Happy Birthday Firearms

Happy Birthday Firearms - Monday, April 29, 2002

[Ten] years ago today, Firearms RC1 was released. It's kind of hard to believe, especially when you take into consideration the fact that it's been over [5 years] since we released the most recent version. I'd be the first person to admit that RC1 was hardly brilliant. In fact, when looking at it now, a lot of other team members along with myself are embarrassed with what we released. Graphically, it was pretty nasty. The code was buggy, with a lot of crashes, glitches and exploits. It still appealed to people though, and a buzzing community formed. Many of the original Firearms fans are still heavily involved with the mod, which is really nice to see.

During the year after RC1's release, there were several other releases of Firearms, I personally wasn't too heavily involved with them due to all my time being taken up by a job that I got thanks to Firearms. But with each new version that was released, the improvements were obvious. We were learning from our mistakes, and Firearms was getting better and better...

Lastly today, I'd like thank everyone who's ever made a contribution to Firearms. From Caspar who started it all, to Eric who made Firearms what it is today. There's also this page, which was once [upon] a time run by our lead programmer, Scott. That particular piece was written the very same day that Firearms was first released...Quite a transformation I think.

-Ben

[This post is Ben's two year birthday post, edited to be more relevant to FAS. You can view the original post by clicking the link at the top]

Highlight System Revealed

The highlighting system in FAS was revealed with little fanfare, leaving many questions unanswered. Luckily, DysPatch has answered many questions about its implementation in this FAS Forum post.

Q: Or is there an option to turn highlights off for specific things, such as objectives, crates and people with specific skills (medic/leader)?

A: Yes, you can turn these effects off in your multilayer options.

Q: Does the ammo box's color change depending on the damage? Like if its in mint condition, its bright green, but servery damaged its dark green (or yellow)?

A: Not currently.

Q: What happens when an objective is destroyed? Does the outline just disappear completely?

A: The highlight will stay there until it is respawned.

Q: Would CTI items also get this glow when they are included as well?

A: We haven't completed the CTI gameplay model since we do not have any CTI maps yet, but the CTI objects in the map will have the glow. We have other plans to indicate where the intelligence is when a player is carrying it.

Q: Is this a mapping entity added to the specific objects, or does the engine automatically apply the glow for these specific objects?

A: No it is not a mapping entity, it is automatically created.

Q: How would the leadership aura work with this?

A: In terms of leadership, we haven't decided what we are going to do with the highlights, but it will most likely show on the players affected by the aura. In terms of whether or not YOU are being supported by the aura, we will either have an icon or a shader for RC1. Our ultimate goal is to get a shader that adds a subtle effect to your screen, but we may not have time to implement that and may stick with just a leadership icon on the HUD.

Q: What effect does this have on the all ready existing player indicators, if at all?

A: We are keeping the overhead indicators because they still serve a purpose that the highlights do not (health indicator, rank indicator, and skill indicator). We most likely will not be adding highlights to individual players because the screen could get cluttered very easily.

FAS NEWS (2 APRIL 2010)

Following FAS's April Fool's news announcement, the team has released an actual news update. The team has showcased two of the grenades in FAS, the M67 Fragmentation Grenade and the M84 Stun Grenade. The fragmentation grenade is a FA staple and retains the cost in previous RCs at two credits for two grenades. The stun grenades cost slightly more than the frag grenades at three credits, but can blind enemies in a large area and grow more effective the more confined the space is.


FAS has also included objective highlighting. Similar to what is found in L4D and L4D2, the objective highlighting in FAS provides quick visual clues to players about where objectives are. In the pictures provided, you can see the red ammo crates with a red highlight, the blue ammo crates with a blue highlight, and a neutral object (the ammo box) with a green highlight.

FAS NEWS (1 APRIL 2010)

FAS's April Fool's joke was the removal of dedicated servers and the implementation of "FANet." FANet would provide players with various "features." Such included matchmaking which determined games, "Based on mystical properties of fate beyond the ken all but our most astute software engineers, FANet will place you in the game you are meant to play." As well as a revolutionary new system of communication, "text chat" and custom content, reassuring the community that, "[those] who wish to contribute custom maps, models, skins, or other third-party content will be pleased to learn that they can't, thereby saving them from the very real, very dire threat of Communism."

You can check out the robust feature list of FANet here.

Portfolio

Shinobi has updated his developer's blog with a video for his personal portfolio of work he has done on FAS. The video includes a run though of parts ps_derailed and ps_crossfire, as well as some of the modeling and texture work he has done.

How Does I Map?

Since FAS is moving to the Orange Box engine, that means that anyone creating third party maps for FAS can not use HL:DM or any other Source engine games due to the engine change.

If you are looking for another game to use in the meantime, DysPatch recommends using the HL2:EP2, but be warned that the foliage included will not be a part of FAS.

Beta Time

The FAS Alpha Tester's Journal has been renamed FAS Beta Tester's Journal. As PFS states, "this is more or less the first version that would/could be released."

Player testers now are working on making sure there are no "exploits, bugs, [or anything] that could detract from gameplay."

The forum still has moderated post: FAS team members have to view post before they can be posted. While this prevents leaks, it does not make it easier for testers to post game play experiences.

Do not expect more use out of this forum.

What the Orange Box Means To You

FAS is moving to the Orange Box engine, but what does it mean to you?

According to Naota in a post on the FAS Forums, these improvements include:

• Phong shader masks in texture alpha channels.
• Newer vertex lighting and prediction code.
• Orange Box graphics settings (real-time shadows on dynamic lights, user-controlled motion blur, and improved HDR among them)
• Steamworks compatibility (stats tracked on Steamfriends, persistent achievements, automatic updates, easy FAS downloads from the Steam store)

To see a complete list of these improves, you can check out Valve's Developer Community page.

FAS NEWS (3 MARCH 2010)

FAS's news post has made it official that FAS is moving over to the Orange Box engine. The reason for the change of engines is because of the problems in the older code, making the game very hard to debug and code. This change however does not effect FAS being released this year. As DysPatch states, "game balance down for what we would like to be released with RC1, so its as simple as moving the functioning clean code over, optimizing old code, and leaving behind the bugs." All of these improvements are made possible FA coding veteran, Mazor, who has done various work on the Half-Life version of FA and FA related projects.

FAS has also released new screen shots of ps_snowstorm. The map has undergone revisions since its last showcase. DysPatch has stated in his developer's journal he has been working on "finishing up the brushwork and the lighting on the map."


In addition to ps_snowstorm, there is a new render of the M18A1 Claymore Mine, modeled by Racer445


As well as the Gerber Gator Machete: modeled by Naota, textured by Dr. Hubbler, and animated by Thisismyname09.


Finally StealthSilver has updated and users who have Desura will be able download FAS though that distribution platform.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Looking though the source code in FAS's Map Page, you can see some cut maps that are either no longer included in FAS such as ps_forest and maps that may be included in later RCs, such as sd_durandal. Below are a list of the cut maps or maps that may be included in later RCs.

Durandal

A quiet Middle Eastern town is torn apart when a coalition task force moves into the northern outskirts to set up a forward operating base. Red Forces are positioned across a bridge leading to the highway, which serves as a strategic vantage point for all traffic coming into this part of the city.

Author: Hitman
Game Mode: Search and Destroy

Asylum

Red Force para-military units have infiltrated Blue lines and freed all the inmates at a local mental hospital. Some of the inmates are leaders of various militias allied to the Red forces, held there temporarily, while others are homicidal psychopaths. Blue Force units quickly respond, cordon off the area and take measures to storm the building. Inside, however, it's now the inmates that run the Asylum...

Author: Hitman
Game Mode: Team Control

Forest

As the battle wages on between both the Blue and Red forces, each side has taken heavy losses. In their never ending war, resources have been become scarce as their deadlocked troops fight to survive. Whoever crushes their opponent will gain a vast amount of natural resources to further their campaign and become the dominant force on the battlefield.

Author: Airwolf
Game Mode: Push

Juarez

A combined South American and Mexican invasion of America co-incides with violent illegial alien protests and revolt. The southwest United States is thrown into immediate disarray and chaos. Innocent citizens are slaughtered wholesale by roaming gangs, government offices taken over by illegalsb flying Mexican flags, or captured by the invading armies. News broadcasts trickle in to CNN from behind the lines, where the leaders of the revolt are demanding that 'Aztlan', or the states of New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and California, rightfully belong to them. Within weeks, however, the Texas National Guard has gone on the offensive, smashing through to El Paso and linking up with the encircled Army units holding out in Fort Bliss. Now, their mission is to take the fight to the enemy by crossing the border into Ciudad Juarez.

Author: Hitman
Game Mode: Push

Novospassky

As Blue force freedom fighters bear down on the Russian capitol, the remaining Red Force loyalists hole up in the last remaining sections of the city still under their control. A brutal fight ensues over the Novospassky bridge as both teams try and steal the others' intelligence assets, in bloody attempts to gain the upper hand.

Author: Hitman
Game Mode: Capture the Item

Force

(NO DESCRIPTION)

Author: Inveramsy
Game Mode: Search and Destroy

River

(NO DESCRIPTION)

Author: velvety (ported by Shinobi)
Game Mode: Push