Mac game publisher MacSoft has released an open beta version of a new patch for Rogue Spear, the 3D action/strategy game. The new patch can be downloaded from an Infogrames Web page. (MacSoft is a subsidiary of Infogrames.)
Licensed from Red Storm Entertainment, Rogue Spear is the sequel to Rainbow Six. Both games were the brainchild of techno-thriller author Tom Clancy. Rogue Spear puts you in control of a covert counter-terrorist organization whose job it is to keep the world safe from violent threats. As you’re given each mission, you pick the members of your team, each with different and unique skills, and then outfit them appropriately. You then plan your attack in detail, and finally, you execute it in a real-time, 3D environment. Combining action and strategy, Rogue Spear is a unique challenge.
The new patch fixes most of the known crashing and sound bugs, according to MacSoft product coordinator Nate Birkholz, and also allows cross-platform networking. There are still a few issues that users should be aware of, but this patch should go far to address many.
Birkholz implored users who plan to download the patch to thoroughly read the documentation before installing the 1.1b1 patch.
Remaining problems in the software include a bug that prevents the use of the “Random Map” function in multiplayer games. “Since we know about this one, we’d appreciate it if you didn’t report it over and over again,” said Birkholz.
“Mostly, we really need people to hammer on multiplayer games. Please play on GameRanger a lot if you really want to help,” added Birkholz.
Users who want to file bug reports on the new patch are encouraged to e-mail them to help MacSoft. Birkholz spelled out the importance of filing a bug report if you think you’ve found something wrong.
“If you don’t report a bug, we don’t know about it; if only one or two people report a bug, it will probably look like a localized issue and will not be fixed. If a bunch of people report a bug, it will be chased and, hopefully, fixed. That’s how this works,” said Birkholz.
The patch itself is set to expire on July 4, 2001 — after that date, users will need to revert to the shipping version of Rogue Spear, at least temporarily until a new patch is released.
“We will sift through all the reports you will be sending … and will subsequently release what we hope will be the final Rogue Spear patch,” said Birkholz.
Although the game has been well-received since its release, some Mac gamers have reported problems and crashes with the game — the title has been out since last winter, and this is the first time MacSoft has offered a fix for some of the problems. Birkholz tacitly acknowledged this fact in his recent e-mail.
“Thank you for helping test this patch. We know that a patch has been a long time coming, and while some of that delay has been out of our hands, some of it has been our fault,” said Birkholz. “Please accept our apologies for the delays as well as our thanks for participating in this Open Beta; we hope to have a final version of the patch ‘soon.'”