If Soldier does as well as I think we will have a mission pack and a sequel. I have already taken steps to secure John Mullins (our mercenary) for the sequel and this time I want the all the missions to be based off of real scenarios that the military have had to do. I would also like to add more gore zones like affecting the hands and feet as well as more unique animations. If we have time I would like to implement our skeletal system so we can fit more animations in general.

• Win32 (4.7 MB)
• Mac (5.6 MB)
• Linux (5.0 MB)

A new point release beta is out and on the FTP. We anticipate removing the beta tag in the very near future. We have been doing a lot of testing on connection issues, cheat preventions, auto-downloading as well as running a lot of the new mods through it. Things look good, some of the mods heading our way look fantastic!

This also contains a CTF version of Q3Tourney6 which is tons of fun for 2 on 2 CTF.

One key thing is that when connecting to a pure server both sides will have to be using the latest point release as we updated the pak2.pk3. This is not much of an issue once this version propogates a bit but it is something to keep in mind.

There are 3 issues of note with this version ( 2 of them Linux only )

- ZFree errors, on some Linux systems you may see ZFree allocation errors. This happens mostly when fiddling with the mouse etc. during map loads. We are looking into this ( as is Loki ).
- Mods directory does not show mods ( Linux only )
- Starting a team game with bots does not automatically assign the player ( you ) to a team.

As before, please forward bug and other information to raduffy@idsoftware.com

MARINA DEL REY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 6, 2000--After a year spent building the ultimate game development tool kit for next-generation hardware, the Maya Real Time SDK(TM), Check Six Studios will unveil much of the technology behind the tool that truly will help game developers begin putting Hollywood-quality content in their games.

Exclusively available through Alias/Wavefront, the Maya Real Time SDK is a set of code libraries for implementing 3-D rendering, dynamics, animation, character animation, inverse kinematics and particle systems, used for authoring game and simulation applications. It is seamlessly integrated with Maya to create a clean and efficient workflow from art tool to application.

``It's amazing to us that what started off as an ambitious idea we had about how to converge Hollywood and the gaming industry has turned into the Maya Real Time SDK,'' said Brent Oster, president, Check Six Studios. ``The Check Six technology team comes from all aspects of the game industry -- hardware, PC games, console games, animation software.

``We used this combined knowledge to build what everyone told us couldn't be done -- a real-time 3-D renderer that provides animations which rival what you'll see on the big screen, as well as an integrated animation and dynamics engine that truly brings movie-like interactive content to life.''

Soldier of Fortune is now with Release QA. This means that we have eliminated all known bugs found at Raven and by Activision's QAs around the world. Release QA verify that we have fixed everything and go through a set list of criteria that the game must pass. They also give the game a thorough QA pass making sure the regular QA didn't miss anything. The lawyers also get the last chance to stick a spanner in the works. If all goes well (which has never happened), this process will take 5-7 days. It is most likely that they will come back with a few minor issues and we'll have to start the process over again. If they found nothing, then they wouldn't be doing their job :)

After Release QA give their OK, the duplicators and distributors take over....

Also on the CD comes the Heretic2 demo, the Battlezone2 demo, the Vampire trailer, DirectX 7.0a, the monolithic install of GLSetup, WONSwap and all the usual help files (quickstart guide, manual, compatibility guide).

...This is all the versions of Sof (US, UK, french, German). In all non German versions there is the option for English, American or french text, the German version has only German. You will require a specific build for localized dialog.

All versions have the violence locked out for Germany and German speaking countries (this includes Luxembourg, Austria Liechtenstein and Switzerland). Please direct flames to the German government, not us, regarding this.

We'll shortly be releasing our new skeletal animation system for licensees and the Unreal community; shortly after that, a supercool terrain system--already up and running--that moves the Unreal engine into the realm of large, detailed outdoor environments; and support for Windows, PlayStation2, Linux, and (when the time comes) X-Box.

There will be a lot more after that. We've always stayed on top of the latest technology and hardware support, and are in the early stages of radically cooler new features. But we're also trying to be up-front here, promoting and promising what we have up and running well today, rather than the far-off speculative stuff.

I would like to take some time to explain a few things regarding some comments I've recently read on the Shack boards.

First, regarding the status of the Kingpin netcode.

This is something I have looked at several times, after hearing some negative feedback from a few users. Each time I've looked into it, I have failed to find any hard evidence of network code inefficiencies.

I did spend a fair chunk of time cutting network traffic both during and after the completion of Kingpin. I introduced more delta compression in the entity packet stream, moved chunks of server code over to the client, and removed single-player legacy fields that were not important to multiplayer gaming.

This does not equate to better network code, but it does at least suggest that we made an effort to make things better, even if the end result is that the network conditions will eventually decide whether the game is playable or not.

There is no action game made to date, that can seemlessly counter an unreliable or lack of network bandwidth between you and the server.

My advice is to look for a server with a consistent ping in your server browser. If a dozen pings return a wide range of times, it's probably not a very reliable server, and will likely result in higher packet-loss.

Another thing to keep in mind, as that a higher percentage of win32 servers are likely to be sitting on a cable or DSL link (read: unpredictable) than are linux servers, which often sit on T1 or OC-x level connections (read: reliable).

Unfortunately, Kingpin has a high percentage of servers running on win32, which increases the chances of players ending up on unreliable servers, due to the typical links these machines are behind, and the likelyhood that they are used for more than just a Kingpin server.

Secondly, the timing of the Kingpin SDK might not have been ideal, but given the release schedule of the binary patches, it just didn't make sense to put out the SDK until the game was all patched up. Unfortunately I was unable to compile the 1.21 release for Linux at the time of release, so that was left at v1.2, and the v1.21 SDK was released only with win32 components.

This has left Kingpin in a state of dissarry.

Several changes have occured since the v1.21 release, which means I am not in the position to make statements regarding any future releases, since Kingpin is now officially the property of a company I no longer work for. All I can say, is that I will do the best I can to alleviate the situation.

• Johnnie's page has version 1.1 of his GeForce Tweaker program. Thanks RIVA 3D.
• There's a new version 1.2 of the gl2ideal Glide Wrapper. Thanks Glide Underground.
• AMD Athlon Processor Rockets to 1GHz (Business Wire).
• Sharky Extreme's Weekly CPU Prices have been updated.
• AMD Athlon 1000MHz CPU is reviewed Sharky Extreme.
• Elsa Erazor X2 AGP is reviewed on BoomGames Interactive.
• ABIT Siluro GeForce video card is reviewed on t-break.
• Soyo 6VBA-133 mother board is reviewed on HardOCP.
• ASUS P3C2000 motherboard is reviewed on CTNews.
• AlphaP3125S CPU cooler is reviewed on Jsi Hardware.
• ThermalTake Golden Orb cooler is reviewed on 3D Spotlight.
• VIce Xtreme video coolers are reviewed on Speedy 3D.

• Blaze & Blade on Glide Underground.
• EverQuest on 3D-Unlimited.
• Invictus: In the Shadows of Olympus on 32 Bit Gamer.
• Nox on Gamers Depot.
• Re-Volt (re-viewed) on Insane Gamers.
• Star Trek: Klingon Academy Demo on 3DGN.
• Superbike 2000 on Sniper's Alley.
• System Shock 2 on PlayDevil.

• Altavista heralds net revolution reports the BBC, saying: "UK consumers are to be offered unlimited internet access free of telephone charges for just £10 a year by US search engine Altavista." Thanks Rusty B...
• The MindRover Downloads page has an updated version 1.04 of the demo of the MindRover 3D strategy/programming game...
• Version 1.17 of the Spheres OpenGL Screensaver is up on DemoNews.com...

Happy Birthday to the CPL's Angel Munoz, 40 years young today.

Link of the Day: Beaver County Militia Photo Recon, offering an expose on A.O.G. (Amish Occupied Government), MIB (Mennonites in Black), and all manner of other startling conspiracies. Thanks Tom Byers.
Story of the Day: Imagining First Contact (Wired). Thanks Cannelbrae. "Every year a group of renowned scientists, writers, and artists gets together to simulate space explorers and aliens meeting for the first time." Apparently this is what happens when the D&D generation starts getting grants.
Bonus Story: Salon Technology: Can't take a joke, regarding the JoeCartoon site, a former Link of the Day. Thanks elvis.