Over the years one of the most heavily debated topics within the development team has been the melee system. This system alone has required hours upon hours of discussion, design, redesign, re-redesign, re-re-redesign, re-re-re-redesign... you get the picture. Let's just say it's the reason that beer is now available on team meeting's menu. All of that aside, I am happy to announce that we have finally found a winner!

There were a few realizations made during the last round of the design process that have had a huge impact on the new system.

1. Players really enjoy simple melee
2. Melee is more about out maneuvering opponents than just mashing buttons
3. There needs to be a way to do complex moves in a simple way
4. ESF's mascot Phil the three headed emu will hurt us if the system fails
As a result, new moves have been implemented that retain the feel of simple melee, but offer players a way to string attacks together to form combinations.

Simple Melee: Mouse button 1
This light damage attack is similar to its beta counterpart with the exception that the knockback distance has been modified to allow average players to perform multiple melee hits more easily.


Simple Melee video - Earth's Special Forces Mod for Half-Life - Mod DB

Combo Melee: Mouse button 2
A more damaging charged based melee attack that delivers several blows to an opponent. Holding a direction will send the opponent flying in that direction after the combo finishes. This is very handy for planning out the attack in the chain or for knocking opponents into objects that are to the left or right of the player.


Combo Melee video - Earth's Special Forces Mod for Half-Life - Mod DB


Combo Melee II video - Earth's Special Forces Mod for Half-Life - Mod DB

Quick Throw: Mouse button 1+2
This attack is based on the beta throw, but with a twist. The ability for opponents to resist being thrown has been removed. Getting caught by this attack may result in your attacker repeating "who's your daddy?" over and over.


Throw video - Earth's Special Forces Mod for Half-Life - Mod DB

Grab and Smash: Mouse button 1+2 with turbo on
This vicious attack will remind players of that one time they had to stay the night in jail. It allows one player to grab another during swoop and drag them around. What the attacking player does from there is up to them. A couple suggestions are:

1. Forcefully fly the opponent around the map while giving them a scenic tour
2. Kindly smash their head into the ground and/or adjacent walls

...But, you said something about doing complex moves in a simple way?

In order to allow for the greatest flexibility and ease of use a framework was created where players earn bonus points through different actions, such as damaging an opponent, and spend those points on special moves.

Bonus System: Bonus button (C by default)
Bonus points may be applied to blocking, beams, and melee. Within each area there are three levels of bonuses; the higher the tier, the higher the cost and the more devastating the bonus. But that's really a discussion for another day. All you need to know for now is that once a melee bonus has been activated it's only active for a limited amount of time. It is crucial to setup your bonus attack using simple melee, combo melee, and throwing.

SSJ3 Goku - tier 3 melee bonus


Bonus System - Tier 3 Melee video - Earth's Special Forces Mod for Half-Life - Mod DB

Hey, whats up guys, this is Dalte89 the Particle FX Designer for ESF 1.3. Damnnnn do we got a big juicy update for you guys. I know all of you have been tired of the constant teasing and the pictures of the goods so I put together a nice beefy, tender, suculent, sexy, amazing, epic, superior, outstanding, and amazingly super epicly outstanding trailer for you.

I joined the team pretty much a year now and since I've joined all ive been doing is living my dreams redoing any and every effect I lay my eyes across. From Kamehamehas, to a Punch in the Face, to a gigantic spirit bomb blowing you to ashes. I can promise you that what you get with 1.3 will blow any previous version of ESF out of the water effortlessly. Being the perfectionist that I am, I try to capture the very essence of all DBZ like action. From each an every detail in combination with the shaders Raven provides me with, you will be amazed. Powering up with rocks floating around, swooping over water parting the sea, dust and splashing underneath a flying beam, teleporting streaks...heh too much to talk about. I'de rather show you. Take a look at the Earth's Special Forces Version 1.3 Effects Trailer and see just how many effects I've been hard at work on since I have joined.

Hope you all love it so much, as I put alot of work into this trailer along with help from the rest of the team. So without further due, watch it, DROOL, and LOVE ME..


Download this Video
Also featured in this update are Doormat's new Gohan model and a teaser of our new Cell powered by GG and Enix

And at least a w.i.p. show off teaser trailer by Raven, featuring some yet unseen stuff, just for your pleasure, in 720p so enjoy it and grab it while u can.


Download this Video (720p)

Merry Christmas from the ESForces Team!