Archived News:
Not wasting any time between updates, PlanetStarsiege has posted
part three of their four part, massive preview of Starsiege: TRIBES 2 (thanks
MaximumBurn). Like the previous installments, this features a ton of questions
answered by members of Dynamix' TRIBES 2 team. This edition focuses on editing,
the interface, and general gameplay.
GameSpot has conducted an
interview with TJ Wagner, the lead designer on Mechwarrior 4, the next installment
in this venerable giant robot series (and the only one of its kind that can
legally use the term "mech"). The questions are all over the map,
dealing with gameplay issues, as well as their spiffy new engine.
Hubert Chardot, the creative director at Gamesquad, is
interviewed on PC Gamer UK, talking about their upcoming survival horror
title Devil Inside. The interview was serialized in three parts, however all
three are available online now. Here are links to part
one, part
two, and part
three.
More Star Trek gaming news for all you trekkies in the house...GameSpot has
posted two new previews of Star Trek games: a
preview of Star Trek: ConQuest Online, and a
preview of Raven's Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force. ConQuest Online, for
those that haven't heard of the game before (I fall into that category myself)
is minimally multiplayer online strategy game (lookit! I coined a phrase!) that
has you taking the role of one of those wacky members of the Q Continuum, attempting
to gain control of the universe. I call it "minimally multiplayer"
because while it's played online, it's head-to-head only. Elite Force, of course,
is Raven's upcoming Quake III Arena engine first person action game.
The official Dogs of War site has kicked off a screenshot of the day feature, where Silicon Dreams will post one image of their 3D real-time action tactics game until release, which is set for April 14. To give you a headstart, the existing image gallery was nearly doubled in size with the addition of 18 new screenshots.
TalonSoft has released the Codename Eagle Strategy & Tactics guide for download, covering 50-odd pages in Adobe Acrobat PDF format with a supplement to the player's guide, detailed missions walkthroughs, and more. Computer Games Online has posted part 2 of their Nox Trinkets and tricks. And this Unofficial Starlancer FAQ was updated with more answers on gameplay as well as technical issues.
An update to the official Devil Inside site brings three new screenshots each of the Dave and Deva characters you play in the game, as well as five new screenshots of the TV show that is part of the storyline, and also six new images of monsters in the game, and last but not least three new screenshots of other scenes in this upcoming third-person horror action adventure by GameSquad (phew).
Havas Interactive, the parent company of WON.net (as well as Sierra and Blizzard
amongst other companies) has
announced that it has acquired PrizeCentral.com, and plans to merge it with
WON to create Flipside.com, a new online gaming network that according to the
press release, will be larger than Microsoft's formidable Gaming Zone. In
addition to this, today's edition of the Wall Street Journal (it's also
available to paid subscribers of the WSJ Interactive Edition) is reporting
that WON.net will be creating a massively multiplayer online role-playing game
based on The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien. There are literally
no details available about the game, but WON's president is quoted as saying
that they, "may charge players a monthly fee" to play it (suggesting,
of course, that they may not).
incite has posted six new screenshots of Star Trek: New Worlds, most of them offering somewhat higher up views of the mostly ground-based 3D real-time strategy game by 14 Degrees East and Interplay.
It's a Tuesday, so seven new screenshots of MDK2 are now available for your perusal on the official site, giving more views of enemies in BioWare's third-person action sequel. MDK, as everyone knows, stands for Mike Delta Kilo.
While Third Law has been talking about it for ages, and it's available for
pre-order at most online retailers already, Gathering of Developers has just
formally
announced the Dreamcast version of KISS: Psycho Circus - The Nightmare Child.
The only real news in
the press release is word that it's being developed by Tremor Entertainment,
and will support full online multiplayer gaming via the system's built-in 56k
modem (featuring exclusive deathmatch levels). The Dreamcast version (along with its PC counterpart no doubt) will be shown at the E3 expo in May, and will be released, "this summer."
MSN's Gaming Zone has conducted an
interview with Nick Elms, the art director and team leader at Digital Anvil
on their upcoming space opera Starlancer, which is getting early praise from
the beta builds sent to the press (thanks The
Lancers Reactor). The questions are of a general sort, and the interview
seems to be aimed at someone who isn't that familiar with the game, but there
are some interesting tidbits in here, including how the team avoided real flight
physics in order to make the gameplay better.
Westwood has released an
update for their action/adventure game Nox, which is available via the game's
auto-update system (and should be available soon as a separate download on their
official Nox site). The update contains a boatload of enhancements to both
the single and multiplayer aspects of the game, and features over 20 character
and weapon enhancements.
The second
part of PlanetStarsiege's massive TRIBES 2 preview is online, featuring
more answers to questions about the game from some of the designers at Dynamix.
This second installment features questions about classes, weapons, maps, the
interface, and even whether or not the game will feature...a shrubbery (ni!).
Eurogamer.net has posted a
preview of Arcatera: The Dark Brotherhood, an upcoming third person adventure/RPG
title from German developer Westka Entertainment, featuring some screenshots,
as well as the usual rundown of the game's features.
Alice@Stomped has conducted a quick Q&A with Jay Brushwood, artist on American McGee’s Alice, the upcoming third-person action game set in the wonderous worlds of Wonderland. The chat naturally covers Jay's work on the game's characters, of which the Cheshire Cat is his favorite.
As expected after last week's comments by id's John Carmack on the Dreamcast ( story), Sega has announced that Quake III Arena will be ported to the Sega Dreamcast Network for release later this year (thanks Well Rounded News for the tip). Here is an excerpt from the full press release:
Continuing to build
the library of multiplayer titles for the Sega Dreamcast Network,
Sega® of America announced today a deal with Activision, Inc. to
publish id Software's QUAKE III Arena(TM) for the 128-bit,
Internet-ready Sega Dreamcast(TM) videogame console.
The title is being developed, under id Software's supervision and
direction, by Activision and Raster Productions for Sega Dreamcast and
published by Sega of America. QUAKE III Arena is expected to ship
later this year.
...
The Sega Dreamcast version of QUAKE III Arena will have exclusive new
arenas, a completely re-designed user interface and menu system, as
well as an innovative two to four-player split screen option for
non-stop action. Players are invited to test their mettle against
history's fiercest warriors while prowling dark hallways and
courtyards in gothic arenas and frightening futuristic spacescapes.
casManG's Game Editing News and Help has posted eight new screenshots of Terminus, showing off new scenes from this role-playing space combat title in development at Vicarious Visions, where casManG works, although not on this game.
Tactical Arena has posted a new preview of Earth 2150, putting a recent beta of this upcoming 3D RTS by TopWare and Mattel through its paces, and including a boatload of new screenshots along the way.
There is a hands-on preview of Flying Heroes online at GameSpot UK, looking ahead to this fantasy action flyer by Illusion Softworks and Pterodon, illustrated with half a dozen of new screenshots.
Italian gaming site NextGame.it has conducted an interview with Lord British, also known as Richard Garriott in this realm. The talk covers his latest release Ultima IX: Ascension, the upcoming Ultima Online 2, some bits on his upcoming project "X", and even sees his Lordship commenting on some of the other role-playing games out there. The article is also available in the site's native Italian. Here is a quote on project "X":
Nextgame.it: X will be a sort of real life, a "alternative real life" in which
you can work... So, will it be something more than a simple massively multiplayer world?
Lord British: X is more than just an alternative reality... X is also a true
story telling game. X has both a MMP world like Ultima Online and has
"missions" you accomplish with your parties.
Even More New Cataclysm Screens on PC.IGN.com offers two more galleries of screenshots from the space-based RTS sequel by Barking Dog, one showing off a few of the new units, and another with some new images of the Beast ships.
GameSpot UK has posted a screenshots gallery for Evolva, showing off two dozen more scenes from the first- and third-person action game by Computer Artworks where you control a team of four Genohunters.
3D Action Planet has conducted an interview with Jason Kingsly, chatting to the co-founder of Rebellion about their new game under construction, the 3D action RPG Gunlok. There is not a lot of detail, as the game is still early in development, but Jason does tell a bit more about the RPG elements and multiplayer features they are designing.
CheckOut.com
interviews James Thrush talking with the producer of The Rift, Thrushwave
Technology's upcoming 3D space strategy game that won an audience award at the
recent Independent Games Festival. The Q&A covers Thrushwave's history, The
Rift's inspiration, details about gameplay, finding a
publisher, and more.
Strifeshadow
Development Notes #1 gives the first in what are planned as a series of such
developer updates on the Ethermoon Entertainment
website, keeping us up with the status of Strifeshadow Tournament Edition,
their upcoming multiplayer RTS game where you compete as your choice of three
races. Showing either a conservative streak, a sense of humor, or both, here is
the website's description of Strifeshadow's yet-to-be-determined system
requirements: "It will definitely use less system resources than
Ultima IX."
More Star Trek than you can split an infinitive at: The official Klingon Academy
website has an update from Designer Brent Kollmansberger describing the
boarding system they've just added that will allow you to capture enemy ships
with the strategic use of your transporters. On the same subject, GameSpot's Star Trek
Week continues with a Klingon Academy Q&A
with Raphael Hernandez, producer of Star Trek: Klingon Academy, which they
describe as "Interplay's oft-delayed yet much-anticipated capital-ship
simulation." Star Trek week continues at warp speed, as GameSpot's
Star Trek- New Worlds Q&A talks about the upcoming trekkie RTS from 14
Degrees East and Interplay with Dan Kingdom, the game's regal lead designer.
Kirk out.
The Alice Wonderland-castle
page reveals a new area from Rogue and EA's upcoming Quake III-engine Alice
game, showing off the Madhatter's Area, and also showing off their vocabulary,
saying "A sanguinolent feast awaits you at the Hatter’s abattoir."
Also on the Alice front,
Rogue Entertainment's Peter Mack updated
his .plan asking opinions on "What platforms would you like to possibly
see Alice ported to? This doesn't necessarily mean they will be seeking any port
in a storm, however, as Peter's .plan goes on to point out this is: "not a
guarantee that Alice will come to any platform other than Windows, but we would
like to gauge people's interest." Suggestions should be sent to aliceports@rogue-ent.com.
RAGNAROK (PlanetRUNE) has
posted an exclusive new RUNE movie for download. The movie is in .avi format,
and weighs in at just under 30 MB, showing off gameplay from Human Head
Studios' upcoming Unreal-engine Viking action game.
There's a Sovereign
Developer Chat log on the SO Vault recapping last night's session with
Verant Interactive's Clint Worley talking about progress on the upcoming 3D RTS.
Also, the MSN Gaming Zone-Zone Theater Chat
Events page has word that they are holding a "Women in Games"
summit, featuring Katherine Anna Kang, formerly of id Software and now president
of Fountainhead Entertainment, and
Ismini "Atari" Boinodiris, Co-Founder of WomenGamers.Com.
They'll discuss the growing community of women gamers, and address issues
like: "Do all-female tournaments promote competition in women or do they
contribute to the gender divide?" Finally, tomorrow the URwired.com Chat
area will host "Hassle Hassabis In Our Online
Chat," a chance to chat online with Demis Hassabis, who co-created Theme
Park with Peter Molyneux.
StarLancer.Org's Beta Second
Chance offers one last chance to sign-up for the beta testing of StarLancer,
Microsoft and Digital Anvil's upcoming game of space combat. The sign-ups will
end at midnight tomorrow night.
The debut release of Bot Boom
for Quake III Arena is now available, designed to help you easily design some
custom bots to play against in Q3A. The program allows you to select from
Mr.Elusive's 32 included Q3A bots and any of 89 skins for 23 different models,
or you can specify your own homemade or custom model/skin, and there's no limit
on the number of bots you can make.
BTW, in case you are curious, a story like this gets broken into bullet points
when it offers four distinct items, while stories with three items can remain a
paragraph:
- A new version 2.4 of the Quest level editor
has been released on The Official new DOS-Win95 Quest homepage.
Among other changes, the new version adds support for Quake III Arena, Sin, and
Heretic II, as well as Linux (i386-svgalib,x11) support, improved entity
editing, and more. Quest is a GPL release, and you can get the source using CVS
from the
SourceForge project page.
- A new version 1.2 of the Q3IDE
Integrated Development Environment is out, offering new features and bug
fixes. The promised tutorial is now also available.
- There's now an ICQ ActiveList for UnrealEd. It was actually started by someone
less experienced in the program, who hopes someone more experienced will take
over as admin when some experts sign on. The ActiveList name is UnrealEd &
its list number is 69091380.
- The Fly3D 0.88 SDK
on FileClicks is now available for download.
Claiming they plan on putting the party back in LAN party, EuroLan.Org
kicks off this weekend. the event will offer Q3A two-on-two and CTF competitions,
a Quake II Lithium tourney, and a Q3A duel contest with the winner to play [UNR]Blokey
(champion of the Razer-CPL event's official UK qualifier). AMD Athlon processors
and motherboards, as well as Voodoo3 graphics cards are among the prizes being
offered. Also, the
CPL has announced some new eligibility requirements for their upcoming
$100,000 tourney, saying: "Any participant who will not be at least 17
years of age on the first day of the Razer / CPL tournament must provide a
signed consent from their parent or legal guardian to participate in the event.
Minors under the age of 15 are not eligible to enter the Razer / CPL tournament."
The semi-brief downtime yesterday turns out to have been due to a rare network
outage, and things seem under control now.
I am all a-tingle, today is the day Dr. DSL is supposed to come in and install my
new über-pipe. Of course, "supposed to" is the key phrase here, as
the general consensus is the service is probably available in my area (the folks
coming to do the installation seem certain), but apparently nothing can be truly
certain until they arrive. Anyway, I've got my fingers, toes,
et al crossed, if you see me on a server later with a stupid-low ping, you'll
know what happened. Hey, baseball's opening day is today, with the Cubs &
Mets playing in Japan(!), a decision that benefits those like myself, who tend
to be up all night... I wonder how many other New Yorkers got to watch the
opening pitch at 5:00 AM local time?
Link of the Day: The Best Public Toilets In...New York, Boston, DC, Chicago.
With its own domain, no less. Quick NYC public bathroom tip they don't seem
quite hip to, is that you can easily use the washroom in almost any hotel in
Manhattan (most of which are quite snazzy, to boot). Thanks John Bigbooté.
Bonus Link: The Pencil Pages.
Thanks again John Bigbooté.
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