Wandering Crosshair

The expansion pack that loyal R6 fans have been waiting for is out and its free. Yes, i said free. Ubisoft is releasing via Fileplanet (for now) their second expansion pack for Rainbow Six 3. It has new maps and new weapons but is the same old game we have known for quite some time now, of note are the new multiplayer modes as best described by IGN



"The lasting appeal of Iron Wrath will lie in its new multiplayer modes. The Free Backup mode is basically just a deathmatch mode where each player can have up to three AI teammates fighting alongside them. The Limited Seats mode has the players running prisoners to a safe zone on the other side of the map; if even one is killed, the mission is over. The Virus mode requires one team to upload a disc at a certain terminal. If a player holds the disc too long before passing it off to another player, they'll become visible to all the enemy players on the map. Gas Alert is another interesting mode. Here each player gets a 30-second air supply that must be replenished at a number of terminals scattered across the map.

By far the most interesting of the modes is Intruder. In this case, one team is tasked with destroying three terminals defended by the other team. Here's the twist: one member of the attacking team is dressed in the defending team's uniform (although with a different color helmet). This player is the Intruder and can demolish a terminal in a matter of seconds. Knocking the intruder out of the game becomes a high priority for the defenders."

get the pack here

Reports are surfacing that an expansion pack due in the fall is already in the works for Battlefield 2. Surprisingly even although this game has some serious issues (net code, patches, and other technical difficulties), the strong points in its favor are the scaleable map sizes, spawn points and overall playability.

Eight new maps featuring smaller locales with more cover and concentrated firefights have the expansion pack focusing on infantry combat with six new character classes to choose from, including Navy SEALs, British SAS, Russian Spetznaz, the fictional Middle Eastern Coalition Special Forces, rebels, and insurgents along with new features for the ground troops such as night vision, grappling hooks and zip lines (yay this means less jogging), flashbangs / tear gas grenades as well as 12 new weapons and 10 new vehicles.

Splash Damage is working on a follow up to the Return to Wolfenstein mod Enemy Territory based on the Doom 3 engine and is expected in early 2006. The story's timeline has action occurring just before Quake II highlighted by the Strogg invasion and the gameplay is expected to be similar to the Battlefield series with varying character classes (medic, assault troopers, engineers) and vehicles (jeeps, tanks). A teaser site is now available here.

Interesting CNN article here putting spin on gaming as a treatable disease (we all know it is untreatable-until something better comes along) with symptoms of "lost sleep, weight and friends after countless hours in front of the computer, often playing video games with others online". They seem to market it as a business opportunity " government officials also say Internet cafes are eroding public morality. Authorities regularly shut down Internet cafes -- many illegally operated -- in crackdowns that also include huge fines for their operators. State media has also highlighted cases of obsessed Internet gamers, some of whom have flunked out of school, committed suicide or murder. Nonetheless, Internet cafes continue to thrive, with outlets found in even the smallest and poorest of villages. Most are usually packed late into the night".

And then from a pharmaceutical/medical standpoint with;

"standard diagnostic test to determine whether someone is addicted, then uses a combination of therapy sessions, medication, acupuncture and sports like swimming and basketball to ease patients back into normal lives.

They usually stay 10 to 15 days, at $48 a day -- a high price in China, where the average city dweller's weekly income is just $20.

The routine begins around 6 a.m. and includes sessions on a machine that stimulates nerve impulses with 30-volt charges to pressure points.

Some patients receive a clear fluid through intravenous drips said to "adjust the unbalanced status of brain secretions," according to one nurse. Officials would not give any other details about the medication."

source:
www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/07/01/kicking.the.net.ap/index.html

After my morning coffee one bright sunny day I pulled out from the magazine rack an old issue of Wired (May 2005) and eventually got to an article called "Dome Improvement" by Steven Johnson where he speaks of "videogames as brain boosting media". Finally, I said to myself, someone out there understands that all encompassing "pistons/neurons/synapse firing" sensation I get when playing videogames. This relatively new exercise in brain activity has only been around since Pong's lesson of basic hand-eye coordination during the late 70's early 80's right ..???

Anyways Johnson goes on to cover the "visual puzzles" of videogames:

• Spatial geometry: ex.:Tetris
• Engineering riddles: ex.:Myst
• Urban Mapping: ex.:Grand Theft Auto

Although never mentioning the first person shooter, Johnson goes on to state that the immersion into "massively complex gameworlds" implies an" intuitive understanding of shapes [and] environments laced with patterns that can be detected" and in doing so makes all of my gaming feel justified and warranted.

Making the practice of videogaming like going to the gym for our brains. (Hehehe....sigh)




P.S. In the hmmpph that figures category of world events, the following day of publishing this story I found that Worthplaying posted a story on how Gamers have quicker eyes reinforcing yet again the "benefits" of videogaming and the quicker visual processing the hardcore Gamer may enjoy. I especially enjoyed the association made to the split second reaction time advantage a Gamer may have when driving and how videogames may be used in rehabilitation for stroke patients.