Archived News:
There is a new preview of Aliens Vs. Predator 2 on PC.IGN.com, based on checking out Monolith's upcoming three-way FPS at a recent Sierra press event. Kicking off with more details on the game's backstory, the article offers an overview of the three playable races and their unique special capabilities, as well as their impressions of the graphics engine and the multiplayer game. Over two dozen new screenshots accompany the preview, mixing new and familiar scenes in roughly equal measure.
- Sudden Strike 2?
An update on FREELANCER offers what are presented as the first five, early alpha screenshots of Sudden Strike 2, along with scant details on this as yet unannounced sequel to the isometric RTS by Fireglow Studios.
- Arx Fatalis
The second Arx Fatalis Element of the Week on RPGDot introduces some of the human citizens in the first-person RPG being crafted at Arkane Studios, complete with four new screenshots.
- Etherlords
The official Etherlords site has been updated with half a dozen new screenshots of this 3D turn-based strategy game under construction at Nival Interactive.
- Neocron
Another three new Neocron screenshots from the ongoing beta test of the futuristic MMOROG by Reakktor Media are online at Neocron/Online.
TalonSoft has issed the first patch for Divided Ground: Middle East Conflict 1948-1973, updating the US and UK editions of their recently released isometric wargame to version 1.02. This 3.8 MB download adds two new scenarios called Fortress and On Two Fronts, some new units, new and improved sound effects, bug fixes, and more.
GameSpot has conducted an interview on Starmageddon, talking to Lemon Interactive project director Adrian Chmielarz about the space-based RTS that started out as Starmageddön at this Polish company that started out as CODA Development. Adrian discusses the project's origins, the challenges for the game's design, its backstory, three playable races, graphics engine and, of course, more. Four new screenshots are also included.
You have to love the chance for a headline like that: Raven's Kenn Hoekstra updated
his .plan with word that the Platinum edition of Soldier of Fortune has gone
gold. Here's the update, which explains what the package will include, along
with details on how folks who already own either SoF or SoF Gold will not have
to purchase anything, as they will be able to update their copies with a
downloadable patch: Thursday, August 16th, 2001 - Soldier of Fortune
Platinum Edition has Gone Gold! Or...um...Platinum, as the case may be. Soldier
of Fortune Platinum is:
- Soldier of Fortune Full Retail Game
- Gold Edition Maps/Mods/Enhancements
- 1.07f Patch Adding GameSpy Support To Multiplayer
- 5 New Multiplayer Maps
- Brady Games Strategy Guide (penned by me) In .pdf Format
- Preview Trailer of Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix
This edition of the game is meant for those who haven't purchased Soldier of
Fortune in any form to date. As with the Gold Edition, the Platinum Edition
updates and features will be freely available for download soon to those of you
who own Soldier of Fortune or Soldier of Fortune Gold.
As soon as the Platinum Pack is available for download, I'll send out an
announcement and make an update here.
If you want to order Soldier of Fortune Platinum, you can do so through the Activision
Store here for a mere $29.99.
Sometime after we posted word that the PC version of Ozzie's Black Skies had
been removed from the list of platforms for which the upcoming game based on the
adventures of the famed Black Sabbath front-man is being developed ( story),
the iROCKOzzy's Black Skies
website was quickly updated to re-add the PC to that list (thanks Gameplex).
This would seem to indicate that the removal of the PC reference (about the only
time you will see Ozzy and PC used in the same sentence) was actually an error,
rather than an intentional change. The current listing of targets for the game
reads as follows: "PlayStation® 2 console system and PC, Xbox. Other
platforms are under consideration."
Coincidentally at about the same moment the Dungeon Siege delay reported in the
story that follows came to light, Dungeon Siege Vault
posted a pair of ShakyCam Dungeon Siege videos shot at GenCon. One clip "shows the
creation of the farmgirl at the start of the game along with the introduction,
and some cool fight scenes," while the other "shows some dungeon
action along with a fairy creature and the ability to pause the game and rotate
the view." Both of the clips are in Windows Media Player format, shot in black and
white, in fairly high resolution 704x480 format. Word is there are a pair of
color DS videos that will be posted soon. Also, Neverwinter Vault's
Teresa Stevenson Interview is a Q&A with the communications coordinator
at BioWare that was conducted "between demos" at this year's GenCon.
Topics include her role the information flow for Neverwinter Nights, other
aspects of her job, as well as stuff like her own experience playing CRPGs, and
some general questions about BioWare.
Microsoft just sent over a press release announcing that Dungeon Siege, their
and Gas Powered Games' highly anticipated RPG, is being delayed until an
unspecified time next year. The release is short, so here's the whole deal:
MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES SHIP DELAY FOR DUNGEON SIEGE
August 16, 2001 – Redmond, WA -- Microsoft and Gas Powered Games have
made the careful decision not to release Dungeon Siege in the fall of 2001. Both
companies remain extremely excited about the game and are committed to
completing the title and bringing the highly anticipated game to store shelves
in 2002.
“Our decision to delay the release of Dungeon Siege is one of the toughest
we’ve had to make, but we firmly believe that this is the right choice given
that one of the most critical steps in creating an RPG is the tuning and
balancing stage,” said Chris Taylor, Lead Designer, Gas Powered Games.
“We’ve made a promise to build a game that delivers an over-the-top
experience, and we’ll do whatever it takes to deliver on that promise.”
This new development schedule will deliver the high-quality RPG game that fans
demand and expect from Microsoft and Gas Powered Games. Additional updates
will be posted on Dungeon Siege’s official website at http://www.microsoft.com/games/dungeonsiege/.
Raven's Jake Simpson updated
his .plan mentioning regrets about the fate of Dynamix and the state of
Loki, and that he's been enjoying playing StarTopia, along with the more
newsworthy stuff, which is an update relating to progress on both Jedi Outcast:
Jedi Knight II, and, to a lesser extent, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix. Here's the relevant
portion of the update: JKII Multiplayer is coming along - I got Ghoul2 in
there and working, so we can use all the single player assets, which is cool.
Makes building an MP game a ton faster when all the assets just translate over.
Going through the Quake III code again inserting my stuff makes me appreciate
once again how clever and elegant the multiplayer design for that engine really
is. Everytime I find what I think is a hole, I find that although the hole in
question is never specifically addressed by code, that hole never crops up
because of the smart design behind the system in the first place.
I could write an entire article just on that in fact.
SOF II and JKII single player are coming along great guns from what I have seen.
There is some interesting stuff going on in those games that I've not seen done
before. John Scott's terrain system in particular looks very striking. For those
that saw it (and JKII) at QuakeCon I think I can speak for most here when I say
a huge thank you for all the kind words that have been directed at us. This
makes a difference to us here in many many ways. I think every developer gets
revitalised when they know that people are looking forward to what we are
building.
The Ensemble Studios Patches and Updates page offers a new patch for Age of Empires II: The Conquerors, bringing their acclaimed isometric RTS expansion to version 1.0C. This 3.86 MB download is a cheat prevention update, fixing "mini map trainer issues" for online players. Thanks Patches Scrolls for the tip.
Touching A Nerve on HomeLan
is a an article based on a conversation with Brandon "KillMe" James,
the former id Software and Rogue Entertainment designer who is now president of
his own company, Nerve Software. Nerve, of course, was recently revealed to be
the company who will be behind the multiplayer component of Return to Castle
Wolfenstein, the upcoming remake of Wolfenstein 3-D being constructed by Gray
Matter Studios under the watchful eye of id Software. Topics include the events
that lead to the demise of Rogue, the lessons he took from that to prevent the
same fate from befalling Nerve, some details on their work on the Castle
Wolfenstein project, and even a few scant references to their planned follow-up
project, "the untitled multiplayer cooperative project for id." The
article goes on to speculate what, if any, of that follow-up project will turn out to be
similar to what has been discussed of id's one-time intention to realize their
"Quest" project, which would be some form of virtual world.
Interview
With A Vampire Maker: Part One on PC Zone talks with Hubert Chardot, the man
behind the Alone In The Dark series of horror games, about From Dusk Till
Dawn, Gamesquad's upcoming game based on the Tarantino/Rodriguez
vampire/road flick. Today's part one deals with this movie spin-off, "why
he got behind the deal and what we can expect to see," while tomorrow's
part two will focus more on his background and history in gaming. The interview
with the French designer (which is in English, BTW) talks about being able to
let off some steam by creating a game that is in essence a "straight
shooter" (a new experience for him and his team), how the game's storyline
was constructed so as not to be just a copy of the film, how they are dealing
with the fact that main character Seth Gecko is at best an anti-hero, and more.
A couple of screenshots and a photo of Hubert round out the article.
A new Anarchy Online
update is online that thanks folks "for all the positive response and abundance of
good suggestions you provided us with in our first thread in our new forum. We
will talk about a possible reason for some disconnects, and more about exploits."
Thanks KILLJOY'S. Also, the previous
AO update updates us on "the patch that we are currently testing on the
test server, some news on the progress of our community manager, and a word on
the e-mail problems we had this morning."
A post on TribalWar.Com offers
thoughts from an anonymous ex-Dynamix employee that cast some more light about
the current situation at Dynamix, as well as the circumstances that lead to it.
Included is an explanation of what the revised TRIBES 2 team will consist of,
which includes members of the SWAT 3 team (including producer Rod Fung), and
possibly some of the former members of the original T2 team. The update also
includes word that TRIBES 2 producer Dave Georgeson "was one of the members
not allowed to return to the building after it was locked closed," as well
as a rundown on that the new patch is part of a "Tribes 2 evolution,"
going on to say "this next patch is nothing less than the original vision
of the game finally beginning to be realized."
There's a Battle Realms
preview on GameSpy.com offering a look at the soon-to-be-completed RTS game
from Liquid Entertainment. The author put on his wetsuit and immersed himself in
Liquid's offices to get hands on impressions of the game, and offers quotes from
the development team as well as photos from their visit to round out the story.
Ubi Soft Entertainment sends word that, as promised, Conquest: Frontier Wars,
the futuristic RTS game from Fever Pitch Studios, is now shipping to retail
outlets in North America.
Further news in the saga of Interplay ( story), as a
report on EuroGamer has word that "Titus Interactive announced that it
had taken control of troubled American publisher Interplay," as the French
firm has reportedly increased its stake in Interplay to 51%. The report quotes a
Titus rep as saying: "this purchase raises Titus Interactive's voting
rights and will enable, during the Annual General Meeting in September, a
re-election of the board and a takeover of Interplay by Titus Interactive."
The news page on the revamped
Reflexive Entertainment website has news
on a pair of new projects, Ricochet, described as "a re-engineered video
game classic" and Demolition League, "an action packed Multi-player
only madhouse." More details on both games are promised soon. There is also
a progress report on Zax: the Alien Hunter, for which the German translations
have been completed, while they have also posted a
batch of new Zax screenshots in their screenshots section.
Part three of the ongoing daily look ahead at the units in Disciples II
continues on GameSpy.com,
where the new edition looks at the Healers & Ranged Attackers that will be
included in Strategy First's upcoming turn-based strategy game.
Surround Light Coming to Your PC on
PC.IGN.Com describes a new technology from Color Kinetics that will allow
gamers and home theater owners to experience "surround light," which
will add all manner of lighting to one's surroundings to enhance the gameplay
experience. The article quotes Dr. Ian Davis, CEO of Mad Doc Software,
describing how easy the new feature was to implement in Star Trek: Armada II,
and speaks enthusiastically about the impact of the effect. The article also
describes how the system, which is composed of various LED-based lights
scattered around the room, can be used in a home theater environment, and says
that they're "seeing significant price decreases," on the cost of the
system, which can range anywhere from $99 to $1,300, "depending on how much
equipment you want to buy."
Infogrames tells us Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare for Dreamcast has gone
gold. Also, Rockstar Games sends word that they've launched the official Grand Theft Auto 3
website ( Flash required) offering media and details about the upcoming 3D installment
in this game that celebrates the joy of car theft due in October for the PS2, to
eventually follow for the PC. Also, there are 25
new Soldier of Fortune PS2 screenshots on FGN. Finally, Liongames.com
has posted two new Project EGO screenshots (thanks Computer and Video Games).
The GreenHouseEFX Website
(formerly the Coliseum2 website) has a new version 2.4 of the Coliseum2
modification for Quake III Arena. The update is available as a full version, or
a patch for version 2.3, while they also have word that the site's name change
is to prepare for other upcoming modifications they have in the works.
Version 1.1 of the Rho-Bot for Half-Life
is up on its new SourceForge home. Among
the changes noted on the
project's separate news page are "modifications to allow the user to
adjust the bot speed, and have improved bot loading. Now, Rho-Bot will (always)
leave a slot open for another person to join the game."
(The sub-section formerly articulately known as "Editing Stuff"): Guidelines for Developing Successful Games
on Gamasutra is written by Ensemble Studios'
Bruce Shelley, no stranger to developing successful games, as he assisted on the
development of Railroad Tycoon and Civilization, and contributed to the design
of both Age of Empires and Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings.
A new Command
& Conquer: Renegade FAQ is online, with executive producer Dan Cermak
answering questions about the upcoming action installment in the C&C series.
Thanks PCGC. Also, 3DSpotlight's Giants: Citizen Kabuto tweak guide
has been updated.
PCShooter.com's Desert
Crisis Interview talks with the folks behind the upcoming futuristic Desert
Crisis modification for Half-Life.
- There's a Mystery of the Druids trailer on GameSpot
and FilePlanet,
the 16 MB download shows off this upcoming 3D point 'n click adventure in
.mpg format...
- There's a Neal Hallford
Interview Part 2 on RPG Vault with more of their conversation about his
new book on CRPGs, Swords & Circuitry...
- The
Etherlords Forum has an update relating progress on beta one, and word
on who will be included when they begin beta two. Thanks KILLJOY'S...
- There's word of plans for a 24 Hour game-athon on drunkgamers.com
(thanks Geoff Fink), though, if they think that's some sort of
record, they haven't been to any of the LAN Parties I've attended...
Still letting the dust settle after yesterday's announcement. In a related
development, we see a little advertising progress here, as I placed one of those
nifty skyscraper ads (as if you hadn't noticed), it seems to fit the page format
well enough, and I trust you will enjoy all the life-changing products it will
offer over the time. In a further related note, there is a continued cry to
create some function to allow concerned parties to make donations to the site,
and while I have mixed feelings about such a measure (to say the least), it is
starting to get hard to ignore those that are starting to get downright irate
that we aren't doing this, so this is at least getting some serious
consideration.
Play Time: 3D first-person
Pong on LiquidMedia (Shockwave required). Thanks Jamie Wood. This is
completely awesome.
Link of the Day: Makegames.com Royalty Calculator.
Thanks Frostnick. Want to make a game? Want to make money? Apparently the two
don't always go together.
Bonus Link: Monkeyphonecall.com.
Thanks Noah. This is the type of thing that could spur another Internet boom.
Weird Science: US firm offers stars DNA copyright
(BBC). Thanks Chris.
Wild Science: More Moons Around Earth?
(Space.Com). Thanks zombie69.
Media of the Day: On a note related to the above, SwRI,
UCSC researchers identify the Moon-forming impact. Thanks EvilToast and [MP]
Wolverine [MP]. Demonstrates how the moon was formed with an animation, in case
you were curious, or were planning on making your own moon someday.
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