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Nuclear Dawn free this weekend on Steam Dec. 15-19

by: Travis -
More On: Nuclear Dawn
Make sure that your weekend is free of commitments or otherwise boring events because Nuclear Dawn will be free on Steam from December 15 through 19. InterWave Studios has also announced that in addition to the free weekend that Nuclear Dawn will be 40% off for a sale price of $11.99. As even more of a bonus for new and experienced players is a massive game update that will add new content as well as fix some minor issues. Below are some of the included highlights:
  • Santa Hats available for players.
  • Four FPS Training Modes.
  • Three RTS Training Modes.
  • Bots – THIS IS BETA. They are still working on improving the bots. Bots will behave similarly to regular players rather than purchased units as in other RTS games.
  • All-New Stealth Saboteur Kit: Take stealth gameplay to structures with this new loadout that includes sticky grenades. 
  • New Weapon Unlock: Exclusive sidearm unlock, the P-900. Only available to players who purchase the game before Sunday 1PM Pacific Time.
  • Earn Double XP All Weekend.
Check out the complete details after the break which contain every addition and modification from the latest update to the game. Nuclear Dawn is available now for PC and Mac with the free weekend on Steam running from December 15 through 19. If you're looking for more details on what the game has to offer, be sure to read my review of Nuclear Dawn.
NUCLEAR DAWN FREE WEEKEND ON STEAM – DECEMBER 15-19, 2011
 
40% of $19.99 and The Largest Update of New Gameplay Features Such As Bots, Santa Hats and Double XP
 
SITTARD, THE NETHERLANDS– November 28, 2011– InterWave Studios announces that their first game Nuclear Dawn will be free to play on Steam beginning Thursday, December 15, 2011 through Monday, December 19, 2011 for PC and MAC.  During the free Steam weekend, fans wanting to purchase the full Nuclear Dawn game can do so at a 40% discount off the regular $19.99 price.
 
In addition to the free weekend, the ongoing evolution of Nuclear Dawn takes some dramatic steps forward with the release of several new updates including a new weapon unlock for the P-900 sidearm, playable training modes, new in-game career stats page and the all-new stealth saboteur kit.  The P-900 sidearm will only be available to those players who have purchased the full game before Sunday at 1PM PST.  The new playable training mode allows fans to lean basic and advanced RTS and FPS gameplay techniques and unlock the Commander Graduate achievement which provides priority tickets to the commander chair. The new in-game Career Stats Page tracks battle stats, upcoming unlocks and achievements, and allows for customization of equipped optional extra.
 
ADDITIONS
  • Players will be awarded double XP throughout the free weekend (15th – 19th December).
  • P-900 sidearm unlock added (automatically awarded to all players who purchase during the free weekend, as well as those who have already purchased Nuclear Dawn prior.)
  • Added Santa hats which will run during the holidays – starting 19th December. Server admins can control the behavior with the following CVar:  nd_xmas – 0 = Hats disabled – 1 = Hats only for commanders – 2 = Hats for EVERYONE!
  • Added squad bonuses for healing, capturing resources, and kill assists.
  • Saboteur Stealth class introduced. Use Remote Explosive Devices and machine pistols, in conjunction with your Stealth Cloak teach your enemies fear of the dark.
  • Four interactive FPS training courses that cover aspects of class warfare and basic gameplay mechanics
  • Three interactive RTS training courses that cover the basic Commander functions (minus tactical excellence – you add that yourselves)
  • Commander Graduate achievement – a special achievement earned by completing all of the interactive RTS training. In live games, players who have this achievement will have priority over candidates who did not complete training.
  • Added a “Career” page to the main menu for viewing your player stats, including upcoming general and class-specific unlocks.
  • Added an “Extras” tab (found via the new “Career” page) that allows players to enable/disable bonuses, such as the pre-order Veteran Medal and free-weekend P-900 sidearm unlock.
  • Added bots. These should be considered BETA as most functionality is still in development. For this version, the bots will behave similarly to regular players, rather than purchased units as in other RTS titles (they will do their own thing, other than when a commander order is given to them). Below are some console variables you can use to add bots to your server:
  • bot_quota = Number of bots
  • bot_quota_mode [ normal | fill | match ] = If ‘fill’, the server will adjust bots to keep N players in the game, where N is bot_quota. If ‘match’, the server will maintain a 1:N ratio of humans to bots. If ‘normal’ there will be N bots in the game. Where N is bot_quota.
  • bot_add_ct = Add a bot to the Consortium team
  • bot_add_emp = Add a bot to the Empire team
GENERAL ISSUES
  • Secondary Resource Point resource production has been increased to balance the dominance of the Primary. While Secondary points still remain vastly inferior to the Primary, now a commander that manages to hold both at the same time will actually be able to remain competitive against the one holding the primary.
  • Fixed an issue where turrets would sometimes continue to target Stealth players even after they have activated cloak.
  • Fixed an issue where Transport Gates were sometimes visible on the spawn location map, even when out of power, or EMP’d.
  • Fixed not being able to perform any commander actions when running a listen server on MacOS.
  • Fixed RTS camera rotation issues on MacOS
  • Fixed issue where empty commander orders were being left around the map
  • Fixed fog of war problem that would cause some players and structures to be invisible in commander mode, even when they are in line of sight of your units.
  • Improved and re-added idle fidget animations with leg movement.
  • Improved knife/blade hit detection in both regular stab and backstab modes.
  • Fixed multiple instances of first person animation glitches when returning to idle from sprint.
  • A number of various stability fixes.
USER INTERFACE
  • The Steam server browser will now correctly display Nuclear Dawn servers.
  • Improved some UI mouse-over effects.
  • Improved class selection images.
  • Added icons for each class on the squad menu.
  • Fixed some cases where text would have incorrect spacing on MacOS.
  • Added a chat message when a player is awarded an achievement.
  • Added new kit selection icons for Stealth Assassin, Support Engineer and Support Medic.
WEAPONS/BALANCE
  • Increased Repair Tool’s effectiveness against enemy structures by 20%
LEVELS
 
Clocktower
  • Added a extra route to deploy relay towers by scaling up the tunnel at EMP base
  • Fixed a few small issues throughout the level
Downtown
  • Relocated EMP command bunker to make it less exposed
  • Removed floating displacement
  • Fixed bushes not solid in multiple locations
  • Fixed wireless repeater floating in the alley at the primary area
  • Fixed CT wincam pointing at wrong location
  • Removed ropes from the City State building
  • Added multiple no-build areas throughout the level
Hydro
  • No longer possible to build behind the Empire Bunker
Metro
  • Fixed getting stuck in the primary bunker in some situations.
  • Fixed a few floating bushes
Oasis
  • Fixed able to capture Primary from outside the building in a certain spot
  • Extended capture area
  • Added extra cover around the EMP base and throughout the level for relay towers
Nuclear Dawn is the best of both multiplayer worlds, featuring full FPS and RTS experiences within a single gameplay model without crippling or diluting the experience.  Nuclear Dawn is a 32-player squad based assault game with two factions made up of four classes each, various load outs, more than three dozen weapons and several large scale maps to explore, exploit and explode. Modders can use Nuclear Dawn Software Development Kit to create custom maps and more. Achievement hunters can 60 ranks to blast their way through, 12 unlocks for each weapon, additional achievements, gizmos and several other surprises.  Nuclear Dawn is hard, fast and unforgiving, with weapons that rely on skill and tactics more than on twitch reflexes and map memorization.  Steam Powered – Nuclear Dawn is available for both Mac and PC through Steamplay with Steam Cloud support. Please go to: http://store.steampowered.com/app/17710
 
About InterWave Studios
InterWave Studios is an indie game development company that specializes in making bloody awesome games.  Made up of dedicated gamers who spend far too much time playing and developing video games, InterWave’s goal is to make genre-bending titles that combine the best elements in order to create uniquely fun and entertaining experiences.  As part of the TechConnect holding, the gamers at InterWave rely on an extensive background in development, communications, marketing and online publishing. Nuclear Dawn is their first title.
 
About Steam
Steam, created by Valve Corporation, is the leading platform for PC and Mac games and digital entertainment, serving over 1500 games to over 30 million active users worldwide. For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com.