Thursday, October 06, 2005

Word Verification On

A quick administrative note: word verification has been switched on to prevent comment spamming.

Friday, September 23, 2005

GalCiv 2 Beta 3 Manual and Tech Tree Visual

The Galactic Civilizations 2 website has been updated with word that Apolyton Directory offers a new tech tree screenshot.

In related news, the Beta 3 User Manual (screenshots plus info) can be viewed at the GalCiv2 forum.

STO: Two Questions, Two Answers

STGU provides a translation of a very brief Q&A (two questions regarding localization and the in-game economy) with Star Trek Online Executive Producer, Daron Stinnett. If you'd prefer to read the French original, click over to StarTrekMMOG.net.

FreeAllegiance.org New Cadet Session A

FreeAllegiance.org has announced that they have begun a new eight-week Cadet Session for new Allegiance players.

EVE Vids and Interview

The official EVE site hosts a pair of recent EVE videos that include gameplay footage set to a soundtrack by JunkieXL.

Also, Game Industry recently chatted with CCP's Reynir Petursson, who chats about the Cold War expansion and the game's community.

iMod v2.2 for MOO3

Laryllan sends word that iMod v2.2 for Master of Orion 3 is now available. A description of the mod follows, which is lifted from the mod's site:

iMOD is a modification for Master of Orion 3 to improve the multiplayer experience.

It features new, less annoying graphics and sounds, readable fonts, new player colors and gameplay changes. The first goal of iMOD is to make it possible to win with every race without allowing any killer races or strategies. For that reason, all race picks have been rebalanced, as have governments; every race features hardcoded modifiers and one race-specific level zero technology. The weapon system was changed with more emphasis on beam weapons, many changes have been done to the AI to make it a threat, and much more...


The mod weighs in at 34.2MB and can be downloaded at the mod's site.

Monday, August 22, 2005

X3 Footage

The official X site has word that German gaming site, JustGamers, has posted a two-minute video that features footage from X3, along with commentary (white noise for non-German speakers) from Bernd Lehahn.

B5 Starship Commander Updates

The B5SC site discloses that an initial alpha offering of the strategy title should be available in late September. Also, the devlog serves up details on a number of features that have recently been added to the work-in-progress.

Gal Civ 2 Dev Bloggage: Beta 3, UI, Graphics

Cari talks Galactic Civilizations 2 Beta 3, UI, and technical graphics details in a recent blog entry.

Vendetta Online Fixes

Vendetta Online has experienced a recent update, which addresses a few bugs, alters the XP system for newbie players, and changes wormhole and sector jumping rules.

EON Mag Preview (EVE)

Thanks to EVE-I for pointing out that CCP has posted a preview of the first issue of EON, a magazine devoted to EVE Online. The first issue will ship on October 1, and future issues will be released on a quarterly basis. A sneak peek of articles and the zine can be viewed at the EVE site.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

The Epic Culture Clash?

Sometimes the emails I receive are so interestingly-worded in a blindingly original style that I feel compelled to share the entire thing. With no further ado, here's Silver Stiletto's heads up regarding Wing Commander Universe, which is currently in Pre-alpha status as an add-on (see release notes) to the Privateer Remake:

Wing Commander Privateer, the Han-Solo style space combat and piracy game has lingered in many gamers' hearts since its epic 1993 debut. The vaunted release of the open source, cross platform Privateer Remake 1.0 has brought with it political upheaval in the world of game development.

When faded Technicolor EGA memories from 1993 are shattered by the harsh reality of cold, hard 3d accelerated pixels, the calm ripples of the past congeal and explode into a torrent of desire, anguish and pain. It was like Lucas bringing the star wars legacy into the 21st century, stirring up previously calm, collected, knowing fans from decades past into a veritable whirlwind.

Naturally some want more, some want less, but everyone wants change. Unlike many Internet phenomenon, and perhaps similar to the epic Phantom Edit from 1999, the complaints about Privateer Remake did not remain in written English. Some of the disputants translated their elaborate expositions into C++ or python and others went straight into to .3ds and png. Users and developers began pounding out their own vision of how the game was--and how it should be, each with a vision both as opaque as frothing bubbling water and as clear as the sound of a graphite on a slate block.

It was as much a coming together of the community as would be an earth shattering, cataclysmic clashing of tectonic plates. But in the titanic crashing of the mountains of developers through the ethereal seas of cyberspace, three continents formed. The remake remained chipped but in tact, delivering the first stable update, version 1.2 with physics more similar to the original but retaining the subtle improvements of 1.0, but two entirely new land masses were chiseled from the uniform whole, traveling askew, opposite on a spectrum ranging from the pure past to the tumultuous future.

This future body, named Wing Commander Universe, a fork of the remake, offers a dissonance of starships from the early wing commander series and access to a mind boggling array of star systems and maps to explore, or rather tumble through, in the hopes that some distant memory may be sparked by the familiar stars packed into a swath of outlandish systems. In stark contrast, the other fork, Privateer Remake gold edition scooped while still in beta by the german news website returns to the placid meadows of the past, dissociating itself from both the sweeping changes of Wing Commander Universe and the even more nuanced changes of the Privateer Remake itself. And with each branch of the main tree comes an even more jarringly verbose crowd of developers all with unique memories of large blocky pixels and the coldest sea full of pirates, bounty hunters and one lucky Privateer.


Gotta love "faded Technicolor EGA memories". Posted as submitted. Thanks Silver Stiletto!

Sunday, July 17, 2005

TBP v3.2 and Raider Wars v2.0

The Babylon Project, the stand-alone Babylon 5-based space sim, has been updated to v3.2. In addition to the updated base files, there is also a new version of the Raider Wars campaign (along with a v2.01 patch that addresses a crashing issue). Thanks to dabrain for the heads up.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

ATFW Status Update

It seems as if I've been slacking off a great deal as of late, but it's my current goal to manage one day of updates per week. Between the job (which ends at the end of August), the obvious job search underway now, writing elsewhere, having some time for myself, and the indulgence of occasions of the social variety, I haven't had a lot of time for ATFW.

Having said that, "For the People, By the People" will continue its holding pattern while I'm in desperately-seeking-more-hours-in-the-day mode. Once the future job has been secured, and I've resettled, things should pick up again. In the meantime, I ask for your patience and understanding.

Flight Commander Patched

Eddie Benowitz has posted word that Flight Commander has been updated. Mostly geared towards the modding community, but it also adds a couple of multimedia features. Thanks CIC.

Gal Civ 2 Updates

Stardock announces that Paradox will be publishing Galactic Civilizations 2 in Europe. Paradox carries the full press release, which was created a couple of weeks ago.

The release of Beta 2 also saw the creation of a number of developer journal entries: CariElf discusses about efforts made on the new screens, mormegil shares eight screenshots from the second beta and also talks about UI design, BoogieBac offers a trio of concept art pieces and talks art, and Draginol reveals the release date (February 2006), gives an update on the game, where it stands, and how the beta will proceed, and also serves up four screenshots from the game.

X3 Screenshots

Egosoft have published a dozen screenshots in recent days that show off the X3.

Stargunner Freewared

Stargunner, a space/sci-fi shooter from then Apogee (now, 3D Realms), has been released as freeware. The 38.4 MB download includes 34 space-based and land-based levels (and one underwater level, to boot). Thanks Blue's.

Monday, June 13, 2005

Evochron v2.028

StarWraith 3D has updated their free-form space combat sim, Evochron, to v2.028. The latest patch can be applied via the game's installer or the full version can be grabbed from the gamesite.

MMPOG Round-Up

EVE-I.com shares a dev blog entry by kieron regarding a volunteer abuse in the ISD and the resolution of that issue.

A pair of missed Friday Features (Kkhowir Forest and Rryatt Trail) lurk at the official Star Wars Galaxies site.

Wizards of Technology airs a podcast (near the 30 minute mark) that includes a chat with Guild's John Bergman; apparent topics include Vendetta Online's future and an upcoming contest.

B5 Starfury Sim v1.2

The Babylon 5 Starfury Simulator has reached the v1.2 milestone. The latest and greatest adds mouse flight controls for the joystick-challenged, new graphical enhancements, and a number of new features (all listed near the bottom of the page).

Privateer Remake v1.1

Privateer Remake v1.1 has been launched in full versions (Windows, Mac OSX, Linux) and v1.0 to v1.1 patches (Windows and Linux). The full changelog (and there are a number of tweaks and enhancements) may be viewed in this thread at the Vega Strike Forums. Thanks PR team!

Star Trek Neutral Zone 2 Alpha 2.5

Thanks to Stuart and Justin for the news that Star Trek Neutral Zone 2 Alpha 2.5 has been released. The latest version adds 3D audio support. Undetermined future versions will include 3D models, screenshots of which can be seen here and there and that-a-way.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Gal Civ 2 Beta 2 Update

The Galactic Civilizations II site has been updated with news that the next beta version will include more features than planned but will be available later than expected (the second week of June).

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Flight Commander v1.1 Released

Eddie Benowitz announces the release of Flight Commander v1.1. Flight Commander is an original 3D space combat engine. The latest version offers a number of graphical enhancements and new features. The mission editor has also been spiffed up. Full details on the latest release and (a lucky) seven screenshots can be viewed in this thread hosted at the CIC forums.

Space Empires 5 Beta Pics

Malfador has updated their SE V website with eight screenshots from the 4X title's beta. Thanks, Lee!

Heads Up: Star Trek Battlestations

As seen at the STNZ 2 site, Mark Hu's Star Trek Battlestations intends to make a Star Trek-flavored RTS game with "the fluidity of Homeworld".

Star Trek Neutral Zone 2 Alpha 2.4.3

Thanks to Stuart for the heads up that a new version of the STNZ 2 alpha has been launched. The 2.4.3 version includes a Spanish translation, a new chat system and new power management system, and several fixes.

Heads Up: GalaxyHack

James sends word of his open-source simulation project, GalaxyHack. The game's site describes the sim as:

GalaxyHack allows you to design a fleet of spaceships which can then be tested in AI script based battles against fleets designed by other players. Though battles take place in real time, the strategy comes before hand, both in writing short AI scripts in a simple scripting language, and also in the set up and selection of your fleet. You don't actually have any control over your units at all mid-battle, but rather use the time to see where the set up of your fleets is working, where your fleets' weaknesses lie and changes are needed, and perhaps also to learn from the strategy of your opponent.


Certainly not a standard type of game we hear about, and even better, the site offers GalaxyHack v1.38 so you can freely check it out on Windows and Linux machines.

Heads Up: Precursors, Birth of the Federation 2, Starfox: Shadows of Lylat, and More

Apologies for the lag as of late. Between the travel and the work, I haven't had a great deal of time. However, I have several emails worth of newsworthy goodness to share, and those will follow.

First of all, thanks to Nick, who pointed out several days ago that GamersHell featured a press release during E3 for Precursors, which is described as "updated conversion of good old and still famous game Elite, a modern First Person Shooter, classic science fiction movies and the world of the novels from Andre Norton." The game is under development by Deep Shadows, a Ukrainian studio.

Also from the GamersHell E3 section, one can find screenshots of two other commercial space combat titles from the east, Parkan II and Space Rangers 2, and screenshots of X3: Reunion.

Nick also shares two other non-commercial games of potential interest: Birth of the Federation 2 and Starfox: Shadows of Lylat.

BotF2 is a fan-made sequel of the TBS original; a handful of screenshots may be viewed at the website. Trek-Online.com offers a recent interview that clarifies that the game's engine is an original/3DState hybrid.

SF: SoL aims to merge the Starfox universe with the Freespace 2 engine. There appears to be no website yet, but a forum sports screenshots and a FAQ.

Friday, May 20, 2005

Epiar Mission Ideas Needed

The Epiar developers currently seek ideas for missions in the upcoming v0.6.0 release. Contributors whose ideas are used will be credited.

Starglider: Resurrection Development Update

A new Echthros Entertainment worklog discusses AI problems, solutions, and the new focus on strategy in the Starglider: Resurrection remake.

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Evochron v1.588

StarWraith has released Evochron v1.588, which includes an AI multiplayer improvement, a revamped training system, and more.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

ST Neutral Zone 2 Manual and Interview

A website version of the Star Trek Neutral Zone 2 manual has been opened. Trek-Online.com hosts a recent interview with Krešimir Špes of Cateia, who chats about a number of game features.

Heads Up: Gunstorm

Cornutopia Software announces that their arcade (in the style of Asteroids and Galaga) space shooter, Gunstorm, is available for download. The shooter has been patched to v1.03, which addresses an issue related to changing screen resolutions.

Cellblock Squadrons v2.0

Thanks to Joel for the news that Super Furious has released a free v2.0 update for Cellblock Squadrons. The patch adds a number of features, including asteroids fields and a targeting assist option, as well as a number of bug fixes and tweaks.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Starshatter v4.5.0

Starshatter v4.5.0, which features a major graphics upgrade (requires a hardware T&L card) and assorted tweaks and bug fixes, has been released. The readme can be viewed via the title link.

Massively Multiplayer Round-Up

The official Star Wars Galaxies site profiles the Kashyyyk city, Kochirho; the site also offers details on three additional storage slots on ships that SOE will give to purchasers of SWG: The Total Experience.

IGN writes about places of interest on Kashyyk in the final installment of their Imperial Field Guide, while Dallas Dickinson pens a second developer diary entry at Gamespot regarding the choice of Kashyyyk for an expansion. Finally, in non-RotW news, MMORPG.com talks with Julio Torres about the Combat Upgrade feature.

omgrawr.net posts the log from their chat event with EVE developers, CCP.

Monday, May 02, 2005

Evochron v1.488 Released

Evochron has been updated to v1.488. The latest version includes graphical enhancements and tweaks, bug fixes, and a couple of new features.

Chain of Command On-Hold

Jake Cannell has announced that Chain of Command is on-hold but that he continues to have interest in completing the project:

Chain of Command is on hold - no longer in active development as of last month. . .

At this point I am uncertain what will happen with this game and engine. I still put it in a little time now and then working on it, but I don't know where that is going yet. I hate to see the project unfinished and would like to take it to some level of near completion, but I simply can't afford to work on it full-time anymore.

That being said, I am interested in continuing it as an independent side project and looking forward to meeting anyone who has some interest in pitching in resources/time to complete it.


The full announcement can be read in this thread at the official forum.

Sunday, May 01, 2005

Gal Civ 2 Beta 2 News

The Galactic Civilizations 2 site reports that Beta 2 will begin shortly after E3 later this month. The second beta will feature a new user interface, but many game features will not be added until late summer.

Mass Media (X3 Interview, Hegemonia Patch, SWG: RotW Screenshots)

MMORPG.com has posted the first three of seven Rage of the Wookiees screenshots (day one, day two, and day three).

Gamespot chats with Egosoft's Greg Kingston about X3: Reunion. The developer discusses the single-player campaign and how it will mesh with the game's open-ended nature, the storyline, differences between the PC and Xbox versions, missions, and the economy.

Lastly, 3DGamers offers the Hegemonia: Legions of Iron v1.09 patch, which adds a few maps, beefs up the A.I., and includes bug fixes.

Thanks to Blue's for the links.

Starflight III Updates

The Starflight III website has been updated with progress reports on all aspects of development. Team members have also uploaded a comparative visuals page to show off recent progress in graphics; new Nav and Comm screenshots can also be viewed.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

EVE Chat on May 5

OMGRAWR.net will be hosting the next EVE developer chat next Thursday, May 5, at 19:30 GMT/2:30 p.m. Eastern/11:30 a.m. Pacific. Details can be read at OMGR.net. Thanks to EVE-I for the news.

SWG Updates

The Star Wars Galaxies site has an article on cybernetics, artificial limbs that can be earned via quests on Kashyyyk, and an info burst on SWG: The Total Experience, the upcoming all-in-one bundle that will include the original game, Jump to Lightspeed, and the new expansion, Rage of the Wookiees.

Saturday, April 23, 2005

For the People, By the People: Saturday

Bridge Commander:

BCFiles hosts a trio of Delta Quadrant vessels by Queball: the Species 10026 starship, the Kazon Raider v2.0, and the Mawasi Cruiser.

Freelancer:

New at Lancers Reactor: fox's Freelancer Un-named Mod-Thing v0.8 Beta by 'fox' Unit 01 (requires the v1.1 patch) and Bounty Hunter's Revenge by Iron Sceptre (compatible with single-player and multiplayer).

Freespace 2:

The Wing Commander Saga team seeks mission designers, artists, voice actors, and modelers and unwrappers.

Master of Orion 3:

MOO3Guardian offers Invader Zim's Invader Mod: Ascension into Chaos v4.9 and MegaMod: The Antaran Rebellion v6.9.

Starfleet Command III:

Xander F's Hardpoint Editor v1.0 and the Island Wars Team's Island Wars v4.0 and the Island Wars Patch can be found at SFC3Files.

Star Trek Armada 2:

STA2Files has made available several recent downloads, including a number of maps (smefbob's eight-player Warzone and -=§FM=- Kirk/Cyclone's six-player map pack) and ships (Yacuzza's Centra Unicomplex Borg Station and Concept Tactical Cube (Final), david_of_borg's Buildable Rift Maker, and Sherman2's Greenfield-class Vessel), and a Borg Cutting Beam weapon by Beginner.

X-Wing Alliance:

The XWA Upgrade team has issued another model--Space Colony 3--which can be found in the "Stations" section of the downloads.

X2:

New X2 scripts include SpaceTycoon's Camouflage Device ST1 v1.0, which makes rival ships not attack the player ship within a specified range, and adam00's AS.Antymissiles v1.01, an updated version of a script that fires Mosquito missiles against incoming missiles.

Heads Up: Enterprise: The Game

Thanks to STGU (via TrekPulse) for pointing to a new scrolling, arcade shooter entitled Enterprise: The Game. The freeware game can be downloaded at the game's website.

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

GalCiv 2 Preview + Wardell on UI

This is especially not news if you're currently participating in the beta, but Gamespy serves up a beta-based preview of Stardock's Galactic Civilizations 2. Once past the "this is a beta" and graphics talk on the first page, the reader can pick up tidbits, such as the lack of restrictions on races, but there is not a great deal of substance to be found.

Also, Brad Wardell has posted on the GalCiv 2 forums that the next beta of the 4X game will feature user-configurable screens in-game.

Vendetta Online Updates

Guild Software's John Bergman has published a lengthy entry on the Vendetta Online news page that covers the reasons for the relative quiet associated with the game as of late. He touches upon the Wiki and also upcoming changes in the game (in a general sort of way). He also mentions that one of the games's four developers, Waylon Brinck, will be leaving the studio because of the desire to cover new terrain (in both games and in real life).

Star Wars Galaxies: Beta Test, Pre-order, and Blair's Blog

The Rage of the Wookiees beta test sign up has begun. Testers should be active SWG members in good standing with the Jump to Lightspeed expansion installed. Also, SOE is accepting pre-orders for the digital download version of RotW. Lastly, there's a new Blair's Blog about the Combat Upgrade feature.

Sunday, April 17, 2005

MMPOG Round-Up

SWG Stratics presents their log of the chat held on April 13 with a number of SWG developers. Also, the official Star Wars Galaxies site shares an article on space mining in the upcoming Rage of the Wookiees expansion.

EVE-I.com posts a developer blog by Talisman about event agents, missions, and the Gallente elections event.

For the People, By the People: Sunday Drive Edition

Bridge Commander:

BCFiles hosts JamesTiberiusKirk's JTK Torpedo Mod, zeljko's Delta Flyer, EXE, LC Amaral, and Durandal's Klingon Raptor, hjenterprises' Nemesis Bridge mod, KirkNcc1701's Ambassador Bridge v1.2 and Ambassador Bridge Retexture, and Brex's Ship Icon Pack.

Master of Orion 3:

MOO3 Guardian announces that Razeful's Mod has reached v1.2. The latest version, which is available at MOO3 Guardian, features AI, race, and technology tweaks.

Starfleet Command III:

SFCIIIFiles offers the Alternate Universe's Brother's Keeper Mod and Patch and Garreth MacLeod's Alternate B Expansion Pack Part Dieu v2.2.

Star Trek Armada II:

ArcherScott's Federation Defender is online at STAIIFiles.

X-Wing Alliance:

The XWA Upgrade site promotes the upcoming Space Colony 3 release.

X2:

SpaceTycoon has upgraded two scripts--Navigation Software ST1 V6 and Supply Software ST1.

Star Trek: Final War 2 Interview

STGU interviews Raccoon Software's Unimatrix325 about the Czech developers' freeware Trek space combat title. The article includes screenshots and details on gameplay, including ship upgrades, races,

GalCiv 2 Dev Blogs

A trio of recent developer blogs have materialized at the Galactic Civilizations 2 site. Carielf talks programming and bug squashing, while Draginol gives a comparative lesson (not directly GalCiv2-related) and some details on the Galactic Civilization 2 storyline.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Heads Up: Freehauler

At the Independence War forum, Art Director Michael Shane has posted a couple of concept art pics from what is expected to be a commercial space sim titled Freehauler. There are more details in this thread, which points to a link to public forums. From there, you can find the progress thread that is loaded with information and screenshots/concept art pieces.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Hardwar 2 Screenshots and Help Request

evacuate shares a series of screenshots from the independent Hardwar 2 project. He also mentions that the project is in need of specific help:

We are looking for somone with a solid foundation in C++ to help us with the progress of the game. If this is you, then please email service@screamengine.com.


Hit the thread for more on the progress of the project.

For the People, By the People: Tuesday

Battle of Endor:

Napseeker Productions' Invasion of Cardassia TC for the freeware Battle of Endor game has reached the v2.0 milestone. The latest revision features new ships, weapons, graphical tweaks, sound effects, and more. The required files can be downloaded at TFN or at STGU, which has an infoburst about IoC. Thanks STGU.

Bridge Commander:

Multiple developers have contributed to the Fun Bridge Commander Multiplayer Project v0.8, which introduces new technologies into multiplayer games. Full details can be found in the BC Files link. Also at BC Files reside Zambie Zan's Klingon-D Pack (twelve ships included), D and G Productions' "Year of Hell" Voyager (looks and responds like the Voyager in said episode), and USS Donoghue's MVAM Bird of Prey Beta v0.9.

Freelancer:

TLR hosts an update to the Lusitania System Mod by Dionisius and the Freelancer: The Complete Game Mod v2.0 by ~d'ar'qu_v+~.

Hardwar:

Max's Enhanced patch for Hardwar has again been reworked. Details and instructions may be viewed in this thread at Captain Zedo's.

Klingon Academy:

Terran_Defense gets trigger-happy, offering a prism of weapons effects (Aqua, Blue, Green, Rainbow, and Yellow. Other recent releases include Poktarl's Risa and Romulus (planets) and Romulan Talon-class Starship, and teeth03's Beta Landscapes.

Starfleet Command III:

G®33N>@L> has published a Customization Guide geared towards newbies (as seen at the Dynaverse.net forums). Also, SFCIIIFiles.com hosts two Babylon 5 ships by Unimatrix1--the Hyperion and G'Quan.

X2:

New scripts include milling_hordesman's MH_AdvJumper v1.5 gamma, which adds freejump, hyperjump, and autojump commands (milling_hordesman lists costs and equipment required in the thread), Carl Sumner's X2ConflictReport v1.12, which scans a specific folder and reports on possible script conflicts, and Roguey's Balance Mod v1.0, which tweaks a number of features in X2 (specific changes can be found in-thread). Also, Open Beta1.0b New Pirates Map/Mod Universe by mega | Doc has been released.

ST Neutral Zone 2 v2.3.3

Star Trek Neutral Zone 2 has been bumped up to v2.3.3. According to the game's website, the latest alpha allows the player to "manage shields, cloak and go to warp. Many bugs have been eliminated and the craft handling has been slightly improved."

X3 Chitty-Chat Boom Boom

There's more X3 news on the horizon, with the latest newsletter giving additional details about the latest X title from Egosoft. Topics include graphical and UI changes, a non-commital answer about changes in how the player moves about the gameworld, the Yaki, and the plot. The Q&A includes a pair of concept art shots.

Also, CGO speaks with Egosoft's Greg Kingston about new ships, the size of the gameworld, tweaks to the in-game economy, a possible X-Online Universe, and more about graphics.

Star Wolves Review

RPGDot reviews Star Wolves, the space strategy-RPG title from Xbow. The article gives details about the branching missions in the game, the Homeworld-esque elements that seem obligatory for any review about any other space strategy game, the RPG elements in the game, and the apparent Babelfished translation. Thanks Blue's.

Sunday, April 10, 2005

Massively Multiplayer Round-Up

EVE-I.com shares a log of their April 7 chat with CCPers. Some of the topics covered include research, cruiser tweaks, stealth bombers, and agents.

The Star Wars Galaxies site has added concept art, an informational page about the Myyydril Caverns region, and a peek of the BARC Speeder and a pair of rideable mounts from Ep III: RotW.

FreeAllegiance.org's Pook has posted notice that an open-to-all game of Allegiance (new map included) will be hosted on April 17 in celebration of the game's fifth birthday.

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Flatspace Review and Interview

Fragtopia has a very positive review of the indie space trader/combat game, Flatspace. In addition, they speak at length with Mark Sheeky of Cornutopia Software about his Star Wars versus Star Trek preferences, his programming history, developing Flatspace, Flatspace 2, and publishers.

Parkan II Gallery Updated

The Parkan II screenshot gallery has been "refreshed".

B5: SCTS Update

The Babylon 5: Starship Commander Tactical Simulator site has been updated with a list of completed Centauri and Narn ships, along with word that the Narn, Centauri, and Earth ships (3DGS MDL format) may be downloaded. Also, on the Starfleet Command 2 TC side, the Narn ships are available in a ship pack and as individual ship downloads.

Dallas Dickinson Interview and New Blair's Blog

Star Wars Galaxies SOE Producer Dallas Dickinson chats with MMORPG.com about the upcoming expansion for the game called Rage of the Wookiees. Some of the topics include space mining, the Wookiee/Trandoshan and Clone Wars conflicts, the combat upgrade, and new ships and sectors.

Also, there is a new "Blair's Blog" by not-Blair-at-all, Grant McDaniel, who is the project manager for the combat upgrade.

Monday, April 04, 2005

For the People, By the People: Monday

I've been holding onto some of this for several days, and some of the items are very fresh.

Freelancer:

Lancers Reactor hosts Porsche's E3 Jedi Starfighter, ColdFusion's Predator Super Heavy Fighter v1.0, and DriftingGhost13b's Swordfish MOD; all of them are compatible with single-player and multiplayer.

TLR also offers Falcon 2's Webrunner Beta 1 (compatible with sandbox single-player and multiplayer).

On the utility side of Freelancer modding, TLR also offers Tony Jackson's CRCTool Beta 1 that assists modders by scanning for certain files and then compiling a database with names and CRC hashes. Kurt Fitzner shares the source code and download of his Freelancer Model Clone utility (clones a model to allow for newly-skinned models to be incorporated into the game with ease) and Andy has provided FL - Quick v1.2, which shows a list of Freelancer servers and their static IPs.

Freespace 2:

StratComm's Fleet Pack 1 is now available (direct link is towards the middle of the second page of the thread). There are numerous screenshots throughout the thread to indicate the types of ships in the pack. StratComm has also converted a pair of ships by Raa so that they are usable within FS2.

The FS2Open folks have birthed a new set of MediaVP packs (v3.6.6) with new textures, models, sounds, and effects.

Hardwar:

max's Enhanced Hardwar patch has been updated; details and the download link can be found in this thread at Captain Zedo's.

Master of Orion 3:

Razeful's Mod has been updated to v1.1; MOO3Guardian offers the latest version of the mod, which includes AI-enhancements and various tweaks. Also, Paladin-007's has patched his Defensive mod to v1.1, which includes a bug fix.

Nexus:

Eater gives a taste of his upcoming Pirates campaign with a one-mission demo and has also issued a beta version of his Campaign Manager that allows users to manage multiple campaigns. Future versions may include an installer/uninstaller feature.

Also, frogger1108 rolls out a single mission called "New Conflicts".

On the franchise side of things, darkdrone's unleashed Star Trek: Universe at War v1.3. Details on the mod can be found in this thread at the Nexus forum or at the mod's site.

The Babylon 5: Conflicts of Loyalty site has opened and features a number of screenshots and other details about the campaign.

TheStressPuppy announces the impending beta of and shares a series of screenshots from the Age of War: The Original Series mod, which is based on the AoW: TNG mod.

Starshatter:

Sky_walker has released the v0.1 Republic Assault mod for Starshatter, along with a series of screenshots showing off ships, planets, and explosions in the Star Wars conversion.

X-Wing Alliance:

XWA Upgrade's Passenger Liner can be downloaded from the Transports section of the downloads page.

X2:

Nazgutek's Factory Loop Delivery Software v0.12, which "allows you to link factories to a 'Hub' factory to create a loop", is online. v0.12 contains a number of fixes. SpaceTycoon has also put together the v6.01 Navigation Software ST1, which tweaks the cost of same-sector jumps and eliminates duplicate target calculations.

New SE V Site and Screenshots

Malfador has unveiled the spiffed up Space Empires V website, which includes a list of accepted beta testers (and instructions for them) and eight screenshots.

Epiar Wiki

Epiar, the open-source 2D space combat/adventure title, now boasts a Wiki with documentation about the project.

Friday, April 01, 2005

STNZ 2 Alpha v2.3.2

Star Trek Neutral Zone Alpha v2.3.2 has been released. The latest version includes cloaking and warping.

Monday, March 28, 2005

SWG Ep III: RotW Ship Details

Late on my end, but Gamespot takes a look at the new ships in the Rage of the Wookies expansion for Star Wars Galaxies, including a nicely skinned Royal Guard TIE Interceptor and some Episode III ships.

Space Rangers 2 Movie and StarRush Screenshots

3DGamers offers an even twenty screenshots from StarRush, a planetary/space-based sim, as well as a trailer from Space Rangers 2: Dominators, a space strategy title.

Friday, March 25, 2005

Gal Civ 2 Screenshot and Beta 1

The Galactic Civilizations 2 site has been updated with a single screenshot from the beta; there is also news that the first beta has been made available to pre-orderers and TotalGaming.net subscribers. Notes and documentation may be viewed by any visitor, and as there's no NDA in effect, the beta testing forum can also be pilfered for information about the 4X title, if you're so inclined.

Vendetta Online Progress Report

The Vendetta Online site has been updated with details on recent happenings, including non-developmental details such as ISP problems. There is a bit on cap ship work, AI tweaks, and the wiki.

Monday, March 21, 2005

SFIII Update

Deus Siddis posts a number of updates on the Starflight III project in this thread. Some of the more interesting bits include:

The Nav and Comm engines are done. The four other engines are all in progress, probably around 50% complete or so (though that's not official, I'm just guessing.) There are no engines which have not been started. The main story line is about 60% set, I'd say and the sub plots are in the air. . . I would put two years as our ceiling if we REALLY slack off, and one year is what I am personally shooting for beta. . .

That brings us to today. We have lots of great music, sfx and art, but the code was created by individuals who did not plan on leaving their work to others at the time they wrote it. So presently, there is a massive review of 5 years of code which is to remove all the crap for evil dos, antiquated hardware support, poorly structured sections of code, and whatever else there is (I'm just an artist so this is not my field).

Space Empires 5 Beta Slots

Malfador is now taking applications for the Space Empires 5 beta. Prospective testers must fill out this form and submit it to Malfador in order to be considered.

Thanks to Lee for the news!

Heads Up: Epiar, FreeOnion, MDDClone, and Remnant to the Stars

Nick also points out a pair of fan-made projects. Epiar.net hosts Epiar, an open-source "space adventure/combat game". There is a v0.5 demo available for download.

Also, the 4X title FreeOnion has a v0.2 demo and is also an open-source title.

There is also a new version of the MDD (Mercenaries/Damocles/Dion Crisis) Clone. The latest version includes French and Italian translations, as well as having the ability to save and load games.

Lastly, there is a new title called Remnant to the Stars, but I am unable to load that website. Nick writes in his email that the site hosts screenshots and video.

X2: The Return Canceled; X3: Reunion Announced

Egosoft announces that X2: The Return has been canceled. Instead, Egosoft will concentrate its efforts on a "multi-format" game in the X universe called X3: Reunion. The PC release will come first, and then the game will be issued on an as-of-yet unannounced console.

The game is due for a Quarter 3 2005 release.

Thanks Nick!

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Upcoming EVE Changes

EVE-I.com shares Oveur's latest developer blog, which gives the rundown of changes in testing right now that will be integrated into EVE.

SWG Chat Log

SWG Stratics has posted the log from yesterday's chat with Star Wars Galaxies developers. Developers introduce the Kashyyk banta and chat about topics like the Galactic Civil War.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Parkan II Screenshots

Thanks to Andre for reminding us about Parkan II, whose website has been recently updated with new screenshots.

Monday, March 14, 2005

Star Trek Online Details

Gamespot has an article about Star Trek Online. Some details emerge, including bits about starships and their engineering and bridge sections, more on space combat and other types of missions, and the command structure.

Star Trek Neutral Zone 2 Alpha v2.2

Star Trek Neutral Zone 2 has been updated to Alpha v2.2. There is also a brief developer update regarding the v2.3 alpha and future versions that will include online play.

Heads Up: Supremacy: Four Paths to Power

Thanks to Nick for pointing out that Supremacy: Four Paths to Power can now be purchased from Matrix Games. The turn-based strategy title features space combat, as well as land-based combat. The website features a bevy of screenshots, but there is currently no demo available.

Ep III: Rage of the Wookies Expansion for SWG

Lucasarts and SOE released preliminary details about the next expansion pack for Star Wars Galaxies. Rage of the Wookies will feature Wookie homeworld Kashyyyk, a stack of quests, and most importantly, new starships that will be based upon Episode III (movie) designs.

Thursday, March 10, 2005

For the People, By the People: Thursday

Bridge Commander:

BCFiles serves up Starforce Production Team's Dominion Bugship, Dominion Battleship, Dominion Transport, and Vajaq-class Starship. Also online are the "Enemies of Life" Patch v1.3b by USS Donoghue, Subspace Torpedos by JamesTiberiusKirk, Blinkers for P81's Bird of Prey and Station Blinkers by TiqHud, Abandon Ship by Defiant, Dark Uniforms by Adonis, Dominion Wars Klingon Ship Pack by BlackRook32/Elminster, Specular Maps for the Vajaq Cruiser by Adonis, and FTB Klingon D9 and FTB Deltaflyer by Red Dragon.

Freelancer:

Black Eagle has issued a patch for Monkeys Mod v1.18, which Lancers Reactor hosts.

Freespace 2:

Omniscraper shows off atmospheric flight in his upcoming Starfox TC in a thread at HLP.

Klingon Academy:

Poktarl has converted the SFC III Norway Class Research Cruiser, and diforce releases a CV-65 Aircarrier.

Starshatter:

The revamped Babylon 5 pack by DamoclesX has docked at Starshatter Central. More details about the rather hefty download in this news item at SSC.

X2:

An updated Bonus Pack is available for users with problems with the 1.03.02 BP. Doubleshadow's X2 Modmanager has also been updated.

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Starfury Sim v1.1

The Starfury Sim has been updated to v1.1. The 13.7MB download features access to five systems, hyperspace, and a number of graphical tweaks.

Vendetta Online v1.2.1

Vendetta Online v1.2.1 is live. Although it does not feature the promised capital ship due to bugs, the latest version does include ship and weapons changes, dueling features, and various fixes.

EVE Chat Log Reader

EVE-I.com announces the release of the EVE Chat Log Reader (CLR), which sorts chat channel logs and permits for easy organization and searching of those logs, amongst a number of other features.

Heads Up: Starstrike

Thanks also to Nick for a link to Urban Interactive Software's work-in-progress titled 3D Starstrike (a remake of a 1984 game by Realtime Software). There are a number of screenshots of the shooter that plays "like Terminal Velocity" (according to Nick).

Evochron Released

Thanks to Nick for pointing out that Evochron, a free-form combat and trading sim from Star Wraith Games, has been released. A trial version can be downloaded, and the website has further details about the sim.

Monday, March 07, 2005

For the People, By the People: Monday

Freelancer:

Paul's New Balance mod has been updated to v1.41. The mod is open single-player only. Also at Lancers Reactor is tagunde's Death Glider Model in gmax format.

Klingon Academy:

Terran_Defense has readied another weapon--the Photon Missile.

Sunday, March 06, 2005

For the People, By the People: Sunday Drive Edition

Bridge Commander:

BCFiles offers a number of new files, including an NX-01 Hardpoint Update (based on "Twilight" episode) by John, Ablative Armor SFX for Armored Voyager by phazed, Canon Red Alert SFX for MVAM Voyager by fedmods, NanoFX Blinkers for Romulan Brightone by TiqHud, a patch for the C2x Galaxy-class Starship by CaptainFish, the Add Ship v0.3.1 (beta) utility by Defiant (allows the user to add ships in various modes without restarting the game), 9of9's Defiant Hardpoint Upgrade by Tooie32, Borg Mission Pack by Brandon, Romulan Intrepid Bridge by Nexxus21, Klingon Frigate by starforce2, TOS Romulan Bird of Prey by Piper, Venture Scout by starforce2, and Intrepid-class USS Belfast D (Beta) by BlackRook32/Elminster.

Freelancer:

The multiplayer and single-player-compatible Freelancer Fifth Gear mod has been updated to v1.1 and is available at Lancers Reactor, as is the Freeport 7 Nomad Attack Mod by Xtreme Team Studios (also compatible with single-player and multiplayer). TLR also has word of an open beta for Freelancer Explorer v2.0.6.21.

Hardwar:

Chris has released HUP v6.0, an installer which merges and patches Hardwar with UIM.06, Max's Enhanced, and smurph's Enhanced.

Klingon Academy:

Terran Defense unleashes an Andorian Disrupter Pulse.

Master of Orion 3:

MOO3Guardian hosts a new mod by Paladin-007. The Defensive Mod changes a number of parameters in the game.

Nexus:

Eater's "Pirate Ambush Mission" can be downloaded by visiting this thread at the official Nexus forums.

Star Trek Armada 2:

Drop by STA2Files to pick up Elrond's Second Set of Elven Ships, AdmiralRexStar's Summer Pack Collection (map pack), Pizza the Hutt's Klingon Heavy Frigate, draconis_sharp's Star Trek Armada 2.5 Mission 1 (includes two-player map), and Andrew_Of_Borg's Prototype Galor-class Starship.

Starfleet Command 3:

michelneder's USS Enterprise D v1.1 has docked at SFC3Files.

Starshatter:

Starshatter Central hosts Starbuck's Battlestar Galactica mod (see linked thread for instructions and details; the file is in the downloads section under BSG and then mods). A new Babylon 5 mod pack should also be released later today, which will include the Whitestar. Lastly, Necromancer shares his wisdom in a tutorial on the .DEF file format (download location in the link).

X-Plane Space Combat:

Aradayn has modeled a Galaxy-class Merchant Ship from Privateer for use with X-Plane's Space Combat game; grab the file at the CIC.

X2:

DeadlyDa brings forth the (beta) v0.2.2 Deadly Ship, Station & Galaxy Mod (which is combined with Mauzi's Ship Rebalancing Mod v0.89). The latest version adds three new ships, some tweaks, and compliance with the v0.89 Rebalancing Mod. Fingers_za's ShipBooster, which allows for ship theft, has been updated to v1.0; v1.0 includes a couple of fixes.

Another STO Interview

There's yet another interview with Perpetual's Glen Dahlgren. The PC Gamer interview covers a bit about the slower-paced ship combat, as well as a few other topics. Thanks STGU.

Gal Civ 2 Weekly Recap by Mudflap

Mudflap shares details and a few screenshots regarding recent UI work (information icons and DesktopX objects) on Galactic Civilizations 2, the upcoming strategy title from Stardock.

Privateer Remake v1.0 Released

Thanks to DM for sending word that the Privateer Remake v1.0 is live at the CIC. The different flavors (Win32, Mac, Linux) can be viewed at the Remake's site, and the file sizes range from 180MB to 185MB. There are also new HUD target images for download, and the CIC promotes a new MP3 by Hellcat that celebrates the Remake's full release.

Unfortunately for me, I'll have to wait until I can once again visit a location with broadband. I am extremely curious about thoughts on the Remake, so if you download and play, please feel free to comment to this post with your thoughts and observations.

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Brad Wardell Interview

File Front talks to Brad Wardell about Galactic Civilizations 2, the upcoming sequel to the 4X game. Some of the topics include the new ship design feature, playing all races, and the lack of multiplayer. Thanks Blue's.

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

Vendetta Online Update

The Vendetta Online developers have added a new ship and a new duel ranking system, amongst a bevy of other changes and bugfixes.

Starfury Sim v1.0 Release

The Babylon 5 Starfury Simulator has been updated to v1.0. Changes are listed, along with several new screenshots.

For the People, By the People: Tuesday

Bridge Commander:

BCFiles.com has posted an update (v1.3) of the Enemies of Life expansion and Enemies of Life Patch by USS Donoghue, Andromeda Ascendant Beta by Ruivo, Warship Intrepid by mrjohn, and the Hardpoint Hidden Core Asteroid by TiqHud.

Freelancer:

Lancers Reactor serves up Freeport 7 Nomad Attack by Xtreme Team Studios (single-player and multiplayer).

Hardwar:

A new version of smurph's Enhanced2 patch has been released. The patch is compatible with UIM.06 and Max's Enhanced patch.

Wing Commander: Secret Ops:

The CIC has posted a snazzy screenshot from the Standoff Episode 2 end cutscene. The Standoff website has also been updated with new screenshots of the Crossbow and the interface, as well as with progress information.

X-Wing Alliance:

The XWA Upgrade team have released a new model in the transports section, the Heavy Lifter by Gringlas.

PiArmada and Wing Commander Battle Station

The CIC points to two fan projects with recent downloads--Wing Commander Battle Stations (small tech demo) and PiArmada (v0.7 Win32 and source release), which is a remake of Armada.

Nexus Review

Gameshark reviews the US version of Nexus, giving it a 4 out of 5. The overall review is very substantial, sharing details about gameplay, the campaign, and use of tactics. Thanks to Blue's for the link.

Sunday, February 27, 2005

Gal Civ 2 Dev Blog: UI, Part Three

mormegil has posted a third installment of his series on the user interface in Galactic Civilizations 2. This one covers the custom player ship design screens and includes a pair of screenshots to demonstrate.

Vendetta Online Review

PC Gameworld reviews Vendetta Online, giving it a mixed critique and concluding that it is currently not worthy of a monthly fee. Thanks Blue's.

STO Interviews

Thanks to STGU for pointing to two new interviews about Star Trek Online. Both interviews feature Perpetual Entertainment's Glen Dahlgren, lead designer for the project. Both interviews discuss the role of the starship in the game. The MMORPG.com interview also manages to dig up specifics on races and weapons and combat, while the Gamer God interview discusses space combat in more depth and ship upgrades.

Untitled Freespace-Universe Multiplayer Game

A thread at HLP points to a freeware multiplayer game based in the Freespace universe. The trading/exploration/combat game is currently in development and seeking artists and modelers. Screenshots are viewable in the thread.

Friday, February 25, 2005

EVE Chat Log and Dev Blog

EVE Gate has posted a log from yesterday evening's chat with CCP. Some of the topics include non-combat missions, electronics warfare changes, insurance facilities, and missile countermeasures.

Also, EVE-I.com has posted a new developer blog that discusses some planned changes to the universe.

Thursday, February 24, 2005

X2: The Return Interview, Part 2

RPG Vault has published the second part of their interview with The_Abyss of Egosoft. This installment covers mission design, user interface changes, and changes to the game engine. Thanks Blue's.

For the People, By the People: Thursday

Bridge Commander:

BCFiles offers MVAM Armored Voayger SFX Fix by fedmods, Save Starbase 25 by fedmods, Distress Signal v0.4 (Beta) by Defiant, and Vulcan Surak Hardpoint by Blindmelon.

Freelancer:

The Lancers Reactor hosts a quartet of new development tools, including GMAX Plugins and Scripts by Chris Cookson (includes a number of scripts and tweaked plug-ins for modelers), Tlr.Freelancer.Flhash Library by WatercoolerWarrior (requires third-party tools that can access COM or .NET files), Tlr.Freelancer.Flcodec Library by WatercoolerWarrior (for manipulation of save game files; requires tools capable of accessing COM or .NET files), and Tlr.Freelancer.Network Library by WatercoolerWarrior (for server management/monitoring).

There are also a few new mods at the site--The Monkeys v1.18 by Black Eagle (compatible with single-player and multiplayer; requires Xerx's Open Singleplayer Mod (no storyline)), an update for The 5'th House by Peter Pan, and Evolution Nightmare 2.28 Nomad Revenge Server by Sherrec.

Klingon Academy:

Savage has released his Deep Space Nine model.

Gal Civ 2 Dev Blog: UI

mormegil has posted a second part to his dev blog about designing the user interface in Galactic Civilizations 2. This article digs into the square mini-map versus rotated mini-map debate. Visuals are included.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Gordon Walton Interview at SWG Vault

Star Wars Galaxies Vault interviews Gordon Walton, who chats about recent changes in the MMPOG.

Monday, February 21, 2005

For the People, By the People: Monday

Bridge Commander:

BCFiles offers a couple of new ships, including the USS Courageous by Queball/Mayhem UK, the C2X Deep Space Nine by C2Extreme, and the Davids-C Dominion War Refit (variant of the Constitution/Excelsior) by Starforce Productions Team.

Freespace 2:

ngtm1r has released a single mission called "Homecoming". Instructions and a download link are viewable in this thread at HLP.

Klingon Academy:

Terran Defense makes available an Andorian Plasma Cannon.

Starfleet Command III:

The Alternate Universe team has released a 419.63 MB mod called "Beyond the Looking Glass". The file, along with details, can be grabbed at SFC3Files.

Wing Commander IV:

CIC has news of a unique sort of Wing Commander IV project. AD is hard at work on a Wing Commander IV movie that will include a number of the cutscenes from the game, along with scenes from gameplay. He is currently looking for help and has made two samples (links are included in the news item at the CIC) available that demonstrate his intentions with the project.

X2:

moggy2 has posted details about the release of Xai Corporation's Manual Trade Commands 1.1.

Star Trek Neutral Zone 2 Interview

Star Trek Gaming Universe speaks with Krešimir Špes of Cateia Games, who are currently developing Star Trek Neutral Zone 2. The developer talks about his goals for the game, space combat, features included in the game, and some of the other games the Croatian developer has created.

Saturday, February 19, 2005

For the People, By the People: Saturday

Bridge Commander:

BCFiles offers a new version (v0.9) of the massive scripting management utility for Bridge Commander, QBautostart. Also docked at BCFiles are the Romulan D7 Cruiser v3.0 by Dave975 and a KA TMP Warbird by Neokade.

Freelancer:

Lancers Reactor features New Balance v1.03 by Paul (single-player and multiplayer) and the Lusitania System by Dionisius (trading-based client mod for playing on the Lusitania server).

Freespace 2:

DaBrain has put together a Mod Starter Pack that includes effects, anis, and maps.

Hardwar:

smurph's Hardwar Enhanced2 patch for UIM.06 is now available. Instructions for installing, a download link, and a changelog can be viewed in this thread at Captain Zedo's.

Star Trek Armada:

STA2Files hosts AdmiralRexStar's Armada I Multiplayer Maps Pack 1, which contains twenty-one maps, and his Armada I Multiplayer Maps Pack 2, which includes fifteen maps.

Star Trek Armada 2:

Also at STA2Files is Dr. Slim's Improved Federation Construction Ship.

Starfleet Command III:

Starfleet HQ shares a fixed version of the Hardpoint Placement Editor.

The Babylon Project:

A lovely pic of the Babylon 5 station (and an accompanying teaser video) that will be featured in the next release of TBP can be eyed in this thread at HLP.

X2:

LordSuch's Sector Planner has been updated to v1.4. Harlock's Top Gun Mod v1.0, which changes a number of things in the game, is out. The Xai Corp Advanced Combat Project has a new 3.12k release.

SWG Chat Log

SWG Stratics has posted a log from their developer chat on Wednesday. The main theme of the night is the Galactic Civil War.

SWG Chat Log

SWG Stratics has posted a log from their developer chat on Wednesday. The main theme of the night is the Galactic Civil War.

Data Etc.

In other media outlets around the net:

  • RPG Vault also has half a dozen screenshots from Star Wolves, the space combat strategy title.

  • Gamers Hell reviews the not-so-recently released Galactic Civilizations: Altarian Prophecy add-on. The article provides a very positive evaluation of the 4X title.

  • Lastly, WorthPlaying tallies up a positive (but not exceedingly so) score for Project Freedom, the arcade-y shooter from City Interactive.


Thanks to Blue's for all of the above.

X2: The Return Q&A (Part 1)

RPG Vault chats with spokesman Greg "The_Abyss" Kingston about X2: The Return. The interview covers the basics about X2: The Return (including changes between the original X2 and X2: TR) and races. The interview also includes a trio of screenshots. Thanks Blue's.

Friday, February 18, 2005

StarWraith 3D Games Newsletter

A brief newsletter from StarWraith 3D Games is online (thanks, Nick). The February edition has news that Evochron has reached release candidate status and that limited public beta testing of the game could begin within a few weeks.

For the People, By the People: Friday

Bridge Commander:

Now at BCFiles: Maquis Raider Hard Points Pack by Dave975, Vienna-class Battlecruiser by Starforce Productions Team, Advance Scorpion-class Starship by Raven Night, USS Scorpion v3.0 by Raven Night, (Hard Point) Stations v1.0 by TiqHud, (Hard Point) Prometheus v2.0 by TiqHud, (Hard Point) Norexan-class Romulan Warbird v3.0 by TiqHud, Romulan D'Deridex Warbird Mk.2 v1.0 by Zombie Zan, Brightone Hard Point Replacement by TiqHud, Romulan Harpy Carrier and Wareagle v2.0 by zeljko, Merchantman Mission by TiqHud, and Maquis Artrus Mission by TiqHud.

Freelancer:

Lancers Reactor has an IFSO Data Files Tutorial by Dark Dragon, an update to the Sol MOD by Mephistopheles, Raven Very Heavy Fighter by Mogdin, Small Mod (ship and equipment add-on; compatible with single-player and multiplayer) by the Liberation Demolitions Crew, and Evolution Nightmare 2.28 Nomad Revenge by Chips (client-side).

Master of Orion 3:

MOO Guardian shares a series of tutorials for the game, including two for beginners ("Hide!" by Zoombie and "Starting Your Empire Successfully" by Psilondude), a "Government Guide" by Psilondude, "Ground Combat: Tactics" by Wilddragon, and "Space Combat: Shields" by Zoombie.

Star Trek Armada 2:

Now at STA2Files: Elven Cube with Armor Pods by Elrond, Ultra Fusion Cube Mod by Yacuzza, Singularity Torpedo by Lord_hanson, San Francisco-class Fast Cruiser by Pizza the Hut, Borg Cloaking Nebula Generation by Elrond, Realism 2380 Mod by Jeffrey Walker, Borg Repair Ship by Billy9, Species 8472 Father by Billy9, Federation Headquarters Base by AdmiralPicard, Serpent-class Starship v2.0 by Eprtron Omega, and Freedom-class Refit by Pizza the Hutt.

Starfleet Command III:

SFC3Files hosts a trio of ships by Capt. Dawg & F9thDaihak--Federation Mark 6.2, Federation NX Mark 6, and Federation Mark 6.

Starshatter:

SSC has posted a number of tutorials to assist new Starshatter modders in getting started.

X2:

E.R. Hyland has bundled together ships from a couple of different mods and has tweaked a variety of components and scripts. The mod, ERH_RA_Xenon_GO, has a readme and is available from a couple of download sources. Please see this thread at the X forums for instructions and download mirrors. LV's Banshee mod has been updated to v2.1. Tigerclaw's X2 Combat Zone mod is now at the v1.2 Beta mark.

X-Wing Alliance:

Berruga offers some screenshots of the in-progress T-Wing model that will be a future XWA Upgrade model.

For the People, By the People: Friday

Bridge Commander:

Now at BCFiles: Maquis Raider Hard Points Pack by Dave975, Vienna-class Battlecruiser by Starforce Productions Team, Advance Scorpion-class Starship by Raven Night, USS Scorpion v3.0 by Raven Night, (Hard Point) Stations v1.0 by TiqHud, (Hard Point) Prometheus v2.0 by TiqHud, (Hard Point) Norexan-class Romulan Warbird v3.0 by TiqHud, Romulan D'Deridex Warbird Mk.2 v1.0 by Zombie Zan, Brightone Hard Point Replacement by TiqHud, Romulan Harpy Carrier and Wareagle v2.0 by zeljko, Merchantman Mission by TiqHud, and Maquis Artrus Mission by TiqHud.

Freelancer:

Lancers Reactor has an IFSO Data Files Tutorial by Dark Dragon, an update to the Sol MOD by Mephistopheles, Raven Very Heavy Fighter by Mogdin, Small Mod (ship and equipment add-on; compatible with single-player and multiplayer) by the Liberation Demolitions Crew, and Evolution Nightmare 2.28 Nomad Revenge by Chips (client-side).

Master of Orion 3:

MOO Guardian shares a series of tutorials for the game, including two for beginners ("Hide!" by Zoombie and "Starting Your Empire Successfully" by Psilondude), a "Government Guide" by Psilondude, "Ground Combat: Tactics" by Wilddragon, and "Space Combat: Shields" by Zoombie.

Star Trek Armada 2:

Now at STA2Files: Elven Cube with Armor Pods by Elrond, Ultra Fusion Cube Mod by Yacuzza, Singularity Torpedo by Lord_hanson, San Francisco-class Fast Cruiser by Pizza the Hut, Borg Cloaking Nebula Generation by Elrond, Realism 2380 Mod by Jeffrey Walker, Borg Repair Ship by Billy9, Species 8472 Father by Billy9, Federation Headquarters Base by AdmiralPicard, Serpent-class Starship v2.0 by Eprtron Omega, and Freedom-class Refit by Pizza the Hutt.

Starfleet Command III:

SFC3Files hosts a trio of ships by Capt. Dawg & F9thDaihak--Federation Mark 6.2, Federation NX Mark 6, and Federation Mark 6.

Starshatter:

SSC has posted a number of tutorials to assist new Starshatter modders in getting started.

X2:

E.R. Hyland has bundled together ships from a couple of different mods and has tweaked a variety of components and scripts. The mod, ERH_RA_Xenon_GO, has a readme and is available from a couple of download sources. Please see this thread at the X forums for instructions and download mirrors. LV's Banshee mod has been updated to v2.1. Tigerclaw's X2 Combat Zone mod is now at the v1.2 Beta mark.

X-Wing Alliance:

Berruga offers some screenshots of the in-progress T-Wing model that will be a future XWA Upgrade model.

For the People, By the People: Friday

Bridge Commander:

Now at BCFiles: Maquis Raider Hard Points Pack by Dave975, Vienna-class Battlecruiser by Starforce Productions Team, Advance Scorpion-class Starship by Raven Night, USS Scorpion v3.0 by Raven Night, (Hard Point) Stations v1.0 by TiqHud, (Hard Point) Prometheus v2.0 by TiqHud, (Hard Point) Norexan-class Romulan Warbird v3.0 by TiqHud, Romulan D'Deridex Warbird Mk.2 v1.0 by Zombie Zan, Brightone Hard Point Replacement by TiqHud, Romulan Harpy Carrier and Wareagle v2.0 by zeljko, Merchantman Mission by TiqHud, and Maquis Artrus Mission by TiqHud.

Freelancer:

Lancers Reactor has an IFSO Data Files Tutorial by Dark Dragon, an update to the Sol MOD by Mephistopheles, Raven Very Heavy Fighter by Mogdin, Small Mod (ship and equipment add-on; compatible with single-player and multiplayer) by the Liberation Demolitions Crew, and Evolution Nightmare 2.28 Nomad Revenge by Chips (client-side).

Master of Orion 3:

MOO Guardian shares a series of tutorials for the game, including two for beginners ("Hide!" by Zoombie and "Starting Your Empire Successfully" by Psilondude), a "Government Guide" by Psilondude, "Ground Combat: Tactics" by Wilddragon, and "Space Combat: Shields" by Zoombie.

Star Trek Armada 2:

Now at STA2Files: Elven Cube with Armor Pods by Elrond, Ultra Fusion Cube Mod by Yacuzza, Singularity Torpedo by Lord_hanson, San Francisco-class Fast Cruiser by Pizza the Hut, Borg Cloaking Nebula Generation by Elrond, Realism 2380 Mod by Jeffrey Walker, Borg Repair Ship by Billy9, Species 8472 Father by Billy9, Federation Headquarters Base by AdmiralPicard, Serpent-class Starship v2.0 by Eprtron Omega, and Freedom-class Refit by Pizza the Hutt.

Starfleet Command III:

SFC3Files hosts a trio of ships by Capt. Dawg & F9thDaihak--Federation Mark 6.2, Federation NX Mark 6, and Federation Mark 6.

Starshatter:

SSC has posted a number of tutorials to assist new Starshatter modders in getting started.

X2:

E.R. Hyland has bundled together ships from a couple of different mods and has tweaked a variety of components and scripts. The mod, ERH_RA_Xenon_GO, has a readme and is available from a couple of download sources. Please see this thread at the X forums for instructions and download mirrors. LV's Banshee mod has been updated to v2.1. Tigerclaw's X2 Combat Zone mod is now at the v1.2 Beta mark.

X-Wing Alliance:

Berruga offers some screenshots of the in-progress T-Wing model that will be a future XWA Upgrade model.