Kenn Hoekstra from Raven Software sent along this message which clarifies an error with an Elite Force patch recently posted on their website:

"Raven accidentally uploaded a .zip file of a pre-release patch for Elite Force. This is not a valid patch. It will not work with other versions or the server lists. The bad, Oct 25 patch 1.10 came in a ZIP file called efpatch110.zip. It contains two executables, two DLLs, and a pak1.pk3. The good, Nov 10 patch 1.10 came in an EXE file called EliteForcePatch1_1.EXE which automatically installs the new files in the correct place. We just corrected the Raven site, so if anybody downloaded a zip file named efpatch11.zip, please get the correct version immediately. If you've been having trouble connecting to servers after a patch install, odds are you have the wrong patch. Get this one to replace it..."

There is a new version of Qtracker (2.3 beta 21) out. Qtracker is server browser, server launcher, server administrator, MP3 streaming audio browser, and HTML/PHP server list generator for Windows95/98/ME/NT/2000. This new version adds support for No One Lives Forever, and Rune. It also adds a Quake III Team Arena filter, new skin controls, and new filter variables. The new Qtracker Masters are integrated into this release, for easy and fast server finding. Half-Life and Music server finding has been fixed. Remote administration has been enhanced, and now always works correctly with Half-Life 1.1.0.4. This release adds a lot of polish and fixes several bugs.
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The most recent Westwood newsletter included a lengthy FAQ with Chris Longpre (Producer) on Emperor: Battle for Dune. Here are a few Q&A from the FAQ:

Why make another Dune game?
The Dune franchise is near and dear to Westwood s heart. It was with the first game in this series, Dune II, that Westwood pioneered the real-time strategy (RTS) genre, and went on to perfect it with the Command & Conquer franchise. Also, the Dune universe is so extraordinarily rich and varied, in both the landscapes and the characters, that it serves as the perfect setting for a game.

When is the game set, in terms of its relation to Dune II and even Herbert's novels?
The game takes place roughly 200 years before the original movie, Dune, and just after Dune II. It s important to remember though, that Emperor is its own game and can be enjoyed not only by fans of the Dune universe, but newcomers to the franchise and to RTS games as well. No previous knowledge of the Dune universe is necessary to play the game.

Given Dune's great literary background, how important will the game's story be, and how will the narrative be revealed to the player?
We've tried very hard to capture the rich variety and intensity of the Dune Universe in all the games in the franchise. But, again, we've made the game independent enough from the movie and the book so that newcomers to the series will be able to enjoy the game without having to know the whole back story. That s not to say we haven t worked hard to develop the game s storyline. Throughout the game, the player progresses into an ever-deepening story, full of twists, turns and political intrigue. Our film crew has done a masterful job producing the cut scenes that keep the story progressing through the game.

Is the engine technology completely new? Regardless, what are some of its most notable new features?
We are using a completely new 3D engine, which is custom designed for Emperor. Many technical issues like sand and rock visualization, camera movement, etc. are specific to Emperor and we came up with unique solutions for each of them. From the beginning, our main goal in using 3D technology was that it would serve to enhance game play. We never want to use 3D for the sake of 3D. This technology not only adds beauty and depth to RTS games, but it s used in a way that will better allow the player to control the battle in front of him. The player will be able to control the camera to his benefit (zooming in and out, and rotating the battlefield) but the camera movements will never become cumbersome or difficult to maneuver.

Tell us about the AI in Emperor: Battle for Dune.
We designed the AI with the goal of making it feel like an online opponent. We wanted to capture the uncertainty, surprise factor, and various game strategies of a human player. Therefore, we developed a complex system that teaches the AI about map features and player strategies. When a mission starts, the AI knows nothing about the map it cannot see, and will usually start a scout mission to push back the shroud and keep the fog-of-war away. After that, it uses the war strategies of the house it is playing to defend its base and start an offense. The AI is aware of unit positions it can see and will plan accordingly. It s quite good at finding your weakest link and hitting it hard.

UTJB, an 'escape from prison' mod for Unreal Tournament, based on the well-known Quake mod by Team Reaction. UTJB is fully netplay enabled, supports bots nicely, and comes with four maps; two conversions and two originals. Although a first release, the code has been extensively tested and found to be about as bug-free as one can expect a first release to be. Check out the Mod website and download it here.
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Speedy 3D has posted an editorial which discusses the current state of AMD as a gaming platform, and why they still have some problems. You can read the editorial here.

When the first batch of K7 supporting boards ventured onto the market some issues, often serious, with AGP timing, interference and voltage caused many graphics cards (not just Nvidia) to be unstable. You had to click down into AGPx1 or turn it off altogether if you wanted games to be 100% stable, thrusting forward into x2 mode brought system hangs and general 3D instability.

Today on Sharky Games: The year 2000 has come and gone and it's time to look back and see what we've left behind. 2001 (as geeks will remind you) is the true starting place for the new Millennium so it should be an interesting year and we'll start on that next week. So, without further ado... (Without any ado in fact. Yep, fresh out of ado over here) we present Beatdown 2000, the Year in Review.
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