For anyone that ever enjoyed an FPS game...this thread is for you
Here is something you might want to see.
Basically, PC Zone magazine has posted the cover for next month's edition online. However, it is the image you see in the first link. As the release date progresses it switches to the next link, then the next, until image sc552.jpg appears.
Do yourself a favor. Start with the first link, and work your way up to sc552.jpg.
Satisfaction guaranteed.
Trust me.
I mean it.
Don't spoil it.
Go in sequence.
Do it.
http://gamez.nl/grafx/art/sc549.jpg
http://gamez.nl/grafx/art/sc550.jpg
http://gamez.nl/grafx/art/sc551.jpg
http://gamez.nl/grafx/art/sc552.jpg
Surprise!
The Edge magazine also posted this little gem on the last page of this month's edition. They always post a teaser for next month's issue on the last page.
http://dynamic4.gamespy.com/~view/images.php?g=5
Basically, PC Zone magazine has posted the cover for next month's edition online. However, it is the image you see in the first link. As the release date progresses it switches to the next link, then the next, until image sc552.jpg appears.
Do yourself a favor. Start with the first link, and work your way up to sc552.jpg.
Satisfaction guaranteed.
Trust me.
I mean it.
Don't spoil it.
Go in sequence.
Do it.
http://gamez.nl/grafx/art/sc549.jpg
http://gamez.nl/grafx/art/sc550.jpg
http://gamez.nl/grafx/art/sc551.jpg
http://gamez.nl/grafx/art/sc552.jpg
Surprise!
The Edge magazine also posted this little gem on the last page of this month's edition. They always post a teaser for next month's issue on the last page.
http://dynamic4.gamespy.com/~view/images.php?g=5
Comments
Unfortunately, only those with a Windows box got to play it. It almost became a joke how very much HL was desired for the Mac but never would be delivered. Will we get this one? Perhaps. The platform has recuperated since then and the OS has leapt forward.
Screed
Addendum Hm, HL available for PS2. Didn't know that. Might just buy to play it again. (Trying to avoid needing a Microsoft product in toto).
Anyone care to translate? http://gamez.nl/content/nieuws.phtml?id=5587
Mac never got it.
I think we'll get 2 somehow.
But, Doc', I gotta tell ya, I'd rather have a Doom III inspired Marathon game!!!
I love Marathon!
Lemon Bon Bon
Will we get HL2? Hard to say. I don't know if Sierra is still behind this, but they probably are, since I think they own the rights to the franchise.
I for one wouldn't keep my hopes up. Sierra would probably come up with some half-assed excuse to say that a Mac port wouldn't be economically or technically viable for them. (i.e. marketshare, etc.) I really don't care, anyway. I've got a Marathon Rubicon, NOLF, Elite Force, and Red Faction to keep me busy.
Speaking of which, I think that the fact that Halo, AvP 2, Elite Force 2, and NOLF 2 (as well as the PPC 970!) are coming to the Mac will mean that us Mac FPS fans are going to be too busy to bother crying over HL2.
Ah, HL. Probably ranks with Oni and Halo as one of the most bitter points in the memory of Mac gamers. I almost was about to burn my copy of Caesar III in disgust when Sierra let the axe fall on pretty much all of their A-list Mac titles: Half Life, Tribes II, Pharoah...
Will we get HL2? Hard to say. I don't know if Sierra is still behind this, but they probably are, since I think they own the rights to the franchise.
Sierra has been randomly canceling projects at the last minute for both the PC and Mac since about 2000. They develop a title, get it to late Beta, then shelve it.
All they are is Half Life Mods Inc, at the moment.
Originally posted by Lemon Bon Bon
Hmmm. Never played HL. Heard much about it.
Mac never got it.
I think we'll get 2 somehow.
But, Doc', I gotta tell ya, I'd rather have a Doom III inspired Marathon game!!!
I love Marathon!
Lemon Bon Bon
I have a feeling Halo 2 will be a lot like that. But not gory like Doom (I'm assuming Doom III will be gory like Doom I and II). I actually haven't played Marathon but I heard Halo is a lot like it.
Originally posted by Luca Rescigno
I have a feeling Halo 2 will be a lot like that. But not gory like Doom (I'm assuming Doom III will be gory like Doom I and II). I actually haven't played Marathon but I heard Halo is a lot like it.
You haven't ever played Marathon?
http://bighouse.bungie.org/m1/
It's the original Marathon ported over to the open-source Aleph One engine, featuring various goodies like Open GL rendering, (somewhat rudimentary) TCP/IP network play, and high resolution textures. It's the full version of the game, totally free. What's best is that you can use it with the OS X native version of Aleph One (though the Carbon version is somewhat behind the Classic version in terms of features).
In addition to this, there's Marathon Rubicon, a massive third-party scenario for Marathon which is, essentially a stand-alone, freeware FPS. Rubicon isn't X native yet, but it does run in Classic.
Marathon ROCKS! I just flipped up the theme song from Marathon 2 in my iTunes.
I was pleasantly surprised by how playable Marathon 2 is today. I played the demo on Total Carnage quite a few times.
Barto
Originally posted by Luca Rescigno
Hmm, I tried Aleph One a couple months ago on someone's suggestion but it was really buggy and I couldn't figure anything out. It was disorienting seeing a 2D shooter after getting used to true 3D shooters where you can actually look up and down and not just side to side. But I tried it... not really bad, but not that good either. Still, I didn't give it much of a try. I wanted to download it again, see if any of the bugs were fixed, and maybe if the whole thing could become more playable... well, now the download links are both down!
The OS X version is still behind the OS 9 version; for unfathomable reasons, most of the programmers seem to still be focusing on developing the OS 9 version. Most of the bugs in the OS 9 builds have been ironed out by now. I think.
And yes, it's not really a "true" 3-D engine in that you really can't look "up" or "down". Well, what did you expect from a game engine released in 1994?
If you're having trouble with the download links, try going to http://source.bungie.org
Originally posted by Luca Rescigno
Except I can't figure out how to get anywhere. I kill the guys, run out of ammo, kill a few more guys, then run down endless passageways with no trace of guns or ammo anywhere, and I can't see anything and nothing happens... heh, pretty frustrating.
The "Action Key" (default: Tab) opens doors and allows you to access computer terminals.
Since you're new to Marathon, I'd suggest you try out Rubicon, or use the Aleph One application with the Marathon 2 demo files. Either way it's more accessible than Marathon Infinity's notoriously cryptic computer terminals and plot line.
I'll try some of the other mods, too. Thanks for helping me out.
"At long last! The sequel to the best PC First Person Shooter of all time has been announced at a press conference with Valve in NY this afternoon.
Having been present at this meeting of developers and media, I got to witness the first running preview and in-game demo to leave the walls of Valve's Design Studios since development began way back when, after the release of Half-Life. And I must say, I was no less than awestruck!
At a glance, you could mistake this game for a DVD movie. The Half-Life 2 engine, built from the ground up, and boasting cinematic quality graphics at blistering frame rates, looks like it will easily topple Doom3's engine before ID even releases it!
The Dev team showed us a demo of a working alpha just to prove that the game's cinematic-style graphics were in-fact, being rendered real time. It was nothing short of amazing, especially considering that it was cutting 70fps in highest detail on a 1.7ghz processor and Geforce 4 Ti4200!
"We've tried to accommodate for the widest range of users possible. We felt that allowing gamers with lower end PCs to play with the highest settings would greatly increase the multiplayer potential and encourage the online community to really get behind Half-Life 2." commented Willam Sykes, source programmer.
As some people may also know, the tactical aspect of Half-Life 2 has been greatly increased over its predecessor. Weapons are now fully functional with gun jams, dirty barrels, overheating and weight. For example, in any in-game mission, one is expected to clear bullet casing jams, hold weapons steady (counteracting against weight) and perform maintenance tasks such as stripping, cleaning and polishing of weapons.
The Team are excited with the new tactical aspect which includes missions of the following varieties:
Radio operator missions where you take on the role of 'behind the main lines' support crew, skills in tuning radio frequencies and counter-acting for static will be essential in giving the fighting troops accurate bearings on targets
Co-ordinating scouting missions into unknown regions. Again, these require the player to stay at base with a radio and satellite uplink, communicating with fighting soldiers during battles.
Weapon Maintenance missions are completed before every main mission. In these preparation segments, players must ensure their firearms are fully functional and well kept. Failure to successfully maintain one's weapon reults in demotion and 'less action' in main missions.
Of course the above is only a TASTE of whats to come in the retail package. Expect a lot of the features that made HL1 so popular, like the adventure aspect and of course, slaughtering a LOT of ultra high resolution baddies! While I looked on at valve's demo, I thought it a shame that these baddies were ceasing to exist by Gordon's well-maintained firearm, as they were so extremely detailed it was a pleasure to watch them! The models were so realistic in-fact, that whilst watching the demo, I noticed the following:
All models have rising and falling chests/areas where lungs are used (this is helpful when you are unsure if enemies are dying, dead, sleeping or pretending!
All models are fully destructable in an unlimited number of ways. Say goodbye to shooting the whole head off an enemy. Depending where you hit it, the skull will fragment accordingly, and differently every time!
The sheer detail is ridiculous: actual hair/fur (not textures), sweat, dirt, cuts (can be made anywhere and of different severity Eg: a cut on the skin, right up to a limb coming off or an opening into the abdominal area etc)
"Along with the overwhelming abundance of eye-candy, this game has quite a few never-before-tried features incorperated into the adventure.
Players may be at first shocked to find that Valve has taken the standard mouse look of FPS and added in a 'turn head' type feature. This feature allows the player to look around while keeping the body and weapon aimed in a particular direction, and is controlled by the mouse (as are the body movements). This system, for example, will allow the player to observe an environment around them whilst still keeping a weapon trained on the many prisoners that are taken during missions.
Keeping in line with the new weapon detail systems (cleaning, unjamming, maintaining etc) a sidebar will be added that will allow the player to access his weapon cleaning kit quickly by toggling and then using the mouse to grab and apply tools to clean the firearms. After battles, it is quite common to 'take 5' and make use of the weapon maintenance kit in a quiet corner. The most impressive feature of the weapon maintenance kit is that the player will take control of the tools with the mouse. For example, when cleaning the barrel of a firearm, the player must move the mouse back and forth to move the wad inside the barrel. Players must also take care not to spill cleaning solvents with the mouse when applying them. Move the mouse too fast and you'll waste some good fluid.
Our first look at Half-Life 2 was an exciting experience to say the least. The team here at Deepgame Online News are looking forward to the inevitable flow of screenshots and movies that will spill forth from Valve's Studios over the coming months, and will keep you up to date with all the latest developments as the title progresses.
Keep an eye out this Friday as we will be releasing the first screenshots of Half-Life 2 for all to marvel at."