Round-Up: Quake III Source, SWG Rage, BlizzCon Goodies, HalfDome Climbing

Author: by Nich Maragos, Simon Carless

Today's round-up includes news on the release of the Quake III source code, a remedied kerfuffle over Star Wars Galaxies, some gorgeous extras for visitors to BlizzCon, and a particularly non-sedentary invitation from game composer Chance Thomas, as well as the latest product news and Gamasutra job postings. - id Software, in keeping with tradition, has released the source code for the nearly six-year-old Quake III Arena. The source code can be compiled for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux; though it's a freely available download, the code is still protected under the GPL license. The code for the Q3Radiant map editor is also included, and is subject to the same terms as the Q3A source. - Status quo has been restored to the world of PC MMO Star Wars Galaxies, after players caused an uproar over Sony Online Entertainment's changes to the experience system. The developers altered party experience earlier this week so that experience earned while grouping would be divided between the players, rather than each player receiving the full amount. However, SWG player complaints were loud and widespread enough that Sony Online has now reset the experience mechanism to its former, more generous pre-Publish 22 state. - Blizzard has revealed the bonus goods available to attendees of the inaugural BlizzCon, a convention for fans of the company's games. In addition to a free BlizzCon souvenir show guide and BlizzCon t-shirt, showgoers will get a deck of playing cards featuring art from Blizzard's titles, an access code to enter the beta test for one of Blizzard's future games, and a special in-game Murloc pet for World of Warcraft players. Blizzard also promises that the attendee gift pack will also include some surprises not mentioned in the online listing. - Chance Thomas, the composer who most recently completed the game score for Peter Jackson’s King Kong (Ubisoft) has announced that his music/audio studio HUGEsound is readying the latest in its Half-Dome Conquest series. The strenuous physical event will be held on Friday September 23, 2005, with participants ascending to the top of Half-Dome peak, a nearly 9,000 foot sheer granite behemoth rising in the heart of Yosemite National Parki, and a special invitation/challenge is going out to Chance’s peers in the game development community. Past climbs have attracted hearty participants working for companies like Sony, Cyan Worlds and Vivendi-Universal, and more information is available via the HUGEsound news page. - Also updated today: product news, including Hybrid Graphics' launching of its Rasteroid OpenGL ES 3D graphics technology for BREW, as well as the latest Gamasutra job postings, including positions from Heavy Iron Studios, Obsidian Entertainment, Sega of America, Spark Unlimited, Turbo Squid, and the USC Game Innovation Lab.