Archived News:
The official Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven site has been liberated from its Flash-only burden and now offers an update by lead designer Daniel Vavra on progress in the development of Ilussion Softworks' third-person criminal action game. Daniel provides a brief round-up of their preparations for E3 and some of the recent improvements to the game, and there is also a new comprehensive FAQ covering everything you always wanted to know about the game, but didn't know whom to bribe.
- PlanetSide
As promised, the official PlanetSide side steps up the pace a notch and now offers two new screenshots from the massively multiplayer FPS by Verant.
- Star Wars Galaxies
Elsewhere in the Verant universe, the official Star Wars Galaxies site has been updated with full-color concept art for the Trandoshan race in their upcoming MMORPG.
There's an in-house Emperor: Battle for Dune
Interview on EA Games where they chat with Chris Longpre, producer on
Westwood's next installment in their series of RTS games set in the
water-starved world created by Frank Herbert. Topics covered in the Q&A
include the game's story, the number of missions included, the first use of 3D
in the series, the Hollywood talent lending their voices to production, and
more.
GameSpot
previews Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds giving us a feel of what to
expect from this upcoming Star Wars real-time strategy game after checking it
out first-hand during a visit to LucasArts' offices. The article describes how
this will use what Ensemble Studios is now calling 'genie technology' that was the
engine for Age of Kings, saying "Galactic Battlegrounds is basically Age of
Empires II but with Star Wars units and settings," and that "by both
learning from their mistakes on Force Commander and using a proven technology,
they'll hopefully be able to create a better strategy game." Included in
the preview are six new screenshots and two new concept images.
GameSpyDaily
interviews Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock Systems,
the man they describe as the driving force behind Galactic Civilizations, an
upcoming space strategy game based on an OS/2 game of the same name. Topics
covered in the conversation include the inclusion of "ethics" and
"influence" as aspects of gameplay that will differentiate Gal Civ
from "conventional 4x strategy games," the ease of use of the game's
interface, the associated Drengin Network, and more.
A post on TheForce.Net
said to be "straight from the E3 convention floor" offers what they
are calling an announcement from LucasArts revealing plans for Jedi Knight II
(thanks Shacknews), though we haven't
yet seen an actual JK2 announcement or confirmation of this story. Here's their
report: BIG NEWS! LucasArts has announced "Star Wars, Jedi Outcast,
Jedi Knight II". It's being developed with Raven Software on a modified
Quake III engine. It's expected to be released next Spring.
Valve head honcho Gabe Newell made a
post to the Voodoo Extreme messageboards (thanks Stomped)
giving a status report on both Counter-Strike Condition Zero and TeamFortress 2.
Since their messageboard seems as fragile as ours, and the post is quite
informational, the whole thing is reproduced here: Hmm. Let's see if I
can't address some of the issues people are raising.
1) Counter-Strike Condition Zero is a collection of single-player missions.
Rogue came to us after Alice had shipped and EA had cancelled the PS/2 port and
said "hey is there anything we can do for you." I had always wanted to
see some Counter-Strike single-player missions, so we asked them if they'd like
to do that. They were enthusiastic, so we started paying them to develop it.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, Jim Molinets decided to leave Rogue to go
to Sony, which left Rogue, Valve, and Condition Zero in limbo. Barrett Alexander
decided to fold Rogue at this point, and we decided that we would build
Condition Zero ourselves. It's being built by Erik Johnson's team, Minh is in
the loop.
2) So, to paraphrase a frequent question, "What the f*ck is up with TF
2?" Well, TF 2 isn't easy. There is still a ton of work to do on it. TF 2
has to be something really innovative, or there's no point to it. If TF 2
doesn't add dramatically to the genre and is just a more bigger better version
of TFC or Counter-Strike or any of the many cool mods already out there, then
nobody's going to give a rat's ass about it. There are far more people working
on TF 2 than will be working on Condition Zero. Robin and Yahn can have anything
they need to make the game.
3) What's Minh working on? He's working on Counter-Strike 2, which will use the
same engine as TF 2.
4) Isn't that damned Half-Life engine just a little long in the tooth to be
releasing yet another game on it? Condition Zero will be fun to play, but will
not be cutting edge graphics. It's a cool set of single-player missions for
people who like realistic tactical combat. If you can't stand to look at
Counter-Strike any more, don't buy it.
TF 2 has taken and will take a loooong time to get done. Hopefully we will get
it right, and everyone will say it was worth the wait. In the mean time, we are
doing stuff like the SDK, Worldcraft updates, Blue Shift, Condition Zero,
spectator mode, TFC, supporting the MOD community, more maps, more models, and
so on to support the people who paid us money.
While we are working on our next generation, we will continue to deliver games
and technologies for our custoemrs. The next update we will release will include
voice support for multiplayer followed by Tracker. CZ is also part of that
on-going committment.
Gabe
PS - Yes, this is really me. gaben@valvesoftware.com
Also on the CNNfn special report Gaming
page is a movie showing off Aliens versus Predator 2 gameplay. The movie is accessible
via the same interface as the DNF trailer mentioned in the story following this
one, but the similar link to the Halo footage does not work as of this writing.
On display in the streaming AvP movie is footage of Aliens, Predators, Marines, and
most importantly, the really bad things that happen when any two of the three meet. Update: The Halo link works now, but this is just a pared
down version of the GameStock video.
Updated: (to clarify that GoD cleared the video for posting). As far as we know 3D
Realms wanted to unveil this tomorrow, but the E3 Duke Nukem Forever video
trailer is up on this CNNfn
special report Gaming page (thanks [DoH]Bones), apparently with the
blessings of the Gathering of Developers. The trailer can be accessed
via the top-right menu option, and viewing it will show off some history of the
Duke series footage as a build up to the first actual in-game footage released
from the game since its switch to from the Quake II engine to the Unreal engine.
On tap are scenes of both typical first-person combat as well as vehicular
action, some cut-scene type stuff, and some of Duke's trademark interaction with
his environment. This is the streaming version of the video, and there are still
higher-quality versions to download that will be released tomorrow, and we've
also been told that some of the footage was edited out by CNN standards
(possibly for violence, but one would imagine it was because it was all naughty
and stuff).
The Nerve Software website has gone
live, which, while it doesn't disclose too much about what this new game design
company is up to ("Currently, Nerve Software is working in a top-secret
laboratory crafting concepts and ideas for an unannounced project"), it
does reveal where a couple of familiar names from the world of game design have
gone. According to their people
page, the president of the Mesquite, Texas based start-up is Brandon James,
one-time id Software designer who was last seen at Rogue Entertainment where he
contributed to American McGee's Alice, while also listed are a few other former
Rogues, including senior engineer Darin McNeil, whose old-school website
"Quake Will Rule the Cosmos" will always be remembered fondly as one
of the chief inspirations for what we do on this site to this day. In a further
connection, the site was designed by Walter and 2 design,
as is no doubt evident by its high snazziness factor.
Providing some support for their older games, Blizzard has released version 1.09 patches for Diablo to address some Battle.net issues and revert a change made in the previous version, and also a version 2.02 patch for Warcraft II Battle.net Edition that brings a somewhat larger list of changes and fixes (thanks Adrenaline Vault).
Less than a week after its intended release ( story), Taldren and Interplay have now released new patches for Starfleet Command II: Empires at War, taking the US edition of their space strategy game to version 2006. Available in two variations to update the previous version 2002 and 2005.5, the patches further improve Dynaverse II multiplayer, as well as adding a sizable list of changes and bug fixes as listed in the included readme.txt file.
Inside Mac Games
interviews Phil Steinmeyer talking with the top of the pops over at PopTop
Software about Tropico, PopTop's recently released island dictator simulation,
asking some general questions about the game, catching up on progress on the
upcoming Mac port, as well as some more general questions about stuff like PopTop's plans
and Mac Oses.
Another of the expected big console announcements from E3 has come forth, as this
Nintendo press release offers the date for the US launch of Nintendo's
GAMECUBE system as November 5, just 3 days before the planned release of
Microsoft's competing Xbox system. According to this
blurb on Yahoo Finance, pricing details for the system are not expected to
be released during the show.
The Windows 2000 Service Pack 2
is now available, in your choice of language (as long as you choose either
English or German, at least as of this writing), as either an Express
Installation which grabs the components you require over the Internet, or the
confusingly titled Network Installation, which gives you a local installer that
can be used on multiple machines, at the expense of a 100+ MB download. This
page offers a list of bugs addressed by this latest service pack. Thanks NT Compatible.
Irish developers Kapooki Games have released version 1 of the Lorgaine: The Black Standard client, offering a two week free trial period in their 3D turn-based online strategy game. The client takes 78.9 MB to download, and the official site sports plenty of information on what the game is about, and screenshots to show what it looks like. Thanks GameSpot UK for the tip.
As part of their Xbox media blitz, Microsoft has released new screenshots from all games planned so far, chief amongst them Halo and Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee. Therefore, we now have a gallery of 15 new Halo screenshots online, showing off the first- and third-person action game by Bungie that is headed for PC and Xbox, as well as a gallery of 19 high-res Oddworld screenshots, illustrating this oddball 3D title by Oddworld Inhabitants that is powered by the NetImmerse engine.
As promised, the official Steel Soldiers site is now online, showcasing the 3D action RTS nearing completion at The Bitmap Brothers. At the moment the site is all Flashy looks and little content though, as a few areas of the site are still missing in action. Update: more sections have been added to the site now, so you can check out details on the game's characters, and some downloads.
Microsoft's Xbox press conference ( Windows Media Player required) in Los Angeles is in full swing, and this ZDNet News report has the first details on the planned launch for the console. The Xbox will become available in North America on November 8, 2001 for an estimated retail price of $299.99, going head to head with Sony's Playstation 2. The report also lists a number of companies that will publish games for the Xbox, including a new Unreal title called "Unreal Championship," and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. More insight into the launch is provided in this Reuters Technology report (thanks AVault).
Developers Crowd Control Productions send word of an update to their official EVE: the Second Genesis site, showing more from their upcoming massively multiplayer space combat game. The update includes eight new screenshots that feature some areas from the imminent closed alpha test, eight new concept images of various ships and objects, and three new soundtrack MP3s.
This press release announces an agreement between Crave Entertainment and Electronic Arts under which they will co-publish Freedom Force, Global Operations and Bounty Hunter on the PC (thanks Adrenaline Vault). While this had been rumored before for Freedom Force, the new agreement now makes it official for all three games, including Bounty Hunter which was previously to be appear only on the Xbox. There are no details on the title other than that it is "a space combat first-person shooter developed by Warthog" (makers of Starlancer), and like Global Operations is scheduled for a release on 2002.
Following yesterday's announcement that Sony and AOL will roll out a Playstation 2 network in North America late this year ( story), Well Rounded Entertainment now has the first details on the network adaptor that will allow the console to be hooked up. The adaptor is said to "combine high-speed Ethernet connection with a V90 analog modem, giving users both a high bandwidth and low bandwidth option," and retail for around USD 40.-. More details are expected to become available during the day.
There is a new Alone In The Dark: the New Nightmare preview on PC Zone UK, looking ahead to the fourth game in the horror survival adventure series by way of a new beta build they received from developers Spiral House and DarkWorks Interactive. The article describes the game's premise, its protagonists Edward Carnby and Aline Cedrac, and the kind of gameplay and shock effects you can expect. Over a dozen new screenshots are also included, which fortunately aren't so dark as to make them illegible.
Action Vault has posted a new preview of Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising, the 3D action strategy game by Rage Software that is already available in Europe and will be released in the US next month. The article examines a recent preview build and shares their impressions from the resulting gameplay, along with a dozen new screenshots.
Also on Action Vault is the second installment of Action Developers At E3 where they grill several developers at Verant and Westwood about their plans to demo PlanetSide and Command & Conquer: Renegade at E3, as well as how they intend to fill up their sparse spare time. And neighboring site RPG Vault has similar comments from the RPG Developers At E3.
GameSpy.com has posted a new TORN Diary in which several members of the Black Isle Studios development team talk about progress on their 3D role-playing game. Topics on the table include the character's personalities, game scripting, their world builder tool DEDIT and, of course, getting ready for E3. Three new and three familiar screenshots accompany the proceedings.
Also on GameSpy.com this morning is a short article on Destination Games, the new company by legendary designer Richard Garriott, offering an overview of some of the ex-Origin developers that signed on to work on his new online role-playing game, which is referred to only as "Tabula rasa" ( Latin for "an opportunity to start from the beginning", or more literally, "blank slate").
Presto Studios and Ubi Soft have released a patch for Myst III: Exile, updating their graphics-heavy adventure game to version 1.1. The 2.7 download fixes a couple of major bugs as well as applying some minor gameplay and other changes. Thanks Silver for the tip.
Not too long ago, we reported that the Unreal Tournament add-on uncovered at
last year's E3 had been canceled ( story). Despite this cancellation,
Digitalo Studios (the add-on's planned developers) have been hard at work on
a new project - the game is called Devastation, and it's a teamplay-oriented
FPS powered by Epic's next-generation Unreal technology. Although this is the
first time the game has been mentioned publicly, we're told the game is nearly
complete, and they are aiming for an end of summer release date. Here
are the first screenshots seen anywhere from Devastation, and here's Digitalo's
description of the game: Devastation is a team-based strategy FPS running
on next generation Unreal Engine technology. Set in the very near future, dozens
of unique characters are pit against each other in urban combat spanning several
devastated locales. Devastation focuses on intense multiplayer action with an
equally satisfying single-player experience. The revolutionary AI enables computer-controlled
players to be both strategically cunning enemies, as well as highly intelligent
allies. Devastation reinvents the FPS genre with a fresh game type that will
appeal to both hardcore DM and Team-Play fans alike. Also included for online
tournament play are maps specifically designed for traditional DM and CTF game-types.
Update: Digitalo Studios also sent along the title screen of Devastation.
The beta test of Dark Age of Camelot is firmly underway, and so PC.IGN has
written a new preview of the
game. The preview contains lots of new details, with specific information
about the character creation process and overall gameplay, and there are 27
new screenshots here as well.
- PlanetSide
As promised, the official PlanetSide site features
another
new screenshot, like yesterday showing an interior scene in Verant's massively
multiplayer FPS.
- TORN
A new
Art Diary on the official Black Isle Studios: TORN site features a dozen
new concept images from the 3D role-playing game being crafted at, who else?,
Black Isle Studios.
- Heart of Winter Pack
Four new screenshots
of the upcoming free Dungeon Pack for Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter, the
isometric RPG also by Black Isle, are online at RPG Vault.
- IL-2 Sturmovik
Dogfighter has posted word
that IL-2 Sturmovik, the WWII flight sim by 1C Maddox Games, is now scheduled
for a November 2001 release, along with a batch of new screenshots, and even
more
screenshots here
- Red Faction
The official
Red Faction site has been updated with a
new screenshot of the week and a
look at the game's Rocket Launcher.
3D Realms' Scott Miller updated
his .plan last night with some pre-E3 thoughts, as the majority of the company
is off to attend the show today. Although the update consists mainly of his
thoughts about the different things on display at the show, he does provide
some info about their plans for Max Payne and the Duke Nukem Forever gameplay
movie, including when it will be available online. Here's an excerpt: I'm
hoping for a good reaction for our DNF and Max Payne videos, plus Max will have
backroom demos going on and those are always fun to sit in on to see the press'
reaction. Also, for Max, it'll be a great way to get a reading on what people
think of this nearly finished game while there's still a little of bit of time
for some tweaking.
The DNF and Max videos will be available on the Internet May 17th, the first
day of the E3 show, so for those fans not at the show, we didn't want to leave
you out of the fun. Also, CNN requested and received a copy of both videos,
so they might appear (in part) on TV, too. (CNN usually has decent coverage
of E3.)
Although no specific games are mentioned in the press release, 3DO
has announced that they have signed an agreement with Pandemic Studios,
the developers of Battlezone II and Dark Reign II. There aren't any details
on what Pandemic is working on, but it does say they are creating "the
ultimate gaming experience for various platforms" and that they are expanding
their focus "to include other interactive genres that will appeal to a
wide audience."
The official Counter-Strike site
was updated yesterday with a clarification on Counter-Strike: Condition Zero,
the upcoming CS product that was uncovered the other day ( story).
According to the update it's going to be a single player episode, something
that wasn't abundantly clear from the blurb we received from Computer Gaming
World. Regardless, it's expected to be formally announced within the next 24
- 48 hours, so stay tuned for more concrete information. Thanks Morgan for the
tip.
The official Shadowbane site
has been updated with new information about the Guilds system in this upcoming
massively multiplayer RPG. The new info can
be found in the official FAQ which has 15 new questions about the Guilds,
and there is also an update to the
Guilds info page that has details on three new ones. Another update is planned
for later today.
There's going to be tons of console news later today, but to get the ball rolling,
Microsoft has updated their official Xbox site
with a preview of what they will be showing at E3 as well as a new edition of
their State of the Xbox column. Also note that at 11:30 AM EDT they will be
broadcasting their press conference where they will announce the Xbox launch
lineup and information, while Sony and Nintendo will also conduct press conferences later in the day, but to our knowledge those will not be broadcasted online. Another big announcement from Sony regarding their network
plans: Macromedia
has announced that they have ported the Flash player to the Playstation
2, and Real
Networks has announced that their technology will be used on the PS2, including
a version of the RealJukebox that uses the upcoming PS2 hard drive. 3DO
has announced Dragon Wars of Might and Magic, an aerial action game that
marks their latest PS2 Might and Magic product.
Registrations are now being taken for the Sudden Strike European Championship
League, with £10,000 in prizes up for grabs. More details can be found on the
official Sudden Strike site. Also, registration is now open for the Kohan:
Immortal Sovereigns Royal Rumble tournament. In contest news, Just Adventure
is holding a contest
to win $1,000 in cash.
Games Fusion has posted some shots
from the upcoming Water Wars mod for Half-Life.
- A4 Tech GreatEYE Optical 4D Mouse and Ortek MCK-800 keyboard on Dan's
Data.
- APC Line-R Power Conditioner on eBabble.
- Copper Heatsink Shootout on Amdmb.com.
- CPUfx Core Cooler on Tech-GODS.
- Hitachi CML151XW 15" TFT Flatscreen Display on PC
Stats.
- Non-Conductive CPU Spacer on Envy
News.
- Thermaltake Volcano II on Yoink3D.com.
I'm heading off to E3 this morning, and Blue's giving me a ride to the airport
in exchange for this here update. Regardless, today will have some major, major
announcements (most of which will no doubt happen while I'm airborne). Microsoft,
Sony and Nintendo will all be making huge announcements about their respective
systems, and it's safe to assume that most of the news today will revolve around
those, but we have learned that there are a few major PC announcements that
will be coming out within the next 24 hours as well, so keep your eyes peeled
to this here site - there's great stuff on the way.
Story of the Day: Runaway
Freight Train Halted in Ohio (Reuters). I swear, this reads like a scene
out of an action movie. Thanks Andrew Abernathy.
Bonus Story: Douglas
Adams Immortalized in Stone (New Scientist). Thanks Brann Mitchell.
Weird Science: An
Audio Spotlight Creates a Personal Wall of Sound (NY Times, free registration
required). Thanks Trey Walker.
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