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We just recieved this from Shawn Bower at StarWraith 3D Games.

BOISE, ID, December 1st, 2006 -- StarWraith 3D Games LLC, today announced the release of Evochron Alliance 2.0 for the PC. Version 2.0 is a major update to the original game featuring enhanced graphics, options, and gameplay.
Support for NaturalPoint® Inc.'s TrackIR™ head tracking system has been added. A PC with TrackIR connected knows exactly where the player is sitting and looking, by capturing their head motion with all 6 degrees of freedom. Evochron Alliance 2.0 uses TrackIR’s unique input to rotate and zoom the game’s view, independent of keyboard, mouse, or joystick inputs.

The ****pit and Heads-Up-Display are now rendered as part of the 3D scene rather than the old-fashioned flat 2D text and sprites found in most space-sims. The 3D ****pit also includes new view control options such as target padlock and directional panning. Environment graphics have also been greatly improved and each ship class has been enhanced for a more realistic appearance.

The game now features a much more manageable Newtonian physics system for its full freedom of movement control options and flight model. Inertial thrusters are much more powerful, providing better response and faster course adjustments. They can be managed by the computer, manually controlled, or turned off for zero gravity drifting. Variable control input is also available for all thrusters, not just main engine throttle.

The shield system is now independent from hull armor and each of the four shield arrays can be managed with energy augment controls. The shield system can also have more power dedicated to it by reducing power from the weapon system.

The game's scoring system has been improved to better balance credit for kills, completed contracts, upgrades, and cash. Player profiles from older versions of the game are fully compatible with version 2.0 and can be loaded without having to start over.

The 2.0 update also adds support for Windows Vista, simultaneous use of multiple control devices, and expanded force feedback compatibility.

Evochron Alliance 2.0 is FREE to players who purchased the original game through the website. To update the original version to 2.0, simply download and run the installer.


About Evochron Alliance 2.0

Evochron Alliance 2.0 puts you in the action with a first person perspective and real-time gameplay events. Buy and sell right from the ****pit and manipulate the dynamic economy to your advantage. Explore massive systems featuring highly-detailed environments including nebula clouds, asteroid fields, planets, radiation zones, gravity fields, and more. Locate hidden weapon depots and storage containers for free supplies and commodities. You can travel to uncharted space for other hidden benefits, but remain aware of possible threats such as a black hole or massive star. You manage all long range travel with the built-in open space navigation and jump drive system, with no jump gates or trade lanes to hold you back. The freedom of unrestricted travel also brings new dangers. You must learn how to navigate around planets and other obstacles in addition to conserving valuable fuel.

The freeform design lets you play the game in a variety of ways. You can accept contracts for combat or transport duties and receive a set amount of money, or complete objectives on your own terms and fly for yourself. The game features a unified single player and multiplayer gameplay structure, which lets you keep what you earn in either mode to use anywhere in the game.

Navigation, inventory, ship construction, and trade are all managed through consoles on the Heads-Up-Display. The shipyard console lets you design and build new ships optimized for the role you want to play in the game. 5 unique frame classes are available which you can modify with hundreds of different configurations for each one. Improve shielding and engine performance while adjusting secondary weapon hardpoints and fuel capacity, then build your design. The shipyard console gives you a new level of control over how well your ship performs in specific areas.

Other ships aren't merely objects to shoot at or fly by, they are an important part of the game's interactive universe. With the unique ship-to-ship trade system, you can negotiate trade deals and offer bribes to change your reputation, all in real-time gameplay. The game's complete player interaction system also puts you in control of planetary descents, station docking, asteroid mining, jump drive navigation, and much more.

Evochron Alliance 2.0 continues the SW3DG tradition of feedback based development. Players are encouraged to become involved in the discussion of enhancements to the game as their requests and suggestions will help guide future updates. Players are also invited to become part of the forum to share custom modifications, exchange tips, arrange multiplayer battles, and to stay informed of updates.

All of these features come in a game using advanced compression techniques to achieve an incredibly small hard drive footprint of less than 100 MB (including installer) along with fast loading and installation. Evochron Alliance 2.0 offers broad compatibility and runs on Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, and Vista. The recommended minimum system configuration for the game includes a 1.5 GHz processor, 64 MB 3D video card, and 512 MB of RAM. The game supports keyboard, mouse, joystick, and gamepad control options with remapping capability.

A free trial version of Evochron Alliance 2.0 is available at:

http://sw3.home.att.net/evochron_alliance.exe

The game's official website is available at:

http://starfighter.home.att.net/evoc...ance/index.htm

Screenshots of the new version are available at:

http://starfighter.home.att.net/evoc...creenshots.htm