Hardware News
SoF2 Multiplayer Test?
March 31, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
ShackNews has word that Raven Software may be releasing a multiplayer test for their upcoming Quake3 engine powered - first person shooter, Soldier of Fortune 2. There's no date set or anything yet, so i'll keep you posted!
Jedi Outcast Review
March 31, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
ActionTrip has thrown up a review on Raven Software's newly released Quake3 engine powered Action title, Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast. With a final score of 92, they definatly seem to like it. Snip:
It seems that the purpose of the single-player game is to lead the player through two rather different gaming experiences. You start off as mercenary and end up as Master Jedi. As a mercenary, I had a real nice time blasting away at storm troopers, and even dismantling some heavy Imperial machinery to boot. The game starts rather slow in terms of action. I must admit it was the hype that kept me going, as some of the jumping I had to perform to get to various important areas of the level was at times very frustrating. To make matters worse, the mission objectives are 'Laconic,' to say the least. There is just one short sentence telling you 'to get out of some place' and the way you go about doing that will mostly depend on reasoning, and for the most part, searching the maps for key areas that will get you through to the next level. Granted, this adds more playing time, especially if we take in consideration the secret areas, but I'm not sure that this is how players expected Raven to lengthen the single-player.
Hitman 2 Q&A
March 30, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
SaveGames.net caught up with IO Interactive's Thor Frølich for a quick Q&A regarding their upcoming 3rd/first person action title, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. Here's some juice:
SGN: About Hitman 2, what can we expect for new features?
TF: There are so many I dont know where to start, but here goes: Youre able to turn off lamps by shooting at them or disrupting their power supply. Hitmans visibility is depended on the amount of light on the character, so youre able to hide in shadows. Weve implemented non-lethal methods of getting rid of annoying characters. If youre a great shot its possible to disarm enemies by hitting their weapon or the hand. The AI now responds to irregular behaviour, ie. running it wont trigger enmity right away but rather raise their interest in you. Also the long awaited save game feature has been implemented. Bear in mind that these are just some of the new things.
Morrowind Preview
March 30, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The Gamers Press has posted an hands-on preview of Bethesda Softworks' upcoming RPG for the PC and Xbox, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Included are some new screenshots to take a gander at, so check them out! Snip:
All of the details you want on whatever's in your inventory are given just by hovering your mouse of the item. The help pop up was a little too fast (I tried adjusting this from the game settings, but it didn't seem to go - Beta thing, I figure.), but it was small enough that it was useful. Put it over a plant (or something you can eat), and it will tell you the effects it will have on you (depending on your level of Alchemy), put it over a weapon, and it will tell you how much damage it does. ut it over a skill, and you'll see how far you have to go until the next upgrade.
Republic: The Revolution Report
March 30, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The fellas over at RepRev have thrown up a report on the upcoming strategy title, Republic: The Revolution, after visiting Elixir Studios' office in London. Here's a taste:
The map we were shown was 2x3km square, which is roughly about a quarter of the size of the final cites. The city itself was called "Pugachev" (I'm not entirely sure about the spelling!), and as Demis pointed out, was a fairly dreary industrial town, a far cry from the splendour of the capital itself, which Demis said resembled something like St. Petersburg. The first glimpse of the game was actually fairly similar to some of the screenshots currently on my site, and whilst impressive, did not actually jump at me in the way I thought it would. As Demis panned around the city from a high level, there was a strange sense of having seeing it before, and I was wondering what had actually been worked on since the old screenshots came out last year. I looked and saw many buildings, but many of them (such as the houses your faction members lived in) seemed slightly bland, and the lack of many cars and people walking around gave it a kind of ghost-town feeling. There were actually a few cars and people making their ways around the map, but not anything like the bustling crowds and traffic jams I had, perhaps unrealistically, expected. Demis later e-mailed me to say that the final game would have many people and cars - the demo was just an early test with a few people.
ChameleonMark
March 30, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
The big N has released a benchmark called ChameleonMark. Well, I'm not really sure what to say about manufacturers own made benchmarks, since they tend to be "a bit" biased. I wonder why.. :) Anyway, here's what they have to say about it: $qs ChameleonMark is a performance tool for measuring pixel shader performance for a variety of shaders. It is based upon the popular "Chameleon" demo released by NVIDIA with the introduction of the GeForce3 line of GPUs.
The test uses three of the Chameleon "skins". These are the "real", "shiny" and "glass" skins. The test for each skin is run separately. If you are in for a 50MB (yes, 50MB) benchmark, grab it from NVIDIA.
Radeon 8500 Review
March 30, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
The good'ol monkeys at Beyond3D have posted a review on the ATi Radeon 8500 64MB. Here's a blurb: $qs Its been widely speculated that Radeon 8500s Anisotropic filtering employs a method known as RIP mapping, and this would appear to be consistent with the limitation of only being able to utilize Anisotropic filtering in conjunction with Bilinear filtering, and not Trilinear. Although visible if you actually look for them the mip-map boundaries are lessened by this form of Anisotropic filtering and I didnt notice them while actually gaming. It's a very in-depth review (as B3D guys usually do), so if you are in for more than just normal benchmarking, go and check it out.
Elite Force 2 in the works?
March 29, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Sector 31 has posted word from the latest issue of PC Gamer(May) that Star Trek: Elite Force 2 is in the works over at Ritual Entertainment and will be using the Quake3 engine. No press releases yet, so i'll keep you posted!
Asheron's Call 2 Update
March 29, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Turbine Entertainment has updated the official site for their upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, Asheron's Call 2. Included is an updated FAQ, new info on the game and some tasty screenshots. Head over for a look!
New GlobalOps Patch
March 29, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Barking Dog Studios has released a new patch(v1.1) for their Lithtech engine powered first person shooter, Global Operations. You can grab the 5meg file from the official FTP or FilePlanet. Click here to find out whats new.
Tony Hawk 3 Hits Stores
March 29, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
TONY HAWKS PRO SKATER 3 FOR THE PC GRINDS ONTO RETAIL STORE SHELVES
Santa Monica, CA March 29, 2002 PC gamers can now shred online with seven other players with the release of Activision, Inc.s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Tony Hawks Pro SkaterÔ 3. The first PC game based on the Tony Hawks Pro Skater franchise to include online gameplay, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 features three new multiplayer modes including Keep Away, Control the Zone, and Capture the Flag. Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 for the PC is currently available at retail locations nationwide with a suggested retail price of $39.99 and an ESRB rating of T (Teen blood, mild lyrics and suggestive themes content suitable for persons ages 13 and older).
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 for the PC lets you skate in virtual worlds over the Internet with friends from around the globe, said Larry Goldberg, executive vice president, Activision Worldwide Studios. Up to eight players can compete in multiplayer games like King of the Hill, Slap!, Trick Attack and Graffiti, and trade custom maps with one another.
"Developing the enhanced PC version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is just the beginning for us," said Randy Pitchford, president, Gearbox Software. "In coming weeks, Gearbox is very excited to continue to support the game to allow and inspire end-user additions and to help grow an on-line community around the fun new multiplayer aspects of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 for PC."
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 is the revolutionary sequel to the best-selling sports game of 2000. Featuring eight massive levels filled with people, traffic, and other interactive elements, the games environments are brought to life with richer graphics and advanced special effects optimized for todays PC video cards. Smoother life-like animations and significantly improved tricks capture the style of the world's best skateboarding pros. Further improving on the franchises intuitive control scheme, the game allows players to perform tricks and combos in some of the worlds most popular skate locations including Los Angeles, Canada and Tokyo.
The enhanced skate park editor allows gamers to create the ultimate park up to twice the size of parks in Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2. The Create-A-Skater features a new female skater model, and the ability to modify almost every aspect of their appearance, from accessories to clothing to hair color.
About Gearbox Software
Founded in January 1999, Gearbox Software is a studio comprised of veteran 3D game developers collected in Dallas, Texas. The companys first offering, Half-Life: Opposing Force became the winner of the PC Action Game of the Year award in 2000 from the prestigious Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences'. In 2001, Gearboxs Half-Life: Blue Shift became a #1 selling title in North America and in the United Kingdom. Gearbox Software has created award winning, top-selling software for the PC, Sega Dreamcast and Sony PlayStation®2. More information about Gearbox Software can be found at www.gearboxsoftware.com.
About Activision
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted revenues of $620 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001.
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, and the Netherlands. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's World Wide Web site, which is located at www.activision.com.
The statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. The Company cautions readers of this press release that a number of important factors could cause Activisions actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. These important factors, and other factors that could affect Activision, are described in Activisions Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001, which was filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers of this press release are referred to such filings.
# # #
Freedom Force Review
March 29, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpot has thrown together a review on Irrational Games' super-hero RPG, Freedom Force. With a score of 9/10, this is definatly a game to check out. Snip:
Freedom Force is primarily a squad-based tactical game. At the beginning of each mission, you choose a squad of up to four heroes from the available roster. You enter the map, fight some enemies, occasionally fight a boss, return to base, and repeat. The combat system is similar in some respects to that in Baldur's Gate, in that it seems like a turn-based system but it plays in real time. You can pause the game whenever you like to issue orders, and you can also slow things down and speed them up at your discretion. Your heroes have a wide variety of attacks and defenses, including melee, projectile attacks, and area-effect attacks. Attacks do different types of damage, such as fire, cold, crushing, mental, magic, and so forth. Defensive powers will generally help against only a particular type of damage, and certain heroes and enemies are particularly vulnerable or immune to certain types.
Abit SD7-533 Review
March 29, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis
The chaps @ 3D Gameman has posted video review #143. This time, the subject is Abit's SD7-533. Here's a small snip:
The Abit SD7-533 motherboard is certainly a very serious overclocking board at a great price. Installing a Intel P4 1.6A CPU and a few sticks of high performance memory equals one wicked combo.
You can catch the full stuff here.Condition Zero Q&A
March 28, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The Lone Gamers caught up with Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford for a quick Q&A regarding their upcoming first person shooter, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. They chat about everything from netcode to the storyline. Snip:
Do you think that this game will eventually replace Counter-Strike even though it is so big around the world?
Randy Pitchford: On-line, Condition Zero and Counter-Strike will be one and the same. Condition Zero doesn't intend to split an on-line user base, it intends to enlarge the user base and provide new technology and features for all. But, most importantly, Condition Zero fills a gap that Counter-Strike alone cannot. Condition Zero presents an original single player experience, whether that's through the mission based objectives or through team skirmishes versus artificial intelligence bots.
Dungeon Siege News
March 28, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Gas Powered Games' Chris Taylor has updated the official site for their upcoming Action-RPG, Dungeon Siege, with some news regarding mod tools and the community. Here's a blurb:
Hey Everyone! As most of you know by now, Dungeon Siege has gone gold and will be in stores on April 5th. This may seem to mark the end of a long journey, but in many ways it is just the beginning. We are now starting work on our next release, the Siege Editor, which will be available for free download from the Internet in early May. Well be coming up with an exact date in the next few weeks. The Siege Editor that we are releasing is the same version we used, but there are still some bugs we want to find before we release it. I could talk at length about how rough actual development tools are, but we feel that this extra time to find and fix the real big bugs will go a long way to making everyones first experience a much better one.
Get the full scoop right here.Tony Hawk 3 Preview
March 28, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpot has posted a brief first look at Gearbox Software's upcoming PC port of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. Included are some screenshots, so check them out as well. Anyways, here's a bit on multiplayer:
We briefly tried the game's multiplayer mode, though no servers were up at the time. Still, we saw that the game includes a clearly laid out built-in Internet server browser, as well as numerous multiplayer modes not found in the original game, such as capture the flag. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 also includes an easy-to-use skate-park editor that lets you design your own levels.
Jedi Outcast Interview
March 28, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
JediKnight.net has thrown up an interview with Dan Pettit, the Associate Producer behind Raven Software's newly released Quake3 engine powered Action title, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. Here's a taste:
Is lightsaber knock-back the typical response when someone is hit by the lightsaber? If not, what other effects can gamers expect? For example, when someone dies, do they ever simply crumple do the ground?
"Knock back", as the community calls it, is not a very common event. With the Ghoul2 technology, there is a wide range of effects that happen based on the situation. Hitting a leg vs. the chest; the right side vs. the left side - these types of variances all have an impact on what the resulting affect will be.
SoF2 Screenies
March 28, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpyDaily managed to snage some new screenshots from Raven Software's upcoming Quake3 engine powered - first person shooter, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix. The shots show off some multiplayer lovin'. Head over for a look!
eVGA GeForce4 MX 440 Review
March 28, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis
The kind folks at Guru 3D have posted a review of eVGA's e-GeForce4 MX 440. Here's a clip:
The card was able to be pushed reasonable far. The results (while remaining stability and image quality) was 310 MHz for the core and 490 MHz for the memory. Let me state that overclocking can differ per card. Some batches of chips and memory can differ and therefore the results can differ. Still this is a pretty good indication. Well, now that we have boosted the core frequency of this card and pumped up the memory frequency, let's take it for a test-drive ..
You can find the results of that test drive over here.Radeon 4.13.9023 Driver
March 28, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Well it's yet another leaked beta driver for you driverhungry freaks with a Radeon in your system (Win9x/ME)! Here are some details: $qs Its dated 03/10/2002 and its version is 4.13.9023.
So far there's no indication with regards to its performance over the last set.
The following cards are listed as being supported by the driver:
- Radeon Mobility 7500 GL
- Radeon Mobility
- Radeon 7000 / Radeon VE
- Radeon 7500
- Radeon 8500
- Radeon 7200 / Radeon
- Radeon 8500 DV Edition
- Radeon Mobility 7500
- R8500
New Poll!
March 28, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Well folks, it's time for a Weekend Quick Poll again! :)
Weekend Quick Poll - Snacks of choice while playing?
Go and cast your vote now! I voted fruits.. ;)Last week(s) poll ended like this:
At what resolution & color depth do you play games?
Less than 800x600 [2.1%]
800x600 16bit [5.6%]
800x600 32bit [8.6%]
1024x768 16bit [12.3%]
1024x768 32bit [46.5%]
1152x864 16bit [0.7%]
1152x864 32bit [3.5%]
1280x960 16bit [0.4%]
1280x960 32bit [1.6%]
1280x1024 16bit [2.0%]
1280x1024 32bit [9.8%]
1600x1200 16bit [0.4%]
1600x1200 32bit [6.6%]
Total votes: 21479
Ghost Recon Patch 2
March 28, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Oh yeah! Ubi Soft has released a new patch for Ghost Recon, bringing this fabulous game up to v1.2.10.0. I like Ghost Recon over LAN! It's a great game for people who are into "realistic" games, and are well prepared to play 1 round for more than 30mins. Hotshots can forget about this game, as it's more tactics and slow combat than just running around shooting everything that moves! :) So, if you have a copy of this game, grab the latest patch here or check out the fixlist here.
Thanks to Imajewboy2 for the tip!
Dungeon Siege Q&A
March 27, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The RPG Vault has posted another interview with the guys behind Gas Powered Games' upcoming Action-RPG, Dungeon Siege. This time they touch on some of the spells in the game. Here's a chunk:
Jonric: What are a couple of your favorite spells in Dungeon Siege, and what reasons do you have for choosing them?
Lee Phemister, 3D Artist: Meteor! Just brings the punishment down from above - expensive on mana though. The summons are very cool too. Having a pet that fights for you and ties up the bad guys so you can wail from a distance plus gains you experience - gotta have 'em. I'm always excited when I level up hoping to get the next best summon spell.
New RTCW Patch
March 27, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
A new patch(v1.31) has been released for Gray Matter Studios and Nerve Software's Quake3 engine powered - first person shooter, Return To Castle Wolfenstein. Here's whats new:
WHAT WE'VE FIXED
1. Fixes added in 1.31
======================
Teleportation and Reviving Players Bugs Fixed
Bugs introduced in 1.30 related to reviving players and teleportation, or warping, on certain maps have been fixed. These issues were a byproduct of a fix for reviving players on and around script movers (the giant doors in mp_assault for example).
Another Morrowind Preview
March 27, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The AVault has slapped up a preview on Bethesda Softworks' upcoming power-house RPG, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. If you somehow don't already know about the game, make sure you stop by the official site for even more info. Anyways, here's a clipping:
My first character turned out to be a Dark Elf Battlemage, heavy on the sword and tough armor skills, with a ton of magic to boot. Wandering around Seyda Neen peeking in people's homes and chatting provided me with plenty of opportunity to learn the interface. Everything is laid out in a Windows-style graphical user interface that can be dragged and resized to your heart's content. Multiple windows are available for inventory, journal, maps and character sheets, and you can select which are visible during gameplay as well as their level of transparency. Dialog is handled similarly to the way it was handled in Daggerfall, with a list of keywords. The team has tightened the system so that it only shows topics both you and the NPC know about, eliminating the giant lists of keywords that plagued the previous games. A disposition bar tracks how well the NPC likes you. If the number's not high enough, don't expect the character to be forthcoming with the info. Morrowind's journal function tracks every conversation you have, and provides easy access to any topic through a system of hyperlinks.
UT 2003 Impressions
March 27, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The Action Vault has posted their impressions from this years GDC on Digitel Extremes' upcoming first person shooter, Unreal Tournament 2003. Here's a blurb:
Gameplay will be somewhat more team-oriented this time; this is an intentional shift on the part of the developers. In single-player mode, you'll choose a squad to lead. The available bots will be controlled by sophisticated AI that takes many factors into account. They will be rated for accuracy, agility and tactics, a general category that includes factors such as selecting appropriate weapons and manoeuvring for position. They can also differ with respect to being aggressive, defensive or stealthy, and also in their preferences or suitability for different roles such as attackers, defenders, flag runners et al. Squad selection will be limited by salary ratings, enabling you to choose more but less capable mates or a small, elite group. Bots can improve their abilities with experience, adding another dimension to squad management. On the other hand, if you're not into this aspect, the game can handle it for you.
Hall Of Fame Up!
March 27, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Don't worry! The Hall of Fame will be more or less empty for a while. We are doing some updating on the database, so there are no lists to be displayed! Sorry for the inconvenience!
Update: It's working again! :)
Terragen
March 27, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
I'm not sure how many of you have heard of this marvellous program before, but in my opinion it deserves to be a Feature of The Week. Terragen is the software I'm talking about here. It's a unique and cool software to render very photorealistic landscapes and sceneries! The results are all up to your imagination! Try it out. I doubt anyone will be disappointed in this one.
Freedom Force Review
March 26, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Gamers.com has posted a review on Irrational Games' super-hero RPG, Freedom Force. They ended up giving the game a 10, so im guessing they liked it. *wink*
The RPG elements are a deeper, more personal level of strategy in a game that at first glance might seem a bit short of the tactical strategy it promises. After all, super-powered do-gooders should be able to handle most anything, right? But Freedom Force understands that the appeal of any great superhero team and the appeal of any great strategy game are the same: a clever balance of individual strengths and weaknesses.
Morrowind Preview
March 26, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The Gamers Pulse has posted some hands-on impressions regarding Bethesda Softworks' upcoming RPG for the PC and Xbox, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Here's a taste:
Reputation is a crucial part of Morrowind, affecting your dealings with merchants, guilds, the citizenry and local law enforcement. Wantonly attacking the locals will result in a price on your head and the reputation as an outlaw. Help the local merchant solve his rat infestation problem and you will gain his confidence, affecting the prices he charges. This dynamic in the game really helps to build an awareness of the consequences of your actions, and makes you think twice before engaging in activities that can hurt whatever reputation you are building, good or evil. Its a great tool for shaping and refining your hero.
Also, the official FAQ has been updated with the release date listed as May. w00t!Soldier of Fortune 2 Q&A
March 26, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
PlanetSoldierofFortune has slapped up a quick Q&A with Activision's Matt Morton regarding their upcoming Quake3 engine powered - first person shooter, Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix. They chat about everything from co-op to console ports. Snip:
Do you feel the RMG has the capability to become the "next big thing" in FPS gaming?
Absolutely. Instant Action has always been a strong point for RTS titles, but it's been quite impossible to have them in an FPS and truly be Random. Prior to what Raven is doing, there really was no true "random" aspect. There were always similar maps used, or other aspects that became repetitive and the sense of "randomness" disappeared. What they are pulling together for the RMG is utterly amazing. You MAY start to see the same map again... if you played the RMG 145 Million times and have exhausted all of its possible combinations.
Jedi Outcast Preview
March 26, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The peeps over at GameSpot have tossed up a preview on Raven Software's upcoming Quake3 engine powered Action title, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. Here's a blurb on multiplayer:
Jedi Knight II's multiplayer component is surprisingly deep, as it comes with 11 unique maps and 28 different playable character models. What's more, when set to play as bots, many of these character models have a distinct set of attributes that include reaction time, accuracy, agility, favorite force power, and favorite weapon. The Luke Skywalker bot, for example, is incredibly agile and has a lot of force powers, whereas Lando Calrissian is deadly accurate with ranged weapons, but has no force powers. The game has seven multiplayer modes that are essentially distinct variations on typical deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture-the-flag modes. When joining a game, you can choose which force powers to play with by distributing points to those powers in a manner very similar to a skill tree in a traditional role-playing game. There are 16 force powers in the game--including choke, mind trick, lightning, and push--and each can be upgraded three times. You only have a set number of points to work with, though, so you can choose to either play with a wide variety of low-level powers, or with a small number of advanced powers.
Tony Hawk 3 Golden
March 26, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GoneGold.com is reporting that Gearbox Software's PC port of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 has gone gold and should hit stores this friday! So make sure you keep an eye out for it.
3Dlabs Interview
March 26, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
The smoothtalking gents from Beyond3D have posted an interview made with Kim Stowe from 3Dlabs. They talk a lot of things, but mainly the purchase of 3Dlabs by Creative. Here's a slice: $qs How will this affect the development of OpenGL 2.0 that you are currently spearheading within the OpenGL ARB?
3Dlabs will continue it's efforts with OpenGL 2.0. Creative is very committed to this effort as well. Nice one! Check out the full interview here.
AGP Aperture's impact on 3DMark 2001
March 26, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Our very own Nick "Neeyik" Evanson have posted his findings on the AGP Aperture Size & 3DMark2001, over at our Discussion Board. The AGP Aperture Size is something you should find in your motherboard BIOS, and it can be set (normally) from 8MB to 256MB. It seems that in the end, it doesn't make that much of a difference what the AGP Aperture size is, as long as you have enough RAM on your graphics card (I presume 64MB or more?). Here's a quote: $qs It doesn't take a genius to note that it's not a huge loss even when the AGP memory is "disabled"; the usage of the system memory is adequate enough - probably because little else is accessing the memory during benchmarking. Please also note that these figures are for my system with these particular drivers and whatnot. On my old system with a GeForce3, a 32MB aperture produced significantly higher scores than any other setting - something that I was never able to get to the root of. A _very good_ read for tech-freaks (like me). :) To dig it all, head over to this thread.
Condition Zero Preview
March 25, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Finally tonight, the fellas over at GameSpot have tossed up a preview on Gearbox Software's upcoming first person shooter, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. Here's a nugget:
Condition Zero is being designed to provide a complete Counter-Strike experience, so the single-player portion is just part of it. But the game's 20 new maps will be playable in either the single-player or the multiplayer mode. These maps will span six different real-world hotspots, which will pit counterterrorists against militant groups in South America, the Middle East, Western Europe, the former Soviet Union, Asia, and even the United States. There will actually be two types of single-player modes in Condition Zero. Optionally, you will now be able to experience the classic Counter-Strike gameplay by playing with and against computer-controlled bots, which simulate the team-based action of the original. But the main single-player campaign of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero sounds even more exciting. It's not just a series of linked, scripted missions like what you'd find in the single-player mode of just about any shooter. It's an open-ended, dynamic campaign that draws from some unexpected influences. It sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun, and you'll find out all about it next.
Y-Project Interview
March 25, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
HomeLAN has Westka Interactive's Ingo Horn and Thomas Schaefer in the hot seat tonight, as they chat about the upcoming Unreal engine powered first person shooter/RPG, The Y-Project. They get into everything from NPC's to who will be publishing the game. Here's a taste:
HomeLAN - What sort of enemies and NPCs will be in The Y-Project?
Ingo Horn and Thomas Schaefer - As enemies you will encounter different mutation of the insects. The NPCs are all survivors from the catastrophe while the glass dome broke. As most of the victims were people from the upper class, you could imagine, that the surviving NPCs are not that highly reputated persons. So you will encounter freaks, cyberpunks and other tough guys witch will be fun to meet ;)
Star Wars: KOTOR Chat Log
March 25, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GamesDomain has posted the chat log from their interview with BioWare's Casey Hudson and LucasArts' Mike Gallo regarding their upcoming RPG for the Xbox and later for the PC, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Snip:
Question: What will you be able to do with the Ebon Hawk? Will this be some sort of a space sim as well as a RPG?
MikeG: The Ebon Hawk is kind of like a home base for the main character, and it's also meant to be a star of the game as well. You can walk around the ship and interact with other characters and do cool things. There is also the fast paced turret mini-game that you can play.
CaseyH: Yes, the 'Hawk is lots of things. It's an area that you can walk around in, it's your inn/tavern of the game, and it's also a focus for some of the action sequences and minigames. It won't be a separate space sim though. We want to integrate having a cool starship with the format and gameplay of an RPG.
Black Isle Drops Lithtech
March 25, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Vault13.net has word that Black Isle Studios has dropped Lithtech in favour of a new in-house engine for their upcoming games. They also let it slip that they have licensed RAD Game Tools' Granny software to help them out. Click here for all the info. Thanks to Saint_Proverbius for the tip on this one.
GTA3 (PC) Update & Shots
March 25, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpyDaily has posted a press release from Take-Two Interactive announcing a May release date for the PC port of Grand Theft Auto 3. Included are some of the first screenshots from the PC version, so make sure you check them out. Anyways, here's a blurb from the PR:
"New York, NY March 25, 2002 Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.'s high-end video game publishing division, confirmed today that its best-selling tour de force "Grand Theft Auto 3" will be available for the PC platform in May 2002.
"We look forward to building on the astronomical success of 'Grand Theft Auto 3,'" said Sam Houser, president of Rockstar Games. "We are extremely proud of what we have achieved with 'Grand Theft Auto 3' and now we are pleased to bring it back home to the PC where this franchise began."
Team Fortress 2: Brothers Arms
March 25, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Woohoo(tm)! I hope this is even close to being real! I noticed in a thread at our forums that EBgames have posted that they are taking pre-orders of Sierras long awaited (too long?) Team Fortress 2: Brothers Arms. Man, I hope that the release date they have, 2002-10-01, would be correct.. I hope.. hope.. I..
Comanche 4 Benchmark
March 25, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis
Novalogic have released a benchmark for their game Comanche 4. Here's a snip:
The Comanche 4 benchmark demo is a unique benchmark as it represents a real-world gaming experience. It contains the single player "Eagle's Talon" mission from the game as well as a detailed cinematic. This DirectX 8.1 benchmark demo will measure your system's performance in the standard frames per second format.
You can grab a copy over here.Review reviews reviews!
March 25, 2002 - Nick "Neeyik" Evanson
Time to wade through the mail box and bring your attention to some of the reviews around at the moment:
- NoiseControl Magic Fleece review @ BlargOC - silly name but the idea behind them is sound. Lots of fans and stuff makes lots of noise; the "Magic Fleece" helps sound proof your PC case.
- MSI KT3 Ultra ARU review @ Hot Hardware - using the new VIA KT333 chipset, as well as support for USB 2.0 and ATA133, this latest offering from MSI could be perfect for your next upgrade. Best read on to find out more.
- MSI GeForce4 Ti4600 review @ OC Workbench - NVIDIA's latest powerhouse is put to the test next to a ATI Radeon 8500. One horse race or something more interesting? Click the link to find out!
- Leadtek GeForce4 MX440 review @ Got Apex? - it's not going to set the world on fire with performance but your wallet with thank you. Read on to see how much bang-per-buck you're really getting.
NOLF 2 Movies
March 24, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Thanks to HomeLAN for this tidbit. The guys over at GameSpot have thrown up three new movies from this years GDC, showing off Monolith's upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2. Head over for the goods. 8)
New World Order Site Re-Launched
March 24, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Termite Games has re-launched the official site for their upcoming first person shooter, New World Order. Inlcuded is some new screenies and info. Check it out!
Hidden And Dangerous Deluxe Q&A
March 24, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
HomeLAN has tossed up an interview with Lonely Cat Games' Michal Bacik regarding their upcoming remake of the World War II title, Hidden And Dangerous Deluxe. Here's a taste:
HomeLAN - What specifically did you guys do to update the title?
Michal Bacik - We used original graphics and put it into new engine with support of hardware-accelerated vertex processing (GF3, Radeon 8500, etc). Plus new effects were introduced, like real-time shadows, lightmapping, bumpmaps, envmapping, singlemesh characters, etc. The core of the game left the same, because we didn't want to create a new game (also we didn't have schedule and resources for this), but most parts of game - AI, network, etc, was tuned up, considering feedback from more testing groups. Player may expect all 23 original missions plus 9 datadisk missions in the game. Plus possibility to play with graphics contents or create own missions with included editor. This will also allow players put really good add-ons onto the internet for download to other players, and possibly play such add-ons on net. Single add-on allows one to six missions, which appear as one campaign.
Some UT 2003 Shots!!
March 24, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
We have a thread in our discussion board where poeple have posted links & shots of Unreal Tournament 2003 (from a pc.ign preview). That game looks damn sweet! I mean, those graphics + good gameplay should make that game THE multiplayer game! Head over for a look. You won't be disappointed!
Rage3D Tweaker updated!
March 24, 2002 - Nick "Neeyik" Evanson
Just a small brush-and-tidy-up this time, bringing the revision to 3.1c. The Rage3D Tweaker is a small tool allowing you to adjust some of those "hidden" settings for your ATI Radeon cards, as well as overclock them and make game profiles.
Here's the new stuff:
- Fixed a number of minor issues with the included Profiles.
- Fixed D3D Anisotropic tweaks and added option to enable hotkeys on the desktop instead of only in games.
- Overclocking Tab has a new interface, and much more intuitive listing and interface for per-game Overclocking.
- Memory Timings and Latency settings have been removed from the OC tab due to extensive testing which has shown that they effectively have zero impact on performance.
- Further updates to XP and Win2k support implemented in an attempt to better decipher various potential registry configurations.
- Added a couple programs to the incompatibles list.
Y-Project Preview
March 23, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Also tonight, Gamers.com has slapped up a short preview on Westka Entertainment's upcoming Unreal engine powered - first person shooter/RPG, Y-Project. Sounds like a pretty interesting title. Might be one to watch for. Anyways, here's a blurb:
But it's not just Arnold-as-usual. In Y-Project, you can sign up with either the military or the science division in defense of your bubble. As a scientist-type you get to progress through puzzle solving as well as combat. If you go jar-head, then to save you embarrassment ("Uh, can't I just shoood it?"), the puzzle-solving is kept to a minimum. If you're feeling schizophrenic, you can also switch back and forth between the divisions for added variety.
Kreed Interview
March 23, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The fellas over at Gameplex sat down with Burut's Vladimir Nikolaev for a quick chat regarding their upcoming first person shooter, Kreed. They cover everything from missions to system reqs. Here's a taste::
What will the created virtual intelligence be able to do? Can the enemies work in groups or things like that? Will they understand the movements of the player?
Right now we are developing the combat AI. The opponents will attack in groups, but theyll also choose the optimal decisions according to their abilities and opportunities. For example, if the character will meet the group with sniper and two easy equipped soldiers, therell be most likely, the situation, when the sniper will borrow the forced position with a good view, one of the soldier will cover the sniper and will hamper to run between covers. So, the second soldier will try to come to the player from a back. Our AI will easy use various grenades and other "clever" kinds of arms, and itll be able also to change the tactics and behavior dynamically.
Global Operations Q&A
March 23, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
4Gamers.de has thrown up an interview with Barking Dog Studios' Christopher Mair regarding their upcoming Lithtech engine powered - first person shooter, Global Operations. Here's some juice:
Question:The screenshots, Ive seen, showed a pretty good and detailed graphic. Especially the weapons seemed to be real. Thats why the engine improved myself. Please tell us about the Grafic Engine.
Answer: We spent a lot of time researching weapons and world locations and therefore we have a lot of detail in the weapons and the worlds. We handled and fired nearly all the weapons we have in the game and we were able to get excellent reference from these weapons. We actually went back multiple times for weapon reference and we got a great deal of help from a few local armourers. With the worlds we had to create locations that span the globe. Obviously we couldnt afford to send out texture artists to all the locations so we had to improvise. We gathered over 10,000 individual reference textures for Global Ops alone.
CeBit 2002 Report
March 23, 2002 - Nick "Neeyik" Evanson
Over at Ace's Hardware is part one of their CeBit 2002 report:
CeBit is the world's largest information and telecommunications technology tradeshow, and this year makes my third trip to the event. We've got a lot of information to share with you, so we've decided to break it down by category.
In this first article we will focus on CPUs from AMD and Intel, but rest assured that a second article will discuss chipsets, video/GPUs, and motherboards from SiS, ATi, VIA, MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS, NVidia, and much more. I was armed with all the questions that you, our readers, submitted on our message board, so I hope you'll find a lot of answers to those questions both in this article and the one to follow.
Inside the Games Dev Conference
March 23, 2002 - Nick "Neeyik" Evanson
A few news posts have popped up this week referring to the 2002 Games Developer Conference. GameDev.net have got reports from all the days, plus additional articles worth noting such as interviews, awards and booth babes! Catch the full glory right here.
Detonator 28.32 & ALi Fix
March 23, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Mat from 3DGPU.com fired an email letting us know that there seems to be some problems (perfomance related) with the latest Detonator drivers from NVIDIA, if you have a the ALi (no, not ALI G :) Magick 1 chipset. Here's a slice on the scoop:
I've found an issue with the latest Detonator drivers not enabling AGP on those who have a motherboard that uses the ALi Magick 1 chipset. Fortunately, I've found the solution to the problem, and a lot of people are finding it works great. It gives a boost of over 20fps in every game, and over 2000 3DMarks.
To find out what, when, and how, click here.Windows XP / .NET FAQ Updated
March 22, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis
The compatible folks sent in word of their updated Windows XP / .NET FAQ. Here are a couple of interesting Q's:
- Windows XP
- What is the difference between Home Edition and Professional?
- How can I create Windows XP bootdisks?
- How can I remove Windows Messenger?
- Where can I enable a high MP3 bitrate?
- Is there any release date for Windows XP Service Pack 1?
- Windows .NET Server
- What Is Windows .NET Server?
- What are the requirements to run Windows .NET Server?
- Which webserver software is included in .NET Server?
Refresh Rates & Deto 28.32
March 22, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
If you are experiencing problems with the refresh rates with the latest (or maybe older) Detonator drivers, here are some tricks that may fix it!
- A take from a thread at our Discussion Board:
Download the stereo 3d glasses drivers from nvidia.com and install them.
That should work, and it's not that difficult.
Once installed reboot. - Go to /windows/sytem32/ director and delete all nvrs***.* files.
Now go to nvidia display settings for new "Stereo Properties" tab.
Set "Enabled by hotkey" then go to "stereo setup and test" at bottom.
Set all refresh rates to highest avaible available - best way is to set 640*480 to max then click "set rate for all resolutions". Do this for both 16bit and 32 bit.
Now make sure u tick "Always use refresh rate".
Click "OK" and play! :)
- The other one comes from peeps over at nV News forums. They have posted a guide how to get your refresh rates working correctly with the latest 28.32 Detonator drivers, by editing the .inf file(s). It's a bit tricky, so if you are not really into editing driverfiles, do try #1 instead. :)
Postal 2 Preview
March 21, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The guys over at GameSpot have tossed up a preview on Running With Scissors' upcoming Unreal engine powered Action title, Postal 2. Included are some of the first screenshots, so make sure you head over for a look. Snip:
The game's impressive qualities won't end with its visuals either. The AI will be sufficiently complex, which will lead to things like characters recognizing what kinds of weapons you're carrying and then reacting appropriately. Splash some gasoline on someone, and he or she will run off screaming before you have a chance to strike your match (the person will remain flammable, however). Cops, on the other hand, can tell the difference between legal and illegal weapons you're carrying. A pistol that isn't being pointed at anyone, for example, won't illicit much of a response from nearby policemen, but if they see you with a rocket launcher--no matter how innocently you might be carrying it--they'll take you down. "Characters on the street can notice you doing something illegal, they can hear gunfire, they'll run to the nearest cops and point in your direction, they can be confused and tricked by firing your gun once and then hiding it quickly...they just have so many different reactions," exclaims Fouts. "And they behave so [realistically] that it's almost scary!" adds Desidiero.
NOLF2 Impressions From GDC
March 21, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
PC.IGN has posted their impressions of Monolith's upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2, after getting a chance to play it at the Game Developers Conference today. Here's a clipping:
The next level was a decidedly Oriental flavored town at night, and had no fogging whatsoever. Long streets came lined with tightly packed houses, but more impressive than this was the sheer amount of everything. Certain alleys went on for long ways, and each of houses along the sides of them were not only realistically articulated, but also incredibly detailed with porches, appropriately soft lighting, and a bevy of other little nuances like plants, mailboxes, and doorway trim.
The first one rocked! Let's hope the second can measure up.Dungeon Siege Golden!
March 21, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Gas Powered Games' upcoming Action-RPG, Dungeon Siege, has finally gone gold and should hit stores April 5th. Here's a clipping from the press release:
The Kingdom of Ehb is now closer than it ever was! Microsoft today announced that Dungeon Siege has gone gold and is expected to hit North American store shelves by April 5. Dungeon Siege will be available for an estimated retail price of $49.99 (U.S.).
Dungeon Siege has been in development for three years by Chris Taylor and Gas Powered Games. "Everyone at GPG has worked hard to finish the game that we originally envisioned, and we are extremely happy with the way it all came together," Taylor said. "We hope that everyone enjoys playing it as much as we did creating it."
More Morrowind Previews
March 21, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Adding to the long list of previews, Evil Avatar has slapped up their impressions of Bethesda Softworks' upcoming RPG for the PC and Xbox, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Here's a taste:
Once I made my first character I was ready for the orgasm-inducing open-ended RPG experience veteran gamers talk about with slack jaws and glazed over expressions. Instead of immediately following the first step in the main quest, I decided to check out the starting town and get used to the interface. This seems to be encouraged behavior in Morrowind and I was more than happy to poke around. I was talking to NPCs like an excitable tourist and I got my first quest in no time. I wont spoil it for you but I will say that it involved following someone to find out where their secret stash was. The NPC who gives you the quest says he will let you keep half the money you find but once I uncovered the secret place, I took all the loot and left town. Why spilt it?
Also, hit The Armchair Empire for another preview. Both include some hot screenies, so make sure you check them out!Freedom Force Demo Released
March 21, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Irrational Games has released a playable demo from their upcoming super-hero RPG, Freedom Force. You can grab both the large(87.4mb) and small(56.1mb) versions of the demo at FilePlanet. Here's a brief description of the game, snagged from FP:
Set in New York City circa 1962, Freedom Force is a tactical RPG that bristles with the over-the-top action of classic comic books. It's up to you to form and lead Freedom Force, a team of superheroes capable of standing toe-to-toe against insane villains who are hell bent on crimes that range from bank robbery to world domination! This demo contains two missions and a character creator. ESRB rating: T for violence.
The full version of the game should start shipping to stores on the 26th, so keep an eye out for it!ATI "News"
March 21, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
If you are in for some.. well, news about ATI and their upcoming line of hardware, Reactor Critical has some spiffy info for you! :) They digged into the latest leaked BETA drivers, and found something pretty interesting..
Official NVIDIA Drivers *FIXED*
March 21, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
What a day! Official ATI drivers, official VIA drivers and now, official NVIDIA drivers! Woohoo(tm). Here's the scoop on the latest drivers, version 28.32 (Updated ones, with the control panels!!), from NVIDIA:
- Full Acceleration and support for the GeForce4 and Quadro4 families
- nView Multi-Display Support (User's Guide available at left)
- NVIDIAs patented Unified Driver Architecture (UDA) supports all products in single a driver binary
- Highly optimized Microsoft® DirectX® 8.1 and OpenGL® 1.3 with NVIDIA extensions pipelines
Update: This is what NVIDIA has posted regarding to their small "mixup" with leaving out the control panels:
10:45 AM PST (3/21): Updated with new kits that contain the NVIDIA control panels.
Official ATI Drivers
March 21, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Yeah! ATI has released a new set of drivers for their Radeon cards, and for all windows operating systems! That is great news if you ask me. New drivers are always nice. Here are some links:
- Win98/ME 4.13.9016 (March 20, 2002)
- WinXP 6.13.10.6037 (March 20, 2002)
- Win2K 5.13.01.6037 (March 20, 2002)
Go and get them while they are hot! Don't forget to share your findings over at our Discussion Board.
Update: I have been reading feedback on these drivers, and it seems that they are on par with BETA drivers when it comes to performance, but not in stability. The BETA drivers are said to be even more stable than these new official ones.. Go figure!
Hall of Fame Changes
March 21, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
As some of you have noticed, the GeForce4 lineup has just entered the Hall of Fame. :)
In the near future the Hall of Fame will be modified a bit. We'll use the 1.4GHz as the CPU speed + add at least 1 new top list. We'll also remove some lists, and use start using 3DMark2001 SE results only. All this next week, or the week after..
VIA 4-in-1 v4.38
March 21, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
The good folks over at VIA has released a new set of their 4-in-1 drivers for the VIA chipsets, bringing it up to version 4.38(2)v(a). These new drivers are said to improve the performance quite a bit.. Here's the scoop:
- 4in1 driver version: 4.38(2)v(a)
- INF file: 1.40a
- AGP driver version: 4.10b
- IDE Filter driver version: 1.20
- IRQ routing driver version (Win98 only): 1.3a
- Add ATA133 feature under WinXP
- Update AGP driver (4.10b)
- Fixed Memory dump issue under WinNT (dual-p)
- Fixed AGP driver uninstall issue
Update: Some people are reporting that these ones don't install properly under WindowsXP. Some say that you must install them "manually" in order to get them installed. That means, extract the files into a folder, and install them one by one. Sucks, but it is said to work..
Update2: A user called lennardseah had just posted "how to" in our discussion board, so head over to find out. Thanks!
Freedom Force Interview
March 20, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The RPG Vault has posted a quick Q&A with the guys behind Irrational Games' upcoming super-hero RPG, Freedom Force. Here's a nugget:
Jonric: Is there a power in the game that has surprised you by being more useful or effective than you initially thought it would be? If so, which is it, and how has it surpassed your expectations?
Jonathan Chey, Lead Designer: Lift is the power that surprised me the most. Mainly because we just put it together with existing systems. Basically, it's just an area attack with lots of knockback in an upward direction that does no additional damage. The effect is to send everyone standing around you shooting up in the air! They don't take any damage from the power but they sure do when they hit the ground again. It's so cool to see your enemies raining down around past the camera and smashing into the ground. It's a good example of the kind of creative powers you can make with the custom power system. And it's cool from a gameplay point of view as it has to be used carefully. It won't lift heavy objects but it's great for hordes of light enemies.
Neverwinter Nights Q&A
March 20, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Voodoo Extreme has BioWare's Greg Zeschuk in the hot seat tonight, answering questions regarding their highly anticipated RPG, NeverWinter Nights. They cover everything from the 3rd edition rules to the GeForce 4. Here's some lovin':
Alignment in your other AD&D games didn't really mean a lot in the grand scheme of things. Will players finally be able to be evil and really mean it in NWN (you know, for those of us with the GTA3 mentality)?
[Greg] We're giving the player more freedom in how to play the game than we have done in the past. As an example (funny you mention GTA3) I made an evil fighter that would shake people down for money - I'd charge 'protection' fees from almost everyone I spoke to. Of course this was eventually up to me, but it was cool to roleplay more freely than in our other games. And I was making some really great coin!
Morrowind Preview
March 20, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Yet another preview has popped up on Bethesda Softworks' upcoming RPG, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. This time the guys over at HomeLAN deliver the goods on the game. Here's some juice:
Of course, it wouldnt be an RPG without some kind of combat and Morrowind allows for that as well. While playing I approached a slick rogue gentleman who tried to extort some gold pieces from me. When I refused, he started attacking me. In another instance, a quick trip in a river (the water effects are cool as well by the way) started an attack by some piranha-like fishes. The truth is that there is a ton to see and do in the game and even a days solid play cant begin to cover the extensive gameplay experience. This is why I believe most people wont care that the game is single player only since there is simply too much to do and see in Morrowind.
Global Operations Preview
March 20, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The Action Vault has posted a preview on Barking Dog Studios' upcoming Lithtech engine powered - first person shooter, Global Operations. Here's a clipping:
Barking Dog Studios has also done a fine job in the area of level design. The first mission serves as a good tutorial for teaching new players their squad roles. The mission is set in Mexico, with the Mexican army trying to stop a drug cartel from dispatching a truck filled with drugs. Players must collect the explosives and destroy the truck to complete the mission. The level features a large run-down two-story building that overlooks a courtyard. This setting allows every team member to experience each class' preferred combat method and teaches players to improvise when needed. The developers also did a good job increasing the difficulty of each mission as the game progresses. Players will not be caught off guard with an extremely difficult level halfway through the game.
If you haven't checked out the public beta yet, head over to FilePlanet.Creative Inspire 5700 5.1 Digital Review
March 20, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis
The folks @ DeviantPC smashed up a review of Creative's Inspire 5700 5.1 Digital speakers. Here's a quick blurb:
The decoder is capable of decoding Dolby Pro Logic, Pro Logic 2, Dolby Digital, and DTS (Digital Theatre System) surround signals. But that's not all it can do, feed a stereo signal in and it is capable of mixing the signal across all 5 satellite speakers via its CMSS options, but more on those a bit later. As you can see, the decoder features seperate controls for master volume, subwoofer volume, centre speaker volume and surround speaker volumes.
Have a read over here.Asus V8460 Review
March 20, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis
TweakTown have posted their review of the brand new Asus V8460, a card based on NVIDIA's GeForce4 Ti4600 chipset. Here's the usual snip:
Yesterday NVIDIA announced that the GeForce 4 Ti4600 were hitting the retail stores for all those people who have the big dollars to spend on the latest and great video card from NVIDIA. Today, TweakTown takes you on a discovery of the brand new ASUS GeForce 4 Ti4600 video card, strap yourselves in for a fast and furious journey of this performance beast!
You can read it all here.Jedi Knight II Q&A
March 19, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Jedi Center sat down with Raven Software's Kenn Hoekstra for a quick Q&A regarding their upcoming Quake3 engine powered Action title, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. They chat about everything from cheating to weapons. Here's a blurb:
JediCenter: The sabre combat system is one of the most talked about aspects of the title within the Jedi Knight community. Was this something that was very difficult to implement and could you fill us in on a few of the abilities you will have while wielding the sabre?
Kenn: It was extremely difficult to implement because of balance issues, AI reactions, animation, visual effects and the pressure to living up to peoples expectations of what saber to saber combat should be like. The results are amazing, though, I must say. I feel that the saber combat system is one of the coolest aspects of the game. Some of the abilities youll have with the saber include the adoption of three saber styles (fast/medium/strong) and all of the various moves and acrobatic maneuvers and spins that go along with each. There are dozens upon dozens of moves, spins, parries, blocks, etc. you can perform in addition to three levels of saber throw.
Star Wars: KOTOR Chat on Friday
March 19, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GamesDomain will be holding a chat with BioWare's Casey Hudson and LucasArts' Mike Gallo this Friday at 10:00am PST, where they will talk about their upcoming RPG for the Xbox/PC, Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic. You must register to join the chat, but it's definatly worth it!
World of Warcraft Preview
March 19, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
ActionTrip.com has posted a preview on Blizzard Entertainment's upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, World of Warcraft. Here's something to chew on:
The three races the developers decided to reveal are Humans, Orcs, and Tauren. Blizzard announced that there will be more player races and that they will all be revealed in due time on the game's official web. Each of the races in the game will have specific properties, racial skills, abilities, and equipment. When it comes to in-game equipment and items, World of Warcraft has an interesting little trait. Apparently, your characters can create various useful items along their adventures, using their particular trade-skills. The variety of these trading skills was not revealed yet, but Blizzard has promised to give additional info throughout the course of development. On top of that, the game entails a straightforward bank system, thanks to which your uniquely-created items can be stockpiled. This also avoids the inappropriate creation of additional characters for the mere purpose of accumulating numerous items.
Condition Zero Screenies
March 19, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Shack News has slapped up some new screenshots from Gearbox Software's upcoming first person shooter, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero. FYI, this is the full-blown singleplayer version of the popular Half-life mod. Being developed by pro's and featuring many new goodies, this is something all you CS fans should watch for.
Dungeon Siege Q&A
March 19, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The RPG Vault has kicked up an interview with the guys behind Gas Powered Games' upcoming Action-RPG, Dungeon Siege. In this 'one question' deal, everyone gets a chance to answer. Anyways, here's a taste:
Jonric: What are a couple of monsters or other opponents in Dungeon Siege that you consider especially cool or otherwise interesting, and why?
Jake McMahon, Vice President / Producer: The Rock Beasts are particularly nasty as they can hit the entire party with their magic attack. Then when you rush in they still do a ton of damage as they can hit several adjacent characters with their melee attack. Also the Darklings are cool, you can barely see their eyes as they hide in the shadows and then they come at you casting magic attacks that track to the target.
Morrowind Previews
March 19, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Let's start off by getting a couple of these previews on Bethesda Softworks' upcoming RPG, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, out of the way. The guys over at GameSpot have tossed together previews on both the PC and Xbox versions of the game. Here's a clipping from the PC one:
It doesn't take very long to realize that Morrowind is apparently a huge game. Though you have a clear objective early on in the game, you soon realize that there's no particular reason why you need to get to it right away. You could opt instead to explore the town or head north, south, east, or west and see where the roads take you. It's a startling realization: Morrowind's scope is not typical of a single-player role-playing game but is instead more like what you'd find in a massively multiplayer RPG like EverQuest or Ultima Online--games people have been playing for years, partly due to the size of the gameworlds. Yet unlike in those games, none of the scenery in Morrowind is filler--it's all rich with detail down to the unique species of plant life that grow throughout the land's lush regions. Early on, you may be commissioned to bring back samples of local fungus or flowers--that's one occasion when it might dawn on you just how rich Morrowind's world really is. Morrowind has more types of mushrooms in it than some RPGs have weapons.
The GamesDomain has also posted PC and Xbox previews. So make sure you check them out as well!7 Years of Graphics
March 19, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
The chaps over at Accelenation have done a great job, and collected the most important news & facts about graphics cards since 1995! They have posted pictures of almost all cards + have small descriptions for each year! A "must read" for all 3D-enthusiasts (like You!) and it makes a true great feature of the week!
ATI Radeon WinXP 6.13.10.6052
March 19, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
And as usual, they are leaked.. :) There is no word yet on the performance or compatibility, but they are new! That should be 'nuff! Head over to Maximum Reboot for the goods (WinXP 6.13.10.6052).
Freedom Force Dev Diary
March 18, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpot has posted a developer diary written by Irrational Games' Ken Levine, where he chats about their super-hero RPG, Freedom Force. Here's a blurb:
Freedom Force presented a very different challenge for lead designer/project manager Jon Chey. Where Shock 2 had a set number of powers and bad guys, the open-ended nature of Freedom Force's super power system required a more holistic numerically based approach. With literally millions of possible super powers available, there would be no feasible way to test all the possible combinations (barring Jon himself acquiring the power of time travel). As the player (or designer, as we used the same tools to build powers as the gamer will in the game) builds a super power in Freedom Force, he or she can tweak it across a dozen or more axes. Want to make it more accurate? Go ahead, but it will make the character more expensive to acquire. Want to make your cool projectile spilt into three parts when it lands and heat-seek three different targets? That's cool, but be prepared to pay a price.
If your a comic book freak, this is a must-see!FUEL Screenies
March 18, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Voodoo Extreme managed to snage some new screenshots from Firetoad Software's upcoming racing title for the PC and Xbox, FUEL. You can check these bad boys out right here. Man, looks like their going to have a lot of vehicles in this game.
Impossible Creatures Interview
March 18, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
HomeLAN has Relic Entertainment's John Johnson and Quinn Duffy in the hot seat tonight, for a quick Q&A regarding their upcoming RTS, Impossible Creatures. Here's some juice on game balance:
HomeLAN - How difficult is it to balance Impossible Creatures with the way the game is structure to allow tens of thousands of combinations?
Quinn Duffy - Balancing Impossible Creatures isnt easy, but we are taking the approach that we are not balancing tens of thousands of units; Instead, we are handling the major balance aspects of the game by focusing on the cost of the creatures and the resource system that allows you to build them. A formula determines the cost of every creature based on the major attributes like health and damage and its special abilities like stink spray, camouflage, charge attacks, amphibious movement, etc. We also create a research level for the creature, so that very complex creatures require more research before they are available during a game.
John Johnson So, how well you do is all up to how well you can design your army, and use them in combat. You could create an army of uber creatures such as a Sperm Whale Gorilla that had massive damage and a sonic attack and massive amount of health, but you wouldnt be able to build any of these types of units until very late in the game, They would need a tremendous amount of resources and research, which means youd be open to early attacks. Its a really fun balancing act trying to design your creatures plus building an effective army that you can use against your opponents.
Mafia Preview
March 18, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
BonusWeb has slapped up a preview on Illusion Softworks' upcoming action title, Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. I really hope this one turns out well, it sounds great! Snip:
Every proper Mafia group has got its own mechanic and an arms dealer, the Salieris are no different. To visit calm Vincenzo before starting any bigger action is a must, because you get the killing equipment youll need there. Stammering Ralph, on the other hand, will teach you how to break into various types of cars so that you can get vehicles on the street as well. Once you drive a car that you stole into the garage, it will also be at your disposal in the following missions. The action itself is supplemented by unimaginable and real-quality in-game animations that make you perfectly absorbed by the game. When you see all of this with your own eyes, youll agree that this masterpiece is more like a movie in which you play the main part. Too bad you wont get the royalty in advance to buy better hardware. :o) The authors have said that Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven is playable on weaker computers as well, but of course at the expense of the quality.
The Y-Project Q&A
March 18, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Blue Monday caught up with Westka Interactive's Thomas Schaefer and Ingo Horn for a quick chat regarding their upcoming Unreal engine powered - first person shooter/RPG, The Y-Project. They talk about everything from sub-quests to what kind of enemies will be in the game. Here's a taste:
How big is the city? Does the game take place entirely inside of it?
It will be really huge and impressive just imagine the 5th element city and you could get an idea of what we aimed for. You will see something on it middle of the year! The game takes place up to 65-70 % inside this city, but we will have seamless indoor - outdoor locations as well as pure outdoor territories.
Creative Labs officially buy out 3DLabs
March 18, 2002 - Nick "Neeyik" Evanson
The rumour of this has been so strong recently that this news is certainly unexpected but at least the confirmation is final. In a news release, Creative Labs had the following to say:
Creative (Nasdaq: CREAF) the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for the personal computer and the Internet, today announced a definitive agreement under which Creative will acquire 3Dlabs Inc., Ltd. (Nasdaq: TDDD) for a combination of US$1.20 per share in cash and US$2.40
per share in Creative stock for each share of 3Dlabs.
"We have had a tremendous track record of choosing winning graphics technologies and partners over the years, and helping build them into Number1 market share positions. We've helped those companies become very successful in the process," says Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative. "As we have analysed 3Dlabs' product lines, and most importantly their
technology roadmap, we believe that their development of a scalable architecture and general purpose programmability will provide a significant competitive advantage in the graphics space."
Sim continues, "As power gamers' insatiable demand for higher performance graphics capabilities grows, we see great opportunities to expand 3Dlabs' leadership in the ultra high-end professional markets into our higher volume PC consumer desktop markets. The technological breakthroughs that 3Dlabs
has achieved to date, most specifically in the design of their upcoming chipsets including the startling achievement of the world's first single chip TeraOps [trillion operations per second] visual processor with general purpose programmability, coupled with the strong market we see for high performance graphics accelerators, provide a tremendous growth opportunity
for our company.
"We are very excited about the opportunity provided by Creative's worldwide distribution network, huge customer base, world-famous brands, and financial resources to maximize the technology we produce," says Osman Kent, chairman and CEO of 3Dlabs. "Integrating the resources and expertise of these two
industry-leading companies can create a truly potent force in the graphics market."
Kent continued, "The timing of this acquisition is fortuitous, as we are close to releasing the most exciting high performance graphics lineup in our history. We have experienced a difficult financial period during which we continued to devote significant resources to the development of our breakthrough technologies. Creative can provide us the resources and opportunity to expand our leadership position beyond the ultra high-end graphics market. We can leverage Creative's vast experience at building
global brands and market share to take full advantage of the market potential for our upcoming release of an exciting new family of graphics processors."
New Poll!
March 18, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Yet another new poll! This time we ask you this:
At what resolution & color depth do you play games?
So go and cast you vote..Last week we asked this:
What kind of a cooling do you have?
Heatsink only! [14.3%]
Standard HSF [23.4%]
Extra Big HSF [31.4%]
WaterCooling [8.0%]
Dry Ice [3.4%]
Liquid Nitrogen [6.8%]
Mom's Freezer [2.6%]
me so kool, me da rispekt me own CPU with me koolness, rispekt! [10.1%]
Total votes: 4775
GP4 Preview
March 18, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
The only driving game I'm waiting for is Crammond's GP4. I mean, I have been a GP fan since day 1, and currently me and my friends are playing GP3 in LAN. It's fun, eats up a good 4-5 hours a day, and it's as real as it gets. I know that GP3 looks pretty awful, but let's face it, the physics and the feeling in that game is just perfect. Now, GameFaction have posted a preview on GP4, and here's a teaser:
Grand Prix 4 is due to be released on the PC at the end of May, with an XBOX version sometime in June. It will be up against some stiff competition as a week before Grand Prix 4 EA will be releasing their F12002 simulation. Crammond and his guys have to beat it to make up for Grand Prix 3 in a big way if the Crammond name is to mean anything for gamers in the future, remember some 70% of the code in Grand Prix 3 was from previous games, so they've had a lot of work the past couple of years.
Wow.. 70% old stuff? That's a _lot_! I so hope that GP4 will be the game I had hoped GP3 to be - the perfect formula1 simulator. To check out the full preview, go here.GeForce4 Ti4600 Review
March 18, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
The folks at Beyond3D have posted a review on the VisionTek XTASY GeForce4 Ti4600. Here's a snip: $qs Overclocking, while not explored in this review, proved rather unexciting with the core/memory going up to 315/700MHz before problems cropped up. As usual, overclocking results will vary from system to system and with the hot and humid weather here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at the moment (did you see the Ferrari and McLaren engines blow up at the F1 at Sepang here in Malaysia yesterday? Phew!) I never expect to provide reasonably representative overclocking in any of my reviews. Yeah! To get it all, click here.
NVmax 4.01.00 LE (Last Edition)
March 18, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
The last version of NVmax is out for download. This last version is marked as 4.01.00 LE (Last Edition). I hope AC (author of NVmax) someday finds time again to continue the work on NVmax.. Meanwhile, grab the late.. last!.
CeBit2002 Report
March 17, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Yeah! Wanna know what this year's CeBit was all about? Well, the good folks at Beyond3d have posted their report part 1, covering a bit of the fair. Here's a snip: $qs We got lost in the so many halls and stuff that was displayed, I had to hurry to be on time for my meeting with David Harold (PowerVR) at 13.00 hours. When I got there, David Harold still was talking with a member of PowerVR Power (If I'm correct), I joined the interview as David explained it was busy. So, so long as I didn't mind, there were more than just me in the room. Of course no problem for me, to more the merry, right? The online community is a friendly one :) Get some more juicy info, here.
Morrowind Preview: Part II
March 17, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpy has tossed up the second part of their preview on Bethesda Softworks' upcoming RPG for the PC and Xbox, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. This one covers graphics and the actual gameplay. Snip:
Dialogue is important to any RPG game, and Morrowind delivers it with a unique hyperlinked text system. As you talk to people, topics worthy of discussion are highlighted in blue. If you want them to go into more detail, you simply click on the highlighted phrase and the person will expound on the topic. In this way, dialogue flows freely. You can also choose from an available list of topics. Just about every character you meet can tell you about the area you're in and can usually share some local rumors that could turn into profitable excursions. You'll also begin to learn about the important people who inhabit the game world -- certain NPCs are masters of their crafts and tracking them down can result in a valuable training partner.
Included are some hot new screenies, so check them out as well!Tony Hawk 3 Interview
March 17, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The peeps over at HomeLAN have posted an interview with Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford regarding the upcoming PC port of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. Here's a chunk:
HomeLAN - How will Gearbox develop and support support Internet multiplayer for the Tony Hawk 3 PC port?
Randy Pitchford - Gearbox has added several new multiplayer game modes and has doubled the number of players allowed in a network game. I anticipate Gearbox taking feedback from the player community and improving the game even more after launch. We hope to work with fans at websites like www.planettonyhawk.com to build the community around the game.
HomeLAN - What new gameplay modes will be available in the PC port?
Randy Pitchford - New multiplayer modes include a Keep Away game, a Zone Control game and a classic Capture the Flag game. These are really fun and are designed around the concept of team-based multiplayer gaming.
Morrowind Preview: Part I
March 16, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpy has posted part one of their preview on Bethesda Softworks' upcoming RPG, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. In this first part, they take a look at the geography, cultures, and politics in the game. Snip:
Any civilized area on the map will be heavily patrolled by local law enforcers, from the familiar Imperial Legionnaires to the towering golden figures of Vivec's imposing "Ordinators." If you commit a crime within sight of a civilian, you'll be reported to the authories (and, in many cases, attacked by the victim.) Fortunately, the justice system is lax for petty offenders. If you voluntarily report yourself to a nearby officer you can usually get off the hook by paying a fine. Keep plenty of cash on hand, since guards don't barter! If you don't pay the fine and get caught, you may be forced to spend some time in jail. You'll be stuck in a dank cell and you'll lose stats and skill points for every day you spend in that miserable dump. My advice? Stick to the right side of the law. Or, as the Hlaalu would recommend, don't get caught.
The demise of TORN
March 16, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpot has tossed up an article talking about Black Isle Studios' ill-fated RPG, TORN. It covers everything from how the game started out to the problems they faced along the way. Here's a blurb:
Although it was to be the first 3D game produced by Black Isle Studios, Torn would have maintained an isometric perspective that was consistent in style to the viewpoints offered in all of the division's previous RPGs. The licensed LithTech engine promised to deliver some impressive character graphics and spell effects, but the development team ultimately found the difficulties inherent in creating a detailed 3D environment more formidable than they initially expected. The interface and character development systems were streamlined to be intuitive even to gamers new to the RPG genre. Torn was intended to be a RPG that both satisfied traditional fans of the genre and also appealed to a broader range of gamers by featuring better graphics and more accessible gameplay than typical RPGs.
NVmax: The End
March 16, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis
The NVmax software is nearing the end of its life. Andrew Charnley has decided to remove it from NVmax.com on March 25th. The sad truth:
NVmax is due to terminate at 25th March 2002, after which NVmax will be removed from nvmax.com and will not be supported. The last edition (4.01.00) will be made available for download on 16th March 2001. Source code will be released on 23th March 2002 under the GNU license as complete unrestricted freeware.
<snip>The decision to end NVmax is final and will not be reversed. This decision was made by the author in order to divert time into a future project. Sadly, all good things come to an end.
Very sad indeed :-( Let's hope someone else can pick up the good work done by AC so far. You can read more of this over here.Soldier of Fortune II Q&A
March 15, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
SLCentral has shot-up an interview with Jon Zuk, the Project Lead behind Raven Software's upcoming Quake 3 engine powered - first person shooter, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix. They chat about everything from multiplayer to the new AI. Here's a nugget:
SL: Who, in your opinion, got the better workout on this game, the programmers or the artists? You have made so many graphical, audio, AI, and other technical advances, yet you are also exploring new locations and models.
Jon Zuk: I'd say that we had to push every department pretty hard on this game. For animation, we have 20 weapons, and 10 3000 poly character types as well as 16000 frames of animation (just in the male). For art, we have 100 characters, 9 locations, 1024x1024 textures, and a new effects system. For programmers, we have Ghoul2, ConfusEd, a new weapon system, a new AI system, and much more. Then, the designers have to take all of this new stuff, and make fun and engaging levels.
Jedi Knight II Interview
March 15, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Elited.net has tossed up a quick Q&A with Raven Software's Kenn Hoekstra regarding their upcoming Quake 3 engine powered Action title, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. Snip:
We all know Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast was built using a modified Quake III Team Arena engine. Can you tell us how largely modified the engine is? As say, in terms of percentages: what percent of the original engine is intact, and what percentage is new, or modified?
"Its kind of hard to put things in terms of percentages, but I can say that weve redone the AI system from scratch, weve added GHOUL2 to replace the modeling and animation system, weve put in the ICARUS2 scripting language to handle event and cinematic scripting, weve added a new dynamic music system, a third-person camera system, a lightsaber combat system and weve got a new visual effects system and a new menu system. According to James Monroe, our lead programmer, only about 10% of the original code is intact and untouched by our coders. Weve changed, modified or rewritten a vast majority of it other than the renderer and some trace functions."
Morrowind Hands-on Preview
March 15, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
PC.IGN has slapped up a hands-on preview of Bethesda Softworks' upcoming RPG for the PC and Xbox, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. It covers everything from the graphics to NPC interaction. Here's a taste:
Each of the characters will also give you different information depending on how much they like you. Some won't give you any at all. I talked to a little Wood Elf and gave him back a ring I had found that he was whining about and he became my fast friend willing to tell me whatever and even put in a good word for me with the merchant so I could get better deals. This is how things work and it's for the good of role-playing. The nicer you are, the better the chances are that those favors are returned. You turn into a lowlife bag of crap and run through the game goosing women and stealing their purses and people aren't going to enjoy doing business with you and no one will trust you. Of course, there are some people who will only deal with someone like that, so if you choose to go that route, you aren't going to be lacking things to do.
Unreal Name Changes
March 15, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpot has word that Infogrames will be making a couple name changes to a few of their Unreal games, including Unreal 2 and Unreal Tournament. Here's a blurb:
On Monday, Infogrames will announce that it will be changing the name of Epic Games' and Legend Entertainment's forthcoming first-person shooter from Unreal II to Unreal Episode II. Likewise, Unreal Tournament 2 from Epic Games and Digital Extremes will carry the new Unreal Tournament 2003 moniker. The changes are probably meant to curb confusion over the differences between these two games, as well as to further differentiate them from future products like Unreal Championship for the Xbox.
It looks like there will be new UT game every year now(ala EA Sports), which is very cool for all you hardcore Unreal fans out there. Anyways, click here for the goods.New RTCW Patch
March 15, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
A new patch(v1.3) has been released for Gray Matter Studios and Nerve Software's Quake3 engine powered - first person shooter, Return To Castle Wolfenstein. Included in the patch is a new multiplayer map call Ice, an auto-updater, PunkBuster support and a mod button. Also other misc fixes and such. Anyways, you can grab the 8meg file at the following mirrors:
VIA AGP 4.10b
March 15, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
The good folks over at VIA have released a new AGP Driver, bringing it up to version 4.10b. No word on how well it works from our users, but according to VIA, it works great. Check this out:
Part of the 4 in 1 driver set is an AGP driver. The driver below is the AGP driver version 4.10b which is Microsoft certified. In due course it will be put into the next update of the 4 in 1 drivers. The version of the AGP driver in the current 4.37(a) 4 in 1 drivers is the 4.05c. This driver has been designed to enhance performance under Windows XP. Tested on a KT266A chipset motherboard with a GeForce 3, and WinXP, this driver provided an extra 3 fps in Quake III and an extra 100 marks in 3D Mark 2001.
It's great when companies like VIA has that kind of nice info on their downloadpage! What if NVIDIA, ATI, PowerVR etc. also would have "With these latest drivers, you will get 400 extra marks in 3DMark2001.". That _would_ be extravaganza! :)Anyway, grab the latest AGP Drivers for your VIA mobo, here.
Thanks to Stewart "VooDoo" Paternoster from The DDRZone for the news.
XIII Announced
March 14, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Damn, I must have missed this one yesterday. Anyways, GameFaction sends word that Ubi Soft Entertainment has announced a new cel-shaded first person shooter using the latest Unreal engine, entitled XXI. Here's a blurb:
Ubi Soft® Entertainment today announced the development of XIII, a unique first-person shooter (FPS) game that creates a completely interactive graphic novel within a cel-shaded world.
XIII is based on the comic license of the same name from Belgium comic book author, Jean Van Hamme, and the game will be powered with next-generation Unreal® II© technology. XIII will appear across PlayStation® 2, Nintendo GameCubeä, Xboxä and PC CD-ROM and is targeted for a Q1 2003 release.
Morrowind Interview
March 14, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The RPG Vault has cornered the guys over at Bethesda Softworks for a quick chat regarding their upcoming RPG, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Here's a taste:
Jonric: Of the hundreds if not thousands of weapons in the game, which ones stand out as being your favorites or special in some other way?
Jason Ruddy, Sound FX: I would have to say that I have a fondness for the Daedric weapons, since some are styled after traditional Japanese swords. After acquiring one through serious effort, I enchanted it with (let's just say) a lot of fire, frost, and shock magicka damage. I have lovingly called it "You Go Bye-Bye Now" as that pretty much sums up what it does to whoever is unfortunate enough to encounter it.
Jedi Knight II Golden!
March 14, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
LucasArts has updated the official site for their upcoming Quake3 engine powered action title, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. Inlcuded in the update is word that the game has gone gold and should hit stores on March 29!
Also, Gamers.com have posted a preview on the game. So check that out while your at it. 8)
Citizen Zero Q&A
March 14, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The Lone Gamers have posted a short interview with Micro Forte's Steven Wang regarding their upcoming massively multiplayer online Action-RPG, Citizen Zero. Here's some juice:
What sort of player development is there?
CZ uses a skill-based system for determining basic ability in things like combat, piloting a vehicle, or treating a wound. Our mission-based system lets us challenge a much wider range of character and player abilities than brute combat skill.
Every character starts with an identichip in their head. By doing missions and they can overcome the inhibitions in the chip, getting access to new parts of the game universe and new abilities.
There is also a strong emphasis on social development. Characters build a reputation based on their activities in the game. They can also build up the respect and trust of various NPC organisations in the game. These organisations can provide access to special equipment, missions and facilities in the game. For the power-players out there, every organisation is a potential "slippery pole" to climb.
Icewind Dale 2 Interview
March 14, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The Armchair Empire has slapped up an interview with Black Isle Studios' Darren Monahan regarding their upcoming RPG, Icewind Dale II. Here's something to chew on:
Have the character classes been finalized, or are there some possibilities still being tossed around? Any chance well see the sorcerer equivalent of a Wild Mage?
Yes, weve settled on strictly 3rd Edition classes: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer and Wizard. We previously announced that kits would be in the game, but through feedback from our fans and a number of new changes were making, we decided to remove them in favor of implementing more of the 3E rules.
Athlon XP2100+ review
March 14, 2002 - Nick "Neeyik" Evanson
If you're like me and haven't been keeping up with processor speeds for the past few months or so, you might be surprised to hear of AMD's new XP2100+ due for release soon. Running at 1.7GHz, just how much better is it than previous Athlon chips? Is there anything new?
Well, 3DVelocity have grabbed hold of one for review off AMD and given it a thorough beating. 8 pages of benchmarking and stats should keep anyone happy. Looking for a bit of overclocking action too?
I went straight for 140FSB, the system booted and all benchmarking was stable. By upping the volts to the maximum 1.85 I was able to reach 1.89GHz with total stability. Strangely any further attempts at speed increases resulted in a total system lock in Windows after a few seconds or a registry error after the POST. I would expect their was quite some speed left for the users wishing to employ the ore extreme cooling solutions but certainly 1.89GHz was a nice overclock for this final Palomino based CPU.
Catch the full review right here. Oh and read the very end for the comment about the colour of the chip too!NVmax v4.00.49
March 14, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Yet another version of NVmax is out. This time, version 4.00.49! There is no word what's new or fixed, but heck, it's a new version and that's what counts, right? :) Grab the binary here.
Hercules Forums
March 14, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Just got a word that the Hercules Forums are a good source for info/help if you have a KYRO/2 card! The PowerVR dudes tend to answer tricky questions there!
New Jedi Knight 2 Movie
March 13, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Lucas Arts has released a new gameplay video showing off Raven Software's upcoming Quake3 engine powered Action title, Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast. You have to registered at Lucas' site, but it's free to sign up, so check it out!
Battlefield 1942 Preview
March 13, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
PC.IGN has posted a preview on Illusion Softworks' upcoming World War 2 - first person shooter, Battlefield 1942. Based on playing a beta, they cover everything from netcode to the vehicles in the game. Here's a blurb:
We played through at least four of the levels (one from each theater) and were pretty impressed with what we saw. Starting on the Market Garden level, we tried to advance across a bridge held by the Germans. Tanks and infantry jam up on the bridge while bombers and planes zoom by overhead. The Wake Island level starts out with the Allies on an aircraft carrier. You can steer the carrier (and accompanying destroyers) around and use them to pummel the shore defenses. LCTs ferry your guys to the shore (also driven by players). Once on the island you'll have to overcome Japanese fortifications to achieve victory. The Tobruk map features a massive German tank rush as the Allies try to hold them off. The bombed-out city of Stalingrad provided lots of opportunity for Dan and I to snipe each other. He chose the sniper rifle, I chose the bazooka.
Morrowind Preview
March 13, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
ActionTrip has tossed up a preview on Bethesda Softworks' upcoming RPG, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. With the games release just around the corner, the hype is really starting to pick up. uNF:
With most RPG's, the game is the quest. When the quest is done, the game is done. Not necessarily so, in this case. You can choose to take on the quest, and if you do so, you can pursue it at your leisure. There are also a great number of side quests that pop up along the way that can be pursued. And, of course, for every action there is a reaction. Since there are a large number of races represented in the world, the things you do may garner favor with some races, but annoy members of another. Of course, BEING one of those races automatically gets you points in certain situations. Keeping track of everything that has been assigned to you can be quite difficult, so the game employs an auto-journaling system that is quickly accessible. Everything you learn by speaking to the game's NPC's is entered and catalogued for when it's needed. The standard procedure is to list the major events by date, but it can be quickly cross-referenced by the first letter of the word if you lose your place.
C&C: Generals Announced
March 13, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Westwood Studios has finally announced their upcoming 3D RTS, Command & Conquer: Generals. We already had some info on the game from GameSpot's article, but now it's official. Anyways, head over to Shack News for the press release.
The Y-Project Q&A
March 13, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The fellas over at Ferrago caught up with Westka Interactive's Ingo Horn and Thomas Schaefer for a quick Q&A regarding their upcoming RPG/First person shooter, The Y-Project. Here's some juice:
Will the game feature NPC's? What role will they serve, and how will they form part of the plot / single player game?
Of course NPC´s will drive the story to a higher level of detail, so we will have many very important key NPCs in the game They will give you Quests, Sub quests, Hints, but as well could cause some trouble for you.
The NPCs are all survivors from the catastrophe when the glass dome broke. As most of the victims were people from the upper-class, you can imagine, that of the surviving NPCs are not that highly reputed persons. So you will encounter freaks, cyberpunks and other tough guys that will be fun to get in contact with.
New Poll!
March 13, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
While updating our pages in several ways, I thought to throw in a new poll. Here ya go: $qs What kind of a cooling do you have? Kast ya vote, rispekt! :)
Last weekends quick-poll looked & ended like this: $qs Weekend Quick Poll - Are leaked drivers a good thing?
Yes [67.0%]
No [11.9%]
I don't really care [21.1%]
Total votes: 4392 So most of you think leaked drivers is a good thing? Have you ever thought that in a way (very far fetched, but anyway) you kinda work as a beta tester, for free, when using leaked drivers? Hmmm..
KYROII SE
March 13, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Hercules Announced The 3DProphet 4800, which is based on the KYROII SE chip. Here's a quote from the pr: $qs 3D Prophet 4800's new 3D processor offers a remarkable assortment of the most up-to-date graphics technology features for key 3D effects in the latest applications. 3D Prophet 4800 stands out with its unmatched enhanced Transform And Lighting technology engine which has been specifically designed by PowerVR for the new generation of KYROII chipsets. It mixes intelligent 3D and CPU resources applied to Transform & Lighting and enables the 3D processing to calculate in real time how light intensity will vary on surfaces, where shadows are positioned in 3D applications. These operations guarantee more realistic scenes without increasing CPU resources overload, which maximizes the frame rates in games. The enhanced T&L engine proves to be up to 15% faster than standard engines in games where T&L causes a bottleneck.
PCMark2002 In Use!
March 13, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
2 sites have already used PCMark2002 in their reviews on the new AMD Athlon XP 2100+ CPU. Sorry for no quotes or any teasers (too tired..). I just wanted to throw in these two so you guys can see where PCMark will be seen more and more.. :) ... in reviews!
PCMark2002 FAQ
March 13, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Please do check out the PCMark2002 FAQ if you find any problems with the software. We keep updating it as often as possible..
New AvP2 Patch
March 12, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Monolith has released a new patch(v1.0.9.5) for their first person shooter, Aliens versus Predator 2. Here's whats new:
- A hacked server name will not crash the server list.
- Prevented a rare server crash which occurred when a high-latency client ejected from the Exosuit as they were killed.
- Removed a damage volume that was killing low-framerate players through the floor in Compound.
- Corrected some Marine attachments.
Warcraft III Q&A
March 12, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Computer and Video Games.com have slapped up an interview with Blizzard Entertainment's Bill Roper regarding their upcoming RTS, Warcraft III: Reign Of Chaos. Booya!
As one of the 'big three' RTS studios, how much pressure is on you to come up with the goods with your first full 3D title?
Bill: We definitely realise that 3D strategy games have yet to hit their stride. I think that one of the reasons for that, and one thing that we're really addressing is that 3D technology should aid you in making a good strategy game, but shouldn't be the be-all and end-all of the game. Just because you're making something in 3D doesn't mean you have to do everything that 3D does. We decided to use 3D for the things we thought it could be really good for giving us some great terrain and effects for gameplay, looks, characters and spells. Basically we can get a lot of things out of 3D without relying too heavily on it. I think it's an issue that a lot of games have come up against, that they do things because they can, not because they should.
Morrowind Preview
March 12, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The GamePen has slapped up a preview on Bethesda Softworks' upcoming RPG for the PC and Xbox, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Here's a nugget:
To give you an idea of the scope and freedom of Morrowind, Bethesda gave me a list of facts regarding the NPCs. There are over 3,200 NPCs in the world - and you can kill, if you wanted to, all of them. There are no "protected" characters. There is one character whose death will affect your ability to finish the main quest, but, hey, if you want to be Dr. Death, be their guest. There are other 316,000 objects in the game, and you can look, examine, and, if you're strong enough, pick up each and every one of them. Candlesticks, bowls, books, papers, you name it. One of the main complaints about Daggerfall was that the number of dungeons were wanting; Morrowind has over three hundred unique dungeons to explore. There is over six novels worth of text as well.
*drool*BioWare Interview
March 12, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Thanks to GameSpyDaily for this tidbit. The guys over at GameReviewOnline caught up with BioWare's Greg Zeschuk for a quick chat. They cover everything from NeverWinter Nights to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Here's some juice:
Which of the many features in NWN is Bioware most proud of, and will this have an impact upon future Bioware titles?
[Greg] Thats a really tough question, but my best shot at an answer is the module creation tools - I strongly believe theyre going to change the world of development forever. As far as impact on our future titles I think the tools will also have a large impact because of the creative things were going to see from the fans. After we see what some of the ingenious things the fans are doing were going to get a better idea what the tools can do, and what we can do in the future.
Dungeon Siege Q&A
March 12, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The RPG Vault has posted an interview with the guys behind Gas Powered Games' upcoming Action-RPG, Dungeon Siege. It's a one question deal, where all the dev's answer. Anyways, here's a taste:
Jonric: Speaking from your personal preferences, what is your favorite way of developing your main character in Dungeon Siege, and why?
Jake McMahon, Vice President / Producer: My favorite way to develop my main character is a split with a focus on Melee and enough Nature Magic to cast some useful spells. I prefer to play as a fighter, charging into the middle of the battle and swinging away. But you never know when you need to heal, resurrect, or use some of the buff spells. So even if the rest of the party goes down, I've still got my main character to clean up the mess and resurrect the dead.
PCMark2002 - Released!
March 12, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
MadOnion.com is pleased to announce the release of PCMark2002, the first ever unified benchmark from MadOnion.com.
PCMark2002 is suited for benchmarking all kinds of PCs, from laptops to workstations, and is designed to test normal home and office PC usage. This easy-to-use benchmark makes professional strength benchmarking software available even to novice users.
Soldier of Fortune II Dev Diary
March 11, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
PC.IGN has posted a developer diary written by Raven Software's Zack Quarles, where he talks about the sound in their upcoming Quake3 engine powered - first person shooter, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix. uNF:
Since we're talking about the sound aspect to SOF2 (is that why I'm here?), I have received some emails on how I achieve some of the "realistic" gun shot sounds in the game; do I model the sounds I create after the real-life boom-stick? Well of course, you need to have it sound a least a *little* like it's real-life counterpart; but more often than not, guns in real life sound kind of boring and "poppy" so they need a bit more oomph! added I will take this opportunity to say that all of the weapon sounds in SOF2 are based off the actual sound, but throughout the process I would sometimes get feedback saying the guns just need to be beefed up more, so I have continually added layer upon layer to all of them until they all seemed to have a consistent "meatiness" quality to them.
Global Operations Preview
March 11, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The guys over at Gamehelper have kicked up a preview on Barking Dog Studios' upcoming Lithtech engine powered - first person shooter, Global Operations. Here's something to chew on:
The gameplay for Global Operations is like 7-Up and Sprite- Same thing, different name (Wrong! Sprite is the only one with limon, the source of all that is good ED). Global Operations (hearby referred to as GO for the rest of the preview) gameplay consists of the usual tactical run-and-gun, hide-and-snipe, as seen in Counter-Strike. However, Barking Dog decided to change a few of the gameplay ingredients to increase the fun-factor. Killing everyone on the opposing team isnt going to win the game; its only going to give those on the other team a bit more time to do their work. Either the objective has to be completed or the time-limit exceeded for there to be any sense of accomplishment within your team. Most missions are along the lines of dont let them get that, or plant the bomb there! Of course I could be wrong, and I sure hope I am, since Ive only played four missions of the real multiplayer experience. Its fun though, even if it does seem awfully familiar.
If you haven't checked out the beta yet, head over to FilePlanet.Tony Hawk 3 Dev Diary
March 11, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford has posted a developer diary over at GameSpy regarding their upcoming PC port of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. Here's a blurb:
Now that we're on a PC, we should let them hook up and talk to each other. In the previous diary entry, I outlined the new multiplayer modes and how games are set up and played over the Internet or LAN, so I don't need to cover that again. But, because of the availability of broadband connections and because of greater system memory typically available on the PC, we've been able to allow twice as many players to connect to multiplayer games on the PC than were allowable in the console versions.
Make sure you check out the new bonus skater. Muhaha!Jedi Knight 2 Preview
March 11, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Computer and Video Games.com have tossed up a preview on Raven Software's upcoming Quake3 engine powered Action title, Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast. Here's some lovin':
Another fundamental difference between JK2 and the original is the abolition of the dark/light side of The Force aspect. Instead of choosing which Force powers to develop, your skills are now increased automatically as you progress. The reason for this is that all 20 of the game's levels have been designed around these powers, with certain skills required to get past specific parts of the game. Sure, there'll be moaners who will claim that this detracts from the gameplay, but surely 11 Force powers including Mind Trick, Lightning, Saber Throw, Heal and Jump are enough to satisfy anybody's
C&C: Generals Preview
March 11, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpot has posted a tasty preview on Westwood Studios' upcoming 3D RTS, Command & Conquer: Generals. It includes some hot new shots, so check them out as well! Anyways, here's a clipping:
Additionally, the aspect of having field generals was one that Skaggs and the designers at EA Pacific weren't quite ready to do away with. So, instead of having you follow the orders of a general, you will be the actual general in the game, and you'll be the one issuing all the commands. In fact, there will be three generals in the game, one for each of the three sides. And while you won't actually be able to see your likeness walking around in each level, the designers at EA Pacific are still toying with the idea of portraying the three generals using actors in the some of the game's cutscenes.
Plextor 40/12/40A CD-RW Review
March 11, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis
The folks @ Hot Hardware have posted their review of Plextor's latest offering in the CD-RW market: the PlexWriter 40/40/40A. Here's a small blurb:
What nice linear graphs we have here, don't we? If you asked us almost a year ago, when we tested Plextor's 16X burner, if we ever thought we would be writing a whole disc in three minutes, we would have told you to stop dreaming. However, less than one year since the introduction of the 16X drive, this new 40X unit delivers just that.
You can catch the complete review here.2002-03-12
March 11, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
PCMark2002
the benchmarking saga continues..
Be sure to have the Countdown Window open at all times, since it will be the first place for download mirrors when the time strikes 00.00.00.00
More info will be available at the time of launch..
Why not Join The Chat while waiting?
Soldier of Fortune 2 Q&A
March 10, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
MGON sat down with Raven Software's Kenn Hoekstra for a quick Q&A regarding their upcoming Quake 3 engine powered - first person shooter, Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix. Snip:
MGON: The Random scenario generator is creating a lot of interest in the gaming world especially as this is the first time it has been attempted with a first person shooter. How hard has this been to create with regards to level design and AI and what are the odds of generating the same mission twice?
Kenn: The random mission generator was designed in such a way that it takes the data and world objects, etc. that we designate for it and puts them into play. Theres very little level design work involved, other than creating buildings and bunkers and architecture, etc. in Max and in the editor to be ported into the random maps.
The AI also functions as an independent game system, free of scripting so if you drop enemies into random maps, they figure out what they need to do and they do it. There are so many random (for lack of a better term) elements to the RMG that I cant imagine ever getting two identical missions. There will be definite differences, some subtle and some not so subtle in each new mission you attempt.
Mark Rein Interview
March 10, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
HomeLAN has slapped up an interview with Epic Games' Mark Rein, where they chat about the upcoming Unreal titles, Unreal Tournament 2, Unreal 2 and Unreal Championship. Here's a blurb:
HomeLAN - There has been some speculation that Unreal 2 will no longer have a multiplayer mode because of the release of UT 2. What can you tell us at this point?
Mark Rein - Unreal Tournament 2 was not anticipated at any time during the design of Unreal2 nor during much of the development. Now that we have UT2 clearly in the picture, and ready to go before Unreal 2, it doesn't make a lot of sense for the dev team to expend their time and energy polishing multiplayer when they can use that time to polish an exceptional single player experience. The market has proven that this approach makes more sense and I don't think anyone will be disappointed by this once they've had a chance to play it. So to answer the question multiplayer will disappear from Unreal 2 in exchange for it being a bigger, better and more focused single player game. What will happen to the multiplayer assets already developed for Unreal2 is still a question. If players want the ultimate multiplayer-oriented game, Unreal Tournament 2 will already be available on store shelves before Unreal 2 ships.
Y-Project Screenies
March 9, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Westka Interactive has released some new screenshots from their upcoming Unreal engine powered Action-RPG, The Y-Project. The new shots show off some of the character and weapon models in the game. Check them out!
Impossible Creatures Preview
March 9, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The guys over at GameSpy have tossed up a preview on Relic Entertainment's upcoming RTS, Impossible Creatures. Pretty interesting game! Snip:
"The revolutionary aspect of Impossible Creatures is the ability to create your own units," Garden said. "Our vision was to make a truly revolutionary RTS and go back to the roots of great armies and large-scale battles. We want shorter, faster-paced games where you can play 10 half-hour games instead of one five hour game."
Navy Seals Q3 Released
March 9, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
If your looking for a reason to install Quake3 again, look no further. The Navy Seals: Covert Operations mod has finally been released! You can read up on the mod and even grab the hefty 189meg zip at the official site. Have fun!
Paul Jaquays Q&A
March 9, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Dear chiQ caught up with former id Software designer, Paul Jaquays, for a quick chat regarding his departure from the company. Here's an interesting bit:
chiQ - During your time at id you contributed to two Quakes, Team Arena, and some add-ons, and you got a lot of pleasure and satisfaction from your work. You haven't responded to the new Doom in the same way. Can you share your feelings regarding this project?
PaulJ - I may be one of the few people actively involved in the computer gaming industry who has absolutely no nostalgia for the original Doom. Sounds shocking, yes? But I didn't have access to a computer that played it during its heyday. I've gotten my FPS enjoyment from later games like Quake 2, Quake 3 Arena, Team Arena and Return to Castle Wolfenstein. So, on that day in June in 2000 when John Carmack suddenly decided to switch id's development focus away from our next scheduled project and turn it towards a new version of Doom, I can't say I was very happy about it. Before that event, I was excited about the project we were supposed to do next, and was looking forward to working along with Graeme Devine on it as a game designer. The sudden decision to drop our next project and make another version of Doom was a real emotional slam to me. I'm not sure I ever really got over that. I was still committed to getting Team Arena done and was able to stay excited about that project. But after that, I'd have to say I just lost heart for FPS game design and development ... regardless of how exciting or innovative the technology behind it. I did my best to rekindle enthsiasm for Doom, but the spark never caught in me. In retrospect (life is always easier to judge in retrospect), I probably should have made a decision to leave after Team Arena shipped -- while I was still satisfied with the work I was doing.
Gamespot bits and bobs...
March 9, 2002 - Nick "Neeyik" Evanson
It all seems a bit quiet at the moment but at least you can always rely on Gamespot UK to liven things up with some nice tidbits to tidy you over:
- An update on Microsoft's Freelancer - the eagerly awaited "Elite" of the new generation is still under developement. Have a read at how things are progressing.
- Screenshots of Grand Prix 4 - GP3 couldn't have been more successful even if it had tried! These working shots of GP4 can only hint at the delights awaiting Crammond fans.
Renegade Interview
March 8, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The guys over at Penny Arcade cornered Westwood Studios' Cliff Hicks for a quick Q&A regarding their newly released first person shooter, Command and Conquer: Renegade. Here's some juice:
1) Is the netcode going to be improved?
I don't think people ever stop improving on netcode. => Obviously, we've come a long way since the beginning of our first beta test, and we'll continue to make improvements and strides on getting it to the best it can be. In the course of two patches with the demo we came a long way, so I think that shows how dedicated we are to Renegade.
Allied Assault Interview
March 8, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Planet MedalofHonor caught up with 2015's Jon Olick for a quick chat regarding their hit Quake 3 engine powered - first person shooter, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. They get into everything from working at 2015 to the status of mod tools. uNF:
Skidrowpunk: Are there any plans in place to release mapping tools or an SDK for Allied Assault? Can you give us any more information on this?
Jon: Well, that really is up to EA as well. They plan on releasing the tools soon. We made many improvements to Radiant some which people in the community have been waiting for a long time to get including different camera movement modes, paint select, a real time lighting preview, and much more.
Jaquays Leaves id Software
March 8, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
id Software's Paul Jaquays has updated his .plan with word that he has left the company and taken a position at Ensemble Studios. Here's a blurb:
After five years of making first person shooters like Quake2, Quake III Arena, and Quake III: Team Arena, Ive come to the realization that my heart just isnt in it any more. For this reason, Ive decided to make a slight shift in career direction and seek other design and development challenges. I have accepted a position with Ensemble Studios (the creators of the Age of Empires series and Age of Mythology) here in Dallas, and will be taking up my new duties with them in short order. Im excited about the new job and I understand that the entire team there is excited to have me come on board.
We wish you the best of luck at your new job Paul!GlobalOps Public Beta Released
March 8, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Barking Dog Studios has released a public beta from their upcoming Lithtech engine powered - first person shooter, Global Operations. It weighs in at 96.6megs and includes one multiplayer map. You can grab this bad boy at the following mirrors:
Command & Conquer: Generals
March 8, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpot has posted a lengthy article on Westwood Studios' newly revealed RTS, Command & Conquer: Generals. It covers everything from how the game started to the new 3D engine being used. Included are some of the first screenies, so make sure you check it out! Snip:
Before the designers start working on their missions in the editor, they spend weeks thinking about them and writing up a plot, as if the mission were a three-act play. "We're thinking of scenarios like Behind Enemy Lines for one of the missions," explains Skaggs. "For instance, when a plane is shot down, the pilot might escape on the battlefield. But he won't be an expendable unit this time." Instead, once the pilot parachutes out, he may be able to climb into one of his side's vehicles and raise its veteran ranking. "If he manages to stay alive, he could be a very strong asset." The ideas are limitless, but there are also many concepts that don't pass muster. The unit list on the wall is constantly updated, but there is also a "wall of shame" for rejected units and missions.
ATI Radeon Driver For Win 98/ME
March 8, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis
A new driver for the ATI Radeon cards has appeared on the net! The Jetway FTP has driver version 4.13.9021 for Win 98/ME. The driver's dated 28th Feb and contains an updated OpenGL ICD.
You can grab this beauty here.
Abit Siluro GeForce4 MX440 Review
March 8, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis
The folks @ TweakTown have posted a review of the Abit Siluro GeForce4 MX440. As surprising as it might be, the card is based on the GeForce4 MX440 chipset *gasp* ;-) Here's a snip:
Since its release, the GeForce4 Ti range has received a heap of praise because of its excellent performance at high resolutions, even with the highest quality settings turned on. While that is all well and good, not everyone can afford to spend about US$400 on a single component. That is where the GeForce4 MX comes in. Join TweakTown as they take a look at the Abit Siluro MX440. Will nVidia's mid-range budget chipset provide enough bang for your buck?
You can catch the complete review here.The PopUp Countdown!
March 8, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
All I can say about the popup we have is that don't email me asking what it is!
You will know soon.. Oh, by the way, it is not 3DMark! ;)
New Poll!
March 8, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Woohoo(tm) my firends! I have so been waiting for this weekend! No particular reason though.. :) Anyway, now for our Weekend Quick Poll: $qs Weekend Quick Poll - Are leaked drivers a good thing? Go and cast ya vote!
Last week I asked you this:
Which CPU speed should be used in the Hall of Fame?
800MHz [10.4%]
900MHz [3.6%]
1000MHz [17.1%]
1100MHz [1.7%]
1200MHz [8.7%]
1300MHz [4.0%]
1400MHz [19.0%]
1500MHz [9.3%]
1600MHz [26.2%]
Total votes: 8852
Neverwinter Nights Q&A
March 7, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
PC Game Central has BioWare's Greg Zeschuk in the hot seat tonight, as they chat about the upcoming RPG, NeverWinter Nights. They touch on everything from voice communication in multiplayer to the system requirements. Here's some juice:
Besides the engine and multiplay, what can fans of the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale games expect to see different or improved in Neverwinter Nights?
[Greg] The focus of the game is somewhat different from the party-based Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale - you have a single character you use throughout the game. You can hire henchmen that accompany you in the game, but you will focus most of your effort on developing your single character.
Aside from the above differences, we're using a lot of ideas we weren't able to implement using the older BioWare Infinity Engine games - the BioWare Aurora Engine is considerably more sophisticated from a scripting and AI perspective and represents the most detailed implementation of 3rd Edition D&D possible.
Star Wars Galaxies Shots
March 7, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The fellas over at ToTheGame.com have shot-up some new screenshots from Verant's upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, Star Wars Galaxies. I know there are a ton of Star Wars fans out there just dieing for this game, so head over for a look!
NeverWinter Nights Screenies
March 7, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
BioWare has released two new screenshots from their upcoming RPG, NeverWinter Nights. Their looking pretty hot! You can check them out right here.
Icewind Dale II Preview
March 7, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The GamesDomain has tossed up a preview on Black Isle Studios' upcoming RPG, Icewind Dale II. The game isn't far from release now, so keep an eye on it! Here's some lovin':
A highlight of the game will be some hundreds of new objects and over 50 new spells, created specifically to match the storyline. Avery described the new Death Armor spell: "[it] surrounds the caster with crackling black energy from the negative material plane. It will damage anyone who strikes the caster in melee, dealing 1d4 + 5 magic damage. Undead are instead healed for a similar amount. Other non-living creatures such as constructs and golems are unaffected."
Morrowind Interview
March 7, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The RPG Vault caught up with the guys at Bethesda Softworks for a quick chat regarding their upcoming RPG, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. This time they get into their fav Morrrowind baddies. Here's a taste:
Jonric: Which opponent or opponents in Morrrowind do you enjoy defeating a little more than the rest, and why do you feel this way?
Brian Chapin, Designer:Male Wood Elves - no question about it. They think they're all high and mighty, standing around with their smarmy attitudes and smug faces. They're practically begging you to take a warhammer to the backs of their heads. I find them so annoying that I make it a point to kill all of them wherever I go. That, and the little squeals and grunts they make when you crush the air out of them are fun, too. I'm working on some of my anger-management issues. I think it's coming along well.
GlobalOp Public Beta Tomorrow
March 7, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
On March 8th(tomorrow!), FilePlanet will be hosting a public beta from Barking Dog Studios' upcoming Lithtech engine powered - first person shooter, Global Operations. They will also be giving away 20 copies of the game. Click here for all the details.
The Return Of The Wingman
March 7, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis
Sounds a like a title for a movie, no? :-) Of course not, it's just me who's back from being away.
The reason for being a way: exams. They're all done now..finally you could say! 5 weeks is a damn long time if you have to be concentrated each day... So I'm pleased to say that I'll be returning to my regular news-posting duties very very soon ;)
EPoX & Visiontek GF4 Ti4600 Fix?
March 7, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Well, I wouldn't call it a "fix" or a solution. Merely a hack, that I surely do not(!) endorse anyone to even try! Here's what warp2popups.. err, warp2search had posted:
By case users has difficulty in installing VisionTek GF4 Ti4600 graphic card on EPoX EP-8KHA+ and EP-8KHA, the first solution will be removing the CE6 capacitor. If users are not experienced in solder iron, they can use pliers to remove this component. If users are still confused with it or have any questions, they can contact any EPoX branch office in worldwide.
And that was straight from Mr. Thomas Huang, VP of Research & Development Dept. at EPoX. Oh, did I mention that if you do that, you will loose your warranty? Isn't it nice when manufacturers literally suggest you to loose your warranty? I'd contact EPoX before doing anything!WarCraft III Collector's Edition
March 6, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Blizzard Entertainment has released some new details on the collector's edition of their upcoming RTS, WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos. It will include all kinds of goodies, such as game art, a cinematic DVD and more. Click here for more info!
Project IGI 2 Preview
March 6, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpot has slapped up an preview on Innerloop's upcoming tactical first person shooter, Project IGI 2: Covert Strike. Here's some juice:
In IGI 2, the missions flow together seamlessly. Thus, after your success in mission two, you discover that several prototypes of the chip you were after are on their way to a manufacturing facility, and you're tasked with retrieving them. Mission three is a timed mission, in which we had 15 minutes to sneak into an enemy camp, steal some explosives, and then wire up a bridge that the convoy transporting the prototypes is going to cross. The ultimate objective was to destroy the bridge before the convoy arrived in order to prevent the chips from making it to their destination.
id Software Q&A
March 6, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Datum 6 has posted a quick Q&A with id Software's Robert Duffy. They chat about everything from Doom3 to tips on getting hired in the gaming industry. Here's Duffy's responce to their list of Doom3 questions:
I'll answer all of these at once. In most cases we are not releasing any information on DOOM. I can say that DOOM is going to be really easy to mod. We have surfaced an extremely powerful scripting system, new gui system, obviously the new rendering architecture as well all the other aspects of the game. Most everything is configured with some sort of scripting so it should give mod makers a really nice set of tools for game making.
All of the tools (editor, bsp, etc. ) are built into the same .exe as the game so if you have the game you have all the tools we used to make the game apart from obvious things like Maya, Photoshop and other 3rd party tools.
C&C: Renegade Review
March 6, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Voodoo Extreme has posted a review on Westwood Studios' newly released first person shooter, Command & Conquer: Renegade. If your thinking of picking this title up, you might want to check out this review first. The game walks away with a measly 55%. Snip:
As for the single-player blunders, I'm sorry to say that there are plenty of those, too. The AI is about wait did I just call it artificial intelligence?! What I meant to say was artificial silliness just cracked me up on a couple of occasions, as I've witnessed NOD soldiers walk towards me with their backs turned, while I just kept filling their butts full of chain gun lead. But it gets worse; sometimes, they would just stand there and look me straight in the eye. So I take out my sniper, zoom at the left corner of their eye, and WHAM! Artificial silliness exits stage left. The developers tried to cheat by boosting the unit accuracy, as these NOD guys can hit a moving sparrow from a mile away, but that didn't really help the AI earn that "I".
Also, hit Tuplay for a review on the multiplayer portion of the game. They seem to dig it.LithTech Jupiter Update & Interview
March 6, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Lithtech Inc has issued a press release announcing that they have released a new version of their Jupiter engine. Included are some new screenshots from Monolith's upcoming FPS, The Operative 2 (aka No One Lives Forever 2), which uses the engine. Anyways, head over to Evil Avatar for the goods.
Also, GameSpot has an interview on tap tonight with LithTech's Jeffrey Hutt regarding the engine. Here's a taste:
GameSpot: Hi Jeff, thanks for taking the time to talk with us. First, can you give us a brief description of the new features included in the latest version of Jupiter?
Jeffrey Hutt: We have added several new features that allow developers to push the envelope even further than before. For instance, our new advanced water FX will allow developers to create more realistic looking rivers, ponds, and rapids. The system also supports dynamic interaction with models in the world so developers can create effects like having a character move through water and leave a wake behind. Since details like these make a game unique, we're glad to be supporting even more visual effects than ever.
ALI AGP Driver 1.83
March 6, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
I was just answering a user's email (he had some trouble with his HW and MOHAA) and checked out the latest ALI AGP drivers for him. Well it seems that they have just updated the AGP drivers to version 1.83. Atleast the readme file (check out here) was dated 2002-03-06.. That's today! :)
Download the driver here.
Star Wars: KOTOR Interview
March 5, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The peeps over at GameSpot have slapped up an interview with LucasArts' Mike Gallo regarding their upcoming RPG for the XBox and PC, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It covers everything from the battle system to the new game engine. Also, there are some new screenies included, so check it out!
GS: How will your party work?
MG: The other characters are AI controlled. When you're in combat, you'll be able to take more specific control of them and have them do things you want them to. You can also switch to any character and control him or her, but there are times when we have to limit that. Your main character is probably always going to be in your part--obviously, because the story is about him or her--so we do limit, in certain spots, who can join your party and who can't. The Ebon Hawk kind of acts as a home base where you can store all the characters you've talked to who can join your party. They'll travel with you and they'll be on the Ebon Hawk doing repairs or whatever and you can go back and switch someone out if you need someone that has a skill you need. For example, if you need more security skill, you can swap that person in and then be able to go pick a lock or something like that.
Postal 2 Q&A
March 5, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The Mushroom caught up with Running With Scissors' Steve Wik for a quick chat regarding their upcoming Unreal engine powered action title, Postal 2. This quick 20 question brawl covers everything from locales to multiplayer. uNF:
8. If you're using an Unreal engine, then kick ass multiplayer is to be expected. Will there be any cool new MP modes? How about Co-op?
For the initial release, there will mainly be standard deathmatch and Co-op(Kev's gonna cream himself. -Josh) (OMG, I just creamed myself! -Kevin), but we're planning on launching right into an add-on that will address the multiplayer community with some frightening new RWS-style play modes.
Impossible Creatures Preview
March 5, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The GamesDomain has slapped together a preview on Relic Entertainment's upcoming RTS, Impossible Creatures. You might remember this title from it's former name, Sigma. Anyways, here's a taste:
The aim now is for a "faster, lighter RTS," one not bogged down with a long feature list and unnecessary innovations. "Plain and simply, this is a streamlined RTS where you build your own units," said Garden. Players make their own unique creatures by combining two real-world creatures, determining their limb configuration. For example, give any compatible creature a whale's sonar capability, and it will be able to send out a blast to unveil the fog of war on an area of the map for a short time. From a pool of 52 creatures and 30 abilities, you have yourself potentially tens of thousands of combinations to come up with.
Renegade Interview
March 5, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpot UK has thrown up an interview with Westwood Studios' Louis Castle regarding their newly released first person shooter, Command & Conquer: Renegade. Here's a taste:
GS: Are you happy with the final results of the work you put into the graphics engine for Renegade?
LC: I'm very satisfied that we've delivered a great Command & Conquer experience. Clearly there are other games that look better than we've been able to accomplish, but I also have to mention that you can't put twenty vehicles [at the same time] into any of these games. You can in Renegade and you frequently do, so when you start tracking all of the vehicles, all of the ballistics and all of the other stuff that's going on, the world is really rich - alive with real stuff that you can shoot, not just wallpaper. With Medal Of Honor, at most you see five or six people at a time and the way they react is that you step on a button and suddenly they do what you want. This is very different. Everything is running its own AI, everything's doing a live analysis of the battlefield. Maybe we made a little bit too much of a trade off to get that level of activity - or maybe our engine isn't as good as the others, we're not quite sure yet, we're going to look into that before we do another one.
Global Operations Delayed
March 5, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Crave Entertainment's Mike Arkin has hit the forums today with a little update regarding their upcoming first person shooter, Global Operations. He reveals that the game will be delayed slightly and there is a public beta test on the way. Click here for all the details.
Nerd Test
March 5, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
We all live and breath computers (right?), but who really is a 100 % pure nerd? If you want to find out if you are a one, and in that case, how nerdy, don't look any further! Take the alternative nerd test to find out your nerdity! :) Be a nerd and be proud!
Games Releasedates
March 5, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
If you want to know when your favourite PC game will be (or most like will be) released in US, check out the list over at AVault. Here are some interesting ones (IMHO):
- 19 March - Command & Conquer Red Strike
- 22 March - Grand Theft Auto III
- 2 April - Jedi Knight 2
- 1 May - Half Life Counterstrike: Condition Zero
- 7 May - Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix
- 18 June - Unreal II
- Late 2002 - Duke Nukem Forever
- Late 2002 - Ghost Recon: Desert Siege
- Late 2002 - Team Fortress II
DivX 5.0
March 5, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
DivX 5.0 is out!! It's maybe the best codec out there! DVD-quality (ok, almost!) but at a fraction of the DVD file size! Here's a snip of what's new in DivX 5.0: $ls
Rainbow Six: Raven Shield Announced
March 4, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpyDaily has posted a press release from Ubi Soft, announcing a new Unreal engine powered - tactical shooter, Rainbow Six: Raven Shield. The game should be released this fall for both the PC and Xbox. Here's a clipping from the PR:
The Rainbow Six franchise is known for its action-packed game play and heart-stopping realism, and Rainbow Six®: Raven Shield will continue the tradition. Developed by Ubi Softs Montreal studio, in close collaboration with Red Storm Entertainment, Rainbow Six®: Raven Shield features a brand new Tom Clancy storyline in which Team RAINBOW is led all over the world in a string of dramatic operations. The game will utilize graphics technology provided by the next-generation Unreal engine to power 15 new single-player missions that include the discovery of a cache of biological weapons and stopping an armed gang from terrorizing a London bank.
30 Most Influential People in Gaming
March 4, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpy has posted day one of their week-long look at 30 of the most influential people in gaming. Today they cover several gaming gods, including Chris Taylor, Doug Church and more. Check it out!
Morrowind Interview
March 4, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
PCGameCentral caught up with Bethesda Softworks' Todd Howard for a quick chat regarding their upcoming RPG for the PC and Xbox, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Nothing new really, but still worth a look. Snip:
How does Morrowind compare to the other elder scroll's games? What new features will are implemented that were not in the previous ones?
There are too many improvements to cover in one interview, so I'll touch on the major ones. Obviously the graphics are dramatically improved and are really incredible. Previous games got a little repetitive because of the way the world was generated. In Morrowind, everything has been placed by hand: the terrain, every rock, tree, house, NPC, dungeon, cup, spoon, book, etc. The main quest is more structured than before. If you decide to go off and do whatever you want, it's still easy to get back to the main quest at any point. You can also skip large parts of the main quest and sort of jump in near the end. It isn't easy, but you can do it. There is a lot more to do in the many factions you'll come across in the game. Each faction is almost a mini-game, with it's own quests, ability to rise in rank, rewards, in-fighting, and so on. And lastly, it comes with The Elder Scrolls Construction Set.
Allied Assault Review
March 4, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
FutureLooks.com has thrown together a review on 2015's Quake 3 engine powered - first person shooter, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. With a score of 9.3, they really seemed to like the game. Here's some love:
The sounds are stunning. They are some of the best that Ive heard in a while and really add to the experience. The music is well suited to the mood and era. The real shining point here is the ambience and special sound effects. They really jump out at you and help you immerse yourself in the game. Your boots and clothes make noise when running and quiet down when walking. It is very convincing. Quiet is good as it helps you avoid detection. The weapon effects are extremely convincing, allowing you to hear the urgency of each round fired. The voices are also done very well. Multiplayer taunts are a nice touch. Explosions are done well, and so realistic that it will make you jump, especially the ricochets as they wiz over your head. Just good old-fashioned gaming fun.
Dominion Q&A
March 4, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpy Daily has kicked up a quick Q&A with Pharaoh Productions' David Allen regarding their upcoming RPG, DOMINION. They get into everything from the future of online console gaming to the different types of races in the game. Here's a chunk:
GameSpyDaily: What kind of guild options will the players have access to?
David: There are two segregations of guilds in DOMINION - those who focus on the ways of force, and those who focus on the ways of magic. Of these two segregations, there are a total of 6 guilds. Supporting the ways of force are the Guardians, Rangers, and Shadows, and supporting the ways of magic are the Sorcerers, Druids, and Enchanters. We will allow players to join multiple guilds and retain the skills from the guilds they join. This will allow a mage to become versed in the ways of advanced combat, or a shadow to learn the fine art of healing from the druid guild. The combinations are almost endless, and the amount of skill that one can learn consolidating building within multiple guilds will be staggering.
ATI Leaked Drivers
March 4, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Ok folks! Yet another leak for you ATI Radeon owners. This time for Win2k and XP, bringing them up to version x.13.10.6043! I think these are the ones with the new OpenGL ICD! Here are the links: More info here. And to make you Win9x/ME users happy, I'll throw in the link to the latest for that OS too: Enjoy.. Keep in mind that these are BETA and if you get your system fuxored, don't blame me! :)
New Poll!
March 4, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Yet another poll, and this time we ask you something that really makes a difference! :)
Which CPU speed should be used in the Hall of Fame?
"Don't ask what we can do for you, ask what you can do for us!"Last week we asked you about using FSAA in games. Here are the results:
Do you use FSAA in games?
Yes (4x FSAA) [18.2%]
Yes (2x FSAA) [12.4%]
Yes (Other FSAA) [6.0%]
No [63.4%]
Total votes: 5659
Update: Please do _NOT_ vote the CPU you have! Vote for the CPU you think would represent the best average CPU for the job!
27.70 & Anisotropic
March 4, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
The chaps over at nV News have done some research on the recently leaked Detonator 27.70 drivers. It seems that NVIDIA's technicians have done some hard work when it comes to Anisotropic filtering. Here's a small teaser:
GF4 Review (27.30 drivers):
0x->2x: 16% hit
0x->4x: 31% hit
0x->8x: 40% hit
Matts Numbers (27.70 drivers):
0x->2x: 8% hit
0x->4x: 19% hit
0x->8x: 29% hit
Update: Matt from 3DGPU.com informed me that he has also conducted some testing, and has posted his findings here. Not too shabby at all! :)
Hitman 2 Screenies
March 3, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpy Daily managed to get their grubby little paws on some new weapon screenshots from IO Interactive's upcoming 3rd person action title, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. You can check them out right here.
PlanetSide Interview
March 3, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
HomeLAN has tossed up an interview with Don Neufeld, the senior programmer behind the upcoming massively multiplayer online first person shooter, Planetside. They chat about everything from his background to what a typical day at work is like. Here's some juice:
HomeLAN - How do you work with the artists, level designers and other team members to implement what they want to put into the game?
Don Neufeld - Changes go through the designers and producer, resulting in specification changes. My input to the process is to evaluate the cost of implementing a proposed specification change. When a specification change is approved I assign it to a developer and put it in the schedule.
Purge Shots
March 2, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Thanks to HomeLAN for this bit. The fellas over at Freeform Interactive have updated the official site for their upcoming first person shooter/RPG, Purge. Included are some new screenshots showing off the Mage and Android. You can check them out right here.
Asheron's Call 2 Preview
March 2, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
PC.IGN has tossed up a preview on Turbine's upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, Asheron's Call 2. Here's a taste:
Keeping up with the newfound extreme interactivity with the story and the gaming world, players will be able to affect the game world in a few different ways such as being able to alter their surroundings, to completing a quest that could possibly trigger some massive global event like an enormous blizzard or an invasion by a horde of monsters. With that said, Turbine is still planning on having monthly events, and hoping to do so with more dynamic world altering events that are driven by both the development team and, more importantly, by the players themselves.
New Renegade Patch
March 2, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The guys over at Westwood Studios have released a new patch(v1.015) for their first person shooter, Command & Conquer: Renegade. Here's whats new:
- Minor updates to firewall negotiation queuing. This was preventing players joining games in some situations (usually when many players were trying to join at once, or when many players hit the abort button on this dialog).
- Minor updates to low-level packet handling which were causing server instability when unexpected traffic appeared on the game port.
- LAN hosting is now allowed on routable IP addresses.
- Cosmetic fix to game list control which was displaying multiple selected games when the list was refreshed in some cases.
NVmax 4.00.47
March 2, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
Yet another version of NVmax is out bringing this great tweaking util up to version 4.00.47! Here's the scoop: $qs $ls
- NVmax detects Twinview cards and then enabled multi-monitor color controls. At this time when only one output is used on a TwinView card the card will not be reported as Twinview. This causes color controls to fail because NVmax presumes output #1 is being used whereas on Twinview cards you may use the secondary output as the primary. To temporarily get around this problem both Display 1 and 2 will be available no matter if your card has TwinView or not. We have asked NVIDIA for a solution to for output number detection and hope to have the matter resolved for next release.
- A few Det 21.83 and lower issues on Win98/ME need to be fixed, nothing serious.
- Refresh rates tabulation not enabled in this version.
- A problem has been found which will cause overclocked values to be applied as default values upon startup. This is a problem in the NVIDIA drivers and NVIDIA Driver Dev. have been notified.
New Command & Conquer Game?
March 1, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
GameSpot has posted a short teaser video/article that gives us a sneak peak at Westwood Studios' next project, a new Command & Conquer RTS. And get this, it will use a 3d engine! More goodies will be revealed on March 8th, so stay tuned. Anyways, click here for the juice.
Nerve Software Q&A
March 1, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
WolfensteinX has slapped up an interview with Nerve Software's Josh Jay regarding his work on the hit Quake3 engine powered - first person shooter, Return To Castle Wolfenstein. They get into everything from map sizes to their future plans. Here's some lovin':
WolfensteinX: What are your plans for the future regarding the multiplayer of RTCW! any addons, or different gameplay you are thinking of adding maybe integrating other models into the multiplayer that player can choose from ex: the elite guard pristesses??
Josh: We definitely will be releasing more maps over a period of time. There were several maps completed around the time when RTCW launched, but they were held back because they required further testing and tweaking. I worked on the level design side of the project so I really don't know what they've had planned in terms of extra characters, skins, etc...
Morrowind Update
March 1, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
The fellas over at Bethesda Softworks have updated the official site for their upcoming RPG, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Included in the update are new wallpapers, info on 13 birthsigns and word that they are accepting preorders for the game. This game is right around the corner people, so keep an eye on it!
Making of GlobalOps Intro Movie
March 1, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
Barking Dog Studios has updated the official Global Operations site with an article that takes you behind the making of the intro movie in the upcoming first person shooter. You can check it out right here.
Star Wars:KOTOR Site Launches
March 1, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky
In some great news, LucasArts has finally launched the official site for BioWare's upcoming RPG for the Xbox/PC, Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic. Included is a short Q&A with BioWare's Casey Hudson and LucasArts' Mike Gallo regarding the title. Here's a taste:
LucasArts.com: Will this game be like Baldur's Gate I & II?
Mike: We wanted to work with BioWare on this game because of their expertise and tremendous success with RPG games like Baldur's Gate I and II.
Casey: The game is visually different then anything that BioWare has done before, even Neverwinter Nights. I think that you can expect the same type of rich story and characters as in the Baldur's Gate series, along with a completely new combat system and interface.
Hydravision 2.50.023
March 1, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
There is a new version of ATI's Hydravision out, bringing it up to version 2.50.023. Here's the skin: $qs One of the following graphics cards:
- ALL-IN-WONDER RADEON 8500DV
- ALL-IN-WONDER RADEON 7500
- RADEON 8500
- RADEON 7500
- RADEON 7000
- RADEON VE
- Windows XP
- Windows ME
- Windows 2000
- Windows 98/SE
- Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or higher
- Filename: HYDRAVISION_2_50_023.EXE
- File Size: 3.25 MB (Download time approximately 17 minutes at 28.8K.)
- Posted: 02/28/2002
- Release Notes
Matrox Drivers!
March 1, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
What a driverious day! :) Matrox has released new drivers for their G400-G550 line of cards. I have no idea what they have fixed/added/broken, but they are very fresh! Not too shabby! Thanks to Martin for the lead!
Nvidia Detonator 27.70
March 1, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist
It seems that there are (again) more leaked Detonator drivers on the net than you can shake a stick at! These freshly leaked ones carry the version 27.70 and are found in almost all flavours; Win9x/ME and Win2k/XP.
As I just got into the office, I haven't had time to scoop around for feedback on these babies, but if you feel frisky, give'em a go!
Recent posts
- SoF2 Multiplayer Test?
- Jedi Outcast Review
- Hitman 2 Q&A
- Morrowind Preview
- Republic: The Revolution Report
- ChameleonMark
- Radeon 8500 Review
- Elite Force 2 in the works?
- Asheron's Call 2 Update
- New GlobalOps Patch
- Tony Hawk 3 Hits Stores
- Freedom Force Review
- Abit SD7-533 Review
- Condition Zero Q&A
- Dungeon Siege News
- Tony Hawk 3 Preview
- Jedi Outcast Interview
- SoF2 Screenies
- eVGA GeForce4 MX 440 Review
- Radeon 4.13.9023 Driver
- New Poll!
- Ghost Recon Patch 2
- Dungeon Siege Q&A
- New RTCW Patch
- Another Morrowind Preview
- UT 2003 Impressions
- Hall Of Fame Up!
- Terragen
- Freedom Force Review
- Morrowind Preview
- Soldier of Fortune 2 Q&A
- Jedi Outcast Preview
- Tony Hawk 3 Golden
- 3Dlabs Interview
- AGP Aperture's impact on 3DMark 2001
- Condition Zero Preview
- Y-Project Interview
- Star Wars: KOTOR Chat Log
- Black Isle Drops Lithtech
- GTA3 (PC) Update & Shots
- Team Fortress 2: Brothers Arms
- Comanche 4 Benchmark
- Review reviews reviews!
- NOLF 2 Movies
- New World Order Site Re-Launched
- Hidden And Dangerous Deluxe Q&A
- Some UT 2003 Shots!!
- Rage3D Tweaker updated!
- Y-Project Preview
- Kreed Interview
- Global Operations Q&A
- CeBit 2002 Report
- Inside the Games Dev Conference
- Detonator 28.32 & ALi Fix
- Windows XP / .NET FAQ Updated
- Refresh Rates & Deto 28.32
- Postal 2 Preview
- NOLF2 Impressions From GDC
- Dungeon Siege Golden!
- More Morrowind Previews
- Freedom Force Demo Released
- ATI "News"
- Official NVIDIA Drivers *FIXED*
- Official ATI Drivers
- Hall of Fame Changes
- VIA 4-in-1 v4.38
- Freedom Force Interview
- Neverwinter Nights Q&A
- Morrowind Preview
- Global Operations Preview
- Creative Inspire 5700 5.1 Digital Review
- Asus V8460 Review
- Jedi Knight II Q&A
- Star Wars: KOTOR Chat on Friday
- World of Warcraft Preview
- Condition Zero Screenies
- Dungeon Siege Q&A
- Morrowind Previews
- 7 Years of Graphics
- ATI Radeon WinXP 6.13.10.6052
- Freedom Force Dev Diary
- FUEL Screenies
- Impossible Creatures Interview
- Mafia Preview
- The Y-Project Q&A
- Creative Labs officially buy out 3DLabs
- New Poll!
- GP4 Preview
- GeForce4 Ti4600 Review
- NVmax 4.01.00 LE (Last Edition)
- CeBit2002 Report
- Morrowind Preview: Part II
- Tony Hawk 3 Interview
- Morrowind Preview: Part I
- The demise of TORN
- NVmax: The End
- Soldier of Fortune II Q&A
- Jedi Knight II Interview
- Morrowind Hands-on Preview
- Unreal Name Changes
- New RTCW Patch
- VIA AGP 4.10b
- XIII Announced
- Morrowind Interview
- Jedi Knight II Golden!
- Citizen Zero Q&A
- Icewind Dale 2 Interview
- Athlon XP2100+ review
- NVmax v4.00.49
- Hercules Forums
- New Jedi Knight 2 Movie
- Battlefield 1942 Preview
- Morrowind Preview
- C&C: Generals Announced
- The Y-Project Q&A
- New Poll!
- KYROII SE
- PCMark2002 In Use!
- PCMark2002 FAQ
- New AvP2 Patch
- Warcraft III Q&A
- Morrowind Preview
- BioWare Interview
- Dungeon Siege Q&A
- PCMark2002 - Released!
- Soldier of Fortune II Dev Diary
- Global Operations Preview
- Tony Hawk 3 Dev Diary
- Jedi Knight 2 Preview
- C&C: Generals Preview
- Plextor 40/12/40A CD-RW Review
- 2002-03-12
- Soldier of Fortune 2 Q&A
- Mark Rein Interview
- Y-Project Screenies
- Impossible Creatures Preview
- Navy Seals Q3 Released
- Paul Jaquays Q&A
- Gamespot bits and bobs...
- Renegade Interview
- Allied Assault Interview
- Jaquays Leaves id Software
- GlobalOps Public Beta Released
- Command & Conquer: Generals
- ATI Radeon Driver For Win 98/ME
- Abit Siluro GeForce4 MX440 Review
- The PopUp Countdown!
- New Poll!
- Neverwinter Nights Q&A
- Star Wars Galaxies Shots
- NeverWinter Nights Screenies
- Icewind Dale II Preview
- Morrowind Interview
- GlobalOp Public Beta Tomorrow
- The Return Of The Wingman
- EPoX & Visiontek GF4 Ti4600 Fix?
- WarCraft III Collector's Edition
- Project IGI 2 Preview
- id Software Q&A
- C&C: Renegade Review
- LithTech Jupiter Update & Interview
- ALI AGP Driver 1.83
- Star Wars: KOTOR Interview
- Postal 2 Q&A
- Impossible Creatures Preview
- Renegade Interview
- Global Operations Delayed
- Nerd Test
- Games Releasedates
- DivX 5.0
- Rainbow Six: Raven Shield Announced
- 30 Most Influential People in Gaming
- Morrowind Interview
- Allied Assault Review
- Dominion Q&A
- ATI Leaked Drivers
- New Poll!
- 27.70 & Anisotropic
- Hitman 2 Screenies
- PlanetSide Interview
- Purge Shots
- Asheron's Call 2 Preview
- New Renegade Patch
- NVmax 4.00.47
- New Command & Conquer Game?
- Nerve Software Q&A
- Morrowind Update
- Making of GlobalOps Intro Movie
- Star Wars:KOTOR Site Launches
- Hydravision 2.50.023
- Matrox Drivers!
- Nvidia Detonator 27.70
Choose year
2001
2002
- January (238)
- Februady (212)
- March (192)
- May (176)
- April (215)
- June (184)
- July (210)
- August (198)
- September (152)
- October (161)
- November (163)
- December (170)
2003
- January (136)
- Februady (148)
- March (204)
- May (196)
- April (178)
- June (162)
- July (156)
- August (136)
- September (126)
- October (133)
- November (123)
- December (105)
2004
- January (110)
- Februady (148)
- March (299)
- May (193)
- April (132)
- June (120)
- July (107)
- August (117)
- September (134)
- October (118)
- November (120)
- December (102)
2005
- January (108)
- Februady (106)
- March (118)
- May (118)
- April (108)
- June (119)
- July (111)
- August (114)
- September (113)
- October (117)
- November (118)
- December (97)
2006
- January (99)
- Februady (107)
- March (122)
- May (103)
- April (84)
- June (116)
- July (108)
- August (122)
- September (112)
- October (115)
- November (116)
- December (100)
2007
- January (112)
- Februady (202)
- March (164)
- May (141)
- April (148)
- June (153)
- July (124)
- August (146)
- September (120)
- October (145)
- November (126)
- December (79)
2008
- January (118)
- Februady (103)
- March (125)
- May (124)
- April (128)
- June (136)
- July (114)
- August (113)
- September (108)
- October (117)
- November (103)
- December (108)
2009
- January (105)
- Februady (90)
- March (107)
- May (101)
- April (92)
- June (100)
- July (105)
- August (116)
- September (105)
- October (90)
- November (106)
- December (102)
2010
- January (89)
- Februady (97)
- March (104)
- May (112)
- April (104)
- June (93)
- July (118)
- August (130)
- September (108)
- October (104)
- November (107)
- December (120)
2011
- January (107)
- Februady (102)
- March (121)
- May (103)
- April (103)
- June (113)
- July (100)
- August (108)
- September (124)
- October (104)
- November (111)
- December (96)
2012
- January (98)
- Februady (106)
- March (90)
- May (105)
- April (115)
- June (105)
- July (110)
- August (105)
- September (97)
- October (114)
- November (105)
- December (96)