| newsid | userid | timestamp | news | headline | newstype | gameid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 2 | 1999-01-25 15:12:58 | Until now, I've tried to limit the Game Tome listings just to games that are actually playable to some degree. My thinking was that a database cluttered with half-finished games isn't that useful to the audience I'm aiming at, the Linux user who wants to play games. <p> I still think this is a good rule of thumb, but occasionally I'll get a submission for something that's (IMO) interesting even though it's still in its infancy. <a href="http://www.happypenguin.org/show?Pingus">Pingus</a> and <a href="http://www.happypenguin.org/show?Dave%20Gnukem">Dave Gnukem</a> are two examples of this. When I add a game that's as yet unplayable, I'll make sure this fact is clear in the game's description. <p> I've thought about adding a section to the Game Tome for "unplayable" games in the early stages of development. I may still add such a section or category, but right now Real Life isn't allowing me many extra brain cycles to think about Game Tome issues. So for now, I'll continue to put submissions of "new, unplayable" games on hold, and one or two may slip through now and then. | Dealing with games under developement | default | |
| 64 | 2 | 1999-01-26 17:47:17 | In a <a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/990126/ca_loki_en_1.html">press release</a> this afternoon, <a href="http://www.lokisoft.com">Loki Software</a> announced that they'll be porting Activision's upcoming "Civilization: Call To Power" title to Linux in spring 1999.<p> The press release contains a bit of misinformation, calling this the "first commercial game on Linux", which of course isn't true. One wonders about the timing of this press release and the recent announcement that BFRIS has gone gold.<p> That stuff notwithstanding, this is totally cool news and I can't wait to hold this game in my hands. | Loki to port Civilization: Call To Power | default | |
| 65 | 2 | 1999-01-27 11:19:18 | <a href="mailto:barath@uclink4.berkeley.edu">Barath Raghavan</a> of <a href="http://linuxpower.org">linuxpower.org</a> wrote in to inform me of an <a href="http://linuxpower.org/display_item.phtml?id=100">interview</a> they've done with <a href="http://www.lokisoft.com">Loki Software</a> dudes Scott Draeker and Sam Lantinga. It's a good read if you want some more lowdown about Loki. | Loki interview at linuxpower.org | default | |
| 68 | 2 | 1999-01-27 23:38:11 | <a href="http://www.linuxgames.com">Linuxgames.com</a> reports that <a href="http://www.lith.com">Monolith Productions</a> has started a mailing list for dispersing information about the upcoming <a href="http://www.the-chosen.com/home.asp">Blood 2</a> and <a href="http://www.shogo-mad.com">Shogo</a> ports. <p> To subscribe, send mail to <a href="mailto:lt-linux-request@lists.lith.com">lt-linux-request@lists.lith.com</a> with a subject of <b>subscribe</b>. <p> You can read the .plan update announcing the new list <a href="http://www.linuxquake.com/cgi-bin/finger.pl?jeremy@lith.com">here</a>. | Monolith Linux port mailing list | default | |
| 69 | 2 | 1999-01-28 16:25:36 | <a href="mailto:loki@lithtech.com">Jeremy Blackman</a> has posted a message to the Monolith Linux list I mentioned previously that provides all the gory details about the status of the Lithtech engine port: <pre> * Monolith Support Libraries - 'stdlith' (templated arrays, memory management, etc.) + 100% ported. - 'shared' (general utility functions) + 100% ported. - 'zlib' (compression library) + 100% ported - 'rezmgr' (REZ file functions) + 100% ported - 'GameSpyMgr' (this should be self evident) + 100% ported * Lithtech core - 'linux' system-specific base directory + 95% ported...one or two quirks in task management that need to be cleaned up. - 'newnet' networking library + 90% ported...all Windows functionality is there, but I want to add bandwidth management, so you can tell the server not to take up more than 'x' amount of bandwidth maximum. - 'Common' (Lithtech core) + 85% ported. There is a 100% done port of an earlier revision of LT, but I need to finish merging in the changes for the more recent versions. Then I can sit down with Mike Dussault and merge the Linux port back into the main distribution. I count this bringing-up-to-date as 15% not-done, since I need to merge the code AND test it. - 'Miniserv' (Lithtech server.dll / server.so) + 85% ported. Again, there is a 100% done port of an earlier revision of LT, but I need to finish bringing in the changes to the most recent version. I want the server to work with Shogo 2.2, NOT Shogo 2.1... otherwise, I'd end up releasing it and whoom, it'd be outdated. ;) - 'ltservd' (Lithtech server daemon, interface to server.so) + 50% written. It WORKS, but it's UUUUUGLY. :) Basically, you run ltservd with a config file, and send it SIGTERM to kill it. It spits everything into a log file. This is Not Good. I need a way to have console commands executed and such. HOWEVER, ltservd, like ShogoSrv under Windows, -will- have the source released, so I fully expect to see a lot of changes on this thing, no matter WHAT it looks like when I release it. </pre> Looks like he's getting pretty close. Keep in mind that this is only the <em>server</em> port. There's a good chance we'll see client ports later on, though. | Lithtech engine port status | default | |
| 76 | 2 | 1999-02-01 02:23:42 | There's an update at <a href="http://www.aegistech.com/news.html">Aegis Tech's news page</a> confirming that <a href="http://www.aegistech.com/projects.html">BFRIS</a> has indeed been shipped to the duplicators. They hope to start shipping the game by the end of next week. It looks like BFRIS will earn the much-ballyhooed title <em>First Shrinkwrapped Commercial Game For Linux</em>. I hope it's good. <p> The update also indicates that within days we should see a downloadable demo of the game. It'll be around 21 megs. | BFRIS to ship next week/Demo immanent | default | |
| 77 | 2 | 1999-02-02 18:59:49 | <a href="/images/golgotha.jpg"><img src="/images/thumbs/golgotha.jpg" width=200 height=150 align=right></a> <a href="http://www.golgotha.org">Golgotha Forever</a> announced this morning that after a lengthy pause in development, they're up and at 'em again, and looking for help in just about every area. They need coders, artists, mappers and testers. This game has the potential to be something awesome, if the project can stay afloat. If you're interested in helping <a href="http://www.golgotha.org">head over to their website</a> and lend a hand. <p> For those unfamiliar with it, Golgotha is a 3D simulation/strategy game begun by St. Dave Taylor's now-defunct <a href="http://www.crack.com">Crack dot Com</a> that was released into the public domain on Crack's demise. <p> <b>Update:</b> There's a nice <a href="http://www.salonmagazine.com/21st/feature/1999/02/01feature.html">article</a> about the project in today's <a href="http://www.salonmagazine.com">Salon</a>. | Golgotha effort continues | default | |
| 80 | 2 | 1999-02-04 16:39:23 | Over the next few days I'll be reorganizing the code that runs the Game Tome so that I can more easily expand it in the future. These changes will be all internal and therefore they <em>should</em> be invisible to you, but at some point I'll probably make a boneheaded move and break something without realizing it. So I thought I'd warn everyone in advance: Things might be unstable for awhile. Also, if you notice that something has broken, please take a moment and <a href="mailto:bobz@mr.net">let me know about it</a>. I may not have noticed it. Thank you for your support. | Code changes | default | |
| 83 | 2 | 1999-02-05 17:37:33 | When someone criticizes <a href="/show?freeciv">Freeciv</a>, the free Civilization II<sup>tm</sup>-like game, one of the first complaints is usually the quality of the graphics. <a href="mailto:martin_w_hansen@my-dejanews.com">Martin Hansen</a> at <a href="http://www.freeciv.org">freeciv.org</a> recognizes this fact, and is organizing an effort to remedy it.<p> If you're interested in helping to create nicer unit and tile graphics for Freeciv, visit the new <a href="http://www.freeciv.org/graphics.html">Freeciv graphics page</a> and see what you can do to contribute. | A call for better Freeciv graphics | default | |
| 84 | 2 | 1999-02-06 02:47:12 | <a href="/images/enter3d.jpg"><img src="/images/thumbs/enter3d.jpg" align=right width=200 height=150></a>The <a href="http://www.enter3d.net">Enter 3D Project</a> has produced their first public release. Project member <a href="mailto:raver3d@pobox.com">Kostya Vasilyev</a> describes Enter3D like this:<br> <blockquote>The goal of Enter3D Project is to create a large-scale seamless multiuser online persistent real-time 3D world. The emphasis is on self-expression and communication through characters, chat, and home spaces. This will require a server infrastructure, multiplatform client software, and accessible authoring tools. We have work in progress or plans to deal with all these pieces. <p> This project needs contributions of many people, including artists (modeling/animation/texture) and programmers. </blockquote> <br> This release includes a simple server, an OpenGL client, and modelling tool for creating characters. Right now you can run a server, connect to it as a nicely rendered, textured and well-lit wobbly cylinder and chat with other nicely rendered, textured and well-lit wobbly cylinders. I guess the character modeller is there so some day we can be more than wobbly cylinders. This is an interesting work-in-progress that I hope bears fruit one day. I, for one, would love to hang out with other people in a nicely rendered 3D virtual world that didn't have any guns in it. | The Enter3D Project | default |