Well I'll be flying out early tomorrow morning, headed for sunny Dallas/Fort Worth until next Tuesday. It's actually for a family reunion but I get to use it as an excuse to visit id Software's offices while I'm down there and take a peek at Quake3 (if all goes well). A buddy of mine from GamesLink, Bomb, will be handling the majority of the news for me while I'm gone, so be sure to stop by for your daily dose of Q3Arena news.

The Coven will be releasing a new public beta version of their Deadlode II mod this coming Friday. The new version will be released in The Coven chat room at 02.00 GMT (03.00 BST, 18.00 PST, 21.00 EST) Friday evening. Deadlode II is a new goal-based teamplay mod for Quake2.

S.A.S's Guide to CTF has been updated with more advanced tactics, and info on CTF clans & leagues. They've also included a small archive of their own Eraser Bot route files as well.

Some videos from one of Europe's largest LAN parties is now available up at lan-party.de. Over 630 gamers attended the blast, and played for 3 days non-stop! The video is available in two versions: One larger 9.5 MB version in very good quality and one smaller 3.23 MB version with an average quality. The video is 3:46 Min long.

I saw over on Blue's that version 0.94 of the Generations Quake2 mod is due out tonight at 11:00 EST. They're having a small IRC party on 3DNet in #Generations and welcome everyone to come join them. For those who don't know what it is, Generations is a mod that aims to combine the best of Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake, and Quake2 in to one mod.

The Skynet Project's site has been updated with information about the mod regarding gameplay, why the beta was delayed, and lots of other stuff. The private beta test will commense April 2nd. The Skynet Project is a mod that aims to combine Quake2 with the Terminator universe.

You know how they say "no news is good news!" ? Well they're wrong. Pretty slow day for the Quake Community if I may say so myself. Hopefully there'll be more news later on today.

The second-annual Quake Easter Egg Hunt will be coming up soon, with cash prizes and loads of Quake2 carnage. The event is described as "an online Quake 2 tournament to be run on Easter day in which players compete against each other in a bloody deathmatch while trying to collect eggs and return them to egg collection points." First place winner gets $75, and second place gets $25. Last year's event had over 150 participants, and they're hoping for even more this year!

Two more Quake3 previews have surfaced since sCary's the other night. Redwood was there with sCary, and has since posted his own Q3Test impressions. Along with those two was Kraemer from Dimension 128, who has posted a preview as well. Check 'em all out to get a quick Quake3 fix while you wait :)

The Coven has released their new ArmourBack demo from the Disposable Heroes deathmatch pack. Features include two of the six battle suits from the full version of the mod, eight new weapons, five different playing modes - CTF, Deathmatch, Capture The Runes, Duel, and Elimination, visual targetting and player id system, new CTF tech models, and more! Check The Coven's news page for more info and screenshots.

sCary has posted his two-page mini-review of the intended Q3Test which will now be released in a couple weeks (see the next news item). Here's a quick insight:

Firstly the test was originally planned to be a single map. However due to the many dynamics of internet gaming, id Software is considering a second very "open" map which will help test the new network code which will push a consistent 5-6 players in the PVS at any given time. No final decision has been made at this time though.

Among other things, he also lists the (tentative) weapons and items that will be included in the test release.

id Software's Graeme Devine made a .plan update to let everyone know that Q3Test will most likely be released in April, instead of sometime this week as was originally planned (doh!). Here's the scoop:

3/28/99

I know a lot of you are looking at the end of the month as a fixed date for q3test, but we're probably looking to be within a few weeks of that date rather than exactly on it. We're working on it; I just want to keep expectations in line with reality.

This is a test of Quake 3:Arena, not the demo. With this test we're looking to see how well the brand new networking and graphics code works, and while we've run this through a QA process here and at Activision, this is not code that is of release quality in speed or gameplay. Please do not look upon this as the "demo" of Q3A.

Kinda dissappointing, but we've waited this long, a few more weeks for a more polished beta shouldn't be too bad :) (thanks to sCary for the plan link, we haven't added Graeme to our tracker yet)

I saw over at Blue's that a new version of QTracker has been released. Version 2.3 beta 1 adds support for X-Wing Alliance, without requiring use of Microsoft's Zone gaming service.

Ward Six has started their WAR Series of screenshots which illustrate the various kinds of techniques possible and features found in their "Dawn of Darkness" mod regarding combat. Check out their screenshot gallery here.

The Terror Quake2 team has released another upgrade for Beta 4 to the public. This quick upgrade adds two new weapons: the Beretta handgun and a silenced MP/5. Several bugs have been fixed as well.

A full, playable demo of the "Wanted! Quake2 Western Pack" is now available, weighing in at a healthy 66 megs. Here's a quick description of all the western glory it contains (taken from sCary's):

66.5 MB download - Yes, its big....but read why. (125 Mb installed)
All Weapons, All Pick-Ups, All Textures, All Sounds (not Music),
5 active models in the Single Player maps.
2 Single Player levels (not in the final commercial version),
5 Deathmatch Levels....DM mode is fully functional and superb fun.
Q2 3-20 upgrade file.
Demo Story, Full Version story, Manual text.
Wanted Poster, Sample of Music, Pictures of all Models, Windows Background BMP, Web Site Banner.

For more information, check out the Wanted! Quake2 site at www.wantedq2.com.

The Coven has released several new versions of all the Quake2 mods from their "Disposable Heroes" deathmatch pack. Each mod has a ton of new changes, like full Q2CTF support in the ArmourBack mod, VWep support in MAD and MAD demo, and several bugfixes in the Flame entities. Check out their news page for more info and all the downloads.

Version 1.38 of Quake2 Battleground is now available. This is mainly a bugfix update, which takes care of some item spawning problems, and a few other smaller bugs to boot.

An update to version 2.5 of the Assimilation mod has been released. R1.03 adds a few new features, and also squashes a few bugs from the previous version. The Assimilation test server has already been updated, and they urge other server admins to upgrade theirs asap also.

d-TOP Wallpapers has a brand new Q3Arena wallpaper up on their site, as well as a non-Q3Arena-related screensaver too. Check their news page for more info.

The Coven will be releasing the ArmourBack demo of their Disposable Heroes deathmatch pack on Sunday at midnight GMT (4:00 PST, 7:00 EST I think). They're planning a release party in their chat room that night to celebrate. The demo will feature two of the six battlesuits from the full version of the mod, all their weapons, and all five playing modes, including CTF support.

We're getting a lot of people sending us mail to ask when the Q3Arena demo (and final product) are coming out, so I thought I'd post this reminder for people who may have missed it earlier. The Quake3 Arena beta test is scheduled to be released sometime between now and April 1st, so sometime during the next 5 days it should be available. As far as the final product goes, no official release date has been set, but my personal guess would be sometime within a month or so after the beta test is released. Of course I might be totally wrong and we could have it in 3 weeks or in 3 months, that's the beauty of having a "when it's done" deadline :)

Rest assured that when the demo is released, we will send out a special bulletin to our mailing list subscribers to inform them. If you aren't a subscriber already, simply put your email in the box to the left there and hit enter!

Team Wolfen has released the first version of their mod, "Rave", to the public. Rave includes a new Monster AI, new weapons, and various other interesting additions. It also includes non-item additions such as local damage and bulletholes.

LMCTF server version 5.2 has been released. The new version takes care of some logging and observer bugs, and adds an alternate route out of the bases in LMCTF26. Server operators are (as always) encouraged to upgrade to v5.2.

Doh, this one's been sitting in my inbox for a while, but better late than never eh? What was "CGN Cali Girl News" has been renamed to "CaliGirl.net Gaming Scene" and has moved to a new home at www.caligirl.net. Check out their new site for more info.

A new version of the old CTFBot+ for Classic Quake CTF has been released. Also available on the same homepage is the accompanying CTFBot Coordinator. Thanks to Blue's for the news.

Wondering what makes the brain of a mod-developer tick? Ward Six has posted the second of a series of mini-interviews with the Dawn of Darkness team members. They cover the production and thoughts about the TC with the team members.

The UrbanCTF team has established a development deadline of April 15th. They're expecting to release a beta version for people to start playing, and to hopefully recruit new team members to help them with the finished product.

AllGames's daily "240 Seconds of Gaming" RealVideo show has gotten ahold of some new Quake3 Arena footage taped from last week's GDC. Check out this direct link to the 4 minute RealVideo show.

I saw on several sites that id Software and Activision will be releasing a new commerical multi-bundle called "Quad Damage." The package will include Quake2, both the Quake2 mission packs (Xatrix & Rogue), and the Quake2 Extremeties Internet Add-On pack. Quad Damage is scheduled to go on sale this week.

ShadowFactor Software has released version 1.2 Beta 3 of their BattleCom software. BattleCom is a nifty bit of hackery which lets users talk in real-time over a LAN or the Internet during multiplayer gaming. Supported games include Quake 2, Rainbow Six, StarCraft, Falcon 4, Baldur's Gate, and more. Version 1.2 beta 3 extends the free beta period until April 7.

A new version of QuArK, the Quake Army Knife, has been released. Version 5.8 is now available in two flavors, with and without the extra game supports (which can be seperately downloaded at the QuArK site). Check their site for more info (cool design, too).

A new mod underway called Energon Wars is looking for new team members. They're in need of map creators and sound editors, so if you're one of those two and looking to join a brand new mod team, check these guys out.

The Terror Quake2 team has released Beta 4 of their mod. New features include a couple of bug fixes regarding insane guys running around, a fix for a crash when trying to spawn enemy in CTF mode, a new weapon: The Casull .454, a new skin for the terror character, and more! They've also already released a small bugfix .dll which takes care of the "duplicate bug."

I saw over on sCary's that Thresh has posted part two of his hands-on Quake3 preview. This time around he discusses non-weapon aspects of Quake3, like teleporters, player notification, model animation, and more. This is definitely one of the more comprehensive Quake3 previews out there.

Version 1.1 of Gloom for Quake2 has been released. New features include 2 new official maps, an alien sound pak (featuring over 30 different screams), and several other bugfixes and enhancements. Gloom is a Quake2 mod which pits humans against aliens for "supremacy over the universe."

In the market for a new 3D sound card? Don't buy a card, win one! The Weapons Factory and Captured.com have teamed up to hold a big Aureal 3D card giveaway. There will be six mini-contests over the next couple of months with the winner of each getting a brand new A3D sound card. The first contest will be to create the best original Weapons Factory MP3 sound track. Check the official contest page for details.

id Software's Tim Willits made a plan file update about those spiffy new Q3Arena Jerseys, here's the scoop:

Quake 3 Arena jersey update.

Action Imprints is all caught up on their first batch of orders. They tell me the response has been great.

If you have seen the March issue of Next Generation then you probably noticed John Carmack wearing the very cool Quake 3 Arena jersey in some of the pictures. The jerseys where initially created for the folks at id. However, due to the enormous request for these jerseys, Action Imprints, the company that created the jerseys for us, will make them available for purchase to the general public. Further information can be found at:

---

http://www.minnesotaproshop.com/actionimprints/quakiiiarjer1.html

Don't forget to get your jersey before Quake Con 1999!!!

Zaranthustra Studios has released the sixth Keygrip2 tutorial in their series covering the preparation and use of images for Quake2 movie titles and credits. Tutorial number seven will continue this discussion into the realm of image manipulation.

Version 1.83 of Freeze Tag for Quake2 has been released. This new version adds a "Dark Mode" option for gameplay, complete with flashlights for use during dark mode play. Check out the Freeze Tag site for the files and more info. Thanks to Blue's for the info.

Well we finally have a somewhat real files section! I went ahead and coded a files hierarchy which should make locating and downloading files a bit easier than the little box to the left does now. Right now there are only a few files in there (because there aren't many files at all for Q3Arena yet), but I'll be adding in some of the Quake2 upgrades and Linux ports soon. Also, I'll probably be making adjustments here and there, so if things change, just go with the flow :)

If you find any bugs or problems, please let me know by mailing me.

AirQuake Levels, a site dedicated to maps from AirQuake2 has re-opened with a newer, more simplified design. They already offer for download every single map that's currently available for the AirQuake2 mod.

Spine Design has released the source code to their cool Third-Person Quake2 mod to the public. They encourage mod developers to encorporate their source code into upcoming mods.

Zaranthustra Studios has released a mod with the Internet Quake2 movie making crew in mind. Called Q-Director, the Q2 mod offers several admininstrative functions, and is easy to use and well documented. Q-Director is available on the Zaranthustra Studios movies page.

Ward Six has put up a promo shot of their upcoming release, Dawn of Darkness. The shot was put together using models directly from the mod, and is available for your viewing enjoyment here!

Mod Central has a new interview up with the makers of Loki's Minions CTF (this week's PQ Mod of the Week). The interview, done with members Der Kommissar, Batstone, Vampire, and Mr. White, covers the recent v5.1 release of the Quake II mod, as well as the popular mod's past and future.

A new Solaris port of The Coven's recently released Napalm II mod is now available. Win32 and Linux ports have already been available for about a week now, and are also available on The Coven's site. Napalm II is a mod which adds a secondary fire mode to all the standard Quake2 weapons.

The Coven has released a few teaser screenshots from their new ArmourBack mod demo. ArmourBack is a part of their commercial Disposable Heroes deathmatch pack.

A new bugfix for Terror Quake2 is now available. The upgrade fixes several crashing-bugs, adds Vwep support, adds a "not-so-smart-yet-bot", and includes support for playing Action Quake2 maps in Terror Q2. Grab the update and type "set compatible 1" to play the Action Q2 maps!

Version 0.91 of the Gladiator Bot for Quake2 is now available. Linux users will be glad to know that they now have Linux x86 binaries available as well. This version now knows how to make use of the grappling hook, and has several other bugfixes as well. Saw that on Blue's...

PlanetEBS has released version 1.1 of their automatic route downloader, Q2RFDi. This version features support for 3d Zigock and 3d Zigock II chain files. They've made both a full install version, and a smaller upgrade version available, check their site for the files.

More Q3Arena goodness from last weekend's Extreme Annihilation tournament-- Both Gaming Age and GameFan managed to get handheld cameras into the Q3Arena demo showing, and they captured some pretty spectacular shots. Even though they were taken with cameras, the detail turned out great.

A new version of Q2Java has been released. Q2Java is a running project which aims to let people write useable Quake2 mods in Java. Check their site for the new downloads.

id Software's Tim Willits made a plan update to announce the release of fixed version of the Quake1 map he released yesterday. Here's the full update:

New Quake 1 map FIXED!

I fixed the clipping problem I had with the old map and replaced the file on the FTP site.

Please re-download it for the fixed version.

[snip]ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/quakeworld/maps/q1edge.zip

The Over the Top TC is looking for a skinner to help them finish off the last parts left of their mod. They have everything ready to be released, but are unable to do so until they find a skinner, so if you can give them a hand, drop Man1c M0g an email.

I saw over on Blue's that AVault has another version of the Q3Arena video that was taken at the Extreme Annihilation tourney. This one was also taken with a camera (instead of ripped straight from the PC). Check their downloads page for more info.

GameDesign.net has posted an interview with id Software's Christian "Disruptor" Antkow. The article focuses on (what else?) level design for Q3Arena, and even has a few new editor screenshots to boot.

The Coven has released a new version of their Napalm II mod. Version 6.1 has several changes, mostly bugfixes, which include some MOTD changes, a new firestorm obituary, and a "fixed" version of Quake2's friendly-fire code. Napalm II is a mod which adds a secondary fire mode to all of the standard Quake2 weapons.

id Software's Tim Willits made a plan update to announce the release of an old classic Quake map he had laying around, here's the update:

New Quake 1 map

I had an old Quake 1 map lying around so I thought I would release it.

This map was originally built for the Quake 1 arcade game, a conversion of "The Edge" for Quake2. I added some teleporters to it in hopes of speeding up gameplay and help prevent camping.

For those of you who like to play Quake 1 I hope you enjoy this.

Thanks, Tim

ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/quakeworld/maps/q1edge.zip

PlanetQ3.com has posted a pretty comprehensive newbies guide to getting started with Quake3. The guide takes newbies on a step by step process for playing Quake 3, and a lot of the information can be applied to other online games as well.

So I'm upgrading to Internet Explorer 5.0 when my machine here at work decides to crash. I reboot and try it again, and the installer crashes again. Third time's a charm, and IE5 installs fine. I reboot, and lo and behold, Windows refuses to boot in either normal or safe mode. Lucky me. It'll probably be a while before I can update with any news, but I should have an update done sometime today, hopefully later on this afternoon.

Those Redhat Linux CD's in my desk drawer are looking better and better each day...

One of the grand-daddies of the online gaming scene, The Stomping Grounds (Stomped.com), is coming back to life and started to expand again! In an effort to keep the community up to speed on their progress and efforts, they've established a site .plan file, which is available to finger at stomped@stomped.com. Everyone is encouraged to keep an eye on that file, and maybe even add it to their own site's finger setup.

NetGames USA now has a recam up of the final match of the CPL's Extreme Annihilation Tourney. Here's the press release:

NetGames USA made arraignments with Overman of Zarathustra Studios to recam the final match from the CPL's Extreme Annihilation Quake II tourney. We got him all the source demos minutes after the final Rix vs. immortal match ended and he has been slaving away non stop to bring us all an incredible piece of work. Everyone can now download the final match recam at http://www.netgamesusa.com/ngTCS/CPL/EA_March_1999/ courtesy of the Overman and NetGames USA.

Congratulations to the winners and all who participated in the event!

A new server-only Action Quake2 upgrade has been released. Version 1.51 sports several bugfixes, and a few new additions as well. I saw that on Blue's.

Gamers Link, a gaming search-engine type site, has reopened at a new location. Be sure to drop on by and add your site to their "broken-link free" database.

Ward Six has released a new teaser screenshot from their upcoming commercial Quake2 addon "Dawn of Darkness." Keep watching the DoD news page for updates and progress reports.

Redwood updated his site with news on a new Q3Arena AVI that Avault has posted. It's actually footage of the Q3Arena demo that was shown at last weekend's Extreme Annihilation event. You can grab the hefty 15.7 meg AVI at both ftp.avault.com and ftp.stomped.com. I'll try to get it mirrored on ftp.q3arena.com soon. Thanks to wd-dakkon for the tip.

Spine Design has released a new version of their Third Person Quake2 mod. Version 1.2a is a quick upgrade which fixes support for demos. Check their site for more info, and keep an eye out for the Third Person Q2 source code coming soon.

A new plugin pack for Quake2 called StroggzPak has been released. This pak replaces almost all of the DM sounds (40 new sounds), adds 3 new crosshairs ("better visibility"), a new console background and a new font.

As a celebration of their one-year anniversary, the CTF Survival Guide has been updated. They've posted detailed overviews of Quake2, Half-Life, and TRIBES, with more overviews in the works. Also new to the site is a revamped CTF introduction section, which is now broad enough to cover CTF basics for most any game.

This is very cool. Rob Malda over at Slashdot, an extremely popular Linux/Unix/Open Source/etc site, has been adding some user-customization stuff, and has included the Q3Arena.com backend in his list of options! People who are registered Slashdot users can customize how their front page looks, and add in headlines from several news pages, including our site and the ever-popular Blue's News.

If you'd like to use our easily-parseable backend file on your own news site, you're more than welcome to. Currently the best way to get it is with Netscape, wget, or Lynx, as Internet Explorer has "issues" with it ;) If you do end up using it on your site, please drop us a note and we'll let our readers know!

I saw over on Blue's that version 2.5 beta 6 of PingTool has been released. This new version features updated SiN support, as well as multi-lingual text (French supported now, Spanish coming soon). Check the PingTool site for more info.

Assimilation version 2.5 has been released. They've posted a complete changelog/features list on their site under the "Info" link. Once this version (R1) has been determined to be stable, other ports will be released for platforms like Linux and Solaris.

After a bit of a delay, the Ascension Tournament is back on track. They've now opened the Quake2 CTF part of their tournament, with more mods scheduled to be integrated soon. Check their sites for more info on the current LMCTF and Q2CTF sections.

id Software's Christian "Disruptor" Antkow made a few posts to sCary's Quake3 Messageboard today, discussing the release date of the Q3Arena test, as well as the conversion of older maps to the new Q3Arena format. He mentioned that the Q3Arena test should be out sometime within the next 18 days! Thanks to Ghost for the head's up.

Holy Wars v2.2 Special Edition (SE) is now up on the Holy Wars site. They mention that this will be the final version of Holy Wars released as well, so be sure to check out their site and grab a copy.

Balance of Power version 1.04 has been released. BoP is an extremely customizeable server-side DM mod, which adds a lot of new features to the gameplay. Aside from the Win32 version, they've also released ports for Linux, Solaris Sparc and Solaris x86.

The Zap Clan is holding a Quake2 skill contest called "Blast." The rules and guidelines are up on their site, with instructions on recording and then mailing in your demo. It doesn't say what the winner gets, but it might be worth entering anyway ;)

Australian gamers rejoice, as Aus3D has opened. Aus3D (Australian 3D Gaming News) covers everything about 3D gaming, with a special focus on gaming in Australia.

id Software's Brian Hook made a couple updates to his plan file today to discuss Quake3 benchmarks and some popular video cards. His last couple of updates answer several email questions and clarify some stuff from his first update. Those of you looking to enter the video card/accelerator market soon might wanna check this one out.

Talk about a slow news day. Everyone must be too busy playing the Daikatana demo ;)

Word on the street is that PC Zone UK - a popular gaming magazine in the UK - has done up a preview of Quake3. The feature is six pages long and features screenshots, although whether any of them are new or not, isn't known yet. Those of you who live in England might want to check out their new Quake3 preview issue. Thanks to Nite for the info.

Hawk Software has put their Quake2 level design contest on hold for a bit due to lack of interest. In the interim, they are asking for people to email them suggestions reguarding the state the contest is in, and whether they should cancel it all together, or extend the deadline.

The Skynet Project website has been updated with seven new screenshots. The screens feature new skinned weapon models, with a total of eight or nine planned for the final release.

A quick server patch to upgrade those servers that are running LMCTF 5.0 is now available. This patch fixes the plasma rifle, as well as a few other bugs. Unix fans will be glad to know that LMCTF 5.0 is now available for linux, solaris86 and solaris-sparc servers (a v5.1 patch should be available soon).

I saw this on several sites: DoomWorld managed to get their hands on a new screenshot from Q3Arena featuring the Doom Marine. The ever-vigilant sCary has posted a short correspondence that was forwarded to him about the screenshot:

Q: Mr Carmack, In the Quake 3 Arena picture you posted to Doomworld, the helmet on the doom model seems to look reflective. Is this the case? Will models include reflective bits on them ? FireMaster

A: Yes, it is reflective (of an environment map, not the actual surroundings, though). You can create per-pixel reflectivity effects with out shader defination files. You can't make it out in the screenshot, but the environment map image is actually an old DOOM screenshot. - John Carmack

Thanks to Vaughan Crole for sending along that bit of info to sCary.

The PyroPimps have posted an interview that they did with id Software's own Todd Hollenshead. The interview is in RealAudio format.

I saw over on Blue's that PlanetEBS has released a new program called "Quake2 Route File Depot interactive." Q2RFDi is a handy utility which will automatically connect to their server and download Quake2 bot route files. It currently supports the Eraser, UltraEraser, WeaponFactory, Gladiator, and the RocketBot. You can grab a 2meg installer with VB6 runtimes here, or a (much) smaller 129kb sized zip file with just the Q2RFDi files in it here.

It's not exactly corporate-merger news, but pretty cool for demo editors anyway. Zaranthustra Studios has joined forces with QuakeLab: Multimedia to provide the "ultimate demo/sound editing resource for Quake2." They've revamped the ZS site with new content, articles, interviews, new demo and music galleries, and more.

The Imperium Mod Team is looking for a few experienced mappers, modelers, skinners, and coders to help them out on their new project. Check their website for more details.

Single Player 3D Level Reviews is holding a Quake II Level Design Contest sponsored by Activision. The First Place winner will receive a prepaid certificate for Quake III: Arena, redeemable upon QIII:A's release. Second place will win a copy of Sin and third place will win a copy of Heretic II. Check their contest pages here.

Team Evolve has released a Linux version of their Quake2 mission pack, "Zaero," which is now available from their site. Team Evolve is the same group of people that made the incredibly cool "PainKeep" addon for classic Quake.

Version 1 build 096 of id Demo Analyzer has been released. New features include graphical statistics like a kills per time graph, etc.., colored ranking stats, complete LMCTF support, and more. They've also added log analyzing for QuakeWorld and Quake2 logs.

LinuxQuake.com got in touch with John Carmack about one of the statements he made in sCary's Quake3 & Linux article regarding other id Software products being sold as seperate Linux versions. Here's John Carmack's answer:

Quake and Quake2 bundles (the game with both mission packs) will be available well before QuakeArena.

(Thanks Blue)

sCary has posted a response from Zoid as well:

We are currently working on getting out a product containing Quake and both mission packs (Hipnotic/Ritual and Rogue) and another box with Quake2 and both mission packs (Xatrix and Rogue) out for Linux. I am very curious to see how this product performs in the market.

Pretty cool if you ask me.

We got this press release from the Orange Smoothie Productions team about a new OSP Tourney mod version, and more:

March 9th, 1999 - Version 1.23 of OSP Tourney DM has been released from Orange Smoothie Productions. Many new requested features are included. See the web page for all the details of what is new and to download. One of the neat new features is that at the end of games players can see their accuracy info for each weapon, i.e. exactly how many times they fired the rail gun and how many hit. Also of note is that BotanikA and Rhea of OSP will be in attendance at the CPL's upcoming Extreme Annihilation Event this weekend as OSP Tourney DM will be used for the Quake II Tournament.

Congratulations to OSP for getting their way cool mod used by the CPL!

The Bullseye now has what they claim to be the "largest displayed collection of crosshairs for Quake2 anywhere on the Net." With the latest update the total is over 130, some of which vastly improve on the inaccurate nature of the originals. There's a large variety of designs, colors, and sizes to suit all screen resolutions, and even some made for use with sniping zoom aliases.

The No Item Quake team has released a Solaris port of NIQ version 1.95. NIQ is the Q2 mod which removes all items from the game and all players get the same weapon which changes periodically. Check their downloads site for the files and for more info.

Oden has posted the results of his Quake2 survey, done as an aid to his thesis. Over 500 people responded to his survey of multiplayer gaming (which featured Quake2); and he's now posted an analysis of the results on his site.

Spine Design has released version 1.2 of their third-person perspective Quake2 mod. New features include support for zooming in the flyaround view, fixed demo recording, and a new red dot crosshair that is accurate in the third person view. Check the Spine site for more info.

We'd like to express our condolences to the staff of Maximum PC magazine, and to the wife of their Senior Editor, Andrew Sanchez, who died suddenly last weekend at the age of 29. As a subscriber to what was boot and now is Maximum PC, I'd like to wish them all well. They've made a messageboard of sorts, where readers can go to post their sympathies. They also have information about a memorial fund setup to help his wife cope with the related costs.

Version 3.3 of RIP II has been released. RIP II is teamplay total conversion for Quake2 with 8 player classes, new weapons, new maps, and more. Changes from v3.2 include a new weapon, new HUD, several bugfixes, and several other additions. A 108kb patch is available for easy-upgrading from v3.2 to v3.3.

Due to changes in the 4th Dimension team, they've updated their site to welcome a new webmaster and a new sound designer.

The Croatian Quake3 Arena Scene has posted their first level design tutorial section. They aim to make their tutorials rather simple, specializing in making things like doors, staircases, and applying textures and such.

Wanna be the third q3arena.* site on the block? :) Q3Arena.org has closed as a site, and is now up for sale. We talked about it, but decided against buying that domain, it's probably best that we leave it alone so someone else can take advantage of it. Also, at the time that I contacted the owner, he was looking for around $300 for the domain, but said he could be flexible (of course that could've changed by now).

The Beginner's Guide to Bots is a new writeup from the Bot Emporium which aims to help everyone find a bot that's right for them. It contains information about what bots are, how to set them up, and simple criteria for finding "a bot that suits your needs."

QSB version 1.9 has been released. QSB is a program that allows you to build scenes from your favorite players, monsters and other objects featured in Quake II, Sin and Classic Quake, and now Half-Life. Check the QSB page for more info.

...will be Quake3 for Linux. sCary has written up an article about the decision by id to release seperate boxed versions of Quake3 for Linux. He's added quotes from John Carmack and Zoid to the article also.

After a short hiatus, the BotBoard is back up and at a new home. The BotBoard has discussion forums for all of the major games that feature (or will feature) bots (commerical or otherwise). As well as these there is a final forum for discussion of bots in games that don't currently have a wide range of bots available.

Quake Central has reopened their site with a new design, as well as more content. Drop by and check out their new look.

Version .04 of Capture the Briefcase has been released. It looks like this may well be the final version, which fixes several bugs, adds colored hexagons for briefcase carriers, and more.

The guys over at Ripside.com have released more screenshots (not included in yesterday's zip file). Their site was down when I tried it earlier, but the official Quake3 Arena page has been updated to include all of the same screenshots. I've gone ahead and added those new ones from id's site into our screenshots section (which has also been updated so it doesn't load all the images anymore). Thanks to sCary for the head's up email.

One of the first (only?) sites dedicated to Q3Arena maps, MapZone, has been redesigned... give it a look see.

LoToH Software, the guys that are working on the Devil's Domain mod, has finished the Devil's Domain section of their webpage. They were unable to finish it earlier due to "network glitches," but now have it completed, with loads of info to boot. Be sure to check out the LoToH site, as well as the DD weapons descriptions, and more.

The first release of Q2Start is now available. This is actually a freeware version, which adds support for more mods than their older shareware version did. The page is in German, so you may need the aid of Babelfish to translate. Thanks to Blue's for the info.

The Terror Quake2 site has posted a new gamex86.dll patch for the latest version of their mod. This hotfix takes care of a major crash bug, and adds a "distance modifier" for the hand grenade as well. Last but not least is an entity set that's included for use with Qoole.

sCary has posted the second half of the screenshot pack from Ripped.com. They are very high res shots, and show an alien-like player model in action (among others). I'll try to get the new screens posted in our screenshots section soon.

Word from the Over the Top TC team is that they're rapidly nearing completion. The code is complete, and beta testing has begun. However in order to release the mod they need help in a couple areas. They're looking for a good skinner and sound engineer to help polish off the mod. If you're interested in joining the team, check out their page for more info.

I saw over at the ShugaShack that id's Christian Antkow (aka Disruptor) made a post to their messageboard to comment on the voice-over announcer they have in Quake3:

Really glad ya'll like the voiceovers. We are planning on having global sounds played when a powerup is picked up (as some of ya'll have, *sigh*, already noticed with the "Quad Damage" voiceover). "In-vis-ibiliTY", "Re-GENER-ASHUN!", and so forth done in that low demonic voice (Voice by yours truly, filters and munging by Brandon), and we do presently have "reward" voiceovers for doing well with the carnage factor. We'll leave those combo's for ya'll to possibly discover in the test when it's released. [snip]

Update 2 for the S][N mod (no relation to SiN, the game) is now available. This new version finishes the new monster AI for single player games, fixes some performance bugs, and adds a new decoy that is completely invisible except for its gun. Team Wolfen also plans to begin work on CTF/Team mod soon, so keep checking their page for more updates.

An updated version of Terro Quake2 has been released. New features include the addition of a new weapon, new item, new models and skins for the AK47 and Uzi, loads of other new skins, and more. They've also released a gamex86.dll patch for beta 3, so be sure to grab that while you're at it.

id's John Carmack made a plan update, first starting off by responding to some of Thresh's comments on his Quake3 weapons preview, and then moving on to the balance of talent vs. weapons. Click the first link to read his entire update.

sCary has posted 3 new Quake3 screenshots over at the ShugaShack. Apparently Activision graced the guys over at Ripside.com with a zip file full of them. sCary will be posting more screenshots from the zip file soon.

Quake3.dk is back up and running after a month's break or so. They've updated their site with a brand new look, new features, and just a general "spring cleanup." Worth noting is that the site is entirely in Danish, so you might need a translator to help you out.

Thresh has posted his hands-on preview of Q3Arena over at Firingsquad.com. Available right now is the first part of his review, which contains info about all the weapons, and his own suggestions to id Software about each.

It had to happen eventually... deConstruct has merged Quake2 with beer, to create BeerDM. The mod works on the premise that the more health points you have, the more drunk you are. Being drunk affects your vision and actions as it would in real life. As you take damage, you become less drunk, and at 1 health point you're totally sober (normal Quake2 gameplay). As classy as this mod is, I'm sure it'll go down in history as a LAN party (or bachelor party) favorite. ;)

Version 2.34 of QuickStart has been released. This is primarily a bugfix version, but also contains a "Demo Starter" plugin as well. QuickStart is the "Eraser Bot Wizard", a front-end for the Eraser Bot.

News from The Coven is that the source code to their Napalm II mod has been made publicly available for everyone to download. The source can now be used in any non-commercial mod. Napalm II is a Quake II mod that adds a secondary "fire" mode to all the standard weapons, including napalm rockets, firestorms, flamethrowers, fireballs and an anti-matter gun.

I saw on a couple sites that there's now an official QuakeCon '99 FAQ available. QuakeCon is an annual event that is dedicated to the fans of id Software games, and is sponsored in part by id themselves.

Blackomega is looking for a talented level designer to help them finish their free Quake2 mission pack called "The Stroggos Conspiracy". More info can be found on their jobs page.

What a slow news day (for the Quake scene anyway). The newsletter is coming along well, we're getting a steady stream of subscribers every day, which is a good thing. I've been kicking around a few ideas for new site stuff (you expected me to stop at the newsletter and text-only front page? ;), so keep your eyes peeled for new features popping up here and there every so often.

Wicked over at Voodoo Extreme shot a note over to John Carmack at id to see if he could clarify some of the rumors and speculation of a Christmas-dated Classic Quake source code release. Here's John's reply:

I can guarantee that I will be releasing the Quake source code, the only question is the timing. I don't intend to release it until all of the initial licensee projects have shipped. Anachronox looks to be the last one out, so pull for their completion...

It'd definitely be interesting to see what some people do with the Quake source.

id Software has hired on Graeme Devine as their newest member of the team, in the role of Designer. Devine was co-founder and CEO of Trilobyte, Inc., the same company that made The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour. Congratulations Graeme!

I saw over at Blue's that he sent a note to id's Director of Business Development, Anna Kang, to try and clear up what happened. It ends up that the leaked test is the software that id sends to hardware vendors so they can test and optimize for Q3Arena. Here's a quote directly from Anna Kang via Blue's News:

A version of the IHV (independent hardware vendor) test has been leaked . The leaked version is used for the sole purpose of internal testing and contains no real levels. It serves no purpose other than for hardware vendors to test and optimize features such as multitexture and compiled vertex array implementation. It contains no playable maps. Some maps are specific for testing oversixed textures, extreme texture aspect ratios, and high polygon outputs (much higher than normal maps). We hope the public is aware that this leaked test is useless to them and illegal to have in their possession. This material was given under NDA and its sole purpose for distribution was for hardware vendors to test out various features. We're flattered that so many people are interested in getting their hands on the game, but what is out now is not a game, nor is it the test that will be out in about a month. Trying to play the IHV test will only lead to frustration.

As I stated yesterday, please do not email us asking for download links (same goes with emailing us actual download links), as we will not be posting any links to sites that offer the IHV download or screenshots.

Version 5.0 of LMCTF, one of the coolest and most professional CTF variants out there, has been released. New features include 10 new maps, a dual-mode plasma rifle, a squad board showing player status, cheat-preventing camera modes and more! They currently have versions available for both i386 (Windows) and Unix clients.

Doh, it appears that our mailing list script hiccupped last night and made a slight error as those of you who are on the list have noticed. We're sorry about that and it looks as though the problem has been fixed and the list is back on track. Again, we're sorry for any inconvenience or problems it might've caused anyone.

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