1999

Hey, folks, hope everyone had a great Christmas (or whatever holiday suits you).   Been chasing my tail around for weeks trying to take care of all the shopping and visiting, etc.  Finally got to answer a bunch of piled up emails last night.

We still don't have any dedicated servers running.  Since Telefragged never got back to me about setting one up, I wrote them again.  Hopefully I'll hear something about that soon.  If I do, you will.  In the meantime, I've got a guy who wants to start a server one particular evening and invite any other TFQ players to join in.   I'll have a post soon with his email.  Once he's logs on and starts the server, he'll email everyone who was interested with the IP address.  Should be an interesting experiment.

On the map pack front....blech.  I keep falling behind on that.  So this time I won't make any promises on when it'll be done.  Just know that I WILL do it.   Sooner or later.

Oh, I got a good troubleshooting tip (thanks to Olatunji Nowlin) on what to do if your game keeps reverting to standard Q2.  This seems to happen mainly when the intro and/or begin logo animations are allowed to play through to their finish.  We don't know why this would cause the game to revert, but it can.  There are 2 simple fixes for this:

1)  Hit the ESC key before they finish.  Simple as that, but you gotta remember to do it.

2)  Edit your batch files slightly.  tfq.bat should say:  "quake2 +set game tfq +" tfqcheat.bat should say:  "quake2 +set game tfq +set cheats 1 +" Apparently adding the + at the end avoids the intro movie and starts you right at the console.  You can then use the ESC key to access the GameMenus. 

Okay, I'm not sure how soon that game server thing will come about, so if I don't post before it, I hope everyone has a happy New Year!  And may your computers still work the next day.

Well, we're edging closer and closer to 10,000 downloads of TFQ(!).  I must say I wasn't expecting it to garner this many people's attention, though I'm certainly glad it has.  Thanks go out to I.B.Thee for emailing a butt-load (technical term) of news sites about our release, and spreading the good word.  Also thanks to all of you who have written in with comments and bug findings.  Although I wish we hadn't given you so much to write about concerning the latter.  ;)

I'm still trying to get a server up and running through Telefragged.  It got delayed by Thanksgiving (when I first wrote them), then by me being sick all last week.   As soon as something develops I'll post an IP address.  Sorry about listing the server in the docs, it was the one we used for beta testing.  I figured we would use the same for the first release, but it doesn't look that way now.

BTW, if anyone has started up a server that will run this game 24 hours a day, and doesn't mind everybody else joining in, please email the IP address.  I'll post it here and Transfans will be knocking your doors down to get in!

My assembling the map pack has been delayed by the server stuff and being sick, but hopefully I can get to it this week.  I already have a few in mind, with a couple being city-type environments, perfect for driving around.

Hey there, hope everybody's enjoying the first release of TFQ.  In light of some of the questions we've gotten since the release, mainly concerning troubles with getting the game to run, we've updated the FAQ to include some troubleshooting tips.  Check it out if you're experiencing troubles with getting started.  I also wanted add that there are a few DM levels included with TFQ that I neglected to mention in the documentation.  Actually, I meant to include them in the map pack I'm compiling, but forgot to remove them before building the installer.  Nevertheless, here are the names of the additional deathmatch levels included with TFQ:

bugdm2
bugdm3
bugdm4

These levels were all made by Bugman.  They are pretty big with a lot of variety in them, good for driving.

I also wanted to mention that my resume page is now up and features some of the work I've done over the past couple years.  If you run a game development company, and are looking for a hard-working modeler/animator, I could use the work.  :)  There's also a couple animations posted there, for those who are interested.

Whoops, seems I left a couple files out of the installer for version 1 of TFQ.   Don't worry, it isn't much (thankfully).  All that's missing is the icon we made and the two batch files for starting the game easily.  I've uploaded a zip of just those files for those of you who already downloaded the first version, and also a new version (1A) for those of you downloading the entire thing. 

Put the icon and the batch files in your Quake2 directory.  Double click to run them.  To create a shortcut, right-click one of them and choose "make shortcut".  You can change the properties of the icon to use the TFQ symbol if it doesn't use it automatically.

Anyway, here are the files:

Batch files and icon:  tfqBatch.zip

Full version 1A:  TFQv01A.exe

Well, hey there Transformers fans.  =)

The first release of TFQ IS NOW AVAILABLE.  Feels good to finally have a solid piece of work up for download.  The installation file is about 19 Megs big, and the game itself will take up over 31 Megs.

To the point, click here to download it:  TFQv01.exe

To download and read over the instructions first:  TFQv01.doc

That textfile is also included with the executable.  Basically all you have to do is download the .exe and run it.  It will ask you to specify your Quake2 directory.  After that, it will create a 'tfq' folder and insert all the necessary files.  The textfile explains how to run the game, and gives all the info I could squeeze from my head about the game and how to get the most fun out it.

So what's in this release?  Well, the major thing is the ability to transform and drive around in vehicle mode.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to include any flying characters at this time.  There are new power-ups, such as a jetpack, holograms, sentry guns, and invisibility.  There are some new weapons, and alterations of the remaining weapons to make them more 'transformery'.  And of course we've got the good ol' energon cubes.

Since people were interested in it, I quickly hacked together some changes for the singleplayer game.  Namely, the replacement of a few of the original Q2 enemies with Decepticons.  Fun, fun, fun.  :)  No new code, but it's still neat to go into battle against Deceps.  For an added bonus, turn on the 'notarget' cheat and watch them just going about their business, a couple do some interesting things.

As soon as they become finalized, we will put up the IP addresses of servers that are running TFQ.  And if you want to start up a server of your own (that will run TFQ constantly), please let me know and I'll add you to the server list.  I will also spend some time over the next few days putting together a map-pack for TFQ that will contain deathmatch levels that suit our theme somewhat, or are just plain fun (note: TFQ will work fine on ANY standard Q2 map).

So that's it for now.  I'm going to go take a break.  ;)

Enjoy!

Hey everybody, hope you had a good Thanksgiving Holiday (if you celebrate that).

A brief update here to break the silence, and to let you guys know that the testing is done for our first release.  I plan to have the game uploaded by sometime this coming Monday.  The work for this stage of the project is all done, and the installer is presently being built.  So spread the word, and I'll see you in a few days.  :)

Hey all.  I've been VERY busy lately trying to tie up the loose ends for our first release of TFQ.  We now have 2 servers running the beta testing version.  People who are on the beta testing list can expect an email from me shortly that will tell them how to get the files and how to run the game.  And to recap, we aren't adding any new names to the list, so if you aren't on already, you aren't going to be.  Sorry.

Some good news for many of you:  part of all the work I've been cramming in lately is enhance the single player side of the game.  A lot of people were interested in this, and disappointed that it wouldn't be in, so I thought I'd see what could be done quickly.  While not what I intended, or hope to finish with, I *have* replaced some of the original Quake2 baddies with Decepticon characters.  These were built off of existing player models.  It actually does make the singleplayer side of things a fun novelty, seeing Decepticons attacking you in force.

Now, back to testing.

Yup, still here.  We've finally got a build of the code that would be ready for beta testing.  But I want to talk to Skeezer about some upgrades he was planning to do.  They would really help the playability, so if he's got them almost ready, we'll wait.  If not, I'll be packaging up all the necessary files and contacting the beta testers on how to get them. 

This is all happening later than I hoped and planned, but that seems to be the the nature of computer life.  >Sigh<

On the plus side, one additional surpise goodie will also be present in the first release.  I got a new player in the mail the other day, and you guys should really like him.  I won't say who he is, but if you like playing as a hard-as-nails Decepticon, you'll be pleased.

Oh, and a couple tips for any of you that use Lightwave 3D for modeling and animation:  First, when creating a very flexible joint like where the upper leg connects to the hip, use two bones right on top of each other (one parented to the other, with the rest of the leg as its "child").  It may seem redundant, but Lightwave isn't too bright when it comes to dealing with rotations, and without two you will lose flexibility, even if you have all three rotation pivots turned on.

Second tip:  build your character at about a normal person's height, even if it should be much bigger (you can scale after setting the bones up).  This would be about 1 or 2 meters high.  The reason for this that Lightwave's algorithms for doing IK when animating seem to become unstable as the character gets really big.   Apparently size *does* matter.  :)  I don't know why it doesn't handle a big character right, but it's a problem I've had with my Transformers.  When I recently made a human model for another project, I was surprised by how much better control I had over the Transformers I made, just because it was only about 2 meters tall (the Transformers were much bigger, because they converted to Quake2 models easier at that size).  Something to keep in mind.

Another quick one for you today.  I did an "email interview" for the Transformers Extreme site.  Got all kinds of news, reviews, trivia, and more going on over there.  To jump directly to the interview, click riiiiiiighhhhht......wait for it......here.

Lots to cover today.

Concerning the general status of the preview release of TFQ:  Sounds, models, and animations are about 99% done (no, I did not do any real math to come up with that figure).  A little here, a little there.  2D artwork for the game isn't far behind.  And on that topic, we've had of late some great help from the very talented Rorshach.   More on that below.  Coding for the game is still underway.  I heard from Skeezer last week and he assures me that progress continues, which means it does.   Oh, as of this email I am officially closing the beta testers list to new applicants.  We're getting close to testing and have enough people to put TFQ through its paces.  But I better say that again because people tend to forget these things:

The TFQ beta tester list is now CLOSED, so no new applicants will be accepted.  Not even if you say 'please'.

Now, let's go through my grocery list of things to mention in this post (I'm searching my pockets for the list.....okay, there it is....)

THIS:  We are finally releasing Thrust on the TFQ site.  He is now good to go for our conversion (i.e. this is the version that will appear in TFQ).   The version we have on this site is only slightly different from the one previously on other sites.  It has some cleaned up animations and a bit of tinkering by yours truly to improve the image quality a tiny amount.  If you already have him, you don't really need this one, because he will be included with the TFQ download once flight is enabled.  But if you do want him, you can pick him up here.

THAT:  I've been getting some help in the art department from the exceptional Rorshach.  He's helping to clean up some of the older artwork on TFQ, and also did art for me on the model I created to add Megatron's cannon to our little game.   I was so happy to see his results that I couldn't resist taking a screenshot for you all to see (click to enlarge).  Oh, btw, what you're seeing in front of the player is the jetpack, sentry gun pack, and a couple fuel canisters, which contain fuel for the jetpack.

And if you like THAT, wait'll you see it in the GAME.  :)

THE OTHER THING:  We added some links to the TFQ Link page.   These include:

The Transformers: The Movie DVD Petition
http://www.muskoka.com/~summertn/tfdvd.html

CrossRoads at the Outer Realms (some real nice TF art/reviews/etc)
http://www.crosswinds.net/~outrealms/

Yes.  Update.  Ummm, hmmm.

Where are we?  Both close and far.  There's very little else that needs to be done for the preview release.  The task is finding the time to do it.  Actually, I guess there are quite of number of things to do, but most of them are quick touchups and tweaks.  A few more needed models, a few more gameplay fixes to be coded.  Btw, I've got two new model replacements for the railgun and the bfg underway.  I think you'll like them.

Okay, I know what's on your mind:

Eyecandy, everybody wants eyecandy...

So here's a screenshot from the "TFQ Remix" of Alun Bestor's Asphalt map.  This deathmatch level will be included with the preview release of TFQ and has lots of goodies in it like the jetpack and holograms.  Click on the picture to enlarge.

Oh, yeah, there's been some effort going into petitioning for a release of the Transformers movie on DVD.  I think that'd be a great thing, and we could finally have the film in widescreen uncut ("Open, darn you, open!" :).  Here's the addy of a site devoted to the petition: http://www.muskoka.com/~summertn/tfdvdintro.html

Hey there, electrical neighbors.  I had a great, if exhausting, time at BotCon '99, and have (finally) collected a bunch of my observations from the convention.   Most of it's about the game, but some of it's about the convention in general.   Oh, and there's a couple new pics from the game at the end to boot.  ;)

In a nutshell:  the game was VERY well recieved, and we found a lot of people who were excited to see the G1 characters in a new game of their own.  There were naturally comparisons to the Beast Wars game that came out, but every single person that mentioned it liked ours better, which was a nice boost for the old ego.  There were a lot of people that were willing to pay money for TFQ (you should've seen the look on their faces when I told them it would be free :).  There were some gameplay issues that came up, but overall it played and performed very nicely.

Based on the amount of new stuff we have and the time it took to show everything to people, I think we have enough put together such that we are very close to being ready for our preview release. We're just trying to put together a few more changes to fix the gameplay, and add a couple more goodies.

That's it on the game for now.  The convention itself was very cool.  They had two posters for sale to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Transformers.   Both were photo-mosaic images using frames from the cartoon,  one of them recreating Optimus Prime, the other Megatron.  We also got a special screening of the first episode of the new Beast Machines cartoon.  That was really cool.  The story does seem to take over from the ending of Beast Wars, but much has changed and the Maximals are as confused as we are (basically they find themselves on Cybertron, stalked by unknown drone forces, unable to transform).  The show I think will be very story-driven, and seeks to branch out what we know as the transformers universe.  Oh, we got to see two of the prototype toys for the fall season, that was neat too.  ;)

Okay, for all that reading, I guess you deserve a couple pictures...

  Jazz's gun replaces the default blaster; the sentry packs which contain sentry guns.

Close up of sentry gun (man, does that image look warped).

Hello boys and girls.  We're back from BotCon and I wanted to thank all (particularly cuteyarcee and her friends) who visited our happy little corner of the main hall.  We received many, many good comments and criticisms of our conversion and are encouraged and pleased by the fan reaction and interest in our project.  We hope to get some of the bugs worked out soon so as to have a 'preview' version of the game out within about a month's time.  Once we have more details, they'll be posted here.  

Many thanks and kudos to 3H Enterprises for putting on a fantastic convention this year.  The surprises and the exclusives were great and worth much more than the price of admission.  I don't know how they do it, but I'm glad they do. 

The next big event in the evolution of  TFQ will be a LAN party this coming weekend so we can put the game through the ringer and test it with more than two players deathmatching. We're stoked about that and will keep you posted.

Gah!! So frickin' busy these days...there's a ton of crap going on with TFQ these days so I don't even know where to begin.

First, yes, I know that Thrust got released on some of the plugin player sites. There are a few things left to change on him to get him ready for TFQ, when those are done he'll be posted here. You guys should be happy, you're finally getting some more Decepticons to play as. ;)

I myself have 2 more models ready for the game, they just need some 'skin stuff' to be done before I'm willing to let them loose to the public. I also know what two characters I'm doing next (already started on one). Everybody should be happy with these because they are old-school favorites.

Now the BIGGEST thing going on right now is that I have made negotiations so that we will be allowed to present TFQ at BotCon'99! BotCon is an annual convention for Transformers fans that features dealers, fan art, guest speakers, and more. This year the convention will be taking place from July 16-18 in the RiverCentre convention hall in St. Paul, Minnesota (USA)(go here for more info). I have spoken back and forth with Jon Hartman, main coordinator of BotCon'99, and he has agreed to get us a couple tables in the dealer room to show off TFQ. While the 'preview' version of TFQ isn't fully together yet, we hope to have it finished in time to take with us to BotCon. But whatever state the game is in, it's going to BotCon, and will make its first public appearance there.

Now here's where I could use a little help:

There's no money in the BotCon budget for something like TFQ. Right now we only have a laptop to bring with us, but if we really want to show off TFQ we need to rent at least 2 computers with network cards. Renting computers is *not* cheap (I've looked into it). What I'd like to do at this point is ask if there are any TFQ/Transformers fans that live in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area who would be willing to bring their computers in to the convention so we could get them running TFQ. I'm just putting the feelers out right now, so I won't get into specifics until I've made contact with people who might be able to do this. In a nutshell, you'd be bringing your computer into the RiverCentre Friday night for setup. The convention hall is locked down at night, so the computers could stay there Friday and Saturday night. We will make sure that there is always someone present during the day to watch over the computers to ensure that nothing gets stolen. The convention ends Sunday afternoon, at which time we'd take everything down and help you get it packed to take home with you. If you do lend us your computer, we will of course let you keep all the TFQ files we install on it. Anyone who's interested in helping out should write me within the next week, but PLEASE, ONLY WRITE IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THIS.

Finally, in light of the above activities with BotCon, I want to warn you that a general email to me over the next couple weeks has a good chance of not getting answered, as I am VERY busy setting things up. If it's a simple one, maybe, but otherwise it may just have to wait. Just covering my butt here, so people don't think I'm ignoring them. :)

Okay, this bad boy's been out for a bit already, but if you haven't gotten him yet, you don't know what you're missing.  :)  His name's Dung, and that's no crap.  Er..actually it is, I guess.  Anyway, Dung is Rikki Knight's latest afront to all that is clean and respectable, and will be a fun addition to the TFQ roster.   He's sorta the bizarro-Decepticon version of Bumblebee, with a penchant for ramming disgusting things, like port-o-potties.  He comes with a complete set of custom sounds that make the insult complete.   Go to the downloads page..

Remember to wash your hands after every use.

CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP

Sorry, everybody, I gave you the wrong directory for that .cin file in our last update.  :(  The CORRECT directory structure should be: Quake2\baseq2\video\flip.cin.  That should solve any problems you have if it isn't playing for you.  Man-sized thanks go to Bruticus(CW) for pointing that out.   Also, for those of you that really like the animation, Bruticus suggested:   "...Also tell them to rename it to idlog.cin if they would rather see that than the id logo when they start up Quake2 like I did :)"  

Like he said, this will replace that stamping id logo with the Decepticon/Autobot symbol flip when you start up Quake2.  If you do this and later want things returned to normal, just rename the file back to flip.cin or delete it (but you wouldn't want to do that, right? :)

Blah blah...been awhile...blah blah...sorry for the wait...

You know the drill.  :)  BUT, to thank you for your patience I have decided to give out a new animation that I did.  This is a ".cin" file, which is a rendered animation that can be played from within Quake2.  If you have the Q2 editing utility called "Quark" (http://www.planetquake.com/quark/armin/index.shtm), that can open and play the file as well. 

What it is:  remember in the cartoon how sometimes inbetween scenes there would be music and the Decepticon symbol would fly onscreen, flip around to reveal the Autobot symbol, then fly back offscreen?  Sure you do.  They used it mainly when the story would switch from where the bad guys were to where the good guys were (and vice versa <--or however that's spelled). That's what my animation is, and it includes the music as well.  Purists will note/bitch that I added a starfield to the animation to make it a little more interesting (the original was just a black background).  The visual quality is not the best, unfortunately, because Quake2 has size and color-depth restrictions on cin files, to guarantee that they play smoothly.  But to give you an idea of what the images look like, here is one of the original 24-bit images that I made for it:

Here's what you do:  download the flip.zip file that contains the flip.cin file within it.  The zip is around 600k, btw.   Unzip the file and put it in the Quake2\baseq2\video\ folder.  You may have to create the "video" folder first.  Then start up Q2 and at any time bring down the console by hitting "~", that little bugger in the upper left corner of you keyboard, below the Esc key.  Type "map flip.cin" and the animation will play once.  Note: you'll have to load in a new map or start a new game to return to play.  If you're in a map when you hit the "~", you'll have to hit "~" again after typing "map flip.cin" to start the animation.   You'll figure it out.  ;)

Well, Star Wars is out, and as I write this I'm already gearing up for seeing it tonight (woohoo!), but I thought I should put an update together since I've really been behind in that area lately.  Let's see, where to start...

Okay, I'll start with the "plea for help":  We could really use some good deathmatch levels for our first release, stuff that has the feel of the transformers universe.  If you make levels or know someone that does, hop on over to the "Help" page for more details.  If you've downloaded cool levels and want to let me know where you got them, that'd be good too.   And like it says on the help page, DON'T send me levels without asking or my email will choke and die on the big files.

Player model work continues to progress.  I've got one that's done except for skins, another 75% finished, and more waiting in the wings.  Rikki has his "Dung" model complete save a couple skins.  We also have one more that is underway:  Thrust, which gives me a good opportunity to introduce Brian Shelton.   Brian has a strong background in 3D work and is making a Thrust player model for us, and hopefully more after that.  We're glad to have you aboard, Brian!   Here's a sample of the Thrust player model he's working on:

   Click thumbnail for larger image.

May the Force Be with you.

So, like, I'm sitting here, minding my own business finishing up the transform anims for my next player model, when BOOM, all of sudden I get this email with a link to a VERY cool animated gif that features my Prowl and Sideswipe models transforming into car mode and back.  Okay, it was less of a "BOOM", and more of a polite "ding", but the end result is the same.  Anyway, check it out:  

http://www.geocities.com:80/Tokyo/Temple/6696/transformation1.gif            Thanks go out to GRIMLOCK(CW) for putting that together.

Time for my daily update.  ;)

A lot of stuff has been going on in the model department for TFQ lately.   I've made model replacements for some of the junk you see lying around in Quake2, like energy-conducting rods to replace the meduim medkits (bonus points for anyone that remembers these from the very first episode of the Transformers television series).   On the player model side, I'm working on two right now, the first is close to being done except for the weapon and skin, and the second isn't far behind.  Rikki Knight's Swoop and "Dung" model are progressing as well (wait till you get to know about Dung  :).  I've also done some image work to replace the standard menu graphics.

Here's a sample:

I seem to be getting an increasing number of emails begging for us to release something.  ANYthing.  I think about this a lot, because I really want to.  There is a lot that's been done I'd like to show off, but what worries me is that it isn't tied together as a GAME just yet.  For example, yes, we've got invisibility, holograms, sentry guns and more, but there's no limit on them right now.   A game of TFQ deathmatch would be total chaos, people running around invisible dropping sentries and holograms all over the place.  Just don't want people to wonder what the've been waiting for, you know?  Still, I'll think about it and talk with the team.

Got together a set of new Prowl skins for y'all.  There are four new skins in all, including capture-the-flag skins, a Bluestreak skin, and a clan skin for the Cybertron Warriors.  A Smokescreen skin is forthcoming, and we'll post it when it's ready.  A note on the Bluestreak skin:  it was made in the style of the original toy, which actually was blue, and NOT the gray-tones version that appeared on the show (so now you don't have to write in and tell us it's wrong ;)  You can find the new complete Prowl zip file here or on the downloads page.  If you only need the new skins, download them from here and put them into the "Prowl" player folder.

Sorry to have been so quiet lately, but I've been doing a lot of work getting things set up with my new job.  I've been hired on as a modeler for Genetic 1 Entertainment's first game, IMPACT.  There's a lot of talent collected there, and I'm glad to get the chance to work with them.  You can check out IMPACT and the company's website at http://www.genetic1.com

How will this affect TFQ?  Not much really, I'll just be spending all day behind the computer working on both IMPACT and TFQ.  Tiring, but such is my life (or the lack thereof).

Hokay, then.  I haven't finished the ctf skins for Prowl yet, nor are the Bluestreak and Smokescreen skins done, but I figured, "Screw it."  So we're posting Prowl for you all anyway.  The zip file contains everthing you need to play as Prowl in Quake2.  Just unzip all the files into a folder called "Prowl" located under Quake2/baseq2/players/.  Get the name exactly right or it won't work.  I don't wanna see any Prwl's or Prowel's out there, okay?  :)   Now, before you ask, no you cannot transform in Quake2.  But if you have one of the nifty shareware editors like Q2 Modeller or NST, you can load up Prowl and view the transform sequence at the end of his frames.  I'm really proud of how his transform got, so if you can, take a look. Go to the Downloads page to get Prowl.

We omitted the sounds from the zip for Prowl, to make it smaller for those who don't need them.  He has no sounds different from Sideswipe at this point.  So you can either copy the sounds over from the Sideswipe/Sideswipe2 folder if you have them, or download the zip file of generic TF sounds if you don't.  All you need to do is put the sounds in that same "Prowl" folder to hear them in the game instead of those "pathetic fleshling" sounds.

On the project in general, I've been hammering away at new player model animations, and they're almost all done.  Just need to finish those darn death sequences.   Hopefully I can get those ctf skins for Prowl finished soon.  They're looking pretty good so far, I just keep seeing ways to change them and make 'em better.

BTW, I don't talk about other games that much, but I want pass on how great the game Half-Life is.  Probably the best game I ever played.  If it had been out a year ago, TFQ would've been a Half-Life conversion.  If you don't got it, go get it, and be happy. 

fin

Hey folks, sorry for the long delay in any updates.  So much has been worked on I wouldn't know where to begin.  We've got new graphics, ground weapons, and view weapons in the works.  I've already begun working on new player models (note the plural).  Unfortunately, I got so into that stuff that I've been putting off finishing the Prowl player model for you guys.  I think I'll release him soon, finished or not, just so you have something new to play with.  Also, I've been getting a lot of supportive email lately, so big thanks to anyone and everyone who's written in.  It really does help to keep me going. 

Later.

Damn, looks like I screwed up pretty big here with Sideswipe.  I forgot that Quake2 v3.20 has an auto-downloading feature, so that if someone is playing with a model that has skins you don't, the game will automatically download them.  This is a good idea.  However, it will be BAD if you are playing with the new Sideswipe and come across someone playing with the old version, and using a skin that doesn't exist for the new one (like the "burnout" skin).  What will happen is you might automatically download the burnout skin, but it won't fit the new Sideswipe model at all.   I'm not sure exactly what will happen next, but I'm guessing the old skin will be rescaled and stuck incorrectly on the new body, and look like total crap.

The solution:  I fixed the necessary files and updated the zip, which has replaced the other one on the download page.  This time, all the files should be extracted to a "Sideswipe2" folder instead of "Sideswipe".  That means if you pick Sideswipe from the multiplayer setup menu you'll see the old one, if you pick Sideswipe2, you will see the new one. 

My apologies to anyone who discarded the old version for this one, especially if you have had any problems playing over the net because of it.  If you now need the old version again, it can still be found on our downloads page.

As promised, we're releasing the updated version of the Sideswipe player model today.   The new one has better skin mapping and improved skinwork, so what that means is he just plain looks better all around now.  Also, the new model has additional frames of animation that we take advantage of in TFQ. Let me say this loud and right now:  You CAN NOT see the additional frames in standard Quake2 play, to see them you'll have to open up the model in a shareware editor like NST or Q2Modeller (to download these, go to the Q2Pmp and look in the tools section). With either of these, you can advance through the frames until you see the new stuff, which includes frames for when the character uses a jetpack, and the transform into vehicle mode and back.

The model and sounds can be found on our downloads page in two separate files.   Some of you already have the sounds so you won't need to download them again.   To install, follow the instructions on the download page for the first model, or better, read the textfile included with the newS ideswipe zip.

The elements of TFQ have been coming along nicely of late.  Below you can see the latest stage of development for the Prowl player model.  But before he's released, we have another treat for you:  Sideswipe is finally ready.  Right now he has 4 skins that are good-to-go.  I'm waiting on a fifth, but have decided that I'll post him here within a week's time whether the fifth is done or not.  If it isn't, we'll just post it as soon as it's ready, and you can add it to the directory with all the other skins. 

And I hope to have an even bigger announcement concerning the game in the near future, so cross your fingers.

Here it is, the first big update of 1999!

Well, okay, it's not that big, but it's DEFINITELY 1999. 

Ahem.  I want to start with some more info on our weapons system and the recent images that were shown.  When you start a round of TFQ deathmatch, you will begin by choosing a robot to play as.  That will decide what 2 weapons you start with.   Most characters will have 2 separate weapons, though some will have one weapon with 2 firing modes.  In general, the 1st (primary) fire mode will be a hand-held weapon.   This weapon will typically not be as powerful, but will fire faster and shoot projectiles/lasers that can't hurt the user accidentally.  The secondary mode will typically be of the shoulder-mounted launcher variety.  These will be more deadly rockets, grenades, etc., but are slower moving than lasers and can damage the user if not careful.  Also, due to the nature of the secondary weapons, your field of view will be lessened (see the image of Prowl's shoulder launchers for an example).  A good idea might be to get a beat on someone with the primary weapon, then move in for the kill with the secondary weapon.

Secondly, I've finished the initial animations for the Prowl player model. :)   That means I have to go back and clean up the small problems now while I finish the skin for him.  Skin work is agonizingly slow, but I'm trying hard to get him released *soon*.  No need to write in and ask when he'll be done.  As soon as he's ready, he'll be posted here for you all to download. 

You know, I guess that update was pretty big after all....