The Wavelength Models page has details on the four deathmatch models included in Half-Life, including the information necessary for aspiring modelers and skinners to get started customizing their own stuff.

Gameplay Issues for Map Design is an article on editing issues for Half-Life map designers on Half-Life Analysis. Thanks Planet Half-Life.

A new version 0.9 of the Gladiator Bot for Quake II is now available. The update adds support for Quake II: The Reckoning, Quake II Ground Zero, Rocket Arena 2, and Capture The Flag. The release also offers a new version 1.1 of the WinBSPC utility to add gladiator routes to existing maps, since routes converted with the previous version will not work with the new Gladiator.

GA-Source has posted eight exclusive new Expendable screenshots showing off Rage's upcoming action game.

A new version of the Tirtanium OpenGL/Direct3D benchmark is now available, offering "big texture Tirtanium," a hardcore benchmark they say requires a 400 MHz CPU. Thanks Billy at Voodoo Extreme.

Regenerated Forces has posted their own guide to getting started playing Starsiege TRIBES.

GA-Source interviews Billy "Wicked" Wilson. 'Nuff said.

Been tied up all day messing around with ProjectX. We may possibly go beta tomorrow, but no promises (to help take the edge off the build-up, I have to confess, that if the project goes really well, you'll hardly notice a difference around here, at least on the surface).

Version 1.0 of the Official Duke Nukem forever FAQ is online at DukeWorld, answering all your queries about 3D Realms' upcoming installment in the Duke franchise.

Gabe from Valve sent along an interesting essay written up by Valve's Yahn Bernier talking about Internet connectivity in Half-Life (and games in general) called Latency versus Ping (it is too large to post in the news, so I put it on its own page).

The Action Quake2 has a new version 1.5 of the Action Quake 2 server. The new release is called a complete code re-write which fixes all known bugs and adds new features as well, including IR goggles and a new spectator mode. The files are for servers only, with both Windows and Linux binaries available. If you are interested in what's changed, you can check out the changes and readme files.

This CPL press release announces that the first demonstration of multiplayer play on 3DO's upcoming Requiem: Avenging Angel, will take place at the CPL's Extreme Annihilation even next month in Dallas.

CaveNews has posted samples of the music from CaveDog's upcoming shooter, AMEN: The Awakening, along with word of a AMEN Developer Journal by Jeremy Soule, the game's music composer. The music sample is available in .mp3 and RealPlayer formats.

PlanetStarSiege Beginner's Guide to TRIBES offers a jetpack to get those new to TRIBES over the learning curve.

The Turok Cave has posted the cheats for the just-released PC version of Turok2: Seeds of Evil.

Doh! declares the former Aliens versus Predator mod page, with the announcement that Fox Interactive has shut down their project, which is not too surprising (the page itself say "I'm just surprised this didn't happen sooner"), considering Fox's history of shutting down such unlicensed projects that have come to their attention.

Version 2.7a of the GibStats II logging program is now available. The new version of this Quake analysis tool mainly fixes bugs, though there is a new side-by-side feature to compare the performance of two players.

This page has a new version of one of those use-at-your-own-risk type of programs, a utility to change L2 cache latency to allow easier overclocking. This page also has other programs for gutsy power-users, like a program to overclock the front-side bus. Thanks Tweak3D

Version 1.0 of the Quake 2 Console Parser is out. This program allows analysis of Quake II logs and demos (.dm2), and supports DM, Team DM, Threewave Quake II CTF and the Xatrix and Rogue Mission packs, and can output results in HTML format.

This weekend GameSpot TV offers up a Starsiege TRIBES review with RealPlayer footage on Dynamix's new multiplayer teamplay game. Also, GA-Source reviews BattleCruiser 3000AD v2.0.

Word from the Online Gaming League is they need all league TRIBES servers to update to version 1.2 or matches played on older servers will not be considered valid.

• Gameoftheyear.com is now online, a page that just leads to The Official Half-Life Web Site, but takes a justifiable opportunity to celebrate the seemingly countless game of the year-type honors Half-Life has been awarded...
• Speaking of games of the year, here's GameSpot's Best and Worst of 1998 as voted by their readers...
• Detonator: Much Ado About Nothing? is an article on RIVA3D examining TNT performance under the new reference drivers...
• The All about 3D-Compatibility page has been updated with more about what games support what sound and video APIs...
• Mercury Home Page has an updated set of their benchmarks...

Seems the Combat[fillintheblank] TRIBES servers are run by Dynamix on some level or another, and it sounds like they'll be updated pretty soon. "Disco Stu doesn't advertise" is from the Simpsons if you were playing along at home when that came up yesterday. Proof that the Internet is home to more than you ever imagined, here's Disco Stu's biography.

I finally got the local downloads of the Half-Life demo, the Thief demo, and the Thief patch, to the following stories. The local FTP downloads are currently limited to 32 users (I believe, even though it says 128), but there's a link to the mirror on Walnut Creek (as well as other mirrors) for each as well.

Pick up the HTML archives of news of February 12 and earlier here.