Articles in the archive contain broken links because outdated files are removed.

New CL Voodoo2 Release Candidate Drivers  [9:06 PM EDT]
The 3D Blaster Voodoo2 page has new "October 9th Release Candidate Drivers for Windows 95/98" for their Voodoo2 based cards. Thanks Moondog. On this subject, 3Fingers passes along a newsgroup posting from Creative's Dylan Rhodes describing a newer, more conservative clock setting for SLI mode under the newest Voodoo2 drivers: Here's an excerpt from the lengthy post:

"Almost immediately after we posted the RC on our web site, several astute customers with two-card SLI setups noticed a peculiar thing: the clock rate in the registry was 3MHz higher than the value set by the slider. For example, if they set their slider to 94MHz, the clock rate was 97MHz....

"...According to 3Dfx, timing in SLI mode is very tricky. Well, actually, timing is tricky with *any* high-performance product of the calibre of the Voodoo2, but it just gets more difficult when synchronizing two cards with a cable. When 3Dfx began testing, they had failures in SLI mode at normal clock speeds with a very low number of cards (according to 3Dfx this was probably lower than 1%, but this was high enough for them to be concerned). Given that fact as well as the possibility of vendors producing slightly out-of-spec cards or even out-of-spec SLI cables, they decided to improve reliability by reducing the clock speed by 5MHz when the Voodoo2 runs in SLI mode....

"...For SLI users, this means...

With third-party sliders and owners of other vendors' cards:

- You set the slider to 96MHz
- 96MHz is written to the registry
- 3Dfx reduces 5MHz to ensure maximum compatibility
- Net clock speed is 91MHz (95 - 5)

With Creative's RC:

- You set the slider to 96MHz
- Our control panel adds 3MHz to the value entered into the registry
- 3Dfx reduces 5MHz to ensure maximum compatibility
- Net clock speed is 94MHz (96 + 3 - 5)"

On the Orangutan Mystery - Rebate Too?  [8:03 PM EDT]
Sharky Extreme has posted an explanation of what the mystery of the 3Dfx orangutan promo means, saying it's "simply a re-promotion of 3Dfx's SLI configuration, with a probable price drop to as low as $299." This is a drop for some cards, but many manufacturers like STB and Creative have already announced similar price cuts (STB Black Magic V2s at $149.00 with no rebate, and Creative's Voodoo2 at $149.00 after a rebate), and Guillemot is offering 2 Voodoo2's for $229.00 (thanks Voodoo Extreme). The grist I can add to this rumor mill is that a little bird tells me that part of this deal will be an additional $50 rebate (possibly an in-store rebate) that brings the cost down to $249.00 for SLI (not confirmed, but I consider this reliable enough to pass it along). Still, that doesn't beat that Guillemot offer...

id's Paul & Paul Show  [7:18 PM EDT]
Anna Kang from id Software passes along word that id's Paul Jaquays and Paul Steed will be at the IGDN Dallas Conference on October 10th (at The Plano Centre), with Paul Steed slated to give some sort of talk. Here's a GameSpot blurb that gives a bit of the lowdown on the IGDN (International Game Developers Network).

Chase Elexis Sinclaire in a Lexus Sin Car  [7:18 PM EDT]
Phoebus sends word of a post by Sin Level Designer Charlie Wiederhold to the HardCorps Sin forum about driving around in Sin. Gotta like running people over:

Vehicles are still in Sin. No, more than one person can't ride in a vehicle.

All driveables are terrain vehicles, but there are several different kinds of them (not all of em have four wheels).

Sure, if they can get on top of you they can go for a ride. The things move pretty fast sometimes so it can be difficult to stay on.

Yes, you can run people over. Most likely when someone tries to hop on with you they will fall and get run over. :)

Another Shogo Review  [7:18 PM EDT]
AGN3D's Shogo Mobile Armor Division review is up, offering another look at the full game (here are the two posted earlier today).

Mortyr Movie  [7:18 PM EDT]
The screenshots/movies page has some new .MPG format movies showing off in-game action from Mortyr, an upcoming first-person action game set in World War II. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

Requiem Prevew  [7:18 PM EDT]
Gamers Central previews Requiem: Avenging Angel (the Requiem guys were terrific Shooters guests last night, BTW).

Unreal on the RIVA 128  [7:18 PM EDT]
There's what's described as a "hacked .dll" up on Planet RIVA to greatly improve the appearance of Unreal using a RIVA 128 based accelerator.

Heretic II Editing, Demo News  [7:18 PM EDT]
Raven Programmer Marcus Whitlock's .plan file has word on the planned Heretic II demo, along with details on the game's out of the box support for coop in addition to deathmatch and single player:

Well, as y'all know our demo will be out soon... but for us it's business as usual - i.e. we programmers are still cranking away relentlessly at squashing those steeenking bugs. Been working on netgame game stuff lately myself (coop play mostly). Yes, we'll be delivering coop play out of the box as well as deathmatch and single player. All this and much, much more folks - in just 1 year! Apparently, a certain well known developer (let's just say his name starts with C) described us as Gods for accomplishing this. Anyhow, we just hope all of you out there will enjoy the demo and decide you wanna splash the cash for the full game :).

Also, Raven's Jeremy Statz updated his .plan with word on Heretic II editing out of the box:

Since most of the people who ask me about making Heretic 2 levels or mods haven't seen it mentioned anywhere, just thought I'd reassure everybody that there will be a level editor included in the box (with documentation expertly written by Jon Zuk, lead design guy for H2), along with various model/texture utils and the source for both the client and server DLLs. Anybody interested in editing the game doesn't have anything to worry about.

Creative Petition  [7:18 PM EDT]
The Weslovian Gazette's Creative Petition is up to "request that Creative Labs implement the use of Windows Driver Model drivers in the current line of sound cards to supply us with the very basic feature of playing simultaneous Windows 95, 98, and NT sound events."

RIAA to Sue Diamond  [7:18 PM EDT]
This News.Com News Alert announces that The Recording Industry Association of America has filed a complaint against Diamond Multimedia over Diamond's Rio MP3 player, seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent sale of the device, "claiming it illegally promotes the distribution of music without prior consent from the artist or copyright owner." Thanks CiKoTiC. There is already a Petition to Protect Your Rights To Copy Your Music to a Portable Device on the FreeAmp page to try and help combat this.

Unreal 2 Update  [5:05 PM EDT]
BitchX posted an interesting letter from Epic's Mark Rein that reveals Legend will be developing Unreal 2:

Dear BitchX,
It was Epic's idea to have a 3rd party develop Unreal2 and we just closed the deal with Legend today. It's our game and they're making it for us, not GT.
Mark Rein,
Epic MegaGames

On the New OpenGL Driver  [5:05 PM EDT]
Jack Mathews updated his .plan with a bit on that OpenGL minidriver that surfaced earlier (story). Here's the update:

What people will do for a couple of frames... I really recommend you don't copy the Half Life OEM's minidriver into your Quake or Quake 2 directories that 3Fingers is sending around. That miniGL was built specifically for Half Life, and even tho it might get you a couple more frames/sec (can't think of why...) if you alt tab out of Quake or Q2 while this is running, you'll be introduced to a fun hard lock a lot of the time. That's why those drivers will never be released for Quake/Q2. However, they work fine in Half Life. When there are newer drivers available, they will be available for download immediately from the 3Dfx website (the one with the big green monkey).

Of course, for those of you that just absolutely need those extra 2 frames/sec that your monitor won't even update because your vsync is off, have at it. But I really don't recommend it. I wish people would just wait till drivers are actually released before putting them in our customers' hands.

Is there something funny about a 3Dfx employee musing over "What people will do for a couple of frames"?   =D

NotMegs - loonygames, Quake2.com  [3:00 PM EDT]
Looks like the entire NetMegs host is down at he moment, so some sites you may be seeking that use their service, such as loonygames and Quake2.com are down for the time being (and have been for a while).

Hayes Declares Bankruptcy  [3:00 PM EDT]
Hayes Corp., whose name at one time represented the standard for PC modem compatibility, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, "saying it will continue to operate while it looks for additional funding" according to this Yahoo story. Thanks Joe Siegler at 3D Realms.

Joost Get Demented  [1:00 PM EDT]
The Daily Dementia at MeccaWorld for October 9 offers a conversation with Joost Schuur about PlanetTrademark, Slipgate Central, and his departure from Shooters. RealPlayer recommended.

Ez Server  [1:00 PM EDT]
Version 2.0 of Ez Server is now available, a re-worked version of this program dedicated to running dedicated Quake II servers, offering a new interface called "packages" supporting different settings for different mods. Users are encouraged to try and devise packages of their own and send them in.

Banshee Review  [1:00 PM EDT]
There's a review of the Quantum3D Raven Banshee card up on AGN3D.

New (Unofficial) 3Dfx GL Minidriver  [11:39 AM EDT]
3Fingers has come up with a 3Dfx minidriver for Quake and Quake II games that "was just released in a new game" (hmmm), that he says offers a 2-6 FPS improvement in his benchmarks. The file, apparently optimized for the Banshee as well, is posted on his Tid-Bits page, where he points out that this is all unsupported.

Gabe Newell Interview  [11:28 AM EDT]
Gabe Newell on Half-Life is a video (RealPlayer) interview with Valve's head honcho on GameSpot TV. Thanks Level Alpha.

PGL Finals  [11:28 AM EDT]
The AMD Professional Gamers' League (PGL) has announced their Season 3 championships will be held in San Francisco at Club-i, November 12-14, 1998, where over $70,000 in cash and more than $40,000 in prizes will be awarded. Interestingly, the PGL seems to not acknowledge the existence of their rival CPL, as their [press release refers to the PGL as "the only pro sports league for computer game enthusiasts."

Unreal and EAX  [11:28 AM EDT]
3DsoundSurge has posted some instructions on setting up Creative's EAX (Environmental Audio) on a SoundBlaster to work best with Unreal, along with 10 pictures (worth 10,000 word using the old adage's formula) to help illustrate how to tell if it's working properly.

Duking it Out in Court Some More  [11:28 AM EDT]
Micro Star to Appeal Duke Decision is an article from earlier in the week I missed (an ironic topic to come up on the same day as a reference to the Actura dealie), that describes the shovelware manufacturer's indignation at the outcome of their litigation with GT Interactive, describing their plans to take this all the way to the Supreme Court. Thanks devilbunny.

Deus Ex Interview  [11:28 AM EDT]
A WarZone Feature on Deus EX offers an interview with designers named Dan Rubenfield, Bob White and Marshall Andrews about their upcoming Unreal engine RPG, as well as their fallout with Origin and Ultima IX.

AMD Chipping In  [11:28 AM EDT]
Details of new chips emerging is a News.com article describing what AMD has up their sleeves for their upcoming CPU, the K7, offering expertese from the Microprocessor Report that says the K7 may be every bit as speedy as Intel's Katmai CPUs with which it will be competing. Thanks taxi_driver.

WinAmp  [11:28 AM EDT]
One of those non-gaming stories that's become on-topic for this site, version 2.03 of WinAmp is now available. Thanks Tetsuo Plastic (no word yet on those elusive Sushi K .mp3s).

QHunter  [5:30 AM EDT]
Version 1.0 Beta 1 of QHunter is now available, adding Quake II support to this a server-browser that operates within your Quake or Quake II game itself. Here's the poop from the page:

QHunter connects players to servers faster than any other browser tool available.

QHunter utilizes the basic text capabilities of the game to display a scrollable list of game servers, with respective ping times, to the player.

QHunter allows the player to select a server from the list using the keyboard. The cursor keys (Home, End, Up, Down, PgUp, PgDn) all work as expected. The Enter key selects a server.

QHunter can display detailed information about the selected server, including information about the players already on the server.

QHunter will connect the player to the desired server, stepping out of the way until the player decides to look for another server.

Shogo Networking  [5:30 AM EDT]
Monolith Programmer Mike Dussault updated his .plan on the occasion of the "first real net stress test on the new-and-improved Shogo networking" with a rundown of what's done ("like 70% down").

Tyrannizer Shots  [5:30 AM EDT]
Eight new 3Dfx screenshots of Viper Byte's upcoming 3D action/adventure, Tyrannizer, are now online. Dankjewel Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

Messiah, Diablo II Screenshots  [4:02 AM EDT]
There are eight exclusive Messiah screenshots on 3D Spotlight. Also, there are a pair of new Diablo II screenshots on Voodoo Screenshots Extreme.

Heavy Gear II Interview  [4:02 AM EDT]
Game-Interviews.com interviews Dave Georgeson talking to the producer of Activision's Heavy Gear II about this upcoming Dark Side engine mech, err, gear game.

3Dfx Interview  [4:02 AM EDT]
Tony Tamasi and Steve Schick of 3Dfx were the guests on last night's AGN Hardware Show. The discussions cover Voodoo2, Banshee, 3DNow! drivers, DirectX 6.0 support and more. RealPlayer (or FakeRealPlayer) required.

Akolyte Log  [4:02 AM EDT]
The log of 3DGaming.Net's Akolyte chat from last night is now online offering the words of Steve Chan from Revenant, and of course the teeming masses.

Developers on a Desert Island  [4:02 AM EDT]
Developers on a Desert Island is an interesting GameCenter piece that asks several famous game developers what three games they would take with them if they were to be stranded on a desert island (it's that kind of pre-planning that allowed Ginger to take 300 outfits for a three hour cruise on Gilligan's Island). The article includes responses from Peter Molyneux, Sid Meier, Bruce Shelley, George Broussard, John Romero, Dave Perry, Roberta Williams, and Lord British (one of L.B.'s choices was Myst: I'd sooner take a Russian Roulette set myself).

Descent FreeSpace Expansion Ships  [4:02 AM EDT]
Descent FreeSpace - The Great War Expansion Disk Hits Retail Shelves is the announcement that this add-on from Interplay, titled Silent Threat (sounds like a Terrance and Phillip special) has shipped. Thanks Gamer's Alliance. The expansion pack is already reviewed on GameOver.

Overlay WinGlide  [4:02 AM EDT]
Chris' WinGlide Page has a new version 0.96 of Overlay WinGlide for download. WinGlide is a replacement .DLL that allows Voodoo Graphics/Voodoo2 cards to output 3D in a window. The updated overlay version has a few bug fixes, and now offers the option to use a double buffered overlay which prevents tearing.

Eraser Bot Wizard  [4:02 AM EDT]
Version 2.26 of the Quick Start Eraser Bot Wizard is out. The main change to this bot front-end is that the plugins are now ActiveX .DLLs. The new release also offers improvements to the Bot and Team Editors.

Full Shogo Reviews  [4:02 AM EDT]
The Adrenaline Vault reviews Shogo Mobile Armor Division, and GameGirlz reviewz Shogo Mobile Armor Division, each checking out the full version of the game.

Uprising2 Preview  [4:02 AM EDT]
The Adrenaline Vault's Uprising 2 preview takes a look at the sequel to the original Action/RTS that puts you in command of a HoverTank. Thanks AMD Zone.

Drakan Website  [4:02 AM EDT]
The Drakan website is now live with all the latest on Psygnosis' upcoming 3D adventure game.

Shogo AI  [4:02 AM EDT]
Monolith's Craig Hubbard updated his .plan with a description of some of the bugs inhibiting the I in the AI in the demo of Shogo: Mobile Armor Division. Here's most of it:

You've probably noticed situations in which you shoot one guy and the guy standing next to him just stands there with his thumb up his butt. AIs actually alert other allied AIs within a certain range when they've been damaged, but because of this bug, you wouldn't have observed a reaction in many cases. Now you will. :)

The second issue was that enemies who were targeting the player sometimes failed to SEE the player. You'd be likely to notice this problem in a long hallway or large outdoor area where you shoot a guy and he stands there like he wants to shoot but doesn't actually do so. Well, now he shoots.

Another issue had to do with bullets hitting near a bad guy. Enemies actually hear weapon firing and impact sounds within a given radius (based on the weapon) and turn to target the player. Previously, it would only work if they had a direct line of sight to the impact point, which would cause problems if the bullet or explosion hit right around a corner.

These few minor fixes will make a big difference and will definitely be in the first patch. Of course, the game is gonna get a little tougher as a result, but that's what difficulty settings are for!

We owe special thanks to those of you who posted specific examples of AI problems. Those examples made it simple to track down the bugs. :)

As for complaints about our enemies' defensive tendencies, put yourself in their position and ask yourself if you'd go charging around a corner after some guy with a shotgun. Didn't think so. ;)

Tourneys  [4:02 AM EDT]
The Disposable Heroes League is now accepting entries for their Action Quake 2 tournament. Also, the announcement of the day from The FRAG 2 is that they're having a road-race tourney deal using Gremlin's Motorhead. Zoom.

Generating Fractal Terrain  [4:02 AM EDT]
Generating Random Fractal Terrain is a tutorial for game programmer types (and non-technical insomniacs). Thanks Sinner.

SBLive! Cyrix Fix  [4:02 AM EDT]
The Sound Blaster Live! site has a fix for Cyrix Processors using Creative's latest soundcard (with the SBLive! probably more expensive than a Cyrix processor and motherboard that doesn't seem like it would be a common combo). Thanks 3DFiles.Com.

Out of the Blue  [4:02 AM EDT]
Today marks the second anniversary of this site moving to its own domain... in some ways that seems like a long time ago, and in some ways it's like it was only yesterday. I don't think words can really do justice to the appreciation I would like to share with all of you that frequent this joint, you have my heartfelt thanks. For nostalgia: The top news story at the time was the Actura CD rip-off scandal. So here's a Quake community trivia question: What was the title of the Actura CD that caused all the fuss (many bonus points if you actually get this, I certainly couldn't)? Click here for the answer. For crash (who got the trivia!), since he asked, here's the old URL of the Quake Rag: http://www.panix.com/~sheaslip/quake/ (yup, the forwarding page is still there).

Shooters  [7:03 PM EDT]
Tonight on Shooters we will be speaking with some of the team from Cyclone Studios (3DO) about their upcoming game, Requiem: Avenging Angel, a first-person shooter with some interesting theological roots (loony, our resident Theologian, will likely go to town with this). The festivities kick off live at 8:00 PM Eastern time, RealPlayer required.

Secret Ops  [6:01 PM EDT]
Episode seven of Wing Commander Secret Ops is out offering the latest (final?) installment in this free WC game. Thanks Andrew Vogel.

Akolyte Chat  [2:56 PM EDT]
Also tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern, 3DGaming.Net is holding an online chat session with the folks from Revenant to talk about their upcoming Akolyte. The chat takes place in 3Dnet IRC in the #3dgaming channel. Yes, every other online dealie in the world seems to occur on Thursday nights... now that we've knocked Seinfeld off in the ratings war, we're considering moving Shooters (and we'll shoot any of these other events that try and follow us!). For more on the latest from Akolyte, Gamer's Alliance points out an Akolyte development update on their website.

Ground Zero GameSpy Tab  [2:56 PM EDT]
The Charon Graphics page has a Quake II: Ground Zero tab for GameSpy to allow you to quickly find servers running the second Quake II mission pack from Rogue.

Forsaken Patch  [12:55 PM EDT]
The Adrenaline Vault PC Release List has what's called the 9/29 patch for Forsaken that offers a bunch of new features and bug fixes.

Daikatana Chat  [12:55 PM EDT]
StormTroopers is holding October's monthly Daikatana chat tonight at 8:00 PM Central time (9:00 PM Eastern). You can join by entering the ION Storm Chat Lobby through the ION Storm website, or through IRC server www.ionstorm.com, channel #ion.

More Heretic II Interviews  [12:55 PM EDT]
Another fresh batch of interviews on Fresh 3D talks to Raven's Jon Zuk, lead designer on their upcoming Heretic 2, and writer/programmer Bob Love, author of the world's longest ongoing .plan-based story.

Tom Does TNT and Voodoo2  [12:55 PM EDT]
Tom's Hardware Guide compares the TNT to the Voodoo2 in an in-depth article titled "The Winds of Change." Thanks LevenGooD.

More Quake II Fog  [12:55 PM EDT]
Following up on the fog code dealie earlier (story), I now learn that the Chemical Existence page has also got some code written to add fog to Quake II, apparently available for the asking.

Escape O.D.T. Demo  [12:55 PM EDT]
AGN3D has posted a playable demo of Escape O.D.T. a new third-person 3D action/adventure game from Psygnosis with an unusually (these days) svelte 8 MB download. Here's The Adrenaline Vault's preview of Escape O.D.T. if you're looking for background info.

Australia versus New Zealand Challenge  [12:55 PM EDT]
If I may quote: "The legendary rivalry between trans-Tasman neighbours Australia and New Zealand is set to explode into flying gibs when the Kiwis send a team of their most formidable Quake Players across to Sydney in late November to take on the Aussies in a high-stakes battle for guts and glory!" Challenge-au is slated for the end of November. The Australian team will be selected soon in a series of matches, and the whole shebang will be chronicled on their webpage for your voyeuristic Internet pleasure.

European Competition  [12:55 PM EDT]
Games Domain Competition Europe is an online Q&A competition that seeks to balance out a few of those US-only and North American only competitions that seem to proliferate by holding a contest only open to Europeans.

Game Developers from Poland  [12:55 PM EDT]
Game Developers from Poland website is now open. It was described to me as the "most exciting place in the whole of Internet," and while I don't know about that, it should server its target audience nicely.

Heretic II Interview  [7:26 AM EDT]
A Heretic 2 Interview with Raven programmer Pat Lipo is up on Quakeland.com talking about Pat's work on Heretic II.

Linux Sinterview  [7:05 AM EDT]
There's an interview with Ritual's Don "onethumb" MacAskill on linuxpower.org talking about Linux support in Sin and stuff (there's some interesting commentary in the comments that follow the article about Linux games development). Thanks Dave at Voodoo Unlimited Power.

And the Award goes to...Quake II  [6:21 AM EDT]
The Class of '98 Awards on CNET are online, with Quake II taking their honor for Best Internet Play Component. Thanks Ant.

The Games People Play  [6:21 AM EDT]
This Salon 21st article describes the dead end that is Myst and Riven, talking about the appeal of games with more action (or game for that matter) in them, holding out hope for the mainstream yet. Thanks RatBastard.

Gore Screenshot  [6:21 AM EDT]
Billy's plan to fix his ailing server by posting loads of screenshots continues, as today he's posted a Gore shot on Voodoo Extreme showing off 4DRulers upcoming game.

CPUs - To 1000 MHz and Beyond!  [6:21 AM EDT]
Foster Willamette on tap for Intel is the title of a News.com article on future Intel CPUs, looking into the next century at clockspeeeds of 1000 MHz and more. As should be occasionally pointed out on occasions like this, Intel is an investor in News.Com/CNET. Thanks Redwood's.

The Fog of War  [6:21 AM EDT]
The Revenge of Stroggos page has posted a new tutorial on how to create fog in Quake II. the plan is for the tutorial to eventually culminate in instructions on how to create a form of volumetric fog in the single player game.

Thief Preview  [6:21 AM EDT]
PC.IGN.COM's Thief preview, true to the game's theme (and 60's/70's sensibilities) is sub-titled "Steal this game!"

Acclaim Interview  [6:21 AM EDT]
Game-Interviews.com interviews Michael Meyers ("Yeah, baby!") of Acclaim Entertainment

Terminator Beast Drivers  [6:21 AM EDT]
New Hercules Terminator BEAST Drivers for Windows 95/98 and an updated BIOS are now available for Hercules' S3 Savage 3D-based accelerator. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme.

Matrox NT Drivers  [6:21 AM EDT]
Matrox Millennium G200 Windows NT drivers page has new WHQL certified Windows NT drivers for the Matrox Mystique, Mystique 220, Mystique G200, Millennium, Millennium II AGP, Millennium G200, Millennium G200 SD, and MGA-G200 SD. Thaks Lawgiver.

Vigilance Demo on HEAT  [6:21 AM EDT]
Word from Larry Pacey, executive producer of Vigilance, is that the newer version 1.3 of the playable Vigilance demo is now being offered free on Heat.Net, whish he says "offer(s) gamers an extremely smooth internet gameplay experience, even when they are on a 28.8 modem."

glDoom Interview  [6:21 AM EDT]
There's an interview with Bruce Lewis, author of the upcoming glDoom, up on Catfood's world of lame reasons to play games.

Brazilian Frag Fest  [6:21 AM EDT]
Ignatu sends word of that the Clanring.BR page has news (okay, I'm taking this on faith: I admit can't read a word of it) of a face-to-face Quake tournament in Goiania Shopping center in Goiania City, Brazil, with 400 audience members able to watch on large screens, and Jovem Pam (South American radio personality), will be on hand.

Out of the Blue  [6:21 AM EDT]
C'mon... you didn't really think Mr. Hat was gone forever did you? Also on the animated front, the new (episode six, it may be old, but I didn't see it yet) Goddamn George Liquor Program is up (thanks Randy), as always, mature audiences should probably stear clear. Thanks for the kind words and the understanding about he heavy Out of the Blue post yesterday... I really don't know what to say other than thanks for your support, it's quite moving. Oh yeah, and buy some stamps  ;)

Rhapsody Quake II Part II  [7:51 PM EDT]
Turns out there was some confusion over at id when my mail was being answered, because I've since received a clarification from Todd Hollenshead retracting his earlier statement (story) about the Quake II port to the Rhapsody operating system (as reported on sites like StepWise). Here's what Todd's second mail said:

I just received an email from the developers indicating John sent them the source this past weekend. Of course, I wasn't aware of the contact so the announcement took me by surprise. Sorry for the confusion on my part.

Freeze Tag  [7:51 PM EDT]
Version 1.75 of Freeze Tag for Quake II is now available, offering a few new enhancements, including a cool-sounding multiple-hook for some major Spider-Man action.

Quake Voice  [7:51 PM EDT]
Beta 16 of QuakeVoice, offering the hope for real-time voice communication within Quake II, is out, offering "compression and LAN play, jitter compensation, new client, mixer, and Q2 Server components."

Anachro-Preview  [7:51 PM EDT]
Computer Games Online's Anachronox preview is up offering some comments from Tom Hall from a recent sit-down interview.

Rhapsody Quake II Rumor  [4:52 PM EDT]
I've gotten a bunch of reports of a Rhapsody Quake II port announcement, but since there's been no word from id software, I asked id CEO Todd Hollenshead about it, and here's his reply:

All I can say is that it wasn't us doing the programming (we're busy making QIIIA) and I don't know how they would have gotten the source to do the work since it wouldn't have legitimately come from us.

Turok 2 Weapons  [4:52 PM EDT]
This page on the newly redesigned Turok 2 site offers animated looks at some of the weapons from the upcoming sequel-saurus. Thanks Frans at 3D Gamers.

Game Music  [12:24 PM EDT]
The Sonic Mayhem site has tracks available for download in .mp3 format showing off their work on both Quake II mission packs, as well as Shiny's Wild9. Speaking of Shiny music, Gamer's Alliance interviews Jesper Kyd composer of some music from Shiny's upcoming Messiah in an article that includes a RealPlayer rendition of one of the game's tracks.

More on the Half-Life Date  [12:24 PM EDT]
OGR has dug up an official statement refuting the report of the Half-Life release date slipping (next story). Here's the lowdown:

There as been some confusion about Half Life's release date. Electronics Boutique's web site has the game listed to be released Dec. 2nd, and there's been talk about the game being delayed. We contacted Genevieve Ostergard, Senior PR Manager for Sierra Studios, and she gave us the following statement: "We've seen what's been posted on the EB website and it is incorrect. Half-Life is still on track to go gold later this month and be in stores by November. We are contacting EB today to alert them of this."

Half-Life Date  [11:11 AM EDT]
The release date for Valve's upcoming Half-Life is being questioned again, based on some posts to the AGN3D message forums. Here's a quote from the news over there:

I was reading through our messageboards and I noticed a thread that says that the release date for Half-Life has slipped. If the info is wrong, I am sure I will hear it from Sierra later today :P

I went to Eb online (www.ebworld.com) and they have Half-Life posted as a 12/02/98 release date. ARGH! I thought this puppy was supposed to be out by November? Ah well at least we get Shogo next week!

Later on in the thread, someone posted this bit of info that they said they got from Sierra..

When in doubt, go to the source!!! Thank you for contacting Sierra. It is true that Half-Life has slipped. I am not sure where EB got the 12/2 date. In reality that is probably a bit early. I have forwarded you message to the Marketing Director responsible for this product to make sure that the web is updated.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Kerry
Sierra Customer Service

New Vortex2 Card  [11:11 AM EDT]
A report on OGR announces a new soundcard in the works from Xitel called the Storm Platinum, based on Aureal's Vortex2 chipset that should be available sometime this month at an estimated $99.00. There's also word there that Aureal has been awarded a new patent, this one for "Method and Apparatus for Efficient Presentation of High-Quality, Three-Dimensional Audio, Including Ambient Effects" so it you were working on a sound card with that in there, you'd better say "may I." Finally, on the sound front, there's another review of that high-end Midiland S2 4100 Multimedia Speaker System on GamersDepot. Thanks Duane Pemberton.

More on the Quake II Action Figures  [4:43 AM EDT]
I hope the guys at ReSaurus don't mind me ganking more artwork from their site showing off their Quake II action figures, due this January. Thanks venom for word of the update which includes some great shots, including these of a Tank and the female marine:

Quake III Arena Site  [4:43 AM EDT]
The official Quake III Arena site is up. Nothing there yet but a logo (and perhaps just a subtle touch of "ph34r!!!"). Thanks [DC]Grifter.

3Dfx Guessing Game  [4:43 AM EDT]
Since so many sent in unsolicited guesses about the 3Dfx teaser (story), just for fun here's a summary of the responses: Most guesses were for multiple SLI on a single board (like Obsidian2), several other guesses were for multi monitor support, "But that wouldn't have a very wide audience" points out Charles "Myrkul" Kendrick. Surf Warrior thinks it has to do with Quake II because "the Orangutans...somewhat [resemble] the Quake 2 symbol." My favorite comment was from Robert Carroll who said:

As for the orangutan, I hope to god that is NOT what they call it.

New Forsaken Levels  [4:43 AM EDT]
The Gaming Krib has a pair of new Forsaken multiplayer levels, a new release from Probe, and a conversion of a single-player level (all in an R-rated interface). There's also updated info there about a LAN event outside NYC this weekend with loads of prizes.

Crush Depth  [4:43 AM EDT]
Version 1.0e of the Crush Depth Quake II mod is now available including some bug fixes and "more of the carnage we all live for," as well as some changes to the submarine.

Q2 Start Utility & QuakeStarter  [4:43 AM EDT]
QuakeStarter version 0.64b, a front-end for Quake and Quake II is now available, offering support for a Compression Manager add-on to zip TCs. Also, beta 6 of the Quake II Start Utility adding options for GL settings, download settings, log file generation, plus "many bug fixes and enhancements."

Unreal Server List  [4:43 AM EDT]
This Unreal Server List demonstrates Unreal support in QStat, and will track new servers once that public Unreal Master is working.

Nocturne Interview  [4:43 AM EDT]
Next-Generation Online's Nocturne preview looks at this upcoming third-person action-adventure they describe as having "a definite horror-movie slant" through an interview with Mark Randel, lead programmer / producer / co-designer, and Drew Haworth, senior digital artist/co-designer.

Hostile Waters Preview  [4:43 AM EDT]
Sharky Extreme's Hostile Waters preview looks at Rage's upcoming release that combines RTS and action elements in the same game.

Banshee Review  [4:43 AM EDT]
Guillemot Maxi Gamer Phoenix Review on AnandTech takes an in-depth look at this Voodoo Banshee card. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme.

glDoom Shots  [4:43 AM EDT]
Doom Nation is gearing up for the upcoming release of glDoom by posting a 1024x768 screenshot per day until the release. Also on the retro-Doom scene, Jobe from BoatRocker.com is holding a pre-Frag2 LAN party this Saturday-Sunday in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for people who want to get in on some pre-Frag2 action (including a shot at some of the Doom2 all-stars). If you're interested, email jobe@boatrocker.com.

One-on-One QW Tourney  [4:43 AM EDT]
The GamesNET DM Tournament is a QuakeWorld 1 on 1 competition. Thanks Derek Alore.

Out of the Blue  [4:43 AM EDT]
I haven't mentioned the way-too-cool Voodoo Lights/Cosmos screensaver in a while, so since The Æternal sent along a mention of the new version, it seemed like a good time. Here's a fun link, I've seen some of these before, but 'Stupid' computer error messages... is still funny (thanks Ant). As for Amish drug dealers (thanks Chris "3-D" Fowler) I don't know what to add to that. On a serious note (please feel free to tune out), I almost never give in to making postings about off-topic causes, however worthy, as there are just so many, and I hate to include some but not others. But the following was forwarded by my mother, and I am indulging in passing it along in light of her (and therefore the whole family's) ongoing personal stake in the fight against this disease. I hope you understand, and thank you for any support you can show. Here goes:

"...the U.S. Postal Service recently released its new 'Fund the Cure' stamp to help fund breast cancer research... Instead of the normal $.32 for a stamp, this one costs $.40. The additional $.08 will go to breast cancer research. If all stamps are sold, it will raise an additional $16,000,000 for this vital research. Just as important as the money is our support. What a statement it would make if the stamp outsold the lottery this week or outsold tickets to Saving Private Ryan this weekend. What a statement it would make that we care. I urge each of you to do two things TODAY. Not tomorrow...but today. 1. Go out and purchase some of these stamps. 2. E-mail, call, whatever it takes-get your friends to do the same."

Requiem Engine Licensing  [8:38 PM EDT]
3DO today announced plans to license the engine for Cyclone Studios upcoming 3D shooter, Requiem: Avenging Angel. Here's a portion of the announcement:

The 3DO Company today announced plans to license the engine for its highly anticipated game, Requiem: Avenging Angel, which is slated for release in January 1999. The Requiem Engine is a state-of-the-art foundation for the development of next-generation, first-person action games for the PC.

Trip Hawkins, chairman and CEO, said, “Many brilliant engineers have spent three years developing this engine and have taken full advantage of the newest PC hardware capabilities. The outstanding quality of Requiem: Avenging Angel, and the critical acclaim that is building for it, is validation that our engine is first-rate. The Requiem Engine will allow the best new games to be developed and we look forward to working with other developers to make our engine a force in the market.

More Beta Testers Wanted  [8:38 PM EDT]
The Kozaar multiplayer space strategy game is now seeking beta testers. Thanks Beta Bites.

AMD in the Black  [8:38 PM EDT]
AMD reports unexpected profit is an MSNBC news article announcing a surprising third-quarter result for the CPU manufacturer. Thanks Jay.

3DFx's Surprise  [8:38 PM EDT]
The 3Dfx Interactive website is teasing an announcement on October 12. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme  I wish I was clever enough to figure out what the two-headed Orangutan and a pair of Voodoo2 boards hint at, but I'm at a loss.

New GameSpy  [6:07 PM EDT]
A new version 2.04 of GameSpy 3D is now available. The new release, for registered users only, offers some bugfixes and improved Unreal support. Thanks mk[DMG]. Here's a local copy (1.4 MB) on GamesNET FTP.

FireTeam Beta  [6:07 PM EDT]
A limited beta for Multiude's upcoming FireTeam, an online teamplay game, has been announced for the first 3,500 gamers to pony up $19.95 for a Multitude-branded Andrea Electronics NC65 GameWare headset (the game supports voice communication). Here's the poop:

Multitude has announced a "Limited" Beta for the PC online game, FireTeam. The first 3,500 gamers who purchase a Multitude-branded Andrea Electronics NC65 GameWare headset for $19.95 (plus shipping and handling), will receive the FireTeam Limited Beta CD as well as a $20 discount off the purchase price of the full version of FireTeam when it becomes available in early December. In other words, you pay $19.95 now for the headsets, and, later, an additional $19.95 for the final FireTeam package and CD (with no headsets). Thus, you will have received the final FireTeam package for a total of $39.90 (plus shipping and handling fees). That's a discount of $20.05 off the price of the full version, which includes unlimited (free) play. FireTeam will be available in December direct from Multitude for a cost of $59.95 plus shipping and handling.

Thief, Werewolf Interviews  [6:07 PM EDT]
PC.IGN.COM talks to Travis Williams, executive producer on the upcoming Unreal-engine werewolf RPG from ASC Games. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme. Also, the newly opened Through the Looking Glass, devoted to the work of Looking Glass Studios, has an interview with MAHK of LGS about their upcoming action/RPG Thief: The Dark Project, on their Thief: The Dark Project page.

Banshee Review  [6:07 PM EDT]
AGN3D reviews the Wicked3D Vengeance giving this Voodoo Banshee-based board eight stars out of 10.

Heretic II Interview  [3:19 PM EDT]
Fresh 3D interviews Pat Lipo talking to the Raven programmer about Heretic II.

Shogo Review  [2:51 PM EDT]
OGR reviews Shogo: Mobile Armor Division looking at the full version of the game.

Speaker Review  [2:51 PM EDT]
PCM&E reviews the S2Midiland 4100 Speaker System giving it a 97%.

FRAG Doom2 and CTF Tourneys  [2:51 PM EDT]
I mentioned this earlier, and I really didn't know how badly I walked into a trap until I saw The FRAG 2 16-man All-Star Doom2 Competition announcement.. Here's the announcement Polish sent along about that and the unofficial 16 clan Flag @ the Frag competition.

On October 31st (Saturday) at around 7PM, we will be hosting an All-Star Doom II Competition, at FRAG 2. No $5,000 cash prizes, but the first place winner will receive a Doom2 art, painted by Kristin Weeks. The player list consists of developers from local gaming companies (ION Storm, Ritual Entertainment, Rebel Boat Rocker and Ensemble Studios), Blue from Bluesnews, a few Cyberathletes and even the Cyberathletic organizers! More details on the All-Star Doom2 Competion page.

Flag @ The FRAG will be an unofficial Quake2 Capture the Flag competition, that will take place at FRAG 2. It will consist of 16 4-player teams, and it will be ran by Paul "Idoru" Magyar. Flag @ The Frag Website (details and signup).

New Qstatlist  [2:51 PM EDT]
Version 3.0 of QstatList is now available. QstatList is a package of Perl scripts to generate and maintain an automated Web-based list of "Quake-series" servers and their current status. The most notable new feature of this release is the new statistical tracking module that allows the collection of data about the usage on servers the program is tracking, and can even produce graphs based on the information it tracks.

Unix Weapons Factory  [2:51 PM EDT]
The Weapons Factory for Quake II page has a new version 3.21 patch for Linux and Solaris that fixes the crashes that occurred if frag logging is turned off. The patch is for servers only. Thanks Bombworld.

Blood2 Shots  [12:27 PM EDT]
After releasing enough Shogo shots to string together into an AVI, Billy over at Voodoo Extreme is starting in on the Blood2 shots, posting five new looks at Monolith's next LithTech engine game, which is due for a Halloween release (Pretty scary, huh kids?).

More on Unseen  [12:27 PM EDT]
The Unseen expansion pak for Quake II page has their statement on the conflict over the use of models that were distributed over the 'net. There is also an update on The Q2PMP that gives their take on this:

However, none of the authors have contacted us complaining of any wrong doing. Also the rebuttal that's posted on their site rings true as they say they picked out the models 5-6 months ago. The models they've all choosen are about all that old. If they had wanted to steal models there is probably a lot better selection of models to be had at this date than 6 months ago. I'd apprciate it if the authors could write in and give us their stance on this. I'd like to keep their team from becoming a dumping grounds for flames, if they haven't deserved it.

QPong Map Pack  [12:27 PM EDT]
The QPong page has a three map map pack for QPong, winner of the recent PCGamer Quake II mod contest (the word qpong also works great as a cartoon sound effect, btw).

Todd H Interview - New id Q2 Product!  [5:02 AM EDT]
An interview with Todd Hollenshead on John Callaham's Web Page offers a conversation between Dirty Harry and id's CEO that focuses mostly on the licensing distinctions between products like the official Quake II Mission packs, the Reckoning and Ground Zero, as opposed to unofficial products like TeamEvolve's Zaero. This capper from the conversation is a bit too newsworthy to ignore in the name of not spoiling the surprise, as Todd offers some new info about what's to come from id:

"It's also very likely that we will release another product for Quake II before Christmas, but the deal isn't finalized yet so I can't say much more about it. If everything works like we hope, it will be something very cool for all Quake II fans."

Action Quake Map Pack  [5:02 AM EDT]
The second official Action Quake2 map pack is out on the Action Quake2 Map Depot. The pack, aptly titled "Sequel," as it's the sequel to "Director's Cut" (the first AQ2 map pack), is described as a DM/all-purpose mappack," with the promise of a teamplay pack on the way. Also, The Official Action Quake2 Tournament is getting organized. Be aware however, that while the AQ2 team seems cool with it, this is not, in fact, an "official" tourney.

RTB Screenshots  [5:02 AM EDT]
AVault has posted some Spec Ops: Ranger Team Bravo Screenshots showing off the upcoming add-on for Zombie's tactical combat game that should be appearing on store shelves within the next few days.

CTF Anniversary Party  [5:02 AM EDT]
Long-time stalwarts in the world of CTF, Clan Xenocide is organizing a weekend-long QWCTF festival with the intent of celebrating the second anniversary of the original Threewave CTF, and they're looking for server support. Here's the poop:

On behalf of Clan Xenocide, I am proud to announce an event to commemorate the 2 year anniversary of Capture The Flag....a weekend of QuakeWorld CTF action! Since the beginning of the Xenocide Flag Academy, we have been looked at as a group devoted to making the game fun for everyone, novice and experienced alike. What better way for us to celebrate this anniversary by joining with the whole community for a weekend of CTF! So, before we all drop our Lightning Gun and pick up a Railgun, come out and join us for a weekend of QWCTF! All weekend, from the 9th to the 11th, there will be a number of servers running QuakeWorld (2.3) CTF 3.0. But, we need to ask the help of our mates to run this event and will need at least 5 servers from all over the country donated to help host this occasion (additional servers much appreciated). If you are able to help, please send all server information to Duality@Xenocide.org or Beavis@Xenocide.org. I final list will be posted on Thursday, the 8th.

Engine Wars Clarification  [5:02 AM EDT]
Monolith's Mike "Pass" Dussault updated his .plan to clarify that the first two (inflammatory) paragraphs of the latter posted on BitchX yesterday (story) were not written by him. GamingInsider has been updated to reflect this.

onethumb on Doom  [5:02 AM EDT]
Doom, the real Quake killer? is the first edition of Don "onethumb" MacAskill's new Digitally Challenged (hey, I made that one up!) column on False Dot Com that examines that hold the old 2.5D shooter still has on so many of our hearts.

Drakan Preview  [5:02 AM EDT]
VoodooNation's Drakan preview is up, as well as a boatload of screenshots (in this case a boatload being 35) screenshots from Surreal Software's upcoming 3D adventure, that includes Dragon-borne combat.

Savage3D: 3DTC versus ATC  [5:02 AM EDT]
S3TC Revisited is an article on 5-Dimensions that distinguishes between the S3 Texture Compression and the Auto Texture Compression that can be used with S3's Savage 3D cards. Auto TC allows the compression of textures like S3TC, but unlike S3TC, can be used on programs not designed for use with the S3TC. But are the tradeoffs worth it? Read and find out.

New Eraser Bot Shell  [5:02 AM EDT]
Incubus' EBS page has version 3.2 of EBS, the Eraser Bot Shell.

Running Quake II up the Poll...  [5:02 AM EDT]
... and seeing who salutes, Todd H also updated his .plan with proud word that Quake II had re-acquired the top spot in CGW's monthly readers poll of top games in the "Action" category. Between Quake, Quake II and various mission pack's, Quake products occupy half the lists 10 spots.

New BC Site  [5:02 AM EDT]
The New BattleCruiser Online site is up in preparation for the planned October release of version 2.0 of BattleCruiser 3000AD. Word there is you can pre-order BC3K 2.0 from Interplay "and get a free (older) game."

Out of the Blue  [5:02 AM EDT]
All this talk of Doom lately makes me realize that my mouth has written a check that my mouse can't cash, as  I promised the Romero a Doom2 skull-crushing this year to avenge my man-beating at his hands at last year's FRAG. With my year to brush up and re-acquire atrophied skills it seemed like it was feasible, but with 11/12ths of the year slipped away with no significant Doom practice, I know where this one's going. Now I hear there's a Doom2 "all-star" dealie going on there... Hmmm. Anyone know how to turn off vertical sensitivity on an IntelliMouse under Window9x short of busting out a roller?

Carmack and Steed at the FRAG2  [9:28 PM EDT]
John Carmack and Paul Steed of id Software have been announced as speakers at The FRAG 2. Here's the word:

John Carmack, of id Software will be holding a workshop on Quake III Arena at The FRAG 2 event to take place in Dallas, Texas (Oct 30 - Nov 1) . This workshop is scheduled for Saturday, October 31st at 4PM and will be followed by another workshop from Paul Steed, also of id Software.

Blood 2 Preview  [9:28 PM EDT]
Tha Blood Shack's Blood 2 preview is up based on a recent trip to Monolith to check out their next Lithtech engine game. Also, PC Gamer Online has posted a Jay Wilson interactive interview talking to Blood 2's project lead.

Texture Pack  [9:28 PM EDT]
The Dog Pound has a new texture pack that contains 96 assorted 16 bit textures that can be freely used in any non-commercial project.

Newer CL Voodoo2 Drivers  [9:28 PM EDT]
Newer release candidate Windows 95/98 beta Voodoo2 drivers are up on Creative's Voodoo2 Drivers page. Thanks Neko.

Unseen Brouhaha  [9:28 PM EDT]
The Unseen expansion pak for Quake 2 has a response to accusations of theft of models from the original artists. Apparently some of the models in heir project are from the Bodyshop and The Q2PMP. The Unseen page says the models are actually used with permission, and I'm not sure if the claim of theft has been made by any of the artists who did any of the models (there's now word of this on Bodyshop or The Q2PMP). Thanks Randy.

ION Storm Messageboards  [9:28 PM EDT]
The ION Storm Bulletin Boards are online with separate forums for Anachronox, Daikatana, Deus Ex, Dominion, and General Messages. Thanks Apache at PlanetUnreal.

Werewolf Trailer  [9:28 PM EDT]
As promised, the Werewolf The Apocalypse page has a new tidbit up, this moon in the form of a Werewolf The Apocalypse Trailer, a 14 MB AVI.

Heretic II Art  [6:06 PM EDT]
The Heretic II Page has more concept art from the upcoming game, a pair of new sketches of "Ssithra, who live in the swamp city of Andoria" (who am I to argue?). There are four (one, two, three, four) in-game shots of the Ssithra in action if you want to compare the before and after.

Glide Switcher  [6:06 PM EDT]
Creative Labs' Glide Switcher is a program to address a problem I just first heard about this morning: Installing a Voodoo Banshee alongside a Voodoo Graphics or Voodoo2 in the same system only allows one of the cards to be used for Glide applications, whichever was installed last (D3D ). Hence Glide Switcher, a batch file (a graphical version is promised in the future) to allow two copies of Glide to peacefully coexist. Thanks Voodoo Extreme.

Site for Sore IONs  [6:06 PM EDT]
The steroidal ION Storm website has undergone a facelift (there's a Hollywood one-two punch). Still lots of content, but it seems to load a lot quicker now.

3D Engine Wars: LithTech Versus Unreal  [4:01 PM EDT]
BitchX has posted a letter from Monolith's Mike Dussault, lead programmer on the LithTech engine, who takes strong exception to portions of the recent letter posted there from Epic's Tim Sweeney about the state of the Unreal engine in what becomes a comparison of Unreal and LithTech from concept through execution.

New Drivers: VELOCITY 4400 and Phoenix  [3:50 PM EDT]
The VELOCITY 4400 Drivers page has new version 1.37 beta drivers for STB's TNT based board ("WARNING: This driver has not been fully tested and is not supported by STB Technical Support "). Also, I see on Voodoo Extreme that Guillemot's FTP Site has new drivers for their Voodoo Banshee based Phoenix.

US Print Quake III Arena Screenshots  [3:02 PM EDT]
Word from loonyboi and Rasputin is that the new issue of the (US) PCGamer with the Quake III Arena cover story is arriving in subscriber's mailboxes, so is also likely to be on newsstands soon, if not already. I believe the shots in this issue are different than the shots in the recent PC Gamer UK article.

Fifth Element Demo  [3:02 PM EDT]
A playable Element of the Fifth Element is up on The Adrenaline Vault PC Release List (I remember one of these already--I'm assuming it's new). The demo is 13 MB and is described as an opportunity to "Guide Leeloo and mighty Korben Dallas to the rescue of all life and light!" I though Leeloo was the powerful one.

Birth and Death of the 3D Shooter  [2:28 PM EDT]
OGR has a feature article up titled The Birth and Death of the 3D Shooter with a look a the history and future of everyone's favorite game genre (it is everyone's fave, right?).

Euro Independence War 3Dfx Patch  [2:28 PM EDT]
The I-War 3Dfx Upgrade is now available for the original European I-War that adds all the features of Independence War to its predecessor. Thanks S.

Win98 Service Pack, New WinZip  [2:28 PM EDT]
Microsoft preps Win98 update is a News.Com article that confirms the long-rumored Windows 98 Service Pack they say is slated for release early next year offering an update and bug-fixes. Thanks Joe at 3D Realms. Also new on the Windows front is the final release of WinZip 7.0 (thanks BetaNews), no doubt offering even zippier zippiness.

Quake the Offering  [1:05 PM EDT]
Readers of this site are probably as set as they want to be for these programs, but Activision has released a new Quake package called Quake the Offering, that offers Quake, and the Quake Mission Packs, Ritual's (then Hipnotic's) Scourge of Armagon, and Rogue's Dissolution of Eternity all in one package. Here's a copy of the box art (302 KB) sent along by Phoebus that can be used as a mug shot to track the box down, wallpaper, what have you.

Public Unreal Master Server  [12:04 PM EDT]
The newly formed Open Gaming Network Foundation (OGN) has started their own public Unreal Master Server, for use with server browsing programs such as QTracker, PingTool, QHunter, and even GameSpy (currently the only program with access to the "real" Master Server). Here's the deal on this list, straight from QHunter author Sky Golightly (sorry, no Breakfast at Tiffany's quotes either):

The master receives updates from servers @ master.ogn.org:27500. This is where Unreal server admins should direct their game servers to send updates.

The server browser can retrieve server lists from http://master.ogn.org:6669/list/game/unreal.

You can expect updated versions of QTracker & PingTool any day now, with full support for the new Unreal UDP query protocol and the OGN master server.

The OGN public master server is designed to support multiple games. OGN will be updating the master server to support other games, such as Shogo, over time.

Werewolf Game Set to Howl at the Moon  [11:20 AM EDT]
Tonight's full moon marks the first of several monthly updates to the The ASC Games Web Site on the state of the upcoming Unreal-engine RPG Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Here's the skinny, sure to delight all lunatics:

Tonight, the full moon of the 5th of October will shine upon ASC Games as they unleash the first glimpse into the dark apocalyptic world of Werewolf: The Apocalypse. On this fateful evening, Werewolf: The Apocalypse shall be unmasked for all to see.

Come join us TONIGHT at 8:12pm EST on October 5th at www.ascgames.com as we gaze upon the full moon and take a glance into the future with the debut of the trailer movie for Werewolf: The Apocalypse.

While the release of Werewolf: The Apocalypse is still many moons away, starting on October 5th and each and every full moon thereafter, ASC Games will take you a little deeper into the Werewolf universe. This first look is just a taste of things to come, however, you will begin to understand the mysterious world behind Werewolf: The Apocalypse.

Jason Hall Interview  [10:38 AM EDT]
Gamer's Digest interviews Jason Hall, CEO of Monolith, about the LithTech engine, Shogo, Blood2, publishing, and Doom.

New QStat  [10:38 AM EDT]
Version 2.1a of QStat, the command-line program that displays the status of Internet Quake servers, is now available. Among the new features of the new release is support for Unreal 2.15+.

Vigilance Preview  [10:38 AM EDT]
The Adrenaline Vault previews Vigilance, taking a look at the upcoming shooter form SegaSoft with the recently released demo.

Overclock the Banshee, Savage3D, & G200  [10:38 AM EDT]
Overclocking S3 Savage3D Matrox G200 and 3Dfx Banshee is an article on Fast Graphics on some do-at-your-own-risk video card tweaking.

Editorial Clarification  [10:38 AM EDT]
Ridah updated his .plan again with a clarification of the position he's taking in his editorial replay (original story).

George Broussard Interview  [2:24 AM EDT]
The LAN Scene has an interview with 3D Realms' George Broussard talking about gaming in general more than Duke Nukem Forever.

John Romero on Doom  [2:24 AM EDT]
John Romero Talks Doom is an interview on the newly opened Doom Nation talking with one of the game's creators about one of his favorite topics.

Shogo Matrox Game of the Month  [2:24 AM EDT]
The Matrox 3D Gaming Club's new Game of the Month is Shogo: Mobile Armor Division offering five entrants the chance to win a free copy of Monolith's new game when it's available.

New loonygames  [2:24 AM EDT]
The latest issue of loonygames is underway, to be posted in installments throughout the week. Here's the lowdown:

• The Community Summit: Representatives from Quake2.com, TeleFragged, PlanetQuake, 3DPortal, GameGirlz, Stomped, and of course loonygames sit down for this exclusive chat about the state of the community. [Monday]
• From the Mouth of Madness: Jason "loonyboi" Bergman takes a look at Asteroids and Apocalyse, two upcoming games from Activision. [Monday]
• Guest Editorial: Austin Grossman, one of the designers on Trespasser at DreamWorks compares the storytelling in his own game to Half-Life. [Thursday]
• Code on the Cob: Chris Hargrove's popular column rolls on with a Q&A in addition to his normal tutorial. [Wednesday]
• PLUS: More "Pixel Obscura" [Tuesday], a community profile of Vangie "Aurora" Beal from GameGirlz [Friday], more Paul Steed [Tuesday], and of course, much, much, more!

If you are wondering why I failed to attend the conference that was spurred by my editorial, it fell on the night my flu peaked last week and I slept through it.

Asteroids Screenshots  [2:24 AM EDT]
Binky has posted some screenshots on AGN3D of the upcoming updated version of the arcade classic Asteroids.

Hardware Group Therapy  [2:24 AM EDT]
Another edition of Hardware Group Therapy is up offering a flameproof room to read through assorted recent USENET hardware postings.

Secret Ops Survival Guide  [2:24 AM EDT]
Gamers' Crypt Secret Ops Strategy Guide offers a few hints and tips

BotJohnny  [2:24 AM EDT]
The BotJohnny Home Page has version 2.00 beta 4 of this front-end for so many Quake II bots.

Bot Routes  [2:24 AM EDT]
Fred's Quake II Route File Depot will continue on as a repository for Quake II bot route files in light of the recent closing of the Bot Outpost.

More Editorial Replies  [2:24 AM EDT]
More feedback on the recent Andrew Smith editorial (story) can be found in Legend Entertainment's Scott Dalton's .plan as well as Ridah's .plan. There is also an article and a messageboard thread on the editorial on PlanetCrap dealing mostly with the fact that the editorial was eventually pulled by PQ.

Competitions  [2:24 AM EDT]
The Quake, Quake II, and Unreal leagues on the newly opened Ravage.Net have been separated into high and low ping divisions.

Out of the Blue  [2:24 AM EDT]
Blue's News was #1 on that World Charts Foundation chart two weeks ago, #2 last week, and this week has dropped off altogether... weird, huh? (I blame Hansonline) Playing with thee kibble below, the www.elsewhere.com dealie is gone (that's sort of the whole site is): That title was meant as a goof, but someone just wrote and asked when the site is going live (turns out there is such a site in the works). By the way, my mail has not stopped being screwy since my mention of its screwiness a few weeks back: Some mail takes 24 hours or more to arrive after being sent, but most come through right away.

Quake II Unseen Demo  [3:21 PM EDT]
The Tequila Software page has a demo of an expansion pack called Unseen for download. Here's the poop (note the warning about the uninstall):

"...our Quake 2 Expansion Pack titled 'Unseen' is now 100% complete and we are talking to a publisher that is yet to be named and a deal is 100% certain.

"A demo is now available of the finished product including one level at :-

http://www.planetquake.com/qpp/unseen.exe

"feedback is obviously welcome as this is our first public showing of the game, feedback both on the game and setup is required as we need to make sure that our product works on the majority of computers.

"Once you have downloaded the unseen.exe, run it, then the setup will ask you to extract the temporary files to a directory (default is windows\temp directory) then the unseen.exe will automatically launch the Unseen installation.

"Note - Development of the uninstallation process is still underway, if you attempt to uninstall the demo, it will delete quake2.exe, and a couple of other files in the quake2 and baseq2 directory. We are very sorry about this, and the problem WILL be fixed for a later demo release and the final product, again we are sorry.

"To correct this problem, just install quake 2 or Unseen or the 3.19 update patch."

Ground Zero CFG  [3:21 PM EDT]
Ted Duffy sends along his weapons bindings for Rogue's Ground Zero Quake II mission pack that allows you to toggle between the blaster and the chainfist on 1, the grenade launcher and the prox launcher on 6, grenades and tesla mines on g, the hyperblaster and the plasma beam on 8, and the railgun and the ETF rifle on 9:

//Quake 2 Mission Pack 2:Ground Zero
//weapons toggle bindings
//Sept 28,1998 Ted Duffy
//td0@netwalk.com
alias weap1a "bind 1 weap1b;use chainfist"
alias weap1b "bind 1 weap1a;use blaster"
alias weap6a "bind 6 weap6b;use grenade launcher"
alias weap6b "bind 6 weap6a;use prox launcher"
alias gren1 "bind g gren2;use grenades"
alias gren2 "bind g gren1;use tesla"
alias weap8a "bind 8 weap8b;use hyperblaster"
alias weap8b "bind 8 weap8a;use plasma beam"
alias weap9a "bind 9 weap9b;use railgun"
alias weap9b "bind 9 weap9a;use etf rifle"

bind 0 "use BFG10K"
bind 1 "use blaster;wait;use chainfist"
bind 2 "use Shotgun"
bind 3 "use Super Shotgun"
bind 4 "use Machinegun"
bind 5 "use Chaingun"
bind 6 "use grenade launcher;wait;use prox launcher"
bind 7 "use Rocket Launcher"
bind 8 "use hyperblaster;wait;use plasma beam"
bind 9 "use railgun;wait;use etf rifle"
bind g "use grenades;wait;use tesla"

You Say You Want a Revolution  [3:21 PM EDT]
Sharky Extreme's Number Nine Revolution IV Preview takes a look at the upcoming 2D/3D chipset from Number 9.

Eudora Pro 4.1  [3:21 PM EDT]
The Eudora Pro Email v4.0 Updaters page has version 4.1 of Eudora Pro for Windows (and beta 4.1 of Eudora for the Mac), which finally includes background send and receive.

Levelord Interview  [12:04 PM EDT]
Behind Zee Levelord is an interview on Ritualistic with with the virtual architect behind many famed levels (zee latest being zee Spry Sin demo level zat puts you behind zee bookshelf). The conversation, which offers some funny illustrations, covers Sin, level-editing, and basically makes you worry about hearing about the 'lord ending up sniping people from a water tower.

Mail Call  [11:12 AM EDT]
After about a month's absence, the MailBag returns, slightly reformatted (a victory for the one-column MailBag contingent), a new schedule (every Sunday), and a new editor to help keep the threads all sewn together, as my Assistant Editor, MrCoffee (the letters are selected by me, though not all of those I select make the final cut). This week, BFG hatred, ragging on changing the rag, assorted ramblings on soft drinks and the like, and, of course, frames per second.

Jihad Unreal Mod  [11:12 AM EDT]
Version 0.1 of an Unreal teamplay mod politically incorrectly called Jihad is now available. In Jihad both teams battle for control of a central inner sanctum called the TempleZone, with points awarded for time controlling the zone.

The Drivers to Succeed  [11:12 AM EDT]
Remedy/3D Realms' Markus Mäki updated his .plan with some 3D hardware driver awards, based on Remedy's experience benchmarking everything in creation.

More on the Quake II Action Figures  [4:41 AM EDT]
The Independent Toy Newswire has more from the upcoming line of Quake II action figures, with shots of the painted prototype of the male and female marines (as well as a coolio Pops Racer prototype). Thanks Venom. Here are the marines.

Weapons of Destruction for Quake II  [4:41 AM EDT]
Version 6.0 of Weapons of Destruction for Quake II is now available. Also, version 6.0 is already the subject of a brief review on 7¾ Reviews.

Quake Info Pool  [4:41 AM EDT]
An update to the Quake Info Pool adds word on bugs in QuakeWorld 2.21 and 2.30. The quipsters at QIP are also searching for the source code to the defusion mod if anyone knows where the authors can be found.

Unreal LAN Fix  [4:41 AM EDT]
The Unreal Technology page has an update from you GreenMarine offering a workaround for those having problems connecting to local servers on a LAN. Also, on the subject of Unreal tech, BitchX posted an interesting letter from Tim Sweeney that discusses some of the Unreal speculation that came out of the recent "3D engine wars" brouhaha.

The Joy of Saxs  [4:41 AM EDT]
An update to .rant Saxs on the Messiah site offers an update on what Messiah's lead programmer has been up to in the months since his last update. Thanks Voodoo Extreme. There's lots of stuff in there, here's a quote about video card support:

Our OpenGL and D3D support is now good enough that we have tried every major 3d-card out there. TNT rules, but still has quite a few driver problems (they are working hard to fix them though), Voodoo2 is fast as always, but lacks the color-precision (read crap 16bit), G200 has a very nice picture quality (read 24 bit) and is fast enough to get decent performance. I think we tried Savage and 740 also but I haven't seen those versions run yet.

Delta Force Demo Again  [4:41 AM EDT]
The new version of the Delta Force demo (story) has been relocated, and can be found on this page on the NovaLogic site. Thanks Matthew Rorie.

Storming the Tower  [4:41 AM EDT]
Trip 2 ION is the account of a recent invasion of ION Storm's offices by StormTroopers to check out the latest goings on up there.

Requiem Preview  [4:41 AM EDT]
GameSpot previews Requiem offering screenshots of this upcoming first-person game where you play a gun-toting angel. Thanks Hell on Earth.

TNT Tweaks  [4:41 AM EDT]
Tweak3D's TNT Tweak guide is up (though I'm not sure about the BIOS options suggested: the latest drivers do not require the 256 MB AGP aperture, and I'm no sure why you would shut down shadowing). Also, Tweak3D's Sin Tweak guide is an online config-maker for the Sin demo. Finally, back to the TNT's, Anand's Hardware Tech Page has a RealVideo show with reviews of all the current TNT boards, offering a recommendation. Thanks BushWakko.

Metabyte Vengeance  [4:41 AM EDT]
Sharky Extreme reviews the Vengeance, Metabyte's Voodoo Banshee offering.

Sinsoniq Sound Cards  [4:41 AM EDT]
Apparently the updated Sin demo doesn't always save sound options. Here are the console commands owners of Creative (Ensoniq) 1370, 1371 or 1373 sound cards will want to verify to ensure they set up properly: Donald at Ensoniq, who sends these along, points out that all but "s_use3dsound" can be applied to Quake II as well:

s_initsound 1
s_wavonly 0
s_mixahead 0.14
s_khz 22
s_primary 0
s_use3dsound 1
snd_restart

Use "cvarlist" again to ensure the settings were changed.

Out of the Blue  [4:41 AM EDT]
A pair of Dons, Kiiskili (AKA Weezul) and MacAskill (AKA onethumb) supplied the perfect Tron quote I couldn't conjure, "End of line." I can't describe my delight I derived from the delighted email I received about the Brazil quote: It's one of my favorites (the movie and the quote). Musical link of the day is Blackmetal Hanson (thanks Distortion).

Abyss of Pandemonium Update  [10:42 PM EDT]
The Impel Productions page has a version 1.07 update patch for their Abyss of Pandemonium Quake mission pack, as well as two new maps, and an updated GameSpy tab. Word is they're currently working on a yet-to-be-licensed Unreal project.

Editorial Reply  [10:42 PM EDT]
Ritual's Jim Dosé updated his .plan with a response to the Andrew Smith editorial posted earlier (story).

SBLive! and NT  [10:42 PM EDT]
There's an update on Zanshin's GLDojo following up on his recent campaign to bring light to problems with Creative Labs' SoundBlaster Live! card and Windows NT, mentioning the possibility of a petition in the future.

Vigilance, Delta Force Demo Updates  [1:51 PM EDT]
An updated Delta Force demo is available, thanks Sharky Extreme. Also, 3DFiles.Com has word of a patch for SegaSoft's recently released Vigilance demo they say adds "a 3Dfx gamma correction option, LOTS of new character controls, tweaks and more." Here's their page for the download (I'm having trouble FTPing to my FTP site today -- "My complication had a bit of a complication").

Tim Sweeney Interview  [1:08 PM EDT]
There's an interview with Tim Sweeney on PlanetUnreal offering a brief conversation with Epic's lead programmer about his current and future plans for the Unreal engine.

GibStats  [1:08 PM EDT]
A new beta 2.3 release of GibStats is now available, fixing what are described as some of the ugliest bugs in version 2.2. GibStats is a Quake II log analyzer that can display matches as graphs, player/player matrix ("doom style"), ranking, direct player vs. player comparisons, single player analysis, highscore summary, clan tables and CTF team score tables.

Matrox G200 Drivers  [1:08 PM EDT]
Beta 2 of the version 4.26 drivers for Matrox G200-based cards are up on the Matrox MGA-G200 Windows 95 and Windows 98 drivers page. Thanks Stuart Stephen.

New Communicator  [1:08 PM EDT]
Version 4.07 of Netscape Communicator/Navigator is out on Netscape's FTP site. Thanks BetaNews, where I also see that CuteFTP version 2.6 is now available (but no new Homer Simpson quotes).

New Clan Database  [1:08 PM EDT]
Not a radio station, WWQXS  is a new clan database to try and help promote match scheduling and stuff like that. Pretty soon we'll need a database of clan databases.

Rendition Hiatus  [1:08 PM EDT]
Rendition's Fact o' the Week for Week 7 offers word that the FoW and their next-generation chipset are on hold as they rethink their plans after their recently completed acquisition by Micron. Thanks Paul Driver. Here's a quote:

Because of these changes, Rendition has decided that it is now a good time to rethink our product roadmap. Its as if we had been playing with legos, and someone just dumped a load of steel girders and power tools into our laps. We have to pause now and carefully take advantage of this. Since we're already convinced that the chip we were building would rock the world, just imagine what we can do now with the new tools at our disposal. Micron knew of this potential, and that is why they bought us. No one knows graphics like Rendition does - and no one knows memory like Micron. If you combine our knowledge and skills, we have all the pieces in place to build the ultimate 3D accelerators.

The technologies discussed in the prior six facts of the week exist, and will be part of our future products. Several of the best features hadn't even been written up yet. But because of the opportunities that our merger with Micron presents, Rendition is rethinking our plans for the RRedline - and making them even more ambitious.

While we take some time to redefine ourselves, the facts of the week will be on hiatus. But that doesn't mean that we have stopped work or slowed down even a bit.

Shogo FAQ  [6:20 AM EDT]
As Craig Hubbard mentions in his .plan, there's a Shogo Mobile Armor Division Demo FAQ to answer questions about hardware compatibility if you're having problems running the demo, offering workarounds for a couple of known issues.

Unreal Net Fixes: The Next Generation  [6:20 AM EDT]
Tim Sweeney updated his Unreal Technology page (thanks Anyware) with an outline of his plans for the next iteration of an Unreal netplay patch, which will include the re-working of the low-level protocols to further improve network performance:

The response to Beta 217 has been pretty good. There are still a few new issues that will be fixed shortly.

Next, I've split off the Unreal network code and am beginning work on the low-level protocol rewrite. This rewrite, which will go through several stages of increased performance, is the key to improving Unreal's network play significantly further. Here is a summary of the technical improvements that will be worked on:

• Reducing per-packet overhead from its current 35-40% down to around 10%. (Addresses the unsmooth updates problem)
• Reducing ServerMove and ClientAdjustPosition bandwidth significantly. (Addresses the unsmooth updates problem)
• Implementing my new unsynchronized "eventual delivery" protocol for variable replication, replacing the current scheme which guarantees packet sequencing at the expense of heavy lag under high-packet-loss conditions. (Addresses the disappearing weapons problem, and similar related problems).
• Managing bandwidth allocation more rigidly (addresses the uber-lag problem).
• Researching two new network transfer and timing schemes which have the potential to reduce latency and increase bandwidth if they work out (optional).

Mac Unreal Issues  [6:20 AM EDT]
A Westlake Interactive news update gives word of some issues with MacUnreal created by the recent 2.17 patch for the PC version. Thanks DarkViper at Unreal Kingdom. Here's part of the update (which also includes a list of known bugs):

The version 217 patch that has been released on the PC evidently causes troubles with Unreal Mac in network games. If you have been experiencing problems with major servers like WON and Epic, this is probably why. We have not yet received the 217 source code from Epic, so we can't start on the Mac patch yet. We do hope to get at least a beta patch out as soon as we get a chance to see the PC code, so keep checking back for news posted here.

SoundBlaster PCI 64 EAX Update  [6:20 AM EDT]
The Creative Labs FTP site has new drivers for the SoundBlaster PCI64 that, like the new PCI128 drivers, offers support for Creative's new EAX environmental audio standard in software. Thanks Yo MAMA.

Montego Drivers  [6:20 AM EDT]
The Montego A3DXstream Downloadable Files page has new drivers for the Turtle Beach Montego. Thanks Tron (if I could come up with a quote from the movie Tron, I'd scare myself).

H3D Ground Zero  [6:20 AM EDT]
The H3D website has word on how to get Quake II Ground Zero support going in 3D stereo with H3D glasses. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme. Dr. Tongue will be so pleased.

Quake III Arena Article  [6:20 AM EDT]
Andrew Smith, known for raising a stink over bugs on Quake ("they're lying to you people"), has another stink to raise, this one over what he perceives are deceptions in claims about Quake III Arena's single player capabilities in a PlanetQuake Featured Editorial titled The Weight of Silence.

Out of the Blue  [6:20 AM EDT]
Image of the day is on id's Inferno (thanks Jacek Fedorynski), which also has the exciting Virtua Ferret strategy guide (I'm stuck at the level with the twin weasels of pain).

Trivia Answer:
Eternal Darkness: 100 New Levels For Quake