Steam Message Board older than one year ago

Act now and save 75% on the Warhammer 40,000 Franchise during the Weekend Deal!

Check out the award winning Warhammer franchise from the original front-line battlefield RTS of Dawn of War through the Space Marine mission to hold the Imperial Forge from the Orks. Each faction has a compelling story and exciting action, making the Warhammer 40,000 universe one you'll want to experience.

Offer ends Monday at 10am Pacific Time.

Today's Deal: Save 40% off Analogue: A Hate Story!

Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!

Updates to Team Fortress 2, Day of Defeat: Source and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:


Source Engine Changes (TF2, DoD:S, HL2:DM)

• Added ConVars sv_rcon_maxpacketsize and sv_rcon_maxpacketbans to allow server admins to control the maximum RCON packet size and whether or not users get banned for exceeding that limit. The defaults reflect the existing behavior.
  
• Fixed not being able to import custom spray images on Macs
  
• Fixed Macs cancelling http map downloads that take longer than 30 seconds
  

Team Fortress 2

• Added Pyrovision!
  
• Added new game mode Special Delivery and map Doomsday!
  
• Friendly players glow when carrying the flag
  
• Fixed rare cases where flag could fall out of the world
  
• Fixed cases where the Payload HUD looked like the cart is still on a hill when it isn't
  
• Fixed cases where some clients didn't receive broadcasts about long continuous particle effects being started or stopped
  
• Updated the HTML renderer for displaying server MOTD
  
• Votes created by a dedicated server no longer trigger a failed vote cooldown
  
• Fixed map triggered annotation events not working on dedicated servers
  
• Fixed the game crashing if tempents are created that use invalid materials
  
• Using a Name Tag while in game notifies everyone of the name change
  
• Fixed Strange Part: Projectiles Reflected not tracking grenade and sentry rocket deflections
  
• Added new items
  • City on Fire item sets
    
  • Pyroland weapons and cosmetics
    
  • Community-contributed cosmetic items for all classes
    
  • Mysterious treasures have been incinerated, but are now craftable
    
  • Added crafting recipe for Pile of Ash
    
  • Scorched Keys are now available in the store for a limited time
    
  • New promo item
• Weapon balancing changes
  • Gloves of Running Urgently
    • Removed self-damage over time penalty
      
    • Heavy takes mini-crits while active and for 3 seconds after switching away
      
    • Attack damage penalty reduced from -50% to -25%
  • Tomislav
    • Spin-up speed bonus reduced from +40% to +10%
  • Quick-Fix
    • Medic mirrors blast jump of their heal target
  • Crusader's Crossbow
    • Reload speed time reduced by +40%
  • Cozy Camper
    • Regenerates 1 heath per second
      
    • Reduced movement penalty from -90% to -80%
  • Sticky Jumper and Rocket Jumper
    • Added 'flying' sound to blast jumps
  • The Concheror
    • Changed rage building source from "damage done and damage received" to only "damage done"
      
    • Increased the rate at which Rage builds for this item by +25%
  • The Equalizer
    • Removed player move speed modification and added it to a new item named The Escape Plan
      
    • All owners of the Equalizer will be automatically granted The Escape Plan
  • Crit-a-Cola
    • Added +25% increased movement speed while active
      
    • Increased duration from 6 to 8 seconds
  • Atomic Bonk
    • Increased duration from 6 to 8 seconds
  • All Flamethrowers
    • Increased base damage by +10%.
  • Backburner
    • Removed +10% damage bonus attribute
      
    • Note: Because of base damage increase, damage remains unchanged
  • Degreaser
    • Added -10% damage penalty attribute
      
    • Note: Because of base damage increase, damage remains unchanged
  • Phlogistinator
    • Damage defense while taunting reduced from -90% to -75%
• Item bug fixes
  • Fixed sentry sometimes spawning in shielded mode while the Wrangler was equipped, but not deployed
    
  • Improved visual and audio cues for when the Manmelter is ready to fire
    
  • Fixed Manmelter being able to earn crits via friendly Pyro self-damage
    
  • Fixed Scotch Bonnet's blue team skin not showing
    
  • Fixed Unarmed Combat's taunt not working
    
  • Unarmed Combat's color now matches the team using it
    
  • Fixed the Apparition's Aspect showing a burning texture in DX8

HIGHLIGHTS:
- Added Luna
- Added Guardian Wisp
- Dota 2 now uses the CELT codec for increased voice communication quality.
- Added a testing tool to the Workshop tab that allows contributors to see their models on a hero before submitting.


GAMEPLAY
- Bloodseeker: Fixed a bug where he could get healed by friendly heroes dying in the area around him that he didn't deny.
- Pudge: Fixed a bug that was sometimes causing Pudge's Dismember to do an extra tick of damage
- Pudge: Fixed a bug that allowed Pudge to deal damage without hurting himself by quickly toggling Rot.
- Rubick: Fixed a rare case where Rubick could get permanently stuck with Telekinesis Land.
- Rubick: Fixed a bug where Rubick would gain permanent Spectral Dagger buffs until he died.
- Rubick: Fixed a bug with Poison Release that would cause you to steal the wrong ability from Shadow Demon.
- Rubick: Stealing Spirit Bear is temporarily disabled.
- Fixed being able to use a different player's items in your combine, if that item was in your stash at the time

VISUALS
- More Rubick spell animations
- Various Rubick visual effect improvements and fixes
- Haste animation added for Bloodseeker
- Adjusted Ogre Magi's sidearm attack animation
- Logos removed from waterfall and mid river areas to safeguard gameplay
- Tweaked dire banner position left of fountain shop
- Roshan timer appear only after 10 seconds have passed from death
- Reduced Gyro's model scale a little
- Removed ambient effects on Razor and Morphling when hexed

UI
- Fixed some cases where icons could get stuck on the screen
- Fixed new heroes not showing up in the hero picker if you had custom view set (They'll now appear in the top left of the grid view, for you to then place as you like)
- Tournament Panel: Fixed game list not refreshing unless you opened a different tournament and then back.
- Tournament Panel: Increased the size of the live games and recent games.
- Tournament Panel: Fixed details button not working properly for the last few games.
- Fixed Spectator label cutting off number of spectators.
- Fixed Live games not displaying correctly after opening a Tournament.
- Fixed a recent bug with the shop not closing when a unit is selected
- Fixed some bugs with losing commentator perspecting when pausing and unpausing
- Added backpack preview to couriers
- Back button in the loadout takes you back to the backpack if you arrived via a backpack right click
- Fixed some slots on the backpack not being right-clickable if they were not on page 1
- Fixed the first equip from the backpack sometimes not working properly
- Added inspect button near the hero panel for heroes that have custom items
- Updated the replay skill filter to have more usefull categories.
- Fixed dragging an item onto itself not turning its icon back on.
- Cheat commands are now echoed to chat
- Added a testing tool to the Workshop tab that allows contributors to see their models on a hero before submitting.

AUDIO:
- Dota 2 now uses the CELT codec for increased voice communication quality.

Tribes: Ascend is Now Available on Steam!

Tribes: Ascend is the worlds fastest shooter - a high-adrenaline, online multiplayer FPS with jetpacks, skiing, vehicles, and multiple classes. The classic shooter franchise Tribes has been played by well over 1 million people. With Tribes: Ascend, the franchise is reborn fast-paced, vertical, acrobatic combat combined with class-based teamwork and stunning sci-fi visuals.

For a limited time* pick up the Tribes: Ascend Steam Starter pack for 50% off. Perfect for new players, it includes:

-Lifetime 50% XP Boost
-4 Bonus Weapons for base classes
-Infiltrator Class & 4 Weapons unlocks
-Technician Class & 4 Weapons unlocks
-4 Perks unlocks
-800 Tribes Gold

*Offer ends Wednesday, July 4th 10AM PDT.

version 1.013
=============
1) Dog Tags and Supply Drops now come with explanatory tooltips.
2) Deployment icons now have extra tooltip data to explain supply trucks and current stock levels.
3) Removed redundant and confusing restock-timers for supply truck icons.
4) Battle minimap now has a popup key that displays like a tooltip to explain the colors.
5) Fixed bug where the procurement achievement would trigger under the wrong circumstances
6) Dialog for loading existing designs on the design screen now also displays mini design icons and the hull name for each item.
7) Unlock system changed so that the important unlocks occur early on in the process.
8) Fixed bug where the overseas medal did not trigger as soon as it should have.
9) Armor color changed to be more orange and less red, to avoid confusion with damage.
10) Fixed bug where game hangs loading on an attacking custom map if the defending ai has too many resources relative to placement opportunities.
11) Fixed bug where editing existing player units can leave the old image being used on the deployment bar.
12) Fixed bug with tank exhausts that meant they would linger too long if you were not looking at them.
13) New feature: You can now drop replacement infantry into half-empty trenches to fill the slots, even mixing infantry types.
14) You can now disable the supplies exhausted siren under the options screen.
15) Fixed bug where you could try to post a challenge despite not setting up a user profile yet.

Today's Deal: Save 66% off Avernum: Escape From the Pit!

Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!

Indie developers are the starving artists of the video-game world, often brilliant and innovative, but also misunderstood, underfunded and more prone to writing free-form poetry on their LiveJournals. We believe they deserve a wider audience with the Joystiq Indie Pitch: This week, Anders Gustafsson and Erik Zaring explain how hallucinogens and Roman Polanski are making their award-winning PC and Mac title, The Dream Machine, "better than sex with Jesus." What's your game called and what's it about?

Erik: Our game is called The Dream Machine and it's essentially a point-and-click adventure game, but we've handcrafted all the graphics using materials such as clay and cardboard.

Anders: The story revolves around a young, pregnant couple that's trying to establish a new life in a new city. While they're getting familiar in their new home, they uncover a seedy mystery involving the other tenant's dreams.

What inspired you to make The Dream Machine?

Erik: Believe it or not, back in 2008 I was driven by some kind of altruism. I sincerely wanted to give something back to the world rather than being on the consuming end all the time. I had a passion for games, handmade objects and lots of pent up frustration to fuel the development of this endeavor.

Anders: While at animation school, I read a lot about John C. Lily and his experiments with LSD and Ketamine. He had this notion that he was visiting an alternate reality during his drug-induced hallucinations, a place he thought had a coherent geography. Once he regained consciousness, he would draw maps of what he had experienced, noting down things like landmarks, geographical features and coastlines. He thought that if he had enough map pieces and then spliced them together, he would be able to slowly chart this new reality. To me, that idea just sounded so naïve and beautiful. In our game we approach dreams in a similar way.

r22112b
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Critical fixes:
+ Fixed a multiplayer combat crash related to weapon damage.
+ Fixed multiplayer crashes related to news events.
+ Fixed a news event crash related to resuming older games.
+ Fixed a scout rider crash.
+ Fixed a crash related to the colony information display in combat.


Other fixes:
+ Fixed an issue that caused civilian population to drop after new
factions were introduced.
+ Improved trade slider notch accuracy.
+ Planet missiles now target battle ships and battle cruisers.
+ Fixed an issue where battle riders were not launching in multiplayer combat.
+ Fixed the issue where minelayer were not working in multiplayer combat.
+ Fixed overharvesting beyond available resources.
+ The grovernment graph marker no longer moves beyond the graph bounds.
+ Fixed grav boat behavior.


Other changes and additions:
+ Gate ships now deploy after the combat phase.
+ Colony stimulus now considers star systems each player already has
colonies in.
+ Fleet support range now takes all support points into consideration,
which should extend range in friendly space.
+ Eliminated players are now reflected in the diplomacy manager.

Sword of Islam, the first expansion for Crusader Kings II, as well as the African Unit Pack and Songs of the Caliph DLC's are now available on Steam!

Sword of Islam adds playable Muslim rulers to the game as well as adds more than 20 new features to the game including new counties/titles, Polygamy, and the new Muslim Dynasty Decadence System.

Songs of the Caliph adds two new songs for use in the Sword of Islam expansion. The African Unit Pack adds new unit graphics for the African states south of the Sahara

Hack, Slash, Loot v8 Change Log
Added Artifact selection and visual 'tell'.
Added additional credits.
Added workaround for non-english Windows usernames.
Added option to switch to Direct3D graphics driver.
Added character stat on mouse-over on title screen.
Added incremental saves to improve the chances of recovery after a fatal crash.
Changed poison to now wear off.
Changed starting character slightly to improve their chances.
Fixed poison not cancelling after resurrect.
Fixed various spelling/grammatical errors.
Fixed teleport, again!
Fixed Steam offline mode.
Fixed disappearing stairs issue.
Removed character race from title screen.

Today's Deal: Save 80% off Aliens vs. Predator!

Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!

Save 75% on L.A. Noire during this week's Midweek Madness!

Amid the post-war boom of Hollywood's Golden Age, Cole Phelps is an LAPD detective thrown headfirst into a city drowning in its own success. Corruption is rampant, the drug trade is exploding, and murder rates are at an all-time high. In his fight to climb the ranks and do what's right, Phelps must unravel the truth behind a string of arson attacks, racketeering conspiracies and brutal murders, battling the L.A. underworld and even members of his own department to uncover a secret that could shake the city to its rotten core.

Dungeons and Dragons Online is Now Available and Free to Play on Steam!

Enter a world of danger and adventure with Dungeons & Dragons Online, the free, award-winning, massively-multiplayer online game based on the beloved RPG that started it all.

Penny Arcade's: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 is Now Available on Steam. Receive gift-able copies of Zeboyd's titles Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII if you purchase before Monday, July 2nd 10 AM PDT.

The Startling Developments Detective Agency springs into action as On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 begins, set in motion by a call from a mysterious source. The ever escalating perils on the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness will season our tender heroes to their very core! Expect cunning evil doctors, a series of unexplainable thefts, a mysterious book of power, enigmatic supernatural forces, hoboids, roboids, time travelling dinosaurs, and more!

Also save 75% on Penny Arcade Adventures: Precipice of Darkness Episode 1 & 2 until Monday, July 2nd 10AM PDT.

Today's Deal: Save 50% off Revelations 2012!

Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!

22027c
----------------------

FIXES
- Fixed auto-resolve crash due to colony life UI.
- Fixed slider notches for trade sliders so they now notch for the colony trade output.
- Used correct player color and colony icon for colony life UI.
- Fixed surprise attack button not being available unless you had diplo points for declaring war.

KNOWN ISSUES:
- Weapon bank MP crash on client.
- Admiral turn event crash.
- Colonies from other systems may show up in Colony Combat display.

Have a great weekend guys!

Today's Deal: Save 66% off Hotel Giant 2!

Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!

Today's Deal: Save 67% off Vessel!

Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!

- Fixed some effects not showing up properly during spectating
- Fixed some crashes with Rubick
- Fixed a gold exploit
- Fixed Spell Steal interaction with attack modifiers
- Fixed a stolen Assassinate, Teleporation or Requiem of Souls not having cast time

Pro Cycling Manager 2012 is Now Available on Steam!

Prepare to live an iconic 2012 season by taking the lead of one of the 81 teams of the professional circuit. Real-time races, sponsors, riders contracts, training and equipment… Its up to you to prove your worth as a manager, and lead your team to victory!

Today's Deal: Save 80% off Bejeweled 3!

Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!

Vindictus, the first Nexon title on Steam, is now available in the US and Canada and Free to Play!

In a world tarnished by battle and despair, the remnants of mankind cling to an ancient prophecy: One day, when all of humanitys enemies are slain, the Goddess will return to bring them to a mystical land of paradise called Erinn. But the fight has waged for too long, and humanity is losing hope. Its time for the brave to grab their weapons, carve a path outside their feeble fortifications, and bring the prophecy to pass.

Featuring brutal, physics-based action, Vindictus is a fast-paced action-RPG with stunning graphics and destructible environments. Customize your character and gear, join forces with your friends to take down tough bosses, and unravel the truth of the ancient prophecy. Will your actions be enough to awaken the Goddess and summon forth Erinn?

The Dark Eye: Chains of Sataniv in Now Available on Steam and 10% Off*

Face your Destiny!

In Andergast, whose inhabitants are considered to be notoriously superstitious, King Efferdan awaits a state visit from high-ranking dignitaries. For centuries the kingdom has been at odds with neighboring Nostria, but now first steps are being undertaken toward a lasting peace. But a plague of crows troubles the king, for the birds are acting with unusual aggressiveness, even attacking humans. Moreover, there are those among the citizens of Andergast who swear that the crows are bringing them dark nightmares. As the belligerent creatures infiltrate even the castle itself, the king seeks a skilled bird catcher - an opportunity for young Geron to prove that the reputation for ill luck that has followed him since childhood is undeserved. Following an audience with the king, the prestigious task is assigned to him. However, not only does his task prove unexpectedly difficult, but it also turns out to be the first step of the greatest adventure of his life, which will lead him to the borders of the charted lands of Aventuria and beyond.

With a history of more than 25 years, The Dark Eye is one of Europe's best-known role-playing brands. In addition to the popular pen & paper adventures, TDE has also inspired a series of successful computer games. The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav immerses players deep in the world of Aventuria, where they experience an amazing story and explore lands never before featured in a TDE computer game.

*Offer ends Friday, 6/29 at 10AM PST.

Five new DLC packs for Gotham City Imposters are Now Available on Steam!

r22027
---------

Critical fixes:
- Fix retreat crash
- Fix combat freeze
- Fix crash for null AI designs
- Fix move order crash

Other fixes:
- Fixed AI equipping the wrong modules on the wrong sections
- Fixed AI building stations in un-owned worlds
- Fixed using psionics on menaces (eg: fear on swarm queen)
- Fixed Suulka fleets not storing their Suulka as an admiral
- Fixed display issues with relocating reserve assets
- Fixed diplomacy UI buttons
- Fixed being able to build stations in indy systems unless system was selected
- Fixed getting a combat if both players ONLY have a colony in a system (colony vs colony and no fleets)
- Fixed auto firing not always finding a target
- Fixed Morrigi LV not assigning all riders proper indexes, which leads to riders entering combat "launched"
- Fixed Hivers using node races pathing in some cases
- Fixed fleets in fleet widget properly displaying their base system instead of current location

Other changes and additions:
- Implement new player list UI in combat
- Implement ionic thruster tech
- Implement display for colony pop/infra info
- Implemented internal kinetic dampening tech
- Implement Morrigi traps
- Gave Morrigi abilities to instantly defeat Morrigi relics and traps
- Added notches to sliders in Empire Manager and for trade/construction sliders
- Starmap now properly shows Zuul slave and civilian count

KNOWN ISSUES:
- Morrigi trap combat does not carry over into combat (will be Fixed in next patch)

The entire Deus Ex series is 75 percent off on Steam through June 25, as individual titles or as a package deal. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Augmented Edition) is $7.50, and the original Deus Ex Game of the Year edition and Invisible War each run $2.50.

Grab all of these, plus The Missing Link DLC, Tactical Enhancement Pack and Explosive Mission Pack DLCs for Human Revolution for $15 in the collection sale.

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition is set to hit Steam on August 24, but before you ready your deathbed, make sure you actually can expire. Steam lists the following PC requirements for Prepare to Die Edition:

OS: Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, or newer
Processor: 2.6 GHz Dual-Core
Memory: 1 GB (XP), 2GB (Vista/7)
Hard Disk Space: 4 GB
Video Card: 512 MB RAM, ATI Radeon 4850 or higher, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or higher
DirectX(R): 9.0c
Sound: Direct Sound Compatible

Steam also says "multiplayer requires microphone headset support," but that isn't true, Namco Bandai tells Eurogamer. Prepare to Die Edition will not support in-game chat at all, it turns out.

The PC version comes with a new expansion, Artorias of the Abyss, which features an untold chapter in the world of Lordran. The expansion will be sold as DLC for PS3 and Xbox 360 versions this winter.

"People don't sit around at Valve and say 'We're educating.' They are educating the player. But it's just good game design," Valve Software's director of education programs Leslie Redd told me in an interview yesterday afternoon. She and her coworker, Valve's Yasser Malaika, were on stage earlier in the day during New York City's annual Games for Change Festival presenting Valve's latest and boldest education initiative: Steam for Schools.

The program offers educators a modified version of Steam that puts control in the hands of teachers - and offers students a chance to snag a free, unmodified version of Portal 2 and its puzzle maker. Teachers are able to add "lessons" as they see fit, created in Portal 2's puzzle maker - several of which are already available.

It's a first for Valve, and really for any game developer operating today. Thankfully for those of us who love Valve for its video games, not much (if anything) is changing in Valve's approach to game design. "Having a fun game is so connected to learning and mastery and agency and social dynamics. You can't really design a good game without really considering all those things and putting in the effort to understand how your customers respond to those things. And it feels like that process has a lot of value, more than the product," Malaika said.

Ridge Racer™ Unbounded - Extended Pack: 3 Vehicles + 5 Paint Jobs DLC is Now Available for Ridge Racer™ Unbounded!

A super sports car, 2 classic 60s machines and 5 paint jobs (PAC-MAN™, GALAGA™, TEKKEN™, SOULCALIBUR™, ACE COMBAT™), this pack has it all!