Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding yet another update for Source SDK, fixing a number of connection problems to the backend of VAC2 (Valve's anti-cheat technology for game servers). VAC2 currently only runs on servers in the beta group, but will be active for all servers very soon.. Just restart Steam for the effects to take place.

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding yet another update for Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, fixing various little bugs and gameplay tweaks. Just restart Steam for the effects to take place.

Valve announced today that it is planning on releasing de_port and de_inferno next week. Along with the two new maps, an updated version of the current CT model will be included. Valve will of course be present at the upcoming E3 expo where Half-Life 2 Xbox will be shown in the Xbox area of Microsoft’s booth. Meanwhile Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, the new single-player level created to introduce High-Dynamic Range (HDR) lighting to the Source engine, is slated to appear in the Games for Windows area at the show.

Valve has released a new trailer for its upcoming free Half-Life 2 addon, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. This movie features a minute of high-res in-engine footage to show the High-Dynamic Range rendering that is included in the FPS add-on. Read more for download links ...

Valve has released a new Half-Life 2: Deathmatch map, dm_runoff, which is now available via Steam. If you have HL2:DM installed in your Steam games list, you will receive the new maps automatically. This release also includes a Source Engine update which moves default Steam port to 27009 (UDP) from 27030. Use -steamport to override this setting.

Valve released some information about future Steam updates for HL2 and CS Source. On Monday Valve will release a new Half-Life 2: Deathmatch map, dm_runoff, inspired by a Half-Life 1 favorite, Crossfire. They are also working on an all-new Counter-Strike map, de_port, and to make people familiar with the design intentions Valve has put up a page that outlines six different strategies to try once the map is available. The release of the new CSS map isnt for another few weeks, but will be accompagined by a redone de_inferno map.

Valve has released three new Half-Life 2: Deathmatch maps, which are now available via Steam. These maps were created by the three players who won our recent HL2:DM mapping contest. If you have HL2:DM installed in your Steam games list, you will receive the new maps automatically. This release also includes a Counter-Strike: Source update which fixes incorrect player names appearing in the scoreboard.

The latest issue of PC Gamer UK has no less than 10 pages dedicated to what now seems to be a confirmation on the next (and no doubt, one of many) Half-Life 2 expansion pack. Half Life 2: Aftermath will pick up where the original left off and, as has been rumored for a while, will feature an all-new story line with the focus on Alyx, although not necessarily alongside Gordon Freeman. While no release date has been set, strong indications are that it may only be available through Valve's online delivery system, Steam (thanks ve3d). You can read more about it over at EuroGamer, who has reprinted some of the article content.

After much deliberation, Valve has announced the winners of its Half-Life 2: Deathmatch mapping contest. Contest Winner is Scott M Jordan, USA with his dm_Underpass map. Congratulations! First Runner-Up Jonathan Linker, Germany (dm_resistance), second Runner-Up Michael Schulz, Germany (dm_powerhouse) and Honorable Mention Michael Visser, Netherlands (dm_avalon). Read more to check out some screens...

Everyone who is playing Counter-Strike: Source should be enjoying the new maps, cs_compound and de_train. Coming soon, there will be another new map for CS:S called "de_port." As a teaser, here's a sketch of the layout.

Tomorrow Valve will release the promised update to Counter-Strike: Source. Along with a new hostage rescue map Valve's been working on (cs_compound), Turtle Rock Studios has been working on getting de_train converted over to CS:S. Along with the two new maps, there are a number of fixes to the bots in Counter-Strike, an enhancement to the radar to display your current location in the map, and a fix for Half-Life 2: Deathmatch where players are disguising themselves as headcrabs, filing cabinets, and other invalid models.

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding yet another update for Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, Source SDK, and Source Engine. The Update will mainly focus on Half-Life 2: Deathmatch. and includes the addition of the Stunstick, SLAM, and the Crowbar. It will also include a new original map made by Valve, Steamlab. Next week there will be a CS update, which will include a new map called cs_compound, along with a number of smaller changes and bug fixes. Restart Steam for the updates ...

In advance of the Counter-Strike: Source update mentioned recently, Valve will also be releasing an update for Half-Life 2: Deathmatch. This update will include two new weapons (the StunStick and the Slam) as well as a return of the trusty crowbar, and a new map called "Steam Lab."

Over the next month or so there will be a couple of interesting releases via Steam, in addition to the upcoming Counter-Strike map de_compound. First, Valve will be releasing an update to Half-Life 2: Deathmatch that will include the Slam, Stunstick, and the Crowbar.

Vivendi has issued a small statement finally revealing some HL2 sales numbers. "Half-life 2 is already clocking up a massive success. With nearly 1.7 million copies sold in less than two months, this new release by Sierra Entertainment (a VU Games company) and Valve looks set to become one of the biggest hits of 2005. Sales have been particularly good in Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Scandinavia – as well as the US." Valve remains tightlipped on the amount of HL2 versions it has sold through its Steam service.

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding yet another Half-Life 2 update which performance improvements, increased cache memory usage, increased cache memory usage, weapon script files are preloaded at startup in HL2, and a few more little tweaks. Restart Steam to get the latest update...

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding yet another Half-Life 2 update which addresses some Steam issues, enables support for new query protocol in the HL dedicated server, and fixed a Source Engine spam issue. Restart Steam to get the latest update..

Busy evening for the people over at Valve as today it disabled more than 30,000 Steam accounts (a few weeks ago Valve already banned 20,000) which had been used to try to illegally gain access to Valve games without a valid purchase. A new Steam update has been released fixing some some stuttering issues with Half-Life 2 and also addressing missing models when running the Counterstrike Source Video Stress Test.

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding yet another Half-Life 2 update which adds a slew of Source SDK tweaks. Read more for details ...

Valve has just released a free demo of Half-Life 2. Featuring some of the amazing digital actors and physical gameplay that has made Half-Life 2 the leading contender for Game of the Year 2004, the demo takes players through some of the early levels of the game and later transports them to the area of the game known as Ravenholm. The demo will require a Steam account to install. Read more for download links ...

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding yet another Half-Life 2 update that optimizes the Half-Life 2/Steam filesystem to reduce game launch and level transition time, as well as 2 minor Source SDK tweaks and a few fixes to Steam itself. Read more for details ...

Valve's SteamPowered website has been updated with details regarding yet another Half-Life 2 update that addresses a Securom fix (by removing the Securom disc check routine), but also a few changes to the Source Dedicated server and HL2 Deathmatch. As usual, all you have to do is restart steam and the update will happen automagically.

With the Source SDK now available, information on the upcoming Sven Co-op mod for Half-Life 2 has been released. Details of major features planned for the initial release, including cooperative support for Half-Life 2's original single-player campaign, are available. There is also news of a significant change to the mod's fundamental gameplay system.

This small modification enables you to start servers in the newly released Half-Life 2 Deathmatch by defining player numbers, server password, server name, and so on (thanks Andy). Read more for download links ...

Well when Valve says SOON, they really mean it. As speculated earlier today, Valve had a little surprise for the community, and by posting a screenshot it was strongly hinted at that a Deathmatch multiplayer mode might be coming. A few hours later, it has arrived! Half-Life 2: Deathmatch is now available through the latest HL2 Steam update. By the same token, they also released the full HL2 SDK and announced a Half-Life 2: Deathmatch Map Making Contest.