Q3Arena.com - The Ultimate Quake III Site

Version 1.0 of NOP, a brand new Q3Test ranking tool, has been released. NOP takes q3test logfiles and sorts them, parses them, and then generates a webpage of rankings from that logfile. You can even design an HTML template to make the output customized to your style. Thanks Blue.

DemoMan version 1.1.0 has been released, with a ton of bugfixes and extra features. Among the list of features are: automatic registration of DM2 file types with Demoman, automatic analysis of demos to show game style and map name recorded on, and more. Definitely worth a download if you're into demos!

id Software's John Carmack made a plan update, discussing the reasons behind a lack of a Mac Q3Test v1.07 release, as well as mentioning an upcoming new release.

I apologize for not getting the Mac version released this last time.

All conspiracy theories aside, here is what actually happened:

I had my San Jose travel scheduled a while ago, and we were expecting to have the release done before I left. We didn't quite make it, and nobody else at the office knew how to build the mac version after Cash made some last minute changes.

When I got back, Graeme was taking off to move his family down here. Graeme is in charge of building all the installs for our releases.

I considered just tossing new executables with the latest fixes for everything, but some data has changed, and it just isn't worth the hassle right now.

We will be making proper new releases for all architectures monday night when he gets back.

There's also a new worklog update at the end of it, so you might want to check that out as well.

News over on the Q3Tweak site is that they've setup a news mailing list, for those who want to stay on top of new releases. Q3Tweak is currently in the process of being re-written, with "four times as many features" planned!

The guys over at Quake2000.net have debuted their "open new system" to the public. Those of you who visit other open news sites (like the Linux news site, Freshmeat) will be familiar with this system, which allows for anyone to become a "reporter", able to post news to the main site.

Version 2.5a of PingTool, the game browser utility, has been released. This is a minor bugfix for version 2.5, where the installation config wizard would crash upon launching (doh!). A couple of other minor bugs in v2.5 have been fixed as well.

id's John Carmack has updated his plan file with a new worklog in it. I won't post the entire thing here, but it does mention some interesting new changes, including tracking wins/losses as long as you're on a tourney server, cleaned up joystick support, and more. Click the link to read his entire update.

Zaranthustra Studios has made a recam of Quake done Quick's recent Q2dQ2 run, and QdQ have packaged it up into an extended version of Q2dQ2 (got all that? :). This will be released at midnight GMT this weekend, and they're hosting an IRC party to celebrate the event. It'll be released Saturday night, at 7:00pm EST (00:00 GMT) in #QDQ on 3DNet (irc.3dnet.net).

The QDeveLS have moved their message board to a new location. The message board is a place for budding programmers to get help making their first mods and for experienced programmers to converse with other skilled programmers. Be sure to check it out!

The Macintosh fiends over at The Railgun Project have released beta version 1.01b1 of a tweaked Eraser Bot, designed to work with Mac Quake2. This release fixes a problem with Mac-only files not working properly. Saw that on Blue's.

Version 1.04 of the Quake2 Server Launcher has been released. This version fixes most (if not all) of the bugs, and has more detailed explaination on how to setup Action servers. You can grab the full version here (1.76 megs), or the much smaller upgrade version (95 KB).

4th Dimension Interactive has released version 1.1i of their Crush Depth Quake2 mod. This version fixes a lot of problems with their older code, as well as introducing a few new features, and levels. Crush Depth puts you in command of several different types of vehicles, including submarines (among others).

Thresh's Firing Squad has done up a review of Q3Test 1.07, as it compares to the old v1.05 release. They cover several of the new additions and tweaks, as well as the new tournament map. Thanks to Blue's for the news.

The first public version of the Game Name Builder has been released. Here's the press release's description:

This is a application designed to make the creation of fun names quick and easy. It currently supports Quake 1/ QuakeWorld, colors in the Quake 3 test, and has built in support for other games which support namefun. You can save your names in several formats including : raw, script, saving to the game config files, and in the registered version GameSpy 3D profiles can be created with your names. Everything is done in full GUIs, so you never have to guess on what you're going to see.

LoToH Software has redesigned their website. Along with the redesign comes the release of a second teaser pic from their upcoming commercial mod. This one features "Amanda", who is the mod's the main character.

The Coven sent out a quick reminder about their Deadlode II Clanpack contest, which ends this coming Sunday! The Deadlode II Clan Pack includes six gold CLAN Edition Deadlode II CDs, plus player and flag skins for your clan designed to your specifications by The Coven's own skin artist. Hit the contest link for more info.

Team HAVOC of Terror Quake 2 is looking for an experienced person to make a website and maintain it for them. Only serious applicants need apply. E-mail The Dark Lord if interested.

PingTool v2.5 is now officially out of the beta stage. This release corrects all know, reproducible bugs (including the game launching problems NT and RodgerWilco users were having). This release also adds support for Q3Test fun names. PingTool v2.5 is available for download by clicking here.

Zarathustra Studios has released the 14th Keygrip2 tutorial in their series, "Appending Demos Together," which shows one of the ways to smoothly loop multiple demos in Quake2. Other updates include a review of Keno's "Adrenaline Rush" demo for Rocket Arena 2, and five screenshots from the sets of the upcoming ZS movie, "Gumbo."

John Carmack has updated his .plan with details about QVM, or Quake Virtual Machine, that he has implemented into Quake III: Arena over the past week. The .plan is long, so here's a clip:

The basic setup is that I have a modified version of the lcc compiler that generates assembly files that are processed by a new tool "q3asm" into a .qvm file that can be interpreted by q3. You can still use normal dll's for debugging, then release interpreted code. You can release a binary dll if you need some native system services (some networking stuff, for example) or are doing very compute intensive work, but I strongly encourage everyone to try to use the virtual machine.

The interpreted code has two prime benefits: portability and security.User mods done with qvms will automatically work on mac, linux, and any other oddball ports that get released.

A qvm program cannot modify anything outside its private address space, and the "system calls" to the game strictly limit what can be touched. I was scared about the binary dll's in Q2, but rationalized it to myself that people running public servers should be aware of the dangers. With Q3 allowing client side programming, it just needs to be safe for everyone.

Gods of War is a new site covering many aspects of the Quake community. It also covers other games as well. I think the Flash animation is rather nifty!

News concerning all things Quake were really slow today. I looked all around today for news, but to my surprise many other sites lacked it as well. Hopefully tomorrow I can post more headlines. Stay tuned!

This week's topic for PlanetQuake's Tech Tips column explains step-by-step how to setup your own Quake2 server. To read this week's edition, click here.

Well, I totally forgot to get someone to cover the news for me while I'm off at a LAN party this weekend. Fortunately, Bomb has agreed to take care of it for me while i'm gone :) Everyone email him and tell him how cool he is. Anyway, I'll let him take things over now, and I'll be back on Sunday!

King of the Server version 2.8 has been released, with a few "minor" features added. Among the new stuff includes dropped inventory packs from someone who's killed, all body armor all the time, rocket launcher selection, and more. Check out their site for the files and for more info.

Version 1.03 of the Quake2 Server Launcher has been released, which fixes a tiny bug that snuck into v1.02. This removes the bug where it checks for the existence of a GameSpy list file (even if you didn't want to use that feature). This update-only release is 95k in size, with the readme file available here.

The guys over at 3DGaming.net have done up a review of the new Q3Test client. If you haven't played Q3Test yet, you might want to check this out beforehand.

id's Graeme Devine updated his plan update about the Mac client (they haven't forgotten about the Mac users!):

Mac Users! We're not ignoring you, we're just having a slight technical problem with the Macintosh build right now. BTW, I'm in love with that new iBook! When they ship that's going to be /the/ portable.

Which reminds me, we now have both full Linux 1.07 clients (RPM and Tarred/GZipped) as well as the full Win32 1.07 client in our files section (and on the ftp server of course).

3DGaming.net has updated their Q3Test Deluxe Taser Edition Tweak Guide with screenshots to show how different settings can affect the graphics in the game. You can use their screens as a guide to tweak out your perfect display settings.

LoToH Software is looking for a modeler to help them on their "Dark Rising" project. The modeler will have to know how to use things like VWep and Texture Mapping and must be ready to work with the MD3 format. Drop by their site or email them here for more info.

Along with the Win32 release comes Q3Test 1.07 for Linux. I'll be adding them to our files section shortly, but for now you can grab a copy at one of the official mirrors. There is only a full release for Linux clients (since there was no 1.06 client).

Q3Test v1.07 has been released to the public, which fixes several cheat exploits, as well as an exploit in the new q3tourney map. You can find it in our files section, or on our ftp server. We've only got the 1.06 to 1.07 update up on there now, which is about 1.5 megs. You can get a list of other mirrors at the official Q3Arena site.

Also, a new v1.07 filter for GameSpy has been released over at the ShugaShack.

LoToH Software has updated their site with an image of "BloodWing", one of the bosses from their upcoming commercial game, "Dark Rising". You can check it out here. Also, several of their members have updated their plan files, so you'll want to check those out too.

Version 0.96 of the Gladiator Bot has been released. Their page says that due to time issues, this will most likely be the last edition of the Gladiator (barring any major bugfixes), so be sure to upgrade your copy to this new version.

3DGN has put up a new tweak guide, with benchmarks and performance tips following the new Q3Test release. Check out the 3DGN "Q3Test Deluxe Taser Edition Tweak Guide" to beef up your Q3Test performance!

id's Graeme Devine made a plan update yesterday, talking about a new release build that they're testing, with several new features and fixes in it:

We're testing a new version of the build right now that has some new stuff in it:

- the ; key now remains bound (for all you lefties)
- the timescale exploit has been plugged (again, actually this was in the last version of the test and a lot of people were silently using it)
- LAN servers display properly
- IPX is working
- the enabling cheat exploit has been fixed
- CPU time for servers should be nicer
- an exploit in the tourney map has been filled
- joystick support (there is no conspiracy here, but this might require more time to fix than just tonight)

We're looking to get win32/Macintosh out there, hopefully tonight, but probably tomorrow by the time we're through checking all this out.

I'm feeling much better today. My temperature hit up around 103 degrees last night, so I've been pretty full of meds lately, but they seem to be doing the trick :) Again, sorry for the ultra-late update last night, hopefully things will be back on track soon.

Version 1.02 of Quake2 Server Launcher has been released. It now supports the launching/monitoring/shutdown of quake 2 servers. You can grab the full version here, or the upgrade version here.

Pels Interactive has posted a "finish-the-sentence" session with id Software's Katherine Anna Kang. Here's a quote:

Anna: id Software, there's a lot to admire, learn, and build from what's produced by it. In the realm of computer action games, it is entertainer, educator, and fountainhead. It's a place where reality meshes with fantasy and fiction. It's where geniuses create and the masses explore...a place where you can be a kid in a grown up body and it's okay. It's a place where some of my favorite games were born and conceived... it's where I am and where I want to be at this very moment.

sCary at the Shugashack has released some more GameSpy tabs. Basically the new ones seperate the different types of Q3Test servers, whether they be free for all, teamplay, or one-on-one.

By the way, sorry for the really late update. I've caught some 24 hour flu bug, and am feeling really crappy right now. Any news that I miss today I'll definitely try to post tomorrow.

id's Graeme Devine made a plan file update with more info on playing Q3Test behind a SOCKS proxy:

SOCKS Proxy Support

There are five cvars that control it. They are only settable from the at init time (from the OS command line).

+set net_socksEnabled 1
+set net_socksServer
+set net_socksPort
+set net_socksUsername
+set net_socksPassword

Please note that you use the address (name or IP number) of the SOCKS server (firewall machine), NOT a Q3ATEST server. The port number defaults to 1080, you should not need to change this.

It supports no authentication and username/password authentication method (RFC-1929); it does NOT support GSS-API method (RFC-1961) authentication.

Build 1043 of Q3Tweak has been released, sporting the usual bugfixes and additions. This release is right on the heels of his first beta release. Q3Tweak is a "Quake3Arena Configuration Tool that helps players exploit Q3A console commands not found in the in-game menus and provides the facilities to tune Q3A for best performance, best visual quality or a combination." Check out their site for more info!

I saw over on Blue's that a helpful reader sent in a tip on how you can check out some of the placeholder sounds and effects for the grappling hook and other weapons in Q3Test. I'm going to go ahead and paste his entire update, hope he doesn't mind :)

Mikel Blanchard writes in to point out that you can check out the current effects and sounds (all mostly placeholders) of the Q3ATest grappling hook and the weapons not included in the current maps, simply by enabling the cheats. Start a map from the console using the "devmap" command (e.g., "devmap q3test1") and then grabbing the items using the command "give all," (or "give hook" for just the grapple) to check them out. Again, most of this stuff is clearly just placeholders for the real deal, with temporary and missing graphics, effects, and sounds, but some of the stuff works, and you can grapple around the levels like Spider-Man if you so desire.

Thanks again, Blue.

S.A.S.'s Guide to CTF now has an update on grenade launcher use in Capture the Flag games. He shows you how to pull off some pretty nifty grenade tricks, so be sure to check it out if you're a big CTF strategy fan!

sCary over at the Shugashack has put together a new Q3Test tab for GameSpy which filters out all the older version 1.05 servers, leaving the brand new Q3Test 1.06 servers listed.

id Software's Graeme Devine updated his plan file with a few tips on running Q3Test:

Some variable things we missed or are hard to find in the readme:

g_gametype

A value of 0 here indicates classic SFree For AllT, a value of 1 indicates "Tournament Play" and a value of 2 indicates "Team Deathmatch".

So, to start a dedicated server in tournament mode, you would use:

quake3 +set dedicated 2 +set zone tournaments +set g_gametype 1 +map q3tourney

The warmup time for tournament play is set with g_warmup. A tournament game is implicitly a one on one match, and further players are automatically entered as spectators (note, when the game starts, all clients, including the spectators respawn). You can follow the players by using "team follow1", "team follow2", and you can be a scoreboard by using "team scoreboard".

We appear to have broken joystick support somewhat between the first IHV drop and the final release of the test. We'll address that (so don't start the email bombardment on it!).

Expect the master server to be up and down over the weekend, now we have protocol 38 servers out there in large numbers weRre able to tune that stuff so it works a wee bit better.

We got the go-ahead from id Software to release Q3Test version 1.06, so you can snag it in our files section, or from our FTP server. This is the Win32 (95/98/NT) release ONLY, the Mac and Linux versions will be available soon. If you can't get on to our FTP server, check out the list of official mirror sites. Have fun!

id Software's Christian "Disruptor" Antkow made a plan update, to let everyone know that the mirror sites have been sent a release client of Q3Test v1.06. We're one of the mirrors here, and I'm downloading the release from id as I make this update. We should have it shortly, but of course won't release it until we hear from id. Here's a quote from his plan update:

Tonight, we plan on releasing a Win32 version only. The Mac and Linux versions are not ready to go yet.

If all goes well with testing, I'll be giving the mirrors the go-ahead to publicly post the file on their sites around 10pm CST.

Keep checking back for news on the official release!

Due to personal reasons, Jude has decided that the newsletter will be delayed for another week. But that doesn't mean you'll have to wait that long for the poll results! The question asked was "What would you like to see first, Quake 4 on the PC, or Quake 3 on the Dreamcast?" Out of 251 total votes, twenty-four percent of you responded that you would like Quake 3 on the DC (including Jude), and 76 percent of you responded that you would like to see Q4 on the PC (including me :). We apologize for the newsletter's delay, hopefully it'll be back in full force next week! (doh, thanks to aitRus for the spell check tip :)

sCary over at The Shugashack has posted two screenshots from the new level that will be included in the upcoming new Q3Test release. They're available in his Q3Test Phase4 article, or from here, and here.

The official Quake3: Arena site has been updated with what could be a hint of things to come (soon?):

In anticipation of a new release of the Win32 version of Q3Test, I've moved the current release to the old directory on the FTP server. So if you were trying to download Q3Test, and couldn't find it, that's why =) Stay tuned...

Naturally we'll try to get the newest Q3Test on our ftp server as soon as possible after its release.

The guys over at PlanetQ3.com have redone the design on their site. They've also packed their site with console commands, gaming music, deathmatch strategy, and more.

Beta version 7 of Q2Su, the Quake2 start utility, has been released. Q2Su is a start utility that allows the user to set key bindings, aliases, and other game settings before starting Quake 2. New in this version are organized GL video settings, the ability to bind the mouse wheel and to add keypad commands, and more.

The first public release (I think) of Rock, Paper, Scissors for Quake2 is now available. The homepage says "The goal is to have your team control all three cubes at once. Then, your team has made a "capture," appropriate rewards are given, and the game starts again." Thanks to Blue's for the news.

The master preview writer himself, sCary, has done up yet another preview of Q3Test, based on his recent experiences at id Software. He basically covers the changes from the first Q3Test to the upcoming 2nd Q3Test release. Hit the link to see what's new in Q3Test #2.

Beta 8 of QBind has been released. New features include full drag n drop support for binding creation, numerous bug fixes/enhancements, open file buttons, multi-file conflict checking, support for User Tools and more. QBind is the (self-described) "Visual Studio" of Quake config editors, with support for every Quake game currently available.

A couple of new things have come across from the Deadlode II team. First, they've released a demo version called "Engineering 101", which is a map that uses in-game help menus to teach players how to use tools and sensors to construct items efficiently.

Secondly, they've teamed up with The Hive to give away a Deadlode II clan pack. "A Clan Pack is a special package for clans wanting to play Deadlode II, giving you six gold Deadlode II cLAN Edition CDs and exclusive player and flag skins for your clan created to your specs by The Coven's Jake Bielanski." Simply send a short 25-word essay into The Hive, telling them why they should give YOU the winning prize.

I saw over on Blue's that version 7.0 of Super Capture the Flag has been released. SCTF is a version of the original CTF released for Quake1, on steroids. It now has 26 weapons and 63 runes (63 runes?!).

Version 2.0 of Shotgun Quake2 has been released. New in version 2.0 is support for Capture the Flag, as well as a new Linux port available. Check out the Shotgun Quake2 site for more info.

A brand new gaming league, the Ruthless Gaming League will be having their grand opening event tonight on GamesLink IRC in #rgl, at 8:00 PM EST. This is a program which is being directed by blaze, and has been "sanctioned" by the GamesLink IRC Network as our official gaming league. Q3Arena.com is a proud member of the IRC network, with our own server up at q3arena.gameslink.net. Fire up your favorite IRC client, connect to irc.gameslink.net, and pay us a visit!

L4Q2, a java-based Mac Quake2 server browser, has left the beta stage and hit version 1.0. This is now a self-extracting archive which runs using the Java Virtual Machine v1.1 for Mac. Thanks blaze.

With the next release of Q3Test coming soon, id Software's Tim Willits updated his plan file with some guidelines on reporting bugs:

As you have heard, we are working on releasing another version of the test. This new version of the test will require you to download all of the data again. Many of you might not immediately see this as a good thing, but it is!!! This gives me the opportunity to make some minor bug fixes to Q3test1. If there is anything in the map that you feel is a "bug" please drop me an email and I'll try to fix it before the next test release.

Examples of some good bug fix suggestions:

1. Sometimes when I round the corner out of the rocketlauncher room towards the plasma room I see a vis error at the top of the steps.
2. I get stuck when I back into the corner on the left side of the steps leading up towards the rocketlauncher in the courtyard.

Examples of some bad bug fix suggestions that I DON"T want you to email me:

1. This map plays nothing like Q3test2 and it basically sucks.
2. Make it more like the Edge, that's my favorite map!!
3. I can't believe you put two rocketlaunchers in the map. You are dumb!!

Feedback on Q3Test can be sent to q3feedback@idsoftware.com.

Word from The Quake Times is that a new mod for WeaponsFactory has been released. They're calling it a "mock mod", and describing it as a South Park meets WeaponsFactory type of deal. It has a total of six SouthPark characters in it, with a special appearance from Homer Simpson. Click the link for more info.

The Clanworld Ladder has been totally redesigned. The page now loads faster and offers easier access. Check out their new design, and be sure to keep an eye on their Summer Olympics tournaments, currently in progress!

Undercover Operations (UC-OPS) is starting to develop a new TC for Quake 2. They're in need of more members, which include model editors, level editors, skin artist, sound composers, and more. If you're interested, drop them a note at pc_punk@hotmail.com with a bit of a description of your abilities and interests.

PlanetQuake is throwing a contest where the winner will be flown to San Francisco to participate in this weekend's BeatDown 19 LAN party.

In order to win, you must fill out an entry form with the top ten reasons why you think you deserve to be the winner. If the winner is outside of the continental US, then they will award that person $300. To fill out an entry, click here.

Version 2.13 of GameSpy has just been released. This latest version includes support for Kingpin, Descent 3 (updated), Drakan, and some minor bugs. It's available for download by clicking here.

Sloshy Software has released the final version of the Eraser QuickStart. While this version is intended to be the final release, the author will make patches available for any bugs that arise. You can download the new release by clicking here.

Sorry for the lack of updates today, but it's been another one of those slow news days. Perhaps tomorrow will be more exciting!

Ben over at the Oxygen Tank has posted a ten page Q3Test weapons guide, explaining how to use the weapons and more. Check it out by clicking here.

I'm heading out of town this afternoon, and will be gone overnight (back late tomorrow). Bomb the Magnificent will be handling the news while I'm gone so we can still have someone covering the currently quiet Quake scene ;) Thanks, and I'll be back on Tuesday.

FPSGamers is covering the European Duel League finals live this weekend, which (amongst other things) will feature exhibition games between season 2 PGL finalist Makaveli and the winner. Check out their site for all the latest up-to-the-minute Euro-League coverage.

In leu of Jude's computer crashing recently, this week's Friday newsletter will unfortunately be postponed until next week. It will be back and better then ever (complete with question results) next friday! If you aren't on our list and want to get our ultra-cool weekly newsletter (as well as our daily news headlines letter), simply put your email address in the newsletter subscription box to the left, and hit enter!

A new version of the EraserX bot is now available. Version 3.03 is mostly a bugfix and cleanup update, which combines the Eraser Bot with Expert Quake2 gameplay. Thanks to Blue's for the news.

Version 0.71b of QuakeStarter has been released. New features in this update include added MaxFPS and fixed FOV flags, colored Q3Test names support, a working skin browser for Q3Test, and more. I'll give ya three guesses on what "QuakeStarter" does, but the first two don't count. :)

id Software's Graeme Devine made a plan update about a little in-house tournament that was held at id. He also included an update on the next Q3Test release's progress (I've edited his funky "Graeme code" into real punctuation marks :).

So where's that darn test?

Like the Great Prophet Zarquon said, "all sorts of things popped up". It's still "soon". We need to merge code, test, and do a drop to IHVs to make sure everything is hunky-dory with them. The tourney map needs a wee bit more tweaking, and some of the tourney code needs a little bit more work and testing. There's a lot of new stuff in there!

Click the link to his plan to read the entire thing.

The Clanworld Network has announced their second contest, with 3Dfx as a sponsor. They're giving away two 3Dfx t-shirts to those who can give the most creative answers to their caption contest. This contest starts now and ends on Wednesday, July 15th at midnight EST. Winners will be announced by Tuesday, July 19th 1999 and is open to everyone.

A minor update to the Gunslinger Quake2 mod has been released. Version 0.99c fixes a minor coding bug, and has been released with the libraries only. Since only the fixed libraries have been released, version 0.99b is required.

Matthias Worch of Legend Entertainment has released an old archived Q2CTF map that he did last summer. The map appeared as AS2M1 ("Lil' CTF Map") in the Allstar2 mod, the single release is called Arma5CTF. You can read the readme file while you download.

Version 5.1 of QuArK, the Quake Army Knife, has been released. New features in this all-purpose Quake utility include colored-lights in the OpenGL display, auto-saving of maps, 8-bit TGA support, Quake1 CTF support, and more! Check out their site for the entire list of features, and for the files.

Paul Jaquays paid a visit to the Quake3 messageboard over at the ShugaShack. He commented on the news of Brandon "KillMe" James leaving id:

Why did he go? I don't know. That was his personal decision. But he wasn't fired or anything even close to that. Let's make that clear. Frankly, we were all pretty stunned by both his decision to leave and the timing of the decision. I didn't find out until the following Monday. Brandon has a lot of varied talents and I wish him well in whatever he chooses to do in the future. How will this affect Quake 3? Brandon James's incomplete maps and other responsibilities will be divided up between us. It does mean a bigger work load for the rest of us, but that's what we get paid to do.

Check out the Quake3 messageboard for more info and comments.

So I go in to work today, and about an hour and a half after I get there, our internet connection goes down (and is still down, as far as I know). Thus, another late update, for which I apologize. On a positive note, my phones lines at home are finally fixed :)

Another id Software correspondence with Billy over at Voodoo Extreme has revealed that Brandon "KillMe" James has indeed left id Software. Here's the confirmed letter:

I'll keep this short and to the point, you madman.

I left id on the 25th of June.

No 'press release' will be issued.

-Brandon 'KillMe' James

We'd of course like to wish Brandon the best of luck at wherever he ends up moving on to doing. Thanks blaze.

I saw on a couple of sites that Billy over at Voodoo Extreme sent John Carmack a question and a half about Q3Arena's progress:

Billy/VE: Since you don't really have a time frame of when Q3 will be done ("When it's done, dammit"), are you planning on doing anything else to the engine, as far as visuals? Also, any word on 3D audio support, last I heard (from Brian, way back when), was that it was still up in the air.

Carmack: Most of the work now is optimization, and trying to get everyone to utilize the features we already have. The latest levels look tons better, but it is due to better texture and geometry use, rather than new features.

3D sound is still not implemented.

Rorshach's Journal has posted a couple of new screens featuring the Classic Quake marine model and skin, as it's done for Q3Arena. These are not shots of the model in action, but are taken directly from the model editor.

Version 0.99b of Gunslinger Quake2 has been released. To quote their site: "Version 0.99b fixes some of the minor bugs from 0.99a and rounds out some of its shortcomings (such as files in PAK format)." They've got a pretty lengthy list of changes and features posted as well, so it's definitely worth checking out. Yee-haw!

The Habitat is a new site which has just opened. Next to skin modifications, editorials, crazy downloads you'll find also one of the biggest Quake link sections in the world which will be updated with every new site that comes along.

The Quake Done Quick team has released a new version of their high-speed run through of Quake2. Here's the press info:

The Quake done Quick team, best known for running through Quake1 at high speeds, are proud to annouce our first release for Quake2. Quake2 done Quick2 is a set of demos completing the whole of Quake2 on hard skill in a total time of 21:06. This release comprises the player-perspective demos - a recam by Zarathustra Studios is already underway.

Twenty-one minutes on hard skill! Very impressive.

The Coven has just released the demo version of their new Quake II multiplayer mission pack, Deadlode II.

Deadlode II is a goal-based teamplay mod, with customisable player classes, toolkits that let you construct a wide range of "buildings" (including sentry guns, C4 explosive charges, surveillance cameras etc), plus enhanced vwep support, visible armour, a new player model and team skins, all-new textures and skies, and much more.

The demo is available by clicking here.

Version 1.1 of the Quake2 Server Launcher has been released. You can grab the file directly here, which weighs in at about 3 MB. Check the readme for more info and features.

The Zaranthustra Studios team has posted two brand new demo editing tutorials. The new tutorials are "Sound Recording Quality with Goldwave", and "Filming Session Tips from David 'crt' Wright". This brings the total number of tutorials on their site to thirteen!

(let's see how much of an update I can get done before the phones die again :)

I'm really sorry for the total lack of news today, my phones have been on and off all day and I've been unable to stay connected long enough to do an update. Hopefully I'll have someone post some news this evening, but if not, you have my apologies in advance. Thanks!

King of the Server version 2.5 has been released. New features include real-time stats updating, a new "KOTSAdmin" tool, which reads and deciphers all KOTS server data, a new auto-update feature, and more! King of the Server is a mod which saves your player statistics across games, maps, and servers.

Paranoid for Quake2 has been publicly released. This mod pits "Marines" (good guys) versus "Broods" (bad guys), each with their own types of player classes and unique abilities. They've already got a list of servers up on their site, so check it out while you're downloading the mod!

id Software's John Carmack made a plan update with his impressions of the new AMD K7 processor. Here's a clipped quote:

The bottom line is that I feel comfortable standing behind the statement that the K7 is faster than the PIII. I will have to wait for some stuff to come out of NDA to provide a more detailed technical analysis.

He also included a lengthy worklog update, which I won't post here because of its size, but it's definitely worth checking out anyway.

A playable demo version of The Coven's newly released mod, Deadlode II is due this Monday. The demo will be released at midnight BST (19:00 EDT, 16:00 PDT) on Monday evening in The Coven's chat channel, giving players a chance to chat with some of the people who designed and tested the pack while they wait for the demo to download. Deadlode II full is currently available for purchase from The Coven's website for $10 plus S&H.

A new beta version of Quake2 for Solaris has been released. Beta 2 is now available for both x86 and SPARC platforms from Solar Eclipse. You can snag that (and a ton of other mods they've ported to Solaris) on their site. Thanks to Blue's for the news.

Word from the guys over at The Hive is that they've had to postpone their tournament until next Saturday, the 10th of July. This is the tournament that will be having Thresh as their "final boss", and which already has over 900 participants. Be sure to check out their site for more info.

One of the (if not the) first sites dedicated to Q3Arena CTF has opened, at the Q3A CTF Resource Centre. They will cover everything and anything concerned with CTF, plus some general stuff that will enhance or tweak your game whether you are into CTF or DM.

4th Dimension Interactive has released a new level pack for their Quake2 mod, "Crush Depth". Crush Depth puts you at the helm of a submarine, jetski, or other vehicle. It also features different player classes, each with their own unique abilities and strenghts.

I just wanted to take this time to encourage all users of Ameritech phone service to run like the wind and never look back. Having your phones die on a Thursday afternoon, and then being told they'll be back "sometime between now and Sunday at 5pm" is a pretty crappy deal. My phones just came back on about an hour ago. Not that I'm bitter...

Team Wolfen is hard at work on their Twilight CTF mod, and is in need of modeling help. Any mappers interested in helping are also welcomed to check them out.

Orange Smoothie Productions has released version 2.5 of their "OSP Tourney DM" mod. Version 2.5 is described as a "MAJOR upgrade from previous versions", and sports several new features and improvements. Among the new additions are client bandwidth management features, additional and updated Lithium support, updated Gladiator server-side bot support, support for the ngWorldStats system, and more! Check out their site for the entire list and for the new files.

The GameSpot UK guys have posted a preview of Q3Arena on their site. Here's a quote:

Id's lead programmer, John Carmack, has already revealed some of the changes that'll be taken into the full game based on feedback received thus far. This includes speeding up the rocket launcher yet further to near QuakeWorld speeds and increasing its splash damage but decreasing the direct hit damage.

The Coven has released their new Quake2 multiplayer mission pack, Deadlode II. Deadlode II is a goal-based teamplay game, and the sequel to "Deadlode", a popular Team Fortress mod for QuakeWorld. It's currently available in The Coven's online store, for $10 plus shipping and handling.

A new version of GameSpy (for registered users) has been released. Version 2.12 includes support for a couple of new games, including Kingpin, Drakan, and Descent 3. If you're looking for a Quake/2/3Arena server to join, you should download this handy tool.

The Clanworld Network's "Summer Olympics" program has begun. They are giving away prizes in several categories in many of their ladders and tournaments. The contest begins today, 7/1/99 and ends on 7/31/99. This gives the players a full month to play and compete, and a full month for you to earn a prize. Check out their site for more info!