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    Archive for February, 2000

    Tuesday, February 29, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Another Deus Ex Interview - the_culture @ 8:33 pm PST
    The Deus Ex Zone cornered another ION Storm employee and demanded 10 answers to their 10 questions. How do you like that?

    Divinity: The Sword Of Lies Shots - the_culture @ 8:23 pm PST
    I noticed at Voodooextreme that Larian Studios has four new screenshots of their Fall 2000 RPG Divinity: The Sword of Lies. Looks like a dressed up Ultima Online, but some RPG-fanatics just can't get enough.

    SWAT 3: Battle Plan Screens - the_culture @ 8:10 pm PST
    I personally loved Rogue Spear more than SWAT 3, especially for its multiplayer hijinks. But those of you who enjoyed its singleplayer campaigns, check out these shots AVault put up for SWAT 3: Battle Plan, an expansion pack for SWAT 3. The expansion pack will finally deliver the long-awaited multiplayer aspect of the game.

    Q&A With Valve - the_culture @ 7:54 pm PST
    Think Valve is taking over the world? Think there will soon be Headcrab-shaped vitamins? You might think so after reading this Q&A AVault had with Gabe Newell. Short but sweet.

    Everquest Add-On Screens - the_culture @ 7:47 pm PST
    Though I just couldn't get into this game, that didn't stop 150,000 other subscribers from playing. For those of you who have been stuck on level 50 and have clubbed every cute furry creature, AGN has 14 lovely shots of The Ruins of Kunark, Everquest's upcoming expansion pack.

    Star Trek: Armada SOTW - the_culture @ 7:39 pm PST
    You Trekkers will dig this. Star Trek: Armada put up their newest pretty picture of the week for Star Trek: Armada, a 3D RTS from Activision.

    Hardware & Game Reviews - the_culture @ 6:32 pm PST
    Continuing my goal to give you, our loyal readers, the best coverage in gaming news (ed: not really, he doesn't know what he's talking about), here are a few reviews:
  • The Razer Boomslang 2000 gets a "gamer's review" over at Hardware Masters.
  • For those of you who don't have a Geforce and are undecided on which one to get, 3D Spotlight takes a stab at the V6600 GeForce Deluxe from Asus.
  • I noticed over at Gamer's Point that both Playnow.com and 3DAccelerated.com have reviews of The Sims.
  • Klingon Academy demo - Death~rider @ 5:27 pm PST
    Interplay has released a demo for their upcoming Star Trek 3d space combat game, Star Trek: Klingon Academy. Grab the whopping 80 Meg demo right here from Interplay's FTP.

    Alone in the Dark 4 Preview - Death~rider @ 5:23 pm PST
    The guys over at GameLinks have posted up a Preview of the upcoming super-freaky adventure game, Alone in the Dark 4. So head on over at take a peek.

    Arcanum Preview - Death~rider @ 5:20 pm PST
    GameSpot has a new preview for a cool looking RPG called Arcanum: SteamWorks and Magick Obscura. Check it out right here.

    Soul Reaver 2 Confirmed - Death~rider @ 5:13 pm PST
    Eidos Interactive has sent the official word to GA-Source confirming an upcoming title, Soul Reaver 2. I have Legacy of Kain:Soul Reaver (which is oddly the 2ND Soul Reaver, not the first) and it's really cool, so I suggest you check out the word on this.

    New DS9: The Fallen Shots - the_culture @ 4:31 pm PST
    There are a few new DS9 shots floating around the web. Five of them (including one shot of sniper mode on a phaser rifle) are at Evil Avatar. And GA-Source has a shot of everyone's favorite beast-with-the-least (intelligence), Worf.

    Quick Links - the_culture @ 4:19 pm PST
    Let's start off with a few interviews from around the web, shall we:
  • First off, GA-Source has an interview with some of the employees at Ritual talking about FAKK2. It includes a few new shots as well.
  • Bob White of ION Storm was given the dreaded 10 Questions by The Deus Ex Zone. They discuss (brace yourself) Deus Ex.
  • For those who can't swallow enough bloodshed, SOFCenter grilled SOF programmer Gill Gribb.
  • Monday, February 28, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Rally Championship 2000 Screens - Falcon @ 11:18 pm PST
    Gamerspoint have posted 20 new screenshots of Europress' upcoming racing game, Rally Championship 2000.

    Brian Pelletier Interview - Falcon @ 11:16 pm PST
    Stomped has posted a new interview with Raven Software's Brian Pelletier as they talk to the project leader of Star Trek Voyager Elite Force about the just announced crossover comic book with Wildstorm and DC Comics. Check out the interview at this location

    Devil's Bridge Review - Falcon @ 11:11 pm PST
    H&D.co.uk have posted a detailed review of Devils Bridge (aka. Fight for Freedom). You can reach it here

    iNsane Gamers Reviews - Falcon @ 11:04 pm PST
    The guys over at iG have certainly been busy, with 4 new reviews up,

    South Park Rally

    Close Combat 4

    Indiana Jones

    Heavy Gear 2

    Cavedog Obituary - the_culture @ 8:34 pm PST
    Eurogamer has written up an informative, albeit sad, article on Total Annihilation developer, Cavedog. Don't forget to bring tissue.

    Massively Online Multiplayer Article - Death~rider @ 7:35 pm PST
    Gamepost has another cool article they have just added to the collection. This one's their question of the week, about which Massivly Online Multiplayer games they're looking forward too. It's a good read if you want to see what's in store for us online players and for some expert's views on the subject. Check it out right here.

    TF2: Christmas Release? - Intrepid @ 6:42 pm PST
    Well I got a chance to slip away from preview work for a few minutes to post some news. TF2TheBecoming has scanned a PCZone article on Team Fortress 2 which states "The word is TF2 has slipped to a Christmas release". Can this be true? Must we wait so much longer? Cast your opinion on the FragPipe Poll.

    System Shock 2 Review - MystikaL @ 4:50 pm PST
    Crossroads Staffers have recently released a comprehensive review of System Shock 2. Here is a snippet:

    "System Shock 2 is pure gaming greatness. It’s a roleplaying action adventure, much like the original System Shock. It has a compelling story that is easily identifiable for any sci-fi fan, allowing them to jump right into the game. If you’ve had the opportunity to play the original, you will find a smooth story transition into the sequel. This game has it all, and should set a new standard for developers in creative genius and technical prowess. This game will scare you, surprise you, and even make you sweat. This is not a Quake game, nor a traditional role-playing
    game, but it does combine the best elements of each genre, gives it a healthy dose of creativity and intelligence, and then wraps you up in it. It’s a fine example of what other companies are striving to provide - a high-quality game with plenty of meat to please a wide variety of audiences."

    Quick Links - the_culture @ 3:46 pm PST
    I got a few things for you today, so let's get down to business:

  • FederationHQ received five new stills of DS9: The Fallen.
  • GameSpot has a preview of Sierra's upcoming RTS Ground Control. We should see this game sometime this summer.
  • I'm really not into driving games but Rally Championship 2000 looks sweet. Gamer's Point has 20 new shots of the game.
  • 10SIX Gone Gold - Death~rider @ 2:47 pm PST
    Earlier today, Sega's new massivly online action/strategy mulitplayer game 10SIX was released at Heat.Net. They are currently having it available for download for a 7 day free trial, so hurry up and get over there! Otherwise you can buy the game for a monthly payment of $9.95.

    Thief 2 Preview - Death~rider @ 2:43 pm PST
    Not too long ago GameLinks posted a Preview of Looking Glass Studios upcoming FPS(First Person Sneaker that is) of Thief 2: the Metal Age. It's a good read and has a whopping 49 screenshots included, here's a morsel to whet your Thief desires:

    " The AI for thief two has been completely overhauled, which means that Garrett will have to contend with far more cunning enemies, some of which will be using the tactics of stealth as well as Garrett is able to. Enemies will call for appropriate reinforcements, as well as call for short-range and long-range attacks along with the smarts to know when they should run away. Thief 2 is supposed to be divided into 3 main acts, described as Act One being focused on Garrett continuing to make a living being a thief in the new conditions of the city, Act Two playing out as more of a survival portion of the game in which Garrett is increasingly hassled by the new Sheriff's forces, and in Act Three, Garrett finds out the dark plans of the Sheriff and must continue to try to thwart them. Each Act is supposedly divided into 5 different levels. Because of the new storyline and the requests of Thief fans everywhere, the focus on undead creatures in this sequel has been reduced and the most likely enemies you are to encounter will be human. "

    Sounds good, check it out!

    MDK2 Preview - Death~rider @ 2:37 pm PST
    The folks over at GA-Source have posted their new Preview of the upcoming 3rd person game MDK2. Go check it out!

    Star Trek Armada Beta - Death~rider @ 2:33 pm PST
    I just noticed over at GameSpot that they're currently having a beta test signup for Star Trek Aramada. So you better hurry if you want to sign up!

    Sunday, February 27, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Stomped news - Falcon @ 10:30 pm PST
    Ritual Entertainment level designer Tom Mustaine shares his E3 memories and expectations with Stomped @ E3.

    Also Stomped R6 has been relaunched, with a new design/interface, here is part of what they had to say:
    It has been a long haul, but we are proud to annouce that we are introducing a high quality site to the Rainbow Six/Rogue Spear gaming scene. We are looking
    forward to serving the Rb6/RS community with accurate headlines, game strategies and a great place for people to setup multiplayer games. We're looking forward to a great time of interaction with the community ahead.

    Half-Life mod: PS07 Preview - Falcon @ 10:26 pm PST
    Mod Alliance.com has done a preview on the Half-Life mod, PS07 (1.9).

    Game Search Engine - Falcon @ 10:25 pm PST
    Here is a new meta search engine for gamers: http://www.gamescooter.com

    You may submit site to search engine at http://www.gamescooter.com/maintpl.html?add

    Urban Ops MP3 Sample - Falcon @ 10:08 pm PST
    Composer Bill Brown has just posted the new Urban Operations MP3 music sample to his web site here:


    Shadow Watch Interview - Death~rider @ 8:16 pm PST
    CheckOut Games has an Interview with Kevin Perry, a Red Storm designer, talking about their upcoming 2D RTS game, Shadow Watch. So check it out.

    Week in Review - backup @ 7:31 pm PST
    We missed last week, but were back on track with this Week's Gamesurge Week in Review! Check it out!

    Rogue Spear: Urban Operations Preview - backup @ 7:04 pm PST
    Intrepid, our preview guru, has slapped up his latest preview. This time, he focus's on Urban Operations, the sequal/expansion for the Rainbow Six category of games. You can check it out here, but first a snippet:

    Rogue Spear and Rainbow Six players alike know that the terrorist-killing titles from Red Storm that they love so much are games that progress through a story. They stray from the FPS' of today where there is basically no story and you jump in the game and frag. Urban Operations will be breaking the tradition of its counterparts and simply involve you and your anti-terrorist team in a whole lot of killing.

    Quick Links - the_culture @ 4:44 pm PST
    A couple of quick items for you:

  • VE bribed Raven with enough money and got their hands on three new shots from Soldier of Fortune.

  • GameSpot has an interview with Michael Gyori of Barking Dog (developers of the Homeworld “spin-off” Cataclysm).

  • Everyone and their mother (though not my mother, she’s a little behind the times) is setting up a LAN at home. Dan’s Data reviews the D-Link DFE-910 “Network In A Box.” I recommend this setup to those who are looking. I have this one at home and it flows sweetly.
  • High Heat 2001 Demo - Death~rider @ 4:09 pm PST
    Voodoo Extreme has been sent a demo of Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball 2001. The demo's not too big(for a demo) at almost 31 MBs. Go check it out if your a sports fan.

    Half-Life Pro Ver. 1.0 - the_culture @ 3:52 pm PST
    This looks interesting. Over at PlanetHalfLife the Half-Life Pro Mod Team just released version 1.0 of Half-Life Pro. Features included are:

  • Totally redeveloped HUD display.
  • Stats HTML Logging System of clients stats. (112 conditions).
  • More realistic DM play.
  • Night Ops Mode.
  • Real-Life Mode.
  • Rune Support.
  • Ultra stats right on a clients HUD.
  • Real time Geiger and train speed meters.
  • Total ammo display of your current weapons.
  • Radar system.
  • Realistic dropping of the current weapons.
  • If this appeals to you, or you’re a Half-Life freak, pick up the file.

    VoodooLights 1.2.6 Beta - the_culture @ 3:26 pm PST
    I know we don’t usually post about screensavers, but this one is so cool. 3Dfiles has the new 1.2.6 beta version of Voodoolights. I’ve been using it for the past six months or so. Here’s a brief description: “VL is a killer Direct3D, OpenGL and Glide screensaver geared at the best visuals with black backgrounds to truly save your screen.” You will not be disappointed.

    John Carmack on Zoid's Departure - Gibb @ 2:21 pm PST
    I saw on Voodoo Extremethat Slashdot.org has posted a bit of info about Zoid's departure from iD. This is what John Carmack of iD said:
    I had talked with Zoid about it a few times over the years, and I think he is making a pretty good decision.

    It wasn't always clear from the outside, but Zoid was a remote contractor, not an employee. It was a low key relationship that worked out well for all of us. He stayed in canada and basically worked on whatever he liked, because I thought he had pretty good judgement. He had responsibility for the linux ports and the CTF code, but much of his time was his to allocate as he wanted.

    With Loki now picking up the maintenance of the linux port (as well as my steadily increasing involvement with linux), and a new game design starting at Id, his choice was basically to either go develop a brand new Q3 mod by himself, or go work for one of the many gaming companies that had been trying to hire him.

    We weren't interested in bringin on another core programmer at id, especially another one with immigration hassles (we have had enough issues with that for a small company). We would have been happy to continue the current arrangement indefinately, but he wanted to get out of the holding pattern.

    Another thing he mentioned that I am sympathetic to is the desire to get a bit out of the community limelight. Being a public figure of some note isn't always all it is cracked up to be.

    We are parting on the best of terms (leaving right AFTER a project completes is the considerate way to go). He is going to finish up the Quake2 linux updates (better X/GLX support), even if he has to complete the work from his new job.

    John Carmack


    Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed Preview - Death~rider @ 1:36 pm PST
    Thresh's Firing Squad has slapped up a Preview of EA's upcoming driving simulator, Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed. Check it.

    Neocron Shots & Vampire Movie - Death~rider @ 12:45 pm PST
    There's been a few things circulating around the community lately. First up is some new screenshots of Neocron: Virtual City, an online 3d RPG hybrid set in a 27th century city. You can find those shots right here.The second thing is a Vampire: The Masquerade Redemption movie from a german V:tM:R website. The bad thing is the voice-layover is in german (groan), but you can still download it to check out the gameplay. So check em out!

    Tribes 2 Preview - backup @ 10:17 am PST
    Intrepid has slapped up his latest preview, this time of Tribes 2, the successor the widely popular Starsiege Tribes game. Here is a snip:

    With TRIBES just over a year old, great anticipation is brewing for its successor. Mentioned several times as one of the most anticipated games of 2000, TRIBES 2 is sure to be a hit, and continue the legacy of true teamplay that is TRIBES.

    Unlike the original, TRIBES 2 is not limited to multiplayer. There will be somewhat of a single player mode, complete with bots for you to control and target practice on. Although this feature will be available, it isn't recommended that players with 14.4kb connection buy this game just for single player. Just as TRIBES, the sequel will be, for the most part, a multiplayer game.

    Reviews! - backup @ 9:55 am PST
  • Delta Force 2 by EuroGamer
  • Everglide Giganta mouse pad on Delta-Force2.com and 3D-Unlimited.
  • Hidden & Dangerous: Devil's Bridge on PC.IGN.com.
  • Microsoft Internet Keyboard Pro on The Dawg Pound
  • Microsoft Sidewinder Dual Strike game pad on GameFan.
  • Mortyr: 2093-1944 on GamesMania.
  • Nox on PC.IGN.com, 3DGN, Outer-Edge, and Ingava.
  • Ratpad mouse pad on Magic Torch Overclocking.
  • Razer Boomslang mouse on Chick's Hardware UK.
  • SWAT 3: Close Quarter Battle on ActionXtreme.
    Source: Blues News

    Classic CTF (Quake 3) Beta - backup @ 9:48 am PST
    The Classic CTF Mod for Quake III is in it's first public beta, which includes 1 new map, a grappling hook, runes, super nailgun, weapons stay, ctf optimized physics, and more.

    Phantasm for UT - backup @ 9:44 am PST
    Team Orbit, the guys behind Orbital Wars, have just released their new UMOD, Phantasm, which players start off transparent, and become brighter as they achieve more frags. It's a good way to even up deathmatch, and it's something you should definately grab.

    CD Burner for Sale - backup @ 9:42 am PST
    Well, I probably shouldn't post this, but I guess I mise well if I wanna sell the thing. I am auctioning a 4x/2x/24x cd-writer by HP on EBAY. You can bid on the item here.

    While still keeping the gaming aspect of the post, there are 8 new Unreal Tournament skins over at Painful Detail, one of the Planet Unreal hosted sites.

    HKUK / LMC Playtest - backup @ 9:39 am PST
    PHL's Lambda Map Complex and Hornetking's UK Half-Life are holding a joint map public playtest today at 12 noon GMT. Maps that are being tested are available at both HKUK and the Map Complex. Look for interviews with Neil Manke and Apocalypso tommorow on HKUK.

    Lamda Map Complex - backup @ 9:36 am PST
    The Lambda Map Complex over at PHL, has been updated with 3 new reviews of Half-Life maps. These include, Deliverance, Stair 3, and Combat Frag Simulator. Check the Map complex out for more!

    FAKK2 Engine Details and Screenshot - Gibb @ 6:15 am PST
    The boys over at GA Source have got their hands a screen shot of FAKK2, Ritual's Quake3 powered action/adventure game. Scott Alden of Ritual also sent over a description of the engine for FAKK2. Here it is:
    We have a very large list of things we added to make developing a game easier for the level designers. First and foremost is our scripting system, "Morpheus," which we inherited from development on Sin. This allows a level designer to script actions and control just about every aspect of a level from a text file. Since most level designers are not programmers, the language is not super complicated and it's fairly easy to learn when compared to learning a full programming language like C++.

    We also added an advanced particle effects system called "Ghost". This too is accessible through a text file. For instance the Uzi has about 6 effects that make it all work. It has a 2 part muzzleflash, smoke, bullet casing ejecting, impact marks, and debris falling off when a bullet hits a wall.

    Check the whole thing out here.

    10Six Launching Tommorow - Gibb @ 6:05 am PST
    10Six, Segasoft's online action/strategy game, will be launching tommorow. Here's the story from the official 10six page:
    Attention Settlers: 10SIX will officially launch on the afternoon of Monday, February 28th! At that time Planet Visitor will be wiped clean, so Pre-Order your subscription to 10SIX today and get ready to secure your plot of land!

    We more than doubled our number of Pre-Order subscriptions over the President's Day weekend! Join the ever increasing masses of players who won't be caught sleeping when 10SIX goes live-- Pre-Order your subscription today! CLICK HERE!

    Saturday, February 26, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    New Force Commander Shots - the_culture @ 11:50 pm PST
    GameSpot put together a small preview of LucasArts’ 3D accelerated RTS Force Commander. They also include five new smart-looking shots.

    VRND Update - the_culture @ 11:35 pm PST
    GA-Source received an update from Digitalo Studios regarding their VRND project, an architecturally accurate representation of the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris using the Unreal engine. They also got word on a new project being developed called “Dark Magic.”

    Quick Links - the_culture @ 11:13 pm PST
    It's me, the_culture, working hard so you don't have to. I noticed a couple of new items over at 3DFiles:

  • There’s a new patch (version 4.42) for NFS3: High Stakes. A list of game changes are listed on the download page.
  • Classic CTF Quake 3 Beta has been released. A quick copy/paste reveals this: “The Classic CTF mod incorporates the feel of q1ctf and q2ctf seamlessly. It has brought back most of the things we loved about the older ctf games, namely playability and the grapple! There are four runes now, strength, haste, regeneration and resistance like we had in q1 and q2. Some changes (fixes!) to the sounds and some changes to the cosmetics of some items. Drop runes, weapons, ammo and flags! One of the weapons brought back to life is the SNG (Super Nail Gun) from quake 1. Included with this beta release is one new map.”

  • Shogun:Total War Preview - Surebrec @ 9:03 pm PST
    CGO has smacked up a preview of Shogun: Total War, which sports a few nice looking screenshots.

    UT Admin Guide - Surebrec @ 8:51 pm PST
    Looks like UTWorld has updated their UT Admin Server guide, which is now chock-full of goodies including setting up a UT server, configuring the server admin web interface, in-game server admin commands and so much more. Definetely a good read for those who are looking to set up a server or just tweak one.
    Source: VE

    Second Genesis Interview - Surebrec @ 8:40 pm PST
    The Adrenaline Vault has kicked up an interview with Alternate State(sistem company to Magic Lantern) programmer Scott McCabe, and Magic Lantern producer-designer Paul Schuytema on Magic Lantern's Second Genesis, their upcoming UT-powered sci-fi adventure game. Here's a small snippet from the interview:

    The recent Second Genesis announcement raised more questions than it answered. Please tell us more about the concept and story.

    Scott: In this game, we aim to combine science fact with science fiction. Remember that it is a game after all. Second Genesis is the codename for a top-secret project that was created to preserve the human race through seeding another planet--sort of a fail-safe plan. Around 1950, not long after the Roswell crash, astronomers discovered that a planetary system revolved around Procyon; all indications suggested a solar system containing planets capable of supporting human life. That was the first domino to fall.

    Paul: In a way, the story has a bit of a Noah's Ark feel to it, and in a way, it pays homage to all those great science fiction tales that postulate a new beginning. In Second Genesis, though, the men in lab coats made some serious blunders while getting the project up to speed, and those blunders create a very interesting game situation.

    Warren Spector Interview - Surebrec @ 8:24 pm PST
    The boys over at Daily Radar have scored an interview with Warren Spector on his upcoming action/RPG title, Deus Ex. In the interview they talk about basic gameplay and what it's going to be like, as well as abilities you will be able to use, and more. Here's a small clip from it:

    DR: Many developers in the industry (most recently Hal Barwood of Lucas Arts) have complained that computer games don't really have AI, but AS -- artificial stupidity. What are some of the advances that Deus Ex is going to make in terms of computer-controlled AI (or AS)?

    WS: I actually think Hal and others underestimate what we're doing in gaming AI-wise -- what they themselves are doing! No, we're not where we want to be and, maybe, where we need to be. But we're doing a pretty decent job of confronting players with interesting characters who behave in more or less believable ways. Where many people -- even many developers -- go wrong is in assuming that the goal of AI should be to recreate human behavior. It's hard to avoid thinking like that, especially in a game like Deus Ex where you're supposed to be in the real world. I fall prey to that kind of thinking all the time (much to my chagrin and, even more, probably, to the chagrin of the team!)

    Earth 2150 Preview - Surebrec @ 8:18 pm PST
    I noticed over at Blues News that PC Paradox has gotten their grubby hands on an alpha version of Earth 2150: Escape from the Blue Planet, an upcoming 3D sci-fi RTS from TopWare Interactive. You can check out the preview here.

    Nihilistic Interview - Surebrec @ 8:15 pm PST
    R-POV has recently interviewed Nihilistic Software on their upcoming 3rd-person Vampire RPG. In the interview, they chat about general gameplay, multi-player issues, and more. Here's a small clip from it:

    RPOV: The "Masquerade" is a rule that the Vampires must follow in order to hide their culture from humans. Since this rule is quite sacred, will there be some sort of in game penalty (or even death) if a vampire reveals their true self to a human and doesn't (ehem) silence them?

    Nihilistic: The Masquerade is actually something that only exists in the modern day timeframe, back in the Dark Ages the clans were much more fragmented and Vampires were less discrete about their nature. According to the license, this is why you have a lot more mythology and superstition in those days; the Kindred were more exposed to normal society. All that changed around the time of the Inquisition. Its a cool aspect to the license, the whole "death of legends" thing has always been a great literary theme. Its nice to imagine that the supernatural hasn't left the world, just gone into hiding.

    Evolva Screens - backup @ 8:04 pm PST
    Gamedata has 60 screenshots up of Evolva, an upcoming third/first person shooter from Computer Artworks.

    HomeWorld Cataclysm Preview - Death~rider @ 7:59 pm PST
    GameSpot has posted a Preview/Q&A/Interview/Screenshots of a not-quite-expansion pack for HomeWorld, called Cataclysm. Check out the full story from GameSpot right here.

    Quake 3 Fortress goes Alpha!!! - backup @ 7:38 pm PST
    Russel has just let the major TF sites know that Quake 3 Fortress has gone alpha! Here is a taste:

    The Q3Fortress (http://www.q3fortress.com) Mod for Quake 3 Arena was released last night to a large group of Alpha testers made up mostly of Quakeworld Team Fortress and Team Fortress Classic Clans. The Testing was loads of fun and the mod already looks great at it's first release. A bunch of screen shots of the first night of testing can be found at: http://www.qiiiarena.com

    Incite Interviews Bob Love - backup @ 7:31 pm PST
    Incite Games has slapped up a long interview with Bob Love, a programmer at Raven Software (those nice folks who are developing Soldier of Fortune and Elite Force, and sent us screenshots). Here is a taste:

    incite: Does John Mullins ever stop by your office to intimidate Raven employees? Is he as hard as you make him out to be?

    Love: John Mullins has been to Raven several times and only once did he ever beat somebody up. Hey, Jeff Lampo (an artist) had it coming; he shouldn’t have taken the last can of Sprite from the vending machine.

    900 Maps at MapFinger --Good God! - backup @ 7:25 pm PST
    MapFinger, a site where you can get your own .plan file for your progress on your maps, as well as discuss maps, has gone over the 900 map mark, and the 500 mapper mark. Amazing!

    Mapfinger opened in December, which makes them the fastest growing map site on the internet according to PHL.

    Randy Pitchford and Dreamcast - backup @ 7:23 pm PST
    Daily Radar has slapped up a nice interview with Gearbox's Randy Pitchford. On the discussion table is bringing Half-Life to the Dreamcast. Here is a taste:

    DR: How will control issues be addressed?

    RP: The best thing we can do is support an end user's free choice of interface. This means that we should allow end-users to make their own configurations. And, since you can already get a PC style interface for your Dreamcast (keyboard etc), even the most finicky game players can find a configuration they are happy with. But the good news is that the Dreamcast standard controller is designed in such a way that for most games (particularly for those used to playing console games), the control will feel very natural. Gearbox and Valve will be working closely with Captivation (the team doing the technology port) to make sure we're happy with the control scheme. And since we've all played just about every PC first-person game that's gone to a console -- and had the same complaints everyone has about the controls -- you can imaging that the default configuration we come up with for this title will be as good as it can get.

    CS Model Screenshot - backup @ 7:20 pm PST
    On Counterstrike News, the Counter-strike mod site has been updated with a new screenshot of the French GIGN gun that will be included in Beta 6.

    Make Something Unreal Contest Winners - backup @ 7:12 pm PST
    The winners for the Make Something Unreal Contest have been announced inside of the Domination category. Here they are!

    1st place: DOM-Reliquary- by ruineR
    http://www.planetunreal.com/ruiner

    2nd place: DOM-Hysteria- by Entropy and CyanLongBow
    http://www.unreality.org/cyan/mainmaps.htm

    3rd place: DOM-Syncronicity][- by No ReMoRsE
    http://mappershaven.homestead.com/mappershaven.html

    Congrats Guys!
    Source: Planet Unreal

    UT Mouseball MOD - backup @ 7:07 pm PST
    FrogStomper's UT Mouseball mod has had some talk lately. Here is some of it.

    Trigger Darts" - I wanted to include something you could shoot, but the Mouse metaphor kind of falls apart there. What would a mouse shoot? I'm open to suggestions. As a placeholder, I've added these Trigger Darts -- purple meaningless cone pickups that you can accumulate and fire using your AltFire key. Firing them at the ball is a way of foiling your opponents from afar. Firing them at Mouse Fans (because of as-yet not completed code) will eventually cause the fans to disappear. You can still score a headshot on a Mouse Fan. Watch how fans from the opposing team react when you do.

    MouseFan Cheers - MouseFans rooting for your team go bonkers when you score a goal.

    Ball Behavior - The ball now behaves more like a ball should. It continues to get nudged as you kick it, it moves faster when you're powered by cheese. It no longer freezes and trips you up.

    Still to come:

    - Some semblance of documentation and more screen shots. Not much of a site yet....
    - Better Blimp - I'm going to render this and make it an Actor. Moving brushes can only do so much
    - Mouse Fan Jeers - If fans for your team LIKE what you do, the opposing fans should hate it, right?
    - Wandering Mouse Fans - I'd like to see those guys walking around the stadium a bit.
    - New Arena (s) - I want to make a pinball-style arena with bumpers that fling mice all over the place, and a booby trap arena, and maybe a MouseBall On Ice level.
    - Single Player version - booby traps, puzzles, maybe a Cat...who knows?

    Installing the Bonus Pack - backup @ 7:04 pm PST
    Need help installing the Unreal Tournament Bonux Pack? Here is a snippet from the Unreal Technology Page that should help you.

    To install the Bonus Pack, just double click the .umod file and it should begin installing. If you are having trouble, extract the ZIP file to a temporary folder such as C:\Temp, and then use Start Run to run the following command:
    C:\UnrealTournament\System\Setup.exe install C:\temp\UTBonusPack.umod

    UT Weapons guide - backup @ 6:57 pm PST
    Having trouble with the weapons in Unreal Tournament? The UT Center (that page that always freezes, yeah now you remember!) has pumped out a pretty sweet looking weapons guide for your enjoyment.

    TSI Back up - backup @ 6:53 pm PST
    Times Square Interactive, the makers of Unreal Paintball, have been put back up after a long downtime due to being hacked. They have a new version of Unreal Paintball for you too!

    New DC MDK2 Screens - Death~rider @ 4:48 pm PST
    BioWare has sent Dreamcast.net 12 new screenshots of their upcoming action game MDK2. So go check em out!

    Vampire: The Masquerade Preview - Death~rider @ 3:47 pm PST
    Hey all, I'm a new news reporter here at GameSurge, Death~Rider, and I'll be serving up all of your gaming goodness, right here at GameSurge. Now, onto the news.
    Though this news is a few days old, I thought it important enough to post anyway. GameSpot has posted their first part of an ongoing character preview of the upcoming game Vampire: The Masquerade Redemption. Their first character they have up is Christof Ramuald, a holy knight embraced by a vampire in medieval times. You can read all about him and this awesome-looking game in the very detailed preview right here. Enjoy.

    AD&D and Baldur's Gate (second opinion) - DysoN @ 3:40 pm PST
    With all the negative feedback cramming in, I could not answer all of the e-mail(s). Instead, I have written another editorial, specifically meant to try and answer some of the questions about the previous editorial, AD&D and Baldur's Gate.

    Tony Hawk 2 Editorial - backup @ 3:34 pm PST
    I have slapped up a new editorial concerning the press release made by Activision concerning Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. If you haven't played the game, or have, and are looking for information on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, this is where to look.

    Tony Hawk Review - backup @ 3:32 pm PST
    I have slapped up my latest review, this time of Neversoft's skating masterpiece, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

    Crimson Skies Preview - Gibb @ 5:35 am PST
    Gamerush has posted a preview of Crimson Skies, the upcoming air-combat game from Zipper Interactive. It is fairly short, but still in depth, and includes 18 screenshots. Check it out here.

    Elite Force Comic Art - Gibb @ 5:31 am PST
    Raven Software has posted some pictures of the upcoming Elite Force comic, which is being made by DC Comics who are working closely with Raven to produce it. It will be loosly based on the storyline of Elite Force, and may include game tips and strategies in the back. Check the images out here. Thanks to Blues News for the heads up on that one.

    Starcraft Map of the Week - Gibb @ 5:26 am PST
    Blizzard has again released their Starcraft map of the week, this one called Endurance. Here's the info:
    "I don't understand how High Command can believe success is possible in this new "mission". We've fought back and triumphed against vastly superior odds before, but the prospect of facing SIX well- equipped strike teams worries even me. There's only so long a human can stay alert and fit in combat before finally succumbing to the need to rest. We're not robots here -- we're men and women made out of flesh and blood. If we are going to have any shot at coming out of this mess with our heads still attached we need to end the fight quickly. We can't let this fight turn into a war of attrition because if that happens, we won't have the resources or endurance to continue that kind of fight for long. Now you all know what's ahead of us, so let's go, go, go!"

    -256x64 Jungle

    -Designed for 2 Players

    -Use Map Settings

    -Veteran-Level Scenario

    Check it out here, or download it directly here.


    GX Starcraft-Under New Management - Gibb @ 5:22 am PST
    GX Starcraft has been handed over from the venerable GX soso to two other unnamed writers. Check the whole post out here. Thanks to SC.org for that one.

    Warcraft III Preview - Gibb @ 5:14 am PST
    The guys over at PC.IGN.com have slapped up a nicely done preview of Warcraft III, Blizzard's upcoming RPS. It's very well done, and includes some nice screenshots as well. Here's a little snippet:
    If Blizzard has its way, Warcraft III will once again change the playing field for strategy/RPG fans everywhere -- and all we can say about it is thank god. Strategy games have begun to smell a bit like that old pond behind the ranch house, but with any luck we'll all be drinking some fresh mountain spring water from Blizzard mountain come this winter. And hopefully I'll stop making wretch-tastic metaphors like the previous one when that time comes.
    Check out the whole preview here.

    New Edition of Baldur's Gate II Journal - Gibb @ 5:08 am PST
    PC.IGN.com has put up another edition of the Baldur's Gate II Journal, this time with lead programmer Mark Darrah. They talk about the coding side of BGII, and what a programmer must go through to produce a quality game. Check the whole thing out here.

    Friday, February 25, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    "Zoid" Leaves id - the_culture @ 10:28 pm PST
    According to his .plan, Dave Kirsch is leaving id to work for Retro Studios. To quote Dave:

    I feel that I have learned a lot in my time with id, but I find myself looking for new challenges. I have decided that in order to pursue them, I must leave my association with id Software. Having done so, I plan on exploring new opportunities.

    Gunship! Preview - the_culture @ 10:23 pm PST
    It’s me again. I suppose I should introduce myself. I’m the new “gaming news reporter” for GameSurge. There. On with the drama:

  • Computer Game Fan ponyed up a small preview of Gunship!, MicroProse’s new WWIII flight sim. They also include three shots.

  • New Sacrifice Screens & Hands-on Look - the_culture @ 8:24 pm PST
    After picking up my jaw from the floor, I must say Shiny’s strategy/RPG Sacrifice is looking crazy! Check out these shots Nonstuff.de got a hold of. Slicker than snot.

    Also, Gamespy got a hands-on look at Sacrifice and then tried to articulate their feelings using the English vocabulary.

    Evolva Interview - the_culture @ 8:23 pm PST
    Man, Friday's the day for interviews. Eurogamer disgorged an interview with three guys and their baby (no, not Selleck, Guttenburg and Danson). I’m talking about Vince Farquharson (Producer), Rik Heywood (Lead Programmer) and Karl Wickens (Lead Artist) of Computer Artworks and their gorgeous baby, Evolva. Here’s a free sample, so put your hands down:
    "Evolva was inspired by many of the hot topics for the millennium such as cloning, genetic engineering and the genetically engineered food debate", Vince explained.

    Duke Forever Interview - the_culture @ 8:20 pm PST
    Unrealcenter conducted an interview with 3D Realms level designer John Anderson regarding his work on Duke Nukem Forever. Here’s your free sample:
    UC: If you had one paragraph to sum up Duke Nukem Forever. What would you say?

    JA: Take all the action, suspense and thrill of you favorite movie, mix it with a healthy dose of Duke attitude and then tie it in with an incredible story and allow it to unfold under your complete control.


    Ah, yeah. “Hail to the King, baby!”

    New Thandor Screens - the_culture @ 6:04 pm PST
    Billy and his pet sheep scored three new shots of Thandor- Die Invasion, Planet 4's upcoming 3D RTS that features 3D terrain and true line of sight. Here are the links to each, so you don't waste energy moving your hand around: Shot 1, Shot 2, Shot 3. Check out those pretty pastel colors!

    MDK2 Preview - the_culture @ 5:53 pm PST
    GameHaven has a preview of MDK2 as well as 3 smart-looking pics.

    Urban Operations Preview - the_culture @ 5:21 pm PST
    Ah yeah, sucka. GameCenter has a preview of the Rogue Spear expansion pack Urban Operations. This game will be one bad mutha- Shut yo mouth!

    Downloads for The Sims - the_culture @ 4:09 pm PST
    You heard right. The Sims, and I suggest you pick up this game, has some "stuff" you can download to use in the game. Some of the items you can download are:

  • A moose head
  • Cuckoo Clock
  • 4 Extra Wall Lights
  • 5 Bonus Skins
  • a Slot Machine
  • 5 New Houses, and more...
  • I really recommend this game. Sim fans (hey, that could be a new game: a simulation of game fanatics. Should be pretty easy, eat, play, toilet, play, eat, play) will definetly enjoy this, as well as people looking for some depth in gameplay. Do it!

    Patched Ultima IX Review - Surebrec @ 4:05 pm PST
    The Gamer's Press has recently slapped up a review of the final patched version of Ultima IX (gee I wonder why they picked the patched version instead of retail...). Here's a small snippet from it:

    No one ever accused Ultima IX of lacking in the graphics department. The game shipped with absolutely beautiful scenery and landscapes; the game designers and artists obviously put a lot of thought into the details of Britannia. If the game would've shipped with a decent frame rate and more robust support for DirectX, U9 would've been the most visually impressive game of all time. However, unless you were playing the game on a weather-predicting Cray supercomputer being cooled by liquid nitrogen your experience was probably a lot like watching a slide show.

    Alone in the Dark Screens, Movie - Surebrec @ 4:01 pm PST
    GA-Source sent word that DarkWorks Studios has released the first movie (12.3 MB) and PSX screenshots from their upcoming horror action/adventure game, alone in the dark, which can be found over here.

    On a side note, GA has also found that DarkWorks' next project is 1906.

    Stinger's Shooter - Falcon @ 3:57 pm PST
    Today, The Gamer's Press has posted a review of the final patched version of Ultima IX. Here's a quote regarding the graphics:
    "No one ever accused Ultima IX of lacking in the graphics department. The game shipped with absolutely beautiful scenery and landscapes; the game designers and artists obviously put a lot of thought into the details of Britannia. If the game would've shipped with a decent frame rate and more robust support for DirectX, U9 would've been the most visually impressive game of all time. However, unless you were playing the game on a weather-predicting Cray supercomputer being cooled by liquid nitrogen your experience was probably a lot like watching a slide show."

    More TWINE Details Revealed - Falcon @ 3:54 pm PST
    Electronic Arts today revealed more details on the next Quake III powered James Bond interactive entertainment title based on MGM's film,
    The World is Not Enough.

    Pre order Allegiance - Falcon @ 3:52 pm PST
    In anticipation of the launch of Allegiance in April, Microsoft today announced exclusive pre-order programs with Electronic Boutique and Babbages & Software Etc.

    By pre-ordering Allegiance at store locations, or online at EB World or Gamestop, gamers will receive an additional month of free Allegiance Zone membership ($9.95 value), plus either a Limited Edition Strategy Guide (for pre-orders from Electronic Boutique) or 16 Microsoft Allegiance Collector Cards (for pre-orders from Babbages & Software Etc.). Combine this offer with the one month of free Allegiance Zone membership already available with the retail purchase of the game, and players receive two free months of larger-scale games, special events, persistent scoring and rankings, and exclusive new content. Microsoft encourages gamers to place their pre-orders early, as all offers are based on limited quantities.

    The game is currently in open beta, and players are welcome to download the game and joins thousands of other combatants in interstellar war. For details visit this site
    In Allegiance, players can pilot and customize many different classes of ships; from scouts and fighters to battle cruisers. They also have the ability to switch between a variety of combat roles, including pilot, turret gunner or base commander. Hundreds of players can engage each other in death-match style arenas or in cooperative play. Gamers will be able to represent their identity, through recorded accomplishments and medals, giving combatants the chance to become part of an ongoing, dynamic universe. Allegiance also features rich strategic elements such as controllable assets, researchable technology and command features.

    The Sims Review - Falcon @ 3:50 pm PST
    Clan Nexus Network's infamous Jorel has taken time from tending his little sim family to tell us a little bit about the latest craze from Maxis, The
    Sims
    . Here's a quote:
    Wake up, shower, eat, work, sleep, repeat?. Sound boring? Maybe in real life, but not in Maxis and Electronics Arts newest sim game, The Sims. From our most basic tasks like going to the bathroom, to our most complex emotions like falling in love, The Sims has it all and then some...Highly Addictive. That's the best way to sum up this game. It will have you spending more time with your virtual family than your real one.

    War3 Preview - Falcon @ 3:48 pm PST
    Warcentral.com have written a detailed preview of Blizzards Upcoming Warcraft3. The analysis consists of confirmed Races and units, how the game will work, and much more! So head over and check it out

    GTA2 Review @ GS - Surebrec @ 3:30 pm PST
    Our newest staff member, Chaps Ralph Lauren, has writte up a review of Grand Theft Auto 2. Here's a small clip from it:

    Grand Theft Auto 2 is definitely a fun and addictive game. I mean, who wouldn’t want to walk around the city with semi automatics killing everything that moves. Then when the police, secret service, and the army want you, you steal a tank and start massacring them. After you finish manhandling them, it would be about time to take over the world!! Muhahahahah... er, no, I don’t need a psychiatrist, thank you very much.

    World Is Not Enough Shots - the_culture @ 3:25 pm PST
    Electronic Arts has opened their official site for the James Bond game The World Is Not Enough. Powered by the Quake 3 engine, this game features:

  • New 1st person perspectives in rich, highly detailed environments
  • Employ stealth, espionage action, and overwhelming fire power as each mission demands.
  • Full arsenal of exciting Q-lab gadgets.
  • Over 10 exciting missions in exotic locations - race through Istanbul, fight your way through
    a Russian nuclear submarine in Baku, and ski your way through the Caucasus Mountains.
  • Follow the plot through real-time 3-D cinematics and exciting clips from the blockbuster movie.
  • Improved precision targeting for your lethal arsenal of more than 20 weapons.
  • Full Internet and LAN multiplayer support. (PC only)
  • Since the Q3 engine boasts curved surfaces, I better see some curves on Dennis Richards!

    Unreal Tournament Bonus Pack Out! - the_culture @ 1:58 pm PST
    That's right, all you UT fans out there. Epic is saying thank you for your support by releasing a free bonus pack for Unreal Tournament. The bonus pack includes the following:
    3 new character skins: the Skaarj Hybrid, Nali, and the Nali WarCow. 11 new levels: DM-Agony, DM-Cybrosis][, DM-ArcaneTemple, DM-Malevolence, DM-Shrapnel][, DM-HealPod][, DM-Mojo][, CTF-Cybrosis][, CTF-Hydro16, CTF-Noxion16, and CTF-Darji16. Additionally, Epic has included relics to your game which extends re-playability to UT.

    Stop screwing around and pick up the bonus pack.

    Looking Glass Interview - the_culture @ 9:35 am PST
    I'm not sure if this was missed, but redchurch posted an interview earlier this month with Looking Glass level designer Richard Carlson. If you missed it before, check it out. It's a great read. Here's a free sample:

    Every level designer has developed his or her own unique style of design. What are some of the things you do in deathmatch or single player levels to make your levels stand apart from others?

    I disagree that every level designer has their own unique style. I only wish it were so, as I review level after level from off the net. When I check these levels out, even stuff that gets high ratings on the level review sites, I usually am bored out of my skull by what I see. With a few noteworthy exceptions, most everything out there just looks the same to me.

    Here's what I do. It's dangerous, so be forewarned! I never copy anyone else blatantly. I make every map different from the last map I've done, and I never follow trends or what is perceived to be cool, especially on the Internet.

    I build levels to please myself. That's why they are different.


    Source: the_culture

    Gunman Screens - Surebrec @ 1:44 am PST
    Speaking of GA, they have received 5 new screenshots from Rewolf Software's upcoming TC for Valve's Half-Life, called Gunman.

    SimMars delayed - Surebrec @ 1:43 am PST
    According to GA-Source, Maxis' ambitious SimMars won't be available on the scheduled date.

    New Civilization in Allegiance - Surebrec @ 1:40 am PST
    Microsoft has announced a new civilization in their massively multi-player space shooter, Allegiance:

    Microsoft announced today that a new civilization has been added to Allegiance, its online space-action game that is currently in open beta. Coming to stores in April, Allegiance will be playable on the MSN Gaming Zone (http://www.zone.com) as well as via independent game servers worldwide. Allegiance combines furious space combat with the social challenge of squadron-based combat in a stunning 3D universe.

    In the game's story line, the earth is destroyed and the remaining survivors have taken flight into space. Instead of banding together for mutual survival, humanity divides into several warring factions such as the Iron Coalition, GigaCorp, The Bios, and others, squabbling over the remaining resources critical to survival. The new civilization, the Belters, joins this mix of factions. They are comprised of a loose collection of independent traders, prospectors, pirates, and privateers. Led by unlikely hero Orion Sholes, the Belters pilot an odd mix of captured and jury-rigged equipment referred to as the "Junkyard Armada." Once the game ships, the Belters faction will only be accessible to subscribers of the Allegiance Zone.

    Allegiance will be available in retail stores for an anticipated street price of US$40. Gamers can then choose to play on public-domain servers free of charge or access the Allegiance Zone, a subscription service that provides larger-scale games, special events, persistent scoring and rankings, and new exclusive content such as the Belters faction. Players are eligible for one free month on the Allegiance Zone ($9.95 value) with game purchase. The MSN Gaming Zone will host the Allegiance Zone as well as a continuously updated list of free game servers worldwide. The Allegiance Server Code will be also be made available as a free download to parties interested in hosting game servers.

    Allegiance is currently in open beta. Gamers are welcome to download the game and joins thousands of other combatants in interstellar war. For details visit:

    http://www.microsoft.com/games/allegiance/beta.htm

    In Allegiance, players can pilot and customize many different classes of ships; from scouts and fighters to battle cruisers. They also have the ability to switch between a variety of combat roles, including pilot, turret gunner or base commander. Hundreds of players can engage each other in death-match style arenas or in cooperative play. Gamers will be able to represent their identity, through recorded accomplishments and medals, giving combatants the chance to become part of an ongoing, dynamic universe. Allegiance also features rich strategic elements such as controllable assets, researchable technology and command features.

    Thursday, February 24, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Deus Ex Preview - backup @ 6:13 pm PST
    Intrepid has whipped up his latest preview, this time of ION Storm's RPG/FPS game entitled Deus Ex. You can check it out here. Included in the preview are some tasty screenshots for your viewing pleasure as well.

    New Editorial: AD&D and Baldur's Gate - Surebrec @ 3:02 pm PST
    Yes, our very own DysoN has written an editorial entitled, "AD&D and Baldur's Gate," which talks about how Baldur's Gate is not really based on the the rules of AD&D, but rather modified rules. So, if you've played AD&D and Baldur's Gate--you might want to give this a read.

    Talk to Pikachu on N64 - Raven @ 1:57 am PST
    Well Nintendo have done it again. Due to the Pokemon fever that has gripped fans all over the world, Nintendo have come up with another Pokemon game called Pikachu VRS. This new games allows Nintendo owners to Speak and interact with a virtual Pickachu on screen. The game is scheduled for release in December 2000. If you'd like to know more about the game head over to ANT.com to read a full preview.

    Gamegurus need staff - Raven @ 1:56 am PST
    If you've view the Gamegurus webpage lately, you'd have noticed that afew things have changed. The reason for this, is because Gamegurus has just changed webmasters and is presently undergoing changes. Pyro their new webmaster send word that Gamegurus is presently looking for staff. If you wish to apply you will need to to be dedicated and active. Those of you who are interested in working for a website that experiences more then 1000 hits per day, email pyro with your name and contact details.

    GREAT SoF Interview - Raven @ 1:55 am PST
    Yep you heard right, Toe2Toe sends word that his site Tokyo3 have snagged an interview with Ravensoft lead programmer Rick Johnson. Ravensoft are presently working on one of the most talked about FPS -First Person Shooter- games, titled "Soldiers of Fortune".

    The interview goes over 3 pages; has lots of images and information; and more importantly is a good read for any gamer, whether they be a SoF fan or someone who knows nothing about the game.

    A great interview with some big news items (I'm not giving anything away you'll have to read it for yourself) check it out at
    http://users.senet.com.au/~tokyo3/int_rjohnson.htm

    Icewind Dale Interview - Raven @ 1:54 am PST
    The Icewind Dale team made a bit of a name for themselves late last year when one of their lead programmers attacked Blizzard's RPG game -and Icewind Dale compeditor- Diablo2. Since then news about this Dungeons & Dragons/RPG game has been a little quiet, up until now that is. Gamefans.com has just added an interview Bioware programmer Chris Parker about their new game Icewind Dale. The interview is a litle on the short side but still worth reading. Check it out here.

    C&C Firestorm goes gold - Raven @ 1:53 am PST
    The Command and Counquor expansion pack Firestorm is now completed and ready for production. Created by Westwood, Firestorm -the expansion of Tiberian Sun- is a Futuristic strategy game that is expected to turn quite afew heads. All changes to the source code are now finished so we can expect to see Firestorm hit store shelves by March 9th.

    Here is the official press release:

    Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun Firestorm(TM)
    Publisher: Westwood Studios
    Developer: Westwood Studios
    Release Date: March 9th in North America
    Format: Win 95/98 CD-ROM
    Website: www.westwood.com
    Westwood Studios is an Electronic Arts(R) company

    WESTWOOD STUDIOS' TIBERIAN SUN FIRESTORM GOES GOLD
    Official expansion pack to mega-hit due on shelves March 9th

    LAS VEGAS, NV, February 23, 2000 - Packed with new units, features and maps, Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun Firestorm, the expansion pack to the two-million-selling real-time strategy game, has been completed and is set to hit shelves in North America March 9th.

    Firestorm continues the epic story of Tiberian Sun with 18 new single-player missions and more than 30 minutes of live-action filmed sequences. The story picks up with the notorious NOD leader Kane apparently dead and a new, even more deadly enemy emerging.

    Firestorm energizes Tiberian Sun multiplay with 15 new multiplayer maps, new options for the Battle Map creator, and new units like the Juggernaut, the Mobile War Factory, the Mobile Stealth Generator, and the Cyborg Reaper.

    There's also a new way to play over Westwood Online called World Domination. This mode allows gamers from around the world battle for the control of the world. Gamers will struggle for their chosen side, GDI or Nod, as they compete against thousands of other commanders. Eventually, either Nod or GDI will control more than 30 territories and claim the globe as their own.
    "This is easily our most ambitious expansion pack," says Stojsavljevic. "The new units create countless new tactics and strategies. The world of Tiberian Sun is even more dangerous with new indigenous and deadly creatures. We created a whole new mode of multiplayer gaming, along with single player missions that are incredibly well polished.

    More information about Firestorm's new units and features can be found at www.firestorm.westwood.com.
    The Firestorm expansion pack requires a copy of Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun to run. Tiberian Sun's minimum system requirements are a Pentium 166 MHz with 32 MB of RAM, a quad-speed CD drive, a 16-bit sound card, and a Direct X(tm) compatible video card.

    Gaming on Win2000 - Raven @ 1:51 am PST
    So how will Windows2000 the new opperating system from microsoft handle games? Cnet Singapore answers this important question, and any gamers who are thinking about upgrading should definately check out this article, heres a small piece:
    "Windows 2000, the newest Windows NT platform, is upon us. The 32-bit operating system boasts enhanced ease of use, Plug and Play support, and DirectX 7.0a support built right in, among other features. Microsoft stands by its NT marketing angle, saying that Windows 2000 is for business users only, but when was the last time anyone believed anything Microsoft said without concrete proof?

    We certainly didn't believe the company, so we took a long, piercing look at Windows 2000 Professional (the end-user version of the new OS) and tested it with scads of current, and a few not-so-current, games. Is it time to give up on Windows 98? Should you upgrade? In a word, no."

    To read the full article head over to
    http://singapore.gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Win2k/index.html

    GamesXtreme News - Falcon @ 1:22 am PST
    Games xtreme have updated thier UK CPU Guide, you can check them here.

    Also from them is a review of Quake3,

    The game, like Quake II (Q2) is real easy to control and like Q2, Q3:A will be loved by millions, played by billions and soon enough there will be a little country somewhere called 'Quake 3: The Real Arena' where your only requirement for citizenship is a good PC, a fast Modem and a copy of Quake 3: Arena.

    And a review of the Razer Boomslang:

    This mouse is relatively compatible, it seems to run fine on Windows 98/98SE systems, but obvious drivers for windows2000 (aka NT5), have not been released, and this has cause for more than just a few hours hopelessly trying to get the darn thing to work. Also, it is suggested to use this mouse with a thin plastic mouse pad, such as the official Razer one (available to order online), because the conventional mouse pad just doesn't do the job. Normal mouse pads give drag to the sleek low profile of the Boomslang.

    AGN.com Changes - Falcon @ 1:11 am PST
    We have been informed of some changes changes on the AGN.com website which we believe you should be aware of if you're using AGN.com as a news resource. The current website URL will be redirected to the AGN TV website, located at http://www.allgames.com. To link to the PC/Hardware/Console/Industry news pages as well as our AGN features, please use their new web address, which is http://news.agn.com.

    This is the first of several changes that will appear at AGN over the next few months. Please bare with them as we try to integrate all of our content in to one cohesive interface. As always, and feedback about these changes is welcome.

    Various screenshots - Falcon @ 12:58 am PST
    First up are from Psygnosis - 6 new screenshots and teammate details from VR1's upcoming Unreal powered action-strategy hybrid, Hired Guns.

    Secondly are from Empire Interactive - 3 new screenshots (short Q&A too) from Mind's Eye Productions' upcoming real-time sheep simulation, Sheep.

    Third are from a Swedish game developer, The Other Guys, who have released the following 4 new screenshots from their upcoming 3D thriller action/adventure game, Side-Scene.


    KingMax's TinyBGA PC133 SDRAM - Falcon @ 12:46 am PST
    Digital Clips has launched a new article on KingMax's TinyBGA PC133 SDRAM, based around KingMax's TinyBGA memory module. This unique design is extremely overclockable and remains cool even at ultrahigh speeds. Here's a small snippet from the review:
    "Hardware manufacturers have long since acknowledged the need for greater system memory bandwith, and the two chipset giants, Intel and VIA, have taken drastically different paths. Surprisingly, Intel has abandoned its Rambus plans due to skimpy supplies and eyepopping prices, in favor of the latter's PC133 standard. KingMax takes your standard TSOP memory module and changes it into a unique BGA design, claiming much cleaner signals with less noise and greater stability at high memory speeds.
    Just a farce, or something worth going for?"
    The article can be reached here

    Mig Alley Review - Falcon @ 12:43 am PST
    Set during the Korean War, Mig Alley is the next release from Rowan Software, creators of Flying Corps. In this in-depth review, GA take a detailed look at why this simulation is such a success, and why, if you are hard core sim junkie, you'll need to own this simulation.

    Terratec's DMX Soundsystem Review - Falcon @ 12:42 am PST
    Exxtreme3D has just whipped up a nice review on Terratec's DMX Soundsystem sound card. Can this match wits with Aureal's or Creative Lab's nice sound cards? Our final conclusion was...no. Here's a little whisper from the review:
    "I first used the demos that were provided that was supposed to demonstrate the “advantage” of having this card. I didn’t hear any advantage, though. The demo gave me only adequate 3D sounds. I couldn’t hear distinctly objects circling around me and over me. The direction of the sounds also confused me a bit. I didn’t know whether it was in front of me or behind me. It was quite disappointing."

    Hear the entire sounds by heading over to this location

    Official Crimson Skies Web Site - Falcon @ 12:41 am PST
    Microsoft today announced that the official Web site for Crimson Skies, the highly anticipated action flight game developed by Microsoft and Zipper Interactive, is now live at http://www.microsoft.com/games/crimsonskies/. Shipping in the summer of 2000, Crimson Skies plunges gamers into a world of aerial piracy and daredevil adventures set during the golden age of aviation.

    The official Crimson Skies site offers gamers a wealth of information, including a detailed features list, story background, a multitude of screen shots, and concept art. The site also offers downloadable audio clips and AVIs from the game, as well as a behind the scenes interview with John Howard, the lead designer for Crimson Skies.

    In Crimson Skies, the planes are faster, the engines are bigger, and the guns are more powerful. In this alternate history, the year is 1937 and the United States is fractured into squabbling nation-states brought about by the weight of the Great Depression, regional prohibition, and mounting isolationism. Giant Zeppelins crisscross the skies carrying both passengers and cargo, and airborne bandits are a constant threat. It is a time of gun ship diplomacy and airship piracy, as dastardly villains, beautiful air-privateers and valiant militia forces battle for control of the skies over North America.

    The transcontinental railroad and the budding highway system are in shambles due to the constant border wars of the hostile nation-states of North America. In an effort to maintain commerce and trade, flight becomes the vital lifeline connecting allied countries. America has fallen in love with the airplane, not the automobile, resulting in an explosion of unusual and exotic hot rods of the sky.

    The creative team of FASA Interactive, acquired in 1999 by Microsoft and led by Jordan Weisman (one of the creators of the BattleTech universe), John Howard and Dave McCoy, is providing the vision and design expertise for the Crimson Skies PC game. Zipper Interactive, the development team behind "MechWarrior 3," is leading the day-to-day development of the new game.

    Daikatana: Kelly Hoerner Interview - Falcon @ 12:27 am PST
    Warcentral has an interview with Kelly Hoerner, from ION Storm on Daikatana. Heres a clip:
    [RW] What are some exciting features we can expect in Daikatana?
    [Kelly Hoerner] Well, that's a pretty general question, because there are so many great things. Lots of new engine enhancements, the Sidekick concept has never been done at this scale before, practically four different games in one, etc.

    Wednesday, February 23, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Linux Opposing Force Clarification - Gibb @ 5:20 pm PST
    Patrick Dupree of Gearbox has updated his .plan with this clarification, regarding yesterday's announcement of a Linux dedicated server port for Opposing Force. Here it is:

    One clarification on the WON verification in the dedicated server. Our game will work the same way that Half-Life works. A dedicated server doesn't require a WON ID. The support I have to add for WON is checking to ensure that the people connecting to the dedicated server have been verified through the WON service. So never fear, you can still play and run dedicated server at the same time.
    On another note, congrats to Mystikal, who has finally gotten his braces off.

    Thief 2: The Metal Age Preview - backup @ 5:16 pm PST
    Intrepid, our news guy turned preview guru, has slapped up his latest, this time on Thief 2: The Metal Age. It's a good read and includes a handful of screenshots for your viewing pleasure.

    Need for Speed: High Stakes Patch - Gibb @ 5:13 pm PST
    3D Files has released a patch for Need for Speed: High Stakes. Unfortunately though, there is no description on the page of what changes have been made. Download the patch here.

    Heavy Metal 2 Screens - Surebrec @ 1:37 pm PST
    Gamefan has scored 2 new screenshots from G.O.D of Ritual's Quake3-powered 3rd-person action game, Heavy Metal: FAKK 2, which show off Julie Strain and one of her little friends.

    Gearbox Interview - Surebrec @ 1:28 pm PST
    GamesLink.net has kicked up an interview with Director and Designer of Gearbox Software, Randy Pitchford. In the interview they mainly talk about OpFor and it's success, as well as what's to come. Here's a small snippet:

    GAMELINKS.NET: Any speculation on where gaming technology and the demand for games is going in the next 10 years? It appears that there has been a resurgence of focus on the single-player experience by game development houses like Valve Software and Looking Glass Studios to name a few. Do you think that games will continue moving in this direction or start heading more into the massively multiplayer persistent online worlds?

    RANDY PITCHFORD: : I think it depends on the game. There are a few things being made right now. We've got pure games - like Quake 3 Arena. There's and objective, a winner and a loser. We've also got simulations (including massively multiplayer games). Simulations basically give us a pile of stuff and a set of rules. In pure simulations, the objectives are less specific. You may want to collect stuff, or get famous or kill things. Simulations less often have winners and losers. We've also got narratives. These are games that focus on presenting locations and subject matter and carrying the player along as the protagonist of the story.

    Some of us will focus on the simple rules. Quake 3 Arena, for example, is like tennis or something. It's just a basic set of rules, a couple of tools, and an environment to play in. Quake 3 Arena is closer to the dictionary definition of a "game" than Half-Life is. But, Half-Life is cool too even though its single player game isn't as much of a "game" as Quake 3 Arena is... Know why? Because it's not just a game, it's an experience. It's high-quality digital entertainment. It not only challenges the player, but provides a sense of place and tells a narrative. The reason why we like Half-Life is a combination of the reasons why we like playing other games and why we like going to the movies. Unfortunately, game makers very rarely are equipped with the same training and experience as a good screenwriter - but they think they can handle it. That's why most narrative based games are just stupid.

    I think the games that get made throughout the rest of history will be directly related to the available technology and the desire of the game maker. If a game maker wants to tell a narrative, there's little chance it will work as a massively multiplayer simulation no matter what the market says is the smartest business decision. And, the more game makers look at business trends to influence their decisions about what kinds of games to make, the more gamers will be begging for something new and different to come along.


    Source: VE

    TA:K Patch - Surebrec @ 1:18 pm PST
    3dFiles has posted the new TA:K patch which upgrades your version of TA:K to v3.3BB. You can download it in the 5.9 MB upgrade file, or the full 30MB patch, which upgrades you from the retail version.
    Source: The Dawg Pound

    10SIX Available on Feb. 28 - Surebrec @ 1:14 pm PST
    10SIX, SegaSoft's upcoming massively multiplayer action/strategy game, will be available and online on February 28, 2000 and can be playing on Heat.net. Here's a little snippet on how the game works:

    Players are assigned mining rights to one of a million plots of land--each with a unique landscape--on the planet Visitor. A claim requires that people strengthen, mine for wealth, and protect their land from the assaults of other participants. People can band together and pillage the land claims of other colonists, or build elaborate defenses with others for protection. The action continues 24-7, even when one is not logged on. Gamers may connect to find that their base has been damaged, or even destroyed. For that reason, creating alliances is crucial in 10six. A person's MDN is their clan--the higher the MDN, the greater the power and responsibility. When an MDN member is assaulted, all members are alerted in real-time.

    Check out the full story over here, which also sports 6 nice-lookin' screens from the game.

    SoF Interview - Surebrec @ 1:07 pm PST
    I noticed over at Gamespy that Tokyo3 has scored a sweet little interview with Lead Programmer of SoF, Rick Johnson. In the interview, they chat about how Rick got involved in the game developement business and a little on Soldier of Fortune. Here's a small clip from the interview to get you interested:

    SoF has been stirring up interest world wide, and it seems like its going to be a big hit, especially since games like Rainbow6 have come out, that sort of genre is really booming. Do you think SoF will add new things to the genre, or just build on it and do a good job at that?

    SoF is more geared towards action rather than the strategy elements of Rainbow 6. Certainly GHOUL and the way we have used the modeling system have progressed the genre to the next level. The pure amount of animations, textures, and bolt-ons for the enemies is huge, and as far as I'm aware, leaves the competition in the dust. We have a ton of cinematics which the designers have spent a ton of time on, and they look great. The whole goal of SoF is to make you have fun while giving you a fast paced experienced (i.e. lots of enemies that come after you, as well as various skill level settings / customizability).

    Nox Review - Surebrec @ 12:57 pm PST
    Gamespot has slapped up a review of Westwood Studio's recently released kick-ass action/RPG game, Nox, in which they gave it a score of 8.1. Here's a nice little clip:

    Nox's isometric graphical perspective and action/role-playing hybrid gameplay are unquestionably reminiscent of Diablo, but Nox provides a more action-oriented experience. Character movement is quick, and combat is very fast paced. There are no ethical codes to adhere to unlike in some traditional RPGs. You can't attack characters who aren't enemies, but if the game lets you destroy an object, slaughter a creature, or pilfer a nonplayer character's possessions, then you can rest assured that it's the right thing to do. Since causing chaos isn't penalized, action is almost constant as your character frantically runs through levels, smashing objects and dispatching monsters or other players.

    Daikatana Screen - Surebrec @ 12:53 pm PST
    PlanetDaikatana has posted yet another screenshot from ION Storm's upcoming Daikatana. The screen for today shows off the Daikatana sword in it's powered-up state from Episode I.
    Source: Blues News

    Hired Guns Details and Screens - Surebrec @ 12:49 pm PST
    Speaking of GA-Source, they also received from Psygnosis 6 new screenshots and teammate details from VR1's upcoming Unreal powered action-strategy hybrid, Hired Guns.

    New Devil Inside Screens - Surebrec @ 12:47 pm PST
    GA-Source has recently received 16 new screenshots and character images from Developer Gamesquad's upcoming 3D action/adventure game, Devil Inside.

    Common Q&A with Tim Sweeny! - Surebrec @ 12:43 pm PST
    The Unreal Tech Page has been updated with some very useful questions that Tim Sweeny (Epic) has been commonly asked. Such questions involve how to get started in the game development business and what you need to start working on mods.

    Deus Ex Preview - Surebrec @ 12:38 pm PST
    I noticed over at 24HG that DailyRadar has smacked up a preview on Warren Spector's upcoming action/RPG, Deus Ex. This preview also sports some really phat screens from the game. Here's a juicy little snippet:

    There are some games that are so revolutionary, that they are talked about even years later. System Shock, with its subtle blend of action and role-playing, was one of those classics that a lot of people claimed to have played, but not enough people actually did. Warren Spector, the man behind System Shock, has decided to expand on what he learned in that game, combine it with a gripping plot of conspiracy and paranoia, put it around the Unreal engine and give it all a shiny new polish. The result is an upcoming title from Ion Storm called Deus Ex, which may be one of the strongest early candidates for game of the year.

    Content, content, content - backup @ 11:32 am PST
    I will hopefully be whipping up my review of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater tonight, along with previews of Tribes 2 and Thief 2 by Intrepid.

    Warcraft 3 Screens - Raven @ 2:12 am PST
    GameSpot.com have 6 unseen ScreenShots for Blizzard's up and coming strategy game Warcraft3. Warcraft3 is the 3rd installment of the Warcraft series. However, unlike the previous 2 Warcraft games, that feautres a struggle between two teams -Orcs and Humans- Warcraft3 features a class between 6 DIFFERENT RACES. More importantly Warcraft3 features alot of completely UNIQUE features that will make it an excellent game. Do I have your attention now? Then I suggest you head over here to go view the screenshots.

    New Homeworld Title - Raven @ 1:27 am PST
    Homeworld: Cataclysm, the next installment in the homework series, has just been announced over at the Sierra page. The original Homeworld was a Real Time Strategy (RTS) game that could best be discribed as Wing Commander meets Starcraft. Homeworld was a great game which I certainly enjoyed playing! The expansion for Homeworld should be just as good, heres a quote from Sierra about the new title:
    "Under development by Canadian-based Barking Dog Studios in conjunction with Relic Entertainment, Homeworld: Cataclysm extends Homeworld's revolutionary gameplay with the addition of new ships, an enhanced interface, "fog-of-war" style-visibility limits, way-points, and more control from the sensors manager."
    If you would like to read more head on over to the Sierra homepage at http://www.sierrastudios.com/

    Our Affiliate AN - Raven @ 1:20 am PST
    AncientNation are a top site that provide some of the best articles and gaming news to the gaming community. Sadly however due to inactivity this site has suffered badly and well, to be honest I believed this site was destined for the scrap heap. HOWEVER, to my surprise AN is now on the rebound; with a new layout; new structure; new content and new staff it looks like Ancient Nation will be back soon. If you would like to support our affiliate and check in on them head over to http://ancient.gameznet.com/index.shtml.

    Will PS2 be a good buy? - Raven @ 1:12 am PST
    Good question, after all the Playstation2 has received alot of hype and most sony fans thinks that this new console will be the best thing since sliced bread. ANT.com however disagrees. In one of their recent rants ANT.com takes alot at the PS2 and comes up with afew things that might dampen the hearts of Sony fans. Heres a snipet:
    "People seem to be taking it for granted that the PS2 is going to go over big here in the US. I think that is a dangerous position to take. Let's look at what the PS2 offers point by point, and see if we can draw our own conclusions."
    The rant is a little on the short side but still a good read, check it out here

    Tribes2 Preview - Falcon @ 1:00 am PST
    Anti-Terror of NOVA and Clan Nexus has taken a quick look at what we can expect from Dynamix Tribes 2, sequel to their popular team based game Starsiege: Tribes. Here’s the scoop:

    With the planning and partial development of Tribes Extreme, then it's cancellation, the Tribes community is now awaiting the release of Tribes 2, the sequel. Tribes 2 sets us ahead in time one year from Tribes, 3941 CE, where the Starwolf Tribe is attacked by a new tribe, the BioDerms. Many new features have been added for the return of this popular series including enhanced weather effects, motion capture animation, multiple huds, and much more.
    For more news concerning Dynamix' Tribes and Tribes 2, be sure to check out Starsiege.org.

    Source of this and the last 2 news posts from GameHeadlines.com

    Nox Review - Falcon @ 12:56 am PST
    Gamesfirst has a review of Nox. Here's an excerpt:
    Still, if you liked Diablo, pick up Nox. The single-player game has enough interesting twists and benefits to be considered a worthwhile game in its own right. The levels are inventive, the graphics are solid (especially the way Nox handles line of sight), and there are tons of options for getting the game to run well on a wide variety of computer configurations. Maybe you’ll even enjoy the fps-to-rpg multiplayer conversion. I had loads of fun with the single-player component but it was over too soon and was too restricted because of the inability to play cooperatively. While I have serious doubts about the staying power of Nox, it’s great to have a very good action/rpg title to recommend during the February drought to hold us until the release of Diablo II.

    RollerCoaster Tycoon: CF Review - Falcon @ 12:55 am PST
    Avault has a review of RollerCoaster Tycoon: Corkscrew Follies. Here's a clip:
    Corkscrew Follies offers an amazingly generous 30 new scenarios, compared to 21 in RollerCoaster Tycoon, making this one of the few cases I have seen where an expansion actually has more content than the original release. The new scenarios are quite different, both from each other and from those in the first game, so you never feel like you are just encountering the same old challenges. Even the names of the new scenarios are more creative than the original set, including Haunted Harbot, Funtopia, Jolly Jungle, and Adrenaline Heights. The topography is no longer limited to grassy parks, but includes such seemingly inhospitable settings as seaside cliffs and deep canyons. The new challenges are far more sophisticated than those in RollerCoaster Tycoon, so to succeed, you must have a more versatile set of profit-maximizing strategies.

    TA:K 3.0 Patch - Falcon @ 12:52 am PST
    Cavedog has released version 3.0 patch for Total Annihilation: Kingdoms. New features include:

  • Kingdoms should now run at least two times faster in all instances. In many cases the game will run even faster
    - Faster user interface
    - Faster game loading
    - Faster single and multiplayer gameplay
  • During intense battles, Kingdoms can now automatically adjust the level of shadow detail and animation updating to maintain a responsive frame rate
  • Kingdoms RAM footprint has been reduced by 24MB
  • Kingdoms should now run effectively on a P200 with 32MB of RAM (64MB is highly recommended)
  • A new option to control unit/shadow scaling quality in hardware modes in available
  • A registry control has been added to allow players to change the level of unit animation updating
  • The introduction movie can now be turned off
  • Assigning orders to units while the game is paused has been improved
  • The offensive capabilities of the Veruna Dirigible have been reduced
  • The size and polygon count of the Veruna Dirigible has been decreased
  • The Zhon Wisp will now target and fire more effectively
  • Anti-cheating measures have been updated
  • The multiplayer check making version 2.0 incompatible with version 1.x has been updated
  • A number of errors dealing with unit data have been corrected
  • Two additional maps have been added to the game

    TA:K 3.0 Patch - Falcon @ 12:52 am PST
    Cavedog has released version 3.0 patch for Total Annihilation: Kingdoms. New features include:

  • Kingdoms should now run at least two times faster in all instances. In many cases the game will run even faster
    - Faster user interface
    - Faster game loading
    - Faster single and multiplayer gameplay
  • During intense battles, Kingdoms can now automatically adjust the level of shadow detail and animation updating to maintain a responsive frame rate
  • Kingdoms RAM footprint has been reduced by 24MB
  • Kingdoms should now run effectively on a P200 with 32MB of RAM (64MB is highly recommended)
  • A new option to control unit/shadow scaling quality in hardware modes in available
  • A registry control has been added to allow players to change the level of unit animation updating
  • The introduction movie can now be turned off
  • Assigning orders to units while the game is paused has been improved
  • The offensive capabilities of the Veruna Dirigible have been reduced
  • The size and polygon count of the Veruna Dirigible has been decreased
  • The Zhon Wisp will now target and fire more effectively
  • Anti-cheating measures have been updated
  • The multiplayer check making version 2.0 incompatible with version 1.x has been updated
  • A number of errors dealing with unit data have been corrected
  • Two additional maps have been added to the game

    Interview: Hard Truck 2 - Falcon @ 12:37 am PST
    Hard Truck 2 promises to usher in a brand new genre of driving titles - featuring a unique truck driving simulator with strategical and economical elements. In Hard Truck 2 not only will you have to contend with changing road and weather conditions, but you'll also face economical and physical challenges (i.e. the Mafia, police forces, etc).

    To find out more about this unique racing title, check out the interview with Nikolay Baryshnikov, PR Manager for 1C - includes 8 new screenshots.

    Ronaldo V-Football Info/screens - Falcon @ 12:35 am PST
    Cyber Soccer has have posted a press release from Infogrames about their upcoming Playstation football (soccer) title, Ronaldo V-Football, with a few new screenshots at this location

    Seeker Q&A, Dev update - Falcon @ 12:35 am PST
    With the recent news that Logic Factory's action role-playing adventure game "Seeker" has been delayed until Q3 2000, GA asked Todd Templeman to shed some light on their reasons and for a development update. Find out what his response was here

    Tuesday, February 22, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Common Unreal ?'s Answered - backup @ 6:39 pm PST
    Tim Sweeney has completed yet another update to the Unreal Technology Page, with a Q&A covering questions ranging from Mod Authoring, to some links to Unreal Editing resources.

    Voyager Interview - backup @ 6:38 pm PST
    Gamefan has slapped up an interview with Steve Elwell, the producer on Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force. Check the interview out here!
    Source: Blues News

    Picassa Q&A - backup @ 6:36 pm PST
    Game-Interviews.com has slapped up a Q&A with members of Promethean Designs on Picasso, the PC First person game of fine art thievery.

    Nels Brucker, Dynamix - backup @ 6:34 pm PST
    Dynamix's programmer Nels Bruckner has updated his .plan with a response to the rumour about him leaving Dynamix for a local startup soon. Here is what he had to say:

    Some of you may have noticed that I've been a little harder to get in touch with lately and have been a little less responsive to emails and the like. That's because I've been trying very hard to wrap up all the loose ends around here before I move on. Yep, that's right -- after almost 12 years here at Dynamix it is (past) time for me to look for a new set of challenges and see what life is really like out there. :) I'll be joining a small local startup... kinda like I did 11 1/2 years ago.

    I think Dynamix has some extremely bright and talented people working for them and a whole slough of exciting projects (both in progress and soon to be started). It's hard to leave. In particular, it's gonna be really weird seeing Tribes 2 for the first time on the shelves! But, given my personal situation and my current opportunities, I feel this is the right move for me now.

    Now, how am I going to fit all the "stuff" from my office into my car? ;)

    Might and Magic VIII Preview - backup @ 6:32 pm PST
    GameSpot has whipped up a fine preview of Might and Magic VIII, taking a look at their latest 3d installment of the famous Role Playing series. The article points out a new storyline and features, along with a nice amount of screenshots.

    Allegiance Preview - Intrepid @ 1:57 pm PST
    Gamespot UK has slapped up their preview of Allegiance, Microsoft's space sim, whose open beta was held on the Zone. They also have a few screenshots.

    OpForce News - Gibb @ 1:54 pm PST
    Patrick Dupree of Gearbox updated his .plan file and updated us on the status of the Linux port for Opposing Force. Here it is:
    A while back we talked about releasing a Linux dedicated server version of Half Life: Opposing Force. I wanted to post an update on how that's going. We've had the "port" done for quite a while now and it's been tested and works just great. The only problem is that, since we're a commercial add-on, we need to put WON net support into the Linux dedicated server. This is turning out to be a harder to deal with issue than I originally anticipated. Some changes to the WON libraries since we released Opposing Force, plus the basic differences between the Windows and Linux versions have been delaying the Linux dedicated server.

    I'm still working on the Linux version when I can and I would like to get it released ASAP, but unfortunately I have to resolve these WON issues before I can get any farther.

    He also sends along this:
    On the brighter side of things, it looks like Sierra has dropped the price of Opposing Force. The product description on their web page store has it listed at $29.95, and the current weekend ad flyer for Best Buy has it listed for $24.99.
    Check out the whole .plan update here.
    Source: Blues News

    New Affiliate - Falcon @ 2:44 am PST
    We have a new affiliate here at Gamesurge - iNsane Gamers - Enjoying every moment of their insanity. They are a great source for reviews and news, so head over there now.

    Superbike 2000 Review - Falcon @ 2:40 am PST
    New at PCGamers.net is a review of EA Sport's Superbike 2000. The final score was 91 out of 100.
    "I like this game, I'm a little bit disappointed at the split screen multiplayer mode and the music but other than that I think I've found a great superbike racing sim. The developers paid careful attention to every single detail of superbike simulating and I must say that I'm very pleased with the outcome. Highly recommended for superbike racing fans."

    Red Storm's plans for E3 - Falcon @ 12:08 am PST
    Red Storm Entertainment will be in full force at E3 this year and Stomped @ E3 has the exclusive word on what will be shown there by the company, including some hints as to Red Storm titles that haven't been officially announced yet. Check it out at you know where

    Also up is Rogue Entertainment's Jim Molinets giving out his E3 memories and expectations at Stomped @ E3.

    EA news on Splinter - Falcon @ 12:07 am PST
    With the recent news of Splinter being dropped by Electronic Arts, the developers Stromlo Entertainment explains why it happened and sent the latest update on their game. More on it here

    Everglide Giganta Review - Falcon @ 12:06 am PST
    The guys at Exxtreme3d have reviewed another mousepad (first mousepad reviews i've seen before actually), heres a snippet:
    "The Everglide Giganta measures at a large (maybe that's why it's called the Giganta) 9.5" high, 11.5" wide, and 0.25" deep. That's one cool (and big) mousepad you got there. Unlike other mousepads that has a rubber, sponge-like surface, the Giganta has a sleek polymer coating to let your mouse "ever so glide" across it. On the bottom of the pad are 5 rubber points so the pad won't glide across your desk. Of course, on the lower-left side are the words "Everglide Giganta" on it. Do you think they're advertising this pad? Nah..."
    To get the gigantic review (well, it's not really that big), just clamber over there

    Monday, February 21, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    R4 Ridge Racer Type 4 Review - backup @ 4:01 pm PST
    I've slapped up my latest review, this time of Namco's latest addition to their masterpeice racing series, R4 Ridge Racer Type 4. You can view it here.

    GamePC Interview - Intrepid @ 3:16 pm PST
    This in from Jodo Kast.
    Ever wondered how gaming computer companies such as Alienware or Falcon choose their parts? Or who they prefer, 3dfx or NVIDIA? Check out our latest exclusive interview with GamePC, a new company that specializes in computer gaming machines.

    3DMark2000 Contest and Review - Intrepid @ 3:11 pm PST
    MadOnion.com has sent PCParadox 10 copies of 3DMark2000 to give away in their contest. Just head on over to the contest page and check out whats going on. Be sure to also check out their review of 3DMark2000.

    Hard Truck 2 First Look - Intrepid @ 3:07 pm PST
    Inferno of 3DRacing.net has posted a firstlook of 1C's upcoming game Hard Truck 2. They have alsoposted some new screenshots which can be found here! Here is a tidbit:
    Hard Truck was an anticipated title for the sheer reason that it allowed would be truckers to have a virtual area to deliver goods, and to even do a little truck racing. As most of you know however, the game fell flat on its face. Well trucking fans, get ready to jump back in the saddle. Hard Truck 2 is only a bit more than a month away, and it is looking promising.
    Read the full preview here!

    Thrustmaster Charger Review - Intrepid @ 3:05 pm PST
    Frugal's World has posted a review of the Thrustmaster Charger Wheel. Here's a snippet:
    The first game I tested the Charger in was Rally Championship. It seems that my worries about the lack of pedals were totally unfounded. I actually found the paddles easier to use once I got used to them. The feel of the wheel was great, it has a good tension and returns to centre well. The control afforded by the wheel is excellent and certainly does not give away the low price tag, the wheel for my Playstation cost twice as much and doesn't perform anywhere near as well.

    Daikatana Shots - Surebrec @ 2:01 pm PST
    PlanetDaikatana has just kicked up a brand new screenshot from Daikatana which show off the "Deathsphere and Ragemaster". Go check 'em out on the main news page before they go away!

    Everquest: Ruins of Kunark Interview - Surebrec @ 1:45 pm PST
    Speaking of PC.IGN, they have also smacked up an interview with Producer Brad McQuaid on the upcoming expansion pack for the evergrowing world of Everquest. In the interview they talk mainly about the game and how it will work, and also a little bit on what Verant will be putting out next. Here's a juicy snippet for you all:

    IGNPC: One of the biggest additions for EverQuest players in the expansion pack will undoubtedly be the addition of the Lizardman race the Iksar. Tell us a bit about them and their homeland of Kunark.

    Brad McQuaid: The Iksar are a neutral-evil race of Lizardmen who once ruled Kunark with an iron fist. Their empire has since declined, leaving ruins of their once great cities strewn across the continent, inhabited by exotic races and monsters.

    IGNPC: Each of the cities in EverQuest has a very distinct feel and flavor. For example, Kaladim (the Dwarven city) is carved from the inside of the ButcherBlock Mountains and is very dark while Kelethin (city of the Wood Elves) is built on pedestals high in the treetops. What's the character of the Iksarian town going to be like?

    BM: The Iksar home town, called Cabilis, is in the process of being rebuilt. Many buildings are new or refurbished, yet there are still ruins around town, testament to the fact that it is being built upon the remnants of an earlier city. If the city is to be compared with anything from real life, I'd say it mostly resembles Venice, including some waterways.

    Tiberiun Sun: Firestorm Preview - Surebrec @ 1:40 pm PST
    The boys over at PC.IGN have kicked up a huge preview of Westwood Studios upcoming C&C title, Tiberiun Sun: Firestorm. The preview sports a few screenshots and an entire list and descriptions of the units in Firestorm. Firestorm should be out in Spring 2000.

    AOpen AX63 Pro Mobo Article - Surebrec @ 1:36 pm PST
    Digital Clips has recently slapped up an article on AOpen's AX63 Pro motherboard, which has proven itself to be one hell of an overclocker and a dream match for the new Coppermines. Here's a small clip from the article:

    Today's new barrage of highly overclockable Coppermines raise the requirements bar again with 133MHz FSB rapidly becoming the minimum requirement for hardcore overclockers. While the aging 440BX unofficially supports 133MHz, AOpen's AX63 Pro, powered by VIA's Apollo 133 Pro comes with native support as well as other goodies.

    Wait, a non-Intel AOpen based on an Apollo chipset? Does it live up to its family legacy, or is it the end of AOpen's reputation as a rock solid overclocker's choice?"

    Head on over to here for the article.

    FAKK 2 Screenshots - Surebrec @ 1:32 pm PST
    GA-Source has got their hands on a few new screenshots from Ritual Entertainment's upcoming Q3-powered action/adventure, Heavy Metal: FAKK2. One of them shows off the new Julie model and costume.

    Console Release Dates - backup @ 9:54 am PST
    F E B R U A R Y

    14 - Ridge Racer 64 - N64 / NINTENDO OF AMERICA
    15 - All Star Tennis 99 - PLAYSTATION / UBI SOFT
    15 - Boarder Zone - DREAMCAST / INFOGRAMES
    15 - Carrier - DREAMCAST / JALECO
    15 - Colin McRae Rally - PLAYSTATION / SCEA
    15 - Fighter Destiny II - PLAYSTATION / SCEA
    15 - Jackie Chan Stunt Master - PLAYSTATION / MIDWAY
    15 - LEGO Rock Raiders - PLAYSTATION / LEGO MEDIA
    15 - NHL Blades of Steel 2000 - PLAYSTATION / KONMAI
    15 - Rayman 2 - PLAYSTATION / UBI SOFT
    15 - Saga Frontier 2 - PLAYSTATION / ELECTRONIC ARTS
    15 - Test Drive Rally - PLAYSTATION / INFOGRAMES
    17 - Deception III - PLAYSTATION / TECMO
    17 - ECW: Hardcore Revolution - DREAMCAST / ACCLAIM
    17 - ECW: Hardcore Revolution - N64 / ACCLAIM
    17 - ECW: Hardcore Revolution - PLAYSTATION / ACCLAIM
    22 - Army Men Sarge's Heroes - PLAYSTATION / 3D0
    22 - Crusaders of Might & Magic - PLAYSTATION / 3D0
    22 - Superbike 2000 - PLAYSTATION / EleCTRONIC ARTS
    24 - Fear Effect - PLAYSTATION / EIDOS INTERACTIVE
    25 - Renegade Racer - PLAYSTATION / INTERPLAY
    25 - South Park Rally - N64 / ACCLAIM
    28 - Omikron - DREAMCAST / EIDOS INTERACTIVE
    28 - Urban Chaos - PLAYSTATION / EIDOS INTERACTIVE
    29 - Carmageddon - PLAYSTATION / INTERPLAY
    29 - Eagle One - PLAYSTATION / INFOGRAMES
    29 - Roadsters - PLAYSTATION / TITUS
    29 - Street Sk8ter 2 - PLAYSTATION / ELECTRONIC ARTS
    29 - Time Stalkers - DREAMCAST / SEGA


    M A R C H

    01 - Big Mountain 2000 - PLAYSTATION / SCEA
    01 - Colony Wars Red Sun - PLAYSTATION / ACTIVISION
    01 - Dark Angel: Vampire Apocolypse - DREAMCAST / METRO3D
    01 - Die Hard Trilogy 2 - PLAYSTATION / FOX INTERACTIVE
    01 - Digimon World - PLAYSTATION / BANDAI
    01 - Hot Shots Golf 2 - PLAYSTATION / SCEA
    01 - International Rally - PLAYSTATION / KONAMI
    01 - Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 - DREAMCAST / ACCLAIM
    01 - Major League Soccer - N64 / KONAMI
    01 - Rollcage Stage II - PLAYSTATION / ACTIVISION
    01 - Striker Pro 2000 - DREAMCAST / INFOGRAMES
    01 - Syphon Filter 2 - PLAYSTATION / SCEA
    01 - Test Drive Cycles - PLAYSTATION / INFOGRAMES
    01 - WWF Smackdown - PLAYSTATION / THQ
    07 - Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere - PLAYSTATION / NAMCO
    07 - Championship Bass - PLAYSTATION / ELECTRONIC ARTS
    07 - Draconus Cult of Wyrm - DREAMCAST / CRAVE
    07 - Hydro Thunder - PLAYSTATION / MIDWAY
    07 - Sim Theme Park - PLAYSTATION / ELECTRONIC ARTS
    07 - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater - N64 / ACTIVISION
    07 - World League Soccer 2000 - PLAYSTATION / SCEA
    14 - MDK 2 - DREAMCAST / INTERPLAY
    14 - Toy Story 2 - DREAMCAST / ACTIVISION
    14 - Triple Play 2001 - PLAYSTATION / ELECTRONIC ARTS
    14 - Virtual Striker 2 - DREAMCAST / SEGA
    15 - Galerians - PLAYSTATION / CRAVE
    15 - Rayman 2 - DREAMCAST / UBI SOFT
    15 - Resident Evil: Code Veronica - DREAMCAST / CAPCOM
    15 - Romance of the Three Kingdomes VI - PLAYSTATION / KOEI
    15 - Street Fighter Alpha 3 - DREAMCAST / CAPCOM
    20 - Carmageddon - N64 / TITUS
    21 - Battlezone - N64 / CRAVE
    21 - Caesars Palace 2000 - PLAYSTATION / INTERPLAY
    21 - Caesars Palace 2000 - DREAMCAST / INTERPLAY
    21 - CyberTiger Woods Golf - N64 / ELECTRONIC ARTS
    21 - Extreme Hockey: Rock the Rink - PLAYSTATION / ELECTRONIC ARTS
    21 - Gauntlet Legends - PLAYSTATION / MIDWAY
    21 - Major League Baseball 2001 - PLAYSTATION / FOX INTERACTIVE
    21 - Major League Soccer - PLAYSTATION / KONAMI
    24 - Disney World Racing - PLAYSTATION / EIDOS INTERACTIVE
    27 - F1 2000 - PLAYSTATION / ELECTRONIC ARTS
    28 - Berzerk - DREAMCAST / EIDOS INTERACTIVE
    28 - Nightmare Creatures 2 - PLAYSTATION / EIDOS INTERACTIVE
    28 - Test Drive Le Mans - PLAYSTATION / INFOGRAMES
    29 - Gekido - PLAYSTATION / INTERPLAY
    30 - Off Road - DREAMCAST / INTERPLAY
    Source: AVault

    PC Release Dates - backup @ 9:53 am PST
    21 - PBA Bowling II - BETHESDA
    22 - Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack - ELECTRONIC ARTS
    22 - Formula 1 99 - ACTIVISION
    22 - Mobil 1 Rally Championship - ELECTRONIC ARTS
    23 - Die Hard Trilogy 2 - FOX INTERACTIVE
    24 - Invictus: In the Shadows of Olympus - INTERPLAY ENTERTAINMENT
    25 - Renegade Racer - INTERPLAY ENTERTAINMENT
    25 - CodeName Eagle - TALONSOFT
    25 - Hidden & Dangerous: Gold Edition - TALONSOFT
    25 - TZAR: Burden of the Crown - TALONSOFT
    29 - Army Men Air Tactics - 3DO
    29 - F-18 Super Hornet - INTERPLAY ENTERTAINMENT
    29 - Freespace 2: Sim of the Year Edition - INTERPLAY ENTERTAINMENT
    29 - Might & Magic VIII: Day of Destroyer - 3DO
    29 - Sammy Sosa Softball Slam - 3DO
    29 - Superbike 2000 - ELECTRONIC ARTS

    M A R C H

    01 - Daikatana - EIDOS INTERACTIVE
    01 - IHRA Drag Racing - BETHESDA
    01 - Formula 1 World Grand Prix 1999 - EIDOS INTERACTIVE
    01 - Silent Hunter II - MINDSCAPE
    01 - Skip Barber Racing - BETHESDA
    02 - Croc 2 - FOX INTERACTIVE
    03 - Total Annihilation Kingdoms: Iron Plague - GT INTERACTIVE
    07 - Boarder Zone - INFOGRAMES
    07 - Dawn of War - SOUTHPEAK INTERACTIVE
    07 - Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball 2001 - 3DO
    07 - Tiberian Sun: Firestorm - ELECTRONIC ARTS
    07 - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2000 - ELECTRONIC ARTS
    09 - Messiah - SHINY
    14 - Aliens vs Predator Gold Edition - FOX INTERACTIVE
    14 - Soldier of Fortune - ACTIVISION
    14 - Star Trek Armada - ACTIVISION
    15 - Ultimate Hunt Challenge - ELECTRONIC ARTS
    17 - Warlords Battlecry - MINDSCAPE
    20 - B17 Flying Fortress - HASBRO INTERACTIVE
    20 - Imperium Galactica II - GT INTERACTIVE
    20 - Ka-52 Team Alligator - GT INTERACTIVE
    20 - Reach for the Stars - MINDSCAPE
    20 - Star Wars Force Commander - LUCASARTS
    20 - Wild Metal - TALONSOFT
    21 - Starfleet Command: Gold Edition - INTERPLAY ENTERTAINMENT
    21 - Gunship! - HASBRO INTERACTIVE
    21 - Heroes III: Shadow of Death - 3DO
    21 - Majesty - HASBRO INTERACTIVE
    21 - NASCAR 2000 - ELECTRONIC ARTS
    21 - Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed - ELECTRONIC ARTS
    21 - Risk II - HASBRO INTERACTIVE
    22 - Thief II: The Metal Age - EIDOS INTERACTIVE
    23 - Allegiance - MICROSOFT
    23 - Baseball 2001 - MICROSOFT
    24 - F1 2000 - ELECTRONIC ARTS
    24 - Triple Play 2001 - ELECTRONIC ARTS
    28 - Dukes of Hazzard - SOUTHPEAK INTERACTIVE
    28 - MDK2 - INTERPLAY ENTERTAINMENT
    28 - Vampire: The Masquerade - ACTIVISION
    30 - Anachronox - EIDOS INTERACTIVE
    31 - Proflight 2000 - AETI-APOLLO
    31 - Start Up 2000 - INTERPLAY ENTERTAINMENT
    31 - Simon the Sorceror 3D - SOUTHPEAK INTERACTIVE
    Source: AVault

    EA Release Schedule - Intrepid @ 8:43 am PST
    Saw this on Sniper's Alley:
    TBA COMMAND AND CONQUER RENEGADE
    18/02/2000 Rally Championship
    25/02/2000 NOX PC
    03/03/2000 SUPERBIKE 2000
    10/03/2000 ULTIMA ASCENSION
    17/03/2000 C&C TIBERIAN SUN FIRESTORM
    24/03/2000 Theme Park World
    24/03/2000 CRICKET 2000 PSX
    24/03/2000 CRICKET 2000 PC
    31/03/2000 TIGER WOODS 2000 PGA TOUR GOLF PC
    31/03/2000 TIGER WOODS 2000 PGA TOUR GOLF PSX
    31/03/2000 F1 2000 PSX
    31/03/2000 F1 2000 PC
    31/03/2000 NEED FOR SPEED PORSCHE 2000 PSX
    31/03/2000 NEED FOR SPEED PORSCHE 2000 PC
    04/08/2000 Rugby 2000 PSX
    04/08/2000 RUGBY 2000 PC

    The Sims Review - Intrepid @ 8:38 am PST
    GameLinks slapped up their review, Maxis' latest "life simulation".

    Interview with Monolith CEO Jason Hall - Gibb @ 6:44 am PST
    RPOV has interviewed Monolith CEO Jason Hall. They talk about Monolith's recent rash of engine licensing of late, and Monolith in general. Here's a super-heated little snippet:
    stonewall: How did Monolith come together and take over Blood development from Apogee/3d Realms in 1997? What was Monolith doing between 1995 and 1997?

    Jason: Your question requires an incredibly in-depth answer, and unfortunately I don't have time to write the dissertation that would be required to do this justice - so here is the quick summation: Blood development - The owner was a friend, the game looked cool we just bought the company and helped to finish it up (which took a year). Between 1995-1997 - We were scrambling and trying not to run out of money while we slowly realized that LithTech was going to run WAY over budget.

    Check the whole interview out here.

    On another note, Happy President's Day.

    New SoF Site - Gibb @ 6:14 am PST
    Another Soldier of Fortune site has opened, this one SoF Operations. They have all kinds of good stuff for your SoF craving, and also feature 55 screenshots for your viewing pleasure. Check out SoF Operations here.

    Sunday, February 20, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    FFA Links Page - Falcon @ 11:48 pm PST
    Just a reminder, if you have a web site and would like to have your link on our page, feel free to submit it to our FFA Links Page, located here

    Additionally, if you would like your site to be added to our news mailing list, emails us and we will see to doing that. Alternaticely, you can subscribe to our newsletter, located at this page

    Rogue Spear Review - Falcon @ 11:33 pm PST
    We have a new review of RS: Rogue Spear, you can reach it here

    E3 Stomped News - Falcon @ 11:00 pm PST
    These guys just wont quit will they ;)The latest from them is a way to 'Win The Future" with a chance for a reader to win a copy of Diablo II, Halo, and Team Fortress II. More details can be found at http://e3.stomped.com

    While youre there they also have the word from 3D Realms texture and skin artist Ruben Cabrera giving his (brief) E3 memories and expectations

    Pharaoh Review - Surebrec @ 10:57 pm PST
    GA-Strategy sent word that they have slapped up their review of the recently released Pharaoh, which is a "strategic city-building game, set in Egypt roughly 2900 to 700 BC, where players can grow Egyptian villages into thriving metropolises, interact with your citizens, raise their hopes or raze their homes".

    Quake 3 Mods - backup @ 9:07 pm PST
    Robert Duffy, from Id Software, updated his .plan earlier with an essay on Q3A mod support. Here is a snippet.

    Point Release Stuff

    There was a lot of new functionality added in the latest point release, primarily centered around mod development support. We are still sifting through all the feedback e-mail but here are some problems and solutions based on what we have found so far.

    1. If you are are not seeing the new "Mods" menu, it is likely that you are running something that replaces the UI. ArenaSpy and several other mods have their own UI DLL's or QVM's so you will not be able to see the point release UI. This can be remedied by removing any extra UI mods. This can also cause a problem with auto-download in that if you connect to a server that sends you something, you cannot see the download progress because the UI your using does not support it. The download is working but you just see "Awaiting gamestate" ( because your not using the new UI ). If you see partial files in baseq3 or an fs_game path this is what happened. Again, using the UI that comes with the point release solves this problem.

    2. If you have chosen a 3rd party model or skin, you CAN still connect to and play on pure servers. The caveat being that you will temporarily revert to Sarge. This works just like it always has.

    3. If you are using a cracked executable, you will no longer be able to connect to pure servers. "You ruined the game, I cannot cheat anymore!" is not a valid complaint.

    4. If you are not able to join a server and you get an "unpure" client message, it is likely that you are loading content from an invalid PK3 file, loading DLL's for gameplay or loading content outside of PK3 files. If you have modified any of the official PK3 files this will also cause you to not be able to connect to pure servers. The other case in which I have seen this is if the server was set to pure and not restarted. I am still looking into this one.

    5. I have seen reports of non-pure clients not getting kicked fully and remaining semi-connected. I have be unable to duplicate this problem. If you have details on this please forward them to me.

    6. If you cannot see a 3rd party model, I have tracked this down to the method which it was zipped. It appears that some zip programs do not store directory names as individual entries in the zip files. I use Winzip and it works fine.

    7. You can use 3rd party UI's to launch games and connect to pure servers. Once you have connected to a pure server, the client will reload the UI based on what the server flags is ok. This will explain running a new UI ( like ArenaSpy ), playing on a pure server, exiting back to the menu and ArenaSpy is gone.

    8. There have been a couple of reports of not being able to load nn number of maps, others have reported no problems. We load around 2500 maps from the development directory here and with that and locally I have not been able to duplicate this issue. And no, there are not 2500 maps we did not release.. these are largely successive numbered versions of the same maps.

    If you have any information that could help identify a problem or an exact set of reproduction steps for unpure clients not getting fully kicked or not being able to load maps from baseq3, please forward the information to me at raduffy@idsoftware.com.

    And for those of you wanting to try out that new Mod menu, I highly suggest HeadHunters or Fists of Fury those along with many others are Very Cool.


    Source: Blues News

    GS IRC Channel - Surebrec @ 8:43 pm PST
    As we continue our plot to expand our website and eventually take over the internet... err nevermind I'm not supposed to mention that. Anyways, we here at Gamesurge have just opened up our official channel on IRC. It can be accessed at irc.enterthegame.com , #gamesurge. You can get to our channel by using mIRC or some other IRC client. See ya there!

    Most Advanced N64 Game - backup @ 10:26 am PST
    I saw over on IGN 64 in the latest issue of Ed's rumor report that they said something about a 64 game coming up in the future that won't look like one, and will fill a generation gap. Here is what he had to say.

    "You will be Amazed
    In just over a month, the most technically advanced Nintendo 64 game ever created will be announced. It will not look like a Nintendo 64 game at all and you will be delighted by the genre gap it fills. Until that announcement, I will speak very vaguely of it and make you very, very angry."

    Make sure on March 15, 30th you check out IGN.com ever day, because I am sure you all want to actually see a good 64 game, besides Goldeneye :0

    Source: IGN 64 Rumour Report

    Star Wars: Pit Droids Demo - Gibb @ 8:13 am PST
    FilePlanet has put up the Star Wars: Pit Droids demo. Here's the description from FilePlanet:
    Looming over Tatooine in a transport ship is the largest shipment of these pit droids that Watto, the Toydarian junk dealer, has ever purchased. Watto was hoping to sell the droids for various uses on Tatooine. Unfortunately, it turns out that these pit droids are only good at one thing -- fixing Podracers. Waiting idly in their ship, the pit droids have already caused more damage than even Watto's star mechanic, Anakin Skywalker, could possibly repair. Desperate, Watto begs the player's assistance in moving these mindless mechanicals from their transport ship to the Podrace Arena where their energies can be put to good use.
    Download it here. It weighs in at about 17 megs.

    The Forum QOTW - backup @ 6:16 am PST
    Okay, to get the forums a little notice, were going to start having a topic of the week, where you can go and post your response(s) in the General Forum area(s). This weeks question is Which is better, Quake 3 or Unreal Tournament, and why? Hit the forums!

    AudioStorm FS2 Review - Gibb @ 6:05 am PST
    The boys over at GA Source has posted a review of the AudioStorm FS2, a flat panel speaker system. Here's a scrumptious little snippet:
    If you have a Mac Powerbook notebook computer and travel a lot, I strongly urge you pick up a set of these speakers in the matching color. They easily will fit in the bag with the Powerbook, and will give you better sound than the built in speakers. Especially for a boring night in a hotel room when traveling on business, this will make DVD movies sound a good bit better by separating the speakers more.

    Even for PC users, these speakers make a good add-on for any notebook computer if you use it to play movies. For home use as well, they are a reasonable replacement for the serious bargain bin speakers that come with many low cost PCs. These aren't quite rock your world speakers, but I have spent more than these speakers cost on a steak. As an inexpensive and very portable speaker system, these fit the bill.

    Check the whole review out here.


    Hired Guns Screenshots and Engine Details - Gibb @ 5:57 am PST
    GA Source has posted some screenshots about Psygnosis's upcoming Unreal powered action-strategy hybrid, Hired Guns. They also put up some details about the modified Unreal engine they will be using. Here it is:
    The development team for Hired Guns was one of the first licensees of the Unreal engine. As in many situations like this, we rewrote and modified much of the Unreal engine.

    For instance, modifications to the interface and input capabilities were made to allow simultaneous control of the four team members. We integrated extensive enhancement and optimization of the rendering-pipeline to support simultaneous, realtime, multiple-viewports rendering. The core AI handling was completely rewritten in order to make the enemies and characters act and react in realistic ways. We developed numerous tools and utilities as well as heavily modified the Unreal editor, to support the scope of the Hired Guns levels.

    Check the whole thing out here.

    Baldur's Gate II Downloads - Gibb @ 5:49 am PST
    I saw on Voodoo Extreme that Bioware has slapped up some new Baldur's Gate II desktop themes for the upcoming RPG sequel. They also have started a contest in which you can get your own character in the finished product.

    Gamefan's Impression on Windows 2000 - Gibb @ 5:44 am PST
    Gamefan has posted a little article about their impressions of Win2K when they went to the Windows 2000 Launch Party. From the article, it seems that the new Microsoft OS is geared more to businesses, and less to gamers. Here's a nice refried snippet:
    I found it a bit disturbing that Microsoft aimed its new OS at the corporate cash cows and no one else. Not once did they mention the graphics workstation community (which to this point was using WinNT) or the multimedia community (not too much of a surprise, though this seems to be Apple's target market of late). Still, despite this neglect, I believe a lot of other types of users would be interested in Windows 2000, and Microsoft failed to mention any other than the business user. With its more stable NT-based kernel, multiple processor support, a new TCP/IP stack, as well as assurances from the beta that it's a pretty solid OS, I would think a lot of users might want to give this OS a spin. Gamers like me want to know how it stands up to games; these features (particularly the dual processor) could make it an ideal platform for gaming. These features mildly excite me, as well, and I really wanted to take a copy back home.
    Check the whole article out here.

    Saturday, February 19, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer Review - backup @ 9:14 pm PST
    I've whipped up my latest hardware review, this time of Microsoft's Intellimouse Explorer Mouse, which you can check out by heading here.

    Mindrover Review - Surebrec @ 8:46 pm PST
    Mah boys (or should I say girls) over at 24 Hour Gamer have posted a review of CogniToy's strategy title, Mindrover. However, this isn't like a classic strategy title, because it mixes elements of programming, and action into it. Here is a bit from the review:

    CogniToy are not aiming for the lowest common denominator. CogniToy are not even pitching at the average 24Hr Gamer. Instead, CogniToy have opted for a cerebral, deeply intellectual game, which may thrill some, or may be shunned as geek genre. Described as a game where you "create robotic vehicles using a wide array of different components, program their behavior, then set them free to compete with each other", MindRover is best described as a strategy/programming hybrid with a healthy dab of action, which favors brains over brawn. Let me assure you that you won't need to adjust your PS2 mouse rate for this game.

    Deus Ex Q&A, Screenshots - Surebrec @ 8:44 pm PST
    The boys over at GA-RPG have posted an exclusive interview with Lead Game Designer of Deus Ex, Warren Spector. In it, they include some new screenshots from this upcoming kick ass RPG.

    Ratpad Review - Falcon @ 5:26 pm PST
    Exxtreme3D has just reviewed the Ratpad by Ratpadz, one of the up and coming mousepad companies out there. It seems like Everglide has a new company to contend with, in terms of who makes the better mousepad! Here's a little cheese for you:
    "The Ratpad will give you the advantage over the other Quake III players with its plastic design. Because of its smooth surface, the Ratpad give you even more accuracy than a normal pad would. Combine this smooth surface with the razer mouse, and you will find yourself fragging more than ever before. At first, I thought that this pad would not change much, it would just give my computer desktop a stronger gamers look to it. But it really does improve your gameplay."
    To catch the whole mouse, just scurry on over there

    GS is Hiring! - backup @ 10:05 am PST
    Got mad writing skills? Dedicated? Love getting free games? Then we got a job for you!

    General Requirements

    The following requirements apply to all positions listed, in no special
    order, below:

    1) Must be at least 17 years of age. GameSurge works to keep a fairly
    professional manner, and the fact that maturity is needed;
    2) Must be reliable and organized day in and day out of the position;
    3) Must have excellent writing, grammatical skills, solely because we
    thrive on professionalism;
    4) All positions are, of course, non paying jobs. You must be dedicated to
    your staff position--if you begin to slack, you will be immediately be
    released from staff.

    News Reporter

    News reporter positions are very demanding jobs. Staff members who post
    news are required to find and post news regarding the gaming community in
    particular, and hardware. News reporters, on average take at least 3 hours
    a day doing news. This includes finding and posting news. This position
    can require staff to visit up to thirty (example figure) or less different
    sources, multiple times a day for news.

    Requirements: HTML knowledge, some DHTML, CGI experience.

    Reviewer
    Reviewers must be able to write a very detailed, well-written review of
    either a software based product or hardware product(s). This position
    requires you to write a review at least once every three weeks. Requesting
    products must go through me, and for hardware specific requests, I must
    interview the staff member.

    Requirements: read above general requirements.

    Previewer

    Previewers must devote their time on researching a software or hardware
    product. Researching products can not only be stressful but strenuous for
    the previewer. Applying for this position requires you to do some research,
    they must know when to give credit to a gaming related site, since GameSurge
    does not want to get into any illegal trouble. Previewers must be able to
    preview a game at least a minimum of one month. You must be dedicated to
    apply for this position.

    Requirements: researching skills.

    Last before least, you must tell us in your short resume these specific
    things:

    1) Real name;

    2) Age;

    3) ICQ contact (if applicable);

    4) E-mail address (for contact specific reasons);

    5) Past experience;

    6) Sites (does not have to be gaming related) you've worked with before (if
    applicable);

    If you qualify, I will personally interview you. Send all resumes to Dyson, with the subject heading "Job Application." Good luck, ladies and gents!

    Dell's Exclusive 64 MB GeForce Chip - backup @ 9:30 am PST
    Dell, a computer maker, is preparing to introduce a version of nVidia's GeForce that will have 64MB of ram. The 64MB DDR (Double Data Rate) nVidia GeForce Cards will be available in Dimension B Series computers for a price that hasn't been announced. If your looking into a new system, and want extreme graphics power, I would have to recommend this one to you. With games out like Unreal Tournament and Quake 3, you need the power of this kind of graphics card to run in resolutions of 1600x1200 32bit color with high framerates. Here is what Andy Prince (PR Guy from Dell) had to say.

    "The card won't be available separately from Dell Dimension B computers for approximately one month. After that, the card will likely become available separately from graphics card makers. No product announcements have been made at this time.

    Prince doesn't expect people to purchase Dell systems just for the exclusive card. "[There are] people who have machines that are two or three years old," he said, "and they keep saying 'I'm gonna wait a little longer until...something new comes out.' This is that thing that's new."

    More Downloads! - backup @ 9:12 am PST
    Check the top files area on the right by scrolling down a bit. Enough said :)

    X-COM: Alliance Preview - Gibb @ 7:09 am PST
    PC.IGN.com has put up a preivew of X-COM: Alliance. Its very well done, and includes some screenshots. Here's a flame broiled little tidbit:
    Ultimately, there's still a lot that we could say about this game and that's a tribute to the enthusiasm and talent of the team. They've got a very clear direction and are managing to stick very close to the X-COM idea while simultaneously taking the license in a new direction. Martin told us that staying close to X-COM is extremely important. After all, they love it too.
    Check the whole preview out here.

    SWAT 3 Multiplayer Add-on Pack Announced - Gibb @ 7:02 am PST
    I saw on PC.IGN.com that Sierra has announced an add-on pack for SWAT 3. It will be called SWAT 3: Battle Plan and is set for release in the 3rd quarter this year. It will include 6 new missions, and a new multiplayer mode, which will allow ten people to play over LAN or the Internet. Check the whole story out here.

    New Falcon 4 Patch - Gibb @ 6:49 am PST
    3D Files have put up the long-awaited patch for Falcon 4, Microprose's 3D combat flight simulation. Here's what it's all about directly from the developers:
    The initial release of the iBeta Falcon 4.0 Realism Patch can best be characterized by calling it a set of base changes that we will use as a jumping off point for further revisions. Many of the modifications employed by this patch address inaccuracies, omissions, and problems with the underlying data. In addition, we have also brought some logical sense to the amour, blast, and damage values – now they are more consistent and (we hope) more accurate. We have also improved the ground unit organization to bring it into a more realistic context
    Check it out here.

    HL Patch Fix - Intrepid @ 6:03 am PST
    There is a 122k fix for the latest HL patch. Be sure to pick it up if you've downloaded the update.

    CliffyB Interview - Intrepid @ 6:03 am PST
    i2e2 spoke with the man, Cliff Bleszinski. Its a great interview with audio and pictures. Here's a snip:
    Gixman: Programming the artificial intelligence was probably one of the most challenging aspects in creating UT. Is it getting easier? What do you want to see?

    Cliff: In theory, it would be great to have an AI that you just program and knows what to do in every situation and instantly know every single arena but I don't think that's going to be happening for a long time. As a level designer and a game designer, I want to sit down and say O.K. I built this area to be sniped at. I want to be able to tell the AI that this is a good sniping spot without taking the time to figure out that that's a good sniping spot.

    BattleCom 1.3 - Intrepid @ 6:02 am PST
    BattleCom is now at v1.3. If you're wondering what it is, its a voice communication util similar to Roger Wilco. Head to their site for info and downloads (yes its free).

    OGL Sponsored by D-Link - Intrepid @ 6:02 am PST
    This is the latest press release from D-Link, regarding to the fact that they will sponsoring OGL (Online Gamers League):
    Melbourne, FL, Feb 18, 2000

    D-Link, the leading Digital Home Networking Manufacturer today announced that it has entered into a sponsorship relationship with the Online Gamers League (OGL), the gaming industries pioneer online Gaming Ladder System (GLS)and fastest growing gaming leagues, to support the growth of the OGL and extend the services to the gaming community.

    The sponsorship will help the OGL extend it?s cutting edge community-based collaborative online gaming environment. As the premier competitive amateur Gaming League, the OGL provides the most exciting game challenge and team play competitions, ladders and leagues, and gaming statistics.

    "The OGL is widely known as a pioneer in community-based collaborative online gaming," said Bradley Morse Vice President of D-Link. "They clearly are providing an awesome opportunity for gamers who want to test their skills in a competition or tournament atmosphere to measure their success and abilities."

    "We at the OGL appreciate the support from D-Link, the Gamers leading connectivity company", said Ray Graham, Jr. President of the OGL. "Their support will allow us to beef up our equipment and add more features to our members."

    "The gamers are the top echelon of computer enthusiast and they have always been the early adopters of advanced technology," said Bradley Morse Vice President of Marketing at D-Link. "Over the past two years, we have taken the advanced technology from our high-end products, which are designed for the corporate market, rescaled them and delivered this advanced technology to the mass market for gamers and others who are interested in acquiring high performance communications technology."

    The OGL is one of the largest Gaming Leagues in the world with 70,000+ active members in several different leagues. The competition on the OGL is extreme. The OGL is a true pioneer in the gaming league arena. While most gaming organizations featured win-then-eliminated tournament play, the OGL brought to the masses the concept of an automated gaming ladder system. The Game Ladder allowed organized teams or individuals to join and challenge those above them; the challenge was, and remains, to be number one on the ladder. This concept allowed for more dynamic, long lasting rivalries to form and further deepened the sense of community and competition

    "We wanted to reach out and support gamers, and the Online Gaming League seemed the best way to give back something and support the gaming community," continued Bradley Morse. "As one of the most popular gaming leagues, the OGL provides free access to leagues and competitions to a wide range of gaming titles and creates excellent range of competition for teams."

    Flying Heroes Shots - Intrepid @ 6:00 am PST
    Games Xtreme have gotten ahold of some new screenshots from the upcoming 3D FPS Flying Heroes, from Take 2 Interactive. Give them a look here.

    Codename Eagle Demo - Intrepid @ 6:00 am PST
    3DFiles now features the demo of Codename Eagle to be downloaded. The file size is about 35 megs.

    SWAT 3 Patch - Intrepid @ 6:00 am PST
    The version 1.2 SWAT 3 Patch has been released. There's no info on the updates featured in this patch, but you know there's something, now don't you? Anyway, you can download it right here.

    SoF Preview - Intrepid @ 5:59 am PST
    GameCenter has slapped up their preview of Raven's latest in-development FPS, Soldier of Fortune. They've also got a bunch of never before seen shots. Here's a clip:
    The story unfolds via cut scenes before and after levels. Occasionally a cut scene will occur during the course of a level, adding another layer of depth to the game's story. The cut scenes allow for changing mission objectives, and also give the player a wider look at the overall action. Most importantly, they help convey the sheer viciousness of The Hand; after seeing some of the particularly brutal cut scenes, players will have no doubt that those terrorist scum mean business.



    To help add a high degree of authenticity to the game, Raven sought out and hired the real John F. Mullins to consult on the game's development. (And, for the curious, John F. Mullins really was a "consultant" for the U.S. government--which means he's probably killed lots of people. We recommend staying on his good side.) Raven used Mullins's expertise to fine-tune the game's feel, and from what we've seen so far, the extra effort is paying off. The weapons that populate Soldier of Fortune all sound and feel extremely realistic, and the atmospheric sound effects, particularly in the missions set in Bosnia, are spectacular. Throughout that section of the game, gunfire and explosions echo across the battlefield, and occasionally a chopper will fly overhead; players will have little doubt that a full-scale war is raging all around them.

    Le Mans Review - Intrepid @ 5:57 am PST
    The latest addition to the review section at Snipers Alley (www.snipersalley.com) is Le Mans 24 Hour by Eutechnyx. Find the review at the following location http://www.snipersalley.com/review/reviews/lemans.shtml and below is a taster:
    You can change your car settings before each race. The amount of fuel you are carrying but remember that fuel is also heavy! The type of tyres, the downforce and automatic gears. There are other ones but I think these are the main ones. Pit stops are also very important from here you can change all the options. You can also save your game, which is very useful, if you decide to try the Le Mans 24 Hours really in 24 hours! :-)

    Crimson Skies Shots & Concept Art - Intrepid @ 5:57 am PST
    WomenGamers have gotten ahold of some new screenshost and concept art from Microsoft's upcoming Flight Sim, Crimson Skies. Check them out right here.

    Quake III Arena FAQ Update - Gibb @ 5:57 am PST
    GameFAQs has posted an updated version of the Gameplay FAQ for Q3A, adding a lot of tips for survival and and all that good stuff. Check it out here. Thanks Blues News.

    New Quake III Arena Security Patch - Gibb @ 5:51 am PST
    iD Software has released a new beta update patch, this one version 1.16i. Here's what Robert Duffy had to say about it in his .plan:
    Q3A 1.16i Beta is now on our ftp site. This is a small executable only patch that enhances security. It is available in three flavors, Win32 ( a .zip file ), Linux ( a .gz ) and Macintosh ( a self extracting archive ).
    Here's the Win32 version, the Mac version, and the Linux version. We should have a local copy of these posted soon.

    Friday, February 18, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Files - backup @ 9:26 pm PST
    If you want us to add a file to our downloads section, let us know about by sending an e-mail off to MystikaL. We will upload anything you want, as long as it isn't warez and has to do with a popular game.

    Q3 Point Release - backup @ 9:22 pm PST
    As you know, id software released the latest patch for Quake 3 yesterday. If your having trouble downloading the patches because of busy servers, were here to help by providing you with a local copy. check out the details below.

    Starcraft Map of the Week - Gibb @ 6:21 pm PST
    Blizzard has released the Starcraft Map of the Week, Wide Horizons. Here's the description:
    "I love a good desert. There's something about a huge expanse of seemingly barren wasteland that stirs something deeply in my soul. The blistering heat purges away all the outside cares of the world, leaving only the fragile core of my innermost being in its wake. The experience is just magical. Oh, and you can get a really awesome tan. Chicks dig a nice tan."

    - Gregory Raj, author and self-proclaimed "Guru of the Stars"

    -256x192 Desert

    -Designed for 2-6 Players

    -Requires Brood War to Play

    Check it out here, or directly download it here.


    Screenshots - Falcon @ 12:49 pm PST
    Crytek Studios recently released the following 3 new screenshots from their upcoming 3D space combat sim, Silent Space.

    Attention to Detail (ATD), the creators of the first Rollcage game, has released even more (5) screenshots from their upcoming sequel - Rollcage Stage II.

    Cryo Networks sent GA the following 2 new screenshots and details from Venice, the first historical 3D online game of strategic management and training based on the economic system of 16th century Venice.

    Activision releasedthe following 4 new screenshots from Raven Software's upcoming Quake III powered shooter, Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force.

    Take 2 released a load of screenshots of 'Flying Heroes', an action packed 3D shoot'em up on the PC thats planned to be released at the end of May.

    1602AD Review - Falcon @ 12:45 pm PST
    New on PCGamers.net today is a review of Sunflower's real-time empire building game 1602 A.D. The final score is 65 out of 100.
    "(1602 A.D. is) an empire building game with its own distinct little charm, which is also fun at first; but once you get down to the real business later in the game, it lacks the feature and sophistication to keep you coming back for more. Recommended only if you are starving for a new empire building game."

    NOX Q&A with Designer Michael Booth - Falcon @ 12:44 pm PST
    With the recent release of Westwood Studios' anticipated action-RPG, Nox, GA has decided to find out from Designer Michael Booth what the past,
    present, and future had in store for this game. Read on here

    Win a trip to Air Combat USA Inc - Falcon @ 12:43 pm PST
    Flying enthusiasts can take flight in the "Pensacola: Wings of Gold" Sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to Air Combat USA Inc. in Fullerton, Calif.; a private pilot computer-based instruction (CBI) kit from the Cessna Aircraft Co.; an hour of flight instruction at a Cessna Pilot Center; and Microsoftr "Flight Simulator" software.* The staff of the Pensacola television series and Microsoft Corp. invite viewers to watch and win, now through March 6, 2000.

    At Air Combat USA, the grand-prize winner will actually fly a light-attack fighter aircraft. Behind the controls of a SIAI Marchetti SF260 aircraft and coached by an air combat instructor, the sweepstakes winner will be able to maneuver through a series of high-flying dogfights. Then, at the Cessna Pilot Center, the grand-prize winner will learn to fly in a brand new Cessna aircraft using Cessna's CBI.

    To be eligible to win, consumers must visit the official "Pensacola" Web site each week and answer one multiple choice question based on that week's episode. First- and second-place prize winners will be chosen each week, and the grand-prize winner will be selected from all correct entries over the entire four-week sweepstakes period.

    The grand-prize winner will receive a trip for two to Air Combat USA along with the private pilot CBI, one hour of flight instruction at the Cessna Pilot Center in Southern California, and a Microsoft Game Pack featuring the award-winning "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000" and "Combat Flight Simulator," along with a Force Feedback joystick. Ten first-prize winners will receive a Microsoft gamepack featuring "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000" and "Combat Flight Simulator," along with a Force Feedback joystick. One hundred lucky second-prize winners will receive Microsoft "Flight Simulator 2000."

    The hit action hour, "Pensacola: Wings of Gold," continues its third season. The series stars award-winning actor James Brolin as Lt. Col. Bill Kelly USMC -- call sign "Raider" -- as a tough veteran Marine fighter pilot in charge of an elite, war-ready Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a combined air and ground combat force. The unit's purpose is to carry out the most dangerous, top-secret missions in the air, on the ground and at sea.

    Cessna and Cessna Pilot Centers are leading the industry in the production of light aircraft and flight training. CBI is the most comprehensive private pilot curriculum available. Featuring full-motion video and fully interactive graphics, CBI allows for an easy transition from a flight simulator to the real thing. More information about learning can be found at http://www.flyandbefree.com/.

    Flight Simulator 2000 continues Microsoft's tradition of working directly with aircraft manufacturers, pilot organizations, flight-training organizations, respected flight instructors, aeronautical engineers and other leaders in aviation to add authenticity and experience to the product. Key partners include Cessna, Jeppesen Sanderson Inc., the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Flight Safety International, Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Mooney Aircraft Corp., Systems Management Inc., as well as pilots John and Martha King, Rod Machado and Patty Wagstaff. More information on Flight Simulator 2000 can be found at the game's official site.

    Homeworld Review - backup @ 10:53 am PST
    Dyson has whipped up another spectacular review, this time of Relic's Homeworld. Included with the review are over 20 screenshots, so make sure you go take a look!!!

    SoF News - Gibb @ 5:37 am PST
    Eric Biessman of Raven Software has updated his .plan and sends word that Raven is looking for some level designers. Here's the scoop:
    Raven Software is looking for several talented and experienced
    level designers to join our team.

    We are looking for highly motivated, creative and skilled people
    who have experience with the Quake technology in any form
    (Heretic 2, Half-Life, Quake 1-3, SiN). The abillity to
    adapt is a strong plus, and any background in code or
    scripting will go a long way.

    At this time we can only accept applications from people who live
    inside the continental United States. The position is a
    full time one and it requires that you move to Madison, WI.

    If you think you have the drive, determination, and creativity to
    make it as a designer, drop me a line with your resume and
    a little bio about yourself. We also need to see your best
    single player level to date... this should be in one of the
    previously mentioned games.

    He also sent this along:
    Still playing the SoF demo? Jump on-line and amuse your
    friends and co-workers...

    enable the console and set these bindings up:

    bind wave 1
    bind wave 2
    bind wave 3

    Check out the whole update here.

    Quake III Arena Patches Released - Gibb @ 5:28 am PST
    iD Software has released beta version 1.16h patches for Q3A, covering Win32, Linux, and Mac all in the same release. Here's what Robery Duffy had to say in his .plan about it:
    The point release is now available on our ftp site. It is marked as a beta as there are a lot of functionality changes and we have a finite number of machines and scenarios we can test with. The included readme contains a lot of information, please review it. The release is available for all three platforms, Win32, Macintosh, and Linux.
    Here's the Win32 release, the Linux release, and the Mac release.

    Planet Soldier of Fortune Opens - Gibb @ 5:20 am PST
    Planet Soldier, covering SoF, has officially opened. You can access it from the URL http://www.planetsoldieroffortune.com or http://www.planetsoldier.com

    Thursday, February 17, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Rollcage Stage II Screens - Falcon @ 10:38 pm PST
    Attention to Detail (ATD), the creators of the first Rollcage game, released the following 15 new screenshots to their upcoming sequel - Rollcage Stage II.

    Price Clips (7th edition) - Falcon @ 10:36 pm PST
    Digital Clips has launched the 7th edition of its monthly inhouse price guide, Price Clips. Here's a small blurb:
    "Welcome to the 7th edition of PriceClips, Digital Clips' inhouse monthly guide to the latest computer component prices laced with juicy insiders' information on upcoming trends. Every month, several people from the DC crew dragnet Hong Kong's infamous Mong Kok Computer Center for the cheapest computer prices. Yup, we're the folks who look incredibly nerdy in our school uniform (yes we have to wear ties and blazers and the whole lot here) walking around like a lab tech with a clipboard, stacks of illegible notes and frenzied arm movements. Readers from Hong Kong, if you ever see one or two guys clad in horrible school uniform jabbering at each other in English and incoherent Chinese, that's me and some poor DC folk I dragged along. If you're American and feeling left out, aww...don't be, since we also compile a monthly list of the cheapest street-level prices for the same range of products."
    The article can be reached at http://www.digital-clips.com/html/reviewdisp.cfm?ArtID=46&PageNo=1

    AIWars Screens + Dev Updates - Falcon @ 10:35 pm PST
    Nexus Information Systems has sent GA-Source the following 4 new screenshots and development update for their upcoming Genesis3D powered first-person action hybrid, AIWars - The Awakening.

    Rogue Spear Urban Operations Screenshots - backup @ 5:31 pm PST
    Red Storm Entertainment sent us along 5 new screenshots from their upcoming expansion to Rogue Spear entitled Urban Operations. There pretty sweet looking and show off some cool scenes, so check it out!

    New Layout at Blizzard - Gibb @ 3:25 pm PST
    Blizzard has put up a new layout, and I for one think it looks much better. Check it out here.

    Verge Interview - Intrepid @ 2:02 pm PST
    TeleFragged spoke with Przemek Marszal, the Project Manager for the upcoming 3D RTS/Space Simulation game, Verge. They also have a few screenshots and a rolling demo.

    Ultima IX Guide - Intrepid @ 2:01 pm PST
    GameSpot's latest GameGuide is that of Ultima IX. Included is a full walkthrough as well as all the info on weapons and enemies.

    New TRIBES Patch - Intrepid @ 2:01 pm PST
    The recently released 1.10 patch for Tribes had a turret bug in it, and now 1.10.5. You can download the update to 1.10.5 from 1.10 right here. Thanks to THZ*BlackjakADTM for the heads up.

    Rayman 2 and Crazy Taxi Reviews - Falcon @ 12:20 am PST
    Insane Gamers has just posted their reviews of Rayman 2: The Great Escape (written by yours truly, Will Decker), and Crazy Taxi:

    Rayman 2: The Great Escape (PC)

    "Probably one of the most surprising games of 1999 would have to be Rayman 2. The mix of console gaming on PC's has been very popular recently with more and more people playing games for their single player enjoyment rather then fighting it out over the internet in the latest First Person Shooter. Rayman 2 serves up a nice wholesome gaming experience of which everyone should try. Even though fragging it out over the internet can be fun, it becomes tiresome and if your in need of some change then Rayman 2 is definitely a good start."

    Crazy Taxi (Dreamcast)
    "The graphics in Crazy Taxi are absolutely stunning. Since the Naomi hardware, which the arcade game ran on, is nearly identical to the Dreamcast hardware the game is arcade perfect. True, there is some frequent slowdown in the game at some points (the cable car stop for example), but this doesn't serve to affect the game much at all. All the graphics in the game are extraordinarily well crafted, and move realistically. The cab is a work of art. The movements it makes are hyper realistic, and in an emphasised kind of way. It genuinely feels like you are driving a real car by the way it moves. Add to this a plethora of special effects like particle based sparks and smoke from the tires makes for a visual treat."

    MS Baseball 2001 - Falcon @ 12:17 am PST
    Addition of Award-Winning Baseball Mogul Technology Adds Front-Office Features; Two-Time All-Star Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra Steps Up to the Plate for Microsoft

    REDMOND, Wash. (Feb. 16, 2000) Microsoft Corp. today announced its latest PC sports title, "Baseball 2001." Microsoft® "Baseball 2001" boasts a revolutionary unification of the awarding-winning Baseball Mogul simulation technology with Microsoft's tradition for eye-popping graphics and edge-of-your-seat gameplay. "Baseball 2001" features a newly added comprehensive front-office management simulation, intense graphics, ambient sounds and seamless arcade action to produce the most complete out-of-the-box PC-based baseball game.

    "Our goal was to create the type of baseball product that fans have been clamoring for: one with superb graphics and sound, unparalleled arcade action, and an unprecedented ability to manage every aspect of a true major league baseball club," said Ed Fries, general manager of the Games Group at Microsoft. "The Baseball Mogul code combined with Microsoft's established graphics and gameplay does just that while letting you play as a player, owner and general manager."

    Endorsed by two-time All-Star and 1997 Rookie of the Year shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, who graces the game's box cover, "Baseball 2001" carries on the Microsoft tradition of quality and innovation. The award-winning Baseball Mogul technology allows players to control key front-office aspects of the game, letting them handle everything from the financial responsibilities of tracking a club's payroll to the general managerial duties of fostering trades and signing free agents. For example, a high payroll will result in less money for free agency, and this will be reflected in the quality and quantity of free agents that a ball club can sign during the season.

    "Baseball 2001" continues the tradition of eye-popping graphics with its 3-D motion-captured player animations, and its high-quality sound effects, such as the crack of leather on hardwood, add to the ambience of the ballpark. Topping off the game's audio-visual offerings, Arizona Diamondbacks announcer Thom Brennaman returns with his trademark play-by-play commentary to call the action of "Baseball 2001."

    "Baseball 2001" also features accurate statistics from the 1999 MLB season, as well as 35 stadiums, including brand-new Pacific Bell Park, Comerica Park, Enron Field and Miller Park, re-created to resemble their real-life counterparts.

    Stomped E3 news - Falcon @ 12:16 am PST
    Shiny Entertainment head Dave Perry has put up his E3 memories and expectations panel.

    id Software level designer Paul Jaquays relays his E3 memories and expectations.

    Stomped @ E3 has the scoop once again, this time from Tim Williams of Planet Moon about what they will show of Giants at E3 2000.

    Check all these out from Stomped E3

    Screenshots - Falcon @ 12:14 am PST
    GA-Source has a few new screenshots of a couple of upcoming games, the first lot is from Bkua Entertainment who released the following 9 new screenshots from thier
    upcoming futuristic space fighter, Storm.

    Secondly are from Take 2 Interactive who have sent the following new screenshots from Illusion Softworks', the developers of Hidden and Dangerous, upcoming
    action/fantasy racer, Flying Heroes.

    Thirdly SouthEnd Interactive released the following 4 new screenshots and a development update for their upcoming first-person close combat fighting
    game, Blitz - Disc Arena.

    How to be a Game Reviewer (Satire) - Falcon @ 12:09 am PST
    Today, The Gamer's Press has posted the first segment of their online continuing education program. From the Front Page:
    We here at the Gamer’s Press are proud to kick-off our entry into the Online Education market by presenting to you ­ our readers ­ a new series of informative and life-changing articles we like to call "The Gamer’s Guide to Life". These self-help courses will assist you in molding and shaping your life through a series of easy-to-read articles featuring step-by-step instructions on how to achieve personal success and wealth. Each of these installments will not only contain the knowledge necessary to achieve fame and fortune, but will also have self-assessment quizzes at the end to test your comprehension of the course’s content.

    Today we inaugurate the series with a course entitled "How To Be a Game Reviewer." Once you’ve mastered the disciplines outlined in this column, you’ll then be ready to move onto the following self-paced study courses ­ which will be published in the future:

    "How to be a Young, Arrogant Game Developer"
    "How to be a Game Industry Marketing Executive" (see Note below)
    "How to Build a First-Person Shooter"
    "How to be a Operating System Zealot"

    (NOTE: All courses require that the student be a member of a sentient species EXCEPT for "How to be a Game Industry Marketing Executive". This course has no pre-requisites.)

    And don’t think we’re restricting our guides to just the computing industry. No sir ­ we’ve lined up an all-star cast of celebrity writers who’ll be stopping by with courses such as:

    "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker
    "How to Get a Real Job Doing Something Useful" by Rev. Jesse Jackson
    "How to Pick up Young Chicks" by Woody Allen
    "How to Live Drug-Free" co-authored by Robert Downey Jr. and Scott Weiland, lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots

    Here's a quote from the first installment, How to be a Game reviewer:

    "Step 2: Use Search Engines to Supplement You’re Pathetic Lack of Knowledge

    Let’s face it ­ if you’ve played enough games to want to write about them, you probably haven’t spent much time reading the classics or studying ancient history. This means that you have a high probability of coming across like an idiot whenever you try to say something that’s non-gaming related. Fortunately, with the invention of the Internet you no longer have to remember all that crap ­ the Internet’s stored it all for you! So, if you’re reviewing a copy of "Pharaoh" and would like to sound smart by throwing in the name of some Ancient Egyptian ruler just remember that your "History Diploma" is no further than a few mouse clicks away. Just hop over to Yahoo, and type in whatever it is you wish to sound like an expert in. Before you know it, you’ll have your readers gasping "Gee… he’s pretty smart for a basement-dwelling 300-pound loser!""


    PC: Accelerator Articles - Falcon @ 12:07 am PST
    RazoR, from the BlizzardCentral Network recently recieved the latest issue of PC: Accelerator Magazine. The latest issue included several sections in the magazine dedicated to Blizzard. Two of them are entitled End of Games which shows Diablo's and Warcraft 2's endings, and how to achieve them. The last one, located on the last page, shows their fake Warcraft 3 cover coming up next month.
    The Warcraft one is apparently quite humerous, and can be viewed here

    Wednesday, February 16, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Earth 2150 Preview - Intrepid @ 2:46 pm PST
    GameSpot's latest preview is that of Earth 2150, an upcoming 3D RTS. Here's a clip:

    Everyone hopes the new millennium will usher in an age of peace and understanding - but of course this vision never materialized in the dark world of Earth 2150. Instead of global unity, the 21st century saw the collapse of stock and currency, eventually leading to a world war that left millions dead and cities across the planet in shattered ruins. But there were survivors (aren't there always?), and they began the process of both rebuilding and reshaping the world. A dozen of the states that made up the US broke away from the old republic and formed a new country called the United Civilized States, where a sophisticated network of computer systems and robots handled all major tasks, including defense. In Europe and Asia - where the lion's share of fighting had taken place - a totalitarian empire dubbed the Eurasian Dynasty arose, relying on readily available arms and weaponry to enslave the citizens of two continents.

    More News on LithTech - Intrepid @ 2:34 pm PST
    Adding to the post about Jason Hall's recent announcement, VE recently interviewed the CEO. You can find it here. Here's an excerpt:
    VE: What do you think is going to be the biggest misconception about LithTech Online? Why would you bill it as the biggest misconception? How about clearing that up right now?

    JH: I really don't know. Hopefully, we will always be clear with people.

    VE: For the average joe gamer, what does all of this mean and how will it affect them? I mean, could we possibly see bigger and better games because of this announcement? Why or why not?

    JH: To the joe gamer this is what it means: MORE SELECTION of products! When we are done, a MMPG should only cost around 4MM to develop, not 15MM. That's a big difference, hence the game will get more MMPG's to choose from.

    TFC-Bot Update - Intrepid @ 2:31 pm PST
    There is a new version of TFC-Bot released. TFC-Bot is an mIRC bot that announces games and can relay player stats through a chat window.

    Diablo II, Warcraft III Release Dates - Gibb @ 2:29 pm PST
    Blizzard has updated the release dsates of Diablo II and Warcraft III. Here they are:
    Diablo II PC: 1st Half of 2000
    Mac: 1st Half of 2000
    Warcraft III PC: End of 2000
    Check the whole post out here.

    Thief II Preview - Intrepid @ 2:29 pm PST
    PC Zone UK has thrown together a preview of Thief II: The Metal Age. Also included is a brief interview with Steve Pearsall. If you haven't read enough material on this game, go check it out!

    Aaron Cohen Interview - Intrepid @ 2:24 pm PST
    There is an interview with Aaron Cohen, speaking about Westwood's upcoming 3d person action game. There is no mention of multiplayer, however.

    More PSX Reviews coming - backup @ 11:16 am PST
    I will have reviews of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and many other playstation titles by the end of the week, so stay tuned!

    Interview: Invictus - Falcon @ 12:41 am PST
    Caught in a bitter feud between spiteful gods, Invictus demands players fight for more than just their life. Featuring a mix of real-time strategy gameplay and role-playing elements, while eliminating the need to gather resources or manage research trees, Invictus promises to allow players to focus on
    strategy and tactics.

    Check out this interview with Bill Fisher, President of Quicksilver Software and Floyd Grubb, Designer, to find out more about this upcoming strategy hybrid. This interview also includes 6 new screenshots.

    NOX Review - Falcon @ 12:39 am PST
    On the topic of NOX, PCGamers.net have a review of the game up:
    "What surprises me is the multiplayer mode of this game. There's no cooperative adventure mode! Meaning that you cannot buddy up with a friend and proceed to explore a random dungeon with some other random
    players. No back stabbing, no helping out each other. It's basically Quake style. You have the equivalent to last man standing, capture the flag and deathmatch mode for multiplayer. I don't like it, but you may..."

    NOX Demo - Falcon @ 12:09 am PST
    For those who are still interested in the NOX16 Demo and are interested in a high speed server mirror, we have uploaded the demo onto our servers. The demo can be downloaded from here (46MB)

    Swat 3 Patch/ Multiplayer/ Expansion Pack - Falcon @ 12:04 am PST
    From "AI Guy" (Sierra Studios Developer):
    "I will say that our schedule is for a downloadable (free) patch to add multi-player capabilities, followed by an add-on with new missions and features, though none of this is official. As for the 1.2 patch, it should be out soon. There were some internationalization problems and it is hopefully in its last round of testing."
    The post can be found here

    Tuesday, February 15, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Tee Time! - Falcon @ 11:59 pm PST
    Microsoft today announced that the Links LS 2000 10-Course Pack enhancement, developed by Access Software, is starting to appear on store shelves. There have been several reports of its availability at locations throughout the United States, and full domestic distribution is expected by late February. The 10-Course Pack features ten championship courses, each optimized for tournament play with Links LS 2000.


    Featuring sites of major professional tournaments and other popular venues, the new 10-Course Pack features Links LS 2000 versions of Firestone, Castle Pines, Sea Island, Kapalua Plantation, Kapalua Village, and Bountiful. The 10-Course Pack also includes Pinehurst No. 2, Entrada at Snow Canyon, Latrobe Country Club (fall & summer), and the all-new Three Canyons Fantasy Course. Three Canyons is an 18-hole executive course that'll challenge even the most seasoned golfer. Players will also experience the thrill of a tournament setting with the 10-Course Pack. Each course includes the addition of thousands of spectators along the fairways and greens, ambient sounds, TV towers, leader boards and more, putting Links players at the center of the action. The Links LS 2000 10-Course Pack is available for online matchmaking on the MSN Gaming Zone, with additional tournament support via the LS Tour site.

    The 10-Course Pack is available domestically for US$20. The game add-on will only run with LS 2000 or LS 1999, and owners of previous versions of Links and MS Golf are eligible for a $15 rebate when they upgrade to Links LS 2000. Details on this offer can be found on the Links LS 2000 box. For more information on the Links LS 2000 10-Course Pack, including downloadable AVIs of one signature hole per course, visit here


    NOX Ships! - Falcon @ 11:55 pm PST
    Publisher: Westwood Studios
    Developer: Westwood Studios
    Release Date: Feb. 16 in North America, Feb. 19 around the world
    Format: Win 95/98 CD-ROM
    Website: Westwood
    Westwood Studios is an Electronic Arts company

    Action-RPG Nox ships out today

    Westwood Studios Action-RPG to arrive in stores Feb 16

    LAS VEGAS, February 15, 1999 - That pounding sound you hear is that of giant stone fists being dropped onto the heads of unsuspecting warriors, wizards and
    conjurors. This can mean only one thing: Westwood Studios Nox is shipping to stores today and will be on store shelves in North America tomorrow.

    Nox is a game of savage combat and sneaky tactics set in a mystical land filled mwith discovery and deceit. Nox's lightning-fast action is fueled by a combat
    system that's easy to use yet gives players tremendous gameplay depth and infinite possibilities. With more than 100 unique spells and weapons, players must use their wits to create devious combinations and tricky tactics.

    The battle happens in the world of Nox, which Westwood's game designers have filled with intricate detail. The top down viewpoint gives players an expansive view of the world. True line of sight means never knowing what's around the next corner, creating an intense level of suspense.

    The dynamic world of Nox is further enhanced with the addition of an advanced physics system that delivers realistic interaction between players and the
    environment. Roll boulders to block doors. Move candelabras to light a darkened room. Break through walls. Use water to extinguish flames.

    The single player game will take gamers through the three lands of Nox, pitting you against vicious monsters and powerful wizards. Driven by an epic story,
    you'll progress up skill levels and learn three schools of combat: the way of the Warrior, the knowledge of Conjuror, and the disciplines of the Wizard.

    Nox promises an intense multiplayer experience with five multiplayer options: deathmatches (teams and free-for all melees), capture the flag, and king of the
    realm. Multiplay will be supported through Westwood Online, an online gaming service with more than a million members.

    Much more information about Nox can be found at Westwood. The website is updated daily with news, the latest art, and downloads. During the next two weeks, leading up to the release of Nox, the website will feature a downloadable AVI from Nox every day.

    Team Fury Leaves Red Fury - Falcon @ 11:53 pm PST
    Originally planned with a debut on the PC Platform in early 2000, GA-Source has now learned that the entire development team has left the Red Fury project late last year. <More>


    Last D2 SSOTW - Surebrec @ 7:52 pm PST
    According to Diablo.net, tonite's Diablo 2 SSOTW will be the last. Check the screenshot over here. It features the Paladin using his Holy Freeze skill on a pack of ravage skeleton, while at the same time engaging with the Greater Mummy. Remember, this is the last one! Could this mean Diablo2 is coming nearer to Beta?

    SWAT 3 Review - Surebrec @ 7:50 pm PST
    Jorel from Clan Nexus let me know that they have posted their review of Sierra's tactical shooter, SWAT 3. Here's a small clip from the review:

    Welcome to L.A., 2005. Governments from every nation on the planet have sent representatives to Los Angeles for the signing of the United Nations Nuclear Abolishment Treaty. With such a high number of potential political hostages, the threat of a terrorist act is being taken very seriously. It is the job of the LAPD SWAT Team to insure the safety of all the ambassadors and insure that the signing of the treaty will take place.

    Picture yourself cuffing a suspect, thinking everything is clear, when you hear your teammate shouting from across the room, "DROP THE WEAPON, DO IT,
    DO IT NOW!" Talk about intense. Sometimes they'll get the idea and drop their gun and surrender, but more often than not, they'll start spraying bullets and it'll be up to you to take them out or take them down. You'll need to remember that you are a cop...

    The bottom line is that this game looks very real. Combine that with the nerve-racking situations that your team is in and I guarantee an adrenaline rush.

    New Monthly Column - Surebrec @ 7:45 pm PST
    Digital Clips sent word that they have started a new monthly column, entitled "Hardware au Gratin", in which they will delve into contentious issues regarding the state of computer related hardware. In the first installment, the writer devles into the question that has been asked many times: Do I really NEED to upgrade my hardware? Here's a small blurb from it:

    Look at me. I’m a college student in the midwest and I’ve got a generic laptop. It’s a Pentium II 233. 64MB memory, 3 gig hard drive. I’ve been living with it for the past year and a half. It’s stable. I don’t get blue screens of death (too often). Netscape works great. I can browse the web at a good speed. Hell, who needs speed on the web? It’s not like all webpages have streaming video (your modem couldn’t even handle it) and CD-quality sound. What is all that crap anyway? It does some fancy stuff and looks pretty, but do we really need it? SIMD instructions? Bah.

    Cataclysm Art - Surebrec @ 7:41 pm PST
    GA-Source has recently released some more concept art of Sierra Studios' recently announced Homeworld: Cataclysm.

    Unreal Tournament Review - Surebrec @ 6:58 pm PST
    Just as promised this week, we have posted the Unreal Tournament review! To read it, surf on over to here now!

    Big news from Jason Hall - Intrepid @ 5:06 pm PST
    Jason Hall just made a pretty important sounding .plan update with news that Monolith and Fox Interactive are going to be creating a huge Multiplayer Game OS. Here's the info:
    LithTech™ Inc. To Create Massively Multiplayer Game Operating System
    The First Massively-Multiplayer LithWorld To
    Feature a Popular Fox Interactive Franchise

    (Kirkland, WA, February XX, 2000) LithTech Inc. today announced they have begun creation of a licensable, multi-genre, massively-multiplayer technology which will be a full featured extension of their proprietary LithTech 3D Game Operating System (3DGOS). The new technology, LithTech Online, will standardize the development of immense, persistent worlds, referred to as “LithWorlds™,” in which users can interact with others online.

    Also announced today, LithTech Inc. is proceeding with an arrangement with Fox Interactive to provide a licensed property for LithTech’s first persistent world. Several Fox properties have been discussed for the world’s environment although one has not yet been selected.

    “There is no doubt that massively-multiplayer persistent online environments are a huge and growing market. For this reason, we’re dedicated to investing $15 million into research and development of the fully licensable LithTech Online,” comments Jason Hall, CEO for LithTech Inc. “We are very excited to be working with Fox Interactive on the first of many future LithWorlds. Their strong entertainment properties will provide interesting environments and characters for us to develop and work with.”

    LithTech is a licensable technology for multiple platforms that functions as a complete, full-featured, 3D game operating system which allows developers to easily design, develop and focus on content without reinventing new technology for each project. LithTech Online will provide developers with a standardized set of flexible tools designed for rapid development of unique, online universes that support thousands of users at once.

    “The issues involved in the development of large-scale, concurrent object oriented systems is an area in which I have invested a great deal of research time,” comments Dr. Gregory Whitten, Chief Software Architect for LithTech Inc. “The standardization of a comprehensive and easy-to-use technology-set for online development will open new doors and markets for the entire industry.”

    Kind of sounds like PowerPlay?

    Raven Still Hiring - Intrepid @ 4:51 pm PST
    A while ago, Eric Biessman update his .plan with info that Raven are looking for a few good level designers. He updated it again today with the same info. Read all of it here, and these are the main goods:
    Raven Software is looking for several talented and experienced level designers to join our team.

    We are looking for highly motivated, creative and skilled people who have experience with the Quake technology in any form (Heretic 2, Half-Life, Quake 1-3, SiN). The abillity to adapt is a strong plus, and any background in code or scripting will go a long way.

    At this time we can only accept applications from people who live inside the continental United States. The position is a full time one and it requires that you move to Madison, WI.

    Another Tomb Raider! - Intrepid @ 4:49 pm PST
    Hasn't anyone heard of quit while you're ahead? Read this bit of info I picked up at VE:
    An independent source has confirmed for GameFan Online that a brand-new Tomb Raider game, titled Tomb Raider: The Movie, will hit retailers just in time for Christmas. The game's set to follow the story of the upcoming Paramount Pictures film, and will be released this November for the PC, Dreamcast and PlayStation 2. We’ll keep you informed as more details on Ms. Croft’s next adventure surface--so keep your browsers right here at GameFan Online!

    Alone in the Dark Shots - Intrepid @ 4:48 pm PST
    GA-Source has 6 brand new shots of the upcoming Adventure/horror game, Alone in the Dark. Check them all out right here!

    Gamefinder Script - Intrepid @ 4:47 pm PST
    The Gamefinder script for mIRC is now released at version 0.5. Here is the info:
    You get online and want to play a game. You start mIRC and join the channel your friends always meet in. (Actually, the script joins it for you automatically). You see a friend on the channel who is playing something (their name ends in -p). So you click on their name, and select "get server". You'll now see the game they are playing and the IP of the server their playing on. Another click or 2, and select "Launch Game", and the game starts and connects to the same server!

    Songs for Deathmatch - Intrepid @ 4:47 pm PST
    EuroGamer has slapped up a look at the Songs for DeathMatch 2CD. I'm not totally sure what this is, but the title has my attention!

    Half Life 1.0.1.6 Patch Out! - winterfresh @ 2:49 pm PST
    The New Half Life patch 1.0.1.6 Patch is out for those of you who didnt know already. It eliminates the wall cheat and makes gameplay fair again. You can find the update at File Planet, or you can scroll down and follow the links to download the new Half Life Patch.

    Client Patches:

  • Version 1.0.0.5 (Original retail version) to 1.0.1.6 patch (26.2 MB)
  • Version 1.0.0.9 to 1.0.1.6 (7.2 MB)
  • Version 1.0.1.3 to 1.0.1.6 (6.1 MB)
  • Version 1.0.1.5 to 1.0.1.6 (OpFor) (6.1 MB)


    Server Files:

  • Win32 dedicated server upgrade (7.9 MB)
  • Win32 dedicated server (87.7Mb)
  • Linux dedicated server (87.7Mb)
  • Linux dedicated server upgrade (7.3 MB)
  • Star Trek: Hidden Evil Review - Falcon @ 1:01 am PST
    Insane Gamers has just posted their review of Star Trek: Hidden Evil. Here is a clip:
    Being a huge fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation has made me partial to anything Star Trek. There is only one exception to this rule, Star Trek video games. I have been eagerly awaiting a great star trek game for many years. The last Star Trek game I played that I thoroughly enjoyed was the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. That is, until now. When I first received it in the mail I checked out the screenshots on the back of the box and they looked very impressive. Not only that but the plot sounded very encompassing. From past experience I knew that these things can be quite deceiving and started to play with a bit of bias expecting the game to be crappy. To my dismay, rather surprise it wasn't. Here finally in my hands was the Star Trek gaming experience I have been waiting for.

    Flight Sim 2k Software development kit - Falcon @ 1:00 am PST
    Also from Microsoft today is the release of the first section of the Flight Simulator 2000 Software Development Kit (SDK). The first in a series of downloadable sections, the Flight Simulator 2000 SDK contains all the information needed for flight sim enthusiasts to create their own adventures and lessons for Flight Simulator 2000. The Flight Simulator 2000 SDK is available for download on the Flight Simulator 2000 Web site here.

    The first section of the Flight Simulator 2000 Software Development Kit focuses on the Adventure Programming Language (APL), and contains documentation and all the necessary components for a sample adventure. The Flight Simulator 2000 APL SDK is intended for experienced software developers familiar with a high level programming language such as C++. (Microsoft Product Support cannot offer assistance in using the SDK or for developers creating add-on products)

    Future releases of the Flight Simulator 2000 Software Development Kit will provide information on topics such as Aircraft, Panels & Gauges, and Scenery. To learn more about the Flight Simulator 2000 APL SDK, visit the title's official site here.

    Flight Simulator 2000 continues Microsoft's tradition of working directly with aircraft manufacturers, pilot organizations, flight training organizations, respected flight instructors, aeronautical engineers, and other leaders in aviation to add authenticity and experience to the product. Key partners include Jeppesen Sanderson, Cessna, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Flight Safety International, Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Mooney Aircraft Corp., Systems Management Inc.; and pilots John and Martha King, Rod Machado and Patty Wagstaff. Flight Simulator 2000 is currently available at retail locations around the globe.

    Asheron's Call: Shadows of the Past - Falcon @ 12:58 am PST
    Microsoft today announced that beginning this Thursday, February 17, the "Shadows of the Past" event will commence in the dynamic world of Asheron's Call. "Shadows of the Past" is the next major event planned in this monthly series.

    Leading up to the event, there are growing reports from the townspeople in two major riverside towns of something massive and black appearing over the water -- but then when looked at directly, it vanishes. Additionally, there are reports of several travelers finding specially crafted weapons in remote sections of Dereth. These deadly weapons are said to be similar in appearance to the weapons once used to fight a war against the deadly Shadow creatures. It is thought that these weapons may again be helpful in stopping the Shadows that have recently evaded the isle of Dereth.

    Asheron's Call is a massively multiplayer role-playing game playable exclusively on the MSN Gaming Zone that draws together thousands of players within a dynamic, 3-D online world. Players can create truly unique characters by choosing between extensive combinations of visual appearance, attributes and skill sets. Asheron's Call immerses players in an intense role-playing environment where they must compete or cooperate with thousands of other online players. An extensive system of allegiance and influence greatly enhances social interaction. The online nature of the game facilitates an evolving and dynamic adventure inside a consistent universe. The game will never be solved because there will always be more areas to explore and quests to complete.

    For more information about the Asheron's Call event, please visit this site

    Asaina al-Arqis read late into the day, poring over ancient texts for some reference to the gigantic bridge-like structure appearing and disappearing over the river near Holtburg. At dusk, soon after she'd lit her candle, a weariness stole over her that could not be explained by the warm spring air, and she soon bowed her head upon the desk. When she finally awoke much later, the larger moon had just begun to rise, and by its light, she could see the dead candle with barely a dimple around its wick. She began to stretch her arm, then stopped -- the desk was bare where her manuscripts had been.

    Something rasped on the floor behind her, and she leapt from her chair. A bone-white figure clad in tatters emerged from the stacks. Its attention was bent over a book in one hand. In its other, it held the missing parchment. Heart pounding, she cast about for escape as it slowly raised its head, to reveal eye sockets like pits floored with angry-hot magma. Instinctively, she averted her eyes. A lich! But who, and why?

    "The fools in Frore," said the undead monster, "made a toy of the prism, and now the old magic is loosed; the suspended war resumes. Many hidden things will return, and the heretic will kidnap and toy with your people. Reassemble the weapons and fight him! Rally your feeble people, Asaina al-Arqis. Tonight I let you live."

    She understood none of this. "Who is the heretic?" she asked, but received no answer, and realizing too late that she should not look up, she stood transfixed by those burning eyes. The horror of that stare lingered with its afterimage glow as the lich grinned, faded, and was gone.


    Homeworld: Cataclysm Clarification - Falcon @ 12:25 am PST
    As opposed to the earlier post, Cataclysm is not going to be an expansion but rather a stand alone game - It will not require the original Homeworld to play.

    HL for DC Interview - Falcon @ 12:22 am PST
    Gearbox Software head Randy Pitchford talks exclusively to Stomped about his company's role in developing the just officially announced Sega Dreamcast version of Half-Life Check out the interview here

    Age of Wonders review - Raven @ 12:11 am PST
    I said afew weeks ago that I thought AoW would be a refreshing title that ALOT of Strategy gamers would want to get their hands on. If you don't know about the game Age of Wonders, its a turn-based strategy game that depicts the struggle between Elves and Human as both sides attempt to control the "Valley of Wonders". Ant.com in one of their latest reviews has agreed with my assuption about AoW. The game scored well and received rather high praise from the Ant reviewer.

    picture

    If your a strategy fan this is probably a game you'll want to check up on. View it here.

    Warcraft 3 Preview - Raven @ 12:01 am PST
    Plenty of Warcraft3 preview have been popping up lately, and so not to be outdone gamelinks.net have come up with their own preview. The preview contains numerous screenshots and some new -whilst contradicing- information. A fairly decent review which you can get your hands on over at http://www.gamelinks.net/data2/previews-warcraft3-01.html

    Monday, February 14, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Project Overdrive (Q&A) - Falcon @ 11:59 pm PST
    Recently Buka Entertainment announced their upcoming auto-combat FPS, Project Overdrive. Because the title seems to have similarities to Digital Anvil's Loose Cannon, in terms of gameplay and graphics, GA-Source asked Project Manager Kenneth Morton to describe their differences. Read on here

    Hardest game you have ever played?? - Raven @ 11:55 pm PST
    Gamespot.com have asked a very, very hard question indeed. In there "Question of the Week" feature they have gone through and asked staff member about the most challenging computer titles they have even been forced to play-and attempt to beat. The results are rather intersting, and you can view them here.

    MDK2 SS - Raven @ 11:52 pm PST
    VooDoo Extreme in their usual fashion have come up with a top notch preview for the -soon to hit store selves- sequel to MDK, MDK2. If you don't anything about MDK or MDK2, and your curious about why the original was so popular this quote should help explain the two games.
    We've all seen the familiar "aliens invading the Earth", "Earth invading the aliens", "battle in an alternate reality", "one man versus an entire army of bad guys", and "escape from the brightly colored evil space planet" theme hundreds of times in hundreds of games. What's left for a gaming company to do? Simple... take all these ideas, roll them into a single game, and refine it into something unique.

    The preview is very good and features 4 unseen screenshots, so for all the FPS fans out there, this preview is definately for you. View it here.

    Homeworld: Cataclysm Unveiled - Falcon @ 11:46 pm PST
    Sierra Studios, Relic Entertainment and Barking Dog Studios unveiled today at the Milia trade show in Cannes, France, a new chapter (Official expansion pack)in the real-time strategy series - Homeworld. Included are 6 new screenshots and details of the expansion. More on it here

    Newsgroups Article @ The Gamer's Press - Falcon @ 11:45 pm PST
    Today, The Gamer's Press has posted a new installment of "Spike's Corner". Their columnist, Michael Askounes, takes a humorous look at the craziness of the newsgroups. Here's a quote:
    "By hiding behind the "veil of anonymity" of the Internet, folks tend to lose all inhibitions and wind up acting like complete chowder-heads. Nowhere in the known universe is this axiom proven more than in the Internet's "killing fields," the cyber-cesspool of human opinion known as "Usenet," or as it's called by some folk "the newsgroups" (or as its called by me, the "place to get free pictures of naked women")."

    Diablo2 Preview - Raven @ 11:45 pm PST
    Gamefan.Online have come up with their own preview of Blizzard's eagerly awaited RPG title, Diablo2. Although the preview doesn't cover any new information; it contains enough old information to wet the lips of most Role Playing Game fan, and is long enough to help keep the interest of your ordinary D2 Fan, heres a quote:
    "On the surface, Diablo II might look a lot like Diablo on a 3-D engine, with new character classes and literally hundreds of new features, improvements and gameplay tweaks; it's got a much larger scope than the original Diablo could ever have dream of. On a purely cosmetic side, the interface has been redone, as has the paper-doll character inventory and statistics screens--not to mention the new skill tree that eliminates the spell book."

    All in all not a bad read if you're interested click here to view the preview.

    Ridah, Remnant Interviews - Falcon @ 11:41 pm PST
    Tokyo3 has 2 new interviews, one is with Ridah, who is working on the Return To Wolfenstein, the other is an interview with Remnant, who is making a mod for Half-life called The Assignment. You can check them out from here

    UT Devoloper Studio Beta - Raven @ 11:39 pm PST
    The UT DevStudio is basically a app choc-a-bloc full of features designed to help you create you own UT playing environment. The studio created by Acidzoom is described as
    "DevStudio is an Intergrated Development Environment designed especially for UT scripts and is similar to Microsoft DevStudio (not that complex.) Here is a list of the main features:
    • projects make, build commands, errors are shown in "output"
    • window within UTDS
    • syntax highlighting
    • error recovery
    • mutator wizards
    • AddClass wizard
    and much, much more."

    If you would like to download the Beta head over to http://utds.ut.org.pl/.

    GameArena Jobs Database - Intrepid @ 6:51 pm PST
    This is something new...GameArena has a new Jobs Database in which gaming sites looking for staff and vice versa can find a listing of each. Here's a snip from the Jobs DB page:
    Here at the Job Database, we've setup an index of Gaming Sites/Volunteers looking for each other, with the info you'll need such as who to contact, their e-mail address, their ICQ info, and Job Description/Previous Experience. This Database is a resource for gamers by gamers, and open to anyone!

    Tony Hawk 2 - backup @ 5:34 pm PST
    Go ahead and read the following news post from IGN PSX, it's hard to understand but seems to state that we will see Tony Hawk 2 at the end of the year on playstation. Excellent!

    Tony Hawk 2
    We found out this week, perhaps by accident, that not only is the brilliant Tony Hawk Pro Skater going to appear on PlayStation by the end of this year on PlayStation, but that players will have the option to design their own skate parks and environments. How's that for frickin cool, eh?

    Source: IGN PSX

    Two New Warcraft III Screenshots - winterfresh @ 5:13 pm PST
    Blizzard has posted two new Warcraft III Screenshots, to get them go here.

    XR Gaming NOX Review - backup @ 2:34 pm PST
    Dragons from XRGaming has notified me that they have slapped up a nice review of the final release version of NOX. You can check it out by heading here.

    ARC Status - MajinVegeta @ 9:52 am PST
    WON has reported that NO MORE bugs exist in ARC. They also have added one new map to their server. Play ARC here.

    BioWare Interview - Intrepid @ 5:16 am PST
    Bloodshot.org spoke with Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk of BioWare about their current mischief at BW as well as very important topics which affect us all, such as "Which is your favorite Smurf and why" :). Here's a taste:
    Who would you say has had the biggest impact on gaming in the last year and why?

    Greg: I think it was Valve with their amazing work on Half Life. Not only did they raise the bar for first person shooter genre, but in the process they made the minimum standard of excellence for games in general to rise to a higher level. In essence, they've made it harder to make a "great" game. Fortunately we all love a challenge.

    Read the rest here.

    Thandor Shots - Intrepid @ 5:11 am PST
    GA-Strategy has 12 new shots of Planet4's upcoming RTS entitled Thandor. Give them a look here.

    Sunday, February 13, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Paul Steed on E3 at Stomped @ E3 - Falcon @ 10:55 pm PST
    They guys over at Stomped are racking up the content of their E3 site, the latest being id Software master modeler Paul Steed with his . . . unique E3 memories
    and expectations (complete with a visual aid) at Stomped @ E3. Check it out at http://e3.stomped.com

    Dominion Wars Interview - Falcon @ 10:47 pm PST
    Strategyplanet has news that Federation HQ has managed to snag an interview with Simon & Schuster about their upcoming 3D tactical combat game based in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine universe, Dominion Wars.
    Fed-HQ: Could you talk a bit about the premise behind the game? Concept, plot, etc.
    Well, the title of the game is DS9: dominion wars. Obviously based on the DS9 Star Trek series, and we're concentrating on the middle to the later part of the DS9 series. Basically the game is a real time tactical space combat game and we're different from other real-time strategy games because there's no base-building. What you can play are three sides, and four races. You can play the Federation, the Klingons, and the Dominion side is made up of the cardassian and the Jem'hadar. in multiplayer you'll be able to play all four sides, in single player the Cardassian and Jem'Hader are combined into the Dominion. So the concept behind the game is that you're in the middle of the Dominion Wars.

    Silver Review - Falcon @ 10:24 pm PST
    Didn't have enough reading after our review of Silver? Insane Gamers have just reviewed Silver by Infogrames. Here is a clip:
    To be honest, when I first received my copy of Silver in the mail I was skeptical. I had read other reviews and looked at various screenshots of the game, but was unsure as to how exactly it worked. After playing it for days on end I came to my conclusion. Silver could have been one of the greatest games of 1999 if only they would have put that extra bit of effort into the game.
    You can check out the rest of the review here

    New title: In Cold Blood - Falcon @ 10:16 pm PST
    Just in from GA-Source is news that Revolution Software, the company that created the Broken Sword graphic adventures, is developing a 3D action/adventure entitled In Cold Blood. More on it here

    SWAT3 Giveaway - Falcon @ 10:12 pm PST
    The SWAT3 Giveaway is still going on at Exxtreme3D! Until the end of February, 4 lucky people will win a copy of Sierra Studio's latest achievement, SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle. All you have to do is sign up for our newsletter, register for our forum, and then fill out the form on our contest page! It's that simple! Winners will be announced on March 1st through our newsletter.

    For complete details, just head on over to http://www.exxtreme3d.com/contest/

    Some other things next week - backup @ 7:55 pm PST
    We will also be bringing you a possible Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver weapons guide, and will have the new Half-Life patch for download on our server.

    GS Week in Review - Surebrec @ 7:34 pm PST
    We have recently uploaded the Week in Review for this week. So if you missed anything this week, check out the recap.

    Misc. stuff - backup @ 6:58 pm PST
    I noticed on our stats tracker, that the last searches have been mostly for The Sims demo, and on the funnier side one was for a Counterstrike beta 5 wall cheat. Some people aren't too bright :)

    Source: That Tracker Thingymajig

    NOX Demo Impression - backup @ 3:25 pm PST
    I've whipped up my impressions from the NOX demo and compiled them into a nice fancy NOX demo impression which you can check out by heading here.

    Mousepad - Underwear Ninja @ 2:57 pm PST
    Before you actually purchase the Everglide, also check out the Ratpad. It just as good (if not better) than the Everglide, and it is produced by a stand up guy named Kyle at HardOCP. Check them both out, as they are both worthy mousing surfaces. You can read a comparison review here.

    Everglide Mousepad Review - Intrepid @ 12:33 pm PST
    This is, in a sense, gaming news, since the Everglide mousepad was designed with gamers in mind. It is supposedly the best pad out there for die hard gamers. They cost a little more than your average Joe Schmo pad and can only be ordered off the net (as far as what I've heard). Anyway, read the review of the Everglide Giganta pad, covering its abilities in the gaming world. Definitely worth a read!

    The Sims Review - Intrepid @ 12:26 pm PST
    ESCMag has posted their latest review of the popular people simulator, The Sims. Here's a taste:
    Will Wright’s latest brainstorm has turned into something much more than a people simulator. Sure, on the box the company line is "The People Simulator from the Creator of Sim City ™" but this game will not only simulate the computer people, it will draw you so far into the game that all sense of time and material necessities will be lost.

    Game Over Online's Game of the Year Vote - Intrepid @ 12:20 pm PST
    It's February again, and Game Over Online is running their yearly Game of the Year vote, this time for 1999's favorites. So head on over, and cast your vote for the game you think was best in 1999!

    Source: Email

    PowerPlay Update - Intrepid @ 12:16 pm PST
    Recently, PowerPlay announced that they now have 7 more companies among their ranks. Here's the info:
    "FEBRUARY 9, 2000 -- PowerPlay, an effort to make the Internet a better entertainment platform, gained momentum this week as six leading game development studios and content and Internet tools developer, Applied Microsystems, joined the initiative. The latest additions to the list of developers who have gone on record in support of PowerPlay are:

    -Bungie -Oni and Halo.
    -Dynamix -Tribes, Tribes 2.
    -Gas Powered Games -- Dungeon Siege.
    -Jellyvision - You Don't Know Jack, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
    -Nihilistic - Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption
    -Raven Software -Soldier of Fortune, Star Trek: Elite Force, Hexen 2

    Other companies working to make this happen are Captivation, Cisco, Click Entertainment, Ensemble, Epic, Gearbox, Looking Glass Studios, Outrage, Red Storm Entertainment, Relic, Ritual, Shiny, Valve, and Volition. If you don't know what PowerPlay is (shame on you!), check out the offical page.

    SWAT 3 Strategy Index - Gibb @ 12:09 pm PST
    A strategy index for SWAT 3 has been posted here at Gamesurge. Check it out here

    Matrix Action Figures - Intrepid @ 12:02 pm PST
    GA-Source has some interesting info on 12" action figures from The Matrix. Check it out if you're into that sort of thing :) You might also know that there will be an upcoming Matrix video game, although the developer is not known.

    SWAT 3 Contest - Intrepid @ 11:36 am PST
    This is just in from Vinny Duong of Exxtreme3d, letting everyone know that their latest contest is still kicking:
    The SWAT3 Giveaway is still going on at Exxtreme3D! Until the end of February, 4 lucky people will win a copy of Sierra Studio's latest achievement, SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle. All you have to do is sign up for our newsletter, register for our forum, and then fill out the form on our contest page! It's that simple! Winners will be announced on March 1st through our newsletter.

    For complete details, just head on over here.

    Interview with Jim Tso - Gibb @ 6:24 am PST
    Beta Bites has interviewed Jim Tso, Senior Producer for the US/Canada release of Earth 2150. They talk about how this game promises to be a good one, and all the features that Earth 2150 will have. Here's a mouthwatering little snippet:
    BB: Earth 2140 used the traditional top-down view of many RTS games, however, in Earth 2150 you make the move to 3D acceleration most notably in the environment. Tell us about the terrain, and the addition of weather effects, and how they will effect gameplay?

    Jim: The terrain is true 3D in the sense that units move up and down the hills and valleys of the battlefield. Mountains and cliffs are impassable, water can be crossed by building bridges. Trenches can be dug to prevent enemy incursions. All of these factors play a big part on where and how the player develops his base and conducts operations. As far as weather effects are concerned, day and night play a big role. For example, the Lunar Corporation (LC) is dependent on solar power; attacking them at night is a good idea since they're reliant upon battery power then and won't be able to recharge. This means their building defenses are weaker. However, they do have other advantages. The LC can build weather generators that create weather effects on the map. Wind and rainstorms prevent flying units from taking off. Meteor showers rain down fiery destruction.

    Check the whole interview out here.

    Interview with Myscha the Sled Dog - Gibb @ 6:06 am PST
    Unreal Universe has interviewed Elliot T. Cannon, AKA Myscha the Sled Dog, formerly of Epic. He now works at The Collective as a lead level designer. Theey talk about Myscha's time at Epic, Deep Space Nine-The Fallen (The Collective's upcoming title) and why he left Epic. Here's a nice little snippet:
    Unreal Universe: You leaving to join The Collective came as quite a surprise to many Epic fans. What prompted the decision?

    Myscha: Unreal Tournament was a super fun project, but it was taking a long time. The end result is a superb deathmatch game that has excellent gameplay. But on a personal level the work was not very challenging or interesting for the amount of time it was taking. The Collective was working on an intense single player game driven by an existing mythology (Star Trek Universe) and a unique visual real time action adventure gameplay model. I was in need of a challenge and a pipeline for game development that would keep me busy and intrigued with little time to breathe or relax. Thus after completing the levels that were going to go into Unreal Tournament, I moved to the Collective as a step forward. I love Epic and am great friends with the entire team, but as a designer I like to keep things fast paced and moving. Unreal Tournament was a simple game to make, everyone knew what it was supposed to feel like, how it was supposed to play, and how it was supposed to look, but it was simply taking too long for me. This is certainly not due to the skill level and talent at Epic, but rather the amount of technology and compatability required for today's games to satisfy user equipment and hardware.

    Check the whole interview out here.
    Source: Blues News

    Saturday, February 12, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Dark Reign 2 Screens - Surebrec @ 8:09 pm PST
    Speaking of GA-Strategy, they have also posted 8 new screenshots from Pandemic Studios' upcoming 3D strategy hybrid, Dark Reign 2.

    e: 6 of these screens have been released before but are in a much higher res. 2 of them are brand new.

    Battlezone II Review - Surebrec @ 8:07 pm PST
    GA-Strategy slapped up their review of Battlezone II today.

    Battlezone II is the follow-up to what many believed was the sleeper hitof 1998. Now armed with an all new engine and enhanced graphics, will this latest sequel pull the game out of its slumber?

    "So what if Yahoo is attacked? I'm a gamer!" - Falcon @ 7:19 pm PST
    New today on PCGamers.net is a feature article entitled "So what if Yahoo is attacked? I'm a gamer!", in which Samson showed off his deep geekhood by telling the theory (no I didn't do it man, I swear) of the Distributed Denial of Service attack on five of the top web sites with the mean of Tribal Flood Network, and what that relate to the downtime of ID's Quake server, people getting ping'd off on bnet's ladder match, sudden drop on deathmatches, etc. More importantly, reasons why gamers who have the knowledge and resource should NOT do that to other fellow gamers.
    A long article with a lengthy introduction and background along with a long, semi-geekly, more in-depth stuffs.
    "If you are a 2600 subscriber, pay daily visits to Rootshell, writem articles on AntiOnline, rewritten kernel, hang out in fully-encrypted and invite-only loops and think NSA stands for No Such Agency, then this article probably isn't for you. If not, you may wanna read it, everybody's talking about it, now it's time to actually know about it..."

    Read it all here

    Pool of Radiance Update and Details - Falcon @ 7:11 pm PST
    Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor is a new 3rd Edtion Dungeons and Dragons RPG game which uses a state-of the art 3D animation system which promises to bring D&D to life more than any product ever has.

    GA-RPG recently had a chance to get an update on the game's progress and a response to what will make this isometric RPG stand out from the crowd.

    More on Unreal2 at E3 - Falcon @ 7:09 pm PST
    He's the man that gave Stomped the exclusive news that Unreal II will be shown back stage at this year's E3. Today, Legend Entertainment game designer Mike Verdu talks to Stomped @ E3 about his E3 memories and
    expectations for 2000's expo. Check it out here

    Poll - Falcon @ 7:07 pm PST
    My apologies, one of the files needed to update the poll questions wasn't uploaded properly, which stopped the poll question from changing. It should work fine now, so head over to vote

    Baldur's Gate II Interview - Gibb @ 6:04 pm PST
    The guys at PC.IGN.com have interviewd Ben Smedstad of BioWare. They talk about improving from the original Baldur's Gate and such. Here's a piping hot little snippet:
    IGNPC: You mention that gamers have contributed heavily -- is that something you value highly?

    BS: The fan input is very important. I'm surprised that more people don't think so, as these are the people that play the game, these are the ones who take hundreds of hours, and you know they have their pet peeves, and they have them for a reason. Not everyone posts a comment or a suggestion that's correct or that we can implement, but it'll at least get us thinking and looking at it -- saying, "That's a symptom of this", "You know what, that is bad", "We didn't fix that up the first time", or, "What a great feature". We've culled many features that are in the game right now directly from messageboards. It's a great way to pass information along. We have a million people out there who have an opinion on BG.


    Check the whole interview out here.

    SoF Diary - Gibb @ 5:56 pm PST
    Eric Biessman of Raven Software wrote up another installment of Soldier of Fortune Diary. It describes working out the kinks of SoF in the wee hours of the morning. Check it out here. Thanks to Blues News for that one.

    Screenshots of Elite Force! - backup @ 5:03 pm PST
    As promised, the 9 newly released screenshots of Elite Force from Raven Software have arrived. Though not excluse, they still rock! You can view them right here.

    Screenshots - backup @ 4:36 pm PST
    I just got some recently released screenshots sent to me directly from those people over at Raven Software :) We should have 9 delicious screenshots of Elite Force for you very soon :)

    Oh, and we will have a NOX Impression up tonight, along with an Unreal Tournament review today or tommorow.

    News on PowerPlay - Gibb @ 3:58 pm PST
    PowerPlay, a movement of Internet companies to make the Internet a better platform for games and such, has six new members. Those are Bungie, Dynamix, Gas Powered Games, Jellyvision, Nihilistic, and Raven Software. Here's the whole press release:
    FEBRUARY 9, 2000 -- PowerPlay, an effort to make the Internet a better entertainment platform, gained momentum this week as six leading game development studios and content and Internet tools developer, Applied Microsystems, joined the initiative. The latest additions to the list of developers who have gone on record in support of PowerPlay are:

    Bungie -Oni and Halo.
    Dynamix -Tribes, Tribes 2.
    Gas Powered Games -- Dungeon Siege.
    Jellyvision - You Don't Know Jack, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
    Nihilistic - Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption
    Raven Software -Soldier of Fortune, Star Trek: Elite Force, Hexen 2

    "It's hard not to support a movement aimed at improving everyone's Internet experience," said Chris Taylor, CEO of Gas Powered Games. "The list of game developers and other tech companies supporting PowerPlay is a great example of industry cooperation that will have a positive impact on all of our games."

    The PowerPlay initiative is composed of Internet companies, service providers, and game developers cooperating in the definition and deployment of an open industry standard to improve the Internet entertainment experience.

    The first stage will be a proof of concept deployment for US dial-up customers. Following the initial deployment, PowerPlay service will be available outside of the US and for higher speed connections (DSL/cable modem).

    The PowerPlay initiative also includes Bioware, Captivation, Cisco, Click Entertainment, Ensemble, Epic, Gearbox, Looking Glass Studios, Outrage, Red Storm Entertainment, Relic, Ritual, Shiny, Valve, and Volition.

    Westwood's NOX - backup @ 2:37 pm PST
    If you don't know already, the Nox Demo was released by Westwood last night and is absolutely incredible. You're likely to see content pertaining to Westwood's Action/RPG game in the near future on Gamesurge. If you haven't already downloaded the demo, I suggest you do so, the 48 meg download is well worth it. If your have the demo already, but are having troubles, head on over to Hecubah for more information on the demo.

    CS Admin Resource - Intrepid @ 8:33 am PST
    This is in from Geronimo of Server.Counterstrike.Net:
    That's right! You Counter-Strike server admins asked for it, and now you have it! The official CS admin resource, Counter-Server, is now officially open! You will find everything you need to run and optimize your Counter-Strike server - How To's for both hlds & hlds_l, scripts, tools, FAQ, lists of both CS specific and general HL cmds & cvars, forum, and even a bit of raunchy pr0n for you freaky admins. Let us know if you would like to see any content added - this site's for you!

    Friday, February 11, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Starlancer Shots - Intrepid @ 5:04 pm PST
    Wewp! has posted 3 new screenshots from Digital Anvil's space sim entitled Starlancer. Head on over and give them a look.

    Deus Ex Interview - Intrepid @ 5:00 pm PST
    UnrealUniverse spoke with the ION dev team about the status of the game in production, Deus Ex. As you probably know Deus Ex is based on the Unreal Engine and should be released soon. Read the interview here.

    New Version of D3Edit - Intrepid @ 4:57 pm PST
    The Descent 3 Editor has been updated to version 1.1, and you can get it here. Along with the editor, the source code has also been released.

    Delta Force 2 Interview - Intrepid @ 4:51 pm PST
    AGN slapped up an interview with Dan Bennet of NovaLogic. The topic is mainly in regards to the announcement that the game will be used by the Marines for training. Check it out here!

    New Poll Question - Falcon @ 4:46 pm PST
    The latest poll here at Gamesurge is "What sequel are you looking forward to the most? Head over here to vote.

    Results of previous poll:

    What's Your favourite game to play online?

    Half Life (+mods)        126     14.48 %

    Quake Series               247      28.39 %

    Unreal Tournament      265     30.46 %

    Evercrack-er-quest      70        8.05 %

    Tiberian Sun                15          1.72 %

    Tribes                          22          2.53 %

    SC/BW/Wc2Bne         55          6.32 %

    AOK                           10          1.15 %

    Another                        33          3.79 %

    I don't play online         27          3.10 %

    TOTAL                        870        100.00 %

    As you can see the winner by a small margin was Unreal Tournament

    Carmageddon TDR 2000 Screens - Falcon @ 3:49 pm PST
    SCi released the following 11 new hi-resolution (1024x768) screenshots from their upcoming action racer, Carmageddon TDR 2000. View them here


    Starcraft Map of the Week - Gibb @ 3:40 pm PST
    The Starcraft Map of the week is Hailstorm. Here's the description:
    "What’s that Command? A storm moving onto our position and we should seek shelter immediately? Sir, with all due respect, my men have been to the far reaches of the sector and fought off bandits, rebels, Protoss and even the Zerg. We are not afraid of some... [STATIC -- END OF LINE]."

    - Last transmission of Captain Jonathan Rogers, KIA during a freak hailstorm on Grnaki Prime
    Size:198 x 128 Ice
    Designed for Broodwar

    Download it here.

    Kensington VideoCAM Review - Falcon @ 3:34 pm PST
    Exxtreme3D has just posted its review on the Kensington VideoCAM. How good was this camera anyway? Is it worth going out and buying it? Well, after testing it out, the answer was...no. Here's a little bit why:
    "One thing I'd like to mention, though. We first tried this camera out on Mike's computer (which was an AMD Athlon) and the darn video wouldn't install (or it wouldn't detect the camera). So we then tried it on my computer (which was an AMD K-6/2) and it worked. So we don't know whether Mike's computer is just messed up, or the camera was not designed to support an Athlon."
    Check out the rest of what we had to say by heading over here

    Planescape Torment Review - Intrepid @ 3:02 pm PST
    WomenGamers.Com takes a look at Planescape Torment, a roleplaying game by Interplay. Here's a snip:
    There is at least one female character you can pick up for your group, but most things are pretty male-oriented. There are an ABUNDANCE of "harlots" in town for you younger guys to try to hit on. Morte (the floating skull companion to Nameless) is a sexist pig, and has plenty of crude remarks to make about having his way with the female zombies running around. You have no other choice than "Nameless One" as your primary character, a male.
    Check out the rest here.

    Tribes Receives PCGamer Award - Intrepid @ 3:00 pm PST
    This in from Admiral Seyon of ATM:
    A nice little tidbit for those who don't know, the latest PC Gamer features "the Sixth Annual PC Gamer Awards."

    Of course, our favorite game was giving the award of "Special Achievement in Innovation."
    Go Tribes!

    Freespace 2 Review - Intrepid @ 2:58 pm PST
    NWGN has kicked up a Freespace 2 Review. Here is a taste:
    The mention of the graphics in Freespace 2 can only garner a few possible words, the majority of them consisting of amazing, stunning, awe-inspiring and masterful. Freespace 2 contains, without a doubt, the best graphics in a space combat sim to date, not to mention give any other genres top graphical performers a run for their money. The graphics are crisp and clean, nicely textured and most importantly - run smooth as silk.

    Interview with Dan Bennett - Gibb @ 2:03 pm PST
    The guys at AGN3D have posted an interview with Dan Bennett of NovaLogic, talking about the US Marines' recent announcment that they will be using Delta Force 2 for training purposes. Here's a nice little excerpt:
    I got a press release from the center of appeals this morning, telling us about what I think it is the marine course taking a look at Delta Force 2. Is that the case?

    Yes it is, actually what happened was one of the marines who has been with the marines for 19 years, who is a master sergeant from North Carolina. He has been a fan of Delta Force 1 and active in the online community. When he heard about Delta Force 2, he contacted our project manager Patrick Hewitt and asked if he might get his hands on a copy of it. He actually sent out 8 copies and the end result is he is now starting a program to use it as a training aid.

    Check the whole interview out here.

    New Darkstone Patch - Gibb @ 1:56 pm PST
    A long awaited Darkstone patch has been released. This patch, version 1.0.5, comes in US and European formats, adds a new difficulty level called "Legend", makes some changes to monster and character behavior, and some other fixes. Download the patch here.

    Half-Life Patch Update - Gibb @ 1:50 pm PST
    Half-Life patch 1.0.1.6 will be released this coming Tuesday (February 15) at about 1:00 EST. It should weigh it at about 7 megs for those updating from version 1.0.1.3.
    Source: Blues News

    Q3A Female Model - Skins - Sounds Contest -- Update - Falcon @ 1:27 pm PST
    Almost a month and a half ago, a contest was launched to design a female model to be voted upon by the female gamers within the community. The response was overwhelming and we received 37 excellent models which were very hard to choose a winner from. 36 females took the time to rank their favorite models and a winner was determined. Kuyozuka No Rei, submitted by Bolek, was a clear favorite among hard competition. Congratulations to Bolek for his excellent entry.

    Now we launch into the next two contests that will result in a complete model pak. The Skins contest and the Sounds contest will officially begin on February 22nd. We look forward to seeing a similar response in both these contests as we tap in to the talents of even more members of the community.

    And the stakes have risen. We have added two new sponsors and the prizes have increased in value to an estimated $2,000+ total. Our sponsors now include NVIDIA and primagames. NVIDIA has donated an amazing 3D card which I can tell you from personal experience does incredible things to just about any game. It's a GeForce 256 DDR with 64 MB of 333Mhz on-board RAM. An excellent card that I think anyone would be happy with. Primagames has donated copies of their Official Quake 3 Arena Strategy Guide which is a must have for the serious gamer. And we still have the staples that started this contest... a $50 USD gift certificate, some cool Q3A paraphernalia and t-shirts.

    So keep an eye out and start planning your entries. The files for the skinning contest should be available no later than February 22nd and the sounds you can start recording any day. Don't forget, all entries must be received by 11:59pm PST on March 19, 2000. Please read the official rules for more details.

    Head over to here for the contest.

    Unreal II at Stomped @ E3 - Falcon @ 1:24 pm PST
    Stomped @ E3 has the exclusive word from Legend's Mike Verdu that Unreal II will be shown for the first time at this year's E3. Head over here to find out the details on what will be shown of the game this May.

    Soldier of Fortune Demo Review - Falcon @ 1:23 pm PST
    Clan Nexus takes a look at the demo of Raven Software's new FPS, Soldier of Fortune. Here's a short quote:
    Even as world still trembles from the recent clashing of FPS giants Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament this past Christmas, a new wave of shooters prepares its assault on the market. One of these upcoming titles hails from the veteran design house at Raven Software - designers of the popular Hexen series. Their new title, "Soldier of Fortune" (SoF) promises to bring a new level of realism to the FPS genre by way of realistic weapons, locations, and lots of wound appropriate gore.

    In SoF you play John Mullins - a soldier for hire. Through the course of the game Mullins is pulled into a plot that pits him against a powerful organization bent on destruction (Hey - they aren't sellin girl scout cookies). Through grit and skill Mullins will prove that one well trained man with an impressive arsenal of destruction at his disposal really can make a difference (Not to mention a whole lot of bloody holes in his opponents).

    Blizzard Realm Back - Falcon @ 1:21 pm PST
    Our affiliate, Blizzard Realm is back up with a new layout, plus added content and features, so go give them a look.

    NOX Demo - Falcon @ 4:36 am PST
    Publisher: Westwood StudiosR
    Developer: Westwood Studios
    Release Date: Feb. 16 in North America, Feb. 19 around the world
    Format: Win 95/98 CD-ROM
    Website: www.westwood.com
    Westwood Studios is an Electronic ArtsR company


    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


    Multiplayer demo of Nox available tomorrow at www.westwood.com

    Gamers can sample fast action of Nox Arena over Westwood Online

    LAS VEGAS, February 10, 2000 - Starting today at noon, gamers will be able to download a multiplayer demo of Nox from www.westwood.com. Nox is the highly
    anticipated action-RPG due to go on sale in North America on Feb. 16 and around the world on Feb. 19.

    The Nox demo lets players play Nox Arena over a land-area network (LAN) and Westwood Online, Westwood's free multiplayer game service. Up to 16 players can
    play at once.

    The demo features the conjuror character class. Conjurors have access to more than 30 spells and can cast and control creatures, as well as custom design
    traps. He'll also get plenty of experience wielding staffs and bows to fend off enemies who slip past his magically summoned defenders.

    The full version of Nox feature threes character classes, the Conjuror, the Warrior and the Wizard.

    As the Warrior, players can equip and use all manner of swords, battle axes, war hammers, and chackrum. Warriors leave magic to the Conjurer and Wizard classes, though Warriors do have five powerful abilities, Harpoon, War Cry, Bezerker Charge, Tread Lightly and Infravision.

    The Wizard is an expert in the mystic art of spellcasting, ranging from enemy confounding illusions to devastating displays of metaphysical force. He'll also learn to set magical traps that contain deadly spell combinations.

    The full version of Nox features an array of multiplayer options never before seen in an action-RPG. They are Capture the Flag, Nox Arena, limination, King of the Realm, and Flag Ball.

    Nox is a game of savage combat and sneaky tactics set in a mystical land filled with discovery and deceit. Nox's lightning-fast action is fueled by a combat
    system that's easy to use yet gives players tremendous gameplay depth and infinite possibilities. With more than 150 unique spells, weapons and skills, players must use their wits to create devious combinations and tricky tactics.

    The battle happens on the world of Nox, which Westwood's game designers filled with intricate detail. The top down viewpoint gives players an expansive view of the world, but there's a twist. True line of sight means never knowing what's around the next corner, creating an intense level of suspense.

    The single player game will take you through the three lands of Nox, pitting you against vicious monsters and powerful wizards. Driven by an epic story, you'll
    progress up skill levels and learn three schools of combat: the way of the Warrior, the knowledge of Conjuror, and the disciplines of the Wizard.

    Much more information about Nox can be found at www.westwood.com. The website is updated daily with news, the latest art, and downloads. During the next two weeks, leading up to the release of Nox, the website will feature a downloadable AVI from Nox every day.

    First Look: Aquarius - Falcon @ 4:30 am PST
    Aquarius is a 3D action/strategy that can be played in either the first or third-person point of view (ala Dark Reign 2). Your goal is to build and command armies in your quest to colonize the planet Aquarius.

    Check out their first look at this very ambitious and impressive looking title. This article also features 11 new screenshots and a sound track demo song in MP3 format.

    Thursday, February 10, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Randy Pitchford on E3 at Stomped @ E3 - Falcon @ 10:30 pm PST
    Randy Pitchford of Gearbox Software (the makers of Half-Life:Opposing Force) took our request for his memories and expectations of E3 very seriously. His
    essay on the subject was so lengthy, Stomped gave him an entire web page on their site.
    Check out his answers to their Q&A at http://e3.stomped.com/articles/interviews/developers.html

    news on Pax Travis' farewell letter - Falcon @ 10:29 pm PST
    The Iron Gauntlet just had a design change
    and to kick it all off I posted news about Pax Travis' farewell letter on the ASC forums. The letter clears out a lot of things like what the hells gonna' happen to Werewolf, where he's working at right now, and such. The post can be seen at http://www.irongauntlet.org

    New Sim Skins - backup @ 7:13 pm PST
    With a lot happening concerning the Sims lately, Maxis has put up some new skins for your needs which include a Warrior Man, a woman, a sleuth, and a Wizard (boy and girl). They have also posted four new wall lights, all available for download at their web site.

    3DRealms looking for Programmer - Intrepid @ 5:47 pm PST
    3DRealms has updated their jobs page with info that they are still looking for another Duke Nukem Forever Programmer. If you think this could be your future career, why not drop by and see what you can do?

    NFS Progress Report - Intrepid @ 5:41 pm PST
    GameSpot has posted a progress report on the 5th addition to the Need for Speed series, Porsche Unleashed. They also have 8 new quicktime movies. Check them out!

    TRIBES 2 Vehicle Info Update - Intrepid @ 5:30 pm PST
    Tim Gift updated his .plan not too long ago with new info on the vehicles featured in the upcoming TRIBES 2. Here's a bit, but read the whole thing for all the info, since he covers alot:
    At this point you can drive around in the scout vehicle. It has four wheel drive and independent suspension. It handles pretty well, though at high speeds it tends to under-steer. Have to be a little careful going fast on the uneven ground or you can end up upside down. Vehicles are going to be pretty fun :)
    Can't wait :)

    Jake Simpson .plan Update - Gibb @ 5:21 pm PST
    Jake Simpson of Raven Software has updated his .plan file. He talks about the upcoming release of Soldier of Fortune, Playstation 2, and the joys of being a software developer. Here's a yummy little snippet:
    Anyway, we are putting the finishing touches to SOF, putting in all those little tweaks that makes a great product rather
    than just a good one. Games are all about fun, but there is no doubting that a polished front end, and a full feature set
    always help that along.
    Thanks to Blue for the heads up on that.

    Rogue Spear: UO Screens - Surebrec @ 4:41 pm PST
    GA-Source sent word that they received several new screenshots from Red Storm's Rogue Spear: Urban Operations, which can be found here.

    Allegiance Beta on Newstands - Surebrec @ 4:39 pm PST
    You read right. You can now get the Allegiance Beta from the March issue of PC Gamer if you're on a modem or something. Here's the full story:

    Microsoft today announced that gamers can now participate in the open beta of Allegiance by purchasing the (CD-enclosed) March issue of PC Gamer that is now widely available at newsstands. As word of this beta availability spreads, the MSN Gaming Zone (http://www.zone.com/) is expecting thousands of fans to flood their servers. This free public beta will run through the month of February. Allegiance combines furious space combat with the social challenge of squadron-based combat in a stunning 3D universe.

    The March issue of PC Gamer can be purchased at major bookstores including Barnes & Noble and Borders, and other stores where magazines are sold; including large supermarkets, Walmart, CompUSA, and Fry's.

    In Allegiance, players can pilot and customize many different classes of ships; from scouts and fighters to battle cruisers. They also have the ability to switch between a variety of combat roles, including pilot, turret gunner or base commander. Hundreds of players can engage each other in death-match style arenas or in cooperative play. Gamers will be able to represent their identity, through recorded accomplishments and medals, giving combatants the chance to become part of an ongoing, dynamic universe. Allegiance also features rich strategic elements such as controllable assets, researchable technology and command features.

    Planets, novas, nebulae, black holes, asteroids, naturally occurring wormholes, and over 36 user-controllable spacecraft are rendered in amazing graphic detail. Unique digitized sounds delivered in 3D stereo accompany conditions ranging from the thud of asteroid impact to the scream of failing shields.

    Icewind Dale Screenshots - Surebrec @ 4:37 pm PST
    Interplay has released 3 new screenshots and details from Black Studios' upcoming BioWare Infinity powered RPG, Icewind Dale, which can be found over here.

    CS Interview - Surebrec @ 4:36 pm PST
    The boys at Stomped have interviewed Gooseman of the Counter-strike mod fame (Half-life). They talk about future plans for CS, the Half-Life SDK, and other terrorist shooter games.

    Turok 3 Announced - Surebrec @ 4:35 pm PST
    Acclaim has recently announced that Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion will be coming out for the N64. However, there has been no mention of a PC version. For more info on it, head on over to here.

    Darkreign2 Fans - Falcon @ 12:03 am PST
    Here is a msg from a friend of mine who is looking for some dedicated staff members for his DR2 Site:

    "We are looking for some new fresh staff. If you think DarkReign2 will be a great game, are dedicated, and want to work at DarkReign2.org send in a staff submission to webmaster@darkreign2.org with your icq #, what your abilities are, and how you can help DarkReign2.org to reign supreme."

    Wednesday, February 09, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    EWJ3D Review - Falcon @ 11:46 pm PST
    For those who have no idea what EWJ3D means, like myself what I first saw it - we are referring to that cute head whippin blaster shooting worm, now in 3D.

    Back to the news, the folks over at PCGamers.net have whipped up a review of EarthWormJim 3D published by Interplay. The game scored 30 out of 100.

    "Patient started running out when I am near the end of the first level -Either I can't see the enemy, or I can't see Jim, or both, because of the camera. And I'd be looking at a piece of weird texture that is supposed to be like a wall or something. After I struggled to kill the enemies off, I am there taking forever to walk to the door and exit the level..."

    Mark Rein hints at what Epic might show at E3 - Falcon @ 11:40 pm PST
    Epic Games' Mark Rein is hinting at what might be shown by Epic at this year's E3. Look for the exclusive Q&A at Stomped @ E3, located at http://e3.stomped.com

    New Invictus Screenshots and Artwork - Falcon @ 11:34 pm PST
    With the recent announcement of Interplay's upcoming RTS/Adventure game Invictus going gold, Ga-Source has received new screenshots and very "impressive" artwork. View it here

    Online Arena - Facsimile @ 9:59 pm PST
    Hey There gaming fans. Looking for the best Mods and Levels, but don't wanna choke your meagerbandwidth downloading them? Well, the good people at Imagine Media have come through big time. The Online Arena Magazine. It has the 100 best levels, Maps, and Mods, for all your favorite games. Games like Quake2, Unreal, Half-life, Starcraft, Sim-City 3000, and more! It also has the 35 greatest moments in gaming history! How many have you experienced? How many of the worst? Its all in Online Arena! Aspiring Level Designer? Learn Professional tricks of the trade, such as how to eliminate camping on your levels, and how to make good flow! Make a map your friends will praise and respect you for! Includes World Craft and Lots of great Player Models and skins. Pick it up Today!!

    New SAS Model for HL MOD Counter-Strike and other various HL happenings.. - MajinVegeta @ 6:58 pm PST
    CS.Net has released a new SAS model to update the old one. The old one kinda looked like an elephant, but the new one is much better. You can download and take a look, here. Also, CS.Net has released a new FGD file for all the mappers. You can download that, here. Also, speaking of Half-Life in general, sometime this week, Valve Software is supposed to release patch 1.0.1.6. Its gonna add 2 new maps to TFC and various bug fixes. Ill keep you up to date on that happening. Well, thats all for now later fellow gamers!

    Devilbunny Interview - Intrepid @ 6:43 pm PST
    The creator of the winning map (DM-Faith) in the Make Something Unreal Contest, devilbunny, spoke with Unreal Kingdom in an interview about Faith, DB's history in level design, and his opinion towards the other winning maps, DM-Unreality][ and DM-Organic. Here's a clip:
    Jeh: Tell us how DM-Faith came about? How did you come up with the idea for it?

    Sean: The basic idea came to me while running, just an image of a bunch of weird platforms floating in space, connected by invisible walkways. Initially, the only key to the layout was going to be an elaborate color-coded mosaic on the ceiling. Of course, that would have been about as much fun as dodging highway traffic while reading a street map. Many people have made the connection to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but that didn't occur to me until later.

    Read the rest here.

    GreenMarine Interview - Intrepid @ 6:42 pm PST
    UTWorld spoke with Brandon "GreenMarine" Reinhart, who as you most likely know is helping out with Rocket Arena. Here's a snippet regarding RA from the interview:
    11) What about your upcoming mod Rocket Arena:UT? Can you tell us something about it ?

    Not much to say right now. Its going to be really cool. Each level designer at Epic is going to contribute a map with 5 or 6 arenas. In addition to that, we've got some level designers from the community work on maps. The mod will have the gameplay features of Rocket Arena 2, plus some new stuff unique to
    UT. (And professional voices and art!)

    Extreme Wing Chun VR Soundtrack - Intrepid @ 6:38 pm PST
    In a .plan updateby Jorn Lavoll today, he mentions an MP3 that is "An exclusive .mp3 single written for Zen Tao Interactive's Extreme Wing Chun VR soundtrack by Jorn Lavoll. The track is called "Shaolin Temple", and will be featured during the environment's flythrough scene". You can find it at VE right here.

    Ultima IX Review - Intrepid @ 6:37 pm PST
    Nethergate.com has posted a review of Ultima IX: Ascension based on patch 1.18 and
    therefore free of undeserved technical flames. Here's an excerpt:
    The transition to 3D has brought Britannia to a smaller scale but without
    altering the level of complexity characteristic to the series. In fact the game easily
    provides at least 70 hours of gameplay for Ultima fans and at least 100 hours of gameplay
    for newcomers.

    Battlezone II Guide - Surebrec @ 6:01 pm PST
    Gamespot has thrown up a Battlezone II Gameguide, which features a vehicle guide, strategies, cheat codes, a campaign walk-thru, and more.

    Thief II Movie - Surebrec @ 5:58 pm PST
    I noticed over at Blues News that Gamecenter has slapped up a new Thief II Movie which features about a minute of gameplay and rendered images.

    First Starlancer Trailer - Surebrec @ 5:55 pm PST
    Microsoft, earlier today, released the first ever Starlancer trailer. StarLancer is a futuristic space combat game that combines the action of a first-person space shooter with the drama and intrigue of a classic air combat movie. For a little more on the game, here's the full thing:

    In StarLancer, countries from around the world, including the United States, Russia, and Great Britain, have formed strategic alliances and now battle for control of Earth, Venus and other planets across the solar system. As part of a newly formed, ragtag aviation unit, the 45th Volunteers Squadron, players must prove themselves in this struggle for freedom of the solar system.

    StarLancer delivers a level of graphic details and special effects not currently found in space combat games. More than 80 types of spacecraft are rendered in extraordinary 3-D detail adding to the complexity of the dynamic mission structure. Players fly in over 25 gripping missions that range from escorting marine boarding ships to free POWs to leading an assault on space stations built right into an asteroid field. StarLancer will also include some exciting multiplayer features. Players can work together cooperatively throughout the entire story, with up to four players. Gamers can also dogfight in six different deathmatch modes with up to eight players via LAN or the MSN Gaming Zone.

    StarLancer is being developed by Digital Anvil and Warthog as the prequel to FreeLancer, the winner of the 1999 E3 Best of Show. The game will be available at retail locations throughout North America in late April with an estimated street price of US$49.95.

    FORTS Sceens - Surebrec @ 5:52 pm PST
    Speaking of GA, GA-Strategy has posted 3 new screenshots from FORTS, Magic Lantern Playware's 3D real-time action/strategy wargame.

    Project Overdrive Sceenies - Surebrec @ 5:51 pm PST
    GA-Source has recently received 2 new screenshots from Buka Entertainment's upcoming first-person, auto-combat game, Project Overdrive. The screens can be found over here.

    Links LS Stuff - Surebrec @ 5:49 pm PST
    I received word that Microsoft has expanded Links LS, with a new 10-course pack and has optimized Tournament play. Here's the full thing:

    REDMOND, Wash. (Feb. 9, 2000) Just in time for a new golf season, Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of its new "Links 2000" 10-Course Pack. Fans of the best-selling PC golf simulation series Microsoft "Links LS" are sure to enjoy the improved graphics and true-to-life tournament play featured on the championship courses. Using the powerful game engines of "Links LS 2000" or "LS 1999," the add-on pack includes 10 upgraded versions of the most popular courses in the "Links" series, all optimized for tournament play. In addition, with its estimated retail price of $19.95, the 10-course pack offers unprecedented value to fans of "Links."

    Through the add-on pack's 180 holes of golf designed exclusively for the "Links LS" series, players will be able to relive the excitement of the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina and feel the serenity of Pennsylvania's Latrobe Country Club in fall foliage. The PC golfer on a tight schedule can enjoy an all-new fantasy executive course, Three Canyons, set in a challenging desert bowl. The championship courses are faithful re-creations of some of the world's best courses and are sites of major professional tournaments and other popular venues. Additional courses are Firestone Country Club in Ohio, Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado, Sea Island Golf Club in Georgia, Kapalua Plantation and Kapalua Village in Hawaii, and Entrada at Snow Canyon and Bountiful Ridge Golf Course in Utah.

    The "Links LS 2000" 10-Course Pack will also enable PC and online golfers to experience the thrill of tournament play as the pros do. Each course has been upgraded and is tournament-ready, complete with leader boards, ambient sounds, television towers and thousands of spectators lining the fairways - all of which makes for realistic golfing on the PC. Online tournament golfers will enjoy the added variety and realism as they compete at popular "Links" sites.

    Although the 10-Course Pack is compatible only with the "Links LS 2000" and "LS 1999" versions, owners of previous versions of "Links LS" may be eligible for a $15 upgrade rebate* when they acquire "Links LS 2000."

    Crazy Taxi Review - Surebrec @ 5:32 pm PST
    Mah boy Dawg from The Dawg Pound sent word that he posted his review of Crazy Taxi. Here's the snippet:

    The actual gameplay is about as wild as can be. You have two courses to select from, the arcade one and a custom DC course. You also have a choice of four separate characters, each driving their own unique cab. You then start driving around town like a mad man, looking for a customer to pick up. When attempting to deliver your passengers to their designated area (Pizza Hut, baseball stadium, etc.), anything is game. You can drive on dirt, grass, hills, buildings, sidewalks, other cars, ramps, and even under water. The faster you deliver them, the happier they will be (aka. not kick your car) and the more time will be allotted for you to complete future pickups. Once you run out of time, your total earnings are tallied and you are given a grade, kinda like school, and an overall rating of how you stack up to other players. This isn't exactly Driver or anything close to it. It's pure arcade madness, and that's definitely a good thing.

    UEFA Champion League Preview - Surebrec @ 5:29 pm PST
    The boys over at Cyber Soccer have recently updated their preview of UEFA Champion League Soccer for the PC and PSX, which sports a few new screenshots.

    UK CPU Prices - Surebrec @ 5:26 pm PST
    GamesXTEME has updated their weekly UK CPU Prices, with the addition of the Intel Pentium III 800 range of processors and the latest Prices.

    New Site - Surebrec @ 5:23 pm PST
    I recently received word that a new site has opened up, called RPG Haven. RPG Haven is a site use to create your own RPG with software that requires no programming with tile sets, Character Sets, Music and Utilites all to help you create your RPG's. Sound's pretty sweet!

    Invictus: In the Shadow of Olympus Gold - Gibb @ 4:51 pm PST
    I saw on AVault that Invictus, Interplay's latest RTS, has gone gold. According to 14 Degrees East, the game's developer, Invictus "eliminates resource gathering and research trees, instead focusing on tactics and the strengths and liabilities of war parties." Check the whole news post out here.

    GameSpy Grudge Showdown - Intrepid @ 2:27 pm PST
    GameSpy is having the grudge showdown of the winter season! Going head to head for the win is the Unreal Tournament bot and the Quake Dude. Go here here to cast your support for your choice!

    Voodoo3 3500 Drivers - Intrepid @ 2:18 pm PST
    3dfx have released a set of drivers for the Voodoo3 3500 TV. Here are some of the updates:
      -Fixed problem with MPEG capture broken in DesktopTV
      -Fixed problem with Desktop TV Mute button not working on a single click
      -Fixed volume of TV doesn't go mute when playing recorded mpeg
      -Fixed video captures having a bar of extra video on the right side of screen
      -Fixed PAL NICAM audio problem in the MSPAPI.dll of the vfw driver
      -Fixed audio corruption when capturing MPEG-2 files in VR
      -Fixed GPF when screensaver runs with VR open
      -Fixed problem with surf function not working properly
      -Fixed problem with app not displaying error message if it cannot get an overlay surface

    John Scott Interview - Intrepid @ 2:08 pm PST
    In the Trenches held an interview with Raven's John Scott on their upcoming FPS Soldier of Fortune. Here is a snip:
    [trenches] Soldier of Fortune seems to be covering all the major news sites nowadays. But all are seems to complain about the unadvanced AI and Sound systems. Which new features are going to be added to the final version?

    [john] The sound systems are being worked on by Creative Labs and Aureal directly, I have full confidence that they will have all the issues brought up by the demo fixed for the final release of the game.

    Nathan is working full time on AI and scripting, making sure it is all tweaked and up to par. It has come along leaps and bounds since the OEM version we released in October, expect another order of magnitude improvement for the final game. The biggest problem is that all the enemies in SoF are human and so are expected to be as intelligent as real people. If you have to fight zombies, mutant creatures or demons from the void, then you don't know how they act, so who can tell if they are dumb or not?

    Tribes Tactics Site - Intrepid @ 2:05 pm PST
    The Tribes Vault has opened up and is now offering offensive as well as defensive tactics in select levels, with more to come. If you need a few pointers, check them out!

    The Staff - backup @ 1:05 pm PST
    As you know, you've probably seen some oustanding content the past few weeks from the new staff member Dyson. Due to all the spiffy things he has been doing lately, we've gladly appointed him to a higher position as Editor-in-chief, PR Manager, and Senior Reviewer/Previewer. If you would like to contact him you can do so by sending an e-mail here.

    Soulbringer Preview - Raven @ 2:55 am PST
    Thresh's FiringSquad have put together a preview of the RPG/Adventure game Soulbringer. Soulbringer has received a fair bit of hype and its a good thing to see that (in this preview atleast) the game manages to live up to that hype. heres a quote:
    "Soulbringer looks like it could be a worthwhile alternative to those who think there's too much clicking and not enough plot in Diablo-type games... The most notable thing about Soulbringer is the ability to change the camera angle as you see fit. You're no longer restricted to a standard ľ overhead view, or a "behind the character" viewpoint."

    To read the full preview travel over to:
    http://www.firingsquad.com/games/soulbringerpreview/

    F1 2000 SS - Raven @ 2:41 am PST
    If you have a thirst for racing games and you need something to wet your lips with this might be just what your after. Gamespot has posted up a preview of an up coming racing game called F1 2000. Created by Imagespace, F1 2000 is a PC racing game that is currently in its final stages of devolopment. The game will be published by EA Sports and -if the screen shots are anything to go by atleast- should do pretty well. If you interested go here to view the Screen Shots.

    D2 SSOWT - Raven @ 2:34 am PST
    The new Diablo2 Screen Shot of The Week has been released. This one features the Scorceress using her inferno spell. You can view it on the Blizzard page here.

    New Diablo2 info report - Raven @ 2:29 am PST
    Diabloii.net have recently put up a very detailed info report about Blizzard's highly anticipated Role Playing Game, Diablo2. The report covers new information on the D2 Beta and charecter information, aswell as summarising some of the present knowledge conerning D2. A great read, and more importantly a must read for all D2 fans.

    Check out the report here.

    Quake3 mod maker - Raven @ 2:22 am PST
    Crowdpleazr have come up with a new Mod Maker for Q3A. The program runs in both version of Windows and includes a readme file. All accounts say the app is easy to use and has some great features. Go check out the mod here

    Heavy Gear 2 Review - Raven @ 2:17 am PST
    Although abit late, PC Gameworld now have a review up on the FPS/Sim game from Activision, Heavy Gear 2. A good way to define this game is a cross between Mech Warrior3 and Duke Nukem. The review is almost entirely full of praise for the new Activision title, and its definately worth a read for anyone curious.

    Sample Shot
    View it here

    Heretic on Linux - Raven @ 2:10 am PST
    I found little article over on PC Gameworld
    Anyway they say
    "Kodak, a programmer on a mission to bring some old classics new life has done a port of Heretic to Linux. The game is hardly cutting edge, but it does bring back some of that retro fun in a much updated fashion. That page is found"
    If you're interested about the linux spawn go here.

    Earth 2150 Preview - Raven @ 2:06 am PST
    The every talented Gordoni Valducci has recently put together a preview on Earth 2150 over at HavenGames. If you haven't heard about "Earth 2150" yet, then lets just say this heavy hitting Real Time Strategy -RTS- is expected to be one of the most promising releases this year. All the press I've seen for the game is very positive including this article, which you can read here.

    Tuesday, February 08, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    The Sims Review - Falcon @ 11:32 pm PST
    Insane Gamers has reviewed yet another smash game, The Sims. Here is a quote:

    This is the first game that I will ever say GO BUY IT!!! (well I've said it before, but gah, it's cool). Never will $60 (CDN) bring you so much happiness (Hey…with $5 you can get a good blow…pop). Some of the cool features include making as many families as you want, and they will all interact with each other. Leaving your game on while not being their will allow your character to develop freely and let nature take its place, so when Bobby turns 16 that new car daddy bought will help get him laid. I guess that it for really outstanding features.

    Mortyr Review - Intrepid @ 7:03 pm PST
    ESCMAG rated Mortyr at 6 out of 10 in their latest review. There are also a few screenshots that are purdy and make you want to just go hug a rusted railroad spike (Actually they really are nice-looking). Here's a clip:
    Really, the whole setup looks very much like Wolfenstein 3D, with the players’ health, ammo and armor ratings across the bottom. There are some items scattered around that can be used in a simple inventory system, like flashlights and papers. (The papers are a nice touch — activate them and the Nazis ignore the player for a short amount of time.) Power-ups — which in recent shooters have been logically placed — are back to the "spinning object in the middle of a room" motif.

    Kenn Hoekstra .plan Update - Intrepid @ 5:30 pm PST
    Kenn Hoekstra updated his .plan today with news of a few things for SoF, including a new wallpaper, some concept art, and some misc stuff. Check it out here!

    MSN Zone Allegiance Chat - Intrepid @ 5:29 pm PST
    Arbuthnot.com has word on an Allegiance chat to take place on the Zone tomorrow:
    Microsoft announced today that on Wednesday, February 9, beginning at 6:00pm PST, lead developers from Microsoft Research will be in the Zone Theater Chat Room (http://www.zone.com/zzzz/auditorium.asp) to talk about Allegiance.

    Soon to be released, Allegiance combines furious space combat with the social challenge of squadron-based combat in a stunning 3D universe.To participate in the Allegiance chat, click "Chat & Events" on the navigation bar across the top of any Zone page, and then click "Chat Rooms" and "Zone Theater Chat" in the room list.

    For more information about Allegiance, including how to participate in the open beta program now underway, please visit the game's official site at:

    http://www.microsoft.com/games/allegiance/


    Starcraft 1.08 Patch Clarification - Gibb @ 3:14 pm PST
    Rob Pardo of Blizzard made this post on the Battle.net message boards. Here's the real point of it:
    At the Korean news conference, I did NOT say that Terrans would
    become strong in the new patch. It must have been a
    misunderstanding on someone's part, maybe mine in explaining well
    what the patch was meant to address.
    Check out the whole post here

    New Diablo II Interview - winterfresh @ 4:33 am PST
    A new interview has been posted of Bill Roper from the Diablo II team. You can find the 10 question interview here.

    Most anticipated game this year - Falcon @ 12:26 am PST
    Last call for game submissions for the "Most anticipated game of the year" poll. For those who missed it earlier you can submit the choices for our next poll - which game are you looking forward to the most this year? Send submissions to falcon@gamesurge.com, or if youre lazy use the feedback submission form at this location

    BG2 Interview - Falcon @ 12:11 am PST
    GamesXtreme have posted an Interview with Douglas Avery, Assistant Producer of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn at Black Isle Studios.

    GX: Are you going to keep boo (the hamster) in the game and what about any of the other characters, Player Controlled and NPC's from the first?

    DA: We are definitely bringing Minsc back and we couldn't leave Boo out in the cold now could we? Minsc and Boo were definite crowd favorites. We polled our audience and asked them what their favorite NPCs were from Baldur's Gate and who they finished the game with. The characters that most people had at the end were Minsc, Imoen and a few others. You will be seeing them in BG2 as well.


    Stephen King's F-13 Review - Falcon @ 12:09 am PST
    PC Gamers.net have a rather unflattering review of this game, heres a snippet:
    "The description of this... piece of software says and I quote it's a timekiller that both casual and hardcore gamers can enjoy. Even with a busy schedule, you can squeeze in a quick game, read an exclusive
    novella or sit back and be entertained by a touch of murder and mayhem
    . An average gamer who doesn't really keep up with the happenings around town go into a store, saw an Interplay published game developed by Blue Byte and endorsed by Stephen King, and went "cool!"... you get the idea. Whether or not you wanna call it a foul play is entirely up to you, I'll just stop right here."

    The final score is 20 out of 100; if you're still interested you cna read the rest here.

    Monday, February 07, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Bill Roper Interview - Falcon @ 11:57 pm PST
    Diablo.net has posted a hot new interview with Blizzards Bill Roper, with all sorts of juicy information about Diablo II out of it. It's definitely worth a glance, so check it out here

    Raven Hiring - Intrepid @ 6:59 pm PST
    Eric Biessman recently updated his .plan with news that Raven is hiring several talented level designers. He states that they must have experience with the Quake format in one form or another, must relocate to Madison, WI, and follow directions. Go here for the full info. Don't hesitate on this one!

    Misc - backup @ 6:55 pm PST
    I just found out Altavista has recently added (in past day or so), a feature to search for mp3's! Right next to there search buttons on the top of the criteria bar.

    New High Quality Halo Movie - winterfresh @ 4:50 pm PST
    A new Halo movie from the Incite Games Magazine has been posted. You can find the movie at Incites Page. Be sure to check it out!

    John Scott .plan Update - Intrepid @ 4:06 pm PST
    John Scott of Raven updated his .plan today with info about the video settings menu in Soldier of Fortune. Here's a small clip:
    Video Driver -
    Either Default OpenGL or 3DFx OpenGL. Voodoo3s use Default
    OpenGL as they are 2d/3d combo card.

    Resolution -
    I don't think I'll go over this one :)

    Fullscreen -
    Not an option you get with V1, V2 or Rush cards as they
    only run fullscreen without special drivers. If you try and
    run a 16 bit only card on a 32 bit desktop, then it will
    not work.

    Read the rest here.

    Gamer's POV On W2K - Intrepid @ 3:55 pm PST
    GamePC has kicked up a review of Windows 2000, and what makes it better for us is that it is from the perspective of a gamer. If you're thinking about upgrading to 2000 from Win 95/98 (and hope to god not 3.1) and are an avid gamer, then check it out!

    New Version of Kali - Intrepid @ 3:48 pm PST
    Kali version 1.99e has been released. The following updates have been made:
    - Added support for: RogueSpear, F18E Super Hornet, Monaco Racing 2, SpecOps 2, FreeSpace 2, Nation Fighter Command, Revenant, Abomination, 21st Century Sailing Simulator, FIFA 2000, Virtual Pool Hall, Big Bang, Dungeon Keeper II, MisterBoom, Purgatory, Soldier of Fortune, 1602 A.D.
    - Added retail maps/gamemodes for Quake3 arena, Wheel of Time, and Unreal Tournament
    - Added support for new Quake3 fun names.
    - Added a new Ad Button to display animated advertisements.
    - Find Players on the Internet Games servers list now remembers previous searches
    - Wheel of Time and NerfArena now show the correct process name
    - Fixed cutting(CTRL-X) text from the chat input line.
    Head over here to download the newest Kali now with support for 17 more games.

    John Carmack Interview - Intrepid @ 3:32 pm PST
    FiringSquad spoke with John Carmack in an interview recently. This is only part 1, part 2 will be out soon. Here's a snip:
    FS: I've read some earlier interviews where you said you were into bombs and stuff. You were a miscreant kid, right?

    John: Yeah in a lot of ways…I looked back and I was an arrogant little jerk when I was a teenager. I matured over the years and when I look back now, I don't think THAT highly of myself as a teenager. I mean, I was really smart, I was already programming computers in a lot of ways. But I was amoral at many times.

    HaVoC for TRIBES Released - Intrepid @ 3:23 pm PST
    HaVoC 1.5. a Tribes mod, has been released. This is no small-time mod either. There are a ton of new and innovative features in this mod. Among those are:
    • Smoke Bombs
    • Spy Drones
    • Repair Drones
    • Base Alarms
    And alot more. You can also look out for a load of admin options. Head over to the HaVoC Page for all the info and downloads!

    Interview with GreenMarine - Gibb @ 1:13 pm PST
    An interview with Brandon "GreenMarine" Reinhart of Epic has been posted. They talk a heck of a lot about Playstation 2, and not a whole lot about UT. Here's a scrumpcious little bit:
    Playstation 2, how cool is this machine? Because I am starting to wonder if we are going to get sucked into the hype faze or is this machine as powerful as they say and is it more powerful than the Dreamcast?

    Well it is pretty cool. I have not seen a whole lot of the marketing demos that they pull off with like the free looking water and stuff like that. What I have mainly been looking at is programmer demos and stuff like how to throw off triangles in the screen and how to implement control and stuff. From what we have done so far it definitely looks like it is going to live up to the expectations. It is definitely a very fast machine.

    Check the whole thing out here.

    Starcraft Customs Tutorial - Gibb @ 1:06 pm PST
    The Dude has written a nice tutorial for all those "l33t" SC editors. It covers all kinda handy little things, and guides for StarGraft. Here are some of the things covered:
    -The ability to give units spells that don't they normally have. (medic using mind control etc.)

    -The ability to make spells researchable at any building.

    -The ability to change a non-spellcasting unit to a spellcasting unit. (marine using Psi storm)

    -The ability to train heroes and other units at buildings. (hunter killers at spawning pool etc.)

    -The ability to give units other abilities such as nuke painting and repairing. (probe repairing)

    -The ability to create new units through substitution of powerups and critters. (assassin etc.)

    -The ability to modify non-active buildings and give them a new button set. (temple builder)

    -The ability to make new button sets and menus (spell menu)

    -Basic editing tricks you need to know.

    Check it out here.
    Source: SC.org

    Unreal Tourament Voice Tutorial - Gibb @ 12:57 pm PST
    The guys over at UT World have put up a nifty litte guide to making your own character voices in UT. It includes descriptive step-by-step instructions to help you on your voice ventures. Check it out here.

    SoF Demo Patch - Gibb @ 12:50 pm PST
    Marcus Whitlock of Raven Software updated his .plan file today, and sent along some news of the upcoming Soldier of Fortune demo patch. Here's the goods:
    One thing I'd like to point out regarding the SoF demo patch (which has no firm release date yet - you'll hear from RJ when it's ready, be assured)... most likely, it won't incorporate the improvements to client prediction that I recently made (BTW - thanks for lending me your ears Jake, Pat & James).

    It's quite phenomenal - how you can loose sight of the wood for the trees... when you're toiling away so close to a problem - you can get stuck in this thought loop and don't realize you're stuck in it until someone else points out the obvious that you just fail to see! Predicted in-view weapons are now very stable, without the oddities and artifacts that are present in the SoF demo. Needless to say, I'm sleeping a lot better now too. More generally, we are all feeling pretty freaking good about the way things are looking on SoF - it's really come together and will be our best game yet for sure.

    Thanks Blues News.

    Sunday, February 06, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Iwill Slocket II adapter Review - Falcon @ 11:29 pm PST
    Digital Clips has launched a new article reviewing the Iwill Slocket II adapter. While there are plenty of similar products out and around in the computer market, few have teh same degree of solid engineering and native Coppermine AND Joshua support as the Slocket II. We take the Slocket II, pair it up against our generic Slocket and see how much further you can overclock with this little beast (quite a noteworthy difference). The article can be reached here

    Ultima IX Performance Poll - Falcon @ 11:17 pm PST
    Don Blackman, of 3Dnews has written up a little Delirium about miscellaneous issues, one of which is the state of Ultima IX performance, Origin's "final patch", and the closing down of the Ultima IX boards. It also includes a poll for all those who own Ultima IX. Here's a snip:
    "After release of this third and "final patch", Origin has closed down it's Ultima IX boards to everyone. Old posts can still be viewed, but new messages cannot be posted. Many have taken this as a sign of abandonment by Origin, and a kick in the face to the loyal fans. To top it all off, there is no mention of further work on patches. Where does this leave those that have gained nothing from the three patches? Tweaking. Origin says download this driver, tweak that, defrag this, set this to this, upgrade, ad nauseum. All this tweaking, upgrading, defragging, reformatting and reinstalling windows does not have to be done for any other game I own, so why this one? I have a decent machine that runs games spectacularly (PII450, 128MB, GeForce SDR), but chokes on Ascension. Do you know why? Because it was built on Glide and had Direct 3D support thrown in at the last moment."

    Poll: http://www.3dnews.net/
    Delirium: http://www.3dnews.net/morearticles.x?daysago=0

    A look into the Ultima world - Raven @ 11:16 pm PST
    RPGVault have come with an amazing article detailing the Ultima series. The article covers everything from the Ultima storyline, to individual games in the U series and even some of the features that made Ultima as popular as it is today. For anyone who doesn't know the Ultima series was said to be the first series that got RPG's right. Each game in the series has been a best selling and each title has added more and more to the Ultima world.

    This article is a great way to recap the events in the Ultima series and is a good way to say good bye to a series that has captured millions of hearts world wide. A must read for any UO fan, View it here.

    Nox VS Diablo2 - Raven @ 11:07 pm PST
    For those of you who don't know the original clash between NoX and Diablo2 started when a programmer on the NoX devolopment team decided to go and take a cheap shot at Blizzard because in his "unbaised" opinion NoX was a better game then Diablo2.

    Since then there has been a fair bit of noise about these two games. Both Diablo2 and NoX are highly anticipated RPG games and both are best sellers in their own right.

    JackChaos goes and compares NoX and Diablo2 in their latest article. Despite the fact these two games havent been released yet its still a good -if somewhat flimsy- read. Read the article.

    One of the things I have to mention is that JackChaos is a site that that supports NoX and I believe their responce in rather bais and narrow minded (I'm a D2 FAN!). Some of the stuff in the article about "Blizzard Brainwashing The Masses" is just a little to much for me. And as a final note I think it is good to mention the reason why problems started out between NoX and D2 was because someone, like the writer of this article decided to attack Blizzard.

    People for a team SC 2v2 tournament! - Falcon @ 10:57 pm PST
    Statix.org - GoG and scnation.con - SCN are hosting a 32 team 2v2 tournament. The tournament will be played in Broodwar and upon signing up you will be sent more information about dates and matches. If you are interested in playing in this 2vs2 tournament please send an email to tournament@scnation.com with your team name, your name and your partners name and an email address to contact you by.

    GS Week in Review - Surebrec @ 5:29 pm PST
    We have just slapped up today's Week in Review. So just in case you missed anything during the week, it's all recapped over there.

    Ultima IX Performance Poll - backup @ 1:59 pm PST
    Don Blackman from 3d News.NET has informed me that he just wrote up a little Delirium about miscellaneous issues, one of which is the state of Ultima IX performance, Origin's "final patch", and the closing down of the Ultima IX boards. It also includes a poll for all those who own Ultima IX. Here's a snip:

    "After release of this third and "final patch", Origin has closed down it's Ultima IX boards to everyone. Old posts can still be viewed, but new messages cannot be posted. Many have taken this as a sign of abandonment by Origin, and a kick in the face to the loyal fans. To top it all off, there is no mention of further work on patches. Where does this leave those that have gained nothing from the three patches? Tweaking. Origin says download this driver, tweak that, defrag this, set this to this, upgrade, ad nauseum. All this tweaking, upgrading, defragging, reformatting and reinstalling windows does not have to be done for any other game I own, so why this one? I have a decent machine that runs games spectacularly (PII450, 128MB, GeForce SDR), but chokes on Ascension. Do you know why? Because it was built on Glide and had Direct 3D support thrown in at the last moment."

    Source: E-Mail

    New Version of Counter-Strike Alias Binder - Gibb @ 8:58 am PST
    I saw on PHL that version 0.41 of the Counter-Strike Alias Binder has been released. Here are the changes made: (version 0.4 was released yesterday, so here are the changes made in both versions)

    -Added "Ping Optimizer" tab to the program.
    -Added "Custom Scripts" tab to the program.
    -Added 3 custom scripts.
    -Replaced 3 key selectors with just one.
    -Individual ammo can be purchased for sidearms and pistols similtaneously.
    -Reduced chance of the purchase/radio menu staying on screen after using aliases.
    -Changed visuals/positions of things.
    -Fixed ALL known bugs from Beta v0.3 user feedback
    -Fixed big bugs in the "Ping Optimizer"
    -Other miscellaneous crappy bugs fixed.
    Head on over here to get the whole scoop.

    New Version of Q3Offline Released - Gibb @ 7:21 am PST
    A new version of Q3Offline, a utility for Q3Areana that lets the user launch a bunch of single-player options such as mods, bots, and tweaks, has been released. The new version is 00.02.05.00. Check it out here. Thanks to Gamespy for that one.

    Interview with Steve Pearsall - Gibb @ 7:12 am PST
    Steve Pearsall, the project director for Thief 2, has been interviewed by the folks at GameSpy. Here's a mouthwatering little snippet:
    Gamespy: How do you handle the pressure of knowing Thief 2 has to meet some high expectations from fans? Since you're the project director, won't they come looking for you if they aren't happy?

    Steve: Thief 2 is really the team's game. No one person has dominated the design or implementation of the game. Everyone has contributed in some important way to the game. Everyone has put some part of his or her hearts and souls into the game. Everyone on the team feels like this game belongs to him or her. It is our game. Being part of a creative environment where everyone is empowered to contribute creates a great confidence in us and our work so there really isn't any pressure or worry about failure. Plus we know that Thief 2 kicks ass!

    Check the whole interview out here.

    GameQuery Released - Gibb @ 7:06 am PST
    A new utility called GameQuery has been released. It described simply as "An ASP component that can do server queries against Quake2 & Quake3Arena servers." In English, this means that someone can see who is in what Q2 or Q3A server right from their own web browser. Download is over here
    Source: VE

    New eZconsole - Gibb @ 7:01 am PST
    A new version of Tribes eZconsole has been released. eZconsole is really just a program that makes joining a Trbies server a heck of a lot easier. Download the new version here. Thanks to VE for that one.

    Q3A CTG Released - Gibb @ 6:52 am PST
    The first version of Quake 3 Arena CTG, or Capture the Gunz, has been released. Here's a little about CTG from their their website.
    CTG is a teamplay mod that gives all members of a team access to a type of weapon when your team is the last to control its spawn point, while none of the opposition will have that weapon until regaining control, which likewise deprives their opponents. In addition to control of the arms race, these captures are a significant part of the mod's scoring, as grabbing a weapon nets you three frags and two more for each of your teammates..
    Sounds pretty cool. Go to this page and scroll down to CTG files.

    Saturday, February 05, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Unreal Tournament Favorite Levels - backup @ 6:32 pm PST
    I have posted a Get Right download list of all my favorite levels for Unreal Tournament. There is exactly 22 of them, all which got very high ratings on the level review sites. I suggest downloading the latest version of Get Right first.

    If you don't know what GetRight is, it's a program that let's you resume file download(s). To use this list, just get getright installed, download my list, and then hit import download list, select the file, and boom your ready to download all of them. If you get disconnected check the configuration, you can have it shutdown your system at the end of your downloading, or reconnect to the internet.

    Most anticipated game this year? - Falcon @ 4:32 pm PST
    Our next poll here at gamesurge is going to be slightly different, not only can you place your vote on listed options, you can choose what you would like to be listed. The next question is, "What game are you looking forward to the most this year", so place your suggestions on which choices you would like to be listed (Must be listed for release some time this year, and email them to falcon@gamesurge.com. The 6-10 most popular submissions will be picked for the poll.

    Soldier of Fortune Preview - backup @ 10:40 am PST
    Our Soldier of Fortune preview has been posted, which includes the 8 screenshots from Raven that we posted yesterday. Check it out!

    Counter-Strike Clanworld - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 8:07 am PST
    CSclanworld has re-opened. Along with a new design, it has some nice cgi. Go get your clan submitted.

    Starcraft and Brood War Ladder Abusers - Gibb @ 8:03 am PST
    We at Gamesurge usually don't post about ladder lamers, but I just wanted to point out how sad it is how many people cheat in a game. Game is the keyword there. There's just too many to count. Here are the Starcraft cheaters and the Brood War lamers

    SoF Diary - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 7:56 am PST
    The third installment of Eric Biessman's diary was posted at SoF Center. Check it out and see his descriptions and the QA process the game is undergoing.

    Reviews - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 7:53 am PST
  • Final Fantasy VIII on 3D Rage and GameSpy.com.
  • Jane's F/A-18 on PC.IGN.com.
  • Jane's USAF on GameSpot UK.
  • KA-52 Team Alligator on GameSpot UK.
  • Odium on GameStats.
  • Pharaoh on Electric Playground.
  • Quake III Arena on GameStats.
  • Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear on Wewp! Entertainment.
  • Settlers III on GameSpot AU.
  • Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars on Electric Playground.
  • The Sims on GameProWorld.
  • Ultima IX: Ascension (Special Report) on Vault Network.
  • X: Beyond the Frontier (quick take) on Gone Gold.
    Source: Blues News

    Starcraft Map of the Week - Gibb @ 7:52 am PST
    ...is New Aegean Sea. Here's the description:
    MEMO 3451GS12
    FROM: Office of the Surveyor General
    RE: Naming Policies

    In the last few months I have seen a rash of new planets, continents, oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, mountains, plains and valleys with suggested nomenclature based on geographic features found on Earth. While I do not wish to single out any specific survey team as being particularly uncreative, it was brought to my attention that just today a body of water located on Exgelia IV was given the name "New Aegean Sea". I have examined the maps and photographs of the area in great detail and have read the survey report thoroughly. Although this body of water does indeed bear some resemblance to the Aegean Sea located off the coast of Greece and Turkey on Earth, it is with great hesitancy and reluctance that I give this name my final approval. Be advised that the next of these uninspired reports that comes across the desk of this office will be immediately rejected.

    WSM/es

    256x256 Jungle
    Designed for 2-8 Players


    Download it here

    Quake 3 Server Utility - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 7:41 am PST
    Version 2.05 of Servarena has been released. The update fixes a bug in the map rotation, changes the way Quake 3 handles server passwords, and some other nifty things.

    Starcraft and Diablo II Linux Port??? - Gibb @ 7:38 am PST
    Apparently, a company called Tux Games wants to do a Linux port for Starcraft and Diablo II. Blizzard must give them the rights to do this, and knowing Blizzard they probably don't want to. Tux Games has posted a petition that you can sign to get a linux port for the Blizzard classics.

    Half-Life 1.0.1.6 patch - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 7:36 am PST
    I saw over at Blues News that Valve will be releasing the 1.0.1.6 patch soon. The Updates are as followed:

    Half-Life update 1.0.1.6 contains two new maps for Team Fortress Classic and a variety of server enhancements.

    The New Maps
    * Badlands - Primarily an outdoors map with an emphasis on vertical positions, Badlands features traditional capture the flag play through a twisted collection of step canyons-a locale tailored for the sharp shooters.

    * Crossover - A mix of exposed outdoor areas and tight indoor spaces littered throughout the corridors of two symmetrical bases, this map provides a venue for varied and fast paced CTF games.

    Server Items
    We have addressed a number of server side items in this release, including the Linux message of the day fix and a number of other items requested by our Half-Life server administrators.


    Tribes II Interview - backup @ 7:32 am PST
    PC IGN has slapped up an interview Dynamix's head programmer Mark Frohnmayer and Tim Gift. The interview was held by Blake Hutchins, a writer on Tribes 2. Here is a snippet:

    Blake Hutchins: Could you describe in general terms what you plan to implement?

    MARK FROHNMAYER: Sure. Basically, it goes like this. You buy the game, take it home and install it. During the installation, you have to register your copy across the Internet. When you do so, you get a unique account number and you set up a login name and password. You can tell your computer to remember that information automatically so you don’t have to keep typing it in. After you’re done, you have a unique TRIBES 2 account that you can use to log on to any TRIBES game on any machine, provided you remember your login name and password.

    TIM GIFT: The CD key is only used the first time you install and log on. It’s kind of like a proof of purchase. The unique accounts will provide server administrators who host TRIBES 2 greater control over who can play on their servers. Right now, server admins can ban by IP address, but that doesn’t keep the offending player from logging back on under a different IP. With TRIBES 2, the ban targets the player’s account number and effects a permanent ban for that player on that particular server.

    Rogue Interview - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 7:30 am PST
    Bobby Pavlock has recently been interviewed about level design, and his thoughts about styles, preferences, inspirations, and challgnes in mapping. You can check out the interview that A Focus On Levels has whipped up for us.

    Wheel of Time - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 7:26 am PST
    The newest patch for Wheel of Time has been released, version 333b. Patch fixes:
  • Movie and Music problems
  • Fixes a crash problem during multiplayer using disguise.

    Star Trek: Armada Update - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 7:22 am PST
    Heres some news for your trekkie needs. The official Star Trek Armada site was recently updated with some new shit such as:
  • New starships
  • Special weapons
  • A map objects page
  • Screenshots!
  • The 2nd movie trailor

    Thief 2 Preview - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 7:16 am PST
    Computer Games Online has slapped up the second chapter to their Thief II: The Metal Age preview serial. The newest preview shows off Thief II's better engine and AI, new missions and some spankn' new screenshots.

    Forum - Dan @ 6:14 am PST
    Check out the forum on the left. If you have questions still unanswered by what we have or if you want to talk to other people post on the forum! Sign up once and post all you want. If you start using it others shall follow and any question you ask will be answered real soon. So hop in! Its on the left under features.
    Labeled "forum" remember to bookmark it! (very important)

    Friday, February 04, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Classic Gaming Reviews - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 9:06 pm PST
    oLd sKooL gaMiNg (formally rebirth gaming) has posted some new reviews. The reviews are as followed:

  • Pilotwings - Super NES
  • Contra - Nintendo
  • Paperboy - Nintendo
  • Sonic the Hedgehog - Sega
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Sega

    SOF Preview - Falcon @ 7:51 pm PST
    The Dawg pound has posted up a preview of SOF. Heres a snippet:
    "The graphics are top-notch. If they were focusing on realism in this aspect, they did a great job. The characters look fairly human, though…heh…the main character is a joke. After seeing all these thugs, working along side your big-ass partner, and decapitating every bad guy in site, you'd expect your character, John Mullins, to be a sly military undercover agent, dressed in black, with a pair of tinted shades to seal his identity, right? Well, this guy looks more like the dude from Walker Texas Ranger than anything. It's pretty funny, to say the least. Now, ahh…having said that, the environments themselves are very nice. The train is kinda, boring, but hey, there's only so much you can do to the top of a train to make it look interesting. As I said previously, the gore factor is up there, so really hope you like the color red, as it will be present throughout the entire game. The explosions and special effects are decent, but still leave a little something desired. I mean, come on, if you can decapitate someone in about 15 different ways, I'd think we could expect a realistic explosion when blowing a gas container. A minor letdown, but we shall see how it turns out."

    Meet Nox in Wash DC - Falcon @ 7:46 pm PST
    WESTWOOD STUDIOS INVITES GAMERS
    TO NOX SNEAK PREVIEW EVENT IN WASHINGTON D.C.

    LAS VEGAS, Feb. 7, 2000 - Westwood Studios today announced that The Meet Nox Tour's next stop will be Feb. 12 at Game Domain, a cyber café in Springfield,
    Va, in the Washington D.C. area. The event will give 40 gamers a chance to play Nox a few days before the game hits the shelves on Feb. 16.


    Here are the details.

    WHAT: Meet Nox in the Washington D.C. Area
    Subtitle: Hecubah Does D.C.

    WHEN: Saturday, February 12, 2000
    3:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.

    WHERE: Game Domain
    7223 Commerce St.
    Springfield, Va 22150
    http://www.gamedomainllc.com/
    1-703-644-9136

    HOW: Go to Game Domain as early as possible on Saturday, February 12. The store opens at noon on Saturday, so that's when sign ups will begin. The event is only open to 40 people, so sign up as early as possible that Saturday.

    WHAT DO YOU GET IF YOU SHOW UP ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12 AND ARE AMONG THE 40 TO SIGN UP:

    Four hours of playing Nox before it goes on sale.
    A Nox T-Shirt
    A free copy of Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun
    Free food and beverages (Please post pizza topping preferences on the Nox message board at www.westwood.com)
    Entry into the Nox tournament, featuring hundreds of dollars in prizes.

    Show up early and be ready to Nox. You can get maps and information about Game Domain from http://www.gamedomainllc.com.

    Once all 40 seats are taken, sign ups will stop, so it's important to sign up as early as possible.

    An action/role-playing game, Nox is the first of a new franchise for Westwood Studios. It's a game of savage combat and sneaky tactics set in a mystical land
    filled with discovery and deceit.

    Nox's lightning-fast action is fueled by a combat system that's easy to use yet gives players tremendous gameplay depth and infinite possibilities. With more
    than 100 unique spells and weapons, players must use their wits to create devious combinations and tricky tactics.

    The single player game will take you through the lands of Nox, pitting you against vicious monsters and powerful wizards. Driven by an epic story, you'll
    progress up skill levels and learn three schools of combat: the way of the Warrior, the knowledge of Conjuror, and the disciplines of the Wizard.

    Nox promises an intense multiplayer experience with five multiplayer options: arena combat (teams and free-for all melees), Capture the Flag, King of the Realm and Flag Ball.

    Westwood Studios is a prominent publisher of best-selling PC, and next-generation console games. Formed in 1985, Westwood Studios has released several popular titles including: Dune II, the Lands of Lore series, the Kyrandia adventure trilogy, MonopolyR for the Internet, the Games People Play series, Blade Runner and the Command & Conquer product line. Westwood is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts.

    Electronic Arts, headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of $909 million for fiscal 1998. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for personal computers and advanced entertainment systems such as the PlayStationRand the Nintendo 64R. Electronic Arts markets its products under seven brand names: Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS? , Maxis? , Origin Systems? Inc., Bullfrog? , Westwood Studios and Jane'sR Combat Simulations.

    For the latest news and information about Westwood Studios, contact Westwood at 702/228-4040 or visit http://www.westwood.com.
    # # #


    For more information call:

    Aaron Cohen or
    Chris Rubyor
    Westwood Studios
    Tel: 702/228-4040 x.362 and x. 339
    aaron@westwood.com
    chris@westwood.com

    SOF Preview - backup @ 2:18 pm PST
    You didn't think we were just going to post those screenshots without a nice preview did you? We will have the SOF Preview tonight, so stay tuned my friends!

    Screenshots Section! - backup @ 1:14 pm PST
    Yup, that's right, our screenshots section has opened. We bring to you right from the developers of Raven Software, 8 never before seen screenshots of Soldier of Fortune! Check it out!

    Grand Theft Auto 2 Patch - backup @ 11:42 am PST
    Take 2 Games has released a new patch for Grand Theft Auto 2, bringing it up to version 1.03.

    MDK 2 Stuff - backup @ 11:40 am PST
    Interplay has stepped up their activity at theor official MDK2 site by smacking up an intro comic and an Enemy of the week feature, along with posting more sreenshots for both Dreamcast and PC. There is already a Dreamcast demo available on the official Dreamcast Magazine. Also, I posted some tidbits about MDK 2 yesterday, but forgot to mention that MDK stands for Mutual Denial Knockdown.

    3d Gaming on Linux - backup @ 11:36 am PST
    In a new article entitled "Linux Picking up it's Game" by ZDNet, they look at the efforts to bring 3d acceleration to Linux. At the LinuxWorld expo, there are several different solutions, including Mesa 3d and a full OpenGL driver from NVidia and drivers from ATI. There is a good quote in there from Loki Software's Scott Draeker, who says that, "Windows is actually declining as a gaming platform...It's losing ground to console games. People want to be able to put in a disk and play the game. That can't be done on Windows."

    Old Skool Gaming Reviews - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 11:30 am PST
    reBiRTh gaMiNg has posted 2 new reviews lately. Jasko uploded his FF2 and F-Zero reviews for the Super Nintendo Console.

    BattleCom - backup @ 11:28 am PST
    In a story by AVault, DirectX 8 will be incorporating BattleCom's real time voice technology. Last year, Microsoft purchased ShadowFactory, which owns the product, and plans to make the current version of BattleCom available as a free download by February 18th.
    Source: AVault

    Summoner Diary - backup @ 11:24 am PST
    PC.IGN has smacked up an all new Summoner Designer Diary in which lead designer Sandeep Shekar talks about his creation for for Volition's new 3d role-playing game.

    Allegiance Preview - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 11:24 am PST
    For a preview on a new combat/strategy game check out Thresh's FiringSquad preview. Here's a snippit:

    The beta is limited to 800x600 resolution right now, but looks great in it. Space is very, very dark and cluttered in Allegiance. Asteroids, jump portals, space stations and spacecraft fill up the world very quickly. This is a big difference between Allegiance and the typical space shoot-'em-up. You cannot spot your enemy across the map with just your eyes. It's up to your scanners to see him.

    Thief II Preview - backup @ 11:21 am PST
    Part 1 of Computer Games Online's preview of Thief II: The Metal Age has been posted which talks about the history of the game, along with summarizing the story of the game.

    SOF Demo... - backup @ 10:37 am PST
    John Scott from Raven Software has updated his .plan with some words that he has updated the Soldier of Fortune Demo dedicated.cfg file, and has asked for feedback to keep being sent. Also, check out the SoF Message Boards and FAQ for help with the demo, because it is monitored by Raven's Kenn Hoekstra (that name sounds familiar...)
    Source: Blues News

    Ban on Half-Life Lifted! - backup @ 10:32 am PST
    CNET Singapore Gamecenter has announced that the ban on Half-Life has been lifted by the Film Appeal Committee. For the full story, head on over to Blues News.
    Source: Blues News

    Buka Interview - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 10:30 am PST
    To see the new works the Russian developer/publisher of the new flight/combat simulation Storm/Echelon. Get your ass to his interview.

    Review Listing - backup @ 10:27 am PST


    Source: Blues News

    NVIDIA shows off its Technology - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 10:26 am PST
    The new technology demo, refraction, was released for the NVIDIA GeForce 256. This demo simulates refraction using a cube map.

    NOX interview - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 10:23 am PST
    Check out PCFan for an interview with Westwood's Aaron Cohen.

    Game critics advice - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 10:17 am PST
    To get rid of all the hastle of consumer information, game tips and industry news go to Game critics Q&A. If you have any gaming problems or just need help go there and email them with the problem.

    Looking for a Job? - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 10:14 am PST
    Quakeheads.com needs 2 people to post some news. If you want to do this go to the Quakeheads participation page.

    Thursday, February 03, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    Messiah Delayed? - backup @ 6:09 pm PST
    GoneGold has stated that Messiah has been delayed until mid March. It has of course been confirmed by the game's publisher Interplay.

    SOF Diary - backup @ 6:08 pm PST
    Eric Biessman has smacked up a second designer diary, this time on gamespot which discusses the adaptation of the Quake II engine to the game.

    Allegiance Preview - backup @ 6:06 pm PST
    GameSpot has slapped up a hands-on preview of Allegiance, a new space sim by Microsoft. Screenshots, along with quotes are included in this snazzy preview, so head here to view it.

    Quake 3 Programming Tutorials - backup @ 6:05 pm PST
    Tectonic has posted three new Quake 3 Programming Tutorials. For more information and descriptions, head here.

    Screenshots - backup @ 6:04 pm PST
    GameProWorld has posted 20 new screenshots of Star Trek: Klingon Academy, a new game by Interplay. you can check them out here.

    Soldier of Fortune Movie - backup @ 6:03 pm PST
    The SOF Center has posted a movie showing off ACT Labs' Gun System in Soldier of Fortune. You can choose if you want it in Real Vide or AVI format.

    Gabriel Knight III Review - backup @ 5:42 pm PST
    Dyson has whipped up his review of Gabriel Knight III. You can check it out by heading here!

    Hunter Mod for UT Released - backup @ 12:35 pm PST
    A new mod for Unreal Tournament, Hunter, has been released and can be downloaded here. The mod began as an addon to the Rocket Arena game type, but was decided to be converted into it's own mod.

    LithTech & 3DO - backup @ 12:34 pm PST
    Monolith recently announced that they have licensed their LithTech engine to 3DO who will be using it to create multiple titels. Here is the announcement.

    (Kirkland, WA, February 3 2000 ) LithTech Inc. today announced the licensing of the powerful LithTech 3D Game Operating System to New World Computing, a division of The 3DO Company (Nasdaq: THDO). LithTech will be used to power multiple titles in the critically acclaimed Might and Magic game brand.

    "We are thrilled that 3DO and New World Computing have chosen the LithTech 3D Game OS for use in the highly acclaimed Might and Magic brand," comments Jason Hall, CEO for LithTech Inc. "LithTech's ability to handle huge outdoor environments combined with state-of-the-art special effects will insure the talented Might and Magic teams can build the most beautiful worlds yet seen in the fantasy genre."

    LithTech is a licensable technology for multiple platforms that functions as a complete 3D Game Operating System which allows developers to easily design, develop and focus on content without reinventing new technology for each project. The development environment includes all world and model building tools, newly designed rendering capability and complete source code necessary to bring a game team's concepts and production schedule to completion quickly.

    "The flexibility of this engine lets us do what we do best, which is creating vast, entertaining gaming worlds," says Jon Van Caneghem, president of New World Computing. "The LithTech technology allows us to concentrate on the immersive game play and in-depth storytelling that the Might and Magic brand is known for."


    Hercules TNT Drivers - backup @ 11:41 am PST
    Guillemot has released their first set of drivers for Hercules brand TNT cards since they aquired the Hercules brand last year. They currently only work for TNT cards, but they promise TNT 2 drivers are on the way.

    GeForce - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 11:36 am PST
    Christopher Hill has whipped up his great GeForce FAQ. Instead of text, he used some HTML to make it purty.

    Some new RUNE screenies - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 11:32 am PST
    GameSurf has slapped up seven new screenies.

    LithTech Q&A by Gamespy - backup @ 11:32 am PST
    I noticed over at Gamespy that they have posted a Q&A with Jason Hall from Monolith concerning the recently formed company LithTech, and the future of their new engine. Check it out!

    LithTech 2 Screenshots - backup @ 11:27 am PST
    There are four new screenshots over at MonolithNews.com showing off Monolith's new LithTech 2 engine. These screenshots are just meant to show off the engine's abilties, and are not from any actual games.

    Deus Ex Preview - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 11:27 am PST
    Eurogamer recently released a preview of Deus Ex. This game is a first person RPG and uses the spiffy graphics of the Unreal Engine. The Lead designer, Warren Spector ran through the game and showed it to people of the viewing in London.

    MDK 2 Preview - backup @ 11:22 am PST
    GameSpot UK has slapped up interview with Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka from BioWare, which talks about their almost complete MDK2. There are also some new screenshots to go along with their interview.

    Unreal Tournament Mutators - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 11:21 am PST
    Mutated has whipped up 6 brand spankn' new mutators for your Unreal Tournament needs.

    I'82 Review - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 11:18 am PST
    GameLinks has slapped up a review of Activision's Interstate '82. Here is a snippit:

    During gameplay you will be forced to jump out of your car and become a pedstrian (but with a gun). By exiting your car frequently lets you leave your damaged car behind and steal and abandoned one.


    Messiah Preview on GameSpot UK - backup @ 11:16 am PST
    GameSpot UK has slapped up a small preview of Messiah, featuring a bunch of new screenshots of Shiny's third person action game.

    Storm Interview - backup @ 9:59 am PST
    GamersCentral has slapped up an interview with Buka Enetertainment VP, Sasha Mikhalov, which discusses their new futuristic flight/combat sim. If you don't know what it is, here is a snippet.

    Gamers Central: The game will mainly be a combat flight sim but it will also feature detailed ground units. Other than blowing these to pieces, will there be any other interaction between them and the aircraft the player will pilot?

    Buka Entertainment: The game will feature a complex model of the relationships between different units and a large-scale strategic model. The units (and this includes air, land and sea forces) are not just objects for trashing: they respond to the changing military situation, including of course the pilot's actions, by altering their routes, dispositions etc. As this is a war situation, they all behave in a suitably warlike manner; the more important static objects are all defended by anti-aircraft installations, making offensive action in enemy areas risky. Any damage they inflict on your craft, or you inflict on any other object, will affect its physical model and thus its behaviour.


    Source: Voodoo Extreme

    New Hellboy Shots - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 9:55 am PST
    The Dark Horse Interactive's Hellboy site has been recently updated with ten new screenshots. Cryo Interactive is developing Hellboy, and will be based like the comic.

    Devil Inside Site - backup @ 9:50 am PST
    Cyro Interactive, a game publisher, has opened their official Devil Inside Site, with information and five new screenies of their new 3d action adventure by GameSquad.

    Earth 2150 Screenies - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 9:45 am PST
    Head on over to Earth 2150 screenshots. There are 8 new screenshots showing off the work from TopWare's European 3D RTS.

    Soldier of Fortune FAQ - backup @ 9:44 am PST
    The official FAQ for Soldier of Fortune, by Raven Software, has been updated with various technical questions and answers. You can check it out by heading here.

    Tribes 2 - backup @ 9:40 am PST
    Dopplegangers has slapped up an interview with Tim Gift, the lead programmer for Dynamix's upcoming game entitled Tribes 2.

    Evolva Preview - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 9:38 am PST
    Daily Radar recently posted a hands-on preview of the newest action/strategy game, Evolva. The games organic-looking graphics by Computer Artworks. In game you control a group of "genohunters" dueling for survival.

    More Messiah - backup @ 9:37 am PST
    The official Messiah Web Site has been updated with a few new screenshots showing off a bit of action from the game.

    NOX - backup @ 9:35 am PST
    Meccaworld has posted a hands-on preview of NOX, featuring gameplay descriptions, and a couple of images. Staying on the subject, PCFAN has posted an interview with Westwood's PR Guy Aaron Cohen.
    Source: Blues News

    Quotes - backup @ 9:32 am PST
    RPOV has slapped up an article on the world of game engines that features quotes from several game developers. It's pretty nifty and I suggest you check it out by heading here.

    US Marines using Delta Force II as training program - DysoN @ 8:28 am PST
    I saw this over at GameWire, regarding DF2 being used as a training program.

    "Delta-Force2.com (http://www.delta-force2.com) has a report regarding US Marines using Delta Force2 (by Novalogic) as a training program. A trial is currently being setup and if a success then DF2 may be adopted by the entire Marines Corp as a tool to train individual and team tactics. A US Marine had this to say about the program: "The Delta Force 2 platform provides the realism, communications, and movement that is a necessary part of each and every Marine's "shoot, move, and communicate" mind-set while serving their Corps and country." For the entire news article visit: http://www.delta-force2.com/index.shtml"

    Interesting concept...

    Wednesday, February 02, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    New Hosted Site - Falcon @ 7:54 pm PST
    I forgot to Mention this before, but we have a new hosted site here at Gamesurge - Team Kaos
    This is a fairly comprehensive anime site, so if that field interests you then head on over.

    Tribes v1.10 Patch - Surebrec @ 7:32 pm PST
    The newest TRIBES patch has been released, making it v1.10. The patch is about 5.5MB and can be downloaded from 3DFiles. Here's the list of changes:

    -Fixed a health kit bug/cheat issue.
    -Fixed armor/damage level bug.
    -Fixed a server crash bug issue.
    -Fixed OpenGL "black bug" with new maps.

    Q3A Tweak Guide for V3 - Surebrec @ 7:08 pm PST
    The peeps over at The Oxygen Tank have slapped up a V3 Tweak Guide for Q3A, which includes how to improve the performance of your V3 card majorly. I think this explains it all:

    Does 16 bit color have you feeling down? Jealous of your TNT2 owning friends? Contemplating breaking into your local Comp USA and grabbing an armful of GeForce cards? Want to have near 32 bit quality graphics in Quake 3 without upgrading and without an extra speed hit? I thought so. There is a way to nearly eliminate the color banding from the skies, HUD and other places in Q3 as well as making a huge overall improvement in image quality, even with a 16 bit Voodoo 3 card.

    UT Tweak Guide - Surebrec @ 7:03 pm PST
    I noticed over at The Dawg Pound that Unreal Center has kicked up an UT Tweak Guide, which explains how to get UT to run better and speed up your system on slow downs and more.

    UT Engine for New RPG - Surebrec @ 6:53 pm PST
    Also on PC IGN today is news that the UT engine has been liscensed for a new RPG coming soon, called Second Genesis, from Gold Creek technology. Here's the full thing:

    Gold Creek Technology has licensed the Unreal Tournament engine for use in its upcoming game Second Genesis, a sci-fi RPG that takes gamers to a new world filled with a variety of alien entities. Players will take on quests and explore space while attacking with martial arts and traditional weapons, in the feet of everything from a pimp to a mercenary (how's that for variety?). Alternate State Entertainment will be developing the game, which is slated for a Fall 2001 release date. Check out the teensy info on Gold Creek's website if you'd like more information.

    Tower of Ancients Demo - Surebrec @ 6:41 pm PST
    PC IGN has recently slapped up the Tower of Ancients Demo which weighs in at about 10.2 MB. For more info on this "god-like" puzzle game, check out IGN's preview.

    iG Reviews - Falcon @ 6:39 pm PST
    Insane Gamers has snapped up 2 new reviews:
    Test Drive 6 review
    "This new installment of the Test Drive series is an improvement over the previous versions of Infogrames' racing games. It has good graphic, nice sound and relatively good gameplay. The game does have some features to boast about, like several cars to choose from (I believe it's around 100, but I'm not sure, and no, I didn't count). That is A LOT of cars! This game has the most options of cars that I have ever seen! There are also a lot of tracks to choose from to race all of those cars. Although Infogrames can boast about features that I have just mentioned previously, the game does lack a lot of good car physics which hold it back from being a great game. If there is ever going to be a Test Drive 7, Infogrames should SERIOUSLY consider a major improvement in car physics. The game physics is so bad... that when I drive the Viper GTS, it feels more like the Econo Geo Metro! "
    Earth Worm Jim 3D review
    "Just when you thought Earthworm Jim defeated Psycrow for the last time he comes back. That annoying bird...I wonder if KFC can cook him up for Tooney Tuesday? Well Earthworm Jim and Psycrow are back ready to duke it out again, Chicken vs. Worm, but something is different now...they're both 3D! Giving another level of play and exploration, but all this seems familiar. You could almost call this Mario 64. Let's just say the concept for this game seems a little familiar."

    FF IX, X, and XI Movies - Surebrec @ 6:35 pm PST
    Gamespot has recently posted movies for the upcoming Final Fantasy series, FF IX, X, and XI, which all weigh in at 10-20MB. The movie of Final Fantasy IX shows CG sequences interspersed with real-time gameplay scenes. The Final Fantasy X movie is all in real time, and it looks very impressive. However, Square's Hironobu Sakaguchi claimed that the movie was mainly for demo purposes, and it is not representative of what the real game will look like. The Final Fantasy XI movie shows mainly concept art. You can find these marvelous wonders over here.

    Wolf 3d Sequel - Falcon @ 6:32 pm PST
    Heres the history of it: ID licensed the right to develop a sequel to Wolfenstein 3-D to Activision, so the sequel Return to Castle Wolfenstein will be developed by Gray Matter Interactive Studios, formed by designers formerly from Xatrix Entertainment, you know, the Kingpin guys. To read more of the details + more info click here

    Anachronox Chat - Surebrec @ 6:14 pm PST
    According to Gamefan, the monthly Anachronox Dev. Chat is tomorrow nite at 6 p.m Pacific (9PM EST). To join up, head over to ION Storm's Chat Room or log onto IRC on server www.ionstorm.com #ion.

    Nox FAQ - Surebrec @ 6:08 pm PST
    I noticed over at Blues News that Westwood Studios has posted the Nox FAQ, which includes questions about the game, the character classes and gameplay types, as well as technical issues.

    Quake3 Artwork - Falcon @ 6:02 pm PST
    A day old, but 3D Palette have posted an image by Pascal Blanche that is based on John Mueller's famous Visor picture. You can view it here

    Male to Female Gamers - Surebrec @ 5:53 pm PST
    No, I don't mean transvestites! WomenGamers are looking for a few males to interview for an article. The topic? Males who play as female characters in games. They are also looking for males who refuse to play female characters. If you fit the description, send an email over to QandA@womengamers.com.

    South Park Rally Review - Falcon @ 5:49 pm PST
    New today on PCGamers.net is a review of Acclaim Entertainment's South Park Rally. The game is rated M.

    Here's a clip :

    "There are a whole lot of funny weapons that you can pick up along the way and launch at your opponents - cows, cats, dogs, rocks, evenn prostitutes and dildos. (Yep you read right) Hey we're talking about a South Park game here. There're also items that you can pick up, like Farts = Nitros; You can only stock up a maximum of three different weapons, the fourth one that you pick up will be discarded. Each weapon has a different effect,
    for example, the dog will bite your opponent's bumper and drag his car to a total stop for about two seconds. There are also "Suck-Ass" pickups..."
    Weird.

    Deus Ex Preview - Surebrec @ 5:48 pm PST
    I noticed over at Planet Unreal that Eurogamer has slapped up a preview of Warren Spector's Deus Ex. The preview is around 3 pages long and sports several screenshots. Here's a snip from the preview:

    What makes the game unique though is that within a given mission you have a wide range of ways of completing your task. For example, you find a locked door guarded by a turret activated by a camera. You can blow up the turret and blast your way in through the door with explosive charges. You can hack into the security terminal round the corner, deactivate the camera and open the door. You can sneak up to the camera and bypass it, then pick the door's lock. You can find an NPC who can give you a key to open the door...

    And this is just for one door in the very first level of the game!

    Q3 Style Bond Game - Surebrec @ 5:36 pm PST
    Speaking of PC Basement, they also have news that EA is supposedly gonna be producing a Q3-style Bond game based on the story of The World is not Enough. However, info on this game is limited at this time.

    Intel Processor Price Cuts - Surebrec @ 5:32 pm PST
    According to PC Basement, Intel has been cutting some prices on their processors. Here's the full poop:

    Intel has been having trouble lately in shipping two of it's P3 chips,the Katmai 750 Mhz and the Coppermine 750 Mhz to the UK. This 'drought' of chipshas caused companies like Dell and Dan a few problems as they rely heavily on Intel for their processors. While Intel say that the problem will improveit is said to be bringing big price cuts on the P3 processor when normal shippingto the UK resumes - expect these cuts to appear around 27th Feb.

    Max Payne Preview - Surebrec @ 5:30 pm PST
    The boys over at PC Paradox has thrown up (eww...) a preview of Remedy's upcoming 3D First-person Shooter, Max Payne. Here's a nice juicy snippet:

    How many FPS Action games have you played in your life? Probably one too many eh? Well out of all these action games only very few have made it to worldwide fame. Half-Life, the Quake series, and several others come to mind when action games are mentioned. Now there is a very promising game out there that has not receieved all too much publicity. It is Remedy Entertainment's Max Payne, a 3D-action game with a realistic twist to it. After speaking with the manager at Remedy, he is "very confident about the release of Max Payne", and expects it to go straight to the top. Well, I agree with him, because while using the MAX-FX technology graphics engine, and putting one great story behind one big bad daddy of a character, there is definitely something brewing at Remedy.

    New, well, rather Classic Gaming Site - Voodoo Glow Skull @ 5:29 pm PST
    reBiRTh gaMiNg has opened the other day. It is a very good site with reviews about old games and old systems. They also have game lists for the systems they cover. There aren't many reviews posted yet. But future plans will make this a good site to stop by every day.

    Buyer's Guide Updated - Surebrec @ 5:25 pm PST
    Digital Clips has just published the 4th edition of its monthly Buyers' Guide. This month, owing to readers' requests, they've modified the guide and incorporated six complete business and gaming rigs' configuration based on different budgets. So if you're lookin' for the best bang for the buck then head on over to this guide.

    Wheel of Time Review - Surebrec @ 5:23 pm PST
    A bit late, but anyways Insane Gamers sends word that they have slapped up their review of Wheel of Time. Here's a clip:

    With the release of Wheel of Time back in November there are fair amount of reviews already posted by gamers who have never read the series. (burn you! Shadowspawn! Burn You!) Luckily there are those few Dragonsworn who have read and enjoyed the Wheel of Time series before they reviewed the game. (I've read the series 3 TIMES!!!.....who hasn't?!) You might think I have nothing but praises for this game, but a game it is and my duty to give you unbiased facts. The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth gives age to a FPS? When I first heard that a Wheel of Time game was to be made I had my doubts. An unfinished eight book series simply cannot be translated into a game. Furthermore I was disappointed that they made it a first person RPG. (this was right after the Diablo hype) Nevertheless Legend Entertainment has done so before with the Death Gate Cycle (7 book series) and proves to us that Wheel of Time is as rich as the novels.

    Asheron's Call Chat - Surebrec @ 5:20 pm PST
    I received word that on Thursday, February 3, from 5:00 to 7:00 PST there will be an Asheron's Call chat with lead developers from Turbine on the game, which will be hosted over here. Here is the topic of the chat:

    In the wake of the recent Dark Thaw event, shadows and crystal creatures stalk the land of Dereth. What devilry is afoot, and what is to come? Gamers are invited to put their questions directly to the game designers this Thursday. Lead producer Scott Herrington, along with several of his cohorts responsible for the development of Asheron's Call will be on hand. In addition to the Dark Thaw, they'll be discussing ongoing plans for game updates, current issues in the game, tips and tricks, and more. The chat
    takes place from 5:00 to 7:00pm PST in the Zone Theater Chat Room.

    To participate in the Asheron's Call chat, click "Chat & Events" on the navigation bar across the top of any Zone page, and then click "Chat Rooms" and "Zone Theater Chat" in the room list.

    UK CPU Prices - Surebrec @ 5:16 pm PST
    GamesXTEME has updated their weekly UK CPU Prices, which can be found over here.

    TS Firestorm News - Falcon @ 4:50 pm PST
    Here's a bit of news straight from Westwood about the expansion pack for Tiberian Sun, Firestorm.
    TIBERIAN SUN FIRESTORM TO BRING WORLD DOMINATION

    Expansion pack brings innovative new multiplayer mode to Command & Conquer fans

    LAS VEGAS, NV, Feb. 2, 2000 - Fans of Tiberian Sun around the globe will soon have the means to conquer the world. Westwood Studios today announced World
    Domination, a unique multiplayer mode that will be introduced with Firestorm, the soon-to-be-released expansion pack to the best-selling Command & Conquer
    Tiberian Sun.

    After the expansion pack is installed and players log onto to Westwood Online for a multiplayer game, they'll have the option to help their chosen side,
    either Nod or GDI, take control of world.

    Commanders will find a continent, either Europe or North America, broken up into four sectors. Within each sector will be 30 or more territories to fight in.
    They may chose to fight in one of the territories, along with thousands of others, each advancing the cause of either GDI or Nod.

    Once one side claims all the territories in a sector, that sector will be conquered in the name of the victor. Once all four sectors in a continent are
    claimed by either GDI or Nod, the war will be over and the victorious side declared.

    The rules and battle maps will be pre-set for each sector. Players can choose to go head to head or two versus two, but they will not be able to change what
    battle map they play on. They will be able to alter some gameplay options before the battle begins.

    "World Domination lets players take part in a global struggle, not just one mission," says Steve Wetherill, executive producer of Westwood Online. "Every C&C fan has a strong allegiance to either GDI or Nod, and now they can help their chosen faction take over the world. It will be fascinating to watch the war rage and see which side will take control."

    World Domination will begin in early March, just after Tiberian Sun Firestorm is on store shelves.

    In Tiberian Sun Firestorm, the notorious NOD leader Kane has been defeated, but the battle for the future of mankind is far from over. A new more powerful enemy
    has emerged. About 30 minutes of new film sequences have been created to tell this next chapter of the Command & Conquer Saga.

    Created by the original Tiberian Sun team, Firestorm contains an arsenal of new features, weapons and hidden secrets. The expansion pack will feature 18 new
    single player missions, 15 new multiplayer maps and exciting new units, including the Juggernaut, the Mobile War Factory, the Mobile Stealth Generator,
    and the Cyborg Reaper.

    More information about Firestorm's new units and features can be found at
    http://www.firestorm.westwood.com

    The Firestorm expansion pack requires a copy of Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun to run. Tiberian Sun's minimum system requirements are a Pentium 166 MHz with 32 MB of RAM, a quad-speed CD drive, a 16-bit sound card, and a Direct X(tm) compatible video card.

    I'm Back - Falcon @ 4:43 pm PST
    Just a quick note to say I'm back from my vacation (with a new Creative Labs Geforce Pro Graphics card + a CD Writer + an Intellimouse explorer + a Cobra gamepad +.. er i'll stop there). Anyway i'll be getting back to work at Gamesurge so expect the news to keep flowing again. Also don't hesitate to send in any news.

    Tuesday, February 01, 2000
    Got News? Comments? Send it in! Help/Info/Contacts | Forum
    Can't find what you're looking for? Send a request!

    'Slowdown' bug - DysoN @ 6:15 am PST
    If you faithful Baldurs Gate and Planescape: Torment fans can remember that 'slowdown' bug which slows down your game to a significant halt, well, I think I've figured out a way to stop or avoid it. I believe this bug has something to do with your computer display; ie - having your display at True Colour (32-bit) will slow down your game after an hour or so of play.

    By lowering this option, it reduces the 'slowdown' bug within these games. For example, on a P166MHz, I've lowered it so much, all the way to 256 colours, that the bug is hardly noticeable. Perhaps doing this will help you to ultimately avoid the bug.


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