The Half-Life 1.1.0.6 and Counter-Strike 1.1 updates will be released this week. There will be two separate updates for Counter-Strike 1.1, one for those who play the free downloadable (MOD) version of Counter-Strike and one for those with any retail version of Counter-Strike. The schedule for all releases is as follows:- Counter-Strike 1.1 MOD 2 pm PST, Tuesday.
- Half-Life Primary Server Release (Linux and Win32) 4 pm PST, Tuesday.
- Counter-Strike 1.1 Retail 11 am PST, Wednesday.
- Half-Life 1.1.0.6 11 PST, Wednesday.
Half-Life 1.1.0.6 includes new models for TFC, the winning entry from Planet Half-Life's January 2001 mapping contest, and more. Counter-Strike 1.1 includes a spectator mode, enhanced models, and more.
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Derek Smart recently sent out this rather interesting Battlecruiser Millennium news release:
"I am sending this out now, because I know that its going to start leaking and propagating across the web. So, am going to try and save myself the email influx that I'm already getting. If you read my latest soapbox, then you already know that I had some important news in the works. That news was supposed to have been announced and coincide with the release of the highly anticipated BCM demo, along with the pre-orders page. Anyway, due to some communication breakdown with the web folks, the BCM page over at Electronics Boutique, went live over the weekend and has already started processing pre-orders for the game.
I got sick and tired of staring at laughable publishing offers in the face. Even when I DID get two that were worth considering, the premise of what I could achieve if I broke this mold, was to overwhelming to ignore. Since I didn't rely on publisher dollars for my development, I could pretty much do what the heck I like. As I've always done. So, I pretty much did what everyone expects me to do something out of the ordinary. I turned down several offers and decided to cut out EVERYONE from the middle and went straight to the folks who actually sell the damn products anyway. The retailer. I picked Electronics Boutique because, given their industry exposure and the credibility of the people I have worked with on this deal since November 2000 (back when they first took a peek at the game), if the product did everything it is designed to do and its fans stick with it, I will be able to sell just *that* many units to make it hit for us, the fans and everyone concerned. If it fails, I will be the only one to blame and the fans would have let me down. Since I have the highest faith in the product, my team and indeed the Battlecruiser fan base, what I did end up doing, didn't require much brainpower on my part. I did an exclusive deal with EB. Under that deal, BCM will only be available via EB's retail stores and online portal and nowhere else, for a period of time. I don't have to sell one million units of my game. I just have to sell my game to a dedicated group of niche gamers, with the support of a retailer who is dedicated to the business of selling games, regardless of whether it is a niche game or not, to gamers. Period.
Thats the gist of it. To all you niche developers out there. If you have game that you can fund, finish on your own and put in a box, you do NOT need a publisher to give you 30c on the Dollar - IF they feel like it. Get it done. Put it in a box and go DIRECTLY to the retailer of your choice. They probably won't take it, if you're not a big name, not spending dollars etc. Which is why you need to consider Electronics Boutique. Sure, it will be based on merit, but at least you'd get a shot at getting your game out - controlling your own income and finances - and only have yourself to blame if it tanks at retail. That is all. This marks a new direction for us, as a company, but one which, like everything else for me, is a risky journey I have taken. The die is cast.
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Alias|Wavefront has announced that it has signed an agreement with Microsoft Corp. to become an official tools and middleware developer for the Xbox Video Game System. Xbox, Microsoft’s future-generation game system scheduled for release this fall, is positioned to become one of the most advanced on the market. Alias|Wavefront’s Maya software, with its powerful modeling and animation toolsets and its open, extensible API is strongly established in the game development market as the package of choice for top quality interactive entertainment with many of the top-selling next-generation games produced using the Maya software. Already developers of Xbox games anxious to take advantage of the hardware capabilities of the soon-to-be-released platform are turning to Maya to achieve film-quality graphics and animation.
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Excalibug is a Strategy-RPG by Spanish developers Enigma and publisher Dinamic. The story is a buggy analogon of the Excalibur-Saga When King Arthur draws the sword Excalibur out of Merlin's stone, a scale of it falls to the ground and becomes Excalibug, a little brother of the real Excalbir. The interesting part of this game is, that you control a party of insects instead of fantasy or scifi heroes. [Download DemoNews]
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Konami of America confirmed that Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty for Sony PlayStation 2 will ship to retail outlets in the Fall of 2001. Developed by award-winning Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Solid 2 features cutting-edge graphics and outstanding gameplay. In advance of its Q4 release, consumers will get a sneak peek of this hot title when they purchase the mech fighting action game Zone of the Enders, which ships this month with a playable DEMO of Metal Gear Solid 2.
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