LINUXGAMES

Release 37.2 of Scorched 3D, a game based on the popular 2D artillery game Scorched Earth, has been released.The following new features and fixes have occured since the last revision:

• Save game option for single player
• Installed documentation and viewer with game
• Server can have bots drop when new players join
• Stats ranking message when joining server
• Linux version statically linked to avoid wxwindows problems
• Server browsing updated to use new server
• Server should be much more responsive and should not lock up
• Shot cam does not switch to action cam mode during explosion
• Single player speed mode should not stop after shots
• Bots are not confused by shields and walls

Download: [ Scorched 3D Release 37.2 ]

The second volume of the UT2004Community Bonus Pack II is nowavailable (thanks PlanetUnreal). Twenty maps,two gameplay mutators, and four skins created by your fellow gamers are included.

I’m gratified that this trend of packaging up user-created content has takenoff, as it’s allowed a lot of professional-quality work get more exposure inserver rotations thanwas the case in the early days of the mod community.

If you grab the umod package, you can install it with this command in your UT2004 System/ directory (which works for any umod):

./ucc-bin umodunpack -x file.ut4mod -nohomedir

UT2004 Community Bonus Pack II Volume 2 Download: [ planetunreal.com ]

Version 1.10.6 of BZFlag (screenshots), a multiplayer 3D tank game, has been released. Changes include:

• Fixed the little hop on spawn at some sites
• Fixed issue of players add/removing others from groups
• Fixed 0 height flag, no more flags inside buildings
• Fixed bug that allowed empty callsigns
• Bots aim better, try to evade shots

BZFlag 1.10.6 Download: [ sourceforge.net ]

Black Cat Games has announced the release of Alien Swarm, their Unreal Tournament 2004 modification that introduces an Aliens-inspired top-down perspective cooperative multiplayer battle against NPC xenomorphs to Epic’s shooter. Here’s the requisite feature list; a shell script is included in the ZIP package which will install the game’s UMOD for you:

Extract the AlienSwarm_v1.ut4mod and as-linux-installer.sh to your UT2004/System directory and run:

sh ./as-linux-installer.sh

After installing, you can run Alien Swarm using sh ./Alien-Swarm-Linux from your UT2004/AlienSwarm directory.

Alien Swarm Version 1 Download: [ Torrent | 3D Downloads | icculus.org | FileShack ]

Addendum (17:10 CST): GlaDiaC let us know that kingron (maintainer of the Loki Installers for Linux Gamers project) has made an installer for Alien Swarm; mirrors can be found @ linuX-gamers.net here.

Several readers wrote in to point out that ATI has released a new Linux driver revision for their various lines of graphics cards. The release notes can be found here; changes include:

• Explicit regparm support for newer Redhat, Fedora and SuSE kernels
• VIA KT400 motherboard chipsets now recognized properly

ATI Linux Driver 3.9.0 Download: [ ati.com ]

BioWare mentioned a few interesting items in their weekly update yesterday:

• An article introducing the implementation of Persistent Worlds in Neverwinter Nights for those unfamiliar with these user-driven servers. In my experience, PW’s function like smaller-scale MMORPGs, with the crucial difference being that they can be more varied and flexibile as they are created and maintained by players.
• BioWare also announced that the winner of NWVault’s Post-HotU Contest, which aimed to find the best user-made module created to continue the player’s story after the events of Hordes of the Underdark (the second official expansion pack), is John McA’s Sands of Fate I – Shadows Under Heliopolis. There was also another contest last year where the entrants had to create a module to bridge the first expansion pack, Shadows of Undrentide (it should be noted that this expansion now comes with the current retail release of NWN, NWN Gold), to the second. The winners of that contest (The Nether Scrolls and Shadohaunt), as well as the other entries, can be found here.

NWVault also pointed out this forum post by BioWare’s Georg Zoeller which enumerates many of the changes coming in the next patch (version 1.63). Also, good news for Witch’s Wake fans: Rob Bartel has given a status update on this module series:

WW1: Remastered is 95% complete and generally awaiting some funding authorization (i.e. Atari approval of the DD concept) so we can put in some finishing touches like VO, etc.

WW2: The Witch Hunters is about 5% complete, with development currently at a standstill as we await the same funding authorization. All of the back-end systems are complete (though they’ll require substantial testing and revision) but the story is currently limited to the opening area.

In short, progress is slower than I had hoped but it’s given me time to help out with a few other DD goodies that we’re hoping to release.

DD refers to BioWare’s Digital Distribution project, which will offer new official modules and content for sale online if it moves forward.

Lots of random UT2004-relatedinfo tonight:

GlaDiaC of linuX-gamers.net haswritten an extensive LinuxTweaking Guide for Epic’sfirst-person shooter. Optimizing performance is the main focus, with driverand game configuration tips included.

A reader let us know about Black CatGames’upcoming UT2004 project,Alien Swarm, anAliens-inspired overhead POV mod that features multiplayer squad-based cooperative combatagainst insectoid NPC monsters. The release is scheduled for tomorrow; also,thistrailer (night-blade.com- 24MB) showcases the game better than my descriptions ever could.

Another reader mentioned in our comments that Beta 2.0 of the WWII-themed (specifically,the Eastern European Front) modRed Orchestra(screenshots) is out. Whiledownloading/installing, you should give themanuals aread. Download- get the ZIP package. Finally, be sure to hit this FAQ post from their forums for installation tips.

The rest of these items come courtesy of BeyondUnreal:

• While we’re discussing mods, I should point out thatJailbreak for UT2004 was justreleased (continuing a legacy begun way back in Quake II); BeyondUnrealconducted aninterviewwith Grand Moff tarquin about what to expect; a Linux-friendly ZIP package canbe found at their download page.
• The Community Bonus Pack II(the original was for UT2003) was released last week; several new maps,models, mutators, and skins included. Again, you’ll want the ZIP package; manymirrors can be found here. Additionally, asecondvolume for the CBP is planned, as well as officialbonus packs createdat the behest of Epic.
• A general UT2004 Linux guide is up here @LinuxElectrons.
• Here’s a FAQ pagemaintained by The Haus.
• AMDZone conducted a series ofbenchmarkingtests with Linux UT2004 on an Opteron 64-bit CPU.

Feel free to mention anything UT-related I’ve missed (or tips you’vediscovered yourself; especially with regards to installation as I haven’thad a chance yet to try these mods or bonus packs out yet to see ifthere are any common snags I could run into).

HomeLAN Fed conducted an interview with id Software’s CEO, Todd Hollenshead, about the imminent arrival of DOOM III. Lessons learned from the game’s development, what can be expected from the multiplayer mode, and the status of Quake IV (in development at Raven Software) are among the topics discussed. Thanks to Doomworld for the heads up.

Version 0.07 of Free Conquest & Colonization of America, a project aiming to remake the classic DOS game Colonization, has been released. Changes include the addition of beach shores and Indians.

Free Conquest & Colonization of America 0.07 Download: [ sourceforge.net ]

Our latest review is out, this time focusing on FooBillard. FooBillard, for those unaware, is an OpenGL-billard game for Linux with realistic physics, AI-players, and various game types.

Meant to mention this previously: Linux Game Publishing announced earlier this month that their latest port, Hyperspace Delivery Boy, is now ready for shipping. Screenshots can be found here; Hyperspace Delivery Boy is a 2D action/adventure game originally developed by John Romero’s Monkeystone Games.

Wouter van Oortmerssen wrote in to let us know that a new version ofCube has been released. Changes include new singleplayer and deathmatch maps, a new soundtrack, and the requisite bugfixes. Screenshots can be found here.

Cube 20040522 Download: [ sourceforge.net ]

The America’s Army team waspromoting their upcoming addition to the game, Overmatch, atE3 earlier this month; agallery ofphotos from the event are up, as well as aSITREP about newfeatures like the Stryker ICV and the Javelin anti-tank missile. There’s alsoa QuickTime promotrailer for Overmatch. Finally,Wired News has a briefblurbabout the game’s E3 presence.

Edit: Oh yeah, there’s also this interview over at Operation Enduring Freedom, a military gaming news site, with AA’s Executive Producer Jerry Heneghan. Of note is the mention of whatUT2004′s vehicular codebase will add when applied to AA:

When we started building government applications, we built on the UT2004 code base. The public version of America’s Army is currently converting over to UT2004 after their next release. UT2004′s “S” class vehicle introduces a more dynamic capability for vehicles so that many elements of a vehicle can have physics based attributes.

Q: What are some of the next vehicles you are going to include?

A: After E-3, we are planning to add the Special Forces variant of the HMMWV (M1025A2) in a government application. We recently conducted some extensive research with Special Forces troops at Fort Bragg who used these vehicles in Afghanistan and Iraq in order to get all the details right.

We are also adding medium (FMTV) and heavy (HEMTT) trucks. Our government applications will also soon have UH-60 helicopters for troop transport.

Moving backwards THROUGH THE VERY FABRIC OF TIME… I mean, to a gamereferenced in the last newspost,Neverwinter Nights, a patch wasreleased for theCommunityExpansion Pack which adds a substitute crafting system and bugfixes.

NWN Community Expansion Pack 1.01 Download: [Patch(ZIP) | FullPackage ]

Also, BioWare posted aninterviewwith Lockindal Linantal of thePlayer Resource Consortium abouthis custom prestige classes project (be sure to grab the RAR file if you planon adding it to your campaigns).

Finally, NWVault pointed out aforumpost from BioWare’s Georg Zoeller about the next patch:

Patch 1.63 is one of the largest patches we’ve ever done, it’s still indevelopment and we can/will not give estimated release dates

As soon as it’s available we’ll be sure to mention it here. Anyway, what haveyou guys been playing in NWN? The officialexpansion packs? User-mademodules in single-player and/or multiplayer? Multiplayer persistent worlds?I’ve been splitting my time getting through the expansion packs with a groupof 4-5 player characters and messing around on a PW when we don’t have enoughto continue that campaign. Word of advice: don’t disturbdragons; there’sa reason the game isn’t called Dungeons and Kobolds.

Heyo, what’s up, what’s new. It’s catch up time again!:

• OpenTTD version 0.3.1 has beenreleased; the project is an open source clone of Transport TycoonDeluxe.
• Handy, an Atari Lynx emulator,is now open source.
• GlaDiaC of linuX-gamers.net let us know over amonth ago about a FarCryLinux Installer (WineX requiredto actually play however), which I forgot about until now because I’m abig idiot.
• Speaking of WineX, version 3.3.2 of theWine project fork wasreleased;among the notable changes is the addition ofKnights of theOld Republic support (which despite being aBioWare title had little chance of aLinux port due to the lack of multiplayer and traditionally restrictivepublisher – LucasArts. HopefullyBioWare’s newly-announcedDragon Age, whichshouldfeature multiplayer capabilities similar to the Linux-portedNeverwinter Nights, will fare better).As is always the case with WineX, you’ll need asubscription to download the new release.
• While we’re talking aboutWine, the20040505 snapshot release ofthe venerable Windows API compatibility layer was made available. Changesrelevant to the gaming population include Direct3D improvements and sounddriver fixes.
• Edmund McMillen sent in word aboutGish, a”physics-based 2D side-scroller” that was a finalist at this year’sIndependent GamesFestival. There are demo links on the page but they all appear to be justfor the Windows version; however, a gameplay trailer is also available.

Epic has released version 3204 of Unreal Tournament 2004 for Linux. The releaseannouncement from icculus says:

To install: unpack the archive, this will leave you with a “UT2004-Patch” directory. Copy the contents of this directory over your game install, so it overwrites files. Now go play.

md5sum of archive:5f659552095b878a029b917d216d9664 ut2004-lnxpatch3204.tar.bz2

Unreal Tournament 2004 3204 Download: [ icculus.org | Mirror List ]

A reader submitted a report concerning ORGE, an Object-Oriented Graphics Rendering Engine :

The OGRE Project has released a new major version, 0.14. This release brings a number of significant enhancements, including multiple shadow techniques, hardware skinning, easier projective texturing, external texture sources (such as video), simpler integration with ragdoll support, and much more.

Download: [ OGRE v0.14 ]

A new software company PunSoft Technologies has announced that they are working on a sequel to Sierra’s Outpost 2, called Outpost: A New Beginning. The game will be written in Python using Pygame with cross platform support in mind.

They’re currently looking for developers to help with production, so if you’re interested, send an email to for more details.

A beta release of Space Combat, a spaceship simulator by the author of X-Plane, has been released. This will allow you to enter in the spaceship mass, size, and thruster and engine powers and location and get a true feeling of how such a ship would handle in space.

Download: [ Space Combat 1.40 ]

An update to the classic Andy Johnson’s Battalion game has been released. Many improvements have occured such as improved keyboard control, sound effects and music using openAL. This new release is a level-based version of the classic game, with three different cities to destroy.

Download: [ Battalion 3d Source Code ]