The multiplayer beta has vastly improved performance and entirely reworked code from 0.5 (which is why it has taken more than two years to deliver!) and features three multiplayer game modes: Overrun, Antlion Skirmish and Antlion Capture the Flag.
The Overrun game mode can be played with multiple human players, each of whom commands a Combine garrison in a remote area infested with Antlions. Players work cooperatively to build defensive structures and purchase units to defend their garrisons from never-ending, increasingly stronger waves of Antlions. The objective is to survive as long as possible before the Antlion swarm overruns and destroys the Combine outpost. Overrun features several Combine defensive structures like hopper mines and autoturrets, and a whole host of familiar Combine units from HL2, from the SMG soldier to the fearsome Combine Elite.
The Antlion Skirmish game mode (formerly referred to as the Antlion demo before we decided to add Overrun to the mix) is exactly what it says – multiplayer deathmatch between competing Antlion colonies. Each player controls a hive of Antlions and battles it out online with other players for control of local pheromone markers, which produce Antlion grubs that can be harvested by Workers and then used to purchase units. The match ends when one Antlion colony reigns supreme and annihilates all competing colonies. Antlion Capture the Flag (CTF) is a variation on this game mode; the name explains it all.
Enough with the explaining already and give us the damn download, you say? Here you go (just don't get so carried away with how awesome it is that you forget to vote for us for MOTY 2010!):
[ Download HL2: Wars Beta 1.0 Client EXE ]
[ ZIP archive version // Dedicated server ]
Note: you may have to wait for Moddb to authorize the files; this will happen shortly. In the meantime, check the forum thread by clicking the Comments link at the top of this post to see some alternate mirrors.[ ZIP archive version // Dedicated server ]
Hopefully some of you fine server administrators out there will put up some dedicated servers, but to get things started we have set up a public multiplayer server at 74.86.5.229:27015.
We’d love to hear your comments, questions, praise and criticism, so head on over to the HL2: Wars community forum and post away! If you enjoy the Multiplayer Beta, we’d appreciate it if you showed some love and vote for us in the Mod of the Year 2010 competition by heading to our ModDB profile and clicking the button there. There are only a couple of days left to vote, so hurry!
