* Multiplayer Game Stats
In relation to the above story I had to yank this one from sCary's to support my theory that Tribes has *quite* a few players. This was originally yanked from CLQ.

GAME	Minutes Played	Total  Players	Active  Servers
Quake2	42,789,378	508,870	3,653
TRIBES	29,595,400	171,220	1,149
Quake & QW	16,108,515	151,968	980
Half-Life	10,100,763	78,345	1,287
Quake3	8,346,299	103,309	634

Tribes in second place I see.... And for a reason, it's slow-paced, calm walk in the park style gameplay is a great change of pace from the fast paced chaos of most FPS. It's almost medative to just stroll along and snipe sometimes, in no big hurry, not worrying about frags, just nature walking (with lots of guns and armor) ;)

* Lara Croft Nude
Ok, this might be sick, but apparantly there are amny more *sick* people out there than I thought that think computer game characters are sexy :0 Nell McAndrew, Lara Croft's non-digital counterpart, will be posing for Playboy magazine. I wonder if this chick knew the fame she'd get from playing a computer game model :) I'll be buying it FYI ;) For more info check out GameDaily. http://www.gamedaily.com/

Or to see a great big blown up version of the cover, check out sCary's image: http://3dshack.com/cgi-bin/pic.cgi?misc/playboy_croft.jpg

* More Textures For Free
Check it out here, like 6 MB of them... oh my.... http://buzzsaw.gamedesign.net/

* M$ Word 5.5
For all of you Winder$ people who use M$ Word 5.0, Micro$haft has releasedWord 5.5 for free I hear. GOt check it out here: http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/downloadDetails/Wd55eng.htm

* #114 NO MATTER WHAT THE TROUBLE, SEX IS THE ANSWER
;)

* RINE'S LINK OF THE DAY
If you're an Anime fan (I am and Rine is more along the lines of an addict) here's an interesting one for you. Anime Radio.
 
 

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 1999

* Linux And The Gaming Community (2:00 PM EST)
Gamecenter has posted an interesting article about Linux and gaming. They discuss Linux's history, games supported, and pros and cons as well as other tidbits. http://www.gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Linux/?st.gc.fd.gcb

* KINGPIN IS DONE!!!! (1:50 PM EST)
Whoohooo, one of my most highly anticipated games of the year is done. I can't wait till I can blow Rine's head off at point blank range.

Ryan Feltrin (Ridah)'s .plan file has been updated.

Kingpin is done. Phew. It was a long 13 months, but I'm proud of the result.

Server Ops:

A linux port is currently in the works, and if things go according to plan, will be available by the time the game hits the stores.

Gamers:

If you've been looking for something new to play on-line lately, let me introduce you to "Bag Man". It might sound odd, but it's actually very addictive, and intense. Take CTF, mix it with Mobsters. Stir.

The result, is a game revolving around cash. Both teams have a safe. Somewhere in the center of the map exists a Cash spawning location (counterfitting machine outlet, if you must..). The object being, to collect as much cash as possible, then return to your base and lock it in the safe.

But, as the game progresses, it becomes highly rewarding to steal from the enemy safe, hence the term "Bag Man". Anyone that has stolen from the enemy safe, has a big sack over their shoulder, and can be carrying up to $200 in the sack, plus
whatever cash they've put in their pockets (picked up along the way). This makes them prime targets for the enemy, and highly valuable friends.

At the end of the game, the team with the most Cash wins. Simple as that.

Kingpin ships with THREE BagMan maps, and FIVE deathmatch levels.

Enjoy.

* RIO II Using Microdrive
Diamond Multimedia will be making a huge leap in the MP3 player market by making a 340 MB MP3 player. This is the MP3 player I will be considering buying, several hours of music is worth my money.

From MP3.com
Diamond Multimedia, Clarion, Samsung, Sanyo, and Casio, were among the those listed as the first to receive shipments of the 340 MB, $499 microdrive, according to a statement released today.

The microdrive unit, which will be available in the U.S. and Japan this summer, weighs 16 grams and holds up to 6 hours of "near CD-quality" MP3 music.

"Supporting the microdrive in upcoming generations of our Rio digital audio devices will provide our customers with high-capacity MP3 storage in a portable environment," said David Watkins, president of the RioPort division at Diamond Multimedia. "The IBM microdrive will allow future Rio customers to store several hours of CD-quality music or hundreds of hours of spoken audio."

It's expected that Diamond will release details of its new microdrive-enabled players next Wednesday (June 23) in Los Angeles. For the whole thing: http://www.mp3.com/news/274.html

For more details about the Microdrive hit the IBM site: http://www.storage.ibm.com/hardsoft/diskdrdl/micro/

And to read about the Lyra, a MP3 player that ' is the only announced portable MP3 player that will accept compact flash memory from IBM's microdrive device.'  (From MP3 .com) Read the article here: http://www.mp3.com/news/239.html

* Soldier Of Fortune Hires Real Soldier Of Fortune As A 'Consultant'
Chia Chin Lee's .plan file has been updated.
Sound/Music, Soldier of Fortune           Raven Software

In order to maximize realism in Soldier of Fortune, Raven hired Mr. John Mullins to bring more authenticity to our game. After we repeatedly called him a "Mercenary", Mr.  Mullins politely corrected our faux pas.  Due to the negative connotations that come with the term "Mercenary", true professionals in the field prefer the term "Consultants".

Mr. Mullins retired from the Special Forces in 1981, after earning numerous awards including the Silver Star, Bronze Star with three  Oak Leaf Clusters, and several Purple Hearts.  Since his retirement, he has made his services available both to the government and civilian customers.  Mr. Mullins has headed several operations in all corners of the world. These missions range from VIP Protection to Hostage Negotiation and Rescue.

Although Mr. Mullins has helped us with every aspect of the game, my primary interest lies in the area of Sound and Combat. During his visit at Raven, I was able to speak with our Consultant on this very topic. Our meeting was fruitful and inspiring, prompting me to approach the sound design of our game with a re-invigorated and fresh perspective.

I will now give a brief summary of our conversation, which I hope you will find interesting, if not slightly morbid. We are planning to implement these sonic details in our game, which will greatly enhance the gaming experience.

WEAPONS:
Overall, Mr. Mullins really enjoyed the unique resonance between the guns in Soldier of Fortune.  He provided several constructive criticisms concerning some of the weapons ("this should be more muffled" or "this gun sounds much sharper in action"). The sonic signature of our weapons add a lot to the feel of the guns.

RICOCHETS, ETC:
There are lots of Ricochets sounds in combat situations,  and whiiiiizzzzing sounds of bullets.  When bullets hit around
you (about 3 feet from your head), you hear intense SNAPPPPING of bullets.  It sounds like a firecracker breaking the barrier of sound.

Soldiers learn to abide by the "Crack and Thump" rule:  You first hear the FIRECRACKER CRACK! around you, then the deep THUMMMMP of  the weapons.  You can actually *count* the time between the Crack and the Thump to determine the distance between you and your enemy.

Depending on the floor surface, you can clearly hear shells hitting the floor.  It has a distinct "tink" sound.  Shotgun shells sound dull and hollow, while other weapons are metallic.  One should be careful not to trip on the shells, as they can be slippery on hard surfaces.

AMBIENCE:
All your senses are intensified in combat situations, so acute that "you can hear a rat piss on a cotton ball".  You hear all enemy movements clearly, including scurrying footsteps.  The environmental sounds seem louder too, because of your heightened awareness.

SPEECH:
There are lots of tactical chatter amongst enemies, such as "GET YOUR ASS DOWN!", or "GET OVER HERE!".  Swearing is (not surprisingly) commonplace in combat situations.  Enemies usually don't taunt you, as they are too busy planning amongst themselves.

CARNAGE:
When asked what people sound like when they are wounded, the consultant replied:  "Imagine a woman who has just lost her child. Now imagine the gut-wrenching, high-pitched cries that she lets out.  That's what people sound like when they are hit."  Some people are more vocal than others, however.  Some soldiers pass out cold immediately when hit by a bullet.

Apparently, when bullets hit the flesh, it sounds similar to a watermelon being hit by a hammer.  A juicy thud.  Due to your heightened sense, you can distinctly hear wounded enemies, even as they are gurgling blood or wheezing from a blasted lung.

As a game developer and sound designer, I learned a lot from this experience. It pays to turn to a non-fictional source for inspiration and guidance.  Although an active imagination can go a long way, the old adage "Truth is Stranger than Fiction",
definitely holds true!

* ReGet 1.5 Beta Build 407
Yep, a new version, I told you they pumped them out ;)http://www.reget.com/beta/

* CuteFTP 3.0 Final (Seriously)
The real final version is out, so go get it. http://www.globalscape.com/download/download.html

* #113 NO MATTER WHAT THE QUESTION, VIOLENCE IS NOT THE ANSWER
Last night at work I was physically attacked by a kitchen guy for asking for three new cheesesticks since the ones they put up were burnt. Suddenly, out of nowhere this kitchen guy starts climbing through the window and raising his fist. As a former Marine I know that hitting someone in the head is stupid, more often you just hurt your hand, so I lowered my head and let him do his worst. His worst did nothing but knock my glasses off and make my ear red, oh gee... I, a long time smartass, immediatly annouced, "he hits like a bitch" and started straightening my shirt etc. to go back to work. My manager come up and askes if I'm ok, and I say 'yep', and he tells me I have the right and witnesses to press charges, so I choose to do so.
  In our 'civilized' society we try to act as if we are more evolved, more intelligent, more noble than animals. Animals live in a world where you are in fear of attack or are seeking to attack every single day. We, as humans should not have similar realities, we should 'know better' since we're so 'evolved'. But time and again man resorts to violence without considering the alternatives. And in this case, this animal did not consider the reactions to his actions as well, he lost his well-paying job, will be having full charges pressed, and did no damage to me what-so-ever.
  Funny how it worked out, as my manager said (referring to 'who won') "Who won here? Moses dosen't have a scratch on him and Animal is out of a $300-$400 dollar every paycheck job" I only fight if I have no alternative, if there is no other course of action, and this was no threat at all. That's what seperates man from animals, knowing violenece is the last option, the final alternative. And that little puppy is going to pay for not remembering that rule. This is not highschool where you get detention then move on, he's an adult, he's going to get big kid detention ;)

* RINE'S LINK OF THE DAY
The G-Files: The Real X-Files. It's got some of the real poop on the paranormal and alien activities that 'didn't really happan'. They have PDF (need Adobe Acrobat 3.0) files of many documanet, encluding a document from the Roswell crash explaining how this 'weather ballon with a sattelite dish attached' was mistaken as a UFO. Interesting reading.