Calamity Fuse is shaping up rather nicely right now. We've finally filled out some needed positions within our team and puzzles pieces have started falling into place. We're very excited about the project in general and hope to reveal more soon. Keep checking back here for more!

This week we are ready to unveil some concept art by Adam Winsor featuring our Numeni and Machindo warriors. We plan to release many more such pieces of art in the coming weeks. Click to enter our media section, where you will find high res versions for your wallpapering pleasure.

On the right is our Numeni warrior. The Numeni Order are and organized religion centered around the Numeni arts and unwavering loyalty to the Archon. The Numeni teach that dependence on machines will lead to a weakening of the human race. Their elite sect of warrior monks has protected the Archon since ancient times, although their hostile nature was a major contribution to the start of the war.

On the left is our Machindo warrior. The Machindo are a world-wide scientific network originally established to help coordinate technological development between specialists. When hostilities against the Numeni began, the Machindo were the best-equipped to organize and fight what they considered to be the Numeni's outdated and dangerous ideology.

Each of the weapons shown in this art are usable in-game. While the image shows the Machindo with the firearms and the Numeni with the sword and magic, in the game each team has no such weapon restrictions, allowing each player to mix and match the three weapon classes to their heart's content. Firearms, swords, and magic all mix together seamlessly and can be used simultaneously in battle.

I think it was last time that we put the spotlight on our mapper, Sean. Now it is only fitting that this month we turn the spotlight to the texture artist who is dressing this map as a tailor dresses a lady. Perhaps that is a bad example, but Mike has done an excellent job so far. From the first time I talked with Mike I knew he had a passion for games and music, and since joining us he's become an invaluable member of the team. Apart from the textures he's created for Sean, he's also done a beautiful full redesign of the game's user interface and heads-up display.

In last night's meeting the team decided to set a tentative release date that we are all comfortable with. We wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to justify the game and come up with something we are all proud of. We feel that the more time we have to work the better, so we have come up with something that gives us plenty of elbow room. I now announce with great pleasure that we will be releasing Calamity Fuse about a week after Duke Nukem: Forever.

Just kidding. Anyways, read on for some more pictures of the weekly meetings.

This week's feature is a news article from the Calamity Fuse universe.

The case filed against the West Matria Trade Organization over the alleged patent infringement of Seniar Systems ship navigational systems was brought to court this week. This marks the first occasion of a major patent dispute in the Matria court system since laws creating patents were passed three years ago by the administration of President Lowan. The proceedings are considered by many to be a critical test of the new system. A spokesperson from Kerrick Corporation, the parent company of Seniar Systems, stated earlier in the week that they are confident that they will win the case, claiming that West Matria Trade Organization "does not seem to care about protecting the inventor, only about furthering their own trade cartel."

The Numeni order has been taking advantage of this dispute to criticize the system and the current President of the Matria Nation, who was instrumental in designing and installing the system. Numeni officials have been outspoken in condemning the system, accusing the system of having the purpose of allowing large corporations to consolidate power. President Lowan, whose approval ratings are now at an all time high, has staunchly defended the system, reiterating its goal of empowering inventors and encouraging economic progress. In a public address last week, Lowan described the system as "essential for the people's continued prosperity in this quickly-changing world." Numeni protesters have appeared commonly outside the Matria Courthouse in an attempt to disrupt the proceedings, leading to numerous arrests.

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Twice a week the Calamity Fuse team has meetings for the purpose of getting together and getting some work done on this beast. This week we thought we would put a small photo album together to show you guys what goes on here. Click on each thumbnail to see a larger version.

Adam working intently on his player model sketches. The little black book on the left is Adam's sketchpad, he and that pad are inseparable.

PAPERZZZZZZ. This is pretty much my life, coding and work in general. Also an interesting fact: I've had same that pen since about 1982.

This week we we are releasing our second Calamity Fuse short story. Authored again by yours truly, this story provides a perspective of the war between the Machindo and the Numeni from the other side. Previously we followed the story from the Numeni side, this side we are looking from the Machindo side. You can read it on our stories page.

This week is another first for us: we are introducing our first Calamity Fuse short story. Authored by yours truly, this story illustrates a short fight in a city square, focusing on the experiences and emotions of the people involved. You can read it on our stories page.

This week we are kicking off the first installment of a new monthly feature, the Developer Spotlight, where we showcase the skills and works of one of our developers. This month the spotlight goes on Sean "heyo" Cutino. Sean came on board a couple months back to do mapping for Calamity Fuse. Sean comes from the Counter-Strike: Source community, where his beautiful work on de_stratocorp caught our attention.

As the Archon has foreseen: Technological revolution is changing the face of the world in Calamity Fuse. People are beginning to tear away from the ancient Numeni ways in pursuit of a fairer, easier life. The Machindo Network grows into a major corporate entity using scientific advances to profit from this driving change. The Numeni Order grows increasingly aggressive under economic pressures as the world learns to move on without them.