Sven Co-op: Pleasing Taste, Some Monsterism

New Sven Co-op 2 Media, Animator Wanted
23 April, 2005 | by Sven Viking

Well, it took longer than we expected (which is not entirely uncommon, I admit :) ), but we finally have the first batch of new SC2 media ready for you!

Please note that, while all of the shots below were taken in-game (including the black-background shots), the features themselves have not yet been implemented and WILL NOT be included with the first released version of SC2. Our current plan is to release a beta version of the mod as soon as we have the HL2 single-player storyline working well co-operatively... giving you all something to play (and the mapping community something to work with) while we work on more advanced features.

Note also, however, that what you see below isn't all we've been working on over the past few months -- Expect another media release in the not-too-distant future. As for the mod's current status: Due to Nev's efforts and Zhyla's, we presently have a majority of the HL2 storyline in a playable state (complete with equipment being carried between levels, etc)... but there are still plenty of bugs to be fixed and problems to be solved before we're done with it.

Thanks to Mad Jonesy for the item descriptions.

Tor - Xen Overlord - Model by Shannon Caldwell, texture by Teddy Bergsman & James O'Donnell

A race of highly intelligent, highly powerful Xen aliens that acted as Nihilanth's Generals. The Overlord acted as a leader for the Voltigaunts when not in direct contact with Nihilanth. Towering over the players, the Overlord is armed with a powerful melee attack and a staff weapon for long range blasts. The staff also grants the Overlord some other special powers.

Following the fall of Nihilanth at the hands of Gordon Freeman, the Xen overlords have hidden themselves throughout various planets and dimensions and aligned themselves to various leaders. One of those, Tor, is said to have sympathies towards the Rebels and the humans cause.

Combine Super Soldier - Model by Richard Gardner, texture by Teddy Bergsman

The Combine Super Soldier is the ultimate warrior, not even really human anymore, just a collection of limbs and organs within a full armour suit.

Standing at about 1.5 times the size of the player the suit provides all-over protection, life support and integrated weapons systems including a Minigun and rocket launcher. The soldier is designed to be able to tackle groups of infantry, aircraft and vehicles.

Armour is lighter on the back of the torso where the powerplant and life-support systems are located -- smart players will attempt to distract and get behind the SS to attack these parts. Taking down a Combine Supersoldier will require heavy firepower, teamwork and innovative methods of attack. The soldier's joints are also vulnerable to attack.

The Combine Super Soldier is based upon an unused Valve concept sketch.

Sven Co-op BTR-70 APC - Model and texture by Marcel Vijfwinkel

Abandoned by UN Peacekeeping forces during the initial struggle against the Combine, the Russian-made BTR-70 APC has been left to face the elements for several years, before being commandeered by Rebel forces to help in their struggle against the Combine.

The APC includes a heavy machinegun and steel armour plating, protecting a group of players against hostile forces. Its main role will be to help players breach heavily defended areas as a single squad, with one player driving, another in control of the turret and the rest safely inside as passengers.

The above shots show near-final versions of the models, by the way (still a few tweaks to be made in some cases)... afraid we weren't able to get the Supersoldier's weapons onto the in-game version of the model in time for this media release, for example. You can check a test render of them HERE, if you're interested.

The Sven Co-op team is currently looking for an additional character animator... If interested, please send examples of your work, details of past experience and any other relevant information to animator@svencoop.com. If some of the features we're discussing go ahead, we could have some very interesting work for you (in addition to plenty of standard tasks, of course :) ).

April Fools, Etc.
1 April, 2005 | by Sven Viking

Hi everyone,

As you may well have figured out already, both of the prior two news posts were part of this year's April Fool's Day joke (Richard Boderman is a fictitious persona). If you happened to miss it, scroll down now and take a look! Check for something strange about a few of the links, and for hidden messages in the "goodbye" thread, while you're at it. Mentions of gnomes are in reference to one of our previous April Fools jokes.

For reference, the primary conspirators on this year's joke were Mad Jonesy (most of the writing), Hezus (that's his dog you see there), Commando, Edcrab, 60Meg, the rest of the forum moderators, and myself. Many more team members spent time keeping things interesting on the Goodbye thread, as well :). Forum member Jusupov's work in the role of Richard Boderman was actually entirely unplanned, but he did an excellent job nonetheless!

Apologies for the recent lack of genuine news updates, by the way. A lot has been done on SC for HL2 over the past couple of months, but we've been waiting for work to be properly finished and polished before showing any of it off. We're pretty-much at that point now, however... hopefully we'll have some exciting media for you in the very near future.

Off-topic: Most elaborate April Fools prank ever! Also, Gabe Newell leaves Valve. And if you have nothing better to do, why not take another look at our pay service, SC Insider?