| Saturday, January 23 |
Doh? [LATE]
Spending the weekend hax0ring and cleaning up my machine, in
the process I made a booboo and missed my email directory for backup. I was a good 2-3
days behind on email so if you sent me something in the past few days that required a
response, send it again. I also lost my
collection of ass-wack links.. DOH!
Quake3 Spectators? [5:55 am]
So while on the topic of Quake3 servers John Carmack sent me this little blurb about plans for
what is commonly referred to QTV for Quake3. Here's part of my email dealings with him:
ME:
<snip> ...so if you could somehow prioritize the CPU usage on the Q3 servers for the players over the spectators that would be dandy. Or perhaps have an option to cap the max /rate a spectator can use. A big problem with the "big game" matches right now is 20 spectators pile up, and the server gets lagged to hell and back.
Carmack:
The better solution is spectator proxies, where a completely different server gets follow / chasecam views for the players forwarder to it, which can then be forwarded to arbitrary other players. That is scalable to any degree.
The necessary infrastructure is in place, so I will probably set something like that up after release.
Keep in mind he said probably. Good news though none the less.
Ion Gate [6:15 pm]
What, want more coverage of the whole Ion Storm thing? GameSpot has gotten
a pair of articles posted for you to check out. Interviews with
both the writer of the recent Dallas Observer article as well as John
Romero. Blue snagged a pair of quotes from the two
which are amusing:
Biederman: Shoulda toldme yourside.
JR: I don't have anything to say to her.
TeamFortress2 [6:15 pm]
GamesZone has posted a new preview of TF2 which
features screenshots of TeamFortress2 which we only saw in "scans" from
magazines before. Did I mention it's in German? If you're really desperate enough to read
what the preview says, Blue recommends the AltaVista Translator.
Views [6:35 pm]
Tech [6:35 pm]
werd
Just what the hell is a tootsie roll? Saturday = slack day
in case you werent aware. Oh yeah, so I think the new waitress at IHOP has the hots for my
roomate. She's like 40 something too.
The Quake3 Messageboard is fixed now. Got a new version up there too which should help things a bit.
| Friday, January 22 |
Quake3 Server Specs [6:15 pm]
After initially making a post to the Quake3 msgboard,
Brian Hook updated
the ol .plan file with some more details on just what it takes to run a Quake3 server.
Here's the deal with servers. Quake3, in theory, will take up a slightly smaller amount of CPU per player due to various optimizations and changes in the server architecture. HOWEVER, this incremental gain in performance will be offset by the overhead incurred by the virtual RISC machine interpreter. How much the interpreter will cost in terms of performance is difficult to say at this time.
Support will remain for pure DLLs, but we do not intend on shipping client and server game DLLs (i.e. we'll only redistribute the interpreter code). So for hardcore server admins, they can take the various game source, compiled it with the MSVC, and get an X% speed bump (X is not defined yet).
With Quake2 the general rule of thumb was 8MHz of CPU per person. Quake3 will have a ratio similar to this. A safe bet right now is 10-12MHz per person, so in theory (and this is REALLY in theory), a Pentium/200MMX should support a 20 person game. A PIII/500 should, in theory, support around a 50 player game.
RAM requirements for servers will be fairly similar between Quake2 and Quake3
DirectGL [5:15 pm]
Got a Direct3D accelerator that doesnt have an OpenGL
driver? This might be the answer you're looking for. The guys at SciTech have released DirectGL.
SciTech GLDirect allows you to run OpenGL-based games and other applications using your graphics card's DirectX 6.x drivers. SciTech GLDirect even supports the latest applications that use OpenGL 1.2. Download the FREE trial version now!
Messiah Images [5:15 pm]
GA-Source has scored a few new images of
Messiah that should float your boat. Really cool lookin stuff. Lets have the game now
please?
More Q3 Image Scans [5:15 pm]
Thanks to Redwood
for the word that these guys at http://www.onlinegames.u-net.net/
have posted a few more scans of Quake3 screenshots. The quality isnt so hot but hey as
long as you get a glimpse right?
Unreal Tournament [6:35 am]
The GameSpot guys have busted out a new
preview of Unreal Tournament for you to check out. Sorry I really dont know anyone at
Epic so I can't give you one of my own. :) Here is the quote Blue chose out and I'm gonna stick with it!
Of all the big features that Unreal Tournament Epic touts, assault mode will grab gamers' attention the most. Assault basically places two teams head-to-head to protect certain objects in their area from harms way. The team that destroys all the other team's objects wins.
One level positions two teams on a moving train where they both try to beat the other by stopping the train. With motion blurred textures racing by on the train, it feels about as close as gamers will ever get to becoming James Bond.
BloodShot [6:35 am]
Sam over at 3DN just loves
this stuff! Have a look at his extensive Bloodshot response to
IonGate article running down a bunch of messages and exchanges between the ex-Ion
members and a few current ones. Even George Broussard shows up in there to get his 2 cents
in.
Weekly Updates [9:25 am]
I'm just doubling them up this week. Was one burnt out mofo
from that whole Quake3 article ordeal so didnt get to make a new demo till early this morning. It's
a lengthy CA demo. Oh, you need some reasons to live? lovehewitt.com isnt enough for you? Here's my updated list then!
Quake3 Servers [6:35 am]
Wanna run a Quake3 server one day right? Well Brian Hook
gives us a little estimate on the old Shack.Quake3 msgboard here for
you kids.
A P233MMX w/ 96MB should easily handle a 16-24 player game of Q3. A PII/450 should, in theory, handle around a 50-60 player game. This question has come up enough that I'll double check these numbers with John and post an update.
Dominion Fan Contest! [12:05 am]
After checking out the interview with Todd Porter, I
Just got an email on this subject and I had to share.
I've been searching all over for a while now, and I've been able to find two fan sites: http://www.stormtroopers.com/dominion/ and http://www.activenet.com/dominion/ The StormTroopers site was last updated Dec 4 and Sep 26 before that.. the other site is 404 Not Found. Porter was right, they're just springing up like weeds :)
You should hold a contest to see who can find the most Dominion fan sites... anyone who gets more than 10 wins free copies of Doppleganger :D
So... in the spirit of giving I'm holding a contest! The first guy to email me 10 different urls containing Dominion fan sites wins a free copy of DoppleGanger (Todd Porter's project at Ion Storm) when it comes out! You heard it here first. All you gotta do is dig up 10 urls, drop me some email and I guarantee you a copy of DoppleGanger!, I'm gonna buy you a copy!
Views [6:35 am]
Tech [6:35 am]
werd
If you don't get the joke, I'm sorry. So my lame ass stayed
up all night again. I'll crank out the weekly sections and try to force myself through the
day. If I get a little strange just ignore me.
Since posting my contest late last night I've gotten a number of entries. Generally they all just come up frustrated. Can't you just see that copy of DoppleGanger? It's so close! at the tips of your fingers... Todd Porter said the fan sites are springing up all over, you just gotta find them!
Oh, and here is your image of the day. Thanks Ant!
| Thursday, January 21 |
Unreal Tournament [7:15 pm]
The guys at Epic are targetting a March release of their
Unreal Tournament project. PlanetUnreal has done up a
new interview with Alan Willard, a level designer on the project:
I'd have to say the refinement of the original Unreal combined with everything new that we've done since Unreal went gold... not the least of which is the fixes to multiplayer. With the addition of Brandon and Jack, the game has gotten some awe inspiring improvements, both in appearance and function, which everyone will just have to wait to see!
Ion Gate [7:15 pm]
More word from the Ion Storm front. Along with the Dallas
Observer guys posting a rebuttal to the news of a lawsuit coming their way from Ion Storm,
reports have come out that the Chief Operating Officer at Ion Storm has been given the
boot. Also, the man who has been under and incredible amount of heat, Todd Porter does an interview with
GA. Here is my favorite quote.. Dominion sales!
There's been a lot of speculation about Dominion's sales numbers. The truth is, sell-through has climbed steadily each month since the product launched and that the game has a growing following evidenced by the fan sites that are popping up.
CPU's & Slot1 [7:15 pm]
Who the hell really knows anymore. It looks like the Celeron
300A will now no longer be produced in Slot1 form and now only that new ugly ass ping grid
array everyone associates with the Pentium1 CPU's. Dont worry though, there are already
adapters that you can get to slap one of those in your Slot1 motherboard. Here is the article
Redwood pointed out which also mentions the
development of a new CPU interface coming this year.
The expensive Slot 1 package can also disappear because its primary function was to house the separate memory cache. The company, in fact, has said new chip package designs are coming for the second half
Heretic2 Chick [7:15 pm]
Got a .plan update
from Kenn Hoekstra at Raven stating that you can get a look at the soon to be released
Heretic2 female player model at any of these 3 pages. Each page has their own unique pics
so check them all out: www.gamegirlz.com www.hereticii.com www.ravenarchives.com
Soldier of Fortune [5:15 pm]
A couple of different places you can check out screenshots
of the Raven Software. You can check out Frag
Fortune and they have 4 shots to show off. You can also check out GameGirlz as they have scored a pair of shots of
their own.
KingPin [6:55 am]
The Next-Generation
guys have posted a new preview
of KingPin from Xatrix Entertainment which is looking pretty damn cool. The characters
are just crazy looking. The world stuff you can still recognize traces of Quake2
technology, but they did a damn fine job on it. Check da quote:
Due for release in Spring of 1999 for PC, Kingpin's minimum specifications look like being a P200 with 32 Megs of RAM, and a Voodoo-based accelerator card. Xatrix is developing the game so that the user will have a multitude of installation options, including lower resolution textures and sounds, to significantly increase the game's performance on any given machine.
You guys should check out these 3 shots Billy posted too. Shot1 Shot2 and Shot3
Quake3 Stuff [6:55 am]
The guys at Pete's
Hardware Domain have done up that now famous Quake3 video with a little bit of a music
track smacked on for extra emphasis. They have some Outcast footage there too.
There are a few other Q&A's on the Quake3 messageboard as Disruptor is being kind enough to questions there. Is the Quake3 FAQ guy reading all this stuff?
Messiah [6:55 am]
So you guys think this game will ever come out? Billy over
at VE spotted a Messiah interview Scott Herrington
that you peeps should find interesting if you've seen the shots. Sharp looking game.
Scott: The characters are always tessellated. Let's face it, I don't think a PII 450 would be capable of showing the characters with their original modeled polygonal numbers (ranging from 80,000 up to about 480,000 polys). But, having said that, you will see more detail on that than you would on a P166. And, if you were to go out at the end of the year and buy a PIII 750 (for example), you'd see even better looking characters! The software keeps updating itself automatically with advances in technology. Pretty cool stuff, really.
Pentium III [6:55 am]
The boys at Tech Review have done up a nice little preview of the Pentium III
for those of you who just gotta have the latest thing. I'll get one when they hit like
600mhz or so. :) Here is the quote Billy mooched and I'll do the same!
The big question is whether these new Streaming SIMD Instructions will actually produce some positive results, or be another MMX flop. Currently software developers are reporting anywhere from a 10%-25% performance increase when utilizing KNI. Now that does not mean every type of software that uses KNI will see such a boost. In Firing Squads Pentium III Preview, John Carmack states that most of the performance boost for Quake III will come from graphic accelerator drivers that utilize KNI. Either way, a minimum of a 10% increase in 3D performance is good considering the difference between a Pentium II 400 and Pentium II 450 is only 5%-10%. Keep in mind that these new instructions do not improve the performance of business applications, which a 500MHz CPU runs fast enough anyhow.
Views/Tech [6:55 am]
werd
Doin anything cool?
I stayed up really late, ate some wheat thins.. My leather chair is really sticking to my ass more than usual. I got this one wheat thin and it was kinda fat. I looked at it and thought, hey.. thats... really just not as ironic as I thought it would be.
Oh, the server can breathe a bit now. You guys get any errors or problems lemme know. That Q3 article got me on a wacked out sleep schedule.. Someone remind me to go to bed at a normal hour tomorrow?
| Wednesday, January 20 |
The server encountered an internal
error... [7:55 pm]
If you see that message dont worry about emailing me. We
know about the problem. The server is severely overloaded right now.
We've done everything we can on this end. If a screenshots doesnt work the first time,
just hit reload. Maybe you'll get lucky the next time? :)
I've dropped some CGI from the Quake3 Preview to hopefully speed things up.
Anna Kang [7:15 pm]
The kind lady up at id Software who was behind getting me up
there to visit and check out Quake3 this past weekend. Anna Kang does a short interview with PlanetQuake.
Ion Gate [7:15 pm]
Redwood sends word
that GameSpot
has posted about the Dallas Observer writer behind the whole Ion Expose' has been
given a subpoena by the Ion Storm lawyers.
BloodShot [3:15 pm]
The GA-Source guys have posted a new interview
with BloodShot Entertainment, (ex-Ion employees working on a KISS game based on the
LithTech engine) Here is a little quote for you:
Lithtech is currently viewed as the underdog. Likewise, making a game based on a KISS license seems incredibly absurd the first time you hear it. I'm always amazed how people can offer up opinions based on such a very small pool of knowledge. I do it all the time. If you read our design doc and saw our concept art, I think most of you would say "Hey... that might actually be a damn cool game." But, none of you have, so, of course, the logical train of thought is "What? A KISS game?" Likewise, no one except Bloodshot really knows what we intend to do with our game, so people fill in missing data with their own opinions and preconceived notions. We at Bloodshot, however, know what we intend and that is why we chose Lithtech. Lithtech simply fit our needs the best. This means both the needs of our game design and the needs of our company.
Unreal 221 [3:15 pm]
Got a megaboard update from
GreenMarine with a bit more info on the ever so close 221 Unreal patch. -VE
Specifically, 221 will contain a completely new OpenGL driver. Unreal owners with Riva TNT cards or other cards with a good OpenGL driver will find the game to completely kick ass now. Configuration under OpenGL is as easy as changing one line in the .ini (no more driver registry hacks) and running the game. Tim has tested the OpenGL driver under TNT and a few other cards...I don't have a complete list of what cards have been tested, but I'm sure Tim will post one to the Tech Page (unreal.epicgames.com) when he's finished. The new OpenGL driver will allow for fast hardware acceleration in a window, so UnrealED will be able to use OpenGL now.
CPU Stuff [3:15 pm]
It's all crazy and stuff with that Celeron 300A. Are they
just dumping the slot1 version of the CPU now? I dunno anymore, I recommend just checking
out Ars-Technica for the latest on the CPU wars.
Also, check out this article about CPU ID's which is Intel's latest plan.
Tech [7:15 am]
Thief Info [3:15 pm]
Saw this over at AGN3D: Through the Looking Glass has posted an
email that they received on the future of Thief including info on possible sequels,
patches and more
All I can say is that there is no OFFICIAL decision on a sequel at the moment. There are all sorts of business negotiations going on which prevent me from saying anything more. And yes, several of the designers and programmers regularly read TTLG to get just that sort of input. You may have seen several of them even posting to the message boards. Not to mention a lot of the posts are huge pats on the back to people that put in 100+ hour work weeks those last couple of months. You'd be surprised how one post drooling over the game makes it all seem worth it
Weekly Sections [3:15 pm]
Got a pair of them for ya.. some ass-wack links as well as some wisdom for you to chew on.
More Q3 Details [2:15 pm]
Hey got even more details for ya guys. So here are a couple
more details on the regeneration powerup for you guys by Disruptor over at the Quake3 Messageboard once again. Thanks
Nigel
The regen is balanced very well at the moment, and yes it's possible to kill someone with the regen =) It's designed to take you up to 100 health pretty quickly, but past that, it's a lot slower.
-Xian
You guys are maxing out my poor Apache web server which is why sometimes the CGI screenshot scripts arent working. I dunno what to say except thanks for reading! I guess I should do articles more often eh?
Q3Test Details [4:15 am]
Wanted to get you guys these couple of answers from
Disruptor about Q3Test from the now famous Quake3
Messageboard. Q3Test is slated for a late March release:
We're hoping to have bots included in Q3Test, but it all depends on how things go between now and then.
...
We're primarily focusing on 1-on-1 maps and up to 16 player FFA maps at the moment. We'll see how much time is left toward the end of the project for 32+ player maps, but that's not our focus at this time.
-Xian
Hope you guys enjoy the Quake3 preview. It's the most writing I've ever really done that didnt contain some sort of content related to sex or M&M's. I'm sleepin in today. Got the Tuesday weekly section halfway done (Exhausted.. sorry) and will have a double post for you guys in the early afternoon.
| Tuesday, January 19 |
Quake3:Arena Preview @ Shugashack [8:55 pm]
Over the past weekend I had the opportunity to test out
Quake3 at id Software along with RIX and Batch. I have written up a
dozen page preview of the game including details on weapons, physics, levels,
powerups, and everything else I could think of. I also enlisted the help of RIX &
Batch for multiple opinions on all of the weapons as well as some content for a follow up
article which should answer any other questions this article may leave you with. Topping
off the article are a few answers from John Carmack himself. After you read the preview
fill out the poll on the front page of www.3dnews.net
Congrats to a few clever people on the msgboard who figured out the url about 30mins early. :)
Romero Speaks [8:55 pm]
Thanks to Redwood
for the heads up on this article
at Next-Gen where John Romero does quite a lengthy discussion concerning the huge
amount of bad press ION has gotten recently.
JR: Well, to set the record straight: I have been at Ion every single day since we began and this past Christmas I finally took a vacation along with everyone else. The false statement that I was "absent and disinterested in Daikatana" came from some of the guys who left because a lot of the time back then was spent on business issues and dealing with our new PR firm, doing interviews, etc. Any of the times those core guys didn't see me, I was downstairs dealing with the artists and swapping ideas and making sure content was being created with the right look
Hold on! [5:30 pm]
Sorry got side tracked fixing grammar and a few things with
the Q3 article. It weighs in at about 13 pages. I've finally got time to breathe now and
work out that weekly section. Apologies for the delay. This article is causing quite a bit
more fuss than I expected. Waiting on 2 things before it goes live btw. If I were to guess
I'd say late this evening now or could just possibly hold it over until the morning update
for finishing touches.
300A Discontinued? Nope [2:45 pm]
Just got word from the Ars-Technica guys that Intel sent them a PR
stating that the Intel Celeron300A CPU is not going to be discontinued. Here is the quote:
The rumors are false. The Intel Celeron processor 300a is a key part of this processor family for low-cost PCs. The Pentium II processor family, which is designed for high-performance PCs, also is strong and is offering a variety of speeds. The Pentium III processor, which is due later this quarter, is set to deliver even more power to high-performance desktop PCs.
RUNE [2:15
pm]
The AVault guys have word on
a recently revealed project based around the Unreal technology licensed from Epic.
Human Head Studios is working on RUNE.
RUNE transports gamers into the Dark Ages, when the Vikings were the conquerors of a cold, dismal world, and paganism ruled all of the northern lands. Taking on the role of Ragnar, a rugged young Viking warrior, players are challenged to fight off Nordic creatures and uncover an evil perpetrator who is annihilating the Viking population. RUNE combines melee combat and exploration, with a colossal story line and an active environment, to recreate a period in history characterized by savagery and the sword.
Latest word on Q3 article: 1 ok with a minor nitpick, waiting on 2 more emails. Looking right now into anything that can be done to speed up the server. I just woke up from sleeping after finishing the article, I'll have the weekly section up in about an hour to keep you guys occupied, deal?
Unreal Tournament Shot [2:15 pm]
Billy Wilson over at VE has scored a new Unreal Tournament
shot of the network interface. Check
it out.
New Messiah Shots [7:15 am]
The Shiny Entertainment
Messiah screenshots page has been
updated with a couple more shots for you to check out. Thanks to VE
for the word on this one. There are a bunch of shots there, I snagged 3 of my favorites
for ya:
Hardware Therapy [7:15 am]
My favorite hardware article over at Hardgame.com has been updated again. Have a look at
the latest hardware therapy and
get a good look at what everyone in the industry is talking about.
Since the holiday season is just behind us, I thought it appropriate to start off this Therapy with a little feature on what the various USENET regulars snagged for Christmas. This was a pretty popular topic, with most people chiming in with a few hot hardware gifts
Rainbow6 Mission Pack [7:15 am]
Red Storm Entertainment has put out the press release for
their mission pack which we should be
seeing on shelves around January 27th or so. Thanks to SharkyExtreme for the word. Here is a quote from
the PR:
Rainbow Six is once again called into action! Terrorist threats have increased around the world, and this time they are attacking the world's most famous places. The Taj Mahal, Big Ben, the Forbidden City, The Senate Wing of the US Capitol Building, and a top-secret Russian shuttle are all in danger! Use the full "watch" mode to simply observe your hostage rescue team taking down terrorists, or play your friends with new multiplayer games! Choose from four new operatives, such as Louis Loiselle, pulled directly from Tom Clancy's best-selling novel. Experience better team and terrorist AI than ever before.
Views [7:15 am]
Tech [7:15 am]
werd
So you guys doin anything cool?
The gameplan is to have the Quake3 article online later this afternoon. That depends on a certain other two testers though *cough* to answer my email. I've got the article about 90% completed outside of that. Wanna check my facts with the id Software guys still and we'll see how it goes. The Tuesday deadline was a bit ambitious. Say a prayer everything falls into place ok? :)
| Monday, January 18 |
Daikatana in February [2:15 pm]
Saw on Blue's a short interview with John Romero asking
about the state of affairs with the Daikatana project.
Romero: Currently, we are preparing for the Deathmatch Tournament demo that is going to be released mid-February for the Mplayer tournament. At the same time, we are also finishing off episode 1 as completely as we can by the end of the month, then we will work on successive episodes. The game is really looking great!
SUCK! [4:15 pm]
You're little brother doesnt bitch and whine enough to you?
You wanna hear someone else moan about how life is unfair and the world sucks? You're in
luck! I know just the ticket for you.
Unreal3 & 4? [1:15 pm]
Can't blame the Epic guys for planning ahead. BigImp just noticed this
little domain name game going on though which may give you an idea of Epic's future plans.
Registrant:
Epic MegaGames, Inc. (UNREAL11-DOM)
Domain Name: UNREAL3.COM
Domain Name: UNREAL4.COM
FAQ You [1:15 pm]
A pair of FAQ updates for those of you with
questions. Firstly you can check out the Half-Life
FAQ which has been updated, then if you feel like FAQ'ing some more (and who doesnt?)
you can have a look at the updated SIN
FAQ as well.
This HLFAQ is on its fourth revision! Much has been added and some corrected information put in. Not much of correction, but a lot added in.
More Views [1:15 pm]
Celeron 300A Discontinued? [4:15 am]
Wow, according to KickAssGear.com the
Intel Celeron300A has met an early demise. Check this out. Thanks MindBomb
Intel removed the Slot 1 version of the Celeron 300A from distributors this week. Tech Data and Synnex both had thousands of units on order, with ship dates from mid-January through early February. Now those backorders have been canceled by Intel, and the product is listed as discontinued.
Unreal Tournament [4:15 am]
This word in from the monkeys down at UnrealNation and CliffyB of Epic who dropped a
line to the IGN guys who in turn had an error in their recent UT report:
...Cliff stated that Unreal Tournament will not be an online only game, Epic is not planning a global ranking system, and that Unreal Tournament's focus is completely different then that of Quake3. You can read IGN's follow up article here, and the original article here.
After that there is also a .plan update from Myshca of Epic discussing level design in UT. It's pretty damn big but here's part of it:
...Now I know many times when I'm Deathmatching-all I care about is being able to see jokers slipping through the shadows-Like When I play The Fragpipe online-(Quake2)I always zip my gamma up real quick-whereas the other point release Q2 dm maps seem lighted fine for 1.0 Gamma settings. I'm not saying one is bad and one is good here-I'm just noting an observation about Gamma settings- I know Cliff and I argue about this alot. He likes his stuff at High Gamma-and I like mine low closer to true color. I admit that I like my Gamma settings lower than most folks-I always felt it gives a more realistic appearance to the environments.
Check out the differences between these shots. (if you have mucho bandwidth)
http://www.nettally.com/myscha/gamma.html
System Shock2 [4:15 am]
Saw on VE that Through The Looking Glass has posted a new interview with members of
the System Shock2 development team. Here's part of the chat:
TTLG: What is your vision for what System Shock 2 will be like?
C&C2 Release Date [4:15 am]
Thanks to Prince Jihad for the word: "Eletronic Arts made it offical that C&C2 Tiberium Sun's
release date is now set for March 31st 1999"
Views [4:15 am]
Tech [4:15 am]
Version 3.10 NON-CD Drivers - 4.02MB
Version 3.10 CD Drivers - 4.08MB
eyeSCREAM v1.1 - 4.19MB
werd
So how you doin? I'm Steve... come here often?
Yeah? What's your sign?
I'll be a little late with the morning update. Exhausted and feel like poop. Got a good amount done on the Q3 article though, hoping for Tuesday still.
| Sunday, January 17 |
All Quiet on the Hardware Front [7:15 pm] - Huntsman
The thirst. The hunger. The hardware. Oh yes, better late than never, the hardware
section has been updated. No changes, unfortunately. 300a for $60?!?! That's so insane.
Might have something to do with AMD's profits being lower than expected, no? One other
thing, the SCSI controller has disappeared from pricewatch.
So if anybody knows what the top of the line scsi controller is, let me know.
Quake3 Info [6:55 pm]
I'm sitting here working away on my Quake3
article, however just got mail that Disruptor posted this bit of info on my Quake3 msgboard concerning your starting
weapon in Quake3:
The weapons you start out with are entirely up to the designer of the level, but it defaults to a machinegun type weapon at the moment, if you don't spawn the player in with any weapons (Remember, this is entirely subject to change).
Let's say, for example, in xian_dm3 (working name), I start the player out with the shotgun and plasma gun (in addition to the default machinegun). When the player spawns into the world, he'll come up with the plasma gun as his default weapon (it chooses the best available weapon when you spawn into the world.)
This makes it usefull to design, oh lets say, Rocket Arena levels.
-Xian
Yes, no more of that Flare Gun from Quake2. The guys at id are listening. :)
nVidia Goes Public [5:21 pm]
Always wanted to get a piece of that TNT stock?
Well looks lik you finally can. Thanks to the guys at www.riva3d.com
for the word. You can get all the details on stock pricing as well as some of that revenue
report stuff all you stock monkeys are in to.
New Msgboard [1:25 am]
Sander is pretty much done with the new
msgboard. Check out the new layout for
shack.quake3 as well as shack.half-life
and drop some feedback to Sander on what you think.
The DHTML was ditched for browser compatibility, and a new NNTP interface was busted out
to increase speed. No more wussy white backgrounds either. :)
QuakeWorld Draft League [1:25 am]
The East LPB draft for the QuakeWorld Draft League is tentativly scheduled for
8pm eastern standard time in #QDL on irc gamesnet. Also, anyone invloved with the league
(player or official) should check the website news today for an important update.
TF1 for Half-Life Q&A [1:25 am]
Saw on Redwood's that PlanetFortress has posted a TeamFortress Classic Q&A
with the Valve guys.
We're sticking as close to the original as possible, our goal being to preserve the gameplay over all else. Wherever possible, we've used the extra capabilities Half-Life provides us to make it look better and run faster. TFC is far more network friendly than Quake TF, for instance. Our second goal is to make it as approachable as possible for all the new Half-Life players who've never seen TF. There's a couple of features, like crouching, that we'll do some playtesting on and see whether we can include them without breaking the TF gameplay.
Bad Ion Press? [1:25 am]
What? Ion has been getting bad press recently?
I hadnt really noticed.. Perhaps John is referring to the recent Dallas Observer article or
the whole IonGate
deal. Check out his comment on PCBlitz:
Well, of course we're not happy about the negative press and the fact of it is that an ex-Ion employee was instrumental in setting it all up. Daikatana is doing great and the team is really positive and pumped, although this kind of news is disturbing.
Epic's Unreal DM Pack [1:25 am]
Check it out, an Unreal DM Level pack for you
to download and give Unreal DM a shot. Grab the file
from PlanetUnreal and have some fun kids.
Another freebie from Epic! The Fusion Map Pack (2.7MB) contains six new deathmatch levels from the fine folks at Epic. Here's the good stufffrom the readme: The purpose of this map pack is to add as either an upgrade or replacement to the current batch of maps that are being run on Unreal servers. It is our way of saying "Thanks" to the Unreal Community for sticking with us. Servers, please cycle these bad boys from now on and let's move on from Deck16 and Curse.
Quake2 DM Mod [1:25 am]
If you are running a Quake2 DM server you need
look no further than the Orange Smoothie
DM mod. Grab the new version which has a couple of linux fixes and you're on your way.
Views [1:15pm]
werd
I spent 8 hours yesterday up at id Software
playtesting Quake3. John Carmack and Brian Hook were both extremely helpful and talkative
during the time answering just about any question myself and the 2 other testers could
come up with. I am hoping to have a large article go live Tuesday morning. Please
hold on to that email until after I post the article on Tuesday. Yes I am a lucky bastard.
Oh, www.lovehewitt.com is back open for business. :)
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