by RD Novo

Starplay Pinball Scores
The call went out last week, and the scores are in.  It seems February was not long enough for devoted pinball players to achieve the level of practice and greatness required to beat Windows players.  <sigh>  On the other hand, of nine categories listed below, only three are in the continental USA.  It seems we're just looking for our next champion on the wrong side of either ocean!

Crystal Caliburn
for February 1996:       David R. Dutra of North Oxford, MA               643,620,900
for Juniors in Feb:         Karin Gustafsson of Borlänge, SWEDEN           50,948,440
for 1996 (so far):         Riccardo Andreoni of Milano, ITALY           1,289,796,910
best Windows player:     Matthew Labyorteaux of Pasadena, CA        2,438,476,660

Loony Labyrinth
for February 1996:       Tim Edwards of Morganton, IN                   7,243,976,480
for Juniors in Feb:         Emmy Ahlen of Stockholm, SWEDEN             320,376,710
for 1996 (so far):         Shunsuke Kanda, Matsudo-Shi, JAPAN    17,599,516,540

Loony Labyrinth Time Travel
for February 1996:       Marlyse Jenni of Grandson, SWITZERLAND           9861 AD
for 1996 (so far):         Shunsuke Kanda of Matsudo-Shi, JAPAN             40764 AD

The Update Files
Updates are new versions of programs that provide bug fixes or game enhancements to older versions. Sometimes an updater will fix a critical bug, sometimes it fixes something that has no bearing on your computer. You can come right here to find out what’s new and what it does. Then you can find the updaters you need on the IMG CD. If there’s a Read Me file included, do. Sometimes they give very good advice.

Bachman 2.0.6 - update of a now classic Mac game.
Blackjack Deluxe 2.1.5 - update to the shareware version 2.1.3
Brickles 8.0 - slowed down for LC III's and earlier only!  (how refreshing)
Chiral 1.0.3 - Minor update to this shareware game from Ambrosia
Cyclone II 1.0.2 - Now it works with After Dark on PPC Macs.  Really.
Gopher Golf 3.0.6 - Significantly faster on older machines.
Harpoon Classic 1.58a+ - Absolutely unclear what's been updated.
Swoop 1.0.2 - Mant fixes to this Ambrosia shareware game.

More for Your Game: Scenarios, Cheaters and Add-Ons
We’ve collected all the new cheaters and scenarios we could find, and anything else we thought might help Mac gamers get as much enjoyment out of their games as possible. Cheaters can diminish your game experience if you’re not careful, but we trust you to know when to say when. Scenarios are usually made by our readers or others out there with the itch to create. We won’t take responsibility for their quality, but you’re sure to find some gems in what we bring you. The following is what we’ve found this month to give you more for your game.

• Barrack, Swoop, and Chiral are all games by Ambrosia Software.  Swoop and Chiral were updated this issue (see above) and have new FAQ sheets available.  Barrack is too new to need an update but we've got... cheat codes!  Now you can get higher scores than even Hector intended!

• Civilization is a game we haven't seen much of in GameBits.  But with the release of the PCI Macs, Civ stopped working for a number of new Mac owners.  A patch, included along with the C code in Metrowerks format, is now available to fix this.  This patch is unsupported by anyone, including IMG.  Use at your own risk.

• Dark Forces Level Editor is up to version 0.96, with innumerable bug fixes and the like.  Making Dark Forces levels on the Mac is easier than ever!  So where are they? Send us your levels!

• Doom II is outpacing Dark Forces for second place in the add-on sweeps with a bunch of new .WAD files this month, the sixth issue of Mac Doom Review, and a new utility, wadenizer 1.0.1, another app to convert PC .WAD files into Mac .WAD files.

• Marathon continues to be the great add-on prizewinner, month after month.  This time we've got two more issues of Marathon 2 News, a new issue of the Durandal Map Makers Club magazine, Pfhor Finder 1.1, and a ton of physics models and maps, for both Marathon and Marathon 2.

• Sprite Fight 2000 is hot on their heels, however, for the most reader involvement.  Based on the mortal combat style games, this bit of shareware has inspired several backgrounds from people out there, and several new fighters, from kitties to robots!  This may be the new hot game...

• Warcraft has inspired a truly polished fan magazine, called, aptly enough, the Warcraft Magazine.  This issue contains hints, maps, strategies... just about everything you'd want.

• X-Wing jockeys have been waiting for this.  The Heir to the Empire replacement files for X-Wing's Tour of Duty.  This package replaces the default tour of duty with a whole new set of scenarios based on the Timothy Zahn novels.  This is cool.  Yes, they're PC files.  Yes, you need Res-Edit to use them.  No, there's nothing we can do about it.  Yes, it's worth it.

• Saved Games and Scenarios. We’ve got a bunch of add-ons above and beyond what we outlined above, including: Dirt Bike tracks and bikes; new Glider Pro stuff, including a new issue of Glider Tech; a hack to get the sound back when playing Lemmings on recent Macs; teams to play in the NBA; Cities to try your hand ruling in SimCity 2000; a Warlords II modern armies scenario; and finally, some Wolf 3D levels.  That should keep you happy until next month.

Help Us
If you are updating your game, please send us a note with the changes you’ve implemented. A copy of your Read Me file would do fine. That way we will be sure to include you in our next issue. E-mail us at GameBits1@aol.com

Disclaimer
All of the shareware files or free updaters listed above are available on this CD-ROM. Always apply patches, hacks, or updaters to a copy of your program! Nobody but you is responsible if you mangle your original.