Game Plan for 2003.04.28

The Plan: TJ & I are going to be out early in the evening and may get back later than 8:00.  In order not to keep anyone waiting, I am going to keep a server up all day, so people can join in whenever they want to play a real game or test their setup.  Because of the small number of people I am going to run a Jumbot server, a game mod that allows AI players.  The downside is you have to download the jumbot.zip file below; but once you do, you'll be able to play or host Jumbot games in the future.  After I get back to my apartment I can change to regular Half-Life if people want or if anyone has a problem with Jumbot.

I'll also enable "Team Play", so any players using the same models will be on the same team.  This will enable, for example, humans teaming up against the bots or a human teaming with a bot (you can control your team's bots; see Jumbot Team Bot Cooperation Guide ), or good ol' fashioned humans teaming up against humans.  However note the server has a lot more models than the default Half-Life set-up; when a bot (or person) is using a model you don't have, it shows up as a model you do have.  Thus, you may think you are using the same model as the bot but you aren't, and therefore may not be on the same team.  The solution is to download the models.zip file, which adds almost 40 new models, but you'll want to do that anyway as it adds a lot to the gameplay.

The server is named "Colonial" and the password is "Marines".  The IP address is 24.60.208.63.

The Files:

All the files below are optional but recommended downloads for regular games, however note that you need Jumbot to play in a Jumbot game.  To install a file, merely unzip it into your Half-Life folder, or if you prefer elsewhere then copy everything extracted into your Half-Life folder.  Since most of these zips contain folders of the same name as folders in your Half-Life folder, expect Windows to pop up a dialog box warning about this.

metamods.zip : (512K) For playing this file adds the very useful and gameplay-enhancing feature of showing the name of the person you are aiming at.  Adds several other features useful if you ever run a server.  Not necessary if you installed this last week.  Note that at least one file will be overwritten by this zip, so expect Windows to warn you about that.

plateau.zip : (3400K) Manually installs the 'Plateau' level we'll be playing.  Although the game will automatically download this if you enter a game and you don't have it, it is incredibly slow.  Manual install will save several minutes of waiting.  Also not necessary if you installed this last week.

jumbot.zip : (2500K) Enables AI 'bot' gameplay.  Necessary for playing on a server running Jumbot.  See Jumbot Team Bot Cooperation Guide for info on how to control your team's bots.  After install, create a shortcut on your desktop or in your Start menu by copying the 'Half-Life' shortcut, then right-clicking it and choosing "Properties", then adding the text " -game jumbot " after the "hl.exe" in the "Target:" box.  Note you need a space before the dash, and don't include the quotes.  Now rename the shortcut to something useful like "Half-Life Jumbot", and you can launch a Jumbot game with a single click (or double click if you're still using Windows default mode!).

models.zip : (9700K) Installing this file will give you 44 player models to choose from for yourself and teamplay.  Adds a lot to gameplay, including being much easier to distinguish who is who during the game.  Note you need the same model as your teammates to join a team, so if someone has this file and you don't you won't be able to join the team.  Also you can't see what someone is supposed to look like unless you have the same model on your machine that they are using.  Includes the default models, so expect Windows to warn you about overwriting some existing files (it's OK to keep your existing files).

bots.cfg : (2K) This file is just for TJ: TJ, copy just this over your existing 'bots.cfg' file in your Jumbot folder.  This will save you from DLing the entire Jumbot.zip file again.