Orange Box/TF2 Compatibility Update

BAILOPAN · **Author**

As Valve has released a mini-SDK for plugin authors, we now can definitively make a statement about our Orange Box support plans. There is a lot to soak in, so I'm going to simply highlight the major points with bullets.

If you have any questions, please feel free to post here, or join IRC.

>> We are going to release a new Metamod:Source version, 1.6.0, within the next few days.

>> Metamod:Source 1.4.x plugins will not run under 1.6.0. Recompiling and minor source code changes will be necessary (these will be documented clearly).

>> We are going to release two versions of Metamod:Source 1.6.0: An Orange Box version, and an "Original" version.

>> Metamod:Source 1.4.x will remain a stable, supported branch until Counter-Strike:Source is moved to Orange Box. This is so everyone can continue to run legacy plugins while Valve games are still running on the original engine.

>> We are going to release new documentation and new sample plugins for Metamod:Source 1.6.0.

>> A SourceMod port will probably take another week, as it is a very large project. We are going to distribute two branches: The Original branch will run under Metamod:Source 1.4.2. The Orange Box branch will only run under Metamod:Source 1.6.0.

>> Once CS:S is ported to Orange Box, SourceMod will only run on Metamod:Source 1.6.0, however it will continue to support both engines.

>> SourceMod plugins (barring custom SDKTools usage) will continue to work without a problem.

>> Even if Metamod:Source 1.6.0 was backwards compatible, the HL2 engine is not, and thus C++ plugins on the original SDK will never work on Orange Box, and vice versa.

We hope that developers will continue to use the Metamod:Source platform as everything moves to Orange Box. Metamod's SourceHook has received major improvements that we are very excited to finally announce, now that we have the chance to break backwards compatibility.

(Note: This is as large undertaking, and we have put a lot of time and effort into it. Please do not nag us about when it will be done.)

^BuGs^ · 10-06-2007 , 12:10 Re: Orange Box/TF2 Compatibility Update

Good news!

Fredd · 10-06-2007 , 12:57 Re: Orange Box/TF2 Compatibility Update

Awesome News! ^^

Shaman · 10-06-2007 , 12:58 Re: Orange Box/TF2 Compatibility Update

I think this is bad news. Two different versions with compatibility issues. This will be like PHP 4 and PHP 5.
I started coding in C++ a week ago. I am not sure this can be done:
Why you are not making one version which can work with the old and new engine? You can seperate old and new engine plugins like "name_mm.dll" and "name_mmo.dll".

BAILOPAN · *Last edited by BAILOPAN; 10-06-2007 at 13:15.*

What you might have misunderstood is that even if MM:S 1.6.0 was backwards compatible, MM:S 1.4.x plugins made for the original engine would still not run.

There are massive SourceHook changes we've wanted to make for a long time and this is a small window of opportunity to make them. We won't miss it. Unfortunately, the two versions cannot be mixed, but that's the price we're paying for progress.

The original engine will eventually be deprecated by Valve, so it's moot. The transition period will be annoying but you'll just have to deal with it. I think the solution we've come up with is the best of both worlds, since backwards compatibility will shift as Valve ports their games.

dr1ft3r · 10-06-2007 , 13:54 Re: Orange Box/TF2 Compatibility Update

Any chance of something in the approved plugin threads, maybe in the box at the top, that would require plugin makers, to state mm:s type and/or mod support.

Some the threads are fairly long and trying to find out what its been compiled for, or what mods it supports can take quite a while

ferret · 10-06-2007 , 13:55 Re: Orange Box/TF2 Compatibility Update

The approved plugin forum is for SourceMod plugins. They don't care which engine/metamod is running, since all they need is SourceMod.

BAILOPAN · 10-06-2007 , 14:11 Re: Orange Box/TF2 Compatibility Update

I'm going to add columns in the Metamod:Source plugin listing that shows which engines are supported.

dr1ft3r · 10-06-2007 , 15:53 Re: Orange Box/TF2 Compatibility Update

sorry think i misunderstood this section

Quote:

>> A SourceMod port will probably take another week, as it is a very large project. We are going to distribute two branches: The Original branch will run under Metamod:Source 1.4.2. The Orange Box branch will only run under Metamod:Source 1.6.0.

I thought that was saying that there will be a version of sourcemod that runs under mm:s 1.4.x and 1.6.0 and that the plugins would not work without being changed.

I have just re-read it and realise what was actually mean't now.

BAILOPAN · 10-06-2007 , 16:09 Re: Orange Box/TF2 Compatibility Update

Indeed, .smx plugins will work on either version. It's the .dlls/.so files which will change between branches.