August 25th, 1998: Various site updates

Several sections of the site have been added/updated. Here's what's going on:

• Wishlist: A new wish was added regarding "Development Sanity". You'll have to read it to understand it...
  
  
• Preview: This section was just added. So far the only preview is the news article from PSM Online that first reported of PSX Quake 2's existence. Definately worth a read.
  
  
• Links: A few more links added that should have already been in there.
  
  
• The e-mail form has been fixed. No weird error messages.
  
  
• My .plan: Updated with the usual junk you've come to expect.

Hopefully there will be some news to report in the near future. Cuz, when news breaks, I fix it!

August 19th, 1998: GamePro blurb and new Message Board

Game Pro had some info regarding PSX Quake II and some not-quite-up-to-date info on Quake Arena (now called Quake III Arena):

Quake III is dead! (Not Quite... -DBS) John Carmack, head programmer at id, has canned the Quake III in favor of Quake Arena, a muti-player-only product requiring 3D hardware. Carmack says the shift occurred so that id can concentrate on making progress in multiplayer gaming without splitting it's resources. Meanwhile, Activision has announced that a PlayStation port of Quake II will join the Nintendo 64 version it currently has in development.

I guess that's one of the disadvantages of being a monthly print magazine instead of a 24 hours a day online resource. Not only is that old news (dates back to Carmacks plan file from 6/16/98), but it's outdated as well. Carmack changed the name (again) from Quake Arena to Quake III Arena.

I have also changed the Message Board. It is now more organized, easier to use, and I got rid of the annoying banner ads. Leave a message...

August 18th, 1998: PSX Quake II is certain...

According to e-mail messages and message board posts from "Lord Death", it appears that the Quake II port to PlayStation is a gaurantee. Here's what he had to say:

In the September issue of The Offical Playstation Mag. there proved quake 2 for the PSX is real. In the section that lists the release months of upcomming (<--- Spelling Error :) DBS) games, listed up future releases, is our friend QUAKE 2!

This sounds very good. I am going to make an attempt to check other reliable sources such as PSM when the print articles become available.

August 9th, 1998: Site Happenings

Alot of things have been happening here at QuakeStation. Here are some of the things that have been added/changed:

• All files (html, images, etc) have been moved into the proper sub-directorites. Not that this matters to you, but it helps me to stay organized.
  
  
• A QuakeStation forum has been added! Go here to talk about anything related to Quake II and PlayStation. Just click on "Messageboard" on the sidebar.
  
  
• An e-mail form has been added. I did this for more than one reason. The first is, it's easier to use and nicer looking than browser mail windows. Also, this is better for people who use free e-mail services like Hotmail and Juno and don't send mail through their browser.

As you can see, I have been very busy. Let me know if there is anything else that you think should be added.

August 2nd, 1998: Slight Changes

You may have noticed a slight difference on the sidebar. I have changed the predictions page to a previews page. The predictions page was too similar to the wishlist. The previews page will be for previews in magazines that I manually enter into the site and also for links to on-line reviews when they become available. Although the name was changed, the page still has the same address.

July 31st, 1998: PlayStation Programmer Needed

You may have noticed the news that a company is now looking for a PlayStation programmer on the front page:

JOB Opening: Playstation programmer -
Vicarious Visions, Inc.

Experienced PSX programmer needed for
development on a hot new project.
POSITION STARTS IMMEDIATELY!

You should have skills in the following areas:


* Must be an avid gamer
* Know C/C++ inside and out
* Windows95, DirectX, N64 or other console experience a plus.
* 3D/2D graphics programming experience
* Ability to work long hours with a talented team
* Contract or Full Time position available
* Relocation to Albany, NY area is required
[snip]
Send resumes to: Karthik Bala, Director of Development
Email: karthik@vvisions.com
Company Website: WWW.VVISIONS.COM.

They didn't mention what types of games they would be designing, but the position looks very promising.

July 28th, 1998: Interesting Info

I saw something very interesting in that issue of Game Pro I mentioned before. In an ad for the upcoming game "Heart of Darkness", it says that it utilizes 24-bit color on the PlayStation! You may not know what this means. Back in the days of the original Quake III (before the announcement of Quake Arena, which is now Quake III:Arena) John Carmack was rambling on about how great 24-bit color was going to be in Quake III. The interesting point is that the original Quake III was (and probably still is) going to require the use of a 3D card. This evidently means that PlayStation is capable of producing 3D Accelerated graphics quality. If this is true, than there is no reason why Quake II shouldn't look fantasic on PlayStation. Let's keep our fingers crossed...

July 18th, 1998: GamePro Stuff

I recently got the most recent (August) issue of GamePro and it appears to be the best issue of the year (so far). Their entire NetPro department was dedicated to Quake II mods and other useful software like Gamespy 3D, bots, skins, viewable weapons, and how to improve your ping. There was also a blurb in their E3 roundup about the Nintendo 64 version of Quake II which I may post in my .plan when I get a chance. Unfortuneately, there is still no word on PlayStation Quake II beyond the press release. Keep your fingers crossed...

July 16th, 1998: QuakeStation IRC

There is now a QuakeStation IRC chat room on Quake2.com's irc server. Just connect to irc.quake2.com and then type /join #quakestation. I will go into more detail about this on the QuakeStation IRC page. Hope to see you there...

July 6th, 1998: Site Updates

Two more categories, control and multiplayer, have beenadded to the Wishlist. Also,a links section has been added.

July 5th, 1998: Wishlist added

My PlayStation Quake II wishlisthas been added. The first two sections I discussed weregraphics and sound. The next two topics I am going to addis control and multiplayer, which will be done once I geta chance. Check out what I have to say, and then E-MAILme and tell me whether or not you agree.

July 4th, 1998: Happy Independence Day!!!!!

Things are finally underway. I'm getting a pretty steady flow of hits so far. I'm not going to get into my thoughts and plans, as that will go into my .plan file, which I just made yesterday. When news breaks, I'll fix it...

July 1st, 1998: QuakeStation has arrived...

In light of the recent announcement of the PlayStation version of Quake II, this site has been created. Being a Quake II fanatic and a PlayStation owner, it only seemed right that there should be a web site dedicated to PSX Quake II. Enter QuakeStation. Your source for PSX Quake II news, rumors, predictions, sreen shots, and info. I would like to thank Quake2.com for hosting my site. Any suggestions or criticisms are welcome as this siteis still in it's early stages. Drop me a line, and tell me what you think.
-DBS

June 26th, 1998: Quake II for PlayStation is official

Read over at Blue's that there was a press release for the PlayStation version of Quake II. Here it is:

Friday June 26, 6:00 am Eastern Time

Company Press Release

SOURCE: Activision, Inc.

The Awesome Force of Quake II Launches an Assault Onthe Sony PlayStation Game Console

id Software and Activision Bring Mega Hit to PlayStation

MESQUITE, Texas, June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- id Software's blockbuster PC hit QUAKE II,distributed by Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI - news), is launching a full- scale assault on the SonyPlayStation(TM). QUAKE II for the PlayStation will feature new intense carnage blasting levelsteeming with mutant monsters and id Software's trademark hard-hitting gameplay.

The announcement underscores Activision's commitment of partnering with the industry's foremostdevelopers to bring quality PlayStation games to market. One of the best-selling CD-ROM games ofall time, QUAKE II has shipped more than 900,000 units worldwide since its launch in December.QUAKE II is expected to top 1 million units by this summer.

``In bringing QUAKE II to the PlayStation game console, a new segment of gamers will beintroduced to the phenomenon of QUAKE II and the QUAKE franchise,'' states Robert Kotick,Chairman and CEO, Activision, Inc. ``The game's pounding action, multiplayer mayhem and neverbefore seen levels will provide console players with a powerful new gaming experience.''

``The QUAKE II phenomenon goes on and on,'' said Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software.``And the PlayStation console is one more arena where our fans can devastate and annihilateeverything in their path.''

In QUAKE II for the PlayStation, the future of humanity is at stake as earth launches its final assaultagainst alien aggressors. Players must infiltrate the alien planet and fight their way through heavilyfortified military installations. Gamers must duck gunfire spray and crawl through narrow shaftsevading a continual barrage of gunfire as they annihilate their enemies in slaughter strewn levels. Thegame will feature a battalion of monsters that maneuver themselves into strategic attack locations andrelentlessly hunt players down.

id - Freud's primal part of the human psyche and one of the hottest game shops on Earth - has beenrocking the gaming world from Mesquite, Texas since 1991. As a renown leader in the industry, idSoftware has forged frenetic titles such as Wolfenstein 3-D, DOOM, DOOM II, QUAKE and,most recently, QUAKE II. With their intense graphics and mind-blowing adventure, id's games havecontinually broken retail and shareware sales records. And, in keeping with tradition, id's advancedQUAKE II engine is leading the next revolution in 3-D interactive games with both single andmultiplayer technology. Check out more about id Software at http://www.idsoftware.com.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, Activision, Inc. is one of the world's leading interactiveentertainment software companies. Founded in 1979, Activision posted revenues of approximately$260 million for fiscal 1998. The company is a worldwide developer, publisher and distributor ofinteractive entertainment software for Microsoft Windows compatible personal computers as well asadvanced console game systems such as the Sony PlayStation and Nintendo 64.

Activision maintains international publishing subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, Germany,Japan and Australia and distribution subsidiaries in the United Kingdom and Germany.

Activision maintains North American development and publishing operations in Santa Monica, CAand a development studio in Madison, Wisconsin. More information about Activision and itsproducts can be found on the company's World Wide Web site which is located athttp://www.activision.com.

The statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are ``forward-lookingstatements.'' The company cautions readers of this press release that a number of important factorscould cause Activision's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in any suchforward- looking statements. These important factors, and other factors that could affect Activision,are described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31,1998, which was filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers of thispress release are referred to such filings.

Activision(R) is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc.

QUAKE(R) is a registered trademark of Id Software, Inc. QUAKE II(TM) and the IdSoftware(TM) name are trademarks of Id Software, Inc. Activision(R) is a registered trademark ofActivision, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Activision, Inc.

June 18th, 1998: PSM Online Announced PSX Quake II

In what is great news for PlayStation fans everywhere, there was a news article at PSM Online which revealed the fact that there will a PlayStation version of Quake II available before the end of 1998:

Quake II, the hugely-popular PC title that's crowding LANs and the Web, will surprisingly come home to PlayStation later this year, a source at Activision told PSMOnline today. Although no official announcement has been made from Activision, word will come soon, the source said, and added that a number of changes will be made to the PS version. "I would assume that the game will be multiplayer, although I can't get any further details," the source explained. Although the Nintendo version is being developed by former Midway coder Aaron Seeler, the source would not release who the developer is just yet. Id will look closely over the game's development. Another excellent tidbit is that Quake II will not be a direct port, it will come out with new levels and, possibly, new weapons and enemies.

As you can see, this console version of Quake II looks extremely promising. Make sure to stop by QuakeStation for all of you PlayStation Quake II needs.