April 2001

Day of Defeat Current 1.3 News ....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 4:15 PM MDT Monday, April 30, 2001 [Comment on news]
Day of Defeat has posted some information about some stuff that will be changed in the currently worked on 1.3 update release.- New sounds- New German 98k (bayonet)- Fixed Grenades left behind on team changes- Fix Score board- Shooting team mates when FF is off dont slow u down- Fix Jerky Round Freezes- Fix Spawn System- New Client Side Effects- Lag problems- Fixed Team only doors-------------------New Server Settings-------------------Turn onoff Death msgs (top right) when people kill others+ mp_deathmsg 1(More @ the Source: frag-energy.net)

Daily Radar Off-line ....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 2:53 PM MDT Monday, April 30, 2001 [Comment on news]
GameSpy Daily is reporting that Imagine Media is shutting down their online sites Daily Radar and the Computing Network. The DR staff has been relocated within the company, but many will be laid off as a casualty of Imagine's restructuring. As Daily Radar is one of the major sites we link to on a daily basis, we are naturally saddened by this news and wish their staff the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Gamers Depot has posted the contents of a letter from Imagine Media's president, Jonathan Simpson-Bint, to the employees of these sites. Here is a snip from the full letter, which you can read at GD:

Both DailyRadar and the Computing Network achieved many successes in their relatively short lives: these were high traffic sites with decent revenues and - better still - we were proud of them because of what they did for consumers. Sadly though, we're currently in an economy that is incredibly unforgiving of investments in the Internet that are not on very fast tracks to profitability. DailyRadar and the Computing Network were on track to profitability but we couldn't devise a plan that would deliver it anything like fast enough. Between the hard facts of the economy and the realities of being part of a company traded on a public stock exchange, we were left with no choice.

Why do I keep hearing Queen songs in my head? I know some people don't like Daily Radar but they are one of the big boys and it's just a bad thing to lose another major site. (Source:bnws/gd)

Tribes 2 Review....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 11:33 AM MDT Monday, April 30, 2001 [Comment on news]
To finish, I’d like to say that it’s good to see co-operation being emphasized so much in a game like this. Hotshots and “lone wolves” need not apply for they will almost certainly be killed if the opposing force has good defense. I can’t emphasize enough that success in T2 depends on the co-operation and co-ordination of the whole team. Without a coordinated offense and defense, any team can be quickly overrun. T2 certainly does not play like any other team-based FPS currently on the market.

Thus, it does take getting used to, and the learning curve is somewhat steeper than players would expect it to be. The graphics can be slightly glitchy, and the lag can be a surprise to some, but in the end people who like the challenges offered by teamplay and who also stick with the game will be rewarded with an enjoyable, and unique gaming experience. (More @ the Source: neoseeker.com)

Microsoft Windows XP Beta 2 ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:19 AM MDT Monday, April 30, 2001 [Comment on news]
BlueSmoke.net reviews Windows XP Beta 2. Here's a taste:

"I was fortunate enough to get my hands on the newly released Beta 2 of Windows XP (formerly Whistler) Professional. Before we begin, let me mention a few things. Windows XP is based on Windows NT and Windows 2000 - thus giving us full 32-bit support. This was supposed to be done for Windows ME but Microsoft changed their mind and made Windows ME and extension of the Windows 9x kernel."

Urban Terror Interview....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:16 AM MDT Monday, April 30, 2001 [Comment on news]
Crossfire has posted a new interview with "Oswald" of the Silicon Ice mod team as he talks about their Urban Terror mod for Quake III Arena and their plans for the upcoming beta 2 version of the mod. (More at the Source: crossfire.telefragged.com)

New Q3A Server Configurator....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:14 AM MDT Monday, April 30, 2001 [Comment on news]
Version 4.2.5 of the Quake 3 Arena Server Configurator program has been released. It now includes Team Arena support, timelimit/fraglimit now work correclty, pak file scanner checks gametypes and is faster, the map filter can be narrowed down to specific gametypes, and finally the map list has been expanded to 50. Server ops or those wanting to run a server should take a look at it. (More at the Source: planetquake.com)

Operation Flashpoint Screenshots....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:09 AM MDT Monday, April 30, 2001 [Comment on news]
OperationFlashpoint.com has posted up 31 new Operation Flashpoint screenshots that show off this upcoming First Person Shooter. (More at the Source: operationflashpoint.com)

Project Eden Preview....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:05 AM MDT Monday, April 30, 2001 [Comment on news]
There is a Project Eden preview that looks ahead at this action game in the works at Core Design. The game is described as "sort of a combination of Half-Life and Hired Guns." The preview features screenshots and quotes from Gavin Rummery, lead programmer on the project, it also covers what sort of weapons you will encounter, the integration of puzzles into gameplay, multiplayer play (which will include co-op in addition to deathmatch), and more. (More at the Source: adrenalinvault.com)

Soldier of Fortune 2 Interview....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:56 AM MDT Monday, April 30, 2001 [Comment on news]
Stomped has conducted an interview with Raven's Kenn Hoekstra, talking with him about their upcoming Quake III Arena engine title Soldier of Fortune 2. Kenn says that they are attempting to make SoF2 more realistic than its predecessor, with special attention being paid to enemy AI. He also provides some preliminary info on their random scenario generator, which will allow players to create new missions on the fly based on certain defined criteria. (More at the Source: stomped.com)

Counter-Strike: The First Hit is Always The Best ....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 9:11 AM MDT Monday, April 30, 2001 [Comment on news]
Over the last year, many of us have noticed that Counter-Strike posesses addictive qualities -- people stay up late just to get that next hit of counter terrorism. Jelan, from PlanetVampire, broke his ankle playing basketball. Bed-bound, he decided to check out this "counter-strike thing that everybody is talking about." Little did he know the horror that was in store. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

Microsoft Precision 2 Joystick Review....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:48 AM MDT Sunday, April 29, 2001 [Comment on news]
The joystick market has some pretty stiff competition, but a few companies have been able to become mainstays. Microsoft is one of those, and they have done so with relatively few products. The Adrenaline Vault takes a look at the Precision 2 Joystick in their latest review.

The Next Level In PC Games....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:44 AM MDT Sunday, April 29, 2001 [Comment on news]
Gamespot has posted up a well-written feature article that takes a look at how a number of current and upcoming PC games will push the envelope in terms of technology and gameplay. Among the games featured are Max Payne, Halo, and Neverwinter Nights, and most of the articles feature quotes by members of each of the game's development teams. (More at the Source: gamespot.com)

LAN Party - 3000 Strong....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:37 AM MDT Sunday, April 29, 2001 [Comment on news]
Electronic Arts Germany is organizing and sponsoring probably the biggest LAN event on earth. It is going to be held in a huge hall on a fairground in Germany (Dortmund) and has place for 3,000 players. Nobody will have to bring their own PC - the complete network and computers will be there. This event is going to happen on August 3 and 4. Electronic Arts is calculating with a budget of 4 million DM (AUD $ 5,200,000) which will also be used to advertise the event Germany wide. The entrance fee will be 150 DM (AUD $ 195). Anyone going to be in Germany this summer? (More at the Source: cfgn.net)

Brian Reynolds: The Fine Art of Game Balance ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:24 AM MDT Sunday, April 29, 2001 [Comment on news]
Brian Reynolds, President of Big Huge Games, details the importance of crafting a balanced game for maximum enjoyment and has been given the forum this week in GameSpy.com's developer corner. (More at the Source: gamespy.com)

Online Petition For Games & Teen Violence....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:18 AM MDT Sunday, April 29, 2001 [Comment on news]
There's an online petition that will be sent to Congress giving you a chance to express how you feel about the supposed link between games and teen violence. Check it out, sign it and share your opinion if you think it's appropriate for you. I signed it (signature #3016), here's what I wrote:

"I think people either have violent tendencies or they don't. Kids today just need more guidance/direction from their parents on the value of a life, and a kind of "what is real and what is not" lesson. After playing these games I have no more desire to run out and kill someone than I do to go jump off a building to see if I can fly. Video games and other media are being used as "scapegoats" for people who don't want to take responsibility for their actions."

PainKeep Arena 2.4....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:13 AM MDT Sunday, April 29, 2001 [Comment on news]
Version 2.4 of the PainKeep Arena modification for Quake 3 Arena, has been released over at TeamEvolve.com. PainKeep Arena is a large and very popular deathmatch add-on pack for Q3A. You can pick it up here.

Tribes 2 Cappers Guide ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:03 AM MDT Sunday, April 29, 2001 [Comment on news]
Lanparty.com has a TRIBES 2 Cappers Guide with tips on being the star and capturing the flag. Here's a sample:

There's more to being a flag capper than meets the eye. Since the defense has been boosted to a balanced level now, flag caps don't come as easy as in Tribes. Some heavy teamwork, some fancy footwork... but most of all, speed, nerve, and the ability to make split-second decisions under fire... that's what's going to be required of you. I hear many former offense players complaining about how hard it is to overcome a Tribes 2 defense, but I've found that with some team support, it's entirely possible. Even without a team, it's possible... but it takes a lot longer.

Neocron & Planetside ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:52 AM MDT Sunday, April 29, 2001 [Comment on news]
A new article at Neocron online offers comparisons between Neocron and Planetside, two next generation MMOG's (Massively Multiplayer Online Games). The article offers thoughts on how the two upcoming first-person games will contrast, describing Neocron's emphasis on role-playing in contrast to the more action-oriented Planetside. There are also a couple of interviews from both development teams, and screenshots from both games. (More @ the Source: neocrononline.com)

Soldier Of Fortune 2 - First Look....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:37 AM MDT Sunday, April 29, 2001 [Comment on news]
Almost two weeks ago, an announcement was made that Activision and Raven Software were going to develop Soldier of Fortune 2. This game promises a realistic covert-operative themed gameplay experience, intense action, mind blowing graphics and a mile-a-minute storyline. Vesto at 3DActionPlanet had the opportunity to take the first look. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

Update from Luckee....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:52 PM MDT Saturday, April 28, 2001 [Comment on news]
Just got the word on Luckee's softball tournament ... they lost last night, but what do you expect for playing at 1:30 a.m.??? They won this morning and are getting ready to play again.... in the 95 degree heat!!! Good luck to the team, if they lose this next one they're out, but if they win they'll keep playing until they lose (up to 9 more games). Wooohooo! Oh, and by the way, the teams are from all over four western states.

Intel Gets "Hammered" by AMD....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:08 PM MDT Saturday, April 28, 2001 [Comment on news]
Good things come in small packages, Advanced Micro Devices executives told investors Thursday at the company's annual shareholders meeting. AMD disclosed that the first of several forthcoming processors, code-named Clawhammer, will be only 105 millimeters square--about the same size as a current Athlon chip and half the size of Intel's current Pentium 4 chips. But it will deliver more than three times the clock speed of the first Athlon, and its small size will help AMD hold down capital expenditures. (More @ the Source: zdnet.com)

Prisoner of War Preview....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:55 AM MDT Saturday, April 28, 2001 [Comment on news]
ActionTrip takes a peek at Prisoner of War, a 3rd person action/adventure game from Wide Games. Here's the intro:

"Codemasters seem to be focusing more on nitty-gritty war games as of late. And just like Flashpoint, POW is also being developed by outside Codemasters' or to be more specific, it's being developed by the British-based Wide Games. Even though this is just the working title, Prisoner of War gives you rather an accurate idea of what the game is gonna be about. You will get to play the roles of POWs confined in four high security compounds during WWII: Salonika, Stalag Luft I, Stalag Luft III, and finally the notorious Colditz Castle."

Foxed Mods....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:47 AM MDT Saturday, April 28, 2001 [Comment on news]
3DActionPlanet has posted up an editorial/article which discusses "foxed mods". The term "foxed mods" was coined when 20th Century Fox Corporation ordered the shut down of a mod based on Aliens vs. Predator for Quake. In a way, this editorial tends to remind us of the mods which many have forgotten about, like Quake 2 Generations and Duke It Out In Quake, because they were shut-down. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

Serious Sam Mapping Tutorial....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:42 AM MDT Saturday, April 28, 2001 [Comment on news]
Synthetic from Beyond Serious has a new mapping tutorial up on his site. It gives you detailed info about the 'Destroy Architecture' Entity and how to use it. (More @ the Source: beyondserious.com)

Counter-Strike 2??....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:20 AM MDT Saturday, April 28, 2001 [Comment on news]
Voodoo Extreme had this posted up this morning, and it should answer most of the questions surrounding Counter-Strike 2:

"There have been quite a few hot rumors that Rogue Software (the makers of Alice) have been hired to make Counter-Strike 2 for Valve Software's Half-Life 2 as of late, but after talking to a couple people very close to the publishing source (trust me on this), it is indeed not the case, nor will it ever be. Rogue Software may be developing some single player content for the original Half-Life, but nothing has been signed so far. So, in conclusion - there are no plans for a Counter-Strike 2 for any game, and stay tuned to VE for any late-breaking details. That is all..."

Q&A with id Software's Jim Dosé....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:41 AM MDT Saturday, April 28, 2001 [Comment on news]
Quakeidge has posted a Q&A with id Software's Jim Dosé. The questions are pretty general and Jim will only provide tongue-in-cheek answers when asked about their next project. (More @ the Source: quakeidge.com)

B & W Creature Lists and Forums....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:36 AM MDT Saturday, April 28, 2001 [Comment on news]
Bwcenter annoucing two great new features for the site. The first is Bwcreature where you can upload the details of your creature. The site is now fully active, we may be bringing some extra features to it soon so keep an eye on it! The second great new feature for the site is Bwforums where you can make your own forums for your clan and then join up there. (More @ the Source: bwcreature.com)

Halo Update....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:02 AM MDT Saturday, April 28, 2001 [Comment on news]
Matt Soell at Halo.bungie.org has posted up a Halo update this morning. He provides a round-up of happenings in Bungie's offices while in the development of their PC and Xbox action game. This update has word on various details they're incorporating for the E3 demo, including the motion sensor, decal animation, AI and sound improvements, and more. (More @ the Source: halo.bungie.org)

FUN IN THE SUN~~~~~~~....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:19 PM MDT Friday, April 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
Since I'll be in the 97 degree heat of southern Utah this weekend playing in a softball tournament, Frag-girlie will be keepin' you up to date with everything you need to know.

4D Rulers signs with R.E.D. for representation ....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 1:03 PM MDT Friday, April 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
Just got word from JOEL "Da Man" Huenink that R.E.D. (Representing Entertainers & Developers) will represent Gore as a prospective publishers. Here's a little nibble:

"We are proud to represent 4D Rulers," said R.E.D.'s Paul Cunningham. "They've put their heart, soul and financial resources into creating Gore, and introduced innovative features tha twill take the FPS genre up to the next level."

The futuristic Gore is powered by the AMPengine, which 4D Rulers developed in partnership with Texas-based Slam Software.

The AMP Game Design System includes a rendering engine, the Wire Multiplayer NetEngine, editing package, and game code support library, all designed for useunder Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, or Windows 2000 (More @ the Source: red-la.com)

Interview With NVIDIA ....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 9:20 AM MDT Friday, April 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
Hardware Zone has an interview with Dan Vivoli, of NVIDIA, on a range of different interesting questions. It's a great read, and here's a really juicy morsel for you guys to check out:

[Marco] How will you use the technology from 3dfx in your products? [Dan] The current chips were already under advanced developement, when we acquired 3dfx. NV30 will be the first chip that 3dfx engineers will have worked on so it is the first one that can feel their influence. I don't say it will be directly derived from those, but will owe something to 3dfx architecture, somehow. I can't say more. (More @ the Source: hwzone.it)

What We Won't See At E3....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 9:19 AM MDT Friday, April 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
Traditionally, when it comes to reporting about E3, gaming news sites would let us, the gamers, know what new games would be shown. This year, however, it has become fashionable to report not what will be shown, but what will NOT be shown. Hellchick has some advanced knowledge of a few OTHER things that will NOT be at E3 this year, such as a giant meteor whiping out the Monolith booth! (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

Tribes 2 Server FAQ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 8:08 AM MDT Friday, April 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
Planet Tribes has posted an unofficial Tribes 2 server FAQ, written by Dynamix's Daryl Nicholsthat, covering some basics about running a game server for Tribes 2. (More @ the Source: planettribes.com)

Lieberman Introduces Entertainment Marketing Bill....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 8:03 AM MDT Friday, April 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
CNN is reporting that U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman has kept his word and introduced a bill in Congress that, if passed and signed by the President, would give the Federal Trade Commission limited authority to punish movie, music and video game companies from marketing adult labeled products to children. There has been no response so far from the video game industry but movie industry spokesperson Jack Valenti stated his industry plans to fight the legislation on First Amendment grounds. (More @ the Source: cnn.com)

Public Enemy Mod....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 8:00 AM MDT Friday, April 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
Shockrealm has posted up details (and is hosting a site) for a new mod called "Public Enemy". Public Enemy is a multiplayer-only-modification for Half-Life and will focus on team-play instead of deathmatch. For details on the mod head on over and check out the site.

Interview with Jeff Tunnell of GarageGames ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:49 AM MDT Friday, April 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
GameSpy.com has an exclusive interview with Garage Games founder Jeff Tunnell talking about how their plans to license the Tribes 2 engine dirt-cheap will change the face gaming. (More @ the Source: gamespot.com)

Giants Interview....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:40 AM MDT Friday, April 27, 2001 [Comment on news]
The Armchair Empire has posted an interview with Bob Stevenson of Planet Moon Studios as they talk about Giants: Citizen Kabuto now that the game has been out for a while. Questions include queries about the game's influences, how the finished product matched their original plan, details from production. Here's a taste:

AE: "Will we still be talking about Giants two years from now?"
BS: "Yes you will. We have big plans for the Giants universe that we will be revealing very soon."

For Men, the Prescription is Games....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:51 AM MDT Thursday, April 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
A new study shows that video games may actually help men deal with pain...believe it or not. Here's a snip of the article:

A recent study found that as a way to soothe pain, video games actually helped men. The study, published in the February Journal of Pain, assigned 63 students from Haverford College in Pennsylvania to one of three events: a competitive track meet, a non-competitive treadmill run or a video auto race in which men and women competed one-on-one against same-sex opponents.

The Sims Hangs on to March....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:48 AM MDT Thursday, April 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
End-of-the-month releases like Black & White, House Party, and Tribes 2 can't shake the virtual-life game out of the top slot on the monthly list of best-selling games. (More @ the Source: gamespot.com)

Half-Life Mod: Day of Defeat Review ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:40 AM MDT Thursday, April 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
The Adrenaline Vault has posted a review on Day of Defeat. This mod is available as a free download from dayofdefeatmod.com, and is activated and run just like Counter-Strike. But that's where all similarities between the two mods end. Counter-Strike features semi-realistic confrontations between terrorists and agents in a contemporary setting, and Day of Defeat is rooted in the technology and turmoil of 1940's Europe, where Allied (American) soldiers fought tooth and nail against defending Axis (German) troops in a struggle that would ultimately determine the fate of the world. Check out the review here.

Todesangst Review ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:35 AM MDT Thursday, April 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
Nightstrike.com has posted a review of Todesangst. Todesangst, a German word literally translated to mean fear of death, is a free single player Half-Life add-on created by Daryn "Peppyfool" Waite that was released less than two weeks ago. (More @ the Source: nightstrike.com)

John Carmack, id Software - Interview....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:31 AM MDT Thursday, April 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
GameSpy has posted a brief interview with id Software programmer John Carmack that appears to have been conducted (from the look of the interview, anyway) during the recent Academy of Arts and Sciences awards ceremonies where he was inducted into the academy's Hall of Fame. Carmack talks about winning the award, technology in the next five to 10 years, the "console vs. PC" debate, and more. (More @ the Source: gamespy.com)

Cooperative Gaming....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:28 AM MDT Thursday, April 26, 2001 [Comment on news]
Project-Gaming has posted an article which takes a look at cooperative gaming, and how it can enhance the single player experience. The article uses Counter-Strike as an example, but it really applies to most co-op games. (More @ the Source: project-gaming.com)

Black & White Guide....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:02 PM MDT Wednesday, April 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
A new guide to Black & White is up at GameSpot this evening. Like all of their guides, it's available online or as a downloadable PDF file (Adobe Acrobat or compatible required), and it features general strategies, tips for raising your creature, and a full walkthrough for each of the five different lands in the game. (More @ the Source: gamespot.com)

Serious Sam Patch....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 5:48 PM MDT Wednesday, April 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
Fansite Seriously! has posted a new patch for Serious Sam, available for download from FilePlanet, which brings the US edition of Croteam's fast 'n furious shooter to version 1.00c. The 4.9 MB download adds mod support to dedicated servers, addresses multiplayer incompatibilities between the US and European editions of the game, fixes a variety of configuration issues, and more. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

id Responds To Columbine Lawsuit ....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 5:20 PM MDT Wednesday, April 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
CEO Todd Hollenshead comments on the upcoming suit filed by families of victims of the high school shooting two years ago.

Id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead commented briefly this morning on the upcoming lawsuit filed against a number of entertainment companies by the families of several victims of the Columbine High School shooting. After reviewing the lawsuit, Hollenshead found that the case is almost identical to the suit filed in 1999 after the Heath High School shooting in Paducah, Ky. All claims in that case were dismissed by a federal judge last April. He added, "As with the Kentucky litigation, their claims are utterly without merit and we will vigorously defend ourselves."

The Columbine lawsuit was filed last week against 25 entertainment companies,including Id Software, GT Interactive, Activision, Sega, Sony, Atari, Nintendo,and Virgin Interactive. The families of the victims are seeking $5 billion in punitive damages. (SOURCE:GSPOT)

Soldier of Fortune 2 Interview....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 3:58 PM MDT Wednesday, April 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
SOF Center has conducted a 10 question interview with Jim Hughes, a level designer at Raven Software on Soldier of Fortune 2. He's not allowed to discuss the game in-depth yet, so most of the questions here deal with level design in general and how the Quake III Arena technology differs from the Quake II tech they used for the original Soldier of Fortune. (More @ the Source: sofcenter.com)

Fallout Interview....
Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 12:01 PM MDT Wednesday, April 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
Fallout eXtremehas posted up a newinterview with Interplay's Chris Taylor about Fallout Tactics. Topics inthis interview include Interplay's gaming network, Interplay's line of of bothconsole and PC games, bugs in the game, the future of Fallout games, and more.In this bit, Chris gives his views on the bugs in the game:

"Our QA people worked very hard to find, analyze and report as many bugs as possible. Micro-Forté worked hard to fix the reported bugs. I think the quality of a products should be a primary focus of the development schedule. But there are many more systems and people playing the game after we ship than before we ship. I don't think we will ever be able to ship a bug-free game anymore until there are major changes to the way computers operate or we come up with some holy grail of game development (which no one has been able to find anymore). There are so many factors that go into a game schedule, and games are so much more complex than they used to be, that I can't really forsee too many changes in the near future for any game, let alone Interplay games. (More @ the Source: stomped.com/falloutx.com)



E3Expo 2001 Announces Final Conference Program....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 8:16 AM MDT Wednesday, April 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
The E3Expo 2001 has announced its full roster of speakers and workshops today. In total, over 140 speakers are expected to participate in the event. "We are pleased that so many renowned industry experts will join us for this year's E3Expo's Conference Program," said Douglas Lowenstein, president of the IDSA, the trade association that represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. "These new and unprecedented conference sessions will provide a unique opportunity for industry professionals to hear directly from true industry visionaries." (More @ the Source: biz.yahoo.com)




Counter-Strike: The Movie Interview....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 8:10 AM MDT Wednesday, April 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
French-based gaming site Vossey.com has posted an interview with Guillaume Lubrano, the mastermind behind the short film based on Counter-Strike! The interiew covers how the movie got started, where is it now, when we'll see it and much more! (More @ the Source: vossey.com)




UnrealCenter "Has Your Maps Right Here" ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 8:06 AM MDT Wednesday, April 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
UnrealCenter has 15 more CTF maps and 15 more AS maps available for download. UT server administrators can use this address for redirected downloads with these maps (and many others). Anyone that ever experienced a game of UT that turned into a slide show because of joining players downloading the map knows that "redirected downloads are our friends". (More @ the Source: unrealcenter.com)




Unreal Tournament (Dreamcast) Internet Play Dropped....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:52 AM MDT Wednesday, April 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
GamespotUK is reporting that the online play option for the Dreamcast version of Unreal Tournament is being dropped. GamespotUK is quoting Infogrames as saying:

"Unreal Tournament on Dreamcast will no longer have online multiplayer capabilities. The only remaining multiplayer aspect of the game will be 2-4 player split-screen."
You can find the article here.



Music To Play By ....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:39 AM MDT Wednesday, April 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
GameSpy's Kelster chats with Tribes 2 composer Tim Clarke. The conversation discusses his work on game soundtracks, and gets into specifics about his work on the sound and music in TRIBES 2, which he calls the highlight of his career. (More @ the Source: gamespy.com)




You Know You Are A Gamer If .......
Posted by [Luckee] @ 2:12 AM MDT Wednesday, April 25, 2001 [Comment on news]
There are warning signs for everything these days. Illness. Addiction. And yes, even gamers. 3DActionPlanet feels your pain; below, you will find a list of the top 10 signs that you are most certainly a gamer. CitizenC and StoneWolf team up once again, providing commentary. Submit your OWN "you know you are a gamer if..." ideas as well! (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)


Tuesday, April 24, 2001

AOpen MS-810 Speaker Review....
Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 5:12 PM MDT Tuesday, April 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
Luckee has been up to his old tricks again and has received another gadget to test. Here's a sniblet:

"When playing No One Lives Forever, I could very clearly hear the sounds represented by each weapon or action. While shooting at the enemy after I cranked the speakers up, I could hear each of the casings hitting the floor from both the satellite speakers. The highs were clearly represented. When I shot the bazooka, the subwoofer produced a good boom and wasn't muffled at all. For variety, I also tested this with NASCAR Racing 4. This game really pushed the subwoofer and speakers to their limit with the roaring engines and intense crashing sounds."
Check out the rest here.



NVIDIA 2001 Lineup/Price Cuts ....
Posted by [Luckee] @ 9:18 AM MDT Tuesday, April 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
NvNews has posted an article on NVIDIA's2001 Spring lineup of products based on a press release from NVIDIA stating thattheir lowering suggested retail prices for many of their products. AnadTech and PCstats have also posted recent reports on NVIDIA and the company's latest projects.

• 32MB GeForce2 MX 200 board at $99
• 64MB GeForce2 MX 400 at $129
• 64MB GeForce2 Pro at $199
• 64MB DDR GeForce3 for as little as $399
  
  

  Tim Sweeney On 3D ....
  Posted by [Luckee] @ 9:00 AM MDT Tuesday, April 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
  This man is everywhere, and once again VE fired some questions his way. Tim Sweeney, in case you just came from the Ice Age, is the lead designer of the Unreal Engine. Here's a snip to get you going:
  
  Billy) Ok, the "next" holy grail in visuals, what do we need to see the hardware manufacturers do? They seemed to have really done a lot with the GeForce 3, but, of course, more needs to be done. What are some of the key areas that need to be focused on / added / etc. for, what I would assume be the GeForce 4, to really bring us to the "next level"? It will take a while for the really cool stuff to appear, even in screenshots, so don't be expecting earth-shattering in the next 6 months, but it will get really amazing in time. The big things to expect are very realistic per-pixel bump mapped lighting and much better shadowing. But, don't expect graphics to look perfectly smooth like you'd see on an SGI Infinite Reality or in movie CG -- with 9 bits per pixel of precision, there will still be color banding and limited dynamic range.
  
  The next area 3D cards need to focus on is significantly high-precision pixel formats, both internally and externally. 9 bits per component is too little, and puts significant limits on what we can do with multipass algorithms. Computer graphics won't be "done" for a while, though. Making some drastic approximations and guesses here, until you can render at perhaps 8000x4000, 60 fps, with floating-point color precision, and 100-million poly scenes, computers won't be maxing out the capabilities of the human visual system.-Tim (More @ the Source:VE)>

  
  

  RumbleFX Headphones Review....
  Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:53 AM MDT Tuesday, April 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Frag-girlie takes a look at the RumbleFX headphones from Evergreen Technologies, here's a little snip:
  
  These days the computer gaming experience has been taken to another level with the explosion of Force Feedback components whether it’s the wheel, joystick or mouse. With all of this you may have wondered where will the technology go next? Evergreen Technologies has answered that for us by coming out with their RumbleFX Force Feedback Headphones. These are the ultimate enhancement for any serious gamer! As Evergreen states, “The revolutionary RumbleFX headphones actually shake and vibrate taking the virtual reality of positional audio all the way. Now you’ll not only be able to hear where everything’s coming from, you’ll also be able to feel it.” (More @ the Source: pcshooter.com)

  
  

  Red Faction Screenshots ....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 8:00 AM MDT Tuesday, April 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
  THQ sent GameSpot a new batch of screenshots and art from its upcoming first-person shooter, Red Faction. The new screens display some of the power of the advanced game engine, which will support full terrain deformation, meaning players will be able to blast through walls, ceilings, and floors if necessary. The new concept art shows off some of the detailed characters who will appear in the game. (More @ the Source: gamespot.com)

  
  

  Action Half Life Beta 4 Review....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:54 AM MDT Tuesday, April 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
  NightStrike takes a look at the recently released Action Half-Life Beta 4. The review is for those who might be wondering if it is worth downloading the newest version and covers most subjects. (More @ the Source: nightstrike.com)

  
  

  Black & White Review ....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:47 AM MDT Tuesday, April 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
  There's another Black & White Review that's been posted up at FiringSquad for all to see. Here's a snip:

  You're probably wondering, "what took FS so long to review Black & White?" Well, with a game with this much hype, we made sure to put it under a microscope. Shutting out all outside influences about the game, including previews, other reviews, and hardcore fans, we sat down and played until we had a firm grasp of what this game is about.
  Along with this review, they have also posted up some screenshots. (More @ the Source: firingsquad.gamers.com)
  
  

  Serious Editing: Rain....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:42 AM MDT Tuesday, April 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
  The folks over at Massassi.net have a new editing tutorial for Serious Sam. This tutorial talks about extracting items from .gro files, adding the effect of rain into your world, and adding sounds to your world. Check it out here.

  
  

  Q&A with Tim Williams from PlanetMoon Studios ....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:36 AM MDT Tuesday, April 24, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Consolewar.com has posted an interview with Tim Williams, creative director at Planet Moon Studios, about Giants: Citizen Kabuto. The Q&A touches on future projects, and gives the latest on their current project, a GeForce 3-enhanced version of Giants. (More @ the Source: consolewar.com)

  
  Monday, April 23, 2001

  NOLF Mega Mix Demo....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:40 AM MDT Monday, April 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Months after the retail game was released, another No One Lives Forever demo is released. Gamers get yet another taste of the 60's spy romp that was nominated for GameSpy's Action Game of the Year award. The "Mega Mix" demo includes new missions, weapons and gadgets, and even multiplayer, but is it worth the 130mb download after playing the first? (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

  
  

  Tribes 2 Tweak Guide....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:37 AM MDT Monday, April 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
  3D Spotlight has posted up a new tweak guide today, this time detailing the many tweaks you can use to get your games of Tribes 2 to run the best. This new guide shows you all the menu tweaks, config tweaks, and more. (More @ the Source: 3dspotlight.com)

  
  

  Half-Life Proxy....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:33 AM MDT Monday, April 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
  The newest hosted site to join the ranks over at Planet Half Life is none other than Half-Life Proxy, the home of a hot little utility that those of you playing HL over a home network should definitely take note of. Half-Life Proxy allows you to play the game on multiple computers on your network while sharing one internet connection, and also allows you to run the game behind an existing proxy or firewall without any trouble! So stop by and say hello to Half-Life Proxy and while you're there, grab the just released version 1.1! (More @ the Source: planethalflife.com)

  
  

  Evolution Eve - Clan Arena for Quake 3....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:27 AM MDT Monday, April 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Brand new to the PlanetQuake family of sites and ready to kick out the goods for Quake III teamplay freaks is Evolution Eve - Clan Arena (EECA). The main point of EECA is not just Teamplay, its aimed at bringing clan matches back from the dead. With features like wearing your own skin in Teamplay, renaming the teams from red and blue to your clan name, new game modes and new game tweaks... even some non game related stuff, like a complete reworking of the menu, to a new scoreboard! In other words, everything you ever wanted in a Teamplay game is here. (More @ the Source: planetquake.com)

  
  

  Project Eden....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:12 AM MDT Monday, April 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Project Eden is a 1st person 3D action/adventure game, where players control an entire squad of characters, and will be free to switch control between them at any time. Gamers play as a member of the UPA (Urban Protection Agency), an elite force trained to deal with serious disturbances in the city. Currently in development, project Eden will be published by Eidos Interactive (PC and PS2) this summer. (More @ the Source: eidosinteractive.com)

  
  

  Pentium 4 1.7 GHz Processor Launched....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:04 AM MDT Monday, April 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
  The Intel® Pentium® 4 processor is Intel's highest performance desktop processor. Based on the all-new Intel® NetBurst™ micro-architecture, the Pentium 4 processor is designed with advanced technology to get the most out of today's and tomorrow's Internet. (More @ the Source: intel.com)

  
  

  Mafia Interview....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:04 AM MDT Monday, April 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Stomped:Even though Illusion Softworks is based in Europe, you are making a game with a decidedly American theme. How hard has it been to work on such a game?
  
  Vavra: There is a lot of movies and books about gangsters, but it was hard to find small details that nobody remembers, like finding information about some cars, house interiors details etc. I also would like to have language corresponding with that era, and as an American I could control this better. But on the other hand, Mafia is from the era that passed away and almost nobody remembers it, so even if we were doing game about Europe it would be hard. (More @ the Source: stomped.com)

  
  

  VisionTek GeForce 3....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:47 AM MDT Monday, April 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
  The most highly anticipated video card of the year is finally here. GeForce 3 is more than just an update to the GeForce GTS. In the past, the introduction of a new graphics card meant shrinking the die or tweaking the core to find ways to make it 20 or 30% faster. Since the intro of the first GeForce, nVidia’s graphics adapters routinely exceed the optimum frame rate for games (60+FPS), so the focus begins to shift to image quality and speed. The GeForce3 is shaking up the gaming industry’s view of what is achievable in consumer level computer graphics.
  
  GeForce3 is powered by the NVIDIA nfiniteFX engine that features a programmable Vertex Shader and a programmable Pixel Shader. These tools enable software developers to create custom special effects with the performance benefits from full hardware acceleration. GeForce3’s new high-resolution antialiasing (HRAA) capability uses a Quincunx pattern to achieve high quality, smooth edges at frame rates that are well above the optimum level for fluid game play. Combine that with the incredible speed made possible by NVIDIA’s Lightspeed Memory Architecture and the result is amazing visual effects at equally amazing frame rates. Some of the new features of the GeForce 3 includes: (More @ the Source: thetechzone.com)

  
  

  Elite Force add-on Q&A....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:43 AM MDT Monday, April 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Are there any new weapons/powerups in the game?
  
  JM: Single Player has a new Capt. Proton pistol. It completes the B/W look of the Proton mission. We also updated the tricorder to full power. You can use it to get additional info on crewmates and items you find lying around. HoloMatch has some new Borg weapons for use during an Assimilation game.

  
  

  Global Operations Review....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:40 AM MDT Monday, April 23, 2001 [Comment on news]
  For all you Counter-Strike fans out there, there is going to be an even better experience for you. Its called Global Operations and it's being developed by Barking Dog. What's so ironic is that Barking Dog tweaked the retail release of Counter-Strike for Sierra's popular Half-Life game. What sets Global Operations apart from Counter-Strike is the immediate attention to details. The release of this game was set for July this year, but since Global Operations is still in deep development, it's hard to say when it'll be now. (More @ the Source: frag-energy.net)

  
  Sunday, April 22, 2001

  Black and White Tweak Guide ....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:46 AM MDT Sunday, April 22, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Tweak3D.net has a Black and White Tweak Guide for those that want to tweak the game for optimum performance or maximum eye candy. (More @ the Source: Tweak3D.net)

  
  

  25 Media Companies Named in Columbine Lawsuit....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:41 AM MDT Sunday, April 22, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Just hours after many Columbine victims settled legal claims against the parents of the shooters, two other families sent strong messages to the violence-filled media that they say made Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold more willing and efficient killers. (More @ the Source: denverpost.com)

  
  Saturday, April 21, 2001

  WHAT A DAY FOR ATLANTA:)....
  Posted by [Luckee] @ 12:09 PM MDT Saturday, April 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Trust me i've always liked ATLANTA:(:) HEHE
  
  As expected, the Atlanta Falcons wasted little time using the No. 1 NFL draft pick they acquired from the San Diego Chargers the day earlier by selecting Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick on Saturday.
  
  Vick, who played just two collegiate seasons, is the 20th quarterback to be taken with the top pick and the second in three years. Cleveland took Tim Couch of Kentucky in 1999.
  
  I cant wiat till September! (MADDEN 2002)

  
  

  AOpen AX37 Plus....
  Posted by [Luckee] @ 12:00 PM MDT Saturday, April 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
  AOpen has built a great Pentium III DDR platform with the AX37 Plus. If you are looking to make the DDR upgrade, the VIA Apollo Pro266 is easily the best P3 solution on the market, and the AX37 Plus includes nearly every option known to man. The Promise RAID controller is a nice addition to the board, although it is only capable of RAID 0 or 1, most people will not miss the 0+1 option. The BIOS is simple to use, and the 1Mhz bus increments coupled with the insane voltages should help push a CPU to the absolute maximum. I was a little disappointed at the mediocre performance of the DDR memory / P3 combination, but it seems the Pentium III's 133Mhz bus speed limits it's ability to maximize the bandwidth offered by the DDR SDRAM. Overall, the AX37 Plus is a solid package for the person looking to upgrade to DDR memory, but stick with an Intel processor. DDR is still cheaper than RDRAM :) (More @ the Source: maximum3d.com)

  
  

  Tribes 2 Review....
  Posted by [Luckee] @ 11:51 AM MDT Saturday, April 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Tribes 2" debuted two weeks ago after some six months of private beta play testing and final polishing. All that work came crashing down on launch day as gamers were unable to create new accounts that were required to play over the Internet. Dynamix, the developers of "Tribes 2", quickly issued a flurry of patches to squash the many bugs that had popped up after its public debut. Taken all together, a typical birth for a title that has so much to live up to. (More @ the Source: techtv.com)

  
  

  A Look @ Star Wars: Battle of Naboo....
  Posted by [Luckee] @ 2:16 AM MDT Saturday, April 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
  In Battle for Naboo, the dark shadow of the Trade Federation has fallen over the peaceful world of Naboo. It's up to you -- Lieutenant Gavyn Sykes of Naboo's Royal Security Forces -- to foil the Trade Federation's vile plot. You must defend the normally peaceful world by land, sea, air, and space against the continual onslaught of the Trade Federation's droid army. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

  
  

  Clarification - Soldier of Fortune 2 Interview....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 2:12 AM MDT Saturday, April 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Jake Simpson from Raven has offered up this correction from an interview he did the other day with Voodoo Extreme. Here's what he had to say:

  A couple of things. In the VE interview I stated that SOF2 was based off the 1.17 build of Quake III. Of course I was completely wrong. It's based off the first release of Team Arena. I'm just a dummy getting confused between Elite Force Multiplayer, which was 1.17, and the SOF2 start up times. Oh well. What's an interview without something wrong on it?
  
  That's okay, with that many numbers and systems who wouldn't get confused? (More @ the Source: bluesnews.com)
  
  

  QStat 2.4c....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 2:11 AM MDT Saturday, April 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
  QStat, the server query/log analysis program, version 2.4c has been released. This version fixes all the bugs from the 2.4b release, including problems with its TRIBES 2 support. (More @ the Source: qstat.org)

  
  

  Unreal II Preview....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 2:11 AM MDT Saturday, April 21, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Finally, after years of silence, the team revealed the Unreal II engine at last year's E3, without actually unveiling details about the actual game itself. Now the cat has really been let out of the bag, as initial details about Epic (and now Legend's) high profile shooter sequel have finally been leaked. You'll have to wait until this year's E3 for a detailed debut of the game, but for now, enjoy a first look at your new favorite thing. (More @ the Source: pc.ign.com)

  
  Friday, April 20, 2001

  Tribes 2 - Map Pack ....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 2:55 PM MDT Friday, April 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Optimizer over at StrikeForceCenter.com just completed a map pack for Tribes 2. This pack includes four new maps. The game types for this pack include CTF, DM, Hunters and Rabbit game types. Three of the maps are for Rabbit, Hunters and DM. The terrain will allow newbies and vets alike super high air due to the layout of hills and valleys. The CTF map in the pack is his T2 version of Broadside from Tribes. All four maps have bot support. Go check out all the screens and grab the map pack. (More @ the Source: strikeforcecenter.com)

  
  

  GeForce3 Tested With A few Popular Games....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:58 AM MDT Friday, April 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
  We'll take a look at antialiasing image quality and performance underDirect3D from a variety of DirectX 7 based games. First up to the plate isGiants which was developed by PlanetMoon Studios. Using the knowledge they acquired from developing the MDKgraphics engine, the developers put together the built-from-scratch Amityvillegraphics engine which Giants is based on.

  It took three years to complete Giants, but it wasn't until the GeForce madeits debut that support for graphics-rich features such as high resolutiontextures, lighting, bumpmapping, enviroment mapping, and reflections were addedto the game. (More @ the Source: nvnews.net)

  
  

  Top 10 Selling Games....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:55 AM MDT Friday, April 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
  According to ieMag, the NPD Intellect (they boughtPC Data) has released the top 10 selling PC games ending the week of April 7th.As you can see, Black & White slipped a spot and is at number 2, whileTribes 2 continues to sell very strongly and moved up a space to the third bestselling game in the USA. Sorry, no top 20, but here are the lucky 10:
  
  1. The Sims House Party Expansion Pack
  2. Black and White
  3. Tribes 2
  4. The Sims
  5. The Sims Livin' Large Expansion Pack
  6. Roller Coaster Tycoon
  7. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings
  8. Diablo II
  9. Half-Life: Game of the Year Edition
  10. NASCAR Racing 4(Source:VE)

  
  

  How Digital Subscriber Lines (DSLs) Work (FG:)....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:53 AM MDT Friday, April 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
  When you connect to the Internet, you might connect through a regular modem, through a local-area network connection in your office, or through a cable modem. A growing number of people, though, are reaching the Internet through a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection -- a very high-speed connection using the same wires as a regular telephone line. (More @ the Source: howstuffworks.com)

  
  

  Operation: Flashpoint Interview At Stomped ....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:39 AM MDT Friday, April 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Stomped chats with producer-designer Marek Spanel ofBohemia Interactive Studio as he talks about their highly anticipated firstperson tactical shooter game Operation: Flashpoint. Checkout the exclusive interview here. Here is a snip:

  Stomped: Any plans for free or commercial add-ons for Operation: Flashpoint after the full game has been released?

  Spanel: We definitely plan to release some add-on weapons and vehicles for the game and at least some of them shall be free. Stay tuned for more information coming after commercial release of the game. We know about people starting to form teams to develop some add-ons for the game and we plan to support their activities. (More @ the Source: stomped.com)

  
  

  Soldier of Fortune 2 Interview....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 8:16 AM MDT Friday, April 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
  One of the best first-person shooters of last year returns with a quick-fire Sequel, as Raven Software has officially announced the development of Soldier of Fortune II. Eager for more, Voodoo Extreme's Wicked cornered Raven programmer Jake "The Juice" Simpson to learn more about it! Heres's a little preview for ya:

  Voodoo Extreme - Is the Quake3 engine going to be used for Soldier of Fortune 2? If so, how is Raven going to be enhancing it? Futhermore, will you be creating a new GHOUL system for SoF2?
  Jake Simpson - We are definitely using the Quake III Team Arena engine. Id is still unchallenged in creating the fastest, prettiest engines out there, and it would be silly not build on our experience with their technology. I think we started out with a clean 1.17 build and we're working from that. Of course there is lots we are adding to it to make it suitable for a single player experience.

  You can read the rest here.

  
  

  Croteam Credits Doom ....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 8:01 AM MDT Friday, April 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Much of Serious Sam is very reminiscent of Doom, which is why Big Dog over at Doom Center decided to contact a few of the members of Croteam to see what kind of influences Doom had on their work. You will find writings by several members of Croteam about their thoughts on Doom/id Software, and the influence they've received from them. Also you'll be reading some of their general thoughts on Serious Sam. (More @ the Source: doomcenter.com)

  
  

  Counter-Strike Beginner's Guide ....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 7:53 AM MDT Friday, April 20, 2001 [Comment on news]
  FiringSquad has posted up a beginner's guide for Counter-Strike. Here's a small taste:

  If I had to hazard a guess as to why many players have difficulty adjusting to CS, it's probably due to the quick fights, and the random weapon recoil. An assault rifle in CS fires around 11-12 rounds per second. It only takes three to five rounds to kill an opponent. Fights between good players can last for less than half a second. Not surprisingly, a fight between a single good player and a newbie also lasts for less than half a second.

  Check out the rest of the info here.

  
  Thursday, April 19, 2001

  DOOM 3 ....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 4:33 PM MDT Thursday, April 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Check out this scrennie of one of the doom3 programers hard at work......LOOK AT THAT CODE! SO THATS WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE A GREAT GAME..:) (More @ the Source: VE)

  
  

  NVIDIA Subsidiary Completes Its Purchase of Certain 3dfx Graphics Assets....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 3:15 PM MDT Thursday, April 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
  NVIDIA® Corporation announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, NVIDIA US Investment Company, completed its purchase of certain graphics assets of 3dfx Interactive.
  
  On December 15, 2000, NVIDIA US Investment Company and 3dfx signed an asset purchase agreement for NVIDIA US Investment Company to purchase from 3dfx certain graphics assets, which include, but are not limited to, patents, patent applications, trademarks, brand names and other graphics related assets. At the closing, NVIDIA US Investment Company paid $55 million in cash to 3dfx. Subject to the satisfaction of certain additional conditions, 3dfx may receive additional consideration from NVIDIA US Investment Company in the form of cash and/or shares of Common Stock of NVIDIA Corporation. As a result of today's closing, the patent infringement litigation between NVIDIA Corporation and 3dfx will be jointly dismissed with prejudice. (More @ the Source: nvidia.com)

  
  

  Legends of Might and Magic Demo....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 3:09 PM MDT Thursday, April 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
  The 3DO Company has released a playable demo for its upcoming team-based action game, Legends of Might and Magic. The first-person shooter is set in the Might and Magic world featured in the Might and Magic role-playing game series and the Heroes of Might and Magic strategy game series. In the game, players choose from one of six character types and engage in combat against other human-controlled opponents and computer-controlled monsters. Legends of Might and Magic is nearing completion at New World Computing, and is scheduled for release next month. GameSpot.com has the file available for download here.

  
  

  E3 to Host 750 New Games ....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 2:44 PM MDT Thursday, April 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
  According to the IDSA, more than 750 never-before-seen computer, online and video games and related products will debut at the 2001 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Overall, about 400 companies, including 123 first-time E3 exhibitors, will showcase thousands of games and products at the show, to be held May 17-19 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. About 90% of the game titles being shown have been developed for families and children. Around 19% of the titles have been published for women and girls and about 8% for seniors. Close to 40% of the never-before-seen game titles at E3 2001 have been developed for consoles, while more than one-third have been developed for the PC, about 15 percent for handheld devices and almost four percent for online games.

  
  

  Command & Conquer: Renegade Interview....
  Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 2:30 PM MDT Thursday, April 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
  GameSpot UK has a new interview with Joseph Selinske, the associate producer with Westwood Studios, about their upcoming FPS. You can check it out here.

  
  

  PlanetSide FAQ UPDATED....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:51 AM MDT Thursday, April 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
  In the latest edition of the PlanetSide FAQ, the developers answer questions about friendly fire, team killers, and grief players. If you have a question about PlanetSide, the FAQ may just have the answer you are looking for. (More @ the Source: station.sony.com)

  
  

  Developer Origins....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:46 AM MDT Thursday, April 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Have you ever wondered how some of your favorite game developers got their start in the game development industry? In part one of our interview series we find out that very question. So...Why did you get into the Game Industry? (More @ the Source: voodooextreme.com)

  
  

  VisionTek GeForce 3 video card ....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:42 AM MDT Thursday, April 19, 2001 [Comment on news]
  Welcome to ProCooling’s look inside the new Nvidia Chip - the Much hyped GeForce 3. This review is here to tell you if it is all just Hype or if it really does perform as advertised. We also look into Image Quality and a few other aspects of it. This review is a culmination of over 80 tests, Benchmarks, and runs on the VisionTek GeForce 3 Vs. a VisionTek GeForce 2 Ultra video card. Well lets get on with it. (More @ the Source: procooling.com)

  
  Wednesday, April 18, 2001

  Women in Game Development Committee....
  Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 12:36 PM MDT Wednesday, April 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
  The Women in Game Development Committee is being formed to investigate how the IGDA might have a positive impact on the industry with respect to gender balance and equity. We feel it is important to have specific, measurable goals so that the work of the committee remains focused. The committee seeks to:

  • Assess the numbers of women working in the games industry in a variety of roles, and track changes over time, using a combination of available data and primary research,
  • Research, brainstorm and evaluate methods of increasing the number of women employed in the industry, possibly focusing on particular roles,
  • Execute a variety of programs to recruit women into the games industry and/or make game development a more attractive field for women, and
  • Sponsor and support community building activities for women within the games industry. (More @ the Source: igda.org)
    
    

    Red Faction PS2 Complete!....
    Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 12:33 PM MDT Wednesday, April 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
    THQ announced this morning that Red Faction for the PlayStation2 has gone gold. The fast-paced action game for the PS2 will ship on May 22. This latest title to come out of Volition will retail for around $50 (USD). We look forward to seeing this one hit the PC very soon. (Source:THQ.com)

    
    

    Nintendo delays GameCube launch....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:27 AM MDT Wednesday, April 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Software development delays will push back the domestic launch of the Nintendo GameCube by approximately two months, the company announced today at an analysts meeting in Tokyo. (More @ the Source: well-rounded.com)

    
    

    Samsung SM304 DVD/CDRW Combo Review ....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:24 AM MDT Wednesday, April 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
    DVD/CD-RW drives are quickly becoming more prevalent; and for good reason, too. DVD is the new standard for removable data, and most new computers now come equipped with a DVD drive. However, a CD burner is still necessary for users who want to be able to distribute large data files and to support the huge installed base of CD-ROM drives. (More @ the Source: neoseeker.com)

    
    

    TRIBES 2 Interview....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:21 AM MDT Wednesday, April 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
    There's a TRIBES 2 interview on Tribes Center talking with unnamed members of the TRIBES 2 development team about the game, now that it's in stores. The conversation covers their feelings upon the game's release, some general questions about the development process, and some looks at the future, including word that a playable demo is likely to be released within the next 30 days. (More @ the Source: BLUESNEWS)

    
    

    The Future of Gaming: 2006 ....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:10 AM MDT Wednesday, April 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Why five years, you might ask? Why not look at the future of gaming in 10, 20 or even 50 years? Simply because the possibilities are only barely imaginable. Obviously, we all know that we'll drive hovercars to work, come home to skimpily clothed robotic spouses that never have headaches, and we'll play our games inside 3D virtual holographic playgrounds. That much we know from sci-fi movies and Star Trek. But the truth? We haven't a clue, and nobody else out there does either. (More @ the Source: pcgamer.com)

    
    

    Half-Life: Blue Shift....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:07 AM MDT Wednesday, April 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Story wise, the Blue Shift story will take place at the same time as the original, much how like OpFor shadowed Half-Life. Expect to run into Gordon Freeman on your adventures (I'd venture to say that you'll probably be present during Gordon's Xen jump), though as Barney you'll experience a completely separate ending. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

    
    

    Command & Conquer Renegade Reviews....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:07 AM MDT Wednesday, April 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
    But as the game is a first for Westwood--first 3D game, first action game--the delays can be forgiven. Thankfully, with these delays come changes and improvements to the game, and the Renegade we saw a few weeks ago looked markedly different from the Renegade we saw last year.
    
    The biggest change is undoubtedly the shift in your perspective from a third-person view to a much more user-friendly first-person camera angle. Yes, Command & Conquer Renegade is now a true first-person shooter and will likely compete with the likes of Medal of Honor: (More @ the Source: gamespot.com)

    
    

    GORE Interview....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:07 AM MDT Wednesday, April 18, 2001 [Comment on news]
    PCShooter: How does this game differ from other FPS games out there today?
    
    Joel: We’ve put a lot of work into the gameplay of the game. There are a lot of subtle things in Gore. Major features are character classes, Stamina system, weapons that have secondary modes, some of which exploit the stamina system, damage mapping, skeletal animation, facial animations, the list goes on and on. (More @ the Source: pcshooter.com)

    
    Tuesday, April 17, 2001

    Urban Terror Update ....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 5:03 PM MDT Tuesday, April 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
    The Urban Terror Quake 3 mod website has posted updated information on the game's status as well as some screenshots. Three of the screenshots are on their main page, but there is another set that is downloadable. (More @ the Source: urbanterror.net)

    
    

    Soldier of Fortune 2 Announced....
    Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 4:53 PM MDT Tuesday, April 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Although it's been known about for some time now, and previews have already appeared in print magazines (story), Activision and Raven Software have formallyannounced Soldier of Fortune 2. The press release doesn't contain any surprises about the game, as it consists mostly of general information, but it does contain this quote regarding its use of the Quake III Arena engine and the news that players will be able to control (or at least ride in) helicopters and armored trucks:

    The backbone of Soldier of Fortune 2 is a highly integrated system of technologies. Environments in the game are created with the QUAKE III Arena engine, widely considered the most advanced 3D engine in gaming. Additionally, Soldier of Fortune 2's new GHOUL II technology brings the grittiness of combat to the PC like never before with incredibly detailed skeletal animations that enable lifelike character movements and per pixel hit locations for ultra realistic damage modeling. Finally, Soldier of Fortune 2 features an all-new ROAM Terrain System that allows players to ride and fight from armored trucks and helicopters.(Source:BLUESNEWS)

    
    

    New Freeze Tag Release....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 9:58 AM MDT Tuesday, April 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Freeze Tag is a modification of team deathmatch that works with Quake 2, Quake 3, and Team Arena. The two teams compete by trying to kill each other. When a player is killed, instead of dying, they freeze over and cannot get back into the game until a teammate unfreezes them. The way to unfreeze someone is simple. Stand near a frozen body for three seconds and it will break apart. That player is now able to get back into the game and fight the enemy. Teams that do not unfreeze themselves usually lose, however teams that only unfreeze people usually lose too, because they have no offense. (More @ the Source: planetquake.com)

    
    

    Tribes 2 First Aid Tool #2 ....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 9:50 AM MDT Tuesday, April 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
    There's a new version of the TRIBES 2 First Aid utility that now accepts both the USA and UK versions of the game's EULA. It also offers a new way of handling file transfers on systems where the amount of RAM may have prevented the utility from running successfully. (More @ the Source: tribalwar.com)

    
    

    Preview of Command & Conquer: Renegade....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 9:42 AM MDT Tuesday, April 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Games Domain has posted a new preview of Command & Conquer Renegade. The preview gives their impressions from a recent demonstration they were given, and contains thoughts on what they saw as well as some previously available screenshots. (More @ the Source: gamesdomain.com)

    
    

    A Look Into Tribes 2....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:49 AM MDT Tuesday, April 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
    The visuals in Tribes 2, to say the least, are yummy -- they're leaps and bounds above the eye-candy that Tribes provided two years ago. Dynamix's engine does a fantastic job of pumping out some very impressive and realistic rendering effects while still managing to keep a decent and playable framerate.
    
    The down side: if you want to run the game in its full glory (meaning 1024x768, 32-bit color, and everything cranked up), and you don't have a hefty machine, you're going to pay the price with a subpar framerate. Your best bet is to keep tweaking the options, including the network settings, and you'll hopefully be able to find something that works for you. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

    
    

    PlanetSide Review....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:47 AM MDT Tuesday, April 17, 2001 [Comment on news]
    The world's first massively multiplayer, persistent-universe first-person shooter is almost ready for rollout from the masters of online gaming, Verant Interactive. We've got the exclusive first look at Planetside, a pioneering game that will bring gaming's most thrilling genre to a huge new global stage. (More @ the Source: pcgamer.co.uk)

    
    Monday, April 16, 2001

    New Halflife Mod Judgement!....
    Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:51 AM MDT Monday, April 16, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Frag-energy, wrote up a good review on the new Half-Life mod, Judgement. Here's a snippet of it:
    
    Multiplayer is quite fun. I had found that it's hard to find populated servers for this mod. There are probably a total of 5 servers running as we speak. Not that I say it wrecks anything in the score of this mod, but this is one thing Half-Life lacks, and that is server support. (More @ the Source: frag-energy.net)

    
    

    PLANETSIDE!!....
    Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:46 AM MDT Monday, April 16, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Tired of playing arena first person shooter games? Well then you have found the right game to praise. Planetside is a breath of fresh air in the dark and gloomy genre of first person shooter PC games. Verant Interactive, the same people who brought the immensely popular game Everquest, is developing it. With a company who created Everquest and is now brining MMO to the FPS genre, it sounds like this is going to be a snore-fest for everyone. Think again because there is more to this game than you can think of. (More @ the Source: frag-energy.net)

    
    

    Task Manager for Windows 9X/ME ....
    Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:30 AM MDT Monday, April 16, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Have you ever wondered what was sucking your resources dry? You have a P4 1.5Ghz with 1024MB of RAM, but your systems just keeps to use up all your resources rendering your games laggy with all the disk swap goign on, there might be a memory leak. For NT users, we have the privilege to use our task manager to shut down some of those pesky resource hoggers. As for Windows 9X/ME users, we have to live with our dreaded "Close Program" window which doesn't even have 1/8th the features compared to NT's Task Managers.
    
    Well the solution to this problem is to download a 3rd party Task Manager for Windows 9x/ME. Niresoft has released version 0.9.7 pf their Windows 9x/ME TaskManager. The Task Manager looks pretty much like the Windows NT, and as for the functionality, ill let ya know if it works..(Source:zdnet.com)

    
    

    Gore Q&A With VE....
    Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:24 AM MDT Monday, April 16, 2001 [Comment on news]
    VoodooExtreme has posted a single Q&A with 4DRulers' Joel Huenink to find out what they have been up to with Gore patches, and where development of the game is presently at.
    
    How about a little update on what you've been up to with patches and what not, let people know that you're still busting your ass to really make Gore shine?
    
    Oh we definitely are. Not only are we cranking up on the team play stuff, we're still improving things along the way. As anyone knows who has been following our progress, the engine just got shaders a few months ago, roughly about a month before we went public with the demo. We really only had time to implement them into the levels, while all the objects had to wait, so future builds of Gore will have shaders on weapons, items, characters and the effects. So the current version of Gore is still very "dry" looking compared to what future versions will look like. A lot of things that people requested take more than a few days to implement, so there are some more long range things we are addressing as well. (Source:BNEWS)

    
    

    New Gamespy Arcade....
    Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:55 AM MDT Monday, April 16, 2001 [Comment on news]
    A new version (1.07) of the Gamespy Arcadeserver/chat game browser has been released and can be downloaded fromits official web site. Here is what is in the new version:

    * More Games: Game for free! Arcade now comes bundled with tons of popular free Web-based, classic, board and card games. Deal a hand of poker, shoot the moon at hearts or demolish a city in Rampage. You'll also be able to play popular new retail titles like Tribes 2, Serious Sam, Fallout Tactics, High Heat Baseball 2002 and Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns online through Arcade.

    * Voice chat. Forget typing, and forget long-distance charges - talk to your buddies in real-time with your PC and a mike.

    * Non-game chat. Want a little privacy? Create your own chat room and invite friends new and old to gab with you.

    * New, improved PlayerSpy - create one-on-one chat rooms and keep track of message histories.

    * Player Profiles - Get yourself a new game face with our Portrait Picker, and control how much info. you give to other players with our fully editable player profiles. (Source:Stomped)

    
    

    The Great Game....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 2:21 AM MDT Monday, April 16, 2001 [Comment on news]
    When it comes to video games, designers are constantly searching for that perfect game -- the one that will be a huge success, spawning countless mods, sell millions of copies, and let them drive to work in shiny new cars. (I'm not naming any names... but his name rhymes with "Don Barsmack.") Some game companies, however, just don't seem to get that for a game to be successful, there have to be certain elements REQUIRED. That is why I felt the need to write this guide to designing the perfect game. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

    
    

    Asking Mr Sweeney ....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 2:21 AM MDT Monday, April 16, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Tim - Yeah, basically. You can still build a complete, ultra high polygon level entirely in UnrealEd, but since we now have very fast and easy import tools for Max and Maya, you might prefer to model the more complex and organic objects there. Both programs are great for modelling, but we prefer Maya's animation, because it's much more flexible and straightforward, in terms of targetting the skeletal-animation features game developers need. (More @ the Source: voodooextreme.com

    
    Sunday, April 15, 2001

    Todesangst....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:29 AM MDT Sunday, April 15, 2001 [Comment on news]
    bl4z3r at 3DActionPlanet has posted an interview with Daryn "Peppyfool" Waite on Todesangst (pronounced TOH-dess-ahngst). A German word that literally means fear of death, todesangst is usually translated as meaning terror or dread. Which is precisely what you will feel when you play this new single player Half-Life episode. Todesangst is also now available for download. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

    
    

    Help Find a Cure for Cancer....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:07 AM MDT Sunday, April 15, 2001 [Comment on news]
    It's Easter Sunday so I decided to post something a little different....Thousands of people are affected by cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's or other diseases, now you don't have to be a scientist to help find a cure. The Intel Philanthropic Peer-to-Peer Program helps to combat life-threatening illnesses by linking millions of PCs like yours into the largest and fastest computing resource in history. This "virtual supercomputer" uses peer-to-peer technology to make unprecedented amounts of processing power available to medical researchers to accelerate the development of improved treatments and drugs that could potentially cure diseases. Please take the time to check out the rest here.

    
    

    Action Half-Life BETA 4 Preview....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:54 AM MDT Sunday, April 15, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Galadriel over at PlanetHalf-Life has been allowed to take a closer look at the Action Half-Life BETA 4, one of the most anticipated mod releases in quite some time. Scheduled for release on April 20th, the mod is almost 100% complete and has been eagerly awaited. (More @ the Source: planethalflife.com)

    
    

    Project Black Light ....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:36 AM MDT Sunday, April 15, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Intelgamer interviewed Vesto from the Project Black Light mod. Project Black Light is a first person shooter mod currently in development for the Serious engine. The game is set in a cyberpunk environment and offers you a view of a future that is not beyond comprehension. Check out the interview here and the Project Black website.

    
    

    The Future of Gaming: 2006 ....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:17 AM MDT Sunday, April 15, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Retrospective? That's old school. We want to know about the future, as we're sure you do. So what will the next five years bring to the world of PC Gaming? Find out what industry experts are saying in this awesome investigative story. (More @ the Source: pcgamer.com)

    
    Saturday, April 14, 2001

    Black & White Dethrones The Sims....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 1:04 PM MDT Saturday, April 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
    The popular virtual-life game The Sims from Electronic Arts has finally been dethroned from its number-one spot on the latest top-selling games list from NPD Intelect. The games that pushed it down the list are Black & White, the innovative GoD game from Lionhead Studios, which took the number one spot, and The Sims: House Party, an expansion pack for The Sims, which took number two. Both games were published by Electronic Arts. (More @ the Source: gamespot.com)

    
    

    New QStat Version....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 12:54 PM MDT Saturday, April 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
    The QStat program for getting server stats from a multitude of games including pretty much all the Quake games has released v2.4b. The new version brings some more features for Quake III and some Tribes 2 goodies as well. Get the files and details here: (More @ the Source: qstat.org)

    
    

    NVIDIA GeForce 3 review ....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 12:47 PM MDT Saturday, April 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
    The boyz over at cdmag.com take an in depth look at the up coming GeFource 3 technology check it out: (More @ the Source: cdmag.com)

    
    

    Is Black & White Spying on You?....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:40 PM MDT Saturday, April 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Some Internet posters are up in arms about security measures in the new gaming sensation, Black & White, developed by Lionhead. The game sends information about your computer (including the IP number, registry details, and hardware configuration) to a server run by developer Lionhead and publisher Electronic Arts. Lionhead, however, says users' fears about the game are baseless. (More @ the Source: pc.ign.com)

    
    

    Two New Boards From Elsa ....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 12:40 PM MDT Saturday, April 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
    eUniverse Games is reporting on two new Elsa Gladiac boards available from them. Here's a snip: Firstly, the GLADIAC 311The only significant difference between this card, the MX 200 and the 400 model, is the memory bandwidth has been cut in half. (1.3GB/s as opposed to 2.7GB/s.) Other than the memory bandwidth limit, it is equipped with all standard MX features. (More @ the Source: euniversegames.com)

    
    

    Command & Conquer: Renegade....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:35 PM MDT Saturday, April 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
    There have been some wildly different periods of history from the original Command & Conquer to the futuristic Tiberian Sun. But the one thing that many people have always wanted, but have never experienced is a full 3D experience that could let us travel in and among the units and buildings. Well Command & Conquer: Renegade is going to do that while it breaks down a genre barrier that most people probably never would have thought about for the series. Renegade will give you the chance to step into the shoes of a GDI soldier with all of the weapons and perks that go with it in a first person shooter that will leave you with a whole new outlook on the world of C&C. (More @ the Source: pc.ign.com)

    
    

    SERIOUS SAM REVIEW....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 12:23 PM MDT Saturday, April 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Our girl (Frag-girlie) takes a compelling gander into the world of Serious Sam here's a a nibble: "What can I say about Serious Sam other than it’s a good thing for open minds and second-chances. I didn’t have the advantage of playing the demo, so my first taste of the game was when I played death match with my friends. And to put it bluntly, I didn’t like it much. Honestly, I didn’t even consider playing it again for several days. Then I was home one night after work and decided to give the single player mode a try and that’s when it happened, I got sucked in. I don’t know exactly when or how it happened, but minutes . . . hours had passed and suddenly everything was dark around me because evening had set in without my noticing." (More @ the Source: pcshooter.com)

    
    

    Tribes 2 First Aid Utility....
    Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:07 PM MDT Saturday, April 14, 2001 [Comment on news]
    PlanetTribes.com has posted up a new first aid utility to help with the unhandled exception errors some people have been getting in Tribes 2. Apparently much of it is caused by CRC errors in the files that got copied from the installation CD. The utility will correct that problem for the users and allow them to get a perfect installation of the game. Those that have tried this utility so far have had great success and many that were never able to run the game are now able to do so. (More @ the Source: planettribes.com)

    
    Friday, April 13, 2001

    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 announced....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 6:21 PM MDT Friday, April 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Activision has announced that it will release Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, the next game in the popular skateboarding series. The game is being developed for the PC as well as the Sony PlayStation2, the Microsoft Xbox, the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, the Sony PlayStation, and the Nintendo Game Boy Color. Although no official release date was given, the company did state that the game will feature technical advancements over the previous games. (More @ the Source: gamespot.com)

    
    

    Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 6:19 PM MDT Friday, April 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
    The current success of the role-playing genre owes a lot to Interplay's 1997 post-nuclear RPG Fallout, a game that proved you could have an excellent game setting without a single elf, dwarf, or orc in sight. The setting proved so popular it inspired a sequel—1998's Fallout 2—numerous fan sites, and now a strategy game, Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel. (More @ the Source: cdmag.com)

    
    

    What Do Gamers Want?....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 6:17 PM MDT Friday, April 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
    Recently, a game by the name of Serious Sam was released, and it is good. It's scoring high marks on reviews everywhere; there's barely a word spoken against it. The fact that the gaming community likes it so much raises an interesting issue. As gamers, we have no idea what we want. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

    
    

    Q3 Server Wizard 1.4a....
    Posted by [Luckee] @ 6:15 PM MDT Friday, April 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
    A new version of Quake3Server Wizard has been released today (1.4a). They mention is is just a small release fixing up a couple bugs, and adding a couple small features.Changes in v1.4a include:

     

    • Added BOT text as a coloured font to show which team each bot is on
    • Added Forceteambalance toggle
    • Added 5 new options for OSP
    • Fixed BFG10K bug - gametype selects properly now
    • Added extra combobox for Bfg gametype
    • Added prepare to fight wave on RUN
    • Added detect IP number of local host (Internet one will show primarily ... Network one will show if no Internet connection is made)
    • Added the ability to search another directory for map scanning (Source:stomped.com)
      
      

      Unreal 2 ....
      Posted by [Luckee] @ 6:13 PM MDT Friday, April 13, 2001 [Comment on news]
      World Exclusive! Get all the juicy details on this much-anticipated follow-up to one of the most beautiful PC games of all time. We've got it all: new characters, the world's first screenshots, and every detail we could wring out of Legend and Epic. (More @ the Source: pcgamer.com)

      
      Thursday, April 12, 2001

      Star Trek Away Team ....
      Posted by [Luckee] @ 2:12 AM MDT Thursday, April 12, 2001 [Comment on news]
      It’s hard to admit, but I’m a closet Trek fan. I started with the original series and, then chose the Next Generation over the news until I had seen most of the episodes. I had even spent some hours on Trek simulators of ancient time where the stars were asterisks and the Klingon ships where ^ symbols moving around the sector. So, when Luckee handed me my latest assignment, I was excited to boot up a Trek real-time strategy game. Unfortunately, my excitement didn’t last too long. (More @ the Source: pcshooter.com)

      
      

      Chipset Article ....
      Posted by [Luckee] @ 2:12 AM MDT Thursday, April 12, 2001 [Comment on news]
      pcStats today posted up a article to help explain some of the major chipsets out right now and some of their main features and differences.The chipset may not be the most talked about of computer parts but it's definitely one of the most important. Whether you are a Intel processor owner, or a AMD buff, you will need the perfect chipset in order to maximize your processors' capabilities. Below are a list of chipsets that range from the "average household" chipset to the "top of the line" chipsets. You pick the chipset that's best for you. (More @ the Source: pcstats.com)

      
      

      Has The PC Gaming Industry Become Too Commercialized?....
      Posted by [Luckee] @ 2:12 AM MDT Thursday, April 12, 2001 [Comment on news]
      I believe that too many publishers these days are eager to go that extra mile to make a game a top seller, while at the same time neglecting the actual developing team of the game, and not giving them adequate funds or time to design the games they envision. Perhaps the greatest problem of all is that these publishers are actually succeeding by employing these conniving tactics. This only encourages them to continue exploiting popular licenses or the names of famous developers, all at the cost of the average gamer. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

      
      Wednesday, April 11, 2001

      Serious Sam as a Benchmark....
      Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:49 AM MDT Wednesday, April 11, 2001 [Comment on news]
      It's occurred to me that while a few sites have used Serious Sam as a benchmark, no one really has gone into HOW to use Serious Sam as a benchmark or what kind of information you can glean from Serious Sam about your videocard and system. That is about to change. This article is not meant to discuss every setting or variable on benchmarking Serious Sam. In point of fact, I have found new variables discovered all the time on the net. It's meant as an introduction to benchmarking Serious Sam and will tie into my Geforce3 review once Nvidia gets around to sending my reference card. (More @ the Source: techextreme.com)

      
      

      GeForce2 MX 200 & 400 Review ....
      Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:43 AM MDT Wednesday, April 11, 2001 [Comment on news]
      x-bit labs has posted a review taking a look at both the upcoming GeForce2 MX 200 and GeForce2 MX 400, which will replace the original GeForce2 MX. The 200 will be slower than the original MX, but will be ultra-cheap while the 400 will be slightly faster than the original MX. Here's a sample off the review: (More @ the Source: xbitlabs.com)

      
      

      Software Pirates!....
      Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:41 AM MDT Wednesday, April 11, 2001 [Comment on news]
      I have been involved in the PC gaming industry, in one form or another, for a number of years. I know how much effort goes into the creation of a game. I know that some titles are... shall we say, less then good. In fact, I will even go so far as to say some titles suck. However, there are quite a few quality pieces of software out there... ones which are more than worth the money when it comes to buying them. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

      
      Tuesday, April 10, 2001

      GORE PATCH OUT 1.27....
      Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 1:45 PM MDT Tuesday, April 10, 2001 [Comment on news]
      Joel "coolman" Huenink, President of 4DRulers just informed us that they've just released a patch for the Gore demo. Here'sthe buzz:

      • Reduced packet sizes. Packets were overly large causing failed level changes on cable/dsl connections.
      • Improved packet sizing logic. Packets were overly large causing failed level changes on cable/dsl connections.
      • Added 'packet_size' console command. This controls the ideal packet partitioning size. Default=256
      • Introduced packet rate metering to control the flow of data from client to server. This should reduce cases where players with good connections are not moving smoothly when viewed by other players. I suspect this is caused primarily by unbalanced connections where the upload speed is much less than the download speed. This is essentially a 'max network frame rate' setting and also reduces outgoing bandwidth usage for all connection types.
      • Added 'packet_rate' console command. This controls the maximum outgoing packet rate. This should only be used on the client. Default=30 * Fixed various messaging issues.
        
        

        Black and White Review @ Happy Puppy ....
        Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:50 AM MDT Tuesday, April 10, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Black & White is Peter Molyneux's latest "god game" masterpiece for the PC and his first title under the Lionhead Studios brand. After sitting through three years worth of impressive E3 demos behind closed doors, I was thrilled when Electronic Arts decided to publish this ambitious, genre-busting game. In B&W, players assume the role of a deity, in charge of a world aptly named "Eden." This world consists of islands each teeming with hundreds of villagers, animals and "creatures." One of the first goals in the game is to choose a creature and nurture it to help rule the lands in your name. Call it divine intervention, if you will. (More @ the Source: happypuppy.com)

        
        

        Huge CS Maps Update @ planethalflife.com....
        Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:42 AM MDT Tuesday, April 10, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Entelraust has been working overtime to add over 30 new Counter-Strike maps to his CS Maps site! Check out the long list of maps which are now available in the CS Maps archive! (More @ the Source: planethalflife.com/csmaps)

        
        

        Operation flashpoint: cold war crises ....
        Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:35 AM MDT Tuesday, April 10, 2001 [Comment on news]
        I was a big fan of the Jane's Combat Sims and the Rogue Spear, Delta Force series of games. But I always wanted a developer to bring those elements together in a freeform free-roaming gameworld. Wouldn't it be nice to soar above the forest line while raining down hell from your attack chopper? Wouldn't it then be nice to land that chopper and get out, whip out a machine gun and go after the enemy personally?Operation Flashpoint promises this and a whole lot more, and I'm one of the few to actually have played the recent review/preview code of the game and I can tell you my drool circuits have gone into overload. (More @ the Source: gamesxtreme.net)

        
        Monday, April 9, 2001

        Warren Spector Interview....
        Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:54 AM MDT Monday, April 9, 2001 [Comment on news]
        >What place do videogames have in popular culture? What place do you imagine or would like them to have ten years from now?
        
        WS: Well,frustratingly enough, we're on the cultural radar just enough to be a target forcrusaders but not enough to be worthy of serious study. We're at the point where politicians are CLEARLY paying attention to what we do and we've replaced television as the latest Medium That Corrupts Youth and Will Certainly Cause theDownfall of Civilization As We Know It. Universities are beginning to pay attention to us, to study what we do and put us in a larger cultural context.But, with very few exceptions (can you say Pokemon?), we're not yet at the point where we create that cultural context -- we pretty much still follow along in the wake of pop culture. I mean, a game like Deus Ex can be inspired by the X-Files and by internet conspiracy sites but it isn't bloody likely that thegame will inspire a slew of movies or TV shows... But that's all going to change, I think. It's already to the point where you're more surprised to hearsomeone say they DON'T play games than you are when you hear people say they DO. We're not some weird, nichey thing any more. We're mainstream, if not quite massmarket, not yet the white hot center of pop culture but getting there. The next generation of parents will be as comfortable with gaming as their kids and THAT's when you'll start to see some real changes.(More @ the Source: mgon.com)

        
        

        New Counter-Strike Screenshots ....
        Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:44 AM MDT Monday, April 9, 2001 [Comment on news]
        The BackBurner has gotten their hands on six exclusive screenshots of an upcoming Counter-Strike map, CS_Pallid. This map will be featured in version 1.2 of this great Half-Life modification. (More @ the Source: thebackburner.com)

        
        

        Black and White guide....
        Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:35 AM MDT Monday, April 9, 2001 [Comment on news]
        OK, you have the game, you might even have read the manual, but Black & White is not a game you can simply dive in a play in two minutes flat. Having spent the best part of 4 days struggling to figure out some of the game play, I though it would be appropriate to offer some help to owners of the game. (More @ the Source: theecronom.com) In no particular order I offer the following tips:

        
        

        Why People Play Tribes....
        Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:32 AM MDT Monday, April 9, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Being the first ever retail game to be focused solely on multiplayer, Tribes rose from relative obscurity to being one of the top-ranked multiplayer games of its time. Even today it continues to rank highly on the GameSpy Stats. But what made it so successful? There was no huge hype or giant released party. StoneWolf, 3DActionPlanet's resident TRIBES expert has some insight. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

        
        Sunday, April 8, 2001

        Half-Life: Blue Shift Interview....
        Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:44 AM MDT Sunday, April 8, 2001 [Comment on news]
        John "JCal" Callaham over at Stomped had the opportunity to chat with Randy Pitchford, the president of Gearbox Software. They talk about moving Blue Shift from the Dreamcast to the PC, what extra features will be included, some hints as to the development of Half-Life for the Playstation 2, and where he thinks Blue Shift fits in the scheme of all things Half-Life. (More @ the Source: stomped.com)

        
        

        Official Rogue Wars Site Launches....
        Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:37 AM MDT Sunday, April 8, 2001 [Comment on news]
        New Jersey-based ReAllis has launched the official Web site for its upcoming action-strategy hybrid game, Rogue Wars. The site has information on the futuristic game's features, background story, and units, along with an extensive screenshot gallery. Rogue Wars combines team-based first-person shooter game mechanics with elements from turn-based space strategy games. Players will assume the role of the commander of a squad of five mechanical combat units called rogues. The game will feature two modes of play, campaign mode and war mode. (More @ the Source: zdnet.com)

        
        

        New Tomb Raider Film Trailer....
        Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:19 AM MDT Sunday, April 8, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Although not directly about gaming, I think there are enough gamers interested in this movie to warrant a look. It is a full-length tease that contains never-before-seen footage from one of the summer's most anticipated films and is available in all major media formats (thanks PCGameworld.com). Angelina Jolie stars as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, in theaters June 15th. You can check it out here.
        Oh and Luckee...I posted this just for you hehehee :o).

        
        

        Unleash the Beast....
        Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:52 AM MDT Sunday, April 8, 2001 [Comment on news]
        To mark the colossal release of Black & White, Bestbuy.com is offering up a free, exclusive, downloadable character... a gorilla with customizable temperment and personality. Check it out, you can get the gorilla and a "how to use my character" guide here.

        
        

        Q3DMHellchick: The Catch 22 of Levels....
        Posted by [Luckee] @ 2:13 AM MDT Sunday, April 8, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Everyone likes to make levels. I'll bet if you polled the gaming community, you'd find that of all the possible ways to extend a game after you've played it, user-made levels are by far the biggest component. Here's the problem: gamers don't download custom levels because server admins don't run them, and server admins don't run them because gamers don't download them. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

        
        Saturday, April 7, 2001

        Serious Sam Interview....
        Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 9:46 PM MDT Saturday, April 7, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Alien over at Daily Telefrag caught up with Croteam programmer Dean Sekulic in a Serious Sam "out and ready" interview. Dean mentions that he's currently working on a patch for the game.... Here's some of the other dialogue:

        ALIEN: First of all, are you happy with all the work you put into the first part of Serious Sam? Did all your plans come the way you want them? Were there any non-implemented features?
        
        Dean Sekulic: Of course we're all happy. We ALWAYS wanted to make FPS that we would like to play. Since we're all ZX-Spectrum and Amiga generation, we used to play very intense action games. So there you have it - SSam: action game from the past in the engine of the future (what a PR talk, a?). :) As for non-implemented features... unfortunately yes, there are some. But it's a common thing; you always have to leave something out in order to make it on time, and keep the quality of the product.
        
        You can catch the rest here.
        
        

        Fallout Tactics and Serious Sam make the charts....
        Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:18 AM MDT Saturday, April 7, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Interplay's tactical-combat game and GodGames' first-person shooter find a place in the latest list of best-selling games. Although the top three spots in NPD Intelect's latest list of best-selling games remained unchanged with The Sims, The Sims: Livin' Large, and Roller Coaster Tycoon in first, second, and third place, respectively. You can get the whole list of the Top-selling games for the week of March 18-24, 2001 here.

        
        

        New 1st Person RPG - Arx Fatalis....
        Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:09 AM MDT Saturday, April 7, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Arkane Studios is developing a 1st-person role-playing game with a 3D-graphics system designed to involve players in the game world to an extent yet unmatched. The game immerses the player in an impressive fantasy world, making this the game "Ultima-Underworld" fans have been waiting years for. From a series of underground vaults, the player is treated to a tour of the medieval kingdom of Arx, with its eight graphically unique levels and diverse races. Using a little élan, ploy and good old-fashioned strength, he battles his way through the catacombs of a mysterious ancient world. It has been reported that Fishtank expects to release this game in October 2001. (More @ the Source: fragland.net)

        
        

        NVIDIA GeForce 3 Reference Adapter Performance....
        Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:58 AM MDT Saturday, April 7, 2001 [Comment on news]
        You've waited and waited, and now it's here: NVIDIA has finally unleashed its latest creation, the GeForce 3, to an eager public. Check and see how it performs after the reference board has been put through the paces. (More @ the Source: adrenalinevault.com)

        
        

        DigiPen Institute of Technology....
        Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:52 AM MDT Saturday, April 7, 2001 [Comment on news]
        While dozens of colleges around the country are including game-programming courses, Redmond, Washington's DigiPen Institute of Technology is the oldest, largest, and most recognized within the burgeoning video gaming industry. In fact, it happens to be the only school solely dedicated to game production and design. (More @ the Source: happypuppy.com)

        
        

        Undying Demo....
        Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:46 AM MDT Saturday, April 7, 2001 [Comment on news]
        3DFiles has the new Undying demo available for download. This game is set in 1920's Ireland, and players take on the role of Patrick Galloway, who has been summoned to an ancestral estate by its lone descendent Jeremiah. Death has claimed his four siblings, each who have reanimated intent on slaying their living brother, the last of the family, so as to free the Curse of the Undying King. (More @ the Source: 3dfiles.com)

        
        

        Tribes 2 Review....
        Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 10:37 AM MDT Saturday, April 7, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Sharky Games has posted up a Tribes 2 review. Here's a starter tidbit for you:

        Tribes holds the distinction of being the first 3D shooter to make the move to online-only. Adding wide-open spaces, limited pilotable vehicles, 32 simultaneous players (even over a slow connection), jump jets that added up and down to your requisite 360 degrees of shooting mayhem, and as promised, Tribes 2 gives us new weapons, environments, vehicles and game types. The single player mode is beefed up with the bot-match and there's a bunch of new maps. They have also added a new "tribe" to the human vs. human conflict.
        
        You can check out the whole review here.
        
        Friday, April 6, 2001

        Mafia 2 Preview ....
        Posted by [Luckee] @ 2:19 PM MDT Friday, April 6, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Visiting Take 2 Interactive to check out Hidden & Dangerous 2, The Unofficial H&D 2 site was also given a chance to check out Mafia 2, the other upcoming title from Illusion Softworks. (More @ the Source: hidden-and-dangerous2)

        
        

        GF2 vs GF3 Shootout....
        Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:23 AM MDT Friday, April 6, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Before you all go nuts, I want to tell you that we will cover OTHER cards in the comparisons besides just the GeForce2 Ultra in future articles. The Web has been chock full of "The GeForce3 is not better than the GF2 Ultra" giblets for a while now and I wanted to specifically address this. Also, as usual, our goal here is to not be 100% technically accurate in explaining things, that is what white papers are for. We want to try to give you a better everyday understanding of the information in the shortest and simplest possible way. (More @ the Source: hardocp.com)

        
        

        Tribes 2 Bug Tracking / Fix Database....
        Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:09 AM MDT Friday, April 6, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Man, I tried this dam game all last night but never got it to run on my workstation:(
        
        Welcome to my contribution to solving the various issues and problems that are vexing many of the people who recently purchased Tribes 2. Initially I had planned to take the game back and get it later, maybe, if everything got fixed. I have what can be fairly termed a high end machine. I've still experienced a number of issues that have made the game unplayable at times, very challenging at others. Well, I got to thinking...... Perhaps I could create something that would go toward a solution to this, rather than throwing my hands up and quitting. So, here it is. The T-2 bug database. (More @ the Source: veterangamers.net)

        
        Thursday, April 5, 2001

        Tribes 2 Server FAQ ....
        Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 6:01 PM MDT Thursday, April 5, 2001 [Comment on news]
        MatchServers has posted a handy Tribes 2 dedicated server FAQ. This could be useful for those that want to set up a server but really don't know how. Speaking of, I need to get that put on my server. Anybody know if I can install it just by uploaded the setup files to our server? Or will I have to copy the files over from an install to work? Or am I just screwed? I kinda want to know before I upload all of that. (More @ the Source: matchservers.com>

        
        

        Black and White Q&A ....
        Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 3:46 PM MDT Thursday, April 5, 2001 [Comment on news]
        G-Spot's Trey Walker let us know that they have posted an interview with Lionhead's big-Pete Molyneux, dishing up some new details on the future of Black and White, including news of which add-ons to expect in the coming weeks. Here's a hefty snip from this bit:
        
        GameSpot: Now that the team is starting to return from vacation, what are the plans for patches and add-ons to Black & White?
        
        Peter Molyneux: The team has just returned from a well earned three weeks of holiday and will now be focusing on two areas. The first is a patch fixing a couple of the most crucial bugs. After that, we have a rollout plan for a number of add-ons..(More @ the Source: zdnet.com/gamespot>

        
        

        Mastering Serious Sam....
        Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:12 AM MDT Thursday, April 5, 2001 [Comment on news]
        Don't die much":)))), following are some useful tips that will greatlyincrease your chances of survival. This list isn't exhaustive, but there aresome things here that you may not have realized or thought about.

        • Take Your Time: This isn't a race. Be very methodical in how you approach each area. Take a look around and think about your path through an area before the lead starts flying - you won't have time to think later.
          
          
        • Listen Carefully: Serious Sam's sound cues are among the best around. Listen for enemies appearing, items spawning, and various other cues to let you know what's going on.
          
          
        • Master Basic FPS Skills: Brush up on circle-strafing (forwards and backwards), and work on your aim. In Serious Sam, you don't have time to be mediocre -- you need to hit what you shoot at every time, and avoid getting hit in return, or you'll never make it.
          
          
        • Search everything: We've detailed the secrets in the game for you, but you should still search every room carefully before moving on. Items are tucked into some out-of-the-way places, and you'll want every scrap of health and ammo you can find.
          
          
        • Conserve Ammo: Don't waste "big ammo" on little enemies. Save the heavy firepower for those times when you need it. When will you need it? You'll know - trust me.
          
          
        • Beware "Freebies": Nothing comes without a price in Serious Sam. That juicy backpack full of ammo is never without price - usually several enemies appearing as you grab it. Think twice about picking up something, and always be prepared for the worst. (More @ the Source: gamespy.com)
          
          

          Asking Tim Sweeney....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:06 AM MDT Thursday, April 5, 2001 [Comment on news]
          Topics include Epic's upcoming Unreal Warfare engine, why companies are so closed minded, Duke Nukem Forever, getting tips on how to get your ass into the biz, if they'll be updating the glide code ever again, the GeForce 3, save games, the Xbox, programming, and plenty more! Here's something to get you in the mood: 
          
          From Terry: Just how seamless do you feel ports from XBox-to-PC and vice-versa will be? Surely there will be performance disparities when dealing with the two different architectures, even though they are both PC based - are we going to see ported games that run fluidly on XBox hampered by the PC's non-unified memory, various bridges, fillrates etc?
          
          Tim Sweeney -- The Xbox development tools are an absolute dream. It's not so much a porting process as maintaining a single, unified codebase simultaneously on Xbox and PC, and that has been very straightforward. There aren't really any performance disparities nowadays. In a few years when PC's are up around 4 GHz, the Xbox will be slower in comparison and simultaneous development will require more work. But for the next couple of years, the process is very straightforward and free of the kind of difficult tradeoffs one would expect from multiplatform development. (More @ the Source: voodooextreme.com)

          
          

          The Massive Growth ....
          Posted by [Luckee] @ 9:00 AM MDT Thursday, April 5, 2001 [Comment on news]
          As expected, the amount of players and servers from Tribes 2 has growntremendously. According to recent GamespyStats, the top four most played fps multiplayer games are:

          1. Half Life - 10382 servers, 41216 players
          2. Tribes 2 - 572 servers, 4562 players
          3. Unreal Tournament - 2665 servers, 4307 players
          4. Quake 3: Arena 2669 - servers, 3776 players

          Dave Georgeson responded to these stats with, "We're up to 45,456accounts as of this moment. ; )" Although lagging behind Half Life(Counterstrike) considerably, those are some extremely large numbers, and we canbe sure to see those numbers proliferate as the game becomes more popular. Ican't wait to see how this community grows and what resources it will have tooffer.(Source:ribalwar.com)

          
          

          Unggggggggggggh.... Zombies.......
          Posted by [Luckee] @ 9:00 AM MDT Thursday, April 5, 2001 [Comment on news]
          In a departure from her usual weekly tradition of ranting about something vague and unimportant, Thorokano has decided this week to discuss something of profound significance to the overall gaming community. Something big. Something terrifying. Something so thoroughly vile, it can turn the bowels of the bravest gamer to water. Something that tears chunks of flesh from its own undead body and hurls them at the living, moaning in dull satisfaction at the meaty thud of impact. (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

          
          

          Tactical shooting, alien style....
          Posted by [Luckee] @ 8:59 AM MDT Thursday, April 5, 2001 [Comment on news]
          In Venom, astronomers have found a new object in the sky, indexed as JK4538-XK. In layman's terms, it's a midsize comet class inbound from another galaxy. It's great copy for the nightly news, until scientists realize that there's a good chance it could collide with earth. In a matter of weeks, casual interest has turned to terror as cities are evacuated in preparation for the upcoming disaster. The good news is that the comet doesn't slam into the planet. The bad news is that it comes close enough to scorch the planet, and hurl hundreds of smaller meteorites to the surface, devastating cities and causing tsunamis, hurricanes, and earthquakes. (More @ the Source: pc.ign.com)

          
          Wednesday, April 4, 2001

          All Games Depot opens....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 2:46 PM MDT Wednesday, April 4, 2001 [Comment on news]
          All Games Depot is a search index for servers, maps, skins, websites, articles, tutorials, guides, and everything else related to gaming. All submissions are 'self-serve' with full submission history, editing, and image upload capability. So if you have something you want the gaming community to find, come on over and make a post! (More @ the Source: allgamesdepot.com)

          
          

          What's High-Speed, Wireless, and Almost Here?....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 2:46 PM MDT Wednesday, April 4, 2001 [Comment on news]
          All signs pointed to Japan and Europe deploying the next big thing in high-speed wireless networks two to three years before the U.S. All bets are off now that deployment of 3G (third-generation) networks in Europe is delayed and the U.S. gears up to roll out interim technology known as 2.5G this year. (More @ the Source: yahoo.com)

          
          

          Rune Expansion Pack Interview @ VE....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 2:46 PM MDT Wednesday, April 4, 2001 [Comment on news]
          VE - What sparked Halls of Valhalla? Who came up with the idea of an expansion pack for RUNE?Timothy Gerritsen - With the original Rune, we really concentrated on the single player game. That was the focus of nearly all of our design decisions. We wanted to do more with the MP, but we had a hard deadline for the game, and there simply wasn't time to do some of the things we wanted. We decided to create additional multiplayer support for the game, and pitched it to Gathering, who decided that it would be great to ship it as an expansion pack. We did the deal and started work. The ideas for the new modes and characters came from many of the internal staff. Headball was a natural, as the idea of bloody basketball was both easy to grasp and a lot of fun. Arena mode grew out of the fans who asked us for it, but we added team arena modes to the mix and it ended up being easily the most addictive of the new modes. (More @ the Source: voodooextreme.com)

          
          

          AvP2 FAQ....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:27 AM MDT Wednesday, April 4, 2001 [Comment on news]
          What engine will it be using?
          
          

          The game is currently being developed using the LithTech 2.x engine, but it may possibly end up on the LithTech 3. You can read more about it over at the LithTech site. (More @ the Source: avpnews.com)

          
          

          Operation: Flashpoint Preview....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 9:50 AM MDT Wednesday, April 4, 2001 [Comment on news]
          Teamwork rocks. Whether the squad shooter involves paramilitary teams (Rainbow Six, Counter-Strike, Swat 3), military organizations (Delta Force Land Warrior, SpecOps), or futuristic warriors (Tribes 2, Quake 3 Team Arena), the ability to work with or command teams of specialized soldiers on a variety of missions adds a tactical depth that deathmatch simply lacks. Sure, deathmatch is fun but planning and executing a coordinated plan with your AI or (even better) human buddies can be a very sweet thing. Tactical squad-based shooters are here to stay (just look at the online popularity of Counter-Strike and other squad-based games) and they're getting more and more detailed and ambitious. So where is this shooter sub-genre heading? (More @ the Source: cdmag.com)

          
          Tuesday, April 3, 2001

          What Is Scarier, Surprise or Suspense?....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:37 AM MDT Tuesday, April 3, 2001 [Comment on news]
          When we talk about surprise we are referring to (according to my dictionary) an "unexpected or astonishing event or circumstance", and suspense literally means a state of anxious uncertainty or expectation. But which one does a better job of scaring the pants off you? (More @ the Source: 3dactionplanet.com)

          
          

          A Good Serious Sam Review!....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:25 AM MDT Tuesday, April 3, 2001 [Comment on news]
          Eat your heart out FG:) With all this said, is "Serious Sam" a game that one should consider? Yes. Though this game features cartoon-like violence with human creatures to kill, these shortcomings are all culturally based (who says cartoon violence isn't bloody or shocking? and who says we only have to kill humans?). Do not make the initial mistakes many have made; do not underestimate this game based on your current need to play only the most realistic games on your powerhouse of a computer. Right is right. Fun is fun. And "Serious Sam" will entertain gamers in single play mode or in of the various multiplayer modes available. Conversely, do not read too much into this review. It is long and praises a game that brings life into the scene. However, "Serious Sam" will not will game of the year; it just isn't that good. (More @ the Source: game-over.net)

          
          

          Tomb Raider Trailer ....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:12 AM MDT Tuesday, April 3, 2001 [Comment on news]
          Tomorrow at noon EST, the Lara Croft moviewebsite will be updated with a new Tomb Raider trailer. The trailer will be available in Quicktime, Windows Media and Real Player formats and will contain new footage of the upcoming film. The film, starring Angelina Jolie, will be in theaters on June 15th. MANNNN CAN'T WAIT:) (Source:stomped.com)

          
          

          New TRIBES 2 Patches....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:05 AM MDT Tuesday, April 3, 2001 [Comment on news]
          Tribalwar.com has posted details onthe latest patch for TRIBES 2 that is now available via the game's auto-updatesystem, as well as preliminary info on the next patch currently in the works atDynamix. Here's the info on the current patch:

          1) Auth servers are handling load well now.
          
          2) Fixed an Unhandled Exception that involved people not having the proper AVI codec to play the intro movie. This should no longer occur. If you don't have the proper codec (most people do have it), then the movie will not play at all, but you won't crash.
          
          3) Resolved a problem with the autoupdater so that patches are applied correctly. Previous to this fix, if the user had run the game BEFORE getting a patch (i.e., played single player or LAN), then their DSO files were not being properly patched and this caused many issues for the user. This will no longer be a problem. It's very likely that this was the cause of one of the Unhandled Exceptions that people were getting.
          
          Additional information:
          a) We *just* fixed (minutes ago) the Redjack issue. We should have another patch in the next day or so with that fix in it.
          
          b) We're a good way toward getting the rest of the community up and running again (EMAIL, FORUMS, and BROWSER). But it will still be a day or so before that happens.
          
          Meanwhile, the News feature will keep you updated, the Chat is available, and of course, so is the Game. Go play! (Source:TWARS.COM)

          
          

          Soldier of Fortune 2 Details....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:02 AM MDT Tuesday, April 3, 2001 [Comment on news]
          I finally got my copy of PCGamer yesterday and it made me so excited. One thecover of the MAY 2001 issue it reads: Soldier of Fortune 2 revealed! Whatdoes this mean?
          
          SOF2 is officially being made using the Quake III engine while utilizing anupgraded version of the outstanding GHOUL technology. To make things evenbetter, the game will utilize:
          

          • 1024x1024 textures vs 64x64
            
          • Characters of 3000 polygons vs 400 polygons
            
          • Weapons of 5000 polygons vs 500 polygons
            
          • Facial expressions on the characters
            
          • More missions based on the life of John Mullins
            
          • More realistic weapons vs the microwave gun and such
            
          • GHOUL II technology vs the GHOUL original
            
          • 30 pixel accurate areas of damage vs 12
            
          • From 20 death animations to 100 for 15 body types

          
          Your mission this time will be to eliminate Russian scientists that are workingon a biochemical that they want to release. His new sidekick, Taylor, will behelping him out similarly to Hawk who didn't make it through the end of thefirst game. I hear that Taylor is quite a woman too.
          
          As for the enemies, they be working with higher intelligence. Using ICARUSAI originally founded in Elite Force, the enemies youface will be much smarter and harder to kill.
          

          
          Monday, April 2, 2001

          Confirmed: No Doom 3 at E3....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 6:01 PM MDT Monday, April 2, 2001 [Comment on news]
          It's not a particularly big surprise, but it's now official. id Software has confirmed to Well Rounded Entertainment that it will not be showing any footage of the eagerly awaited new Doom game at this year's E3 - neither on the show floor, nor behind closed doors.A spokesman for the developer says the company has chosen, instead, to focus on Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Commander Keen for GameBoy Color, both highly anticipated titles themselves, and both (presumably) much closer to their shipping dates.

          
          

          Serious Sam Review....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:13 AM MDT Monday, April 2, 2001 [Comment on news]
          You really can’t avoid making comparisons between Serious Sam and Doom because even their stories are similar in nature. In Serious Sam, you play the role of Special Forces veteran “Serious” Sam Stone. Earth has found itself under siege from a fierce and mysterious race of aliens calling themselves the Sirians. While the Earth forces fought the good fight, they were simply not able to counter the Sirians’ technology and massive numbers. But, all hope was not lost… (More @ the Source: techextreme.com)

          
          

          Female players get the boot from sexist males?....
          Posted by [NewsStaff] @ 10:10 AM MDT Monday, April 2, 2001 [Comment on news]
          "What annoys me is how I sometimes get treated by male players when they find out I'm a girl, and quite old too! I have had 'I'm not gonna get beat by a girl' from people I have been beating - they then leave the game before the end. I have had abuse hurled at me when I've fragged guys who don't like girl players. Most of the time I don't let on I am female, but if friends are on the server, it does sometimes become obvious by their innocent comments! I have even been booted off servers because some people don't want to risk losing to a girl. I don't use an obviously female nick either. 'Slof' could be anything, and I also use 'Klesk' as my player model - that too could be anything! I think the game refers to me as 'it' anyway! 'Slof blew itself up' !" (More @ the Source: planetquake.com)

          
          

          RumbleFX Forcefeedback Headphones ....
          Posted by [Luckee] @ 9:11 AM MDT Monday, April 2, 2001 [Comment on news]
          The serious gamers are always looking for small and large ways to improve their gaming performance, notably the FPS crowd. The first person shooter game is particularly taxing on the reflexive abilities and impulsive accuracy of the player. We buy GeForce3s, PC150 memory, an optical mouse, all to make the gaming environment respond better to us through better frame rates/input. But there’s still something missing, since less is done to make the player respond better to the gaming environment through output. (More @ the Source: 3dhardware.net)

          
          Sunday, April 1, 2001

          Tribes 2 Expansion Announced!....
          Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:17 PM MDT Sunday, April 1, 2001 [Comment on news]
          PlanetTribes.com has announced a Tribes 2 expansion pack... Seems a bit early you say? Such is life in the zany computer gaming industry! Here's a little taste of what they have to say:
          
          

          "...TRIBES 2 has taken the online world by storm," said Talitha Wu, executive visionary of TRIBES 2™ Extreme, "but many action gamers hesitate to jump online without perfecting their skills. TRIBES 2™ Extreme gives them an incredibly fun campaign to cut their teeth on - and team missions so they can form a squad and practice their match skills. We want everyone to see how fun and easy it is to be an online warrior..."

          You can check out the rest here.

          
          

          Tribes 2: A Look at Day One....
          Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 12:06 PM MDT Sunday, April 1, 2001 [Comment on news]
          PCmonkey.net has posted a first look at Tribes 2. Here's a little snip:
          
          

          First off, fans of Tribes should not be disappointed with Tribes 2. Tribes 2 is like Tribes on steroids but although it continues in the same vein, I don't feel that Tribes 2 is a total rip-off or rehash of Tribes. The outdoor arenas are still there, only larger. The buildings and weapons are still there, only more detailed and along with everyone's favorite mode of transportation- the rocket pack, Tribes 2 is some serious fun.

          Check out the rest of the article here.

          
          

          New Urban Terror Screenshots....
          Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:48 AM MDT Sunday, April 1, 2001 [Comment on news]
          The Urban Terror website has been updated with some new screenshots from the latest internal build, build_6. They show off scenes with action shots in the levels. Urban Terror is a military/realism mod for Quake 3. There is an older, 1.27 compatible beta version for download on their website. (More @ the Source: urbanterror.net)

          
          

          Top Five Napster Alternatives....
          Posted by [Luckee] @ 11:40 AM MDT Sunday, April 1, 2001 [Comment on news]
          Lost in all the hype around the Napster controversy is the fact that Napster is an application -- and Napster works well. If, as many believe, a free Napster will soon be but a distant memory, the site will be missed. With Napster as we know it now in flux, we've outlined the next best five below -- warts and all. What are the top five Napster alternatives right now? We've rated our favorites according to download speed and ease of use, on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 is the lowest; 10's the highest). We also checked how many songs we were able to find by an indie rock band (the Apples in Stereo), and a better-known rock band (Radiohead). And the countdown begins... (More @ the Source: techtv.com)

          
          

          'Black & White' the best PC game ever?....
          Posted by [Luckee] @ 11:30 AM MDT Sunday, April 1, 2001 [Comment on news]
          By creating a beautiful living world in which you can do almost anything -- good, bad, or in between -- "Black & White" miraculously pulls you in and doesn't let go until you've sacrificed many hours.The heart of the game is expanding your influence by converting villages with miracles -- fireballs, lightning, rain, food, and more. You also have a giant creature -- at first a gorilla, cow, or tiger -- whom you teach to be your physical surrogate. Thanks to impressive A.I., your creature grows incredibly smart and powerful depending on how you respond to his actions (with slapping or stroking), and it does some surprising things without your prompting. (More @ the Source: cnn.com)

          
          

          Half-Life: Initial Encounter Patch Released....
          Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:28 AM MDT Sunday, April 1, 2001 [Comment on news]
          Sierra Studios has released the final patch in the long series of Half-Life releases that started over two weeks ago, updating the Initial Encounter edition to version 5.1.5.6. This was a retail version that included the Half-Life: Day One OEM demo and a stand-alone version of Team Fortress Classic, and the patch primarily updates the latter for multiplayer compatibility with all the other editions. The 48 MB file can be obtained from Sierra or by a direct ftp here.

          
          

          Half-Life: Blue Shift - In stores by June....
          Posted by [Frag-girlie] @ 11:28 AM MDT Sunday, April 1, 2001 [Comment on news]
          Half-Life: Blue Shift, an all-new episode for Half-Life, will arrive in stores around the world this June. Blue Shift is an all-new single player episode surrounding the Black Mesa security guard introduced in Valve's classic action thriller, Half-Life. In development by Gearbox Software, creators of the critically acclaimed Half-Life: Opposing Force, Blueshift also contains the Half-Life HD Pack, which automatically upgrades the weapons and characters of all the games in the Half-Life saga with new high definition content. For more information, including screenshots and the Half-Life: Blue Shift trailer, visit the Half-Life: Blue-Shift website. (More @ the Source: sierrastudios.com)