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.Finger Blurbs...
by mayhemm @ [02:16 PM] February 28 2001
Graeme Devine updated his .plan file today with some comments and another build for Macs for Quake3 (if ur into that:/) Here's a little of what he had to say: Given the beta hardware, daily builds of OS X, hourly patch dumps for the GF3
OpenGL driver, and content/code changes from id, the keynote build ran
exceptionally well. We did not have time to completely optimize for PPC or OS
X, as I understand more and more about PPC and Altivec programming, I'm seeing
more and more opportunities.
by mayhemm @ [02:09 PM] February 28 2001
Although mentioned previously, it's now official. Alliance 2.4 CTF/DM mod
for Q3A will be on the cover cd of the May issue of PC Gamer. The issue
should be in stores on April 10th.
If you just can't wait to get Alliance, head to the Alliance site
and start downloading the 134 MB of pure Q3 goodness
by mayhemm @ [08:35 AM] February 28 2001
Fatferret is sending out a beta-tester call-up to anyone who is interested in hosting or playing their Q3AMod Eternal Champion, which has just successfully passed the alpha test stage.
What is Eternal Champion you may ask? Well, pretty good question:
Eternal Champion is a PERSISTENT stat mod with kill stats, rankings (much
like battle.net calculates them), and player/weapon kill tracking. This,
however, is only the icing. In Eternal Champion, players gain points to buy
skills on the fatferret web site. These skills will increase speed, damage,
jumping velocity, and grant weapons and special abilities as well as mana skills
that can enhance your character temporarily. These skills are persistent across
any Eternal Champion server and you can log in to any server, any time, and the
central data server will deliver your character stats to the game server upon
login. Complete handicapping exists to discourage trolling newbies.
Read the "Rest of the Story" or sign up for their beta program here.
Pure CTF Released
by mayhemm @ [11:26 AM] February 28 2001
Hmmmm. I don't know how we missed it, but there ia a new mod in town. It's called PureCTF, developed by Kilderean of PureCTF. Here's a little blurb:
- On-Hand grappling hook with a setting for 2 hooking
speeds
- The 4 classic runes from the previous Quake games
- Strength Rune ( x2 damage )
Combine it with Quad Power-up for a whopping x6 damage for 30 seconds
- Regeneration Rune ( 150 health, 125 armor )
Combine it with Regeneration Power-up to heal your team mates for 30 seconds
- Haste Rune ( x1.3 weapon speed )
Combine it with Haste Power-up for more than fast movement, reload speed and
incredible air control for 30 seconds
- Resistance Rune ( -50% damage )
Combine it with Battle Suit Power-up for 30 seconds of near invincibility
- RocketArena overtime for tied matches
- RocketArena CTF game mode
- Seven action packed maps
- Classic Capture The Flag scoring
- Lightning gun discharges under water and kills user and
close by players
- More features listed on readme
There was a major bug on Monday's release, but it's been fixed already; so maybe it's a good thing we missed it. Read all about it right here.
by Jay @ [12:37 PM] February 27 2001
A new server-sided MOD has hit the scene today, and it's a Disaster. SideShow's Disaster MOD alters your fragging experience by constantly changing weapon powerups. One minute the rocket launcher fires homing missiles with an eye for your butt, and the next the plasma gun has a nasty spread fire. There's also an optional client PAK file to enhance your view of what weapons are on steroids at any given time, but it is not required to play. Head to the Disaster homepage and keep your eyes out for servers!
by mayhemm @ [10:18 AM] February 27 2001
That's right kids! Version 1.4 of Super Configurable Team Arena/Quake3 Arena has just been released. Just in case you don't WTF this little thingy is, here is a cut'n'paste to get ya up to speed: SCTA/SCQ3A is an enhancement for Q3 Team Arena and Q3 Arena servers. It enables the server admin to have MUCH more control over the server than would normally be possible. While it does add features and options, it can be configured to behave EXACTLY like a nomral Q3TA server. So if you want to use it to address bugs in ID's 1.27g code, no problem. If you want to just change how fast rockets fly on your server, no problem. If you want to seriously alter the game play, no problem.
SCTA/SCQ3A is a server side-only mod. Clients do not need anything to play on your server! So....what are you waiting for? Go and get it.
by mayhemm @ [03:02 PM] February 26 2001
Have you noticed lately, since Q3 1.27 was released, that there are still many servers out there STILL running Q3 1.17--and that alot of them are your favorite servers?? Well, JB sends some welcome news to us peeps who have resorted to dual-booting with two Q3 copies, or have written our own batch conversion files. It's a little program called 'Make it Compatible!' Here's what it does:
- - Now uses the Point Release v1.17 Speed DLLs!
- - Fully Compatible with Point Release v1.27g and even v1.27h.
- - New User Interface!
- - Backs up and restores your old files with the click of a button!
- - A version checker to tell you what version is installed.
- - An option to start Quake 3 after the change.
- - New easy self-installer.
- - Places Start icons on the desktop and in the Start Menu!
- - Option to Uninstall from Start Menu.
Grab it right here.
by mayhemm @ [02:49 PM] February 26 2001
Errr, I'll just cut'n'paste this groups press release:
Attention Quake Fans in the Seattle, Dallas and San Francisco Bay Area!
WHAT: For the first time ever, Quake fans can frag their opponents as a
3-D virtual clone of themselves.
HOW: Enter 3Q's Q-Clone Generator, where you can capture and customize a
digital 3-D image of your face. The Q-Clone Generator then adds a helmet and
body type, and burns your 3-D virtual clone to a CD. You can take your
personalized clone home and upload it into the PC-versions of Quake III
Arena, Unreal Tournament, Half-Life and Counter-Strike online version. And,
let the games begin!
HOW MUCH: $14.99
WHERE: Seattle: SuperSoftware, Tukwila
San Francisco Bay: Software Etc., San Jose
Dallas: GameStop! Plano
If you're interested, or still want to know WTF this is all about just go visit their site right here.
by mayhemm @ [02:41 PM] February 26 2001
Oswald from Silicon Ice Development sends word that they have just released new screenshots from beta2 of their Quake3Mod/TC UrbanTerror. I'll tell ya, that one shot looks pretty sweet. Check out the shot or read their progress right here.
by mayhemm @ [02:36 PM] February 26 2001
Timan Rebel sends word that Lavapool Entertainment released it's first beta of a so called 'practice' mod; q3trainer.
It's mainly designed for offline use, but it is not impossible to use it in a multiplayer game.
Some of it's feaures are: Extended Scoreboard, including per weapon damage, accuracy, hits and frags. Accuracy per weapon on HUD, customizable damage done by weapons. Futher details can be found at their site.
by awoq @ [12:26 PM] February 25 2001
Build 160 of GoingUP, a Windows based utility that helps people find hundreds of different mods and their respective web sites, has been released.
New in this release is:
- The Explorer bar uses a new tab strip to change between the mods information
and its web site. Looks very nice.
- Major code optimization, several new ways of doing things have been
implemented.
- The Auto Updater now tells you what has changed, so you have something to
read while downloading (of course, you won't see this until the next new build).
- Many small cosmetic improvements.
- Memory footprint reduced.
The new build is available as a full installation or can be auto updated. See some screenshots of this utility and grab the new release at the GoingUP website.
by mayhemm @ [11:30 AM] February 24 2001
Karnatos from Z-Axis
sends word that they have another new Quake3 map reviewed that's ready for
download. Here's a little of what they had to say about it:
The architecture on this map looks really good, 100% sci-fi. There are a lot
of interesting shapes created by the solids on this map. To me it feels like a
disused reactor converted for FFA play, the sort of story you would get with an
unreal tournament map! There are no errors with the solids on this map.
You can read the article here
and download the map here
if you just wanna get it.
by mayhemm @ [11:29 AM] February 24 2001
Alliance 2.4 ctf/dm mod for Q3A is now available on the Alliance site,
For those who already have 2.3 it's a small patch but it packs a punch. Here's
what's changed since the last version:
- - Grenade Launcher grenades are no longer "smart grenades".
- - Shredder has been removed from Instagib.
- - Grappling Enemies is now 0 by default.
- - Antispam text/audio delay is off by default.
- - New server cvar "g_spawnProtection" allows servers to define
starting health (100 or 125).
- - Player head ratio has gone from 6 to 5 to make headshots harder to get.
- - Fixed deathmatch skins bug. - Client optional spiral rail gun trail a la
Q2
Since the full version of 2.4 is 134 MB, PC Gamer is including Alliance
2.4 on the insert CD of their next issue. For those of you you who just can't
stomach the huge download, now you can join the thousands of people already
playing Alliance.
by mayhemm @ [11:35 PM] February 23 2001
Here's a link to the doom3 movies using a geforce 3. Believe me when I say it's a treat. Click here to see it. Kudos to Gamespot for providing the big movies.
by awoq @ [03:49 PM] February 23 2001
The Art of War team has posted a Public Test v1.1.0 release of their new mod.
Here's what they had to say about it:
Most of the changes are gameplay tweaks. This version has more of an emphasis on
teamwork throughout all factions. There is also more encouragement to use the classes you have
access to, and this was done by slowing down the growth rate a little. Some classes, such as the
troll, archmage, and monk, have been modified so they require support from other classes to be truly
powerful.
In other news, there is a new money object to pick up (the Gemstone) which is worth 5 gold and
spawns where items such as Quad Damage and BFGs are normally found. Since these items
cluster near the center of the level, this should encourage more battles over the gold resources, not
just the buildings. Enjoy the new Public Test!
by mayhemm @ [05:36 AM] February 22 2001
Kudos goes out to voodooextreme for posting these real nice shots of Doom3 that were displayed at the MacWorldExpo. Click here to see the shots
by mayhemm @ [05:34 AM] February 22 2001
If you don't remember our little story on 3DRealms errr--Nuking a Q3 mod team for paying homage to them, 3DActionPlanet takes a look at the bruhaha between 3DRealms and the Duke It Out in Quake Mod team and writes a pretty good editorial on how companies shouldn't take intellectual property from others and then try to enforce their IP. Here's a little snip: This isn't the first time we've seen arguments over intellectual property and 3D Realms, but the last time we saw it the roles were reversed. And it all started with some innocent dialogue. Many people know that favorite lines from the two Evil Dead movies and their sequel, Army of Darkness, appear in Duke Nukem 3D directly. But a few have raised the issue of whether or not this was itself a violation of intellectual property rights -- the same kind of violation that Broussard charges the mod team with.
Speaking of Army of Darkness, here's what Bruce Campbell had to say about the whole thing: "Well, they're rip-off artists. Let them get their own damn material. It's called hiring a writer. They're blatantly ripping it off and if I was any kind of litigious guy they would've gotten a phone call by now. It's depressing and I think it's wrong."
Read that story here.
by mayhemm @ [10:59 PM] February 21 2001
Pretty damn interesting if you ask me. I found an article on ZDNET, that stated---ahhh well, let me cut'n'paste it for you: In a surprise move, Jobs announced that the next generation of Nvidia's popular 3D accelerator processor, the GeForce 3, will be "available first on the Mac" in late March as a $600 build-to-order option for Power Mac G4 models.....Jobs was joined onstage by Nvidia Chief Scientist David Kirk, as well as Id founder John Carmack, who demonstrated a new game engine running atop the new chip. "The GeForce3 is the most exciting thing" to come Id's way in years, Carmack said All I can say is WOW, I'm going to have to wait, cuz I'm sure not gonna buy a mac!! Read the rest of the article here.
by mayhemm @ [10:47 PM] February 21 2001
Karnatos from Z-Axis sends word that they have posted a review of a new WFA map called, Elevation by Raven0us. Read all about it right here.
by mayhemm @ [05:28 PM] February 21 2001
MrBunwah from Z-Axis ends his series, "How Not To Make Single Player Maps" with his 30th, and final installment. Here's a cut'n'paste for a little taste: The short answer is: Wakka wakka wakka. While the slightly longer answer is: Seeing as how I've spent the last 29 article thingys pointing out the mistakes mappers make and generally picking holes in things, all the while laying on the sarcasm extra thick, I thought I should generally round things off. Just for a second consider what the world would be like without the amateur mappers out there who release single Player levels. Sure you've got your deathmatch and your Counterstrike with all their running around shooting people you've never met in the face, but for some of us single Player gaming is where it's at. Without these guys and gals the likes of Half Life and the Quakes would be long gone by now: Consigned to the same dusty shelf as all the other games you played through and enjoyed but had no reason to go back to once completed.
Read all of the articles here.
by mayhemm @ [05:27 PM] February 21 2001
Paul Jaquays updated his .plan with a request for anyone who wants an entry level graphics designer position or "food photography" position :/ He's actually taking applications for a friend of his who runs a magazine based out of Des Moines, Iowa. Hehe, this is, of course, not gaming related, but I thought it would be cool to help him spread this around. Click here for the full .plan file.
by mayhemm @ [05:18 PM] February 20 2001
Ian from GamespotUK sends a heads-up that EA has updated their news concerning their upcoming PS2 port of Quake3. Just in case you missed our last post on that click here to get yourself up to speed. Here's a little of what they have to say: Many of the 36 different arenas in Quake III Revolution have been designed exclusively for the PlayStation2 and, in addition to the standard modes of play such as deathmatch and capture the flag, a brand new gameplay mode going by the name of Elimination will also be incorporated. You can read the rest of the article and see the screenies for yourself here
by mayhemm @ [05:39 AM] February 20 2001
Fred Nilson, new animator for IdSoftware sits down with the Mean Arena for a little interview. Here's a little of what he had to say: Kiltron: The new intro animation for Q3: Team Arena was a very interesting logo design. I got a special meaning out of it, like as if you were portraying a message that you animating and id creating games, comes from the heart. What inspired you to create that design?
Fred: Interesting meaning.. =)Well.. I can't take the credit for designing it.. Seneca, Kenneth and I were all approached to just come up with something cool.. So we just sat around.. threw around some ideas.. and I think it was Kenneth who mentioned a (weird/techno/ghost in the shell/heart thing). We tossed around several different ideas.. but.. that one sounded the most interesting.. You can read the rest of the interview here.
by mayhemm @ [09:34 AM] February 19 2001
ORG has posted an interview with Team Mirage, the developers of the upcoming mod/TC for Quake3 called Navy Seals Quake3(NSQ3). If they ever get it released it sounds like it will be pretty kick-ass. Read about it here.
Machine Reborn Review
by mayhemm @ [09:17 AM] February 19 2001
I'm sure those peeps still playing Quake2 will be pretty happy to hear this news. Karnatos from Z-axis sends word that they have done a review of a new mission pack for Quake2, called Machine Reborn. Another thing the plot does justify well is the constantly teleporting in monsters. When this first happened I thought it would get annoying pretty quickly, but it actually adds to the tension no end. After a while you really begin to dread hearing the noise of something arriving and start fumbling for a weapon while searching for something to hide behind. It's good stuff. It also introduces a new threat to the level in the fact that you can get telefragged by something arriving fairly often if you're unlucky (just save regularly and it's fine). You can read the whole review here.
by awoq @ [05:06 AM] February 19 2001
Paul Jaquays updated his .plan with news of an update to the map pack id Software released last Thursday.
The new release fixes some clipping problems with their "An Iteration of TA Hell" map.
Here's what he had to say about it:
"The original version of An Iteration of TA Hell (hal9000_ta.bsp) included in TA_Mappak1 contained a pair of
clipping errors. These have been repaired and the map file has been updated to hal9000_b_ta.bsp. The config
scripts to run the maps have been updated to run the revised map and a revised html document has also be
included. Both files also contain a text readme file with installation instructions.
If you have previously downloaded the map pack, you only need the zip containing the map file for An Iteration
of TA Hell."
New map file and support files only (about 5.0 mb):
hal9000_b_ta.zip
Updated full map pak (includes all changes in the single map zip) (about 15.8 mb):
TA_mappak1b.zip
by mayhemm @ [07:14 PM] February 18 2001
Adonis sends happy news that the TribalCTF team has finally released the first public beta of their Q3Mod/TC of the same name. He also makes a request for anyone wanting to run a server with that mod to get in contact with them. You can read all about it here.
by awoq @ [01:35 PM] February 18 2001
Version 3.0.1 of Q_Check has been released. Q_Check is a configurable Auto Away plugin for mIRC that can detect when a user joins a game
server via GameSpy. The plugin will automatically set the user away and announce the name and ip address of the server.
New in this version is:
- Kquery Support
- New Variables - I've added two new variables for the away/playing templates. They are !gg and
!mm. The explanation is a bit long-winded, so go read about it in the History File.
- !name Bug Fix - Fixed a bug which caused Q_Check to ignore !name in the away/playing templates.
Users will, once again, be able to display the server name in their away/playing messages.
by awoq @ [10:58 AM] February 17 2001
If Corvin ever finds the time to sleep, it would seem to be a miracle to me! A new release of his Eternal Arena is now available bringing the mod to version 3.9.
New fixes/additions implemented in this ever evolving Q3A mod are:
- Force Hunted games as FFA
- Smaller icons on game loading as there's more info shown now
- Toggle to turn off the team/clan triangle
- Menu music toggle on options
- Quick gauntlet switch
- Support for Clan names
- bugfix with marks not showing
- bugfix don't draw miniscoreboard when scoreboard is displayed
- bugfix don't spawn armor in Instagib games
by awoq @ [10:50 AM] February 16 2001
Roseville has announced that version 1.1 of their single player mod for Q3A, Half Dead, has been released. The new version makes the mod compatible with the 1.27h point release.
For those of you who aren't familiar with this single player mod, here is a list of its features:
- Single Player contest in three new tiers of maps.
- New start and final maps
- Many modified bots
- A new weapon
- Four CTF maps
- Team Deathmatch maps
- New sounds, textures, graphics and music
Find out more at the Half Dead website.
by mayhemm @ [06:23 PM] February 15 2001
Those wacky guys behind Tribal CTF have updated their news page with the following announcement cut'n'pasted here for your pleasure (hmmm, and because I'm too lazy to do any real typing:)) Hi there,
We updated our site with the following news.
BETA 1.0 will be released NEXT sunday. The servers at savage couldn't be set up in the short term cause of some troubles with the transfer from servers. but we don't wanna wait any longer. The beta has been left alone long enough we need to release.
We will start updating about our new stuff after the beta is out.
If you want to run a server please mail me www.adonis@chello.nl with the ip so we can put them in the favorites list of the cfg file in that way people could hop on a server right after they've downloaded the beta. I will also send an url where the beta can be download previous to public release. Right now we ONLY have ONE server running more would be more than welcome. You can visit their site right here.
by mayhemm @ [09:42 AM] February 15 2001
The Art of War Team has just released the first public test of their Quake3 mod of the same name. The Art of War is a nod to the works of Sun Tzu, the legendary ancient chinese battle tactician. Here's a bit from Art of War's FAQ: "Art of War" is an exciting new teamplay mod. Teams create different buildings which unlock new, more powerful classes for that team. You win the game by destroying enemy buildings. By design, "Art of War" supports every popular teamplay strategy because of how classes are divided into factions. One faction emphasises strategy (through a strong defense and covert offense). Another faction emphasises tactics (through coordinated offense and defense). The third faction emphasises combat skills (with aggressive attackers). If you're interested in finding out more about this mod, click here.
by Jay @ [12:28 AM] February 15 2001
A new build the server sided MOD is available (for Linux only) from QMass.net. The QMass MOD adds QuakeWorld style fraglogging to Quake2. It's the only fraglogging modification built on Quake2 3.20, and of course the source code is available. Check it.
by mayhemm @ [11:19 PM] February 14 2001
If you have Team Arena and want some new maps, or just wanna get some new "Id Approved" maps, then we have some good news for you. Here's the announcement from Paul Jaquay's Finger update: Listen Up! Free Stuff!
id has just released a map pack containing four team-style maps approved for
use with id SoftwareRs Quake III: Team ArenaY computer game. Their creators are
some of the most talented mapmakers in the Quake community. Working together
with id designer Paul Jaquays, Quake3World Level Editing forum moderator Astro
Creep, Mr. Elusive, the bot A.I. programmer for both Quake III Arena and Quake
III: Team Arena, and Drunken Boxer, Quake3World Capture the Flag and Team Arena
forum moderator, these artisans have created some truly fine playgrounds for
Team Arena. You can grab the map pak here right now. Hopefully we'll see some mirrors up
elsewhere soon:
id
Team Arena Map Pak 1 Here is a list of maps released:
- Japanese Castles TA by Mike Sg1zm0T Burbidge (japanc_ta.bsp) .
- Schadenfreude TA by Jason SCorneliusT Gill (schad_ta.bsp) .
- Crossed Paths v.TA by Dan SDrunken BoxerT Lanicek (dbox2_ta.bsp)
- An Iteration of TA Hell by John SHAL9000T Schuch (hal9000_ta.bsp)
Although these maps have been released before, they have been changed somewhat for this map pack release. Go getem and have fun!!
by Jay @ [08:49 PM] February 14 2001
The longest surviving Quake2 TC has released their first of two public DM tests. This release is monumental, marking the near completion of years of work from the SWTC team. Any and all Quake2 fans should head to the StarWars Quake: The Call of the Force site to download the test.
by Jay @ [05:19 PM] February 14 2001
It must be worth listening to. He updated his .plan file today with a link to this .mp3 by MC Hawking. Yikes..
by mayhemm @ [08:39 AM] February 14 2001
Karnatos gives a heads-up that Stomped.com has posted #26 in their ongoing series, " How Not to Make Single Player Maps. MrBunwah talkes about many peeps pet peeve,(hehe can you say that 3 times really quickly?)Indestructable Doors. Here's a little taste of the action: It strikes me as amusing that in these days of striving for maximum realism in games, authors will still happily cover indestructible things with clearly not-in-any-way-indestructible textures. For instance, as MrGPig points out, thin doors textured with wood, or windows of glass, or sofas with that nice tartan fabric... well you get the point right? The same thing applies to crates; you get one crate that can be broken by merely looking sideways at it, and another (identical of course) crate that's immune to full on nuclear blasts. Pantaloons is what I say to that. In fact you can join me in saying pantaloons if you like. Next time you find a wooden but strangely indestructible crate or door in a level stand up on your chair and shout "Pantaloons! Pantaloons! PantaloooOOOOOoons!" Then if someone looks at you point at them and shout "And Pantaloons for you too!" It works for me anyway. Read the rest of the article here.
by mayhemm @ [11:39 PM] February 13 2001
This isn't game related, but it's Quake related. The Winners of the first annual Alternative Media Festival Awards of SHOWTIME were announced at the awards gala at MTV Studios in New York City, February 8, 2001, and guess who won? A quake clan called the IllClan put together a little movie rendered in the Quake2 engine and smacked everyone down!! I had a chance to see it, and it's pretty damn well made and funny. To see the movie, just click here, or go to their website and download the .pk2 file itself. You won't regret it.
by mayhemm @ [05:10 PM] February 13 2001
VladTheImpaler has just released "The Offering." WTF is the offering? Well, it's a Q3 Mod which has you playing for blood, not frags. Here's a cut'n'paste: Two teams... two different races fighting each
other. Once you've fragged your enemy, you have to suck his blood and bring
the blood back to your bloodthirsty god. If this sounds interesting to you, go ahead and read some more about it at their site.
by mayhemm @ [05:36 AM] February 13 2001
Oswald sends word that Silicon Development has just completed some new models for their Q3 Mod, Urban Terror. You can check out those bad boys right here.
by mayhemm @ [10:31 PM] February 12 2001
XGR.com has a short, two question and answer session with Todd Hollenshead (ID Software BIZ guy:) about their upcoming PS2 Game, Q3 Revolution. Since it is so short, I'm gonna paste the whole thing here:
Paligap:The release wasn't really specific on whether this is considered more along the lines of a game like Team Arena (an add-on) or if this is a totally new game just set in the Quake III universe?
Todd Hollenshead: It's not 100% new because Quake III fans will see some familiar levels and characters from the PC version, but it is a new game. There's a much greater emphasis on the single player game progression and it's far from all deathmatch. We've incorporated some new single player game types and some character progression and differentiation. So the new feature emphasis is actually away from team and multi-play we focused on in Team Arena and towards single play.
Are there plans to bring it to PC after the PS2 release?
The game is designed for the PS2, so we don't plan on bringing it over to
the PC at this time.
New True Combat Beta
by awoq @ [01:16 PM] February 12 2001
The True Combat team has released beta 04 of their Q3A mod. The release is available as a patch or a full download with enough mirrors to cover most of the world.
Some of the things that were fixed or are new in this release are:
- Round based game types (Survivor and Team Survivor)
- Dual gun mode
- Rotating doors
- Ladders
- New first aid system (team oriented)
- New explosion damage system (including wall reflections)
- New fire modes for weapons
- Silent Boots to walk without noise
Many more improvements were added to this version so be sure to check it out on the
True Combat site.
by mayhemm @ [11:02 PM] February 11 2001
Karnatos from Stomped sends word that yet another installment to their series, "How Not to Make Single Player Maps" has just gone live. Pretty interesting reading. Go ahead you can read it here.
by mayhemm @ [03:52 PM] February 11 2001
Just when you thought that 2.2 was the last build of Alliance comes the newest build. Here's the author's comments in their entirety:
Hot on the heals of Alliance 2.2 comes Alliance 2.3. Yes I know we said
yesterday that 2.2 was supposed to be final, but never say never.
Unfortunately, there was a big server crashing bug that needed immediate
attention. Our apologies to all those who downloaded 2.2 yesterday. You'll
need to download 2.3 today. I still think you'll find it's worth the time
though. Find out all the nasty details right here.
by awoq @ [03:53 PM] February 11 2001
Another new version of the Super Configurable Team Arena/Q3A server side only mod is available.
New in version 1.3 is:
- Now TA servers can run non-TA maps with all the TA goodies in them!
- Referee (limited rcon)
- Auto-kick bots stuck in spectator mode
- Ability to start clients with any combination of powerups, or persistent
powerups, holdables, etc
- Admin logging - administrative detail in it's own logfile
- Ability to limit what gametypes/fraglimits/timelimits/capturelimits can
be voted on!
No client software is necessary for this modification, server administrators should check it out on the SCTA/SCQ3A site.
by awoq @ [11:27 AM] February 11 2001
A new Q3Offline version has been released from ShellShock's Crater. Q3Offline is a utility that allows you to quickly and easily set up single
player Q3A games. The new 01.02.04.00 version fixes a few bugs and adds Team Arena support!
by mayhemm @ [11:32 PM] February 10 2001
John Carmack weighs in with his opinion on the NV1 in response to an article that Firingsquad posted about the NV1 and Nvidia's history on slashdot.org's messageboard. Here's a cut'n'paste: The article hints that the NV1's quadratic surfaces might have actually been a good thing, and it was held back by Microsoft's push to conformity with triangles.
Er, no.
For several years now, Nvidia has been kicking ass like no other graphics company, but lets not romanticize the early days. The NV1 sucked bad, and it would have been damaging to the development of 3D accelerators if it had gotten more widespread success. Microsoft did a good thing by standing firm against Nvidia's pressure to add quadratic surfaces to the initial version of D3D.
There is an intuitive notion that curved surfaces are "better" than triangles, because it takes lots of triangles to aproximate a curved surface.
In their most general form, they can be degenerated to perform the same functions as triangles, just at a huge waste in specification traffic.
Unfortunately, there have been a long string of products that miss the "most general form" part, and implement some form of patch surface that requires textures to be aligned with the patch isoparms. This seems to stem from a background in 2D graphics, where the natural progression from sliding sprites around goes to scaling them, then rotating them, then projecting them, then curving them.
3DO did it. Saturn did it. NV1 did it. Some people are probably working on displacement mapping schemes right now that are making the same mistake.
Without the ability to separate the texturing from the geometry, you can't clip any geometry in a general way (not even mentioning the fact that clipping a curve along anything but an isoparm will raise it's order), and you either live with texel density varying wildly and degenerating to points, or you have texture seams between every change in density. No ability to rotate a texture on a surface, project a texture across multiple surfaces, etc. You can't replace the generality if a triangle with primitives like that.
Even aside from the theoretical issues, NV1 didn't have any form of hidden surface removal, and the curve subdivision didn't stitch, frustum clip or do perspective. It was a gimmick, not a tool.
All water under the bridge now, of course. NV20 rocks. :-)
by CauTeRiZeR @ [06:00 PM] February 10 2001
We just received the news that there is a new release of Alliance 2 for Q3A. The
2.2 upgrade contains numerous bug fixes and tweaks, a brand new map, plus a
comical voice pack which should really spice things up on the servers. | |
