Here's the update I promised regarding what's happening with Killer App Mod v1.2 for #TRON 2.0.

Nobody is more frustrated than I am that it's been taking so long, believe me. I've been working on what became the Killer App Mod, on and off, since 2005. (The first proper release was v1.1 in 2010. Then v1.1a became necessary in 2014, due to the mod not being fully compatible with the Steam version of TRON 2.0.)


So, I have bad news and good news. Let's start with the bad news, first.

Killer App v1.2 isn't ready yet. It still won't be for a while longer.

There are a number of reasons for this, partly personal in nature. I don't want to go into a lot of details about my private life, but let's leave it at the fact that I'm having to help someone in the family who can't take care of themselves any more. This is the number one factor eating into my free time these days.

Another factor was when I learned that Disney was preparing an update for the Steam version of TRON 2.0, back in March 2017. Unfortunately, I'm no longer privy to any insider information about what happens at Disney (particularly their gaming division). I'm as in the dark as the rest of the public. Once I found out an update was pending, I put all work on Killer App v1.2 essentially on hold until the update was released in late June.

I wasn't going to put in a bunch of additional work after learning of the update, only to potentially have to throw it all out because it won't be compatible. I hope you guys can understand this. I had no way of knowing what the update would entail. Fortunately, the update turned out to be minor (and won't affect the work already done).

But recently, another spanner has been thrown into the works. The owner of a server that the mod uses to help restore Multiplayer functionality to the game, has stated that he intends to shut down his server. He no longer wants to run/maintain it. So far, he hasn't pulled the plug. But it seems likely to happen, soon.

If the server is shut down, it will mean having to put v1.2 on hold again and doing another interim mod release. A v1.1b, I guess we'll call it. Which I'd really rather not do. But if I must, I must. I don't want to see TRON 2.0 Multiplayer broken again, for any substantial length of time. It would require writing my own software and setting up a server to run 24/7, likely with the assistance of schmatzler from the tron-servers.net site. (Which you should all visit!)


All right, with the bad news out of the way, let's move on to the good news.

Along the way, over the many years, I've had a great deal of help in creating the Killer App Mod. Without the contributions of team members Kain-Xaiver, Zook_One, 9VoltChicken, and fans who generously agreed to share their unofficial translations (of the game's text and dialogue subtitles) into other languages: the project wouldn't be anywhere near as feature packed as it will end up being. The Killer App Mod has gone from something relatively simple, to what could be argued is now an unofficial expansion pack and second unofficial patch.

During the last few years, I've been working alone on the project. That is, until very recently.

Kain-Xavier has returned, to help me out. He's largely responsible for the recreation of the weapons that were exclusive to the Xbox version of the game, appearing in v1.2 of Killer App. Which wasn't actually planned until a v1.3. On top of that, he's taken on another major task. That, again, I thought wouldn't be possible until a v1.3 of the mod.

He's working on recreating the Multiplayer maps that were exclusive to the Xbox version of the game! With that addition to v1.2, the mod would finally have nearly all the added content that was in the Xbox release. (But unfortunately, no, the new Multiplayer modes like OverRIDE and Data Capture might never be possible without the source code to the game. However, some of the new powerups are also being recreated!)


Sorry for the long wall of text. Hope everyone isn't too disappointed. There's no ETA for v1.2, other than we'll try to get it done ASAP. Provided an interim release of the mod isn't necessary, if Multiplayer breaks.

If the added scope for v1.2 (the recreated Xbox Multiplayer maps) proves too difficult or takes too long, then we'll postpone it until v1.3 so that we can get v1.2 out sooner.

- TronFAQ

Reply · Report Post