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Archived News:
PC.IGN has posted an interview
with Will Wright, the man behind the wildly popular Sims games. The interview
was actually conducted at last month's E3 Expo, and in it Will talks about his
plans for The Sims Online, and he explains the measures they are taking to avoid
potentially offensive material, how the game's monetary system works and more.
As promised earlier, id Software has released the
version 1.29f Beta point release for Quake III Arena and Quake III: Team
Arena. Here are local file pages (with mirrors) for the Win32
and Mac
OS X updates as well as the
standard and dedicated
server patches for Linux users. These patches work on both Q3A and Team
Arena, and contain a number of notable changes, including new weapon effects,
new network code, new anti-cheating measures and lots more. Here's a brief excerpt
from the readme with a couple of the more exciting additions: - NEW id
CREATED PRO MAPS - One of our newer employees, Fred Nilsson, is an avid fan
tournament style game play, and is very interested in the professional gaming
community. Via feedback from professional Quake 3 players, Fred has made some
modifications to some of the more popular maps that shipped with Quake 3 including
“The Camp Grounds”, “Lost World”, “The Proving Grounds”,
and “Vertical Vengeance” You can play them in the single player game
by advancing to tier 7, or run them on your server by using the map names “PRO-Q3DM6”,
“PRO-Q3DM13”, “PRO-Q3TOURNEY2” and, “PRO-Q3TOURNEY4”.
These are a lot of fun! Give them a try!
- NEW NETWORK CODE - There is a new compression system built into the network
code of the latest point release. Essentially, this reduces the bandwidth usage
of Quake 3 and Team Arena by a ratio of 5:1 over previous versions of the game.
Modem players, as well as everyone else, should experience a significant improvement
in internet game play because of this.
- AUTO UPDATE SYSTEM - Within this release is an Auto Update system that can
be used to at any time to check for and download updates to Quake 3 and Team
Arena. When you install the point release a file will be created in your Quake
III Arena directory and in the Start Menu called, “Check For Quake III
Arena Updates”. Running this file will check our servers for updates and
notify you if there is a newer version or inform you that your files are up
to date. The auto updater will create a directory on your C: where downloaded
updates will be stored. It is important that you DO NOT delete this directory.
If you plan to uninstall Quake III, make sure to uninstall all of the point
releases as well.
Czech site BonusWeb has posted a playable demo of Jekyll & Hyde, a third-person action adventure by French developers In Utero based on the classic novel. The demo clocks in at an average (these days) 69.4 MB, but there is no word on its contents. Update: This demo appears to require an A3D soundcard, so your mileage may vary.
GameSpot goes all out on screenshots from upcoming Ubi Soft games. They have five new Rogue Spear: Black Thorn screenshots on offer along with some hands-on impressions of playing a few missions in this standalone expansion pack by Red Storm. Next are over twenty new Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor screenshots illustrating the isometric RPG being crafted at Stormfront Studios. That's topped by no less than 27 new screenshots of Conquest: Frontier Wars, the space-based RTS nearing completion at Fever Pitch Studios. And completing the lot are nine Silent Hunter II screenshots from this submarine sim by Ultimation.
Those lucky enough to participate in the MechCommander 2 beta may have noticed
a bug that caused it to stop working over the weekend. Fortunately a fix has
been released, and is available
via Microsoft's web site (direct HTTP file link). Be warned though, it's
a whopping 43 MB download.
Tonight at 9:00 PM EDT XGR.com will be broadcasting an interview with Ben Haas,
an animator at Click Entertainment on their upcoming title Throne of Darkness.
To listen in, be sure you have a SHOUTcast capable audio player and point
your web browser to XGR.com.
Swiss site Gameplex.ch has conducted a new interview on Atlantica, the 3D action game in development at Czech studio Lonely Cat Games. Lead designer Michal Bacik is at hand to introduce company and game, describe the game's story, premise and features in more detail, and answer some questions about their Insanity Engine and the single- and multi-player missions. The interview is available in English and the site's native German.
MSXbox has conducted an
interview with Marcus Legler of Digital Illusions, talking with him about
their upcoming title Battlefield 1942. This being an Xbox-centric site, many
of the questions are about the console version of the game, but there are also
questions dealing with how this game will separate it from the other tactical
shooters out there and the importance vehicles will serve in the overall gameplay.
Four new screenshots are included along the way.
Being the slow news day that it is, Stomped
checked in with id Software's Robert Duffy regarding the status of the next
point release patch for Quake III Arena. According to Robert's response, id
has been working on meeting their first internal DOOM deadline, but the beta
release will be available "within a day or so," and contain lots of
changes.
Hothouse Creations has released a patch for Gangsters 2: Vendetta for download from their ftp server, bringing their new mobster management strategy game to version 1.05. The patch comes in English, German, French and Italian editions, all clocking in at 6.6 MB, and according to Eidos UK where the English patch is mirrored, it addresses some CD-ROM detection problems and multiplayer issues, while Eidos Germany also mentions a problem with the game's Newspaper and the ability to turn off EAX sound.
There is a brief interview on Operation Flashpoint at Dutch site Ugamer, quizzing Bohemia's Marek Spanel about their imminent 3D tactical shooter at a recent Codemasters press event to launch the game in Europe. The topics are of a rather general nature, so Marek talks about the game's development, how the media interest in the game evolved, some of its features, and more. The Q&A is available in your choice of English or the site's native Dutch.
GameSpy.com's Throne of
Darkness Developer Diary Volume 4 is online, offering a brief installment
from Leif Jensen, producer on Click Entertainment's almost-complete
"Diablo-style" RPG. The latest journal entry describes the sojourn
Leif and the clique of Clickers made to this years E3, and the "Drinking,
smoozing, and eating" that ensued. He also mentions how close the project
is to completion, saying "...we are in the last weeks of development,
fixing bugs and taking care of a few balance issues. It looks as though we'll be
working again this weekend, as the deadline is getting close." The icing on
this bit of cake is note at the end that mentions a playable Throne of Darkness
demo is on the way "soon," that will include "the entire Mori
Castle with the outer citadel."
PC
Gaming As An Industry V on The Adrenaline Vault is the latest in their
series of developer articles written by Brad Wardell, this installment gets onto
the topic of the target audience for games, discussing the often outlandish
system requirements in many new games, and pointing out that "We developers
and our buddies in the gaming media are just not professionals (generally
speaking) when it comes to making products." Included with the conclusion
of the article is a quote from Scott Miller of 3D Realms with an observation
about the impact a good track record has on a game company's ability to create
the games they want to, while still being sure to generate sales.
- Green Berets
There's a Green
Berets Interview on Voodoo Extreme talks with Tim Beggs, producer on
Green Berets, an upcoming value-priced game from Take Two Interactive that
will use the Myth II engine to create a game set in the combat heavy jungles
of Vietnam. The conversation covers everything from general background on
the game, through nitty-gritty details like unit types, and concludes with a
bit of speculation about future plans for the Green Berets design team.
- Hubert Chardot
Nextgame.it
interviews Hubert Chardot talking with the creator of Alone in the Dark
about horror games, and the gaming industry in general. The Q&A is also available in the site's native Italian.
- Razor
Voodoo Extreme's
Razor Interview talks with Chris Seddon of Vicious
Software about this independent developer's first project, a first-person
shooter using the proprietary "Xistence Engine." The Q&A
offers details on Razor, and what almost-unique features that will set it
apart from other FPS titles, as well as brief mention of what else Chris is
working on, which includes "Killers Dream Land, a Zelda-like RPG
for dos...Razor, Xistence Engine, and several unannounced projects."
Word on OperationFlashpoint.net
is that Codemasters is accepting
pre-orders for Operation Flashpoint, and that, since they are willing to ship
overseas, this is a way for those interested in getting their hands on an early
copy of this upcoming cold war shooter in the US to do so, since the European
version will precede it by a couple of months, but a patch will be released
around the time the US version comes out to bring both versions into line.
A new version of TRICON 2 is now
available, updating this TRIBES 2 server administration tool. TriCon offers
modular operation that allows the creation of modules to control many aspects of
gameplay, with basic example modules included to control switching teams and
team balancing.
GameSpy.com's Black & White Strategy Guide
part one is online, offering ideas on how to "harness the powers of
your Avatar, your villagers and your overall gaming strategies."
- As mentioned in the blurb announcing that ISP Game2K1
will be using the PowerPlay technology being worked out by
Valve, Cisco, and others (story), they are now accepting pre-orders
(thanks Voodoo Extreme)...
- The COMPET-N Home Page
has a demo of Henning Skogsto completing the entirety of Doom II on nightmare
skill while getting 100% secrets on all maps in one continuous run, earning
him the title of Super-Schwarzenegger, and startlingly enough, Vincent
Catalaa has since accomplished a similar feat (albeit slower)...
- Q3arena.org.pl
interviews Cache of Cached.net
talking about the ups and downs of running the site...
My Mom and Step-Dad gave MrsBlue and I a gift certificate to a spa for our
anniversary last year, and after nearly letting it expire, we managed to make it
there yesterday, since it's near their apartment, and it meshed nicely with
going there for Father's Day (you should see the Manhattan version of a
spa--it's single-serving sized--the kind of place "Jack" would find in
Fight Club). Anyway, when Sven (Inga wasn't available) asked me if I'd like one
of those power-rubs, my macho side took over and I said sure. Well, I managed to
make it through without crying "uncle," but it was no easy feat, and if you are guessing that I'm feeling like someone that just got their ass
kicked, you are a winner. I think I need a massage to recover from my massage!
Flash of the Day: This
Bruce Lee Homage. Flash required (duh). Thanks Leynos.
Story of the Day: Cartoons
Get Grown-Up Plotlines (Fox). Thanks theAntiELVIS. On the Cartoon Network's
plans to air shows that offer situations like Scooby Doo and Shaggy busted for
possession, and examination of "precisely what the relationship was between
Johnny Quest's father and his bosom buddy Race Bannon, the strapping bodyguard."
Weird Science: Apple Tells Satanists They Can't 'Think Different'
(Reuters). Thanks Darren.
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