Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Amy Today Volume 10 Issue 02
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Amy Today
A text-file magazine for all Amiga lovers
Volume #10, Issue #2, April 20th, 1989
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Editor : John Rydell
Writers: John Shortle, Max Headroom, and Bloomer
Address all correspondence to: "Amy Today"
C/O John Rydell
GEnie address: J.Rydell1 640 Willowglen Rd.
(#54790) Santa Barbara, CA
93105
Plink address: J*Rydell
(805)687-5643 <Voice Line>
GEnie discussion in category #2, topic #??
Plink discussion in AmigaZone Section #2
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Contents:
1. A Message From the Editor John Rydell
2. Distributing "Amy Today" John Rydell
3. Amiga Happenings John Rydell
4. Falcon Review John Shortle
5. War in Middle Earth Review Max Headroom
6. The Crash! Bloomer
7. Advertiser Information John Rydell
8. Amy Today Advertising John Rydell
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
A Message From The Editor:
Once again, I'm late with an issue. But, of course, you aren't surprised
because they're always a little late.
This issue has some interesting articles in it. First, John Shortle reviews
Falcon. Next up is a review of the new game War in Middle Earth. I don't
think any of the big magazines have reviewed this yet, so here is your first
look! Finally, Bloomer (who you have come to know for his human interest
stories about the Amiga) discusses the pain and agony of a hard drive crash.
I'd like to take a moment to thank John Shortle and Bloomer for their
fantastic contributions to Amy Today. John Shortle has been writing great
reviews since issue number one. Without his help, Amy Today would probably
not still be in existence! Thank you John! Keep up the great work!
Remember to mail in your registration and enjoy the issue,
John Rydell
(Editor)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Distributing "Amy Today":
Amy Today is file-based magazine which has been copyrighted by John Rydell.
I am allowing everyone to freely distribute it as long as they give credit
to Amy Today for anything taken from the magazine. I also request that the
magazine, itself, remains "AS IS" when being distributed. Please do not
modify it in any way if you are going to distribute it.
About Distributing: Please upload Amy Today EVERYWHERE! This magazine
simply will not flourish if it is not uploaded whenever possible. Every
issue is kept near 15,000 bytes ARCed so that upload/download time should
never be a problem. So, please, if you have the chance spread the magazine
around the country! Give a copy to your friend! Keep Amy Today alive and
going strong!
A great way to spread Amy Today to non-modem users is to put the textfiles
on your monthly user group disks. Please do this. Full permission is
granted!
Also, I am now encouraging everyone who reads Amy Today to send in a
registration. Please send your NAME, TYPE OF AMIGA, and WHERE YOU GET YOUR
ISSUES OF AMY TODAY. No money! No hassle! Just a postcard or letter!
Registered readers also get some benefits.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Amiga Happenings:
(John Rydell)
Dr. Plummet's House of Flux-
In a tragic accident last month, Scott "Hjalmer" Peterson passed away. He
was in his early 20's and was working on the finishing touches of his new
game. Next issue (10-3) will be dedicated to Scott and will include the
beginning of an interview that I was working on with him. God bless Scott
and his family.
Fred Fish Disks-
Amy Today had a rough start with its sales of Fred Fish Disks. Our first
set had a couple of bad disks which delayed orders a couple of weeks. Then,
we ran out of disks because of the incredible volume of orders. BUT, things
are looking brighter! We have stocked up on disks, labels, and have piles
and piles of Fred Fish disks already copied and ready to ship. In fact, we
are now offering a guarantee because we know how important speed is to you!
Amy Today will ship your disks within 48 hours (weekdays only) of receiving
your order in the mail or you get a $5.00 coupon for your next order! (This
offer does not count for special orders or for orders for disks that have
not yet arrived at Amy Today.) I hope you will continue to take advantage
of this offer.
Amiga Happenings is a column dedicated to giving you information on what is
happening in the Amiga community. Some of the information could possibly be
wrong due to the fact that I am trying to get early information. I do not
in any way guarantee that the information will be accurate although I will
try my hardest to protect the innocent.
>>If you have some new information you would like to share please submit it
to Amy Today.
##########################################################################
# NOODTECH DIGITIZATIONS #
# #
# The best in digitized nudes. HUNDREDS of nude celebrities! #
# Huge catalog on self-booting disk with sample pics only $10.00 #
# (Soon to come .... More X-Rated Demo Reels) #
# NoodTech Productions, 1719 N. Oneida St., Appleton, WI 54911 #
# #
# (MUST be 18) #
##########################################################################
Falcon:
(John Shortle)
Falcon is available from:
Spectrum HoloByte
2061 Challenger Drive
Alameda, CA 94501
Retail $49.95
Falcon is an F-16 fighter simulation published by Spectrum Holobyte. The
first thing you see upon bootup is a nice screen rendition of the package
cover, accompanied by some great "computer music" (a variation of Wagner's
"Flight of the Valkyrie"). Falcon requires you to read a code wheel to
continue. This code wheel only makes you enter a single letter of the
alphabet, but figuring out which shape on the screen is which shape on the
wheel can be difficult.
At this point, as with most flight simulators, you'll need to consult the
manual. The size of the manual and the extensive keyboard reference card
seem overwhelming at first, but the documentation provides a tutorial guide
to start the beginner. After naming your pilot, you select a rank (1st
Lieutenant for beginners) and a mission (Milk Run for beginners). Normally,
you arm your plane at this point (drawing from the armament available at
takeoff, and taking care not to overload the plane), but as a 1st Lieutenant
you have unlimited armament as well as a plane that is unaffected by weight.
Now you're ready for takeoff. The documentation provides a reasonably brief
section on the takeoff procedure, highlighting in shaded areas important
tips as well as information for the first time flyer. The takeoff is fairly
simple, and you're soon flying off to shoot down the practice buildings near
the runway. It took me several tries to find these buildings, though.
Unless you are flying very near the ground, the buildings only appear as
grey dots, and as a beginner, I could not distinguish between the grey dots
which are buildings and the brown dots which are part of the landscape.
One of the nicest features of Falcon is that there are numerous skill
levels, so the beginner is not overwhelmed while the expert is not bored.
There are five ranks in Falcon - 1st Lieutenant through Colonel. At the 1st
Lieutenant rank, you are very secure - your engine will never stall, you can
arm your plane with as many weapons as you want without affecting the
performance of your plane, you cannot blackout (due to excessive
g-forces), you cannot crash (a BIG safety net which allows you to do
interesting things like fly inside mountains), and the enemy planes (MiG's)
never shoot at you. This rank is nice because you can get lots of practice
doing many of the basic maneuvers (shooting enemy structures, dogfighting
the MiG's, and landing) without ever dying or becoming significantly
frustrated. I went through eight of the twelve missions at this rank
without much difficulty. I recommend you do this just to get some practice
using all of the features and weapons of the aircraft.
Once you switch to a rank of Captain (the next one up) you realize how easy
1st Lieutenant is. The Sarge now has only a limited availability of
armaments, the MiG's actually start shooting at you, and you can no longer
land the Falcon by nose diving into the runway. At the higher ranks the
landings get more difficult, you lose your "super" engine, the MiG's become
more accurate and skilled fighters, and the enemies use more effective
surface to air missiles (SAM's). If the Colonel rank gets to easy for you
(which I highly doubt), you can turn the MiG's into ace pilots. You get
more merits for completing missions at the higher ranks, and you have the
opportunity to earn various medals. However, if you ever crash, get court-
martialed, or are captured ejecting behind enemy lines, you'll have to start
flying with a new pilot.
Falcon has excellent graphics. The game play is reasonably quick, and if
you want it quicker, you can toggle some of the scenery off. The manual is
extensive, containing an introductory flight section, a reference section
detailing all of the many features of the Falcon and some tips on when and
how to use them, a section explaining the ranks, missions, and merit system,
and a detailed section on advanced fighting. You can even practice fifteen
different combat manuevers in a special training mode. Your Falcon can be
controlled by either the keyboard, a joystick, or a mouse. There is also an
option which allows you to dogfight another player over the phone, although
I was never able to try this out. There are numerous other features which I
haven't even mentioned.
Overall, Falcon is an excellent fighter simulator, packed with features and
quality. To get much out of it, though, you must put a lot of energy and
practice into it. If you can do that, Falcon will keep you entertained for
a long, long time.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
War In Middle Earth:
(Max Headroom)
War In Middle Earth is available from:
Melbourne house of Virgin Mastertronic
711 West 17th St., Unit G9
Costa Mesa, CA. 92627
Retail: $49.99
The Premise: You are in control of the ringbearers, bearing of course the
"One Ring". You must bring the ring to the Cracks of Doom, a volcano in the
middle, of course, of the enemy's(the Darklord) land. To do this, you must
muster the forces of good and break your way into the enemies land and force
your way into the Volcano of Doom.
The Package: The game comes in a nice box with a large map, a manual, two
disks, and a registration card.
The Game: The game has fairly good graphics, excellent sound, but slow disk
access. The controls are decent, but better control of the characters would
make for a better game.
Game Play: The game plays fairly easily. There are three modes of play:
World Map, Regional Map, and Animation Mode. World Map is for reference of
the Middle Earth, the Regional Map is the main map for giving commands to
characters, and the Animation Mode is for encounters. In the beginning you
command a small group of wimpy adventures. You must go to the town of
Riverndell while avoiding the enemy. Here you are reenforced with more
protectors of the ring. From here you must either try to win by a direct
assault(by stealth) on the volcano, or you must attempt to rally the forces
of good and take the volcano by force. To rally the forces of good, you
must follow up vague rumors of wandering wizards. These rumors will
sometimes lead you to artifacts that, when given to the leaders of the
forces of good, will allow you to take control of some of the forces and
lead their movements against the forces of evil.
Ratings: I liked the game. It was fun, if you rally the forces of good,
it turns into a wonderful wargame, with an especially good combat system.
Shortcomings: There were a few problems with it. The first is the fact
that when you are getting the rumors from the wizards, there is no way to
pause the message, and I usually missed part of them. Another thing that I
disliked was that when you enter a combat, but want to retreat, there is no
way to order all of your characters to retreat, instead you have to leave at
least one of characters to battle. The other problem was that you can win
by merely going straight to the Cracks of Doom, and when you are killed, you
win. An odd error. Also, the victory screen is rather disappointing.
Recommendation: I recommend this game to adventure fans. It is fun to seek
out all the artifacts and rally all the forces of good, and then storm the
volcano. It is also a fun game for Tolkien fans.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The Crash!
(Bloomer)
<Bloomer is a writer for NEWAMUG-NorthEast Wisconsin Amiga Users Group>
Oh I've got many titles I could use for this piece. "Now I know why
they call it a 'hard' drive" or "Why I spent two weeks away from this damn
computer redecorating the house" or "How my long distance phone bill
skyrocketed calling the manufacturer" or " #@$%^&%*$(##@#)%$^#&@ " but you
can't print that last one!
What went wrong? What happened? Hell, if I knew that, I'd be rich!
My hard drive crashed! You've heard of the Wall Street Crash of 1929?
Well this made "Black Thursday" look like a rosy stroll down the lane!
Everything was "backed-up". Everything was done in accordance with
the manufacturers recommendation! Everything was protected ... I was
protected! ... At least I THOUGHT I was!
The so called "back-up", DIDN'T! I lost everything! Talk about
devastation. Talk about taking "Back-up" disks and seeing how many you
can stick in the ceiling before your arm gives out! Talk about lost
income! This thing was dead. Well not dead, but doing a damn good job of
faking it! Think about a week of your life calling "LONG DISTANCE" to the
company that made the thing for help only to find none. Think about another
week setting the darn thing up the way you had it before the crash! And the
re-re-rewriting the programs you had rewritten earlier to make them work on
a hard drive. Then when everything is perfect you take your favorite hard
drive back-up utility and stick it to the door of the refrigerator with a
big heavy magnet and FILE COPY everything (and you've got over 100 files
in some directories) on your hard drive on to floppies so that this will
never happen again. Well at least not to this extent!
Then turn around and look at what used to be your home. See the
crap piled up to the ceiling. Look at yourself, but take heed, just a
glance at first or you won't believe your eyes! Don't look in the kitchen
sink for a few days though. Trust me, that one's a big mistake. Kick the
'Dominos' boxes out of the way and see if there is any real food in the
house. Note: Stay clear of the fridge! It's similar to the sink! Get on
the phone and beg your wife to come back ... everything is alright now and
tell her you promise it will never happen again! Explain how sorry you are
about making the kids stay in the garage during your time in front of "That
DAMN thing"!
While the wife and kids are thinking about coming back home, call
some friends. Better make it very good computer friends and tell them what
happened. If they are true friends they will come to your house garbage
bags and mops in hand. Notice how those friends mention those disks look
"Kinda cute" sticking out of the ceiling the way they do, but will your
wife think it looks cute too?
While the wife and kids are still muddling over the idea of coming
back, explain to her she can drive by on garbage day and see everything has
been cleaned up and then mention you have decided to redecorate the house
... starting with fixing the ummmm cracks in the ceiling! Ask her what
colors she would like the place painted in ... ask for her opinion ... let
her know you ARE interested in her and the kids and not just "That DAMN
thing"!
Hopefully you'll get done redecorating before the wife shows up. It
should only take another week or so and she'll return. That's how long she
was gone when you first got "That DAMN thing" and played that "DAMN GAME"
night and day!
Then sit back and think of how this happened. What went wrong? I
still don't know!
I was a virgin to my hard drive going down on me up until this first
time. Why he waited so long before he decided to stick it to me I'll never
know. Everything was going along just fine for the longest time. I was in
charge and I knew it! I never took any guff from him before and I was not
planning to change my ways. Ah, but after that first time ... yes it was
right after that when I started to feel a strange tingling every time I
went to access him. Will I feel that sharp jabbing pain that crawls up my
spine again? Do I have my protection?/! (What Images, huh? -Ed)
It happened again. He stuck it to me again! Everything was going so
well. He was acting so sweet when I decided to back-up a few important
files onto floppy ... and WHAM! No warning, no easing into it, just "There
she blows" and down he went! Maybe he just doesn't like the word back-up,
I don't know.
I WAS prepared this time though and he only made it through the first
partition. Of course this is my largest partition and takes the longest
to recover from but in a few hours I was back in business!
I had wanted to write this piece a couple of weeks ago but thought
I'd wait till I was in control or at least in partial control again before
I spent that much time telling my story. After all this is quite a bit to
put down without (Shhhhhhh, quiet) backing up every now and then!
Well that's about it. I just wanted to let you know that you can get
over a crash and come out ok. And with a redecorated house to boot! The
wife and kids are back home and the dog has been found. They still cringe
when I turn on "This DAMN thing" and the dog only nips me occasionally now,
but I just smile now and then to let them know I'm in still in control.
By the way, it happened again last night. And you know what? I believe
I'm starting to enjoy it. It's gotten to be a little game he and I play
together. The wife did give me a strange look from the kitchen when I gave
out that little squeal though, but I just told her I sat on something! Ya
know, it's kinda funny. I don't smoke, but I feel like a cigarette after
it happens?/!
##########################################################################
# HERMES' ICONLAB (Version 1.2) #
# The definitive work on icons. #
# #
# Cut/Save Icons * Icon to Brush #
# Brush to Icon * Cut/Save Brushes #
# 8-Color Icons * Split Icons #
# Join Icons * Modifying Of Icon Data #
# #
# Send $30.00 to: A. G. Kartsatos, 8524 Caladesi Island #
# Drive, Temple Terrace, FL 33637-7310, USA #
##########################################################################
Advertising Information:
Index Numbers:
101 - NoodTech Productions
102 - Hermes' IconLab
103 - Amy Today's Fred Fish Disk Sale
104 - Amy Today's Advertising Rates
105 - Premier Software
106 - The KSW Company
If you would like information on any of these advertisers please send a
postcard or letter with the #'s you would like to know more about to:
Amy Today Advertiser Information
640 Willowglen Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
I hope you take advantage of this new service which is being provided to Amy
Today readers and advertisers.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Amy Today Advertising:
How would you like your own custom-made advertisement to be spread
throughout the land travelling from computer to computer--printed from
printer to printer!? Amy Today brings advertising to you at low, low
prices. Just think of the number of readers you will reach with your ad!
For more information on our low-cost ads call or write:
Amy Today Advertising
640 Willowglen Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805)687-5643
##########################################################################
# FRED FISH RELEASES HIS NEW DISKS 195-200. AVAILABLE FROM AMY TODAY! #
# #
# Amy Today is offering Registered Readers Fred Fish's newest disks #
# for only $2.00 a piece when ordering five or more. OR $2.50 each #
# when ordering less than five. Currently disks #170-200 are avail- #
# able. Send check made out to "Amy Today" to: AMY TODAY, ATTN #
# FRED FISH SALES, 640 willowglen Rd. Santa Barbara, CA 93105.... #
# #
# NEW GUARANTEED SHIPPING WITHIN 2 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER THE ORDER HAS #
# BEEN RECEIVED OR $5.00 OFF YOUR NEXT ORDER! #
# #
##########################################################################
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Amy Today" is copyright 1988/89 by John Rydell. Portions of the magazine
may be reprinted but the content of this magazine may NOT be changed without
the expressed consent of John Rydell. Yet everyone is encouraged to
distribute it AS IS. Please give credit to "Amy Today" as well as to the
individual author when reprinting material. "Amy Today" as well as any of
its authors are not responsible for any damages that occur because of errors
or omissions. Articles reprinted from other newsletters, as noted, are not
property of Amy Today but are under the control of their original authors.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
