Articles in the archive contain broken links because outdated files are removed.

Sin Demo Patch  [8:58 PM EDT]
The patch to update the original Sin demo (as opposed to the Original Sin demo) with the bug fixes and improvements in the Second Sin demo released earlier (story).  Thanks Simon Streicher. Here's a local copy of the Sin Demo patch (10.9 MB) on GamesNET FTP.

Max Payne Update - Max-FX  [8:23 PM EDT]
The Max Payne Website has word the Remedy has posted some thoughts on their ECTS journey (along with photos). Also there's word there of a full press release and a GameSpot news article (mentioned last week -- story), describing Remedy's Max-FX technology that's already a part of Remedy's Final Reality, and will be the basis of Max Payne. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers (Frans clearly drank his BAWLS today). The release describes licensing arrangements and the editing tools for this 3D engine that includes radiosity lighting, exit optimization, particle systems, and skeletal animation.

Daikatana 2 Engine  [8:10 PM EDT]
A quote on Fastest Game News from ION Storm's Rob Legg (thanks UN, PU, & VE) that seems to debunk the popular rumor that Daikatana 2 would use the Unreal engine:

"We will be doing a sequel to Daikatana sometime in the future," reveals Legg."But the timeline for that is undetermined at this point. As far as research and development is concerned, we're developing our own 3D game engine right now."

DNF Interview  [8:10 PM EDT]
The Duke Nukem Forever section at TopSecretGames.com has an interview with 3DRealms' Scott Miller (though as of this writing page two is broken). Thanks 3DNews.Net (who also handily point out the "stop music" button).

Conversion Database  [8:10 PM EDT]
Converted^2 has added a search engine to their total conversions über-list, to help you find your way through the jungle of projects out there better than Stanley after Livingston.

CTF Bible Update  [8:10 PM EDT]
The art of Flag running is the new section on offense in the Gamers Extreme CTF Bible.

Dark Vengeance Page  [8:10 PM EDT]
GTI has opened their official Dark Vengeance page. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

Unreal D3D on any System  [6:40 PM EDT]
Tweak3D has info and a hacked .dll that they say allows the use of the recently released Unreal D3D patch from Matrox on any system.

Sin Demo Sound Stuff  [6:40 PM EDT]
A .plan update from onethumb gives the lowdown on some sound glitches in the Sin demo that are part of the Quake II code:

Gotten a couple of people emailing me with some common problems... The most common is that of people who have Ensoniq cards (this includes the Creative Labs PCI64 and PCI128 cards, unfortunately) having sound issues.

This is a Quake II problem, and we haven't fixed it, nor is it certain we can fix it. The solution is to set "s_primary 0" and do a "snd_restart" (both in the console).

Also, I've heard that people might be having problems changing levels from the intro to the bank... a black screen, just hanging there. I believe this might just be an error on our part by not having the loading screen come up earlier, and that it will eventually load the level, it's just not as zippy as you might want (and it's not telling you anything :).

I hope so, anyway. If people out there are having that problem, and have let the game sit for 5 or more minutes (on at least a p150 with 32megs), please email me directly.

More on CPU Price Slashing  [4:43 PM EDT]
Low-cost chip war intensifies is the title of a News.Com article detailing the price cuts from Intel, AMD, and Cyrix among lower-end CPU's. Thanks Redwood. In addition to the price cuts on the value lines, the story also mentions that Intel's next model of performance CPU, codenamed Katmai, due first Quarter 1999, will debut with a sub-$600 wholesale price-tag.

Half-Life: Day One Rides Again  [4:43 PM EDT]
PC Games previews Half-Life Day One.

Vigilance Demo  [3:00 PM EDT]
GameCenter has the Exclusive Vigilance Demo download. If you're not familiar with SegaSoft's upcoming first-person shooter, here's the skinny from the download page:

It's a terrorist world and Vigilance is the answer. SegaSoft's latest first-person shooter will be ready to ship in November, but you can try it out now with Gamecenter's exclusive demo premiere!

Vigilance takes place at the end of the millennium when the world is plagued by terrorism. To deal with this ever-increasing problem, a multinational force is assembled by S.I.O.N. (Special Intelligence Operations Network). The team is made up of eight operatives, all with their own strengths and weaknesses. In the full retail version, you'll choose to play one character, with names like Duchess, Fury, Bluto, and Bishop; you'll also select a specialty, such as biomechanical engineering or computer programming.

As team leader, you'll command the S.I.O.N. team through a plethora of scenarios with one primary objective: defeat the terrorists. The multiplayer game will contain some 20 operatives to choose from--and it will be available to play over Heat.net, SegaSoft's online gaming service.

The demo consists of the first counterterrorist mission and supports multiplayer configurations on a LAN. To get into the fast-paced and deadly action, be sure to have at least a Pentium-133, Windows 95, and 32MB RAM

Half-Life Preview, Interview  [12:18 PM EDT]
WarZone interviews Marc Laidlaw the writer responsible for the story in Half-Life. Also The Adrenaline Vault Previews Half-Life looking at Day One.

Requiem Preview  [12:18 PM EDT]
PC.IGN.COM previews Requiem: Avenging Angel, looking at the game formerly known as Wrath of the Fallen. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

Secret Ops Strategy Guide  [12:18 PM EDT]
The Secret Ops Strategy Guide on 3DGaming.Net is already updated through the most recent episode.

Linux Display Doctor  [12:18 PM EDT]
A SciTech Display Doctor for Linux Preview is now available. Thanks busy Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

Apocalypse Drivers  [12:18 PM EDT]
Though not yet linked on their drivers pages, VideoLogic Online has version 4.12 of the drivers for the Apocalypse 3D and drivers for the Apocalypse 3Dx, so you can be the first on your block to update. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

Montezuma's Return! Preview  [12:18 PM EDT]
Games Domain preview of Montezuma's Return! looks at this first-person, 3D sequel to the old side scroller. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

New WinAmp  [12:18 PM EDT]
Version 2.01 of WinAmp is now available. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme.

Second Sin Demo  [2:13 AM EDT]
A debut! Ritual and Activision have released the second version of the playable Sin Demo right here on Blue's News FTP (as always mad props to GamesNET). The demo offers bug fixes (including cheat removal), improved networking, and two new deathmatch levels. Here's a local copy of the full Sin Demo 2 (33.8 MB). A patch to update the first demo should be available today, weighing in at about 10 MB. Here's the word on the demo from Sean at Activision:

Download the updated pre-release Sin Demo and sin to your hearts content.

This demo contains 2 single player, and 4 deathmatch levels for your enjoyment. The Sin Demo is still a pre-release demo, and therefore we cannot guarantee that it is bug free. We do want your help in finding any bugs that are in this demo. If you find a bug, please go to http://www.activision.com/games/sin/bugs.asp and report them.

Here's A post from the Forum from designer Charlie Wiederhold (who mentions in his .plan that he did not give out any release date info, rather someone spoofed him on a messageboard) found by Aaron Hambrick on HardCorps Sin News:

Hopefully it will fix most everyone's problems with netplay. The network traffic in Sin is extremely low now so it should play smoother than Q2 for most people. We'll see how it stands up to thousands of people playing it, again. :)

K6-2 Prices  [2:13 AM EDT]
A Techweb article gives pricing on the next round of K6-2 processors, ranging from $248 for the 400 MHz variety down to $75 for the 300 MHz. Thanks Redwood.

Quake II GameCam  [2:13 AM EDT]
The GameCam Page has version 0.22 beta of the GameCam camera module for Quake II. This camera mod can be plugged into existing Quake II mods, and offers three viewing modes, including action mode, based on q2cam by Paul Jordan, which can focus on certain players specified in a priority list. A set of examples is available for using the mod with CTF, HeadHunters, Catch The Chicken, QPong, and TagYerIt.

Nihilistic.Com  [2:13 AM EDT]
Poised to become a hotbed of nihilism, the official Nihilistic Software website has launched, webmastered by none other than Aristotle from JediKnight.Net.

German Internet Strike  [2:13 AM EDT]
There is a protest getting underway to attempt to convince the German Telecom to institute rate changes to lower the exorbitant cost of using the Internet there. If my translator doesn't fail me, the planned demonstration is a one day "strike" on Sunday November 1 where they're asking fellow Germans to avoid the 'net for uses other than work. Details can be found on Internetstreik (in German).

Out of the Blue  [2:13 AM EDT]
I got just a ton of letters from readers amused by the reference to Colon-Blow(TM) yesterday, but let me tell you... if you had a bowl of your cereal for each one of those letters, it still wouldn't equal the fiber in one bowl of Colon-Blow(TM). Phil, you are missed

Shiny Shooters  [6:42 PM EDT]
Tonight on Shooters, the gaming audio-video extravaganza, we will entertain a couple of guests to discuss Shiny's upcoming third-person action game, Messiah. Joining us will be project lead Dave Perry, and Sax, the game's lead programmer, to let us in on the latest from the world of Bob the combative cherub. Everything kicks off at 8:00 PM Eastern time, RealPlayer required.

G200 D3D Unreal Patch  [6:42 PM EDT]
The Matrox Graphics website has a page up where G200 users can sign-up for the "Matrox3D club" and download a D3D patch for Unreal. Registrants are also eligible to win prizes including a Mystique G200 card (which they presumably already have to run the patch, unless I'm mistaken that its G200 only).

Crush Depth for Quake II  [5:44 PM EDT]
The 4th Dimension Interactive page has version 1.0 of their new Quake II mod called "Crush depth" which puts you in command of your own personal submarine for underwater combat.

New Kali  [5:44 PM EDT]
Version 1.56 of Kali, the old school server browser is available on Kali's FTP site. Here's a local copy (2.5 MB), on GamesNET FTP. Here's what's new:

• Added launch support for:
  Lords of Magic, Dune 2000, RainbowSix, Return Fire 2 Demo, Diablo V1.07
• Added menu item to query games list from users.
• Added option to connect to default server on startup.
• Added more options for Unreal launch games.
• Added option to set your player class on TCP unreal games.
• Added Edit Address Book menu item to Edit menu.
• Fixed problem of not being able to launch a normal TCP game after entering one as a spectator.
• Fixed game log bug of showing Exited DukeNukem after finishing a game you joined.
• Fixed Get file window bug.
• Fixed problems related to scanning for games and clearing existing entries.

Slide Down the Rogue Poll  [5:44 PM EDT]
The boys at Rogue want to draw everyone's attention to the current Adrenaline Vault Poll which asks what genre of game they should tackle next, so clearly they are taking an interest in people's opinions on the subject.

Second Sin Demo Imminent  [3:19 PM EDT]
A second Sin demo (and a patch for the first one) is imminent. Here's word from Phoebus

According to Sean Dunn, Activision's Producer on Sin, the Sin demo re-release is currently in the hands of the QA dept. here at Activision. Hoping to code release it today, the update to the demo contains bug fixes, the 16 bit software renderer and A3D support. There are two new DM levels: Spry (by Levelord), which is the one you may have heard about where you're really small in comparison to your surroundings, and the more traditional Q2 styled SinDM9 (by Patrick Hook). Hopefully (no promises, though!) later this afternoon, we'll be able to release both the full demo for those who haven't downloaded it yet, and a patch to the original Sin demo, which will be roughly 1/3 the size of the full download. Stay tuned . . .

WC Secret Ops Episode Five  [2:30 PM EDT]
Episode five of the free weekly Wing Commander game, Secret Ops, is now available on the Secret Ops site. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme.

Omikron Movie  [11:55 AM EDT]
The Quantic Dream website has a new movie of their upcoming 3D action title, Omikron. The gameplay here looks like it melds some interesting elements, including gunfighting, as well as martial arts (Tomb Raider meets Tekken?). Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

OverKill Benchmark for QuakeWorld  [11:55 AM EDT]
Chris "Chriz" Molstad sends word of his new QuakeWorld demo meant to stress test your system like the old reliable BigAss1 demo. Here's a local copy of OverKill (232 KB) on GamesNET FTP, and some comments from the "author":

I made a QuakeWorld demo with my clan specifically for 3D benchmarking...it is called "Overkill" and IMO is better than even Crusher, even though crusher is Quake 2. Overkill is pretty short, barely over a minute long (3 Fingers told me about demos being too long) and it is total action on one of the worst quake levels (E1M7) where there is tons of sky, tons of lava, and totally wide open. There is also no stop at the end like crusher. I used QuakeWorld instead of netquake because more people who pay attention to this benchmark stuff play quakeworld a lot more than netquake. I benchmarked this on my pentium 166 with monster 3D 1 and got 12.6 fps! I then benchmarked it on my new celeron 300a oclocked to 450 and monster 3D 1 and got 31 fps! This is an awesome demo and I suggest using it. Try it out first. Make sure you have QuakeWorld 2.30 though.

Anachronox DevBoard  [11:55 AM EDT]
The Stratics Anachronox DevBoard is online, offering a place to place your speculation, questions, and comments about ION Storm's upcoming Quake II engine RPG, Anachronox. The board will be monitored by Tom Hall and his AnachroTeam.

CyberStrike 2 Developer's Journal  [11:55 AM EDT]
A CyberStrike 2 Developer's Journal is now online (it's been running a while, but Frans points out it was never linked so it wasn't accessible before). CS2 is described as designed from the ground up for Internet play, with players doing battle in highly customizable Cyber-pods. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

SoundBlaster Live! Giveaway  [11:55 AM EDT]
Creative Labs has a SoundBlaster Live! contest where you can win one of their latest and greatest soundcards. Thanks Sylvester Nowak.

Taking it to the RRedline  [11:55 AM EDT]
Snooping? is the title of the page on Rendition's site snooped out by Billy at Voodoo Extreme. This page would theoretically be the 3300th Fact of the Week (so it would have been published in 2062 A.D.) about the upcoming V3300 chipset. There isn't really an FoW there (and they promise the chipset will be released in less than 3300 weeks) but it does hold a hefty hunk of hype (this is the kind of advance speculation that's got some people mad at NVIDIA for not necessarily delivering on promises made on the TNT):

The RRedline is an awesome chip. Unless we have royally screwed something up that has not shown up in testing yet, the RRedline should smoke a TNT, and will even best two SLI'ed 12 MB Voodoo 2's at most games. Yes, it really will be that good.

Base Defense Clarification  [11:55 AM EDT]
The Quake Base Defense Homepage indeed does have the Quake version of this mod, as described in this story, but the newer news from the BDS gang is a Quake II version of the patch that's now available.

DownTime
Sorry... looks like the server needed some fiber in its fiber this morning, and we've some down-time... a little Colon-Blow(TM)  seemed to do the trick...

Battlezone Patch  [4:04 AM EDT]
The Battlezone Enhanced Graphics Edition Patch 1.4 is now available. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers. Here's a local copy (4.5 MB) on GamesNET FTP, and here's the lowdown on what's new:

1. More anti-cheating measures have been implemented in multi-player.
2. Bugs regarding compatibility with DirectX 6.0 have been fixed.

For owners of AGP and 3Dfx Voodoo2 video cards, the Battlezone Enhanced Graphics Edition Patch 1.4 also contains graphics enhancements which take advantage of your video cards. In order to view these enhancements, you must also download the file large_assets.zip and unzip it into your Battlezone game directory. (Customers with the Japanese language version of Battlezone should not download this file.

Heretic II Update  [3:27 AM EDT]
Raven programmer Jake Simpson updated his .plan with a lengthy piece on hype in .plan files, calling for a reality check on some of the heady claims of greatness many (himself included), have made. His update contains a bunch of Heretic II info as well, talking about the difficulties of client prediction with the third person perspective, some other programming issues, and this on some of what will be supported, and when:

We are having Internet Gaming Zone support in Heretic II, as well as GameSpy support too. Its confirmed that we are going to be adding custom skin support as a later patch, as reported before. That doesn't stop you making your own skins to replace those in the game (there will be 16 skins currently), just that everyone you play won't have them. We will be supporting Co-op play, but we are still undecided as to team play in deathmatch. It all depends on what happens in the next few weeks, and how easy the Co-op stuff goes in. If we don't get it in for release, then dependant on consumer demand, it'll come in a patch too.

Uprising 2 Interview, Preview  [3:27 AM EDT]
Zero Point interviews John Eberhardt, producer of the upcoming sequel to Uprising, of course, Uprising 2. Also, PC.IGN.COM's Uprising 2 preview is up, looking at this Action/Strategy hybrid that puts you in command of a hover-tank ("My hover-craft is full of eels").

Giants Interview  [3:27 AM EDT]
There's an interview with Tim Williams of Planet Moon, creators of MDK, on Hyper@ctive talking about P.M.'s upcoming game, Giants.

Eraser Bot Shell  [3:27 AM EDT]
The Incubus Mega Site has the first release of a new eraser bot front-end called the Eraser Bot Shell (EBS) offering a different interface from other bot launchers.

More PainKeep Maps  [3:27 AM EDT]
A second set of five maps recompiled for PainKeep play are up on the MagixX site in MagixX's Mappak 2.

TNT Review & ALi Compatibility Issue  [3:27 AM EDT]
HPC Hardware Guide's First look at the RIVA TNT looks at the TNT, mentioning a conflict with the ALi chipset.

Out of the Blue  [3:27 AM EDT]
On the subject of the Quake II Marine's name, William Zeralsky shares the insider tidbit that Bitterman is the deathmatch name of id Software's Kevin Cloud (do you think it's Tim that is the "cowboy" that clips him on the way down, since we find a "Willits" pod later?).

Also, on the subject of "3D Engine Wars," Kevin Kosmicki points out that the GC article probably should have also included Messiah from Shiny, especially in light of the todo at one point about patents for some of the Messiah engine technology.

Jason Hall Interview  [10:40 PM EDT]
There's an interview with Jason Hall on Next-Generation Online that talks with Monolith's CEO more about his company and being a self-publisher, rather than any specific game stuff. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme.

Dave Taylor Mini-View  [10:40 PM EDT]
There's a mini-interview with Crack dot Com's Dave Taylor that largely touches on some factors that shape the gaming industry. Here's a quote on the question of why there currently may seem to be an emphasis on graphics over gameplay:

So these are the dangers of game development. None of us have accurate crystal balls, yet that's exactly what you need to be able to release good games in a timely fashion. Publishers know that if the game has sexy screen shots, they can sell it more easily. After all, sales are about packaging, and you can't put gameplay on packaging, just screenshots.

The status of Golgotha is "waiting for a North American publisher."

Dreamcast (PVRSG) Shots  [10:40 PM EDT]
Pete's Hardware Domain has some shots from Sega's upcoming console Dreamcast, giving a look at the capabilities of the upcoming PowerVR chipset which powers the system, as well as an upcoming generation of PC video cards.

Rainbow Six Guide  [10:40 PM EDT]
GameSpot's Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Game Guide is up with sections covering personnel, weapons, equipment, general tactics, mission briefing, and cheat codes.

MechWarrior 3 Shots  [10:40 PM EDT]
There are 17 MechWarrior 3 screenshots on Gamer's Alliance from ECTS.

The 3D "Engine Wars"  [9:29 PM EDT]
The 3D Engine Title Match is a GameCenter article that talks of the contenders to the throne (you all got the memo about the throne, right?) of king of all 3D engines, calling Quake II the reigning champion, Unreal the challenger, and running down a list of up-and-coming contenders that include the Dark Side Engine (Heavy Gear II and Interstate '82), Prax War from the singular Rebel Boat Rocker, as well as Prey, and Trespasser. I won't spoil the suspense by revealing their winner.

Interestingly they do not mention the LithTech engine at all, the underpinnings of Monolith's upcoming Blood2 and Shogo: Mobile Armor Division. This oversight seems especially ironic in light of Fargo's assertion in his PQ Shogo Review saying "The engine war is won," and I certainly agree the LithTech engine deserves its consideration in this type of discussion.

Finally, I'll point out an omission from the GC article that I can tell you about because I was checking it out on my trip this week, the engine behind 3DO/Cyclone Studios' Requiem, Fallen Angel. Requiem's engine is fast, good-looking, and, from what I understand, pretty extensible itself, and you shouldn't be surprised if you hear about this rarely-spoken-of engine being licensed for some outside projects itself soon.

Diablo Patch  [9:29 PM EDT]
Diablo.Net has word of a Diablo 1.07 patch that fixes three things: serious bugs, medium bugs, and minor bugs. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme.

PingTool  [7:28 PM EDT]
A public beta of PingTool version 2.3 is now available. Among the new features of this server-browsing utility is tentative support for UDP queries to Unreal servers (to be implemented in the Unreal multiplayer patch). Thanks Phantom_309.

STB VELOCITY 4400 Award BIOS PCI Fix  [7:28 PM EDT]
STB's VELOCITY Drivers page has a PCI version of the fix for the TNT-based VELOCITY 4400 on systems using Award BIOS. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme.

More Intel CPU Price Cuts  [4:42 PM EDT]
New Xeon price cuts for fall is a News.com article detailing more CPU price slashing from Andy and the Bunnymen on October 25, less than three weeks after the Oct 5 roll-out of the latest version of their Xeon server chip. Among the cuts most in the sub-Xeon line (Xeon's added muscle has not been shown to benefit gamers), are a drop on the PII-450 from $655 to $555, the PII-400 goes from $482 to $375, and the PII-350 drops from $299 to $210. Thanks Redwood.

New Quake II IAS Beta Patch  [4:28 PM EDT]
The Man from E.A.R. (Extreme Audio Reality) sends word that version 0.9 beta of their Interactive Around-Sound Patch for Quake II is available on their downloads page. Here's the lowdown on what this beta patch does and doesn't do:

What Does The Patch Do?

• Enables Interactive Around-Sound®, a multi-speaker audio engine API
• Makes all sounds 3D positioned
• Increases the maximum number of sounds from 8 to "unlimited"
• Unthreads audio from main application and runs externally, decreasing CPU strain

What Doesn't The Patch Do?

• Enable A3D
• Enable Creative Labs Environmental Audio
• Make a two-speaker card work in quad
• Automagically make everything run on a surround-sound decoder*

What Is The Patch Supposed To Do But Doesn't Yet?

• Multi-Player only works if you are the server
• Multi-Player positions sounds incorrectly

Half-Life Interview  [4:17 PM EDT]
With the Half-Life buzz at a fever pitch, the Half Life Interview With Gabe Newell that appears in the print mag PC Gaming World (on newsstands tomorrow) as part of a "massive Half-Life feature" was too topical to pass up, so their online arm, GameSpot UK has posted it today.

Unreal Level Exploitation  [4:17 PM EDT]
PlanetCrap (you can't make this stuff up) has a story called German Unreal Rip-off CD-ROM (thanks Unreal Nation) about a cd-rom being marketed in German, that, in a sadly familiar story, they say contains levels and other materials that were released on the net for free, shoveled out as a retail package, removing many of the authors' credits.

On Intelligent Artificial Intelligence  [3:36 PM EDT]
Shoot 'Em Ups Getting Smarter is a Wired news article on the advanced AI in games like Half-Life. Thanks krad.

Quake Base Defense  [3:36 PM EDT]
The Quake Base Defense Homepage has the initial release of the Base Defense mod for classic Quake that is based on the ThreeWave CTF code that offers team play and base defense (but no flags).

Doppelganger Dead Rumor  [1:45 PM EDT]
Admitting its feeding on a rumor, a speculative Next-Generation Online article called ION Storm's Doppelganger on Hold But It's Not Dead tries to determine the state of Doppelganger, Todd Porter's planned next project. ION Storm has apparently confirmed that much of the Doppelganger team is now working on finishing Daikatana, but as for other rumors about the game being killed, or of Todd Porter transitioning from design to marketing are denied, with Todd calling tales of Doppelganger woes "just another rumor aimed at hurting us." Thanks [A3D]Panther.

Quake II Ground Zero Config Help  [1:01 PM EDT]
Rogue's Patrick Magruder updated his .plan with some helpful info for those having trouble with their key configuration for the Rogue mission pack, Quake II Ground Zero:

If anyone is having problems with the keyboard configuration in Ground Zero type the following into the console (hit the ` key to get the console window).

exec default.cfg

This will overwrite any configuration information you may already have, and replace it with the default configuration as specified in the manual. The only change we made after printing the manual was that we moved the Tesla Mine to the 'm' key to make it more convenient.

The problem people are having is that when QuakeII fails to find a config.cfg file in the game directory (in this case, the rogue directory) it first checks the baseq2 directory for a config.cfg file, and ends up copying it to the game directory .. instead of running the default.cfg file that's in the pak file. So you end up with your configuration for QuakeII, not the new configuration. Our apologies to anyone who had problems with this.

We will be updating our web page shortly with even more configuration information, but this should get you started.

Enjoy!

More Half-Life OEM Impressions  [12:34 PM EDT]
GameSpot UK's Half-Life Day One review is up, and 19 new screenshots are here. The site is down as of this writing, so I can't tell you what the status of "spoilers" in the review is (this is a separate review than the US GameSpot one, btw). Also, Computer Games Online's HL Review is up, also looking at the OEM demo, with a low "spoiler quotient." Thanks Aurum at Level Alpha.

More of the Suits and their Suits  [12:34 PM EDT]
3Dfx sues rival NVIDIA is a news.com article that tries to add perspective to the recently announced lawsuit (story). Thanks KRad from 311. Also, NVIDIA Will Vigorously Defend Itself in Recent Nuisance Lawsuit is a press release from NVIDIA describing its plans to defend itself from 3Dfx's lawsuit There's a quote in there accusing 3Dfx of going legal because of recent downturns in their business:

"In light of recent admissions by 3Dfx, we can only speculate that they are turning to legal remedies in an attempt to stay profitable, rather than addressing their core market issues of channel saturation for older products and uncertain demand for their latest product," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA.

3Dfx is the third graphics card competitor to sue NVIDIA this year, as SGI and S3 both brought lawsuits against them in the Spring.

Autographed Unreal Giveaway  [8:00 AM EDT]
PC Gamer Online is holding a giveaway where three winners will receive a copy of Unreal, autographed by the game's lead programmer, Tim Sweeney.

Prax War Screenshots  [8:00 AM EDT]
There are a pair of new screenshots up on Boatrocker.com showing off Rebel Boat Rocker's upcoming Prax war.

Ground Zero Review  [8:00 AM EDT]
The Adrenaline Vault reviews Quake II Mission Pack Ground Zero. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

Half-Life Preview  [8:00 AM EDT]
GameSpot's Half-Life Preview is up, looking at the Day One OEM demo. As for spoilers, you can pretty easily stop reading this one the page before it gives anything away, if that is a concern. Thanks to busy Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

Corvus Interview (Heretic II Preview)  [8:00 AM EDT]
Corvus Speaks Out on Heretic II is a GameSpot feature that takes the form of an interview with Corvus, the main character in raven's upcoming Heretic II. Thanks to frenetic Frans at 3D Action Gamers. The piece also includes nine new screenshots.

Hab-12 Preview  [8:00 AM EDT]
The Adrenaline Vault previews Hab-12, the upcoming third-person action game from the team that created Malice for Quake. Thanks again Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

ClanRing Mod  [8:00 AM EDT]
The ClanRing Mod Development page has version 4.1 of the ClanRing mod for download. The new release of this Quake competition management mod includes several new features, including sudden death overtime (what other kind of overtime would you have in Quake?).

BotJohnny  [8:00 AM EDT]
Beta 3a of BotJohnny 2.0 is up on the BotJohnny Home Page fixing a "glaringly obvious bug" that found its way into the previous release of this Bot front-end. Thanks Sluggo's Mod Central.

PainKeep Levels  [8:00 AM EDT]
There's a new level pack on MagixX that contains three new deathmatch levels for the classic PainKeep mod for (classic) Quake.

Expert Quake II Config-O-Matic  [8:00 AM EDT]
The Expert Quake page has posted an Expert For Quake2 Server Config-o-Matic, a front-end to easily allow the configuration of an Expert Quake II server.

SB Live! NT Issue  [8:00 AM EDT]
Zanshin's GLDojo (yes the Dojo is back in action) has an update on problems Zan has had running Creative Labs' new SoundBlaster Live! under Windows NT, talking of programming shortcuts that he's found in their NT drivers.

Life With Portax  [8:00 AM EDT]
Issue five of Life With Portax is up. This edition of the Quake II page-per-panel comic strip is actually plot-heavy for Portax: an apartment hunt.

Out of the Blue  [8:00 AM EDT]
Back in the BlueTower (yay!). I stand corrected, though a couple of readers wrote in to point out the Doom marine has a name in the Doom literary epics (the novelizations). I don't really think that really counts, however, Traxx points out that the Quake II Marine is named Bitterman, as you can read that on the side of his pod, and is even mentioned in the cinematic, so a no-prize goes out to him (I bought a warehouse full of them from Marvel in a bankruptcy fire-sale).

Generations  [10:25 PM EDT]
The first beta of Generations is now available. The first release of this Quake II mod that brings the four different characters from id's first-person shooter games into one arena only includes the Quake and Quake II marines, with the Doom/Doom2 marine and the Wolfenstein-3D soldier (for the record, William J. "B.J." Blazkowicz, the only id FPS main character with a name) to be included in future releases.

New QW Requiem  [10:25 PM EDT]
A new version 2.0i of the Requiem mod for QuakeWorld is out, offering some bug fixes and tweaks from Requiem 2.0a as something to bridge the gap until the planned release of version 2.1.

Max Payne Interview  [10:25 PM EDT]
Max Payne Gives Maximum Effort is an interview on Next-Generation Online with the guys from Remedy Entertainment about their upcoming 3rd person shooter Max Payne. Thanks Voodoo Extreme.

Vigilance Demo Update  [10:25 PM EDT]
An update to the PostLinear page says they jumped the gun a bit on the news of the Vigilance demo release, deferring to Vigilance.com as the final word on the subject, where it now says the demo will be out September 30. Also, I see on VE that new Vigilance screenshots are up.

Vigilance Demo  [5:04 PM EDT]
Word on the PostLinear page is that the demo of Vigilance (their upcoming first-person shooter) is available on Vigilance.com. I cannot find it there myself as of this writing (and will be unable to follow-up any time soon, as I travel tonight), but this certainly makes it sound like it may be up there soon.

More Half-Life: Day One Impressions  [5:04 PM EDT]
OGR previews Half-Life: Day One looking at the OEM demo, promising not to spoil the experience for readers. Thanks CiDcO at Stormtroopers.

KHG Gold  [5:04 PM EDT]
Also from OGR is word that Microprose's Klingon Honor Guard is gold, so that should be beaming down to your local software store soon.

StarCraft Add-on Beta Sign-ups  [5:04 PM EDT]
Sign-ups for Brood Wars, the upcoming official add-on for StarCraft are being taken on Blizzard Entertainment News until 10:00 PM Eastern time (7:00 PM Pacific) tonight. Thanks Chris Scally.

Art: Q3 Logo Renderings, Q2 Skins  [12:03 PM EDT]
Quake III - Logo Renderings are a couple of 800x600 shots of what's believed to be the Quake III Arena logo. It's been a while since we've seen any skins from Kevin "Rorshach" Johnstone (he got hired by Reflections Software), but he's released a new skin for the female Quake II Marine called Toongirl on Rorshach's Journal, as well as a skin for the male Marine, and another for the Terminator model.

KHG Preview  [12:03 PM EDT]
Games Domain previews Klingon Honor Guard, the upcoming Unreal-engine game. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

Barrage Sneak Peek  [12:03 PM EDT]
GamesMania has a sneak peek at Barrage, Sharky's favorite action  game from those on the horizon. Barrage is a 3Dfx-only 3D flying shooter that supports up to eight player multiplayer on a LAN or the Internet. The game should be available next month. Thanks again Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

TNT 32 Bit v. 16 Bit, PCI v. AGP  [12:03 PM EDT]
In Tweak3D's VELOCITY 4400 review Dan the TweakMonkey has benchmarks showing performance differences between 16 Bit and 32 Bit color, as well as offering comparisons between the PCI and AGP versions of this TNT card.

Half-Life: Day One Preview, Interview  [2:30 AM EDT]
IGN.PC's Half-Life Day One Preview is online, offering 30 screenshots, and what they warn are spoilers about the OEM demo of Valve's upcoming shooter. Thanks Derrick Zobell. Speaking of Half-Life, Valve's Harry Teasley is interviewed on the Dark Portal Map Database, covering several topics including Half-Life levels, editing with Worldcraft 2.0, and Artificial Intelligence.

Generations  [2:30 AM EDT]
The release of the first beta of the intriguing Generations mod, spanning several generations of id Software games in Quake II, is planned for this evening. Here's the poop:

Tonight (Tuesday, 9/22/98) at 7:00 PM (CST) we will be releasing a preview of that to give the audience something to play for a little while, while we finish the real thing. The beta will only include Quake 2 and Quake 1 classes, but will give us a chance to have some beta testing done by the public and let them have some fun. There will be a release party (of course) on 3dnet in #generations is anyone wants to attend.

New Q2Comp Mod  [2:30 AM EDT]
Beta 0.40 of the Q2 Competition Mod is available, offering an update to this mod that strives to do for Quake II what the ClanRing and QWClanRing mods did for its predecessor.

Eraser Ultra  [2:30 AM EDT]
Version 0.26 of the Eraser Ultra is now available offering bug-fixes and "the start of some Linux compatibility" to this spin on Ridah's Eraser bot for Quake II (based on the released source code).

Quake Movie, Coop-World  [2:30 AM EDT]
Version 1.0 of QuakeMovie is out, marking the emergence from beta for this program that aids the filming of Quake (1) demos and movies. Also from the team that brings you QuakeMovie, comes beta 0.2 of Coop-World, a server-only mod that adds the monsters back into QuakeWorld, and keeps score for the players by how many monsters they kill (can be played cooperatively, or... not).

Quake II Superheroes Source  [2:30 AM EDT]
The source code for Quake II Superheroes is now available, marking what appears to be the end of the Mod Squad's development of the project.

SoundBlaster Live! Drivers  [2:30 AM EDT]
The Sound Blaster Live! - Downloads page has what Mike Yargeau says are updated drivers for Creative's latest soundcard (though if they are new, it is not noted on the page). Mike (who seems to be up on this), also says the new drivers fix a conflict with Intel740 video cards, and provide an option to disable DOS compatibility (to free an IRQ).

Trespasser Feature  [2:30 AM EDT]
3DGaming.Net's Trespasser Feature offers insights, screenshots and a chat log about this upcoming Jurassicized first-person game from the perspective of someone who doesn't seem to think much of most FPS offerings.

Sin Theme  [2:30 AM EDT]
The 3D Scene has a Sin Win32 desktop theme that has multiple configurations and does not require the use of the Plus! Pack.

Out of the Blue  [2:30 AM EDT]
All settled in San Francisco. So much for settled... I'll be running about all day tomorrow, but I believe I'll be able to make a couple of updates during the day anyway.

Starsiege Tribes Beta Test  [11:40 PM EDT]
A Beta Test Application for Dynamix's upcoming first-person multiplayer extravaganza Starsiege Tribes is online. About 100 testers will be selected from those who apply for what is described as a short round of testing. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme.

3Dfx Sues NVIDIA  [11:40 PM EDT]
3Dfx Files Suit Against NVIDIA for Patent Infringement, citing the TNT's use of multi-texturing as an infringement upon technology patented by 3Dfx.

New BattleZone IAS Patch  [11:40 PM EDT]
Extreme Audio Reality (you gotta love acronyms) has a new version 1.5 interactive around sound patch for BattleZone. Thanks JasonD.

Intel740 Reference Drivers  [11:40 PM EDT]
New version 3.0 reference drivers for the Intel740 accelerator on the Intel740(TM) Driver Download page. Thanks Jaysin from 740, who points out that these drivers add Multi-monitor support and will hopefully clear up some of the problems I740 owners have been having with Unreal.

Paul Jaquays LAN Q&A  [11:40 PM EDT]
The LAN Scene has a Q&A with id Software's Paul Jaquays.

New BotJohnny & KeyBind  [11:40 PM EDT]
The newly redesigned BotJohnny Home Page has beta 2.00 of the BotJohnny Quake II bot front-end, and beta 1.0 of KeyBind, a drag-and-drop key config program that was designed for use with BotJohnny, but works as a standalone program as well.

SPECTRA Review  [11:40 PM EDT]
Sharky Extreme's Canopus SPECTRA 2500 review is on-line.

Heavy Gear II Update
The Heavy Gear II page has a profile up of one of the game's Gear's: the Kodiak.

For the Record  [11:40 PM EDT]
The Quake III Arena screenshots that were posted have been pulled (no big surprise there), and I'm informed there may be an error in the story about the Femme League (here), and that the tourney may not yet be over. I'm also told that the correction is incorrect, and that the original story is correct (huh?).

Zoom  [1:11 PM EDT]
Off in the BlueJet, talk to you when I touch down.

Quake II Collectibles  [1:11 PM EDT]
id Software's Quake 2 -Collectibles page is up offering some offers on some cool Quake II doo-dads.

System Shock 2 Info  [12:04 PM EDT]
Some details about plans for Looking Glass Studios' upcoming System Shock II, the sequel to the breakthrough first-person action/RPG, are in a release passed along by Prophet (I finally have a link to an online version on the Irrational Games website):

Cambridge, MA, September 21, 1998 - Looking Glass Studios, a leading entertainment software developer, today announced preliminary details about System Shock 2, its forthcoming 3D science fiction role-playing game. System Shock 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to Looking Glass' System Shock(TM)™, a groundbreaking game which was ranked the sixth best game of all time in the October 1998 issue of PC Gamer. Co-developed by Looking Glass Studios and Irrational Games, a development studio comprised of former Looking Glass Studios employees and members of the original System Shock development team, System Shock 2 is being co-published by Looking Glass Studios and Electronic Arts(TM).

System Shock 2 utilizes an enhanced version of Looking Glass Studios' proprietary Dark Engine, which is first being used in Thief: The Dark Project™, to create an immersive role-playing world rendered in 16-bit color with colored and dynamic lighting models. The game will also contain advanced role playing features including character generation and growth, an elegant inventory system, a compelling science fiction world to explore and a unique multiplayer mode.

"Since its release in 1994, gamers have been clamoring for a sequel to System Shock," said Paul Neurath, managing director of Looking Glass Studios. "System Shock was ahead of its time in terms of both gameplay and technology. For System Shock 2, we're once again incorporating cutting-edge technologies and gameplay elements to create a role-playing game that maintains the integrity of the original while continuing the Looking Glass tradition of being ahead of the curve."

Competitions  [12:04 PM EDT]
Getting the academic year off to a proper start, Collegestudent.com has details about a tour of some US colleges they are taking called RoadKill to dish out some frags and prizes (including a Voodoo2 card. Tomorrow they'll be at SMU in the Humphrey Lee Student Center, Ballroom 3rd Floor, and Wednesday in TCU in the Brown Lupton Student Center, Room 216. Also, the finals of the Quake GIRLZ league are complete with the Qgirlz defeating PMS. Details and demos on the page.

Pre-Order a Wicked Banshee & Creative Pricing  [12:04 PM EDT]
Fighting for the early adopter market, the Wicked3D website is taking sign-ups for pre-orders for those who want to be the first on their block with a Wicked3D Vengeance, their 3Dfx Banshee. Thanks Prophet. Also, Roy Torrecampo sends along a link to a press release from Creative Labs announcing a rebate for US and Canadian customers on Creative's newly announced 16 MB 3D Blaster Banshee that brings the price down to $99.00.

More on Zelda  [12:04 PM EDT]
Trey Harrison's .plan has a bit more on the Zelda Project (next story). Now I don't feel as bad for not being able to figure out what it was supposed to do:

So just incase I don't find my way to a computer with MSVC in the next few months, here is a sort of end-of-summer farewell-but-i-might-actually-keep-working-on-it gift from me to you. You can find the "Project Zelda" engine at http://starbase.neosoft.com/~otaku/zelda.zip. Be warned - it doesnt really *do* anything. It is a net game, players can walk around, pretend to shoot each other, chat, etc (all from an overhead view of course, hence the name Zelda).

After testing it last night with the best beta testers around (#quakeed) I found it to be quite unstable. Servers tend to last < 5 minutes. But its still fun to look at. And I thought since I probably wont be touching it for awhile, I'd let everyone have a look.

Project Zelda  [4:45 AM EDT]
Trey's Fantastic Home Page has Trey Harrison's (Crack dot Com & Quest) latest effort, a program called Project Zelda (3Dfx card required). Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme. I've played with it a bit, and was able to run around all over the Blue's News logo with Sin's John Blade. The program can apparently host others, and supports chat, but no combat (there's an inactive fire control). It's pretty cool (it would be even without my logo), but I honestly don't know what it is. It's only a bit over 300 KB if you want to check it out.

Ebb of Life AVI  [4:31 AM EDT]
Conversions.Net has a movie up from Ebb of Life, and upcoming commercial Quake II TC from Team BDP, available in larger (AVI) and smaller (MPG) sizes.

New BotS Maps  [4:31 AM EDT]
Three new maps for the Battle of the Sexes Quake II mod are now available on Spinoza's Quake 2 Mods Page.

Quake II Console+  [4:31 AM EDT]
Otser's Site has a new mod for Quake II called Console+ that adds a couple of variables to the game that allow you to record "unlimited demos," and also allows you to delete demos and screenshots from within the game.

LavaCam  [4:31 AM EDT]
Version 1.10 of the LavaCam for Quake II, the fixed camera server mod for Quake II is now available, offering three new elements for the Heads-Up Display, updated VWep support, and removal of the previously required LavaCam skins.

loonygames  [4:31 AM EDT]
As it's updated through this week, issue five of loonygames will offer an interview with Paul Steed talking about working on Quake III Arena, the Crackwhore, and more; a Guest Editorial from Nihilistic's Steve 'Magicman' Thoms (formerly of Rogue) as he "spits on the rotting grave of single player gaming"; and a new edition of Chris Hargrove's Code on the Cob, creating an original game and documenting the entire process.

D1X - Modified Descent (1)  [4:31 AM EDT]
Version 1.2 of D1X of the D1X Project, a modified version of the Descent source-code. Thanks Deep Space.

Beta Bites  [4:31 AM EDT]
Beta Bites describes itself as "Your best resource for all the Latest Beta's on the Internet," definitely a place to check out if you like life on the cutting edge and numbers lower than one.

On 3Dfx's Fortunes  [4:31 AM EDT]
In the midst of articles like 3Dfx Braces for Reduced Earnings (GameCenter) offering word of a bad quarter for 3Dfx, Second Hand Smoke 3Dfx - No Platform Here is a column on Gamasutra attempting to explain why. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme.

Quake III Logo Wallpaper  [4:31 AM EDT]
This page has some desktop-style artwork using what's presumed to be the Quake III Arena logo.

Q2 Map and Model Comps  [4:31 AM EDT]
The Impulse 98 - Map Making Competition and the Impulse 98 - Model Making Competition are online offering prizes for the winning entries that will be used in this upcoming LAN tourney/event in Melbourne Australia.

Out of the Blue  [4:31 AM EDT]
Spanning the globe: Today is a travel day, as I'm off in the BlueJet to the west coast around midday, so I can check out 3DO's upcoming shooter Requiem for the first time. I expect to have two of the three (four after tomorrow) previews I'm working on posted this week. I'll be returning at the crack of dawn Wednesday.

More on the Quake III Arena Screenshots  [1:49 PM EDT]
GameKillaZ has clearer scans of the Quake III Arena screenshots from yesterday (story), and two previously unposted shots. On the subject of whether electronic originals of these would be made available, Scoots at QuakeCity.net sends along the following reply from id CEO Todd Hollenshead about screenshot availability:

We won't be releasing any screenshots until after the PC Gamer US story is on the shelves. At that time, we'll probably make some shots available to the general public via our website.

Survival Demo  [1:49 PM EDT]
A demo of a 3D action game called Survival is available on this page in both an English and a German version. This page offers a description ("Gigant Expodes !!") of this flying shooter, and here are some screenshots. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers, who are featuring a fast mirror of the demo on this page. Win95 and Direct3D card required.

Interactive Interview with Jay Wilson  [1:49 PM EDT]
PC Gamer Online is starting a new weekly feature for them called Interactive Interviews, allowing readers to "interview" the top designers/producers in the industry by sending in the questions that the interview will feature. Week One features Jay Wilson, project lead on Blood 2: The Chosen. The next couple of weeks will feature Jason Regier of Myth II, and Mark Rein of Unreal.

New Battle of the Sexes Server  [1:49 PM EDT]
A new version 2.9.9 server DLL for Battle of the Sexes, the gender-based teamplay mod for Quake II is available on Spinoza's Quake 2 Mods Page offering about a billion new features.

QWAdmin  [1:49 PM EDT]
Version 0.9.45 of Dr.Drain's QWAdmin offers an update to this QuakeWorld remote administrator tool for Windows offering many new features and some fixes.

QVoice  [1:49 PM EDT]
The QuakeVoice page has a new beta 15 of this mod that is boldly attempting to integrate true real-time voice communication directly into Quake II. Thanks Phoenix_X.

Quiver - Mac Quake Editor  [1:49 PM EDT]
Version 1.1 of Quiver, the Quake level editor for the Macintosh is out. The new release offers texture management features and rendering optimizations.

PCGames Q2 Server  [1:49 PM EDT]
Frequenters of the PC Games Quake II DM server puzzled by its recent disappearance, need puzzle no more, the new IP of the unexpectedly relocated server is 209.155.74.206.

Half-Life Previews  [1:49 PM EDT]
There are a couple of previews of Half-Life at Half-Life@Far2Cool, one here and the other here the other here from checking the game out at ECTS.

STB Award BIOS Fix  [1:49 PM EDT]
The VELOCITY 4400 Drivers page has a fix for problems exhibited on systems with Award BIOS using AGP-based VELOCITY 4400 cards. Thanks ShaD.

New StarFighter Drivers  [1:49 PM EDT]
There are new version 0295 (though the page says 0281 as of this writing) Windows 95/98 StarFighter AGP Drivers on the Real 3D website. Thanks 740.

TNT V2 Comparison on K6-2  [1:49 PM EDT]
3dimensional 128 has a look at the TNT, making the comparisons to Voodoo2 performance on an AMD K6-2 machine.

etc.  [1:49 PM EDT]
Search Central looks to be a new central repository of gaming links ... the new Dear Mynx is up, featuring Epic's CliffyB in the embarrassment spotlight ... The Bind (All your Aliasing Needs),   has a new version of their config catered to left-handed players, who are often neglected in the design of über-configs ...

Out of the Blue  [1:49 PM EDT]
The LAN party rocked, thanks to Priest (or PrIEsT, or however he does it) of HSM for awesome hosting. New things we played: A bit of DM on the Rogue Quake II mission pack Ground Zero, which I think everyone agreed was terrific fun, and a couple of cooperative missions on Rainbow Six, which was also a lot of fun, but in a humorous sort of way, as we had to knock it down to Veteran mode, since playing in Elite just resulted in the eight of us (admittedly inexperienced) all got smacked down immediately (repeatedly). Rainbow Six looks like one of the great co-op shooters of all-time.

Got BAWLS? It takes Bawls to compete in soda market is a CNNfn article sent along by Elliot that interviews Hobby Buppert the 25 year old creator of my new favorite soda. BTW, they noticed the traffic spike over at www.bawls.com and actually sent along a BAWLS t-shirt, and of all things a Zippo-esque lighter without me even having to ask (so my quest for p1mpage is complete). They sent no soda, but that's okay, the local grocer gives me a good price since I buy it by the case  ;)

The Quake III Arena Shots (Again)  [12:02 PM EDT]
As of now, GameKillaZ has posted the Quake III Arena screenshots mentioned earlier, scanned in from PC Gamer UK (story). I say as of now, because I'm not positive they'll stay up, but magazines generally seem to allow scanned shots to be posted these days. Also word is that PC Gamer (US) will have these shots as well, slated to hit the newsstands October 13 (thanks Kevin Scott).

Descent 3 Info, FAQ  [12:02 PM EDT]
An update to the Descent 3 FAQ adds new info, including full weapon lists for the upcoming game. Also, an update to Outrage's Jason Leighton's Developer Notes gives thee latest on dedicated server support, and Direct3D and OpenGL support. Thanks Deep Space.

Crush Depth for Quake II  [12:02 PM EDT]
The 4th Dimension Interactive page has the first release of their Crush Depth mod for Quake II which plays heavily on underwater play, offering scuba gear as one of the new items to be used.

Tourney  [12:02 PM EDT]
To the BatCave, Robin! The Dynamic Duo is two-on-two TeamFortress league, that currently has a couple of openings.

Classic Quake Strategy Guide  [12:02 PM EDT]
A Quake strategy guide is up on the The InFerNal Zone offering advanced deathmatch strategies for Quake (1), but is not really meant for newbies. BTW, since this came up on Shooters this week I'll mention it here, if you are looking to brush up on your DM skills in older games, Blue's Doom Deathmatch Guide is a lengthy look at Doom(2) deathmatch written by yours truly (aided by Brother Abraxas) that is still one of my proudest accomplishments.

Helping Divx Struggle  [12:02 PM EDT]
An ABC news article titled New Videodisc Format Faces Troubled Start talks of the rough going Divx is facing (thanks Fogrider), offering a quickie poll on whether you'd pay $449.99 for a Divx player that gives an opportunity to sound off if you're against it (or for it for that matter).

Quake III Arena Preview, Screenshots  [4:00 AM EDT]
Sorry, no hyperlink to offer on this one, but the chaps over at PC Gamer UK tell me that their November print issue has a big Quake III Arena preview, including the first screenshots released from id's upcoming game. They mentioned the issue would be available September 24, but I've gotten mail from some readers who've found copies already.

Mac Update, QW 2.3 and KHG  [4:00 AM EDT]
The Westlake Interactive page has new updates on the status of Mac QuakeWorld 2.3, which is set to roll, and word on Mac Klingon Honor Guard, which they say is to be available around Christmas. Thanks Unreal Kingdom.

Werewolf  [4:00 AM EDT]
Inside Werewolf The Apocalypse is a Next-Generation Online article that announces a new Unreal engine werewolf RPG due for release about a year from now.

Are You Experienced?  [4:00 AM EDT]
Interview with Experience on MPOG offers a conversation with Sky Kensok of The Whole Experience, Inc.about their upcoming first-person shooter.

Daikatana Interview  [4:00 AM EDT]
Daikatana Cabana interviews Larry "Rocketman" Herring the level designer who recently moved to the Daikatana team from the Anachronox team (traded for a 3D modeler and a texture artist to be named later).

SoundBlaster Live! Interview  [4:00 AM EDT]
HardwareCentral interviews SoundBlaster Live!, not actually speaking with one of Creative's new sound cards, but rather with Creative's Micah Stroud.

Screenshots: Shogo, Mortyr, Savage Arena  [4:00 AM EDT]
Mortyr Shots on 3D Unlimited, more Shogo on LithTimes, and Sharky Extreme has some Savage Arena shots.

Refurbished Canopus Cards  [4:00 AM EDT]
The newly opened Canopus Factory Store offers the opportunity to buy factory reconditioned Pure3D and Pure3D II boards at deeply discounted prices.

NVIDIA Driver Mania  [4:00 AM EDT]
NVIDIA has posted a bunch of reference drivers for the RIVA 128, the 128ZX, and the TNT (no technical support is available for these drivers). Thanks Randy Perry and Voodoo Extreme.

Return of the Help-Wanted/Offered Ads  [4:00 AM EDT]
Of all the changes I've made around here, one that stands out as particularly regrettable was the elimination of the Help Wanted Ads, since they turned out to be quite successful at getting people actual paying jobs in the game biz. I'm happy to say they are making their return, so here's the deal. If you have a job or a skill to offer involved in gaming, send along a short description to blue@bluesnews.com using the appropriate subject line from these choices: Help Wanted Paid, Help Wanted Volunteer, Help Offered Paid, or Help Offered Volunteer.

Game List Opinion  [4:00 AM EDT]
3D Realms' Scott Miller updated his .plan with an opinion on these best games of all time lists. I personally think Scott hits it right on the head... well, except for the part about Myst  =]

Out of the Blue  [4:00 AM EDT]
I'm going to be out today for a day of LAN fun with my bros (this is yet another convergence of a LAN party I've attended and one of those PQ beatdowns... damn weird). Speaking of LAN Parties and my bros, I couldn't run off without getting that neglected update to the LAN Party page online, and its in part due to the assistance of my bro MrCoffee who is going to make sure a couple of departments around here don't fall into similar neglect, so hats off to my caffeinated.friend. The link of the day is Demotivators (thanks Monte Fontenot), which, according to the page offers an alternative to motivation: "Unlike motivational products, which attempt to encourage success through willpower and extra effort, Demotivators help people become more successful simply by lowering their expectations." Finally, QuadAmp is a Quake II themed WinAmp skin.