The next public release - 0.30 will feature difficulty settings, and I'd like your input on what they should be. I need a name for each of the 10 levels to describe how difficult they are and a description of how each level is different. Post your ideas on the Rbots forum.

"What can players expect to see in Obi-Wan?"

"The main focus of this game is for the player to really feel like they are a Jedi. That has been the goal since the start of the project. In order to achieve this, we had to make sure the player had complete control over the light saber. We struggled with this for about a year staying away from creating a game where your saber fighting is a button-matching thing because you don't really have control. That is when we came up with the idea of using the analog stick for the saber. The way this works is that any direction you want the saber to swing, a player just has to move the analog stick in that direction."

"A long time ago...
One game I can't seem to stop reinstalling is ucasArts legendary Jedi Knight. The groundbreaking sequel to Dark Forces may be nearing it's fourth birthday, but both it and the Mysteries of the Sith expansion pack still feature some of the most compelling first-person shooting [and, uh, sabering] this side of modern efforts like the afore mentioned No One Lives Forever. If you don't own either game, do yourself a favor and pick them up from a bargain bin near you. If you do own them, cruise over to The Massassi Temple and the Admiral's Command Center for a look at the many user-designed solo missions and multiplayer maps available.

Be prepared to surrender a lot of time to your PC if you're a Star Wars fan, though. Many of the home-brewed missions boast LucasArts-like design touches, some even go beyond the outstanding quality of retail levels such as "The Falling Ship." I've just lost the better part of a weekend to SavageX's epic "Leeza's Destiny 3.0" and Ryan Bickhart's incredible "Imperial Siege on Derra IV." Each features puzzles, new cutscenes, and all of the other frills that make an FPS level truly memorable. "Imperial Siege" may be the best user-designed level I've ever played for any game. Any way you look at it, getting back to Jedi Knight is a great way to kill time while waiting for Hayden Christansen to turn into Darth Vader in Episode II"

We've finally managed to put together and test most of the functions that will be available in the next release. If everything goes according to plan, Rbots 0.30 for both JK & MotS will be released to the general public on 22nd June. Stay tuned for more details.

Just a few more notes on the level contest: This isn't just an Army TC level contest... Runner-up maps will be in the next DFA beta. How cool is that? : )

Here are some more guidelines on the contest:

-The levels must have the right atmosphere. Obviously we don't want a space level ; ) So be sure to keep it realistic.

-Levels may NOT be already submitted or posted somewhere else. Though they may be released after the TC's release as a standalone level (not in any other mod!).

-This is obviously a MotS TC, so it must be a MotS level.

-All levels must be in before August 31st (may be subject to change if anything happens to come up).

Email all entries to uberleader@hotmail.com, thanks.

I'll be holding another open forum tonight for all of those interested. It's on the server irc.massassi.net in the room #texturetips. It begins promptly at 9 PM EST, so if you're at all interested in learning how to better make textures, be there or be square.

Sunday, June 24, 2001 is "Raven Day" at JediKnightII.net celebrate Raven Software turning eleven years old. JediKnightII.net has quite a few features that may interest your readers. Here is what you can expect:

• Interview with Kenn Hoekstra of Raven Games.
• Preview of Soldier of Fortune II.
• Column discussing Jedi Knight II and the Linux operating system.
• New Community forums open that deal exclusively with Raven Games of past and present.

For more information, check out the latest Raven Day posts at www.jediknightii.net.

The long wait is finally over! The 0.30 alpha version for Jedi Knight is now released and available for download. The file size now weighs in at a hefty 5.4Mb.

Here's a list of features:

• Full lightsaber support with glowsabers
• Supports up to 32 bots per level
• Comes complete with 18 different bot models (skins) (16 deathmatch & 2 teamplay)
• Each level comes ready for action with 16 bots available
• 3 different gameplay modes - Deathmatch, Sabers & Teamplay
• 5 difficulty settings - set via hotkey
• Add/remove bots via hotkey
• Botcam - hotkeyable camera mode which will follow each bot around the level
• Bot Scoring system - keeps track of scores for the bots
• Special path node properties - allows bots to do extra things like activate switches, jump over ledges, lay mines etc.
• Intelligent weapon selection - bots will now change weapons based on current situation, rather than just using the 'biggest' gun it has
• Secondary fire - bots now use secondary fire for concussion rifle & railgun
• Bots will dodge incoming projectiles based on difficulty

Unfortunately due to the deadline, force powers could not be implemented. Next on the list is the MotS version, a whole new SDK and set of tutorials.

The RoX Intro Level is a small cutscene with no gameplay. This sweet little intro explains how Tahben would be chosen to save Xanthus.

Thanks to everyone who played in the Saturday ladder tourney. It was quite succesful with 26 people showing up and a total of 298 kills. As of June 30, 2001 the standings for first place are as follows:
NF sabers, Lt_Greywolf
FF Sabers, Spider_AL
NF Guns, Brian L
FF guns, Xaem.
Thank you all and you will be notifed when the next tourney will be.