We hope you’ll come visit us regularly at Killzone.com.

It has been a exciting week at Guerrilla Games with the release of the third DLC map pack “Napalm & Cordite”, the release of patch 1.29, the latest update to www.killzone.com, the announcement of the “Map Pack Bundle” and the opening of “Our World” an art exhibition here in the Netherlands based around the visually creative process of making the Killzone 2 universe and those that inhabit it.

So to celebrate all this we have decided to give back to the folks who have supported us through thick and thin since the release of Killzone 2: You. The most attractive and charismatic fans any video-game can have. (Yes, flattery won’t get me anywhere) And what better way to thank ones loyal fans than with POINTS!

This weekend from Friday at 17:30 GMT till Monday morning at 09:00, any games created will give extra XP points to let you guys rank up quicker and unlock those Badges and climb up the Leaderboard.

That way you get more bang for your buck, more meat on your sandwich, more points for your prizes, more sauce on your fries, more … okay I think you get it.

A Win will earn you a 2.5 multiplier and a Loss will still grant you the normal multiplier for a Win: 1.5. This applies only to individual points, not Clan Valor and will be available in all regions during this time.

We hope all those coming new to Killzone 2 and the veterans alike will take part in this celebration and make sure to keep an eye out for people with [GG] in front of their handles. We’ll be rocking the new DLC this weekend too.

Tomorrow our third DLC “Napalm & Cordite” will be released, allowing you to nail or toast your enemies with the addition of the Boltgun and Flamethrower. For those of you that might have only just picked up Killzone 2, or have not jumped on the DLC wagon yet, we’ve got an announcement to make.

Also going live tomorrow is a Bundle of map packs Steel & Titanium, Flash & Thunder and Napalm & Cordite combined. And we are calling it the ‘Map Pack Bundle’, original I know, but it does what it says on the lid.

So enjoy all the destruction and beauty of Killzone 2 Multiplayer DLC with these 6 great maps.

Seb, MotherH, Downie

Napalm: The VC1 Flamethrower
Found in the Suljeva Cliffside map, the VC1 Flamethrower projects an ignited stream of flammable liquid at high pressure. Consisting of low-octane gasoline and an unidentified component indigenous to Helghan, this form of Napalm is extremely effective for clearing out enemy trenches and bunkers.

Cordite: The Boltgun 4400
Also known as “The Handyman”, the semi-automatic Boltgun 4400 can be picked up in the Arctower Landing map. It uses Cordite to propel metal bolts at an extremely high velocity, often pinning its targets to walls and other objects. In addition, each round contains a time-delayed explosive charge – so if impalement doesn’t finish the target off, the ensuing explosion will.

Napalm & Cordite – an explosive cocktail
Both of these weapons radically alter the Killzone 2 multiplayer dynamic, delivering an experience that’s as fresh as it is intense. If you’re a veteran Killzone 2 online player looking to mix it up, or if you simply liked wielding these weapons in the single player campaign, Napalm & Cordite is your ticket. Look for it in the PlayStation Store from July 23!

For more information visit Killzone.com

As with any good DLC, it needs a great patch. We’ve been scouring the forums, stopping and interrogating you in the streets and using futuristic mind-reading technology* to find out what you wanted changed in Killzone 2 and have done our best to try and accommodate that with our patches. So it is time for the latest and greatest update to come to Killzone 2, imaginatively titled: Patch 1.28. (How we come up with these snappy names I’ll never know)

So without further ado, here is the official press-release with the list of new features and fixes for you to go through and discuss further. I’ll be hanging around the comments section for a wee while, so feel free to ask any questions you might have regarding the below, or anything Killzone related.

Over and out. Seb “MotherH” Downie

*Futuristic technology comprising mainly of some rope, a hammer and some knee-caps.

On Tuesday, June 14th 2009 at 8AM Greenwich Mean Time, Guerrilla Games will release the 10th update for the visceral shooter, Killzone 2.

Patch 1.28 will be 91MB in size (316MB for Asian release) and will be released worldwide simultaneously pending a server update. There will be an anticipated server down-time of about 2 hours while the patch is rolled out and the server updates are completed and tested. The following fixes and features are included in this latest release:

• Feature - Code support for DLC pack III “Napalm & Cordite”. The update will enable players to create games with the newest maps “Suljeva Cliffside” and “Arctower Landing”
• Feature - Code support for DLC to allow the additions of the Flamethrower and the Boltgun to multiplayer.
• Trophies – New trophies added for DLC pack III “Napalm and Cordite”.
• Feature - Detailed information screen when browsing games. Items displayed include: Friendly Fire, Faction Balancing, Custom Weapons and Custom Badges as well as the region, game size, selected maps and allowed Missions and Badges.

• Feature - Higher values for Bodycount mode. Players can now create games with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100 and 200 points to increase the time of the mode for 32 player games.
• Feature - Moderators can now create double-points events.
• Fix for persistent squads now working correctly when users using separate Japanese accounts join Friends.
• New loading screens.
• Moderation – Additional powers and functionality for online moderators.
• Fix for Clan Leader leaving his clan before an active Tournament of Clan Challenge.
• Fix for score replication on different clients.
• Fix for a Clan Challenge results displaying a won/lost games as a ‘Draw’.
• Fix for incorrect Tournament timings being displayed for (semi)-final.
• Fix for an empty message pop-up being displayed.
• ‘High Precision Mode’ now defaulting when requested.
• Fix for stuttering audio on the Asian version.
• Fix for network error displayed when trying to log in with another users account.
• Fix to reduce network traffic and improve performance.
• Fix for occasionally being displayed an empty background when ‘Join Friend’ via Communications tab.
• Exploit – Pyrrhus Rise map boundary fix.
• Exploit – Radec Academy collision fix to prevent players being revived inside a pillar and using it to their advantage.
• Cosmetic fix for Medic Gun visual effects.
• Cosmetic fix for Search & Retrieve object being cloaked by the Scout.
• Cosmetic fix for Scouts body remaining cloaked after being mortally wounded (i.e. headshot).
• Gameplay – Damage from Sentry bots tweaked back on request of the community.
• Collection of minor code fixes.

For the latest new content, news and all things Killzone, visit www.Killzone.com which will also reflect the changes made to the game such as being able to view Battle Replays of games played out on the new maps or being able to use the new settings to create Clan Challenges or Tournaments. Further features and fixes to www.Killzone.com include:

• Feature - Tournaments – Full tournament functionality enabled once again.
• Feature - Upcoming Tournaments are now displayed in a clan’s calendar.
• Feature - Upcoming Tournaments are now displayed in My Killzone upcoming events.
• Feature - Upcoming Tournaments are now displayed in clan communication center.
• Feature - Tournament and Clan Challenge support for DLC Pack III “Napalm & Cordite”.
• Feature - Additions of sounds in Battle Replays.
• Feature - Additional animations in Battle Replays.
• PlayStation®3 landing page updated.
• Higher selectable Bodycount values when creating Tournaments or Clan Challenges via www.Killzone.com.
• Various bug-fixes and minor updates.

Helghast Field Manual 15: Surviving the Southern Hills
The treacherous ISA forces have resorted to using nuclear devices in their futile efforts to invade our beloved home-planet of Helghan. This cowardly act will not go unpunished and the Helghast High Command training corps has prepared a field manual to ensure its loyal soldiers do not die in vain. Read the below carefully as it could be the difference between your survival of a nuclear attack and turning into a burning corpse.

• When you hear the siren, drop whatever you are doing. Just run like heck. A live soldier is a lot more useful to the Helghan Empire than a scorched, smoking one. You’ll only have a couple of seconds to get to cover, so don’t waste any time.
• Science be damned! Just Duck & Cover! If you see the nuke going off the in the distance, simply ensure that you have a roof above your head. You don’t even have to close the windows or anything. Anyone caught outside will be turned into a something resembling jerky.
• If you spawn in your base and hear the sirens going off, just stay where you are and the let the folks outside deal with the problems. You’ll be much quicker off the mark once the dust settles.
• Sentry Bots and Sentry Turrets are not immune to the devastating power of the nuke. Don’t leave them sitting outside, or they will turn into burning chunks like anything else. Place Sentry turrets inside to ensure their safety and they will cut off the enemies path to shelter.
• If you are inside, watch the doorways for enemies ducking inside to safety. Or even better, mow them down with an emplaced machine gun before they get anywhere near. That’ll teach ‘em to run like dogs!
• Out in the open? Any base can be a safe spot from the impending nuclear annihilation. If you find yourself far from home, just go duck into the enemies’ base. Your chances of survival will be higher than out in the open.
• The Bots in Killzone 2 do have a sense of self-preservation and when that siren sounds, they will try to save themselves as much as any living player. Follow them for the closest safe-spot, but make sure no sneaky ISA scum are hiding in there in the first place.
• Repaired ammo boxes and Emplaced MG’s will not be destroyed by the blast, so you won’t have to repair them again.
• Assassination targets! If the siren goes off, get to cover. I repeat, run like hell. Nothing worse than successfully defending the target and having it turned into smithereens before your very eyes and not being able to do anything about it.
• If all else fails, climb up the ladder to the roof of the central base to get a good view of the explosion in the east. It might cause you a fiery death, but damn it the explosion is too sexy not to look at in all of its splendor.

Keep these tips in mind when the ISA Cruisers launch their gutless assault on our beloved planet and you might just survive another day.

All hail Visari!

Master Sergeant Downie
5th Helghast Training Corps

Pyrrhus Rise

For a Q&A on the Flash & Thunder DLC pack, visit www.killzone.com.

Nice new home you guys have here and thanks for inviting me. My name is Seb Downie and I am one of the Producers at Guerrilla Games and want to start off GG’s contribution to the blog with details of the latest and greatest update to hit Killzone 2. It was meant to be out a week ago, but on the 11th hour before release we found a bug that needed fixing, so unfortunately we had to delay it, but now we are ready to rock, erm I mean, ready to patch!

Today, Guerrilla Games has released their 9th patch for their best-selling shooter, Killzone 2.

This patch not only contains fixes, but also new functionality that has been requested by the Killzone community. Patch 1.27 will be 75MB in size (272MB for Asian release) and will be released worldwide with the following fixes and features:

• DLC – Enables support for downloadable content pack #2 “Flash & Thunder”, released on June 11th on the Playstation®Store
• Network errors – Improved handling of large message groupings to decrease network errors on heavy loads. Should decrease some instances of network errors
• Stability – Fix for potential Quick-join stability issues when DLC pack “Steel & Titanium” is not installed
• Stability – Removal of DLC could result in stability issues when using game pre-sets
• Stability – Crash fix for potential Search & Retrieve issue
• Stability – Fix for infrequent hang on loading when using spectator mode
• Exploit – Search & Destroy objective exploit fix
• Exploit – Collision fix for map MP04 – Visari Hammer
• Exploit – Collision fix for map MP07 – Blood Gracht
• Exploit – Collision fix for map MP07 – Blood Gracht (2)
• Exploit – Collision fix for map MP08 – Corinth Crossing
• Exploit – Collision fix for map MP08 – Corinth Crossing (2)
• Stats – Fix for clans not always receiving the clan match win medal
• Controls – Addition of High precision mode option for both Single Player and Multiplayer. New accounts will have this mode set as standard and existing users will have to enable it manually. More details can be found here:
• Feature – Players will be automatically placed on the same faction, if they are friends upon using the ‘Join Friend’ option
• Feature – Players will be automatically placed on the same squad, if they are friends upon using the ‘Join Friend’ option
• Feature – Squads will remain constant over multiple rounds unless disbanded. More info on the above features can be found here
• Feature – Faction balancing only checked when entering the game to the pre-game lobby or spawn-select New faction select screen on spawn-select
• Feature – In-game faction changing now allowed on heavily unbalanced factions
• Feature – Skirmish – All Badges and Abilities are now unlocked for Skirmish mode to allow users with lower bandwidth network connections to experience the full range of weapons and abilities available in Multiplayer mode
• Gameplay – Invulnerability when spawning on a deployable spawn-point outside of a base-camp is now disabled
• Gameplay – Armor of Assault class reduced from 100 to 50 hit-points
• Gameplay – AI and health of the flying Sentry Bots has been tweaked upwards
• Gameplay – Firing rate of the Sentry Turret’s rocket system has been reduced slightly
• Bug – Cooked grenades dealing friendly fire damage despite the option being disabled
• Bug – DLC Pack 1 “Steel & Titanium” front end text fix for Japanese sku
• Moderation – Enhanced moderation tools for SCE Moderators
• Killzone.com – Revived players now appearing correctly in Battle Replays
• Misc – Various minor bug fixes

For more in depth information on some of the bigger features to come with this patch, check out the Q&A with Eric Boltjes our Lead Multiplayer Designer here.

I’ll be checking out the comments section and will try to answer some of your questions about the update. We are by no means done with Killzone 2 and will continue to improve the online experience with your (constructive, fair and balanced) feedback *ahem*.

So thanks for having me and I hope you enjoy this latest update. We’ll be back soon with some news on Home. Also make sure to keep an eye on www.killzone.com for the latest news, gossip and content.