7/13/98... Project PackRat is finally shaping up. I kept on running into one problem or another - things would work in software mode but not in hardware mode, then vice versa, etc. etc. etc. But, the DLL is pretty stable, the ideas are flowing, and we've got 2 new maps that are done (except they need more play testing). The problem now is finding enough beta testers to test the *teamplay* aspect of the mod. If you're interested, email me.
7/3/98... It's been a scary couple of days in Project PackRat land. The first beta test with a real server made some problems quite evident. The clients were slowing down wayyyyyy too much. Also, you could only play in software mode. Well, the hardware problem was actually my fault, since I'm a rank amateur at modeling and I made some ghastly mistakes that software mode didn't seem to care about ;-) The client slowdown was also quite worrisome. I made some changes to the DLL code and made more changes to the models. This will probably (hopefully) cut down on the client slowdown - it certainly seems to reduce it locally. The next beta test will tell. I said we'd be pushing the limits of Quake II engine technology, and we are :-) Hopefully all the effort will be worth it, but it's quite possible that Project PackRat will only be playable on a LAN with 3D hardware... One map is complete, and two others are still in progress, but things are progressing as the deadline looms ever closer.
6/30/98... The first few beta tests of Project PackRat have gone pretty successfully, although only with a small number of players (one on one is NOT teamplay :-) But, there are indications that a true teamplay match would be mucho fun, though I suspect it will challenge the limits of the Quake II engine. Then there's that minor issue of not being able to play the game using hardware video, but that's (hopefully) fixable.
6/25/98... Updated the Beta Testing page to include submissions for the PC Gamer contest... Project PackRat is progressing, with extremely limited beta testing about to go underway. There is now a semi-stable game, with some maps coming along slowly. The models and skins still need to be improved, but at this time, they're functional. There are some questions with game scoring and bonuses, but those will be ironed out in beta testing.
6/16/98... Coding for an initial beta version of Project PackRat is almost done. There are one or two bugs I want to track down, and I need to make some changes to a VERY simple map I've made up, and oh yeah, I need to make up some more models real quick... I hope to get a beta version ready by Thursday night, because unfortunately I'll be gone for the weekend.
6/13/98... Been a busy couple of days. Lots o' Project PackRat stuff going on. Disappointing turnout in terms of modelers and mappers offering their services, but them's the breaks. Some of the people who did respond may wind up helping us out, though. Rohn and I figured out that we can make maps using FOUNDRIES! instead of making the whole dang thing from SCRATCH! Well, now some of you know why we needed a mapper so desperately, we're rank amateurs. Anyway, on to PackRat... The actual game part of PackRat is now in full swing. Previous development has been on the Project Cheese and Project Plumber portions of PackRat. Beta testing for the first version is hoped/desired for sometime next week.
6/9/98... Well, we've come to the conclusion that our PackRat efforts right now are a little "cheesy" with respect to the modeling and mapping department, so we have a Help Wanted sign out. There's just too much to do, and we're inexperienced in that area. Check out the page if your [sic] interested. (Sorry, I'm feeling quite rebellious today - must be all the caffeine prompting me to consciously make grammar errors, like misspelling the contraction of "you are" and using extra exclamation points!!!)... Updated the Beta testing page in anticipation of support for all the mods entering the PC Gamer contest... The Project Cheese portion of PackRat is basically done, still a little more to do, but not too much. Project Plumber is gonna KICK ASS!!! I keep on thinking of new features to add to it, but for various reasons I intend on releasing it within a few weeks, even if it doesn't have everything I want it to. With basic Plumber and Cheese stuff all set, it's time to focus on PackRat for a little bit, which involves putting in the teamplay aspect and making up a few models to support that... busy busy busy! Guess how I've spent *my* two days' vacation? :-)
6/6/98... In the past few days I've made some strides with Project Plumber. Tonight I was able to use some basic capabilities of Project Plumber. There is a way to go and there's one bug right now that's, er, bugging me, but the proof-of-concept is looking good. Only the basic capabilities of Project Plumber are necessary for use in Project PackRat, and in some sense I guess Plumber isn't even entirely necessary for PackRat, but it would be nice. OK, enough babbling. Things have been progressing.
5/29/98... Project Gimme (a semi-old project) has been canceled. It was going to be a simple autodownload implementation, but now Q2 3.15 has it, so there is no need. Actually, Gimme may live on in one form or another, but there are other projects by the name of Cheese, PackRat, and Plumber that are more pressing with a deadline of July 31st... Rohn has made up a test map for PackRat, but it's not *quite* there yet, but it's a start. I expect to have some time to finish up the Cheese portion of PackRat and maybe also the Plumber portion (I expect the first version of Plumber to be fairly easy to write up; who knows what problems I'll encounter, though ;-)
5/27/98... Ah, 'tis a beautiful thing to be back to developing kewl mods. The Project Cheese portion of Project PackRat is almost ready for the first wave of beta testing. The really, really kewl thing about Project Cheese development is that another even kewler mod appears to be coming out of the works, too - it's tentatively called Project Plumber, and is sort of a utility mod like VWep or ServObit are "utility" mods. Project Plumber may very well rock the Quake 2 world if/when it comes out.
5/26/98... Happy 50th Birthday to the "Enchanted" one, Ms. Stevie Nicks!!!... Project PackRat is progressing. The Project Cheese portion of Project PackRat is almost done, and hopefully some beta testing will start in the next week or two. There is still a need to make up some new maps and add the teamplay aspect for the PC Gamer contest. There may also be the introduction of some new classes, but that's uncertain at this point.
5/24/98... Happy 30th birthday to my brother, who isn't on the Internet to see this, but oh well... Project Cheese and Project PackRat both require some of the same functionality, so I'm working on that (finally!). Project PackRat will hopefully be completed in time for entry into the PC Gamer contest... The technical problem with Project Cheese that I was talking about months ago has been solved, or at least, a workaround has been developed - I think I'm still missing *something* about why I was having those problems, but at least I can move on now... TagYerIt 1.16 will not be released for a while now, probably, due to the PC Gamer efforts.
5/8/98... TagYerIt 1.15 beta 5, a.k.a. the "Black Friday" release, has been released... "Top 12 Signs You're Playing Too Much TagYerIt" updated to 13 Signs... Rohn and X actually appear to have some time away from Real Life (tm) to do some work on the mod we're doing for the PC Gamer contest. My computer is still down, but hopefully I'll be able to get it back up and running to start the coding for the mod, which we have dubbed Project PackRat... Check out my apartment fire page to see the damage that was done to my apartment.
5/4/98... TagYerIt 1.15 beta 5, a.k.a. the "Black Friday" release, will be officially released in the next few days. It's got a few goodies in it, and fortunately it was an advanced enough beta that it doesn't have any known bugs, so I can release it. Unfortunately my CPU is still inaccessible as I recover from the fire in my apartment about 10 days ago, so I still don't have the source code. Development of all mods has been delayed until I get back on track... Although, Rohn and X have suddenly decided they have time to do some stuff. Apparently Rohn is making up some maps for a mod we're gonna do for the PC Gamer contest. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
4/20/98... TagYerIt 1.15 development is almost complete. Beta testing has been going on at Sati's Lair. Beta 3 should be up tonight. One or two more changes and then it will be ready for release! In the process, GenderMod 0.2 will be the result, as well as ServObit 1.41.
4/16/98... Was interviewed on QuakeCast tonight. I was tired and a little woozy from the caffeine I had consumed earlier, so I guess I'll use that as an excuse for why the interview didn't go particularly smoothly. I wonder if I said "uh" 100 times? The interview covers the secrets of my Q, why ServObit is basically my baby, and other stuff. No real dirt on the actual mods, but if you want to get a notion of who the hell I actually am, give it a listen... TagYerIt 1.15 beta 1 is looking pretty good except for some VWep problems and GenderMod 0.1 problems, both of which I have a handle on and will have fixed. The 2nd beta will be on Sati's Lair hopefully sometime this weekend... Modelers and mappers wanted for the Two Pole Software TC we want to enter into the PC Gamer contest!
4/15/98... TagYerIt 1.15 beta 1 is running on Sati's Lair. It features ServObit 1.4, the VWep patch, and a simple "id" function. Other capabilities will be added to it before release, but there haven't been any server crashes - yet ;-)
4/13/98... (continued) ServObit 1.4 source code has been released, as well as the Linux version. Check it out.
4/13/98... The source code for ServObit 1.4 is expected to be available this evening (EST), plus the Linux release. After that is TagYerIt 1.15.
4/9/98... ServObit 1.4 was released last night, and sure enough QuakeGod took it upon himself to publicly nag me about the "No Frills" theme again ;-) Will he ever stop?... Check out the tester program. It actually found a few problems in the new Obits.txt as I was creating it... The source code package is being worked on; it will probably be ready in a few days.
4/7/98... ServObit 1.4 will be released 4/8/98!!! The documentation is almost complete. It's gonna be approximately 10 pages long (*phew*!!!) 'cause there's a lot of new stuff. I also put the finishing touches on a utility program which ServObit fans will like - I've already found the utility useful for me! I also made some last-minute changes to another new part of ServObit 1.4 which, shall we say, puts my money where my mouth is, whatever THAT idiom means, but basically I'm trying to say that there's a new part of ServObit that tries to address something I've publicly complained about. Anyway, barring hell and high water, it'll be released on 4/8/98 evening, Eastern Standard Time.
4/6/98... A weekend of being closed to the outside world has yielded a nearly complete ServObit 1.4 package. All that remains is some user documentation for the latest and greatest features, some last-minute testing, and docs for the modders out there who want the source code. I intend on putting together a nice and thorough documentation package, so that could take an evening or two, but it looks like things will be ready by 4/8 at the latest, possibly tonight. ServObit 1.4 has quite a few goodies.
4/4/98... ServObit development continues. It might not be done by the end of this weekend sadly, but "ASAP" is my deadline :-)
4/1/98... ServObit, ServObit, ServObit! The next version is getting closer and closer to completion. A beta testing effort should be underway within a day or two. Some features are going to be "secret" until release, but one new feature will be a separate test program to allow you to double check your obits. Other features are a direct result of putting my money where my mouth is...
3/31/98... ServObit 1.4 coding continues. I'm pushing back the release date a few more days because I thought up a new feature that's gonna kick ass, and the new feature is a precursor to some capabilities in ServObit 1.5/2.0 that are REALLY gonna kick ass. ServObit 1.4 is going to have to get a little more beta testing than its precursors...
3/29/98... TagYerIt 1.14 for Linux released... ServObit 1.4 will hopefully be complete in a few days. The bulk of the coding work is done, now it's a question of debugging :-) It's got some nice new features, but I'm already looking forward to 1.5/2.0 which should make a wave or two. I owe lots of people version 1.4 though, so the fancy stuff (well, most of it) will have to wait for the next version... Had a realization while driving today that maybe the current technical problem with Project Cheese is due to my not fully understanding the parts of the code I'm dealing with... Damn, how many comma splices did I have in that 3/28 news entry? I just noticed...
3/28/98... Linux TagYerIt is mostly set, I have to zip it up properly. So it will be released 3/29... I got a lot of new ideas for ServObit 1.4, but some of those will have to wait for 1.5, I'm still looking to release ServObit 1.4 on 3/29 as well...
3/25/98... Actually did some Project Cheese work because it's been so long since the last time I did anything with that, porting the code to the 3.14 code base. I'm presently having some model problems, but hopefully they can be resolved... Got a couple more ideas for ServObit 1.4 that people may like. I'm planning a Q2 modding weekend this weekend, so look for Linux TagYerIt and hopefully SevObit 1.4 to come out of the effort.
3/21/98... TagYerIt 1.14 released for Win95/NT... Released "Top 12 Signs You're Playing Too Much TagYerIt"...
3/20/98... "All apologies" to TagYerIt server ops and Nirvana fans, I know I said TagYerIt 1.14 would be out by now, but it's not. I need some spare hours to make up a package. Tell you what... I'll let my laundry slide for one more day so I can make it available by Saturday night, OK? Well, wait a second, by the time I'm done making up the distribution package it might be technically Sunday morning, but I promise, 3/22 or bust! (I must pull the Real Life excuse)... Then it's on to ServObit 1.4 and then back for a little bit of Project Cheese and maybe toss some Bait in there too...
3/12/98... Wrote up article on "Technical Concerns Regarding Use of New Player Models"... TagYerIt to be released in another few days. Friends from Real Life are gonna be in town over the weekend, so maybe Monday the 16th or Tuesday the 17th?... The project formerly referenced as Project Fish has now been changed to Project Bait, 'cause it sounds cooler when you say it in a Southern accent (Southern U.S. for you international types): "Praw-jey-ict bayyyy-it". Hopefully Project Bait makes the cut in PC Gamer's teamplay mods contest. Or, it will be a whole bunch of hooey where nothing gets done. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?... And if you were wondering what happened to Project Cheese, well, it's not happening at the moment 'cause of the impending releases of TagYerIt 1.14 and ServObit 1.4, but it will.
3/8/98... The next official release of TagYerIt, version 1.14, is due out in a few days. It fixes some problems in the beta releases, and (I hope) finally addresses the problem that some people have of not knowing they're it. Let's put it this way, you'd have to be REALLY dense or have extreme tunnel vision to not notice when you become It in version 1.14... ServObit release has been further delayed because of the length of time it took to debug some obscure, non-repeatable problems with TagYerIt...
3/6/98... The 10,000th hit has been logged by some unknown person. Thanks for all the interest!
3/5/98... TagYerIt 1.1 beta Release 2 is now available. It's a gamex86.dll that prevents players from losing "It" too quickly because the server thinks they disconnected. It's an important patch for proper TagYerIt gameplay, but it's not absolutely essential.
3/5/98... TagYerIt 1.1 beta has been released, and it uses the 3.14 source code that was just released hours ago by idsoftware! This semi-feat was achieved quickly because I wrote the mod knowing ahead of time that I'd have to eventually "plug it in" to new source code. Most of the "plugging in" went very smoothly, except for one part which was totally my own fault because I forgot to put a space where I should have... Me, Rohn, and X (all Two Pole Software peoples) are now discussing possibly making a mod to submit to that PC Gamer contest. We're not sure of a project name yet, but Project Fish is a possibility. Who knows what this will do to Project Cheese, since Project Fish/whatever is pretty much gonna be a total conversion and there's lots of technical issues to deal with. But X seems totally gung ho about it - I guess Real Life hasn't been too harsh on X lately so he can go to town on ideas ;-)
3/4/98... TagYerIt 1.1 beta has been pushed back a day or two, possibly until 3/6, for a very good reason - id released the source code!!! WAHOOOOOOOO!!! Yes, I'm psyched. This is nothing but good news for all involved. I'm a-gonna be busy-busy-busy for the next few days, although I will try hard to get TagYerIt out ASAP... ServObit 1.4 will follow shortly thereafter.
3/3/98... TagYerIt 1.1 beta will be released 3/4 or 3/5, and it will work on Quake II v3.12-3.14 thanks to Wonko the Sane, cool mod author extraordinaire (just trust me if you're not a mod author, visit his page, and tell him You Care)... It's a major pain trying to test this thing all by my lonesome as unfortunately the other Two Pole Software people have Real Life to contend with, but things look like they're actually working. Trouble is, I'm still working with 3.10 versions. But the "upgrade" to 3.12-3.14 is easy. There will likely be a few test servers available when TagYerIt is released. Thanks for all the interest, people!... As usual, Linux people will have to wait a little bit. I feel your pain, I love Unix myself (give me SunOS 4.1.x any day!), but alas I'm still working with Windows-friendly code :-(
3/2/98... TagYerIt 1.1 development will be able to run on v3.13!!! Thanks to the Orange 2 mod author, who figured out how to make mods work in 3.13! A beta version will be made available in a day or two... ServObit 1.4 will still be delayed until idsoftware releases the source code, though. It looks like they've "cleaned up" the part of the code that tells you who killed who with what weapon, and I want to wait to use their work. But I could change my mind.
2/26/98... A totally non-Quake question: will ANYONE get a CLUE that it was Noah's brother who did it, and not Noah? Anyone else out there besides me who knows why people don't believe Valerie? Please, I beg of you, email me if (a) you know what I'm talking about, (b) you're over 18 (just cause what I'm talking about is generally meant for people UNDER 18 and you under 18 years olds, please, don't be offended, aw, just (c) go ahead and email me anyway even if you're under 18, or if you're slightly over 18 and I'm mistaken in thinking this is an under-18 only topic). You under-18ers just don't understand the deep dark secrets we over-18ers must sometimes bear. Well, THIS over-18er has just made his public confession, at least to those who can relate to him... Sorry, no TagYerIt or Project Cheese news to report - American television has occupied my thoughts for the last day or so.
2/25/98... There are some minor changes to the latest version of TagYerIt, still under development. But, these minor changes are purty cool and will enhance your Tagging experience ;-) Details will be provided when the beta release/beta test occurs, but again, we'll have to wait until after idsoftware releases source code to 3.13.
2/24/98... This little waiting period for idsoftware to release source code has provided some opportunities to just chill out, for the most part. TagYerIt 1.1 is being developed haphazardly - but it's got some improvements, like if a player becomes It their screen flashes yellow for a little while. This is welcome news to all the TagYerIt fans out there who haven't learned to glance at their HUD whenever a death occurs ;-) The to do list has about 10 items, most of which can be postponed in favor of a "quickie" release... Nothing's been done on Project Cheese lately, but that will start up too. In the meantime, this little break has been good for recharging the batteries. Surprisingly, Rohn hasn't asked about Project Gimme recently, but he will when he reads this news update ;-)
2/20/98... There is NOT a new release of TagYerIt! The 1.01 version was released on 2/8/98. The news sites may have misunderstood that the only new thing for TagYerIt is the Gamespy tab.... The Quake 2 3.12 point release means updates to all the mods! ServObit will be the first mod, then TagYerIt. Neither will happen until id releases the source code though, in a few days they say... I will try to release both (with no or very little increased functiionality) within a few days of the source release.
2/17/98... Hawkeye (a familiar name to you TagYerIt fans) has created a GameSpy tab for finding TagYerIt servers. You can get it at http://www.shore.net/~steqve/qm/TagYerIt/TagYerIt.qst... Project Cheese continues (as does my inability to stop playing TagYerIt). The primary really neato maybe-never-been-done-before (tm) capability of the mod was (mostly) finished last night. This capability required some technical workarounds to Quake 2 engine limitations (understand, they are quite reasonable limitations), and I had to learn some new stuff about angles and vectors and ridiculous things like that. Beta testing (which will require a client download) will hopefully begin in the next week or so. Some other (mostly more simple) things still need to be done, including some basic modeling and skinning.
2/15/98... Been playing TagYerIt a lot more than doing Project Cheese work. There were some major technical roadblocks that had to be dealt with. I just found out some workarounds to these problems, which are inherent in the Quake client itself. Now that I know what the workarounds are, there's the teeny tiny problem of actually translating them to code ;-)
2/11/98... Project Cheese now becomes the focus for a little while. I need a break from TagYerIt ;-) though a new version of TagYerit is scheduled. Created a very simple model last night as a "proof of concept" but there are still some potential technical problems with what we are trying to do... Since the release of TagyerIt 1.01, it has become apparent that some more maps should not be included in the game. Server operators, email me for a new TagMaps.txt.
2/8/98... TagYerIt 1.01 released for Linux and Win95. It fixes the player respawn bug and has a configurable map selection. Another version shall follow, eventually.
2/7/98... TagYerIt for Linux will be available by the end of this weekend, possibly today. The next version will hopefully be released in a week or two. It will include some fairly simple enhancements - configurable map selection based on number of players, an "unstick" command that prevents traffic jams in narrow passages (TagYerIt players will know what I mean here) and a few other things... There are some technical problems with Project Cheese, which we may not have much control over. Hopefully a great idea (or so we think) won't go down in flames due to technical restrictions.
2/4/98... Updated the beta test page to use tables a little more nicely and add some more mods... Rohn has made up the latest Project Cheese map.
2/3/98... I continued the first Project Cheese experiment and actually got a basic capability going. It posed some technical challenges which I think can be largely resolved - but that means that Rohn has to make up a new test map ;-) Project Cheese also has at least one new model (albeit a simple one) that needs to be made, and that's X's department... Had an incredible TagYerIt session last night with about 7 other people. Besides the utter shock that I actually won a few rounds, the action was fast and furious for most of the evening...
2/2/98... Started a little teeny tiny experiment in Project Cheese. The concept is simple, but yet again I have to delve into Quake code that I haven't touched before. But I was able to get a really simple proof of concept going. Rohn made up a test map for me, too. Yep, Project Cheese will need new maps. And one or two new (but simple) models. The coolness will be based on how those new models are used, and what they do to deathmatch players. Ahhhh, I just love writing obscure stuff!
2/1/98... At long last, TagYerIt 1.0 is released! Now it's on to Project Cheese and Project Pledge. Project Pledge is a teamplay mod that is sort of in the vein of TagYerIt. Project Cheese is basically a map mod, the likes of which we've never seen before... New releases of ServObit 1.4 and DeCamper 0.2/1.0 are also planned, but we're waiting until the next source release by idsoftware, and/or March 1.
1/27/98... The news has been coming more slowly, but development has continued! Project One is in its final beta test and is due to be released in the next day or two. The beta testers by and large have really enjoyed the game (when lag didn't color their opinion ;-)... A port to Linux will occur shortly after... Following the release of Project One is the next version of ServObit (with a few really nice enhancements!), and/or Project Pledge, and/or DeCamper 0.2 with a few nice enhancements. The work never ends... The beta tester list has reached 70.
1/19/98... Thanks to the folks at Quake DeveLS, their HUD tutorial allowed us to alter the HUD display for Project One. Project One is coming along nice and smoothly. Thanks to the beta testers, (a) it is continuing to be delayed to make improvements, although (b) once it comes out it will be pretty stable. The to do list is now shrinking instead of growing ;-) Some of the beta testers are really getting into it, a good sign indeed!
1/18/98... Wow, a gap of 3 days in the news! It's been that busy... Beta testing for Project One got off to a rocky start, but I learned my lessons (some of them anyway) which I'll pass on to any other mod authors who are interested in participating in the beta program. I'm quite surprised actually that only 2 authors have responded... The list of potential testers has reached 50... The to-do list for Project One is growing, thanks to the beta testers. I want to especially give thanks to Ferdy and NetD103b, who tested Project One in its earlier incarnation and helped stabilize it. Also, Dan Berlin has provided the first high-speed test server. And I've seen about 20 of the testers over the weekend - thanks to all of them!... Hrm, what else? Rohn is working on some pretty nice skins for Project One. Don't know if we'll put them in v0.1 or not 'cause it would then require a client download, but they're definitely key... There's even more going on, but my brain is fried so I'll tell you later ;-)
1/15/98... Project One coding is about 80% complete. We got a good handle on the scoring but it got a teeny bit complicated to implement. It became even more involved because Rohn had a good idea that was a little bit of a pain to implement, so it's his fault it's not 95% complete ;-) This mod should probably get more extensive beta testing than the previous mods. Email me if you're interested... I'm shooting for a release date around January 19th.
1/14/98... Did my first real batch of Project One coding today. It's about 50% done. Yep, it's not a huge change to the code, but it's a significant gameplay difference. There are still some questions of scoring that need to be hashed out... Rohn continues his work on Project 925... DeCamper source may not be released until 0.2, which may be a more significant change than originally planned. Sorry...
1/13/98... Got a couple "bug" reports about ServObit, some of 'em ServObit's fault but most of 'em someone else's fault ;-) I'm trying to help out some people running Slackware 2.0.25 who are having problems. If you fall into this category, email me... Well, Project One is back on track! The author of the similar mod got back to us and he's OK with it. His mod is pretty cool too and a little different, so we'll link to it when Project One is released (we don't want to give away any secrets ourselves, do we? :) Now I have to start the programming for it... Rohn has completed the first texture for Project 925. It made me thirsty. There's still a loooooooong way to go, but it's good to see progress... DeCamper 0.2 source will be released, with a TechNote for you geeks out there to help you understand the code. DeCamper 0.2 will be a minor revision that addresses the worst problems with the voting system. Since there have been many requests for DeCamper source, we will wait for the automated detection part until a later version.
1/12/98... If you are running ServObit 1.3 on NT or Linux, please email me as some (but not all) people are having problems... Uh-oh, turns out that Project One is similar to another mod that's going to be released by someone else. Since the other mod owner thought of it first (but we thought of it independently), we're going to let them decide if we should continue or not. If Project One is nixed, we have a backup plan that is not like Project One that we will do regardless - Project Pledge. The URL's to Project One's spiritual sibling will be revealed sooner (if the other mod owner nixes it) or later (if it's approved and we release it)... Other projects are also being discussed, including Project Pong which may bring some controversy although it shouldn't be as bad as DeCamper, and it's planned as a VOLUNTARY mod ;-)
1/11/98... ServObit 1.3 for Linux is released... Rohn has been hard at work this weekend on Project 925, working out some new textures, pallette issues, etc. This is our first total conversion, so the learning curve is steep... Project One is basically in my hands, since it's a gameplay mod and I'm the main programmer. Now that ServObit for Linux is done, I can concentrate on Project One. If you're interested in helping us test our latest super-secret projects, let me know... DeCamper is sort of on hold for the moment, since I suck at prioritizing and I suffer from Instant Gratification Syndrome so I want to see Project One get out there. If you really want DeCamper enhancements, let me know.
1/10/98... ServObit 1.3 is released. I'll hopefully get a Linux port going in a few days.
1/9/98... The (hopefully) final word on the DeCamper debate is included on the DeCamper page... Sorry, but it looks like the standards feedback will be delayed another day, as well as the ServObit 1.2 source...
1/8/98... Wow, got some good ideas from some other people on standardizing Quake mods (and some "doom and gloom" people who may well be right that the whole thing might not work). I'll be making up a feedback page eventually... If you're patiently waiting for ServObit 1.2 or DeCamper 0.1 source, thank you for your patience. DeCamper controversies and standardization took over for a while. ServObit 1.2 source will be ready by this weekend since it's going to be passed on to the ServerConfigMOD people... Rohn is already whining about Project 925, but I only mentioned it casually! I guess this means it's in full swing... Project One ain't coming for a week or two probably, but it looks like it could be a fun mod for people - a simple idea, a different style game play. The trick will be ensuring that there's balance. Project One will happen long before Project 925.
1/7/98... Wrote up initial thoughts on a call for Quake mod standards... Two Pole Software (me, Rohn, and Mr. X) have started a new project tentatively called Project One. It's different than ServObit and DeCamper because it uses the Quake engine to play a slightly different kind of game. Sorry, no more info than that at the moment, but it won't be as controversial as DeCamper is ;-) Project One unfortunately (or fortunately?) puts Project 925 on hold even longer, but that's OK since that one is a total conversion and frankly we've got enough work to do!... Oops, maybe I should have told Rohn and Mr. X that I was gonna mention Project 925 before I actually did.
1/6/98... Updated the DeCamper page; it better explains DeCamper options that limit abuse of the voting process, and also discusses how camper punishment range from mild to severe.
1/5/98... I hope to update DeCamper 0.1 and ServObit 1.2 to run on v3.10 on 1/6. When this occurs, I'll also have ServObit source available, and if I'm lucky I'll have a ServObit/DeCamper package... For those who've asked, yes, ServObit will probably be a part of an upcoming release of ServerConfigMOD. Check it out - I haven't had time to try it but it looks good for you server operators who want to define your own map sequences, motd, and do other configuration stuff.
1/4/98... DeCamper 0.1 (formerly Project Yellow) is released.
12/30/97... Release of ServObit 1.2... NOTE: I will be away from the Net for a shocking 3 to 4 days! I expect to be back 1/4/98...
12/27/97... The first version of Project Yellow is nearing completion. Now that idsoftware is releasing patches to Quake 2, I may be holding off the release a little bit to make sure the DLLs for Project Yellow and ServObit are up to date with the latest patch. It may require some source code changes. Project Yellow is a bit more of a challenge than ServObit was because it touches on many more aspects of the game and there is room for players to try to abuse the capabilities that Project Yellow provides. But I suspect that many Quakers will like it. FYI, Project Yellow was coded by me, but the design also involved Rohn and X, the 2 other guys at Two Pole Software.
12/26/97... Project Yellow continues. I hope to get a first version out before New Year's, possibly by this Sunday, but that depends on how testing goes... Some bugs in ServObit 1.1 beta were discovered and fixed. It doesn't handle some elevator and platform deaths properly. A new release should be available in a few weeks.
12/23/97... If you're using ServObit on your server, please email me with feedback and any changes you'd like to see... With ServObit 1.1 beta mostly out of the way, me and these other guys at Two Pole Software have begun concentrating more on Project Yellow. We still have to iron out some details and decide what we want to include in Yellow 0.1, but the Yellow part of Project Yellow was for the most part the easiest... Now the hope is that something reasonably functional will be testable this weekend, but with the Patriots in the playoffs and all, I might be otherwise occupied ;-) We are pretty psyched about this project, which we think will please Quakers everywhere.
12/21/97... (OK, technically it was 12/22). ServObit 1.1 beta is released!
12/21/97... The BFB (Big Freakin' Bug) has apparently appeared in other mods besides ServObit. I've gotten feedback from several people describing inexplicable server crashes when two people killed each other at the same time. Most of the crashes were with death message mods, but another one was with a CTF server, although I imagine that uses some form of death messages as well. See the details in bfb.html.
ServObit 1.1 is expected to be beta released tonight! Testing went well and the BFB no longer appears to be a problem. One final tiny bug was fixed. There will be one more test early this evening then I will be ready. If you want to participate in the test, please Email steqve@shore.net... ServObit 1.1 will include the source code and a copious amount of comments.
12/19/97... Programming flaw in ServObit 1.0 and other Death Message mods may crash servers! I have found a BFB (Big Freakin' Bug) that may crash a server. This bug applies to ServObit 1.0 and probably a few other Death Message mods. I have sent out an email to other Death Message mod developers, but if you're interested in the technical details, check out bfb.html.
12/19/97... ServObit 1.1 will hopefully be released December 21 or 22 (see 12/18 news for details). Testing went well today, but there were some glitches and one BFB (Big Freakin' Bug) that crashes the server (not the machine, just the Quake 2 server). This bug was present in version 1.0. If you experienced server crashes during melees, they may have been due to this bug... For those of you who have asked, the source code for ServObit 1.1 will be released. Note that it might not be fully commented ;-)... The super secret project has been named Project Yellow. The reason will be apparent when this mod is released. All we're willing to say right now is that it's a server side mod that will make many of your players happy (how's *that* for obscure?)
12/18/97... ServObit 1.1 is coming! It will include multiple random obituaries, message of the day, signon/signoff messages, better use of gender pronouns, and something else you'll like just as much. Hopefully it will be ready by 12/21/97, but it could be ready by 12/19... Me and my other friends at Two Pole Software, Rohn and X, are progressing well through the initial design phase of a brand new mod that will Rock Your World if you're a server owner. It's still early in the game, but we should have weekly updates and a "super secret" project name any time now.