3000AD and EB have signed an exclusive deal to bring BCM to EB stores in North America.
And in-depth interview with Derek Smart by Jeff Green is in the April issue of CGW. You can read it here.
Jack Of All Games, have advised that BC3K v2.08, is out of production and now hitting the streets in Australia, New Zealand and other territories in the Pacific Rim.
Battlecruiser 3000AD v2.0 was released in North America and Canada on 12/98 by Interplay Productions and v2.08 was released in several European territories on 10/99 by GT Interactive (now Infogrames). The JOAG v2.08 release, further extends the global availability of this critically acclaimed long running title.
First released during the fateful Christmas season of ’96, by Take 2 Interactive and Gametek, the Battlecruiser series has seen all manner of exposure (and abuse) in the industry and started out being a classic showcase of how a good idea and premise, can go horribly wrong.
The v2.0x generation, due to unexpected strong sales and a leap of faith by Interplay Productions (who got the v2.0x ball rolling), served to alleviate this stigma and propelled the series into its current status as, not only probably the most ambitious and complex title in the history of the industry, but also the most engaging and involving in its genre.
With strong commitments from the gaming industry and existing distributors and resellers alike, the next titles in the series, Battlecruiser Millennium and Battlecruiser Tactical Engagement, both on schedule and due out this Summer, have already generate a lot of anticipation. The series is, again, poised to go where no series has ever gone before, especially in terms of multiplayer technologies, coupled with a completely new graphics engine and vastly more advanced AI kernels than the critically acclaimed one in the BC3K v2.0x series.
OK, enough marketing hype, you get the picture. Unless you’ve been under a rock this decade, you know about BC3K.
The demo for BC3K v2.0 was released back in May of 1999. Now by popular demand, and due to all the new reviews the game has been getting, I have released an updated demo based on the v2.09 kernel, which, as you know, is the final version of the BC3K series. This new version has significant advancements over the v2.0 version. It uses the advanced 2.09 kernel, has several surface mission zones, supports more graphics cards etc. It is still restricted to just 3 space regions with 3 planets and 2 moons. As in the original v2.0 demo, most of the advanced features in this version, are also disabled.
If you are a magazine looking to carry this version, please be sure to request my written email permission. Failure to do this will have some serious consequences. When in doubt, remember who you’re dealing with. If you are an online site, feel free to carry the demo but you must host it on your site. I plan on breaking the link below, one week from today. If you already carry the v2.0 demo, then all you need to do is kill the original file (bc3kv20demo.exe) and use this one instead. All product descriptions, screen shots etc, can remain as is. Please send me email letting me know that you have hosted the newer demo and I will update the links to your site from my own downloads page.
This is what I believe to be the last update to a legendary product. BC3K has a long history that spans over ten years. The release of v2.0 during 12/98 really proved to the industry that the series had finally proven itself. The GT Interactive European release of 10/99 and the Jack Of All Games 01/00 release in Australia, New Zealand and other territories, finally gives v2.0x, complete worldwide coverage and a growing fan base the world over.
So, its time to retire the ol’ gal in this new Millennium and v2.09 does just that. It may not be the flashiest or most user friendly title out there, but the replayability of the v2.0x series, it’s advanced feature set and the support that we have put behind it, continue to make BC3K the title that most space simmers find themselves coming back to, time and time again. For a DOS hybrid title that first made it’s debut on 10/96, the ol’ gal has held it’s own against an onslaught of next gen titles that have huge development budgets, kick-ass graphics and multi-million dollar marketing budgets.
Like the development team that has worked all these years to make the series what it is, BC3K takes a lot of time, effort and commitment from both the development team and the fan base. Such an investment has proven, time and time again, that it is well worth it. We all remain committed.
There are bigger and better things in store for the series, with special emphasis on kick-ass graphics and mind boggling multiplayer options. In fact, like the over 100, the never before seen features in the BC3K series, the multiplayer component in the upcoming next gen title, Battlecruiser Millennium, is going to be just as advanced as every other premise in the series. With a completely freeform galaxy-wide virtual battleground with the ability to fly around in space or planets, drive or run around as a marine (in first person perspective) on planets, with a myriad of options and a variety of free-for-all and teamplay modes, we are gunning to redefine online space sim multiplayer. I expect all of you to be there.
This final version has a couple of minor fixes and a few more enhancements to certain areas in flight dynamics, power allocation, threat systems etc. It also contains two new new Tour Of Duty mission scenarios, consisting of 6 brand new advanced missions. Even the original Tour Of Duty scenarios that shipped with v2.0, were updated in order to make them a little easier and accessible to the newbies who have a hard time grasping the concept that nothing in this game, revolves around them and that NPCs can make a mission a success or a failure, depending on how they play. I have also released an updated version of the Game Builder System used for user-created mission scenarios.
For a list of changes, check the Version Control file.
It is indeed the dawn of a new age. Fans of BC3K. We are legion.
Without further ado, I hereby retire the BATTLECRUISER 3000AD series.
