Half-Life 2: Wars Beta 2.0.7 Released news

The next release of Half-Life 2: Wars is here, and we think you'll like this one! Beta 2.0.7 features significant updates both under the hood and over it. The most obvious additions are a big new map and a host of interface improvements including a brand new Combine HUD, an awesome new model for the Power Generators, assorted GUI textures and a custom loading icon animation. The newest map hlw_meltdown is a large outdoor 8 player map designed for 4 teams of two players created by Arietta. Take a look - the first screenshot shows off the new Combine HUD and the others show parts of hlw_meltdown.

Additionally, there have been a lot of balancing tweaks made to the gameplay, a lot done under the hood to improve CPU AI and navigation, and updated fog of war that now keeps track of where you have and haven't explored in the traditional fog of war style. This update is a big one so grab a few friends and check it out!

Click the button below to update Half-Life 2: Wars via Desura. Alternatively, you can download the full HL2: Wars Beta 2.0.7 beta files from Moddb in 7z archive format (extract to your Steam/SteamApps/SourceMods directory). Note: Many people are having trouble with downloading through Moddb (no mirrors) and Desura (patching works but clean install seems broken).

These problems are out of our hands and up to the Desura people to help address, but if you have trouble getting the 2.0.7 files through those methods you can also use our own download mirror by clicking here.

As always, we welcome and appreciate your feedback, bug reports, suggestions, and comments!

WARS BETA 2.0.7 CHANGELOG
Balance:
* Removed Rebel Partisan from recruitable units
* Added attribute Bite, used by headcrabs
* Added attribute Burn, used by Stalker
* Added attribute Medium, used by basic soldiers with SMG1, AR2 and shotgun
* Added attribute Pulse, bonus against light and medium
* Added attribute Plasma, used by Combine Sniper
* Added attribute Mechanic, used by Combine Manhack (cannot be healed anymore)
* Units with attribute "synth" now receive a damage reduction against units with attack attribute "bullet" and "pulse"
* Removed Strider unlock requirement
* Increased Vortigaunt energy from 150 to 300
* Decreased Vortigaunt attack energy requirement from 20 to 15
* Increased Power Generator health from 200 to 450
* Units in cover now receive a damage reduction of 50%
* Increased health of Antlions
* Increased Grenade damage and radius
* Reduced research time Grenade from 120 to 50 seconds
* Reduced research time Combine Mine from 120 to 60 seconds
* Added Combine Mine place ability to Rebel Engineer

Maps:
* NEW: hlw_meltdown

Models:
* New power generator model

Textures/Interface:
* New Game Icon
* New custom loading bar and progress icon
* New Combine Hud
* New rallypoint (model) for factory buildings
* New ground overlay texture for Combine Power Generators
* Updated unit selection circle texture
* Unit/Ability icons are now colored in the faction color (blue or orange) or red when unavailable (recharging, costs, other requirements, etc)
* Updated main menu colors
* Updated player chat box (chat history is now properly shown)

New:
* Strider's Dark Energy cannon ability
* Added Autocasting to Strider's Impale ability
* Added Autocasting to Zombine's Pull Grenade ability

Updated:
* Soldiers now shoot in "bursts", roughly keeping the same DPS
* Canceling a building will now refund half the requisition costs
* It's no longer possible to select the Overrun Combine and Rebels factions in Sandbox (still possible to spawn their buildings)
* Better relaxed idle animations for Rebel Soldiers

Unit AI an Navigation:
* Units now wait until their enemy is into the "engage" distance, instead of automatically trying to move closer
* Added support for entering a garrisoned building from a specified direction
* Units now move away from target if needed for attacking (Combine Helicopter)
* Throttled number of path recomputations when the target changes navigation areas (performance)
* Overrun: Initial spawned enemies now use a precomputed path (performance)
* Combine Manhacks now temporary ignore collisions with other units after slicing (to avoid getting stuck around the target unit)
* Soldiers are no longer selected using the Selection box if they are mounting a gun and the target player selection is bigger than one.

Fog Of War:
* Now keeps track of the explored parts. Non explored parts of the map are made darker.

Optimization:
* Improved speed Fog of War rendering

Overrun:
* Max active enemies at the same time is reduced from 120 to 85 (performance)
* Spawned headcrabs from cannisters now attack move the enemy in Overrun

Fixed:
* Crash/hanging on exit
* Weapon fire effects not displayed when attacking your own or allied units using "Attack Move"
* Attack Move: units still running to target after the target died
* Fixed units being faded out when "Effects Detail" option is set to medium or low
* Unit Portrait video not switching when selecting a different unit in some cases
* Incorrect names and descriptions for Grenade, Combine Mine and Floor Turret unlocks
* Fixed queueing up move orders along cover spots not working correctly (the unit would stop moving at the cover spot)
* "Deploy Manhack" ability can deploy too many manhacks when executing it on groups of metro polices (did not honor the population limit and cooldown times)
* Added missing explosive oil drum model (Sandbox ability "explosivebarrel")
* Factory not showing what's in the build queue when scheduling an ability/unit while the factory is on hold (i.e. powered off)
* Units in cover sometimes not shooting their enemies

Misc:
* Added Alien Swarm Marine with Flamer weapon