June 2000
Hostile Intent Joins Our Ranks! Posted by wmull on Friday, June 30, 2000
Please welcome the newest hosted site to join our ranks, Hostile Intent! What's this you ask? Well, it's a class-based realism mod for SoF! And as you can see on the site, you can already download the mod and give the boys any feedback you May. have. You can visit their forums and talk all about this exciting new mod as well! Head to the Hostile Intent site for more info!
SoF Playboy's Game Of The Month! Posted by wmull on Friday, June 30, 2000
 | Raven's Project Administrator Kenn Hoekstra sent word that the latest print issue of Playboy Magazine (August 2000 - yes, the one with Darva Conger ;-) features Soldier of Fortune as the 'Game of the Month'. |
Guess you'll just have to break down and purchase a copy to see for yourself ;)
SoF Goes Linux Posted by utopia on Thursday, June 29, 2000
The popular company Loki has agreed to port Soldier of Fortune to the Linux Operating System.
There's a great preview of Soldier of Fortune for the Linux at Linux Games. Here's a clip:Soldier of Fortune for Linux should be in stores quite soon, and in the interim you can test it out on your system with the demo that Loki has released. This will give you a good taste of how the single player game looks. While the demo doesn't support multiplayer through WON, it does contain a limited client and dedicated server to allow you to arrange your own games outside of the WON service. Also, you should avoid going out and buying the Windows version in the meantime. If your primary goal is to play under Linux, you'll only be hurting Loki and the growing Linux games market by doing so. Oh, and there is the fact that the Windows data files won't be compatible with the Linux data files. That cuts both ways, incidentally. If you buy Soldier of Fortune for Linux, you won't be able to use that CD to play under Windows.
Keith's Got Code! Posted by utopia on Thursday, June 29, 2000
We've been plugging this for a while now, and the first edition is complete! We asked you to send in your code related questions and Keith Fuller would try to help you out. So without further adieu - we introduce you to the new series here at S-o-F.com; Keith's Got Code! This week's edition covers questions ranging from how to get dual-style John Woo pistols to making it so you can carry tons of ammo and have cake at the same time. Check it out.
SoF Wallpapers Posted by wmull on Wednesday, June 28, 2000
Looking for some cool Soldier of Fortune wallpapers? Check 'em out here!
John Scott .plan update Posted by twisted on Tuesday, June 27, 2000
John Scott updated his .plan file stating he has made a few fixes that will be in the next version. He mostly talks about the V5 and fixes in the next patch.
Best Game So Far This Year? Posted by wmull on Monday, June 26, 2000
GameSpot's Question of the Week concerns what you think the best game released so far this year is! So, drop by and vote for SoF in their poll!
New Z-Axis DM Map Review Posted by wmull on Sunday, June 25, 2000
Karnatos of Z-Axis sends word that they have posted their second SoF DM map review, this time of a map called Hedgend Industrial Estate:Hedgend Industrial Estate is our second Soldier of Fortune review. It's your basic DeathMatch arena, that is perhaps a little too plain. Not to sayit is not fun to play, but style sometimes makes or breaks a map when it is a more "middle of the road" product. Check it out though, all you soldiers out there might just enjoy the carnage that would result in jumping into this arena.
New SoF Review Posted by wmull on Sunday, June 25, 2000
The Xtreme Network has posted a review of Soldier of Fortune. Here's a snippet:All of this carnage is possible due to the incorporation of the GHOUL damage modeling system into the Quake II engine on which this game is built. While the Quake engine is a solid standby used in many games today the GHOUL system is a unique and very welcome addition to shooters. I hope more companies incorporate this style of damage modeling into more shooters in the future, it not only gives the game a more real feel, it is a bit more believable than the usual "hit the guy 6 times til he's dead" routine. I would love to see something like this brought into the Rainbow Six series of games, would add another depth of realism to an already realistic tactical sim.
The Engine Licensing Game Posted by wmull on Sunday, June 25, 2000
I noticed over on Blue's News that there's an article entitled The Engine Licensing Game over on Eurogamer.net. The article features quotes from Raven programmer Jake Simpson (as well as American McGee, Glen Dahlgren , Warren Spector, and John Romero), talking about the choice to license an engine rather than create one from scratch.
Friday Night Firefight! Posted by wmull on Saturday, June 24, 2000
Please welcome Friday Night Firefight, the newest mod to hit the SoF scene, hosted right here at Soldier-of-Fortune.com! Friday Night Firefight strives to add even more realism to the multiplayer component of SoF, but will also work with single player. Rather than steal thunder in an attempt to describe the mod for you, head to to the Friday Night Firefight site and send an email to killjoy to join his team, if you think you can help out!
Hostile Operations Mod Posted by reese on Friday, June 23, 2000
There is a new modification in town and it is called Hostile Operations. Here is what the creators have to say about it:The MOD will be a teamplay MOD based around the Counter-Terrorist vs. Terrorist format. Some of the new features to be included are completely remodelled weapons, new sounds, new exciting scenarios, to name a few.... Sounds nifty, be sure to check it out.
SoF ModCentral Interview Posted by wmull on Friday, June 23, 2000
Interface posted an interview with Pigwhistler over on his SoF ModCentral site, in which they talked about Atrophy, modding, and about Pigwhistler's upcoming mod, Bodyguards. Here's an excerpt:About the server side mods... Why didn't anybody do this before? And how are you going to accomplish this in SoF?
Well, i'm not 100% sure with SoF. It's one of the few things i need to sort out and i've emailed Rick Johnson regarding what we need to do. Lots of people did server side mods for Quake2... but it seems that the current fashion is for Team Fortress or Counterstrike mods. People think that a mod isn't playable unless it's got a 20Mb map and animation file... What people need to remember is the reason why they bought Kingpin and SoF was to play those games and modes of play in those games. New weapons and maps are fine, but why duplicate the skilled output of Raven and Xatrix by making maps and models? (besides the fact that i just don't possess these skills at the moment). My favourite Quake2 mods were NIQ, KOTS, config30 - all server side - Quake2 was a fine game that didn't need too much extra, just a few different modes.
SoF Multiplayer Test Due Monday Posted by wmull on Thursday, June 22, 2000
Thanks to Sampærna for notifying us via our forums that Rick Johnson announced on Raven's Official SoF Forums that on Monday . . .I'm going to put out a test .exe which back-dates out the latest code from WON to see if their stuff is what is causing all of the crashes (which based on the crash addresses, I believe it is). I'll also release a new eaxsnd.dll and eaxman.dll which have bugs fixed by creative as well.
Mike Crowns Interview Posted by wmull on Thursday, June 22, 2000
Tech Extreme has interviewed Mike Crowns of Raven Software. The rarely-interviewed Mr. Crowns talks about Soldier of Fortune, Elite Force, as well as his job duties as Director of Product Development. Check it out!
SoF User Maps Review Posted by wmull on Wednesday, June 21, 2000
Karnatos at Z-Axis has posted the first in a series of six reviews of Soldier of Fortune user maps, starting off with Casino, an SoF DM map by Foyleman. You can check out the review here.
Linux SoF Preview Posted by Hunter on Wednesday, June 21, 2000
Linux.com has a preview of the Linux version of Soldier of Fortune that's being ported by Loki Entertainment Software. Aside from some minor glitches, the port is looking good they say. They also give SoF 5 penguins, their highest honor :).
SoF Wins "Hardass" Award! Posted by Hunter on Wednesday, June 21, 2000
HardNews posted a review on Soldier of Fortune. They give it their Hardass award and a final score of 10 out of 10! They also gave the controls and gameplay a 10, but the graphics and sound didn't thrill them too much. Still, the game's hella fun to play they say. Read the review.
SoF's Baddies Posted by Hunter on Wednesday, June 21, 2000
The Adrenaline Vault posted an interesting article. Columnist Kareem Harper responds to an another article that says that SoF's baddies are minorities because they typically represent the "other," the enemy. Read the article for more.
Soldier Of Fortune Is Getting Good Ratings! Posted by Hunter on Wednesday, June 21, 2000
Over at ActionTrip, Soldier of Fortune has been getting some great ratings! ActionTrip, is a place where you, the player gets to vote for your favorite game. Well, here's how SoF is doing:
second best in its genre (first-person shooter)
fifth best out of all
ninth best sound
Way to go Soldier of Fortune! By the way, here's an article also from ActionTrip on SoF.
Greg Barr Interview Posted by twisted on Tuesday, June 20, 2000
Rust has a great interview with Raven level designer, Greg Barr. Greg answers questions such as how he made it to Raven, what challenges he faced when working on SoF maps, and the most difficult aspect of level design. Check out the interview here!
How to Compile the SoF Game Source Posted by twisted on Tuesday, June 20, 2000
Raven Software's own Rick Johnson posted a tutorial of getting the SDK to compile to on the official forums. The guide should be really helpful to all those coders out there! Rick also mentioned more information will be on the way soon.
Saint Proverbius Interview Posted by twisted on Tuesday, June 20, 2000
Mod Nation conducted an interview with one of SoF: Fortress' programmers, Saint Proverbius. The interview discusses a broad range of subjects such as general info on the mod's classes and plot. Here's a Q&A from it:Modnation: Can you tell us about some of these special abilities for some classes?
SP: Well, the spy is fairly useless in most Fortress games. We're hoping to make it less easy to "spy check" to discover who the spy is. The spy will also be able to "hack" enemy information once inside an enemy base area. That's just one example. ;) Read the interview here.
Operation Overlord Interview Posted by twisted on Tuesday, June 20, 2000
As most know, Operation Overlord has called it quits unless they can find some more coders. In the Trenches' JiggaShow had the chance to interview OO's leader, Matt 'utopia' Blessing, and me, a mapper on the team. The interview clears up a lot of loose ends people were wondering about. Here's a Q&A from it:[JiggaShow] Wasn't it hard to just quit on this random day? I'm sure a lot of us didn't see this one coming. I sure as hell didn't.
[Utopia] You bet it was. But we weren't going to sugarcoat anything. We're not here to lie and say we're still working, when we aren't.
[Twisted] Yeah, it's better that we didn't say... It would be another 2 months before a beta.
[Utopia] Exactly. I would much rather people be disappointed now, then wait until when we said we'd have a beta out and then say we have nothing. This way at least we might still have some respect for telling them the truth. Read the rest of the interview here!
Designer's Diary #15 Posted by twisted on Friday, June 16, 2000
Mod makers, today is your lucky day! This week's Designer's Diary, written by Keith Fuller, covers the recently released SDK.Also, the column features Rick's suggestions for building and running the debug version of the game dll! Here's a chunk from it:For all of you mapper-type people we've got an entire folder of goodies for you, including our version of Radiant, the bsp tool, the lighting tool, the vis tool, the script compiler, the m32-loading plugin, the texture-clipping tool, and the oh-so-very-important-gee-we're-sorry-we-didn't-put-this-out-with-the-first-SDK project file for the editor. Dang. If that doesn't make all of you level designers happy I don't know what will. It's a great read, so check it out here!
Get Your SoF Mod Questions Answered Here! Posted by wmull on Thursday, June 15, 2000
Since Raven Software just released the source code to the game dll, Soldier-of-Fortune.com along with Raven's Keith Fuller are hosting a "get your mod questions answered here" feature! This is how it will work:
Viewers can email Keith with your code-related questions (please use KEITH'S GOT CODE! in the subject line). Keith will look them over and send us one or more responses each week, depending on how many there are. Then we'll post the questions and their answers as a special feature right here at Soldier-of-Fortune.com!
SoF SDK V1.1 Out Posted by twisted on Wednesday, June 14, 2000
Raven Software has released the latest version of the SDK (Software Developer's Kit)! Here are the changes and fixes in it:Added to the Bin directory:
SoF.QE4 - Sample project file for QERadiant
Added to the Docs directory:
SoF partial animation list.htm - Animation listing for SoF
Changed the Ghoul directory to:
Max2/GHOULExp.dle - the 3DS Max V2.x plugin
Max3/GHOULExp3.dle - the 3DS Max V3.x plugin
Added the Source directory:
It is recommended that you compile the source code using Microsoft Visual C++ V6.0 SP3
Game - Gamex86.dll source code
Tools
SoFData - SoFData source code (with M32 texture format) Download the SDK from SoF News!
SoF 2: A Sure Thing? Posted by twisted on Wednesday, June 14, 2000
Voodoo Extreme's Billy "Wicked" Wilson asked Jake Simpson, Lead Programmer and Network Admininstrator at Raven Software, four various questions. Here's one of the Q&As that caught my eye:Voodoo Extreme) Word on the net is that Soldier of Fortune 2 is a "for sure thing", although we haven't seen a press release, is this in fact the case? Can you say anything about Soldier of Fortune 2, like the type of missions we'll see, new story, weapons, engine, anything else?
Jake Simpson) SOF 2 has had some prelimnary work done on it as I understand it. There are some design decisions being made, but until there is an official announcement made by Activision I can't say "Yes, absolutely". However, some designs have been done, that much I know. Lets put it this way, SOF is selling well, it seems to be fairly popular, so I'm sure your readers can put two and two together:)
As for missions, I do believe that some of the preliminary designs are based on actual missions that John Mullins participated in over his career. The weapons and specifics like that will be changing and evolving over time, depending on how the look and feel, and balance out and so on. If we do SOF2 of course. No guarantees there:) Check out the rest of this short Q&A.
Strategy Guide Review Posted by twisted on Wednesday, June 14, 2000
SoF Center has posted their review on the Official Soldier of Fortune strategy guide by BradyGAMES. The strategy guide was even written by Raven's own, Kenn Hoekstra. Here's some of what SoF Center had to say about the strategy guide:This book features a lot of content but that's not all, as there is a bonus section as well, which contains a brief history document of the entire development of the game. To end this strategy guide they got an interview with the man himself, John F. Mullins. Check out the rest of the review here!
Voodoo 5 5500 or GeForce 2 GTS? Posted by Hunter on Wednesday, June 14, 2000
Not directly related to this website, but can impact your gaming, is your video card. Two new boards which are coming out soon are the Voodoo 5 5500 and GeForce 2 GTS. There's some debate going on about which one will be the better board to get.
I bought the July issue of PC Gamer and they have done some tests on both boards. The numbers seem to indicate that the GeForce 2 GTS is superior in speed, although, the GeForce they were using was only a reference board. For the exact numbers you'll have to buy the July issue. I don't think I have permission to post them.
Despite the low score on the Voodoo, the Voodoo does have some impressive looking features such as anti-aliasing; T-buffer: motion blur, depth of field, soft shadows/reflections; and more! So, don't count out this board yet. The Voodoo5 6000 AGP is coming soon anyway. It might be able to offer a little more competition. For more info on the Voodoo5 5500 click here. For the GeForce 2 GTS, click here.
(By the way, if you like any of these classic games: Terminal Velocity, Descent, King's Quest, Wing Commander, Ultima, Monkey Island, X-COM, Alone in the dark, Links, Duke Nukem 2, Ultima Underworld, and The Need for Speed; then I recommend buying the July issue of PC Gamer. All these incredible classics are included in the CD-ROM.)
Map Pack Posted by twisted on Tuesday, June 13, 2000
Weighing in at 12.8MB, SoF Files has released a map pack. The .zip contains 35 Deathmatch (DM) maps and 3 CTF (Capture the Flag) maps. SoF Files also plans to release yet another map pack next month! All you have to do is unzip the file to your SoF directory, so what are you waiting for!?
False Claims Posted by twisted on Tuesday, June 13, 2000
If you believed any report that said SoF 2 would be released for the PC and XBox, you've been duped:-) Kenn Hoekstra, Project Administrator at Raven Software, told PlanetXBox the following:To the best of my knowledge, we haven't announced any official plans to do SoF 2 for the X-Box. The X-box is one of the PROPOSED platforms, but nothing has been signed or approved by Activision. We don't have a development kit on site...
Hidebot Status Report Posted by twisted on Tuesday, June 13, 2000
PlanetSoldier and asked Rich 'TheFatal' Whitehouse about the latest news on his Soldier of Fortune bot. Here's what Rich had to say:Not quite sure at the moment. Constant speed optimizations are being made and some of the levels are being routed to use the bot's navigation system. I'm really not good at all at giving release dates, and I don't want to give one and end up missing it, since that's never a good thing. Check out TheFatal's site here!
SoF 1.05 Patch Out Posted by twisted on Tuesday, June 13, 2000
Rick Johnson, Lead Programmer and Network Admininstrator at Raven Software, updated his .plan today with the following:SoF V1.05 is being uploaded to various SoF sites now. You MUST upgrade from V1.03 (as 1.04 was a beta and I didn't want to make a history patch to include that version).
SoF SDK V1.1 will be released tomorrow. Sorry, I'm exhausted after getting back from my trip (having seen many Johns' in the Texas area...) And for those who don't know, here are the changes and fixes in the patch:* EAX performance optimizations
* Update to A3D's A3DAPI.dll to provide detection for Vortex 2 chipsets
* Pure server option. By default, this option is disabled. You will need to go into the parental menu to enable it, in order to connect to modified servers.
* Added "net_mainip" cvar to specify the main IP index (use ip_list to see the IPs)
* Update to the WON library that addresses some bugs
* Addressed an issue where people behind firewalls are connecting from the same IP By default, the Pure Server option will be set to "Locked Out" under the parental menu. When this option is locked out, you will only see multiplayer games in the server browser that are running the un-modified version of SoF V1.05. Enabling this feature will allow you to see all servers, including ones that are running code that has been modified by the community (i.e. MODs) Download the patch here!
New SoF Review Posted by wmull on Tuesday, June 13, 2000
PC Gaming Network gave Soldier of Fortune a nine-star review:
"Is this game legal to own?" That was my first reaction when I played it for the first time. Yes, the gibs, decapitations, severing of the body, and organs rolling around the floor seemed a quite big jump from Kingpin: Life of Crime. Yes, I thought I saw it all when I was playing Kingpin, and now Raven comes out with Soldier of Fortune. Be sure to check out the rest!
SoF Still In The Top 20 Posted by wmull on Tuesday, June 13, 2000
Yipes! I just noticed that Soldier of Fortune is barely hanging on to the Top 20 Entertainment Titles for the week of 5/28/00! Go now and tell your friends to buy a copy of the game or something!
Behind The Scenes Posted by utopia on Monday, June 12, 2000
John Scott, the technology programmer for Raven Software, has written an article for In The Trenches entitled "Behind the Scenes". It deals with what goes on behind the scenes of a development company. Here's a piece:In the beginning, anyone who cares to submit a game idea is free to do so. This normally consists of a one or two page summary outlining the style of game, which engines are viable, how long it will take and why it will sell in copious quantities. Marketing then peruses all these and picks the one that they think will sell the most, or gives us a licence to work around. This procedure continues until a game is decided upon, and the developers can have at it. You can read this great article here.
New Site Design At SkinLab Posted by wmull on Sunday, June 11, 2000
As you can over on the SkinLab, they've got a brand spankin' new design up. Icarus and Hive will be getting some more new skins up soon - and yes, they plan on doing at least one Matrix skin ;) Head to the SkinLab for more info!
SoF 1.05 Patch and SDK Coming Wednesday Posted by twisted on Sunday, June 11, 2000
Rick Johnson, Lead Programmer & Network Admininstrator at Raven Software, has updated his .plan today. He gives thanks to people for giving an answer to his C++ question. More important however, he states the patch and SDK will be released late Wendesday afternoon. Here's what else he had to say:SoF 1.05 Patch and SDK will be released late Wednesday afternoon. Technically, it is all ready to go, but I will be away from the office for the next 48 hours, so I don't want to release this until I get back, in case something bad happens.
This patch mainly adds the Pure server option. Some other issues have been addressed as well as some things that weren't originally included in 1.04 (mainly the EAX and A3D sound improvements). The patch is under 2 megs in size and will require you to upgrade from 1.03. Network and Save Games are not compatibile between these versions (as we are preparing for the next thing we are working on).
Happy Birthday Phoebus Posted by twisted on Saturday, June 10, 2000
On a personal note, I would like to extend best wishes to my boss and buddy, William 'Phoebus' Mull. If it wasn't for him, there wouldn't be a S-o-F.com or any of our other fine sites. Day in and day out, he works his ass off, committed to serving the community, the gamers. Hell, I wouldn't even be working for an awesome site like this if it wasn't for Phoebus who gave me a chance to work for him. Please send Phoebus a message and wish him happy birthday. After all, he does so much to you, why not return the favor?
Help Wanted Posted by reese on Saturday, June 10, 2000
The SoF League is looking for someone with HTML and Java skills to help out. You would be required to update a page regulary with the latest scores and news. If you would like to help out, email me.
SoF Patches: Common Misconceptions Posted by twisted on Saturday, June 10, 2000
When I asked Raven’s Kenn Hoekstra, Project Administrator on Soldier of Fortune, what false allegations would you like to clear up concerning why the patch is taking longer than expected, he responded with the following: The biggest misconceptions about our patch process are:
a. The whole development team is working on the patch
b. We can just throw out beta patches any time we want without going through QA
c. The code base for the game is easily patchable
My response to those assessments is as follows:
a. Rick Johnson is the only one working on the patch. He went to E3 and has had several other things that demand his attention as of late. It's a big project for one guy.
b. Every release we make has to be thoroughly tested before we release it. That involves pulling people off of their projects and losing production time on Elite Force. We're not about to release a patch that creates more problems than it solves.
c. The code base for Soldier of Fortune is HUGE as evidenced by the install size. Every time we change something, we need to rebuild the pak file and that can take as long as two days to do. Rick has decided to include a new pak file with the changes inside of it to help speed up the process a bit.
There's nothing seriously broken in SoF. There have been only 2 minorissues addressed with SP. Most of the changes are dealing with MP, which are harder to find and correct. In addition, WON's QA wants to test each patch to make sure nothing fundamental is broken.
--Kenn
Mapping Tutorial Posted by twisted on Saturday, June 10, 2000
In the Trenches has posted a Soldier of Fortune mapping tutorial, written by our own utopia! Here's a blurb from it:For Operation Overlord we run into a lot of map problems, the main problem being that SoFRadiant crashes and doesn't save your work like a favorite editor of mine, Qoole, did. Qoole would crash but before it quit, it saved a temporary copy of your work. SoFRadiant won't do that. If you have been in the 'groove' mapping and suddenly the program crashes, you're just out of luck. This happens a lot to me, and has happened a few times to the rest of the team. The other is, like I mentioned in a previous article, determining scale, and size.
SoF For Mac & Amiga Announced Posted by utopia on Saturday, June 10, 2000
Hyperion Software has posted a news bit containing the information that they will be porting Soldier of Fortune to the Macintosh and the Amiga platform. Both ports are expected by the end of this year. Here's a quote from their news post:"After the successful conversion of Raven Software's other Quake 2 engine based masterpiece Heretic 2, we are looking forward to tackling Soldier of Fortune ", says Ben Hermans, managing partner of Hyperion entertainment software. "By licensing such a high-profile quality title for the Amiga and Mac platforms, we are demonstrating our commitment to bring AAA titles to alternative operating systems." Read the whole press release here.
About The Soldier Of Fortune SDK Posted by utopia on Saturday, June 10, 2000
Keith Fuller mentioned the SoF SDK and source code in his developer's diary at SoFCenter. Here it is:One last note on an almost totally unrelated topic. Just as a bit of encouragement to the modders out there who're anxiously awaiting the source code to SOF's game dll…we're still trying to release it. Honest. We want you guys to get your hands on it as much as you do. These things just aren't as simple as uploading it to our ftp site and mailing out the url. Please remain patient and don't give up. There are some great ideas out there and I'd love to see them come to fruition. That should encourage a lot of modders. Be sure to read the whole Developer's Diary series, if you haven't already, over at SoFCenter
SoF Review At Screaming3D Posted by utopia on Thursday, June 8, 2000
Screaming3D has posted their review of Soldier of Fortune. They gave it an overall score of 92%. Here's a clip:Soldier of Fortune is a bloody good game. Not bloody as in swearing, bloody as in filled to the brim with gore. And that's the way we like it! It also has a solid single-player experience and a rounded-out multiplayer package wrapped in a great engine, but who needs that when you have gore?
The only bad thing I can think of with this game is it uses WON for its internal server browser, but using GameSpy lets you use a much better system. Be sure to check out the whole interview here.
Tyler Durden Memorial Game Posted by twisted on Monday, June 5, 2000
Dollar from Soldiers of Wireplay sent me the following information:There will be a tribute game held in memory of late SoF player Tyler Durden on Tuesday the 13th of June. The game will be at 8pm in the Wireplay Tyler Durden Tribute Server. The server WILL be passworded and entry will be limited to 32 players so please only those genuinely interested in paying tribute to Tyler attend. Details will be posted at a later date giving a contact address to mail if you wish to be included. The tribute should include a gun salute and a few speeches before a fragfest that Tyler himself would've been proud of!
...On Mapping - SoF Fortress Mod Posted by twisted on Monday, June 5, 2000
In the Trenches has posted a new mapping article. It includes several exclusive screenshots and is written by an actual SoF: Fortress member! Here's a clip from it:Mapping, to me, is the most fun part of game design. I can't think of many things more exciting in terms of making a game than being able to freely create the actual world that people will be playing in. You can, within reason, create any environment you want to make and then let the player run rampant in it. However, the focus for me is usually on gameplay, though I think that the key things you must consider in any map are the gimmick and the gameplay. Without one or the other, you are going to have a worthless map. A good example of this concept is the maps in Unreal Tournament, where each one has either a fantastic and unique setting (like a Spanish galleon, the Matrix-style buildings, or the Facing Worlds rotating low-orbit towers) or a place for hardcore gameplay (Tempest, Turbine, or Zeto) and sometimes both. Each style has its own merits, but if you don't have at least one no one is going to remember or play your map. Check out the rest of the "...On Mapping - SoF Fortress Mod" article now!
E. Biessman Interview Posted by twisted on Monday, June 5, 2000
In the Trenches has scored an interview with Eric Biessman, Lead Designer on Soldier of Fortune. The article covers the mapping design aspects in SoF. Here's a q&a from it:[trenches] What pulled you into your map-designer career?
[eric] I was actually hired as a writer for Raven, but seeing the work that was being done on Heretic, I quickly asked to work on levels. Brian and Steve Rafffel (then owners of Raven) said yes, and it's been great ever since. I have worked on Heretic, Hexen, Hexen 2, CyClones, Heretic 2, Soldier of Fortune, and various mission packs for most of the games.
Developer Diary #13 Posted by twisted on Monday, June 5, 2000
In this week's Developer Diary, Keith Fuller, programmer at Raven Software, discusses Soldier of Fortune 2! This is #13 in the column series and one of the best yet. Here's a chunk of it:I'd love to see a darker, more twisted plot, carrying the player through a world of double-crosses, need-to-know information (as it turns out, you never "need to know"), and situations in which you're never sure who the good guys are. I'd love to see even more hardcore combat in which it is made plainly evident just how bad Mr. Mullins is…like Chow Yun Fat's climactic shootout in "Hard-Boiled" or Nicholas Cage and John Travolta's one-on-one in "Face Off". I'd love to see lightning-fast covert operations like the extrication of the self-proclaimed ruler of Russia in the opening sequence of "Air Force One". To put it in terms of actual game possibilities, I'd love to see missions of reconnaissance, getting in and getting out while avoiding all enemies. Or stealth and demolition, sneaking into an installation and destroying a command-and-control bunker. Or extraction and protection, breaking someone out of a heavily guarded base and escorting them to safety through enemy territory. It could all happen… that, and more. We've got the technology and the gameplay in place, we just have to decide what we think would be the most fun for the player. Read the rest!
June 6, 1944 Posted by utopia on Monday, June 5, 2000
Just for a historical note, today was D-Day in 1944. Today is remembered for the Allied invasion of Europe in World War II, the largest sea invasion in history. Go forth, be filled with knowledge!
Intruder Map Tutorial & More Posted by twisted on Sunday, June 4, 2000
Pro-Filer of SoF Files sends word that Intruder, an esteemed mapper in the SoF community, has written a mapping tutorial. The guide should be in any SoF mapper's arsenal, whether you are a beginner or an expert! Also, Intruder has released his latest and most popular map yet, called Starship Troopers, which is described as having a futuristic flava'.
New Mod: Perfect Dark Posted by twisted on Sunday, June 4, 2000
I would like to take this time to shut up and let StarMon2000 of SoF.net do all the talking:We are proud to announce that SOLDIEROFFORTUNE.NET is nowhosting the website for the upcoming Soldier Of Fortune modification...PerfectDark! Here is a small amout of information on the upcoming mod:
Perfect Dark will be single-player and multi-player both will have new weapons and models as well as new options, this way, we have both multi and single-player fans pleased you can expect some great level design with beautifeul area's more things you can expect:
-a new HUD, with new options.....(secret)
-new weapons, realistic, experimental and alien
-multi-player will have a radar....
-you can also play a single-player game online, just like sven-coop
-a highly developed storyline, with new interactive characters, voicesand music
You can check out the website for the modification here. There you have it!
Hostile Operations Mod Pics and Info Posted by twisted on Sunday, June 4, 2000
Modcentral has the scoop on the newly formed Soldier of Fortune modification, Hostile Operations. Check out general information about the modification and exclusive weapon model screenshots.
New DOOM, New Site! Posted by Hunter on Saturday, June 3, 2000
id Software unveiled their plans to make a new DOOM game. Our staff has created a new website for the upcoming game, NEWDOOM.com. This site is not fully complete yet, but will be completed soon. Check it out!
SoF: Fortress Developer Diary, Part 2 Posted by twisted on Saturday, June 3, 2000
The highly anticipated SoF: Fortress continues their developer diaries, brought to you by Games Domain. This week's guest, is one of the team's game designers, Captain Obvious. He discusses such topics as maps that are currently being undertaken for the modification. Here's a blurb:Our largest department of workers has to be the mappers, they're working very hard on their maps. I've heard some of the most creative map ideas from them, and I think I'll list the maps that are currently in development by who is working on them. Check out the rest here!
SoF Clans Posted by reese on Saturday, June 3, 2000
For all you people out there who want to join a clan, but don't know where or how to contact clans, we got news for you! Go over to the SoF League and click on the clan section, there are links to the clans web sites and e-mail and almost all of them are looking for members. Go and check it out!
New Operation Overlord Interview! Posted by wmull on Friday, June 2, 2000
Be sure to check out the interview with Operation Overlord's own Matt 'utopia' Blessing, over on the newly-launched Soldieroffortune.org.
New What If...? Posted by wmull on Friday, June 2, 2000
Our roving mad-man, twisted's newest edition of his ever-popular (with at least one or two of you out there, I just know it) serial (er, cereal?) pop-phenom treatise, What If...? is up, this time dealing with one of the last American cultures upon which it's still considered 'cool' to prejudge: namely, ... redneck hackers?! Well, that's imaginative at least; go have a read! ;-p
Soldier of Fortune Linux Demo Released! Posted by wmull on Thursday, June 1, 2000
Loki Entertainment has released their Linux Soldier of Fortune demo! You can download the 87MB demo right here! Be sure to check out the readme file for installation and troubleshooting info.
Newest Mailbag On Tap! Posted by Phoebus on Thursday, June 1, 2000
Yes friends, it's the weekend - just in time for another Mailbag chock-full of tenderness and lucidity. Actually, since our man reese is involved, you already know tenderness has nothing to do with it ;) Head to our latest Mailbag, you're sure to regret it!
HereticII.com Returns!! Posted by DraX on Thursday, June 1, 2000
HereticII.com, your favorite site dedicated to Heretic II, has once again opened its doors and has undergone a bit of a facelift.Please excuse the appearance of the site as content is regenerated and some more changes are made - and keep your eyes peeled for the return of Hexenworld.net!!
SoF: Fortress Sentry Gun Pic & .Plan Updates Posted by twisted on Thursday, June 1, 2000
SoF: Fortress has just updated their weapons screenshots section with one pic of their sentry gun that will be in their mod. Nytro, one of their skinners, has updated his .plan which talks about him making the sentry gun. Mudboy, their Project Leader, Level Designer, and Programmer, updated his .plan as well. Here's what he had to say:Darn it's along time since i updated this thing here huh, anyways i'm sorry for the lack of updates(that other guy havn't update in along time too).
Anyways i 'm still around just have alot of mapping to do, i have some new screen shots of my Bank level but don't know when we'll post it or May.be give it away to some site. A few min's ago our Skinner sent me a Demo pic of the Sentry and so on, and it's looking real nice May.be later today i'll let you guys see it. AS for the new site layout i would say around the end of nextweek May.be, player class skins will be shown also don't know when :-). Anyways people i got to go now seeya in the next update bye...
Newest Reese Said, Twisted Said! Posted by Phoebus on Thursday, June 1, 2000
In the latest Reese Said, Twisted Said, the boys debate what impact Soldier of Fortune will have on the gaming industry. And now you can vote on which viewpoint you agree with the most. Go check it out!
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