The past week we have presented a number of images that represent the upcoming release of Urban Terror including the new models skin dubbed SWAT and Red Dragons. We also showed off the updated version of Riyadh, originally created by .EXE and modified by BladeKiller and RabidCow. You also got a preliminary look at the newly skinned HK G36 and Franchi SPAS-12 weapon models.

Today we bring some of these images together and give you an idea of what the in-game action will look like. Many gamers have commented on the images we have presented to date in the Urban Terror Forums. So I will take some of my own advice and STFU. Enjoy the images, and we will post more in the coming weeks.

The level, Rommel was the brainchild of Bar-B-Q, who brought his level development talents over from Action Quake 2 [remember Actdam?]. Rommel was recreated from the final scene of the blockbuster movie, Saving Private Ryan. While the level is not an exact representation, there are facets that will have you saying, 'I remember seeing that in the movie,??? such as the phonograph, the Pernod Fils sign over the river and the partially bombed out church tower.



Rommel was release with Beta 2.3 in August, 2001. Upon its release, it was quickly one of the most popular levels being played, but it was not without its share of problems. The area known as 'the corner??? caused gamers to suffer major FPS lag due to the amount of polys on the screen being render during game play. Add to that smoke grenades, gamers, etc and the lag got to be unbearable at time, dropping that area to single digit frame rates. Early game play also had this as the only of two ways between opposing sides of the level. This led to many 0-0 draws and 1-0 scores for CTF matches.



Nonetheless, Rommel remained very popular among gamers. Over the years, there would be changes to the level, initially by Bar-B-Q and then by BladeKiller who would spend many, many hours working and testing in order to get this 'monkey off her back.??? New underground tunnels and additional areas were added that would allow for an improved playability, giving gamers more alternatives between the two sides of the level.



This upcoming release of Rommel has seen even more changes including the removal of brush created objects, such as the Tiger Tank and the bridge near the red flag. These were replaced by models created by Lt1 [Tiger Tank] and RabidCow . These changes alone drastically improved the FPS near 'the corner.??? There have also been some changes to scenery, the buildings and skybox. " I've retextured a lot of buildings with European textures and made some models for roofs...rearranged the tunnels at QA's request...I used func_walls to make it smaller for TS; like the original Rommel," said BladeKiller.



Rommel will continue to see success, especially for CTF. Gamers are drawn to the level, maybe it’s because 'coinbird is angry for coins??? or the scream as you attempt to fly from the upper level of the church tower. In the end it’s the overall layout and playability of the level that has Urban Terrorists returning for more!

Nearly 6 years of continuous development, with periods of inactivity, Urban Terror continues introducing gamers to “where Quake meets reality.??? This was our slogan when the mod was released at Quakecon 2000, because this is how we approached the mod in an attempt give gamers a mod with the fast paced action of Quake III Arena combined with the realism based theme.

Community support over these last 6 years has been rather impressive. We have seen a diehard core group of gamers who have followed the development since the early days of 1.27. Planetquake was one of the first major game sites to provide coverage for the mod.

It was not long after initial development the team moved hosting of the Urban Terror web site to GameSpy’s Planetquake in order to take advantage of what they offered in terms of an established gaming site, daily news and free FTP services at FilePlanet. This combination would allow the mod better visibility, being seen by many more gamers than we could attract without the support of Planetquake.

We would also strike up a friendship with Roger at Planetquake3.net, who has been invaluable during the lifespan of the mod. Like Planetquake, he offered hosting for all Urban Terror files during releases as well as posting news and notes and doing interviews on his web site.

It was not long after 1.27 that more web sites started to offer support, game servers [remember the Vk-14 server?], news, information and files for Urban Terror. Early support was worldwide including Warhammer’s ISPGN in Canada to QuakeItalia in Italy, UrbanTerror.de in Germany, Action Grounds in the UK and Crossfire down under in Australia, lest we can’t forget the very opinionated DeadLlamas.net.

Organized game play was spotty at best early on. ISPGN attempted to organize some league based game play, but it would be some months later that league play would break onto the scene. Urban Terror leagues included action from the OGL, Stronger than All, CAL, TWL and Clanbase. Once Urban Terror clans got involved with their web site, the terror was spreading, providing further coverage and support for the game.

It would be the lead up and release of Urban Terror Beta 2.0 [June 2001] that represented one of the biggest releases to date and would spawn a series of patches over the next 15 months. Community support during this time flourished as many Urban Terror dedicated sites popped up providing news, opinions, files and an assortment of Urban Terror related items.

There were sites dedicated to level design, such as The 6th Floor, others created to host downloads and related files, including levels created by the community, statistic programs, desktop backgrounds, Urban Terror demos and movies, just to name a few. If it were Urban Terror related, guaranteed someone hosted a site.

Now it’s impossible to name all the supporters, but we have seen some great support over the years from a number of web sites. Ghozt at FSK405.com [and formerly kickassctf.com] has provided coverage, files and services, along with hosting our forums for some 3 years now. His service and support has been invaluable.

While the site is now defunct, Wolfseye, formerly of Act-of-War had a huge repository of files, levels and other goodies he offered to the community. He too did an amazing amount of work keeping Urban Terror alive for many years.

FROServers run by J0E and Preat have done an outstanding job recently completing a new web site update to include more Urban Terror related item. They also provide GTV coverage to Clanbase for clan coverage.

MidgetKiller held the reins of the Urban Terror Map Depot housing the largest number of Urban Terror levels for the mod before it was shut down last year. But fret not, as he closed down, Hybridesque took control and opened up Flipped Normals. This site is more dedicated to the level designer than allowing gamers to download community created levels, this site, like the Map Depot and The 6th Floor before it, the site is a necessity for community level designers.

Many nations also created their own national Urban Terror web site. Nations such as Portugal, Hungary, Italy, France, Poland, Brazil, Japan, Canada and others translated Urban Terror news into their native language.

Drawing attention to individual clan sites would be difficult, as we have seen many clans, great and not so great come and go over the years, both in Europe and the Americas. Without the clan gamers, Urban Terror would not be what it is today. We know there are some clans who have been around for nearly as long as we have been developing the mod. But, as with game sites, it is their dedication and enjoyment they get from the mod that has them coming back for more.

The support for Urban Terror over the span of 6 years is more than anyone on the development team could ask for. While I did not touch on all the individual people who supported Urban Terror, the development team, both past and present thank everyone who has done their part to support the mod they love to play and experience “where Quake meets reality.???

It's with much regret I post that we will not see an update for today, Friday, August 11, which would have been Day 7. My computer has crashed with a BSOD and I am not able to access any of the files or information I need to successfully update 'The 27 Days of Terror'. Fret not, I do have an older copy of the master on my work computer, so instead of filling up a day with bullpoopy or giving you a Week in Review, which I seriously thought about, I decided it would be best to wait until tomorrow to give you Day 7. I am not sure when or if I will be able to recover the data on my computer, hopefully I can resolve the issues in the next few days. But we do have more Urban Terror information and images to pass on to the community, this is but a hiccup. See you tomorrow for Day 7!

]The models have undergone many changes since the 1.27 days; we have had a few different models created for use in Urban Terror, while the skins have improved over the years. BotKiller originally used the base Quake III Sarge model, since it was the "most realistic" looking model that could be used. Freakstorm created a few different skins that would replace the default Sarge skin, prior to new models being created. As development continued, we did create a new male model, which was skinned by Freakstorm who created two military style skins that hit a highpoint during 1.27. But those skins would be rather short lived as development moved forward to Beta 2. During this development cycle, “skins were changed in almost every 2.x release,?? says BladeKiller. “People hated the 2.3 skins; they were good skins but a bit too dark for most gamers to see easily. Unfortunately...Miles skins were hard to see and tell apart although beautifully made,?? said BladeKiller.?? BladeKiller came aboard because of our modeler, Earthquake and together they created some great pieces! BladeKiller has been honing her artistic skills and creating skins for a few years now and the model skins have seen a huge improvement over the original skins. You can see the changes as the different versions were released. For the upcoming release we have spent time working on skins that would be visible to teammates and opponents, as well skins that would not get lost in the details and colors of any given level. As we debuted Monday, in The 27 Days of Terror: Day 3 - SWAT Team, the SWAT player skins were the first of two new skins to be used in Urban Terror. The other skin that was created to offset the SWAT Team is known as the Red Dragons. The skins are orange in color, as the male models are wearing prison jumpers, while their female counterpart is decked out in orange motorcycle leather. This completes a theme around our new model skins as the SWAT Team pursues the Red Dragons through many different locations in an attempt to apprehend them. Catchy, eh? As development continues, a development team needs to be looking ahead on how to improve on current assets. Many of those assets in Urban Terror, such as the models had been unchanged for a few years. As for the skins, BladeKiller has been continuously working on improving the overall look and style of the player skins.

]The weapons have undergone considerable change since the early versions of Urban Terror. Originally, included with the mod were the HK G36, HK UMP45, SPAS-12, HK PSG1, Beretta 92FS and the knife. During early development most of the weapons were tested and tweaked by the development with very little input from the community. The result was somewhat unbalanced, with the SPAS-12 ungodly from all the way across the level, while the UMP45 reigned supreme as the weapon of choice during the 1.27 days.

Weapons would be drastically changed for the release of Beta 2. The development team would build on the current arsenal, adding the HK MP5K, Colt M4, HK G36 and the Remington SR-8 to Urban Terror. To go along with the new weapons, there were new challenges to implement the weapons in the game so there was no one dominate weapon. Although some would argue the SR-8 is dominate, having the ability to be a one shot, one kill weapon.



The final two weapons to be added to Urban Terror were the AK-103 and the LR-300 during Beta 2.6. Since that release, each new version has brought about changes in the amount of damage each weapon does. The development team never did release damage figures, which led the community to do their own testing.

For the upcoming release, the development team will be providing hard figures for each weapon. These weapons have undergone quite a bit of scrutiny from the Quality Assurance Team. Some of you might remember the server side pak file called ‘Gosu’ that modified weapon values. If there is one aspect of Urban Terror that has been tested again and again it’s the weapons.



Today we show off two newly skinned weapons for the upcoming release of Urban Terror. Neither the HK G36 nor the SPAS-12 models have been remodeled of modified. Each weapon has received a new skin. Since the sand colored G36 was not at big hit, its reverted back to a dull black courtesy of Bittar, while the SPAS-12 was skinned by Lt1.

One level that has been a community favorite among CFTers was the release of Riyadh, created by .EXE for Beta 2.3, released August, 2001, nearly 4 years to the day! Since that time, the level has remained relatively unchanged. It did receive a minor update in 2002 for the release of Beta 2.6.

Riyadh is one of the few levels that were mirrored for game play, which might explain its popularity among Urban Terror leagues. Each outpost now has five different entry points, including a large, partially open main entrance, a main side entrance, two lower doorways and finally one new hallway that brings gamers in on the upper level.



Most gamers will immediately recognize the changes on Riyadh, which includes new buildings on each side of the level and some ruins, such as buried and broken walls placed on the center hill that divides the level in half.

I decided to add the new buildings to provide some cover for the spawns and interest to the map. I've played the map a lot and noticed how hard it is to get out of spawn once the opposing team has taken the hill so I added the buildings to give some cover on that side. I added the walls on top of the central hill to add some interest and cover up there,??? says BladeKiller.



The design changes, with the addition of the buildings will definitely added a new dimension to the playability of Riyadh. The sniper rifles were heavily used on Riyadh, so much so that is did turn some gamers off to this level. up to this version I did not like this map very much...now everything has changed,??? says DarkDancer. He goes on to say, “the new buildings and the walls on the hill make this map much more playable for non-sniping guys like me.???

Frea]{ has similar thoughts, glad ut_riyadh received some work. It always was a fun and fast map in my opinion. The only problem was that it was easier for snipers than auto monkeys, but the few new buildings should help these to get through other side of the map more easily.???

Along with new buildings, the skybox and lighting has been changed as well, which makes Riyadh a great looking level. Take a tour through this desert oasis and don’t forget to pack your weapons.

BladeKiller has put in literally thousands of hours over the years creating, modifying and completing reskinning the many of the models used in Urban Terror today. Like some assets, the models have remained unchanged since Urban Terror Beta 2.0, which was released June, 2001. Prior to that release, the models that were included were the original models from out inaugural release August, 2000.

For the new release, the male and female models have been built from scratch, started by CGMonkey and finished by BladeKiller. We will get into the model details in a future update [yes, that means you must wait some more...patience young grasshopper], when we talk about their development and animation.



Today we bring you the first in a series of screenshots that intend to bring out the culmination of the time and effort to create the new skins that will be included in the upcoming release. “I tried a lot of things before settling on this “theme??? including camouflaged pants and then camouflaged vests, and then 27 asked for a Kill Bill outfit for the Red Team females. Yellow didn't look good though so I changed it to red, from that came the idea of the Red Dragons and the males in orange prison garb and that prompted the blue team as SWAT and a theme was born,??? says BladeKiller.

One of the big complaints from the community has been the visibility of opposing players, depending on the skins we previously had. Beta 2 brought the idea of leg and arm bands, which would increase the visibility issue and you would be able to pick out your teammates easier. Skins were continually updated and changed throughout the 2.x development cycle. The bands were finally removed prior to 3.0 in lieu of new skins, again created by BladeKiller.

So, with visibility in mind, BladeKiller took to creating new skins for the upcoming release, with input and ideas spawning from the Quality Assurance Team. “Brolly helped with the idea of the dark vests and Hybridesque with the idea of using black for the red males to go with the orange instead of brown, like I was trying, and Tango for being blind and not being able to see the first skins I tried with the old models which propelled a lot of this.???



Comments from around the Quality Assurance Team are rather positive. “Visibility seems good on the maps I tried (casa/turnpike/austria) and I think they look pretty good. I hope other people will feel the same,??? says woekele. Snoppis chimes in with, “What can I say, they are extremely good looking i never thought they could look so good.??? BladeKiller was continually looking for input throughout the design process to make sure we did not run into visibility issues. Finally, Hybridesque sums it up with, “[the models/skins] are light years from the old Athena [they were so archaic]...was nice to watch BladeKiller develop those skins.???

The development team holds close ties with their community since the beginning of Urban Terror back in 2000. During that time we have listened to suggestions, feedback and criticism from the community that has made Urban Terror what it is today.

We know that anticipation and excitement runs high as the development team and community gear up for a new version to be released. Sometimes that anticipation has paid off with a great release, while other times frustration quickly set in upon release due to a missed bug or some sort of niggle [that is coder speak] that should have been resolved prior to release.

This upcoming release is one of the most highly anticipated releases based strictly on the amount of time the development team has spent refining and updating the current version [3.7] you are playing online.

For months many gamers have been speculating on the release, while others have quit asking and some have taken the "it's done, when it's done" approach. Hmmm, who coined that phrase? A day does not go by the question is not asked, “When is Urban Terror being released????

Today begins the first of twenty-seven updates in the development of the new version of Urban Terror as we close in on the actual release. While it has been over a year since the last release, v3.7, much has transpired since that time. Rehashing some of the old news, we made a few announcements about converting the mod to RtCW:ET, which was cancelled by the development team. Prior to that we incorporated as a legitimate business, while Silicon Ice Development may live on in our memories, the development team became officially known as Frozen Sand, LLC. We spent about 12 months working on a playable demo that we showed off to some in the industry who provided input and feedback.

We did take a considerable amount of time off from any sort of development from Urban Terror. When we made the decision to move forward with a new release [you know it as 3.8], it was originally intended to be a small patch in order to fix some minor issues and provide an update to some of the current levels. Tub has spent a goodly amount of time updating his levels and instead of letting them go to waste we decided this would form the basis of our release. As usually happens with any update, minor changes are added, other levels are modified, models are tweaked, code is changed. Before you know it that \"small patch\" has suddenly turned into a full blown, major release. That is where we currently are on this current development cycle.

This release is going to be a whole lot more than \"just a step\" from 3.7 to 3.8. We are fully aware the community has been yearning to play a new version of Urban Terror for some time, an early or incomplete release would not have satisfied given the amount of time that had passed. I am sure some updated levels would have pleased Team Survivor and Capture the Flag players to some extent, but to the development team there would not have been closure on the mod. It is rare to see any development last that long on a single game on a dedicated engine.

While the development team has been streamlined, we do have some very dedicated individuals working to make this release happen. Even though the [development team] players have changed over the years, the game has stayed the same. We know our roots; gamers want to experience that fast paced action Quake III Arena is known for. People like TwentySeven, Bladekiller, RabidCow, HighSea, Lt1, |NV|S, Riche and ShminkyBoy, just to name a few have put forth great effort, long hours and sacrifice to complete this upcoming release.

Over the next 27 days you will see the fruits of our labor as we prepare for the release of Urban Terror. You will be given a look at the models, levels, weapons and other \"features and goodies\" that have been included during this development cycle, along with video shorts of the new Urban Terror. We will talk to the development team, along with some community supporters and people involved in leagues such as Clanbase and STA.

We look forward to providing this information and media to those in the community who have continued to stand by the development team and support the game they love to play, Urban Terror.