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A sad start to the Newsletter this week as Ben Lawton (aka TedTheDog), the co-founder of BarrysWorld, has announced he is leaving the GAME.NET service next Friday for a job in a different area of the online gaming industry. Those of you who have been using the BarrysWorld services for a long time will no doubt know TTD well, he has been a core part of the BarrysWorld "thing" since early 1998 and paid for a lot of the early costs out of his own pocket, then heading up our Community team when BarrysWorld became a business in early 2000, before carrying on in that role when GAME purchased the company in early 2001. Since then he has been instrumental in shaping the GAME.NET community and has laid solid foundations for us to build on as we take the service forward, it is fair to say that without him there might have never been a GAME.NET and therefore he will be sadly missed by all.
On a related note TTD's departure has opened up a vacancy here at GAME.NET. We're looking for a site manager to steer the good ship GAME.NET as the service continues to evolve - think you have what it takes to effectively market and manage the site internally and externally, with responsibility for community and the growth of the multiplayer experience? A tough role to take on, the right person will be filling a senior position and will need to have experience in online customer service, web production and enough technical experience to work with the development team. The role will be reporting to our online Head of Operations, Kieron Smith, and you can apply for a full job description by mailing him at kieron.smith@game.net.
Moving on to the services front there have been updates to the versions of Rocket Arena 3 (to 1.65) and Challenge ProMode (to 1.11) which we run (both mods for Quake 3), whilst we have also updated Tac Ops to version 3.40, supporting only the retail version now with development, and therefore our support, of the free mod version slowly being phased out by the team behind the mod. You can download the 98 MB retail version update from our FTP by clicking here, whilst also new to the GAME.NET service this week is Bookable Server support for the recently released free game Enemy Territory. You can grab the 260 MB standalone game here from our FTP, whilst to book a server head to this page and scroll right to the bottom, although please note that support for this game has just gone live only an hour or two ago and as such there could be a few settings that need to be tweaked.
We've been asked for a long time to provide a voice comms service for Subscribers and Clan Server owners and therefore I am happy to announce that we have started trialing our own dedicated TeamSpeak server. All you need to start shouting abuse at your friends enhancing your teamplay is a microphone and a freshly installed copy of the client software, then add our server by going to Connection then connect in the options. The server address is 213.221.178.70:8767 and you should initially login as anonymous, further instructions will then be viewable by clicking on the Lobby channel, including how to register and also set up a permanent, passworded channel for your clan to use whenever they want. We would appreciate all feedback about the server, we have the capacity to support up to 100 clients so feel free to use it as much as you like and direct any comments or suggestions to Deathace, once you have set up an account you can also try using the web interface for the server which is available here
One other thing we need your help with are some upcoming developer interviews for the GAME.NET site. Our resident celebrity journalist CJRavey has managed to convince a couple of unsuspecting software creators to answer some queries, but unfortunately after one too many beers at a recent freebie laden software release shindig he has lost his ability to think and as such needs your help in coming up with some questions. The two games as far as PC's are concerned are the soon to be released Star Trek: Elite Force II and the expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights called Shadows of Undrentide, if you have anything you would like asked about these then drop him a mail stating the game and the questions you have and he will endeavour to include them.
What's On
Sunday 8th 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 9th 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 10th 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 11th 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 12th 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
Plenty of large files for you BroadBanders to l33ch this week, starting off with the trailers and one which is sure to look uber-sexy considering it is using the Half-Life 2 engine which wowed everyone at E3 recently. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines may not win any prizes for its catchy name but it certainly offers an interesting blend with the game being primarily an RPG style affair but also featuring FPS action, the 23 MB movie on our FTP gives the impression that this will be a predictably dark and scary adventure. Contrast this with the bright lights of Star Trek: Elite Force II, the sequel to the still well played Voyager-based game which is set for release in the UK in two weeks time, a couple of movies showcasing the introduction to the game and the multiplayer aspect were made available today and have been uploaded, click here for the 46 MB intro and here for the 57 MB multiplayer trailer. One thing to mention on the subject of EF II is that if you pre-order from GAME.NET you will get a special copy of the game that includes an exclusive multiplayer level which is based on the "Star Trek: First Contact" movie and sees you taking on the Borg across the bridge and engineering sections of the Enterprise.
Other trailers of note include a couple of movies from Men of Valor, the Vietnam War based shooter from the team that brought you the massively popular Medal of Honor. The two movies (available here and here) showcase footage from in the game, whilst if you prefer your gaming more on wheels than on feet you can view a couple of lap demos from the upcoming driving game IndyCar Series by grabbing this 6 MB file here. In addition to these trailers of Silent Storm (WW2 shooter using Turn-based approach), Starwolves (Space-based RPG), Exarch (Fantasy / Futuristic MMORPG), Firestarter (Arcade FPS game set in the future), Patrician 3 (Sea-faring RTS), Axle Rage (3D combat / Motorcycle action) and N exuiz (QuakeWorld based FPS) have all hit the FTP, varying in size from 8 MB to 115 MB you can download them by clicking the game name.
As far as demos go we have quite a few for you this week although I should start off by mentioning that a patch has been released for the Colin McRae 3 demo which I mentioned in last Saturday's Newsletter, the 24 MB file takes the dem o up to the standard of the release version of the game and can be downloaded here. The largest demo I have seen for a while comes in the shape of Shanghai Dragon, the 250 MB preview gives you the first two levels from this WW2 FPS game set around the point at which China was invaded by Japan and is available from our FTP here, whilst it is perhaps no surprise that the second biggest demo of this week at a whopping 199 MB comes from the same software developer, this time it being a showcase for the mouthful that is Vietnam War: Ho Chi Minh Trail. Another FPS game, this one puts you in the role of a US Soldier dropped behind enemy lines and cut off from your platoon, having to fight your way back home with the help of friendly artillery and air support, if it sounds like your cup of tea you can grab it here if your Cable or DSL connect hasn't melted by now. If you still have some bandwidth left after nearly a gig of trailer & demo downloading then you might fancy taking a peek at Heaven & Hell, a bizarre looking god-simulator where you attempt to convert entire races to your religion, a 105 MB demo giving you the chance to run through the tutorial and a single player map which should be plenty enough to weigh up whether or not it is something you can get to grips with, grab it here if you're intrigued.
Moving on to patches and there are updates this week for a number of games, starting off with a 9 MB update for pirate-sim Tropico 2 which is available here, whilst the recently released RTS game Rise of Nations also gets a fix which you can grab here. As far as online gaming goes there has been a new version of the Quake 3 mod Challenge Promode released, this is available solely as an update as it only weighs in at about 200 KB in size, if you do play the game on our servers you will need it though as we have update to Version 1.11 so grab it here. Unofficial patches also merit a mention this week as an update to System Shock 2 has been made public, this tiny 4 MB file updating a lot of the graphics to bring them up to modern day standards and is probably a must for those of you who still have SS2 on your hard-drives. I mentioned last week that that software houses had started giving away games with the release of Enemy Territory, well the team behind Space Colony, the people sim / city builder game due out later this year, have followed the trend by releasing fun little mindless shooter by way of a promotion for their upcoming game. Alien Horde is not going to win any prizes for its graphics or in-depth gameplay but it might help you pass a boring 10 minutes whilst you wait for Big Brother to come on the telly, at 10 MB it isn't going to break your connect and you can get it from the FTP here.
Special Offers
If, like me, you are counting down the hours until the September release of E3 show-stealer Half-Life 2 then you will be happy to hear that GAME have slashed a further couple of quid off the price of the uber-sexy-looking FPS game due out in the Autumn of this year, now at just £24.99 it makes sense to get your pre-order in as soon as possible to save yourself a tenner on the current suggested retail price.
I know that a lot of you reading this will currently be running a hosted site on the GAME.NET service as part of your Subscription, as such I am happy to inform you that we have just launched a new affiliate scheme for the GAME.NET shop which allows you to earn cold hard cash through advertising us on your website. You can read more about our Partnership Programme here, it is really easy to get involved with and offers attractive rates of commission for every sale made through someone visiting your site, up to thirty days after they visit, hopefully enabling some of you to earn a little back from the people who drop by your site every day.
That's it for this week from me, hopefully see you in the games at some point.
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.
A sad start to the Newsletter this week as Ben Lawton (aka TedTheDog), the co-founder of BarrysWorld, has announced he is leaving the GAME.NET service next Friday for a job in a different area of the online gaming industry. Those of you who have been using the BarrysWorld services for a long time will no doubt know TTD well, he has been a core part of the BarrysWorld "thing" since early 1998 and paid for a lot of the early costs out of his own pocket, then heading up our Community team when BarrysWorld became a business in early 2000, before carrying on in that role when GAME purchased the company in early 2001. Since then he has been instrumental in shaping the GAME.NET community and has laid solid foundations for us to build on as we take the service forward, it is fair to say that without him there might have never been a GAME.NET and therefore he will be sadly missed by all.
On a related note TTD's departure has opened up a vacancy here at GAME.NET. We're looking for a site manager to steer the good ship GAME.NET as the service continues to evolve - think you have what it takes to effectively market and manage the site internally and externally, with responsibility for community and the growth of the multiplayer experience? A tough role to take on, the right person will be filling a senior position and will need to have experience in online customer service, web production and enough technical experience to work with the development team. The role will be reporting to our online Head of Operations, Kieron Smith, and you can apply for a full job description by mailing him at kieron.smith@game.net.
Moving on to the services front there have been updates to the versions of Rocket Arena 3 (to 1.65) and Challenge ProMode (to 1.11) which we run (both mods for Quake 3), whilst we have also updated Tac Ops to version 3.40, supporting only the retail version now with development, and therefore our support, of the free mod version slowly being phased out by the team behind the mod. You can download the 98 MB retail version update from our FTP by clicking here, whilst also new to the GAME.NET service this week is Bookable Server support for the recently released free game Enemy Territory. You can grab the 260 MB standalone game here from our FTP, whilst to book a server head to this page and scroll right to the bottom, although please note that support for this game has just gone live only an hour or two ago and as such there could be a few settings that need to be tweaked.
We've been asked for a long time to provide a voice comms service for Subscribers and Clan Server owners and therefore I am happy to announce that we have started trialing our own dedicated TeamSpeak server. All you need to start shouting abuse at your friends enhancing your teamplay is a microphone and a freshly installed copy of the client software, then add our server by going to Connection then connect in the options. The server address is 213.221.178.70:8767 and you should initially login as anonymous, further instructions will then be viewable by clicking on the Lobby channel, including how to register and also set up a permanent, passworded channel for your clan to use whenever they want. We would appreciate all feedback about the server, we have the capacity to support up to 100 clients so feel free to use it as much as you like and direct any comments or suggestions to Deathace, once you have set up an account you can also try using the web interface for the server which is available here
One other thing we need your help with are some upcoming developer interviews for the GAME.NET site. Our resident celebrity journalist CJRavey has managed to convince a couple of unsuspecting software creators to answer some queries, but unfortunately after one too many beers at a recent freebie laden software release shindig he has lost his ability to think and as such needs your help in coming up with some questions. The two games as far as PC's are concerned are the soon to be released Star Trek: Elite Force II and the expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights called Shadows of Undrentide, if you have anything you would like asked about these then drop him a mail stating the game and the questions you have and he will endeavour to include them.
What's On
Sunday 8th 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 9th 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 10th 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 11th 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 12th 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
Plenty of large files for you BroadBanders to l33ch this week, starting off with the trailers and one which is sure to look uber-sexy considering it is using the Half-Life 2 engine which wowed everyone at E3 recently. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines may not win any prizes for its catchy name but it certainly offers an interesting blend with the game being primarily an RPG style affair but also featuring FPS action, the 23 MB movie on our FTP gives the impression that this will be a predictably dark and scary adventure. Contrast this with the bright lights of Star Trek: Elite Force II, the sequel to the still well played Voyager-based game which is set for release in the UK in two weeks time, a couple of movies showcasing the introduction to the game and the multiplayer aspect were made available today and have been uploaded, click here for the 46 MB intro and here for the 57 MB multiplayer trailer. One thing to mention on the subject of EF II is that if you pre-order from GAME.NET you will get a special copy of the game that includes an exclusive multiplayer level which is based on the "Star Trek: First Contact" movie and sees you taking on the Borg across the bridge and engineering sections of the Enterprise.
Other trailers of note include a couple of movies from Men of Valor, the Vietnam War based shooter from the team that brought you the massively popular Medal of Honor. The two movies (available here and here) showcase footage from in the game, whilst if you prefer your gaming more on wheels than on feet you can view a couple of lap demos from the upcoming driving game IndyCar Series by grabbing this 6 MB file here. In addition to these trailers of Silent Storm (WW2 shooter using Turn-based approach), Starwolves (Space-based RPG), Exarch (Fantasy / Futuristic MMORPG), Firestarter (Arcade FPS game set in the future), Patrician 3 (Sea-faring RTS), Axle Rage (3D combat / Motorcycle action) and N exuiz (QuakeWorld based FPS) have all hit the FTP, varying in size from 8 MB to 115 MB you can download them by clicking the game name.
As far as demos go we have quite a few for you this week although I should start off by mentioning that a patch has been released for the Colin McRae 3 demo which I mentioned in last Saturday's Newsletter, the 24 MB file takes the dem o up to the standard of the release version of the game and can be downloaded here. The largest demo I have seen for a while comes in the shape of Shanghai Dragon, the 250 MB preview gives you the first two levels from this WW2 FPS game set around the point at which China was invaded by Japan and is available from our FTP here, whilst it is perhaps no surprise that the second biggest demo of this week at a whopping 199 MB comes from the same software developer, this time it being a showcase for the mouthful that is Vietnam War: Ho Chi Minh Trail. Another FPS game, this one puts you in the role of a US Soldier dropped behind enemy lines and cut off from your platoon, having to fight your way back home with the help of friendly artillery and air support, if it sounds like your cup of tea you can grab it here if your Cable or DSL connect hasn't melted by now. If you still have some bandwidth left after nearly a gig of trailer & demo downloading then you might fancy taking a peek at Heaven & Hell, a bizarre looking god-simulator where you attempt to convert entire races to your religion, a 105 MB demo giving you the chance to run through the tutorial and a single player map which should be plenty enough to weigh up whether or not it is something you can get to grips with, grab it here if you're intrigued.
Moving on to patches and there are updates this week for a number of games, starting off with a 9 MB update for pirate-sim Tropico 2 which is available here, whilst the recently released RTS game Rise of Nations also gets a fix which you can grab here. As far as online gaming goes there has been a new version of the Quake 3 mod Challenge Promode released, this is available solely as an update as it only weighs in at about 200 KB in size, if you do play the game on our servers you will need it though as we have update to Version 1.11 so grab it here. Unofficial patches also merit a mention this week as an update to System Shock 2 has been made public, this tiny 4 MB file updating a lot of the graphics to bring them up to modern day standards and is probably a must for those of you who still have SS2 on your hard-drives. I mentioned last week that that software houses had started giving away games with the release of Enemy Territory, well the team behind Space Colony, the people sim / city builder game due out later this year, have followed the trend by releasing fun little mindless shooter by way of a promotion for their upcoming game. Alien Horde is not going to win any prizes for its graphics or in-depth gameplay but it might help you pass a boring 10 minutes whilst you wait for Big Brother to come on the telly, at 10 MB it isn't going to break your connect and you can get it from the FTP here.
Special Offers
If, like me, you are counting down the hours until the September release of E3 show-stealer Half-Life 2 then you will be happy to hear that GAME have slashed a further couple of quid off the price of the uber-sexy-looking FPS game due out in the Autumn of this year, now at just £24.99 it makes sense to get your pre-order in as soon as possible to save yourself a tenner on the current suggested retail price.
I know that a lot of you reading this will currently be running a hosted site on the GAME.NET service as part of your Subscription, as such I am happy to inform you that we have just launched a new affiliate scheme for the GAME.NET shop which allows you to earn cold hard cash through advertising us on your website. You can read more about our Partnership Programme here, it is really easy to get involved with and offers attractive rates of commission for every sale made through someone visiting your site, up to thirty days after they visit, hopefully enabling some of you to earn a little back from the people who drop by your site every day.
That's it for this week from me, hopefully see you in the games at some point.
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.