|
|
 |
Archived News:
A new unofficial patch for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, offering some
bug fixes while updating the orphaned Source-engine RPG by now-defunct Troika
Games to version 1.5. As always, this is an unsupported release, but with no one
to support any other releases, the point seems moot. The download can be found
on 3D Gamers,
FilePlanet (registration required), Gameguru
Mania, and
Worthplaying.
A new patch for Act of War: Direct Action is now available, updating Eugen Systems' modern warfare
RTS game to version 1.05. The update adds new multiplayer maps, support for
custom maps, and a map edition program for the game. The 69 MB download can be
found on the
Atari Support Website and mirrored on
3D Gamers,
Gameguru Mania, and
Worthplaying.
The Hellgate: London
Diary on IGN is written by Phil Shenk of Flagship Studios on the process of
creating the Templar hero character for their upcoming shooter/RPG. Also, the
Bet on Soldier Designer Diary #2 on GameSpot offers thoughts from Kylotonn
CEO Roman Vincent on their upcoming first-person shooter.
- Serious Sam II
Croteam has released the E3 movie from
Serious Sam II, showing off their upcoming action-packed shooter sequel. The
movie is a mere 5 MB download, available on
1UP and mirrored
on 3D Gamers.
- Stalingrad
The E3 trailer for Stalingrad is now available,
showing off DTF Games' upcoming real-time strategy game set in the eastern
front of World War II. The 105 MB download is available on
3D Gamers,
FileFront, and Gamer's
Hell.
- World War I
The World War I E3 movie
is online, showing off Dark Fox' upcoming RTS game set during that 'other'
world war. The clip is a 92 MB download, available on
3D Gamers.
- Sphere
The Sphere E3 movie is online, providing a look at
Nikita's upcoming MMORPG that's already available in Russia. The high
resolution clip is available on
3D Gamers and
Worthplaying.
- Alpha Prime
The Alpha Prime
teaser website now features a teaser trailer from this upcoming
first-person action game.
- Imperator
Vox
Plebis has posted their E3 ShakyCam video showing off Imperator, Mythic
Entertainment's upcoming MMORPG.
This week's new bonus map for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is now online
(thanks Frans). The new map is titled Emerald Shores, and here's its brief
description: "Fleets sail from distant lands to loot the treasures of this
ancient island. Some even come to brave the mystic defenders of the ancient
temple… others know better."
- Juiced
Juiced
Up on Computer and Video Games talks with Don Whiteford about Juiced,
and the storied track record leading up to the racing game's imminent
release: "Juiced has very detailed physics and handling, but there is huge
gameplay in there! Whereas simulations often just focus on driving, Juiced
adds significant and ever-changing consequences to your actions. On the
driving side, believability is the key word. Travelling at 100 mph through a
built up area is terrifying... not at all leisurely!"
- Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
There are a pair of Elder
Scrolls IV: Oblivion Q&As with Bethesda Softworks conducted at E3 on Waiting
for Oblivion. One
talking with Ashley Cheng and the
other with Gavin Carter: "You could get a drink and it'll raise your
stats, not compulsory. You know, I kinda hate (compulsory eating and
drinking). I don't think that's fun at all. You know, we wouldn't do that.
We have like all the food - there's all kinds of different food for the NPCs
to eat. They boost your fatigue. Marriage - I don't think we're gonna do
marriages. I think we don't really need that stuff. I don't think and I'm
not sure we really need that stuff. We really want the focus to be on the
plot, fighting these demon lords, I think all that other stuff is tertiary
and takes away. "
- Tactica Online
MMORPG.COM's
Tactica Online Mini Q&A #4 asks a few more questions of Luke Caruthers
of Imaginary Numbers about their upcoming MMORPG: "Originally we had a large
variance in the amount of damage done by attacks, for example, but in
testing we found that this detracted from the experience. This goes back to
Tactica Online’s roots as a strategy game – you want your success or failure
to be the result of the strategy you choose, not the result of some bad
random numbers. This approach is reflected throughout the game – if your
attack misses your enemy, it’s likely it was because they put some defenses
in place, rather than because that they just got unlucky. If you win, it’s
because you played better, not because everything just went your way today."
- SUN
RPG
Vault's SUN Q&A talks with Webzen's In-Kyun Hong about their upcoming
action-oriented MMORPG: "3D action / adventure games offer more exciting and
thrilling gameplay than a typical single-player RPG, while a big appeal of
MMORPGs is the community aspect and interaction with real people instead of
AI-controlled objects. We've decided to take the best aspects from each
genre in creating SUN. On the battlefield, you can enjoy action /
adventure-style gameplay, whereas in town, you can enjoy the best aspects of
MMORPGs, such as trading, guilds and social interaction among thousands of
other players. With SUN, you experience the best of both genres. At the same
time, the reduced complexity makes it easier for people who are new to
MMORPGs to play and enjoy it."
- Guild Wars
The
Guild Wars Fansite Friday #46 on Mesmerize (thanks
Guild Wars Slovenija)
offers the latest Q&A with ArenaNet about their MMORPG: "This week's update
was one to which I was looking forward eagerly, because I had a sneak peek
at the contents and the design team had decided on a great list of changes,
updates, fixes and tweaks to the game. The reception has been remarkably
positive – more so then any other update, I would say."
The
BlackBean Games Website now offers downloads of a new patch for Cuban
Missile Crisis, updating the cold war RTS game also known as The Day After to
version 1.2. The 13 MB download is also mirrored on
3D Gamers,
FileFront, and
Worthplaying.
MacGameFiles now
offers a new patch for the Macintosh edition of Command & Conquer: General,
updating the RTS game to version 1.0.1. The update adds various bug fixes while
bringing the Mac edition in line with version 1.0.4 of the PC edition.
Version 0.56 of the Classic DOOM modification for DOOM 3 is now available, the
first beta release of this mod that brings the gameplay of DOOM to its modern
remake. The beta includes three remade DOOM maps. The mod is available for
Windows and
Linux.
The Stainless Steel
Studios Website now lists a new job opening for a "world class" 3D artist to
relocate to their Cambridge, Massachusetts offices. Thanks Frans.
- Antec TrueBlue 2.0 480W PSU on
EXTREME Overclocking.
- Mushkin 2GB HP3200 2-3-2 Dual Pack Memory on
OCTools.
- NU QL-711V 17in. 8ms Flat Panel TFT LCD Monitor on
3DXtreme.
- Sapphire X800 XL Ultimate Video Card on
Penstarsys.
- Smart Drive 2002 Copper Cool, Quiet Hard Drive Enclosure (video)
on
3dGameMan.
- Thermaltake Schooner Cooler on
InsaneTek.
Well, seven start-up screens later and the BF2 demo is here... I've had a lot of fun playing around with it so
far. The models and animations are outstanding, though I am experiencing
occasional texture corruptions that seem to be related to smoke and explosion
effects (on an NVIDIA card, rather than ATI, where there was a warning this
could happen, in spite of upgrading to the mystery ForceWare upgrade included
with the demo). It took a while to get a feel for the game's scale, but it
definitely works. I'm a bit mystified at having to create a GameSpy login to
play a demo that was not hosted on GameSpy's network, but the game industry has
become all about strange bedfellows, so there that is. I asked EA if the full
game would likewise require signing on with GameSpy/IGN, but received no reply.
The most frustrating aspect of the demo for me is the preposterous key
configuration screen. I thought BF1942 and BF:V had it bad with mysterious hunts
for key conflicts, but BF2 takes this to a whole new level, with an arbitrary
default setup that uses about every key on the keyboard, requiring the user to
find all the conflicts before assigning keys. The least they could do is provide
a 'clear all' function to start fresh here, but the way this config screen
operates gives the impression that it was coded and released without anyone
trying it. I have never had a more frustrating setup experience prior to
playing a game. And that's not to mention the keys you can't assign at all...
Alt, Left Shift, the mousewheel (there was this brief moment when mousewheel
reconfiguration worked in BF1942, but that got broken again in a subsequent
patch)... apparently those of us used to assigning these keys to our own needs
are just SOL. I've seen reports that the numeric keypad cannot be reconfigured
either (there's
a post to our forums outlining a way to configure hidden keys that I haven't
looked into yet, but am hopeful will provide some help with this). After
struggling through the process of configuring keys for the solo version, I
decided that was something I never wanted to do again, which, of course, is
exactly what I had to do right away after creating a multiplayer account. Argh!
I'd express hopes that these issues won't be present in the full game, but since
it went gold over a week ago, that doesn't seem very realistic.
R.I.P.:
'MacGyver' actor dies at 77 and
Hamilton Naki, 78, Self-Taught Surgeon, Dies.
|
Twitter 
