A fix for Linux servers is now available. The zip hotfix file now includes both Windows and Linux fixes. Extract the file to your server's "/empires/bin" directory.

    Download Empires 2.1 Server Hotfix (Linux and Windows)

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    An exploit was discovered that allowed a client to crash an Empires server. This is the fix. Download and extract it to your server's "/empires/bin" directory where it will overwrite the current "server.dll". A linux fix will be available soon.

    Download Empires 2.1 Server Hotfix (Linux and Windows)

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    Empires has been receiving some well deserved recognition lately. Steamfriends.com rated Empires the second best Half-Life 2 mod of 2007, and Mod DB's player choice awards for mod of the year rated Empires the third best mod of 2007 of any game. I'd like to thank all of you who voted in the Mod DB awards, and I'm proud that we earned such a top spot.

    A new hot fix, version 2.12, is available to fix a crash and introduce an indicator which shows how your resources are changing per second. Progress is being made on moving Empires to the Orange Box engine with the new SDK that was released a short time ago, and I'm hopeful it will fix a lot of issues that have been reported which are due to the engine and not Empire's code.

    Read the Empires 2.12 Change Log

    Download Empires 2.12 Hotfix

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    In response to the reported problems with 2.1, we're releasing a hotfix, version 2.11. Install this hotfix on top of 2.1 to fix the crash bugs that have been reported. This is only for clients. Servers do not have to be updated. In the future, if you experience any crashes, follow these instructions.

    Read the Empires 2.11 Change Log

    Download Empires 2.11 Hotfix

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    Happy New Year! We want to start 2008 off right by releasing Empires 2.1. It's available as a full install or a patch for 2.0. Most of the changes are fixes, but we also threw in some new features like the heavily requested infantry research which is now available to upgrade Grenadier RPGs. Read the full change log for more info. Don't forget to vote Empires as Mod of the Year!

    Read the Empires 2.1 Change Log

    Download Empires 2.1

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    Empires 2.1 is starting to come together and should be available shortly. The main focus of this patch is to fix crash issues that have been reported along with some other minor bugs. In addition to fixes, we're adding several new features. One of them is collapsible walls. When walls are destroyed or recycled, they will break into pieces and either crumble when destroyed by an engineer tool or explode with force when destroyed by an explosive projectile. This is a preview of what all buildings and vehicles will have in the future. Infantry research will also find its way into this patch in the form of being able to research upgraded grenadier RPGs that will allow infantry to remain effective even when heavy tanks fill the battlefield. The patch will soon enter testing and then be released to the public.

    Moddb.com's Mod of the Year awards are heating up. The nomination phase has ended, and they've revealed the top 100 mods of 2007. Yes, Empires is in the top 100, and it's now up to you to vote Empires as Mod of the Year! If you voted during the nomination phase, you must now vote again from the list of the top 100. We're all counting on you!

    Vote Empires as the Mod of the Year

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Moddb.com has kicked off their Mod of the Year awards for 2007. Let them know that Empires 2.0 is the Mod of the Year for 2007! Click to visit our profile on Moddb.com where you can vote Empires 2.0 for Mod of the Year.

    As far as Empires 2.0's release, all of us on the dev team are very satisfied with how things went. So far, we've seen approximately 800 players (according to Steam Stats) at once playing across 100 servers, and that is very exciting. I'm also glad to hear that most people have said they are enjoying the new release. There are several servers running with 48 max players featuring intense firefights and strategic teamwork. Once we move over to the Orange Box SDK when Valve releases the code, I'm certain we can have Empires supporting 64 players. If you have any issues, bugs, or suggestions for future Empires releases, please stop by our forums and let your voice be heard.

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    The Linux server file we included in yesterday's server release appears to be causing a crash on startup depending on the machine. We've posted a patch that includes only a new "server_i486.so" for those running into this problem with Linux. This only affects Linux.

    Download the Linux server patch.

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    The Empires 2.0 dedicated server install file is now public. It is being distributed as a zip file in order to support both Windows and Linux and includes everything necessary to run a dedicated server.

    Download Empires 2.0 Server

    The media section has also been updated with new pictures of 2.0.

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    If you are coming here from the Steam News announcement, the new version of Empires is not going to be released until next Friday, November 30th. The Steam news announcement should not have been sent out until next week.

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    Halflife.nu interviewed me about the upcoming Empires 2.0 release and beyond. It includes exclusive shots of our current work on aircraft, both renders and an in-game screenshot. Be sure to check it out, and don't forget that 2.0 is going to be released on Nov 30! Our press site now features a count down that we will be adhering to. Also, have a happy Thanksgiving.

    Halflife.nu Interview

    Press Site Countdown

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    Watch the Empires 2.0 trailer: Gametrailers.com

    Empires 2.0 will be released on Nov 30 and contains more bug fixes and new features than all of the previous releases combined. Visit the Empires 2.0 Press Site for more information about version 2.0 including a summarized feature list, full change log, and screenshots.

    The press site has been put together by the Empires community led by Evan who is also running the Empires League. The Empires League's goal is to create and maintain a community where clans can compete in officiated matches. If you are a clan interested in participating, visit the Empires League site and sign up.

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    Let me take a moment here to bring everyone up to speed on what's going on with Empires. I last left everyone off six months ago with the impression that the next release of Empires was right around the corner. That's what I sincerely felt at the time, and shortly after that news post, we began doing a large amount of play testing to prepare it for release. The result of the play testing made us realize that while it would have been an acceptable release, it wasn't everything it could have been. It didn't have all the new features people were wanting, and it wasn't as bug free as it could have been. We decided to hold off with the public release and continue to improve Empires so that the next public release absolutely lived up to everyone's expectations.

    That version, which we will be calling Beta 2 or 2.0 if you desire, will soon be available to you. After roughly twenty internal releases to our play testers, we've developed Empires into a version that is faster, better looking, bug free, and very optimized compared to the last public version (1.07). Features that people have asked for since 1.0 such as a better squad management interface, an interface to vote in a commander at map start, and others are now included. The networking code has undergone some major improvements. Many people were satisfied with 1.07's networking, but that wasn't good enough for us. With Beta 2, we've optimized the networking code to use 50% less bandwidth compared to 1.07. Our internal testing sessions have reached up to 46 players in a single game.

    Thank you for your patience as we finish this version which is planned to be released before the year is over. I'll leave you now with comparison pictures between 1.07 and Beta 2 showing how far we've come as well as pictures of the new commander voting and squad management interfaces.

    Northern Faction Pistol: Old Pistol / New Pistol

    Brenodi SMG: Old SMG / New SMG

    New Interfaces: Commander Voting / Squad Management

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    We're getting very close to release. There are only a few minor issues left to be dealt with. I'm posting this update to show the latest change log which lists all the changes since the last public version.

    Latest Change Log

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    Here are two more videos showing off the new weapons. This time we're showcasing the Northern Faction shotgun pistol which holds two shells at a time and packs a powerful punch. The second weapon is the Northern Faction scout rifle which is now bolt operated. The bolt action is operated after each shot and serves as a crucial indicator for when the next round can be fired. These videos were taken in the map Slaughtered (created by Hellion) which has received improvements from its previous version in the form of HDR and other graphical enhancements.

    Northern Faction Shotgun Pistol

    Northern Faction Scout Rifle

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    It's been much too long since our last update, and much has happened since then. In case you hadn't heard, we won Mod DB's Multi-Genre Award during their Mod of the Year 2006 competition, recognizing Empires as the best mod which combined multiple genres.

    As we've said in the past, our next release will feature all new weapon models and animations, and all rifle weapons will have iron sights for their secondary fire mode. All SMGs will retain their melee attack. All of the Northern Faction models and animations have been completed, but the Brenodi Empire animations have not. Our desire to get the next release out there is increasing every day, and it appears that we're going to go ahead and release within the next few weeks without all new weapon models and animations. This has been the only factor holding back the next release.

    Here are four preview videos (DivX required) of the new weapons and animations with more to follow:

    Brenodi Grenade

    Brenodi SMG

    Northern Faction .50 Caliber Rifle

    Northern Faction Assault Rifle

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    A new server only patch is now available for both Windows and Linux, bringing the latest Empires server version to 1.073. If you run an Empires server, it's imperative that you download and install this patch. Stu, a forum member, discovered an exploit and immediately brought it to my attention. In addition, this patch also fixes the ability of the commander to order his units to attack enemy targets that are shrouded in the fog of war.

    Download 1.073 Server Patch.

    Vote for Empires as Mod of the Year! Moddb.com is gearing up for their annual Mod of the Year awards, and Empires is poised to get a piece of the action. Broccoli, from our forums, has put forth an incredible effort and created a new Empires trailer to gain support in our bid for the MOTY race. Voting is now only for nominations. If Empires receives enough votes to be nominated, we will be placed on the official ballot and will be making another request for votes in the near future.

    Download Empires MOTY Trailer. (And don't forget to vote!)

    Work is still moving steadily on 1.08, and we've even brought on one more animator to speed up the process. Here are some images of the NF grenade and NF landmine in game:

    NF Grenade: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06

    NF Landmine: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12

    The download page has been revamped to make downloading and installing Empires much easier for those who have never done so before. Please take a look and give me any feedback on how it can be further improved.

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    It's been awhile since our last update so allow me to bring everyone up to speed on the situation. We're focusing all of our efforts on completing 1.08 which is going to be a large update. Our code base has been converted to the new Source SDK which fixes several bugs. All hitbox issues have been resolved. These were caused by the player hitbox not always matching up with the player model inherent in the early SDK our code was built on. The ability to squeeze through displacements and world geometry on such maps as Canyon has also been fixed. Improvements to the commander interface such as a visible button to logout of the interface and various bug fixes have been implemented.

    Since our last public version, we've gained a new weapon animator, Damian, who has been hard at work on redoing all of our weapon animations. In addition to the new animations, Duke has remodeled and retextured all of our weapons to be of higher visual quality. We've also picked up a new sound artist who has been working closely with Damian to redo all of the weapon sound effects.

    Redone Weapons: NF Pistol / NF Assault Rifle / NF Landmine

    Animations: NF Grenade / NF SMG / NF Pistol / NF Landmine

    1.08 will also feature two new maps from two team members we've had onboard for awhile, and their efforts are finally coming to frutition. "Streets of Fire", mapped by Grizzly, takes place in a large city that is the latest battleground in the fight between the Northern Faction and the Brenodi. Players can expect intense tank battles as armored cavalry take to the streets to control vital city blocks and claim precious resources. "Glycen City", mapped by Warfle, is somewhat of a sequel to the BF1942 Empires map "Glycen Pipeline." While the battle rages for the crucial pipeline that runs through the uninhabited mountainous region of the surrounding area, forces have moved in on a key area along the pipeline's course, Glycen City. With their main forces battling nearby, smaller elements of each side have been sent in to take control of the city itself that would serve as a resupply and staging area for the larger battle. The gameplay centers on capturing flags for control of the city with several routes between each flag as well as a main road. Each side has managed to construct a vehicle factory to provide the basic vehicle types for each force, but any additional support or more advanced vehicle types remains unavailable. Players will have to capture flags as well as civilian factories to gain resources for vehicle construction.

    Glycen City 01 / Glycen City 02 / Glycen City 03

    Streets of Fire 01 / Streets of Fire 02 / Streets of Fire 03

    One more map, mapped by Hootie, that will be included will not be a regular map but a tutorial map, complete with voice overs to train new players how to play Empires. Many new players have had to learn the hard way how to play, and most players fail to read the manual which is becoming more and more outdated. We're considering the possibility of making the tutorial map mandatory to ensure everyone has a basic understanding of the game before playing on-line.

    Clan BSID, one of the top clans for Empires, has been helping the Empires team with playtesting and balancing. They've put forth a great deal of effort in going over weapons and vehicle scripts, tweaking settings, and fine tuning everything for improved balance and gameplay. These changes have been undergoing testing on their own public server and have been met with positive feedback from the community, and everyone will be glad to hear that artillery and scout rifles will be less powerful than in previous versions.

    1.08 and 1.09 are planned to put the finishing touches on the current elements of Empires and pave the way for 1.1. Version 1.1 will introduce maps as large as 16 times the largest map currently available in Empires, and you're going to need that much space when you're flying at over 500 knots in our aircraft, just under the speed of sound. Coding for the increased map scale is complete, and coding for our aircraft is over 50% complete. There will be five aircraft types available to each side: fighter, bomber, transport, ground attack, and hover only gunship. We've taken a realistic approach to our flight mechanics. All aircraft will be able to stall, be limited by g forces, and have fuel limitations. This is all in order to keep aircraft from dominating levels and require a lot of skill in order to be a proficient pilot.

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