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Archived News:
The BlizzCon 2008 Website
has word that tickets for this year's Blizzard convention sold out within
minutes of them finally going on sale today. In deference to those who were not
able to spend over 24 hours hitting the refresh key, they have reserved a small
handful of tickets that will go on sale tonight at 11:00 pm Eastern Daylight
Time, presumably to either sell out (or kill the server again) within
seconds: The bulk of the BlizzCon tickets we had available were sold out
within minutes of ticket sales going live again this afternoon. We have a small
reserve of tickets left -- to make these available to some of you who might not
have had a chance to purchase yet, we will be releasing the remaining reserve
tickets for sale tonight, August 12, at 8:00 PM PDT. We appreciate the
enthusiasm everyone has shown, and wish we were able to accommodate even more
attendees at this year’s BlizzCon.
AMD and Blizzard Entertainment(R) Join Forces in Strategic Global Agreement.
Here's a bit: SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug 12, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- AMD today
announced that it has entered into an agreement with Blizzard Entertainment(R)
that will allow AMD to bundle Blizzard's best games across all ATI Radeon(TM)
graphics products, to deliver a superior gaming experience. As the exclusive
graphics sponsor for BlizzCon(TM) 2008 in Anaheim, Oct. 10-11, AMD will treat
gamers to the unparalleled graphics capabilities of the ATI Radeon(TM) HD 4800
series in all PCs for game play at BlizzCon(TM).
The Bionic
Commando Website has news for folks upset that the PC edition of Bionic
Commando: Reloaded will be more expensive than the console versions (thanks
VideoGamer.com),
saying they will be offering free maps for the PC edition: Also, you may
have noticed that the PC version is slightly more expensive than the others – we
put this to producer Ben Judd who told us:
“I can give you a song and dance about PC digital content being more expensive
as a general rule... but nobody wants to hear that crap. I can say this: for the
PC version we are planning on uploading some additional PC-only challenge rooms
via a free patch so you will get more bang for your buck."
InstantAction announces the addition
of a new map for the beta of Legions, their TRIBES-like shooter, saying a
new "Outrider" player class will launch soon: InstantAction's breakout
hit, Legions, is expanding its universe once again with a fresh new map - Zenith
Cauldron. Boasting real estate four times larger than the two previously
released maps (Nivosus and Moonshine), Zenith Cauldron offers players the extra
space to make every match a true exercise in both tactics and skill. Expanding
on the environments currently available, the new map's large desert-themed
playing field will feature a plethora of rolling dunes allowing players to take
full advantage of the Legion's "ski" feature. Zenith Cauldron also features
large slopes surrounding the two bases so players can get a good jump right
after spawning. Players should also forward to exploring Zenith Cauldron with
the soon-to-be-released "Outrider" class.
A new patch is now available for Warlords IV: Heroes of Etheria, updating
the turn-based strategy sequel to version 1.05a. The patch, which can apply to
any prior version of the game, is available on
FileFront, Gamer's Hell,
and The Patches Scrolls.
RPG Vault's Space
Siege Q&A talks with Mike Marr, lead designer on Gas Powered Games'
just-released action/RPG: "Space Siege takes place on the Armstrong, an
expansive ship that barely escapes Earth's the destruction of Earth and the
virtual annihilation of humanity by the Kerak. The vessel features various
settings ranging from crew areas and immense cargo holds to a hydroponics
laboratory and an atrium that has an indoor waterfall and lake. We wanted to
change the environment around every 15 to 20 minutes in order to keep things
interesting and fresh for the player."
There's a Runic
Games Q&A on GameBanshee where Runic's Travis Baldree and Max Schaefer
answer questions about the new company. Of course curiosity still lingers about
what happened at Flagship Studios, and Max also answers a question about
that: I could go on for days answering this question. The shortest version
is that we ran out of money. There were many factors that contributed to that,
some of it our fault, some of it unfortunate circumstance, some of it other
people's malfeasance. I'll focus on what we did wrong. Since Mythos was
originally designed as just a test, we were under-capitalized by the time the
international rights were established. What started as a free network test had
blossomed into a fully-featured casual MMO, and we just didn't secure the
necessary funding to complete it, though not for lack of trying. And when
Hellgate: London didn't do as well as hoped, our fate was sealed. We've learned
a lot from this experience, and made mistakes we'll never make again.
I think I need to replace the outside grate on the air conditioner here in the
Blue Tower. Today I heard some rustling in there and scared away some birds who
managed to get in from the outside - I think they may have been contemplating
building a nest. I'm thankful I noticed -- I have a feeling had I not, it would
have been an really ugly episode of "Will it Blend."
The rocky launch of ticket sales for BlizzCon 2008 continues, as the
BlizzCon 2008 Website
states they will "post another update here when tickets are up for sale again."
They also point out the
WoW Forums will have updates in the meantime on the status of BlizzCon
ticket sales. Confusingly, that forum contradicts the
BlizzCon Website saying
these sales are now underway: Update: 12:50 PM PDT - Ticket sales are now
available again. We thank you for your patience as we worked on all of the
updates to handle the ongoing load of purchase requests.
This page on the Team
Fortress 2 Website has details on CP_STEEL, a community map planned as part
of the upcoming Team Fortress 2 Heavy update. This kicks off a week-long
roll-out of new info on the class, as outlined in
this schedule, which promises new
information every weekday through next Tuesday. Here's the deal on the new map:
A complex Attack/Defense control point map, with some unique gameplay.
Unlike most TF2 maps, capturing a control point modifies the layout of the map,
opening and closing routes for each team. As a result, the offensive team has a
wide variety of tactical choices around how they'd like to assault the final
point. Should they use Scouts and Soldiers to rush the final point with only the
routes they start with? Should they go for the side control points and open up
more routes to the final? Should they capture extra points to shut down the
defender's routes? The many choices keep the map interesting for a long time,
providing a wide variety of experiences in a game.
NVIDIA's
Force Within Downloads Page now offers the promised release of their PhysX
GeForce "power pack" for Unreal Tournament 3 along with the newer version 177.83
GeForce graphics drivers that enable PhysX physics processing on 8-series and
later GPUs. The bundle includes the new graphics derivers, the UT3 PhysX mod, a
30-day trial of a Badaboom video transcoding beta, the full version of
Warmonger, The Great Kulu tech demo, a fluids tech demo, sneak peak demos for
the Nurien social networking program and a first-person shooter called Metal
Knight Zero, and a folding@home client. Here's word on the PhysX pack for
UT3: Owners of a NVIDIA® GeForce® 8 series or later graphics card with a
full version of Unreal Tournament 3 have the unique opportunity to tear up
additional levels of Unreal Tournament 3 through some exclusive NVIDIA® PhysX™
technology features. The PhysX Mod offers three new levels of environmental
destruction including destructible walls, floors, walkways, rooftops and new
weapons. New levels include: Heat Ray, Lighthouse & Tornado The UT3 PhysX Mod
Pack requires a full version of Unreal Tournament 3 - It is not a stand-alone
title. Make sure to enable "Hardware Physics" under Video Settings in the UT3
settings.
Icarus Studios announces alpha testing of Fallen Earth will begin on
Thursday, an event that is open to those with free GameSpot registrations. They
point the way to
this page (which seems to consist entirely of forum posts) as where to
express your interest: CARY, NC – August 12, 2008 -- Post apocalyptic
MMOG Fallen Earth announced today it will officially begin Alpha testing on
Thursday, August 14, 2008. The test is scheduled to run through early 2009,
immediately followed by Beta testing to begin in 1Q09.
Fallen Earth Project Manager Colin Dwan said, “During the Alpha test phase,
testers will be focused into specific towns so we can have miniature stress
tests each week. They will be able to experience all of our game systems
including missions, combat, crafting, scavenging, economy, and vehicles. We are
extremely excited to move from general content creation to game balance and bug
fixing.”
Fallen Earth is a post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online game that mixes
first person shooter and role playing game style mechanics. The game is set in
2156, one hundred years after the world is brought low by a plague known as
Shiva that killed 99% of the population. The game takes place in and around the
Grand Canyon, one of the few habitable places left on Earth, which makes it a
place many are willing to kill to control. Our world is one where mankind
teeters on the edge of extinction, clinging to the bones of the old world while
trying to recover their lost secrets. It's a world of scavengers and
desperation. The players are those who choose to rise above the hardships of
this new world and work toward a better world, or decide the old world was
corrupt and all signs of it must be erased completely.
Gamers who are a GameSpot subscriber can apply for the free Alpha test at
http://www.gamespot.com/event/codes/fallen-earth/. Gamers who are not
GameSpot subscribers can go to
http://www.gamespot.com/signup/index.php and sign up for free. Participants
will be chosen based on qualifying criteria, applicant numbers, and testing
schedules. If accepted into the Alpha test, gamers will receive a key code and
can download the file immediately.
Fallen Earth, being developed using the Icarus Studios Tools Suite platform,
will be showcased in the Icarus Studios booth 307 at the Virtual Worlds Expo in
Los Angeles, CA, September 3-4, 2008 and in booth 316 at the Austin Game
Developer Conference Expo, September 16-17, 2008.
For more information, players can visit
www.fallenearth.com.
The 3000AD Patches Download Page
has a new version 1.00.05 patch for Universal Combat Special Edition. The
Version Control File
has details on the changes, and the patch is accompanied by this warning: "If
you bought the game before Jan 2008, do not use this patch or your DRM key may
be invalidated. Stick with the previous patch version!! There is no Direct2Drive
version of this patch." That same page also offers a new patch to update
Universal Combat: A World Apart to version 1.00.22. This patch carries the
same warning about not using it on versions purchased prior to January 2008, and
its own Version
Control File outlining what's changed.
Khronos Releases OpenGL 3.0 Specifications has the specs for the next
iteration of the OpenGL API. According to the post about this on
Slashdot (thanks Mike Martinez), this has spurred negative reactions from developers
who had been promised
major changes which have not materialized. They point the way to
discontented forum threads
like this one and
this one and to a summary on
GameDev.Net that says that developers were promised version 3.0 but the spec
seems more like version 2.2, recalling a comment by John Carmack from QuakeCon
2008 that suggests the new spec has been built to maintain compatibility with
existing CAD applications. This all has spurred widespread speculation that this
ends what is left of the API war, with the comment on GameDev.Net saying: "I'd
like to congratulate MS for winning the 3D API 'war' on Windows, turns out they
didn't need to sink the goodship OpenGL, the captains ran it into an iceberg for
them."
A new patch for Wildlife Park 2 updates this theme park simulation to
version 2.00, offering all the fixes from previous patches along with new
updates, including full Windows Vista compatibility. The multi-language patch is
available on the German
Wildlife Park 2
Website and mirrored on
Gamer's Hell and
The Patches Scrolls.
Gas Powered Games
announces that Space Siege is now available in stores worldwide, offering
action/RPG gameplay in a science-fiction environment (thanks Gamer's Hell). A playable
demo for the game was released a couple of weeks ago ( story).
Here's word, including a miniaturized e-tailer link: The final defense of
humanity begins today! In Space Siege, a thrilling action-RPG adventure, you
assume the role of Sgt. Seth Walker and wage war against humanity's would-be
executioners, the alien race known as the Kerak. Wield high-powered weapons,
unleash your robot companion and make the ultimate moral decision -- how much of
your humanity will you sacrifice in order to save the human race?
Published by Sega, Space Siege is now available at finer retailers everywhere,
including
Amazon.com, in case you prefer to purchase a copy online.
The latest from the World of Warcraft Forums on the status of
BlizzCon 2008 tickets is
a post that went up in the wee hours (Eastern time) today in a futile bid to
save folks from staying up until the wee hours. So the tomorrow it refers to
means later today: Update: 9:40 PM PDT - We have appreciated everyone’s
patience as we've worked to address issues with the BlizzCon ticket sales today.
To avoid having people stay up into the early hours attempting to make ticket
purchases, we will take ticket sales down and continue implementing
optimizations through tonight and tomorrow morning.
There are still plenty of tickets available, so if you weren't able to purchase
tickets today, please check back tomorrow. We'll continue to provide updates on
the World of Warcraft forums here.
Deadline Games has the call out for
a new
Game Producer and
Game Programmer at this developer currently working on the Watchmen
game (thanks Gamer's Hell). Deadline is located in Denmark, and word is: "Deadline has a
strong corporate culture, which emphasizes inter-disciplinarily work and our
common interest in creating AAA-games. We offer a position in a game studio
unlike any other in Europe - we look forward to hearing from you and hopefully
to welcome you to the family."
Here's a non-progress report on remaining issues after the recent sever
migration. Things continue to not progress at a very steady pace, a situation
which will hopefully change soon. In the meantime, most noticeably, user
registration mails are still not being sent out.
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