Archived News:
Updated Linux servers for Call of Duty as well as the United Offensive add-on
for the World War II first-person shooter are now available. The patch to update
CoD: United Offensive server and the full version of the server can be found on
this page, and mirrored on
3D Gamers and
Worthplaying.
The Call of Duty Linux server and server update patches are available on
this page, and mirrored on
3D Gamers and
Worthplaying.
Steam News
has the skinny on the release of an updated version of the Source SDK (thanks
Frans). The update outlines what's new and different, while
this page
has even more extensive detail on the release.
Big Huge Game
now offers an open beta of Patch 2 for the Thrones & Patriots expansion for Rise
of Nations, their epic real-time strategy game (thanks Frans) . Here's the deal:
"This patch includes updates to our versioning system that should take care of
the out of sync issues that occur when people with cracked versions of our game
try to join legitimate games. The patch also includes balance changes to many
nations. - Players using the Patch 2 beta will not be able to play games with
those using the Patch 1 version of the game. If you want to continue to play
Patch 1 games during the beta test, you can do so by backing up your RoN
directory, creating two versions of the game on your computer, before following
the installation steps below."
Third Wire has released a
US Navy-Marines A-4F Skyhawk Add-on for Strike Fighters (thanks Frans). Word
is: "This add-on contains all the components necessary to play the "F" model
Skyhawk used by the US Navy and US Marine Corps. It includes new external 3d
model, 3d virtual cockpit model, hangar screen, a new loading screen, and two
single mission files." Napalm sold separately.
The promised demo version of Half-Life 2 is now available as a hefty 751 MB
download. The demo premiered on
the ATI
website, and mirrors can now be found on
3D Downloads, 3D
Gamers,
4Players.de,
ActionTrip,
AusGamers,
Boomtown (registration required),
Computer Games,
FileFront,
Filerush (torrent),
FileShack (registration required),
Fragland.net, Gameguru Mania,
Gamer's Hell,
GameSpot
DLX (registration required), and
Worthplaying.
Steam News
has word on plans to release a playable demo of Half-Life 2 today: A free
demo of Half-Life 2 will be released later today. Featuring some of the amazing
digital actors and physical gameplay that has made Half-Life 2 the leading
contender for Game of the Year 2004, the demo takes players through some of the
early levels of the game and later transports them to the area of the game known
as Ravenholm. The demo will debut on ATI.com,
and requires a Steam account to install.
A German demo is now available for Blitzkrieg: Rolling Thunder, the stand-alone
expansion for Nival Interactive's World War II strategy game. The
German Blitzkrieg Website lists mirrors of the 501 MB download, but the
site, like the demo, is in German (Blitzkrieg, for instance, is written as
Blitzkrieg).
EA Invests in UbiSoft
Entertainment (thanks Frans) has the unexpected announcement that Electronic
Arts has acquired just under 20% of Ubisoft: REDWOOD CITY,
Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 20, 2004--Electronic Arts today announced an
investment in international game developer and publisher UbiSoft Entertainment,
headquartered in Rennes, France. The investment represents approximately 19.9
percent interest in the company -- shares purchased as a block from Talpa Beheer
B.V. to be completed upon obtaining antitrust clearance from the U.S.
government. Financial terms were not disclosed.
EA Holding AB Changes
Condition of Its Offer to the Shareholders of Digital Illusions (thanks
Frans) has what seems to be a follow-up on reports that EA's bid to acquire
Swedish developer Digital Illusions CE (DICE) would be rejected
( story). The story reports the acceptance period for the original
offer has expired without EA getting their targeted percentage of the
outstanding DICE stock, resulting in a change to the offer: As a result,
the offer has not yet been accepted to such an extent that EA has become the
owner of more than 90% of the total number of shares representing more than 90
percent of the votes in DICE, which was a condition for the implementation for
the offer.
EA today changes the condition above and conditions the offer upon an acceptance
level through which EA would become the owner of more than 50% of the total
number of shares representing more than 50% of the capital and votes in DICE
after dilution upon exercise of employee warrants outstanding under the option
program launched in 2002. As a consequence of this, the acceptance period is
extended to January 20, 2005.
Age of Pirates
Revealed on Pirates Ahoy! reveals that the upcoming pirate-themed game from
Akella is a project called Age of Pirates, rather than Sea Dogs 2 as was
speculated ( story). Included are some details on the project, as
well as a Q&A with Akella's Renat Nezametdinov discussing the open-ended nature
of the project: Completely open ended. The player creates his own story
himself as he starts the game. No prescripted story, no plot bounds - just do
what you want. AOP game world is a complex system that lives by itself and
reacts on player actions. Player still has a goal to achieve (gather all
colonies under his hand) but there are many ways to reach it. AOP is the game
where old Greek saying "The man can't enter the same river twice" becomes true.
Player will never be able to repeat his previous game even if he tries.
A new Battlefield 2 movie is now available, showing off a bunch of
gameplay from DICE's upcoming military shooter. The 16 minute clip can be found
on BF-News,
and mirrored on
Total
Battlefield 2. Also, a new Boiling Point: Road to Hell movie is now
available, showing off Deep Shadows' upcoming first-person shooter/RPG formerly
known as Xenus in two different resolutions. The clips can be found on
3D Gamers and
Worthplaying.
An updated version 1.1.0 of the Cross Rally Championship demo is now available,
allowing a further test drive of the racing sim in the works at Invictus. The
updated version of the demo offers improved controls, new force feedback, and
camera tweaks. The 91 MB download is available on
3D Gamers,
Boomtown (registration required), Gamer's
Hell, and
JustGamers
- Cold Fear
The
Cold Fear Q&A on Worthplaying chats with DarkWorks' Guillaume Gouraud
and Antoine Villette about their upcoming cross-platform action game: "Tom
Hansen is a US Coast Guard crewman stationed in Alaska. He lost his father
at sea when he was very young, which led him to join the Coast Guard.
However, he’s haunted by his own past, a drug interdiction operation that
went horribly wrong. Now he wants nothing more to do with being a hero, and
he’s content to just do his job and keep his head down. Fate isn’t going to
let him get away with that, though."
- Elite Warriors: Vietnam
HomeLAN
Fed's Elite Warriors: Vietnam Q&A talks with Steve Ellis from nFusion
Interactive about their upcoming military shooter: "The fact that this is
the first game about SOG that has been developed with the assistance of a
three-tour SOG recon team leader (Maj. Plaster). Maj. Plaster's input on
weapons, equipment and mission design add a great deal to making the
gameplay superior to other Vietnam shooter titles out there. Also, the game
offers a unique combination of first-person shooter, RPG and RTS elements."
- Year-End
HomeLAN
Fed's Games In 2004-2005 Q&A with Geoff Thomas continues this year-end
series by chatting with Geoff Thomas of Relic Entertainment.
Black Bean Games announces a
pan-European publishing deal for
Stalingrad, DTF Games' Blitzkrieg-engine RTS game (thanks Frans). Word is:
"'Stalingrad' will be released on PC CD.Rom in March 2005, in English, German,
French, Spanish & Italian and will feature extra content both on the CD and in
the accompanying booklet."
A new Urban Terror Developer Diary is
online with the latest plans on the next version of this Quake III Arena
modification. Thanks ASLayerAODsk.
Well we have the whole wonderland thing going on out there today... snow on the
ground, temps in the single digits, winds gusting to 40 MPH... and winter begins
tomorrow, so happy autumn. Time to bust out the shovel and the sled... or at
least the hot cocoa.
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