The Battlefield Franchise Portal has details on Operation Blue Pearl, a new
map to be included in future patches for both
Battlefield 2 and
Battlefield 2142. The article gives insight into their design principles, as
they must use fog to limit draw distances to serve lower-spec machines, even
though many gamers have more powerful machines than were available when each
installment in the military shooter series was released. They also describe
efforts at making use of some less-familiar elements as they re-use objects from
the original games. They also explain the purpose of a new map: "We here at DICE
also felt that BF2 lacked a map with a beach landing scenario – like 'Omaha
Beach' in BF 1942. That’s why we’ve made this map into a beach landing and
hopefully you guys will enjoy that experience." They say they are eager for
feedback from beta testing, but do not specify when testing will begin.
A new version 3.1 of the
GoldenEye: Source modification is now available, with fixes and new features
following
last month's release of beta 3 of the James
Bond-inspired conversion. The
Beta 3.1
Changelog outlines what's new, and
Mod DB
has a cinematic trailer highlighting changes in the new version. Thanks
Ant
and
Half-Life Fallout.
[OC]ModShop -
Hard-core Gamers Losing Their Edge.
"It came as a rude shock to our son…he was no longer one of the most sought
after people on the planet – the hardcore gamer. It dawned on him after
watching his sister and Mom play their Wii musical instruments, exercise
with the system and do a little Dancing With the Stars. While he and his
comrades were busy shootin ‘em up, bustin ‘em up; the gaming industry had
discovered there was a brave new market existed beyond teens…beyond boys! We
sorta, kinda knew it back at the beginning when worked with the Tramiels to
introduce the 7800 console and Lynx. We just didn’t admit it. "
Beware the Ides of March! Of course, that's if Friday the 13th and Pi Day didn't
get you already. And of course surviving the Ides only puts you right in the
path of the oncoming Saint Patties Day, so there really is nowhere to hide.
R.I.P.:
Patrick
Connely, a former Westwood and C&C designer. Thanks
Ant.
Twitter 
