Changelog 4.8

Contents

1. Notable features
2. Code changes
   1. Core
   2. Sound engine
   3. Non-playable characters
3. Map changes
4. Model changes
   1. Player
   2. Non-playable characters
5. Sound changes
6. Other changes

Notable features

• Added Half-Life: Blue Shift co-op campaign.
• Added breakable functionality to all door types.
• Added RIPENT for Linux with campaign installation scripts, along with uninstallation scripts.
• Improved compatibility with the SteamPipe update for Half-Life:
  • Added missing VGUI language lines.
  • Campaign installation scripts will now search the common account folder for official BSP's.
  • File system updates include reading files from various mod extension folders (like addon, downloads, and hd).
  • Fixed borderless window mode vastly shrinking the game window.
  • Linux server binary renamed to hl.so.

Code changes

Core

• Added cheat command teleport expecting X, Y, and Z target co-ordinates to move the player to.
• Added client and server build numbers (with a compile time stamp) to help notice out of date clients/servers in future.
• Added CVAR weaponmode_eagle to the map configuration, which will disable the desert eagle's laser sight.
• Added CVAR weaponmode_rpg to the map configuration, which will disable the RPG's laser guide.
• Added CVAR's sv_wateramp and sv_zmax to the map configuration commands.
• Added key attackrange to both turrets and sentry types to determine their maximum firing range.
• Added keys health and healthcap to item_battery, which work in the same way as item_healthkit (using the same key names for consistency).
• All read-only file operations will now scan for alternative mod folders (addons, downloads, and hd) to be compatible with the SteamPipe update for Half-Life.
• Changed NPC flag "Fade corpse" to "Don't fade corpse".
• Default heap size is now 128MB from the default 40MB. Servers will need to apply this manually in their command parameters.
• Default entity limit 3072 is now defined in liblist.gam, supported by the SteamPipe update for Half-Life.
• Fixed baby gargantuas only being able to bleed yellow, mappers can now set this to red.
• Fixed bad (missing) messages being displayed when muting/unmuting players via the score board.
• Fixed camera views limiting RGB values to 210 (caused a little bit of dimming).
• Fixed certain players/servers being unable to retrieve player extras (donor/staff) features on-line due to a binary unsafe operation.
• Fixed console spam ChangedTurret when using controllable turrets.
• Fixed flashlight sound cutting off medic and take cover voice calls.
• Fixed game_zone_player and trigger_entity_iterator counting disconnected players.
• Fixed incorrect 3rd person player animations when reloading certain weapons while already full.
• Fixed Linux server not being able to open map resource files due to case sensitivity.
• Fixed M16 always firing 3 rounds even if there are only 1 or 2 rounds left.
• Fixed M16 to keep firing after reloading if reloaded during the middle of the 3-round burst.
• Fixed many more potential crashes, memory leaks, and ancient programming techniques here and there.
• Fixed map cycle handling:
  • Added server console printouts if a map is missing, or players are too few/many.
  • Fixed infinite loop during the intermission if the next map becomes missing after a map has started.
  • Fixed map configuration commands start, weapon, ammo, item, and weaponmode claiming to be invalid.
  • Fixed map cycle not always advancing if the next map string is shorter than the map preceding it.
  • Fixed map cycle sometimes advancing two places each time.
• Fixed map intermission handling:
  • CVAR mp_chattime: minimum time 8 seconds, maximum time 60 seconds.
  • Fixed map not changing until the maximum intermission time had been reached unless a player presses a key.
• Fixed Osprey initialization sometimes crashing Linux servers.
• Fixed players being able to keep weapon zoom by changing weapons and zooming in on the same frame.
• Fixed players being able to revive robots.
• Fixed players being able to switch weapons while dead.
• Fixed players being able to use controllable tanks even after being disabled by a master entity.
• Fixed players being able to use electric crowbars in water by holding primary attack before entering water.
• Fixed players dropping an oddly behaving shock rifle when they die while holding one.
• Fixed players floating upwards into infinity if killed on a ladder.
• Fixed players losing their client flag on death.
• Fixed players not automatically switching weapon when ammo has been depleted.
• Fixed players not being able to damage tripmines when placed by other players, they now always take damage.
• Fixed players not being able to drop snark ammo if the player has less than 5 of them..
• Fixed players not being able to use picked up ammo where the ammo is the weapon (i.e. grenades).
• Fixed players not having their rendering effects copied to their 1st person view-port model (glows, ghost, etc).
• Fixed players seeing a map MOTD even if it doesn't exist.
• Fixed players seeing garbled ammo on their HUD when they have no weapon.
• Fixed players seeing shock rifle in their weapon selection HUD if they had one while being revived.
• Fixed players sometimes getting skipped on actions/functions applied to all connected players.
• Fixed players switching weapon after/during a camera sequence.
• Fixed players switching weapon while swing-charging a wrench.
• Fixed players throwing a crowbar at a repairable breakable causing it to repair if the player switches to a wrench immediately.
• Fixed potential crash caused by a child thread creating a network message when a message may already be in progress. Badly written plug-ins will still cause this crash though.
• Fixed rare crash "MSG_PVS with no origin".
• Fixed servers crashing when a platform trigger runs if their parent platform no longer exists.
• Fixed servers crashing when a player connects while no spawn points can be used (all either filtered or deactivated).
• Fixed servers crashing when a player picks up a minigun or shock rifle while holding no other weapons.
• Fixed servers crashing when a player uses the tertiary fire function on a shock rifle.
• Fixed servers generating excessive or no water splash particles from players.
• Fixed servers not always loading configuration files from the correct mod folder (caused by SteamPipe).
• Fixed servers not always writing error messages in full from the on-line player extras web server.
• Fixed squadmaker entities with a target name using the cyclic AND start on flags to spawn children ignoring the cyclic flag (timer based).
• Fixed tank controller A.I. firing hundreds of projectiles at once if the target took cover then re-entered the line of sight quickly.
• Fixed trigger_changemodel removing its' target's collision hull and breaking animations.
• Fixed trigger_changevalue and trigger_copyvalue not being able to edit squadmaker monster count.
• Fixed trigger_setcvar not being able to edit mp_barnacle_paralyze and mp_disable_autoclimb.
• Fixed trip mines permanently glowing after being hit by a shock rifle projectile.
• Fixed turret controls not responding to players while holding an RPG.
• Fixed turrets taking a long time to repair while undeployed.
• Fixed turrets recovering only 1 hit point while broken.
• Fixed warning "Tried to stuff bad command npc_findcover" when using the grenade commnd.
• Fixed wrong messages when Linux servers create a default GMR/GSR folder for a map, and prevented these messages from behaving like an error.
• Improved cl_showstats output:
  • Moved output upwards to 1 6th of the screen's height.
  • Output is now in two distinct columns.
  • Property column is tinted blue, value column is tinted red.
  • Split client version/build and server version/build.
• Improved console output for scripted_sequence when it is unable to play its' sequence on an NPC.
• Improved server administrators feature:
  • Authentication ID's beginning with an asterisk '*' are marked as server owners, with their icon tinted gold in the score board. Players hosting a listen server will automatically be denoted as the server owner.
  • Fixed a range of minor issues with the administrator list file parser.
  • Fixed last administrator entry sometimes being ignored.
  • Fixed players hosting a listen server not getting the administrator icon if an administrator list file doesn't exist.
  • New command loadadminlist to reload the administrator list mid game (useful for external plug-ins/scripts writing the list on map start).
  • Placeholder functionality for future built-in administration commands.
• Improved thread stability when attempting to search and download player extras information.
• Increased multi_manager and multisource target limit from 32 to 64. This will eventually be converted into a linked list.
• Prevented players using a controllable turret if they are holding a heavy weapon (minigun / shock rifle).
• Prevented entities monster_roach and monster_snark from moving a func_pushable.
• Prevented entitiy classifications insect, alien bio weapon, and player bio weapon from moving a func_pushable.
• Removed (the already ignored) size key for func_pushable, replaced it for the more commonly used custom hull size keys.
• Restored suit voices for collecting a HEV suit and long jump.
• Server will now print a warning when trigger_save attempts (and fails) to write to a read-only file.

Sound engine

• FMOD Ex updated to v4.44.14.
• Client: All cache files are now properly flushed from all mod folders (SteamPipe and language specific) when the game starts and closes.
• Client: Fixed attenuation for 3D sounds causing them to be inaudible.
• Client: Improved players hearing sounds too closely from entities that are out of their PVS.
• Client: New CVAR cl_outline_sounds to display particles where sounds emit from.
• Client: Sound list caches are now flushed when a player has finished loading a sound list (i.e. has joined the game).
• Changed ambient_generic flag Play at user origin to play at all players if the activator isn't a player, or the Play everywhere flag is also used.
• Explosions are now handled by the sound engine.
• Fixed ambient_generic crash when the Play at user origin flag is used when the activator isn't a player.
• Fixed cached sound lists not being loaded or flushed from the downloads mod folder (caused by SteamPipe).
• Fixed sounds not being loaded from alternative mod folders, usually downloads for custom maps (caused by SteamPipe).
• Increased maximum number of materials.txt entrties to 2048.
• Player footsteps are now all handled client side -- including for other players.

Non-playable characters

• Fixed reviver NPCs reviving gibed players/NPCs.
• Alien Slaves: Fixed refusal to revive other alien slaves that had the "Fade Corpse" flag enabled.
• Assassin: Reduced assassins' MP5 accuracy, now slightly better than grunts.
• Grunts: Reduced grunts' SAW accuracy.
• Grunts: Restored Half-Life accuracy for grunts using pistols, MP5's, and shotguns.
• Grunts (allied): Fixed issue with use and un-use sentences being ignored for monster_human_grunt_ally, monster_human_medic_ally, and monster_human_torch_ally.
• Heavy weapons grunt: Added support to use pistols should the minigun be dropped/lost.
• Heavy weapons grunt: Fixed heavy weapons grunts not running away from grenades.
• Heavy weapons grunt: Grunt will drop his minigun after 50 points of blast damage (90% chance).
• Heavy weapons grunt: Grunt will look for his minigun and pick it up, or get out a pistol if it's gone/taken.
• Kingpin: Increased sound attenuation, greatly for death sound.
• Shock Roach: Fixed infinite life if jumping at a target while underwater.

Map changes

• Included map _hlds_start intended for servers with plug-ins to prepare/load their external data on HLDS launch.
  • Automatically ends after 1 minute, the server map cycle will then begin.
  • Should it not end automatically a player spawning can press a button to end it.

Activist

• Part 2: Advanced spawn point when a player opens the wide glass laboratory doors (20 second delay).
• Part 2: Fixed players spawning inside the back wall.
• Part 3: Fixed lift button not responding at the start of the map if you haven't played part 2 first.
• Part 3: Fixed monsters running under the giant lift players start descending on, they should avoid it now.
• Part 3: Fixed spawn point by the final battle being activated too early.

Escape Series

• All: Fixed missing/0-byte sound files.
• All: Tidied up map configurations.
• All: Fixed various messages having corrupt characters on the end.
• 2A: Fixed floating headcrabs unable to attack players in a pipe after the acid drops.
• 2B: Fixed visible null textures underneath the drop-down helix stairs.
• 2B: Tilted an unbreakable looking pane of glass to make it more obvious you break through it.
• 2B: Fixed one person being able to use the dual-player buttons after the big acid pool.
• 2C: Fixed one person being able to use the dual-player eye scanners after the underwater tunnel.
• 2D: Fixed players being able to block the first gate in the bridge brawl chapter.
• 2E: Fixed players spawning facing the wrong direction in the final boss chamber.
• 2E: Final boss is now a standard Gargantua.
• 2E: Replaced/added weapons suitable for defeating a standard Gargantua in the final boss chamber.
• 3A: Fixed null texture on a rock in the first shortcut.
• 3A: Fixed various outro messages having corrupt characters on the end.
• 3B: Fixed players being able to get stuck in the TNT plunger.
• 3C: Added advanced spawn point in the ventilation shaft once a player reaches it.
• 3C: Fixed null texture on the top of the fans.
• 3C: Fixed terrible physics when reaching the tops of the ladders.
• 3D, 3E: Fixed players not taking fall damage when falling down the cable trolley shaft.
• 3D, 3E: Implemented spawn points that follow the cable trolley.
• 3D, 3E: Made the lighting in the cable trolley a bit brighter.
• 3E: Moved Barney to be the train driver as it leaves.
• 3E: Players have 3 more seconds to get in the train before it leaves.

Half-Life campaign

• All: Changed deprecated killnpc CVAR to mp_npckill.
• C1A0D: Fixed the two additional HEV suits disappearing for no reason on dedicated servers.
• C1A1D: Fixed a spawn point being camped by a zombie.
• C1A2: Fixed zombie in store room not playing intended animation.
• C1A2A, C1A2D, C1A2E: Added a shotgun to the weapon configuration.
• C1A3, C1A3A, C1A3D: Fixed silent fire alarm sounds.
• C1A3, C1A3A, C1A3D: Re-added closing fire doors but made them breakable.
• C1A4Z: Fixed acid pit not hurting players.
• C1A4Z: Fixed overlapping door brush with door frame.
• C2A1: Fixed grunts fighting the Gargantua appearing as player allies.
• C2A3A: Fixed ichthyosaur not playing a script.
• C2A4E: Fixed scientists running into the operating machinary when hearing a distant explosion.
• C2A4H: Added electricity sprites to stairs to indicate harmful area.
• C2A5F: Fixed players being able to get stuck inside broken walls.
• C2A5X: Added a second voltigore to make the area harder.
• C3A1: Restored the ceiling collapse sequence, adjusted spawn points to accommodate this.
• C3A1B: Fixed some spawn points facing the wrong direction.
• C4A1B: Fixed missing pumping/mining blocks.
• C4A1C: Fixed players being able to block the round elevator platforms.
• C4A2: Fixed hovering Xen plant.

Half-Life: Opposing Force campaign

• All: Changed deprecated killnpc CVAR to mp_npckill.
• OF1A2: Advanced spawn point when a player passes the nose of the crashed Osprey.
• OF1A2: Removed Gordon ghost.
• OF1A3: Advanced spawn point when a player enters the lower door of the catwalk.
• OF2A2: Fixed players being able to push the box which may block an opening.
• OF2A3: Map deleted.
• OF2A5: Advanced spawn point when a player enters the broken vent near the medic.
• OF3A2: Fixed bad spawn positions.
• OF3A2: Fixed monsters falling into the Xen void by using bounce pads.
• OF3A2: Fixed players not spawning with low gravity.
• OF4A2: Fixed players being able to block elevator doors.
• OF4A3: Advanced spawn point when a player enters passes the biodome lift.
• OF5A1: Advanced spawn point when a player climbs the ladder to the surface.
• OF5A1: Advanced spawn point (3rd) when a player crawls into the room with allied grunts.
• OF5A3: Fixed players being able to skip half of the map using crates.
• OF6A2: Fixed players being able to fall outside the map on top of the rocks.
• OF6A2: Fixed visible barrel brush intended to block access, back to invisible.
• OF6A3: Added RPG and SAW to the weapon configuration.
• OF6A3: Advanced spawn point when a player climbs into the roof vent.
• OF6A4B: Removed RPG ammo.
• OF6A4B: Updated end game message.

Half-Life: Uplink campaign

• Part 2: Fixed players being able to skip to part 3 by boosting a player over a chain-link fence.

Hostile Planet

• Fixed gigantic wood gibs produced from certain breakables.

Jumpers

• Lightened glow effect on the jumper player to make the 1st person glow effect less annoying.

Osprey

• Fixed gigantic wood gibs produced from certain breakables.

Quarter

• Changed time limit from infinite to 1 hour.

Polar Rescue

• Updated objective sprites.

Psyko

• Added a platform to the slime area so players that haven't died can get out.
• Added a back-up system for the volcano area: The symbol will become available after 5 minutes if no monsters are killed, so if the doors happen to get stuck players don't have to change map.
• Added SAW, spore launcher, and spore plants to the boss fight.
• Blue symbol now appears only after most of the monsters have been killed.
• Icky in blue room should now be mad.
• Made most of the symbols are now func_illusionary so there won't be bullet holes in them.
• Pushable pigs now disappear after they have been used, though they can still be pushed to other rooms before they are used.
• Reduced slime and final boss HP.
• Reduced the breakables HP in the final fight and added HUD info for them.

Sandstone

• Changed setting mp_npckill to prevent players killing allied NPC's needed to complete the map.

Sector E

• Part 1: Fixed being able to skip fighting the glass monster (should you summon it) by using the end map lift -- if it spawns, you must defeat it.
• Part 1: Fixed dead grunt with his hand inside a wall.
• Part 1: Fixed the king pin, glass monster, and other monsters being teleported away by a teleporter only meant for a scientist.
• Part 2: Tweaked the long pushable machine so it gets stuck less.
• Part 3: Fixed bad clipping on the floor of the blue horde battle area, mainly near Xen goo.
• Part 3: Added extra task before the final vent to give players a chance to collect the final flower, before someone else rushes through preventing collection.
• Part 3: Made the 15 flower bonus more worthwhile, providing a gold 357, Gluon gun, SAW, and 6 beefy ammo packs.
• Part 3: Added bonus weapons to the Gordon boss room too.
• Part 3: Added spore plants to the Gordon boss room.
• Part 3: Added scripted sequence to raise the Gordon boss boss to an air node, which should make it a bit more active.
• Part 3: Added 8 destinations for the Gordon boss to go to every 10-20 seconds after reaching the previous spot to make him move around more.
• Part 3: Gordon boss is no longer laughably easy to defeat.

Sven Co-op

• Part 1: Fixed gigantic wood gibs produced from certain breakables.
• Part 1: Fixed underground walls instantly springing back when reaching the wheel turn limit.

Tetris

• Removed references to king pin models and replacements in the resource files.

They Hunger

• All of episode 1: Changed sv_maxspeed to 220 to match episode 2.
• They12: Fixed unexplained outward push from the dam's underwater window.
• They15: Fixed second zombie getting stuck on the first zombie when completing the outro sequence, preventing the map from ending.

Toad Snatch

• Added failsafe map ending system: Map will end if there are no non-ghost players outside the spawn area for longer than 2 minutes, with a warning after 1 minute.
• Mentioned in MOTD that the buttons in the checkpoint supply rooms spawn friendly sentry turrets.
• Tweaked map ending system so players who are in a state of "dead, lying on the ground" no longer count as living players.

Toon Run

• Part 2: Fixed blowtato platforms instantly springing back when reaching the wheel turn limit.

Yabma

• Fixed players being able to get stuck in the pipes near the Barnacle.
• Fixed key card in the cleansuit laboratory appearing as a HLDM ammo box.

Model changes

Player

• Models Beret, Grunt, Shepard, and Tower now use the friendly green skins to lower confusion with the enemy white urban skin.
• Removed official models having outdated animations.

Non-playable characters

• Zombie: Added external sequence for Blue Shift's high definition models.

Sound changes

• Added Mistral, Night Watch, Night Watch Xeno, Submerged, and They Hunger textures to the global materials definition file for better footsteps.

Other changes

• FGD: Fixed entity alphabetic ordering.
• FGD: Fixed model key present twice in item_generic.
• FGD: Fixed spawn flag in func_pushable 256 "1-hit break" not present.
• FGD: Fixed types for models/sounds in custom_precache
• FGD: Fixed typo in ambient_generic 16: "15 - 4,096 units".
• FGD: Simplified ammo/item/weapon entities and their base classes.
• FGD: New base class Ammo for ammo entities allows for custom models.
• FGD: Removed size key from func_pushable, added custom hull size keys.
• Graphics: Improved zoomed sniper rifle crosshair so it can be seen in dark places.
• Manual: Fixed incorrect pipe wrench setting.
• Manual: Removed map CVAR's weaponmode_wrench and weaponmode_m16 as they were never implemented.