Here is a nice (but slightly older) game-play video for those not having played Xonotic yet:
Changes are quite extensive compared to the last official release… most notably an extensive update the the CTF mode, some neat additional features for competitive gaming and an assortment of great new maps.
New maps in Xonotic 0.7
On the technical side of things, the engine DarkPlaces got quite a few performance improvements (mainly due to the fact that the creator now works at Valve software and thus has direct access to Nvidia’s and AMD’s graphics hardware divisions) and that an all new script compiler is now in use. That it runs on SDL 2.0 might also increase it’s usability a lot for some. There are also finally an animation bending feature for the player-models and creation of new characters has never been easier now that the iqm format is used.
Also check out these two still under heavy development mods for xonotic:
Overkill is a mod that attempts to combine the best of minsta gameplay and TDM/CTF. It also has some nice vector shaded new weapons and player models.
DotC is an DOTA like but in 1st person view type of mod.
Last but not least, the awesome all new level editor for quake based games, Trenchbroom is making great advances and should soon allow easy mapping for Xonotic out of the box.
P.S.: If you have a really fast Android device, you can also try to run Xonotic on it via this newly fixed DarkPlaces port. Just don’t expect to be able to compete online with touchscreen input :p
Everyone’s favorite clone of worm-warfare, Hedgewars recently got a rather big new release as one of the developers pointed out to us by email.
One of the new level themes for Hedgewars 0.9.19
The changes are quite extensive, so instead of failing to summarize them here, check out the above linked quite extensive original release announcement.
Here is another post about a project I found in the far ends of the internet (“here be dragons”), but which seems really promising never the less.
But first of all a disclamer by the original creator:
The screenshots you are about to see are not yet an eye candy, they’re rather to be seen as a ‘proof of concept’ with lots of crappy placeholders. Work so far has mainly been done on the internal mechanics of game handling such as object interaction (player can carry gun which again can ‘carry’ a mag and the like), realistic calculation of trajectories, hit testing etc.
So what am I talking about? A (most likely) open-source Operation Flashpoint type of game running on the Irrlicht engine with the current working title OpenFlashpoint:
All there is so far is a thread on the Irrlich forums (with a few more details and development screenshots) and sadly the main developer seems to be bogged down by “real-life” ATM. But it seems like a worthwhile project to support.
Oh and get this: it is developed primarily for Linux
2x0ng is a challenging action/puzzle game with procedurally generated levels. It is pronounced “TWO-zong”, and is the sequel to David O’Toole’s 2009 PC puzzler Xong.
2x0ng framebuffer examples
At its core, this game is a mashup. 2x0ng’s design is a nonlinear combination of several different late 70s/early 80s home video games, combining related aspects of each into something new. In 2x0ng, you move a guy around the screen and shoot at enemies in all directions, as in Berzerk. The ball you throw ricochets and comes back to you, like in Tron Deadly Discs. You break colored bricks with the ball, like in Breakout. You transfer colors from one place to another in order to complete the level, similar to Revenge Of The Beefsteak Tomatoes.
To reach the next level, you must successively unlock new areas by opening color-coded gates in the correct order. The levels are procedurally generated, so the game experience is different each time. Later levels are much larger than the screen, and feature substantially more moving/colliding objects than would have been possible in a real home video game from that era.
Vanity items and improved colours: dress up and frag with style.
Visible legs in first person: know where you are kicking and parkouring.
New and revamped maps: bringing you even more variety.
Better viewing: level flythroughs, improved third and first person cameras.
Better menus and other HUD elements: easier to see and read at a glance.
New weapon: Mines add a new dimension to the existing gameplay.
New mode: attack and defend in Gauntlet, competing for the most laps.
Automatic demo recording: for those times you just have to watch it again.
User Accounts: donate or contribute, and wear the in-game supporter badge.
Improved weapon balance and gameplay rules, bugs fixed, and much more.
Especially the visible legs in 1st person view add to the parcour movements and overall the game feels much more “complete” now. Here are some impressions of a bot-match I had earlier on:
Are We Alone - a space game where you travel from planet to planet, between star systems in search of intelligent life – has been released on Github under MIT license.
It was made for Ludum Dare 22 “alone” and is a quite atmospheric piece.
In the genre mix between MMORTS, city building, economy simulation and tower defense game, you control an exiled human, with the apparent goal to get back to earth.
The interaction with other players is quite indirect. You can attack other player’s bases and win the “data” resource this way, which you need to perform “research” actions. However, defeating a base does not change it, you simply get the reward and can attack again.
Shunned Survivor Server map
While researching, however, you need to perform in a tower defense minigame, during which your defensive towers can be destroyed. If you succeed, the research was successful. If not, you have to enforce your defenses and try again.
Even though quite a bit of the gameplay time is spent on waiting for resources to be generated by the various resource gathering buildings, I find this game very entertaining and highly recommend you to give it a try.
Erebus is a hack & slash role-playing game under heavy development, yet playable with currently three missions.
Features:
Classic point-n-click style RPG, with dungeons to explore, enemies to fight, NPCs to talk to, sub-quests to complete, scenery to interact with, weapons, treasure and other items to find.
Also supports Rogue-like keyboard controls.
Multiple quests (currently three, more will be added as development progresses!)
Choice of starting characters (currently Barbarian, Elf, Halfling, Ranger, Warrior).
Start straight into the action – none of this “For your first quest, please find your next door neighbour’s pet cat”.
Vector-based world rather than tile-based – so items/scenery can be placed in any position, or aligned in any direction.
2D animated graphics, with zoom in/out, and lighting effects.
Completely free and Open Source – no ads, unlike many free Android apps.
User interface optimised to work with mouse, keyboard and/or touchscreen.
Cross-platform – available for Windows, Linux, Nokia Symbian and Android devices.
Code License:GPLv3+ Content License: Various (Most DFSG approved, CC-BY 2.x might be problematic)
A few day ago a much improved version of the 4X space strategy game FreeOrion was released. Check out this cool set of introduction videos (Part 1, 2, 3):
Most notable additons:
Very much improved, non-cheating AI. Sometimes experienced 4X players loose.
Many GUI enhancements and shortcuts.
Galactopedia expanded with game mechanics articles and many cross-links.
Batch production of ships now possible.
Improved sitrep notifications
Reworked stealth and detection
Almost everything has been enhanced, reworked, and better balanced.
