We are in the testing stages for Patch 1.33 and it should be released within the next couple of days if things go well. Included in this patch, along with many bug fixes, will be our new Lobby map created by Tysn. Here is a teaser shot.


Also, I present you with the changelog for 1.33, which might change slightly on release.

*Changes / Additions

- Added Hand Grenades to weapon_scripted.
- Added some skill values for fast zombie.
- Added points saving for players that get dropped from the server for whatever reason.
- Made some alterations to the custom player model system.
- Shield now protects against Nervegas, Poison, Radiation, and Acid damage.
- Re-activated player lag compensation for teamplay maps and when friendly fire is on.
- Fixed exploit with team changing.
- Fixed module models.
- Fixed a crash related to the hud waypoint system.
- Fixed some exploits related to Spectator mode.
- Fixed several point_message_multiplayer bugs.


*Map Updates

- Updated oc_breakout.
- Updated oc_courier.
- Updated oc_harvest.
- Updated oc_kake to version h.
- Updated oc_stitches series.
- Updated z_harrier2 to version f.
- Added our new lobby map created by tysn, oc_lobby.

Patch 1.32 is ready, beside some bugfixes and a new feature, This patch also adds an option to turn dynamic content mounting off and get back to static mounting, this should fix the graphic problems for ATI users, but the downside of this is that you have to restart the mod every time you change the mounts, and your client will not automatically adjust your mounts to what the map/server needs. Since there is no other way we know of to get around this issue, we are sorry for the inconveniences it causes.

*Changes / Additions
- Optimized merchant, player model asset, and points transfer data sending.
- Fixed several player model exploits.
- Added Ammo drop window.
- Added an option to turn off content flushing.
- Fixes and alterations made to ep2 coop.
- Added Romka's Gordon playermodel.


*Maps

- Updated oc_wgh.
- Temporary fix for oc_freezingpoint's not respawning RPG.

We have just finished up Patch 1.31, which fixes some important exploits and issues. This patch also introduces a new feature for donating points to other players.

*Changes / Additions
- Added player points transfer window. Look at a player you wish to give points and press your transfer button ( configurable in your control settings ). Choose how many points you would like to give, and press accept.
- Fixed spawning of vehicles exploit.
- Added a missing texture.
- Fixed a crash related to vehicle swaping.
- Fixed smg and ar2 nades not being purchasable from merchants.
- Added cheat command givepoints, can only be used with sv_cheats.
- Fixes and alterations made to ep1 and ep2 coop.

I would also like to assure our fans that we are listening to your posts on the forums and working as hard as we can to correct these issues. Some ATI card users are experiencing problems with our dynamic mounting system and we are working on a way to fix this issue or at least make it more comfortable. Also expect more content and maps in coming updates.
A big thanks to our fans for supporting us this far!

After one and a half years, we have finally finished Obsidian Conflict version 1.3. There are lot of reasons for the many delays (real life, bugs popping out of nowhere, and the change to the Orange Box engine, which brought the mod back to a very broken stage and stifled our passion), but in the end we finally made it and we are proud to present you version 1.3, which is a gigantic step forward from the now-crippled version 1.23.

New features, new maps and the full Half-Life 2 and Episodes story playable in co-op is what you will get with 1.3. So what are you waiting for? Head over to the downloads section and get your copy today!

*Changes / Additions

- Now using the Episode 2 Engine.
- Added Several HDR material fixes. Some textures were too bright or not setup correctly.
- Added Ironsights. Mapper or server operator chooses whether this is allowed.
- With Ironsights, it is possible to turn off the crosshair to give gameplay a twist.
- Alyxgun can now be used by the player, complete with model and two fire modes. ( Burst and Auto )
- Added giveat cheat command to give weapons on the floor where the player is looking.
- Can now use custom client-side player models (if other clients also have your model, they will see you using it).
- Weapon_scripted can be used by npcs.
- Many other additions to weapon_scripted.
- More npc_zombie custom hammer settings for custom models.
- NPC lag compensation added to increase the chance of hitting NPCs if you have a high ping.
- npc_merchant complete.
- Custom NPC bounding boxes. Makes large headcrabs possible, etc...
- Can spawn Jeeps in certain levels ( Mapper choice ).
- Ichthyosaur now functional.
- Added npc_mortarsynth.
- Entity to create teleport effects (sprite, lightning beams, and sound).
- Flag on npcs that only take damage from explosions to allow bullets to damage them.
- Made multiple env_fog_controllers possible and per-player fog.
- Point_viewcontrols now give the player godmode and notarget while in use.
- Added sv_forcehardleveltransitions to always make hl2dm-like transitions through trigger_changelevels.
- Added an option to trigger_changelevel to select a specific modify file for the next map to use.
- Added prediction similar to the physcannon's with objects picked up with +use
- Players collide with each other again.
- Medkit/Healer can be dropped again, but no extra ammo gained from picking it up.
- Added a random weapon option to most npcs that can use weapons.
- Added an input for game_text entities which allows them to print math_counter values on the screen.
- Added sv_ep1searchpath convar to allow for dynamic mounting/unmounting of episode one content.
- Added sv_freezesearchpaths to prevent the game from automatically enabling sv_ep1searchpath if the next map in the maplist starts with "ep1_" and disabling it otherwise.
- Added sv_npcgib_maxcount to limit maximum number of gibs allowed in the world at any one time. sv_gib_lifetime now defaults to 0 which means gibs will not fade, but can still be set higher to make gibs fade.
- npc_create_equipment is now unique for each player.
- Added info_waypoint entity and accompanying HUD elements.
- Added mp_allowcrosshair and mp_allowironsights to allow for ironsight-only and no ironsight servers.
- Both map briefing and Message of the Day can display together now.
- Added sv_disablemotd to prevent the Message of the Day from showing.
- Added new keybind to display the map briefing at any time.
- Several changes made to the Hydra code including some cleaned up interpolation and sounds.
- A number of ai_ entities now work better in a multiplayer environment.
- Much of the Hl2, Ep1, and Ep2 campaigns have been fixed up for co-op with mapadd scripts.
- Much of HL:S has been fixed up for co-op with mapadd scripts.
- Added bugbait animations and fixed bugbait w_model.
- Added CS:S mapadds to give some of those levels gameplay.
- Distance Sounds added for AR2.
- Performance options tab for more client customization and optimization.
- Made it possible to revive players with no lives who have been put into observer mode.
- Added Items menu to display current held items, ex. Cloak, Shield, Physics Items
- Helmet is now a personal player shield which can be toggled. Old maps still using the item_helmet entity will convert to shield automatically, so pre 1.3 maps don't need to be recompiled.
- Antlion_maker updated for multiplayer environments.
- Added logic_player_branch for outputs depending on player count.
- Lives are now saved when players leave a server to prevent exploiting.
- Added mp_bunnyhop ( Bunnyhop mode. 0 = off, 1 = ep2 style (max speed enforced), 2 = unlimited hop speed. ).
- Added convars sv_deathpenalty and sv_allownegativescore.
- Added inputs to prop_physics and func_physbox to disable and enable collisions with the player.
- ai_goal_follow behavior has been updated for MP.
- Map transition Save / Restore has been added to enable SP-like transitions.
- Added "No Physgun Punt" flag to physics objects.
- Spec camera is now 'fixed position' by default, but can be changed with mp_forcecamera.
- Changelevel triggers get deactivated for one minute after they have been used.
- Changelevel triggers now have a sprite representation.
- Player Manhacks now have a limit.
- Player Manhacks will better loiter around the owning player now.
- Added point_weapon_eater.
- Added Worldspawn option to disable all areaportals in a map.
- Added custom ammo for modify scripts.
- Removed sway from weapon_sniperrifle.
- Added point_message_multiplayer.
- Added logic_merchant_relay, for hammer based (i/o) merchants.
- Added blizzard snow effects option to worldspawn which increases the snow falling speed and adds snow "dust" to all func_precipitation entities set to Snowfall.


*Fixes

- Fixed weapon_scripted weapon hud icons not showing.
- Fixed weapon_scripted not autoswitching like other weapons.
- Fixed High-Def Bullsquid model crash.
- Fixed Shell Eject on CS type weapon models.
- Fixed vehicle gib death bug.
- Fixed several memory leaks.
- Fixed some issues with weapon strips.
- Possible fix for strider aggressive behavior enemy handling.
- Made mapname_cfg.txt have higher priority than server.cfg.
- Fixed a crash involving switching weapons while jumping.
- Fixed enable/disable inputs on snowfall and ash precipitation.
- Fixed a crash involving fading decals and water.
- Fixed Obsidian Human Grunt models.
- Fixed Human Grunts not being able to throw grenades.
- Fixed headcrabs falling from zombies being set to the wrong team.
- Fixed various physcannon bugs in Episode One.
- Fixed momentary_rot_button and linked door functionality.
- Fixed vehicle view lag.
- Fixed CS:S weapons not sitting in players hands.
- Removed Impulse exploits.
- Fixed worldmodel dual uzi tracers not originating properly.
- npc_furniture will no longer take damage and will not give players points.
- Fixed tentacle not performing its sequences.
- Removed frag grenade timer reset on pickup.
- Fixed gibs from gib emitters never fading.
- players in a vehicle_prisoner_pod will now use the prisoner pod animation.


*Maps

- oc_kake added.
- updated version of oc_broken_escape, now named ep1_oc_broken_escape_01 (requires hl2: ep1).
- oc_castledefense added.
- oc_stitches series added.
- oc_waking_dead added.
- oc_manor added.
- oc_cannon series added.
- oc_courier added.
- oc_harvest added.
- oc_fireteam series added.
- oc_breakout added.

- oc_starlight removed for repair.


*Server

- Linux Binaries released in beta form.


*Known Issues

- One elusive crash related to impact sounds (only affects clients playing on dedicated servers).
- Unarmed citizens cannot pick up weapons and Alyx cannot pick up the shotgun in Episode One.
- item_itemcrates sometimes fail to respawn.

Have Fun! And don't forget to check out our forums and our wiki, which contains a lot of useful information for mappers and server operators.

And to prove you that, we will show you a lot of media about Obsidian Conflict 1.3.

One of the biggest changes is that 1.3 now uses the Orangebox engine, that also Half-Life2: Episode2 runs on, we are glad to say that the complete ep2 campaign has been modified for coop, so you can play it with your friends, hl2 has also been fixed up for coop, ep1 is in progress, if it doesnt make its way into 1.3, expect it to be later released on the forums.

(Please note that some of the stuff you see on the screenshots/videos like custom playermodels or custom weapons are not in the campaign maps or included in the mod by default, they are mapper features.)

Now about some of our new features, there are actually a lot more, but explaining them all here would take very long, so we just show the ones that are most interesting for the players.

First screenshot is our new merchant npc, you can buy weapons and equipment there by using your score, But not only weapons, on some maps you can even buy more or less useful, even pointless stuff like hats or a package of Kellogg's, its all up to the mapper.

Second screenshot is our inventory, it can store the cloaking module, the energy shield and a physics object, as long as its not too heavy.

Third screenshot is our custom playermodel feature, so you can play with different playermodels than just rebels if you want. (Please note that the playermodels you see on the screenshot are not included in the mod, but i will release them later on the forums.)

Fourth screenshot is our scripted weapons feature, useful for mappers or if you just want to get your favorite weapon into oc, they can also be used by npcs and they are NOT replacements for the existing weapons.(again, please note that the weapons on that screenshot are not included in the mod.)

And heres a video showing some of our other features in action. (some old features too.)

Now to the maps. Most people will probably already know oc_broken_escape_part1, oc_castledefense and oc_waking_dead from 1.23, These maps have been updated and are included in 1.3, but there are also some completely new maps, oc_courier, oc_stitches, oc_manor, oc_fireteam, oc_breakout and oc_harvest, all made by our new team member Tysn, i wont explain the maps any further, but i will give you screenshots of them, you will find out more about them when you play them ;-)

We also added 3 "mapadd mini missions", they are basically CS:S maps, modified with our "mapadd" feature that lets you modify a map without touching the original map file.

Heres a video of one of them in action.

For more informations or screenshots about Obsidian Conflict 1.3 check out our forums.

Allow me to introduce Worfox and Tysn to the team, they will now make official maps for Obsidian. Many of our fans will already know Worfox for his maps oc_broken_escape and oc_castledefense. These two maps are now official Obsidian Conflict maps and will be included in version 1.3. As for progress on 1.3, we continue to finish up new features and test them with our new beta testers. Check out our forums for more information on Obsidian Conflict Version 1.3.

Well, I havent really been doing my job with the site, but I promise ill get to fixing it up. The front page is sorta getting overly long so that needs to be fixed asap with an 'old news' section. The real reason I posted this news was to keep people who don't frequent our forums the chance to see the fixed up Ichthyosaur for Obsidian Conflict V1.3. As many of you know, Valve didn't finish the code for the Ichthyosaur so it didn't have much life in the retail Half-Life 2 game. Hyper decided he would fix the code and its looking pretty good so far.

For more information on what we are working on and the status of 1.3, check out our forums. We have no problems taking feature requests for 1.3 either so dont be shy.