Taking a page from Carmack, id contracted employee Dave "Zoid" Kirsch updated his .plan with his worklog. Here's a rundown on all the stuff he's been up to:

Recent changes I've been making:

- New vmsg and vmsg_team client to server and server to client command. This is the same as say and say_team, except it takes the name of a sound file to play along with the message.

- Major additions to the client menu system for new team messaging menus for pre-recorded model sayings. The menu system stuffs vmsg commands to perform its work.

- Fixed it so that a player is only killed when switching teams, not to/from spectator mode.

- CTF team spawn points are in, team_CTF_redplayer and team_CTF_blueplayer. They are only used at game start, subsequent spawns are in deathmatch starts. Plans to have team only bits on dm starts as well?

- Added two new system functions, Sys_DefaultCDPath() and Sys_DefaultBasePath(). These establish the default base and cd path directories. Under Windows, they are both set to current dir by default. In Unix, they are set to argv[0]'s path and $HOME/.q3a/ respectively. This allows storing the q3config.cfg in $HOME/.q3a/baseq3 under Unix for per-user execution and settings.

- If a double signal fault occurs in Linux, exit immediately.

- stubs for Linux SMP.

- Reworked the Linux sound drivers based on recommendations by the 4Front guys. Added support for 48KHz output and reorganized the sound driver setup and initialization sequence.

- added NET_Sleep(msec) call in server code to allow proper CPU throttling. Wakes up on packet or stdin under Unix.

An update to Murphy Michaels .plan announces that he's departing Ritual Entertainment, and that as of June 7 he will be working for Ensemble Studios. As he points out this marks his "farewell to the 'Quake community' and first person shooters, plan files, and whatever else it all entails," we wish him the best of luck, and indeed promise to honor his parting request: "Dont' talk about me when i leave the room........"

The mIRC Downloads page has the new version 5.6 release of this popular IRC client. Thanks KingXTC.

Outcast Central is reporting that Outcast has gone gold, and will be on store shelves in Europe on June 25th. No word as of yet as to a US release date.

ION Storm's Daily Informant has posted four new screenshots from Daikatana, with two from the first episode (which takes place in Japan) and two from the second (which takes place in Ancient Greece).

Version 2.5 beta 8 of the PingTool server browser is now available. Thanks Phantom_309. Described as primarily a maintenance release resolving a number of bugs that were present in beta 7, this will most likely be the last beta release before a final version 2.5 is released. Here are the version 2.5 beta 8 release notes.

It looks like Homeworld is in the homestretch, as word comes straight from Sierra Studios with the planned release date for Homeworld, their upcoming action/strategy space combat game, which they say will be in stores September 1.

The Gathering of Developers page has posted a Nocturne AVI from E3 that shows off gameplay from this eerie-looking action/adventure in the works from Terminal Reality.

The Hive has posted information from Ubi-Soft indicating that they will not be publishing Mortyr themselves. The report quotes Tammy Schachter from Ubi-Soft PR saying this about the World War II shooter that Ubi-soft acquired in a recent deal for all of Interactive Magic's CD-ROM content: "...I can tell you that it has been decided that Ubi Soft will not be publishing Mortyr. It is most likely that the title will be sold to another publisher."

Version 1.22 of chUmbaLum sOft's OpenGL Half-Life Model Viewer is now available. Thanks Billy "HardChumba" Wilson.

John Carmack's .plan has another update on the subject of strafe-jumping, after mentioning he was eliminating the ability to hop so rapidly in his worklog, posted earlier. Here's the update, which says that he's reconsidering the jumping changes, and also includes an outline of Quake III Arena's current weapon effects:

Whee! Lots of hate mail from strafe-jupers!

Some reasonable messages have convinced me that a single immediate jump after landing may be important to gameplay. I'll experiment with it.

Strafe jumping is an exploitable bug. Just because people have practiced hard to allow themselves to take advantage of it does not justify it's existance. When I tried fixing the code so that it just didn't work, I thought it changed the normal running movement in an unfortunate way.

In the absense of powerups or level features (wind tunnels, jump pads, etc), the game characters are supposed to be badasses with big guns. Arnold Schwartzenegger and Sigourney Weaver don't get down a hallway by hopping like a bunny rabbit.

This is personal preference, but when I play online, I enjoy it more when people are running around dodging, rather than hopping.

My personal preference just counts a lot. :-)

btw, here are the current weapon effects:

gauntlet: 50 pts, 400 msec / punch
machinegun: 10 pts, 100 msec / shot
shotgun: 11 pellets of 10 each, 1000 msec / shot
rocket launcher: 100 pts direct hit, or 100 pts splash damage falling off
over 120 world units, 800 msec / shot
plasma gun: 20 pts direct hit or 15 pts splash damage over 15 units,
100 msec / shot
railgun: 100 pts, 1500 msec / shot
lightning gun: 8 pts, 33 msec / trace, max range 768 units
grenade launcher: 100 pts direct hit, or 100 pts splash over 150 units,
800 msec / shot.
bfg: 40 pts instant splash damage over 100 units, 100 msec / shot
flamethrower: to be determined, but short range / wide angle

Splash damage is calculated from the edge of the player's box, unlike
quake1, where it was calculated froom the player's origin.

The ATI Technologies Inc. Special Drivers page has new RAGE128 Windows 95b-98 display drivers, new RAGE128 Windows NT4.0 drivers, and new RAGE PRO Windows 95b-98 drivers, all said to be specially optimized for Quake III Arena. Thanks Mike Ullemeyer.

A press release posted on Stratics EverQuest News page, confirms the report that Brian Hook will be joining Verant Interactive (story). Thanks Billy "SomethingWittyHere" Wilson. Here's the release:

San Diego, June 3rd, 1999 - Hook, formerly of Id Software and programmer on both Quake 2 and Quake 3, is a veteran of the games industry. His credits also include being one of the chief architects of the Glide API during his tenure at 3DFX; development work on the OpenGL code base at Silicon Graphics; and he has written numerous articles for magazines such as Dr. Dobb's Journals and Game Developer. He brings with him seasoned talent and an immense knowledge base.

"Verant is committed to both massively multiplayer gaming as well as cutting-edge 3D technology," said President and CEO of Verant Interactive, John Smedley. "Insuring that we have the talent and expertise to lead the way in both of these fields is critical to our company's goals, and adding someone of Brian's caliber to our already strong programming team is going to help us make the best games out there."

"I'm very excited to have Brian on board," said Brad McQuaid, Verant Vice President . "I believe successful games are made from both great technology and great design, and Brian brings us a lot of talent in both of those areas."

"Verant is the perfect place for me. I'm a huge fan of their games, and the opportunity to work on Verant's future titles is just too good to pass up," said Brian Hook. "I strongly believe in Verant's commitment to making the best Massively Multiplayer games out there, and I'm excited to be able to contribute to a product line that will be the benchmark against which all other Massive Multiplayer games are judged. People are going to be blown away when they see what Verant is working on."

Hook will be involved with programming and technology in both current and future Verant projects.

The first release of JailBreak for Half-Life is out, offering the Half-Life version of one of the most popular mods to be created for Quake II. Thanks CrunchTime. Word is that server admins should make sure to edit the server.cfg file to disable cheats, which were accidentally left set on (unless you like that sort of thing).

Former Disney execs stake entertainment site is a CNET News.com article announcing that "Hollywood power broker" Michael Ovitz and Yucaipa Companies partner Richard Wolpert have taken an equity stake in GameSpy Industries.

There's a Richard 'Levelord' Gray interview on U-games.com talking to the Ritual level designer about what's in-store for us in their upcoming Quake III-engine action/fantasy romp, Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.2.

A smattering of email seems to indicate that MechWarrior III is showing up on some store shelves, so it may be available somewhere near you now or soon.

The Diamond Multimedia Viper V770 page has new version 4.01 drivers for Diamond's TNT2 graphics adapters. New drivers are available in multiple languages for both Win95/98 as about a 7 MB download, and for WinNT which are about 2.2 MB. Thanks Rapture.

Thresh's FiringSquad has posted a Q&A with id Software's Graeme Devine talking about the latest developments in Quake III Arena, with some general answers to general questions about new models, 16-bpp versus 32-bpp color, cheating & hacks, and more.

Computer Gaming Review's Battlezone II preview is up with their look ahead at the Sequel to Battlezone (which was in turn a descendant of the arcade classic), which is currently in production at Pandemic Studios. There are four accompanying screenshots, though I don't know for sure they are new.

Ex-Rebel Boat Rocker Randy Pitchford updated his .plan with word that his new outfit, Gearbox Software, is looking to add an experienced programmer and an experienced level designer to their team that's currently working on Opposing Force, their official game expansion for Half-Life. Full details are in his .plan, and more information is on their website.

id Software's Paul Jaquays made a .plan update mentioning a couple of editing resources, including Free Textures, who post ten free textures a weekday, and a mention of a new book on editing edited by Marc Saltzman called Game Design Secrets of the Sages.

John Carmack's .plan has the latest list of todo items he's completed on Quake III Arena. Included in the checklist is mention of a further re-working of rocket speed and damage, and a 250 msec minimum time between landing and jumping again, accompanied by John saying "I hate having players bouncing around all the time..."

Tomorrow's edition of Good Morning America will be broadcast live from the White House for a "town meeting" focusing on youth and violence. Among the attendees will be Bill and Hillary Clinton, students who have been injured in school shootings, and Doomworld's Scott "Covaro" Cover.

Also, g.o.d.s' Mike Wilson appeared on The Cavuto Business Report on Fox TV in the US yesterday. The AntiElvis sends along what seems like a direct quote: When asked if he was willing to see age restrictions on games, even if it reduced the potential game market, Mike said

"Sure, if all our reasoning turns-out to be wrong...I trust our demographics studies [that say] the average gamer is in his late twenties...if it turns-out that our games are harmful to children, sure, I've got no problem."

The Adrenaline Vault News reports a Heavy Gear II release candidate has been submitted to Quality Assurance, suggesting that the long wait for the game, which was originally slated for a Christmas '98 release, may be over soon. Word is the extra development time was needed to avoid cutting portions of the game, notably the outer-space scenarios, and the city of Gomorrah (every Sodomite's favorite vacation spot).

• Gamecenter's Voodoo 3 vs. RIVA TNT 2 Shoot-Out puts the latest accelerators from 3dfx and NVIDIA into the O.K. corral for a showdown.
• 3DsoundSurge's LiveWare 2.0 Overview outlines the features of the new release of Creative Labs' sound API.
• FPS3D.COM's Stealth V3 Fighter Review looks at this Voodoo3 cooling system.

Gamers' Crypt interviews Timothy Gerritsen of Humanhead Software talking about their upcoming Unreal-engine game, Rune. The answer to the question about weapons and armor the game will include helps give a good feel for the game:

Most of the weapons will be melee-based. Axes, swords, knives, spears and the like. At first you will uncover weapons very recognizable to a Viking. As the game progresses, the hero will encounter additional weapons from some of the creatures he meets. There will be some ranged combat, and magical powers, but the majority of the game is focused on melee. There will be several weapons, as many as we can get in there.

QERadiant interviews Steve Thoms talking to the Nihilistic level designer known as Magicman about himself and his work, focussing on level design, and of course, the QERadiant editor.

The Adrenaline Vault Previews Kingpin: Life of Crime offering a look at this forthcoming shooter from Xatrix Entertainment where you vie to become a crime boss.

A new version of Terror Quake 2 is out, which is likely the last official TQ2 release. Currently only the program files are up, but the older player models can be used if you have a previous version (the new model pack will be up soon). New features include a last-man-standing deathmatch variation. To help sort out what's new there are updated versions of the manuals: The Online TQ2 manual for non-I.E. users and the Online TQ2 manual.

Version 2.4 of Demoplay is out offering support for playing back demos recorded playing the Quake III Arena test.

• The preliminary selections in the $150,000 Make Something Unreal Contest have been posted (the entries can be downloaded if you want to check them out). Winners of this round of the competition will be selected Friday.
• PennCON is accepting sign-ups for their event in Northeast PA.
• LAN-PARTY-HANNOVER. Platz für max. 56 Spieler und stellen ein komplett geswitched 10/100-MBit Netzwerk mit 200 MBit Backbone zur Verfügung. Die Unkosten betragen DM 30 für alle drei Tage!
• Dimension X is holding a giveaway of a set of BA635 speakers.

• PCGamePro reviews Quake II Quad Damage. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers.
• Gamer's Depot's 3DBlaster Ultra TNT2 Review.
• AGN Hardware reviews the Everglide Mousepad.
• Wicked PC reviews the VR Pro Joystick.

For the record, the registration for Multiplayer United Sydney LAN Gamers that I mentioned yesterday (story) that filled up so quickly, was last month, not last year, they actually hold their huge events once a month. Also I confused two different 0800 number dealies (not to mention originally American-izing the story by referring to it as an 800 number) in a post yesterday (story): The situation addressed in the EX-TREME BULL thread on PlanetCrap is a different offer than the BT Internet story. The error was quickly spotted and fixed, but I want to make sure I didn't cause confusion if you read the original story but not the correction.

• There's a Quake3 Console Command list en Français on the French Frag Factory...
• flipCode - MidNight Q & A offers an article on editing called "Radiosity In English II: Form Factor Calculation"...
• Jail Break Extended has posted the "Neo Pak" for Jailbreak, which offers four new maps, new textures, and new sounds...
• AVPNews has posted a new Aliens versus Predator desktop theme for download...

I complain about the weather, now I'm coming down with a summer cold (the illness type, not the old Stevie Nicks euphemistic type), which is going to make the heat so much more pleasant (*achoo*). Ugh. Teach me to complain (uh-oh, I just did again, I guess it didn't teach me anything... damn! I'm in real trouble now).

Link of the Day: Zippy meets Meta-HTML (I think I posted this a long time ago, but it's been a while since we've played with a meta-filter here) sent along by Thunderbutt, who suggests (with a smile) that Zippy Blue's News gives "an idea of what the site's like when you get back from dentist visits," though it just looks like normal updates to me

Id UnHooked is a story on GameSpot quoting "a reliable source" saying that Brian Hook's plans after leaving id Software will be to move to the San Diego, CA headquarters of Verant Interactive (makers of 989 Studios' EverQuest). A confirmation or a denial of this report is not going to happen right now, as Mr. Hook's reply to a request for comment was simply, "Naw, I'll let people conjecture away. =)"

Bits and bytes, including new Canopus Spectra drivers, and Linux NVIDIA drivers:

• The Spectra Software Download Page has new drivers for both the Spectra 2500/3200, Canopus' TNT-based boards. Thanks Billy "Spectre" Wilson.
• NVIDIA's Software Drivers page has new Riva 128 & Riva TNT drivers for Linux/XFree86, OS/2 Warp and BeOS (thanks Riva Extreme). NVidia releases Linux drivers for X and GL (Slashdot) helps explain (thanks Harri Ilmari Heinonen), as does the NVIDIA Linux FAQ.
• The PCG White Paper Report explains the upcoming tech in AlienWare's new dual-video card systems.
• This should have been an AM bit: Tom's Hardware Guide has posted some test results of the leaked Q3 IHV, while an update by id's Brian Hook to his .plan says: "irrespective of legal issues pertaining to his possession of the IHVTEST, it is not a valid benchmark program since the code in it is radically different than the code used in Q3TEST. So if you want to know how fast your card runs with IHVTEST, then use his numbers. If you want to know how fast your card will run with Q3TEST, use ours."
• Overclocking V3 on the Net, is a use-at-your-own-risk utility for Voodoo3 owners.

The DiabloII.Net Network has posted an AVI-format video showing off gameplay from Diablo II showing off about 50 seconds of gameplay footage featuring the first look at the Barbarian in action.

Monolith has given their home page a swanky new redesign, and to celebrate they've slapped up a new mini-site for their upcoming title, No One Lives Forever (thanks PlanetShogo).

id's Graeme Devine updated his .plan with word that there will be a new Q3Test update ("soon" but not now) as well as some thoughts on Red Hat 6.0 (which he says is his new desktop environment) and Brian Hook's departure.

Update: The 4CDs.com & Activision Promotion mentioned earlier (story) has been amended to no longer include pre-orders on any non-shipping products, having replaced the list of all Activision titles with a list of eligible ones (though the text at the top of the page still says "Take 50% off the purchase price of any Activision product..." as of this writing). We contacted 4CDs and it turns out the unreleased products were included due to a misunderstanding between their marketing department and Activision, but orders placed before the offer was amended will be honored at the sale price.

Next Generation has posted a follow-up to the Unreal Tourney movie they posted yesterday (story) which seems to have been a corrupted binary the first time around. The new version is no longer zipped, and apparently can be downloaded successfully now. Cliff Bleszinski's .plan also mentions this alternate download location on the GameSpy network.

GA-Source interviews Ken Levine, president of Irrational Games and lead designer on System Shock 2 talking about what this upcoming first-person sci-fi RPG has to offer. If you're into SS2, there are some new screenshots online as well mentioned earlier (story).

An update to Jason Leighton's Ramblings page offers four new screenshots from Descent 3, which just went gold (story), all showing off the view from inside the Phoenix. Thanks Descent3D. Also, Beta Bites' Rogue Spear contest page mentioned earlier (story), has five new shots from the Rogue Spear beta, showing off this sequel to Rainbow Six. Thanks Rogue Spear Retreat.

Update: this sale is no longer being offered as described (see follow-up). Original story: Retail promotions don't usually make the news, but this seems worth mentioning: 4CDs.com & Activision Promotion offer "50% off the purchase price of any Activision product at 4CDs.com from June 2 through June 9, 1999 (does not include shipping and handling), in a promotion that includes Quake III Arena for half off $48.99. Thanks BraFish and Desvon. Also included are all Raven's Activision titles (as noted in Kenn Hoekstra's .plan), including Soldier of Fortune and Star Trek Voyager Elite Force.

Yesterday's edition of The Guardian (a UK newspaper) featured a story on Doom, John Romero, and the Colorado shootings. It's been reprinted on their website in its entirety, and features a rundown of several shooters based on the level of violence in each. If the piece looks somewhat familiar, it's because the article is actually a slightly different version of the one that recently appeared in the New York Times Magazine. Thanks to Pete Hawley for the tip, and John Callaham for the clarification.

The official Wheel of Time page has undergone its weekly update with the latest news on the project, as well as a handful of new screenshots from the pre-rendered intro movie (which I got to see at E3, and does indeed rule). Thanks BlackWind.

System Shock II screenshots on PC Zone give nine new screenshots showing off action from Looking Glass Studios' upcoming System Shock II. Word is these shots are a prelude to an extensive SS2 preview they will be posting sometime this week based on hands-on play with an alpha version of the game. Like many of their recent stories posted here, that URL has a generic PCZone login built-in to prevent troubles with registration at the site.

Clinton orders entertainment marketing probe is the report recounting yesterday's speech by the US president announcing that he's "directed the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department to investigate the marketing practices of the film, recording and videogame industries." The report quotes FTC chairman Robert Pitofsky, saying "that investigators will have the power to subpoena internal documents at movie studios, as well as recorded music and videogame companies." Word is the goal of the joint FTC-Justice Dept. inquiry, which is expected to last 12 to 18 months, is to determine if there is any evidence that the entertainment industry is marketing violent products, especially those rated for adult content, to children, quoting Clinton as saying "Don't make young people want what your own rating system says they shouldn't have."

U-games' Unreal Tournament screenshots offers new screenshots from UT from GT Interactive UK to go along with their Unreal Tournament preview.

The usual load of morning hardware scoop, including some poop straight from Taiwan about the NV10:

• Sharky Extreme's Computex '99 Show Floor Report Part 2 quotes "several sources close to NVIDIA" saying "that the NV10 would first and foremost be manufactured on a .18micron layer process (a further die shrink down from .25)." They expect a confirmation or denial from NVIDIA on Friday.
• RIVA 3D has word of a new BIOS patch for ALI chipsets that solve many problems, including the dreaded Blue Screen o' Death for Socket7 TNT2 users.
• 3DFiles PowerStrip-GX page has a new version of this beta of the next release of Powerstrip (this version includes a full installer so Powerstrip 2.5 is not required).

TacticalPlanet interviews John Williamson, co-producer/designer of Spec Ops 2, Zombie's upcoming sequel to Spec Ops.

RPGTales interviews Nihilistic talking about their upcoming action/RPG. Vampire: The Masquerade.

The newly opened QERadiant interviews Rob "Robs" Selitto talking to this Rogue Entertainment level designer (and member of my Clan!) about his work and QERadiant, the Quake-engine level editing program.

Glide Underground interviews Creative Labs discussing the RIVA TNT2 chipset, and the Glide compatibility offered by Creative's beta Unified drivers.

Game-Interviews.com interviews Olivier Masclef, project manager at Appeal, talking about what to expect form Outcast, their upcoming voxel-engine third-person action game.

Gameguides' Half-Life-Team Fortress Classic Game Guide Package offers GameSpot's guide to the Team Fortress Classic multiplayer add-on for Valve's Half-Life. Thanks RL. Also, Gamers Extreme's TFC Guide is up, also offering help with Team Fortress Classic tactics and strategy.

Loki's Missions have released The Xeno Project, offering 15 maps and some custom sounds for single-player Half-Life (also on the site is a preview of an upcoming Quake II project called "Escape"). Also, The Scientist Killing Club's very-mini Half-Life mod is out. No word on what it involves, except that it does feature scientist killing, which makes the SKC happy.

Act Three Screen Shot 12 is Blizzard's 13th weekly Diablo II screenshot showing the Barbarian surrounded by Imps and the brand new Bleeders (described as a particular nasty breed of mosquito). Planet RIVA has posted a bunch of D2 shots, as well, but I'm not sure they are new. Meanwhile, Gamers' Crypt's Sanity screenshots offers four new shots from Monolith's upcoming LithTech-engine action/RPG in the Diablo vein.

A couple of Q3A competitions getting underway. Remember, please no wagering:

• European Quake 3 Arena Con is getting organized, with sign-ups underway for this get-together in Belgium for European Q3A fans which will include a tournament.
• Quake3 Listie Tourney Homepage has the skinny on this online Q3ATest competition.
• Multiplayer United Sydney LAN Gamers is opening up registration tomorrow at midnight for this Australian event (last year the 160 available slots were snapped up in about 10 hours).
• Beta Bites' "Why I Got Pimped in the Rogue Spear Beta Contest" offers six CDs of Rogue Spear when it's released.

Three AvP reviews and a pair on the Phantom Menace game:

• Three Aliens versus Predator reviews: Diversions of Technology reviews AvP, the Line-up reviews AvP, and GamesMania reviews Aliens vs Predator, as well.
• A pair of these, too: FullOn3D Games reviews Star Wars Episode 1 Phantom Menace, and NeoNews's TPM review is up as well.
• Gamezilla reviews Starsiege TRIBES (thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers).
• Thresh's FiringSquad Viper V770 Ultra review looks at this TNT2-Ultra-based offering.

• Exscape's Five Days of id - Quake II finished off this retrospective with a look at id's most recent shipping product, Quake II, also their Doom/Doom II retrospective has been updated with reader-submitted corrections...
• Strange Company has released version 1.0 of StrangeSaver, their screensaver that plays Quake, Quake II, or Half-Life demos when your machine is napping...
• The Actor's Guild has posted their second model pack for Action Quake 2...
• Censors Struggle To Master Computer Games is an odd note coming out of the new attempts to censor violent games in New Zealand. Thanks enkafan...
• BT Internet is offering untimed Internet access for UK customers via an 0800 number (thanks Blackbadger). Meanwhile, a thread called EX-TREME BULL on PlanetCrap suggests there is more to a similar sounding offer from a different firm than meets the eye (the original phrasing of this story was wrong, I'll mention that tomorrow for those who missed the amended story)...
• On a related note to the above, The Campaign for Unmetered Telecommunications is still holding an Internet strike for concerned Europeans, the site has all the details...

June is here, marking the other season here in NYC, the groundhog saw his shadow this year, so spring was one hour instead of two, and now it's summer. For the record, Fall is scheduled for October 31 from 10-10:30 AM this year, to be followed by a traditional six month winter.

There's another one of those gaming news site polls up, I've gotten a few emails asking me to bust out the pimping stick to flood the ballot box, but as previously noted here, the cheating and other unethical behavior associated with the last go 'round on one of these polls, lead me to decide not to play along any more, since that takes the fun out of something that's supposed to be just that.