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New Open Source FPS Blood Frontier Shows Promise

Posted by Soulskill on from the but-can-i-bunny-hop dept.

Softhaus writes "The guys at Blood Frontier have been busy for the last two years working on a new FPS called (surprise) Blood Frontier . This game is an enhanced Cube 2 engine with original artwork and new gameplay (including a kid-mode, which optionally turns off the blood — a nice option for a change). Add the new paintball mode and you have a real 'game community' here. The code is all there (complete for you to play with), the team listens to feedback from the community, and the game is great! It's nice to see these talented guys showing a true free software attitude. They've mentioned that the first actual release is scheduled for next Friday. Does anyone know of other great open source games that are truly 'open?'"

15 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. Alphabetical_list_of_open_source_games by MRe_nl · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphabetical_list_of_open_source_games
    That was easy...

    --
    "Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"
    1. Re:Alphabetical_list_of_open_source_games by gambino21 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I see the list has a screenshot for Battle for Wesnoth. I started playing it a couple months ago when it was mentioned here on Slashdot, and it's really fun. It's a turn based strategy which is maybe not as intense as a RTS or FPS. But it's perfect for me because I have young kids and frequently get interrupted, so I need a game that I walk away from without messing up the game.

  2. And? by Rik+Sweeney · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So what makes this online FPS stand out from all the other ones?

    There's Nexuiz, OpenArena, Sauerbraten, Tremulous, Urban Terror... I had my fill of first person shooters years ago and yet for some reason they're still being developed and offer little to nothing different over the last one.

    --
    Summation 2
    1. Re:And? by diqmay · · Score: 5, Funny

      There's Nexuiz, OpenArena, Sauerbraten, Tremulous, Urban Terror... I had my fill of first person shooters years ago and yet for some reason they're still being developed

      Hey everybody! Rik has had his fill of FPSs! You can stop developing them now.

      Thanks for letting us know, otherwise I'm sure game developers would have kept on making them without realizing that you didn't want them to.

    2. Re:And? by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 5, Funny

      Thanks for letting us know, otherwise I'm sure game developers would have kept on making them without realizing that you didn't want them to.

      Uwe Boll, however, will continue creating movies based on them.

    3. Re:And? by wild_quinine · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So what makes this online FPS stand out from all the other ones? There's Nexuiz, OpenArena, Sauerbraten, Tremulous, Urban Terror... I had my fill of first person shooters years ago and yet for some reason they're still being developed and offer little to nothing different over the last one.

      I don't know why this guy got modded Troll. Wanting to know what's different about a title is a perfectly valid question. Especially in a -recently- unadventurous genre, such as the FPS. As is being bored of a genre a perfectly valid statement, when taken in that context. Sure, if he's just shown up to announce that he didn't care about FPS games, that wouldn't have added much. But 'What's different?' is really the question 'Why should I care?' and that's a perfectly fair question to ask.

      The main site's been slashdotted, all we've got is the summary, and the only real selling point mentioned there is that it's open source. If that's enough for you, sure, fine, ok. But for me open source is a BONUS, not a panacea.

      Interesting side note: I know one of the main designers of Tremulous through an old friend. Nice guy, drives an utterly crazy car.

    4. Re:And? by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wait what??? Rik has had his fill? DAMMIT! why did he not tell everyone earlier. We have been working on this new one for 2 years now.

      DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT... I hate it when Rik slacks off and does not announce hs is full on public television.

      WE know he is tired of Hot-dogs, Loves Obama, and Is starting to grow tire of the word "albanian" but that asshat did not mention ONCE in his last press conference he had his fill of FPS games.

      What a hoser. Let me guess, He's had his fill of racing games as well, I better warn the guys down the hall.

      Damn Rik.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  3. Re:The (surprise) first post frontier by Hordeking · · Score: 5, Funny

    If you turn off the blood, is it still called Blood Frontier?

    No, then it's just called Frontier, and it becomes about a family traveling from Independence, Mo to Oregon.

    --
    Disclaimer: The opinions and actions of the US Gov't are in no way representative of those held by this author or its ci
  4. "Add the new paintball mode ..." by qoncept · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Add the new paintball mode ..."

    I mean, seriously. Why? Why take a game where you pretend to shoot people and modify it so you are pretending to pretend to shoot people?

    --
    Whale
    1. Re:"Add the new paintball mode ..." by whisper_jeff · · Score: 5, Funny

      Because imaginary violence is bad for young and impressionable minds but imaginary imaginary violence is ok for children.

      Ok, I admit, that answer wasn't helpful at all... I did my best though... :)

    2. Re:"Add the new paintball mode ..." by Thanshin · · Score: 5, Funny

      Why take a game where you pretend to shoot people and modify it so you are pretending to pretend to shoot people?

      To teach recursion?

  5. Re:The (surprise) first post frontier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Unless you die from dysentery. Then it's only from Independence, MO to Kansas City.

  6. Re:Blood optional by moderatorrater · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I appreciate those options for myself. I remember with TA: Kingdoms turning off the blood because my archers would shoot a guy so many times that blood would be spurting out nonstop, which I found gross at the time. Same with the gore in the original UT. I can see parents appreciating that in addition to people who just don't like gore.

    Also, if you do paintball mode it turns it from a game where you're killing people to a game where it's just some guys playing paintball. Does it change the gameplay? Of course not, but it does change the entire frame of reference for the violence in the game. I can see that being desirable for parents and I think it's a great idea. My friend and I were talking about how they should do something along the lines of Unreal Tournament: Nerf Edition, where all the guns are nerf guns.

    Just because you don't care doesn't mean that parents don't care.

  7. But.., by Hurricane78 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ... is the server still that horribly unsafe bare-bones packet-switch, that it is in Cube 2?

    For those that don't know the details: The "server" of Cube 2 (Sauerbraten) is really basically just sending update packages around. No rules/physics validation, server simulation, or cheat checking of any kind. This, and the fact that it is open source, made it possible for every noob with a bit of C/C++-knowledge, to change some rules, and cheat like crazy.
    I played it for some months, and saw people flying around, beaming themselves to where they liked it, completely defeating game physics, and making every shot a perfekt hit.

    If this is not fixed, there is no reason to play that game, because you can't determine a winner anyway. (Or is it going to become a contest of the greatest hackers? ;)

    --
    Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
  8. Re:The (surprise) first post frontier by jggimi · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe it should be called "Blood-Lite?"

    I can just see the ad campaign comparing Blood-Lite to Killer-Lite.

    "Tases Great!"

    "Less Spilling!"