Posted by twisted on Wednesday, May 31, 2000

We here at SOLDIEROFFORTUNE.NET have hosteda new clan website called Clan Of Death. Here is a little info aboutthem:

We are the Clan of Death. We have one purpose. That is tobecome the most powerful clan there is. There is much more to becoming aforceful clan than just wanting it. You have to put time and effort into it.We want players who will give us their all. We want people who will striveto get better. We want people who are looking for the good of the clan, andnot for the good of themselves. You don't have to be the greatest player tojoin. We will help you get better through practicing and helpful tips thatyou will recieve from other clan members. If you are willing to put the timeinto it, we can turn you into a respectable player. Speaking of respect, ourclan must gain respect from other clans. If we lose a match, we cannot blameit one lag, cheating, or being cheap. We must pay honors to the other clan,and look forward to getting better. This clan will put faith in the membersof it, as will the members put faith in the clan.

If you wouldlike to join the clan, please check out their join page.

Check out Clan of Death's site!


 SoF V1.05 Patch Coming Shortly Posted by twisted on Wednesday, May 31, 2000

SoF fans rejoice! According to Rick Johnson, Ld. Programmer / Network Admin at Raven Software, version 1.05 patch for Soldier of Fortune will be out very soon. Here's all of what he had to say in his .plan update:

If anyone knows how to contact Elvis, please let me know immediately :)

SoF V1.05 patch will go into limited QA tomorrow - should be out shortly, but won't give any specificdates. This patch will mainly include a Pure server option and a few other minor fixes (EAX andA3D sound issues). Once the patch is available, the game source code will be made available.Several of us are working on the next thing for SoF, which is why 1.05 didn't have too many major things changed to it. Before you throw a fuss, don't worry...

If you are still in shock and don't believe me, check it out yourself here!


 Kenn Hoekstra Interview Posted by twisted on Wednesday, May 31, 2000

CheckOut Games has done an interview with Raven's Project Administrator, Kenn Hoekstra. The interview is an okay read, however, much of the info discussed is already known. Here's a Q&A from it:

Was there anything that you wanted to include in the game that Activision said "absolutely not" or did you pretty much have free reign?Activision only advised us in areas where there might be copyright violations or legal issues. From a content standpoint, though, we're the developers, so we pretty much had free reign.

Check out the rest here.


 E. Biessman & R. Johnson Interview Posted by twisted on Tuesday, May 30, 2000

Stomped has posted an interview that they had with Raven Software's Eric Biessman and Rick Johnson. The interview is fairly short but offers some important info to the community. FYI, Eric Biessman is design coordinator while Rick Johnson is lead programmer, who both worked on Soldier of Fortune. Here's a hot little Q&A taken from it:

Stomped: The beta patch for SoF came out about a month ago but since then there has not been much word of any further patches for the game. When can players expect the next patch and the first non-beta patch and what kinds of features and bug fixes are planned?

Rick Johnson: 1.05 will go into QA testing this week and *May.* be out next week if everything goes well. 1.05 mainly has support for the Pure server option, which then we will release the game source code. We are concentrating on other SoF improvement and fixes for a future release that were not appropriate for 1.05.

Check out the rest here!


 New Intruder Map Posted by reese on Tuesday, May 30, 2000

Intruder has release a new map in memory of Tyler Durden called "Departed". Here is what he had to say about it:

Well I don't know about you, but after I read that, I became very sad. Because I knew Stephen and played SOF many times with him on my server and he was a good player, that never said anything unless it was funny. So in order to preserve his memory, I have done this map called "Departed" in the memory of Tyler Durden, So here ya go Stephen, where ever you are I hope your still fraggin em with a smile. BTW Special Thanx to Turbo, for this maps design.

Download it here.


 VoyagerEliteForce.com Opens! Posted by twisted on Monday, May 29, 2000

Drum roll please! Introducing the latest site to appear on our exceptional network, VoyagerEliteForce.com! The site covers Raven Software's upcoming FPS that uses Quake III Arena's technology. Check it out here!


 SoF Review @ Cosmo3D Posted by SoulTaker on Monday, May 29, 2000

Cosmo3D has kicked up their own review of Soldier of Fortune. Here's a little snippet:

And with all the glory on walls, skies and footprints, the game sure must follow the realism trend when coming to the real action, right? Oh, yes! The way you can blow off vitally almost every part of the enemy's body, even when it's dead, is the most wonderful - but yet the most controversial aspect of the game. That means, if you are buying this game to your 10-year-old kids, you could likely find yourself a concrete wall and run your head towards it. Though you can turn on a parent-lock function, this game is designed for over-eighteens. And oh, did I mention that the game is violent?

You can check out the rest of this interview here.


 SoF League Schedule Posted by reese on Sunday, May 28, 2000

The schedule is up for the SoF League. All the clans participating be sure to check it out and be ready for the first games this Wenesday!


 SoF Fortress Interview Posted by SoulTaker on Sunday, May 28, 2000

TeamFortress Headquarters has sat down and conducted an interview with the development team of Soldier of Fortune Fortress. Here's a little clip from the interview:

Q: What are some of the newer scenarios you have come up with that are not in TF?

A: Captain_Obvious: Kent's working on the castle map, which is a traditional 2 fort CTF-ish map. The shipyard that consists of several docks and a central recharge station, will most likely be another CTF-ish map. There's Raptor's the Zone, where one team has to infiltrate the other team's base and destroy their computer.

You can read the rest of the interview here.


 SoF @ MediaJunkies Posted by SoulTaker on Saturday, May 27, 2000

Media Junkies has kicked up a review of Soldier of Fortune for you guys to check out. Here's a little clip from the review:

What Soldier of Fortune goes for to distinguish itself from the countless other shooters out there is realism. All the weapons are based on real weapons (or supposedly "in development" when it comes to the later ones) and react and fire the same as their real life counterparts. The missions take place in realistic locations (no Gothic sci-fi spaceships here), and your enemies react realistically when they’re shot. Some of the realism is turned down a notch in terms of gameplay, it isn’t very fun to die in one shot, realism or not. The game strikes the perfect balance between the two, you never get frustrated because of forced realism and nothing ever happens that doesn’t seem somewhat real.

You can go read the rest of the review here.


 Designer's Diary #12 Posted by utopia on Friday, May 26, 2000

SoF Center has posted their latest installment of their Designer's Diary series. This weeks installment is written by programmer, Keith Fuller. He talks about phenomenally satisfying gameplay elements. Go read the whole thing here.


 SoFFiles Mass Update! Posted by utopia on Thursday, May 25, 2000

Wow, a lot fo new stuff has just been uploaded to SoFFiles.com! The list is rather large, so here's the skinny: 1 Skinpack, 6 Male Skins, 7 Celebrity skins including Hitler, Clinton, Sub-Zero, Gordon Freeman, Chewbacca, Neo (from the Matrix) and The Crow. Finally, there's 2 new Capture the Flag maps and 4 New Deathmatch maps (Including a WWF arena map!)

So go download some stuff and have a great three day weekend!


 SoF-Fortress Interview Posted by Phoebus on Thursday, May 25, 2000

Our mad interview-meister, twisted sat figuratively down with Quarantine, one of the level designers on SoF: Team Fortress, which resulted in quite an informative interview about this upcoming mod, along with three exclusive screenshots. You'll definitely want to check that out :)


 Op: Overlord Interview Posted by SoulTaker on Tuesday, May 23, 2000

In The Trenches have posted an interview that they did with our own Patrick "twisted" Hardy which includes some new information on their upcoming mod, Operation Overlord. Here's a little bit from the interview:

How do you think OO will be different from SoF:TF?

Many people have asked us the same question, as I am sure they have asked SoF: TF too. The SoF: Team Fortress team is making a modification based on the classic version. Even though they will add many new twists to it, my understanding is that they will remain true to their predecessor. Operation Overlord is leaning towards a more World War 2 influenced experience. I can't tell the public everything about our progress and plans, but I can say that our mod will bring something new to the community. SoF: TF and our team plan to collaborate on a few things and all of us hold great respect for each other.

You can read the rest of this informative interview here.


 Clan Ladder Posted by reese on Tuesday, May 23, 2000

We here at S-o-F.com have created a SoF League. We are only excepting 8 clans to begin with so get on the ball and register before it is filled up. Check it out here.


 Kenn Hoekstra .Plan Update Posted by twisted on Monday, May 22, 2000

Besides mentioning his experience when attending a recent KISS concert, Kenn Hoekstra, Project Administrator on Soldier of Fortune, also had this to say in his .plan concerning SoF:

Also of note is the "Must Have Game" Award Soldier of Fortunewas given from Gone Gold this week. The award is given inconjunction with their game values list which features Soldierof Fortune for $39.99 at Best Buy and Comp USA this week. Thanks, guys! It's a nice addition to our awards page...

Read the whole .plan here.


 Saint Proverbius Interview Posted by twisted on Monday, May 22, 2000

Johnny of Fortress Center sends us this info:

Fortresscenter.com has done an interview with Saint Proverbius from the new SOF Fortress MOD. The interview contains information about the MOD and the different game types included within the MOD. We have also gotten a hold of some exclusive screenshots which can be found with the interview here.

 "The Zone" Screenshots Posted by twisted on Monday, May 22, 2000

SoF Center has received two new level screenshots, compliments of SoF: Team Fortress. The pics are of Raptor's new map, "The Zone".


 SoF Review @ EuroGamer Posted by SoulTaker on Monday, May 22, 2000

A Europe-based gaming site, EuroGamer, has kicked up a review of Soldier of Fortune. Here's a little tidbit from the review:

The animation is absolutely stunning, with each enemy having over200 motion-captured animations, providing the most realistic bodymovement possible with a variety of death-throes to view.

You can read the rest of the review by going here.


 Newest What If? Posted by Phoebus on Monday, May 22, 2000

What if Soldier of Fortune were crossed with classic TV shows? That's the topic of the latest installment of our What If? series, exploring such important cultural and socio-political issues as Saddam, Beer, Saddam, Amu, Saddam, Seinfeld, and of course . . . Saddam!


 New Mailbag Posted by reese on Sunday, May 21, 2000

This week's mailbag is full of neat information about SoF for Playstation and my mom. So check it out here.


 SoF Walkthrough Information Posted by utopia on Sunday, May 21, 2000

Just want to let you know that if you have any questions regarding a walkthrough of Soldier of Fortune. GameSpot has a great section up with walkthrough information. Check here until we get the rest of our walkthrough up. Kosovo Missions 2, and 3 should be up tommorow evening.


 SoF Win2K Issues Posted by utopia on Sunday, May 21, 2000

Ken Hoekstra has responded to a question someone had asked about Soldier of Fortune running in Windows 2000. Here's a response any Win2K owner should read:

Some of the Win2k issues have been addressed in the 1.04 patch, which is available at SoF Files . More issues willbe addressed in the upcoming 1.05 patch. In the meantime, there's a guide to troubleshooting Win2k and Soldier of Fortune in the FAQ at:http://sof.ravensoft.com/soffaq.htm#win2k

If you have further questions, full version technical support is beinghandled by Activision, the publisher. Please contact them atsupport@activision.com Make your subject line "Soldier of Fortune Technical Support." Remember to include yoursystem specs, including:

1. Processor Type And Speed

2. Operating System

3. Video Card Type and Driver Version

4. Sound Card Type and Driver Version

5. RAM Type and Amount

6. Hard Drive (Type, Size and Free Space Available)

7. Version of the game (Full Version/Tactical Version/US/UK/French/German)

Thanks Kenn!


 Designer's Diary Posted by twisted on Sunday, May 21, 2000

After being down on and off for quite a while, SoF Center has returned with part 11 of Designer's Diary. Written by Keith Fuller, a programmer at Raven Software, he chooses to discuss the requested topic, "How Much of SOF is Still Quake2?". Here's a small clip of the column:

Remember all of those snazzy 3D menus in Quake2? Probably not, since there weren't any. You guessed it…all of the menu stuff in SOF is homegrown. We completely removed the original code for the menu system.

Check out the rest here.


 Yet Another SoF Review Posted by utopia on Saturday, May 20, 2000

Snipers Alley has posted their review of Soldier of Fortune. Here's a clip:

Overall the game was great, the graphics was fantastic. The sound was also well done and realistic. The maps gave a feeling of actually being in the place and had a great atmospheric effect. The AI is good and so are all the model animations. The violence level in the game is also quite high with the ability to blow dead bodies apart or living ones too! The one thing I did not like was the shotgun model but then I did not use it that often and that one thing will not spoil the game.

You can read the full review right here.


 Operation Overlord IRC Channel Posted by twisted on Friday, May 19, 2000

Since Operation Overlord has received immense feedback on our forums, the team decided to register their channel (#Operation_Overlord) on irc.gamesnet.net. They invite you to stop by anytime and discuss this much-anticipated modification for Soldier of Fortune. However, please refrain from discussing warez and do not cuss in the channel.


 New Feature Article! Posted by utopia on Friday, May 19, 2000

Reese and Twisted have written up a great feature article called "Reese Said, Twisted Said" concerning the 26 gore zones in Soldier of Fortune and if it's a little too overboard. Here's a clip:

Reese: Even though violence is present throughout media, it can be regulated. SoF can not. There are no laws against purchasing a violent game, but there are law regarding entering a violent movie. But the difference between movies and a video game is that you are giving 12 year olds the power to play God. In a movie they can just watch while in video games, THEY kill the person, THEY watch them die, and THEY feel the power of controlling a person's life.

Twisted: I beg to differ, video games such as SoF are regulated. They feature parental locks so effective that little Billy can try reinstalling the game, but the non-violent setting will still be there. And I believe that MOST parents do know what their kids are playing and whether they can handle the mature content. It's a choice that is often left up to the parent to decide what their child does.

Check it out here.


 SoF @ Gaming Age Posted by SoulTaker on Friday, May 19, 2000

Gaming-Age has kicked up a review of Soldier of Fortune. Here's a little clip from the review:

Raven has crafted levels that create situations that are so exhilarating and pulse pounding because the great scripting makes it so.

 SoF Review At Gear4Games Posted by utopia on Thursday, May 18, 2000

Gear4Games has posted their review of Soldier of Fortune. Here's a clip:

How does the game look? Excellent. Although it uses the Quake2 engine, I think the graphics are some of the best out there right now. Raven definitely has used the Quake2 engine to its fullest capacity. The level with moving scenery is very well done, and even the wheels on the train move. If you're running a decent graphics card (I'm on a voodoo3) then you will get little extras such as a light reflection on your knife. It's the little things that make a game above average. The level design is good and the blood definitely looks real. The graphics in this game are one of the major reasons to get the game.

You can read the full review here.


 S-o-F.com Exlcusive: TheFatal Interview Posted by twisted on Thursday, May 18, 2000

For the second time, TheFatal has had a chance to answer quite a few of my questions and concerns. If you've been away from the SoF scene for a while, Rich 'TheFatal' Whitehouse is creating the hidebot, the first bot for Soldier of Fortune! Here's a Q&A teaser:

twisted: Out of all the bots you have created, which was the most difficult making?

TheFatal: Probably the Jumbot. The hidebot is more complex, but the Jumbot was my first project which I had to learn a lot for. Much of my knowledge from that was carried over to the hidebot.

Read the full interview here.


 New Column At The Trenches! Posted by utopia on Thursday, May 18, 2000

There's a new columnist at The Trenches and it's none other than yours truly. I will be writing a bi-weekly column at the site. You can go read my first one on the woes of mod developing here. Hope you like it.


 New Skinning Guide! Posted by utopia on Wednesday, May 17, 2000

Our own boys over at SkinLab have created their own walkthrough on how to create skins. Here's a snip from the email they sent:

As much as we love Gil's skinning tutorial we at SkinLab wanted to make a more approachable skinning guide that will hopefully become the tutorial standard for fledgling skinning authors. SkinLab's Beginner's Guide is set in rich hypermedia format and contains everything any gamer needs to know about starting his/her first skin.

This is the first in a series of three tutorials. They are full of detailed descriptions, pictures, and templates to get you up and skinning in no time. Be sure to stop by and check it out.


 Our New Server Posted by utopia on Wednesday, May 17, 2000

In case you didn't notice that we moved to a new server and everything is loading a lot faster, just read what a fan sent us:

Loading pages on your site used to be like hacking with the "Pig Sticker". Now it's like blowing a Terrorist's head off with the Shotgun!

Wow, you guys have great metaphors!


 Shooter of the Year Posted by utopia on Wednesday, May 17, 2000

I saw over at 3dfx.com that they have a poll for "Best Shooter of the Year". It has quite an array of titles that are not released yet, but Soldier of Fortune is on there. Go vote!


 SoF In Top-Selling Charts Posted by utopia on Wednesday, May 17, 2000

Soldier of Fortune is on the list of top-sellers for the previous month of April. It was #6 out of 20. If you'd like to read the article on IGN, it's right here.


 Developer Diaries Posted by twisted on Wednesday, May 17, 2000

Games Domain has started up a new feature called Developer Diaries. Clayton "Saint Proverbius" Howell of SoF: Team Fortress had the privilege of writing the first one for them. Here's some of what he had to say:

These are the two things we're keeping from the original TF for Quake. The classes, their weapons and abilities, and the ability to program maps to make multiplayer team based scenarios. However, there will be some notable changes. Some classes will have extra abilities in addition to their standard TF ones. I think we've already mentioned this in another interview, but the spy will have a "hacking" ability, and we're not talking about with his knife.

It's an informative read, check out the rest here.


 Testing testing! Posted by Phoebus on Wednesday, May 17, 2000

We have JUST moved to our new dedicated server! w00!Please let us know if you notice whether the pages / forums load up noticeably faster. We're upgrading just for you, the SoF community, and your feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks :-)


 Raven IRC Chat/Fragfest Update Posted by twisted on Tuesday, May 16, 2000

Keith Fuller sent word to PlanetSoldier that Rich 'TheFatal' Whitehouse will attend the event as well! If you didn't already know, Rich is the creator of the soon-to-be released Hidebot. Also, PlanetSoldier still needs more people to contact Wampey about sharing their SoF servers for the occasion. We will post another reminder about this event that takes place tommorow.


 Win a Copy of SoF! Posted by SoulTaker on Tuesday, May 16, 2000

VR Magazine is conducting a Game Trivia Contest, which tests your gaming knowledge, whereby the winner will recieve a copy of Soldier of Fortune


 Jake Simpson .Plan Update Posted by twisted on Tuesday, May 16, 2000

Jake Simpson, Programmer at Raven Software, updated his .plan. He expresses his views on the need for better E3 interviews, people flaming Daikatana, and the Soldier of Fortune mod community. This is only a sample of what he had to say about the SoF mod community:

I can personally vouch for the fact that we are doing our damndest to support the mod community, (I personally spent a week rebuildingthe download functions so they would work properly with downloading Ghoul Models, and making the available in the game), andany assertion that we are intentionally making life difficult for modders while we steal idea's is at the best laughable.

 Today's SoF Reviews Posted by SoulTaker on Tuesday, May 16, 2000

Here's a list of today's Soldier of Fortune reviews:

- T-Break
- LatestUpdates

 SoF Operations Rant Posted by twisted on Tuesday, May 16, 2000

IcePick of SoF Operations posted a rant on their main page. The clever and inciteful rant discusses her opinion on the community saying false and untrue statements about Raven stiffing the mod community, etc. Here's a penny for her thoughts:

Who exactly did [Raven] steal ghoul from? Ghoul is a brand new system, and a damned good one. Funny how when the game came out everyone loved it, and now everyone hates it because they can't... what? steal the idea and run with it? Grow up. If you want new models build them from scratch if you don't want to modify their work. (again, more on this later). Ghoul "stole" ideas from Spectre, an in house engine, it was entirely their own development which proves they put the hours in, the long hard hours that again you warezers (I'm not saying all of you are, but it's a fair bet some of you are) give them no recompence for.

 NAM Mod Calls It Quits Posted by twisted on Tuesday, May 16, 2000

Just saw this news update on the NAM site:

Well this probably seems abrupt, but the mod is at a standstill. The team did not together like I had planned or hoped, progress is constantly cut off by a heavy (real-life) work load and the problems of other team members. But I guess that's the life of a mod, it's more of a free time activity. I'd like to apologize to all of the people who wrote in telling me how much they were looking forward to playing this, I'm just as dissapointed as you are. I also need to apologize to PlanetSoldier for taking up there time, they are a great host but I just couldn't utilize there space.

To any other budding mod teams who feel that a Vietnam theme is the way to go, feel free to contact me. Ive got a design document containing some good information regarding weapons, players, etc... I can also put together a zip file of very useful images. But I only want to hand this over to someone who I feel will do a better job than myself.

The mod community will definitely not be the same without the hard working people who started this modification.


 New SoF Mailbag Posted by reese on Tuesday, May 16, 2000

Well, this week I decided to be less sarcastic and actually answer peoples' questions in a smart, reasonable manner. Who am I kidding, bring on the insults! Check out the mailbag here.


 S-o-F.com Exclusive: Interview with Gil Gribb Posted by twisted on Monday, May 15, 2000

This week's interview exposes Gil Gribb, employee at Raven Software and creator of the GHOUL engine! He answers a variety of questions, ranging from the game's shortcomings to his experience with the SoF team. Here's a Q&A:

Twisted: Some people say the game is too violent, what is your reaction?

Gil Gribb: I think the violence is the best part of the game. Some people can't seem to understand game violence and gore is unrelated to violence and gore in the real world. The violence can be toned down in SOF, but I would think most people adverse to violence in games should just pick one of the many fine titles that don't feature violence.

Check out the full interview here!


 Mullins Responds Posted by twisted on Monday, May 15, 2000

Shortly after the entertaining chat S-o-F.com held with the real-life Soldier of Fortune, John Mullins, I e-mailed him thanking him for chatting with us and answering all our questions. Also, I dropped a request in the thank you note asking him what he thought of my recent editorial, "The 21st Century’s Survival of the Fittest?". This is completely unedited and truthful response he gave me:

I think your editorial is spot-on. Young people need, crave, excitement. It causes all sorts of phenomena - extreme sports, driving fast, taking drugs, even crime. Any of that youthful exhuberance we can channel into video games is good for society, rather than the cause of violence such as posited by Grossman and other shallow thinkers.
John

I don't want to sound like a bragger, just wanted the community to know that we are a site that promotes substance and quality in everything we do here.


 The True Gamer's Setup Posted by twisted on Monday, May 15, 2000

PlanetSoldier's MadMaxJr has a very funny article. It discusses the ideal configuration for playing games and doing other things at the same time. Here's a taste of humor from it:

The fully fledged gamer can make it so he never has to leave that room for hours on end. They need few things. PC, Internet, Snacks, Sodas, and a set of clothes (optional). The richer gamer can get one of those mini-fridges for his room as well. As for where you put dirty clothes, try something like this.

 3DS Max Files Posted by utopia on Monday, May 15, 2000

I saw over at SoF Operations that they have uploaded the 3DS Max model files for Soldier of Fortune. Here's the links to the files:

- http://sof.ravensoft.com/download/ghoul.zip

81MB, this is all files except the characters.

- http://sof.ravensoft.com/download/female.zip

50MB, female character.

- http://sof.ravensoft.com/download/ecto.zip

40MB, skinny male character (hostages ect).

- http://sof.ravensoft.com/download/meso.zip

422MB!, large male character.

Whew! Those total 2.7GB, so happy downloading.


 ModCentral Interview With Eric Biessman Posted by utopia on Monday, May 15, 2000

ModCentral has interviewed Eric Biessman from Raven Software. They mainly talk about Raven's support for the SoF Mod community.

You can check that out here


 Exclusive Info On Controllable Turrets Posted by utopia on Monday, May 15, 2000

This was some interesting information we found out while asking Raven if it was possible to add turrets you can control.

We didn’t build anything like that into SOF, but I would guess that you could create a special trigger for the purpose of controlling an autogun. Place an autogun, place the trigger next to it, and have the think function for the trigger aim the gun based on the ent->client->ps.viewangles of the player.

 Skin Pack, Map Pack, & More Maps Posted by twisted on Sunday, May 14, 2000

BC's Custom Map Server has released their first skin pack. They advise to install all the skins at once. Also, the site has released a map pack, consisting of 12 maps, that you can download off their site. Some miscellaneous maps available for download include our own utopia who has release a map called The Gauntlet!


 SoFFiles Back in Business Posted by twisted on Sunday, May 14, 2000

As some May. have noticed, SoFFiles was temporarily down. But, they are back up to serve our SoF downloading needs.


 VR Magazine's Game Trivia Contest Posted by twisted on Sunday, May 14, 2000

VR Magazine is holding a contest where you answer some game trivia questions. The highest scoring player by this week's end, Saturday at midnight, has a chance to win a copy of Soldier of Fortune! So, give the contest's game a try and good luck!


 SoF.net's New Forums Posted by twisted on Sunday, May 14, 2000

StarMon2000 at SoF.net, passed this news on to us:

The SOLDIEROFFORTUNE.NET Forums are up and working! These newforums include a new layout, colors, and many new topics and posts! Go ahead and postsomething!

 Raven Software IRC Chat & Fragfest Posted by twisted on Sunday, May 14, 2000

Just saw on PlanetSoldier that they are holding a chat along with Raven Software employees! After the discussion, they plan to hold a fragfest party! However, they need some help. If any people have access to a T1 or better server, please contact Wampey. Here's all the information you need to know:

When: Thursday, May. 18, 2000 at 5:00 pm Pacific
Where: #sof on chat.planetquake.com
Why: So we can kick some monkey ass, and talk to Raven =)
How: Because we can!
Who: Long List (Kinda =)

Kevin Long, 2D Artist
Dan Kramer, Assistant Lead Programmer
Scott McNutt, Level Designer
John Scott, Programmer
Jarrod Showers, Animator
Eric Turman, Lead Animator
Keith Fuller, code lackey and personal morgue photographer for El Krem
And of couse, your favorite people, the Psof Staff =).

I hope to see you there!


 SoF: TF Events Posted by twisted on Sunday, May 14, 2000

SoF: Team Fortress has posted a screenshot of the Lost City level! Also, to clear up the past issue on Slay quitting their team, Slay himself said this:

I've decided to stay with this bunch of great folks. So I'm back, and better than ever(ya right...). I also updated the screenshots section with all those wonderful SOF Fortress pics, and to top it all off theres the first set of train level pics, by Quarantine. Go check em out!

You can view these screenshots here.


 SoF Chat with John Mullins Posted by Phoebus on Sunday, May 14, 2000

We've just posted our SoF Chat with John Mullins, Consultant on Soldier of Fortune! Mr. Mullins talked with everyone in attendance during our public SoF Chat session last night, about SoF, SoF 2, as well as a variety of other things, so we were able to glean quite a bit of interesting information from the conversation. Check it out!


 Clan Database Posted by twisted on Sunday, May 14, 2000

PlanetSoldier has opened up a new part of their site called the Clan Database. So, if you want your clan to be seen and listed, head on over to PlanetSoldier's Clan Database and register. Clans have signed up already!


 24 Hour Gamer Review Posted by twisted on Sunday, May 14, 2000

24 Gamer Review starts off today's news with their own review of Soldier of Fortune. They give SoF an overall rating of 95%! Here's a teaser:

Soldier of fortune electrifies the eyes with great 3d arts and graphics. The realistic value of this first person shooter is incredible. With every step you take, you breath deeply not knowing what's around the corner. Enter the world of a soldier who journeys across the world's most dangerous locations from political hotspots to a speeding freight train. Take on your missions with the idea of accomplishing your goal, to survive. Shoot down an Iraqi on an oil refinery, or kill a Russian in a Chemical plant. It's all up to you.

To read the full review, click here.


 Welcome MrClark Posted by MrClark on Saturday, May 13, 2000

The staff at SoF.com would like to welcome the newest member of the staff. He will be posting news, moderating the forums and generally making himself useful. If there is anything you think he should know (gaming related) you can catch him here.


 What A Chat! Posted by utopia on Saturday, May 13, 2000

If you missed our exclusive chat with John F. Mullins, you missed a great evening! It was extremely informative, and tons of fun all around. We'll soon be posting the Log, and a compiled list of Q&A for your reading pleasure. The Q&A covers everything from how serious Mr. Mullins has gotten injured, to what he felt was dissapointing in Soldier of Fortune. Look out for those in the next couple of days.


 Train Crash Level Pics Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 13, 2000

SoF: Team Fortress' Quarantine has given Planet Soldier 4 exclusive shots from his latest creation, called "Train Crash".


 [BC]'s Custom Map Server Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 13, 2000

Though I can't list all the custom maps they have released already because it would take up this whole page, [BC]'s Custom Map Server has all kinds of great maps that they run on their server.


 Go, Talk, Join The Community Posted by utopia on Saturday, May 13, 2000

So you want to be a part of the best online game community? What do you do? You post on the MessageBoards of course! Go join the discussion.


 New What If...? Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 13, 2000

As all gamers and press know, this weekend's buzz has been about E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo). Although I had the chance to go, one thing stood in my way, air fare:) That is why I wrote this week's "What if Reese and twisted did E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo)" to commemorate this grand event. Special guest appearances include John Carmack, Kenn Hoekstra, and Bubba the security guard. Enjoy!


 Chat With John Mullins Posted by reese on Saturday, May 13, 2000

Just to remind everyone, but make sure that you show up for the chat with John Mullins, set up by Utopia, tonight at 9pm EST. You can access this chat two ways. First from our Java Chat and second from IRC server chat.planetz.net and the channel #SoF. Cya there.


 How To Show FPS During Game Posted by utopia on Saturday, May 13, 2000

I noticed on the Raven Software Forums this post that tells how to show a counter that displays your FPS in-game. Here's the post:

Bring down the console and type: cl_showfps "x", a value of 1 enables a counter showing your current frame rate in the top-left corner. 0 disables this. Useful for testing the effects of changing graphical settings & finding a good trade-off between performance & visual quality.

 Operation Overlord Site Redesign! Posted by utopia on Saturday, May 13, 2000

The Operation Overlord site has been revamped and runs a lot faster. Be sure to check it out and give praise to Twisted.


 SoF Fortress Member Resigns Posted by utopia on Friday, May 12, 2000

It seems as though Slay, from SoF-Fortress, has resigned from the team, due to an incident that occured earlier this week. Here's an update he made on the page about it:

On Friday 12, 2000. I Slay, did a very bad thing on Gamesnet.com IRC channels. In channel #gamespy, I rudely and ridicously treated the ops with disrepect. My actions were irrational and stupid, I did not follow the rules of the channel. Theres more to the story than my plea for forgiveness, but they are now not the concerns of the SOF-Fortress team. I hereby resign from any actions with the SOF-Fortress team. Alot of things still need to be resolved, and I'm not sure they can or ever will. Well this is goodbye from me, it was great working with a good couple of members on the team. CYA!

 SoF Quark Support Posted by utopia on Friday, May 12, 2000

It seems as though Quark, the Quake engine level editor, will soon be supporting Soldier of Fortune. Here's a clip:

Alex and Andy have begun preliminary support for Soldier of Fortune in QuArK. Check the QuArK-Python forum/mailing-list to see what they're doing, and post a message if you can help with anything.

 Why The Wait On v1.05 Posted by utopia on Friday, May 12, 2000

Many people, myself included, have been wondering what is taking so long to get the v1.05 patch released. Mostly anticipated for the source code, the patch will fix some multiplayer bugs and some A3D stuff. I was checking out the Raven Software Forums and saw this snippet of info:

Releasing the game source code would allow a "mod" to be made that removes the violence lock on the server end. I know what you are thinking "who cares". Parents have trusted that the parental lock/tactical version is actually low violence, and we WON'T betray their trust. 1.05 will have a solution to this that allows us to release the game source without comprimising the violence lock.

Readus.

So hang tight everyone, it's coming.


 Most Wanted Files Posted by twisted on Friday, May 12, 2000

SoF Files sends word about two files that every SoF fan should have. The first is a little config file that should help reduce lag, great for modem users! The second file is a hilarious movie that pokes fun at today's games.


 SoF-Fortress Shots Posted by reese on Friday, May 12, 2000

Even though we have already seen some, SoF-Fortress has releases new screen shots of thier map "The Lost Island". Check them out here.


 New SoF Map Posted by reese on Friday, May 12, 2000

The BC Custom Server has released a new multiplayer map. It is by Intruder and is called BlackHoleSun. Here is what Intruder has to say:

Well here's my sixth SOF map and this time I tried to be different and make a map that requires some thinking, such as coming off the highest vantage points takes away from your health, so sometimes if there's no health where your going, then you will have to sit tight until it spawns, so you can land on it or close to it and the lowest platforms are unaccessable unless you spawn there, so don't try to jump down there or your just another bloodstain. Forethought and some on the move thinking is the only way you will dominate this map, think I'm kidding just try to run and gun and see where it gets ya. There's one secret in this map and its a camper removal device, but its well hidden, so good luck finding it. But anyways it should take out more than half the players on the map if activated. Have fun and be careful that ya don't get struck by lightning. LOL.

This map is based on an idea and concept that one of the best map artists I know of, used in a Kingpin map and I borrowed it for this map, so thanx Turbo.

Get the map here and check out the BC Custom Server.


 Source Code Woes? Posted by twisted on Friday, May 12, 2000

After extreme complaining on the official messageboards, Gil Gribb tells why the source code is late being released:

About this time we recognized a serious problem. Releasing the game source code would allow a "mod" to be made that removes the violence lock on the server end. I know what you are thinking "who cares". Parents have trusted that the parental lock/tactical version is actually low violence, and we WON'T betray their trust. 1.05 will have a solution to this that allows us to release the game source without comprimising the violence lock.

 Two Days Until A Chat With John Mullins! Posted by utopia on Thursday, May 11, 2000

Oh my! It is getting ever closer to our anticipated chat with the man himself, John Mullins. Be sure to be there.

You can get in two ways:

- Connect via mIRC, or another IRC chat program, by connecting to chat.planetz.net.

- Or just head to our java chat room.

We'll be sure to be there(since we're hosting it), so you should be there too.


 Alloy Gaming Review Posted by twisted on Thursday, May 11, 2000

Alloy Gaming has written a review for Soldier of Fortune. They awarded the FPS a score of 86% overall! It features a ton of screenshots, here's a clip from it:

SoF managed to add some strategy but not sacrificing the action. Before going to a new location, you are required to choose your weapons. Realistically, you can’t carry every weapon, so your inventory is limited. This allows you to carefully plan out what weapons and misc. items that you will take on your trip. The outcome of several missions could be accomplished better if you take a more stealth approach. If you’re the type that does not want to go in quiet, then you have fun but be prepared to take on more foes. One little nifty thing added was a sound bar indicating how much noise you are making and this proved to be pretty helpful when taking a stealth approach. While playing I found flash grenades to be very helpful. Throwing them around unknown corners and blinding them made everything easier.

 SoF.net Interview Posted by twisted on Wednesday, May 10, 2000

Recently, I had a chance to be interviewed by StarMon 2000 of SoF.net. He asked me questions such as my role as mapper for Operation Overlord. Here's a Q&A from it:

StarMon2000: Is there a planned single-player part to the Operation Overlord mod?

twisted: No. However, I have talked to TheFatal about him possibly helping up create bot support for the game. He was all for it, except, he wants to get back in touch as soon as the source code is released.

Check out the full interview here.


 SoF: Team Fortress Shots Posted by twisted on Wednesday, May 10, 2000

SoF: Team Fortress sent 5 screenshots of "The Lost Island" level to Planet Soldier. The pictures of the level look amazing, so check it out here!


 Introducing...A Guest Editorial Posted by twisted on Wednesday, May 10, 2000

Bummed out by the week? We have something to offer that shouldcheer you up. Kenn Hoekstra, Project Administrator at Raven Software, wrote a fabulous guest editorial for us. It discusses his trials and tribulations when writing the Soldier of Fortune strategy guide for Brady Games. It's a must read!


 SoF Support for QuArK Posted by twisted on Wednesday, May 10, 2000

Most of the support for Soldier of Fortune seems to be completed as per the snippet on QuArK's site and egroups forum. Mappers will rejoice after hearing this:

Soldier of Fortune support...

Alex and Andy have begun preliminary support for Soldier of Fortune in QuArK.Check the QuArK-Python forum/mailing-list to see what they're doing, and post amessage if you can help with anything.

Regards,

[SDS]Envy/EnvySDS

Thanks goes to Thomas Gobuzas for the heads up!


 Kenn H. .Plan Update Posted by twisted on Tuesday, May 9, 2000

Kenn Hoekstra, Project Administrator on Soldier of Fortune, updated his .plan today. Though it didn't mention very much of SoF, here's the part that did:

On a Soldier of Fortune note, I'd like to extend my thanks to the guys and gals at PCXL magazine for a great run. I picked up the final issue yesterday and what a way to go! A glowing 9 out of 10 SoF review, a SoF multiplayer strategy guide and an article on violence in gaming...nice. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. I will mourn the loss of your magazine... =(

 Quarantine .Plan Update Posted by twisted on Tuesday, May 9, 2000

Quarantine, Level Designer for SoF: Team Fortress, has updated his .plan. If you're wondering how the Operation Overlord turned out, he talks about it:

I just attended the chat with the OO team, while there were some contradicting statements about their alpha, I think they're real nice guys. :) I hope OO and SoF-TF can live in harmony, we've got a beta-exchange deal working, so that should be cool. May.be we'll even exchange resources further into development.

Best of luck, OO!

 Chat With John Mullins! Posted by utopia on Tuesday, May 9, 2000

You want to chat with John Mullins you say? I suppose we can arrange that, and we did. We'll be holding our very own Soldier-of-Fortune.com Chat with John Mullins himself this coming Sunday [May. 14] at 9pm EST. Be there or be assassinated.


 Mirror Site For CTF Map Posted by reese on Tuesday, May 9, 2000

For all you people getting slow downloads of the CTF map (referred to below), a mirror site has been set up at FileLeech.com. Go there and search for "SoFiaCTF_v1.1".


 SoF: Disorder Design Sketches Posted by twisted on Tuesday, May 9, 2000

SoF: Disorder has scanned some concept sketches available for display. These pictures are of the tanker map he is working on and include descriptions.


 First User-Made CTF Map Released! Posted by Phoebus on Monday, May 8, 2000

RenderMan sends word announcing the release of the first Soldier of Fortune usermade CTF map called SoFia CTF! This map is available fordownload now, but if you'd like to mirror the file, please do so!

Consoles SoF servers are running SoFia CTF right now, for your gaming pleasure! If you have any comments,
feel free to send an email to RenderMan and/or DarkLord.


 BigKid Review Posted by twisted on Monday, May 8, 2000

Woop! BigKid, an Aussie site, brings the public a review of the smash hit FPS, Soldier of Fortune. SoF was awarded a score of 7.5/10 by them! Here's a clip:

The weaponry in SoF is realistic and satisfying. As is usual in single player FPS's, the further the story progresses the great the firepower that becomes available. Mullins only has a set number of inventory slots, and must decide at the beginning of each mission which weapons to take and which to leave behind - a decision which is not as easy as it sounds.

 More SoF: Team Fortress Pics Posted by twisted on Monday, May 8, 2000

Planet Soldier has snagged some exclusive shots of a level called "The Zone", created by Raptor of the SoF Fortress team.The pics really take a bite out of level designing (end bad joke).


 New Article: Twisted's Corner Posted by twisted on Monday, May 8, 2000

As you May. or May. not know, there is a more philosophical side to me if you will. Don't get me wrong, I love having a job that includes writing a funny column series such as "What If...?". However, there is a time in every person's life where they have to wise up. So, I decided to write an editorial entitled "Twisted's Corner: The 21st Century’s Survival of the Fittest?". It compares and contrasts ancient Rome's gladitorial games to today's graphic games such as Soldier of Fortune. By all means, please read this article and send me your comments and opinions about it. And unlike reese, I won't insult you:)


 SoF Fortress Progress Posted by SoulTaker on Monday, May 8, 2000

SoF Fortress' level designer, Quarantine, updated his .plan with the following:

Okay, my first level for SoF-Fortress is going to be a Train level. The basis is that there are 6 hostage players, 6-12 assasin (snipers), and 6-12 soldiers. There's also a bomb.

Assasins and Soldiers will be randomly placed on the map, Assasins must defend the bomb from being de-activated whilst keeping the hostages. Saving a hostage gains you 5 points, deactivating the bomb gives your team 20 points. Assasins get 5 points for every Soldier they kill. After the round, the roles are switched and the round goes again.

 Exclusive Operation Overlord Shots! Posted by utopia on Monday, May 8, 2000

SoFCenter has posted eight exclusive screenshots from Operation Overlord.

The Overlord page will also not be updated for a few days, as they are putting up a redesign. So hold your horses.


 Operation Overlord Rumor Clarification Posted by utopia on Monday, May 8, 2000

Earlier today there was quite a war going on between Operation Overlord and SoF-Fortress. All has been cleared but the rumors still linger. To clear anything up, the OO team will have a chat tommorow (Wednesday) at 9pm EST in our chat room. It should be quite informative so if you have any questions, be sure to attend.


 Raven Award Case Posted by reese on Monday, May 8, 2000

Just incase you did not know, Raven Software has an Award Case. It is growing at an alarming rate. I suggest that you check it out.


 Soldier Of Fortune Review Posted by reese on Monday, May 8, 2000

Playboy.com has realease a excellent review of Soldier of Fortune. They had this to say:

But if you don't mind -- or even look forward to -- playing a game that could make Quentin Tarantino blush, pick this one up, because once you slice through all the carnage, it's actually a very good game.

Check it out here.


 New SoF Map! Posted by utopia on Sunday, May 7, 2000

I saw over at SoFFiles.com there's a cool new map called "Town". It has some awesome features, most noticeable is the very large outdoor area, which is larger than any you've seen in SoF yet. It's a blast to play in as well. Go grab it here.


 Spankin' New What If...? Posted by twisted on Sunday, May 7, 2000

This week's What If...? discusses the age old question, "What if Raven Software released miscellaneous levels for the community?". Some topics discussed include reese's room and OJ Simpson. Now I would like to address a sensitive subject, reese stop asking me to do your Mailbag.


 New Mailbag Is Up Posted by reese on Sunday, May 7, 2000

This week's mailbag is full bizarre happening including my sister telling me that I am adopted and some guy who likes to blow the hell out of Germans. Check it out here.


 New Site: SoF Screens & Stuff Posted by twisted on Sunday, May 7, 2000

Time to let someone else do the talking, how about StarMon2000 of SoF.net. He sent us the following info about this new site:

Hey everyone, we here at SOLDIEROFFORTUNE.NET have hosted a new site called SoF Screens & Stuff. They specialize in screenshots and wallpapers. If you would like to submit a screenshot or wallpaper, email it to EvilGreg. Check out the new site here.

 Game Forces Demo Review Posted by twisted on Sunday, May 7, 2000

Though not very significant, Game Forces has up their review of the Soldier of Fortune demo. They awarded SoF demo a score 4/5! Here's their conclusion:

Soldier of Fortune is displayed in its true glory with support for hardware T&L and S3TC, but it has spectacular gameplay, although slightly less fun with the violence levels turned down. You'll find yourself going through this one many times.

 Messageboard is back up! Posted by Hunter on Saturday, May 6, 2000

It's back! Our messageboard is back up for your questions and comments about cheese ;-). Just kidding. Enough of the cheese ok?


 S-o-F.com Exclusive: Interview with Dan Kramer Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 6, 2000

Recently, I had the great privilege of interviewing Dan Kramer, Assistant Lead Programmer on Soldier of Fortune. The interview discusses a broad range of topics, so there is plenty of information you might find interesting! Here's a question and answer from it:

twisted: Now that you have completed work Soldier of Fortune, aside from the patches, have you still been paying attention to the SoF community's growth such as the formation of mods, etc.?

Dan Kramer: I am a regular on our official forums. I also visit the fan sites pretty much every day, so I'm at least aware of what's going on out there. Honestly, though, I spend the most time just playing SoF. I play during lunch or right after quite often. Yesterday I finally got around to getting a cable modem at home, so I spent a few (well, 4...) hours playing from home. I'm kind of an addict. I'd love to actually work on a MOD idea or two, but I don't think I can delude myself enough into believing that I'll have the time to do it.

 Gaming Violence Article Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 6, 2000

The Bad Place's Nocturnal offers his opinion that Soldier of Fortune takes violence to extreme and ridiculous levels. I, myself, don't agree with his view, but you can decide for yourself by reading the article.


 New Site: Soldiers of Wireplay Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 6, 2000

Attention UK players, you MUST go to Soldiers of Wireplay. The site claims to be an online resource for UK SoF players. This site has everything, so check it out!


 Soldier of Fortune Guide Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 6, 2000

Computer Games Online has released their first & second editions of gaming tips for Soldier of Fortune single player and multiplayer.


 Hostile Operations Mod Report Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 6, 2000

music:response sent us some info surrounding their mod, Hostile Operations. Here's what he had to say:

I am music:response, co-developer for the new MOD in development called Hostile Operations. The MOD will be based around the classic Counter terrorist vs. Terrorist format, but will have some fantastic new scenarios which we promise will make this MOD original and highly playable. One of the main focuses of this MOD will be realism, which we hope will make it different from other well known CT vs. T mods. The SOF engine will provide an excellent advance in the capabilities of this type of MOD, which our team hopes to fully exploit.

The Hostile-Operations team still require mappers and a sound engineer. Please contact us at teamhostileop@btinternet.com if interesed. We promise to have a web-site up and running as soon as we can.

Thanks
music:response
Co-Developer Hostile Operations

 New Site: BC's Custom Map Server Site Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 6, 2000

Planet Soldier passed on the following info about their newest hosted site, BC's Custom Map Server Site:

We would like to welcome all you folks to the BC's Custom Map Server Site!
If you're itching to test out a new map or skin that you've made, they're
the ones to call! They will dedicate their server bandwidth to host only
custom maps, skins and they welcome everyone to put on their best costume
and come out and join them as they tear the battlefield up, BC's style.
They encourage you to submit your SoF files for gameplay so they can put a
CAP-N-YO-ASS! But they don't do only that! They have new maps and skins for
all you guys to leech.

 Exclusive SoF Fortress Screenshots Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 6, 2000

SoF Center got their hands on 3 exclusive in-game pics of the "Lost Island" map. Check it out at their site


 Games Xtreme Review Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 6, 2000

Games Xtreme has posted their review of Soldier of Fortune. It received a score of 90%, here's why:

Soldier of Fortune is a spectacular blend of both action and stealth and seems to be an excellent mixture of Quake and Rainbow Six. As more and more developers join the First Person Shooter genre, the games that stand out will need to be special; something that will get noticed. Soldier of Fortune has been noticed…from the over-the-top gore and hit detection system to the multitude of weapons; SoF is one of those games that everyone should at least try.

 EternX Interview Posted by utopia on Saturday, May 6, 2000

The guys over at Modcentral have posted a great interview with the guys from EternX. Here's a snip from it:

There are going to be a lot of gameplays in the game, am I correct?

Our prime focus will be the Campaign style of gameplay, but there will also be other types including: Search & Rescue, Capture the Flag, Assault and Pitched Skirmishes (Team Deathmatch). We want to try and stray away from the "twitch finger" gameplay of most FPS’s and focus more on a team-based strategy. We will have individual maps, so as to not exclude those "twitch finger" players who inhabit the Quake and Unreal Tournament games. We reserve the Campaign style gameplay for those who want the full experience of our MOD.

You can check that out here


 Operation Overlord Chat Log Posted by utopia on Saturday, May 6, 2000

Modcentral has posted the log of the Operation Overlord chat, held on Friday. You can check that out here


 SoF-Fortress Screens Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 6, 2000

SoF-Fortress sent along 4 exclusive pics to Planet Soldier. The first one includes the prototype sketches of their 5 classes while the other 3 were taken in their team assault level entitled "The Lost Island". Also, feel free to chat with SoF-Fortress at #sof-fortress on chat.planetquake.com in IRC.


 3D Gaming Daily Review Posted by twisted on Saturday, May 6, 2000

3D Gaming Dail