What would get your ass out of retirement?

[Bully]

WhenFF2willOut

[trepid_jon]

Originally Posted by mirvin_monkey

phew !

yes haha, I'm still making ridiculously long posts seemingly at random, no one can stop me now!

[JackBauer]

Originally Posted by trepid_jon

I'd say the plan is to continue what we're doing now, updating and maintaining the current version of FF, but also start making a sequel of sorts.

Basically, I see a sequel being "the ultimate TF game" with lots of modding capabilities and extensive workshop integration to where we have a base "FF2" made as well as some kind of mode swapping to play original FF as well as TFC and even QWTF. You could get a workshop mod of FF that let's you play neotf for example. Or more specifically, I see me making a hunted mode that's a more involved hunted style not in the default version of FF, like with civilian AI, singleplayer, cutscenes, etc. Not just a map but a whole game of its own.

There are more thoughts in the old roll call thread.

this sounds very ambitious. hope y'all get all the time and ressources you need to finish that could become one of the hottest games ever.

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by trepid_jon

I'd say the plan is to continue what we're doing now, updating and maintaining the current version of FF, but also start making a sequel of sorts.

Basically, I see a sequel being "the ultimate TF game" with lots of modding capabilities and extensive workshop integration to where we have a base "FF2" made as well as some kind of mode swapping to play original FF as well as TFC and even QWTF. You could get a workshop mod of FF that let's you play neotf for example. Or more specifically, I see me making a hunted mode that's a more involved hunted style not in the default version of FF, like with civilian AI, singleplayer, cutscenes, etc. Not just a map but a whole game of its own.

There are more thoughts in the old roll call thread.

Jon, if you get to working on this, I volunteer to be a tester. My time is my own, because I am no longer able to work. I have no coding skills, but dammit, I can find broken stuff, and make sure that what does work is FUN. I also come up with ideas, and some of them don't suck.

Originally Posted by Bully

WhenFF2willOut

Bastard.... beat me to it!

[mirvin_monkey]

Originally Posted by trepid_jon

I'd say the plan is to continue what we're doing now, updating and maintaining the current version of FF, but also start making a sequel of sorts.

Basically, I see a sequel being "the ultimate TF game" with lots of modding capabilities and extensive workshop integration to where we have a base "FF2" made as well as some kind of mode swapping to play original FF as well as TFC and even QWTF. You could get a workshop mod of FF that let's you play neotf for example. Or more specifically, I see me making a hunted mode that's a more involved hunted style not in the default version of FF, like with civilian AI, singleplayer, cutscenes, etc. Not just a map but a whole game of its own.

It sounds - if you're happy to stick with the source engine, and happy to be opensource - that evolving FF to this point would save you the most effort.

I've always thought that the best idea we had with FF was using Lua scripting to build the map / game logic. With enough hooks into the engine you can pretty much build any game type and players can switch between them just by loading a new map.

Perhaps then you should consider the next step to be to split that off to be the core platform?

The rest of FF - the player movement physics, the models, the weapon and projectile logic, buildables, etc, becomes the "Fortress Forever" workshop mod that runs on your platform. Maps could be separate workshop items and each one contains the game logic (CTF, hunted, etc.)

Then one day somebody wants to make TFC:S. They build/port the models, write the TFC version of the player movement/weapon/projectiles/buildables and release the TFC:S workshop mod. Now players have the entire library of FF maps on which to play authentic TFC. Then somebody else ports QWTF. Then somebody builds something new and unexpected...

[JackBauer]

Are you sticking to the current source engine?

[trepid_jon]

Originally Posted by mirvin_monkey

It sounds - if you're happy to stick with the source engine, and happy to be opensource - that evolving FF to this point would save you the most effort.

I've always thought that the best idea we had with FF was using Lua scripting to build the map / game logic. With enough hooks into the engine you can pretty much build any game type and players can switch between them just by loading a new map.

Perhaps then you should consider the next step to be to split that off to be the core platform?

The rest of FF - the player movement physics, the models, the weapon and projectile logic, buildables, etc, becomes the "Fortress Forever" workshop mod that runs on your platform. Maps could be separate workshop items and each one contains the game logic (CTF, hunted, etc.)

Then one day somebody wants to make TFC:S. They build/port the models, write the TFC version of the player movement/weapon/projectiles/buildables and release the TFC:S workshop mod. Now players have the entire library of FF maps on which to play authentic TFC. Then somebody else ports QWTF. Then somebody builds something new and unexpected...

Absolutely what you just said. You got the right idea. Hearing you talk about it gets me excited man, haha. And of course, if you wanna help again then by all means let's just do it. Plenty of old devs and new devs are willing to get started, we just haven't officially started yet. Think of this like the new version of the old catacombs discussions and whatnot. When the decision was made to make FF, what happened? Organized, formed a team and a plan, executed.

The main difference I think we should do now is not wait 3 years to release version 1, we can release day 1 and every day after. Evolve it like gmod back in the day, how I honestly think we should have done from the beginning...we should have made ff_2fort first and launched immediately. Or as we found out recently, maybe the best idea is to start with one class, release that mode with like just soldiers...or just spies...or my choice: snipers and civilians first, start with a hunted mode where there are no bodyguards and there could be more civilians, so we'd also immediately have fun civ sniping maps. But also, the sniper and civilian revamp is like my main passion. But either way, we could just start with what we have now in terms of the classes...pretty much there.

Workshop integration will be FF's true game changer and open it up to whoever wants to make "sequels" not just an offical dev team.

And as for current Source or future Source, 24's JackBauer, I'd say we should plan for future Source just like we planned for original Source in 2004. We know something is coming, and in fact thanks to being on Steam maybe we can gain access to a better version of Source nowish.

Technically, there already is a better version of Source, the 2013 version. However, I'd like to talk to Valve about getting a license to the full Source engine at the very least so we could make it on CSGO/Portal2/L4D2. We could go nuts with FF in the latest and greatest iteration of source1.

We could wait for Source 2, but we don't know anything about it right now other than assuming it'll be awesome haha

[JackBauer]

I quite like the direction you are about to take. I'd love to play TDM or F4A based on TF classes.

[biohaZ]

I don't want to say you sound delusional.. but...



anyways, good luck to your studio and "the ultimate TF game".

[trepid_jon]

Originally Posted by biohaZ

I don't want to say you sound delusional.. but...



anyways, good luck to your studio and "the ultimate TF game".

Yeah hey, most people have been thinking that cause I've been saying the same thing for almost 2 decades, but it's definitely happening. I mean, I definitely just paid my rent and bills from all my legit business stuff mentioned here and I'm trying to get others paid next plus get new equipment and other resources, sssoooooo.....

When you see me with new equipment, maybe you'll believe it.

When you see Rescue Love Revenge and/or Fortress Forever and/or any of the other games blowing up on Steam and elsewhere, maybe you'll believe it.

Whether it actually blows up or not doesn't matter, as long as everyone involved can be comfortable working on this stuff.

Anyways, thanks for the support. I also hope it works out as I'm mentioning, because it'll only mean good things for a lot more people than just me.

[caesium]

[cobol]

Originally Posted by JackBauer

Just for one single game? Just for a few weeks?

Is there anything that would make you play ff again?

like taking part in a ff world cup (like TFCWC)? one last salute in a clan war just to get the feel of competitiveness one last time again? reuniting with your old clan and pals just to play your nemesis one more time?

or if there was a bigger active scene and an active clan scene in general?

or are you done with FF for good?

Bring on part 2

[trepid_jon]

Maybe some Vive support in the new FF?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BN7ZWsQD...n-by=trepidjon

Watch my instagram for more as time goes on, right now it's early just design stuff...

[homie in reboks']

Originally Posted by trepid_jon

Maybe some Vive support in the new FF?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BN7ZWsQD...n-by=trepidjon

Watch my instagram for more as time goes on, right now it's early just design stuff...

What the fuck?

[trepid_jon]

Originally Posted by homie in reboks'

What the fuck?

Step 1: load FF with the Vive / in VR https://www.instagram.com/p/BOeMVbjjghM/

Step 2: ????

Lots to figure out.

Keep in mind, VR is just one more way to play, the focus will always be PC mouse and keyboard, especially while all this new stuff is so fresh.

So much potential for a game like FF with all this new tech, like programmable GPU stuff aka nvidia gameworks, or like cloud computing aka improbable spatial, or like photogrammetry aka insert yourself as a character.

VR is just one of many new things to think about compared to when we started in 2004. I mean, even the mobile market is nuts, imagine if you could use your tablet to assist you in FF matches or maybe at least spectating in-game (that'd be cheaper bandwidth-wise than full audio and video streaming).

But don't mind me, I'm just rambling before sleep haha

[homie in reboks']

This does not make VR look appealing to me.

GoPro footage of you wandering around a parking lot doesn't make me think, "Wow! This looks super cool!" I'd prefer to see some insight on the integration of the controls; specifically how the in-game movement correlates to your physical movement.

If you're trying to advertise VR as the next cool thing this didn't work for me. Maybe it'll work for someone, though.

Not trying to rain on your parade, but I'd really prefer a much more grounded approach to creating a new Fortress style game. One based in the reality of the current situation.

I personally don't think it's fair to everyone that actually plays and develops the game when you come in here and layout all these grandiose plans of the mythical mystical magical FF2. And then disappear for a year only to come back after you release your own game. Honestly, to me, it feels like some smoke and mirrors just to drum up support for your Noodle Western game Love Lick Lactate or whatever.

You've found a cool new thing, Virtual Reality, that's great. And it's absolutely fantastic that you're willing to invest your free time and effort into this game/genre. Squeek and Aftershok both already do that, and they're the sole reason why the game still lives and breathes. But give us something tangible. Give us a general timeline of development. Give us your ideas for controller integration (which you have in another thread). Give us more ideas of how to appeal to the mainstream and approach the niche Fortress player-base. Give us more than silhouettes and logos. Give us more than 4 second videos and the exclamations of VR as 'the next big thing'.

And honestly thanks. It's always nice to see people willing to support this game and its future iterations. Also, good luck.

[trepid_jon]

Originally Posted by homie in reboks'

GoPro footage of you wandering around a parking lot doesn't make me think, "Wow! This looks super cool!" I'd prefer to see some insight on the integration of the controls; specifically how the in-game movement correlates to your physical movement.

Was just filming with my phone, me playing with the Vive controllers thinking of how I would use them without the headset or a gopro, just with controllers. It's just design for those controllers. It's one way I might design anything, regardless of Vive, but for this it's about the Vive because that's what I'm currently working with. It's always other stuff too, like mouse+keyboard.

I also have a steam link+controllers. Also leap motion, but could we even add leap motion support to FF? I dunno, might not ever try that. But Steam Universe related stuff, sure, because FF is on Steam. Pushing it forward, it makes sense to support as much of Steam as possible. With it being open source and using the Source Engine, that's like more goodness on top if we do it right.

Right now we have some more active FF devs, so we'll see what happens. Not everyone is always active at the same time, and some have different focus than others, but in general it's just about doing whatever whenever however we can.

Personally, I'm most intrigued by a new hunted with updated everything (sniper and civilian at first, and fully designed from scratch with the original in mind... and "trepid" has been making hunted maps since old original TFC hunted days, so this is like true passion work for me, we even used to host a custom hunted maps TFC server separate from the regular custom maps server we ran that was like Axl's TFC) and added support for Steam Big Picture and VR modes. By attempting to make that, other things should happen too, like a source2013 version with Mac+Linux support added... plus VR railguns/engineers which also interests me a lot

I'm not doing anything I haven't always done, and nothing we do with this new stuff will effect the current/original game.

*edit*

I also wanted to add that this VR stuff isn't new to me, I've been making games for almost 2 decades, and specifically at one company I worked at in 2009 we were making our own VR experiences with all new tech still unreleased just lots of R&D, lots of prototypes, like when we were making VNV

YouTube

YouTube

So this isn't some new thing to me that I'm reacting to now like "HOLY SHIT YALL VEEARSE", in fact just go to the ffdev roll call thread from 2014 to see me rambling craziness saying all this more than 2 years ago...that's closer to the time when I tried some legit VR like oculus dk1 and dk2, realizing where FF would go in the future aka now

[vatterin]

All new tech? Bro, the more I read your novels the more I think you're off your rocker. This looks like nothing more than a terrible source mod. Where's the VR experience? What tech are you referring to? Just simply, what in the hell is this?

[trepid_jon]

Fortress Forever is a free game inspired by the earlier versions of the Team Fortress series (Team Fortress Classic and QuakeWorld Team Fortress).

Join the fray in this high-speed, team-based FPS with classes that range from pure movement to pure firepower (and everything in between).

More info →

Also the wiki

It's just an old school open source SourceMod started in 2004, released in 2007, released on Steam in 2015, using the original Source Engine. We still work on it in waves of varying activity.

There's been rumblings for a while about pushing Fortress Forever to the most recent version of Source for mods, source-sdk-2013 on GitHub which requires a lot of work due to FF being on the old 2006 engine and the engine having gone through major changes since. And eventually, we could port to Source 2, but everyone's waiting for that while Valve does their thing.

Back in the day, I started but didn't fully finish a port to the Orange Box engine which would help with a port to 2013, but it wasn't good enough and now FF has changed a lot so a fresh port is required. A port that might not ever happen, but we do have a 2013 branch going with basic FF movement along with lua scripting and some other good foundation work done.

By using the 2013 branch and porting selectively, methodically, basically doing everything from scratch but with FF2006 as a reference, like for class and weapon coding, map making, we'll have FF for Source 2013, which means PC Mac Linux support plus Vive and other things in Source 2013. Plus on 2013 maybe we'd be closer to source2 so we can then more easily move onto nextlevel nextgen FF if we want to or anyone else wants to, I mean it's open source so people can do what they want. If we can push things officially though thanks to Steam, people can check out new stuff plus maybe it'll help the modding community as a whole.

Something like that

[FDA_Approved]

Another thing I'll mention that just doesn't really sit well with me.

Just how tied up in FF you are.

Talking about the source13 and OB ports.

I understand that porting FF to a newer engine, could help with porting the physics and programming. (although I'm not sure really how much, in terms of a work:reward ratio) But like I said before, I really think for a new iteration of fortress game play to take off, it'll require a full rebranding. That may sound a little drastic, FF is small enough that, a newer, properly made version may not have that much of a negative connotation to it. How ever I'm confident a more meta rebranding is called for. The class names in particular. You can not have a combat focused class and name him the medic. You can not have a movement based class and let people think he's competent at combat.

By the time you have a quality Fortress game, what is left from FF other than physics code? So is a port really worth it?

And if a ports not worth while, is source/2 really the best way to go? I think everything about steam is great, with work shop and all that integration, but you can set up all that with any game can't you?

That being said, Phish has had bhop running in UE4 for quite a while now:

YouTube

YouTube