Archived News:
GameSpot has posted an extensive guide to Quake III Arena, providing strategies for general deathmatch and one-on-one games, the use of weapons and powerups, a run-down of all deathmatch, tournament and CTF maps, and more.
Raven's Kenn Hoekstra updated his .plan to point out several updates to the official Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force site, and to inquire after some goodies he and colleague Eric Biessman are interested in. Here's the part about the site updates:
The Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force website has been updated with new information on several aspects of the game including new weapons, characters and aliens. Drop by and take a look! Kudos to Rob Gee, Mike Gummelt and Kim Lathrop for their assistance with this update...
Additionally, the second volume of the Elite Force FAQ that was posted to Raven's forum a while back ( story), has been added to the site as well.
Exxtreme3D has posted an
interview with Russell Ritchie, managing director on Picassio, the non-violent
game where you attempt to steal some of the world's greatest art. It's a pretty
good interview, with a few new details about the game, including an estimate
for how long it will be (fifty to sixty hours) and word that it will be multiplayer,
with "Capture the Art", head to head, and teamplay modes.
Under the label "better late than never" comes today's game postmortem of Die By The Sword, an article that appeared in the January 1999 issue of Game Developer magazine on the 3D hack-n-slash fest by Treyarch and Interplay that was released in March 1998. Programmer Jamie Fristrom accounts the history of the game, technical aspects of its development, what went right and wrong, and the aftermath of its release.
Back from his vacation, Epic's Brandon Reinhart updated his
.plan with a general update on the Linux port of Unreal Tournament, which
he will be making open source according to the Artistic
License (they can't release it according to the GPL, as this is just the
Linux part of the engine they're releasing). It's a big update, but here's a
brief excerpt with some details: I'm back from visting relatives and I've
been rolling on the Linux open source stuff. I've got my project approved with
Source Forge. Once I get everything set up, I'll announce the URL but I'm sure
the sneaky will be able to find the page.
I've chosen the Artistic License. I feel that it allows mod developers a lot
of freedom with the open code, while not putting Epic into any weird positions
with the undisclosed part of the engine.
I plan on open sourcing the following libraries:
XDrv
XMesaGLDrv
GlideDrv
Audio
XLaunch
In addition, the release archive and rcs will include the public headers for
the other engine libraries (core, engine, etc).
Some of the above libraries compile both under Linux and Win32. I'll write up
some specific guidelines for contributing authors.
For example code that is contributed to the GlideDrv library must compile under
both Win32 and Linux.
A new version of The Heretic Fortress,
the class-based multiplayer mod for Heretic II has been released. This new version
adds new player models, as well as support for custom models in every class
in addition to other changes.
GameSpy has posted an
interview with Lennart Sas, designer and director at Triumph Studios on
their recently released turn-based strategy/fantasy game Age of Wonders, talking
about the game's two and a half year development cycle (during which two entirely
different versions of the game were created).
A new version of the Java MD3 Model
Viewer, a windowed Java app that allows you to view Quake III Arena's
MD3 models as well as export them to VRML format has been released. The source
code is included as well for budding Java programmers to check out.
Well ok, just two: GameFAQs has posted a new guide/walkthrough for Half-Life: Opposing Force, offering detailed help on finding your way through Gearbox' expansion pack. It even includes mention of an Easter Egg in the game that hails back to the days of DOOM II. Elsewhere, Core Design has posted a brief technical support FAQ for their 3D action adventure Tomb Raider: the Last Revelation, including the patch that was released last week.
Eric S. Raymond, the Open Source guru, comments
on Slashdot (thanks Jacek Fedoryński) on the controversy about the
potential for cheating described in this Slashdot article that's been raised by the release of the Quake source code ( story). The new article discusses cheating in computer games in
general, and in particular, one of John Carmack's proposed ways of
addressing this ( story), a closed-source launcher for this now open-source game. Here's a bit:
Carmack's argument seems watertight. What's wrong with this picture? Are
we really looking at a demonstration that closed source is necessary for
security? And if not, what can we learn about securing our systems from the
Quake case?
I think one major lesson is simple. It's this: if you want a really secure
system, you can't trade away security to get performance. Quake makes this trade
by sending anticipatory information for the client to cache in order to lower
its update rate. Carmack read this essay in draft and commented "With a
sub-100 msec ping and extremely steady latency, it would be possible to force a
synchronous update with no extra information at all, but in the world of 200-400
msec latency [and] low bandwidth modems, it just plain wouldn't work." So
it may have been a necessary choice under the constraints for which Quake was
designed, but it violates the first rule of good security design: minimum
disclosure.
When you do that, you should expect to get cracked, whether your client is open
or closed -- and, indeed, Carmack himself points out that the see-around-corners
cheat can be implemented by a scanner proxy sitting between a closed client and
the server and filtering communications from server to client.
Here's
how the article concludes: To recap, the real lessons of the Quake cheats
are (a) never trust a client program to be honest, (b) you can't have real
security if you trade it away to get performance, (c) real security comes not
from obscurity but from minimum disclosure, and most importantly (d) only open
source can force designers to use provably secure methods.
So, far from being a telling strike against open source, the case of the Quake
cheats actually highlights the kinds of biases and subtle design errors that
creep into software when it's designed for closed-source distribution and
performance at the expense of security. These may be something we can live with
in a shoot-em-up, but they're not tolerable in the running gears of the
information economy. Avoiding them is, in fact, a good reason for software
consumers to demand open source for anything more mission-critical than
a Quake game.
Finally (for the moment), the preliminary
QuakeWorld Forever proposal describes plans to use "a Netrek type
system of blessed 'binaries'" to create QuakeWorld security based on
concepts found in this mostly
unedited
log of a chat on #qwforever on GamesNET (209.1.245.35:6667). Here
is a copy of the email they sent along.
The Iron Gauntlet interviews Travis Williams,
producer at ASC Games (and, as it turns out, a former employee of White Wolf Game
Studios) talking about Werewolf: The Apocalypse--Heart Of Gaia, the upcoming
Unreal-engine game that will recreate the Werewolf filled world of the
pen-and-paper role playing game from White Wolf.
The Q3Logger Homepage
has a new beta 2 version 1.0.1.0 of the Q3Logger log parser for Quake III Arena.
This freeware Windows program can generate HTML pages with statistics from games
played on a Q3A server, offering game-by-game and lifetime stats as well as Doom-like
Killer/Killee tables broken up by specific weapons. Sample output can be found on
this page.
The OnTheWay page has a new
version 1.3 of the original Quake II version of this server launcher/front-end
dealie. The new version, which adds a couple of small features and fixes a few
bugs, is planned as the last Quake II version of the program, as they plan to
concentrate on the Quake III Arena version in the future.
Jimmy's Mods
has the debut release of a pair of new Sin mods. In Hunter,
the aim is to become the mutant, and evade or kill the "Hunters" in
order to stay the mutant, and score points. Killing
Spree is modestly described as a "simple" modification to add
enhanced feedback to Sin, "inspired by Quake3 and Unreal
Tournament." Though they don't add to your score in any way, when you rack
up 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25+ frags in a row without dying the
game will now give feedback on the screen with messages familiar from UT like
"You are on a Rampage." Also, when you pick up a pair of frags within
six seconds, the game will give a Q3A-esque "Excellent!"
Rich's Project Warehouse
has the first version of The Genebot Project,
a server-side bot for QuakeWorld based on the recently Quake source code ( story).
This bot, designed by the author of The Jumbot
for Half-Life and The Famkebot
for Quake II is said to operate exactly like a real player, and is usable with
any mod. The source is included (as should the source for any GPL
software), and TheFatal, the bot's author is hoping someone will advance his
work, as he's "done all the grunt work by hacking through the engine to
make it accept clients which have no net channels," but points out his work
prevents him from further refining the AI.
Andre' Werthmann's Homepage
has a new version 1.0.3 of Heretic for Linux, adding multiple game resolutions
and SDL support (and a natty Penguin Heretic logo to boot). Thanks Jacek Fedoryński.
Wireplay's Fragfest 2000 is
a Quake III Arena competition offering £100 to the winner who gets through
several FFA rounds. Though the competition is UK-based, it is open to anyone who
whishes to enter. Thanks Faceache. Also, Unreal Tournament Winter Conquest 2000
is holding a spontaneous 32-player double-elimination one-on-one tournament
tonight ( spots
may still be available if you hurry) co-sponsored by iGames and GT
Interactive. The tournament will start at 8:00 PM EST (5:00 PM PST).
- The Outrage Entertainment Jobs
listing has a bunch of new help-wanted ads for folks to work on games
starting production for both the PC and the PlayStation...
- Peej's 1999 Quake Map
Roundup is the latest annual recap of the best Quake (1) maps created
throughout the past year...
- Quake 3 editing page by Derek c Foley
has a Q3A RailGun mod offering enhanced sound and a custom camouflage skin
as well as an article detailing its creation, along with an article on
creating skins, and the lowdown on level editing for Quake II level
designers...
As I'm working on this very update, the "guilty pleasure" movie on HBO
in the background, a straight to cable classic called New World Disorder
with Rutger Hauer and Andrew McCarthy (hey, I watch some good stuff too!),
just offered a brief debate on the merits of Doom versus Quake where the participant
who favored Doom preferred its gameplay over Quake's state-of-the-art-ness. I
thought that was a bit more sophisticated than most mainstream mentions of such
games, and it certainly caught me by surprise when it popped up there.
Link of the Day: The Tripping The Rift
page has an improved version of TTR. Thanks CardinalFang.
Story of the Day: Girl Turns Orange Over-Imbibing Sunny Delight.
Thanks Anne Curr.
The unofficial Quake III Arena gameplay FAQ has received a major update to version 2.0, expanding its tips and tactics for deathmatch survival to levels Q3DM8 through Q3DM12 (including Q3TOURNEY3), as well as making various updates throughout the document.
Newly opened Allegiance Vault has posted an interview with five members of the development team of the online-only spacecombat/RTS game by Microsoft. The talk covers topics like the creation and design of the game, the progress of the current beta test, the measures taken to reduce lag in the game, and more.
In style with the time of year, SOFNews.com has posted two winter themed screenshots from Soldier of Fortune. Earlier today, Raven's Kenn Hoekstra updated his .plan on his first working day after Christmas, while pointing out an unofficial movie at Now Playing Games that shows some gameplay from the OEM version of their mercenary shooter, which can be downloaded here ( Real player required).
Activision has released the map editor for Interstate '82 for download at WON.net. Dubbed the Terraformer, the editor comes with a tutorial document and offers "a number of powerful features to help you create action-packed multiplayer environments", including:
- The 2D view for painting large areas of elevation, placing roads,
connecting intersections, etc.
- The 3D view for sculpting more detailed terrain features, precise
texturing, and object placement
- AI Mesh creation to help keep your Instant Action AI vehicles driving more
like humans
- Multiple layers which can be hidden or revealed to keep things simple and
less confusing
- Objects, bridges, and intersections which automatically snap to one
another
- Extremely precise placement of objects, vehicles, and colored lighting
GASource has posted two
new screenshots showing off Monolith's LithTech
2 engine, which is being used to power the game formerly known as No One
Lives Forever as well as the recently discovered SpecOps 3
( story).
The December issue of Incite magazine features a Q&A with Motley
Crue member Nikki Sixx, who apparently (along with his band 1958) has been contracted to
write the music to the as of yet formally unannounced title Half-Life II (thanks
Voodoo Extreme by way of PlanetHalfLife).
The eloquent Mr. Sixx explained this by saying, "when they heard some of
the 1958 loop-based music, we all felt it was a marriage made in hell."
Indeed.
The spooky Spookhouse
has the debut release of the mission editor for Nocturne, Terminal Reality's
equally-spooky third-person action game. Here's the deal on the editor sent
along by the delightful Kazi Wren, who now embraces her title as Dark
Mistress of Spookhouse: You'll want to download the .EXE file into the
same place on your hard drive you have NOCTURNE. It must be in that folder to
work.
The .EXE comes with FULL documentation from Terminal Reality, in both .DOC and
.PDF (for Acrobat readers). We will also have some of the documentation
available in our new NOCTURNE EDITOR section. I'll add all the documents in the
next few days.
The Editor is robust, but I found it simple to follow the documentation and use.
You'll be able to create complete missions using it. You can modify them, too,
but there are a few things you won't be able to do. You will not be able to
create new character models. It's really complicated, and TRI's Fletcher Dunn
(the editor god) would never get his other work finished! You WILL be able to
re-texture (skin) existing characters and monsters to fit the stories you
create.
You'll also be able to create new sets, models (except character models),
missions, scripts, sounds, extract the PODs that shipped with the game, or
create your own PODs of your levels and sets so you can give it to your friends!
Of course, for all of this, you can start with an existing set/model/script and
alter it, or you can start from scratch.
So, go forth, Agents, and team up with others. Take the time to play with this
Editor. When you have a mission or even smaller elements (like new skins, new
PODS, etc.) send them to SPOOKHOUSE. I will create areas on the site for your
work to be downloaded. If you decide to create your own Web site for your work,
again lemme know. I'll provide links on Spookhouse as well as any support I can
give.
The Starlancer Weekly Screenshots
on GameRush have returned, resuming their weekly glimpses ahead at this
upcoming space sim from Microsoft, Digital Anvil, and Warthog.
The oogily-named Sincest has
version 0.1 of a new modification for Sin called Capture & Hold. Opting for
the sin-cerest form of flattery route, the gameplay is described as "a SiN
version of the Domination mod for UT." The mod apparently works properly on
all CTF maps, and almost of all of the Sin DM maps (except Spool and Paradox).
The Den has version 2.1 of
TRIBES Arena, the Starsiege TRIBES version of the last-man-standing gameplay of Rocket
Arena. The new release is described as a version 2 release candidate, and adds a
Match Mode (with team captains and a limit of two LasRifles per team), a time
limit (four minutes by default), removes heavies from the game, and more.
id Software modeler Paul Steed has supplied casManG's All You Can Eat Games
Stuff with three .bip files from Quake III Arena showing off sample
character animations that can be imported into Character Studio "to give
your models some motion." The three animations they've posted are for
Hunter, Klesk, and Visor.
After porting Quake to SDL ( story),
an apparent wave of nostalgia inspired Sam Lantinga to also create an SDL port
of LxDoom, which is now available for download on
this page. Thanks Jacek Fedoryński.
In my OotB as originally written yesterday, I failed to properly note the date of Festivus
(December 23), thanks snagger and zac. For some time this weekend, the routing
glitch that's been slowing down access for this site for people using certain
paths to get here cleared up (for me at least, as I've been so affected).
Unfortunately, the situation has reverted this morning, so I'll see if we can
actually get this addressed this week in spite of the holidays.
Link of the Day: TIME.com Person of the Century.
Albert Einstein. Inspiration for all of us who had trouble in school.
Story of the Day: This Ottawa Citizen Online article
that claims yesterday was not actually Boxing Day. Thanks Will Raths.
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