News Archive for 00/12/27

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Apple focus on Science & Technology

12/27, 7:15pm

Apple focus on Science & Technology

Apple continues to focus on the "Macs in Science" theme with two new articles on the subject. "Measuring the Eye for Clearer Vision" documents Ophthalmic Technologies' 3D i-Scan, a scanner capable of producing a 3D tomographic structure of the eye that can be sliced and rotated on multiple planes and on any axis. "Apple Charts the Human Body for the Visible Human Project" details the Visible Human Project, jointly funded by the National Institute of Health and the National Library of Medicine and is conducted at nine separate educational institutions. Both projects make extensive use of Apple's Power Mac G4 and iMac.

Apple posts G4 AGP Update

12/27, 7:00pm

Apple posts G4 AGP Update

Apple has posted the Power Mac G4 AGP Update, which improves stability of the AGP Rage 128, after we first noticed the software's appearance via Software Update one week ago.

Diablo II Ladder Reset Scheduled

12/27, 6:55pm

Diablo II Ladder Reset Scheduled

Blizzard Entertainment has announced that they will kick off the new year with a reset of the Diablo II Standard and Hardcore Ladders:

On January 1, 2001 at 12:01 a.m. PT, the Diablo II Standard and Hardcore Ladders will be reset signifying the start of the new season. All characters created before January 1, 2001 will no longer appear on the Ladder. If you wish to be on the Diablo II Ladder after this date you will have to create a new character following the reset. The Diablo II Ladder reset will not otherwise affect any existing characters and no characters will be deleted. The Battle.net site will list the top 10 Ladder players on each ladder for each Realm. The new Ladder season does not have a final ending date; however, it is probable that the next Ladder reset will occur when the Diablo II Expansion is released.

Mac OS X Tops Vaporware List

12/27, 6:05pm

Mac OS X Tops Vaporware List

Apple's next-generation operating system, Mac OS X, tops Wired's Top 10 Vaporware products for 2000. "Last year's winner of the Vaporware Awards was Microsoft for Windows 2000, the oft-delayed update to Windows. This year, the crown passes to Apple, for Mac OS X, the oft-delayed update to the Mac OS."

Stomped: Interview with Bob Stevenson

12/27, 5:52pm

Stomped: Interview with Bob Stevenson

An interview with Planet Moon Studios co-founder Bob Stevenson is the latest in Stomped's Year-End 2000 series talking with one of the members of the Giants: Citizen Kabuto development team. "I would rarely be so blatant about our own stuff," remarks Stevenson, "but one of the biggest moments of this year was actually laughing out loud watching our cutscenes come together in Giants. I haven't actually laughed at a game out loud since the old Lucas Arts adventures."

Unreal Fortress Build 300 Released

12/27, 5:40pm

Unreal Fortress Build 300 Released

Unreal Fortress Build 300 is the latest version of the popular mod for Unreal Tournament. This new version makes dozens of bug fixes and tweaks to gameplay, classes, weapons, grenades, equipment and more. [site unavailable]

HTTP BenchMark updated

12/27, 4:40pm

HTTP BenchMark updated

MaxProg has posted HTTP BenchMark 1.2, a tool for checking Web servers' bandwidth from the client side. It comes with 10 Web hosting providers' URLs. This version offers an improved interface.

Afternoon Tech News

12/27, 4:38pm

Afternoon Tech News

Afternoon tech news: Tests have shown a flaw in the support chips for the Intel Pentium 4 that impacts system performance when passing large amounts of data over the PCI bus; Network Associates has announced that it expects to lose up to $140 million this quarter and that its CEO, president and chief financial officer are all leaving the company; and the outlook for the semiconductor industry will not greatly improve during the first quarter of 2001, due to slow holiday sales, too much inventory and a slowing global economy.

Virtual Drummer updated

12/27, 4:37pm

Virtual Drummer updated

Virtual Drummer 4.1, a $10 shareware drum machine for the Macintosh, is now available. The update adds a drum mixer, a playback indicator and auto scroll.

Dantowitz updates 3 packages, offers specials

12/27, 4:35pm

Dantowitz updates 3 packages, offers specials

Dantowitz Consulting has released ZipBurst 2.0 Pro, a location-based search engine; ZipBurst 2.0 CGI Lite, which offers unlimited database file searches, but doesn't have the location-based features; and CodeBurst Library for WebSiphon, for encryption protection of data, cookies and when hosting databases on shared Web servers. The company is also running specials on its software from now until Dec. 31.

Hot deal on Quake III: Team Arena

12/27, 3:30pm

Hot deal on Quake III: Team Arena

id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead notes in his .plan that Quake III: Team Arena is on sale at CompUSA and Best Buy for $18. Mac users can buy the Windows version of the game and use the data from the CD and the latest public beta build of Quake III: Arena 1.27g to play the game.

DopeWars 4.1 Released

12/27, 3:25pm

DopeWars 4.1 Released

Likely Software has released DopeWars 4.1 for the Mac, a new version of the $5 shareware game that challenges players to make money selling illegal drugs on the street while staying alive. Version 4.1 fixes a bug with the high score list. The authors note that only 6 of the more than 15,000 people who downloaded the game have registered and urge those who like the game to pay for it.

Greenstone on Mac Gaming 2K

12/27, 2:06pm

Greenstone on Mac Gaming 2K

IMG continues their Mac Gaming 2K series with an interview with Brian Greenstone of Pangea Software, the company that has most recently released Cro-Mag Rally and Bugdom for the Mac. Greenstone shares his thoughts for the year in Mac gaming and what lies ahead for the industry. "I think it's sad that there is hardly any original development on the Mac anymore," says Greenstone, "but at the same time, I'm happy to see so many PC games being ported. It was a good year, for sure."

Unofficial WarCraft III FAQ

12/27, 1:54pm

Unofficial WarCraft III FAQ

WarCraftIII.Net answers more than 100 questions in the newly unveiled Unofficial FAQ for WarCraft III. The questions and answers span a variety of topics including races and units, heroes, buildings, technology, multiplayer and Battle.net, the World Builder and gameplay.

Updated Deus Ex Walkthrough

12/27, 1:45pm

Updated Deus Ex Walkthrough

Deus Ex Central has updated its 93-page comprehensive walkthrough for Deus Ex, the role-playing/action/adventure game for the Mac and PC. The walkthrough is now more easily navigated with links to each specific section available on every page.

AppleInsider: Possible G4 delays

12/27, 12:50pm

AppleInsider: Possible G4 delays

AppleInsider has notes on possible V'Ger G4 delays, which could impede Apple's abilities to ship faster G4 systems and G4 PowerBooks next month.

Stomped: Tim Gerritsen Interview

12/27, 12:17pm

Stomped: Tim Gerritsen Interview

Stomped recently published an interview with Human Head Studios Business Director Tim Gerritsen in its ongoing Year-End 2000 interview series. In the interview, Gerritsen addresses the reaction to the company's third-person 3D action game released late this year, Rune. "Rune was a great game," says Gerritsen, "and we believe in it despite what the hard core print press seems to think."

Pangea selling Cro-Mag Rally T-Shirts

12/27, 12:09pm

Pangea selling Cro-Mag Rally T-Shirts

Pangea Software has begun selling t-shirts for the company's latest kart racing game for the Mac, Cro-Mag Rally. The t-shirts are available in sizes ranging from small to extra large and cost $15 each.

Liberal Arts Colleges Add Technology

12/27, 12:05pm

Liberal Arts Colleges Add Technology

A New York Times article details the addition of technology to the curriculum at several traditional liberal arts colleges around the U.S. Among the classes profiled is a Freshman English class at Vassar College which uses iMacs to build hypertext fiction and submit assignments to the professor online. [registration required]

New WaterRace Demo Released

12/27, 10:12am

New WaterRace Demo Released

French Touch Software has announced that WaterRace for the Mac is now shipping. In addition, the company has released a new demo for the 3D water racing game. WaterRace Demo 1.1 adds a new ship, two new levels, an improved camera system, an adaptive AI which adjusts to the player's skill level and several minor bug fixes. A French version of the WaterRace Demo is also now available.

IMG: Mike Donges Q&A

12/27, 10:07am

IMG: Mike Donges Q&A

IMG begins their Q&A series on reflections on the past year in Mac gaming with Mike Donges of MacPlay. "I think that the Macintosh gaming market is in great shape," says Donges. "We still have a way to go to reach a critical mass, but all the right things are happening."

Heroes III Complete ships

12/27, 10:01am

Heroes III Complete ships

Michael Mitchell let us know that his pre-ordered copy of Heroes III Complete has shipped from The 3DO Company. The $40 boxed set includes Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia, Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade (expansion) and Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death (expansion) and is currently only available by ordering directly from the company.

Instructions: Urban Terror

12/27, 9:51am

Instructions: Urban Terror

Stephen "Oswald" Toumi of Silicon Ice Development, Project Coordinator on the Urban Terror mod for Quake III: Arena, contacted games.macnn.com with information on how to successfully run the latest version of the mod on the Mac.

Bannister releases NeoPocott 0.38

12/27, 9:46am

Bannister releases NeoPocott 0.38

Richard Bannister has posted NeoPocott 0.38, a Neo Geo Pocket Colour emulator for the Macintosh. This release, for all platforms, adds Sonic and Metal Slug 2nd Mission playing support, improves sprite support in some games and fixes several opcodes.

Greenleaf releases DigiGuard for Mac

12/27, 9:43am

Greenleaf releases DigiGuard for Mac

Greenleaf Technologies has released DigiGuard, a digital-rights content wrapper for the Macintosh that encrypts digital content with a secure wrapper until a purchase transaction is completed. Pricing for the product is not available.

Kitty's Adventures in The Sims

12/27, 9:35am

Kitty's Adventures in The Sims

Today we've published Kitty's Adventures in The Sims Volume 1, a new weekly feature at games.macnn.com which presents fictitious stories on lives in The Sims while also providing our readers with downloadable objects for the game. Today's edition is titled "Surrogate Shoppers Makes For Happy Sims" and offers more than a dozen new objects for owners of The Sims to download.

Hot Game Forum Topics

12/27, 9:34am

Hot Game Forum Topics

Hot topics in our forum include games to play for alleviating the Christmas break boredom, running the Oni Demo in Mac OS X and gamers continuing to play StarCraft despite its growing age.

December 22 News Roundup

12/27, 9:32am

December 22 News Roundup

Last Friday, Bungie Studios and Gathering of Developers released the Oni Demo for the Mac, Graphic Simulations Corporation provided an update on the steady progress of Tales of the Sword Coast, an expansion set for Baldur's Gate, and an interview with Ritual Entertainment's Richard "Levelord" Gray revealed details on the company's next game following the releases of Heavy Metal: FAKK2 and SiN Gold on the Mac.

Minor update to PixMachineMac

12/27, 9:10am

Minor update to PixMachineMac

TechSono Engineering has posted PixMachineMac 1.0.5, a minor update to the application for downloading files from news groups.

SmartStor now integrated with NuGenesis

12/27, 8:56am

SmartStor now integrated with NuGenesis

Late last week, Smart Storage and NuGenesis Technologies partnered to provide a data capture, storage and retrieval product for science-based customers. NuGenesis has begun integrating SmartStor Archive software into its Scientific Data Management System, an application-independent software and database platform that automatically creates a common electronic format. The API is a complete read/write archival storage solution for Windows NT. The entire configuration can be viewed as a single drive letter, allowing Windows, UNIX and Macintosh clients to archive and retrieve data from the same network location.

H&R Block releases TaxCut Deluxe

12/27, 8:45am

H&R Block releases TaxCut Deluxe

H&R Block has released Kiplinger TaxCut Deluxe 2000 for the Macintosh. The software's price has been reduced to $20, which includes one federal electronic return filing and a free state software download. This version offers a new "My Taxes" pre-interview feature, adds an enhanced planning feature and resource library and provides a new "Where Am I?" window for navigation.

Games: Team Arena Deal, Game Releases

12/27, 8:30am

Games: Team Arena Deal, Game Releases

games.macnn.com covers Blizzard Entertainment's announcement of an upcoming ladder reset for Diablo II and a note on where to find Quake III: Team Arena for $18. In addition, the site covers the releases of Heroes III Complete and WaterRace Demo 1.1 for the Mac. [updated]

Scenic Soft releases TrapWise 3.1.1

12/27, 8:28am

Scenic Soft releases TrapWise 3.1.1

Scenic Soft has released TrapWise 3.1.1, a tool for specialized trapping needs. This release provides enhanced compatibility with DTP applications, accepts input of PDF 1.3 files and supports USB dongles.

Xicons adds 'Colors'

12/27, 8:28am

Xicons adds 'Colors'

Today's update at Xicons.com features "Colors," a set of colorful transparent icons for OS X.

MacDesktops updated with 14 new pictures

12/27, 8:27am

MacDesktops updated with 14 new pictures

During the past week, MacDesktops.com has posted 14 new pictures, including 6 (art), Apple (holidays), blue silk (art) and don't worry (portraits).

Style 1.8 text editor adds RTF, other options

12/27, 5:39am

Style 1.8 text editor adds RTF, other options

Style 1.8, a scriptable text editor for the Macintosh that picks up where SimpleText leaves off, adds RTF export and import, support for integration with ftp client, long file names, and other options.

WebMerge builds Web pages from databases

12/27, 5:37am

WebMerge builds Web pages from databases

Fourth World yesterday released WebMerge 1.0, a $70 Windows and Mac tool that generates static Web pages using templates from database files, including FileMaker Pro and Microsoft Access: "[it] is an ideal solution for webmasters who want to publish database information on any Web server but don't need dynamically generated pages." A demo is available.

Morning tech news 12/27/00

12/27, 4:26am

Morning tech news 12/27/00

Morning tech news: Handspring will acquire Bluelark Systems, developers of Blazer and BlueSky, a Palm OS Web browser and proxy server system; Rudi Gassner, who was to take over the Bertelsmann Entertainment music division, died over the weekend, causing a management vacuum at the company; and Nintendo has quashed rumors of its intent to purchase Sega.

Over the holiday weekend...

12/27, 12:05am

Over the holiday weekend...

Over the holiday weekend we noted the release of Rewind 1.03, MPegger Drop Decoder 2.0, Adobe SVG Viewer 2.0b2, a $100 rebate from MYOB for QuickBooks owners, and two new articles at AppleInsider.