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| Monday, April 19, 1999 |
 Pangea Software's "Bugdom" Goes Alpha
The authors of the eye-popping and addictive Nanosaur are close to releasing yet another real-time 3D adventure entitled Bugdom. You assume control of Rollie McFly, a pillbug who goes on a huge variety of grand adventures, from gardens to swamps to anthills to beehives, dodging toxic gas roaches, boxer flies and giant slugs. Taking direct advantage of 3D acceleration and ATI hardware (required) this game has some amazing visuals, including rippling water, morphing shapes and real-time lens flares.
Pangea recently updated their web site with 14 new screenshots that have to be seen to be believed. Due in May, this game has just reached "alpha" status. Watch IMG for a preview of this jaw-dropping, Mac-only game! [Eilers]
IMG Chat With Ambrosia Software
IMG is proud to announce our upcoming chat with Mac shareware powerhouse Ambrosia Software on Wednesday, April 21th at 10 PM Eastern, 7 PM Pacific. Ambrosia's Jason Whong and Glenn Andreas, the author of the upcoming Cythera will be joining us to discuss... well... Cythera. And anything else Ambrosia-related.
The chat will be held in the IMG Chat Room. All you'll need is a Java-enabled browser to join the chat! See ya then! [Daranciang]
The Gamers Have Spoken: Myth Remains Ranked
Due to overwhelming popular vote, Bungie Software has reinstated the ranking system in Myth: The Fallen Lords. This is a reversal of their recent decision to curtail all ranking in the first game of the Myth series, due to lack of admins.
Did you vote in the poll at Bungie.Net that resulted in this decision? Was this the correct decision, or will even more problems surface? Post your thoughts on the IMG forums today! [Daranciang]
Myth II Demo Updated
Fans of Myth II who haven't yet bought the game or those who aren't familiar with Bungie's award-winning addition to the tactical warfare genre should heed the following news: A new version of the Myth II: Soulblighter demo has been released.
From the press release:
The new demo takes into account all the bug fixes that went into the full version of Myth II: Soulblighter to date. Including Graphics Cards Conflicts, Fixed Resolution Monitors and Improved Multi-Player Game-Play. This update has the same levels as the original demo for the Mac v1.0 and Windows v1.1.
If you have the demo and have experienced problems with graphics, netplay or crashes, then get the new demo and see how Myth II shines with a few bugfixes under its belt. If you are new to Myth II, then here's your chance to check it out in a more polished form. Note that this demo is still quite a large download (40+ MB); if that's too steep for your internet connection then subscribe to IMG—we'll have this updated demo on our next issue, of course! [Eilers]
 Myth II: Soulblighter Demo (40 MB)
Micro Conversions Updates Drivers
Following their announcement-laden chat at World Without Borders, Micro Conversions released new versions of their Game Wizard drivers for both Glide and RAVE acceleration modes. They are reported to squash all known bugs - definitely worth the download. MC also highly recommends that you give the new Read Me for these drivers another look, as it contains several important notes about installation and usage.
Remember, when looking for the latest game-related software, your one stop shop is IMG's Updaters page. It's updated immediately whenever a new piece of software comes out, including weekends. [Daranciang]
Game Wizard Glide driver 2.53r7 (151k)
Game Wizard RAVE driver 1.1 (11k)
 Electronic Puzzles Coming to the Mac
If you've been to a toy store or game store in the last few years, we're sure you've seen those amazing 3D puzzles of Notre Dame, Elizabethan castles and mansions. I've struggled with a few myself, and they were quite a challenge! Now those puzzles are coming to the Mac in virtual form.
Here are a few details from the press release:
Every year, Wrebbit sells more than 10 million cardboard 3D puzzles. Last year, the company went electronic with the Notre Dame Cathedral—it exploded into more than 900 pieces for virtual reassembly, exploration and mini-game solving. More than 100,000 copies were sold in less than six months.
Now, at E3, Wrebbit brings you two new 3D puzzles on CD-ROM (called Puzz-3D/CD) that will challenge your connecting ability as well as your sense of adventure while you try to solve each game's mission. They are:
BAVARIAN CASTLE, a replica of the 19th century Neuschwanstein castle built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. This five-story monument to the Romantic spirit is famous as much for its pointed towers as for the king's friendship with composer Richard Wagner, which is explored as construction proceeds. The CD also offers activities centering around the legends that Wagner brought to musical life: Tristan and Isolde, the sword Notung and more.
VICTORIAN MANSION, a charming maze of a house based on a real building in Montreal. Gamers are asked to build the house to the specifications of Wendy, the daughter of an eccentric inventor, and then required to put on their Sherlock Holmes hats to solve the murder of Wendy's fiance, who is found dead in the turret after construction is completed.
The Puzz-3D/CDs are both PC and Mac compatible. Each puzzle gives you four difficulty levels, sorting trays, audible clicks when the puzzle pieces snap together, animations related to each building's history and architecture, multiple views, three magnification levels, a stopwatch to track building time, and special rewards such as access to "locked" rooms. The more difficult the level, the more rewards you get.
IMG will of course be at E3, so we'll bring back details of this intriguing new direction in gaming. [Eilers]
German Card Games Updated
Game author Uwe Rasche has sent us details on updates to several card games he has written for the Macintosh: Skat and Schafkopf/Sheepshead. Not just simple solitaire simulations, these are complex, multiplayer games with a rich history and international rules.
From the Skat press release:
Skat is a game that can be played by three or more people. The individual games are undertaken by a Soloist and two opponents.
Skat was invented in Altenburg, Germany, at the beginning of the 19th century and came out of earlier card games. In its current form, it has developed into the most popular and widespread German card game. It is played today all over the world. Bridge players will find it a new challenge. Players of simpler games will enjoy the step up.
The Computer simulates up to two players who choose between Suit, Grand, and Null Games or Ramsch. You can play under the official rules or allow other popular non-official options such as doubling and redoubling, Pub Skat, and Bock Rounds. League games and even a whole tournament can be played with multiple players over a network!
From The Schafkopf/Sheepshead press release:
Sheepshead (Schafkopf) is a popular family and community card game. Although the basics can be learned quickly, it has a number of subtleties which give it the ability to hold the interest of players over a long period of time.
The rich history of this game has produced a number of local variations, but the basic outlines have been standardized by the German Schafkopf Association. These and the US-rules from the National Sheepshead Association form the basis of this program which implements a four-player version of the game.
The computer simulates three players each with selectable playing styles. Sound, personal game statistics, and assorted card types add variety. Comprehensive explanations of the rules, playing strategy suggestions, and a training mode are available for beginners.
Fans of solitaire games and the like will find these games a complex and satisfying addition to their collection. Priced at $42 each, these games can be purchased from the author's web site. [Eilers]
GLDoom Doomed; Author Speaks
Bruce Lewis, the active force behind glDoom, has posted his reasons for why he has stopped all work on the glDoom project.
Here's what he had to say :
I'll keep this brief since there really isn't much to say. The glDoom project is dead. The hard drives on which the source for glDoom was stored were destroyed in a mishap at my home a couple of weeks ago. Two different data recovery houses have subsequently tried to recover the data on those two drives without success. As a result, I can't continue with the project since there is no longer any source code for it. The backup tapes were destroyed at the same time the hard drives were lost.
Visit the glDoom website for more information on this catastrophe. [Kester]
 Bungie Celebrates WW II: Recon Plugin
In an unusual move that only highlights the amazing quality and depth of the new WW II: Recon plugin for Myth II: Soulblighter, Bungie itself has come out with a press release celebrating the release of this total conversion.
Here is the press release:
An exceptional plugin for Myth II: Soulblighter has been eating up the bandwidth recently on bungie.net. This ambitious and cleanly executed third-party plugin, named W.W.II: Recon, provides Myth II players with an exciting variant on gameplay and demonstrates the power of the editing tools to alter the Myth world and extend the game's replayability.
W.W.II: Recon places the player on a Myth-like map populated with World War II-era soldiers. Each soldier carries a rifle, and has two basic attacks: firing at the enemy or using the bayonet at close range. However, they can also pick up medical kits and three types of grenades: normal, incendiary, and rocket-propelled. Finally, the addition of slow-moving, long-range Field Cannons allow the player to shell the enemy from a distance and lay down suppression fire: "maybe hiding all of our men behind the same tree was a 'bad' idea."
Recon substantially changes the flavor of a Myth game. In Myth there are a variety of troop types who each specialize in one or two kinds of attacks, while Recon offers one troop type, each of whom can execute a wide variety of attacks. In addition, the focus is on ranged combat instead of melee.
Recon is a multiplayer map with four variants: "S-2", a two-team map, "S-4", a four team map, "Elimination", a twelve-player game where each player controls one soldier with an obscured overhead map, and "Patrol", a twelve-player game where each player controls three soldiers.
Santa's Head, a member of the esteemed bungie.net Order Clan Plaid created the plugin with the assistance of Ripp of the Vista Myth Map Cartel. Recon was made with Fear and Loathing, the gonzo tool set that shipped with Myth II: Soulblighter, and a third-party extractor for modifying units called Amber. The source code for Bungie's own extractor will be released to the public shortly.
This kind of plugin was exactly what the Myth II tools were intended to inspire, and is an excellent sign that Myth mapmakers are taking this game world in fascinating new directions. WWII: Recon can be found at http://www.clanplaid.net/misc/recon/ and is mirrored elsewhere on the net.
If you haven't tried this plug-in yet, you should give it a spin—you'll be shut out of most of the games on Bungie.Net if you don't! [Eilers]
 Marathon Conversion for Myth II Released
Myth Mapmaking legend El Bastard has released a preliminary version of his Myth-to-Marathon conversion, "I'll S'pht On Your Grave." Bringing the creatures, sounds and weapons of the Marathon universe to the tactical combat of Myth II is certainly an ambitious project, and it looks like El Bastard has pulled it off with style. He has also released the "tagset" separately, so that others can use the new Marathon characters on their own maps. Stop by his page at Vista for details, or download the map to your plugins directory and frog blast the vent core! [Eilers]
Freddi Fish Demo Released
Freddi Fish 4, the latest in a series of children's games based around the character of Freddi Fish and lis lovable piscine compansions, now has a demo available. Remember to check the Demos column on the right-hand side of our main page for the very latest in game demos, updated immediately upon release! [Eilers]
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| In Other News |
Another Unreal Tournament Preview: Next Generation Online has a detailed article about Unreal Tournament, coming to the Mac this Spring.
Virtual PC Update: This minor update doesn't add any new features, just fixes bugs with Powerbooks and some Y2K problems.
New VillageTronic Drivers: VillageTronic has released new drivers for their NextGen MP850 graphics acceleration card.
Railroad Tycoon II Site: if you want an in-depth look at this upcoming game, visit the Station.
NoBeige previews new iMacs: they've got the scoop on the new, faster iMacs and when they will be available.
Even Columnists Like Games: Tom Lovino of the great Mac website About This Particular Macintosh confesses that he uses his Mac for games. Hey, is that so wrong?
UnrealFinder Updated: this utility for finding online servers for Unreal slaughterfests is now at 1.0.2 and requires Unreal version 2.2.0.
Get Games 4 your Mac: The Games 4 Mac Campaign website has ben updated with a new campaign to convince UbiSoft to bring the racing game Speed Busters to the Mac. Stop by and sign up, and sign their many other petitions while you are at it!
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