If you can read this, you're on the new server. Everything seems to be functioning as it should so far. I have signatures disabled until I'm certain this server is going to be able to handle the load. I'll re-enable those tonight during lower activity so the server doesn't get hit with too many new requests all at once.

Over the weekend, and a little bit before as I get time, I'm planning on moving several components to a new server. I will have to take the site down while I move the database, which will take several hours at least, but besides that, it should be pretty uneventful.

In an interview with John Hargelid, NetGameRadio managed to find out that there will be a new patch coming out for BF2. There are supposed to be new maps. Official details should be revealed this coming Monday.

A recording of the interview can be found here

A racing game for free? Interested, then continue reading PDT_Armataz_02_11

The free downloadable TrackMania Nations racing game attracted an unbelievable number of players around the world who were obsessed with the game's fast cars, spectacular tracks single- and multiplayer play and simple yet powerful tools for creating tracks and race videos. For the past two years, it has been installed more than 30 million times and nearly four million players have created an account to play the game online on the game’s servers.

TrackMania Nations Forever will be available as a free download starting on April 16th. TrackMania Nations Forever will offer a new "Forever" version of the Stadium environment, a solid solo mode and 65 brand new, progressively difficult tracks. TrackMania Nations Forever will unite an even larger number of players thanks to its engaging multiplayer modes, innovative online functions and revolutionary interactivity between players.

For TrackMania Nations Forever, Nadeo studio chose to take advantage of the PC's capacities as a gaming, creative and communications platform in order to allow a greater number of players to share a unique gaming experience.

Florent Castelnerac, Director of Nadeo studio, explains: “The PC is the premier gaming platform when it comes to the number of casual and expert players. To satisfy this wide range of players, we designed the game for everyone instead of trying to focus on the average gamer. We have put a lot of effort in developing the competitive spirit and challenge between players in order to present a game adapted to big e-sports competitions while remaining captivating and accessible to players who have less gaming experience. Even if you play Nations Forever quietly alone, you can still be ranked in the world, your country, your city or even in your list of friends that you can create by inviting friends to join like in Facebook or MySpace. It is up to each player to set his/her goals - become one of the best players in the world or just impress friends. These ladders are adapted to everyone and they add ten times more interest to solo or multiplayer modes. Always searching for new ways to add interest and unite an even larger number of players, we explored the possibilities the PC offers as a universal communication platform: for example, a system that allows you to challenge your friends by mail or Messenger. Since the game is free, fun and works on most computers, there is a big chance that many people that you know will play it. Finally, as for creativity, the PC is the only game platform that allows players to easily create additional game content, and the game comes with powerful creative tools like the track editor. We increased creative possibilities even more with richer, more complete editors while making creation more accessible to a larger number of players with a simplified track editor. Tomorrow, we will see exceptional creations from the four corners of the world that players will be able to exchange for free and easily. It's a tremendous motivation for the entire development team.”

The coming of TrackMania Nations Forever will also allow the convergence of the large TrackMania community. For the first time, players of the free versions will be able to play online with players from the retail version of TrackMania United on servers dedicated to the Stadium environment that is common to both games. Players of the TrackMania United retail version will also gain a brilliant free extension named "United Forever". In addition to being compatible with Nations Forever, this extension will offer many bonuses - including tracks that have never been seen before, new design blocks for the seven game environments and a spectacular graphics update for the three historic environments (Desert, Snow and Rally).

TrackMania Nations Forever will be available for download starting on April 16th, for free and for all!

Official Website

TrackMania Nations Forever free full game, Size: 504 MB, Source: Worthplaying
TrackMania Nations Forever free full game, Size: 501 MB, Source: K-Files[/img]

Sometimes, an internet protest works and this seems to be the case with Battlefield Bad Company. EA seems to have dropped plans for paid weapon downloads.

Instead, the 5 weapons will be available initially to gamers that purchase the Gold Edition of the game. Less important regular version gamers will have to hit an in-game level of 25 to unlock the weapons.

Hit the jump for EA's great back-pedaling quote on the issue.

"The beta is a beta. We had some problems with explanation of the weapons that are available or you can see on the unlocking page. We had some weapons that we were planning to release through various marketing programs, but they were actually flagged there like you were supposed to buy these weapons through Xbox Live Marketplace, and that was a misunderstanding between marketing and us the developers. We clarified that in the last statement that went out, but lately there's been a lot going on about the Gold Edition weapons."

"These Gold Edition weapons, we won't give away, you have to do something as a gamer. The Gold Edition guys and girls that actually buy that game will have some time where the weapons are exclusive, because if you don't buy the Gold Edition, you have to earn them. That means you have to rank up all the way to the top rank, which is rank 25, and then you have a massive unlock of five new weapons which are the same that are in the Gold Edition."

Except, they do give them away... for a little extra money. This still doesn't strike us as much different than the original DLC plan.

It's a start, though.

Source: http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/684451/Bad_Company_Drops_Weapon_DLC.html#readmore