Tiny update - March 1, 2021
A very tiny update on the status of the mod.
I finally stopped procrastinating and merged the code for the Last Resort launcher between the "failed" branch and the original. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be and now I am a bit ashamed of how long I put it off for.
Now that this is accomplished hopefully I can keep up good habits. It is so easy during Covid lockdown to fall into the trap of doing nothing productive other than leveling my character on Fallout76 and Watchdogs Legion.
UPDATE: I am revisiting using AI image software to improve the textures. Right now I am testing with video2x to see if it is worth the effort. The idea is to improve lesser important textures with this technique but still manually recreate textures in photoshop for the textures that don't see an improvement with this method.
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Zero Hour
Dark Synopsis alerted me to an early access game that all Swat game fans might want to check out on Steam. It is called Zero Hour and the developers have just added new cooperative features that remind me of Swat 4.
The developers are from Bangladesh and have set the game in their country. Although the map layouts may seem a little odd to western eyes the officers in the game will speak English as they yell at the suspects. You don't need to be able to understand Bengali to enjoy the game, lol.
I won't lie to you the game still needs a lot of work. However some aspects are really well done and show that the developers have the talent to make a great game. The officers models and the game's menu graphics are particularly outstanding. The weakest parts of the game right now in my opinion (besides missing features) is netcode issues and map design.
Keep a watch on Zero Hour.
Unlocking Maps:
One controversial feature with the game is that you have to unlock the maps one at a time with earned points. For casual gamers this can be a frustrating feature. You can thankfully modify your game file to unlock all the maps with a simple Hex Editor. I have also made the file available to download at the bottom of that tutorial.
Thanks to Dark Synopsis for suggesting buying the game and for helping test the hack.
Write comment (0 Comments)New Features - January 22, 2021
You may have notice some performance issues on this website. Perhaps a white screen that just says "error". You may have even seen a 503 error. Not sure what is going on with the host but considering it costs me nothing for the actual hosting (thanks to Haystakk) I really can't complain.
I am working on adding two new features to beta release v0.8.3 as I am now calling it (previously just called beta 3). I have added a built in server status to the Last Resort launcher so you can check if the server is up before starting the game. I have also added a help tab for important links to the website.
Rough estimate for release is late next week.
Write comment (2 Comments)Progress! - January 20, 2021
Things continue to improve on the NeuWon and Last Resort front.
The game server has been changed to a Windows based install to see if the server is more stable on it compared to Linux + Wine. You will still see periods of server downtime until we are out of the beta tests and officially launched.
I have decided you give up on the old method of dynamic renaming of game executables with the Last Resort mod. At one point it seemed to be a performance benefit to this method but recent testing says otherwise. We all seem to require an app like dgVoodoo to run Swat 3 properly in Windows 10 so the dynamic renaming of game executables is rather useless now. I am busy making code changes to the Last Resort Launcher and will test it in the beta 3 release.
One benefit of Covid is that I have a lot of free time to work on the mod. Right now it is too dangerous to work in the film/tv industry in Canada.
Please continue to mask up and stay positive! We will beat this virus.
Write comment (0 Comments)What is in future - January 8, 2021
Happy New Year everyone.
After a week of work I completed a new method for querying the Swat 3 game server and I think in most ways it is a vast improvement over the old method. When we moved to the new webhost I ran into a big problem considering the new host didn't allow tcp/ip communication. I assume the server's firewall is the issue. I had to get creative due to this limitation so I created a new application that runs on the same computer as the Swat 3 server. It only sends an update once every ten minutes for now but once I get an idea of the impact on the website I may change the update time.
Next thing on my agenda is to spend time making a webpage to explain the whole NeuWon/Swat 3 situation. I need to explain the whole process for getting your Swat 3 to work with NeuWon so people can play online like the old days. I need to make is easier for people to understand since the NeuWon website is confusing as hell (and buggy).
After that I need to get back to local testing of the beta release of the Last Resort mod that I published on Christmas day. I have not received any feedback from the public on the beta and I can understand why. I basically disappeared for more than 6 months and many people gave up visiting this website. Most people just want the final release I suspect.
Write comment (1 Comment)Second Open Beta Test - December 25, 2020
Merry Christmas to all.
Here is the long delayed second version of the Last Resort open beta test.
This new version includes fixes for all the 2D menus so everything is properly adjusted now. It also includes the ability to use Swat 3's original menus while still having all the other benefits of the mod.
This release also includes some new high resolution textures for the Phoenix Club mission and LA Convention Center missions.
Please give your feedback in the forum link given above.
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