Archived News:
Epic has released the Spanish/Italian version of the Unreal Tournament 420
patch (here's a
local copy). This patch is identical to the one released yesterday ( story)
but is for Spanish and Italian users.
Ritualistic has posted an
edited chat log from last night's IRC session with The Levelord. The log
features all kinds of FAKK2 information, and this being Levelord, lots of other
topics as well.
As promised, the
second part of NextGame.it's interview with members of Ritual's FAKK2 team
is online. This second installment features questions about the game's weapons,
NPCs and AI as well as some questions about non-FAKK2 subjects, such as upcoming
technologies. Like the first installment, it is available in your choice of
either English
or Italian.
A new interview with id Software's Todd Hollenshead is up at AGN in Real Video
format, in both low
and high
bandwidth versions. In addition, they also have two clips of gameplay footage
from Team Arena, the Quake III Arena add-on from id, one
featuring general gameplay footage, and one featuring a look at the Kamikaze
which is available in both low
and high
bandwidth versions. Naturally a Real,
or compatible player
is required to view these.
French gaming site Joystick has conducted an
interview with Demis Hassabis, CEO of Elixir Studios, the company behind
the upcoming strategy game Republic: the Revolution. The interview text is in
French, although there is a Real Audio version available that is entirely in
English (and if you really want to, you could always have
it translated by Babel Fish for that goofy muddled effect).
The Oxygen Tank has conducted an
interview with Steven Pearsall and Tim Stellmach, the producer and lead
designer at Looking Glass on the Thief games. The interview covers the development
of the games, looking at the various influences on their plots and art direction,
as well as the design process itself.
PC Zone UK has gotten a
clarification from Lionhead designer Peter Molyneux regarding his recent
statement that their next game after Black & White would be made for next-generation
consoles ( story). According to their news post, the game will
be primarily developed for consoles, but a PC port will be contracted out to
a separate company. Here's an excerpt: The biggest misconception about
his E3 statement was that Lionhead is to abandon the PC entirely. What actually
seems to be the case is that the company's focus is shifting. "Lionhead
intends to produce its next games for a next generation console," he explains.
"I definitely hope to see many future Lionhead games on the PC though.
We are not abandoning it, but we are saying that it will take a little longer
for PC versions to come out."
Our own Blue called from a Software Etc. where he has just purchased a copy
of Daikatana, and we have received other reports from around the country that
it has been appearing on store shelves, so if you pre-ordered a copy, chances
are it's ready for you to pick up as we speak (or should be later today, anyway).
The official Deus Ex site has been updated
with four new screenshots and a desktop wallpaper image (thanks MagicBoy). The
site makes extreme use of Macromedia
Flash (with no non-Flash option) so proceed only if you have the plugin
installed.
The Gamers Press has updated their
walkthrough for Thief 2: The Metal Age, and it now features missions 10
- 12, as well as their previous mission guides and their "ten commandments"
(some basic thieving tips for beginners). Each mission guide contains a walkthrough
on the expert setting and has the locations of all of the level's many secrets.
AVault has posted an
update from BioWare's Greg Zeschuk, talking about the current status of
the PC version of MDK2. While the game is gold ( story), Greg talks
about why they took extra time to work on the PC version even after the Dreamcast
version was complete and on store shelves. They have also posted nine new high-resolution
screenshots from the game, which were taken on a GeForce using transform and
lighting. MDK, as everyone knows, stands for My Dirty Kinsman.
Version 1.7 of the Lithium-style Coliseum
2 mod for Quake III Arena has been released. This version (which is described
by the author as being the last release) is backwards compatible with earlier
versions, provided the server isn't set as pure.
Zappy has released version 1.12 of his
eponymous mod for Quake III Arena. The mod adds instagib style gameplay
with smart rockets and the ability to teleport targets, and this new version
adds some HUD and cosmetic changes in addition other enhancements and fixes.
Martin Walfisz of Massive Entertainment
sends along news about Ground Control, Massive's upcoming multiplayer strategy
title. The simple message offers perhaps the two nicest words a developer can
hear other than 'free beer,' saying that: "We're gold." No word yet on
exactly when the game is expected on store shelves.
A post called Quake 3 Arena for OS X coming next week, says developer
on MacCentral (thanks Eric Cherry) quotes some USENET posts by id Software's
Graeme Devine saying "We'll probably release the OS X client next week."
Word on the OSX build, being developed in conjunction with Omni Development,
is it is faster than the OS 9 build because of the "cool OS," which
boosts performance "about 10fps faster on a 500mhz G4." In addition to
the news on the new Mac client, the report also gives reason to hope there will
be an OSX release of the Q3A editing tools, quoting Graeme as saying: "I'm
going to basically try and get the editor up and running in OS X. There's a
number of reasons why OS X is easier to develop for over OS 9, but the main
reason for Id is that OS X has its roots in NeXTSTEP, and we used to use a lot
of that."
The Shrapnel Home Page has the
release of a playable demo of Steel Beasts, which they describe as: "The
ultimate in modern tank simulations designed and tested by tankers from all over
the globe." In spite of the ambitious promise that: "This design
effort goes further than any before to accurately model real world conditions
and tactics," they also say that efforts have been made to avoid
overwhelming novices with "a zillion key combinations and an overwhelming
interface." Word on the 21 MB demo is that it is limited to one mission, a
limited editor, and the full set of tutorials from the full game.
There is an
Evolva gallery on Well Rounded Entertainment with a staggering 112
screenshots from this upcoming action title. About the only thing more unusual
than the sheer volume of shots (all said to be new), is the manner in which they
are posted: with 112 thumbnails all on one page! The shots show off both the
single-player and multiplayer aspects of the game.
GameSpy.com
interviews Volition talking with an unnamed person or persons from Volition
about Summoner, their upcoming RPG, getting the full rundown on the game from
soup to nuts.
There are a bunch of new Republic:
The Revolution screenshots on GA-Strategy showing off this upcoming strategy
game where your goal is to "build up a nationwide faction powerful enough
to oust the President and rule the Republic of Novistrana." Rounding out
this batch of GA-Shots are these EVE
screenshots on GA-Source show off a massively multi-player space combat game
entitled, EVE: The Second Genesis, currently in the works from Crowd Control
Productions, an Iceland-based developer.
There is an Evil Dead Hail To The King
preview on GameSpot UK giving the lowdown on plans for this upcoming
kick-Ash horror game. In addition to the preview of the game based on the Sam Raimi (I could have sworn it was George (no relation) Romero) cult classics, they also have a new Evil Dead-Hail To The King PC
Screenshot Gallery, and some Evil Dead- Hail To The King Movies
showing models from the game in a few small AVIs.
The Firearms Half-Life page has word
of a quick fix on the heels of the version 1.2 release ( story)
comes a small version 1.2a patch, available for both the Linux and the Windows
version of the mod. The only word on the patch is that it "fixes
crashes."
There's a Mötley Crüe interview on
PC.IGN.Com talking with a couple of members of the hair band about their
work on the soundtrack for the upcoming TRIBES 2 and Little Mermaid 2 (they are
definitely working on at least one of those sequels). In addition to discussing
the upcoming sequel to Starsiege TRIBES, they find out a little of what the
band's been up to lately, and their formula for avoiding the need for a
comeback: "I think it’s a pretty simple thing: if you don’t go
anywhere, you’re still here."
The following slightly offbeat request for some custom UT work comes from the
BBC, Austin Power's favorite media giant: BBC TV (British Broadcasting
Corporation) are currently looking for talented (probably UK- based) Unreal
Tournament mod developers, mappers, coders and graphic artists for a forthcoming
primetime BBC2 entertainment show. This will involve the design and development
of a celebrity based version of UT with enhancements to convey the excitement of
a UT game over to a TV audience.
For further information please contact bleeding.thumbs@bbc.co.uk.
The Assault page has a new
version of the Assault mod for Quake III Arena. According to the team, "the
objective of this mod is to force teams to attack in large groups...When a team
caps, instead of getting a point, Assault Mode starts (where) the other team has
to touch the flag to abort. After half the time the defending team gets a point
and if they withstand the entire Assault, they get another two points."
It's like deja vu all over again: The
Assault page has the debut beta release of the Assault mod for Descent 3. Assault
is a teamplay mod where each team has a base to defend, while they
simultaneously attempt to destroy their opponent's base (bases consist of
structures like reactors and buildings).
Machinima
Watched Quick on Machinima.com is the third and final part of Anthony
Bailey's "investigation into timescales and Machinima" for those
interested in making game films.
There's an Interview
with Cliffe at Cold-ice.com talking with one of the creators of the
Counter-Strike mod for Half-Life (he displays his delight at the Q&A by interspersing
full sentences among his one-word replies). Also, Rocket Arena's
Meet the Mappers Volume 1: talks with Ra3 map author big0nes. Finally, Sharky Extreme's
Spicing up Unreal Tournament takes a look at a few UT mods currently in
development.
Planet Daikatana is holding a
contest where they will give away a copy of the Prima DK strategy guide signed
by Killcreek and Romero, a Daikatana Headband signed by Romero, and the
Killcreek PCXL issue personally autographed to you by Killcreek for the first
five people that send pictures in showing them holding the retail copies of
Daikatana. Also, the Post E3 Craptacular Giveaway Contest
on GameCritics.com looks to give away a bunch of E3 swag, including a Star
Trek Voyager Elite Force flyer autographed by Kate Mulgrew.
This is right around the second anniversary of the appearance of the original
Unreal on store shelves. Suggested celebration is to set a pair of Skaarj on
fire and then blow them out before the room starts to smell, but feel free to
improvise if this violates local fire codes.
Link of the Day: Star Wars Origins.
Thanks Ant. Far Out Space Nuts! I
was sure no one else in the universe besides me remembered that one.
Story of the Day: Musical chairs 'too violent'
(BBC News). Thanks Jim McCauley. What's left?
A thread called Any Questions
on the New-Legends.Net Forums has an answer from Infinite Machine's Justin
Chin giving a bunch of details about what's planned for inclusion in New
Legends, I.M.'s upcoming Unreal-engine first-person shooter. The post talks
about how the game will likely ship with just basic multiplayer elements and contain
at least 20 hours of single player gameplay, discusses the "friggin
huge" levels, the camera system., and more.
The game will be in stores any day now, but incite.com has released a
new movie featuring footage from Daikatana. The movie is available as a
small (3.5 MB) or large (10.5 MB) MPEG file, and the footage is from some of
the later levels in the game.
The Mushroom's Legit Section has posted another
one of their 20 question interviews, this time featuring 3D Realms webmaster
Joe Siegler. If you're looking for new information about Duke Forever don't
bother, but Joe talks about life at 3DR, his thoughts on the gaming industry
(and recent games) and of course, what it's like to be the original voice of
Duke Nukem (in Duke Nukem II, Joe says two words).
The trailer from KISS: Psycho Circus - The Nightmare Child that was shown at
this year's E3 Expo is
available over at GOD's Psycho Circus site as either a Quicktime or Real
Video file.
A new interview
with members of Microprose's X-COM: Alliance team is up at Telefragged.
The interview covers a lot of ground, including a look at some of the game's
newer features, including this bit regarding their new speech system for your
AI driven teammates: ...each trooper has over 200 lines of autonomous
speech that cover everything from running out of ammo in a firefight to mourning
over the loss of a fellow trooper. Characters will tell you when they are tired
and then bitch at you if you don’t give them a break. They’ll get
frustrated at their own mistakes and can become panicked when they’re outnumbered.
They’ll even chat amongst each other! Each character has his or her own
voice, personality, and in some cases, accent.
GA-Source has
received some new screenshots from CroTeam's upcoming first person shooter
Serious Sam, along with word that the game's demo will be released a week from
tomorrow. Serious Sam runs on an original engine, and they say the demo will
contain a single level with six weapons and eleven enemies.
Epic has released Unreal Tournament version 420 (here's a
local copy with mirrors). In addition to the new game patch (which features
improved Direct3D support), this update contains the first public release of
the new UnrealEd 2.0 editor (developed by Legend). Here's a list of changes
from the readme file: Version 420 is completely network compatible with
all previous public releases of UT (versions 400, 402, 405b, and 413).
Bug fixes
- fixed actorlinecheck() crash
- fixed findrandomdest()
- fixed D3D driver - combined best performance with widest compatibility of
previous iterations, improved Voodoo 4 D3D support
- fixed installer problem with certain directory structures
- fixed security holes with ServerRestartGame() SwitchLevel() and SwitchCoopLevel()
- removed ability to use bad skins
- fixed ADDINI for editing .ini files for patch and umod installation
New features (thanks to Legend)
- New editor! - note that the editor is still called unrealed.exe
- various other under the covers features and fixes merged in by Mark Poesch
of Legend
The newly unveiled Vampire Vault
has released a new AVI
movie from Vampire: the Masquerade - Redemption that shows the Christof
character being "embraced" to become a vampire. In addition, they
also have a
new gallery of multiplayer screenshots, that show off the game's character
creation system.
According to a
news update by AVault, the US version of Earth 2150 has gone gold (the international
version has been available for some time now), and will be in stores on June
2nd. In celebration of the news, they have posted 12 new screenshots from this
3D strategy game.
Legend's Craig Lafferty updated his
.plan with word that due to the longer-than-expected wait at GT International's
QA department, he has released the internernational Wheel of Time patches on
their official site, along with a new DLL file that should improve framerates for Direct3D users. Here's the scoop: Six weeks ago I sent the Wheel
of Time International patches off to GT International for testing. Good thing
I didn't hold my breath. I think at this point it is safe to assume the patches
AND GT testing have been sucked into a black hole or time void.... So, we have
decided to just release the patches and call them "beta". I don't
for see any problems, they just haven't had the GT seal of approval stamped
on them.. So, if you have the Wheel of Time (a non-us version) you can grab
the German or "other" International patche from the official Wheel
of Time site (http://www.wheeloftime.com).
They are linked via Glen's update (under Current Wot News). Also, we released
a new d3ddrv.dll file that is also available from the WOT site that should give
D3D users a boost in both Image quality and framerate. (Your milage may vary)
If you do run into any problems, please email me at clafferty@legendent.com
and let me know.
XtremeNetwork.com has conducted an
interview with Erik Bethke, the senior designer and CEO at Taldren, the
company behind the original Starfleet Command and its upcoming sequel, the appropriately
titled Starfleet Command Volume II. The interview covers both games, with some
questions dealing with the success of the original, as well as lots of questions
about the sequel, including ones that deal with the multiplayer, its extensibility,
and various gameplay features.
Here's some more FAKK2 news for you this afternoon: Italian games site NextGame.it
has conducted an interview
with several different members of Ritual's Heavy Metal: FAKK2 team. The
interview will be run in two parts, and this first installment covers some background
info about the game (the license, the story, etc.) as well as some details on
their system requirements and how they have modified the Quake III Arena engine.
This being an Italian site, you can read the interview in your choice of either
English or Italian.
FAKK YOU! the colorfully named Heavy
Metal: FAKK2 fan site, has posted the second, and last part of their Q&A
with Ritual's resident sound and music man, Zak Belica. These last few questions
deal with the type of music the game's soundtrack will be comprised of, as well
as whether or not they will be using any songs from the Heavy Metal 2000 movie
(it doesn't look likely due to rights issues).
GameSpot UK has released nine
concept art pieces and two
Quicktime movies from Alone in the Dark 4. One of the movies is described
as a "making of Alone in the Dark" piece, while the other is a trailer
for the game.
SoFCenter has posed a
new edition of their Soldier of Fortune Development Diary, featuring programmer
Keith Fuller explaining how much of the original Quake II engine they used,
and what they changed (complete with a detailed list of the various engine components).
The April 2000 edition of
ChessMess.com's UnrealScript Q&A is online. Like each previous installment,
this issue is comprised of the tons of topics brought up in the UnrealScript
mailing list, complete with plenty of code samples for mod authors.
There are three
new TRIBES 2 screenshots on Tribes Station, a newly-opened TRIBES fan site.
I noticed there that Tribes Universe
posted a short Q&A with Dynamix' Dave Georgeson talking about the gameplay
seen in the TRIBES 2 movie from E3, talking a lot about how the game's new
vehicles will be handled, and also, Fragtopia
has posted a scanned copy of the TRIBES 2 poster.
A new version 2.3 of GameSpy2mIrc
is now available, updating this script that can update your IRC cohorts as to
your status when you use GameSpy 3D to join a multiplayer game, useful for
helping friends and clanmates to find the game you're in, or of course, just to
be able to chatter to the channel while you are away.
A new version 0.5 of the Gwrap PERL Linux
server wrapper is now available. A server running under Gwrap will automatically
restart after failing. Gwrap is based on the inspiration of Qwrap and Q3Wrap,
which served the same function for Quake and Quake III Arena servers,
respectively, but has been rewritten from the ground up to support any game
server running under Linux.
A week remains in sign-ups for Counter-Strike Assembly,
planned as "the largest gathering of Counter-Strike players in the
US," this 100 player tournament/LAN party slated for May 27-28 in San
Francisco, though there are also plans for participation from remote LAN
locations. Also, the Magic Clan Tournament
is a Quake II tourney looking for another couple of entrants. Finally, the next
edition of the Pro Quake Players Challenge
on GamersHome is gearing up, allowing those following the upcoming Teamplay/
Double Team tourney to predict winners of the tournament, like the
deathmatch version of Rotisserie baseball.
The latest trend in spam seems to be aimed at avoiding being filtered out based
on the sender's address, I now have a couple of solicitation emails in my inbox
that have my own address as the sender. Funny, I don't recall sending out any
get rich quick schemes... I wonder if I should complain to my ISP and see if I
can get myself in trouble? Speaking of spam and related annoyances, someone
wrote in the other day asking why our site was generating external pop-up banner
ads (called interstitials by those who keep track of the official names for
annoyances). My initial response was to suggest this was generated by exiting
some previous porn site or something, but I have learned since then that a
glitch at UGO high command accidentally pumped a few of these down the line over
the course of a couple of days last week. Our apologies for that: Rest assured,
this was accidental... we have some sort of "over my dead body" clause
when it comes to interstitials.
Link of the Day: Spud Server
(building a potato powered web). Thanks Ant,
Brendan Reville, and Slashdot.
Bonus Link: DeadRoses.Com
(Over the Hill Birthday Gifts). Thanks Muad.
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