5/13/00 - Latest News
20 Questions with Gary Gygax
Berendir @ 20:42 EST
Ringer staff member Gamgee has landed a 20 questions interview with Gary Gygax, who happens to be the creator of Dungeons and Dragons, and several other fantasy related games and merchandise. Gamgee's asking the fans for questions to send to him, so email gamgee@theonering.net if you want to send in a question.
5/11/00 - Latest News
WOTR.....2?
Berendir @ 20:11 EST
Gurthaur is back, and he's brought news about War of the Ring! Awhile back he was making a War Craft II conversion called War Of the Ring. There were some copy right problems, and he ended up having to sack the project... but now it seems he may have found a way to continue with his work: To have something to offer to you people I have started a new WarCraft II TC; War on the Rim! (Also known as "WotR2" ;] )This is only something I will work on instead of the original WotR, so if I ever get a reply from The Saul Zaentz company, I'll drop this and continue the original WotR.. Check out the WoTR2 site Here
5/05/00 - Latest News
Media Watch: Computer Gaming World Magazine
Xoanon @ 09:34 EST
LOTR was mentioned twice in the new June issue of Computer Gaming World. The first mention is on page 40 "There are only two times we get excited by elves: when mentioned in the same breath as madman Peter Jackson's upcoming film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, and when they're not presented as the usual pointy eared pansies that AD&D has molded them to be." The second mention is on page 52 "...and one very attractive game license about to be yanked away from Havas Interactive, or so the rumors go. Yes, Havas dallied. They diddled. They fiddled while the Lord of the Rings movie was being filmed, and someone's mad enough to take back the Middle Earth license from them. Havas had contracted to produce a massively-multiplayer game based on Tolkien's Middle Earth mythos, a game which seems like a sure hit if they'd ever get around to making it. You may recall that MIDDLE EARTH ONLINE was underway, but then Havas pulled the plug as part of some corporate restructuring and laid off the development team. Havas said the project would be started from scratch, but apparently never got around to doing any scratching. As a result, they are being stripped of the license, and if that's all that happens to them, they can count themselves lucky. Yes, my preciousssss...they really blew this one." Thanks to Rwraith for the tip!
4/26/00 - Latest News
Akallabeth Mush Review is up
Berendir @ 15:35 EST
Thanks to Elwing for going and reviewing the Akallabeth MUSH. You can check that out Here.
4/22/00 - Latest News
Fantasy Games
Berendir @ 11:30 EST
Kazren sent this artile in from PC Gamer’s update s from Vol. 7 #5 May 2000. This is a follow up from the, Where are they Now, snippet Enoreth posted on Middle Earth Online. This covers a few of the other fantasy games out there as well. MIDDLE EARTH Developer: Sierra Publisher: Sierra What it is: A massive multiplayer oneline roleplaying game, set in Tolkien’s magical, mythical, fantasy setting. As Ultima Online and Everquest have proven, there’s a ravenous audience for fantasy worlds running 24/7, and none have the reputation or mainstream pull as MIDDLE EARTH. Though little has been revealed about the game’s design, it’s likely that the art direction will follow the familiar epic tradition that has illustrated the novels for years. Why we’re interested. C’mon people, it’s Middle Earth. This is one of the greatest fantasy worlds ever created starring characters that have become legends outside the confines of a world that is ripe for exploration. It has so much history and lore, but will rely on players really buying into the setting to insure it remains true to that focus. With the movies set for release latter this year (I guess they don’t know it’s 2001), the timing is perfect to ride the new wave of fascination with Tolkien’s creation. Original Release Date: Summer 2000 Current Release Date: Spring 2001 Why it’s taking so d**n long: During the Sierra reorganizations the original design team was replaced with a new group, new focus, and reinvigorated direction. Let’s just hope that’s enough to get the project on track to take full advantage of it’s incredible potential as both a game design and world to be shaped by fans. Developer: Sirtech Publisher: To be determined What it is: Considered one of the founding fathers of roleplaying genre, this series has always appealed to hardcore RPG fans. The party-based statistics-heave roots will remain intact in this eight iteration, as will the focus on story and character interaction. Expect a huge 3D world filled with all of the challenges, obstacles and rewa4rds that come with a classic roleplaying game. Why we’re interested: If you’ve ever played any of the previous games in the series, you know the reason. The attention to detail will be phenomenal, and no design shortcuts will be taken towater down any of the roleplaying elements or to artifically extend the playing time. Eleven races and 15 chracter classes, multiple starting points and endings, and the choice of a phased or continuous combat mode should make this one of the most ambitious roleplaying games since the last entry in the Wizardry series, CRUSADERS OF THE DARK SAVANT; rleased way back in 1992! Original Release Date: Late 1998/Early 1999 Current Release Date: No official date has been announced, but Sirtech says that great progress is being made. We’re guessing we’ll see it sometime around the end of this year. Why is it taking so long? The time killer has been the movie to a 3D world. Back when the project was started, 3D was stil in its infancy, and a lot of the work constantly had to be updated. And some of the game’s development resources were diverted as the company finished JAGGED ALLIANCE2. WIZARDS AND WARRIORS Developer: Heuristic Park Publisher: Activision What it is: In the dim and distant past, this one went by the name of SWORDS AND SORCERY: COME DEVILS, COME DARKNESS. A classic roleplaying game in every sense of the term (expect medieval architecture, legendary monsters, loads of spells, and all the other accouterments), this should bear a passing rsemblance to the Wizardry series, as lead designer D.W. Bradley was the man at the helm of WIZARDRY IV through VII. Why we’re interested: D.W. Bradley is a well-respected name in roleplaying circles thanks to his contributions to the Wizardry series, so when he’s got something cooking, we’re immediately interested. And although the promised online play has been nixed for the initial rollout of the game, Heuristic anticipates that upcoming sequels will easily incorporate this feature thanks to the solid foundation that has been built for the series. Original Release Date: October 1998 Current Release Date: Fall 2000 Why it’s taking so d**n long: With every hand0ff of this RPG (originally it was a Virgin title, then Westwood picked it up and now, finally , it belongs to Activision), the release dtae just keeps getting bumped. Even without the hot potatoe treatment, it’s unlikely the game would have been out already. Heuristic was more concerned with building a system that could carry its game into the fure, and they think they’ve done just that with WIZARDS AND WARRIORS. Thanks Kazren for sending this in.
WIZARDRY 8
4/21/00 - Latest News
Middle-earth Release Date?
Enoreth @ 10:11 EST
I was just flipping through the May edition of PCGamer, when I stumbled over Middle Earth in the 'Where are they now?' section. Heres a little snippet... PCGamer, May 2000, Middle-earth. Heres the real catch: The original release date was Summer 2000, and the speculated new date is Spring 2001. Our sources believe Sierra is in the design stages of the game and information flow is tight under wraps. I'll keep you updated.
Why we're interested:
C'mon, people, it's Middle Earth. This is one of the greatest fantasy worlds ever conceived, starring characters that have become legends outside the confines of a world that is ripe for exploration. It has so much history and lore but will rely on players really buying in to the setting to ensure it remains true to that focus. With the movies set for release later this year, the timing is perfect to ride the new wave of fascination with Tolkien's creation.
4/19/00 - Latest News
Won.net's Tolkien plans
Berendir @ 10:04 EST
Thanks to fellow Ringer Staff member Gandalf for alerting me to this bit of cool news: "Emmanuel Schalit, president and chief operating officer of Won.net, said the company plans to capitalize on its rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” fantasy novels to make an online game in which large numbers of gamers may act out the roles of Tolkien’s characters. Havas may charge players a monthly fee, he said." Sounds promising! Go Here to see the whole article.