

CTerrorWeapon
GetMaxClip1
GetMaxClip2
GetDefaultClip1
GetDefaultClip2
Clip1
Clip2
SetClip1
SetClip2
GiveDefaultAmmo
Reload

CDirector
GetGameModeBase
GetMapName
GetSurvivorSet

ResponseCriteria
GetValue, ( entity, criteriaName ) – returns a string
GetTable, ( entity, table ) – returns a table of all criteria
HasCriterion, ( entity, criteriaName ) – returns true if the criterion exists

CBaseTrigger
Disable
Enable
IsTouching, ( entity )

Global
DebugDrawBoxAngles, Draw a debug oriented box (cent, min, max, angles(p,y,r), vRgb, a, duration)
ClientPrint, Print a client message
PrecacheSound
EmitAmbientSoundOn, Play named ambient sound on an entity.
StopAmbientSoundOn, Stop named ambient sound on an entity.
GetSoundDuration, Returns float duration of the sound. Takes soundname and optional actormodelname.
SetFakeClientConVarValue, Sets a USERINFO client ConVar for a fakeclient
ScreenShake, Start a screenshake with the following parameters. vecCenter, flAmplitude, flFrequency, flDuration, flRadius, eCommand( SHAKE_START = 0, SHAKE_STOP = 1 ), bAirShake
ScreenFade, Start a screenfade with the following parameters. player, red, green, blue, alpha, flFadeTime, flFadeHold, flags
PrecacheModel
IsModelPrecached
IsSoundPrecached
IsDedicatedServer
GetListenServerHost
HasPlayerControlledZombies
“AllowFallenSurvivorItem”, optionally reject items from spawning on the fallen survivor.
ShouldPlayBossMusic

– SCRIPT ENTITIES
“script_func_button” – spawn a func_button from script via extents.
“script_clip_vphysics” – structured the same as other script-based trigger entities.
“script_nav_attribute_region” – uses extents instead of brushes.

– RESPONSE RULES
– Added survivor criteria “InRescueVehicle”, set to 1 when the vehicle has arrived and the survivor is inside.
– Added “NumberOfTeamAlive”, “NumberOfTeamIncapacitated”, and “NumberOfTeamDead” to the set of response rules global criteria.

– MISSION KEYS
– Added a mission key “allow_boss_mix” to the “versus_boss_spawning” block to bypass a restriction on having both a tank and a witch in the first and last maps of a campaign.
– Created variant keys to set a different character model
HunterVariant
SmokerVariant
BoomerVariant
BoometteVariant
SpitterVariant
JockeyVariant
ChargerVariant
WitchVariant

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Wick Editor Hands-On Review

The Wick Editor is a surprisingly capable free and open source tool that defies categorisation. At it’s core it’s a 2D graphic and animation tool, but it also has programmability features making it capable of creating simple games. It supports publishing animated GIFs, movies, soundtracks, sprite sequences and even single click html applications.

Wick Editor is described as:

The Wick Editor is a free and open-source tool for creating games, animations, and everything in-between. It’s designed to be the most accessible tool for creating multimedia projects on the web.

The Wick Editor is a hybrid of an animation tool and a coding environment, heavily inspired by similar tools such as Flash, HyperCard, and Scratch. It was developed in response to a growing need for such a tool for the modern web.

As mentioned the project is open source with the code hosted on GitHub under the GPL v3 license. The Wick Editor runs entirely in the browser and can be run by visiting https://editor.wickeditor.com/. You can also install locally and run using node and npm. You can learn more about Wick Editor and see it in action in the video below (or watch on Odysee).

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xy_J9ZgJ3Y?feature=oembed&w=1500&h=844]
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Win a free copy of mystery-adventure game The Almost Gone!

Who doesn’t love a good mobile mystery? Whether it’s inspecting intricate objects in The Room, or exploring a whole planet in Krystopia: Nova’s Journey, mobile is specially equipped to offer little mysteries to dip in and out of. That’s why, this week, we’ve decided to partner with Playdigious and give away some Android and iOS copies of The Almost Gone. This mystery-adventure game is a little like if Monument Valley collided with Gone Home – a mobile mystery game where you uncover secrets by moving between rooms, and inspecting them for clues.

But each room or scene in The Almost Gone is a beautiful 3D diorama, that you can move, and tap to highlight objects of importance. If you hadn’t guessed, we absolutely love 3D dioramas on mobile, whether its Bad North, Monument Valley, or Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows, and The Almost Gone is no exception. We’d honestly play this game just for how aesthetically pleasing it is.

But luckily it also has a pretty captivating mystery, as you unlock each scene like a little puzzle box. If this sounds like your kind of game, be sure to enter for a copy below!

There are two entry boxes, one for Android and one for iOS, so please be sure to enter the correct one for your platform, as otherwise you won’t be able to play the game. Also, if you plan to enter, be sure to have a glance at our terms and conditions first.

android

The Almost Gone – Android Giveaway

ios

The Almost Gone – iOS Giveaway

Alternately, if you can’t wait to play The Almost Gone, you can purchase it on Google Play or the App Store. For more similar recommendations, our list of the best mobile puzzle games will help.

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Epic Games Lead $15M Round of Funding For Manticore Games

It was announced today that Epic Games was leading a $15M round of funding for Manticore Games, the creator of the Core game creation platform. Core is a member of a growing segment of “games for making games”, similar to other titles such as Dreams and Roblox. Core is built on top of the Unreal Engine and provides most of the tools required to make modern online games in an easy to use package.

Details of the investment from Manticore Games:

Manticore Games has closed $15 million in funding, led by Epic Games and validating the vision and the progress of Core toward an endless gaming multiverse.

Manticore’s mission is to unleash a new wave of creativity in games by radically lowering the barriers to game making and publishing the same way that YouTube revolutionized video creation.

“Core is very impressive,” said Adam Sussman, President, Epic Games. “At Epic we believe the industry is ultimately headed to games becoming more like open platforms where creators can build their own worlds. Built in Unreal Engine, Core exemplifies this future and goes one step further by providing the environment for anybody to create great multiplayer games, and a metaverse playground where players discover endless entertainment.”

You can learn more about the acquisition and get a brief overview of Core in action in the video below (or watch on Odysee here). For more details on Core be sure to check out our previous coverage here when they announced alpha, and here when monetization for creators was announced.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wxMxuTIzpI?feature=oembed&w=1500&h=844]
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Unity Humble Bundle Improved With 6 New Assets

The ongoing  Unity Game Dev Humble Bundle got even better today with the addition of 6 new assets. Don’t worry if you already purchased the bundle, you will receive all of the added assets up to the tier you purchased.

The new assets added to the pack include:

  • SNAPS Prototype Asian Garden
  • SNAPS Prototype Car Park
  • SNAPS Prototype SciFi Urban
  • SNAPS HD Asian Garden
  • SNAPS HD SciFi Urban
  • SNAPS HD Car Park

The prototype assets are low polygon models ideal for lower end hardware or as the name implies level prototyping. The HD kits on the other hand contain high quality HDRP pipeline assets for use in a commercial grade game. It should be noted that the HD packs are not currently updated to the most current HDRP and some breakage may occur. Unity have stated they intend to update the assets to the most current Unity version soon. You can learn more about the additions and see the SciFi Urban HD asset in action in the video below.

In addition to the new assets, we have already covered several of the assets included in this bundling including UModeler, Clayxels and the highly recommended Peek.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IK1IELdeN8?feature=oembed&w=1500&h=844]
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Microsoft acquires Bethesda, creators of The Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Doom

Microsoft just announced its purchase of ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks, for USD 7.5 billion. This deal means that Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios are now part of the Xbox family. It gives Microsoft ownership of franchises such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, DOOM, Dishonored, Quake, Starfield, and more.

Bethesda has been a big supporter of Xbox Game Pass for some time now, and Microsoft will be adding Bethesda’s beloved franchises to Xbox Game Pass for console and PC. You can also look forward to some highly anticipated titles such as Starfield, an upcoming space RPG in development by Bethesda Game Studios, that will be available day one on Game Pass, and many yet to be announced titles.

It will be interesting to see how this affects Nintendo Switch, as many popular Xbox titles have recently launched for the console, including Ori and the Will of the Wisps, which was revealed during the Nintendo Direct Mini recently. Hopefully, this will lead to more Bethesda titles coming to the console.

See the announcement tweet below

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Hands-On With Peek For Unity

In the next part in our going look at key extensions in the Unity Game Dev Humble Bundle, today we are looking at Peek from Ludiq. In previous features we have looked at UModeler and Clayxels if you are interested in learning more.

Peek is a powerful add-on the greatly changes the way you work with Unity, including features like:

  • Dynamic toolbars the replace the requirement for the Inspector windows
  • Pop up support on Ctrl+F replacing the need for the Hierarchy window
  • Sticky drag and drop
  • Quick reference inspection
  • Creator to quickly create and place objects and instances in your scene
  • Multi-object grouping

You can see Peek and most of these features in action in the video below (or here on Odysee). Peek is regularly $60 on the Unity Asset Store and is half that price (with dozens of other assets and games) in the current Bundle, expiring in 9 days.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzao1-RrSkw?feature=oembed&w=1500&h=844]
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Castle Game Engine Hands-On

The Castle Game Engine is a pretty unique option. It’s a long running open source 2D/3D game engine for Pascal and Delphi developers with a recent emphasis on improving the editing experience. Hand and hand with the Castle engine is the Lazarus IDE and the open source Pascal implementation Free Pascal, which are required for Castle game development.

Top features of Castle include:

  • Use any 3D or 2D software to create your models in various formats: glTF, X3D, VRML, Spine JSON, Collada…
  • Develop cross-platform applications, for desktop (Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD…), mobile (Android, iOS), consoles (Nintendo Switch) and other devices (Raspberry Pi).
  • Visual editor to design games UI and to build applications, powerful command-line build tool under the hood.
  • Optimized rendering with a lot of graphic effects (physically-based rendering, shadows, mirrors, bump mapping, shader effects, gamma correction…).
  • Build and edit the scene graph (X3D) at runtime. Create 3D processing, visualization tools and CAD applications.
  • Extensible system for game objects, with physics, creatures with AI and navmesh, and more.
  • Access numerous services, like in-app purchases and game services on mobile devices.
  • Create cross-platform user-interface with anchors and automatic scaling.
  • Code in modern Object Pascal, an efficient OOP language with cross-platform open-source compiler (FPC), compiled to a native optimized code.

If you are interested in learning more about the Castle game engine be sure to check out the video below (or watch it here on Odysee). The Castle developers have also recently released a document making it easier for Unity developers to get up to speed with key concepts in Castle, which is available here. If you are interested in getting started with Castle and Lazarus, step by step instructions are available here.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqTgbRa5Bq0?feature=oembed&w=1500&h=844]