Archived News:
PC.IGN.com naturally attended yesterday's Electronic Arts press event, and have now posted a preview of Battlefield 1942 based on what they saw of Digital Illusions' upcoming first-person action game. The article describes how the game follows up to and improves upon Codename Eagle, and offers more details on its features, highlighted with quotes from senior programmer Johan Persson and producer Ken Balthaser. Nine new screenshots (and a familiar one) are also included.
Also on PC.IGN this evening is a new preview of Global Operations, again based on checking out Barking Dog's team-based realistic shooter at the EA press event. After an introduction of the game's premise, the article sports their impressions of the gameplay, character classes, the graphics produced by the LithTech 2.5 engine, and more, but no new screenshots.
Bright Light Productions has released a patch for Journey's End, updating their budget-priced first-person RPG to version 1.10. The patch is a 18.8 MB download that adds new in-game cutscenes and a cutscene scripting editor, enhancements to their JEditor, an in-game music player, and other improvements and bug fixes.
- Star Wars Galaxies
There is another new 3D screenshot of Star Wars Galaxies on the official site for Verant's sci-fi MMORPG, this time showing a Male Bothan character in that roundabout QuickTime fashion.
- Neverwinter Nights
BioWare has released five new screenshots of Neverwinter Nights, depicting new scenes in their upcoming 3D role-playing game.
- Sea Dogs 2
Similarly, Akella has posted half a dozen new Sea Dogs 2 screenshots, revealing more areas from their sea-faring 3D role-playing sequel.
- Spider-Man
Half dozen new Spider-Man screenshots are online at PC Zone UK this evening, offering more scenes in the third-person comic action game by LTI Gray Matter.
- Iron Strategy
ActionTrip is the latest site to post ten new Parkan: Iron Strategy screenshots, showing off the 3D action strategy game under construction at Russian developers Nikita.
- BattleTech: 3025
GameSpyDaily has posted six new Multiplayer BattleTech: 3025 screenshots, illustrating the massively multiplayer mech action game by EA.com.
- Trade Wars
Also on GameSpyDaily today are four new screenshots of Trade Wars: Dark Millennium, the massively multiplayer RTS in the works at Realm Interactive.
- Green Berets
Worthplaying has posted two new screenshots of Myth II: Green Berets, the squad-based tactical combat game by TalonSoft that went gold the last weekend (story).
- Divinity
There's a new Divine Divinity screenshot and a few concept and editor images on GameScreenshots, along with some background information on this isometric RPG by Larian Studios.
- Camelot
A brief look at Dark Age of Camelot on Gamer's Press is accompanied by a new screenshot of the medieval MMORPG being beta tested at Mythic Entertainment.
As promised on their frontpage since last week, Eidos Interactive has released the playable demo of Project Eden for download from their ftp server. This is an unusually reasonable 22.8 MB download, allowing you to try out a portion of this squad-based first- and third-person action game that is nearing completion at Core Design. Update: A mirror is available at 3D Gamers.
There is a new interview on Jumpgate at UnknownPlayer.com, talking to Netdevil president Scott Brown about their massively multiplayer space sim that recently launched in Europe. Scott discusses the game's premise, their influences, the challenges of setting up their own company, their long beta testing process, and a few other topics.
While strong rumors and reports from the pertaining developers appeared last Tuesday ( story), Interplay has now officially announced that TORN, the 3D role-playing game by Black Isle Studios, has been cancelled and that several developers were laid off. Here is the brief announcement as received by HomeLAN Fed:
Black Isle Studios' title, TORN, has been canceled. In conjunction with the cancellation, five of the 56 member Black Isle Studios staff were laid off. All of the remaining members of the TORN team are now working on other internal Black Isle Studios RPG products.
Blizzard has released a minor upgrade for the Mac edition of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, bringing their isometric action RPG expansion to version 1.08b. The patch can be downloaded manually as a 4.33 MB file or applied though the Battle.net auto-updater, and the only change is a fix for "a crash on Battle.net involving combining rune words together."
This evening GameSpot's almost-daily preview looks ahead to Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, the isometric RTS being created at LucasArts upon the Age of Empires II engine by Ensemble Studios. The article starts off with an overview of the game's premise and features before going into more details about its units, gameplay, and other aspects. Three new screenshots accompany the proceedings.
Bridge Commander to include multiplayer on GameSpot is a follow-up to a report at the time of E3 ( story) that Totally Games' space combat game Star Trek: Bridge Commander would not include any multiplayer modes. These plans have now changed, and the story has details on the LAN and Internet multiplayer features, as well as a quick Q&A with lead designer Larry Holland who explains the design change, and talks about the ship balance and the new environments created for these multiplayer modes.
3D Realms George Broussard updated his .plan with more details on the forthcoming Max Payne patch, which may not be released today as announced earlier ( story) but is due "soon (for the weekend)". Here is the deal:
Max Payne update.
[Win2K/GeForece 3 bug]
The problem has been found and a patch made for it. Remedy said it was a memory leak (a 2 line code change) and that it was actually affecting all systems. It just affected GeForce 3 systems more.
The problem has been reproduced at 3DR, Remedy and Take 2 and the patch has been verified to fix the problem. We will test the patch for a bit and probably release it soon (for the weekend).
It's going to be small - weighing in at about 6 megs. We will contact many, many web sites and give the patch directly to them. No single source nonsense.
We're really sorry this slipped through, but something just had to. I'm glad Remedy was able to isolate it so quickly and prepare a patch.
We also appreciate all the fan support and understanding so far. People seem to like the game and Max has been selling quickly (around here at least).
Remedy and 3DR will continue to support the game to the best of our abilities.
An update on the official World War II Online forum by producer Chris Sherland examines the feedback they received after yesterday's version 120 patch ( story), and provides an overview of the high and medium priority issues they're working on, which may result in a version 121 patch "before the weekend" depending on their resolution.
Fan page Armada Universe has conducted a
Q&A with Mad Doc Software's Michael Swiderek. Michael talks about his
background in the industry, as well as what he does on Star Trek: Armada II.
Accompanying the Q&A are three new screenshots from the game.
Gamitopia's Project
Entropia Interview talks with Patric Sundstrom of MindArk about their upcoming
massively multiplayer title (thanks RPG Vault).
The interview is fairly large, and contains information about the various weapons
and abilities in the game, as well as other gameplay details, including the
game's unique economy, which is based on actual currency.
Nicely coinciding with this week's logo, Empire Interactive has released a small patch for The Typing of the Dead, the typing-tutor variant of Sega's rail-shooter The House of the Dead 2. The 943 KB download merely "fixes problems with the ATI Rage Mobility."
Gaming site gameplay has a
preview of the PC and Mac OS version of Red Faction online this afternoon.
The preview is brief, but it does contain quotes from THQ Europe's Asam Ahmad
who provides the first concrete details on the multiplayer options that will
be available in this version, along with a couple of screenshots, although it
would appear that they cannot be enlarged.
Remedy has updated their
site with details on the Max Payne version 1.01 patch which they say is
currently in testing and should be released later today (thanks AndOne). Here
are the details: We've finished a patch (download size: 6.2 MB) which
is now in testing and will be hopefully released later today. Download information
will be available here and at 3D Realms' homepage.
We're sorry for any problems caused for people who couldn't get the game to
run, or it had stability problems. If there are still problems after this patch,
we will do our best to get them fixed ASAP.
Max Payne Development Team.
The patch to version 1.01 addresses the following issues:
- Exit to desktop stability issues addressed:
The issues with the game crashing into Windows' desktop when loading a new map
have been addressed.
- Game doesn't start with some CD-Rom drives:
A newer version of SafeDisc copy protection is used. If the game still doesn't
start up, please contact support@talonsoft.com
- Zorro
German site PCPointer.de has posted four new Zorro screenshots (along with two familiar images) of the third-person action adventure in the works at In Utero.
- AvP 2
Three new screenshots of Aliens Vs. Predator 2, the three-class first-person shooter sequel in the works at Monolith, are online at VoodooExtreme.
- Spider-Man
A brief, hands-off preview of Spider-Man on PC Zone UK is accompanied by three new screenshots (possibly taken from the console version) of this third-person action game by LTI Gray Matter.
- Bridge Commander
The official Star Trek: Bridge Commander site sports a new screenshot of the week, offering another galactic scene in the space sim currently docking at Totally Games.
- Conflict Zone
GameScreenshots has added seven new Conflict Zone screenshots to their gallery for this 3D RTS by MASA Group that is already out in Europe.
- Valhalla Chronicles
Half a dozen new Valhalla Chronicles screenshots and the same amount of concept images are online at EuroGamer, illustrating this isometric RPG by Paradox.
The Daily Telefrag has conducted a
Q&A with Ian Currie of Sirtech Canada, talking about the current status
of the company. It was announced last week that the company had let go much
of their staff ( story), and Ian talks about this, saying that
they had been looking for a joint Wizardry 8 and 9 publishing deal that would
have funded the ninth game in the series. He says there are interested parties,
but on a somber note, says that "Unless we find funding in the next few
weeks, the company will close its doors."
Alex Rodberg, Sierra's TRIBES 2 brand manager made a
post to the TribalWar forums with information on the next patch for TRIBES
2, as well as the status of the TRIBES 2 playable demo. Here's what he has to
say: There's actually a good bit more coming in the next patch. We talked
about this at the TsN interview. Here's a summary of some of the things we discussed:
Playable demo:
- beta version releasing very soon so we can test it online with lots of people
and lots of different systems.
Next patch:
- VCR record function (like T1 demo's)
- serious cheat preventions
- a number of other fixes/improvements
- going to beta in the next week or two
After being originally announced as a PC title ( story) but then targeted for the Dreamcast and subsequently the Playstation 2, Eidos has now announced that Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 is once again headed for PC release, albeit in Europe only, as FGN Online has confirmed that the US edition will be bundled "with OEM deals only." The PS2 version of Crystal Dynamic's third-person action game is now due in September with the PC version scheduled for Winter 2001, and EuroGamer has also posted five new screenshots.
GameSpot attended an Electronic Arts press event yesterday, and returned home really late (long drive?) with screenshots galore from their upcoming titles. Choose your poison from six new Medal of Honor: Allied Assault screenshots, five new Global Operations shots, half a dozen new Freedom Force images, six new Battlefield 1942 screenshots, one new Command & Conquer: Renegade image (and four familiar ones), one new Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge shot (and again four familiar ones), six new Motor City Online screenshots and, if you have any breath left, even more.
The last night's Anarchy Online
daily update has word that they have a client patch "in the loop
now" that incorporates numerous bug-fixes and the ability to reduce
on-screen polygons by toggling players off, they "hope to push this out
very soon on the testlive server." The update also mentions their work on
a new interface, and that fixing the memory leak is still their "number 1
priority right now." Update: Today's daily update has more details on the proposed player toggle.
Continuing the festivities that spring forth from attending a luncheon with
Turbine Entertainment, GameSpy.com
interviews Chris Foster discussing Asheron's Call: Dark Majesty, the
upcoming AC expansion with the former lead designer for Asheron's Call who is
currently creative director on Dark Majesty. The conversation covers what will
be new in the add-on, including the new land mass, player housing, and new
creatures.
There's a Dungeon Siege
Interview Packmule.Org (thanks PlanetDungeonSiege)
talking with Gas Powered Games president Chris Taylor about their favorite
topic, packmules, and their role in Dungeon Siege, GPG's upcoming RPG. In
addition, the front page of Packmule.Org
now has a new Dungeon Siege screenshot, showing off the (can you guess?)
packmule.
In any previous mentions of RUNE Gold, the upcoming RUNE product from Human Head
Studios was refereed to as some sort of expansion pack or add-on for RUNE, the
Unreal-engine third-person slasher. Now a report on The Adrenaline Vault
has updated details on RUNE Gold that clarify that the bundle, which is expected
to be released on August 20, will contain the latest versions of the original
game and its multiplayer add-on, Halls of Valhalla, but will not contain any new
content.
MCV USA
has the headline of the day with "Sony to Release Xbox
Title." There's an Agent Under Fire preview on
PS2.IGN.com that includes screenshots from this upcoming James Bond game.
Finally, there's a Survey of Interest for US Release
of the PS2 Linux Beta Kit where those interested in a PS2 version of
Linux in the US can express themselves.
PC.IGN.com's MechCommander 2 Encyclopedia
is now available for download, said to be "the exclusive and comprehensive
guide to all things related to the upcoming strategy game." Though they
were so busy with their exclusive info they lost track of the public news that
the game is out. Also, The Stratos Group's
unofficial Guide to TRIBES 2 is now online.
Q3 Center's
True Combat Interview talks with Markus "Tier" Theilen,
co-founder, programmer, and public relations maven, from the True
Combat Q3A mod. Thanks GameSpyDaily.
Meanwhile, GameSpy.com spotlights Within the Darkness
looking at this upcoming modification for Vampire: The Masquerade--Redemption.
There are some Max4 plugins for Half-Life & Polychoping on polycount.
Also, there's a shameless plug for gmax
on the polycount MessageBoard with word that gmax
will be making an appearance at QuakeCon 2001
where they will offer "some expert training on the world's first free
professional-level modeling tool."
It's no secret that online advertising revenue has declined over the course of
the past several months, several websites have gone out of business, and most of
the rest of us continue to scramble
to recoup lost income. It's also probably pretty obvious that we have always
tried to be as unobtrusive with ads as possible to date, and those two
situations ran into a headlong collision last night. This happened when we started running some ad script for a DVD offer that was one of those Flash dealies that I assumed would
"just" be one of those noisy, animated embedded ads you see more of
these days. As it turns out, it was a bit more: A semi-transparent overlay that
sat atop the news page until dismissed, which, in a further twist, had a
confusing enough label on the close button that some folks were having trouble
getting rid of it at all. When I saw the ad, I thought that people would understand its
intrusiveness--after all, as stated above, these are tough times for websites, and we've often
had responses from readers about the state of the web saying if more ads were
required, so be it. Well, we quickly were
flooded with complaints about the situation, obviously fuelled by the
multimedia-ness of the ad, but also probably partly my fault, since I was so quick to quash the couple of previous times pop-up
ads occurred here (since they were without our knowledge).
I am concerned with the nature of some of the complaints about the ad. There
were a couple of themes that came up repeatedly in the feedback: there were
comments that expressed the hope
that this isn't a new trend, and others saying how long the complainant had
been a reader of the site, but if the intrusive ad went on much longer this
would change. Now, the close button problem is a different issue, but aside from
that, I just want to make the case for being more tolerant of occasions like
this in the future... we are not looking at adding more
conspicuous advertising out of greed, or we could have done so during the heyday
of dot-commery and cleaned up... we are looking at making the site viable to
continue to survive. If it really is just a die hard (no pun intended) fact that
such ads are going to drive readers away, we are in a real bind, but I guess the
reason I'm rambling on here is the hope that explaining all this will make any
inconvenience from intrusive ads (whether we start running this one again, or others in the future, or if we just plaster the site with banners and
buttons) more palatable by pointing out that they may well be necessary to keep
bringing you all the carnage that's fit to post.
If we get a version of the ad with a fixed button, I'll put it online so
people who missed it last night can see what I'm talking about, and see where
this goes from there. However that turns out, in any event, the ad was not permanent, so if it comes back online,
even if you hate it perhaps you can show it a
little patience for the time it's here... it should be a great help to us, and
any patience and understanding you can spare are greatly appreciated. By the way
(sorry for going on so long here), not all the responses were negative, and so I
want to also express appreciation to those who expressed understanding about the
situation, as well as those who have always tried to support our advertisers by
checking out their ads.
Link of the Day: 2fort5
Recreational Project Version 2.0.
Play of the Day: The Seinfeld LAST Episode Generator.
Thanks SecretAgentMan.
Story of the Day: Faxed Ads Cost Hooters $12 Million
(ABC). Thanks Jamie Fullerton.
Weird Science: Experimental
U.S. Pigs Turned Into Sausages (Reuters). Thanks [MP] Wolverine [MP].
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