Red Faction (PC) Interview ....
Posted by
[NewsStaff] @ 9:39 AM MST Wednesday, March 28, 2001 [Comment on news]
With its deformable terrain and extra-vehicular activity, THQ's epic new shooter Red Faction is one of the most eagerly awaited first-person shooters of the year. We dropped in for a chat with Volition's Anoop Shekar to see how the game's shaping up. (More @ the Source: gamespot.co.uk)
Serious Sam ....
Posted by
[Luckee] @ 2:19 AM MST Wednesday, March 28, 2001 [Comment on news]
In my opinion, I didnt think this game was allthat, but anyways on with the review:)(: Croteam's Serious Sam harkens back to the days of long ago when DOOM ruled the Earth and first-person shooters were all about the mindless, maniacal, blood-filled frenzy. It was the best of times, and Serious Sam pays serious homage to those that came before by implementing that frantic gun-slinging fanfare so many of us old-skool gamers were weaned on. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)
AOpen HQ45 Mid Case....
Posted by
[Luckee] @ 2:13 AM MST Wednesday, March 28, 2001 [Comment on news]
Frag-Girlie takes a look at Aopen's Hq45 Mid tower case here's a little nibblet: Upon opening the case, which involves undoing a few screws, you will find an envelope with all the screws, binders and equipment needed to install your components. You will also see there is room for three 3.5” hard drives without a FDD or two 3.5” hard drives with a FDD installed at the front bottom. This case features three external 5.25” bays, one internal and two external 3.5” bays, which should be enough for most users. The HQ45 comes with a 250W power supply, only 250W you say? Well, it should be enough power to supply the average user and/or the hardware that will fit into this case. (More @ the Source: pcshooter.com)
New Win9x/ME Detonator 11.01 Drivers ....
Posted by
[NewsStaff] @ 12:50 PM MST Tuesday, March 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
A couple of sites sent word that they've got new Win9x/ME based Detonator 11.01 drivers available for download. Previously they were only for Windows 2000, but now these are for the 9x/ME users out there. Here's a couple of mirrors to grab them from: (More @ the Source: mediaxplosion.de)
Ok boys and girls, here's the deal!....
Posted by
[Blood] @ 11:45 AM MST Tuesday, March 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
As you may have noticed we haven't posted any fancy new reviews, inerviews, or articles for he past week or so. Don't despair, in fact they are actually piling up. Due to a firewall problem we haven't been able to upload anything to the server. This problem should be resolved in the next day or two, so grab a bag of popcorn and a mug of hot chocolate and set aside some time to sit down and read. Believe me when I say, there is a whole bunch of new stuff just around the corner.
IHRA Drag Racing patch....
Posted by
[NewsStaff] @ 10:39 AM MST Tuesday, March 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
Bethesdahas released a new patch for IHRA Drag Racing, bringing this guy up toversion 1.02 (2.1 megs). Here's what this release fixes:
- Fixed a number of bugs related to Internet multiplayer performance. Please read the Multiplayer.txt file after installing the patch for more information on what's been fixed in this version.
- Added the ability to create and use custom paintpacks and wheels. Please read the "Custom Paint and Wheels.txt" file for more information on what's been added.
2001 Games Guide....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:45 AM MST Tuesday, March 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
The year 2000 - turn of the millennium. It passed so very very quickly and a good chunk of 2001 has already been lost to the etha. Time flies when you play a lot of computer games and last year certainly offered up some tasty titles. (More @ the Source: speedy3d.com)Why PC Gaming Will Not Die....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:40 AM MST Tuesday, March 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
I am still pretty new to industry side of computer gaming, but I have been an avid gamer for many years. For the last few years PC gaming magazine after PC gaming magazine has been trumpeting the death of PC gaming, yet it never seems to happen. Mr. Brad Wardell has written some very good articles explaining the history and current state of the PC gaming industry, and voiced his opinion that PC gaming as a whole will not die out. (More @ the Source: avault.com)Myst 3: Exile Preview ....
Monday, March 26, 2001
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:36 AM MST Tuesday, March 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
My guess is, you've heard of Myst and Riven. You undoubtedly know how Myst broke all kinds of sales records for computer games, and how Riven didn't do so shabbily either. (More @ the Source: interactfiction.about.com)Dark Ore Q&A....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 1:23 PM MST Monday, March 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
Internet Gaming Zone has conducted a Q&A with Brandon Marlowe from Raylogic, talking about their upcoming action/strategy game Dark Ore. Brandon discusses how the project came about, how they are balancing the action and strategy elements, their plans for multiplayer (which will be integrated after the game's official release) and more. (More @ the Source: igz.it/Bluesnews)Microsoft Sidewinder Strategic Commander....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:09 AM MST Monday, March 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
The Strategic Commander is yet another hardware controller Microsoft markets under the Sidewinder moniker. This particular device is designed to replace the keyboard in real-time strategy games.The Strategic Commander has a stationary base and a moveable crown. The base has a profile switch and a record button, as well as its USB connector. The three-position profile switch allows in-game profile changes, which are absolutely necessary in more complex games. The record button starts (and ends) on-the-fly button programming. To keep the changes made to a profile during a game, simply save the modified profile. (More @ the Source: hardcoreware.net)TRIBES 2 Patch Info....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:07 AM MST Monday, March 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
The period between TRIBES 2 going gold (story)and appearing on store shelves later this week does not mean a pause indevelopment on the game. On the occasion of the shutdown of the TRIBES 2"meta-test," Tribalwar.com sends along the following info from Dynamix:
As well as the following from Dave Georgeson, confirmingthere will be a TRIBES 2 patch by the time you get the game.The latest word from Dave, though, is really cool: They discovered a serious issue with vertex rendering on Voodoo cards that was making the game dog-slow if you were looking at objects. Word has it that it increased performance on Voodoo cards *significantly*, and I believe him. Every time he's claimed a performance increase on the 3dfx cards, it's happened. So, Voodoo guys rejoice. I was telling my gf I would probably have to put my 5500 back in my main machine now that I have a GeForce.
It is christened the "Day One" patch and it will be automatically available to everyone immediately upon installing the game and connecting on-line to our Auth Server. One of the beauties of the auth servers is that we can guarantee that everyone playing the game on-line will have the patches when they play. (Source: BNEWS)
Rocket Arena 3 v1.5 ....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:59 AM MST Monday, March 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
This highly anticipated update includes 5 new maps as well as numerous improvements to the code. This will also be the first release of RA3 to support Mac clients.
NOTE: 1.4 is NOT compatible with 1.5 - if you try to connect to 1.4 servers with 1.5, you will not get the RA3 menu and may see error messages. This also means you can't play the maps locally unless you download the 1.5 server files.
The full list of improvements over the last non-beta release is below:
- 5 new Multi-Arena maps (see them on the screenshots page)
- Mac support for RA3 client
- New "enemy_model" cvar to allow you to set the enemy team to a different model
- Improved player spawning code
- Callvote support for "map"
- IP addresses/names of players logged for server admins
- Vote spam protection
- New stats commands for weapon accuracy
- Major cheat-protection/bot prevention improvements
- Integrated IRC chat client
- MP3 player fixed under Q3 1.27
- Demo recording fixed under Q3 1.27
- Pure server support...(More @ the Source: planetquake.com)
The Future Of 3D Graphics....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:47 AM MST Monday, March 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
If you're serious about games your 3D card is likely to be the most expensive part of your PC. But with such a confusing array of cards available, each boasting the best 3D trickery, which features should a new, £400 polygon pusher boast to ensure your rig is futureproof? (More @ the Source: extra.gamespot.co.uk)The Truth About Women In Games....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 9:23 AM MST Monday, March 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
3DActionPlanet has posted up a good article about women in games chack it out>. The thesis of the article is that "The women in games…well suck." This overly general statement couldn't be further from the truth. No One Lives Forever, Drakan, The Longest Journey, Elite Force, Red Alert 2 - all recent games with strong female characters, all the kind of heroines many women would enjoy - although some may be a bit too shapely for such intense scrutiny. By only picking out a handful of games, the editorial is showing an intentional bias towards alienating the developers and fans of some popular games, completely ignoring to the numerous offerings of the gaming industry as a whole. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)Counter-Strike Weapons Guide....
Sunday, March 25, 2001
Posted by [Luckee] @ 9:19 AM MST Monday, March 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
The FiringSquad has posted up a new Counter-Strike weapons guide, which includes individual weapon strategies and results from all of their damage and accuracy tests. (More @ the Source: firingsquad.gamers.com)Tribes 2 Delayed....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:30 AM MST Sunday, March 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
Game publisher Sierra and design studio Dynamix have made it official: Tribes 2 is going to have its production period extended. In a press statement, Senior Producer Dave Georgeson said the team will still hit the scheduled beta date, but have been granted a longer post-beta period to hone the game. “Because Tribes 2 is a AAA-title, we decided it would be best to extend the beta test and appropriately finesse the game so it meets the highest standards. This means we will be able to ensure the greater compatibility testing and play balancing that a game of this scale requires,” Georgeson wrote. “While we realize this is disappointing for many gamers, we hope you will agree this is the best decision, as our community deserves no less than our best effort.” Sierra and Dynamix will be announcing a new ship date soon.Darkened Skye....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:09 AM MST Sunday, March 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
Gamespy has posted up a preview on the game that takesTomb Raider, adds some of what American McGee smokes, and then ties in America's favorite teeth-rotting junk food. The result is an all-new form of eye-candy: Darkened Skye -- the Skittles game. (More @ the Source: gamespy.com)Skinning in Serious Sam....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:57 AM MST Sunday, March 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
Skindom has posted a new Serious Sam Skinning FAQ sheet with Croteam's derPunk. They are giving some preliminary information about creating your own player skins, including instructions on using the model viewer that accompanies the game. (More @ the Source: skindom.com)RA3 Version 1.5 Release Info ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:50 AM MST Sunday, March 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
Rocket Arena 3 version 1.5 is expected to be released sometime this evening... The upgrade from previous versions will be about 50mb, with the full version clocking in at 90mb. This highly anticipated update includes 5 new maps as well as numerous improvements to the code. This will also be the first release of RA3 to support Mac clients. (More @ the Source: planetquake.com)New Eternal Team Arena....
Saturday, March 24, 2001
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:43 AM MST Sunday, March 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
The Eternal Arena website has released version 1.2 of the Eternal Arena mod for Quake III: Team Arena. The new version addresses a bug that prevented the flag from spawning on the 1CFTF map. With this release they have added some new weapon substitutions, more powerful explosions and the player model on main menu. (More @ the Source: q3center.com)Updated Counter-Strike 1.1 Patch....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 1:09 PM MST Saturday, March 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
The Counter-Strike web page has released a fixed v1.0 to v1.1 mod installer. This newest version has the correct de_vegas map. You can download it here.Scent Enhanced Computer Games??....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:51 PM MST Saturday, March 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
DigiScents has introduced a new technology at GDC, scent-enabled video games,Web sites, DVD movies, etc. Users must first purchase a small USB-connected peripheral called the "iSmell," a personal scent synthesizer capable of emitting a broad range of odors. This device then receives the data in real-time, via a command placed in a CD-ROM game or Web plug-in, which tells the iSmell to release a fragrance at a given moment. Essential oils will be stored in the iSmell, and will need replacing like a printer cartridge. Expect the PC version of the iSmell device to hit retail shelves by fall with a price tag around $200, and a TV version to debut sometime in 2002. (More @ the Source: digiscents.com)Angelina Jolie Wants Bustier Lara Croft Dolls....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:17 PM MST Saturday, March 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
Sexy film star Angelina Jolie is starring as cyberbabe Lara Croft in the film version of the cult computer game Tomb Raider to be released this summer. She has demanded that the dolls promoting her latest movie should have plastic surgery - to give them bigger boobs. The 25-year-old spent months in the gym building up her muscles for the tough-girl role, and she insisted the range of Lara Croft dolls have their cleavage boosted from a C-cup to a D-cup. Check out the rest at 3DActionPlanet.com.
Let's talk about this... come give us your opinions on our general chaos message board here.
I also found a copy of the official movie poster.
ThermoEngine Heatsink ....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 10:46 AM MST Saturday, March 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
One more heat sink joins the collective chopping block. This one hails from Taiwan, begat by a company that call themselves Thermosonic and dubbed the ThermoEngine - Model#V60-4210. They have ‘rated’ this HSF unit for both AMD and INTEL top-dog processors - the Thunderbird 1.5 Gig and the Pentium-III 1.13 Gig. wow what a cooler (More @ the Source: cluboverclocker.com)Polk Audio AMR 150 Speakers....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 10:41 AM MST Saturday, March 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
As I am sure most of you are aware, Polk Audio is not a new name when it comes to speakers. They have been making speakers for over 20 years now and have grown to be a well-known player in the multimedia/speaker industry. In case you are not aware, in December I did a review on the AMR90 speakers by Polk Audio, which proved to be a very nice mid-price set for gaming and listening. Well, Polk Audio has gone one step further and released the new AMR150's at a price of only $50 more than the AMR90's. (More @ the Source: 3dretreat.com)Interview of developers of Venom....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 10:39 AM MST Saturday, March 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
Kled'12 : Which games gives you inspiration in Venom creation ?Sergey : There are so many games, movies and books which influenced our artworks and code that I am in a difficulty to answer these questions. Probably Duke, Counter-Strike, Delta Force, Hidden & Dangerous, Rainbow Six, Half Life have been more of influence on Venom than other games.We tried to follow the best technical and scenario decisions existing nowadays and introduce something new. (More @ the Source: jeuxscoop.com)Unreal II preview....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 10:37 AM MST Saturday, March 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
The folks out at GamesDomain have popped up a preview of Unreal II, Legend Entertainment's upcoming sequel to Epic's original shooter. No new shots are included (although some of the previously released ones are). Here's a snip from their write-up: The game looks to be at least partly focused on plot and characterisation, rather than out-and-out violence. The player takes the role of a Terran Colonial Authority Frontier Marshal, a 24th century version of a wild west sheriff, roaming space in a beat-up starship, called Atlantis. Your support crew numbers three - your wisecracking alien pilot, Ne'Ban, Isaak the cranky engineer, and Aida, your "spook," or intelligence officer. Hm. Sidekicks in a FPS? Reminds one of a certain Ion Storm game (no, not Deus Ex - the other one) - but with the Unreal heritage behind it, this title will hopefully turn out somewhat better. (More @ the Source: VE)Camping - Please Pass The Marshmallows....
Friday, March 23, 2001
Posted by [Luckee] @ 10:35 AM MST Saturday, March 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
Ok. Everyone close your eyes and imagine the following scene. You're in a 16 player game of Counter-Strike. The map is CS_Italy. Both teams have been playing it fairly safe, sticking together, and remaining poised for the first big shootout. Radio messages scratch out, "Stick Together Team," as you and your fellow counter-terrorists creep up the tunnel toward the hostage location. As your team empties into the street, it's immediately sprayed with heavy surprise fire and grenade blasts. You manage to take only the blunt end of the damage, and slip into the apartment holding the hostages. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)Gore Patch version 1.26 Released! ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 5:53 PM MST Friday, March 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
I just received word from Joel Huenink at 4drulers that they have released the Gore 1.26 patch and it has quite a bit of stuff in it. You can get the rest of the details here.Network Address Translation Article ....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 11:35 AM MST Friday, March 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
One of my fav:) The basic concept of NAT is to provide a mechanism to allow for IP communication between end stations when there is a reason that one end wouldn’t normally be able to reach the other. For example if a host that is on a network that does not have Internet routable addresses needs to access a host that does have a routable IP address. Sound confusing? Well, it really isn’t. The bottom line (and the aspect of NAT that I will focus on) is that the Internet is composed of many networks and the way that data traverses these networks is by following routes to particular addresses, the IP address of the stations that make up the Internet. Now, the tricky part is that while many networks are connected to the Internet, not all of them have addresses that are legal registered to be routed on the Internet. (More @ the Source: overclockedcafe.com)Aliens vs. Predator 2 Previews....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 11:33 AM MST Friday, March 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
One of the hidden gems at this year's Games Developers Conference in San Jose was the first appearance, in the form of an engine demo, of Aliens Vs Predator 2 on the Lithtech stand. While the licence may have moved away from Oxford-based super-developers Rebellion, there's every sign that this is one sequel which is already shaping up very nicely indeed. Judging from the title screen, once again players will be able to adopt the persona of either a Colonial Marine, wall-hugging Xenomorph or the galaxy's ultimate hi-tech hunter, the Predator. Only a limited non-populated level was on view, but jumping straight in, in the guise of a Colonial Marine, it immediately apparent that AvP2 will continue in the series' fine traditions. (More @ the Source: gamespot.co.uk)GeForce3 Bug? ....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:49 AM MST Friday, March 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
For the past 2 generations of NVIDIA cards we have done manufacturer comparisons. For both the GeForce 256 as well as the GeForce 2 GTS. Today we bring you coverage of the next graphics chipset lineup from NVIDIA, the GeForce 3.The GeForce 3 will most likely boast the same performance with current games as the GeForce 2, but it is the technology behind it that will make upcoming games be awesome. It may take a while, but the upcoming games will make full use of DirectX 8 as well as the new technologies that are featured in the GeForce 3. Interested in finding out more about these new technologies, and what really makes the GeForce 3 what it is? Here's a list of a few articles that were posted and explain the new card: (More @ the Source: systemlogic.net)Epic Shows Unreal II Technology at GDC....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 1:50 AM MST Friday, March 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
Yesterday at the Game Developers' Conference in San Jose, California, Epic Games showed the latest version of its Unreal Engine that is currently being used to develop at least two new games in the Unreal franchise. Epic didn't show actual gameplay from these games, but it did show some of the new levels and architectural technology that's being used. (More @ the Source: zdnet.com)Serious Sam Interview....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 1:42 AM MST Friday, March 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
Voodoo Extreme has posted an interview with Croteam CEO Roman Ribaric about their just released first person shooter Serious Sam. We find out that they will be helping mod teams with creating mods for the game and are considering a number of options for the future, including an add-on, a full-fledged sequel, and a Xbox game. (More @ the Source: voodooextreme.com)Gore Demo Review....
Thursday, March 22, 2001
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 1:37 AM MST Friday, March 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
3DActionPlanet has posted a review on the Gore demo. Here's a little taste:- "I was fairly sceptical when asked to review a demo of the latest online multiplayer FPS, Gore. Do we really need another online fragfest game? Why can't developers come up with something original? This is just going to be another game where I run about shooting people, dying, getting back up and killing some more. Well after hooking up the lowest ping server I could find, I was pleasantly surprised...."
You can check out the rest here.Sony Doubles Density of CD-RWs ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 2:45 AM MST Thursday, March 22, 2001 [Comment on news]
On Tuesday, the consumer electronics giant unveiled Double Density CD-R and CD-RW drives and discs. Dubbed DD-R and DD-RW, the discs can hold 1.3GB of data, or about 300 songs. That is twice the capacity of CD-R and CD-RW discs, which hold 650MB! (More @ the Source: megagames.com)AMD Athlon "Thunderbird" 1.33GHz CPU Review....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 2:44 AM MST Thursday, March 22, 2001 [Comment on news]
AMD is again upping the ante in the processor war with two new high-performance products: the Athlon 1.33GHz, designed to operate on the 133MHz DDR EV6 bus, and the Athlon 1.3GHz, which runs on the 100MHz DDR bus. (More @ the Source: sharkyextreme.com)Historical Games....
Wednesday, March 21, 2001
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 2:44 AM MST Thursday, March 22, 2001 [Comment on news]
There have been popular movies like Saving Private Ryan and Enemy at the Gates, both based on the Second World War. Computer games, on the other hand, have plots like "go and kill the big alien thing." There are an amazing amount of historical game plots available; why doesn't anybody use them? (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)Serious Sam Hits the Stores!....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 4:44 PM MST Wednesday, March 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
I received my copy this morning and from what I've seen so far it's ...scary :o). The game may seem a little familiar for those of you who remember Doom 2 with its monsters and funky characters. Tonight we are going to launch a dedicated Serious Sam server... so if you see me running around in there, know that I have a big smile on my face. You can check out more information here.Weekly Platform Trends: Integrated Solutions....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 2:00 AM MST Wednesday, March 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
HardwareCentral.com has debuted their Weekly Platform Trends column. This column will provide a view into the current AMD and Intel hardware platforms, as well as weekly price updates for both CPUs and Memory. The pricing data is presented in table format, and outlines the current CPU and Memory price lists to help plan cost effective fleet, group or even individual PC upgrades. Each week they will also be covering a section of the business computer market, or simply examining a new chipset, CPU or memory product/technology that is looking to make an impact. (More @ the Source: hardwarecentral.com)Tech's Heavyweights Go Wireless....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 1:51 AM MST Wednesday, March 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
Analysts are saying this year's CTIA Wireless show in Las Vegas has the highest concentration yet of big names in the computing industry, including IBM, Compaq Computer and Sun Microsystems. With the upstarts that drove the Internet economy starting to fizzle out, many companies have been looking to wireless for their fortunes... and the big computer makers and chipmakers are no exception. (More @ the Source: zdnet.com)AMD Emerges as Technology Powerhouse in U. S. Patent Ranking ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 1:39 AM MST Wednesday, March 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
AMD has announced that it ranked fifth among U.S. based companies and 12th in the world for companies receiving patents awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2000. The article says AMD's innovations in both product design and process technology contribute directly to their ability to deliver leading-edge solutions to their customers. (More @ the Source: AMD.com)X-Isle: Dinosaur Island Movie Trailer....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 1:29 AM MST Wednesday, March 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
Crytek has released a new movie trailer of X-Isle: Dinosaur Island that demonstrates the technology employed by their CryEngine for their upcoming first-person shooter. The 400x300 resolution movie is in Windows Media Player format and runs for about three minutes. (More @ the Source: Crytek)Interview with Mafia: La Cosa Nostra's Lead Designer ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 1:21 AM MST Wednesday, March 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
PC.IGN.com has posted an interview gwith Mafia: La Cosa Nostra's lead designer, Daniel Vavra, on the third-person action game in the works at Illusion Softworks. They talk about their inspirations, their in-house LS3D engine, how they're using the the third-person viewpoint, the AI system and more.(More @ the Source: PC.IGN.com)Review: Clive Barker's Undying....
Tuesday, March 20, 2001
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:12 AM MST Wednesday, March 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
Unless you have been living under a rock, you have heard at least SOMETHING about the recently-released horror game, Undying. You may have heard that it scares the crap out of anyone who plays it, or that the story rules, or the graphics are outstanding. It's all true. Believe you me. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)Wasup with the News?....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:20 PM MST Tuesday, March 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
News has been somewhat slow the past few months because of the rush to get things released by Christmas. News-hounds everywhere are bored stiff as shown by the plainly stated article my boyz over @ actiontrip.com have posted up.... Here are his comments:- "... I can't believe the slow ass news. There's like absolutely nothing interesting going on. No real bestsellers on the way (except for the already hyped to death Black and White), and no media from any forthcoming hits either. It's just slow, or is it just my state of mind? The folks over at Infogrames/Legend have released everything they care to reveal about Unreal II for the moment (which is exactly what was revealed in PCG April earlier), and now websites are milking the same content over and over again, until we eventually read every possible interpretation of the same thing with slight differences in sentence structure. Is that news? I don't think so. S-L-O-W."
Give the man something to do by posting a comment of your own here.Operation Flashpoint Demo Released....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 11:40 AM MST Tuesday, March 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
Although it was assumed it would be released tomorrow (story), it turns out that the Operation Flashpoint demo is available now (More @ the Source: 3ddownloads.com)Developers Discuss Doom ....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 11:37 AM MST Tuesday, March 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
Tom Hall (Ion Storm) What was your reaction when you heard that there would be a new Doom? "Cool!" and "It better be darkscaryfast." Do you think it is a good idea to develop a new Doom title? Will expectations of gamers and developers alike be too high? Oh yeah. I mean, DOOM was such a landmark game, and hit so many marks, it's going to be tough to outdo that insane leap forward. But if anyone can do it, it's Carmack and the bad boys of id. (More @ the Source: doomcenter.com)Giants Game Launcher....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 11:29 AM MST Tuesday, March 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
Over at Planet Moon Central I noticed that Giantshell has released a new version of its Giants multi-player game launcher for all you Giants fans. Just scroll down the page a little bit (they have tons of other cool Giants utilities as well). (More @ the Source: giantshell.com)A Look at the Thunder K7 - The World's First Dual AMD Motherboard....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:18 AM MST Tuesday, March 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
Tyan has long been known to be working on a dual AMD solution. The Thunder K7 (Model No. S2462) as this mysterious board is known is expected to be released sometime in early quarter two of this year. According to a recent announcement on Akiba, a Japanese computer information magazine, the Thunder K7 is estimated to enter the retail market for around 118,000 Yen, or about $950 USD. (More @ the Source: pcstats.com)Game Theater XP....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:13 AM MST Tuesday, March 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
After a pretty boring year in the audio industry, with every high end gamer using the "Sound Blaster Live!" card - we all thought Creative would stay top dogs in the Audio market, with other companies emulating their products... how wrong we were! (More @ the Source: pcreview.co.uk)How To Setup Your Own Game LAN ....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:13 AM MST Tuesday, March 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
Setting up a home network for multiplayer gaming couldn't be any easier with today's Plug and Play technology. Provided you know what must be done, in this article we'll try to explain all the steps you'll have to take to get your own LAN network, to frag your neighbors, and your friends over and over again. This, to the background of their agonized screams and wails, with the walls covered with their crimson blood….muahahah! ahem……. anyway on with the guide. (More @ the Source: speedy3d.com)Game Patches - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly....
Monday, March 19, 2001
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:13 AM MST Tuesday, March 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
What comes to your mind when patches are brought up? Excitement? Anger? Apathy? It could be a variety of things, but patches are here, and here to stay. There is no end in sight. If you're going to game on the PC, you're going to have to deal with them. So let's look at the positive, negative but necessary, and pathetic aspects of them. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)Tribes 2 Goes GOLD!! Pre-Order your Copy Today.....
Posted by [Blood] @ 7:50 PM MST Monday, March 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
Sierra and Dynamix are proud to announce that Tribes 2, eagerly awaited sequel to the 1999 Online Action/Strategy Game of the Year, has gone gold! The gold master was pressed this morning and immediately rushed to Sierra's replication facilities. Tribes 2 will arrive on store shelves around the world first week of April."We're looking forward to seeing how players tear into this game," said Dave Georgeson, senior producer/director at Dynamix. "There's an amazing amount of features in Tribes 2 and I can't wait to see all the combinations of strategies and tactics that players will develop. I think we have something here that can really create a whole new attitude towards gaming once folks are able to get involved with serious teams of 60+ people in a game."The Sierra.com online store is now taking orders for Tribes 2 hereGeForce Buying Guide....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 12:24 PM MST Monday, March 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
Checkout these prices..(More @ the Source: g256.com)Gore Demo Review....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 12:10 PM MST Monday, March 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
Gore is a first person shooter, graphically, the game looks similar to Quake III, in that the maps have the same sort of feel to them and in certain places they look very impressive. The sound effects complement the graphics nicely, although I felt they could have been a bit stronger in places, as there just wasn't enough stress on my sub-woofer :o) (More @ the Source: barrysworld.net)Quake 3 Server Wizard....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 12:07 PM MST Monday, March 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
The Quake 3 Server Wizard page has a new version of this program that eases the process of running a Quake III Arena server by providing a simple mouse-drive interface. The new version was actually released a couple of days ago, and since the release a couple of notes have been added describing problems with the Quad and speed multipliers as well as with the map list, which will be addressed in the next release. (More @ the Source: BNEWS)Activision Interview....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 12:06 PM MST Monday, March 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
There's an Interview with Laird Malamed on tüplay.com talking with the executive producer at Activision for shooter and online titles. The conversation touches on his current projects, which include Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Commander Keen Color for the GameBoy, the Star Trek Voyager-Elite Force expansion pack "and 5 other things that aren't announced yet," and focuses a good deal of attention on the Zork franchise, discussing Laird's contributions to Zork: Grand Inquisitor and Zork: Nemesis, as well as why the series has been quiet lately. (More @ the Source: tuplay.com)LithTech Development System 3.0....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 12:04 PM MST Monday, March 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
Remember when LithTech was a game engine made by Monolith, and was just called "LithTech?" They're certainly getting picky—now they have a totally separate company devoted to its development and support called LithTech Inc. and the people there get quite annoyed if you confuse them with Monolith. In addition, they've started to refer to the engine and tools as the "LithTech Development System" or LTDS. It's an effort to separate the product from the company. (More @ the Source: cdmag.com)Half-Life / TFC / Counter-Strike Tweak Guide....
Sunday, March 18, 2001
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:58 AM MST Monday, March 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
The most popular online game around at the moment is (semi-ironically) not a game initially aimed at Multiplayer Online gaming. That is Half-Life of course, which has benefited greatly from Valve Softwares continual commitment to updating the game with new code & features.Over at 3D Spotlight you can checkout thier large Half-Life /TFC / CStrike & other Mods Tweak guide. This guide is aimed at (although not limited to) Half-Life, Team Fortress Classic & Counter-Strike. (More @ the Source: 3dspotlight.com)New Expanded Demo of No One Lives Forever....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 6:04 PM MST Sunday, March 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
ZDNet.com/GameSpot is reporting that Monolith has released a new expanded demo of No One Lives Forever. The new version is dubbed the Mega Mix demo, and it includes four single-player levels and two multiplayer maps. (More @ the Source: ZDNet.com/GameSpot )VIA KT133A Based Boards Roundup....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 1:12 PM MST Sunday, March 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
Digit-Life.com has posted up an interesting article on all VIA KT133A based boards. They have information on five boards on the KT133A and one board on the KT133. The article said after some time of trying to choose a good competitor for KT133A based boards, they stopped with AOpen's AK73 Pro. Because they feel these boards have a traditional good layout and excellent speed characteristics. (More @ the Source: digit-life.com)Fallout Tactics Ships....
Posted by [Blood] @ 10:54 AM MST Sunday, March 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
The moment you have been waiting for is here. Interplay and 14 Degrees East proudly announce the release of Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel! Make haste to your nearest video retailer to pick up your copy.Labels Aren't Helping, Napster Says....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:50 AM MST Sunday, March 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
A Napster spokeswoman told TechTV that as of Wednesday night, the service had blocked a total of 10.6 million files, representing 59,600 artist-title pairs, from its service. According to online music research firm Webnoize, Napster's moves to bolster its filtering system have resulted in a sharp drop in usage. (More @ the Source: techtv.com)X-Micro HULK 5 32MB ....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:43 AM MST Sunday, March 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
X-Micro is one of the many new video card manufactures, which just happen to pop up around the world from time to time. If you'd like to find out of their short company history I point you to our X-Micro GeForce2 Pro review, the Introduction gives you a run down about the company and their line of graphics orientated products. Below is a picture of the X-Micro Hulk 5 video card with TwinView. (More @ the Source: tweaktown.com)How To Survive A Multi-Player Game ....
Saturday, March 17, 2001
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:41 AM MST Sunday, March 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
Death is inevitable, especially when it comes to multiplayer gaming. After all, killing is the name of the game. But while most players are content with racking up kills kamikaze-style, the ability of a player to actually stay alive is often overlooked. Avoiding frequent deaths has many advantages, and in most cases, the leader of a game will almost always have a low death count relative to his or her frag count. This article will discuss the major causes of death in multiplayer shooters, and hopefully provide some insight into promoting your gaming longevity. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)The LANding Zone....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:54 AM MST Saturday, March 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
A small group in the Atlanta area is working on opening a LAN center. To gain further insight into what the gaming community is looking for in a LAN center, they have posted a quick survey. Please, give a helping hand with their LAN center project and stop by and provide some gaming info by taking the survey! (More @ the Source: LANding Zone)Infiltration Unreal Tournament Patch....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:47 AM MST Saturday, March 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
The Infiltration Unreal Tournament mod site has been updated with info on the patch to fix problems in the recent 2.85 release. The patch is expected Sunday or Monday. Get the scoop here.Urban Terror Q3 beta 2 Not Far Away!....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:42 AM MST Saturday, March 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
The Urban Terror Q3 website has been updated with a few more tidbits about beta 2. The team has released a new internal build fixing another 50 inconsistencies. They are approaching a critical internal deadline in the coming days, which means some decisions will need to be made as to what makes Beta 2 and what will remain on the "big list" for a future build. They also have 3 screenshots of the new interface that will be included. (More @ the Source: urbanterror.net)HP to Release CDR-W/DVD Combo Drive....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:25 AM MST Saturday, March 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
Hewlett Packard is following recent suit and has announced a new 12x10x32x8 CDR-W/DVD combo drive that will come in an internal IDE version. The 9900ci drive is being targeted at end-users who wish to record and share Mp3s, digital images, and custom music CDs. Expected US price is said to be $349.00, more information can be found at their website. (More @ the Source: hpcdwriter.com)New Millennium Entertainment Q & A with Intelgamer....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:04 AM MST Saturday, March 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
New Millennium Entertainment is a new ISP that is being tailored specificially for gamers by a group of gamers who once worked with Sega. They will be offering modem and broadband connections, as well as services for gamers such as tournaments and lag-free gameplay. Intelgamer had the opportunity to ask Lynn MacConnell, New Millennium Entertainment's Chief Technology Officer, a few questions about this upcoming service. New Millennium is also seeking some beta testers for their new network. You can find more information about that on their introductory site.. Check out the Q & A here.Setting Up a LAN at Home....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:57 AM MST Saturday, March 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
There are tons of articles all over the Internet on how to share your Internet connection. Unfortunately, most of them are either too simple or too advanced. This article will try and sum up your options for getting a LAN going at home and sharing an Internet connection on it while avoiding the above pitfalls. For the sake of brevity they are focusing on the Windows side of things. (More @ the Source: The-Ctrl-Alt-Del.com)Quarkium Interview....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 5:24 AM MST Saturday, March 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
Quarkium is the next logical step in game design" - says Koosmos, whose previous best-sellers include a smashing Starcraft like RTS game, which was positively huge on the EuroAsian market, and according to the local market analysts: "sold more units than what've sold AK-47's and Hashish last year". Needless to say, we were thoroughly impressed with what Shepluv's has done with this project. Without a doubt, Quarkium is looking to be one of the sleeper hits of the year. Our editor Bunny was quoted saying that: "Quarkium" brings so many new features to the genre, that a War and Peace like report wouldn't do it justice. (More @ the Source: actiontrip.com)Game Bosses - A Lost Art?....
Friday, March 16, 2001
Posted by [Luckee] @ 5:16 AM MST Saturday, March 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
Now don't get me wrong here, I'm all for more realistic games, but it's not as if today's PC games are exactly realistic to begin with - so we may as well have the occasional boss character. Nevertheless, some people seem to believe that bosses can inherently limit a game's playability for just that reason: it is not "realistic." Besides the fact that carrying around 50 rockets and several tons of other miscellaneous ammo makes many of today's shooters unrealistic to begin with, there are plenty of examples of properly implemented boss characters to be found in recent games, and without any sacrifice of realism. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)Internet Connection guide.....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 5:23 PM MST Friday, March 16, 2001 [Comment on news]
There are tons of articles all over the Internet on how to share your Internet connection. Unfortunately, most of them are either too simple or too advanced. With this article I will try and sum up your options for getting a LAN going at home and sharing an Internet connection on it while avoiding the above pitfalls. For the sake of brevity I am going to focus on the Windows side of things. If any of you have questions about the other OS’s out there then let us know and we’ll do another article on those too. Windows is the OS that most have questions about when it comes to home networking though, so that is what I am going to focus on. But before we even get to sharing your connection you have to have a LAN to connect. (More @ the Source: the-ctrl-alt-del.com)GeForce Roundup ....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 11:35 AM MST Friday, March 16, 2001 [Comment on news]
Over at Legion Hardware, they have posted a roundup of the GeForce family of cards. Some 3DMark 2001 loving in there as well. A piece: The GeForce2 Pro is what we at Legion Hardware would recommend, these cards are known to overclock to speeds close too, if not that of the Ultra. We managed to get our review sample to the speed of the default Ultra running at 460mhz memory, and 250mhz core speed. The performance was only a few frames slower then that of the Ultra and that was for $300 AUD less. (More @ the Source: legionhardware.com)Is PC Gaming Dying?....
Thursday, March 15, 2001
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 11:27 AM MST Friday, March 16, 2001 [Comment on news]
Every effort has been made to avoid making this a "PC versus console" debate. As mature gamers (don't laugh), we acknowledge that there are great games across all platforms. But the strengths and limitations of the PC will be compared and contrasted to those of the current batch of consoles. This simply reflects the reality that the console market exerts some pressure on the PC market, at least in the minds of gamers. Moreover, developers frequently switch between formats. But a lot of the competition for PC games doesn't come just from consoles -- it also comes from other PC games. But we'll get to that in a minute. (More @ the Source: pc.ign.com)Win2K vs ME for Games....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:40 AM MST Thursday, March 15, 2001 [Comment on news]
hardCOREware.Net has jacked up a rather tangy article that comparesWindows ME and Windows 2000 for gamers. It's a pretty good read (benchmarks and all). Here's how they kick this guy out the door:So which one wins? Well if you want pure gaming, I'm going to have to go with ME by a hair, but that's only for pure gaming. In my experience, ME is stable enough for gaming, and its performance is better in the slimmest majority of the tests. ME is also cheaper by $80, something that has to be considered. However, as an overall OS I would have to say that 2k takes the cake. Its gaming performance is only slightly lower overall than ME, and it is far ahead with things like security and stability. If you can afford the extra $80, and want an all around OS, there's no reason not to go with 2k as it can finally post impressive numbers in both OpenGL and DirectX. (Source: VE)
Half-Life 1.1.0.6 patch available....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:29 AM MST Thursday, March 15, 2001 [Comment on news]
Valve Software have released the Half-Life 1.1.0.6 patchfor download. here's a quickie of what's fixed in this version;Bug Fixes in this update:
- Load balancing on master server improved.
- Changelevel2 crash on Linux server fixed.
- Rcon say quote problem fixed.
- Demo playback fixed.
- Disguise5 will no longer crash a Team Fortress server.
- Tf_ceasefire fixed.
- Class limits at -1 crash fix.
- Medic gets proper credit for a suicide/changeteam of infected player.
- Launcher text in filter screen on Win98 machines not cut off.
- Put client's IP address back into the 'status' command
- Added code to support the server variable 'sv_allowupload'
- Increased number of entries for banned IPs & banned WON IDs to 32768 (each).
- Changed what types of map resource files can be downloaded using .res files (to help mod authors). We've changed from what types of files ARE allowed to what types of files AREN'T allowed.
- Fixed a TFC bug where players could teamkill by shooting a rocket/grenade at a teammate & switching to specator mode.
- Fixed the "adm_deal", "adm_next", & "next" TFC commands to properly cycle through the players in the serverAvailable in Full, or Update from 1.1.0.4 versions,they can be both found at Snowstorm.org(This is the Mirror I'd recommend as its damned fast). Check out our Half-LifeTweak guide here
First Person Halo....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:21 AM MST Thursday, March 15, 2001 [Comment on news]
If you thought all this talk about Halo being played in a first person perspective is a little different from what we've been previously reporting, you're absolutely right. BLNEWS contacted a Microsoft PR representative for the official word on this, and we have been told that Halo is now a full-fledged first person shooter, and not the third person game it was originally unveiled as. Believe it or not, this actually due to the Xbox controller (see below for more on this), as the Halo team felt playing in a first person perspective was easier on the console. The game will still switch to a third person perspective when controlling vehicles.Women In Games....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:07 AM MST Thursday, March 15, 2001 [Comment on news]
First things first: this isn't going to be one of those righteously indignant "the gaming industry is geared far too much towards males, and game developers should start making more female-orientated games" editorials. Nor is this a strident "us women don't want special treatment, we want equality, and don't you dare patronize us" rant. It's not even a sexist "women just aren't suited to playing real games, they should stick to The Sims and Barbie Fashion Designer" article. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)Sony Unveils Double-Density CD-RWs ....
Wednesday, March 14, 2001
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:07 AM MST Thursday, March 15, 2001 [Comment on news]
Sony has recently unveiled a new Double Density CD-R and CD-RW drives and discs that can hold 1.3GB of data. The technology doubles the capacity of the discs by essentially shrinking the space between the tracks on the media. The drives will be available in retail stores by the beginning of April and will cost $249. DD-R discs will cost $1.99 each, and DD-RW discs will cost $2.99. (Source: Zdnet.com)Fragomatic's Server Commander v1.50 Released!....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:32 AM MST Wednesday, March 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
Oh heavens me! This is cool! Just finished uploading the latest version of Server Commander. Several bugs have been fixed and you now get levelshots with custom maps. Righteousness. Get Server Commander v1.50 Now! (More @ the Source: planetquake.com)Low End Buyer's Guide ....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:17 AM MST Wednesday, March 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
Building a cost-conscious PC that can still hang tough in Quake3 or Unreal Tournament is a challenge, but isn't impossible. With the product life cycles for new CPUs and Video Cards getting shorter and shorter, it's a great time to upgrade components using yesterday's sexy and expensive yet now discounted parts. (More @ the Source: planethardware.com)Updated AMD Roadmap ....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:13 AM MST Wednesday, March 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
AMD's updated roadmap has been 'leaked' yet again, this time showing some dissapointing information for consumers. The next-generation Athlon, codenamed Palomino, will not be shipping until July. At the close of 2000, AMD's roadmap showed the Palomino shipping at some point during this quarter at 1.2GHz. This newly updated Athlon is manufactured on the same .18 micron process as the current Thunderbird rendition, but improvements to the core have been made to allow AMD to crank the frequency up to 1.4GHz and beyond. The successor to Palomino, dubbed Thoroughbred, will be structered around a .13 micron process and will allow AMD to reach speeds nearing 2GHz by the close of the year. WOW CANT WAIT FOR THIS CHIP:)World War II Online....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:32 AM MST Wednesday, March 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
The game is based almost entirely on first-person action. (There are plenty of vehicles to commandeer, but we'll get to that in a minute.) Your character in the game is a full 3D model, not just a floating bubble with a gun. As a result, you can look down at your feet, get shot in the arm or have your head run over by a half-track. And WWII Online will do away with the artificial crosshair in favor of a gun barrel sighting model. Just like a real soldier, you'll have to look down the barrel of the rifle to line up your target. The game raises the bar for realism by including blood loss, oxygen levels and fatigue. You won't be able to run non-stop across the whole of France without taking a breather or two. (More @ the Source: pc.ign.com)Unreal II Information ....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:29 AM MST Wednesday, March 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
At long last the media blackout has lifted for Unreal II, the eagerly anticipated sequel to one of the best selling 3D first person shooters of all time by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. Unreal II won't be developed by Epic or DE this time around though, as Legend Entertainment has picked up the rights to develop the sequel, under the careful eye of Epic. (More @ the Source: voodooextreme.com)New SWAT 3: EE Missions ....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:58 AM MST Wednesday, March 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
This mission is a rapid deployment of tactical personnel sent to investigate reports of a deranged gunman threatening citizens at 12th & Figueroa. Your team must gain control of mentally deranged suspect and evacuate all unauthorized persons. This mission was developed by the SWAT 3 team and originally released to subscribers of PC Player magazine in March 2001. (More @ the Source: sierra.com)Gaming Hype: Good or Bad?....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:55 AM MST Wednesday, March 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
It has become the nature of computer game developers and publishers to begin marketing the final product early on in the development process. Often times you will see a screenshot of a game that is over a year away from completion. However, I have recently seen a trend of upstart game development companies failing in the dot-com downswing, and many games already hyped have ceased production. Also, there are often times unforeseen delays during development that push the release date farther and farther back (e.g. Daikatana). Even some of the larger, more established developers have cut projects and killed games in various stages of the process, adding to the growing distrust that some gamers have for hype. There is nothing more disappointing than being excited about an upcoming game for months and months only to find out it was canceled. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)Counter-Strike 1.1 Released!....
Tuesday, March 13, 2001
Posted by [Ace] @ 1:41 AM MST Wednesday, March 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
The new version of Counter-Strike is here! Download either the patch or the full client to enjoy new models, new levels, and gobs of CS lovin'. (More @ the Source: fileplanet.com)NASCAR Racing 4....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 1:14 PM MST Tuesday, March 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
NASCAR Racing 4's implementation of car damage is particularly innovative. Your vehicle experiences progressive damage with each impact -- producing distinctive effects -- allowing the destruction triggered by a collision to spread from one part of your car to another in real time. Major crashes cause cars to fly in the air and perform somersaults in an amazingly realistic fashion. Rather than just a pre-fabricated crumple, when hit you may see pieces of the car's body break off, your hood or trunk bend, or your bumpers disintegrate. You may select the level of damage susceptibility, and may also determine whether you allow your car to suffer from random mechanical failures leading to breakdowns. Overall, the damage modeling in NASCAR Racing 4 is much better than that in its competitors. (More @ the Source: avault.com)Amazing Computer Stories: Part IV....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:31 AM MST Tuesday, March 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
Wheat Williams sent in our first story, and quite frankly, it is a very common mistake\misconception about online connections. Take it away Wheat:
In early 1999, I was working as a desktop technical support technician at a defense-industry plant in Atlanta, Georgia. Our director of human resources had retired, and moved to Kentucky. But for some reason she had some additional work to do with the company, and they installed a second phone line in her Kentucky home and set her up with a computer, a 28.8K modem, and a dial-in connection to our LAN. Our dial-in connections were to modems at our local Atlanta location. (More @ the Source: techextreme.com)Is PC Gaming Dying?....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:18 AM MST Tuesday, March 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
We thought we'd ask some of the folks in the industry what they think about the future of PC gaming. While most of the answers were a tad on the pessimistic side, there's a firm belief among almost all the people we talked with that PC is here to stay as a significant gaming platform. Despite the fact that newer consoles are pushing the limits of technology and blurring the distinction between consoles and PCs, the personal computer still offers gamers a chance to try something new. The fundamental question of PC survival comes down to this: How much profit can publishers make off of PC gamers? (More @ the Source: pc.ign.com)A Look At Red Faction ....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:12 AM MST Tuesday, March 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
Interesting, the nature of innovation in first-person shooters these days. Starsiege: Tribes established itself with cooperation and team play. Half-Life was a triumph of direction and scene-setting. Likewise Perfect Dark, with its tightly-woven conspiracy plot, and Medal of Honor, whose re-creation of WWII made it the game to beat as far as atmosphere is concerned. (More @ the Source: ps2.ign.com)About Gore!?....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 2:04 AM MST Tuesday, March 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
WHAT DO YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT THE GAME GORE? Let us know so we can send your comments to 4Drulers..(More @ the Source: PCH)AOpen HQ08 Full Tower Case....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 2:00 AM MST Tuesday, March 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
The HQ08 is appealing to the eye, and at first glance you can see that the case can pack a punch. The above picture depicts the HQ08 with blue trim, but it also comes in gray, aquamarine, and green for variety. This case has all the standard features that earmark a quality case: rolled smooth edges, many drive bays (internal and external), a removable motherboard tray, two removable 3.5” trays, and a large, open interior. The quality of this case, which is constructed of 1mm thick sheet metal, is beyond question. (More @ the Source: pcshooter.com)How 3D Graphics Work ....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:57 AM MST Tuesday, March 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
Ever wanted to PYAITK and get down and dirty with 3D knowledge? Here's your chance to do so as HowStuffWorks.com has put up an article on just how 3D Graphics work. Here's a sample: One approach to taking more responsibility from the CPU is done by the GeForce 256 from Nvidia. In addition to the rendering done by earlier-generation boards, the GeForce 256 adds transforming the wireframe models from 3-D mathematics space to 2-D display space as well as the work needed to show lighting. Since both transforms and ray-tracing involve serious floating point mathematics (mathematics that involve fractions, called “floating point” because the decimal point can move as needed to provide high precision), these tasks take a serious processing burden from the CPU. And because the graphics processor doesn’t have to cope with many of the tasks expected of the CPU, it can be designed to do those mathematical tasks very quickly. (More @ the Source: howstuffworks.com)Tribes 2: Hands-On Preview....
Monday, March 12, 2001
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:56 AM MST Tuesday, March 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
Tribes 2 is almost here. For fans of the original, you will see a more refined version of Tribes. For people that have not played Tribes yet, welcome to the world of team based First Person Shooters. The Dynamix development team looked at what made Tribes so popular, listened too player complaints, and synthesized that into one of the most anticipated games of the year. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)Operation Flashpoint Movie....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 5:01 PM MST Monday, March 12, 2001 [Comment on news]
Operation Flashpoint. The tactical military combat simulation, under development with Bohemia Interactive Studio, is probably the most complex wargame experience ever. Unprecedented freedom of action integrates squad command, piloting of any vehicle and strategic decision-making, to totally immersive effect. Download Movie here: (More @ the Source: codemasters.com)AMD Athlon (Thunderbird) 1.2GHz 266MHz FSB & 200MHz FSB Processors Review....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 4:49 PM MST Monday, March 12, 2001 [Comment on news]
There always will be something bigger, better and, faster around the corner. In this technology driven society of ours, there are those that are hell bent on convincing you that the true measure of a processor's value is the clock speed it operates at. That seems fair enough, right? As we have seen with the Pentium IV in recent reviews around the online media community, clock speed alone does not make for a better processor. Now, we have not had the good fortune of testing the Pentium IV so we cannot make a make a firm claim either way as to the performance of the fastest 1.5GHz Pentium IV when compared to the 1.2Ghz Athlon, but there are plenty of sites that do just that. We are gathered here today to cast judgment onto the latest and greatest from AMD and their current flagship chips, the 1.2GHz Athlon "B" and "C" core Thunderbirds. Right off the bat, you may be assuming that such a fast chip must undoubtedly necessitate a premium at the checkout. Fortunately, you would be wrong in that assumption. Hot on the heels of the Intel price cuts, the AMD Athlon 1.2GHz 266 FSB can be had for only $260. Take advantage of the falling semiconductor market while you can as I suspect it won't be long until we see those lofty $800 price tags of the past make a comeback as the economy takes an up turn. (More @ the Source: gotapex.com)MechCommander 2 Inerview....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 4:42 PM MST Monday, March 12, 2001 [Comment on news]
Gamespot has put up a Q&A with Microsoft's Mitch G., as they talk abouttheir upcoming 3D RTS, MechCommander2. I remember getting to play this game about a year ago, and it lookedreally good. Although, I'm pretty sure it should've been out by now.GS: What has been the biggest obstacle during MechCommander 2's development?
MG: Making sure we're satisfying everyone. Our goal has always been to delight our fans while expanding our audience as far as possible. In a game universe that's been around for over 15 years, that can feel herculean at times. BattleTech fans know their stuff, and they're vocal about what they want. Sometimes they want more detail than a newcomer would be able to digest. On the other hand, there are some things that aren't supported by the fiction, but are necessary for good gameplay. (More @ the Source: microsoft.com)
An Interview with Croteam, MadOnion and NVIDIA....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:51 AM MST Monday, March 12, 2001 [Comment on news]
In this fast and ever-changing industry of PC graphics and games, many folks are left wondering what actually goes on "behind the scenes". On one hand, we have innovative graphics chip companies like NVIDIA providing ever more features for developers to use. On the other hand, we have the one thing that probably finally determines both the quality of games as well as the "usefulness" of new hardware - the developers. In other words, what do developers think of new graphics features and developments as provided by companies like NVIDIA and Microsoft (via the DirectX API) - what features to use and what features to ignore? (More @ the Source: beyond3d.com)Gore demo patch....
Sunday, March 11, 2001
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:49 AM MST Monday, March 12, 2001 [Comment on news]
3Dfiles has updated with a Gore demo patch. This patch makes servers more stable, fixes a problem with clients just disconnecting, fixes key binding problems, and adds ammo for the flamethrower. Get it here: (More @ the Source: 3dfiles.com)Gore Multiplayer Test Tweak Guide....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:29 PM MST Sunday, March 11, 2001 [Comment on news]
3D Spotlight has posted up their unofficial Gore tweak guide that gives tips on improving performance in the multiplayer test demo from 4D Rulers that was released Saturday. (More @ the Source: 3D Spotlight.com)Logitech WingMan RumblePad Review....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:25 PM MST Sunday, March 11, 2001 [Comment on news]
Sharky Games.com has posted up a review on the latest joypad to try and compete with the superb Gravis Xterminator. To sum it up they say it is a solidly built and feature-loaded joypad that will only set you back about $30. There are joypads selling for more than that with far fewer features, so the price tag is quite simply the icing on the cake. It isn't quite good enough to unseat the reigning champion amongst joypads, but it's good enough to at least take a seat not far below it. Check out the whole review here.Updated beta OpenGL renderer ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:11 PM MST Sunday, March 11, 2001 [Comment on news]
The Unreal Technology page has a new beta version of the OpenGL renderer for Unreal Tournament. This is primarily to address a bug in parsing the ini file options. The site gives full instructions how to apply the beta driver, and if you want to use the compressed textures from the 2nd UT CD, all you have to do is copy them over the existing textures. They report that if you have problems using the textures from the 2nd CD in online games you might want to consider asking the server administrator to update his/her server. There's also some other useful information. (More @ the Source: Unreal Technology)GORE???....
Saturday, March 10, 2001
Posted by [Luckee] @ 12:48 PM MST Sunday, March 11, 2001 [Comment on news]
What did you think about the gore demo?: Click here: (More @ the Source: PCH)Come Play Gore!....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 6:17 PM MST Saturday, March 10, 2001 [Comment on news]
PCShooter is now running Gore's Multi-player test demo on two of our servers. Choose internet from the list and you should see PCShooter near the top (of course).New Gore Interview @ Gamespy....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 4:57 PM MST Saturday, March 10, 2001 [Comment on news]
GSD: What's with the fat guy in the orange jump suit holding a Bud? Why
shoot him in the chin?
Joel: That is the Bartender, otherwise known as Brutus, and sometimes
hes called Jake the Bull, one of the heavy player classes. He is an ex-con
who escaped from prison which is why he wears the orange prison shirt.
He is a lot bigger and hard