|
|
 |
Archived News:
Paradox Entertainment
Announces 'Chariots Of War' on Worthplaying is the press release with word
of a new game the Swedish developer is creating in conjunction with British
developer Slitherine Strategies to offer a sequel to Legion, the Roman Empire
strategy game. According to the story the game is due in late 2003, and the
following quote from Slitherine's Iain McNeil on gameplay: "We’re very
excited about the potential for Chariots of War. It takes everything that the
gamers loved in Legion to the next level and adds some dramatic new features
such as trade, technology & scripted events."
id Software programmer John Carmack did one of his occasional .plan updates on
the subject of the current state of 3D cards, headlined "NV30 vs R300,
current developments, etc." At one point saying "As always, better
cards are coming soon," the update kicks off saying: "At the moment,
the NV30 is slightly faster on most scenes in Doom than the R300, but I can
still find some scenes where the R300 pulls a little bit ahead. The issue is
complicated because of the different ways the cards can choose to run the
game." He goes on to outline quite a bit on how this all works.
GameSpyDaily
has an updated story up on the planned closure of EA Pacific and Westwood
studios that was revealed earlier today ( story), quoting EA's
Jeff Brown saying the number of layoffs involved cannot be exactly determined at
this time, and that with Earth & Beyond complete, Westwood did not actually
have any projects on the boards at this time. Update: EA consolidates studios, closes Westwood on GameSpot has still more on this, including the following: "Contrary
to early reports, virtually the entire EA Pacific team, currently located in
Irvine, California, will be continuing on and moving to the new Los Angeles
campus. Earlier today, before the consolidation announcement, EA Pacific's Mark
Skaggs told GameSpot that the studio has strong growth plans and has a couple
projects lined up, including an expansion pack for Generals."
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell for the PC Has Gone Gold
is the press release announcing the PC version of the stealthy third-person Tom
Clancy shooter is complete and off to duplication. The exact in-store date is
uncertain at this time, it is listed in the release as mid-February. The
announcement is accompanied by a
batch of new screenshots, and here are some details from the release on the
game's storyline: "You are Sam Fisher. A lone shadow-operative in a world
where lost seconds can allow terrorist plans to become deadly reality. You
operate in the heart of hostile territory. Spy. Steal. Destroy. Assassinate.
Just don't ever be seen. Because when the stakes are this high, the choice
between leaving a witness or a corpse is no choice at all. When two CIA agents
mysteriously vanish in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, the NSA's secret
sub agency, Third Echelon, deploys Sam Fisher--its most capable splinter cell
operative--to recover them. Fisher soon uncovers a deeper conspiracy: a plot
that threatens to destabilize the world order and spark nuclear conflict."
EA Reports Record $1.23 Billion Quarter
(thanks HomeLan Fed)
is the press release with the fourth quarter financial reports for Electronic
Arts that reveal that there are plans to phase out the separate development
studios they have in Las Vegas and Irvine, which spells an end to the studios
still known separately as Westwood and EA Pacific. Here's a bit: "In the
fourth quarter, EA will begin the consolidation of our Los Angeles, Irvine and
Las Vegas studios into a major game development studio in Los Angeles. Once
complete, we will have major centralized studio operations in Vancouver, British
Columbia; Redwood Shores, Walnut Creek, and Los Angeles, California; Orlando,
Florida; Tokyo, Japan; and Chertsey, United Kingdom." HomeLan Fed
also points the way to EA profit up, but stock down on shelf filing
which reports that about 50 jobs will be lost as a result of this move.
A post on Unreal Ops (thanks Shacknews)
has an email from Legend's Glen Dalhgren that says that although the recent
report that there would be no demo for Unreal II ( story) was
based on statements they had made all along, they are currently revisiting
whether a demo for the now-gold Unreal sequel is still possible. Here's a bit:
"Now that Unreal II has gone gold, we've been exploring the possibility
with Infogrames and Epic, which is something that Headup wasn’t aware of.
FWIW, everyone involved—including Legend—is very conscious of the benefits
of a demo, and we’d all love to do it. I hope to have more news soon."
A demo version of Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is now available, offering a
three-level sample of the upcoming cross-platform Rayman sequel. The 183 MB demo
can be downloaded from Gamesweb.com,
Gamer's Hell,
and Worthplaying.
Line of Sight: Vietnam
has the first word on another project in the works to create a stealthy combat
game set during the Vietnam War, which is proving to be an ever-more-popular
setting for computer games. The game will be created by Deadly Dozen developers
nFusion Interactive, and puts the player in the role of a U.S. Army Special
Forces sniper operating in the dense jungles of Vietnam during the height of the
U.S. involvement in the war. No release date is yet projected, but the website
offers some screenshots and the following description of gameplay: "Surrounded
by steaming jungle, you’ll stealthily position yourself and eye targets
through your scope. Here, the tension is so thick a simple twig snap can mean
the difference between successfully completing a mission and making the ultimate
sacrifice. Dense vegetation limits visibility and conceals everything from booby
traps and caves to snakes and elusive enemy soldiers. This is a world where
remaining unseen is key and where speed and good judgment gets you home alive."
Also on the website of publisher Infogrames is word that World of Outlaws,
a dirt-track racing game previously only available on the PS2, is coming to the
PC as well.
More than a week earlier than promised ( story), the English
playable demo of 1503 A.D.: The New World, is now available, offering a sample
of the 1602 A.D. prequel that's already available in Germany as Anno 1503. The
demo of SUNFLOWERS' RTS game features a pair of tutorials along with a taste of
gameplay, and the 163 MB download is available on EA
Europe's FTP directory (direct link), and is mirrored on Computer Games Online
and Gamer's Hell.
Update: It turns out this was not meant to be posted at this time, and
the demo has been removed from distribution.
The Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
Website now reflects an updated release date for the PC version of Knights
of the Old Republic, LucasArts' upcoming Star Wars RPG. While the Xbox release
date remains listed as Spring 2003, the PC release date has been changed to Fall 2003.
Data Becker ships `Highland Warriors' for PC
is the press release with word that this RTS game set in historical Scotland is
shipping to stores in North America. According to the release, the game should
be available as early as today, and here is a bit of the description
of the game: "Highland Warriors puts gamers in the midst of the bloody
campaigns of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce as they lead the brave
Scottish clansmen through brutal battles for freedom against the English. Clan
warriors, druids, sorcerers and many other characters stand ready for deployment
in over 100 epic battles. The characters, the buildings, the scenery and the
game itself offer users the most highly realistic gaming experience available
today through a new 3D game engine that offers superior graphics without
compromising game play."
Action Vault's Xenus Development Report
offers thoughts from Deep Shadows' scriptwriter Alexander Khrytsky, who
discusses the story in their upcoming first-person shooter. He lays the
groundwork for the plot and describes one of the areas of interaction: the
influence of the player's dealings with the officials in the game's setting of
Columbia, discussing the kinds of behavior that will get you into trouble, the
advantages of cooperation, how working with the government negatively impacts
relations with other groups like the guerrillas, and more.
- Devastation
There's a
Devastation Q&A on Shacknews chatting with Digitalo's Vic DeLeon
about their upcoming Unreal-engine shooter. Topics include the story, solo
play, locations and settings, AI, the interactive environment, weapons,
altering the Unreal engine, the Karma physics engine, multiplayer support,
modification support, and more.
- C&C Generals
Crunch
Mode with EA Pacific's C&C Generals on GameSpy.com
chats with Mark Skaggs, executive producer of Command & Conquer
Generals, about the crunch time rush to complete the now gold C&C RTS
game.
- Dragon Empires
RPG Vault Dragon Empires Q&A #18
chats with Rock Solid Studios' Viktor and Linus Blomberg, discussing the
engine behind Codemasters' upcoming MMORPG.
- Glympse
HomeLan Fed's Glympse
Q&A offers a glimpse at Glympse, chatting with a few of the folks
behind this upcoming MMORPG. They discuss the story, character generation,
skills, the game world, character advancement, NPCs, combat, UGFs, and more.
- Echelon Wind Warriors
HomeLan Fed's Echelon Wind Warriors
Q&A catches up with MADia designer Peter Porai-Koshots to discuss
their upcoming flying combat game sequel. They discuss goals for the
follow-up, missions, favorite craft, new weapons, NGEs, the game engine, and
more.
- Alpha Black Zero
The Alpha
Black Zero Q&A on Seriously learns more about progress on this
upcoming science fiction shooter that uses the Serious engine. Topics
include their inspirations, the game's story, weapons, player models,
multiplayer support, their new publishing deal, system requirements, and
more.
- Paradise Cracked
RPG Codex's
Paradise Cracked Q&A talks with MiSTland about progress on their
upcoming tactical RPG. They discuss influences, the setting, the story,
character development, the role of cyber-devices, weapons and armor, quests,
NPCs, and more.
- Space Empires: Starfury
There's a Space
Empires: Starfury Q&A on RPG Codex discussing the recently-announced
plan to create an RPG set in the continuity of the Space Empires games. They
discuss character development, ship customization, roles the player can
assume, events that will occur in the game universe, and more.
- Dr. Henry Jenkins
Dr. Henry Jenkins
Q&A on Gamers With Jobs talks about the Comparative Media Studies
Program at M.I.T., as well as his feelings that games should be protected
under the first amendment in the first part of a two-part conversation.
Strategy First
has now posted a new patch for Hearts of Iron, updating the North American
version of the World War II Strategy game to version 1.03. In addition to tweaks
and fixes, the game now offers modification support. Thanks Worthplaying,
where they have a mirror up. Also, there's a new Industry Giant II
Patch updating JoWood's mogul simulator, with patches available for both the
original game, or the version with the add-on. Likewise this patch is also
mirrored on Worthplaying.
The European Day Of Defeat League is
now accepting clan sign-ups for season II.
A new version 0.96r001 of the Crystal
Space free 3D engine is now available, described as a very significant
release compared with its predecessor, and while they say almost everything has
changed, efforts have been made to make the transition as easy as possible.
Also, Colin
Fahey's Tetris AI System (thanks Frottage) is online.
The Black Isle Studios Employment
page has posted an opening for an associate producer "with experience
in both external and internal development." This is a full-time position,
and will require relocation.
I guess this is just cold aftermath, but I have what I think is my first ever
sinus headache today... an interesting experience, I fear I may create a mess,
not unlike in the movie Scanners. Anyway, it's unsurprisingly unpleasant
having this sort of pressure in your head... I may need to tap my skull like
they do to syrup trees for relief... I wonder what the market is like for brain
syrup? Yeesh, I'm getting gross... please forgive me... it's the PSI in my skull
that made me do it.
|
Twitter 
