Dynamix' Mark Frohnmayer updated his .plan this evening with two interesting bits of TRIBES news. First is word that the patch to fix the bugs found in the recently released TRIBES version 1.6 is done, and in final testing. He also included in his plan the new TRIBES debugger protocol, which if you're a programmer type will make perfect sense to you (for everyone else, it'll basically be incomprehensible code).

AVault has posted the European version of the Aliens vs. Predator version 1.1 patch. This is the patch that adds in-game save functionality, along with several other fixes and enhancements.

Kokak has released a new version of GLHexen, his OpenGL accelerated version of Hexen, as well as a new version of DoomGL. Version 0.71 of DoomGL now features compatibility with the Quake III OpenGL drivers for 3dfx cards.

Gamer's Central has posted a preview of Odium, the Metropolis developed/Monolith published RPG currently in production. The preview features eight new screenshots showing off the title, which apparently used to be called Gorky 17 (good call on the name change, guys).

ION Storm's Daily Informant has posted an Anachronox team update, with several members of the team (including wacky Big Cheese Guy Tom Hall, producer Jake Hughes, and several artists) talking about what they're working on at the moment.

2015's president, Tom Kudirka updated his .plan with word that they're in need of a producer and a level designer for their soon-to-be-announced game:

To bring everyone up to date:
Currently we are working on a new game that will be announced to the public very soon. Right now we have two job openings. One position is for a Producer and the other is for a Level Designer. Interested parties should check out our website for how to submit applications.

3dfx has released new NT drivers for Voodoo 3 based cards (thanks Sean Jensen-Grey). These are the same as the just-released Windows 9x drivers (story) but well...work on Windows NT.

Nels Bruckner, TRIBES Project Manager for Dynamix, sent in this explanation of the bug in the recently released Starsiege: TRIBES 1.6 patch that's plaguing 3dfx card owners (story):

Arg! We let an obvious one slip through in the 1.6 patch of Tribes. The specific problem is with user created art (reticles, skins, etc.) and Voodoo configurations with more than one TMU. User created art will show up as either all black or black and white or as other funky looking combos... basically totally wrong. We have the problem fixed, we will get the patch up ASAP. My apologies for this obvious error.

People seem to be liking the OpenGL support though! :)

• ABIT has posted a new version of their BIOS for the BX6-2.0. It's available for download on their FTP site.
• RivaExtreme has posted stats from the latest Computer Gaming World magazine that claims the upcoming NVidia NV10 chipset will feature 15-25 million triangles per second and a 350 MHz RAMDAC amnongst other things.
• SharkyExtreme reviews the Hercules Dynamite TNT2.
• The NT Game Palace has posted new INF files to get Voodoo 3 cards to run correctly under Windows 2000, for those of you participating in the beta test.

GASource has posted a Q&A with Joel Huenink, the lead developer of Gore, a somewhat bloody first person shooter in development by 4DRulers.

Mortyr.net sends word that they've posted a fixed .EXE file for the "Nie powiodlo sie" error that some people are getting with the recently released Mortyr demo. You can download it from their FTP site now.

AVault has posted the third installment in their Slave Zero Development Diary by Matt Powers. This installment focuses largely on the behind the scenes organizing of the project.

GASource has posted two screenshots from Exist, that cool multiplayer only FPS that's being developed entirely by a single person.

Acclaim has posted nine new screenshots from Shadow Man, their adult action game that recently went gold (story) and will be in stores soon.

Gaming Entertainment Monthly has posted 21 new screenshots from Bungie's Oni, their third person action title due this fall. In other Oni news, I spotted this hands on report from MacWorld over in OniCore's forums. Lastly, MacGamer's Ledge has posted an interview with Peter Tamte, Bungie's executive vice president of publishing.

GameLinks.net has posted a Septerra Core interview, with an unidentified Monolith employee answering various questions about their upcoming Japanese-style RPG (although since the game is being developed by Valkyrie, I can only assume that the questions were answered by someone there).

UGN3D has conducted a brief Q&A with Shiny Entertainment's Scott Harrington, with the questions focusing on his background in the industry as well as Shiny's history.

Billy "p1mp" Wilson has posted four new screenshots, as well as a new in-game movie from SEED, HumanSoft's upcoming first person shooter, over on that page of his. There's also a note up that says that they'll have an exclusive demo available for download between July 26 and July 31.

Computer Games Online has posted the first part in Battlezone II development diary by George Collins, the director of the game. As this is the first installment, it pretty much consists of basic information about the game and its genesis. Look for another installment in two weeks or two months, depending on whether you trust CGO's introduction (which says, "check back in a couple of weeks") or the author, who says that it's bimonthly.

PlanetStarsiege is reporting that Voodoo 3 owners might want to hold off on upgrading to the recently released Starsiege: TRIBES version 1.6 (story). Apparently V3 cards have been having some palette "glitching" errors, which according to an undisclosed Dynamix contact is due to "custom reticles."

MDK2.com has posted another installment of their development diary by Greg Z, the executive producer on MDK 2. This installment is a brief one, with a general update on the in-game cut scenes, player dialogue, and other features. MDK, as everyone knows, stands for Matt Damon's Kidney.

A new version of the King of the Server mod for Quake II has been released. This version (2.8) adds a number of gameplay tweaks, including modifications to the ammo packs, number of rockets, and armor bonuses.

3DRage.com has conducted an interview with Jane Jensen, the author and designer of Gabriel Knight III: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned. This installment in the Gabriel Knight series marks the first time they've ventured into the world of 3D acceleration - the previous two games were 2D.

In other RPG news, the official Ultima: Ascension site has undergone a complete rebirth, and now sports new screenshots, information and movies from the game (which like Gabriel Knight is the first 3D installment in the series).

This week's edition of the PlanetQuake Tech Tips column focuses on setting up a Quake II server, with step by step instructions for getting it up and running. In a similar vein, last week's edition is also worth a mention, as it outlines the hardware necessary to successfully run a game server.

The latest edition of Sharky Extreme's Private Eye column has some new info on the in-progress LithTech 2 engine, including some new dirt on the editor. There are also some screenshots showing off the night and day effects that Monolith has been showing off lately. Also of note is Sharky's 3D Card Shootout using an AMD K6 III running at 450 MHZ, which can likewise be found in the very same column.

A new version of Frogbot Clan Arena, a Classic Quake mod that combines the Frogbot with Clan Arena has been released and is available for download on Frogbot's Modifications. In this version the bots can rocket jump...so be warned.

• There's a big ol' TRIBESCon update on the official site, with details on this two day TRIBES fest in Seattle.
• Mynx is holding a big id products giveaway, with the entry fee being a $10 donation to sponsoring her in the World Walk for Breastfeeding.

• CoolInfo reviews the MaxiGamer Xentor.
• ComChip previews Windows 2000.
• 3DRage reviews the Spectra 333, a wacky processor upgrade that will magically beef up any Pentium from 75 Mhz or higher to 333 Mhz.

• Extreme3D reviews Kingpin.
• TacticalPlanet reviews Jagged Alliance 2.
• GameCenter reviews Dungeon Keeper 2.

• Microsoft has released their MSN Messenger Service, their answer to ICQ, which oddly enough can communicate with AOL's Instant Messenger software.
• GamePen has posted screenshots from Carmageddon: Death Race 2000.
• The User Friendly BBS is officially online, allowing a retro way for Ufies to gather.
• UnrealEngine.com is taking user submitted questions for their upcoming Q&A with Zen Tao Interactive, the developers of that martial arts training title, Extreme Wing Chun VR.

Well, it finally happened: I got an ISDN line installed yesterday. Whee! Of course, as I write this, it hasn't been turned on just yet, but the jack's in place, and it'll be turned on at some point tomorrow. Once I invest in a really freaking long RJ45 cable (the jack's on one side of my apartment, the computer's on the other) I'll finally say good-bye to the world of regular modems. Although truth be told, I had gotten pretty used to it...both TRIBES and Q3Test work remarkably well over standard modem connections...but after four years of free T1 access 24/7, it was a bit slow to me. So, assuming nothing goes too wrong, tomorrow night's update will say that I'm a happy ISDN user. Of course, something always goes wrong with these things, so you'll just have to wait and see.

Link of the Day: Too many prepositions, conjunctions may crash Word 97. Is it just me, or does it feel like Microsoft is trying to find new and humorous ways to sneak bugs into their software?