Hostile Freedom

[Stitch]

I' am here to announce a new game, mod rather, being made using Source Technology developed by Valve Software. Hostile Freedom is a game taking place in the Hammerstein Universe, an epic tale in a criminally charged setting of guerilla warfare under brutal and extreme conditions. Players assume the roles of either the Stygian criminal uprising or the Opanara marine corporation.

The year is 2120 and Earth is over-populated with half of the population being involved with crime. The Solid Arm, a board of world executives, began the production of Hammerstein for one purpose: to have a place where every convict caught can be exported and forgotten about. Once completed, Hammerstein went global with over $20, 000, 000 in marketing campaigns and advertisements. The ads seemed to work because some of the most notorious criminals came out of hiding and turned themselves in, hoping to establish a new life on Hammerstein. Now with Earths crime rate fairly managable, Hammerstein is exploding left and right with crime. The defense unit stationed on Hammerstein are constantly being fired upon by convicts from unknown positions with custom made weapons. Where and how they acquired these weapons is currently unknown, however, with the amount of resouces found on Hammerstein, it was likely that weapons and other technologies were going to be developed.

A military armada has been deployed and are onroute to Hammerstein to try to maintain order, however, with criminals nothing is ever guaranteed. With no rules of engagement to follow, the Opanara Marine Corporation are out to kill and are equipt to wage an epic guerilla war with the hostiles on the surface of Hammerstein.

As an Opanara marine your objective is to establish a defensive perimetre and setup a base of operations once you land on Hammerstein. This is no easy task as Stygian hostiles are hiding in the shadows, underground and in buildings waiting to ambush the next ship that comes into orbit.

All Opanara marines are given Class-3 Spitfire assault rifles, 9mm Zues pistols, fragmentation grenades and more than enough ammunition. Additional supplies and equipment can be dropped off by Heather Nova Dropships if a commanding officer gives the go ahead. Other firearms can be pre-selected via, Access, a revolutionary technology for marines which allows them to connect directly to homebase while on the battlefield using an interface which displays in the right corner of their helmet-visor. The selected firearms will be sent down with the next supply ship.

Note: Supply ships will land periodically, allowing surviving players to arm and heal themselves. Players will see them coming in from the sky and land somewhere in the map. In-game scripted events will allow this and many other actions possible in Half-Life 2 modifications.

Opanara marines are required to fight till death. If you run, any ranking marine is then given the right to terminate you. Your job is to not ask why, but to do and die.

All marines are given vehicle access; dropships, combat tanks and battle jeeps are provided for marines to utilize if neccessary. Engineers are provided with the tools to conduct repairs on these vehicles if they are required.

The combative strength of the Stygian hostiles is unknown. Weapons and equipment that are being used by them are unknown as well. What is known is that these hostile convicts have nothing to lose and will do anything to take down their enemy. Many of these men and women on Hammerstein have murdered hundreds--no marine will be sparred.

This is a generally a multi-player game with customizable options. A single player portion is unlikely, but the story and characters are in place; it's a matter of execution.

Hostile Freedom is currently seeking 2d/3d artists and a webpage designer. If you are interested in this project or would like to know more, please contact me at: agent_empire@yahoo.com - or ICQ at: 89605737

I haven't included features yet because I'm not sure as to what exactly the Source engine can do. Some ambitious, if you can call it that, features are planned.

[Pajama Sam]

wow. that is really well thought out etc...

I've been wanting to mod something along those lines, the whole futuristic urban warfare thing. Maybe we can work together or something. If u use AIM im me (SN in profile)

sounds great!

[Stitch]

Well it is currently just me on the development team. A co-designer would be great, however, you must posess a vivid vision of what war may be like in the future. The time period is not that of Star Trek, but a reasonable time where new technology is being invented and old technology enhanced. Halo's gameplay has inspired this project and an understanding of what Halo is and tries to achieve is also a must.

The setting is very extreme as it involves constant fighting. The main premise is to take back control of Hammerstein, the world's first penal colony. With this new technology (Source engine) I want to create a battlefield that is always alive with ambience and action; be it soldiers dying and screaming, ships flying in and leaving, explosions going off and so on. The full, futuristic, battlefield experience is what I want to accomplish.

[synth]

ever see Public Enemy mod for the original halflife? it's the same kind of "futuristic urban warfare" thing.

[Pajama Sam]

kinda... PE is heavily besed upon the matrix and blade runner tho...

I have some concept art and shit leftover from my old JK2 mod (Disposable Freedom, closed due to the non released SDK)... i'll make a design doc sometime for my mod, once my friend and I sit down and work on it (we only have four months haha)

[Nostradamus]

This seems very well thought out, and i think that the experience will be very fast paced and have the feeling of being under presure - very nice :)
i have contacted you wiht a PM and through icq - awating reply :)

[Stitch]

Nostramadus, I didn't get any authorization requests. Are you sure you punched in the number correctly?

[Nostradamus]

hmmm yeah im pretty wure..if yor name is empire on icq?
otherwise my icq number is: 110572053

[Stitch]

Weapons Update

Handgun:
-Zues 9mm (Opanara)
-Defender 9mm (Stygian)

Sub Machine Gun:
-Iron Signal 9mm (Opanara)
-Warcheck 9mm, double barrel (Stygian)

Shotgun:
-Tactical Dropshot (Opanara)
-Infinitum Spec E2 (Stygian)

Assault Rifle:
-Spitfire 7.62mm (Opanara)
-Ender 7.62mm (Stygian)

Sniper:
-Zues 2 50 cal (Opanara)
-Hammertech 50 cal (Stygian)

Grenade:
-EMP Grenade (Opanara)
-Spitfire FC-6 Grenade (Opanara)
-R70 Smoke Grenade (Opanara/Stygian)
-CE Grenade (Stygian)
-Ender FC-6 Grenade (Stygian)

Armor:
-Atinium Combat Armor (Opanara)
-Nergi v2 Battle System (Stygian)
-Classic Kevlar (Opanara/Stygian)
-Stopec Cover (Opanara/Stygian)

Equipment:
-Infrared glasses (All)
-Nightvisionary glasses (All)
-Rizor Console - Hacking device (Stygian)
-Access ver 3.0 (Opanara)

Full specs and descriptions will be available on the website once it goes live.

[Murray_H]

Sounds cool!

What sort of multiplayer where you thinking of? Like what happens when you die/is there any goal/will it be played in rounds/would maps be involved or just one giant map?

[Stitch]

All of that and other information will be available on the website. The site is in the works as we speak and should be available sometime soon.

But quickly; when you die you have a choice: To either die and restart over (stats, weapons, progress will be wiped clean) or to [wait] to be medevaced. Waiting may take awhile depending on what is currently going on in the battlefield.

Players are able to setup mini-bases around the map, here players can respawn (if they chose to die) resupply, call for support and whatever else. This will eliminate the rounds. Wins will be determined by the total eradication of the opposing team. And/Or also the completion of the various objectives. Maps will also be available for variety and will encompass new experiences.

[Murray_H]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/pictures/sniperrifle.jpg

I was thinking about a fixed sniper rifle but with a twist. The gun is not handled by a human, but by a computer controlled mount. The operator sees what the rifle sees through the computer terminal - as was shown in the tech demo, this would be possible (stick a camera on top of the rifle and then have a display).

The actual use of the rifle would be the same as usual mouse to look around, primary fire to shoot. The rifle could be located in a raised position on top of an Opanara base, either with room for one marine or none at all, with all control being done at ground level. A difficulty could be animating the camera to move in time with the players mouse movement.

Case ejection is kinda like a torpedo tube. The red piece at the back of the rifle (the smaller bit) would be forced back by the round being fired and the case ejected when it reaches as far as it can go.

Reloading could be missed out, with just a limited amount of bullets and a low rate of fire to compensate the lack of reload.

Its just an idea, i think it would be a nice change, if it could be implemented, from the standard sniper rifle

[Stitch]

Indeed, games need a change. And this is a nice idea. The Source engine can do a lot and I want to explore it as much as I can because i believe games should evolve. We should do more drastic things rather than the same old crap that is only enhanced with graphics and sound.

[Murray_H]

Grenade idea

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/pictures/nadeunarmed.jpg

Player holds nade by the thinner part. Blue button arms grenade.
Each 'hump' on the wider part of the nade contains 20 ball bearings, 24 humps around the nade = 240 ball bearings.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/pictures/nadearmed.jpg

After the blue button is pressed, the red base light comes on straight away but after that there is a one second wait before the timer strip comes online (all colours). The green light goes out after 1 second, then the yellow, orange, red. This give a total of 5 seconds from arming to explosion.

:)

[Stitch]

Heh, that is a nice idea too. One question; how big is the grenade? The entire thing?

Also are you currently working on any projects?

[Murray_H]

Smoke grenade

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/pictures/smokeunarmed.jpg

Held around the middle, this area is compressed for the grenade to become active. Grey parts store the smoking agents.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/pictures/smokearmed.jpg

When the middle is gripped tightly, two tubes pop out of each grey area. This tubes have numerous pores to allow the smoke to diffuse out.

[Murray_H]

lol sorry i didnt see your comment underneath the grens.

No i'm not working on anything, but i cant model, do maps or anything like that. I cant really draw either lol. The only thing i'm any good at is coming up with ideas

[Stitch]

All games start on paper. You have a unique vision and I would love to have you onboard, if you're interested that is?

[Murray_H]

lol wow yeah sure! i would like to be a part of it. 1 problem tho, over the next 2 weeks i have exams so i mite be lacking from the forums for a bit. But i will try and get on as often as possible :)

[Stitch]

No problem. My email is: agent_empire@yahoo.com and my ICQ is 89605737

[Stitch]

First official map - The introduction level:

Operation: Stolen Beach

"Alright marines, search every square foot of this place. There must be surivors some where around here."

"Yes, sir!"

"Roger that"

After an hour of hard searching, a marine comes across a journal. But this wasn't your ordinary journal, it was digital and unfolded into the size of a pizza pocket.

"Sir, look at this--it looks like a console of some sort"
"Interesting. Hmm, what's that corporal? A switch?"

"Yes sir"

"Hit that switch for me soldier, double time"

"Yes sir"

>/start/
There we were, standing tall and together on the shoreline of the only beach found on Hammerstein. I remember holding two beers in my hand at the time of the incident and yet I can't remember who was there with me. The waves, from a distant, seemed small and harmless, but as they got bigger we knew that they had arrived. I stood there watching as the Opanara marines came sailing in with guns drawn and ready to fire. There was about 15 boats in the water and 5 drop ships in the air. It seemed hopeless to fight back because of the strength the marines posessed. But I wasn't about to be executed so I quickly ran to my station and loaded up the MG400 and waited patiently for the first wave of marines to exit their well armored boats. To the left I could see my friends getting slaugtered by machine gun fire from the ships mounted machine gun and bombs going off just a few feet from me. The last breath of life escaping my team mates throat haunted me as I stood violently shaking in my pill box. The door opened and the marines came pouring out; I fired but couldn't hit anything //transmission CORRUPT runerror.dat >/end/

Over a secure radio network
"Sir, this transmission is shot."

"Affirmative, Gabe, prepare the troops for advancement"

'Yes sir"

"Alert 3rd Infantry Battalion of our findings. We may be in for a big surprise"

"Roger"

"And call in for some hardware. We may need it"
"Already done"

The 1st Airborne Battalion, a special division out of the Opanara Marine Corporation, were the second to land on Hammerstein. After a few hours of ground reconnaissance they stumbled upon the battleground where the beach invasion took place. Distorted radio communications led the 1st Airborne Battalion to the site and now that they are here, they cannot see nor hear anyone in distress. The radio message told of extreme amounts of hostiles coming from the North. And according to the map, there isn't much in the North except for various mining holes. And it was impossible for any living thing to survive in those holes because of the intense plethora of chemical reactions and explosions going off. However, with a set of gas masks, anyone could walk through it without being affected.

'Sir, you might want to check this out"

"What is it soldier?"

"These are Opanara-grade respiration masks"

"Interesting. Well, the Delta Shield 019 dropship was ambushed and attacked."

"Sir?"

"This ship contained a few hundred convicts, a healthy abundance of supplies, equipment and firearms."
"These masks were suppose to be distributed amongst the Hammerguards incase of a chemical attack"

"But, why would a con need one?"

"Wait a second"
"Jenna 67, 1st Airborne Battalion sergeant, Thorn, requesting an immediate 3d grid of the northern sector"

"Roger that Sergeant Thorn, uploading now"

"See this zone here? This is a large mining shaft that was used to retrieve metallic resources for the construction of Hammerstein"
"Over the years these shafts broke out, branching an underground labyrinth. It is possible that the cons started to dig them even deeper and used them as quick access tunnels to escape a possible fight or just used them as shortcuts"
"Whatever the case is, we need to get down there and see what the hell is going on. No one could strike and then dissappear in under 10 minutes. We were here almost immediately and in every other direction is nothing but open grass and water. So they must have ran into the mine shafts. That is our mission"

"Sir, incoming drop ship"

"Defender Shield 20-13 preparing to land. Glad to see some friendlies on this hostile planet"

"We are glad to see you too 20-13. You are clear to land"

Operation: Stolen Beach
Map: Invasion
Objectives: Opanara Marines must invade a beach held by Stygian hostiles. The beach is needed because it is critical for advancement into Hammerstein. Once the beach is taken they then must enter the mine shafts and blow it.
Stygian hostiles must prevent the invasion at all costs. If all else fails, fall back into the mine shaft and protect it from being blown.

[Murray_H]

Wow that sounds ace!

Will Hostile Freedom be like other mp mods, where maps are selected at random, or will the maps be sequenced to tell the story?

[Stitch]

I'm going for a story based multi-player game. Where you can play out the events you read in the story. So it would be better to read the entire story first, then play the game. But it will be designed in a way where it tells the story through the game.

For example; you can play Operation: Stolen Beach because it sounds cool in the story. And then skip some operations and play Operation: Hard Miss because you like the way it ends. The players can play it however they choose.

[Tull91]

Sounds like a bloody good idea! I really think that this is the way to go. Keep up the good work!:cheese:

[Murray_H]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/hl2/Hostile%20Freedom/Opanara%20Dropship/dropship.gif

Upward/Downward motion controlled by large blade in the middle, Forward/Reverse by jet engines at the back, Jets on the bottom of the vessel are for hovering on the ground (so landing is not an issue during quick drops)

Oh and Stitch, i put a grenade design in the Models/Skins section, thread is called 'Grenade' :)

[Vir]

Sounds very cool guys

[Stitch]

Nice design. With some tweaking and polishing, I think this could be the final concept for the drop ship. It's nice to have some help on this project in terms of design. I'm still only on the large story, missions, characters, names and gear part--ideas of how the vehicles will look and behave are also floating around.

Maybe: See where those two parallel supports connect the front with the back? Next to the large fan? Maybe if you make the fan smaller and those wider, they can be used as passages to get from the cockpit to the back. We can also put some mounted machine guns in those corridors for the marines to use. The passages don't have to be huge, but just enough to get from the front to the back easily.

[Vir]

Stitch,


I sent ya a pm

[Stitch]

I replied.

[Murray_H]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/hl2/Hostile%20Freedom/Opanara%20Dropship/bigger.gif

[Vir]

I sent you one back

[Stitch]

Excellent. Right on target. Ha, that rotar can be used as a weapon too. Land on some convicts and cut them to pieces. :)

[righte0us]

sounds promising good luck!

[Murray_H]

hahaha that would be well funny!

[Murray_H]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/hl2/Hostile%20Freedom/Spitfire/spitfire.gif

Spitfire concept

[Stitch]

Looks good; Halo-ish. And considering that is one of my main inspirations for this project, I like it.

[Pizza]

do the stygian get any vehicles.. or is it just hand made butter knifes vs the worlds greatest millitary ?!!

[Murray_H]

I was kinda thinking of Mad Max style vehicles for the Stygians; main, basic body shape of a car or something with bits of sheet metal welded on. Possibly a person riding shotgun on the back.

[Stitch]

You have to remember, Hammerstein is a prison that holds engineers, scientists, bounty hunters, technicians; basically every type of job in existence. They went mad for some reason and are now on Hammerstein. Also the planet is like Earth and has the resources to make anything. Over the years corporations and organizations have emerged and are beginning to revolutionize the planet with their own technology. Some of the less important Stygian hostiles resort to old abandoned technology, vehicles and so on and so forth.

The website is online too--it's still incomplete with information and content, but it is online. So don't expect too much from it.

http://www.hostile-freedom.juveniles.dk

[Noodlygod]

Sounds very cool indeed. And you can ignore the part of the email I just sent you about the website, that one looks neat. But if you need any help with dynamic programming/database stuff let me know. This stuff is pretty inspiring so I may come up with some concept art of my own if you don't mind. -Noodly

[Stitch]

No problem. You can create whatever you wish. And about the help, thanks, I will keep you in mind.

[Noodlygod]

I'm sketching what I'm thinking of as a prisoner right now and what I'm picturing is sort of your standard prisoner (gruff/scruffy) but with bits of technology mixed in. Any thoughts?

And now I'm thinking.... are you going to do things similar to classes? Because if you were, do you think it'd be neat to have a prisoner that's partially cybernetic? Maybe special vision powers (like xray or infared) or maybe even go so far as to give him a gun or something for a hand...

Ok, I'll edit this one more time.. I was just re-reading the stuff about this mod, and this probably won't fit but after seeing the flying things in the hl2 video don't you think it'd be sweet if there were a prisoner with say... a set of cybernetic wings? It may very well just be me, but when I picture this guy with a gun and metal wings coming down on me, I drool.

[Stitch]

Cybernetics, perhaps. I mean it is possible especially with the time period and the circumstances on Hammerstein. But from a design stand point, I'm not really going for immortal type characters. I understand the fun factor involved with having cybernetics, but the realistic aspect of combat is what I'm going for. Not like "one hit kills" but rather what goes on in your typical battle.

The classes part; sounds splendid; I was always a fan of classes, but the game doesn't require them as players can basically make thier own classes with the variety of equipment and weapons that will be included as the game [development wise] progresses. Example: equipment to fix damaged vehicles will be available for players wanting to be an engineer or portable medic-kits for your medic type player. It all boils down to the development philosophy of giving players [users] the "freedom" to play how they wish without any restrictions.

[Murray_H]

Smoke Grenade Unarmed

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/hl2/Hostile%20Freedom/Smoke%20Grenade/smokegrenunarmed.gif

Squeeze the middle

Smoke Grenade Armed

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/hl2/Hostile%20Freedom/Smoke%20Grenade/smokegrenarmed.gif

Just remember - these arent meant to be proper models, only expressions of design ideas

[Stitch]

That I know and nice. A bit rounded, but overall, nice work.

Noodly--You can help by making a forum or get a forum going. Preferably Ikonboard or whichever you can do. I'd do it but my time is limited to focusing on getting the entire world of Hammerstein written and fleshed out. If you can get it setup, file directories and all that--I can hand it over to the webmaster and he can upload it to the server.

[Noodlygod]

I've actually written a forum for my clan site but it's not 100%. You could grab phpBB. I'ts free and insanely easy to set up. (You upload the files and run the install.php file)
You can get it here if you like:
http://www.phpbb.com/downloads.php

And once I'm done with mine I could show it to you and you can see which you prefer. Also, if you're interested I've got a few scripts that create image galleries and let the admin upload images. If you'd like them just let me know and I can zip/upload them to my server and you can just grab them from there.

I don't have ICQ but my AIM SN is NoodlyGod. I can create an ICQ account if that's better for you.

[Nostradamus]

HI noodly, mmm
I am the webguy or whatever, and thx for the scripting help, but all under controll :)
i got a ready news system(pretty basic, but it works :) )
i dont think we will need a forum, as advanced as phpBB..it will just be waste of space..instead i've made a tiny mesage kinda bord, wich i think will be perfect for the purpose :)

btw the idea with the guy metal wings is neat ! :)

and nice modelling of the grenade :)

[Noodlygod]

Alrighty, sounds good. =) Once I find a regular #2 pencil I sketch some stuff, any other ideas? -Noodly

[Stitch]

No, we need a robust forum because it will keep our community connected. A simple message board is only good for comments and suggestions.

[Noodlygod]

Let me just lay out how I did my forum real quick so Nost can make his own if he likes. (I know I struggled for a while figuring out how I was going to do it.)

Basically it works like this:

There are 3 tables, categories, topics and replies. They are layed out like this:

CATEGORIES
id
title
description

TOPICS
id
title
body
user
date
catid //Category id

REPLIES
id
title
body
user
date
topicid //topic id

There are a couple of other things I added to the newer version I've been working on but I just can't remember them. This ought to cover the basic principle.

So, to list all the categories it's the basic

SELECT * FROM categories

query. (then the loop and array to display them)

For the topics it's
SELECT * FROM TOPICS WHERE catid = '$id'

(The id being passed from the url)

For replies it follows the same theme:

SELECT * FROM replies WHERE topicid='$id'

And then the rest of it, it's a really simple branched forum system that works pretty well. If you'd like I can email you the source but I don't want to just post it here because it's not really secure =) If you'd like to see it in action just go to:
http://sn.focuslost.com and check out the forum.

Edit: I lied, my forum appears to be broken... I'll have to dink with it. (I think it's just because I was naming things with the .inc convention, not realizing that all someone has to do is point their browser at that file and they can see the source so I renamed the files)

[BeauTox]

will this be solely be human on human, meaning no aliens or things of that vein? , and will it be possible to have a 3rd party like bounty hunters/assassins, and last but not least , Hi I'm new here

[Stitch]

Human versus Human. And no 3rd parties--we assume our character has a badass story like being a hardcore mercenary 10 years before. And welcome to the forums.

[Stitch]

Hey Noodly, I get this when I try to access that forum:

Warning: main(/home/noodlygod/www/sn/includes/memfunc.inc): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/noodlygod/www/sn/forum/view.php on line 3

Fatal error: main(): Failed opening required '/home/noodlygod/www/sn/includes/memfunc.inc' (include_path='') in /home/noodlygod/www/sn/forum/view.php on line 3

You may have a problem.

[Nostradamus]

Ok, maybe i didn't make myself clear :)
i have a forum, it is very simple(thats why i compared to a tagwall)
the only thing not there, is categories, and users... categories could easely be made, but still cant figure out how to do a user sysytem :)

im bored, so im gonna put something up tonight...
link will be on the news page ;)

UPDATE: www.hostile-freedom.juveniles.dk/forum.php

wohooo :)

[Murray_H]

Had an idea for the Warcheck SMG

Kinda like a hybrid between a double-barrled Mac 10 and the Cyclone from Perfect Dark (the clip went in from the side and got fed through) Havent done any drawing (if you can call my art that ;)) yet, last exam is in 1 day and then i have the rest of the week off so i'll get out my wax crayons ;)

[Draklyne]

Will this be multiplayer only? It seems like...like it needs a detective in it...

Has anyone read any cyberpunk detective stories? "Altered Carbon" comes to mind. Check it up on www.amazon.com. anyhow, I'll be writing fanfics for this in a little bit. Detective style.

[Murray_H]

Needs a detective? Where did you get that from? :S

[Nostradamus]

Sherlock Holmes.....my dear Watson.... ;)

[Draklyne]

A lamp guttered over the abandoned alleyway. Levitating over the street on a graviton-deflector plate, it gave up for the night as the clock, figuratively speaking of course, struck nine. It swiftly socketed itself into its holder for the night. After all, the solar cells on top had their limits.

A rat skittered across the newly-darkened alley as I leaned against the wall. A Hammerstein cigar pulsed dully in the dark as breathed in the smoke. Despite being a newly-minted world, Hammerstein's addictive substances were already as good or better than the Old-World products. Nothing like a new solar system to add flavor to a boring plant.

I had been waiting all day for this moment. Now is when the night-life comes alive. Now is when the case would open up, and, more importantly, I could open up some mouths with well-placed credits. Maybe I'd get a few job offers; maybe I'd get a few clues. Either way, paying for a few alcoholics' drinks was profitable, paradoxivally.

I made my move towards the bar. Inside, a miasma of heat, beer, and other unnameable subtances assaulted my nose. Their siege was in vain. I'd been here before.

I took a seat next to a loud, fat man whose flabs bounced somewhat, even in the high gravity of Hammerstein. He was yapping about some assassination that had taken place in a high-ranking crime organization. A single knife-wound in the base of the skull, into the brains. Scrambled the guy's grey-matter. Interesting. This was my case. More interesting was the fact that it was completely hush-hush, and no one, especially no fat man on the streets was supposed to know about this. It had happened approximately 23 hours ago, too soon to hit the streets. Furthermore, video records had been erased in the attack and there was no evidence of intrusion in the building. Something was going down.

Something big was happening, and a fat man was talking about it animatedly.

I looked at the man's drinking buddy, and drinking buddy he was, without a doubt. He was out cold on the smooth, imported wood, with a small puddle of alcohol and spittle gathering at his mouth. Intuiting that the fat man would be more expressive with a more interested drinking buddy, I ordered a drink and handed it over with a casual, "Really now? That's interesting. Keep going." The fat man positively lit up at the offer and began spouting rumors once more. I'd already heard most of it, but then he got to the interesting part.

"...and the real puzzle," he whispered conspirationally, "is why they hired the killer. After all, they were the-"

A sudden burst of gunfire shattered the relatively familiar sound of drinking, arguing, and laughter. A deadly silence fell over the bar. I cocked my head towards the source of sound, replaying it in my mind. That was a Spitfire assault rifle, commonly handed out to Opanara Marines. The sharp, staccato beat of my younger years was unmistakeable.

In the bar, a single word was uttered, in a mix of contempt, awe, and, most prevalently, fear.

"Opanara..."

Then all hell broke loose. A mob suddenly formed out of the confusion and shifted towards the exits. People were trampled underfoot as the raging sea surged towards the doors.

I sighed, still seated. The most tantalizing tidbit of information, snatched form my waiting grasp. Who killed Illian Stuhr? The fat man knew, but the fat man was exiting the building. I rubbed my cigarette between thumb and forefinger, then dropped it into the fat man's drink. It went out with a protesting hiss.

When the Opanaras burst through the door, I was gone. The bar was empty save for a few drunks.

Meanwhile, the detonator I'd placed on the roof ticked down. I held a few grudges. Just a few.

[Stitch]

Well, I'm impressed by this vividly told tale of fan-fiction. The world of Hammerstein is vibrant and holds many tales of its own and this one could very well hold its own ground. Excellent.

[Stitch]

IRC Chat:

Server: irc.gamers-net.com
or: irc.darkdreamz.com
Channel: #hostilefreedom

[Majestic XII]

Originally posted by Stitch
IRC Chat:

Server: irc.gamers-net.com
or: irc.darkdreamz.com
Channel: #hostilefreedom

Why not quakenet? I dont feel like writing /server -m irc.gamers-net.com all the time :)

[Stitch]

Just add it to your server list. Lazy bastard! :)

[Nostradamus]

ok updated the forum at the page with categories n shitnass...should be a lot better now... hope it all works :)

www.hostile-freedom.juveniles.dk/forum.php

[Stitch]

Characters:

:: Characters are NPC's in the game world that are introduced to the players through scripted events. No one player can play any of these characters. The players play the low-ranking marines or hostiles and are given orders by the higher ranking characters ::

General Robert Vermala - Active commander on the Hammerstein operation. Vermala is a highly decorated general that has seen the back sides of war from corruption to treason. He has survived World War III after being the first force to be sent into the hot bed secretly known as, Iron Glass. Iron for being virtually impenetrable and glass for anyone being able to see it. His military would sky rocket from there.

After two other successful operations, Operation: Red Filth and Operation: Electric Blanket, Robert Vermala was awarded the prestigious Medal of Honor. He was then put in charge of a crack commando team called the First Line. This is where he met, Kane Hammerstein, a man who later went on to become a general. Roberts life continued through the military from one operation to another until he earned his rank as a General.

...more to come. Ran out of time--stay tuned.

[BeauTox]

wow , thats all i can say, if the story is this good i hope the mod will be to.

[SpuD]

Sounds ****ing awesome, i will support this mod most definately.:cheers:

[SpuD]

One tip that will enhance online play: Dont make any guns like the awp on Counter-Strike, everymap ends up turning into an awpfest, its gay when it happens. Will it have a buy system like CS?

[SpuD]

Reading thru this all, i have concluded something; How is this going to be multi player, the story is awesome, but wouldnt you get tired of it everytime you log onto a server? Just my opinion, but i may be looking at it the wrong way.

:bounce: <- He is bouncing. Looks fun don' it?

[Murray_H]

As for the AWP, my sniper design could eliminate that as its in a fixed position, the range can be limited and the person operating it could be quite at risk staying in the same place for ages

And the irc channel, i'll be idling in #hostilfreedom on quakenet if you cant be arsed to use darkdreamz

The story, i suspect it will be at a players discretion if they read it before they play the game. Stitch said that you can play maps in any order, it doesnt have to be how it is in the story

[BeauTox]

i personally would play them in order, just to get the whole story and or feel

[SpuD]

hrm i see, sounds awesome, cant wait. *first in line for beta testing* I called it already!:afro:

[BeauTox]

i declare second right here. :)

[Noodlygod]

Is everyone involved in this mod still alive?

[EVIL]

srry for this (I am in a "comment about the mod website" mood)

but please change the filling fromm the letters in the menu into white. it will be much easier to read then.

[Noodlygod]

Do you guys think either of these shapes would work for the rear jet engine on the transport ship?

http://www.focuslost.com/engine.jpg

[Murray_H]

ooo that looks nice! is there any chance you could zoom in a bit closer/get a different angle?

I've had an idea for the other sniper rifle, got nothing on paper yet tho :/

*Sorry didnt realise it was too shapes :S personally i like the silver one

[Noodlygod]

Yeah I can change the angle a bit if you like, I just sketched out the drop ship I'm picturing but the power cord for my scanner has fallen off the face of the planet.

I may run down to the computer store I used to work at and just scan it there but I can't remember if that scanner is hooked up to any machines. So we'll see, I don't know if I want to keep modelling for a design that may or may not meet approval. (I based it off of your design, it's just more 3d)

I'll probably just keep playing with the program and get a bit more familiar with it. (I still can't believe they released a free version of XSI, it's 4,000 dollar software)

Heres another angle/zoom of the silver engine:

http://www.focuslost.com/engine2.jpg

Alright, I made yet another one and this is probably the one I'll keep playing with.

http://www.focuslost.com/engine3.jpg
http://www.focuslost.com/engine4.jpg

[EVIL]

Slick!.. it looks to me that softimage is a great and powerfull modeling tool. Any comments on the feel off the program?

[Noodlygod]

Well, it takes some getting used too. I learned modeling with what I think is actually a much older version of it and it's drastically different. Not so much in what it can do but where the tools are located etc. I still can't find a "knife" or "csg subtract" tool.

I would definetly say it's well worth the download so if you're curious and you're not on a modem give it a go. (The last set of engines took the longest to make and it took probably 15 minutes or so and that's just because I couldn't find some things)

One thing that takes getting used to is the "Freeze" button on the lower right. If you create a shape by revolving or extruding from a line/basic shape any changes you make to the original are applied to the 3d model until you freeze it. (including deleting) So if you don't remember to freeze it and you delete your basic shape you loose your 3d shape. (You can undo, it's just something I've done several times because I'm not used to it)

From everything I've seen in the tutorials and helpfiles and even the demo scenes that come with it, it's pretty amazing software.

[Stitch]

Hey guy's, I don't have much time but I would like to let everyone know that I' am still alive and kicking. I recently lost my internet connection and am trying to get it back; funds are limited around here. The mod is still alive; so alive in fact that I'm spending my offline time building world objects for mappers to use. Everything from old cars to bridges and vegetation will be available for mappers.

I'm truly sorry for not coming on sooner, but when you live in a small town it's hard to find an internet source.

[Murray_H]

Tactical Dropshot Concept

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/hl2/Hostile%20Freedom/Tactical%20Dropshot/tactical_dropshot_concept.jpg

Canister is fed into the rear of the shotgun, pump and fire. G36-like aiming system. I was thinking of some sort of Halo assault rifle type ammo counter in the gap above the trigger.

[BeauTox]

i dig the idea.

[Stitch]

Heya fellas,

Well here I' am sitting at the library using their computers -- I still haven't hooked up my internet, so I will be using these computers for the time being every now and again until I can get DSL from a new ISP.

Murray_H thanks for your continued work on the Hostile Freedom project, it is very much appreciated. I myself have been working and reworking the concept. I have applied some new material to the universe, namely the use of Mechnines (Mech9's) which are machines developed by the Stygian hostiles to combat the Opanara Marine Corporation's tank's and artillery. More on this when I have more time. 15 minute time limit here at the wonderful book palace! :)

Until next time.

[Murray_H]

/me rubs eyes

Stitch?!?!

I'll be doing some more concept stuff in the summer when school has finished

[Stitch]

Excellent, Murray_H and thanks Noodly for the continued support as well. To all the haters, we are still alive. My internet died on me and I'm trying to find a decent ISP to get back online.

This small update was brought to you in part by, ACCESS - "When times are tough, count on ACCESS" - The defintive military command console. Available NOW

[Noodlygod]

heya Stitch, glad to see you're out and about. I'm in a similar prediciment, although rather than losing my net I lost the whole shebang (the computer) =P It's been down for about 3 weeks but hopefully I'll have it up again tomorrow. I think I'm going to start over again on that dropship, maybe play with the design a little. I really wanted to make that one just to familiarize myself with the software. But I do intend to keep dinking with things and I'll support this mod all the way, it really does sound like a great idea. I actually started skecthing a combat scene with some broken down buildings and a battle going on. If I ever finish it I'll stick it here =) Keep up the good work -Noodly

[green1152]

Originally posted by Murray_H
Grenade idea

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/pictures/nadeunarmed.jpg

Player holds nade by the thinner part. Blue button arms grenade.
Each 'hump' on the wider part of the nade contains 20 ball bearings, 24 humps around the nade = 240 ball bearings.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/pictures/nadearmed.jpg

After the blue button is pressed, the red base light comes on straight away but after that there is a one second wait before the timer strip comes online (all colours). The green light goes out after 1 second, then the yellow, orange, red. This give a total of 5 seconds from arming to explosion.

:)

That didn't look right when i was scrolling down the page... Sorry if I seem sick minded.

[Nostradamus]

Give a shout if youre still alive stich...msg'ed u via icq :)
too noodly and murray... pm'ed you with my info ;)

[Murray_H]

Woohoo i thought everyone was dead! I've just finished another 2 concepts tonight, but its late now so i'll scan them in 2morro

And yeah, the gren is a bit wierd but i'll redo that later in pencil, rather than a mouse

[Infinyte4D]

3dsmax is betta ;]

[Stitch]

Greetings,

I' am still alive Nostramadus -- very much so. I'm at my cousin's at the moment using his broadband internet -- downloading a bunch of stuff :) .

The game is still in development, nothing has stopped. Hostile Freedom lives on! Anyway, I'm just dropping a quick message here since I had some time to browse these forums. Headiin' to the Casino right now so this post is small and limited.

Talk to you guy's later -- I hope I can get MY internet going soon.

[Nostradamus]

Hope so too stitch :)
I have some character artwork for both orcana and the other, as i cant remember the name of..and i think it turned out pretty well indeed :)
also i am working on some map plots.. not sure ifr should begin mapping them(or the map's you have made, including the story...)...what do you think stich?

Greetings

[Murray_H]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/hl2/Hostile%20Freedom/EMP%20Grenade/empgrenade.gif

EMP Grenade for the marines, press the button in the middle, the lines on the corners light up (purple/blue).



http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.phillipson1/murray/hl2/Hostile%20Freedom/Iron%20Signal%20SMG/ironsignalsmg.gif

Iron Signal for the marines, only thing different about this from a normal gun is that you pull the grip forward to release the lock on the clip, pull the clip out and put a new one in, and then pull the grip back to lock into place (the clip being above the trigger)

[Nostradamus]

looking very nice :)
gonna put all the artwork done so far up on the webite in just in a min

[Nostradamus]

Just a though.. we need an IRC channel... I am on #hostile-freedom on quakenet... this will make communication a lot easier...so yeah come in there :)

[Stitch]

"FIRE!"

That is all you can hear in one Opanara drop ship. The fire from a destroyed rotar, forced it's way through an air shaft and licked the interior of the ship, killing three marines. The remaining eight fought the blaze with whatever they can find and managed to distinguish it a few minutes later. The damaged that was left behind was permanent physically and mentally. The captain of the Hunters Unit was brutally charred behind recognition. His remains would be brought back home once the mission was over, for a proper burial.

Echo Rabbit, the leading drop ship in the Hammerstein raid were ordered to fly back and pick up the survivors of the fire. The Echo Rabbit shifted into reverse afterburner and were torn apart by enemy ground fire seconds later. Three direct hits with a rocket propelled grenade of some sort cracked the ship in half, killing or brutally injuring every one onboard. From the ground, units Jessica Six and Marvin Delta watched in horror as the Echo Rabbit exploded, sending burning and screaming marnes to the ground.

To be continued...

Greetings fellas, it be that sugary mutta****a, Stitch. My net is back and I'm ready to get this shit on the road. Ya' heard me? HA -- anyway; how is everything going guys? Everything on this end is pretty much OK. My hard drive failed on my the other day and everything I had written down or made was lost. But don't fret yet because everything is strored *points to his head* up here. I'm working as much as I can on rebuilding the lost material and content and it's coming along pretty good. I recieved my copy of 3DS 5 in the mail yesterday and my 3D art has almost begun. Since the the maps of Half Life 2 can be as large or bigger than te largest Battlefield: 1942, I think we will have to have a lot of static meshes in order to capture a sense of environment for Hostile Freedom.

The physics system will play a major role in Hostile Freedom because of its ability to render entire buildings crumbling, which is essential for creating air raids and what not. I'm not worried about bump mapping at the moment so I won't go into that. Perhaps once the main game core is created and everything is in place, we might take a look at bump mapping.

Hostile Freedom T-shirts will be given out to the developers of the team, so if you are apart of this project expect to be wearing a shirt with your game logo on it in the future. These will play a role in our advertising campaign. Wear them to LAN parties, malls and what not. The main logo will be located on the front with the URL on the back. Of course these will be paid for out of my pocket. Think of it as a thank you. :) And it's just cool to wear a shirt of a project you are working on. More details on this once I decide to place the order.

To anyone still browsing this thread, we still need a few people. 3D artists mainly. An experienced programmer would be greatly appreciated as well. Contact me if you are interested.

Until next time,

Stitch, the emperors bitch.

P.S - Excuse my typing. It may be funked as it's 3:30 in the am here.

[Stitch]

bump

[Stitch]

Bump -- what the fu...

[Nostradamus]

yay sticth :)

btw t20 thing you should looks at...no 3 :)

http://hostile-freedom.juveniles.dk/art/HFDivX.avi

http://www.juveniles.dk/brugersys/users <--- usersystem comming along nicely :)

http://hostile-freedom.juveniles.dk/todo.php


and nice idea with the t-shirts :)

[Stitch]

Nos, two of those links don't work; the avi and the users link. The todo one works just fine.

[Nostradamus]

okees
http://hostile-freedom.juveniles.dk/art/HF-DivX.avi

http://hostile-freedom.juveniles.dk/brugersys/users

there :)

oh and #hostile-freedom @ quakenet

[dHaLSiM]

If you need a snazzy web design drop me a msg.

[Stitch]

Do you have any web pages online that I could look at? Perhaps we can work something out.

[dHaLSiM]

i dunno if they are still up, the clan moved on

http://overtheedge.fragism.com
http://onelifecrew.fragism.com

[Stitch]

Nice. Can you make a site like: www.alienware.com :)

[dHaLSiM]

i'll make a site design and post it on here...expect it in 2-3hrs of this msg. Maybe less.

[dHaLSiM]

Voila. www.teamgwailo.net/dhalsim/HostileFreedom-1a.jpg

[Stitch]

Looks good. I like the text for Hostile Freedom.

[Majestic XII]

Originally posted by dHaLSiM
Voila. www.teamgwailo.net/dhalsim/HostileFreedom-1a.jpg

Too much graphics for my likings. I like it nice and clean.

[Nostradamus]

hmm before i go to bed..dunno what we would need another website for o.O ?


nighty!

[Noodlygod]

Hey guys, nice to hear that you're all back and ready to get going. I haven't touched the dropship in a little while, I've been working and now I may open up my own computer store so I'll be pretty busy. But I haven't forgotten about this mod and I still would like to do something for you all so if I make any more progress on the dropship I'll post it here or post on your forum. G'day! -Noodly

[dHaLSiM]

What was the point of me making that :smoking:

[Stitch]

Skill my friend; to test your skill.

[dHaLSiM]

Did i pass, or fail the test?

[Stitch]

Passed. Perhaps you and Nostramadus can work on something?

[dHaLSiM]

give me his contact and i'll talk with him, you guys on irc eh?
quakenet :O

[alco]

I can help out with the character concept art (you always need that before starting the 3d models.)

I've already got a couple of Opanara head concepts (front&side for each) and working on some Opanara character concepts. You'll have to bear with me, though, as I have to find a scanner.

I could also help out with level design. Email me with 'HalfLife2' as the topic if you want something specific.

[Stitch]

Thank's for the help. Unforunately we need to see the concept art you have before we can accept your help. You understand, right? Perhaps whip something up with Photoshop?

[alco]

My skills with the mouse can only go so far :). Right now I've got three very nice Opanara head concepts. I'll scan those hopefully on monday and send 'em.

[Stitch]

That sounds great. Thanks for your interest in the Hostile Freedom project.

[Stitch]

{WIP} Spitfire 7.62mm Assault Rifle

http://hostile-freedom.juveniles.dk/art/spitfirehf.jpg

[Stitch]

New IRC network. We can now be found on irc.gamesnet.net in #hostile-freedom - this change was made for more security and control over our channel.

[x84D80Yx]

no offence, but that gun could have some more detail. it looks kinda... Q3ish


and do you guys have your own forums? cause it just seems like your using hl2.net for dev updates and new news ;x

[Stitch]

Details will be added with a bump map. There is no need to waste polygons on things that can be added with a bump-map. http://www.hostile-freedom.juveniles.dk/forum.php is where our forum is.

Here is a newer render of the same weapon:

http://www.sioux-online.com/~petern/updaterender.jpg

[alco]

Mother****ing Kinko's mother****ing scanners mother****ing broke. :( But it's okay, because it gave me time to work on some Stygnians, and an Onapara boat. :)


You're a talented modeler, Stitch. Before going into the 3D art, though, I think you should outline the main gameplay points and features of HF. Is it class-based, do people respawn right away, is there a buy system...

Even if you've answered these before, it's important to have them summarized in one place.

[Stitch]

Don't worry about that alco, I'm a game designer by heart. A design document has been started and many things have been added. In fact, starting out on paper first, is where my design philosophy starts. I'm working on models now because we need content and our weapons list is complete.

[alco]

Sent you an email, Stitch.


Dropship level idea:

The setting is a in a middle-eastern style urban town. Narrow, unpaved roads. Lots of small, 2-storey buildings with balconeys and access to roofs. Stygians spawn in the middle of town, in one of the buildings. Onapara spawn in a seperated area, unreachable by foot. This forces the team to use the 2 dropships contained in the area to get to the town.
They will then have air-ground gunfights. Marines shoot out of the back of the dropship, Stygians attack from balconeys and rooftops. Onapara team can also land and deploy the marines, hopefully catching the enemy by surprise.
I'm thinking plain team deathmatch for the map. A problem does arise, though. Because if you plan to have destructible vehicles, the dropships will be taken down in a matter of seconds if being shot by 5 Stygians at a time.

If it's to your liking, I can work on a rough map design of the level.

[Stitch]

Sounds good. I was thinking earliar about a defense system that would be controlled by the player. For example, if the protective armor gets damaged, a player can switch on energy shields, which would enable them to take more damage until finally the energy shields die out. That way, if a player forgets to iniate the shields, he goes down, which would give the enemy a kill. That might clear up the problem of the ship getting shot down quickly. If the player is smart he'd use the shield system accordingly to protect his men from ground fire. Also, instead of the ship or vehicle blowing up entirely (actually depends on type of damage) the players can exit. For example, a dropship gets shot down; the players can jump out the back and parachute into the battlefield. Go for it alco, draw up the design. I'd like to see it.

[Noodlygod]

Heya Stitch, I like thos models. Nice work! I think I'm going to get back to work on the dropship, and I was working on Murrays shotgun idea but then when I came and re-read his post I realized I'd gotten the idea all wrong =P

One level I continually picture is a large open rocky beach leading into a destroyed city. (It may have been from one of your earlier stories, I don't remember) I can just picture the dropships swooping in from the ocean, battles raging on the rocks below. Sniper and RPG fire from the broken down buildings in the city. And in my mind it's the coolest thing ever.

Edit: A quick question too, how many people can the dropship carry? When I started on the other version of it I ran into this problem. In Murray's sketch the cab looks pretty small, so I just made it bigger. But since I'm starting over I Figured I'd ask. Maybe it'd be cool to have a few different versions, version 1 carries 6 units (4 in the rear, pilot and co-pilot/gunner) and another carries 14 or something. (12 in rear)

[Nostradamus]

Hi noodlygod...sounds wasome :)
Stitch finally persuaded me to set up a "real" forum so go to www.hostile-freedom.juveniles.dk/phpbb/PHPBB2 :)

also our chan is now #hostile-freedom on GAMESNET! :)

[Stitch]

There are three classes of drop ship. Nova, Delta and Shield. Nova is the supply/equipment drop ship which also carries 7 fully armed marines. The Delta is the combat-main entry drop ship. It is equipped with two 3HD MG's (your futuristic gatling gun) and can carry 15 fully armed marines. The Shield is a big mother, it can go from the surface to space easily and has enough space to carry 20+ people depending on how much they carry.

[Nostradamus]

hmmm cant edit atm?

http://hostile-freedom.juveniles.dk/phpbb/phpBB2/ ..the other 1 doesnt work :)

[Noodlygod]

Wow, that's a lot of people. We may want to play with the design then simply because a rotor in that position wouldn't be able to support the weight hanging off the back of it. It may work great for quick backward bursts but there would need to be another propulsion system in place to keep the back end off the ground. (We could have the rotar, the two forward moving jets in the back and then two more jets on the bottom in the back but that would just seem sort of useless) Thanks for the link, I'll stop on by =)

[alco]

BTW, for my dropship concept:

Replace where the door is with just an empty space. That way, marines can shoot out of the back with their rifles. They can also jump out whenever they want. So say you're in that dropship level, shooting it out with a Stygian who's hiding in a building. One of the marines onboard can just jump out to the roof, go in, and take the Stygian inside by surprise.

What do you think of my other concepts? Are they in line with what you had in mind?

[Stitch]

They are great. I like your vision.

[alco]

Originally posted by Stitch
The classes part; sounds splendid; I was always a fan of classes, but the game doesn't require them as players can basically make thier own classes with the variety of equipment and weapons that will be included as the game [development wise] progresses. Example: equipment to fix damaged vehicles will be available for players wanting to be an engineer or portable medic-kits for your medic type player. It all boils down to the development philosophy of giving players [users] the "freedom" to play how they wish without any restrictions.

The issue with this is: will people really buy that equipment? Just because you give the player that choice doesn't mean he'll take it. Most people will want some gun action. I think they'd find the choices of vehicle repair kits, or medkits, unappealling. This is just my opinion, of course. But you could try this alternative:

The players don't have to buy the equipment. If a player gets killed and decides to wait for help, a meter will show up. The meter slowly goes down if the wounded player goes unattended. Any teammate can just come up to him and hold the use key. The teammate can't move or shoot while healing, so he's open to attack. It's exactly like diffusing bombs in CS. The same goes for damaged vehicles.



Anyways, I would like to see the current design document for HF. :)

[Stitch]

It all comes down to choice. Essentially, it is a class-less game. No one has to buy the kits or the equipment, it's there if they want it. Once again, choice. If a team doesn't have any engineering kits, then their vehicles will remain where they fall. The document isn't ready. I will refrain from showing anyone an unfinished design document. It's just how I work, sorry. After it is completed, I'm going to hand it off to everyone on the team and they can make changes and whatever else they feel needs to e done. Oh and another thing, are you officially signed on with us?

[alco]

Am I? What exactly is 'officially signed on'?

[Stitch]

Like have you come out and said "I want to join the team?" or something similiar? Or have you just kinda slid along?

[alco]

Yeah, I said I can join the team as a concept artist, and possible level design. I guess that's 'officially signed on', mate.

[Stitch]

Alright great. Stop by the IRC channel once and awhile. Gamesnet #hostile-freedom

[Stitch]

Alive. Are we alive? Yes! We are alive. Development has been going rather slowly. But don't fret yet, we have had some changes in our development cycle and are now on track. Stay tuned.