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Silicon Times Report Issue 1028
SILICON TIMES REPORT
====================
INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
=============================
from
STR Electronic Publishing Inc.
July 08, 1994 No. 1028
======================================================================
Silicon Times Report
International Online Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155
R.F. Mariano
Publisher-Editor
-----------------------------------------
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______________________________________________________________________
> 07/08/94 STR 1028 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
"""""""""""""""""
- CPU INDUSTRY REPORT - Critical Mission - WORDPERFECT NEWS!
- NEW Color Monitor SONY - Frank's Corner - StraightFax Pirates
- Dino-Dudes - Jag-Ware Lists - J. Minter Interview
- Jaguar SCES NEWS! - SCES Coverage! - Raiden Review!
-* DATASTORM SHIPS PROCOMM + 2.0 FOR WINDOWS! *-
-* IBM MIGHT CONSOLIDATE PC DIVISION! *-
-* IBM: 15,000TH RUSSIAN-MADE COMPUTER! *-
======================================================================
STReport International Online Magazine
The Original * Independent * Online Magazine
-* FEATURING WEEKLY *-
"Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
======================================================================
STReport's BBS - The Bounty BBS, invites all BBS systems, worldwide, to
participate in the ITC/PROWL/USENET/NEST/F-Net/Fido Mail Networks. You
may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1-904-786-4176. Enjoy the wonder
and excitement of exchanging all types of useful information relative to
all computer types, worldwide, through the use of excellent International
Networking Systems. SysOps and users alike worldwide, are welcome to join
STReport's International Conferences. ITC Node is 85:881/250, The Fido
Node is 1:374/147.3, Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is #620.
All computer platforms and BBS systems are invited to participate.
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CIS ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX ~ PROWL ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET ~ CIX
USENET ~ USPOLNET ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ FNET ~ AOL
======================================================================
COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME
to the Readers of;
STREPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY!
CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198
You will receive your complimentary time
and
be online in no time at all!
"Enjoy CompuServe's forums; where information is at its very best!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""
This week's issue has extended coverage from SCES and in particular
about the game console industry's "sweetheart".. the Atari Jaguar. While
other electronic magazines play up their "outstanding coverage", STReport
continues to bring you well-rounded information about and regarding
computing in all its glory. No one sided pushes, simply the facts without
the fluff and hoopla.
Hopefully beginning next week, we shall begin our extensive summer
coverage of Graphics, Telecommunications and massive storage devices and
of course of "things to come". This is going to be a very special summer
for STReport for it will be the very first summer where the copius
quantities of both new hardware and software will allow some very
interesting reviews and superb reading. We will begin with an overview of
the products we shall be reviewing and then.... the fun begins.
Ralph....
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!
""""""""""""""""
Publisher -Editor
""""""""""""""""""
Ralph F. Mariano
Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs
Section Editors
"""""""""""""""
PC SECTION AMIGA SECTION MAC SECTION ATARI SECTION
---------- ------------- ----------- -------------
R.D. Stevens R. Niles J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson
STReport Staff Editors:
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin
John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Joseph Mirando
Doyle Helms Frank Sereno John Duckworth
Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur
Melanie Bell Jay Levy Jeff Kovach
Marty Mankins Carl Prehn Paul Charchian
Contributing Correspondents:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Tim Holt Norman Boucher Clemens Chin
Eric Jerue Ron Deal Mike Barnwell
Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith
Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller
Craig Harris Allen Chang Dominick J. Fontana
IMPORTANT NOTICE
""""""""""""""""
Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
via E-Mail to:
Compuserve................... 70007,4454
America Online..................STReport
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ITC NET...................... 85:881/253
NEST........................ 90:21/350.0
GEnie......................... ST-REPORT
Internet.............RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
"""""""""""""""""
IBM/POWER-PC/PC SECTION (I)
===========================
Computer Products Update - CPU Report
------------------------ ----------
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Issue #28
By: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
******* General Computer News *******
** IBM Might Consolidate PC Division **
Reports say that IBM Corp. is likely to move more of its personal
computer operations to Raleigh, North Carolina, its chief manufacturing
site for desktop and laptop computers.
The relocations will help IBM's PC division not only reorganize but
also trim jobs, something most divisions at IBM will have to do this
year in order to meet the company's overall goal to reduce employment by
35,000 in 1994.
The prospect of moving more of the PC operation to Raleigh has been
rumored in the computer press for more than two weeks. IBM is expected
to make an announcement later this month after it first notifies
employees.
Critics have said the widely scattered PC division's administrative,
development and manufacturing sites add costs and slows decision-making.
PCs are now developed by teams in Boca Raton, Florida; manufactured in
Raleigh and Lexington, Kentucky; distributed from Atlanta, Georgia; and
headquartered in Somers, New York.
** WordPerfect Magazines Go OnLine **
Novell Inc.'s WordPerfect subsidiary says WordPerfect Magazine and
WordPerfect for Windows Magazine will both be available OnLine with
several major services beginning Aug. 1.
The company notes that it will be the first publisher to accomplish
such broad electronic access simultaneously.
The presence, called On-Line Access from WordPerfect Magazines, is
designed to provide WordPerfect users with access to magazine articles,
macros and archives, as well as allow communication with other readers
and editors.
WordPerfect says the publications will be available on CompuServe,
America OnLine, Ziff-Davis Interactive's Interchange and other services
as the program develops.
** NEC, SunDisk to Make Flash Chips **
A new generation of "flash" memory chips is the goal of an alliance
between SunDisk Corp. and Japan's NEC Corp. In Tokyo this week, the
firms announced they will begin marketing 256-megabit flash memories in
1997.
Reports say, "The largest flash memory chips currently available hold
16 megabits," adding, "Unlike conventional memory chips, flash memories
continue to hold information even after their power is turned off. They
are expected to become a lightweight alternative to computer hard disks
but relatively high prices and low memory capacity have limited their
use so far."
NEC and SunDisk officials said several of the small 256-megabit chips
could be combined to make credit-card size plug-in memory cards that
hold as much information as a large-capacity hard disk in today's PCs.
"A single 256-megabit flash memory chip also could record and store 30
minutes of CD-quality music". "That would allow music to be distributed on
computer chips instead of on tapes or discs."
Right now, Intel Corp. dominates the market for flash memories, which
were first developed by Japan's Toshiba Corp.
** SPA Says Pirates Pacing Industry **
A new study suggests pirates last year cheated the business software
industry out of nearly as much money as it took in.
The Software Publishers Association says its research finds $7.4 bil-
lion worth of business application software was counterfeited in 1993,
almost equal the $8 billion in revenues for that segment.
Still, the SPA says U.S. piracy has dropped about a third in five
years, due in part to its own efforts. The trade group last year brought
250 cases and collecting more than $3 million in fines in the United
States. Now the group is directing its attention to worldwide piracy.
The latest SPA study, designed to measure how much software is stolen
at the corporate level, does not attempt to determine how many PC users
copy software at home or in schools and share it with friends or
colleagues.
"Armed with figures on how much computer hardware was sold last year,
it analyzed losses based on how many software programs were sold per
machine," sources said. "Countries with the most prolific counterfeiters
averaged purchases of only one software application per computer, the
study found."
** Sony Offers New Color Monitor **
A new 15-inch color monitor priced at $549.95 has been introduced by
Sony Corp.'s Sony Electronics Inc. unit. Reports say the Multiscan
15sf, which Sony is to begin shipping later this month, "is ideal for
graphics-oriented displays."
** DEC to Sell Disk Drive Business? **
Quantum Corp., Seagate Technology Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. are
lining up to offer bids of as much as $400 million to Digital Equipment
Corp. for its disk drive business.
The Wall Street Journal reports that unnamed industry analysts and
executives say fast-growing disk drive maker Quantum of Milpitas,
California has emerged as the most serious contender of the three
potential buyers.
Digital may be a small producer of disk drives, but it has a strong
presence at the high end of the market with devices capable of storing
more than a billion characters of information.
The Journal also reported that the cash-strapped computer company is
considering selling other businesses, including its consulting and chip-
making units.
** Intel Offers Fax Modem **
Officials with Intel Singapore Technology Ltd. say the firm has star-
ted marketing Intel Corp.'s PCMCIA fax modem certified for international
use with mobile PCs.
Reports from Singapore say that the product is the only PCMCIA fax
modem in the world to be certified for use in multiple countries,
allowing international travelers to use a single fax modem when
traveling abroad in the approved countries.
** Toshiba to Offer New Video Card **
A new digital video PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Industry
Association) Type II card has been announced by the computer systems
unit of Toshiba Corp.'s Toshiba America Information Systems Inc.
Company officials said the credit-card size video adapter card was
developed by Nogatech Inc., a DSP Group company.
"The Noteworthy Portable Digital Video card transforms an active
matrix color notebook into a multimedia platform, capable of recording
and displaying real time full-motion video."
Toshiba expects to ship the card in early September, with a suggested
retail price of $499.
** Gateway Cuts HandBook Prices **
Gateway 2000 has cut the price of its HandBook DX2-40 by more than
$750 to $1,499 and the cost of its HandBook SX-25 to $999, down some
$650.
The HandBook DX2-40 runs on a 40MHz Intel DX2 processor and comes
with 8MB RAM and 130MB hard drive. The HandBook SX-25 is a 25MHz 486SX
system with 4MB RAM and an 80MB hard drive. Both come with a two NiMH
battery packs, an external floppy drive and a leather carrying case.
** HP Cuts Disk Product Costs **
Hewlett-Packard Co. has cut, by up to 15%, prices for its disk-system
and disk-array storage products for PC networks.
Tex Schenkkan, marketing manager of the company's storage systems
division said "These strategic price cuts solidify HP's competitive
position in the network storage market."
The storage modules, which can hold between 510 million and 2 billion
bytes of data, range in price from $2,849 and $13,049.
** Talking Phone Book Ships **
American Business Information Inc. of Omaha, Nebraska, has released a
talking telephone book.
The 11 Million Businesses Phone Book on CD-ROM holds the equivalent
of more than 5,000 Yellow Page Directories. Users can locate numbers by
entering a company name, even if the location is not known. The screen
display and voice can be changed from English to Spanish or French.
"The phone book can speak to you in your own language," says Bill
Chasse, vice president of ABI's CD-ROM product division. "It launches a
whole new category of reference discs that are fun and easy to use."
The CD-ROM's records contained on the Phone Book are drawn from the
ABI Business Database. The company also offers the 70 Million Households
Phone Book on CD- ROM, the 9-Digit ZIP Code Directory on CD-ROM and the
1.1 Million Health and Medical Industry Reference Directory on CD-ROM.
** IBM: 15,000th Russian-made Computer **
IBM Corp. this week formally presented its 15,000th Russian-built
computer and promised the country long-term corporate involvement.
Reports say that the computer was ceremoniously presented to Moscow
mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who said IBM was making an important contribution to
modernizing the Russian economy.
IBM opened its PC assembly facility near Moscow last October. At a
cost to IBM of several million dollars, the plant will eventually
produce 5,000 computers a month.
_____________________________________________
> Frank's Corner STR Feature
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
compiled by Frank Sereno
Software Discount Offers
========================
Grolier, the developer of a fine multi-media encyclopedia, has produced a
new program entitled "Prehistoria." This encyclopedia spans 500,000,000
years, covering the age of the dinosaurs and more. Video footage is
included of working scientists explaining theory or showing fossil
remains, as well as animations of dinosaurs and other prehistoric
creatures. This program is available for both the Macintosh and IBM
compatibles running Windows 3.1. Prehistoria is to have a $69.95 retail
price, but through August 31st, Grolier is making it available for only
$49.95 plus $5 for shipping. But that isn't all! As a bonus, they are
including another multi-media CD-rom product, "Oceans Below," which has a
retail value of $49.95 alone. Grolier is offering a 30-day money-back
guarantee. This offer is extremely appealing, especially if you have
children interested in dinosaurs (beyond Barney!). For more information
or to order, call 1-800-285-4534.
Sierra On-line is promoting bundles of software through July 31st. Listed
below are the bundles by bundle title. program titles and the price:
CGW "Best of 94" BundleFront Page Sports Football Pro $79.95
Betrayal at Krondor (floppy version)
Gabriel Knight (floppy version)
CD-ROM Bundle Gabriel Knight(all titles on Cdrom) $79.95
Betrayal at Krondor
Gobliins 2
Mad Scientist's Bundle The Even More Incredible Machine $69.95
The Island of Dr. Brain
Turbo Science
Early Learning Bundle Slater & Charlie $49.95
Mixed Up Mother Goose
Early Math
Edutainment Bundle Basic Spelling Tricks $49.95
Kid's Typing
Mega Math
Child's Best Bundle The Even More Incredible Machine $49.95
Mixed Up Mother Goose
Windows Family Bundle Hoyle Classic Card Games $59.95
Take a Break! Crosswords
Take a Break! Pinball
M-media Awards Bundle Lost in Time (all titles on CD-rom)$49.95
Gobliiins
Inca
These bundles are for IBM compatibles only. Some programs require Windows
3.1, all require a VGA display and a DAC sound card for digitized speech.
Prices do not include shipping or sales tax. Contact the order line at 1-
800-757-7707. All titles are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
One word of caution, often times these Sierra bundles show up later at
retail outlets for a slighly lower price. It is up to each customer to
choose between the security of getting the product directly from Sierra
or getting it in the retail channels. You cannot mix bundles by choosing
one or two products from one bundle to add to another product, but you can
purchase as many bundles as you wish. Good shopping!
****
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM TE CORPORATION
-----------------------------------------
ClaimPlus Eliminates the Guesswork
from Health Insurance
There has been extensive debate on the need to reform health insurance and
no shortage of pundits who claim to know how it should be done. However,
few policy-makers seem concerned with the nightmare of complex paperwork
which the hard-pressed consumer already faces. A simple visit to a doctor
or clinic results in a mass of complex forms, each more confusing than the
last. Most people have neither the time nor the energy to unravel the
insurance claim monster and so, increasingly they cross their fingers and
trust the system to provide them with the benefits for which they have
already paid.
Te Corporation, a visionary New Hampshire software company, intends to
change this with a new product called ClaimPlus(TM). Working with
hundreds of typical health care users, they have created a simple, easy-
to-use software program which automatically tracks each step of the health
insurance claim process, including Medicare, multiple insurance policies &
subscribers, from when the first visit occurs, until the claim is fully
reimbursed with no benefits missed. Not only does it keep track of each
cost, claim, payment and reimbursement, but it automatically prompts the
user if another claim is needed and prepares reports to sustantiate these
claims. Its unique report capability also provides documents for tax
preparation and Section 125 benefits planning.
D. Yukio Endo, who founded Te in 1972, commented that "The hundreds of
active development sites provided Te with a wide variety of medical
situations and these have shaped the system into a flexible performer
without complicating the user interface." Users consistently say that
ClaimPlus saves them time and money, ensures that their records are
organized and complete, and that the reports have proved invaluable when
dealing with mis-processed or under-paid claims. In fact, Endo says "It
has not been uncommon for users to report that by following ClaimPlus'
simple user-friendly interface, specifically designed for tracking health
claims, that hundreds of dollars of unpaid benefits were identified and
successfully claimed."
Whatever the outcome of the much publicized health care reforms, it seems
inevitable that, like the "simplified" tax code, there will little relief
from the deluge of complicated paperwork with which consumres will have to
wrestle claim benefits for which they have already paid. ClaimPlus is an
easy-to-use "cure" for the headache of health care reimbursement.
ClaimPlus runs on any 386 or higher PC, using MS Windows 3.1. Listed at
$69.99 (with substantial discounts for veterans, seniors, and voulme
purchases) the software is available directly from Te Corporation, Post
Office Box 140, Campton, NH 03223 tel: 603.726.4700 (voice) 603.726.8818
(fax)
_________________________________________________________
> DATASTORM NEWS! STR FOCUS! PROCOMM PLUS for WINDOWS 2.0
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Integrating Fax and Data Doesn't Have To Be A Suite Approach.
============================================================
DATASTORM, publishers of the world's best-selling PROCOMM PLUS for
Windows, has released a new upgrade to the product that fully integrates
fax and data communications into a single program. The new PROCOMM PLUS
for Windows 2.0 is the first communications product to seamlessly combine
fax and data together, rather than bundling two separate programs together
into a "suite".
"With our new version 2.0 interface, DATASTORM provides easy, intuitive
control of all of your communications tasks," said Ron Bower, Director of
Research and Development. "PROCOMM PLUS for Windows provides a
convenient, integrated solution to fax communications, unlike other
programs on the market today that use the suite approach. There's no
longer any need to switch back and forth between two separate programs and
two different menu systems simply to perform data and fax tasks."
In addition to its impressive array of data communications features,
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows version 2.0 adds comprehensive send and receive
fax capabilities, including "broadcast" transmissions to multiple
recipients, automatic fax polling, fax "on demand" support for prepared
documents, session logging and fax scheduling. PROCOMM PLUS for Windows
also provides a fax viewer and full-featured cover sheet editor for
creating your own fax coversheets. The popular Host mode has been updated
with automated FaxBack capabilities. PROCOMM PLUS for Windows even
supports the adaptive answer feature offered on many advanced modems,
allowing the program to differentiate between fax and data calls and route
the calls accordingly.
The new version allows up to five Action Bar icon sets on screen, each of
which can be fully customized to the user's preferences. Icons can run
scripts, execute other Windows or DOS programs, transmit text or perform
any function offered on the program menu. In addition, the new "Quick
Select Bar" offers point-and-click selection from a wide variety of
terminal emulations and communications settings, directly from the
Terminal Window.
The enhanced, fully automated Dialing Directory now supports data, fax and
voice connections, making it the perfect integrated phone directory. A
click of the mouse provides quick and easy access to important voice
numbers, on-line services, bulletin boards, fax machines and much more.
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows can dial voice calls right from the Dialing
Directory, and the program now supports all phone cards, including cards
from AT&T, MCI and Sprint. Travelers will also appreciate the new
automatic adjustment feature, which can update all the entries in a
Dialing Directory to reflect the current area code.
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows has always been the market leader in modem
support, and version 2.0 takes that support a quantum leap ahead. The
program now offers automatic modem detection, which can recognize and
initialize over 700 modems without user intervention. The user's modem is
automatically detected and initialized during installation, and PROCOMM
PLUS for Windows also automatically configures required fax and data Setup
fields for proper operation. Within seconds after installation, the user
is ready to call.
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows now ships with powerful Windows ASPECT scripts
designed for off-line management of CompuServe and MCI Mail messages and
files. These programs allow the user to compose and read electronic mail,
browse file catalogs and read public messages off-line, saving both time
and money. The Windows ASPECT script language now supports global and
local arrays, with no limits on the use of controls like checkboxes and
listboxes.
"This latest version of PROCOMM PLUS for Windows includes many enhanced
and expanded capabilities that will strengthen our reputation for
combining powerful features with 'intuitive' ease of use - and all without
increasing the price to our customers," Bower said.
Located in Columbia, Missouri, DATASTORM is a privately held corporation.
DATASTORM, markets world wide communications software products including
ProComm, PROCOMM PLUS and PROCOMM PLUS for Windows version 1.02 and
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows version 2.0.
What's New Since PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 1.0?
----------------------------------------------
FULL FAX SUPPORT.
Seamless fax integration with support for Class 1, Class 2 and SendFax
modems. The fax viewer provides 12.5%, 25%, 50% and 100% image zoom and
image rotation for faxes received upside-down. The cover sheet editor
allows you to create your own fax cover sheets. The fax event manager
allows unattended fax transmissions and supports local and remote polling.
USER-CUSTOMIZABLE ACTION BARS.
You can load up to five separate Action Bars containing the icons of your
choice. These icons can run a Windows ASPECT script or a DOS or Windows
program. Icons can also transmit text, call a number from your Dialing
Directory or activate a menu command. You can even assign up to five
Action Bars to each Dialing Directory entry!
NEW INTERFACE IMPROVEMENTS.
The PROCOMM PLUS interface now includes the Quick Select Line, which
allows you to change terminal emulation and communication settings with a
click of the mouse. The Quick Select Line also includes a modem light
display - great for internal modems - receive and transmit buffer graphs
and a real time clock. The Setup and Dialing Directory windows also
feature new designs that make them even easier to use.
DIALING DIRECTORY.
The new Dialing Directory supports data, fax and voice phone numbers.
Entries can be moved into groups, with support for directories that
automatically include long distance prefixes when necessary. The
directory now supports multiple phone company calling cards, including
AT&T, Sprint, MCI and user-definable cards.
AUTOMATIC MODEM DETECTION AND CONFIGURATION.
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.0 can automatically examine your system and
identify the modem and COM port you're using! Over 700 modems are
included in the comprehensive modem configuration list.
ENHANCED WINDOWS ASPECT COMMANDS.
The Windows ASPECT script language now supports global and local arrays,
and limits on the use of controls (such as checkboxes and listboxes) have
been removed. Scripts written for version 1.0x can be converted and
recompiled for use with PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.0.
IND$FILE PROTOCOL.
The IND$FILE transfer protocol has been added for use with IBM mainframes,
including support for VM-CMS, MVS-TSO and other operating environments.
Full-featured CompuServe and MCI Managers.
The CISMGR script supports off-line mail reading, complete with an
integrated phone book and forum message threading. The MCIMGR script now
provides off-line reading as well.
A NEW WINDOWS EDITOR.
The PROCOMM PLUS ASPECT Editor can be used to create or modify any ASCII
file. The Editor includes automated access to ASPECT-specific tools like
the Windows ASPECT compiler and the Dialog Editor.
AN IMPROVED!
Host Mode now offers fax integration. Callers can specify files to have
faxed back to them. Each user can have access to private and public
directories.
New network extensions included in the package to support NCSI/NASI,
NetBIOS, Int14 and EBIOS connections.
The Scrollback Buffer can now display up to 1300 pages of text and
graphics that have scrolled off the screen.
Rapid dial can now dial groups of Dialing Directory entries.
BBS Doorway mode for sending IBM-PC scan codes to BBS doors.
Print logging now features a TrueType font for accurately printed screens.
Support for fax and data call discrimination (automatically switches to
fax mode for incoming fax calls and data mode for data calls). Requires a
modem capable of call discrimination.
Support for caller ID (automatically displays the source of incoming
calls). Requires caller ID service from your telephone company and a
modem that supports caller ID.
Meta Keys and Keyboard Remapping now support internal PROCOMM PLUS
functions.
Electronic mail support for MAPI-compatible mail systems.
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.0
----------------------------
The Most Popular Communications Software in the World, now with
Fully-Integrated Send and Receive Fax Support. Once in a great while, a
product comes along that can totally revolutionize an industry and
become the standard by which all others are measured. PROCOMM PLUS for
Windows is that kind of product. PROCOMM PLUS for Windows was developed
from the ground up with the idea that Windows communications software
could and should be extremely powerful, easy to use and affordable.
It's an idea which most definitely has caught on.
The toughest critics in the industry have heralded PROCOMM PLUS for
Windows as the only communications software for Windows which truly
combines power, ease of use and affordability. PROCOMM PLUS for Windows
has won numerous software industry awards, and the list of people who
use this package reads like an international Who's Who of business,
government and education.
Simply put, Windows users have recognized that PROCOMM PLUS is a
superior alternative for communications software. That's why they have
made PROCOMM PLUS for Windows the most popular Windows communications
software in the world.
Power. Ease of Use. Affordability. PROCOMM PLUS for Windows closes the
door on the competition.
Action Bar(tm): PROCOMM PLUS for Windows allows you to load up to 5
separate Action Bars of immediately understandable visual buttons to
activate program features (or even other applications). These handy
"control centers" are completely user definable so you can create your
own interface. You can even create a "floating" Action Bar that can be
resized and moved anywhere on the screen. Plus, the icons that you
choose can be used to run a Windows ASPECT script file or other program,
transmit text, or dial an on-line service or voice phone number.
File Transfer Protocols: PROCOMM PLUS for Windows delivers fast,
efficient file transfers with 100% data integrity.
Zmodem - often considered the fastest transfer protocol, this has become
the standard for bulletin board systems and information services.
Zmodem's "crash recovery" and automatic download features, as well as
its speed, make it the general purpose protocol of choice.
CompuServe B+ - for fast, reliable file transfers on CompuServe.
IND$FILE - PROCOMM PLUS for Windows' highly configurable implementation
of this protocol allows files to be transferred to and from IBM
mainframes (running TSO or MVS) through a variety of protocol converters
and with a variety of settings.
Kermit - support for standard Kermit, sliding windows (Super) Kermit and
long packet Kermit enables file transfers to and from a wide range of
systems.
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows also includes Xmodem, 1K-Xmodem, Ymodem,
Ymodem-G, 1K-Xmodem-G, ASCII, Raw ASCII.
These protocols may be customized to work at optimum efficiency with the
system you're calling. You can adapt the program even further by adding
your own protocol DLL.
Fully-Integrated Send and Receive Fax Support: PROCOMM PLUS for Windows
seamlessly integrates complete fax capabilities including a fax viewer,
scheduling, broadcast send, send and receive logging and Error Corrected
Mode (ECM). Class 1, Class 2 and SendFax modems are fully supported for
Group III fax communications.
Plus you can:
- Schedule faxes for unattended transmission at a time and date you
specify.
- Broadcast faxes to multiple recipients.
- Send faxes right from your word processor or other application.
- Jot and send a fax message from right within PROCOMM PLUS for Windows
using our built-in MemoFAX feature.
- Create and edit your own custom fax coversheet that includes your
logo, signature or any other graphic image.
- Set up a Host Mode "fax on demand" system so that a fax caller can
request and then automatically receive a specific fax document. This
is an excellent way to distribute sales literature, brochures, etc.
- Rotate received fax images to correctly display a document that
has been faxed upside-down.
- Zoom fax images to 12.5%, 25%, 50%, or 100% of original page size.
- Send your fax in standard or fine resolution. Stay right within
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows for all your fax and data communications
needs.
On-line GIF Graphic Display: PROCOMM PLUS for Windows can display
graphics such as CompuServe weather maps as you download them.
Terminal Emulation: With PROCOMM PLUS for Windows, you can run
full-screen mainframe applications by using your PC as a remote
terminal. PROCOMM PLUS for Windows supports 34 of the most popular
video display terminals including:
TTY Televideo 955
DEC VT 52 Wyse 50 (w/ Block Mode)
DEC VT 100 Wyse 75
DEC VT 102 Wyse 100
DEC VT 220 Heath/Zenith 19
DEC VT 320 Espirit 3
ANSI BBS IBM 3101 (w/ Block Mode)
IBM PC IBM 3161 (w/ Block Mode)
Vidtex IBM 3270 (Asynchronous)
AT&T 605 Data General D100
AT&T 4410 Data General D200
Televideo 910 Data General D210
Televideo 912 ADDS Viewpoint 60
Televideo 920 ADDS Viewpoint 90
Televideo 922 ADM 3A
Televideo 925 ADM 5
Televideo 950 ADM 31
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows supports both 80 and 132 column modes and lets
you create multiple keyboard maps for each of the terminal emulations.
Fully Automated Dialing Directory: PROCOMM PLUS for Windows makes it
extremely easy to connect with the information source, fax or voice
destination you want to reach. Simply click on a directory entry.
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows automatically adjusts your system settings
(like protocol, baud rate, emulation, COM port, etc.) and then makes the
call. Dialing directory settings may be customized for each entry. For
instance, each entry could have a different path for downloaded files,
or a different set of file transfer options.
In addition, you can:
- Specify dialing codes to speed up the process of calling through PBX
systems, etc.
- Set up a "dialing queue" of phone numbers to call until each one is
reached. PROCOMM PLUS for Windows will also redial busy numbers
until they are reached.
- Keep track of call history information, making it much easier to
reconcile your telephone and information service bills.
- Attach "notes" to each entry to keep track of important information.
- Sort entries in a variety of ways, including groups for online
services, faxes and voice phone numbers.
- Use the enhanced support for telephone company calling cards.
- Set up 'traveling" dialing directories that will selectively add
"1+(area code)" when needed.
Windows ASPECT Script Language: Automation made simple. Windows ASPECT
is a powerful script command language available exclusively with PROCOMM
PLUS for Windows. The Windows ASPECT script language includes a full
set of commands for creating log-on scripts and custom vertical
applications, as well as many Windows-specific commands for displaying
bitmaps, metafiles, pushbuttons, icons, dialog boxes, list boxes and
more.
Windows ASPECT is a full-featured programming language with global and
local arrays, advanced screen handling, multiple modal and modeless
dialogs, string manipulation, file I/O, mathematical operations
(including floating point), user-defined variables, subroutines and
more. Windows ASPECT scripts are compiled (not interpreted) for the
fastest possible execution speed and complete security. Windows ASPECT
also includes over 500 commands for full control of any communications
task, and it includes run-time debugging for finding problems in complex
scripts.
To help you get started with the power of Windows ASPECT, PROCOMM PLUS
for Windows includes detailed examples of useful scripts including
automated access to CompuServe and MCI Mail. The package even includes a
general purpose programmers' editor that's especially suited to writing
ASPECT scripts.
Network Support: In addition to sending and receiving data via local
COM ports, you can communicate across a network to COM ports on other
machines by using PROCOMM PLUS for Windows in conjunction with any
Interrupt 14h or NCSI/NASI Asynchronous Communications Server (ACS). You
can also connect to UNIX or other hosts via NetBIOS. Plus, PROCOMM PLUS
for Windows is extendible to other connection types using Dynamic Link
Connections (DLCs).
DDE Support: PROCOMM PLUS for Windows includes DDE (Dynamic Data
Exchange) support both in the Windows ASPECT script language and from
the pull-down menu. Let PROCOMM PLUS for Windows share data dynamically
with your spreadsheet, word processor, or other application!
File Clipboard: Cut filenames from the terminal window to a special
clipboard while on-line. Forget about jotting down filenames on scraps
of paper! Instead, when you are on-line to a BBS scanning a list and
come across files you want to download, simply cut the filenames to this
clipboard. Later, when you are ready to download the files, simply
paste any or all of the filenames from the clipboard to the BBS'
download prompt.
Record Mode: With this feature, PROCOMM PLUS for Windows first learns
log-on sequences and other frequently repeated functions by recording
system prompts and your responses. Then PROCOMM PLUS for Windows
generates a Windows ASPECT script file which you can use to automate
future sessions.
Meta Keys: Up to 40 unique on-screen buttons can be programmed to send
frequently used text, initiate other Windows or DOS programs, or execute
Windows ASPECT script files-all with a single mouse click or keystroke.
Host Script: PROCOMM PLUS for Windows includes an advanced Windows
ASPECT script that gives you a complete BBS including:
- Unattended file transfers
- Electronic Mail
- Individual user Ids, passwords and security levels
- Fax Requests (host computer sends faxes to callers -- great for sending
out sales or customer support literature).
Since these features are implemented in Windows ASPECT, they can be
completely customized to meet your particular needs. For example, you
can use the host script to access your office computer -- or even to set
up an office messaging center!
Graphical Dialog Box Editor: To complement PROCOMM PLUS for Windows,
DATASTORM has provided a special utility for creating and modifying
dialog boxes. Rather than programming by hand, save the dialog boxes
you've created directly into your Windows ASPECT script files.
Scrollback Buffer: Simply by using the scrollbar, you can see up to
1,300 pages of text which have already scrolled off the screen.
Capture File and Connection Logging: On-line sessions may be captured
to disk, to your printer, or both. Plus you can save a log of connection
activity that even includes dynamic status line information for a
particular session.
Additional Features: This is just a sampling of the many other exciting
things you can do with PROCOMM PLUS for Windows:
- Easily send received text or faxes via most network e-mail systems.
- Click any field in the Quick Select status line to change
communications parameters, emulations, protocols, etc.
- Display separate Chat window for on-line conferencing -- ideal for
CompuServe's CB simulator.
- Tailor the program for optimum performance with your particular modem.
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows does all the setup work for you, with
automatic identification and installation for over 700 modems!
Communications Parameters: PROCOMM PLUS for Windows operates at baud
rates from 110 to 115,200. Line settings include Space, Even, Odd, Mark
or No parity and 7 or 8 data bits.
System Requirements: PROCOMM PLUS for Windows will run on any IBM AT,
PS/2, or compatible capable of running Windows 3.1 or higher in standard
or enhanced mode.
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows requires Microsoft Windows 3.1 or higher, a
hard disk, and a VGA or higher resolution video graphics card. Mouse
recommended.
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows operates via direct connection or with
virtually any modem or Class 1/Class 2 fax board.
Easy-to-use is an understatement with PROCOMM PLUS for Windows The
intuitive nature of PROCOMM PLUS for Windows means you will never have
to wade through ream after ream of "computerese" to learn how to take
advantage of its wide range of capabilities.
From the moment you double-click the PROCOMM PLUS for Windows icon, you
are at the controls of a responsive, powerful program tailored in every
way to help you get the job done as quickly and easily as possible. Of
course, if you need assistance on any particular task, a comprehensive
help facility is ready to provide detailed help.
In addition, the PROCOMM PLUS for Windows manual includes a detailed
tutorial which can help users at every skill level learn how to
accomplish communications tasks. And voice line technical support --
from the most knowledgeable and helpful communications software experts
in the industry -- is always just a phone call away.
PROCOMM PLUS for Windows has set an unbeatable standard for
communications software: Publishing the most popular communications
software in the world has given DATASTORM the distinct advantage of
receiving feedback on PROCOMM PLUS from thousands of users around the
globe. Every time someone has started a sentence with, "You know, it
sure would be great if it did this...", DATASTORM listened.
The result is that PROCOMM PLUS for Windows has everything you need to
master computer communications. And this is true regardless of whether
you're an MIS manager needing "power user" capabilities, or you're a
home-computing beginner simply wanting easy access to an electronic
bulletin board.
So visit your software dealer today, and ask for PROCOMM PLUS for
Windows. You'll discover the world's standard in communications
software.
ORDERING INFORMATION:
=====================
Address mail orders for DATASTORM products to:
DATASTORM TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
P.O. Box 1471
Columbia, MO 65205-1471.
We have installed an 800 line for your PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.0
orders. To order version 2.0 call 1.800.315.3282. This line will be
available from 8:00am to 6:00pm Central, Monday-Friday.
You may also fax your ordering information to Customer Service at
314.875.0595.
The list price for PROCOMM PLUS for Windows version 2.0 is $179.00.
The upgrade price for registered users of PROCOMM PLUS for Windows
version 1.x is $69.00 when you purchase directly from DATASTORM.
If you have any other questions on pricing please call Customer Service
at 314.443.3282.
ProComm, PROCOMM PLUS, the PROCOMM PLUS "wavy line design" logo, PROCOMM
PLUS for Windows, the PROCOMM PLUS for Windows "window" logo, Intuitive
Communications, DATASTORM, the DATASTORM logo, File Clipboard and Action
Bar are trademarks of DATASTORM TECHNOLOGIES, INC. Which may be
registered in certain jurisdictions. Windows is a trademark of
Microsoft Corporation. GIF is a service mark property of CompuServe
Incorporated. Other brand and product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.
Copyright (c) 1994 DATASTORM TECHNOLOGIES, INC. All rights reserved.
DATASTORM TECHNOLOGIES, INC. P.O. Box 1471, Columbia, MO 65205
Tel: 314.443.3282
Fax: 314.875.0595
SPLIT.TXT
Everything you want to know (and were afraid to ask)
about "split baud" or "locked baud" use of modems
Most of the newer high speed modems with baudrates 9600 and above are
configured in Procomm PLUS for "split baud" or "locked baud" operation.
Just exactly what does this mean, and how do the User and Procomm PLUS
work with this? Keep it as simple as possible, will you?
Very simply this means that the link between your computer and your high
speed modem (the DTE link) is operated at the maximum baudrate that your
computer and your modem can handle. The program permits the modems to
negotiate everything and autobaud on their own, not using the connect
speed information in any way, and using only the "CONNECT" word in the
modem connection message.
Draw me a picture, because I don't quite grasp this. OK, here goes:
DTE DCE DTE
Hispeed 57600? Link Phone Line 14400? Hispeed ? Link
YOUR COMPUTER YOUR 14400? MODEM HOST 9600? MODEM HOST COMPUTER
^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^
Perhaps 57600 Autobauds in its Autobauds in its Perhaps 38400
with 16550 UART, own negotiations own negotiations or 9600 or
perhaps 19200 with Host modem with Your modem whatever!
in others to mutually agreed to mutually agreed
speed and protocol speed and protocol
settings, may also settings, may also
compress when sending compress when sending
and decompress when and decompress when
receiving when receiving
^^^^^^^^^^
A big speed difference here (even as much as 4:1) between your faster
"DTE link speed" and the slower "DCE modem (via phone line) to modem"
speed permits compression/decompression with less frequent use of the
Hardware flow control "traffic cop" which pauses things to prevent the
modems from "choking" on too many characters coming/going too fast.
No attempt is made to "autobaud" (change the _program_ baud rate for the
speed of the connection or the capabilities of the other modem) within the
program itself, either manually (by you - leave it alone in most
situations) or automatically (by the program based on the speed in the
modem connect message). The modem does all the "autobauding" on its own
in negotiations with the other modem.
Study this diagram for a moment, and refer back to it if need be as we
continue on, OK?
The modem I plan to buy is a 14400 baud modem, but there is no 14400 baud
response message used in Procomm, and there is no 14400 baud speed
setting! That is correct, and here is why. Your modem is not operated on
the DTE link between your computer and your modem at 14400 baud. These
modems are capable of much higher speeds on the DTE link, and are setup
for their maximum speed on the DTE link. You will never be selecting a
14400 speed because you do not choose or select the "modem to modem" DCE
speed. The modems do that, autobauding on their own. And the program
doesn't use a "CONNECT 14400" modem response message. It uses only the
"CONNECT" part of that, or any, modem connect message. It doesn't want or
need to know the DCE speed. Just that is has a "CONNECT". Why? Because
the program never changes speed from the higher DTE link speed between it
and your modem which has been preset. Not clear yet? See the diagram
again, and read on.
How is this maximum speed at which the DTE link between my computer and my
modem is set determined? It is determined based on the maximum "DTE link"
speed capabilities of your modem and your computer. Some of the new
modems will go to 57600 or even 115200. But the limit for practical
purposes is usually controlled by the capability of your COM Port UART.
The UART is the chip that handles things in and out at your COM Port. If
you have an internal modem, the COM Port UART is normally on the modem
board itself. If you have an external modem the UART is in your computer,
servicing the serial COM Port to which you attached your modem. Some
newer computers have an LSI chip which takes the place of the UARTs for
several COM Ports, and perhaps even the parallel printer port. The
typical older 8250 and 16450 UARTS and most of the LSI chips I have run
into have a practical speed limit of 19200 baud. Only when you get up to
the 16550 UART and beyond do you usually get speed ability in excess of
19200. If you don't have a 16550 UART then 19200 is about all you get.
Wait a minute! You mentioned a "UART". What in the world is that? The
UART is a Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter chip that is what
your COM Port or internal modem uses to handle serial data communications.
A UART chip has a type number, like 8250 and 16550, etc. The newer 16550
UART has a FIFO, a "first in first out" buffer, so while your computer may
have to do something else, like write to disk, the incoming characters are
not lost, but rather stored or "buffered". This 16550 is almost essential
if you are to use speeds above 19200 without problems from lost
characters. Enough on UARTs!
You say I should leave this DTE link speed setting (betweeb my computer
and my modem) alone. But I call an "oldie" 1200 baud modem sometimes that
doesn't connect except at 1200 baud. Yes, I do too. An example of this
is the 1200 baud modem at the Naval Observatory where I set my computer
clock. It wants 1200 baud and no MNP (in order that there are no delays
in sending its very precise time codes). So there are exceptions where
you may need, for a special type of connection, to set the DTE link speed
to something other than the normal DTE link speed. An exception, not the
norm.
How do I know when I have reached the maximum practical speed? You will
know because if you try to use a higher speed you will get excessive bad
blocks in a file transfer. You will get characters dropped or missing
from your screen as you read menus and files and receive ANSI graphics
screens from a BBS. If this happens you must drop the link speed setting
down a notch, because your computer and modem combination can't handle the
faster previously selected link speed (modem default baudrate).
If you have a computer and modem combination that will handle the DTE link
speed of 57600 or 115200, count yourself lucky. But, you ask, what is the
point of 57600, or even 19200, when there are no services that offer
connections at speeds in excess of 14400, or maybe even 28800? Well, when
you use these higher speeds your modem offers V.42bis compression/MNP5
data compression. This means that the sending modem, if it is so
equipped, will take the packets it is about to send to your modem and
compress them, as much as 4:1. It will send these compressed packets to
your modem at its (and your modem's) mutually negotiated maximum rated
speed, perhaps 9600 or 14400 or 28800. When your modem gets this
compressed packet at 14400 it has to uncompress it to feed it to your
computer. If the packet was compressed to the theoretically possible one
fourth its former size, and sent at 14400 baud, it now has to be expanded
to 4 times its size (4 times 14400 equals 57600) and sent to your
computer. About the maximum modem compression you can get is a factor of
4, and with a 14400 baud modem to modem modem connection this would
explain the 57600 used (4 times 14400 is 57600). The DTE link speed has
to be faster (than the DCE connect speed) to handle more characters
(resulting from decompression) in the same time period. Or - the modem
has to stop the sender with the Hardware Flow Control traffic cop to pause
things for a moment.
What is this Hardware Flow Control? Well, it's a traffic cop! If your
computer _can't_ swallow things as fast as they come in, it uses "Hardware
Flow Control" and tells the two modems to pause until it can accept the
decompressed packet, slowing the overall throughput. If your computer
_can_ accept at that high DTE link speed, it does so, not pausing the
modems with Hardware Flow Control, thus achieving the greater throughput
which is the object of "split baud".
What has all this to do with the way my modem is setup? Well, let's get
our terms straight, first of all. In Procomm PLUS 2.01 (DOS) and Procomm
PLUS for Windows, the program has to be configured to work properly with
your modem and this involves modem response messages, flow control
settings, autobaud detect settings, and so forth. Then the the modem is
first "configured". This is done using some commands stored in MODEMS.DAT
or WMODEMS.DAT that the factory has tested and which work properly for
those with the ideal computer and modem installation. Certain commands
are sent to the modem to set it for all the standard things we had in the
"old" days, plus commands that set it for its highest level of
capabilities for MNP error correction and compression and flow control as
mentioned above. In Procomm PLUS 2.01 (DOS) and when using the choice for
"Auto Reliable" in the Windows Versions it is also set to "automatic
fallback". This will result in a modem that starts negotiating with the
other modem at its highest level of capability. The two then negotiate
their way down the speeds and protocols until they find something that is
mutually agreeable and then they "connect". In some cases this
"configuration" of the modem will be stored in the modem's power-up non
volatile ram memory in some versions, and recalled later with just a reset
to stored commands setting in the initialization command string. Then
there is "initialization". This tells a modem that is sitting there, all
powered up and ready to go to work, and which may have been set by another
program or by you to something other than its proper Procomm PLUS
settings, to set itself with the proper commands in the Procomm PLUS
"initialization command string" set in the program by the setup process.
It would be simple to say that when powered up the modem is ready to go to
work in Procomm, but this may not be the case. So Procomm PLUS, when it
starts, gives it an "initialization" string, quite separate from the
"configuration" strings sent to it earlier, to be sure it is set properly
for Procomm PLUS.
Still with us? Good for you! Now let's step back to that modem "connect"
that takes place between the two modems when, having started from the
calling modem's highest level of capability, they finally work they way
down to something they can both agree on. Your modem then issues
connection messages which may be quite involved, depending on what you
have set it to provide. The modem industry has left us (in most modems)
one common thing in these "connect messages", and that is the word
"CONNECT" in the final message. This "CONNECT" is used in Procomm PLUS as
the string to mark the completion of the dialing sequence and notice that
a good modem connection has been made, and that the modem are out of
"command state" and are ready to start communicating. The message could
be "CONNECT 28800 WITH MNP 5", or "CONNECT 2400/ARQ", but it has "CONNECT"
in it so that's all we care about. Your computer continues to speak with
your modem at 19200 (or, lucky you with the 16550 UART, even at 57600 or
115200) and what the modem to modem DCE connect speed is we really don't
need to worry about, since we don't control it. The two modems are
handling that end of things. Some may even vary the speed, adjusting for
bad line conditions. Your worries about matching speed are a thing of the
past.
Now perhaps you can see why in PROCOMM PLUS for Windows you have a "locked
baud" connect message "CONNECT", and that when Autobaud detect is not
selected the other connect messages are grayed out. They aren't used.
And why in PROCOMM PLUS (for DOS) we set all the modem connect messages to
just the word CONNECT when we use high speed MNP modems in "split baud"
mode operation.
No more questions? Great! Have fun with your Procomm PLUS. I have added
an Addendum that contains some hints for "rolling your own" if your modem
is not yet on the selection list in Procomm. To some diehard engineers,
let me admit that yes, I have taken some liberties here for easy
understanding and simplification.
-Paul Heim, CIS UID
---------
Addendum: UNLISTED MODEMS
Oh, but my modem is not in the list of selections presented by Procomm!
Now what do I do?
Put aside the fact fact that new modems are being added to the
configurations every day as the modem manufactuers submit modems and data
to Datastorm, and the appropriate files are updated frequently in the CIS
Datastorm Forum Libraries and on the Datastorm BBS. Now that you know
"what and why", you can configure your modem yourself. Let's look over
the rules, with no further explanations. You should be smart enough to
sit down with your modem manual, pencil and paper, and prepare things
ahead of time. Don't try to juggle the whole thing on your lap while
sitting in front of your screen. After looking up the required commands,
you can write them down and send them to your modem from the Terminal
screen of Procomm. If you have dipswitches on the modem set them to the
factory defaults and to the proper settings fot the COM port and IRQ which
you use for that modem.
1. If you
have Procomm PLUS Version 2 for DOS set Modem General Options
Item F-Send init if CD high to YES, and SAVE.
2. Set your modem to manufacturer defaults by sending it "AT&F" which is
the usual command. This is done by entering the command "AT&F" at the
Terminal screen, and the modem should reply with an "OK". (Without
the quotes, of course.)
3. Set modem to correctly report carrier detection and handle DTR (Send
it "AT&C1&D2"). Some modems may have these set by dipswitches, with
which CD (Carrier Detect) should be set to report the actual state of
carrier detection, and DTR should be set to "computer honors DTR" or
"loss of DTR causes modem to hangup".
5. Select Hardware flow control ON in Procomm. In Procomm PLUS Version 2
for DOS this is at Terminal Options Item D; in the Windows Version 1.x
at Advanced Connection, Modem Setup; and in Windows Version 2 at
Setup, Data Modem/Connection, Connection Setup, at Use hardware flow
control. Note that Software flow control, should it appear, should be
set OFF, not selected.
6. Turn Autobaud detect OFF, not selected, in all Versions. In the
Windows Version 1 this is at Connection, Advanced, Modem setup. In
Windows Version 2 this is at Setup, Data Modem/Connection, Connect
Messages. And in Procomm PLUS 2 for DOS turn Autobaud detect OFF in
HOST OPTIONS, also.
7. In Procomm PLUS Version 2 for DOS set all Modem Result Messages A
though G to just CONNECT. In the Windows Versions you'll be using the
"Locked baud" connect message CONNECT, which selects automatically
with Autobaud detect not selected.
8. Set modem speed to the fastest speed the modem and your computer will
support. This is at Alt-P and Dialing directory entries in Procomm
PLUS Version 2 for DOS; the Connection, Advanced, Modem Setup Modem
default baudrate in the Windows Version 1; and at Setup, Data
Modem/Connection, Connection, Default baudrate in Windows Version 2.
What speed is this? Think now. It is 115200 if you have a 28.8 modem
and a 16550 UART; 57600 if you have a 14.4 modem and a 16550 UART; and
19200 in most other circumstances, especially without the 16550 UART.
(If the suggested speed is not available in older versions use the
next lower speed.)
9. In Procomm install the following all purpose initialization string,
without the spaces, which are shown just to make it easier to read:
AT &F ^M ~~~ AT E1 V1 Q0 &C1 &D2 X4 S0=0 S7=60 S11=55 ^M
10. In the DOS Version, Save; In Windows Version 1 at Current Setup, File
click on Save setup; and in the Windows Version 2 your changes in
Setup are automatically saved.
11. It is suggested that in the Windows Version 1 you have Dialing
Directory Baud and Connection set to "default"; and in Windows
Version 2 Dialing Directory entries Baud Rate at "Modem Default" and
Connection at "Current Connection". Save changes at the Dialing
Directory's File, Save.
12. Press Alt-J, which sends the initialization string to the modem. You
should see it sent, and see an OK back from the modem. You can enter
"AT&V" and your modem should report its current settings and its
stored profiles to the screen if you are interested..
All finished! Now that wasn't so bad, was it. As you discover more about
your modem and its commands you can modify the settings stored in your
modem to adapt it to special circumstances.
-end-
_________________________________________________
> MISSION CRITICAL STR Spotlight COMING SOON TO A PC NEAR YOU!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Mission Critical
from
Legend Entertainment Company
PRODUCT INFORMATION
-------------------
Release Date: December, 1994
MSRP: $59.95
Legend's superior design skills, now coupled with the latest technology
create a new dimension in interactive entertainment! An intense and
exhilarating ride into the future!
After a savage battle in deep space, you are the only survivor aboard the
USS Lexington, a badly damaged heavy cruiser. The hull is breached, the
weapons systems are off-line, and the fusion engines are headed for
overload. And the bad news is more enemy ships are on their way. You
must race against time to return the Lexington to fighting trim and fend
off the attacking ships. Only then can you complete the Lexington's
desperate mission: to investigate an alien presence on an unexplored
world 68 light years from Earth. There you will make a stunning discovery
that could end 15 years of interplanetary war and forever change
humanity's relationship with the universe.
KEY FEATURES
------------
Part adventure game, part simulation and part interactive movie, this is
the game that will define a new genre! A virtual world with
smooth-scrolling 3D animation. Move smoothly through 3-dimensional man
made and alien environments featuring amazing futuristic technology,
exotic landscapes and horrifying alien creatures. Rendered in crisp
640x480 Super VGA. Full motion video with real actors. Interaction with
other game characters takes place through full motion video sequences
featuring synchronized audio. Breathtaking space combat sequences. An
elegant combat system and stunning Super VGA battle sequences featuring
external views of the combatant ships bring the excitement of space combat
to life.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
---------------------
Platform: MS-DOS CD-ROM
Required: Hard Disk, 2 MB RAM, Microsoft compatible mouse
Graphics: VESA compatible Super VGA, 256-Color VGA
Music: General MIDI, Sound Blaster, AdLib
SF/X: Sound Blaster & compatibles
Voice: Sound Blaster & compatibles
(c) 1994 Legend Entertainment Company. Mission Critical is a trademark of
Legend Entertainment Company. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
_________________________________
Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo)
Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.
GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric
Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
___ ___ _____ _______
/___| /___| /_____| /_______/ The Macintosh RoundTable
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An Official Forum of the International Computer Users Group
*** STReport available in MAC RT ***
ASCII TEXT
for ALL GEnie users!
MAC/APPLE SECTION (II)
======================
John Deegan, Editor (Temp)
> WORDPERFECT CORP STR Spotlight Growth Oriented with the User in mind
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
OPEN LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF WORDPERFECT
=============================================
June 27, 1994
Dear Customer:
I'm writing to let you know that today WordPerfect Corporation and Novell
Inc. announced the completion of our merger, and WordPerfect became the
new WordPerfect/Novell Applications Group.
As you can imagine, the last few months have been intense and exciting as
we have worked out the details of the two companies coming together.
Novell is one of the largest software companies in the world. And today,
the combined company is positioned better than anyone else to deliver
systems software and complementary application components that simplify
the way you work with others.
Why is this important? Because the scope of the network is expanding to
include everyone, everywhere. People are discovering the benefits of
being connected, so we can collaborate and get our work done quickly and
more effectively. One day, all of us will be linked through some kind of
network, and we will need applications that help us work with the network
we prefer.
Our charge at WordPerfect is to extend the value of our applications
beyond the desktop to take full advantage of advanced network services.
As part of the greater Novell, we are interested in opening up the network
to bring its power and potential to individual users. This means that
users will be able to access information, people and network services
anytime from anywhere at the office, at home, on the road, or even in
flight.
As we take on this responsibility, I want you to know that we are
committed to providing timely, accurate and personal customer support to
all of our customers. With the introduction of the revolutionary new
PerfectOffice applications suite, we will support every product, including
Paradox.
We are also committed to providing an open computing environment. Some
Novell customers use non-WordPerfect applications, and some WordPerfect
customers are connected through network services other than those provided
by Novell. And that's okay. We support the concept of coopetition,
meaning we believe in competing and cooperating at the same time. We will
continue to support industry standards, such as OpenDoc, that allow all
software vendors to compete in an open market. Of course, we plan to
aggressively develop, sell and support leading-edge, best-of-class
WordPerfect products.
At this exciting time in the communications industry, we want you to know
that we appreciate your business. We look forward to working with you to
help you.
Sincerely,
Ad Rietveld, President
WordPerfect/Novell Applications Group
***
NOVELL COMPLETES WORDPERFECT CORPORATION MERGER, PURCHASES
BORLAND'S QUATTRO PRO SPREADSHEET BUSINESS
Novell Becomes Leading Software Vendor
Spanning Networks and Applications
Provo, UT. -- June 27, 1994 -- Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL) and WordPerfect
Corporation today announced the completion of their merger and the
acquisition of Borland's Quattro Pro spreadsheet business bringing
together application software for words, numbers and graphics with the
systems software for pervasive computer networks. Novell is now a leading
provider of business and workgroup application software, as well as the
world's leading system software provider for networks.
"With Novell and WordPerfect technology Novell intends to lead the
industry's evolution to network applications. Applications that improve
our ability to access networked data, create easily shared information,
collaborate and communicate over the network whether from an at-home
office, on the road, or within a global corporation," said Bob
Frankenberg, president and chief executive officer of Novell.
"WordPerfect is key to Novell's drive to improve the way millions of
people work, play, buy, sell, govern and educate themselves through the
use of increasingly pervasive networks."
"Novell is an innovative software company and a catalyst for change. The
merger with WordPerfect and acquisition of Quattro Pro enables the
combined, greater Novell to broaden the scope of user and vendor partners
needs we can address with software components based on open interfaces and
standards," he added.
Novell's pooling of interest merger with WordPerfect is the largest
software acquisition in the history of the industry. The two companies'
combined 1993 revenue was $1.8 billion, making the company the third
largest software vendor after Microsoft and Computer Associates. The
WordPerfect Corporation and the Quattro Pro business from Borland have
become the WordPerfect/Novell Applications Group, a new business unit
within Novell. Ad Rietveld, formerly chief executive officer of
WordPerfect, is president of the new Novell group.
Rietveld said, "The decision to join Novell was driven by our perspective
on how the power of networks is transforming the applications industry.
Increasingly, today's applications will become network applications adding
new dimensions to their power, capabilities and ease-of-use. Joining
Novell means we'll continue to deliver the best applications to
WordPerfect users while making the evolution to network applications easy,
manageable, timely and effective."
"We join Novell creating a software powerhouse to deliver desktop,
software suite, groupware and network applications that define new
capabilities for individual computer users as well as for corporate
information systems," Rietveld added. Network applications leverage the
power, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of networks by taking advantage
of shared network services including global directories, storage,
messaging, security and workflow management. Networked document
management is one type of networked application. An excellent example is
WordPerfect's SoftSolutions which enables users to globally access
documents wherever they reside on the network regardless of the
application that created them, the operating systems on which they reside,
or the subnetwork through which they are connected. It also provides
document management for mobile computing by automating the synchronization
of documents and updating changes made by the mobile users when they
reconnect to the network. The combined company will now be able to
simultaneously evolve both the world's most popular network - NetWare, and
networked applications such as SoftSolutions to better address the needs
of knowledge workers in small and large firms alike.
The terms of the merger agreement have not changed from the definitive
agreement signed by the companies on March 21. Novell has exchanged 59
million shares of its stock and options, valued at approximately $855
million, for the outstanding shares of WordPerfect common stock and stock
options. On a fully diluted basis, the new shares represent approximately
15 percent of Novell's shares. As part of the WordPerfect merger, Novell
also completed its purchase of the Quattro Pro spreadsheet business from
Borland for approximately $145 million.
Until its merger with Novell, WordPerfect was a private company based in
Orem, Utah. In its last fiscal year, ended December 1993, WordPerfect had
total revenue of $707 million. WordPerfect is a worldwide leader in
providing business, workgroup, consumer and electronic publishing
software. It develops business software to help people process, share and
present information across a wide variety of computer operating systems.
Among the company's key products are: business applications including
WordPerfect, the world's best-selling word processor, and WordPerfect
Presentations; workgroup applications including WordPerfect Symmetry and
WordPerfect InForms; electronic publishing software including WordPerfect
Envoy; and, consumer products including WordPerfect InfoCentral and
WordPerfect Works.
Novell, Inc. is the leading computer networking company worldwide,
developer of network services, specialized and general purpose operating
system products, standalone to network applications, and programming
tools. The networks Novell serves span from small businesses to major
enterprises to global internetworks. Novell's NetWare, UnixWare, AppWare
and WordPerfect families of products provide matched system components for
sharing information resources within multivendor network computing
environments.
***
WORDPERFECT MAGAZINES TO APPEAR SIMULTANEOUSLY
ON ALL MAJOR ONLINE SERVICES
OREM, Utah July 6, 1994 WordPerfect Magazine and WordPerfect for Windows
Magazine will be available online with all major services beginning August
1. WordPerfect Magazines, a department of WordPerfect, the Novell
Applications Group, will be the first publisher to accomplish such broad
electronic access simultaneously.
This presence, called On-Line Access from WordPerfect Magazines, will
provide WordPerfect users with unprecedented access to magazine articles,
macros and archives, as well as allow communication with other readers and
editors.
WordPerfect Magazine and WordPerfect for Windows Magazine (combined
circulation of over 300,000 and readership of over 1 million) will be
available on CompuServe, America Online, Ziff-Davis Interactive's
Interchange, and others as the program develops. Why are the magazines
going online in so many places? According to Jeff Hadfield, editor of
WordPerfect for Windows Magazine, it's simple. "That's where our readers
and WordPerfect users are."
Hadfield continues, "No matter what major online service they belong to,
we'll be there. Our job is to help them use WordPerfect easier, faster and
better. So we'll go where they are to bring them our unique hands-on
help."
On-Line Access with WordPerfect Magazines 2-2-2 Readers and WordPerfect
users who have a modem will be able to get the following:
- Prominent magazine features, with their macros, forms
and other applications from each issue.
- The full text of WordPerfect Magazine and WordPerfect
for Windows Magazine's special bonus section, with
exclusive information about the hottest new WordPerfect
Corporation products.
- The chance to exchange messages with other readers,
WordPerfect users, WordPerfect magazine editors and
other industry personalities.
- Full indexes to all WordPerfect magazines.
- Exclusive online conferences with WordPerfect magazine
editors and special guests.
- The ability to download macros, templates and other
magazine companion files for a reasonable per-item
charge.
"Even if readers are not online, they'll benefit," says Hadfield. "It'll
be easier for us to communicate with their fellow readers. We'll quickly
know what they think." According to Bob Wright, producer/editor of
WordPerfect Electronic Magazines, "this will help us tailor the magazine
even more closely to their needs."
Wright continues, "But we won't stop there: we're using WordPerfect Envoy
technology to provide users with downloadable electronic editions of
articles that retain the attractive layouts of the paper edition."
Lee Phillips, vice president of industry marketing for Ziff-Davis
Interactive, says "WordPerfect magazines are great additions to the
magazine companions on the Interchange computing service." He continues,
"WordPerfect Magazine and WordPerfect for Windows Magazine's in-depth,
hands-on editorial complements the content from Ziff-Davis. We think
WordPerfect users will find Interchange a highly accessible source of
current information about getting the most from their software."
Jim Hogan, director of product marketing for CompuServe, says, "This
partnership further enhances communication between WordPerfect users who
are CompuServe members throughout the world. And, as a leader for
electronic computing support, we feel CompuServe provides WordPerfect
users with the most comprehensive online information to satisfy all their
support needs."
For more information, watch these online services or send an e-mail
message via the Internet to emag@wordperfect.com with the subject line
reading "help online." Or call Bob Wright at 801/227-3421.
**********************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
=================
STReport International Online Magazine is available every week for your
reading pleasure on DELPHI. STReport's readers are invited to join DELPHI
and become a part of an extremely friendly community of enthusiastic
computer users there.
SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI
======================
Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access
DELPHI services via a local phone call
JOIN --DELPHI
--------------
Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002
then...
When connected, press RETURN once or twice
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DELPHI's 20/20 Advantage Plan
20 Hours for Only $20!
-----------------------------
Advantage Members have always enjoyed the lowest DELPHI access rates
available. On the new 20/20 Advantage Plan, members receive their first 20
hours of access each month for only $20. If you happen to meet someone
online or find some other diversion, don't worry because additional usage
is only $1.80 per hour.
20/20 Advantage rates apply for access via SprintNet or Tymnet from
within the continental United States during home time or via direct dial
around the clock. Home Time is from 6pm to 6am weekdays. Access during
business time carries a surcharge of $9 per hour. These rates apply for
most services, but note that there are some surcharged areas on DELPHI
which are clearly marked with a "$" sign.
Who is eligible to take advantage of the plan? Any DELPHI member in
good standing. Applications are reviewed and subject to approval by
Delphi Internet Services Corporation.
It's easy to join. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can
apply online -- at any time -- for membership in the DELPHI 20/20
Advantage Plan. Your membership becomes active at 4 a.m. Eastern Time on
the first billing day of the following month.
The $20 charge will be billed to you at the beginning of the month to
which it applies. Any portion of the 20 hours not used in any month does
not carry forward into the next month.
Advantage rates may be changed with 30 days notice given online.
TRY DELPHI FOR $1 AN HOUR!
For a limited time, you can become a trial member of DELPHI, and
receive 5 hours of evening and weekend access during this month for only
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where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for a minimum
$10 monthly charge, with additional hours available at $3.96. But hurry,
this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage of this
limited offer, use your modem to dial 1-800-365-4636. Press <RET> once or
twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and press <RET> again.
Then, just answer the questions and within a day or two, you'll officially
be a member of DELPHI!
DELPHI-It's the BEST Value and getting BETTER all the time!
************************************************************
ATARI/JAG SECTION (III)
=======================
Dana Jacobson, Editor
> From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
News from the SCES is still buzzing everywhere. Unfortunately,
Atari computer news is, from where I sit, quiet. This is the usually
quiet time of the year for most people as most people tend to spend
more time out of the home rather than inside, unless of course you
prefer the solace in front of an air conditioner! The 4th of July is
past and summer vacations are upon us. Hopefully, you'll all find a
cool spot to spend a summer retreat somewhere; I know I'll be looking
for one!
We've got a lot of SCES coverage again in this issue as our two
reporters have been quite busy compiling their notes and putting
together a number of articles and reports. I'd like to commend both
Paul and Craig for all of their efforts in this endeavor; they've done
a great job to-date!
So let's get to it. It's too hot & humid here to sit and write a
lengthy editorial these days! Welcome to another fun-filled edition of
STReport's Atari issue!
Until next time...
Delphi's Atari Advantage!!
TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (7/6/94)
(1) AEO NEWS! #4 (6) XAES-NEW LETEMFLY
(2) STARBALL (7) GO UP!
(3) SPEED OF LIGHT VIEWER V3.1 *(8) CAIN NEWSLETTER
(4) TAZ-16 COLOR TERMINAL *(9) TERADESK V.1.39
(5) STREPORT SCES BULLETINS *(10) SYSTEM INFO CPX
* = New on list
HONORARY TOP 10
The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently
out-performing every other file in the databases.
STREPORT (Current issue: STREPORT #10.27)
ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO - VOLUME 3, ISSUE 10)
Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database.
___________________________________________________
> STraightFax Piracy! STR NewsFile! - Piracy Problem Arises Again!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
TAF Secretary Speaks Out!
=========================
30/June/1994
Someone has stolen from us. Someone has again made it difficult to live
and work with Atari computers. Someone has perpetrated a cruel and
venal act, violated a legal trust and in the process, left many of us
shocked and saddened.
There is a thief living among us. There is a dark and vicious spectre.
I would know its face, but it is shrouded. It lurks in the shadows cast
by greed, guilt and hatred. It is ugly and pathetic. Everything it
touches, becomes ugly and pathetic.
This message is about STraight FAX!. It is about the diseased, feral
little mind that cracked the STraight FAX! registration/copy protection
and uploaded the full program to several pirate BBS'S. It is about a
fear that Charles S. Smeton - the author of STraight FAX! - will not
continue to improve and expand the program. It is about stealing from
people who are utterly unable to afford the loss. It is about hurting
other human beings for no sane reason. It is about one less program
available for display on Atari merchants' shelves.
It is about certain people who may decide to track down the vermin that
caused this trouble in the first place. Just for fun. My people and I
don't like him. We don't even know him.....but we don't like him. And
if we hunt him down, we will use whatever lawfully expedient means are
at hand, to ensure his 'activities' are severely curtailed. If he is
reading this - peering out from beneath his damp rock - I hope he is not
laughing, for he does not know me or my compatriots. We have dealt with
his kind before, when they attacked our copyrights or tried to steal
the results of our hard work. There is a rotting trail of them spread
out behind us, prosecuted and punished. None of them are laughing now.
They thought they could use their computers to steal and vandalize.
They thought my compatriots and I were inept, artless fools.
They were wrong.
Please make note of the fact that my compatriots and I do not give a
sweet darn about Microsoft, Word Perfect, Borland, Novell, et al. While
we take care not to hurt them, we also note that those giant, monolithic
entities are powerful and capable of fending for themselves. Indeed,
they are doing so. Prosecutions are on the rise. Arrogant people are
finding out what it is like to be dragged from their homes by the
police - in front of their friends and closest family - to be charged
with theft and fraud. I am told it is an unpleasant experience.
My compatriots and I do care for some smaller, far less wealthy
programmers and software houses. Like Charles S. Smeton and NewStar
Technologies. Like Nathan Potechin and DMC Publishing. Like Keith Gerdes.
Like John Eidsvoog. Like Charles F. Johnson. Like Alan Page. Like......
a whole lot more. We all know them, if only by reputation. We use their
software. We are aware they do not have the massive financial resources
to survive repeated hits, by pirates, thieves and vandals.
My compatriots and I therefore, actually pay for and register the
Shareware and Commercial Software we use. We support and welcome every
new version and addition with anticipation and pleasure. We are not
'computer geeks', though, or fools. Nor are we odd, boring, sanctimonious
demagogues, bent on depressing everyone in sight. We are businessmen,
professionals and laborers. We use Atari (most of us prefer Atari),
Amiga, MAC, PC and Sun computers and software to conduct our daily
business. Some of that business is quite impressive. Some of it is
nondescript. In any case, we earn the money needed to pursue our
interests. We make mistakes and we sometimes stretch ethical limits,
but we pay our way. We do not hurt people.
Those who do not pay their way, are enemies. Those vile animals, sit
slouched or hunched over hot, overworked terminals, finding evermore
complex ways of stealing. They would have us believe they are living
in Cyberspace. They fancy themselves as pot-bellied, pale, poorly
nourished, dishevelled Cybernauts. Or something. They believe that if
a thing can be had, it must be taken. They represent an underworld of
neurotic attitudes and borderline personalities claiming a belief that
all software must be distributed for the benefit of the masses; or
simply stolen for its own sake, to prove that tasty morsels can be
snatched from a lion's jaws. It is a foolish occupation and a sad,
dangerous way to live.
Could it be they are merely thieves, hiding behind the facade of some
simplistic attitude stolen from the notions of a tiny group of
programmers whose heyday reached a zenith back in 1964? Could it be they
are the sycophants and toadies of rival corporations, bent on Atari's
destruction? Is this possibly how corporate America eats its young? I
don't much care. I have little patience for tales about a thief's
difficult childhood, or a corporation's internecine rivalries. One of
them has stolen. The theft has damaged private, peaceful interests - and
hurt people - for no sane reason. That is all that matters.
Of course, the thief must leave now. It must find a way to live without
stealing. Atari is much too easy a target, anyway. And there are people
around, who find Its activities reprehensible. There are programmers
around now, who believe that stealing software (the result of years of
work and study and worry and care) is tantamount to a physical assault.
There are programmers around now who are having trouble feeding their
families because too much has been stolen from them.
Whoever you are.....know this: We can be uncivilized. We can even be
downright rude. And if we catch you....we're going to give your name
to the police and the programmers; ALL of the police and ALL of the
programmers. Just for fun.
Everyone gets caught....eventually. Everyone. You pirates have been
watching us, plotting and stealing from us. Perhaps you will feel a
slight shiver of discomfort when I suggest.....we are now watching you.
Find something else to do. Have a nice day.
Regards, Howard E. Carson,
President, Resartus Corporation
Secretary, Toronto Atari Federation
E-Mail: howard.carson@canrem.com h.carson1@genie.geis.com
__________________________________________
Jaguar Section
==============
More SCES News, Jeff Minter
Interview, Raiden & Dudes
"Reviews", Jag-Ware, and more!!
> From the Editor's Controller - "Playin' It Like It Is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The excitement generated by Atari's "performance" at the recent
SCES is still with us. The SCES introduced us to a number of pending
games in some degree of completion, with many games destined for
release in the coming months. In this week's issue, we'll take a look
at those games for those of you waiting to see what's in store for your
Jaguar-gaming enjoyment.
Also in this issue is an interview with Llamasoft's Jeff Minter,
author of "Tempest 2000". As of this writing, I haven't seen this
interview yet but it promises to be an interesting one!
Also included is a "different" feel for "Raiden" and "Dino Dudes,"
by Marty Mankins.
We've finally heard from our long-lost staffer, Jeff Kovach! I
"caught" Jeff OnLine the other day after a long "absence" from the
OnLine scene. Jeff's been overworked (and probably under-paid!) at his
job and hasn't been able to devote any time for much of anything.
That's abated a bit, according to Jeff. Jeff is working on putting
together a column devoted to Jaguar news originating from the Internet,
including such items such as the Jaguar FAQs and FACs, and other
interesting news tidbits. Look for Jeff's column to start appearing
shortly in our Jaguar issues.
"Wolfenstein 3d" is now shipping, in limited quantities!! Atari's
Don Thomas has confirmed that the initial "pre-release" shipment has
been received and shipped to various dealers and stores. Expect to see
a more widely-distributed shipment in about 2 weeks! Also, "Brutal
Sports Football" is expected to be shipped on the 27th of this month.
We're anxiously awaiting review copies of both games, so stay tuned!
There's a lot to cover, so let's get to it!
Until next time...
_______________________________________________
> Jaguar Catalog STR InfoFile - What's currently available, what's
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" coming out.
Current Available Titles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
J9000 Cybermorph $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9006 Evolution:Dino Dudes $49.99 Atari Corp.
J9005 Raiden $49.99 FABTEK, Inc/Atari Corp.
J9001 Trevor McFur/
Crescent Galaxy $49.99 Atari Corp.
J9010 Tempest 2000 $59.95 Llamasoft/Atari Corp.
Wolfenstein 3D id/Atari Corp.
Brutal Sports FtBall Telegames
Available Soon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
CatBox $49.95 ICD
CatBox+ $69.95 ICD
Hardware and Peripherals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER
J8001 Jaguar (complete) $249.99 Atari Corp.
J8904 Composite Cable $19.95
J8901 Controller/Joypad $24.95 Atari Corp.
J8905 S-Video Cable $19.95
___________________________________
> Atari's Jag-Ware Catalog! STR InfoFile! - "Jaguar 'Wares' Available!"
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ATARI JAG-WARE
--------------
The following items are available after July 1, 1994 as announced by
Atari Corporation on June 23, 1994 at the Summer Consumer Electronics
Show in Chicago. All items are top quality and are officially licensed
by Atari Corporation. Contact Norscot Group, Inc. for a color catalog.
These items are NOT available direct from Atari. Also check popular
OnLine services and publications for releases of product pictures in
various image formats to view on your computer.
Please read disclaimers at end of file.
To order products or obtain a color catalog, contact:
NORSCOT GROUP(r), INC. (since 1970)
10510 North Port Washington Road
Mequon, WI 53092-5500 U.S.A.
TOLL FREE USA & CANADA ...... 1-800-653-3313
FAX TOLL FREE USA & CANADA .. 1-800-653-4904
INTERNATIONAL ............... 414-241-3313
FAX INTERNATIONAL ........... 414-241-4904
DEALER and DISTRIBUTOR inquiries welcome! 414-241-3313
A. CAP (#185001) $14.95
100% cotton twill baseball cap. Adjustable back-strap.
Black. Embroidered Jaguar logo on front in red.
Embroidered Atari logo on back in white. Screened red
cat scratch marks on visor. Made in the USA.
B. T-SHIRT (#185002) $14.95 S-M-L-XL-XXL
100% cotton heavyweight T-shirt. Taped crew neck. Black
with a Jaguar screened full front and the Jaguar logo
screened on the back. Made in the USA.
C. SHORTS (#185005) $16.95 S-M-L-XL
These comfortable shorts are extra long with side seam
pockets and a drawcord waistband. Made of heavy-weight
7oz. 100% cotton. Black with the Jaguar logo and cat
scratches screened on the left leg in red and Atari logo
screened on the right leg in red. Made in the USA.
D. HOODED SWEATSHIRT (#185003) $27.95 S-M-L-XL-XXL
50/50 cotton/polyester 7oz. hooded sweatshirt. Double
sided pouch pocket, ribbed cuffs and band bottom. Black
with a Jaguar screened full front and the Jaguar logo
screened on the back. Made in the USA.
E. DENIM JACKET (#185006) $97.95 S-M-L-XL-XXL
This classic jean jacket is made of 100% cotton stone-
washed denim and is sure to make a super impression.
Traditional styling includes six button front, flap
chest pockets and seam detailing. Jaguar logo embossed
across back and embroidered on the left chest in red.
Made in the USA.
F. FASHION COLLAR SHIRT (#185020) $37.95 S-M-L-XL-XXL
100% cotton pique shirt with two button placket, banded
sleeves and extended tail with vents. Black with the
Jaguar logo embroidered left chest in red.
Made in the USA.
G. LONG SLEEVE SPORT SHIRT (#185004) $22.95 S-M-L-XL-XXL
Heavyweight 7oz. 100% cotton sport shirt. Long sleeves
and 3 woodtone buttons. Ash body and red sleeves. Jaguar
logo on the left chest and across the back in red.
Made in the USA.
H. DUFFEL BAG (#185008) $32.95 20" x 10" x 10"
This large square duffel goes everywhere. Black with red
web trim and handles. The Jaguar logo is featured in red
with the Atari logo in white. Heavy-duty 1000 denier
nylon cordura.
I. WAIST PACK (#185007) $9.95 6 3/4" x 4" x 3"
Zip front and adjustable poly web waist strap make this
waist pack perfect for those on the go. Sized to carry
essentials. Black 1000 denier nylon. Jaguar logo in red.
J. LAPEL PIN (#185016) $4.95
The Jaguar logo in fine pewter with brass finish and red
enamel color fill. Standard post and brass military
clutch.
K. KEY CHAIN (#185011) $2.95
Awesome! This acrylic key tag shows it all. The Jaguar
logo printed on one side with a 3-D laser Jaguar
hologram on the opposite side. Steel split ring.
Virtually unbreakable.
L. BIKE BOTTLE (#185013) $4.95
For the fun times, carry this 30oz. bike bottle.
Odorless, taste-free and totally FDA approved. Made of
low-density polyethylene for squeezability. Black with
the Jaguar logo in red.
M. SPORT BOTTLE (#185012) $3.95
Perfect for car, home or office. Features straw cap and
32oz. capacity. Black with the Jaguar logo in red.
N. ATTACH (#185019) $33.95 17" x 13" x 4 1/2"
Pack up your games and go. Use this nifty black attach
featuring the Jaguar logo to carry pens, keys,
calculator and more. Adjustable and removable shoulder
strap. 600 denier polyester with PVC backing.
O. PEN (#185009) $9.95
The sport vector roller ball from Parker features a
custom Jaguar print with the Jaguar logo in red and the
Atari logo in black. Gift boxed.
P. COFFEE MUG (#185010) $7.95
11oz. ceramic "magic" mug. Black with screened Jaguar
logo in red. Fill it up with a hot beverage and watch
the Jaguar eyes appear.
Q. SUN GLASSES (#185014) $8.95
Classic style with satin-like acetate frame. UV
protection. Black with Jaguar logo in red on bow. White
strap with Jaguar and Atari logos screened in red. Black
case included.
R. WRIST WATCH (#185015) $35.95
A black leather band and a black metal case set off the
3-D laser hologram face on this watch. Swiss parts
movement. Shock and water resistant. 3 year warranty.
Gift boxed.
DISCLAIMERS
-----------
Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation.
Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Norscot is a
registered trademark of Norscot Group, Inc. This file may
be distributed freely in its entire form ONLY and with
distributor's intent to support the Atari Jaguar 64-bit
gaming system. Prices, availability, descriptions and terms
are subject to change without notice. Atari Corporation and
Norscot Group Inc. are not responsible for typographical
errors, modifications or omissions in this file.
______________________________________________
> Jaguar Developers STR InfoFile - Current Developer Lists & Titles
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Interview with the Author of Tempest 2000!
** Llamasoft's Jeff Minter **
by Paul Charchian
Jeff Minter is one of those guys who you can recognize without ever
having seen him. If you've seen his many posts on the Internet, you know
enough about his personality to peg him instantly.
When I turned to see why such a huge group of people had gathered
around Atari's Tempest 2000 exhibit at SCES I saw him playing the game.
Behind him stood 40 or so on-lookers, most of whom seemed stunned at the
relative ease with which he was blasting through levels. Jeff stands about
six foot three inches, with long stringy brown hair, and about 3% body
fat.
His years of squinting at monitors has left him with a becoming pair
of small round glasses. His most distinguishing feature, however, was his
beard which begins as ear-hugging sideburns and extends throughout his
neck, missing his face altogether. You just know it's him when you see
him. Of course, his 700,000 point game was a tip-off as well.
I'm not sure if this constitutes a tip or not, but he holds his
controller in such a manner that allows him to press the A, B and C
buttons with his index, middle and ring finger, rather than using his
thumb for all three as most would. Between Tempest 2000 levels he would
get into the beat of the music, doing a little dance and moving with
the rhythm. He seemed to really love playing his game.
Shortly after finishing the game (a 70+ level excursion that he
later described as "disappointing") I got to talk to Jeff about Tempest,
Internet, and his newest Godchild, the Virtual Light Machine. Jeff's
responses to my questions came by way of an affable English accent and
a good natured spirit. I can honestly say that Jeff is among the nicest
guys that you'll ever meet in the industry.
PC: I saw you playing Tempest, and obviously it is something that you
still enjoy doing.
JM: Very much.
PC: At some point do you see yourself tiring of it?
JM: Not really. It's not one of those games that you get tired of.
I never got tired of the arcade version. It's just unending. You
just keep blasting away. I'm going to enjoy it forever.
PC: What are the qualities that make a game replayable?
JM: It's got to feel nice and be a continual challenge. For example,
you saw me playing Tempest, and I've lost my edge because I've spent so
much time on the Virtual Light Machine (VLM). I'm out of practice.
I'm not where I used to be. It was the same thing with Stargate.
There was a time when I played Stargate everyday and got really good
with it, but if I played it now, I'd have to restart the learning curve.
You shouldn't be able to master a game too easily. Even if you do beat
it, it shouldn't be final. There is an "ending" in Tempest, but you
can always be a bit more efficient playing it, pick up more powerups,
get more points, and shoot more enemies. There's always the challenge
of getting the high score even after you've beaten the game. If there
is always the possibility of doing things a little bit better the next
time, that keeps you coming back to a game.
PC: How long did it take you to beat your own game?
JM: I've never completely beaten it. I've never been all the way
through it in beastly mode. I've gotten to beastly mode. After the
game went into development it took me three weeks to get there, to
beastly mode. There are guys that are much better than that. There is
one guy I know who got to beastly mode and beat it in under two weeks.
But he was doing nothing else for two weeks. I'd see him on Internet
and he be saying, "it's two o'clock in the morning and I'm still playing
Tempest!" And he still plays the game even now.
PC: That sounds like the kind of testimonial you would like to see come
out of one of your games.
JM: Yeah, that's it. If you can do that, you've made a game that can
last.
PC: How many people helped you program Tempest?
JM: The DSP coding was done my Imagitech who created the tunes. The
rest of the coding I did myself.
PC: What makes Jeff Minter special that you can have something out in
a handful of months, while other titles, like Alien Vs Predator have
been in the works for almost a year now?
JM: My game is a lot simpler than AvP. There isn't anywhere near the
complexity that there is in AvP. To be fair to the guys doing AvP, I
think they're doing a very good job. Part of the trouble they've got
now is that there's been so much hype about AvP that they've got to put
a lot of spit and polish into it. If it's not nye-on-perfect when it
comes out, people are going to give them shit about it. They're in a
very stressful position. I wouldn't want to be in that position right
now. They are good solid coders. They're good guys. They are doing
some excellent stuff.
PC: Are you somebody that needs to code alone?
JM: I prefer to code alone. That's why I live out in Wales. Total
isolation and peace to do my coding. I can take short periods of being
in an office environment. When I'm out in Sunnyvale, they stick me in
a cube, and there are people walking by me, sticking their nose in,
seeing how things are going. I don't like that as much as working on
my own, but I can deal with it for a short period of time.
PC: How much blood went into that game?
JM: Well, there's quite a bit of skull sweat in it. Not so much that
it was technically difficult, but rather that there was a great deal of
tweaking to be done. You've got to polish that stuff to that people
will come back to play it. If a game looks good, but doesn't have the
playability it just sucks.
PC: You'd have a 3DO.
JM: Yeah, right. So a lot of it was playing it and polishing it. A
lot of people play tested it. Feedback is very important.
PC: Are you one of those people that thrives on negative feedback?
JM: I look for constructive criticism. Recently I got on the Internet,
and it's quite interesting being there because I get to hear what
people say about it. I want to hear what people have to say so that I
can do things better next time. I don't like the kind of person that
says its a crap game, and doesn't give you any reason. They're just
there to wind you up. That sucks. Nobody likes that. But if someone
comes along and says specifically what they don't like about my games,
then I'll listen and I'll take it nicely. I think it is important to
listen to the users. They are the customers after all.
PC: You are about as active as any developer I've seen on the Internet.
I always see you posting and responding to posts. Why is it that so
many other developers don't want to have that kind of interaction with
the end user?
JM: I don't know. It's a mystery to me. It does soak up a bit of
time. You have to set aside a few hours a day dealing with it,
answering people's questions, and that kind of stuff. Some people just
don't want to deal with it, but to me it's a lot better than watching
television. I haven't been on there that long. I only got my modem in
February. But I enjoy it a great deal. I really don't understand why
more developers don't use it. They hang-out with their developer groups,
but not with the end-users. To me, the end-users are so important.
They have to be. They're the ones paying the money for the games at
the end of the day. Sure, Atari is commissioning you to do this, but
you want to hear what the word on the street is so that you can satisfy
those people next time around. Certainly, I'd like to see more
developers on there.
PC: Has your use of the Internet impacted how you work with Atari?
JM: Not yet. The reason I got my modem in the first place was to log
onto Atari's BBS. I can squirt them code, and download code, and that
sort of stuff. I'm going to stop doing that now however. I'm going to
get a CompuServe account because basically otherwise I've got to dial-up
California, all the while I'm thinking "three quid a minute, three quid
a minute." After a half hour download, I'm thinking "oh my God, my
phone bill has just gone through the roof!" At least with CompuServe
I'll be able to get in there while dialing the UK.
PC: Whose idea was the VLM? Did Atari approach you or did you talk to
them first?
JM: We approached them with it. It's not purely a Llamasoft production.
I started about 10 years ago playing with the idea of interactive
graphics and light that went with music. Two or three years ago another
couple of guys who had pretty much the same idea approached me. We got
to talking, and decided to start a company called the Virtual Light
Company. The VLM is a Virtual Light Company product. There have been
two of us working on it. I've been doing the graphics side of it.
There is also a very talented guy called Dr. Ian Bennett who worked on
it. This is the first product of the Virtual Light Company. We see
more things, hopefully with an Atari tie-in at some point.
PC: I noticed that the VLM had a number of screens that allowed you to
change the graphics in, what seemed like, hundreds of ways to create
millions of iterations of images to flow with the music.
JM: That's my edit screen that I use to build the modes that will be
in there. Some of that may go away when it's actually released so as
not to confuse the poor user. But we are thinking of leaving a subset
of that behind a backdoor so if someone does want to get in there and
mess around they can. The problem is that there is nowhere to save
effects on the CD ROM since it is a read-only medium. So it is not
really appropriate to provide that level of functionality. What the
end user will do in the end is select banks with the cursor and fire
button. We'll give the users 81 solid effects - or about 80 more than
the 3D0 will give you.
PC: What kinds of music did you listen to while testing the VLM?
JM: All sorts. When I was in Sunnyvale, everyone would stop by my
booth and drop off CD's asking my to "try this one Jeff, and this one."
PC: Be specific, tell me what you listened to while you were
experimenting with the VLM.
JM: The new Floyd album is excellent. I also listened to the a lot of
rave stuff. I'm quite into rave as doubtless you know if you've played
Tempest. The new Blur album is really good. I like In Spiral Carpets.
Tangerine Dream is also one of my favorites.
PC: Does the VLM react better to a certain type of music?
JM: The way I've laid out the banks is that there will be a couple of
"ravey" banks and they work well with something with a strong beat
behind it. There are a couple of banks that work well with classical
music, some others that work well with Tangerine Dream and drifty music.
There will be a number of other tracks that will be general purpose
banks that will work well with anything. In the final version, the
banks will be named to reflect the kind of music they go best with.
PC: What's your next project?
JM: It looks like the next thing I'm going to do is a portion of a
CD-ROM game that I'm not sure that I can talk about yet. It is going
to be a quite interesting game. My part will be psychedelic. It is a
very large game, and I'm just doing a segment of it.
PC: If Atari came to you and said "Jeff, do whatever you want. We'll
fund you and support you 100%", what would you do?
JM: I'd start by doing a Jaguar version of Llamatron. There would be
a massive scrolling arena. It would have the dungeon effect of DOOM,
but with the overhead view in Llamatron. It'd have that manic
in-your-face blowing away enemies all the time and lots of big weapons
and smart-bombs and stuff. Then I'd have it linked with four players.
You'd have a total blast-fest really, with cute fluffy animals in the
middle of it. It'd be cool.
PC: Where do you see yourself a year from now.
JM: Right in front of a Jaguar, I expect.
PC: Do you consider Jag coding your career?
JM: I'm very happy to work on the Jaguar, but I'm not obliged to work
on the Jaguar. I'm still working freelance. I like to work with Atari.
They pay me well, and I really like their hardware, so I don't see why
I wouldn't be working on the Jaguar for quite a long time to come. I
think John Skruch intends to keep me chained to a Jaguar for the rest
of my natural life.
PC: What is your background that helped make you into who you are
today? I imagine that you must have a ton of math in your past.
JM: No, no I'm crap with math.
PC: When I look at Tempest and see the rotating images maintaining
perfect proportion, I assumed that you must have known a ton of math to
keep everything scaling perfectly.
JM: I've just got my brain around how to project things in 3D basically.
The math is really quite simple. I just about know one end of a sine
wave from the other. But, I'm no math magician. I know people that
are, and it's a different life. I'm competent at a fairly low level of
math. Enough to get Tempest going.
PC: What was the deciding moment in your life that ended up making you
a programmer?
JM: I walked into the wrong room when I was in college. It was ages
ago, and there was a Commodore Pet there. Some guy was playing a game
on the Pet. I had played Space Invaders, but had never really
associated games with something that you "could do." I always thought
they were just things in boxes in arcades. So when I saw this guy
playing on his Pet, I said to him "where did that game come from?" He
said that he'd made it. I thought "Shit! You can make games? I want
to do that!" I went to the library and got a book on Basic. The
next day I came in early and that was it, I'd started. I was on the
rocky road.
PC: With Basic, you certainly were.
JM: I stuck with Basic for about three months and then I went to
assembler because basic, you know, sucks. In English class people
thought I was taking notes on Chaucer, but instead I was actually
writing hex-pairs.
PC: What was it like to "invent the wheel" as an early Jaguar
programmer?
JM: I was fortunate to have my learning curve on the Jag severely eased
by the fact that they brought me out at the end of 1992 to work on a
prototype Jaguar. So I was sitting there in the heart of Atari, and
Leonard was sitting right next to me. So anytime I needed help, they'd
tell me. Really, the Jaguar is very easy to learn. It is very
logically laid out. If you've ever programmed anything like an ST or
Amiga then it's a logical extension. You've got the 68K, and then you
start to invoke the co-processors. It took me about three days until I
had everything talking to everything else. It's logical, it makes
sense. It's well laid out. It's not obscure or arcane.
PC: Atari comes to you and says we want your input on the Jaguar II.
You know Jag I as well as anybody. What do you tell them?
JM: I might suggest a couple of modifications to the blitter.
PC: Can you be specific?
JM: Not without getting into technical areas that I can't get into.
There's not much wrong with Jag I. I might want to see a bit more
hardware support for certain graphics modes, but basically, more, faster
would be good.
PC: When isn't that good?
JM: You can never have too much speed or too many polygons. There's
no such thing as too many polygons.
PC: Which video games influenced you?
JM: Anything by Eugene Jarvis. He's my god. He's the man you invented
Defender, Stargate and Robotron.
PC: Wow.
JM: Absolutely, "Wow!" I don't think I'd be in this business at all
if it weren't for him. The first game I ever did was a version of
Defender. That man has done some of the best explosions ever in a game.
There are bits flying everywhere, which you know I love. He'd be my
number one influence throughout my career. I may get to meet him while
I'm here in Chicago. He works for Williams, which is located here. A
friend is trying to arrange a meeting. That would be amazing.
PC: We're not worthy!
JM: Absolutely.
PC: It's kinda like climbing up the mountain to see the wise man.
What will you ask him when you meet him?
JM: I'd say, "You want a beer?" I don't know, I guess I'll cross that
bridge when I get there. I guess I'd ask him what it was like writing
Defender. I guess I'd ask him the same questions that you are asking
me.
** Beyond Games, Inc. and "Ultra Vortex" **
Greetings one and all from Beyond Games, Inc!
Having returned from the CES Monday and finally catching up on
lost sleep, the Ultra Vortex FAQ is on-line. For those of you out there
who have not heard of UV (or Beyond Games), I'll fill you in with a
little background on who we are. Those of you how already know, feel
free to skip ahead ;)
Beyond Games, Inc. is a software developer out of Salt Lake City,
who has been on the vid-game scene for about two years. Our first title
release was the award winning game 'BattleWheels' for the Lynx: A six
player auto-combat game in full 3-D. The Ultra Vortex will be our first
Jaguar title, and will be available in stores early 4th quarter of this
year.
Before I get into more detail on the game, let me first say that
the Press/Buyer response at the SCES regarding UV was great! Everyone
was impressed with the characters, backgrounds, and music (more in a bit).
One editor for a nationally available video game magazine was quoted as
saying "This blows the shit out of Way of the Warrior" [His words, not
mine]. With the game being only 3 months along, I take this as a very
good indicator of how the final product will be received.
Anyway, on with the FAQ!
#####The Story...
The history of mankind has been fraught with warrior races such as
the Aztecs,Mongols, and ancient Romans (just to name a few). Since the
dawn of time, societies have evolved these classes that were supposed to
build and maintain the empire for 1000's of years. For reasons not known
until now, all were found wanting and faded into obscurity. It is now
the year 2152. The Time of the Testing has once again come upon the
societies of Earth, through the will of an entity known only as the
Guardian of the Vortex. This Guardian has been lording its Vortex-given
powers over the human races, Testing the planets finest warriors since
the dawn of mankind. The Guardian has issued its final verdict: "This
time, should any of Earth's finest warriors fail to defeat me, not only
will I crush your society, but your planet as well!" The final Test
is at hand.
#####The Characters...
The Warriors of the Underground have evolved into three major
gangs. T
he MeatHackers: Those of human decent with unaltered DNA, the
PowerShifters: Eugeneticly designed 'mutants' who can alter their
cellular structures in some form, and The Society of Machines, Androids,
and Cyborgs (S.M.A.C.): A collection of 'robots' who have gained the
abilities of AI and 'self-determination'. These are the combatants, and
the Testing will determine which warrior earns the right to challenge
the Guardian.
---MeatHackers
Lucius: A Mod-Primitive who has learned how to harness the power
of the Vortex in the form of blue plasma energy. His 'special' abilities
run from throwing lightning bolts, to hypnotizing opponents, and being
able to project his image into that of an eagle.
DreadLoc: A Rude-Boy who has developed a deadly form of modified
staff fighting. No magic, no technology, just pure technique that will
take your breath (and your head) away.
Visigothic: From the mean-streets. His flowing, Kempo-based style
of street fighting revolves around his use of retractable spikes and
blades located at key points of his body. He's your basic brawler who
hits hard and fast.
---PowerShifters
Volcana: The most human of this gang, she is able to manipulate
fire in it's various forms. From a ball of fire thrown at an opponent,
to turning her body into a spinning ball of flame when in a jumping
attack, Volcana has mastered the art of playing with fire.
Grunge: Looking like a ball of slime that has crawled from the
sewer, he is able to shift his acidic 'body' into forms that can envelop,
dissolve, or simply swallow other warriors. To touch his skin is to
touch chemicals that can dissolve organic material.
Grok: A pile of bricks has nothing on this guy when it comes to
soaking up damage. With a body comprised of individual rock-like pieces,
his ability to manipulate these parts makes him a hard character to
damage or avoid.
---S.M.A.C.
BuzzSaw: Mass produced as a 'lumber-bot' for the logging industry,
BuzzSaw's humanoid body is festooned with saw blades of various size and
proportions designed to cut down the largest tree. These blades, it's
been found, work just as well on opponents.
SkulKrushr: Designed as an all-purpose constructions bot, his
oversized hands made for crushing rock and concrete, coupled with a
cutting torch eye-lazer, make for a versatile and dangerous opponent.
***Please be advised that this is a partial list of characters. I
could go through right now and list each move of every character (I will
at a later date) but to avoid sounding redundant, suffice to say that
each character will have access to projectiles, teleports, grabs,
grapples,
throws, jumps, punches, kicks, head-dives, morphs, etc. in some form or
another and that to list these moves singularly will make it look like
game has 100's more options than what actually exist. [No used car
salesmen here!]***
The characters themselves are all digitized. Most are human actors,
but Grunge is clay-mation and SkulKrushr is a stop-animation model.
Some people at the CES could not believe that BuzzSaw was a human in
costume, but indeed he is. Trust me, I know... ;)
#####Backgrounds
The backgrounds must really be seen to be described. All of the
images in Ultra Vortex are photorealistic objects, textures, etc.,
'warped' to fit the visions of our artists. All of the backgrounds are
animated, some with objects that are close to the full size of the screen.
Interactive....1000's of colors....you'll just have to see them to
believe them. It's been said (by some who saw the game at the CES),
that UV has the most mind-bending realistic backgrounds of any fighting
game out there.
#####Music/Voices
The music comes from several local composer/performers and can
loosely be described as Industrial-Techno-Hardcore Rap-Grunge. There's
a song for each screen/character (so...uhhh, 10 + songs) and each uses
6 tracks at a time with real sampled instruments that rival any CD-base
recording, pushing the DSP chip to the max! The sampled voice of the
Guardian is unlike anything you've ever heard before (Imagine Tim Curry
in the film 'Legend', make his voice twice as evil, and you have an
idea of what it sounds like). From his comments, to his laugh when you
screw-up a move, the Guardian will have your hair standing on end.
#####The Game
The game itself falls under the 'two player fighting' genera, but
will have (has) both unique and 'previously used' features never before
combined into one package. Imagine the unique styles and character
moves/animation's of SF II, merged with the look and speed of MK and
you begin to describe what UV looks and plays like. The multi-scrolling
action of the backgrounds is very fluid, and the smoothness of the player
animation's (i.e. their moves) rivals that of the arcade version of
Mortal Kombat II.
Each of the 10 characters and 2 bosses are unique in style and
concept. Each has their own look (no color cycling here) characteristics,
and method of playability. Each has an array of special moves,
attacks/defenses, and several gut-busting, head-chopping fatalities.
(Yes there will be fatalities and a 'lock-out' code so parents can
'protect' their children)
At some point in time GIF's will be made available to one and all,
IF I can find a place to upload them to. (Anyone with a FTP site, feel
free to contact me!) Look for screenshots/previews in just about every
major video game magazine in the next few weeks and, as always, feel free
to send questions/comments/whatevers to:
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Tim @ Beyond Games, Inc. E-mail: tim.huntsman@m.cc.utah.edu |
| |
| Beyond Games, Inc. Phone#: (801)531-8500 *order/info* |
| PO Box 2754 Fax #: (801)531-1620 *yep..a fax* |
| Salt Lake City, UT 84110 <<Jaguar, 3DO,Lynx is our business>> |
| |
| **Gentlemen! There will be no fighting in here! This is the War Room!**|
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
> 1994 Expected Jaguar Titles! STR InfoFile!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Below is a list of software titles planned for release in 1994 by Atari
or third party. Data obtained from printed sources provided at the
Summer Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held June 23 through June 25 in
Chicago (1994). Titles marked by "*" were demonstrated as complete or
"work in progress" at the show.
Clearly, all of this will not meet our 1994 release goals, however,
much of it will and the remainder will follow soon thereafter.
*Alien vs. Predator (AvP) Atari Corporation
*Battlezone Atari Corporation
Battlemorph Atari Corporation
*Blue Lightning (CD-ROM) Atari Corporation
*Bubsy Atari Corporation
*Checkered Flag (was Red Line) Atari Corporation
*Club Drive (voice/modem) Atari Corporation
*Cybermorph Atari Corporation
Demolition Man (CD-ROM) Atari Corporation
*Dino Dudes Atari Corporation
Doom (Network, Voice/Modem) Atari Corporation
Highlander (CD-ROM) Atari Corporation
*Iron Soldier Atari Corporation
*Jack Nicklaus Cyber Golf (CD) Atari Corporation
*Kasumi Ninja Atari Corporation
*Raiden Atari Corporation
*Space War Atari Corporation
*Tempest 2000 Atari Corporation
*Trevor McFur/Crescent Galaxy Atari Corporation
*Wolfenstein 3D Atari Corporation
Pinball Dreams 21st Century
*Starbattle (working title) 4-Play
Hosenose and Booger All Systems Go
BIOS Fear All Systems Go
BattleWheels Beyond Games Inc.
*Ultra Vortex Beyond Games Inc.
Nanoterror (working title) Delta Music Systems
Droppings (working title) Delta Music Systems
Lester the Unlikely DTMC
*Zool 2 Gremlin Graphics
*Ruiner High Voltage Software
Kickoff 3/World Cup Imagineer
Valus Force JVC Muc\sical Undustrie Inc.
Gunship 2000 Microprose UK
Commando Microids
Evidence Microids
Air Cars MidNite Entertainment Inc.
Dungeon Depths MidNite Entertainment Inc.
Assault MidNite Entertainment Inc.
World Cup Soccer Millenium/Teque
Ape Sh_t (working title) Ocean Software Ltd.
Lobo Ocean Software Ltd.
Theme Park Ocean Software Ltd.
Soccer Kid Ocean Software Ltd.
Syndicate Ocean Software Ltd.
Galatic Gladiators Photosurealism
Neurodancer PIXIS Interactive
*Rally (working title) Rage
Dragon's Lair Readysoft
Robinson's Requiem Silmarils
*Brutal Sports Football Telegames
Ultimate Brain Games Telegames
*World Class Cricket Telegames
*White Men Can't Jump Trimark Interactive
Flashback U.S. Gold Ltd.
*Rayman UBI Soft
Horrorscope V-Real
*Arena Football V-Real
Cannon Fodder Virgin Interactive
Creature Shock Virgin Interactive
Extreme Skiing/Snowboard Virtual Studios
Zozziorx (working title) Virtual Experience
Indiana Jags (working title) Virtual Experience
*Double Dragon V Williams Entertainment Inc.
*Troy Aikman NFL Football Williams Entertainment Inc.
All titles are trademarks of their owning companies.
_____________________________________
> 'Raiden'! STR Jaguar Review! - "Real World" Review: LIFE IN RAIDEN
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
RAIDEN - REVIEWED
=================
by Marty Mankins
This is the first real world game review. In this review, life is
portrayed as part of the game. The review is based on what you will
encounter while playing the game, as if you are actually the player in
the game. Kind of like the TV show, QUANTUM LEAP, where Scott Bakula is
actually moving between characters in a series of different time zones.
The effect to the reader is to actually picture themselves in the game.
The first few reviews may be weak, but give it some time and the reviews
will actually make you feel like you are a part of the game. - M.M.
It's 5am in the morning. The first meeting of the day has been
called. In this meeting, your boss gives you some paperwork. All of the
other guys are there, staring at you. Finally, about half way through the
meeting, your boss says, "Commander Davis, you've been chosen to
participate in one of the toughest missions to date. Your job is to
battle every single offender of the world. You are given quite a few
planes to do it, but it won't be easy. There are going to be all sorts
of obstacles. You get to rest for fuel stops and to fix up your current
plane, but that's about it. Your job is a never-ending one. It's not
easy, but there could be some fun if you really get into it." Your boss
rests his voice, waiting for your response. You answer back. "Well,
it does appear to be a tough mission, but I'll take it." One of the
other guys pipes up, "Congrats!" Another fellow speaks up and says,
"Good luck. And if you look really hard before you start your mission,
you'll find something that will allow you to last forever.", he says
with a wink in his eye.
The next morning, you are all ready to go. Before you take your gear
out to your plane, you logon to the computer network one last time. As
you are reading the details of the mission, you find something very
interesting. It looks to be some secret code. You right down the
directions as you read them out loud to yourself. "Hmmm, this could come
in handy during my mission", you say. You make sure to check the details
of this secret code so when the time comes, you can use it if you feel the
need to. You pack as much as you can into your plane. The whole crew is
out on the flight deck and they are cheering as your plane takes off. You
don't expect any bad boys to pop up for a while, so you take it easy. All
of the sudden, a ship flies by you and then goes away. Then another. Oh,
man!!! The mission has started. Your plane is loaded with all sorts of
ammo and weapons. You fire like crazy, trying to hit as many tanks as
possible, nailing enemy planes and shooting down their hangers, holding
their weapons and other obstacles in your mission.
The more enemies you hit, the better you feel, but then you are hit.
You get your new plane and go again. You keep firing as much as you can.
You move about the screen with all sorts of directions, trying very hard
to avoid their bombs and missiles. On occasion, you will hit a hanger or
enemy obstacle which will cause a bonus package to fly through the air.
These bonus packages will add to your firepower. You can get rapid fire,
side-shooting missiles and triple guns. Of course, there is one of the
so-called bonus' that you don't want. It's red and if you get it, it
depletes whatever extra weapons you have been given and takes you back to
your common two-bullet guns.
You also get some bombs that you can drop and one of the bonus
packages is extra bombs, but you need to use them sparingly. Somehow, you
weren't told everything in that meeting. It seems now that most of this
you had to find out on your own.
You get towards the end because everything becomes a bit quieter.
You instantly see why. A big mother ship is right in front of you and you
can't fly past her. You must destroy this ship to finish the first part
of your mission. You quickly learn that lots of bombs are going to help
and artful dodging is a trade that you must master in order to survive.
While you have some luxury of getting a new ship, this is not a good habit
to get into. Then you remember the secret code. You wonder if there is
something that it can do to help you. You enter in the code into the
plane's computer system. "Press down the numbers 1, 4, 7, 3, 6 and 9 and
press the OPTION key down at the same time", you say, repeating the
actions your fingers are doing. You hear a noise and wonder what
happened. Then on the computer screen, you are told that there is nothing
to worry about. Then you realize what you did. You now have unlimited
planes. Although you still need to exercise precise skill, you are
assured of returning home, no matter how long the mission takes to
complete. Still, you try not to get a big head and keep up the expert
work on killing the mother enemy. After a series of bombs, you are able
to kill her. You now get to refuel and rest for a spell.
The next wave of meanies begin sooner than the last, giving you no
time to make mistakes. Since you now have that previous experience, you
feel a bit more confident, but still wanting to use the best of your
skills to eliminate the enemy without using too much firepower. And
although your number of ships is now unlimited, you are confident that
with each round of killing, your skills improve. You feel that by the end
of the 4th round, you are better at dodging bullets and missiles.
Life fighting the enemy is not easy. It's hard. For some people,
this mission would have seemed impossible. And to others, it could have
been much easier, with some people almost getting bored by the 6th round
of fighting enemies and on-the-ground trouble. But as Commander Davis,
your mission is one of a challenge, bringing more disaster to your cockpit
than you imagined. At times, you almost wish you hadn't used the secret
code, but it assures you of a long life and being able to finish your
mission.
At the end of your mission, you are relieved. You are tired and you
long to start another job, but the skills you learned were very good and
will add to your resume for future jobs.
In your return meeting, you are awarded a medal. On the medal is one
word: RAIDEN. Your mission will be remembered forever as RAIDEN and is
one that will join it's place next to other missions (ASTEROIDS, DEFENDER,
STARGATE and XEVIOUS). You feel proud. You retire that night, resting
well, in anticipation of another mission.
____________________________________________
> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
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PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by
Joe Mirando
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. It's me again, here to brighten your
life with all kinds of info that you didn't even know that you needed...
Well, okay, you may not really need it, but you'll be glad that you
heard (or read) it.
Well, at any rate, we've got lots of great stuff to check out this
time around so let's get started...
From the Atari Productivity Forum
=================================
Sysop Jim Ness posts a listing of newly uploaded files which includes:
"...Now available in the ATARICOMP libraries:
[70244,1522] Lib: 5 *Released Upload (01:47:52 CDT)*
SNDLB1.LZH/Bin Bytes: 252288, Count: 0, 03-Jul-94
Title : SoundLab 1.11 - record/edit/play 8-bit soundbites
Keywords: DMJ AVR WAV SOUNDLAB RECORD EDIT PLAY 8BIT SOUND
SoundLab allows recording, editing, and playback of 8-bit mono sound
bites. This version not Falcon compatible (that's forthcoming). The
author can be reached at dmj@genie.geis.com -- file uploaded with his
kind permission..."
I tell Jim:
"Thanks for letting us know about the uploads! SoundLab is a great
program. Now, no one has a reason not to download Aerosmith's tune
"Head First"... Unless they don't have a 9600 baud or faster modem...
or 2.2 meg of hard drive space... or any interest in music...or...
(;^{>
Seriously though, HEAD2N.WAV is interesting because its the first time
that a previously un-released song has been distributed digitally.
It'd be cool if this became the standard method of distribution in the
future, wouldn't it?"
Jim muses about the trade-offs:
"Too bad there's not a better way to compress song files. It'd be
great to get them at 44.1khz, but they'd probably be 8megs long. Even
28.8bps wouldn't be fast enough to make it worthwhile."
Not being one to let an interesting conversation die down, I tell Jim:
"For the time being, I agree about the 28.8k bps speed being slow...
ideally, the song sould be downloadable in less time than it takes to
listen to the song. (Let's see... Head First runs about 3 1/3 minutes
and took me over 22 minutes to download at 14.4 kbaud... nope, we're
not there yet. ;^)
With the advances in modem technology, I'm sure that it'll be do-able
in the near future... does anyone besides me remember 5 meg hard
drives? Now _that_ was life in the fast lane... about 10 years ago.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
Ringo Monfort of Lexicor adds:
"And the future electronic highway or network will handle video
graphics, sounds etc. At least that is part of the idea right?<smile>"
Meanwhile, in reference to my comment about modems getting faster, Ge'
Weijers tells me:
"Forget it, 28.8 is not reliable over long distances because it is
only a factor 2 from the theoretical limit, not accounting for losses
that occur in the analog parts of the phone system. It is impossible to
get more than 64000 bits/second over a phone line, as soon as you use a
digital long-distance trunk line. And getting near that limit requires
more and more powerful digital signal processing. They invented ISDN
for that, but it does not really get off the ground.
The new V34 modems have a 'fallback' procedure to lower the speed
dynamically if the line quality is low.
In a few years your cable operator will offer a high-speed data
connection to a local ATM packet switching facility. It has already
arrived here (Nijmegen the Netherlands) where students can access the
college computers 'from the privacy of their own homes'. The speed will
depend on you bank account.
I think there is more to be gained from high-complexity sound
compressors."
Ge' is quite right about modem technology. The advances in modem
technology that I spoke of depend on the ability to use a system similar
to (or an upgrade of) what we commonly call "Cable TV". There is also
the possibility that the way in which our current telephone system
operates will be changed to accomodate clearer, faster data throughput,
which would enable faster baud rates.
My buddy Brian Gockley, of ST Informer fame, asks about another
possibility:
"What about satellite? I like wireless stuff..."
The problem whith current satellite technology is that its a one way
street. You can receive, but there's no way (yet) to let your computer
tell the satellite "Hey, re-send the last packet, I didn't receive it
properly". But, then again, only time will tell.
On the subject of hard drives, Alex Peters posts:
"Something weird has happend to my hard drive (I'm running a 48 meg in
my Mega STE). I was just fiddling around with the disk drive, which I
often do, and when I rebooted the AHDI loaded but then the system
crashed (2 bombs). I got the new AHDI and ran that, but it only said
that DMA drive 0 was not responing and was not booting (from my hard
disk). I was thinking that maybe I changed the 3 dip switches on my
scsi controller board by accident."
Brian Gockley (you know, that guy from ST Informer ;^) te;;s Alex:
"If you copy the SHDRIVER.SYS from the ALLDRIVE folder contained in
the new HDX utilities package, then the computer will search all ASCI
locations, even when they are non contiguous. The regular version stops
looking after it finds an empty slot."
Alex tells Brian:
"Thanks for the quick reply. I got the new AHDI (6.02) and it worked
(it takes a bit longer though). I wonder if anybody knows the effects
of the various DIP switches in the MEGA STE."
William Stanmeyer tells us:
"I am looking to buy a used copy of Antic's Spectrum 512 art program,
or any similar art program that can display 512 colors simaultaneoulsy
and save and load images in SPC format. I already have a good spectrum
viewer and plenty of art, but I want to be able to create my own."
Lee at Lexicor Software tells William:
"You can use Phoenix to creat both images and animations in 512
colors."
Sidney Ripkowski posts what I call a "grass is always greener" message:
"I used to have an ST (520 with 1MB), and still have and use the first
computer I ever bought (Atari 800, with all the good periphs).
About 6 years ago, I moved to the PC marketplace. At the time it was
a good move. Lately though, I have been looking for something better
than Windoze or DOS for that matter. It seems that the IBM marketplace
is no longer innovative - most of the vendors, Microsoft in specific
are simply in the upgrade business. Every 3 to 6 months, I get a
notice about a new version of software. The notice that really chapped
my hide, was the upgrade to Visual C++ 1.5 from 1.0. It is ONLY
available on CD-ROM. Thats great if you have a CD-ROM drive. And the
other reason, is speed. I have a 486DX33VL machine with a speedy IDE
drive and 256K CPU cache - not a sleeper by any means, but all the new
application are so HUGE, you cant really utilize more than 2 apps at a
time - and get anything done in a timely manner.
Thus the reason I visited this forum. My interest lies in the Falcon.
I would very much like to see some benchmarks on its performance. I am
aware of its construction/features, but am looking for real life
performance rankings.
I loved the Atari ST before, and still love my 800. I also have a
Portfolio that I depend on daily.
Can anyone direct me to benchmark data for the Falcon or MEGA ST
series, or has anyone had experience with them that can relay that info
back to me?"
Dazzz Smith, a regular in the Atari forum, tells Sidney:
"Well from what I have seen of Falcon owners discussions, it can be a
speedy machine, of course the third party stuff is important as well,
e.g. VGA monitor (a good one to get a lot of different resolutions),
Blow UP, a hardware device to increase resolutions and speed (I think),
NVDI which is a replacement for the AES to increase OS speed, and so
on.
Memory of course is important as well, 4 megs is recommended for
anything more than the casual user."
Mike Mortilla adds:
"The Falcon is great for speed and sampling and graphics, but the
"flagship" for Atari remains the TT.
It is faster than the Falcon and one of the big differences is that
the Falcon has the DSP chip (and perhaps a graphics accellerator?)"
Andrew Wright tells Sidney:
"As far as I know there is no benchmark information around. You can't
realistically compare a Falcon with a PC. On the other hand, I have a
Falcon side by side with a 486 SX 25 and can point to several things
faster in each machine. Having played with a preview version of Chroma
Studio 24 from Black Scorpion Software in the UK, I have watched DSP
effects you wouldn't believe. My PC simply can't match the realtime
image block manipulation and animation.
In everyday use, though the PC has the edge, despite the much longer
time it takes to load up a decent desktop environment like Windows.
You'd expect that I suppose as it clocks 25 MHz to the Falcon's 16MHz.
Zipping and suchlike is much faster as is image processing (adding
filter effects) for example. If more people started using the Falcon's
DSP, we'd see massive performance benefits in many applications. That
said, I love the Falcon. It's nice to use and makes a great super-ST.
Sysop Bob Retelle cautions Sidney:
"You should realize that there is little if any new software
development going on, and even upgrades to existing applications are
becoming few and far between as companies either go out of business or
switch platforms completely.
Also, while it's not been "officially" announced, Atari Corp has for
all intents and purposes, ceased producing computers.. including the
Falcon 030 and the TT030. They ARE apparently making small numbers of
TTs, but those seem to be destined for Jaguar game development systems.
It IS possible to still obtain Falcons, and there are a few
applications specifically written to use their features, but you should
look carefully before leaping, given your comments on the state of the
IBM world...
If you do decide to go with an Atari system, we'll give you all the
support we can, right here..."
Lee at Lexicor Software tells Bob:
"From what we know,
The [J]aguar development is now all PC based.
It is very unlikely that any new machines are actually being mfg'ed at
this late date.
What we mostly see now is just the surplus being moved here and there
to fill the apparent demands."
Richard Craig asks:
"Can anyone help me locate a video extension cable for my Atari
monitor. It's a 13 pin plug that's apparently not available here in
Edmonton."
Jon Sanford, another forum regular, tells Richard:
"A friend of mine was talking about the samething the other day. ---a
vidio extention cable---
He is Cyber Tech (505) 474-2816 (USA) Frank...He does consulting and
has a extensive catalogue of Atari Products,
What he was saying was: you cant extend the cable very long because
the signal is weak. However if he has 2 orders he may be persuaded to
make the cables..."
Mike Mortilla tells Richard:
"Yes they do exist and I got mine at Mid Cities computer. But they
made them special. I think it was about $25 but well worth it. They are
reliable but can add a little interference.
I'd be in big trouble w/o mine or I'd sell it to you. They seem pretty
easy to make, and you could always buy 13 wire cable and make your own
in line extension (if you solder a little.)"
Ringo Monfort of Lexicor Software tells Mike:
"Mid-Cities my favorite ATARI computer store! They are great people
and have excellent customer service."
From the Atari Vendors Forum
============================
Rob Rasumssen asks about using Geneva, Gribnif's outstanding
multitasking program:
"Where in the Geneva instructions do I look to find out about setting
up a multitasking environment which includes a program that wants to
grab almost all available memory? It is a Midi sequencer, and by itself
it seems to run OK under Geneva. I could single-task it, but I really
need it to run along with my editor/librarian and music notation
programs. I previously had them set up on my ST under the
task-switching program HybriSwitch, but on my new Falcon this won't
work, so I'm hoping they will run under Geneva.
Another question I have is about desk accessories. When I run Geneva
on the Falcon with desk ACCs installed like normal, it crashes. This
leads me to think that the ACCs should not be installed but rather run
on the fly as I would a program, but I'm not sure."
Chief Sysop Ron Luks tells Rob:
"Desk accessories are not important under a multitasking environment.
ACC support was left in for compatibility, but it will cause some
grief. If you have the ability to run the ACC as a PRG file instead
(many ACC programs have this ability) you'll be much better off than if
you try to install them as ACCs."
Rick Flashman of Gribnif Software tells Ron:
"Actually, Desk Accessories have a big advantage over programs (at
least on the Atari). When you click on their "close button" they simply
close their window. Programs tend to QUIT when you do that. That's why
I always run STalker as a Desk Accessory under Geneva.
With Geneva you can still quit a desk accessory (at least most of the
time, especially if it follows the newer protocols which have an actual
terminate message).
Geneva's support for Desk Accessories is as good as its support for
Applications. Internally Geneva makes very little difference between
(biggest being that Desk Accessories tend to have no quit routines).
Geneva can also run any program or desk accessory regardless of its
file ending (just click on any .ACC or .ACX file and watch it run). It
can also load automatically at bootup any accessories or programs (even
load programs automatically and put them to sleep with the RUNSLEEP
command).
Personally I'm a big believer in Desk Accessories (permanent running
programs that never quit). I think all programs/accessories should be
"togglable". Heck, I even had Dan put this into NeoDesk 4 (which you
can rename and run as a desk accessory)."
Rob tells Rick:
"...I still need to know how to multitask my sequencer, which grabs all
but 32K of available memory, with 2 other midi programs. The original
Flash is reported not to work under Geneva, and I know it grabs almost
all memory too. I hope it will be possible. So far I don't have Geneva
setup the way I want it, with certain programs to load automatically."
Brian Gockley of ST Informer tells Rob:
"Just run the program (Geneva), then get the Task Manager desk
accessory. Highlight the program you wnat to limit, and then select
FILE and then FLAGS. This will get you to the right dialogue box. Good
luck, great program isn't it?"
Rick Flashman explains the process to Rob:
"Look under "Program Flags". There's a flag there that sets how much
memory Geneva should allow a program to allocate. In other words, you
would create a set of Programs Flags for that specific program and then
sets its memory usage to a max of XXXX K (XXXX being the maximum memory
you want to allow to that program)."
While Rick is around, Keith Frisby asks:
"When can we expect Neo-desk 4 to ship?? - and will it be a worldwide
release - ie will we get it here in the UK at the same time??"
Rick tells Keith:
"The U.S. and U.K. releases will be identical. The only difference
being that it takes about 1-2 weeks to ship everything to the U.K. I
would say we are 2-3 weeks from actual shipments (program is done,
waiting for manuals).
Upgrades will ship first, before retail copies."
From the Video Game Publishers Forum
====================================
Karl "The Cat" Maurer of Spectrum Holobyte posts:
"As the product has been out since April 11th, 1994, I was wondering
if folk out there have any feedback to give us about this Super
Nintendo game.
What did you like about the game? What did you dislike? What sort of
things do you wish we had included?"
Darren Silinski tells Karl:
"I really liked the game. I got up to the 1st test (crystal shard) of
the I.F.D., & I can't get past it. The only thing I wish I could do is
being able to talk to people, because they can talk to us, & that you
can go back to the bridge during a battle without surrendering."
Ken Gagne adds his comments:
"I'm sure you've heard of the many complaints as to the unrealistic
battles with the Romulans, Klingons, whatever. A more diplomatic
approach, as in the show, would have been appreciated.
Can't think of much else. The game was fun, but not terribly; but
that's just the way I am, it's not my kind of game. :) "
Darren asks Ken:
"What do you mean "unrealistic?" On the show they do battles in
different ways. Also, in the game (where I got up to) there were no
Klingon ships. Maybe there is after the 1st I.F.D. test."
Ken explains:
"I meant unrealistic in the sense that they DON'T fight on the show.
When they find a Romulan ship, they open hailing frequencies and
diplomatically attempt to resolve the situation. You're not even given
that option in the game.
I don't think there are any Klingon ships either. Guess I goofed."
Well folks, I've run out of room... again. But at least I got info
from the VidPub forum in this time. Believe me, it can be tough to decide
what to put in to the column when you've got a limited amount of space
and so much information to pack into it.
Please... tune in again next week (same time, same station) and be
ready to listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
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Since 1987 copyright (c) 1987-94 All Rights Reserved No.1028
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