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Diablo2 Exploits
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- Posted 7:23 AM By Kagato
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Diablo II Network is reporting that a band of unscrupulous Korean exploiters are running amok on the Battle.net ladder. Apparently they've been able to create level 88 characters in less than 7 hours, and level 97 players in under a day, which may be just a tad on the near impossible side. They've got proof over at Diablo II Net.
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Q3 Model Hellchick
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- Posted 7:35 AM By Kagato
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Former id Software bad-ass Paul Steed released a new Quake 3 player model which is of former Planet Quake site director and now Activision PR lady Hellchick, which apparently he started before leaving id, but just now finished.
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Protests To W3C's Patent Plan
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- Posted 4:31 PM By Kagato
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I've been reading several articles on the W3C's plan that would allow companies the ability to claim patent rights on standards authorized by the W3C (the GIF and MP3 wars come to mind). C|Net has an article posted discussing the issue, here's a snip:The W3C works with developers, software makers and others to come up with standards for the Web, which can then be used by just about anyone to build Web software, free of charge. To date, those standards have either not been based on patented technology, or the holders of patents have chosen to not enforce patents in order that the standards be widely adopted.
But a new proposal may now open a few cracks in that wall, allowing companies to enforce patents based around those technologies and to potentially charge a royalty fee to developers who use them. Bye-bye HTML, helloooo PHP!
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DirectX 9.0 Beta Program
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- Posted 7:13 AM By Kagato
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Wanna take part as Beta tester in the new Microsoft DirectX 9 beta program? Well, the DirectX team is looking for new beta testers for the upcoming DirectX 9.0 beta. If you are a developer or a hard-core gamer interested in participating in the beta, you can submit an application to be considered by completing the DirectX 9.0 beta survey.
If you are a interested in testing the next major version of DirectX, go to BetaPlace and use the following account to access the site: User-ID: DX9Beta Password: DX9Gaming
Good luck!
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Software Updates
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- Posted 7:40 AM By Kagato
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Just to make sure you're up-to-date, here's a listing of a few new updates to drivers/software that some of you may be interested in:
Version 4.12.01 of screen capturing program HyperSnap-DX has been released. Logitech has released v9.41.1 of their Mouseware drivers. Nullsoft has released another Beta of Winamp 3, bringing it to Build 443. AMD has released v1.40C of their IDE drivers, adding support for WinXP.
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Klipsch Promedia 5.1 Review
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- Posted 7:35 PM By Kagato
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For those that take their computer audio seriously, you'll be happy to know that Computer Source Magazine has recently posted their review of the new Klipsch Promedia 5.1 speaker package. What do they think? In a word:"If you think I’m over-hyping the Klipsch Promedias, than there’s a good chance you’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing all that is Promedia. Unlike conventional desktop speakers that typically use el’ cheapo drivers and components, the Promedia line has always used some of the highest quality hardware and engineering we’ve seen to date." If you've ever heard their 4.1 setup, the $399 price tag for the 5.1 doesn't sound too bad.
Source: Computer Source Magazine
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Solaris 9 Out For Beta Testing
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- Posted 10:54 PM By Kagato
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News definately for those who are into the whole *NIX alternative of operating systems. Sun is making available a beta release of it's upcoming Solaris 9 Operating System for testing. New updates to the system include:Live Upgrade, which lets an administrator install the new operating system onto an unused portion of a storage system then reboot the server to the new version. If it doesn't work right, the administrator can boot back to the older version.
Detailed control over computing resources. The new Solaris improves how software processes can share CPUs. It also lets administrators monitor or change how resources are being used.
Support for the latest version 5 of the Kerberos authentication system.
The ability to write data or audio CDs.
The ability to install only a minimum set of Solaris features. We now return you to your regular scheduled program.
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Hot Dating - Sim Style
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- Posted 11:33 PM By Kagato
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With the gradual progression of the "sim" gameline, you knew it'd come to this as some time in the future. The folks over at PC.IGN are taking you on a tour of The Sims: Hot Date. Here's a little snip about in-game hugs:Instead of the basic hug, you can now choose from up to four different kinds of hugs depending on your mood. The basic hug is still here of course, but you can increase the passion of the hug by picking the intimate or romantic hug option. Then there's the option to leap into someone's arms. Sean showed us a demo of how this works by getting one character to leap into the arms of another: "If her hygiene is high enough, he'll accept it and both their moods goes up. However let's say her bladder is really low. He's got a new tickle he can do on her [the extreme tickle]. If the bladder's low enough on the other person, they'll wet their pants." Once she jumped back into his arms, he got the scent of it and threw her on the ground. Awesome. At times I'm not sure who I should feel more sorry for, the folks who actually buy the game, or the ones that actually got paid to code it.
Source: PC.IGN
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Soldier Of Fortune 2 Interview/Preview
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- Posted 7:37 AM By Kagato
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SimHQ has posted a Soldier of Fortune 2 interview/preview of the upcoming gave from Raven Software. They cover gameplay aspects, the new GHOUL 2 rendering engine, and talk to Raven's Kenn Hoekstra. Here's a rather cool bit from the article:The part of the GHOUL 2 system that allows for 36 separate hit zones on each character and per pixel hit detection offers some unique gameplay elements. Each of these hit zones will cause a different reaction when shot; shoot a person in the foot and they will react to this, get an arm and hurt the opponents ability to use it. On top of this, your hits are shown exactly where they enter so that you will know just how good of a shot you are. No more guessing where in the chest you scored your hit; just look and you will know. These types of gore will be adjustable for those who do not wish to see the virtual carnage and Raven has included parental locks so that they kids can’t turn it back on while you are out. Cool stuff for sure, just wish they had an expected release date for the tile.
Source: SimHQ
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EverQuest Credit Cards
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- Posted 7:41 AM By Kagato
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No, it's not the newest line from MasterCard (though I'd certainly want one if it was). Verant has just issued gamecards for EverQuest that cost $29.95 which are good for three months of on-line playtime. You can pick them up at select retailers, or buy them online at the Station store (though I imagine you have to buy via credit card in this case, which is the point of buying the cards at stores, for those who do not have a credit card). Snip:“We’re pleased to offer gamers a variety of options to experience the world of EverQuest,” states Don Vercelli, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. “With over 410,000 subscribers, EverQuest continues to offer the richest content available in the online gaming genre.” End of line...
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ICO Review (PS2)
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- Posted 7:56 AM By Kagato
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Looking for a slight change of pace in your gaming? Then you outta read PlanetPS2's review of ICO, a new "puzzle" based game out in stores now. Here's what they think:ICO is one of the absolute greatest games you will ever play. With gorgeous graphics, sounds, and environments it's easily one of the most aesthetically pleasing as well. The level and puzzle design is absolutely brilliant as well. After you finish it, you may want to play it again. Even if you never do, ICO is one of those titles that you'll be proud to simply have in your home. Included in the review are some screenshots from the game, showing off just what they mean by "gorgeous graphics".
Source: PlanetPS2
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Wipeout : Fusion (PS2)
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- Posted 8:02 AM By Kagato
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Those who have been trying to find any information on the upcomging Wipeout:Fusion for the PS2 know there has been little to sink your teeth into for the title. Well, the kind folks over at Gaming Age have posted a slew of screenshots from the game. Be sure to head over and check them out as this looks to be one sweet game.
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Morrowind Delayed
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- Posted 2:45 PM By Anthos
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Morrowind will not be a Christmas goody this year. PC.IGN got word that the upcoming Bethesda release will be delayed until next year. No solid release date is available, but there is speculation that the game will be on shelves in March 2002.
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Horses Spotted in Camelot
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- Posted 2:48 PM By Anthos
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A late addition to the current beta stage of Dark Age of Camelot allows you to ride horses. Currently, these horses are on autopilot, but there is word that they will be able to be controlled, "soon." Check out GameSpot's news and screens.
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Medal of Honor Movie
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- Posted 2:56 PM By Anthos
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See in-game footage of the first person shooter being brought to you a store near you by 2015 and Electronic Arts. Checking in at just over eight seconds, this avi file shows you some of the town scenery, as well as sniper action. Here's the download. You can also check out three new screenshots right here, here, and here.
Source: HomeLan Fed
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Pool Of Radiance News
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- Posted 3:19 PM By Kagato
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Ubisoft has posted an update on Pool of Radiance which is supposed to address some of the problems people have experienced with the product. Here's a whiff of what's new:1) We've got a new Uninstall program which will be a very small download and will safely uninstall the game. It will go out to QA tonight and then be put through a battery of tests before we post it.
2) We've got a fix for the Install to any directory bug. Right now we're working on a good way to impliment it.
3) After collecting saves and information from QA on the Save Game crashes, we think we've found two different bugs and we're working on fixes for them.
4) Found a problem with the way the game interacts with DirectX. We think this is what's causing a variety of bugs with certain Video/Sound cards and Multiplay. An enterprising player/programmer has posted a quick fix for this problem (Thanks Ken!), and we'll have a comprehensive fix soon. I'll bump the post.
This is NOT a comprehensive list of what we're fixing, just an update on where we're at right now. More fixes will follow. We have two people dedicated to scanning this Forum and two people dedicated to scanning the Tech Support Forum to collect feedback and information.
Thanks, Garrett Producer, Pool of Radiance Not sure why anybody would want to uninstall this game in the first place, it rocks!
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Nero ver.5.5.5.1 Released
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- Posted 3:36 PM By Kagato
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Ahead Software has links up for the v5.5.5.1 release of Nero. On top of the long list of updates/improvements, this version is designed to ensure smooth running under the Windows XP environment. Some of the new features include:Added many new recorders. DAO mode is now present as default and active in CD Copy dialog and it is not changeable Added new 'buffer underrun preventing features': Power-Burn, BURN-Free and SafeLink Added IMAPI lock for Windows XP Several improvements to comply with Windows XP Logo For those who use Nero in their day-to-day burning, be sure to grab the update(10.8MB).
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ICQ 2001b Alpha v.5.05 Build #3619
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- Posted 3:53 PM By Kagato
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For those of you who use ICQ, there's a new build in town. No reports of what's been updated, except that it brings you up to ver.2001b Alpha v5.05 Build #3619 (yeah, say that 5 times fast)! Grab it if 'ya need it.
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Diablo 2 ver1.09B Patch
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- Posted 10:30 AM By Kagato
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For those of you Diablo 2/D2:LoD players, Blizzard has released a new patch, bringing the game up to version 1.09B. This patch is mostly for those who play over Battle.net as it fixes a rather nasty bug:Fixed a bug where a connection problem ("Unable to connect to Battle.net")would instead result in a downloading patch dialog that stayed at 0% indefinitely. Even if you don't play on Battle.Net, may as well pick it up just to make sure you're up-to-date.
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CaptureStrike
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- Posted 2:10 PM By WaRMaN
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The folks at Threewave are putting the finishing touches on a new CTF mod called CaptureStrike. The game will be a mixture of CTF, Rocket Arena, and Counter-Strike. It's release date is October 11th at 6pm central. Here is a sample of info/rules:- Teams Take turns being Offense or Defense. - The Goal of the Offensive team is to capture the enemy flag. - The Goal of the Defensive team is to eliminate the enemy, prevent the enemy from touching your flag, prevent the enemy from capturing your flag. - Each turn Lasts up to 2.5 minutes. - Once you die you stay dead until the turn completes. - At the conclusion of a turn the teams switch offense and defense to complete the round. - 2 'Turns' make a 'Round' - You spawn with an assortment of weapons and ammo, all for free! Click here for the rest of the info/rules.
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World of Warcraft Screen Shots
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- Posted 10:22 PM By Kagato
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Blizzard has released 17 new World of WarCraft screen shots. There are a couple that you have probably seen in the various game mags, but the rest are new to the online world. Graphics are stunning, let's just hope the gameplay matches.
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New MWGL WebSite Sections
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- Posted 10:37 AM By Squirre1
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The MWGL would like to invite everyone to check out the new sections of the website. We have upgraded both the Forums and the Download Area.
The forums added ability allows you to Private Message the other individuals on the forums as well as many other new features. The new download area allows you to rate the files that you download as well as post comments about them.
Enjoy the new sections and post comments on this news item telling me what ya think. I would appreciate to here ANY comments or suggestions.
Thanks
Squirre1
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WinXP For Gamers?
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- Posted 7:38 AM By Kagato
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With Windows XP due to be released soon, many gamers are wondering if they should upgraded to the new OS. Well, the folks over at GamePC have posted an article called Windows XP Professional: A Gamers Perspective. This 18 page article explores what XP can do for gamers, listing some benchmarks between the various OS's and discussing the differences with the new system. Here's a snip:So, the question. Is it worth the upgrade? Windows 2000 users shouldn't feel the need to upgrade, unless the visuals or new features of the OS catch your fancy. In terms of performance and stability, XP and 2000 are very, very similar. For Win9X and ME users, you should seriously consider upgrading to XP, as the added stability of the 32-bit NT kernal is worth the money by itself. If you're in the market for a new PC, don't bother with a PC without XP, it's really that simple. XP can only get better as the drivers are updated for full support.
Source: GamePC
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Big EverQeust Changes Today
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- Posted 7:46 AM By Kagato
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For those of you addicted to this game like me, you'll notice that the servers went down this morning for a 6 hour (we hope) update. There are some big changes coming today, mostly dealing with combat and the damage that classes deal. For a full update, read this report over at EverQuest Casters Realm. Here's a quote from Gordon Wrinn, Associate Producer for EQ, reguarding updates to two-handed weapons :We are making changes to two-handed weapons to increase their damage output and desirability. As many of you know, two-handed weapons are not doing comparable damage to dual wielded single-handed weapons. This problem really manifests itself in the high end game. Before level 50, two-handed weapons perform fairly well. The following two-handed weapon change applies to characters level 51 and higher-
Two-handed weapons currently receive a damage bonus based on the delay of the weapon. Slower weapons swing less often, but hit harder when they connect. We have increased this damage bonus significantly over what it used to be. This increase in the damage bonus improves the damage potential of all existing two-handed weapons. Up through epic level weapons, the damage bonus alone makes two-handers a very viable choice for melee classes. Apparently since us warriors are the basis for all other classes (damage output, etc.) we're not really getting much out of the updated =(.
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Dark Age Of Camelot Shortage?
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- Posted 7:54 AM By Kagato
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Camelot Vault spotted an update by Mythic's prez Mark Jacobs explaining the situation that Dark Age of Camelot appears to be getting a little too popular for its own good. Why is this bad? Well it looks like there will be some shortages when the game hits stores this week, in terms of availability of the software. Here's a bit from the post:From the day we began work on DAoC we have had a few rock solid principles. First among those was that our game's capacity was geared to handle 100K subscribers during its launch phase. We have been very clear about this from day one both with the community and with our distribution partner Vivendi Universal. Based on both of our estimates, the decision was made to have an initial run to match that number. This would allow us to have the correct amount of bandwidth, servers and CS people to have a great launch. Even up to last week nobody at VU (who of course relies on the numbers coming from the retailers) had any reason to think that we would exceed that expectation. I asked them on almost a daily basis how the pre-orders were going and it was always the same. However, then something changed...
Over the last two weeks (especially this past week) pre-orders and reserves in the various retailers have gone through the roof. While I can't reveal actual numbers, the fact is that we are have more pre-sales than any other game in this genre has had to date (at least that is what the retailers are telling us) and since these numbers are so high, the retailers are now very concerned that they will sell out their stock immediately. They are asking VU to manufacture more copies immediately. Now, under normal circumstances the manufacturer would be happy to do that but in this case, there is one big problem and that is that this is a MMORPG and that the infrastructure has to be in place to support it. Thus, a phone call took place on Friday between VU and us... I knew this game would probably be popular, but to have this much demand is simply amazing!
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Intel - 1 Billion Transistors @ 20GHz
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- Posted 8:16 PM By Kagato
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According to this story over at CNN.com, Intel has developed some new semiconductor packaging that will allow them to build a chip with one billion transistors running at 20 gigahertz within the next six years! Here's a snip:The new packaging does away with tiny, solder balls that connect the microprocessor core, or die, to the packaging material, the method now used in Pentium 4 chips and chips from other semiconductor manufacturers. These solder balls allow for power to flow to the core and for data to pass among the core and the rest of the computer's motherboard and chipset. Liquid nitrogen anyone?
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Max Payne v1.02 Patch
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- Posted 7:55 PM By Kagato
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Remedy has released a patch for Max Payne, bringing it to ver.1.02. Coming in at only 6.1MB, this patch is for the registered version of Max Payne. Fixes include:The clock and other desktop icons are no longer randomly flashing during the game. This patch also includes all the fixes that were in v1.01 of the patch. Those fixes included: Exit to desktop stability issues addressed: The issues with the game crashing to Windows desktop when loading a new map have been addressed. Game doesn't start with some CD-ROM drives: A newer version of Safedisc copy protection is now in use. For those that haven't beaten the game yet, be sure to grab the update to ensure your gaming experience is not darkened by a bug.
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Dark Age of Camelot vs Other MMORPGs
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- Posted 8:07 PM By Kagato
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In case you didn't know (or possibly care), Dark Age of Camelot went live today. As part of the roll-out, EBGames has posted an interview with Mythic Entertainment's Mark Jacobs, discussing the game and some of the things that make it different from others like EverQuest and Anarchy Online. Here's a snip:Another great difference between our competition and us is what you have to do to make a level. All these games, whether they’re skill-based games or class-based systems, all have in their heart leveling, and anyone who says otherwise really hasn’t looked at any of these games. It doesn’t matter if you’re bashing bunnies to go up to level 10 or your bashing bunnies to raise your sword skill up to 56 percent. It’s the exact same thing.
What we wanted to do is eliminate as much of the bashing bunnies as possible while still retaining the time it takes. Obviously, if you can go from level one to 50 in a week, that’s a bad thing. What we did was look at the quest system and also put in a task system, which would allow people to get up to 50 percent of their experience at any given level through non-bashing. This is one thing I've always thought was missing from EverQuest, sure they have quests, but most aren't worth the time and effort. Not really sure if being able to get 50% of your level via quests is all that great of a thing either, you'll get people more insterested in quests than groups (phat lewt!).
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Operation Flashpoint Patch Due Friday
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- Posted 7:35 AM By Kagato
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Codemasters visited the official OpFlashpoint forums with news that a patch will be released this friday (October 12).Here's the info:Version 1.26 of Operation Flashpoint executable is coming out soon (ETA: Friday Oct 12) and it will be available as public beta. New version will introduce dramatically reworked and improved netcode and over 50 of other bug fixes and improvements. More information coming soon... Good news for all.
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WinAmp v2.77
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- Posted 10:01 PM By Kagato
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There's a new version of WinAmp out today, bringing it to version 2.77. Get it! Got it? Good. If you haven't the foggiest idea what the software does, check for a pulse.
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Pool of Radiance v1.2 Patch
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- Posted 10:12 PM By Kagato
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For those who were disappointed by the ver. 1.1 patch for Ubi Soft's recently released Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor, there's good news. Ubi Soft has sent word that there will be an upcoming ver. 1.2 patch. The patch is expected to be released around Oct. 19th, and will fix various save game corruptions, an IP address problem in multiplayer play, and a minor bug in game play at the end of the game.
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Asus CaseModz Competition
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- Posted 7:22 AM By Kagato
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For those of you with your tricked-out/modded computer system, this page may interest you. Asus (yes the motherboard manufacturer)is holding a Case Mod competition where the winner gets an "Asus Dream Machine", no word on what all is included in this. You've got until October 20th to submit your entry, so get'a'movin soldier!
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Retail Watercooled NVidia
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- Posted 7:27 AM By Kagato
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With watercooling becoming more and more common among the cooling techniques used by todays PC builders, it's no surprise that somebody is planning a retail watercooling package for NVidia owners. Here's the scoop as told by Got Apex?: Got|Apex? just received the VERY first images of 3DPOWER's new power user product, the Poseidon. Poseidon is the god of the sea, which is perfect because the Poseidon is the first water-cooling unit EVER to be offered by a company as an upgrade. 3DPOWER has given us a quick briefing on the Poseidon, but we are not at liberty to disclose the full details until they launch the product in the near future. According to 3DPOWER, the Poseidon is revolutionary in design in that the water block is a one piece block that will cover both the memory and the GPU. Included in the little blurb is a picture showing what the package will look like. Mmmmm, purple.
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Creature Isle - Day One
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- Posted 7:52 AM By Kagato
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PC.IGN has posted day one of its Black and White Creature Isle coverage. In today's posting, they give some impressions on the game, screen shots, and of course movies.Creature Isle (the Isle, not the game) features loads of creatures, several villages and no gods at all. Well, except for you that is. This means that you've got a little more breathing room. No longer will you have to compete with rival deities for influence. So what's the point? Well you've got a lot of tasks ahead of you. Apart from watching your creature raise a pet of his own, you've also got to help him hook up with a special lady creature for some breeding. But that's not what we're focusing on today. Instead, we thought we'd outline a few of the new quests in the game and talk a little bit about the creatures. Hmmm, "special lady creature" eh? Put on some Barry White and turn the lights down.
Source: PC.IGN
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Tiny NVidia Demo
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- Posted 8:15 AM By Kagato
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Those of you own one of the newer NVidia based cards (GeForce 2/3) have probably seen the 190MB demos that show of the cards speed/features. Here's a nifty demo called ".The Product" coming in at a mere 63.5k! Requirements include:A fast pc, at least a p2-350 Fast graphics card, at least a tnt2, but GeForce or higher is recommended (party version, untested on non-nvidia cards) Sound card 128MB or more of RAM DirectX 8 installed This is a pretty sweet demo, especially when you compare its size!.
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CaptureStrike
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- Posted 6:38 PM By WaRMaN
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The release of CaptureStrike is official! It released today at 6pm central. I spent a good 20 minutes with almost 1,000 gamers awaiting the release on Threewave's IRC channel (enterthegame.com #Threewave). If there is any doubt in your mind if this is a MOD worth downloading, do I need to remind you of their MODs for Q1 and Q2?
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nVidia Driver v21.83 WHQL Released
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- Posted 7:44 AM By Kagato
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nVidia has released a new revision of their Detonator XP (rev 4) drivers, bringing them up to version 21.83. No word on what bugs have been squashed/added with these except that they have received the Microsoft WHQL certification. Grab 'em if 'ya need them.
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Inflatable Loudspeakers
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- Posted 7:54 AM By Kagato
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While this is not entirely game related, if it ever becomes reality, many of you may have these on your home PC system. There's an article over at New Scientist discussing the creation of Inflatable Loudspeakers. The article doesn't really go in to the technical side of how it all works, except to mention that there are patents on the way in which it works.
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Brad McQuaid leaves Verant
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- Posted 10:49 AM By Kagato
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News for those who play EverQuest. Verant has announced that Brad McQuaid, the Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of EverQuest has left Verant Interactive after five years of service. John Smedley will be taking over his responsibilities."After five years of building the EverQuest franchise for Sony Online Entertainment, it's time for me to explore other opportunities in the creative development of massively multiplayer games," said Brad McQuaid. "I wish SOE the greatest success with all future releases and I have the greatest confidence in the ability of the development staff that we've assembled over the past few years to continue expanding the EverQuest experience."
"Brad's contribution to gaming philosophy that evolved into EverQuest has been recognized throughout the gaming world as one of the premier accomplishments of the past decade in the business," states John Smedley, Chief Operating Officer, Sony Online Entertainment. "It's been a pleasure working with Brad for the past few years as a colleague and a friend and I'm certain that he will continue to contribute innovative and exciting game technology in the future."
"Brad's passion for excellence in all things EverQuest has made a material impact in the success of this groundbreaking title," said Kelly Flock, President, Sony Online Entertainment. "I know he will continue to be a force in this emerging market and all of us at Sony Online Entertainment look forward to the possibility of working with him again in the future." No news on who or where Brad is heading at this time.
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Dark Age of Camelot : Interview with CEO Mark Jacobs
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- Posted 10:57 AM By Kagato
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The LA Times has interviewed Mythic CEO Mark Jacobs about their recently-gone-live Dark Age of Camelot. One of the questions I liked was:Q: How do you plan to avoid the technical problems that have plagued other massively multi-player games?
A: A lot of the problems boil down to either inadequate bandwidth, not enough servers, buggy software or poor customer service. We've addressed all four. First, we have a deal with our Internet service provider that gets us as much bandwidth as we need at the drop of a hat. Without the bandwidth, you have nothing else. Second is server capacity. We have been running this game in beta for months with 10,000 active users. We have a darn fine idea of what our players will eat up in terms of server capacity. We'll have over 65 servers at launch, with each server capable of handling 1,000 players. The third area is customer service. I've got 46 people working right now in my customer service department. We're set up for full phone, e-mail and in-game support. It's 24/7 for in-game support, and phone support is 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. All these guys are paid, not volunteers. That sets us apart. Finally, our code base is established. We've used it in other games. It's been tested. Having said that, there's always going to be bugs in a multi-player game. WOW! 46 people working in customer service, sure beats the service Verant/EverQuest has, you can never talk to anybody there.
Source: LA Times
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Threewave for Quake III
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- Posted 10:44 PM By WaRMaN
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If you haven't already downloaded Threewave's new MOD(123MB), WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? This is almost a stand-alone game in itself. It features six different modes of play.DeathmatchTeam DeathmatchThreewave CTFCaptureStrikeClassic CTFTourney 1v1 The game starts out in a "portal" where everyone has a chance to choose their favorite map. Then there is a mini game from the likes of Silly Quad, Guantlet Fest, LavaDoom, and Pineapple Fury. After the mini game, everyone is teleported to the map with the most votes. Then, let the fun begin! After the map is over, it starts all over agian in the portal.Classic CTF is my choice of games, with CaptureStrike close behind. CCTF allows the use of the off-hand grapple from the Q1 and Q2 days. You can even customize the model of the grapple to look and sound like the older grapples! You can also change the look of the rail trail. Get more info here.
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Razer Boomslang: Back in Black
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- Posted 11:21 PM By WaRMaN
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Razer, the makers of the "Game Peripheral of the Year" for 2000, are back with a new distributor. Synergy Media will team up with Razer to continue to make the most competitive gaming mouse on the market. This is great news for the gaming community! You can reserve their mouse here, or even buy them on EBAY with no reserve. With all the good news at a time where all news is bad, lets celebrate and buy two :) To read their full story click here.
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MS Intellimouse Explorer 3.0
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- Posted 7:21 AM By Kagato
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Looks as if Microsoft has revised their optical mouse line-up again with their new Intellimouse Explorer 3.0. The biggest update to this model, besides some slight button changes, is the fact that these puppies now scan 6000 times a second (crikey!). No word on what their optical resolution is, assuming that it's the level of the 2.0's then you're looking at 1800dpi.
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Anthrax Computer Virus
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- Posted 7:26 AM By Kagato
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Well, you knew it had to happen, somebody has gone and written a new worm virus claiming to have a photo attachment showing the side effects of contacting the real-life Anthrax virus. As like any worm, the moron who opens the included attachment is instantly infected and begins e-mailing all their friends in their address book a copy to enjoy and to help continue to spread the stupidity.
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Microsoft Good for Gamers?
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- Posted 7:33 AM By Kagato
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Firing Squad has a new article called Microsoft: Good for gamers?. As you may gave already guessed, they discuss some of the pros/cons of having a such a monopoly as Microsoft competing in the entertainment software industry. Here's a snip:Halo, for example, is now one hot potato. It was slated for release on the Mac and the PC, but Microsoft bought Bungie and it may now become an XBox exclusive. It looks like they will be locking up titles to be produced exclusively on the XBox, which means the PC is likely to be left out of some of the best releases out there. I've been dying to see a good fighting game over on the PC for years, but it looks like DOA3 (Dead or Alive 3) will be another XBox exclusive. Given that the XBox is so similar to a PC, why can't they be big about it and port it on over to the PC so we can kick some tail over here? Why lock up Abe so he can only run his Odyssey over there on the XBox when he grew up over here on a trusty 17" monitor? I know the answer, but still, it's sad for the PC. I personally had high hopes for Halo, but since MS decided to hose the average PC player by snapping the title up and forcing us to wait until they got the XBox out instead of releasing a PC version first, I could care less about the title.
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A Pool Full of Bugs
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- Posted 7:38 AM By Kagato
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CG Online dives into the issues that Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor faced at its retail release (installer bug, gameplay/save bugs, etc). Covering four pages, it chronicles the issues in great detail. Here's a snip:So how did this veritable disaster slip through testing? "We're kind of looking into that right now," says Graham. "The one thing I can say is that it is not a conspiracy. We didn't deliberately do these things. It just looks really bad but certainly it's not something we did on purpose." Nor was it a case of "the suits" forcing them to ship the game in an unfinished state, he asserts. "Some people are worried that this was upper management pushing this out with known bugs and that's not the case." Just what did happen, however, remains unknown, though Graham admits they have no idea how the install bug slipped through. As for the much more serious uninstall problem, he claims that it's so statistically rare that catching it would have been pure luck. "Twenty out of 40,000 [Ubi Soft estimates that the game has sold at least 40,000 copies to gamers as of 10/10] people, that's not a lot. What ever went wrong with that we probably weren't going to find, because it's so uncommon." I'm not planning on playing this one again until they at least get the 1.2 patch out, I've already lost my saved game once.
Source: CG Online
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DivX v4.02
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- Posted 5:17 AM By Kagato
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Stand back, there's a new DivX release in town, bringing you up to version 4.02. You would think that since 4.01 was the last release, that this would mostly bug fixes, but they actually did a bit of improvement:Average Increased Encoding Performance of 20% New Post-Processing/Deringing Algorithm. Great improvement in video playback quality Get it if you need it.
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Aliens vs Predator 2 MultiPlayer Demo
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- Posted 3:16 PM By Kagato
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You want it? You got it - not much to say about it, I plan on firing it up this weekend. You can get the demo (hopefully) from the following sites:3DGamers Blue's News FilePlanet PC Gamer The demo comes in at around 64MB and the servers appear to be getting hit about as hard as when the Wolfenstein multiplayer was released. Good luck!
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Belkin Nostromo n50 XP Drivers
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- Posted 8:02 AM By Kagato
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For those who realized installing the Win2000 drivers for the Belkin Nostromo n50 under WinXP cause bad things (blue screens, etc), there is good news. Belkin has released a new set of drivers that now include support for WinXP.
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Need A New 3dfx?
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- Posted 8:06 AM By Kagato
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OK, so 3dfx as a company may be dead, doesn't mean that you can't still buy their cards. In fact, if you're in the market for one of the never released Voodoo5 6000, head on over to eBay. And if you win the auction and plan on running WinXP, then head over here for WinXP compatible drivers for your Voodoo4/5.
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Microsoft's WMA Cracked
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- Posted 7:58 PM By Kagato
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Ever thought of converting your entire collection of MP3s over to Microsoft's WMA format but didn't like the idea of not being able to play them due to the encryption? Well now's your chance! An anonymous coder by the name of "Beale Screamer" has written a nifty little DOS program which unprotects WMA files which have been encoded with version 2 of Microsoft's Digital Rights Management (DRM) scheme. You can read more about this gem right here and get the program, including source code, right here. Microsoft may have a hard time selling their encoder software to the big name music label guys with this. Can't blame them though, it's software, so it will get cracked eventually.
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Anarchy Online Presidential address
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- Posted 10:25 PM By Kagato
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For those who play Anarchy Online, Andre Backen, president of FunCom, has posted an address to Anarchy Online players discussing some of the problems the game faces and what they aim to do to correct them. Here's a snip:To the Players of Anarchy Online: Let me state the obvious: Anarchy Online is not a perfect game. Far from it. As the president of Funcom, it is time to share some thoughts and reflections with our community.
Anarchy Online has become a highly controversial title. It is a great game with lots of potential, but it is also the game everyone talks about when they are discussing bad launches and lack of customer service. We have placed ourselves in this situation, and instead of looking back, pointing out all the mistakes we have done, I will explain to you what we intend to do to make Anarchy Online better. There's another way to move forward, refund the purchase price to the poor soles unfortunate to buy the game and take the servers offline.
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XBox Kiosk Problems?
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- Posted 10:38 PM By Kagato
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Not sure if this is only a rumor at this point, but according to a report on Gaming Age some of the in-store Kiosks (display models) for the Xbox are having a little of trouble working. They are reporting that Xbox playable units in stores around the country have been randomly crashing when trying to load the demo software it comes with. Of course this issue worries some consumers as to whether or not these units represent the final product. Just what I want in my stocking, another way to Blue Screen!
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October 26-28th GameDay Postponed
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- Posted 12:12 AM By Kagato
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It comes with deep regret that the MwGL must inform you that the upcoming GameDay, planned for the weekend of October 26-28th, will be postponed. Due to unforseen complications, our current location feels as if we have outgrown their ability to provide us with what we need for our events and as of yet, we have been unable to confirm a new, stable location.
We apologize for the last-minute postponement of this as we had hoped to have everything lined up soon enough so as to prevent this from happening. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience this may cause to those who were planning to attend the event and hope to see you there once everything is set in stone.
We will keep you up-to-date as to a finalized date in which we will hold the event.
Sincerely, Your MwGL Members
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Firing Squad on Windows XP
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- Posted 9:30 PM By Kagato
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The gents over at Firing Squad have posted their review of Windows XP, giving it an overall score of 85%. What do they think about it? Here's a snip:The question simply comes down to whether or not you need and or want the new features that Windows XP offers. If you're a gamer and are satisfied with Windows 98SE, by all means, don't upgrade and risk losing the ability to play some of your favorite games. If you're at the office, you might want to steer clear for a while to let many of the bugs get addressed before making the plunge. Some of us are already experiencing some problems at work getting Windows XP to communicate through the network with older Windows machines. Ask critically and carefully, and then decide, after examining all the features that Windows XP provides and compare them to what you currently have, whether or not to take the XP route. If anything, dual-boot between 98SE and XP, best of both worlds.
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3DCool Cases
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- Posted 9:35 PM By Kagato
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A little off the beaten path, but still a popular topic : Case Modding. I imagine there are plenty of you out there who have already taken the dremel to your case to add those ever-impressive windows. There are those of you who have spent hours giving your case a paint job that rivals that on a Porsche. For those who do not have the time/tools but would still like a tricked out case, 3DCool.com has a new line of cases, dubbed HellSTORM, for you. Imagine your case pre-modded for you. Windows, blowholes, and an automotive grade paint job. Sure, it's a tad expensive, but figure how much you'd spend buying tools to do it yourself. They have 3 different sized cases depending on how much room you need.
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GeForce3 Shootout
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- Posted 9:51 PM By Kagato
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Are you considering an upgrade to that old AGP video of your to one of the newer NVidia GeForce3 cards but uncertain which one to go to due to the wide array of choices? The guys over at [H]ard|OCP have posted their GeForce3 Shootout. The provide you with an in-depth view of 8 different GeForce3 video adapters available today. Looking at the scores, you can't go wrong which you choose as they all pretty much fall in the same performance range. The main difference is the bundled package included with each adapter. If you're having problems making a decision, head on over and read up.
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HP Printers and Windows XP
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- Posted 9:57 PM By Kagato
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In an attempt to repeat themselves with the fallout of printer driver support for Windows 2000, HP has again announced limited driver support for those running Windows XP. If you own a 500, 600, 700, 800, 1000, 1200 or 2000 series printer, here's what you'll be missing:Below is a list of features that are not supported in the basic printer driver included in Windows XP. Some driver features may or may not be available in the driver on other operating systems.
Manual two-sided printing Poster printing Mirror printing Zoom Smart Enhancement of lower quality images Thanks for the money, now here's your support.
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DivX Player Showdown
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- Posted 10:03 PM By Kagato
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Got a growing selection (10GB+) of DivX encoded movies but never really cared for Microsoft's Media Player and would like an alternative? Digital Insanity has a nifty little review posted comparing seven different DivX capable media players. They list such key components as CPU usage, memory usage, and overall usability and features list of each. I personally like Sasami2k. Be sure that if you are watching DivX encoded movies, that you're up-to-date with the newest DivX codec.
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Metal Gear Solid 2 is Golden
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- Posted 10:09 PM By Kagato
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FGN has news that the Japanese and US version of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, has gone gold. Expect to see this title on store shelves by November 13th.
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BlueOS Project
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- Posted 10:16 PM By Kagato
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Into alternative OS's like Linux or FreeBSD? There is yet another free, project based OS in the works called BlueOS. Similar in style to BeOS, there currently is no downloadable binary yet to sample, unless you happen to be a member, but sounds as if it could be a nice little alternative.
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Imation RipGO - MP3 Player/Burner
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- Posted 10:24 PM By Kagato
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Imation's new toy is bound to raise some eyebrows of those in the MP3 community. The RipGO unit is not only a portable MP3/CD player, it can also burn data to mini CDs (approx. 185MB). At an estimated $400, it's a definite must-have for techno-geeks.
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TweakXP v1.21
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- Posted 11:06 PM By Kagato
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For those early adopters of the new Windows XP operating system, a new version of TweakXP is out. Improvements include:Windows XP Auto-Logon Improved Pop-Up Blocker configuration Improved Pop-Up detection Updated Pop-Up Blocker list Updated Ad-Blocker server list Fixing some minor problems (startmenu, cache, and modem tweaks) Changes to several language files Several code optimizations As the name implies, it's for modifying/tweaking XP (duh!).
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TeamSpeak V1.04
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- Posted 12:48 PM By Squirre1
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TeamSpeak 1.04 is a voice communication utility that is now available, updating this freeware voice communication program. This new version fixes a load of bugs and adds a bunch of features, including the long-awaited Linux server support.
Source: Blues News
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Tactical Ops 2.10 Released For UT
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- Posted 1:08 PM By Squirre1
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There is a new version of the Tactical Ops MOD for UT. This version 2.10 release, there is a whole load of fixes. Here are just a few of them to get ya started:
Weapons Weapons specs rebalanced. Shotguns now have a static accuracy (not affected by movement). New sounds for Ak47, SteyrAug, HK SR9, Shotguns, Famas G2, HK 33, M4m203, HK MP5 Navy, HK MP5k PDW, Flashbang. Improved firing effects. Rebalanced hit sounds and shellcase impact volume. Hiding weapons is back ( handness ). Improved Smoke Grenade code. Bot AI Fixed a bug where bots couldn't find where the C4 was located. Maps Updated maps: Monastery, Ransom2, GetAway, IcyBreeze, Titanic, Resurrection, Spynet2, Verdon, Province. 5 hostages per map limit removed. New s_Trigger parameter: ActivatedBy. A specific team can use triggers, while the other won't be able to. new Map Actor: TO_TriggeredSoundEffect. (with variable radius).
This was a sweet MOD to start with and they only made it better.
Source: UnrealCenter
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New NVidia Detonator Drivers - v22.50
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- Posted 10:10 PM By Kagato
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For those wanting to keep up-to-date with the newest "leaked" drivers for their NVidia cards, a new version has been released bringing them up to v22.50. There's been some testing done and they appear to provide a little bit of performance increase, in testing environments at least, your results may vary.
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Wizardry 8 Demo Released
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- Posted 10:15 PM By Kagato
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Come one, come all and enjoy a free playable demo of Wizardry 8 from Sirtech. Here's a bit on the game:The Wizardry 8 demo features the first level of the actual Wizardry game. Players will start with a preset party since the level itself has been modified to be more advanced than the level in the full game. This was to allow players to see a greater sample of monsters and magical spells. Characters will gain levels as they play through the demo giving players the opportunity to see some elements of character development.
“One thing we want to stress about the demo is that it really is just a glimpse of the game.” Said Linda Currie, Project Leader. “Trying to show off the depth of Wizardry 8 in a demo is impossible. Wizardry 8 features an immersive story, many intriguing quests, vibrant characters to interact with, spread across many fantastic locations. The demo shows only a small part of all of this.”
In the demo, players will be able to experiment with the complete flexibility between phased and continuous combat modes, character formations and Wizardry 8’s unique magic system with unique targeting characteristics that make for a combat experience exceeding anything previously seen. Characters will be able to pick locks, disarm traps and experience a small glimpse at some of the initial puzzles. The whopping 142MB file can be had either from 3D Gamers or FilePlanet.
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Fine Tuning Clear Type
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- Posted 10:47 PM By Kagato
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Boy, plenty of Windows XP news lately eh? For those that have installed the OS and have toyed with the new Clear Type font option for your graphics display, here's a niftly little site put up by Microsoft to help tweak your setting to give you the best possible output.
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Valve on Anti-Cheating
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- Posted 11:01 PM By Kagato
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A post on Planet Half-Life from Valve's Eric Smith, discusses what Valve is up to regarding anti-cheat protection. In a word:Unfortunately, I can't give out more information. We're aware of the current problem with cheating and are working to find a solution. We play on-line and are just as frustrated by cheaters as you are. We're working to implement a long-term solution, and coding for that has already begun. This will involve many phases of attack. I'm sure you understand why I can't give out the specific details of our strategy.
However, it WILL NOT be "a year or so" before we start releasing cheat-prevention code. We'll be phasing it in during future updates.
-Eric If you code it, they will hack!
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Diablo II Pumpkin Carving
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- Posted 11:22 PM By Anthos
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Celebrate Halloween with your favorite 2D clicking game. 'In the Halloween spirit, Blizzard Entertainment has provided three images which you can print out to help carve a Blizzard product-themed pumpkin. Two stencils were created with the artwork-style version of Diablo's face, and one for the "Blizzard Entertainment" logo.' Check them out at PlanetDiablo.
Source: GameSpyDaily
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UO Client Update
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- Posted 11:28 PM By Anthos
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There is a new Client Patch for Ultima Online. In this 3.0.5 release they fixed a lot of little problems. Here is a list of some of the things they fixed:
2D Client Radar in 2D will now resize when double-clicked Bulletin boards will no longer display garbled text when displaying messages without a subject 3D Client Stack gumps close themselves if the item they are being used for gets deleted Fixed a bug resulting in inaccurate color selection Both Clients Pop-Up help has been disabled Fix for a bug that resulted in the orkish kin mask being drawn on a player’s paperdoll and avatar when it no longer actually existed Various fixes in regards to putting pins on course gumps Fix for a bug that caused a party member’s paperdoll to become unclothed when the party member ran off screen Various localization fixes
The current versions should now be 3.0.5d (2D client) and 3.0.5e Build 81 (3D client).
Source: GameSpyDaily
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AvP2 Is In Stores Now
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- Posted 8:13 AM By Squirre1
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"Is it here, is it really here". Thats right folks the game you have all been waiting for is finally here. Alien vs. Predator 2 is here and hit the shelves yesterday. If you would like you can download the multiplayer demo here from our downloads section.
I have a feeling with this game being one of the new games of choice for the CPL that sales would be a little bit higher than expected.
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Verant Layoff Rumors
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- Posted 8:30 AM By Kagato
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According to this rumor over at Slow News Day (formerly known as Lum the Mad), Verant has been axing people in several departments, including EverQuest 2 development. They also go on to speculate that Brad "Aradune" McQuaid was let go, instead of him quitting. At this point, they are just rumors, but they claim to have someone at Verant passing on the information. It really wouldn't surprise me if it were true, those who continue to play the game have seen the population drop since the launch of Dark Age of Camelot.
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GameSpy's Game Mods
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- Posted 8:35 AM By Kagato
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Game Mods is the newest bi-weekly column at GameSpy which gives a lookover to various upcoming mods. Included in this weeks review are several Deus Ex mods, here's a snip:In Deus Ex: The Prequel, players take on the role of Paul Denton, brother to the Deus Ex hero. Despot said the mod team managed to enlist the developers, ION Storm Austin, with the creation of the mod's fiction. No released date yet.
Currently in development, RedSun2020 promises new characters, story changes and will be set in Japan. Take a look at those screenshots. I have no idea when we can expect to see this released, but I'm ready to download it now. It should definately be a popular section for them, a single point of information on upcoming mods.
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Intel's Brookdale DDR to ship in November?
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- Posted 8:42 AM By Kagato
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While it was originally expected to ship in Q1 2002, DigiTimes is reporting that Intel will be shipping the i845 Brookdale-D chipset in November. For those who don't know, this is the B-stepping of Intel's i845 chipset, which will be capable of supporting DDR-based memory. What this all boils down to is the fact that the new chipset should give a bit of boost to the lackluster performance of their P4. How much remains to be seen, but you can be sure when the boards start shipping, plenty of sites will be displaying the results.
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Operation Flashpoint v1.29
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- Posted 11:39 PM By Kagato
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There's a new beta in town for players of Operation Flashpoint, bringing it up to version 1.29. Here's what's fixed:Target cursor shown in MP game Group direction shown in MP game Clipboard operations enabled in chat line MP: bug in cargo position transfer. Caused problems when unit from first cargo seat disembarked while someone was still sitting in second. It could also lead to player animation corruption or character duplication when player made double attempt to enter vehicle, thinking first ateempt failed when result was lagged. MP character animation in cargo (looking through roof). MP - gunner does not see any unit on the radar command #reassign 1.28 - New: Laser target designators. Mostly some Multiplayer updates, but worth it either way.
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