"The general worldview was great, the characters themselves were large (not very detailed though) and everything seemed easy enough. The first thing I noticed though (besides all the corpses strewn around next to me in the beginning) was that the interface bar all nice and dandy, you can access whatever you want in a fraction of the time (or you could use hotkeys… duh). The only thing I had beef with was the fact that I can only have 2 skills in my hotbar at any one point, this really cramps up my playing style.

"D-Link, Sierra™, and VitalStream today jointly announced that they will be running a series of free online Tribes™ 2 game tournaments beginning July 28th, with up to $30,000 in prizes.

The Summer Games 2001 Tournament will consist of a series of weekend online competitions open to the public. The winners of each of these weekend competitions will win prizes and earn a spot in the "Tournament of Champions" at the end of the summer. An additional free-for-all event, the "End of Summer Deathmatch," will give everyone an extra chance to compete.

For additional details, a complete list of rules, and an online application form, visit D-Link Gamer's Haven."

Sadly another great Role Playing Game title, Fallen Age, appears to be about to follow suit. What follows is an official press release off their site:

"For Immediate Release

FALLEN AGE IS PUT ON INDEFINATE HOLD

Diamond Bar, California, July 27, 2001-Fallen Age, the innovative massively multiplayer online game from Netamin has been placed on hold indefinitely, the company announced today.

"We have run into creative differences with our partners in Korea, and have decided this week that we had no choice but to put the game on hold," said Daniel "Savant" Manachi, Producer of Fallen Age.

"We sincerely apologize to our testers for the time and effort they've put into helping test the game and hope we will be able to re-launch the title soon," said Manachi. "Because of their dedication, we are working with the folks at Mythic Entertainment to enable Fallen Age testers to move to the Dark Age of Camelot Beta."

"We'll have details in the coming week(s) for the testers regarding this move, and we greatly appreciate Mythic for working with us. While we are all competitors, it's nice to know that the players can come first," said Manachi.

For more information about Netamin, contact Kathleen O'Guin, Director of Business Development, at (909) 598-7177, extension 103, or email at kathleen@netamin.net.

Comprehensive site covers the Team Fortress series of games and add-ons

Irvine, Calif. - (July 27, 2001) -- GameSpy Industries, the leading online entertainment pioneer, is proud to announce the re-launch of PlanetFortress.com, the Internet's most comprehensive resource for fans of the Team Fortress series of action games and add-ons.

PlanetFortress features complete information about Team Fortress, Team Fortress Classic, and the highly anticipated Team Fortress 2, as well as other Fortress-related add-ons and downloads. The Team Fortress series, which first exploded onto the online gaming community in 1996, is among the most popular online games of all time. PlanetFortress provides up-to-the-minute news and information for fans, as well as screenshots, strategy guides, downloadable files and more.

"Team Fortress has always been one of the few super-engrossing online games, the kind that naturally creates a huge community of energized fans.
PlanetFortress is the touchstone for that community," said Mark Surfas, CEO/Founder of GameSpy industries. "The re-launch of the site shows our
commitment to continuing to serve that great group of people."

Sierra today announced that over 200,000 people have registered to play TRIBES(tm) 2 online. Accomplished in only four months after the game's release, this milestone comes shortly after the most recent update, raking in registrations at an unbelievably rapid rate.

"There are now over 200,000 TRIBES 2 competitors and spectators out there," said Alex Rodberg, brand manager for TRIBES 2. "The community has really embraced the game, and we saw a dramatic increase in the rate of registrations after the last TRIBES update. We're fast on track to reaching our goal of a million TRIBES 2 players."

The most innovative first person action franchise takes team-based warfare to new heights with TRIBES 2, where only superior teamwork and cunning tactics will ensure a Tribe's survival. With unprecedented innovations to team-based play and in-game communications, massive multiplayer support and new vehicles and weapons, TRIBES 2 is the ultimate team-based action experience.

Sierra On-Line, Inc. , a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal Publishing and part of the Vivendi Universal Games division, is one of the original developers and largest worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment and productivity software. Sierra is renowned for releasing critically acclaimed and award winning titles that represent a wide variety of computer entertainment on both next generation console and PC platforms.

"Analysts suggested that slow sales of the PlayStation 2 were contributing to the poor figures, with the company's gaming division losing around £18m, an improvement on the previous year but still not reaching break-even. Meanwhile there are questions over whether Sony can reach its target of selling 20 million PlayStation 2 consoles by the end of March 2002, although the growing number of quality games for the machine after a poor start last year should help, with titles like Metal Gear Solid 2 and Gran Turismo 3 likely to drive sales and help Sony withstand the onslaught from Microsoft and Nintendo later in the year."

Finnish developer Bugbear Entertainment are trying to break the mould with Rally Trophy, which follows in the tyre tracks of Grand Prix Legends by ditching the familiar Ford Focus and Peugot 206 of modern racing in favour of a dozen classic cars of the Sixties and Seventies, including the Hillman Imp, Porsche 911 and Mini Cooper.

Microsoft announced that the Links Championship Edition, the most complete golf experience in one box, will be available at retail locations throughout North America in October 2001 for an estimated street price of $49.95, with a $20 USD mail-in rebate for owners of Links 2001. Links Championship Edition is the entire Links 2001 collection in one package and includes a full version of Links 2001, the powerful 3D Arnold Palmer Course Designer, 13 championship courses, 14 professional and amateur players, and new course design tools for the Links 2001 franchise.

Links Championship Edition adds four all-new golf courses to Links 2001. Pennsylvania's Oakmont Country Club, Australia's Royal Melbourne, The Frankfurter Golf Club of Germany, and The Judge Course at Capitol Hill from the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama are all included, along with five original Links 2001 and four Links Expansion Pack professionally-designed golf venues.

The most significant upgrade to the Links series in over a decade, Links 2001 features a rendering engine that delivers unprecedented ball physics and graphics; as well as the Arnold Palmer Course Designer, which allows PC golfers to re-create their home courses with the same tools used by the Links 2001 team. A new dynamic camera feature allows players to view each shot from different perspectives. Links 2001 offers gamers new tour players including Sergio Garcia, Annika Sorenstam, Mike Weir, and more, as well as new golfer animations and personalities, customizable club distances that allow for an even more accurate re-creation of a player's actual game, and faster and easier online play. Additionally, the long-awaited Arnold Palmer Course Designer (APCD) makes its debut in Links 2001. The APCD provides users with the power and versatility to accurately recreate courses in a powerful, real-time 3D system. Players can tweak every inch of fairway with the APCD, and create tunnels and arches with full control over each point on the course. Over 300 fan courses created with the APCD are available free of charge online. (Visit www.linkscountryclub.com for a list of sites under the "Downloads" section.)

For more on Links 2001, go to:

http://www.microsoft.com/games/links2001/

Jonric: What are the Kit's main features? What's included in the way of tiles monsters, weapons and other items, and other components?

David Ullmann: The Kit's main features include the server and mapmaker. The Server allows the player to set hundreds of different options to make his world just the way he wants it, including spells, chests, items, monsters, quests, NPC texts and much more. The mapmaker includes well over 4000 unique tiles, over 20 monster graphics, hundreds of item graphics, four different races (both male and female), tons of ambient sounds and a lot of other cool stuff the player can customize.

In keeping with the name, Codemasters are promising a more plot-driven game this time round, with more focus on the drivers themselves than usual. Exactly how this will work in practice isn't entirely clear, but it's being hyped as "a true convergence of racing gaming and cinematic experience".

Executives of Strategy First Inc. and Paradox Entertainment shook hands today after signing yet another North American publishing agreement for the highly anticipated sequel to the award-winning, Europa Universalis.

“Europa Universalis has received an overwhelming positive response from North American gamers,” said Steve Wall, V.P., Business Development . “The standard was set very high for the sequel and Paradox has come through again with Europa Universalis 2. Players are in for a real treat.”

"Our team has been able to add the ideas that gamers from around the world have requested through our very active website. It is our goal to build a range of games for this audience, and we are delighted to have Strategy First onboard with their clear understanding of this market segment, " says Theodore Bergquist, CEO of Paradox Entertainment.

Europa Universalis II broadens the game's scope further, allowing players to not only choose between the 8 European superpowers, but any nation that ever existed in the world! That is over 100 playable nations, including African tribes, the Japanese Shogunate, and the Chinese Empire. The sequel will also feature 100 years of additional history - including the hundred years war and the whole Napoleonic era. The game will span more than four hundred years (1419-1820) providing players hours of additional game play.

Several key features will be open to change, according to the player's own tastes, such as historical event flow and scenario constructions etc. A matchmaking function to simplify online gaming and server hosting will be implemented, as well as a completely new tutorial system that will lower the learning curve.

Some other features that distinguish it from the original are the following; ▪ Greater control over countries and their development ▪ more bargaining power during times of war and peace ▪ more religions available ▪ new technology ▪ new units ▪ new elements, such as Privateers, Mercenaries, Missionaries and a ▪ Scenario editor.

Having trouble with the lessons and the forums just aren't cutting it? Well, NWVault will be holding weekly moderated IRC workshops, going through each lesson, step by step to help you get through it.

Their first workshop is this Saturday at 9pm EST and will be on the newly revised Lesson 1. Here are all the nitty-gritty details.

WHERE: NWVault Chat
(IRC clients connect to: host17.webmaster.com in channel #neverwinter)

WHEN: Saturday, July 28th, 2001
6:00 pm Pacific Time
7:00 pm Mountain Time
9:00 pm Eastern Time

Ritual: How has the transition into professional level design affected your outlook on creativity and artistic freedom? Have you found the addition of tight scheduling and pre-realized concepts to be constricting, or simply a good starting point? Any unexpected problems?
Kiltron: I've always wanted to develop for a professional company, and since being here, they've pretty much given me a lot of creative freedom. Learning new tools and applying new techniques can sometimes be challenging, but overall, nothing is too complex to handle. You just have to be patient, take the time to learn and do it. The scheduling of milestones, and using concept art for level design is a part of the development process, and I'm sort of used to that style of work, as that's how I tried to prep myself with community work before coming to Ritual.

By typing responses which include the bracketed text (this highlighted text may also be clicked on to proceed), I prompt Labhras to continue. This can be a simple restatement of the text, or a more complete reply, depending on your roleplaying tendencies or current mood. Labhras went on to tell me of an ancient grove which is being guarded by an unknown creature, but that it is unsafe to visit the grove at night. They believe that the grove holds some untold story and he asked me whether I would seek the story out. As he asks this, a box pops up asking whether I will "find why the grove is guarded and remove the guardian".

Follow Jonathan as he pursues Dracula through London to Carfax, Borgo Pass, the Catacombs, and finally to Dracula's secret Sanctuary. Numerous puzzles, challenges, plenty of bad guys, and confrontations with the boss himself (Dracula), await you in this 360-degree graphically splendid, continuing story of Dracula.

Technology: Neocron uses an advanced 3D engine developed in-house. It features the ability to combine BSP tree design and large terrain allowing for large amounts of space with detailed structures in the same place. The engine is specifically designed for a persistent online world with many zones. A server can be run on more than one machine to allow for load balancing as traffic increases.

The Overclocking Store (www.theoverclockingstore.co.uk), one of the fastest growing on line retailers of specialised computer hardware will be holding the first European Consummate Computer Competition (C3) on 3rd-5th August as part of their sponsorship of the ELSA CPL European Championships (www.elsa-cpleurope.com).

Today's trend for faster and more fashionable computers has led users to engage in custom modifications to their own systems. As a result of this tiresome quest for cooler, faster and smarter systems - and to encourage more users to experiment with such radical ideas - the C3 competition will be run to reward the most inventive and original of today's system 'designers'.

Taking place over the full 3 days of the event, the C3 competition will comprise two categories; one which judges systems on their overall artistic design, and one category that focuses on the 'greed for speed' through thermal acceleration.

The CPL Europe is thrilled to have The Overclocking Store on board for the upcoming cybersport spectacle in London, the ELSA CPL European Championships. "Having such wicked constructions on display at the event will entertain even the greatest of sceptics and only adds to the already exciting program we have prepared for all spectators, BYOC players, and tournament participants" said Ralf Reichert, Managing Director of CPL Europe.

From Dusk 'Til Dawn is a sequel to the movie rather than a straight remake, and instead of setting the game in the confines of the Titty Twister, lead designer Hubert Chardot has put George Clooney's character Seth Gecko on death row in a prison barge called the Rising Sun. As if having only 72 hours left to live wasn't bad enough for Seth, he now has to face a ship full of blood-sucking creatures of the night after a group of vampires tried to spring one of his fellow inmates from the barge.

Dive! Advanced is the enhanced version of the popular arcade game Dive!. In this exciting and challenging game you will be placed at the helm of a deep-sea submersible in the middle of troubled waters. You are responsible for retrieving a number of precious artifacts off the ocean floor in waters ruthlessly patrolled by enemy nuclear submarines and riddled with depth charges, mines, and torpedoes. It will take razor-sharp skill and split-second thinking to dodge and weave through these dangers and complete your mission.

Dive! Advanced features excellent graphics and sound with an original gameplay style that combines quick thinking and tense arcade action! In Dive! Advanced it is Sink or Swim. What will it be?

“As you may know we split the market in three segments: low price, medium price and high end. We have many coolers ready for testing today in all the three segments. From the beginning I was tempted to test the coolers in every market segment and to publish the results separately. The other option would have been to publish the results for every manufacturer that entered the roundup. In the end I decided to go for both. First I tested the coolers in every market category and in the end I make a comparison based on price and performance.”

Jonric: As gamers, what are some of the major interests among the members of the team, and in particular, are there any you'd consider noteworthy in terms of having influenced the design of your game?

Francis Lahaie: More than half of Vircom's staff is made up of hardcore gamers. The others are PC, console and even board-game players. Basically, everyone at Vircom has an interest in games in general. Amongst our most enthusiastic players, many are FPS and RPG addicts, others are anime/Manga fans, as well as fantasy and sci-fi novel readers. In fact, the core design and animation team actually met on a BBS, in a text-based multiplayer game called Tele-Arena.

In Zoo Tycoon, you'll be challenged to build the most healthy and vibrant zoo possible. You can begin planning your strategy and building your ultimate zoo the moment you start the game.

It's looking like a deathly quiet year, with all of the console manufacturers and most of the big publishers staying away, leaving the floor open to smaller publishers, developers and hardware companies like NVIDIA and Guillemot. Whether the show can carry on haemorrhaging exhibitors like this for much longer remains to be seen, but it's not looking promising for ECTS. Every year they announce that more people are visiting the show and more exhibitors are taking part, but if none of the big players bother to turn up it's going to become something of a sideshow.

Trains are perhaps not the most obvious vehicle to simulate, locked as they are to two strips of metal which prevent them from doing anything other than going forwards or backwards. But that hasn't stopped Microsoft and British developer Kuju from attempting the impossible.

"That's all there is to it. It took me a total of about 40 minutes from start to finish to install the window kit. Not bad for the first step down the road of case modding. Of course it would look much better if I had some neon lights installed, or some yellow ATA/100 rounded cables, but that just gives me all the more reason to get some. Like I said at the beginning, I decided to mod the hell out of my case, and this is just the first step. By the time I'm done with this thing, it's going to be water cooled and lit up like a night at Vegas; mag wheels, painted - the works...."

Microsoft announced today that the Links European Open, the second event in the Links 2001 Virtual Golf Association (VGA) Tour, begins today. Participants are urged to visit www.linkstour.zone.com to register and begin play today through the last day of the event, next Sunday, July 29. This week's tour stop takes place on the venerable Old Course at St Andrews Links, considered the "birthplace of golf."

Last year's runner-up, Mike Scheutz (SCHEUTZ) is tied for the lead with MikeM, who both shot a -65. Defending champion Paul Willey (Paul_Willey) is a close second and tied with HanSomVinner, both only 2 strokes back after shooting a -63. The current rankings, following the Links American Open held in June, can be found at http://linkstour.zone.com/moneyboarddetail.asp.

This year, VGA Tour participants are comprised of cyber-golfers from up to 12 different countries, all of whom are competing for a share of over $75,000 in prize money. All PC golfers who use Links 2001, Microsoft's award winning golf simulation for the PC, are eligible to join. With just a few clicks of the mouse, golfers who visit www.linkstour.zone.com can be part of the most realistic golf tour on the Internet. Registration will continue throughout the VGA Tour.

Over 12,000 golfers participated in Microsoft's inaugural Virtual Golf Association Tour last year. The champion, Paul Willey, took home the VGA Tour crown in Hawaii along with over $100,000 in tournament winnings. Joe Montana and Russ Francis were on hand to present the grand prize.

Gothenburg, Sweden - July 23, 2001 - MindArk AB announced today that construction and staffing of the Project Entropia Operations Center are well under way. Located in the company’s offices, the facility, which will have primary responsibility for participant support and service, is slated to be operational by
the beginning of the Phase II beta test. As previously announced, selection of approximately 500 additional testers will begin on July 23.

“It is vitally important that the citizens of Project Entropia derive maximum enjoyment from the time they spend in our virtual world, and we have planned accordingly,” stated MindArk Chief Operating Officer Jan Welter. “We recognize that the Operations Center is critical to the success of the entire project, so even though we are announcing it today, we have already put a tremendous amount of planning and of effort into it.”

"After reading about the huge amount of units present in the game I wondered how many nations were actually featured in Cossacks. The answer? Sixteen entire nations, all with their own technology trees, all with their own units and buildings, and every one of them playable. Age of Empires, eat your heart out (with a spoon!)"

People who play games regularly seem to develop a mental state that we have seen before only in serious athletes or professionals such as astronauts, whose life depends on concentration and co-ordination", project leader Jo Bryce added. "Their minds and bodies work together much better than those of most other people.

SHADOW OF THE LOST CITADEL GETS A HI-RES BOOST

Salsa Shark Productions Releases Hi-Res Windows Version Of Their Original Dos Title SHADOW OF THE LOST CITADEL!

HOUSTON, TEXAS -- July 22, 2001 -- Salsa Shark Productions today announced the release of Shadow of the Lost Citadel v2.1 for Windows, adding windowed and full screen play, and all new 640x480 graphics!

Stacy Davidson, designer of SHADOW OF THE LOST CITADEL said, "With a crisp new hi-res look and standard windows compatibility, it is my hope that this new version of Shadow, our Dark Tower re-make, can reach beyond retro enthusiasts and catch the eye of the more casual gamers out there. There's a lot of fun to be had in this previously un-released classic from 1984."

In SHADOW OF THE LOST CITADEL, you traverse a series of dark forests searching for special items, treasure, magic shops and extra party members while contending with dangers such as disorienting fog, deadly plague, and horned dungeon beasts. Your goal: find several keys hidden throughout the land, locate the Lost Citadel, solve it's riddle and lift the dreadful curse over the realm of Broodweed!

SHADOW OF THE LOST CITADEL is a fun and addictive arcade/adventure game for the entire family with a dark sword & sorcery theme. The game can be ordered on CD from www.salsagames.com for $14.95, or $12.95 for online delivery (no CD). Includes both Dos and Windows versions.

FiringSquad Review - a lenghty eight page review, a good reading with final score of 86%.

-----RESPONSE-----------VOTES------PERCENT
Pentium 3 <700Mhz.............161...........16.53 %
Pentium 3 700Mhz-1Ghz.......213...........21.87 %
Pentium 4 1.3Ghz+...............42.............4.31 %
Celeron..............................57.............5.85 %
AMD Athlon Classic...............81.............8.32 %
AMD Athlon T-Bird <1ghz.......72.............7.39 %
AMD Athlon T-Bird 1ghz+......194...........19.92 %
AMD Duron..........................61.............6.26 %
Other.................................93.............9.55 %
------------TOTAL----------974------100.00 %

"Pentium 3 700Mhz-1Ghz" option won, followed closely by "AMD Athlon T-Bird 1ghz+". "Pentium 3 <700Mhz" got third place and "Pentium 4 1.3Ghz+" was last. Some thoughts about these results:

From out the 974 people that participated in the poll, the majory has a powerful CPU. And note the close distance between Pentium and AMD. The fact few people have Pentium 4 can lead us thinking that this CPU isn't much affordable or that it doesn't provide much improvement from the higher Pentium 3.

People seem to have good and fast CPU's but Pentium 4 isn't well established yet, showing that perhaps isn't taking advantage of it's full potential.. or that it's just too expensive.

One thing which is definite though is that "there will be no add-ons for the game", with Pyro instead choosing to concentrate on making brand new games, probably including another Commandos sequel. "We are thinking about making a Commandos 3, as we have many ideas on
how to expand and improve the Commandos environment and gameplay. Commandos 2 opens so many possibilities for the future that we feel tempted to explore them."

The deactivated weapon is perfectly legal to own, and the event organisers said in a statement that it was "acquired from a company specifically licensed by the Government to decommission weapons and as such is totally inoperable".
However, given the current debate over replica weapons the police are worried about the prospects of someone wandering around the streets with an AK47, inoperable or not.

The invasion begins this afternoon at 2:00 p.m. PST, 5:00 p.m. EST, 9:00 p.m. GMT in the Operation Flashpoint lobby of the Arcade software. Don't miss it!

Links:

A Battalion of 700 British get ready for war in Europe.

July 19, 2001: The Sudden Strike UK Championships, organised by top European games publisher CDV, has smashed through all previous records to become officially, the biggest RTS tournament ever held. With 700 contestants already registered via the dedicated web site at www.suddenstrike.co.uk, CDV believes that there will be 800 players by August 1st, when the tournament officially begins.

Last-minute entrants, or anyone still wishing to polish up their skills at the RTS blockbuster Sudden Strike now have just two weeks to sign up for the Championships and join one of the online battalions from where the 24 UK finalists will emerge.

The online tournament will take place during August and September, with every single entrant who plays at least one game eligible for a campaign medal to mark their participation in this historic event.

Unveiled today is the unique Sudden Strike map which has been created especially for the Championships' qualifying tournament by renowned map designer Taliesin. Taliesin has created custom maps for each stage of the Championships - anyone interested in seeing, or practising, the qualifying tournament map can download it from www.suddenstrike.co.ukand it will also be hosted on many other sites on the web. The 24 best players from this campaign will meet in the flesh at UK finals day on October 7 at The Playing Fields, London's premier multiplayer gaming venue. As well as the chance to represent the UK in the European Final, finalists will also be competing for prizes including top quality PC hardware. There are PCs, NVIDIA Geforce 3-based 3D Prophet III graphics cards from Hercules, and Touch Force Optical mice from Saitek, featuring the latest optical technology with fast, accurate response rates on offer.

"Over 700 entrants is an unprecedented response for any single game tournament," says Leo Zullo, marketing manager of CDV UK. "We can't wait for the tournament to start - we have some incredibly good players already registered and I'm sure some exciting new stars will emerge during the competition."

"These are truly exciting times for multi-player gaming," said Daniel Allen, Product Manager at Saitek. "The combination of cutting edge peripherals and the best players in the UK together will produce an experience that is both inspiring for competitors and excellent fun."

Edward Watson, director of The Playing Fields, adds: “In the four years that The Playing Fields has been organising events, I have never seen anything quite like this. The interest, support and response from entrants has been overwhelming.”

Players finishing in the top three at the UK finals will progress to the grand European showdown in Paris on October 19. All three will win an all-expenses paid weekend in Paris which will include the unique three-way tournament to find the Sudden Strike European Champion, playing against the Sudden Strike champions of France and Germany.

Kohan has been praised for reviving the RTS genre by combining fantasy warfare, turn-based thoughtfulness and a twist of RPG in one award-winning game experience. Now, the development team is further enhancing that experience by providing its players with additional features.

Among the features that will be included in the patch are the following:
· GameSpy Chat functionality
· Ability to ban players from a multiplayer game
· Several climate options added to the random map generator
· Retreat/Rout buttons added to the regiment interface
· New art for the Dreadlord and Paladin
· Automatic detection of new versions and downloading of patches
· Support for official expansions and mods
· AI Player Improved

": 6- A general question: Gaming industry seems to be rapidly developing in Russia. What is your opinion for this fast development wave?

Russia is traditionally strong in programming and all kinds of storytelling, so it's quite logical to see small teams gather experience and attempt more and more daring games projects. The revenue from the local market is still not enough to fund the development of a decent title, though, so the overall model is still underperforming -- at the moment a team must seek local publisher that would be willing to invest in hope to recoup from the international sales. Once the local market
grows to be big enough to allow the smaller teams return all of the funding from sales in Russia alone, though, we will see a many more projects -- and that would be a real wave :-).

As well as a few of my own.

:: Why do you think most of the RPG development going on right now is in Europe?

It could be well argued that no matter how many good RPGs we make in Europe, Japan will be still ahead :). Seriously though, in the US there's Arcanum, there's Pool of Radiance, there's BioWare and their mighty projects, there are Interplay's Feargus and Guido, so I would't say there's not enough going on in the Americas. What really makes the difference is the breakdown of sales. Good RPGs enjoyed a tremendous success in Nordics and in Europe overall (especially in the Eastern
Europe -- I think for Planescape Torment Poland's CD Projekt published the best edition all over the world!), yet the US market was less excited as it's more about action and value-based products. The best illustration would be the difference between American and French movies -- it's all rooted in the cultural tradition."

"Jonric: Similarly, please explain how Personality and Luck are being implemented and what they impact in terms of skills, derived stats et al.

Todd Howard: Personality determines how much people like you, and is playing a larger role in Morrowind than in the past two games. It also governs the skills of Speechcraft and Mercantile. Luck is sort of the oddball attribute; it affects everything you do in a small amount. It governs no skills at all, but has a subtle effect on all of them.

Jonric: For those who are familiar with the past Elder Scrolls RPGs, what changes have been made to the skill system? How many total skills will be available in Morrowind, and what scale are they measured on. Will there be pre-set characters or classes with pre-selected combinations of skills?

Todd Howard: The skill system was introduced in Daggerfall (Arena worked off experience points). The basic system from Daggerfall remains, but is much better balanced. There are 27 skills in all, broken into three categories: magic, combat, and stealth. So, there are nine skills in each category. Skills range from 0 to 100. All 21 classes that come with the game have preset skills, but you can also make your own class. A class for us is really just picking which skills are important to you."

Aswell, the recently opened website contains screenshots and afew other teasers, sure to build up suspense and kindle some interest. Here is the press release:

"Phoenix Entertainment Announces The Underworld: Crime Does Pay

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (July 19, 2001) -- Phoenix Entertainment(tm) today announced a revolutionary 3D game in development called The Underworld: Crime Does Pay(tm). The game is a fully 3D combination real-time strategy game/first person shooter which includes significant role playing game elements. It is the first title from Phoenix Entertainment.

The Underworld: Crime Does Pay incorporates revolutionary 3D engine technology that has been developed by Phoenix Entertainment. This proprietary technology will enable The Underworld: Crime Does Pay to seamlessly combine the key features of a real-time strategy game, a true first person shooter and a role playing game, providing the player with the ultimate gaming experience. As a result, the game will successfully bridge the three major genres of gameplay.

The Underworld: Crime Does Pay places the player in charge of a criminal organization. The player assumes control of a small organized crime group and works to expand his or her power and operations while battling with law enforcement and other organized crime groups for supremacy in a modern day city. The gameplay is exciting and extremely diverse, making the game addictive both as a single-player experience and as a multiplayer experience.

About Phoenix Entertainment

Phoenix Entertainment(tm), a division of Uhlir-Williams Technologies, LLC, is an innovative developer of 3D multimedia entertainment. The company is presently focused on developing PC games which combine cutting edge technology with revolutionary gameplay. Phoenix Entertainment was founded in 1999 by Clint Uhlir and Jonathan Williams and is currently located in the U.S. in Charleston, South Carolina. The Underworld: Crime Does Pay(tm) is the first game to be released by Phoenix Entertainment. For more information, please visit the Phoenix Entertainment web site at http://www.underworldgame.com."

"Final Fantasy X for the PlayStation 2 has been released in Japan. In time-honoured tradition, popular Tokyo software stores opened as early as 6:30am to let people get their hands on the game, which is part of a 31 million selling series.

Square CEO/President Hisashi Suzuki told Reuters that the company had delivered initial shipments of 2.14 million units as of July 17th, and advanced orders of 1.4 to 1.5 million. Which, all in all, is good news for the company. Square’s costs have been extraordinary in the last couple of years, with the development of a number of games (from popular titles like Final Fantasy IX to bloopers like The Bouncer), and the simultaneous financing of the full length feature film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

As an added bonus for fans of the series, Final Fantasy X ships with preview footage of Final Fantasy XI, the game that Square executive vice president Hironobu Sakaguchi described as the first multi-platform fully online RPG only a couple of days ago. The trailer can be downloaded separately from Ruliweb, but given that the page is in Japanese, here’s a direct link. Beware that most of the world is currently trying to download this trailer."

"The new images included with the update show some of the early areas that have been constructed using the Unreal engine. One shows a bedroom, while another shows an outdoor area that was adapted from a piece of concept art. The shot of the cathedral is actually just a test ground to showcase some special effects, but Smith said that they expect the environments in Thief 3 to look just as good. The rest of the images are all pieces of concept art used to set the mood and feel for the game. An official release date for Thief 3 has not been announced."

MechCommander 2 gives gamers more than amazing gameplay -- it draws them into the rich, 16-year history of the BattleTech Universe. Players will simultaneously command up to 16 enormous BattleMechs in real-time combat, where outsmarting the enemy is the key to victory. MechCommander 2 is fully 3D, with state-of-the-art terrain that influences player tactics. Players knock down trees, blow through walls, jump jet onto cliffs and crush anything standing in their way to victory.

While a lone MechWarrior wields up to 100 tons of "Mechanized" death, the MechCommander rules the battlefield from above imposing his strategic will and mastering all he surveys. When he issues an order to jump, MechWarriors obey. When something needs to be destroyed, the MechCommander need only finger the target. He rules the battlefield with an iron fist, commanding his units from the orbital dropship.

Together with The Playing Fields (www.playingfields.com), CPL Europe announced that they not only promise to uphold their tradition of highest-quality offline coverage but take it to the next step as well.

If there's something I've always liked about Blood, it's the weapons, which are both varied and original. The shotgun in Blood is one of my all time favourites, as it packs such a meaty punch and sounds so good at the same time. But the other weapons in the game are also just as cool -- you get a flare gun, which is used to (unsurprisingly) fire flares at people and set them alight, a nice little Tommy Gun, dynamite -- which can be of normal, proximity or remote flavours -- and a pitchfork for a bit of stabby-stabby action.

While outer space seems to be getting all the attention these days, there's another unexplored world deep within your own body. No, we're not talking about puberty -- we're talking about 'Bacteria', the new simulation that takes you and a micronized vehicle inside a scientist's body in the fight to save his life.

Recently, I've been finalizing the look of the Ancient Dragons. I want them to be impressive, so I'm putting a lot of time into them. After all, Ancient Dragons require years to build, and the final result should be worth it. I started the week on Ancient Dragons, yesterday I drew some emergency pieces of Elf Women in chainmail, and will finish the week on Saris Fashions. Of all the jobs in the world, I have the coolest!

Dungeon Siege's Farm Girl has traded in her pitchfork for a fiery sword and is preparing to invade the Gen Con Game Fair in Milwaukee August 2 - 5, 2001. Which of these women will become the official Dungeon Siege Farm Girl at Gen Con?

Gamers can visit the official Dungeon Siege site until July 25 to choose from a selection of aspiring Farm Girls, and pick which one best represents the persona of Dungeon Siege's heroine. The winning model will need to have the fresh-faced looks of Farm Girl, combined with the poise and strength of the sword-wielding heroine.

In Dungeon Siege, the new role-playing game from developer Chris Taylor, players start off as a humble farmer under attack. While gamers can choose to play as either a Farm Boy or Farm Girl, it has been Farm Girl that has won the hearts of RPG fans around the world.

Slated for release in Fall 2001, Dungeon Siege is an action fantasy role-playing game featuring an immersive fully 3-D environment. Dungeon Siege plunges players into a continuous 3-D fantasy world on a quest to stop a mysterious evil that has been unleashed. Beginning with a single character, players can travel through the world and gather a party of up to eight characters, or choose to face the challenge alone. The fusion of action role-playing and real-time strategy controls in Dungeon Siege impels players into one over-the-top battle after another as the storyline unfolds.

"Most fixes are not retroactive. The patch will prevent certain bugs from happening, but it won't magically fix your save games.
Your save games will be functional after the patch.
You can install this patch overtop of BG2, whether it is unpatched or Beta patched.
For Multiplayer, only same version games can play with same version games. People without the patch won't be able to play with people with the BETA patch, nor with people with the final patch.
Once the patch is installed, the only to go back to an unpatched version of BG2 is to uninstall and reinstall BG2.
If you need to reinstall the patch you can do so at any time as the patch simply overwrites the files.
If you are mirroring this patch file on your web site, please shoot an e-mail to bginfo@bioware.com so we can update the mirror list."

Over the course of the game, a good variety of enemies will be encountered, ranging from bizarre aliens to human soldiers. While all of them are the same types seen in Half-Life, they are evenly spread throughout the environments and pose a worthy challenge. Most of the alien creatures seem to run on fairly rudimentary AI algorithms of base aggression, but will retreat when near death. Humans exhibit more complex behavior patterns. At times, they'll take cover, and in other cases, flee the vicinity of any remote charges thrown at them such as grenades. Unfortunately, not every enemy model from Half-Life returns in Blue Shift. Perhaps the most glaring omission is the female assassin type, which served as one of the most challenging of the bunch.

Jonric: Please give us an overview of your beta test so far. What would you list as the highlights, and have there been any significant unexpected delays, complications or problems?

Brian Wood: Beta is great so far. The highlight would be that Phase 1 beta was designed to test hardware compatibility, server load and backend structure so there was virtually no game play content included but the testers enthusiasm for the game was still awesome. So we are eager to introduce more of the game play to see their response to it.

We've had unexpected delays due to 3rd party vendors and that's really tough. Especially when we pull out all stops and put in all-nighters to launch beta on time only to have a shipment of key hardware delayed by the vendor. There have been a few complications, but it is beta after all and nothing out of the ordinary has happened. The one thing that has been most prominent in the feedback is that the server side is far more stable than other titles at this stage of beta. We are extremely pleased about that.

Even if a company has an excellent site with incredible writers churning out quality articles, it must still be able to discern themselves from the
other hundred websites that offer similar content with similar quality. The importance of standing out is the second requirement for survivability. The reason why sites like TacticalZone.com died is because there were thousands of other gaming sites just like it. Although they had quality content, there were numerous other websites that provided the same quality articles. TZ had no special layout, no special marketing, and no special way to make themselves stand out of the crowd. In the end, they drifted out of site like so many other ordinary content providers on the web.

Everyone is talking about Windows XP right now, and now that the release date is getting closer, and the candidate versions are out, you would think the talk would be focusing on its usability, stability, or compatibility but unfortunately that's not the case... XP talk is mostly focused on product activation, and most of it is pretty damn negative at that.

Slay is a turn based hex game loosely set in the medieval era. You are to overlord of a group of economically independent territories. In each of these territory every square you control that isn't infested with trees earns you one point per round. These points are used to fund your current units (who die if you run out of credit) and pay for new units. While the game only has four mobile units (arranged in a linear hierarchy) and one stationary unit (the castle which defends the surrounding 6 squares from attack) the beauty of the funding system (where the basest unit only needs two squares to support it while the best unit requires 54) makes the rules easy to learn yet hard to master. The key to success lies in unifying all of your territories so that your entire army of units can move to any point of conflict and centralising the funding of that army.

VERADO: THE IT SECURITY GAME
Version 2.0 Now Available:

Verado has released the first computer game specifically for Information Technology (IT) professionals called "Verado: The IT Security Game."

"Verado: The IT Security Game" is a hilarious, frenetically paced, and poignant first-person shooter game that puts the player in the position of a harried IT worker with too many responsibilities and too few resources. Featuring constant attacks from a wild collection of eccentric but dangerous adversaries, Verado takes the experiences that IT experts face daily and turns them into a humorous barrage of data threats.

Fending off an exaggerated assortment of spammers, pingers, data thieves, and corporate spies, the player must use any weapons at his disposal -- from a low-tech trash can lid to a souped-up PDA -- to defend his data and save his servers from certain destruction.

New Version 2.0 Now Available:
The Network Nasties are back in full force -- tougher, stronger, and meaner than ever before. If you thought VERADO version 1.0 was a trip, buckle up. Version 2.0 is an even bumpier ride.

Some of its features include:
* Fourteen total levels
* Two new levels-"Rats!" and "Load Balancing"-each with an "easy" and "hard" round
* New soundtrack
* Web-based scoreboard - impress your friends and mock your enemies

Download your free copy now

I actually feel quite excited about discussing the KYRO II architecture since this was something that I spent a great deal of time talking about while I was at 3dfx. Some are referring to Tile-based Rendering as "Hidden Surface Removal" but while similar, one is clearly a software based solution and one is a hardware based solution. Many refer to 3dfx’s final drivers as an example of "HSR" and really, this was a poor example of what Tile-based Rendering can do. ATI’s HyperZ was a better example but still one that is different from a "Tiler."

Zoo Keeper: What means does the player have of attracting visitors to your zoo? Will you have to advertise, for example, or will the animals alone lure them?

Peterson: Visitors are attracted to a healthy, beautiful and vibrant zoo. The goal of the game is to create a zoo where both the animals and the visitors are happy. Happiness is dependent on several factors such as the animal’s environment, their health etc. More visitors will come to the zoo if the animals and the visitors are happy.

In addition, there is a feature where you can pay for a marketing campaign which has a good chance of increasing your zoo’s attendance for a specific period of time.

Interviews:

CPL are happy to offer all participants the possibility to pay the entrance fee for the ELSA CPL European Championships with a credit card. This will allow most participants an easier signup and instant confirmation of their spots. Everyone who has already signed up will be able to pay via credit card as well.

An epic battle is unfolding upon the horizon...
A story of untold proportions and unsung heroes.
The life of a planet rests in the fragile balance of a broken people...
So few against so many, so much is at stake, there is so much to loose.
You must succeed.

It seems that ever since Windows 2000 arrived gamers with a Nvidia based card were stuck at low 60Hz refresh rates at all resolutions. For windows 2000 there have been several non Nvidia fixes such as the "Windows 2000 Refresh Rate Fix" by Sten Uusvali, and even the popular powerstrip offered gamers the much needed fix. However, things have changed as with Windows XP RC1, these fixes namely Sten's very popular one have become useless as they would not, and will not run on Windows XP.

The latest updated server files from Valve Software are now being mirrored by FilePlanet. Grab them to start or update your current Half-Life servers to prepare for the client release later today.

FilePlanet is now mirroring the Half-Life Client upgrades to version 1.1.0.7 and also the retail only version of Counter-Strike 1.0.0.2.
Half-Life Clients

Nationwide Contest Calls On Train Enthusiasts To Capture Photos Of Dash 9 #4723 Locomotive

St. Louis, MO. - July 13, 2001 - Train enthusiasts from around the world will be called upon today at the National Train Show in St. Louis for the ultimate rail challenge. Microsoft and Trains.com are teaming up to call on train enthusiasts to capture the romance of railroading through a national contest.

The contest calls for participants to capture unique photos of the actual Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Dash 9 #4723 locomotive that's featured on the cover of the new PC game, Microsoft® "Train Simulator." In conjunction with the photo contest, a virtual contest will also be held where participants can enter their best in-game snapshot of the BNSF Dash 9 #4723 utilizing the game's built-in photo capturing capabilities.

Prizes will include a new PC, complete with a joystick and a Microsoft simulation series library of games, a HO scale model of the Dash 9 #4723 in a presentation case, copies of Microsoft "Train Simulator" and subscriptions to the different Kalmbach train publications, such as Trains, Model Railroader and Classic Toy Trains.

To kick off the contest, Microsoft is bringing the actual Burlington Northern Santa Fe Dash 9 #4723 locomotive that's featured on the cover of Microsoft "Train Simulator" to St. Louis Union Station in conjunction with the National Train Show running July 13 - 15. The cab of the locomotive will be available for tours from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. In addition, Microsoft "Train Simulator" will be on display in Microsoft's booth throughout the duration of the show.

The contest will run over a three-month period and is being hosted by Trains.com, the most comprehensive railroading site on the Internet. A schedule of the Dash 9's whereabouts and official contest rules can be found at www.trains.com.

About Microsoft Train Simulator
Microsoft "Train Simulator" brings the realistic excitement of some of the world's most famous trains to your PC, with fully functional gauges and working controls that you manipulate. As the engineer, you are put in charge of the regulator on a steam engine or the air brake system on a modern diesel.

Experience six highly detailed train routes with over 600 total miles of rail that has been carefully recreated to mirror the real-world scenery, industry and towns along the routes. Featured trains include both historic and contemporary rail lines, such as the 1930's Venice Simplon Orient-Express or Amtrak's modern Acela "bullet train."

Microsoft "Train Simulator" is available in stores now or by calling Microsoft at (888) 218-5617, or on the Internet at http://shop.microsoft.com/ for an estimated retail price of $54.99 (U.S.). More information on the game is available at http://www.microsoft.com/games/trainsim/.

For more information on the Microsoft Train Simulator contest, please visit the Trains.com website at www.trains.com.

For more information on the NMRA National Train Show, please visit their website at http://www.nmra.org.

Chardot confirmed that "we're in negotiations with French film producer", although further details are currently scarce. In the meantime his company is hard at work on a new PC game based on cult horror movie From Dusk 'Til Dawn.

Interviews:

Puerto Rico's Hardcore LANPartiers didn't have a proper representation or league they could join to. There was no structure to competition. There was no way to get to know other local gamers. Clans wandered aimlessly looking around for a place to get their LANParty on until they get so bored they just broke up.

They've also setup a thread on the script forum, which has hit over a thousand post since it's inception only a few short weeks ago, to field questions for those interested in preparing for Neverwinter Nights.

They've updated the script database, adding several new functions missed the first time around as well as adding function data types along with formatting for easier reading.

Client updates for the Half-Life 1.1.0.7 update and the Counter-Strike Retail 1.0.0.2 update. This update includes:
- Deathmatch Classic
- New Automatic update system
- Fixed GL texture binding problem (white skin bug)
- Optimized model drawing

And the files..

BTW, the Counter-Strike patches are for the RETAIL version, NOT the downloadable free version.

"The magic is TOB has also taken an overhaul, you now have another character kit, the Wild Mage, this extra mage class allows you to use magic more powerfully and shape it into spells that you wish to cast. You can also use this to create special magical items in the Pocket Plane by combining items. However the problem with the wild mage is that the raw power of the magic that is being dealt with can cause magic surges, which are completely random and can cause unpredictable effects."

ITCHING FOR SOMETHING NEW?
Empire of the Ants brings a refreshing twist to the strategy genre, immersing players into the microscopic world of the Ant Kingdom. Combining the need to build up huge colonies, lead armies into battle, hunt down food and breed to improve their numbers, the game puts players into the role of an up-and-coming ant commander who has been given the task of overseeing the welfare and expansion of a colony of russet ants.

ENTER A NEW KINGDOM.
Superior AI replicates the instincts of each insect and faithfully reproduces more than 60 different species of insect and animal to exploit and engage in battle. Watch in amazement as the beautiful, microscopic world of the ants is brought to life in 3D graphics, with real-time 3D multiple camera angles and in-and-out zooms. For each mission, players are given specific objectives at the start of each level, which can vary from the collection of food units to killing the enemy. Multiplayer mode allows for up to 8 players over LAN or Internet.
Enter the fascinating world of all things "great & small". Try Empire of the Ants. For more information log onto www.microids.com and www.strategyfirst.com.

In addition, Microsoft will show the simulator to young students through the NMRA Junior College Program. This program allows young enthusiasts (ages 6-15) to experience the hobby up close. Kids will have the opportunity to try out Microsoft Train Simulator. Drawings will also be held, with the winners getting boxed copies of the game.

Microsoft is bringing a special thrill to the convention this year in the form of the BNSF 4723 Dash-9 locomotive. This engine, the same one depicted on the cover of Microsoft Train Simulator, will be at the St. Louis Union Station Mall, with tours provided July 13-15. The Dash-9 is BNSF's premiere freight locomotive in use today, and is used by all four major US rail carriers.

Microsoft Train Simulator is Microsoft's newest simulator title, featuring six famous rail routes from around the world with hundreds of miles of highly detailed, accurately rendered rail routes. It also features virtual 3-D locomotive cabs with accurate, detailed control, a living world around the tracks, and seasonal effects that will leave players peering through snow-covered windshields while maintaining control on ice-slicked rails. Players can customize their own trains and create new routes and activities, bringing the constantly expanding depth of Microsoft Flight Simulator series to railroads around the world.

Microsoft Train Simulator is available in stores now or by calling Microsoft at (888) 218-5617 or on the Internet at http://shop.microsoft.com/ for an estimated retail price of $54.99 (U.S.). More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/games/trainsim/.

What are Crafted Items? They are items modified by special Horadric Cube recipes which turn them into much more powerful pieces of equipment. They are easy to create, but finding the ingredients is a bit more difficult. PlanetDiablo have a basic guide to Crafted Items ready for a more detailed explanation of this new group of items. Remember, these items can only be formed in the Diablo II Expansion Set.

Star Trek: Dominion Wars is very much what it appears to be, in that the storyline takes place during the Dominion invasion of the Alpha quadrant, where the Federation, Klingon Empire and the Cardassian Empire reside. The Dominion naturally cannot co-exist with these races and so try to get an all out war going between the three - the Federation are having none of it and instead ally with the pasty heads to gang up on the Dominion

The Contest:
Have you ever seen an intro to a game and thought "This sucks! I could write a better intro than this!" If so, here is your chance to do just that! GameActive Networks and Stomped.com have teamed up to bring you The 3D World War II Intro Movie Design Contest. To enter the contest, participants will submit an original idea/text for the 3D World War II game introduction movie. Both actual texts and overall ideas will be accepted. The five (5) best/coolest ideas/texts will be selected by LippieSoft's employees that are currently working on the game.

• File Planet
• 3D Gamers
• Lion Source
• Uninstaller on Files Planet

"EP: The other thing that you've delivered that a lot of people are talking about of course is the toolset so that gamers can make their own maps and their own adventures. When did that decision come about? When did you say, "We should put that in?"

TC: We really had that idea at the beginning. And the reason we felt it was important was when Fallout got so popular, probably the top request we got--besides doing the sequel--was "Can you release your mapper tools?" Even though it was single player, they wanted to make their own modules. We knew we were adding multiplayer capability to Arcanum, and we thought "Well gee, if we make these tools from the very beginning with the idea that somebody will be using them at home, then we'll have a lot more groundswell support. We'll have a much better community because these people have things that they can make themselves and share."

We had the idea from the very beginning, and it actually affected our design. Sometimes we'd be arguing and one of the programmers would say, "Gee, that would be so easy to do...if I didn't have to support people at home wanting to edit that." In fact, that's where the big constraint of items came in, that you can't take items from one module to another. Somebody pointed out that if people could edit items any way they wanted, then there are so many ways of making items just too powerful. Even if we tried to catch it, there are just so many ways of doing it that people could sneak an item in under our tests and bring items from one module to another that don't really belong."

"Jonric: What have you done since you entered the industry? Where have you worked, on what games, and in what capacities?

Sharon Shellman: I worked as a sub-contractor on Fallout until its completion, doing several of the cut-scene movies as well as several of the monster animations. The death screen, the dipped in the vats movie, the dog and the deathclaw were mine, to name just a few. Once Fallout was complete, Interplay was not in a financial position to hire people on, but luckily for me, Blizzard was.

Blizzard was wonderful enough to offer me a spot in their newly created Cinematics department. I spent a very fun year at Blizzard helping to create StarCraft and BroodWar’s exciting cinematic cut scenes. I was the only woman in development at Blizzard at the time, and probably provided a first-hand experience for many of them in working with a pregnant woman. That would be a pregnant woman who threw up every day for five months yet loved to be involved in the frequent nurf gunfights that took place in the office, even once she looked like she’d swallowed a beach ball. (heh heh)

The guys also got a big kick out of teasing me about being “barefoot and pregnant” since I usually don’t wear my shoes when I’m at the office. We had a lot of fun together working on the StarCraft games and we even nicknamed Gwyn the little zergling, because that’s exactly what she looked like in one of my ultrasound pictures.

I left Blizzard shortly after the birth of my daughter to help establish Troika Games and create Arcanum. Aside from the fact that Troika is co-owned by my other half, Troika offered me something no other company did, space to create an on-site nursery so that I could have my daughter nearby while I worked. It doesn’t get much more perfect than that."

"Astute readers may have noticed that descriptions of the Theurgist and the Mercenary in the Albion class section had no story behind them. Now they do.

In other news, we have implemented the first stage of tradeskills. We're in the process of testing them here at Mythic at the moment, and we hope to release them to the beta players next week."

"Knowing his life and his earnings depend on his skill, a poor young fighter joins the Guild of Shadows to learn to kill swiftly and with skill so that he may live to collect his pay. Unique to the other fighters in Albion, this class learns to dual wield. Since speed is often of the essence to a fighter without an army, the Mercenary chooses not to weigh himself down with plate armor. Instead, he learns to evade the worst of the attacks, a skill that makes other warriors shake their heads in admiration.

On Tuesday, July 10th, at 1800 CET, registration for the ELSA CPL European Championships will commence. Demand is expected to be high as both tournaments are limited to 32 teams. Four autoberths have been reserved for Quake3 and seven autoberths have been reserved for Counter-Strike.

On top of that, the top five teams from the Pentium® 4 Processor CPL Holland Counter-Strike tournament, Spirit of Amiga Sweden, Allstars, Clan Z, Mortal Team Work, and Schroet Kommando have been given autoberths, too. That leaves 28 free slots for Quake3 and only 20 free slots for Counter-Strike.

300 BYOC slots will be available too all registrants, regardless of whether thay participate in a tournament or not. Payment is possible via wire transfer only. Registration fee is either 40 Pounds or 65 Euros for each player.

Run by experienced gamers, and promising high-quality content for the tech-savvy gaming community, Gamitopia exists to provide the gaming community with a wealth of game-related news, reviews, interviews, and articles. Drawing on the experience of its team of skilled writers and discerning gamers, Gamitopia will provide visitors with daily news items covering both PC and console gaming markets, reviews of current games, previews of up-and-coming titles, articles on gaming and the games industry, and retrospectives on gaming classics.

“Gamers are like any other community of hobbyists. They need a place to meet, to share their love of gaming, swap stories and adventures, share knowledge -- and we want to provide that for them,” said Raphael van Lierop, Gamitopia editor-in-chief. “Our goal is to be a one-stop-shop for all their gaming needs. News, reviews, streaming demos, forum communities – the total package. We believe that above all, gamers want industry coverage that cuts through the hype and gives them the information they need to make their own decisions about what they want to play.”

In addition to daily updates of site content, Gamitopia offers visitors the opportunity to build communities around their favorite game, platform, or genre. Forum members are also encouraged to take a part in determining the direction of the site, and the Gamitopia staff is dedicated to providing them with the material they want to see.

“We’re here for them. We want to create an environment they feel comfortable in, a place they can come not only for news and reviews, but to hang out with like-minded friends who share their love of gaming,” said Lucas Pawelczyk, Gamitopia co-founder and Web producer. “The games industry is such an interesting place right now, and we’re excited by the opportunity to leave our mark. But ultimately it’s about the gamers – they are the future.”

Gamitopia.com goes live today, with news, content, and forums. Content should be refreshed daily, provided by writers and gamers with close ties to the entertainment industry. For more information about Gamitopia’s staff, visit the ‘About’ section of the Gamitopia Web site.

Their first 2 pieces of content include:

July 8: New Orleans, LA - KKND 106.7 End Fest at Marconi Meadows in City Park

July 12: Hanford, CA - Thrasher Fun Box Tour at the Hanford Kings County Fairgrounds

July 13: Chula Vista, CA - Xfest at the Coors Amphitheater

July 14: Gilford, NH - BFD at Meadowbrook Farms

July 19, 20, 21, 22: San Diego, CA - Comic-Con International at the San Diego Convention Center

July 22: Chula Vista, CA - Green Day Concert at the Coors Amphitheater

ABOUT XBOX/MUNCH’S ODDYSEE:

Xbox is Microsoft’s future-generation video game system that delivers the most powerful games experiences ever. It will be available in North America on Nov. 8, 2001 at the suggested retail price of $299.

“Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee” is one of the most highly-acclaimed video games of the year. This latest addition to the Oddworld series features the unique characters Munch and Abe in new worlds and new adventures only possible with the power of Xbox.

ABOUT SOBE LOVE BUS TOUR

Microsoft today unveiled new content on the official Dungeon Siege Web site, located at http://www.microsoft.com/games/dungeonsiege/. The site now provides even more detailed information on the game; including box art, exclusive screenshots, updated FAQ, and the first excerpt of the rich lore that provides the backdrop for the world of Dungeon Siege.

"So far we haven't said much about Ehb, the Kingdom in which the game takes place," explains Neal Hallford, writer for Dungeon Siege. "Once everyone finally sees the game, however, I think they'll be surprised at how much depth and variety we've put into the story. It's truly a living, breathing world."

Slated for release in Fall 2001, Dungeon Siege is an action fantasy role-playing game featuring an immersive fully 3-D environment. Dungeon Siege plunges players into a continuous 3-D fantasy world on a quest to stop a mysterious evil that has been unleashed. Beginning with a single character, players can travel through the world and gather a party of up to 8 characters or choose to face the challenge alone. The fusion of action role-playing and real-time strategy controls in Dungeon Siege impels players into one over-the-top battle after another as the storyline unfolds.

"NEW CONTENT ADDED TO MICROSOFT'S OFFICIAL DUNGEON SIEGE WEB SITE

Microsoft today unveiled new content on the official Dungeon Siege Web site, located at http://www.microsoft.com/games/dungeonsiege/. The site now provides even more detailed information on the game; including box art, exclusive screenshots, updated FAQ, and the first excerpt of the rich lore that provides the backdrop for the world of Dungeon Siege.

"So far we haven't said much about Ehb, the Kingdom in which the game takes place," explains Neal Hallford, writer for Dungeon Siege. "Once everyone finally sees the game, however, I think they'll be surprised at how much depth and variety we've put into the story. It's truly a living, breathing world."

For more information about Dungeon Siege, visit the official Web site at:

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

A tutorial on how to use the ES Construction Set to create landscapes for Morrowind

A simple step by step the step-by-step "How To" in the Landscape section of TES Construction Set

And some delicious new screenshots, three to be precise, are awaiting your viewing pleasure.

"Jonric: What were the main considerations involved in deciding how many races there would be and also what they would be? Which others if any did you seriously consider including, either in addition to or instead of the ones finally chosen? Excluding creatures, will any other races appear in the game as non-playable characters?

Todd Howard: The first consideration was what races were in the previous games in the series. We wanted to include all of those. But we also wanted to add a few, to make things interesting. So we added the Imperials (a human race) and the Orcs (a beast race). We didn’t really consider any others, though we did consider not including the Argonians, Khajiits, and Orcs due to difficulties with handling their animations and “beast” status. But they are too cool to leave out. You can play any of the races you see in the game, we didn’t exclude any for the player. Since all the races have different art and abilities, time and game balance also become issues for other races."

"Join Sylvester "Sly" Boots and Stiletto as they trek across the galaxy and the three dimensions, looking for both a long-dead alien race with the secrets of advanced technology, and the mysterious forces bent on crushing our universe out of existence!

Are they the same beings? Five other characters join them in their quest to uncover the mystery of the Mystech devices, the plot to destroy our existence, and the evil chaos behind it all. Search through an amazing number of levels and fight tons of unique monsters in your quest to find the truth..."

"Tom Hall, the main man behind Anachronox, more famous for his involvement in Doom and Wolfenstein 3D, explains the title of the game as the compounding of the words 'anachronism' and 'noxious'. Of course, he's referring to the poisonous past of the city in the game and the characters that inhabit it, but considering the game has been in development for three years and uses the Quake II engine, its meaning seems altogether more significant.

There's no denying that Anachronox looks like an old game.

From the chunkiness of the polygons to the low-res textures, no amount of tweaking can hide the fact that the Quake II engine has had its day. While that will undoubtedly put many of you technology fascists right off, developer Ion Storm has managed to turn this to its advantage, to the point where I've even grown fond of its antediluvian looks. Anyone who enjoyed Final Fantasy VII knows that graphics can become secondary if the game has enough charm, and if there's one thing Anachronox has got, it's charm."

Where Cate Archer in the world of Serious Sam would get through by tossing a few coins behind a Werebull & running across the courtyard, as the Werebull charges off in the coins direction hoping she doesn’t get seen.

On the other hand, Sam “Serious” Stone stuck in the No One Lives Forever world… he’d get through it by tossing a brick into the Guards face as he passes by. Then, Sam would hop out and unload a few clips into the Room/Courtyard/Office, which the Guard just came out of. Where there actually any enemies in the room at the time, all the better.

"In one of the more bizarre press releases to pass across our desks in recent weeks, European e-tailer Software First has revealed the top ten games most commonly shipped to inmates in British prisons. Yes, it appears that consoles systems are commonly available in jails across the country, with the PlayStation apparently the most popular amongst
felons. No doubt Sony are already working on a bizarre new prison advertising campaign directed by David Lynch... "

The CPL Europe presented the official ELSA CPL European Championships event website today under the address www.elsa-cpleurope.com. The event website is the first public presentation of the upcoming CPL Europe event in London, set to take place from August 3rd through August 5th. In its initial phase, the event website will feature various information ranging from game rules to hotel lists. More content is set to follow in the following days. Registration should begin some time next week and will be announced beforehand. Demand is expected to be high.

Qualifiers for the London event are being held in England (The Playing Fields), Ireland (Does Not Compute), Austria (Down Under 4 LAN), and Russia (Cyberfight). More are to follow.

What's new at the Web Site :
1) New Screen Shots!
A couple of new screen shots to wet the appetites! - Including the first look at Supreme Ruler 2010's included Map Editor
Some of the shots are linked to higher rez versions that allow you to see the screen content more clearly!

2) Ask the Development Team - The Answers
Here's the answers to some of the questions that we've been asked about Supreme Ruler 2010. Everything from Scenario Information to Treaties to Unconventional Warfare...
If instead of looking at other people's questions you want to ask one of your own, here's the direct link to that page :

3 Equipment List - The First Draft

Unlike many other strategy games, the Equipment File for Supreme Ruler 2010 is an open and modifiable file, and more than that, we are posting the file early in its development to get as much feedback and suggestions as possible.

Gamespy have had a nice little chat with the cast and crew of the Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within, due to be released later in the month. Head here for the full article. I can't wait to see this movie, and sure you'll be just as excited after reading this quote:

"Because this was done on computers, you weren’t restricted by the physical limitations of the camera. But when you were planning the film, was a conscious decision made to stick to traditional camera angles?
Because of the level of realism in the movie, they wanted to get away from the camera work in the game series, in which they had some weird camera angles, so they felt it was necessary to keep with more traditional camera work.

What do you think of the way the film looks?
Going into this, I understood that they would create characters for which we’d have empathy, and they succeeded. What I didn’t understand, and had never even dreamt, was the depth of the art that they would go to. You see Anselm Kiefer, you see Edvard Munch, you see Francis Bacon at the end when it gets glorious – it’s really extraordinary."

In other news Shadowbane Warcry has also done up an interview with Olaf "Dodger" Piesche, the newest programmer for Wolfpack Studios. Heres a teaser:

"K: What's your favorite aspect of Shadowbane?

D: I think what's most interesting is the great level of flexibility and detail that the players will experience in their 'virtual lives' in the world of Shadowbane. Not only does the diversity of the races and classes give the player a possibility to create their perfect character, but also the immense possibilities to 'live' and advance in the game are something that I haven't seen done before.

K: What's your favorite class to play?

D: I haven't really had the time to get familiar with all the classes that are available, but I have a tendency towards magically-active classes. Personally I like a good balance from muscle- and brainpower, brute force and spirituality."

So far atleast, Throne of Bhaal has managed to stand tall when being hit head on, by the critics. For example, Game-Revolution in a relatively good review -if somewhat short- gave an overall B+ Report Card to this RPG addition. Here is a quote from that article:

"You begin the game at level 20 (characters imported from your previous BGII game are automatically advanced) with a full compliment of skills and items. In the D&D realm, that's very powerful and it's the reason that the characters you encounter throughout the game react to you the way they do - with extreme prejudice. As a result, these high-level battles can be a hoot to watch.

The experience cap is set to 8 million points. That's 40th level for some characters...or pretty much demi-god status to us here on the Prime Material plane.

The graphics in BGII:ToB don't look much better than those in BGII:SoA, which didn't look much better than Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, which didn't look much better than Baldur's Gate. You'll have to wait until Neverwinter Nights before you can lead your party through a sparsely wooded plain without losing them behind trees and other stationary objects. We're all ready for a graphical upgrade."

In other news ,two free online Walkthroughs have appeared for anyone who is currently stuck and needs afew in-game hints, to help get back on track. The best of these walkthroughs has just been done up by Gamebanshee, and covers characters, locations and items/equipment. This walkthrough is still in its infancy, with lots more to added. GameFaq have also posted up three Walkthroughs, covering Endings, Items and General FAQ/Problems.

Finally in this addition, Kevin Martens, Lead Designer for Throne of Bhaal, has been interviewed by Gamezone. The Interview covers expansion's details, Kevin's favorite part in ToB, and Bioware plans for future RPG's such as Neverwinter Nights. Here's a quote that finally put to rest the question most BG fan has been dying to know:

"GZ: Is this really the end of the Baldur's Gate saga? Or is the door left open for spin-offs or other expansions?

Kevin: This is the end of the Child of Bhaal saga.This particular story has reached its conclusion but Baldur’s Gate is a big city. Who knows what the future will hold?”

"Which enemies will players find the most interesting and refreshing?

Unlike the played-to-death European RPGs, the monsters in Throne of Darkness have been exclusively drawn from Japanese fables. We covered all regions of Japanese mythology to find fresh characters. To name a few: the Kappa water spirit; the giant demon Oni; and the tree spirit sword masters called Tengu.

Describe the AI. What are some clever tactics the computer can pull off against players?

We designed a system that enables players to create formations from scratch or use preset tactics. Players can also select from differing styles of behavior and choose special weapons or spells. I think the most chaotic tactic we have is the Phoenix tactic. All your samurai are spread out, and the AI for all four samurai is set to Aggressive-Spell. This is a great tactic in multiplayer because the screen turns into a big fireworks display. It's not the best tactic to use if you want to conserve Ki, but it sure looks cool and it does a lot of damage."

"Dolomiight - I have some idea that you are planning on creating another RTS, perhaps a long awaited TA sequel?

CT - Yes, we definitely want to make another RTS, but we haven't decided on a name yet. We just know that it will be the craziest over-the-top stuff-exploding-everywhere RTS game you have ever played... :)"

RPG Vault has posted a new Question and Answer session in which Morrowind's Lead Designer Ken Rolston introduces the setting and scenery for the game. Heres a sample question from the article:

"Jonric: How many different communities will there be, and how will they differ in terms of size and cultural/thematic influences and variety?

Ken Rolston: The native Dunmer of the three Great Houses are the dominant culture. House Hlaalu architecture looks something like the civilized and prosperous Near East of Roman Imperial times. House Redoran architecture borrows its forms from the organic curves of native giant insects, and the Redoran themselves are conservative and aristocratic. House Telvanni is dominated by its ruling class of thousand-year-old wizards, and is eccentric and intimidating in customs and appearance.

Another native Dunmer cultural style is that of the Tribunal Temple, an austere and grand monumental architecture, the predominant style of the city of Vivec. Distinct from the Great House cultures, the Ashlanders are Dunmer of an antique nomadic barbarian culture very unlike the settled Dark Elves of town and city. Many colonists of all races have come to Vvardenfell, and the Imperial style of towns like Pelagiad and Caldera recalls the towns of Daggerfall, medieval and Western European in flavor. In addition, there are several other architectural styles representing ancient and lost cultures. Many different communities, with sharply contrasting appearances, lifestyles, and values"

"This pleasant mystery surrounding the streets of New Delhi successfully offers the tone and investigative nature of a Shenmue chapter with the mouse-driven ease and satisfying puzzle logic of a MYST journey. Although a little soft on the challenge and short in length, the game's layered environments and engaging personality make it a worthy expedition.... "

For some of you this might be a trip down memory lane!

"Adventuring guests are in for an experience unique to the theme park universe that is filled with all of Lara Croft's real passions : raiding tombs, besting bad guys and one extreme adventure after another", according to the press release. "The excitement begins with a journey into a foreboding ancient temple. As stone walls give way to others, guests will proceed through mysterious chambers, engraved with strange, runic symbols and the debris of failed expeditions, as a sense of impending doom grows."

GX delivers a paradigm shift on how developers work with 3D middleware. Different from existing solutions, GX consistsof a full-featured Operating System for dynamic, multi-threaded 3D applications. It stands out for its great flexibility and enables programmers to built any kind of 3D application quickly and easily - from interactive games to 3D e-learning applications or walk-through experiences.

The GX technology features Realtime Lighting, Shadows, Positional Audio, Particle System, Inverse Kinematics & Procedural Animation, Procedural Terrains, Portal Technology and a 3D Graphical User Interface (GUI).

The gxSDK Package contains excessive technical documentation, examples and tutorials covering all modules contained in gxSDK Standard Edition.

The Brawl will consist of competitions in Counter-Strike, Quake 3 Arena, and Age of Empires II Conquers Expansion.

The Counter-Strike competition will be a 5v5 event and will serve as a qualifier for the CPL World Championships to be held in Dallas this December. There will also be $2,500 in prize money awarded in the Counter-Strike tournament.

The Quake 3 Arena tournament will be a 1-on-1 competition with $500 total prize money to be awarded. The Age of Empires II competition will be 1-on-1 competitions with $500 prize money as well.

All matches will take place at the Mall of America's Sam Goody Central Rotunda.

The Mall of America averages 100,000 visitors per day.

Parties interested in registering should call The Stomping Grounds at 612-279-1960 or email garndt@stomped.com. Registration is $25 per person per event, $20 if you pay by phone with a credit card before July 20. All registrations must be paid by phone or in person at The Stomping Grounds before the event begins.

The first step to boosting your computer's boot speed would be to make sure you have properly optimized your mainboard's BIOS. In doing that you'll want to make sure you have the most recent BIOS release for your mainboard. Often times a manufacturer will release updated BIOS either to correct compatibility problems, or further optimize your mainboard.

According to a story in the Hollywood Reporter, Donner is promising to "make the action sequences feel like those in the game" and "to really put the audience in the front or back seat of the taxi". Sega are also reportedly going to be acting as consultants throughout the film's production, and we can no doubt look forward to some kind of game-of-the-
movie-of-the-game tie-in.