F R E E P L A Y ! Multiplayer Internet Gaming Newsletter Issue # 14 - Jan 27, 1997 Back Issues available at http://www.leamark.com/freeplay ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/FreePlay CompuServe - Library 15 of the Internet Fun Forum (GO INETFUN) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The FreePlay Newsletter Team members are: Editor - Mark Shnayer Assist.Editor - Scott Grattan Copy Editor - Jim Cooper Reporter - Position Open--Apply to Webmaster - Orog Ork ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. ************************************************************************ SECTIONS ------------ Announcement - FreePlay now featured on CompuServe Editorial - Just a couple of notes Rambling On - By Scott Grattan Gaming News - All the multiplayer news you can use Hot Links - Bookmark these now! Resources - To make multiplayer gaming a heck of a lot easier Updates - Take old bugs out, put new ones in Previews - The Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Review 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 newsletter featured at CompuServe ------------ I received an email a short time ago from one of the forum sysops on CompuServe as follows: "I just recently subscribed to your FreePlay Multiplayer Internet Gaming Newsletter and I've really enjoyed what I've seen. I am a staff member in the Internet Fun Forum (GO INETFUN) on CompuServe. Our forum is devoted to directing people to and discussing fun things to do on the Internet. Your newsletter is exactly the sort of content we are looking for to offer in our Ratings & Reviews and our Online Games Sections." I'm a soft touch when it comes to compliments! So, we worked out the details. The FreePlay newsletter will be available in those two sections (Ratings & Reviews, and Online Games) and will be available for download as follows: Members of CompuServe can download the FreePlay newsletter from Library 15 (Online Games) of the Internet Fun Forum (GO INETFUN). ************************************************************************ EDITORIAL - Just a couple of notes --------- I have some things I am working on for next couple of issues and they are rather long. Since this issue is already a big one, I will hold off till the next issue. The editorials will be about multiplayer gaming, the musical chairs the programmers at the various software companies are playing, the coming "online game service" wars (TEN is already putting down battle.net saying their service will provide better latency/ping times for Diablo), and how this has all been made possible by the now standard $19.95 per month unlimited Internet access (or if you are an AOL member the unlimited busy signals; or if you a CompuServe member, sorry no flat rate). It's already getting long just describing it :) If you haven't checked out Engage (http://www.engage.com, mentioned in the last issue), you should soon. Their beta testing will end around March 15th. After that they go commercial: no more free beta-testing. After our Assistant Editor Scott's review of Diablo, and after playing the shareware version on my magazine game CD-ROM, and with my credit cards paid off and burning a hole in my wallet... Well... I bought the retail version of Diablo. (Grabbed the last one off the shelf, hah!, almost knocked over some kid eyeballing it..."Mommy!!!") I have discovered one thing. Don't play Diablo in multiplayer mode online and plan on do anything else (like writing a newsletter) for a while. "Yeah, that's the ticket, I'll just check out how good Diablo is for playing over the Internet, then work on the newsletter." Yeah, right, uh huh. Three hours later my wife is yelling "Did you finish the newsletter yet? The Superbowl is almost on!". Oh shoot... But I'm almost at level 5! Well... back to the newsletter... after Green Bay kicks some butt... and I live in New England :) ************************************************************************ Rambling On - By Scott Grattan ----------- Another two weeks have gone by again??? What the hell have I been doing that I didn't notice that my column and reviews were due? Could it be Diablo? SubSpace maybe? Planetary Raiders? Could it have been all of the above...??? Ok, so maybe I'm getting a little melodramatic, but I'm building up for a reason. No, really! I am! I just want to plead my innocence and say that I'm cutting it this close to deadline is for one simple reason: A virus... OUCH!!! And this wasn't one of the little run-of-the-mill buggers either! Anti-EXE, and it did some stuff that I couldn't fix no matter what I did. Removing it was easy enough, fixing the damage was impossible (for me anyway, and I'm supposed to be some kind of computer tech!). The short of it is this: I had to delete and re-install Windows '95, losing all my settings. I know I could have backed it up, but I didn't have idea one what files were corrupted (keyboard remapped and modem nowhere to be found), and I was so frustrated that I justified my actions at the time. I'm sure some of you out there can relate to the satisfaction of typing: DELTREE WINDOWS So, after a few days of scrambling to recover, and the rest of them trying to remember what I had and what I really want/need back, I'm just now getting to a point where I can function again. Moral of the story is thus: backup stuff! And you want to know the best way to back things up? My latest investment has been an incredible useful tool, and well worth the small cost! Check out Iomega's ZIP drives! 'nuff said... on to the gaming! Despite my recent problems, I have found some time to spend online with Diablo! (oh yeah, after deleting Windows, and getting back into Diablo, I was informed by fellow gamers that your character is saved in the \windows directory somewhere. So...my character was lost to the great abyss..) I've managed to build another character that is to be feared, and am still enjoying this game immensely. So much, in fact, that I nearly neglected to work on my single player character! If you're just jumping online (and from the people I've chatted with online, I know there are a few), and not playing the single player mode, you're missing out! There's a lot of things that happen in the game that you will not see in MP (multi-player). There's an awesome storyline, and that's a big part of gaming for me! Since the release of Diablo, I haven't spent anywhere near as much time as I had been in SubSpace (http://www.vie.com/subspace), but I was bored a little the other night, and logged in. Much to my delight, v1.20 had been released, and it's awesome! Check out http://www.vie.com/subspace/team/rod/scen/scen.htm for the first subspace scenario "Battle for Juno" Phew! What a few weeks! version 120. BUG FIXES Lost score bug. Hopefully nailed this one. Sorry for the pain it has caused. Hardrive access bug. Addressed it. let us know if it works with everyone. false lockouts should now be fixed. Sorry bout that guys. Banner bug (pallete) - fixed. Multifire - If you didn't take advantage of it, now you never will. Speed Zone - no more zone swapping, you bad people ;) Zone winners - Finally fixed. (phew) Repels - still unreliable weapons (they are meant to be) but will be more effective when they go off. NEW FEATURES o 2 new ships o Terrier - fires twin guns. About as maneuverable as a leviathan. Weasel - Can detect mines on radar. Fires EMP bombs which stop an enemy from recharging. your EMP bombs can also affect YOU if you fire too close. o ROCKET pickup. Hit F3 and off you go!!! o Dissolve squad feature, menu option. (only the creator can dissolve a squad) o Super duper background graphics. These can be turned OFF in the view/options menu. o New fly under/over tiles + secret door tiles implemented. Expect the maps to be updated with them in the next few days. o In running zone flags now get dropped where a player lost connection. o In warzone music now plays when a team has all flags and is about to drop em. o Bomb code improved. Fear the leviathan. o SHIFT+PG/UP PG/DN now flips down the player list by a page. o Oh yeah and we re did all the ship graphics again. NEW PLAYER COMMANDS ?chat=XXXX where XXXX is the name of the chat channel. To chat on that channel use the ; key. EG: ?chat=rod ;hello this sends the message "hello" to everybody on that chat channel. ?chat with no name removes you from a chat channel. ?log - logs all messages to a file. ?log XXXX specifies file name ?log again stops logging. ?kill - logs all death messages to your message area so you can hit esc to see them. %killer - tells you who last killed you. %killed - tells you who you last killed. ?status - tells you how much charge rate and other powerups you have. remember 100% jav speed is faster than 100% warbird speed. :#squadname:message here Sends a mesage to everyone in that squad across all zones. #message As above but auto sends it to your squad. Right SHIFT + Function keys now gives you extra macros! (menu option) SHIFT+BKSPCE erases entire message. The new graphics are very nice, and it's obvious that VIE is getting this prettied up so they can start selling it. The rumors are flying, but the predominant rumor is that it will cost $10 a month. I hope this isn't the case, because as much as I like this game, it's not worth $120 a year to me. I can easily justify spending the $50 that Blizzard asks for Diablo, but SubSpace just doesn't have that same appeal to me. And last but not least, we come to another release that I've been eagerly awaiting... Planetary Raiders (http://www.icigames.com/pr/)! I've been wanting to test drive this ever since I came across their teasers a few months ago. ICI is the same company that does Warbirds, a WWII simulator enjoyed by hundreds of online flight sim nuts all over the world. If you've ever gotten a WBer talking about this game, you'd know you need a court order to shut them up. But if PR keeps along the same lines, you'll need one to shut ME up! I'm an old Elite player (if you know what it is, you know what I mean... if not.. FIND OUT!) from way back when, and I've long dreamed about someone bringing Elite online. Well, ICI is working on it, and have a great start from what I can tell! They're in open beta right now, and it's not that hard to get it up and going. A word of warning though, to log on they require you to "subscribe", and somewhere in that process they ask for a credit card #. It seemed like I was signing up for Warbirds, but it was necessary to get into the ICI server to play PR. I'm still not sure if I'm going to be charged the subscription fees, since it says that there will be no charge for two months to betatest PR. If you're at all uncomfortable about giving credit card information- online, contact them directly. Well, time to get this thing sent to the editor! I don't have any prepared reviews this time, but from what I can tell from the rough draft of the newsletter, there's plenty to keep you occupied. I will however throw in my own little contribution to the humor section, in the form of a game you've got to see to believe. Redneck Rampage by Interplay is hysterical, and worth the download time. I don't know if you'll be seeing this one on any of the gaming magazine CD-ROM's, but it wouldn't surprise me if none of them carry it. There were absolutely no restrictions or age stipulations to download this thing from (http://www.interplay.com/games/redneck.html), but I'm not sure if that surprises me or not. Start it up, and you're welcomed by a fair impression of a hillbilly salute, "Holy Shit!", with southern accent and everything. The name of the game says it all, and the gameplay is very Duke-like. The graphics are impressive, but you'll need a decent machine to run them in highest resolution. If you're bored with Duke and/or Quake, this is a funny diversion from your regular Doom/Duke/Quake clone. Just don't take it too serious, or you just won't get the enjoyment out of it that I'm sure Interplay is hoping for. Until next time, GOOD GAMING! ************************************************************************ GAMING NEWS - All the multiplayer news you can use. ----------- Blizzard Takes Online Gaming by Storm by Marc Saltzman 2:42pm PST 16 Jan 97 ---------------------------------------- Blizzard Entertainment's online gaming service Battle.Net, launched last week, reached 60,000 registered players on Wednesday, surpassing Mplayer, DWANGO, and the largest of the online gaming pack - The Total Entertainment Network (TEN). The service, which offers Blizzard's long-awaited role-playing game Diablo, is free. "This does indeed make it tough for TEN, and other online gaming services that charge fees," says John Robb, an analyst at Forrester Research. "They will have to do a lot more for their money." Blizzard, publisher of the hugely successful game series WarCraft, is the first gaming company to provide its own Web service for a newly launched game. QuakeWorld, id's online gaming service for Quake, came out months after Quake was released. id says it has not been tracking how many users QuakeWorld has. Direct competition from gaming company makers will force online gaming services to add more features, such as news, and to create a stronger community, says Robb. But TEN denies that Battle.Net is competition. "We see them [Blizzard] as a partner, since we are providing Diablo on our network soon," says Garth Chouteau, communications manager at TEN. The company is working to make sure its multiplayer version of Diablo will be the "best possible online experience out of all the Networks." Plans include a unique TEN shell for players and lower latency during gameplay. Mark Mooradian of Jupiter Communications says there is more than enough online room for different types of services. "There is definitely a place for both of them; everybody benefits, but the lowest latency possible is still the main issue." Diablo Burns Up battle.net http://www.gamespot.com -------------------------- Gamers logging on to Blizzard's free multiplayer server, battle.net, to play Diablo are turning the new service into a gamer free-for-all. "As of Sunday night we were at 80,000 visitors," a Blizzard spokesperson told GameSpot today. And with battle.net attracting about 5,000 new users a day, it will likely top the 100,000 mark by week's end. On the heels of Diablo's success, Blizzard is readying StarCraft, its real-time strategy game, for a full-scale battle.net release this summer. ENGAGE Games announces a deal with CompuServe IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) --Jan. 22, 1997-- ---------------------------------------------- ENGAGE Games Online Wednesday announced a deal with CompuServe Interactive (CSi), which makes the new on-line game community available on the three leading commercial on-line services, as well as the Internet. ENGAGE will begin delivering its high-end multiplayer games and on-line entertainment content to CSi's more than 3 million members in early 1997. Among the initial offerings will be Interplay's "Descent Online" and "Castles II," as well as on-line exclusive originals from Interworld, "Rolemaster: Magestorm" and "Splatterball." ENGAGE has already announced deals with AOL, Prodigy and Internet providers Concentric Network and Earthlink Network. Other deals are also soon to be announced. ENGAGE recently announced its beta testing phase on America Online and the Internet, allowing die-hard game fans a first look at such hits as "Descent Online," "Castles II" and "Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness," as well as on-line original exclusives "Rolemaster: Magestorm" and "Splatterball." When ENGAGE launches its full service on March 15, it will feature an impressive array of high-end multiplayer games, as well as some less intense fare for non-gamer members of the family. ENGAGE will offer several games at launch and then plans to add one or two additional games each month. First Annual GameCenter Awards SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 20 /PRNewswire/ 04:43 p.m. Jan 20, 1997 EST http://www.gameworld.com http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1189445-594 -------------------------------------------------------- C|Net's GAMECENTER.COM, the online source for gaming news, reviews, features and downloads, has announced the winners of its First Annual GameCenter Awards. The winners are as follows: *** Game of the Year -- Quake (id Software) *** Best Action Game -- Quake (id Software) *** Best Sports Game -- NHL 97 (Electronic Arts) *** Best Adventure Game -- Neverhood Chronicles (DreamWorks Interactive) *** Best Fantasy/role playing Game -- Meridian 59 (Studio 3DO) *** Best Strategy Game -- Civilization II (MicroProse) *** Best Simulation Game -- NASCAR Racing 2 (Sierra On-Line) In the hotly contested category of Game of the Year, GAMECENTER's editors selected Quake (id Software), recognizing it for its multiplayer options -- especially Internet play -- superb 3D environments, and true physics. And, admits Editor Alice Hill, "It's the only game that has kept my staff here playing until 10 p.m. on a Friday night." (Freeplay: Note that SIX out of SEVEN awards went to multiplayer games!) GT Interactive Signs Publishing Deal with 5D Games -------------------------------------------------- GT Interactive announced it has signed a multi-title publishing agreement with game developer 5D Games. The agreement gives GT Interactive the interactive media, merchandising, and publishing rights to 5D Games's upcoming game Millennium Four: The Right, along with its sequel and three other future titles. Millennium is a space action/strategy sim that will include a "serverless" multiplayer design allowing network games to continue even if the player who started the game leaves. Millennium is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of this year and will be available for the PC and console platforms. 5D Games was founded last July by several employees from Sierra On-Line's Papyrus division, developers of the IndyCar and NASCAR racing simulation series. Monolith Productions Announces Blood and Q Studios Acquisitions Kirkland, Washington -January 22, 1997 http://www.blood.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Monolith Productions today announced the recent acquisition of all the rights to 3D action horror game Blood from 3D Realms. "Monolith believes that Blood will be THE deathmatch game of choice in 1997. The horrific nature of the game and quality of gameplay will give Blood the foundation it needs to become a phenomenal hit," says Monolith CEO Jason Hall. "This acquisition gives us the ability to give Blood the support and attention it deserves," says Monolith Product Manager Matt Saettler. While Monolith now owns all content and rights to Blood, the game will still be published and distributed by GT Interactive. "GT is a great publisher," says Hall, "they're one of the biggest and one of the best. They've clearly shown the desire and ability to promote and support Blood. We couldn't be happier with their efforts." A shareware release of Blood is expected in March. Spectrum HoloByte Upset with Acclaim ------------------------------------ Legal battle over the release of Magic titles continues. Spectrum player -controllable artificial intelligence, true line-of-sight, native Internet play and advanced gaming options, Dark Reign draws players into an engaging sci-fi universe where armies duel for interplanetary domination in more than 30 battles. Currently slated for a summer release, the Windows 95 compatible title is being co-developed by Activision, Inc. and Australis Microprogramming Pty., Ltd. Women more interested in on-line video games than men ----------------------------------------------------- Impulse Research, an independent research firm based in Los Angeles, released survey results Tuesday reporting women are more interested in playing on-line video games than men (59 percent of women who play console video games want to play games on-line, compared with 49 percent of men). The survey also says 61 percent of video game players want to access the Internet and play on-line games on their video game consoles. The survey results were released by Sega of America which, coincidentally, markets a $199 modem that plugs into the Sega Saturn video game console allowing complete access to the Internet displayed on a TV. On-line games will be available from Sega in early 1997. ************************************************************************ HOT LINKS - Bookmark these now! --------- Daniel's InfoZene http://www.lofcom.com/forms/maillist.html (subscribe form) ---------------------------------------------------------- A general interest/public service ezine that carries Internet tips, humor, recipes, as well as at least one PSA/advocacy for disabilities article, and much more. Weekly distribution. To receive the latest issue send blank email to For more information send blank email to < infozene-info@lofcom.com >. To Subscribe visit < http://www.lofcom.com/forms/maillist.html > or Send a message to as follows: TO: list-request@lofcom.com SUBJ: TEXT: Subscribe daninfo your@email.address (Real First Last Name) The Official Games-L Home Page http://www.enter.net/~apearson/ ------------------------------- This is the official home page for the Games-L mailing/discussion list. TO join the Games-L list you must send a mail message to and in the body of the message, type subscribe games-l. Or you can do this via the WWW at the following URL: http://www.netspace.org/cgi-bin/lwgate/GAMES-L. This method is fairly simple as well. The home page features Premier Games, Non-Premier Games, Old Time Games, Utilities/Files, Cheat Codes, Walkthroughs, Rumors, Game Reviews, Platform Reviews, Game Site Reviews. Nostromo's Doom and 3D Gaming Newsletter http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arcade/6893/ (Newsletter text) http://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~chiry/doom/doom.html (HTML format) http://people.delphi.com/~ron1701/nostromo.htm (Doom II Wads) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Currently, this newsletter is being posted on various 3D gaming related newsgroups, sent via e-mail to the folks on the Newsletter subscription list and posted on The Nostromo BBS. NOTE: The 3D Gaming Newsletter is now available on the web! Contact for subscription requests or call The Nostromo BBS (707) 838-6833. Playing Wargames via the Internet http://grognard.com/index.html --------------------------------- Welcome to Web-Grognards - the site for wargames on the web! 'Grognard' is also slang for someone who likes playing wargames. The purpose of Web -Grognards is to provide a central location for the collection of various conflict simulation game (i.e. wargame) information, including (but not limited to) game errata, variants and reviews and relevant FTP and web sites. The emphasis is on board wargames, but miniatures, computer and card-based wargames are also covered. Web-Grognards has information on hundreds of games and is a unique resource on the Internet. ************************************************************************ RESOURCES - To make multiplayer gaming a heck of a lot easier --------- 3D Game-Menu (Dos\Win95\Win NT\Win3.11) http://members.aol.com/maisonave/duke.htm ----------------------------------------- 3DGame-Menu is a mouse driven DOS menu (front end loader) with a windows type interface for Duke Nukem 3D. 3DGame-Menu features an intuitive point-and-click interface for viewing, running, extracting, and testing 3D game files. Now you can use 3DGame-Menu to access all map files you download from the Internet. If you have a CD-ROM with 300, 500, or a 1,000 maps, there is no need to fill up your hard-drive or your Duke3D directory with these maps. Use 3DGame-Menu to run the maps straight from the CD-ROM; Or set up a special subdirectory for your 30 favorite Maps, and make your own personal Group Episode. This program is great for beginners as well as seasoned pros. For beginners it offers the ability to run maps and episodes without having to know all the special command prompts, DOS commands and Duke3D codes. It also has a great Help database to answer many questions that new Dukers ask. For the pros it offers the ability to modify the user.con map files and midi files from a mouse-driven menu. It also allows access to build, extract and edit art using the selected file or subdirectory. This version of 3DGame-Menu also includes FAQs on maps, editart, CON and episodes. Runs in Dos\Win95\Win NT\Win3.11 Advance Squad Leader Mailing List --------------------------------- There is an ASL Mailing List on the Internet. It has over 500 subscribers (and increasing) from all over the world, and here one can find local opponents, discuss rules and tactics, bring up related questions, have those questions answered by experienced players, get in touch with fanzine editors and players from all over the world. To subscribe to the list, send a message with subscribe advanced-sl {Your email address} in the body to . The actual list address is . The ASL Mailing List is run by Paul Ferraro via a listserv program at the University of Pittsburgh. For help or information, contact . The List is also the source of the ASL Internet Ladder and the ASL Record, the former being an ongoing ladder style competition and the latter a collection of scenario results which is very useful in judging balance. You can also find the complete backlogs of the Mailing List starting from the very first days in the archives. Dirty Little Helper - The Ultimate Cheats Database Cheats for more than 900 PC Games -------------------------------------------------- New Cheats: Amok, Area 51, Bedlam, Biing, Cybergladiators, Destruction Derby 2, H2O, Gubble Demo, Heroes of Might & Magic 2, NBA Live 97, Need for Speed SE, Normality, Privateer 2, NFL Quarterback Club 97, Shattered Steel, Sonic PC, Stargunner, Tomcat Alley, Tomb Raider, Tunnels and Trolls, Virtua Squad, Wages of War, Zombie Wars. Updated Cheats: Actua Soccer, Alien Trilogy, Colonization, Command & Conquer, Desert Strike, Jungle Strike, MetalTech: Earthsiege, Prince of Persia 2. Walkthrus/Hints: Ace Ventura, Amber: Journeys Beyond, Area 51, Championship Manager 2, Cybergladiators, Discworld 2, Drowned God, Links LS, Meridian 59, Monty Python/Holy Grail, Neverhood, Star Trek: Borg, Wizardry Nemesis FAQs: Privateer 2, Trainer/Editors: Command & Conquer: Red Alert. Savegames: Privateer 2, Wizardry Nemesis. Game Wizard Files: Al Qadim; Genie's Curse, Dark Sun 2, Doom, Doom 2, Elite 2: Frontier, Eye of the Beholder, Eye of the Beholder 2, Heretic, Hexen, Land of Lore, Master of Magic, Menzoberranzan, Mortal Kombat 3, Prince of Persia 2, Raptor, Ravenloft, Sam & Max, Schleichfahrt, Shadowcaster, Thunderscape, Warcraft, Worms: Reinforcement. Download the base database at: ftp://ftp.inf.tu-dresden.de/pub/ms-dos/games/utility/dlh/dlh30jan.zip ftp://ftp.fidogate.com login:dlh file: dlh30jan.zip If you have the December DLH, you only need the (smaller) update: ftp://ftp.inf.tu-dresden.de/pub/ms-dos/games/utility/dlh/dlhu3jan.zip ftp://ftp.fidogate.com login:dlh file: dlhu3jan.zip The December module is also available at: ftp://ftp.inf.tu-dresden.de/pub/ms-dos/games/utility/dlh/dlhm1296.zip ftp://ftp.fidogate.com login:dlh file: dlhm1296.zip And finally, if you like the DLH drop me a note and I will put you on the mailing list to make sure that you will get your DLH fresh out of the computer every month. Mail to: Bernd Wolffgramm. Stargates Network Home - Kahn (Win95) http://www.teleport.com/~nbright/home.html ------------------------------------------ Originally reported in Issue #8. Kahn has been updated. What is Kahn Anyway? Kahn for Microsoft DOS and Microsoft Windows 95 turns your TCP/IP connection to the Internet into a virtual IPX protocol network. Games that are built to allow network play will function across the Internet as well! Kahn 0.92 Released! Key Features: *** Support for even more IPX games, including Win95 version of Red Alert. *** Better Winsock Support (and we wouldn't even think of replacing your system files). *** NEW Chat, MDI based. And of course, Much More!!!! Kahn Features: *** Fastest Shareware Internet Connection. *** Kahn gives you the fastest shareware gaming experience on Internet today *** An Unrestricted DOS Shareware License! *** Try it as long as you like before you register (DOS version). *** Compatible with IPX-based network games. *** See our compatibility database for a list of tested software! *** Designed with frame optimization to reduce network bandwidth up to 40%! *** More efficient network traffic means smoother network game play. *** Easy to Install and Use. Also Netertainment has moved. If you haven't changed your Netertainment IP address yet, just get the latest release of Kahn. The new IP address for Netertainment is 207.49.231.254. Win95 Games under NT 4.0 http://www.concentric.net/~Dstaines/nt40games/ ---------------------------------------------- If you are running Windows NT on your system then you know how tough or impossible it is to get Windows 95 games to work under NT 4.0. This is a list of games that I have compiled based on information received from personal experience, messages from visitors and developers themselves. It is in no way intended to be used as a buying guide, but as a reference base for games under NT 4.0. ************************************************************************ PREVIEWS - The Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Review. -------- Millennium Four: The Right 5D GAMES ANNOUNCES FIRST TITLE FOR 1997 January 13, 1997 --------------------------------------- In the fourth millennium, the Earth is dying. In the fourth millennium, humanity has spread to the stars. In the fourth millennium, the Aahnja have returned, to reclaim their right. 5D Games, Inc. announced today that its first title, previously code named G-Zero, will be called Millennium Four: The Right. Millennium Four:The Right takes place in the thirty-sixth century. As the Earth is dying from ecological abuse, humanity has colonized dozens of star systems spread over one hundred light years. The expansion has stopped, however, with the discovery of the Aahnja, a group of humans taken from Earth fifteen thousand years earlier by a mysterious alien race known only as Aahnk. The Aahnja were bred to be Aahnk mercenaries with the promise of the rule of humanity in return. Now they have returned to claim their right. Millennium Four: The Right is a first-person perspective, 3D space combat/action/strategy game that sets a new standard for graphics. The player starts as a neutral trader just as tensions are escalating between the human government, called the Centauri Cooperative, and the Aahnja, backed by the rebel faction known as Brooks-Taylor FreeSpace. As the player ferries cargo between space stations they meet characters that invite them into both sides of the conflict. The player can choose to help the Centauri, the Aahnja through the Brooks-Taylorites, or stay neutral. If the player stays neutral, the game's AI plays out the story, providing a dynamic backdrop for their trading activities. The game's economic model allows prices to fluctuate based on current economic and political conditions. Supporting 5D Games's proprietary 3D graphics engine, as well as Microsoft's Direct3D hardware acceleration standard, Millennium Four: The Right offers stunning graphics at resolutions from 640x480 in 8-bit color to a breathtaking 1280x1024 in 24-bit color. Combined with true 3D sound, Millennium Four: The Right promises the most immersive gaming experience ever. Millennium Four: The Right also offers full multiplayer support using a unique, 'serverless' design, allowing multiplayer games to continue even if the player who started the game leaves. Millennium Four: The Right supports modem, LAN and Internet play for up to 32 players in three different modes: Single System MultiSlayer; Multiple System MultiSlayer; and Full Game Universe, where players compete through trade as the Centauri/Aahnja conflict escalates. Millennium Four: The Right is scheduled for release in late 1997. Additional information about Millennium Four: The Right will be posted periodically on 5D Games's web site at http://www.5dgames.com. 5D Games, Inc. was founded July 1, 1996 by five former employees of Papyrus Design Group, Inc. and is dedicated to producing state-of-the-art 3D games for the Windows 95 and Macintosh platforms. 5D Games, the 5D Games logo, Aahnja, Aahnk, and MultiSlayer are trademarks of 5D Games, Inc. For more information contact: Todd Farrington 5D Games, Inc. (617) 246-0939 Rick Genter VP of R&D 5D Games, Inc. rgenter@5dgames.com http://www.5dgames.com F/A 18 Hornet 3.0 http://www.graphsim.com/flightsimweb/Hornet30.html -------------------------------------------------- Strap in for the ride of your life! This award-winning flight-simulation utilizes cutting-edge 3-D polygon rendering technology resulting in truly fluid, high-speed graphics even at SVGA resolutions as high as 1024 x 768. Each of the 28 scenarios take you deep into a new conflict in the Middle-East. Fly against some of the hottest artificial intelligence ever seen in a desktop simulation, or use Hornet 3.0's built-in networking to test your skills against live opponents. Truly authentic avionics and flight modeling provide months of excitement at a level far more rewarding and enjoyable than the usual arcade style "flight simulators." A comprehensive multi-media training guide is included on the CD. Designed by an active-duty Naval aviator, F/A-18 Hornet's training guide goes far beyond simply "getting off the ground." This feature is sure to prove useful to any level of aviation buff! If you want to see what a mission in Hornet 3.0 will look like, you can download one of three QuickTime movies. For the Macintosh there is a 50MB version at 640X480 pixels in MacBinary ;and a 9MB version at 320X240 pixels, and a 3MB version at 160X120 pixels, both in BinHex. For IBM compatibles, there are a 6MB version at 320X240 pixels and a 2MB version at 160X120 pixels, both in ZIP format. These movies are all a replay of the first mission, M201, in the Kuwait theater of operations. The release date for Hornet 3.0 has been rescheduled for no later than the end of the first quarter of 1997. More information on a specific release date will be forthcoming, as will additional QT movies and screenshots. Hexen: Beyond Heretic http://www.ravensoft.com/html/hexen2.htm ---------------------------------------- [FreePlay: Yippee! A Quake clone, but what a Quake clone it will be! Screenshots available at above URL. The graphics are gorgeous.] You thought that Korax was the last of the Serpent Riders. You were wrong! Coming soon, the latest in the Heretic Cycle, Hexen II (working title). Choose from one of four character classes to fight your way to the depths of evil and destroy the last of the three Serpent Riders. Each character class has its own set of unique abilities that are gained and improved throughout the game using an experience system. With five weapons per class, four of which can be powered up with the Tome of Power, you'll have free reign of 36 death dealing weapons! Hexen II uses the QUAKE technology to propel the player into a realistic environment of fear and darkness. Lightning flickers through the clouds, rain drops fall from the heavy skies, and torches flare in the depths of the night. Run, swim, walk, fight andfly your way through 30 levels of real areas and intriguing action... but be careful, there's more to this game than quick reflexes! A sharp mind and cunning intelligence will be needed to overcome the various puzzles, tricks, and traps that can be encountered. Add these challenging puzzles to a large list of all new creatures and you will have a game to be reckoned with. Be prepared... Coming second quarter, 1997. Virus http://www.kidum.co.il/html/virus.html -------------------------------------- Virus is a sophisticated multiplayer strategy game involving an imaginary computer virus in a virtual environment. The action takes place inside the player's virtual PC and from there it is spread over a virtual international computer network to other computers. It systematically destroys files around the world as well as in international communication channels. The player moves in a 3-D environment to engage in strategic warfare whose purpose is to eradicate the virus and keep the world safe for networking. This new game will employ advanced technology to create striking graphic backdrops, and will require intense structured planning on the part of the player. The 3-D landscape in which the game operates is not predetermined. The structures of the virtual computers in the game will be received as input and they will be constructed in real time. Kidum Multimedia adapted its technology to allow the use of this game over the Internet. The long awaited Virus demo is due to be released on this site by the end of January. The demo will include two levels of the game. (No hardware requirements available) ************************************************************************ PBEM GAMES - Play By Email Games ---------- ECTOOL. The chess play-by-email utility http://www.redestb.es/personal/avalverde/ectool.html ---------------------------------------------------- The main features of ECTOOL are : *** Record your email games with a graphics chess board *** Send your moves by email with the inside SMTP client, with optional ASCII board, time registers, signature, also can save a text file with a "to:" line header for BBS connections *** Send your reports and carbon copies of your game records to anywhere *** Save a log of your mails, a copy of your messages in TEXT or PGN format. *** You can use the program like a mailer, but only for sending mail (now). *** The unregistered version has all this features, without limits, so I hope you prefer to register to save your souls. :) Play By No-Mail Website (Win95, Mac) http://www.mindspring.com/~mmcmain/ ----------------------------------- Do you want to play all of your favorite PBEM games LIVE on the internet? Play By No-Mail, the new utility that lets owners of Play By Email games use those games live over the internet. Play your favorite PBeM Games over the IRC (Internet Relay Chat), using this IRC based client. Play By No-Mail is in First Release as version 1.0! Verified supported games are: *** Flight Commander 2 *** 5th Fleet *** World At War series *** Battleground Series *** Steel Panthers *** Steel Panthers 2 *** Wooden Ships and Iron Men *** Panthers In the Shadows *** Age Of Rifles *** Advanced Civilization The PBNM archive contains an unregistered version which is fully functional as an IRC program, but only accepts 10 transmissions from your opponent before it quits. Once you have evaluated the program and decide you want to purchase it, you can register the software on the Internet at BMT Micro. They will send you a registration key that makes your PBNM fully functional. ************************************************************************ ONLINE GAMES - Multiplayer Internet Games you can play NOW ------------ FURCADIA! (Win31/95/NT) http://www.realtime.net/furcadia/ --------------------------------- [Thanks to rolach@caldwell.org (rolach) for pointing this one out to me!] FURCADIA! is the magical world where the Beasts have learned to walk upon two legs and speak. FURCADIA! is the multiplayer online game with 3D rendered animated graphics, magnificent music, whimsical games, a friendly atmosphere, and an exciting setting for role-play and adventure. F U R C A D I A ! Let your imagination soar... If you're running Windows 3.1, Windows 95, or NT you can download our Furcadia client and try out the alpha version for free! Macintosh users running Soft Windows can try it too, though it's likely to be a bit slow. (We hope to have a Macintosh native version someday, but we don't know when that will be.) Gameshows.com http://www.gameshows.com ------------------------ Ms. Julann Griffin, creator of TV's Jeopardy!, and a founder of BJP Interactive, will this week debut STRIKE A MATCH on the gameshows.com network on the WWW. STRIKE A MATCH is a word-matching game that is deceptively simple and extremely compelling. It is an ongoing production, with two new shows being produced every week. STRIKE A MATCH is the first in a series of online game shows produced BJP Interactive and has received great acclaim from tens of thousands of loyal players on America Online, where it debuted in the 4th Q of 1995. BJP Interactive online game technology allows players to match wits in head-to-head, real-time gaming. Enjoy beta-testing our games! Gameworld (any JAVA capable WWW browser) http://www.gameworld.com ---------------------------------------- Way back in Issue #8,October 21,1996, I gave this site a short 3 line review. I just checked back to see what if any changes there have been. Since then, they have worked quite hard to get their WWW pages and games updated and improved. Gameworld is a club where friends gather to enjoy the finest multiplayer role-playing and strategic games in the world. As an Internet Gaming Network, Gameworld offers immediate play without downloading or installing software. The Realms of GAIA is a visually stunning live role-playing world of daring adventures, twisting plots, and political intrigue. A player serving as Game Master plays the monsters, creating a rich world populated with live talking intelligent monsters who may deceive you while pursuing their own goals, or outwit you in battle! Realms of GAIA will soon make its debut here at Gameworld. Stay tuned! With the help of state-of-the-art Java technology, Gameworld is able to offer the finest in online interactive gaming: Live Role-playing and Strategy games. Using just a web browser, members from all over the world are able to join each other live online to enjoy intricate, fascinating role-playing and strategy games. A human player serves as a referee while all players share graphically rich, three-dimensional views of the game board. Advanced chat features allow players to talk and interact with each other. The computer handles all of the computations and bookkeeping, freeing players to enjoy the game and each other. ICI Beta Testing Planetary Raiders http://www.icigames.com/pr/publicbeta.html ------------------------------------------ Interactive Creations Inc. is currently conducting a public beta test of its new MEGAplayer game, Planetary Raiders. In order to participate in the beta test, you must be an ICI subscriber. There is no hourly charge to play the beta version of Planetary Raiders (ICI's MEGAplayer games normally cost $2/hour to play). There is a$10.00 (U.S) minimum monthly subscription charge. However, testers who cancel their accounts within the first 20 days of signing up will not be charged anything. Potential testers can visit this page for instructions and software. The $10.00 minimum charge is credited against game play. Accordingly, you can use that time to play ICI's other MEGAplayer game, WarBirds (PC Games magazine's best online game of 1996). Also, if you delete your account within the first 20 days (and withoutplaying more than 5 hours of WarBirds), you will not be charged anything. You cannot, however, recover your persona after deleting an account. Igames (Win95/NT) http://www.igames.com --------------------- Originally mentioned in Issue #12, they have moved from http://www.eden.com/~springer. Welcome to Igames and get ready to join one of our growing Internet Multiplayer Gaming Communities. Become an Igames Beta tester. Full version of Igames Player contains: Chat Room, Hearts, Backgammon, Cribbage & Spades. They are both multiplayer-capable online and single-player offline. Igames is developing Multiplayer Gaming Communities around all the major game genres: action/adventure, role playing, card and board games, arcade. Requirements: Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 486 processor or better 14.4 modem or better Internet connectivity. Internet Park (Java capable browser, Win95,Mac) http://www.alphacom.net/fabien/indexPark.html ----------------------------------------------- Internet Park is the most interesting and friendly place to play word games on the net. No need to download and install software, simply enter the Park and play. Internet Park gives you an intimate and familial environment to enjoy games similar to Scrabble and Boggle and to chat with other players. *** Live Boggle - Play five minute Boggle games live with other players *** Diehard Boggle - You have two weeks to find all the possible words in a boggle board. *** ReadyMix is a game similar to Scrabble. It takes a little effort to learn but it is worth it. For several users, it is the best game of the kind on the Internet. ReadyMix is really a great game. Packs Home Page (Win95) http://www.wpc.com/packs/ ------------------------- PACKS is a chat program, but it isn't like other chat programs. It is a virtual 3d environment where other people appear as people. The area is full of rooms, hallways and doors. There are also secret and hard to reach areas. When we decided to create PACKS, we wanted to make the best chat program ever. The IRC has too much lag, too many bots, channel take-overs etc. Some of the major online services have silly rules that are enforced in a poor fashion. Are you sick of antagonists breaking up your online conversations? Not anymore. In PACKS, you shoot other players. So, for the most part, majority rules. When necessary, Law & Order are enforced by armor-clad, machine gun-toting PACKOPS. Requirements: Microsoft Windows 95 486 66Mhz with 8Meg RAM. Sandbox Entertainment Network New Final Bell Stock Simulation Begins January 13 http://www.finalbell.com ------------------------------------------------- Originally reviewed in Issue #10, the contest has ended and they started another one. What would you do with $100,000? Here's your chance to find out. Enter the second running of USA Today's Final Bell. This free, easy-to-play Stock Market simulation starts Monday, January 13 and runs through March 14. There has never been a Stock Market simulation like USA Today's Final Bell. Where else can you create your own portfolio with access to the New York, NASDAQ and American Stock Exchange quotes, learn the intricacies of trading, link to professional investment advice and compete for over $10,000 in prizes -- with absolutely no risk? The people who know investing (eSchwab, NETworth, NetProphet, Quicken, Investor Insight and PC Quote), along with Microsoft, are proud sponsors of this exciting and innovative concept. Please join us for Round Two of USA Today's Final Bell and apply what you learn to your real portfolio. Souls in the System (Mac) http://www.starplay.com/souls.html (WWW page) http://www.starplay.com/souls.html#anchor4037750 (5.7 Mb download) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Souls in the System employs a fast 60 frame-per-second animation engine. The photorealistic sprites and explosion effects glide over a mechanized terrain with unbelievably smooth motion. Souls in the System is a sophisticated arcade game featuring the smoothest animation and most detailed physics modeling of any top-view game created for the Macintosh. With a host of features like full networking and an integrated level editor, Souls in the System takes the arcade game genre to a new level. As a sequel to ShadowWraith, Souls in the System continues a tradition of blending intricate levels with pulse-pounding action. To make your way through the thirty plus levels, you'll need the perfect combination of strategy and lightning quick reflexes. The Interactive DEMO is available to download now! FEATURES: *** NETWORK PLAY...Head to Head with just one copy! *** Over 25 ultra-detailed single and multi-player levels *** Photo-realistic 60 frame-per-second animation *** Up to six player LocalTalk and Ethernet play *** Head to head and cooperative network combat *** Includes a comprehensive level editor *** Playback your games with the built-in film recorder *** Spectacular CD soundtrack (plays in your home stereo too!) *** Four channels of stereo panning sound effects System Requirements: Power Macintosh 66 MHz 601 or higher 12 MB built-in RAM QuickTime 2.5 or higher Sound Manager 3.2 or higher System 7 or higher Underlight - Lyra Studios (Win95, Directx3.0) http://www.lyrastudios.com --------------------------------------------- Mass-Multiplay is here now! Los Angeles-based new media developer LYRA, LLC has created proprietary technology that enables thousands of users to interact together in the same real-time, first-person, 3D environment. The key enabling features of the technology are: *** Speed. LYRA environments are extremely fast--up to 10 or even 100 times faster than competing technologies. *** No Throughput Barriers. LYRA is extremely resilient to the throughput problems of the Internet. *** Optimal performance requires only 66% of a 14.4 modem's bandwidth! *** Users connected at 28.8 or faster enjoy no special advantages over those connected at lower speeds. *** Truly Multiplayer. LYRA can accommodate thousands of users simultaneously in a single environment, versus 16 users typically allowed by conventional multiuser network games and environments. *** Persistent Environment. LYRA environments are true virtual worlds that do not shut down, but instead evolve like the real world, based on users' activities. *** Real-time 3D. Because it was designed specifically for the Internet, LYRA delivers fast and fluid real-time 3d interaction among users. Users can jump, run, chat, look up and down, and fight in 3d with missile weapons with no perceptible delays. Required Hardware: To enter the Underlight you will need Windows 95 Pentium 90 or faster 16 Megs of RAM Mouse 14.4 or faster Internet connection (SLIP, PPP, or frame relay). Weekend Warrior (Win95,Mac) http://www.bungie.com/products/weekendwarrior/weekendwarrior.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- Weekend Warrior puts a uniquely entertaining spin on the fully 3D action game. Sort of a bizarre hybrid of "Smash TV" and "American Gladiators", Weekend Warrior is a gameshow where you assume the identity of an ordinary, everyday character and enter a challenging 3D arena. Cash and prizes can be yours by escaping traps, completing missions and pummeling other contestants into submission. Each of the characters has their own strengths and weaknesses and carries an appropriate weapon: the Butcher has his mighty Pork Shoulder; the Punk Rocker wields a Guitar; and the Cowboy, a Hobby Horse. A smart-aleck host and his goofy sidekick provide humorous running commentary on the action. Eight multi-room, multi-elevation arenas are packed with traps, puzzles, hostile contestants and prizes. Including the Old West Town, Space Station, Haunted House and Topiary Maze, some arenas have time limits, some have missions and others simply have to be survived. FEATURES: *** Lifelike physics model. *** Completely free camera control: 1st person, overhead, over the shoulder, etc. *** The whole range of true 3D effects: texture mapping, spectacular shading, alpha transparencies, mip mapping, Gouraud shading. *** Networkable for up to six players. *** Soundtracks appropriate for each arena. Bungie's Weekend Warrior demo (9.6 MB) is now available...but WAIT! Only those who dare have the hardware should even bother downloading. PC Requirements: Pentium (or Power Macintosh; see below) 3D hardware supporting QuickDraw 3D Windows 95 with DirectX or MacOS 8 MB free RAM CD-ROM drive Macintosh Requirements: a fast Power Macintosh (recommend 180 MHz up) 3D hardware supporting QuickDraw 3D (ATI XClaim VR board; 2 or 4 MB) 8 MB free RAM CD-ROM drive WebHearts (any JAVA capable browser,Win95,Mac) http://okapi.dws.acs.cmu.edu/fred/webhearts.html ------------------------------------------------ WebHearts is a Java applet that lets you play the Hearts card game against other people on the Internet. Because WebHearts is written in Java, anyone with a Java-enabled web browser can play it -- this includes Macintoshes, PCs running Windows NT and 95, Silicon Graphics Indy's, and various UNIX workstations. Hearts is a four-player card game where the object is to score the least amount of points. It is very engaging and involves enough strategy to keep the game interesting, but not so much strategy to make it difficult to learn. For everything you could ever want to know about Hearts, including detailed rules, strategy, and variations, consult the rules of Hearts page. WebSpades (any JAVA capable browser,Win95,Mac) http://okapi.dws.acs.cmu.edu/fred/webspades.html ------------------------------------------------ WebSpades is a Java applet that lets you play the Spades card game against other people on the Internet. Because WebSpades is written in Java, anyone with a Java-enabled web browser can play it -- this includes Macintoshes, PCs running Windows NT and 95, Silicon Graphics Indys, and various Unix workstations. Spades is a four-player (two-team) bidding card game. It is very engaging and involves enough strategy to keep the game interesting, but not so much strategy to make it difficult to learn. For everything you could ever want to know about Spades, including detailed rules, strategy, and variations, consult the rules of Spades page. ************************************************************************ HUMOR - Something to make you laugh while you are gaming ----- From the Big Book of Jokes http://www.unm.edu/~rooster/fun.html ------------------------------------ Once you start playing with software you quickly become aware that each software package has a revision code attached to it. It is obvious that this revision code gives the sequence of changes to the product, but in reality there's substantially more information available through the revision code than that. This article provides a guide for interpreting the meaning of the revision codes and what they actually signify. 1.0: Also known as "one point uh-oh", or "barely out of beta". We had to release because the lab guys had reached a point of exhaustion and the marketing guys were in a cold sweat of terror. We're praying that you'll find it more functional than, say, a computer virus and that its operation has some resemblance to that specified in the marketing copy. 1.1: We fixed all the killer bugs ... 1.2: Uh, we introduced a few new bugs fixing the killer bugs and so we had to fix them, too. 2.0: We did the product we really wanted to do to begin with. Mind you, it's really not what the customer needs yet, but we're working on it. 2.1: Well, not surprisingly, we broke some things in making major changes so we had to fix them. But we did a really good job of testing this time, so we don't think we introduced any new bugs while we were fixing these bugs. 2.2: Uh, sorry, one slipped through. One lousy typo error and you won't believe how much trouble it caused! 2.3: Some jerk found a deep-seated bug that's been there since 1.0 and wouldn't stop nagging until we fixed it!! 3.0: Hey, we finally think we've got it right! Most of the customers are really happy with this. 3.1: Of course, we did break a few little things. 4.0: More features. It's doubled in size now, by the way, and you'll need to get more memory and a faster processor ... 4.1: Just one or two bugs this time... Honest! 5.0: We really need to go on to a new product, but we have an installed base out there to protect. We're cutting the staffing after this. 6.0: We had to fix a few things we broke in 5.0. Not very many, but it's been so long since we looked at this thing we might as well call it a major upgrade. Oh, yeah, we added a few flashy cosmetic features so we could justify the major upgrade number. 6.1: Since I'm leaving the company and I'm the last guy left in the lab who works on the product, I wanted to make sure that all the changes I've made are incorporated before I go. I added some cute demos, too, since I was getting pretty bored back here in my dark little corner (I kept complaining about the lighting but they wouldn't do anything). They're talking about obsolescence planning but they'll try to keep selling it for as long as there's a buck or two to be made. I'm leaving the bits in as good a shape as I can in case somebody has to tweak them, but it'll be sheer luck if no one loses them. ************************************************************************ 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://www.leamark.com/freeplay ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/FreePlay Compuserve - Library 15 of the Internet Fun Forum (GO INETFUN)." 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 1997 by Mark Shnayer. Re-distribution of the TEXT version of this newsletter 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. HTML versions of this newsletter MAY NOT be put on any World Wide Web site without express permission of Leamark Internet Services and Mark Shnayer (freeplay@snet.net). Please send requests for permission to publish this commercially to freeplay@snet.net How to subscribe: Send email TO:Majordomo@esosoft.com SUBJECT: TEXT: subscribe freeplay To remove yourself from the FreePlay mailing list, Send email TO:Majordomo@esosoft.com SUBJECT: TEXT: unsubscribe freeplay