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