Recent Download Vault Additions
admin - Thursday, May 31, 2007
Some of the files added this week which you might have missed seeing:
Tomb Raider: Anniversary demo
Supreme Commander 3251 patch
DiRT: Colin McRae Off-Road demo
Hellgate: London – Templar Blademaster trailer
WOW v2.1 (The Black Temple) patch US/Aus
Game Development
admin - Thursday, May 31, 2007
Also a copy of the game B4LL for you to download is available here.
Links:
Murdoch-http://handbook.murdoch.edu.au/courses/detail07.lasso?crscdhb=GAMTECMJ
ECU – http://www.ecugreatcareers.com/searchframe.htm (search for game)
The Mod Blog
admin - Thursday, May 31, 2007
First of all: mods! What has happened to the modding community? The modding community used to be filled with idealistic people making and changing games they like into games they LOVE. Some of these guys produced big hits, like Red Orchestra and Gary's Mod. Now, I'm not complaining about the mod. Congrats to the guys for making good quality mods that people love and have great fun playing. Good on them!
But now that they've made it big (and made a handsome profit as well) it's left a scar on the modding community, as we're now seeing people trying to create games that make it big so they can profit from their mods. This doesn't make a good mod! And it doesn't help the modding community produce what they do best – making something for everyone. That's what was great about mods, that there was something for every type of gamer out there. Now people are trying to make it big, they're only concentrating on what's popular. It's disgraceful! That's what it is (I'm starting to sound like an old man!).
Anyways, now to the subject of new games coming out. I'm gonna have to go all Big Kev on you and say, I'M EXCITED! This year has already seen the coming of GREAT new games, like C&C3, Supreme Commander and Stalker. And it doesn't stop there! I'm excited because we're not even half way through the year and we have so many massive new releases to look forward to, such as Unreal Tournament 3, Empire Earth 2 and Medal of Honor Airborne (I'll go into more details on these in the coming weeks). And last but not least, Starcraft 2 has finally been announced! Even Blizzard is saying "It's about time!"
I'll leave you with a quote from a game, see if you can guess what game and who said it. 
"I don't care what you are doing, so much as the idiotic way that you are doing it."
Thursday News
admin - Thursday, May 31, 2007
Hi guys, these are just some articles which interested me today. If you find something interesting please post it below in comments so others can check it out or send an email to news@3fl.net.au so others can check it out.
- Tron makes its return, if only briefly (check out our upcoming article on Tron in the next couple of days!).
- Eve online players appear to bite the hand that feeds them.
- Gamasutra have an excellent article from the CCO of EA.
- NCsoft step into new territory with Dungeon Runners.
- MMO's still look the winner in the future PC market, but devs are warned not to watch too closely.
On a side note, to help those long work hours slide by, I've got a riddle of sorts. Clue: We're talking video game characters and this one (a particular favourite of mine) was quite rampant many years ago…
Post your answers within comments for this article. Good luck!
High Definition television (HDTV) in Australia
admin - Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Movies as well, such as The Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter and Spiderman were all broadcast in HD with Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks – giving an immersive experience. Once you’ve seen a movie in HD on a HD display, with a great sound system – you won’t want it any other way.
What do I need to receive High Definition television?
As a minimum, you need a receiver capable of decoding High Definition. This can include a High Definition Set Top Box to connect to your existing television, a television with an in-built High Definition tuner, or even a Digital Television Tuner card for your computer.
To truly experience High Definition television – you need a display that can display at a High Definition resolution. While you could connect a High Definition Set Top Box to your 34cm goldfish bowl CRT – you wouldn’t take advantage of the great picture quality.
Any display of 1280×720 or above is generally considered a High Definition display. A very common High Definition display resolution is 1366×768. Most LCDs 26 inches (66cm) and above have this resolution.
Viewing distance and display size also have an effect. For example, if you’re watching HD on a 26 inch (66cm) LCD from 5 metres away – your eyes may not be able to see a big difference between HD and SD. However, on a 32 inch (81cm) LCD from 2 metres away – it makes a big difference.
As we move towards larger displays, as well as higher quality displays – the need for High Definition is greater than ever. The most common LCD television size sold today is 32 inches – and it will only increase in the future. High Definition is not the future – it is here now.
Feel free to ask any questions or discuss anything about this article or digital television in the comments. I’ll do my best to help you out!
If you're interested in talking to a helpful community of enthusiasts about digital television, home theatre or even advice on purchasing your next HDTV, DTV Forum Australia is a great place to start.
In the next article, we’ll talk more about High Definition tuner cards and Home Theatre PCs.
Links
DTV Forum Australia – helpful community of digital television enthusiasts.
Digital Broadcasting Australia – a wealth of useful information on Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in Australia, including reception advice.
Site Offline – over 400 screen captures of High Definition programs broadcast in Australia. The images in this article have been used with permission from Site Offline – many thanks!
Nintendo News
admin - Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl are released in Australia on June 21, and will cost approximately $70. For a list of all the Wi-fi hotspots, visit www.NintendoWiFi.com.au.
References: www.Nintendo.com.au and www.ign.com.au
Hellgate: London
admin - Monday, May 28, 2007
Having developed Diablo 2, the developers have obviously got some talent behind them and will hopefully be able to produce a game of incredibly high standards.
So what do you think? Is this the new Diablo 3? Can this new release possibly knock down the Goliath that is World of Warcraft, or will Hellgate: London † just be another MMO?
Official Site: http://www.hellgatelondon.com/
Related Downloads:
- Hellgate: London – Templar Guardian skills trailer
- Hellgate: London – Templar Blademaster skills trailer
- Hellgate: London – Hunter trailer
Did you have something interesting for 3FL?
admin - Monday, May 28, 2007
Do you have an area of interest in gaming, or knowledge of gaming related news, events and technology? If you think that you have something interesting and newsworthy for 3FL members, please email us at news@3fl.net.au. You may have a hot link, an internet video, a news round up, found a new trailer on the web, or you may want to contribute a news article or series of articles to the 3FL site. While we can't always promise that your item will make it's way onto the site, we do assure you that if the article is topical, informative, relevant or just plain hilarious, we will do our best to share it with the rest of the 3FL community. We look forward to hearing from you!
YouTube Highlights
admin - Sunday, May 27, 2007
Homer & Peter hate everyone
Garry's Mod Club Dance Video
Transformers live action movie trailer
Guild Wars 2 & Guild Wars Expansion Announced
admin - Sunday, May 27, 2007
NCsoft® and ArenaNet® have revealed their exciting plans for the future of the hugely successful Guild Wars® franchise. The companies announced that development already is underway on a full sequel to the original Guild Wars games. Guild Wars 2TM will draw from the game mechanics that made the original Guild Wars one of the most popular online games ever and will add a fully persistent world. It was also revealed that, like its predecessors, Guild Wars 2 will not have a subscription fee. No launch date was announced, but the ArenaNet team anticipates that Guild Wars 2 will go into beta sometime in the second half of 2008.
In addition, ArenaNet developers are working on the first true expansion for the Guild Wars franchise, Guild Wars: Eye of the NorthTM. Due to hit store shelves during the 2007 holiday season, Guild Wars: Eye of the NorthTM will require at least one of the previous Guild Wars campaigns (PropheciesTM, FactionsTM, or NightfallTM) in order to play. It's a game that will benefit long-time players of the Guild Wars games, with all of the content targeting existing Guild Wars characters.
"We felt it was extremely important to reward those people who have been playing Guild Wars since the game first launched in 2005," said Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet. "Those players have seen three very large campaigns created in a little under two years and so we think it's time to begin filling in the details of the existing world and to provide more content for current characters. We are thrilled to focus our time on something that our players have been asking for."
Set largely in the dungeons and caverns of the lands of Tyria that players first explored in Guild Wars Prophecies, Guild Wars: Eye of the North will have 18 large, multi-level dungeons, 150 new skills across all 10 Guild Wars professions, 10 new Heroes, 40 new armor sets, and even more items, weapons and titles.
And for those looking even further down the road at Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars: Eye of the North will provide a Hall of Monuments where players' accomplishments are memorialized and eventually inherited by their Guild Wars 2 characters, unlocking exclusive items and bonuses in Guild Wars 2.
"It's the payoff we hope players will appreciate as we continue to build on the Guild Wars franchise," said Strain. "We're excited to announce these two new products and we want players to know that Guild Wars has an extremely exciting future in the months and years ahead."
An exclusive full preview of Guild Wars 2 and Guild Wars: Eye of the North can be found in the May issue of PC Gamer which will be on newsstands by April 3. More information on the Guild Wars franchise can be found at http://www.guildwars.com.
