Saturday - August 14th, 1999

Braveheart - Narayan @ 10:10:13 PM EST
Braveheart ships today

Murphys Law of Combat - Falcon @ 04:48:13 PM EST
Over at TS Den I noticed this article on Murpys Law of Combat. Some of the bits are funny or even useful, you can take a look here.

Starcraft Story - Falcon @ 04:25:58 PM EST
A new story called 'The Fall' has been released at Outpost 13. This story is written by Brigadier and we currently have 5 sections available for your viewing pleasure. The story can be reached at the following link: http://outpost13.sclegacy.com/fall1.shtml.

Day 1 of the Seoul Coup - Hybrid @ 07:07:59 AM EST
Hone of Starcraft.org is in Korea reporting on the Seoul Coup. Read about Day 1 action here.

Netscape Incompatibilities? - Falcon @ 06:04:34 AM EST
Those of you who use Netscape would probably have noticed some bugs the layout seems to have while viewing the site. We are aware of these problems, and have been working hard to fix them up so stay tuned!
The site poll will also be delayed a few days this week.

Darkreign2 Site - Falcon @ 02:11:09 AM EST
I have been informed about a sweet Darkreign2 site, they have some great content, so go take a look here. Oh and Overlord, the webby there also helped name this site :)

Friday - August 13th, 1999

Interplay Losing Money - Falcon @ 10:29:14 PM EST
Interplay Entertainment recently announced its second quarter earnings ending June 30, 1999. In this annoucement, Interplay reported that they were losing money for the third quarter in a row, its net quarter loss has been reduced. Interplay reported net revenues of US$29.4 million, with a net loss of $6.9 million compared with net revenues of $40.7 million and net income of only $0.7 million during Q2 1998
Sources : Ancient Nation

Zileas/Cadwell Interviewed - Falcon @ 09:58:45 PM EST
Opinion Nation (Last post for these guys) have interviewed Zileas, in which they discuss a little about Dark Reign2. You can read it here

Gamespot Diablo2 Designer Diary - Falcon @ 09:47:23 PM EST
GameSpot has released their D2 Designer Diary. It should be quite informative and definately worth a look.

NOD Repair Bot - Falcon @ 09:34:20 PM EST
Tiberiumsun.com has an FMV shot of the NOD Repair Bot. You can see the full pic by clicking on the thumbnail.

Myth 2 Total Conversion - Falcon @ 09:25:50 PM EST

Coming to a Myth screen near you is a conversion beyond the ordinary. At least if you are one of the less serious members of the b.net community. This is a coversion for everyone who enjoys a good laugh as well as a good game. The name? Leggo My Myth
Head over to the site for mroe info.

Unreal Patch news - Cerberus @ 06:54:51 PM EST
Wondering when the next Unreal patch will be out? Well here's what Epic's Tom Sweeny has to say:

Yes, there will be another Unreal 1 patch, with the latest Direct3D code (big improvements), network code and server performance improvements. I don't have a date though...we're going through a lot of testing/tweaking on UT now. The Unreal 1 patch might be synch'ed up with the UT demo.

Sources : Blue's News

Counterstrike Update - Cerberus @ 06:49:00 PM EST
The newest beta version of the HL mod Counterstrike has been released. Here's what the new version features:

- Three new guns added : (Sig SG-552 Commando , AK-47 , Desert Eagle)
- Added silencers to the USP .45 Tactical and the Colt M4A1
- Added a round timer which shows how much time is left in the round
- Added team scores which shows how many rounds a team has won
- Added Night Vision Goggles
- Added new entity for mappers to use (info_hostage_rescue)
- Optimized all the models for lower r_speeds!
- Ability to assign keys to all of the commands from the controls menu (courtesy of cannelbrae of Gunman project)

UT Level - Cerberus @ 05:35:06 PM EST
Looks like GT has gotten up the newest UT Level of the Week, called DM Stalwart. Here's some more info on the level:

Jerl Liandri purchased this old mechanic's garage as a possible tax dump for his fledgling company, Liandri Mining. Now, Liandri Corp. has converted it into a battle arena. While not very complex, it still manages to claim more lives than the slums of the city in which it lies.

New SC MOTW - Cerberus @ 05:31:53 PM EST
The newest SC MOTW has been released called Firestorm, which is a 192x128 desert map for 6 players, which also requires BW.

Public Beta Patch Available for Starfleet Command - Hybrid @ 02:54:53 PM EST
14 Degrees East, developers of the new Star Trek based RTS, Starfleet Command, has come through with their promises, and delivered a patch only a few days after retail release. The patch fixes things like the campaign save issues, mod detection, spacedock missiles, the Lyran medals screen, specs files, capturing listening posts and the hotkey bindings files. Just a reminder, it is a beta, and cross version multiplayer is not available. Download it here.

Why date a Gamer? - Cerberus @ 02:38:30 PM EST
Wemmick from GX says that dating a gamer is the best... why? Well to find out why, head on over to here... now if only I could get a date... :).

Blizzard News - Falcon @ 02:10:57 AM EST
Battle.Net continues to grow in numbers, according to their site.

Battle.net continues to grow exponentially as several records were set on Saturday August 7, 1999. 1,447,741 games of Starcraft Brood War were created with 5,965,358 games played. Nearly 7,200,000 games were played over battle.net in total. Korea remains the largest portion of battle.net users out numbering the next highest group United States by 8.5 to 1.
Their latest Blizzard Fansite chat is also up for viewing at http://www.battle.net/files/d20812.shtml. This mainly covers various D2 Q&A.

Thursday - August 12th, 1999

New Review - Cerberus @ 07:02:59 PM EST
Whoa, we've been getting alot of reviews done lately. Anyways, we got up our latest review, this one on the newest demo Freespace 2, which can be read here.

Blizzard action figures $1.99 - Hybrid @ 09:30:14 AM EST
The following is from EB. The Blizzard Starcraft action figures are in fact being sold at the discounted price of $1.99. This is not, however, a clearance sale by any means. There are many more of these figures available (and should be for quite sometime). On another note, I will be posting the official box art image and description for Starcraft 64 on our homepage sometime tomorrow morning. Blizzard sent the images to me yesterday, but we have been busy updating other products as well. There will also be a strategy guide offered through Prima and Brady games shortly.

Starcraft Editor Patch 1.0 - Hybrid @ 09:05:43 AM EST
Zap has just created an interesting addition to Infoceptor. The Starcraft Editor Patch offers everything available from the Emerald StarEdit Patch Gold as well as upgrading the interface and fixing many bugs. As a brief recap, here's what it can do: Allow Structures to be placed anywhere Allow the Usage of Hidden AI Scripts Allow the use of hidden unit in Triggers Aloows upgrades to be set up to 255 As you can see, this is an invaluable tool for any campiagn or scenerio creator. ! Starcraft Editor Patch V1.0

Does Westwood care about their customers? - Falcon @ 05:11:45 AM EST
Apparently not, according to the NGNetwork.
Here is part of what they had to say:

It all began during the 1997 Christmas Season. Westwood Studios was one of the largest companies in the Real Time Strategy genre, having developed and released such classics as Dune 2, Command & Conquer, and Red Alert. They thought they could hide behind their name...were they ever wrong!
You can read the rest here.

Darkstone Review - Falcon @ 04:34:46 AM EST
GamePost has a review on the RPG game, Darkstone. According to them it is basically an enhanced Diablo... You can take a look at the review here.

Two things... - Falcon @ 04:29:25 AM EST
Forgot to mention, plugs to RStefan01 for the initial idea of the Mastercard ad.
Oh and happy B'Day to shiva, our affiliate from Ancient Nation who is now 39 years old I believe. :)

Descent 3 Review - Cerberus @ 12:17:18 AM EST
Well, looks like our friends at 3DGN have whipped up a little (well not actually little) review on Descent 3.

Wednesday - August 11th, 1999

UT Preview - Cerberus @ 10:28:35 PM EST
NGN has UT (Unreal Tournament) Preview for your viewing pleasure. Hmm... I wonder when this game is coming out... Hopefully soon... :)
Sources : VE

H&D Patch - Cerberus @ 10:14:20 PM EST
3D Files has posted the latest patch for American version of Hidden & Dangerous. This patch upgrades it to v1.1 and fixes many bugs such as sniper mode and latency fixes.
Sources : Blue's News

System Shock 2 Ships! - Hybrid @ 03:50:01 PM EST
Electronic Artsand Looking Glass Studios today shipped System Shock 2, a 3D science fiction/horror role-playing game (RPG) and sequel to System Shock, one of the most critically acclaimed computer games in history. The game, which again pits players against the evil artificial intelligence SHODAN, was co-developed by Looking Glass Studios and Irrational Games, and is being co-published by Looking Glass Studios and Electronic Arts. The title will begin hitting stores today and will be available nationwide by Friday, with a suggested retail price of $44.95. The initial shipment will be available in a limited edition package with chromium embossing. System Shock 2 is based on a next-generation version of Looking Glass' proprietary 3D technology, the Dark Engine, which offers 16-bit graphics, colored lighting, and variable translucent objects. The game features ten playable levels and a rich science fiction action/role-playing game system, with detailed character generation and growth, inventory and equipping, and several groups of special traits unique to each character. A multiplayer patch will be offered online shortly.

New Hosted Site - Falcon @ 03:46:10 PM EST
We are proud to announce the opening of a new hosted site: The DK2 Mana Vault for all your Dungeon keeper 2 needs - info, files, news.

StarCard - Cerberus @ 02:50:43 PM EST
Although this really isn't gaming related news, I just thought I should tell everyone about it. If you've ever seen those MasterCard comercials about how much stuff costs, and then the priceless thing, well if so, then check this out and see what SC has to do with all this... :)

Unreal Technology Page Update - Cerberus @ 02:46:13 PM EST
The Unreal Technology Page has been updated with a True-Type Font Importer Tutorial by Epic's Jack Porter. So what that means is that Unreal mod makers can import fonts and use them as in-game text. But it only works with Unreal 225f, so if you have 224 it won't work. Hmm... better update the Unreal files page with Unreal 225f patch...
Sources : Blue's News

UT screens - Cerberus @ 01:51:53 PM EST
Yep, I saw over at Blue's that Unrealism has posted 5 new screenshots of the upcoming game, Unreal Tournament.
Sources : Blue's News

Final Fantasy 8 Publisher Announced - Hybrid @ 09:43:24 AM EST
On Tuesday morning, Eidos announced that it has extended its agreement with Squaresoft to publish the PC version of Final Fantasy VIII, despite Square's yearlong association with Electronic Arts. Under the terms of this deal, Eidos will release Final Fantasy VIII throughout Europe and Australia as soon as the PC port is complete. "Eidos' commitment to the PC version of Final Fantasy VII has been obvious, and we have no doubt that our continuing relationship with Eidos will be mutually beneficial, resulting in strong sales of the PC version of Final Fantasy VIII," said Square president and CEO Tomoyuki Takechi. Final Fantasy VII was published internationally, including in the US, by Eidos last year - although it was initially plagued by incompatibility with nVidia Riva 128 video cards. As of yet, there's still no word on who will publish FF8 for the PC in the States, or when it'll hit our shores. The PlayStation version of FF8 is scheduled for a September 9 launch date in the US.
Sources : Gamespot

Tuesday - August 10th, 1999

New layout time! - Cerberus @ 10:49:43 PM EST
Looks like 2 SC sites have a new layout as of tonite... Is this the nite for new layouts? Ok, Tech-Base, long-time SC site, recently got a new layout. Plus, BW Dynasty has gotten a new layout. And yes! They are finally back up after more than 2 months of down time! Well, there ya go!
Sources : Yggdrasil.net

UPDATE:
Ok, Tech-base doesnt really have a NEW layout, more of a re-worked layout. Hrmm... it does have some errors... oh well..

New Review - Cerberus @ 08:43:39 PM EST
Thats right, GS now has a new review, of the System Shock 2 Demo. So if you're wondering if you should download the 40 meg or so demo, read this.

Pharaoh Retail Box voting Poll - Narayan @ 08:02:19 PM EST
Impressions Games and Sierra Studios are letting fans of its fall strategy release Pharaoh select the game’s retail box. Impressions Sierra have narrowed the selections down to three choices. For a limited time, fans can visit the Sierra Studios website to view the designs and vote on which one they believe will be chosen. Several fans will be selected at random to receive a free copy of the game when it ships. You can vote here.
Sources : Adrenaline Vault

Tribes Sequel Lead Designer Leaves - Narayan @ 08:00:20 PM EST
The lead designer of Dynamix’s Starsiege Tribes is leaving to join Electronic Arts online games division as the lead designer on an upcoming multiplayer title. Scott Youngblood has been with the Eugene, Ore.-based developer for nine years; recently he has been serving as the lead designer on the sequel.
Sources : Adrenaline Vault

Re-Volt Shipping Info - Narayan @ 07:58:48 PM EST
Acclaim Entertainment’s radio-controlled car racing game Re-Volt will ship to stores Aug. 18. Available for PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and PC, it was developed by Acclaim Studios London and lets gamers race 28 unique cars through diverse courses, including a grocery store, a toy store and a museum. The game features numerous powerups and weapons, and includes a comprehensive editor that lets gamers build and save their own courses.
Sources : Adrenaline Vault

Age Of Kings Preview - Ob1 @ 06:12:01 PM EST
Now that the Age of Kings Beta is out the first preview of the beta has been released by Gamespot. The preview contains some new screen shots as well it explains how AOK compares to AOE and what AOK's new features are. Check it out here.

D2 SSOTW! - Cerberus @ 05:11:49 PM EST
Joy, the newest D2 SSOTW is out. In this one, you can see an Amazon light up a tomb. Oooh shiny :).

Eidos extends publishing deal with Squaresoft - Narayan @ 04:58:56 PM EST
It was announced today that Eidos has extended it's publishing deal with Squaresoft for the rights to publish the game Final Fantasy VIII on the PC throughout Europe and Austrailia. Read the rest of the press release here.Also I will be at school for now on during the day, so I might have a chance to post news at school in my web mastering class but I doubt it. So you can't count on me as a source during the day.
Sources : Gamenation

EA & Sony vs Scourge - Hybrid @ 04:05:41 PM EST
That's right, Sony and EA have teamed up to smash a software piracy ring, run by a group called "Paradigm". Running pirated software out of locations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Russia (among others), the group has been a thorn in the sides of both companies for some time, and is now sitting on the business end of Copyright and Trademark Infringement suits from both companies (backed by the muscle of the US Marshalls). After seizing computer equipment from a location in the US, both companies released statements about the ongoing process. The senior VP and general counsel for EA, Ruth Kennedy said, "Putting an end to software piracy is a top priority for our industry. Electronic Arts and SCEA believe that the break up of pirate Internet rings like this will be key to our success in combating the rising problem of Internet piracy. This action is part of our ongoing plan to find and prosecute these thieves." Riley Russel, VP of Legal and Business Affairs at SCEA added, "We will work diligently to ensure that these counterfeiters are fully prosecuted and that others who think Internet piracy and `trading' is acceptable will think again." With legal proceedings still ongoing, expect to hear more about this case and others like it for a very long time to come, as the software industry cracks down on piracy.
Sources : Gamegurus

Drakan date confirmed - Hybrid @ 04:03:09 PM EST
Psygnosis have confirmed that their action-adventure title, Drakan has gone gold. The game has also been given an official release date of 20th August. Harry Vitelli of Psygnosis announced, "We’re all set to go. Retailers will appreciate having Drakan on their shelves prior to the rush of titles coming this fall. And with approximately 1.3 million consumers having sampled the game via retail counter displays and magazine covermount demos, there’s no doubt that Drakan will be flying off the shelves."

Braveheart! - Hybrid @ 04:02:28 PM EST
Eidos' Braveheart is set to be released in North America this Friday (13th August). The game is based around the Oscar winning Mel Gibson film which detailed the life of William Wallace.

AMD releases 650 MHz Chip - Hybrid @ 03:58:57 PM EST
AMD announced earlier today that they are shipping a 650MHz version of their vaunted Athlon processor. Athlon will ship with clock speeds of 650, 600, 550, and 500.

Civ2 Released - Hybrid @ 03:58:16 PM EST
While we have already seen the title on shelves over the weekend, Hasbro Interactive announced the launch of Civilization II: Test of Time. The latest in the Civ II lineup, the game offers the original Civilization II game (expanded with the colonization of the Centaurus star system) and branches out with two new universes: science fiction and fantasy. Each universe will have its own terrain, graphics, and technology trees. Players will have maps link to four worlds of strategy - much like playing four tiers of chess at one time. Basically, you'll fight enemies and creatures in subterranean, underwater environments, as well as in the skies and in space stations, while you develop technologies on each world to survive, conquer, and develop.

New Browser- Based Strategy Wargame - Falcon @ 01:53:40 AM EST
There is a new free multiplayer strategy wargame out which runs directly off your browser. This requires the shockwave plugin and is still in beta form but you can check it out here

Gamespot TS Preview - Falcon @ 01:46:30 AM EST
Gamespot has written a preview on the Tiberian Sun Gold code. They also have some new pictures.
Sources : Game Headlines

Blizzard the Best? - Falcon @ 01:36:44 AM EST
Opinion Nation has written an article on why they believe why they believe this is so. Read it here

Monday - August 9th, 1999

Another Down - Falcon @ 10:56:52 PM EST
Another gaming site is losing it's doors, this time it is The D2 GYard. They will be missed by the online gaming community.
Sources : Blizzard Central

Agent vs. Dudey! - Cerberus @ 09:10:54 PM EST
Everyone has been waiting for this, the one battle report. The Agent vs. Dudey battle report is finally up at I Cant Win.

RTSNATION CLOSES - Hybrid @ 08:42:32 PM EST
While doing my news searching, I found that RTSNATION has closed.

Lack of news? - Falcon @ 07:12:02 PM EST
You may have noticed a lack of news posting lately, that is because most of our staff members are on vacation or busy working behind the scenes on some new content and other projects which will be launched soon. So stay tuned, and keep watching this space :)

UT Interview - Cerberus @ 04:21:52 PM EST
Check it out, theres a new UT Interview, where Sam Hell interviews CliffyB. You know you wanna read it :). Oooh, this game is gonna rock..
Sources : Planet Unreal

Zerg in Warcraft 3???? - Hybrid @ 07:51:04 AM EST
I've been notified that the Zerg may be a race in the upcoming, unannounced Warcraft 3.

New Sc action figures?!? - Hybrid @ 07:49:23 AM EST
I've been notified that Blizzard plans to make more Starcraft action figures. Blizzard plans to make the Terran Firebat, Terran Medic, Zerg Zergling, Zerg Ultralisk, Protoss Dark Templar, and the Protoss Dragoon. Hope this is true:)

Sunday - August 8th, 1999

Venom Demo - Cerberus @ 10:18:08 PM EST
Hmm... alot of demos coming out lately... anyways, the Venom demo is now out... maybe I'll check this one out...

BTW, As soon as I finish downloading the 38 meg SS2 demo, I will have a review up for your viewing pleasure.

Unreal Maps Section is now Online! - Cerberus @ 10:06:24 PM EST
Joy! The Unreal Maps Section is now online. Right now, there is only like 4 maps, and the Fusion Map Pack by Epic Games which has some really good DM maps in it.

Unreal Section Updates... - Cerberus @ 09:11:11 PM EST
Well, you can expect the Unreal Maps section to be up later tonite, or early tomorrow. It will only have a few well-made maps, and the Fusion Map Pack, which has alot of good maps. If you want more maps in the map section, then submit them.

As for the Unreal Walk Thru, I don't know if I will actually start it because of the limited time I will have once school starts again :(. Grr... I hate school... anyways stay tuned.

Icantwin Battle report - Cerberus @ 07:39:59 PM EST
Ahh, I'm finally back from my day long trip at my grandparents house... err... Anyways, Agent of I Cant Win has gotten up the second part of the Imports Civil War (if you remember the first one), which can be found here.

Avault's PC Game Release Date List - Narayan @ 03:56:16 PM EST
The Adrenaline Vault has posted an updated list of the release dates of games beginning with August 9th with Clans, and ending with games proposed for 2000 and beyond. And there is actually a release date for Daikatana, December 1st. Check out the list here.
Sources : Adrenaline Vault

Blizzard Central Reopens - Falcon @ 12:35:43 AM EST
Got this in my inbox:
The Blizzard Central Network has re-opened its new layout and more content to the public. We have just moved to the NoWWire Network and am very thankful to be hosted by them. Other then a new layout, we have updated info on all of the Blizzard titles, new features coming such as free for all links, a new features section including Diablo II stories and having a seperate site for each game Blizzard releases to give the viewers more information they desire.

Currently we are looking for new and dedicated staff members and also looking for quality Blizzard related sites to join the network. Please visit Blizzard Central.

Orcs: Revenge Of the Ancients - DespotiK @ 12:14:40 AM EST
Remember reading the Lord Of The Rings series? And The Hobbitt before that? Now remember thinking how cool it would be to be immersed in that world? Well now our dreams have come true! You, the player, takes the role of an orc cheiftain. You must select your orcs and train them to be all they can be! Check it out for yourself! Orcs: Revenge of The Ancients

Saturday - August 7th, 1999

Hell'ewa Funny! - WizZard @ 07:37:33 PM EST
I just downloaded a "trialer" named SparkWars. Heheh.....It's a StarWars parody, with the crew from South Park.

You can view it here It's quite large...
Sources : Simple.Craft

Battlezone II Screenshots - Falcon @ 04:36:55 PM EST
Pandemic Studios has some new screenshots for their upcoming game, Battlezone 2. These look like excellent screenshots, and the game should look awesome when it comes out.
Sources : Ancient Nation

Third Person Shooters? - Falcon @ 04:30:52 PM EST
GameSpot has written an article on why present a game as a TPS, and risk "your characters butt blocking the action" rather than playing FPS.

Starcraft News - Falcon @ 04:19:52 PM EST
Well, heres your daily dose of Starcraft News...
First the Battle.Net news, Blizzard has performed another set of resets, but this time in a new format with all the names in one post, rather than 9+ pages full of individual resets.
FuzzyTheBear has continued his writing streak with a reply to Shlonglors post on the B.Net forums comparing the state of Starcraft to a Tennis Club. You can read his post here. Soso, of Gamers X has also written a reply siding with Blizzard and stating his views about the matter.
Onto other news, the ISL has started a weekly audio news broadcast
Simple.Craft has also done an interview with Thor \"/ a SC "great". You can read it here
Dudey has written an article on Koreans vs Americans, read it here.

Freespace 2 demo released - Narayan @ 09:22:39 AM EST
The Freespace 2 demo has been released with 12 ship classes, two singleplayer missions, plus one training mission, two multiplayer missions; one which has a 12 player dogfight mode. Click here to download the demo.It requires a Glide 3D Acclerator, or Direct 3D.
Sources : Gamenation

Hydralisks out of Stock - Hybrid @ 07:20:06 AM EST
Hydralisk Action Figures have all being sold and there's no plans in producing more.

Friday - August 6th, 1999

MekLarian Interview - Cerberus @ 10:52:07 PM EST
Agent has done it again! I Cant Win has been updated with an interview of MekLarian, Agent's fav War2 player.

SC MOTW - Falcon @ 07:28:43 PM EST
This weeks Starcraft Map of the Week is out - CutThroat (That name sounds familiar..)

"In all my years of duty as a merchant captain in the space cargo lanes, the one thing I can be sure of is that there's pirates out there who will do just about anything to get your cargo. You can also be sure that the customs agents of the Kel-Morian Combine have hearts colder than the void of space, but that's entirely another story. The pirates, though, are always a problem for every honest trader trying to make a buck. Just when you think you've got your cargo home -- BAM -- those bastards come out of the woodwork to ruin your day and your pocketbook. One of these days they'll all get what's coming to them."
Download it here

Battlereports? - Falcon @ 07:26:12 PM EST
I found this at Sc.org, a long and extremely detailed Battle Report from a 3 way Brood War FFA game. This would have taken a very long time to compile, with plenty of screenshots, some animated. Read it here

New Reviews - Falcon @ 07:20:50 PM EST
We have released 3 new reviews -

  • Baldurs Gate
  • Unreal
  • TA:Kingdoms

    Take a look today!

    New UT Map... - Cerberus @ 06:05:08 PM EST
    The UT Website has been updated with a new map, called DM-Grinder, which can be checked out here.
    Sources : Planet Unreal

    System Shock 2 Demo... - Cerberus @ 05:37:56 PM EST
    Firing Squad has put up a review on the System Shock 2 Demo review. Hmm... maybe I should download this...
    Sources : GX

    Real Gamer? - Cerberus @ 05:36:29 PM EST
    If you're wondering if you're a real gamer, then go check out GX's Temporary Sanity to see if you are.

    Another interview at Poodlesite - Hybrid @ 05:17:54 PM EST
    Well, Poodlesite has done it again.

    More b.net resets - Hybrid @ 05:16:26 PM EST
    Well, Blizzard has done it again. This time they have reset 613 Battle.net users.

    Revenant Demo - Narayan @ 11:41:18 AM EST
    A revenant demo has been posted at avault. it is 40 some odd MB's so, start now, eat somethin, take a nap, or do somethin. Get the download here
    Sources : Blues News

    GameSpy Industries Launches PlantDraken - Narayan @ 11:33:07 AM EST
    Gamespy Industries, creator of sites like, Planet Starseige, Planet Quake, Planet Daikatana, etc., etc., has expanded once more into Draken. You can read the press release here, or you can visit the site here.
    Sources : Gamenation

    Response to Boom Games - MystikaL @ 10:52:30 AM EST
    Now before you say I am biased and everything, let me tell you exactly what I am responding to and why I am responding to it.

    There was an article written by chase of boom games yesterday and news was posted about it on Starcraft.Org

    I totally agree with mostly everything there, except for a few things. Here is my list for Battle.Net to do.

  • Disable use of bots in public channels
  • Better sorting of games
  • Improved ladder system
  • Improve servers stability
  • Ban ASCII characters from being displayed in games and rooms
  • Rid Battle.Net of Diablo shareware

    • For one thing, they can't do much about the lag! It isnt usually the servers but more of the users connection, chase complained about lag. I myself absoluly experience minimal lag whatsoever and here are my specs.

  • Intel Pentium 2 266mhz
  • 64 Megs RAM
  • Windows 2000
  • IBM 56k Internet Modem kit
  • Ensoniq AudioPCI sound card
  • 8.4 GIG Hard Drive
  • 17inch monitor

    • Now, I have earthlink as my ISP and connect at 53.3bps with windows 2000 and usually end up getting anywhere from 1g-2g latency on battle.net. Even my friend who has a 56k modem, 32 megs ram, and a 200mzh proccessor gets 2g and he uses prodigy.

    Now is it just me or is this guy exaggerating a bit. I mean 5 or 6 games to find one that works? I get in on my 1st or 2nd one on average. Sometimes I do admit the server is split and you cant play very easily adn when you come into the channel like everynoe has over 5 red.

    I do aggree though, there are many improvements battle.net could make to make their customers happy and improve their reputation.

    System Shock 2 - Marine Class - Narayan @ 08:48:15 AM EST
    Electronic Arts and Looking Glass revelealed information about the Marine Class in the Upcoming sequel. He is a weapons-savvy soldier.His training is focused on weapons, weapons skills and boosting strength, endurance and agility. You can read more about it here.
    Sources : Gamenation

    More Gold - Falcon @ 04:30:49 AM EST
    This time its Enlight Software Limited's highly anticipated real-time strategy game Seven Kingdoms II. Master CDs of the game have been delivered to duplication plants. Enlight has started accepting orders for Seven Kingdoms II on its web site at http://www.enlight.com and will ship copies to customers in early September. Check the full story for more details.
    Sources : GamersX

    Thursday - August 5th, 1999

    WoT Screens - Cerberus @ 10:33:02 PM EST
    The Wheel of Time website has been updated with 20 brand spankin new screen shots. Now, I am really lookin forward to this game, since I am curently reading the novel(s) based on this game... oooo cant wait...
    Sources : Planet Unreal

    New Editorial... - Cerberus @ 10:26:57 PM EST
    Well, looks like Dudey\"/ of Dudey's Toilet has put up an editorial about why koreans are better than americans at SC. So if you wanna know the truth... check it out here.
    Sources : Icantwin

    Microsoft Unveils Asheron's Call - Narayan @ 09:43:16 PM EST
    Microsoft unveiled the newest and most anticipated online RPG at GenCon `99. It is scheduled to be released in the holiday season on MSN Internet Gaming Zone. You can read more from the PR here.
    Sources : Gamenation

    Dreamcast Emulator - Narayan @ 03:42:50 PM EST
    Over at CNET gamecenter, they have the first Dreamcast Emulator called Nightmare. This is a beta and is availiable for download. Just as a reminder To use Nightmare with commercial ROM images you mustalready own the game on the original game CD. If you use ROM images illegally (i.e those you do not own the original CD for), you are in violation of United States and international laws. .That is what they say, but how are you gonna get the american games when the release date is 9.9.99? You can get the emulator here, but if i was you, stay away from this.
    Sources : Blues News

    Braveheart and Legacy of Kain - Narayan @ 03:37:47 PM EST
    This happened yesterday but no one reported it. Legacy of Kain:Soul Reaver and Braveheart have gone gold. Check it out here.
    Sources : Gamenation

    Homeworld Preview - Cerberus @ 02:55:40 PM EST
    CalBear and soso has reviewed Homeworld at Thresh's FIring Squad, which is here.

    Shack Strategy - Cerberus @ 02:54:34 PM EST
    The SC Strategy site, StarShack has finally gotten up the next part of their strategy, which can be found here.

    Really funny SC SITE - Hybrid @ 11:55:28 AM EST
    Poodlesite is a new funny SC site. This is a site everyone should visit.

    New flash at SCL - Hybrid @ 11:53:43 AM EST
    SCL has made a new Flash Intro for their site.

    Clanwars.com reopens! - Hybrid @ 11:52:55 AM EST
    CW has reopened with a Beta-Test to test their new ClanWars Game Engine.

    PC Data Top Sales Chart - Hybrid @ 10:36:39 AM EST
    It seems that IGN has just released the top 20 best selling games this year. Suprisingly, Brood War took 4th place. Remarkable as it is only an expansion.

    SC 64 Delayed - Hybrid @ 10:35:34 AM EST
    Apparently Starcraft 64 has just been delayed from what was slated to be a September release to October 24th. For details about this, can check out the news here.

    Best Gaming Soundtracks? - Falcon @ 12:31:30 AM EST
    GameSpot has released its readers choice: The Best Gaming Soundtracks. Take a look here
    Sources : RTS Nation

    Wednesday - August 4th, 1999

    D2 Gallery Update - Cerberus @ 07:45:46 PM EST
    The D2 Gallery has now been updated with the Barbarian and the Necromancer.

    Bill Roper Interview - WizZard @ 02:34:39 PM EST
    Bill Roper of Blizzard has been interviewed by Universal Gaming Network. The interview deals with features to be included in Diablo II. It is pretty informative, and for they who really look forward to Diablo II click here to read it.

    TA: K Review up! - WizZard @ 08:51:14 AM EST
    My Review of TA: K is now up in the reviews section. Click here to read it.

    Mac Diablo II Planned - Hybrid @ 07:58:50 AM EST
    Thanks to Acid~Angel, I was informed thatShlonglor has just announced on the forums that Diablo II more Mac will be released before the unannounced projects. Interesting, and good luck to all you mac users out there.

    I cant Win top ten - WizZard @ 04:09:58 AM EST
    Agent has put up a top ten over at www.icantwin.com just to screw up the current peace in the StarCraft cummunity :-) But I can't say that I agree with the rankings. With CannonBalls on vacation I belive they deserve place number 1 :-)

    Poll Script Bug - Falcon @ 03:15:30 AM EST
    Apparently when anyone voted instead of reloading the page with the results, it was taking them to the location of the poll script with the reults shown. This should now be fixed, if you see any other problems, dont hesitate to contact me.
    In other site news we are currently working on a new more NS friendly layout, so for all the Netscape users, stay tuned!

    New Poll - Falcon @ 02:23:29 AM EST
    Here are the results from last weeks poll:

    Best Current Game?
    SC/BW 124 69.27 %
    Half Life 37 20.67 %
    TA 2 1.12 %
    TA:K 3 1.68 %
    Unreal 2 1.12 %
    Quake2 4 2.23 %
    Other 7 3.91 %
    TOTAL 179 100.00 %

    Looks like Starcraft/Broodwar are still the most popular.

    This weeks question, is which game are you looking forward to the most? Place your vote now!

    Tuesday - August 3rd, 1999

    ICQ - MystikaL @ 08:35:15 PM EST
    I no longer have ICQ because it does not function under Windows 2000. I will need to download a java envirenment and get JAVA version of ICQ. Until I find it I will be without ICQ for a few days. I reccomend anyone who wants to talk to me to get AOL Instant Messenger. Thank you

    Computer Problems Falcon - MystikaL @ 06:07:57 PM EST
    Just to let you all know Im having computer problems. ICQ completly wont function. I open the program and boom shuts itself down. I am not sure if this a problem due to Windows 2000, though I have a feeling it is because I reinstalled it and it did the same thing heh. Anyway, guess I wont be seeing anyone on ICQ tonight. Im gonna TRY to download an older version like ICQ 98 and see if that works. Of course remember ICQ 99a is a beta so I cant blame it for not working with an OS its never tried to work with before.

    D2 SSOTW - Cerberus @ 03:26:57 PM EST
    In this week's screenshot, a Necromancer amplifies damage with a curse. To check it out, head on over here.

    Q3 Test Patch - Cerberus @ 03:21:58 PM EST
    Q3 v1.08 has been released with some recent fixes. To download it, go over to Quake Files for the download.

    Space Hulk Campaign reviewed - WizZard @ 02:16:01 PM EST
    Campaign Creations' campaign Space Hulk have been reviewed by Derek Hamilton over at Opinion Nation. You may read it here.

    Half-Life Patch - Hybrid @ 09:24:12 AM EST
    For those of you having trouble with the bots in Half-Life, a new patch will be released which will fix those problems sometime next week. Here is a quote: We're going to be releasing a new version of Half-Life next week...The new release, basically, is due to conversations we've been having with mod developers - they need some functionality specifically for bot technology. So, next week, there will be two bots released for Half-Life.

    Starfleet Command Goes Gold - Hybrid @ 09:23:10 AM EST
    Yep, the subject speaks for itself, c'mon, you have to be a master of the obvious. Interplay, according to AGN3D has said Star Trek: Starfleet Command has gone gold. This real-time strategy will probably go on shelves soon (by the end of the month, I am thinking). A press release should be issued in a couple days

    Civilization 2: Test of Time Ships - Hybrid @ 09:19:07 AM EST
    Microprose's last entry to the Civilization 2 series, Test of Time, has just gone gold. Expect to see it in US stores around the 7th of August.

    Force 21 Available for Multiplayer on MPlayer - Hybrid @ 09:16:40 AM EST
    Red Storm's tactical RTS, the Force 21 demo, is now available for multiplayer on MPlayer. Download the demo and logon here.

    Seven Kindoms 2 Looking for new Publisher - Hybrid @ 09:14:28 AM EST
    Bad news for fans of the 7 Kingdoms series...Interactive Magic has revoked their publishing rights for 7 Kingdoms since they decided to leave the CD-ROM publishing business, leaving the sequel without a publisher. Enlight Software, the developers of the game, are currently in negotiations with UbiSoft, but have not recieved a response, and are still looking for a publisher. If they are unable to find a suitable publisher, then they will probably do it themselves. In the meantime, enjoy the public beta, which is available for download here.

    TA: K news - WizZard @ 03:38:33 AM EST
    Hello all, I'm new at GameSurge and I will be in charge of the TA:K section. I'll get up some content very soon so be sure to come back for some TA:K action! :-)

    Since this is my first news post, I guess I could bring you some news: Cavedog are having a unit suggestion, and you may vote for your favourite. So head on over there and check it out...

    AOE2 Beta Testers Selected - Falcon @ 02:49:35 AM EST
    Well, out of 160,000 applications, 300 people were selected. Check to see if you were one of the lucky ones here.

    C&C2:TS is GOLD! - Falcon @ 02:48:09 AM EST
    Westwood has made a post on their main page that Tiberian Sun has gone gold!

    Master cd's of Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun have been hand-delivered to duplication plants around the world!
    Well, there you have it... it's finally happened.
    Sources : RTS Network

    Total Annihilation: New Unit - Falcon @ 02:43:28 AM EST
    Cavedog:
    In a very unsuspected move Cavedog released a new TA unit! (Hey always great to see life being bread back into the game that started it all!!!)

    Now being downloaded to Core Commanders across the galaxy, the Immolator Plasma Tower offers the ultimate in protection from Arm Flash and PeeWee units. Designed by ex-Arm inventor and escaped political prisoner Tohu B'vohu, this weapon will change the battlefield for Core Commanders. Would you like to know more?
    Sources : TA:Kingdoms.com

    Starcraft news - Falcon @ 02:34:08 AM EST
    A fair bit of Starcraft news,
    Bill Roper spotted in Gamer's PvP Comic PvP is an online only comic hosted by MPOG that focuses on games and the gaming industry. If you want to read the current storyline where Blizzard is mentioned, go here

    Blizzard is rescheduling their SC/BW tournament championships "due to the unexpected scheduling of our Winners Advance playoffs for Season 02 and resolution of technical problems with Battle.net."
    Head over to Battle.Net for the exact dates for the championships to be played.

    New feature for Corsairs in SC/BW?
    Apparently if you select a group of 'Sairs and select to D-web on an area of land they will cast the webs over a spread area and not just on one spot. You can view one of the Screenshots here.

    There is a new version of the Random Map Selector out, it includes a New Option, which alows you to Choose From all the Maps Under The Starcraft\MapsDir (Magnifying Glass Icon) , and "Cool sounds".
    You can visit the RMS page here, or download the file directly here

    Starcraft Network has released new chapters of SCN's first fan fiction story Zorafchu, which you can read here

    Chapter 6 of SC:L's Aeon of Strife has been released.

    Interviews, interviews, and more interviews... - Falcon @ 01:52:35 AM EST
    Firstly, FuzzyTheBear, from Starcraft Gurus has interviewed Sauron, a supposed elite Zerg Player.

    Interview with Sauron. The secrets of the Zerg have remained hidden for far too long . . .finally, they are revealed. Build orders, special strategies, Lost Temple tricks, anti-Protoss tactics. . .and so much more!

    Secondly, Gamenation.org has an interview with Soso, the Brood war season 1 winner.

    Thirdly, X-Force has interviewed :+:jolly:+:, the Season 3 ladder and PGL finalist.

    Monday - August 2nd, 1999

    Unreal Section - Cerberus @ 11:54:29 PM EST
    Yep, you may have already noticed but I have finally finished the Unreal section and have gotten it up! So far, we have the Unreal Info/Story page and the Unreal Files page. My plans for the future are that I will get the Unreal Maps section up sometime this week, and the Unreal walk thru up sometime after that. So, hope you like it!

    TR2 Gold.. - Cerberus @ 08:01:00 PM EST
    GameFAQs has put up a walk thru of TR 2 Gold. Check it out here.
    Sources : Voodoo Extreme

    GX TA:K Section - Cerberus @ 07:57:10 PM EST
    Well, I noticed that there is alot of SC-related news lately... so why not some TA:K news! GX has put up a TA:K Section. So for all you TA:K players, might wanna check this out!

    SS2 demo - Narayan @ 03:59:47 PM EST
    finally , the day i have been waiting for is here. the system shock 2 demo has been released and i might say it is better then I have hoped. the file is 40 MB. You can get it at Adrenaline Vault. Take the time to download this.

    Balance in BW? - Hybrid @ 08:33:22 AM EST
    FuzzytheBear's written another article, and this one is on balance. He says that one change can bring about a fix for the whole thing. I don't really know if I agree with him on this one, but it's something to think about. Balance Article

    New Customs for BW - Hybrid @ 08:28:01 AM EST
    Rubic's Cube (20kb) This custom converts the Ultralisk Cavern into what appears to be a rubics cube that spins at ultra high speeds. An interesting conversion who thoughts puzzle loving starcraft players. Fanland Clubhouse(155kb) This rather different conversion replaces the Terran Command Center with a funky looking club house. All I can say is that I never willlive in one of these...

    B.net resets again - Hybrid @ 08:24:07 AM EST
    If you decided to take a look at the Ladder Discussion Forum, you'll notice that yet more people having been reset for the most devious of crimes... ladder abuser. Once again the sizze of the reset is quite large, stretching over 7 pages. Ladder Discussion Forum

    Site News - Falcon @ 05:01:55 AM EST
    First off, we have a new rant titled - Online Gaming Today by our new staff member, Langlier.
    Secondly, we have a featured review on the recent LAN party - Multi Mayhem written by Gordoni Valducci.
    On the downside, we have suspended/cancelled our Archmage coverage due to some difficulties.

    Release dates for DII, WC:BNE, and SC64 - Falcon @ 03:25:40 AM EST
    Okay, here's the scoop...
    Diablo 2 is slated for release on December the 16th, 1999 (RRP- US$49.99),
    WarCraft II Battle.Net Edition is slated for release November 2nd, 1999 (RRP- US$19.99),
    and the N64 Version of StarCraft (produced by Nintendo) is set to be released November 26th, 1999 (RRP- US$49.99).

    "These dates are subject to change"
    Plugs to Ancient Nation

    TS NOD Wallpaper - Falcon @ 03:22:25 AM EST
    Tiberian Empire has released a new NOD wallpaper. This is available for 640x480, 800x600, and 1024x768 resolutions.

    Starcraft News - Falcon @ 01:02:22 AM EST
    Starcraft.org has added new fanfic, battlereports, and fan art to their recources section.
    SC:Legacy has uploaded the first mission of their LSAGA Precursor Campaign.
    In the Canada vs USA tournament, America's Maynard has defeated Canada's X'Ds~Fallen. A battle report, written by Blacklizard, is now available here

    Simple.Craft is working on a new Online Mag

    It is essentially an online magazine, for men. Although Simple.Craft is aimed primarily at guys, it doesn't really have articles and specific types of content directed at guys (other than gaming of course). Simple.Mag, will deal with all kinds of guy issues.

    Starcraft Millenium is looking for a new Head Strategist, if you think you can fill that position, head over there or email agelmar.

    Derek, of Opinion Nation has just released his review of Campaign Creations' E.D.A.S.T. Episode I. Check it out here

    Partial source credits to Starcraft Network

    Sunday - August 1st, 1999

    Campaign News - Cerberus @ 10:47:28 PM EST
    I doubt any of you really care, but my little campaign, Resurrection, has gone on hiatus until further notice because I don't really have much interest in it. Now, I might pick up on it again in the future, so when that happens, you will all know.

    AHL Review - Cerberus @ 04:20:56 PM EST
    3DGN has recently gotten up a review on the latest HL mod, Action HL, which can be viewed here, so if you're wondering if you should download it, read the review.
    Sources : Voodoo Extreme

    Venom Test Demo - Cerberus @ 04:17:57 PM EST
    Looks like GA-Source has put up a test demo of Venom. Remember since this is a test demo, it may have bugs. If you're interested, you can check it out here.

    Sources : Voodoo Extreme

    Darkops - Hybrid @ 10:46:45 AM EST
    On August 8 Darkops.com will open.
    Sources : Darkops

    StarCraft Beats TA:K - Hybrid @ 08:19:10 AM EST
    StarCraft has proven itself once again, as it retook the top spot fromTA: Kingdoms for the week of July 7th in sales. Here's the whole list: 1 / Starcraft / Havas Interactive / $39 2 / MP Roller Coaster Tycoon / Hasbro Interactive / $30 3 / Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Gold Edition/ Red Storm Ent / $30 4 / Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace / LucasArts / $45 5 / SimCity 3000 / Electronic Arts / $44 6 / Need For Speed 3 / Electronic Arts / $20 7 / Total Annihilation: Kingdoms / GT Interactive / $48 8 / Need For Speed: High Stakes / Electronic Arts / $39 9 / Monopoly Game / Hasbro Interactive / $18 10 / Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2 / Activision / $19
    Sources : Starcraft Legacy

    Gamers Extreme Moving - Hybrid @ 08:15:21 AM EST
    Gamers Extreme will be moving to its new URL which is . Gamersx.com
    Sources : Gamers Extreme. They also apparently have somethign new planned coming soon.

    Marine Speed Editor is out!!! - Hybrid @ 08:12:44 AM EST
    Infoceptor has released a speed editor. Well, sort of it only edits the Terran Marine's speed. It works very well and it's just a taste of whats to come in the future. This is must download!!!
    Sources : Starcraft Infoceptor

    Starcraft News - Falcon @ 03:40:45 AM EST
    More development to the SC:M hacker issue, Toymarine has responded to Agelmars post which pointed the finger at him. This is what he had to say in defense,

    Agelmar
    alright I would just like to say that I did do the first one, that was because you said some nasty things to me in an email, which I took offence too. After that I stoped moved on with my life and said to hell with it. I havent been back to your site since. Then I go to scl and I read that you guys have been hacked again, which was not me, and again which was not me again. So do not say that I was hacking. Also, ask yourself this, "is it hacking when you have access to something?" O and another thing, just to make it clear, I only did the first one. So there I end it.
    So there you go, maybe the hacker is still at large.

    In other news, Simple.Craft, the well known SC site is getting back onto it's feet after around a month of downtime, go take a look!

    Diablo2 News... - Falcon @ 03:33:34 AM EST
    A new Diablo2 club has been started at Yahoo. You can see it here
    The Graveyard is closing. Why? Not enough time...
    The Guardian is working on a new D2 browser, he would like all Diablo2 Webmasters to send in their site name, site url, site email, and the date the site opened.

    Sources : D2 Realm

    Diablo2 Fan Art - Falcon @ 02:21:02 AM EST
    D2 Realm has released some new fan art images.
    The first is a diablo2 Wallpaper (800x600).
    The second is a Thorned Hulk monster.
    The third is a Diablo2 teaser/logo,
    and the forth is another Diablo2 logo.
    They're definately worth a look, check them out!

    Saturday - July 31th, 1999

    Interplay announces new game - Falcon @ 10:22:20 PM EST
    Interplay Announces Invictus: In the Shadow of Olympus. IGN gives you a mini-preview of the upcoming RTS game with six shots you won't see anywhere else. Click here to take a peak.
    Sources : RTS Nation

    Rogue Spear Preview - Cerberus @ 10:20:42 PM EST
    BetaBites has put up a preview on Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear.
    Sources : Voodoo Extreme

    SC:M Update - Falcon @ 10:20:18 PM EST
    Apparently Toymarine is the culprit who has been accessing their news script.

    I have set up a comprehensive log on this. The hacker is going to get fried... I now have your IP, I have your ISP, and I have sent a notice to your ISP, Mr. Hacker. Die you SOB.

    Online Lessons for SC/BW! - Hybrid @ 06:55:50 PM EST
    Online Starcraft Brood War Lessons with Hybrid-=SSJ=-

    Eliminate Hacking? - Falcon @ 06:48:01 PM EST
    Fuzzy the bear has written a report on how he believes the hacking problem can be solved, you can read the article here
    Personally I think that Blizzard would rather spend their recources on making a patch than buying a supercomputer though

    New MP3! - Hybrid @ 06:08:34 PM EST
    DJ Overload has released a ghost Ghost MP3.
    Sources : Starcraft Legacy

    Cavedog Wants you! - Falcon @ 05:55:20 PM EST
    Well, not you but you're ideas...
    Cavedog has opened up a Unit Suggestion area to their site, so you have a great idea we suggest heading over there and letting them know NOW!
    Sources : TA:Kingdoms.com

    Icantwin Battle Report - Cerberus @ 05:53:36 PM EST
    Agent911, from Icantwin.com, has put up a new battle report. As always, they are funny, and can be read here.

    System Shock 2 Demo released! - Hybrid @ 05:47:58 PM EST
    Thought she was gone? Looking Glass has resurrected Shodan to wreak evil in the sequel to System Shock. A first-person shooter/adventure/role-playing game hybrid,System Shock 2 introduces players to a futuristic sci-fiworld that has gone wrong. Designed in part by the same team that brought gamersanother interesting hybrid, Thief: The Dark Project, System Shock 2 has players awaken to discover that they've been the recipient of a cybernetic implant. They are then recruited to join one of three different military operations--Navy, Marines, or BlackOps--each endowing players with unique traits. Not just a rehash of the original, this sequel promises to expand on the RPG elements of System Shock. There are more enemies, more modifiable weapons, and more psionic powers. Based ona next-generation version ofLooking Glass' proprietary 3D engine, System Shock 2 promises to deliver 16-bit color, colored lighting, variable-translucency objects, advanced particle effects, and an advanced AI. Players should expect a balanced combination of excellent graphics and deep gameplay. The demo includes the game's tutorial area and features the first level of the ten levels available in the complete game. This level places players on the Med-Sci level of the Von Braun spaceship. The minimum system requirements are as follows: 200-MHz Pentium, 32MB of RAM, 8X CD-ROM,and a 4MB Direct3D-compatible 3D accelerator card. Therecommended system requirements include a 300-MHz Pentium II and 64MB of RAM.
    Sources : Gamecenter

    SC:M Still not hack free - Falcon @ 05:40:52 PM EST
    It seems that some person(s) still has posting access to SC:Millenium
    This was what was in the news post in -1 purple font.

    *sniff*
    agelmar, fix it bro -=]

    DK2 Review - Falcon @ 05:30:47 PM EST
    PC Gameworld has a Dungeon Keeper 2 review out, which also includes some screenshots.

    Kain-The-Feared Auction Ends - Hybrid @ 05:28:49 PM EST
    The auction for 3 one hour Starcraft Brood War lessons has come to a close with a winning bid of $78.00. Vinnie39 is the lucky winner.

    Science and Industry - Falcon @ 05:28:45 PM EST
    Science and Industry, a new mod for Half Life has been released. You can see it here

    New guy - Hybrid @ 05:18:38 PM EST
    Well im the new guy around here. Just thought you all should know that:)

    Emerald Patch Gold released - Falcon @ 05:12:15 PM EST
    Cerebr@Brog has just released the latest version of his 'emerald placer patch' which gives map makers more power to do what they want with staredit. Now map makers not only have the power to do all the cool things that they could do with the earlier patches like placing buildings on any terrain but there are also a wide range of other improvements such as the ability to upgrade unit armour and weapons to 255/255. You can download the patch from here
    Sources : Starcraft.org

    Secret project at Campaign Creations - Falcon @ 04:54:49 PM EST
    A secret "project" is going to be released on Tuesday or Wednesday over at Campaign Creations. Here is what Desler had to say in his post :

    I'm preparing to release something to the public, probably on Tuesday or Wednesday, that hasn't been mentioned before. It has to do with one of my previous projects, however, it will be cleaned up and enhanced in a new way that NO campaign has ever been presented before. The sound files are being cleaned up right now, and believe me, they are much more better then ever. Especially those of you with good speaker systems will appreciate the difference you hear. Just stick around!
    Well, stay tuned!
    Sources : Starcraft Network

    Warcraft2 Questions - Falcon @ 05:32:54 AM EST
    Shlonglor has been going crazy with posts on the B.Net forums answering questions regarding W2:BNE. Some of the posts are here:

  • Various Fixes
  • Map Support
  • Patrolling Sappers
    Sources : WC Town Hall

    Homeworld Fansite Contest - Falcon @ 05:15:22 AM EST
    Sierra is throwing together a Homeworld Fansite Building Contest.

    WIN A TRIP TO VANCOUVER, B.C. IN HOMEWORLD CONTEST
    Enter to win a trip to Vancouver, B.C. to watch the Homeworld racecar tear it up in the 1999 Molson Indy and hang out with the Relic Entertainment team.
    To enter, all you have to do is create a groovy Homeworld fan site. Sierra Studios and Relic will choose their favorite and fly the winner and a friend to Vancouver, B.C. on Friday, Sept. 3. Once in Vancouver, you will accompany Relic to the 1999 Molson Indy to watch the Homeworld sponsored racecar.
    In addition to the Grand Prize, we'll be randomly selecting winners to receive a 3dfx Voodoo3 Graphics Card, two Intel Any Point Home Network PCI cards (perfect for Homeworld duels), or a 3Dfx hat and mouse pad from our list of Homeworld fansite registrants.
    See the official site
    Sources : Strategy Planet

    'Scuse the dust - Falcon @ 04:11:20 AM EST
    Things may seem slightly messy here at GameSurge, but that is because we are working extremely hard behind the scenes on the guts of our site, the content, while we strive to make this one of the best news sites out there. For those of you who have been visiting regularly lately, you will have noticed several new strategies being added, including the new Starcraft Advanced Tactics Section. On top of that, we have now completed our Half Life Section, with several new subsections:

  • Half Life Technology
  • Humans
  • Monster Info
  • Other creatures
  • Weapon Info
  • Multiplayer Tips

    The Counterstrike and Opposing Force sections will be uploaded later today, while the Archmage and Quake2 sections should be completed shortly.

    Friday - July 30th, 1999

    Alpha Centauri Expansion - MystikaL @ 08:31:02 PM EST
    "The Firaxis-developed expansion pack is scheduled for release in late 1999, according to EA. Sid Meier’s Alien Crossfire will feature seven new playable factions, new technologies and a plot that involves the human race being caught in the crossfire between hostile alien adversaries."

    "The original inhabitants of Alpha Centauri have returned to reclaim their world but are irrevocably split and a war breaks out between two alien factions. After almost annihilating each other the survivors from each race land on the planet where humanity has made its new home."

    "Players chose to command one of the two alien races and have to look out for seafaring pirates, futuristic cyborgs, and a society of disgruntled laborers. Unhappy rulers will be able to throw dissidents into the new Brood Pit and watch hatchling Mind Worms eat them alive."

    "The seven new factions essentially double the scope of Alpha Centauri, providing a new game experience in the proven tradition," said Brian Reynolds, lead designer and programmer of the original title. "While it maintains the epic feel of Alpha Centauri, the gameplay in Alien Crossfire expands upon the mystery and intrigue of the alien races setting the stage for the intense struggle over the fate of the human race. Alien Crossfire adds to the universe by significantly extending the fiction, providing new and unexpected twists and a fresh gameplay experience."
    Thanks coolinfo

    Q3 Test Ranking Tool - MystikaL @ 08:08:31 PM EST
    The NOP Website has version 1.0 of NOP, a ranking utility for Q3Test servers that takes the q3test-server-logfiles and creates rankings using an HTML template. Its very small and easy to use.

    New GL Setup Released - MystikaL @ 08:06:57 PM EST
    A new version of the GLSetup Program program has been released. This version is downloadable as a 172k active setup style similair to Internet Explorer 5. It determines what drivers you need then downloads them. Once it has downloaded it installs. Simple.

    Tribes 1.7 Released - MystikaL @ 08:03:47 PM EST
    Tribes 1.7 has been released.

  • Version 1.0 to 1.7
  • Version 1.6 to 1.7

    • Here is what has changed.

  • You can no longer throw grenades & mines if you are not controlling either your player object or a vehicle.
  • Fixed a bug where mines and grenades that exploded while the player was not in control of his body would have an invalid team number.
  • Players can no longer activate any station if their primary weapon is in it's fire or reload state.
  • Player weapon is unmounted for all active stations (was left mounted for permanent ammo stations in 1.6)
  • Fixed a bug with palette management introduced in 1.6
  • Typing unclosed single quotes in the console no longer crashes.
  • Turret::verifyTarget now has two arguments (%this,%target)
  • GameBase::getMuzzleTransform() should now work correctly with turrets.
  • There is now a 2 sec. timeout after using a station in which you can not throw mines & grenades.
  • A few fixes were added to the 1.6 fix list (the first three had been left out)
  • Player now throws his weapon more often when killed with trigger down.
  • Fliers can no longer hover up through cielings or the bottom of bases.
  • Deployables objects now check against interior and terrain when being displaced by a moveable objects (doors & elevators)
  • Displacement code (elavators & doors) now uses a stepping collision test when testing a displaced object for collision.
  • A server side getLOSInfo method was added for bot authors.

    • Tomb Raider 4 Feature - Cerberus @ 07:36:38 PM EST
    Yep, Game Spot has put up a cool feature/preview on the upcoming sequel, Tomb Raider 4. Here's a little snipet of what they say...

    "Yup, she's back in an all-new adventure set in Egypt, which should make the storyline more cohesive as a result. In a new twist, you'll start off playing, or training, rather, as a young 16-year-old Lara and learn much more about the character's past. GameSpot's Lauren Fielder pulled Adrian Smith, the operations director of Core Design, aside for some true revelations about the game, and he explained how this Tomb Raider will differ from previous games."

    Protoss vs Protoss Strat Complete - Falcon @ 07:28:34 PM EST
    The next installment of our Starcraft "Advanced Tactics" section is completed - The Protoss vs Protoss strategy.
    The Half Life content will be ready later tonight.

    HL Sections? - MystikaL @ 03:27:33 PM EST
    I am not sure if there up yet, but if they are cool. Just to let ya know I have more news coming later tonight. Right now I am posting from a LAN connected to the internet with an IBM AS400. Ill be home soon from work.

    SC Map of the Week - Cerberus @ 02:44:01 PM EST
    The newest SC Map of the Week has been released by our good friends from Blizzard Entertainment. This week's map is called Albattoir. If you wanna check it out, you can head on over here.

    Homeworld Contest - Narayan @ 08:00:44 AM EST
    Sierra Studios announced today that they are partnering with WON.net and Urbanite to launch a Homeworld contest. Those who wish to participate must build their own Homeworld fan page with the grand prize being a trip for two to Vancouver to meet the Relic team and see the Homeworld sponsored racecar during the Molson Indy. To signup for the contest just visit: http://www.won.net/hwcontest Everyone who enters is eligible to win prizes such as AnyPoint Home Network cards, 3dfx Voodoo3 3000 cards, mouse pads, hats and more. Sierra Studios announced today that they are partnering with WON.net and Urbanite to launch a Homeworld contest. Those who wish to participate must build their own Homeworld fan page with the grand prize being a trip for two to Vancouver to meet the Relic team and see the Homeworld sponsored racecar during the Molson Indy. This was reported by Adrenaline Vault http://www.won.net/hwcontest
    Sources : Adrenaline Vault

    System Shock 2 Site - Narayan @ 07:54:19 AM EST
    The System Shock 2 site has been updated with new wallpaper, and movies. PC.IGNhas done a complete overview of all the weapons with pictures of them. System Shock 2
    Sources : Blues News

    Irridiated and Blind Creep Colonies? - Falcon @ 06:38:01 AM EST
    Here are the links to the pics:

  • Blind Creep Colony
  • Irradiated Creep Colony

    Sources : Shockwaves Discussion Forum

    TA:K Expansion pack news - Falcon @ 06:11:10 AM EST
    Apparently the expansion pack to TA:Kingdoms will have a 5th side. Heres the scoop from ClaytonK at Cavedog

    "Kingdoms will have a 5th side in the next expansion pack. In fact, the TAK engine can support up to 265 different sides, making 3rd party support easy."

    Sources : TAKingdoms.net

    Action Half Life - Falcon @ 06:06:18 AM EST
    You can download it here

    SC 1.06 Patch Petition - Falcon @ 05:54:53 AM EST
    A petition for Blizzard Entertainment to create a 1.06 patch has been launched. So if youre still an active SC fan, head over there and sign up!

    New Strategies - Falcon @ 05:36:47 AM EST
    We have released 4 new SC strategies here at GameSurge. The first, is on Optic Flare effects on Spellcasters. The other 3, are the forerunners of a new advanced tactics section. They are race specific strats for Terran and Protoss vs each race. All these can be found from the Starcraft Strategy page
    In other site news, the first part of the Encyclopedia Archmagik should be open this weekend, as with the Half Life sections.

    Thursday - July 29th, 1999

    Something To Watch Out For - MystikaL @ 07:25:01 PM EST
    Just to let everyone know, I have figured a way to overload the aol program with sounds HTML. Normally this message in text is too long to type into the message box but because its sound code, aol chat room modules will handle it as sounds of course. They will keep running it so many times it overflows and windows shuts it down. In order to do this you must have a program that modifies the typing area in the aol program(which can be done with 1 button and a text entry with visual basic and a bas).
    Now, what I am trying to say is, when someone runs this command, its basically punting everyone in the whole room. Yup, taking out all 23 people at once.
    There is a way to counter this attack. Make sure your SOUNDS are DISABLED in chat rooms. Your system will only overflow if the text has access to play the sounds, which if sounds are disabled it wont.

    Anyway, falcon, I uploaded the contents of the HL sections to my server. Its about 2 megs in size and is under the filename gamesurge.zip and of course you know what my server address is. basis...eh?

    Since I am modifying all this code and downloading windows 2000 at the same time to post a review of it, I wont be posting too much news tonight. Though I will try to post as much as I can. Tommorow I gotta work from 9 - 5 at my dad's office placing data into their new AS400 w/ OS4000 OS. Uhh, aka IBM operating system for business.

    Oh yeah, I got to play Alpha Centauri and this thing kicks ass. I will be writing sections for that and Civilization two shortly.

    Encyclopedia Archmagik - The-Impaler @ 05:09:36 AM EST
    The Encyclopedia Archmagik for Archmage has been uploaded. Nothing in it yet but the layout is on there and you can see what's to come. I will finish about one section a day of it so stay tuned for more updates. And also the Archmage Question/Help forum will be coming soon also. And I encourage everyone who comes to this page and the staff to go take a moment of your time and check out Archmage. I will be also starting an Archmage guild on Blitz Server 2. Experienced Archmagers only please. So if you are interrested contact me. That is all, thank you.

    Force 21 Demo Available - Falcon @ 03:58:53 AM EST
    RedStrom Entertainment has released a playable demo of its upcoming RTS which features China invading Russian territory in the year 2015. The United States steps in to make sure everyones interests are kept in the spotlight, and you can just imagine what comes next. Features include true to life weapons of mass destruction, and 3D rendered real life locations.

    System req's for the demo are:
    - Pentium 200 Mhz with 3D Hardware acceleration OR Pentium 233 Mhz with MMX (software rendering)
    - 32 MB RAM Required (64 MB RAM Recommended)

    NB: The download weighs in at a bit more than forty megs.

    Go to the Force 21 Download page
    Sources : RTS Network

    AOE2 SS's - Falcon @ 03:53:19 AM EST
    You can find some game info on AOE2: Age of Kings from here, along with some screenshots here.
    Sources : GA-Strategy

    Diablo II Barbarian .avi - Falcon @ 03:38:16 AM EST
    Well, i just finished downloading and had a look at it. First it may be my computer settings, but they should have turned up the gamma significantly on that - it was extremely dark. The barbarian seemed to have some sort of leapfrog ability, as if it was jumping over the units. Download it here, be warned, its 25MB.

    MM7 Guide - Falcon @ 02:51:40 AM EST
    Gamespot has released a Game Guide to the game, Heroes of Might and Magic VII. It covers an intro, plot overview, character creation and more.

    Life in the SC community - Falcon @ 02:26:54 AM EST
    It looks like some of the heat in the SC community is still existant, with the recent apparent dying out of SC:M, followed SpaceDominator's editorial against Algemar and now some rebuttals by both sides. Details of the conflict can be found from SC Network and BW Addicts

    In other news, Simple.Craft seems to be back up after nearly a month of downtime, and SC:Union looks to be breathing life as well.

    Wednesday - July 28th, 1999

    New Kali - Cerberus @ 09:45:33 PM EST
    There has been a new version of Kali released, which is Kali 1.99a, or aka Kali 2. It has some improvements, some are good, some are bad. But if you have Kali and would like to upgrade, or wanna try it out (trust me try it out, don't play on bnet :)), you can choose from either of these files:

  • Full Version (2,658 k)
  • Patch from v1.99 to v1.99a (520 K)

    Eidos has olympic rights - Narayan @ 04:04:51 PM EST
    Eidos has just purchased the extensive rights to publish Olympic genre video games from the International Sport Multimedia for the next 6 years. You can read all about it here.
    Sources : Gamenation

    Civilization II - MystikaL @ 03:30:19 PM EST
    Well, Ive played Civilization a lot today and I have come to one conclusion. The game kicks ass but is confusing and tough to play if your a beginner. I would have to say Age of Empires is better, but of course I haven't played Civ that much. Here is what happened with other RTS games.

  • Starcraft - Hooked instantly :)
  • Age of Empires - After a few games I was hooked.
  • Warcraft - Hooked instantly

    • I am sure I will begin to like it after a while and its definetly good enough to cover here at gamesurge.

    Civilization II: - MystikaL @ 10:43:03 AM EST
    Wow, I tell ya. Outpost.com is very fast when it comes to shipping. I bought this sucker last night at like 10 oclock and got it this morning around 10:30.

    Ive read the manual a bit and it seems kick ass, so we will probably end up covering it. Well back to the game, oh yeah expect a review shortly falcon.

    Reviews - MystikaL @ 06:40:16 AM EST

  • Planet Riva reviewed Dungeon Keeper II.
  • The Hive reviews Need for Speed: High Stakes.
  • GameCenter reviews the 600-MHz Pentium III.
  • PC Paradox reviews the SOYO 6BA+III motherboard.
  • FPS3D.COM reviews the Abit Hot Rod 66 controller card.

    • The Dreamcast With John Carmack - MystikaL @ 06:35:31 AM EST
    John Carmack Talks Q3A Dreamcast on SegaNet has some excerpts from the Gamers Republic interview with John Carmack where he discusses the Dreamcast and Quake 3 being ported.

    So then more months pass and then they're all hot again to get Q3A as a modem pack-in on the DC, which I would love to do. A console game with a fixed function network interface moving Q3A with really good modem level networking and everything would be great. You'd get better performance modem-wise on the DC, mainly because you wouldn't have a bunch of other operating systems fighting for space and interfering with the network capabilities of the system. I still think it's a good idea, and they basically had a deal on the table which we were ready to sign and they mysteriously pulled out at the last minute, perhaps because they lost a quarter of a billion dollars last quarter and they just didn't have any money. I don't really know.

    Hurry up and go check it out! Quake 3 is a great game, and what consoles need is internet multiplay that actually works and seems like that of computers. I know I would love to see that.

    Spec Ops II Screenshot - MystikaL @ 06:30:13 AM EST
    If you head on over to Before Its Done, you can find a nifty new Spec Ops II screenshot showing off a soldier from Zombie's upcoming sequal to their game of realistic tactical combat.

    Tech News - MystikaL @ 06:28:00 AM EST

  • The Creativ Labs RivaTNT Beta Unified driver has been updated. Version 1.16 beta of these drivers that support Glide games includes texture loading optimizations which should increase speed in a number of games, including chroma key fixes.

  • CPU Review's Cookin' Celery is offering their guide, which attempts to run a Celeron 366 to 500 mhz. I hope they have good cooling!

  • Fujista's MAG3182LP 18.2 Gig Hard Drive is the first to use GMR (Giant Magneto Resistive).

    • Windows 2000 Review - MystikaL @ 06:17:01 AM EST
    Since I downloaded about 150 megs or so of Windows 2000 RC1 last night, I should be downloading the rest today and tonight.This means you can expect a review shortly after that. I might also go to the store and purchase a Savage 4 and Ultra TNT 2 just to review it. I will let you know what reviews I have in store later today.

    HL Sections - MystikaL @ 06:14:50 AM EST
    Just to let you know I sent the Half-Life, Counterstrike, and Opposing Force sections to Falcon, who will be on later today. This means the sections should be converted to the correct format for the site sometime tonight. I am going to post some more news now. Kick ass.

    Soveriegn Sneak peek - Falcon @ 03:50:42 AM EST
    U-Games has put up a sneak peek of Verant's new Online RTS, Soveriegn. Verant has published other online games such as Tanarus (rememberin' these days-- oh yah :), and Everquest. You can check it out here
    Sources : RTS 2000

    New Game Release Dates - Falcon @ 02:35:48 AM EST
    Wow, shiva, from AN actually went around and found these release dates :)

    Team Fortress 2 - Early 2000
    Deep Space Nine: - The Fallen. Early 2000
    TiberiunSun C&C - II August 27 1999
    Dark Reign II - Winter 1999
    Force Commander - Winter? 1999
    BattleZone II - September 1999
    Asheron's Call (RPG) - Fall 1999
    Quake III - Summer 1999
    HomeWorld - September 1999
    Braveheart - November 1999
    Diablo II - Late November 1999 (?)
    C&C: Tiberian Sun - Fall 1999
    Dark Reign II - December 1999
    Rune - early 2000
    Half-Life: Opposing Forces - October 1999
    A-10 Warthog - Fall 1999
    Seven Kingdoms - August 1999
    StarSiege: Tribes II - April 2000
    WarCraft II BNE - August 1999
    Age of Empires - Early Fall 1999
    Final Fantasy VIII - December 1999

    Sources : Ancient Nation

    Explanation to D2 SSOTW - Falcon @ 02:21:39 AM EST
    This is a small copy of the email Mike Huang of Blizzard North sent to DiabloII.net:

    "This is a real shot of several Blizzard North employees in a multiplayer game. The story behind it is this: I had jumped into a game to take some screenshots, and being in town and seeing the variety of players running around, I saw a photo opportunity (and most of the guys here love getting their characters in screenshots), so we gathered as many as we could in town and took this picture."

    And a post on the B.Net Diablo forums regarding having 10 players on the screen:
    "We have no limit on players in the game in our internal version right now. The screen shot is real, and there's no cut and paste going on. The figure at the top is an NPC, so there are 9 players in this game. Figure on 8 most likely in the final."

    Cheating in B.Net Ladder - Falcon @ 01:49:21 AM EST
    Well, 9 1/2 pages of resets today on the B.Net forums...

    3Deep tech in Homeworld - Falcon @ 01:36:36 AM EST
    Sierra Studios announced today that it will integrate Sonnetech, Ltd.'s, 3Deep technology into their upcoming PC game, Homeworld, due to ship this September.

    3Deep is the first simple, absolute-gamma-correction software for 3D games and graphics. Inaccurate gamma settings are responsible for "washed out" or "too dark" images seen on many computer games. 3Deep provides a consistent and high-quality solution for delivering accurate lighting and shading effects in the graphic renderings of today's PC titles.


    Read the GA-Source review here

    New Poll - Falcon @ 01:14:16 AM EST
    We have a new poll for this week: What do you think is the best current game?

    Last weeks results:
    RESPONSE VOTES PERCENT
    Excellent 34 44.74 %
    Good 19 25.00 %
    Ok 12 15.79 %
    Ack! 11 14.47 %
    TOTAL 76 100.00 %
    Looks like a pretty good start...

    AOE2 Preview part 8 - Ob1 @ 12:37:08 AM EST
    The 8th installment of GameSpot's preview of Age of Empires 2 takes a in-depth look at the Goths. They Goths were the barbarians that sacked Rome. Well go check it out here.

    Q2 section comin' along nicely! - DespotiK @ 12:07:36 AM EST
    The Q2 section is coming along quite nicely. It will include new maps as soon as I can get my hands on them, and info on Q3! I will have links to Q2 downloads, and Q3 downloads too! Keep your eyes on this site, for the latest on the Quake series, we will distill it all for you, so you can go strait to the good stuff!!!