C# Gaming Resources
Below is a collection of free and open source applications for the gaming population, a testimony to hundreds of mispent hours gaming in my early/mid 20s playing (mostly Counterstrike). They date back to 2003-2004, but have been recompiled recently using .NET 2 framework. The tools are free to use.
.NET Gaming Library
This is yet another planned and never finished open source project. It was going to be a game query library a long while ago but didn't see the light of day. I've salved the original solution which was half way through rewrite of the entire project, so a lot of it doesn't compile. It was also written with the 1.1 framework 6+ years ago so has a lot of redundant and frankly terrible code. It does however contain a lot of protocol information so can still be useful. I may have a try at writing it again in the coming months - limiting it to Unreal, Half Life 2 and Battlefield protocols.
As PC multiplayer client-server gaming is now really just Battlefield and Team Fortress 2 - since XBOX 360 and PS3 multiplayer are peer-to-peer and everything else is MMO, the best alternative is this CSS Codeproject.com project and this Unreal 2003 protocol query one.
Download
GSN Half Life Log Library
Codeplex homepage
A .net library, written in C#, for half life multiplayer log files sent to a listening server by the half life server. The library can be used for stats projects, IRC scorebots and rcon monitoring. The project is open source and free to use in applications (both commercial and non-commercial).
The project has support for Counter-strike only at present.
The project is very much in the vein of hlstats (who created the protocol), but has been created for .net developers to make use of the log files. The library features one class, which has a set of events that are called when various things happen in-game (bombs exploding, defuses, kills etc.).
Counterstrike Player details
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If, whilst playing counter-strike online, you have ever noticed that some players are harder to kill than others, the problem is usually blamed on the player having 'low rates' - i.e. having tweaked or default network settings in their half life that makes them harder to hit. Some people do this intentionally, making scripts that enable them to shoot others easily, and then take bullets like a huge sponge.
This app aims to solve all those people who accuse others of having these low rates - the app displays the rate and updaterate command that each player has on the server, so you can see exactly why you didn't kill them - whether they actually have low rates, the server is crap, or whether it's just you is crap and needs to aim better.
Look for players with rates of 9999 or less, along with updaterates of 30 or less. These are the network settings for 56k or ISDN users, not broadband - which most people playing online are now. If they have these low rates, they are either clueless to it (and have the default settings), or are using the Half Life network settings to their advantage. Details on how to use the app can be found in the readme.
NB most of the problems this app were created for have been fixed in Half Life 2 by the server forcing your update and command rate.
Half life movie manager
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A small tool for managing recorded half life .dem movies.
This application is for people who record movies/demo files in Half Life and mods. All you have to do is use the standard record command: 'record movie1' in the console, and then frag away. Once you're done, the application will automatically copy your demo file (movie1.dem) to the location that you set, and rename it, so you have a collection of demos that are ready to be .avi'd.
The program automatically waits until Half Life closes to copy the demo file, so you no longer have to worry about keeping your demo files in order, and can simply bind one key to 'record movie1' and press that key before you start.