F R E E P L A Y ! Multiplayer Internet Gaming Newsletter Vol 1.11 - Dec 2, 1996 Home Page - http://freeplay.home.ml.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Murphy's Law of Lag: You will always freeze as soon as you need to avoid something. Murphy's Second Law of Lag: No matter how lagged you are, you can always be lagged more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editor - Mark Shnayer Associate Editor - Scott Grattan Reporter - Andy Hartwell Webmaster - Orog Ork or Sections ----------- Announcement - The FreePlay Newsletter WWW is MOVING. Editorial - I actually READ my email/feedback, folks! Rambling On - By Scott Grattan. Gaming News - All the multiplayer news you can use. Hot Links - Bookmark these now! Updates - Take old bugs out, put new ones in Previews - The Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Review. Resources - To make multiplayer gaming a heck of a lot easier PBEM Games - Play By Email Games Online Games - Multiplayer Internet Games you can play NOW Humor - Something to make you laugh while you are gaming Details - How to subscribe, back issues, legal junk ************************************************************************ Announcement ------------ FreePlay WWW page is *MOVING* soon. ----------------------------------- We are looking for a new WWW home site. I am not asking for someone to provide a site for me (unless you want to). Currently, I am in negotiations with quite a few gaming sites/host providers concerning cost, features,etc. I haven't made up my mind yet, except that geocities.com is too confining for our future WWW plans, even with them now allowing 2 megs now for web space. Geocities doesn't have the features I want including full CGI support, and a FAST site. If you know of a good WWW host site at a reasonable cost or better yet free, please mail me at freeplay@snet.net FreePlay Newsletter to be archived at ftp.etext.org --------------------------------------------------- I have upload issues #1 thru #10 of the FreePlay Newsletter in .zip format to ftp.etext.org. Hopefully the newsletters will be available at ftp.etext.org/Pub/Zines/Freeplay. I am corresponding with the FTP administrators and haven't received the 'ok' yet that this is so. I will let you know in the next issue. ************************************************************************ Editorial - I actually read my Email Folks! ------------------------------------------- One of my readers (Ed S. you know who you are :) asked me "Why don't you include a cheat code section with your newsletter?" I liked that idea but we have so many sections in the zine now, I decided what I will do is try to highlight at least one GOOD Cheat WWW page or resource each issue in the "Hot Links" section. Thanks for the idea Ed, and check the Hot Links section in this issue. What FreePlay been playing -------------------------- I am almost burned out on Quake, but not yet. I have decided to start checking out other games. I got my Azaria beta CD and have been messing with it. Azaria is at http://www.massplay.com/singularity No matter what I do in the game the screen colors are screwed. No online documentation. I'm totally lost. Also, I think I screwed my DirectX settings by installing their DirectX stuff. Beta-testing is so much fun! I finally got Diablo to work by reverting back to my standard SVGA drivers. (I was hoping this would fix my problem with Azaria too.) Diablo is one righteous game! I just wish I could control battle with more than JUST the mouse. Can't wait for battle.net to go live so I can get in on the multiplayer options. I have also been checking out DaggerFall. There is a 16 meg download available and for those who already have the demo there is a new patch available Dec 1,1996. at http://www.bethsoft.com/html/daggerfall.html This game isn't multiplayer capable *yet* and may not be, but rumors abound such as this one I found at http://www.newforce.ca/~jackel/dagger/daginfo.html "There are rumors to use DAGGERFALL as the core of an online game. Bethesda is unwilling to comment further at this point but it would be quite unlikely that an online game got off the ground in the near to medium future. " Keep the mail coming folks. I am open to any and all suggestions. Much of what you see in this newsletter is due to your comments. Tell me how to make this newsletter a better 'read' for YOU! ************************************************************************ Rambling On - By Scott Grattan ----------- Isn't the information age supposed to make our lives a lot easier? There's entirely TOO much happening online, and I want to be a part of it all! Unfortunately, periodic fits of sleep overtake me, and I am pretty much OFFline for a good five hours. Then when I do recover, I find that REAL life has managed to get a hand-hold on my attention, and I must work VERY hard at getting back to my virtual world. Suffice it to say, that I've had no time to really delve into anything that has to do with gaming online since the last newsletter. I can tell you what is happening, and what is supposed to happen. And if I'm still feeling prophetic, I can maybe tell you what I think is going to happen. First, the Diablo beta testing period ended this past Wednesday, November 27th at Midnight. Blizzard is now hard at work getting the changes made (and bugs removed) that was deemed necessary to get this game shipped! I was patiently waiting for this to come out, but my patience is nearly gone! I bought Command & Conquer: Red Alert to try and calm my anti- cipation, but it just hasn't done the trick. [MORE on C&C:RA later] I was also very pleasantly surprised by two recent discoveries: Kali has released a version for Windows '95, and my new ISP (recently changed) has been trying to get their Kali server up for a while now. Kali, for those of you who don't know, is a software that allows any software that has an IPX network compatability to be played via the internet! Here's where to go to check it out: http://www.kali.net It's only a one-time fee of $20 to register their software, and that is good for a lifetime of unlimited usage and upgrades! I'll be spending some quality time getting this up and running for my area, and I'm sure you'll be hearing more about it in the near future. Want to hear about C&C:RA now? Well, I haven't been able to spend too much time with it yet, since I also bought another great game at the same time, Tomb Raider. Has absolutely nothing to do with online gaming, but it is an incredible piece of work. If you really want to hear more about it, check out this great web page I found called : Mr. Wolf's Tomb Raider Stuff http://www.vvm.com/~hfowler/ Ok, so I got a little sidetracked... where was I? OH YEAH! Red Alert! First impressions? It's kind of sluggish on my system (P133, 32M), so that makes it less than appealing. Fortunately, from what I have had time to play around with, it's going to be great. I had some difficulty logging into Westwood's server using their Westwood Chat utility. It was not clear on how to go about registering a user name and such, and made it a bit frus- trating to say the least. When I did login, I was immediately hit with a wave of nostalgia... AOL CHAT ROOM!! Followed closely, of course, by a wave of nausea. I sincerely hope that Westwood cleans it up a little bit, and makes it a bit more user friendly. But the game itself? Like all sequels, it's more of the same. Unlike most sequels, it's an improvement on a great thing! There are some fantastic add- itions that make this worth playing into the wee hours of the morning. As soon as I finish Tomb Raider, I'm sure you'll find me prowling around for a regular and challenging opponent. I did get some time on a network with a friend of mine here in town, and we managed to kill several hours that would have other- wise been spent much more foolishly, like sleeping! One last thing before I leave! Did any of you manage to get over to YOU DON'T KNOW JACK - The Netshow? If you didn't, DO IT!! I got into the game, and it's an incredible example of what's going to be available to us online in the near future. There's a download required of about 2.5M, but that's it! The rest is just streaming data, and it's well worth it! There's money to be won also, but you better know your stuff! You Don't Know Jack - The Netshow: http://www.bezerk.com That's all I've got this week kids! Hopefully the next time FreePlay invades your mailbox, I'll have some stuff to tell you about Diablo and Battle.net, as well as some info on a beta test I'm involved in! I need to check with the programmer to make sure that it's ok to say anything at this point, but I can tell you that so far it's looking like a winner! Until next ish, good gaming! ************************************************************************ Gaming News - All the multiplayer news you can use. ----------- Battle.net http://www.battle.net --------------------- Announcement: Nov 25,1996 Battle.net Beta testing period *** ATTENTION BATTLE.NET BETA TESTERS *** We are excited to announce that we are preparing our release candidate of Battle.net and Diablo. This release candidate will be shipped to a handful of beta testers to verify system compatibility fixes. We will need to make some changes to our server software to support the release candidate and, as a result, we will be ending the Battle.net Beta program this Wednesday at 12:00 midnight. We have implemented many changes that are in direct response to the excellent work done during the beta period. We will also be making changes to Diablo, a large number of which were also initiated by the thousands of bug reports we received from our beta testers. Among the changes that have been implemented are: Fixing incompatibilities across hundreds of different computer and system configurations. Implementing specific changes in Diablo gameplay to address the ability to exploit the game such as experience potions, cloning items and gold, poorly balanced spells and equipment, elixirs, oils and numerous other items. Changes to reduce the threat of player killing. Improvements to the chat engine and interface. New elements to make your experience on Battle.net even more exciting, such as multiplayer quests! Games network claims 10,000 paying subscribers SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 26, 1996-- ---------------------------------------------- Total Entertainment Network (TEN) (http://www.ten.net) today announced that in less than two months more than 10,000 paying subscribers have registered for its service. Launched in September, TEN claims it is the first commercial Internet entertainment network that allows for nationwide high-speed multiplayer gaming. "Hit PC games delivered over a reliable low-latency network is a new killer application for the Internet," said president and CEO Jack Heistand. TEN chief executive Jack Heistand called the sign-up rate a "tremendous response." Still, TEN has a ways to go before it reaches the 25,000 sign-up rate that Heistand predicted by year's end in an interview with CNET in late September. Online gaming may not be living up to all its hype, but it remains on track to make a dent in the Internet market in 1997. One of the problems with online game playing is delays, or "latency," in online action--for example, the time it takes for a virtual gun to be fired and hit its target. This so-called VPN is supposed to mitigate the problem. So far, TEN is the only pay-to-play national online gaming service available. Under an introductory rate plan, TEN is charging $4.95 a month for up to five hours of Net gaming. After that, the price is 95 cents for each additional hour. A flat-rate plan also is offered at $14.95 per month. MPath is out, but it is free, and Engage is not yet available commercially. Microsoft recently announced plans to enter the market, but no details have emerged. Sources said they expect the company to stick to simpler games such as chess, checkers, and backgammon, at least initially. Some analysts are holding out high hopes for online gaming, however. The new industry is supposed to generate $1 billion in annual sales by the year 2000, according to Jupiter Communications. Devices that combine online gaming with Net surfing, such as Sega's Saturn device, also may help the market. A survey released today by Impulse Research said 61 percent of video gamers want to play on the Net. `Master Of Orion II: Battle At Antares' From Microprose Goes Gold ----------------------------------------------------------------- ALAMEDA, Calif., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- There will be more aliens to conquer and great galactic missions to accomplish, just in time for the holiday season. Spectrum Holobyte Inc announced today that Master of Orion(TM)II: Battle at Antares(TM) will arrive in retail stores prior to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Developed by MicroProse's Studio in Austin, Texas, Master of Orion(TM)II: Battle at Antares(TM), will be marketed under the MicroProse(R) brand and distributed worldwide. Master of Orion(TM)II: Battle at Antares(TM) joins the company's expansive strategy category, continuing the original Master of Orion's exciting theme of space exploration, colonization and combat. Master of Orion,(TM) II: Battle at Antares(TM) offers never-before-seen challenges and opportunities, including SVGA graphics, enhanced cinematics, an original musical score and sound effects. The series continues to probe players of all levels with new gameplay that is easy to learn and entertaining, but remains a challenge to "master." For a more challenging and competitive experience, Master of Orion(TM)II Battle at Antares(TM) will be a stand-alone game that includes multiplayer features such as local area network, modem and hot-seat play. Master of Orion(TM)II: Battle at Antares(TM) players will be able to research more technology, view new art in SVGA graphics, choose from more alien races (Master of Orion(TM)II: Battle at Antares(TM) will have 13 alien races whereas Master of Orion had 10), customize their own race, and enjoy a more detailed tactical ship combat and colony development. IBM PC and compatible; CD-ROM only; Windows 95 or MS-DOS 5.0 or later. Min. Requirements: IBM PC 66MHz 80486 or faster; double-speed CD-ROM drive; MSCDEX 2.1 or higher; 8MB RAM or 16MB RAM if running under Windows 95; 75MB hard drive space free; SVGA (VESA required) for 640 x 480 x 256 colors; mouse and keyboard. Supports: Sound Blaster/Sound Blaster Pro, ProAudio Spectrum. Required for Multiplayer Option: 100% Hayes-compatible 9600 modem or faster (2 players), null-modem serial cable (2 player) and IPX network (2 to 8 players). Novelist Tom Clancy Targets New Online Game Audience Rueters -10:27 Nov 14, 1996 EST ------------------------------- NEW YORK - Best-selling author Tom Clancy and "three-dimensional" software developer Virtus hope to blast their way into the online gaming arena with the formation of Red Storm Entertainment, the author said. Red Storm, a partnership owned equally by Clancy and Virtus, plans to offer interactive computer games, with a focus on the new generation of multi-player games, which allow players to match wits against each over via online networks. The games will be based on the sort of military and geopolitical storylines that have previously made Clancy one of the world's most popular authors. "Using the computer, we can set up multiplayer games... that will create a degree of realism that never really existed outside of the professional communities," said Clancy, who is also Red Storm's chairman. Online interactive gaming allows multiple users in remote locations simultaneously to play games linked by modems over the Internet. Computer users can find details on the new company at http://www.redstorm.com. Quake Expansion Pack http://www.gamers.org/~rogue/quake_r.html ----------------------------------------- It's official! Quake Expansion Pack. Rogue recently signed on to create a set of levels which expand the action of id Software's enormously successful Quake. The project, in the works since August, is scheduled for a first quarter 1997 release. It's gonna be awesome! The pack slams the player back into Quake's world with entirely new, and totally intense, action-oriented levels. We'll also be adding new monsters, new power-ups, a collection of deadly environmental traps and...as they say in the 'biz', much, much more! WorldCraft HomePage http://www.islandnet.com/worldcraft/ ------------------------------------ Worldcraft is a Quake-capable MAP editor by Ben Morris, author of the Doom Construction Kit. November 30th: New Version Imminent The new version of Worldcraft will be available for download on Monday (FreePlay: That is TODAY! folks - Dec 2,1996). Check out which features made the release. This is the first version of Worldcraft without the "beta" designation. Worldcraft makes a great Christmas gift! :) Look in "Ordering Information in the Worldcraft Program Group (under the Windows Start Menu) for more information. We are working on VISA Credit Card orders. They're not available yet, but we hope to have the ability within a couple weeks(might not be in time for Christmas.) Please do not send VISA information yet. We will not take it until the VISA merchant application is approved. ************************************************************************ Hot Links - Bookmark these now! --------- Cheat Zone http://www.cheatzone.com/maincheat.html --------------------------------------- The #1 PC Game Cheat Page on the Internet, they claim. New Walkthrough: Phantasmagoria 2 A Puzzle of Flesh New information about RIVEN the sequel to Myst! Features: Cheat Library, Hot Cheats, Classic Games, Game Downloads, Nintendo 64, Midi Music, Live Chat Room, UHS Hint Files. (FreePlay: It goes to show one person with a computer in his den and some time on his hands can build a better WWW site than the corporate weasels like C|Net or the IDG/PC World guys who publish http://www.tipworld.com/ Descent - Valhalla Tower http://d2.mpx.com.au/ Submitted by Grant Farrington ----------------------------- Welcome to Valhalla Tower, the ultimate Descent 2 site! The name was inspired by the PTMC Base in the awesome Descent 2 intro movie. Here is a great place to find levels, utilities, tips, links, and miscellaneous Descent related material, all from an Australian server. And of course, it is the home of the Australian Descent 2 Ladder! Check out our stuff, give us feedback, but most important, become aware of the cult religion that is Descent! Gamecenter.com - World of Cheats http://www.gamecenter.com/Cheats/ --------------------------------- I usually stay away from the big corporate backed sites, like C|Net (they just piss me off with all the money backing their WWW pages and their positive reviews of games that are real crap) But, I have to admit this is a decent Cheat WWW site. Not a lot of cheats but the page is well designed. Cheats are available for Crusader: No Regret, Descent II, Hellbender, MechWarrior 2:Mercenaries, Quake, Space Hulk, Tekwar, and Warcraft II. You can also ask for cheats on a game. Quake Comics - The Adventures of Dank and Scud Submitted by Orog Ork http://www.webframes.com/quakecomics/index.html ----------------------------------------------- Michael Houston, Quake junkie, decided to embark on the Quake comic book project in much the same way he usually thinks up silly ideas - on a whim. But hey, what better way to practice his Photoshop techniques, HTML writing AND Quake devotion all at the same time?! Another time, another place, another war. These are the adventures of Dank and Scud, two loners caught in the barbaric world of Quake. How long has it been? Three years? Seven? A decade? Was Earth a memory, or merely a figment of their imagination? Is there a way home? Do they care? No. They're having way too much fun. ************************************************************************ Updates - Take old bugs out, put new ones in ------- Azaria Beta Update. http://www.massplay.com/singularity ----------------------------------- Most of of you have already received your Azaria CD. Many of you have already joined into a session and have learned how enjoyable the game can be. We recognize that there have been a few installation problems, and there is a demand for more instruction. Here are a few pointers to help you get started -- There is a patch on the web site that you should download and install. Look for the label 'OOPS, we forgot something'. This fixes the 'dplay.dll file not found' error as well as a few missing graphics and links. NOTE: If you have renamed your dplayx.dll file, you should restore it to its original name before installing the patch. There are people on-line willing to help out. If you can't figure out what to do -- just ask. Remember, this is a multi-player game . . . CyberArts Backgammon http://www.cyberarts.com/ ------------------------- Last Reported in Issue #5, Beta version 3 is nowAvailable. This is a major release/update of the Backgammon Client. Many new improvements and fixes. ************************************************************************ Previews -------- 7th Legion Home Page http://www.epicgames.com/7th_lega.htm ------------------------------------- Originally reported in Issue #10 in the Gaming News Section. There is no DEMO available yet but there is a 3mb AVI movie you can watch. 7Th Legion is a native Windows 95 game being developed by Vision Software of New Zealand and published by Epic MegaGames, Inc. 7Th Legion is real-time and successfully combines elements of strategy and action. 7Th Legion (Working title) is a futuristic real-time action strategy game with a unique focus on arcade gameplay. Unlike other games of its genre, 7th Legion is a fast-paced, frantic blast. Features will include: 640x480 high resolution graphics, Fast, arcade style game play, Two-Six multi-player Support via modem, LAN, and Internet, Stunning SVGA graphics, Rendered cinematics,Multiple power-ups, the ability to research new and more powerful weapons. 7Th Legion features a user interface powerful enough to lead the largest of armies into battle, yet simple enough that the average game player will be waging war in minutes! Players construct powerful armies and weapons, ranging from giant walking robots to infantry and tanks, then lead them into real-time battle across multiple rendered battlegrounds. The Streets of Simcity http://www.maxis.com/products/streets_of_simcity/ ------------------------------------------------- The Streets of SimCity" is in early development, but we can tell you a bit about the general concept. The Streets of SimCity will put you behind the wheel of car, racing through a SimCity 2000 city either one of several pre-designed cities to be included in the game or one of your own metropolis in 3D. Players will be able to map out the race course through their city and race against computer-controlled and/or live opponents. Race victories bring money prizes which can be used to upgrade to newer, more powerful vehicles, as well as to purchase additional equipment (i.e. oil slick generators, tack droppers, etc.). Sound fun? Throw in support for modem-to-modem play or up to eight player multiplayer game over the Internet or LAN and you've got the ultimate action/racing game. Look for more information and screen shots after the COMDEX trade show in mid-November. Tanktics http://www.dma.co.uk ----------------------------- "Tanktics", DMA's second forthcoming release for BMG Interactive. The fastest, most original strategy game in the history of the world. Ever! (and we really mean that). The objective of the game is, like a few others, to lay waste unto thine enemies, destroying his forces, annihilating his base and generally making life unpleasant in a number of creative ways. A Strategy Game 65 Million Years in the making Tanktics features four distinctive Eras for the player to try. Stone-age features huge tanks carved out of massive chunks of granite. Slow movers but don't let them get too close. Medieval tanks are constructed like castles. Stone and wood with all of the heraldry and frilly bits. Modern tanks are mean no-nonsense cold-war chunks o' metal, sinister and deadly. While the future tanks have cool options like hovering and long-range weapons. Each era contains enough tank parts to offer over 2 Million possible combinations of tank. Enough to keep even the saddest strategy freaks (i.e. us) happy for an amazing amount of time. When you combine the different eras in a single or multi-player game, where you can mix and match components from different eras, the number of different tank combination rises to approximately 3x1011. That's a Whole Lotta Tanks. The eras have all been modeled so that no one era has a particular advantage over another era. The Future tanks will have a hard time beating the Stone-Age tanks and we love it that way. Features: Unique gameplay and control method. Four Distinctive Era's - Stone Age, Medieval, Modern & Future. 2 Million combinations of tanks per era. Approx 3x1011 possible combinations in total. Square-Go's a plenty. Games of up to 4 players over Lan, Modem or Serial link Accurately modeled physical interaction with the environment. Sheep. Brave tanks, scaredy tanks, depressed tanks and flirtatious tanks. Burning Sheep. Large fights with huge weapons and millions of tanks. WarBreeds http://www.broderbund.com/studio/comingsoon/warbreeds.html ---------------------------------------------------------- WarBreeds is a real time strategy game of planetary conquest and genetic supremacy. Players will have to skillfully balance management of resources and aggressive battle strategies to conquer opponents, and acquire knowledge for advanced genetic engineering. WarBreeds features multiplayer and internet play for up to 8 players, as well as unique strategies, weapons and abilities for each of the four races. Set against the stunningly rendered alien landscapes populated by fully animated creatures, players will embark on a quest for total domination of the planet Aeolia, in either of two complete campaigns. By leading one of the surviving clans, players will seek out, harvest and research enemy genetic material, and then incorporate its inherent attributes into their own clan's arsenal. The battle rages between more and more highly evolved clans, of which only the most highly evolved and well deployed will achieve planetary domination. ************************************************************************ Resources - To make multiplayer gaming a heck of a lot easier --------- BetaNets Beta Report of The Day http://www.betabeta.com/ (corrected URL) ----------------------- I reported on this in the last issue of FreePlay. Unfortunately, the corporate weasels at http://www.tipworld.com, a site owned by IDG publications (they publish PC World, among others), have treated him like dogsh*t, reneged on their contract, and basically told him to go fly a kite. I don't have all the details of what happened between him and tipworld, but my correspondence with Tim Cassedy-Blum who publishes the BetaNet newsletter and WWW site sets my teeth on edge and has made me decide to STAY an independent publisher for now. Anyway, check out his site and show your support by subscribing to his newsletter and let him know by email what a great job he is doing. And here is what Tipworld had to say 'publicly': Dear TipWorld subscriber, Effective today, we have suspended publication of the BetaNet Beta Report of the Day on TipWorld. Please continue to visit BetaNet on the web at http://www.betabeta.com. ELFx WINSOCK's home page http://ascu.unian.it/~milani/ ----------------------------- Revision Date: December 1, 1996 Also Available: Windows 3.x Version Advanced, programmable, fast and user-friendly client for playing MUDs. MACROs, VARs, ALIASes, TRIGGERs, full mouse support, sounds, logs, scroll-buffer, full ANSI colour support, user definable windows, encryption, wizards, support for multiple instances. Automatic TICK recognition for faster HP/MANA/MOV regain. Kali http://www.axxis.com/kali/ -------------------------- Release of 1.1 is coming soon! Built- in support for the current KaliDP and KaliNB technology. Further improvements (already written) include organized game launching screens for Duke Nukem, Doom, Doom2, Heretic, Hexen, Terminal Velocity, Quake, and any other games we can find that failed to include their own lobby interface. This way even a first time user can join a Duke game forming on a server and start playing without knowing anything about how to run multiplayer Duke. These same screens will be used to launch DirectPlay games. Data compression that will reduce packet sizes on ALL games. We're expecting this to allow faster games and more people in each game. The compression varies from 10-50% depending on the game. Winsock IPX support. Currently only DOS IPX games work with Kali. With Winsock IPX support you will be able to run any Win95 game that uses IPX; this includes all current DirectPlay games. The Win95 version of Descent2 would then be able to play in the same games as the DOS and Mac users. Future real DirectPlay support for DirectPlay 3.0. Unfortunately we'll have to wait for games to be written with 3.0 before this will help any. And more. Multiple configurations so that two people can use the same PC and have different Kali95 setups. Lots of extra sound triggers in chat for different events. More game launch icons. ActiveX support. More, more, more. And I bet you thought we were sitting back enjoying our success. :) The Kali for Mac Unofficial Home Page http://www.ebicom.net/~jnaron3/kali.html ---------------------------------------- The one stop for all your Kali Mac needs. If there is every anything that we can do to help you, don't hesitate to ask. Macintosh MUDding Resource WWW Page http://www.eden.com/~hsoi/mud/ ------------------------------ Welcome to the (as far as I know) only resource in the world specifically dedicated to Internet MUD resources for the MacOS(formerly known as Apple Macintosh, or just Macintosh, but with the advent of clones, whatcha gonna do?) This page contains listings and descriptions of MacOS-based MUD servers, clients, editors, etc. This page also contains some information about MUDs in general (not platform specific). Where to Race http://www.wheretorace.com/ --------------------------- Where To Race is an online resource committed to maximizing the simulation auto racer's experience. WTR's goal is to provide the optimal forum for the sim racer - a place where racers share their ideas, opinions, techniques and data in real time and oh yes, RACE! Did we mention the word "FREE?" WTR has it's own gaming/chat server on the internet, free of charge to anyone who wishes to sign on. Once you do, you can talk to and race with other sim racers online. The only requirements for using the WTR Network are that you love simulation auto racing and you have the software to get connected. WTR utilizes Kali gaming technology. (Nascar Racing from Sierra/Papyrus is now compatible with the Kali system). Winsock Game Clients for Windows http://www.rahul.net/galen/client.html ----------------------------------------------- Originally mentioned in Issue #2, this page has been updated quite a bit. This is the place to go to find the latest versions of many Windows MUD clients. These programs automate many of the mundane tasks including remembering your passwords on all MUDS you visit and play on, built-in macros for repetitive commands,etc. ************************************************************************ PBEM Games - Play By Email Games ---------- Circa 7000 - Armies of Armageddon http://www.nitehawk.com/Boku/ ----------------------------- Circa 7000 is a heavily strategic, turn-based war game. Each side has a squad to small army-sized force of individual troops, mechs and vehicles doing battle on a large, detailed field filled with rivers, swamps, forests, buildings and the more sinister trip wires and land mines. Play occurs in 3 powerful, yet intuitive, Phases. In the first Phase, all the forces move (with different rules for vehicles and non-vehicles.) In the second, forces aim up to three weapons each from their primary or secondary stash. All the weapons fire in Phase III. And that's only the beginning! Circa 7000 is delivered with all the tools used to make the game's forces, terrains and battles! This includes the Game Maker for making your own scenarios: pick and place the armies, design the battlefield, write up the story and specify how the game will end (Destroying/Conquering areas or Casualties alone). And when that isn't enough, use the Customizer to modify the existing forces or design your own from scratch! Design and draw your own forces, weapons and terrain, including all the stats and sound, to implement in your own scenarios, time periods and themes! Play is literally unlimited when you start swapping these files... Requirements: 486SX-33 (About the minimum tolerable speed), 4M of Extended Memory,(3.2M must be free!), 600k of free conventional memory, 6M of Disk space, SVGA, Mouse, Sound Card optional Station Beta Two http://www.geocities.com/Area51/6225/index.htm ---------------------------------------------- Greetings and welcome aboard Beta 2! These pages are based on the Star Trek based E-Mail role-playing simulation that takes place along the Deep Space Nine and Voyager timeline. We hope you'll enjoy your stay, and might consider moving aboard. Station Beta Two is the seedy and seductive underbelly of the Federation that offers a dark and mysterious experience like no other in the galaxy. E-mail sims differ from traditional online sims because all the action occurs in E-mail between crew members. Unlike other role-playing games, there is no system to determine your character's actions. The only limit to what your character can do is common sense, your creativity, and imagination! As you'll quickly find out, E-mail sims focus on character development, role-playing, and character interaction. Interactive storytelling by E-mail is like a collaborative novel, but not quite. When working with others on a novel, everyone confers and agrees upon the overall characters, content and resolution of the tale. The Official Web Supremacy Game Site http://www.b-span.com/supremacy/ -------------------------------- In the near future, six superpowers will emerge from the ashes of the Cold War. They will use their economic, political and military muscle to crush their opponents, and conquer the world. You are the Commander-in-Chief of one of those Superpowers. You will have to make hard economic decisions. Should you sell your surplus oil to the Market for cold cash, or use it to build more armies and navies? You, and you alone, must make the decisions that will guide your nation on the road to victory. May the winds of fortune be favorable Simply put, SUPREMACY is a futuristic global simulation. Each player controls one SUPERPOWER, and has complete authority over all of its POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, & MILITARY affairs, including its money supply, armies, navies, military officers, productivity, foreign relations, nuclear weapons, high-tech space based weapons, sabotage teams, biological and chemical weapons, diplomatic relations, short and long term strategy, and much, much more. The object of the game is to achieve SUPREMACY. The winner is the last surviving player, meaning that all other players have either been destroyed, been captured, or they have gone bankrupt. If a time limit is set, then the surviving player with the most value is declared the winner (See Detente). ************************************************************************ Online Games - Multiplayer Internet Games you can play NOW ------------ HoverRace http://www.grokksoft.com/hover.html ----------------------------------- Hover Race Beta is Now on-line. After several months of development the Beta version of HoverRace is now ready. We are really proud to present this new game that offers the following features: 3D Environment: We have used Baseline to create a Real 3D environment with no sprites, just textured polygons. Lightness: Less than 2mb to download and very low system requirements Easy Internet Access: HoverRace includes Internet Meeting Room; the easiest way to play on the Internet. Free: It costs nothing to play HoverRace. While most new game providers charge you by the hour you can play HoverRace during hours without paying a cent. Furthermore, HoverRace is a Shareware. For everyone: HoverRace is very easy to play with only a few keys. Furthermore, HoverRace is not violent. You won't find any blood or death in HoverRace. You will only find a lot on fun, friends and action. Hover Race is an original multi-player racing game specially designed to be played over a network(including the Internet). The game also offers a practice mode and a split screen mode for those who want to play off-line. Hover Race is not a traditional racing game. It offers a lot of interesting features like the bouncing rockets to put your opponents out-of-control or the speed ramps that will launch you as a pinball ball. System Requirements - 486 66 MHz (Pentium recommended) - 4 MB of RAM - 4 MB of free disk space - PCI or VESA Local Bus VideoCard - Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 - DirectX (v1 or above or v2 or above for NT) - DirectX compatible sound card recommended SGH's Free Software http://www.sgh-hive.com/whiny.htm --------------------------------- To active beta testers of our servers (through the use of these demos) we will offer CD-Roms of beta versions of selected games as they become available. To become a beta tester just download a demo, and use it. Then send fill out the Beta Report Form. All of our demo programs are 32 bit applications designed for Windows 95. The minimum requirements are : 1. CPU: IBM PC or compatible 486 or better , a Pentium system is strongly recommended. 2. RAM: Minimum 8M or 16M recommended. 3. Display: Any 256 or true color VGA display supporting MS windows. 4. Operating System: Microsoft Windows 95. 5. TCP/IP: An active Internet Connection. Downloadable games are Tetris, HangMan Game, BattleShip, Black Jack, Memory. All are 32 bit applications designed for Windows 95. The minimum requirements are : 1. CPU: IBM PC or compatible 486 or better , a Pentium system is strongly recommended. 2. RAM: Minimum 8M or 16M recommended. 3. Display: Any 256 or true color VGA display supporting MS windows. 4. Operating System: Microsoft Windows 95. 5. TCP/IP: An active Internet Connection. Star General http://www.catware.com/(14 meg download) http://www.stargeneral.com/(description) ----------------------- Mentioned in the last issue of FreePlay (V1.10) in the Gaming News section, the downloadable 14 meg DEMO is now available. The latest title in the 5 STAR SERIES from SSI, Star General uses an enhanced Panzer General engine, that allows the player to wage war through the galaxy, fighting both in space and on planet surfaces. Success will require more than just Generalship - fail to properly manage your planets and technology bases, and you'll find yourself unable to defend your planets from the hostile races of the Galaxy. Not a micro-managing nightmare, the resource management aspect of this game is well balanced: Important enough to win wars, but easily managed without tedium. Features: First 5-STAR SERIES product to use the enhanced Panzer General game engine - greatly expanding features and gameplay potential. Two-Level Combat System lets players fight among the stars and land on the planets below for ground-based combat. Resource Management is a key to success - expand cities, create factories, research centers, military complexes, and orbital stations. Network Play Engage in a variety of separate wars, each involving 2 of the seven races, OR create your own galactic battlefield involving 2 to 7 human or computer players - each representing a different race! The scope of STAR GENERAL is as vast as space itself, with well over 100 hours of game play. Use the diplomacy feature to influence your relationship with neutral races - or disable it and war with everyone! Each of Star General's 7 unique races has its own specialized A.I. plus its own characteristic sound effects and graphics. Huge Space & Planet Maps. 100+ Planets to Conquer. 100+ Spaceship Designs. 200+ Ground and Air Vehicles. Free Scrolling Map. Split Map / Control Screen Features. 6 Tech Levels. Windows 95 Version (DirectX for Fast Graphics Performance). DOS Version for backward compatibility. Total Knockout Boxing http://www.exscape.com ---------------------- Get the DEMO now! PC Only, 4 Megs Lace-up and prepare for the fight of your life! Go toe-to-toe against 10 of the feistiest femmes ever to grace the canvas or duke it out with your friends with Total Knockout's network and modem play. Uppercuts, jabs and windmills are just some of the weapons in your arsenal, but you better put up a good fight or that rowdy crowd will pelt you with bowling pins and assorted foods! Total Knockout, the first all female boxing game for the PC - it's a killer combination! FEATURES: 2 Player Network, Modem and Null Modem Play! Split Screen 2 Player Simo-Play! 10 Female Combatants! Huge 3-D Fighters! Wild Bonus Rounds! Hard Hitting Secret Combatants! Furious Arcade Action! Awesome Cinemas! A Recipe for Bundt Cake! Virtua Squad http://www.sega.com/segapc/downloads/games/vsquad.html ------------------------------------------------------ Mentioned in Vol 1, #10 in the Gaming News section, the download is now available. Virtua Squad: An urban killing zone overrun by criminals packin' heavy heat and holding hostages. The law and weapons are on your side. The odds will never be. Unsurpassed fast-twitch response, dynamic 3-D scenarios, and rapid-fire gameplay will electrify you in an unyielding onslaught of polygon thugs. *First person view with constantly changing perspectives and zooming camera angles *2 player network play *2 player cooperative mode *Adjustable resolution and texture mapping for maximum performance ************************************************************************ Humor - Something to make you laugh while you are gaming ----- Useful Acronyms PCMCIA - People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms ISDN - It Still Does Nothing APPLE - Arrogance Produces Profit-Losing Entity SCSI - System Can't See It DOS - Defunct Operating System BASIC - Bill's Attempt to Seize Industry Control IBM - I Blame Microsoft DEC - Do Expect Cuts CD-ROM - Consumer Device, Rendered Obsolete in Months OS/2 - Obsolete Soon, Too. WWW - World Wide Wait MACINTOSH - Most Applications Crash; If Not, The Operating System Hangs ************************************************************************ Details - How to subscribe, back issues, legal junk ------- 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@snet.net How to get back issues: Back issues can be found at http://freeplay.home.ml.org or 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@snet.net 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@snet.net How to subscribe: Send email TO:Majordomo@marit.cypronet.com SUBJECT: TEXT: subscribe freeplay To remove yourself from the FreePlay mailing list, Send email TO:Majordomo@marit.cypronet.com SUBJECT: TEXT: unsubscribe freeplay