Rampancy.net is the lucky recipient of this week's Halo update, as always penned by Bungie's Matt Soell, logging progress in the development of their 3D action title that will be released on the Xbox before arriving on the PC and Mac platforms. It's a brief update this evening, but there's word on the gameplay coming together, new art and animations being added, the sounds and music being inserted, and lots of bugs being squashed. Meanwhile, Halo in Limbo? on PC.IGN.com offers the latest round of speculation that the game might not be released on the PC and Mac.

• Star Trek: Armada II
  PC Zone UK has posted a baker's dozen new Star Trek: Armada II screenshots, showing off the space-based strategy sequel currently docking at Mad Doc Software.
• Bridge Commander
  There are ten new Star Trek: Bridge Commander screenshots on PC.IGN.com, featuring more scenes in the capitol ship space sim being developed at Totally Games.
• Breed
  CDV has released three new concept images of Breed, illustrating the ambitious 3D action title in the works at Brat Designs.
• Spider-Man
  Similarly, GameSpot has posted five new Spider-Man concept images, illustrating the third-person action adventure being ported to the PC at LTI Gray Matter.
• Maelstrom
  PS2Faction was the first of several sites to post around 30 new screenshots of Maelstrom, showing off the PS2 version of this FPS/space-combat game by Virgin Interactive that will also make its way to the PC, and Freelancer has posted some of the same shots along with new concept art.
• Galactic Civilizations
  Five new screenshots of Galactic Civilizations are up at GameSpot, illustrating the turn-based space strategy game under construction at Stardock.
• Far Gate
  Also on GameSpot today are five new Far Gate screenshots, offering new galactic scenes in the imminent space-based RTS from Super X Studios.
• Spells of Gold
  RPGDot has posted two new Spells of Gold screenshots, showing off the isometric role-playing / trading game by Jonquin Software.
• Divinity
  Five new screenshots of Divine Divinity are online at GameScreenshots, depicting more areas in the isometric RPG being crafted at Larian Studios.

In the lengthy time span between Arcanum: of Steamworks & Magick Obscura going gold and it arriving on store shelves next week, Troika Games hasn't been sitting idle, as RPG Vault now has details on a patch for this isometric RPG that "will be available within a week of Arcanum's shipping." The update lists the new and improved features that will be included, and there are three screenshots to illustrate them.

GameSpot has posted a preview of SimsVille, the game that marries the city-building management of SimCity with the people management of The Sims. The article is based on a visit to Maxis' offices and describes the game's premise and features, underlined with quotes from associate producer Virginia McArthur and illustrated with a dozen new screenshots.

The Bitmap Brothers have released new patches for Z: Steel Soldiers, updating their 3D action RTS to version 1.41 beta 2. As always, they come in US, UK, German, French, Italian and Spanish incarnations, take about 6 MB to download, and only include a number of multiplayer fixes and additions including their new AntiLag code, but no singleplayer changes.

BioWare sends word that a new patch for Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal is now available, bringing their isometric RPG expansion to version 26498. This release comes as an 8.0 MB download for the English editions of the game, and it adds two new items (a Gold Ioun stone and a Silver Ioun stone), some features from Shadows of Amn, a new keymap file, balance changes, single- and multi-player bug fixes, and more.

The Battlecruiser Millenium diary kicks off with a new development diary today, accounting for the testing and bug fixing process that the space sim by 3000AD is going through to meet its intended Summer 2001 release. A new gallery of 22 screenshots accompanies the proceedings. The second half of today's update announces two new products in the Battlecruiser universe: Battlecruiser: Tactical Command, a first-person indoor module for Battlecruiser Millenium that revives a previous project for BC: 3020 AD, and Elite Force Command, a standalone tactical action shooter. An artwork gallery for this title is online, and here is an excerpt from its description:

ELITE FORCE COMMAND, EFC : is a standalone tactical action shooter set in a futuristic Blade Runner type outpost, the size of Manhattan. You play the role of a rookie EFC operative, with a partner. You both have been tasked with securing the arrest of a renegade EFC operative, sympathetic to the Insurgents. Who, along with his Insurgent friends, have hijacked an experimental craft and using it to strike strategic targets around the outpost. In keeping with the freedom spirit of the Battlecruiser world, again, you can play in first person mode, armed with weapons of mass destruction, a fully functional jetpack, an urban assault vehicle, among other toys.

A couple of source code ports to keep you busy over the weekend: version 1.26 of EDGE, the Enhanced DOOM Gaming Engine is now available, and while a list of changes doesn't appear to be available yet, you can get this release in Win32, DOS and Linux incarnations. Also, coinciding with and requiring EDGE v1.26, Fanatic's Asylum now offers QDOOM version 1.00 for download from 3DDownloads. QDOOM stands for Quake Done DOOM Style and includes all of Quake's weapons, monsters, items, 12 new levels, and more. Thanks Doomworld by way of Shacknews. Also, while we tend not to report on their many intermediate beta releases, a new beta version of ZDoom is available (mirrors listed in this Doomworld forum thread), and last but not least, the NewHexen site brings a little variety with a new version 1.15 of this port of Raven's fantasy shooter.

Without citing a source, GameSpot Australia reports that Half-Life 2 has been confirmed for an Xbox release, "tentatively pegged for an October 2001 release." Oddly, the Xbox itself isn't due until November, and a PC version of the game also hasn't been officially announced yet, so you may want to take this with a grain of salt. Thanks Shacknews for the tip. Here is an excerpt from the story:

Half-Life, the highly acclaimed first-person shooter by Valve Software is set to re-invigorate players in the surprise appearance of Half-Life 2 on the Xbox release schedule.

This may indicate that other versions of Half-Life 2 may take longer to reach customers -- as is suspected of Halo, Bungie software's epic future warfare title. Halo was originally slated for initial release on PC and Macintosh, but since Bungie became a first-party developer for Microsoft, their plans have changed to favour the Xbox as a release platform for the game.

Update: Stomped reports that a unnamed Valve employee has refuted the story.

FunXBox has conducted an interview on Battlefield 1942, querying producer Lars Gustavsson about this 3D action title that's in production for PC and Xbox at Digital Illusions. Lars talks about the game's engine, the differences and similarities between the PC and Xbox versions, the single- and multiplayer features, the game's vehicles and weapons, and the proverbial more.

There is a new preview of The Thing on 13th Street, looking ahead to this game adaptation of the arctic horror movie by John Carpenter that's in the works at Computer Artworks for PC and a variety of consoles. The article relays the information on the game's premise and features that was issued at a recent press event by publishers Universal Interactive, and is accompanied by a low-res image gallery that mixes new and familiar screenshots with new pre-production artwork.

Smash Hits on Wired is an article exploring the recent improvements made in physics used in games (thanks Shacknews). Describing the kind of advanced physics that dedicated SDKs like MathEngine and Havok can add, the article quotes several developers including former DreamWorks designer Seamus Blackley, offers examples like their poorly received Trespasser where the physical constraints hampered the gameplay, and also lifts up a tip of the veil over Nihilistic's next project after Vampire: the Masquerade - Redemption:

In an unnamed adventure title in development at Nihilistic Software, Havok's code is being used to liberate the game world's inhabitants from the constraints of scripted action. "We have a character who's very agile; he can grab a wall or leap onto a pole, and do all kinds of wacky acrobatics," says Rob Huebner, Nihilistic's technology director. "Physics is the core of our gameplay."

MacPlay has announced that Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn for the Macintosh has gone gold, and Inside Mac Games has the press release with the details. This Mac port of BioWare's acclaimed isometric role-playing game is due in stores by early September and has been Carbonized for Mac OS X.

Unreal Comes To Europe is an article-style interview on EuroGamer, exploring the activities of Rage Software, the UK developer that bought two Unreal licenses for unannounced games and also performs sublicensing and support for other European companies (story). Rage's Simon Donbavand is at hand to discuss the pros and cons for developers of licensing an engine, and the features of the Unreal engine that should make it appealing to do so.

As promised yesterday (story), Interview With A Vampire Maker: Part Two is now online at PC Zone UK, continuing their conversation with Hubert Chardot on From Dusk Till Dawn, which appears to be turning into the theme of the day. In this brief installment, Hubert talks about his fascination with the horror genre, the success of the Alone In The Dark series, and a few related topics.

Hothouse Creations has released new patches for Gangsters 2: Vendetta for download from their ftp server, bringing their isometric mafia management strategy game to version 1.06. As before, the patches are available in English, German, French, and Italian editions all clocking in around 4 MB, but there are no details on the changes over the previous version 1.05 (story) so your mileage may vary.

The Team Aerial Combat website offers a new patch for the TAC 2 mod, taking this "Don't Touch The Ground Or You Die" modification for TRIBES 2 to version 0.43 (thanks TribalWar). The download is available for both Win32 and Linux and clocks in around 5 MB, and this release includes major balance changes, bug fixes and other improvements all listed in detail on the site.

More vampiric news this morning, as Guru of 3D has conducted an interview on From Dusk Till Dawn, talking to lead designer Hubert Chardot about GameSquad's third-person action game. Spread out over no fewer than six pages, the interview covers topics like why the game trails the movie by five years, horror stories from the game's development, trends in technology and game development, and more.

Super X Studios sends word that a new Far Gate demo has been released, offering you a fresh chance to try out their space-based RTS that will arrive on US store shelves by September 11 as reported earlier this week (story). This updated demo weighs in at a modest 27.6 MB (far smaller than the original version--story), and includes "two playable single player missions, as well as a self-running demo mode to give you a taste of the full selection of units in Far Gate." Additionally, a new Far Gate trailer is available in low-res (2.7 MB) and high-res (9.8 MB) QuickTime formats, running for nearly two minutes.

There is a brief Q&A with Bruce Shelley on GameSpot UK, quizzing the Ensemble Studios lead designer about the upcoming Age of Empires II: The Conquerors International Tournament that boasts a grand prize of US$ 50,000. In this first part Bruce comments on the expansion pack's one-year anniversary, the popularity of the series, and the challenges of game balancing, and two further parts are promised for early next week.

French developer GameSquad sends word that an updated From Dusk Till Dawn demo is now available, again showing off their third-person shooter based on the Robert Rodriguez horror road movie that will be out in Europe next month. This updated demo weighs in at a hefty 91.2 MB due to the (needless?) inclusion of a DirectX 8 distribution, and the main difference with the previous demo (story) appears to be that all weapons now carry a laser sight and that it ends slightly earlier. Note that the download server is very slow though. Update: A US-based mirror of the demo, reduced to 66.5 MB without the excess baggage of DirectX, is online at 3D Gamers.

This PlanetDungeonSiege Forums thread features a huge post from Gas Powered Games' Chris Taylor as well as another GPG employee with further explanations of the reasons behind the just-announced delay in the release date for Dungeon Siege (story). The posts refute any "conspiracy theories" that have been presented, and mentions the continuous 3D world, multi-character party balance, multiplayer issues, and more among the factors that are contributing to the delay. Chris also explains why they didn't offer a more concrete updated release date than "2002," and mentions that he will attempt to spend more time on the forums in the future helping address concerns that people are expressing. Thanks Paranoid Jack. Here's a bit from Chris' post:

When we started Gas Powered Games we shot for the moon. Ironically we never actually got all the things into the game that we wanted, far from it, but we got the real important stuff in and now we are trying to finish it all, and it's a huge task, much bigger than anything that any one of us could have imagined. Around the office I joke by saying, who's idea was this? They should be shot! I am actually glad we are doing an RPG, especially now that we are past all the hard stuff. Our days are spent fixing bugs, playing the game, talking about little things that we could do to make the game better. Studying playtest reports to see what confused people, or got them lost, or anything at all that interfered with them having a fun time, and then set to work to get those changes incorporated into the game for the next build. It's really the best time of the project, it's just taking way longer than we thought.

The World War II Online website has posted an updated version 1.06 of the PlayGate game launch utility, updated to eliminate the bug that plagued users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2 and 6.0 Beta. The release information for the update can be found on this page, while this page outlines a problem caused by a corrupted version of the new PlayGate, and word that a "re-verified" version of the file is now available.

As is their way, another Anarchy Online Daily Update went online yesterday, saying: "Today’s topics will be lag/bad frame-rate, loss of quality levels in implants and weapons, and the Rubi-Ka 2 dimension." According to the update, some of the problems users think are lag, like when things slow down because a bunch of characters appear on screen art once, are actually framerate problems caused by trying to load a bunch of resources from disk. The update describes their plans for addressing this as well as a "loss of quality level in implants and weapons," which turns out to be a bug in the client.

Beta Phase II testers selected is a news update from MindArk about the launch of the next phase of testing for their upcoming MMORPG. Word is 500 testers are in the process of being notified that they have been selected for inclusion in the testing, which is to begin by the end of this month. More on this and other rounds of testing are included in this press release (thanks shul), and we've been told by a tester that they've been informed their CDs will ship August 24.

• New ASUS BIOS
  A new ASUS beta BIOS version 1006 (direct FTP link) dated 7/20 is now available. Thanks SocketA.com.
• New HyperSnap-DX
  The redesigned HyperSnap-DX website has a new version 4.10.02 of this screen capture and image editing tool, a full list of what's changed is on this page. Thanks 3D Files.

Loki Software sent along a letter to their customers attempting to clarify a bit about their status following their filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (story). Here's the letter:

Dear Friend of Loki:

As you may know, on August 3, 2001, Loki filed a Chapter 11 reorganization. As our valued customer, we wanted to let you know why we have elected to reorganize and how, if at all, it will impact our ongoing business.

Under US law there are two kinds of bankruptcy:

1) Chapter 7 is a liquidation. We have not filed a Chapter 7 and have no intention of doing so.

2) Chapter 11 is a reorganization. This will allow us to deal with our creditors fairly and equitably and at the same time continue to operate the company. We are still shipping products and porting new games and expect to be doing so for a long, long time.

Most of the debts we are restructuring through the Chapter 11 are well over a year old. They represent mistakes made by a young company. We've learned from our mistakes and become cash positive. Going forward we have every confidence that Loki will continue to be successful and grow.

We cannot say for certain how long Loki will remain in Chapter 11. It depends on many factors. However we do intend to bring the process to a conclusion as quickly as possible. Once our plan of reorganization is accepted by the court, our creditors will receive an agreed upon settlement and all other prepetition obligations will be fully and finally discharged.

During and after the reorganization your orders will continue to be honored. We will continue to provide end user support, bug fixes and new products. Negotiations are in progress to guarantee Loki a steady stream of additional AAA games to bring to Linux.

Most importantly, we'd like to thank each of you for your support over the years. Without our customers, we are nothing. The outpouring of support we have received in the last few days has been overwhelming, and we will continue to do everything we can to merit that support.

Kind regards,

Scott Draeker President, Loki Software

Monolith CEO Jason Hall's .plan file sees another update on the subject of the new LithTech CEO (story) in which he clarifies a few things about the move, as well as the often misunderstood distinction between Monolith and LithTech. The update also mentions that this impacts the way the LithTech engine technology is created, saying "NOLF's sequel will be the first to benefit from these changes."

The Superheroes III website has an updated version 1.04 of the Superheroes III modification for Quake III Arena. With apologies to all the modem users, the update is only available as a full 25 MB installer to ensure "a solid base for the Linux and Mac platforms." They have the address up for a test server, as well as the promise that future updates will be available as small patches.

AvPNews.com's AvP2 demo walkthrough and AvP Network's AvP 2 demo walkthrough are each here to help, in case the single level included in the recently released Marine demo for AvP2 has got you stumped. Also, PlanetDiablo's Diablo II Items Database has been updated.

The Backburner's Club Swiss Interview looking at the upcoming Club Swiss modification for Half-Life, which is a social mod that includes drinking (hic!), and is described by one of the authors as "arguably be called the most innovative and original mod in the HL community."

GameSpy.com's Neverwinter Nights Adventure Creation Guide Part IV is online, offering advice on "Building the Critical Path." Meanwhile, in a related note, Neverwinter Vault sends word that iActual.com has converted the first three lessons of the course on preparing to script for Neverwinter Nights into Spanish.

• Aliens Vs. Predator 2 Demo on PlanetAvP and ActionTrip.
• Deus Ex on State.
• Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive on State.
• Diablo II: Lord of Destruction on GameSpot AU and MGON.
• Divided Ground: The Middle East Conflict 1948-1973 on PC.IGN.com.
• Majestic on Electric Playground.
• Max Payne on Gameraiders, TheTripleHelix, and Fragland.
• Myst III: Exile on Electric Playground.
• Myth II: Green Berets on GameZone.
• Open Kart on PC Zone UK.
• Pearl Harbor: Zero Hour on The Wargamer.
• Red Faction Single-Player Demo on 3DActionPlanet.
• The Sting! on EuroGamer.
• Throne of Darkness Demo on Icecubed.
• Train Simulator on TechExtreme.
• Tropico (for Mac) on Inside Mac Games.

• Abit TH7II-RAID Motherboard on HotHardware.
• Belkin 650VA Regulator Pro Gold USB on OnePC.NET.
• Biostar M7VKD socket A VIA KT133A on Active Hardware.
• Dual Neon Kit Comparison on TechWatch.com.au.
• Evergreen Tech RumbleFX Headphones on GideonTech.com.
• GloabalWin WBK38 Heatsink on OverclockersClub.
• HighSpeed PC AGP Airlift on TheTripleHelix.com.
• Intel Pentium 4 1.8 GHz on Gamers Depot.
• Labtec Pulse 424 Speakers Review on Gaming in 3D.
• Logitech Cordless MouseMan Optical and iFeel MouseMan on Ars Technica.
• M-Systems DiskOnKey on SystemLogic.net.
• MSI K7T266 Pro Motherboard on accelenation.com.
• NetPassage 15-B router on PC Hardware.
• PCMods Rheobus Kit on PC PowerZone.
• Radiator round-up on ProCooling.
• Razer Boomslang 1000 Mouse on Slautech.
• Sohoware Netblaster II 802.11b Wireless Networking Kit on SystemLogic.net.

• Game Over for Max Payne Makers (Wired) actually refers to the publishers of the game, rather than the "makers," in discussing how "Not even New York's toughest cop could save (Gathering of Developers)"...
• A blurb on MSN Gaming Zone announces that "effective immediately, players who are detected using speed altering programs will be temporarily removed from Asheron's Call." Thanks KILLJOY...
• There's a The Sims Hot Date Preview on GameSpot with a look ahead at the upcoming third expansion for the virtual life game that allows you to have virtual hot dates. How's this for a development cycle?: "Hot Date...has been in development for a little more than a month and is slated for release sometime in October or November."...
• Buggy Games: A Developer's Perspective on FiringSquad attempts to put the bugginess in many games in perspective, describing reasons why so many buggy games exist...
• FreeGameCam announces Anarchy Online support in this program that can turn the game you are playing into web-based television for interested viewers...
• This Gamers.com Article describes the Titus/Interplay deal announced yesterday (story) as a "hostile takeover"...
• There's a new Freelancer desktop on Lancer's Reactor...

This morning MrsBlue and I are loading up the BlueJet for a foray to the land of 10,000 lakes for some family enjoyment with the Blue-in-laws for their 40th wedding anniversary. I'll be toting along a laptop to do the morning updates, including tomorrow's, and for you early/late birds, I will try to get it online reasonably close to when loony's Friday night/Saturday mornings went on... it's the least I can do for those who are in that routine, it's just doubtful I'll be able to hit 12:01 AM on the timestamps, since we'll be out to dinner tonight, and being a time zone west of here means I'd have to post at 11:01 CDT to hit that mark, but we'll see. Meanwhile, I feel like a bit of a dork over how much I already miss Hudson the wonder dog (I know, I'm a wuss), who has been with friends since last night... this is the first time we've been separated for this long since she came here at the age of 10 weeks.

Play Time: The Dancing Ant (Humor.com). Flash required. Thanks (who else?) Ant.
Link of the Day: A Girl's Guide to Geek Guys. Thanks Akira.
Story of the Day: 'Bloom raiders' warned on theft (BBC). Thanks Ade and Chris Jones.
Wild Science: Tombs Found in Mongolia Might Hold Genghis Khan (Reuters). Thanks [MP] Wolverine [MP].
Media of the Day: Hairytongue.com's Museum of the Damned Animated Gif Disco. Thanks EvilToast.
Follow-up: The Road to Springfield: The Final. The hunt for the favorite Simpson's supporting character (story) is down to only two.