Vault Network has posted an interview on Soulbringer, talking to producer Don Kirkland about this upcoming 3D role-playing game currently under construction at Gremlin and Infogrames. The detailed article covers the game's concept and engine, the magic and combat systems, and the proverbial more. Here is a taste:

Jonric: What will make Soulbringer stand out from the other current and soon to be released games? What kind of gamer do you feel it will appeal to most?

Don Kirkland: Soulbringer is an RPG that focuses very heavily on the story and character interaction. In today’s market of merging different game types together to make RPG/platform or RPG/FPS games, Soulbringer remains a pure CRPG - you do not need to be a twitch player to enjoy Soulbringer. However, Soulbringer is still real-time, giving the game a lot more flow than a game that breaks to turn-based combat.

Following in id's footsteps, Bungie Software has released the Marathon 2: Durandal source code for Macintosh, as reported by MacGamer's Ledge. Marathon 2: Durandal was Bungie's first-person shooter released in 1995, and the source, which is released under the terms of the GNU public license, requires the Macintosh Programmers Workshop and can be downloaded in two different formats.

The official Quake III Arena FAQ has been updated to version 0.41, adding the known issues with A3D, and the new features and fixed bug lists. This is the same document that came included with the point release (story). Elsewhere, the unofficial Unreal Tournament FAQ by Droogie was updated to version 1.6, mainly to fix some previously incorrect information.

There is a brief interview on Rune online at GameFan, talking to Mike Werckle about Human Head's upcoming third-person Viking action game. As the game is still quite some time away from its intended Summer release, the article does not contain much in the way of new information, but the bit about skeletal animation is illustrated by three screenshots from the animation editor.

Tsnoi's Transcripts (try saying that three times fast) has posted an interview with Trent Oster, producer on the 3D role-playing game Neverwinter Nights which is currently in development at BioWare. Thanks Vault Network. The talk covers a variety of grounds, including the progress of development, adherence to the AD&D rules, interaction with fans, and more.

id's Graeme Devine updated his .plan on the just released editing docs, as well as id's stance on the DLL vs. Virtual Machine debate for game mods. Here's the deal:

Mr Elusive just put together some bot editing documents, the file is available on our ftp server:

ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/quake3/tools/Q3ABotEdit.zip

We've been following the whole DLL vs. VM debates, and id is firmly on the side of using VMs for game mods. We will be addressing the "auto swap" VM depending on which server you go to quickly (this was a bug) but I think we will be strict on saying that people should use VMs over DLL files. The next executable release will probably have a warning screen come up that you will need to agree to and click through if the game is about to load a DLL.

Programmer Robert Duffy simultaneously updated his .plan on the same issue, as well as on the fs_game bug (for which they will be issuing another point release patch within a week) and the possibilities of auto-downloading mods. Here's the scoop:

We will be releasing a point release within a week that addresses the fs_game problem that exists in the current executable. This problem forces clients to start with the same fs_game parameter as the server. It does not affect normal game play but keeps the server from specifying which "game" directory to use. This is a bug. Mod authors do not have to wait for the fs_game patch to get started as the code will be the same either way on their end.

There are two other basic issues for mods that have come up:

1. DLL use for mods
Our position on DLL use for mods is that it is a bad thing. DLL's are not multi-os compatible and they pose a much greater security risk than qvm's. Note, I did not say that qvm's are totally secure, they are not, but they are definately more secure than DLL's. DLL's are for debugging only and qvm's are the only official supported way to produce and distribute a mod. Period.

2. Auto-downloading
We are currently exploring several options for auto-downloading. There will support at some level for mod surfing and downloading. This support is geared towards the "mod" type of add-on as opposed to downloading maps or models ( or skins ). The goal is to not consume server bandwidth for downloads but push the bandwidth use to some sort of a dedicated "mod" server or something.

id Software has released a set of editing documents for the bots in Quake III Arena. Written by id's Mr Elusive, the HTML docs come as a 19 KB zip-file for download from their ftp server, and include information on bot characteristics, the chat system, item and weapon specs, the creation of new arenas and bot characters, and more. Here is a local copy with a couple of mirrors.

More screenshots than you'd need to redecorate your wall:

• PsychoNews has received the ten screenshots of KISS Psycho Circus: the Nightmare Child that were previously featured in the Psycho Circus preview in the February issue of Incite Games magazine, though some look familiar from previous galleries. They have also posted character shots of the four Elders, the main characters in the game.
• 3D-Unlimited has posted a new Soldier of Fortune image depicting another quintet of characters from the upcoming mercenary shooter by Raven, this bunch being called the "Ministry of Sin." The page also links to 3D-Unlimited's audio preview at Gamer's Playground.
• GameFan has posted a pair of new Daikatana screenshots, along with the rumor that the game should go gold next month (but with Daikatana, I'm afraid that's as good as any other rumor).

A new version 2.09 demo for BattleCruiser 3000 is now available at BattleCruiser Online's Galcom News Network. This brings the demo in line with the retail v2.09 patch released early this year (story), and while offering the same content as the v2.0 demo, this release "uses the advanced 2.09 kernel, has several surface mission zones, supports more graphics cards etc." The GNN update also includes more information on the multiplayer features in the BattleCruiser Millennium edition of this space sim series.

A new Eurogamer.net feature on licenses offers a look at what they feel is a resurgence in the development of games based on established licenses from movies, novels, and comic books. The article discusses Ritual's FAKK 2 (loosely based on an animated movie based on a feature from Heavy Metal magazine), Third Law Interactive's KISS: Psycho Circus-The Nightmare Child (based on a comic book, which is itself, of course, based on the rock band), Star Trek: Voyager-Elite Force (based on a TV series, which itself was a spin-off of several prior series), Alice (loosely based on Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll's sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Wheel of Time (based on the series of Robert Jordan Books), and Soldier of Fortune (loosely based on the mercenary magazine of the same name). The article features exclusive new screenshots of Soldier of Fortune and Star Trek: Voyager--Elite Force, and comments from members of Raven, Ritual, Legend, Third Law, and Electronic Arts' American McGee.

Another new Messiah screenshot is up on incite games as part of their ongoing contest that offers the chance to win some shiny Shiny swag while viewing new shots of Shiny's upcoming diaper-clad third-person action game. Also, there are four new Tread Marks Screen Shots on the official site for Longbow Digital Arts' tank racing/combat game that is now available via mail order. The new shots highlight some of the special effects of the game's 3D engine, including some tanks kicking up large clouds of dust, and the bright green and white explosion of a mass driver seen at close range.

There is a new version of JHexen, the OpenGL port of Raven's venerable Hexen. Thanks Phoebus. This release features new beta network code using a simulated client/server system, allowing TCP/IP games over the Internet (a first as far as Hexen ports go), and the beta testing page has detailed information on the features and use of the beta test.

Raven's Rick Johnson updated his .plan with more details about the apparently imminent Soldier of Fortune demo, as well as some questions for mod authors and model makers about model support. Here goes:

With the demo being extremely close to being released, followed by the full game, I'm looking for feedback in this area. Currently, you need to have a copy of 3DS MAX 2.0 in order to create GHOUL models.
This may be of inconvience to some people, so I've left in support for Quake2 models. This code hasn't been used in well over a 16 months, and may not even work with all of our networking changes.
Should I leave in Quake2 model support? Is that worth-while for MOD makers? Or should I remove it and go on with life? Or if someone has done a Quake3 model viewer for the Quake1 source code, should that be placed in? (given the author gives me permission, as I just can't plop in Q3A source code into our project). Send me an email with your thoughts. Please put a subject of "Q2M", so that my filter will move it into a folder for me.

Revelations as Freeware on GA-Source gives the follow-up on a previous report there about plans for an authorized Blood2 add-on called Revelations by Tequila Software (story). The update announces that rather than being a retail product as originally planned, the add-on (or at least portions of it) will now be released as freeware, apparently contradicting some prior reports that this would not happen. The article includes screenshots from some of the levels to be included in the release, for which no specific date is set.

There is some concept art from the upcoming Blair Witch Project games on GameDaily showing off some oogie sketches to inspire the games inspired by the homemade horror breakthrough hit movie. As described there, the plan is to create "three interwoven titles, each exploring a different era along the timeline of the Blair Witch mythology. Each of the titles will revolve around the 'Stranger' character featured in the previously released Nocturne." Word is more Blair Witch Project game details will be in the upcoming January 31 issue of GameWEEK.

A bit confused by the article about the OEM demo for Soldier of Fortune mentioned earlier (story), I wrote Raven's Kenn Hoekstra to ask him to explain the difference between the OEM single player demo, the OEM multiplayer demo, and most importantly, how they relate to any plans for a publicly distributed demo for the world at large. Here's the rundown on the situation straight from Kenn:

1. Single Player Only OEM was released with the Razer mouse and a few other miscellaneous bits of hardware.
2. Multiplayer Only OEM was released (and is currently available) with the 3com gaming modem. (This is the version that Thresh's FiringSquad is reviewing)
3. The public demo is going to be released soon and freely available for download. This demo will include support for single player and multiplayer, weighing in with a tutorial, two single player levels, a cinematic level and two multiplayer levels. Download size could be approaching 90 - 100 MB.

The OEM versions are illegal to download (although people have been doing so) but the demo will be freeware. As far as knowing whether or not the 100MB will be worth the download, I guess research and reviews of the OEM versions and all of the previews of the game will have to suffice. There is certainly no shortage of Soldier of Fortune information on the Internet. =) In Europe, the game will be distributed on several magazine cover demo disks and I'm sure the same will be true in the U.S. If people are interested and don't want to risk the download, I'm sure plenty of magazines will carry it. How's that for an answer? Does that clear things up or make them worse? =)

That cleared things up for me. Thanks Kenn!

• S.A.S's Guide to Quake III Arena on BarrysWorld offers an update to this Quake III Arena tips and strategy guide. Changes in the guide include tips on advance .cfg handling, and info on using their mega-multiplayer demo to stress test your system.
• Q3Center's Q3A CTF guide is online offering tips on capturing and defending in Quake III Arena, though it admits to possible inaccuracies.
• Also there's a Quake III Arena Map Strategy guide on Mac Gamer's Ledge with Q3 DM1 (Arena Gate) tips and strategies.
• Finally, the Allegiance Zone's Advanced Commanding Guide gives a key to being an effective commander in Microsoft's new space combat game (if it were Star Trek, step one would probably be to lose your mind, as half the flag officers in the original series seemed to run amok at some point).

A new version 1.3 of Savage UKs' QuakeTV program is now available (thanks Voodoo Extreme). This program can allow multiple viewers to watch a live Quake II or Quake III Arena matches over the Internet via a QuakeTV server, ideally set up on a high-speed connection.

The debut release of the Ultima Ascension Diary Reader is now available, offering a handy way to review, print, and even search your journal to keep track of what's what in Origin's latest installment in their fantasy RPG series. The utility will even highlight key items in your journal like City names, Dungeons, and Sigils with colored text.

Version 0.91 of Q3Log is now available, offering the ability to parse logs from Quake III Arena matches and extract results. The difference between Q3Log and other log parsers is that rather than simply generating pages of HTML statistics, Q3Log is a full windows application that allows users to graph all their player data. The program also has an integrated console command list editor with descriptions of every variable and command (courtesy of I-Am Q3A) as well as game-by-game information provided with the inclusion of Q3LA by Fabian Huester.

As can often be the case, there's a brand new version 1.5.3 of the NewMod utility hot on the heels of the previous release (story). In an unusual twist, however, the new release is not a quick bug fix of any kind, but rather adds a couple of new features to this mod compiling utility meant to make life easier for mod developers. The new features include the option to force the overwrite of an existing mod, and the option to have the include files automatically patched with your mod's directory. In the process of the update, the entire codebase has been converted from C++ into ANSI C, cutting the already modest download almost in half, to a measly 28 KB.

There's a new version 0.5i of the SpoonBot on www.playspoon.com. The new version of this AI playmate for Starsiege TRIBES doesn't really offer any new features, just fixes for problems with version 0.5h, including the "energy" and "runaway" bugs.

24 Hour Gamer interviews SouthEnd Interactive talking with the Swedish developer about progress on their upcoming action title, Blitz: Disc Arena. The Q&A goes into the technology and gameplay behind this action/bloodsport game that 24HG chooses to describe as being "a cross between NHL '99, Half-Life and Tron."

Thresh's FiringSquad Soldier of Fortune Multiplayer Demo Review is called a review, but since it is based on the still-to-be-released Multiplayer Demo to be included as an OEM bundle, offering new screenshots and all sorts of details, highlighting it as a hands-on preview seems just as appropriate. There's no word on what hardware the demo will be offered with, but in spite of the article referring to cluing modem users in on whether it will be worth a download, it seems safe to assume an OEM demo will not be available for download legally, though you never know (a multiplayer demo with a limited distribution might make it hard to find games).

A report on The Adrenaline Vault announces GT Interactive's plan to release the original Unreal bundled with Legend Entertainment's add-on, Return to Na Pali, along with the official Unreal strategy guide. According to the update, the whole shebang is going to be called Unreal Gold, and will be on store shelves as soon as February 15, although they point out "Epic was unable to comment on what version Unreal Gold will be since it is 'very much a future product.'"

An update to the Unreal Technology page gives word from Erik de Neve of an experimental D3D patch for Unreal Tournament (thanks Creeker). Here's the deal:

We are testing a new beta of UT's DirectX7 D3D rendering interface DLL. People experiencing problems in D3D mode may want to help test it, keep in mind this is an unsupported, largely untested beta. In particular, this should allow you to run UT on certain combinations of GeForce-based cards and drivers for which the original DLL crashes shortly after 'precaching'. To install, backup the d3ddrv.dll that's in your UT system folder and replace it with this file. Feedback welcome at utbugs405@epicgames.com.

The QER News page has release 6 of Phoenix Quake, using access to the Quake source code to add Quake III Arena-style shader functions to the original Quake. While the included shaders for 500 or so current Quake 1 textures don't exploit the potential of shaders, the new version opens the door to artists looking to get creative with 32-bit texture maps and other Quake III-engine effects. Thanks Tom Cleghorn.

BarrysWorld has posted some Windows game .dlls for Quake III Arena optimized for speed on Pentium II+ processors they say can provide a significant framerate boost (though of course, this may prevent you from being able to play on a pure server).

• There are some TNT Benchmarks on HardOCP showing how an older accelerator can still get okay performance, provided you throw enough horsepower at it (in this case 807 MHz of overclocked coppermine worth).
• You want to tweak? RIVA3D's Tweaks-Hints-Fixes-Cheats Database has over 350 of them on file.
• Now that Adrian's Rojak Pot is back online, so is their Video RAM Caching guide.
• There's a Tech Help page on Vortex of Sound to help get S/PDIF working under Windows 9x on an MX300 with the 204x drivers.
• Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer is reviewed on 3d Retreat.
• 3DCool.com UT Exhauster is reviewed on BoomGames Interactive.

A new utility for mod authors called NewMod for Quake III Arena is designed to take some of the hassle out of working with the Quake III Arena game source by making it so that new projects will automatically compile into their proper directories under your Q3A directory, and the program also serves as what is described as a powerful source code backup tool. Version 1.0.0 is an under 40 KB download that includes the source code, and the author describes it as allowing mod developers "to add their own custom files into NewMod's archival routines and to allow for future Q3A source updates without having to touch the executable code."

The Just The Movies page has the release of Road to Coma, a new Quake II movie, which, fitting the general state of the art, is pretty bizarre. The movie features some non-sequitur channel switching followed by an action sequence. The juxtaposition seemed a bit odd to me, but then again, there's The Thin Red Line.

Fuzzy's Logic has posted a new quake3data.gsl as a tiny 3 KB download to enable full Quake III Arena support in the GibStats Quake and Quake II log analyzer, which still only offers support for Q3Test/Demo. The unofficial Q3A support is fairly complete, with proper support for colored names the only feature with known problems.

Rob Wiltbank sent along the following for folks having problems connecting to the Microsoft Gaming Zone to play Allegiance (or presumably other games) because they are behind a Linux masq server. Here's the deal:

Don't know if ya've tried the demo, but in the Zone lobby for Allegiance, it directs you to a webpage if you get the message, "Can't Connect to Lobby." That webpage is research.microsoft.com/joeld/allnetwork.htm and basically states some s__t that ya can't play Allegiance through internet connection sharing, along with some proxies and firewalls without some tweaks, which they give examples of for MS OS's...

Well, being the linux guy I am, this left me s__t out of luck, so for all of those folks out there who are behind a linux masq server, here's how to play Allegiance:

Step 1: You need to have root or su access.
Step 2: Find the ipmasqadm rpm for ipchains or the ipautofw rpm if you're using ipfwadm and install the RPM (if not already installed... can be found at rpmfind.net)
Step 3: For IP Chains use this command set:

ipmasqadm autofw -A -v -r udp 2300 2400 -h www.xxx.yyy.zzz
ipmasqadm autofw -A -v -r tcp 2300 2400 -h www.xxx.yyy.zzz
ipmasqadm autofw -A -v -r tcp 47624 47624 -h www.xxx.yyy.zzz
ipmasqadm autofw -A -v -r udp 47624 47624 -h www.xxx.yyy.zzz
ipmasqadm autofw -A -v -r udp 28800 28900 -h www.xxx.yyy.zzz

Where www.xxx.yyy.zzz is the IP address in the internal network that you want to play on. For ipfwadm:

ipautofw -A -v -r udp 2300 2400 -h www.xxx.yyy.zzz
ipautofw -A -v -r tcp 2300 2400 -h www.xxx.yyy.zzz
ipautofw -A -v -r tcp 47624 47624 -h www.xxx.yyy.zzz
ipautofw -A -v -r udp 47624 47624 -h www.xxx.yyy.zzz
ipautofw -A -v -r udp 28800 28900 -h www.xxx.yyy.zzz

Where www.xxx.yyy.zzz is the IP address in the internal network that you want to play on.

Also, this should work for all DirectX variant games. Thought this may be of some help to other folks out there.

• Age of Empires II: Age of Kings on Gamershome.com.
• Everglide Large Attack Pad Mousing Surface on Power Gamerz.
• Half-Life: Opposing Force on Jsi Hardware.
• Homeworld on Maximum3D.
• Hype: The Time Quest on Computer Games Online.
• Imperium Galactica II on Federation HQ.
• Rollercoaster Tycoon: Corkscrew Follies on Maximum3D.
• SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle on Abnormality.
• Unreal Tournament on 3D Rage.

• Painful Detail has a pair of new player models for Unreal Tournament, as well as a tutorial on converting Quake II skins to Unreal Tournament...
• Bill Brown's Music Samples Page includes streaming music samples of the game work of Bill Brown (of Rainbow Six fame) including Quake III Arena end credits music, music from Anachronox, and more...
• WasteLAN now hosting clan and player profiles where you can upload a bio and even a photograph...
• There's a preview of Metal Fatigue on Gamer's Alliance Strategy giving some hands-on impressions of this upcoming anime-inspired RTS from Psygnosis...

Pretty darn quiet around here this weekend, for those outside the US who may not be aware, things are likely to be slow for a lot of the US-based scene today as well, since it's the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Speaking of outside the US, I heard from someone in Ireland that the new season of the Sopranos won't be seen over there for months yet, so apologies to anyone similarly deprived for rubbing last night's premiere in their faces. Not to worry, I certainly won't post any spoilers here.

Link of the Day: Thumb.com. Thanks Lord J.
Image of the Day: This Quake III Arena Wallpaper by Eric Cherry.
Bonus Image: Another new Q3A wallpaper on www.q3a.de, this one another of the Doom Marine, this time depicting old green and pissed in an action shot.

3DNews.Net interviews Anoop Shekar talking to the assistant producer on Summoner about the game, which is an RPG currently under construction over at Volition. Accompanying the Q&A are 12,000 words worth of pictures, in the form of a dozen new screenshots.

Though it has obviously been sitting somewhere aging like a cheese or a fine wine, PlayDevil.com's interview with Paul Butterfield just went online (thanks Voodoo Extreme). The Q&A talked with Paul while he was still PR manager at Monolith, and offers up some details on the spy game formerly known as No One Lives Forever and the LithTech2 engine that hopefully haven't become out of date in the time since the Q&A took place.

After a several week hiatus, NovaLogic has released a new upgrade for Delta Force 2, this time only through the auto-update feature in the game. Details on the changes are scarce at this moment, though Suppressive Fire sends along word that it "adds a new multiplayer game type called Search & Destroy." Also, Maagic informs us that this updates the game to version 1.04.26, including the warning that it updates the mission editor to version 1.36 "which removes some features from the version (1.31) that came with the CD so if you don't want to use the less-complete mission editor, back up your old files." We'll post mention when a downloadable patch is released, for those who prefer their upgrading the old-fashioned way.

Allegiance 101 on the Allegiance Vault is a basic strategy guide covering all the fundamentals of Allegiance and some basic winning tactics for Microsoft's beta space combat game. Also, there's an Allegiance editorial on PC Paradox complaining of difficulties using the beta.

You say you want some more? Well here's some more:

• Dteam 3d Design Guild has posted some helpful documents to help mod authors getting started with the Quake III Arena game source including a tutorial on compiling your source code.
• Since the dual posts on the Rocket Arena site posted earlier (story) also refer to the UT version of the mod, it seems appropriate to point out that Epic's Brandon "GreenMarine" Reinhart updated the Rocket Arena UT page (thanks Wiwi) with a status report on the UT version of this legendary Quake and Quake II mod.
• There's a new IRC channel called #q3mods on irc.telefragged.com where anyone with questions come along and ask or just hang out.
• Q3Center's Map Design Contest offers a GeForce DDR card for the best Q3A map (at a retail value of about $300, that's about 25 cents an hour for most maps, but what the heck).
• Also, Cocoon-Ed, the first site devoted to Aliens versus Predator mods, is now online.

Hot on the heels of the version 1.21 posted earlier (story), which came hot on the heels of version 1.20 (replaced before it was posted here), comes a new version 1.22 of the Servarena Quake III Arena dedicated server launcher. The new release fixes a few more bugs (highlighting the danger in declaring that version 1.20 was a non-beta), and adds a couple of new features as well to this program that can now serve as a server .cfg generator, as well as a dedicated server launcher.

Ground Control Headquarters has posted a new screenshot of Massive Entertainment's upcoming 3D RTS, adding to this page of "exclusive" shots we didn't post mention of so far. Elsewhere, Controlling Forces points out that the official Ground Control site at Sierra Studios has recently been updated with a pair of new shots in their media section. And speaking of Controlling Forces, they have also posted a brief interview with sound engineer and composer Ola Strandh.

The unofficial gameplay FAQ for Quake III Arena by Jim Mazurek has been updated again, adding a new power-up analysis section, tips and info on Q3DM15, and various other changes.

The first release of the QuakeWorld Forever modification of the public Quake source code is now available. The goal of this project to achieve a secure system of client and server binaries while remaining completely OpenSource within one program. The beta1 release is described as "a very big and successful first step towards our goal," though the page also says "the methods used in this should not be considered our final goal, it is far from it." The current release uses the GNU Privacy Guard for security algorithms. The source and binaries for Linux and Win32 are available, along with info on modified servers. Also, the QER News page has a new version of their QuakeWorld client that fixes a bug with 3dfx-based accelerators. The new fix is just two lines of code, and the new source upload is expected soon.

The DEMISE - Rise of the Ku'Tan page has an updated version 1.00R2 of the Demise Demo. According to the 3DFiles.Com mirror: "This demo follows the announcement that the game is gold and due to ship on the 31st, so after a couple of years, this demo should better reflect the final code." There's no patch for the R1 demo at this time, so getting it involves a 110 MB download.

• Tom's Hardware Guide's Future Games-the role of scene graphs asks the musical question "Does the Quake engine qualify as a scene graph?" They emphasize the significance of the question, saying: "This is where the next battle in 3D hardware will be fought." Thanks David Webber.
• A new edition of the Sharky Extreme Buyer's Guide is online.
• There are registry keys on 3D Spotlight on how to enable side band addressing on Athlon systems and Detonator 3.6x drivers, with one specific tweak for the leaked 3.69 drivers if you have them.

The I.Am.Q3A Quake3Arena Q3A Console Guide has been completely revised and updated to include the 100 new commands and variables included in the retail version of the game. Here's I.Am's description: "Each command or variable's purpose and use is explained, along with examples where appropriate, and they are all available in one complete alphabetical list, or in handy categorized lists."

Talkin' Dirty With Monolith's Mike Dussault on Voodoo Extreme is an interview with the Monolith programmer talking about his work on the LithTech 2 engine, discussing its features and its, and Monolith's coolness.

Though the Sabaneta page is shooting blanks as of this writing, the debut version 0.69 release of the Sabaneta 2050 mod for Half-Life can be found on their partnered Riot Software website. Sabaneta 2050 is a teamplay mod where each team must protect its leader and eliminate the other team's leader that features an experience system where the more experience points you have, the more weapons will become available to you. The mod is an 11 MB download, and includes five new maps.

The carnageNet Quake 3 page has the first release of their InstaGib modification for Quake III Arena, that looks to sincerely flatter the Unreal Tournament game type by altering Q3A so that each player is given a railgun, and each shot is lethal. All game modes are supported, including FFA, tourney, single player, and CTF.

The Fist Fight page has version 1.00 of the Fist Fight tournament-style modification for Quake, similar to Unreal Tournament or Quake III Arena, where you fight your way through levels with bots and up to a final boss. Each bot has a unique personality and skin depending on which level you are playing. The mod that features combat with fisticuffs as well as footsteps, a chasecam, an observer mode, kickable gibs, blood splats, and more.

A new version 1.21 (a fix right on the heels of 1.20 if you managed to catch it) of the Servarena Quake III Arena dedicated server launcher is now available adding what are described as a boatload of features. Since we don't have a boat handy, I'll just list a few of them: A new menu system, a "save config as" feature so Servarena now also serves as a script generator in addition to a server launcher, a force respawn setting, a check box to allow cheating, support for the auto-join feature from the point release, and (a boatload) more.

Dig this load:

• The first release of Scythe Entertainment's Shader Editor is now available, a freeware tool to edit those knotty shader effects in Quake III Arena maps.
• This page has links to some Quake III Arena grappling hook code and offers instructions on adding the hook to any Q3A mod (including CTF, which the author says he's tested).
• Rungy's Metropolis has posted a new Quake III Arena mapping tutorial that discusses how to make maps perform better and a "huge" guide on making models in Q3A using the Milkshape3D editor.
• An updated version 1.3.2 of the Yadex GPL Doom level editor for Unix systems running X (including Linux) is now available, addressing a bug in the makefile in the previous release. Thanks Jacek Fedoryñski.
• There is an explanation on Quakeheads.com of the "magic" caulk texture in Q3A, including tips for its use, taken straight from the in-progress Q3Radiant manual, sent along by id's Paul Jaquays.
• Graphtallica has another free texture pack, following their one-per-week release schedule, the new one offering 25 textures following a techno/evilish theme.
• Speaking of editing, this seems like an appropriate place to point out there are a pair of posts on the Rocket Arena site (thanks Modog), the first expressing discouragement about how the state of the Q3A game source as released would negatively impact development of Rocket Arena 3 for Q3A, and a follow-up after some discussions with id's Graeme Devine showing a lot more optimism based on word that issues crt raised are being addressed.

4wesome's Wireplay UT 4v4 DM League is online, here's a bit of concise hype from their page to sum up the deal: "Featuring some of the best clans around and some of the fastest clan servers in the UK we've put this league together to provide a base for many clans all around Europe. Expect manic games, skillful opposition and some of the most stylish UT play anywhere in the world."

• Age of Empires II: Age of Kings on The Dawg Pound.
• Asheron's Call on PC.IGN.com.
• Battlezone II: Combat Commander on PC.IGN.com.
• Flanker 2.0 on Serious Gamers.
• Interstate '82 on Adrenaline Vault.
• Pharaoh on ESCMAG.
• Phoenix on A Talent For War.
• Planescape: Torment on EuroGamer.
• Rally Championship on Games Domain Reviews.
• Razer BoomSlang 2000 Gaming Mouse on HardNews.org.
• Star Wars: Racer on Games Weekly.
• SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle on Game Downloads Online.
• The Wheel of Time on Ingava.
• Tread Marks Demo on Lake's Digital Arts.
• Unreal Tournament on Gamezilla.

• The Tectonic page has the public release of the source code for the TecArena launcher for Q3A, a plug-in enabled version of the Tectonic launcher. The current code is not completely compatible with the retail version of Quake III Arena, but is being released in case it may be useful to another programmer...
• A new beta 0.2 of the Counter-Strike Alias Binder is online to help build your .cfg for this Half-Life mod, offering a slew of fixes and new features. There was a problem with the first version 0.2 (before this was ever posted here), and in a unique bit of problem-solving, the fix is also numbered version 0.2, but now doesn't include the runtime files, which are a separate download...
• There's a test version of a Quake II proxy that adds A3D support to the game on the HMDPRX page...
• Unreal Universe has posted a shot sent along by Nevolution of their soon-to-be announced Unreal-engine game...
• The Allegiance Vault has posted a piece of concept art from early in development of Microsoft's space sim...
• Dr.TwisTer's Shadowbane for Linux Site is an interesting proposition, since currently only a Win32 version of this "massively multiplayer" online RPG is in the works, but they have a petition up since they've promised to consider Linux support if enough folks show interest...
• Speaking of "massively multiplayer" yada yada GA-RPG's Big World Details and Screenshots have shots and info about Micro Forte's M.M. online science fiction RPG, Big World (working title), scheduled for PC and PlayStation 2 release in 2001...

"Woke up this morning... and got yourself a gun..." That's right, the day I, and I assume many others, marked off on their calendars months ago when the date of the premiere of the new season of The Sopranos was announced has arrived, as tonight is the big night. I'm so looking forward to the new season, that I'm actually already ruing the fact that the beginning of the season means we are so close to the end of it already--I'm sure that's some sort of psychological syndrome, but I probably won't seek treatment unless there's medication involved.

Link of the Day: The Dancing Shatners (related to recent OotBs). Thanks Patrick K. Mills. You need to get the RealPlayer clip going and reload the page to get him a' dancing again to enjoy the full glory.
Bonus Link: Top 20 replies by programmers when their programs don't work. On a site of such lists, many real winners. Thanks Ant.