QuakeCon2000 Contest - Falcon @ 5:27 am PST
August 28, 2000
News Release

Polycount has opened up public judging for the QuakeCon2000 Map Object Model Contest. For those that can't remember, The QuakeCon Model Contest began a month before QuakeCon, the models were sent to Rogue13 at Polycount to be put in a gallery for display, and they were to be voted on by the crowd in the BYOC area at QCon. However, things didn't work out as planned, so Polycount has exercised some coding skillz and put a public voting system in place. Check out the details of the contest and vote on the contest page and check out these cool categories for winners:

Sweetest Eye Candy - best effects, skin, in the showing
Most Awesomely Gothic - the best Gothic model
Industrial Magic - the best Base or Industrial style model The Real Thing - the best model or "realistic" level or mod Most Likely to be Mistaken for a Marital Aid - you probably can get this one
Most Versatile - goes with everything
Most Artistic - Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Picasso better make room for this
That's Really Weird - homage to the unusual Get out and vote!
Contest page:

Madden 2001 Review - Falcon @ 5:23 am PST
One of the most highly-anticipated PC titles of the year has finally shipped and SportPlanet is taking an in-depth look at it. Read the review of Madden 2001 from EA Sports.

Force Feedback Pro Giveaway - Falcon @ 5:20 am PST
What better to improve your game than a great joystick? To reward their loyal StarLancer Vault fans, we are giving away a shiny new SideWinder Force Feedback Pro joystick which includes a copy of MechWarrior 3.
To enter, simply visit StarLancer Vault's contest page and complete the form. Then keep your eyes on StarLancer Vault to see if you have won!

BigWorld Vault Launches - Falcon @ 5:17 am PST
Vault Network Discovers A Great BigWorld
BigWorld Vault To Cover Micro Forte’s Ambitious Online Title

The ironically named planet of Neo-Eden was originally a penal colony where criminals’ minds and personalities were erased so they could be re-integrated into society once they finished serving their sentences. Five decades ago, the inmates rioted, expelled the Guardians and took control. Now, with the former prison having become the center of a burgeoning community called DeMannon's Ladder, it is a world where the inhabitants are trying to build a new society. In addition, Neo-Eden is the setting for BigWorld: Citizen Zero, an ambitious and exciting online world project from Australian developer Micro Forte.

In order to offer fans of online gaming the best possible coverage of this intriguing title, the IGN Vault Network is pleased to announce the opening of our latest site, BigWorld Vault. Highlighting today’s launch is an extensive and very informative BigWorld: Citizen Zero Interview with Micro Forte Producer Steve Wang and other members of the team.

Gamers can also look forward to additional features, game information, news, concept art, screenshots et al. As with all dedicated Vault sites, BigWorld Vault will also focus on the player community, providing thorough community news coverage, message boards, reader participation features and much more. We invite all members of the community who are interested in the future of online gaming to stop in regularly to check out the coming excitement.

BigWorld Vault:

BigWorld: Citizen Zero Interview:

Gamespy Contract - Falcon @ 5:14 am PST
GameSpy Industries recently signed a 1-year contract with the female world no.1 Quake player, Kornelia Takacs... For the full scoop...

BG II Kits - Falcon @ 5:15 am PST
BG Chronicles goes onto describing the character class kits from Baldur's Gate II at Baldur's Gate Chronicles with a look at thieves, bards, druids and cleircs. The complete listing can be found at: http://www.bgchronicles.com/content/bg2/classes/kits.shtml

BG II Kits - Falcon @ 5:14 am PST
BG Chronicles goes onto describing the character class kits from Baldur's Gate II at Baldur's Gate Chronicles with a look at thieves, bards, druids and cleircs. The complete listing can be found at: http://www.bgchronicles.com/content/bg2/classes/kits.shtml

Are Sims Dying? - Falcon @ 5:14 am PST
- SimHQ.com Feature:
The opinion that sims are a dying breed seems to be expressed everywhere these days, so SIMHQ's Tom "Wklink" Cofield decided to do a little questioning of some people who've made and published the sims we've enjoyed in the past, as well as those working on current hits and upcoming titles. Tom asked them all the same five questions, and they're posting Questions One and Two today. What does the industry itself think about the future of sims? Read and find out. Participants in our first Roundtable Discussion are:

Alexander Delaney, eSim
Andy Hollis, Electronic Arts
Jay Littman, iEntertainment Network
Oleg Maddox, Maddox Games
Carl C. Norman, Mattel Interactive
Teut Weidemann, Wings Simulations
Steve Wickes, Empire Interactive

PlayStation Section Now Open. - shiva @ 4:10 am PST
GameSurge is pleased to announce that our latest game section, for the Sony PlayStation, is now open. The new section is just getting started, but we have finally managed to combine the GameSurge and the Ancient Nation material into one.

We are also still looking for help in running this section, as we have big plans for the future, but a lack of willing staff to help out has caused us to put some of these plans on hold for the time being. If you would like to be part of the game industry, with a eye towards a career in the game information sector, you can contact us with your application at our email address, webmaster@gamesurge.com.

NVidia sues 3dfx - shiva @ 3:36 am PST
In a surprise move, NVidia Corporation have announced that they have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against graphics card rival, 3dfx. The lawsuit, which involves five separate NVidia patents, seeks an injunction preventing 3dfx from manufacturing or selling graphics chip and card products from the Voodoo3, Voodoo4 and Voodoo5 and VSA-100 family of products. NVidia is also asking for monetary damages as well as the injunction.

"We have always been on the forefront of innovation in 3D graphics technology and visual computing," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of nVidia, in a quote to Daily Radar. "This innovation is achieved through the annual investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in research and development. We cannot allow the fruits of this investment to be misappropriated."

The patents named in the injunction are essentially I/O patents, relating to the efficiency of the interaction between the graphics processor and the core logic, memory, or CPU.

3dfx has decided not to comment on the lawsuit.

Intel recalls their new "Super Chip". - shiva @ 3:24 am PST
Intel, known for their dominance in the computer processor industry, continues to shoot themselves in the foot, this time with a recall on their brand new P-III 1.13 GHz chips. The chips, the latest in Intel's series designed to battle AMD for dominance in the processor industry, has been reported by several hardware sites to suffer from system errors when running certain programs and at a particular temperature.

Though there has been no actual complaints from customers, several computer manufactors have already stopped production of their computer lines using this chip, and Intel is quoted as saying they will work with these companies on either a replacement, or a refund for their customers.

This comes at a very bad time, as rival AMD released, on the same day, their new 1.1-GHz Athlon. And now, some industry experts are saying that Intel rushed the chip before it was actually ready, in a attempt to "leap frog" AMD in the latest round of the processor wars.

"It sounds like Intel may have pushed a little too hard," said chip analyst Peter Glaskowsky of MicroDesign Resources. "It shows the Pentium III is not really capable of reaching these levels... When you push the clock speed beyond what it was designed to do, you run into problems. They rushed to get the 1-GHz chip out, and they couldn't produce enough of them."

Intel hasn't announced the actual number of the chips they have produced at 1.13 GHz, but the numbers are believed to be small. The chips will be taken out of production, till they are fixed by redesigning the circuits in question. Intel is expecting the new redesigned chips to be back in stores within the next couple of months.
Source: Gamecenter

Miyamoto explains the Gamecube - shiva @ 3:01 am PST
In a article by Computer and Video Games they have a brief chat with Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of such games as Mario Bros. and the Zelda series, and Takashi Tezuka. Both gentleman talk about the new Nintendo super system, the Gamecube, at the Spaceworld expo presently being held in Toyko, Japan.

In the interview, they talk about some of the more interesting things about the Gamecube (also known as the Dolphin) and also about Animal’s Woods, a upcoming N64 communication game aimed at parents and children. The game itself is simular to the computer game smash hit, The Sim's, but could be considered more revolutionary in that different people can play different parts of the game, and they are all combined within the game.

As well, both gentlemen discuss the aspects of the Gamecube development, especially in relation to previous Nintendo systems, and also to the Sony PlayStation 2 system. Here is a small bit from their interview:

CVG: PlayStation 2 is expensive, it’s complicated to develop for and it’s very delicate to use. Would you say that Freedom is the key to Gamecube’s success – to want to do something, and for it to be easy and affordable?

MIYAMOTO-SAN: I think it is a big mission. Mr Yamauchi has repeatedly said that the TV Game industry with the current situation would be facing the crisis – it is already facing the crisis as a matter of fact. But he is not hoping that to be. Of course he would like to have the success of the TV Game industry as a whole. But what he is worrying about is with the current development environments fewer and fewer development companies can come up with better game software so that Mr Yamauchi specifically instructed me to make the presentation so that game creators are inspired and become willing to work on the new system and it’s not good if the hardware manufacturer is acting superior saying ‘we can make this, we can make that. You cannot make that’. You know, that kind of presentation he specifically didn’t want it. So I think that is the key point. So we share the opinion too that there are a number of unique people, and these unique people should be given the opportunity to work freely.

As a little aside, he didn't mention if that means the games for the new system will actually be cheaper though. The Gamecube is expected to be released in the United States sometime in October of next year.

Monday, August 28, 2000

GameBoy Color Upcoming games - HandOverFist @ 12:07 pm PST
Nintendo has put together a list of new games for the GameBoy Color. Keep in mind, though, that not all of these games will come out in North America. Click here to see the new games!

Nintendo 64 Upcoming Games - HandOverFist @ 11:59 am PST
Nintendo has put together a list of upcoming N64 games. The only thing is the only some are coming up here and others will stay in Japan. The list also has some cool screens and infomation on the game. Click here to see the list!

The Legend of Zelda: A Nut of Mysterious Tree/Chapter of Gaia - HandOverFist @ 11:59 am PST
Never lacking for ambition, Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto and his crackerjack development team have come up with yet another genre-bender in Mysterious Tree. The key item here is the Four Seasons Rod, which gives Link the power to change the terrain as well as the season. Such supernatural powers are a must if Link is to counteract a mysterious power that has scrambled the seasons, wreaking havoc across the land known as Hologram. Click here to get more infomation and screens!

Upcoming Games for GameBoy Advance - HandOverFist @ 11:55 am PST
Nintendo has put together a site showing all the GameBoy Advance Games that are coming soon. Some of the infomation has screens as well infomation. Click Here To Go!

The Feature of Nintendo... - HandOverFist @ 11:45 am PST
Are you wondering what new games Nintendo is coming up with? Do you want to see the game play, to see how the game works? Well, Nintendo has put up some movies that you can check out showing new games and all. Click here to check them out!

Game Cube Central - VulTure @ 8:59 am PST
The Radar has a LOT of info about the new Game Cube from Nintendo. They talk about the controllers, the games, the modem, the hardware specifications, and any other little details that you ever wanted to know about the new console.

Free Levels for Alien Vs. Predator Gold - VulTure @ 8:53 am PST
The Daily Radar has word of some free levels that you can get for Alien Vs. Predator Gold, if you own the game. "Several new levels will be added to the official fan site in the future. All extra levels are playable as deathmatch, skirmish and cooperative modes."

Dreamcast has been cut - VulTure @ 8:42 am PST
Ultimate GameZ Interactive has word of Dreamcast cuts already. Walmart has decided to lower the the price of the Dreamcast to get ready for the big fall push. There will also still be a $50.00 rebate that you will be able to get, that will bring the cost of the Dreamcast down to $100.00!

AMD ships 1.1 GHz 'Thunderbird' Athlon - VulTure @ 8:22 am PST
AMD has officially released their new Intel-killer! Check out the features!

The AMD Athlon is an Intel x86-compatible microprocessor that features a superpipelined microarchitecture optimized for blazingly fast speeds. New versions of the Athlon--which were developed under the codename "Thunderbird"--feature 256KB of on-board L2 cache and 128KB of on-board L1 cache, enhanced "3DNow!" integer-enhancing capabilities, and a 200 MHz system bus. The Thunderbird Athlons also feature a new Socket A design that replaces the old slot-based design from earlier chips. AMD says that these features enable it to best Intel's fastest Pentium III designs, which are nearing the end of their life cycle.

Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion - VulTure @ 8:06 am PST
The Daily Radar has put up a review of the expansion pack to Age of Empires II. They give it very high praise!

In the case of the just released Age of Conquerors, it's as if Michaelangelo came down, picked up an already beautiful painting and made it a masterpiece. Improvements have been made across the board; old units and civilizations are more balanced, the new single-player campaigns are vast improvements over the old campaigns, and the new civilizations are challenging and mesh perfectly with the old. If you were to buy just one RTS this summer, there is no better choice than this expansion.

Neil Manke Interview - VulTure @ 8:00 am PST
Neil Manke, map-making expert, sits down to talk to Half-Life.net. He is the man known for many maps including, USS Darkstar, They Hunger and They Hunger 2.

What feature do you wish you could've added to They Hunger that was impossible in the Half-Life engine?

I would have loved to have proper weather effects. The rain I used briefly during the They Hunger intro was just a bunch of sprites and not a proper weather effect suitable for large areas, not to mention every rain drop stream had to be done individually making it a very arduous process. And certainly some ground fog in the cemetery areas would have been very atmospheric ...things like that.

Baldur's Gate II Collector's Edition - VulTure @ 7:50 am PST
Interplay has decided to release a "collectors" edition of Baldur's Gate II, in addition to the standard release. Here is what you'll get if you buy this version...

1. Four Custom Collector's Edition Gold CD-ROMs featuring the complete Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn in a Collector's Edition Jewel Case
2. A Special Bonus Disc containing exclusive weapons and armor as well as tracks from the original game soundtrack
3. Cloth Map displaying in vivid color the Kingdom of Amn
4. A set of eight collectible Character Trading Cards (one of two sets randomly distributed, 16 trading cards in all)
5. Black Isle Studios writing tablet
6. Spiral Bound Manual
7. Hinged Book Style Serialized Box (without front flap)

Nintendo's new goods - VulTure @ 7:41 am PST
Gamefirst takes a quick peek at Nintendo's new cash-cows, the upcoming Game Cube, and the Game Boy Advance.

The Game Cube..."...the console formerly known as Dolphin opted to go with a 128 bit format instead of the 256 bit consoles that we’re going to see from Sony and Microsoft. Nintendo will be using a DVD-derivative format for its games, but it will be a smaller disc, holding about 1/5 the capacity of a regular DVD. The GameCube will not function as a DVD player; Nintendo has made it quite clear that they want this to be a dedicated gaming systems rather than the complete home entertainment system Sony is promising. Along those lines, the unit will not come with a modem installed, but a standard modem and broadband connector will be available."

The Game Boy Advance..."Using a 32 bit system with a larger and more detailed screen it promises to be a giant leap ahead of Game Boy Color and should ensure Nintendo’s dominance of the handheld market for some time."

There are also some screenshots up at the site for your viewing pleasure!

Baldurs's Gate II - VulTure @ 7:28 am PST
VoodooExtreme continues on with their ongoing journal of Baldur's Gate II. They are currently on a "...quest...to raise 20,000 gold pieces to buy an alliance with the guild of shadow thieves..." There are many screenshots up, for those of you that would like to see more.

Venom Interview - shiva @ 3:57 am PST
Venom is a game that's "a tactical 3D-action where a player controls a Special Forces squad of two soldiers." Lots of aliens, the world coming to a end type storyline highlight this special game based on new AI and animation technology. The game is expected to be finished in the fall of 2000.

For more on this game, you can read our interview with the lead programmer, Sergey Zabaryansky of The Nephilims.

Sunday, August 27, 2000

AoK: TC Designer Journal - Falcon @ 4:49 am PST
GA-Strategy has published its fourth and final Age of Kings: The Conquerors Designer Journal written by Designer Greg T. Street. This installment deals with Town Centers and Outposts and also includes some final
thoughts from Greg Street.

CS 7 Files - Falcon @ 4:46 am PST
Here:

Fileplanet Mirrors - Falcon @ 4:45 am PST
Delivering heart-racing rally action, Colin McRae Rally 2.0 has already been a massive hit on PlayStation since launch in June. It was the summer's hottest property and now Codemasters is extending the original design of Colin McRae Rally 2.0 to include network and online play for PC gamers. This exclusive 35.7MB .avi shows the great racing action in Colin McRae Rally 2.0.

Delta Force: Land Warrior Demo mirrored at FilePlanet

Dark Reign 2 v1.1 patch on FilePlanet

FilePlanet is mirroring the newly updated Sudden Strike demo. It is located at http://www.fileplanet.com/index.asp?file=49399.
Also gamers.de is hosting another mirror:

Legend of Mana Review - Falcon @ 3:54 am PST
Dale and Chi of GameCritics.com share their thoughts on the Squaresoft action RPG title, Legend of Mana. The two opinions go from bad to worse. Here's an excerpt from Dale's review:

"Such a system certainly sounds innovative and excitingly new, but in application it is not at all problem free. The game's major problem is most apparent before the game really starts. After sitting through a vague opening intro, I chose a generic character (male or female -- it doesn't matter), selected a weapon of choice and was then plopped down in the world of Mana with nary a clue as to what to do."

The Conquerors Review - Falcon @ 3:52 am PST
Exxtreme3D has just finished up its review on the expansion to Microsoft's Age of Empires I, entitled The Conquerors.

"The gameplay of The Conquerors is pretty much the same as the Age of Kings, just with some new changes. These changes vary from good to bad. Good changes would include the decrease in the price of outposts to 25 wood and 10 stone and the increase in the relic gold generation. They also gave each civilization a new unique technology. However, they raised the cost of the town centers to 275 wood and 100 stone. Not only is the cost more expensive, but it also builds slower. This is probably because players have been building town centers next to every resource, but I don’t really see a big problem in that. Well, at least now their damage and range can be upgraded through the blacksmith. You can read more about the tons of other changes on the manual when you buy this great expansion."

BG2 warrior kits - Falcon @ 3:48 am PST
You want your fighter to be a berserker or your paladin to be an undead slayer? To help you make these decisions, we offer you the descriptions of the warrior kits as they currently are in the press review copy. The other classes will follow shortly.

Falcon Northwest Interview - Falcon @ 3:46 am PST
For Stomped's final installment in its "PC Gaming Rigs" series of interviews, they chat with Kelt Reeves, founder and head of the pioneer in PC gaming computers, Falcon Northwest. Check out the exclusive interview at http://www.stomped.com/published/jcal967242507_1_1.html

GameVoice Out - Falcon @ 3:47 am PST
CALL THE SHOTS! SIDEWINDER GAME VOICE SPOTTED ON STORE SHELVES

Microsoft today announced that SideWinder Game Voice, its gaming device that brings a new sensory experience to PC gaming, has started 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 later this month. Game Voice is the first all-in-one voice solution for gamers, integrating software for contact management, voice chat, and speech recognition with an eight-button control pad for channel management and a high-quality, noise-reducing headset.

With online multiplayer games, effectively communicating with teammates or opponents has been difficult without a voice chat solution tailored to gaming. Game Voice is an easy way to talk strategy with teammates, and talk trash at opponents. Since Game Voice requires at least two players, a free limited-feature version of the software is available for download at http://www.gamevoice.com. Game Voice Share means gamers can always talk with teammates and opponents alike, regardless if they've purchased the full retail version. Game Voice Share is a limited version of Game Voice software, without the channels, voice commands or hardware found in the retail version.

Game Voice is a complete hardware and software solution that brings voice to games. Not only does Game Voice let players talk in the game, it also makes finding and connecting to their friends quick and easy. The device uses Microsoft Messenger Service technology to help gamers access "buddy lists" and chat session lists. Gamers can simply click on a name or a chat session to start talking. They can also issue voice commands within the game, like "build house" or "switch weapons." Game Voice comes with an eight-button control pad that lights up to show players who they're talking with, or to indicate if they're in voice command mode.

Game Voice is available for an estimated street price of US$49. For more information on Game Voice and to download Game Voice Share go to: http://www.gamevoice.com/

UT to Dreamcast - Falcon @ 3:42 am PST
Unreal Tournament, GameSpy.Com's Game of the Year for 1999, is coming to the Dreamcast. Epic Games and Infogrames showcase the types of gameplay available in the Dreamcast port of UT in this 17 MB .avi movie.

FAKK2 Demo Review - Falcon @ 3:40 am PST
Weighing in around 74 megabytes, the FAKK2 demo isn't very large. The magnificent artwork and level design alone is worth a look, and the gameplay is pretty engaging as well. If you have doubts about buying the full version of the game, check out 3DActionPlanet's demo review.

"Ritual made a wise design move when they automated some of Julie's movements, like grabbing onto a ledge when making a flying jump, or having
her automatically draw a bead on the nearest target when wielding her weapons. Of course, the demo allows you to customize your control scheme to pretty much whatever you like."

Most wanted games - Falcon @ 3:40 am PST
Actiontrip have written up their 5 most wanted games list, from Baldurs Gate 2 to Black and White. Read it here:

Creature Movie - Falcon @ 3:34 am PST
Question: What's large, has three heads, and looks like something out of your worst nightmares?

Answer: This week's creature animation!

This kicks off a new weekly creature animations on Atriarch Vault! Each week Serafina will send me a new animation of one of the creatures in Atriana which will in turn be posted for all to see.
You can find this week's creature animation here:

D2 Top ten - Falcon @ 3:31 am PST
In their never-ending goal at StrategyPlanet to prove that they are completely incapable of learning a lesson from past experience, "Gaming is Life" writer NikNak has taken the opportunity to write the Top Ten Reasons He Sucks at Diablo II.

"With the goal of casting a critical eye over my Diablo II habits, I objectively assessed my gaming and came up with ten major points where I seem to fail. Keep in mind that I tend to play Diablo II with an emphasis on the marketing description of the game. “It’s an action/roleplaying/STRATEGY hybrid.” "

David Grenewetzki (Sierra) I/view - Falcon @ 3:11 am PST
A PR from RPG Vault:
We confirmed recently that Sierra On-Line and The Saul Zaentz Company, which conducts business as Tolkien Enterprises, are involved in legal action over the license for the creation of computer games based on the literary works J.R.R. Tolkien. Sierra was gracious enough to allow us to interview its President, David Grenewetzki.

Dues Ex Player Models - Falcon @ 3:10 am PST
Peter Marquardt of Ionstorm Austin has sent PlanetUnreal the source files for J.C. Denton, a player model seen in Deus Ex. Denton is the main character in the Unreal-engine based Action/RPG game, and this release will allow players to use the model in UT, but also allow authors to create new skins for distribution. You can grab the files from their mirrors at FilePlanet.

Vampire Review - Falcon @ 3:06 am PST
Today's EuroGamer review takes a look at "Vampire : Redemption", the action role-playing game all about blood-sucking creatures of the night.

"The characters in the game are also superbly rendered, with fantastic, smooth models that really look like humans, albeit rather bulky ones. The weapons they use are fearsome-looking, and everything is bathed in pseudo-realism, right down to the way the weapons glint and shine as they are brandished openly in combat."

Saturday, August 26, 2000

Starcraft Map of the Week - Hobbes @ 3:36 pm PST
The newest Starcraft Map of the Week is called End of the Line. It is a 192x192 using the twilight tileset and is designed for two players (requires BROOD WAR to play!).

Blizzard also informed us of the following info:

End of the Line marks our 127th Map of the Week! Since the beginning of the Map of the Week program, we have hosted over 2 million downloads! We are glad that so many of you have enjoyed the the Map of the Week program and we also hope you'll enjoy our new Trigger Map of the Month program.

Beginning on September 29th, we will release a new Trigger based map on the last Friday of each month. These types of maps have been the most requested and best received maps with favorites like Bunker Command, Christmas Rush, Mercenaries, the Enslaver Series, and the 12 days of Christmas. Stop by our Map Archives for a complete listing of Starcraft Maps.

MOTW changes to TMOTM? This will be good for people like me who love UMS maps. Some say this is a sign of the slow death of Starcraft(?).

"A work is never completed except by some accident such as weariness, satisfaction, the need to deliver, or death: for, in relation to who or what is making it, it can only be one stage in a series of inner transformations."

-Paul Valéry, French poet

You can download the map here.

Friday, August 25, 2000

Tribes 2 Beta Sign-up - sim @ 7:49 pm PST
Sierra posted an announcement on the official Tribes 2 website that Dynamix is now accepting applications for the Tribes 2 beta test! Here's what else they have to say:

Input from a wide variety of expert and novice players is needed. The Tribes 2 beta test is open to applicants worldwide. Each participant will receive a pre-release version of the game to test. Each beta tester is expected to document bugs or inconsistencies as they occur, and to provide general feedback to the development team. All participants must sign a non-disclosure agreement.

To sign up, just fill out the application form, then hope and pray you get in.

2GHz Pentium 4 - Recoil @ 8:24 am PST
Read up on it at:
Tom's Hardware
MSNBC

Mouse that has Feelings - Recoil @ 8:22 am PST
At CNN this article talks about logitech's soon to release the IFeel Mouseman.

Voodoo5 5500 Dominates - VulTure @ 8:12 am PST
According to this press release from 3dfx, sales for the Voodoo5 5500 have topped the charts. The card has outsold the competition by more than a 2:1 margin, in the first month! The Voodoo3 sales have also been very strong, taking up 3 of the top 5 positions in sales volume!

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare - VulTure @ 8:02 am PST
The Daily Radar has put up a preview of the latest game in the Alone in the Dark Series. Apparently, the story continues from the original game, but some things are changing. The main character, has been made younger. "...every 40 years it is bestowed on a young orphan who is destined to live a life tiptoeing around creepy shacks with only a 9mm and an industrial-strength flashlight to protect him."

In this edition, you will be investigating the death of a friend and you will also be able to play as a second character!

CH Drivers - Falcon @ 8:00 am PST
Just posted at SimHQ.com:

We have recently received a report that suggests CH Products has shelved development of the USB combined drivers meant to support older games that may not offer native support for seperate control devices. However, we at SimHQ have been in direct contact with decison-makers at CH, whose exact response was, "There is no truth to the story at all."

In fact, in addition to Windows and MAC/OS support, they are working on Linux support as well, so it looks like everyone waiting for USB legacy support will be rewarded soon!

Unreal Tournament Problems - VulTure @ 7:54 am PST
Epic has updated their Unreal Tournament bug site, with some fixes for bugs that people have been experiencing. The one is particular is the game not being able to find the CD in certain drives, or the game hanging at the splash screen. There are also some issues that have been reported with the latest patch, version 428.

ST:DS9 The Fallen Interview - Falcon @ 7:53 am PST
Today on 3DActionPlanet: The guys from The Collective are busy trying to finish up UT-powered Deep Space Nine: The Fallen. But with the right amount of Mountain Dew, 3dAP bribed an interview out of them.

bleem! Interview - Falcon @ 7:51 am PST
PlanetPS2.com has conducted an interview with Sean Kauppinen of bleem! bleem! allows gamer's to play Playstation titles on a PC and has been a huge success. The company's upcoming product, bleemcast! allows gamer's to use their Dreamcast to play Playstation titles.

For more information on bleem! be sure to check out the interview on PlanetPS2.com

Q3A on PSX2 - Falcon @ 7:50 am PST
PlanetPS2.com was able to get into contact with Todd Hollenshead at id Software for additional details on the Playstation 2 port. For the details be sure to check out: www.planetps2.com

Neverwinter Nights Interview - Falcon @ 7:49 am PST
Neverwinter Nights is an ambitious modular single- and multiplayer title in development at BioWare, and the team has been working with the new 3rd Edition D&D rules for over a year. Now that the new rules have been released, NWVault had the opportunity to discuss them with Producer Trent Oster in a very informative Neverwinter Nights 3rd Edition Interview.

Team Factor Interview - Falcon @ 7:50 am PST
3dNews has just slapped up an interview with Marek Trefny of 7fx, a Czech developer working on a Multiplayer Team Combat game entitled Team Factor.

What engine are you using? Is it an in-house engine you created? What APIs will it support?

Yes, it's an in-house engine called LightForce. It will support Direct3D and OpenGL. At this time it's running on Windows and Linux. We are writing the code with the portability on our minds, so it'll be easily transferrable to other platforms including consoles.

Unreal Tournament on the Dreamcast? - VulTure @ 7:51 am PST
IGN Dreamcast has put up their first impressions of Unreal Tournament on the Dreamcast. Finally, one of the most played games on the Internet is being ported over. Of course, there will also be an on-line component to the game so that you can frag all of your friends.

"...Infogrames has commissioned several leading level designers in the Unreal community to put together the ultimate collection of Dreamcast-friendly arenas. Infogrames estimates that Dreamcast UT will offer somewhere between 30-50 maps all told, many of which will be better suited towards the lower player count found therein, as the DC version is currently shooting for a max headcount of 8 in most matches...Unreal Tournament...is sure to be one of the reasons to own a Dreamcast this holiday season."

AOE2: Conquerors on Shelves - Falcon @ 7:36 am PST
AGE OF EMPIRES II: THE CONQUERORS EXPANSION STORMS ONTO STORE SHELVES

Microsoft today announced that Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion, developed by Ensemble Studios, has started 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 the end of this month. Additionally, Ensemble Studios continues "The Conquerors Designer Journal" series in September, with the addition of articles designed to help players expand their gameplay experience.

In September, Ensemble Studios will take a look at how gamers can customize random maps for play against computer or human opponents. The Random Map Scripting article, penned by lead designer Greg Street, will teach players how to define their land size, add terrain, such as lakes and forests, and add in objects such as buildings or additional villagers, to create their own customized battle ground. To support Random Map scripting, Ensemble will also offer a series of new, downloadable Random Maps for use with the Conquerors Expansion. Beginning with the first article on Random Map Scripting on September 1, the design articles will be available for download at: http://www.ageofkings.net/openjournal2/.

The Conquerors Expansion features five new civilizations: the Huns, Aztecs, Mayans, Koreans, and Spanish, along with four new historically based campaigns and over ten new units. Each civilization has unique attributes, buildings, and technologies, as well as unique combat units based on its historical counterpart. "Smart villagers," who go to work immediately and efficiently after constructing a drop-off building, and farm queues, which allow the gamer to automatically replant exhausted farms, add realism and ease-of-play to the gaming experience. Continuing to build on the Age of Empires franchise, the Conquerors Expansion showcases the expertise of Bruce Shelley, and offers the most feature-rich expansion pack created to date.

Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion has an estimated street price of US$29.95. For more information on the game, visit the official Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/conquerors/, or the Ensemble Studios Web site at http://www.ensemblestudios.com/.

Duke Nukem: Endangered Species - Falcon @ 7:30 am PST
The first Duke Nukem game for the PC in over four years is set to be released in December, but it's not Duke Nukem Forever. Stomped chats exclusively with 3D Realms President Scott Miller and members of the Action Forms development team about Duke Nukem: Endangered Species, the 3D hunting game with the "Duke" attitude. In addition to never-before-revealed details about the title, Stomped has posted the first publicly released screenshot from the game. Check out the exclusive interview and screenshot at http://www.stomped.com/published/jcal967147689_1_1.html

CheatingPlanet Opens - Falcon @ 7:28 am PST
If you're looking for hacks, trainers, or other programs to cheat in multiplayer games like Quake 3 or Diablo 2, look elsewhere. But if you want a great place to find all those built-in cheat codes, secrets, extra characters, and other goodies, then CheatingPlanet is the place for you.

CheatingPlanet launches with over 10,000 cheats codes for 15 different platforms, from the Dreamcast to the Saturn and the Amiga to the PC.

Readers can submit their own cheats in order to
earn "points" (if the code is verified) put towards contests, giveaways, and more.

Hostile Waters Interview - Falcon @ 7:26 am PST
The latest BarrysWorld feature article is now live. In it MikeyBear talks to Julian Widdows From Birmingham based software house Rage (www.rage.co.uk) about their forthcoming Carrier Command `em up, Hostile Waters.

How many separate user controllable vehicles does the game now include and how many different weapons are available to those vehicles?

There are ten vehicles, six weapons, eight add-ons, the carrier, the carrier guns, and a secret vehicle you get seven levels into the game. All of them (bar the secret vehicle) can be controlled and ordered, and they are steadily introduced to you as you progress through the game.

The interview also covers details on the physics engine used in the game and contains over 20 screenshots exclusive to BarrysWorld.

Check out the full interview at http://www.barrysworld.com/news/interviews/hostilewaters/and the screenshot gallery at http://www.barrysworld.com/news/screenshots/hostilewaters/

Nintendo 64 section is Now Open - shiva @ 2:11 am PST
After 3 months of putting it off, I finally got the Nintendo 64 section done, and it is now up, but....

Well, I will be honest. I was only just starting to build the console section when we merged, so there's only a little bit there. On top of it, the only reason it's up now is because if I don't do it now, it may not be up for another 3 months, so here it is.

BTW, Mr. Anal, after loading the entire thing in, noticed a couple of things, but since I'm tied up on other things at the moment, I will just leave it. A lot of pictures and stuff, but we haven't had the submissions to fill the rest of the sections yet. That will take a little time, so if you have a N64, and like to help out, you can contact us at webmaster@gamesurge.com. Be very glad to hear from you. Next stop, the PlayStation...

Thursday, August 24, 2000

Nintendo's Gamecube Screens - HandOverFist @ 12:34 pm PST
Nintendo has out done them selfs this time. These screens are really cool and so life like. These images are not meant to imply that any games starring these characters are planned for a future release in either Japan or the U.S. Click here to check out the Screens!

Game Boy Advance - HandOverFist @ 12:17 pm PST
Are you looking for more infomation on the new Game Boy Advance by Nintendo? Well Nintendo has put up a page that has all the infomation that you need to know. And man the new Game Boy Advance is going to be great Game Boy because of the power the little thing has! The looks that it has to adds the coolness to it all. Click Here for more infomation!
The look says it all!

New Nintendo Console - HandOverFist @ 12:06 pm PST
Thats right Nintendo has again released a new console. The new console is called Gamecube. Gamecube is powered by IBM Power PC "Gekko" and 0.18 microns NEC Embedded DRAM Process. Making this console to be one of the coolest because how small it is. Nintendo's Gamecube will compete with Sega Dreamcast and Sony PlayStation 2. North America can expect to see Gamecube October 2001! Click here to check out more info!
Click here to see the cool picture

GBC: Perfect Dark - HandOverFist @ 10:53 am PST
The portable version of Perfect Dark takes place before Joanna's N64 adventure, during the final stages of her training at the Institute. Joanna tests herself in real combat for the first time in seven new missions designed exclusively for Game Boy Color. If the intensity level is anything like the N64 game, prepare for your Game Boy Color to be coated in sweat. In stores August 28, Perfect Dark is compatible only with Game Boy Color. Click here to find out more!

CS Rambot Interview - sim @ 9:32 am PST
Planet Counter-Strike has tossed up an interview with Paul George, creator of the Rambot Counter-Strike bot. Here's a quick tease:

PlanetCS: What do you plan in future Versions (AI, vehicles ...)?
Paul George: I will begin with the AI and the teamplay : it is the most important thing ! I will make them learn how to use grenades, how to rescue hostages, plant/defuse bomb... They will know how to use radio and they will understand them...

Read the rest of this bad boy here!

CS beta 7 FGD - sim @ 9:33 am PST
If you're planning on making any maps for Counter-Strike beta 7, be sure to pick up the beta 7 FGD that includes the func_vehicle and func_vehiclecontrols that are new to beta 7.

Alice Preview - sim @ 9:30 am PST
Gamer's Nexus has put together a preview of Alice (I think it may no longer be called "American McGee's Alice"). Here's a clip:

This demented and fouled Wonderland looks to be an engrossing and certainly invasive environment, with a choice of lighting effects and background textures that is at once both surreal and vaguely.. aggressive. The Quake III engine was chosen to bring McGee's vision to life and from the look of the screen shots published so far, it certainly seems to handle the task admirably. There is no doubt in my mind that when you boot ALICE up and turn down the lights - the game will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Even the still and lifeless screenshots I've seen so far are quite unsettling. I certainly can't imagine how erie the environments will feel when you're actually playing the game.

Read the rest here.

Gaming Survey is finished - VulTure @ 8:41 am PST
Ziff Davis has finished a survey of 2000 gamers, and the results are very interesting. Here are some of the facts that were found out...

- 22 percent plan to buy a next-generation console such as the Xbox, Dolphin or PlayStation 2

- PC gamers have a median age of 29, while console gamers have a median age of 17

- 88 percent of gamers are male, 77 percent are single

Battle.net Scams - VulTure @ 8:21 am PST
Have you played Diablo II on Battle.net recently? If so, check out this page. There are quite a few scams going on in the game that you may want to watch out for!

Star Trek: New Worlds Goes Gold!! - VulTure @ 8:15 am PST
The new Star Trek game has gone gold! Here is the press release...

14 Degree's East and Interplay is proud to announce that Star Trek: New Worlds has gone gold and is, even as you read this, now with the nice people at the duplication plants.

The New Worlds Team would like to thank all the loyal fans who have followed this project for the last couple of years, and hope that you can forgive us for being absent from these boards for the last couple of weeks. Having lived, breathed and dreamt New Worlds during this last final push, we had to forsake many things, answering board questions, the outside world, sleep...

So, all that is left to do now is sit back and wait feverishly for the 29th, when New Worlds will appear all shiny and new on store shelves near you!

Thank you,
Team New Worlds

Server Move - Falcon @ 8:15 am PST
You may have noticed the slowdown in Content updates lately, this was due to an internal server move, while we were sorting out technicalities within the site which occured in the transition process.
You may have also noticed the fact that we hadn't had news for 2 days. This was due problems with DNS switching and some CGI errors occuring with the move, they have all being resolved and we expect things to start going back to normal from now.

Quake 3 on Dreamcast - VulTure @ 8:08 am PST
Dreamcasters rejoice! Quake 3 is on the way! The game is set for launch in October, so start saving your pennies!

Longtime fans of Quake may be a bit skeptical about the Dreamcast version of Quake III Arena, but the game is already impressive in its unfinished state. If Sega can get the frame rate up and sneak in support for the LAN adaptor, the game will end up being a truly amazing first for the console industry.

Sega is also working on a patch, so that PC users can log into SegaNet, and play against Dreamcast users.

Tomb Raider: Chronicles - VulTure @ 7:54 am PST
Eidos has opened up a website for their upcoming game, Tomb Raider: Chronicles. There is not much up there right now, but they do have some screenshots that you can download.

Dragonriders Designer Diary - VulTure @ 7:54 am PST
Ubi Soft has purchased the rights to turn the Dragonriders of Pern series into a game. Well, that was three years ago, and now the game looks like it is in full development. The game used to have a look similiar to Diablo, but now, they have converted the engine into full 3D! For more info, check out the Dragonriders Designer Diary!

Heavy Metal - FAKK2 v1.02 - VulTure @ 7:42 am PST
Ritual has taken the FAKK2 patch out of beta and has made it official. Grab it now!

MechWarrior 4 Preview - VulTure @ 7:42 am PST
The Daily Radar has put up a preview of the next game in the Mechwarrior series. Here is a quick plot summary - "...the character is the last surviving member of his house, which was wiped out by a sneak attack from the bastards from House Steiner. Players must fight to regain the honor of their father's good name..." There are some great new screenshots up there also.

Game Cube is coming - VulTure @ 7:37 am PST
The new 128-bit console system from Nintendo has been christened, the Game Cube. They demonstrated the unit to an amazed audience in Japan, but, unfortunately, the United States will have to wait until October of next year before they can get their hands on one.

The future of first-person shooters - VulTure @ 7:26 am PST
In case you missed this one, you may want to go back and take a look. TechExtreme has put up an article/interview with some of the top designers in the industry to talk about the future of FPS games. The interviewees are Gabe Newell of Valve, John Romero of Ion Storm, Brian Raffel of Raven Software and Richard 'Levelord' Gray of Ritual. Here's a quick quote from John Romero...

I think the genre is doing quite well... we have multiple types of FPS titles now (Single-Player and Multiplayer-only), many differences in gameplay (slow movement speed vs fast DOOM-style speed)... in-engine cinematics and rendered cines... etc.

Arcade Strategy Section Expansion - shiva @ 5:52 am PST
Just trying out our new server, and I decided to start with the updates that I have prepared earlier. The first one is our Arcade Strategy Section, which has now been tripled in size. So, here's whats new:

Arcade Cheats
Of all the various arcade information out there, the toughest one to find are arcade cheats. It's very surprising, but there are very few cheats for arcade machines, and not a lot of them as well. We at GameSurge have collected one of the largest selections of arcade cheats you will find, and present them to you in our latest section.

Arcade Pinouts
Pinouts are the settings for soldiering the wires to the arcade board. Though most, if not all the cabinets are JAMMA based, you may still be required to reconnect some wires to the JAMMA harness, especially if you are using a different controller hookup. This section is valuable to all people with arcade machines, and contains over 300 pin-outs for the various arcade boards.

Arcade Switch Settings
Switch settings are the switch's that a operator can set for the individual arcade game. These can range anywhere from the book keeping functions, to setting the difficulty, to setting the amount of plays per coin, or even free play! This resource details all the adjustments you can make internally to your arcade game.

Arcade Walkthroughs
Need some help? The problem with arcade machines is they cost money for each game, and if you get stuck, it could drain your wallet fast. GameSurge has just the help you need in our new arcade walkthrough section. There's quite a few here, and it's growing.

There is more additions coming very shortly, including a new console section, so stay tuned...

Are we back yet? - shiva @ 4:38 am PST
Well, our DNS has repointed, and our host has changed servers, but alas, it is not for the better, as when they moved the site over to the new server, a few bits didn't make it. That also includes our CGI. If you see this, then it's fixed, if not, err... never mind then...

Tuesday, August 22, 2000

Myst III Update - the_culture @ 9:41 am PST
Myst3.com updated their page with several news items. First off they have an Inside Look at the technology behind Myst III: Exile. Second, they have an online survey for you fan to fill out. As a bonus, they will randomly draw entries to win shirts and mousepads. And third, they have a contest to win a Myst III: Exile denim T-shirt. All they ask in return is for you to fill out a form and explain in 100 words or less how Myst and/or Riven changed your life.

Starship Troopers Preview - VulTure @ 5:54 am PST
The 'Vault has put up a preview of Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy. This game is based on the movie AND the novel. The designers wanted to take the best of both to put into the game. This is going to be a real-time strategy game that will put you in a very wide variety of environments.

Voodoo Everywhere! - VulTure @ 5:49 am PST
3dfx Gamers has put up part II of their article, Voodoo Everywhere. This one talks about how the Voodoo chip is helping the government train it's troops!

Voodoo technology also plays a central role in generating high-end graphics and enabling broad-based deployment of visual simulation applications for land, sea, and air. Whether you're training a pilot of a jet, a captain of a ship or a driver of a tank, it is necessary to run him/her through extensive training. What better way to train a person than put him/her in a simulator?

Logitech releases a "feel" mouse - VulTure @ 5:43 am PST
Logitech has released a new mouse that let's you "feel" Windows! Here a bit from the press release...

"Logitech...has launched a new product category - optical wheel mice with the ability to 'feel' events within all Windows applications and on the Web. Now anyone who uses a mouse can experience tactile sensations via the mouse as the cursor travels over icons and menus, command bars, folders, tool bars, web buttons and hyperlinks. What's more, because the iFeel mice are optical, they offer a high degree of precision while requiring no cleaning."

FAKK2 Alpha Patch - VulTure @ 5:36 am PST
Ritual has released an alpha patch that will fix the crash on exit and crash on loading saved game bugs. You must have the previous patch installed first, and since this is an ALPHA patch, it is not supported.

Stupid Invaders - VulTure @ 5:33 am PST
Ubi-Soft is currently working on a new cartoon adventure game called Stupid Invaders. There isn't much info yet on the game, but there are some great screenshots for you to check out!

Baldur's Gate II Preview - VulTure @ 5:29 am PST
Baldur's Gate II...Need I say more? This is the role-playing game on everyone's mind, so why don't you go in for a peek...

"I’m going to assure you that Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn will be one of most important RPG’s ever released. It is a beautiful epic, bringing to the field a new level of polish, detail, and design. And, it’s going to change everything."

Dues Ex Review - Falcon @ 4:42 am PST
Actiontrip have reviewed the FPS shooter Dues Ex, giving it an overall 92%. Read the whole review here:

Blair Witch Demo - Falcon @ 2:46 am PST
Thanks to John Callaham at Stomped.com for this news tip:
. Unknown to almost everyone, a demo of the first game in Gathering of Developers's upcoming Blair Witch titles has been available for over a month at this link at File Planet.
The 67.1 meg demo is described in the .readme file as a "playable trailer", since it is supposed to show off only about 10 minutes of actual gameplay.
The demo is of the first game in the three game series, Rustin Parr, which is being developed by Terminal Reality.

SoF- Adult rating? - Falcon @ 2:44 am PST
This week's editorial on EuroGamer takes a look at the current situation of Raven's gory first person shooter "Soldier of Fortune" in British Columbia. After being classified as an adult movie last month, Activision have decided to contest the rating. Theytake a lok at why there's more to this than meets the eye...

Activision told us that "we are opposed to censorship, as we believe that every adult has the right to make their own decisions about the entertainment products they want for themselves and
their families".

I agree completely, but restricting the sale of Soldier of Fortune to adults is not censorship, it is simply ensuring that children are not able to buy a game which, by the developers' own admission, was not designed with children in mind. If anything it is putting the decision back into the hands of adults, which Activision claims to support.

DNF Preview - Falcon @ 2:41 am PST
Gamer's Nexus takes an in depth http://www.gamersnexus.com/previews/dnf/default.asp look at 3D Realm's latest addition to the ever popular Duke saga, Duke Nukem Forever. And they are happy to offer the first edition of their newest column, Tales from the Message Board. TFMB, is a satirical look at the Game Industry and some of the problems that creep up from time to time, formatted in the Message Board style that we all familiar with.

"A few recently released games boast playing in real world locations like New Yo