Archived News:
As promised, the Half-Life dedicated server has now been released. As usual, the server comes in four flavors and we have local copies with mirrors for each online: Win32 full install (100.1 MB), Win32 upgrade (17.4 MB), Linux full install (101.2 MB), and Linux upgrade (22.9 MB). Also, a small fix for the Counter-Strike Linux version 1.1 server was released last night at FilePlanet. Update: it appears some mirrors had corrupt copies of the server files, including our own. This has been remedied and verified copies of all four files are now available.
While news of the game going gold still hasn't arrived, a second creature for Black & White is now available for download at GameStop. Like the Horse creature released two days ago ( story), this Mandrill can be installed in the full game (once released), but may take a while to find during play. Thanks Still Not Dead Robin and PlanetBlackAndWhite.
Valve sends word that a old version of the Half-Life 1.1.0.6 upgrade patch has been leaked to some sites, but this is not the final release and it will not be multiplayer compatible. The official release of the version 1.1.0.6 patches and the Counter-Strike retail version 1.0.0.1 patch remains scheduled for 2:00 PM EST (11:00 AM PST) tomorrow. Also, the Half-Life dedicated server release, originally to commence at 7:00 PM today, is now expected later tonight.
There is a new Tropico interview on The Wargamer, with PopTop's Phil Steinmeyer in the hot seat to discuss their upcoming dictatorial management sim set on your own private Caribbean island (thanks Stomped). Phil talks about where they are in the game's development, gameplay balancing, and several other topics.
Today's preview on GameSpot concerns itself with Far Gate, the space-based RTS by Super X Studios. The preview makes the inevitable comparison to Homeworld, describing the premise, the similarities and differences in gameplay, and other notable aspects. Over a dozen new screenshots accompany the proceedings.
In an early update, Daily Radar has posted a preview of the Xbox version of Halo based on what they saw of Bungie's 3D action game at GameStock today (thanks Stomped). The article has an overview of the changes in the game since it last featured in public on the PC, such as a boost in graphics, more gameplay features, expanded multiplayer features including co-operative and split-screen modes, and more.
The mad geniuses at MadOnion.com have released 3DMark2001,
this year's version of their popular benchmarking program, which is available
for download at CNET (thanks TweakTown).
This version adds support for all the gee whiz features of DirectX 8, and for
more info on it check out Stomped's
Q&A with Markus Maki of MadOnion.com.
We've pulled all the screenshots from Microsoft's GameStock FTP site, and so
we're pleased to be able to offer you local, high-resolution copies of them
all. Here are new screenshots galore from Halo
(including the ones released earlier today in a lower resolution), MechCommander
2 and Dungeon
Siege, and we've also got some new character renders from Sigma:
The Adventures of Rex Chance (as it is apparently called now).
- Dragon's Lair 3D
Russian site GamePort.ru has posted a new pair of Dragon's Lair 3D screenshots, illustrating the cell-shaded knight Dirk the Daring in the upcoming third-person action adventure by Dragonstone.
- Startopia
Staying abroad, Israeli site Vgames has posted two new Startopia screenshots showing more from the quirky 3D management sim by Mucky Foot.
- 3rd World
Developers XYZ Team have released eleven new 3rd World screenshots showing both outdoor and indoor scenes in their massively multiplayer space sim.
- Operation Flashpoint
Likewise, the official Operation Flashpoint site has been updated with four new screenshots showing some vehicle interiors of Bohemia's 3D tactical shooter.
- TRIBES 2
The flood of TRIBES 2 imagery derived from the ongoing "meta" test continues with a hands-on preview on 3DActionPlanet and another eleven new screenshots on GameSpyDailyPlanet.
- Anachronox
Also on GameSpyDaily this afternoon is a new Anachronox screenshot accompanying a short bio of the PAL-18 (Personal Android Lackey Model 18) character in ION Storm's 3D role-playing game.
- Diablo II Expansion
Blizzard has released another new Diablo II: Lord of Destruction screenshot, offering a new scene in their upcoming isometric RPG expansion pack.
- Kohan
Similarly, TimeGate Studios released a handful of new Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns screenshots showing off the terrain and interface of their imminent isometric RTS.
- WW2 Online
Six new screenshots have been added to the top of this World War II Online gallery at fansite World War II Online HQ, featuring more scenes in the massively multiplayer war action/sim by Cornered Rat.
As promised, version 1.1 of the Counter-Strike mod for Half-Life has been released.
Note that this is the mod version, and is not meant to be installed on the retail
Counter-Strike release (that version will be released tomorrow morning). A
complete list of changes can be found at CS-Nation, and here are mirrors
galore by way of Shacknews, as the official
Counter-Strike site (which has lots more mirrors listed) is being hammered:
Version 1.0 to 1.1 patch (19.5 MB):
Full install 1.1 (87.3 MB):
As noted in this
press release at Stomped, GarageGames, the company made up of former Dynamix
employees, has licensed the TRIBES 2 technology, which they have molded into
what they call the V12 Engine. GarageGames will be sub-licensing this technology
to aspiring developers for the low, low price of $100, and games that are
built on it may in turn be published through Sierra Studios. Here's an excerpt
from the press release: “GarageGames is being built by professional
game makers who are committed to publishing truly original and exciting products.
This deal with Sierra is an example of our vision of providing game makers with
state-of-the-art tools as well as how we will help our developers find a market
for their games,” said Jeff Tunnell, founder and President of GarageGames.
“Our version of the Tribes 2 technology, christened the V12 Engine, will
have all of the Tribes 2 specific intellectual property, such as models, skins,
and WON.net encryption removed before the source code is released for purchase
at our site after the Computer Game Developer’s Conference in late March.
Soon after that, we will release a demo, example source code, and begin our
own set of improvements in order to keep the technology on the cutting edge,
“ said Rick Overman, founder and Chief Technology Officer.
In addition to licensing the technology to GarageGames, stellar games that sell
on the GarageGames site, may be given the opportunity to be distributed through
Sierra’s retail distribution channel. “Sierra sees this as a wonderful
opportunity to leverage our investment in the Tribes 2 technology to a world
wide base of innovative developers. We see GarageGames as a farm team that can
bring many ideas to life,” says Mark Hood, Sr. VP of Development at Sierra.
Microsoft has updated their
official GameStock site with info galore on all the games they are showing
off (thanks Mulder). Although Flash is required, you can find new gameplay movies in AVI format
from most of their featured games, including Halo (listed under Xbox games),
Dungeon Siege, MechCommander 2 and more. The new Halo footage features some first-person action in addition to the third person view that had been previously shown.
A new interview
with Matt Carofano, the lead artist on The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
is up at fan page Destination: Morrowind. Matt talks about how he creates models
and locations, providing details about the game's characters and 3D engine along
the way.
Microsoft's GameStock is firmly underway, and so they have
relaunched Xbox.com with new information about the upcoming games for this
console system (thanks MSXbox.com). The new site
has new screenshots from Halo (which
feature Bungie's redesigned graphics engine) as well as Nightcaster,
a third person action game from VR-1 and six other titles. Look for more from
GameStock this afternoon, including new shots from the PC titles Dungeon Siege
and Sigma. More stuff (including extra Halo shots) can be found at
the home of The Official Xbox Magazine (thanks Stomped).
Sim Extreme has posted four movies
featuring gameplay from the latest build of Echelon. The four movies are
all in streaming Real Video format ( RealPlayer or compatible required) and show
some of the aerial action in Echelon along with other related stuff, including
a look at the game's inventory system.
Tolstiy's Place has conducted an interview on Epsilon Conflict, a recently announced 3D top-down RTS with role-playing elements by Starbreeze Studios. Lead designer Marco Ahlgren talks about their goals for the game, which is targeted at pro gamers and is being co-designed by two such professional players, including Victor Martyn who is queried about his career and his contributions to the game.
GameSpot
UK's Shogun Total War: The Mongol Invasion preview looks at this upcoming
add-on for Shogun which will be released in the US as Shogun: Warlord Edition
(which comes with the original game) and available from EA.com as an add-on
for current Shogun owners. The preview doesn't contain any new screenshots,
but it is hands-on, and has plenty of details on how this add-on improves on
the original game.
Stomped has conducted a
Q&A with Bart Simon and Sean Wang of Cyberlore, talking with them about
their upcoming title Borg Assimilator. The duo talk about how they wound up
with the Star Trek license, how this compares to Majesty (their previous title,
a fantasy-themed strategy game), how the storyline fits into the Star Trek universe
and more.
Belgian site SpelletjesGarnaal has posted another of their video previews, today showing off Conflict Zone, the modern real-time strategy game by MASA and Ubi Soft formerly known as Peacemakers. The movie runs for nearly nine minutes in streaming or downloadable Windows Media Player format and includes the intro movie as well as plenty of gameplay footage, all accompanied by their typical exuberant Flemish commentary.
As part of their Indie Games Week, GameSpot has posted a
preview of Shattered Galaxy, the online RTS from Nexon that is currently
in open beta testing. The preview contains a brief look at the game, along with
a Q&A with the development team. Also, Italian gaming site Nipogames has
an interview
with Nexon's project director Kevin Saunders, which is available in both
English
and the
site's native Italian.
Reports have been surfacing over the last few days that kärna Technology, the
developers of the Boomslang gaming mouse has closed its door. A number of these
reports came from tournament organizers who say they have not received their
promised prizes from the company. We waited for an official statement to report
on this story, and it looks like XS Reality has gotten just that. According
to a statement
from general manager Robert Krakoff, they haven't shut their doors, but
one of their large investors has pulled out of the company. They are optimistic
that they will find a new investor to keep the company afloat and are already
in talks with other companies.
Super X Studios has released a new movie trailer of Far Gate available for download from FilePlanet, demonstrating their space-based RTS that was released in Europe late last year but is still looking for a US publisher. The movie offers nearly two minutes of in-game footage showing off the three races, their interaction and more, but somewhat inconveniently the 25.7 MB zip file includes both the high-res and low-res formats with no option for the bandwidth-impaired to get only the small movie. Update: Fragland has separate downloads of the high- and low-res formats.
GA-Source reports that Outlive has gone gold and should appear on store shelves in about two weeks. Outlive is the isometric real-time strategy game by Brazilian developers Continuum Entertainment and published in the US by TalonSoft.
It turns out the question we raised when posting word of the O.R.B. Tech Demo
yesterday ( story) was a valid one (the Read Me says "Not for
public distribution"). A subsequent post to the Strategy First Forums
(thanks A Talent For War) by Yanick
Blenkhorn, the ORB project lead at Strategy First, clarifies that this was
indeed not intended as the public test, also pointing out that the screw-up is
not the fault of Daily Radar: First of all, the build that is floating
around on DailyRadar IS NOT THE ACTUAL TECH DEMO.
This build is an extremely buggy debug version that was never meant for public
consumption but only as a quick peek for the press, so you are warned. A leaner,
meaner less buggy version will follow shortly.
The high memory requirements are due to a very large memory leak that we have
since fixed(actually, you may need more than 256MB so don't be surprised if you
chug along). You may experience severe slowdowns due the fact that the game is
in debug mode. Also, all textures are low res so expect the actual Tech Demo to
look a whole lot better.
As for the gameplay portion, we crippled some of the user interface elements so
don't be surprised if you have problems playing...
Shortly, the complete Tech Demo will be released and will represent the game as
we envisoned it.
Sorry for the screw up, but it was on our end and not Daily Radar.
A visit to
BioWare on FiringSquad is a recap of their recent foray to Edmonton to visit
the offices of BioWare. The article looks to catch up on a couple of projects,
as they track down Trent Oster to discuss progress on Neverwinter Nights,
offering a very detailed look ahead at the RPG. Then they corner Alan Miranda,
producer of Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal to discuss the BG2 expansion,
describing the combination of add-in and add-on content it will offer. In
addition to the extensive write-up, there is a bunch of screenshots and a load
of photos.
GameSpy.com's Black & White Developer Diary 13
is online, offering more thoughts from Lionhead's Steve Jackson on production of
their upcoming RPG where the role you play is that of a god. The diary makes
reference to putting the finishing touches on the game, but these touches have
likely already been applied, since the diaries are written in advance, and the
latest word on Black & White is that it is currently undergoing final
testing at Electronic Arts.
The Adrenaline Vault Previews Summoner
taking a look at progress on Volition's RPG that was just declared gold ( story).
The following excerpt from the article gives a feel for what differentiates the
PC version of the Game from the PS2 version: What really sets the PC
version of Summoner apart from its console-based brother is that Volition
has included a multiplayer system. With this system you and up to three friends
can take control of the various characters in the game with the intention of
playing cooperatively. At this point, there is no cohesive storyline for
multiplayer, though there will be a few small quests that groups can undertake.
This feature is the one that has kept Summoner under development for the
past few months, long after the PS2 version has made its debut.
The Emperor Battle for Dune
website kicks off a House of Atreides month with new media
"directly from the Emperor" which consist of an Atreides introductory
video and the Atreides theme song in .mp3 format. Thanks FED2k.
There's a
Shadowbane: The Age of Days narrative on Gathering of Developers' Shadowbane
website with more of the back story from Shadowbane, describing the
"Age of Days," following up on part one on The Age of Kings
( story). Two more segments are planned for the future, covering
"The Age of Twilight," and "The Unknown Future."
- GeForce 3 Video
The Inevitable Entertainment
website offers a GeForce 3 technology movie for download to give a feel
for the demo that they created which is being used by NVIDIA to show off the
capabilities of the GeForce 3, said to run at 60 FPS.
- Creative Drivers
The Creative Technical Support
Files page has new Windows 9x and Windows ME drivers for Creative's
graphics cards, including RIVA TNT, RIVA TNT2, Annihilator and Annihilator
2.
IBM, Sony set game plan for PlayStation 3 chips
reports ZDNet, while a contradictory report on Computer and Video Games News
says IBM in PlayStation 3 contract talk wrong says Sony.
Electronic Arts, Nintendo drop Yahoo suit
on CNET reports the two software makers will drop their nearly year-old lawsuit
over the advertisement of pirated games in Yahoo classifieds. Computer and Video Games
Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance preview looks ahead at the PS2 version of the
game. Meanwhile, Daily Radar
reports that the PS2 version of MDK2 Armageddon is gold. Also, though the DC
version has been canned ( story), the Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 2 preview on ps2.ign.com
has been updated with some new screenshots of the PS2 version. Last but not
least, GameSpot
Quake III Revolution preview page has been updated with a load of media from
the upcoming PS2 Q3A game, including a big batch of gameplay movies and over 100
screenshots.
A new Battle for Naboo Technical Reference Guide
is online, offering troubleshooting tips from LucasArts in case playing on Naboo
causes a boo-boo. Also, the GameFAQs Icewind Dale Heart of Winter
has an updated FAQ, a new walkthrough and Store Items FAQ, and a .jpg of a map
of Burial Isle.
It's been a while since we've noted any gaming anniversaries, but David Chase,
who enjoys staying on top of these things, sent along a big old batch that helps
make up for lost time. It was already three years ago today that American McGee
was let go from id Software (Trey Harrison announced his departure from Crack
dot Com on that same day as well), and it was later that day that John Carmack
updated his .plan announcing that id was beginning work on Quake III Arena. It
was also a year ago today that it was announced that Thief II had gone gold, and
it was a year ago tomorrow that Soldier of Fortune was declared gold, and it was
three years ago tomorrow that the Quake II Demo was released (whew!).
Link of the Day: Lost in Translation
(thanks Chris Johnson). Using BabelFish for a one-stop game of telephone.
Wired Science: (Not to be confused with Weird Science) California dominates U.S. most-wired list
(CNET). Thanks Ant.
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