9 /10 1 Votes
Developer(s) SourceForts Mod Team Mode(s) Online multiplayer Platforms Microsoft Windows, Linux | 9.1/10 ModDB Engine Source engine Initial release date 25 February 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Genres First-person shooter, Capture the flag Similar Eternal Silence, Dystopia, Half‑Life 2: Capture the Flag, Fortress Forever, Weekday Warrior | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SourceForts is a multiplayer capture the flag mod for the computer game Half-Life 2. Two teams, red and blue, construct forts made from metal cubes and panels to protect their flag, and attempt to break into their opponent's fort to steal the enemy flag, which they must then return to their own fort to score. The mod was first released in 2005.
Contents
Gameplay
Players in SourceForts have the ability to spawn and manipulate blocks and panels, being able to freeze and unfreeze the spawned blocks and panels to create and modify the fort. A typical SourceForts match is played out in a series of Build and Combat rounds. During the Build round players construct forts, and during the Combat round players duel in a capture the flag match, using the forts as bases.
Build Phase
During the Build Phase the two teams are restricted to their own side of the map and cannot use any weapons. The only equipment is the Gravity Gun, used to freeze and unfreeze blocks, pick them up and move them. Each side has access to a limited number of blocks (default of 50, but can be set to any value), which can be spawned (using buttons in a spawn bay) and then picked up with the gravity gun and used. Blocks come in five different shapes (2x1x1 oblong, 5x1 panel, 3x2 panel, 2x2 panel, and 2x1 panel) which enable the players to create a wide variety of structures, which include crawl tunnels, sky forts, sprint ramps and walls.
Combat Phase
During the Combat Phase players are given weapons according to their chosen class and attempt to breach the enemy's constructions, ultimately capturing their flag. On most servers a successful capture and base return is worth 100 points and a capture without returning it is worth a single point. To win a map a team must achieve a total of 1000 points, or be the team with the most points at the end of a set number of build/combat rounds. This number is variable depending on the server set up and admins.
SourceForts was originally created by Daniel "Knifa" Callander who at the time was a twelve-year-old from Scotland, with its first release on February 25, 2005. He was responsible for all versions up to 1.4.1, until he ceased development due to frustrations with an update released by Valve Corporation for its game Half-Life 2: Deathmatch. on which SourceForts is based. As of September 1, 2009 SourceForts is on its sixth lead programmer. Development crossed from Alpha into Beta on January 10, 2006, only to later be completely scratched from development.
SourceForts in the media
On August 5, 2006, the SourceForts trailer movie was added to Steam. Over the following weeks, SourceForts rose in Steam's official game statistics, although it has since suffered a loss in its player base over the years, and has fallen off the statistics page. SourceForts has been featured on the Steam website since August 2006.
SourceForts was featured on Giga TV, a German television show, on August 10, 2006. SourceForts version 1.9.0 was included on the cover disc of PC Zone magazine issue #163, January 2006.
In January 2007, SourceForts was awarded 'Mod of the Year' by the French Steam gaming website Vossey. They praised the mod for 'its originality and gameplay'.
Requirements
To play SourceForts a copy of the Source SDK Base is required. Half-Life 2: Deathmatch used to be required, but as of the latest release is no longer required.
It is also to be noted that some SourceForts servers automatically kick players who are using DirectX 7 and below.