Esc - What's New

We Need You	Monday, October 11 2004
Esc is recruiting! We're looking for player models, levels, an inventory system, and whatever else people think is cool. We're running this a little differently than most mods, more like an open source project. Rather than an official team, anyone can contribute ideas or code. Check out our recruitment page and make Esc what you think it should be!

Esc for UT2004 Sunday, February 14 2005

Long awaited, Esc is now available for Unreal Tournament 2004! Thanks to DJPaul for getting the ball rolling. It has streaming, dacning and chatting, and we're looking for an inventory system, player models and custom maps. Check it out in our download section.

Esc Party at Truff's Birthday Bash Monday, October 11 2004

This Sunday, October 17, Truff is celebrating the second birthday of her community, with a bunch of "unusual" mods, including Esc. Check it out at:

http://www.truff.net/birthday.htm

Fortune Cookies Never Lie... Monday, October 11 2004

Hey all,

Esc is back! Truff of www.truff.net contacted me, wanting to host a server. Turns out, once her community found out about it, they god mad interested in it. I knew it would happen sooner or later. :)

At her request, I fixed the Dedicated Server. So, we also have a new release. Download the virtual goodness now.

Wednesday, January 21 2004

I guess all those fortune cookies were wrong after all...

Beta Testers Thursday, December 11 2003

We need beta testers! To help us out, download the mod, and join us on Sunday (see below for times.) Don't forget to join the esc-discuss Yahoo! group to help us with feedback.

Party every Sunday Tuesday, December 9 2003

Looking for others to Esc with? We're hosting a party every Sunday on the flagship server esc.media.mit.edu (aka 18.85.44.29). Come meet the team and others who can show you all about Esc. Times:

1pm U.S. West Coast
4pm U.S. East Coast
9pm U.K.

Esc Relaunches! Sunday, September 7 2003

We're back...... Over the last year, M.C. Spanky has been busy at work improving the hardest part of Esc: setting up your own server. Say bye bye to song tool and apache, hello to Winamp and Icecast2. Setting up your own server is now 10 times easier.

And with that change rolled in, and DJ Paul back in the saddle, we're back to recruiting. Got an idea for a cool powerup, map, character model, or just want to lend a hand? Just download Esc and join the esc-dev mailing list. We could really use your help...

We're not dead Wednesday, June 4 2003

Hello everyone; just a note to say we are not dead!

MC|Spanky has been working on a special component of the mod over the last year, in between his busy job which is taking most of his time.
I've been very busy with college and Real Life and such, but both of us hope to start anew, refreshed, on this promising mod project - we intend to feature-complete the UT version of the mod, then move over to the UT2003 engine, as the improved graphics and sounds will make this mod really special.

Thanks for checking by!

Esc Club Party Sunday, June 2 2002

If you downloaded the latest Ravers Island map from our download page, I accidentally included the wrong texture file. I've put up a new version, "beta 3 a," which you'll need if you want to take part in the party that's starting in an hour.

If you downloaded the big version of v.0.5.6, it has the right files in it.

Or click here.

v . 0.5.6 Released! Monday, May 27 2002

This release adds an inventory display, courtesy of Mr. DJPaul, a background for Esc, courtesy of Ak (graphics) and Mr.Mitchell (code), and a bunch of bug fixes and other fun stuff. So download it now, from our Download page.

Online Parties Monday, May 27 2002

Every Sunday, from 8pm GMT+0 (3pm U.S. east coast, noon U.S. west coast), the Esc team gets together on the Esc server for a big get together, and a laugh.

We'd like to invite all of you to join us - that's on the main Esc server, at 8.00pm GMT+0.

See you there!

We Need You Tuesday, May 7 2002

We've been making steady progress over the last six weeks, adding a bunch of maps and features. We still need people in every department, but the most important thing we need right now is switch to streaming audio (presumably using icecast), and for someone with some UI programming experience to rewrite our (platform independent) song encoder SongTool. You don't need to know Windows or Unreal Tournament programming to do these (although they'd help a little), but some experience with UI programming or open source hacking (respectively) is a must. Are you up for the challenge? If so, drop us a line on the esc-dev mailing list. These projects are crucial for Esc...

v. 0.5.5 Released! Thursday, May 2 2002

This release adds a buy menu, courtesy of DJPaul, and fixes a bunch of bugs, courtesy of Mr.Mitchell and myself. There are two example items in the buy menu, "beer" and "weasel." At the moment, neither of them do anything. If someone wants to make a drunk effect, or glow sticks, or any other item, this would be a really great time...

This should fix the CONNECTING bug, and the previous server crashing bugs. But the only way we can know for sure is if a bunch of people try connecting to the server. So, if you've got a few minutes free, we could really use you downloading the latest version and the DuskToDawn map, and taking it for a spin.

Enjoy,
Spanky

v. 0.5.3 Released Monday, April 22 2002

DJPaul, Mr.Mitchell and I have been working away, and Angleheart donated a map he'd made a while ago. All of which means, v. 0.5.3 is waiting for your love on our Download page.

PLEASE UNINSTALL ANY PREVIOUS VERSIONS AND DELETE ALL FILES IN YOUR UNREALTOURNAMENT\ESCMUSIC FOLDER.

The list of players is now on the HUD, and if you right click, not only can you scroll your chat window back, but you can private message any player. Mr.Mitchell has redone our main menu and added a servertab, making it much easier to find our flagship server. And last but not least, Angleheart has donated a map he once made based on the Quinten Tarentino movie "From Dusk 'Till Dawn."

New News Wednesday, April 17 2002

Okay, the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that the format of this news page has changed ever-so-slightly - this is intended to make it much easier for the staff to update the website.

We're hoping to release a new version soon, so stay tuned.

First Public Release Sunday, March 24 2002

Well it's rough around the edges and not very pretty, but it works. Our first public release, v. 0.5, hit the web today. You can find it here. Off to do some recruiting....

Last Major Component Complete! Sunday, February 17 2002

The networking has been done for a while, and just today M.C. Spanky put the finishing touches on the first version of the SongTool. He re-encoded our flagship song, and encoded two new songs, the first change to the music in something like two years. Which means: it's pretty much finished! We just need to take off a few rough edges, write some documentation, and we're ready for a public developer's release!

And so much for "definitely by Christmas." That's the last time I make a public guess for a release date...

Almost There... Sunday, October 14 2001

We've got almost everything in place, and while it's rough, it'll be enough to enjoy. The only components we're missing are the networking and an external program which determines where the bars begin and end in a song. M.C. Spanky is working on the networking while Fisherman bangs the keyboard for the bar finder. When those are together we'll release, definitely before Christmas, hopefully by American Thanksgiving.

In preperation, I've updated the "Resources" section of the site. If you're making a mod of your own, you may find it very handy.

Version 0.1 Release (Internally)! Sunday, July 15 2001

Working like the busy beavers we are, we managed to put together a first, internal release. "Internal" means only for team members, so you'll have to wait a little longer before we put the sweet, sweet candy on our shelves. It's got most of the initial functionality, including press-buttons-to-dance, 3D location based music, a dancing cam that's synched with the music, and a new interface to chatting. Still, we've got out work cut out for us for the rest of the summer. We're working hard on new characters and environments, and screenshots will be coming soon. Keep watching this space.

Conference Presentation A Success Friday, March 30 2001

The presentation at the AAAI symposium on AI in Interactive Entertainment went over very well, and we even got a new team member. We're working away on a first rough, "proof of concept" version. Once that's done we'll post some screenshots here, and be in good shape to hit it hard over the summer.

A Metric Ton of Milestones Tuesday, November 14 2000

Nemesis, an old hand at UnrealScript coding, as been pumping out working chat and dancing code since day one.� But the rest of the team is new to mods and has been learning the ropes.� This week it all paid off.� We got our first model into Unreal Tournament, first sounds playing in DirectSound, first files downloaded, first pass of a level, and the conference paper accepted.� Coincidently, we're heading to Cleveland on Saturday for a little bar hopp..., ah, "field research." Next up is integrating and refining, and we hope to have something to testers before the holidays. Looks like we won't have our Alpha until well after that. We'll keep you posted.

Home

martin at martincmartin dot com

Esc for UT2004	Sunday, February 14 2005
Long awaited, Esc is now available for Unreal Tournament 2004! Thanks to DJPaul for getting the ball rolling. It has streaming, dacning and chatting, and we're looking for an inventory system, player models and custom maps. Check it out in our download section.

Esc Party at Truff's Birthday Bash	Monday, October 11 2004
This Sunday, October 17, Truff is celebrating the second birthday of her community, with a bunch of "unusual" mods, including Esc. Check it out at: http://www.truff.net/birthday.htm

Fortune Cookies Never Lie...	Monday, October 11 2004
Hey all, Esc is back! Truff of www.truff.net contacted me, wanting to host a server. Turns out, once her community found out about it, they god mad interested in it. I knew it would happen sooner or later. :) At her request, I fixed the Dedicated Server. So, we also have a new release. Download the virtual goodness now.

	Wednesday, January 21 2004
I guess all those fortune cookies were wrong after all...

Beta Testers	Thursday, December 11 2003
We need beta testers! To help us out, download the mod, and join us on Sunday (see below for times.) Don't forget to join the esc-discuss Yahoo! group to help us with feedback.

Party every Sunday	Tuesday, December 9 2003
Looking for others to Esc with? We're hosting a party every Sunday on the flagship server esc.media.mit.edu (aka 18.85.44.29). Come meet the team and others who can show you all about Esc. Times: 1pm U.S. West Coast 4pm U.S. East Coast 9pm U.K.

Esc Relaunches!	Sunday, September 7 2003
We're back...... Over the last year, M.C. Spanky has been busy at work improving the hardest part of Esc: setting up your own server. Say bye bye to song tool and apache, hello to Winamp and Icecast2. Setting up your own server is now 10 times easier. And with that change rolled in, and DJ Paul back in the saddle, we're back to recruiting. Got an idea for a cool powerup, map, character model, or just want to lend a hand? Just download Esc and join the esc-dev mailing list. We could really use your help...

We're not dead	Wednesday, June 4 2003
Hello everyone; just a note to say we are not dead! MC\|Spanky has been working on a special component of the mod over the last year, in between his busy job which is taking most of his time. I've been very busy with college and Real Life and such, but both of us hope to start anew, refreshed, on this promising mod project - we intend to feature-complete the UT version of the mod, then move over to the UT2003 engine, as the improved graphics and sounds will make this mod really special. Thanks for checking by!

Esc Club Party	Sunday, June 2 2002
If you downloaded the latest Ravers Island map from our download page, I accidentally included the wrong texture file. I've put up a new version, "beta 3 a," which you'll need if you want to take part in the party that's starting in an hour. If you downloaded the big version of v.0.5.6, it has the right files in it. Or click here.

v . 0.5.6 Released!	Monday, May 27 2002
This release adds an inventory display, courtesy of Mr. DJPaul, a background for Esc, courtesy of Ak (graphics) and Mr.Mitchell (code), and a bunch of bug fixes and other fun stuff. So download it now, from our Download page.

Online Parties	Monday, May 27 2002
Every Sunday, from 8pm GMT+0 (3pm U.S. east coast, noon U.S. west coast), the Esc team gets together on the Esc server for a big get together, and a laugh. We'd like to invite all of you to join us - that's on the main Esc server, at 8.00pm GMT+0. See you there!

We Need You	Tuesday, May 7 2002
We've been making steady progress over the last six weeks, adding a bunch of maps and features. We still need people in every department, but the most important thing we need right now is switch to streaming audio (presumably using icecast), and for someone with some UI programming experience to rewrite our (platform independent) song encoder SongTool. You don't need to know Windows or Unreal Tournament programming to do these (although they'd help a little), but some experience with UI programming or open source hacking (respectively) is a must. Are you up for the challenge? If so, drop us a line on the esc-dev mailing list. These projects are crucial for Esc...

v. 0.5.5 Released!	Thursday, May 2 2002
This release adds a buy menu, courtesy of DJPaul, and fixes a bunch of bugs, courtesy of Mr.Mitchell and myself. There are two example items in the buy menu, "beer" and "weasel." At the moment, neither of them do anything. If someone wants to make a drunk effect, or glow sticks, or any other item, this would be a really great time... This should fix the CONNECTING bug, and the previous server crashing bugs. But the only way we can know for sure is if a bunch of people try connecting to the server. So, if you've got a few minutes free, we could really use you downloading the latest version and the DuskToDawn map, and taking it for a spin. Enjoy, Spanky

v. 0.5.3 Released	Monday, April 22 2002
DJPaul, Mr.Mitchell and I have been working away, and Angleheart donated a map he'd made a while ago. All of which means, v. 0.5.3 is waiting for your love on our Download page. PLEASE UNINSTALL ANY PREVIOUS VERSIONS AND DELETE ALL FILES IN YOUR UNREALTOURNAMENT\ESCMUSIC FOLDER. The list of players is now on the HUD, and if you right click, not only can you scroll your chat window back, but you can private message any player. Mr.Mitchell has redone our main menu and added a servertab, making it much easier to find our flagship server. And last but not least, Angleheart has donated a map he once made based on the Quinten Tarentino movie "From Dusk 'Till Dawn."

New News	Wednesday, April 17 2002
Okay, the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that the format of this news page has changed ever-so-slightly - this is intended to make it much easier for the staff to update the website. We're hoping to release a new version soon, so stay tuned.

First Public Release	Sunday, March 24 2002
Well it's rough around the edges and not very pretty, but it works. Our first public release, v. 0.5, hit the web today. You can find it here. Off to do some recruiting....

Last Major Component Complete!	Sunday, February 17 2002
The networking has been done for a while, and just today M.C. Spanky put the finishing touches on the first version of the SongTool. He re-encoded our flagship song, and encoded two new songs, the first change to the music in something like two years. Which means: it's pretty much finished! We just need to take off a few rough edges, write some documentation, and we're ready for a public developer's release! And so much for "definitely by Christmas." That's the last time I make a public guess for a release date...

Almost There...	Sunday, October 14 2001
We've got almost everything in place, and while it's rough, it'll be enough to enjoy. The only components we're missing are the networking and an external program which determines where the bars begin and end in a song. M.C. Spanky is working on the networking while Fisherman bangs the keyboard for the bar finder. When those are together we'll release, definitely before Christmas, hopefully by American Thanksgiving. In preperation, I've updated the "Resources" section of the site. If you're making a mod of your own, you may find it very handy.

Version 0.1 Release (Internally)!	Sunday, July 15 2001
Working like the busy beavers we are, we managed to put together a first, internal release. "Internal" means only for team members, so you'll have to wait a little longer before we put the sweet, sweet candy on our shelves. It's got most of the initial functionality, including press-buttons-to-dance, 3D location based music, a dancing cam that's synched with the music, and a new interface to chatting. Still, we've got out work cut out for us for the rest of the summer. We're working hard on new characters and environments, and screenshots will be coming soon. Keep watching this space.

Conference Presentation A Success	Friday, March 30 2001
The presentation at the AAAI symposium on AI in Interactive Entertainment went over very well, and we even got a new team member. We're working away on a first rough, "proof of concept" version. Once that's done we'll post some screenshots here, and be in good shape to hit it hard over the summer.

A Metric Ton of Milestones	Tuesday, November 14 2000
Nemesis, an old hand at UnrealScript coding, as been pumping out working chat and dancing code since day one.� But the rest of the team is new to mods and has been learning the ropes.� This week it all paid off.� We got our first model into Unreal Tournament, first sounds playing in DirectSound, first files downloaded, first pass of a level, and the conference paper accepted.� Coincidently, we're heading to Cleveland on Saturday for a little bar hopp..., ah, "field research." Next up is integrating and refining, and we hope to have something to testers before the holidays. Looks like we won't have our Alpha until well after that. We'll keep you posted.