Tetrad's Tweaking Tips offers a guide to tweaking Descent 3 for visual quality, improved framerate, and multiplayer performance.

The Wheel of Time site has been updated with the latest game development developments on this upcoming Unreal-engine action RPG, as well as a new screenshot of the New and improved evil villainess as well as some .wav files to demonstrate the in-game taunts some of the characters will use. Thanks Apache.

There's another new screenshot showing off the intro movie from Epic's upcoming Unreal Tournament on Unreal Universe.

Kali's Brian Hayes sends along word on how to use Kali to find Descent 3 servers on the Internet, and how to run a dedicated non-PXO server:

I've been seeing some people asking when we(Kali) we're going to support D3. So I figured I'd put together this message to help some of the people out there. The latest version of Kali 1.68 (ftp://ftp.kali.net/pub/kali/k95_168.exe) works fine for Descent 3 full. If you having trouble seeing all the games from PXO or Gamespy, try Kali. As of right now I see about 20-25 servers running with barely anyone on them.

Setting up the Kali TCP GameBrowser for D3.

1) Make sure you've run the Descent 3 from the "Start Menu" icon at least once to configure all your settings.
2) Make sure you've connected to PXO from inside Descent 3 at least once.
3) Run the "Kali TCP Game Browser" Icon, or run Kali and click the "TCP Games" Button.
4) Select the Descent 3 Folder on the left.
5) Press the Right mouse button and select "Configure Descent 3".
6) Under the "EXE File" field, select the "Browse" button and find your Descent 3 directory.
7) Select the file "main.exe" from that directory.
8) If your Kali Nickname is not EXACTLY the same as your D3 pilot name then Uncheck the "Use Kali NickName" option.
9) Hit OK.
10) Find the the server you want to join in the "Descent3/Parallax Online" folder and double click it. It should automatically launch D3, login to PXO, and connect you to the server.

Running a dedicated NON-PXO Server.

For people that want to run a Direct TCP/IP server that doesn't use PXO do this.

1) modify your server's "dedicated.cfg" so it uses Direct TCP/IP instead of PXO(Change the "ConnectionName" variable to "Direct TCP~IP")
2) modify the "gspy.cfg" file in your D3 directory and change the line that has "master0.gamespy.com" to read "205.244.188.34:22999".
3) when you run the server make sure you added the "-gspyfile gspy.cfg" commandline option.

This will launch a server that runs outside of PXO. So when users connect to this server they won't have to connect to PXO first. Also this means that player stats are NOT tracked when playing on this server. Under the Kali TCP Browser the server will show up in the "Descent3/Miscellaneous" folder NOT the "Descent3/Parallax Online" folder.

id Software's Graeme Devine updated his .plan with a report from an id/ION Storm deathmatch session, and news that they're planning on releasing a tournament map along with the next version of Q3Test to give people time to practice before QuakeCon. Here's the scoop:

We had the Ion Storm guys over last week to play a little deathmatch, and while I won’t say who won between Romero and Killcreek, I can tell you it wasn’t the male of the species. But boy, can those Ion guys talk smack.

The reason we asked them over was to have them check in on the status of our tournament map, which we hope to get out there soon with the next version of the test (to give you all time to practice on it before QuakeCon, you are going to QuakeCon right?). We’re also looking at a /lot/ of bug fixes, changes, and tweaks so we’re gearing up for your feedback. I’ll let Chris Hecker speak for glsetup, but we’re looking to get that updated and support for 3Dfx in there.

Soon can be defined as soon. And that’s probably not this week.

After hearing the various rumors that have been flying around about the untimely demise of Xatrix, I contacted Interplay's PR department, and lo and behold, the reports of their death have been greatly exaggerated. I was assured that not only are they not dead, but they are doing just fine, thanks. It turns out that the rumors were started due to a miscommunication, and are entirely false. Xatrix' Kingpin has gone gold (story) and will be on store shelves soon.

The newly opened Quake3Source has posted a Q&A with id Software level designer Paul Jaquays, talking about all that stuff he does on Quake III Arena.

Intel modifies launch schedule for Pentium IIIs is a Yahoo! news report announcing a "rejiggered" fall PIII launch schedule. Thanks GA-Source. Here's a bit from the report:

The Santa Clara, Calif., chip maker this week told PC makers it will push back the introduction of a Pentium III for desktop PCs, based on the 0.18 micron process, until November while it tweaks the design to gain greater performance.

The chip was expected to debut at 600MHz in September. The move is not expected to delay desktop product introductions. Intel ( INTC ) will make amends by introducing a 600MHz Pentium III based on its .25 micron manufacturing process later this summer, which is earlier than expected. The current 450MHz, 500MHz and 550MHz Pentium IIIs and Celeron chips all use this manufacturing process.

Scott Youngblood interview on The Hive talking to CornBoy!, the project leader on Starsiege TRIBES and TRIBES 2 about the success of TRIBES and the progress on its sequel.

krakbaby sends word by way of LinuxGames that a new version of the X based server browser XQF has been released. This version features better Q3Test support in addition to other changes.

The D3sdk Support Site (temporary URL until the DNS on the actual site resolves) has the SDK (Software Development Kit) for Descent 3 available for download. The SDK contains files and information required to make alterations to the game and its Descent 3 Fusion Engine, and word on the page is "Hopefully we can help you unlock and create the most mind blowing mods to ever hit the multiplayer scene. The Sky is the Limit and we're here to help you get there." Thanks fathom from Descent.Org.

Planet RIVA has posted a pair of new screenshots showing off Irrational Games' upcoming first-person RPG, System Shock 2. The shots are in 1024x768 resolution, taken using a TNT2.

The Adrenaline Vault Featured Article is an interview with Human Head Studios' lead animator Mike "Chaos" Werckle talking about their start-up company, and their first project, an Unreal-engine game steeped in Viking culture and mythology called Rune.

The dust has hardly settled on the delivery of MechWarrior3 to stores, and there's already an announcement in The Adrenaline Vault News giving word to expect a package called Mech Commander Compilation in November, "followed by the official MechWarrior 3 expansion, timed for a December release."

This week's 10 Questions With SamHell is not a new interview with any individual, but rather is a compilation of some of Mr. Hell's (any relation to Richard?) favorite moments from all his previous interviews. Highlights include responses from Wedge and Choryoth, Mynx, Paul Steed and loonyboi "just to name a few."

• A new version 1.1 of the AMD Zone K7 FAQ is online, giving the latest intelligence on AMD's soon-to-be-available CPU.
• The Extreme Hardware DVD-ROM Guide compares all the currently shipping units.

Level editing types may want to check out RAWscape, a program that generates terrain from RAW files, which can be generated with most graphics programs (like Paintshop Pro) in an attempt to make a program that allows you to design a map simply by drawing it. The result is described as "not that simple," however, and therefore is only recommended for experienced map authors, but in that case it is said to "make it quite a bit easier and faster (and possible) to make complex terrains."

The date on the Tempolagy LAN Party in the Toronto area is now set as July 1 in Oakville, Ontario. Get the latest skinny on LAN action spanning the globe in our LAN Parties section.

Version 4.5 of the BeOS is available on the Be site (I take this on the reliable word of Phil "Cain" Hall, since the site is down for me right now). Also, The GlobalSCAPE, Inc. Homepage has version 3.0 of CuteFTP, now out of beta. Thanks Redwood.

• Sign-ups are now being accepted for the GibFest Q3a Tournament, a 960 player free-for-all beginning July 5 (prizes include $400 cash and six EverGlide mouse pads).
• The NEWS4NERDs Contest offers a Hercules TNT2-Ultra for one random person that signs up for one of their free email accounts.

• PCGamePro reviews Requiem: Avenging Angel. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers.
• Gamearena.net reviews Star Wars: Episode One.
• Gamezilla reviews Recoil. Thanks again Frans at 3D Action Gamers.
• 3DGaming.net reviews the Logitech WingMan Gaming Mouse.
• Wicked PC reviews the Diamond Viper v770 Ultra (TNT2).
• Review Zone reviews the Intel Pentium III 550MHz.
• Hardware One! reviews the Abit BX6-2.0 Motherboard.
• Wicked PC reviews 3DCOOL.COM's Triple Fan Hard Drive Cooler.

• Games don't kill people -- do they? is the latest in a string of articles on Salon.com discussing the hot topic of violence in computer gaming looking at both sides of the issue. I thought a salient point was made by this sentence: "...games are not about violence. Games are about struggle. Because violence is the easiest way to create struggle, many games are violent -- but far from all." Thanks rL...
• 3D Gamers - a short history of success is an English-language reprint of an interview originally published in a Polish-language magazine talking with Piotr Kapiszewski about the history behind 3D Gamers and DoomGate...
• The Coven forums are online to ask questions, "post feedback, ideas and suggestions, chat with other Coven fans, organize games, swap tips and strategies, or whatever else you can think of. "..

Watched that Pirates of Silicon Valley show last night on TNT about Apple & Microsoft and the early days of PC development (long-time reader Randy Perry called it "Silicon Valley 95126"). I have no idea why I thought the movie would portray one or the other of Bill Gates or Steve Jobs in a positive light, but it sure didn't, I can't imagine either of them is that pleased about what this will do for their public images. Interestingly, like HBO's recent Rat Pack movie, one character gets to play the pure one who keeps his perspective, humanity, and stays real. I wonder if Steve Wozsniak (or Dean Martin for that matter) really fits that role, or if it just helps tell the story? I sure do like to think there are some folks out there who can keep it together when the money and power start flowing. "Acting on your best behavior, turn your back on mother nature, everybody wants to rule the world..." (Tears for Fears -- from the show's soundtrack).

Link of the Day: Metaspy EXPOSED claims to show the last ten search queries submitted to MetaCrawler. As WPIX editorials always concluded in my youth "we think it's important to know what your neighbors are thinking (in this case, simply substitute "scary" for "important"). Thanks pb.

The Bleem site has a new beta posted of their PlayStation emulator for the PC. Thanks Zach at EmuHQ. The new release offers "Paletted Texture Improvements," Final Fantasy 8 Support, Gran Turismo Support, and speed limiter improvements.

Cowboy's Scripting Page is at it again, this time releasing HUDTris for Starsiege: TRIBES. What's HUDTris? It's an actual Tetris style game written entirely with the TRIBES scripting system. A total oddity, and definitely worth a download.

A new beta 3 of the Game Explorer server browser is now available. Game Explorer is a freeware program that can find Internet Quake, QuakeWorld, Quake II, TRIBES, Half-Life and Q3ATest servers, and claims the strongest Q3ATest support of any similar program.

A post to a thread called [g200-dev]G400 specs released gives John Carmack's take on what the newly-released specs mean for Quake III Arena appearance and performance on Matrox G200 and G400 accelerators under Linux, talking about the G400's standout performance on hi-resolution testing:

Very little has changed, so it should be easy to have the driver support both G200 and G400 from the same binary. I want to set a good example for the windows vendors and not proliferate lots of different driver versions...

Speaking of which, I do worry about all the configuration hassles with the current driver. I would really like to see an option-free makefile. Even the MTRR issue could be dealt with by just locally copying the necessary kernel header so any system could compile it and let it fail at runtime.

What the g400 will give us:

stencil buffer support. This should be straightforward to add and get working.

multitexture support. If glx is extended for it (is there an official ARB spec for multitexture over glx?) we can use it immediately. We could also do the "fake multitexture" hack for the g200 as an option.

Anisotropic texture filtering. We need a new OpenGL enum for this, and I think it would be worthwhile.

More texture filtering levels. Not a big deal until gigantic textures in huge open areas are used more commonly.

"Bump mapping". This, along with some of the other texture combiner modes, would need an extension to expose. I would not call it a high priority. Its not as usefull as it sounds.

Depth buffer in AGP option. AGP 4x transfers. Doesn't help until we get good agp support in the kernel.

It WON'T give us noticably better Q2/Q3 timedemo scores unless multitexture is supported, because at reasonable resolutions we are currently not saturating the G200. You will be able to run at your desktop resolution with all rasterization features turned on, though. The G400 ran away from the field in our last high-res benchmarking.

There is a Rick Nailer interview on GameSpot UK talking with the central product manager at Psygnosis (US) about their upcoming dragon-riding third-person action game, Drakan: Order of the Flame.

Activision's official Heavy Gear II FAQ is now online, answering all your FAQing questions about this now-available game of giant robot (gear) combat. The FAQ focuses primarily on technical support issues, offering solutions for problems you may be encountering with your hardware. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers.

Similarly Sierra's official Starsiege TRIBES FAQ has been updated with more Q&A to help solve problems running Dynamix' game of multiplayer first-person action and strategy. Again a nod to Frans at 3D Action Gamers, who is clearly feeling sharp this morning.

Westlake Interactive has posted an Unreal 224 beta 3 patch. The new patch will only work if you already have version 224 beta 1 or 2 installed. The read me has answers to many frequently asked questions, and explains what's changed in version 224. The file download page can be found here. Thanks Apache.

Drakan.Net has word that there is a new version of the demo for Drakan: Order of the Flame, confirming Rex from the AVault's theory that something had changed in the archive on The Adrenaline Vault Downloads Demo page. Here's a bit from Drakan.Net on what's changed:

...some of the fixes/features include, refined AI (Especially the spiders), the ability to pick up arrows (ultra cool idea, brought up by you wonderful Drakonians), various design bugs were squashed, as well as programming-related ones. Also, Arokh's lightning attack is in there, but this time you have to find it yourself!

Violent Video Games Facing New Scrutiny is another New York Times article (from today's Sunday edition) that focuses on violence in video games, specifically talking about Quake II (though obviously mistaking the blaster for the hyperblaster in one segment where they describe a player's affection for the blaster saying "It can just split people in half."). The article discusses the effectiveness of software ratings (skeptically), and discusses the possible impact of violent games on young children. Thanks Luka (speaking of children and violence).

• Sharky Extreme - On The Road To Mobile…Intel's Next Little Thing is another roadmap from Sharky's place claiming info from "key sources close to Intel" this time giving the lowdown on plans for mobile CPUs.
• Viper 3D's TNT2 Reviews list now has over 80 TNT2 previews and reviews linked for your researching pleasure. Go ahead and try shaking a stick at all those.

Tim made a big ole update to the Unreal Technology page talking about Direct3D performance improvements he's worked on since version 225, capping the update with an outline of a "Summary of things I learned about Direct3D."

Datumplane::Starsiege's TRIBES 2 Linux Petition is looking to show Dynamix that there's support for a Linux client for their upcoming Starsiege TRIBES 2. Often petitions can be a bit obnoxious, but in this case, Tim Gift recently mentioned he was interested in learning the level of support for a Linux TRIBES 2 client, leaving the door open for a project like this petition.

Speaking of TRIBES 2, the Glide Underground interviews Nels Bruckner talking to the Dynamix programmer about progress on the sequel to Starsiege TRIBES.

There's an interview with Ken Miller on the Pandemic Studios site talking to the programmer on BattleZone II talking about progress on the upcoming action/strategy tank game. Thanks Jeff Tom.

This X-Wing Alliance update 2.02: page has a new patch for LucasArts' game that "includes further enhancements to 3d sound support and is compatible with all foreign language versions." Thanks A.T. Hun.

Another texture collection on the heels of yesterday's Unreal texture pack (story) comes another one, this posted on Buzzsaw, offering over 6 MB of urban textures, attributed to several different artists.

The Console Stats Web Page has a new version of this analysis tool that can give statistical output from QuakeWorld and Quake II server logs or demos.

• This Planet Kingpin Competition offers a Kingpin lithograph for the funniest mob joke.
• Armageddon On-line. is promising a $1000 prize for the winners of this QuakeWorld tourney.

Three MechWarrior 3 reviews among this morning's festivities:

• 3DGaming.Net reviews Mechwarrior 3.
• Game Post reviews MechWarrior 3.
• GameLinks.Net reviews MechWarrior 3.
• 3DGN's Look Back at Crusader: No Remorse, discussing the merits of this game that can now be found in the bargain bin.
• HotHardware reviews the Soyo SY-6BA+III motherboard.

• With Innovative Pact, Video Game Makers Became Big Players is an LA Times report on Pandemic Studios' "newfound clout" discussing their high-stakes deal with Activision. Thanks Natch by way of BZ2.COM...
• Action Xtreme Interviews George 'The Fat Man' Sanger who has created game music for a ton of games, including Master of Orion, The 7th Guest, Wing Commander, Master of Magic, Ultima Underworld, The 11th Hour, and Loom...
• Reality Team Fortress 2 is dedicated to all things TeamFortress, and includes a clan listing if you want to add your clan, or track someone else's down...
• The Tectonic page has the source code for this Quake II front-end...
• Birdman's Lair has an unofficial Descent 3 SpaceOrb patch until an official one comes along. Thanks Frans at 3D Action Gamers...

Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there (and all you mothers as well). On a sad note, Stephen King In 'Serious Condition' After Accident reports Reuters from out there in the real world. I'm not really a devotee of his work, but about everyone else I know is, and with his enormous popularity, I'm sure there are lots of thoughts and prayers going out to him and his family, but certainly any more that we add can't hurt.

Link of the Day: All I ever needed to know about life I learned from Team Fortress and Team Fortress Classic by Amish Assassin.
Bonus Link: Speaking of Amish: American Assassin: The Amish Conspiracy in 1999. Thanks Twisted_Cowboy.