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No major service additions this week although quite a few updates to existing games, whilst in the case of Tactical Ops we have now had to split off the Bookable servers for that game from the existing Unreal Tournament ones as it is effectively now a standalone title due to the direction the makers of the mod are taking it in. You can read more about what this means for the Bookable service here on our forums. As far as updates go we've moved the servers on to the latest versions of BattleField 1942 (now on Version 1.4), Vietcong (Version 1.2) and FreeLancer (Version 1.1), more details of which can be found in the Files & Patches section below, whilst a server-side update for Day of Defeat has also been introduced in an effort to iron out a few bugs that were in the retail release of the mod.
One other change to our existing bookable system this week has been a revamping of the anti-cheat software we run for Medal of Honor with the introduction of MoH_Admin Mod (aka MAM) support across all our Clan & Bookable Servers. Effectively MAM is a bunch of stuff ™ that gives MoH players more choice in configuring servers and adds the scope to run some of the more popular anti-cheat tools out there, a key step forward in our support for this game as cheating has become a bigger issue in MoH than pretty much any other game in recent times due to the lack of support from the development team behind the game. On the downside the introduction of MAM will cause any existing custom configs you have to break so, if you use those on the Bookables, you will have to spend a bit of time fiddling around, for a more detailed explanation and guide to MAM you can read this thread on our forums.
As you will have seen from the Files & Patches section of this Newsletter in recent weeks there has been an increase in the amount of files we have been putting on our FTP server, this is partly due to a number of new file admins who we have taken on and they will be continuing to help build up our archive over the coming months and to make sure we get the latest files as soon as possible for you to grab through the subscription FTP servers, rather than having to wait in a queue for a couple of hours. We'll shortly be modifying the GAME.NET news system to make it easier for you to view what is added to the archive, in addition to this you can request files to be uploaded to the FTP here, along with reading about some of the key files which we have added in recent days.
On the content front we have a new review for you this week, I've been pimping the demo for Colin McRae 3 in recent weeks and the full game has hit the shelves today, to coincide with this we have a review for the game on GAME.NET and you can read it here, considering the success of the title on the consoles it is sure to prove a big seller on the PC even though it has some stiff competition to beat, such as the very good (and GAME.NET supported) Toca Race Driver.
What's On
Sunday 15th June 2003
Operation FlashPoint
Time: 15:00 - 17:00
The big Sunday afternoon co-op game, GAME.NET's longest-standing organised game.
More details
Jedi Knight 2
Time: 15:00 - 17:00
No Force, Saber Only Free for All. Any questions please feel free to contact Damage or Yoni.
More details
Counter-Strike
Time: 20:00 - 23:00
Start off playing Popular map/maps then the players request maps new/old (make sure you have previous "Official" maps), Server IP is 213.221.174.6:27015, or you can meet in #game.cs .
More details
Monday 16th June 2003
Star Trek Voyager Elite Force
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
A chance for the community of this long-running game to meet up and compete / muck about, perhaps with one-off tournaments.
More details
Half-Life: Natural Selection
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Natural Selection is a unique modification for Half-Life that combines elements of typical FPS play with a more RTS approach, featuring the ability to take play in the FPS style or take control of teams as Commanders, direct your troops and build structures, just as in games like Command & Conquer. Intrigued?
More details
Medal of Honor and Medal of Honor: SpearHead
Time: 19:00 - 22:00
Play starts at 7pm but be sure to join the #game.mohaa IRC channel early. Novice and advanced players welcome.
More details
Tuesday 17th June 2003
Battlefield 1942
Time: 20:30 - 22:30
Tuesday Night Fragathon, usually held on Conquest #1 server however may occasionally feature Road to Rome.
More details
Operation FlashPoint
Time: 20:00 - 22:00
The gentler introduction to playing Operation Flashpoint. 100% newbie-friendly, giving you the time to learn how to play as part of a team.
More details
Quake 3 Arena: Urban Terror Mod
Time: 20:30 - 22:30
It’s a fun event and all levels of player are welcome.
More details
Soldier of Fortune 2
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Counter-Strike style rules played on 213.221.174.1:20101 usually.
More details
Wednesday 18th June 2003
Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat
Time: 21:00 - 23:00
Weekly game to play the increasingly popular Desert Combat mod for BF1942.
Game details Mod details
Thursday 19th June 2003
Half-Life: Day of Defeat
Time: 20:30 - 22:00
Weekly DoD games, to be held on GAME.NET Server 1!
More details
Quake 3 Arena: Capture The Flag
Time: 21:00 - 22:30
Arguably the strongest mod for Quake 3, the CTF community night has now moved to Thursday evenings in an effort to clash less with the various competitions which run on a Wednesday. Everyone is welcome, whether you are new to online gaming, new to Quake3 or even just a battle hardened veteran looking for a challenge.
More details
Half Life: Team Fortress Classic (TFC)
Time: 21:00 - 23:00
An organised TFC (Team Fortress Classic) game open to all subscribers, this will be a regular weekly event held every Thursday. We can offer a friendly atmosphere, and an adminned game to keep things running smoothly and fairly.
More details
Files and Patches
It is almost a month now since E3 finished but the aftermath continues, be it in awards (go HL2!) or in the shape of trailers that are slowly finding their way into the public domain. One such E3 Trailer is for the sequel to the multi-million selling Sims series, cunningly titled The Sims 2, the trailer showcasing the lush new GFX and a slightly over-eager young lady, the 12 MB movie downloadable here. It seems this week is something of special one for "franchises" with an E3 trailer for the third Lord of the Rings game Return of the King (featuring ninja-Gandalf) downloadable here, whilst with it being only a matter of days before the next Harry Potter book is unleashed on the masses you can have a quick look at the Quidditch World Cup game, featuring the aforementioned wizard, here.
Still on an E3 theme we have further trailers for lush driving sequel Need for Speed Underground (available here), EA Sports games / updates Madden 2004, Tiger Woods 2004 and NHL 2004 (available here, here and here respectively) and the slightly more violent than golf (but only just) RTS Rome - Total War, the 15 MB movie of in-game footage for that game being available to download here. Other trailers include gameplay footage from the upcoming Comic-style FPS game XIII, the 25 MB movie can be downloaded here and presents an interesting looking game which is certainly one I will be keepings tabs on as it nears release later this year, whilst one FPS game which is already out is BattleField 1942 and the 10 MB trailer for the rather spiffy looking Secret Weapons expansion pack can be grabbed here.
Moving on to more interactive things and the 70 MB Pure Pinball demo might give you something to waste a few minutes on, offering a full table from the final game the time limited demo is available here for you to grab at your leisure. Speaking of leisure, if you prefer your gaming a bit more sedate than blowing stuff up or thumping your shift keys to work those paddles on a pinball table then I suggest giving the demo of Cycling Manager 3 a try, the 89 MB trail version allows you to manage and compete over a complete stage of a race as you battle to beat such legends as multiple Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Whilst this probably isn't a game for everyone's tastes if you fancy a look you can get it here, alternatively if you prefer four wheels to two then the demo for IndyCar Series might be more up your street, the 115 MB file is available here and allows you to have a few laps around one of the tracks in the full game in a couple of the cars which also feature in the final version that is due to be released next month.
As mentioned in the GAME.NET News section there have been quite a few patches released this week for games we support, BattleField 1942 perhaps the most notable with a 28 MB 1.31 > 1.4 Update, a 66 MB 1.4 Full Install, a 11 MB Map Editor and 51 MB's of Map Samples all available for you to grab as is required depending on how keen you are on the game. One thing to mention is that the patch has caused some issues with mods for BF1942, such as DesertCombat, and it has also forced the team behind Vietnam based mod Eve of Destruction to re-release their demo, the 180 MB mod being available here and we will probably be supporting it at some point in the near future. On a similar Apocalypse Now theme Vietcong's latest patch features a raft of gameplay tweaks, fixes and anti-cheat stuff, the 22 MB file available here, whilst FreeLancer's tiny 1 MB patch (available here) is really just for those of you who might dabble in the server side of the game but might still be worth having to hand, even if you are just a casual player like myself.
Special Offers
A couple of Xbox special deals for you this week with some freebies on offer when you pre-order an upcoming title. First to mention is Brute Force, this futuristic squad based game looks a bit like Unreal 2 to me and if you pre-order it for £29.99 you will receive an Official Prequel Novel paperback which gives you the background story of the game. If that doesn't take your fancy then how about satisfying the uber-nerd in you with a limited edition Star Wars: Dark Empire II Tin which contains a unique set of metallic collector's cards? This is available when you pre-order the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic RPG game, although you will have to wait a while to get your hands on the goodies as the final game isn't due out until September of this year.
On a more relevant note the slightly odd PC-based politics sim Republic - The Revolution is due out in a couple of weeks and you can pre-order it now by clicking on the game name. This pretty unique title sees you start off as the head of your own political party in a former communist state with just one loyal supporter, the aim being to bribe, assassinate, blackmail and brainwash various people into following your cause, a bit like being a campaign worker for the Labour party in many respects.
That's all from me this week, looking ahead to the next seven days we have some interesting news coming up with regards to the game servers and of course the release of Elite Force 2, complete with that exclusive multiplayer map which you can only get from GAME.
Regards,
Dave "BigFoot" Angus
GAME.NET Community Liaison
If you need any help or have any questions, we have a page set up to help you.
Please don't reply to this e-mail - we have all the support you need ready for you elsewhere.
http://www.game.net/
http://www.game.uk.com/
To Unsubscribe from this Community Newsletter simply go to this page, Logon and click the Unsubscribe button.
p.s. Ted we love you!
No major service additions this week although quite a few updates to existing games, whilst in the case of Tactical Ops we have now had to split off the Bookable servers for that game from the existing Unreal Tournament ones as it is effectively now a standalone title due to the direction the makers of the mod are taking it in. You can read more about what this means for the Bookable service here on our forums. As far as updates go we've moved the servers on to the latest versions of BattleField 1942 (now on Version 1.4), Vietcong (Version 1.2) and FreeLancer (Version 1.1), more details of which can be found in the Files & Patches section below, whilst a server-side update for Day of Defeat has also been introduced in an effort to iron out a few bugs that were in the retail release of the mod.
One other change to our existing bookable system this week has been a revamping of the anti-cheat software we run for Medal of Honor with the introduction of MoH_Admin Mod (aka MAM) support across all our Clan & Bookable Servers. Effectively MAM is a bunch of stuff ™ that gives MoH players more choice in configuring servers and adds the scope to run some of the more popular anti-cheat tools out there, a key step forward in our support for this game as cheating has become a bigger issue in MoH than pretty much any other game in recent times due to the lack of support from the development team behind the game. On the downside the introduction of MAM will cause any existing custom configs you have to break so, if you use those on the Bookables, you will have to spend a bit of time fiddling around, for a more detailed explanation and guide to MAM you can read this thread on our forums.
As you will have seen from the Files & Patches section of this Newsletter in recent weeks there has been an increase in the amount of files we have been putting on our FTP server, this is partly due to a number of new file admins who we have taken on and they will be continuing to help build up our archive over the coming months and to make sure we get the latest files as soon as possible for you to grab through the subscription FTP servers, rather than having to wait in a queue for a couple of hours. We'll shortly be modifying the GAME.NET news system to make it easier for you to view what is added to the archive, in addition to this you can request files to be uploaded to the FTP here, along with reading about some of the key files which we have added in recent days.
On the content front we have a new review for you this week, I've been pimping the demo for Colin McRae 3 in recent weeks and the full game has hit the shelves today, to coincide with this we have a review for the game on GAME.NET and you can read it here, considering the success of the title on the consoles it is sure to prove a big seller on the PC even though it has some stiff competition to beat, such as the very good (and GAME.NET supported) Toca Race Driver.
What's On
Sunday 15th June 2003
Operation FlashPoint
Time: 15:00 - 17:00
The big Sunday afternoon co-op game, GAME.NET's longest-standing organised game.
More details
Jedi Knight 2
Time: 15:00 - 17:00
No Force, Saber Only Free for All. Any questions please feel free to contact Damage or Yoni.
More details
Counter-Strike
Time: 20:00 - 23:00
Start off playing Popular map/maps then the players request maps new/old (make sure you have previous "Official" maps), Server IP is 213.221.174.6:27015, or you can meet in #game.cs .
More details
Monday 16th June 2003
Star Trek Voyager Elite Force
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
A chance for the community of this long-running game to meet up and compete / muck about, perhaps with one-off tournaments.
More details
Half-Life: Natural Selection
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Natural Selection is a unique modification for Half-Life that combines elements of typical FPS play with a more RTS approach, featuring the ability to take play in the FPS style or take control of teams as Commanders, direct your troops and build structures, just as in games like Command & Conquer. Intrigued?
More details
Medal of Honor and Medal of Honor: SpearHead
Time: 19:00 - 22:00
Play starts at 7pm but be sure to join the #game.mohaa IRC channel early. Novice and advanced players welcome.
More details
Tuesday 17th June 2003
Battlefield 1942
Time: 20:30 - 22:30
Tuesday Night Fragathon, usually held on Conquest #1 server however may occasionally feature Road to Rome.
More details
Operation FlashPoint
Time: 20:00 - 22:00
The gentler introduction to playing Operation Flashpoint. 100% newbie-friendly, giving you the time to learn how to play as part of a team.
More details
Quake 3 Arena: Urban Terror Mod
Time: 20:30 - 22:30
It’s a fun event and all levels of player are welcome.
More details
Soldier of Fortune 2
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Counter-Strike style rules played on 213.221.174.1:20101 usually.
More details
Wednesday 18th June 2003
Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat
Time: 21:00 - 23:00
Weekly game to play the increasingly popular Desert Combat mod for BF1942.
Game details Mod details
Thursday 19th June 2003
Half-Life: Day of Defeat
Time: 20:30 - 22:00
Weekly DoD games, to be held on GAME.NET Server 1!
More details
Quake 3 Arena: Capture The Flag
Time: 21:00 - 22:30
Arguably the strongest mod for Quake 3, the CTF community night has now moved to Thursday evenings in an effort to clash less with the various competitions which run on a Wednesday. Everyone is welcome, whether you are new to online gaming, new to Quake3 or even just a battle hardened veteran looking for a challenge.
More details
Half Life: Team Fortress Classic (TFC)
Time: 21:00 - 23:00
An organised TFC (Team Fortress Classic) game open to all subscribers, this will be a regular weekly event held every Thursday. We can offer a friendly atmosphere, and an adminned game to keep things running smoothly and fairly.
More details
Files and Patches
It is almost a month now since E3 finished but the aftermath continues, be it in awards (go HL2!) or in the shape of trailers that are slowly finding their way into the public domain. One such E3 Trailer is for the sequel to the multi-million selling Sims series, cunningly titled The Sims 2, the trailer showcasing the lush new GFX and a slightly over-eager young lady, the 12 MB movie downloadable here. It seems this week is something of special one for "franchises" with an E3 trailer for the third Lord of the Rings game Return of the King (featuring ninja-Gandalf) downloadable here, whilst with it being only a matter of days before the next Harry Potter book is unleashed on the masses you can have a quick look at the Quidditch World Cup game, featuring the aforementioned wizard, here.
Still on an E3 theme we have further trailers for lush driving sequel Need for Speed Underground (available here), EA Sports games / updates Madden 2004, Tiger Woods 2004 and NHL 2004 (available here, here and here respectively) and the slightly more violent than golf (but only just) RTS Rome - Total War, the 15 MB movie of in-game footage for that game being available to download here. Other trailers include gameplay footage from the upcoming Comic-style FPS game XIII, the 25 MB movie can be downloaded here and presents an interesting looking game which is certainly one I will be keepings tabs on as it nears release later this year, whilst one FPS game which is already out is BattleField 1942 and the 10 MB trailer for the rather spiffy looking Secret Weapons expansion pack can be grabbed here.
Moving on to more interactive things and the 70 MB Pure Pinball demo might give you something to waste a few minutes on, offering a full table from the final game the time limited demo is available here for you to grab at your leisure. Speaking of leisure, if you prefer your gaming a bit more sedate than blowing stuff up or thumping your shift keys to work those paddles on a pinball table then I suggest giving the demo of Cycling Manager 3 a try, the 89 MB trail version allows you to manage and compete over a complete stage of a race as you battle to beat such legends as multiple Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. Whilst this probably isn't a game for everyone's tastes if you fancy a look you can get it here, alternatively if you prefer four wheels to two then the demo for IndyCar Series might be more up your street, the 115 MB file is available here and allows you to have a few laps around one of the tracks in the full game in a couple of the cars which also feature in the final version that is due to be released next month.
As mentioned in the GAME.NET News section there have been quite a few patches released this week for games we support, BattleField 1942 perhaps the most notable with a 28 MB 1.31 > 1.4 Update, a 66 MB 1.4 Full Install, a 11 MB Map Editor and 51 MB's of Map Samples all available for you to grab as is required depending on how keen you are on the game. One thing to mention is that the patch has caused some issues with mods for BF1942, such as DesertCombat, and it has also forced the team behind Vietnam based mod Eve of Destruction to re-release their demo, the 180 MB mod being available here and we will probably be supporting it at some point in the near future. On a similar Apocalypse Now theme Vietcong's latest patch features a raft of gameplay tweaks, fixes and anti-cheat stuff, the 22 MB file available here, whilst FreeLancer's tiny 1 MB patch (available here) is really just for those of you who might dabble in the server side of the game but might still be worth having to hand, even if you are just a casual player like myself.
Special Offers
A couple of Xbox special deals for you this week with some freebies on offer when you pre-order an upcoming title. First to mention is Brute Force, this futuristic squad based game looks a bit like Unreal 2 to me and if you pre-order it for £29.99 you will receive an Official Prequel Novel paperback which gives you the background story of the game. If that doesn't take your fancy then how about satisfying the uber-nerd in you with a limited edition Star Wars: Dark Empire II Tin which contains a unique set of metallic collector's cards? This is available when you pre-order the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic RPG game, although you will have to wait a while to get your hands on the goodies as the final game isn't due out until September of this year.
On a more relevant note the slightly odd PC-based politics sim Republic - The Revolution is due out in a couple of weeks and you can pre-order it now by clicking on the game name. This pretty unique title sees you start off as the head of your own political party in a former communist state with just one loyal supporter, the aim being to bribe, assassinate, blackmail and brainwash various people into following your cause, a bit like being a campaign worker for the Labour party in many respects.
That's all from me this week, looking ahead to the next seven days we have some interesting news coming up with regards to the game servers and of course the release of Elite Force 2, complete with that exclusive multiplayer map which you can only get from GAME.
Regards,
Dave "BigFoot" Angus
GAME.NET Community Liaison
If you need any help or have any questions, we have a page set up to help you.
Please don't reply to this e-mail - we have all the support you need ready for you elsewhere.
http://www.game.net/
http://www.game.uk.com/
To Unsubscribe from this Community Newsletter simply go to this page, Logon and click the Unsubscribe button.
p.s. Ted we love you!