For the People, By the People: Sunday Drive Edition

Freelancer:
Lancers Reactor has word of the release of Bini Editor v1.0, which allows the user to edit compressed binary .inis.

Independence War:
Not a mod really and not exactly new, but this is so cool I had to post about it. Steve Robertson (formerly of Particle Systems) and Hot4Darmat have begun an Independence War paper ship model project and are still working towards a public release of the actual designs. For now, you can take a gander at the pics and the discussion (which includes a link to Paper Starships, which features B5, Homeworld, Star Trek, and Star Wars models--and a single Wing Commander ship).

Master of Orion 3:
The MOO3 Guardian hosts JosEPh's Easy Mod, which is designed to make the game easier for newbies, along with a trio of interface/skin mods.

Starshatter:
A new release of Babylon 5: Hold the Line is nearing completion. For an update and ten screenshots, check out the site.

X-Wing Alliance:
Darksaber's X-Wing Station now offers the Imperial X-Wing Alliance mod, which gives various interfaces an Imperial make-over.


If you know of any mods recently released that haven't been covered, let us know by dropping a line or commenting.

Hardwar Patch UIM01 Updates

Ian Martin, formerly of Software Refinery, will be providing assistance to the Hardwar community's continuing patching efforts. He has posted a new thread at Captain Zedo's regarding some of the latest changes made (along with two pairs of screenshots).

ATFW Blogged

Hopefully, the DNS change will kick in soon enough, and the redirects will begin, and this information might be useful.

You're probably wondering why a blog, and why a resuscitation at this point. They're both connected for me (in a way), so I'll begin with the first topic.

The content management system at ATFW has been hosed for a while. Maniac has just finished up his tenure at university and has entered the workforce and in general doesn't have the time to contribute to code maintanence. However, I'd like to thank him for all of his contributions and hard work he's contributed to the site over the years.

Additionally, I don't want to have to deal with site redesigns or coding at all. A blog makes things far more convenient, and there really is zero maintanence required. Information can be posted and responded to, and that's that.

The downside is that there's no shot of the Databank being recreated here, either, which is unfortunate but a necessary cut. Not having the Databank also eliminates a good deal of maintenance, which I really don't have time to perform. The time I do have to give will be devoted to news and content. (Having said that, there is a possibility the Databank could return in Wiki format in the future. That's just something I'll have to research. If you have any ideas or thoughts on that topic, feel free to comment.)

Although TypePad is much slicker and offers more options, it's also a paid-only service. That's not really something I can afford right now, although I'd like to make ATFW available again and keep it updated. For me, using Blogger.com was the best option. It's absolutely free, and news and any other content can be posted in a collaborative framework. (A minus is that anon news submissions via the content system directly are not possible. Please submit this news the old fashioned way--email--or comment to a present news post with that information.)

(If you had admin access under the old system and would like to be added to the list here, please contact me.)

As far as why revamp now? Recently, I've had time to explore what to do as far as a hosting solution/content management solution goes (being unemployed gives a person some time to research and to act) that would give me time to update.

I have kept up (as well as possible) on developments in the genre. If there's something you think I should know (whether it be a mod or a commercial game or a freeware project), please let me know.

I am hoping that the blog format will eliminate any future technical issues regarding the site and hope to keep the site updated as news and information develops in the space combat simulation and strategy genres.

Nexus: The Jupiter Incident Preview

Avault previews Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, a tactical space combat game from Mithis Entertainment. The preview covers the 3D tactical system, various potential strategies, visuals, and multiplayer.

Star Wraith IV: Reviction v1.448

Star Wraith IV: Reviction, an independent space combat game, is now available. Latest changes follow:

- Invincibility cheat now available in Demo (create a profile with the name imacheater).
- Expanded Demo mission cut scene.
- Reverse engine thrust control now available.
- Faster missiles (200% faster) with greater ranges.
- Horizontal and vertical strafe/inertial thruster power limits increase by about 70%.
- New Cooperative Intercept Multiplayer Mode, 2 fighters + inbound torpedoes.
- Major framerate performance increase on most 3D video cards.
- Inertial thruster sound effects respond accurately for reverse thrust now also.
- HUD horizon indicator bars intensity reduced slightly and visually improved.
- Multiplayer chat box improvements.
- Warp flash occurs when players respawn in multiplayer.
- On rare occasions, players received in-combat notices while in chatroom, now fixed.
- Improved multiplayer scoring accuracy.
- EFH and EMH messages in small chat windows during Coop games fixed.
- Multiplayer mode now auto-restores when player ID/status packets are lost.
- Cooperative Assault Multiplayer mode now provides fighters exclusively as opponents.

Further, this latest version includes a god cheat, the ability to turn tighter maneuvers, and performance enhancements.

As always, you can try the demo for free.

For the People, By the People

Mods from the past week:

The Lancers Reactor sports several new mods and utilities for Freelancer, including Close Encounters in Sirius (designed primarily for single-player but usable in multiplayer games), the Open Singleplayer for The Monkeys v1.1 (which is a single-player mod designed to enhance the non-linear experience), the Complete Nav Map, the Freelancer Level 2 mod, and the Asgard RPG mod (designed primarily for multiplayer).

XWA Upgrade features a new release--the Modified Action Transport Transport. Check out the site for pics and the download.

DarkSpace: Broken Code, Coming Patch

Palestar's Faustus has posted an update on broken code. A new patch to correct the socket issues should be forthcoming today.

Jump to Lightspeed Pre-Order

Pc.ign.com (via Blue's) reports that a Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed beta slot and a fresh (read: exclusive) Naboo Flash Speeder are up for (pre)purchase.

Space Interceptor: Project Freedom Preview

WorthPlaying previews Polish developer's City Interactive's linear combat sim, Space Interceptor: Project Freedom (thanks Blue's). There are ample screenshots to show off the game's engine but not a lot of meat about the actual game beyond confirming it has a narrative, mission triggers, and is more Wing Commander than I-War.

Flatspace v1.06

From an anonymous user:

A new version of the space trading game Flatspace has been released. Flatspace v1.06 includes target cycling, changes to the lock range for missiles, impoved A.I. response by the computer controlled spacecraft and several enhancements to the gameplay. Flatspace is a vast space adventure game. As commander of a space ship of your choice, you decide how to play, survive and prosper. You can trade cargo between space stations, mine asteroids for minerals, join the Flatspace police or become a renegade space pirate or bounty hunter. Game influences include Elite II Frontier, and rogue-like games such as Nethack. For more information visit http://www.lostinflatspace.com/.

The site offers a demo; the full version of the game costs $21.00 USD/£14.00 GBP. Screenshots and other information is also available at the site.