Half Life 2: Episode 1 Updated

Valve has released a source engine update for Half Life: Episode 1. This particular update adds surround sound (5.1ch, 7.1ch) under Windows Vista for CS: Source, HL2: DM and Episode One.  As always, it’s available from Steam.

Episode 1 Source Engine

• Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch customers running under Windows Vista can now take advantage of 5.1 and 7.1 speaker configurations

Portal And Half-life 2: Episode 2 Update Released

This update adds the ability to tweak FOV as well as tweaks the particle rendering system.

Portal and Half-Life 2: Episode 2

• Added a new advanced video option that allows the user to easily change the field of view to any value they wish between 75 degrees and 90 degrees
• Updated the particle rendering code and particle data files to make them compatible with the particle editor included in the Source SDK

Team Fortress 2 - Huge Update coming Next Month!

After all the delays, Team Fortress 2 will finally get unlockable weapons set as well as a brand new map (well, sort of) Goldrush alongside Meet the scout video! IGN did a QnA with Valve’s Robin Walker. Here’s a snip:

IGN: When might we start seeing the unlockable item updates mentioned a while back? What classes are being focused on right now? Is the Medic still planned as the first update to roll out?

Robin Walker: We’re almost done. The Medic is still planned as the first update, but we’ll be pushing into the other classes pretty quickly. Much of the time we’ve been taking has been on the backend work, so we won’t have to do that work again.

New Details:

• The unlockable medigun will switches out the 10 second invulnerability effect for 10 seconds of 100% chance of critical hits.
  
• You unlock the first Medic unlockable when you complete 12 of the 36 Medic achievements, the second at 24, and the third at 36.
  
• Goldrush is coming along with the Medic achievements and unlockable weaponry.
  
• The cart in Goldrush moves faster the more Blu players are near it, and contains a handy dispenser to heal and resupply them as they escort it. The Red team wins if they can keep the cart from reaching their base.
  
• Goldrush is the first map to use the cinematic physics technology from Half-Life 2: Episode 2 in a multiplayer environment

For more details, check out the extensive IGN QnA