Archived News:
Blizzard has released a version 1.05 patch for Diablo II (thanks Brad Cossette).
The patch is currently only available via the Battle.net update system, and
contains fixes for copy-protection errors on some DVD and CD-ROM drives and
the broken spell ranges from the last release, as well as a few gameplay balance
tweaks and improvements. A full
list can be found on Diablo II.net.
epradio.com has conducted a new audio interview with Bob Stevenson, the vice-president and co-founder of Planet Moon ( Windows Media Player required). The interview has an amazing running time of one hour, and of course discusses his company, the development of their third-person action game Giants: Citizen Kabuto and what it is about, the design choices they made, and lots of related topics at great length. "Giants 2" is mentioned a couple of times during the talk, but it has not yet officially been confirmed that a sequel is already in development.
Red Faction Visit Report on Action Vault is an account of a trip to Volition to check out their upcoming first-person shooter of destructable environments (among other things). The article offers their impressions from a hands-on demonstration by lead designer Alan Lawrence, along with descriptions of the levels, weapons and vehicles they saw in action. The accompanying screenshots have already appeared elsewhere before though.
Daily Radar took their playable build of Summoner for a spin, and captured two dozen new screenshots and five gameplay movies from the 3D role-playing game that is nearing completion at Volition. The movies range from 4.3 to 7.0 MB in download size, and from 20 to 31 seconds in running time. And elsewhere, PC.IGN.com has posted nine new screenshots of their own.
Also on Daily Radar this evening is the last part of their Freedom Force interview, as before grilling Irrational's Ken Levine about their upcoming 3D action RPG of superheroics. Ken offers more insight into the 3D camera system, and discusses the similarities between this and their previous games, but part of the Q&A is posted twice so it's actually shorter than it looks.
When this was sent in yesterday, we couldn't get through to the site, but it seems better now so here goes as yet: Polish company CODA Development has announced their game Starmageddön, a space-based RTS that they like to describe as "next-gen 3D strategy where Homeworld meets Red Alert 2." The official site offers the first game details, engine specs, sketches and screenshots, as well as five movie clips showing the game in action. Starmageddön is scheduled for a late 2001 release but CODA is still looking for a publisher.
- Undying
German site GameSurf.de has posted more Clive Barker's Undying screenshots here and here, offering new scenes in the first-person horror shooter by DreamWorks.
- Kohan
A brief but apparently hands-on preview of Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns on PC Gameworld is accompanied by eleven new screenshots of TimeGate's upcoming isometric RTS.
- Fallout Tactics
Fansite Fallout eXtreme has posted four more Fallout Tactics renders, and Freelancer has one new poster, all illustrating Micro Forte's squad-based tactical combat game.
RPG Vault has posted a new installment in their series of Dragonriders Q&As, grilling leading designer Oliver Sykes about the third-person action adventure in the works at UBI Studios. Today's topics cover technical subjects like the capabilities of the engine, the save game system, the differences between the PC and Dreamcast versions, and the absence of a multiplayer side to the game.
Master of Orion III Interview with Alan Emrich on Arenagames is a quick chat with one of the QuickSilver designers on their upcoming 4X strategy game. Alan talks about his work on the game, how its development progresses, and some of its features including the multiplayer elements.
GameSpot's hat trick this evening is rounded out with a Q&A on Star Wars: Episode 1 Battle for Naboo, talking to project leader Brett Tosti about this upcoming flying shooter. Brett discusses the game's premise, vehicles, missions, and other features, and there are also a few new screenshots. Furthermore, a whopping 13 new gameplay movies are online to show the game in action.
Also on GameSpot this evening is a brief interview with Ensemble Studios CEO Tony Goodman, who talks about a new real-time strategy game in development that currently goes by the codename RTSIII. This game will be based on a new 3D engine they started developing around the same time work on Age of Empires II began, and Tony discusses some of its features in general terms, while carefully evading other questions as most of the game remains under wraps. Additionally, there's a streaming video feature entitled Behind the Scenes: Ensemble Studios.
A new, hands-on preview of X-COM Enforcer is up at GameSpot this evening, looking ahead to the third-person action game in the venerable X-COM series. From an introduction to its history, the article (by our very own loonyboi) looks at the game's structure, levels, weapons, and more, but also notes that "Although the build of the game we were sent was fully playable and remarkably stable, it still had quite a few rough edges." Ten new screenshots accompany the proceedings.
id Software's Eric Webb updated his .plan with word that they are working to resolve a Quake III: Team Arena server problem, and have started a test server for debugging purposes that you can join. Here are the details:
We've been working hard the last few days trying to track down a dedicated server crash. I've got a
server running here at Id that should give us a pretty good indication of what's going on next time it
goes down, so feel free to hop in and play. This particular server cycles through the Team Arena
terrain maps, so you have to have TA installed. Have fun!
The address: 192.246.40.159
As promised below, the version 1.7 patch for SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle has been released, and the 3.6 MB file is available in the usual six language editions from Sierra's ftp server: USA, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Additionally, a European Data Update (31.7 MB) is available that is required by the French, Italian and Spanish editions for full multiplayer compatibility with the other international versions. See the official site for details.
10-David.com has received by way of
Sierra Studios' Rod Fung a complete list of changes that will be included in
the imminent SWAT 3 1.7 patch. The changes include internationalized multiplayer
(so people in different countries can play against each other), new features
for mod authors, support for private messages and lots more. The patch is expected
in the very near future, possibly as soon as today.
As part of their Oni week, MacGamer has posted a
Q&A with Devin Winterbottom, brand manager at Take 2 Interactive on
Oni, the just-released anime-inspired third person action game. With the game
out on the shelves, Devin fields questions about various parts of its development,
including the decision to drop multiplayer and the relationship of all the parties
involved in its publication (Take 2, Bungie, Gathering of Developers and Microsoft).
A new interview
with ION Storm Austin designer Warren Spector and audio director Alex Brandon
(making his second appearance on Blue's News today) is up at GamesDomain. The
interview focuses on music in games, and the Deus duo talk about the production
process and how the soundtrack evolves with the game.
Version 1.3 of the Dominator mod
for Unreal Tournament has been released. This new version adds a new web-based
admin interface for server operators, new HUD icons, a new Domination Scoring
option that makes the mod more like the regular UT Domination mission type, and
more.
The always outspoken Derek Smart has updated his
Developer's Diary at the official Battlecruiser Millennium site. In the
rather lengthy update Derek goes into great detail about Battlecruiser Millennium,
with information on specific gameplay features, how he's working to keep the
fans of Battlecruiser 3000AD happy, and lots more. He has also posted lots
of new screenshots from the game, taken from the current beta test.
Stomped's
Project Eden Interview talks with Gavin Rummery, the lead designer at Core
Design. Gavin talks about what will make Project Eden stand out among the many
other third person action titles out there, and he also provides some details
about the plot in the game and their internally developed 3D engine among other
topics.
An interview with Virgin
Interactive's Paul Whipp is up at GameSeek.com today, talking with him about
Magic & Mayhem: The Art of Magic, the upcoming title from developers Charybdis
Ltd. Paul provides details on how The Art of Magic improves on the original
Magic & Mayhem, as well as how the new spell creation system works, and
GameSeek has also posted four new screenshots from the game.
GA-Strategy has posted a
Q&A with Scott Campbell, the lead designer at Mumbo Jumbo Games on Myth
III: The Wolf Age. The questions deal with what sort of genre the game fits
into and its connection to the other games in the series.
In what will likely be seen as good news for fans of the series, Simon &
Schuster Interactive has announced that they will be publishing a game based
on Farscape, the popular Sci-Fi Channel space opera. There isn't much in the
press release beyond its overall premise and that it's being developed by Red
Lemon (who also produced the Braveheart game for Eidos Interactive), but here's
the gist of it: The Farscape game will feature an action/adventure format
in which gamers can choose to be Earth astronaut John Crichton, or, one of the
aliens: the outcast Peacekeeper Aeryn, the street-smart Chiana, brutish warrior
D'Argo, royal sovereign Rygel, or high priestess Zhaan. The Farscape game is
being developed for the PC (Windows® 2000/ME/95/98) and a "next generation"
console platform, by veteran game studio Red Lemon.
Our heroes are stranded on a desolate planet in a far off corner of the universe,
caught between warring native factions and the deadly Peacekeepers. A chilling
mystery shrouds a hideous threat to galactic stability and the Moya crew has
to uncover the clues to stop it before time runs out.
The game combines extensive character interaction and fast paced combat in a
third-person environment. Gamers control major Farscape characters with varying
complimentary skills to solve a variety of inter-connected challenges. This
all takes place in a visual rich setting, reflective of the hit TV show. The
first public demonstration of the game will be made at the Electronic Entertainment
Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, May 2001.
The first edition of
their Fatherdale Journal is online this morning over at GA-RPG. This installment
is by Sergei Klimov, a designer at Snowball Interactive on Fatherdale: Guardians
of Asgard, and contains a script for an in-engine sequence, along with some
screenshots showing how it is implemented in the game.
Fan page DeusEx-Machina.com has conducted an
interview with Alex Brandon, the composer of the music in Deus Ex. Alex
talks about his background in the industry, his favorite games, and how he wound
up working on Deus Ex.
Black
& White gets that loving iFeeling on EuroGamer
is an article based on this
press release describing LionHead's plans to incorporate Immersion's
TouchSense Technology into Black & White, providing a tactile feedback interface
into the game. There are more details on the technology on PC.IGN.Com
where they interview Dr. Dean Chang about TouchSense. Finally, capping of this
spate of Black & White news, there is a
bunch of new Black & White screenshots on EuroGamer showing off the
upcoming game in full color, to abuse a favorite joke, and Telefragged has those same shots and a few dozen more.
A French press
release on Gamedata.com offers word on plans for an expansion pack for
Baldur's Gate II to be called something along the lines of Baldur's Gate II:
Throne of the Baal. Here's a cleaned up version of the Babel Fish
translation of the last paragraph, which offers the payoff: Virgin
Interactive also ships in January, the 3 editions of the game in only one box:
The Integral Baldur's Gate, a genuine (écrin) for a legendary game, and
prepares for launching an add-on, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of the Baal.
We're still trying to figure out the "écrin" part.
Not to be outdone, there is also some new information available about Blizzard's
own Baalsy expansion, as this
Belgian interview with Matt Householder is translated on DiabloII.Net offering new info on the planned Diablo II follow-up, while the international trend continues with this Polish interview with Matt, which is untranslated at this point (not to
mention on a painfully slow connection). In addition to info on the local Polish
version of the add-on, the latter article offers four DII expansion screenshots,
two of which are new. Since the site is so slow, the shots, which show off the
Druid character, have been mirrored here and here, along with explanations about what they show off.
Interplay Announces the Formation of Online Gaming
Network is a press release announcing the formation of Interplay.com, "a
new initiative to strategically address the interactive entertainment online
market." Thanks Stomped. According to
the release, "Interplay.com's primary focus will be exploiting the
company's strong intellectual properties via MMPGs (massively multi-player
games) and translating the increased loyalty of its fan base into revenue
streams." Meanwhile, Online Games Get Real
is an MSNBC article describing Electronic Arts' plans to infiltrate the
Internet, though they are not necessarily banking on life in the fast lane to
make that work, as the article says: "Unlike Sony and Microsoft, which seem
to be counting on widespread adoption of broadband for their online plans,
EA.com’s games are made for the majority of home computer users who have 56K
or slower dial-up modems."
Sims Live and Sims Online revealed
on Gamecenter cites a
Newsweek article on online gaming as the source of information on plans to
introduce a version of The Sims that can be played over the Internet. Thanks Ant.
GameSpot PC Previews The Sims House Party
looking ahead at the upcoming Sims expansion, discussing progress on it with
Maxis' Tim LeTourneau, the producer on the pack. Also, GameSpy.com's
the Sims article talks with The Sims creator Will Wright about the success
of this game that allows you to simulate the life of a reasonably normal person,
as well as plans for the future of the franchise.
Declaring "lock & load," the Star Trek Bridge Commander
website offers a new development update on progress on this upcoming game
that puts you squarely in the big Barcalounger of starship command. Tidbits
touched upon include the implementation of cutscenes and the addition of several
new details that will add to gameplay.
A new build 155 of the GoingUP
server browser is now available. The new release adds a Newest/Most Popular
Files node for each game, a "Mod of the Moment" section, an
"Opinions on the World" section, and more.
OniShots has a new utility for
download called the Oni Save Game Editor, which allows you to give yourself
unlimited ammo and stuff like that by editing your save games in Oni, Bungie's
new game of beating each other senseless. This could also be considered
cheating, but since the game is single player only, you'll only be cheating
yourself, as grandma used to put it.
The "First-ever"
Dreamcast Soldier of Fortune screenshots on Stomped showing off Raven's
mercenary shooter running on a Dreamcast console, while Daily Radar's
Exclusive SOF Screenshots show off what they also call the "first
look" at the console release, while not to be outdone, Dreamcast.IGN.Com's Soldier of Fortune
shots show off more of the same, and while they don't actually claim to be
the first, they do call them "screenshot love," which is just plain
nauseous. Meanwhile, The end of Metal Gear?
on GameSpot speculates that Metal Gear Solid 2 may be the end of the series,
quoting Hideo Kojima on the subject, though loonyboi points out that the
loophole could be that this is the last Metal Gear Solid game, which does
not rule out future Metal Gear games.
Walkthrough-online.com's
Giants: Citizen Kabuto walkthrough is online, offering tips on completing
PlanetMoon's game of living large, or small, or naked. Meanwhile to celebrate
their first birthday, and the fifth birthday of Duke Nukem 3D, Planet Duke's
Duke Nukem Forever FAQ is now online. Finally, Games.macnn.com's
Oni Strategy Guide is online, covering the first level of the game.
There is a new Quake
III Arena weapon coding tutorial on Q3 Center, the first of a series of
articles on creating your own Q3A mods.
Blizzard Entertainment's 10th Anniversary Contest Registration
is underway offering 28 days worth of prizes, "From autographed posters and
games to original game concept art and other archived materials never before
available outside the company, ... a slot in Warcraft III's closed beta test,
the chance to have your name in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction as a hireling or
an item, and the grand prize -- a trip to Blizzard." Thanks DiabloII.Net.
Also, word on the Savage UK website is
that sign-ups for their RA3 tourney are complete, and matches get underway
tomorrow.
Today's list contains the entries that should have been posted yesterday (I gave
the list to Kerry Collins and he threw it to a Baltimore Raven's defensive back
rather than posting it here):
DSL Rhymes With Hell
is a story sent along by .f00Dave with more on the ugliness surrounding DSL
installations in my area. I won't believe a single slanderous word of it, and
this has nothing to do with the appointment I have for the kind, handsome, and
competent folks from Verizon to come by tomorrow to put in the hardware for my
service. Further, I won't brook any talk of how I'm just saying that to kiss ass
to get this install accomplished. I'd defend myself further, but I'm in the
middle of making home-baked cookies for the installer.
Link of the Day: Buggy
Balls. Warning: contains amazingly childish adult content (I am still
laughing about this one, which tells you about my maturity). Thanks Roswaldo Allegre.
Story of the Day: KFC Couple Doesn't Have Secret Recipe
(Fox). Thanks theAntiELVIS. I read a report years ago that said a lab analysis
of KFC revealed the 11 herbs and spices to be salt, pepper, and MSG, but I don't
know if that was true.
Bonus Story: Judge Cited for 99 in a 40 Mph Zone
(ABQjournal). Thanks Buclerpp. So what's the point? I thought that was one of
the reasons folks strive to become judges.
Weird Science: Hotmail not immune to viruses
(ZDNet). Thanks Ant. If you
are a Hotmail user and aren't reading this, that may be the cause (huh?).
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