PoneDM (Joke Mod Series) for Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Hi everyone!

It's been about a year or so since the last PoneDM release. I decided to whip up a new update and release it around Halloween, however due to circumstances beyond my control I had to delay the new update. In the meantime, I expanded and polished up the update to the state it is now.

This update introduces the new "BRAINS ARE MAGIC" mode which takes some inspiration from Halo's famous Infection mode. A team of survivors must battle against a singular zombie, hellbent on killing and infecting the survivors. Either the survivors must survive against the zombies, or the zombies must infect all the survivors. In addition, an additional gameplay mechanic is available if bots are in your game. If bots get a certain amount of kills, they get on a list of survivors who will become "infected" by the zombie virus. This adds a far more impactful element to bot matches and when playing cooperatively with friends.

The second major addition is a shiny new PoneDM installer, based on the FIREFIGHT RELOADED SDK framework. This provides a quick and easy one click install that extracts and puts the ponedm folder in your SourceMods directory. You can still install it manually, but it is a good tool to use. Please note that .NET Framework v4.6.2 should be installed before running the installer. If you have the latest version of Windows 10 or 11, this should not be an issue.

In addition, I added some balance changes, bug fixes and improvements to the experience. One of my favorite changes, which I have posted in the images below, is the statue ragdolls in the low violence mode. By default, whenever you "knock out" a pony, they will flop over like if they're in a Tom and Jerry cartoon, or stay standing as if they stepped on a tack. This can be disabled in the Multiplayer Advanced Options menu. The full change log will be below.

Thanks, and have a Happy Hearth's Warming!
Bitl

Release 1.2 (Released 12-23-23):
Notes:
- The Linux version is currently experiencing issues with the Bot AI. This is a known issue and will be fixed later. I'd highly suggest playing the mod with Proton if it doesn't work for your distro.
- This was originally meant to come out around Halloween. Due to recent events and personal issues, this update got a 2 month delay.
- 💙

Mane changes:
- Introducing BRAINS ARE MAGIC!
	- A new game mode based on "Infection" from the Halo series.
	- In a game with bots, zombie bots are more aggressive and survivor bots have a chance of being infected by "The Sickness"
- Added "HOOVES" (fists) as a weapon for all modes.
- Added a fancy new installer!

Misc. Changes:
- Added tributes to a friend. 💙
- Improved Discord Rich Presence details.
- Enabled a 10-minute timer by default.
- Improved bot attack AI.
- Improved main menu backgrounds.
- Added more bot names.
- Improved violence options to deter younger and more sensitive players.
- Improved the accuracy of the Railgun.
- Ragdolls will become statues for comical effect in Low Violence mode by default. This can be disabled.
- Added a silly splat sound upon death. :)

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed a bug where spectators viewed players as enemies.
- Fixed an issue where players couldn't pick up weapons after switching back to their original team from spectator mode.
- Fixed an exploit where players in Instagib could pick up weapons in rare cases.