Articles in the archive contain broken links because outdated files are removed.
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Today's Headlines |
Moved!
It's been a lot of aggravation the last few days, but the move to the new
server has been completed. I want to thank everyone for their patience with the problems
on the old server, and while there may still be growing pains on the new one, I couldn't
be happier (or more exhausted) right now, as even with heavy traffic, it seems to be
flying. Thanks to my friends at GlobalCenter who've helped pound away at every problem
that's popped up as the switch was made, in addition to the always helpful Peter Gransee,
I also want to thank Chris Kurtz, and my lifesaver Tim McGuiness (I hope I spelled that
right).
MotS Cheat Codes
A list of dozen or so cheat codes from Mysteries of the Sith has been
compiled over on JediKnight.Net (here's a link to the IP if your DNS is still not updated), the
MotS cheats are slower in coming than most cheat codes (which are discovered
instantaneously) because they are encrypted.
Next Generation PowerVR
There's a lengthy
look at the next generation PowerVR 3D accelerator on Next-Generation Online.
Quake II Dedicated Server Problem
Disruptor updated his .plan with word on a problem that seems to crash 3.12
servers occasionally, and that a fix is in the works:
We have encountered a problem with the latest release (3.12)
Dedicated servers may crash once in a while. We are looking into the problem and hope to release a small fix soon.
Quake II CTF in a Nutshell
The Xenocide Flag Academy,
the leading institution of higher learning for students of Capture the Flag, is right on
top of the release of Quake II CTF, with an updated Basic Training section and an updated Officer Training section to teach you
what you need to know about the new release in the privacy of your own home (financial aid
available, if you qualify).
Mac X-Men Quake Update
A version 1.1 update for the Macintosh version of X-Men, Ravages of the
Apocalypse, the Quake TC has been released on Westlake Interactive's page.
Thanks Prophet.
m2m
Version 0.7 beta of m2m the Quake to Quake II (quake2quake2?) map
conversion utility, has been released on the 5thD
page, featuring many bug fixes, a couple of new features, and all the files you need
to make conversions in one archive.
Quake II Releases
These are in an odd state, the latest releases of mods that are
incompatible with the new version 3.12 of Quake II. nonetheless, submitted for your
approval:
Out of the Blue
The old 286 died again today: I'm surprised this update is on it (from
what the N.O.C. told me I thought it had bought the farm). Come hell or high water we're
getting this site moved to the new server today, in fact, for the most part, Jedi Knight.Net is up and running there already.
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Today's Headlines |
Q2
DM Servers
Disruptor updated his .plan with word that id was running the DM maps from
the point release on their servers:
The Quake II Point release and Zoid's Quake II CTF ARE OUT!!!!!!!!
Check http://www.idsoftware.com/hot/index.html for current download sites.
We are running 4 servers with the new releases at;
192.246.40.37:27910 -- Deathmatch
192.246.40.37:27911 -- Deathmatch
192.246.40.37:27912 -- Q2CTF
192.246.40.37:27913 -- Deathmatch
If you've had trouble with a mirrored copy of the point release downloaded from here, it's the q2_312.exe that I replaced with a q2_312a.exe shortly after upload because of a problem with the first one and NT. Needless to say, after three hours of unsuccessfully trying to delete the bad archive, that I am especially unhappy that the move to the Unix server didn't come off today. Sorry about the problems that this has caused anyone.
Quake II CTF Released!
Hot on the heels of the Point Release comes Capture the Flag for Quake II (6.75 MB).
featuring new maps, and custom models and animations. Also available on PlanetQuake, WarZone, and Stomped.
Quake II Point Release Released!
The Quake II Point Release
(8.8 MB) for Quake II has been released by id Software. This release, which
updates Quake II to version 3.12, contains 8 new deathmatch maps, support for co-op play
as well as bug fixes. Also available on Operation 3Dfx, sCary's, WarZone, PlanetQuake, and Stomped.
Superheroes II Beta 6
Beta 6 of the Superheroes II for Quake II patch is out on the Quake II Superheroes page,
featuring the addition of a couple of powers, the subtraction of another, and six new
models, as well as a bunch of fixes.
ThunderWalker Rocket Arena
Two great mods that play great together: ThunderWalker Rocket Arena (like
those old peanut butter cup commercials--'hey, you got chocolate in my peanut butter!'),
is the result of the combination of Rocket Arena and ThunderWalker CTF. Version 0.9 for
QuakeWorld is available on the Valley of the
ThunderWalkers.
FrogBot
There's a demo on Inside 3D of a
beta of the FrogBot, a new client bot in the works for Quake that they seem to feel could
be the most formidable Quake bot ever encountered when it's released.
TweakIt
Version 1.0.21 of TweakIt (296
KB), the performance enhancer for 3Dfx cards that has not been banned by the International
Olympic committee, has been released, also available as patch for users of a previous version (57 KB).
Here's the skinny on the new version, taken from 3dfx
Mania, by way of Voodoo Extreme (a
pedigreed quote):
Brian is still listening to your comments and suggestions, so here is TweakIt 1.0.21. If you already have the program, heres a small 80 Kb update for you. Changes this time include: added 'Remove Settings from Registry' option, Corrected 'File Not Found' messages, Changed Optimum Overclock setting from 60 to 57. Brian is also at work on a web page for this program, so stay tuned for that!
studioMDx
Version 0.90 of studioMDx, the .mdl & .md2 (Quake and Quake II) format
model editor, has been released on the studioMDx Page. Thanks Prophet.
New m3D Drivers
Version 4.1.1.5.002 of the Windows drivers for the PowerVR-based Matrox
m3D have been released on the Matrox
m3D Drivers page. Thanks Royal Assassin.
Interviews
Out of the Blue
Been messing around on the new server: boy is it sweet, I'm hopeful that
we can make the DNS switch today. I think everyone will be quite pleased with the
performance of the new box. Can you hear me chanting? SGI... SGI... UNIX... UNIX...
w00w00! On the mea culpa front: I can't apologize enough to anyone (hopefully on a fast
connection) that downloaded all 50 something MB of the Battle Cruiser 3000 archive: It was
downloaded directly to the server (from the AVault,
I've notified them about the problem) and since the archive was intact (opens up fine in
WinZip), it was quite a surprise to discover that there was a problem with a corrupted
file inside the archive once you tried to install it (the version I downloaded
locally has the same problem). Blech. Sorry about that.
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Today's Headlines |
Duke Nukem Goes Hollywood
3DRealms has issued a press release with the headline
"Threshold Entertainment, GT Interactive and 3D Realms Enter Global Agreement to
Exploit Video Game Blockbuster 'Duke Nukem' Across Film, TV and Home Video."
Thanks Hexagon. The primary exploitation they
seem to be announcing is a movie deal. On a related tangent, I saw Lara Croft poseable
action figures for sale today.
Demos
(Updated)
The mech combat Heavy Gear demo
(43.3 MB) has been released by Activision, you
can find other download sites on the PC Release list
(spotted that on Voodoo Extreme). Also, if
you're like me, you watched in shocked fascination as controversy raged over delays in the
production of Derek Smart's BattleCruiser 3000 A.D. Now, in an intriguing move, Derek
recently released the game free to the public (the full game, not a demo), perhaps the
best way to get it judged on its own merits as a game, out of the context of delays and
expectations. Here's the full DOS BattleCruiser
3000 A.D. (50.1 MB), there is also a version of it in multiple 5 MB or so files
available at many of the mirror locations. The BC 3000
AD site is down at the moment (I'm told it's an ISP crash), but the story can be found
in other places, here's Next-Generation's
account. All this sets the stage for the planned release of version 2.0 of BC3KAD with
3D accelerator support. I'm downloading both of these beasts now (40 and 50 something MB
respectively), and will update this story with local copies of each when they're
available.
New
JailBreak
Version 1.5 of the JailBreak mod for Quake II, including three new levels,
has been released on the JailBreak page.
Thanks Fred. Also, CiDcO (Daikatana Bushido) points out that the warden of
JailBreak, mod author Dave
"WhiteNoise" Wallin is interviewed on PlanetQuake.
Sin
Feature
That huge Sin
feature on GameSlice has been posted including photos and comments from the Ritual
guys, two video clips of character animations, and screenshots, some of them brand new.
Tapestry of Injustice
The folks over at PC Gamer have
released a five level Quake II map pack called Tapestry
of Injustice (61 KB). I ignored this at first, because these levels are terrible
(or at least goofy: they're all gimmick maps, I guess their inherent unfairness is denoted
in the title), and I have seen one to many bad Quake add-ons as promotions for game sites
(what's up with that?). What I didn't get at first is that these levels are supposed to be
the work PC Gamer's mascot, Coconut
Monkey (or is it curious George?), and I have to say, for the work of a monkey,
they're okay, I doubt most people's pets could do that much better. Now in an effort to
bring the genius of Coconut Monkey's work to the public, PC Gamer is running a Tapestry of
Injustice server at: 205.218.128.13:27920. Also, if you can trust these guys after that,
the PC Gamer editors have posted their own Quake II deathmatch strategy guide called The Zen of Frag.
ServerConfigMOD
Version 1.6b2CTF of ServerConfigMOD for Quake II is up on the Quake 2 - ServerConfigMOD page. Thanks Prophet.
3D Blaster PCI Drivers
New Windows 95 drivers for the Vérité-based 3D Blaster PCI have been
released on Creative's FTP site.
Thanks Prophet.
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Quake II Demo Soon
Phoebus sent along word that the Quake II demo is currently being tested
by Activision Quality Assurance, and should be available soon:
Here is the word on the official Quake II demo...Activision QA is currently testing the official Q2 demo (not the bugged version from before).
It will be available packaged in the Wolfenstein 3D reissue BUT we'll have it live on our site within the next few days.
I currently don't know when it's coming out of QA...
Probably tomorrow.
Mysteries of the Sith Tomorrow
I see over on JediKnight.Net
that the Jedi Knight expansion disk, Mysteries of the Sith, should be available in stores
tomorrow. May the force be with you.
Sin & Unreal Previews
OGR's huge Unreal Preview is online (thanks
Wicked of Voodoo Extreme) featuring a boatload
of info and screenshots. Also, GameSlice will post
a Sin Feature (thanks Phoebus) tonight/tomorrow at midnight Pacific time
(I thought it was up already at first). The preview will include comments by Levelord, Tom
Mustaine, Michael Hadwin and Joe Selinske as well as new screenshots, AVI character
animations, and behind the scenes photos at Ritual (eeek!).
Brian Hook on 3D
id's Brian Hook made a
.plan update clarifying and elaborating on morbid's
3D terminology update by going into more detail in the areas he feels may have been
unclear or over-simplified.
New Stealth II Drivers
New Windows 95 drivers for the Stealth II S220 have been posted on the Diamond Multimedia Stealth
II S220 Drivers page. Thanks MikeG.
John Cash's Point Release Update
John Cash made an update
to his .plan giving the status of the Point Release, Quake II CTF, his diet (I've
already stated my case for the Thin Mints as the ultimate Girl Scout cookie, I'd be glad
to see the results of an opinion poll on the subject), as well as his opinions about
Ultima Online, Total Annihilation, and Jedi Knight. Here's the part about the Point
Release:
Point Release (3.12)
--------------------
It's still in testing. Real Soon Now. Special note to "spies":
RSN does NOT mean 48 hours - I wish it did, but it does not. It does not mean it will be longer than that either. The last couple of fixes have been quite trivial. Special thanks to Zoid for being amazingly patient. CTF is dependant on this version, so I am sure he is going crazy waiting for us to release it.
Paul Steed Update
Paul Steed made a lengthy
.plan update announcing the postponement of the Steed's Chick contest judging another
week, as well as analysis of criticisms and discussions of his work and Quake II and game
design that he's found on USENET.
Ultimate Rally Dead:
"Mini" QuakeRally 1.3 Not?
Ridah posted some sad news on the Impact
Development Team page, that Ultimate Rally, the planned uber-sequel to QuakeRally (the
Quake driving conversion), will not be completed: a victim of the lure of programming
Quake II over Quake. There is still hope for QuakeRally fans, however, as Sumaleth posted
a subsequent update saying he would see what he could do to package the work that's been
done on Ultimate Rally as a "mini" QuakeRally 1.3 release. Thanks rdwarlock.
Sin
Tidbit
I saw an interesting quote from Beau Anderson from the Hardcorps Sin messageboard (by way
of Operation 3Dfx):
Will the game feature the ability to shoot enemies in certain places (e.g. the head), so the enemies will die instantly or quicker?
Yes, this WILL be in. Along with the ability for enemies to target specific portions of the player, in single player games, and deathmatch.
Jedi Knight IP Board
Echo Base's IP Server Board, like the
IP Server Board on Jedi Knight.Net, is a web-based message board
that allows the set-up of Jedi Knight deathmatches.
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Quake 64 versus Quake
There's an article up on N64.com
called The Quake Comparison that
compares Quake64 (for the Nintendo 64) side-by-side with Quake. Thanks ANT6t4.
Quake II, The Economist, ABC & Intel740
Quake II is mentioned in an article about the Intel740 3D accelerator in a
recent print Economist, and the online version of the article, Behind the
looking glass, is now online. Thanks Lorne Beaton.
Also, on the subject of mainstream press, I should have mentioned a while ago that Quake
II is the subject of this
column on ABCNEWS.com. Thanks Jon Stokes (who told me about this a while back). the
Intel 740 is also mentioned in this Tech
Preview on the Fast Graphics Site (thanks Redwood's), and this News.Com
article: Intel 3D chips
the next wave (thanks Embrionic Pete).
QE4
Tutorial
I saw on Redwood's that Steve 'Magicman' Thoms
has written an HTML QE4 Tutorial
with a step-by-step rundown some of the functions of id's level editor (apparently created
under threat of death from Gateway, who wanted it as part of his QE4 Manual).
Voodoo 2 Doodoo (Updated)
There is an opinion
poll on Operation 3Dfx asking whether TV in/out is an option
gamers desire. They also have their own article on 8Mb vs 12Mb
Voodoo 2 cards (the subject of a John Carmack .plan update earlier). Also, on the subject of whether
it's worth the wait to hold out for the Canopus Voodoo 2 offering, currently expected
around June, and believed to be called the Pure3D II, is and blurb on Pure3D Central's (okay, they may be biased), Canopus Voodoo 2 page
called "Why wait?" Also, there's a very lengthy post on Voodoo Extreme from news.3dfx.com from Creative
Labs, addressing questions about whether they are rushing their Voodoo 2 product to
market. Finally, there are also quotes there about full-screen anti-aliasing and 100 MHz
(BX motherboard) bus speeds with the Voodoo 2.
Interviews (Updated)
John Carmack on Voodoo 2 RAM Configs
John Carmack made an update
to his .plan on the effective differences between the 12MB and the 8MB varieties of
Voodoo 2 (of course, when they're available).
8 mb or 12 mb voodoo 2?
An 8mb v2 has 2 mb of texture memory on each TMU. That is not as general as the current 6mb v1 cards that have 4 mb of texture memory on a single TMU. To use the multitexture capability, textures are restricted to being on one or the other TMU (simplifying a bit here). There is some benefit over only having 2 mb of memory, but it isn't double. You will see more texture swapping in quake on an 8mb voodoo 2 than you would on a 6mb voodoo 1. However, the texture swapping is several times faster, so it isn't necessarily all that bad.
If you use the 8 bit palettized textures, there will probably not be any noticable speed improvement with a 12 mb voodoo 2 vs an 8 mb one. The situation that would most stress it would be an active deathmatch that had players using every skin. You might see a difference there.
A game that uses multitexture and 16 bit textures for everything will stress a 4/2/2 voodoo layout. Several of the Quake engine licensees are using full 16 bit textures, and should perform better on a 4/4/4 card.
The differences probably won't show as significant on timedemo numbers, but they will be felt as little one frame hitches here and there.
Sounds like the same difference between a Pure3D and a 4MB card for the original Voodoo Graphics. From my experience in GLQuake/QuakeWorld, the timedemo numbers aren't significantly better, but those one frame hitches on the 4MB Voodoo he describes are a killer, and the 6MB Pure3D all but eliminates those, making it the Cadillac of Voodoo (unless you count the Obsidians, which are not really priced for the gaming market).
Mysteries of the Sith FAQ
I see over on JediKnight.Net that LuscasArts has
posted a Mysteries of the
Sith FAQ to answer questions about their upcoming Jedi Knight add-on. Here's a tidbit
from the FAQ they highlighted:
LEC: Does it [MotS] use the same engine as Jedi Knight?
Stephen Shaw: Mysteries of the Sith uses an enhanced version of the Jedi Knight engine. New features include better saber control, advanced networking, colored lighting support, improved AI, and better Internet cheating protection.
Jedi Message Boards
Also new on JediKnight.Net are four new messageboards,
each covering a different topic. There are two general message boards (one moderated and
the other not), a clan related board, and an editing board.
Quake Level Pack
A five level map pack (3.7 MB)
featuring a start map, three single player maps and on deathmatch map has been released by
Ryan "GoatLord" Lockwood and Ex-terraFORMA member Derek
"Lombard" Barr. The pack features all new textures, skins, and menu graphics.
Machine
TC
The first beta of the Machine Total Conversion for Quake is up on TC Machine page.
Trinity
Info
There's an email from John Carmack answering some questions about Trinity
posted on Trinity The Site. Thanks to
the Wicked One from Voodoo Extreme.
LAN
FAQ
Though still in "beta," a valuable resource to first time LAN
event organizers and hardened veterans alike, is version 1.2b of the LAN Party Hosting FAQ.
Video Drivers Update
A few notes: Sean Hall points out
that the Stingray 128/3D Drivers released yesterday are generic drivers (labeled "use
at your own risk"). Also, word on Björn's 3D World
is that new Stealth II drivers may be out tomorrow (they were apparently promised on
Friday). It's also mentioned there that the new miniGL driver released by Rendition has
some problems with Win95 on some cards, so if you're having troubles, you might want to
switch back to the previous version. Finally, congrats to Björn's on their first
anniversary operating a top-notch site for Vérité owners. Thanks JaGa.
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Today's Headlines |
Stingray 123/3D Drivers
First on your block department: According to Voodoo Extreme, new drivers for the Voodoo
Rush-based Stingray 128/3D are available on Hercules'
FTP Site, even though word is not up on their website as of
this writing.
Model
Mania
Zumlin (349 KB), a new
plug-in player model from Sumaleth, the father of morbo, has been released on the Impact Development Team page. Thanks bonsai. Here's Zumlin's bio. Also, for recruits
in the Kiss Army, is the Gene Simmons model
(210 KB) recently released on KrAy-ZeE's
Modeling Guide.
KandyBase II
KandyBase II (325 KB), Marin
"Kandyman" Gazzari's Quake II version of his very popular Quake map has been
released on Kandyman's informative homepage.
Kandyman describes it as a:
1:1 conversion with the geometry practically untouched. It has all the weapons in a (hopefully) balanced placement and should be cool for anything above 1.9 players ;)
Battle of the Sexes
Version 2.6 of the Battle of the Sexes mod for Quake II, has been released
on Spinoza's Quake 2 Mods Page adding Captain
promotions and Infiltrator class.
Campaign
Version 0.1of Campaign for Quake II is out on the Campaign page featuring Cluster integration.
New
Qtracker
Version 1.6 of Qtracker is out on the Qtracker Homepage. The new version of this server
browser for Quake, Quake II, QuakeWorld, Hexen II, and Jedi Knight enables Jedi Knight
users to connect to servers that are running new levels or modifications.
Search the Code
Neat web doodad for programming types is a web-based search engine that
browses through the Quake II .dll source on the OpenQuake
site. Also, if you are interesting in volunteering for the OQ Q2 Documentation Project
to contact Crowdpleazr.
Interviews
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Today's Headlines |
Rumor Mill Revisited
Disruptor sent along a comment on the rumor about the point release
reported on UGP Online:
"Those UGP guys must know something we don't. It'll be out "when it's done".
Welcome Aboard JediKnight.Net
I'm proud to announce that JediKnight.Net is now being hosted by Blue's
News. JK.Net is a top-notch site that was having a world of connection problems after
their rapid expansion, leaving their server down for hours and days at a time, a situation
with which I can sympathize from this site's growth spurts. So when Aristotle, the Obiwan
of JK.Net, who had become a friend over time, approached me with a conversation that
started: "I know you don't host websites, but..." it's not surprising that the
conversation ended with me agreeing that it sounded like it was a good idea. The Jedi
Knight community has it's own lifeblood, and this makes me feel confident that one way or
another, Blue's News is helping to provide coverage of the proper scope in this area. One
of the things that needed to be worked out in order to make this all fly is to ensure that
the server we are using, already strained to its limits by Blue's News, could stand the
addition of another heavily trafficked site, so my buds over at GlobalCenter have
escalated their efforts to provide us with a nifty new server at an amazing facility, so
even if the strain impacts the ol' 286 here (we would have waited, but their server has
been down too much lately), there are changes on the way. More on that exciting
development when the time comes (hopefully soon). We'll see about making DNS changes when
we know more about the new server, so for the time being, you'll be able to find the site
here: JediKnight.Net.
Rumors
Abound
From the rumor mill (i.e., be skeptical): there's a report on UGP Online that "their network
of spies" has told them the point release and CTF are both imminent, possibly within
48 hours. Thanks Murder.
Hot Potato CTF for Q2
The first version of Hot Potato CTF for Quake II has been released by Quake Innovations on the Hot Potato Homepage. Hot Potato is a CTF
variant that forces the flag carrier to pass the flag with a short span, or die. No word
yet on Dan Quayle's Hot Potatoe CTF project...
New
C.R. Bot (Updated)
Version 0.99c of the C.R.Bot has been released on the CRBot official homepage, fixing the teamplay
problem in version 0.99b (thanks Plucky). The
changes in 0.99b are bugfixes and several enhancements to make the bot act more human,
including:
Stupid
Bot
There is word on the Quake2 Bot
Epidemic about a new bot called the Stupid Bot, that apparently is not stupid at all,
though you apparently need to work your way through some Japanese instructions.
Prey Designers Journal
The third installment of the Prey Designers
Journal has been posted on GameCenter with
Paul Schuytema, Loyal Bassett, and William Scarboro of the Prey team giving more insights
into what they're up to. Thanks CiDcO of the Daikatana
Bushido.
Praevus Trailer
The new AVI trailer for the Portal
of Praevus (4.0 MB), the upcoming Hexen II mission pack, has been released on Activision's
Hexen II Page.
Riot Screenshot
A new screenshot from Riot: Mobile Armor has been posted on the
appropriately named Riot Mobile Armor
Featured screenshot page. Thanks Revolt:
Riot Information Center.
New
BSP
Version 0.93 of the BSP Quake/Quake II editor is out on BSP Headquarters. Thanks Rotwang.
Quake Valentines
You can send a Tormented E-Card to a friend/enemy for Valentine's Day by
filling out the form on
this page. Ain't that sweet? Also, Technomage from the Quake Modeling Association sent along this AVI the QMA cooked up for the occasion (171 KB).
Interviews
PReviews
There's a preview/review of an Intel740 based card as GameSpot examines a
late beta of Real3D's Starfighter. Thanks Wicked of Voodoo Extreme.
Departments
Today's overhaul is to the LAN
Parties page, which now has the secondary lists by area, making it quite a bit more
user-friendly.
| Quake and the
stylized "Q" are trademarks of id Software, used with
their kind permission All rights reserved. Copyright © 1998 by Stephen Heaslip |
![this photo of [Lobo]Vampire and [Lobo]Drahthaar](/miscimages/f27.jpg){kind=link}