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Introduction
Installation (V1.82)
Running under Windows 95
MultiPlayer Options
MultiPlayer Teamplay Admin
Options
The Bugs
Credits
Introduction
This modified version
of Blood2 Server supports all the DarkAct V1.8 options, including BloodFeud.
I haven't, as yet, made many modifications to the way Multi-Player works
or the issues concerning Internet slow-down or Lag - having a fast connection,
fast PC and 128MB memory is about all you can do to alleviate Lag (or
play on a LAN!)
This version of the Server will Automatically Detect and Load the
DarkAct V1.8 REZ file, you don't have to select it in the REZ Files dialog.
Added GameType info to the Server Running Dialog.
This version has a slower Ping Update Rate, to reduce the frequent
message count. This bears no relation to the actual PING rate itself and
is only used to update the Client's occasionaly with their actual PING.
Please make sure you downloaded
the correct versions of DarkAct V1.8 and DarkAct Server for your Blood2
installation, Standard Blood2 or Blood2: The Nightmare Levels.
THIS IS NOT A COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED ADD-ON.
Installation
Simply unzip the ZIP
file into your Blood2 directory (the same place as the standard B2 Server).
Double-Click the EXE to start it. You MUST also have the relevent
DarkAct V1.8 REZ file in the "custom" folder within Blood2, either Standard
Blood2 or Blood2: The Nightmare Levels. This Server version is tuned for
DarkAct V1.82 and above and may not function correctly with older
REZ file versions. You should first remove any older DarkAct patches (V1.81)
and replace them with the V1.82 patch in the custom folder. Note that
you MUST also select the newer patch
in the REZ files dialog.
Running
under Window 95
I have noticed that
under Windows 95, the Server does not locate the REZ files properly, most
likely due to the long-filename handling differences between Win95 and
Win98. Thus, if you are running under Win95, you MUST make sure
that ONLY the correct version of DarkAct V1.8 for your installation
(Standard B2 or Nightmares) is in the custom folder - it will also appear
in the REZ files dialog, but you DO NOT have to select it. Windows
98 users can have both versions in the custom folder, the Server will
only load the correct version depending on which Server version you are
running.
MultiPlayer
Options
All the DarkAct options are on a seperate Multi-Player Wizard page.
Drop
Weapons. You can drop
your weapons as you would do in the single player game. This also means
that you drop your current weapon when you get killed, losing that weapon
for the duration of the game (unless you pick it, or another of any type,
up again). As you can now pickup weapons in BloodBath, you can pickup
a dead players weapon for Akimbo guns (or even switch weapons), which
also deprives them of the chance to reacquire their lost weapon... unless
they kill you to get it back! You can only pickup another weapon if it's
for Akimbo, and you always drop both guns if Akimbo when killed. Your
weapons are restored back to your starting selection when the next level
starts. In standard BloodBath, you
cannot pick up weapons for ammo, in BloodFeud you can.
Allow Akimbo
is mainly for Drop Weapons rules. In standard BloodBath, you could not
pick up weapons even if they were in the level. With Drop Weapons I also
enabled picking up of weapons so you can reclaim/change weapons, but this
also means that if weapons are in a standard BloodBath game you can also
pick them up. This option controls if you can pick up two weapons for
Akimbo Guns.
Start Akimbo lets you start the game
with all your Dual-Handed weapons Akimbo (IE. Beretta, Flare Pistol, Uzi,
Sawn-Off Shotgun and Assault Rifle). Allow Akimbo must
be checked for this option to function.
Random
Levels means that instead of playing through your selected
levels in order, your level list is randomized. You
won't get the same level twice in a row, or levels repeated before all
your levels have been played.
BloodFeud Options
Enemy AI's Drop Weapons. Controls
if the enemies drop their weapons when killed, like in Single Player.
This makes the game harder if it's Off, as there's less ammo around, but
may give less network lag. After 10 minutes you'll have
guns lying around everywhere - if they don't drop them, the server doesn't
have to keep track of all the extra objects.
Allow friendly fire. Checking this
allows you to kill other players. Usually Off as it's a sort of
team-based game... Players VS AI's. You don't usually want to accidentaly
kill your mates.
Score Negative frags for friendly fire.
If friendly fire is allowed, this is the same as the Team game option,
which denotes if your score should go down for hitting a friendly player.
Use Player Setup Weapons. Normally,
you start a BloodFeud game with only your Knife and a single Beretta.
You pick up weapons in the level which you retain when you respawn, so
you gradually acquire a set of weapons. If this is checked, you will start
with your previously defined set of weapons for BloodBath, from your config
file, instead.
Do Extra Scoring. I've put this option
in, so you can turn off scoring on the Server, which may give less network
lag. This also automatically controls the display of
the Enemy Count Bar. When each AI is killed they send a message
to all Clients to do the scoring, with this off, the message count is
thus reduced.
Show Extra Scoring Kill Messages.
This controls the display of the Kill Messages, that show the enemies
each player is killing. Only relevant if Extra Scoring is ON,
it may give less Client-side slowdown with these turned
Off.
Enemy AI Level. Set's the strength
of the Enemies to their Single Player equivalent - Genocide, Homicide
or Suicide level.
Max Enemies in Level. You can set
the amount of enemies (including players as they are treated as Cabal
members) that will ever appear - helps for slowdown and can be used to
simulate a BOT game.
Tuning
BloodFeud for Better GamePlay
If you want to improve the speed of the game reduce the Max
Enemies in Level. Try turning Extra
Scoring, Kill Messages,
and Enemy AI's Drop Weapons Off
for a possible benefit. Play over the Internet is NOT recommended,
and I can't say what the framerate would be like - I have developed BloodFeud
mainly for LAN or Host-Yourself games.
MultiPlayer
TeamPlay Admin Options
I have added an option so you can
setup a MultiPlayer TeamPlay game (CTF, TeamPlay or Soccer) and have all
the Clients join as Spectators. The Host can then assign Clients to the
Red and Blue Teams or as Spectators so teams can be setup properly. If
the game is started as normal, the Host can still change Clients teams
or assign them as Spectators. Frags are zeroed and Skin Colour updated
when Clients are assigned new Teams. There are three new buttons which
you can use to assign Clients to teams (Blue, Red and Spectator) on the
Server running dialog.
Other Features:
- Added Custom Team Names so you can put in your Clan name instead
of having Team Blue or Team Red.
- Team names now displayed on the Server running dialog.
- Team assignment now shown for each Client.
- Added text messages for Team Assignment changes and included the Custom
Team Names.
The Bugs
Please read the information about this MOD on the website Updates
pages and understand the bugs that exist. I've tried to minimise the bugs
associated with the changes I've made, but I haven't yet fixed everything.
I'll be constantly fixing bugs and including new features during the time
I'm working on this MOD and posting new versions on the site as and when
I complete them.
- Server always crashes on shutdown (but does not crash my PC). The config
file is already saved at this point, though, so you won't lose your settings
- working on this...
- In BloodFeud, sometimes a kill may not be registered.
- In BloodFeud, sometimes the enemies stop appearing (Go back to the start
of the map to trigger them again).
Credits
Blood2: The Chosen and Blood2: The Nightmare Levels by Monolith Productions.
DarkAct Server MOD by guzz.
Please see the DarkAct MOD
Project page at: http://planetblood.com/darkact
for more information and the latest updates.
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