Steam v2.0 Coming

October 14, 2002 4:22 PM

Valve Software has just sent out word of a major upgrade to their Steam service is on the way. Generally when this stuff comes out from them you can expect a release within the next few weeks. Here's the stuff:

Steam Beta 2.0 Coming Soon

Updates for Counter-Strike, Team Fortress Classic, as well as new casual games and performance optimizations will be introduced in Steam beta 2.0, which is expected to go live early next month. Steam, Valve's broadband business platform for content delivery and management, was announced at the 2002 Game Developer's Conference in San Jose, CA. Since the launch of beta 1, over 125,000 gamers have tried Steam. Many of the game-specific features released in Steam beta 2.0 will be made available to the non-Steam community at the conclusion of this beta.

Key Features:
-- V-GUI 2 plus an integrated set of communications tools that provide built-in support for a variety of services, such as instant messaging, configuration, and server browsing.
-- Counter-Strike: Introduction of Riot Shield, FAMAS, and Galil.
-- Team Fortress Classic: Introduction of the engineer's teleportation pad, new map from Valve (Ravelin), plus various fixes and tweaks.
-- Casual Steam games: Chess, Checkers, and Go.
-- Anti-cheat support for all Valve multiplayer games.
-- Improved Steam performance.

Steve Gibson

Steve Gibson is the cofounder of Shacknews.com. Originally known as sCary's Quakeholio back in 1996, Steve is now President of Gearbox Publishing after selling Shacknews to GameFly in 2009.

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grendel

 reply
October 14, 2002 4:24 PM

hello world!!
- grendel
  
   reply
  October 14, 2002 4:25 PM
  
  to be relevant, the only thing that makes this a big article is the possibility that something neat might be coming soon from Valve. Steam was useless for the most part.
  - veggie
    
     reply
    October 14, 2002 4:27 PM
    
    Ironic name steam. similar to the word "smoke"
    
    anyways, i don't play HL anymore but if this gets people low pings or easier updates then great.
    - gregorybrown
      
       reply
      October 14, 2002 5:09 PM
      
      What makes it even more ironic is it's similarity to vapor-ware. :)
  - special agent smith
    
     reply
    October 14, 2002 4:28 PM
    
    Another thing that makes this article big, is the amout of bullet points too.
  - Vorlonesque
    
     reply
    October 14, 2002 5:07 PM
    
    I would really really really love to see HL2 in the near future. It would actually be hilarious if they announced it sometime soon before Christmas and just beat the shit out of everything without warning (it won't happen but I can dream).
    - Beady
      
       reply
      October 14, 2002 5:20 PM
      
      hehe, hl2's ability to 'beat the shit out of' would be an understatement.
  - Turd Ferguson
    
     reply
    October 14, 2002 8:38 PM
    
    well one reason why its so big is that its going to be the beta testing of the first pointrelease that adds new weapons to CS since pre retail. im going to do my best to get on the beta team.