Archived News:
Developers ReAllis send along an unsolicited development update on Rogue Wars, their upcoming 3D action/strategy game that mixes first-person shooter combat with a turn-based strategy mode. They also included three new screenshots for visual inspection, one featuring the first-person mode and the other pair showing off the strategy mode. Here is the update, which includes word on an upcoming public beta test, and more information on the game can be found at the official site:
A new Spaceboard has been implemented that features numerous exciting enhancements, including:
(1) Solar System obstacles such as the Sun and Asteroids resulting in added tactical Spaceship maneuvering;
(2) a fully-rotable 3D interface that allows the Commander to view the Solar System from any point of view; and
(3) the inclusion of Tachyon Particle resources on the Spaceboard itself leading to a greater variety of strategical considerations.
In addition, Rogue Wars now features improved ship-to-ship combat - incorporating an onboard Control Center equipped with a Surveillance Monitor and Teleportation Platforms which can be used to monitor or attack any invading enemy Rogues and Battle Drones which may attempt to sabotage critical ship devices such as the Omega Crystal empowered Transcendental Terraformer. The team has been hard at work and is pleased to announce that they are now calling for applications to participate in their first public test. Details are available from http://www.roguewars.com/forums/index.php or write to tester@reallis.com.
The official Steel Soldiers site now offers an updated demo ( Flash required) for the 3D action RTS by The Bitmap Brothers that should arrive on store shelves in the near future. This version 3.0 demo is notably smaller than the previous release ( story), at least in its English incarnation as that clocks in at 30.2 MB (the German, Italian and Spanish versions are around 52 MB), and still offers the same demo mission as before, but now with "an improved silky-smooth control system, better route-finding, new objectives and a downright ruthless AI."
German site Station-Network.de has posted two videos of Freelancer, Digital Anvil's upcoming space epic, which they uploaded (with permission) from the cover CD-ROMs of German magazines GameStar and PC Games. The GameStar movie offers high-quality game footage with a German voice-over, while the PC Games movie is a ShakyCam E3 preview with less in-game footage. Both movies run for about two minutes in MPEG format and are mirrored at The Lancers Reactor. Thanks A Talent For War for the tip.
WarcraftIII.net made an unusual excursion into foreign territory by visiting Westwood Studios, and their report on the trip is now online. Illustrated with plenty of photos, the article describes their tour of Westwood's offices as well as their fairly detailed impressions of the imminent 3D RTS, Emperor: Battle for Dune, and they have also included several ShakyCam videos of what they saw.
GameSpot has posted a new ShakyCam E3 video of Hidden & Dangerous 2, the first- and third-person tactical action game in the works at Illusion Softworks. The movie is available as a 28 MB MPEG download or the usual streaming choices, and it sports over two minutes of gameplay footage with lead designer Tomas Pluharik describing the features of the game.
Gone Gold, which is experiencing a busy week, reports that Legends of Might and Magic has gone gold, and this fantasy team-based multiplayer action game by 3DO is scheduled to arrive on store shelves around June 16.
As is their way, XGR will be broadcasting an interview with Mike Verdu this evening, grilling the Legend Entertainment lead designer about their upcoming first-person shooter Unreal II, its reception at E3, next-generation consoles, and more. Tune in at 9:00 PM EDT using WinAmp (or a compatible player) to catch the show.
Taldren and Interplay have released a movie trailer of Starfleet Command: Orion Pirates, the upcoming expansion pack in their space-based strategy universe. The movie is a 17.1 MB download and features a bit over a minute of in-game and cinematic footage in MPEG format.
- Blue Shift
Gearbox Software's standalone episode Half-Life: Blue Shift is due in stores later this month, and so Games Domain and Worthplaying have captured a batch of new screenshots each to show what you can expect.
- AquaNox
Swiss site Gameplex has posted three new AquaNox screenshots, showing off the underwater 3D action game being crafted at Massive Development.
- Emperor
The official Emperor: Battle for Dune site sports a new pair of screenshots from the imminent 3D real-strategy game by Westwood.
- Camelot
A new Dark Age of Camelot gallery is online at RPG Vault, featuring a dozen new screenshots of the namesake castle in the medieval MMORPG being beta tested at Mythic Entertainment.
- Fallen Age
Also on Gameplex today is a German preview of Fallen Age (stick that Babel Fish in your ear) along with six new screenshots captured from the beta of Netamin's isometric MMORPG.
Version 4.2 of the Eternal Arena mod
for Quake III Arena has been released. This latest version adds a new game
mode ("Flying Gibs") as well as new explosion and trail effects, bot
AI tweaks and more.
Another talk with Mike Montgomery of The Bitmap Brothers is online today, this
time over at GameSpot. In this Q&A Mike again says how their soon-to-be-released
title Steel Soldiers differs from their previous game, as well as what the biggest
challenge in its development was and their plans for the future.
As promised, Valve Software has released their Deathmatch Classic mod for Half-Life.
This mod is a Half-Life remake of some of the best-known deathmatch maps from
Classic Quake, and the 13 MB download contains everything needed to join and
run Win32 DMC servers. Here's our
local copy, with mirrors.
Many users who fired up their brand new copies of World War II Online today may
have noticed less than ideal performance when connecting to the game's servers.
AVault
is reporting that Cornered Rat Software, the developers of the game, are in
the process of increasing their server capacity, although they weren't able to
find out exactly when these changes would be implemented. Their latest news update
says that while publisher Strategy First expected the game to be successful, they
weren't prepared for the huge number of people that bought the game this close
to its launch. Also in the news item is word that players will have to download
a 70 MB patch before they can join the fray. On a related note, Voodoo
Extreme spoke with Rodney Hodge of Cornered Rat, and they are reporting that
because of a switch error, only 500 players are currently able to play online
instead of the planned 10,000. Update: Strategy First also sent along a statement on the situation while the official site offers some troubleshooting tips.
Red Alert 2 Den is reporting that a
version 1.006 patch for Red Alert 2 is now available via the game's auto-update
system (thanks Ant). This patch comes
on the heels of yesterday's version 1.005 release, and is said to fix "a
minor Quickmatch client bug."
In preparation for the client release later this afternoon, Valve has released
the Linux server files for the Deathmatch Classic mod for Half-Life. Download
links are available over
at Shacknews, and the Windows client is expected to be released in a matter
of hours. Update: Here is our local copy with mirrors.
GamesDomain has posted a
new preview of MechCommander 2 this afternoon. Like most of the other previews
of this game it's based on the author's impressions of a beta build of the game,
and the preview contains his thoughts about the game along with some new screenshots.
Alongside the preview is a video interview with producer Mitch Gitelman in Windows Media Player
format.
A Q&A
with Patric Sundstrom, marketing manager at MindArk is up at Massive Multiplayer
Online@Gameznet. The questions deal with MindArk's upcoming massively multiplayer
title Project Entropia, and they are typical of other MMORPG Q&As in that
they deal with player vs. player combat, the game's payment system (or in this
case the lack thereof), its skills system and more.
After several delays, the eagerly anticipated Black & White developer patch has now been released at the official site. This unsupported 8.4 MB patch allows multiplayer only with players who have also patched their game, and it brings a huge list of changes and bug fixes to Lionhead's god-playing game. If for some reason you need to revert to the original game, then there's also an patch un-installer (registration required for both files ). Thanks GameSpyDaily. Update: Mirrors of the patch can be found at LionSource, Patches Scrolls, Black&White Center and 3D Gamers.
GameSpy Daily has posted an
interview with Mike Montgomery of The Bitmap Brothers, talking with him about
their soon-to-be-released title Steel Soldiers. Mike explains how this game differs
from their venerable RTS game Z, and he provides details on the different game
modes and talks about his favorite aspect of the game among other topics. In addition
to the interview, GSD has also posted six
new screenshots from the game.
Three weeks after the start of the show, the post-E3 news is finally slowing down to a trickle...
Italian gaming site Nextgame.it has conducted an
interview with Lars Fuhrken-Batista, the CEO of Cinemaware. Like other recent
Cinemaware interviews, Lars talks about the company's recent resurrection, but
he also talks about their plans to re-release some of their classic games in
Shockwave format, his thoughts on the latest crop of console systems and how
they are trying to create new and original games. The interview is available
in English as
well as the site's native Italian.
PC Zone UK has a
new preview of Commandos 2 online, looking at this strategy game of military
action. The preview features some screenshots that have been previously available
elsewhere, but it also contains quotes from Gonzo Suarez, the project lead
at Pyro Studios on the game.
PC Gamer has posted an interview on Age of Mythology, the 3D real-time strategy game under construction at Ensemble Studios, that was apparently conducted before the game was officially announced a couple of months ago (thanks VoodooExtreme). Designers Bruce Shelley and Greg Street are at hand to talk about the development team, the game's historical and mythological setting, the gameplay, their in-house BANG engine, and more. Here is a quote on the latter topic:
PCGamer: When did you start development of the BANG engine? Any plans yet to use it in further products?
Bruce Shelley: We started BANG engine development in 1997 right after completing the first Age of Empires. Dave Pottinger led the planning and creation of the engine with John Evanson, Herb Marselas, and others. They started from scratch with the goal of building a very kick-butt 3D engine that could be used for a variety of game genres. The demands of Age of Kings forced us to focus the engine on the RTS genre alone, but we have high hopes that it will make traditional RTS games come alive in stunningly beautiful 3D with new features not available in 2D worlds. We plan to use the BANG engine for future products, including more RTS games
VoodooExtreme disturbed lead designer Tom Hall long enough during crunch time to get an update on Anachronox, ION Storm's imminent 3D role-playing game. Tom says they "are preparing a Release Candidate tonight. We'll probably go through a couple more before we're done, but you can look for Anachronox, ON THE SHELF, by the end of the month!" and also promises a new movie trailer, as well as a playable demo after they have gone gold.
Also on VE this morning is an interview on Enclave, the fantasy 3D action game by Swedish developers Starbreeze Studios that is scheduled for an Xbox release before appearing on the PC. Producer Dan Jevons at publisher Conspiracy Entertainment talks about the game's premise, the differences between the PC and Xbox versions, various game features, and more.
There is a new O.R.B. Developer Diary on GameSpy.com, in which Strategy First developers Jamie McNeely and Yanick Blenkhorn look back at the presentation of their Offworld Resource Base at E3, and some of the games they saw while taking a break from demoing the game. And in related news, A Talent For War offers an update on the status of the tech test as well as two new screenshots.
Simon & Schuster send word that Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Dominion Wars, the space-based strategy game developed by Gizmo Games, has gone gold and is expected on store shelves by the middle of next week for an estimated street price of $39.95.
Voice for Half-Life
on GameSpy.Com is the second article based on their recent foray to the
offices of Valve Software near sunny (on occasion) Seattle, WA, which describes
plans to incorporate voice communication technology in the next Half-Life patch,
which they say is expected "at the end of this month." The article
discusses how the technology will work, and what its advantages are over other
approaches to achieving the same result, like Roger Wilco.
Happy Puppy's
Z: Steel Soldiers preview offers hands-on (paws-on?) impressions of Bitmap Brothers'
upcoming sequel to Steel Soldiers. Calling the game a "little gem,"
the article goes on to describe Z as "an intense action-oriented strategy
game that combines deep, challenging gameplay with terrific graphics, a strong
sense of narrative purpose, an oddball sense of humor, and a kick-ass control
interface." The preview also includes a bit of what can be expected
from gameplay, and offers up a screenshot gallery of both new and old images.
RPG Vault Chat will be assembling
members of the Neverwinter Nights team tonight to discuss progress on Neverwinter
Nights, the upcoming RPG from Black Isle Studios and BioWare. The chat
begins tonight at 9:00 PM EST, and those using IRC clients can forego the
web-based chat and attend by connecting to host17.webmaster.com in channel
#ignvault.
The Birth of a Game Studio Part Two
on Gamasutra by Daniel Sanchez-Crespo is the follow up to this
part one ( story) which introduces us to the topic at hand,
the process of starting up a new game development studio. Part two, subtitled
"Goin' Places, Meetin' People," describes attending game industry
events like E3 and GDC from the developer's perspective, and includes advice on
things like what to bring and who to talk to.
Quake III Arena DC Maps Still
Coming to PC on Gamers.com quotes id Software's Todd Hollenshead in saying
PC versions of the Dreamcast Q3A maps are on the way, "real soon now."
Also, GameCube Graphics Details
on GameSpot talks with ATI's VP of engineering to learn more about the
recently revised GameCube specs. Meanwhile, Dreamcast.IGN.Com
has a list of all the games known to be in development by each of Sega's
internal teams. Finally, Black & White (DC) On Hold
on GameSpot UK says Lionhead Studios has confirmed that it has halted
development of the Dreamcast version of B&W.
Fragger's Hall DnD has a script
that adds the Defend and Destroy game type to TRIBES 2, offering D&D
gameplay from Starsiege TRIBES in the sequel. In addition to the version 1.03
server code, this release also offers an optional client-side HUD, several maps
converted for D&D play, as well as a tutorial on how to make your own
D&D maps. Thanks TribalWar and Fraggers Hall.
The Shadowbane FAQ has been
updated with five new questions and answers about Wolfpack Studios' upcoming
MMORPG. Also, the
official Planetside FAQ has been updated, and the PlanetSide
news page and a post on Action Vault
summarize a lot of the recent activity on the PlanetSide
messageboards by the team at work on Verant's upcoming massively multiplayer
shooter describing posts with information on Outfits (like clans or tribes),
balance between empires, ammo, damage, vehicles, and more. Likewise, the Star Wars Galaxies Online
news page summarizes recent forum activity describing how
player-versus-player conflict will be handled in the upcoming Star Wars MMORPG.
Well, after mishaps pushed the morning updates later than desired the last couple
of days, Frans and I worked out a plan whereby I could start doing the updates
in the wee hours again, which takes a little of the pressure off as far as
falling behind in the mornings. This also returns me to a more familiar
webmaster's schedule, which is not at all unwelcome--being on farmer's hours
means falling out really early (heaven only knows how farmers have so many
children).
Link of the Day: The Road
to Springfield. Thanks Michael Mooney.
Story of the Day: Witness the event
(Sky News). Thanks RVF400RR. Might want to grab a Snickers first.
Bonus Story: Pee-Wee Herman to
host a game show (IMDB). Thanks Fantaz. He's hosting You Don't Know Jack.
No really. I'm biting my tongue so hard right now it's bleeding.
Media of the Day: deathstarmainframe.
Thanks Chris Johnson.
|
Twitter 
