"Change log:
- Added source files for ten shipping TF2 maps
- Added a stop button to sound previews
- Added the ability to edit game configurations with vconfig
- Added new vehicle "hl2buggy" so that users may have both the charger and the old buggy.
- Added a new template mod that replaces the old 'advanced' source . This template has options for teams,classes, sprinting, prone, stamina, etc.
- Added additional auto visgroups for sprites and cubemaps
- Fixed third person animations and all effects
- Players animate with the new animation system that came along with TF2.
- Model browser is now created once per session
- Updated shadercompile binaries and added missing DLL needed for shader compilation
- Displacement brush dial now has greater range
- Particle systems can now be defined with a per-map manifest, similar to soundscapes.
- Fixed a number of issues which caused the server to not compile in linux "

" Counter-Strike 1.6
- Rolled back recent silent walking exploit fixes as we investigate less impactful ways of preventing the bug
- Adjusted bomb bounding box to prevent silent plant exploit
- Fix to eliminate or significantly reduce "flashbugs"
- Fixed status icons (buy zone, bomb zone, etc) disappearing when starting a recording, or issuing a fullupdate
- Prevent creating aliases using the same name as existing cvars
- Rate limit fullupdate and some other commands to prevent spamming
- Fixed an issue with grenades where they could go into an area and bounce infinitely, causing the server to choke and or crash"

" Steam Client
- Fixed reconnect issues with chat rooms
- Fixed clients in chat rooms getting into 'ghost chats' if they disconnect and reconnect from the Steam servers
- Fixed client hang if the server browser window was closed while the "Add server" window was open
- Fixed the name of mods being played not always showing to friends
- Fixed switching between fullscreen and windowed mode in a DX7 game with the overlay enabled
- Fixed texture corruption in OpenGL games with the overlay enabled
- Steamworks: added more logging & warning info for the networking API"

" Counter-Strike 1.6
- Fix the wrong sounds being played on jump when moving to different surfaces
- Fixed crash in the spectator UI when hitting tab"

" Counter-Strike and Condition Zero
- Prevent Russian Walking exploit

Server changes
- Fixed players being kicked from servers with an INVALID_STEAM_TICKET rejection
- Added a message to the server console to show when the server has reconnected to Steam
- Made map name and other variables reported by the server stay more current
- Fixed mp_timeleft not updating in server rules (or any unlogged cvar for that matter)
- Show HLTV being connected in the player count for pings
- Fixed HLTV staying in players list even after disconnect
- Fixed server hang when a user connects with a specially crafted info string
- Fixed occasional crash under Linux on startup for SMP machines (Linux)
- Cleaned up hlds_run script (Linux)"

"An update for the Steam client has been released with the following changes:

Steam Client
- New delivery system for Steam IM/Marketing messages
- Added support for DLC CD keys and custom install steps
- Added new features to installscript

To apply the update, click the File menu inside of Steam and then select "Check for Steam Client Updates...""

"Far from being harmful to eyesight, as some had feared, action games such as Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, or Left 4 Dead provide excellent training for what eye doctors call contrast sensitivity, the study found.

Contrast sensitivity is the ability to notice tiny changes in shades of grey against a uniform background, and is critical to everyday activities such as night driving and reading. It often degrades with age. The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, reveal a previously unsuspected adaptability in the brain, and could open the way to new therapies, the researchers said.

”This is not a skill that people were supposed to get better at by training,” said Daphne Bavelier, a professor at the University of Rochester in New York state and the study's lead researcher. "

" Steam Client
- Fixed possible case where Steam would get stuck with "Downloading starting..." when trying to download
- Added NTFS check when trying to install Empire: Total War
- Added new dialog to inform the user they failed to register a CD key because they do not own a game which is required to register the key (Empire: Total War Special Forces)
- Added more download regions for Australia
- Fixed several update news links for games going to the wrong page
- Added more information to the game launch display when first-time install steps are being ran
- Fixed HL2.exe hanging on shutdown
- Increased max width of links on game properties dialog (general tab) to match the now wider properties panel.
- Fixed the 'launching game' dialog always waiting for user input if there was update news available
- Updated localization files for dialog variable changes (fixes %s1 appearing in some languages)
- New notification shown when an application is downloaded or updated
- Added teamfortress.com, tf2.com, etc. to list of approved chat urls
- Fixed case where retail install would be unnecessarily slow
- Fixed third-party installers not running if an installer before it failed
- Several Steamworks updates"

"Gabe beileves the old way of entertainment: Indirect customer relationships, product orientation. The new way of entertainment now: Direct customer relationships, service orientation. Valve aims to touch its customers in some way every three weeks, not every three years when a new game is shipped."