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bigfoot
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Fully clickable version here - http://play.game.net/newsletters/8thAugust.htm
GAME.NET News
It has been a busy week here at GAME.NET with several new bits of the service coming together on the eve of the 6 month anniversary since we launched the GAME.NET subscription service.
The first thing to mention is the launch of our Free Trial system which we hope will raise the profile of the GAME.NET service and give people a chance to try out what we have to offer, at the same time giving you loyal subscribers more opponents to play against on an ongoing basis. The Free Trial is being publicised via PC GAMER (coverdisc & in-mag adverts), a mailshot to a selection of our reward card holders, the GAME high-street stores, all GAME.NET compatible games purchased via our busy shop site and also to anyone who just comes by the site and wants to give it a go. The Free Trial is limited to 30 days and will not allow people to create an email account or hosting website, it also has a more limited booking quota so you should still be able to use the bookable service as you normally do. Any comments or suggestions as to other things you think we should be doing to publicise the GAME.NET service are welcome, feel free to drop me a mail with anything you would like to raise or suggest.
During this week we have also introduced our Buddy List system that allows you to keep your friends close and your most-frequently-flamed-enemies even closer. This is a simple tool which sits in your GAME.NET browser window and allows you to exchange messages with your buddies, or be alerted as to when they login to the GAME.NET system. This should hopefully make it easier for you to keep track of other people who play the games you do so you can arrange a time to meet and play, rather than just hanging around waiting for people to show up
. You can read more about the Buddy List system here and can offer your comments in our forum.
Linked in to the Buddy List system is an Opponents Panel on each game page. This page lists the most active GAME.NET users who have refreshed the server list for each particular game, or logged into our lobby system where that is more applicable, with the options there for you to add them to your Buddy List or to even email them if you would prefer to use that method to arrange some games. If you are worried about having your email addy displayed don't be too concerned, you can opt out of this system by changing your privacy settings from the My Account section of the default member page.
Quite a few of you have asked us to add some sort of cookie so that the site recognises you and therefore saves you having to log in each time you visit the site, we've now done this with a "Remember Me" option which you can enable when you have logged in by clicking the appropriate link in the GAME.NET menu bar. When you do this you will be able to access various parts of the site without having to login, certain aspects will still require your password for security reasons but hopefully this will save you a bit of time in your efforts to get gaming.
Only some minor server changes this week, mostly server side stuff, here's a list of the things that merit a mention:
Half-Life Guard anti-cheat software updated to v1.50.
Chaos UT2 mutator on UT2K3 Bookable & Clan Servers.
Tribes 2 Classic Mod updated to v1.4.
Tribes 2 Cluster Map Pack added (get it here).
What's On
Sunday 10th August 2003
Jedi Knight 2: Hydroball @15:00
Operation Flashpoint @ 17:00
Counter-Strike @ 20:00
Monday 11th August 2003
Elite Force II @ 19:00
Half-Life: Team Fortress Classic @ 21:00
Tuesday 12th August 2003
Battlefield 1942 @ 20:30
Quake 3 Arena: Urban Terror @ 20:30
Wednesday 13th August 2003
New Event >> Medal of Honor @ 19:00 << New Event
Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat @ 21:00
Thursday 14th August 2003
New Event >> Medal of Honor: SpearHead @ 19:00 << New Event
Half-Life: Day of Defeat @ 20:30
Quake 3 Arena: Capture The Flag @ 21:00
Half Life: Team Fortress Classic (TFC) @ 21:00
Friday 15th August 2003
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory @ 13:00
Files and Patches
Trailers
It's the Newsletter which means it must be time for some more Half-Life 2 goodness, this week just the one movie for your eyes to feast on but it is still pretty impressive stuff as it shows off one of the more innovative weapons in the game. I'll not spoil the surprise for you but the 185 MB movie (entitled Bugbait) can be downloaded here and I thoroughly recommend you do so, superb stuff.
That Half-Life 2 movie takes some beating but there are plenty of other FPS trailers to have a look at this week, including a look at the third game in the popular Tribes series. Subtitled Vengeance the game is moving away slightly from the previous titles in the series with more emphasis on the story element, however the 149 MB movie (get it here) does enough to suggest that Tribes purists will be kept happy with the movement and skiing ability which looks to be right on the button. It is still some time before we will get the chance to play the game but that isn't the case with XIII which has seen a playable demo released this week (see below) and if that wasn't enough a 33 MB trailer showcasing some of the "boss" fights in the game has also been released (get it here), once again demonstrating the unique graphical look of what could be the most significant rival to Half-Life 2 in the last few months of this year. BattleField 1942 is also going to get a shot in the arm later this year with its Secret Weapons add-on pack, a demo for which has also been released and is available below, you can also have a look at it with a nice wee trailer showing off some of the new things in the expansion pack which is available here for your downloading pleasure.
A mix of other games to mention, the first being Final Fantasy XI which continues the legendary series in fine style if this 19 MB trailer is anything to go by. A slightly more modern adventure game is available in the shape of Black 9, an 8 MB trailer (available here) doesn't really give much away but the game looks reasonably promising. By contrast more is known about the October-slated Lock-On: Modern Air Combat, a 6 MB trailer (available here) showing some tank vs. helicopter battles with some nice looking in-game footage on offer. A complete change of track for the final trailer to mention this week, the gloriously named Martin Mystere: Operation Dorian Gray is a traditional point and click adventure set against some lush 2D backgrounds, a 53 MB trailer (available here) setting the scene for what looks an intriguing, if slightly dated, game.
Playable Demos
Plenty of playable action for you to enjoy this week with the demo for XIII probably top of the list. The 80 MB file gives you two levels from the game to play, with plenty of weapons and gizmos available for you to try out, the game very much living up to the hype for me and being an enjoyable romp through an unusual looking world. You can try it out for yourself by clicking here, whilst further FPS style action can be enjoyed by grabbing the final Tron 2.0 demo (get it here), an updated version of the one released a few weeks ago and suggesting this will also be a game to worth adding to your collection.
The tempo keeps pretty high with a playable demo for Conflict Desert Storm II, the 216 MB download (get it here) giving you the chance to play a single mission from the game as either a member of the SAS or Navy Seals, from what I've seen this looks like a very polished 3rd person action game. A similarly sized demo for Nexagon DeathMatch has also been released, there are no details available yet for when this game will hit the shelves in the UK but it has just about been released in the USA and this playable demo will give you a chance to have a look at what can best be described as Mortal Kombat for the future generation.
If you like free games (who doesn't) then you will be interested in grabbing a copy of the SCUMM software which allows you to play your old Lucas Arts games and, in a nice move, has seen its most recent release marked by a free version of classic point-and-click adventure Beneath a Steel Sky released. I thoroughly recommend grabbing the game and the SCUMM software if you haven't had a chance to play it before, its generally considered one of the best of the genre from the earlier days of PC gaming and should provide you with hours of fun.
Another free game that will require slightly more of your bandwidth for you to enjoy is the latest version of the American Army game, the processor hungry recruitment FPS game has been updated to version 1.90 but, like all good things American, the download is BIG and comes in at over 600 MB. We do not currently support the game ourselves but there are servers out there so if you fancy having a look you can grab the full install here.
Hot off the press is another army based demo, this time for BattleField 1942's expansion pack Secret Weapons. This has only just come out so I haven't had a chance to look at it yet but it comes in at just under 170 MB and features a large number of the new weapons and vehicles, get it here and wait for a possible server explosion.
Game Patches
Not that many game patches to mention this week although plenty of mods get an update, the one proper patch is for city-building game Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom and includes a new campaign, new multiplayer content, various enhancements and fixes, sounds like a pretty decent update so if you do own a copy of this game then you can download the 20 MB patch here.
Mods
A trio of Half-Life mods to start us off this week with the first being a neat tie-in to the upcoming Vampire / Werewolf flick Underworld. Styled in the Capture the Flag mode of play "Bloodline" is teamplay orientated and has had some positive feedback in our forums, at just 30 MB it is well worth a look and you can get it here. A more character driven Half-Life mod is Public Enemy and this stylish piece of software has been updated to Beta 1.2, at 80 MB it is a fairly reasonable download and one I might take a look at myself. As if to balance out the fun and the serious quota in Half-Life mods this week we have another update to the Counter-Strike with bananas game that is MonkeyStrike, you can grab the 6 MB v1.1 to v1.2 upgrade here.
Two other mods worth a mention are very different in nature and size, the first being a minor update for the BattleField 1942 Star-Wars mod Galactic Conquest and, at just 7 MB, the v0.1a to v0.1b upgrade fixes a few minor issues and can be downloaded here. If however you prefer your gaming to be purely vehicle based (along with a bit of shooting, punching and kicking) then you can grab the 300+ MB moderisation mod for GTA Vice City, this mod updates the vehicles and other aspects of the games to more recent machinery. Arguably the "dated" aspect of Vice City is part of its attraction but if you have some time to spare this mod might well be worth a look, get it here.
Special Offers
It is fair to say that opinion on MTV's self-mutilating comedy Jackass is split, personally I'm a fan and enjoyed the film version of the series, ranking it as probably the funniest film I've seen in the past year. If you'd like to own a version of the said piece of cinematic history on DVD there are two to choose from, the bog standard version and the special box set, both of which would be at home in most people's DVD collections and are available to purchase from Monday.
Even more of a must buy is Series 2 of 24, coming out just as the TV series reaches its climax its an essential bit of DVDness for any fan of the series and could come in handy if you find yourself stuck indoors during a break in the current glorious weather.
If its gaming you are a looking for then we've added some really iffy titles to our Sale range, the good news is that they cost just 25p! As far as PC gaming goes you can get the legendary Alien Paranoia, the superb Aussie Rules Coach and the award winning* Tread Marks, various other cheap 'n' cheerful titles being available at knock-down prices.
* may not have won any awards
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
It has been a busy week here at GAME.NET with several new bits of the service coming together on the eve of the 6 month anniversary since we launched the GAME.NET subscription service.
The first thing to mention is the launch of our Free Trial system which we hope will raise the profile of the GAME.NET service and give people a chance to try out what we have to offer, at the same time giving you loyal subscribers more opponents to play against on an ongoing basis. The Free Trial is being publicised via PC GAMER (coverdisc & in-mag adverts), a mailshot to a selection of our reward card holders, the GAME high-street stores, all GAME.NET compatible games purchased via our busy shop site and also to anyone who just comes by the site and wants to give it a go. The Free Trial is limited to 30 days and will not allow people to create an email account or hosting website, it also has a more limited booking quota so you should still be able to use the bookable service as you normally do. Any comments or suggestions as to other things you think we should be doing to publicise the GAME.NET service are welcome, feel free to drop me a mail with anything you would like to raise or suggest.
During this week we have also introduced our Buddy List system that allows you to keep your friends close and your most-frequently-flamed-enemies even closer. This is a simple tool which sits in your GAME.NET browser window and allows you to exchange messages with your buddies, or be alerted as to when they login to the GAME.NET system. This should hopefully make it easier for you to keep track of other people who play the games you do so you can arrange a time to meet and play, rather than just hanging around waiting for people to show up
. You can read more about the Buddy List system here and can offer your comments in our forum.Linked in to the Buddy List system is an Opponents Panel on each game page. This page lists the most active GAME.NET users who have refreshed the server list for each particular game, or logged into our lobby system where that is more applicable, with the options there for you to add them to your Buddy List or to even email them if you would prefer to use that method to arrange some games. If you are worried about having your email addy displayed don't be too concerned, you can opt out of this system by changing your privacy settings from the My Account section of the default member page.
Quite a few of you have asked us to add some sort of cookie so that the site recognises you and therefore saves you having to log in each time you visit the site, we've now done this with a "Remember Me" option which you can enable when you have logged in by clicking the appropriate link in the GAME.NET menu bar. When you do this you will be able to access various parts of the site without having to login, certain aspects will still require your password for security reasons but hopefully this will save you a bit of time in your efforts to get gaming.
Only some minor server changes this week, mostly server side stuff, here's a list of the things that merit a mention:
Half-Life Guard anti-cheat software updated to v1.50.
Chaos UT2 mutator on UT2K3 Bookable & Clan Servers.
Tribes 2 Classic Mod updated to v1.4.
Tribes 2 Cluster Map Pack added (get it here).
What's On
Sunday 10th August 2003
Jedi Knight 2: Hydroball @15:00
Operation Flashpoint @ 17:00
Counter-Strike @ 20:00
Monday 11th August 2003
Elite Force II @ 19:00
Half-Life: Team Fortress Classic @ 21:00
Tuesday 12th August 2003
Battlefield 1942 @ 20:30
Quake 3 Arena: Urban Terror @ 20:30
Wednesday 13th August 2003
New Event >> Medal of Honor @ 19:00 << New Event
Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat @ 21:00
Thursday 14th August 2003
New Event >> Medal of Honor: SpearHead @ 19:00 << New Event
Half-Life: Day of Defeat @ 20:30
Quake 3 Arena: Capture The Flag @ 21:00
Half Life: Team Fortress Classic (TFC) @ 21:00
Friday 15th August 2003
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory @ 13:00
Files and Patches
Trailers
It's the Newsletter which means it must be time for some more Half-Life 2 goodness, this week just the one movie for your eyes to feast on but it is still pretty impressive stuff as it shows off one of the more innovative weapons in the game. I'll not spoil the surprise for you but the 185 MB movie (entitled Bugbait) can be downloaded here and I thoroughly recommend you do so, superb stuff.
That Half-Life 2 movie takes some beating but there are plenty of other FPS trailers to have a look at this week, including a look at the third game in the popular Tribes series. Subtitled Vengeance the game is moving away slightly from the previous titles in the series with more emphasis on the story element, however the 149 MB movie (get it here) does enough to suggest that Tribes purists will be kept happy with the movement and skiing ability which looks to be right on the button. It is still some time before we will get the chance to play the game but that isn't the case with XIII which has seen a playable demo released this week (see below) and if that wasn't enough a 33 MB trailer showcasing some of the "boss" fights in the game has also been released (get it here), once again demonstrating the unique graphical look of what could be the most significant rival to Half-Life 2 in the last few months of this year. BattleField 1942 is also going to get a shot in the arm later this year with its Secret Weapons add-on pack, a demo for which has also been released and is available below, you can also have a look at it with a nice wee trailer showing off some of the new things in the expansion pack which is available here for your downloading pleasure.
A mix of other games to mention, the first being Final Fantasy XI which continues the legendary series in fine style if this 19 MB trailer is anything to go by. A slightly more modern adventure game is available in the shape of Black 9, an 8 MB trailer (available here) doesn't really give much away but the game looks reasonably promising. By contrast more is known about the October-slated Lock-On: Modern Air Combat, a 6 MB trailer (available here) showing some tank vs. helicopter battles with some nice looking in-game footage on offer. A complete change of track for the final trailer to mention this week, the gloriously named Martin Mystere: Operation Dorian Gray is a traditional point and click adventure set against some lush 2D backgrounds, a 53 MB trailer (available here) setting the scene for what looks an intriguing, if slightly dated, game.
Playable Demos
Plenty of playable action for you to enjoy this week with the demo for XIII probably top of the list. The 80 MB file gives you two levels from the game to play, with plenty of weapons and gizmos available for you to try out, the game very much living up to the hype for me and being an enjoyable romp through an unusual looking world. You can try it out for yourself by clicking here, whilst further FPS style action can be enjoyed by grabbing the final Tron 2.0 demo (get it here), an updated version of the one released a few weeks ago and suggesting this will also be a game to worth adding to your collection.
The tempo keeps pretty high with a playable demo for Conflict Desert Storm II, the 216 MB download (get it here) giving you the chance to play a single mission from the game as either a member of the SAS or Navy Seals, from what I've seen this looks like a very polished 3rd person action game. A similarly sized demo for Nexagon DeathMatch has also been released, there are no details available yet for when this game will hit the shelves in the UK but it has just about been released in the USA and this playable demo will give you a chance to have a look at what can best be described as Mortal Kombat for the future generation.
If you like free games (who doesn't) then you will be interested in grabbing a copy of the SCUMM software which allows you to play your old Lucas Arts games and, in a nice move, has seen its most recent release marked by a free version of classic point-and-click adventure Beneath a Steel Sky released. I thoroughly recommend grabbing the game and the SCUMM software if you haven't had a chance to play it before, its generally considered one of the best of the genre from the earlier days of PC gaming and should provide you with hours of fun.
Another free game that will require slightly more of your bandwidth for you to enjoy is the latest version of the American Army game, the processor hungry recruitment FPS game has been updated to version 1.90 but, like all good things American, the download is BIG and comes in at over 600 MB. We do not currently support the game ourselves but there are servers out there so if you fancy having a look you can grab the full install here.
Hot off the press is another army based demo, this time for BattleField 1942's expansion pack Secret Weapons. This has only just come out so I haven't had a chance to look at it yet but it comes in at just under 170 MB and features a large number of the new weapons and vehicles, get it here and wait for a possible server explosion.
Game Patches
Not that many game patches to mention this week although plenty of mods get an update, the one proper patch is for city-building game Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom and includes a new campaign, new multiplayer content, various enhancements and fixes, sounds like a pretty decent update so if you do own a copy of this game then you can download the 20 MB patch here.
Mods
A trio of Half-Life mods to start us off this week with the first being a neat tie-in to the upcoming Vampire / Werewolf flick Underworld. Styled in the Capture the Flag mode of play "Bloodline" is teamplay orientated and has had some positive feedback in our forums, at just 30 MB it is well worth a look and you can get it here. A more character driven Half-Life mod is Public Enemy and this stylish piece of software has been updated to Beta 1.2, at 80 MB it is a fairly reasonable download and one I might take a look at myself. As if to balance out the fun and the serious quota in Half-Life mods this week we have another update to the Counter-Strike with bananas game that is MonkeyStrike, you can grab the 6 MB v1.1 to v1.2 upgrade here.
Two other mods worth a mention are very different in nature and size, the first being a minor update for the BattleField 1942 Star-Wars mod Galactic Conquest and, at just 7 MB, the v0.1a to v0.1b upgrade fixes a few minor issues and can be downloaded here. If however you prefer your gaming to be purely vehicle based (along with a bit of shooting, punching and kicking) then you can grab the 300+ MB moderisation mod for GTA Vice City, this mod updates the vehicles and other aspects of the games to more recent machinery. Arguably the "dated" aspect of Vice City is part of its attraction but if you have some time to spare this mod might well be worth a look, get it here.
Special Offers
It is fair to say that opinion on MTV's self-mutilating comedy Jackass is split, personally I'm a fan and enjoyed the film version of the series, ranking it as probably the funniest film I've seen in the past year. If you'd like to own a version of the said piece of cinematic history on DVD there are two to choose from, the bog standard version and the special box set, both of which would be at home in most people's DVD collections and are available to purchase from Monday.
Even more of a must buy is Series 2 of 24, coming out just as the TV series reaches its climax its an essential bit of DVDness for any fan of the series and could come in handy if you find yourself stuck indoors during a break in the current glorious weather.
If its gaming you are a looking for then we've added some really iffy titles to our Sale range, the good news is that they cost just 25p! As far as PC gaming goes you can get the legendary Alien Paranoia, the superb Aussie Rules Coach and the award winning* Tread Marks, various other cheap 'n' cheerful titles being available at knock-down prices.
* may not have won any awards
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.