Dev Update #2: New project name, new progress, and new maps GALORE - Games

REVIVAL UPDATE #2 HELLO! It’s time for another update! And as you can probably tell from the title of our moddb page, there’s certainly a lot that’s changed. Let's dive in. NEW NAME Well this one's been a long time coming lol. So when we first started this mod it was just a very simple concept with a (somewhat) small scope: mix a couple HL1 mods together for an absurd MP mod. Over the last SIX years (ok yea we were on hiatus for like 2 of those but whatever) it's grown into something absolutely massive with an ENORMOUS dev team. As we were finalizing our steam store application, we started thinking this over some more and reached several obvious conclusions: We shouldn't be piggy-backing off the name and legacy of an old half-life 1 mod that only accounts for a part of this mod's content to begin with (especially when the creator of that hasn’t had any major say in the development of the mod and may not be OK with everything we’re doing), and a project of this size and scope really ought to have its own branding before we land ourselves on the steam store. So yeah, time for a new name. Obviously though a full rename is a bit hard cause uh, we kinda have a TON of console commands and maps and everything all set to use the jb_ prefix, and that'd be mountains of work changing them all lol. So we had to keep the J-word B-word format. When we launch on the steam store we'll also want something to make it clear this is still a Half-Life mod, so having HL2DM at the start seems obvious. And since this mod has been reworked 3 times now thanks to constant SDK engine swapping, we're gonna keep the Episode 3 part (and also because we really love the J|3 logo that Charles made for us). We'd been tossing around the dumbest names you can imagine for nearly 2 weeks in our dev chat before we finally landed on one classy and mature enough that nearly everyone agreed on it. So, from now on this mod is titled https://i.imgur.com/HOY5Jw1.png It’ll take some getting used to I’m sure, but the fact the title literally means “Idiot fight” was just too appealing to pass up. Sorry to everyone that was used to our old name, but this is the one we’re gonna be using as we move forward and jump to the Steam store. STEAM STORE Yep, this is still a thing that is happening. Having finally settled on our new mod name, we’re in the middle of finalizing our Steam store description. Once it’s submitted and approved, we’ll be sure to post the link here. Stay tuned! FIXING THE MOD Progress continues as always towards fixing up the mod from the sorry state it was in before. Last time we showed off the wonderful invisible player ragdoll crash. We’ve since found out this is an engine error that plagues outer Source 2013 SDK mods, so out the window goes any chance of fixing that. It is at least super rare, so whatever. Instead, I figured I’d show off one of the other more confusing bugs we’d been dealing with: The moonjump bug https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q2xr_hmkoU As you can see, this bug would randomly cause players to begin stuttering and moving erratically whenever they try to jump. It seemed to kick in for the most random of reasons, and we’d been going nuts trying to track it down. It wasn’t until one of the devs got bored and joined a server early ahead of a playtest session, and started triggering the bug over and over, that I finally got a handle on it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB7XxVWZ5vw It turned out the reason it was so rare was because it only applied to maps with respawning props. If a player broke a respawnable prop with his body, then when the prop respawned some time later, he would suddenly starting moonjumping until he found and touched the respawned prop. The cause was some old code we’d cobbled together to allow for respawnable props to work correctly on our map ports, and while the code had worked fine back then, recent SDK patches had somehow broken the hell out of it. Fun times! But hey, one of our worse bugs is now fixed. ADDITIONS Projectile changes Our programmer, Zero, went ahead and overhauled the weapon code to allow for some new fun features. First of all being that now all shootable projectiles can collide with the shooter if they’re not careful. This allows for a great deal of pretty funny scenarios to unfold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUy1HfTjwoY Player models We continue to slowly but surely expand our (colorable!) player model selection to limits we probably shouldn’t go. Ellis in particular has been hard at work making some new player models for us, using some familiar content https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/437077594135986178/456148827012071466/snowmun.jpg https://i.imgur.com/l81QPxM.gif He also made use of various stuffed animal toys through L4D to make the wonderful Fluffy Force series https://i.imgur.com/ijEm2gW.gif After hearing back from Valve regarding the copyright status of the HL2 Survivor arcade game, we also went ahead and added a number of player models from that as well https://i.imgur.com/pJRJbCF.gif Ott also got approval from the Smashball team to throw in one of their player models, and was quick to get him JB ready https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/436657753008898049/466225649728618517/smashball_man.png And lastly, we also added a bunch new player models from something that may be familiar to some of you… Tales of the Galactopticon https://www.moddb.com/mods/tales-from-the-galactopticon Oh yes. For those that don’t know, Tales of the Galatopticon was a super ambitious HL2 mod that was started many years ago. It ended up dying, sadly, and for the longest time the only content from it anyone had access to was off the SVN’s demos that were uploaded to its MODDB page. This was missing a great deal of content tho, so I reached out to the creators of the mod (one of whom had already given us content to use previously) and got my hands on the entire stash of surviving Galatopticon content. We’ll be getting as much mileage from this as possible since I’d really love to showcase the awesome work they put into it. Player models are an obvious choice https://i.imgur.com/2EIyVQt.jpg But we’ll also be re-using the various map assets they made for our own maps https://i.imgur.com/eO6c705.png And there are also tentative plans to create a mash-up of all the (worthwhile) surviving SP maps they made and convert it into one big Galatopticon tribute of a deathmatch map. We’ll see what happens, but fingers crossed! https://i.imgur.com/Kr0ZQHG.jpg Weapons Not much to show off this time since the majority of focus has been on under-the-hood changes and maps, but here’s one thing we’ll be introducing hopefully soon! https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/436679275337220116/455177251030564864/screenshot000.png Maps Phanterm Jb_vr_blue We finally have a sequel to vr_green holy shit. This one is 100% built from the ground up for SvT, and features interactive generators that can shut off the lights, move a crane for easy frog access, unlock doors, and drop a platform to crush some guards. It’s tons of fun and I’m super glad we’ve got another solid SvT map https://i.imgur.com/AknyTkW.jpg https://i.imgur.com/IxsuZT2.jpg https://i.imgur.com/JTpnCR9.jpg Nask: Jb_verticull “Cull your opponents at Verticull! Industrial hellzone that contains 3 massive automated production towers, navigate between them using jump pads. Knowledge is power, knowing the routes, jump pad chains and layout, gives you advantage over your puny opponents. Stomp your opponents, throw them off to the toxic poison below, blow them apart and reign supreme! Featuring several King of the Hill zones throughout the towers and highrisk, highreward rooms to stock up on health and armor.” https://i.imgur.com/ixRuPLx.jpg https://i.imgur.com/mBNHCUf.jpg https://i.imgur.com/I4yYU0F.jpg MKUltra: Jb_nointernet A fun map that takes place in a fictional data center. Still WIP but the layout is fantastic and it’s proven a lot of fun in our test sessions https://i.imgur.com/kmsgnRM.jpg https://i.imgur.com/7wswFxM.jpg https://i.imgur.com/YFtoyeO.jpg https://i.imgur.com/B91Cdf8.jpg Ciirulean: jb_Buzzbait An early WIP for a map that’ll feature jumppads, portals, and some fun open areas to fight in. https://i.imgur.com/6tlqq8i.jpg https://i.imgur.com/9DWwacU.jpg https://i.imgur.com/gl29RQO.jpg Craty: Craty’s maps are both inspired by the old school arena shooters from way back in the day. The detail is minimal and cover is scarce, but they’re a great throw-back. Jb_Tiderise Various portals, jumppads, and turrets are scattered around the map, and when the KOTH zone timer is activated, the map will be slowly flooded https://i.imgur.com/8ygRXRr.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ey2tTJc.jpg https://i.imgur.com/a4euMnL.jpg Jb_fourt Another retro map with a TFC twist to it. Features jumppads, acid hazards, and TFC textures and sounds. https://i.imgur.com/7OzpmRN.jpg https://i.imgur.com/2gKqEfM.jpg https://i.imgur.com/C5lJkPl.jpg Evirstar: Jb_Depot A fantastic map layout graciously shared with us from the Fistful of Frags team, this map has been re-textured and restocked with new props by Evirstar. It also features some new additions, and an unpredictable train. https://i.imgur.com/gq1fDXe.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Eu3WbWa.jpg https://i.imgur.com/BCSTdk2.jpg Jb_Highway_rats A classic fan-made CS:GO map created by Dimes2Dope (https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=968271567). We added some jump-pads, and swapped some background textures, but so far that’s it. https://i.imgur.com/V8OyKyc.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Po4zo65.jpg https://i.imgur.com/RAm502B.jpg Chanoc: Jb_Killbox Based off the original Killbox layout seen in Jaykin Bacon, this map adds a ton of absurdity in the form of interactive traps, a giant spinning fan that will explode any players that aren’t paying attention, various jump-pads, an interactive truck, and a bouncing death car https://i.imgur.com/rsUeY7b.jpg https://i.imgur.com/zBaag50.jpg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Df2PypoK0 Jb_svt_dust Another map for SvT, this is of course based of the counter-strike map of the same name, and features a night-time setting, interactive generators to shut off lights, and various vents for Sneak to take advantage of. https://i.imgur.com/gHbz8IN.jpg https://i.imgur.com/t68Ry7N.jpg https://i.imgur.com/yM0As9T.jpg https://i.imgur.com/mGH8JxQ.jpg Bubbyboytoo: Jb_core Still an early WIP, but this features a giant spinning core in the center, with various offices you can navigate around in the middle, and some open areas on the top and bottom. https://i.imgur.com/9ZDLlEk.jpg Jb_portal_bts A port of an area from Portal, tweaked and re-purposed for JB deathmatch. https://i.imgur.com/qQz0d8O.jpg https://i.imgur.com/MO9R1Uw.jpg https://i.imgur.com/IAfsKdx.jpg Jb_railbridge A port of an area from Half-life 2, also tweaked and re-purpose for JB deathmatch. https://i.imgur.com/umDqMhT.jpg https://i.imgur.com/bIezvnu.jpg https://i.imgur.com/WleNcst.jpg HOUSEMASTER: Jb_mall It’s a mall! More to come soon. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/436918070145974272/441121667310157834/unknown.png Housemaster is also working on another super ambitious map right now. Hopefully we'll have something to show for the next update, cause it's gonna be absolutely grand. Ellis: Jb_sawmill An edited port of the TF2 map of the same name, this features various jump-pads, tweaks to what areas players can access to allow for more vertical gameplay, and some fun changes to the saws. https://i.imgur.com/UAymV1Y.jpg Jb_atrium A heavily edited port of the L4D2 map of the same name, this also features jump-pads, new pathways to navigate the map, and various tweaks to improve navigation for deathmatch purposes. https://i.imgur.com/bAXAlZb.jpg Jb_no_mercy Another heavily edited L4D2 port. New jump-pads, new areas, significant lighting changes, some fun new details, and lots of stuff cleaned up to allow for better deathmatch gameplay. https://i.imgur.com/J23fQlI.jpg https://i.imgur.com/wCq6ncc.jpg Jb_terminal and jb_terminal_small Guess what: It’s another L4D2 edit. This time of the airport level. Comes in two varieties as well: Small or large Jb_hellcoaster An EXTREMELY edited ‘port’ of the halloween event hell TF2 map mixed up with the L4D2 Dark Carnival map. https://i.imgur.com/BRSNW5n.jpg https://i.imgur.com/nR3DfWl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/wxPUiln.jpg https://i.imgur.com/CI8X1OF.jpg Kraken: Jb_Chateau Super early WIP for an edit of Chateau. It’s up in the air right now, but one possibility for this (beyond the night-time change) is to try setting the map on fire. That’s always fun. https://i.imgur.com/MGtXzl3.jpg VIOLATION: Jb_nightcity Made using assets from Tales of the Galatopticon, this original map promises for one very fun deahtmatch setting. https://i.imgur.com/eO6c705.png https://i.imgur.com/zF59jJx.png https://i.imgur.com/cDD6F72.jpg Jb_Escher Teased in the last update, this map is still coming along nicely. The idea right now is that it’ll be in a different orientation each round, so this should make for one unique experience. https://i.imgur.com/vTspzXD.png https://i.imgur.com/WMu4bOh.png Jb_??? A new SvT map! This one is inspired by the old System Shock games. https://i.imgur.com/63aw4H5.jpg TEAM ADDITIONS We’ve added a bunch of new people to say the least, and are now sitting pretty at a contributor count that exceeds ->50<- https://i.imgur.com/YRp8gPR.png RECRUITING: As always, if you’re interested in contributing to the mod (outside of voice acting and first person weapon animations), please join our Discord and @ me on there. We’d love the help! Any Source programmers with VGUI experience would also be greatly appreciated. https://discord.gg/qvcnUXB CLOSING: Thanks again for reading/skimming over yet another obnoxiously large update post! Do feel free to stop by our Discord where we’ll be keeping people up-to-date on the latest happenings. And now, enjoy some clips from the all the test sessions between last update and now. SvT Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAsKdPau_9Q SvM Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61ooplS3IZM Battle Royale monthly Highlights #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHmEYzOyVDc

The work put into this mod is mind-blowingly insane. Other than Bekoha's map being too dark (obviously it's a WIP), this is all just incredibly excellent. Hopefully that Steam release comes very soon! Two questions which I'm not sure if it has been answered before: because of the mod status of the game, do we need to own and install TF2, CS:GO, etc..., to use the content from those games (since a few maps use textures from them) like Gmod, or do they come with the game itself? And how much does the mod weight? Keep up the good work!

The only thing you need to install is css. And that requirement is gonna get axed at some point.

it all comes with the mod. it's 100% standalone since apparently Valve don't mind. As for filesize, my folder is currently sitting at 8.5 gigs. Will probably go up a bit tho once we dump in a bunch of the Galactopticon content (we won't be using everything most likely but in total that mod is about 3.3 gigs so yea) but can't think of much else that'll significantly change it between now and release.

I hope the Galactopticon magnum/revolver makes it in. slightly biased here

Holy shit, grumpy blue alien dude. That's literally all I remember from browsing that thread years ago.

Maybe I should pull out that map I was playing around with 2 years ago. Another thing, I remember HL2CE by @RaraKnight has worldportals in MP, is that possible here? I understand you can’t just shove things in like that this close to release etc but it’d be worth it considering all the Portal 1 content is here

We kind of actually want to release this instead of being shot down by Valve for having leaked source code in it, thank you.

Source engine is so old. But this mod looks ok.

im a fan of the new name. lets you build up a completely new identity.

Please use the proportion trick on the female HL2 Survivor models, seeing them all stretched out makes them look bad. also HDTF maps and models when :^)

it's so great to see galactopticon live on in some way