red-orchestra posts

Independent Minds aims to take various aspects of indie gaming and present them to you each week. From game round-ups to design elements to interviews with prominent members of the scene, it's an exploration of what makes indie gaming great as well as what makes someone an indie.

For the game developer, nothing is more important than the longevity of a game. Will people be playing your opus a year after release? Ten years after release? The answer should be yes, but the ways to extend the life of a game are often overlooked. There are many different methods to add replayability, including multiple story paths, procedurally generated content, and non-linear gameplay. However, the best way, and the one that has ensured the survival of games like Unreal Tournament or Half-Life, is allowing players to fiddle with the content themselves. The more your players can tweak the game, the more they will play it, and that's a lesson all developers should take to heart.

After creating the acclaimed WWII shooter Red Orchestra (first as an Unreal Tournament 2004 total conversion and later as a full stand alone game) developer Tripwire Interactive has been very quiet about their next full project. Today the company finally announced that game and its a complete 180 from their previous work; a co-op oriented survival horror title called Killing Floor.

The game itself is actually a retail version of yet another UT 2004 mod. According to Voodoo Extreme the creator of the mod approached the Tripwire team to see if they could create a port that would run on Red Orchestra. However, Tripwire offered instead to buy the rights to the mod and help members of the mod team launch the game as a stand alone and upgraded game.

Set in London the game has the players going up against nine monster types that have gotten loose from a mad scientist (we hate when that happens). There will be co-op support for up to six players but there will also be offline single player gameplay as well. Players get access to over 12 weapons (knives, shotguns, flamethrowers and more) but the creatures are armed as well. In addition to teeth and claw attacks they also have access to chainsaws, chainguns and rocket launchers.

There's more info about the game at the developers web site. A teaser site for Killing Floor has also launched as have the official forums. The game does not yet have a release date other than "in the near future" and will be made available via Steam.

A couple of weeks ago we reported that Tripwire Interactive was preparing an update to their WWII shooter Red Orchestra that would add, among other things, Steamworks achievements to the game. Today that promised patch has now been released via Steam. It does indeed add 44 new Steam achievements to the game along with a new map, Fallen Heroes. The map itself is set in a winter setting of Stalingrad (you can see a screenshot of the level above).

To celebrate the new content update and the third anniversary of Red Orchestra's first commercial release, Tripwire is holding a weekend sale for the game on Steam. Folks will be able to download and purchase the full game for just $4.99 compared to the game's usual price of $14.99.

According to an update on their site, "Now you can finally get the rewards you wanted in the game - proof of your successes and bragging rights. Nice badges and awards to show your friends. We're testing the system out at the moment and will be implementing in more detail over the next few weeks." They are even asking fans to give their suggestions on what achievements should be added to the game.

Breaking into the video game industry isn't easy, but one great way to make an impression to create mods for existing games. Indeed there have been one or two occasions where a mod of a game has become more popular than the game it's based on. Valve has been a champion of these kinds of mods and games and has even bought a number of them into their fold to be released as commercial titles.

While technically their next game Left 4 Dead is an all original property the zombie co-op shooter has the spirit of a mod that was later made into a full game. In this feature we look back at both mods and mod teams that have move on to make some terrific first person shooter style titles including, yes, a number of Valve games.

Click on the image above to continue reading the feature article

The folks at Valve proudly present their latest game to be picked for their big weekend sale pitch via their Steam download service. This weekend you can purchase and download Red Orchestra, the WWII shooter from developer Tripwire Interactive for just $4.99. That's 75 percent off it's normal Steam purchase of $19.99.

Not only can you get the game for just a few bucks you can also download the latest free mod that Steam is spotlighting this week. The Mare Nostrum mod for Red Orchestra adds a whole new single player campaign (North Africa) to the main game along with eight new weapons, six new vehicles and more. While the mod has been released before this an all new version that is available to download for free directly via Steam. That makes this weekend's sale even more of a bargain.

Gamers who find themselves without a Saturday night date can partake in Valve's weekend deals on Steam, which offers two popular titles for thrifty prices. First up is the popular EVE Online MMO, which is available for only $9.99 and comes with a 21-day trial. Second in Steam's virtual bargain bin is Red Orchestra, a WWII-themed action game on sale for only $4.99.

Both weekend bargains are available until this Monday, June 9.