News from the 'Net From our roving reporter, Alex van Kaam @~Hi, 'tis me again and for this issue we have: >>> LOL III news >>> Myth 2 Update list >>> Quick look at Myth 2 >>> M&M VI Help >>> EverQuest Preview >>> Lord British homepage >>> Might and Magic VII News >>> The Awakening Project, 100+ Questions & Answers!! >>> Interview with John Romero's Mother >>> Baldur's Gate >>> Blade - Soon To Be Released 3D Action RPG >>> EverQuest Beta Tester: >>> Revenant >>> Dungeon Keeper 2 preview >>> Carmageddon 2 Info >>> Thief The Dark Project Preview @~So let's get started............. >>>LOL III news @~Gamecenter has some info about the upcoming Lands of Lore III, @~let's just hope it is better than Lands of Lore II... although @~the story line is again focused on personal matters, unlike the @~great Lands of Lore I where it was more a quest for the benefit @~of the land then yourself.... well that's my opinion anyways, @~have a good read at: http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,1956,00.html?st.gc.fd.tn.gn >>> Myth 2 Update list @~The Myth 2 Update list has been updated , this is a part of it: 3D fire. Tons of players requested 3D particle-based fire in Myth II, and they're going to get it. Archers now have the special ability to shoot a flaming arrow. The flames spread over different terrain types at different rates, and units are smart enough to run from the fire when it spreads close to them, and they do not try to find paths through the fire. Flaming arrows are great for holding off an oncoming enemy or setting off explosives from afar. Magic. Myth II will feature new magic units. Spell-casting units display a blue spell point bar above their character, and the various spells cost differing amounts of spell points. So far, we've got spells which create a guided explosive fireball, summon a 3D poisonous cloud, and confuse a nearby target unit. More ideas for spells are in the works. For the complete list take a look at http://www.bungie.com/mythII/Tech_Improvements.html >>> Quick look at Myth 2 @~Staying with Myth, GameSpot has has posted a quick look-see at @~Bungie's upcoming Myth 2: The game engine supports four times as much terrain detail as the first, which helps in clearing up a lot of problems involving unit pathing, control, and formation setting. Colored lighting, 3D fire that interacts with the terrain, and animated 3D models are just a few of the impressive improvements. Even indoor environments are being modeled this time, so that simulating a defense of a fortress becomes a new challenge for players. And if you just aren't excited enough, consider that Myth II will support CD-quality context-sensitive music as well as true 3D surround sound. You can read the whole article at http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_07/24_mythtwo/index.html >>> M&M VI Help @~On Games.net there now is a walkthrough for Might and Magic VI for @~those of you that might need a bit of help, if this is the case @~then go check it out at: http://www.games.net/pcgames/articles/0,1034,3103,00.html >>> EverQuest Preview @~EverQuest, the next big Online RPG from Sony has a preview at: @~http://www.exscape.com/articles/eq_preview.html @~For those of you who don't have internet access here is a bit @~from the page: Dark times are falling over the land of Britannia. Word is spreading from Minoc all the way through Britain to the walls of Trinsic that a new type of world is forming, and it's not a shard from the crystal the Avatar shattered. It's a whole new world with new creatures and enemies that Britannian NPCs will never be able to see. Fortunately, you're no NPC and the times for you aren't going to be dark. Instead, they're going to be more of a pretty, 3Dish glow. The glow that shines from Everquest into the land of Norrath. The first time I heard what Ultima Online was going to be about, I was filled with a giddy, almost crazy, feeling inside me. During the time before it was announced I had been wishing for an online-only game where hundreds of people could interact. I played the beta and almost went insane with the server outages and bugs. Then, for some reason I can't figure out, I bought the retail version. The same problems plagued the game when it was released, and I got what I would call minimal fun out of a product I should have gotten months of enjoyment from. Suddenly, in steps Everquest, the next big online only RPG from Sony Interactive. I was extremely impressed with it the first time I saw it, and that same volcano of excitement began to erupt in my body. I searched the 'net for any Everquest info I could find, and I found out that the game looks to be shaping into something destined for greatness. (Of course, how many games look bad in the world of hype?) As I mentioned, and as you probably already know, Everquest takes place in beautiful 3D world set in a medieval fantasy land. Unfortunately, along with its pretty 3D graphics and special effects come some hefty hardware requirements. You're going to need some type of 3d card that the game will support, preferably a Voodoo or a Voodoo II based card. Sony was originally planning to run the game at 640X480, but so far, some 800X600 and 1024X768 screenshots have been released (the screenshots we obtained are 800X600). The engine will also be able to create wind, rain, and fog that will each affect gameplay accordingly while tugging on system resources. You'll also have the ability to go underwater in certain zones, bringing a whole new world to the online RPG, but hopefully not one that is as sluggish as the virtual Britannia. The servers are supposed to support from 1000 to 1500 people at a time. I'm a bit skeptical as to whether it can hold that many people at one time, but alas, only time will tell. Gamers will be able to create 8 characters on a server, and, thankfully, will be allowed to move characters from one server to another. I can't explain what it was like in Ultima Online when you wanted to use a character that was on another server....ugh. This may have a price though, as it's rumored that you can only move your character, not your equipment, to different servers. Any game that supports this many people needs to have an extremely large world for them to interact in. As of right now, Sony estimates players will take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours to walk across the land, experience 6 to 12 major cities, and be able to visit over 20 adventure zones. Everyone starting a new character will be forced to begin on the same hemisphere, leaving a huge window of opportunity to gamers who like to explore. When players advance and earn some cash, they'll be able to buy boats to explore the land, or if they're skilled enough they can teleport to cut down on travel time. I'm certain that exploration will play a key role in the success of Everquest. What's more fun than finding new islands, full of monsters, ruins, temples, and treasure? The best part is that the world of EverQuest will be ever-changing. The administrators may add new islands, buildings, landscapes or whatever else they see fit. Ultima Online fell short very badly in this category, but Everquest may be able to deliver a less frustrating experience. Above everything else, a game this expansive has to have a good variety of characters. Everquest should come through here with an exciting amount of possibilities. There will be 12 character classes: Barbarian, Dark Elf, Dwarf, Erudite, Gnome, Half-Elf, Halfling, High Elf, Human, Ogre, Troll, and Wood Elf. Also expect to see 14 archetypes: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Enchanter, Magician, Monk, Necromancer, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Shadow Knight, Shaman, Warrior, and Wizard. (Did I mention that Sony is planning to add more after the initial release?) Along with the character classes comes the ability to make hybrid characters such as a Paladin (warrior-cleric) and Shadow Knights (warrior-necromancer) as well as any number of other combinations. Certain classes will only be available to specific races, but that's a detail Sony has has yet to work out. If the Everquest team can pull together all that they've been talking about, this could be one of the greatest games ever. A few things worry me though. I've played Ultima Online for quite some time, and while currently the lag is minimal, it's still there. Even after all the patches, server fixes, and the number of people who I'm sure have quit playing, it still lags. I'm wondering how the servers will actually handle all those people and how much the 3D engine will affect the lag. Besides that, the balancing act alone of a game this caliber is immense. Creating a working economy and skill ratings that everyone can agree on is tough at best. I'm hoping that Everquest will shape up into something every gamer can enjoy, and with the potential it has right now it just might do that. @~Sounds huge to me :-) >>> Lord British homepage @~Lord British has updated his Ultima Ascension page at: http://ultimaascension.com/main.html Ultima: Ascension will be Immersive Detailed, high polygon count rich world - 3D hardware favored All objects Full 3D, no "sunflowering bitmaps" Truly seamless virtual world, not levels Variable multiple point and moving light sources Free moving 6 degree of movement camera in 3rd person perspective, 1st an option Camera zoom in for animated conversations, out for ship and horse travel Detailed physics system - falling items, angular momentum, floating, sinking 640x480 16 bit color or 8 bit Full Dolby 3D surround Reactive realistic physical environment wind swings hanging objects which react with sound effects translucent waves lap up onto the beach Water wheels turn gear works as do wind mills, etc. Doors swing open and drawers slide out. Day & Night Wind, Rain, Fog and Snow Player created items from raw goods - bread, cloth, potions Full Speech for all characters >>> Might and Magic VII news @~Gamecenter has slapped up another news feature on Might and Magic @~VII at http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,1983,00.html @~Here is a bit of info from the page: Might and Magic fans, rejoice! If playing New World Computing's Might and Magic VI made you ache for more, then Gamecenter's got the cure: an exclusive interview with Keith Francart, director of Might and Magic VII, with oodles of details about the upcoming game. Read on... Gamecenter: Will the story of Might and Magic VII (MMVII) follow directly after MMVI or Heroes of Might and Magic III? My impression is that the two games are intermingled, even though the Might and Magic series is role playing and the Heroes series is turn-based strategy. Keith Francart: The story line follows both MMVI and Heroes III, since in MMVI Queen Catherine had left for Erathia and King Roland was missing. In Heroes III it is Queen Catherine you see battling for Erathia. GC: What is the story in MMVII? K. F.: After winning a competition you have been awarded a small castle and fiefdom on the continent of Erathia. You probably weren't told, however, that there is a war going on there--and that the war is all about the piece of land which you now own. In MMVII the player will find out what happened to Archibald, King Roland, and Queen Catherine. You can choose to play on the side of good and restore the kingdom, or delve into the side of evil and rule the place yourself. Get ready to be hooked all over again! GC: Will the game have any new character classes, races, skills, spells? K. F.: We are adding three new classes: Ranger, Ninja, and Thief. We're also adding three new races: Elf, Dwarf, and Half-Orc. Finally, we're adding a new Grand Master level to skills as well as reworking the skills so they work better for your choice of class and character. Spells are being reworked. The good ones will stay, the bad ones are being replaced. GC: Will the character interface and perspective be the same? K. F.: The character interface and perspective will be the same--we're staying with the first person and four characters. We are working on making the extra NPCs (nonplayer characters) you can have with you worth more to your party this time around. GC: What strengths will you bring from MMVI? Which weaknesses will you improve? K. F.: The game's strengths will include: additional skills and removal of the "useless skills"; additional mastery level--Grand Master--with a reason for becoming one; players having the choice to play on the side of good or evil (and it really makes a difference in the game world); hundreds of hand-tuned mini quests; and the introduction of multidimensional quests. Also, MMVI did have weaknesses that are being shored up in MMVII--yes, we really do listen [to suggestions from players]. MMVII will have: multiple races, including Human, Dwarf, Elf, and Half-Orc; more effective spells and more skills to use with them; monster vs. monster battles; enhanced playability by allowing movement during any turn-based operation such as combat; reprogrammable keyboard; and hardware 3D support. GC: How far along is production? Any estimate on the game's release date? K. F.: We've been working on this since MMVI shipped. MMVII is scheduled to ship March 1999. GC: Is there anything else you think Might and Magic fans should know? K. F. I think that it is very important for the fans to know that MMVII will keep the same overall design look and attention to gameplay detail as other Might and Magic series games, because Jon Van Caneghem, the original creator of the series, is still our creative director. >>> The Awakening Project, 100+ Questions & Answers!! @~GGames at http://www.gagames.com/news/features/ap1.html has a 100 @~Q&A on the Awakening, here is just some general info, I doubt Sue @~will let me put all 100 Q&A in here The Awakening Project is an Online RPG in a Medieval Persistent World. It will be fully 3D and support all the latest graphics accelerators and emerging technology. Based on DT Computers still secret "Freedom Engine," it will allow players unheard of freedom in manipulating the world. Houses, Trees, People, all will be dynamic and change, and players will also be able to affect them all. The world of the Awakening Project (27,000x27,000 miles) will be for the most part unsettled, and it will be up to players to colonize it and slowly build a civilization in its wild and untamed lands (and seas). >>> Interview with John Romero's Mother @~Well I dunno, I stopped reading after question 3, very boring but @~for you Quake/ID/Romero fans this is probably wonderful http://www.gagames.com/news/cpl/virginia.html >>> Baldur's Gate @~The Vault Network has tossed up a status report of how Baldur's @~Gate is coming along at: http://www.vaultnetwork.com/#1256 >>> Blade - Soon To Be Released 3D Action RPG @~Rebel Act Studios is currently developing a very good looking 3D @~Action RPG, by the name of Blade. The game has been in development @~for over 2 years now, but is expected to release any month now. Levels: Blade takes you through more than 15 different environments. From ruins to defiles, tombs, cities of Dwarves, castles full of monsters, temples ... even an ice-covered palace. In each level you will find enemies with distinct characteristics. As you progress in the adventure the inhabitants of each level become more and more dangerous. The levels are HUGE - much larger than any other game until now. Going through them requires facing hours and hours of constant challenges. Their aim is for the game to captivate you visually, too. A big team of design professionals have been working for more than a year to create the best levels for the program. Characters: In Blade you can choose from four different characters. Each one has distinct abilities and will also experience a different adventure. Do you want to be a brave Amazon? Maybe a valiant Knight or a strong Dwarf? Or would you prefer a mighty Barbarian? Each one can wield a different set of weapons, so every time you choose one you'll have to learn new possibilities for hand-to-hand combat, new strategies for facing the enemy. Monsters Monsters of all kinds inhabit the numerous levels you will encounter and they are thirsting for your blood! They have different sizes, with the largest one being 90 feet long and made up of about 2500 polygons! While you fight you will see your opponents' wounds and can even cut off their arms or legs! ... although sometimes they don't have any arms or legs - like the Hydra, who can eat you up in a single bite. Other creatures you will find are Minotaurs - who attack suddenly - and the Wyvern, a 45-foot long dragon that will try to claw you from the sky. Other enemies such as the Troll and the Orc are smaller but still very dangerous. Features and Graphics: Blade will support up to 8 networked players simultaneously, by modem or by serial link. The team is also planning a special feature that will permit play through the Internet. The world of Blade is designed totally in 3D. The characters and objects are created with polygons in real 3D and include skeletal deformation systems with gouraud shadowing, texture mapping and inverse kinematics - all in real time. Characters walk, run, jump, swim, dive, crawl and fly. There are dynamic lights, shades and shadows, mobile and translucent lights, specular lights - all of it in real time. Real-time fire and water effects, reflection maps and fogging effects. It uses Q-Sound technology 3D Positional Stereo sound. The game will support any screen resolution, starting from 320x200 pixels with 16-bit color depth up to 1024x768 pixels. Blade will also support special hardware such as the 3Dfx, Power VR, 3D Blaster Card, MGA Matrox acceleration, I-Glasses and MMX. Check out the Blade website for more information and screenshots at http://www.rebelact.com/blade/en_sitemap.html >>> EverQuest Beta Tester: @~Over at http://eqx.simplenet.com/Issue33/beta.htm you can read the @~Confessions of an EverQuest Phase .5 Beta Tester @~It's a good read and I would have like to include it here but it @~is probably too big, so here is just a small part of it: ...FIRST ADVENTURE After finally locating the front gates of Qeynos, I received another "tell" from someone named Aramith. Hmmm, "Aramith". Perhaps another incarnation of Aradune Mithara? I think so. He asked if I was "coming with them" this evening. I had no idea where "we" might be going, nonetheless I jumped at the chance. As it turned out, their group was not in need of a Wizard (and certainly not a newbie Wizard) and he suggested that I create a rogue. It was then that Taedar was born. A dwarven rogue of somewhat dubious nature. After the birth of my rogue, Aramith transferred me to an area known as the commonlands. As it turned out, we would be exploring a dungeon by the name of Befallen. As I appeared, and the graphics filled in around me, I was greeted with the message, "You are now level 13". Whoa, let's rock and role! They explained to me that the dungeon we were visiting was definitely not a newbie dungeon, and I was elevated to a level that would hopefully help me survive and contribute to the group. They provided me with the equipment that someone of this level would probably be able to achieve with hard work, a full set of leather armor. It turns out that we were still a good distance away from the dungeon, and we had to run for a bit. There were six people in our group that night, all of levels 13-15. We entered the dungeon with a vengeance, intent on making the Befallen pay for their misdeeds. The fights were fast and fierce. Violent spells flung from Ozymandius' fingertips, while Lagniappe and Gunthar hung back to heal and care for the injured warriors. Aramith, Tudor, and I rushed in in a poorly organized flanking manoeuvre and surrounded the Undead as the entered the main foyer. Aramith, the strongest of our group, met the creatures while Tudor protected our spell casters and I moved in behind for the deadly backstab. We were victorious in the short run but quickly found ourselves surrounded by fast moving skeletons, zombies, and mummies. We all died that night, some of us several times, the Befallen had won. We took our broken bodies home, and called it a night. The adventure, overall, was beyond intense. It was very easy to get lost in the moment and develop a blood lust. Sounds that are not in the game were easily imagined as members of our party screamed with pain at the swords, axes, and fists tearing into their bodies. We spent close to 4 hours there that night, and I'm now told that we probably explored less than 25 percent of the dungeon. As we made idle chatter while filling out our bug reports for the evening, something became obvious to me. These people I was with began in the beta some three weeks before me, and they still showed all the excitement of a newbie. WORLD SIZE There has been much to-do on the boards on the concept of zones and world size. Let me begin by saying that Norrath is, well, HUGE. After well over 180 hours of testing, even considering on many occasions I was transported to a given zone by a GM for testing purposes, I've visited at most 18 zones aside from the cities. Of those 18 zones, I know ONE like the back of my hand, many I've only visited once because I haven't been able to find them again, and the rest I frequently get lost in. A straight RUN from the docks of Qeynos to the docks of Freeport would take over three hours in my estimation. That is only if you can avoid being attacked and killed along the way. You see, I have to estimate, because I've never survived the entire trip, even as a 13th level rogue. I have, however, run from Freeport to the middle of the continent, died, only to return from Qeynos to retrieve my corpse. Perhaps I should find someone to travel with, eh? And keep in mind, the main continent is longer than it is wide. The zones themselves are huge. There is one where I'm sure you could put several hundred evenly spaced people in it and have them not be able to see each other. >>> Revenant http://www.eidosinteractive.com/revenant/index.html Revenant is the new Dark Fantasy RPG and Adventure that will immerse you in a new visually stunning and changing environment. Interact with over 40 characters as you choose from a wide variety of weapons, spells, armor and magical items and battle hand to hand in the 3D fighting tradition. Revenant combines the realism and excitement of an adventure with the exploration, character development, and gaming longevity of an RPG, making it the truly breakthrough product of the RPG genre! FEATURES Real-time 3D polygonal characters with motion captured animations provide unparalleled realistic combat. SVGA graphics with 65,000 colors. Day and night cycles plus special animated lighting effects. Developed using Direct 3D - compatible with nearly every 3D accelerator on the market. Spectacular environments where gamers are free to explore following the non-linear storyline, hacking a few monsters along the way. Fantasy artwork developed with the help of Canadian artist, Den Beauvais, a premier fantasy and science fiction illustrator. All original music created exclusively for Revenant by Ronie Moorings of the European band, Xymox. Multiplayer for up to 4 players on modem, lan and Mplayer.com. >>> Dungeon Keeper 2 preview http://www.vup3d.com/previews/dk2preview.html >>> Carmageddon 2 Info More action packed missions to conquer! Smooth as you like - 3D card enhanced - new improved slick graphics New cars which crumple, break up and split in two and with windscreens which smash up Fully smashable environments with glass windows and small buildings to drive though Bumpers break and swing from the car, doors fly open (new opportunities for culling!) Drone cars which obey the normal rules of the road Intelligent polygonal pedestrians and aliens - run away, beg for mercy, commit suicide, limbs come off Greater variety of pedestrians Fantastic effects, particles, blood spraying, dirt etc. New secret bonus areas New and improved frame rate and resolution Support: out of box support for 3DFx and complete Microsoft D3D support Windows '95/'98 P166 Software P133 Accelerated version (3Dfx Glide with D3D) 32MB RAM Quad speed or higher CD-ROM Sound Blaster compatible Sound Card @~Rumours go it also has 3D sound and Force Feedback support, this @~will be the 1st game I know of that I can use all my 3D stuff and @~FF joystick at once :-))) >>> Thief The Dark Project Preview @~A small preview of this game by Looking Glass is available at http://www.pcfan.com/pcfan/previews/thief.html - o -