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Archived News:
The Battlefield 2142
Website (thanks
FiringSquad and Frans) has details on the Battlefield 2142 demo,
outlining an unusual plan to offer early access to the demo for the people who
have already bought it online: Battlefield 2142 coming to EA Downloader
Battlefield 2142 will be available to pre-order on EA Downloader in September
with a unique incentive - a 24-hour exclusive pass to play the demo before its
public release. You could be one of the first to get into the demo of the
most-anticipated game of 2006. Avoid the queues and don't wait for the mail -
get it on Downloader and get it delivered direct to your desktop.
GameSpot
announces that their paid subscribers now have the chance to join the (closed)
open beta for Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. The first 5,000 subscribers who
register will get a code to activate the beta via Steam.
NCsoft announces a new update is live for Auto Assault, ArenaNet's MMORPG:
AUSTIN, Texas, August 30, 2006 — NCsoft® today announced the release of a
free update to Auto Assault® in both North America and Europe. Both current and
new players stand to benefit with many new missions, cooler loot, enhanced
tournament play and system-level changes designed to make post apocalyptic
destruction even more fun.
Developed by NetDevil®, LTD, this latest installment for Auto Assault introduces
a new arena tournament map and the Coliseum for higher level players. In
addition to many new missions in the world, the new arena map, Emergence,
contains six types of power-ups players can find and use, and features death
matches designed to make player-versus-player combat more fun and promote
movement across the map.
The Coliseum, found in Ground Zero, is built for those training to become the
post apocalyptic elite. Players at levels 60, 65 and 70 may participate solo or
in a convoy and battle wave after wave of increasingly nasty creatures and other
surprises for experience, loot, and more.
For new players, the game is simply easier to get into and play. More head-on
combat, improved vehicle control, better chassis and weapons earlier in the
game, and auto-targeting combine with system-level enhancements to make the
lower levels of the game more fun, the destruction more intense, and players
feel more successful at the start.
In addition, a suite of powerful items have been introduced that will take
players to a new level of skill. Dubbed the Battlemaster Set, these items are
only available to players through purchase with outpost tokens. The only way to
receive an outpost token is to capture and hold outposts for incremental periods
of time. The Battlemaster Set of items is available through certain token
vendors in the world. Players donning these items certainly set themselves
apart.
The Rainbow Six Website offers a
new movie from Rainbow Six: Vegas that's a diary clip narrated by Maxime
Beland showing O.P.A. (Observer, Plan, Assault) principles from the upcoming
shooter sequel in a choice of two sizes. Also, the Legend: Hand of God GC movie
offers a high resolution look at Master Creating's upcoming fantasy-themed
action/RPG. The download is available on
3D Gamers. Finally,
the
Collapse Website offers the GC movie from Buka Entertainment's upcoming
"alternative future" action game. Thanks Frans.
- C&C3
German
community interviews Mike Verdu on GameReplays.org offers a GC
conversation with EALA about the coming RTS sequel: ”We are focused on that
problem and we’re discussing several possibilities such as Punkbuster. But
we’re probably not going to use Punkbuster. I hate to say it, but at the
moment I can’t say what the answer to that problem will be. I’m sorry.“
- Mage Knight Apocalypse
The
Mage Knight
Apocalypse Q&A Part 2 on GameZone continues this discussion of the
coming action/RPG with Dave Georgeson and Chris Wren: "Even if you just play
single-player and never go online, it just increases the replay value. Every
time you go through the game you can change the kinds of partners you
select. So if you don’t want to change your [main, player-controlled]
character and just gain more experience, your play experiences can [still]
be significantly different from play to play [by having different
sidekicks]."
- Kingdom Elemental
The
Kingdom Elemental Q& on Strategy Informer talks with Scott Thunelius of
indie developer Liberation Games about their coming action/adventure game:
"The campaign mode spans over 4 unique fighting zones. The campaign is
driven by a main storyline, which the player is more or less removed from.
The fighting aspect of KE has very little to do with the storyline, but
after each level is beaten players are treated to a cut scene which moves
the story along. Also, each unit has a small snippet of information on their
interface bar, which players can read if they want to get more backstory on
the individual units. I tried to keep the game very light on the storyline
part of things, simply because the game is about tactics and not about
listening to 2 hours of storyline. If I wanted that, I would have made a
movie and not a video game. Also, the game doesn’t take itself too
seriously. Players will find overtly placed easter eggs everywhere, as well
as inside jokes from other games."
- Microsoft Games Studios Publishing
The
Interview
with Bonnie Ross of Microsoft Games Studios Publishing on WomenGamers.Com
discusses quality of life: "From a broad-level perspective, flexibility is a
key component in developing a cost efficient foundation for quality of life
standards in a company of any size. Providing flexibility in work hours,
work locations, etc., is a fairly inexpensive way to enable employees to
find a balance that works for their work tasks and their life. However, the
company needs to spend the time and energy in establishing its vision,
objectives, and culture as well as its guidelines for QoL goals and
policies. Last but not least, it’s important for company management to 'walk
the talk' with regard to QoL policies."
- Music
Music
4 Games' Charles Deenen Q&A talks with the Game Audio Conference keynote
speaker about the conference, the Need for Speed series, and more.
Microsoft now offers free downloads of
Game Studio Express (Beta).
Word is: "The XNA team is proud to announce the availability of the XNA Game
Studio Express beta, aimed at helping students and hobbyists build games for
Windows and the Xbox 360. This initial release is targeted at Windows games
only."
Well Mr. Verizon's visit today may just do the trick. It was clear this time out
the goal was to solve things (I don't think it's too cynical to think my
assertion that they were driving me into the waiting arms of my cable company
influenced this newfound urgency). After a promising theory that the problem may
be centered on an area of the phone lines that run through our neighbors' tree
was dashed, he determined that the terminal on the line we were connected to was
bad. We are now spliced directly into the phone lines to bypass this, and I am
actually optimistic that this will work out from here. Of course I am a glass is
half-full sort to start with, so we'll just have to wait until the next
rainstorm (which won't be long) to see how this repair turned out.
Shacknews has a
speculative story up suggesting that the development team for Duke Nukem Forever
has suffered numerous recent personnel departures, which would be another
setback for a project that's been in development for well over nine years now.
Coincidentally, it was 10 years ago this month that 3D Realms suffered a mass
exodus, including folks working on the original version of Prey, which lead to
the formation of Ritual Entertainment. Here is a bit of what they are reporting:
Shacknews has learned from numerous reputable sources close to the game's
development that, since approximately the end of 2005, 3D Realms has had
something of an employee exodus. Apparently, up to ten major team members have
left the company, with multiple departures having occurred as recently as within
the past few days.
Developers confirmed to have left 3D Realms since last December include Scott
Alden, Will Bate, Brian Cozzens, Kyle Davis, Andy Hanson, Keith Schuler, and
Charlie Wiederhold. Some of the former employees headed up crucial game systems
such as physics, animation, and rendering. Notably, Schuler is a sixteen year
veteran of Apogee and 3D Realms. Our sources indicate that while the game's team
has reached a size of about 24-28 developers, recently it has been closer to 18,
meaning these current departures may actually comprise a majority of the team.
Several sources have indicated that further information regarding these matters
is expected next week.
Confirmed: Assassin's
Creed Staking Out PCs on IGN confirms recent reports that a PC edition of
the stealthy PS3 action game is also in the works ( story). Word
they've received from Ubisoft is: "Assassin's Creed PC will indeed see the light
some day. Details will be provided at a later date." Likewise Frans says he's
received his copy of PC Gamer UK upon which the original report was based,
confirming there is a four page preview of the PC edition of Assassin's Creed
that includes a general 2007 release date for the project.
Valve releases a new HD version of the video trailer from Half-Life 2: Episode Two from the GC ( story), while confirming the delay to
the next episode of their shooter sequel that was just revealed a week ago
( story). The movie is available on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers,
Computer Games,
Filecloud,
FileFront, Gameguru Mania,
Gamer's Hell, and
Techgage,
and here's word: New footage from the second installment in Valve's first
episodic trilogy is now available. In addition to revealing a little more about
where the trilogy leads after Freeman's time in City 17, Trailer2 shows off the
Cinematic Physics system enabled in the Source Engine by Gray Horsfield and
others at Valve for Episode Two. Half-Life 2: Episode Two is targeted for
release in Q1 2007 for release on the PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Ubisoft announces Heroes of Might & Magic V: Hammers of Fate, an add-on for
Nival Interactive's latest installment in the HoMM series of turn-based strategy
games. The first screenshots from the project are posted on
3D Gamers, and
here's word: SAN FRANCISCO – August 30, 2006 – Today Ubisoft, one of the
world’s largest video game publishers, announced the release of Heroes of Might
& Magic® V: Hammers of Fate, an add-on for the critically acclaimed turn-based
strategy game. Developed by Nival Interactive, the add-on will be available in
November 2006.
The add-on includes the following key features:
• New faction: Introducing the brand-new Dwarves faction, made up of heroic
warriors and rune magic adepts who stalk Ashan’s deepest mountains and most
hostile regions.
• A brand-new adventure: Featuring 15 new missions, new heroes, and improved
cut-scenes, the new campaign will lead players even deeper into the dramatic
events that began with Heroes of Might and Magic® V.
• Extended game experience: Includes a wealth of new spells and abilities, five
new single-player maps, 10 new multiplayer maps, new buildings, new artifacts,
and new neutral creatures, Heroes of Might and Magic® V: Hammers of Fate gives
players the tools to develop new tactics, and further their game experience both
online and offline.
• Improved mechanics and gameplay: Thanks to new features such as caravans and a
random map generator, players will enjoy unlimited replayability and an even
smoother gameplay experience. In addition, the simultaneous turn feature will
speed up online games.
A new patch is now available for Prey, offering the promised update for Human
Head's first-person shooter. The version 1.1 addresses some bugs and other
issues, including: "Multiplayer bandwidth optimization to allow better play on
higher latency connections." The new Linux server is available from
icculus.org and the 22 MB
Win32 client patch is available on the
3D
Realms Website.
WarBirds developer iEntertainment sends along a press release (dated last week)
announcing plans for a World War I flying combat game based on an upcoming movie
on the topic: CARY, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)—August 23, 2006-- iEntertainment
Network, (BB:IENT.pk), the award-winning developer of the World Famous WarBirds
TotalSims series, announced it will develop the first Massively Multiplayer
Online Game to tie in with the initial theatrical release of a major motion
picture, the upcoming MGM release of FLYBOYS, an Electric Entertainment film, to
be released on September 22nd 2006. IENT will publish a single player game
combined with an MMOG that puts the player in the pilot seat of a Nieuport 17
biplane to participate in exciting World War I era missions inspired by the
FLYBOYS movie. These missions provide the excitement of the close-in dogfighting
action of America’s first fighter pilots as depicted in the movie.
“The opportunity to produce an MMOG based on a flying movie that uses state of
the art special effects is unprecedented. We are thrilled to be publishing a
complete online flying game for all the fans of the movie and flying enthusiasts
worldwide,” says JW “Wild Bill” Stealey, a US Air Force Retired Aviator and CEO
of IENT.
The FLYBOYS Squadron MMOG demo will go live on September 7, 2006 for players who
register for this free download at
www.flyboysgame.com. Additional airplanes, terrain, interface and other
features will be available in the complete retail game when it reaches stores
this month.
The FLYBOYS Squadron game will include true simulations of 10 of the most famous
aircraft of World War I, accurate World War I terrains, over 15 single player
missions for players to hone their flying skills and obtain medals and rank from
flying accomplishments, and easy FREE access to the MMOG where hundreds of other
real aviators will be flying in historical and real simulation of World War I
combat. (Retail customers get FREE access to the MMOG for one month.)
More information on the FLYBOYS Squadron Game is coming at
http://www.FLYBOYSGame.com
This press
release officially announces the Battlestations: Midway delay revealed at
the end of the recently released trailer for the WW2 action/strategy game
( story). The story doesn't offer explanations for the delay,
though it does seem to leave open the possibility that the release may slip
further past the February 2007 date mentioned in the trailer, saying: "Developed
by Eidos Studios, Hungary, Battlestations: Midway will be available in 2007."
The
Neverwinter Nights Forums announce the availability of a patch to update
Neverwinter Nights to version 1.68, adding visible cloaks and addressing some
issues with the D&D RPG (thanks Neverwinter
Nights Vault). This
support page has patches for the Win32 and Linux Editions for English,
French, German, Spanish, and Italian as well as the corresponding updated
servers. For those who think different, word is: "The Mac version of the patch is
almost ready, as we are finalizing the support for Mac OS versions less than
10.4. It should be available this week."
Lighthouse Interactive now offers a new patch for Sword of the Stars,
updating Kerberos Productions' 4X space strategy game to version 1.1.1. The new
version includes GUI enhancements, multiplayer improvements, new configuration
options, bug fixers, and more.
The official LEGEND: Hand of God Website is
live (thanks Frans), offering a Flash home to Master Creating's upcoming
action/role-playing game.
More GC movie mania:
- Call of Juarez
A new movie shows off the settings and main
characters in Techland's upcoming western-themed first-person shooter. The
clip is available on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers,
FileFront,
GameSpot, and
Worthplaying.
- Rush for Berlin: Rush for the Bomb
The expansion for
Stormregion's World War II RTS expansion is on display in a clip on
3D Gamers and
Worthplaying.
- Sabotage
The GC trailer from Replay Studios' upcoming
World War II stealth game is available on
3D Downloads and
3D Gamers.
- Reprobates
Future Games' upcoming adventure game is on
display in the GC trailer on
3D Gamers.
- Undercover: Operation Wintersun
Another GC clip is online,
this one for Sproing Interactive's upcoming WW2 adventure, this can be found
on 3D Gamers.
- Overclocked
Another clip from (did you guess already?) GC
is the German trailer for House of Tales' adventure game, available on
3D Gamers.
- Drakensang: The Dark Eye
The GC trailer for Radon Labs'
fantasy-themed RPG is available on
3D Gamers.
- Belief & Betrayal
The Games Convention trailer for
Artematica Entertainment's conspiratorial adventure game is available on
3D Gamers.
- Microsoft XNA
The
Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express Q&A on FiringSquad discusses
Microsoft's development tools with Dave Mitchell, the Director of Marketing
for the MS Game Developer Group: "XNA Game Studio Express this holiday
represents the first step in our efforts to democratize game development.
Games developed using XNA Game Studio Express are the property of their
authors provided they are the original IP owners of the game code, content
and design. Game developers are welcome to shop their games created using
XNA Game Studio Express around to any platform or publisher as they wish. It
should be noted however that these games will need to be ported to those
platforms if accepted, as XNA Game Studio Express currently supports Windows
and Xbox 360."
- Torque X
Gamasutra's
Interview with Torque X Developer GarageGames and the
Torque X Q&A
on FiringSquad each talk with Mark Frohnmayer about Torgue X and the XNA
Framework: "We see the XNA framework as one of the most important emerging
platforms for independent game developers interested in console games. We
thought it was a natural fit for our tools, giving users of the Torque
engines another great platform on which to develop and deploy their games."
- LEGO Star Wars II
The
Traveller's Tales Q&A on Computer and Video Games discusses LEGO Star
Wars and beyond: "Oh, lots of reasons. The mythic strength of the essential
Star Wars narrative is complemented by the creative unpredictability of
LEGO. The LEGO building system is well suited to spacecraft, and the Star
Wars vehicles make terrific models; just as the distinctiveness of the Star
Wars characters makes them ideally suited to treatment in iconic form as
minifigures. It all just works."
I was looking forward to my first normal morning online in a while today, but no
such luck. My connection keeps dropping and my DSL router's ready light keeps
blinking. I picked up the phone and heard the familiar siren sound that phone
techs use to troubleshoot the line. A look out the window confirmed what the
siren already told me, that Verizon is again working on my funky phone lines. So
for the record, the only day this week that my service wasn't working, they
couldn't make it out here, but these two days that followed the problem clearing
up on its own, they have knocked me offline to fix things. On the bright side, I
spoke with this latest repair guy, and got a sense he is actually looking to
permanently solve my problem, rather than slap on another band-aid. We, as the
optimistic expression goes, shall see.
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