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10-31-1 Happy Halloween all. The Wizard Wars Homepage has the release of version 1.05 of the Wizard Wars modification for Half-Life for both Windows and Linux. The update to this mod that pits teams of wizards against each other in magical combat adds four new maps, some updated skins, new sounds, and more. According to both GamePen and Apolyton CS, Civilization III has begun showing up in stores. According to each account, apparently both the regular version and the limited edition of the turn-based strategy sequel have first surfaced in Electronics Boutique. Unexpected Power-Management Issues with Windows XP and Intel PIII CPU is an MS knowledgebase article on a potential problem. Thanks 3DWIN. 10-30-1 The debut release of the Countdown Quake3 mod is now available. This is an interesting new mod that plays Quake III Arena deathmatches backwards. This works by starting every player out with the number of frags in the game's fraglimit and all the weapons except the BFG10K. Killing an opponent gets you -1 frag, while being killed gets you +1, and a suicide will get you +2. As you get down to certain frag levels, one weapon at a time will be removed from your arsenal, until you are down to trying to get the final frag with the gauntlet, and the first player to get to zero frags wins. WolfStat Homepage has a new version 0.8.0 of WolfStat, a utility that can extract statistics from the server log file for a Return to Castle Wolfenstein Test server. The new version features a new design, and adds support for Quake III Arena. The NinjaZone Homepage now offers a new version 6.3 of the NinjaMOD for TRIBES 2, the first version of the mod to support an optional client-side pak. Thanks PlanetTRIBES, who say this of the new version: "They have also tweaked the class touch abilities for balance, armors short-range mobility for more responsiveness, added incendiary guided missiles and tweaked the console for better performance." Soundblaster.com has new Windows XP drivers for the Sound Blaster Audigy series, the Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 series, Sound Blaster Live! / Value cards, and Sound Blaster PCI 512 cards. Word on Sound Blaster Live! (CT4620, CT4670, CT4760), Sound Blaster PCI 16/Vibra128/AudioPCI, Sound Blaster PCI 128, and Sound Blaster PCI Compact (CT5808) support is to be "available end-November," while other Ensoniq audio processors, the Sound Blaster AWE series, the Sound Blaster 16, and the Sound Blaster Pro are already supported by native Windows XP drivers. 10-29-1 The GameBoy Advance port of DOOM is now available allowing gamers to play the classic first-person shooter on the road, and even head to head with a little cable (perfect for those deathmatches with my kids). If you are curious about how this works, the features page on Activision's Doom Site has a 6 MB gameplay movie from GBA DOOM you can check out: You can grab it via the "download the gameplay AVI" link in the lower right (though the movie is actually an MPEG). In related notes, Win a Game Boy Advance and Doom GBA Doomworld and the Doom Center Sweepstakes offer a pair of giveaways in conjunction with the new release. Sierra Studios sends along the announcement that Empire Earth, the millenia-spanning 3D real-time strategy game by Stainless Steel Studios, will be shipping on November 13. A post on AvPNews.com has the US release date for Aliens Vs. Predator 2. Saying the info comes straight from a Sierra rep, word is that Fox & Monolith's upcoming tri-species sequel will be in stores October 30. 10-28-1 Multi Player Zone CLANarena is a new site devoted to clans, allowing them to start your own teams and clans, advertise for new recruits and members, join leagues and tournaments, and more. Returning to Wolfenstein, pt. 1 on PC.IGN.com is the first installment of a Return to Castle Wolfenstein diary for the WWII first-person shooter in the works at Gray Matter and Nerve Software. Penned by Gray Matter executive producer Greg Goodrich, the diary discusses acquiring the rights to make this distant sequel to Wolfenstein 3-D, crafting the game's back-story, their goal of updating the game for a new decade (or century, for that matter) while retaining the fun of the original, and other aspects of its design. Three new screenshots accompany the proceedings. ION Storm Austin Interview, Part 1 on RPG Vault kicks off a lengthy conversation with Warren Spector, the project director on Deus Ex and current studio director. Warren talks about the early days of the studio, the concept stages of Deus Ex, assembling the early development team, the challenges they set for the project and how he looks back on it, and more. A new Beta 2 of version 2.0 of the Rho-Bot for Half-Life is now available. A post interestingly titled Gold on the Bungie.org forums has word from Bungie's Matt Soell that Halo, their upcoming shooter, has gone gold (for the Xbox, at least). Soundblaster.com has new Windows XP drivers for the Sound Blaster Audigy series, the Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 series, Sound Blaster Live! / Value cards, and Sound Blaster PCI 512 cards. Word on Sound Blaster Live! (CT4620, CT4670, CT4760), Sound Blaster PCI 16/Vibra128/AudioPCI, Sound Blaster PCI 128, and Sound Blaster PCI Compact (CT5808) support is to be "available end-November," while other Ensoniq audio processors, the Sound Blaster AWE series, the Sound Blaster 16, and the Sound Blaster Pro are already supported by native Windows XP drivers. A new version 7.03of the CPUCooL utility is now available. Matrox sends word that new certified drivers are now available, offering support under the newly released Windows XP for the Millennium G400, G450 and G550 series of graphics cards. The drivers are updated to version 5.72.021 and also support Windows 2000. 10-27-1 The Mean Arena has posted a tutorial on how to setup and compile Q3's latest source code. Saying "remember, the blitzkrieg begins this Christmas," Activision's Caryn "HellChick" Law sends along a Return to Castle Wolfenstein update from Gray Matter Studios' Greg Goodrich on the polishing the upcoming World War II FPS is currently undergoing:
NT Compatible's 3Dfx FAQ & Download Page features a new Glide-compatible Voodoo 3 driver for Windows XP. There's a CPU Unlocking Guide on Overclocking Opolis. 10-26-1 The Annihilation Quake 3 Page has posted a couple of shots of new models for their mod, along with a pleas for help with the team. Public beta one of version 5 of the Eternal Arena Modification for Quake III Arena is now available. Here is just a small portion (believe it or not) of the new features in this release: "New Main Menu & Background, Map Rotations, Random Maps, Head/Body model switching, Full awards logging for all games, Anti-spawn suicide timer, Awards on scoreboard, Mini scoreboard, Better Map Selection, Weapon Dropping, Rocket Jumping, Damage Indicators, Random Bots, Player Cloaking, Auto-Sentry Turrets," and much more. 10-25-1 The Orange Smoothie Productions website has a new beta version 0.99W of the OSP Tourney modification for Quake III Arena. This text file offers a complete list of changes found in the latest version. The æon's stats website has a new version 5.21 of the free version of the ÆStats program that extracts statistics from the server logs of many shooter games. The new release is available for both Windows and Linux, and Strike Force for UT support, fixes some bugs, and redesigns various aspects of the interface, as well as much of the program's output, which no longer uses frames, and now supports style sheets. The Majestic Website has word that The Sopranos/Matrix co star Joe Pantoliano is slated to appear in episode four of this conspiracy game. 10-24-1 The GreenHouseEFX Website has the debut release of the Greed modification for Quake III Arena. The game offers a bunch of features and three distinct game sub-types, but the general idea behind gameplay can be summed up as: "No weapon pickups and the stakes are high. Everyone starts with the same weapon(s). Tokens are dropped by a player when they are hit and can be picked up by the attacker and used to purchase more powerful weapons and health." Machinima.com's Max Payne Interview talks with Saku Lehtinen and Anssi Hyytiäinen, who are level designers at Remedy who were also responsible for a good deal of the work on the cinematics in the recently-released third-person shooter. Topics covered along the way include the pair's background in film, their influences in this project, pros and cons of doing this sort of work with the Max Payne engine, the tools they used, what the production process consisted of, what went right and wrong along the way, the length of the project, and their feelings about the final result. The official Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon FAQ has received a major update. 10-22-1 The Weapons Factory Arena site now offers a beta version 3.1 of this class-based Quake III Arena mod for download. There is a Return to Castle Wolfenstein video on FilePlanet (registration required), offering more insight into the development of Gray Matter's first-person shooter for the cost of a hefty 111.7 MB download. It is also available on the pre-order bonus CD for the game, if you happen to be bandwidth impaired. Word is: "This lengthy movie shows extensive new game footage, plus great video interviews with some of the folks at Gray Matter: Drew Markham (Creative Director), Maxx Kaufman (Art Director), Greg Goodrich (Executive Producer), and Corky Lehmkuhl (Character Designer)." A new version 0.70 of WolfStat is now available. In addition to the program's original functions, which includes the kicking of players too prone to shooting their teammates while playing the Return to Castle Wolfenstein Multiplayer Test, the new version also removes log file entries as it operates to keep log sizes reasonable, stores stats in a database, and supports multiple servers. Ubi Soft sends along a press release announcing that Black Thorn, their Rogue Spear expansion pack, has gone gold. 10-21-1 There's a basic Quake III Arena weapons guide on Multi Player Zone. Myth III: The Wolf Age, the upcoming prequel to the Myth series, has gone gold, and is headed off for duplication. Monolith has released the multiplayer maps from the Game of the Year edition of No One Lives Forever as a separate download, so that owners of the original game can play the new maps online as well. It requires the version 1.004 patch to be installed first. A new version 4.20.00 of the HyperSnap-DX screen capture utility is now available. 10-20-1 PlanetQuake3.net's Dekard Interview talks about his work on the Threewave CTF Unification Project. CyberExtruder.com has word that their proprietary software and web-based technology that automatically converts a single two-dimensional facial image into a fully-developed 3D model in one second now officially supports the Mac OS X platform. A new version of the GeForce Tweak Utility is now available. 10-19-1 There's a Generations Arena interview on Jolt.co.uk talking with several members of the team on this upcoming Quake III Arena modification. A new version 1.75 of Digital Paint's New Quake Paintball for Quake II is now available as a server-only update. The new version offers "bug and lag fixes as well as improved ball and grenade physics, a modified siege game mode, and a bunch of other stuff." An updated version 0.91 of the Wolfenstein Admin Bot is already available, the new release of this Perl script that can help police teamkillers and otherwise maintain order on a Return to Castle Wolfenstein Multiplayer Test server adds "many bug fixes, more useful error reporting, an easy to use installer, a new 'admin' flag for users, added kick messages, Perl < 5.6.0 compatibility, better logging on bans, and more." GameSpy.com Previews Return to Castle Wolfenstein with a look ahead at the Quake III engine Wolfenstein 3-D follow-up in the works at Gray Matter Interactive (and Nerve Software for the multiplayer component). The preview is based on some hand-on play at a recent Activision press event where they got to check out some new levels and things like cut-scenes that were not on hand for the showings of the game at this year's QuakeCon. The article offers impressions of the single-player stuff on display, as well as some newer aspects of multiplayer play that are not evident in the multiplayer test, going into a bit on what will be changed in the final version of the game based on feedback from the test. A post on Empire Earth Aeon has more details on the Empire Earth demo, which is planned for a release later today. The update offers a bit more on what to expect from the demo, as well as tips on installing and running it for those who are participating in the Empire Earth beta test, since the beta and the demo cannot be successfully installed on a single system at the same time. A new version 2.2.2 of the merged source for Linux and Windows of the PrBoom port of the Doom source code is now available. The new version adds double-buffering, a full screen/window toggle while adding a couple of other features and addressing a couple of bugs. A new version of the CPUCooL utility is now available. 10-18-1 GameSpot Previews Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix after getting their third opportunity to check out Raven's upcoming Quake III-engine follow-up to their mercenary shooter. The preview offers background on the setting, describing where it picks up after the first Soldier of Fortune game, and goes on to describe gameplay, giving a feel for the semblance of squad-based combat that's been added, going into the three types of AI this entails, and goes into detail about the various weapons you will find in your arsenal. Included along the way are quotes from Raven's project administrator Kenn Hoekstra, as well as four new screenshots. A new version 5.14 of the free version of Æon's Stats, a log file parser that extracts stats for a wide variety of games, is now available for both Windows and Linux. The new version updates support for Counter-Strike and adds support for the French edition of Unreal Tournament, while also addressing several bugs. NOLF News has posted a new patch for No One Lives Forever which takes copies of Monolith's swinging sixties shooter to the version 1.004v used in the recently released Game of the Year edition. You need to have version 1.003 installed first, and the 1.7 MB patch "allows NOLF users to play/join and create v1.004 (GOTY) servers and games" but does not contain the new GotY maps. The ICQ Download Page has a new Build #3286 version 4.70 of ICQ 2000b. 10-17-1 CyberExtruder.com has posted a George W. Bush skin for Unreal Tournament, saying it was created due to "popular demand" Fragomatic has downloads of version 3.00 of the Rcon Commander utility, which offers enhanced remote administration capabilities to game servers, including those running Quake III Arena, Team Arena, Return To Castle Wolfenstein, Quake II, Sin, and Star Trek: Voyager-Elite Force. The new version has been updated to be compatible with the new Quake III Arena point release. Preliminary tournaments for the World Cyber Games are planned throughout the next couple of months in preparation for the finals in Korea that will offer $300,000 in prizes. GameSpot's Media Index for Return to Castle Wolfenstein has a Todd Hollenshead Video Interview where they tracked down the id Software CEO at a recent press event to discuss Return to Castle Wolfenstein, where topics include: "id's involvement on the project, the decision to have Nerve do the multiplayer, and the multiplayer test demo." The video is available in mpeg format either zipped or unzipped as a 73 or 79 MB download, as well as in streaming versions for three levels of bandwidth in either RealPlayer or Windows Media Player formats. 10-16-1 A single new entry has been added to the list of Linux Quake III Arena Known issues on the id Software site. Hackerthreads Quake 3 CTF Tournament will get underway next Saturday, and will offer $500 in cash prizes. A new version of GibMatch for TRIBES 2 is now available. This mod is described as a mixture of Quake III Arena, Unreal Tournament, TRIBES 2, "and a bit of every thing else good," and in addition to some new code, weapons, sounds, and textures, the new version also adds blood to Dynamix' shooter sequel. NVIDIA nForce and GeForce Products Deliver Highest Performance for AMD Athlon XP Processor 1800+ is a press release with the latest performance claims from NVIDIA. 10-15-1 Games Radar UK has posted a preview of Speedball Arena, the first detailed look ahead to the futuristic combat sports game in the works at The Bitmap Brothers. The article, which is reproduced from the current issue of PC Gamer UK, examines how the game follows up on the previous Speedball titles, and describes a fact-finding mission to the Brothers' offices to learn more about its design, game mechanics, 3D engine, and other features, annotated with quotes from designer Ed Bartlett. The few screenshots and concept images accompany the proceedings. NVIDIA's Windows 95-98-Me Detonator XP page and their Windows XP-2000 page each has new version 21.83 Detonator drivers, while their Windows XP 64-bit page has new version 22.20 drivers. As always, NVIDIA reference drivers are offered with no technical support, which must be provided by the individual manufacturers of each video card. 10-14-1 ThreeWave CTF website now has the debut release of the ThreeWave CTF Unification project for Quake III Arena in their downloads section. GameSpot PC Previews Return to Castle Wolfenstein in an updated look at the upcoming Quake III-engine World War II first-person shooter in the works at Gray Matter Studios after getting to check it out at a recent Activision event. The preview starts off with a look at the single player portion, offering observations on how it differs from the multiplayer test version, and goes on to describe improvements Nerve Software and id Software have made to the underlying technology since the release of the test. There are also eight new Wolfenstein screenshots which are also on Achtung Wolfenstein!. Alltechbox.com's How to connect Playstation joypad to PC guide has been updated with info on how to get a PSX pad working under Windows 2000 and XP. 10-13-1 This PlanetQuake3.net Downloads Page has a new version 1.04 update for those who have previously installed Custom Q3 version 1.0. This mod adds Quake and Quake II features to Quake III Arena. HomeLan Fed's Betty Bad Interview talks with Paul Steed of Wild Tangent about progress on Betty Bad, his first project for WT. The Q&A discusses what to expect from the game, as well as Paul's feelings about being in charge, as he's the producer of the game, along with some reflections on the time he spent at id Software. While the official glDuke site appears to be unreachable at the time of writing, this page on Dukenukem Center offers a new version 0.22 for download of this OpenGL port of Duke Nukem 3D, the venerable shooter by 3D Realms. A new alpha version 1.9 of the Earth's Special Forces mod for Half-Life is now available. Bethesda Softworks sends word that Magic & Mayhem: The Art of Magic is now gold, and is off for duplication. In celebration they have posted four new screenshots (the top row) on the official website. German fan site Mafia Network serves up a single new Mafia: the City of Lost Heaven screenshot, showing a scene for the third-person action game in the works at Illusion Softworks. The EverQuest website has news of a new EverQuest patch available through the automatic in-game updater. 10-12-1 A new version 2.0 of the Tribal CTF three-team capture the flag modification for Quake III Arena is now available. The download includes an updated FAQ to help with any mysteries the new version presents, including how to install the Tribal CTF GameSpy Filter, and the website offers a list of servers already running the mod. 3D Realms has released a new patch for Max Payne, updating Remedy's third-person hard-boiled action game to version 1.02. This is a minor update, addressing the following problem: "The clock and other desktop icons are no longer randomly flashing during the game." It also includes the changes from the previous version 1.01 patch, 10-11-1 The GreenHouseEFX News page has word of the release of version 2.6 of the Coliseum 2 modification for Quake III Arena. Windows XP Professional : A Gamers Perspective on GamePC is a look at fun and games on the new OS. 10-10-1 HomeLan Fed's Mobile Forces Interview is online, talking with Colin McDonald of Rage Software about Mobile Forces, the first interview about this recently-announced Unreal-engine tactical first-person shooter. Sharp hones new Linux handheld. 10-9-1 CyberExtruder.com has posted Osama bin Laden skins for Q3A and UT, the subject of a Wired article called Gamers Blow bin Laden Away. 10-8-1 id Software's Timothee Besset sends word that version 1.1.1 of GtkRadiant, the level editor for Quake III Arena, Quake III: Team Arena and all Quake III Arena modifications, has left beta, and is now available for download from the QERadiant website. GtkRadiant is available for both Windows and Linux, and the new release is described as "by far the most stable and complete version of GtkRadiant to date." A complete changelog describes what's new in this version, with the most noteworthy changes described as noclip-type camera movement, per face patch and models selection, lots of UI improvements, OpenGL lighting, and generic support for mods editing. Finally, here's what Tim has to ay about the future of the project: "The GtkRadiant project is now heading towards a version 1.2 which will bring the editor to a whole new level, mostly with multiple games support." EA's Suspense Thriller Majestic Coming to Retail Shelves in Time for the Holidays is the press release with more details on the previously announced retail release of Majestic, EA's conspiracy-laden online game. According to the release: "The Majestic retail package will include a full season of five episodes as well as an exclusive Prima Games Strategy Guide covering the first two episodes, nine Majestic 'classified' documents, six exclusive Majestic music tracks by John Kelley and Electric Skychurch and interviews with the game's creators. New players will need to purchase their CDs and register online to play the five episodes with no monthly fee. However, current subscribers will experience no difference in their game and will not need to purchase the CD." Word on ie Magazine is that "Visions," the third episode in Majestic, EA's conspiracy thriller, launches today. They point the way to a RealPlayer format preview of the episode, and further, an article on The Adrenaline Vault announcing the launch of episode three has some Visions spoilers. 10-7-1 This secure Quake III Key Converter page on the Activision website addresses a CD key problem you may be experiencing with the Team Arena part of the just-released Quake III: Gold Edition compilation. The page allows you to convert the erroneous key from the Quake III: Team Arena disc into one that the installation process should accept. FTC to Reverse Stance on Need for New Privacy Laws. New Pocket PC OS set to debut. Intel answers AMD with 1.2GHz Celeron. 10-6-1 There's a Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix preview on SimHQ.com offering some better-late-than-never impressions from checking out the game at this year's ECTS. The preview offers a detailed rundown on gameplay as well as the GHOUL2 and TORR technology being used to enhance the Quake III engine, and also includes some quotes from Raven Software's Kenn Hoekstra. A new version 1.9 of the Art of War modification for Quake III Arena is now available. The new version of this class-based team play modification offers a fourth playable faction, called the Keepers of Fate, which features four playable classes, and while the Manual is not yet up to date with this, the tutorial is. They also have word on how you can get the file through IRC if you can't get it through FilePlanet. 10-5-1 The PakRat website has a beta Mac version of this Quake III Arena model viewer, map viewer, and skinning tool "fully Carbonized to run natively on Mac OS 9 and X. It's been updated for the Aqua interface, and has a cool Aqua icon." This Sierra downloads page has the playable demo for TRIBES 2. The size of the download is 79.4 MB and according to the page: "This demo features two single-player training missions to get you started, a CTF (Capture the Flag) map, and a Team Hunters map. There are over 50 additional maps in the full version." 10-4-1 A new version 2.4e of the QStat Quake and game server status utility is now available. The Sims Hot Date preview on pc.ign.com takes a look at the upcoming Sims expansion that celebrates the joys of dating. The preview includes first-hand impressions after getting a demo of the expansion. Included is a discussion of the various new interactions that Hot Date will provide, including nagging, as well as various degrees of hugging and kissing. The preview offers quotes from assistant producer Sean Baity and game designer Mike McCormick, some new screenshots, and hints that more Sims add-ons are forthcoming. 10-3-1 This page on FilePlanet (registration required) has a history of Quake movie in AVI format for download that was originally shown at QuakeCon 2001 and is available bundled with the Ultimate Quake collection. The file is a 42 MB download. Ferrago.co.uk interviews Petri Jarvilehto of Remedy Entertainment, discussing Max Payne, their recently-released third person shooter. Questions posed in the Q&A include their motivation "to push the genre to these new levels," Max's inspirations, the possibilities of a sequel or add-ons, how they created the game's immersive environment, what they would like to have done differently, the positive response the game has received, and more. 10-2-1 The MAF-Soft Update Patches page has a considerably smaller patch to update your Quake III Arena installation to the new version 1.30 from version 1.29h that's a 439 KB file instead of the original 25.5 MB download. As always, this is unofficial, so use at your own risk. As noted in Graeme Devine's .plan update, id Software has released the Mac Classic version 1.30 patch for Quake III Arena and Team Arena for download from their ftp server. There's a page up for the Palm version of Serious Sam on EBgames.com. According to the page the game will be available October 2. A new version 3.1 RC1 of the GeForce Tweak Utility is now available. Excite@Home flirts with bankruptcy and Excite@Home Streamlines Its Media Operations to Reduce Costs. 10-1-1 New searchable Activision Product Solutions pages are up for Ultimate Quake, DOOM Collector's Edition, and Quake III Gold Edition. There's an interview with Aki Määtä on Spelplayset talking with the Remedy Entertainment level designer/texture artist about Max Payne. Those who don't speak the site's native Swedish should not be daunted by all the umlauts, as scrolling down reveals an English version of the same Q&A. Topics covered in the conversation include the reception Max has received since the game's release, violence in games, the reaction to the game's lengthy development cycle, the reason for the comic strip cut scenes, the lack of multiplayer support, game development in Finland, and more. A new version 3.1 RC1 of the GeForce Tweak Utility is now available. 9-30-1 id Software's Linux Quake III Arena Known issues and Linux Return To Castle Wolfenstein FAQ have each been updated. New Sniper Title Planned for IncaGold and Xicat is the press release announcing a new LithTech-engine first person shooter tentatively titled Sniper. Word in the release is: "Sniper is being developed for the PC/CD-ROM format and is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2001. Set in the dark underworld of the 1980s, the game will feature a variety of weapons for gamers to choose from, and epic shootouts that occur in various cities throughout the world, including Chicago, Las Vegas, and Rome." Included with the release is the first batch of Sniper screenshots. A new version 3.00.62 Beta of the NVmax utility is now available. 9-29-1 Loki Games has now released new Linux patches for TRIBES 2, likewise bringing Dynamix' multiplayer shooter to version 24834. You can either use their Update Tool or get the retail client patch (5.8 MB) and dedicated server patch (5.7 MB) directly. The massive list of changes is also available. Electronic Arts to offer 'Majestic' game on CD. The Mumbo Jumbo Games Website has an update on the status of Myth III: The Wolf Age, saying "We are currently testing and tweaking the third installment in the award winning series created by Bungie. Expect to see more news and a playable demo in the weeks ahead." A new version 4.01 of the Intellipoint software. 9-28-1 id Software has now also released the Linux version 1.30 patch for Quake III Arena and Team Arena, currently available only for download from their ftp server (26.4 MB). The debut release of the FreakBall Arena Quake III Arena modification is now available. This is described as a Quake sport mod, where you score goals with a ball, while able to access such fair play options as kicking, shooting, and outright killing your opponenents. There are two game types, a standard game where you use weapons, and a second one only allows the Ball-Launcher as a weapon. This page on 3DDownloads has a new patch to update Absolute Redemption, a commercially-released Half-Life conversion from Maverick Developments, to work properly with the recently-released version 1.1.0.8 Half-Life patch. Apple to release OS X update Saturday. 9-27-1 As promised, id Software has now released the final version 1.30 patch for Quake III Arena and its Team Arena expansion, a 25MB download online, but you can also use the auto-updater for a significantly smaller download. This version brings a handful of minor bug fixes and consolidates the changes introduced in the previous point releases. There's a patch message on the EverQuest website has news of what's changed in the latest update to Verant's highly-addictive MMORPG, which include changes to how mouselook is handled in the first two third-person camera modes, a possible fix for the female hair and Erudite hoods bug, some quest changes, a reversion to the previous effect for the Shaman Epic effect, and a removal of the recent changes to bard song stacking that were made with the recent "emergency patch," as they review those changes for possible inclusion in a future update. The European Counter-Strike League and The United Kingdom Team Fortress League are each currently accepting sign-ups. 9-26-1 The Quake III Arena auto-update servers have been offline for maintenance for a few days now, but now word from id Software is that they should be back online shortly, and when they are, they'll be set to dole out a new Quake III Arena/Team Arena version 1.30 point release. Sierra Studios has released a new patch for Half-Life: Initial Encounter, bringing it to version 5.1.5.8. Initial Encounter is the retail Half-Life package that included the Half-Life: Day One OEM demo and a stand-alone version of Team Fortress Classic, and this 50.3 MB patch brings all previous versions of that TFC edition in line with last week's version 1.1.0.8 release of the full game. Sierra Studios has released non-beta patches for TRIBES 2, updating Dynamix' multiplayer shooter to version 24834. You can update from either the last official v23669 patch (2.4 MB) or the earlier v22460 patch (3.0 MB), and if you applied any of the beta patches that you first need to apply a reverse patch from the Official Tribes 2 Central Download Site. Blizzard has released a single new WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos screenshot, featuring a new combat scene in their upcoming 3D role-playing RTS game. There's an Excalibur Interview on Gameplex which is the English-language version of their Q&A with Ken Turner, which is also available in the site's native German. Ken is the lead game designer and project director on Excalibur, Auran's upcoming action game set in the post-Arthurian dark ages that is centered around the legendary king's legendary sword. The Q&A describes what to expect from gameplay, including the role of the player, the role of the sword, the game's comparative lack of gore compared to games like Severance, what combat will be like, what weapons and gadgets will be involved, and more. The first couple of the included screenshots are new exclusives. 9-25-1 Moon Tycoon, the game formerly known as "LUNA: Moon Colony Simulator," is now gold. 9-24-1 id Software designer Graeme Devine updated his .plan with a progress report on the Mac OS X version of the Return to Castle Wolfenstein Multiplayer Test, which will finally see a public release today, as well as a bit on OS X DOOM, and "a native Cocoa 7th Guest client that plays the game if you have the CDs." Here's the scoop:
Windows XP A Gamer's Friend? on GameSpy.Com is an article that attempts to examine the viability of Microsoft's new OS as a gaming platform. 9-23-1 The Sunday update has appeared on the Croteam website offering more detail on what to expect from Serious Sam: The Second Encounter, the now officially-announced Serious Sam sequel. Included is word on plans to include "excellent multiplayer support," including the latest version of the Seriously Warped Deathmatch mod, as well as the now-compulsory small print update on the possibility that the follow-up will include more of those Egyptian levels. A new version 3.02 of PowerStrip has been released. 9-22-1 Player Of Games Interviews Petri Jarvilehto of Remedy Entertainment, discussing Max Payne, their hard-boiled third-person shooter. The conversation discusses things like the game's commercial success, its positive critical reception, the relative lack of bugs, the use of photo realistic textures, mod support, and more. An update to the "Ask a Screenwriter" portion of the latest Ask @ IMDb.com written by John August clarifies some misconceptions about the planned movie based on American McGee's Alice, including the fact that the potential film's current title is Alice, rather than Dark Wonderland, as had been reported. The report goes on to further clarify that Alice is "a long ways away from casting" so reports that Natalie Portman, Eliza Dushku, or anyone else is starring are likewise erroneous, and in a third bit of debunking, John points out that assumptions that he is writing the script are also incorrect, but are based on the fact that he wrote the film's treatment. The report does conclude, however, with his opinion that the film will indeed be made, saying: "Currently, the producers are working with other writers to come up with the script, so I have no idea how close they are to being able to film. While some projects do get lost in development hell, my instinct is that Alice will get made at some point." The official Counter-Strike site now offers the promised fix for the ATI "overflow" errors in Counter-Strike. The small (670 KB) patch is available from FilePlanet (registration required) as well as this Sierra ftp server for both the Half-Life and CS Retail editions and it's needed only if you have an ATI card and are experiencing the problem. 9-21-1 There's a Medal of Honor: Allied Assault preview on PC Zone subtitled "They might not be able to spell, but the Americans know a thing or two about scaring the Hun. Steve Hill joins the war effort" (the spelling bit refers to the whole honor/honour thing). The preview of 2015's upcoming Quake III-engine World War II shooter is based on a visit to Electronic Arts to check it out in person, and as such offers first-hand impressions of the game, as well as quotes from 2015's Vince Zampella, Peter Hirschman, Lincoln Hershberger, and more. A new version 2.0 RC7 of the RivaTuner is now available. 9-20-1 A new beta 7 of the Return to Castle Wolfenstein multiplayer test for Mac OS X is now available from id Software's ftp server (as usual mirrored on ftp.cdrom.com). Again no details on the changes, but if you run OS X you'll know what to do with it. The Mystery of the Druids site features a new English-language demo version of this 3D adventure offering a chance to check out the opening chapter of the game for free before it's planned US release on October 30. 9-19-1 S.A.S's Guide to Counter-Strike has been updated with information regarding the new C-S release, including a guide to the new voice communication feature. Microsoft delays Xbox launch (thanks ZYirAH) is a BBC report on a one week delay in Microsoft's upcoming Xbox console system "just five weeks after the company rigorously denied an analyst's warning that the launch that would mark its move from software making into hardware making would be delayed." No official reason is offered for the delay, though the article quotes Gartner researcher P.J. McNealy as saying "This is clearly a production issue." The system, originally planned to go on sale in the US on November 8, is now slated to be available November 15. In a related note, Xbox Manufacturing Underway for Nov. 15 Launch Date is a press release we've received on the subject, but in a fit of Teflon, this makes the November 15 date sound like business as usual, and makes no reference to the delay. 9-18-1 Max Payne is reviewed on Miss-Match. Spider-Man is reviewed on GameSpot. 9-17-1 The Half-Mast Lan is hosting a LAN party with all proceeds to go to charity. The event is open to all ages, scheduled for October 6, 2001 from 8:00 AM-Midnight at the Interstate Center, in Bloomington, IL. The cost is $20, and all proceeds go directly to the Red Cross. A new version of CPUCooL is now available. Nikao Submarine Case is reviewed on TheTripleHelix.com. 9-16-1 HomeLan's Multiplayer BattleTech 3025 Interview chats with Dave Marsh, the senior producer on the upcoming massively multiplayer installment in the BattleTech series. Topics include the somewhat complex history of the game's development, its back-story, the types of Mech's available, the number of simultaneous players the game will support (10,000), and more. A new version of the Windows 2000-XP NVidia Refresh Rate Fix is now available. 9-15-1 Cody Brady has opened a new DOOM reviews site. Three wads have already been tested. If you'd like yourse to be the next one, don't hesitate to ask the reviewer. 9-14-1 Two patches, lswad-1.9.diff and wadflat-1.4.diff, for Xwadtools 20010615 have been released. A list of the bugs these patches fix is available here. 9-13-1 X-DOOM posted 4 new screenshots of ZD3K map03. As soon as the 5 first maps are finished, a demo will be released. 9-12-1 Mr.Rocket released a 3D deathmatch map, called PLEXYDOME DM, to be used with the latest version, that is 1.32 beta 3, of Legacy. 9-11-1 Ourumov updated the GoldenEye Doom2 site with four screenshots, featuring new weapons and revised levels, of this TC where your name is Bond, James Bond. 9-10-1 The Team Vortex website has a playable demo for Operation Na Pali, their upcoming single-player Unreal Tournament modification/mission pack. This release is said to represent about a quarter of the gameplay that will be in the final version of the mod. The official Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon site has opened its virtual doors for the public, showcasing the tactical shooter being developed at Red Storm Entertainment. The site offers a brief overview on the game's premise and features, four new screenshots, some brief developer diaries that were apparently written last June, a web kit, and more. A new NVmax 3.00.47 Beta is now available. 9-9-1 Activision has released a playable demo of Spider-Man, allowing you to try out this third-person action adventure based on the Marvel Comics character that was ported by LTI Gray Matter from its console counterpart. The demo weighs in at a hefty 129.1 MB, and includes a lengthy cinematic introduction to the story, as well as the first three levels from the full game. The Matrox Graphics Certified drivers page has the first released drivers for the Millennium G550 accelerator, with new version 6.71.011 Win98 drivers, 4.92.001 WinNT drivers, and 6.71.011 Win2000 drivers. 9-8-9 GameSpy.com's Nerve Software Interview talks with Brandon James about Nerve Software, the recently unveiled company over which he presides that is comprised of the folks that helped complete American McGee's Alice at Rogue Entertainment. The conversation includes a detailed look at Brandon's history in gaming, a bit about Nerve itself, and his familiarity with the Quake engine(s) and relationship with id Software. There are new WDM Certified Santa Cruz sound card drivers for Windows 2000, ME, and XP. 9-7-1 Microsoft Won't Be Broken Up is an Associated Press story with the news that there will be no further follow-up to the anti-trust-related break up of Microsoft ordered last year. 9-6-1 The Team Evolve website has word that a new version 2.8 of the PainKeep arena modification for Quake III Arena is now available. Black & White Sequel in the Works on PC.IGN.Com (thanks PlanetBlackAndWhite) has the announcement that in addition to the Black & White Creature Isles add-on mentioned in the next story, production is already underway on a full-blown Black & White sequel. The premise here is that your peaceful island is no longer so peaceful, and the player in his role as a not very omnipotent god must step in and take sides. They quote Peter Molyneux as saying: "I really like the idea of these huge, quite vicious wars going on, and you as a god returning to this land that you left in peace at the end of Black & White having to choose a side." They describe gameplay as offering many RTS elements, and to assist you in your efforts to influence the outcome are your ability to create miracles, and the actions of your creature, who can be imported from the original B&W. No release date has been set, and the report notes that: "Peter also assured us that the development team is paying close attention to the Black & White community for inspiration, and will include several user-requested features in the final game." There's a new Cable and DSL Speed Tweak guide on Inside Project. 9-5-1 3D Realms' Joe Siegler e-mailed me announcing that we should expect the Max Payne demo later today. If you don't yet have the game you must download the demo. It is truly one of the best games of the year. 9-4-1 Beta 1A of the Proball modification for Quake III Arena is now available. A new Version 3.00.46 Beta of NvMax is now available. 9-3-1 Happy Labor Day all. Activision to Publish Two New id Software Games; Long-time Associates Announce Development of QUAKE IV and an All-New Game is a new press release that was issued reiterating the news about development of Quake IV and the yet-unnamed title in the works at Nerve Software, both to be published by Activision. The release doesn't seem to contain any different information than the original press release issued at QuakeCon beyond a quote from Activision, but I know we still do enjoy seeing the words Quake IV. There's a new Hot CPU Tester utility on RatedPC.com. 9-2-1 The GreenHouseEFX website now has a new version 2.5 of the Coliseum2 modification for Quake III Arena. There is a brief Max Payne interview on PCShooter.com, catching up with Remedy Entertainment's Markus Mäki about their recently released third-person action game. Markus reflects on the game's reception so far, their in-house engine and editing tools, the decision to go for a single-player only game, the budding mod community, and a few other topics. 9-1-1 The "Doom 3" Qcon shots on Doom Center offers a scan of one of the four screenshots printed in German gaming magazine GameStar taken from the video presentation id Software made at this year's QuakeCon showing off their upcoming Doom game (which has no official name yet to our knowledge). They say they hope to get the other three shots online soon. Strategy First sends along this press release announcing that Rails Across America, their railroad empire simulator, has gone gold. |
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