Activision sends along a heads up that the map and modification tools for Call of duty and the CoD dedicated Linux server should be released sometime tomorrow. The tools will be a bit over 6 MB and the Linux server will be under 1 MB. No exact timeframe for the release could be provided.

Steam News (thanks Frans) has details on tonight's weekly Steam update, which includes minor updates for Half-Life and TeamFortress Classic, and a more significant update for Day of Defeat that addresses a bunch of bugs. A restart is required for Day of Defeat servers to update, while the restart to implement the font fix for Half-Life and TFC servers can take place at any convenient time.

The Lords of EverQuest Dawn Brotherhood Demo is now available online, the third in the series of three demos for the EverQuest RTS game that was previously only available as a cover-mount CD on Computer Games Magazine. The 402 MB demo can be found on 3D Downloads, 3D Gamers, FilePlanet (registration required), FileShack (registration required), and GameSpot DLX (registration required), Worthplaying. Word is that installing all three demos on the same machine unlocks an otherwise unavailable bonus map.

C&C Generals News (thanks Frans) has word of plans to release a new map for the RTS expansion on Friday. Here's the deal: "This coming Friday, 11/21/03, Electronic Arts and the Generals team will deliver another FREE Zero Hour multiplayer map. There's little information on this map. In fact, it's so top secret that we only know the maps name, Iron Dragon."

A new demo for Jetfighter V: Homeland Protector, InterActive Vision's jet combat flight simulator is now available via the streaming download services of Gigex. The demo offers the chance to fly the F-16 through five tutorials, three single-player missions, and a campaign mission. Mirrors of the 128 MB download are available from 3D Gamers, Filerush, Gamer's Hell, Tiscali Games, and Worthplaying.

Atari Ships Magic The Gathering Battlegrounds is the press release announcing that both the PC and Xbox versions of the latest game based on the collectible card game series is now available in North America. Here's a bit:

An important aspect to Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds will involve the player’s mastery of the five colors in the development of his/her duelist. Each color has a proficiency at certain types of activities, such as attacking, defending and healing. Players will be able to select up to two colors and utilize creatures, spells and enchantments in any combination from those schools. For example, a red duelist may choose to augment the attacking powers of his Lava Dragon by adding powerful green enchantments to his arsenal or increase his resilience by using white’s restorative powers instead.

Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds will feature an engrossing single-player Quest Mode featuring a plot that includes characters from Magic: The Gathering storylines while also introducing a variety of new characters and locales. Single-player Quest Mode will be comprised of six chapters, each featuring up to 15 quests. Most quests will involve battles with resident duelists, sub-bosses or bosses who often control a particular creature or spell that the player has not yet acquired. As the player progresses, the resident duelists get tougher and control more powerful spells.

A post to the BioWare Forums (thanks Maximus) announces that the Hordes of the Underdark expansion for Neverwinter Nights is expected in stores on December 2. Along the way they also reveal a new Prestige Class called pale master as well as a new spell called Death Armor.

A demo for Combat Mission: Afrika Korps is now available, offering the chance to check out Big Time Software's now gold turn-based/real-time strategy game set in the Sicilian and North African campaigns of World War II. The 95 MB demo "contains only a part of those game elements which will be available in the full version, and additional options to gameplay, graphics and other elements are available for the released version. The demo itself has been stripped down to contain only those elements needed for playing the included 2 demo scenarios." The demo is hosted on 3D Gamers and mirrored on Boomtown, FileFront, GameCenter.cz, Gamer's Hell, GameSpot DLX (registration required), IGN, Strategy Informer, and Worthplaying. The Mac version of the demo is likewise now online, it can be downloaded here. The full version of the game is slated to become available on December 5.

Aspyr Announces Star Trek Elite Force II for the Macintosh Is Now Shipping! (thanks Frans) has word that Westlake Interactive's Mac version of Ritual's Trekkie shooter sequel is now available.

Dutch publisher HD Interactive sends word that the project formerly once known as Imperium Galactica 3 before being renamed Galaxy Andromeda (story) before being cancelled (story) has been revived under the new title Nexus. Here's the deal:

Just when it looked like the game formerly known as 'Imperium Galactica 3' would be lost in space, it is now back on track as one of the most eagerly awaited hits of 2004 thanks to a worldwide rights deal announced by Benelux's leading independent publisher HD Interactive of Amsterdam. Earliest views of the game have inspired such descriptions as 'visceral, futuristic and captivating' and 'absolutely gorgeous', and now the real-time mission-based tactical space game for PC has not only found a new publishing home with HD Interactive, but also a new focus with the title: 'Nexus'.

Under development in Budapest by Mithis Games, Nexus is heading for a worldwide release in September 2004. "Nexus is a true gamers' game," said Mike Klumper, MD of HD Interactive. "I was amazed by what I saw of the early code of Nexus. I was blown away by it and we are extremely proud to add this beautiful title to our portfolio. Now it has joined our line-up, Nexus will receive the full attention it richly deserves. By working closely with Mithis, a talented and experienced developer, and giving total focus to the product, we will ensure that Nexus realises its maximum potential in each and every territory." Robert Sugar, CEO of Mithis, said, "Everybody at Mithis is extremely excited about this deal. With HD Interactive's focus, Nexus is in very good hands. "

The Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Website (thanks Frans) has word that the PC version of the Star Wars RPG has shipped, saying simply that the game "is available now." On a related note, GameSpy's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Q&A talks about this PC version of the Star Wars RPG with BioWare's Casey Hudson, discussing changed and additional content compared with the Xbox version.

A post on Boomtown offers a tidbit from a Battlefield Vietnam Q&A that they will be posting soon, revealing that the team deathmatch and capture the flag gameplay modes are being dropped from the BF1942 sequel, quoting A.J Marini as saying: "There is such a small percentage of people who played Capture the Flag and Team Death Match that we decided to drop those game modes all together." They also have some details on the wide variety of options available in the new Custom Combat mode and how the new Evolution mode will work: "In Evolution, the game spans across two historically tied maps. The scores from the first map, player and team, are then carried over to the second."

• Far Cry
  There's a Far Cry Interview on Telefragged in article format, distilled from a face-to-face conversation with Tim Ernst of Ubisoft during a recent press event. In addition to the interview, they also provide very brief first-hand impressions of gameplay.
• Star Wars Galaxies
  Star Wars Galaxies Vault's SWG Bi-Weekly Q&A #2 asks Kevin O'Hara a question about the next Galaxies patch and another about the upcoming Space Expansion.
• Lord of EverQuest
  RPG Vault's Lords of EverQuest Team Q&A #1 asks a couple of group questions of the development team for the upcoming EQ RTS game.
• NFS: Underground
  There's a NFS: Underground Q&A on Warcry News Network talks briefly with Chuck Osieja, executive producer for Need for Speed: Underground, the latest installment in the long-running racing series.
• HOMM 5
  There's a Fabrice Cambounet Q&A on Celestial Heavens prying for details about the yet-to-be announced fifth installment in the Heroes of Might and Magic series.
• Broken Sword
  There's a Charles Cecil Interview on Adventure Gamers after they caught up with him during a signing of Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon to ask a few questions about the game.
• Blimey 2 Engine
  HomeLAN Fed's Climax Blimey 2 Engine Q&A talks with Greg Michael of UK developer Climax to get under the hood of their new upcoming game engine to find out what ill make it tick.
• Evil Genius
  The Adrenaline Vault's Evil Genius Q&A chats with Peter Gilbert, executive producer at Elixir, about Evil Genius, their upcoming game that celebrates the joys of being the bad guy.

A new movie is now available showing off gameplay from Pirates of the Burning Sea, Flying Labs Software's upcoming MMORPG that allows the player to be master and commander of his own sailing ship. The 37 MB download is available from NVIDIA's nZone (now less obtrusive) and mirrored on 3D Gamers and Gamer's Hell.

HomeLAN Fed's Firestarter Developers Diary Part 8 is another entry from GSC Game World's Slava Klimov, in which he briefly describes the game worlds where the action will take place in their now-gold first-person shooter.

• Deus Ex: Invisible War on Gamehelper and 1UP.
• Evil Genius on Boomtown.

• Alpha Black Zero on Action Vault.
• Caeron 3000 on the Official Website. New concept art.
• Dark and Light on RPG Vault.
• Face of Mankind on RPG Vault.
• HomePlanet on the Official Website. Thanks Frans.
• Kreed on Action Vault.
• Middle-Earth Online on the Official Website. Thanks Frans.
• Vivisector on the Official Website. Thanks Frans.

"The award-winning Medal of Honor™ franchise has invaded the Game Boy® Advance as Medal of Honor Infiltrator™ from Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) has begun shipping to retail outlets." Also, Fugitive Hunter: War on Terror First Videogame to Hunt Terrorists Available This Week. And, Rockstar Games Ships Manhunt for PlayStation2 (thanks Frans). Also, "Codemasters, a global interactive entertainment software publisher, announced today that the officially licensed American Idol video game, based on the reality television phenomenon, has shipped for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system." And den... "Leading video games publisher Namco Hometek Inc. announced today that its highly anticipated racing game, R: Racing Evolution, has been approved for manufacturing. Coming to the Nintendo GameCube™, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox® videogame system from Microsoft, R: Racing Evolution is scheduled to race into stores on December 9th." Moving right along: "Get immersed in the pageantry, tradition, and drama of college basketball with NCAA® March Madness™ 2004, the deep and strategic college hoops videogame from Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), now available in stores under the EA SPORTS™ brand. The top-selling college basketball franchise, NCAA March Madness 2004 features EA SPORTS Nation online play for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, authentic scouting reports from top Division I coaches in EA SPORTS Ask The Coach, and an incredibly deep EA SPORTS Dynasty Mode™."

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• AT&T patents anti-antispam technology. Actually pro-spam technology.
• Microsoft news site to customise content.
• Overclockers Club's Comdex 2003 First Day Coverage.
• Germany Touts High-Security Phone.
• Move Over DVD, Here Comes the EVD and China moving from DVD to EVD.
• Bush pushes for cybercrime treaty.
• Researchers celebrate 30 years of the net.
• Glitch slows RoadRunner newsgroups.
• Korea to build 100M bps Internet system.
• Mimail mutant targets PayPal users.
• Nokia: Original batteries don't explode.
• Atomic I-O letters column #27.

Desert Combat Behind the Lines on IGN is a Q&A with Desert Combat developer Frank DeLise to discuss this very popular Battlefield 1942 modification. They discuss the history of the project, the reasons some things have turned out as they have, and what the future holds.

• Airport Tycoon 3 on Gamer's Hell.
• Apocalyptica on Wicked Toast.
• Battle Engine Aquila on IGN.
• Broken Sword: the Sleeping Dragon on Gamesradar.
• Call of Duty on GamingNEXT, FiringSquad, and JIVE Magazine.
• Chaser on Ownt.
• Chrome on Worthplaying.
• Civilization III: Conquest on GameSpot.
• Contract J.A.C.K. on Games Domain and ActionTrip.
• Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna on Next Level Gaming and Computer Games Romania.
• Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance on IGN.
• The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King on GameZone.
• The Lord of the Rings: the War of the Ring on Gameraiders.
• Magic: the Gathering - Battlegrounds on Games Domain and UGO.
• Max Payne 2: the Fall of Max Payne on Gamemethod.
• Need for Speed Underground on Games Domain.
• Nosferatu: the Wrath of Malachi on Worthplaying.
• Pirates of the Caribbean on GameAxis.
• Railroad Tycoon 3 on GamerDad and Worthplaying.
• Secret Weapons Over Normandy on GameZone and IGN.
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (first impressions) on GameSpy.
• The Temple of Elemental Evil on GameOver.
• TrackMania on EuroGamer.
• World Racing on Adrenaline Vault.

• Akasa Everything UV Reactive on Systemcooling.
• AMD’s Athlon64 FX-51 CPU on GamePC.
• Appro's Scorpion WH300 Workstation on The Tech Report.
• Asetek WaterChill on ViperLair.
• ATI 9600 Pro All-in-Wonder Video Card on bit-tech.
• Casio Exilim EX-Z3 Camera on WhiningDog.NET.
• Corsair TwinX1024-4000PRO DDR Memory on Intel Forums.
• Crucial PC2700 Registered ECC DDR SDRAM on HardAvenue.
• FIC KT748 Motherboard on AllAMD.
• Galaxy Light-UP USB Cable on OverClock Intelligence Agency.
• Gigabyte GeForce FX 5950 Ultra 256MB Video Card on Digit-Life.
• Logitech X620 6.1 Speakers on GeekExtreme.
• M-Audio Radium 61 Midi Controller Keyboard on Futurelooks Digital.
• PowerColor RADEON 9800 XT Video Card on got apex.
• Sapphire Radeon 9800XT Video Card on Sharky Extreme.
• Silverstone Lascala Series SST-LC01 HTPC Case on MODSYNERGY.
• Swiftech MCX478-V vs Thermalright SP-94 Coolers on MADSHRIMPS.
• Vantec Vortex on HighTekPC.
• Zalman "Theatre 6" Headphones on Gaming in 3D.

• New Game Research Lab Opens at The Art Institute of California - San Francisco...
• Zono sends word that Riot Police is gold, and that Activision Value will be publishing the law enforcement strategy game before the end of this year...
• A Total Club Manager 2004 demo is now available on EA's FTP (direct link), mirrored on Gamer's Hell...
• The Mizendar modification for Strange Adventures in Infinite Space that creates an entire alternate universe for the game...

So I get a free car detailing from my dealer in exchange for getting my scheduled maintenance there. Considering the borderline gouging this involved, this is a relative form of free, so I'd like to have gotten my money's worth. I'd tell you how many days in a row it rained following the detailing, except there hasn't been a day since then when it hasn't rained. As my pithy buddy devicer would put it, Alanis Morrisette is rolling over in her hot tub.

R.I.P.: Top Hollywood Composer Michael Kamen Dies at Age 55. Thanks Zachary Quarles.

Play Time:	mogura2. Thanks Rachel.
Link of the Day:	Send Them Back!! Thanks blue (huh?).
Stories of the Day:	Man and pay phone rushed to hospital. Thanks Mclewson. Slashdot | Airspeed Velocity Of An Unladen Swallow. Liability lawyer's group lists hazardous toys.
Science!:	Scientists find mystery particle. Cool Science, for Adults Only.
Image of the Day:	US Army soldiers take rest during patrol in Baghdad suburb. Thanks JTMauney.
Auction of the Day:	Antique White Dog Poo. Thanks Rico. Awesome 36½ inch Flat Screen. Thanks JeffW.
Follow-ups:	Chess Master and Computer End Series in Tie (registration required).
	Thanks Mike Martinez.