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Carmack's lunar lander blows up (we feel guilty)
We know we can't blame ourselves. We won't lie: it hurt when id Software's John Carmack seemingly left the gaming scene to dabble in rocket science. Sure, there was DOOM RPG and Orcs & Elves, but we knew all along he was capable of so much more. Then along comes Carmack's QuakeCon '07 keynote and in it, news of Rage (their first id Tech 5-engine game), Quake Zero, Quake Arena for XBLA, another Wolfenstein game, and the id catalog hopping onto Steam. Yeah, that's a lot to heap onto anyone's plate ... especially an amatuer rocket scientist's Cape Canaveral collector's edition plate. Carmack's Armadillo Aerospace made an attempt on Sunday to cash in on this year's X Prize Cup by having their Lunar Lander hop from launch and landing pads, simulating a real lunar landing. Unfortunately, even after two successful runs, the craft's engine exploded shortly after ignition on what would be their final attempt. Carmack said, simply, "Today is officially a bad day when it comes to our vehicle." True enough, John. We just hope you didn't feel too distracted by all the wonderful treats brewing at your other job as a game designer 'cause then, we'd feel really guilty. [Via Eurogamer]
Fresh Orcs & Elves screens
Hot on the heels of yesterday's Orcs & Elves boxart comes a sheer avalanche of new screens for id's first-person RPG -- 28 of the things, to be exact, which we immensely enjoyed downloading and then uploading again. Cough.Anyhow, the game is looking suitably dark, gloomy and dingy, as any good old-fashioned, pointy-eared slice of dungeon-crawling worth its salt should.Look forward to slaying the orange chap to the right next month, and feast your eyes on the screens below in the meantime.%Gallery-9392%
Orcs & Elves gets European boxart
We've had our eye on Orcs & Elves for some time now, as we're dying to see how id's mobile phone game that received much acclaim would fare on the DS, perhaps receiving fame. See what we did there? We like to call ourselves wordsmiths.Anywho, all of our off-topic quipping aside, what do you all think of the boxart? We like all of the creepy smoke, but think that EA logo couldn't be more out of place. What say you all?
Checking out spell casting in Orcs & Elves
While we'll agree that Orcs & Elves could definitely use some better graphics, as well as maybe a more intuitive control scheme as far as controlling your character's movement goes (not the spell casting, that certainly looks fun enough), but that doesn't mean we're just going to write the game off.1UP recently got their hands on the game and found it to be oddly engaging. They obviously share our sentiment that the game lacks a fine touch in the graphics department, but feel the rest of the title they were lucky enough to get their hands on was actually pretty good. We're happy to hear that, to be honest.Read - Spellcasting trailerRead - 1UP preview
Doom RPG could be making its way to the DS
During an interview with Fountainhead's Anna Kang, Orcs & Elves was the main focus. And, with it leaping from cell phones to the DS, naturally other titles must be looked at as possibly being able to be ported or re-created for Ninytendo's platform. And a game we would like to see brought over is one they're already talking about, apparently: Doom RPG."Well, we've been talking about that. We would like to bring it to the DS," Kang said. She further added that there could be some issues with the younger audience that the handheld commands, stating "there's a real significant change that we'd like to make, and the interesting thing is that the DS is a much younger audience gaming platform. And Doom being Doom, we're not sure whether a mature rated game would do well on the DS."
John Carmack ponders Orcs & Elves on Wii
"Maybe we will do a Wii version next... with a magic wand."Those were the words of John Carmack, CTO and co-founder of id Software. While his company has made their fortune in the PC sector, the company has also outsourced development for some of its titles for gaming consoles, as well as most recently entering the mobile phone market. Now, they're bringing one of their mobile phone games, Orcs & Elves, to the DS.But, John apparently thinks the game could do well on the Wii. Having never played Orcs & Elves before, we're looking forward to the DS installment. Still, the premise of utilizing the Wiimote as a wand, casting spells and cleaning up dungeons, is one we can get behind.Any of you play Orcs & Elves before? Think the game can be adapted for the Wii?
Who could make Halo 4? MTV's Stephen Totilo speculates
There's a bit of bubbling on the internets that post-Halo 3, Bungie and Microsoft might split ways. This is seeming more and more unlikely, but if it were to ever happen, Microsoft would most likely retain rights to their FPS cash cow, and the milking would begin. The question is, who would be signed to develop the next true Halo sequel?Over at MTV's Multiplayer blog, Stephen Totilo does the dirty work and compiles a list of likely suspects to continue the franchise. Notable on the radar are developers like Rare, Free Radical, and id, with each possibility being given "wholly speculative" odds on the likelihood of such a thing ever happening.Of course, it's all just speculation at this point, but it never hurts to wonder. Who could work best with Bungie's golden franchise? For that matter, who could do the most damage to its hallowed reputation?
id admits Motorstorm inspirations for Rage
Think id's upcoming Rage looks a lot like Motorstorm? Well, the similarities are intentional. In an interview with Shacknews, id's Todd Hollenshead and Tim Willits talks about incorporating elements of Motorstorm into their genre-mixing FPS game. "There's obviously the first person shooting, then there are the driving games that are more arcadey. For me, I'm not a big Ridge Racer fan. The driving isn't going to be like that, it's going to be more like Motorstorm, more like Burnout. I really want people, when they play the game, to say, 'You know, it wasn't what I expected from id, but I had a great time doing it.'"We're intrigued by id's upcoming shooter -- if only because it's a huge departure for them. We're anxiously waiting for more.[Thanks, Joe!]
Drug kingpin IDed using advanced voice identification
Advanced voice recognition technology busted one Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia recently, a drug kingpin who had drastic plastic surgery in a failed attempt to mask his true identity. Because of his plastic surgery, Brazilian Police were unable to gain positive identification required for an arrest warrant. Instead, Colombian officials provided the US Drug Enforcement Agency with taped conversations, which the US body was able to match to Ramirez Abadia. It's not clear how advanced the technology actually is, since the Government keeps it under wraps: judging by the importance of this arrest, and the impending trial, we'd hope that it's beyond the capabilities of regular off-the-shelf desktop software.[Via PlasticSurgery101]
id Software's Steve Nix talks id Tech 5
Having recently unveiled a new and very promising multi-platform graphics engine in the form of id Tech 5 (and environmentally unfriendly FPS racing hybrid, Rage), id Software is once again poised to challenge Unreal's default reign over new-generation consoles. Not that the company's too concerned with Epic -- in an interview with Tom Bramwell at GamesIndustry.BIZ, id business development director Steve Nix stated, "I don't spend much time looking at Epic's current offering or what their product line is - we've always just done our own thing at id, so we don't spend too much time thinking about them."Time not spent thinking about the competition was dedicated to id Tech 5's "virtualised texture system," which Nix explained will provided unlimited texture memory to developers and prompt a "huge paradigm shift in the way game developers can work." Of course, developers and publishers will have to shift many a pair of dimes to license the engine, though Nix promised the cost would be fair and unaffected by competing software. "I don't think we need to really be concerned with anyone else's pricing, because we believe we have the best technology solution available."Gamers can judge the technology for themselves when id unleashes Rage..."when it's done."
Games coming to iPhone?
In response to the rumor of videos in to the iTunes UK store, our friends at Download Squad did a little poking around and found something else that might be imminent: games for the iPhone. (Official ones, that is-- there are already quite a few for the iPhone)Inside the iTunes localisation strings, is the following sequence:/* ===== iPhone Game Item Strings ===== */"4329.001" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected game from your iPhone?";"4329.002" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected games from your iPhone?";This basically confirms that Apple is bringing games to the iPhone. The only question, however, is: Which games? Are we going to get more Sims Bowling (ugh), or will Apple's new friends at id actually hook them up with something cool?I'll leave it at this: if Apple can get Doom on the iPhone faster than the hackers can, I'll finally cave in and pick one up. Of course, that's a win-win proposition-- no matter what happens, iPhone-owners will be playing Doom. But if Apple wants my money, I want some games worth playing in return.
First look at Orcs & Elves on the DS
At the recently concluded QuakeCon 07, Orcs & Evles was shown off to the press. Considering the game was announced back in January, we're glad to finally be able to see something on the game. It's also revealed, during the sneak peek, that the game will be available this holiday season.The level we get to check out is the Prison. While the atmosphere looks to be on point, we have to say that moving the hero around looks pretty cumbersome and difficult. Also, we get to see one of the game's bosses, but it's kind of dark so it might be hard for you see.Hit up the video past the post break and let us know if you think the jump from cell phone to DS is a good one.
id premieres Rage at QuakeCon
EA hasn't quite held up on their end of the Mac gaming bargain, but id has moved a step closer. At QuakeCon over the weekend, they announced that the first game to use their id Tech 5 engine (shown off at WWDC) will be called "Rage," featuring driving in expansive, outdoor environments. id's John Carmack apparently told QuakeCon that he wanted to break with the claustrophobic hallways of Doom and Quake 4, and so Rage will feature lots of "...bright, sunny outdoors."No date yet, of course (isn't that the way it always works?), but Rage is scheduled for a simultaneous release on all platforms, including our favorite, the Mac.
Id and Valve could have been violating GPL
After id Software released their catalog on Steam, some gamers on the Halflife2.net forums noticed a missing General Public License for DOSBox, an emulator used for playing older titles. Not including a GPL, which is a text file legally required to be included with the game to give due credit, violates the license and can lead to lawsuits.It appears, however, that subsequent downloads have fixed the problems, as either Valve or id has added the proper licenses. (Note the picture above, from the same forum thread, showing the licenses present in a recently-downloaded copy of HeXen.) This doesn't in either way affect the gameplay of the titles, but it is important to give credit for those who make your fragging possible in the first place. [Update: Clarified the wording as to the physical description of the GPL itself.][Via /.]
Quake Arena to rock the DS?
John Carmack may have released quite a big cat from quite a big bag at QuakeCon. He made comments in regards to a version of Quake Arena making its way to the DS during his keynote. He also said that, should it happen, he'd want a different control scheme than you may initially expect.Unlike the touch-screen input of Metroid Prime Hunters, Carmack voiced his opinion that a d-pad, restricted movement control scheme like that of Doom would be better-suited to the title. Personally, if this were even to happen, we'd prefer the touch-screen controls, as they more closely resemble the mouse and keyboard. Of course, Carmack's intent to put the game on the DS isn't anything new, but it's certainly a bit more plausible now, if we may say so.
QuakeCon 2007 keynote recap
Even though we couldn't liveblog the QuakeCon keynote, that didn't mean we weren't taking notes. It's Sunday, the final day of this giant BYOC (bring-your-own-computer) LAN party organized by volunteers right in id's backyard: Dallas, TX. Want to see how things went down on Friday night, when they announced Rage, their first game built using the id Tech 5 engine? Or how about the status of the next Wolfenstein game (hint: they're making one). Or how about John Carmack's thoughts on cell phone game development (if anyone can get us excited ...).6:10pm - We're all filing in.6:17pm - Todd Hollenshead takes the stage. Sponsor thanks; QuakeCon 2008 date is already set! (July 31 - August 3, 2008). He announces that the Enemy Territory: Quake Wars beta is open to all attendees both at the BYOC LAN, and as a downloadable beta once you get home. (The crowd goes wild). An October 2nd ship date is already set for ET: QW so mark those calendars. 6:24pm - OMG! Wolfenstein news! A new game is in development! ... and that's it. We already knew that much. No other news, just the teaser. Thanks for nothing, id!%Gallery-5531%
New Castle Wolfenstein game confirmed for the PS3
At the recent QuakeCon, id Software announced more than just Rage for the PS3. They also officially confirmed for the first time that the new Return to Castle Wolfenstein game is coming out for the PlayStation 3 as well. Previously only announced for the PC and the 360, this is welcome news for PS3 owners. While we already have a pretty heavy shooter line-up ahead of us, the Wolfenstein games have been able to carve out their own comfortable niche in the shooter genre. Something about shooting cyborg Nazis just never gets old ...
Quake Arena announced for XBLA
Yesterday, Id Software made an announcement from the comforts of QuakeCon confirming that Quake Arena is being developed for the Xbox Live Arcade. A release date wasn't announced nor any other details were talked about other than the fact that Pi Studios was working on the port.So fanboys, you already have your Arcade Doom and it'll only be a while until you have your Quake too ... you're so spoiled.[Via Joystiq]
New id FPS needs two discs on 360, one Blu-ray on PS3
idTech is real ... and it will finally arrive in a brand new game, Rage. Simultaneously developed for PC, Mac, PS3, and 360, Rage will use the second generation of id's "Megatexture" technology. What does that mean? 20GB worth of texture information will be squeezed through the engine's technology to deliver visually stunning scenes. Regardless of the compression, the game will require two DVDs for all platforms ... but the PS3.The need for added space in the HD-era of games is clear. Blu-ray's added storage allows the game to run on a single disc. The game itself is a departure for id, where it will try to combine "60 percent shooting and 40 percent driving." After a comet smashes into the Earth, players will have to fight the monsters that roam the wasteland.id plans to make Rage a 20 hour single player experience, and plans to offer co-op. Also, in a surprising change of pace, their aiming for a suspiciously safe Teen rating. The game will ship "when it's done."[Thanks, Karl W.!]
id Software dubs new game 'Rage'
Unveiled in June at Apple's WWDC conference, id Software's new IP has been finally given a proper identity at QuakeCon 2007 -- and it's not Return to Quoom 3D. Shacknews reports that Rage, the first game to be built upon the id Tech 5 graphics engine, will feature a strong driving element through expansive outdoor environments, in addition to the frenzied firing of unnecessarily large weapons that gamers have come to expect from the developer. Speaking at a QuakeCon keynote, id co-founder and programmer John Carmack noted, "Everybody knows we're going to do a good job with the run and gun action stuff...but we are branching out."Carmack did not specify which platforms he'd be unleashing the Rage upon, but explained that the game and its obscenely large textures would be shipping on two DVD discs (day and night cycles confirmed!) and one Blu-ray disc. We reckon that implies the same platforms id targeted for their new engine at the WWDC conference, namely PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Mac. We'll be sure to let you know once platforms have been officially designated.
