News from the Net

              From our reporter, Alex van Kaam

@~Hi and welcome to this issue of the news.

@~The first news today is related to last issue's news about Looking
@~Glass. It seems Thief 3 ( I just started Thief 2 and it is very
@~good!) might still see the light of day:

                          --o0o--

Thief 3 Official Press Release

This is it, the good news we have all be waiting for. Here is
official word that Thief 3 is now in production: Eidos Interactive
To Continue Critically Acclaimed Thief Franchise For The PC and
PlayStation* 2 Computer Entertainment System 'Ion Storm's Warren
Spector To Oversee Future Of Series'

SAN FRANCISCO, August 08, 2000 - Eidos Interactive, a leading
worldwide developer and publisher of interactive software
products, announced today the purchase of the immensely popular
Thief franchise. Eidos Interactive plans on continuing the series
for PC CD-ROM and the PlayStation* 2 Computer Entertainment
System.

Eidos Interactive is pleased to report that further iterations of
the Thief franchise will be developed in the Austin, Texas offices
of Ion Storm and will be led by Warren Spector, who contributed on
the original Thief: The Dark Project. Warren has also produced
other highly praised titles including System Shock, Ultima
Underworld, and most recently, Deus Ex.

Several members of the original Thief team have already signed on
with Ion Storm to continue working on the series and more
announcements are expected soon.

Warren Spector states, "With Thief, LookingGlass Studios created
an entirely new kind of game and, in so doing, changed the face of
gaming forever. We here in the Austin office are thrilled, proud
and a bit humbled at the prospect of continuing and building on
the work of the talented men and women who made Thief and Thief 2.
Several of us cut our teeth working with those folks, our design
philosophies were developed in collaboration with them and, plain
and simple, we're fans ourselves. To all the other fans out there,
we say: Rest easy. We respect the Thief tradition and we'll do
everything in our power not only to live up to everyone's
justifiably high expectations but to surpass them."

"This is great news for all fans of the Thief series," states
Eidos' Vice President of Development, Nick Earl. "Warren has
proven his game design talents time and time again. The next Thief
will undoubtedly be the greatest to date."

No release date has yet been set for the tentatively titled "Thief
3."

Eidos Interactive, Inc. is a leading developer and publisher of
interactive entertainment products for the PC, PlayStation* game
console, PlayStation* 2 computer entertainment system, Sega
Dreamcast(tm), Nintendo* Game Boy* Color. Eidos Interactive is
part of London-based Eidos plc (NASDAQ: EIDSY) with additional
offices in San Francisco, Paris, Hamburg, and Tokyo.

For more information on Eidos Interactive's product line visit
http://www.eidos.com

And there you have it! Cheers to Warren Spector and Eidos!  Come
join the celebration with your fellow taffers in TTLG's official
Thief chatroom, #thief on the starchat network (irc.starchat.net,
polaris.starchat.net, stargate.starchat.net, and others).

                          --o0o--

@~Another message I found on the web is a post by someone at Origin
@~(also mentioned in last news - LB leaving) on why they are better
@~then others:


Why Origin?

On the UWOO@egroups.com mailing list, Damocles asks what makes
Origin "better"; here's what Gaffer had to say in reply: Damocles
asks a great question here, and he quotes a weighty few paragraphs
from Myschyf. To summarize for those not reading below: "Origin
has to compete with games that have been out for years, with lots
of stuff added on - that's tough, isn't it? And how are games of
the future going to compete when the bar keeps raising, after all,
it takes millions of dollars just to make the game, never mind
having to add all the features a Live group has added over the
course of years?" Because this is a complex question that deserves
a good answer, I'm going to respond from an analytical standpoint
and not a Origin-just-R0xx0rs kinda way. It's long, though, so hit
"next" if yer bored - it's ok, we'll post more easily digestible
posts too.

In my opinion, there are two hurdles to cross to be the killer app
in the online industry. It could be argued that whoever crosses
them first may be the last to cross them - because it'll be VERY
difficult to catch up. Those hurdles are: recruiting enough
players to control a big chunk of the market, and retaining them
so that they don't jump to other games. Seems simple, neh? The
route to doing these two things in my mind involves being
interesting/fun enough to grab a big market base, and well-written
enough to be expandable into the foreseeable future. I'd take this
route in part because I'd argue that these hurdles haven't been
crossed yet - those games that are fun aren't expandable enough,
and those that are expandable aren't fun enough. The reason I'd
pick those two routes (fun and expandability) past the hurdles of
recruiting/retention? Those two barriers can be crossed by number
of other ways-

Recruiting: marketing, 3D flashiness, word of mouth from players
who enjoy your game, etc. Retention: clever pricing schemes,
perceived support of your game going forwards (i.e. do players
expect expansion packs, or do they think a game is abandoned?), GM
Events, player driven content, etc.


Despite the options (and there are more than listed) I would argue
that the tactics to take for us (the Origin team) are fun and
expandability. Why? Because fun is, while toughest to nail down in
an analysis, the one thing that as gamers we can really judge and
control. In my case, I'm a gamer, and I have a bias (which is not
always borne out by reality, sadly) that Good Games Sell, and I
like good games - I know when I play one. I can't evaluate
marketing better than the next guy, 3D flashiness is cool but
easily duplicated, word of mouth can be fickle (how many rants
have you seen about games that haven't come out? How often has
public opinion formed around nothing tangible?). Good gameplay,
though, we can recognize and attain. For retention...well, just
about all the things listed after retention are helped by
expandability. If someone else comes up with a clever idea, and
you're stuck with an unchanging system, all you can do is watch
them beat you. Expandability of your game is like the clauses in
the Constitution which allows for changes (amendments) as new
situations come up - it keeps your game from being static and
beatable in the online arena. A game which focused on something
other than expandability as its main way of keeping playable over
the years is doomed to have someone else think of something better
which they can't do in their engine.

Of course, we like winning, so we'll try and hit every strategy
above - marketing, events, cool 3D, all that. But the key ones IMO
are a fun game out of the box and expandabilty.

So, when asked "Why is Origin going to kick ass vs. all the other
games" you may not want to hear a dry, high level analysis like
the above.  Why do I think we are different/better IMO?

* Well of the stuff we've announced already (always best to hold
some back:):
* We have cool game systems that haven't been done before in a big
MMP and address lots of the issues that other MMPs didn't face
well (with skill trees, f'rinstance)
* We have lots of depth to the trees so there are tons of new
strategies to try
* We focus on non-combat things to do as well as combat (for when
you get tired of just fighting)
* We have the ability to add lots of new stuff month after month
* We have the ability to cleanly add tons of new content, skills,
spells, and systems
* We have cool combat that is fun in its own right with lots of
variation
* We have very solid AI. Tough to do that in an MMP, btw.
* We have the Ultima universe to build on and a very unique
setting
* We have a world where you can PK or NPK as you desire - be
safe while you're young, and have the same character PK
when they get bored later and more.

If you read the first bit of this, though, you'll have thought
"hmmm, fun fun fun expandability expandability fun fun fun fun" or
"recruit retain retain retain recruit/retain recruit/retain
recruit retain". And you're right (though you're very anal to have
noticed) - we try to craft every aspect of the game thinking in
those kinds of terms. If it ain't going to bring people into the
game or keep you there, why do it? If we wanted to cram in as much
as possible at start at the cost of not doing things solidly and
generally, we'd pay a price paid by many games out there. We're
doing the right thing long term by not adding 3 features but using
that time to not keep us from permanently being able to add 100.
But . we're committed to being fun out of the box, so if it isn't
fun when we want to ship, we won't ship til it IS fun. That's the
balance to get just right.  Expandability is a bit harder to have
than fun (IMO) cause it takes longer for less apparent benefit
when you ship - not everyone in the market or in your company
necessarily Gets It. Everyone gets when a game is fun (well,
hopefully). Of course, the tricky bit is that when you've take a
long while to put in expandability, you're not always then given
time to add fun stuff on top of it . we get the need for the
balance, however.

Will any game be unbeatable in the online space? It's unlikely -
in part because there is a tendency over time for games to become
less accessible by adding in all the different systems which is
part of the strategy for retention. (As an example, many MUDs add
so much stuff for their elder players that new players can't ramp
up through all the trading systems, party systems, dragon-riding,
business simulations, complex magic systems, etc. - it's just too
confusing). This tendency means you can always come up with
something simpler but expandable to get your foot in the door and
then capitalize on the new players you were able draw away from
the existing game. The industry won't have to worry about that for
a few years yet though, and I'd like to be the one they're trying
to use that strategy to beat :)

Thanks!

                          --o0o--

@~After playing EQ for a few months now (well not last week, I was
@~working on MBM5, honest !!) he might have a few valid points but I
@~do feel that it's not the graphics or engine but the game/its
@~balance/its story that will keep the real RPG freak hooked. And I
@~think balance is something that comes with updates, it's to hard
@~to get it right out of the box....


@~Talking about EQ, a new expansion pack is coming out, check out
@~http://www.zdnet.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2611264,0
@~0.html or simply read this:

More EverQuest This Winter

Sony Online reveals new details on the upcoming expansion to the
massively multiplayer RPG.

Sony Online Entertainment announced today that The Scars of
Velious, the second expansion for the extremely popular online
role-playing game, EverQuest, will be released this winter.
According to the announcement, The Scars of Velious will have
significant new gameplay elements and updated graphics. The
expansion will include Norrath's frozen continent of Velious, a
huge new land that will consist of over 16 new zones to explore,
such as frozen ice caves, ancient towers, and more. Velious will
also be home to an all new set of dangerous monsters, including
storm giants, snow gnolls, and a race of "vicious ottermen." In

addition, the Velious gameworld will offer three times the
polygons and larger textures than the existing zones in the game.

@~I definitely need to get my DE past level 20 (he is 19 right now)

                          --o0o--

@~Once again there is an interview with the makers of Wizardry, this
@~time it's at
@~http://www.wizards.com/licensed/ruins_interview_8_7.asp, here is a
@~small extract:

Wizards of the Coast: When the new D&D game releases on August
10th, will it be a relief to you and your staff not to keep the
new rules under wraps?
Jonathan Kromrey: In a word . . . yes. We've enjoyed playtesting
the new rules so much that it has been very difficult not to spill
all the details on the new rules as they pertain to Pool of
Radiance:  Ruins of Myth Drannor. Once the rules are released to
the public, we can finally start to fill in some of the "gaps"
that players have been asking about, most notably the Skills and
Feats section of the game, along with possibly some cool new
spells and such.

Wizards: What was the biggest surprise you found when you first
saw the D&D rules?
Jon: I would have to say that the biggest surprise came from the
class system. After 2nd Edition's race/class segmented system and
how they handled multiclassing, it was a breath of fresh air to
see all races being able to be any class in the game. Also, the
ability to choose your classes, skills, and stats as you increase
in level made a lot more sense to us and seemed to really give the
players the ability to sculpt their characters the way they wanted

Wizards: How closely does the artwork in Pool of Radiance: Ruins
of Myth Drannor mirror the art style in the Player's Handbook?
Jon: We originally presented Wizards with model art before Todd
Lockwood and Sam Wood began their concept sketches for the PH and
Monster Manual, and everyone at Wizards was impressed with our
submissions. After adding more 3rd Edition model classes and
functionality to the game (earlier this year) we revised
conceptual and final design based on some of the new looks, many
of which appear in the new Player's Handbook, as reference
materials when creating our models for the game.  Although it is
difficult to tell exact details from the beautiful portrait art
that exists in the PH, our models were made to fit size, shape,
and general look requirements to match the game as closely as
possible

                          --o0o--

@~Sierra (yes, yes, they still make games....) have a new one coming
@~up called Throne of Darkness:
@~http://www.sierrastudios.com/games/throneofdarkness/, for your
@~pleasure (?) here is the official info for the game:

Japanese mythology and fast-paced action make Throne of Darkness a
must-have title for action-oriented RPG fans. Ben Haas and Doron
Gartner, founders of Click Entertainment and Diablo team alumni,
have taken action-oriented role-playing to a new level,
invigorating the genre with a new visual style, groundbreaking
multiplayer capability, and advanced martial tactics.

Guide your seven unique samurai as they seek to overthrow the evil
that has overtaken the kingdom and avenge their slain Daimyo. From
the gates of the clan citadel to the spire of the Dark Warlord's
castle, you'll face more than 30 varieties of fantastic creatures
from Japanese myth, including legions of undead warriors, fearsome
demons, and giant dragons - all animated in breathtaking 16-bit
color. Ten unique levels and dozens of side quests combine to
create a truly original combat experience.

Throne of Darkness introduces an innovative multi-character
control interface that allows for the simultaneous command of up
to four characters through a series of tactical "plays," or
formations.  Each play is designed to combine the unique strengths
of each samurai - such as the ranged attacks of the archer and the
two-sword technique of the berserker - into a distinct tactical
advantage. Play calling allows for a high level of control and

co-ordination between the player and computer- controlled samurai
never before seen in the genre.

In Throne of Darkness' multiplayer mode, up to 35 simultaneous
players vie for the mantle of Dark Warlord in a king-of-the-hill
style competition. Through competition and co-operation, four
clans of seven samurai challenge the Dark Warlord, his seven
lieutenants, and his countless minions, all of which can be
controlled by a human player. Once the Dark Warlord is defeated,
the conquering team becomes the new warlord.

Action-oriented role-playing game with intense single-player
campaign Play as seven samurai character types, each with distinct
abilities and attributes Control up to four characters at once via
a unique "play-calling" feature. Excecute more than 20 advanced
tactical commands (or "plays") via simple keystrokes.  Explore ten
huge environments inhabited by more than 30 varieties of creatures

More than 80 spell-types are at your disposal
Create and name your own magical weapons and armor
Character and level design inspired by Japanese mythology
Full multiplayer support for 35 simultaneous players, Internet
play powered by Flipside
Three types of multiplayer gaming for both cooperative and
competitive play
Full 16-bit color and 800x600 resolution

                          --o0o--

@~Not sure what to think of it myself... but I am sure what I
@~thought about the movie "The Mummy", although it was fun to watch
@~it was not the best I ever saw <g>, so I doubt the following news
@~will result in a great game, although I could be wrong of course:

Rebellion's Next Movie-Based Title Revealed

With one major movie licensed title already under their belt in
the form of Alien vs. Predator, GA-Source has learned that Oxford-
based developer Rebellion is now working on their second
movie-based game. Originally developing games for the Atari
Jaguar, Rebellion's first major success came in October 1994, with
the release of Alien vs. Predator, a first-person 3D shooter based
on the two major movie licenses. Released on the ill-fated Atari
Jaguar console system, many gamers felt it was one of the best
games developed for the system. Alien vs. Predator also set a new
standard for movie licensed games by incorporating intense action,
with a real movie atmosphere and sounds taken straight from the
films.

Now Rebellion hopes to take their experience one step further with
a third-person action/adventure game based on last year's hit
movie, The Mummy.

The developers hope to fill The Mummy with the same terrifying
visual and sound effects of the movie, while placing the fate of
the film's heroes in the hands of gamers as they battle the living
dead and ghostly residents of Hamunaptra, City of the Dead, in
search of treasures and victory over the guardian Mummy.


The Mummy is being co-developed by Universal Interactive and
published by Konami for the PC, PSX, DC, and GBC.  Expect this
title in Q4 2000

                           --o0o--

@~On GA source I found this news for the Adventure SynTaxers among
@~us:

Adventure at the Chateau d'Or Coming

Karma Labs is currently working on an impressive looking adventure
game entitled, Adventure at the Chateau d'Or.

The princess heir has chosen you as her hero and you lead the
quest to unlock the secret of the fabulous Chateau d'Or. Search
for powerful magic artifacts and find hidden treasures. You must
seek out and summon the spirit of the lost Duke. Answer his
cryptic questions and unravel the mysteries of his palace.

Explore a luxurious palace and gather clues from tales of the
loves, creations and conflicts of heroes from the 2000 year
history of Paris as you play the role of a scholarly adventurer.

Death and deception are ever-present. You must call upon your
intelligence, intuition and newfound knowledge to survive and
bring the princess safely to her goal.

Features:  Photo-realistic graphics - Experience the Chateau d'Or
in all its glory.
Beautifully rendered photorealistic 3D screens and animated
sequences create
an immersive world for this fantastic adventure game.
Three levels of gameplay - You will be presented with three
successive
challenges which must be solved in order to win the game. Match
wits with the illustrious Duke, unlock the secret of the sensory
focal devices, then use them to help the princess reach the
ultimate treasure.

Dozens of enigmatic questions - Find the key information about
Paris that is hidden in the palace and answer the Duke's
mysterious questions in order to win his help.

Adventure at the Chateau d'Or is currently in closed beta testing
and is scheduled for a September 2000 release. Check out the
official website for more screenshots, a movie trailer, and music.

@~The official site can be located at:
@~http://www.adventurechateau.com/ and I must say the screenshots do
@~look very nice indeed !! I have include one for Sue to put in the
@~image section of this issue.

                          --o0o--

@~Eurogamers have posted (as many others) another preview of BG II
@~at http://www.eurogamer.net/features.php3?name=p_baldurs2 Here is
@~some small background info for those of you from outer space who
@~have no idea what BG II is:

Shadows Of Amn picks up where the original Baldur's Gate left off,
although several months have now passed since you defeated
Sarevok, saved the city of Baldur's Gate, and discovered the dark
secret of your own identity. The game is once again set in the
Forgotten Realms, this time in the southern country of Amn, and
will take in everywhere from the Underdark and one of its many
drow (dark elf) cities to the astral plane along the way. Other
popular vacation spots to be brought to life in Shadows Of Amn
include the Cloudpeak mountains, the Tethir forests, and of course
Athkatla, the capital city of Amn.

Details of the game's story are still somewhat vague at this
point, but what we do know is that your character wakes one
morning to find himself in a cage, and that things rapidly go
downhill from there on in, as you face a powerful new villain and
have to choose between the lesser of two evils in order to defeat
him. Expect another epic struggle for survival, sanity and
justice, with an endless succession of plot twists to keep you
guessing as to who or what is behind it all.

In all, the main plot should keep you busy for around fifty hours,
and as in the original there are also a veritable plethora of sub-
plots to distract you from your mission along the way, adding up
to as much as another 200 hours of gameplay according to the
developers! This is truly the mother of all role-playing games.

                          --o0o--

@~Http://www.escapemi.com/ is one of the Escape from Monkey Island
@~sites, lots of news and info there. At
@~http://www.galactus.org/rants/MonkeyIsland/index.html is a nice
@~article on the game and how 3D will impact the game... it's a good
@~read:

Now, in the up and coming Escape from Monkey Island, I have no
doubt the odd puzzles, humor, characters, exotic locations, and
the idea behind Monkey Island won't be there. Lucas Arts has shown
us they can deliver on those in the past 3 games. However, with
this transition to 3D, I feel that the game loses that Monkey
Islandish feel.

I am going to quote Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park by saying "They
were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't
stop to think if they should." Those are my exact feelings towards
moving to 3D graphics with the next Monkey Island. I don't feel 3D
is the ultimate form of visual graphics available to computer game
companies. It's by far the newest, but also by just as far, not
the best in every case. In the case of the new Monkey Island I
don't feel that 3D graphics can transfer the needed atmospheric
feel of the classic MI games.

                          --o0o--

@~Now for those of you who have Shogun (I do but still have not
@~installed it) check out
@~http://www.gamespot.co.uk/news/2000/06/6943.html, it's a good tool
@~to get some info on playing and understanding the game a little
@~bit better.

                          --o0o--

@~On another note, a new version of WinSTon is out, check out
@~http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/winston_emu/winsto
@~n.html, I just love this ST emulator !!!

                          --o0o--

@~And finally I want to close with this link:
@~http://www.cdmag.com/Home/home.html?article=/articles/029/022
@~/reda2_preview.html

A preview of Red Alert II:  Red Alert 2 is built on the Tiberian
Sun engine, but with a difference. Having identified Red Alert's
fast pace as what set it apart, the developers have modified the
engine to recapture that pace. In accord with their philosophy
that they want half-hour multiplayer games, not three-hour games,
they have increased the speed at which units move and at which
units and structures are created. By dividing the interface into
separate tabs, they have increased the speed at which you can
build, and by balancing buildings and units "high", meaning in
essence that all units have both exaggerated strengths and
exaggerated weaknesses, they ensure that battles will resolve
themselves quickly.

Although the design team emphasizes that they view rushing as a
legitimate tactic that is a mainstay of real-world warfare, they
have provided plenty of defenses against tank rushes, such as
Terror Drones and garrisoned infantry. If rushes fail to bear
consistent fruit, a turtle shell approach will be even more
discouraged by the presence of superweapons that can be targeted
anywhere on the map. You may build an impenetrable base defended
by all of your units, but if your opponent builds a Nuclear Silo,
Chronosphere, or Weather Control Device, you will quickly pay for
your over- concentration.

Another area in which Westwood is trying to adopt a bolder
approach is in the game's graphics. In contrast to the post-
apocalyptic look of Tiberian Sun, Red Alert 2 uses bright, vivid
colors, including green grass and trees galore. Furthermore, its
structures and units have been resized and are now 25-30% larger.
The Soviet structures are especially bulky and forbidding, while
Allied structures are more refined. To make the graphics more
interesting, the single-player mission maps will feature real
world locations with lots of recognizable landmarks. Among the US
maps you'll find Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Colorado
Springs, San Antonio, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, and the Florida
Keys, and among the foreign maps you'll find the North Pole, the
Urals, Moscow and Paris.

                                                    Alex









                              - o -