Valve and Prima today launched the first set of in-game Prima guides on Steam. All the guides are readable in game via Steam’s UI overlay functionality, as well as being available outside of game. The launch collection of guides available now on Steam include Dragon Age: Origins, Just Cause 2, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
Updates to Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike: Source Beta have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:
Engine
Improved crash reporting system to enable more detailed crash reports
Fixed a client crash caused by a buffer overflow while processing temp entities
Counter-Strike: Source Beta
Fixed not being able to add bots to the game using the Create Server dialog
Fixed some movement ConVars to match the current Counter-Strike: Source settings for default values and flags
Fixed several rubberbanding/stuttering issues with objects and players
Fixed several ConVars (sv_accelerate, maxspeed, etc.) being hidden
Fixed bloom problems
Fixed a server crash caused by malformed client autobuy string
Fixed developer console output being on by default
Fixed “Report Bug” in the main menu not working
Fixed the missing icon for the desktop shortcut
Fixed the “rebuy” command not buying the correct items depending on the order they were purchased in
Fixed the clock image in the spectator HUD being clipped
Team Fortress 2
Fixed a case where the Spy could start taunting and cloak at the same time
Flamethrower changes
Increased base damage 10%
Afterburn duration increased (from 6 to 10)
Flares that hit a burning player at mid-to-long range will crit
According to the accounts of many happy Mac gamers, last week’s launch of Steam on the Mac has been a huge success. Those of us on the Steam team were especially pleased to be able to include Portal as a free download to celebrate the launch, and it appears that many of you agree it was a good idea – there have been approximately 1.5 million downloads so far. Aperture Science, we’ve heard, is pleased. Be sure to pick it up today – the offer ends on the 24th of this month.
As we’ve mentioned, Steam is going to be adding a new set of Mac games every Wednesday for a few weeks. Here is today’s dozen new Mac titles:
Madballs in Babo: Invasion Killing Floor Altitude Europa Universalis 3 Hearts of Iron 3 Sam & Max Season 2 Sam & Max Season 3 – Ep. 2 Chains Simplz Zoo Caster Eschalon Book 1 Windosill
All of these titles support Steam Play, meaning that you’ll be able to play each title on both Windows and the Mac from any computer with just a single purchase. Several of the titles also support cross-platform multiplayer action – a first for games on Steam.
In other Mac news, we’re getting ready to add Mac numbers to our hardware survey. As longtime Steam customers are aware, our Steam Hardware Survey has become an industry benchmark for gauging what kinds of computers gamers are running around the world. We are in the process of updating this monthly report with Mac information and other new aggregate data. Here’s a sneak peak at some of the preliminary findings we’ve gathered about Mac hardware since we launched on that platform just over a week ago:
– Roughly two thirds of all Steam Mac users are running on a laptop. – Portal (with the same code base across platforms, just different compilers) is one fifth as likely to crash on a Mac than on Windows. – And one week after launch, already more than eleven percent of all Steam purchases are for the Mac.
You’ll be able to dig deeper into those numbers sometime next month, which is when we’re planning to ship the complete report. After that it will be automatically updated each month with new survey data. SourceContinue reading New Mac Games, Hardware Survey, and Portal→
May 19, 2010 – The second round of Steam for the Mac launch titles are available now. This week’s collection features a dozen games headlined by the first cross-platform multiplayer games offered via Steam.
“We were thrilled when we learned that Steam was coming to the Mac platform and started working on a native Mac version of Killing Floor immediately,” said John Gibson, President of Tripwire Interactive, creators of Killing Floor. “Steam’s advanced multiplayer support on both the PC and Mac has enabled us to bring Killing Floor to a whole new audience on the Mac and introduce them to the existing PC player community.”
To celebrate the launch of these titles, Killing Floor will be offered at 33% off its regular price (for a limited time). An Altitude Free Weekend promotion is available now on Steam, and those who wish to purchase the game and play beyond the weekend may pick it up at 50% off its regular price. And Madballs in Babo: Invasion is also available at 50% off its regular price.
More single player games are also available today including Sam and Max: The Devils Playhouse Episode 2, Hearts of Iron 3, and more. Click here to see all Mac titles new to Steam.
An additional collection of Mac titles will launch next week via Steam.
We’re going to ship an update with another small set of Pyro changes this week. Like our previous update, our goal is to increase the degree to which skill can make a difference between two Pyro players. We received a bunch of useful feedback after the last update, and we think we’ve managed to address most of it, without removing the skill-based additions. As always, play with it for a bit, and then let us know what you think.
Updates to Arsenal of Democracy: A Hearts of Iron Game have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted.
Are you a Sci-Fi RTS fan? Well you’re in luck as SEGA is offering a 24-hour sale on the Sci-Fi triple threat consisting of Stormrise, Space Siege, and Universe at War at a whopping 75% OFF!
SEGA Week kicks off with a bang starting with the uber SEGA Complete Pack available at a great discount price. This bundle includes EVERYTHING from Sega currently available on Steam (excludes unreleased games). Offer ends on May 24th – don’t miss out on huge savings!
Time to go bug hunting! Also available all day today (May 17th) is Aliens vs. Predator at a wholesome 50% off.
In an apocalyptic steampunk future, you are a privateer ferrying goods across treacherous airspace. Protect your airship and yourself from an onslaught of pirates, and safely reach your destination to reap the rewards. SourceContinue reading Guns of Icarus Available on Steam for Mac and PC!→
Week 4 of the in game blog: New Mutation, Angry and Confused, and Pick a Mutation.
New Mutation
Last Gnome On Earth
Protect the gnome at all cost.
Do you crave attention? Want all the infected to swarm you and the gnome you are carrying? Then we have the game mode for you. The team needs to carry the garden gnome from start to finish in any campaign. The common infected hate the gnome and will swarm whoever is carrying him. Watch out putting him on the ground, a boomer explosion will send him flying!
This Mutation is available in Campaign Mode.
Angry and Confused
Last week’s poll asked what makes you rage quit. The answers were pretty spread out. The top two were skill imbalance and team disharmony. A thread was started in the L4D2 forums where people clarified their voting, thanks to everyone who participated. This helps us make choices on how to combat this problem. Our stats show the best way to avoid rage quitting is to play with friends. Both Steam and Xbox Live support friending people you recently played with. So if you have a good game with someone, make sure to bring up that dialogue and send a friend request. Your future games depend on it.
Pick a Mutation Any Mutation
Next week Realism Versus will slide into permanent slot for owners of “The Passing” but what about the other three Mutations? One is coming back for an encore week and you get to pick it. Your choices are Bleed Out, Follow the Liter and Last Gnome on Earth. Make sure to at least try Last Gnome on Earth before voting.
We will continue the Play with Devs games this weekend, someone needs to protect you while you carry the Gnome. Look for us all this weekend using these gamer tags on steam – L4D2_DEV_1, L4D2_DEV_2, L4D2_DEV_3, L4D2_DEV_4, L4D2_DEV_5 and these on Xbox Live – L4D2 DEV 1, L4D2 DEV 2, L4D2 DEV 3, L4D2 DEV 4, L4D2 DEV 5.
Check back next week to see which Mutation will be returning.
