Relicnews: the definitive source for all things Relic

It has been a while since we posted Mod news here on RN, so I figured that it was fitting that we pass this heads up onto you. OneofOneMillion has confirmed that the Cataclysm:Rebirth mod for HOMEWORLD:CATACLYSM has been completed.

The Website for the mod is very well done, and clearly explains the mod and what it provides. I spent some time playing it last night, and found that it entertaining. It’s pretty fun to try Cataclysm with the new ships and the massive battle map that was provided. GG Infected Bentusi Exchange.

Concerned about Microsoft and their attitude towards PC Games? Well check out this article on HomelanFed.

HomeLAN - Microsoft has really gotten more serious about publishing PC games in the past few years, even with its Xbox console division. How does Microsoft see itself as a PC game publisher compared to other publishers like Electronic Arts, Ubi Soft, Infogrames, Activision and others? Stuart Moulder - Microsoft Game Studios stands out for our strong stable of blockbuster franchises and our belief that every game in our portfolio must exemplify the strength, creativity and diversity of PC gaming today. When I look at our portfolio, titles like Age of Mythology, Asheron’s Call 2, Dungeon Siege, and Impossible Creatures demonstrate this approach very effectively. We want every MGS game to deliver the next “Wow!” experience by going beyond gamers’ expectations. We want to be the best publisher in the PC games business. This means we will continue to focus on a relatively small number of titles that we feel are strong and will be well received.

They also go into general detail about IC’s delay. Pop by and check it out.

Avast me maties and pay attention here! Arrrrrr! Barking-Dog (now Rockstar Vancouver) has informed me that the US version of Treasure Planet is Gold! Expect the game to be on store shelves in conjunction with the movie.

[edit]Note that the US version only is gold, the other language versions are still being localized. You can preorder on Amazon.com[/edit]

… and there’s gonna be trouble…

haha but seriously… welcome back Guidestone!

AntricParticle wrote in to mention that Impossible Creatures will be on TV!

This week (tomorrow) you can catch the bit about IC on Tech TV’s Extended play. Tuesday 9/17 10:30 a.m., 3 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Check the link for more info.

PC IGN and Relic’s Art Director Andy Lang bring us one of the best articles about IC yet. In this article, Andy describes how the Terrain in Impossible Creatures developed from massive realistically scaled islands that took minutes to traverse, to finely crafted arenas.

As you can see by some of our first concept drawings, we really tried to go big. And we managed to pull off “big” in our first prototyping. Some of you might even have seen our first closed door E3 showing with the massive worlds. At the time it was very impressive to look at. These islands were so big that they could support multiple environments from rolling grass plains to icy mountaintops and hot red deserts. In fact this was our smallest available island at the time. By playing games in this environment, it became apparent quite quickly that the islands of this scale would be problematic. You would have to zoom way in just to see the creatures so you could select them, then zoom way out to move them the long distances needed to reach anywhere.

This article seems to provide great insight into how Relic thinks. It goes into a bit of detail on the learning processes that Relic has gone through, and shows more of what they learned from Homeworld. There is a lot of concept art scattered through the article to complement the screenshots. There is also a shot of the early engine, the same one I had a chance to see at E3 2000.

Thanks to Rahanx for the heads up!

3 more High Quality screens up at X-treme Gaming Radio.

Very nice shots. One of the combiner, and a couple of creatures in action… hmmm Killer Scorpiwhales.

VE3D got 4 high res iCreatures shots. Check out the article.

Impossible Creatures will turn the real-time strategy genre ‘on its ear’ by allowing players to combine more then 50 real-world animals to create a nearly limitless number of mutant creatures. Want a stealthy ranged unit? Combine a chameleon with an electric eel! Want a powerhouse unit that can burrow underground and pop up unexpectedly in the middle of an ambush? Combine a rhino with a lemming! Have you ever seen an elephant fly? You will! Players can then use these, and thousands of other potential creations, to customize armies and strategies, guaranteeing that no two games of Impossible Creatures will ever be the same.

mmmmm Landsharks.

Here’s to hoping that the world becomes a better place. Respect your fellow man. Never Forget.

Impossible Creatures will be on store shelves the first week of January 2003!

Microsoft Game Studios today announced that its new, innovative PC game, “Impossible Creatures,” hits store shelves the first week of January 2003. “Impossible Creatures” is the next 3-D real-time strategy game from Alex Garden and Relic Entertainment, creators of the critically acclaimed “Homeworld.” Building on the popularity of traditional RTS games, “Impossible Creatures” brings two key innovations to the RTS category: the ability to combine capabilities of animals and create thousands of units; and a fast-paced game design based on classic RTS gameplay. “With tens of thousands of possible animal combinations that players can create and command, we’re set to deliver a fast-paced RTS game that adds a refreshing, creative burst of flavor to one of the most popular genres in PC gaming,” said Alex Garden, CEO of Relic Entertainment. “A January 2003 launch ensures ‘Impossible Creatures’ receives the fine-tuning and balancing that a game of this caliber requires.”

This release date means it misses the 2002 holiday rush, how this will effect sales, I do not know. I have a feeling it will be strong enough to weather the storm.

Thanks to VE3D for posting news about this.