March 2001

Saturday 31 March 2001

I have posted a long rant in the comments section of the site. It is more on Thursday's post about release dates! Not to bore my casual readers with me venting my spleen too much I decided to post it here instead.

On a brighter note Black & White will be here next week, and I will be playing it from the moment I get home with the box! Yeahaaa!

SECURITY ISSUE!!

Also, if you have been following the news for the past couple of weeks, then you would have seen that games are being blamed for violence - again! 3DAction Planet have an enlightening article posted about it. Check it out here!

Black & White News
And now for all you fans out there. You have to check out the article on Planet Fargo about his B&W cow! Although he treated it well, it just took over his life! Read it here! Also for a first impression of the game and a bucket load of screenshots, then race over to XGR.com and check it out!

Thursday 29 March 2001

<rant> It seems that I am not the only one pissed off at the software manufacturers/distributors about their inability to ship titles according to proposed deadlines. My friend over at Tim's News is also a tad upset!! He raises a valid point about the link between piracy and release dates. Not so long ago I was offered a full copy of Project IGI. This was about 2 months before it was available here in Australia. It had been released elsewhere in the world and someone had pirated it so that others could try the program. Many who played it will not go out and buy a legitimate copy of the game because they have finished it, most probably by the time it hit the shelves here!!!!!
It almost seems as if the rest of the world is merely trying to be treated the same as the US. They may be the biggest market base. Most of the software companies may be based in the US but with global distribution systems and trans-national corporations, there is absolutely no excuse for any delay between countries. For crying out loud, the designer company, Lionhead Studios is British!!! They can't even get the game yet!!!!!!!!!! I hope that one day the software companies will realize that they alienate more people by pandering to the Americans than they gain in profits. After all, it is the consumer who ultimately decides the fate of a business!!!!
Chew on that EA!!!!! </rant>

Now that I have got that off my chest, be sure to check out the "error 404" screen at the official Black & White site it is good for a laugh!!!.

I have added two new articles to the Odd Comments section for your enjoyment!

For those of you who are interested in a bit of history, ClasicGaming.com have posted an interesting article on the objections, and outright misrepresentations, about violence in games. Check it out!!

The official Black & White site is up and running now with only a few minor hitches. Now that the game has been released in the US, there are some 20,000 users signed up already!! So if you are thinking of buying the game and want that special username or on-line identity, then rush on over to the site and sign up before all the good ones are taken!!!!

Wednesday 28 March 2001

NEWSFLASH

For all you serious gamers out there rejoice and be relieved that the thin edge of the wedge is striking fear in the hearts of Pokemon everywhere!!!!! CNN.Com report that the first nation to come to its senses and take a stand against all this nonsense is Saudi Arabia. Finally the people who bring you higher fuel prices have deemed that Pokemon, in all its forms, is EVIL!!!!! An Islamic edict has banned the game, videos and trading cards from the country! I wonder how many more of the OPEC countries will wake up and follow suit. Rumour has it that the oil companies are worried that their profits may be eaten up their children's rabid desire for all things Pokemon! Stay tuned for future updates!!!

Pokemon is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast

Tuesday 27 March 2001

With the imminent demise of Napster due to both legal pressures and the intervention of part owners Sony, users are abandoning the service in droves. But all you ardent MP3 downloaders and swappers don't despair! Several new programs are leaping to fill the void. My personal favourite is iMesh. This program allows users to swap MP3 files, but it can also be used to swap any other file including video and program files!. The most powerful feature that I have discovered so far, is its ability to download the same file from more than one user simultaneously. This means that you are always using the maximum available bandwidth. No more of this waiting for 3 days while a song downloads. Also the program supports full file resume functions, so if you are on a modem, then you can download a bit at a time over a period of days whilst you are on-line doing other things! My pick for best download of the year!

Monday 26 March 2001

LATER IN DAY

Some bad news has arrived........Black & White is not shipping here in Australia until the 6 April! Rumors have it that EA.com in the states has already shipped the game to pre- paid customers. A spokesperson for EA Australia stated that the game will be in stores on 5 April for sale on the 6th. That is really shitty news!!

So while you are crying into your Jolt cola and energy bars, slip on over to have a look at the BBC's report on the B&W AI.

The Prison Map being designed and tested by the FIGJAM Clan crashed and burned prior to testing at the recent Clan LAN! Unfortunately the developers are having some problems with the number of light sources in the map. Drop me a line if you know anything about designing CounterStrike maps. We could sure use your help!

Operation Flashpoint!
This AWESOME game just keeps on getting better. Although the demo is not released for review purposes and is supposed to be quite out of date, the concept and modelling are incredible. I can't wait to see the final product if this is what an early demo looks like. There is also a file on how to play with different weapons and stuff and a new mission here! This game is shaping up to be a real competitor to B&W in the Game of the Year stakes! With games like these coming out, we are all winners!

EARLIER IN DAY

Well, LAN Party reviews should be added later today after another successful event. Prison Map reviews will also be included along with a look at the awesome Operation Flashpoint Demo. Unfortunately due to my commitments I could not attend and so will have to rely on those who did go.

Only a couple more days to go before the release of Black & White. Stay tuned for the addition of my creature(s) web page to this site. Yes, the creature actually develops it's own web page about what is happening in Eden! Cool isn't it!!! Personally I am having a hard time waiting for the game. I paid for it a couple of weeks ago and have been frothing at the mouth and itching for it ever since. Well, alright, I've been itching for it since well before Christmas!

IMPORTANT NEWS
Sierra has announced that Tribes 2 will be delayed while they polish up the title!! It is good to see a software company that actually wants to release a finished product! Unfortunately they will have disappointed countless fans eager to get their hands on the game. No word yet on a new release date. Stay tuned I will keep you posted!

Thursday 22 March 2001

It looks like the release dates for Black & White will be as follows:
Australia and the US - 27 March
Europe and the UK - 6 April.
I actually think that sucks! But, I am also relieved that I will get a copy of the game earlier than UK and Europe! Here in Australia, we often have to suffer several weeks, even months, delay before it is released here. Normally we are the ones reading about a cool new game that we can't get! I don't know why they do it that way but my official comment is..............IT SUCKS!!!!!

I have added another poem to my poetry page and I hope that you read it and enjoy it.

Monday 19 March 2001

I have discovered some problems with some of my links between pages......Should be all fixed now.

Well the release dates for Black & White and Tribes 2 have been confirmed by their publishers and everyone is eagerly awaiting their release. Don't forget to check out Planet Black & White regularly for information, tips, ideas and all sorts of downloadable goodies for the game!

The rest of the gaming community is fairly quiet at present with all the RPG players awaiting news of the release date for Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter. This add on for Icewind Dale should be released some time in April here in Australia. Also waiting for release is the RPG Never Winter Nights. Unfortunately there is no word on a firm release date.

Mouse manufacturers are rejoicing in the forthcoming release of the Diablo II add on. Rumour has it that mouse sale declined slightly after the introduction of the click and hold fighting technique. Sales are expected to increase rapidly as the new game has more monsters in it to click and hold with!!!!

The FIGJAM Clan members are working on a prison based map for CounterStrike. The map is under heavy development at present and will be play tested this coming weekend and out next LAN Party. Playtester reports should follow shortly after and it may be available for download about the middle of next week depending on the verdict! Stay tuned to this site or Tim's News for updates.

Saturday 17 March 2001

Another new creature has been released for the Black & White. This one is a leopard and can be downloaded from EBWorld. The instructions for using this creature are also listed. PlanetBlack&White have confirmed the end of march release date and believe that it will be in stores by April 5. Roll on the release date!!! For more info check out the site!

Well It looks like my friend over at Tim's News wont be updating his site for a while! The lucky bugger has just had his ADSL line installed and is anticipating a severe lack of sleep over the next week as he works out his low ping addiction problems!!

I have added two new articles to the Odd Comments section. One is on the fun techs can have with their users (from our Australian Airline QANTAS!). And the other is based on alternate error messages in operating systems! Both are quite funny and well worth the read.

Thursday 15 March 2001

Well, alright already! Here it is finally.........A completed Game News page. There are some links For Black & White, that greatly anticipated game from Lionhead Studios, due for release this month. A bit of a spiel on the latest offering from the nVidia stables - the GeForce 3. And the Australian anticipated release dates for both Black & White and Tribes 2. Just click on the link to the left and you're there! Enjoy!

Wednesday 14 March 2001

Hang me for a sinner, and blame Uni for the failed update of the game news section!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn 4th year has me running around the library chasing research for assignments. Trouble is, as it usually is, is that the books etc. are always taken by someone who has no discernable need for them! Oh well! One day our library might just have everything on the web and I wont even have to go near the place!

So later this afternoon I should have something up in the Game News section! Here's hoping anyway!

Tuesday 13 March 2001

I have been a bad boy with the site!! For various reasons (none of them good) I have neglected the site! The Game News page should be up and running but there has been an uploading problem that I have not tried to fix..............Sorry!!

Saturday 10 March 2001

Hello all! I trust that you have had a pleasant few days!

I have added a new story to the Odd Comments section. If you like keeping the giant multi-national corporations in check then this story is for you. Once again I don't know the truth or origins behind the story, but it would be typical of a company such as NIKE to deny this incident. Read, laugh, be horrified and enjoy!

I have also added some news about the release dates for Black & White and Tribes 2. These dates were obtained from a reliable source and can be found in the Game News Section along with some information on the new GForce 3 video card.

Wednesday 7 March 2001

Well I am back from the wonderful New Zealand! Although I am very glad to be home, I have a lot of work ahead of me in order to sort out all the results of our research.

Over the next couple of days I will compose and post a story about our NZ adventures along with some thoughts about the Ironman Race. I was very surprised by the athletes and their attitudes. And despite my initial thoughts - that they are all mad! - I have developed a great respect for them.

I have also archived last months comments in the archive section. I hope someone who visits will go back and have a look at them, just to see what I am all about.

I have also added an article to the Odd Comments section. This article has bee sent to me so I do not know the origins or the author, but it fits in with the theme of the site. Please read and enjoy.