Archived News:
GameSpy's Dave "Fargo" Kosak made a trip to Shiny's offices, and
he's filed a
brief report on Sacrifice, their upcoming 3D strategy game. As they aren't
revealing much about the game at this time, the report is brief, but it does
hint at what we can expect from the game's world, which sounds huge, to say
the least.
There is an interview with Raven's programmer Bob Love on incitegames, discussing the two most recent titles he worked on, Soldier of Fortune and Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force. In related SoF news, incitegames has also compiled yet another movie from their beta build, showing close to two minutes of footage that definitely carries a parental warning for graphic violence.
Gamecenter has posted a
new interview with Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford, talking to him about
the upcoming Dreamcast version of Half-Life. Randy confirms that they will be
supporting the Dreamcast's VGA box (an adaptor that lets you hook the console
up to a standard VGA monitor) and talks a bit about the changes they're making
from the PC version. Here's an excerpt: The technology team doing the
porting (Captivation) is planning lots of goodies. These include content upgrades
(such as higher polygon models) and feature upgrades (such as special effects
and lighting). The primary advantage of the Dreamcast is that it's a consistent
platform, so the game will look as good as it possibly can without concern for
low-end systems (there are no low-end systems!). This means that the Dreamcast
version is likely going to be much more impressive than the PC version. You'll
see for yourself in a few months or so when the game is ready for us to start
showing more of it.
GameProWorld has posted a brief preview of Evolva, and while offering little in the way of new information, it does provide a handful of new screenshots from the organic looking world in Computer Artworks' upcoming action game.
A new preview of Rogue
Spear: Urban Operations, the upcoming add-on pack for Rogue Spear, is online at Gamecenter. The preview
features 10 new screenshots from the pack, which brings Rogue Spear to an urban
environment.
4DRulers have posted three new
screenshots from Gore, their upcoming first person shooter. The game uses
AMP 3D engine by Slam Software, and they've posted a brief development update on the status of the engine as well on their news page.
3dfxgamers has released their Voodoo2 Windows 2000 Drivers - Version Beta 1.00.00. This is the first release, so if you don't like beta drivers you may want to hang back a bit. Thanks NT Compatible.
After apparently skipping the January shot, the official Parsec site has posted a new screenshot of the month, showing off a new ship, the Hurricane. Parsec is a non-commercial space-shooter, and word is a self-running demo should be released in a few days. Thanks ATFW.
incitegames has posted a movie of Deus Ex, showing off a minute of footage from a recent build of ION Storm's upcoming 3D action role-playing game.
Electronic Arts sent along seven
images from The World is Not Enough, their upcoming Quake III Arena engine
James Bond title for the PC and Playstation 2. There are two in-game shots,
two shots of early maps in Q3Radiant, two composite shots with a mixture
of in-game and concept renders, and of course, that spiffy logo. Several of these appeared in Next-Generation Magazine, although these are the first time they're appearing in high-resolution form online. Check
'em all out.
A new version 1.23 of Q3Post is now available at its new home. Q3Post is a utility that posts a server's IP address and description to IRC when you jump into a Quake III Arena game, and the new version offers additional customization features and fixes a couple of bugs.
AVault has received this
strange image, which reports that T. Elliot Cannon, best known to readers
as "Myscha the Sled Dog" has left The Collective (where he was working
on their Unreal-engine title Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Fallen) for Cyan,
the creators of Myst and Riven. The image has a yellow Post It™ note that
reads, "Myscha is here. We're changing our worlds. Love, Cyan."
As promised, Epic has released the Unreal Tournament Bonus Pack for download at Gamecenter. It comes in PC and Mac versions as a 13.8 MB download (that are actually the same file though, so no need to get them both), and contains 11 new multiplayer levels, 3 new character meshes, and the Relics, special items that imbue a player with certain powers.
Update: Epic has posted the Bonus Pack README page on the official Unreal Tournament site.
Blade Universe has added a new screenshot from Blade, Rebel Act Studios' third
person action game, to their
screenshots section. They plan to release a new screenshot every Friday
from now until the game is released.
Unreal Center has posted an
interview with 3D Realms level designer John Anderson, talking to him about
his work on Duke Nukem Forever, and level design in general (thanks to the Shugashack
for the tip). As there's a press blackout on DNF, there aren't any new details
about the game, but he does talk about his influences, and a little about working
with DukeEd.
Version 4.0 of QstatList,
a collection of UNIX scripts to make game server lists and statistics, has been
released, and is available for download at its official site. Version 2.3g of
QStat is required,
so be sure to have that installed prior to downloading QstatList.
PC.IGN has updated their Diablo
II preview with a hands-on playtesting report, complete with gameplay details
galore. While there are plenty of screenshots posted alongside the report, they
are the same ones from their original preview of the game.
Another preview
of Soldier of Fortune is up, this time at Computer Games Online. There aren't
any new revelations about the game (not shocking, considering how late in development
the game is) but there are some new screenshots.
Matrox has released new
NT 4 drivers for their G400, G200 and G100 based cards (except for the Marvel
and MMS lines). These are different from the Windows 2000 drivers released yesterday,
and are only for NT 4.
Electronic Arts' official site for their PC/Playstation
2 Quake III Arena engine title The World is Not Enough has gone live. The site
features the first batch of screenshots from four (unpopulated) levels in the game. In addition, they've posted the Meatpak and StompQ3A deathmatch
maps, which were created by members of the TWINE development team.
GA-Source has posted a
new MPEG movie of game footage from the spooky adventure game Alone in the
Dark 4. There are also a number of new
screenshots from the Playstation version of the game.
There are four new Homeworld Cataclysm Screenshots
on GameSpot showing some exclusive looks at the upcoming stand-alone sequel
that takes place 15 years after the original Homeworld. Word on the follow-up
is: "You will play an entirely new faction, with new ships and technology,
and will fight a new enemy, a techno-organic entity called The Beast."
There are another pair of new Sacrifice
screenshots on nonstuff, a German gaming site, showing off more of Shiny's
upcoming 3D action/RTS. Speaking of Shiny, BioWare's sequel to their quirky
action title MDK ("Men Don't Know") is shown in HavenGames'
MDK2 Preview which offers three new MDK2 shots.
There are some new Dawn of War screenshots on Strategy Planet,
illustrating Illusion Machine and Southpeak Interactive's upcoming "prehistoric
RTS." There's a new screenshot on the highly intrusive Sudden Strike
site with more from this "Real-time strategy & tactical war game."
There are shots of the Allegiance Limited Edition Trading Cards
on the Allegiance Zone displaying the swag you get for pre-ordering the game
at some stores. Finally, there are some Last
Call screenshots on GameDaily showing off this (no kidding) bartender sim.
A reminder that sign-ups end today for the WONnet
Vampire beta to test Nihilistic's upcoming blood-sucking third-person action/RPG, so head on over fast if you are interested.
If you are the type that likes to shake gifts to guess at their contents before
opening, you may be interested in
the list of fixes included in the
upcoming Unreal Tournament version 406 patch on Unreal Universe
sent along by Epic's Steve Polge. The list finally includes a fix for the obscure
GeForce startup problem that a few folks experience (that included me until I
got a new machine, which is an awfully expensive solution to the problem).
Random Software has the release
of version 1.0 of the Comm Center software, a new real-time game communication
program that "uses Microsoft DirectSound to
mix their speech with your video games' sound effects, so you hear both at the
same time." There's no word on how well this is suited to dial-up
connections, but the program is apparently firewall friendly for those of you
allowed to play at work (or those who can get away with it).
A few bits about Atriarch, the upcoming
"3-D massively-multiplayer, online, persistent rpg/strategy game depicting
life on the alien and organic world of Atriana." Atriarch Stratics
has posted an IRC log with the game's Chief Architect Arc answering questions
about Atriarch's physics engine. Also, Lead Game Designer Serafina, updated her Development
Journal on GameSpy.Com. There are also new Atriarch messageboards on the Vault Network.
A new version 1.5.0 of the Q_Check mIRC
auto-away plug-in-Script for GameSpy. "The script now features a snazzy GUI
and has many new features, a number of which are the result of user requests."
A new version of /\/\atchMod
for Quake II is now available. This is a server-only mod that boasts "the
most advanced, multi-optioned, -=Bot Crusher=- mod ever made in multiple flavors
all over the Internet without having to download or configure a thing." The
features page
offers a full rundown on the mod, which, in addition to the anti-cheating
functions, adds saved player info that restores your frags and other stats upon
reconnecting after a disconnect, and a load of configurable options, including a
default mode that supports standard OGL rules.
A new version 1.02 of Assimilation 2
is out, hot on the heels of version 1.01 ( story).
The new release fixes a bug in the scoreboard that caused players to lag out
when checking it as well as adding some improved server functionality.
The OpenGL DooM Legacy
page has word of a new version 1.2 Launcher for DooM Legacy 1.29 pre-release
3. The new release fixes a bug in the dedicated server and improves the
program's GUI.
There's a new small freeware program on Wolf's Unreal
called Ulight that helps take the "guess work" out of picking the
right numbers for colored lights in Unreal/Unreal Tournament maps by allowing
you to open the Windows Color Common Dialog Box and pick the color you want and
find the approximate Hue, Saturation and Brightness values to achieve that light
color.
M.O.B.S. Review Crew Showcase
gives the hot word on The Meat Pack, a new Quake III Arena map pack by Pete
Parisi, currently at work at EA on The World is Not Enough, the upcoming
James Bond game for the PSX2 "using the Quake3 engine to build most of the
game." The three level pack receives high marks. UK Gamer
DM Pack 1 offers nine Q3A maps designed by independent map makers carefully
chosen from a field of 173 candidates. Finally, word is that QuartzCTF
has also received kudos for its Q3A CTF gameplay.
Reel Time Challenge on Machinima.Com
has the first round of qualifiers for the entries for its first game movie
competition, "Bullet Time," for which reader voting is underway. Also, there's a Razer Boomslang Giveaway
on SystemLogic.net giving away some Razer swag.
- John Carmack Enforcing the GPL on Quake Source
is the SlashDot story on the GPL controversy (story
and follow-up)
in case you are interested in any of the 700+ (and counting) comments on the
subject...
- Almost forgot the new GameDAILY
top 20 best-selling PC Entertainment Software list is online, with Q3A
dropping from the top 20 altogether, while UT re-enters the top 10, and The
Sims retaining the top spot. Also, GameDAILY's
top 10 best-selling Mac Entertainment Software list is up as well, with
UT falling from the tops spot in favor of Monopoly, but hanging in at #3
with Q3A at #5...
- Gamecenter's Strategy
Guide for The Sims is up, as is GPN Gamerspoint Network's
Sim City 3000 strategy guide...
- There's a release party for a Quake II movie titled Rick Jones II tonight
in the Enter The Game IRC Network
in the channel #machinima tonight starting about 7:00 to 8:00 PM EST. Also,
word from The ILL Clan is that you
should contact them if you are interested in acting in the follow-up to
their award-winning flick "Apartment Huntin'"...
- The MSN Gaming Zone sends word they've
unveiled a new alien race in the open beta of Allegiance. Also, there's a
new article on Flanking
Tactics in Allegiance on the Allegiance Vault...
- In hockey it would be a third man in penalty, but the
update to Derek Smart's Soapbox on the subject of the recent
"engine wars" between Monolith and Epic shouldn't surprise those
familiar with Derek's outspoken nature (as he says himself "I like
controversy damn it.")...
For a time yesterday, the headline on each story was a hyperlink to the
individual story to ease in making links to stories, however it turns out that
this made the font used in the headlines a shade darker under Netscape (which
prompting the usual small flood of "you changed something"
complaints). We'll figure out how to re-add the function without affecting the
headlines. I've also got a de-uglified check box for the focus dealie... I'll
try and add that in today. Finally we have definitely got some sort of DNS
glitch here--if you are not reading the words (huh?) that's the cause. Hopefully
we can wipe this one out real soon.
Link of the Day: Power Ranger Theater.
Thanks Steve Strickland. Current production: The Great Gatsby (performed by
Power Rangers).
Bonus Link: Molecule of the Month.
Thanks Arthur Kreklau. There's still a chance to vote for March. Younger
readers, please don't view the centerfolds.
Story of the Day: The Quest To Make Game Players Cry.
Thanks Ant. This quotes several
developers, including ION's Warren Spector and Peter Molyneux of Lionhead
Studios on efforts to add emotional impact to games (I don't know... I think I
must have shed a tear at one wingman's funeral in Wing Commander, but that's
probably just me).
.plan of the Day: Raven's Dan
Kramer, in which we learn that the word "crap" appears as many
times (40) as the word "please" in the source code for Soldier of
Fortune.
GameSpot has posted a new installment of the Soldier of Fortune diary, and this time Raven's Brian Raffel discusses the help they received from consultant John Mullins in developing the weapons, enemies, and more.
Also on GameSpot tonight is a Vampire Character feature, where they examine one character each week from Nihilistic's upcoming role-playing game, in text, sounds and images. Today's episode looks at Christof, the main protagonist.
Cinematix has released a version 1.2e patch for Revenant, available in both US and Korean editions (thanks AVault). There is no information available on what changes the patch brings to this isometric role-playing game.
A fresh installment of the Summoner diary is online at PC.IGN.com, and this time composer and sound designer Wally Shaw gives a number of guidelines he employs during the creation of sound and music for Volition's upcoming 3D role-playing game.
There are a bunch of Hired Guns screenshots on CombatWorld, along with some concept art and other images that appear in the game. Hired Guns is the tactical action game that's being developed by VR-1 and Psygnosis using the Unreal engine.
Gamecenter has announced that
they will be premiering the Unreal Tournament Bonus Pack (a free add-on for
UT that adds 11 new multiplayer levels, the new Relics feature, and 3 new
meshes) at an unspecified time tomorrow. Rest assured, we'll let you know when
it's released.
Activision has released the official version 1.1 patch for Battlezone II: Combat Commander to enable worldwide multiplayer gaming, and to fix issues with single-player missions, a range of multiplayer problems, and a couple of joystick problems.
id Software's John Carmack updated his
.plan again today with some harsh words for the people responsible for taking
down the QuakeLives site in retaliation for the author's decision not to abide
by the GPL license ( story). Here's what he had to say: Some people took
it upon themselves to remotely wreck Slade's development system. That is no
more defensible than breaking into Id and smashing something.
The idea isn't to punish anyone, it is to have them comply with the license
and continue to contribute. QuakeLives has quite a few happy users, and it is
in everyone's best interest to have development continue. It just has to be
by the rules.
Matrox has released
Windows 2000 drivers for their G400, G200 and G100 based cards (except for
the Marvel and MMS lines).
A
new MPEG movie featuring game footage from Soldier of Fortune has been posted
at incitegames, featuring that trademark violence it's so well known for, and
unlike the movie they posted yesterday, features stuff you can't find in the
demo. Update: a second, shorter movie is also available.
Also new on incitegames is another batch of their Black & White screenshots. This last batch of
shots are particularly pretty, showing different landscapes from the game world
in a variety of times of day.
AVault
is reporting that Eidos and Looking Glass Studios are aiming for a March
22nd release date for Thief II: The Metal Age. They quote Michael McHale, the
game's producer as saying, "most members of the team are working on bug
fixes and polishing," and that the game has reached "feature freeze."
There are also five new screenshots from the game, including one shot of the
main character looking at himself via the "scouting orb."
GameSpy has posted an
interview with Nels Bruckner, the former programmer at Dynamix on Starsiege:
TRIBES 2. Nels talks about the reasons for his departure, and says that Pipeworks,
the company he left to join, is working on a "top secret" project,
which will become somewhat less secret at this year's Game Developer's Conference.
Sierra Studios has released international version 1.2 patches for SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle, their tactical squad-action game. They fix gameplay and AI issues as with the US patch released last week ( story), and come in UK, French, German, Italian, and Spanish versions.
German developers Soft Enterprises have released an updated demo of their first-person shooter Skout. Besides containing a lot of fixes and improvements, this demo now also comes in English (except for a couple of German voice-overs), which should be a welcome change for those who were put off by the previous demo in the developers' native language ( story). A USA-based mirror of the demo is available at 3D Action Gamers.
PlanetDaiktana has posted the
last of their daily screenshots from Daikatana. Today's image shows "Stavros
the Sorcerer" a mini-boss in the game.
A new, somewhat odd, interview
with Volition character designer Matt Kresge is up on Summoner Homeland.
Matt answers all the questions (which are a bit strange in and of themselves)
in the third person, making this a little more bizarre than your average interview.
Computer Games Online has posted the second and final part of their Terminus preview, providing more details and new screenshots on this upcoming role-playing space-combat title by Vicarious Visions. The game aims to bring back experiences from the venerable Elite, as space combat takes equal turns with trading, resource management, and interaction with other players, human or AI.
GameSpot UK has posted one of their notorious screenshot galleries, this one displaying 30 images of Evolva, the colorful first/third-person action game by Computer Artworks. There is a shorter concept art gallery as well.
There is a preview of 10Six online at PC.IGN.com, looking at SegaSoft's action/strategy game where you play with and against 999,999 of your closest friends (sorry, the rest of them will have to wait for their turn). There are some more screenshots from the open beta, which will end on February 28 when the game will be released.
Also on GameSpot UK are two brief image galleries of Project IGI, showing off some new scenes and concept art from Innerloop's upcoming first-person action game, which is billed as a "thinker shooter."
Third time's a charm, as there are also a couple of new Anachronox screenshots on GameSpot UK, showing off ION Storm's 3D role-playing game that is being built on the Quake II-engine.
Spec
Ops M.O.U.T. Details on The Adrenaline Vault gives more skinny on this
upcoming follow-up from Zombie to Spec Ops, their tactics-oriented first-person
shooter. Here's a quote from the story talking about gameplay in Spec
Ops M.O.U.T. (BTW, M.O.U.T. stands for Military Operations in Urban Terrain):
Spec Ops: M.O.U.T. will feature a strong single-player adventure, though
Long told us the team will be developing just as much multiplayer content, which
he calls a combination of Team Fortress' fast action and the careful strategy of
Spec Ops. Imagine a futuristic battle in which two groups go head-to-head in a
tight urban setting with the sort of death appliances described above. Long said
such online battles will be an important part of the game: “We want all the
fiction, such as the missions, the equipment, the weapons, and the tactics, to
be as realistic as possible, but also be based on what we believe armies will be
doing in the future."
3DNews.Net's
Team Fortress 2 interview is an 11 question Q&A with an unnamed member of
Valve Software about Team Fortress 2, going into some detail about some of
aspects of gameplay for the upcoming commercial installment in the TeamFortress
series. Also, TF Tribune's
TF2 Q&A is an even shorter piece that presumably talks with Sarah Walker
(who is thanked at the end of the interview) asking specific questions about the
game's netcode, as well as about a planned conversion of the Canalzone map.
Careful to begin with the following disclaimer: "Warning, These are really
gross, so don't click unless you've got a strong stomach. Seriously." 53 New Soldier of Fortune Shots
on PC.IGN.Com offer a deck of cards' (plus a joker) worth of
stomach-turning shots from Raven Software's upcoming Quake II-engine mercenary
shooter (they should have posted 144 and called it a gross of gross shots).
Also, there's a new Soldier of
Fortune preview on Alloygaming.com, that in addition to offering a look
ahead at Soldier of Fortune, offers
three more new high resolutions screenshots showing off gameplay.
There are some Sheep
Simulator screenshots on GA-Strategy (yes this is for real, if I imagined
something like this, I wouldn't admit it publicly). Also, some new GA-Source Exclusive Side-Scene Screenshots
show off this 3D thriller action/adventure game, from Swedish developers The Other Guys
(not to be confused with these guys). Finally, the Majesty-Dragon
site has been updated with "four brand new never before seen Majesty
BETA screen captures."
Quake and QuakeWorld for Amiga
have several downloads for both Quake version 1.09 and QuakeWorld version 2.40
for cult-favorite Amiga systems, including versions for the WarpOS, PowerUp, and
AmigaOS/68k.
Version Usk822300 of the Usk8 mod for Unreal
Tournament is now available. If your 'l33t-to-English translator fails you,
Usk8 is "you skate," which is a skateboarding mod, originally coded
for Unreal, but now converted to work with UT as well. Word is: "We are
looking to make a Realistic game/experience for skateboarding enthusiasts and
spectators alike. With a planned hundreds of trick and various terrain to choose
from, this add-on will bring a new meaning to the phrase TC."
The debut release of MouseBall for
Unreal Tournament is now available (brought to us by none other than Joey
"FrogStomper" Fortuna, for old QuakeCast fans). The page doesn't offer
much info, so I beat a description of the mod out of FrogStomper, so here goes:
"Team play game. Pits mouse against mouse. Several goals scattered
throughout the field and several balls. Kick the balls into the goals that correspond
to your color. Prevent other mice from scoring by pushing them. Cheese powerups
add speed to your mouse, wings to your balls, and punch to your pushes.
MouseFans throughout the stadium cheer you on and jeer at your competitors
(depending on how you interpret their Shopping-Mall-Elf-Robot movements)."
A new version 1.01 patch for Assimilation 2
is now available, updating this teamplay mod for Quake III Arena. Assimilation 2
supports up to seven teams (except in CTF, which is still only two teams), the
mod features a unique scoring system, and what they modestly describe as "the
best looking grappling hook to date."
The first release of the Quake III Bot Designer
is now available. As can be surmised from the name, this is a program designed
to assist modelers in the addition of bot support to their models for Quake III
Arena. The program allows you to give a bot weapon preferences and other skills,
without having to crack open the Q3A source code.
Fragstomp has released the
source code for Reload
Be Gone! and Bloodlust,
their Quake III Arena modifications. All that's asked in return for adopting
their code is a credit (and not to break id's EULA, obviously), and while
there's no guarantee of support, they point out they are "pretty nice guys
and will at least attempt to answer any questions..."
Cold Storage Online
has the version 1.0 release of the K-Stats "Gaming and LAN party Tournament
/ League Organiser Thingy," adding generation of League Tables and Player
Lists on the main form and a new "Export to HTML" option for the
league stats among other things. Also ]R[eactive Software
has released beta 2 of the Reactive Q3A Competition Mod, which adds stats, Clan
Arena, and customizable command listings. Word is the next beta will add
"rail only," weapon/powerup banning, and a full GUI.
The CyberNexusCafe has announced
they are holding a Florida qualifier on March 11, 2000 for the $100,000 Razer
CPL tournament. Also, word is that S3’s DMM Underground
has signed on as a sponsor of the upcoming PlanetStarsiege TRIBES
World Championship, and now the winning team will be taking home over $7,000
in prizes. Finally, there's a Quake
III Song Contest on Quake3World looking to reward the best Q3A-related song
parody.
A post yesterday referred to Stars! Supernova as a real-time strategy offering
until Myrddin Emrys pointed out this is an error: Stars! Supernova is actually
turn-based (suited to play-by-mail). Thanks Myrddin. On the subject, there's new
a Stars! Supernova Q&A with screenshots on Gamer's Alliance Strategy.
Also, I wrote Picasso again the other day when referring to Picassio. Thanks
Mike for the correction. I'll probably confuse the art-theft game's name with
the artist's name at least once more before it sneaks past the alarm systems and
on to retailer's shelves.
Thanks a lot to Mindspring for
making us their Site o' the Day yesterday (and thanks to zombiestomper for the
heads-up about it). If any of you are reading this because they followed that
link, please make yourself at home. Today is the fourth anniversary of the
release of Qtest (thanks BC-]Victimizer[), the first test release of Quake, an event that spurred the
posting of a Quake deathmatch screenshot and the contents of the Qtest read me
as the second traces of Quake news on this site (after something like:
"Quake is coming, please don't email id Software asking about it"),
and basically launching the Quake section ("Rag") here, at the time a subsection
of "blue's 3D
House of 3D Carnage."
Link of the Day: Japanese Engrish,
a collection English phrases found in advertisements and such in Japan. Not as
politically incorrect as it seems at first, but terribly funny, featuring ad
slogans like: "Bull Coffee, a canned coffee drink that gives you both
creaminess and dry coffee taste." Thanks Kyle.
.plan of the Day: Brandon Reinhart
(again). First no blow guns, and now this. How can he stand it?
Image of the Day: The
VIA-GRA (Viagra) Motherboard. Thanks SlacKerCT.
|
Twitter 
