The Universal Combat: Hostile Intent Product Page has details on this newly announced installment in 3000 AD's Universal Combat/Battlecruiser series, due fourth quarter of this year. There is an article on the announcement on The Adrenaline Vault that offers some screenshots and movies from the project, which they describe like this: "The game is based on the new engine technology being used in next year's Universal Combat: Hold The Line, which will provide vastly improved graphics than those seen in Universal Combat. According to 3000 AD, Hostile Intent will be purely combat focused, with most of the complexity and micromanagement normally associated with their games removed."

A new Brothers in Arms Developer's Diary on the Gearbox Software Website is written by multiplayer producer & marketing guru Marc Tardif, who describes his experiences attending the Leipzig gaming convention to show off their upcoming military first-person shooter. Also, the Black & White 2 Dev Diary #10 on GameSpy is written by animator Marc Hill discussing his role in development of the upcoming god game sequel.

The Cenega Publishing Website now offers a new patch for Shade: Wrath of Angels, updating Black Element Software's horror/action/adventure game to version 1.01 (thanks Frans). Word is simply: "This patch corrects physics issues with version 1.00."

The folks from Daemon Tools send a response to the news about the conflict between their program and Knights of Honor (story). Here's the deal:

Sunflowers - statement is simple untrue. We for sure DON'T delete our own .dll

It's rather a question of good behaviour to clearly notify the users of this mistake - this chance was NOT taken by sunflowers, instead they betray their legal customers.
So it's our turn now to tell you that we are in NO way involved in this.

The .dll-issue is a DIRECT result of their copy-protection. The same can for sure be said about the unusual behaviour to remove Patin-Couffin-Driver.
For sure it isn't legal to simple delete/rename foreign files - I hope no one is affected by system-crashes!

A new patch for the German edition of Restricted Area is now available, updating Master Creating's role-playing game to version 1.03. Thanks The Patches Scrolls and Frans.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Intel ships 'execute disable' Pentium 4s.
• Microsoft eyes smaller code base for Longhorn.
• Gates announces Microsoft's plan to 'jump in' to stop spyware.
• Microchip imperfections could cut cloning.
• Most songs on iPods 'stolen'.
• Tech powers seek antipiracy accord.
• Report: U.S. to Crack Down on Pirated Material.
• Real Security Flaws - Exploits found in media player software.
• Wi-Fi hotspot cruising gets bad rap.
• DDR vs. DDR-2 – What are we to make of it all?
• Bye-bye blueprint - 3D modeling catches on.
• Supreme Court backs 'do-not-call' list.
• Fox Promoting Next-Generation DVD Format. Actually they've simply joined the coalition.

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Bungie finishes work on Halo 2, may develop new IP next.
• The World-Conquering Crew of Halo 2.
• Midway Set to Revolutionize Fighting Genre as Mortal Kombat Deception Ships to Stores Nationwide.
• Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders is gold and slated to ship October 12.
• Black Hawk Down Xbox delayed.
• Gran Turismo 4 Dated.
• VU Games announces Spyro: A Hero’s Tail will be available in November 2004 on PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube for a suggested retail price of $49.99, with an ESRB “E” rating.
• Resident Evil Revolution?
• Majesco Announces First Two Titles for Nintendo DS.
• Music 4 Games' Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Music Q&A.
• Nintendo Make A Profit.
• MS Crystal clear on ‘Xbox Lite’.

Penguins, start your flashlights! The DOOM III GNU-Linux FAQ now offers GNU/Linux x86 DOOM 3 version 1.1 as well as the GNU/Linux x86 server and a Linux version of the DOOM 3 demo (thanks Crusader). Word is: "This release is compatible with the 1.1 patch for Windows released earlier this week." Additionally:

Currently, the game will not run correctly on ATI cards using the fglrx driver. However, the ATI developers are working on new driver releases, and eventually the game will be supported."

Activision's Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Catapults Onto Retail Shelves Worldwide is the press release announcing the latest edition of the skateboarding game is arriving on store shelves, no doubt only after doing a perfect grind off the counter along the way. Here's a bit on the game, which is available for PC, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and GBA:

Available in retail outlets worldwide beginning this week, Activision Inc.'s Tony Hawk's Underground 2 catapults players into an all-out skating blitzkrieg led by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk and Bam Margera, the star of MTV's "Jackass" and "Viva La Bam." The game delivers a hilarious new story mode and a classic mode that features signature Tony Hawk's Pro Skater® goals and levels, as well as more customization and moves than the skate gods could dream of. Conquering sick terrain, wreaking havoc and pulling off mischievous pranks on and off their boards, players are sent on a crazy adventure and challenged to make a variety of international cities their personal stomping grounds.

The Adventure Company announces that Atlantis: Evolution is gold, just a short time after production was announced on the first-person adventure game. Word is the game will ship in North America on October 14 and in Europe on October 25. Here's a bit on the scope of the game:

Sail the high seas on a 1904 freighter, steaming from the wilds of Patagonia to the bustle and security of New York... fly in a modern Atlantian craft filled with advanced Atlantian technologies... explore the rural village to learn Atlantian customs and beliefs... hide deep in the Atlantian forest where the villagers dare not go... brave an exotic and dangerous cave system... travel 8,000 years back in time to discover the lost city of Atlantis... and journey to the magnificent palace where the Atlantian gods live, to stand before them in judgment.

Knights of Honor game removes DAEMON Tools DLL-file on CD Freaks.com (thanks Tiscali Games) is a story outlining a problem a user of DAEMON Tools encountered installing the game. According to the post, installing the game deleted a DLL from this utility that's used for making backups of CDs and thwarting copy protection and such. We contacted SUNFLOWERS for their side of this story, and this is what they had to say:

Concerning your question about Knights of Honor:

Knights of Honor does not delete any DLLs.

This is caused by Daemon-Tools itself, if it is running while being unlocked.

Kind regards,
Uwe Mathon

Localisation Manager

TheSims2.com Forums have news on plans for the first patch for Maxis' little-people sequel (thanks Tiscali Games). Word is they are busy collecting which issues they will be addressing: "So, while the majority of users are able to run the game with no problems we know that there have been a couple issues you guys have run into while playing the game and we're going to do our best to gather additional information from you so that we can resolve as many of the issues as possible. Next week there will be a form on the website for The Sims 2 that will allow you to enter in your information in order to help us track down and reproduce issues."

• Twilight War
  The Twilight War Q&A on HomeLAN Fed chats with Matthew Simmons of Smiling Gator Productions about their upcoming Source-engine MMORPG: "Missions are small non-persistent zones created by a solo player or group once they accept a task from an NPC. These also include PvP scenarios where groups from multiple enemy factions may find themselves fighting over resources. Quests are also received from NPCs but take place in the persistent world and include plots like being a courier, scouting, taking out a nest of creatures or an enemy faction base, etc."
• Horizons
  HomeLAN Fed's Horizons Update Q&A talks with Chris Tulumello of Tugla Games about their plans to take over the reigns of Horizons, the MMORPG previously run by Artifact Entertainment: "The creative teams are still hard at work to add content while moving the story forward. The Istarian story develops with the direct aid of the players, there is a story line and slate of player events that stretches out for many months, it looks great and as a player, I look forward to seeing it unfold. So will others"
• Music
  The Richard Joseph Q&A on Idle Thumbs is an article-format Q&A talking music with the composer for soundtracks for Republic: The Revolution, Evil Genius, and more.
• The Matrix Online
  The Keymaker Q&A on Matrix Online OGaming interviews Randall Duk Kim, the actor who portrayed the Keymaker in Matrix Reloaded, though the conversation is about the Matrix movies, rather than the upcoming MMORPG.

• Negative Space on Seriously!
• Seal of Evil on RPGDot.

• Negative Space on Seriously!

Matrix Games announces the completion of Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great, the historically themed wargame based on tabletop miniatures gaming. Here's a bit on the game, slated to be available soon, as the listed release date is early October: "Designed to evoke the beauty of museum-quality miniatures on a professional tabletop battlefield, Tin Soldiers: Alexander the Great™ uses an innovative multi-phase turn-based system. As you play, the campaign unfolds before you with cinematic cut-scenes and three dimensional panoramas of the battlefields. Each battle is based on the historical terrain and troop placements, but the campaign allows you to make decisions in between battles on which units to reinforce, whether to recruit new units or replace commanders and how many of your resources to focus on training."

Thanks Mike Martinez.

• Ballmer calls security a never-ending battle.
• Google Ad Controversy - McAfee sponsored ad called Bit Defender a virus.
• The Broad Reach of Satellite Radio (registration required).
• AMD 90nm power consumption measured on The Tech Report.
• Futuremark has a 3DMark05 Hotfix. Unpatched results are not considered valid.

• Abit KV8 Pro Motherboard on AMDZone.
• Apple iPod (4th Generation) on The Tech Zone.
• Aspire X-Navigator on Overclocker Cafe.
• Asus P5GD2 Deluxe Motherboard on OCModShop.
• ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0 on Beyond3D.
• Chaintech SK8T800 Motherboard on AMDZone.
• Ezonics 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones on ExtremeMhz.
• HP Photosmart 945 Digital Camera on Bytesector.
• Lian Li PC-V2000B Case on HawaiiGamer.
• Logisys Glacier Dual LED Fan 500W PSU on bigbruin.
• Mountain Mods Twice 7 Case on ViperLair.
• PowerColor X800 PRO Limited Assassin Edition Video Card on Bjorn3d.
• PPA 9-in-1 Card Reader on Mikhailtech.
• Rosewill R710N 17" TFT LCD Monitor on Red & Blackness.
• Samsung SyncMaster 192MP 19" Multifunctional Display on Bona Fide Reviews.

• Killer Bee Software has begun beta testing of Empire Deluxe Enhanced Edition...

Well I finally (yeesh!) got to the lower portion of the backyard that had gone unmowed in over a month. Since grass this high would fill the bag on the mower every few feet, I decided to mulch the grass and rake up the aftermath, as my experience with my previous mulching mower left me skeptical of a process that left huge clumps of grass all over. Those of you more familiar with this probably realize what I did not at the time... that my old mower was not actually working properly, and that this mulching thing actually worked pretty darned well. Quite a relief not to have to rake up after all that, as it made a daunting task pretty easy.

Links of the Day:	Hello Kitty Debit Mastercard. Homicide: Life on the Street Crossovers & A Multiverse Explored. Topobo.
Stories of the Day:	Robbers net £500k chocolate haul. Thanks Jonathan.
Media of the Day!	Bendy bendy! Thanks David.
Auction of the Day:	DR WHO CYBERMAN SILVER NEMISIS PROP HELMET. Thanks Larry.
Follow-up:	SpaceShipOne Bid Seen Opening Space for Business.
	Thanks Mike Martinez.