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FreePlay Issue 06
F R E E P L A Y !
Multiplayer Internet Gaming Newsletter
Special News Edition & Announcement
Issue # 6 - Sept 23, 1996
"Meet interesting people on the Internet,
then build big tanks and show the bastards who's boss"
Home Page - http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/4874
Sections
========
Announcement - Majordomo installed
Editorial - "Everybody wants to get in on the act!"
Interview - Interview with Bill Hodder on Mplayer
Gaming News - MAKING MONEY ON THE NET
- QuakeWorld!
- The Future of Internet Gaming
- 3DO Announcement
Previews - The Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Review
Utilities - To make multiplayer gaming a heck of lot easier
PBEM Games - Play By Email Games
Online Games - None this issue
Details - How to subscribe, back issues, legal junk
===================================================================
Announcement
============
If you have been a regular reader of FreePlay, you have
read about my problems with getting this newsletter out.
I was spending as much time verifying subscriber address due
to bounces, adding news subscription requests, and resending
issues to users who wrote me that they never received the latest
issue, as I was researching and writing the newsletter itself!
Hopefully, all my newsletter distribution problems are solved.
Thanks to Stephan Waseleski, this edition, and all future editions
will be mailed from Majordomo@marit.cypronet.com.
Subscribe/Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of the newsletter.
Editorial
=========
Changes to the newsletter:
I have separated online gaming and e-mail gaming sections.
No online gaming links this issue. The next regular issue is due out
on Oct 5, 1996, and I am putting WWW links together for it right
now. But, I decided to send out this issue early since I came
across so many interesting news items.
It is getting impossible to keep up with the multiplayer world of
the internet! I think it was Jimmy Durante who once said....
"Everybody wants in on the act!"
This holds true for gaming on the internet. Huge companies such as
Microsoft, and little 'mom and pop' startups are looking at the
internet gaming world with visions of dollar signs in their eyes.
Gaming companies are buying each other out, merging, and forming new
ventures. Even non-internet gaming companies such as SEGA are
forming internet divisions. The major video game platforms (Nintendo,
Sega) are shortly coming out with additional peripheral devices to
hook their game consoles to the net.
We all know these companies are not coming to the internet with
their games to be a good sport! They want to make money off your
internet gaming.
It is my opinion that there is money to be made IF and that is a
big qualified "IF",they charge flat rates of no more than $10 a
month for their game services. Any per hour charges will be met
with quite a bit of resistance.
===================================================================
Interview on Arcadium with Bill Hodder
http://www.arcadium.com
-----------------------
Mplayer Thursday, September 19 at 3:00pm Hosted by Bill Hodder
I was there and here is some questions I asked.
The full transcript is available at http://www.arcadium.com
Mplayer is a commercial gaming network for PCs that allows members to play
such games as Command & Conquer, MechWarrior 2, Terminal Velocity, and
warcraft against multiple opponents over the internet.
Q: what other games are you considering
adding besides Quake?
A: In the short term we will have Deadlock,
C&C Covert Ops, Big Red Racing, and Quake.
Longer term, we will have lots of other great
games.
Q: when will Quake be available on mplayer?
A: Quake should be available real soon
we are just working out the final tweaks.
Q: will there eventually be a flat
one-time price for mplayer? the costs could really
mount up if we have to pay monthly rates to a provider
and to mpath.
A: Final pricing has not been determined, but
there will probably be some type of flat rate
price.
Q: is there or will there be any
rankings of players in the various games? iD just
announced new server software that does player
rankings
A: Yes...we will have rankings and results for
all of the games on Mplayer, auto updated
after the game is completed.
Gaming News
===========
Business Week - 09/23/96
Special Report: MAKING MONEY ON THE NET
By Kathy Rebello in San Mateo, with Larry Armstrong in Los Angeles.
Entertainment companies, including MPath and Total Entertainment Network
(TEN), plan to start charging users of online games $2 or so for each
hour of play--and will offer volume discounts for heavy users. 3DO, a
maker of video games, will begin charging $9.95 a month in October for
access to its Medieval game world, Meridian 59. Genie Interactive and
Imagination Network, which was recently bought by America Online Inc.,
also will launch subscription-based entertainment sites this fall.
id Software Makes the Sport of Multiplayer Gaming a Reality with the
Launch of QUAKEWORLD
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 1996--id Software is once again
shaking up the online gaming industry today by offering "a gift to Web
gamers" in the form of QUAKEWORLD(TM), id's new Internet action gaming
environment, optimized for brutal deathmatching.
QUAKEWORLD will offer gamers real-time competition over the Internet,
complete with accurate team ranking and statistics and superior multiplayer
gameplay based on their new blockbuster PC title, QUAKE(TM).
"QUAKEWORLD legitimizes Internet bragging rights," said Carmack.
"Therefore, if anyone claims to be one of the top 10 best QUAKEWORLD
players, they have the record to back it up. We can also use this data
to post stats like greatest frags per minute, longest uninterrupted
QUAKE game, cruelest to newbies, etc. This structure will be essential
to the continuing growth and evolution of the online gaming community."
3DO - Meridian 59
http://www.3do.com:80/company/press_releases/netscape.html
==========================================================
(full text available at above url)
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Sept. 16, 1996 -
The 3DO Company today unveiled a pricing scheme for Meridian 59, which
includes a retail product with an estimated street price of $39.95 and
an ongoing monthly subscription fee of $9.95 for unlimited play.
The retail product comes with Netscape Navigator 2.0 Personal Edition
client software, 30 days of free game time, and a special edition map
of the Meridian world. The game, which surpassed 25,000 player
accounts in more than 65 countries during its beta trial, is the
first product to ship under 3DO's newly developed Internet operation.
The company is currently creating several entertainment products for the
Internet space that are expected to become available in 1997.
(not mentioned in this article is the fact they have TEN other games
in the works!)
Jupiter Communications - The Future of Online Gaming Report
----------------------
The online and Internet games market will grow rapidly over the next
few years, becoming a revenue source to be reckoned with in the overall
online/Internet industry, according to the Online and Internet Games
Report, published by Jupiter Communications. The online and Internet
games market represents merely 2.5 percent of overall online/Internet
industry revenues for 1996, but is expected to increase to over 11 percent
of total industry revenues by the year 2000.
Revenues in the online and Internet games market will be derived from
a variety of sources, including pay-per-hour charges, advertising on
games-related Web sites, subscriptions, and pay-per-play revenues. The
online and Internet games market differs from the market for standalone,
or boxed, games market in a very important way: users do not need to
purchase a game outright to play it; rather, consumers are overwhelmingly
willing to pay as they go to play a game online, similar to the way the
market for coin-operated games has developed.
Overall, Jupiter estimates that revenues from pay-per-play charges and
advertising, which each accounted for one percent or less of the market
revenues in 1995, will account for 37 percent and 25 percent,
respectively, of total online and Internet games market revenues by the
year 2000.
Consumers will be accessing games content online via a variety of methods:
via the Web, on games services such as Mpath and Total Entertainment
Network; via the consumer online services, such as AOL; through direct
dial-up networks, such as DWANGO; and, finally, via standalone games
consoles that have been upgraded for greater interactivity. One example of
this is NetLink for the Sega Saturn platform, wherein gamers can access
the Web from their living rooms.
Jupiter believes that from this multitude of options there will emerge
a market in the millions -- nearly 10 million by the year 2000, in fact
of households in the U.S.
The online and Internet games market has attracted attention from many
of the giants of interactive entertainment, including Sony and America
Online as well as a large amount of investment capital to fund small
start-ups that specifically address the games niche.
It used to be that online gamers were an overwhelmingly young and male
constituency. As the genres of online games shift beyond text-based
role-playing games (RPGs) and "twitch" action games, online games are
appealing to a broader demographic.
Online and Internet Games Report details the technological side of the
online and Internet games market -- including the dual problems with
bandwidth, the speed at which data travels via telephone lines or cable,
and network latency, or wait-time. Jupiter analyzes the possible
breakthroughs in cable modems, ADSL, and other technologies, and suggests
ways to limit network latency. The report sells for $895. To order, or to
obtain a full brochure including a table of contents, call 800-488-4345 or
visit Jupiter's Web site at http://www.jup.com.
Jupiter Communications, LLC, is a privately held research and consulting
firm that was established in 1986. From its offices in downtown New York
City, Jupiter's 45 employees create and market products that provide
research and strategic insight for companies focused on the consumer
market for interactive products, services and technologies.
=================================================================
Previews
========
Armored Fist 2
http://www.novalogic.com/af2.htm
--------------------------------
Coming November '96
Features: Multiplayer! 4-8 players playing cooperative missions with
special head-to-head missions. Well balanced simulation product that
is fun to play. Campaign/mission based, Missions linked to each other
more closely via a narrative or storyline. Interaction segments such
as mission briefings and actual footage of armored vehicles
Improved enemy AI, New targets, Fast, simple, fun and amazingly realistic
Enemies: Russian T-80 battle tanks, BMP troop transport, enemy Hind
helicopters
Requirements: Windows (tm) '95 compatible, Fast 486/DX4 minimum,
Pentium recommended. PCI or VLB SVGA card, 16Mb RAM min, 2X CD-ROM,
SoundBlaster 8 required for voice over net,
Sound Blaster 16 recommended
Road Rash - Windows 95
http://www.ea.com/eastudios/roadrash/html/winhome.html
------------------------------------------------------
FAST BIKES, DIRTY FIGHTIN'...Multiplayer Coming Fall '96 to your
Windows® 95 PC. Not to take anything away from the fun of motorcycle
racing, but it's hard to think of anything more appealing than
beating the tar out of someone at 100 MPH, then watching as they
bounce, skip, and skid along the pavement. Except, of course, doing
it to seven people! Road Rash for Windows 95 features 8-player
network frenzies, in addition to all the standard game modes and
features.
Features: 8-player network and Head-to-Head modem:
Make sure your friends taste as much pavement as you do.
Warning: download DEMO IS NOT multiplayer capable
Requirements: IBM PC and Compatible, Pentium 75 or better
16 MB of Ram,Double speed cd-rom or better,DirectX 2,
Direct Draw compatible video card with 1mb ram
Direct Sound compatible sound card
Duke Nukem 3D: Plutonium Pak
http://www.3drealms.com/plutonium.html
--------------------------------------
We will be completing work on a Duke Nukem 3D level add on called
the "Plutonium PAK" in the next couple of weeks.
This will be a retail only product. There will be
no shareware release, as it's only one mission anyway.
Expect a late October release or so.
This is a one mission add on pack. It will contain:
11 new levels (with TONS of new art for the specific level
themes). Look for cool places to visit and DukeMatch in
like "Duke Burger" and "Area-51". New Weapon. You can add a new ammo
type and hardware upgrade to the good old Shrink Ray and turn it
into the "Microwave Gun". When activated, this weapon
will superheat a player or bad guy until they expand and
pop like an over-cooked egg in a microwave. Don't be
too close to them when they go, or you'll take some damage too.
Death Rally - Coming Soon from Apogee
http://www.apogee.com
---------------------
DEATH RALLY: The Racing Game with an Attitude. Visually awesome and with
great playability, Death rally takes the top-down view racing game genre
to a level never experienced before.
Features: 19 different tracks, 6 different cars, Each car is equipped with
different weapons, Upgradeable Engines, Tires and Armor, Up to 4 player
multiplayer, Over 20 megs of action packed animation
Requirements: IBM 486/66, 8 megs memory,A Local Bus Video display card
Recommended: Pentium Computer, Sound Card,16Mb of Memory,
A fast PCI display card. When will it be released? When it's done.
Enemy Nations
http://www.windward.net/enemy.htm
---------------------------------
Meet interesting people on the Internet, then build big tanks and
show the bastards who's boss.
Enemy Nations features:
Battle against the computers AI or match wits against dozens of players
on the Internet.
- Control the action through multiple real-time windows.
- Maneuver across photo-realistic elevated terrain in stunning Hi-Res
3-D.
Enemy Nations is a resource management and combat game in the same genre
as Serf City, Dune II, Warcraft, & Command & Conquer. However, it is a
much more rich (and complex) model.
Galaxis
http://www.windward.net/galaxis.htm
------------------------------------
You've transformed an un-evolved species an an un-charted planet into
the pride of your solar system. You've branched into neighboring systems
and expanded your workforce and resources through all means necessary.
The usual handful of opponents are no threat to your accomplishments or
your ambitions. But, if you think you're only a few smart moves from
ruling the universe, think again. You're one of the millions of master
strategists on the World Wide Web vying for absolute control of the
ultimate intergalactic empire. And now, the real strategic thinking
begins.
Requirements: IBM, Windows 95, NT or 3.11, 486/66, 8 meg of ram,
PCI or VL- bus SVGA video card, MPC level 2 16-bit sound cards,
2x speed CD-rom drive (300 KB/sec)
===================================================================
Utilities
=========
KoolBear's Kool Ware --Kool Cave
http://www.koolbear.com/KBKW/koolcave.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I've spent a lot of time on Kali playing Descent 1 and 2 and I have come
to the conclusion that the /offer command while on KALI Chat sucks!
Have you ever tried to get in a Multiplayer game of Descent only to have
the message... Mission not Installed appear? Well then you know how
trouble it is to get a file that you don't have.
If you don't have KoolBear's Mission Grabber you need to..
1. Open a browser or ftp program
2. Visit your Favorite Descent Level site - Hopefully KoolBear's
3. Locate/find the archive manually
4. Download File
5. Unzip file (many steps here too)
6. If you don't want to save the zip file you will have to delete it
after you unzip it.
7. Now you are Done!
Well, I just announced a program, I call it KoolBear's Mission Grabber!
It's freeware. If you use win95 or Windows 3.1 with win32s and play
Multi-Player Descent 2 then you NEED this.
After you have installed and setup KoolBear's Mission Grabber it will
allow you to download and/or unzip Descent 2 add-on level zip files
semi-automatically from my FTP site!
If you have KoolBear's Mission Grabber
1. Klick on desktop icon
2. Enter file(s) to get
3. Klick the GET key
4. and PRESTO you are DONE!
Here's the url
http://www.koolbear.com/Descent/levels/KoolBearMissionGrabberv10.zip
It's freeware. If you use win95 or Windows 3.1 with win32s and play
Multi-Player Descent 2 then you NEED this is the application you need
to GET!
======================================================================
Play By Email Games
===================
Irony Game's on-Web PBeM List
http://www.pbem.com/pbem-list.html
-----------------------------------
If you are at all curious about Play By Email Games,
then this site is the WWW page to bookmark.
IF I were to give one of those fancy 'best of web' awards,
this would be the first site I'd drop it on.
He covers any and all PBeM games and features many in-house WEB utils.
Some of these ONLINE utils are:
- a DICE Server that PBEM players can use to mail dice results
to their opponents and keep everyone honest,
- Map makers for dungeons, or complete worlds, or complete star map
universes!
- battle calculators
- Generic Adventure Maker for role players
It just goes on and on. Well configured WWW page means quickly finding
any specific game.
Novastar's Steel Panthers Page (Play By Email)
http://www.vfr.net/~novastar/steel.htm
--------------------------------------
Excellent strategy game from SSI and Gary Grigsby: little tanks fight
in beautiful scenarios. Very best thing: one tank (or other
unit) REALLY means one tank and so on! And you can move your units
many times (if there are enough movement points, of course) in one
turn. So you can also fire when you want, move n hexes and fire
again... I really like that kind of playing! (btw:game is still
turn-based, but this doesn't matter!)
Requirements: 486 DX/33 MHz (486 DX/66 MHz), 8 Mb memory (12 Mb),
MS-DOS 5.0 or later, Hard drive required with 12Mb free,
Double speed CD-ROM drive or faster, SVGA video graphic card with
512Kb, Microsoft mouse and 100% compatibles,
Sound card (Sound Blaster, Pro, 16, AWE32, Gravis UltraSound,
Ensoniq Soundscape).
Steel Panthers mailing list subscribe to:panthers-request@echo.vnet.net
Steel Panthers Mailing List
http://www.i1.net/~brnsmth/SP.html
----------------------------------
Steel Panthers, a game by SSI, is supported by the Steel Panthers
mailing list. This mailing list is a discussion of game play,
tactics, tips, and bits of trivia about Steel Panthers and combat.
This list will also support Steel Panthers II and expansion disk
discussions. Please do not use this list for PBEM (play by email)
challenges. Those can be conducted through the leadeater's
home page.
Leadeater's is a wargaming club on the internet. You can set up
challenges to other wargamers through their system, and
participate in the ladder competitions for that club.
The leadeaters homepage is at http://www.bunt.com/~wargamer/leadeaters
The Wargamer - Play By Email War and Strategy Games
http://www.bunt.com/~wargamer/
http://www.wargamer.com (after October 1st pending Internic approval)
------------------------------
The Wargamer supports computer (PC and Macintosh) versions of War
and Strategy Games that support Play By Email only
Wargamer features a play by email registry that you can search and
add yourself to.
Games supported are Steel Panthers, Panzer General, World at War,
Age of Rifles, and more.
Eric Pass' Home Page - Squad Leader Mailing List Resources
http://www.nyx.net/~epass/home.html
-----------------------------------
The purpose of the SL Mailing List is to circulate information about
Avalon Hill's Squad Leader game. This information includes, but is
not limited to, rules interpretations, house rules, SL items for sale,
play hints, tactics discussion, new scenarios and anything else
pertaining to the game.
Send Email to the List Coordinator (currently Eric Pass (epass@nyx.net)
Use "SL Mailing List" as the subject of the message and in the body of
the message, ask to subscribe to the list.
Wargame Construction Set III:Age of Rifles version 1.01 update
http://www.ssionline.com/
-------------------------
All issues surrounding PBEM games have been corrected.
The game no longer looks for a sound init file, enabling a true
"no sound" option. When playing campaigns, sides will no longer
switch through the course of a campaign and many more updates
Wargame Construction Set III:Age of Rifles allows you to
build armies and participate in the endless battles fought between
1846-1905. Two entire campaigns are devoted to the American Civil
War, while 4 deal with the expansion of the British Colonial Empire,
Prussian Unification, the Russo-Japanese War, and the
Mexican-American War. Campaigns and individual battles can be
played as either side, to historical or hypothetical conclusions.
SSI: War Wind Demo
http://www.ssionline.com/
-------------------------
An ancient, alien world teeters on the brink of anarchy, the winds of
change threatening to blow civilization asunder. For centuries, four
diverse races have tolerated a precarious social and racial balance.
But the time has come for change. A new order is in the wind
-- AND IT WILL BE BORN OF FIRE!
War Wind(TM) allows you to view this epic racial struggle through the
eyes of the four unique races involved. This REAL TIME strategy
masterwork will feature 30 ready-to-play scenarios.
Bio-mechanically enhanced units. Network and modem play. And a story
of such compelling depth you won't believe it's just a game.
======================================================================
Details,details,details...
==========================
All product names are trademarks or registered trademarks
of their respective holders. Mention of a product in this
publication does not necessarily imply endorsement of the
product.
How to write to FreePlay:
Send your suggestions, comments, contributions to freeplay@hotmail.com
How to get back issues:
Back issues can be found at
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/4874
If possible get them there to preserve the sanity of the editor.
You may request them thru email to freeplay@hotmail.com only if you
do not have www access of any kind.
One issue per email request please.
This document is copyright 1996 by Mark Shnayer.
Re-distribution of it by any means is both permitted and encouraged
provided that such action is for strictly non-commercial purposes,
the content remains whole, unedited and otherwise unmodified and
this statement remains intact.
Though not strictly required, you are asked to inform the author of any such
distribution.
Please send requests for permission to publish this
commercially to freeplay@hotmail.com
How to subscribe:
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