Better Late Than Never

This issue is later than usual, and I only have myself to blame this time. It would be wrong to say that I've become burned out on Doom lately. It's more like I've become burned out on life.

There's a lot going on that I can't tell you about right now. No, I'm not being sued by id Software over the use of the word 'Doom' or anything sordid like that. I've just been busy -- very, very busy. I'm taking steps to simplify my life a little bit, and hopefully things will settle down in a month or so and I'll be back to normal (whatever the hell that is).

Anyway, just bear with me. It will get better. As for MacDoom, I'm as gung-ho about it as ever. In fact, it's the one game I've ever played that has this kind of staying power with me. I just keep downloading new WADs, and I've even taken a little time to rediscover some old favorites (like Raven). 

Contributors wanted

If you're interested in contributing to MacDoom Review, I can only say that it would be greatly appreciated. I don't like having to fill most of the issue by myself, and while I now have a pretty good core group of contributors (thanks guys!), I'll always have room for new voices. In fact, MDR's pretty much founded on that idea -- it lives and breathes thanks to people like you. Don't be shy.

The two easiest ways to contribute are to either write a WAD review or compose a DoomPlay (aka first-person account of a favorite game). If you want to pass on some of your hard-earned  secrets, you can also mail in tips or tricks to Jacqui, and she will gladly give you credit if she uses them in her Tricks & Traps column. Or just write us a letter and tell us what's on your mind!

All of these things help me to get MDR to the 'Net on time. The more material I have, the less I have to worry about filling the issue. And suddenly I slip into 'editor mode' and the magazine is magically filled!!

A couple of notes for contributors:

Always sign your articles with your name, e-mail address, and URL (if any), even if you just write a four paragraph WAD review. If I have to go hunting for the e-mail message of the person who sent an article, I end up wasting a lot of time and energy that could go into the magazine.

If you write a WAD review, clear it with me first so you don't end up writing up a WAD that's already been assigned. With the review, give me an URL for downloading the file (if there is one), and at least one good screenshot of a distinctive feature or moment in the game. Command-Shift-3 works just fine, and don't crop or resize the graphic. I have a "patented formula" for making the miniature icons that accompany each review, and if you don't give me a full-size image, they come out the wrong size or shape.

That's basically it. As long as I have contributors, I hope to keep MDR alive. Hopefully, we'll have MacHexen before MDR#7 comes out, and there will be some new life breathed into the MacDoom community.

MacDoom's Low Profile

I've been looking around the Mac gaming sections of America Online (Keyword: Mac Games) and CompuServe (Go: MacFun) lately, and I have to admit that I find it just a little depressing. There's just so much Marathon, Marathon 2, and Dark Forces stuff, and very little visible MacDoom presence. I see very few people uploading WADs and tools and other goodies (and to those who do, I salute you!) while the other games seem to totally dominate.

Now, I'd be the first one to upload memento mori and some of the other hot new WADs to grace the MacDoom gaming circuit, but as I said above, I'm unbelievably busy at the moment. It's all I can manage sometimes to answer the questions that I get from people via e-mail. Lately, all I've been able to find time to do is download the occasional MacDoom WAD of the day (see Doom Online, MDR#5), and sometimes even find a minute or two to play it.

If we want MacDoom to catch on in a major way, I think we really need to start evangelizing it. Part of the problem, I suspect, is that there are already so many good PC WADs, there's not a huge motivation for many to create Mac WADs. Frankly, I think it's up to us to start making such fantastic WADs that PCers can't help but be impressed. I know we lack some of the tools; what we really could use is a WAD resource editor a la WinTex. Hopefully, we won't have much longer to wait on this.

Another thing we really could use, as a community, is an up-to-date MacDoom FAQ that answers some of the common questions that appear on comp.sys.mac.games.action, the AOL and CompuServe gaming forums, and other places that MacDoom questions appear regularly (like my mailbox). I wish I had the time and the energy to take on this massive project, but I really don't. If someone were to step forward to take on this task, I'm sure we would all be eternally grateful.

Well, enough of my sermons. Hopefully, I'll be able to descend from my pulpit soon and GET SOME MEAT.

Indeed.

Dave Kramer
Editor, MacDoom Review
reeltime@voicenet.com