Developer Diary Shenanigans - [Malory] - 1:20 am BDT

Alright, so I haven't been giving the Myth II News page as much tender loving care as I should be. Lost interest in Myth II? Hell no! Lazy? Yep, and a bit of "busy with other things." Anyhoo, I'm going to make a concerted effort to pay more attention to Myth II News. On that note, this is all a few days old, but better late than never! Right?

The Developer Diary has gone over a few speed bumps this past week. It started off with a post by an unknown Bungie employee creatively called "U. Argullible" who created an entry titled "bungie.net goes retro," which was, basically, full of lies! It talked about BC Trow being the only permissable netgame and other silly things. Even worse is that several posts were mistakenly deleted at the same time. (Ack)

At the time, I was on bungie.net with Max, overlord of bungie.net, helping him out with the Platform Wars. Apparently he didn't even know who had posted the darned thing! The next day the whole shabang was taken down and now the Developer Diary lies in sad disrepair with the majority of its posts missing.

If you have copies of any of the missing posts, for some reason, lying about on your computer please send them to me ASAP. I'll give you a scoobie snack if you do!

Note - [Malory] - 1:05 pm BDT

No, this is not a joke perpetrated by VR, or anyone else. This actually happened, believe me. I saw it myself and even spoke with Max about it. If you still don't trust me, ask VR or any of the other news sites who made note of it. Take THAT, Cinnibar!1

Note, #2 - [Malory] - 4:05 pm BDT

I think I've gone absolutely bonkers.. something is terribly wrong -- oh my! See this Myth II Forum post for the gory details.

Let loose the wild dogs!

Reels around wildy, foaming at the mouth chanting "1.3! I WANT 1.3. VR? WHAT HAVE THEY DONE? JOKE. DEVDIARY. KILL CINNIBAR. KILL. CONFUSED. WHERE AM I? NEED SLEEP, GO AWAY."

TGIFS - [Case] - 1:00 pm BDT

Thank God Its Friday's Screenshot . This is no ordinary shot, either. It shows interface enhancments! Note the mouseover highlighting and the way you can scroll back through messages to catch the ones you missed. Visit. Enjoy. Return.

Myth II Developer Diary Update - [Malory] - 2:00 am BDT

It's like the headline says.. Bungie's Myth II Developer Diary has been updated! Max retaliates on the "beefstick affair" and tells us about some new bungie.net features. Go to it!

Soulblighter's Palace - [Malory] - 1:40 am BDT

Legend informs me that he has revamped his Myth II site, Soulblighter's Palace. Definetely worth a swing by. Go to it!

New Screenshot Up - [Ferrex] - 10:00 pm BDT

Ack, seven days without a Myth II update. That or Malory messed up his timestamp... same fate either way. I'm afraid we'll have to put him back in the cage of wild dogs...

That pleasantry aside, Bungie has posted their new Screenshot of the Week, a very yellow scene from a netgame that has a strange quality to it. As also noted by Scuz over at Shannet, the units seem, well, less dark and grim. Perhaps its just the gamma on the screenshot, but they don't seem to have the same rough and tough look as the Myth I units (excluding the griffin, which looked like it was pulled from a Care Bears episode... heh, to heck with the wild dogs, we're putting Mal in with a bunch of those fuzzy little things!).

Anyways, I digress. Check out the screenshot at Bungie's Myth II site, and see for yourself what I'm talking about.

Mini Update - [Malory] - 11:42 pm BDT

Arrg, not the wild dogs... AGAIN! The last time I was subjected to that torture, Ferrex's teeth marks were etched into my hip for weeks!

Anyhoo, I fixed the timestamps that "Malory messed up." I also found it quite ironic that Ferrex messed his own up as well. :-)

Case's Also Screws Up Timestamp - [Case] - 112:E7 pn BDT, Juno 15, 2001

I got an email about the gravestones easter egg entitled "Bungie are dead" today. The message right after it was "Dealing with your grief" a spam about some psychology book sale. well..._I_ thought it was funny. Fine, off to the wild dog cage for me too, I suppose. At least they aren't hungry anymore.

Developer Diary Update - [Malory] - 10:10 pm BDT

Bungie's Myth II Developer Diary has been updated with two new posts! Here they are, posted for your convenience:

Sex, Code, and Beef Products
I completely ripped out and rewrote our automatic camera tracking code for Myth II. It now does a much better job of watching interesting events, it doesn't cut away from the action, and it maneuvers much better. I'm afraid the days of really poor cinematography are over... at least in the world of Myth II.

I recently read the brief preview of Myth II in the latest issue of PC Gamer and saw the part where we "better make good on our promises of better AI." I accepted the call to arms this week, and did some major rewriting of the unit AI. Archers now do a much better job of not shooting their nearby compatriots in the back of the head. Units don't try to shoot through models or walls right in front of them. Dwarves are now more responsive when attacking and they do a MUCH better job of not killing their friends. It's still a work in progress, but I'm really happy with the results. Take that, PC Gamer!

By popular request (or at least somebody's request) we've added a netgame option for advanced players where enemies never show up on the overhead map. Pretty freaky... it's really important to always look around with your camera and prepare for the sneak attacks.

And in other hard hitting news, Max was caught engaging in a lewd act with a gigantic beef stick in our network closest. The beef stick was unharmed, but we were forced to replace Max with a Perl script. [J. Regier, 6/16/98]

All aboard SS ******** ***
I recently finished the Thrall and the ship level. The model building went smoother then expected due to a lot of preconcept drawings and the previous experience I gained from building the Keep wall and drawbridge. I believe that the entire Myth II: Soulblighter dev. team is now beginning to kick on all cylinders and all the other levels are falling into place. I am currently working on converting Soulblighter to the new character format and hope to have him lopping off the the heads of many unfortunate dwarves in the near future. Don't worry... I'm sure they'll get their revenge sooner or later! "Make way for the dwarf!" - M.B. Lead Artist [M. Bernal, 6/16/98]

Naughty Max!

Whoot! (copyright 1998, BoT) They implemented the blind overhead map feature! Bungie DOES read the Myth II Forum!

This is all very interesting and exciting. Can't wait for Myth II? "Arrg!" Me too.

New Myth II Screenshot - [Malory] - 7:45 pm BDT

Bungie has posted their latest installment of the Screenshot of the Week! This time, it is a picture of a beautiful, huge ship upon which warriors are rushing aboard. See for yourself at Bungie's Myth II Page.

On a side note, for all you readers who have been inquiring as to whether the content from the Keep will be transferred here, the answer is yes. I predict that some time next week you'll be able to start discussing all the tiny details of each screenshot or unit once again.

Thursday, June 11th

Freewill's E3 Pics - [Malory] - 10:20 pm BDT

Freewill informs me that he's updated his "Freewill at E3 '98!" page with some new unit sketches, which include Soulblighter, archers and the new warriors. I'll take this opportunity to remind you that if you haven't already visited the page, then you're missing something nifty. Go to Freewill's main page, or the new pics can be found here.

Yet More on Myth2.com - [Malory] - 10:20 pm BDT

Vlad mentioned that he's put more information he's gathered about myth2.com on The Soulblighter Scriptures. Apparently, the Gamer's Alliance is planning on publishing their own Myth II site at that address.

More on Myth2.com - [Malory] - 1:15 pm BDT

Kudos to Vlad, of Mythics and The Soulblighter Scriptures, for sending this in:

Those reports of who Lorien Newman is are pretty vague so far, so here's what's up.

Lorien used to work for PsychoNews, a page that gave gaming news updates as they were happening.  But on Monday, June 1st, Lorien and his staff merged with the Gamer's Alliance, where he continues to report on games.  Now GA buys domains for a number of games, including www.prey.net and www.war3.com, so I wouldn't be surprised if they decide to give the domain to someone to create the ultimate Myth II site.  I also wouldn't be surprised if Lorien decides to sell this domain name for a sizable chunk of money if the opportunity arises.

Well, this certainly does clear a few things up. Whoever gets their hands on that domain will certainly have a tasty address. Anyone have a few bucks to spare?

Developer Diary Update - [Malory] - 11:30 pm BDT

Bungie's Myth II : Soulblighter Developer Diary has been updated. Here is the post, for your convenience:

I Can See Those Files And Files
Well, it's about time I posted something here! This past week, Myth II's file system got a complete overhaul. It's really cool, but what a mess! All the tools had to be fixed, all our tag files converted to the new format, etc. But it looks like nearly everything is back up and running now, and the file system is nicer to work with and far more extensible than before. I was also toying around with persistent formations last night. Tell your archers once to form into a long line and they remember the kind of formation they were in! I really hope this makes moving troops around in an organized fashion a lot easier for new players. We should be playtesting this a lot over the weeks to come. So what's to come? I'll think I'll just have to keep you in suspense... [J. Regier, 6/9/98]

It just keeps getting better and better... Looks like, by popular demand, Bungie will indeed implement a "move in formation" feature for better gameplay. As well, this new, enhanced file system will most likely give birth to a new generation in hexing.

I can hardly wait!

Myth2.com -- Followup - [Malory] - 10:22 pm BDT

We've only just found out about this, and already the rumors are flying away! Since unconfirmed rumors are my tasty delight, I've decided to tell you about them here for your twisted interest.

DuneBug has dropped me a note saying that he knows Lorien Newman personally, however he does not know what his friend is going to do with it. He does say, however, that Mr. Newman has a history of buying up and selling domains.

On the same note, EarthQuake, of the Myth Quakes site, reports that he's contacted him, and apparently he has no affiliation with Bungie or Myth, but he did mention something about "a recent merger with another company about some thing called Psycho News."

Finally, Lord Brian claims that Mr. Newman lives very close and may have an affiliation with an undisclosed Bungie employee.

Gee willickers, those sure are rumors! I can not honestly vouch for the credibility of these readers, since I don't know them at all, so take the above with a grain of salt.

Right now, I'm sure Mr. Newman is pleased that his name has been smeared all over this page. :-)

Myth2.com -- Investigative Report - [Malory] - 8:45 am BDT

Thanks to orange, of the excellent Myth's Story site, who, wielding his trusty magnifying glass, discovered the following information on www.myth2.com & www.myth2.net:

Lorien Newman MYTH6-DOM Gordon IL 19
Tel Aviv, na 63438
IL

Domain Name: MYTH2.COM

Administrative Contact:
Lewis, Ronnie RL4320 lorien@FIRSTONES.COM
+972+3 555555 (FAX) +972+3 555555
Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
Rowell, Matt MR2538 rowell@PROAXIS.COM
(541) 327-3720
Billing Contact:
Lewis, Ronnie RL4320 lorien@FIRSTONES.COM
+972+3 555555 (FAX) +972+3 555555

Record last updated on 26-May-98.
Record created on 26-May-98.
Database last updated on 7-Jun-98 04:14:21 EDT.

Domain servers in listed order:

CHROME.LIQUIDGRAVITY.COM 209.74.175.20
PAGAN.LIQUIDGRAVITY.COM 208.155.107.195

------

Lorien Newman MYTH7-DOM
Gordon IL 19
Tel Aviv, na 63438
IL

Domain Name: MYTH2.NET

Administrative Contact:
Lewis, Ronnie RL4320 lorien@FIRSTONES.COM
+972+3 555555 (FAX) +972+3 555555
Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
Rowell, Matt MR2538 rowell@PROAXIS.COM
(541) 327-3720
Billing Contact:
Lewis, Ronnie RL4320 lorien@FIRSTONES.COM
+972+3 555555 (FAX) +972+3 555555

Record last updated on 22-May-98.
Record created on 22-May-98.
Database last updated on 7-Jun-98 04:14:21 EDT.

Domain servers in listed order:

CHROME.LIQUIDGRAVITY.COM 209.74.175.20
PAGAN.LIQUIDGRAVITY.COM 208.155.107.195

------

I found this on Matt Rowell

Rowell, Matt MR2538 rowell@PROAXIS.COM
Gamers Alliance
1878 Talbot Rd SE
Jefferson, OR 97352
(541) 327-3720

Record last updated on 03-Jan-97.
Database last updated on 7-Jun-98 04:14:21 EDT.

Gamers Alliance GAGAMES-DOM
15351 Rowell Ln. S.E.
Jefferson, OR 97352

Domain Name: GAGAMES.COM

Administrative Contact:
Rowell, Matt MR2538 rowell@PROAXIS.COM
(541) 327-3720
Technical Contact, Zone Contact:
TURPIN, DAVID DT3089 david@LIQUIDGRAVITY.COM
+1 314-487-6106 (FAX) +1 314-487-6106
Billing Contact:
Roderick, Richard RR630 hostmaster@PROAXIS.COM
(541) 757-0248

Record last updated on 23-Mar-98.
Record created on 03-Jan-97.
Database last updated on 7-Jun-98 04:14:21 EDT.

Domain servers in listed order:

CHROME.LIQUIDGRAVITY.COM 209.74.175.20
PAGAN.LIQUIDGRAVITY.COM 208.155.107.195

They host a series of pages. blah.gagames.com and even a www.blah.com. I'm assuming it'll just be another page they host.

Well, what this wealth of information means is that a service at chrome.liquidgravity.com has registered both myth2.com and myth2.net. orange provided the last item about Matt Rowell just to demonstrate that they host a number of pages.

I dusted off my old Sherlock hat and visited chrome.liquidgravity.com and found that they are indeed an Internet services company who provide domains, among other things. In other words, they're not the culprit. A client, possibly this Lorien Newman, has most probably asked for myth2.com and myth2.net, paying a sizable sum of money, and Liquid Gravity has done their job.

An interesting situation, indeed...

Sunday, June 7th

www.myth2.com? - [Ferrex] - 8:30 pm BDT

Kudos to Lord Brian, who made an interesting discovery and point this out to us. According to his report, someone has registed www.myth2.com and www.myth2.net, though nothing is available at these sites.

Two things spring quickly to mind-- either Bungie is preparing to set up sites here, or someone has snatched up these domains in order to make Bungie buy them back at a later date (a common enough practice). That, or some 3rd party site is going to spring up there, which would be interesting to see (certainly a desirable domain for a 3rd party site!).

Something to watch for the next little while, to be sure.

Saturday, June 6th

New Picture Up - [Ferrex] - 1:45 am BDT

Kudos to Iodine Cat, who informed me that Bungie has posted a new Myth II picture on their site, this one featuring a previously unseen special unit known only as the Baron. Looks rather harmless, other than the bodyguards, and I suspect you will wind up smearing him across the nearest convienient floor, but he is described as being pretty sharp...

Anyways, swing by and check it out. I'm rather enjoying this phase of Myth II's development, since it reminds me so much of Myth I's early days... ahh, nostaligia... ;)

Friday, June 5th

On Flammability Maps - [Ferrex] - 10:00 am BDT

Whilst tooling around the forums last night, I happened upon a topic of special personal interest to me, and much was my delight to see an official response to it

> I think it might be an interesting possibility to allow
> different landscape areas to have a 'flag' that would allow it
> to catch on fire or not.

Different terrain types do indeed have different chances of catching on fire. You don't think we'd let the fire spread on top of the water, would you?

Later,
Jason

Once again, that's Bungie's Jason Regier, and it's a hot topic (no pun intended). If an area can be made so that it doesn't burn as fast or at all, what's to prevent a map from determining that an area can burn faster than normal? for example, dwarven cocktails that don't explode might leak that dwarven ale onto the ground, making it more combustable, or we might see levels with fireline traps and such...

Something to look forward to, for certain. Fire is good...

Freewill's E3 Page - [Ferrex] - 10:00 am BDT

It's the Expo that refuses to die! ;)

Freewill has sent in a URL for his post mortem E3 page, aptly namedFreewill at E3 '98!. Some excellent first hand accounts of things at E3, particularily Bungie's booth, and a great deal of information not posted elsewhere. All in all, a must visit for anyone interested in Bungie in general.

Thursday, June 4th

Developer's Journal - [Ferrex] - 1:05 pm BDT

Bungie has added a new feature to their Myth II - Soulblighter page, a Developer's Diary that chronicles the progress of their codewarriors. The first two posts are regarding Myth II's no blood option, and it's local networking capabilities.

Watch for future posts on their site, and on this one. Hopefully, this diary will not fall into unupdated disrepair, and will remain a viable source of news and rumors for some time to come! Thanks to all the readers who let me know about this-- I appreciate it no less, even if I can't possible respond to them all. :)

Myth II Forum Tuned... - [Ferrex] - 1:05 pm BDT

After a bit of trouble with a 75 message limit and a siccing of Samurai Cat on the problem, the Myth II Forum is purring along very nicely now, and is filling up quick.

I would just like to remind everyone who uses the forum not to abuse it, and not to turn it into your personal shouting ground for attracting the attention of Bungie employees. We are honored to have them even looking at the forum every now and again, so don't harass them to the point that they are driven off, or we all lose.

Anyways, there's a number of interesting threads forming up, so swing by and take a look.

Wednesday, June 3rd

Two Sugguestions, One Response... - [Ferrex] - 4:15 pm BDT

Browsing through our Myth II Forum, I happened upon two posts containing excellent sugguestions for Myth II, one of which had recieved a reply from Bungie.

The first one, posted by Lews Therin, raised a point regarding game switching and Myth II's greatly desired Ready Buttons:

> So here is my idea. If people check in ready with Myth 2,
> then whenever any change is made to the game all "ready"
> buttons should become unchecked again. This would prevent lamers
> changing the game at the last second.

That's currently how it works.

Later,
Jason

"Jason" is Bungie's Jason Regier, so we may assume that Ready Buttons will indeed be included in Myth II (already relatively certain), and that Bungie is well aware of the wiles of some would be cheaters (so you can stop bugging them and the Admins about it ;).

The second post regarded the inclusion of a Blind variant in Myth II, but it was an improvement on the idea I and many others have sugguested a while back. Stryder proposed making a Blind option only blank out enemy units on the overhead, rather than removing it altogether (as I myself had proposed). An excellent sugguestion for a netgame option, and hopefully Bungie will pick up on this one and run with it.

Some More Myth II Shots - [Ferrex] - 4:15 pm BDT

Nontoxic yesterday posted some new Myth II pictures taken by one of their readers at E3. Gargamel's pictures reveal a few new interesting things, but perhaps most interesting is a possible character sketch of something called a "Feeb" (at least, that's what the majority of people are thinking...)... according to the picture, this unit appears to be the size of a trow, but lanky and goblin like in its appearance... hmm, a trow killer in the making?

Swing by Nontoxic and check out the pics!

Tuesday, June 2nd

The Myth II Forum Opens - [Case] - 8:15 pm BDT

Here's a quickie update. The Myth II Forum is up and running. Suggestions for Myth II, rumors, and other speculations are welcome.

Monday, June 1st

Screenshots Cleaned Up - [Ferrex] - 10:15 pm BDT

Roofus and Joram have cleaned up some of the screenshots they took at E3, which reveal a number of Myth's new units and cleaner looking interface. They can be viewed here (along with some other slick artwork, and are definitely worth checking out.

FWIW, I love Myth II's new title screen... looks very cool-- kinda familiar, but that enhances the design of any sequel. ;)

 

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