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Daily News
By Gail Helmer

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Wednesday, November 22, 2000


Crimson Skies Update v1.02!
The Crimson Skies Update v1.02 is now available. This update includes the earlier save game fix, and also addresses issues with multiplayer, stability, and performance problems. For more information go to: Crimson Skies
Alternative download: The Patches Scrolls

New Flanker 2.0 Interface!
Completely new interface for Flanker 2.0 including all the backgrounds and animation is downloadble now. More info about it at: Flanker 2.0 Forum
Download link: Flanker Resource Page

Falcon 4.0 Realism Patch Released!
The Falcon 4.0 Realism Patch is now available at: Falcon 4.0 Realism Patch Group

West Point to use Steel Beasts in Classroom!
Shrapnel Games, internet based Publisher of computer war and strategy games, announced today that the United States Military Academy at West Point has issued a purchase order for 1040 copies of Steel Beasts, their modern day tank simulation to be delivered in mid-December of this year.

Tim Brooks, President of Shrapnel Games, said, "We are very excited about this purchase order. It means that the Department of Military Instruction Warfighting Center has seen the practical uses that such a true-to-life tank simulation can bring to the educational process of the U.S. Military's future leaders. We have had several conversations with West Point representatives and look forward to hearing how the simulation works for them in the classroom."

Aces High 1.05 Development Screen Shots!
The Aces High screenshots section has been updated with some development shots of Natedog's almost-completed PT boat. Go to: Hi Tech Creations

Space Empires IV Patch!
Shrapnel Games announced today that the patch for Space Empires: IV is ready and available for download. The patch, version 1.11, resolves many issues with simultaneous games as well as AI. For more info, and to download the patch go to: Shrapnel Games

WWII Online Live Chat!
The time has come again for a WWIIOL Chat featuring the rats. Get your chance to glean as much information as you can from those who are in the trenches. Thursday the 30th of November at 1630 EDT, chat with the rats. The chat will be held at this relatively early time in order to reach as many people as we can world wide. For more info go to: WWII Online

Please note: there will be no Daily News over the US Thanksgiving holiday. Daily News will return on Monday, November 27. I wish all our U.S. friends a safe and Happy Holidays!

Tuesday, November 21, 2000


Intel Introduces Pentium 4!
Intel Corporation introduced the IntelŪ PentiumŪ 4 processor, its newest microprocessor for high-performance desktop computers. Major design changes have been implemented in the new processor, allowing Intel to jump up clock speeds, and 1.4GHz and 1.5GHz chips are currently available. Intel plans to reach 2GHz speeds by next fall. The new core design, called the NetBurst architecture, allows part of the processor to run at twice the overall clock speed. It also greatly increases the speed at which the processor can access the system's memory by allowing four times as much data to pass per cycle, effectively making for a 400MHz front-side bus.

The Pentium 4's features promise to translate into serious performance for games. Intel's own tests show a 41 percent increase in Quake III performance between a system equipped with a 1GHz Pentium III and a similar one with a 1.5GHz Pentium 4. Intel hopes that this will give it a lead in real-world performance over AMD, which recently introduced 1.2GHz Athlon processors that can be matched with fast DDR memory. Intel also revealed its pricing for the chips: US$819 for the 1.5GHz Pentium 4, and $644 for the 1.4GHz version. Some online retailers are already offering the new processors, although at steeper prices that reflect the newness of the products. HP, Compaq, Gateway, and others have announced consumer desktop PCs with the Pentium 4 that will be available starting this week. Intel expects prices on the Pentium 4 to drop substantially over the course of the next year, such that the processor will reach mainstream PCs by the end of 2001.

Moving to the Pentium 4 does bring a few related changes for PC builders. The processor requires a motherboard integrating Intel's new 850 chipset, and this in turn means that only Rambus memory can be used. The Pentium 4 systems are designed for RDRAM 800MHz memory modules, which can be expensive and must be installed in pairs. In addition, because of a new socket interface design and new power requirements, the Pentium 4 will not work with existing heatsinks, power supplies, and cases. Clearly, the overall cost of new Pentium 4 systems means that the more accessible Pentium III will be in demand for some time to come.

Check out the review at:Tom's Hardware

Delta Force: Land Warrior Patch!
Novalogic has released a patch for Delta Force: Land Warrior. Version 1.00.23, addresses issues for some players who were being dropped from Multiplayer games. For more info, and to download the patch go to: Novalogic


Monday, November 20, 2000


Empire Interactive Acquires Razorworks!
Empire Interactive today announced that they have acquired the entire issued share capital of Razorworks Limited. Founded in 1996, Razorworks has been developing PC games exclusively for Empire. Their first title was the combat helicopter simulation "Enemy Engaged: Apache Havoc" which was released in December 1998, followed by "Enemy Engaged: Comanche Hokum" in March 2000.

Ian Higgins, CEO of Empire Interactive said, "As we stated at the time of the flotation, we plan to expand our in-house development so that we are both owning and controlling the content that the company publishes. The acquisition of Razorworks is part of this strategy and brings to Empire an excellent team of developers who will help us to develop new titles, grow our business and leverage our existing marketing and sales infrastructures".

Kevin Bezant, Studio Manager of Razorworks said, "Empire's acquisition of Razorworks has cemented our long standing working relationship and given us the resources we need to build our team and establish ourselves in the highly competitive car racing genre. World Sports Cars has a global appeal and is a fantastic first console title for us."

Razorworks is currently working on the PlayStation 2 version of "World Sports Cars" along with West Racing who are developing the PC version. Both formats are planned for release by Empire in 2001.

Falcon 4.0 Vietnam Theater Beta2!
PMC Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) released Falcon 4.0 Vietnam Theater BETA 2 over the weekend. Now there is finally a Dynamic Campaign included! For more details click here: PMC TFW Site

Combat Command 2: Danger Forward Goes Gold!
Shrapnel Games announced today that Combat Command 2: Danger Forward is has gone Gold and will begin shipping Dec. 18th. For more details go to:Shrapnel Games

Free Dawn of Aces Online!
iEN announces free flying time in Dawn of Aces. From November 21 to November 27, you can play the game online for free after entering the address of an active e-mail account. Two arenas will be open; one that features historical events and flying settings; and another offering full and relaxed realism settings. A number of events and prize giveaways are also scheduled for the week, including historical reenactments, racing and aerobatics contests, and nonhistorical events. For more info, and to register go to:Dawn of Aces



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