go to www.shugashack.com for up to date news.
| Saturday, October 3 |
Unreal Fixins [5:55am]
As many people have discovered, the long awaited patch for Unreal still hasnt quite fixed
the multiplayer wackyness lag issues with Unreal. No person is more aware of the problems
than Tim Sweeney, and homeboy is workin his butt off tryin to make it smooth like butta
for us. Check out his future patch plans
The response to Beta 217 has been pretty good. There are still a few new issues that will be fixed shortly.
Next, I've split off the Unreal network code and am beginning work on the low-level protocol rewrite. This rewrite, which will go through several stages of increased performance, is the key to improving Unreal's network play significantly further. Here is a summary of the technical improvements that will be worked on:
- Reducing per-packet overhead from its current 35-40% down to around 10%. (Addresses the unsmooth updates problem)
- Reducing ServerMove and ClientAdjustPosition bandwidth significantly. (Addresses the unsmooth updates problem)
- Implementing my new unsynchronized "eventual delivery" protocol for variable replication, replacing the current scheme which guarantees packet sequencing at the expense of heavy lag under high-packet-loss conditions. (Addresses the disappearing weapons problem, and similar related problems).
- Managing bandwidth allocation more rigidly (addresses the uber-lag problem).
- Researching two new network transfer and timing schemes which have the potential to reduce latency and increase bandwidth if they work out (optional).
Speaking of Unreal, the Westlake page has been updated again with information on the latest happenings with their efforts to port recent versions of Unreal to the Mac.
Quake3 Stuff [5:55am]
Pretty sure this want intended for public viewing, but word seems to have gotten out about
the cute mock up PC Gamer cover for Quake3 over at http://underworld.idsoftware.com (Thanks
Jacek). Also, PlanetQuake has posted
a new article talking about how little we have to talk about with id's Q3:Arena
project.
SHOGO FAQ [5:55am]
Many people are digging on the SHOGO demo released the other day, I'm actually just now
getting around to downloading it as I type this up and stuff. Craig Hubbard has word in
his .plan that the FAQ has been updated, since
a few more questions have popped up of course now that people can play the game. :)
Views [5:55am]
werd
Wow, got a buttload of email about the messageboards, didnt realize it would excite you
guys so much. :) Well I guess Sander is good for something after all! As I said before,
new board should be live by the end of next week, and the weekly sections will return on
Monday so leave me alone already about that!
| Friday, October 2 |
Trespasser Gold Today? [4:45pm]
Next-Generation Online posted a news item a
few days ago suggesting that Trespasser may be going gold today, October 2.
Next Generation Online sources say the company expects to have its first gold master candidate for Trespasser by Friday (Oct. 2). That could mean the game could be on shelves by middle or late October, surprising most gamers and industry pundits who figured more delays in the game were likely.
Another Unreal License [4:45pm]
Psygnosis officially announced their newest
development project today, Hired Guns. A remake of the classic Amiga game from
1993, Hired Guns will use the Unreal engine. Here's a piece of the OGR news blurb:
Players must use a quad-screen view in order to direct a team of four Mercs through various levels. Weaponry includes an electric handsaw, plasma bolt, dart launcher and hovermine launcher. Multiplayer over Internet and local area network will also be supported.
Speaking of license stuff, Scott Miller over at 3DR has decided that movie license games suck, however using the universe created from a movie to base your game upon ala Jedi Knight is neeto. :)
Romero @ Pels [4:45pm]
Pels over at Telefragged (which has
returned after some down time) has posted a new interview with John Romero
which shows his views on id Software's project lineup that may interest you guys:
Quake...
...was a very hard game to finish development on, but we poured a lot of effort into it and its longevity is a testament to that exertion. It's also my 2nd favorite deathnmatch game.
Quake2...
...showed the world the future of 3D acceleration and features some of the best 3D architecture i've ever witnessed
Quake3: Arena...
...has a badass logo that reminds me of Van Halen and since i love deathmatch, i'm sure to love Q3A
Daikatana...
...is gonna bust down every...um, wait...is gonna be a really great game when we release it and we're having a great time making it. :)
id & DreamCast Part2 [4:15am]
The SegaDreamcast.com
website has posted some interesting speculation
concerning id Software and the possibility of Quake3: Arena along with 2 subsequent titles
from id Software being developed for the Sega DreamCast system. Dig on these apples.
(Thanks Troy!)
Today, we recieved word from an extremely reliable source that ID Software have gone ahead in secrecy, and signed on as a Dreamcast developer. As well as that, a deal between Sega and the highly successful developers have supposedly taken place. This deal includes 3 games for Dreamcast, which will all have online multiplayer features. 1 of which may indeed be Quake Arena! The last two games are being kept in complete secrecy.
The boys from the Quake Arena Design team will be getting development kits for Dreamcast very soon, leading to an even better expectation of a DC version. Speaking of which, the DC version will easily be the best seen on any format, and there has even been consideration given to allow the ability to Dreamcast Quakers to play the game on any PC Quake Area server. Think how brilliant that would be!
Blue received a response from Todd Hollenshead which pretty much shoots this down though:
Not a single ounce of truth in it. We've has some discussion with Sega about what DreamCast will be, but I personally don't expect to see it in the U.S. until Christmas 1999. Also, it would be very unusual for us to take on console development completely internally. As you know, that's not what we do best. Making the most action-packed, fastest, most-playable, Internet-friendly games for the PC (with a touch of violence ;) is our bread-and-butter and we have no plans on moving away from that for the foreseeable future.
Zoid's CTF Stuff [6:15am]
Zoid has updated his .plan file
to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of CTF for Quake. He also makes mention of a new level
pack for Quake2 CTF that is in the works. (I checked out a map the other day, great stuff)
Here is a quote from Mr. Zoid:
CTF has been an amazing project for me. From my humble beginings on a little NetQuake server running a little hack with floating keys to Quake2 CTF. It's been fun building it all, and it's going to be a challenge to continue the tradition of simple gameplay, but addictive design.
Speaking of Q2CTF, I've begun some layout plans for an addon level pak. Players have been screaming for more "official" quality levels and I think it's past due time for some to be made. No time line yet, but I'm hoping to get a new pak together soon for all your CTF fanatics out there.
Zoid also pasted me an email that I sent him 2 years ago after having checked out CTF myself for the first time on his Canadian server from my 28.8 way down in Florida:
hey man, I finally got a chance to play on yur server the other night, that is totally kickass! i had so much damn fun i hardly gave a shit about my 400ms ping! .... seriously, that just RULES.
Yea, I know what you are thinking, "Damn Steve, you were born with those grammar skills?"
TombRaider 3 [6:15am]
The game that I wont be buying because Laura's
breastages have been shrunk, AVault has posted
a new preview for those of you who actually play Tomb Raider for the gameplay.
Lara starts out in a small room in a detention center, and must escape. The room is bathed in red and purple hues; when she steps onto a ledge to grab some health, the door to her cell opens, an alarm sounds, and the entire scene is filled with pulsing, spinning lights. Another much-appreciated cosmetic enhancement is the addition of triangular shapes in the map editor, something that is quite subtle, but enables the construction of more elaborate, detailed rooms, such as this missile chamber.
MessageBoard [6:15am]
Good news! Sander has been hard at work hax0ring away
on a new version of the messageboard that you guys will love. Here is a test version of the Quake3 Board
for you guys to play with. You can also get to the boards through a standard news reader
client at news://news.3dchat.net as well. Hopefully
Sander can have things all set to run some time next week.
SHOGO Demo [12:45am]
Saw on Red's
page this bit of news: The Shogo: Mobile Armor Division Demo has been released. Check http://www.planetshogo.com/demo for more info.
(40 megs)
werd
I guess I'll mention it again for you guys who
already forgot or missed it, the weekly sections will resume next week and stuff. I'll
also be making a minor change to the lineup. :)
| Thursday, October 1 |
Delta Force [4:15pm]
NovaLogic's Delta Force demo has been released, you can snag a
copy of it over at AVault. Here's a short description.
Delta Force is an exciting new 1st/3rd person action sim game featuring expansive real world outdoor environments. Tackle more than 40 single-player/cooperative missions, employing authentic special forces weaponry with accurate ballistics, such as the M40A1 Sniper Rifle, the M249 SAW and the Barret Light .50 caliber. Missons are patterned after actual events and include military simulation features, making Delta Force an authentic combat experience. Play in single-player mode or choose one of four different combat modes on NovaWorld.
More Views [4:15pm]
More Tech Etc [4:15pm]
Drakan [6:45acm]
A 3rd person action adventure game that I have been stoked about since checking it out at
E3 and being blown away, Check out the Next-Gen preview of
Drakan complete with some video footage. You can also check out these RealVideo
formats of Drakan footage
over at 3DN.
Given the high level of detail in the environments and character animations, the game will require some form of 3D acceleration. Users of 3Dfx Voodoo cards will gain some extra special features courtesy of Glide, and Voodoo 2 users will gain even more with enhanced multi-texturing support.
Heretic2 [6:45am]
The Heretic2 page has been updated again
with more information on the development over there at Raven as well as a couple of more
screenshots for you to take a gander at while you are at it.
Anachronox [6:45am]
Keep checking out the Ion Storm Website, they have posted part 3 now of
their ongoing flow of information about Anachronox from the mind of Tom Hall.s
Descent3 Date [6:45am]
The Descent Bulletin Board was
updated with word from Jason Leighton of the Descent3 development team on word of the
upcoming release of Descent3. -Deep Space.
We're working on a demo, and it will be out before Christmas. It will contain 1 single player and 1 multiplayer level. The full version will follow within 2 months afterwards
New NT4 SP4 [6:45am]
From BetaNews.com:
Get it while its hot, Microsoft has released a new version of SP4. No password protection!
Download below: Go to ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/sql/xfer
and download SP4I386.exe (Dated 9/28/98) BTW, this service pack is apparently a 40bit
version that most people who are running 128bit would probably not want to install. The
128bit version will probably be out next week.
3dfx & "Stickering Issue" [6:45am]
There has been quite a bit of controvery recently, wherein 3Dfx was accused of
"secretly" setting up deals to label Direct3D games as "3Dfx Required"
in EB and Babbages stores. Amer over at Sharkyextreme
called 3Dfx up, and they essentially denied the entire thing. That kind of mislabeling
really would hurt them... in 3Dfx's own words, "The value of our products and
brand stands on its own merit."
Views [3:15pm]
Tech Etc [3:15pm]
werd
Sup? Bask in the glory that is the wisdom of Jack Mathews.
3dfx superstar, and according to PC Games magazine, the inventor of Glide! :)
| Wednesday, September 30 |
Raven's Project X [4:25pm]
Seen a couple of mentions of this "secret project" over the past month, but now
Rick Johnson feels its time to let the
cat out of the bag. Raven Software will be doing a Star Trek universe game.
Mitch Lasky has his work cut out for him. He and the 80 or so staffers of the studio operations and the 50 or so staffers at Activision's Madison, Wisconsin, location (otherwise known as Raven Software) will get game making under way ASAP. The first title to come out of the new agreement will be a PC title based on the upcoming Paramount holiday release, Star Trek: Insurrection.
Here is the GameSpot article mentioning the acquisition of Star Trek licensing.
Heretic2 Demo October [4:25pm]
Jake Simpson, Raven programmer, updated his plan
regarding the Heretic II demo.
Heretic II Demo. The week of Oct 18th I believe. I'd just like to take this opportunity to point out to the gaming fraternity in general that the important bit of that sentence is "THE WEEK OF". This demo - which I might point out I'm responsible for, on the programming side, Pat Lipo has enough to do getting the product ready to ship without worrying about the Demo too - will be released that week when we satisfied it is honed as much as can be. That does not guarantee it will be available on the 18th.. just sometime in the week following. Now we are busting our butts to make sure this *is* done for the 18th, but with the nature of testing and nasty insidious bugs cropping up, I'm sure everyone out there involved in games in virtually any capacity will recognise the need for this disclaimer.
On the other hand, stuff is shaping up nicely here. We are getting regular bug reports from the testers at Activision, which we are assidiously tracking down. Death match is getting more fun (oops.. more of that aggrandisment there.. gotta watch that :)), as well as tighter. Client prediction is getting tested more rigorously, as is single game play. We ran into some problems with the A3D sound stuff, but according to Aureal, these will be dealt with on the next code drop from them.
Heavy Gear2 Demo Nov. 2 [4:25pm]
Activision has announced that November 2nd is the launch-date for the demo of Heavy Gear
II. The demo will feature one specially crafted single-player mission that will not be
included in the final game. Players will also be able to pilot their Gears for the first
time in true zero-G space combat, as well as a dense swamp environment in the demo’s
two multiplayer missions.
Trespasser Soon [4:25pm]
Blue says it best:
" In the new edition of loonygames'
Beaker's Bent, Rich "Beaker" Wyckoff, game designer at DreamWorks Interactive, says that Trespasser,
their upcoming Dinosaur shooter (sorta), is almost done. Here's the short, but intriguing
quote from Beaker:
"We're 1.5 weeks away from the near-certain release of Trespasser"
Demo Analyzer [4:25pm]
Check out the ID Demo Analyzer
which I've seen a number of people yapping about recently as being "totally
cool" and producing some really interesting stats. It works with Quake1, QuakeWorld,
and Quake2 demos.
Anachronox [4:25pm]
The Ion Storm page is posting more stuff on Anacrhonox every day as
promised.
Today’s installment of the Anachronox Primer focuses on three of the game’s main characters: Sylvester "Sly" Boots, Stiletto Anyway, and Paco "El Puņo" Estrella..
Views [3:15pm]
Tech Etc [3:15pm]
werd
It's not a tumah. Taking a 1 week break from the weekly sections due to it feeling more
like a chore than something I actually enjoy. More bang for your buck next week!
| Monday, September 28 |
KingPin [6:2s5pm]
More from Computer Games Online... now they've posted a preview
of Interplay's upcoming 3D action game, Kingpin.
Kingpin is a Quake II-based 3D action game set in the near-future. The game is episodic in nature, with a modern grungy noir style, and it includes a lot of features not seen in previous 3D shooters, such as the ability to climb chain-link fences (like in Sin) and walls. Shown behind closed doors at the 1998 ECTS show in London, it will likely get Congressmen's panties in a bunch with its attempts to convey the gangsta lingo and lifestyle, replete with the language, violence and throbbing beat of the street.
3D Cards [6:25pm]
A couple more 2D/3D cards for you guys to play with
are now available. The boys over at Quantum3D have announced their Voodoo Banshee based
card today. You can read the full press release here. Also, Today is the
official release day for the Canopus Spectra TNT card that has been previewed so many
times. Check out this
preview on Purified3D
Anachronox [3:15pm]
Saw this on Red's
page: There is a weeklong look going on for Anachronox on the Ion Storm web page. They will look at the story,
characters, and worlds. Today's look is an overview of the game.
FRAG2 [3:15pm]
The location for FRAG2 has been announced. Since all
those hax0rs out there can cheat their butts off with Q2 now thanks to those Wicked3D
drivers, LAN is the only way to go yes? You play real good Quake2 1on1, you win $5000
cash. Cool yes?
The FRAG 2 event will take place at the Hyatt Regency Dallas on Friday October 30th commencing at 2PM and ending Sunday November 1st. The Hyatt Regency is a four-star hotel in downtown Dallas. Guest rooms are normally $165 a night, but for The FRAG 2 event rooms will be only $89 a night
More Unreal Patch [3:15pm]
Tim Sweeney has made a follow up post after the
release of the Unreal patch yesterday to answer some of the more common questions that
people have run into after installation.
Some people using the software renderer in fullscreen are reporting a crash in the flyby (intro) level when they first press ESC to bring up the menu. A temporary workaround is to set "Advanced Options / Display / SlowVideoBuffering" to True. Can I have a few volunteers who experienced the bug help track this down? All you need to do is backup your Engine.dll file, download this Engine.dll file, place it in your \Unreal\System directory, and crash Unreal. Then, email (1) your Unreal.log file and (2) a note saying what resolution you were running in and what color depth your desktop uses (16-bit, 24-bit, or 32-bit) to: unreal213@epicgames.com. Once you've done that, restore your original Engine.dll -- the one posted here is for debugging only and it's sloooow.
Also, Apache at Planet Unreal has posted his impressions of the Unreal 2.16 multiplayer patch that was released earlier today. Here are the hilights:
Good: Improved multi-player support, faster loading times, MS mouse wheel finally works, other added hardware support, gamespy doesn't crash.
Bad: Latest Voodoo2 dual TMU patch didn't make the grade, Direct 3D drivers didn't make it into the patch and the co-op play issue was not addressed.
Ugly: The frozen statues of players long dead or gone still haunt multi-play. Ice skating player models. Not enough servers listed on gamespy! Get busy all you server admins!!!
SIN FAQ [3:15pm]
To follow up the demo patch release a couple of days ago the SIN FAQ has been updated with a few
more answers to your frequently asked questions. They even include the questions to make
it easier. :)
Views [3:15pm]
Looking Glass Studios, a leading entertainment software developer, today launched a redesigned Web site for Thief: The Dark Project located at http://www.lglass.com/thief. The revamped site will serve as the official source for information about Thief and keep fans abreast of the latest game news and development details. The eagerly-anticipated Thief: The Dark Project is scheduled for a Fall 1998 release and is being published by Eidos Interactive.
Tech Etc [3:15pm]
werd
Slow day or something, ran mighty late today. (overslept!) I was a bit overly bitter
earlier with my suckage so I'm revamping it a bit and will repost it after shower/food.
Hey Shanaynay, THANKS!
| Sunday, September 27 |
Unreal Patch [3:15pm]
Got word that a new Unreal patch (version 216) is out with quite a few fixes and new
features. Read all the details here.
You can download it right here
or here.
Known issues
- When connecting to a network game through the "Join Game" menu, you absolutely need to select your connection speed, either "Lan", "28K Internet", or "56K internet". If you don't select your speed, you will probably experience erratic performance.
- While this version should improve Internet play, we have more work to do in this area before it's perfect...there will be several more patches.
- This patch is missing the latest 3dfx Voodoo2 dual TMU support. There are some bugs that need to be worked out there.
Hardware support
- Kickass Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live support
- Latest Unreal OpenGL support
- More AMD K6-2 / 3DNow! optimizations
- Intellimouse support on Win95
Networking
- Improved play on low-bandwidth connections (still not the ultimate, but it's a step in the right direction).
- Better, faster GameSpy support.
General
- Shaved a couple megs off the memory usage
- Further improved the loading time
- If Unreal is already running in the background, clicking on a web browser link now redirects the existing copy of Unreal rather than launching a new one
Bug fixes: Server memory leak when switching levels, sporadic dynamic lighting crash, sporadic file loading crash on low-memory machines.
werd
Had to watch my team beat up on Dallas a bit. Sunday = relax and stuff. I think I've got a
copy of Unreal somewhere around here, hopefully I can tell you guys how the patch works
out.
| 3DNews.net | Last Weeks News | copyright Steve Gibson 1998 |
