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FreePlay Issue 13
F R E E P L A Y !
Multiplayer Internet Gaming Newsletter
Issue # 13 - Jan 14, 1997
Home Page - http://www.leamark.com/freeplay
Archives - ftp://ftp.etext.org/Pub/Zines/FreePlay (also at WWW site)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The FreePlay Newsletter Team members are:
Editor - Mark Shnayer <freeplay@snet.net>
Assist.Editor - Scott Grattan <scotti@gj.net>
Copy Editor - Jim Cooper <cooperj@flash.net>
Reporter - Andy Hartwell <phatso@world2u.com>
Webmaster - Orog Ork <orogork@cs.tu-berlin>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Murphy's Law of Lag:
You will always freeze as soon as you need to avoid something.
Murphy's Second Law of Lag:
No matter how lagged you are, you can always be lagged more.
************************************************************************
SECTIONS
-----------
Editorial - About the FreePlay Newsletter
Rambling On - By Scott Grattan
Gaming News - All the multiplayer news you can use
Hot Links - Bookmark these now!
Resources - To make multiplayer gaming a heck of a lot easier
Updates - Take old bugs out, put new ones in
Previews - The Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Review
PBEM Games - Play By Email Games
Online Games - Multiplayer Internet Games you can play NOW
Humor - Something to make you laugh while you are gaming
Details - How to subscribe, back issues, legal junk
************************************************************************
EDITORIAL - About the FreePlay Multiplayer Internet Gaming Newsletter.
---------
It's a new year and we have a new FreePlay WWW site, a new majordomo, a new
Copy Editor, and we have added a LOT of new subscribers. And we received
two new WEB AWARDS for all the hard work our Webmaster - Orog Ork
<orogork@cs.tu-berlin> has done to the FreePlay WWW site.
One award is the 'Games-L Approved Site' which is from the home page for
the GAMES-L mailing list at http://www.enter.net/~apearson/. Here is what
they said about us:
"This web site is really a great source for internet gaming! Their
newsletters are full of technical, gaming, and insightful resources."
The other is the "Star Site Award" from the Multiplayer Online Games
Directory at http://www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/m041/fran0264/mpog/index.htm. And
I quote:
"This site provides an excellent free weekly newsletter that provides
the latest info on MPOG games. It is one of the major sources of games
for this directory, and it is highly recommended."
For you 'newbie' subscribers, here is what we are all about as posted at
http://www.meer.net/~johnl/e-zine-list/zines/freeplay.html
"FreePlay is a biweekly newsletter that reports on the latest/newest ways
to play multiplayer games on the internet for free (or as close to free as
possible, legally). Regardless of the type of game, if it can be played
over the net with a live human, we report on it. We cover all game types
from Play By Email to joystick twitchers like Quake. We also feature the
latest industry news from various sources that affect multiplayer gaming."
The FreePlay newsletter was started when I was looking for a gaming
newsletter to subscribe to with the emphasis on NEWS about multiplayer
gaming. I couldn't find one! I did subscribe to many that were mostly
advertisements by commercial gaming companies. The rest were newsletters by
webmasters that were mostly talking about their WWW gaming page. (I know I
am guilty of the above in this issue, but it won't become a regular thing,
I promise!)
In response to this result and with the old adage in mind "If you want
something done right, you have to do it yourself", I started up my own
newsletter.
What we deliver is an unbiased (well..most of the time) newsletter
notifying you of the latest multiplayer games that are available to play
over the internet. It's up to you to decide how great that game or WWW page
is.
The newsletter was founded June 1st of 1996 by Mark Shnayer
(freeplay@snet.net). After advertising the newsletter on various usenet
gaming message groups, our first issue went out July 1, 1996 to about 100
subscribers. We didn't have a WWW site and there was no intention at that
time to create a WWW site.
Since that time I have received many thanks and comments on the newsletter.
Many folks at various software gaming companies (Electronic Arts, Papyrus,
Origin, Kesmai, and about a dozen others) have subscribed to the newsletter
and occasionally send information about their games and updates.
The newsletter has grown tremendously and we have recruited some great
people to maintain the WWW site and help with the newsletter.
The FreePlay Newsletter Team is almost complete.
We *ARE* looking for a guest reporters and guest submissions, or
possibly adding to our newsletter team. If you are interested, send a WWW
site review or game review that fits the format of this newsletter.
I must see your scribblings before I can decide if you can 'make the cut'
and join up!
************************************************************************
Rambling On - By Scott Grattan
I just can't seem to work on writing this column a week before the
deadline. It just doesn't seem to come to me until hours before the
editor starts emailing me demanding I send him something. Maybe if I cut
down on my gaming... NAHHHH!!!!
Well, this long time off has not produced the windfall of games that we
had hoped, but it hasn't been an entire dis- appointment either. Mark
tells me he has 100 (that's a 1 followed by two zeros) gaming links for
us this issue, and I feel like a slacker since I really only have two
things to report on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Note from the Editor: Ugh... Out of those 100 links I found
using a PC based program, 50 didnt work, 25 were worthless
for the newsletter, another 10 were reported on in previous
issues and another 14 were nothing more than link lists and
I used a grand total of ONE for the newsletter!,
I deleted the program :(
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My game purchases in this time off have been (in order):
Privateer 2: The Darkening by Origin
Diablo by Blizzard
Magic: The Gathering - Battlemage by Acclaim
My biggest letdown was the M:TG purchase. Read my review to see the
full story about it, but I'll tell you this much...
don't waste your money.
Privateer 2: The Darkening is incredibly gorgeous!! It has absolutely
NO multiplayer capabilities (HEY! I'm allowed...), but it is very nice to
look at. There have been numerous complaints circulating about it's
buggy performance, but my only complaint has been the DOS only release.
But even that went relatively painless.
Diablo....ahhhh....What a work of art! Connecting to Battle.net couldn't
be easier (staying connected can be a little tricky at times, tiresome at
others). I have a review on that one too. Be sure to check it out!
Still waiting for some others that were hoping to make the Christmas
release date, but they didn't make it. There's a lot promised for this
month, so I hope they don't let us down!
I hope everyone's Christmas was great, and that you got the New Year off
to a good start! I'm thinking about talking to the editor about some
kind of contest to run regularly, with prizes donated by a sponsor that
would like to get their name circulated (any takers?).
Bug me about it and I'll see what I can do...
Good Gaming!
************************************************************************
GAMING NEWS - All the multiplayer news you can use.
-----------
ARIES Online Games ONE MILLION SERVED
-------------------------------------
One million is a magic mark in any business, whether hamburgers or online
usage. The ARIES Online Games unit from Kesmai has now announced their
games network has generated over one million paid hours of usage in one
month.These hours were driven by a core, customer base of some 100,000
paying customers, enjoying such titles as Air Warrior®, MultiPlayer
BattleTech®: Solaris, and Online Casino from Masque Publishing. Server
farms for ARIES are located in Virginia and London.
ARIES' MultiPlayer BattleTech(R): Solaris
Codie Award Finalist Only Online Game to Receive Recognition
---------------------------------------
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Kesmai Corporation's ARIES
Online Games unit announced that its popular online game MultiPlayer
BattleTech: Solaris has been nominated by the Software Publishers
Association for its 1996 Excellence in Software Awards. The awards will be
announced on March 3, 1997 at the Software Publishers Association Spring
Symposium in San Diego.
Diablo Released to Manufacturing
Blizzard Entertainment (Blizzard)
http://www.battle.net
---------------------
Fri Dec 27 14:06
WE HAVE RELEASED THE GOLD MASTER OF DIABLO TO MANUFACTURING AS OF FRIDAY,
DECEMBER 27.
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day will add a couple of days to our normal
manufacturing schedule, so expect to see Diablo on store shelves starting
around Monday, January 6.
With three character classes, random dungeons, randomized creatures,
randomized quests, thousands of items, single player, modem, network, and
Battle.net, you will have a lot of adventuring to do in the days ahead.
Diablo has truly been a labor of love. We hope you enjoy it and we'll
see you on Battle.net.
Free Online Multiplayer Edutainment Game Test
Legacy Software
-----------------------------------
We are developing new educational multiplayer software for the
internet, and we're looking for schools to help us beta test.
Very soon, we will have an online multiplayer spelling game (like a
spelling-bee) available for testing, with word lists for grades 4-8.
It has a great graphical interface with sound and animation, and will
take up to 4 players per game session. Multiple game sessions are
available simultaneously on the service. A multiplayer K-8 math game
will be following shortly thereafter.
To test with us, your students need to have a computer with Windows95
and an internet connection. We'll assist you with all the technical
support needed to get you running.
If this sounds interesting, please contact me for further information.
And please pass this information on to anyone in your school or
district that may find it interesting. ()
Thank you very much for your kind attention and interest.
Peter Stepman
Marketing Director
Legacy Software
Looking for a job?
MULTIPLAYER GAMES DEVELOPER
JOB# 29
Location: San Jose, California
-------------------------------
The producer of the companies Internet strategy game Deadlock and
producer/designer of multiplayer games including the arcade game T-MEK is
seeking experienced programmers for a team that will be making a
revolutionary multiplayer game. The producer and lead gameplay designer
seeks programmers with good play-design sense who would like to contribute
to the design of a game while working in a fun, production-oriented,
well-directed work environment. He believes in involving all team members
in the creative process, minimizing wasted effort, realistic and
accountable estimates, and avoiding the burnout all too common in our
craft. Please apply if you have experience in and innovative ideas about
one or more of the following:
***Commercial, completed game production
***Windows95/DirectX programming
***Latency-tolerant client-server networking
***Graphic engine development
***Working with and improving a predeveloped 3D engine
***Advanced game AI
***Smooth, modern interface implementation
***Flexible and powerful sprite display and manipulation
Please respond by sending a resume to:
Parris Barker
TAYLOR/CHRISTENSEN ASSOC. INC.
Technical Recruiting Specialists
Fax: 800-380-4387
Phone: 800-380-4385
E:mail: mailto:parristc@micron.net (in ASCII format)
The Online Multiplayer Gaming Olympics
http://www.mindspring.com/~cthubert/omgo/omgo.htm
-------------------------------------------------
The Online Multiplayer Gaming Olympics (or OMGO for short) will be a
huge Internet-based multiplayer gaming event played over KALI. Users from
around the world will compete in over 18 separate events in 15 different
games. Everything from DUKE NUKEM 3D to WARCRAFT 2. The Games will be run
from early June 1997 to mid July. The only fee for competing is that
which you would pay to register KALI and a minor $2 registry fee we must
ask for in order to offer bigger prizes to the winners of each event.
And to expand the number of players eligible, we will allow players to
compete in certain events with the shareware version of their respective
games.
************************************************************************
HOT LINKS - Bookmark these now!
---------
(Ahh... Short on links this issue. I will be making up for that in the
next issue.)
The Deathmatch Center
http://www.nconnect.net/~tookycat/
----------------------------------
Covering:
Doom, Doom, Heretic, Hexen, Duke Nukem 3d, Descent, Descent and Quake.
This page has all the latest and coolest stuff concerning DeathMatch,
including (Not all implemented YET):
***Stories about DeathMatches with screen shots
***Patches and upgrades for all current games
***ShareWare games and demos
***EXCELLENT-ONLY DeathMatch levels
***Editing Utilities that I personally use
***Descriptions of the games
***Ways to play Multiplayer DeathMatches, DeathTag
***DeathMatch Links (gotta have those :D)
************************************************************************
RESOURCES - To make multiplayer gaming a heck of a lot easier
---------
The Diablo FAQ
http://www.battle.net/faqs/diablo/index.htm
-------------------------------------------
Welcome to version 2.0 of the Unofficial Diablo FAQ! Within this page I
will attempt to provide the most complete, updated, and correct information
about the game Diablo as is possible.
This version marks the debut of the FAQ in full HTML format! In response to
the release of the demo and a request by Blizzard Entertainment, the author
of the Unofficial Diablo Home Page and I have completely redone the FAQ. At
first, only www.battle.net will contain version 2.0, but a text version
should follow in a week or so. Let us know what you think of the changes!
Dark Hour (commercial demo)
http://www.microforum.com/products/entrtain/darkhour/default.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------
All new from Microforum, this essential collection of levels, cheats, hints
and tactics is the most comprehensive ever assembled for the decade's
hottest game - Quake! With a huge collection of hints, a directory of web
servers where you can challenge other Quake warriors, plus programming
utilities that allow you to create your own gory levels, Dark Hour is
bringing you more Quake than ever before, and taking carnage to new levels!
DarkHour requires Windows95.
QuakeWorld
http://www.idsoftware.com
-------------------------
Since the QuakeWorld Client came out, I hardly play Quake the old way
anymore. The LPB's (low ping bastards) with T-1 connections don't have as
much advantage over people like me with 28.8 baud connections as they
used to. Lag is not totally eliminated as everyone hoped but it is a
big help.
Not only that, but now you are 'rated' against thousands of other Quake
players. In fact when you hit TAB to see who is playing or to get their
frag count, you will get their RATING and PING TIME.
Many other improvements including SKINS support which means instead of
seeing the standard Quake soldier, you may get fragged by a Ninja, or a
Terminator, or even Bozo the Clown. Hey, I think I saw some woman
(fashionably undressed) even. I got fragged while I was staring at the
screen trying to figure who it was. :) You NEVER stop in Quake! It's run,
run, run or die!
The QuakeWorld Client is incorporated into the latest version of Qspy,
and is my favorite program for finding Quake servers AND QuakeWorld
servers.
A Win95-only program that uses DirectX for sound and graphic support,
QuakeWorld is intended to improve multiplayer play over the internet.
QuakeWorld is not the latest version of Quake. (Version 1.06 currently is.)
It is a separate (unsupported) product. It does not connect to existing
servers; to play using the QuakeWorld client you must connect to a
QuakeWorld server. QuakeWorld servers are found by contacting a "Master
Server" which will show you available QuakeWorld servers.
Get it from Blues News because it is almost impossible to get on or
download from http://www.idsoftware.com
Download Quake Spy 4.01a (which incorporates QuakeWorld) with two zips
at (you need both)
http://www.bluesnews.com/files/qspy401a.zip and
http://www.bluesnews.com/files/qspy401.zip
Heck, go to http://www.bluesnews.com/q-files.html and download everything!
Blues News is the best Quake resource there is, bar none.
************************************************************************
PREVIEWS - The Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Review.
--------
Battleground 6: Napoleon In Russia (PBeM)
http://www.talonsoft.com/soon.html
----------------------------------
Coming in 1997 from TalonSoft!
The Battle of Borodino
(No hardware/os specifications at this time, but if it's like their other
games it will be Win 3.1 or Win 95, 486/33, 8meg memory, 5 meg disk space,
2x CdRom)
Napoleon In Russia returns the critically acclaimed Battleground Series to
the epic majesty of the era of Napoleon and his greatest invasion! After a
series of indecisive battles and steady retreating in front of the
advancing French, the Russian Czar Alexanders' army, poised on the
outskirts of Moscow itself, turned and faced Napoleon for one final
desperate battle.
Napoleon In Russia re-creates this mammoth battle in the style and splendor
as only TalonSoft can deliver. History comes alive as Marshal Katuzovs'
Russian infantry doggedly defends the road to Moscow from onslaught after
onslaught of Napoleons' massive Grand Armee! Cossacks abound admidst this
momentous struggle, dubbed the Battle of Borodino, and featured in the huge
Russian Film epic, Tolstoys War and Peace.
Special Features
***Extremely Easy to Play, Difficult to Master Variable Command Control -
Command some or all of your army, ideal for novices!
***Lavish Full Color historiclly accurate uniforms grace the screen.
***Extensive video footage from the Russian movie War and Peace
***Choose from a wide variety of scenarios, including many "What Ifs...?"
***Unprecedented Dynamic computer opponent
***Special Indexed On-line Help gives answers questions quickly.
***Modem-to-Modem, Null Modem, and Play-by-E-mail features allow you to
play head-to-head against your best friend.
***Bullet Proof Install Program, easy to get up and running quickly.
Blood
http://www.blood.com
--------------------
I reported this game in FreePlay Issues 3 and 12. I put it down because by
the screen shots available it looked like a DOOM clone. I am sick of DOOM
clones, I want QUAKE clones! But the more I look at the previews and
screenshots, the more I am curious how this game will turn out. It turns
out that we will all find out soon.
* * * B L O O D G O E S B E T A !! * * *
Blood went into external beta testing last week. The earliest Blood
shareware could come out is mid to late February. Depending on the feedback
and bug reports we receive from our beta testers, the release date could
still be pushed back to make room for level, AI or sound effect changes.
Blood will immerse you in a world of horror unlike any you've experienced
before. Brace yourself for a nightmarish battle against the bloodthirsty
minions of an ancient, forgotten god bent on wiping humanity from the face
of the earth. As a former member of the Cabal, you have a good idea of what
you're up against, and the odds aren't in your favor. But the hunger for
revenge can be a powerful ally--and you've got some old debts to settle.
System Requirements STILL unknown at this time, but if I guess right, they
will be Windows 95, Pentium 90, 16 meg ram and a SVGA card.
Krush, Kill 'n Destroy, by Beam Software (Win95 compatible,DOS)
http://www.beam.com.au (home page)
ftp://ftp.midnight.com.au/pub/demos/strategy/kknd_sml.exe
(5.8 meg download)
----------------------
(FreePlay: Looks like a C&C/Red Alert Clone)
Krush Kill 'n' Destroy: The name and nature of the game. In a
post-apocalyptic world, the Survivors wage battle with the bloodthirsty
Mutes for domination of the planet. The 21st Century looked as if it was
going to be a golden era.
Features:
***Rendered SVGA graphics.
***Up to six player network games.
***Mission briefings that clearly define the battle objectives.
***Mutes with their huge marauding beast versus Survivors and their pumped
up techno weaponry.
***The most intense battle sequences ever featured in this genre.
***More spectacular carnage and firefights than any other game of this
type.
***Simulated 3D terrain.
***Veteran units that increase in skill and toughness the more they are in
the front line. These units also have the ability to heal themselves.
***Techbunkers containing various 25th century units.
***Improved CPU AI includes such features as unit retreating and threat
weighted attacks.
***Sixteen directional pathfinding.
***Complex & rich back story that involves the player in the direct history
and future of the planet.
***Over fifty different Unit and Building types.
***Revolutionary, compact, in-game user interface provides the largest
possible game viewing area while allowing players to build multiple units
simultaneously and queue up unit build orders.
***Thirty single player missions and ten multiplayer missions.
System Requirements:
IBM PC Compatible, Pentium/586, 75Mhz +, PCI or Local Bus, 16 MB RAM, SVGA
with 1MB RAM, CD-ROM double speed, Soundcard, MS-DOS (Win95 compatible).
************************************************************************
PBEM GAMES - Play By Email Games
Battleground 5: Antietam (Win31, Win95)
http://www.talonsoft.com/BGN.html
---------------------------------
The Bloodiest single day in American History
September 17,1862-Sharpsburg,MD
Step up and take command of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and "whup them
Yankee aggressors" or grab the reigns of McClellan's Army of the Potomac
and squash the rebellion once and for all! A spectacularly rendered 3-D
graphics battlefield highlights this struggle, the bloodiest single day in
American history.
Antitam provides many historical and "What if" scenarios detailing the
momentous struggle along the banks of Antietam Creek. Lavish attention to
detail, gorgeous 3-D graphics and full-color reenactment videos blend into
an exciting extravaganza of rue multimedia entertainment!
Tangle with a crafty computer opponent or play Head-to-Head against your
favorite human via Modem-to Modem, Null Modem, Play-by-E-mail, or
two-player Hot Seat fog of war! Variable time for release of Union Corps
Multiple Scenarios include The Cornfield, The Sunken Road, and Burnside's
Bridge. Variable Command Control: Command some or all your army - ideal for
novices! Also includes the Battle of South Mountain!
Requirements:
Win 3.1 or Win 95, 486/33, 8meg memory, 5 meg disk space, 2x CdRom
************************************************************************
ONLINE GAMES - Multiplayer Internet Games you can play NOW
------------
A-10 Cuba, from Activision (Dos,Win31)
http://www.activision.com/a10cuba/ (home page)
ftp://206.40.194.2/activision/a10cuba/demo/a10demo.html (7.59 meg dl)
-------------------------------------------------------
***Over 15,000 square miles of ever-changing terrain.
***Eye-popping graphics utilizing some of the most advanced flight modeling
ever.
***Multiple attack strategies and increasing levels of difficulty against a
huge variety of enemy aircraft and vehicles.
***Declare war on your friends with head-to-head modem and LAN (local area
network) play. (FreePlay: it's KALI compatible).
***Defend Guantanamo Bay in this intense flight simulation experience
ripped from tomorrow's headlines.
***Features 16 demanding missions of air-to-air and air-to-ground combat
action.
Hmm... Scott, our Assistant Editor, mentioned Online Gaming Review.
I haven't been there in ages.
I checked there for the system requirements and found a review at
http://www.ogr.com/reviews/a-10_cuba.shtml from which I will quote:
"You just can't help but feel that A-10 is woefully unfinished. It lacks
all the spit and polish we've come to expect from a flight sim and
instead teases us with what I consider to be one of the best flight
engines I have ever seen. It's like sticking the engine of a Ferrari into
the shell of a Pinto."
SysReq: Windows 95, 486DX2/66MHz, 8M RAM, 1X CD-ROM, 40M hard drive space,
256-color SVGA (640 x 480 or 1024 x 768), 1M video card ,100% Sound
Blaster-compatible sound card
Alien Trilogy, from Acclaim (Dos or Win95)
http://www.acclaimnation.com/anation/twitch/interactive/alien-trilogy/AlienT
..html
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I downloaded the demo at...I forgot! Actually, it must be a mind block,
because after downloading it and playing it, this game almost did not make
it into the newsletter. Even Acclaim only has available the AVI movies of
this game at their WWW site. I can't find the demo there when I looked for
it again for the newsletter.
I must have found it on some dark, cluttered corner of the World Wide
Web.
In the past I have complained about the "YADC - Yet another DOOM clone"
games that software companies are distributing. This game has caused me to
revise this to "YACDC" - Yet Another Crappy DOOM Clone. I know I said I try
to be unbiased in the newsletter. But there is an excellent review of this
game that will back me up at http://www.bytethis.net/reviews/alienpsxf.htm.
While your there back up to http://www.bytethis.net/ and check out the rest
of this site to see what those Australians are up to.
Here is a short quote from his review.
"Alien Trilogy is basically a Doom style game. It's first-person
perspective, you can see your hand in front of you holding your weapon,
and you get to walk around exploring and shooting things. That may sound
like a bit of a tired format now. Indeed, it's been done to death, if
you'll excuse the pun. What's worse, Alien Trilogy uses a pretty
unsophisticated version of that game style."
He goes into a lot more detail than I will cover here. Please check out
his review.
And then whats worse...
Acclaim Entertainment's Alien Trilogy and Tunnel B1 Awarded Year's Top
Honors by PS Extreme Magazine
That is one gaming magazine I will NEVER buy or read!
And here is the "official" description from Acclaim.
Alien Trilogy features all the gut-churning fear of the complete Alien saga
in one black-death, white-knuckle nightmare. Welcome to the first-person,
3-D blitzkrieg of overwhelming horror that no one can resist! This is the
hottest game around! You're Ripley...and you're facing over 30 levels of
hell! They've lost contact with the colonists on LV426. The Company sent
you there to find out what happened. You hope that there is just some
communications problem...but deep down, you know... they're back! But you
haven't come unprepared. You're packing the state-of-the-art alien-killer
tool kit !
This is the most fear-inducing, adrenaline-pumping, alien-killing game
ever! With up to 4 Player network gameplay, blast damage, realistic
explosions and audio voice-over on PC, Alien Trilogy is the most realistic
3-D first person action game you've ever seen! You'll find out what you're
made of when you find yourself surrounded by 360 degrees of armor-piercing,
acid-spitting, flesh-tearing hell!
The DOS CD-ROM version is Windows 95 compatible and requires a
486DX2/66MHz processor, 8 MB of RAM, 2 MB of hard disk space, a 1MB SVGA
graphics card, SVGA monitor, double-speed CD-ROM drive. The game is
gamepad and 100 percent Soundblaster compatible and supports Advanced
Gravis GrIP, VFX1 Headgear and Spaceorb 360.
Diablo, by Blizzard Entertainment (Win95) (Review by Scott Grattan)
http://www.blizzard.com/diablo/diablo.htm
http://www.battle.net
---------------------
Well, the long wait is over, and Diablo has hit the shelves. And as rarely
happens in the gaming world, the wait was worth every minute. I want to get
that out in the beginning, because I don't want there to be any
misunderstandings about what I'm about to say.
When I first started playing Diablo, I had this nagging feeling of deja vù.
This all seemed very similiar to me, but I just couldn't place it.
Certainly there has never been a game with this intensity? Surely not, you
say? Well... Any old UNIX users out there? There's bound to be a couple,
since it's been THE operating system to beat since before windows was a
gleam in a certain person's eye... But I digress...
Remember a little game called Pits of Moria? Angband? LARN? Hack?
Rogue? And the list goes on... The list is so long, in fact, that it has
a whole genre label. They're called Roguelike. For those of you that have
no idea what I'm talking about, I'll try to enlighten you.
Actually... I'm too pressed for time for the history of Roguelike games,
so I'll just take something directly from The Roguelike Games Home Page:
http://www.win.tue.nl/games/roguelike/rogue/index.html. This is an excerpt
from the Roguelike games FAQ:
"A long time ago, on a computer system far, far, away, there was Rogue.
Players wandered a dungeon, hacking and slashing at monsters, gaining
treasures, becoming more powerful, and living their D&D nightmares.
Rogue was a good game; people still play it. It was even distributed
with many copies of Unix. But rogue is a relatively simple and limited
game compared to most of the descendants it has spawned...
Although the common features of rogue and its many descendants are
`obvious' to many people, they are difficult to describe in simple terms.
Generally, the games mentioned below are single-user, fantasy role-playing
computer games, generally set in a dungeon, run with a simple
character-graphic interface. In all of the games, the player controls a
single character, who roams around getting more powerful, in order to
fulfill a difficult quest. Sword-and-sorcery rule the day. Logistically,
they're all free games; executables, and generally sources, are available
by FTP."
Hmmmmmm...sounds great huh? For all us RPGers, it was great! Going to
the town, talking to all the shop owners there, getting stuff we need,
selling stuff we didn't. Killing monsters, gaining experience to raise
our characters' level, and finding awesome magical equipment. Oops... I
just described Diablo! (Which is a good thing, since that is what this
is supposed to be about!)
A few MAJOR differences though:
The Roguelike games were all ASCII (text), which meant no graphics (hard
to get pretty graphics on a UNIX workstation...). So your character was
a "@" usually, and all the creatures were represented by other alphanumeric
symbols, so you could see what was coming at you to eat you. Oh sure, the
games got more and more extensive, but none of them were graphical.
And there was no multiplayer capability. I understand that there are a
few variations that are MP capable, but none that could be accomplished
easily, and without a mainframe at your disposal...
Well, Roguelike players REJOICE!!! Diablo is here, and it's all we
wished for! I've found very little that I loved about the Roguelike
games that aren't to be found in Diablo. Magical weapons, spells, nasty
creatures, equipment to be bought and sold... and it's all in SVGA
graphics with sounds that will chill you to the bone! And the player
interaction to be found on Battle.net has yet to be matched by anyone yet.
I know I've been raving about SubSpace for months now, but it's been
getting a little monotonous there lately.
In Diablo, there are three types of characters to choose from: Warrior,
Sorceror, and Rogue (hmmm...). Each has it's obvious strengths and
weaknesses, as reflected in their attributes: Strength, Magic, Dex-
terity, Vitality, Mana, and Life. I guess if I had a complaint it would
be the relatively limited choices of characters, considering the types
available in the Roguelike games, but that would be getting a little
picky... sorta like the fact that you can't choose genders either...
Rogue is always female, and the others male. But I'm sure that these
will be added later (patches, Diablo II?).
Starting out, your character has very little equipment and gold, and
you're returning to your village to learn of it's demise. While solving
the storyline, you'll have several quests to sidetrack you, which also
serve to benefit you in their rewards.
In the MP version on Battle.net, after connecting to the fastest server
found, you're placed in a chat area, and need only JOIN or CREATE a
game to get some MP action. I've heard of some PK (player killer)
happenings, but haven't experienced any yet. For the most part, you can
tell what to expect from a game just by the name the Creator of the game
has dubbed it. While connected to Battle.net, you'll see colored bars by
names of people and games, indicating what kind of lag you're getting.
Green is good, red is bad. The less bars the better. A word of warning,
you should expect a lot of timeouts while joining games, and skips and
screen pauses while in a game as others try to join the game. This
detracts from the playability a bit, but is infrequent enough to make it
a necessary tolerance. I have every confidence in Blizzard's ability to
improve the Battle.net servers, as time will tell.
This game has BEST GAME OF THE YEAR written all over it, but there's a
whole year left. There's a lot of things still coming, including
another title by Blizzard using the same Battle.net service. I hope
they continue to pump the needed support into Diablo to make it a strong
runner all year!
I'll have more to report on Diablo in the next issue. Every day I learn
something new, so I'll keep an ongoing review going. If you see me
online (Geoffrey) say hi!
System Requirements:
Pentium 60 with 8 meg of ram, 16 meg for multiplayer, Windows 95, SVGA
card, Mouse, 2X CD-rom,DirectX (supplied),
Enemy Nations (Win31,Win95,Win NT)
http://www.windward.net (21 meg download)
-------------------------------------------
I originally reported on this game in Issue #6 in the preview section. I
have also been monitoring their trials and tribulations. Originally, they
were going to distribute their game thru Viacom New Media which was
dissolved in Decemeber. Then the parent company (Virgin Interactive)
dropped the ball. So, they are self-publishing their game. A tough call
without the major resources provided by a large media company but they are
determined. Hey, ID software was once the 'little guys' and look where they
are now!
The latest demo of Enemy Nations is now available. This is version 1.01.012
and has NO known bugs. Here's their description.
The Battle For The Last Planet
Meet interesting people on the Internet, then build big tanks and show the
bastards who's boss.
For David Thielen, whose small development house, Windward Studios, created
Enemy Nations, excitement about the title is overcoming his frustrations
with the game's bumpy take-off. Windward is currently planning to
self-publish the title, although Thielen says that there are ongoing
discussions with several other game publishers. An interactive demo of the
game is available at Windward's Web site.
The game is best described as "Red Alert meets Civilization and SimCity
2000," according to Thielen. But, he adds, Enemy Nations boasts a richer
economic model, a more sophisticated combat engine, and a greater level
of strategic options than either of those two games.
Enemy Nations is a resource-management and combat game that takes place
on an uninhabited planet being fought over by several nations. As the
leader of one of the nations, you build and maintain a city as you expand
your economic and military power to wrest control of the planet from
others.
Among the game's features are native network support for TCP/IP, IPX,
NETBIOS, TAPI, MODEM, and COMM protocols; a native Windows 95 environment
that also runs on Windows 3.1 and Windows NT; an adaptive real-time AI
opponent that plays at four levels of difficulty; a
research-and-development tree with over 50 items; an isometric view with
four zoom levels and rotation to four directions; randomly generated maps
for fresh gameplay; a sophisticated fog-of-war environment that, in
multiplayer mode, allows allies to share resources; and multiple Windows
resolutions tested up to 1,600-by-1,200 pixels.
Windows 3.1 486/66 with 8Meg of memory minimum. Pentium with 16Meg of
memory suggested.
Windows 95
486/66 with 8Meg of memory minimum. Pentium with 8Meg of memory suggested.
Windows NT
Basically NT requires a Pentium with 16Meg of memory to run nothing.
Therefore we suggest a P/90 with 32Meg of memory as a minimum.
Engage Games Online
http://www.engagegames.net
--------------------------
Last time I mentioned this company was in Issue #9 in the Gaming News
Section. It's about time I give the lowdown on whats up with the newest
competitor to TEN, MPLAYER, and Microsoft Gaming Zone. They are currently
testing Descent, Rolemaster Magestorm, Castles II (Siege and
Conquest),Warcraft II, SplatterBall, and something called Billboard Live
So here are some quotes from their WWW pages:
ENGAGE games online will feature an impressive array of high-end
multi-player games, broad-appeal entertainment content, chat areas,
bulletin boards, tournaments, shopping and other diverse activities.
Accessible through 2-D and 3-D graphically rich and animated interfaces,
all of the major gaming genres will be represented, and most games will be
worldwide exclusives.
We have four games available for testing and our interface is ready for a
test drive. Understand that your game is going to get hosed from time to
time, because we're not done yet. But let us know what you think. The only
way we can create a more comfortable place for you, is if you tell us what
you like and don't like. If something goes wrong tell us what and how.
Hunt The Wumpus (any WWW browser, see description)
http://www.bu.edu/cgi-bin/wcl
-----------------------------
Multi-player Hunt the Wumpus Hunt the Wumpus monster is another exciting BU
WWW first: an interactive Multi-player game. If you have a slow network
connection, there is a text only version.
News for Wumpus players
Several Web clients could not be used to play this game in the past. In
particular, there were problems with Lynx and NCSA's Mac Mosaic. If you
always "Died of natural causes" or couldn't shoot arrows (i.e. you did not
have support for fill-in forms), try these new versions. Watch out for
arrows from other players!
iM1A2 Abrams, from Interactive Magic (Win95)
http://www.imagicgames.com (Win95)
ftp://ftp.imagicgames.com/pub/demos/im1a2/im1a2dm2.exe(12.4 meg download)
--------------------------
We've got great news! We have an all new demo on our web site for iM1A2
Abrams, the upcoming tank simulation. We are in the final stages of
testing the game and plan to release it shortly.
Take a few minutes to download the demo and give us your feedback on the
Fort Hood iM1A2 Boot Camp message board, also on our web site. This is an
all-new playable demo of iM1A2 Abrams, based on a current Beta version of
the game. It incorporates many features and improvements not seen in the
earlier Alpha demo. It is a self-extracting, self-installing archive. Just
download the file and run it.
SysReq:The demo requires Windows 95, a Pentium, and 16MB RAM.
NOTE: This demo version REQUIRES DirectX Version 3 be on your system.
Magic: The Gathering - Battlemage, by Acclaim (review by Scott Grattan)
http://www.acclaimnation.com/anation/twitch/interactive/magic/MAGICinter.
html
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The URL is as long and tedious as the game, believe me...
But first, some history of my experience with this title:
About a week before Christmas, I was bugging a local store that deals in
software about this game. (Notice I didn't give the name, but I will if
you ask me).
They insisted they had no definite release date, but expected it soon.
A few days later, I called again, and was informed by the "software
manager" that Acclaim had cancelled the release. I have been eagerly
await- ing this things since I heard of it's existence! So I tried to
reach the site, and kept getting "DNS not found" errors. After days of
nothing, I finally managed to find an email address for the company, and
sent them a query, explaining what I had been informed. I was rewarded
with an assurance that the game had not been cancelled, just delayed:
"days, or a week, not months".
So, next time I was near the store in question,I went in to see what
they had. Where there used to be a suggestion board (a release date
sheet was my suggestion), a release date sheet was posted (imagine that).
I was talking to one of the clerks, and we checked the sheet for dates
on this game. The date it gave was two days prior, but the interesting
thing was a footnote from the main office for this outlet. I don't
remember the exact wording, but I do remember the caution stating that
two titles are being release using the Magic: The Gathering name, and
that due to the "instability" and "inferiority" of the Acclaim product,
they would not be carrying it. What the ....?
Time for some investigation...
I found the most information at OGR (Online Gaming Review).
Check it out at http://www.ogr.com
But even that has limited details. The short story: Acclaim sued
Microprose. The details of the suit are not known, but the ruling was
apparently favorable for Acclaim. If they could release their version of
M:TG before January 10, then Microprose would have to wait until at least
February 1st.
The results? Acclaim released Battlemage in time, but it's a very poor
piece of work. For starters, when I put the CD in my drive, it sounded
like it was wobbling in there, and made a lot of noise. I'm not
talking disk-seeking noise, I'm talking low-flying crop-duster noise.
After a few attempts, I convinced my CD-ROM drive to read this unstable
disc enough to actually install, albeit at a very slow pace. One bad CD
in a rushed production you say??? Nope.. took the CD back and replaced
it with another brand new one. Exact same results. However, I have NOT
tested this CD in any other drives. I will say that much. It could
very well be that it just doesn't like my drive.
Next was the actual gameplay. Yuk. Even if this game was not based on
an addiction I'm ashamed to admit I was afflicted with, I could not have
liked this game any less. There are two modes of play available,
Campaign and Duel.
Part of the appeal to M:TG (for me anyway) was some of the incredible
artwork. It's recognizable here, but hardly seemed important to the
designers of this release. In addition to be very sluggish on my system,
the interface was not easy to learn. This is in complete contrast to the
demo I've seen of Microprose's interface, which was very easy, especially
for veteran players of the card game.
And to top it all off, there is no internet-play, which Acclaim was
advertising they'd have, presumably to seem more appealing to those who
have learned that the Microprose release will not initially have
multi-player abilities.
I wish I could give you a more in-depth review of the actual gameplay,
but I just couldn't seem to live long enough to even "play". I read the
manual and readme.txt (a rarity for me), and still had difficulty under-
standing my mana pool. That with the fact I was worried about the damage
that CD was causing, led me to limit my playing time considerably. It's
a shame too, since I was initially defending this release by Acclaim to
others who were asking me about it. Guess I learned the hard way...
Now I guess I know where they got the name for the company... that's
all their advertising is... "A Claim", and not an actuality. Wait for
Microprose to release their version, and you'll be much happier.
System Req: (FreePlay: I checked the site, Couldn't find any at this
time. Go figure. The Acclaim WWW is still calling it "To Be Released Soon"
Santa Slayer (Win95,DirectX)
http://www.digitald.com/
------------------------
What a sick name for a game! I love it already! The WWW page graphics of
the game shows two Santas' blowing each other away with pistols and
shotguns! I could just imagine parents buying this game for their kids! But
you dont HAVE to buy it! It's freeware.
It's going to be a red Christmas - take back the pole if you dare! DOWNLOAD
this exciting freeware game. Exciting real-time 3D single and multiple
player gameplay.
SysReq: Pentium 120 and 16M ram recommended.
NOTE! : The game requires Windows 95 and DirectX. If you don't have
DirectX, you should get it at
http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/directx3/00000.htm
Scrabble (any Web browser)
http://yoda.udw.ac.za/~scrabble/
--------------------------------
A WWW version of Scrabble. The game we all know and love translated to the
world wide web. Playable with any browser. There is a lot of information on
playing both Public games where you play against anyone who wants, and
Private, where you invite a specific person to play. Very easy to setup and
figure out, but the Scrabble gods have gone the extra length by providing a
FAQ at http://yoda.udw.ac.za/~scrabble/faq.htm and a mailing list
scrabble-l@stgenesis.org
The scrabble-l@stgenesis.org email list exists solely for the aid and
enjoyment of its members. It was started to help answer questions from
newbies and to draw experienced players together in a common forum beyond
the playing field.
To subscribe to the list: Send email to scrabble-l-request@stgenesis.org
with the subject "subscribe" (no quotes) and a blank message body.
SysReq: any WWW browser, even a text only browser!
ShellShock, by Eidos Interactive (OS)
http://www.eidosinteractive.com/shellshock/shelldemo.html
http://www.eidosinteractive.com/shellshock/shells90.zip (2 meg dl)
-------------------------------------------------------
It's New York City in the future. You're the rookie member of "Da Wardenz",
a covert group of M-13 Predator tank commandos fighting for justice in a
world gone berserk.
Shellshock features battle in a first-person perspective, over a variety of
undulating, fractal-mapped 3D terrain's with 256 color graphics. The
realistic combat scenarios create a incredible virtual environment and with
a multiplayer network feature in the PC CD-ROM version for up to eight
players to link up and engage in an all out war.
This SHELLSHOCK demo for PCs includes a single player and an 8-player
option designed to work with any network using IPX or NetBIOS protocols.
SysReq: Couldn't find 'em and I'm on a deadline :(
Spades '97, Hearts '97, Euchre '97, Trivia '97 (Win95/NT)
http://www.iplay.net
--------------------
I reported on this company in Issues #1, and #9 when all they had was a
Spades Client. They have since added three more games (Hearts, Euchre, and
Trivia). Here are the descriptions for the games:
Spades '97 is an Internet-playable card game designed for Windows 95/NT
in which you can play with others on the Internet for free. The game has
a number of unique features and playing options to make this the most
enjoyable Spades game on the Internet. Now with a built-in challenge
ladder, you can compete with others online and be ranked immediately
following your match. You can find other Spades players on the Internet
using the gameroom feature which joins you up with others players to play
and chat with.
Hearts '97 is an Internet-playable card game in which you can easily
meet and play with other players online, for free! The game is designed
to allow for the fastest games possible, independent of central game
servers to regulate the flow of the game. Hearts '97 is designed where a
single player becomes the host and controls the flow of the game,
reducing the possibility of your games being ruined because of a central
server being overloaded. This game uses the same engine that Spades '97
runs on, and has extremely reliable features to ensure that your games
will not be ruined (loading and saving games, host ability to easily
remove unwanted visitors from their table).
Euchre '97 - Due to extremely popular demand from Spades '97 players,
The first Euchre '97 beta has now been released. This version contains
very basic code without any intelligent bots, or any play variations.
These things WILL be added in the final release. To be able to run this
upgrade, you need to already have an installed copy of either Spades '97
OR Hearts '97 up and working on your machine.
This distribution zip does not contain some of the essential files needed
to play over the Internet.
Yes, we can do things other than card games. Trivia '97 is a 24-hour
Interactive game in which you compete with other live players on the
Internet. Your scoring depends on how quick you answer the questions you
receive (these are multiple-choice questions). After each question, you
will see your current ranking along with all the other players playing
at that time. Various trivia formats will run throughout the day with
different themes, such as sports, music, sex, science-fiction and
history. (This game is in development).
Total Mania (W31,W95)
http://www.eidosinteractive.com/mayhem/tmndemo.zip (1 meg dl)
--------------------------------------------------
Man is a slave race on a planet run entirely by machines. Calling
themselves the Mania Soldiers, a small group of Cyborg freedom fighters
wage a libertarian war against the machines that hold society in a death
grip.
Battle alone or with your friends over a multi-player network using high
technology weapons and strategic combat tactics. Win3.1 or Win95.
***Native Windows 95 version supports modem, serial and network play for up
to 8 players.
***SVGA graphics
***Control of 6 Mania Soldiers at any one time
***Zoom Levels for ultimate control
***Eight weapons including laser rifles, grenade launchers and plastic
expolsives
***13 different enemies and mulitple skill levels
***20 action packed missions
***Interior and exterior environments include desert, volcanic & jungle.
************************************************************************
HUMOR - Something to make you laugh while you are gaming
-----
I was scanning thru usenet out of sheer boredom and found a great thread.
So much of the following is a regular part of my life, and if you are
married and a gamer too, it's a damn good bet, this will sound awfully
familiar to you. I will liberally cut/snip/paste the parts I liked and
leave the authors anonymous so I don't get them in trouble with their
wives. :)
And the spelling and typos are NOT mine!
Marriage is the cure for Gameaholism
------------------------------------
"fortunatly there is a cure for gameaholism, it's called getting married.
But if you happen to marry a person who is a gameaholic, unfortunatly it is
mostly a male disease, then you may never see the outside world again.
Listen very carefully when you are getting your wedding vows, "do you
promise to love, honor, never play computer games again, etc...", don't let
them slip that one in!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Actually, marriage makes it worse for some of us. Next thing you know,
you're sneaking in a quick run of Duke3d while your spouse is in the john.
Having to lie about buying new releases, "Honey, I traded with some guy on
the internet for it," never mind the fact that it just came out yesterday.
There's tying up the phone for hours at a time with Warcraft II (my wife
calls it Warcrap :^) and more recently, Diablo. Of course, nobody *ever*
plays games at work :^) Then comes the big one, trying to covertly upgrade
your machine (3d cards don't grow on trees ya know). <sniff>, it never
ends..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"After all, what's more important? The latest game or feeding the kids
steak? Try macaroni and cheese and buy Diablo. "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No. Marriage doesn't cure gaming. Gaming tends to cure Marriage"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My wife is getting me another way.
Wife: "Is this a game that is accelerated with your new 3D card?"
Me: "No"
Wife: "If your buying games that don't use your card, why did you buy the
3D card?"
Me: "Because none of the games out that support it I really want. I
already have the games that use the card that I want"
Wife: "Why aren't you playing them? You just got the card a month ago."
Me: "Aghh"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time to form PC Games Anonymous.
"Hello, my name is Mike. And <sob> <choke> I'm a gameaholic."
<Everybody> "Hi, Mike!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
************************************************************************
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