|
|
Name: Kenn Hoekstra
Email: khoekstra@ravensoft.com
Description: Project Admin
Project: General
Web Page: Kenn's Web Site
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, July 17th, 2002 - A few issues for today...
Jedi Outcast 1.04 Dedicated Server Issues:
A number of people have reported issues with the new 1.04
dedicated servers for Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast showing
up as 1.03 in the server browsers after successful patching
and updating. The reason for this is likely that server admins
are shutting down their servers, patching them to 1.04 and
re-launching them before the server times out with the master
server. When the server starts up again, the master server
sends its heartbeat to the game server, thinks it’s still
up from before and keeps it running as 1.03.
The best solution to this problem is to take down your server
and leave it down for 10 minutes (5 is the timeout) after you
patch it before launching it again. This allows the master
server to clear the old server info from its cache, send a
new heartbeat to the game server and re-list it as 1.04.
The other common issues that people are reporting relate to
people not having the assets5.pk3 in their base directories
and replacing their old executables with the new ones. You
MUST install the 1.04 client patch BEFORE you install the
dedicated server updates.
Those two fixes should solve most of the pending issues with
1.04 dedicated server utils for Jedi Outcast.
Raven Is Hiring:
On a separate note, Raven is about to embark on a pretty
large hiring spree. We’ve expanded into adjacent office space
and are expanding our development staff from 60 people up to
73…three full teams.
As such, we’re in need of a couple of Game Programmers (one for
PC Stuff and one for Console Stuff) and a gaggle of Level Designers
(with Quake III experience and other 3D Package Experience).
For art, modeling and animation we’re pretty well covered, but
it couldn’t hurt to send in your stuff. We still have some
“to be hireds” in the art department as well.
For information on our company, what we want to see and where
to send your stuff, visit http://www.ravensoft.com/jobs.html
(Ignore the “We are not currently looking to fill any specific
positions” parts…I haven’t had time to update everything yet. Heh…)
SOF2 Chat Today:
GameSpy is hosting a SOF2 chat today to talk about the new
1.01 update, new gametype and weapon, future plans for the
game and anything else people want to ask (within reason).
Be there at 3pm Central time...details here.
That is all...
*************************************************************
Wednesday, July 10th, 2002 - Important Jedi Outcast Info:
LucasArts will be releasing the 1.04 update for Jedi Knight II:
Jedi Outcast tomorrow (Thursday) evening on their website at
http://www.lucasarts.com/products/outcast/html/default.htm.
Feel free to download and mirror it once it is available.
The update includes all of the fixes from 1.03, so if you don’t
have that update yet, this is the only one you’ll need. A list
of the changes in 1.03 can be found here:
http://support.lucasarts.com/patches/jedioutcast.htm
The primary focus of 1.04 is multiplayer balance.
Some of the features/fixes include:
Multiplayer
-----------
* Corrected issue which caused servers to crash in rare
instances.
* Corrected issue causing damage not to ramp up and down
properly when using the backstab move in light saber stance.
* Corrected bug allowing players to pivot while executing
backstab moves in all stances. Players may no longer pivot
when executing these moves.
* Fixed bug causing force pull to be unblockable by people
with equal or greater pull rank.
* Adjusted ammo usage of the Imperial repeater alt-fire.
* Fixed bug allowing inventory items to be used in FFA saber
challenges.
* Corrected an exploit which allowed players to fall from
large heights at a slow rate.
* Corrected issue which caused pain sounds not to play
properly when hit by opponents. Pain sounds should now be
relative to the amount of damage taken.
New dedicated servers will also be released tomorrow. We'll send
those out to all of the gaming file sites so you’ll be able to get
new servers set up immediately.
A few other notes on 1.04:
- Saved games are unaffected from 1.03
- Demos recorded using 1.03 are not compatible with 1.04
- Mod makers will have to update their mods to reflect new the
IP protocol introduced in 1.04. This will be a minor adjustment
to your existing mod stuffs.
- Once you upgrade to 1.04, only servers running version 1.04
will be visible in your in game browser. There may be a short
period of time where there are few 1.04 servers to play on as
server admins update to the new version.
Thanks! We appreciate your continued support of Jedi Outcast in
the online community.
*************************************************
Friday, May 31st, 2002 - If you're having issues
with Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix please
e-mail us your problems at our newly created
e-mail accounts:
Single Player Issues - sof2sp@ravensoft.com
Multiplayer Issues - sof2mp@ravensoft.com
A bunch of us have been camping out at our new
message boards to help people directly. Those
are located at:
Support Board - http://204.97.248.99/ib/ikonboard.pl
Check out Bryan Dube's recent .plan update to see
what issues we're currently working on.
I just integrated the new board into Ravensoft.com,
so boards for all of our older titles are there, too.
Some other Raven-related news:
- Mac Port for Jedi Outcast Announced
- X-Box and GameCube Jedi Outcast Announced
Have a great weekend!
******************************************
Saturday, May 25th, 2002 - Where to begin?
The Soldier of Fortune II single player demo
is out there to download an enjoy. You can
grab it from 3D Gamers Here.
The most common concern seems to be "Why is
there no blood in the demo?" The simple
answer is, it's off by default. When you
launch the game you can go into the Violence
Lock menu (fourth option down - the Padlock)
and hit ENTER at the password prompt. You
can adjust the settings to your liking and
create your own password, if you want. Make
sure to write it down and don't lose it.
The tools and SDK are also available for SOF2
at 3D Gamers Here.
Support for the full version of Soldier of
Fortune II is being handled by Activision.
You can visit their support page here.
To help out, we've put up a resource page
at http://sof2.ravensoft.com that includes
brand new forums and a Top Solutions FAQ.
I've been trying to answer as many questions
as possible on the boards and in the FAQ, so
that's a good place to start if you're having
issues with the full version of SOF2.
Of particular interest in the FAQ is probably
the single player performance guide I put
together which you can find here.
Keep in mind, too, that CD Keys for SoF2 are
located INSIDE the CD jewel case and are on
a sticker pasted on the inside of the back
cover with the Wolfenstein ad on it. It's in
bright red letters. You can't miss it. Don't
throw your CD key or jewel case away. Keys
can't be replaced so don't lose them.
Be sure to check your CDs before you install
to see that they are clean. We found a CD
with goop on it from the factory press and it
wouldn't install properly. Check 'em out
before you pop 'em in.
All of this info is in the FAQ.
That's all for now... Thanks for listening!
Enjoy the game.
*************************************************
Friday, May 17th, 2002 - A few things for
the weekend:
1. Our master servers for Elite Force and
Jedi Outcast will be out tomorrow (Saturday)
morning from 9am CST to approximately 1pm,
depending on how our network maintenance
goes. Just so you know. Originally it was
slated for last week Saturday, but had to
be delayed.
2. For those of you unhappy with the increased
saber blocking in CTF and FFA modes in the 1.03
patch for Jedi Outcast, you can turn off the
changes by setting the CVAR g_saberTraceSaberFirst
to "0" in your server configs. Setting this
to "1" = More Blocking, "0" = Less Blocking. It
defaults to "1" in 1.03.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
********************************************
Tuesday, May 7th, 2002 - The 1.03 patch for
Jedi Outcast has been posted over at
LucasArts' website. You can grab the
patch here:
- Jedi Outcast 1.03 Patch
If you're having problems installing the
patch and you get the error "Directory is
Invalid! Target files could not be created"
I have a few suggestions for you:
1. If you're using a pirated copy of the game,
don't. :) That's one cause of the error.
2. IF any of the patched files are marked READ ONLY
this message will appear. Since some people have
uninstalled, my guess would be that people have their
own assets2.pk3 that doesn’t get uninstalled and it
is marked READ ONLY.
3. IF the launcher or JK2 is running, then this will
happen. Re-booting may help
If all else fails, you can uninstall the game,
re-install it to a custom directory like
c:jk2 and it will re-write the registry
entries and the patch will install fine.
Updated Linux and Win32 Dedicated servers
are also available. You can get them (or
will be able to, soon) at:
- 3D Gamers
- 3DDownloads
- ShackNews
- JK2Files.com
- The Massassi Temple
- Jedi Center
- Jedi-Outcast.com
A list of what's fixed in the 1.03 patch
can be found here.
The Jedi Outcast Resource Page will be
updated soon with new links, awards and new
FAQ entries.
*******************************************************
Monday, April 22nd, 2002 - The tools and level editor
for Jedi Outcast have been released to the public. The
4MB download includes:
JK2Radiant - The map editor.
MD3View - Model viewer for .md3 format models
ModView - Model viewer for .glm (Ghoul2) format model
ShaderEd2 - The shader editor/viewer
sof2map - The map compiler, you will not be using this directly, JK2Radiant uses this.
You can download it from:
- FilePlanet
- ShackNews
- 3DDownloads
- JediKnightii.net
I expect mirrors will appear shortly at:
- Blue's News
- JK2Files.com
- The Massassi Temple
- Jedi Center
- Jedi-Outcast.com
Feel free to download and mirror these files as you see
fit. Remember of course that these are released "as is"
and are unsupported by Raven/Activision/LucasArts.
Another Jedi Outcast fix for you:
If you're getting the CL_ParsePacketEntities error in JK2
multiplayer, it's likely because you are using the cracked
executable. That's the only instance we've seen the error.
Shame on you. ;)
******************************************************
Friday, April 19th, 2002 - The Soldier of Fortune II
multiplayer test is out there! You can grab it from
the list of mirrors at:
- http://www.bluesnews.com/files/sof2/demos/sof2_test.shtml
If you want to give feedback or need tech support,
go to:
- Email: sof2mptest@ravensoft.com
- Form: http://sof2.ravensoft.com/testfeedback/form.htm
- Forum: http://www2.ravensoft.com/cgi-bin/yabb/yabb.pl
So far it looks like the response is overwhelmingly positive!
I'm glad everyone is enjoying it. Our GameSpy chat yesterday
drew a record number of chatters...more than doubling the
previous record! Thanks, all for showing up to rap with us!
You can find a transcript of the chat here. You can also
find an interview that Rick and I did for GameSpy Daily and
read the 3DActionPlanet MP impressions here.
A few notes:
1. For those who think the speed of the game is slower than
the original SOF, you can change the speed of the players on
the server using the g_speed console command. You can change
it to whatever you like (for all you speed freaks out there).
2. Those wondering about the gore, keep in mind that there is
less gore in the MP version of the game because of networking
concerns. SOF2 multiplayer will support 64 players.
3. If you're getting an "invalid game version" error message
when attempting to connect to servers, it's because you're
using the leaked version. Shame on you. ;) Get the new one!
4. For dedicated servers, +set dedicated 1 is a dedicated LAN.
+set dedicated 2 is a dedicated internet public server.
Happy fragging!
**************************************************************
Sunday, February 3rd, 2002 - Today is my Five Year Anniversary
with Raven Software. Five years ago today I started work with
a PPRO 200 with 128 MB of RAM and a 2GB hard drive with a copy
of Windows 95 and 3D Studio Max 1.2. I'd never seen the real
Internet before, only muds and a vax at UW-Whitewater.
A month or so after I started, Jon Zuk and I got Monster 3D
Voodoo1 cards from Best Buy and proceeded to put colored lighting
into a Raven title for the first time. God, has it been that
long? I can hardly believe it...
At that time, we were working on Take No Prisoners, MageSlayer
and Hexen II for Red Orb, GT Interactive and Activision. Raven
consisted of about 25 people, all of which actually fit around
the table and in the chairs of our main conference room.
In the five years since I started, I've watched the building
expand twice and the team expand to 60 people. We released
those three games we were working on, were bought by Activision
and we went on to produce Portal of Praevus, Heretic II, Soldier
of Fortune (+Gold and Platinum), Elite Force, Elite Force Expansion
Pack and we're closing in on the completion of Jedi Outcast and
Soldier 2 with two more titles waiting in the wings.
My machine today has upgraded by 10 times the MHZ, 3 processors, 4
times the RAM, 40 times the hard drive space, 16 times the video
memory, four versions of MAX and five or six OS's.
I had just watched the Packers beat the Patriots in Superbowl XXXI
and now, five years later, I'm about to go home and watch another
Superbowl (featuring the Patriots, no less).
It's been a good five years. Here's looking at five more...
*************************************************************
Friday, December 22nd, 2000 - I posted an article that I
wrote a while back on our www2 server that may be of interest
entitled: How To Get A Job In The Game Development Industry.
If you're bored, you may want to give it a read. If you
know of any websites or insights that are missing, feel
free to drop me a line and let me know.
***********************************************************************************
Wednesday, May 26th, 1999 - A new day has dawned in Kenn's World... Last night, I
asked Michele, the love of my life, to marry me. And she said YES! Thank you, Michele...
You've made me the happiest man in the world! I look forward to spending the rest of
my life with you... You are the most wonderful person I have ever known...
Thanks to Rob "Beroge" Gee for ring shopping with me and special thanks to
Kim "Lee Majors" Lathrop for giving me the final "get in there, son...we need
a base runner" speech. =) Oh...and thanks to 94.1 WJJO for playing "Rainbow In The Dark"
during my drive to "the big moment." I couldn't have done it without all of your help...
Hey Matt! You're next, buddy... In the immortal words of "Nature Boy" Ric Flair....WHOOOOOOOOO!
******************************************************************************************
IN LOVING MEMORY - Kenneth Lee Hoekstra (August 26th, 1937 - April 23rd, 1998)
Sunset and evening star.
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.
But such a tide as moving seems asleep
Too full for sound and foam.
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For though from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar. ...Alfred Tennyson
********************************************************************************************************
|
|
Raven...
Also Today...
Yesterday...
Full list
|
|
 |
Copyright © Square
Eight 1998-2010. All Rights Reserved.
The BlueTracker is provided by Webdog.
We are not responsible for the content of the .plans displayed here.
|
|
|
|
|
Twitter 
