HELL FIGHTER 32
BETA PAGE
STOP! This page is for beta versions of Hell Fighter. That means that this is experimental software. If you are not very familiar with computers, you should go back and download the latest release version instead.
Hell Fighter 32 v21 is the networked version of Hell Fighter. The new interface is multiplayer centric. In fact, network play is the only feature v21 has over v20. But then again... that's a pretty big feature.
Hell Fighter is a fast action game, and you'll want a good connection like DSL or cable. It's playable on a 56k modem, but (as with other fast action games) your controls will be sluggish.
I am not running a formalized beta program. That is, you don't need to sign up or anything. I just ask that you provide feedback to hellfighter@dracova.com.
More importantly, I want people to host servers. In the beginning, there's going to be a lot of times that no servers are up at all. Please don't give up! We need your help to reach the point where servers are always running.
If there are no servers up, then choose 'host a multiplayer game' rather than 'single player' in the connect dialog. You can still play by yourself just as if it were a single player game, but others can connect and join you.
It's that easy to put up a Hell Fighter server. And if enough people do it, there will be servers up 24/7.
You don't follow directions well enough to be a beta tester. Delete the
beta executable and wait for the release version of v21 to be available.
You don't follow directions well enough to be a beta tester. Delete the
beta executable and wait for the release version of v21 to be available.
You don't follow directions well enough to be a beta tester. Delete the
beta executable and wait for the release version of v21 to be available.
There aren't any servers running at the moment. It's going to be that way
at first. Once you're familiar with Hell Fighter, you should host your own
server. It's easy! Just click the 'Host Multiplayer game' option in the
connection dialog. Then go ahead and play as if it were a single player
game. When someone else clicks 'Get Directory Listing', your server will
appear, and they may connect!
Two possibilities here: If the server crashed or otherwise went down
without telling the directory server it was going away, it will still be
listed for about 10 minutes before the directory server times it out. Or
the server is up, but there's a firewall blocking UDP port 10666 either on
the server's end or on your end.
You're probably behind a firewall that's blocking UDP port 10666. Or (less
likely) your friend is.
You're probably using a 56k modem for your internet connection. Hell
Fighter doesn't use a lot of bandwidth, but its a fast action game that
wants low latency connections. And modems add _a lot_ of latency.
Particularly when modem compression is enabled (the default).
Like any fast action network game, you can still play using your modem,
but you will be disadvantaged. Particularly if you're connected to a server
in another country or something. Your latency will get very bad.
There are web pages that discuss this problem and recommend ways to
reduce your latency through modem settings and such. You might want to look
it up.
I've taken a new attitude with the game. If I can't do it well, I won't do
it at all. There's a lot of units in the game that were essentially
incomplete or just plain poorly done. I was embarassed of them, and I
removed them. For now. Don't fret though... capital ships _will_ be back
in future versions. And when they come back, they will be _cool_. Oh, and
the weird fighters that went away... most of them went away because they use
alien technology that the terrans aren't supposed to have. Did I mention
that alien fleets will be appearing in future versions?
Your version of the universe became desynchronized from the host's version
of the universe. That is, what you were seeing on your screen wasn't
correct. Hell Fighter detected this and dropped you out of battle.
This _shouldn't_ happen. Ever. But I've seen if happen on occassion
with these test versions. If it does happen, please try to see if you can
make it happen again. Or at least figure out what caused it to desync. I
need to know what specifically causes the desync to occur. Perhaps firing a
particular type of missile... or clicking somewhere... or maybe the HFB
files weren't synced up before the battle began.
Please note that it may take several seconds for Hell Fighter to detect
the desync. So whatever caused the failure may have happened several
seconds before you got dropped out.
There isn't one. Just press ESC.
When MP3 music is selected in the configuration dialog, Hell Fighter
randomly plays any mp3 files located in the 'Music' directory within the
Hell Fighter directory. For the beta, you'll have to create this directory
yourself.
You can switch tracks by entering two digit track numbers on the number
keys at the top of the keyboard. I believe the mp3's get assigned numbers
in alphabetical order. If you select track '00', it will select a new
random track.
Type the numbers slowly. If you type them too fast, it will miss them.
BodyDrive makes an HFB editor for Hell Fighter. I'll provide a link to it
soon. Otherwise, you can associate the HFB file extension with notepad and
use that as your editor. Check on the resources page for information on
hacking HFB files by hand.
Please report any problems with these web pages to hellfighter@dracova.com