Lemuridae Caveat

News Archive for February 2002

Wednesday February 27th

MythWA Announces Plan For New Server { Zandervix }

Over at MythWA.com is a news post about a new server for Myth II. But don't take my word for it, here's their own words:

MythWA.com & MythMaps.com have decided to run jointly a server for Myth 2. This was decided after the news about the retirement of Marius and Conner. The server will support order tabs and ranked play, among other things. Questions about and suggestions for this new server can be discussed in our forum.

And if you are a talented C++ programmer with some spare time, I would like to hear from you! Email me at: SomeLoser@MythWA.com

This matter does not affect development of a new Myth 3 server in any way.
As you probably remember, earlier this year MythWA and MythMaps reported a joint effort to create a Myth III server. Now if we could only get them to add TFL. :)

Tuesday February 26th

Marius & Conner Retire { Zandervix }

Now before you all get crazy and start hyper-ventilating, just hold on. This DOES NOT mean that MariusNet is going anywhere. But don't take my word for it, here is the post from Marius himself:

It's time for a new hobby. Conner and I have been putting in countless hours supporting marius net for a number of months now, and it's time to move on to other things.

So, we've set up the server and web site to eliminate all support work. As a result, we will no longer be accepting new login requests. New users can sign on using the "guest" account, but will not be allowed to chat. They can, however host and join games and chat in game. We will also be turning off the game stats since that requires alot of effort to maintain.

The server will remain on as long as we have a free pipe, and the rules still apply, but Conner and I have no desire to spend our time on this anymore.
So there. The server is basically maintenance free, and Conner has said that they will take care of any 'major' problems as they arise. So please, pop in your copy of TFL or SB, and head on over and play. Still worried, maybe the following news item will help...

But first, let me just publicly thank Conner and Marius for giving us all a place to play, and I hope to see you two in a game now and then. Thanks - Zan

MythMaps Has Options... { Zandervix }

Blades Olivia over at MythMaps.com posted this on their website:

Bungie.net is gone, MariusNet is no longer being supported, there is no usable version of Vengence for Macintosh, and GameSpy just plain sucks.

Now that all of the facts are out in the open, lets talk options. With MythMaps.com now being out of Beta (yes, we know some things still need to be fixed), we're planning on moving in some new directions in the near future. With the multitude of options, we thought we'd let you select what our next move is. Our list of possible projects are:

A. Development of MacVengence
B. Development of a new MetaServer using Bungie.net's source
C. Development of a tournament and clan/order system
D. Development of a new Myth 3 game server
E. None of the above.
F. All of the above.

We're all game (no pun intended) to host a new server with Bungie.net's source code. We could use some development help with this - so if you are a programmer who knows C++, please send me an email (see the link below). If you want to help us develop either a new server, or MacVengence - please contact us. We also need graphics for all of the above projects. Anything can be emailed to me below.

Before long we will have pages set up for you all to follow the development of these and any other projects. But you need to tell us what you want. We need to know what issues to tackle first.

Drop us a note - tell us what you want. Do it now..... NOW I SAID!

Send your email to: Mike@Powertools.net

Monday February 25th

CHIA SPEAKS! { Zandervix }

Dave "Chia" Pindrys visited the guestbook himself over at HelpDavePindrys.com. See for yourself:

Hi everyone, Thanks so much for all your support!! I am feeling really good and on the road to recovery. I will be going to out patient rehab three times a week and doing lots of exercises at home. My mom is a real drill seargeant, I am typing with one hand for now till my left hand gets more controled. Sorry this is so short, it's tough to type with one hand....for now! Thanks again to everyone. see you all soon. Love Chia

DNS woes plague Rampancy.net { claude }

Quick note - Rampancy.net, a long-time Bungie fansite, has not (as it might seem) died recently - they're just having DNS troubles. The servers are fine, and can be reached directly via their IP addresses:

They're doing their best to fix the problems - good luck to them! (This message is being crossposted to a number of relevant b.org pages, in the hopes of hitting all interested parties.)

Saturday February 23rd

Pick of the Week... { Zandervix }

In 1999, three members of Geezers from Hell announced a total conversion in the works for Myth II. The TC was going to convert Myth II into the Light Cycle game from Tron. It was reported on most of the major Myth newsites, as well as being picked as "Most Anticipated Upcoming TC" on Soon. This was an ambitious project, and the Tron TC developers worked for almost two years. In 1999, they opened the Tron TC website (which is this week's pick); and in early 2001, they released this screenshot. "So what ever happened to the Tron TC," you ask? After all this hype and anticipation, and many players waiting for two years to play it; the Tron TC turned out to be what a few of their own clan thought it would be: A Hoax.

Friday February 22nd

Clan Forums @ MythForums.com { Zandervix }

PrplPplEater over at Myth Forums posted this news:

I'm happy to announce that MythForums.com now supports the ability for all registered members to Register their clan and get their own Private Forum.

"Why would I do this?" you ask.

Easy, we here wanted to provide the Myth Community with a resource that we felt was actually worthwhile. I hope it lives up to that expectation.

What you get when you register, is your own private Forum for Clan discussions, etc..... an easy way for all clan members to keep in touch or collaborate.

This Forum is completely invisible to all non-clan members.

When a Clan is registered, the person that registers it becomes the 'Clan Manager'. This person specifies a password at the time he/she registers the clan, and it is thru this password that all other members can join that clan to gain access to their forum. The Forum also supports the display of your clan Logo, and the URL to your clan's homepage (if any).
So if you've got a clan that needs a home, or are planning on starting one, head on over and check it out.

Mac Vengeance Upgrade Coming? { Zandervix }

This little tidbit was posted in the Myth Village forums by Blades Olivia.

My company has hired a programmer with C++ experience and sometime in March we plan to start trying to get the Mac version at least up to where the PC version is. Our programmer knows little about Myth, so I'm going to have to "train" him. :)
Anyone who would like to lend their assistance should contact me.

Multiplayer Films? { Zandervix }

Inky sent us this note:

Hey there... just thought you might have some teensy bit of marginal possible slight interest in the multiplayer Myth 2 movies on my site. Some of them are quite good!
So go check out his site, here.

Thursday February 21st

Tradition? You bet! { Zandervix }

Thursday nights is TFL night over at Marius Net. Yes, of course you can play TFL any day of the week! Thursday night is just when the biggest bunch of TFL'ers come out of the woodwork and play some classic Myth. So head on over tonight, and every Thursday night, for this grand tradition.

Field Guide Update? { Zandervix }

I've had a few of you ask me about the Field Guides for Myth III. "Will there be a Myth III field guide?" "When will it be up?" "Why don't you answer my E-mails?" The fact is, when a new game comes out, there is a lot of work involved in updating the entire site. Not just the Field Guide; but the Encyclopedia, Delusions, Journal, etc... In fact, there is some stuff that still needs to be added from Chimera as well.

The point of this is: You are invited to help us out. Anyone wanting to write/create a field guide for any MWA level, please do so (Chimera also needs to be done), and send it to either Gholsbane or myself, and we'll be more than happy to get this stuff up. And heck, we'll even give you credit for it too. :)

Myth Master Central Gears Up { Zandervix }

The Myth Master submissions are growing! Keep 'em coming! I've got a lot of films that I'll be adding hopefully this weekend, so if you've sent me films and I haven't got them up yet, check back in a few days. I'm hoping to get ALL of them up on this site before Monday.

So far I have recieved only one film from MWA, and it's mine. Come on, people! However, I am seeing some great stuff from TFL and SB that I've never seen before. Some great stuff!

Also, if you have a film that doesn't qualify for MMC, but has some new things in it, send them in too. We might be able to add them to the Field Guides. Let's keep these films rollin', baby!

Tuesday February 19th

Chia Update... { Zandervix }

There was another message from Chia's mom today found in the guestbook over at HelpDavePindrys.com. Here it is:

Dave is home!!!!!!! He is doing well. He will start out patient rehab immediatly at the same hospital . We left with lots of cheers and tears today. Love Pam
By the way, if you haven't signed the guestbook yet, go sign it, fool! :)

New Fansite! { Zandervix }

I received an E-mail today that I didn't quite understand (it was in Korean characters) until I hopped over to Myth Village and saw that Blambi had deciphered it. Seems that a new Myth Fansite has opened up shop. However, it's in Korean. If you can read it, or if your computer can translate it, I suggest checking it out. Heck, check it out anyway. Pretty nifty site. MythFanSite.com

Forrest Returns Home... { Forrest }

...to updated Myth@B.org footers! Read all about it!

Well uh... ok, you read about it. I've updated the site footers to reflect the changes in site staff, since I still theoretiacally run this joint... so, like, yeah...

[stalks back into the shadows and slinks into Laura's arms]

Monday February 18th

Tourney on Marius Net { Zandervix }

Marine Recon.Net has announced an upcoming WW2 tournament to be played on Marius Net this Sunday starting at 1 pm EST. The only catch: you have to be invited. If you are invited, or want to learn more, go to their website.

::Checks E-mail, still no invitation:: hmmm...

Chia Comes Home { Zandervix }

According to the guestbook over at HelpDavePindrys.com, Dave 'Chia' Pindrys will be coming home today. Here is a note posted to the guestbook by Dave's mom the other day:

Dave will be coming home on Monday the 18th!!!!! We can't wait! Thank you so much to all of you once again. Keep the messages coming, they have truly been a huge part of his recovery. With love, Pam

Fan Creations Online { Gholsbane }

I have finally managed to collect a series of pages for the newly announced Fan Creations section of Miscellaneous. Chek them out!

Thanks to Forrest for sending in the first slew of creative works available in the form of The Parodies of Myth. WARNING: Some of the material contain herein is rated PG13. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

We still need loads more material though so keep on sending it in.

Sunday February 17th

Sibrax signs off... { Zandervix }

Sibrax, who has a comment page at Soon.Clanplaid.net leaves us with a final thought. Go read it. ::sniff::

Pick of the Week... { Zandervix }

This weeks 'pick' is actually for a collection of sites created by our very own Archer. First, we have the Inmates of the Asylum homepage. IOTA is an order that consists of some of the longtime regulars to the Asylum forum here at M.B.org.

Next, we have a rather interesting site called The Society of Carpet Bombers. A site founded as an inter-clan association to further the science and fun of Carpet Bombing.

And lastly, we have Archer's Quiver, a handy resource on the story of Myth, as well as other miscellaneous information.

Well, there you have it; three great sites, go check 'em out!

Saturday February 16th

M.O.S. Has the Goods... { Zandervix }

The Ministry of Security has an excellent piece on the end of B.net. It's a great article, so head on over and take a gander.

Bungie.Net Goes Dark { Zandervix }

This morning at approximately 3:07 A.M. CST, the Myth 2 server at Bungie.Net shut down, putting it to rest for good.

"Now I could never be sure, but I thought that I heard the sound of 'Taps' being played, gently."

Friday February 15th

Last day for Bungie.Net { Zandervix }

If you haven't heard by now (and where have you been if you haven't?), Bungie will be shutting down the Myth 2: Soulblighter Server today. You can get the full story here as well as the source code for the metaserver

"So where do I go tomorrow?" (Again, where have you been?) To play both TFL and SB, you can go to MariusNet.com, and play to your hearts desire.

-For those of you here strictly for news, you may skip the next two paragraphs.-

My Myth career started the day after Christmas in 1997, when I stole my younger brother's copy of Myth TFL and played it until dawn. I got into multiplayer, and played for hours on end. When Myth II came along, I was skeptical at first. I was very protective of TFL, and wanted that world to last forever. But finally I embraced SB and had the best fun getting my rear handed to me in almost every on-line game I played. Then, sadly, the TFL server was taken away; and honestly, a part of me died that day (not too pathetic, is it?). I thought, "Well, Myth II will always be there." Well, nuts. Thanks a lot B.net! Foiled again! I do appreciate the good times I had on B.net, but I must admit that I am still a little sore on the way that they left this community out in the cold. Oh, well. This feeling, too, shall pass.

I would like to thank Marius Net for giving us a place to go and keeping TFL and SB multi alive. As for the rest of you, I look forward to being beaten many times by such a fine bunch of players. - Zan

Wednesday February 13th

Right Back At Ya'! { Zandervix }

We here at Myth@B.Org always appreciate a little free advertising, and we're happy to do the same. The smart people over at Myth Village noticed the increased activity over here and gave us a good mention. Here it is:

I was hitting the varius myth sites and I came across Myth @ Bungie.org (which I haven't checked for a week or two because they seemed to stop doing updates), and it appears that they are very much alive, what with adding new staff, new features ("pick of the week" myth sites and a reader-submitted myth story database, or some jibberish like that), and generally displaying all the symptoms of still being addicted to Myth. Anyway, they're worth checking out in their undead form (shush you, I know it was a bad joke).
Thanks guys!

If you've got some spare time, go check out Myth Village to see what they've got and show your support for the community.

Tuesday February 12th

Win a copy of Myth 3 at the Mill { Zandervix }

Thanks to Frigidman for pointing this out. The Mill is giving away five free copies of Myth 3 for the Mac. So head on over and enter!

Gamespot Loves Myth! { Zandervix }

Well, sort of. An article over at Gamespot about the history of Real Time Strategy games gives good mention of Myth. You can read the excerpt below, or check out the entire article here.

While RTS games were traditionally built on the idea of "harvest, build, destroy," Bungie released Myth (in 1997), which left out all the resource management and concentrated on simple unit tactics. It was a huge success, partially because of its gorgeous 3D graphics, but also because of how well it maintained the strategy and excitement of real-time combat in the absence of buildings or structures. The focus on unit tactics required some improvements to the standard interface of the time and the ability to manage formations (with unit placement being of the utmost importance). Myth also introduced some interesting multiplayer games, like Last Man on the Hill. With its outstanding graphics, smooth multiplayer, and tactical gameplay, Myth and its sequel, Myth II, carved out a niche in the real-time market for those more interested in combat than in resource gathering.

Take 2 in Deep? { Zandervix }

Blambi over at Myth Village broke this news story about Take-Two. See for yourself.

According to Gamasutra, (members only section), Take2 is "now facing down almost a dozen class-action lawsuits which assert that the company misled investors as to the true nature of the company's finances." If you remember, on January 22 NASDAQ halted trading of Take2 stock.

===

Class-Action Lawsuits Pile Up Against Take-Two

Compounding the accounting problems that Take-Two already has, the publisher is now facing down almost a dozen class-action lawsuits which assert that the company misled investors as to the true nature of the company's finances. Lawsuits against Take-Two have been filed by the following firms:

Schiffrin & Barroway, LLP (Bala Cynwyd, PA), announced February 4.

Rabin & Peckel LLP (New York, NY), announced February 1.

Stull, Stull & Brody (New York, NY), announced January 16.

Schatz & Nobel (Hartford, CT), announced January 16.

Bull & Lifshitz, LLP (New York, NY) announced January 15.

Much Shelist LLP (New York, NY), announced January 11.

Cauley Geller Bowman & Coates, LLP (Little Rock, AR), announced January 9.

Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP (New York, NY), announced January 9.

Brodsky & Smith, L.L.C. (Bala Cynwyd, PA), announced January 8.

Brian M. Felgoise, P.C. (Philadelphia, PA), announced December 27.

Charles J. Piven, P.A. (Baltimore, MD), announced December 26.

All of these suits were filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and charge that Take-Two issued a series of materially false and misleading statements to the market between February 24, 2000 and December 17, 2001, concerning its financial performance for fiscal year 2000 and the first three quarters of its fiscal year 2001.

The class period used by these lawsuits corresponds to the beginning of statements made by Take-Two's executives about the performance of the company, until December 17, 2001, when Take-Two issued a press release announcing that it would restate its financial results for its fiscal year 2000 and the first three quarters of its fiscal year 2001.

Trading on Take-Two's stock was halted by NASDAQ on January 22, pending the release of the company's revised financial results for fiscal 2000, and the first three quarters of fiscal 2001. The company has until February 13 to release those results.

Monday February 11th

Fan Creations { Gholsbane }

We at Myth@Bungie.org are constantly striving to bring you the best in community goodness. Thus it is with great pleasure that we bring you "Fan Creations", a collection of pages containing material contributed by the Myth community to show off their creative talents. Unfortunately, due to minor technical difficulties and our lack of submissions thus far, the section is not yet completed. However, you can speed up the process by sending in any works of art or written masterpieces you have eating up space on your hard disks.

We are primarily looking for "Journal Fiction", works of fan fiction created to flesh out the backstory of Myth in the style of Bungie's gritty journal entries. All submissions will be judged by the panel and the best will go into their own section. We also welcome any other Myth-related creative material.

So, if you want to see this section go live, send in your material and expect to see it included when this gets off the ground Soon.

Well, what are you waiting for, get creative!

Saturday February 9th

Pick of the Week... { Zandervix }

With the end coming for the Myth II server at Bungie.net, and with the erosion of the Myth community over the past couple of years; I have been thinking about how sad it is to see some community sites slowly lose their steam and eventually come to a halt. I have been trying to visit some of these sites before they disappear, never to be heard from again.

With that, I bring you my 'Pick of the Week!' Every week (or whenever), I will make you aware of a site that has been long in want of an update. These sites have some good content, and should be seen before they are gone (and besides, if they earn enough hits, maybe the proprieter will decide to revitalize and continue his creation MB). If you have any suggestions for a pick, please let me know. Let's keep this community alive, shall we?!

This week, I recommend The Tharsis Times. Think The Onion for Myth. So head on over and take a look!

Friday February 8th

Myth II Server to close down soon... { Freewill }

No, not Bungie-Soon©, real 'soon' as in the 15th of this month!

Here's a C&P from Mordia's post over at bungie.net's newly overhauled Myth Vault:

Nothing in this world is permanent, and this must also be said of gaming servers. Over the past five years many of you have enjoyed the thrill of playing the Myth games online, as well as experienced the pains of a downed server or a rank reset. Ah! Memories! The time has come, however, to bid farewell to the old and tired Myth II game server.

We are finally and officially closing the doors on the Myth gaming servers for all time. Myth II online's last day will be Friday, February 15.

However, we realize that by doing so we leave a lot of people without a place to call home. So, what we intend to do is give it to you. Any of you who want it. The server that is. On this site you will find downloadable the Myth II metaserver source code. Do with it what you will!

Want to be an admin? Go for it! Want to make your own ranking system? Everything you need to do so is here. Have a yen for a custom WW2 server? You can make it!

This is the raw Myth II metaserver source code, stripped of a few proprietary bits of code, but still run-able. You can modify it in any way you want and use it for most anything you want. The only real conditions are that you don't then try to sell it and that you leave all the copyright and other legal notices with the code. Be sure to read the short, but very legal license agreement that comes with it before going nuts, but afterwards, go nuts.

The Myth Vault site will serve as a central location for the Myth game server development community, with a forum for people interested in discussing the code and the possibilities. In the future this site may also offer links to fan run servers, leader boards, order databases, whatever--that's all up to you


So here's to the end of an era. Before Myth TFL Server I thought I was a lone Bungie fan. Myth put me in touch with a wonderful bunch of people, many who I still consider friends.

The strength of the current alternative-Myth server, Mariusnet, means that the community still has a place to go, and since the Myth server source code is actually open-sourced now means there are more opportunities for folks to do creative things with Myth. What does the future hold? I dunno, but I can't wait to see it unfold!

Alternate MWA Server coming.... { Zandervix }

MythWA.com and MythMaps.com are coming together to create an alternate Myth 3 multiplayer server. If you have any suggestions for features or items you would like to see used in it, you may submit them to Ideas@MythMaps.com.

Thursday February 7th

MythMaster Central Submissions { Zandervix }

Hey folks! I have been given the (main) duty of handling all of the MythMaster Central submissions. So feel free to beef up on your playing skills and get those films rollin' in. Hopefully in a few days I will have the first MWA film (submitted by yours truly ::ahem::) up on the site. Be the first in your neighborhood to send in the other levels and to show us what you've got!

Monday February 4th

Old Mythers Never Die... { Forrest }

As the once-revered Myth Story Page maintainer Orange once put it, there comes a time when one must move on to smaller and better things. In this line, I'd like to announce, while not quite a resignation, a sort of stepping down for myself. I no longer have much time to spend maintaining this site, due to such issues as school, friends, and my precious Laura... so I have been recruiting some others to run the day to day aspects of the site. Gholsbane has already introduced himself below... the others should be peeping up as their times come.

But don't worry, I'll still be around to command them along the B.org path to world domin... er, fansite excellence. Yeah, that's it. Fan sites... no global conquest plans here, riiight....

Stay tuned.

Ministry of Security Moves { Forrest }

Just a quick heads-up new post on my break between school and TaeKwonDo... the Ministry of Security, formerly hosted here at Myth@B.org, is now located at http://mos_site.tripod.com.

Saturday February 2nd

Legends Submissions Welcome { Gholsbane }

Hey everyone, Ghôlsbane here. I have just been appointed to take care of (mainly) the running of the Legends and Lore and Miscellaneous sections of the site. If anyone has anything for either of these, don't hesitate to send send them along to me. I'll then appraise your offering and make the changes. Hope to see those subissions rolling in!

~ You have reached your journey's end ~