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Fixing some multiplayer issues…

- Available Now via Xbox Live, Title Update Delivers Numerous Enhancements to Multiplayer and Single Player Experience in Atari’s Acclaimed Race Sim -

Atari today confirmed that a title update for ultra-realistic racing simulation game RACE Pro is available now for automatic download via Xbox Live.

Taking on board feedback from the player community, SimBin and Atari have responded with this first title update which addresses numerous issues and greatly enhances primarily the multiplayer experience and also the single player game.

RACE Pro is developed by renowned award-winning game developer SimBin, a leading creator of PC racing simulators, available now exclusively to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. For more information about RACE Pro visit www.atari.com/racepro and for more details about Atari’s entire product line up visit www.atari.com.

To make your voice heard on the official RACE Pro forum, click here.

The main enhancements and issues addressed in the Title Update are as follows:

MULTIPLAYER UPDATE
- Fixed bug causing the game to crash when 12 players have joined and left a multiplayer game
- Disallow connections to host if they are not waiting for players.
- Fixed the “fast forward” / speed bug currently generating some unrealistic race times in leaderboards.
- Fixed problem with lap times being reported to the wrong leaderboard when moving on to the next track in multiplayer.
- Fixed problem of a player joining during session activation causing the client to get stuck in the loading screen.
- Fixed issue when creating a session with downloaded car and inviting a player that doesn’t have the car
- Fixed name of tracks on servers list when players do several sessions in a row
- Fixed incorrect race length value seen in game list screen
- Fixed transparent car that appears after un-pausing in multiplayer qualification
- Fixed the incorrect message that appears when attempting to access multiplayer without a gamer profile signed-in and if selecting Multiplayer with an offline gamer profile
- Set default host option of qualification to NO in multiplayer for players that have never hosted a game in Race Pro before
- New messages: Display some session info in-game so players can recognize where in the game they are
- New messages: Add a specific multiplayer loading tip showing 50% of loading time in player match only.

GENERAL UPDATE
- Fixed performance drop while driving over curb
- Improved deformation of cars
- Fixed hot seat start position problems
- Removed dangerous driving dialogues when entering loading screen
- Fixed crash when the player tries to enter the end pit driving backwards and wants to restart the race after the losing message
- Fixed some localization bugs
- Locked F3000 car #12 and unlocked the Corvette C5R since there is no contract for it in Career mode
- Fixed validation for replay files to allow replay files saved between year 2000 and 2099
- Fixed sound bug making Doppler effect of other cars sound corrupt in swing cam
- Fixed force feedback detection for wheels and slightly improved strength of force
- Adjusted the Seat Leon Extreme Tryout time
- Fixed sound bug making the rev sounds on some cars not transition smoothly (including Mini Cooper and BMW M3 GTR)
- Fixed sound bug with the force calculation of picking the correct collision sound

Ten years ago this month the very first mod by the Camo Workshop for Steel Panthers 2 was released and the wargaming world has never been the same. A decade of dedication later the Camo Workshop is still tweaking their ultimate super-mod, making the best even better, and with that in mind have now made available a brand new upgrade to their winSPWW2.

Bringing the game to version 3.5, the upgrade patch is available for immediate download and weighs in at 5.9 MB of digital excellence. The upgrade is for both the free download and the Enhanced CD Edition. Please note that if you have missed out on previous upgrade patches you must install the patches in their numeric order; patch contents are not all inclusive.

The version 3.5 upgrade patch contains the following additions:

* 9 new scenarios.
* 5 revised scenarios.
* 8 new maps.
* 6 new or revised photos.
* 2 revised icons.
* 36 updated OOB files.
* 2 revised graphic files.
* 3686 new icon spots added.
* Upgraded Cost Calculator, MOBHack, and Extended Map Editor. Minor adjustments made to all three to keep them in sync with other changes made in the game, but no new features.

Furthermore, the version 3.5 upgrade patch contains numerous fixes and corrections. Some highlights include:

* Fixed old “W” key bug where weapon ( 1 ) could not be fired when using the “W” (weapons ) key to fire only 1 weapon.
* On map Arty command units have been removed from the list of units able to act as spotters. They can no longer call indirect artillery missions which was allowing an arty cheat that existed back to Steel Panthers 2.
* The delay for adjusting the fall of shot for both on and off map artillery landing out of the observing units line of sight has been increased and in most cases now means only one adjustment can be made without delaying the next fall of shot an extra turn.
* Landed gliders are no longer automatically destroyed, but are now treated as abandoned vehicles.
* A bug with all units of a side being destroyed but the game did not end even if all objectives taken has been fixed.
* Changes have been made to the code so that if your vehicle kicks up dust due to movement then you can no longer undo that vehicle’s action. (Note that this also applies for partial smoke that does not generate a smoke graphic in the hex).
* A new feature for gamers with the Enhanced CD Edition (only, does not apply to the free download version) allows players to check the location on the map of the other units in a formation with a hotkey or a button in the HQ menu.
* Off map artillery will now have a chance of losing radio contact and when they do they will not appear in the bombard menu. However, if a fire mission has been plotted and you lose contact the turn before the fire mission is scheduled to go in the fire mission will go in as scheduled but because it dropped off the bombard menu just before it did you will not be able to cancel it or shift fire.
* Many more fixes, including several specifically aimed at PBEM issues.

Download the patch at the official winSPWW2 game page.

winSPWW2 is the tactical computer wargame that everyone needs to play. Easy enough to get into, yet one of the most exhaustively detailed games on 20th century warfare that you’ll find, winSPWW2 can quickly blossom into an obsession. Consider that before any of the upgrade patches are applied the core game comes with over three hundred scenarios!

Featuring combined arms warfare from 1930 until 1946 (with the sister game, winSPMBT taking up from where winSPWW2 leaves off), players will find a wealth of gameplay options. Fight as practically every single combatant that did (or could have) fought during that era, using a massive database of weapon platforms. Fight in single scenarios, campaigns, random battles, and against other live opponents in a variety of terrain and for numerous battlefield objectives.

winSPWW2 also sports another great feature: it’s FREE. Right on the very same page that you can download the 3.5 upgrade patch from you can download the full game, no strings attached. You’ll also note that there is a ‘Buy It’ icon…but if it’s free, what is there to buy?

Besides the free version the Camo Workshop and Shrapnel Games offer an Enhanced CD Edition. Like the name says, this version provides a number of enhancements to the core gameplay experience, including very high resolutions and a much more robust map editor. The full list of differences can be found on the page. Many gamers find that being able to play winSPWW2 in 1600×1200 is reason enough to upgrade to the Enhanced CD Edition.

For more great strategy titles, including other completely free games to download, please visit us at www.shrapnelgames.com. There you can peruse our entire catalog, download some demos, and join in our ever growing community of discerning gamers. Our latest release is War Plan Pacific for Windows, an exciting game of grand strategy in the PTO that is playable in a single session!

Strategic, Turn-Based MMO Brings Legends of the Americas to Life

The world of Atlantica Online just got bigger. The strategic, turn-based MMORPG that sends players on a journey around the globe opened up the Western Hemisphere to be explored.

NDOORS Interactive has expanded the game with its first major content upgrade, dubbed the “Next Frontier.” For the past month since the game launched, Atlantica adventurers have battled and explored some of the ancient civilizations of the Eastern Hemisphere. Now they will cross the oceans into the Americas, where they will encounter monsters drawn from the myths and legends of the American Old West and Aztecs. In addition to new geographic regions being added, new mercenaries will be made available. The level cap has also been increased from 100 to 120.

“The world of Atlantica is vast and open to all sorts of possibilities,” said Peter Kang, CEO, NDOORS Interactive. “This is just the first of what we envision to being many significant content additions for the game. There is still much more of Atlantica’s domain to open up, like South America and Oceania, and still many more civilizations and legends that we will draw on to serve as the backdrop for future quests and characters.”

North America is where the bulk of the new areas will be found. In Detroit, players will face monsters that will try to rock their world. Then in Dallas they will come across a saloon where players can expect, like any good Western, a barroom brawl. A new guild dungeon will be found on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay. There will also be several new dungeons added to existing regions, such as China.

The first two B Class mercenaries will be introduced. These more powerful and difficult to acquire mercenaries are the Spartan and the Sailor. This new class will keep with the theme of mercenary upgrades being based on actual figures from human history. The Spartan can be upgraded to Leonidas, the legendary king who led the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae. The Sailor can ultimately become Anne Bonny, the infamous female pirate. To obtain the Sailor mercenary, players will travel to the Caribbean and complete quests, one of which will require them to fight for their lives against Davy Jones.

New content has also been added as part of a Christmas event. For a limited time, players can go on a special quest that will take them to Santa’s Villa. Good old St. Nick isn’t so jolly in this villa, however, forcing players to battle some nasty holiday creatures. By completing this quest, players can obtain items like a Santa’s hat and an antler’s hat that comes with a nose that will light them through dark situations, just like Rudolph. Other items that will be made available through this event are products found in the Item Mall.

cdv Software Entertainment USA and Ascaron Entertainment are pleased to announce the launch of a free new holiday content update for their recently released action-RPG – Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. Owners of the Windows® PC version of the game may download the update immediately, which includes new content and game fixes (listed below) completely free of charge.

The content update is available at www.sacred2.com or via auto-update function from within the game.

New Content:

• A new area for exploration, including an underground portion
• New “snowy landscape” textures and objects
• New sounds for the snowy landscape
• Roughly 20 new creatures
• New NPC’s
• A new quest chain
• A new armor set for each character
• New armor items and weapons

Fixes (a detailed list is available at www.sacred2.com)

• Game server creation bugs have been fixed in both single- and multiplayer play
• Some Combat Arts for all characters have been adjusted or re-balanced
• Visual issues (such as UI elements not fading out properly) have been fixedMiscellaneous sound and graphical fixes in various environments and situations

For more information about Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, please visit http://www.sacred2.com or http://www.cdvus.com.
 
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is a hack-and-slash action-RPG with a rich story that takes place in a giant, open-ended and seamless world. This world contains massive dungeons, treacherous opponents and hundreds of challenging quests. Intelligent enemies, steadily adapting in number and difficulty based on player progress, challenge players in heroic single- and multiplayer battles for up to 16 gamers on the Games for Windows platform, and four-player cooperative games on consoles.

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel provides hundreds of unique items that can be gathered in this mystical world. A deep reward system further enables advancements in character, individual attributes and character-specific fighting styles, each designed to keep players returning to the world of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel to discover what is around the next bend. Drop-in styled cooperative multiplayer gameplay ensures players will enjoy the game alone or seamlessly with friends at any time. Five unique multiplayer modes round out the experience and offer a refreshing, first-class gaming experience in Sacred 2: Fallen Angel.
 
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel will ship on next generation consoles in March 2009 across North America.

Sacred 2’s PC version is already getting an update, including a beta of the Sacred 2 network. 

ASCARON, a leading German manufacturer and developer of games software, and Deep Silver, the games label of Koch Media, a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products, today announced an extensive content update, including the beta version of the long-desired SACRED 2 network, for the popular action RPG. The holiday update (620 MB) will be published on December 17, 2008.

The update is packed with new features such as new armour, a brand new snow region, a whopping 20 new opponents and spectacular new weapons. In addition, a completely new series of quests guarantees tons of gaming fun and provides a special set of armour specifically designed to get you into the festive spirit. Naturally, many game details were improved as well, making for an even better gaming experience.

The first beta version of the SACRED 2 network includes an extensive ladder and highscore ranking system allowing you to compare your own performance to that of other community members. You can even win ranks and orders, and legendary characters are immortalized in a Heroes’ Cemetery and a Hall of Fame. You can also use the social network to create your own profile then contact other users, make new friends, or arrange some multiplayer sessions.

Tincat, the flexible multiplayer engine from Arvato Systems, makes it possible to export all information belonging to a game character to the SACRED 2 network, and view it there. This allows players to compare character and guild information, and to view multiple highscore lists, making for additional long-term motivation.

Thanks to the SACRED 2 auto-update feature, the holiday update will be automatically installed when the game is launched. You can also download the patch via a specially created landing page.

The ASCARON team is looking forward to feedback from the community and wishes everyone happy holidays and a wonderful year 2009.

Official Website: www.sacred2.com

From the early Beta phases to the released version, the Launcher/Patcher of The Chronicles of Spellborn® has seen its design modified to reflect important milestones within the lore.

The latest version, codename “The Seal”, mirrors the thawing of the Undying Ice with the artefact known as the Barbarian Seal.

This Launcher/Patcher features two new functionalities. The first one is called “Options”, which lets the players choose the language of the Launcher and of the game, and the second one is a “Check Files” button, which makes sure all files in the Spellborn installation directory are up-to-date and not corrupted.

Each time a player starts up The Chronicles of Spellborn®, the Launcher/Patcher is displayed, showing the latest information about the game, such as hotfixes, content and patch notes.

Screenshots of the Launcher can be found at the following address on The Chronicles of Spellborn® official website:
http://tcos.com/en/news,id148,road_patch_1_0_1_new_launcher.html

In addition, yesterday Spellborn NV also released screenshots of new equipment pieces showcasing brand new Hoods. Like all other pieces of equipment in The Chronicles of Spellborn®, these headpieces do not feature any statistics by themselves and are only available to the players to salvage from defeated opponents or as important quest rewards. Naturally, the hoods will also allow for customization through the use of Item Sigils and colouring.
New adventurers in The Chronicles of Spellborn® can already customize their character with two of the hoods available during character creation.

Screenshots of new Hoods can be found at the following address:
http://tcos.com/en/news,id145,road_patch_1_0_1_new_hoods.html

What Lies Hidden, Must Be Found
In The Chronicles of Spellborn® players enter an impressive online game world containing scenic landscapes, majestic cities and the remnants of a shattered world. Alone or with a party of friends, PC adventurers step into a fantasy realm consisting of varied shards: habitable pieces of the destroyed world floating in the magical Deadspell Storm. Those who want to prevail in the actively involving combat of The Chronicles of Spellborn® need to apply their mighty arsenal of skills with actual manual aiming skills. Battles with bloodthirsty creatures, intelligent hostile factions and other human opponents in Player vs. Player battles are waiting. An innovative and tactically challenging combat system with third-person shooter-like controls and a unique rotating Skill Deck provides a breath of fresh air amidst the more traditional MMORPGs. Thanks to a largely extended Unreal Engine 2.5, The Chronicles of Spellborn® boasts stunning 3D graphics, spectacular effects and countless elaborate details. More information, images, videos and a beta registration-form can be found on the official website:www.tcos.com

SAN JOSE, Calif. – December 1, 2008

Joymax, an independent developer and publisher of interactive entertainment for the global market, has launched a new update for Deco Online, the free-to-play action MMORPG. “Part 2: Prelude of the Fall” introduces a number of rare weapons and stylish armor sets, as well as a variety of powerful new skills. Extending the level cap to 90, the update also gives players two new maps where they can test their adventuring mettle, “The Plain for Lapse of Memory” and “Curved Mountain.”

More information can be found atwww.joymax.com/deco.

About Deco Online
Deco Online is a 3D, massively multiplayer online role-playing game that puts players of all ages deep into the fantastic story of two warring nations. As a legendary swordsman, a fierce archer, or a master of wizardry, players will constantly be challenged by the opposing nation and by monsters that lurk around every corner. Deco Online is free-to-play and offers a combo system with hundreds of potential skills, combining both arcade and classic MMORPG gameplay.

Deco Online features include:
• Vibrant 3D graphics
• Hundreds of skills and exciting quests
• Two distinct races and a unique character advancement system
• Combo attacks that that emphasizes player skill more than traditional MMORPG combat systems
• Step-by-step NPC tutorials and guides to help players get into the game right away
• Character attire customization options
• A huge and varied selection of armor, shield, weapon, gear, and accessory types