Hello everyone! After many years of development, many hands programming, and many hours of crafting nav meshes; we are happy to release PVKII GrogBots into the wild! Tremendous thank you to our coders over the years, developers and testers, and authorized creators who all contributed to our GrogBots.
What are GrogBots? Simply put, they’re computer controlled players like those found in other source engine games like CS:GO or TF2. Players can practice against them offline, and play against them online alongside other players. GrogBots are on by default, so bots will populate any server, even if no one is playing. GrogBots are kind and give their spots up for a real players when they join. Watch the game chat as they may wish to talk to you!
Easy to learn; difficult to master. PVKII has a deep and complex combat system. To help teach players, both old and new, we will be introducing a series of streamlined learning resources, starting with GrogBots. After GrogBots we will release an extensive Player Guide, and soon after that, Video Tutorials.
We’ve also made a significant change to the battlefield. The GrogBot Update removes auto parry, and with it, the distinction between auto and manual. The playing field has been made fair for all players. No one is at an advantage. There are no more guessing games. Attack and block using timing, wit, and skill. Rulesets have been adjusted to reflect this change.
Highlights:
Offline and Online Bots, aka GrogBots!
GrogBot Achievements
Removal of Auto Parry
Map Changes
New Mapping Entities
Various Code & Resource Updates
Screenshots:
Changelog
Please see below for a Changelog that details many of the changes in this release. Head over to our Bug/Support Forums, or Steam Discussion to report any issues. GrogBots Please note that only official PVKII maps have tailored nav_meshes, to create a basic nav mesh or for some helpful tips for creating a nav_mesh for your map, please see the following references. https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Navigation_Meshes https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Navigation_Mesh_Commands
GrogBot Achievements
Absolute Sentience (Ooops, that is kind of embarrassing)
John Connor (50 bot kills)
Rise of the Machines (Kill 250 bots)
Judgement Day (Kill 1000 bots)
GrogBot Commands
bot_difficulty [0|1|2] - Sets the bot difficulty level, easy (0), medium (1), hard (2).
bot_quota [0 - MAX_PLAYERS] - Set's the number of players/bots to maintain in the server. Will leave 1 slot open on the server at all times.
bot_require_humans [0|1] - Controls whether the server should require a human to be present before joining the bots.
bot_chatter [0|1] - Controls whether the bots will run their mouth
bot_cycle [0|1] - Controls whether the bots will cycle in and out of the server.
bot_min_desired_play_time - The minimum amount of playtime a bot will spend in the server (in seconds) before leaving.
bot_max_desired_play_time - The maximum amount of playtime a bot will spend in the server (in seconds) before leaving.
bot_kick_all - Kick all bots from the server and set bot_quota to 0.
addbot - Add bot to random team with random class.
addbot [team number] - Add bot to team with random class.
addbot [team number 2-4] [class number (starting from 0)] - Add bot to team with specified class.
Debug Commands (listen server only)
bot_debug - Enable/disable bot debug hud.
bot_select - Selects the bot the player is aiming at for debugging.
bot_select_next - Select the next bot on the server.
bot_select_prev - Select the previous bot on the server.
bot_givespecial - Give full special meter to bot.
bot_blockhere - Order the bot to stand and block using a shield.
bot_holdposhere - Order the bot to hold position at the location of the crosshair's intersection with the ground
bot_moveto - "Moves a bot to the position the issuing player is looking at.
bot_goforchest - Schedules the bot to go after the chest the player is pointing to.
bot_dropitem - Drop the item the bot is holding.
Removal of Auto Parry
Auto Parry has been removed from the game. Now everyone uses the same parrying system, which was called Manual Parry when Auto Parry still existed.
Rulesets have been adjusted to reflect this change.
Map Changes
Lts_cathedral Sudden Death changed to minimize bots getting stuck on pillars, pillars are now destructible by melee attacks but cannot be destroyed by range weapons.
Te_sandstorm removed pillar from food cache territory to assist bots.
New Mapping Entities
Info_target_attack, This entity is used to indicate to bots that an entity or brush is attackable. Set the parent of the info_target_attack entity to the object you want the bot to see as a possible target.
func_nav_blocker, This entity will block/unblock any touching nav_mesh. Use entity block and unblock inputs to block/unblock.
Info_map_cvar, This entity, when placed in a map, allows the map to modify the following CVARS on the server but only for the duration of the map. After map change the server's original settings are restored.
Added BOT tags for death notices, objective notices, and scoreboard
Increased both legs dismember chance
Fixed character info ESC crash
Speculative fix for rare round start crash
Various fixes to MapHack system
Mac OSX Fixes
Fixed a crash which could prevent mac users from joining the game.
Fixed a bug where Bondi’s special would cause the screen to turn red.
Fixed a crash caused by an experimental shader engine.
Particles
Updated Explosion particle effects
Fixed feathers being used on Berserker head dismemberment
Thank You This update is a result of many years of hard work. We’ve listed Developers and Contributors below we feel have put in substantial efforts over the years into making this release possible. Akz, Felis, Fuz, Popemaster, SauceMan527, Saunachum, Smutpirate, Spirrwell and Nive.
Special thanks to PVKII player community for providing Bot name suggestions: Baldymanz, BlackDragon, Blazeris The Cat, Blue Oyster Cultist, carltonhanks, Colonel, Conscious Creature, CornKing, Djak, donan, Fotgof, Foxboi, fuz, GhostZeBear, Homer, Intelligence, "I shall not, sir.", jgh238, JimmyElPelado, Joshy, Jovana, Kaizuriku, latrox, lokkdokk, Luigi, Mr. Mjau, Mr. Rumdum, Mr.Tonguesoff, MSTVD, MysticEyes, Nex, Plank, Popemaster, Ricci, SaunaChum, Sir Mel Gibsman, Squeakers, TheRedWii, usobuki, Vladimir, WarHistoryGeek, [H] Hark Scrumpy, [ϺɌ] Visuv.
PVKII GrogBot Update is here! Keep the bloody good times going by celebrating with us and helping squash some bugs! Come out and play with us this Saturday Nov 16 at 1:30 EST / GMT-5. Once the event is scheduled on steam, refer to the Steam Community Hub Event for most accurate time for your area.
We'll be playing on the following servers:
MrAgent's 0.4.2.0 Official Server smut's House of Pancakes
*Server listings are subject to change.
We'd ask that you please adhere to all server rules for the game and on discord, and follow any rules enforced by server admins, developers, or testers throughout the event. Sounds easy, and we'll have fun!
Join the conversation on the official PVKII Discord! Interact with devs, testers, creators, and community!
Follow us on Trello for the latest development buzz, and as always, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.
See you in game!
PVKII Team Octoshark Studios
PVKII Halloween Maps!
Come out and play the new tw_fort_dark and lts_gravedanger on Mr Agent's Official Server!
Download tw_fort_dark from the workshop here: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1900710827
Enjoy some halloween maps while we eagerly await the GrogBot Update release!
For a sneak peak on what the update includes, click the image below!
Have a Happy Halloween!
PVKII Team
[RELEASE] PVKII Update & Changelog (Beta 0.4.1.3)
PVKII Beta 0.4.1.3 Update Release Notes
Hello everyone!
Here’s a second helping of gore and balance updates for you all to chew on. We’ll be monitoring the balance changes and we’re prepared to consider additional changes and fixes depending on how they’re received. So, let us know what you think, and have fun blowing your enemies up into chunks! Server owners, please update your servers!
Gibs and Dismemberment
Added new explosive gibs for Berserker, Gestir, Bondi, Sharpshooter, Heavy Knight, and Man-at-arms
Added bloody textures for arm, head, and leg gibs
Added dismemberment sound
Balance Changes
Bondi
Seax:
Base Damage: 46 -> 45
Forward:
Multiplier: 1.0 -> 1.13
Wind-up: 0.38 -> 0.54
Recovery: 0.65 -> 0.51
Back:
Multiplier: 1.1 -> 0.9
Wind-up: 0.48 -> 0.26
Recovery: 0.88 -> 0.56
Left & Right:
Wind-up: 0.25 -> 0.26
Recovery: 0.55 -> 0.56
Overall, the seax is now a touch weaker but its power has been spread across all four attacks. Before, the left & right attacks were much more effective than the forward & back attacks. The forward attack now takes longer to wind-up to account for the animation, which could previously be skipped. To make up for the increased wind-up, the forward attack now deals more damage. The back attack is now as fast as the left & right attacks but deals 90% damage, which brings it in line with the majority of other melee weapons.
Flatbow:
Base Damage: 58 -> 53
In the previous update, the flatbow received tweaks to its damage and visual droop, as well as a buff to its fire rate. All three changes proved to be excessive, so the damage has been lowered to compensate. It has been otherwise unchanged.
Man-at-Arms
Halberd:
Base damage: 45 -> 48
Forward:
Multiplier: 1.25 -> 1.2
Wind-up: 0.46 -> 0.45
Recovery: 1.0 -> 0.9
Back:
Multiplier: 1.25 -> 1.1
Wind-up: 0.46 -> 0.45
Recovery: 1.0 -> 0.9
Left & Right:
Multiplier: 1.25 -> 1.08
Wind-up: 0.46 -> 0.35
Recovery: 1.0 -> 0.76
The Halberd is overall faster via shorter wind-up and recovery times, which should make it feel less sluggish and much more responsive. Previously, all four of the Halberd’s attacks were functionally identical. Similar to Gestir’s Spear, the left & right attacks are now faster than the forward & back attacks but deal less damage. The forward & back attacks share the same attack speed, but the back attack deals 90% of the forward attack’s damage.
Code Fixes and Updates
Fixed a bug regarding Skirmisher’s right arm dismemberment resulting in the complete vanishing of his corpse
Fixed an issue where Atlatl blind-fire was dealing 90% of its full damage instead of the correct 50%
Join the conversation on the official PVKII Discord! Interact with devs, testers and creators!
Follow us on Trello for the latest development buzz, and as always, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.
Enjoy the update!
PVKII Team
Octoshark Studios
[RELEASED]Gore and Glory General Update (Beta 0.4.1.2)
PVKII Beta 0.4.12 Update Release Notes
Hello everyone!
This is a general update that features gore updates, balance changes, and other general fixes/updates.
Important Highlights:
Bondi flatbow damage increased to 58 from 55
Flatbow charge time reduced, and arrow drop reduced.
Flatbow special now has an additional arrow
Flatbow special damage per arrow reduced to 65 from 75
Flatbow special now does stacking combo damage per consecutive arrow
Bondi seax total damage upped to 46 from 45
Bondi seax forward swing damage multiplier reduced to 1.0 from 1.2
Bondi seax back swing damage multiplier reduced to 1.1 from 1.3
Bondi seax left swing damage multiplier reduced to 1.0 from 1.2
Bondi seax right swing damage multiplier reduced to 1.0 from 1.2
Fixed unintentional Gestir javelin headshot nerf from 4.0
Heavy Knight two handed sword swings faster with PVKII 2.2 era values
New and updated gib/blood particles, as well as new underwater variants
Generic gibs added (heart/liver/brain/etc)
Can now dismember two legs at once based on random chance for specific two handed weapons
Auto-balance now prioritizes players that have been on that team for the least amount of time instead of by connection time
Increased the duration of auto-balance resistance to 10 minutes from 5
Added Steam rich presence
Operating System Support:
Windows XP/Vista no longer supported as Steam no longer supports these operating systems.
This is one of, if not the last version of PVKII to support MacOS due to it going 64-bit only.
Critical Fixes:
Fixed client being able to execute commands with MapHacks
Crash and crash exploit fixes
Changed weapon_chest physics spawn flag into a key value. This should fix maps like bt_pumpkinraid with the player being unable to touch the chest
General Fixes:
Really fixed Bondi t-pose bug
Man-at-Arms’ taunting achievement now properly accounts for all enemy classes
Fixed some VGUI frame transparency issues
Fixed some issues with trigger_jump not launching players properly
Fixed Bondi dismemberment clipping\floaty gib bits and textures inside the model
Fixed disabled team not working on listen servers
Fixed City Merchant achievement being given to spectators if Knights win
Fixed add-on manager dialog not requesting focus properly
Fixed incorrect scheme colors in add-on manager dialog
Fixed missing loading icon in add-on manager dialog
Fixed “Bad pstudiohdr in GetSequenceLinearMotion()!” spew
env_projectedtexture should now work properly
Next and previous weapon selection will no longer try to select longbow, flatbow, and blunderbuss when they’re out of ammo
Fixed whacky score count issue on booty if there are 0 chests in the map
For Level Creators/Mappers:
Hammer can now preview .mp3, .ogg, and various other sound formats. Useful for ambient_fmod
Ham health pickup has been brought back for mappers (item_food_med)
trigger_jump can now be made to respond to players only
Added “OnKeyTaken” output for item_key
Added “OnPlayerDeath” output to trigger_hurt
New trigger_chest entity that responds only to chests with unique outputs for touching while carrying or not carrying a chest
Two new entities info_chest_remover and info_chest_spawner that can be used to add/remove chests and update the chest count properly
Added OnPlayerThrow output for weapon_chest entity
New info_team_scoring_indicator entity that can be used to specify where a scoring indicator should be (for chest zones)
New info_map_cvar entity that can be used to set ConVars that will be properly reset when the map changes
Everything Else:
Can’t attack gibs or kick them by default, now behind option cl_gibs_attackable for performance reasons
Added support for Discord game invites
Rich presence now shows “Joining a server…” while players are connecting
Removed big heads server option
Players will now have a key icon above their head when carrying keys instead of glowing
Keys will now glow
Chests will now save their entity names when they’re picked up and will be restored when they’re dropped
Significant improvements to ambient_fmod performance and loading, this should fix issues that could cause an infinite lag loop
New startup option “-nofmod” to start the game without FMOD (used for main menu music, buttons, and other sound related things)
mat_fullbright will now be reset to 0 on level shutdown. So if you transition from a map with no lighting to a map with lighting it works properly.
PVKII-specific shaders have been updated to support flashlights (an effect that’s used by certain entities like env_projectedtexture)
Join the conversation on the official https://discord.gg/pvkii PVKII Discord! Interact with devs, testers and creators!
Follow us on Trello for the latest development buzz, and as always, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.
Enjoy the update!
PVKII Team
Octoshark Studios
PVKII Bots Are Coming! We Want Your Name Suggestions!
PVKII Bots are coming!
And many of them are nameless. While nothing strikes fear into the heart of an enemy like a nameless ghost army of mechanized soldiers, we're going for something more along the lines of the PVKII aesthetic and we want your help to name them!
From now until the bots are released we'll be taking name suggestions in the #pvkii channel on our discord server here: http://discord.gg/pvkii If your suggestions are chosen we'll use that or those names for the bots in the released product and credit you with the naming.
To suggest a bot name, include "#botname" in your chat message, when the time comes we'll search the channel for "#botname" and choose the winners, if "#botname" is not part of the message we won't see your suggestion.
If you would like to add a title to your name suggestion or a particular class for your name suggestion please include those in the message. If you don't include a title or a class we'll try to pick the most appropriate title/class. Please keep in mind we may have to override your class selection in cases where too many names were submitted for a class.
Example: #botname Name: Beefeater Title: the Bean Eater Class: Man At Arms
VOTE PVKII ModDB Mod of the Year 2018
Ahoy ther' PVKII fans! Fancy a time to spread some lub?
Hard to believe there is only one month left in 2018. And what a year it was! PVKII released many updates this year with significant features like gore, map upgrades, and a new playable class! Seeing over 1 million installs on Steam, we are so grateful for all the support from fans and everyone that has contributed to the game. Regardless of the result, we appriciate all your support! Octoshark Studios is delighted to have your vote for ModDB’s 2018 Mod of The Year for our free to play game Pirates, Vikings, & Knights II.
EDIT: December 12 2018
Unfortunately we did not crack the top 100 this year. Fortunately we had an outpouring of votes from our fan base. PVKII Team and Octoshark Studios would like to thank everyone for their support! We hope to show off and release updates in the near future: glacier, bots, and new classes! See you soon!
[RELEASED]Hotfix Update (Beta 0.4.1.1)
PVKII Beta 0.4.1.1 Update Release Notes
Hello everyone!
This a minor hotfix update that fixes a few bugs, addresses the performance loss of the last update, and some other general updates.
Server owners, please update your servers!
Changelog:
Bondi model has been updated with LODs to address FPS drops from the last update
Remove dynamic shadows from gibs that were added last update unintentionally that led to performance hits
Fixed a cause of Bondi t-posing
Fix issue with Assigir’s Challenge achievement
Fix Meat Carver achievement requiring you kill Bondi
Fix Belle of the Ball achievement
Fix being able to use chest special and blunderbuss special with one special bar
Updated Korean localization by community members 스팀유저(SteamUser) and kaishak7179
Fix error with Bondi’s class description
Added some missing seax textures
Fix an issue with model pose parameters that may have led to ragdoll crashes. Other mod programmers may want to learn more about this issue here: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/source-sdk-2013/issues/404#issuecomment-371746748
New info_grass_clusters entity to support the creation of grass that replaces detail sprites. Note the usage of this entity will likely change over time and is not considered complete
Built cubemaps for bt_island that were missing
Misc. callvote fixes
Join the conversation on the official PVKII Discord! Interact with devs, testers and creators!
Follow us on Trello for the latest development buzz, and as always, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.
Happy update and have a happy Thanksgiving to those that celebrate it!
Another Halloween; another PVKII update. Introducing the Viking Bondi! This update brings the 10th class to the game, combat and balance updates, visuals and more!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czSM023ax1w
Highlights:
The 10th Class, Viking Bondi
Class and Shield Balance Updates
Code Fixes and Updates
15 Achievements
Screenshots:
Changelog:
Please see below for a summarized changelog that details many of the changes in this release. Head over to our Bugs/Support Forums to report any issues.
Main Features:
Bondi
The youngest of all the Viking classes, the Bondi, is a freeman who owns a land, proud of his farm, and is seasoned in the art of hunting.
A hunter, swift with his bow. Immense strength with his atlatl. And a piercing, precise, seax. A new range element unlike his elders in battle. He is less honorable a man for his lack of melee weapons, however his steadfast charm for hunting and gathering makes him an honorable story to his family. But his story is a quest of vengeance. His land is taken; his family murdered. And so he seeks to end the lives of those who attempt to take all he has left.
Special: Hunter Rapid Fire. Use in the heat of battle, Bondi enters a euphoric hunter state to release multiple arrows in succession towards targets with piercing damage.
Voice and Music
Voiced by Franki “Hankshaw” Garpeman, a real life viking conquering the internet with his deep voice and sexy Nordic accent. Known for his voice work in the Elder Scrolls Renewal: Skywind project, Reficul, Crystals of Fate, and more recently, Quantum Replica.
The Bondi is the culmination of countless hours of hard work from PVKII Developers, Authorized Creators, Beta Testers and Contributors, with significant efforts coming from: Corvalho, jRocket, Lord B, and our amazing coders and QA/testers!
Character Classes
Updated team balance for bondi update
Bondi Dismemberment
Can slice up ragdolls into gibs with gibs enabled with some limitations
Can now attack gibs and bounce them around with some limitations
MAA special no longer slows down movement during the warm-up phase
MAA can now get excited properly during his special with weapons other than his halberd
Shield Re-balance
Only fully charged shield bashes can stun
Cannot be stunned by shield bashes if blocking, but your block will be cancelled if it is fully charged
Reduced shield knockback to make sword counters more relevant
Slightly reduced shield bash hitbox to make bashing people behind you more difficult (a full fix will come at a later time)
Code Updates
Misc:
Ragdoll lifetimes and limits can now be fully customized beyond player limit, or “Doom” style ragdolls that almost never go away
Misc. crash fixes and crash exploit fixes
Add “cold” damage option to trigger_hurt, which uses a blue fullscreen damage indicator instead of red
Fast weapon switch enabled by default
Powderkegs should now always be transmitted regardless of how far away they are as well as players holding them, which should fix the inaudible keg bug
Miscellaneous minor performance increases, particularly on player spawn
Weapons no longer block you from switching to other weapons (useful to the randomizer plugin where you for instance couldn’t switch between the Berserker’s bigaxe and Huscarl’s two handed axe)
Impulse 101 now really gives all weapons
Disabled team is now a ConVar “mp_disabledteam” which could be used for mods, to disable a team on any map, or enable a team on a map that has a disabled team
New “instant_trigger” entity for mappers/maphacks, a radius based trigger that doesn’t use a brush
Fix modified balance servers not being tagged as such in some cases
Remove damage dealt label from scoreboard as it’s not completely accurate
Remove redundant NAT warning
Minor updates to net_graph to show more information
Add cl_menumodels ConVar to disable models in the main menu (may be useful on Mac if you crash while joining a server sometimes)
Add server-side option to disable player sprays “sv_playerdecals” in case you don’t want players potentially posting adult content
Updates and fixes to MapHack scripting interface
Contributions & Other Noteworthy
Agsma - Bondi Trailer, Promo Art
Corvalho - Promo Art
Roald - Bondi Trailer Environment
Phonebooth - Texture Art
Join the conversation on the official PVKII Discord! Interact with devs, testers and creators!
Follow us on Trello for the latest development buzz, and as always, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.
Happy Update and Halloween everyone!
PVKII Team
Octoshark Studios
PVKII 0.4.0.3 Update Released
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLZQs5lZrTM
The Desertruin Update
PVKII Beta 0.4.0.3 Update Release Notes
Hello everyone!
A new PVKII update is among us! This update contains map updates, most notably a major overhaul of the old tw_desertruin, along with few other minor map and general updates. This tw_desertruin update is brought to you by a lot of hard work from Latteh, Roald, and Phone Booth.
Join us tonight for Friday Night Mayhem!
Server owners, please update your servers! Without further ado, here's the changelog.
Changelog:
Map Updates:
Code Update:
General Updates:
Dev Journal and Media Update MAY 10
Roald and Phonebooth get lost in the desert to overhaul a PVK classic!
View the Desertruin Dev Journal here for progress so far. As always, all content is work in progress and subject to change.
Check out some exclusive images below!
Phonebooth tests out some texture updates for Desertruin.
Roald also did some visual tweaks to Glacer!
We're almost done Bondi, for real. Below are images of us testing Bondi, Bondi Special, and some other features you might find interesting.
All for now! Hope you are enjoying more news and releases like we are! Visit the official site for more dev journals!
Join the conversation on the official PVKII Discord! Interact with devs, testers, creators, and community!
Follow us on Trello for the latest development buzz, and as always, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.
