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On the official Battlefield website EA recently offered explanation for the delay in updating the Mac version of Battlefield 2142 to version 1.50, and promised fans that the patch will be coming soon. Brought to Intel Macs through TransGaming's Cider technology, the first person shooter puts players in the role of a soldier in a futuristic setting.

As you know, Battlefield 2142 Update 1.50 released recently for PC and we wanted to update our Mac players on what is happening with 1.50 for Mac. Updates for Battlefield 2142 are created originally for the PC version of the game and then passed to a conversion team once we have finalized the update to bring the new content to Mac. 1.50 is currently at this stage of the process where it is being converted and tested to ensure everything is in order for release. This process causes a slight delay on Mac releases of updates but be assured that this is coming and we will keep you informed on the status along with the Mac change list as soon as we have more details.

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Inside Mac Games has posted a review of Chopper, a Choplifter-style game from indie developer Majic Jungle Software. Here's a clip from the review:

Chopper has surprisingly good graphics, considering its arcade roots. The rockets leave smoke trails that almost look like real smoke, the buildings change perspective as the helicopter flies past, the weather effects obscure the surroundings, the explosions look real (if small), and the flaming wreckage looks quite natural. You don't tend to notice all of these while playing, but they all make the world look just a little more real.

IMG Review: Chopper

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In a recent discussion on the official forums a Basilisk Games representative revealed the company is considering releasing a sci-fi based role playing game sometime after completion of Eschalon: Book II. The "old school" game will not feature any magical or mystical elements and will not be post-apocalyptic.

We have another engine (it's true 3D, but mechanically it functions like an advanced Dungeon Master / Eye of the Beholder first-person engine) that we've been working with for quite some time. We have a storyline, some game mechanics in place, and even a title logo. It will be hard-line sci-fi (meaning no magic or voodoo like "the force", although it will feature fringe science). It will not be post-apocalyptic. We are drawing inspiration from an existing "old-school" sci-fi RPG from way back.
That is absolutely all I will say, other than we are considering taking a break between Book II and III to finish this game that I speak of. For now though, we are all about Book II!!

Basilisk Forum: Old School Sci-Fi RPG?

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CCP Games has released Empyrean Age, the next expansion for the EVE Online sci-fi MMO. Based on a novel of the same name, the expansion focuses on factional warfare, giving players the chance to steer the direction of the conflict and influence the outcome. Empyrean Age will introduce a faction ranking system, new militias, a dynamic new structure of system occupancy, and a whole new region in space: "Black Rise."

EVE Online: Empyrean Age has been successfully deployed on Tranquility and we're now open for business! We invite you to explore the new region "Black Rise" or try the new feature Factional Warfare, to fight for glory and fame in the service of your faction.

Empyrean Age Official Site

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iDevGames, the community of Macintosh game developers, has opened a message board for what is likely to become an important segment of the game design community - iPhone & iPod game development. The board is intended as a place for developers to discuss the game programming and development challenges specific to Apple's handheld devices.

From the website:

"Independent developers from our community have expanded into a wide range of professional, A+ game developers and publishers, and we anticipate that the future of game programming for the iPhone and iPod will be born in our 1,000-plus member community of developers from around the world", said Carlos Camacho, Editor-in-Chief of iDevGames. "Although we're still some time away from wide open game development for the iPhone, please join us in our new message board to discuss game programming & development of games for Apple's handheld mobile platforms."

"The iPhone (and iPod) markets are poised to explode in the next few years and the benefits to our core market, Apple Macintosh game developers, will be significant. Developers will be able to leverage their experience with Apple technologies to lead game development on these exciting, and much desired, gaming platforms. In addition, we anticipate the market share for Macintosh computers to continue to increase as more cross-over iPhone and iPod users adopt the Mac platform -- creating a larger potential market for Mac games."

iDevGames: iPod & iPhone Game Development

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