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Fully linked version here - http://play.game.net/newsletters/20thjune.htm
GAME.NET News
Following on from some discussion on our forums we have been looking at ways of expanding the service we offer to Subscribers, concentrating mainly on the current public server setup. To address this we are going to be introducing some Preview servers over the coming fortnight or so which are aimed at giving you, the Subscribers, a chance to get more regular games against non-Subscribers. These servers will appear in the various browsers prefixed by "GAME.NET Preview" and you can read a fuller description as to how exactly they will work here, to summarise briefly they will be running a nifty bit of technology which ensures that there are always spaces on the servers for new people to join, doing so by kicking the last user or two who joined who are not logged in to the GAME.NET system. This means that, as Subscribers, you simply have to login to your Subscription account and then join the server and you will be able to play until your fingers bleed, whereas if you are not a Subscriber you will only be able to play for a short while before being kicked from the server. We will of course be refining this technology over the course of the trial to get the right balance, also expanding it to cover as many games as possible, and all feedback is welcome on the forum thread linked above. I should also mention that work continues on introducing other services to help you find opponents more easily with more news to come on those shortly.
If you have been reading these Newsletters in recent weeks then you will have noticed my raving over the Half-Life 2 footage to come out of E3, our resident journo Jonny Austin has taken some time out from spamming on the forums to cast his beady eye over the upcoming game with an extensive preview. It really is staggering to think that, unlike its more illustrious rival DooM 3, this game will be with us in just over three months, by which time the anticipation amongst PC gamers might rival that of those people camping outside book shops to get their hands on Harry Potter 5, you can read Jonny's preview here if you want your appetite whetted further. Jonny has also been busy this week putting together an Elite Force 2 review to coincide with the release of the game today, you can read that here, it worth passing by the shop link if only for details on how you can win a free copy of Star Trek: Action Pack.
Unfortunately due to some issues with the release version of Elite Force 2 we are not able to support it from today, however we will be working to rectify this as soon as possible with hopefully some more news on this in next week's Newsletter. On a brighter note we have updated our servers which run RavenShield (to Version 1.3) and Desert Combat (to Version .038d), we've also introduced support for the recently patched BattleField 1942 mod Eve of Destruction (now on Version 12%) with this mod available on our Bookable and Clan Server services, you can read more about how to update to the latest patch by reading the Files & Patches section below.
One feature I have regularly seen asked for in my dealings with the Support side of GAME.NET is the ability to change your registered display name. This is now possible thanks to a new feature that we have introduced in the last week or so, to change your display name (previously known as username) just log in to GAME.NET, goto the 'Update Details' page in the My GAME.NET menu now includes a 'Change Display Name' function on the account name tab.
What's On
Sunday 22nd 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 23th 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
Tuesday 24th 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 25th 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 26th 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
One of the main console (and hopefully one day PC) titles to be unveiled at E3 last month was Halo 2, the sequel to the Xbox game got its preview on the internet in the shape of a shaky-cam view of the trailer as it was exhibited at the show but now a complete 158 MB hi-res trailer has been released of the same footage, without the hollering from the partisan audience who were present as a backing track to the first trailer. I have to admit I'm not totally wowed by what I've seen in this movie but that is perhaps because of the quality of some of the other stuff to have come out of E3 (Half-Life 2 for example), but if you are on BroadBand then it might be worth a peak, you can grab it from our FTP here but make sure you have updated your Media Player as it is in that fiddly .wmv format. In much more palatable .mov format (QuickTime for those of you who don't know your movs from your wmvs) is the latest trailer for the stylish FPS game XIII, you can grab the 8 MB file here, I don't know if it just me but I'm starting to get quite intrigued by the game's look and feel. On a different note a trailer for upcoming action/adventure 3D game Star Ancestor has also been released, this vehicle-based storyline driven game looks interesting but with no release date set it might well be some time before we get our hands on it, the trailer downloadable here.
A little light on the demos this week with the only new mod of note being True Combat, this Quake 3 mod being in development for nearly two years but finally the makers cracking and letting out their first version for the public to have a look at, at 78 MB it is pretty sizeable for a Quake 3 mod but dwarfed by some of the releases I'll mention below, if you like realism style games like Counter-Strike then it might be worth a look and you can get it here. On a completely different note how about taking on the role of a Ghost Master in a demo for the game of the same name? This highly innovative title puts you in the bad-guy role as you try to scare the wits out of various everyday people, I've seen a lot of very positive reviews floating around the review sites so if you are intrigued and want to find out more you can get the 142 MB demo here from our FTP.
Tons of patches this week for you to delve into as is appropriate to your gaming needs. As mentioned earlier RavenShield has been updated to Version 1.3, this update introduces banning technology to combat cheating, along with frame-rate optimisations and other minor tweaks. There are two version of the patch on offer, a 4.6 MB update from 1.2 to 1.3 or a 9.6 MB 1.0 to 1.3 version if you have yet to update from your out of the box copy. On a more mod-specific note there have been updates for two BattleField 1942 mods, both of which follow on from the release of the 1.4 patch for that game last week which seemed to break a lot of stuff. The first to mention is probably the largest ever mod to be released in the shape of Version 0.38d of the popular Desert Combat mod, this 327 MB (yes really) update includes a host of new vehicles and maps, along with many fixes to problems that the latest BF1942 version introduced, you can grab it here but make sure you have a copy of War & Peace to hand to pass the time with. At the rate it is going fellow BF1942 mod Eve of Destruction might well rival Desert Combat for size, at the moment Version 12% (as in 12% of what they think it will be on completion) is now available on our FTP, it weighs in at nearly 180 MB and can be downloaded here.
Moving on to games we don't explicitly support but you might own a copy of and the first patch to mention is for the recently released FPS game Devastation, the 31 MB update is for European based players and fixes various issues which were in the release of the game, grab it here if need be. If you've been enjoying Microsoft's Rise of Nations but fancy a more robust challenge then the latest patch for that game, taking it Version 1.02, addresses some important Multiplayer issues to bring that part of the game up to scratch, the 8.5 MB file available here. On a similar note an update to Civilization 3's expansion pack Play The World is now available, this is an international version of the earlier released North American patch and fixes some minor issues with regards to online play, grab it here.
Back to things more violent and blood-thirsty and a patch for "kill everything that moves, even innocent little puppies and Gary Coleman" game Postal 2 has been released, the 27 MB patch (available here) is a must-have for those of you still playing game as it vastly improves the excruciatingly slow level load times, along with adding a bunch of new cheats, maps, difficulty levels and other good things. Slightly more generic FPS game Will Rock has also been patched, the 27 MB update addresses some key multiplayer issues (such as introducing dedicated server) and might lead to some proper online play for the game, if you are a fan of the title then get the patch here. The final patches to mention are for the ever popular Dark Age of Camelot, a game close to our hearts due to our hosting of one of the largest DAoC forums around (view it here), the free Foundations add-on introducing the possibility for players of the game to own houses in special areas of the DAoC world. This isn't a compulsory download if you play DAoC but is likely to add a whole new dimension to the game so recommended if you do dabble in it, there are two versions available (both weighing in at around 55 MB) with the first for those of you who run the original DAoC (click here), the other for those of you running the Shrouded Isles expansion pack (click here).
Special Offers
No major deals on offer this week but some new titles have been added to our "2 PC games for £30" range, you can view the current list here and if you are looking for a bargain I recommend Hitman 2 & Soldier of Fortune 2.
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.
GAME.NET News
Following on from some discussion on our forums we have been looking at ways of expanding the service we offer to Subscribers, concentrating mainly on the current public server setup. To address this we are going to be introducing some Preview servers over the coming fortnight or so which are aimed at giving you, the Subscribers, a chance to get more regular games against non-Subscribers. These servers will appear in the various browsers prefixed by "GAME.NET Preview" and you can read a fuller description as to how exactly they will work here, to summarise briefly they will be running a nifty bit of technology which ensures that there are always spaces on the servers for new people to join, doing so by kicking the last user or two who joined who are not logged in to the GAME.NET system. This means that, as Subscribers, you simply have to login to your Subscription account and then join the server and you will be able to play until your fingers bleed, whereas if you are not a Subscriber you will only be able to play for a short while before being kicked from the server. We will of course be refining this technology over the course of the trial to get the right balance, also expanding it to cover as many games as possible, and all feedback is welcome on the forum thread linked above. I should also mention that work continues on introducing other services to help you find opponents more easily with more news to come on those shortly.
If you have been reading these Newsletters in recent weeks then you will have noticed my raving over the Half-Life 2 footage to come out of E3, our resident journo Jonny Austin has taken some time out from spamming on the forums to cast his beady eye over the upcoming game with an extensive preview. It really is staggering to think that, unlike its more illustrious rival DooM 3, this game will be with us in just over three months, by which time the anticipation amongst PC gamers might rival that of those people camping outside book shops to get their hands on Harry Potter 5, you can read Jonny's preview here if you want your appetite whetted further. Jonny has also been busy this week putting together an Elite Force 2 review to coincide with the release of the game today, you can read that here, it worth passing by the shop link if only for details on how you can win a free copy of Star Trek: Action Pack.
Unfortunately due to some issues with the release version of Elite Force 2 we are not able to support it from today, however we will be working to rectify this as soon as possible with hopefully some more news on this in next week's Newsletter. On a brighter note we have updated our servers which run RavenShield (to Version 1.3) and Desert Combat (to Version .038d), we've also introduced support for the recently patched BattleField 1942 mod Eve of Destruction (now on Version 12%) with this mod available on our Bookable and Clan Server services, you can read more about how to update to the latest patch by reading the Files & Patches section below.
One feature I have regularly seen asked for in my dealings with the Support side of GAME.NET is the ability to change your registered display name. This is now possible thanks to a new feature that we have introduced in the last week or so, to change your display name (previously known as username) just log in to GAME.NET, goto the 'Update Details' page in the My GAME.NET menu now includes a 'Change Display Name' function on the account name tab.
What's On
Sunday 22nd 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 23th 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
Tuesday 24th 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 25th 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 26th 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
One of the main console (and hopefully one day PC) titles to be unveiled at E3 last month was Halo 2, the sequel to the Xbox game got its preview on the internet in the shape of a shaky-cam view of the trailer as it was exhibited at the show but now a complete 158 MB hi-res trailer has been released of the same footage, without the hollering from the partisan audience who were present as a backing track to the first trailer. I have to admit I'm not totally wowed by what I've seen in this movie but that is perhaps because of the quality of some of the other stuff to have come out of E3 (Half-Life 2 for example), but if you are on BroadBand then it might be worth a peak, you can grab it from our FTP here but make sure you have updated your Media Player as it is in that fiddly .wmv format. In much more palatable .mov format (QuickTime for those of you who don't know your movs from your wmvs) is the latest trailer for the stylish FPS game XIII, you can grab the 8 MB file here, I don't know if it just me but I'm starting to get quite intrigued by the game's look and feel. On a different note a trailer for upcoming action/adventure 3D game Star Ancestor has also been released, this vehicle-based storyline driven game looks interesting but with no release date set it might well be some time before we get our hands on it, the trailer downloadable here.
A little light on the demos this week with the only new mod of note being True Combat, this Quake 3 mod being in development for nearly two years but finally the makers cracking and letting out their first version for the public to have a look at, at 78 MB it is pretty sizeable for a Quake 3 mod but dwarfed by some of the releases I'll mention below, if you like realism style games like Counter-Strike then it might be worth a look and you can get it here. On a completely different note how about taking on the role of a Ghost Master in a demo for the game of the same name? This highly innovative title puts you in the bad-guy role as you try to scare the wits out of various everyday people, I've seen a lot of very positive reviews floating around the review sites so if you are intrigued and want to find out more you can get the 142 MB demo here from our FTP.
Tons of patches this week for you to delve into as is appropriate to your gaming needs. As mentioned earlier RavenShield has been updated to Version 1.3, this update introduces banning technology to combat cheating, along with frame-rate optimisations and other minor tweaks. There are two version of the patch on offer, a 4.6 MB update from 1.2 to 1.3 or a 9.6 MB 1.0 to 1.3 version if you have yet to update from your out of the box copy. On a more mod-specific note there have been updates for two BattleField 1942 mods, both of which follow on from the release of the 1.4 patch for that game last week which seemed to break a lot of stuff. The first to mention is probably the largest ever mod to be released in the shape of Version 0.38d of the popular Desert Combat mod, this 327 MB (yes really) update includes a host of new vehicles and maps, along with many fixes to problems that the latest BF1942 version introduced, you can grab it here but make sure you have a copy of War & Peace to hand to pass the time with. At the rate it is going fellow BF1942 mod Eve of Destruction might well rival Desert Combat for size, at the moment Version 12% (as in 12% of what they think it will be on completion) is now available on our FTP, it weighs in at nearly 180 MB and can be downloaded here.
Moving on to games we don't explicitly support but you might own a copy of and the first patch to mention is for the recently released FPS game Devastation, the 31 MB update is for European based players and fixes various issues which were in the release of the game, grab it here if need be. If you've been enjoying Microsoft's Rise of Nations but fancy a more robust challenge then the latest patch for that game, taking it Version 1.02, addresses some important Multiplayer issues to bring that part of the game up to scratch, the 8.5 MB file available here. On a similar note an update to Civilization 3's expansion pack Play The World is now available, this is an international version of the earlier released North American patch and fixes some minor issues with regards to online play, grab it here.
Back to things more violent and blood-thirsty and a patch for "kill everything that moves, even innocent little puppies and Gary Coleman" game Postal 2 has been released, the 27 MB patch (available here) is a must-have for those of you still playing game as it vastly improves the excruciatingly slow level load times, along with adding a bunch of new cheats, maps, difficulty levels and other good things. Slightly more generic FPS game Will Rock has also been patched, the 27 MB update addresses some key multiplayer issues (such as introducing dedicated server) and might lead to some proper online play for the game, if you are a fan of the title then get the patch here. The final patches to mention are for the ever popular Dark Age of Camelot, a game close to our hearts due to our hosting of one of the largest DAoC forums around (view it here), the free Foundations add-on introducing the possibility for players of the game to own houses in special areas of the DAoC world. This isn't a compulsory download if you play DAoC but is likely to add a whole new dimension to the game so recommended if you do dabble in it, there are two versions available (both weighing in at around 55 MB) with the first for those of you who run the original DAoC (click here), the other for those of you running the Shrouded Isles expansion pack (click here).
Special Offers
No major deals on offer this week but some new titles have been added to our "2 PC games for £30" range, you can view the current list here and if you are looking for a bargain I recommend Hitman 2 & Soldier of Fortune 2.
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.