It's been five months since you last heard from us in July and we've been hard at work in the meantime. We're still working diligently towards our first true beta 1.0 release, but a lot has already changed since 0.5. A lot of the focus has been on making multiplayer work and improving the Half-Life 2 code to run better as an RTS online. The scripting language Python has been fully implemented, exposing much of the game code and allowing us to add units, buildings, and abilities through scripts rather than in C++.

Much has also been done to the game to improve latency issues, navigation, and AI, including a brand new NPC system that runs much more smoothly online and allows full control over how all of the units behave. HL2: Wars also now features a traditional RTS game lobby and team colors, which you can see in the screenshots below:



Focus over the coming months will slowly shift from proof of concept and engine optimization to actual gameplay. Both of our releases so far have not been intended to be seen as representative of the final HL2: Wars gameplay, but rather as proof of concept that we're turning HL2 into an RTS. The game is in the process of being fully redesigned to replace the lackluster gameplay, with the help of suggestions from our dedicated forum community.

So, what are you going to see from us in the next few months? We'll continue working on Beta 1.0, and keep you updated on that, and in the meantime we plan on releasing a small multiplayer demo. Nothing special, just to show off our game lobby, new NPC system, and multiplayer capabilities. That should be ready in the next month or two.

In the meantime, show your support by voting for us in this year's ModDB awards!

Half-Life 2: Wars v0.5 now available for download! 0.5 improves just about everything in Half-Life 2: Wars. In addition to new maps, upgraded AI, and basebuilding for both Resistance and Combine, the update features a whole host of upgrades to the game, such as unit sounds, balance and gameplay tweaks, better visuals, and a lot of other small improvements. It now requires the Orange Box to play. This release is still singleplayer, but multiplayer has been in development for some time and is our focus for the next major update. You can play as both Combine and Resistance in 0.5. The following screenshots are from the two new maps (hlw_crashed and a remade hlw_sands):



Short Changelog:
* Two new maps
* Changed to Orange box engine
* Added basebuilding
* Improved stability
* Improved units AI
* Added support for navigation mesh
* Improved balance between units
* Improved various visuals

A full changelog is available in the download itself. Enough talking: you want to play it! Pending further mirrors (if you would like to host one let us know) the mod is available for download on Moddb. Please delete any previous installations and make sure SDK Base - Orange Box and HL2: Episode 2 are installed to avoid problems.

HL2:Wars v0.5 EXE
HL2:Wars v0.5 ZIP

A new media update from hl2wars showing a short gameplay video. The video is showing some of the basebuilding and defending against antlions.
The next release will again be single-player and will require Half-Life 2: episode two. Most of the new features are done and just need to be improved and tweaked.

Feature list
- Two new maps
- Switched to new OB engine
- Basebuilding
- Improved ai
- Several other things...



As you can see, the building models are placeholders (a trainmodel). We are still looking for a modeller. We are also in need for voice actors( for units sounds when getting an order). If you are interested, visit our forum: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=116&p=644#p644

Some random shots:

Small update on the development. I'm currently working working on improving the visuals for the commander. I updated the selection circle for example, see video below.
Most new features are done like basebuilding, improved unit & abilities scripting systemand improved pathfinding and ai. The mod will also be a lot more stable ofcoures. The next release will atleast feature two new maps.
The fog of war will also be improved, but it is currently not possible, because valve didn't included the updated shaders with the orange box code update. The mod will also use the new engine ofcourse and will require Half-Life 2: Episode two to start.
I hope to do a new media update soon, but the building models still need to be finished.



On a side note, we are also in need of a lead sound designer. See the join section if you are interested.

The website has been updated a little bit. News is now being parsed from the news section of our forum and some other small things have been changed.