For over nine months, the Unreal Tournament mod community and players have waited patiently for the Tactical Ops mod team to release a new version of its very popular multiplayer team mod. Now that time appears to be close at hand as release candidates are going out to testers and people await news of the release of the Beta 2 version of the mod. The reward should be worth the wait with a ton of new gameplay features, weapons, levels and more for this anti-terrorism based team mod. As the team finishes up Beta 2, HomeLAN got to chat to with Eric "rojazz" Rojas, one of the designers of the mod as well as the team's PR spokesperson, to find out what people can expect from the new Tactical Ops as well as some hints as to the future of the mod.

HomeLAN - Even though there hasn't been an official new release of the Tactical Ops mod for months it is still one of the most popular Unreal Tournament mods. How do you and the team feel its success?

Eric Rojas - We're really thrilled by its success. We never really expected it to get this big, and for the past 9 months its held its stance as the most played UT mod online, even after other mods (which are equally as captivating, IMO) have been released. None of us thought this ever would happen; Hell, TO just started out as a test to see if round based gaming could be incorporated into Unreal Tournament! But we're incredibly happy to see the great response.

HomeLAN - Why has it taken so long to complete the new version of Tactical Ops?

Eric Rojas - Well, we originally planned it to be out for Christmas. But we kept adding new features to make it better and better, and underestimating the time that it would take to complete it. We're happy to say that Beta 2 will be the most dramatic update we will ever release for Tactical Ops. That is, in future releases, we won't take so long ;). This development has been murder for us, and we hate to keep our fans waiting.

HomeLAN - Now that the mod is almost complete, are you and the team proud of what you have accomplished?

Eric Rojas - Firstly, we're proud that we've stayed together for the past year and a half. We actually all get along quite well, and there's hardly any issues about who has control or anything of that sort. We're also proud that our community has stood with us, even through the whole IR 1.97 leak problem; many of our fans just refused to download it, saying that they would rather wait for the full release. That's something to be real proud of =D.

HomeLAN - What are some of the major gameplay additions and improvements that players will encounter in the new version?

Eric Rojas - Beta 2 is a fairly big step in changes for Tactical Ops. One of the most controversial issues was the new aiming system, which has a firing cone (something that had always been planned for Tactical Ops, but never was added until now). There's also tons of new weapons, tweaks in terms of firing speed, moving speed, etc., and of course the new game types. There's also a new way to start the game, and it even has its own GUI!

   

HomeLAN - How large of a download can people expect for this version?

Eric Rojas - The current RC is currently slightly over 100mb, and the final release will be around the same amount.

HomeLAN - What sort of settings and designs will be included in the new levels?

Eric Rojas - In Beta 2, you see a depature from the urban settings in Beta 1.6. We've now introduced settings like Egyptian pyramids, huge outdoor dams, and even a monastery hidden deep in a mountain range! We're starting to branch out a bit more in terms of the new scenarios too, which are now even more customizable. This can clearly be seen on one of our maps, TO-RMSTitanic, which has a very unique scenario.

HomeLAN - What new weapons will be included in Beta 2?

Eric Rojas - The list of new weapons in Beta 2 are the following:

HK 33 Assault Rifle

Saigaa12 Automatic Shotgun

HK MP5k-PDW SMG

M4A1M203 Assault Rifle (with grenade launcher)

Beretta 92F Pistol

C4 Explsosive

Smoke Grenade

In addition, many of our weapon have been remodeled and/or reskinned, like the Desert Eagle, the AK-47, and the SR9.

HomeLAN - After the release of Beta 2, does the team have any plans to continue with the development of Tactical Ops?

Eric Rojas - Yes, definitely! We plan to release a Beta 3 and maybe even a Beta 4 in the future. Beta 2 is by no means the final version.

HomeLAN - What about continuing Tactical Ops for, say, Unreal 2 or another game?

Eric Rojas - This question has come up quite a bit. We're intrigued by the idea, but we're not really sure if Unreal 2 is right for Tactical Ops, partly since U2 will be more of a single player experience, while TO is based on multiplayer. For that reason, the rumored sequel to UT, Unreal Warfare, might be more appropriate. But you never know...

HomeLAN - Would you like to see the team create a brand-new mod for a game that is totally different from Tactical Ops?

Eric Rojas - We're perfectly happy right now working on TO, since we love the genre. The thought hasn't really crossed our minds though.

HomeLAN - What's your opinion on the mod community in general? Do you see it as healthy right now?

Eric Rojas - The community is a little disgruntled right now (since Beta 2 has been pushed back so far), but with the anticipated release things should return to normal.

HomeLAN - Finally, any plans for the team to maybe create a commercial game?

Eric Rojas - We've thought about it, but we don't have any plans as of yet to make a commercial product.

Great article on the product and we all know its been pushed back. But what was not in the article was pushed back till when???

Great article makes me want it all the more..

*Milked*.DoZ3r.

the TO team has not set a date for the release, but im guessing it will be within the next 17 days

ja leuk interviewtje maar laat z ehem nou ff uitbrengen ben trouwes van unt

man dit duurd me veel te lang zit elke dag te kijken waneer die uit en iedere keer ja nu is 1.79 dan is 1.95 ik werd helemaal gek
en dacht dat ie vandaag klaar was stond er kut intervieuw lol!!!!!
man im pist of hehehehehehe

en uhhhh goliath ik ken jou ergens van :-)

TO Team, if you see this...thankyou for working so hard on this mod for us...TO is the only game I play right now...I am having a hard time waiting, sometimes I think about girls at night.....................and other times I think about TO...but I would like you guys to take your time...and I wish others would allow you to...TO beta 1.6 does still satisfy my needs and wants...but it would be nice to play a new game...or a modified one anyway...ok...thankyou...

i hope that the weapons are better than 1.97 beqause the nades sucks... only the Smoke nade RULEZZZ
and some weapons you can use without crosshair beqause it fires on your entire screen
i hope it will come soon
CYA aLL

Im getting sick and tired of waiting for this shit to come out, its probably gonna suck even when it does come out.

... so take your time.

Urban Terror, the best realism mod, For Quake 3

Some people are getting rather rude about waiting for the new release but I'm sure the wait will prove to be most worth while.
One must remember that Rojas is a student and can't do anything but his best.

2.0 is going to Rule and you are going to feel guilty about your message

Perhaps you would like to tell me if you have played 1.6, and wether you liked 1.6 before the anounce of 2.0? I gather the answer is yes! so maybe you should be patient. If i was in the TO team I'd love to rip off your balls and shove them in your dick hole.

Eric Rojas is working hell hard with his team and he will get it out ASAP but they are making only better and better for us.

With new weapons skins and modes I am sure you will be happy and then you can stop being a slacko arsehole as you are not developing the mod. You do not deserve the mod. They could easily have just released a crappy 2.0 unfinished peice of 1.97 (i have not played this yet) but they did not.

Go The TO Team Keep up the awesome work!

Kindest regards

Phreaker

ICQ#: 44171037
E-Mail: phreaker_leader@hotmail.com

1.6 Rocks
From the movie 2.0 looks even better.
IF you don't have the simple patience an 8 year old possesses to wait for a FREE product, then PISS OFF !

Or are you under 8 yourself ?

yay rojazz you l33t mofo!

I have been so fed up with the rampancy of the
bugs clipping ghosting and of course the
cheats that can't be detected-I found another
mod that fit my taste without all the cheating
and buginess, i.e. infiltration, I'm keeping my
fingers crossed for TO 2.0 that it will indeed
kill the bugs of past versions and make a fair
tactical semi realistic mod. Bug abuse it
rampant on all the populated servers as it is
now with TO. We shall see if 2.0 fixes any of
this.

It's pretty frickin obvious that the IR "leak" was staged and that the whole team is lying just to buy itself more time while making itself seem innocent and a victim. I myself am an avid player of tactical ops (mostley becuase I hate counter strike) and hope that in future they will think about their past mistakes in order not to repeat them.

JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

Lol.

I hope that TO will come out soon cause I been waiting since 1.2 come out n 1.6. I also hope that 2.0 will not turn out to be like CS because CS is really boring for me now. THX TO team..
Keep up the GOod Work.

veut juste vous dire un big thank you parce que vous te le seul site que jai trouver qui me disait quand la beta 2 sortait approxivativement merci ben gros pis dite a les createur de to 2 qui son vraiment class en programation pis de le vendre a place tactical ops comme counter strike chu prete a gager 100 $ qui von faire du cash en masse

Recruite membre pour clan Quebecois si vous parler francais emailer moi ou icq
@:beny_the_pou@hotmail.com
icq:123287027
on est vraiment bon on a notre reputation alors si sa vous interest vous saver quoi faire

mais ca existe encore UT ......je croyais que ca avait couler en le voyant a 99 francs a leclerc ??

y a encore des joueurs dessus ?

TO just rulesss

C-Strike m'emmerde (et le moteur graphique par rapport à celui d'UT ne tient pas la route) mais reste le + joué en lan ; caca 3 m'emmerde 'cause que les bots n'ont même pas 8 ans d'âge mental (cf. la discussion des wasp plus haut ; d'ailleurs, le ch'tit gars est p'têt' un bot !)... alors urban terror, j'essaierais même pô (cf. discussion... plus haut). UT est toujours d'actualité (cf. discussion des mangeurs de grenouilles... plus haut, bis), et la communauté de joueurs est bien présente...
Concernant les mods "réalistes", Strike Force 160 et Tac Ops 1.6 sont les plus intéressants à mon goût (Infiltration n'a plus le fun de ses débuts et l'interface est une horreur). Après avoir visualisé le trailer, je suis en train de ronger mon frein, mes pieds, tout... mais comme l'écrit si bien "Phreaker", si on veut un mod de qualité, gratuit qui plus est, faut savoir attendre (pas trop quand même, il ne me restera bientôt plus rien à ronger) ; la seule critique concerne l'i.a. des bots (comme pour SForce, d'ailleurs) et j'espère que la beta 2 de TO en soit une mise à jour majeure ; voili-voilou ; un grand bravo à la TO team pour leur travail.

UT n'a absolument pas couler : 2900 environ serveurs
en ligne sont toujours ouvert pour UT est se mods et
rien que pour TO y'en a dans les 130...

I know its been a long time since 1.6 but thats because we are working on many new features which u wont find in any other game, we are spending more time on making the mod this time round so we dont have to release patches unlike some mods that I have Come acroSs.

Dont worry loyal fans u will soon be playing a masterpiece of a mod very soon, i assure you.

everyone that is complaining about 1.6 should think back to 1.2
i was kinda disappointed in 1.2 after it's release
but i still feel 1.6 is great and the only problem i have is aimbotters/box glitchers
which has nothing to do with the TO-Team
it's all the lame coders out there that like messing up good games (referring to the aimbots)
and it's my understanding that the invisible bug is due to UT (again not there fault)

just leave them alone and stop complaining about FREE stuff

TO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESTO JUST RULES,TO JUST RULESv

I dunno..

YEP.. It's great and YES I am one of the guys that
REFUSES to play 1.97. Some members of my clan do play it though.. so it's not that I haven't had the chance to get it... It was not ment to be released so I won't play it. I've waited long enough for TO Beta 2 and YES I can wait a bit longer... If I play 1.97 now, Beta2 will only
be a small upgrade and wil probably be dissapointing because It's not very different from 1.97 (probably :-S) I don't want an Unfinished release.. If I get to play Beta2 I want to be surprised and Play it for the first time in all it's glory ;-) and not weakened and chewed-up because I already played Beta 1.97. Nopes.. I am proud to say that I haven't even SEEN 1.97. So.. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK guys... I'll be waiting.. proudly.. because I just wouldn't give in to the temptation ;-) ;-P
And I will be fully surprised by the new release that I have been waiting for, for so long ;-)

GrEeTiNgZ FrOm WrAcKy

wow, kane actually said something...

I SORT A SOIR CRISS LOL ENFAIN

My Subject sums it up.....great job.....lol....for the past week i've been checking tactical-ops.net like 3 times a day.