Archived News:
Monolith sent along word that they have opened registration for the closed multiplayer beta test of Sanity, their top-down action game that is being built using the LithTech 1.5 engine. While the number of players that will be selected or an end date to the registration aren't mentioned, the page does describe a type of "scavenger hunt" running until June 20 that can increase your chances of being selected. As an appetizer, the page offers the Sanity E3 trailer for download, which shows over a minute and half of cinematic and in-game footage from the game.
incite has posted a movie demonstrating the world builder of Neverwinter Nights. The trailer, taken from an E3 presentation, runs for nearly two minutes and shows how quickly a simple dungeon with a pit and an island can be crafted and then played in the engine, while very little effort is needed to apply lighting levels, ornaments and other features.
French site Ouare Games serves up an new set of Homeworld: Cataclysm screenshots snapped from their beta copy of the game, featuring a look at a bunch of the units in the space-based RTS sequel that is being developed at Barking Dog.
Also on incite today is a gallery of new Icewind Dale screenshots, showing off more from the isometric role-playing game under construction at Black Isle Studios.
GameFAQs, as is their way, has posted updates to the Drakan FAQ/Walkthrough by DemiGodX, adding various bits of information missing from its initial release, as well as to the Quake III Arena FAQ and System Shock 2 FAQ by Magus, both reaching that certain level of completeness that is associated with a .0 version number.
The official TechnoMage: Return of Eternity site has been updated with a new screenshot of the week from this upcoming action RPG. Also, RPGVault has posted a new Baldur's Gate II screenshot, and there's another BG2 shot on incite, this time in four resolutions.
Pandemic Studios has released a patch for the closed beta version of Dark Reign 2, bringing the game to build 772. This patch is applicable only to beta CD version, and while there is no word on the changes and fixes included, you will need a fair amount of bandwidth (or patience, as the case may be), as the download clocks in at 22.0 MB.
Just before the game will hit store shelves, Activision's official Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption site has been updated with a new letter from Beckett to Lucita, discussing the implications of the recently conducted beta test for Nihilistic's 3D role-playing game. Illustrating the proceedings are five new screenshots, and there's a new shot on Vampire - The Darkside as well, probably the last of two gazillion Vampire images we'll be mentioning here.
Dark Sector fan site The Darker Sector has conducted a
new Q&A with Digital Extremes' James "Gwot" Edwards, talking
to him about how he wound up at DE, his work on the game, as well as his days
in the Quake II modeling scene (complete with advice for would-be artists).
The Mushroom has conducted a new 20 Questions interview with Gary Stelmack and the Rogue Spear: Urban Operations team, and the result covers a variety of topics on Red Storm's recently released expansion pack, such as the research that went into its development, multiplayer aspects, and their future plans for the series (an issue that is of course skillfully dogded).
JDoom, the DOOM port by Jaakko Keränen, has moved to a new location, and a new version 0.81 was released on the occasion. This release adds a number of features missing from the original release, such as DLaunch support, and fixes a few bugs.
RedFaction.net has posted a Red Faction
FAQ, featuring gameplay and engine-specific questions about their recently
announced FPS title (thanks Descent 3D).
The FAQ also sets the record straight about the game's connection to Descent
4, saying "Back in 1998 Volition-inc. started working on another Descent
title, Descent4. However after they changed publisher (THQ) they had to change
the name to 'Red Faction' due to legal problems."
Version 1.9 of the Jumbot
for Half-Life, which is described as "the largest release in quite
some time" has been released. This new version fixes the "horrible,
horrible FOV code" as well as tweaking the general bot movement and lots
more.
As promised, PC.IGN has posted the
Motocross Madness 2 demo (thanks Corey). The 40 MB download features a stunt
quarry, a national's track, two bikes, and one racing skin.
Deus Ex Incarnate has confirmed
with Warren Spector that Deus Ex will feature music from Reeves
Gabrels, a longtime collaborator with David Bowie (both of whom recently
contributed to Omikron: The Nomad Soul soundtrack). According to a letter they
received from Spector, Gabrels' music will be featured in the clubs in New York,
Hong Kong and Paris in the game, and is also in the recently released trailer.
From the "milking the beta for all it's worth" department: 18
new screenshots from Crimon Skies, the aerial action game from Mechwarrior
developers Zipper Interactive, are up at GameSpy.com. In a bizarre little twist,
GameSpy hosted site 3D Action Planet has an
additional 16 shots, quite possibly from the same copy of the game.
The official Timeline Computer Entertainment
site has gone live (thanks AVault).
TCE is the gaming company founded by author Michael Crichton, and it would appear
that their first game is based on his novel Timeline. The site offers little
in the way of game information, featuring only subtle hints about the "interactive
worlds" they are creating, and those that have read the novel will instantly
recognize the characters and locations here. One minor thing of interest is
a note from Michael
Crichton, who says their game will be released in November of 2000 (I guess
he makes games as quickly as he writes novels).
Somehow this one slipped through the cracks last week: five
new screenshots from Red Faction, Volition's recently announced FPS game
are up at incite.com. The shots show off the game's flashy deformable terrain
engine, as well as one of their fully functional vehicles, and a sniper rifle. Update: it would appear that these shots aren't new after all (thanks to GameSlice editor Geoff Keighley for the tip).
Israeli gaming site Vgames has posted a gallery of 15 new, high-res Blair Witch Project, Volume 1 screenshots as well as a few pieces of art, illustrating the first of the games in the upcoming horror action/adventure trilogy based on last year's surprise hit movie.
We've known about it ever since John Carmack's .plan update last week ( story)
but today, id
Software has formally announced that they are working on a new (as of yet
untitled) Doom game. Here's the majority of the
press release, which offers no details on the game: MESQUITE, Texas
- June 1, 2000 - id Software, an independent developer of entertainment software,
has started work on the next incarnation of DOOM, one of the most popular computer
games of all time. Employing an entirely new 3-D graphics engine, the still
untitled project will showcase id Software's legendary ability to create an
over-the-top, story-based single-player experience.
"id Software forever changed computer games with the DOOM franchise, and
only id can carry on the cultural and technical tradition of the original masterpiece,"
Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software, said.
Hollenshead offered few other details.
"We expect to once again dramatically advance first-person gaming both
technically and artistically with this title," Hollenshead added. "Other
than that, id does not plan on issuing additional comments until the game is
ready to speak for itself."
The original DOOM was released to critical acclaim in 1993 as shareware and
has since been recognized as one of the most downloaded pieces of software of
all time. id later released DOOM and its sequels at retail, where combined they
have sold more than 4 million copies, generating sales topping $100 million.
Nine new shots from
KISS: Psycho Circus, Third Law's upcoming LithTech-engine powered first
person shooter, are up at GameSpot UK. According to the accompanying text, the
game is set for a July release (although these things have a way of changing,
particularly in the FPS genre).
RedStorm has released a
beta patch for Rogue Spear: Urban Operations (thanks Rogue
Spear Retreat). This patch adds a game option that lets you set a preferred
action display mode and fixes multiplayer exploits in addition to many, many
other changes. A full list of all the new features, fixes, and changes, is available
on RedStorm's download
page (which stresses that it is a public beta, and not a final release).
GA-RPG has posted an Anachronox
update from ION Storm artist Lee Perry. Lee gives a general status update
on the game, saying that, "there's at least a very passable version of
every creature and level in the game" and confirming that as far as he
knows, they plan on releasing a demo, but not until after the game is complete.
GameSpy.com has written a
new preview of Blizzard's upcoming 3D RTS game Warcraft III. The preview
is fairly in-depth, and features a rundown of the game's features and races,
as well as three new screenshots.
Also new on GameSpy.com this morning is the
second installment of their O.R.B. development diary. This edition features
Strategy First designer Phil O'Connor talking about their unique approach to
the RTS genre, as well as new screenshots and a pair of illustrations of the
SF office.
Part two of the Q&A with Deus Ex designer Harvey "Witchboy" Smith is online at DXDot. As in part one ( story), the questions and their corresponding answers don't cover much from the game, and instead deal with the games that influenced him and his current gaming preferences, and the article also includes a screenshot from a Deus Ex map in UnreadEd.
There's a Starfleet Command II Interview
on Well Rounded Entertainment talking with Josh Morris and Erik Bethke about
the upcoming persistent universe sequel to Starfleet Command, the computer
version of the popular pen-and-paper space combat tactics board game Starfleet
Battles. The Q&A goes into detail about what SFC2 will entail, which will
include portions from every time frame from each movie and series, saying:
"Our license gives us access to all the Star Trek from the Original Series
up to Star Trek VI."
Sinking their fangs into some controversy, there's a GameSpy.com
Editorial called "Doom 3: Possibly the worst idea in the history of
gaming," which views the recent announcement from id Software
( story) through decidedly non-rose colored glasses. The piece is
credited to Christopher "shaithis" Buecheler, "the Project Director for
GameSpy.com and an opinionated bastard." Equally unhappy with the
announcement is the editing enclave DTeam,
which is more upset at the treatment of Paul Steed than the plans for a sequel
to the Doom series, they have therefore declared a boycott of future projects
based on the work of id Software.
Final Days: a photographic tribute to Looking Glass Studios by Mike Chrzanowski
is just that, a photo essay showing the process of shutting down the now-defunct
game developer.
Beginners
C Part Eight-Just A Bit More On Structures on Quake3Mods.Net and Beginners
C Part Nine-Pointers on Quake3Mods.Net are their latest Quake III Arena
coding tutorials. Meanwhile, if you are into editing, The Wadfather
is going to make you an offer you cannot refuse: they have more than 200
environment maps that can be freely used as skies in your projects, the files
they have are easily used in Half-Life, Quake II and Sin.
Interview mit dem Author von de_train
is actually an English-language interview with Chris Mair, author of
de_train map for Counter-Strike for Half-Life, as well as a designer for Barking
Dog Studios. Also, there are some new Gunman Screenshots
on GA-Source showing off action from this upcoming Half-Life conversion.
Time is running out to sign up for Monster Mash 3
a four day gathering in Toronto, Canada, slated for August 3-6, 2000. Planned
for the event are competitions in Quake (1) Thunderwalker CTF, Quake III Arena
CTF, Unreal Tournament, and Starsiege TRIBES. Also, the Barrysworld Quake 3 Leagues
are now accepting sign-ups.
Today's the day AMD's NDA on their new Thunderbird CPUs expires, here's the
Thunderbird press release (thanks Haakon Larsen), and the AMD
Athlon (Thunderbird) Whitepaper is up on the AMD Zone along with a load of other support material, all indexed on AMDZone's
review index, which will try to track all the various articles that pop up
today as well. Here's a list to get you started: There are articles or reviews
of the new CPU on Sharky Extreme,
Tom's Hardware
Guide, AnandTech,
CPU Review, Full On 3D,
PC World,
Gamers Depot,
Hardware Central,
and Ace's Hardware.
- AMK 33336 case on DeezTech.
- AMK Video RAM heatsink on The Tech Zone.
- MSI K7TPro motherboard (First Look) on SlotA.com.
- VIA Apollo KX133 Based Athlon motherboard roundup on iXBT.
Congrats to Epic's Cliff Bleszinski, who drops the bomb in his
.plan file that he's planning on tying the knot, making losers of lots of us
with side bets about Cliffy. If you've seen his wardrobe, then you know why the
next set of wagering will be on his tuxedo... what will it be, gold lame?
Sharkskin? The possibilities are endless. Ack, speaking of endless
possibilities, I just realized this might be paving the way for little CliffyB
Jr.s (or for a game designer would it be CliffyB II... or CliffyB Tournament?),
I think I have to stop now, I'm scaring myself.
Link of the Day: The
Bench community cartooning. For old-school Doom fans. Thanks newO.
Story of the Day: Divers find Pharaohs' lost city
(BBC). This one's Herakleion, Atlantis has to be next.
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