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Inside Mac Games Volume 6 #3
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IMG Volume 6, Issue 3
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TEXT_132.txt
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1998-06-12
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  Compiled by Rafi Guroian
 
Myth II: Soulblighter
Bungie has announced that
Myth II is well into develop-
ment. "Myth II: Soulblighter",
became a reality when Bungie
decided to forego a planned scenario
pack and devote time to a full fledged Sequel. Bungie tells us that the game is
well underway and is scheduled to ship sometime in 1998. The game's plot
continues where Myth: The Fallen Lords left off:
"Though the land of Myth is rid of Balor and his fearsome legions, all is not
right in the new order. As foretold in the first game, King Alric's peace is
threatened by an unexpected enemy with a boundless appetite for destruction
and this time it will take more than throwing a head in a hole to stop them."
Bungie has also given us a few new features that the sequel will boast:
Game engine:
• Animating 3D models, like drawbridges and windmills
• A lighting model supporting colored light sources and shadows
• Four-times finer terrain mesh, for smoother, more detailed terrain
Special effects:
• 3D fire, that burns the landscape and damages troops
• Ambient life, like chickens and other livestock (that explode!)
• Frighteningly powerful new magic spells
Gameplay:
• Indoor environments and fortifications
• Simplified controls and interface, gradual ramping of difficulty
• Improved pathfinding and AI
• New units and terrain types
Content:
• Twice as many frames of unit animation, and multiple attack animations
• CD-quality, context-sensitive, in-game music
• True 3D surround sound
Multiplayer:
• Team rankings and a Leader Board for Orders
• Map actions, like reinforcements, in multiplayer games
• Make and break alliances during multiplayer games
• Worldwide player rankings across languages and versions
The game will be a cross-platform, simultaneous release for both Mac and
Windows 95 platforms, and as we stated above, is planned for release before
the end of this year. We will be sure to keep you updated on any new
developments and will bring you any news we can dig up at E3.
Interplay Producer Comments on Mac Gaming
Interplay, the parent company of MacPlay, has taken many complaints from
Macintosh game enthusiasts over the past year or more for their extremely
limited involvement with the Mac game industry. Once the pinnacle of the
Macintosh game publishing arena, Interplay redirected its efforts to PC in
late 1996. Since then, only two titles (compared with dozens on the PC) have
been released for the Mac: Starfleet Academy and Fallout.
Militant Mac gamers have filled MacPlay's online message boards over the
past several months with dozens of messages taking Interplay to task for
their efforts, or lack thereof. Up until now, those efforts have fallen on deaf
ears: responses have been made by MacPlay tech support, but haven't
contained any substantive reply. At last, the barrage has elicited a response
from an Interplay producer, and it's no one less that Bill Dugan. Once known
as the "Mac High Priest" of MacPlay, Dugan was long ago reassigned to PC
projects at Interplay. Dugan gives his perspective on the state of the
Macintosh game market.
Editors from Tikkabik, Inside Mac Games and Mac Gamer's Ledge have all
posted responses to Dugan's comments in the thread entitled, "MacPlay:
Macintosh Game Development" http://www.macplay.com/wwwboard/
messages/5902.html. We urge you to visit the MacPlay message board to
read the comments made on both sides of this debate and we encourage you
to contribute to the comments made, as well.
Warcraft Adventures CANCELED
Blizzard announced late Friday afternoon that all further development of
Warcraft: Lords of the Clan will cease. The adventure game, Blizzard's first
foray into the genre, was apparently not living up to Blizzard's expectations.
When Blizzard first announced the title, it was made clear that this would not
be just another adventure game. Blizzard wanted this to be an event,
redefining the adventure game genre. Blizzard went to far as to bring in
adventure game veteran Steve Meretzky as a consultant on the project.
Blizzard announced the cancelling of the title with the following statement:
"Following an intensive review of the game, the company determined that
given the game's current status and the rapidly changing technology of the
industry, it would not be possible to complete development of the game
within a reasonable time frame.
"While this has been an extremely difficult decision, we firmly believe that
we cannot release a title that does not meet the exceptionally high standards
that both we and our customers expect from the Blizzard label."
This marks the second title Blizzard has ceased development on for fear of
releasing an inferior project; Pax Imeria: Eminent Domain was cancelled
earlier this year and sold to THQ.
UMAX Ceases Mac Production
UMAX announced late on Friday that they will not be building more MacOS-
compatible clones after their current license with Apple expires in July.
UMAX cited aggregate estimated losses of more than $1 billion and dwindling
sales of its products as reasons for the strategy change, but refused to
divulge how much of its losses were coming specifically from its Mac clone
manufacturing efforts.
UMAX's decision is hardly a surprise: it has been widely speculated by
industry analysts and insiders since last year's dissolution of most of the Mac
clone market that UMAX departure was only a matter of time. UMAX has been
unable to compete effectively with Apple's renewed efforts to build
marketshare and profitability with the popular Power Macintosh G3 line,
and Apple has been unsupportive of the efforts of remaining Mac clone
makers to build niches for their own product lines.
UMAX will continue to build PC-compatible systems, scanners and network
computers.
Apple Modifies Quicktime 3.0 Software Distribution Agreements
Apple's release of their landmark multimedia content delivery system--
QuickTime 3.0--was shortly followed by nothing short of an uproar by
software developers worldwide. The new software distribution agreement
(SDA) put what some developers felt was unfair restrictions on the inclusion
of QuickTime installers with third-party products. Many software
developers prefer to include QuickTime installers as a convenience to their
users.
Apple published a revised QuickTime SDA, no doubt timed to coincide with the
opening day of Apple's World Wide Developer's Conference. The revised SDA
makes several critical changes which should help to assuage developer
concerns. Among the changes are the ability for the licensee to distribute the
basic QuickTime 3 installer with a one-time only "Get QuickTime 3 Pro"
graphic ad and interactive movie. The previous SDA required the movie to be
persistent.
There are several other changes, too. Interested readers can visit the
QuickTime Web site for more information.
Help Bring Red Baron II to the Mac
Dynamix has told us that there are currently no plans to bring Red Baron II
to the Mac. We know a lot of you out there have been requesting the game,
and encourage you to send Dynamix an email (sandy.muller@dynamix.com)
to them if Red Baron II is a game you would like to see.
 
Berkeley Systems on Acrophobia: July for Sure
Berkeley Systems indicates that a Mac version of Acrophobia will definitely
be released. Here's what Berkeley's Online Marketing Manager told reader
Allen Petlock in a recent email:
"Actually, it's been pushed back to July, but that date is final and it WILL
happen then. Thanks for your patience!"
That shouldn't stop you from visiting the You Don't Know Jack Netshows at
Berkeley's Web site, however!
_____________________________________________________
Newsbriefs is maintained by Rafi Guroian, Inside Mac Games News Director. He
welcomes your comments at rafi@imgmagazine.com
Special Thanks:
Special thanks simply must go out to four friends in particular who have made
our web news what it is:
Mike Dixon, curator of Mac Gamers' Ledge: Mike has allowed us to share news
with him and vice versa. This greatly helps us out, as well as lets Mike get a bit
of a leg up with our news also being available to him as well.
Peter Cohen, curator of Tikkabik: Like Mike, Peter has the same agreement
with IMG that allows each web site to share eachother's information. If it were
not for some pf Peter's excellent detective work, we wouldn't be able to bring
all of the news to you as quickly as we do.
Rick Vanderveer, curator of Networkable Mac Games: Rick, a man of the industry
is a valuable assett to the IMG web site as he also offten provides us with some
great news stories that we may miss.
Greg Kramer, former IMG News Director: Greg began it all on the web. He has
lifted IMG News to what it is, and deserves a world of credit for it. Although he
has now gone on to work for NGO, he still writes for the magazine and will not
be long forgotten.
 
