Planned 2.5 split to make a 2.42 update news - Fortress Forever Mod for Half-Life 2

For those of you who don't read the forums you will have missed a lot of talk over the past year. We apologize for our lack of attention to this news page and accept that it could seem as though we've abandoned the FF project. However this is NOT the case!

We are still very much active and are continuing to evolve and improve Fortress Forever.

What was planned

We have been testing a lot of big changes for the upcoming 2.5 patch--adding new weapons and even going as far as completely changing how some classes operate. Some of those changes will make the cut, and some won't, but we realized that there are a number of small changes and bug fixes that we want to release. Hence, the 2.42 patch.

Where we're at right now

Squeek and Dexter have been working very hard merging changes from our beta build and have, as of last night, got it up to date so that we can shortly begin testing release builds.

There are a few (four or five) changes which are still up for debate as to their inclusion in this patch.

Can we have some idea of what to expect in the 2.42 patch?

Here's a taste:

• You no longer lose a kill for suiciding.
• Added soft-clipping of friendly players. This means no bumping into your allies and missing that concussion jump (you can still stack on their heads, if that's your thing).
• No longer will your crosshair betray you: Your crosshair disappears when you are concussed. The true crosshair (where you are actually firing) now flashes upon firing a weapon.
• The scout's jump pad can now only be used by friendly players (with a team-colored paint job to reflect that fact). Enemies can damage and destroy them, but they regenerate health when left alone.
• Due to recent U.N. mandates regarding biological weapons (“we really mean it this time”), we thought the days of the infection were numbered. However our crack team of lawyers thankfully discovered a loophole. The medic's infection wears off after a set amount of time. It will bring players to 1 HP, but won't kill them. When the infection wears off, the lost health returns.
• HWGuy now has a secondary attack called the "overpressure". Use it to push nearby enemies away where you can safely fill them full of lead.
• New map ff_warpath will be released! Fight your way through this pristine desert valley, capturing each command point until you are at the enemy's doorstep.

That's only a portion of what we have in store, so watch this space for the full change log coming in a few weeks.

The soldier's new laser grenade can lock down a narrow corridor, but won't fill the entire room with projectiles.

ff_warpath

So what's happening to these 'considerable changes' & the 2.5 patch?

Some of the changes we like, but are waiting for further testing, appropriate models, and textures or coding in some required changes. Some items will be cut in the end, but 2.5 will contain some radical new changes that we've been having a lot of fun with.

If you want to help get this next patch out the door, consider joining the beta team! We are always looking for active players who can attend tests and give good feedback. Apply in the forums. If you have developer skills such as SDK coding, modeling, animation, or level design, see our jobs page.