Archived News:
PlanetBaldursGate
by way of FilePlanet has made Heart of Winter: Trials of the Luremaster, the
free add-on for Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter available
for download. The 71.3 MB download is currently only available for English
users, and in order to grab it you'll need to wade through FilePlanet's download
system, which does require free registration. Update: There is a mirror on MGON.
A new
preview of PlanetSide is up at GameSpot this evening. Like the other recent
previews of the game, the preview is based on what the author saw during a visit
to Sony Online, and so it contains details on what he was shown along with the
same batch of ten screenshots as the other sites that were in attendance.
AVault's
Throne of Darkness Interview talks with producer Leif Jensen about this
upcoming action RPG from Click Entertainment. Leif talks about the game's evolution
from the creators' original vision and what will separate it from the other
action RPGs out there, and he also mentions that a demo will be released "in
the next couple of weeks."
A beta 1.1 patch for the
Annihilation mod for Quake III Arena has been released (thanks Stomped).
This update is required for both the client and server packages, and contains
new server-side anti-lag compensation among other changes.
- Incoming Forces
Interplay has opened an Incoming Forces teaser page with four new screenshots of the 3D arcade shooter in the works at Rage Software. Update: There are five new screenshots on GameSpot as well.
- Aliens Vs. Predator 2
AvPNews has posted no less than twenty new Aliens Vs. Predator 2 screenshots starting with shot 4 on page 9 and continuing on page 10 and 11, all showing off Monolith's FPS sequel.
- From Dusk Till Dawn
Ten new From Dusk Till Dawn screenshots are online at German site Gamigo.de, captured from a beta build of GameSquad's third-person action adventure based on the 1996 movie.
- AquaNox
There is a single new AquaNox screenshot up at German site PC Pointer, offering another submersed scene in the 3D action game by Massive Development.
- Arx Fatalis
RPGDot has posted seven new Arx Fatalis screenshots, illustrating the first-person role-playing game being crafted at Arkane Studios.
- Throne of Darkness
This week's Throne of Darkness Elements of the Week gallery on RPG Vault highlights the Water Spells in Click Entertainment's upcoming isometric action RPG with a dozen new screenshots.
Both XGR and EuroGamer have each posted five new screenshots of nTrap, a new 3D action game in the works at Vienna-based developers AGD Software. nTrap is a sci-fi game that takes place beneath ocean surfaces, in outer space and apparently anywhere in between, and is powered by their in-house Magrethea Simulation Engine. The official site has more details on the game as well as a sizable screenshots gallery. Here is a quote on the game's premise:
The action game nTrap will put you behind the controls of various
high-tech vehicles including submarines, air fighters, hovercrafts and
space ships. By combining a multitude of modular devices, you can
quickly build countless customized weapons and trapping networks to
help yourself survive the battle against planetary threats. Capture
information stolen from large corporations, return fugitives unharmed,
recover technology and data by neutralizing the opponent's devices
with your own, and, probably one day save mankind from the biggest
danger it has ever faced!
A Q&A with
BioWare's Kevin Martens is up at GameZone.com today, talking with the designer
about Throne of Bhaal, the recently released add-on for Baldur's Gate II.As
the expansion is already out there isn't much in the way of new information
here, but Kevin does talk briefly about the expansion's plot and other additions
to the game, and he also suggests that another Baldur's Gate title may be in
the works (not that this is any big surprise, of course).
Slovakian site Sector has posted the first (English) details on Internal Pain, a sci-fi 3D action game in development at likewise Slovakia-based company Fantasia Studio. The report offers an overview of the premise and features of the game, which is scheduled for a PC and Xbox release in Winter 2002, and the first fifteen screenshots and a dozen concept images show what it looks like.
PC Zone has a
new preview of Star Wars Galaxies online this morning. The preview doesn't
contain any new screenshots from this massively multiplayer game, but it is
loaded with quotes from the developers, who comment on the game's use of character
classes, the efforts that are being made to ensure everything looks and feels
like it should, the different creatures in the game and lots more.
The Anarchy Online News & Updates
page has a few updates on the status of the MMORPG, which
has had its share of troubles since launching. This
daily announcement is the first of what's planned as a daily stream of
reports to keep AO players in the loop, the debut installment has a status
report on some outstanding issues and an update on what was fixed in the latest
patch. This
page has the latest for those still having trouble registering their
accounts. This
update by AO lead programmer Martin Amor offers apologies for the
post-launch difficulties and discusses some of the bugs that have been addressed as
well as those that remain, as he provides "an update of what we are working
on and when you can expect to get a full-fledged game experience." Finally,
in response to some of the irate reaction to the woes touched upon in all these
updates, there's an
update on compensation where the Funcom team promises to try and make this
up to those who have suffered through it all. Here's the word: We have
been getting a lot of questions from people that wonder if they will be
compensated for the problems we, and you as a player, experience today.
Our official reply to this is; Yes, you will!. We understand that we are using
your time, and we wish our customers to be happy and satisfied with the product.
We are still in discussions on how and when we will do this, but we promise you
that we will compensate you.
Again we would like to point out that we are working in overgear to fix the
problems we have. Thank you very much for your patience and your support.
The official Black & White
website has bad news for those eager to get the official version of the
latest Black & White patch, which was originally promised for mid-May
( story), then May 21 ( story), and was then delayed
yet again by quality assurance ( story). Many of the fixes planned
for that patch have already been released in an unsupported unofficial
developer's patch ( story), but as you may have guessed already,
the word on the official patch is that it is still held up in QA, which has
resulted in a change in the schedule of planned updates they recently posted
( story). Most of the updates listed on that schedule include the
note "Subject to official patch being released," so this should
probably be considered to be carved in sand as well.
GameSpy.com's Orion Pirates
Developer Diary Volume 4 offers a word that's music to any pirate's ears:
'gold', as Joshua Morris' latest installment in this journal offers thoughts
from the producer and lead designer on Star Fleet Command: Orion Pirates on the
announcement that the game is gold ( story) and, in fact, already on stores shelves. Word in the update is
the team is now preparing to "retrograde SFC2 to include some of the
Dynaverse II improvements", along with a tease that "Beyond that we are
working on an unannounced title and are already deep into pre-production."
There's an interview
with Dodger on Shadowbane Warcry talking with Wolfpack Studios programmer Olaf
"Dodger" Piesche, the man responsible for the visual effects in
Shadowbane, Wolfpack's upcoming MMORPG. The conversation covers Olaf's
background, his impressions of Austin after growing up in Germany, other RPGs,
and of course, his work on Shadowbane. The page with the conversation
includes some new screenshots and concept art.
Svarovsky.com has unofficial
language patches for StarTopia, Mucky Foot's space station construction game. Applying
one of the five small patches will enable the game to support English, French,
German, Italian, or Spanish. Word is this is all unsupported, and you should
make backups of any files replace to protect yourself if something goes awry.
Interplay
Says Sale Delayed reports MCV USA while Interplay considers alternatives to outright sale
reports GameSpot each add more confusion to the already confusing tale of
the possible sale of Interplay, which has included reports that the company had
already been sold ( story) or was being sold to Pacific Century
CyberWorks Japan ( story), and more recent reports that the
company was off the market ( story) after Titus decided to hold
onto their stake. The two latest reports discuss efforts to either continue
trying to sell the company (in spite of what Titus says on the subject) or find
a new strategic partner.
Xbox Release Dates Revealed? on
Xbox.IGN.Com offers speculative release dates, though they are based on info
from a retailer, which can be notoriously unreliable in matters like these. The
State of the Xbox volume six by Jeff Henshaw offers the chance to win your
own Alpha Xbox Development Kit (thanks MSXbox).
EA Scaling GameCube Madden Back?
on Cube.IGN.Com says "Nintendo's tiny Digicard memory size could be to
blame." Konami Plans PlayStation 2 Bundle(s)
on Core Magazine reports on three different packages, the heftiest to retail
for 150,000 yen (which even sounds like a lot in dollars, as it is over
$1,200!). Finally, Planet GameCube
reports on the arrival of a new GameBoy Advance color on store shelves, so if
you were holding out for a pink GBA, you're in luck.
The official Ken's Labyrinth page
has the release of the source code for Ken's Labyrinth (thanks Jacek Fedorynski),
described on Ken Silverman's Official Home Page
as "The first Wolf3D clone." Word on the source is that it "Requires:
Microsoft C 6.00A to compiler (NOTE: this is the old DOS 16-bit compiler)."
Ken Silverman is the programmer who authored the Build engine that powered Duke
Nukem 3D.
The first public alpha version of the Front Line Assault
modification for Unreal Tournament is now available. Along with the download
link, they have posted the couple of known issues with the mod, which is set in
World War II, as well as temporary forums where it can be discussed.
More World War II mod action in the news as a new beta 3.2 of the D-Day: Normandy
modification for Quake II is now available. Offering what are described as many
bug-fixes and features, the page also notes that "This file is not a new
beta; it is an update to Beta3."
Version 1.1 of ArenaScout
is now available, offering Quake III Arena server-browser functionality from
within IRC. The script, which supports mIRC versions 5.9 and 5.91, can locate
the servers where you'll find the best ping, connect automatically, store
passwords, and more, as well as leaving an appropriate message behind when you
depart the channel so your friends can find you.
The Yadex homepage has a new
version 1.5.2 of this Doom level editor for Unix systems running X (including
Linux). The editor, an offspring of DEU 5.21, is released under the terms of the
GPL, and supports Doom alpha, Doom beta, Doom, Ultimate Doom, Final Doom, Doom
II, Heretic and has limited support for Hexen and Strife. Thanks Jacek Fedorynski.
Also, the LIGHTCUBE
Downloads page now offers version 1.0 of gxSDK, a free to use 3D-Realtime
Development Kit. Finally, PlanetDungeonSiege
interviews Sarah Boulian of Gas powered Games talking with her about
designing Dungeon Siege levels.
"We're all very different people. We're not Watusi, we're not Spartans,
we're Americans! With a capital 'A,' huh? And you know what that means? Do you?
That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the
world!"
Link of the Day: This
funny typing 404 message. Yes, a different funny typing 404 message
than last time. Thanks Ant.
Story of the Day: Man steals train in Italy
(Ananova). Thanks Andrew Arace. Even more unbelievably, he got away! (Albeit
without the train.)
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