The id Tech 5 engine uses 'MegaTextures' - huge texture maps (up to 128000x128000 pixels) that require huge amounts of preprocessing to create.

id - and John Carmack in particular - are still very much pro-modding and have confirmed their plans to eventually open-source id Tech 5, but are unsure if there is a way around this technical limitation. Simply put, it is unlikely that any modder would have the computing resources that are required.

Just a thought - this sounds like an area where a project like Folding @ Home could be useful. Sure, cancer might not get cured as quick but, c'mon - MegaTextures!

Id Software's Willits: Rage Mods May Not Be Possible [Gamasutra]

We've been told by several industry sources that Yu was part of a package deal. She, and her husband, Kenneth Scott are both joining Microsoft Game Studios. Scott is an art director at id Software, most recently working on Enemy Territory: Quake Wars.

But why does it matter that Corrinne Yu is headed for Microsoft Game Studios? Let's look at the tech Gearbox is using and deduce from that. Brothers in Arms, Aliens: Colonial Marines and Borderlands all use Unreal Engine 3 — with Borderlands using a heavily modded version of the Unreal Engine 3. Sources tell us that Yu has been staffed to work on the Peter Jackson Halo game, which Microsoft is still in the planning stages of. The company is ready to kick that project into full gear. (Remember this job ad?)

And since Microsoft Game Studios is doing the Peter Jackson Halo game, that means the chances of Microsoft using Bungie's proprietary, in-house "Halo 3 Engine" are slim at best. Though, if she's not bringing her Unreal Engine 3 expertise to Microsoft's internal studio, she could very well be working on a new in-house engine specifically for the Peter Jackson game.

[Pic]

The Wii is one of those markets where Nintendo owns both the hardware and the software, but part of that is because they make such damn good products. So it’s the toughest platform for third party developers. We don’t have a software or content base ideally suited for it. So it doesn’t really play to our strengths and we’re pretty busy with other stuff right now. I’m thrilled that Nintendo has had this kind of success because they took some risky bets, and it’s always nice some bold thinking pay off for them. But I don’t think we’ll be on the platform.

At least he's honest!

Carmack on Doom, Rage, EA and More [Tom's Games via Go Nintendo]

Here's the run-down:
Also check out our E3 Interview with John Carmack
Next Doom May Not Be a True Sequel
Rage and id's Love/Hate Relationship with the PS3
id Would Like Another Doom Movie
id Considering Wolfenstein RPG, Doom 2 RPG for iPhone
Hollenshead: E3 Was Pretty Much a Disappointment to Everyone
Does PC Gaming Need a Savior?

But id CEO Todd Hollenshead, doesn't totally agree that they have switched sides, or that there even need to be sides for PC gaming to survive.

"That whole PC first thing, you have to go back in id history to see why id initially developed for the PC," he said.

It used to be, he said, that developers had to change so many things, jump through so many hoops, to get their games on consoles that it just wasn't worth it for some.

"Wolfenstein 3D, there was a Nintendo version of that, that was like a black day in id history, how they made us change it to run on the Nintendo platform," he said. Platform owners "wouldn’t let you publish games on the console. We didn’t want to have our content governed by a third-party."

"But that dynamic isn’t really like there anymore. There are lots of games that have content, whether it's language or other forms of adult content, that is pushing the bounds of content on all platforms."

With that hurdle gone, the decision comes down to one of economics, Hollenshead said.

"Our decision about multiplatform is dictated by the market," he said. "We need to have all of these coordinated and released at the same time because that's the way to get your game out to the most people."

And doing that, he says, also allows you to maintain quality control, making sure all of your versions are good.

In many ways, that was the impetus for id Tech 5, to be able to create top notch, quality games for all platforms at the same time.

"So there is no stepdown or dilution between platforms," he said.

But that doesn't mean that Hollenshead and id Software thinks PC gaming isn't important anymore.

"I think there are still some problems in the PC market," he said. "There are issues in the market from a business standpoint, which means having a PC only title that the level of investment to make a triple A game is a tough thing if your not doing a subscription model."

id actually thought about tinkering around with a subscription model for some of their games, but in the end realized it wasn't a good fit for what they create.

"To open that up for the type of games we make isn't really appealing to us," he said. "World of Warcraft I can understand that, they have a service based aspect to that game. With our games we have always been about the free multiplayer stuff."

Despite that, id still sees PC gaming as viable platform for games, even some exclusive games.

"Obviously Quake Live is only pc and we certainly hope we do well with that," he said. "We still feel PC is a very important market. "

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It's too early to tell if the shrinking E3 has helped bolster id's own id-centric annual show QuakeCon. Usually id Software waits until the Saturday of the show to get official attendance numbers.

But Hollenshead is already sure that QuakeCon is the right way to host a gaming conference.

"I think we struck a balance of being vendor supported and still being in touch with the gamers," he said. "We had over 6,000 hours of volunteer time, that's like the polar opposite of E3,. which is all about business."

In fact id Software only officially showed up at E3 as a single announcement during the Electronic Arts press conference. They were there to tell the world that EA would be publishing their upcoming id Tech 5 game, Rage.

And even that had to be modified to fit in with what E3 and its attendees expect from the show.

"We were told you can't show this stuff because of these five reasons," Hollenshead said. "Last night (during QuakeCon) we had the bigger, better, more hardcore, not suitable for investor conference (announcement) for Rage and Doom."

[Pic]

"Personally I'd like to do another Doom movie, I thought working with it was a blast," he said. "There are some lessons we learned. The best way to do things better is to get the experience."

Hollenshead said that Universal still has the rights for the Doom movie and sequels, so the ball is really in their court on whether another is made.

"We’ll see what happens when we get further along in development of the (new Doom) game and there's more buzz and we share more about what the game will be about.

"As the buzz meter starts to go up that may kind of kick start the guys over at Universal."

Maximum PC also reports that the Xbox 360 version of Rage may wind up shipping on up to three DVDs — or suffer some serious compression compared to the Blu-ray version — a move that could cost millions in per-disc royalty fees. And think of the paper sleeve costs!

QuakeCon 08: No Digital Distribution for Rage or Doom 4; Rage will be on Multiple DVDs for Xbox 360 [Maximum PC]

"The next DOOM game will look like it's built on another engine, as it uses three times the horsepower," Carmack said, according to a 1UP report.

That visual fidelity will come at a price though, as Carmack says that Doom 4 will run at 30 frames per second, compared to Rage's 60 frames per second. The only other details provided by Carmack on Doom 4 was that the game would feature "guns, blood, demons, and gibs." Should've sent a poet...

Quake Con Keynote — Live Blog [1UP]

This year will include a chance to win a Corvette, Brawl chugging, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars tournaments, Guitar Hero contests and plenty more. The convention will give gamers a chance to check out id's new browser-based Quake Live, watch pro-gaming documentary FRAG and play a bit of tourney poker.

The highlight for the show for us non-attendees though will be John Carmack's keynote during the id press conference Thursday morning. Here's hoping we hear more about id Tech 5.

Don't worry, we've already got an interview set up and are plugged into whatever announcements maybe coming. In the meantime check out our interview with Carmack and company earlier this month to hear him talking about his new game engine, new publisher and the future of PC and Apple gaming.

QuakeCon

Check out our four -part interview to hear the three talk about the deal, id's new engine and new game, the future of Doom and other interesting tidbits.

The Intel QUAKE LIVE Championships

QuakeCon 2008 will mark the debut of the first-ever Intel QUAKE LIVE Championships pro tournament. QUAKE LIVE is id Software’s new game created to deliver the excitement and energy of a first-person multiplayer game to a broader audience through a free and easily accessible browser-based experience. The Intel QUAKE LIVE Championships will feature a classic $12,500 One Versus One tournament along with a $12,500 Capture the Flag Team Tournament.

The Activision Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars Team Championships

Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars™ makes its second annual tournament appearance with the Activision Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars Team Championships. Featuring competitions on both PC and for the first time on Xbox 360, the tournament contests will enlist six-person teams to battle it out in double-elimination bracket-style competitive play, in which each squad will have the chance to attack and defend. On the Windows PC side, 16 teams will compete for $15,000 in prize money and in the Xbox 360 competition, eight teams will vie for $10,000 in prizes.

The Alienware Quick-Draw Challenge

For anyone who’s dreamed of competing for prize money on the QuakeCon main stage, the Alienware Quick-Draw Challenge offers $10,000 in prize money to randomly selected attendees competing in special QUAKE LIVE competitions throughout the course of the event.

In addition to their prize money, the top 2 finalists and teams in each of the above competitive tournament events will also be given tickets to the previously announced “QuakeCon Ultimate Power Up” raffle contest, sponsored by Ventrilo, for the brand new 2008 Corvette. Additional raffle tickets and eligibility will be subject to contest rules.

“QuakeCon 2008 will be the grand slam of competitive gaming with the best games and an amazing prize list,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. “We’ve partnered with our sponsors this year to bring the top competitive players what they want most: skill based games, top money prizes, the most enthusiastic fans and audience and the world’s best Finals party!”

More information, including map names, prize money distribution, detailed format and rules, and sign-ups for both tournaments will be available soon at www.quakecon.org.

QuakeCon Ultimate Power Up Rules:

QuakeCon 2008 registered attendees who are 18 years of age and older AND are legal residents of the United States, its territories and possessions and the District of Columbia are eligible to participate. No purchase necessary. 250 raffle tickets will be distributed throughout the event. Additional information about contest rules, eligibility and requirements will be available at www.quakecon.org.

[Pic]

The publisher departures follow decisions made by the ESA board surrounding last year's E3 move to Santa Monica that ultimately cost the association $5 million and necessitated raising its membership dues, as Kotaku reported earlier this week.

Both id and the ESA confirmed the departure; while id Software declined to comment, ESA senior VP of communications and research Rich Taylor responded:

"We can confirm that id Software has decided not to renew its membership in the ESA. We admire their creativity and innovation. We also respect their decision," he said.

"The ESA continues to lead the thriving video and computer game industry. We are dedicated to protecting intellectual property, preserving First Amendment rights and fostering a beneficial environment for the entire entertainment software industry."

“DOOM is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. “It’s critical for id Software to have the best creative minds in-house to develop games that meet the standards synonymous with our titles.”

If you're looking for a job in the industry and have the talent and experience than hit up their site for a complete list of positions.

id Software Jobs

THE ULTIMATE BATTLE AGAINST EVIL CONTINUES IN DOOM 4
id Software Hiring for Internal Team to Develop Next Installment of DOOM
Mesquite, TX – May 7, 2008 – id Software announced today that production has begun on DOOM 4™, the next journey into the legendary DOOM universe. id Software is expanding its internal team and is currently hiring to work on this highly anticipated title.
“DOOM is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. “It’s critical for id Software to have the best creative minds in-house to develop games that meet the standards synonymous with our titles.”
The DOOM franchise is one of the most recognizable and important in gaming history, having been named “one of the ten most influential games of the decade” by PC Gamer and “the #1 game of all time” by GameSpy. DOOM 4 will join the award-winning series which has consistently topped sales charts throughout the world.
id Software is looking for talented, ambitious and passionate individuals eager to join its accomplished team of developers working on the industry’s most innovative and anticipated games. For a complete listing of available positions, visit www.idsoftware.com. Resumes can be submitted via email to jobs@idsoftware.com. All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

The most powerful aftermarket Doom weapon? The voice of Rick Astley apparently, as some enterprising Doom fan has created their own tribute to the English singer-songwriter-meme source in the form of a deadly boombox that never gives up. Hey, it may be old(!!!!1) to you, but since we make it a point not to troll /b/ too often, it's news to us. Hilarious, hard hitting news. Thanks for the linklog, Waxy.

"id Software is among the proverbial godfathers of modern gaming and we are thrilled to be working with them on their first title in our 'freemium' category," said Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide. "This partnership is only the latest testament to the increasing acceptance of in-game as an effective, measurable advertising medium and a strategic revenue opportunity for publishers and developers."

While I know many of you folks aren't too fond of in-game advertising, this is free Quake we're talking about. It's not like they are delivering some Peggle clone or something. And the features? It's like they're packing a mini Xbox Live into the website. Seems like a fair trade-off for a few "Sponsored By" banners to me.

IGA is banking big on Quake Live, hopeful that other forward-thinking publishers will give the "freemium" concept a go. No word yet on when the game will officially launch, but you can bet we'll be keeping you posted!

IGA Worldwide Partners with id Software on Forthcoming QUAKE LIVE title

IGA Selected Exclusive Provider of Advertiser Sponsorships; In-Game Brand Integration Opportunities within Revolutionary QUAKE LIVE Portal

San Francisco, CA- February 19, 2008 -IGA Worldwide Inc., the leading independent in-game advertising network announced today from the 2008 Game Developer Conference that it has partnered with id Software to manage all advertising, sponsorship and creative branding opportunities within the forthcoming QUAKE LIVE web site and free-to-play version of the popular action series.

Created by id Software as an all-new way to deliver the excitement and energy of first-person multiplayer action to a broader audience than ever before, QUAKE LIVE offers game players of all skill levels a totally free and easily accessible multiplayer gaming experience and community through a single website at quakelive.com. Every element of the experience, including friends lists and communication, sponsored events and tournaments, matchmaking, stats tracking, and even the game itself is accessed and delivered free of charge through the web browser. Integrated with IGA's proprietary SDK, QUAKE LIVE will offer companies and agencies fresh opportunities to dynamically-target brands to audiences within a broadly accessible version of one of the world's premiere game franchises, while also offering gamers a totally free premium game, fun events and a vibrant, active community of other players.

"IGA understands game developers and game players which makes them the perfect partner for QUAKE LIVE. Whether it's been the ease of implementing their SDK or just their excitement about QUAKE LIVE, they have been fantastic to work with," said Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software. "As we work to bring QUAKE-style deathmatch excitement to the masses, IGA has fully supported our vision."

"id Software is among the proverbial godfathers of modern gaming and we are thrilled to be working with them on their first title in our 'freemium' category," said Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide. "This partnership is only the latest testament to the increasing acceptance of in-game as an effective, measurable advertising medium and a strategic revenue opportunity for publishers and developers."

IGA predicts more progressive game publishers like id will create what the company has coined "freemium," or free-to-play premium games based on their most popular titles in order to attract new audiences and open new revenue advertising revenue streams. A recent eMarketer forecast estimated the current video game advertising market to exceed $502MM and is expected to grow 23 percent year-over-year over the next five years.

About IGA Worldwide
IGA Worldwide, Inc. is the market-leading in-game advertising network offering brands and agencies a single point of access to an exclusive range of opportunities within the world's premium videogame franchises. IGA's proprietary Radial NetworkSM enables advertisers to dynamically-target over 15 million uniquely engaged consumers and has successfully delivered campaigns for brands such as Intel, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Nokia, Gillette and Unilever. IGA also provides brands with customized branding solutions including integrated product placement and co promotion. IGA Worldwide is headquartered in New York with offices in London, Los Angeles, Connecticut and Berlin.
For more information please visit www.igaworldwide.com.

About id Software:
Id - defined by Freud as the primal section of the human psyche; id Software, located in Mesquite, Texas, was founded in 1991. From inception to present day, id Software has relentlessly provided technical, design and artistic leadership as an independent game developer and technology provider. Transcending the games industry, id's iconic brands such as Wolfenstein, DOOM, QUAKE and Enemy Territory have become staples of popular culture for generations of gamers. More information on id Software can be found at www.idsoftware.com.

The catch? It doesn't fit on a stock DS memory footprint, requiring a slot-2 flash card with at least 16 MB of RAM. A list of support cards is available at the offical Q2DS site. The hobby project is free to download, but we haven't tried it out yet, so homebrew enthusiast beware.

Quake II DS [Drunken Coders via Waxy]

This year's Game Developers Conference page just updated with a slew of new information including the floorplans for the new show. Is it just me or is it starting to look more and more like E3? This could be in part driven by Microsoft's continued commitment to the show. This year their meeting room and suite space looks to be more than twice the size of Nintendo's and Sony's combined. Epic's is also insanely large, though they have a lot of sales to do for their engine, so I can see them going big at GDC.

Two more maps on the jump.

Don't worry, no one was hurt, including Carmack. He'll still be able to put his typing skills to good use for id's upcoming Rage. You can read all about the harrowing, explosive experience at the official X PRIZE site.

Armadillo Aerospace Nearly Wins Northrop Grumman [X-Prize Foundation]

Electronic Arts just sent over new screens for their upcoming DS role-playing game Orcs & Elves. The id Software game was developed by Fountainhead Entertainment based on the uber popular cell phone game. While it looks like it has some potential, it didn't exactly float my boat at Leipzig when I tried it. Hit the jump for the fact sheet.

Orcs & Elves

Product Description
Enter an ancient and magical world where good and evil collide in an epic adventure with Orcs & Elves™ for Nintendo DS™.

The award-winning fantasy RPG mobile game, created by id™ Software and developed by Fountainhead Entertainment comes to the Nintendo DS, with more levels, weapons and fierce foes.

Orcs & Elves offers a breathtaking dungeon-crawling experience for any fantasy RPG gamer, featuring an Award-winning storyline spanning twelve sprawling levels within an ancient Dwarven kingdom.

As a young half-elf, a player will explore the ancient mountain-citadel of Zharrharag, a massive Dwarven fortress riddled with ancient treasure, powerful weapons, and waves of ruthless enemies.

Gamers can use the DS touch screen to solve devious puzzles, overcome deadly traps and unleash magical powers with an arsenal of arcane items like magic potions, enchanted rings, dragon scale armor and an enchanted wand.

Gamers will find and master thirteen mystical weapons including magical swords, deadly crossbows, and a powerful war hammer as they fight through waves of legendary beasts each with their own tactics and powers. Along the way, players will also befriend unique characters such as an ancient dragon to help them fight their way into the deepest reaches of the mountain fortress on a quest to expel the ultimate evil from the mountain's core.

Key Features
• Explore a Dungeon Teeming with Adventure: Travel through a Dwarven citadel's twelve massive levels, each riddled with evil forces and ancient treasure.

• Put your Best RPG Strategies to the Test: Solve devious puzzles, overcome deadly traps, and battle massive forces of foul beasts.

• Master Unique Weapons and Items: Wield extraordinary weapons including a sentient wand, a powerful warhammer, and magic swords. Use the DS Touch Screen to cast spells and make use of magic potions, enchanted rings, and dragonscale armor.

• Unravel an Award-Winning Storyline: With over ten hours of handheld gaming, escape to a place of adventure, mystery, and sorcery with Orcs & Elves, the new first-person adventure from id Software and Fountainhead Entertainment.

• New For the DS: A 3D game engine, new creatures, three new levels, new potions, and four new spells will thrill even the most seasoned adventurer, giving them reason to journey back into Zharrharag.

Product Specifications
Publisher: Electronic Arts Inc.
Developer: Fountainhead Entertainment
Ship Date: November 13, 2007
Category: Role-Playing Game

Fountainhead Entertainment's Orcs & Elves DS may not be much to look at—graphically, it's not much better than id's own Doom—it's actually quite fun to play. Gameplay takes place on the top screen of the Nintendo DS with the bottom screen dedicated to the inventory or, at times, a top down map for when you get lost.

The inventory system is actually just a first-person downward look at your character's belt. In it, you'll see a map, journal, potion, sword and other items. Tapping the blue potion on your belt will bring up a menu screen with various other tonics, including buff potions, healing potions and more.

Control is very flexible. It can be controlled entirely with the d-pad and face buttons. Or you can opt to use nothing but touchscreen controls. I actually found that a combination of both was best for me, using the d-pad to move forward, backward, left and right—using the L-button to strafe—and dishing out attacks with the stylus.

Most of the game's action, based solely on my time with the demo version, was simply unlocking doors, solving puzzles and dispatches various slime beasts, anthropomorphic rats and purple spider-things. Combat is obscenely simple, requiring that one tap the all-powerful USE button over and over and over.

Battles are in real-time, making the one boss battle I experienced tougher than expected. Trying to attack the thing while keeping an eye on my health and using the touchscreen interface was too awkward (and ultimately ended my play session). It may make more sense to use the ABXY buttons for something like this, but since I foolishly passed on saving my game, I was unable to give it another shot.

Orcs & Elves may not be the best-looking DS game around, or even in the top 200 best looking DS games, but it was surprisingly fun in an old-school way.

I don't spend much time looking at Epic's current offering or what their product line is — we've always just done our own thing at id, so we don't spend too much time thinking about them...

We have the PS3, the 360, the PC and the Mac all running at a very high frame-rate - basically all running at 60fps right now - and what's really unique is that when an artist builds an asset they don't know what they're building it for. They build the exact same model, the exact same level, and it doesn't matter what platform they're putting it on. That's a huge breakthrough. A lot of times you'd have your PS3-optimized assets, your Xbox-optimized assets, your PC-optimized assets, and at the end of the project you'd do this ugly Mac port. If not an ugly PC port. We think that the fact developers can cleanly simultaneously develop all four platforms is a huge change.

During today's QuakeCon keynote John Carmack unveiled a flurry of announcements including id Software's newest franchise, Rage, and confirmation of a Return to Castle Wolfenstein movie. They also told the crowd that the new Wolfenstein game is being developed by Raven Software for the PC, 360 and PS3. The mutiplayer portion of the game is being worked on by Threewave Software.

Here's the breakdown:
id Software's New Game Unveiled
Quake Zero Announced
Quake Arena Headed to XBLA
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Dated
id Forges Deal with Valve
Hollenshead Talks Wolfenstein Movie
Orcs & Elves II Hits Mobile this Holiday

While not totally finalized, Todd Hollenshead confirmed with me today rumors that id Software has indeed licensed the film rights to an adaptation of Return to Castle Wolfenstein and that Roger Avary will both be writing and directing the movie.

"We are super excited to have Roger Avary attached to the project," Hollenshead told me. "I met personally with Avary and he has an enormous amount of enthusiasm for the project. That makes us incredibly excited. Movie projects are tough unless you have a really good writer and we want this to be great."

When I mentioned the mixed reaction to the Doom film, Hollenshead first said he loved the movie but then went on to say that they always want to take their previous experiences and "learn to do things better."

Before penning the deal, id folks met with the studio to agree to some "creative guidelines" for the upcoming picture.

"We want to make sure things like BJ is the hero, it's set in World War II and the Nazis are the bad guys," he said. "But a movie does need to be different than the game, so there is going to be some changes made."

He added that id will stay involved in the project as the movie is being made and technically, the deal is still in the works. id just wanted to get the word out there during their annual Quake Con.

Looks like the rumors are true, id and Valve have decided to partner up to sell all of id Software's library, well almost all of it.

Todd Hollenshead told me today that that all of (well like 99 percent of) id Software's games from Commander Keen on up to Quake 3 will now be sold on Steam. The distribution deal also includes a mega pack, that lets you download all of those games for $70. Or $60 if you use the $10 discount code given out at QuakeCon today.

The games should be available now on Steam. Hit the jump for the full list of games and packs.

id GAMES on Steam
• Commander Keen, Episodes 1 through 5
• Wolfenstein 3D
• Spear of Destiny
• Return to Castle Wolfenstein
• Ultimate DOOM
• DOOM II
• Final DOOM
• DOOM3
• DOOM3: Resurrection of Evil
• QUAKE
• QUAKE Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon
• QUAKE Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity
• QUAKE II
• QUAKE II Mission Pack: The Reckoning
• QUAKE II Mission Pack: Ground Zero
• QUAKE III Arena
• QUAKE III: Team Arena
• Heretic
• Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders
• HeXen
• HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel
• HeXen II

id PACKAGES on Steam
• DOOM 3 Pack: Includes DOOM 3 and DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil
• QUAKE III Pack: Includes QUAKE III Arena and QUAKE III: Team Arena
• Wolf Pack: Includes Wolf 3D, Spear of Destiny and Return to Castle Wolfenstein
• DOOM Pack Complete: Includes all DOOM games released by id
• QUAKE Pack: Includes all 8 QUAKE Titles available on Steam
• Heretic\HeXen Pack: Includes Heretic, Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, HeXen, HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, HeXen II
• Id Super Pack: Every id game on Steam

Select packages are 10% off until August 10.

EA ANNOUNCES ID SOFTWARE'S AWARD-WINNING ORCS & ELVES SERIES TO CONTINUE ON NINTENDO DS AND MOBILE

LOS ANGELES - July 11, 2007 - Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced the upcoming release of the award-winning* title Orcs & Elves® to the Nintendo DS™ and the second installment in the action-fantasy saga, Orcs & Elves II, coming to mobile. Orcs & Elves and Orcs & Elves II are first-person fantasy role playing games created by id™ Software and developed exclusively for EA by Fountainhead Entertainment. Orcs & Elves marks one of the first games developed specifically for the mobile platform that has crossed over to another game-specific device.

The Orcs & Elves franchise has been lauded for marrying the storytelling and visuals of the fantasy RPG genre with the accessibility of the mobile format, which has appealed to casual and hardcore gamers alike. The game won numerous awards including IGN's Best of E3 2006 and Mobile Game of the Year at the 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.

"Orcs & Elves was a perfect fit for the DS," said John Carmack, founder and technical director at id Software, "We were able to take excellent advantage of the 3D hardware and unique user input capabilities, and expand the game to include a lot of wonderful features that we just couldn't fit on the cell phones. Orcs & Elves II is a polished gem of a game for the mobile platforms, opening up new parts of the world to explore, while carrying forward and improving all the elements that were loved about the original game."

"Orcs & Elves changed a lot of people's perceptions by showing that you could build an easily accessible, story-rich RPG for today's mobile phones," said Travis Boatman, vice president of worldwide studios for EA Mobile™.

id Software has crafted an entirely new version of Orcs & Elves that utilizes the Nintendo DS unique technology platform. Orcs & Elves will feature higher graphical fidelity, more levels, items and monsters as players explore a massive Dwarven kingdom riddled with ancient treasures and fierce enemies. The game features hybrid gameplay, combining the best of first-person action and fast-paced tactical RPG gameplay.

"With the franchise expanding to the popular DS platform, we're reaching a real milestone in handheld gaming," said David DeMartini, vice president and global GM of EA Partners

Orcs & Elves II for mobile continues the epic story from the original game and expands the Orcs & Elves universe. In Orcs & Elves II, evil begins to spread throughout the lands after the fall of King Brahm at Mount Zharrkarag. As a novice thief who has stolen the legendary wand Ellon, players must travel through towns and forests while trying to convince the Wand to be helpful. With a new mouse companion, Ellon's help, and a lot of luck, Valin must return to his under siege town before it's too late. Players will encounter new creatures, allies and villains as they explore seven huge interactive environments including towns, collapsing caverns and haunted forests.

Orcs & Elves II for mobile and Orcs & Elves for the Nintendo DS is scheduled to be available for the upcoming holiday season.

*Orcs & Elves won 'Best RPG - Wireless Best of E3 2006 Award' - IGN; 'Best Mobile Game' at the 2006 Leipzig Games Convention and 'Mobile Game of the Year' at the 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards in Las Vegas in February 2007.

It sounds like EA wasn't the only one hanging out with Steve Jobs today. id co-founder John Carmack showed off the company's new game engine, codenamed id Tech 5, during today's Worldwide Developers Conference 2007.

Carmack showed the audience a canyon fly-through that bore a close resemblance to something seen in Motorstorm. The developer said that they id will be showing off some of their good at this year's E3 on the PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and, yes, evn the Mac. He also said that another Mac announcement was coming at E3. It's gotta be a new multiplatform game. Brian Crecente

Live blogging Jobs [Gizmodo]

UPDATE Id just sent over the official release. Hit the jump to read it.

id Software Debuts id Tech 5
Groundbreaking New Videogame Engine Previewed on a Mac

WWDC, San Francisco, June 11, 2007 - Today, id Software unveiled their never-before-seen next-generation game engine technology, id Tech 5™, running on a Mac at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. This revolutionary new technology will power the studio's internally created new game property and will be available for licensing to third parties. Previous iterations of id technology have powered games with worldwide retail sales totaling more than $1 billion, cementing id's status as the premier technology provider for the industry.

id Software's co-founder and technical director, John Carmack, demonstrated id Tech 5 during the keynote address and commented, "Since many developers at id have made the switch to the Mac for their personal use, we decided it was now time to bring our core game technology to OS X. After a rapid bring up of the codebase, we were delighted to find that the latest Macs are the fastest systems in our offices for some of the time consuming processing jobs and will be contributing to our development process in many useful ways."

The new id rendering technology practically eliminates the texture memory constraints typically placed on artists and designers and allows for the unique customization of the entire game world at the pixel level, delivering virtually unlimited visual fidelity. Combined with a powerful new suite of tools designed specifically to facilitate and accelerate the content creation process, id Tech 5 will power games that contain vast outdoor landscapes that are completely unique to the horizon, yet have indoor environments with unprecedented artistic detail.

While shown for the very first time running in real time on a Mac, id Tech 5 additionally supports the Xbox 360 and Playstation3 console platforms as well as the PC, and will be available for licensing to developers and publishers interested in working with a truly next-generation rendering and game development solution. id Software will be showing id Tech 5 to interested developers and publishers by appointment only at the E3 Media & Business Summit from July 11 - 13, 2007 in Santa Monica, Calif. Companies interested in id Tech licensing information can visit www.idsoftware.com or email licensing@idsoftware.com with an E3 appointment request.

John Carmack is working on a new franchise that will use a brand new engine crafted by the developer, according to Id Software's Todd Hollenshead.

"We are working on an all-new franchise: it's not Doom, it's not Quake, it's not Wolfenstein, it's not Enemy Territory, it's not even Commander Keen!

"It is a new id brand with an all-new John Carmack engine and I think that when we show it to people, once again they'll see, just like they saw when we first showed Doom 3, that John Carmack still has a lot of magic left."

"Our first task at id is as a single studio developer," Hollenshead continued. "That's really where everything spawns from. Because John Carmack is a programming genius, who in my opinion is unequalled in video games today, he makes a great technology that we can use across a wide range of applications and different games within our suite of franchises.

"The new stuff that we're working on does have a brand new engine that John has been working on, actually is still working on today. We can't really talk any details about it; we'll see about when the timing is right for an announcement. We like to be able to talk about stuff that we can show at the same time and it's not really ready to show yet."

Hmmm, maybe some news will come out of tiny E3 afterall? Brian Crecente

id Software today confirmed that PC shooter Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is heading to both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

The Playstation 3 version will be developed by Z-Axis while the 360 version will be developed by Nerve Software.

Z-Axis Games' last, and I believe only title, was X-Men: The Official Game, while Nerve Software worked on Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War and developed the multiplayer for the original RTCW with id and Gray Matter Interactive.

I'm not sure why id went with two different companies on this instead of just farming them both out to one. A sign of things to come perhaps? Brian Crecente

Santa Monica, CA - Feb. 13, 2007 - The war between the GDF and Strogg will soon be igniting on next-generation consoles as id Software and Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today confirmed that Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars , the team-based first person action title, and already one of the most anticipated new properties of 2007 is coming to next-gen platforms. In this epic multiplayer-focused game, players can choose to defend humanity as a part of the Global Defense Force (GDF) or destroy it as a merciless Strogg alien invader. Under the executive production of id Software, Nerve Software is developing Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, while Z-Axis is the developer for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system.

"We're pleased to be working with Nerve and Z-Axis to bring the highly-anticipated gameplay from Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars to the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system," said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software.

Winner of more than 15 awards in 2006 and already selected as one of the most anticipated new titles in 2007 by more than eight publications, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is being developed for the Windows PC by Splash Damage - the Nerve Software and Z-Axis console versions will also feature strategic team play, persistent character promotions and online stats tracking. Players choose to battle as one of five unique classes in either the conventionally armed GDF army or the futuristic Strogg invasion force, each outfitted with specialist weapons and combat hardware. In this adrenaline pumping fight for survival, warring forces utilize a variety of different vehicles, deployable structures, and defense systems including quad-bikes, tanks, and alien walkers for epic ground assaults; or helicopters and anti-gravity ships to unleash airborne attacks. Throughout each battle, teams establish bases, deploy defense structures, artillery, radar, and advanced forward-command systems into enemy territory while constructing and demolishing obstacles to speed progress and gain a tactical advantage over the opponent. Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars features 16-player battles on the console systems, delivering the ultimate team-and objective-based multiplayer experience.

Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

It's Friday. I want nothing better than to go back to my couch and nap away one of the last days of summer. In fact, I think I'll probably go do so — the prerogative of a calling that allows me to sit at the kitchen table in my underpants for half the day. But as I do, I think this Quake 3 rocket jumping video's going to be playing feverishly in the back of my dozing brain. There's sort of a frenetic Zen Buddhism to the awesome purity of these jumps. I'm sure they're probably cheating in more ways than just god mode, but does it matter when you're this damn good? Florian Eckhardt

Some ingenious developer has programmed a clone of Wolfenstein 3D into a mere 5k of Java, appropriately christened it Wolfenstein 5k and released it upon the internet populace at large. Small enough to fit inside memory on the display of your coffee maker, it's a cute little clone in which Nazis are replaced with Bobbleheaded Smiley Faces. No shrieks of Mein leben! or Die Allied Schweinhund!, unfortunately, but we'll take what we can get. Squint ahoy!

Wolfenstein 5k [Official Site] (via Aeropause)

I've lost interest in Metroid Prime: Hunters for my DS again. I just can't get over the nagging criticism that I'd much rather be playing either a real Metroid title or a real FPS, not the two lamely mashed together. Gimme Doom any day.

And lo and behold, some homebrew programmer has! DSDoom takes the prBoom PC port and brings it to the DS, complete with Wifi multiplayer but, sadly, no touch screen controls. It'll play Doom, Doom II, Ultimate Doom or the TnT Doom expansions.

I've been really itching for something like this. The Doom ports released for the GBA were technically impressive but looked and played like Doom knee-deep in the smegma. Looks like someone might have finally done it right. Florian Eckhardt

DS Doom [Official Site]

id's Kevin Cloud hated the idea of doing Doom 3. Obviously, history's vindicated him on that one. So perhaps history will also vindicate his confusing thoughts on piracy.

"Piracy is hard," Cloud said, in a response to an audience member's question about the issue. "It's really, from my opinion, destroying the PC market." He said concerns over piracy were the biggest factor in PC gaming's shrinking presence in many retail stores. However, he maintained that he felt the PC gaming market as a whole was not in any danger. "I don't think the PC market is shrinking at all," he said. "I think there're tons of people playing games on the PC. I think World of Warcraft is a good example."

Got that? Piracy's both destroying the PC market, yet the PC market isn't in any danger at all. Ostensibly a confusing statement, but he's obviously seeing the future of PC Gaming going more in the direction of Steam and MMORPGs. Of course, with the Pirates to Buyers Ratio for Steam title SiN Episode 1 being 5:1, it looks like the only thing any of us might be playing before long will have a monthly fee attached. Florian Eckhardt

id co-owner says piracy killing PC gaming [Ars Technica]

Outside of which Ukrainian child bride he's married this week and updates to his blog detailing the best method of applying egg whites to a lionesque mane, it seems the only publicity John Romero gets these days is giving interviews about his halcyon days with Quake and Doom.

And he's given another one, this time to Quakeexpo.com... as usual, it covers a lot well-trodden ground, but still manages to be surprisingly entertaining. Here's Romero making the observation that the Quake soundtrack sucked.

Trent didn't spend much time on it and the only real standout track was the title song. If we had played the music as MP3's instead of CD Audio i believe people would have really identified with it more - 99% of people who play Quake don't play it with the CD in the drive. During Quake's development we were playing MP3s in the game that were created by a friend of Trent's that were really really great - I wish we would have kept those songs and played them as MP3s.

He also comments on how the direction of the game changed 7 months from ship, which explains why American McGee (in a long lost .plan update) claimed that one of the things you could do in Quake deathmatch was rip off an opponent's head and sodomize the gurgling esophagus. I'm totally not kidding; he actually said that. Florian Eckhardt

Interview with John Romero [Quake Expo]

Can you play Quake IV for seven hours straight? You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din... I couldn't even play it for seven minutes straight. For charity? Maybe if someone strapped me to a chair, put a pistol to my temple and made it clear it was either frag or be fragged.

Luckily, the guys over at PCFormat are willing to suffer in pursuit of a noble cause and are taking sponsorships for a massive first-to-1000 kills Quake IV deathmatch session. All the money will go to Sport Relief, a charity that raises money to fight poverty in the UK and Africa.

If you can recognize the sheer excess of noble suffering these poor fools are about to take upon themselves by playing Quake IV for a good cause, you might head on over and throw them a fiver. Florian Eckhardt

Sponsor us to play 1000 frags in Quake 4 for SportRelief [PCFormat.co.uk]

But perhaps we should qualify that: while id software certainly has no innovative ideas for the future of gameplay, id founder John Carmack himself has been spending a great deal of time fixating on mobile phone gaming lately, and he's got some interesting ideas on where he'd like to see it headed. Ideas that Carmack spilled in an interview with CNN Money.

His big idea is an id produced MMORPG for cell phones. Although Carmack is quick to point out that he doesn't have any interest in bring id head to head with Blizzard, he does hint that a successful cell phone MMORPG could make an excellent bridge into the PC market. Which is a great idea: an MMORPG with a smaller, less advanced cell phone client for when you're shopping or sitting in traffic or pacing the maternity ward. - Florian Eckhardt

Creator of 'Doom' has a 'sneaky little plan' [CNN Money]

Don't you just want to beat G4's host with a sack of oranges into a giant oozing bruise? Just shut up already, you idiot. No one cares what you have to say: we want to hear Carmack on the PS3!

Summary: Carmack says the PS3 is technically a more powerful rig than the 360, but that power is off-set by being a pain in the ass to program for. Which might explain why the PS3 games on show at E3 looked no better than the 360 games being developed one year in to the game's life cycle.

One of the interesting things about mobile games is that the sales curve is not at all like the drastically front loaded curve of a PC or console game. DoomRPG is selling better now than when it was initially released, and the numbers are promising for supporting additional development work. However, unless I am pleasantly surprised, the hardware capabilities are going to advance much faster than the market in the next couple years, leading to an unusual situation where you can only afford to develop fairly crude games on incredibly powerful hardware. Perhaps "elegantly simple" would be the better way of looking at it, but it will still wind up being like developing an Xbox title for $500,000. That will wind up being great for many small game companies that just want to explore an idea, but having resource far in excess of your demands does minimize the value of being a hot shot programmer. :-)

You know, it's sort of refreshing to read Carmack's musings when he hasn't rolled his eyes into the back of his head and channeled a tenth-dimensional entity to converse entirely in quadratic equation.

Orcs & Elves [John Carmack's Blog]