(May 2nd, 2002) Super Capture
the Flag version 7.53 was released as a beta test. This version greatly improves upon the bot
detection code found in beta 7.52. The new Bot detection closely matches the aim code found in common
QuakeBot's, and more specifically the Richmark QuakeBot in Auto-Aim mode. It is also designed to
catch other bot's based on the Richmark QuakeBot's internal check for other bots. The source code
to kickbot will be included in the zipfile download. You may improve upon it, but if it is used
in another mod's source code, please notify Neophyte.
And, be sure to somehow include this web site's URL in your readme files.
Testing has not been done in a public environment. Your own experience and feedback would be great.
In test environments, this bot detection has given only positive bot hits in a LAN configuration.
And no false positive hits on highly skilled players. The goal of this bot code is to eliminate
a player from using AI to improve their shooting accuracy. This bot code does not attempt to detect
other cheats or hacks. Such as the ability to see through walls or detect power-up items.
If your wondering where version 7.52 went, well this also included some improved bot-checks and kick
code based on work from:
http://www.gue-tech.org/quake/qkrmods.
This code has been greatly improved upon in Super Capture the Flag. It was enhanced with new algorithms
and several impulse commands for testing. (That is not even the tip of the improvements.) Please
refer to Dataspel's personal log for more
information about the code and the impulse commands. This code could still give a "false positive"
on good players. Which is a condition where the code thinks a good player is a bot. Our new code
is less sensitive to highly skilled players and does detect bots quicker and more often.
(Feb 25th, 2002) Super Capture the Flag 7.51
was released today to address an issue that came up with the Tarantula rune. There was an endless
loop created when we checked to make sure the traps were removed from a player respawning into the
server. This only came up when there was more than one player connected to the server.
This will fix your server if you have ever received the following error:
EQ_E 30863(?] 28(self)entity 3 30864(?]
sctfrune.qc : RuneApplyPowers
client.qc : PutClientInServer
runaway loop error
Host_Error: Program error
Host_ShutdownServer: NET_SendToAll failed for 1 clients
The bad code looked like: (SCTFRUNE.QC - function RuneApplyPowers)
local entity e1;
e1 = find(world, classname, "boobytrap");
while (e1 != world) {
if ( e1.goalentity == self ) {
local entity tmp1;
tmp1 = self;
self = e1;
BoobTimeout();
self = tmp1;
e1 = find(e1, classname, "boobytrap");
}
}
self.boobCount = 0;
The new source code looks like: (SCTFRUNE.QC - function RuneApplyPowers)
local entity e1;
e1 = find(world, classname, "boobytrap");
while (e1 != world) {
if ( e1.goalentity == self ) {
local entity tmp1;
tmp1 = self;
self = e1;
BoobTimeout();
self = tmp1;
} // increment the loop whether or not an owned trap was found.
e1 = find(e1, classname, "boobytrap");
}
self.boobCount = 0;
It's a small difference in code, but it keeps a server from crashing.
Also implemented is botkick.qc for autofire bots. Instead of kicking players
from the server, the auto-kick code was replaced with "ignore their weapons"
when they try to fire in w_attack. If this code works as promised, perhaps
we can even sick the vicious SCTF dogs on them. It's all fun and games until
someone's AI Artificially Increments their score... You know who you are, all
we ask is that you play to the best of your ability.
The new source code is available for beta testing by following this link:
http://www.sctf.net/files/sctf751.zip or from:
http://www.employees.org/~stleary/sctf/index.html
(May 15th) Super Capture
the Flag just won't die! We're releasing this mile stone version 7.50 and wrapping it up
with a new install shield setup utility. Version 7.50 includes the latest changes, but the
sonic speed hook is set with bit 2097152 added to teamplay. (Off by default) We've also made
a fix to the Tarantula Rune to prevent trap abuse. Finally, the MIB rune (removed for Flying
Dumpster) makes it return, but kicks out Kung Lao to do this. (Nobody will miss it right?)
Version 7.50 will be a final version for a while unless something really bad turns up. But
after version 6.58 (June, 1999) we haven't had any bugs that would take out a server!
The other bugs were minor compared to that, and were easy to fix. We might find one or two
exploits left to fix, and some tweaks to Super Deathmatch might be in order. But it's
doubtful that the exploits will be discovered and that anyone will play Super DM... But
if the needs calls for it, I'll be happy to make the required changes. Until then, thanks
for all the great years of Super Capture the Flag! It's been awesome.
(October 12th) We wrote a few versions just for
playing around with. Version 7.48 (created on Oct 8th) had a quick little setting so we could
have unlimited ammo/armor for practices. It was so fun, we left the code in. Then Terror[HoC]
(Or is that CNP? I never could understand the name changes!) suggested a fast hook. Which
brought out 7.49 today. No bugs were fixed, none are known of!
(October 3rd) Version
7.47 is an update to 7.46 to fix a few a problem we had with the optimization code. One
of those goofy brackets "}" in the code fell missing and it disabled some rune functions!
It's back in this version. (Data found it sitting on top of his monitor.) And now we can
test the optimizations with less distraction. Stay tuned for more optimization and
performance results...
(October 2nd) Just a few updates in the
last month. We added a rune, it's very cool! And we added some optimization. It looks
very promising and server performance should increase especially with a lot of clients
connected.
Version 7.46 included some server optimization.
Version 7.45 included new rune - "Malathion" in the Confused Set. Powers "Flying Dumpster"
and "Dead Man Walking".
(September 9th) Are
we near the end of version 7? This version feels really solid. We need a server to test
7.44 on, but I think it should be bug free. If someone can offer a public server for
test, please send me a message. I'll upload the source code in a few days. And then the
public can take Quake 1 SCTF to it's next level of evolution. We have some ideas with a
few new runes, but I don't know if they will develop into anything. Some of the team
has been secretly writing Alpha code for other games. When I put 7.44 out for download,
I'll even upload the work we did with QuakeWorld. It's worth a look...
In 7.44, all of the known exploits should be fixed. That includes people shooting
weapons through walls, or teleporting where they don't belong... :)
(August 23rd) Version 7.43 was put out
to test today. This fixes the Proximity Mines count when you have less then 35
rockets. Also fixed is a few rune / duck bugs that were being exploited and the
teleport / duck exploit. Finally, I changed the Sub Zero clones a little - they
now say who froze you instead of saying "You will be frozen 'till -5422 seconds!!!"
Also, Impulse 9 weapons *are* working in this version. I had reports that version
7.42 wasn't allowing players to switch to these, but was unable to confirm this.
(August 21st) We
had to take some time off for a while. SCTF Development is winding down though. There
just isn't a whole lot left on our todo list. These next few releases will fix some
exploits and some bugs. There will be a few small enhancements as well. Most of these
Beta's will be tested in private. However,
neophyte can give
you the Progs.dat if you would like to perform your own tests...
Version 7.42 - Fixed ammo counts and weapon impulse checking.
Version 7.41 - Fixed pipebomb exploit through any wall or door. Re-enabled Organ Donor Rune.
Version 7.40 - Fixed certain weapon exploits through walls.
(Jan 10th) The last few days we have been
experimenting with the Quake Source code. This is a major turning point as our mod will
now require a new server executable to unlock it's new features. The SCTF Enhanced
Server (what the 'e' stands for in the version) offers anti-console-spam filtering. Its
set a little strict right now. It's 'cause I'm proud and want to see it work. You can
not type more then 4 messages in 6 seconds or the filter will shut you up for 10 seconds.
The server also has numerous QuakeC modifications. Since a majority of readers don't
care about the code specifically, I'll leave these details out.
SCTF Version 7.32e offers:
Re-sizable status bar - impulse 84.
Ducking players no longer get stuck in teleporters.
Added a message to the MOTD to help new players find the help!
SCTF Version 7.31e offered:
Progs.dat gets compatibility check with the new engine.
SCTF Version 7.30e offered:
Proof of concept testing with a new Quake Engine. All this did was write a file to the
Quake directory.
(January 1st) Happy New
Year SCTF Community! We are glad to serve you, and thank you all for your suggestions.
Super Capture the Flag Version 7.29 now includes some of those good suggestions, such as:
Observers go invisible when chasing a player. The Shrapnel Cannon now only takes one rocket
to fire. The Tarantula Traps no longer require ammo to set, and you may set a maximum of 5
traps! The Pentagram of Protection bug has been fixed. The Organ Donor bugs have been
verified and the rune has been isolated until a fix can be made. Also sneaky names are no
longer acceptable. People were hiding on teams by not having a name and leaving things
way off balance! A #A8B204 particle field now emphasizes when a player is protected by the
initial re-spawn protection field. Ahh, and finally the controversial M4d Sk1llz has been
removed from further public testing.
(Dec 31st) Over controversy, we decided to
test release two versions of SCTF. The first release is version 7.27; which migrates
enhancements from version 7.26 to the M4d Sk1llz power-up. The next is version 7.28 which
completely eliminates the M4d Sk1llz power-up from the source code. We will be testing both
on our server and hope a democratic voting system can be achieved by asking players to play
on which ever version they prefer kept in test. Port 26001 will run the 7.27 version and
port 26000 (Default) will run the 7.28 version.
Version 7.28 - source date 30 Dec 1999 - includes:
M4d Sk1llz power-up removed from the source code.
Version 7.27 - source date 30 Dec 1999 - includes:
A kinder and Gentler M4d Sk1llz Power-up.
An admin must set a teamplay flag (524288) in order to enable the rune;
it will be disabled by default in the distributed versions.
Instead of lowest score on your team, your team must be losing by
50 points or more.
Now have to be killed 4 times in a row to qualify.
Only get 3 shots with the streetsweeper (or 2 kills or 60 seconds)
You can only get the rune if you are the lowest scoring player on
the losing team.
The Power-up is not available until 2 minutes into each level.
Mirror damage works against the rune holder.
Turtle shell power is invulnerable to the rune.
Pent works against rune, but is usually overwhelmed by the damage
per pellet.
Only 1 player can hold the rune at any given time.
The same random chance of getting the rune is calculated.
(November 27th) SCTF
7.25 was uploaded to the 208.8.100.251 server. This new release has different re-spawn
code to give players 10 seconds of invincibility when they re-spawn. You will loose this
if you fire your weapon, or pick up a flag. The M4d Sk1llz power-up receives a new algorithm.
This power is random chance based on
"chance = (times killed / winning team size) * (score delta / fraglimit)".
You can see it's a pretty complicated algorithm. Basically if your teaming is loosing
real bad, and you don't kill anyone you will get a higher chance at re-spawning with this
power-up. Note: suicide's don't count in the times killed, and will reset the algorithm.
Finally, keep in mind that this power-up may or may not be included in SCTF. If you have
feelings about keeping or killing this power-up, please voice them after you have tested
SCTF Version 7.25.
The M4D Sk1llz power-up will give you ultra strong pellets in your shot. Use the Super Shotgun
or the normal shotgun, and you will have a chance to kill someone with one hit. It doesn't
give you any resistance, or strength for your other weapons. You can also toss it like a
rune using impulse 71.
(November 25th) Version 7.24 was put up on
208.8.100.251 (or quake.sctf.net). This addresses a crash we experienced last night with
the Shrapnel Gun. And cleaned up the obituary messages declaring a suicide by a "player".
(November 21st) Observer Time Limit was changed
from 2 minutes to 15 minutes, and the server admin can now set if they want that feature on
or off by adding bit 262144 to his/her teamplay setting in autoexec.cfg.
(October 31st) Happy
Halloween! Super CTF also gets a few treats today: We cleaned up some of the odd Obituary
Messages, changed the Dragon's Flames a little, added Tarantula's shriek sound when you
kill the flag carrier, and replaced the Flame Thrower (Impulse 6 second morph) with a
cool Shrapnel Gun. Now up on 208.8.100.251 - SCTF Version 7.20 (Soon to be in Europe)
(October 24th) The OrganDonor rune makes a
return back to Super Capture. It had a violent struggle with the Hades rune and during the
combat some bad lag set in, and now the two have merged! OrganDonor's new powers are now
Invisible and Napalm! Death gets a little more muscle below 20 health. Weapon switching
works better. (Munky\A/ is going to love that.) Also *gasp* the obituary was neutered big time.
It was done in effort to save space and redundant code. It will be ugly as heck, we know.
But it will be improved in later releases. The Lavaball now works like old. We introduced
an Easter Egg that changed the size of the lavaball and consequently it got stuck on some
walls. Finally, Zombie's first power which never worked, works!
(October 11th) Super
Capture was updated to 7.17 - with the improved burn code. It inflated the progs.dat
a little more then expected. (About 2k) But this effect is very cool. I think you will
like it. When players are on fire, they can touch another player to catch them on fire
too! And the pillowy flames was removed in favor of the large torch flames and mapped to
the players feet.
(October 10th) Installed SCTF 7.16 with a
two minute Observer join team countdown on the MOTD. Also removed Observer Impulse 5 which
didn't work, and gave player ID abilities to the Observer. Changed Possessor a little so
when you teleport back the teleport effect appears. Also fixed the Possess rune power, and
allowed a player to move from the location when they do possess. Also made some changes to
Artemis dog clones so they are killable again.
(October 9th) We are up
to Version 7.15 now. So, let me give you a run down of what we were doing... Ver 7.12 was
a test on the change parameters, but had a flaw that would keep players from collecting ammo
with a fresh weapon from the floor. We took out Organ Donor and Medic for debug reasons.
Ver 7.13 fixed that initial ammo flaw and we did heavy research into QuakeC Variables. Version
7.14 looks to be a success. We fixed a few things that should have a positive impact on the
random team switch problem. And added some code to kick observers after a minute of stalling
and blocking a port for someone who wants to play. It's rude, and makes people mad, but that's
why they came up with version numbers right? We'll make it a little more pleasant in
a release or two. That brings me up to Version 7.15... Teamplay bug looks to be fixed, Medic
rune returns with a new plague. Plague now seeps from a golden ball that the medic carry's
and tosses with the axe. The plague this time is a little more survivable. Life Rune was
neutered, and now "owns" less of the time. It's resistance was lessened, but it still has
the brute force strength. And the Tarantula has more bite in it's back packs... Hey, for 5
rockets, it should right?!
(September 19th) Sctf 7.11 set for download.
We are still waiting for ID to release the Q3 source code, so we decided to clean up
SCTF a little more and try to find why people seem to randomly spawn to the other
team. This happens mostly at quake.ptw.com, but they are running an old version of
SCTF... Things to do in the next few releases:
Major bug hunt for level change problems.
At first, we are going to address possible max limits
exceeded, and try to collect more information. Every change will
be documented, so that if the problem disappears, we can try
to identify what made it go away.
===== Planned for release later today =====
1. From now on, each progs.dat must be smaller than the previous version.
2. Removed wizard frames (Previously used to be "Gremlin" Rune).
Saved about 1K.
3. Removed soldier frames. No one was using it. Saved about 8K.
4. Start collecting debug info on the level change / join server
problems. We will need to collect logs every day to check results.
Using parm11 to detect level changes.
Grep for DDT: to find logs for:
a. Mapname
b. Level change parms team, lastteam, and acceslvl
c. Killed for changing teams.
5. Removed observer call to SetChangeParms() when joining a team.
This was in 3wctf, so lets watch and make sure its ok to remove.
6. Removed Organ Donor and Medic runes. An admin can still create
them if desired, but the level start code will no longer allow them
to be created automatically. This will be in place until I can
recode them without entities.
7. Removed client obituary code fragments from old runes and weapons.
Saved about 11K
===== Bugs that must be fixed before features are added =====
1) Players randomly spawn to wrong team and wrong base after intermission.
After playing a map on one team for a whole level, they will randomly start
the next map with the other team's color. Sometimes with a new shirt color
to boot. And usually they start in the wrong base. This happens the most at
ptw.com in SCTF 7.01.
2) Possessor's "Possess" power does not work. Your supposed to swing your axe
to mark your location when a team mate is near. If a team member is near, you
are then allowed to "possess" that location and switch into "Rocketman" power
and return to the marked location many times... Until recently, (7.06?) when
you try to Possess SCTF says "You must be facing someone."
3) Medic causes 10 points of damage per second when plagued and you have no
armor. Reduce the amount of damage if a player has no armor to 5 points per
second.
4) The Wizard second power (Weapons) needs tweaking. It lets you "form weapons"
by picking up ammo. But it doesn't seem to work with Grenade Launcher.
5) Artemis dog's can't be shot any more?
6) Half the amount of resistance that Life has in LifePower mode. It's too hard
to kill this rune holder.
7) CTFStart map disabled. You can't exit the map.
8) Put a little more gun powder in the Tarantula Trap. Bump up the damage by
15 points.
===== Features to add - pay no attention to order here - =====
1) Observer to null model while in player chase mode. Should also be placed just
above and behind the player instead of in the player's crotch! (IE Chase Cam)
2) Observer should see the team score in observe mode and roaming around.
3) Observer must select a team before 2 minutes of joining the server or is auto
kicked per Cefzil's request. Should have a warning countdown when reaches 1:49
with no team selected. This should be a teamplay setable option and should not
effect admin.
4) Players must respawn after a death in 30 seconds or they will either be A)
Kicked off the server, or B) Automatically spawned by the server.
(Per DArkSpawn)
5) Add the 5 second's of invincibility when a player spawns.
6) Replace the Grenade Launcher's Flame Thrower with new weapon Fox Mulder
requested.
7) Revamp all burn code in SCTF. The new burn effect will be a pointy torch flame
mapped on the player instead of the pillows flames. When a player is on fire,
they can touch another player and catch them on fire. And the death frames is
cool too. Maybe add the burn foot steps to finish off the effect?
8) Revamp some homing code to replace Fighter Pilot, Life, and Sektor homing
missiles. New code will target the weapon holder if it can't find a target. And
it will make better turns around objects.
9) Add the "Squeak" sound Fox Mulder likes when you kill an enemy flag carrier.
(Sound is the same as Tarantula's Pain sound)
10) Plague Spike to be replaced with the #A8B204 Orb so it's more visible.
11) MOTD Start flag needs to be added so after a player joins SCTF they don't
have to read the MOTD every level start. But, display MOTD on the Start map
always.
12) Have SCTF return to start map if the server was asked to find a map that
it can't spawn. IE was sent to a map that was no longer on the server. (I doubt this can be done.)
(August 16th) We have
been messing around with Super Deathmatch a little bit. Set your server to teamplay = 0
and you get Super Deathmatch. Not all the things in it are functional, so please try this
only as a beta test site. I'll make a public Beta test server available for Super DM in
a few hours. Version 7.06 was created to address some of the bugs that we found with
Super Deathmatch. Nothing new was added to it for SCTF. I am in the process of going
through the maps and adding Penti-Quads and Reflector Shields to each map... Expect these
maps with the Penti-Quad and Reflector shield on our server in a week or two. And a new
server install utility with the new map enties after that.
(August 10th) To resolve some issues with observers
pushing buttons and springing traps on the players (!) we modified the observer to be of "No-clip"
type so they can fly through walls and cant touch a single thing. Later we will try to make the
observer a null model when attached to a player. Small steps with this code... Also included was the
Super Death Match Rune pick-up ID code, closed the secret exits by default, and making the Organ
Donor's rune Napalm attack much more survivable by changing it to a line of sight attack. Version
7.03 will be released this week and include these features and 7.02's bug fixes.
(August 4th) A bug was
discovered on two servers that would create an endless loop with the Teleport Rune. 7.02 was
silently released to fix an error in the Life Rune displaying 255 rocket quantity, Artemis
Dog's counts have been recoded, and Player ID was restored.
(July 16th) Some of the players found the Flare gun
a little too powerful so I tweaked it some. Flares now take 16 shells and cells to fire. They cause
50 health and 50 armor damage over a longer period of time, and have a slightly smaller attack
radius. Because I increased the ammo so much, they now do a larger amount of damage if you hit
a player with one. I also cleaned up a few left over messages from voting. -SCTF 7.01 released.
(July 12th) Super Capture the
Flag is now open source and available for public to download. Clan of the Camper will remain as the
official developers of SCTF and future enhancements are planed. If you would like to offer your
version enhancements to the next release please contact
neophyte@sctf.net.
If you would like to be a part of the Software Development team, and have current skills in programming
or level design, stop by CotC's application
section, and sign up! Only people who can invest real time in the clan will be considered. Be sure
to mention that you would like to be a part of the Software Development Team!
(June 23rd) There are a few note worthy enhancements
in Version 6.62 I would like to mention: Player ID is being re-worked. I'm not sure how much further
we can improve this, but it's a toggle on/off feature now. Also included with Player ID is Rune ID.
When you use impulse 112, and touch another rune, you can find out what the rune is, without the
lengthy rune shopping antics we usually go through. E2M5's secret hidden room is removed. No more
little flag stealers in that hidden black box. Also, people who hate the purple spike balls when
they are being chased will love to know that an observer will disappear when he's chasing you now.
Finally, another fix for the administrator, when you set the game to an off beat map, it will return
to the start map when finished. (No more hanging up on the intermission wondering what map to go to!)
(June 22nd) Finally, there
is nothing left to do. In three days, we logged 17,141 deaths, 6,228 Flag Pick-up's, 2,489 Flag
Captures, 443 level changes, and 0 errors on our server. Another surprising figure, we have 0 things
left to do to this code base. Which means SCTF is ready for gold! The Development Team is now
going to do one last test, and build the server installshield program. The thing we want to watch
the most is the obituaries. In the past, some kills were not given credit. Such as, some kills
with Organ Donor rune's Napalm, or the Ghost Clones... When we're happy that all the little runes
and weapons are given proper credit, SCTF is yours to play with. You can help us by trying to
identify when a player receives a generic "was beaten by" or the totally confused "died" obituary.
When you see these messages, see if you can find out what rune or weapon caused them. And e-mail
your findings to Neophyte.
Thank-you
(June 20th) Just released to the 208.8.100.251
(quake.campquake.com) server is Version 6.59. This version now includes an option for players
to vote and lock down the flags incase they get one of those rebel team mates that keep
carrying the flag to the enemy. Use impulse 177 to vote and lock down the flags. Use it again
to anti-vote and choose not to lock them down... Also you may find a few hidden things in SCTF
as we are taking a break and adding a few things for fun. And remember, use impulse 70 if
you need help recalling some of the impulse commands.
(June 12th) Well people
this might be it. All the known bugs have been removed. All the server crashing errors that
this mod has carried with it since day one are fixed. Every rune in SCTF is working properly.
I'm going to use these tournaments and matches to help test the soundness of the code. So far
we have had 4 continuous days of up time on our very picky NT server and a good flow of traffic.
Now I will bed Sleeper and Fox Mulder for any weirdness they can find. Please visit
208.8.100.251 and try every rune, every power, every help file, every chocolate covered
goodie you can find. If we're lucky this could be the final bug fix and 7.0 will end up
released to the public!
(June 8th) We have actually had a few versions
installed and running since my last update. But this one makes me happy. Map E4M3 had some
monster spawn points that would crash the server if a player or some other object tried to
spawn through them. Since they are a spawn point with no destination, our server would come
down with a big chubby error. I noticed this once in PTW's logs too. We're pretty much done,
with the exception that I want to double check Medic, and give it that fast healing back.
And Organ Donor's Napalm is displaying the wrong obituary message. Now we need to clean up
our test junk, and put the code out to the public so we can get into Q2. (If someone wants
to do QW, let me know, or I'll work on it in my spare time.) As soon as ID releases the Q3
source code, we will work on Q3 SCTF. I'm real excited about working in Q3!
(May 23rd) SuperCTF Beta Version 6.52a is
on the quake.campquake.com
server. Preferred Levels have been restored by Fox Mulders request. Hook bug is still
elusive. The regular ID Start map has three secret exits to the Threewave CTF 3.01,
4.0, and ID's IDCTF1 map. You may know the first exit, it just finally goes somewhere!
(Get the maps from our files section). Sektor finally gets
a working second power!
(May 17th) Version 6.50 was installed on
sctf.gci-net.com
server. Tweaks to the Medic rune, limit Proxy Mines to 5, Napalm now scores a point
for the rune carrier, unused .wav files removed (Inferno had a few stray test wavs),
Kano knives bug fixed, Disappear rune doesn't shrink the player when they are a flame
(Keeps you from getting stuck in a wall or floor), and Poisoned Darts now work properly.
My SCTF bug list is empty now. If you see any unusual behavior, or something that may
have dropped off the bug list,
let me know.
(May 15th) SuperCTF Beta Version 6.48a is
on the sctf.gci-net.com
server. This fixes the lightning gun (again!), should fix the disappearing hook bug, and
adds a lock down feature for the administrator.
(May 13th) Version 6.47 was installed on
sctf.gci-net.com
server. This includes a bug fix that would crash servers with the lightning gun, and
a minor bug that would give an error message with the SubZero rune. Also, several
weapons were finished to bring us closer to a public release.
(May 4th) SuperCTF Beta Version 6.44 is
on the sctf.gci-net.com
server. This has some more code tweaks to test out a better homing missile code. There
is a big difference from the same brutal rocket code you saw in a previous version. It
has a wide turning radius making it easier to escape. There are other enhancements and
bug fixes. Most notably is the enhancements made in the April 6th release appear to be
working. As long as we remember to turn them off so you can switch levels, it looks
like a good decision!
(April 19th) Another update (SCTF Version
6.38) was just posted to the 208 server fixing Artemis's Guard Dogs, some tweaks to
Napalm, Tarantula gets a new toy to play with, homing missiles get some tweaks to see
if this can keep the powers from disappearing. Organ Donor's flames were raised a bit
above the players head. Observer was accidently broke, and is now back to it's old
self. Anything else?! Let me think.... Oh, the code is back up to 770k! Time to throw
away some stale candy :)
(April 18th) Oooooops! I missed a few
updates. Version 6.35 is running at the 208 server. And now has the "Fox Mulder" bug
fixes. (Fox sent in about 6 bugs with the new runes and homing code which were fixed.)
Also Medic was redone to change the Plague from an automatic attack to an Axe fired
spike attack. Also the healer was fixed so it doesn't set the rune owner into turbo
healing mode. I don't think we are done with Medic yet... It's still not a perfect
rune, Medic and Oorgan Donor runes will get some more tweaks.
(April 06th) The latest version, SCTF
6.31a, is up and running at the sctf.gci-net.com (208.8.100.251) server. Some of
Clan HoC and COTC were playing it last night, and it is a lot of fun. The new runes
are a great addition. The Organ Donor rune celebrates our friendship with our late
brother. This rune will glow among the rest, and uses Organ Donor's wish - Napalm
Weapons. And the second power is Team-Spirit. We all believed that this powers name
really reflects his nature. The OD Rune also tests some new code ideas to reduce lag.
If this works, we can use it to slowly optimize the rest of the runes. The Tarantula
uses the Shalrath Monster skin. (Often confused with it's weapon and called a Vore)
This latest version features:
- Balance tweaks to Life, Death, Knight, and Rebel Knight
- Artemis rune revamped to now use guard dogs and homing attack dogs
- Greatly improved Homing AI
- Improved player status bar with Flag Status
- New Rune - Tarantula: Poison Darts, use Nailgun to Fire Poison Darts. Trick-Traps use the Axe to drop traps (takes 5 rockets)
- New Rune - Organ Donor: Napalm, automatically ignites players. Team-Spirit, nearby team mates get the same items you pick-up
- Help menu (Impulse 70) cleaned up and colored
- Lots of old and inactive code removed
(April 03rd) We will see a few changes in
SCTF these next few days. So much is going on that we may skip 6.27 as we have a lot
of interm patches and cut 6.28. The code was cleaned up again and we are removing a
few things that don't even appear in the game. There is some old weapons that aren't
being used and parts of code that do nothing. We cut the code down to 757k from 770k,
so we have a little more room for more runes (Each rune takes about 15k, and the code
limit is about 800k). Even so, we plan to take out about 10 or more runes so we can
replace them, or leave room for public add-on's. Things to look for in these next few
releases... Easter Eggs, new Runes with a new monster model, improved homing, and
homing dogs, improved status bar with flag status, and a cleaner help menu. Hopefully
the status bar is self explanatory, but the "R" and "B" stand for the flags. When they
are blank, flags are at base, when they are white - the flags are laying about,
when they are red - flags are held by a player. (Oh, and Q2 SCTF went into Alpha
with just a weapon or two to get our feet wet :)
(March 29th) A small update to SCTF...
Version 6.25b is running on 208.8.100.251, and has a few teamplay fixes for clones
and some runes. There is also a new weapon, and an Easter Egg for you to play with.
You'll know it when you find it, and everyone else will ask how do you use that cool
weapon!
(March 24th) Super
CTF 6.24 was released
to the "208" server.
This version includes an admin ban tool, removed some old code for single player
games, removed the Dog Mask since it disrupts player view Nightmare and Sub Zero
runes have been cleaned up for teamplay and removed that bug which prevented you from
respawning after being killed while frozen. Nightmare will not "Mindphuck" team members
now.
(February 22nd) Progress on the Quake
World port was slowed up dramatically due to limitations imposed by the Quake World
Server and more specifically Client Prediction. This severely crippled all of the
flying runes. We now have a working model that will at least get off the ground and
allow movement in 6 directions. But those directions are at the mercy of the server
;) Alpha test is still in progress. The few bugs we found are being removed, and we
are very close to opening up a public server with
Network One. Their Admin
Jason has been
working with me to help raise public awareness. This initial Beta Version will
contain about 20% of the current SCTF. It will have all weapons from Impulse 1 - 8
and a new weapon - Proximity Mines. It will have 11 runes. The four runes that come
with a standard ThreeWave CTF Server
with Clanring Tournament
Support and the excitement of Super CTF runes such as SuperMan, Lui Kang,
Sub Zero, Medic, Frankies Pet, Strength of Armor, and Construction Worker. Every
rune sports a second power, every weapon has three models. In its simplicity, Quake
World Super CTF is still about 20 - 30MS faster than SCTF Version 6.23. You'll notice
the speed immediately, especially if you have a dial-up network connection. If all
goes well, a server will be up in the first week of March.
(January 21st) It's
been a while since I
have updated the news. A month of inactivity, we're either asleep or brewing up
something big. I'll let you all know that we are indeed working on the Quake World
Alpha now. All the weapons are moved over and work fine. A new weapon was added.
Particles have been removed to protect the HPB's. Weapon powers are greater than
Quake's, and will be balanced after through beta testing. And 10 runes are almost
complete and ready for a small test. Notable concern's is that Quake World is not
allowing us the ability to fly. If you know of any code in QW that does allow flying
it would save us some time reinventing the wheel. When we move QW onto a server for
test, we will then fix all the bugs left over from 6.23... Now is the time to send
them in, once we finish, we are focusing on QW and Q2. If you should find a bug,
please contact
Neophyte.
(December 12th, 1998) Version 6.23
released. Some CPU Optimization toyed with and improvements noted, Medic rune fixed.
(December 5th, 1998) SCTF
6.23 uploaded to the server. Fixes a timing issue with the Medic Rune
against the Cop Rune. Maps E1M7 and E1M8 added to the cycle - Flags installed.
(December 3rd, 1998) Version 6.19
released. Now that we are spawning random runes, it is possible to have duplicates of
the same rune. White Magic has mirror damage, which caused a problem when two players
attack each other using mirror damage! Now fixed in this release.
(November 29th, 1998)
Minor changes in version 6.16 forced a release of 6.17 to 12.13.11.70.
Best Weapon auto selection restored, Oper can force Observer mode (Impulse 160), and
Tornado's description updated.
(November 28th, 1998) Now at 12.13.11.70,
DataSpel[COTC]'s SCTF 6.16 released. Server Crash bug crushed! It seems the White
Magic rune was the culprit the whole time. Neophyte finally homed in on the location,
and DataSpel destroyed the bug. COTC 2, bugs 0. Observer mode becomes a server side
option, and 21 runes get removed. Names are: Destroyer; Gremlin; Ninja; Kitana; Jax;
Mileena; Baraka; Goro; Motaro; Shao Kahn; Death Soldier; Fire; Spiderman; Batman;
Storm; Virtual Reality; Hurricane; Frog; Monkey; Bee; and Mosquito. Also 10 runes
are randomly spawned each level. There is a chance for duplicates, so watch out if
you find two Hades or two Superman's sneaking around. Maybe you will find even
more?!
(November 23rd, 1998)
Version 6.14 released to 12.13.11.70, Observer mode Forced on every
level, code reduced in size by 50k.
(November 3rd, 1998) Now at 12.13.11.70,
DataSpel[COTC]'s SCTF 6.1 released. Rune help (impulse 130) linked to all runes.
Size-limit 0, COTC 1. DataSpel takes a look at Quake World.
(October 28th, 1998)
Continued research moving text into the .ENT files so we can save
room for code.
(October 18th, 1998) Still working
on slimming SCTF down after that size limit. Quake World alpha started - no
servers running it yet.
(October 15th, 1998)
More bugs fixed. Infreno's 6.02 FinalBeta released.
(October 14th, 1998) Physical size
limit hit. Can not add more code or stability becomes an issue.
(October 13th, 1998)
Observer mode improved, more bug fixes, 6.02 Beta released.
(October 12th, 1998) Place the Flag
support added.
(October 11th, 1998)
Inferno fixes some bugs, and releases version 6.01 Beta.
(October 10th, 1998) Red Baron released
from Net Quake Mod to research Quake World support.
(October 9th, 1998)
Ass Woop's server is the first recipient of the Beta Code compiled by
Red Baron.
(October 8th, 1998) Clan of the Camper
receive the source code version 6.00 from Inferno.
