Myth@Bungie.Org

News Archive for December 2000

Sunday December 31st

PC Gamer mentions WWII Myth plugin { Lophan }

In my final post before Dick Clark drops the ball in Times Square for, what is it, the 77th time?... a quick note on a mention for the WWII: Recon plugin that Santa's Head so lovingly created and has provided us all with hours upon hours of RPG and tank driving fun.

PC Gamer featured existing and upcoming World War II games (including Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Medal of Honor Allied Assault and World War II Online, to name a few) and what to expect. Albiet it's only a quick note in the WWII Mods section with a brief paragraph describing the gameplay, it's always nice to see the hard work of the Bungie Community recognized (and advertised).

As well, I hope everyone out there has a Safe and Happy New Year. With the impending release of Oni and eventually Halo, this is going to be a BIG year for Bungie, and we look forward to the ride!

Thursday December 28th

Myth and Dune II: connection? { Lophan }

In my daily efforts to scour the internet in hopes of bringing new Myth news to the Bungie Community (which has been scarce of late, obviously), I have labored to find an article from Gamespot.UK that mentions Myth... and how it was influenced by the game Dune II: The Battle for Arrakis (circa 1993). Now, you may scoff at such a claim, but they pretty much say that any and all RTS games have been influenced by the features and gameplay of Dune II.

I don't totally buy it, but one might say I lost my impartial viewpoint sometime back in the mid-90s. An interesting read nevertheless as the larger article is the "15 Most Influential Games of All-Time."

Quick Update: After continuing through the article, I found that Myth: The Fallen Lords was selected as one of the 10 "runners-up" in the "15 Most Influential games of All-Time." Here's what Gamespot.UK has to say:

Myth: The Fallen Lords received a great deal of critical acclaim when it was released in late 1997, and although it's a relatively young game in the real-time strategy genre, its influence is certain. It was the first real-time strategy game to use a fully 3D terrain and a user-controllable camera that you could use to rotate your view point around your units as well as around the landscape around you.

Although gameplay was overly challenging and the interface was not user-friendly, its mouse-drive control allowed you to control individual units as well as groups. As for graphics, the game supported hardware acceleration and as a result, the landscape visuals were quite pretty and the animated violence and gore quite realistic. Its physics model was perhaps the best thing about the game because it allowed for a more-realistic depiction of flying objects and explosions in virtual three dimensions. A whole wave of 3D RTS games have come out or are coming out now, and the trend isn't ending anytime soon.

Tuesday December 26th

Errors at MMC Corrected { Forrest }

Merry Christmas!

Ace of Sevens from BorgHL (hl.bungie.org on Hotline) pointed out a number of errors in the film archive's search page's level popup menu. It has been fixed. Now if only I had some films to show off...

Friday December 22nd

TMBM Releases { Forrest }

From DM of TMBM:

"When a reality is born of a god's dream, the fabric that binds it slowly densifies from a malleable state.

In the world of Acknahara, reality is in such an early stage. The supernatural realm that envelops it bleeds in through every crack and sliver it finds. Those whose souls grow old and live in the transcending path become masters of the energy that gives life to their surrounding.

These are the sorcerers of Acknahara, and their most direct and immediate resource to this energy comes from unlocking the life-force compressed in the seeds of powerful plants. Acknahara exists as many islands lost in what seems an infinite ocean. The story begins on the island of Entarguyec, a once peaceful place that has now given home to a detrimental disturbance..."

Just in time for Christmas comes the darkest Myth TC ever! From the mind of MPM comes Dreamseedz, a brand new total conversion by They Might Be Mapmakers. Dreamseedz features 7 all new units, and 5+ new scenery pieces, along with several retextured models. Dreamseedz is one of the darkest Myth conversions to date, featuring disturbingly dark art by MPM, frightening scenery that you have to see to believe, and units with seemingly natural armor that curves over their forms. The two-level Dreamseedz solo takes place across the scarred lands of Acknahara in exiting missions that involve original objectives such as finding keys and destroying plants to fuel magic. Dreamseedz also features unique physics that allow body parts and other projectiles to float and bob on the surface of the water. Units range from crossbowmen to the six-legged reptilian smagort creature. Check out the TMBM webpage at tmbm.8m.com and the Dreamseedz site at www.tmbm.8m.com/ds.htm, and download Dreamseedz now at  mill.evihcra.com to join the fight against evil!

Thank you, Darth Maul. We now return to your regularly scheduled silence. :-)

Thursday December 21st

Bungie Fanfest San Francisco announced { Lophan }

New details on the Bungie Fanfest IV at the upcoming MacWorld San Francisco have been posted at both bungie.net and the Fanfest's home site: Bungie Sightings. Make thyself available in the afternoon of January 12 and you'll be plenty happy you did. Yeroen mentions some Bungie participation in their usual cryptic style... which usually means something quite cool is in the works.

As well, Freewill has posted a run-down on the Fanfest III at MacWorld NY (from July 2000) and it should give you an idea of what to expect, but remember: these Fanfests get bigger and better each and every time! [I can see it now: Fanfest XXII at Madison Square Garden!...]

Friday December 15th

Bushido Solo Archive released { Lophan }

The Bushido Solo Archive is now publicly available from Creation. It includes a new 5-level Bushido solo campaign w/ all the customary extras such as narration, artwork, music, etc; a plugin called "Shidoblighter" that optimizes 6 cool M2SB solo levels for Bushido; and two all-new multiplayer maps. It also includes some other goodies.

The solo campaign has levels of offensive, defensive, stealth, puzzle, and quest-based natures, both large-scale and small-scale. It has some technically advanced features never before seen in Myth. Of particular interest is the versatile animation-switching hero Yoshitsune and the scripted special effects.

Please go to the website for further details and screenshots. After you DL, sign up for the Bushido Bash on b.net, Thursday, Dec. 20, at 7 PM CST. A night of fun Bushido cooperative play.

Handy Links:

Bushido Solo Website at creationgames.com
Bushido Bash sign-up at bungie.net
Bushido page at the Mill
Quic k DL link

A note about the download size - Yes, this is big. Every meg in the archive is there for a reason though. If you want to be able to download in chunks, Hotline is the app you need. CreationGames Hotline (CGHL) has re-opened to help folks out with the download. The server is "208.53.57.248" and the login is "guest" - no password. Be sure to read the agreement.

A new map for TFL { Forrest }

DeadMan of the Mything In Action Cartography Brigade is proud to release...

The Vessel:
A new map for Myth: The Fallen Lords

From their PR:

The Vessel was designed from the ground up with gameplay taking priority over all other considerations. The map has been planned in such a way as to promote very interesting fights and battles (much like Bungie's map, For Carnage Apply Within), and features several different meshes for ffa and team play, with a wide selection of units. The Vessel also features a quality, handcrafted colormap. Natural colors and breathtaking views compliment the already rich and diverse playing experience.

For more information, and to download the map, visit www.m-i-a.net/vessel. There you can find detailed information about the map, as well as screenshots. The map will soon be posted on The Mill as well.

Sounds pretty cool, and the first new TFL map I've heard of in a long time! So go check it out!

Thursday December 14th

Got Myth 2 B.net Problems? { Gawyn }

As reported on Bungie.net, there is a new patch if you have a problem connecting to bungie.net in Myth 2. This new patch requires that you re-install Myth 2 from scratch, then apply the patch (that rhymes, heh), but you will be ready for some error-free play.

Get the patch here. 1.3 for PC, 1.3.1 for Mac.

That is all.

Wednesday December 13th

More WWII Maps goodness at The Mill { Lophan }

A gaggle of new WWII maps have been submitted to The Mill and here's a brief description of what's available:

Tuesday December 12th

The Return of Myth News { Lophan }

I must apologize for the recent lack of updates. I relocated this past weekend and not only did it take the phone company 5 days (!) to activate my phone line, but searching for a good ISP is much like searching for a good spouse. Nevertheless, expect to return to your regularly scheduled Myth news updates immediately.

Wednesday December 6th

New bungie.net Quick Poll { Lophan }

Yeroen, the bungie.net webmaster (no, not the guy from the Letters page) seems to have become more conscious of the questions which our society burns for. In response, he is soliciting responses for what may be the most important issue since the debate over the electoral college. Go over to bungie.net now and cast your vote in this all important ballot.

Oh, and while you're there, be sure to add the myth.bungie.org channel to your side menu. What better way to keep up-to-date on happenings in the Myth World! Get to it!

New Aliens TC on the horizon { Lophan }

Picked this up from the Myth Townhall bungie.net Community Forum [original post here]:

ALIEN - DARKTIDE
This upcoming Myth II TC is based on the successful "Alien" movie franchise where vicious creatures from outer space have it in for the humans and it's obvious that we all just can't "get along." Weaponry true to the genre is promised, as well as an original score (metal/techno) and cameo appearances by scantily-clad female stars from the series. Release date is mentioned for February 2001, but with such an ambitious project, patience is indeed a virtue.

Get a look at some of the early screenshots and backstory at the official site.

Tuesday December 5th

Oops! Don't need to do it again... { Forrest }

Asmodeus has mentioned both to me in person and in a response to SiliconDream's post that he has already accomplished the feat Silicon challenged Mythmasters to do - namely, to kill the Wights and save the Knot on Homecoming. The film is called "Second Homecoming", and it can be found, as always, at Mythmaster Central.

But don't worry, all you aspiring Mythmasters who never bother to send me any films now anymore dontchaknow, the Mythmasters' Challenge is still ongoing! The while the TFL, M2 and Chimera divisions are already completed, the title of Grand Champion still remains! Who will it be? Asmodeus? The Wolf Pack? Deep Thought? Or YOU?

Monday December 4th

Bushido Update { Forrest }

Two new PRS from Creation, courtesy of Clem:

Bushido Solo Scenario excitingly close to Release
If you drop by Creation's Website you'll find a quietly featured new page for the Official Bushido Solo Scenario. The project appears to consist of 5 solo levels & 2 new Multiplayer maps. From the text on the page it sounds like Creation has some surprises & "never-befores" in store for us with this quietly produced scenario for the popular Bushido TC.

The Seventh God Project Update
The Staff at Creation have also recently unveiled the complete contingency of new units that will make up their "The Seventh God" project. There's also some info about the project in general as well as a growing snapshot archive of some of the 18+ solo levels that will make this what Creation promises to be their most indepth, challenging & immersive project ever.

You can drop by the TSG site at http://www.theseventhgod.com
---------------
An infusion of life into the mundane Myth! (or something) Go check it out. Now.

Sunday December 3rd

SiliconDream Challenges Mythmasters! { Forrest }

All aspiring Mythmasters out there, check out this article from our Asylum forum. Any takers?

Friday December 1th

The Mill moves to Millarchives.com { Lophan }

According to Frigidman (Marathon and Myth map maker extraordinaire) we have been notified that the premiere Myth map resource The Mill now has it's own domain name. New address, same great content! Check it out!

OMG! LEGENDZ MB!!!1!1! { Forrest }

In a freak accident, I have somehow managed to update the Field Guide section of Legends with info from the Asylum; specifically, an interesting bit regarding Homecoming. I am deeply sorry. You can blame Hamish Sinclair for all this.

As a side note, we are still seeking the aid of worthy story-freaks or even just those skilling in playing the solo levels to help get Legends up to date. We need Field Guides for Myth II and Chimera, the Timeline of the When section of the Encyclopedia needs to be finished, the whole thing needs to be updated with new info from GURPS and the like, and there are a boatload of theories in the Asylum which should be copied to Delusions and Relics. You can blame Hamish again, if you'd like ;)