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    10/11/98
Yeah! Defcon-X is back, with a new release of Rocket-Bot! I've put in the new Sources from Ridah's Eraserbot. And fixed some minor Probs. If you want that the bots play with the RL, leave the arena.cfg as it is supplied! Mmmh, You might have seen that there's a POLL. Please vote. I want to know what you think about Rocket-Bot!   defcon-x  
 
    10/11/98
Fight the players, not your bindings! Check out the section on Rocket Arena 2 bindings at The Bind   crt  
 
    10/10/98
Help Beta Test the new RA2 Code!
The map contest is over, and there were some great entries. Besides the new maps, the next version of RA2 will have some exciting new code. In order to make sure that this release will be as bug free as the last, we need to do lots of testing. I have a beta server running at: voodoo.stanford.edu
Feel free to stop by and try it out. Report and bugs to: wrightd@stanford.edu.
You will need this zip which includes some new skins used in this release. It does NOT include any of the new maps. Extract the zip into your Quake 2 directory.

Here is a quick list of the new features in this version:

  • Moved countdown off center
  • Countdown doesn't make voting/other menus disappear
  • One team is spawned on even spawn points, one on odd. This keeps you from being surrounded by 3 guys on the other team at the start.
  • OPTIONAL Grappling Hook (can be enabled in server config only, off by default)
  • Add health and armor protect to voting menu
  • Only changed items are shown on the voting menu
  • Server ops can specify things that can't be voted on
  • Anti-VoteSpamming code
  • Fixed endless ticking from hand grenade
  • Fix telefrag protection on lifts
  • Observers telefrag players bug corrected
  • Crackhor and cyborg skins supported for team/pickup games
  • Player remaining count on status bars in pickup
      •  
 crt  
 
    9/13/98
Rocket Bot V0.78 Bug
There's a newer cooler version out. Maybe you've noticed that 0.78 had a bug with spawning bots. Ok, download it and play it. Hehe, use the server.cfg supllied. The bots now aim like gods!  		 Defcon-X  
 
    9/12/98
Map Contest Extended!
There have been some great entries so far for the RA2 map contest, but I know a lot of map makers are struggling to get finished in time. In order to allow them to fully test their maps we have extended the contest until 9/20/98.

Full map contest details can be found here.

D_SCAlloc: bad cache width 16384
RA2 players in software mode may get that error on some RA2 maps with Q2 3.19. It is being looked into at this time. There is no known workaround (besides using GL mode)

On a side note, I have been drafted into Clan McP. Hopefully this will be a good excuse for me to find more time to play RA2!  

 crt  
 
    8/4/98
Defcon-X came up big and added a bunch of stuff to the skeleton Eraser/RA2 bot I created. Here is his list of features:
-Basic Menuing System
-Countdown
-Toggable Self-damage
-Sounds
-Camera
-Map Rotation
And all other Eraser Features....
You can download the Rocket Bot (v0.6) from the downloads page. Just run the exe and extract into your Quake 2 directory. Note that this will overwrite the RA2 server files if you have them installed.  		 crt  
 
    7/30/98
Be sure to check out another great Rocket Arena 2 Site on PlanetQuake - The Multi-Arena Headquarters.   crt  
 
    7/30/98
IMPORTANT INFO FOR SERVER OPS!!
There have been recent reports of servers crashing repeatedly. I have traced this down to the net logging machine.
You need to change the "set netlog ripper.stanford.edu:21998" line in your server.cfg file to "set netlog ripper.planetquake.com:21998".
That should fix the crashes. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused.  		 crt  
 
    7/29/98
Quick update on the status of RA2: Mungo has put a lot of work into the next version, and we are currently waiting for the release of the 3.17 source code to merge with and then release. Once we get the next version out we will start accepting maps for the next pak file... so get working, and stay tuned for the details.

I've put together a new Eraser bot DLL that has minimal support for Rocket Arena 2. Players can join an arena, throw a bot in, give weapons, start/stop the match.. etc.
This was primarily created as a demonstration of how easy it is for bot authors to add RA2 support, but it is sure a lot of fun to play with as well. The full source code is included for people interested in adding more functionality to the mod (it is unsupported, as we continue to work on the next version of RA2).
Head to the downloads page to pick it up (also requires the full Eraser install).
I have gotten more e-mails than I can count from people requesting bot support for RA2 and hopefully other bot authors will now take the lead and add at least basic RA2 support to their bots.  

 crt  
 
    6/1/98
Rocket Arena 2: Inside and Out has launched on PlanetQuake. Go check it out!   crt  
 
    4/25/98
Bot authors interested in adding RA2 support to their bots should check out this tutorial. It includes all the code and info you need to add basic RA2 support.
This is for bot authors only! It is NOT a working bot.  		 crt  
 
    4/23/98
Final Version of Clan Arena for Quake 1
Mungo has put the finishing touches on Clan Arena for Quake 1 and it is now available for download. The zip includes the server files (NQ and QW) and QuakeC source for the mod. Clients still use the normal Final Arena Client pak.
The changes in the new version include:
  • fixed "grenade from a dead teammate damages you on teamplay 1" bug
  • fixed "getting stuck in platform" bug
  • fixed status line in trackcam
  • added teamplay 4 (with teamplay 4, you cannot damage a teammate's health OR armor, this includes damage done to yourself)
Grab the new server files from the downloads page.  		 crt  
 
    4/22/98
I am currently putting together a tutorial for bot authors that will enable them to add RA2 support to their bots. Several bot authors have already contacted me about doing this, so there should be quite a few RA2-aware bots pretty soon. I will post the tutorial files here when they are ready. I've been running around the arena with a skill 3 Eraser and it is quite a blast... I don't think it can compete with the real thing, but it will be nice for people without low pings or free connections.

We are currently looking for an organization interested in running the official Rocket Arena 2 Tourney. The organization will be responsible for providing the servers, web page, and officials for the 1v1 and 4v4 Clan tournaments. We will provide sponsors, prizes, and a basic rule set. If your organization would be willing to help run the tournaments, please contact me.  

 crt  
 
    4/19/98
Thanks to Revealer, we now have an all new RA2 Screenshot page, with a screenshot for every arena in the pak! Go check it out now!

Also, Avatar (the author of ra2map5) wanted me to mention that he has posted a DM version of the pickup arena in that map (McCandlish Base). You can get it at: http://avatar.telefragged.com. This is NOT for Rocket Arena 2, normal deathmatch only.  

 crt  
 
    4/15/98
The map specs are now available for download. See the maps page for more details.
Several people have inquired about the net stats being collected and how they are being used. At one point in the beta we were posting net-wide rankings and scores, updated daily, but we have since stopped that. Below is an e-mail I sent to the Rocket Arena mailing list explaining the reasoning behind the change. 

Some of you may have noticed the names and numbers at the 
top of the Rocket Arena web page. Those are the top 5 players by frag 
count from the previous day on all RA2 servers. Call it the 
"rocket arena addicts" list. The list is updated every day at 1am 
with the previous day's data. The data is also cleared every day, so 
there is always a fresh start.

I will probably continue this and drop the normal stat updates. Why? 
Quite simply it was getting too competitive, which was not its 
intent. People were picking new clan members based on ratings, and 
several people a day were e-mailing me about the system. I think tons 
of stat tracking is the quickets way to ruin the fun of the game. Anyone
who played QuakeWorld when it kept global rankings knows what I mean.
YES SOME OF YOU LOVE IT, but be honest.. don't you play  a lot more 
conservatively when you know you are being tracked? And thats NOT 
what Rocket Arena 2 is about.. its about having a balls-out 
fast-paced no-holds-barred good time, and I'm not going to let any 
silly stats get in the way of that.

So, the frag list will stay, as a tribute to those hardcore Rocket 
Arena 2 players, but actual stat/skill rankings will be left up to 
the servers to compile. No pressure, just have a good time.
 		 crt  
 
    4/13/98
This screenshot probably sums up the response we've gotten to RA2 so far.

The release seems to be going great, no real problems to report. Thanks to everyone who sent me e-mails, I certainly appreciate it. While you're at it, CC a copy to Mungo too, he was a big part of the team.
To everyone out there who is only playing in the pickup arenas: try something different! Create a team, join a small arena, and get some guys to come with you. If you've only played pickup you haven't played 1/2 the game! (and haven't seen 1/4 of arenas). 1v1 is where you build the skillz you need to dominate in pickup games. Wonder why some guys last till the end in pickup while you always die right away? It's all about the skillz.
Not to highlight any certain arenas over the others.. but some of my personal favorites for 1v1 are:

  • Funkadooda's Revenge (ra2map1)
  • Drop Zone (ra2map1)
  • Edge of Insanity (ra2map2)
  • Sun Baked (ra2map5)
  • Gibs on Ice (ra2map6)
...but be sure to give them all a try, each one offers something different.

I'm working on the map specs now, and should have them available within the next few days. To be honest, I suggest most of you hold off on making maps for a while until you get a really good feel for which arenas you like best in the current release. It probably takes about 2-3 hours of play in a single arena to learn all the strategies involved (some, like Funkdadooda's Revenge, take much longer to master). With 46 arenas, it will take some time before you can really find out which maps and arenas you enjoy most.  

 crt  
 
    4/11/98
If the wrong-skin-icon problem concerns you, you can download this zip and place the pak1.pak in your arena directory. It will show the correct male and female skin icons.

Please do not attempt to hack or otherwise falsify information on the statistics server. One person already has, and I am speaking with their ISP. I will take any attacks on my machine very seriously. The stats are just for fun, don't ruin them for everyone.  

 crt  
 
    4/11/98
Rocket Arena 2 Released
The 3dNet release party was a smashing success! Over 150 invitees showed up to the private pre-party, and we held quite a lively discussion for about half an hour. Then we opened the floodgates, and what a flood it was! Close to 350 people were there during the busiest time. After posting the URL and starting to collect mirror locations (poor Drastic was overwhelmed) Bastard hosted an interview with myself and Mungo (someone may post an edited log, I don't have one). Then the fun continued with TrivaBoy, giving away several free GameLaunch 3d registrations to the most RA-knowledge-savvy people in the crowd. Altogether it ran very smoothly and a great time was had by all.
Finally (after the quick 12.9MB download) everyone jumped on the servers for a fantastic debut. I arrived at the PlanetQuake RA2 server just in time to hear Clan-Arena-1-loving Bastard proclaim "I finally enjoy Quake 2!"

You may have noticed the set of 5 names and numbers in the top right corner of this page during the beta testing period. Those are the people with the most frags from the previous day on all RA2 servers (collected using RA2's new netlogging feature). We call it the "Hardcore Players of the Day" ..honoring the most dedicated RA2 players out there. In the 5 hours following the release (4 if you figure in download time for most people) we recorded over 14000 frags on all of the servers. That's almost exactly one frag every second since the release!
Are you a hardcore RA2 player? Check the page daily to see if YOU have made the top 5!

Once of the other announcements we made at the end of the release party was that we are going to be hosting an official Rocket Arena 2 tourney. There will be both 1v1 and 4v4 Clan divisions. More details will be coming soon, so you better get practicing! The level of competition will be extremely high!
Any clan site that has a message board or ladder where RA2 players can meet to create/join clans (especially RA2 or Clan Arena focused clans) please contact me and I will post a link to your site. The #arena room on irc.3dnet.net is also a great place to meet other RA2 players!

There were a few minor issues that came up after the release. They aren't serious, but please be aware of them (mainly so I don't get 10,000 e-mails about each one). First off, the skin icon on the statusbar always shows female. This was due to a last minute code change. It will be fixed in a later version, but rest assured that skin changes work correctly; only the icon is incorrect. There was one missing line in the default arena.cfg file for servers. Server ops should add: "rounds: 9;" in the section "//A Good Place to Die". This is set as a pickup arena, but without rounds there is a 15 second break in-between each match. Players can also vote to change the # of rounds if the server hasn't fixed this yet. The affected arena is ra2map7, arena #6.

Both the Client and Server files for Rocket Arena 2 are now available on the downloads page. For clients that don't already have the VWEP pak2.pak, a link is provided to that as well (it is required for RA2).
The server ZIP includes files for Win32, Linux, and Sun Solaris. Servers also need the client files.  

 crt  
 
    4/10/98
NEW!! Rocket Arena 2 Release Info NEW!!!
The final wrappings are being put on the highly anticipated final release of Rocket Arena 2 in preparation for the release party tonight.

The release party will be held starting at 7PM Pacific (10PM Eastern) on 3dNet IRC in the channel #arena. Servers include:
irc.3dnet.net
irc.planetquake.com
idcube.idsoftware.com

There will be a pre-party for beta testers and select guests starting at 6:30PM. Then we will blow open the doors and let everyone join in the celebration starting promptly at 7.

The files will be available for immediate download, and servers will be up and running so that people can get fragging immediately. There will be a live interview with the authors and map makers conducted by Bastard of PlanetQuake, and a question and answer session for the guests. This is your first and best chance to play the mod that is going to take the online gaming community by storm!

The final release will be around 12MB for the client files, and an additional 1.5MB for the VWEP pak if clients don't already have it. It includes 8 maps with 46 arenas of fragging fun. Most of these maps are absolutely huge: one of them (with 10 arenas) took over 12 hours to compile on a 16 processor SGI Challenge/XL.

This is the guaranteed to be the release event of the year. If you're not there, you're nowhere!

Here is a VERY QUICK rundown of Rocket Arena 2:

  • Supports three modes of play
    • 1v1: traditional arena style
    • teams: 2v2, 3v3, or larger, great for intense action and awesome clan matches
    • pickup teams of unlimited size for action you can jump right into. Similar to Clan Arena for Quake 1.
  • Three different arena styles:
    • small 1v1 arenas for fast action
    • medium sized arenas to enhance 1v1 strategy or build close-support team skills
    • large DM size arenas for huge clan matches and pickup games
  • Revolutionary Multi-Arena system allows for many different arenas on the same map, each can be 1v1, teams, or pickup. The maps in the pack have between 3 and 10 arenas each! Each map contains a mixture of all the arena styles so that you can always find one to suit your playing preference. The arena size is not tied directly to the game type. You can play pickup games in medium size arenas, or 1v1 in DM sized arenas.. the choice is yours (but defaults are provided). RA2 also supports all Q2 DM and CTF maps as well (and any 3rd party map for that matter).
  • Fully customizable config on the server, with options including weapon balance, starting health/armor/ammo, ping filtering, map rotation, fast weapon switching, and more
  • Easy-to-use menu based voting system -- letting the people decide how the game should be played (vote on weapons, health/armor, team size, pings, and more!)
  • Four awesome viewing modes (including the first 360 degree trackcam and Quake 2's first EYECAM view) really put a new meaning to the term "spectator sport"
  • 14 Custom Colored RA2 Skins
  • Support for VWEP Models
  • Internet-wide stat collection
  • .. and much much more!

    • GET READY TO ROCK!  

 crt  
 
    3/20/98
Rocket Arena Mailing List
PlanetQuake has launched an official Rocket Arena mailing list. This list is for discussion of all topics related to Rocket Arena 1, Clan Arena, and Rocket Arena 2. We also plan to do things like organize tournaments and test new features via the list. Both myself (crt) and Mungo will be available to answer questions and listen to ideas.

You can subscribe to the list by sending a blank e-mail to:
subscribe-rocketarena@list.criticalmass.com

All list members are invited to take place in the current Rocket Arena 2 beta test and will get information about it in their welcome message.

GET READY TO ROCK!

logo by warped  
 crt