Hello everyone, I think it’s time to give you some information on what’s been going on behind the closed doors these last few months, as no doubt you are wondering what the heck is going on with our mod, why hasn’t it released yet, etc. Before I go into that though, I should give you all a bit of a back story so you can better understand our predicament.

When we first started this mod three years ago (yes it really has been that long), we went at it with the intention of emulating a typical multiplayer game with team deathmatch and capture the flag. In many ways we hoped to achieve gameplay alike to that of the Jedi Knight series. We made considerable progress; a team system with 3D previews of the player model you were selecting, a weapon pickup system for distribution on the map akin to Quake and Unreal Tournament, an ironsights system for more precise aiming and a pretty nifty HUD. Art asset wise our team constructed a huge library of various Star Wars maps and props consisting of locations like Dagobah, Felucia, Tatooine, Coruscant, Naboo, the Deathstar and other various locations. After this three year period so much stuff has been constructed one could consider this a total conversion more than simply a mod.
Of course with all these positives there have some negatives in there. We’ve had lots of bugs with the code and many of them have been fixed but the overall glaring issue that has become painfully apparent to me after many beta tests is that the gameplay just isn’t cutting it.

It’s a known fact that the games we play today have evolved significantly from their ancestors only a few years ago. The masses that used to play on servers just to constantly hunt down their opponents nowadays seek out a slightly more tactical challenge. Even the games that still have this older form of gameplay keep it fresh with unique twists and abilities (see Call of Duty). Therefore we are presenting to you the public the following changes which we hope to implement:

• The mod is being ported (in some cases rewritten) to the new SDK template that Valve released not too long ago. This version of the SDK has a lot of the features we were implementing only in a cleaner/easier to use format. One of these features is a class based system with easy to edit attributes. With this we intend to augment the Team Deathmatch mode with classes of varying weapons/abilities.
• In addition to Team Deathmatch we are considering pushing forward the team assault gametype. Originally intended for release 2 I feel it could be easily added in with only a minor bit of coding (an objective completion signal would be needed to award the winning team). Some team members want this feature badly enough they’ve already begun work on maps and assets for it. For example one of our mapper’s; borgking has been working on a Mustafar map with a TF2 payload like objective of hauling Anakin’s burned body through the complex back to the shuttle. Team Assault will also have classes.
• With the exception of Capture the Flag, both Team Deathmatch and Team Assault would have a Last Man Standing game mechanic. If you’ve played counter strike you would be aware of having one “life” and then staying dead when killed until the start of the next round. Adding a feature like this into the mod would help strengthen the gameplay and open up the possibilities for more tactical options.

I will freely admit this proposed plan of mine has been met with some hesitation from a few members of our team. Some feel we are experiencing what is called “Feature Creep”, which means piling on more and more goals, pushing back the release of something to almost indefinitely. I can understand the frustration but at the same time the evidence of beta testing is quite clear to me. Having seen a huge number of mods fail within a short period of time due to issues similar to what we’re having I can predict that releasing the mod in its current state would have unsatisfactory results.

There are upsides to my plan of course, since much of the code is already in the SDK template, all we really have to port is our Capture the Flag code and Heads Up Display. The weapons code is pretty much already in along with the class system and team structure. All we really have left to do is code in the Last Man Standing mode, implement a round timer, and code up an objective entity and the rest is tweaking done with results from testing. Sounds easy right? Your next question then must be “what’s the hold up?”

We’ve had a constant issue from the beginning with coders. For the few we had that were dedicated, most had their lives get a lot busier or complicated enough that they were forced to pull out of development. Others were hired on only to disappear never to be heard from again. It’s annoying but something to be expected when you have a team of volunteers. Currently we have two coders actually doing anything, myself and Emiel Regis, a coder who has been with us since the beginning. Getting these features implemented has been slow as the SDK template has things layed out a little differently than before and we’re still learning the Source engine code.

So here’s my request: If you have any knowledge in coding (esp. coding in the Source engine), then please apply on our forums for a coder position. I want this mod released as badly as you guys do but at the same time I don’t want it to end up another entry on the gravestone of dead mods. Help us get this thing done!

So that about covers everything. You guys know now pretty much what we know (I never was big on secrecy). I end this update today with a little flythrough video Darth Hunter made of some of TNE’s maps:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gmHjDygtlA

EDIT: Discussion on this can be found in this thread: http://www.invision-games.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=952

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For me, it's always a pleasure to introduce the great artwork that our team members are producing. Today, I'm not gonna show you visuals however, but I have something nice for your ears. We're lucky to have the brilliant composer David Fang on our team, who allows us to enhance the atmosphere of our games with an orchestral score that can compete with any AAA title out there.

To let you experience some of his fabulous work, we've updated the media player on the right column with some of the recent tracks from two of our projects:

• The battle begins (TNE main theme)
• Tarn Vedra (Andromeda: The Darkest Night)
• Trance, the Sun Avatar (Andromeda: The Darkest Night)
• Captain's Orders (DROM main theme)
• TNE action cue

If you've always wondered how it is possible to produce orchestral music without the budget for an actual orchestra, check David's latest developer diary for some information on his composition process.

grim_mind - June 29, 2009 I really like the new content ^^

sithlord250 - September 15, 2009 Brootal, cant wait till release

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Tired of our old wallpaper collection? Your desktop needs a change? Well here's good news for you. We have a brand new wallpaper featuring the matte painting that is being used in the game's menu.

Download it here:

• 1920x1080 widescreen
• 1280x1024

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vfn4i83 - May 25, 2009 Great news, realling looking foward to it release.

usapatriot - May 26, 2009 Awesome news, those screenshots looking really great! I think this mod may give Insurgency a run for it's money!!!

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Slash - May 12, 2009 Sounds like this years FedCon was really cool. Thanks for the update and I look forward to seeing more of this great looking mod soon!

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If you notice downtimes or strange website behavious or style, don't worry! After some software updates and forum restructuring, the website is the next logical step. During the next few days, it might look a bit strange to you while we add in the new layout.
This step is taken to be able to use this site in order to present multiple projects. We hope you will enjoy the new design and usability once it's done!

Fettness - March 28, 2009 So you are starting on a new project before the 1st one is done? ok... I just hope it doesn't make the wait too much longer.

Aigik - March 28, 2009 The development of TNE is not being affected. The other project is simply something a couple idle team members started while they wait for the rest of us to do our parts.

Darth.Hunter - March 28, 2009 No worries, there is another project group involved in TA - the development does not interfere with TNE. On the contrary - we are able to use synergies

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elcidop - March 23, 2009 great to know, thanks!

Fettness - March 24, 2009 Not the update I was hoping for but nice to know.

Gnartron - March 24, 2009 Get in the choppa!

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Epoch - December 2, 2008 Sounds great. Updates are always a pleasure, even if they're not finished. Naboo map looks phenomenal! Those models are coming along nicely too. keep up the good work

Fettness - December 5, 2008 This is the best Star Wars mod I have yet seen and I have seen a lot. Keep it up. "I find your progress encouraging."

Fettness - December 31, 2008 Well it has been almost a month since the last update and I am still geeking out about this mod! I just want to tell the team to keep it up.

usapatriot - January 13, 2009 Awesome, this mod is looking so awesome, I check the website every day for updates, I'm sure it will be GREAT!

Fettness - February 10, 2009 "...more routine updates on our progress..." Every 2 months? or three months? It does't have too be big. Just a "we are this far" sort of thing. Any news is better is better than no news.

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