PW - A Multi-Gametype mod for Gears of War PC (Includes Guardian Playlist)

[Drone *]

PW

Created by CowboyLocust
Thanks to Bobfuria for helping to find bugs, you're doing a great job so far!
Thanks to Juggernut for the dropped weapons clearup console command, really helped with optimization!
Thanks to YOU, the GOW PC community for sticking by this game after all these years of it being left in the dust

Your Gears of War Installation MUST have the latest patch before installing this mod, make a backup of your Binaries folder just in case!

NOTE I RECOMMEND DELETING ANY PREVIOUS PW INSTALLATIONS BEFORE DOWNLOADING THIS!
This download has NO viruses although there has been a report of Avast being suspicious of the file (It's paranoid, probably because of the download component)

1- What is PW?
2- Optional Downloadable Content (It's free obviously!)
3- Contribute to Development!
4- Current Playlists
5- Known Issues
6- Screenshots
7- Installation instructions

[1] What is PW?
PW is a mod project developed for Gears of War PC. The idea is several different types of 'game modes' consisting of offline bot gameplay bundled into one mod. The mod is managed server-side & automatically updated so things are always kept fresh and improvements are always being made. The MOD is currently an evolving BETA which will be consistently be updated every couple of weeks and eventually evolve into a more polished and final product.
Use features to your advantage such as the overhead minimap to find enemies around corners, if you feel like taking a gamble then have a shot at the mystery box when it unlocks to see if you are rewarded. Beware though, the Box contains both good and bad things, you could end up with a useful explosives inventory pack or you could have your weapons removed completely!

PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME THINGS ARE UNFINISHED (Such as the ribbons)

Earn ribbons such as 'Bowman', where you have to headshot an enemy with the Torque Bow along the way as you play and then complete challenges to earn medals such as 'Archery Master', where you have to get 3 headshots with the torque bow in a match. Your ribbons & medals will be counted up at the end of the match and you are given the option to take a screenshot of your awards.

[1]Optional Downloadable Content (It's free obviously)
You can download optional character packs and map packs to add to your PW experience! From this BETA onwards you can download the 'War Pigs' character pack which features several characters. The characters included in this pack are:
Onyx Guard
COG Gear
Ben Carmine

Beast Rider
Flame Grenadier
Miner
Spotter
(Please note that the character materials in this pack are currently rough they will be patched at a later date)


[2] Contribute to Development!
PW is currently in BETA stage. This means there WILL be bugs. Is a weapon underpowered? Do bots have an overpowered weapon? Leave your feedback in a post on this forum and if sufficient data is evident that a change is needed then that change will be made over the air right away without you needing to do a thing. The new changes would take effect when GOW is next launched and you can then see the update notes in the Main Menu if it notifies you that new notes are there. Something not working as intended? Report it and I will immediately work on fixing the bug. Once a collection of fixes & improvements are made an update will be pushed out. PWbinaries allows me to automatically update the mod without you having to do a thing, if an update is available it will download upon launching Gears of War.

[3] Current Playlists:
- Team Deathmatch
- 'One Man'
- Guardian
- Hardcore TDM
- Hardcore 'One Man'

[6]Known Issues:


[6] Screenshots:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/Screenshots/wargame-g4wlive%202011-11-30%2023-03-15-47.jpg http://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/Screenshots/wargame-g4wlive%202011-11-30%2023-10-15-53.jpg http://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/Screenshots/wargame-g4wlive%202011-11-30%2023-11-11-65.jpg http://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/Screenshots/wargame-g4wlive%202011-12-06%2001-51-27-78.jpg http://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/Screenshots/wargame-g4wlive%202011-12-06%2001-56-32-36.jpg http://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/Screenshots/wargame-g4wlive%202011-12-06%2001-56-36-91.jpg

(These screenshots are from January 2012, more updated ones coming soon)

[7]Installation Instructions

MAKE SURE UAC (USER ACCOUNT CONTROL) IS DISABLED BEFORE CONTINUING AS IT INTERFERES WITH PWBINARIES !

1. Download the PW Installer from here: http://www.mediafire.com/?xk2hs9apycenavm
2 Launch the file and within a few seconds you should see this screen:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/PWarzone/InstructionPics/SelectDocs.jpg
Navigate to your Documents folder, click it then press OK. If you don't see this window try minimising some windows as it likes to hide sometimes!
3. A few seconds later you should see this screen:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/PWarzone/InstructionPics/SelectBinaries.jpg
Navigate to your GOW Installation's Binaries folder and press OK. This is NOT the one that is in Documents\My Games\Gears of War for Windows, it will be where your main GOW installation is in Program Files for example!
4. After you have pressed OK a few seconds later the PW Content Manager should load up as shown below (A shortcut to PW Content Manager will be placed on your desktop too):
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/PWarzone/InstructionPics/contentmanagerhome.jpg
Click the "Download PW" button at the bottom right, it will begin the PW download & installation process which is entirely automated.
5. Once the PW install process is complete (It will tell you on the Home tab under Download Information) go ahead and click the Map Packs tab, click BETA Map Pack and then click the Download Pack button at bottom right.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/PWarzone/InstructionPics/contentmanagermaptab.jpg
6. Launch Gears of War and you should be prompted with this screen:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/PWarzone/InstructionPics/enterforumid.jpg
Enter your forum username here or your Live Gamertag. This is for helping with tracking down bugs so if the PW client experiences an error it emails me an error report and I know what client had this error. This is also used to keep track of client's version of PW and for exclusive character content in the future!
7. Once you enter your forum ID and click OK, the program may lock up for a few seconds this is normal! The window will disappear and a few seconds later your Gears of War will launch!
8. Open the console and type "open wz_warmachine_k" without the quotes and enjoy!

[Drone *]

Post reserved for future Awards list (Ribbons & Medals)

[XxXbObXxX]

Error connecting to PW server

Did not saw Onyx guard pic nor the mumbo jumbo from pic.

Avast is possibly in the way? Evrything else is good so far.

[Drone *]

Possibly avast, it is strict as hell these days :p I will test on laptop later and try to clear up any last minute issues! Either that or just a small hiccup and it would load upon restarting :)

[Drone *]

There will be an update out by next Friday which will contain several bug fixes and improvements. It will fix the teammates not spawning when on Locust on TDM playlist, The issue where the weapons and Mystery Box row of ribbons don't show has been fixed, removed the star from leader on Guardian when playing as Locust, Teammate leaders & player leader's health will be less with a longer health recharge time whilst enemy leaders will have significantly more Health on Guardian, Team-mate leaders & player leaders no longer go DBNO on Guardian. There will be a few more fixes here and there, and the mod will be continually updated...

[Drone *]

EDIT: Issue Fixed.

[Drone *]

An update will be released either tonight or tomorrow which contains several bug fixes and improvements.

[Drone *]

Update was released today, bobfuria and some RoddyRodd dude is up to date yay :p

[XxXbObXxX]

Update was released today, bobfuria and some RoddyRodd dude is up to date yay :p

Hehe, all you said was fixed was actually fixed,Your word is law. Good job son.

And... a question, any plans on making you able to activate or deactivate mystery box? It will be more boring off, but some may like it more serious or turn it off for moar difficulty.

[Drone *]

Hehe, all you said was fixed was actually fixed,Your word is law. Good job son.

And... a question, any plans on making you able to activate or deactivate mystery box? It will be more boring off, but some may like it more serious or turn it off for moar difficulty.

I may consider this, but then again if they don't want to use it then they don't need to go up and press it hehe :) What I may experiment with though is a "round system".

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

Greetings, everyone! I'm a new member to these forums but have been keeping up to date with all the mods you dedicated individuals have been pumping out since a year or two ago. I just wanted to drop a post saying how much I appreciate all your efforts, keeping the game alive even with a diminished community and all. It's surely an inspiration to not only me, but many of my friends, even those who don't play Gears of War on the PC. Keep on doing what you're doing and if I can contribute in any way possible, please let me know!

[Drone *]

Thanks dude :)

[JUGGERNUT]

Ha, well, that's a nice surprise! Yeah, it's amazing what an editor does for a game.

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

Because of you two, JUGGERNUT and CowboyLocust (and the recently retired Katham), I've begun fiddling with the UDK in hopes of creating maps and mods too. I'm curious to know how long it took for each of you to become proficient enough to make quality maps and mods with the tool.

[Drone *]

Because of you two, JUGGERNUT and CowboyLocust (and the recently retired Katham), I've begun fiddling with the UDK in hopes of creating maps and mods too. I'm curious to know how long it took for each of you to become proficient enough to make quality maps and mods with the tool.

It's hard to say really, you learn more as you go along, even more so when you experiment! It took me around a year to get at least half decent stuff out there then I just kept sticking at it with this PW project :)

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

*Shudders* Looks like a long journey ahead! Hopefully by the time I've learned to make decent content, you guys will still be at it!

[XxXbObXxX]

*Shudders* Looks like a long journey ahead! Hopefully by the time I've learned to make decent content, you guys will still be at it!

You can start here if you have time and interest: http://forums.epicgames.com/threads/583707-Tutorials-Epic-and-other-Gears-of-War-editor-tutorials

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

You can start here if you have time and interest: http://forums.epicgames.com/threads/583707-Tutorials-Epic-and-other-Gears-of-War-editor-tutorials

That link will definitely prove useful. Thanks!

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

So I finally had the chance to try this mod and even before starting up the game, I am simply blown away. The download/install interface looks extremely professional and it worked near flawlessly (I was unable to connect to the server earlier, but I'm assuming it's because it was going under updates). I have to ask, how many of the modders here work for the gaming industry professionally? This is quality stuff!

PS: Got a few rounds in and I have to say, it should be a crime that you guys aren't getting paid for this. Perhaps my biased love towards Gears of War has obscured my judgment, but I'm willing to say that this is one of the best mods I've ever had the pleasure of playing for any game. Have you guys ever thought about doing a Kickstarter of sorts? For tackling such a huge project despite the small community, the entire PW team seriously needs some sort of compensation.

[Drone *]

So I finally had the chance to try this mod and even before starting up the game, I am simply blown away. The download/install interface looks extremely professional and it worked near flawlessly (I was unable to connect to the server earlier, but I'm assuming it's because it was going under updates). I have to ask, how many of the modders here work for the gaming industry professionally? This is quality stuff!

PS: Got a few rounds in and I have to say, it should be a crime that you guys aren't getting paid for this. Perhaps my biased love towards Gears of War has obscured my judgment, but I'm willing to say that this is one of the best mods I've ever had the pleasure of playing for any game. Have you guys ever thought about doing a Kickstarter of sorts? For tackling such a huge project despite the small community, the entire PW team seriously needs some sort of compensation.

Thanks for the feedback dude, I noticed you had downloaded when I checked my stats manager this morning :)

Which reminds me actually, I am late in putting out the fun event playlist, it is a Bowman playlist which you start with a torque bow in, will be lots of fun :)

None of us that I know of work in the game industry, just doing this out of pure passion for the game :D


EDIT: Bowman Event is now live!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/playlists.jpg https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/inventory.jpg

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

The Bow Man event sounds extremely fun and I'll definitely be checking it out tonight! Is this going to be a permanent addition or is it a weekly thing?

A few things I noticed while playing last night (both of which may be issues you're probably already aware of):

Exiting to the Gear's main menu from PW's main menu isn't working for me. I had to exit the mod by starting a game and selecting the option from the pause menu there. I'm not sure if this is due to a faulty installation on my behalf or if this is a bug you're already working on rectifying in the future.

There also seems to be no way to keep track of how many frags each team has in the TDM and One Man modes. Judging by your work in the similarly astounding Beast Mode Alpha mode and its creative "money" counter, I'm sure you already have a system to keep track of kills. H.I.V.E. has a similar feature where "Select" (I'm using an XBox controller) would display current objectives, although I'm not sure how easily this feat was accomplished. It'd be fantastic if you could combine those two features so that pressing "Select" would bring up a score sheet, just like in multiplayer.

[Drone *]

The "Exit" button issue is just me forgetting to link the button up to the exit event. I can fix this server-side so will do it later tonight :)
Yeah currently I haven't implemented a way to keep track of kills and what not. There used to be a thing letting you know that there was 10 kills left but I forgot to re-implement it. Might try the select showing kills thing as it would be more helpful. Will probably set TDM's goal limit to 50 from 75 for the time being tonight and see how it goes.

[The Nice Guy]

I don't PC game but I think I have been swayed.... *currently searching for a graphics card*

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

The "Exit" button issue is just me forgetting to link the button up to the exit event. I can fix this server-side so will do it later tonight :)
Yeah currently I haven't implemented a way to keep track of kills and what not. There used to be a thing letting you know that there was 10 kills left but I forgot to re-implement it. Might try the select showing kills thing as it would be more helpful. Will probably set TDM's goal limit to 50 from 75 for the time being tonight and see how it goes.

If I recall correctly, I think you mentioned in one of your previous posts that you'll be on vacation until the end of August. I definitely don't want to interfere with your free time by requesting fixes and such!



I don't PC game but I think I have been swayed.... *currently searching for a graphics card*

What's your budget? Maybe I can help!

[Drone *]

If I recall correctly, I think you mentioned in one of your previous posts that you'll be on vacation until the end of August. I definitely don't want to interfere with your free time by requesting fixes and such!


No I'm not on vacation its all good :) Working on a PW update that will be out in a couple of weeks time as we speak! As for the Bowman playlist it is available until next Wednesday, I have fun events on this mod every couple of weeks or so :)

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

No I'm not on vacation its all good :) Working on a PW update that will be out in a couple of weeks time as we speak! As for the Bowman playlist it is available until next Wednesday, I have fun events on this mod every couple of weeks or so :)

Do you do stats tracking on how many people and who participates in the event? Is it possible to keep track of how many bots are killed during an event? I'm not sure if you're familiar with Mass Effect 3 and its multiplayer component, but they do biweekly events which ask all players accumulate several thousands of kills over a weekend. If the "mission" was successful, Bioware would reward the community with a free item pack.

If you can do detailed stats tracking, would you consider making the events more competitive? See who can get the most kills before the event ends and the winner receives a prize (which I'd personally take care of if the idea comes to life). I definitely want this mod to gain more exposure.

[Drone *]

Do you do stats tracking on how many people and who participates in the event? Is it possible to keep track of how many bots are killed during an event? I'm not sure if you're familiar with Mass Effect 3 and its multiplayer component, but they do biweekly events which ask all players accumulate several thousands of kills over a weekend. If the "mission" was successful, Bioware would reward the community with a free item pack.

If you can do detailed stats tracking, would you consider making the events more competitive? See who can get the most kills before the event ends and the winner receives a prize (which I'd personally take care of if the idea comes to life). I definitely want this mod to gain more exposure.

I can't log stats of the actual gameplay, just PW client stats like total map packs downloads, total character pack downloads and total PW downloads and how many people are online playing gears with PWBinaries. If there was any way to track in game stats I would :( Current statistics set up is still useful for keeping track of what version a certain client is on and what not from my end.

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

My next idea would be to do screenshot submissions, but I don't know how easy those are to fake. Sadly, this forum seems kind of quiet for the most part. Do you think I'd still be able to reach out to a good amount of people to set up weekly events through here? If someone isn't already doing that, of course.

[Drone *]

My next idea would be to do screenshot submissions, but I don't know how easy those are to fake. Sadly, this forum seems kind of quiet for the most part. Do you think I'd still be able to reach out to a good amount of people to set up weekly events through here? If someone isn't already doing that, of course.

The mod did have a "Take Screenshot" button at one point but it didn't come across as something that was used, may implement it in the next update though. Yeah this forum is very very quiet :(

[Drone *]

My next idea would be to do screenshot submissions, but I don't know how easy those are to fake. Sadly, this forum seems kind of quiet for the most part. Do you think I'd still be able to reach out to a good amount of people to set up weekly events through here? If someone isn't already doing that, of course.

The mod did have a "Take Screenshot" button at one point but it didn't come across as something that was used, may implement it in the next update though. Yeah this forum is very very quiet :(

[bmbr1990]

hehe would I be a troll if i tell that "F10" or "F11" takes screenshot xd

[Drone *]

hehe would I be a troll if i tell that "F10" or "F11" takes screenshot xd

Haha :P I don't know if players would be aware of that, then again they would use fraps or something anyway xd

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

I'm having issues installing this mod on my Vista machine. Worked great on Win7 though. Upon booting up the Content Manager (after I've correctly appointed My Documents and the Gears' Binaries), it just crashes and attempts to look for a solution online.

[Drone *]

That's Vista for you :P In all seriousness I'm not sure what it could be, does it install the PW Content Manager?

EDIT: My PW Content Manager is getting a crashing issue aswell at the moment, after saying Error Connecting to Server a few seconds later it says PW Content Manager has stopped working. This could be due to a typo in the config on my end I will check it out just now!

EDIT 2: It was due to updating the PWContentManager's configuration last night then my computer BSOD'd and corrupted the server stored configuration file, restoring the backup now!

EDIT 3: Fixed the problem, it should no longer crash now and thanks for letting me know :)

[Drone *]

I take it you got the problem solved then ? I noticed a 2nd client with your name but he's still marked as 1.0000 instead of 1.1000 version for some reason so I wouldn't be surprised if the game asked you to update the next time you launch :P

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

I take it you got the problem solved then ? I noticed a 2nd client with your name but he's still marked as 1.0000 instead of 1.1000 version for some reason so I wouldn't be surprised if the game asked you to update the next time you launch :P

Yeah, the install went down swimmingly. I think the 1.0 version is the one on my laptop which I haven't played on since the Bow Man update. I really enjoyed the event as it gave me a chance to use a weapon I normally never would. Unfortunately, the "Quit to Main Menu" button is still broken :(

I can definitely see myself playing this mod at least once every day, so if you need feedback or a tested, I'm more than willing to help!

[Drone *]

Unfortunately, the "Quit to Main Menu" button is still broken :(

I can definitely see myself playing this mod at least once every day, so if you need feedback or a tested, I'm more than willing to help!

The first DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS is on version 1.1 it was the one that was added today that is marked as 1.0000 for some reason, maybe something happened because on first time run it usually parses the latest version to your configuration but never done it for some reason, it shouldn''t affect you though :D

Yeah sorry I yet again forgot to hook up the exit event, just open console and type "disconnect" in the mean time!

Thanks dude :) If you run into any bugs or anything you may suspect is a bug just let me know :)

[Drone *]

Unfortunately, the "Quit to Main Menu" button is still broken :(

I can definitely see myself playing this mod at least once every day, so if you need feedback or a tested, I'm more than willing to help!

The first DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS is on version 1.1 it was the one that was added today that is marked as 1.0000 for some reason, maybe something happened because on first time run it usually parses the latest version to your configuration but never done it for some reason, it shouldn''t affect you though :D

Yeah sorry I yet again forgot to hook up the exit event, just open console and type "disconnect" in the mean time!

Thanks dude :) If you run into any bugs or anything you may suspect is a bug just let me know :)

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

The first DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS is on version 1.1 it was the one that was added today that is marked as 1.0000 for some reason, maybe something happened because on first time run it usually parses the latest version to your configuration but never done it for some reason, it shouldn''t affect you though :D

Yeah sorry I yet again forgot to hook up the exit event, just open console and type "disconnect" in the mean time!

Thanks dude :) If you run into any bugs or anything you may suspect is a bug just let me know :)

How long does it take to port a map into PW?

[Drone *]

I will be porting maps myself due to the nature of PW's update process.

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

If there's any non-technical stuff I can help out with, like proof reading or something, let me know!

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

Was the removal of weapon spawns from wz_warmachine_k intentional? It'd be nice if the player can use weapons beyond the shotgun and assault rifle. It's a bit odd that when enemies die, they only drop their weapons if it's a shotty or rifle.

Also, do you program the AI yourself?

EDIT: One last question! Once PW has been installed, is it safe to delete the install files or are they required for updates?

[Drone *]

Yes it was intentional. The enemies only dropping only Shotgun and Assault Rifles was intentional and this was done to to the mod having almost no challenge when power weapons were lying around. You can get power weapons from the mystery box (Such as Explosive Inventory or one of the Pick N Mix inventory packs).

The AI is Epic's, only with slight improvements via console commands and added random evasion via kismet.

If by install files you mean stuff like PWPackages.exe then you are safe to delete that, usually the PW Content Manager deletes those by it's self when installation completes though.

[Blame Stottyy]

PW content manager has stopped working, I also get no pictures in the pw content manager. I selected my documents and the binaries folder in my program files (x86). Is that correct?

[Drone *]

PW content manager has stopped working, I also get no pictures in the pw content manager. I selected my documents and the binaries folder in my program files (x86). Is that correct?

The Documents and Binaries folders you selected in are correct indeed.

If the pictures say "No Picture Available" and there is red text saying "Unable to connect to the server" at the top of the window this may be part of the problem which causes a crash seconds after due to a value unable to be found. What security software do you have such has antivirus and firewall?

Sounds weird but I don't have any anti-virus software or anything, just MalwareBytes which isn't real time as I don't download much and only stick to trusted websites although I will download Avast to test.

EDIT: It's still working with Avast, so yeah what firewall and anti virus do you have?
EDIT 2: Do you have UAC (User Account Control) enabled? My PW components were having problems when it was enabled. Most notably being syncing the config and accessing the pw config so that could be a culprit.
Also, make sure you have .NET framework 3.5 installed!

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

Is it possible to up the difficulty of bots? Right now, I can pretty much chainsaw my way through half the level. I've found Katham's AI for his Lance mod to be slightly more difficult. I'd sure welcome the challenge!

[Drone *]

Is it possible to up the difficulty of bots? Right now, I can pretty much chainsaw my way through half the level. I've found Katham's AI for his Lance mod to be slightly more difficult. I'd sure welcome the challenge!

I'll experiment with a few server-side tweaks :)

[Meuj]

Pretty awesome stuff here. I recorded a game of Bow Man earlier and I'll upload with your permission. I recorded the 'credits' section before playing so people know who's responsible ;)

[Drone *]

Thanks man :)

[Blame Stottyy]

Ok so I have .Net framework 4, UAC on never notify and AVG (which I disabled when I tried installing and I don't have a firewall on) and I still get the same error.

[Drone *]

when the "Stopped Working" box pops up, click on the "more info" bit where the dropdown box shows and print screen it so I can see what's going on. All .NET frameworks are different and not backwards compatible so make sure you have .NET framework 3.5 :)

[Blame Stottyy]

Forget that last post I think its worked now. I just tried a fresh install and it seem to have worked. Now to see if it works in game.

[Drone *]

Nice one

When I get an email that says:
A new client as been registered into the Project Warzone database.
Epic Games Forum ID:Mr Stottyy

It's all good ;) Hopefully you have a "mint" experience mate

[Drone *]

Is it possible to up the difficulty of bots? Right now, I can pretty much chainsaw my way through half the level. I've found Katham's AI for his Lance mod to be slightly more difficult. I'd sure welcome the challenge!

Yo dude you are registered in the PW Database 3 times now LOL, 3 different PCs? :D

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

Yo dude you are registered in the PW Database 3 times now LOL, 3 different PCs? :D

Hahaha! Yes and no. I reinstalled Gears on my desktop in a different directory, so I had to reinstall PW. I'm in the process of building a new desktop and I will also install Gears on that as well, so expect another account in the near future. Is there a way for me to delete my accounts on your database or is that something only you can manage? (And in case you're curious, I'm a college student who dorms on campus. I need one desktop at home, one at school, and my laptop is for all the traveling in between :rolleyes:)

And now, time for some probably unwanted feedback!

I've been replaying the Bow Man event and I have to say, harder AI is definitely needed. The only times I got killed were when I walked carelessly into a melee combat and they whacked me to death with their crossbows. Otherwise, the bots will miss their shots even at point blank. I also stumbled onto one other bug where the bots wouldn't die even after I stuck an explosive arrow in them and it detonated. But since this is a temporary event, I don't think it matters too much. They eventually die after the fifth or so explosion.

Of the current selection, I have to say that Guardian is my all time favorite (don't get me wrong, they're all great!). It's refreshing and unique. But what intrigued me most about it was that you were able to make it so that the leaders die only through execution. Is there any chance you'll make a replica of the game's Execution mode with bots, seeing as how you were able to program the leaders?

And to wrap up this longer-than-usual post, why don't you keep Bow Man as a permanent game mode? More options and varieties wouldn't hurt, right?

As for AI and bots, is there a way you can make them melee only? If so, may I suggest a future in event with unlimited grenades? It'd be like playing tag on a deadly scale :P

[Blame Stottyy]

1. Its mint
2. I would love to help out in finding bugs as I've come across a few already and recorded them.
3. The AI rolls way too much lol
4. Do they have more health than regular online guys? shotty point blanks don't seem to gib first time
5. T-Bow headshots are fun :)

[Drone *]

1. Its mint
2. I would love to help out in finding bugs as I've come across a few already and recorded them.
3. The AI rolls way too much lol
4. Do they have more health than regular online guys? shotty point blanks don't seem to gib first time
5. T-Bow headshots are fun :)

Yeah recording the bugs would be a great help, I do notice Marcus' torque bow hit box is broken for sure it doesn't pop :D
Agreed with the AI I increased the delay times for the next update so they don't roll around at every shot.
600 health I think but I lowered fire power of player's weapons just to make it a bit more challenging since they are bots.
Thanks :) It's not a perfect implentation but it will do the job for now :D

[Blame Stottyy]

The Quit back to gow main menu button doesn't work. I have to tab out and restart to get back to main menu.

[Drone *]

The Quit back to gow main menu button doesn't work. I have to tab out and restart to get back to main menu.

Forgot to hook it up to exit event and keep forgetting to hook it up, I will do it tonight. In the mean time open up the console and type disconnect to get back to the menu.

[Blame Stottyy]

Ok thanks a lot I'm compiling all of the bugs i find into a video for you as well. And do you have any plans to make this mod playable with friends?

[Drone *]

Due to the limits in GOW modding and replication issues I can't make this a MP mod without sacrificing alot of stuff :( I do have plans for attempting a multiplayer mod though, a guardian one maybe? The quit button issue should be fixed now, the next time you launch GoW the changes should take effect.

[Blame Stottyy]

Ahh that's too bad headshotting friends with torque sounds mint :(. Do you mind if I post a video showcasing this mod? I'll give you credit of course.

[Drone *]

Ahh that's too bad headshotting friends with torque sounds mint :(. Do you mind if I post a video showcasing this mod? I'll give you credit of course.

You would be able to headshot with torque, but it would have a 1 second delay and would have to be on a custom map with the stuff that makes the headshotting work :)
I am tempted to make a Guardian MP mod though.

Yeah no worries mate that would be great showcasing the mod :)

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

Is it possible to make a multiplayer map with bots?

[bmbr1990]

We tried with CowboyLocust to do that, but we hadn't more time for tests so we was able to check only some multiplayer tweaks.

[X94 CM Punk 97X]

This is great this is what a gears anniversary game should be exactly this

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

Is CowboyLocust really banned? If so, can he make a new account on the forums?

[bmbr1990]

yes he's banned and i dunno

[Kung Fu Kantus]

PW users may be greeted with the following problem today:
http://i.imgur.com/YB19t.jpg

This is because Dropbox (Where the PW Content Manager configuration, playlists & the PWBinaries client configuration is stored) is currently having intermittent problems at the moment. I hope they resolve this problem ASAP!
PW Content Manager may be affected by this too every now and then.

[Drone *]

I am back, fellow people. :p

[Drone *]

Soon, I wil be releasing PW Client & Stats Manager to the public...but only those I choose to be PW admins will be able to access it and I control the admin's "privileges".

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/PWarzone/Misc/AdminLogin.jpg https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/PWarzone/Misc/statsmanager.jpg

The purpose behind this is to help maintain PW when I will not always be available, an opportunity to make a contribution.

[Meuj]

May have been mentioned in this thread so forgive me if I'm being lazy, but I can't open editor since I've installed this. The shortcut I've always just launches the normal game. Maybe it has something to do with the files added to the 'binaries' folder. I've actually just reinstalled the game and it's still doing the same thing. Any ideas?

[Drone *]

You need to go to binaries folder and create a shortcut to gamelauncher.exe and add editor to the end of the shortcut's commandline. I am working on a PWBinaries update which makes the startup.exe support an editor commandline.

[Meuj]

Cheers bud, worked like a charm. Now to work on some maps I'll never finish.

[darkelf]

Maybe i can try later, bought a new pc...

[Drone *]

In a few weeks PW Patch 3 will be released. Some of the changes include a revamped ribbon popup system, fixed mystery box issues, "Overall Rank" system and additional bug fixes. There are more changes bundled along that I am not documenting at this time. When this update is released you will be prompted to update to PWBinaries v3.1 before you can continue with the update. This update to PWBinaries fixes a couple of bugs, optimises some code and the overall performance of the application and adds functionality to make it more managable and reliable.

Along this will include an updated PW Content Manager (As soon as PWBinaries 3.1 is released) which contains a few layout improvements to give you more information on a map pack like the file size, current version compared to latest version and improved scaling so it drags when necessary. It also includes a fix for a rare bug in which you could receive a "PWContentManager has stopped working" error when starting the PW Content Manager which is caused by a NULLED value due to being unable to retrieve a node value from the server configuration.

[Drone *]

Here are a couple of screenshots of the redesigned UI for PWBinaries 3.1
An improved "Startup News"/Update Available screen which is neater and easier on the eyes:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/PWarzone/NewMessageUI.jpg

The improved Update Download screen which allows you to cancel the update and lets you know which stage of the update process it is at:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/PWarzone/NewUpdateUI.jpg

[Drone *]

I would just like to say that work on PW has now resumed! After a 1 month break I finally have time to get round to working on PW again :) The first in new progress will be a server-side update rolled out later tonight which contains a fun event playlist called "The Experiment" which contains a completely overhauled lancer. The Lancer's functionality has been changed to work more like the "Breech Shot" on Gears of War Judgement so it now functions as a rifle for this playlist only. This was done to test what changes are capable without UnrealScript and help push the boundaries of modification!

This Breech Shot like gun has 3 shots to the body to kill and (hopefully) one shot to the head to kill assuming I can modify head bone damage multipliers. Magazine size is 4 and there is 5 magazines which gives you a total of 24 shots in your Breech Shot. I will also be using this for testing in-game experiments to see if I can alter the HUD, Crosshair's and what not to custom ones.

[River City Outlaw]

This mod is a blast. Thanks for the hard work.

[Drone *]

This mod is a blast. Thanks for the hard work.

Thanks dude :) P.S ignore the [PLAYLIST] named playlist slot on the mod just now, I accidentally rolled back the server-side config file and forgot to modify the playlist selection! A server-side update will be released soon which will contain the EXPERIMENT playlist :D

[Drone *]

Due to an UnrealEd problem the server-side update has been delayed :( The update will be rolled out when the editor problem is solved but until then I cannot update the playlists!

[River City Outlaw]

Which maps were you planning on porting in the future? And would you take suggestions?

[Drone *]

Which maps were you planning on porting in the future? And would you take suggestions?

Depends dude...gotta work on finishing the mod first! Yeah I would take suggestions in maps and characters...infact suggestions of any kind would be cool like features and ribbon ideas or what not :)

[River City Outlaw]

Theron's Outpost map would be cool. The leatherface ribbon pops after one kill, maybe it should be more. The mystery box unlocks are awesome. Most of them were much more than I expected and surprised me! I can't wait to push the button all the time lol. Were you trying to keep them surprises? Or is it cool to write about them in here? I also think the guardian matches run a little short sometimes, maybe give the leader more life.

[Drone *]

Theron's Outpost map would be cool. The leatherface ribbon pops after one kill, maybe it should be more. The mystery box unlocks are awesome. Most of them were much more than I expected and surprised me! I can't wait to push the button all the time lol. Were you trying to keep them surprises? Or is it cool to write about them in here? I also think the guardian matches run a little short sometimes, maybe give the leader more life.

As far as I am aware the Leatherface ribbon pops up more than once :) Will double check that it is the same for all gametypes! It's up to you whether you write about them or not I don't mind. Yeah I agree with Guardian matches, for the next update I am working on a "Round system" so that the match doesn't end right away but will instead progress onto the next round...so 3 rounds for Guardian, 2 for TDM and One Man :) Of course this round count would be configured server-side so it could always change!

[River City Outlaw]

It pops for me every time. I meant that maybe it should pop once every three times you chainsaw instead of every kill, like in gears 3. But that's a small detail. Sorry bout that.

[Drone *]

It pops for me every time. I meant that maybe it should pop once every three times you chainsaw instead of every kill, like in gears 3. But that's a small detail. Sorry bout that.

Hmm I guess so...will think about it :) Infact that is a good idea! So every 2-3 chainsaw kills it would pop up and count towards the medal for getting Leatherface ribbon (Which by the way there will be a Bronze, silver, gold, onyx medal system in the next update!)

[River City Outlaw]

In the description of the characters and weapons, the words run off the screen in some sentences and the descriptions appear to be too long for the text area because it stops mid sentence. There are two characters called theron sentinel. The first one is actually a theron guard.

[Drone *]

In the description of the characters and weapons, the words run off the screen in some sentences and the descriptions appear to be too long for the text area because it stops mid sentence. There are two characters called theron sentinel. The first one is actually a theron guard. When you get the DarkSin penalty would it be cooler if kryll were some how a factor when the lights went out? Btw the boltok gibs are awesome dude.

Thanks for notifying me of these issues :) I do know the playlist description text box isn't big enough so that will be fixed with a server-site hotfix as soon as I fix my editor problem!

[Drone *]

Round system implemented for the next Update :) Here are the current round values (Subject to change):
Team Deathmatch (Including Hardcore): First to 2
One Man: One round (For the time being)
Guardian: First to 3

Please note these round score's may change with server-side hotfixes.

Also with the next update the Hardcore Guardian playlist will be introduced! This playlist will mean that the friendly leader's health is lowered and they are more vulnerable to being killed whilst the opposing team's leader has more health.

After this update is released the process of porting the mod to other maps will begin..aswell as another character map pack being released very soon!

[River City Outlaw]

Sounds great man! Looking forward to it! Ran into something unusual today. In Guardian as the Locust, there was no Hoffman on the COG team leaving no leader to kill! There was Kim, Marcus, Baird, Dom, and Cole. No Hoffman. I searched everywhere, and killed what seemed like 50 cogs before I realized it. Lol. Another problem I ran into was while trying to navigate the menu with a 360 controller, it wasn't working. I found that you must have the mouse cursor over the menu options on each screen for the D pad on the controller to work.

[XxXbObXxX]

round SYSTEM? Sweet. You are doing a superb job with this mod, can't wait to see the final product.

[River City Outlaw]

I retract my earlier report of text running off of the screen. It was my resolution setting.

[Drone *]

I retract my earlier report of text running off of the screen. It was my resolution setting.

At 800x600 and 1024x768 it does indeed run off the screen, it is fixed for the next update to be optimized for lower resolutions :)

[Drone *]

Can someone PM me a link to their Gears of War ini files found in their program files folder please? My editor isn't working :(
EDIT: Thanks for the ini files bob! Now back to working on the mod :) Server-side playlist update out tomorrow!

[Drone *]

Breech Shot rifle server-side update rollout is nearly done, it will be in the "Experiment" playlist only!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/breechshothud.jpg

[Drone *]

You may get a "Root Element is Missing" error when starting Gears of War. This is because the Player Population & Content Manager download statistics file has corrupted so I will have to restore a backup of this file. Sorry about this error! It will be resolved shortly!

EDIT: Fixed the issue, too bad I have now lost my download statistics :( But this doesn't affect the clients so it's all good :D

[bmbr1990]

you should make more backups :)

[Drone *]

you should make more backups :)

Indeed, currently programming something that starts up on my pc that makes a backup of the client database and population/download stats when my pc starts up xd

[Drone *]

Just wondering, I know I think I asked you before but you said was in progress, is this now fully multiplayer playable? Like can I join other people playing? It would be fantastic.. I am getting tired of the online noobs and their no 2 melee , no lancer, no snub, just gnasher / longshot rules >.>.

This mod in particular isn't available online, but I have a MP mod in the works but recently have had no tester to continue progress with it. It's a project that requires a tester on demand alot of the time in order to continue with progress :(

[Drone *]

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/breaking-bad-hazard-pay-recap.jpg
"How many hours per day, Mr. White?"

I am actually watching Breaking Bad as I saw that haha! 1-2 hours on the day that I work on it :)

[River City Outlaw]

When I select the experiment, everyone has sniper rifles. And when you put out new maps, will they be in the playlist, or will we type each map in the console like we do now with warmachine?

[Drone *]

When I select the experiment, everyone has sniper rifles. And when you put out new maps, will they be in the playlist, or will we type each map in the console like we do now with warmachine?

Sorry about that, the old playlist file on the server didn't get overwrited for some reason :\ Try now! :)
When there is more maps a PW Frontend menu will be created which allows you to select maps...it will include functionality to throw an error if you do not have the required map pack so that you don't get stuck in a load screen in the event you don't have the map :) Infact I could probably just make it hide that particular map from the menu to be honest!

[River City Outlaw]

I see what you did! It would be cool if we could scope in, and the chainsaw still works but doesn't kill enemies, which is really fun to do over and over again lol. And should it head-shot in one bullet? The enemies had to take some damage first. I did find something else off the subject. I hit the boomer jackpot and I picked up a lancer with him. Then I was stuck. I couldn't move or shoot, and had to stand there until someone killed me. I only tried to pick up the gun just to see what would happen. Is it possible to disable the weapon pickups while playing as a boomer?

[Drone *]

I see what you did! It would be cool if we could scope in, and the chainsaw still works but doesn't kill enemies, which is really fun to do over and over again lol. And should it head-shot in one bullet? The enemies had to take some damage first. I did find something else off the subject. I hit the boomer jackpot and I picked up a lancer with him. Then I was stuck. I couldn't move or shoot, and had to stand there until someone killed me. I only tried to pick up the gun just to see what would happen. Is it possible to disable the weapon pickups while playing as a boomer?

I don't think the code to scope in is in the Lancer's class unfortunately :( But I will look into it :) About the chainsaw thing, I will make more tweaks in a day or two to stop the chainsaw from revving...forgot to disable it's "special move"! Also, I will make server-side tweaks so that the modded lancer doesn't permanently stay until the game is restarted.

About damage multipliers...I am looking into it but no guarauntees there, Boomer gets stuck on every weapon so it's advisable you don't pick up weapons when playing as the Boomer and I am not sure I can disable weapon pickups for it but will look into it anyhow!

[Ghostofdelta2]

THIS LOOKS GREAT, WILL HAVE TO REINSTALL MY GearsPC

[Drone *]

Cooking up some more server-side changes for the Experiment playlist that will be rolled out shortly, including fixes to the modded lancer...

[Drone *]

It was fun people, but it has to end here.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/blackops/Goodbye.jpg

[bmbr1990]

Hmmm.. yeah this shows how gears got old through this years... What you've done was great, I'd like to thank you for this time you've spend on modding gears. Yeah it was fun ride:)

[XxXbObXxX]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
This is sad news indeed, I personally wanted to see this finished. But no matter, you need to get your priorities straight.

[Drone *]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
This is sad news indeed, I personally wanted to see this finished. But no matter, you need to get your priorities straight.

One day it may be worked on again, but I have failed my goal of finishing it before December 21st...1 month to go! Brace yourself, Bob.

[Ms A Chievement]

Whoah Locust, I didn't realise you did these things. I just thought you were the witty comedy relief. Your mod looked awesome. If I was computer savvy I would have smashed it.

Smashed in a good way.

[Drone *]

Whoah Locust, I didn't realise you did these things. I just thought you were the witty comedy relief. Your mod looked awesome. If I was computer savvy I would have smashed it.

Smashed in a good way.


Haha, it was a part time project that I worked on for 1.5 years or so :) I am just too busy to work on it these days unfortunately :( But I shall try and still provide some comedy relief in these forums! :p

[Drone *]

Sorry for the delay in rolling out the playlists people but they are here now :)

PICK 'N' MIX is a playlist where it will pick a random mode (TDM, One Man or Guardian) and a random selection of weapons!
Note that I may consider putting the fun event playlists on a random gametype selection, but some won't be for obvious reasons like Troika Madness on One Man just wouldn't work.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/Misc/enoughplaylists.jpg

[Drone *]

Will be working on a PWBinaries update that has to be released shortly to fix bugs in the PW Backend. Some of these include a "Stopped Working" error whilst trying to play the game offline and just general mumbo jumbo related to how the client registration system works (I noticed a few duplicate entries for some people on the client list, and it doesn't email me when a new client registers, hmm).

EDIT: Tracked down the emailing issues, turns out the email provider (gmail) detected "unusual activity" on the account (this would be because the pwbinaries client "logs in" to send bug reports to me and what not and would have been caused by logins at multiple IP addresses, damn you Google and your paranoia!)

[River City Outlaw]

I'll never stop playing this game. I play others, but always comeback to this one. Anything you guys update to these mods at whatever pace is much appreciated.

[River City Outlaw]

Cool. More support. Hopefully Cowboy can find the time.

[Drone *]

Wait so it will never have the MP component? come on ..!! GET OT THE CHOPPAAA come on let's do this!! I AM HERE!! I AM HERE EVERDYAY I AM NOT WORKIN RIGHT NOW LET'S DO THIS COME ON!! I TEST U DO! I TELL U IF IT WORKS!! COME ON!!

The online population of the game is too inconsistent :( But I may work on it from time to time who knows since it has so much potential what I've been able to achieve in pre-alpha stages with it.

It had the abilities for the host to configure custom loadouts for players in the pre-game lobby bit, bot functionality (If a player left the bot would take his place on respawn) and enough alteration in kismet to make the game mode play out differently (Guardian for instance).
The problem is a project like this requires constant online testing!

[JUGGERNUT]

Impressive how long the gears PC community lasted.... just as well I suppose, considering how many talented modders kept this game interesting. Think about it, this game lasted past gears 1, 2, and 3, and even Cliffy at Epic.... that's a real accomplishment.

[Drone *]

Impressive how long the gears PC community lasted.... just as well I suppose, considering how many talented modders kept this game interesting. Think about it, this game lasted past gears 1, 2, and 3, and even Cliffy at Epic.... that's a real accomplishment.

The JUGGERNUT makes an appearance! Yeah it is indeed :)

[Drone *]

I am here!! Just let me know where we could communicate before I become busy myself as well. MSN / AIM / Skype ? Gmail? U NAME IT!

Check your PM dude :) Teh editor is back open!
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/MPMOD/EditorIsOpenAgainYay.jpg

Also, Marcus * beasting it out in an old screenshot
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/bots.jpg

[River City Outlaw]

If you need help on weekends, I'd be willing to help out testing.

[Drone *]

If you need help on weekends, I'd be willing to help out testing.

Have you got skype and dropbox dude? if so PM me :)

[dibe91]

Originally Posted by JUGGERNUT

Impressive how long the gears PC community lasted.... just as well I suppose, considering how many talented modders kept this game interesting. Think about it, this game lasted past gears 1, 2, and 3, and even Cliffy at Epic.... that's a real accomplishment.

level monsters and game modes you! the only thing missing are the weapons ... I hope someday to use the retrolancer!

[Drone *]

There is currently an issue with PW Content Manager where all the map pack buttons show (Besides being disabled on the server config) as "Unavailable" and all the character pack slots are showing. Do not try to download from the other slots it will just crash PW Content Manager (Due to there being no download location in the config).

[DaRkNeSs]

I just downloaded this, ran PWInstall, showed it where My Documents and the Binaries folder was, no issues there, then when the Content Manager opens there's an error connecting to the server - I have tried to close and re-open and no difference. I am (obviously) connected to the Internet. Do you not support this anymore?

[Drone *]

I just downloaded this, ran PWInstall, showed it where My Documents and the Binaries folder was, no issues there, then when the Content Manager opens there's an error connecting to the server - I have tried to close and re-open and no difference. I am (obviously) connected to the Internet. Do you not support this anymore?

Hmm, strange the PW Content Manager will always be up!
What security software, antivirus software and firewall software do you use? Try disabling them and running the PW Content Manager?

[DaRkNeSs]

Hmm, strange the PW Content Manager will always be up!
What security software, antivirus software and firewall software do you use? Try disabling them and running the PW Content Manager?

Only security software I have is Norton Antivirus. Your mod sounded really good as well :(

[Drone *]

Only security software I have is Norton Antivirus. Your mod sounded really good as well :(

Norton Antivirus sucks ass, if I remember correctly someone else had this issue when they had Norton last year, it blocks Internet access on the program and the PWBinaries too for some reason :\ Either allow the programs as an exception or try disabling Norton then running the program :)

[River City Outlaw]

[QUOTE=CowboyLocust;30963317]Norton Antivirus sucks ass

Yes it does! I got rid of my free Norton a long time ago

[DaRkNeSs]

Norton Antivirus sucks ass, if I remember correctly someone else had this issue when they had Norton last year, it blocks Internet access on the program and the PWBinaries too for some reason :\ Either allow the programs as an exception or try disabling Norton then running the program :)

I'll try that when I get back home. I'm on a dongle at the moment so can't afford to be downloading random mods here and there :eek:

[Drone *]

PW Content Manager will soon be replaced with PW Mod Center. PW Mod Center is a very similar concept except it will host a larger variety of mods and maps and not just PW!
It will also be more reliable, have better UI enhancements and the stats tracking/error reporting system will be much improved.

Alongside this will be the release of PWBinaries 3.5, which will fix a lot of bugs with the current PWBinaries system out there (Admittedly it was rushed out there) and contain more features. Alongside this it will support more mods and not just PW. It will also have a much better stats tracking system, better and much more thorough bug report system (The current system in 3.0 is broken and non functional at the moment due to an unrepairable server-side fault). It's updating system will also be more efficient and informative!

Development on my PW mod may start again soon and I will get a move on with ProjectDBNO too.

Please note that once these are released it will require a manual update in order to migrate you along, PW users may have to download the PW content again upon release due to the fact that PW Mod Center uses a different xml structure.
*These screenshots do not represent the final build of these programs, alpha/beta stage. The PWBinaries screenshots are from a couple of months ago*
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/pwmodcenter/PWModcenterHome.jpg https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/pwmodcenter/PWModcentermodpage.jpg
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/PWarzone/NewMessageUI.jpg https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/PWarzone/NewUpdateUI.jpg

[River City Outlaw]

Dear 8 pound, 6 ounce, newborn infant Jesus, thank you for this Domino's, KFC and always delicious Taco Bell. And for Cowboys modding skills, and we pray that you use your baby Jesus powers to help him continue to perfect his mod so we can all enjoy it! Amen!

[Drone *]

Dear 8 pound, 6 ounce, newborn infant Jesus, thank you for this Domino's, KFC and always delicious Taco Bell. And for Cowboys modding skills, and we pray that you use your baby Jesus powers to help him continue to perfect his mod so we can all enjoy it! Amen!

Several meals consisting of Domino's pizza and Powerade later and the PW project shall be completed!

[JUGGERNUT]

Impressive work, can't believe this game has lasted this long... even with the subpar editor, lol!

[Drone *]

Impressive work, can't believe this game has lasted this long... even with the subpar editor, lol!

Yeah, too bad MP hasn't lasted. I find literally 2 games max and half of the time it says "No matches found".
Really polishing up these PWBinaries though, much better stats tracking system and people who have the opportunity to list their mods up there have access to their download stats :) Presented as a graph with numbers!
They also get the option to have server-side and automatic updates alongside latest news posted in regards to their content.

[Drone *]

Hi folks, the "root element is missing" error you may have been getting when launching Gears lately has now been fixed, sorry about the delay :) It was due to a corrupted stats file on the server.

[Drone *]

PW development has resumed. Also, I removed that "Remember this isn't the final product" message prompt when pressing play at the PW main menu. I think I have annoyed you enough with that ;)

Update:
- New ribbon popup design, it shows more info and is clearer than the old system that is currently in PW at the moment.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/pwmodcenter/newribbonpopupdesign.jpg

[River City Outlaw]

Awesome, great news:D

[Drone *]

Awesome, great news:D

Hehe :) Currently working on a round system for TDM and Guardian playlists! An "Express" playlist will be available which features TDM or Guardian with 1 round only will be available once this update goes out.

[XxXbObXxX]

PW development has resumed. Also, I removed that "Remember this isn't the final product" message prompt when pressing play at the PW main menu. I think I have annoyed you enough with that ;)

Update:
- New ribbon popup design, it shows more info and is clearer than the old system that is currently in PW at the moment.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/241808/pwmodcenter/newribbonpopupdesign.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz1lxBXNf58&list=FLkpdEBhY-c3rE74lJhUiFFA&index=24

[Drone *]

Sometimes I wonder, do people actually play in the Hardcore playlists on this mod? It's times like these I wish I could track this stuff! Tempted to free those slots up for other things but there's no harm in leaving them there I suppose.

[Riskieren]

So this is still going on? Last time I tried to install it I couldn't get it to work. =\

[Drone *]

Yeah it's still up, what happened the last time you tried to install it?

[Drone *]

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/241808/PWarzone/yaywonround.jpg
Yay

[River City Outlaw]

Rounds! Yes!

[Drone *]

Rounds! Yes!

2 for TDM and 3 for Guardian so far :) One Man will still be a 1 round thing, also I've added the GOW2 Prescott & Myrrah quotes with the end of round music!

Enemies health regenerating is something I plan on working on too...

[DaRkNeSs]

Norton 360 sucks. Installed the PW thing, tried to go on the Content Manager, apparently not installed.

[Drone *]

Norton 360 sucks. Installed the PW thing, tried to go on the Content Manager, apparently not installed.

Did you install PW thing from the Content Manager home page? If so then that "Not installed" flag shouldn't matter :) Just install the BETA map pack that is listed, the character pack is just an optional thing. Launch the game, it will ask you to enter forum ID bla bla and click ok, should take a few seconds and do it's thing :) I am working on a PWBinaries update that should be out some time soon. It will be more reliable and efficient!

[DaRkNeSs]

Did you install PW thing from the Content Manager home page? If so then that "Not installed" flag shouldn't matter :) Just install the BETA map pack that is listed, the character pack is just an optional thing. Launch the game, it will ask you to enter forum ID bla bla and click ok, should take a few seconds and do it's thing :) I am working on a PWBinaries update that should be out some time soon. It will be more reliable and efficient!

Think I've got it working, downloaded the WarMachine map and the Character Pack. So now what? Just launch the game?

[Drone *]

Think I've got it working, downloaded the WarMachine map and the Character Pack. So now what? Just launch the game?

Yeah, and if all goes well it should ask you for forum ID and if it doesn't it may not be using PWBinaries (Which is used for changing playlists and config as well as downloading updates).

[DaRkNeSs]

Yeah, and if all goes well it should ask you for forum ID and if it doesn't it may not be using PWBinaries (Which is used for changing playlists and config as well as downloading updates).

It did the first time, but the game didn't load up at all so I logged off, came back on, launched Gears of War again but it just launched the stock game.

[Drone *]

It did the first time, but the game didn't load up at all so I logged off, came back on, launched Gears of War again but it just launched the stock game.

Yeah it's supposed to launch GOW as normal, once you are in main menu of GOW press ' key on your keyboard, a black box should appear at bottom so type "open wz_warmachine_k" without quotes
EDIT: It's showing that you've registered and that you are online, you should be good to go :)

[DaRkNeSs]

Yeah it's supposed to launch GOW as normal, once you are in main menu of GOW press ' key on your keyboard, a black box should appear at bottom so type "open wz_warmachine_k" without quotes

Thanks, I was looking for something to open manually using the command thing but couldn't find it. Giving it a try now. Do I need to sign out from Live? Lol I think it's best.

[Drone *]

Thanks, I was looking for something to open manually using the command thing but couldn't find it. Giving it a try now. Do I need to sign out from Live? Lol I think it's best.

No you don't need to sign out of live, it doesn't modify any files or alter any live files of any kind, just uses engine set commands to temporarily override any config settings...I might put up a playlist for you to mess around in lmao, what weapon loadout settings do you want? What game mode? :p You can have RAAM's troika if you want? Haha

[DaRkNeSs]

No you don't need to sign out of live, it doesn't modify any files or alter any live files of any kind, just uses engine set commands to temporarily override any config settings...I might put up a playlist for you to mess around in lmao, what weapon loadout settings do you want? What game mode? :p You can have RAAM's troika if you want? Haha

IDK lol I'm still waiting for my program to unfreeze. Whenever I load up a mod using the commands it usually freezes, it gets hard guessing when it's going to unfreeze/if it's going to unfreeze. If you want to set up a playlist for me that's cool, can I have 4 weapons? RAAM's Troika is a must, as is sniper, and if I can have a Gnasher that's good. Frags are good, Snubs good. Gamemode - Annex if you have it.

Happy days it's uncrashed. Now to check if my laptops on fire (running on low specs lmao - Asus x501a look it up).

[Drone *]

IDK lol I'm still waiting for my program to unfreeze. Whenever I load up a mod using the commands it usually freezes, it gets hard guessing when it's going to unfreeze/if it's going to unfreeze. If you want to set up a playlist for me that's cool, can I have 4 weapons? RAAM's Troika is a must, as is sniper, and if I can have a Gnasher that's good. Frags are good, Snubs good. Gamemode - Annex if you have it.

I don't have annex, just TDM, Guardian or One Man (Which is basically a handicap match, you vs several bots and you get a set amount of respawns). Does your GOW lock up when you load up a mod? That's normal, usually takes 20-30 secs it depends on your computer. Will set up a playlist now but you'd need to restart GOW for it to take effect...I'll let you know when it is up on Live

[DaRkNeSs]

I don't have annex, just TDM, Guardian or One Man (Which is basically a handicap match, you vs several bots and you get a set amount of respawns). Does your GOW lock up when you load up a mod? That's normal, usually takes 20-30 secs it depends on your computer. Will set up a playlist now but you'd need to restart GOW for it to take effect...I'll let you know when it is up on Live

Oh right lol, thought it was just my computer sucking. Playing the mod now, it's really good! Love how you've incorporated a mini map, like the mystery box feature (yaaay Troika!) and I like the ribbons system. When does this TDM end though? Lol.

[Drone *]

uPDATEd it bro, feel free to restart

[Drone *]

Oh right lol, thought it was just my computer sucking. Playing the mod now, it's really good! Love how you've incorporated a mini map, like the mystery box feature (yaaay Troika!) and I like the ribbons system. When does this TDM end though? Lol.

When whichever team gets to 50 I think I set the playlist too, after I put out a proper update it will be a round system of first to 25 :)
Ribbon prompts will be more detailed and improved too!

[DaRkNeSs]

When whichever team gets to 50 I think I set the playlist too, after I put out a proper update it will be a round system of first to 25 :)
Ribbon prompts will be more detailed and improved too!

Is there an actual menu for you to view ribbons?

DARKNESS YOLO SWAG. I like it. Lol.

[Drone *]

Is there an actual menu for you to view ribbons?

DARKNESS YOLO SWAG. I like it. Lol.

After the update there will be one showing that, dat #YOLOSWAG

[DaRkNeSs]

After the update there will be one showing that, dat #YOLOSWAG

Ah right cool. Damn this mod is good! :D

Major complaint though, I'm seriously low on snipe ammo. :mad:

[Drone *]

Ah right cool. Damn this mod is good! :D

Major complaint though, I'm seriously low on snipe ammo. :mad:

Dammit, I thought I set Longshot ammo to unlimited, ah well will do that now :p
EDIT: It is set to unlimited in the config, strange stuff :\

[DaRkNeSs]

Dammit, I thought I set Longshot ammo to unlimited, ah well will do that now :p
EDIT: It is set to unlimited in the config, strange stuff :\

Lmao I was joking. How did you get it to unlimited? I've known mods that just give you 999 bullets but this never runs out. How amazing.

[Drone *]

Lmao I was joking. How did you get it to unlimited? I've known mods that just give you 999 bullets but this never runs out. How amazing.

There is a "bInfiniteSpareAmmo" flag in all the weapon classes :)

[DaRkNeSs]

There is a "bInfiniteSpareAmmo" flag in all the weapon classes :)

I shouldn't have asked, lol. So, you doing any new maps?

[Drone *]

I shouldn't have asked, lol. So, you doing any new maps?
If the mod gets to a more complete state then yeah, I think after the next update I will port it to other maps!

[DaRkNeSs]

If the mod gets to a more complete state then yeah, I think after the next update I will port it to other maps!

Cool. It's really fun to play, how come can't I just select Longshot/Torque/Troika etc. at the startup screen though?

[Drone *]

Cool. It's really fun to play, how come can't I just select Longshot/Torque/Troika etc. at the startup screen though?

I didn't design the UI for it unfortunately :( I might look at doing it for the next update though I guess.

[DaRkNeSs]

I didn't design the UI for it unfortunately :( I might look at doing it for the next update though I guess.

Sounds good :D

[Drone *]

Round system is more or less complete, amount of rounds in a playlist can be tweaked server-side which will be useful for events! Also another minor change I have introduced is PW will restore all configuration values to default after a match and when you press Exit on the mod's main menu. This will mean that you do not have to restart Gears of War to restore changes back to default :)

[Riskieren]

Yeah it's still up, what happened the last time you tried to install it?I don't remember, It was a long time ago. I will try again and see what happens. Also I think Mcafee is blocking it from being able to update and what not, How can I let it through? When I try it says it cannot allow the program through.

Also you should unblock me on Xbox >_>

[Drone *]

I don't remember, It was a long time ago. I will try again and see what happens. Also I think Mcafee is blocking it from being able to update and what not, How can I let it through? When I try it says it cannot allow the program through.

Also you should unblock me on Xbox >_>
Remove McAfee, it's garbage. Replace it with Avast free edition! DaRkNeSs had similar problems with Norton (Which is equally as bad).

[Drone *]

There will be a new playlist called "Elimination" in the next update. It's basically the Execution MP mode without DBNO :)

Also, I started working on the Awards screen UI which shows all the ribbons and medals you can get in PW. Updated the screenshot!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/241808/PWarzone/AwardsUIWIP.jpg

[Riskieren]

If I get it working I will make some videos showcasing it. (If that is fine with you) :D

[Drone *]

If I get it working I will make some videos showcasing it. (If that is fine with you) :D

Yeah no problem dude, but wait until the new update comes out before making videos of it :) Updated the screenshot of the Ribbon menu UI!

[Riskieren]

How do I remove a Mod? I installed the lance mod to mess around with it and I am not sure how to get rid of it and I would think I need to uninstall that before getting your mod

[Drone *]

You don't need to remove Lance, all mods work stand alone :)

[Riskieren]

As soon as it finished I got this http://i.imgur.com/Y3q7783.png

[Drone *]

As soon as it finished I got this http://i.imgur.com/Y3q7783.png

What firewall software do you have? Did you disable McAfee?

[Riskieren]

Okay, I think I got it working!

I started Gears and got the Text window, I entered Riskieren and my game has yet to start up. Do I need to start again or just be patient? :D


EDIt: I think I got everything working right now. Do I need to sign into XBL or just open the console and type the command?

[Drone *]

Okay, I think I got it working!

I started Gears and got the Text window, I entered Riskieren and my game has yet to start up. Do I need to start again or just be patient? :D


EDIt: I think I got everything working right now. Do I need to sign into XBL or just open the console and type the command?

You can sign in if you want it doesn't matter :) Just open the console and type "open wz_warmachine_k" without quotes!
EDIT: Your client ID is showing on my client manager, has the game not started up yet?

[Riskieren]

You can sign in if you want it doesn't matter :) Just open the console and type "open wz_warmachine_k" without quotes!
EDIT: Your client ID is showing on my client manager, has the game not started up yet?

Yeah I was just playing and I must say. You have put a lot of work into this, it's amazing!

One Man is amazing, I had a lot of fun playing it.
Is there any chance of being able to play with other people? :3

[Drone *]

Yeah I was just playing and I must say. You have put a lot of work into this, it's amazing!

Thanks dude, if you go into the Derp #YOLO playlist you can play as smaller characters :P Pro tip: The Hammerburst can headshot enemies after a few bursts, the Torque Bow can also headshot enemies!
There will be an update out for it soon, which adds an execution-like mode, round system, ribbon list in the main menu and bug fixes :)

[Drone *]

One Man is amazing, I had a lot of fun playing it.
Is there any chance of being able to play with other people? :3

No there isn't unfortunately :( But do not fear, I have a MP mod in the works too! Two advantages to this mod: Guardian would be possible in GOW1 and the host can pick custom weapon loadouts for players :) (Basically if people wanted a Gnasher only lobby they could have one, or a Torque Bow tag lobby! Hell, you can even put RAAM's troika from the campaign in the inventory!)

[Riskieren]

No there isn't unfortunately :( But do not fear, I have a MP mod in the works too! Two advantages to this mod: Guardian would be possible in GOW1 and the host can pick custom weapon loadouts for players :) (Basically if people wanted a Gnasher only lobby they could have one, or a Torque Bow tag lobby! Hell, you can even put RAAM's troika from the campaign in the inventory!)

Yeah, I got a troika/lancer from the ?Box. That was fun to play with.

Edit: UNBLOCK ME ON XBOX >_>

[carlos_killar]

is there any way i can make maps for this mod played it extremly good but is there a way to use the mp maps already on the game in this mod

[Drone *]

is there any way i can make maps for this mod played it extremly good but is there a way to use the mp maps already on the game in this mod

After the next update I will be porting it to more maps :)

[carlos_killar]

yesssssssss what maps were you thinking about porting i have gears 2 meshes and wanted to use them but my x box broken and cant accurratley see the maps cieling to floor wall to wall

[Riskieren]

After the next update I will be porting it to more maps :)

Mausoleum <3

[Drone *]

yesssssssss what maps were you thinking about porting i have gears 2 meshes and wanted to use them but my x box broken and cant accurratley see the maps cieling to floor wall to wall

Not too sure yet, Raven Down was one I was considering just for pure craziness!

[Drone *]

A real fun event playlist will be going up tomorrow btw! That Derp one was just messing around with experimental changes with a fellow forum member :)

[carlos_killar]

is there a way to get more gears of war 3 cogs into the game

[Drone *]

is there a way to get more gears of war 3 cogs into the game

Yeah there is, but most GOW3 models look terrible on GOW1's old build of Unreal Engine 3 so I haven't really bothered with them :(

[carlos_killar]

dang dizzy my favorite character bummer what about gears 2 i have those cogs

[Riskieren]

Yeah there is, but most GOW3 models look terrible on GOW1's old build of Unreal Engine 3 so I haven't really bothered with them :(

Onyx guard looks pretty sexy even though he has Kim's voice.

[Drone *]

dang dizzy my favorite character bummer what about gears 2 i have those cogs

Yeah GOW2 Dizzy I will put on some time, I have them too :)

[Drone *]

Fun event playlist for the week is live, DaRkNeSs' Rules :) It's a playlist of TDM with a loadout of Torque Bow, Longshot Rifle and Gnasher. Gnasher has faster firerate and more power in this playlist! Changes suggested by DaRkNeSs :) Live for this week only!

[DaRkNeSs]

Faster firerate? Didn't notice that. Oh well its still nice that my Gnasher finally gibs people lol.

[Drone *]

Faster firerate? Didn't notice that. Oh well its still nice that my Gnasher finally gibs people lol.

You'll get a nice surprise the next time you go on PW :)

[DaRkNeSs]

You'll get a nice surprise the next time you go on PW :)

Really? Do I have my infinite snipe ammo back? Lol.

[NgEeXnT]

For the life of me, even when I see the Forum page and type my G-Tag, the console command doesn't work ("open wz_warmachine_k").

[DaRkNeSs]

For the life of me, even when I see the Forum page and type my G-Tag, the console command doesn't work ("open wz_warmachine_k").

You don't put in quotes or brackets if that's what you're doing.

[Riskieren]

I like the event, but I don't like the Torque. I despise that weapon.

[DaRkNeSs]

I like the event, but I don't like the Torque. I despise that weapon.

It gets headshots though. They look and sound awesome :D

[Drone *]

It gets headshots though. They look and sound awesome :D
I beefed up the sound for headshots with the bow. They sound loud and crunchy like GOW2 :p

[DaRkNeSs]

I beefed up the sound for headshots with the bow. They sound loud and crunchy like GOW2 :p

That's why I like it then. :D

[Drone *]

Update is nearly ready to go, just gotta fix a couple of bugs, finish new ribbon UI popups, design new changelog ui and it is good to go! Should be out by next week, considering scrapping medal system though...will keep it in for now.

[Drone *]

It's so nice being able to view the ribbons you can get ;)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/241808/PWarzone/AwardsPage2.jpg

[Riskieren]

Is the update out yet?

[Drone *]

Is the update out yet?

No, it will be announced here when the update is out and it will prompt you when there is an update available when starting Gears. It will come up a window detailing the changes and fixes in the update and once you click the download button it will download and install automatically :)

[Drone *]

Update will be released within the next few hours!
One of many things in this update is the new rank system:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/241808/PWarzone/PWRanks.jpg

[Drone *]

An client update to PW is now available to download!

Some changes & fixes include:
New round system - play several rounds of the same playlist!

New rank system - Rank up by earning points from ribbons! (4 ranks)

New 'Elimination' playlist - No respawns, eliminate each member of the opposing team to win the round!

New ribbon popup UI - Ribbon popups now show the name of the ribbon, ribbon description and the amount of points the ribbon is worth!

Ribbon Awards menu - View the ribbons you can earn in PW, now you know exactly what ribbon is which!

Minor UI improvements - I've made some changes to some UI parts to clean them up/improve them. (Includes new end of round UI screens)

New GOW2 EOR stingers - Hear Prescott and Myrrah in action at the end of a round!

"Carmine's Fate" ribbon is now earnable in all playlists!

Medal system removed for now, might be added back in a future update.

Hardcore playlists removed, if people want them back then let me know.

Fixed an issue Torque Bow headshots hadwith Marcus AI enemy. His hitbox is now working!

Fixed misleading text on the Mystery Box Troika reward.

Decreased AI evade time delays.

Enjoy the update folks, I put quite a lot of work into it and it's good to be working on PW again!

-CowboyLocust/Drone *

[Riskieren]

Woo! I'll be getting this soon. :D

[Drone *]

Woo! I'll be getting this soon. :D

Awesome :) Have fun with the new update!

[aymeric000]

Why have i this error ? :(

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/8962/sanstitrezvn.png (http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/8962/sanstitrezvn.png)

[Drone *]

Why have i this error ? :(

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/8962/sanstitrezvn.png (http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/8962/sanstitrezvn.png)
What security software do you use? A few other people have had this error too, most cases have ended up in it being related to security software.

[aymeric000]

I have Nod32 and malwarebytes

[Drone *]

Disable them and try launching it again :)

[aymeric000]

I have close Malwarebytes and disable Nod32 but same problem :(

I try install it in Safe mode with internet

[Drone *]

I have close Malwarebytes and disable Nod32 but same problem :(

I try install it in Safe mode with internet

Hmm, this is a very hard problem for me to reproduce :( One thing in common I do know with another person who had this issue: You and his installation of Windows 7 were not in English language. Maybe this has something to do with it? I'm not certain, but it could be something.

Basically this error is caused by the program being unable to find a value from a file stored on the server end, so it's having an issue getting this file :\

[aymeric000]

And it's the good install folder ? : "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Gears of War\Binaries\My Games\PW Content Manager"

[Drone *]

And it's the good install folder ? : "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Gears of War\Binaries\My Games\PW Content Manager"

Wrong folder dude, it's the Documents\My Games\PW Content Manager that you should be installing to

[aymeric000]

Don't work too :(
Same problem

[Drone *]

Don't work too :(
Same problem

Try changing your OS language to English and try again, since another person who's OS language wasn't set to English had this issue, I want to see if this could be a possible cause.
EDIT: By doing some testing I have gathered that when I am not connected to the internet I don't get this issue either, so it is connecting to the server xml file that's for sure. It seems to be like it is crashing to the point where trying to find a value of an xml node but failing (resulting in your error).

[aymeric000]

I download english language for windows and i try gain

[XxXbObXxX]

I got an error playing as locust and cog on elimination. It was guardian and not elimination

[Drone *]

I got an error playing as locust and cog on elimination. It was guardian and not elimination

Elimination is an alteration of Guardian, what error did you get?

[XxXbObXxX]

Elimination is an alteration of Guardian, what error did you get?

A big GUARDIAN UI appears at the beginning and I respawned when the leader was alive.

[Drone *]

A big GUARDIAN UI appears at the beginning and I respawned when the leader was alive.

Strange, when did you download the update? What character did you select? I forgot to increment the content version of map packs when rolling out the update at first so I might need to re-push the update.
EDIT: I know for certain there are issues with spawning for the next round when you die, which will be cleared up in the next update (Note that the next update will contain 2 new maps)

[Drone *]

The FTP server that part of PW's backend runs on seems to be having issues at the moment, sorry for the inconvenience to those who've launched the game today. Not entirely sure whether this affects playlist/config server-side download or not.

[River City Outlaw]

The Gears 2 music is perfect for the menu. I don't ever play Gears 2 anymore and I've forgotten how good the menu music was. I miss a lot of the maps from it too. The round system is awesome, and the ribbons are cooler than before. Great job! I love the improvements buddy :D
*One issue I've had is the opposing team will spawn with no leader in Guardian. I don't know if the characters are random, but Hoffman isn't always there. Happened 2 rounds in a row.

[Drone *]

The Gears 2 music is perfect for the menu. I don't ever play Gears 2 anymore and I've forgotten how good the menu music was. I miss a lot of the maps from it too. The round system is awesome, and the ribbons are cooler than before. Great job! I love the improvements buddy :D
*One issue I've had is the opposing team will spawn with no leader in Guardian. I don't know if the characters are random, but Hoffman isn't always there. Happened 2 rounds in a row.
Will need to reinstall Gears as I screwed up my installation :(
Once I do that, I'll look at reproducing the issue :) It's 1 or 2 characters that don't spawn as leader I think, forgot to fix it.

[JUGGERNUT]

Aw, ah well, guess it was only a matter of time.

[DaRkNeSs]

Aw, ah well, guess it was only a matter of time.

He said he's taking a bit of a break from PW anyway; he's got other priorities atm. I think he's going to put a dialogue box to state he got banned when you load up PW though. When he does restart work on it I'll likely re-open a thread for him if he's still banned.

[Darkfox Invid]

Why did he get banned? This mod looked like it was gonna turn out amazing!

[Bubba Ray Dudley]

Why did he get banned? This mod looked like it was gonna turn out amazing!

The mod is still up for download and playable :)

[huatson]

real nice mod, thanks cowboylocust...hope u can continue with it...

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

Is anyone else getting the error:

"Object reference not set to an instance of an object."

when trying to update?

[bmbr1990]

It's problem of update server. I'll contact with Cowboy and tell you whats wrong.

[Bubba Ray Dudley]

Is anyone else getting the error:

"Object reference not set to an instance of an object."

when trying to update?

I'm looking to see if there's any configuration errors on the server end, will get back to you.
At what stage does the problem occur? When you click the "Download Update" button?

EDIT: I never ran into any errors, what security software do you have? (Antivirus, firewall etc)

[DaNCeSWiTHBuLLeTS]

I'm looking to see if there's any configuration errors on the server end, will get back to you.
At what stage does the problem occur? When you click the "Download Update" button?

EDIT: I never ran into any errors, what security software do you have? (Antivirus, firewall etc)

The problem actually fixed itself after I restarted my computer and reinstalled everything. However, I can't install the latest update. When I launch GoW, I get the PW UPDATE RE-SHIP prompt and when I click on Download Update, it hangs on Contacting Download Server. Any idea what's up with that?

[Bubba Ray Dudley]

The problem actually fixed itself after I restarted my computer and reinstalled everything. However, I can't install the latest update. When I launch GoW, I get the PW UPDATE RE-SHIP prompt and when I click on Download Update, it hangs on Contacting Download Server. Any idea what's up with that?

Might be a firewall issue? Did you try a 2nd time and still got the "Contacting Download Server" message?

Usually it shouldn't even show "Contacting Download Server" and just show "UPDATING *packname* so it's a strange issue.
EDIT: I noticed that since you reinstalled everything, you have a new client ID which automatically parses the latest version into your local file. So if you did re-download PW and the map pack you should have the latest version, don't worry about it.