I just recently read your news update regarding the progress of Team Fortress 2. The fact of the matter is, Valve pretty much abandoned their player base and after a while the original TFC fanbase decided to take matters into their own hands. Fortress Forever (the HL2 Port of TFC) went under production over a year ago, and is almost in its beta stages. Needless to say, the game is a direct reflection of what TFC players want to see. It's almost depressing that you feature TF2 without even giving mention to the player-made modification that is MUCH more anticipated than TF2. Take a look at the media section for Fortress Forever and read how active the forums are with TFC players. Don't expect us to be running back to Valve when they left us dry until they got wind of someone taking a mod into their own hands.

--Tim


Please do something over Fortress Forever, which is practically the same game as TF2 but was made for the players who stuck around even after valve ditched TFC. I also guarantee that the FF developers have put in a lot more work than Valve has and ever will for TF2. One thing people don't understand when they first play TFC or any fortress game is that certain classes play certain positions. For example, the medic is offense, he will never play defense in a competitive game. He goes for the flag. Whereas the HWGuy is too slow to play offense he will only play defense and guard his team's flag. Fortress Forever is going to really implement a system where new players can understand what is actually going on. I know valve will not do something like this. Also, valve never finished properly balancing all 9 classes. The sniper is useless in a clan match, as well as the pyro. Those two classes are not used in matches. TF2 has made TFC look like a cartoon.

Fortress Forever is making the game as realistic looking as possible but giving it the same feel as TFC had. They also plan to continue to update the game to fix any issues with balance of classes or adding/removing features that will keep the game interesting. I guarantee valve will just ditch their fortress game again. Could you please help this game? They update it on a monthly basis, the beta is coming soon. Fortress Forever has been in development for about a year and a half now. At least check out their website, I think you will find it very interesting. www.fortress-forever.com.

--LSH


I was a big fan of TFC back in the day (and I'm aware of its Quake origins), but I think both FF and TF2 can exist in the same space, from the sound of things. We can already tell that the two will have vastly different visual styles and from there alone can appeal to different niches. I look forward to both and wish each group the best of luck with their respective approaches.

--Tom

---

I'm not entirely sure why this hasn't made news here at IGN, given the speed with which its death was reported in 2004 and the in-depth coverage it received before its release, but Uru Live is coming back this fall, sponsored by GameTap and Turner Broadcasting. Full details are on the Uru Live site here: http://www.urulive.com/blog/?cat=2.

It really would be great if this could be posted, because 1) this is an incredibly rare thing, bringing an MMO back from the dead after 3 years, and 2) if it fails to draw interest this time, it won't come back again, and there's a lot of us in the community who want it to stick around this time.

--Gary Buddel

---

Hey IGN! I've been reading about Episode 2 and about all these new updates. I know the game will be on the PC but will the PC version also come with Team Fortress 2 and the new game titled Portal? Or is it just something only for PS3? I sure hope not because that whole portal feature sounds like a cool idea...and look at what they have done with another cool idea called the Gravity Gun.

Thank you very much. Please respond.

--Mike


Is there any plans for an all pack-in, HL2 with Episode 1 and 2, Postal, and TF2 for the PC?

Would it likely hit retail or only offered in Steam. Steam prices are costlier than buying the game at a retail store.

--Gary C.


Gentlemen, Team Fortress 2 is currently scheduled to be the multiplayer portion of Half Life 2: Episode 2, which is currently scheduled to be launched simultaneously on the 360, PS3 and PC. The current launch date is the PS3 launch date. Dates and arrival schedules might shift around between then and now, but this is the slate right now.

Presumably, all episodes will be available as a single package when all three are eventually released. I'm sure Valve has several different plans in mind. We'll keep ya posted.

So far as we know, the portal technology that Valve recently demonstrated was a glimpse of a puzzle game of indeterminate size that will be included with the Episode 2 package. Check out the email below for some background on that.

--Tom

---

Hey IGN,

I'm a former student of the DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington. I'm sure you're familiar with the school's place in the industry, so I'll spare you the schpeel. Reading about the new "portal" gun to be incorporated in Half-Life 2 episodes, I remembered a senior project that was very popular around campus called "Narbacular Drop". In this game, players would place a pair of portals anywhere in the surrounding world. Entering either portal would immediately send you out the second. It was a very disorienting but brilliantly designed affair. Immediately after graduating, the four man programming team (three men and a woman rather, if memory serves) responsible for Narbacular Drop was hired by Valve. When I was fortunate enough to visit Valve headquarters I met this team and got a little preview of an updated version of their game that they were developing for release through Steam. I'm assuming Valve liked the technology so much they decided to incorporate it into their flagship title. The point is, if you want a bit of background on this addition, check out Narbacular Drop. You can download it from the Digipen site at

http://www.digipen.edu/main/Gallery_Games_2004#Narbacular_Drop.

It's short, but extremely entertaining and unique. Take care!

--Sevanar

---

Hey guys, first I just wanted to say great site. Second, now that Splash damage is delaying Quake Wars until next year, do you think it has anything to do with DICE releasing Battlefield 2142 this year? Obviously the delay will benefit the end product, but I just dont see why its needed.

Cheers,

John


Well, id Software-related projects tend to have a "when it's done" release philosophy, so I wouldn't take any "delay" information too close to heart. There was an early trailer that mentioned the game was slated for 2006, but that's a far cry from putting the statement in a press release. Fear not, fellow team-based multiplayer shooter fan! And as you can see, we'll have 2142 in the mean time.

--Tom

---

Hi there--

I recently finished work on my cartoon deathmatch game, Gibbage. Its development was chronicled in PCZone for nearly a year and just received Indie Game of the Month. It's also currently Internet Game of the Month in EDGE magazine and has been mentioned in quite a few other places; all the reviews thus far have been extraordinarily positive.

It was started as a challenge to see whether or not it's still possible for one man to write a decent game on his own with no prior knowledge of coding in this day and age of bump mapping and volumetric lighting. Whatever those are.

Regardless, I succeeded. Gibbage has since started to garner quite a fanbase. The ethos behind it was to recapture that huddled-around-a-keyboard feeling of games of yore, where you'd spend most of your time laughing so hard at your opponent's ineptitude that a little bit of wee came out. No one jostles or tickles each other when playing games anymore. You can't insult someone to their face. It's a shame. It's simply not as much fun...

Anyway -- I was just wondering if you'd be interested in running a review/ article on it? There's loads of info about it over at www.gibbage.co.uk, and there's a copy of the full game waiting for you via this link: [link].

--Dan Marshall


Thanks for the link, Dan. We won't be able to get to it right away, but in the mean time, our readers should be able to give you some feedback.

--Tom

---

My God, It's Full of Bars

Ah, summer in the city. Usually we're fogged over until September, but Mother Nature has granted us some glimpses of that lovely, warm sun. While the rest of the state has been plunged into the usual sulphuric torture, we've been enjoying cool breezes, a brisk morning chill, gentle evening gusts, and less hostile homeless people. I've been meaning to go back to Amnesia again, because the live music is consistenly good and the vibe is what I like to call "Crimson Chillax," but we usually don't get farther than Chances -- excuse me, "The Page" -- which has a low-key charm of its own. Plus a huge Internet jukebox, a couple pool tables, and some cute barmaids who gracefully put up with our drunken stumblings night after night. Ah, the lovely splendor of women who can mix mean drinks.

--Tom McNamara