Archived News:
There's a new GORE Screenshot on the 4D Rulers page showing off their upcoming shooter with
an OpenGL shot of the medieval past episode.
The Adrenaline
Vault News is reporting that Fox has told them they are "investigating the
feasibility of including a dedicated server option in a future patch for its first-person
shooter Aliens vs. Predator," saying that "Fox admitted it will not be
easy to implement the feature at this stage of the engine’s development, but with two
add-ons forthcoming in 1999 and 2000, it could only add to the title’s long-term
appeal."
Moto Racer sends word that the timedemo, which was semi-inoperative on the last release of
the Q3ATest, seems to be fixed on the new release, or at least it operates, if it turns out
the benchmarks it returns are not reliable. Here's word of the testing they did on The Tech Zone's "Project 620" machine:
The timedemo function has been fixed in the new Quake 3 Test that was released last
night. To do a timedemo, follow these steps:
- Pull down the console
- Type timedemo 1
- Type demo q3testdemo1.dm3 or demo q3testdemo2.dm3
Here are the results I got with Project 620. The timedemo was ran on the default "high quality" setting found in the graphic options, which is 800x600 with everything on and texture quality set at 3:
Demo 1: 48.3 fps
Demo 2: 70.3 fps
I noticed over on Voodoo Extreme that the Bot Epidemic has posted an interview with Valve
Software's Robin Walker talking about Valve's upcoming multiplayer extravaganza,
TeamFortress2.
As promised last night, here's a local copy of the Win32 Q3Test version 1.06, complete with a list of mirrors.
Enjoy!
GASource
has posted a Q&A with Kelly Jones of Visionary Media, talking about their
oddball Unreal engine title, Nerf Arena Blast. The piece is illustrated with
nine new screenshots as well.
TacticalPlanet has posted another pair of new
screenshots showing off gameplay from Zombie's upcoming Spec Ops II with a zoomed-in
close-up from a sniper's point of view of an unfortunate enemy caught in the midst of
reloading, and the lethal result.
There's been a massive update to the Aliens
vs. Predator Designer Notes over at the official Fox Interactive site (thanks
Billy " parasite" Wilson). In these
updates (there's several) developer Jason Kingsley covers a wide variety of
topics involved in the creation of the game, from the materials they had access
to, to the development of multiplayer, and lots more.
id Software Designer Graeme "Zaphod" Devine updated his .plan again with some helpful info that was not included, or is hard-to-find, in the release notes on running the new Win32 Q3ATest:
Some variable things we missed or are hard to find in the readme:
g_gametype
A value of 0 here indicates classic “Free For All”, a value of 1 indicates
“Tournament Play” and a value of 2 indicates “Team Deathmatch”.
So, to start a dedicated server in tournament mode, you would use:
quake3 +set dedicated 2 +set zone tournaments +set g_gametype 1 +map q3tourney
The warmup time for tournament play is set with g_warmup. A tournament game is implicitly
a one on one match, and further players are automatically entered as spectators (note,
when the game starts, all clients, including the spectators respawn). You can follow the
players by using “team follow1”, “team follow2”, and you can be a
scoreboard by using “team scoreboard”.
We appear to have broken joystick support somewhat between the first IHV drop and the
final release of the test. We’ll address that (so don’t start the email
bombardment on it!).
Expect the master server to be up and down over the weekend, now we have protocol 38
servers out there in large numbers we’re able to tune that stuff so it works a wee
bit better.
Thanks for the support!
There's a new Skout
preview on Gamers.de (Spielenews für Deutschland) that offers a look ahead at this
German 3D shooter in the German language (remember AltaVista Translations if you feel like
sticking a Babel Fish in your ear), as well as offering four new looks at the game in the
universal language of hi-resolution screenshots. A little translated news passed along by
the site is "The Game should go gold in 4 weeks and there will be a special
(non-bloody) version for the German market and an uncensored international version as
well." Word is the game will support between eight and 12 players in multiplayer play
over LAN/Internet. Speaking of Skout shots, www.Screenshots.de,
"Die Ressource für Spieler," has posted "all 49 Screenshots from the
Beta³ Press Kit of Skout!" Whee!
UGN3D's Q&A with Mike Dussault
talking with the lead engineer on LithTech 3D, Monolith's own licensable 3D game engine,
about what's going on with LithTech 2.
3D-Unlimited interviews Mike
Werckle talking to the artist (and animator) formerly known as Chaos about himself,
his history in the business, and about progress on RUNE, Human Head Studios' upcoming third-person game
of Viking action (you know the combat, not the other kind of action). Included are nine
screenshots showing off this upcoming Unreal-engine game.
- Intel
to cut Pentium III prices over weekend reports CNET.com, saying "Intel will cut
prices on the Pentium III line by 10 to 15 percent on Sunday, according to sources, even
though low processor prices reduced the company's second-quarter profits and conspired to
hand rival AMD a $163 million net loss."
- Hot Hardware's New
Voodoo3 Drivers gives some screenshots that show off what is said to be the improved
visual quality of the new upcoming Voodoo3 drivers in the works over at 3Dfx, and Voodoo Extreme has posted a
screenshot of the drivers' new property tab.
id Software's Graeme Devine updated his .plan with word that there's a "zones" feature in
the new Q3ATest that he'll explain sometime today. He also posted a reminder about where
to send bug reports:
Okay, it's there (as I'm sure you all know).
I'll update tomorrow on how to set up servers in zones so you can easily find/check/get to
servers in groups. It's a nifty new feature. Until then I'm sure you'll all be slamming
each other down on Xian's excellent new tournament map.
As usual, send bugs to q3feedback@idsoftware.com
Tim Sweeney made an update to the Unreal Technology
page that covers how to obtain the latest NVIDIA RIVA TNT/TNT2 drivers "which are
required to run Unreal in Direct3D (previous drivers had problems with Unreal)." The
process is described in just 35 simple steps. The update also discusses patches and
updates, and the responsibilities of Software and Hardware makers, and finishes off with
instructions on how to patch Unreal.
Part
three of Computer Games Online's Mech Warrior III Tips are online offering more on how
to get ahead in the latest installment in the only Mech game that can actually call itself
a Mech game.
Computer
Games Online's Rogue Spear first look is online with a preview of Red Storm's upcoming
sequel to Rainbow Six from the busy lads at CGO.
Likewise, Computer
Games Online's Deus Ex First Look previews ION Storm's upcoming Unreal-engine RPG.
- If you're a non-Win32 user who wants to check out the new one-on-one Q3ATest map, FreeTextures has posted a bunch of new screenshots
showing it off. They also now have no less than 350 textures available for download. Also
posting new shots from the test are the QuakeCity
Gaming Network with a bunch in 1280x1024 resolution...
- A public beta of Panzer-Elite is out,
putting you ion command of a Tank platoon during the initial skirmishes between the German
and American forces through North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Normandy. Thanks
=ElmerFudd=[WIG]...
- Cowboy's Tribes Scripting Page has
a new version of FlagCapsHUD and
a new version 2.4 TribesIP
release...
Sorry about the later-than-usual first update this morning, our attempt so be online constantly to cover the new Q3ATest release left neither loony nor me in a state capable of an update by
the time the dust settled last night (I don't know about loony, but I haven't even gotten
to play the new release yet, I'll probably go for some breakfast frags after posting
this).
Our recent episode of Mutual of Blue's News Wild Kingdom continues ("you can see
from my vantage point safe in this helicopter that the crocodile loonyboi is wrestling with
has enormous teeth..."), as momma Mourning Dove has returned to set up another nest
already! I think MrsBlue and I will have to have a talk with her about birth control....
Link of the Day: Molecule-size circuits point to
ultrafast computers. Thanks Mr.Sarcasm (yeah, sure, great, a thank you).
That's right, version 1.06 of the Win32 Q3Test has been released. The Mac and
Linux versions are still to come. The 31 meg download has a slew of new fixes,
and adds a new 1 on 1 DM map, as well as the Tournament and Spectator modes.
I'm in the process of getting a local copy up for download, but until then here's
a mirrors list (updated throughout the night). For more details, mirrors, and some servers, visit the official Q3Test site. Enough talk. Let's frag.
It's official, or at least close to official, anyway. Christian Ankow updated
his .plan with the latest on tonight's Win32 only Q3Test release: To
expand some more on Graeme's .plan update, I've just sent out the release build
to the mirror sites and asked them to beat on it for a while on their LANs.
We don't forsee any problems with the release, but want to play it safe by getting
them to beat on it for a few hours.
Tonight, we plan on releasing a Win32 version only. The Mac and Linux versions
are not ready to go yet.
If all goes well with testing, I'll be giving the mirrors the go-ahead to publicly
post the file on their sites around 10pm CST.
id's Graeme Devine updated his
.plan with word that the next Win32 version of Q3Test is on its way Real
Soon Now™: A new build of q3test (win32) has been constructed in
your workshop.
That's a little DK2 joke there...
We're hacking on it a bit before it's public, but it's looking good to go! I'll
update my plan file once it's out and fill you all in on what's new.
As promised earlier, GameSpot
has released the patch to open up the Naboo Fighter in Rogue Squadron. This
patch also fixes issues with Voodoo 3 and Banshee based cards.
Monolith sends along these
high resolution versions of the No One Lives Forever screenshots currently
appearing in PC Gamer's Top 10 Games of
2000 piece. They also point out that NOLF is now officially just a working title,
and that they will be changing the name in the near future.
The Road to QuakeCon section
of the official QuakeCon '99 site has
been updated, with this installment throwing RadPipe into a room with the always
entertaining Levelord. Previous installments have featured Raven's Jake
Simpson, id Software's Paul
Steed, and good lord...even me.
Scott Hackett sends word of a new ActiveX control he's written for model authors,
a web viewer. Essentially what it allows you to do, is embed a MD2 file into
your web page for all to see. Pretty cool stuff, and it's available for download
now. It currently supports both Quake II and Half-Life, with MD3 support promised
once Quake III: Arena is released as well. Swing
over to his page and check it out.
I've posted six
new screenshots from HumanSoft's upcoming title SEED for your viewing enjoyment.
Look for a demo later this month, but until then take
a look at these shots to give you an idea of what to expect.
GT's official Unreal Tournament
Site has undergone its weekly update with this week's level
of the week. This week's level is DM-liandri, and is illustrated with several
screenshots.
The official Nihilistic website has
been updated with a new Online
Introduction to their game Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption (thanks
GASource). It's essentially a FAQ, containing
a list of previews of the game (both on and offline), engine information, as
well as a full introduction to the Vampire license that the game is based on,
in addition to a slew of other info.
PCParadox
has posted an interview with Volition's Jim Boone, producer on Freespace 2,
talking about their upcoming space sim sequel.
TacticalPlanet has posted some new prerendered images of the vehicles in Zombie's
SpecOps 2 on their SO2 page.
Both are of high quality, and show off well the attention being paid to detail
in the game.
Xatrix' Ryan "Ridah" Feltrin updated his
.plan with this bit of news for Linux Kingpin server admins, as well as
word that the Kingpin patch has entered final testing: UPDATE: Server
ops, the below binaries will not be compatible with current win32 clients. So
best wait until the patch has been released (which will be simultaneous win32/linux)
before upgrading your binaries.
The patch is undergoing final testing, and should be out soon.
The binaries
in question are the Linux Kingpin clients released earlier today.
An update to the official Quake 3
Arena site gives voice to a hot rumor that's been floating about: It sounds like a new version of the Win32 Q3ATest is on the way, though it really just says "in anticipation of a new release" and nothing about how soon it will be (thanks Daniel).
Here's the update Christian posted:
In anticipation of a new release of the Win32 version of Q3Test, I've moved the current release to the old directory on the FTP server. So if you were trying to download Q3Test, and couldn't find it, that's why =) Stay tuned...
UGN3D interviews Kenn Hoekstra talking in a Q&A with Raven Software’s project administrator about the progress on Raven's upcoming Soldier of Fortune, Raven's Q2-engine game where you live the peaceful reflective life of a mercenary.
The
Adrenaline Vault previews Omikron The Nomad Soul looking at this upcoming action title
from Quantic Dream in a detailed two-page
preview along with a bunch of
screenshots (I'm not sure if any of them are new, but at least none of them have that
creepy green David Bowie head--which is cool enough, I just couldn't handle that at this
hour).
A new modification for Half-Life has been added to the Valve modification server. OZ deathmatch is about a 7 MB install, and you can access it within Half-Life by selecting the "Custom Game" menu choice, refreshing the list, selecting the OZ DM mod, and choosing the install option. Thanks Max.
Ryan "Ridah" Feltrin updated his .plan with the announcement of the release of a full Linux
client for Kingpin: Life of Crime. Here's the word on the release, which requires a 3D accelerator:
A full Linux client port of Kingpin is now available.
I have not tested this extensively, so please don't treat this as a full-blown release. If there are major bugs, I'd like to hear about it. I will try and fix any problems in what little time I have outside normal work.
I am very much behind the linux cause. Although for many it can be a love-hate relationship at times, when it does work, it's a dream to use. I've only been using it now for about a week, in which time I've developed a strong desire to see this platform succeed. Thus, I have devoted a lot of effort towards getting this client working.
At this time, it is limited to Linux glibc, and REQUIRES A 3D ACCELERATOR, which is compatible with Linux (most 3DFX and TNT/2 cards).
Please sure to read the README file before attempting to contact me.
Linux
Kingpin v1.09beta - RPM Installation (recommended).
(use 'rpm -i --nodeps kingpin-1.09beta_glibc-1.i386.rpm' to install with TNT/2 cards)
Linux
Kingpin v1.09beta - TAR Archive.
Note: some non-Linux browsers are known to corrupt downloads of these files. Best use your
Linux browser, and do a shift-click.
Rewriting the sixth commandment, GameCenter has posted their Ten
Deathmatch Commandments, and oddly enough not one of which happens to be
"thou shalt not kill" or even "thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's
TNT card". For those who are slightly beyond the stage of simple rules,
they've also posted some Advanced Deathmatch Tips to keep you occupied.
GameSages has posted
details on how to use Quake 2 maps in Kingpin (thanks Billy " Not
in the face! Not in the face!" Wilson). Here's the scoop:
- Download a Quake II editor like quark or qped.
- Load it up and open the pak1.pak in your baseq2 directory.
- Open the maps folder and right click on the ones you want.
- Choose export file and save the bsp in you kingpin/main/maps folder.
- If you don't have that folder make one, make sure you export the folder
textures and place them in the kp texture directory.
Descent3D has
posted a full list of cheat codes for Descent 3, so check 'em out if you're stuck and tired of flying in circles until you pass out.
The latest installment of the always insane Daily
Dementia features the honorary loon TC chattin' it up with Joe Siegler of
3D Realms. Amongst the topics covered are Duke Forever, Balls of Steel, and
the scary fact that Duke 3D has been downloaded over 17,864,000 times (scary
because who the heck is keeping count of these things?).
UGN3D has posted
an interview with Mark Jamieson of Creative Labs, talking about a whole slew
of hardware issues.
At around 7:00 PM Eastern, GameSpot will
have the patch for Rogue Squadron that will enable the Naboo Fighter to be played.
The PC patch (the console version simply has a code that can be entered) will
also fix issues with 3dfx Voodoo 3 and Banshee cards. They've already posted
some
screenshots of the ship, so you can satisfy your curiosity without downloading
the patch.
You know, I think my influence here is starting to show...the other day, as Blue and I were leaving Manhattan, we took a sidestep into a store, and the Smurf bought himself a Playstation. Woo hoo! Being the avid console fan that I am (I'm a collector, I'm afraid...I practically have a console museum in my apartment) this would be good news. Now if I could only get him to give Pokemon a chance...
Other good news on the console front: I've been playing quite a bit of the Nintendo 64 port of Quake 2, and while it's certainly not as visually stunning as the PC version (especially on a TNT2 or Voodoo 3 equipped PC) it's pretty dang cool. The level design's good, the weapons feel right, and although the controller's a bit funky, any fan of Turok or Goldeneye knows it can work just fine in a FPS if you give it some time. It's also the first N64 game that has prompted me to invest in the N64 expansion pack, which adds 4 meg of ram to the system. While it doesn't increase the game's resolution like it does in some other titles, it does significantly improve the framerate and overall polish of the experience. I strongly recommend picking one up if you're going to give Quake 2 - 64 a whirl (along with a couple of extra controllers for that true deathmatch experience).
On a completely different note, today is the 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch that would prompt the moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Those of us that are too young to have experienced it first hand tend to forget, but this is indeed one of, if not the most important moments of the century.
Link of the Day: NASA's Apollo 11 30th Anniversary Site
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