Icculus.org has the
promised release of the Linux Unreal Tournament 3 beta demo server on this Linux-heavy
news day (thanks Frans). Accompanying word is: "The Linux/Mac clients are not
ready yet. Watch this space for future announcements."
BeyondUnreal has an update on the Linux server and client for the Unreal
Tournament 3 demo:
Heh, thanks. The dedicated server should be along very
soon, but the Linux client won't be here tonight, for those waiting for it. I
have set up a mailing list for UT3 linux and mac discussion, and I'll be
announcing things there when they become available. Send a blank email to
ut3-subscribe@icculus.org to join the list. Thanks, --ryan.
Phoronix
has similar penguin-powered news, saying a Linux demo for Enemy Territory: QUAKE
Wars is on the way (thanks
Ant and
Digg),
and may be available sooner than the "few weeks" promised for the full Linux
client (
story).
The
EA Support Forums report on some lashings they've been dealing out with the
banning stick (thanks
Ant and
Planet Command &
Conquer). Seems some folks have been, yes, cheating:
I've heard
complaints about bans and suspensions not being handed down and the ladder
season feeling like its getting cheated. First I will apologize for not
communicating our current efforts to "clean up" the ladder. So here is the
latest update on the bans and suspension movement.
As of yesterday, we are handing down bans and suspensions on 80 different C&C 3
accounts. 90% of which are on the 1v1 ladder. Our process and plan right now is
to do this weekly and more so if needed.
I also have another 50 or so accounts which we are "watching". Before action is
taken, we want to be certain.
Some players in the top 100 are being caught and affected. Again, I assure you,
we will do everything possible to ensure a cheat-free and fair ladder season for
C&C 3.
Accounts banned this week were for excessive disconnects, cheating, and point
pushing.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed evidence from the moderators to EZE
gaming to Gamereplays to Zephos, and especially NukeWave who has done a
fantastic job wrangling up evidence from all over the community. Also thanks to
Xtrapas, his ego may be more than you can handle, but his "tool" is helpful in
some respects.
I will take more pro-action to communicate our suspension and ban updates.
Hopefully that will make you feel more comforting. To date, more than 200
accounts have had action taken on them. It may not seem like a huge number, but
its certainly weeding out the worst offenders.
Right now, I am working on ways to develop a process that makes it easier to
report people. I encourage you to take a screenshot or post a replay when
showing evidence. Without evidence, we cannot take action in a fair manner. Of
course, we are looking at disconnect frequency across accounts and stats of that
nature, but when it comes to specific hard-boiled evidence from you guys, we
need screenshots and replays in order to take action.
I'll keep you guys posted and keep enjoying the ladder season competition. 1st
qualifying round is coming up!
An official statement on The Sims2.com responds to complaints from owners of
the lifestyle simulation about the behavior of the SecuROM copy protection
system from (cue Darth Vader theme) Sony DADC (thanks
Ant and
Slashdot).
EA says they set up a 24/7 SecuROM Customer Support team, which sounds like an
overreaction to an overreaction, as that team has received only 41 support calls
with over 100,000 copies of The Sims 2: Bon Voyage in the wild. On the other
hand,
the massive response to that indicates the problem is far more widespread, to which EA replies that they are not attempting to deny a problem,
but that not enough complaints about it are reaching the right ears, and those
suffering at the hands of SecuROM are encouraged to submit reports.
The
Conflict: Denied Ops Q&A on Play.TM
talks with Paul Jean about Pivotal Games' upcoming cooperative first-person
shooter. Topics include the change in title from Crossfire, environmental
interactivity, comparisons to other games, AI, multiplayer support, and more.
Having another cookout today, but a small one, four adults and the two smurfs,
so we're going to have trouble making a dent in our backlog of ground beef. Off
the top of my head, I think everyone will need to have four hamburgers apiece to
keep us from having to freeze the leftovers.
RIP:
Son in Sound
of Music family dies.
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