"I think this could become the STEAM for Modifications!" - Kalashnikov Black Mesa Source Project Leader
Vapour is an automated content delivery system for games Basically, this project is like Steam except now third-party modifications are in control. www.vapour-online.com
Vapour will allow you to download mods and maps for Doom 3 / Half Life 2 / Quake 3 / Unreal Tournament 2004 (More game support coming soon) Incredibly fast. You can download a 140 MB Modification in less than 5 minutes through our very fast content servers without any wait or queues and without having to pay.
So if you want to play your favorite map or mod in a fast and efficient environment, where you can download updates easily, where you can get support if you run into any problems easily and very fast then Vapour is for you !
If your a project leader for a Half Life 2 Mod (Example) and want to see it distributed easily to thousands people through fast content servers, if there is a bug you can provide an update easily in minutes to all the people who own it. Keeping the people up to date with the mod with the news feed service, Your next version can be playtested easily by using the account authentication system. And there are loads more features to experience and play with.
So if you want a program where YOU are in control Vapour is for you
vapour... mmmmh, vapourware usually means something different, but hey it's only vapour ofcourse.
well...all I can say is...GREAT! LOVE THE IDEA!
Do you have to install the software to use the download system? If you do and if there are horrible ads then I'm not so keen.
However if you can get 'Mods to the masses' quickly and without gaudy ads and without software running, from a centralised location then it sounds good. :P
sweet idea you guys need to add more content!
What other games are you planning on making mods available, as I dont have Doom 3, Half Life 2, Quake 3, or Unreal Tournament 2004.
:o yes I know, I'm poor.
Seems like a pretty nifty program though.
How about support for Battlefield 2?
There's no ads.
love steam love this... beuuuuuutiiiiful
ha gametap take that and shove it
Oh my God dude, this seems like a great idea. Downloading it ATM :D
i like the idea
now if it's free from ads and those if-you-subscribe-you-can-have-thisandthis... dialogs then you just got a new user
=) Glad you guys like it
and btw there are NO ad's or if-you-subscribe-you-can-have this and that
You do have to subscribe but it only asks for a name / pass / email and took 10 seconds with no activation. This is looking like a really nice piece of software, good work guys.
News post too long, here is more information I cropped off:
Below is a quick overview of what vapour is in more detail and what you can do with vapour
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• What is Vapour?
Vapour is an automated content delivery system for games. It allows you to easily distribute your game or mod and updates to it by giving gamers an easy way to download it. It makes it easy for you to package and distribute your updates because instead of having to create your own installer and have users download it, you can package your content using Vapour's tools. The tool can then automatically upload this to the Vapour servers so that you can make the game available to players. Players can then download the update just by running the game, they don't have to manually download and install anything. If their installation gets somehow corrupted, they can use Vapour's 'validation' feature to restore the game to working condition.
• Gamers
For Gamers, Vapour provides an easy way to update your favorite game mods. Vapour lets you find servers to play them on. Vapour lets you browse available mods to find new games you might like. Vapour gives you a place to chat with other gamers about your favorite games. Vapour gives you a way to find game news and websites.
• What else can the Vapour client do for my players besides download updates?
Vapour comes with lots of other features for gamers too. It has a built-in server browser to help players find servers running your game. It has links to help players find a server hosting company if they're interested in running their own server. It has a game-specific chat rooms that allow players to chat about their favorite games. It has links to websites related to specific games to help foster a community, and also has an option to browse similar games so that players can find other games they might like too.
(For Game Developers)
• What do I need in order to create updates on Vapour?
After your game is approved to be hosted on Vapour, you can download the Vapour developer tools. One of the programs included in the developer tools will create and package the update, which it can then automatically upload to the Vapour servers. All you need to do is edit a config file to give it some basic information about your game, then run the tool and it will automatically package and upload it for you.
• How do I put my updates online?
The tool that packages your update can automatically upload it for you. If you'd rather do it yourself, you can manually upload it via FTP with your assigned account. After you upload the content, then you login to the developer section of the website where you can "publish" your update, which makes it live.
• How much does it cost to host my game on Vapour?
Vapour is free for mods and free games. If you would like to distribute or sell a commercial game using Vapour, this is also possible.
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We have mod developers already using vapour software. Here is a short list for Half Life 2:
Battlegrounds2, HL2CTF, Dodgeball, Minerva, Dystopia, Plan of Attack, and more
Register for Free:
Vapour-online.com
Thanks,
{james} and the Vapour Development Team
It's really cool, although a bit un-organized. I'd love to see a layout more like the new Steam one, with everything gathered in different tabs, in the same window.
Also, the skin is absolutely horrendous. I await custom skins.
Very interesting idea. Our current mod is for Deus Ex, but I'll be keeping an eye on this!
This is ******* awesome
Given the fact that this has just been released and is therefore very much in its infancy, I think you've done an excellent job, definately given yourselves the best foundations upon which to build. Well done!
I'll be watching this.
*Cough*
Killing Floor
*Cough*
good implimentation
though as all of these people have been saying "good idea!", no offense, it's just a steam "clone" i use the term loosely though, it is steam and more
kudos to the team
Its good, but as was said above, the GUI could use a bit of a revamp otherwise top quality stuff!
Downloading!
It has a very slow update system.
WOW Will this be like modtoaster for generals!?!?!
NICE!
Change is bad. I'm scared. Somebody please hold me.
Hehe, anyways, looks good so far, I just hope it holds up among gamers.
I'll dl it when they support more games
I'm not sure how it works exactly (if its like steam I still have no idea since I dont have HL2) but my guess would be to have it remember which games you have installed and auto-notify you when new mods and patchs come out
it could probably be done on a website and have you check off which games you have, store it in a database, and mark each new mod or patch with the game's identifier on which ever site does it and have a page tell the user (thru their browser) which new ones are out
granted I'm not sure how to code that (I suppose PHP?) but thats my general guess.
I guess its like Modtoaster for C&C Generals right? Cause vapour sounds like a great idea
im ok with ads, as long as they aren't overdone, if its free. i mean you guys have to make at least enough money to break even to keep those servers running.
Whats next? Clouds?
Good idea, this is actually the 4th program i've seen springing up doing this sort of thing. As long they each link to Mod DB - i'm cool with it.
I don't like it one bit so far, I look forward to better implementation, code, and uhm the basic known as BANDWIDTH.
I doubt this thing is the next steam. Heh...I think one of these days Xfire will have something like this.
I understand that this is cost and ad free, how do u guys plan to pay for high speed content downloads?
The name is so lame. It's like they thought of steam and chose a name just like it, 'vapour'. I might make one called 'smoke'?
They choose a name like it because the program is like it.
It's steam for modders.
11 years too late :(