12-31-1

A post to a thread on Slashdot called SGI Sets Sights On Turnaround by John Carmack offers the id programmer's vision of what sort of 3D breakthroughs to expect in the coming year.

High Compression is offering downloads of the demo for NASCAR Racing 2002 Season from Papyrus, and a mirror list to help you find a good server from which to download.

12-30-1

As promised, id Software has also released a new source distribution of Quake II, available for download from their ftp server, updating last week's release (story) to the final version 3.21 of the game (which oddly enough was never released as a patch).

A new version 2.0 of the ServerInfo server browser is now available. The new version adds Quake III Arena and Return To Castle Wolfenstein support to the programs ability to find Half-Life multiplayer servers, as well as master server browsing, simultaneous multiple server monitoring and RCON support.

id Software has released the Linux version 1.1 multiplayer binaries for Return to Castle Wolfenstein and its recent multiplayer demo. We have local copies with mirrors of the Linux binaries for the retail game (7.9 MB) which also includes the new Trench Toast map, the small Linux demo installer (4.3 MB) if you already have the Win32 demo to copy the relevant .PK3 data file from, and the full Linux demo installer (66.4 MB). Details on their installation can be found on the respective pages.

12-29-1

There's a patch for the Seismovision mod for Quake III Arena on PlanetQuake3.net, updating this demo playback utility to be compatible with Q3A version 1.31. Seismovision allows you to play back a Q3A demo simply by double-clicking the file. The program also includes support for Half-Life and Star Trek: Voyager-Elite Force.

A new version 1.2 of the RUNE Co-op Mod is now available on the official Rune site. The new version offers a significant number of tweaks and bug-fixes, the most noteworthy being that 14 of the maps have been split into two parts each, which significantly improves network play

Joystick Jackpot? Can Gaming Go Pro? on ABC News is an article that describes the CPL's ambitions to become the NFL of gaming, offering quotes from CPL prez Angel Munoz and oft-quoted competitor Jonathan "Fatality" Wendell.

This page on FilePlanet (free registration required) plays host to the Aliens versus Predator 2 editing tools and utilities for download. The 8.7 MB package includes Talon's DEdit and Model Edit, "extensive documentation," and importers for 3dStudio Max and Maya. It is also available from Sierra's patch ftp server and main ftp server.

A couple of recent updates have been made to the GeForce FAQ.

12-28-1

Computer and Video Games Interviews David Durcak development director of Cauldron, the Slovakian developer currently at work on Chaser, their upcoming first-person shooter that will make use of their proprietary CloakNT engine. Topics include the game's main character and storyline, its stunning visuals, the CloakNT engine, the game's locations, the storyline, NPC and enemy AI, weapons and equipment, vehicles, multiplayer modes, how it will stand out from competing FPS titles, when the game will be completed, and more. Included are four new Chaser screenshots.

RailBait.Com features downloads of a Quake III Arena point release conversion utility (mirrored on PlanetQuake3.net), which allows for automated switching between versions 1.30 and 1.31, easing the way to play mods that require the different versions

The newly-relocated Eavy's Unreal Tournament Mods website celebrates the occasion of their new home by releasing several new Unreal Tournament mutators as a Christmas package. Included in the holiday package are EavyDominationPlus, EavyHighlanderMod, EavyMonsterMadness, EavyCheatMode, and EavyTournamentMutator.

A new beta version 3.2t9 of The GeForce Tweak Utility is now available.

12-27-1

The debut beta release of the Ruin Hunters modification for Quake III Arena is now available. This mod features anime-influence graphics, and the object of the mod is to knock your opponent from the cliffs, which is the only way to hurt them (weapons will not harm your opponents, though they are essential in knocking them about).

PORTUGAL ARENA's Urban Terror Interview talks with Oswald of the Urban Terror modification for Quake III Arena.

A new build 22 of MyDOOM version 3.1 is now available on the KING DOOM website offering an updated version of this DOOM launcher that has received a small update to address some WindowsXP compatibility issues.

Beta version 1.0 of the jHexen port of Hexen, Raven's Doom-engine class-based action game, is now available (thanks LtDan). This is described as a non-optimized debug build of the game, which should run flawlessly in single-player play, though some problems may pop up in multiplayer mode. No 3D models are included with the release, and a list of known bugs and issues is included with the update.

12-26-1

Just a couple of days after the Quake II source code release, Quake 2 Ported to Pocket PC is a forum post describing the near completion of a PocketPC port, to be released in a couple of days.

UpsetChaps Quake III Arena & Quake III: Team Arena Guide has been updated, offering new information based on the changes in the last point release, and also includes links to updated versions of the associated "intensive/crusher" demos they use as standardized benchmarks.

The True Combat Website has a new build 12 test of their Quake III Arena modification, which requires build 11 to install. The new release offers an extensive list of fixes, changes, and additions, and to accompany the new release, they are running a contest to stress test the release, offering rewards to anyone who can break the map rotation on a public server, and anyone who can continue to execute any form of equipment exploits.

A new version 1.5 of the Freeze Tag modification for Quake III Arena is now available, updating this hot and cold teamplay mod where you attempt to turn your opponents into gib-cicles, while thawing your teammates. The new version, based on the most recent Q3A source-code release, addresses a few bugs, and adds some new features as well as a new gametype.

A new version 0.9.3 beta of HLMaster, an alternative Master server program for Half-Life, is now available. The program is available for Linux and Windows, and is at least partially compatible with the in-game Half-Life server browser, though it's not very clear from the posting how clients are to configure their server browsers to point to master servers running this software.

A new version 0.69 of the FoxBot artificial intelligence mod for TeamFortress Classic is now officially out of beta. The new version offers an extensive list of bug fixes and tweaks, including newly optimized code that uses much less RAM and is less CPU intensive, as well as support for the Half-Life Admin Mod.

12-25-1

Merry Christmas all.

id Software's Paul Jaquays updated his .plan with word on a set of Revised Team Documents on MapCenter, which is a "fairly lean, html-only document" that corrects errors and oversights in the original version, as well as adding insights from some experts from the skinning community on creating team skins for Quake III: Team Arena.

Version 1.0b2 of the Only Mortal Cocoa Server Browser for Macintosh OS X is now available. The program supports finding and joining Quake III Arena and Return to Castle Wolfenstein games, and there are plans to include support in the future for Quake (QuakeWorld) and Quake II, should it ever be ported.

The Weapons Factory for Half-Life site offers a new version beta 2.3a from this class-based Half-Life capture the flag modification. The 24.5 MB download includes "multiplayer support for monsters, fog rendering, a menu system for team/class selection and a chase cam. Best of all, beta 2.3a allows for both multiplayer and single-player modes of play." Two revised multiplayer levels are also included to show off some of the new effects.

12-24-1

A new version 1.0.3 of the Savage Stats log extraction utility is now available. The new version fixes a Quake II demo playback problem, adds an auto-update, and more, but the main purpose of the new release is to add Quake III CTF games.log support. Also, a new version 2.5.1 build 685 of Kquery is now available, updating the Quake III Arena master server query protocol, adding Paladin anti-cheat support, and more.

A new version of the Max Payne Kung Fu Edition is now available, updating this mod that adds martial arts excitement to Remedy Entertainment's third-person shooter. The new release does not yet include stick fighting, but does add drunken shoot dodging, enemy kung fu fighting, wall jumping/wall running, bug fixes, improved camera effects, and more. As a result of the update, old save games (including save games from v0.9 and v1.0+) are not compatible with the new version.

Along with the new Myth III patch, the MumboJumbo website also now offers downloads of Vengeance, the Myth III editing utility, which can be used along with the included source code to create new maps and mods for the game.

The Strategy First Website has downloads of the demo version of Trainz, Auran's virtual railroading simulation.

12-23-1

As promised, the first beta version of Generations Arena has now been released. Generations Arena is a Quake III Arena modifications that features class-based combat using characters from prior id games, and this beta 0.99a release comes as a 61.4 MB download in Windows installer and Linux/Mac zip formats.

A new version 5.4 of the Eternal Arena modification for Quake III Arena is now out of beta and available for download. Featuring easier navigation via a new interface, and new map and model management menus, the mod now offers practice, unlimited ammo, frenzy, lowgrav, and matchmode game modes, and a whole load of newgame types: "Instagib Rails, Rocket Duel, Hunted, Full Load, Survival, QuadWhore, ClanWar Power Struggle, and Carnage, which merges the pain factor and carnage types."

Microsoft issues patch for serious XP hole is a news story describing a significant vulnerability in the Universal Plug and Play feature of Windows XP. It is possible that Windows ME and Windows 98 users could require the patch as well, if they have manually installed the UPnP software, but since it is automatically included with WinXP, word from Microsoft is that every XP user should apply the patch, which is available for download here.

There is a small fix for GameSpy 3D, addressing problems with reported problems with Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and Serious Sam: the Second Encounter in the latest version of this server browser. It's a 852 KB download, and the full installer for registered users has been updated to incorporated the changes as well.

12-22-1

id Software has now released a new version 1.31 patch for Quake III Arena and its Team Arena expansion pack, available for download from their ftp server. The manual download requires 26.1 MB but it's also available as a much small auto-update.

Unreal Tournament 2 Confirmed by Infogrames on Computer and Video Games is yet another story on this tabloid gaming site about Unreal Tournament 2, rumored to be in development at Digital Extremes. The twist this time is they claim their source is official, taken from an updated Infogrames release schedule. Since this did not appear on the release schedule we received a few days ago, we contacted Infogrames PR Manager Matt Frary to ask about this, and his response was quite familiar from attempts to track down details on prior UT2 stories: "This story is clearly a rumor and as a policy we do not comment on rumors."

EA's ambitious Majestic game, which embroiled players in a mystery that involved real-world interactions with instant messages, email, faxes, and more, will be shut down sometime in the middle of next year, but not before costing the company between five and seven million dollars. This revelation is found in Can PC gamers handle innovation on CNN Money, a column that examines the idea that while PC gamer's demand innovation they don't necessarily reward it. The article quotes an unrepentant Jeff Brown, vice president of corporate communications for EA, as saying: "Maybe the consumer didn't get it, but in five years, everyone's going to be making games based on this engine. I'm not apologizing for anything!"

Here There Be Dragons on CG Online is a very detailed history of Dungeons and Dragons, going waaay back to the origins of role-playing, and offering several pages of lore about games set in the mythical days of yore.

12-21-1

A new beta 4 of the RailArena modification for Quake III Arena is now available, offering custom maps, a grappling hook, and Unlagged code. There is no upgrade version for previous betas because the entire mod has been rewritten from scratch.

Although not yet noted on the official site, a new version 2.56 of the GameSpy 3D server browser is now available for registered users from this direct download link (1.88 MB) as well as from FilePlanet (registration required). According to the accompanying GameSpyDaily story it adds support for Return to Castle Wolfenstein, the Medal of Honor: Allied Assault demo, Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, Aliens Vs. Predator 2 and the Serious Sam: the Second Encounter demo, along with other changes.

Wizardry 8 Q&A on GameSpot gets a hold of Sirtech's Linda Currie to discuss their recently released first-person role-playing game. Linda talks about the game's reception, the difficulties they experienced in releasing it, the chances of it gaining a wider distribution, the status of their other projects before they had to be abandoned, and more.

A new version 3.1.1 of the GeForce Tweak Utility is now available.

A new version of the CPU-Z freeware CPU ID utility is now available.

12-20-1

The Annihilation Website has a new video trailer that runs about a minute long to show off features of the upcoming beta 2 of this Quake III Arena modification.

12-19-1

After approximately one million iteration of version 0.99s, a new version 1.0 of the OSP Quake 3 modification for Quake III Arena is now finally available (thanks q3ctf.de). This page describes the update and how to use it, saying: "OSP Tourney DM is designed to facilitate competitive, yet flexible, match play.  This mod simply makes it easier and more convenient for players and admins alike to (enhance) the Quake3 experience.  There have absolutely been *NO* changes to the core gameplay or its dynamics -- its all default Quake3 in this regard." The 41 MB download does, however, include 15 new maps.

The Give us back the broadband service we had before Petition is up in case the reason problems with @Home are a result of them being unaware that their customers are upset over the situation.

12-18-1

Beta 1.0 of the Afterwards modification for Quake III Arena is now available. The mod adds new maps, models, and weapons, while adding a new "tactical" gametype, which features last-man-standing style teamplay, where each map has different team objectives.

A post on Shacknews has instructions on how to play Quake III engine games such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Medal of Honor, and of course Quake III Arena in 16x9 widescreen mode. The instructions seem only applicable to NVIDIA owners using WinXP/2K, and require a willingness to muck around with your driver INF file, but they've even posted a pre-hax0red INF for download as well.

12-17-1

There's a Multi-Player in Deus Ex 2 Petition, although the decision to forego multiplayer play in DX2 has been pretty firmly established by now.

The Single-Player Walkthrough on PlanetWolfenstein is now complete through all seven of the game's missions, start-to-finish. There is also a Return to Castle Wolfenstein weapon FAQ (in German) on GamesXtremE.de.

12-16-1

PlanetWolfenstein.de (thanks Wolfenstein Center) has some stills up from an American movie from the sixties that really look like they could be taken straight from the beach invasion level in Return to Castle Wolfenstein.

A new version 4.22 of the HyperSnap-DX screen capture utility is now available.

12-15-1

The newly-relocated Tram Design already has some Return to Castle Wolfenstein mapping tutorials online, including "Making an arena file for RTCW," "Using checkpoints in RTCW," "Recording demos to AVI in RTCW," and "Using spawnpoints in RTCW," as well as an accompanying utility called WAFM (Wolfenstein Arena File Maker).

A new Windows Media Bonus Pack for WinXP is now available.

12-14-1

There's a Max Payne Interview on GameSpyDaily talking with Petri Jarvilehto of Remedy Entertainment about their third-person shooter centered around the adventures of rogue cop Max Payne.

Monolith and Sierra have released a Aliens vs Predator 2 Single Player Map Update #1 for their recent tri-species first-person shooter, clocking in at 12.0 MB.

12-13-1

After some down-time during the day, Ferrago.co.uk is now back up to serve their Deus Ex 2 Q&A, quizzing ION Storm's Harvey Smith about this first-person action RPG sequel. Harvey talks about his role as project director, improvements they intended to make over the original game, the new engine technology they're applying, and a few other topics.

A newer version 8.2 of the RivaTuner utility is now available.

12-12-1

Beta 1a of the Maldavria modification for Quake III Arena is now available. Maldavria is a teamplay mod that adds RPG aspects like magic, distinct characters, and an experience system, to Quake III Arena.

A new version 8.1 of the WinZip compression utility is now available.

12-11-1

Version 1.1.0 of Seismovision is now available, this utility allows you to play back a Quake III Arena demo by double-clicking on the demo file.

The Paladin anticheat countermeasures website has the release of the first beta of their program that attempts to offer anti-cheat protection in Half-Life multiplayer games and modifications. Word is to expect a Linux-compatible version shortly, and they have also posted a filter for All Seeing Eye users to help them find servers running Paladin.

12-10-1

This is the anniversary of the release of the DOOM shareware, which first became available eight years ago today.

The Alliance Games for Quake3 Downloads page has a new version 3.21 of Alliance for Quake III Arena, the modification that adds an off-hand grappling hook, among other features, to Q3A. The under 2 MB patch "fixes all the remaining issues with the 3.0 release, for real this time (we hope ;-)."

This Netscape FTP directory has the new version 6.2.1 of Netscape Navigator for download.

A new version 8.1 of the RivaTuner utility is now available.

AT&T Broadband Internet Customers Successfully Moved To New High-Speed Network.

12-9-1

Today is the fourth birthday of the release of Quake II.

The Demo Show Creator website now offers downloads of a demo player for Return to Castle Wolfenstein that plays RtCW multiplayer demos from within Windows Explorer, can play multiple selected demos, supports demo looping, timedemo, and free RtCW configuration options for playing demos. The program has been tested with W2k Pro SP2 and WinXP Pro.

A complete illustrated Max Payne Walkthrough has been posted on the Max Payne website, relocated from its original home (here).

HomeLan Fed's Deus Ex Co-Op Interview talks with Mark Welch, founder of the Deus Ex Co-Op Project, which brings the joys of cooperative multiplayer play to ION Storm's hit first-person action/RPG. Topics include a bit on the game's history, the decision to undertake the co-op project, response to the public beta, the response of ION Storm Austin, plans for the future, and more.

12-8-1

DOOM (for GBA) is reviewed on Get Naked.

The wapElite website has the latest version 2.2 of this program that looks to offer "The very best, multi-player, turn-based, combat, space trading wap version of Elite on your phone this year." 

MythoLogical Software has a new color version of Dragon Bane II, the RPG for PalmOS.

12-7-1

TVG's Speedball Arena Feature talks with Ed Bartlett, lead designer on Speedball Arena, the upcoming PC & PS2 installment in the SpeedBall series.

12-6-1

LvL Q3A has updated his site with four new map reviews for Q3A. Here's what they're featuring today:
Black Shining Leather by Geit (DM/Tourney 2-5 player), Bouncin 'Tween Da Boxen by BadMonkey (DM 3-6 player), Bridging the Gap by Hr.O (Space DM 3-8 player), Fast Baby by *papri-K* (Space Tourney 2 player).

Be aware, there is a Virus going around pretending to be a Quake4 demo.  Of course there is no Quake4 demo! (yet). Of course--heh-nobody here does WaReZ, do they?

12-6-1

A post on XGR outlines the changes that will be made to Return to Castle Wolfenstein to allow it to be released in Germany. Citing "my source over in Germany," they report, the German version of the game will have "replaced the Nazis with a cult called The Wolves" and "renamed Heinrich Himmler to Heinrich Höller."

A post on Shacknews quotes is CEO Todd Hollenshead who basically confirms the story, going on to explain the fairly obvious reasons behind the move.

Gamers.com's Command & Conquer Renegade Beta Report and GameSpot UK's Command & Conquer Renegade Beta Report are each based on participating in the beta test for the upcoming action installment in Westwood's Command & Conquer series. Each report offers their hands-on impressions, and offer 39 new screenshots between the two reports.

Several weeks after the auto-update and downloadable Mac patches, Blizzard has now also released downloadable PC patches for Diablo II and its Lord of Destruction expansion pack. As before they address a DVD drive problem, a connection issue, and a video card lockup bug.

12-5-1

The lost Quake3 Petition declares: "We want id Software to release the maps, models and skins that we have all seen on screenshots since early 1999 that (didn't) make it into the full retail game."

id Software's Paul Jaquays updated his .plan with details on a new Map Challenge at the MapCenter. Details on the challenge can be found on this forum thread.

The Alliance Games for Quake3 website has a new version 3.1 patch for the Alliance mod for Quake III Arena, which adds an off-hand grappling hook to the game, among other enhancements. The new release doesn't add any new features, but is to address various problems that have been identified since the release of version 3.0.

A post by Sierra's Alex Rodberg on the TribalWar forums gives word that plans for continued support of TRIBES 2 have been approved, and after a new developer is signed "the first step would be to issue a patch for T2 that addresses UE's, the recent FPS loss some people experienced, and look at fixing things like the ELF."

A new version 7.0.5 of the CPUCooL utility is now available.

12-4-1

ShellShock's Crater is now offering downloads of an updated version 01.12.03.00 of the Q3Offline utility. Q3Offline allows for the easy creation of solo play for Quake III Arena, and the new version adds support for the just-released Return to Castle Wolfenstein, which is also powered by the Quake III engine. Other games supported by this utility are Team Arena, Star Trek: Voyager- Elite Force, and the Elite Force expansion pack.

A new update for Wanted for Half-Life, the modification that celebrates the wild and woolly American west, has been released.

There's a Magic Find Barbarian Guide on PlanetDiablo showing how to play this class in Diablo II to provide the best chance at finding major swag.

QUAKELORD'S QUAKE NEWS © Copyright 2005 MARK PASKO mail@quakelord.net  Dont forget to check out our forum .