09-10-98

* EUGENE, OR (September 10, 1998) - Sierra Sports has officially obtained the license to incorporate Ferrari's Grand Prix car in its new racing simulation for the PC, Grand Prix Legends. The familiar Ferrari red and its Grand Prix race car of the 1967 season has now been incorporated into Sierra Sports new racing simulation. In Grand Prix Legends, gamers can now pilot the legendary Ferrari 312, an 1,100-pound rocket that once produced more than 400 horsepower during the 1967 season. The sophisticated vehicle dynamics and advanced graphics technology of this CD-ROM ensure the most authentic experience possible with this and other cars, as they race around vintage tracks. Grand Prix Legends is a racing simulation based on the historical 1967 season and features the tracks, teams and cars from one of the most dangerous and exciting years in racing history. The physics model in Grand Prix Legends allows cars to drift, "catch air," and interact realistically with the road. The Sierra Sports website (http://www.sierrasports.com) contains more information about Grand Prix legends, including a demo, and other Sierra Sports titles and events. Grand Prix Legends also features other legendary tracks including Monaco, Nurburgring, Spa, Kyalami, Zandvoort and six others. Among the famous drivers represented in the simulation are Grant Hill and Jim Clark, as well as teams like Lotus, Brabham, and BRM. "We realize that the Grand Prix experience would not be complete without the presence of the sport's most famous and successful icon," said Sean Gleason, director of marketing for Sierra Sports. "Sierra Sports is dedicated to bringing the most realistic simulations to market, which is why we're excited to have Ferrari as partner in this simulation. Scuderia Ferrari represents everything that is 'grand' about Grand Prix racing." Scuderia Ferrari, formed in 1929 in Modena, Italy, has stamped its identity on the history of the Formula One World Championship, the legend and achievements of its scarlet racing cars standing above all others. Motor racing's most successful team, Ferrari has countless sportscar wins and an unrivalled 118 Grand Prix victories to its credit out of 600 Grand Prix starts. Ferrari has contested every World Championship since the title was inaugurated in 1950, and continues to employ some of the sport's most colorful and talented personalities. Pricing and Availability Grand Prix Legends, a CD-ROM for Windows 95/98, will carry a suggested retail price of $49.99 and will be available at computer stores everywhere in September, or by calling Sierra direct at (800) 757-7707.

07-19-98

* Moody has released his latest FAQ pertaining to games that do and do not work with Voodoo 2.

07-04-98

* Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Between getting a new job and hunting for a new home-things have been a bit hectic. I did finally receive the SuperBikes CD and fought with it for a couple days trying to get it to work with either my STB Velocity 128 or Voodoo 2 cards. Finally got the game running and found it extremely boring. After 2 hours of gameplay I couldn't take much more. There is nothing overtly wrong with the game...it is just a bit frustrating when you spend hours getting a buggy piece of software to run only to find the gameplay is missing. I think that the trend recently has been for develeprs to focus so much on graphics that they forget to put the fun factor into the games. We need to get back to the kind of games that come alive and that you can immerse yourself in. It is possible to make a sim that is both technically correct, has good gameoplay, and is great to look at. ICR2, Nascar2, and F1RS all come to mind. Anyway, SuperBikes did not get enough of my time to warrent a full review but with the fun factor so low..I give it a 6 out of 10. It did have pretty graphics and several sim options going for it.

* The newest Quake 2 patch is out. It is version 3.17 and you can get it here. The changes are as follows:

Changes for 3.17
----------------

- added sanity checks before calling atan2 with divisors of 0.  This was
  accidentally working on Intel chips, but caused crashes on DEC Alpha AXP
  port.
- updated QUAKE2.DSW and QUAKE2.DSP file to support DEC Alpha
- Autodownloading is now DISABLED by DEFAULT.  It must be enabled by typing
  'allow_download 1' at the console, or using the download options menu
  in Multiplayer/PlayerSetup/Download Options
- Server demos now include a svc_serverdata block at the beginning with the
  attractloop byte set to '2' to indicate server demo (byte before gamedir
  in the svc_serverdata block).  This allows easy identification of
  serverrecorded demos (serverrecord demos are only for demo editors, they
  can not be played back in Quake2 without being first edited).
- New options for setting texture formats in ref_gl:
  gl_texturealphamode:  default, GL_RGBA, GL_RGBA8, GL_RGB5_A1, GL_RGBA4, 
    GL_RGBA2
  gl_texturesolidmode:  default, GL_RGB, GL_RGB8, GL_RGB5, GL_RGB4,
    GL_R3_G3_B2, GL_RGB2 (SGI only)
- Player movement during Air acceleration changed to reflect more real-world 
  physics while airborne.
- Fixed a bug when riding trains that caused drift in a   

05-19-98

* We recieved the Castrol SuperBike CD today but it was a defective one. Apparently there was an error by the company who pressed them. Another one is on the way, so we will have a review as soon as possible.

*Bethseda has released a patch for Burnout. Here is the text of fixes. You may download it here.

05-16-98

*There is a new patch out for JSF. Download it here.

This is the list of fixes:

1. The screen-size setting is saved now when using 3dfx-cards.

2. MS Sidewinder Force Feedback - the stick now auto-centers properly.

3. Increased IR-signature on AAA and SAM-sites around airports.  They can now be targeted.

4. Stronger IR-signatures on IR-targets (tanks, convoys etc).  Radar picks them up much 
   faster.  NOTE:  there is no IR target lock.  You need to line them up with the bomb site
   and drop the weapon.  The IR weapons will self target the enemy.  Also, we have increased 
   the lethality of these weapons.

5. Keyboard short-cut for time-compression (CTRL and 1-4)

6. MFD Mouse Pointer can be toggled to permanently ON\OFF.  Use the ESC menu then select 
   GAME,  then check the mouse pointer On box.  Mouse pointer now permanently active in 
   virtual cockpit and MFD screens.

7. Vertical Speed Indicator (VSI) on HMD (the uppermost new number on the top-left corner)
   (ranges from -200 to 2/300)

8. Angle of Attack Indicator (AOA) - the angular difference between your
   watermark and your velocity vector (where you're heading) - this is the new
   number between the VSI and the G-force meter on the HUD

9. Multiplayer Latency is globally reduced by 50%.

05-09-98

* Castrol SuperBikes is going to be in stores in the next couple of weeks. We will definately have a review here. They are also having a SuperBike contest you may want to look at.

* This isn't gaming related, but if you watch movies you will be affacted by this.

* Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Started a new job and have been having trouble with my 'puter. Just recieved the Gold version of MTM2. Should have a review soon of Monster Truck Madness 2 in the next couple of days.

* Creative Labs posted this week that they are offering the game bundle to 12 Mb Voodoo 2 buyers who originally bought the card. This is a great move. Dylan and Jim of CL are to be commended for the way they have supported this card in the Voodoo 2 newsgroup. I have even seen them offer helpful advice to customer's of their competitor, Diamond. Way to go guys!

04-25-98
* Lawrence Moody has updated his Voodoo 2 FAQ. It is very comprehensive and well-done and can save you a lot of time with problem games and your Voodoo 2. Take a look here.

* Forsaken was supposed to be released in stores today. From what I've heard, this game is supposed the be the most visually stunning 3dfx game yet, and to top it off, I understand it actually has good AI and gameplay!! Sounds like a must-have. And EbWorld is even offering a free Space Orb 360 ($50 retail value) with an online order. Sounds too good to refuse. Think I'll be heading on over there myself.