REDMOND, Wash., March 7, 2002 -- An apparent misinterpretation of information on a Microsoft Japan Web site resulted today in a media report of a recall of Microsoft's Xbox™ game console in Japan. This report is incorrect. There is no recall of Xbox in Japan or any other market.

The Xbox Japan Web site did report that Microsoft Customer Care Japan had received a small number of inquires (significantly less than one percent of systems sold) from customers reporting small scratches to the outside edge of some game disks after use in the Xbox game consoles. While this is not a common occurrence, and minor scratching is primarily a cosmetic issue that does not affect performance, a positive customer experience is of the utmost importance to Microsoft. Xbox Japan responded accordingly in its statement offering to evaluate any Xbox system that a customer is concerned about. If a system needs to be repaired or replaced for any reason, Microsoft will do this immediately.

After successful launches in North America and Japan, demand for Xbox continues to be high in all launched markets, and production continues at a rapid pace. Microsoft will launch Xbox in Europe and Australia on March 14, 2002.

The game seems to have evolved a lot since the first screenshots were released. The polygons on the character models seem to have trippled (individually modelled fingers and teeth etc.). Assuming that these are actually in-game models, when was decided to redo the models and what do you think high-polygon models have to offer in a Lovecraftian horror game (besides being more realistic)?

A.B. We have heavily increased the detail in characters and backgrounds since we first started the project, and characters are now modelled to around 6500 polygons (they were originally about 800 !) The models you will have seen are all ingame models - they have proper eyes (geometry and not just a texture, so we can animate them to look at things) and also have a proper mouth with tongue and teeth for lipsynching purposes. The high level of detail has helped us create an authentic feeling environment as we want the game to feel as realistic as possible.

We've added a few new guild commands, some of which have already slipped into the live version. These commands let you specify a guild web page and guild email address, which show up on your guild's listing on the Camelot Herald. The other new commands are for alliance messages of the day and its associated rank settings.

/gc webpage [the.guildpage.com] - is an additional line set by the leader that can be display in a /gc info command, as well as on the Herald.

/gc email [contact@guildpage.com] - is an additional line set by the leader that can be displayed in a /gc info command, as well as on the Herald.

/gc amotd - Alliance Message Of The Day set by the alliance leader and viewable by all members of the alliance who log in. Note, that follower guild leaders can edit *their guild* amotd, but this information is not displayed. In other words, the information is stored on the guild, if this guild, in the future became an alliance leader, the amotd would display.

/gc omotd - Officer Message Of The Day - set by the guild leader for the officers.

/gc edit [ranknum] motd [y/n] - ability for the guild leader to allow a rank to edit the guild motd.

/gc edit [ranknum] alli [y/n] - ability for the guild leader to allow a rank to enter/leave alliances (create a diplomatic officer).

Just to update everyone on status of things. The next little while is allocated to refinements on just about everything, cleaning up bits and pieces of code that have been not quite up to par, correcting major flaws, etc... In terms of artistic content, we're trying to tweak our standards to minimize some backtracking we've already had to do, and would like not to repeat. As well, I'm just finishing up the business plan as a major initial step along the financing process. I'll keep things updated, but don't expect a new set of screenshots until we can get everything tweaked and cleared up. Additionally, note that we are minimizing our other media exposure... We've had a lot of sketch work done, and a lot of 3d work, as our screenshots will demonstrate, however it's important that we don't reveal everything about the image of the game before it gets a little closer down production. Expect a change in the site makeup pretty soon. Cheers all!

But now about the disappointments, about the graph. On overall level 4 would be estimated it as the intermediate between MM8 and Shizardry 8. No, there are no claims to the interface and its formulation, 4 I have to form only ED a part. In the game is present only fixed/recorded permission/resolution of 800kh'00, but even on it all models (especially many characters and monstrov) could appear rather better. View is made more competently, but nevertheless. By the way, on the represented pictures everything appears better than the reality - YuyperSnap removed/took all into 800kh'00, and play- that 4 to 17 " so that there all it appeared postrashneye. But nothing separately terrible - most important, graph it causes aversion and playing interferes with - the worshippers of a series will be contented. But here new players MM9 it can frighten away. Especially if thus far by them it has the occasion to play a little into Morroshind or the same Of shizardry 8. It is a little offensive - on this cursor completely it is possible to realize drawing at the higher level, that proved the numerous games. But we will not be about the sad - graph this not main thing, but everything else very good. And now you will not see in the party/batch draconic, so that nothing will spoil the balance :). On the whole - we await the middle of April and we take English license. But there already experts themselves will be dismantled/selected, that also as is made not so.

"Characters differ mostly in the roles they play in the story," explained Avery. "Instead of just blindly heading into new areas, you will be told where to go and what doing so will mean for the good of Icewind Dale. Of course you will also be meeting some returning characters from the original game, but thirty years can make a world of difference in people's personalities and outlook on life."

A highlight of the game will be some hundreds of new objects and over 50 new spells, created specifically to match the storyline. Avery described the new Death Armor spell: "[it] surrounds the caster with crackling black energy from the negative material plane. It will damage anyone who strikes the caster in melee, dealing 1d4 + 5 magic damage. Undead are instead healed for a similar amount. Other non-living creatures such as constructs and golems are unaffected."

Another important upgrade is that the engine will allow more creatures on screen at one time. And players will once again be able to use the Heart of Fury difficulty mode, accessible only after the game has been completed, to battle even more monsters at one time, looting greater treasures, and accessing more powerful spells. One nifty addition to the core gameplay is a series of character kits, updated for the sequel.

Montreal, Quebec. March 7th, 2002 -- Strategy First announced today the release of a patch for their critically acclaimed turn-based fantasy/strategy game, Disciples II: Dark Prophecy.

Since the game's release in late January, critics and gamers alike have been amazed and dazzled by the Disciples experience. The beautiful artwork and depth of gameplay have earned the game accolades from gamers around the world.

The development team has addressed some multiplayer issues and added several new features to make the gameplay even more rewarding. Here is a list of elements the patch includes;

New features:
- Added several new battle backgrounds
- Added Quest Log to allow players to review previous quest messages
- Added chat messages over all interfaces, not just over the isometric map
- Added encyclopedia for leader abilities in various screens
- Added Direct3D support to Configuration Editor utility
- Added new popup message before battle when human player gets attacked in Hotseat
- Added ability to save game during any player's turn in Hotseat
- Added ability to capture capital cities without ending the game automatically in multiplayer/Hotseat
- Added ability to ally with human players easily
- Added ability to chat from within the battle interface
- Toned down the "easy setting"

Fixes:
- Fixed sound interruption problem in game cut-scenes
- Fixed a few crash bugs
- Fixed other minor bugs

There is also a second patch available for those that have been experiencing error initializing images. Both patches are available on Strategy First's website, www.strategyfirst.com. For more information on the game, log onto www.disciples2.com.

It's not the prettiest game in the world, and some of the visual design choices are disappointing. Rather than making the tree and rooftops transparent, the game engine only allows you to toggle them on and off. The resulting clear-cut is like a scene straight out of The Lorax, but it's not particularly attractive. At its strategic heart, however, Art of Magic is a fairly entertaining blend of role-playing and tactical maneuvering, and that makes it worth a look—especially if you enjoyed the original game.

Our forums have been hacked. We will try to restore them as soon as possible.

To the one who did it: There are other ways to make your opinion public. Just a little advise from Austria to China.

Update: We lost over 13000 messages because of the hack and will have to upload a backup from yesterday. Furthermore, we will look for a more hack-proof forum solution (which, again, means spending some money :-(( for RPGDot).

MGON: Were you able to port the title in its entirety, or were sacrifices made due to the hardware limitations?

Bill: The full game is there. We left 99.9% of the content intact. Where we took some license was with the interface. For example, you no longer need medbots to install augs. The original team really liked the idea of being able to install an aug as soon as it was found and it helps to streamline the interface. Now medbots aren’t “overloaded” with functions, they just heal.

Kevin Osburn: What does a line producer do?
Basically, what I do is I backup the other producers on Icewind Dale II, which are Darren Monahan (producer) and Doug Avery (associate producer). I generally check in with them every few days to see if I can help them out with and make their workload a little lighter. One of my daily duties is managing our buglist that quality assurance team provides. It is important that I work closely with the QA project supervisor on all issues regarding the testing of the game. With regards to the buglist, I also need to make sure the bugs are being fixed on developments side. So I also try to meet daily with the designers, programmers, and scriptors to get bug updates. I also keep an eye on the traffic our message boards get (BIS Message Boards) while answering questions from our fans, that is the answers I can actually give. I also get many other cool tasks.


Feargus Urquhart: About being able to choose the color of clothing and armor
You don't have to keep on saying "waiting for feedback".
I'll make sure it gets on Darren's list as something we will think about. I can't promise it though since there are a lot of bigger things on the list right now.

So you want me to wrap up the spiel and put up my final thoughts, well here goes. Gothic is quite the large and impressive if not completely polished role-playing game. The dark and mature theme gave this game a distinctive feel and the graphics take the player in deep within the prison world. The promise of up to a hundred hours of gameplay gives good bang for the buck. So for all the RPG fans out there, this one definitely requires a look at your local gaming store.

Besides the engine and multiplay, what can fans of the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale games expect to see different or improved in Neverwinter Nights?

[Greg] The focus of the game is somewhat different from the party-based Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale - you have a single character you use throughout the game. You can hire henchmen that accompany you in the game, but you will focus most of your effort on developing your single character.

Everyone,

Welcome to all the new players - we're now up to 2867 beta testers. If this is your first time in Egypt, log in using any username and password. Your username will also be your character's name.
The next play session will be:

Thursday, March 7 from 7:00PM EST until 11:00PM EST (GMT-0500)

During the last session, Tugament 2002 was held. The winner was Hirak, with Haggis coming in 2nd. The final game had a nice sized crowd gathered to watch. After that, everyone headed to the Mountain Market for the awards ceremony, and an exhibition game between me (Pharaoh), and tournament winner Hirak. He won the match, raising his rank to 48. Other Tug players with exceptional ranks include Komodo(65), Stormcaller(54), and Sekhmet(49).

We've added some new agricultural activities over the last week. Growing the new crops (leeks, garlic) require nothing more than a visit to the Great University of Worship to get some starter seeds. Each crop type has it's own quirks, so there is a lot to discover in this next session.

We have also added the ability to raise sheep, which like to eat onions.

The Bug Tracking system has been completely rewritten. When you submit a bug, a new menu appears on your character under "Utility/Bug Tracking". You can review the status, including developer comments and questions, from that menu. Whenever a developer examines or fixes the bug, you will be notified in a new "System" information channel that pops up alongside your chat channels. Finally, when a bug has been dealt with to your satisfaction, you can mark it as resolved, and you can set your bug filter to show only the remaining active bugs.

Perhaps the biggest change in this session is an experimental one: as an attempt to combat the accumulation of "junk" - woodplanes, box kilns, brickracks, and other low-level buildings, we have introduced item decay. Initial reaction to this from people in the IRC channel was *BAD* - nobody liked the idea. So, before I explain the mechanism, let me just promise: If *after* everyone has gotten used to the system, if you still think it makes the game less fun, I will remove it and come up with something different. Here's how it works.

• Items dropped on the ground (mud buckets, etc) are removed after 24 hours.


• Player-built buildings decay over a 30 day period.


• Buildings decayed below 50% are not usable.


• Repair costs are as follows, assuming no skill in Structure Maintenance:
  Condition Cost to repair (L0)
  100% --
  90% Free
  80% 10% of structure cost
  70% 20% of structure cost
  60% 30% of structure cost
  50% 40% of structure cost
  40% 50% of structure cost
  30% 60% of structure cost
  20% 60% of structure cost
  10% 60% of structure cost
  0% 60% of structure cost


• Players with Level-1 Structure Maintenance skill are able to repair buildings that are 5% more decayed. For instance, at Level-1, you can repair a building that has decayed down to 85% for free, and repair one decayed down to 55% for 30% of structure cost.
  
• For this beta test, the 30 day period is accelerated to 24 hours, and the 24 hour dropped-item period is accelerated to 1 hour. I'll adjust this if it feels too harsh.
  
• Examples of repair cost for a player with Level-1 Structure Maintenance who misses a 4-hour beta session:
  Structure: Approx Cost:
  Dromedary Pen 1 Board, 7 bricks
  Student's Loom 2 Twine
  Small Distaff Free
  Pottery Wheel Free
  After missing two 4-hour sessions in a row:
  Structure: Approx Cost:
  Dromedary Pen 9 Boards, 73 bricks
  Student's Loom 22 Twine
  Small Distaff 1 board, 3 bricks, 1 wood
  Pottery Wheel 2 boards, 8 bricks


Again, if this makes the game less fun, we'll remove it and come up with another solution to the "random abandoned junk" problem.

Standard Stuff:
Visit our official chat channel before the session: irc.stratics.com port 6667 channel #ATITD.
If you didn't play in either of the last two sessions, be sure to install the latest version of the client from our web site (www.ataleinthedesert.com, Downloads section).

On the Nile,
Teppy (Pharaoh)
Josh (Nekhmet)
James (AmenRa)
Dave (Orpheus)
Joe (SickJoe)
Ed (EdTut)
Jeff (JeffTut)

Unlike the majority of MMORPG’s, Neocron is predominately played from a first-person perspective, like a first-person shooter. Indeed, the similarities with this simpler genre do not end there, as Neocron is a game of action as well as words. As such a whole host of weapons are available, either to buy or construct. Naturally, as Neocron is a more realistic proposition than your average first-person shoot ‘em up, starting fire-fights in the city-centre (districts such as the ‘Plaza’) is not necessarily a wise idea, as this will attract the decidedly negative, and rather aggressive attention of the city’s armed police-force. Those of an action-orientated mindset should therefore head for the Outzone, a lawless vacuum of Neocron, where there’s little influence of authority to prevent a little deathmatch-style fun.

"We'll be releasing development tools shortly after Freedom Force has shipped," Levine added. With these tools you should be able to build your own environments, create your own skins for characters, and also create your own levels and missions. People are likely to focus on Irrational's superhero game, but as Levine pointed out, the option is there to pretty much create any sort of environment or theme you like.

During the course of the conversation, Ken also admitted that the developer is already planning Freedom Force 2 and 3. "If we do a Freedom Force 2, it will be set in the 70s era of comic books and the characters, some of which will be brought across from the original game, will reflect this time accordingly in their looks," he said. "With Freedom Force 3 we're thinking that this would be more of a kind of Dark Knight period." If Freedom Force 3 appears, expect a darker, more gritty tone than the one presented in the forthcoming title.

Word amongst advertisers out there is that Titus has not paid their media-buying agency for a while. New-York based Deitch media has told Titus suppliers such as UGO networks to speak to Titus directly because Deitch had not been paid and could no longer foot the bill for Titus advertising. Now these 5 pages advertising that are being run in all major gaming mags out there for the Virgin (owned by Titus) PC products are expensive, after all. Too bad the ads aren’t doing jack---PC data shows sales on Codename:Outbreak and Original War to be very poor.

After having had to license Interplay's distribution to Vivendi, loosing Neverwinter Nights to Infogrames and the departures at Black Isle, this could well be the swan song for the giant wannabe publisher.

Q: An amount of people already call you the John Williams of computer soundtracks. Are you proud of this or does it rather restrict you in your work?

Well, what John Williams did for film scores is that he brought respectability back to orchestral methods of scoring movies. A lot of movies during the early Star Wars era were using cheesy 70's pop tunes for their scores. People have mostly forgotten these movies. The orchestra, however is a timeless medium. It's NEVER out of style. If anything, I hope my orchestral works in software survive the tests of time. Would you rather like to continue to set games into music or are movie soundtracks and concerts works more demanding to you? Movies are easier for me to score and provide a different creative experience. Yet, I plan to continue my game career for years. It's just too much fun!

Fixed a bug where you did fist damage while using certain weapons.

Mobs have had their use of nano programs decreased. We have fixed a bug causing them to "chain cast" therefore reducing the chance of encountering "chain casting" NPCs.