40 Oz. of Myth: Contains news, strategy, tips, links, and downloadable replays from "Ole' Dirty," a bungie.net hero who kicked our butt many a time. Dirty's site, he tells us, will soon merge with another (Cold Front's "Myth Files" site) to provide a major source for Myth replays. The database will be searchable by game type, map, and player name. So, if you want to learn how to play "Steal the Bacon" like Ole' Dirty, just search for games in which he has played. We'll let you know when this new service comes online. Be sure to stop by Cold Front's site too; it's one of the best.
Indigo's Myth Page: Contains everything a Myth player could ever want: strategy, walkthroughs, links, tips, and screenshots. The information is excellent and this is a great stop for newbies.
Bryman's Myth Strategy Page: During the beta phase, Bryman held the "Comet," the highest caste in the bungie.net ranking system (can only be held by one player at any time). Needless to say, his thoughts on this game are invaluable. One great attraction of this site is his breakdown of strategies for each game on each netmap.
Sons of Myrgard: Run by David Shaw, this site focuses on solo levels and contains some innovative hint. His strategy for winning at Crow's Bridge, for example, is the most creative yet.
In other Myth news, according to Tikkabik, a segmented demo is now available for download. You can thank Corbett Battaile for this one.
Also, readers report that Myth has been popping up in Electronic Boutique stores lately, but it seems to be PC-only. It is not. The disc contained in the PC-only box is actually a Mac/PC hybrid. If you can possibly wait, however, do so. Why? Since the game is being sold in separate boxes, it seems logical to assume that each version will have a distinct SKU number and, therefore, will be tracked not only by registrations, but by raw sales of each box. It is in our interest, then, as a gaming community to wait for the Mac version to become available. Even better, if you plan on buying Myth as a holiday present for a PC-saddled friend, buy him/her the MAC box so that sale will count on our side of the ledger.
Bungie has hastened to point out that the staggered release of PC and Mac versions is not their fault. Sources indicate that this is a retail and distribution glitch which should be corrected shortly. Finally, don't take "no" for an answer when searching for the Mac version of Myth; many retailers are not aware of the separate boxing and have drawn the conclusion that there is no Mac version. One Usenet horror story describes an Electronics Boutique manager claiming that the Mac version had been "suspended" and would not be released. Where do they get this stuff? If your store doesn't carry the Mac box, have them order it...it DOES exist.
Last but not least, EVERYONE (especially new players) should check out the Cold Front's Bungie.net "Code of Chivalry" for the final word on conduct becoming a Myth warrior.
Version 1.01 fixed problems with some 68K functions and sound troubles, mouse controls problems, and a few other things. Download version 1.01.
Vectorama, from Sean Trowbridge, is a vector arcade game emulator which runs on any Macintosh with a 68040 or better processor and an 8-bit display. It features full screen performance, antialiased vector rendering, persistent machine state, and full sound support. Vectorama supports Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Lunar Lander, Battlezone, Red Baron, Gravitar, Black Widow, Space Duel, Tempest, and Major Havoc. (Arcade ROM images found separately.) Vectorama 1.0, freeware.
http://www.zzapp.org/sean/vectorama101.sit.bin
Shoqwave's Vote Ends By Day's End
Today is your last chance to vote for the shipping format in which their game, Midnight, will debut: Shareware or commercial? Please take the ten seconds of time required to vote, and vote today! Polls will close Monday evening.
http://members.aol.com/shoqwave/
http://members.aol.com/shoqwave/other/vote.html
More About Quake 2
According to Blue's News, John Carmack has changed the time frame for when to expect a Rhapsody port to well after Quake II hits the shelves...
John told Blue:
"I actually did some work day before yesterday on getting stuff compiling for rhapsody.
"Right after we hand off the master, we will all be working on a free deathmatch expansion for Quake 2 that should take about a month. I'm not sure if the rhapsody work will be done during that or after.
Our current port priority is probably: linux, SGI, rhapsody, everything else."
Blue's News: http://www.bluesnews.com/
Journeyman Project 3
The past lies in ruins. Now the future is at stake. Travel through the channels of time and navigate your way through forgotten civilizations in "The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time."
Legacy of Time is being developed by Presto Studios, and published by Red Orb Entertainment, a division of Broderbund Software.
The highly anticipated third installment of the popular Journeyman series has you continuing the adventures of an agent from a secret government body responsible for protecting history by controlling time travel activity.
Legacy of Time adds new elements from the previous two installments such as the Chameleon Jumpsuit (which enables you to take on the roles of different characters), full 360-degree spherical panoramic viewpoint, larger window size, and a much more intuitive interface. The game also features non-interactive sequences featuring Screen Actor's Guild talent and an original musical score.
System Requirements:
PowerPC required: System 7.1.2 or higher
80 MHz or faster
16 MB RAM: 10 MB free
4x CD-ROM required
13 inch monitor or larger with thousands of colors
Legacy of Time is scheduled for a January 1998 release on four CD-ROMs for PC and Macintosh for a suggested retail price of $49.95. An interactive demo of Legacy of Time is included with "Riven: The Sequel to Myst," which releases October 31.
http://www.journeyman3.com/
http://www.presto.com/
http://www.redorb.com/
http://www.broderbund.com/
http://www.riven.com
Follow Unreal for the Mac
Keep track of one of the hottest new releases coming to the Mac at the
"mac.unreal.org" Web site. Follow the progress of this exciting 3D shooter
from Epic Megagames and ported by Mark Adams and company of Westlake
Technologies.
http://mac.unreal.org/index.phtml
http://www.epicgames.com/
Grimoire for Mac?
Peter at Mac Game Planet recently tipped us off to a new RPG under development called "Grimoire." While at this point only a PC version is planned, the developers appear to be Mac fans:
"We have always been dreaming about making a Mac game, if the PC game will sell well there will definitely be a Mac version".
Grimoire is a turn-based, 3D, first person perspective roleplaying adventure in the style of classic CRPGS like "Eye of the Beholder," the "Might and Magic" series and "The Bard's Tale." The full list of game features is too long to include here, but here are a few:
• Pixel Perfect Smooth Scrolling 3D in 640x480 SVGA
• Awesome lightsourcing, transparency & color cycling efx
• 600 hours of gameplay, 48,000 map cells to explore
• Strategic Phased Combat with supercharged opponent AI
• 144 context sensitive magic spells
• 14 races, 15 professions, 50 useful skills
• 64 intelligent NPCs with 5,000 word vocabulary
• Full Sentence Communication with NPCs & Monsters
• Recruit any sympathetic NPC into party at ANY time as a friend or retainer
• 30 conditions including Confusion, Disease, Lycanthropy, and Petrification
• Automapping, Autowalking, Autohealing
• Summoning Spells to create Allies out of thin air in combat
• Fiendishly Challenging Puzzles
There's always room for another good RPG on the Macintosh platform. For more info make a pilgrimage to the Grimoire Homepage already "visited by hundreds of thousands of fanatics from around the Globe."
http://www.grimoire.net
Riven Updated Already
Well, it's not even really supposed to be out until today, but there's already a patch for Red Orb's "Riven: The Sequel to Myst." This update (to 1.01) remedies the following problems:
• On certain machines, QuickTime movies play twice.
• On certain machines, there are a few movies that play in the wrong location.
• Some users may experience difficulty operating the rotating domes.
• Some users may experience difficulty turning on the light near the water at the end of one of the tunnels.
If you are having any of these problems, download this patch.
Conix Graphics announced this week the release of OpenGL 1.1 for theMacintosh platform.
OpenGL is the most widely adopted 3D graphics API in the industry, bringing thousands of applications to a wide variety of computer platforms. The API is not tied to any one operating system and reflects the thinking and talents of software developers from diverse graphics backgrounds. The Mac OS can benefit from high-performance 3D graphics capabilities using the Conix Software OpenGL implementation.
Conix offers Macintosh developers a proven, reliable 3D graphics API that is available now. PC developers have been using OpenGL for many games, and it was not easy to translate them into QuickDraw 3D for the Mac. By using Mac OpenGL from Conix, it is much easier to port their 3D products to the Mac OS.
Conix Graphics: http://www.conix3d.com/
OpenGL: http://www.opengl.org/
QuakeFinder Unleashed!
QuakeFinder, the long-awaited Quake server browser, has been released. QuakeFinder is the easiest and fastest program for finding, and joining, Internet multiplayer Quake servers.
Main Features
• Slick user interface
• Smooth and responsive Macintosh feel
• Powerful and intuitive live filtering and sorting to sift through servers
• Extract new servers from web pages, text files and the clipboard
• Automatically connect MacQuake to a server of your choice
• Effortlessly use custom Quake modifications
• Easily manage lists of Master web sites for finding new servers
Requirements
• Power Macintosh
• System 7.5 or later
• Internet connection
• Quake for the Macintosh
Go to Scott's MacQuake Utilities page for more information and to download it.
http://www.curtin.edu.au/%7Escott/quakefinder/
http://www.curtin.edu.au/%7Escott/macquake/
Starfleet Academy To Support 3Dfx On Macs
Tikkabik reported Wednesday that Interplay was planning a patch that would allow 3Dfx hardware support in its newest release, "Starfleet Academy." The Mac version is currently shipping without support for TechWorks' Power3D card. The update will be available for downloading.
We'll keep an eye out for it!
http://www.tikkabik.com/
http://www.interplay.com/
http://www.techworks.com/
MESA News
The Macintosh Entertainment Software Alliance (MESA), a non-profit industry group made up of the top Macintosh games developers and publishers, has announced an aggressive promotion that allows Mac owners to get three games for the price of two.
MESA members include major publishers such as Blizzard, GT Interactive, Interplay, Bungie, and Accolade. In addition, MESA is working with retailers such as CompUSA, Computer City, Best Buy and Micro Center on extensive advertising, direct mail, and in-store merchandising.
"There has never been a better time to buy games for the Macintosh computer," said Peter Tamte, president of MESA and executive director of MacSoft, an affiliate of GT Interactive Software Corporation. "Most of the best games are now available on the Mac, and these advertising, merchandising and promotional initiatives should help expose consumers to the variety and quality of entertainment titles available."
"We love games," said Steve Jobs, Apple's interim CEO, "and we are going to work with Mac games developers to make sure our customers have the best games on the Mac."
Mac users will receive a coupon for one free game for every two they buy from the following list: Myth from Bungie Software Products; Starfleet Academy from Interplay Productions; Diablo from CUC/Blizzard; FA-18 Hornet 3.0 from Graphic Simulations; Duke Nukem 3D from 3D Realms; Quake from Id Software; Civilization II and Master of Orion II from Microprose; Shadow Warrior from 3D Realms; and Jack Nicklaus 4 from Accolade.
Participating consumers can select a third game such as Marathon 2 from Bungie Software Products; Hornet Classic from Graphic Simulations; 3D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night from CUC/Blizzard; Descent II from Interplay Productions, Welcome to the Future from Broderbund; Even More Incredible Toon Machine GT from Sierra; and Diamonds 3D, Terminal Velocity, Solitaire Game Pack, and Mac Arcade Pak from MacSoft. Third game offers vary depending on the retailer and the program ends on December 31.
Further information is available from an Apple Press Release.
In fewer than 100 days, the artificial life sim "Creatures" from Mindscape has sold over 100,000 copies and is still going strong into the holiday season.
To capitalize on this success, Mindscape is releasing an add-on pack "The Creatures Life Kit #1" with six new Norns to conceive and raise. Look for it where Creatures is sold.
As the release of the Mac version of Epic Megagames' "Unreal" approaches (conversion by Mark Adams), the first unofficial Mac Unreal Web site has been announced.
Featuring an FAQ, news, information, and links, this site is the first essential stop for Mac gamers interested in this...well...unreal 3D shooter. Click over to Chad Underhill's site and keep your eyes on the horizon for more about Unreal.
http://www.epicgames.com/
http://www.macfury.com/games/unreal/index.html
Wild "Planet" Gets Own Domain
The Mac Game Planet has informed us that it has again spiffed up its site and can now boast its very own domain. Please change any bookmarks and check out The Planet.
http://www.macplanet.net
Ransom Interactive Launches "The Forgotten-It Begins"
Ransom Interactive launched their first entertainment title, "The Forgotten-It Begins," for free to the world (anyone can play using Netscape version 3.0 or later on a Power Macintosh).
Synposis: Go in search of your friend, Richard Haliburton, who has disappeared in New Orleans while gathering a mysterious but powerful collection of items forged from an unknown race. The Forgotten Web site is the first of its kind offering all of the interactivity and graphics normallyfound only on CD-ROM or cartridge-based games straight off of a Web page. The game utilizes such cutting-edge technology as high-resolution 360-degree panoramic environments that allows the player to look all around him or herself in real-time in a photorealistic setting, complete with panning stereo sounds and music, so sounds will move away from you if you turn your head or move away-and full interactivity. This site will improve over time and incorporate the latest and greatest technology as it becomes available so the site will never be outdated. The screenshots shown here were taken directly from the Web site version (and reduced to a smaller size for publishing).
The next step for The Forgotten will be its reformation into a standalone CD-ROM game for promotional purposes, then it will be reformatted with as much high quality graphics and stereo sounds as can be incorporated, more interactivity and secret levels will be added and then sold as "The Forgotten-It Begins Special Edition". After that has happened, the sequel will be created (tentatively titled "The Collection") and is due for release on DVD sometime late '98 or early '99.
Visit the Forgotten Web site and try a free (and highly competitive) alternative to Riven!
http://www.ransomgroup.com/
http://www.forgotten.com
Postal Delivers Cheat Codes
This past weekend Running With Scissors, makers of the ultra-violent shooter "Postal" delivered the first batch of cheat codes for gamers blasting their way through the complete version of the game. We can now provide them here for your convenience:
Cheat Codes
Type the following cheat codes while playing Postal:
SHELLFEST: Shotgun, spray cannon and 50 shells.
SHOTGUN: Shotgun and 50 shells
CHTPOS: Kevlar vest and health
CHTHOM: Revive
CROTCHBOMB: Type this, and you will get some mines.
FIREHURLER: Flame thrower and fuel canisters.
EXPLODARAMA: All explosive wapons and ammo
http://www.runningwithscissors.com
Hopkins FBI Coming Soon
Coming in time for Christmas is a game that should appeal to fans of adventure games and comic books: "Hopkins: FBI" from PolyEx Software.
As Special Agent Hopkins your job is to recapture Bernie Berckson, an organized crime boss who, despite getting fried in the electric chair twice for launching a pair of stolen nuclear missiles at California, remains inexplicably alive and at large. In a world hand- drawn by famous strip cartoonist Thierry Segur you can expect to:
• Follow a red line strewn with bloody corpses as you are confronted by an incredible series of atrocious murders.
• Make unbelievable discoveries in resolving the mystery of the kidnapping of some of the world's most distinguished scientists.
• Endure (and protect innocents from) Bernie's thirst for revenge and the bloody madness of his henchmen.
• Travel through and under the seas, by air, or to a hidden universe from which nobody was ever returned.
• Meet some very strange guys in very strange places.
• Make intensive use of your gun.
• Make a more intensive use of your brain.
For additional screenshots, game details and updated release information
seek out the PolyEx Software Homepage. [Kelly]
http://www.polyex.com
Yes! Galapagos Updated To Version 1.1; Save Anywhere!
The new Mac version of Galapagos (1.1) allows the player to enter "easy mode", allowing games to be SAVED ANYWHERE! This has been the most common suggestion Anark got from gamers. In addition to this new option, the update fixes some issues with Macs using multiple monitors.
A new Galapagos Demo and an updater for the 1.0.x retail and demo versions is available at Anark's completely revamped website. They are getting some really positive feedback from gamers, so may also want to check those comments out too.
http://www.anark.com/Galapagos
http://www.anark.com/Galapagos/comments.shtml
They Call Him Dr. Max
Steve Chamberlin, author of the award-winning game "Tetris Max" is at it again with the release of his new Macintosh shareware game "Dr. Max". Fans of thearcade game "Doctor Mario" will immediately recognize the inspiration behind this latest effort. Aid Dr. Max in his efforts to kill a runaway virus before it wipes out the entire lab! "Guide
falling vitamin capsules to trap the viruses in lines of the same color." Work fast, because if you fall too far behind, you're bio-toast.
You can download this $15 shareware game and examine other Macintosh games by Steve Chamberlin at the Opinicus Microtech Web page. [Kelly]
http://users.aol.com/granola
Gaming Might Be Good For You
British business newspaper Computer Trade Weekly recently reported on tests by Westminster University in London. Apparently after playing Doom, gamers were producing high levels of non-specific immunoglobulin A antibodies. This helps to cut down stress and the chances of sickness.
Phil Evans, a professor of Psychology at Westminster stated, "The psychological challenge of the task was confirmed by rises in arterial blood pressure. But their immune system was responding positively to the challenge. Our research shows that the stress of playing computer games is not bad for you as previously thought. But within an hour of the stress, the immune system will return to its normal state."
You'll still need regular exercise and food and water occasionally, but every little bit helps.
CompUSA To Launch "Store Within A Store" For Apple Products
Apple Computer and CompUSA have announced that they are partnering to launch Mac-focused ministores within CompUSA Computer Superstores nationwide.
Each of the outlets will be staffed by dedicated Apple-trained CompUSA employees.
Larry Mondry, executive vice president of merchandising for Dallas-based CompUSA, said "We believe in Apple, and we think they're going to make a comeback. It allows us to differentiate CompUSA from our competitors. We think it'll bring customers to CompUSA. We're not doing this for Apple's sake. We're doing it for our benefit."
"The Apple stores within the CompUSA Superstores will offer our customers one of the best and most informed buying experiences available," said Steve Jobs, Apple's Interim CEO. "To be partnering with CompUSA, the nation's largest and best computer superstore retailer, is really terrific."
CompUSA will also be increasing its promotion of Apple products throughout the holiday season as it begins to open the first 40 of Apple ministores open. Apple ministores in the remaining 97 CompUSA Superstores will open within three to five months.
Further information is available from an Apple Press Release.
CompUSA: http://www.compusa.com/
Apple Press Release:
http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1998/q1/971104.pr.rel.compusa html
LucasArts Petition Started At Mac Requests
Due to many requests, Mac Requests has come up with the Macintosh/LucasArts
Awareness Petition to try to get a firm answer as to what LucasArts' next Mac title will be. There is no proof that LucasArts is leaving the Macintosh platform. At best, they continue to be secretive about any future Mac products. They've always done this, and they'll probably continue to follow this pattern. LucasArts may be looking for more (better?) support from Apple, in which case this petition will also show Apple that the company is worth supporting.
The details of this petition are simple: By signing the petition, you are stating that you support any future LucasArts products. However, the petition will state that the Star Wars series of games are the most requested and that Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight is the most requested game. The petition will last 3 weeks, so time is a factor. The petition will be sent via snail-mail to the company, along with several comments made by our readers.
Visit the Mac Requests War Room, scroll down the page until you get to the LucasArts petition. If you see other petitions you wish to support, contribute your input there as well.
Ed Note: All updaters, demos, and add-ons mentioned in this section can be found in the folders on your IMG CD. All links found in this section were valid at the time of their publi- ation on the IMG Web site; any that do not work now have been changed or eliminated by the link's creator. All references to relative dates (ie. "next Wednesday") were valid when the news piece originally ran on the Web site and bear no reference to the date you receive this CD (duh!). We have made an effort to eliminate these references, but hey, nobody's perfect.
