I have, today, signed a distribution agreement which allows the release of BC3K v2.0x into the European markets to complement Interplay’s North America and Canada release of the game. Out of courtesy, I will wait until I speak with the distributors, based in the UK, tomorrow about their plans for a joint press release, before release any names. At any rate, the long wait is over and fans no longer have to hunt down older v1.0x units and then have to pay for the download patch or pay huge shipping costs to get the game from the US.
The game will most likely start to appear in the UK, Germany and elsewhere, by July/August.
Unlike the US release, this version (which will be v2.08), will definitely come with a printed keyboard command sheet and the full printed manual.
To date, BC3K v2.0x has done very well in the retail channel and has gained more fans as the series continues to evolve. There are big things in store for Battlecruiser 3020AD and we are working hard to make it the best that it can be.
BC3K v2.0x TUTORIAL
Due to the European release of the game, coupled with the fact that more and more novice gamers are getting the game, I will be spending some time to do a comprehensive tutorial for BC3K v2.0x as only I know how. This will be available for download at the website and if I time it right, will also be on the master CD-ROM in Acrobat PDF format for the European release. You in the press have said that the BC3K manual is one of the most detailed and comprehensive, therefore you
can expect the same level of quality from the tutorial.
BC3K v2.08 WIN32 VERSION
I’ve been keeping this quiet because I wanted it to be a surprise to the fans……
We’ve had a WIN32 version of BC3K v2.0x for several months now. I had abandoned it when the Interplay deal was done last year because there was not enough time to finish and test it and BC:3020AD was already the main focus.
With the success of cards such as the TNT line, ATi, S3, Matrox etc, the average BC3K gamer is no longer the card carrying member of the 3DFX Mile High club and therefore has had to settle for the less appealing visuals of the software renderer. Well, thats all over with. A week ago, I decided to resurrect the WIN32 port, and since we now have a WIN32 based rendering engine with D3D, OPENGL and Glide support used in BC:3020AD, the D3D/Glide layers of this engine, will be used in the WIN32 port of BC3K v2.0x. Owners of DirectX based cards will benefit from the increased speed and graphics quality that those playing the Glide only version have come to enjoy all these months.
I have recently finished cleaning up the port and fixing some bugs, in my spare time. Once thats done, the WIN32 based D3D/Glide renderers from the new BC:3020AD graphics engine, will be integrated into BC3K v2.0x.
This port, which will likely go final around v2.10, will give the following
- Sound supported in native mode via WIN9x. No more manual configurations.
- Joysticks supported in native mode via WIN9x. No more manual configurations.
- Hardware acceleration for D3D and Glide.
- Better stability (depends on what you think of WIN9x) since the DOS legacy code for DPMI memory, sound, joystick etc, are all gone now anyway.
- Will be available free of charge for fans worldwide and will be branded as
BC3K v3.0 when it goes final.
A Beta 6 version of this WIN32 port of BC3K v2.08, is at:
It requires the DOS BC3K v2.08 Beta 6 which is currently out on wide release testing and available at:
Be sure to read the included text file before running it.
Simply unzip it into your existing BC3K v2.08 Beta 6 folder and create a shortcut for it. It runs in windowed mode (easier to debug) but the final version will be full screen.
If nothing else, this proves once again, that I have been listening and even though my bets are on BC:3020AD, I continue to, as I always have, stand by my projects and enhance them as needed. We’ve done a lot of work in the port and it was instrumental in setting the ground work for BC:3020AD which is WIN32 based from the ground up.
Because BC3K v2.0x contains legacy code, I will, most likely release it into the public domain sometime in the future so that the community can port it to OS2, Linux, put in multiplayer (now that it is WIN32, that should be easy) etc, if they so desire. It is, still, the only game of its kind and will most likely be around for some time to come. The next generation of BC3K, which
will debut with the release of Battlecruiser 3020AD, will carry the torch of this franchise, well into the future.
