Tam Can-Die is as good as done - posted by Snikko @ 17:24

Just got the final skin from mac today so I desided to post it right away. Im still trying to get the left shoulder straps to look good where the textures connect. When I get it fixed Ill get Warlock to post the model in our fan art section. But for now check the render here (800x600) or here (640x480).

Weekly Screenshot - posted by Warlock @ 18:21

It's the day of the week again, and as usual we celebrate the weekend with a brand new Blade screenshot! Swords can be a pain in the neck sometimes, at least when it's in the hands of these baddies! Wonder how it would look like from a 1st person perspective...

Two New Screenshots - posted by Warlock @ 22:59

VGames.co.il have posted two new and exclusive screenshots of our favourite game to be! I had some problems viewing the site, so in case you have the same problems you can view these beauties by clicking here for shot 1 and shot 2. Leave a comment and tell us what you think ;-)

Thanks a bunch ADi!

Any Comments? - posted by Warlock @ 22:09

Just added a comment-feature to the news script. This enables you to add a quick comment to any news-updates with a little notepad-icon to the right of the news subject. Just click the little icon and you can post your message just like in a simple bulletin board.

The Alhambra - posted by Warlock @ 22:35

If you read my little journal, The Journey to Rebel Act Studios, you may remember me describing some of the beautiful level designs in Blade. If not, let me refresh your memory with a little quote:

"Countless pillars supported beautiful formed bows and curves that melted into the roof. Colorful tiles decorated the walls and the floor as far as the eye could see"

The architecture of this particular level, which I'm refering to here, is highly inspired by what can be seen in the ancient palace 'The Alhambra' in Granada, Spain. I recommend you check out some photos from this site that I came over while searching the web. It has a great resemblance to what Enric Álvarez showed me, while he was designing the level, architecture-wise.

Weekly Screenshot - posted by Warlock @ 20:12

Not much to report now in these easter days, but here is a new screenshot for you. As powerful as the Barbarian may think he is, facing a giant rolling boulder with a blade...well, let's just say it's not gonna look pretty! Enjoy the shot and your holliday!

Archived News - posted by Warlock @ 0:39

Just realized that the archived news section was getting rather lengthy, so all archived news are now archived by month. The main page is set to display 20 news updates at once and the rest can be found from the corresponding link in the archived news page.

F.A.Q. Updated - posted by Warlock @ 22:26

I've updated our unofficial Frequently Asked Questions to version 1.1. The changes made are basically more correct and up-to-date information in the existing answers. If you can think of any more questions that should be included, please let me know!

Friday's Screenshot! - posted by Warlock @ 18:53

Here we go again with a brand new screenshot for you to drool about! The weapons racks, as you can see in this picture, are for certain a thing the Barbarians find exciting. Instead of hovering above the ground, the weapons in Blade is either collected from your defeated enemies or placed in logical positions like we can see here.

Make sure you don't miss.... - posted by Warlock @ 17:25

Here's a small list of some of our key-features here at Blade Universe. You better make sure you don't miss...

- Our beloved (and first of the kind) Blade Hands-On Preview (Hot!)
- Our on-going behind-the-scenes article: The Developers at work
- Our splendid message board (visited daily by members of RAS)
- Our unique interactive story: The Legend of Tam Can-Die
- Our very impressive Fan-Art section

Translated Blade-Article - posted by Warlock @ 9:35

In the april-issue of the spanish magazine MicroMania there was an article on Blade and its current state. Spyd has translated the article into understandable english and put it up on his site for us to read. Here's a little snippet to get you started:

"We have designed the multiplayer levels so the combat is fast and vibrant and that allows to play the maxium number of people, on the local network or in Internet using a dedicated server. The final goal is to offer an intense and competitive multiplayer experience. We have pointed all our efforts in that direction"

Vote for Blade!! - posted by Warlock @ 14:59

Our host, GA-RPG, has a poll going on where they ask: "Which in your opinion is the best contender for best RPG of E3?". Blade is one of the options so go on and give it your vote (although Blade is probably a better contender for the best action game)!

Tam Can-Die is in Trouble - posted by Warlock @ 11:33

A new chapter has been added to our interactive story, The Legend of Tam Can-Die. A dramatic scene just played out in the middle of Eviltree, and Tam and his new friend Ithena Surebow have got themselves into majour trouble! What will happen next? Only you can decide... Check it out while we wait for Miguel's chapter illustration.

Friday's Screenshot - posted by Warlock @ 18:21

Here we go with a new screenshot of Blade. As allways, we present you with a screenshot directly taken from the in-game experience.

This week's screen is, in my opinion, a pretty moody one and it has a great sense of space and depth to it.

Lord of the Rings Trailer - posted by Warlock @ 11:51

In case you didn't know, the preview trailer of PJ's upcoming movie of Lord of the Rings has been launched over at the official LotR-site. The movie is based on JRR Tolkien's trilogy of the same name, and part 1, Fellowship of the Ring, is coming to the cinemas around christmas 2001. Ok, so this is not directly related to Blade, but I guess many of the eagerly awaiting fans of Blade would want to see this! It looks pretty promising!

The Developers at Work - posted by Warlock @ 23:42

Our on-going article, The Developers at Work, has been updated with a new big-ass cover from the development of Blade. This time we have spoken to Special Effects programmer Manuel. Since the article was getting rather lengthy I've now followed Snikko's suggestion and dedicated a seperate page to each and one of them - all linked to from the first page of the article (of course).

Got any suggestions? - posted by Warlock @ 20:11

I just posted a new thread in our forums, and my ego is just big enough to post about it here as well ;-)

Since the game-modes that will be available in Blade multiplayer is pretty much all secret for now, why not discuss what modes we'd like to see for ourself? The thread is named "Multiplayer game-mode suggestions?" - take a look, post your comments and/or add your own ideas!

New Screens at El Rincón de Blade - posted by Warlock @ 19:25

Our Spanish friend Volador, over at El Rincón de Blade, has posted two new screenshots of Blade as well as a new concept art of the Knight. You can view 'em by clicking on the following links: Barbarian drawing a big ass sword, Dwarf getting his feet cold and a Knight on a horse!

More on the Editor - posted by Warlock @ 13:02

Genesis (Manuel) just posted some more insight on the editor over at the RAS forums. The level-editor tools will take up about 5-7 Mb - without including some system and Python DLLs. Also, the files that will hold the levels' architecture-data will be around 1-2 Mb - not taking into account the size of the textures and/or objects that may be used in 'em.

You can learn a bit more about this editor from our 'The Developers at Work'-article and our recently published 'The Journey to Rebel Act'-article - you'll find both of 'em right here!

Level Editor - posted by Warlock @ 11:28

Latest word from Juan at the RAS forums: "The level editor will be released, but we don't know yet if it'll be with the game or we'll give out the editor through internet". He also mention (in another reply) that they will (of course) do their best to make it as userfriendly and stable as possible.

Interview with Juan - posted by Warlock @ 22:59

Just noticed that 3d Action Planet have smacked up an interview with Juan Diaz-Bustamante Berasategui today. There are three new screenshots with the interview as well.

Spotted on: Voodoo Extreme

More Fan Art - posted by Warlock @ 19:40

Got a new fan-art submission from Energy today. A 3d Max scene of a tomb - Dal Gurak's tomb to be more precise. You can check it out here.