The development team went all out to enhance the immersiveness of the battlefield environment and it shows. Every object can be shot or blown up, and pervasive damage effects can be enabled for high-end machines. All-new rain, fog, snow and other weather effects add twists to already challenging tactical problems. Expect teammate's breath to show when it's cold and wet. Raindrops splash when they hit the ground. In snowy conditions, you can even follow the enemies' footprints. Be warned, though: They can follow in yours just as easily.

The best way to look at that shade-to-light sequence is to load up each one into 3 separate windows, then flip between them. I have a few more snaps from this level, but that's enough for now. :)

SWAT3 interview [18:18:33 EDT] by - Rush
I noticed the guys over at Tactical Planet have put up a small interview with Rod Fung, producer of SierraStudios upcoming SWAT3. Here's a snip on the upcoming demo:

[TacticalPlanet] What are you planning on including in the demo?

[Rod Fung] We’ll include one mission in the demo (we haven’t made the final decision as to which mission). Everything else in the game will be functional as well (gearing up, choosing team, etc…). We may also include the shooting house training mission.

Good stuff, check it out.

Rogue Spear designer diary updated [18:12:01 EDT] by - Rush
Greg Stelmack, Core Engineer over at RSE updated his designer diary with a great look at the weapons in the game. Here's how he starts it off:

Everyone out there is anxious to know more about the weapons included in Rogue Spear. In addition, many of our fans do not know a whole lot about guns and so get confused when presented with all the options available. So I've put together a quick guide that should help people get a jump-start with the new weapons that are available.

Great update for you weapons freaks out there! :)

Hired Team screenshots [17:46:37 EDT] by - Rush
GA-Source has put up some screenshots of Hired Team, a game from Russian game developer and publisher New Media Generation (NMG). Here's how GA describes the game:

In Hired Team you'll play the role of one of four mercenaries: either as a Scout, Miner, Sniper or even as a Heavy Weapons Guy. For accomplishing of each mission you should wisely use special abilities and/or weapons. You may switch on the fly between each of the four characters and play as one of them while the rest of the team is controlled by AI. Hire Team will feature various missions for the player to accomplish - from infiltrate and observe to pure kill them all or even destroy everything. The Hired Team game also features four campaigns with four missions in every campaign. With each mission giving you a new environment, new arsenal of weapons and new enemies.

Anyway, I DL'd the Prince of Persia 3D demo. Not a bad little game.. A bit Tomb Raider'ish, and some clipping problems with the gfx engine, but otherwise a pretty good game. Nice level design, interesting puzzles, and decent graphics. (Tho, I couldn't get it to run higher than 800x600, which leads me to believe it was using my Voodoo 2 card for 3D, and not my Viper 550 TNT..) Some of the timed door, and jumping and grabbing rope puzzles were a bit tedious tho, but PoP has always had the timed door puzzles. And truthfully, I didn't think the new 3D animation was smooth at all, even tho the PoP website was touting that fact. The hand-drawn 2D stuff was much more lifelike, tho in fairness, I know its difficult to smoothly animate a 3D model. They all still look like Rock'em Sock'em Robots to me! (Course many of you might not go back that far.. :)

More Codename: Eagle shots [22:55:51 EDT] by - Rush
GA-Source has put up 2 new screenshots of Codename: Eagle that feature "a complete overhaul of Codename: Eagle's interface, as well as the weapon and inventory systems." Def nice improvement on the rendering engine..

My life with H&D [07:05:47 EDT] by - Rush
I finally got back into Hidden & Dangerous, and here's a few snaps of my fun (plus the 'recon photo' above):

VOICE-OVER-NET^TM MEETS CLEARVOICE^TM IN NOVALOGIC GAMES

CALABASAS, CA  (August 30, 1999) 
   NovaLogic's user-friendly Voice-Over-Net technology will soon be even easier to use, thanks to a partnership with Labtec, Inc. that will put high-quality headset microphones into boxes of Armored Fist 3 and Delta Force 2.

   For a limited time, both games will ship with Labtec's LVA-7330 ClearVoice Head Mic, a microphone designed specifically to meet the needs of PC gamers. The LVA-7330 features Labtec's speech recognition-certified NCAT2TM microphone and a patented headband that can be worn comfortably in three positions (over the head, behind the head, or around the neck).

   Voice-Over-Net is a proprietary technology that lets gamers speak to each other rather than typing messages in games on NovaWorld TM, the company's free Internet gaming service. Because Voice-Over-Net is built into the games that support it, configuration is automatic; players don't have to install additional software or enter complex Internet addresses before they can speak to each other. The technology debuted in May as part of  F-22 Lightning 3 and will be built into all of NovaLogic's future games.

    "Labtec is proud that the LVA-7330, a member of Labtec's ClearVoice family of products, has been chosen to be bundled with NovaLogic's Armored Fist 3 and Delta Force 2," said Frank Romero, Labtec's director of marketing. "Voice-Over-Net and the patented NCAT2 microphone will provide gamers with crystal-clear voice communication over the web."

   Armored Fist 3, a simulation of the Army's M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank, is scheduled for release in Late Summer 1999; and Delta Force 2, the sequel to NovaLogic's critically acclaimed game based on the elite anti-terrorist force, will be in stores this Fall. Both games feature large-scale multi-player via NovaWorld, with action that emphasizes cooperative play and the advantages of real-time voice communication via Voice-Over-Net.

That's good news. One of the reasons I haven't gotten into voice command yet (BattleCom or Roger Wilco) is cuz I don't have a good mic. Come October, I will. :)

Another H&D review [16:18:52 EDT] by - Rush
Gaming Entertainment Monthly has posted a review of Talonsoft's Hidden & Dangerous. Here's the obligatory snip, this time about the mission design, which we all know is killer:

After you choose your men and your equipment, you go to your missions. The mission briefing is clearly laid out for you, and tells you what objectives you must accomplish, and where you must go. One of the highlights of H&D is the wide variety of the missions. You won't get bored here with repetitive objectives. I'd have to say that this game is one of the most thoroughly thought out in terms of providing the player with a satisfying set of missions. Many of them have multiple objectives and can become quite long.

Hidden & Dangerous interview [18:42:06 EDT] by - Rush
Jon 'Stirling' Judd from Tactical Planet sent me more email about a new interview they put up with Michal Bacik of the H&D development team. Here's the entire Interview:

[Tactical Planet] Hope you guys party and get to enjoy ECTS coming up in a week, should be lots of great parties to attend, right?
[Michal Bacik] I think we'll party a lot in London, although we have also some work there :(

[Tactical Planet] Will patch v1.2 be made available today?
[Michal Bacik] Sorry, it's delayed until next Tuesday.

[Tactical Planet] How goes the DATADISK?
[Michal Bacik] Artists are working hard. We want to show some missions at ECTS.

[Tactical Planet] Will most work on the DATADISK be done by the artists and level designers since most programming for the engine is done?
[Michal Bacik] Yep right, but designers are going deeply into the possibilities of the engine, so players may await more animations and interaction with the environment.

[Tactical Planet] What might be some of the key things you will work to fix/enhance for the DATADISK? Or will most programming efforts start to go into H&D2?
[Michal Bacik] Yes and yes. We're still making H&D better, collecting players' comments and improving the game. Also we're working on technology improvements for upcoming projects.

[Tactical Planet] Any thoughts or ideas at this point on the game engine for H&D 2? A heavily modified H&D engine or new engine?
[Michal Bacik] Basically the system, how the engine works, stays the same. We are all comfortable with it and a lot of code from H&D1 is working fine with this. But some things will get improved, mostly visual 3D objects. If everything goes well, we'd like to include shadow-mapping, single-mesh objects, real-time deformations, possibly bezier surfaces, etc. More changes are being done to the game editor (which wasn't available for public in H&D1), to make it more comfortable for our designers. We are considering the possibility to offer it to players in H&D2.

[Tactical Planet] By the time H&D2 comes out there will be some new technology and architectures for 3D Accelerator cards (NV10, Voodoo5 and maybe Glaze3D???). Do you plan on making any changes to the architecture of the engine to utilize these new technologies? For instance, the NV10 will take the geomety calculations off the CPU and will free up CPU cycles for AI and the like. Will it change the way you program H&D2 at all?
[Michal Bacik] We don't want too many changes. For example geometry transformation is written on a few lines of code, which may be modified to support new chips/graphics cards without affecting functionality of the rest of the system.

Thanks for the news Stirling! V1.2 patch on Tuesday. Cool!

Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear goes gold! [16:18:22 EDT] by - Rush
John, from Virtual Naval Command sent me some email with the awesome news that Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Rogue Spear has gone gold, and should be hitting the stores on September 22nd, for a retail price of $49.95 Here's the whole PR:

For Immediate Release
-- August 27, 1999

Golden Moment for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear

Gold Master Complete; Sequel to Last Year’s Action Game of the Year Available September 22, 1999

Leading game developer and publisher Red Storm Entertainment, Inc., today announced that Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear, the sequel to last year’s instant hit Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, has reached Gold Master.

By popular demand, the Rainbow team is back...and tougher than ever. Due to the group’s fantastic success with diffusing major terrorist incidents, the international community has come to depend on Rainbow as the main force secretly protecting citizens worldwide. Thus, the story continues in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear with the team's initial missions being business as usual: a hostage situation at a world-renowned art museum and an airplane hijacking. However, players soon discover that these crisis situations are actually related to the nefarious plots of not one, but two antagonists. Through a series of increasingly difficult missions, players must uncover the terrorists' deadly master plan or else.

Players will have new weapons at their disposal as well as sniper specialists to properly take out deadly foes from afar. With over 400 new motion capture moves, terrorists and hostages will react even more realistically to players and multi-player teams. Graphical details have been added, including special crouch positions that players assume while in sniper mode. Players can guide their team with a joystick, add more terrorists with the mission editor, and show off their best missions with the cinematic replay feature.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear will be available on PC at all major retailers September 22, 1999 and will carry a suggested retail price of $49.95.

About Red Storm Entertainment, Inc.
Red Storm Entertainment, Inc. is a multiple-media gaming company that produces, markets and publishes interactive computer games and other entertainment products in several forms, including CD-ROM and console games, books, board games and related merchandise. Partnered with Pearson plc, one of the world’s largest and most respected media groups, the company was founded by best-selling author and Chairman of the Board Tom Clancy. Red Storm Entertainment is based in Morrisville, North Carolina, and has its European headquarters in the United Kingdom. For more information call (919) 460-1776, or visit the company’s website at www.redstorm.com.

One area of Hidden and Dangerous that truly shines is its sounds. The environmental sounds of the game are superb. The sound of rain pattering down all around you, the train passing over the tracks as it toots its horn; it’s all done with great detail and care, and contributes enormously to the atmosphere of the game. The in game soundtrack is also well done and often inspiring in the various situations you find yourself in.

1. Do you have a tentative schedule for release of the H&D Mission Pack?
    November 1999

2. Do you have a count for the number of missions planned for the MPack?
    9 huge missions

3. Will future fixes for H&D be rolled into the MPack?
    Yes, we hope so

4. Any new characters added for the MPack?
    About 20 new characters

5. What historical timeframe will be covered in the MPack?
    WWII again

6. What are the planned number of campaigns for the MPack?
    3 campaigns

7. Any new enhancements or features planned currently for the MPack?
    3D modeled weapons in 1st person view, lots of graphical treats, improved sky, few new weapons, new cars incl. tank, animated destruction of some objects (church, bridge), new uniforms.

Sounds awesome to me. Can't wait!

Codename: Eagle interview [14:24:03 EDT] by - Rush
John from GA-Source fired some email my way, letting me know of an interview "with Amir Haleem, Game Designer, which reveals information on the features we can expect, their own proprietary 3D engine: Refractor, and more." Here's a snip on the levels:

How many different missions are in Codename: Eagle? How big is a level and what type of environments will they cover?

There are 12 missions in Codename. These range from snow fallen villages, to desert airbases and much more. The levels are pretty massive - an average landscape will be around 5km^2 in dimension.

SWAT 3: CQB can be played in either mission or career mode. In mission mode, you may try any mission in any order, with each assignment being treated as a stand-alone experience. This is a nice feature, letting you practice your leadership and gunnery skills without impacting your chances of success over the long run - and that's more important than you might think. "The story unfolds based on the outcome of the previous mission - did you arrest or neutralize the suspects, was the hostage rescued, and so forth," says Fung. "The information you receive in the preassault briefings weaves the story together, and there are two final cutscenes to end career mode - one victorious, the other disastrous." Just the thought of a "disastrous" scenario in the Los Angeles of 2005 is probably enough to make you want to see both endings.

Nice in-depth preview. Check it out.

Rogue Spear movie [17:50:12 EDT] by - Rush
I noticed over at VE that Redstorm has released a movie (35MB) of their upcoming game R6:Rogue Spear.

Take 2 and Illusion Softworks titles [17:38:01 EDT] by - Rush
John from GA-Source sent me some email with the news that Take 2 will publish the next 5 Illusion Softworks PC products. Here's the whole PR:

Take-Two Enters Publishing Agreement with Illusion Softworks
Take-Two Interactive Software today announced that it has entered into a publishing partnership agreement with Illusions Softworks, s.r.o. Under the agreement Take-Two will have exclusive worldwide publishing rights to the next five PC products created by Illusion, as well as, select video game console system publishing rights for each of those products, and the right to PC mission packs for each of the products.

Illusion's initial commercial release, Hidden & Dangerous, was recently published by Take-Two's TalonSoft subsidiary for the PC. Initial releases under the new agreement will be a Sega Dreamcast version of Hidden & Dangerous and a PC mission pack for Hidden & Dangerous. Subsequently releases will include Flying Heroes, Hidden & Dangerous 2, and Gangster.

Hidden & Dangerous review at EA [13:46:53 EDT] by - Rush
The good folks over at EvilAvatar.com have posted a review of Talonsoft's Hidden & Dangerous. Here's a bit on just how difficult the missions are:

H&D will frustrate a lot of players (like myself) at first because there simply isn’t much, if any, learning curve. It’s all straight up. Granted, the SAS have never been wasted on the "easy" missions, but computer game players need a somewhat more gentle slope in the difficulty department. Even after going back and selecting "Easy" difficulty, this is still one of the most murderous games I’ve run across in a long time, and while I’ve seen that most folks (again, like myself) have managed to get over that initial hurdle, I can’t say I’m surprised at all by those who’ve given up in disgust, tired of having to repeat missions 10-20 times before moving on. This sounds maybe a bit harsh, but it should. Players have no choice but to play a mission ad-nauseum until they beat it because once again a game is porked over with canned missions. I can soften the blow a little though, by stating categorically that the missions almost to a fault are all superbly put together, exciting, tense, and gratifying to (eventually/finally) beat. If the developers went a little nuts on the difficulty and canned nature, they at least made up for it with the great design.

Hi
Just a quick email to let you know two bits of news!

1) Delta-Force2.com (http://www.delta-force2.com) has opened up a Cartoon (http://www.delta-force2.com/cartoons.shtml) page which will be updated weekly with Delta Force humour from the comic genius that is Bonehead!

2) The Delta Force 2 Network(http://www.deltaforce2.net/network.htm) on Sunday 22 August 1999 will present a DF2 chat on IRC (Internet Relay Chat). This is your chance to ask the DF2 fansite webmasters any question you like regarding the game, as well as have a bloody good chat!

The event will take place at 9pm BST(British Summer Time)/4pm EST on EFNET. The exact channel details will be released 1 hour before the event takes place on "The Drop Zone" (http://www.deltaforce2.net) and on "Delta-Force2.Com" (http://www.delta-force2.com) so keep tuned to both sites for more information!

Thanks Morgo! (A bit late on the chat thing. Oops!)

SWAT3 interview, part 2 [03:23:19 EDT] by - Rush
As expected, CGO has posted part 2 of their interview with Rod Fung of SierraStudios, about SWAT3. Here's a bit from the article on what the AI reacts to:

CGO: What sort of stimuli will enemies in SWAT 3 react to?

RF: SWAT 3 is grounded in realism. All the characters (hostages, suspects, and SWAT officers) will react to footsteps, gunshots, coming into the line of sight of someone, seeing blood on the ground, door openings, door closing, etc. The character's reaction to these stimuli depends on the individual's AI. We have about 125 characters in the game, plus 60 SWAT officers, each have their own AI.

CGO: How does the game's damage model work?

RF: We have hit specific damage. We have the various characters and SWAT officers models divided up into numerous parts (foot, leg, thigh, pelvis, chest, head, etc.). Each body part will sustain a certain amount of damage based upon the proximity to the gun muzzle, as well as the type of ammunition and firearms that is being used.

Great interview, check it out.. I still can't get over how great the textures and modeling look. Here, take a look:

Though SWAT 3 will not require it, 3D acceleration will be highly recommended, and the game will use 3D hardware support to the max. Sierra is looking to create environments rendered with impressive fidelity. Rooms, such as kitchens and offices, are realistically designed and lavishly furnished with desks, tables, leather couches, and more. (A really nice effect occurs when you're in a bathroom, shining your flashlight in the mirror.)

The game will be able to handle hundreds and hundreds of decals, meaning items such as bullet casings and blood spots won't disappear after a few seconds. This is important, because wounded characters will leave blood trails. Even more impressive, if you step in a pool of blood you'll leave a small trail of reddish footprints.

Def sounding good to me.. Check out the rest of the preview...

Hidden & Dangerous review at CombatSim [18:36:11 EDT] by - Rush
CombatSim has put up a review (with screenshots of course) of our favorite, Hidden & Dangerous. Here's a snip about the nighttime missions:

Environmental effects like rain and night lighting are done very well also. Nighttime ops are D-A-R-K, just like it was for the soldiers in WWII. They weren’t spoiled by the use of technology as we are today through the use of night vision goggles.

Playing night missions in this game will truly give you a sense of what the soldiers went through in WWII, the sense of danger, fear, apprehension and disorientation are captured in the day missions and even more magnified in the night.

If you're smart, the guy with the best marksmanship skill will have a sniper rifle. Lead with him, sneak up to a good vantagepoint and go to first person view. You have a sniper scope on the rifle. Zoom in on an unsuspecting German sentry and put a bullet through the base of his skull. Watch him drop like a sack of potatoes. Then smile… a LOT. This is where the game gets really fun. Sure it sounds sadistic, and Senator Lieberman would have a conniption fit, but being a sniper is a gas.

Yep, good review.. check it out..™

Codename:Eagle pics [15:29:03 EDT] by - Rush
GA-Source has posted 9 screensnaps from Codename:Eagle by Refraction Games. Here's a sample pic:

The fantastic thing about H&D is how dynamic the campaign is, often I found myself retrying missions on purpose to take the enemies from different angles. Even though there are only 23 missions, it seemed as if I was playing forever when I finally completed the entire campaign. You can find yourself spending hours on a single mission, trying to get off the exact shot or set up the perfect infiltration. On other missions it can get confusing, where you will receive a briefing that is planned perfectly but then your plan is ruined and you have to make things up as you go along. On the whole, there were a lot of unexpected events, which I think made the game even more exciting than it already is.

I agree. Slow and steady is the way to play H&D. I've replayed missions from different angles just to see how they play out. Fun stuff.

Another Codename:Eagle preview [17:36:47 EDT] by - Rush
GameSpot UK also has a preview up of Codename:Eagle, developed by Refraction Games and published by Take 2. Here's what GameSpot UK says about the tactics you'll need:

From there on in it's first-person, 3D-accelerated action with a twist. Go storming in and all you'll do is attract the unwanted attention of hordes of guards, Dobermans, machine-gun-equipped pillboxes and armoured cars. Stealth is very much on the agenda and you'll need plenty of it to complete the game's 12 missions. Speed is of the essence - in one mission you get only a limited time to destroy Russia's super weapon. All of which promises to add to the challenge of this licensed-to-thrill experience.

This game may lean a bit toward being 'just a shooter' tho.. We'll see.

Codename:Eagle preview [17:32:18 EDT] by - Rush
GA-Source has some more info and screenshots of Codename:Eagle, another W.W.II shooter in development. Here's a snip on the various mission types:

There are 12 missions in the game, each set in a different location and each with its own unique set of tasks to be completed. These range from assignations to bomb disposal aboard a moving train, stealing plans to destroying dams, and hostage rescue to destroying a Russian super weapon. Each level requires a new set of skills, and in many cases involves piloting one of the many vehicles in the game, ranging from a Cargo truck to a Biplane.

Sounds interesting... We'll be keeping an eye on this one.

Rogue Spear interview [14:53:26 EDT] by - Rush
As seen on TP and VE, there is a interview over at Well-Rounded Games with Greg Stelmack, software engineer on R6:Rogue Spear. Here's a bit from the interview on the game's immersiveness:

Many positive comments have been made about the immersiveness of Rogue Spear. What other features help draw in the player?

There's been a lot of buzz about the new terrorist AI and the expanded motion capture range that helps the non-player characters appear more sentient. The terrorists react more visibly now thanks to the motion capture moves. For example, in the original Rainbow Six, if you shot near a terrorist, he might run, or he might stand there. In Rogue Spear, if he decides to stay put, you'll see him look around, and you might even hear him react with a "What was that?" or something similar. The terrorists also have a better combat AI. They'll run for cover and kneel behind it, and sometimes pop out and ambush you. In addition, I think the weather and other new special effects will grab peoples' attention. There's nothing quite like assaulting a terrorist hideout in the snow...

Sounds awesome to me; can't wait! :)

H&D patch update [14:30:55 EDT] by - Rush
The guys at Tactical Planet have some updated info on the upcoming H&D v1.2 patch. Here's the whole thing:

Got some more news on the upcoming Hidden & Dangerous Patch v1.2. Here's a bit more clarification from Michal Bacik on the addition of "Full Controller Customization" to Patch v1.2:

All joystick buttons should be recognized and customizable and we'll also support 3 mouse buttons plus wheel.

Some examples of what you can do with the new controller customization that will be added to Patch v1.2: You'll be able to assign joystick left to fire and mouse wheel up to stand up, or anything like that.

Got word from Michal Bacik, Lead Programmer at IllusionSoftworks, that they are in the testing phase for the Hidden & Dangerous Patch v1.2. Here is a list of the planned fixes, additions and improvements for the next H&D patch:

1. Full configurable controllers.
2. Crashes when leaving static guns.
3. Mouse lag.
4. Quick game load.
5. Cars - crashing people.
6. Boats - death of on-board soldiers.

The team is also busy working on several in-language versions of the game as well (Korean, Japanese and several others). They are keeping really busy and they are also planning to attend the upcoming ECTS in London, September 5-7. They will be in the Take2 booth, GL100 on the 1st Floor.

Great news... Too bad they didn't give us an ETA... it'll probably be the proverbial "in two weeks"..

Yet another Rogue Spear preview [16:53:12 EDT] by - Rush
GameLinks has posted a preview of Rogue Spear as well. Here's a snip on the new body armor and beefed up AI:

Some of the new suits (or body armor) that you should expect to see will include an Arctic Medium suit (used in zero temperature missions), a street camouflage medium suit, used mainly for urban warfare, and finally a woodland camouflage light suit used for wilderness missions. Red Storm has mentioned a tremendous improvement in both team and enemy AI. Terrorists will react faster and use more extreme methods, while your squad team mates will be more agile and cunning, a perfect balance that should five Rogue Spear a high replayability. factor. No more team mates getting in your way, and with the new AI expect to see planned ambushes by the enemy that adjust according to each situation and according to the movements of your squad members.

Good preview.. check it out.

Hidden & Dangerous review at GameSpot [16:40:42 EDT] by - Rush
GameSpot has posted their own review of Talonsoft's Hidden & Dangerous. Here's how they get it started:

In Hidden & Dangerous in particular, you'll edge your way through all kinds of German-occupied territory during World War II, commanding up to four soldiers to get in, clear up, and get out of situations that would be completely overwhelming if not for the element of surprise on your side. The game looks good and feels convincing, and although it's unstable and flawed and otherwise every bit as difficult as you would expect, Hidden & Dangerous is nonetheless an impressive and uniquely serious depiction of squad-level combat behind enemy lines.

Another good, honest review. But developer Illusion Softworks is also hard at work on fixing the game with an upcoming patch... Stay tuned.

Rogue Spear preview [16:35:07 EDT] by - Rush
Continuing in their recent trend of tactical shooter p/reviews, The Hive has put up a preview (and tasty screen snaps) of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear. Here's a bit on the new peek & sniper functions:

Another excellent new feature they've added, is the ability to peer around corners. To the right or left you can peek around a corner now, without leaving your body open as a target. This feature would really have come in handy in the original Rainbow Six, and it's a feature most players will wonder how they did without it for so long, once they've used it in Rogue Spear. In addition to a variety of all new weapons, a sniper mode has been implemented as well, and the ability to tell snipers when to take the shot is present too, which should really come in handy during some of the amazingly tense missions players will face in Rogue Spear. BTW, the bad guys have snipers too, so some missions should be really interesting.

In the real world, SWAT team members really need to control their field of fire. They are accountable for every bullet they send downrange." In game terms, this means that the player will have to carefully consider their environment before they open fire. If a suspect is standing in front of hostages, or even in front of a wall that might have hostages on the other side, the player will have to carefully weigh the risk of harming innocent civilians. Likewise, if the player knows that a target is in the next room, it might be possible to take them out without entering the room.

Suspects will also be imbued with various levels of AI. Some suspects will be simple loose guns with little combat experience, others might be trained terrorists. "We have about 125 characters in the game, plus 60 SWAT officers, each has their own AI. Some bad guys will hunt you down if they hear a sound; others will run to the furthest place away from you. Some will only fight if they are cornered; others will drop their guns and run. It's quite varied as to how they will react." Starting locations and AI characteristics for each character in a given mission will change each time the mission is played, ostensibly adding an element of replayability.

Awesome screenshots as well. The modeling in this game looks outstanding. Check it out. :)

GA: A lot of excitement is being created by the idea of the realistic bullet physics model incorporated into SWAT3. Could you explain how this works and how it will effect the gameplay?

Rod:SWAT 3 simulates a real close-quarter battle tactical experience. One of the most important aspects of working rooms and shooting within close confines of our environments is knowing your field of fire, and where your bullets will go if you decide to fire. In SWAT 3, all of the wall surfaces have unique penetration values. Depending on the material’s thickness and type, the firearm you are using, coupled with the ballistics of your chosen ammunition, you can penetrate walls. A good example is the Benelli shotgun. If you decide to shoot through a door, we’ll track all 9 buckshot pellets out of the shotgun muzzle.

Each operative has five different attributes. Reaction, strength, stealth, endurance and shooting are the traits each operative's capabilities are based upon. Best of all, the setup screen can be automated by hitting the auto-configure button, and all of your members will be selected automatically for you, which is a blessing for people like me, as I'd rather get in and play instead of wasting time fiddling around. After you're team is assembled for a campaign, you must then move on to selecting the weapons, ammo and basic equipment that will be used. Once again, a nice auto-configure button can be used to select the gear your team will need, but you can also do it all yourself. After selecting the gear for the team, you must equip each individual team member, and again, a nice auto-configure button is offered, which I used again without hesitation. So all of the pre-campaign and pre-mission planning can be manually setup, or auto-configured, so both control freaks and those without patience can enjoy all that it has to offer.

Good review.. check it out.

SWAT3 preview at CGO [21:34:22 EDT] by - Rush
The guys over at CGO have posted a preview of SierraStudio's SWAT3:CQB with some great-looking screen shots as well. Here's how they describe the gameplay:

In a way, SWAT 3 Close Quarters Battle is returning to its roots by once again putting the player in the thick of the action, directly controlling a single member of a SWAT team from a first-person perspective. Don't expect a heaping helping of full-motion video, however—this time around, technology may finally offer a more viable approach. The game will use a proprietary 3D engine to model realistic and open environments, much in the manner of Rainbow Six. With an ever-increasing number of tactical/action titles hitting the shelves, the time may be right for the SWAT series to come into its own.

SWAT3 is also on my 'must have' list... Can't wait till its released later this year...

Hidden & Dangerous review at Gamecenter [03:40:14 EDT] by - Rush
Gamcenter has put up a review (and pics) of Talonsoft's Hidden & Dangerous. Here's a hefty chunk about the mission design:

Rainbow Six is about stealth and suspense, not heated shoot-outs, but Hidden & Dangerous clearly has the stuff of war movies such as The Dirty Dozen and Kelly's Heroes. Stealth is important, and the suspense can be gut-wrenching. Although many of the missions can be finished using almost exclusively a sniper, Hidden & Dangerous isn't a game that shies away from chaotic firefights. Sure, it's not Quake--the gunfire is lethal, you won't find any health power-ups, and your characters fare best when they're crawling on their bellies. However, there are some spectacular and astonishing battles. I had never seen anything like the final mission of the first campaign, which was a stunning raid on a well-defended train wreck in the mountains of Italy.

The first campaign's final mission was the first of at least half a dozen times I thought the game had peaked with some new and clever situation, but the game kept getting better as it progressed through each of its five campaigns. That Hidden & Dangerous is able to create these sorts of action set pieces so successfully is a landmark achievement. Not only are the developers skilled mission designers, but they also have a way of gradually unveiling their tricks to reel you in. One of the best aspects about the game is finishing a mission in anticipation of what will happen in the next mission.

Anyway, the folks over at PC.IGN have posted a review (Aug 11th actually) of Talonsoft's Hidden & Dangerous. Here's a snip on the tactics you'll need to get thru the game:

As I mentioned earlier, the game itself is a super-realistic first person shooter. The game does a great job of recreating realistic squad-based tactics. You can't just storm an enemy encampment with your four agents and hope to win against insurmountable odds because if you take one shot in the head, you're dead. The best way to complete your mission objectives is with stealth and solid tactics, using your four man element to the fullest and drawing the enemy into your fire rather than rushing them head-on.

What is your favorite map or mission in RS? Why?

My favorite mission by far is the ruined city in Kosovo (M04). I’ve never seen anything like it in a game before. The mood is spectacular..the rain, the burned out husks of buildings, the gloomy sky. Our artists did an amazing job of bringing it to life. Throw in lots bad guys wandering the streets or hiding in the shadows and you have a mission that literally makes me jump from surprise almost every time I play it. And I scripted the terrorists!

Another Spec Ops 2 preview [22:15:35 EDT] by - Rush
I just received some email from Rod White, letting me know that The Hive has posted "a massive, killer interview with John Williamson on the topic of SpecOps II: Green Berets." They've also got some exclusive screenshots to go along with the interview. Here's a snip from the article on the birth of the genre:

ROD WHITE: First off, how does it feel being the guys responsible for starting a genre within a genre (the tactical/shooter) with SpecOps?

WILLIAMSON: It feels pretty good. It was a genre that hadn't been tried for a number of years (the sprite-based SEAL Team being the noticeable exception) and has proven to be successful, for us as well as those that followed (Rainbow 6, Delta Force, Hidden and Dangerous), proving that there was a fairly large void that we filled. I would like to push the genre a little further in the future, and include historically accurate missions with some gray moral issues and more open ended missions, instead of just running and gunning your way to victory.

Great interview with lots of awesome background info on the game. Check it out!™

Hidden & Dangerous review at GameFan [21:46:25 EDT] by - Rush
GameFan has posted a review (with pics) of Talonsoft's Hidden & Dangerous. They tell it like it is and don't sugar-coat anything. Here's a snip:

Unfortunately, the folks at Illusion Softworks seem determined to gum up a good idea. Bugs, frustrating level design and obscenely bad translations all do their best to throw things out of whack. You'll definitely have fun playing this game, but it's likely that you'll also pull out most of your hair before you get to the end.

Some of the negative things mentioned in the review are now fixed with the patch, so keep that in mind. Good honest review tho. I must say, that yes, H&D is a difficult game, but if you play slow and methodically, its quite enjoyable. This is not a game to be played Quake-style at all, so you have to readjust your thinking before you start playing..

Hidden & Dangerous US patch [21:36:05 EDT] by - Rush
The Hidden & Dangerous U.S. patch v1.1 is out (3.2MB), and can be found at 3Dfiles. Here's a list of what it fixes:

Fixes:
* Zooming in sniper or binocs mode - sometimes, the zoom resets after movement....FIXED
* Dropping weapons held in hands in FP mode when laying - aim object still shown....FIXED
* Tanks problems (2 turrets after destroying, driving if driver is enemy soldier)....FIXED
* Internet gameplay with more players shows a big latency and sync problems. ...IMPROVED
* Random deaths at missions with trains/trams (Italy1, Danube2)....FIXED
* Loading saved game - soldiers in vehicle standing, or laying soldiers floating in air....FIXED
* Improper item saving in game profile after mission finished....FIXED
* Great slow-down in campaign 1 missions 5,6 and few other missions within the game....OVERALL SPEED OF GAME INCREASED
* Game hanging after few minutes of playing....IMPROVED; WE RECOMMEND NOT TO OVERLOCK CPU OR GRAPHICS CARD, ALSO YOU MAY NEED TO DOWNLOAD LATEST DRIVERS/BIOS FOR YOUR HARDWARE. ANOTHER SOLUTION IF PROBLEM PERSISTS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR COMPUTER SCREEN RESOLUTION IS THE SAME AS THE RESOLUTION SETTING FOR THE GAME. DIFFERENT SETTINGS MAY CAUSE GAME LOCK UPS OR CRASHES. 
* Gun site randomly disappearing in 1st person mode....FIXED

Additional features:
* An aiming line drawn for static guns and tank turrets when used by player. This makes aiming such guns much easier.

Good set of fixes...

The new features are great, but what really stands out when you play Rogue Spear is the enhanced environment. Nothing enthralled me more when playing this preview than sitting in the ruined Kosovo village and watching the rain drop on my head, all at 1600x1200. Take note: you'll need to get a good sound card/set of speakers for Rogue Spear; the new environmental effects and gunshots are phenomenal.

Def one of the better previews I've seen. Do give it a look. I wasn't a big fan of R6, but Rogue Spear def has me interested.

Rogue Spear shots [19:02:04 EDT] by - Rush
GameSpot UK has posted some nice screenshots of Rogue Spear (some look new, some we've seen before), and some showing off the 3D wireframes they used to create the levels. Nice stuff. Check it out!

Hidden & Dangerous Guide [15:56:43 EDT] by - Rush
AVault has posted a pretty comprehensive guide to Talonsoft's Hidden & Dangerous, covering such topics as The Weapons of War, The SAS, The German Guard, and Exposed and Disarmed, plus a link to their review of it. Here's how they kick it off:

Only few short years ago a small Czechoslovakian based game company called Illusion Softworks began work on a squad-based arcade-like action title. Not long after development began, US based wargame publisher TalonSoft got wind of it and the result is the wildly intense World War II combat game Hidden & Dangerous. Our first look into this title came at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, and it was there that the decision was made to give it a feature. Whether you’re a history connoisseur, enjoy combat-action games, or just a mild mannered strategy fanatic you’ll be glad you dropped by.

When choosing your squad, you can choose 16 members, each with different skills and experience. As you continue to play, they gain experience and learn, but you will need to keep them alive to do so. You choose what each squad member uses for a weapon. You may even instruct a member of the squad to fire his standard SWAT machine gun. All the while, another one fires off his shotgun for cover as your forces move into another room. Or, they fire a round at a door before busting it down and invading.

Another mini-review, but still a good read.

H&D pic sequence [16:59:54 EDT] by - Rush
I'm still making my way through Hidden & Dangerous, and having a fun time with it. Here's a little series of pics from the opening animation to campaign 2 that I thought was particularly cool. Check em out:

SWAT 3 mini preview [14:54:12 EDT] by - Rush
I saw on Voodoo Extreme that GamingAge has a tiny preview and some screenshots of SierraStudio's upcoming SWAT3:CQB. Here's a snip:

As far as graphics and sound go, I can't complain yet. The environments that these missions take place in are all well detailed, right down to the pattern on the carpet you walk upon. Lighting is used very well, character models are detailed right down to the secondary weapon (usually a pistol of some sort) tucked away in their gear.

The first and third person control, while adding nice additions to play, falls down in the area of feel. In the Quake engine, a truly skilled person can move around quickly and easily. In Hidden and Dangerous, a truly skilled person can move around like a drunken elephant. Aiming is extremely difficult. The gun sight bounces around madly and the only way you can hit anything farther than ten feet away is by stopping your soldier in his tracks and aiming very carefully. Throwing grenades is extraordinarily difficult, and you will kill your own soldiers as often as the enemies.

Not one of the game's best reviews, but an honest one.

Hidden & Dangerous review #1 [13:20:06 EDT] by - Rush
I received mail from Matt letting me know that Digital Review has put up a review (oddly enough ) of Illusion Softworks' Hidden & Dangerous, the WWII tactical combat shooter. Here's a bit on the graphics engine:

This game has been designed using an entirely new graphics engine. This means that the graphics have a style that I haven’t really seen before. The structure of the game tends to call for large open environments which makes the title a major resource hog (good to see nothing changes eh!) There are a lot of nice touches here and there like the footprints you leave in the snow. I also liked the bullet streaks through the air. They were not overdone but allowed you to tell exactly where enemy fire was coming from.

From there, it only gets better. In Hidden & Dangerous, you'll steal enemy vehicles, be chased across Germany by pursuing Tiger tanks, blow up a U-Boat and rescue secret information from a sinking German battleship. Other factors such as snow, rain, wind, fog and time of day dramatically effect each mission dynamically. Adding a great deal to how the missions evolve is a system of complete non-linearity. Because each enemy unit is controlled by its own AI and works off of events that take place during the mission, how the mission evolves is affected but not dependant on the player. Whereas most games nowadays are driven by scripting, such as in Half-Life, and are therefore linear based, Hidden & Dangerous is not. And in my opinion this offers a more complete overall gaming experience.

We can see the reviewer really liked the game. :) Check out the rest of the review...

"In addition to the rolling terrain that provided lots of places to hide in the original, DF2 will give you a couple of new ways to move undetected. The Voxel graphics let us create patches of waist-high grass you can hide in by crouching or crawling in a prone position - where the grass is at its thickest, it's possible for an enemy to be hiding right at your feet. If you don't look down, you won't see him until it's too late. You'll also have to look for bad guys above eye level, since we've added the ability to climb ladders and the sides of certain buildings."

SWAT preview at AVault [11:08:01 EDT] by - Rush
Avault has put up a preview of SierraStudio's SWAT3:Close Quarters Battle. And just what kinds of goodies will there be? Take a gander:

So, what kind of goodies will you get as a member of a Special Weapons and Tactics team? As usual, Sierra has utilized their close ties with the LAPD to access authentic SWAT information. Each officer can carry a primary weapon, such as a rifle, shotgun or submachine gun, and a backup sidearm. Some of the primary weapons, such as the M4A1 rifle, can be equipped with non-lethal rounds while others, like the Benalli Super 90 combat shotgun, can fire breaching rounds composed of powdered steel that destroys locks on impact. In addition to these weapons, each officer usually brings along an assortment of utilities including handcuffs, CS tactical gas grenades, C2 breaching charges, flashbangs, chemlights (glow sticks used to illuminate rooms and mark areas that have been cleared of threat) and a multipurpose tool called a "crunch." All of these resources expand the element leader's tactical options and will allow players to experiment with multiple strategies.

More pics on the way, and at a higher screen res too...

Delta Force 2 preview in PC Gamer mag [23:09:00 EDT] by - Rush
The September 1999 issue of PC Gamer has a "SCOOP!" on NovaLogic's upcoming game, Delta Force 2. Pretty good article with 1 pic we haven't seen before. Here's a snip about the new weapons to be included:

As you'd expect in a sequel, there will be a few new weapons. The big smack-daddy is the "Master Key": a combination M4 carbine and a 12 gauge shotgun. "As you can imagine," says Eckhart, "its ideal for up-close encounters in buildings. We're also looking at a couple of weapons designed for underwater use."

SWAT3 preview at GamePen [20:52:11 EDT] by - Rush
The is a SWAT3 interview with Rod Fung over at GamePen. Here's how Rod describes the game:

ROD FUNG: Yes, the game is set in Los Angeles, 2005 and LAPD SWAT has become a more proactive anti-terrorist unit. There is a principal group that you will be facing in the game, and as your career progresses, it will become more apparent whom you are dealing with. SWAT 3 CQB can be played in mission mode or career mode. In mission mode, the player can choose to play any mission in any order, with each mission being treated as a stand-alone experience.

Nice in-depth interview.. Check it out.

SpecForce breaks 10,000 hits! [20:48:04 EDT] by - Rush
SpecForce broke 10,000 hits around 8pm EDT. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Spec Ops 2 interview at GA-Source [14:58:27 EDT] by - Rush
Talk about perfect timing... GA-Source has posted an interview (and screenshots, some new, some old) with John Williamson, co-producer and designer of Zombie's Spec Ops 2. Here's a snip about the new in-game command system:

GA-Source: How will the control of the your team members be handled? Will you be able to control all members of the team and are there any new commands?

John Williamson: We have an in-game Who-What-Where GUI, that allows you to point to a location (where) in the 3D engine (rather than a 2D map that most games use), right click and a GUI pops up that lets you chose which squad member (who) the action you want them to perform (what), whether it is defend, attack or demolish. This will allow you to tell a squad mate to move up to place a satchel charge to blow up a SCUD while you stay back and provide covering fire. Since it is all in done in the 3D game engine, you will be able to perform these actions quickly and accurately.

There's also advanced word of not only a SO2 mission pack, but SO3 as well! Good read, check it out!™

Happy anniversary SpecForce! :) [14:50:27 EDT] by - Rush
Welp, it was one month ago today I started SpecForce.net. Its been a pretty good month I think. I nearly cracked 10,000 hits, so I think I'm on the right track. If you have any comments on the site, I'd like to hear them... Email me at Rushian@Jungle.net.

Updated Forum software [20:45:13 EDT] by - Rush
I have installed a new version of the forum software which fixes some slight bugs in the code. I have also gone through some of the code and fixed up the grammar. If you see anything out of place, just let me know so I can fix it. I'll be adding more topic icons, and some 'smilies' too. (<- like that!)