Archived News:
RS Toolkit Homepage has
a new version 1.1 of the RS Toolkit multiplayer tool for Rainbow Six/Rogue Spear
that allows you to quickly connect to IP games. The new version adds the
promised working address book as well as weapons selection options.
On the heels of the new Vortex2 Drivers ( story),
the Aureal Download page
has posted new version 2.25 A3D Drivers that are for any A3D soundcard or PC.
Thanks Kevin M. Lowe. These are described as the latest drivers available
anywhere. As usual, "If you are experiencing problems related to A3D, it is
recommended that you download these drivers. If you are experiencing general
sound card problems, these drivers will not be of use. Contact your sound card
manufacturer."
Here's what's new with the MechWarrior 3 1.2 patch released earlier
( story),
from the readme, passed along by Mike "D3" Lovell: Version 1.2 Changes
The following problems have been fixed in version 1.2:
- If 8MB 3-D textures are selected, the program no longer crashes after
several waves of Instant Action.
- The crackling and popping sounds heard on PCI sound cards (such as the
Sound Blaster Live! and Sound Blaster PCI 128 sound cards) have been
eliminated.
- The Cauldron Born, Puma, Supernova and Vulture configurations now include
Double Heat Sinks instead of regular Heat Sinks.
- If the control setup has been customized, installing the update will no
longer reset the controls to Joystick/Keyboard.
The following multiplayer changes have been made in version
1.2:
- Your BattleMech's arms will no longer "flail" around on the
other players' screens.
- Your 'Mech will no longer "run in place" on other players'
screens.
- If you quickly type uppercase letters and question marks in the
multiplayer chat window, the program no longer crashes.
- Weapon groupings are saved after a player dies and respawns.
The following enhancements have been made in version 1.2:
- The ability to add maps has been implemented. New maps will be
periodically made available for download from our Web site.
- Multiplayer lag and packet loss have been significantly reduced.
- Reporting of team scores is now possible on the MSN Gaming Zone.
- Two new multiplayer maps, Durgan City and The Spaceport, have been added.
- You can now enter IP addresses using the numeric keypad.
An ex-programmer on the Babylon 5 project sent along an email that may help
those trying to get in touch with the folks who now find themselves available
for employment as a result of the game cancellations ( story):
As most of you have heard, both the B5 and Middle Earth teams at Sierra
have been let go. If there is anyone out there in the gaming community with job
openings that would be interested in hiring anyone on the teams, please send an
email to jobinfo@wackygamer.com. The
address is an autoresponder and will tell you what to do in order to get the
listing to the people that need it.
Today's parade of patches and demos continues as the busy adrenaline junkies at The Adrenaline Vault Downloads
have a new version 1.08 patch for Pumpkin Studios
and Eidos Interactive's Warzone 2100. In addition to a number of bug fixes, the new version
also adds some features like new building techniques, as well as a few rule
changes.
Though it's not yet noted on the Mechwarrior 3 Home,
The Adrenaline Vault Patch
Downloads has a new version 1.2 patch for MechWarrior 3. There's no
information on what the new patch does, but at 6 MB it's triple the size of the
1.1 patch, so it may be significant.
Rockstar has released a demo for Grand Theft Auto 2, something that should
please kids, and irritate parents worldwide. You can snag over at AVault,
and here's a description of what you can expect, from the
game's official site (for the record, the "Loonies" mentioned
here are of no relation to yours truly): The demo features nefarious criminal
activity from the Zaibatsu Corporation, purveyors of the new wonder leisure
activity, Zoom Zoom, the crazy Loonies, a gang of nutters who have taken over
the asylum, and the coolest street gang this side of Tokyo, the Yakuza. The
Zaibatsu wear black, and run things in town, leaving other gangs to fight for
the scraps. The Yakuza wear blue, drive great cars, and have the best equipment.
The Loonies wear surgical green, and are anarchic hedonists who hate anyone
that tries to organise things or suppress their massive consumption of recreational
substances.
AVault
has posted a demo of Mankind, a new persistant world, 3D real-time strategy
game developed by Vibes. The game supports,
"an infinite number of players", and is multiplayer only.
The official DirectX site has
been updated, and now has DirectX 7.0 available for download, so head on over
and go nuts. I understand this was holding back the Direct3D version of the
Unreal Tournament demo, so look for that Real Soon Now™.
The ever anxious denger27 did some hunting around on Microsoft's site, and
discovered... DirectX
7. This would appear to be the actual English version, home-user release
(not a developer's tool), and judging by the filename (DX70eng.exe) is the real
deal. It should be pointed out that this has not appeared on the official DirectX
site yet, and there aren't many advantages to installing this early...but if
you've just gotta have it, it's there
for the downloading.
The Mutation Device has
posted a FatBoy mutator for the Unreal Tournament demo, as well as one called
Enforcer Arena. We've checked with Epic on the subject, and their stance is
that they are in fact encouraging the creation of mods for the demo, but not
original maps. So download and be happy.
GameSpot UK
has posted a preview of Unreal Tournament, which they say is based on the "gold
code". That doesn't seem likely, since the game hasn't gone gold yet (don't worry, we'll let you know when it does). They've also posted an insane 114 screenshots for your viewing pleasure, and promise a full review on Friday.
BetaBites
has posted an in-depth, hands on preview of Terminal Reality's Nocturne, taking
a look at this creepy action/adventure game. There's 16 new screenshots for you to check out
as well.
E-Commerce site Checkout.com
has posted an interview with Mike Wilson, the CEO of the Gathering of Developers.
Amongst the seemingly random questions are some general G.O.D. stuff, as well
as his best pick-up line (trust me, it's a gem).
AGN3D
has posted an interview with Carl Schnurr, producer at Red Storm Entertainment
on Rogue Spear. Topics covered include the changes since Rainbow Six, the phenomenal
sales of R6, and of course, the multiplayer game. Rogue Spear has shipped to
stores, and should be on the shelves at a retailer near you today
PCZone
has posted a bit of news regarding the Aliens vs. Predator follow-up title this
morning...it would appear that Fox Interactive still isn't entirely sure what
form it will take: add-on pack, standalone sequel, or as a "special edition"
version of the game, but they are saying that it will be released in December.
Amongst the new features planned are at least three new weapons, and levels
based on the locations from the movies. They've posted three screenshots from
new levels as well.
PlanetUnreal has word of a post on The Mutation Device
on a "hidden" mutator (game type) that can be activated in the Unreal
Tournament demo even though it's not on the Mutator list called the NoPowerups
mutator, which will remove Damage Amplifiers, Health, etc. from the level. PU is
sending interested parties directly over to The Mutation Device
for how to get this working, so I'll just do the same.
Sharky Extreme's Wheel of Time First Glimpse
is up with a preview based on some hands-on
experience with a preview build of this upcoming Unreal-engine game. The short
glimpse offers descriptions of single player and multiplayer play, and a
few screenshots. Also, Happy
Puppy previews The Wheel of Time as well (thanks Frans),
with a hands-on, or rather a paws-on look at the game.
GameFan's preview of Omikron: Nomad Soul
is up looking ahead at this third-person action title from Quantic Dream where
you play Boz, "The Virtual Being," saying the game "combines a
deep plot with action, adventure and investigation, creating a dark world of
surreal insanity." The preview also includes 12 screenshots. Gamecenter's
sneak peek at Omikron The Nomad Soul is up as well.
FirstOnes.com seems like a focal point
in effort to save the Babylon 5 game ( story),
they have included my email address on the list of those to write with their
unhappy reactions to the news that the space simulator has been
cancelled, I'm not sure what I'll be able to do with all the feedback, but I guess I'll try and figure
something out (please don't visit there from the link I just posted and mail me
about this). Meanwhile, Gamers Central News
has posted a short Q&A with Jeff Reitmann, formerly a programmer on the
project, giving more details on what went down. Also, Ferretgamer.com
has a rant on the subject, but actually it's more well-thought out that the name
rant implies, offering some thoughts and perspective on story.
The Outcast Support
page has new patches for the European version of the game. Thanks Demo News.
It's a little confusing what the deal is here, the Outcast
page describes "Multiple patches for the European version."
Hopefully you'll be able to figure out what you need if this applies to you.
A whole bunch of bits, including word that the Voodoo 4 is now expected "mid
February with an outside chance of mid March" and new Spectra drivers for
NT:
A new version 0.12 of the Licensed To Kill
bot is now available. The update to this AI playmate for Action Quake2 fixes a
game crashing bug and has new reload code for the special weapons.
Part one of Computer Games Online's
Drakan: Order of the Flame strategy guide is online offering tips on how to
get ahead in Psygnosis and Surreal's third-person action game from a
self-professed "less-than-competent fighter."
Act Two - No. 83
is the new Diablo II screenshot of the week. Also, Thresh's FiringSquad's
Weekly Metal Fatigue Screenshots have been updated with more shots of this
upcoming RTS. The feature has lapsed to less than weekly, but they make up for
it with a Q&A with Jason Hough. This is likely the last such update before
the game's release. Also, there are some new shots of Homeworld on the Homeworld
site (thanks Voodoo Extreme) as
well as some tips for the demo. Finally, there are a bazillion more The Whole Experience Dragoth Moor Zoological Gardens Screenshots
on RIVA 3D showing off this upcoming GeForce256 demo.
This Microsoft Security Advisor Program Microsoft Security Bulletin
offers "a patch that eliminates a vulnerability in Windows 95, 98 and
Windows NT 4.0 that could allow source routing to be performed, even if it
has ostensibly been disabled. The patch also includes added functionality to
provide additional control over source routing." Thanks Bradley Ouimette.
Of particular interest to gamers is that this vulnerability used to allow entry
into online tournaments that were trying to restrict entry to certain IP
addresses.
3D Action Planet's
First Look at Parsec checks out this upcoming space sim that promises
"Commercial Quality Freeware," to try and determine if that means
"do they mean Quake2 commercial quality, or Rise Of The Robots commercial
quality?" The preview features quotes from the developers and new
screenshots.
You got ghosts? Call Ghostbusters. You got reviews? Call Frans at 3D Action
Gamers:
- Stomped's ECTS report is
online with a rundown on the festivities from Stomped's man-on-the-scene...
- A new version of Texl, a seamless texture generator written in Java,
is now available...
- There's a new edition of The Smoking Gun
gaming satire site online (after being caught in the Planet's gravity).
Highlights include: "Game company Dynamix released a demo Wednesday of
that one game they made last year," and photos of the bitch fight
between PC.IGN.COM and Psygnosis...
- Speaking of which, my favorite not-so-nice, but oh-so-funny gaming site Old Man Murray
has a whole new focus in light of the PC.IGN/Psygnosis conflict...
- Finally, a happy outcome to the Wadasia saga, as the servers and website
are again online. This
page gives the story on what's gone on.
My pal Robs from Rogue (he was a pal before he was a Rogue... he was a rogue
before he was a Rogue, too, for that matter) updated
his .plan slapping another coat of wax on the nostalgia I was waxing
yesterday about the QuakeWorld launch event, talking of all the folks we met for
the first time there, most of whom are still friends today. He goes on to
mention our Bros Gib LAN parties, and that's got me pining anew (it's been way
too long since one of those). It also definitely seems like longer than three
years most of the time I think of it... as Robs concludes: "Man, it's been
a long and fun road.. I can't wait to see where that road takes me from here."
Yesterday's Link of the Day was an accidental repeat. It seemed familiar
(loony posted it the first time), but I missed finding it in my search. Sorry
about that... let's just call when that happens an "LoD Classic."
Link of the Day: SoloTrek Exoskeletor Flying Vehicle.
Thanks Jeremy Bowers. A dream possession of mine since I fist saw James Bond use
one.
News Story of the Day: CNN
- The great IP crunch of 2010 describes the next natural disaster to be
survived after Y2K. Thanks Phil "Cain" Hall.
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