Linux Client for Prey Released!

Those of you who use Linux as your client now have a reason to run out and buy a copy of Prey, if you don't already have one. There is finally a client for the retail version of Prey available! It was released this past Sunday over at icculus.org.

While 3D Realms or 2K Games do not support it, there is a Linux client available. It does require that you buy the full game, either the 3 CD set, the DVD Collector's Edition, or a copy downloaded via Steam. Click here to get a listing of the places you can buy the the game.

The full single player game is supported and Ryan at Icculus says that network play is also supported cross-platform with the original PC version.

So if you're a fan of Linux, you have a new game to play - go check it out!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:22 AM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey Overture Cover Version

Today we were made aware of a rather cool fan created item for Prey. It's a cover of the Prey Theme, also known as the "Prey Overture". It's not a straight cover, it's a "metal" version of the theme, something which lends a different feel to the song. Here's a few words from the creators of the song, which they posted on our forums yesterday:

Greetings, players and creators of the Prey game! I'm here to tell you that our work over the metal version of Jeremy Soule's Prey Overture is finished and we are interested in your opinions. It was hard but pleasant work - to find the thoughts of this awesome and talented composer, turn them into metal and return them back. We tried and hope that we were successful. You're welcomed to listen the tune in high quality at our website and share your thoughts with us here or on our site. Good luck!

P.S. I want to say that this track is made without any plans of profit-making and only for Internet free distribution. Mr. Soule knows about it and we have his personal permission for this work. This is the pure fan project, that was made only to express our admiration of this beautiful music and remind you that great hours spent inside the world of Prey.

We rather enjoyed it, and thought you would like to check it out as well.

Don't forget, the original Prey soundtrack is still available for purchase over at DirectSong. Once you get to the Prey page, you can check out an audio sample of the Prey Overture to compare the work done by Epinikion on the cover version.

Finally, if you register (for free) at their site, you can download an mp3 of this track. If you do not register, you can just listen to the streaming version.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:59 AM | Discuss this story on our forums

Scott Miller on Radar Group, Prey 2, and more

Some pretty exciting news broke yesterday that will be of interest to 3D Realms fans. Formally announced yesterday are two new ventures that 3D Realms is involved in, those being the Radar Group, and Depth Interactive. What are these? Well, to answer that, we'll go straight to Scott Miller, the founder of Apogee / 3D Realms, and the Chief Creative Officer of the Radar Group:

Q: First, the obvious question: What is Radar Group?

Scott Miller: Radar Group is neither a publisher nor a development studio. We're something new. We believe that the best ideas in the game industry are original ideas, and so we will incubate, nurture, co-design and co-produce ideas that are tailor-made for the game industry, versus using existing licenses from other media. Think of us as the anti-Brash. lol!

Not only are we something new, we're something our industry desperately needs. Radar will team up with many of the industry's top independent studios to help them create original IP in which they own a substantial ownership stake. Why is this important? Because in today's industry it's nearly impossible, unless you're Epic or Valve, to create original games and not give away full IP ownership to the publisher. Radar believes that creators should share ownership, and all of the long-term benefits that come from that.

Another key part of the Radar plan is that all of our projects are built around a rich storyverse. Think about properties like Star Wars, Harry Potty and Lord of the Rings. All of these fictional creations have a vast and deep storyverse that can support numerous stories, with numerous compelling characters. Quite simply, a storyverse is the possibility space for stories, and all of our projects are being developed as a storyverse that can then support not only games, but linear media, too, like film, comics, TV, novels, webisodes, and so on.

Radar has every intention of leveraging our games in these other media, through our sister company based in Los Angeles, Depth Entertainment. The Max Payne film, currently filming in Toronto, is Depth's first production, by the way. Depth will specialize in respectful, high-quality game-to-film adaptations.

Q: Is there anything that you wanted to tell our readers about Radar Group or any of its titles that we hadn't hit on yet?

Miller: In part, Radar is an extension of 3D Realms' long history of working with external teams to co-create hit games, going back to 1990 when we teamed with Id Software on Commander Keen and then birthed the FPS category with Wolfenstein 3-D. It's not as well known that we were also involved with the inception of Descent, funding that game and giving design guidance for its first 16-months, before selling the publishing rights to Interplay. And then of course we played a huge role in Max Payne, working with Remedy, and also Prey, working with Human Head. If you include Duke Nukem into the mix, all of these franchises have sold over $1.1 billion at retail.

Scott also spoke in some detail about Prey 2, giving some previous unknown detail about that title.

IGN: Prey is obviously the most well-known franchise of the bunch. Since the original's release, we've also played a little game called Portal. Has said title's use of portals influenced how the technology is being used in Prey 2?

Miller: Absolutely! While Prey pioneered the portal concept, Valve's Portal took it to an all-new level. It really shows what you can do when you focus on a single core cool gameplay concept. So, while Portal impressed the heck out of us, it has also inspired us to return the favor to Valve and hopefully leap frog them as they did us. We believe we have new ideas for portals that will keep the portal race interesting.

In the original Prey, the lead character, Tommy, was too reluctant, and didn't realize his hero status until late in the game. So, in the new game we're making him a hardened, take-charge character who's learned fast from his previous experience, and ready to accept his status as a galactic savior. We're definitely beefing up the combat—expect more enemies onscreen simultaneously versus 3-4 in the original—as well as the spirit powers. And while the original was too much of a corridor shooter, Prey 2 will have much more variety and wide-open areas: think CoD4 to get a good idea of what we're shooting for in terms of open-world look and feel.

Scott also talks about the other previously announced title, Earth No More, in addition to a new title that had not been mentioned before, "Incarnate".

The quotes above are taken from a lengthy interview over at IGN where Scott talks more about Prey 2, the Radar Group, and other things you will definitely want to read. Head over to IGN and check out the full interview. For further details, make sure and check out Scott's blog at the Radar Group website here.

One final note about this announcement. It does now mean that Prey 2 & Earth No More, which had previously been announced as 3D Realms titles, are now no longer so. These are Radar Group titles. Before anyone asks, this won't affect Duke Nukem Forever. Duke Nukem Forever remains a 3D Realms title, and all this Radar stuff will not affect DNF in any way, as none of the internal DNF 3D Realms staff is working on any Radar titles, other than Scott Miller in an advisory fashion.

These titles look and sound quite exciting, you'll want to keep your eyes on the Radar Group website for all the latest!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:30 AM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey v1.4 Patch Released

Here's a quick note to let everyone know that we've released a new patch for Prey, v1.4. It's available now, and here's a summary of what's changed in this new update from the readme:

Prey v1.4 Readme

1. Compatibility files for the Japanese release of Prey.
2. The disc check is removed from the game.

There are no bug fixes or new content in this release. The release is backwards compatible with Prey v1.2 and v1.3 in multiplayer.

Also included with the patch is updated Windows based dedicated server files. Updated dedicated server files for Linux are available over at icculus.org.

Click here to get to our Prey downloads page, which contains links where you can download the patch. Please note that this patch is only for the standalone PC game - If your copy of Prey was through Steam, do not use this patch, Steam users will be handled through that system. There is no update for the Xbox 360 game necessary. Additionally, there is no patch available for the Macintosh version of Prey. There is however a Mac patch forthcoming, and it is expected to be released around the end of the month.

Please note that this is planned to be the final patch release for Prey.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:56 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey Mobile Preview

Things have been quiet lately news wise, but we're here to bring you something new to check out. If you enjoyed Prey, then you will want to check this out. It's a preview of "Prey Mobile", a new game coming soon from Machineworks Northwest and 3D Realms.

As the name implies, it's Prey for mobile phones. If you're a fan of mobile phone games, you're going to want to check this out, as it's one of the better mobile phone games to come down the pike. Check out these quotes from IGN from their preview:

"This is, on a pure technical level, the most visually spectacular mobile game I have ever seen since I first started covering wireless in 2002.

But it's not just the texture work that makes Prey such a stunner. The attention to detail on little things underscores the pride MachineWorks takes with developing their games.

...you simply will not believe how far mobile gaming has come."

The preview also has a ton of screenshots from the game, so you'll want to check it all out.

We will have our own information page available for the game soon.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 12:16 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey's a Top Download on Xbox 360

The Official Xbox Magazine's current issue (April 2007) has Prey listed as one of their top downloads! They apparently are into Prey multiplayer, as they have Prey listed as one of their top downloads, over such items as the "Gears of War Map Pack", and some South Park episodes available on Xbox Live. Here's what they had to say about this:

The developers for Prey released a host of new multiplayer content.. for free. How did we get this lucky? The goodies include five new character skins, and four new maps, with names like Gravity Labs, Space Oddity, Topillogical, and Tunnel Rat. Did we mention it's free?

If you have an Xbox 360, and haven't checked out Prey, you should do so. There is a free demo for the game available in the Xbox Live Marketplace, and the game has also had a price drop, so you can pick up a copy cheaper now. Check out the Prey ordering page for some links.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 10:56 AM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey is Best of 2006

According to two recent gaming magazines, Prey has come out on top in their "Best of 2006" categories.

First up is the "Official Xbox Magazine" award for "Shooter of the Year". They actually awarded a tie in this category; they had Prey tied with GRAW 2. They did have several nice things to say about Prey, however:

Prey, literally turned the shooter world upside-down. By reinventing the concepts of both 3D space and how death is handled in an aciton game, Human Head's summer spectacular was easily the freshest FPS we played all year. The gravity flipping game play also translated into an original multiplayer experience. Prey's online action- in which foes could be attacking you from the floor, ceiling, or walls - dominated the OXM office for some time.

Second up is PC Gamer Magazine who awarded Prey not only one, but two best of awards, spanning a full two pages in their magazine - a nice extra touch, most awards lists don't give that much space to a single title. The two awards Prey won were "Best Action Game", and "Best Multiplayer Game". Here's a bit of what PC Gamer had to say..

The best action and multiplayer experience we've had all year is with a title that you're probably not playing... but should be. Prey's topsy-turvy environments and creepy - yet fun - gameplay literally brought a new dimension to shooters in 2006, giving you the power to walk, run, and frag through portals nad on ceilings and walls. Imagine running across the surface of a globe, aiming at somebody sprinting upside down and above you on another globe, then shooting through a nearby energy portal to finish him off. Brilliant! Prey was the first game this year to draw the entire PC Gamer staff into repeated LAN matches, as our shrieks of surprise, joy, and pain reverberated down the hall.

Check out the February 2007 issue of Xbox Magazine, as well as the March issue of PC Gamer to check out the complete lists of both magazines.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 10:47 AM

Prey v1.3 PC Patch Released

Here's a quick note to let everyone know that we've released a new patch for Prey, v1.3. It's available now, and here's a summary of what's changed in this new update from the readme:

Prey v1.3 Readme

1. This update includes compatibility files for the Mac port of Prey (meaning PC users can play against Mac users and vice versa).
2. There are no bug fixes or new content in this release.
3. This release is backwards compatible with Prey 1.2 multiplayer.
4. There are new server files available. Windows versions come with the patch, Linux versions are available separately.
5. In order for a Mac user to play on a PC pure server, the server they are on must have the v1.3 server files.

In short, the only thing changed in this patch is that PC players can now play against Mac players, although the PC side has to be running v1.3 to do this. Additionally, the dedicated server files need to be at the v1.3 revision for Mac users to "see" a PC server.

Unlike the last patch, PC v1.2 users can play PC v1.3 servers. If your existing copy of Prey works, and playing against Macintosh users is not a concern to you, then you do not need the upgrade. If you run a dedicated server, or you wish to see the widest number of available servers, though you should upgrade.

Click here to get to our Prey downloads page, which contains links where you can download the patch. Please note that this patch is only for the standalone PC game - If your copy of Prey was through Steam, do not use this patch, Steam users will be handled through that system. There is no update needed for the Macintosh version or the Xbox 360 versions, as these are unaffected by the changes in the v1.3 PC patch.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 2:05 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Macintosh Prey Demo now available!

If you have a Mac, and can't wait for the retail version of Prey to hit soon, then you'll want to head over to the Apple Inc website. In their games section, there is a demo available for MacPrey.

Macworld SF 2007 Best Of Show winner. A groundbreaking first-person shooter that turns the genre upside-down with new gameplay features and next generation graphics. Breaking the traditional first-person shooter format, Prey introduces innovative gameplay elements including wall-walking, portals, spirit-walking and gravity flipping, which allows for insane eight player deathmatches.

Go check out the demo page now and download your copy of the demo for free!

Finally, here are the system requirements for MacPrey:

• Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later
• Mac OS X 10.4.8 recommended
• 1.8GHz PowerPC G5 or Intel processor (2GHz or higher recommended)
• 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)
• 64MB video RAM (ATI Radeon 9600/NVidia Geforce 6600 or higher); 128MB recommended
• DVD drive; Internet (TCP/IP) and LAN (TCP/IP) play supported (requires a broadband connection)

Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:00 AM | Discuss this story on our forums

Macintosh Prey

If you're a Macintosh user, then you know what it's like in terms of "attention" from publishers as a gaming platform. We're glad to say for our Macintosh fans that the Macintosh version of Prey will be hitting stores shortly. Featuring all the same fun that the PC & Xbox 360 platforms have already experienced, if you're a Macintosh owner, you're going to want to check this out.

MacPrey even won the "Best of Show" award at the recent 2007 Macworld Expo. Here's what they had to say about it:

The first-person shooter puts you in the shoes of a Cherokee garage mechanic fighting off an alien menace. Prey's innovative "deathwalking" gameplay and basis in Cherokee mythology add unique twists to an intricately detailed first-person shooter that looks and plays great on MacBook Pros, Intel iMacs, and Mac Pros alike.

We will have further details on MacPrey next week. In the meantime, if you wish to pre-order a copy, you can do so via some links at our Prey ordering page. You can also check out the press release announcing MacPrey's having gone gold here. Make sure and check back here next week for the latest!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:13 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey Amongst Best Games of 2006

Prey was a big hit this past summer when it was first released, and some folks have not forgotten about it when it came time to making their "Best of" Lists for 2006. First up is the news magazine Time, which has Prey listed as #6 in their best games of 2006. Here's what Time had to say about Prey:

It's rare that we get any genuinely innovative takes on the shoot-'em-up genre, but Prey has some really smart ideas about how to use the dangerously realistic Doom 3 engine - watch for fun with teleportation portals and some gnarly firefights in variable gravity. The alien ship blends the organic and the technological in really disturbing ways, and unlike in Doom 3 they don't go overboard with the shadows - you can actually see the full horror before you kill it.

Prey also won "Best First Person Shooter of 2006" from the gaming site Voodoo Extreme. Here's a bit from what VE3D wrote about Prey:

Yup, it took almost a decade, but 3D Realms finally released Prey with Human Head Studios' talented development skills. Anyone who has played the demo can immediately appreciate why Prey won. The weapons were enjoyable, and the portal technology and other tricks kept the levels fresh and fun.

If you've never tried Prey before, why not grab the free demo, and check it out yourself? You can get to the Prey downloads page here.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:38 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey now available on Steam

As you are probably aware, when Prey launched, it was with a digital distribution method called Triton. Back in October, the Triton service shut down, and there has been no digital distribution method available for Prey since then.

That changes today with the news that starting right now, Prey is available via Steam! As you probably know, Steam is Valve software's digital distribution method of games, both their own and others. 2K Games has recently signed on to publish games through Steam digitally, and Prey is the latest in that line. So if you are looking to buy a copy of Prey, you can do that at the Steam website. If you are an existing Prey customer (either through Triton or through a retail box copy), then there are options available for you, too. Here's some details about Prey on Steam:

1. If you have a registered copy of Prey (either downloaded from the former Triton service or a box copy) you can optionally use your CD-Key to validate the game on Steam, and download it there if you wish.
2. If you have a box copy of Prey, there is no need to connect to Steam for any reason, unless you choose to do so. That is completely optional.
3. If you don't have ANY registered copy of Prey, and never did, Steam is the option now for digital delivery (or you can still buy a retail box copy).
4. Prey on Steam is for the full version only. The Prey demo is not on Steam at this time. If you wish to check out the Prey demo, you need to go through standard download channels.

So go check out Steam for your digital copy of Prey starting today! In addition to the game, you can view a free Prey trailer through Steam as well.

If you are a former Triton customer and cannot access your key, please see this post on our forums (it is from a former Triton employee who can look up keys) - 3DR cannot assist in Triton key retrieval, we do not have access to the information.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 4:01 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey up for VGA awards

We've been told that Prey has been nominated for some awards at the 2006 Spike TV videogame awards. If you head to Spike's VGA site, you can vote on several categories. Prey's up for these categories:

• Best Shooter of the Year
• Cyber Vixen of the Year (for Jen)

They did not nominate the soundtrack for Prey unfortunately, but the Elder Scrolls IV soundtrack was nominated, and that was the same guy. So head over to the Spike's VGA site and vote for Prey. The awards will be announced December 13th when the show airs.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 10:46 AM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey SDK Released

Something else people have been asking about for awhile is also being released this week. That's the Prey SDK. If you don't know what an SDK is, it's code and materials to allow folks to create their own mods for Prey. Here's what Human Head had to say about the SDK release..

The Prey SDK includes all of the game code (for building your own Game DLL), as well as some code examples/tutorials which will explain a few of the basic things you should know before diving into the code-base. This SDK distribution also compiles without issue in the free version of MSVC++ 2005 (Express Edition). Check out the included ReadMe for more information on that, as well as other modding and development resources. We're all looking forward to seeing what kind of new modifications the community comes up with, so good luck! :)

This is available for free from the links in our Prey downloads page, so if you're interested in modding games, this will be of interest to you. If you'd like to check out the readme before downloading the whole SDK, you can do that here. Please note that the SDK was re-released on Sat Oct 14th, you can grab the newer revision at the same download page.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:21 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey Update for Triton Customers

As those of you who purchased Prey through Triton are by now aware, the service is no longer functioning. This is an unfortunate happening, but we do have some good news for all of those who bought Prey through the Triton service.

2K has set up a replacement program for customers who purchased Prey via the Triton download service. A new boxed copy of Prey will be shipped to each customer who purchased the game via Triton, DiStream or www.playtriton.com, as Triton is undergoing a reorganization process and copies downloaded from the service may not function properly. There is no action required on the part of the purchaser. Boxed copies will be mailed automatically to the credit card address on file. Thank you for your patience during this interim period; we look forward to getting affected customers back up and playing Prey as soon as possible.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:01 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey v1.2 PC Patch Released

Today we're bringing you the latest Prey patch for the PC. This is the "additional content" patch you've been hearing about. This new content came out earlier today for the Xbox 360, and now we're releasing it for the PC as well. Here's a short listing of what is new in this patch:

Five new multiplayer characters/skins: Becky, Elhuit, Hunter, Elite Hunter, & Jen
Four new multplayer maps: Gravity Labs, Space Oddity, Topillogical, Tunnel Rat

There's a few notes about the patch:

• This will work on either v1.0 or v1.1 of Prey.
• This is only for customers who bought the CD or DVD version. We will have an announcement very shortly on how Triton customers will be handled.
• There are no new game play modes in this patch.
• An updated version of the Windows server files are included with the patch.
• An updated version of the Linux server files are available seperately (see downloads page)

In addition to the new content, there are a couple of bug fixes in this version, too:

• Network protocol version bump (will no longer be able to see 1.1 or 1.0 servers)
• Installer will now update uninstaller. This fixes the missing installer problem.
• Game DLL interface bump for upcoming mod SDK release (so mods will only work with v1.2)
• Fix for a weapon switch exploit

You can download this patch right now by visiting the Prey download page here on the 3D Realms website. If you'd like to read more about the new levels and characters, then continue to read more of this story here:

PREY v1.2 README:

This add-on includes new maps and multiplayer models as well as a number of bug fixes from previous versions. Please note that this version is network incompatible with previous versions, so by installing this version you will not be able to join any 1.0 or 1.1 multiplayer servers.

This add-on includes four new multiplayer maps and six new multiplayer characters.

---

New DeathMatch Maps:

The original DM maps in Prey were best suited for 4-8 players. The maps in this add-on were designed for smaller number of players, especially for 1v1 or 2v2 play.

DM Gravity Lab: DMGravityLab takes place on board a floating extension of the Sphere's main Spindle. Players will find themselves running along wallwalk and hanging catwalks all throughout the map. Snipers get to have fun this time around with a large outdoor section complete with wallwalk platforms and portals. Designed for 6 players.

DM Topillogical: The first Prey DM map to feature Outward Gravity. Run 360 degrees around the inside of a giant Sphere to get the best firing position on your enemies. Intriguing side-rooms offer gravity-warping corridors and devious wall-walk ammo depots. Fast-paced action for 4 players.

DM Tunnel Rat: Danger lurks in all directions but down in this maze-running map designed for 6 players. Sharp twists and turns conceal danger at every corner, but eyes up! A mirrored version of the maze forms the ceiling above you.

DM Space Oddity: DM Space Oddity is designed for 4 players and features a large central crossover room with perpendicular gravity pathways. Rack up the kills by dominating the crossover with a rocket launcher!

---

New Multiplayer Models:

Several new character models are available in DM, three female characters and two alien characters:

Jen: Jen is Tommy's girlfriend, and the owner of the Roadhouse bar. Don't let her dainty looks fool you: all those years of serving drinks to random travelers have toughened her up and made her quite the ass-kicker.

Becky: This young blonde is an unfortunate victim of the Sphere. First aliens abduct her and now she finds herself fighting for her life in a deathmatch arena!

Elhuit: The leader of a race of humans who managed to hide and survive living on the Sphere for centuries.

Mother: Mother is a tough, enigmatic character. All you need do is prove your worth.

Alien Hunter: The Hunter is part of a race taken by the Sphere long ago. Now the Hunter serves as one of the chief minions of the Sphere, acting as an enforcer force for any humans who try to escape.

Elite Alien Hunter: Same badass Hunter, cooler-looking armor.

---

Bug Fixes:

This update also includes a number of bug fixes:

* Network protocol version bump (will no longer be able to see 1.1 or 1.0 servers)
* Installer will now update uninstaller. This fixes the missing installer problem.
* Game DLL interface bump for upcoming mod SDK release (so mods will only work with v1.2)
* Fix for a weapon switch exploit

Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:35 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey 360 Additional Content Now Available

If you're a fan of Prey for the Xbox 360, then this story is for you.

Available right now on the Xbox Live Marketplace is the "additional content" that has been promised. It's all free, and this is what you can download:

Becky-Multi-player character
Elhuit-Multi-player character
Elite-Multi-player character
Hunter-Multi-player character
Jen-Multi-player character
Gravity Labs-Multi-player map
Space Oddity-Multi-player map
Topillogical-Multi-player map
Tunnel Rat-Multi-player map

So fire up your Xbox 360 and head over to the marketplace to download these maps and multiplayer skins.

This content will be released on the PC side shortly. We'll have more info on that as soon as it's available.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 9:58 AM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey Additional Content to be Free

A little while back, we announced that additional content was being worked on for Prey. It is still being worked on, but we have a small (but important) update to bring you on this.

This new content will be free of charge. This goes for both the PC side and the Xbox 360 side.

Just to remind folks, we're working on some new multiplayer skins (play as Jen, Elhuit, etc), and some new multiplayer maps. Both are coming along nicely, but the exact number of both is as of yet not finalized, so I can't tell you exactly what will be in the content pack.

As usual, there's no date for this, the materials will be out "when they're done" (although sooner than later I'd imagine ). Given that we received the "official" word this afternoon, we didn't want to wait to bring you this update, which many people have been asking us about.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:10 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Canadian Prey LCE Coupon Info

This morning we have received an email from 2K Games about a minor problem with the versions of Prey distributed in Canada. They were missing the download voucher for the Prey Soundtrack in the box. We are here to bring you information on how to obtain said coupon if you were one of the affected customers. Here is the text from 2K Games on this issue:

2K has identified that certain units of the Prey PC and Xbox 360 Limited Collector's Edition distributed in Canada did not include the DirectSong free soundtrack download voucher in the package. 2K has established a redemption program to provide soundtrack download vouchers to Canadian customers who purchased the bilingual Limited Collector's Edition and did not receive the voucher.

Affected customers should mail the bilingual Prey Limited Collector's Edition sleeve (o-card) that fits over the metal case, along with their name and complete mailing address to:

Prey LCE Redemption Program
c/o Interlinc Direct
1-65 Superior Blvd
Mississauga ON L5T 2X9

The sleeve will be returned along with the voucher. In the event the sleeve has been discarded, customers can mail their original receipt with the Edition circled. Receipts will not be returned. This program is only valid for customers who purchased affected copies of the bilingual Canadian Prey Limited Collector's Edition.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 9:49 AM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey v1.1 PC Patch Released

Today 3D Realms & Human Head have announced the release of the v1.1 patch for the PC version of Prey. You can download the patch for free from our Prey downloads page here.

Here is a list of what's changed/fixed in the patch, from the changelog provided by Human Head:

• Multiplayer bandwidth optimization to allow better play on higher latency connections
• Fixed projectile effects not showing up on dedicated servers
• Fixed crash at startup due to time/date validation on some systems
• Fixed crash at startup due to querying old OpenAL drivers
• Fixed an occasional crash on the dedicated server
• Fixed a crash when using image_usecache cvar with very big textures. Textures whose lowest mip map doesn't fit will be default texture. This was causing a crash when a modified prey was loading "Mother's Embrace".
• Fixed a crash on some machines when reading savegames.
• Some timedemo features not appearing if you restart prey between record/playback
• Added widescreen resolutions to menus
• Updated multiplayer browser to fix servers not showing up due to DNS resolution
• Updated multiplayer browser not keeping join button up to date when server summary wasn't the active tab.
• Updated multiplayer browser so punkbuster icons show up in their column properly
• Updated multiplayer browser so mod games' icons show up properly updated multiplayer browser so server scanning is more consistent on slower connections
• Fixed multiplayer weapon exploit
• Bumped network protocol version. Unpatched games will not be able to play online with patched games. This means that if you are playing v1.0, you can not play against or on servers running v1.1 (and vice versa).

This is a tech/bug fix patch, there are no new game play elements in this update. Please note that the previously announced "new content" (maps, multiplayer skins) is not part of this update, and will be made available at a later date.

Customers who have purchased Prey through Triton should NOT use this patch. Triton customers will be updated through the Triton system. You will be notified that an update is available when you run the game, and will be asked at that time to update; Triton will handle the rest.

Please note that if you use this patch, the dedicated server files will also need to be updated if you are already using them. The Windows based version of the files are included with this patch. The updated Linux server files can be obtained here. The existing server files that were released in mid July are for v1.0 of the game, and will still work for that version, but the v1.1 patch requires updated server files.

Special Thanks to ZeTortue for bug testing.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:00 AM | Discuss this story on our forums

3D Realms is in the toilets

At least according to men's magazine Maxim, we are.

They recently ran a story entitled "The 12 Greatest Videogame Toilets of All Time", focusing on, of all things, the best toilet usage in videogames. It's quite silly, and of course, 3D Realms placed pretty well in the list. In fact, we had three entries in the article, a full 1/4 of the entire list! :) Anyway, here's what they had to say about games we were involved in:

Prey: Ranked #12

This toilet looks like Kirstie Alley and Bruce "Hollywood Squares" Vilanch were trying to spell out the words STAR JONES on it with their rectums after a midnight Arby's run. Forget trying to clean this place: Just scatter some jet fuel, light a match, and move to the next-closest state.

Max Payne: Ranked #9

Ask Elvis: There's no shame whatsoever in dying on a toilet. None. But dying while wearing silly underpants? Let's just say that this just-shotgunned guy has brought much shame on his house. Much shame.

Duke Nukem 3D: Ranked #1 Best Toilet!

Duke was the first game to dive headfirst into the murky, log-filled virtual septic tank. We were thrilled when we popped open stalls and found random aliens dropping a load of gravel. Maxim Tip: Pop the alien in the head, bust up his toilet bowl, and then take a big hearty drink of toilet water for a health boost.

Head on over to Maxim's site now and read up on all the greatest toilet action!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 12:57 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey Weekly... Er... Monthly Update #24

Hi all -- Welcome to the latest edition of the Prey Weekly update. Er, hasn't really been weekly for the past few weeks, though.

Things around here have been busy, but not nearly as busy as when we finished Prey. What have we been up to this past month?

Well, we've still been settling into our new offices; preparing the Prey patch and additional content; we had a fantastic Prey release party; many people have been taking vacations and sabbaticals (after you've been with Human Head for six years, you're granted an extra month off vacation. A lot of people are exercising that vacation now that Prey is done); and we're preparing for future projects (training, rethinking the design process, etc).

Prey Release Party

On July 20th, we threw a rockin' Prey release party in downtown Madison at the historic Orpheum Theater. More than two hundred of our closest friends and business associates attended, socialized, drank a lot and generally had a great time. There was an eight-player Xbox360 set-up for people to play deathmatch that was constantly busy throughout the night. Music was provided by Kid Beyond who was amazing! The things that guy can do with his voice were simply insane.

Overall, it was a damn fun night. Huge thanks for the group here who set the whole thing up, and a huge thanks to everyone who attended and helped us celebrate this monumental occasion.

Big thanks to Scott and George for attending as well. Although George's camera should be banned from all future parties where there's booze involved! :) We'll try and get some pictures online if we can pry them from George's hands. :)

Prey v1.1 Patch

We're currently working on a 1.1 patch for Prey to fix several bugs and a couple of additions. Here is the (not final) list of changes:

• Fixed a crash at startup on some machines
• Fixed an occasional crash on the dedicated server
• Fixed a crash when using image_usecache cvar with very big textures. Textures whose lowest mip map doesn't fit will be default texture.
• This was causing a crash when a modified prey was loading "Mother's Embrace".
• Fixed a crash on some machines when reading savegames.
• Some timedemo features not appearing if you restart between record/playback
• Added widescreen resolutions to menus
• Updated multiplayer browser to fix servers not showing up due to DNS resolution
• Updated multiplayer browser not keeping join button up to date when server summary wasn't the active tab.
• Updated multiplayer browser so punkbuster icons show up in their column properly
• Updated multiplayer browser so mod games' icons show up properly
• Updated multiplayer browser so server scanning is more consistent on slower connections
• Fixed multiplayer weapon exploit

Venom is working on a 360 patch for Prey which will address the network lag issues on the 360 as well as fix several bugs there as well.

No ETA yet on the release of either of these patches, other than we hope to have them resolved and out very, very soon.

New Content for Prey

There's also new content for Prey coming soon -- still in the process of finalizing the new maps. We've read online that some people have requested maps that function well as 1v1 maps. So, we've taken that to heart and have been working on four maps that work better with a smaller number of people 2-4 players. Of course, you can still play with more than four in the maps, but they can get pretty insane.

Also, we're adding in six new player characters:

- Four female characters: Jen, Elhuit, Mother, and Becky (the blond victim you see occasionally on slabs in the single player Prey)
- Two Hunter characters: Hunter and Elite Hunter

Similar to the 1.1 patch, no ETA on the release on this, other than soon. We're still working on finishing the maps and play balancing them. We'll announce the release date for this, once we're closer to final. Watch 3DR's page, or Prey.com for that info.

Yes, this additional content will be released on the 360 as well. Further details about possible points cost of the extra content for the 360 has yet to be determined.

Well, that's all for now. We'll definitely keep everyone posted on the status of the patch and of the new content.

Until next time, stay out of trouble.

Chris Rhinehart - Prey Project Lead
Human Head Studios

Additionally, if you are a gaming news website, and wish to be updated directly with notification of these updates, please email us with a link to your website and a request to be added, and we'll email you with the next update.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 12:47 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

A Retelling of Prey

There's a really cool Sims style of game out called "The Movies", in which you can direct your characters and make a movie out of the actions in the game. The game allows you to export the videos/films you make in the game, and share them with others. That is what we're bringing you here.

Prey fan Urafaerie has posted this video on our forums. It's entitled "A Retelling of Prey Part 1" done in "The Movies". It's quite funny, although if you haven't played the game, you might not understand some of the jokes in it. But if you have, it's most definitely worth checking out!

You can watch via the embedded video below, or head to Youtube's page for the video.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 4:40 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey's Music Composer Nominated for MTV VMA

Here's your chance to make video game history! GameTrailers.com and MTV are proud to announce two new MTV Video Music Awards to be presented on MTV's Overdrive during the world famous VMAs - "Best Video Game Soundtrack" and "Best Video Game Score." GameTrailers has selected five nominees for each category, and you decide who wins by casting your vote now! So what are you waiting for? This is your chance to participate in the first ever video game related VMAs!

Why are we telling you this? Well, it's because Prey composers Jeremy & Julian Soule have been nominated in the first ever videogame category for the MTV video music awards show. Now they're not nominated for Prey, but they are nominated for the music they did for another AAA title; that being The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

If you are a fan of either Prey or Oblivion, head on over to this link and vote for Jeremy & Julian Soule. The winner of this award is directly chosen by you - that's right, it's a popularity contest, so head on over to gametrailers now and vote! Voting ends on August 28th, and the show airs on August 31st.

Additionally, if you're a fan of Prey and haven't checked out their soundtrack, you can get your own copy right now over at DirectSong's Prey site.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 1:33 AM | Discuss this story on our forums

Official Prey Wiki Launched

Available now is an information wiki from Human Head, Venom, & 3D Realms. It's available here. This is a non editable wiki (which means it's only editable by us).

It's purpose for existing is to disseminate information about the game to the public from the developers. Not a general Wiki like Wikipedia where everyone can edit pages.

The first batch of information from Human Head is available now. This consists of some tutorials on how to use Preditor to do various things. There is also some general information about the gamee, plus a copy of Lon Matero's excellent "History of Prey".

Future updates will include information about patches, more tutorials, and other relevant information from the developers. Check it out today!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:54 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey Burning up the Sales Charts!

That's right, Prey is the #1 game on the Xbox 360 in the UK as per this chart info over at chart-track.co.uk.

Prey is beating out such current heavy hitters on the console such as Chromehounds, Moto GP 06, Table Tennis, & Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion!

If you haven't checked out Prey on your Xbox 360, the demo is available for free right now in the Marketplace, or you can check out the purchase info here on our site!

Prey is #1 on the UK PC sales charts too - besting the Sims 2 (as well as one of its expansion packs), and World of Warcraft, and other titles like Half Life 2: Episode 1. Check out the full UK PC sales chart here.

Prey is also up at the top of the US PC sales charts, too. Gaming site Voodoo Extreme is reporting that for the week ending July 20th, Prey was #2 in the overall sales chartes, behind only perennial powerhouse World of Warcraft. Check out the complete list over at Voodoo Extreme!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 12:17 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey Strategy Guide now available!

Having a problem getting by a certain level in Prey? Want to find out all you can about the secret areas in Prey? Then we have something for you. It's the Official Prey Strategy guide book. Available now, this guide is a comprehensive guide to Tommy's world of Prey.

BradyGames' Prey Official Strategy Guide includes the following:

• A comprehensive walkthrough that guides you through every twist and turn of this epic adventure
• Multiprey coverage: crush the opposition in multiplayer with weapon locations, item locations, and strategy for every map
• A full bestiary with tips and tactics to help you obliterate the gruesome foes that threaten your existence
• A complete list of Xbox 360 game achievements to help you go for the best Game Card score

This guide is enhanced with bonus online content! Look inside for the BradyGames Connected icon and follow the URL to access these exclusive features:

• Boss fight, strategy, and puzzle videos in three formats for PC, iPod, and PlayStation Portable (PSP)
• Downloadable wallpapers featuring Prey artwork for your PC desktop, in four sizes

This guide covers both the PC & Xbox 360 versions, so whichever platform is your choosing, this guide has something for you! You can order your own copy right now by clicking on the cover art shown here.

You can also check out other books about our games on our books page.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:56 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey Music LIVE!

This story came to us very late, but it's still something cool, and we wanted to pass it on. Tonight in Philadelphia some of the game music from Prey will be played LIVE in concert! This story is brought to us by our friends over at Joystiq.com. Check out what they had to say:

Philly is racking up the video game concerts this summer. First, the Video Games Live concert at the Merriam Theater in June*, and now rival production PLAY! at the Mann Center tonight, 8:30.

Just to make the evening super special, the promoters added some music from the (better than you'd think) Prey soundtrack to the already impressive program. Other titles on the RPG-heavy lineup include Final Fantasy, Chrono Cross and Trigger, Morrowind, Kingdom Hearts, Shenmue, and more. Tickets are still available so if this is the first you've heard about it, get buying.

This is very cool news to hear. If anyone reading this attended the show, please write in, we'd love to hear from you. Thanks again to Joystiq.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:51 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey Windows Dedicated Server Binaries Available

A couple of days ago, we released the Prey dedicated server binaries for Linux. At that time, we said that the Windows ones were still being worked on. We're here now to tell you that they've been completed, and are being released now.

Available on our Prey downloads page, the Windows server files are ready for downlod for free right now. There is a readme available online which you can check out before downloading. That file is available here.

The file is about 1.5Mb in size, and is a zip archive. You will need some files from your original Prey registered CD (or DVD). Details as to what you will need are in the readme file.

Officially, these files are unsupported. They have been tested, and do work, but if you run into problems getting them to run, our official support channels cannot help you. Having said all that, we're aware that folks have been clamoring for the files, so go download today!

Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:20 PM | Discuss this story on our forums

Prey Party Wallpaper Image

On Friday when we posted the news that Prey was out in Europe we included a "Prey Party Image". Since then we've gotten several requests to release that in wallpaper sized versions. So that's what we're here to do now. Available now are signficantly larger versions of that image - click on the resolution you wish via the choices below.

We also had a few queries about the origins of the image. It was created Human Head as part of an invitation to a private industry function to celebrate the Prey launch.

Enjoy - and thanks to James Sumwalt of Human Head with providing the larger versions.

Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:55 PM | Discuss this story on our forums