Hardware News

UT 2003 Interview

September 30, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Thanks to Evil Avatar for this bit. The guys at 4Unrealers.com have slapped up an interview with Epic's Tim Sweeney regarding their recently released first person shooter, Unreal Tournament 2003. They look at the demo, vehicles and more! Here's a clipping:

MooN: One of the features that gamers always have missed is the ability to create movies (.avi or just the frames in .jpg format) directly from within the game. Have you planned something like this? Maybe it will be a function of Matinée?
Tim: We have support for dumping frames to disk, but Matinée is the major cinematic innovation in UT2003. Matinée is totally unprecedented in game engines: it is a complete, user-friendly toolkit for creating interactive or non-interactive cinematics, with a camera timeline control system, graphical object/AI scripting system, and tons of controllable movie-style effects such as fades and motion blur. It will be very interesting to see what the machinima community does with it!

Splinter Cell Shots

September 30, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Computer and Video Games.com managed to snage some new screenshots from Ubi Soft's upcoming 3rd person shooter, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Head over for a look!

Nice! Can't wait to check this one out. 8)

Raven Shield Preview

September 30, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

GameSpy has thrown up a preview on Ubi Soft's upcoming tactical shooter, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Raven Shield. Here's a clipping:

In addition, you can now zoom in and out of the planning map, and you'll also be given a 3D map that allows you see a representation of the area in question. Plans can be saved and reloaded so you don't have to start from scratch when you replay a mission, and you can even program your waypoints and then check the course on the 3D map before trying out the operation. Of the two aforementioned default plans, one is a Rainbow Six-style operation with multiple teams meeting objectives; the other is an action plan that lets one team have all the fun.

Hitman 2 Golden!

September 30, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The peeps over at GameSpot have word that IO Interactive's upcoming 3rd person action title, Hitman 2, has gone gold and should be hitting stores later this week. So keep an eye out for this puppy!

NOLF 2 Interview

September 30, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Doupe.cz has tossed up an interview with Fox Interactive's Chris Miller regarding their upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way. Topics include everything from the storyline to engine features. Here's some lovin':

Doupe: How important will the planned RPG elements be? Could you tell us any example where the game is using these elements? C.M.: Basically as you advance through the game, you gain what we call skill points. As those points accumulate you can choose to upgrade certain attributes such as: Stealth or Gadgets. If the player chooses to upgrade their stealth, their footsteps will make less noise, which will enable them to get closer to the enemy without being detected. Likewise, upgrading the gadgets will allow the player to increase the speed at which gadgets funtion.
Again, this allows you to customize the game to your individual taste and builds a ton of variation. It's also streamlined enough so that it doesn't weigh the game down with complex systems.

Golden Sample Review

September 30, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

The golden boy of B3D (Dave Baumann if you didn't know that..) has posted a new review. This time he slapped around with the Gainwards GeForce 4 PowerPack! Ultra/650 TV Golden Sample. Here's a small appertizer:

Gainwards philosophy towards board making is to, where appropriate, discard the reference board design and get their own engineers to design a new board platform. The primary aim of this redesign is to be more optimal than the reference designs. As a product of this, and careful selection of their graphics cores and memory, Gainward feel that in some cases they can supply boards clocked higher than the nominally suggested by the IHV for a particular chip shipped. Alongside their normally clocked board, Gainward also produce the Golden Samples with increased performance.

If you want to know if this golden sample delivers what it is supposed to, click here.

Iron Storm Preview

September 29, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The folks over at GameSpy have thrown up a preview on 4X Studio's upcoming first person shooter, Iron Storm. Here's a nugget:

Outside of the unforgettable Omaha Beach level in Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, few shooters introduce you to the terrors of war as intensely as Iron Storm does. The sights and sounds of combat assault you from every side. You walk past slumped bodies while attack helicopters roar overhead. Men scream, bodies fly, and shells explode all around you. Around every turn awaits a new -- and often nasty -- surprise. Perhaps you'll just find a few enemy soldiers chatting in German, easy targets with their backs turned to you. You might stumble right in front of a heavy machine gun team, or get your skull ventilated by a sniper.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Hitman 2 Preview

September 29, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Keeping this slow Sunday rollin', HomeLAN has shot-up a preview on IO Interactive's upcoming third person action title, Hitman 2. Here's a clipping:

Graphically, Hitman 2 is several steps above the original in terms of looks with some terrific level design and level textures in the game. You can really feel you are in a Italian mansion or a St. Petersburg subway station. Character models are nicely details with a lot of polygons and Io Interactive has put in some nice touches such as having the Hitmans red tie blow to the side sometime when he runs. Lighting effects look realistic and even water effects have some nice touches. The games graphics also show off its blood effects which can be quite striking at times. When you see blood stains on the walls after a kill, its almost akin to a horror game. (In case you are wondering, Hitman 2 will be rated "M" when it is release).

World of Warcraft Q&A

September 28, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

ToTheGame.com has tossed up an interview with Blizzard Entertainment regarding their upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, World of Warcraft. They look at character creation, map sizes and more! Here's a clipping:

Can you give us some hints about the map size, and the number of towns spread out across it?
World of Warcraft will be vastly larger than any other universe found in previous Blizzard games. In World of Warcraft, players can expect to journey through the familiar lands of Azeroth, Khaz Modan, and Lordaeron, to name a few. The game will also feature several uncharted and exotic new lands. We are expanding the Warcraft universe because we believe that a critical part of the MMORPG experience is the ability to journey through robust new lands. Our goal is to create a vast new world filled with adventure and excitement, while keeping the game fully populated to support a strong sense of community.
World of Warcraft will not feature "zones" in the traditional sense denoting loading screens between each area of gameplay. Our plan is to incorporate different regions of the world for players to explore, each with their own distinct look and theme. Questing through the majority of these regions will be seamless, however, certain regions may require a short load time.

UT 2003 Review

September 28, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

PC.IGN has slapped up a review on Digital Extremes' newly released first person shooter, Unreal Tournament 2003. With a final score of 9/10, this sounds like one to check out Snip:

Team deathmatch, deathmatch, and capture the flag remain. The domination change is bad. This new one tries to emphasize the skill and teamwork the rest of the game does by forcing players to hold a combination of "control points" for an allotted time. That's noble, and comes together nicely when played with cooperative teammates. But, completely getting rid of something that's old but good is just wrong... Like Assault. Why oh why this mode was omitted, especially in light of the development team's insistence to bolster teamwork, is beyond me.

The game should be hitting your local shops, so keep an eye out for it!

Allied Assault Expansion Movies

September 28, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The FileShack has kicked up three new Quicktime movies showing off some gameplay from EA's upcoming Medal of Honor: Allied Assault expansion pack, Spearhead. You can grab the 5.46mb zip right here.

RivaTuner 2.0 RC12

September 28, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis

Unwinder once again updated his popular tweaking tool RivaTuner. The utility now carries version 2.0 RC12. This new release has a bunch of fixes and additions so let's take a look at a few items:

Full Detonator 40.xx support including the latest Detonator 40.71
Added databases for the Detonators 30.82
Updated 40.xx compatible patch scripts including popular AnisoBoosterOGL.
Revised NVStrap v1.2 driver for both Windows 9x and Windows 2000/XP
Added NVIDIA compressed modes format v2.0 support
Added custom display modes / refresh rates wizard for Windows 2000 / XP
Fully Detonator 40.xx compatible driver level overclocking manager.
Extended Direct3D anisotropic filtering optimization settings
Added ATI RV250 and ATI R300 GPUs support. Now RivaTuner can diagnose and overclock ATI RADEON 9000 Pro/9700/9700 Pro boards
Added GTA ]I[ troubleshooting preset for Windows XP

That list is certainly not complete. Head over to Guru3D for a full list of changes and a download link.

NOLF 2 Q&A

September 27, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The Action Vault has kicked up an interview with a couple of the guys behind Monolith's upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way. They mostly look at the games AI, so slap on the reading glasses and dig in. Snip:

Action Vault: How different are the AI and the goal sets for the various types of enemies? What are some aspects of the enemy AI that you personally consider especially notable and why?
John Mulkey: The flexibility of the AI goal system allows for a shared base of low-level functionality upon which we can add specific behavior and tendencies unique to each specific AI type. I think this works well to help keep things fresh as the game progresses. Instead of a new enemy AI being the same as the last but with a different model skin, facing a new AI type becomes a new obstacle for the player to overcome, requiring adaptive strategies and a degree of problem solving.
The most notable aspect of our game's AI compared with many others in the genre is our AI's unscripted awareness of the world around them. They really know what is going on, and they interact with the environment and incorporate feedback into both their idle activities and combat strategies. Our goal is to have the AI act and react as you would expect a real opponent to.

Hitman 2 Interview

September 27, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Hitman2.de has IO Interactive's Thor Frolichs in the hot seat this evening, chatting about their upcoming 3rd person action title, Hitman 2. Not much info in here, but still worth a look. Here's a clipping:

Hitman2.de: And last but not least: For what reason, has hitman 2 recently been delayed?
Thor Frolichs: Making absolutely sure that we're shipping a top-quality product takes a lot of time. And it really is hard to estimate these projects. Since we're releasing a multiplatform game, a few more parties than Eidos and ourselves has a say in things. It's basically a giant puzzle that has to fit together nicely before a game can hit the shelves.

Asheron's Call 2 Public Beta

September 27, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Turbine Entertainment has released a 526mb public beta from their upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, Asheron's Call 2. There's only a limited amount of spots open, so hit GameSpyDaily before it's too late!

The Naked Truth About AF

September 27, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

ExtremeTech has posted an article on Anisotropic Filtering and how it is done by various hardware. They have posted images, techniques etc. all for your viewing and reading pleasure. A small clip is in order: $qs Anisotropic filtering has classically averaged sixteen texture samples, or taps, in a non-square sampling pattern to generate one texture element that is applied to a single pixel-- four times as many as bilinear filtering, and twice as many as trilinear filtering. ATI's AF implementation will actually use up to 128 texture samples per pixel when running at its 16X Quality setting, so applying this type of filtering to an entire scene is very costly, especially in the area of memory bandwidth. For its part, nVidia's highest setting, 8X, uses up to 64 texture samples per pixel for its AF operations. $qe Click here to catch the full article.

DX9 Explained By ATI

September 27, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Not sure if this is new or old news.. Anyway, ATI has released a something (dunno what to call it) where they explain DirectX9 and show how for example PixelShader2.0 works. All is done using Macromedia Flash, so be sure that you have it installed. Click here for the stuff!

Allied Assault Expansion Preview

September 26, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

And finally tonight, the guys over at GameSpot have thrown up a preview on EA's upcoming Medal of Honor: Allied Assault expansion pack, Spearhead. Included are some spicy new screenshots, so be sure to check them out as well! Anyways, here's a nugget:

While parts of Allied Assault were directly inspired by Saving Private Ryan, this sequence in Spearhead is an obvious homage to the second episode of HBO's World War II miniseries Band of Brothers. As you float down to the ground, you'll immediately take note of hundreds of other parachutes, dozens of other C-47 planes, and streaks of triple-A fire lighting up the night sky. As you make your descent, you'll be witness to disturbing scenes like a hapless soldier free-falling toward the ground without a chute and a midair collision between two C-47s. The Omaha Beach level was a particularly nerve-racking and memorable experience in the original Medal of Honor, and Spearhead's opening moment is a worthy follow-up.

NOLF 2 Q&A

September 26, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

NOLFGirl.com has slapped up the second part of their interview with Fox Interactive's Chris Miller regarding the upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way. They look at everything from multiplayer modes to mod support. Here's a clipping:

Will there be AM and DM or some sort of MP aspect so that we can play "real" people instead of AI?
Yes. While we are really excited about the cooperative multiplay included with the shipping game, we want to do our best to provide the existing fan base with what they want as well. Therefore, we've put together a plan to create new Deathmatch and Team-based maps over the next few months, although this support will not be included initially with the shipping game. The team-based maps will most likely be similar to NOLF1, with objectives based around team infiltration and team goals that would need to be achieved. Well do our best to address criticisms of the original modes wherever possible. We also plan to release a stand-alone server as well as the engine code and tools.

Very nice!

Neocron Preview

September 26, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The RPG Vault has shot-up a preview on Reakktor Media's upcoming massively multiplayer online first person shooter/RPG, Neocron. Here's a blurb:

A third area in Neocron is called Pepper Park. Its run-down streets and graffiti covered walls presented a stark contrast to the safe and luxurious atmosphere of Via Rosso. Many nightclubs found amid the darkened streets here feature very scantily clad exotic dancers, flashing disco lights and gun toting bouncers. This is a part of the city where players can take the law into their own hands since CopBot patrols are relatively infrequent. Beyond Pepper Park is an equally or more dangerous Outzone area, which holds the entrance to the vast Wastelands outside the Neocron city boundaries. Besides being home to an assortment of monsters, this latter location offers outposts and factories that players from different factions may battle to control. In a recent addition to the game, players may also operate personal vehicles here.

New NOLF 2 Trailer

September 26, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The FileShack has posted a new 14meg trailer showing off Monolith's upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way. You can grab this sucker right here. Now get downloadin'!

Microsoft Interview

September 26, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

HomeLAN has kicked up an interview with Microsoft's Stuart Moulder regarding their games division, touching on titles like Dungeon Siege and Halo. Here's a taste:

HomeLAN - Microsoft has really gotten more serious about publishing PC games in the past few years, even with its Xbox console division. How does Microsoft see itself as a PC game publisher compared to other publishers like Electronic Arts, Ubi Soft, Infogrames, Activision and others?
Stuart Moulder - Microsoft Game Studios stands out for our strong stable of blockbuster franchises and our belief that every game in our portfolio must exemplify the strength, creativity and diversity of PC gaming today. When I look at our portfolio, titles like Age of Mythology, Asherons Call 2, Dungeon Siege, and Impossible Creatures demonstrate this approach very effectively. We want every MGS game to deliver the next Wow! experience by going beyond gamers expectations. We want to be the best publisher in the PC games business. This means we will continue to focus on a relatively small number of titles that we feel are strong and will be well received.

Detonator 40.71!

September 26, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis

This's the second Detonator set of the week I think, but this one's more or less "official". NVIDIA updated their Detonator 40 pages with the downloads for version 40.71 which appeared today.
This version is available for Win 2000/XP and or Win 9x/ME. The Win 2k/XP driver is marked as Beta 2 while the 9x/ME driver is Beta 1.
These drivers probably have a lot of bugs fixed, so I think they're worth trying out. Here are the download links:

Be careful though, because these drivers are still BETA so install them at your own risk.

Matrox Apptimizer

September 26, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Do you have a Matrox Parhelia in your system (Win2k & WinXP only), and want to tweak your display (surround gaming) settings even more? Then the Matrox Apptimizer is something for you. Here's a small catch from the Readme: $qs Matrox Apptimizer utility provides surround triple head gaming optimizations for several popular game titles. With this utility, you can take full advantage of your Matrox graphics hardware to experience the world of surround gaming, the ultimate gaming sensation!

It is recommended that you read thru the readme before launching the utility! If you want to try it out, grab it here (v1.1.0.12).
Thanks to Zam for the tip.

Prisoner of War Review

September 25, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Computer and Video Games.com has thrown together a review on Codemasters' World War II action title, Prisoner of War. With a final score of 77%, this might be one to check out. Here's a nugget:

What is sure to attract the interest of many a jaded gamer, is the very deliberate goal on the part of the developer to create a non-violent game set during what were very turbulent times to say the least. Talking to other Allied prisoners, hiding in dark corners and collecting keys, stealing German uniforms and watching out for patrolling guards is pretty much all the game tasks you with, so those hoping to fashion a blade out of a biscuit barrel and go around slitting their captors' throats are sure to be a little frustrated, since throwing stones at guards from under the dining hall table is about as violent as it gets. Of course, the Germans have a much more lethal arsenal to hand, but in keeping with the nature of the game, even if you do ignore their warnings while picking the lock to the library and run off in the direction of the exercise yard, a couple of days in solitary or the sick bay is as bad as it gets. The guards are rather poor shots too, which is probably why they're patrolling prisons as opposed to fighting on the front line.

Neverwinter Nights Q&A

September 25, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The NeverWinter Vault has kicked up an interview with BioWare's Jay Watamaniuk, Robin Mayne and Dups Wijayawardhana regarding the new guild system in their hit RPG, Neverwinter Nights. Here's a taste:

4) Some of the cool features are the ability of guild owners to post news and have their own separate forum. What other features do you think make this system interesting to players.
We think the ability to see what servers your guild members are playing on at any given time from the website is one of the coolest features. Imagine how useful that would be for locating particular people and joining a game with them? Other features that are extremely useful are the guild calendar to schedule events and the ability to search for a variety of types of people including players, scripters, module makers, DMs and so on. There are lots of features to the system and we would recommend that you explore this useful tool to learn its full potential.

New Tribes 2 Patch

September 25, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Sierra has released a hefty new 90meg patch for their multiplayer first person shooter, Tribes 2. This latest offering includes new maps, mods, bug fixes and more! You can grab this puppy at either the FileShack or 3D Gamers.

Splinter Cell Interview

September 25, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

HomeLAN caught up with Ubi Soft's Mathieu Ferland for a quick Q&A regarding their upcoming 3rd person shooter, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Topics include everything from AI to weapons. Booya!

HomeLAN - What weapons and items will be available for the player in Splinter Cell?
Mathieu Ferland - Sam uses two main weapons. A silent Handgun, the Five-7 and the F2000 a multipurpose rifle. The F2000 has different fire rates, can be used to snipe, and is equipped with a grenade launcher. The launcher can be used to launch smoke grenades, electric shockers, airfoil rings, or sticky cameras. Besides this Sam can use regular grenades, fragmentation grenades, wall mines, or flares

MoH: Allied Assault Expansion Preview

September 25, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

PC.IGN has tossed up a preview on EA's upcoming Medal of Honor: Allied Assault expansion pack, Spearhead. Here's a clipping:

But firearms aren't the only new weapons; soldiers, enemy and friendly alike, will be able to make use of smoke grenades. Smoke has played an important role on the battlefield, particularly since World War II but it's usually missing from games. A few strategy games get it right (Close Combat, Combat Mission and others) but action games simply leave it out entirely on the justification that it's just too hard to deal with from a standpoint of technology. Spearhead includes real volumetric smoke that works to obscure your movements (and those of your enemy).

NV18 & NV28 Announced

September 25, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Bubba Wolford from SimHQ.com sent in that NVIDIA has announced their new GPU's, code names NV18 & NV28. Here's a blurb from a PDF:;

TAIPEI, TAIWAN AND SANTA CLARA, CASEPTEMBER 25, 2002NVIDIA
Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in visual processing solutions, today introduced the industrys first and only comprehensive family of AGP 8X-based products. Based on Intels AGP 3.0 specification, NVIDIA now offers an extensive range of top-to-bottom graphics processing units (GPUs) and platform processors for next-generation digital media, gaming, and business PC platforms. NVIDIAs AGP 8X product line-up, which includes the NVIDIA® GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP 8X and the GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP 8X desktop GPUs, as well as the new nForce2 platform processors, forms the technology foundation for the worlds most advanced PCs.
AGP 8X is the foundation of the new world of PC computing, said Dan Vivoli, vice president of marketing at NVIDIA. By offering the industrys only top-to-bottom AGP 8X product family, we are able to provide robust AGP 8X solutions delivering increased graphics performance. Our GPUs are the most complete implementation of the AGP 8X specification and are used as the reference hardware for AGP 8X.
AGP 8X doubles the graphics bandwidth of the AGP interface to 2.1 gigabytes per second (GB/sec.). This keeps data hungry GPUs fed with the information necessary to render high frame rate, high fidelity, and real-time graphics.

Ok, NVIDIA has the official stuff up on their site too. Check it out here.

NOLF 2 Preview

September 24, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

And to end the night, Computer and Video Games.com have shot-up a preview on Monolith's upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way. Here's some lovin':

As in the first game, NOLF 2 is based around sultry Cate Archer's personal crusade to thwart a criminal organisation, which goes by the name of H.A.R.M. Needless to say their boss wants the sexy über-spy dead, and will stop at nothing to ensure she makes her way six feet under as rapidly as possible. Monolith's impressive new Lithtech Jupiter engine is powering the show, so graphically you can expect the story to unfold with a spectacular array of frills and spills. The animation in particular is ultra-smooth, and boasts an excruciatingly painful-looking 'falling down stairs after being shot' routine. The extraordinary backgrounds are also a major focal point of the game. One dramatic landscape features a tornado hitting a trailer park in Ohio with caravans and trailers twisting through the air and crushing H.A.R.M. henchmen. In contrast, the tranquil opening level set amid the scenic Japanese gardens of a large mansion is also highly atmospheric. Doubling up as a tutorial, this level allows Cate to feel her way back into the action, while a weird sort of mechanical bird tweets friendly words of encouragement.

Ghost Recon Patch

September 24, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Red Storm Entertainment has released a new 47meg patch (v1.3) for their tactical first person shooter, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. Fixing a ton of stuff, you can find a list of whats new right here or just start downloading at the following mirrors:

Breed Preview

September 24, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

GameSpy has slapped up a preview on Brat Designs' upcoming sci-fi first person shooter, Breed. Here's some juice:

As we started on our reconnaissance mission, five squadmates emerged from the transport ship with me, and this is where Breed starts to borrow from successful tactical games like Rainbow Six. At the press of a key, you can jump between any of your teammates to take direct control of their actions. While some might complain that this breaks from the immersion of the game, it gives you valuable control over your AI teammates and makes the game feel less like a one-man-against-the-world campaign. If endlessly jumping between different squadmates doesn't sound like your idea of fun, then using the tiered command system (think Unreal Tournament) should ensure your squadmates are always working towards the same goal as you.

Y-Project Interview

September 24, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The guys over at Belgisch Gaming Nieuws sat down with an unnamed developer at Westka Interactive regarding their upcoming Unreal engine powered - first person shooter/RPG, The Y-Project. They chat about everything from puzzles to the games RPG elements. Snip:

Can you tell me something more about the game play especially the RPG-elements?
Sure. Your characters skills will change according to the way you play the game, which is quite a unique RPG feature in itself. We spent a lot of time analysing games of all kinds to get down to the features which make them special and the reasons why people play (and buy!) them. We think that todays RPGs are rather conventional when it comes to character generation and development: you still create a character at the beginning of the game and stick with it until the end, leaving hardly any room for any development except for the some arbitrary gaining of levels and items.
However, in The Y-Project you will have full control over your characters development. Hopefully, this will introduce something new to the genre.

Purge Online Preview

September 24, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

XGR.com has thrown up a preview on Freeform Interactive's upcoming first person shooter/RPG, Purge Online. Here's something to chew on:

The world of Purge consists of two factions, the forces of science fiction known as the Order, and the forces of fantasy known as the Chosen. At one point in time everyone was living under the Order, but feeling rejected by the scientifically advanced world some humans turned to a man named Mabus. These humans, following Mabus and his divine powers, form the Chosen. It is only when the Order kills Mabus as a result of feeling threatened by his existence that a war commences a war known as Purge.

New R9700 PRO Drivers

September 24, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Well this one came out of the blue! At least to me.. ATI seems to have released a new official set of drivers for their Radeon 9700 PRO graphics cards! These new drivers (Catalyst 7.77) are WHQL and they are found for Win9x/ME (4.13.01.9066) and Win2k/XP (6.13.10.6178). It's kinda odd that the Win2k and WinXP drivers are the same file, but I won't start asking why! Here's the blurb on the drivers:

This issue affects RADEON 9700 PRO 128MB using CATALYST 02.2 and CATALYST 02.3 under Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, and Windows XP.
The system may lock up or display corruption in certain scenes when playing the following Direct3D games:

Battlefield 1942
Mafia
The Thing

<snip>

replace the 3D driver patch that was posted as a workaround to the problem described here

are Microsoft Certified on Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows Millenium for RADEON 9700 Series graphics adapters

are internal version 7.77-020911x1-005863C-ATI

include ATI Advanced Control Panels

includes support for all languages

There is no word if they work with the other Radeon series of cards (e.g. 8500/LE, 7200 etc), but I'm downloading them to get to the .inf file for more info.
Anyway, if you have probs in games with your R9700 PRO, grab these new babies! AFAIK you do not need to install the ATI "driver patch" (released about a week ago) if you have these new drivers installed.
So, if you want to have'em, click here. Oh and the download speed is unbelievable S-L-O-W!

Update: Thanks to howesey from BlargOC for letting me know that they have the files local. Phill also emailed me that Guru3D seem to have the binaries too.

Detonator 40.52

September 24, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

A new set of leaked beta NVIDIA drivers. These new ones are very fresh and carry the version number 40.52. Surprisingly they are found for Win9x/ME and Win2k/XP! So here are the 40.xx drivers for all you Win9x/ME users! The binaries:

And as always with beta leaks - be careful, m'kay?

Update: Guru3D informed us that they have them too, so head over if you need'em!

New SoF2 Patch Released

September 23, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Raven Software has released a new patch (v1.02) for their hit Quake 3 engine powered - first person shooter, Soldier of Fortune II. Weighing in at 20megs, this bad boy includes Punkbuster support, four new maps and a bunch of tweaks/fixes. You can grab it at either the FileShack or 3D Gamers. Now get downloadin'!

New Lord of the Rings Games

September 23, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

According to this press release, Vivendi Universal Publishing has announced some new games based on the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit books, included an RTS and a massively multiplayer online RPG. Here's a blurb:

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Vivendi Universal Publishing (VU Publishing) announced today several new games as part of its Games division's (VU Games) long-term agreement with Tolkien Enterprises to develop interactive entertainment based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit." The new titles include The Lord of the Rings: Middle-earth Online, an Online Massively Multi-player (OLMMP) role playing game, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring, a real time strategy (RTS) game, and additional PC and console titles based on Tolkien's "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King."

Splinter Cell Shots

September 23, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Shack News managed to get their grubby little paws on some new screenshots from Ubi Soft's upcoming 3rd person action title, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Head over for a look!

Lost Continents Q&A

September 23, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

HomeLAN has VR-1's Travis McGeathy in the hot seat tonight, answering questions regarding their upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, Lost Continents. Here's a clipping:

HomeLAN - Why was the decision made to have a small team continue development on the game?
Travis McGeathy - When the decision was made to suspend production of the game, we didnt want to just throw everything away. So, while most of the LC team moved on to other projects, we kept the core developers on and started making a prototype of the gamebasically, a tiny, functional version of the game to showcase our ideas and their potential. This prototype also allows us to test out some of our assumptions and we expect it to have long lasting positive benefits on development.

Audigy 2

September 23, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Creative has announced their latest soundcard, Audigy 2. Being the first PC product to offer playback of Advanced Resolution DVD-Audio at 24-bit/192kHz and Signal-to-Noise ratio of 106dB, this soundcard seem to be a pretty spice one. Here's a blurb from the press release: $qs CREATIVE INTRODUCES NEW PC AUDIO STANDARD
With Today's Introduction of the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 with THX Certification, Creative Brings DVD-Audio to the PC with 24-bit/192kHz Quality
SINGAPORE - September 23, 2002 - Creative Technology Ltd. (NASDAQ: CREAF), the worldwide leader in digital entertainment for PC users, today announced several key breakthroughs in PC audio with the introduction of the new Sound Blaster® Audigy 2 sound cards.

Check out the official Audigy 2 pages for more official info and pricing of this product!

Floating In UT2003

September 23, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

More picks from our Discussion Board..
SeRiaL_KILLER (very.. scary username!) posted about a pretty nice trick you can do in UT2003. In one of the maps you can get your character to float(!) if you do some things in a right order and at a right time. If you want to know how it is done, click here!
I haven't tried it yet myself, but I will asap and then post some screenies. That is, if I succeed in doing it (no not "IT" pervs!). :)

All Your Base Are Belong To Us

September 23, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Well, just a quickie! :) I know that the AYBABTU is old, but a user (FuryX) over at our discussion boards had edited some UT2003 .ini files and .. well, take a look for yourself!

Iron Storm interview

September 22, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The fellas over at Gamer's Hell have thrown up an interview with 4x Studios' Edouard Lussan and Roman Vincent regarding their upcoming first person shooter, IronStorm. They chat about everything from weapons to multiplayer modes. Here's a chunk:

What sort of firing power will u have in the game? Any special weapon?
Edouard Lussan: The players weapons consist of a Russian short sabre, a Heckler & Koch MP-6 Wotan assault pistol with a silencer fitted, a Remington M910 Bulls Eye shotgun, a M203 40mm Clovis grenade launcher, fragmentation and smoke grenades, and antipersonnel and magnetic mines.
Roman Vincent: Furthermore we will add to these weapons different storm and snipe shotguns whose design and power were based on real weapons but which will be extrapolated (a blend of the characteristics of weapons of the forties and ones of futurist weapons that do not exist yet.)

ABIT Siluro GF4 Ti4200 OTES Pics

September 21, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis

Just a quick note that OC Workbench have posted some pics of Abit's newest graphics card: the Siluro GF4 Ti4200 OTES. OTES stands for Outside Thermal Exhaust System and it's a new way of cooling a chip.
A pic says more than a thousand words, so see for yourself.

Albatron GeForce4 Ti4200P-Turbo 128MB Review

September 21, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis

The dudes (and dudettes?) @ PC Stats have written a review of the Albatron GeForce4 Ti4200P-Turbo 128MB. It's kinda obvious what the product is, so let's jump straight to a small clip:

Even though the GeForce4 Ti line of videocards are no longer the fastest on the market, the GeForce4 Ti4200 is still easily the best value GPU around. To start things off, the Albatron GF4 Ti4200P Turbo uses the same 8-layer PCB design as GeForce4 Ti4400/Ti4600 videocards. It has a very impressive and well designed GPU heatsink (which we'll get into later), some flashy memory sinks, TV-Output (using the Phillips 7104E) and finally a DVI output. It seems that Albatron has taken a liking to the blue PCB's, and I for one say they look pretty awesome!

If you're in for a read, click this link.

Star Wars: KOTOR Screenies

September 21, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

BioWare has released some spiffy new screenshots from their upcoming RPG, Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic. Hit the image below for a look.

Very nice!

Elite Force II Q&A

September 21, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The Action Vault has slapped up the second part of their interview with the guys behind Ritual Entertainment's upcoming Quake 3 engine powered - first person shooter, Star Trek: Elite Force II. Topics include everything from mission design to mod support. Snip:

Action Vault: What are your goals in the area of mission design? How varied will they be in terms of types and goals, and how long is the single-player game likely to be?
Pat Jones: We are shooting for a game that is much longer than Voyager: Elite Force. The missions will range from shoot-em up style, to stealth entry to information gathering. The game includes a well-balanced mix of gameplay and story without the player becoming bored.

Unreal Tournament 2003 Goes Gold

September 20, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Epic's Mark Rein hit the official Unreal Tournament 2003 forums with word that the much anticipated first person shooter has gone gold and should be in stores by the end of the month. So keep an eye out for it!

NOLF 2 Golden!

September 20, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

According to this press release over at Blue's News, Monolith's upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way, has gone gold and should be hitting stores October 1! Here's a blurb:

BELLEVUE, WA (September 20, 2002) - Sierra Entertainment, Inc., a studio of the Games division of Vivendi Universal Publishing, and Fox Interactive(tm) announced today No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way has indeed gone gold. The sequel to the award winning The Operative: No One Lives Forever continues the adventures of super spy Cate Archer, pitting her once more against H.A.R.M. and the ever-present threat of global catastrophe.
H.A.R.M. is back with only one obstacle to thwart their quest for world domination: Cate Archer, the beautiful but deadly UNITY operative who foiled their last nefarious plot. The world's most deadly assassins are summoned with one simple objective - they must kill Cate Archer. Meanwhile, the United States has uncovered a top secret Soviet project that, if successful, could bring about a third World War. Can Cate avert a nuclear holocaust and simultaneously stay out of H.A.R.M.'s way?

*drool*

The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal Q&A

September 20, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The AVault sat down with Bethesda Softworks' Todd Howard for a quick Q&A regarding their upcoming Morrowind expansion pack, The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal. They chat about the new areas, monsters and more! Here's a taste:

Tell us more about the new monsters.
There are goblins and liches, which are old standbys. I've always been found of goblins; they had such a unique sound in Arena that I kept repeating that goofy growl they made. We had to have them back, plus we like creatures that can use weapons, since you can kill them and take their stuff. The Fabricants are another type of new creature, and solving them is part of the main quest. At one point, they attack Mournhold.

IronStorm Demo Released

September 20, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

4X Studio has released a 192mb demo from their upcoming first person shooter, IronStorm. You can grab this puppy at the following mirrors:

UT 2003 Interview

September 20, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Thanks to XGR.com for sending word that they have thrown up an interview with Epic's CliffyB regarding the recently released Unreal Tounrament 2003 demo. Here's a clipping:

Why do you think UT2003 will be the standard for the next gen of FPS?
Because once you play UT2003 for a while youll become addicted to the new features that the game brings to the FPS genre. Suddenly, youll want to double jump in your other games. Youll want to dodge, dodge jump, and wall jump. Ragdoll physics also add a lot. Once you see a body tumble down a staircase or slide down a slope youll never be able to go back!

Battlefield: 1942 Review

September 19, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Finally tonight, HomeLAN has kicked up a review on Digital Illusions' newly released World War II - first person shooter, Battlefield: 1942. Here's a blurb:

The big emphasis in previous previews of BF: 1942 is the vehicles and there are a ton of them in this game. Pretty much every conservable major WWII vehicle can be use in the game, from jeeps to tanks to fighter planes and bombers to even sea-based vehicles like destroyers and submarines. With the possible exception of the flying vehicles (which can take a little while to figure out how to pilot at first with a keyboard-mouse configuration) DICE and EA have made all of the vehicles easy to combat the enemy with. Some vehicles can hold more than one person such as the bomber or the tank and there also also anti-aircraft and artillery placements in the maps that players can operate.

StarCraft: Ghost Announced!

September 19, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

At the Tokyo Game Show today, Blizzard Entertainment finally announced their new game, StarCraft: Ghost, a 3rd person action title being co-developed with Nihilistic for next-gen consoles. Here's a bit from the press release:

MAKUHARI, Japan September 20, 2002 During a press conference today at the Tokyo Game Show, Blizzard Entertainment®, a studio of the games division of Vivendi Universal Publishing, unveiled StarCraft: Ghost, a tactical-action console game set in Blizzards epic StarCraft® universe. StarCraft: Ghost is currently under development and is scheduled for a worldwide release on multiple console systems. The game will be co-published by Capcom and Blizzard Entertainment in Japan; further announcements regarding platform/country specifics will be announced in the months to come.
In StarCraft: Ghost, players take the role of Nova, a lethal Ghost operative skillfully trained in the arts of espionage and tactical combat. Twenty years of ruthless physical conditioning and techno-psychological instruction have made Nova a being of terrifying potential. With the help of a determined group of allies, players follow a series of story-driven missions, engaging in a deadly mix of planetary battles and dangerous solo operations. To complete their mission objectives, players must execute intelligent tactical decisions while mastering an advanced arsenal of sophisticated weaponry.

Blizzard has also launched an official site for the game that includes all kinds of info and screenshots. Check it out!

SoF2 PunkBuster Interview

September 19, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The Gamer's Click has tossed up an interview with Raven Software's Matt Morton and Even Balance's Tony Ray regarding the addition of PunkBuster in Raven's hit first person shooter, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix. Here's a taste:

GC: Why do you personally feel PunkBuster will be so efficient at deterring cheating?
MM: I was first familiar with PB during my Counter Strike addiction. I was impressed with what it offered, but noticed the cheating would return about 3 weeks after an update. For every one person working to prevent cheating, there are probably 1000 working to hack the code it can be very frustrating. Seeing the ways that PB has added instant updates has been very impressive. We have a Production Tester here who is AMAZING at his hacking and cheating abilities. When he would send me a report on what he did and how he did it, I would send that off to Even Balance, and they would have an update ready in a few days. It's been VERY impressive to watch. There will always be people hacking and trying to get the edge in a game, but I hope PB will keep them so busy hacking the code updates that they will be too busy to actually play the game.

Splinter Cell Screenies

September 19, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

PC Pointer.de managed to snage some new screenshots from Ubi Soft's upcoming tactical shooter, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Hit the image below for a look!

Devastation Interview

September 19, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

HomeLAN has slapped up an interview with Digitalo's Torbjorn "Tobbe" Ahlen regarding their upcoming Unreal engine powered - first person shooter, Devastation. Not much info in here, but they do touch a little on level design. Here's a taste:

HomeLAN - What can you tell us about the game's current status?
Torbjorn "Tobbe" Ahlen - The game is incredibly fun to play and beautiful to look at, I love everything about it. Its very close to being complete, and were in the home stretch, polishing and adjusting. Im spending a lot of time fine tuning and working on those little things that will make it even more memorable.

Postal 2 Q&A

September 18, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

GameGuru Mania has shot-up an interview with Running with Scissors' Vince Desi regarding their upcoming Unreal engine powered - first person shooter, Postal 2. They look at everything from weapons to multiplayer modes. Here's a clipping:

GGMania: Needless to say that weapons are The POSTAL Dude's best friends right? So, tell our readers how many friends POSTAL Dude will have in this game and how much they will vary? What's your favorite gun in POSTAL 2?
Vince Desi: The POSTAL Dude is a very creative guy, especially when it involves violence. For now my favorite weapon is the scissors. Some of the other outrageous new weapons include a shovel, baton, tazer, cat-silencer, and gas can/matches. And a whole lot more.

SoF2 Patch News

September 18, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Activision's Matt Morton hit the Soldier of Forune II forums with some news on the upcoming 1.02 patch. He's posts a nice size list of whats new, including the addition of PunkBuster support! Head over for a look. 8)

NOLF 2 Interview

September 18, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Thanks to the Lone Gamers for sending word that they caught up with Fox Interactive's Chris Miller for a quick Q&A regarding their upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way. Here's a taste:

What sort of online play will be available?
NOLF 2 features a fully immerse Cooperative based multi-player system. This mode allows up to four UNITY agents to be sent out on secondary missions against H.A.R.M. One thing thats unique about the NOLF 2 coop mode is that the story and mission objectives tie directly to the progression of the single player story. Allowing players to experience a separate game play experience while still being connected to the main story line.

Battlefield 1942 Review

September 18, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The Gamer's Hell has thrown together a review on Digital Illusions' recently released World War 2 first person shooter, Battlefield 1942. With a final score of 8.8/10, this could be one to check out! Snip:

The problem with a lot of recent first-person shooters lies in gameplay. They might be easily controlled and offer some degree of innovation, but most of the time the concept is the same. The great thing about Battlefield 1942 is that its not easy to master. As a soldier on the battlefield you can do a whole lot of things. If you want to drive a tank: go right ahead. If you want to fly a bomber: be my guest! Or maybe a boat is more to your liking? Perhaps you simply want to camp upon a hill and snipe people. Getting good at this game doesnt mean that you only need a good aim; you will also need to hone your skills in a variety of military activities and learn to work cooperatively with fellow soldiers. Winning a battle isnt done with just a horde of tanks; you need to have people in every position, because while a sniper may be good at taking out infantrymen he doesnt stand much of a chance against a tank.

NOLF2 Screenies

September 18, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

I just played the No One Lives Forever 2 demo, and must say that I was pretty impressed! As I did find the game pretty easy and a tad simple, the graphics were very nice IMHO! So, I snagged a few for your viewing pleasure:

For those who still haven't downloaded the NOLF2 demo, read more about it + some links to the files here.

UT2003's Map Names

September 18, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

In a thread over at our discussion board, neotic posted a list of all the maps that will be present in the final game of UT2003. All the names, and small descriptions! He had found all the info from the XMaps.int file (located somewhere in your UT2003 demo foldertree). If you are interested to check out the names (40 of them) and descs, click here.

New Poll!

September 18, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Time for a new poll ladies and gents! This time we ask you all:

Did the UT2003 Demo meet your expectations?

So go and cast your vote!
Here's the result of our last poll:

Which Operating System do you use?
Windows XP [60.4%]
Windows 2000 [13.6%]
Windows ME [8.3%]
Windows 98 SE [10.5%]
Windows 98 [4.0%]
Windows 95 [0.2%]
Windows 3.xx [0.3%]
Windows NT4 [0.2%]
Windows NT3.51 [0.1%]
Windows CE [0.1%]
Linux [1.5%]
BeOS [0.2%]
OS/2 Warp [0.2%]
Some other [0.3%]
Total votes: 23051

23051 votes?? Thanks guys! I have a hunch that it is a all time record! :) Anyway, it seems that most of you (over 60%) are currently using WindowsXP, which actually didn't come as a surprise to me. I am also a very happy WinXP user, and wouldn't go back to any other Windows version. Thanks for voting people!

New C&C: Renegade Patch

September 17, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Westwood Studios has released a new patch (v1.034) for their first person shooter, Command and Conquer: Renegade. Here's whats new:

Fixed bug causing mod data to be used when the user played a single-player game after playing a multiplayer mod game
The edit_vehicle command now only works in single-play or 1-player multiplayer games.- fixed the superweapon->quit exploit
Mods now support editing of armor.ini, strings.tdb
Buildings can be made of tiles in addition to terrain
Added the "edit_vehicle" console command for physics tweaking

You can grab both the patch and a new dedicated server at the official site. Now get downloadin'!

Republic Q&A

September 17, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

PC.IGN has slapped up an interview with a couple of the guys behind Elixir Entertainment's upcoming strategy title, Republic: The Revolution. They chat about everything from their spiffy AI to the different factions. Snip:

IGNPC: You also equated the system for recruitment of your cabinet members to Magic the Gathering, would you care to explain that for us?
Elixir: The inner circle of a player's faction (or indeed any other faction) is comprised of a number of characters; each with their own skills and actions. Achieving a balanced set of characters is similar to constructing a multi-coloured deck in Magic the Gathering. If a player specialises too much they will leave themselves vulnerable to certain types of retaliation. If they were to diversify too much their inner circle becomes tricky to maintain (due to differences in the characters' ideologies).

Hitman 2 Shots

September 17, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The guys over at XGR.com managed to get their hands on some new screenshots from EIDOS' upcoming 3rd person action title, Hitman 2. Head over for a look!

NOLF 2 Demo Released!

September 17, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Monolith has released a 158mb demo from their upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way. Letting us run through four exciting levels, you can grab this bad boy from the following mirrors:

Devastation Interview

September 17, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

GameSpyDaily caught up with Digitalo's Bob Berry for a quick chat regarding their upcoming Unreal engine powered - first person shooter, Devastation. They look at squad commands, mission objectives and more! Here's a chunk:

GameSpy: Multiplayer is a very important component of any first-person shooter. What are some of the usual game modes you're going to offer and what are some unique modes your working on for this game?
Bob Berry: In addition to the traditional Capture the Flag, Deathmatch and Team DM, we are particularly proud of our brand-new game type - Territories. Its a sort of two-way assault in UT terminology, with some neat twists. Unfortunately, I can't go into great detail on this game type as it would spoil some of the single player experience.

UT2003 Patch Released

September 17, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

It seems that Epic / DE has released a patch for the recently released UT2003 demo. This patch (v1.1) adresses the following bugs:

Fixed support for Voodoo3 / Matrox G400.
Fixed initial framerate hitches in network play.
Fixed the jittery screen updates in the server browser when sorting by ping.
Fixed a possible DoS attack in the server code.
Fixed a few other minor potential crashes.

You can snag the patch from FileShack!

Update: I found a load more mirrors at the official UT2003 site.

NOLF 2 Demo Tomorrow?

September 16, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Just to keep you updated, NOLFGirl.com has word that Monolith will be releasing a four-level demo tomorrow, giving us a taste of their upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Foever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way. I can't wait, the first one kicked some major booty! 8)

Mafia Q&A

September 16, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Gamers.nl has Illusion Softworks' Daniel Vavra in the hot seat tonight, answering questions regarding their newly released 3rd person action title, Mafia. Topics include everything from why they chose the third person perspective to the games new engine. Here's some juice:

Gamers.nl: Mafia is being compared a lot to GTA3. Is it fair to do that?
Daniel Vavra: We have big disadvantage that Mafia was announced sooner and released later than GTA. Grand Theft Auto hit it big time, because it was first game of its kind and then everybody expected that we will get its mechanics even higher. But we have chosen different kind of style and some people could be little bit disappointed. Maybe if we released Mafia sooner, it would happen to GTA. But anyway I dont think that Mafia and GTA are the same kind of game. And if you read few reviews, you will see that lot of people say the same thing. We are not arcade, drive over people cause its fun game. We are more like this is Tommy Angelo, try to live his life for some time and feel what its like.

Tron 2.0 Preview

September 16, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The peeps over at GameSpy have tossed up a preview on Monolith's upcoming action title, Tron 2.0. Here's something to chew on:

In addition to your basic disc, there's also a "freestyle" disc, which gives you much better control over your shots. It doesn't block as well, but you can curve it around corners, do boomerang shots and perform other trick shots. There's also a "cluster" disc, which acts as sort of a fragment bomb, injuring nearby enemies with its shrapnel.

UT 2003 Demo Tweak Guide

September 16, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Thanks to TechSpot.com for sending word that they have kicked up a tweak guid for Digital Extremes' recently released Unreal Tournament 2003 demo. So if your looking for that little extra performance boost, head over for a look!

PlanetSide Interview

September 16, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

HomeLAN has thrown up an interview with Terrence Yee, one of the designers behind Sony Onlines upcoming massively multiplayer online first person shooter, PlanetSide. It's mostly a 'get to know you' Q&A, but they do talk about what a day at the office is like for him and the challenges of design. Here's a clipping:

HomeLAN - How do you work with the other team members to implement what they want to put into the game?
Terrence Yee - Generally the initial ideas come from us (thats our job after all) but Kevin and I try to remain open-minded when it comes to ideas. Certainly if another team member has a good idea we go out of our way to see if we can integrate it into the overall design without breaking consistency or schedules. Its doing the latter that causes a proportional rise in the amount of neck choking.

NOLF 2 Interview

September 15, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

NOLFGirl.com sat down with Fox Interactive's Chris Miller for a quick Q&A regarding their upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way. They cover everything from marketing plans to system requirements. uNF:

Will the levels be non-linear?
More so then NOLF1 yes, but there is a certain amount of linearity needed to keep the game moving forward. Having said that, I think you'll enjoy the openness of NOLF 2.
Will NOLF 2 let us imagine new ways to complete a level each time we play?
Absolutely, the more you play and tune your play the better and more out fitted you'll become. It's a blast to take the different weapons and gadgets and try different approaches to each

Y-Project Preview

September 15, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The guys over at PC.IGN have tossed up a preview on Westka Interactive's upcoming Unreal engine powered - first person shooter/RPG, the Y-Project. Here's a blurb:

While we only saw a few weapons in the demo, including the flame thrower, sniper rifle, and standard automatic assault rifle, the team promises 16 weapons in the final. Additionally there are four different ammo types -- bullet, bio, laser, and rocket -- as well as 16 different tools to aid you in your exploration, such as radar, hyperjump, and a bio-regenerator that converts energy to health.

UT 2003 Demo Patch Comming

September 14, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Epic's Mark Rein hit their forums with word that a patch is in the works for the newly released Unreal Tournament 2003 demo. Fixing a Voodoo3/5 compatibility issue and a bunch of other bugs, you can find his post right here.

BattleField 1942 First Impressions

September 14, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The Gamer's Hell has kicked up their first impressions on EA's newly released World War II - first person shooter, BattleField 1942. Here's a clipping:

When I got into the singleplayer game I was very pleased with the performance - everything was smooth, unlike it was in the demos. So far so good. I first opted for the sniper role and quickly found myself under fire upon spawning into the game, so I ducked into a bunker and picked some enemies off from there. Little did I know that a rocket launcher troop had been creeping up on me to the right, and quickly blew me to bits as I was distracted by the amazing sound that was going on all around me. I have a 5.1 surround system connected to my Audigy card, and this game takes advantage. I could hear planes flying above and shells exploding in all directions.

UT 2003 Interview

September 14, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

NVIDIA.com has slapped up an interview with Epic's Cliff Bleszinski regarding their upcoming first person shooter, Unreal Tournament 2003. They chat about the new engine, AI and more! Here's a taste:

Nvidia: What kind of new moves have been incorporated into the game?
Cliff: There was a Matrix mod for UT that did a lot of things we were thinking about. Weve implemented the Double Jump into UT 2003. Its one of the most exciting features you can get extra height from jumping twice. The game really looks realistic thanks to next-generation Nvidia hardware, but there are a lot of realistic, squad-combat games out there. Were doing some counter-programming. We thought that we might as well leverage some of the crazy elements of the game.

If you haven't already, grab the demo that was released yesterday!

New Parhelia Drivers

September 14, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Matrox has released a new set of drivers for their latest VPU, the Parhelia. This driver update brings the drivers up to version 1.01.00. The drivers can be found for WinNT4, Win2000 and WinXP. Still no drivers for Win98/ME.. Here are ze links to ze files:

Maybe they improve the performance with the just announced and released UT2003 demo? If anyone has something to say about them, do it over at our Discussion Board.

Elite Force II Q&A

September 14, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The Action Vault has thrown up an interview with the guys behind Ritual Entertainment's upcoming Quake 3 engine powered - first person shooter, Star Trek: Elite Force II. Topics include everything from the storyline to enemies you will face. Snip:

Action Vault: What major enhancements are you adding, and what were the primary considerations that led to their inclusion?
Jon Galloway: We have made quite few enhancements to strengthen Elite Force II. For instance, we reinforced some of the characters and have strived to go more in-depth with building some of their personalities. We strived to really personalize the team members, giving them unique specialties and assignments on the Hazard Team. To fill out the team, we have also added a few new characters. All of this with a slight re-design to not only bring their uniforms and equipment up to date, but also update the characters making them higher resolution and giving the entire game some style and a new more realistic look and feel.

New Morrowind Plugin

September 14, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Bethesda Softworks has shot-up a new plugin for their hit RPG, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Entitled the Siege at Firemoth, it weighs in at only 458kb. Anyways, here's a description:

The island fortress of Firemoth was taken by the skeleton army of Grurn years ago. It's time to take it back.

You can grab this puppy right here.

NOLF 2 Interview

September 14, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The AVault has caught up with Fox Interactive's Chris Miller for a quick chat regarding their upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way. They cover everything from multiplayer to the games environments. Here's some juice:

What multiplayer components will NOLF2 contain?
NOLF 2 contains a cooperative multiplayer mode that puts up to four UNITY agents in H.A.R.M.'s way in missions that parallel the single-player story. Once you've played both the single-player and co-op modes, you'll see how the story ties together, and you'll learn more about Cate's missions and UNITY's involvement with H.A.R.M. You'll collectively have to fight the AI, which scales its difficulty based on the number of players connected. This is a unique approach to the co-op experience, and one that people have been asking for a long time.

Dungeon Siege Patch

September 13, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Gas Powered Games has released a new patch (v1.11) for their hit Action-RPG, Dungeon Siege. Including increased performance and a bunch of fixes, you can grab this sucker throught he auto-updater. For a full list of whats new, click here.

UT 2003 Demo Released!

September 13, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

It's here! Digital Extremes has finally released a 97mb demo from their upcoming first person shooter, Unreal Tournament 2003. Including four maps and three gameplay modes, you can find a full list of mirrors right here. Now get downloadin'!

VIA 4-in-1 4.43v

September 13, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

VIA has released a new set of their 4-in-1 driverpackage, which brings it up to version 4.43v. Here's the scoop on what's new/fixed: $ns

Include MS WHQL Logo CAT file of via AGP driver

Include MS WHQL Logo CAT file of via Inf driver Eh.. So that's all? Well, I took a look at the versions of the files, and it seems that the INF and AGP files have got an "a" attached to their version number. :) That's nice.. If you want to download this new package, click here.

ATI Radeon 9000 PRO

September 13, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Here they come again.. The good folks over at Beyond3D have posted a review on the 9700 PRO's baby brother, the Radeon 9000 PRO. Here's a biggish tidbit from the review: $qs What's interesting here is that the performance of Radeon 9000 PRO in the raw Pixel Shader test is actually a little above that the Radeon 8500 in most cases, maintaining about a 10% difference across the middle resolutions. The lack of the extra texture unit is not going to harm the performance much in the raw Pixel Shader performance and given the clock speed equality between 9000 PRO and 8500 it may be that ATI have optimised the pipeline a little as well.
With both the Nature and Advanced shader tests, where a more varied environment is rendered with textures, the 9000 PRO begins to drop away a little from 8500. However, as we've seen with Serious Sam, in the Nature test at 1600x1200 the 8500 drops off a little in fill rate performance which allows the 9000 PRO to surpass the 8500 here.

And _a lot_ more of that can be seen over here. Good read as usual.. :)

Catalyst 02.3 (7.76) Drivers

September 13, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

The chaps over at ATI have been busy with drivers lately, and now they have released a new set of the Catalyst drivers, bringing them up to version 02.3 (7.76)! The drivers are found for WinME (Win98/SE), Win2000 and WinXP. Here's what I found about the drivers on the website:

These drivers, as part of the CATALYST software suite, are the first to market which have been designed for Microsoft XP Service Pack 1. CATALYST 02.3 has been optimized for maximum stability and compatibility with Service Pack 1.

And then what's new (from the official release notes):

Performance Improvements As with most CATALYST releases performance has increased in various situations. Here are some examples observed in CATALYST 02.3:
- NHL 2002 scores are up 10-20% for RADEON 7000/7500/8500/9000 products
- Serious Sam performance is improved once again (8-12%) across all RADEONs
- NASCAR 2002 performance is up 8% on the RADEON 9700 PRO
- Vertex Shader performance has been improved by approximately 20% for the RADEON 9000 PRO, resulting in a 3-5% gain in 3DMARK score.
Control Panel support for TRUFORM TRUFORM is a CATALYST feature which allows for a higher polygon count, resulting in smoother images in games that support it. The ATI Direct3D tab and the ATI OpenGL tab now contain two radio buttons allowing TRUFORM to be set Off or to be enabled via Application Preference
DVI alternate operation mode New option found in the Details Tab of the Control Panel for the RADEON 9700. It allows for the switching of different architectures for the integrated DVI transmitter. This option should only be enabled if display corruption is being experienced.
AA and AF - OpenGL and Direct 3D Control Panels for RADEON 7000 and RADEON 7200 now include Anisotropic Filtering and Anti-Aliasing sliders. These are tied into the main settings slider. This gives users of these cards even more control over their choice of image quality and performance.

Newest member of the RADEON family: These drivers now fully support the newest members of the ATI RADEON family: RADEON 7500 PCI version RADEON 9700 Pro RADEON 9000 Series

A hefty list of stuff indeed.. Here are the links to the binaries:

A gazillion thanks to all of you guys who sent in emails about these drivers! I think I have never got as many emails about any drivers as I got for this release! :) Hehe..

NOLF2 Demo Next Week

September 12, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Blue's News has word that Monolith will be releasing a three-level demo next week, letting us get a taste of their upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way. With the retail version expected to hit stores in early October, this should help ease the wait. 8)

Impossible Creatures Screenies

September 12, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

XGR.com managed to snage some new screenshots from Relic Entertainment's upcoming strategy title, Impossible Creatures. Head over for a look!

Black Hawk Down MP Demo Released

September 12, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The folks over at NovaLogic have released a new multiplayer demo from their tactical first person shooter, Delta Force: Black Hawk Down. Including one level, you can grab this 60meg bad boy at either FileShack or the Gamer's Hell. Now get downloadin'!

Kreed Interview

September 12, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Ferrago has thrown up an interview with Alexey Leshev, the scriptwriter behind Burut Software's upcoming first person shooter, Kreed. Here's a nugget:

Ferrago: From the website it sounds like there is the basis for a good story driven game, so I'm intrigued as to whether Kreed will be a no frills blaster or a more thoughtful slice of shooting.
AL: KREED is one of the well-thought-out game projects where the storyline is just as important as a chance to fight alien rivals. The player will not merely have to pass preplanned Missions but also learn something Important in the end, something that should have some impact on him. Isnt that the goal of a modern computer game? Of course one could stress the mechanical playability, but on the other hand it doesnt automatically mean success. We aim to make the player live in our virtual world, that is feel, worry, and believe in his victory in spite of dangers and obstacles that may seem insurmountable.

Devastation Site Launched

September 12, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Arush Entertainment has launched the official site for their upcoming Unreal engine powered - first person shooter, Devastation. Including new info and screenies, you can check it out by hitting the image below.

New Xabre Drivers

September 12, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

SiS has released a new set of both WHQL (version 3.05) and performance (version 3.05.50) drivers for their Xabre line of cards (80, 200 & 400). The drivers can be found for WinXP, WinME, Win2000 and Win98 SE. There is no word on how well they work or if they improve stability/performance, but be sure to post your findings.. If you need'em, grab them here.

New Battlefield 1942 Patch

September 11, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

EA has released a patch (v1.1) for their newly released World War II first person shooter, Battlefield 1942. With the addition of All Seeing Eye support, improved server stability and a bunch of other fixes, you can grab both the dedicated server and normal retail patchs at either the FileShack or 3DGamers.

Icewind Dale 2 Review

September 11, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The Gamer's Hell has tossed up a new review on Black Isle Studios' newly released RPG, Icewind Dale 2. The game ends up with a final score of 7.5/10. Booya:

The infinity engine thorn, path finding is still weak, even though it uses the improved AI routines from Baldur's Gate II. Fortunately, the routines allow PCs to bump each other, and NPCs, out of the way in non-combat situations. But you can still have some very strange moments and path finding AI caused problems...

ATI Driver Fix

September 11, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Nice news for all you Radeon 9700 users! ATI has released a patch for their Catalyst 02.2 drivers (all OS'es), which fixes lock ups or display corruptions in the following games:

Battlefield 1942
Mafia
The Thing

And here's the scoop on the fix:

This software replaces ATI D3D display driver component,
Ati3duag.dll
This package will OVERWRITE the version of the ATI D3D display driver components that are currently installed on your system.
We recommend that you start Windows in SAFE MODE in order to install this patch.
If you encounter a message that indicates "the file is in use by another process" while installing this patch, you must,

]Finish the installation of this patch
Re-start Windows in SAFE MODE
Re-run this patch to install the files.

The D3D files will be "in use" if you have launched a game , screen saver or other application that uses the D3D components.

Not too shabby if I may say! I have been reading in some forums that some people have some smallish problems with their Radeon 9700 and some games, but it seems that the ATI driver guys are really working hard to smooth out all problems. Good work!

UT 2003 Demo This Week?

September 10, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Epic's Mark Rein hit the official forums for their upcoming first person shooter, Unreal Tournament 2003, with word that the much anticipated demo should hit our harddrives sometime this week. Thanks Shack News!

NOLF 2 Preview

September 10, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Thanks to XGR.com letting us know they have slapped up a short preview on Monolith's upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way. Here's some juice:

If you played the first you know what the plot is like and it's more of the same witty Cate, evil bad guys, and a talking crow (you read that right). The game starts off in a Japanese garden that we have seen a lot of in the LithTech Tech Demos for their Jupiter Engine. Let's talk about this for a bit as it's going to be an engine that will be competing with some big boys as well as giving a good look at where LithTech is headed for with their Triton Engine which is powering one of 2003's (and probably gaming history's) most anticipated titles - TRON 2.0. But I am getting off track - back to this engine. It renders environments absolutely beautifully. The starting level is a perfect example of how lush and real the environment feels - you have trees that sway and leaves that fall in random patterns with shadows. The lighting is another area in which you will notice some very nice touches - the lanterns glow with a purple hue that reflects off the metal on your gun and the lamppost has that glare you get when walking in the dark up to a bright light.

America's Army Tweak Guide

September 10, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The folks over at TweakTown.com have thrown up a tweak guide for the US Army's tactical shooter, America's Army. They cover in-game settings, tweaks and more. Click here for the goods!

Prisoner of War Golden!

September 10, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

GoneGold.com has word that Wide Games' upcoming Action/Adventure game, Prisoner of War, has gone gold and should be hitting stores September 18! Click here for more info.

Project Nomads Q&A

September 10, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Gamer's Hell has sat down with Radon Labs' Bernd Beyreuther for a quick Q&A regarding their upcoming action title, Project Nomads. They chat about everything from multiplayer to the missions design. Here's a taste:

Is there going to be a multiplayer game? What are the limitations is playing multiplayer game (if there is any)?
Sure. Up to 8 players via LAN or INTERNET. The special fun aspects of the multiplayer part are the totally free movement of your island. (That way you can do huge ship battles.) And the fact, that you can plunder enemy artifacts

Hercules workshop 2002

September 10, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

I just got a word from D. Baumann from Beyond3D that their pin-up boy Marco van Zuylen has whipped up an small article on Hercules' new offerings! He had had the chance to visit Hercules offices, and chat with them about their new products. Here's a sniblet: $qs The talk went into where ATI could go from here (smaller micron, other ram types etc). Especially the talk on how the 9700 could be clocked higher was intresting. It seemed that the plan of ATI was to build an 10 layer PCB board. This would ensure higher clockspeeds as we see today. However a 10 layer PCB board can not be build in every factory around the world. $qe Interesting stuff! Check out the full article here.

20000 Mark Barrier Broken!

September 10, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Yes indeed! The 20000 mark barrier has been broken by OPPAINTER from XtremeSystems.org 3D Team. His amazing score (default benchmark) is 20009 3D marks! That is incredible.. Most of us can only dream of such a score. Anyway, if you want to take a peek at his project, click here.

IE6 Service Pack 1

September 10, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Well, if the XP SP1 wasn't enough, MS has also released a Service Pack for you beloved Internet Explorer 6. If you want to update it to the latest, click here.

WinXP Service Pack 1

September 10, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Well, now the WindowsXP Service Pack 1 is finally officially released for the public. The SP fixes a lot of things, infact way too many in order to be re-posted here! If you want to take a look at the fixlist, click here.
If you want to grab the SP1 for your WinXP, click here.
Yes, we know that the Remote Control goes nuts if you have WinXP SP1 installed, and we are looking into it.. :)

Update: I found a direct link to the WinXP SP1, which is pretty darn fast too! Click here for the executable.

Asheron's Call 2 Preview

September 9, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

GameSpot has kicked up a preview on Turbine Entertainment's upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, Asheron's Call 2. Here's some lovin':

But Asheron's Call 2's new graphics engine has also addressed another common criticism of the first game--that everyone looked the same. In the original Asheron's Call, you could play only as a human character, and all characters had the same height and build--they had different skin colors and slightly different facial features and could wear different clothes, but that was about it. Asheron's Call 2 will still let you play as humans, though it will also let you choose to play as the heavyset lugian race and the lanky tumerok race--both of which were originally monsters in the first game. And Asheron's Call 2 also lets you adjust your character's height and build, in addition to skin color, facial features, and hairstyle. And since every last item of clothing, armor, and weaponry that a character carries is reflected on the actual character models, Asheron's Call 2 will clearly do a much better job of letting you create distinctive-looking characters.

Also, hit Evil Avatar for some new eyecandy!

New Blizzard Game @ TGS?

September 9, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Shack News has word that Blizzard Entertainment will be announcing a new game at this years Tokyo Game Show on September 20th. Other then the date, no other info has been released. So we will just have to wait and dream of what it could be. 8)

Black and White 2 Screenies

September 9, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The guys over at Computer and Video Games.com managed to get their grubby little paws on some new screenshots and concept art from Lionhead Studios' upcoming strategy title, Black and White 2. Head over for a look!

New NeverWinter Nights Patch

September 9, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

BioWare has released a new patch (v1.24) for thier hit RPG, NeverWinter Nights. Fixing a bunch of minor bugs and adding high res font support, you can grab this sucker through the in-game updater. In addition to this patch, you can find the Linux server update right here. Happy gaming!

Mafia Review

September 9, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

HomeLAN has slapped up a review on Illusion Softworks' newly released 3rd person action title, Mafia. With a final score of 96, they really seemed to like it. Here's a blurb:

The people in the city are almost as real. They will actually go on with their life, walking around, doing errands, getting into car crashes and calling for help. An ambulance will arrive on the scene where the paramedics will get out and try to help the people. Police will go around watching for lawbreakers, and will pull them over, and ticket them. You can walk through the back alleys and see people doing their laundry, or urinating on garbage. Yeah, very lifelike. The people also are nicely detailed; you can see the buttons on their shirts, or the creases in their faces. They talk realisticly, but the only problem we have here is their AI isn't too great. At times I'll watch people walk out into the street, right into a car, and stand there facing the car as the car itself continues on it's track, trying to run the person over. The cars themselves have this problem. They will pull out in front of you, oblivious to your existence, or anyone elses. But for the most part, it's kept to a minumum.

ION Storm Job Openings

September 8, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The fine folks over at ION Storm are looking for some experienced programmers and character artists to join the team. So if your looking for a new job in the industry, what better place to work? Deux Ex 2 and Thief 3 anyone? *drool*

Shadowbane Preview

September 8, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

GameSpy has thrown up a new preview on Wolfpack Studios' upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, Shadowbane. They look at races, the PvP system and more! Here's a clipping:

Obviously, the developers weren't content to stop at 10 races and 18 different classes, and will offer a great deal of character customization. "Character creation and development in Shadowbane is unlike that in most MMORPGs," continues Dahlberg. "From the very start of the game, you can craft your character with talents and traits. A talent or trait is a particular gift or area of expertise, such as "heroic strength" or "raised by church," that gives players boosted and heightened skills or powers and / or give them access to hidden in-game powers. This way, even from the beginning of the game, players can create much more unique characters that fit the individual's play style."

Splinter Cell Preview

September 8, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Thanks to Shack News for this bit. The fellas over at UK Gamer.com have kicked up a preview on Ubi Soft's upcoming tactical 3rd person shooter, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Here's a taste:

He also has a fibre optic camera or 'snake camera', which you can slide under a closed door for a quick peek. If locked you can try your hand at lock picking with another piece of kit. Probably the favourite of most gamers will be the sticky camera, which you can shoot into any surface with the grenade launcher on your FN2000. Once deployed you can pan through your various vision settings to find waiting guards.

UT 436 OpenGL Fix

September 7, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Epic's Unreal Technology page has updated with a small 436 OpenGL fix for their first person shooter, Unreal Tournament. You can grab this sucker on the main page. Thanks GameSpyDaily!

Warcraft III Review

September 7, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

EliteHW.com has thrown up a review on the collector's edition of Blizzard Entertainment's hit RTS, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. Here's a clipping:

The AI of units is very good compared to most strategy games, ground units dont just stand around when being shot form the air they move to find cover. You have access to different auto cast spells, for example the shamans bloodlust, when you enable it the shamans wont waste mana when not necessary they will wait till battle to use it. Units also follow various formations, these come in hand when having short and long range units, the long range units will wait and let the short range units by first so they can attack together.

NOLF 2 Preview

September 7, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

PC.IGN has slapped up a preview on this fine weekend, taking a look at Monolith's upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way. Here's some juice:

And it's not just inane prattle that's saved. A lot of the funny will help Cate seek out and solve secondary objectives, which award skill points (those things that are necessary to build a better character). Like a rudimentary Deus Ex, NOLF 2 comes with its own miniature RPG component. Eight skill sets can be improved by allocating points to them. Armor, carrying capacity, stamina/endurance, stealth, aim, searching effectiveness, weaponry use, and gadget use can all be improved, making things quicker, stronger, faster, and better, where applicable. From what I understand, it's not completely necessary to try and build certain attributes while avoiding others, as some people found it to be in games like DX and System Shock. The skills in NOLF 2 aren't meant to make tasks passable, but rather easier.

Tron 2.0 Preview

September 6, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Finally tonight, GameSpot has posted a preview Monolith's upcoming movie-based action title, Tron 2.0. Here's something to chew on:

The levels, too, are very suggestive of their digitized settings. As Jet, you'll start out in an Internet hub where you'll receive assistance from a floating helper named Byte, who is none other than the descendant of Bit from the film. This area is a cross between Times Square in New York City and Las Vegas, with bustling crowds and bright lights everywhere, and it clearly presents itself as an area where a lot of traffic passes through, much like an actual hub. Other areas include the progress bar, which is a seedy joint reminiscent of Star Wars' Mos Eisley cantina and a place where Jet will run into data pushers, which are Tron 2.0's equivalent of drug dealers; a corrupted server, home to Thorne and his evil minions; a data stream that connects two larger levels together; and even a PDA. The game sticks to the computer theme to the point that your inventory will be dictated by the level's "system memory," meaning you'll be able to carry more items while in a server than you will while in a PDA. The total number of levels that you'll find in Tron 2.0 is still up in the air, but the designers have stated that they're aiming for including a fewer number of massive levels as opposed to a high number of standard-sized areas.

Star Wars: KOTOR Screenies

September 6, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

BioWare has released some new screenshots from their upcoming RPG, Star Wars: Knight of The Old Republic. Do these guys have another hit on their hand? Let's hope so...yummy!

New UT 2003 Footage

September 6, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The guys over at PCGames.de managed to get their grubby little paws on a new movie showing off gameplay from Digital Extremes' upcoming first person shooter, Unreal Tournament 2003. Thanks HomeLAN!

Morrowind: Tribunal Announced

September 6, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Bethesda Softworks has announced an addon for their hit RPG, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Entitled Tribunal, this sucker adds new creatures, weapons, armor and more! Here's a clipping from the press release:

Rockville, MD - September 6, 2002 - Bethesda Softworks is pleased to announce The Elder Scrolls III: Tribunal, an expansion pack for its critically acclaimed RPG, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind for PC. Scheduled for release this November, Tribunal will introduce additional content and features into the already staggering game world of Morrowind, and can be experienced by any player at any point. Morrowind has won more than 40 awards, including Editor's Choice awards from PC Gamer, Computer Gaming World, and Computer Games Magazine.
In Tribunal, a ruthless new king has taken the throne of Morrowind, while an aging god drifts deeper into madness. Into this chaos you are thrust, with deadly assassins close behind you and Morrowind's uncertain future ahead. Your journey will lead you to Mournhold, capital city of Morrowind, to the Clockwork City of Sotha Sil, and through massive, epic-sized dungeons.

Also, hit GameSpyDaily for an interview with Bethesda's Todd Howard regarding the addon!

Black & White 2 Preview

September 6, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

PC.IGN has thrown up a preview on Lionhead Studios' upcoming RPG/RTS, Black & White 2, after getting a chance to to chat with the development team at this years ECTS. Here's a taste:

One thing that the Lionhead team readily admits is that Black & White lacked the deep strategy elements that many gamers wanted to see, and are making measure to correct that. Going beyond just growing a creature, Black & White 2 will enable players to create giant armies, to grow villages, and to move their villages across vast stretches of ocean to entirely new geographic locations. As Peter put it, "We really want to go with an epic feel and look to Black & White 2, and something you've never really seen done in a game before."

Battlefield 1942 Q&A

September 5, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

ShackNews has EA's Jamil Dawsari in the hot seat this evening, answering questions regarding their upcoming World War II first person shooter, Battlefield 1942. They talk about everything from their singleplayer plans to the mod community. Here's a taste:

Shack: What do you get to do in the single player part of the game?
Jamil: Our unofficial motto is, "We bring you the war, now it's up to you to fight it!"... The single-player game will not be scripted. It will be a free-flowing combat scenario with specific objectives. How you accomplish it will be up to you. What's even better, the AI will not be scripted...so you'll have to be extra careful...just because your AI opponent attacked you with airplanes last time, doesn't mean that's what he'll do this time.

Project Nomads Preview

September 5, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Thanks to Gamer's Hell for sending word that they have shot-up a preview on Radon Labs' upcoming action title, Project Nomads. Here's a nugget:

The environment in which you will play has really been turning some heads. Not only is it very original, it is also incredibly vibrant with realistically swaying trees, birds flying around and generally tons of complexity. Many of the effects also look spectacular, at least making me very much looking forward to the final release.
At first sight it may look like the environment is a tad repetitive, with only a bunch of islands, and more islands, and even more islands. The thing is, there are three worlds, which you will travel between. They all differ, look great, and are fun to play.

Splinter Cell Shots

September 5, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Ferrago.co.uk managed to snage some news screenshots from Ubi Soft's upcoming tactical 3rd person shooter, Splinter Cell. You can check them out by hitting the pic below!

Gray Matter Job Openings

September 5, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The fellas over at Gray Matter Studios have updated their site with word that they are looking for programmers. Here's what they had to say:

if you are a senior level programmer currently working in the computer game industry and have shipped at least two commercial products then gray matter studios wants to speak with you.
we are about to begin the development of our next game and would like to expand our programming team.
so if you are a united states citizen, have shipped at least two commercial games and would like to relocate to southern california please contact us at jobs@gmistudios.com for details.
note: mod authors with exceptional experience may also apply for junior positions.

Thanks ShackNews!

NOLF 2 Preview

September 5, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The ActionTrip has slapped up a preview on Monolith's upcoming first person shooter, No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way. Here's a clipping:

How long it takes you to perform certain actions (such as hiding) depends on your skill level. Another new feature to NOLF2 is the skill system. As you progress through the levels, you are rewarded with skill points. Additional skill points can be earned by finding certain pieces of intelligence (such as UNITY Spy Manuals strewn about the levels), by performing sub-quests (getting information for your contacts, collecting all intelligence pieces on a given level) or completing levels in a requested manner (for example, with a zero body count - very difficult!) Once your skill level reaches a certain point value, you can upgrade one of your skill levels, which grants certain bonuses. Advancing the Stealth skill shortens the time it takes to fade into the shadows, which can be useful when enemies are hot on your tail. Advancing the weapons skill shortens reload times, and allows for the use of heavier weaponry. If you upgrade the Stamina or Armor skills, you can make use of more health or armor available, respectively. I'll let you play the game to discover what the other skills can do for you.

Must hold on...need to play...now! 8)

Windows Media Player 9!

September 5, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis

Well, it's not final yet but Microsoft decided to put a beta version of WMP9 on their website :) Earlier beta builds have been floating around for some weeks now, but this is an "official" chance to test it.
WMP9 was previously codenamed Corona, but became WMP9 recently. The player is not the only download. The encoders, SDK and whatnot are also available. Unlike WMP8 (which is Win XP only), there's a version for Win XP and one for Win 98SE/ME/2000.
Are you interested? Head over to the Windows Media Player 9 Series website then. Don't forget that the software is still beta, so use it at your own risk ;)

Mafia Review

September 4, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

GameSpot has tossed up a review on Illusion Softworks' newly released 3rd person action title, Mafia. With a final score of 93%, this could be one to check out! Snip:

The graphics are generally top-notch. The cars look fabulous, and they're especially notable for the way they authentically re-create the curviness of the era's vehicle design. The texture work in the city segments is occasionally a little muddy, though, and there's some pop-up on the horizon that's especially evident when you're going over bridges. The action levels, on the other hand, contain some really beautiful lighting and texture work, and the game's cutscenes feature some of the most detailed and expressive face models ever created for a computer game. The sound is equally excellent. The period soundtrack, composed mostly of cuts by swingy jazz legend Django Reinhardt, with extra tracks by artists such as Louis Prima and the Mills Brothers, matches the game's theme perfectly and also acts as a brilliant alternative to the generic techno and orchestral music used in most games.

Yummy!

UT 2003 Demo Update

September 4, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Epic's Cliff Bleszinski hit the official Unreal Tournament 2003 forums with a little status report on the upcoming demo. As for a release date, all that was said is "Not much longer folks", but there's still a bunch of info on whats being worked on, so be sure to check it out. Here's a blurb:

Level Designers are reviewing the AI in their maps to make sure that the bots know how to Shieldgun jump, Translocate, Double Jump, and Low Grav jump to EVERY available spot in their maps.
The single player campaign is being tested and finalized.
The Redeemer is in and fully functional and is very close to being bug free.
All levels are being finalized for ragdoll (low poly) collision.

Halo 2 Trailer Released

September 4, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Bungie has released a trailer showing off their upcoming first person shooter, Halo 2. You can find both high and low res version in Quicktime and WMV formats at Halo.Bungie.org.
In related news, Halo: Truth and Reconciliation has thrown up an interview with Bungie's Joseph Staten regarding the trailer. Here's a taste:

Apart from officially announcing the product, what were your goals for the Halo 2 trailer?
We had three primary goals: (1) re-introduce the Master-Chief (in his snazzy new suit); (2) demonstrate the power of our new technology; and (3) get people excited about plunging back into the Halo world. How important each of these goals was relative to one another depends on who you talk to. Personally, my goal was to show the Chief doing dynamic, interesting things in the context of a tantalizing Halo 2 story-fragment. Butcher, Bernie and Adrian would probably say "it's all about the bump-maps and light-blooms, cinema boy!" and who's to say they aren't right.

Battlefield 1942 MP Demo Patch

September 4, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Electronic Arts has released a new patch for multiplayer demo from their World War II first person shooter, Battlefield 1942. Fixing a handfull of bugs, you can grab this 12mb file from either FileShack or FilePlanet.

Project Nomads Demo Released

September 4, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The peeps over at Radon Labs have released a 120mb demo from their upcoming action title, Project Nomads. Including two missions and a tutorial, you can grab this bad boy at the following mirrors:

New Poll

September 4, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

A new week, a new poll! This time we simply ask you:

Which Operating System do you have use?

I went from Win98SE to WinXP, and I don't regret it one bit! I should have done it sooner..
Our last poll ended like this:

Do you use 3D sounds (A3D, EAX etc.) in games?
Yes [76.0%]
No [24.0%]
Total votes: 3907

76% of you use EAX, A3D etc stuff while playing games? That's more than I ever expected! I had thought that maybe merely 20% of gamers use any audio enhancements in games. Good news though!

Coolbits for NVDVD

September 4, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Got a word from NVMax that they have a reg file which enables a load of features in the NVDVD software. I read somewhere about recording options, karaoke(?), DXA options etc.. Worth checking out! Click here for the NVDVD Coolbits.

nForce 1.13 Drivers

September 4, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

NVIDIA has released a new set of drivers for their nForce chipsets. The new version carry the number 1.13, and is to be found for Win2k/XP and WinME. Here's a blurb on what's new:

Updated Detonator XP video drivers
Updated audio and networking drivers
New Audio Control Panel, 5.1 support, multi-band EQ and presets
Improved 3D audio and EAX compatibility
General compatibility fixes
International Language Support

And then for the files..

The Linux driver is a tad old (couple of weeks), but thought to throw it in here too for all you Linux 4ever guys! :) There are no new files available for WinNT4 or Win9x, but let's hope NVIDIA updates them too.

Icewind Dale 2 Review

September 3, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The Gamer's Hell has tossed up a review on Black Isle Studios' newly released RPG, Icewind Dale 2. With a final score of 6.5, you might want to read some reviews before buying. Blah:

Multiplayer is difficult to start. The game lacks an in-game server browser or any sort of built in connection finder. If you don't know the IP of your host, you can't just look for it in the server list. Starting your own server is a serious hassle, and is unintuitive. For the first time in quite awhile I found myself reaching for the manual trying to figure it out. Once in the game, it plays like the single player mission, fun, but not as fun as many other games of the genre that have come out recently.

Asheron's Call 2 Q&A: Part 3

September 3, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

GameSpy has slapped up the third part of their interview with the guys behind Turbine Entertainment's upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, Asheron's Call 2. This one mainly covers the games engine, so gather around 3D geeks! Snip:

GameSpy: Obviously, the new game engine is able to push more polygons on the screen. What other engine improvements will change the look of the game? Can we expect to see various light mapping types (bump / specular / etc)? Enhanced detail textures? Procedural textures or shaders?
Jason Booth: We spent a great deal of time on our material system, which allows artists to use simple templates for pixel shader effects. The artist just needs to know what effects they want, such as having a bump map, detail texture, and per pixel specular. This made it really easy for our artists to make full use of the latest graphical features. We also spent a great deal of time on our appearance system, which combined with our FX system, allows for all types of effects to be applied to things. You can see this in action with the damage skins, which show visible cuts and blood on characters as they fight, or in spells like "stone skin" which make the skin of your character look like stone.
We also have a very robust indoor and outdoor lighting engine. Clouds cast shadows on the landscape, the landscape shadows itself, tree's cast shadows on the grass below them, and, of course, characters cast shadows as well. Lights in dungeons also cast soft shadows, and the sunlight shines in through the entrance. On top of all this, we support dynamic lights which players can carry, which affect the shadows and bump maps accordingly.

Update: A bonus interview has popped up, taking at look atthe quest system. So be sure to check it out as well!

Morrowind Expansion Rumor

September 3, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Heading up the rumor mill this evening, Computer and Video Games.com are reporting that Bethesda Softworks will soon be announcing an expansion pack for their hit RPG, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Entitled Tribunal, it is expected to add 20-30 hours of gameplay and will include new quests, spells, monsters and more. Click here for the goods!

The Thing Review

September 3, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

HomeLAN has thrown together a quick review on Computer Artworks' newly released Action-Horror title, The Thing. Here's a blurb:

One of the things that was hyped up in the gameplay of The Thing before its release is the trust system where you have to keep the trust of the people you encounter and team up with high in order for them to work with you in battling aliens as well as solve some of the puzzles you have to deal with (opening a door, activating power to systems and so on). Of course, some of the people you encounter turn into beasties so sometimes you feel sort of stupid handing a weapon clip to a teammate to gain his trust only to have him try to eat you later in the game. Still the system is a good way to keep track of your teammates and have them perform tasks for you.

Warcraft III Review

September 3, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Thanks to the guys over at OCAddiction.com for sending word that they have kicked up a review on Blizzard Entertainment's hit RTS, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. Here's some juice:

The first thing that caught my attention in the single player mode of the game was how the Heroes (as they are called), had experience points. This leads me back to the RPG-ish style that was added into the game. Not only does each mission move the story along at a rapid rate but it also makes the single player game much more interesting. The missions are not the usual find the enemy and destroy the base. They are usually more complex, not to mention Blizzard threw in a lot of optional quests to help you increase your heros levels. Even though Warcraft 3 has shed many of its RPG characteristics that it was supposed to have when it was announced to be an RPG/RTS hybrid, WC 3 still manages to combine the two very well!

Y-Project Interview

September 2, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Computer and Video Games.com has Westka Interactive's Christoph Kabelitz in the hot seat tonight, answering questions regarding their upcoming Unreal engine powered - first person shooter/RPG, The Y-Project. Want to know more about the AI or weapon upgrades? Then get readin'!

So these power-ups: are they weapon upgrades or what?
Kabelitz: Yes, they can be weapon upgrades or they can be stand-alone tools like the radar or the hyper-jump that allows you to jump longer distances; or the Spying Eye. (At this point Christoph fires out a small remote control camera that he zooms around the level. A small viewing area on the H.U.D. shows you exactly what the Spying Eye can see). With the Spying Eye I can check out what's around the corners, what enemies are lurking around, things like this.

Iron Storm Demo Released

September 2, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

Gamer's Hell has slapped up a 144mb demo that lets you play through two missions from 4X Studio's upcoming first/third person shooter, Iron Storm. You can grab this puppy right here!

Asheron's Call 2 Q&A: Part 2

September 2, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

GameSpy has thrown up the second part of their interview with the guys behind Turbine Entertainment's upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, Asheron's Call 2. This time they look at treasure and crafting in the game. Here's a clipping:

GameSpy: One major change from other RPGs is that there are no NPC shopkeepers! The only way to sell your stuff is to find other players willing to buy it. Could you explain why you made that choice?
The AC2 Team: We really felt that the NPC vendor was an unnecessary throwback to single-player games. We've given every player the tools take on any economic role they want -- harvester, producer, or simple consumer.

PowerStrip 3.26

September 2, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

Just a quick note that EnTech Taiwan has released a new version of their popular tweaking utility, Powerstrip, bringing it up to version 3.26! No idea what's fixed or new, but I'd suppose better compatibility and more supported cards?!

PC PowerZone Closing Its Doors

September 2, 2002 - Hans "stealth_wing" Melis

Summer should be a happy season, but it turns out to be a sad season for the online hardware community. PC PowerZone will close its doors on the 30th of September. Here's what Robbie, the webmaster, had to say:

I would like to announce that PC PowerZone will close its doors as of the 30th of September, possibly sooner. As many of you are aware, my wife died last year and I have been through an incredibly rough time over the last two years, it is now beginning to have a drastic effect on me. I am unable to devote myself to the running of the site and also raise two very young children at the same time on my own without my wife. I must dedicate myself to my children who need me more than any website ever will, so with their best interests in mind and my own personal state of health - I am closing the site down.
I want to thank everyone who supported the site over the last few years, especially Andy N. and Naz (VorteX) who have given up a lot of their free time to write reviews for me and have done so in a professional manner. All the sponsors who have sent in hardware, we are all very grateful for your support and generosity and for most of the time a pleasure dealing with you all.
The net month will be spent tidying up loose ends and a couple of reviews will be posted, but 30th of September will see this site disappear off your radar screens.
Thank you all, Robbie Donald - website owner.

And thank you, Robbie, for your contribution to the online community. Good luck and take care!

WinXP Service Pack 1 Soon

September 2, 2002 - Nicklas Renqvist

It seems that MS will release the WindowsXP Service Pack 1 on the 9th of September 2002. Here's a blurb straight from the horse's mouth: $qs REDMOND, Wash. -- Aug. 30, 2002 -- Microsoft Corp. today announced the release to manufacturing of Windows® XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), a package of updates for Windows XP, the company's most advanced and fastest-selling Windows licenses. Windows XP SP1 brings enhanced security, reliability and compatibility to business and home users. Windows XP Service Pack 1 will be available to the general public Monday, Sept. 9.

Not too shabbey! :)

Asheron's Call 2 Interview

September 1, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

GameSpy has slapped up an interview with the guys behind Turbine Entertainment's upcoming massively multiplayer online RPG, Asheron's Call 2. They cover everything from PvP to the "Monster Love" system. Snip:

GameSpy: In the new combat system, characters will be able to perform any one of a number of "special moves," either special attacks or spells or skills. Do you think the system will get too complicated for people who just want to bash on baddies?
The AC2 Team: You can easily go many levels with only the auto-attack key. You won't go as fast, and you'll be hunting below your level, but it certainly can be done. That said, for the first 10 levels or so, players do not have all that many skills available to them. Instead of being hit with 10 skills at level 5 and floundering around trying to find out what's what, skill acquisition is slow at the lowest levels, allowing players to grow into their characters.

Y-Project Preview

September 1, 2002 - Joe "OuTkAsT-1" Topolnisky

The fellas over at Beyond Unreal.com have tossed up a preview on Westka Interactive's upcoming first person shooter/RPG, The Y-Project, after getting a chance to check it out at Westka's headquarters in Germany. Here's a clipping:

Westka: Imagine youre in one area of the city, but the electricity is dead, so nothing is working. You move to another area to restore the power supply, then you return to the first area. Suddenly all the lights are on and various machinery is running and moving. One day later you return to the area once more to find that it has meanwhile been invaded by the mutant insects, and most of the equipment is destroyed and there is lots of scrap laying around and fire and smoke everywhere. With our concepts of layers it is possible to store all the necessary information for this in one map file, instead of making 3 versions of the same map.