This section features reader response to Ambrosia’s software & service. We will include the good with the bad, and address any problems brought to our attention. These are real people, writing real letters about real issues. Feel free to drop us a line.
>>> “I recently registered Apeiron, but now it crashes when I try to quit. What gives?”
Multiple users
— Sorry for the trouble. Ambrosia’s Technical Services Manager, “Cajun” David Richard, is covering this bug in depth in this issue’s Eek A Bug column. Check there for the easy solution to this perplexing problem. Click on the GoTo icon below, and you’ll be taken right to the appropriate chapter.
 
>>> “Please remove my name from receiving mail from your company. I have tried three different sharewares offered by your company and have found all of them to be junk! The last one I tried was ‘Wacky Lights,’ It took 3 hours to figure out why my mouse was so slow to respond. You guys must never try out any of the stuff people share with you before distributing. Anyway — I have learned my lesson — no more AmbrosiaSW. Thanks but no thanks! :(”
G. Miller, USA
— Ouch! It can’t be said that we only print the good stuff. Always hurts to lose a customer, especially when it may not be for any good reason. Not only do we test all of our products before releasing them (usually for over a month with between 30 & 40 beta-testers involved), but we also have a very good Technical Support department.
If you’re having a problem with any of our software, help is just a phone call away with our full time Technical Support staff. Our Technical Support department also averages a 24 hour turnaround time for eMail questions, so help is available online as well. As per your wishes though, you have been removed from our eMail database.
>>> “Once again, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. The new code did,
indeed, work. It's nice to be involved with a company that values customer
relations so highly. You folks at Ambrosia come up with great games, apps.
and CP's & don't feel compelled to charge an arm and a leg for them. Keep
up the good work.”
Miles Stein, USA
— That’s more like it. Thanks for the nice words Miles, and I’m glad our Tech Support department (read “Cajun”) was able to come through for you.
>>> “Hail Ambrosia, HAIL AMBROSIA! Holy nemesis of the dark twin gods of Productivity and Sobriety. We are in your thrall as you fight the valiant fight to make the Mac a safe place for slackers and adrenalin junkies. ...oh, wow, is it 10pm alREADY?! I gotta run, I've got a spreadsheet to massage!”
Jeff Estes, USA
— Alright slacker dude! Keep up the lack of work, sooner or later Wall Street is going to wonder what has put the economy into a tailspin. We have it all planned out.
• First let the air out of the economy.
• Second, blame it on the fact that most people these days waste valuable time sitting through DOS and Windoze seminars instead of actually doing their job.
•Third, point out that only a fraction of this time would be needed if corporate America switched to Macs.
• And lastly, I’d be co-signing Hector’s mortgage for Billy Gates’ old place (hey, you didn’t think they would approve a loan to a parrot without a co-signer, did you?).
>>> “Apeiron is terrific, but although we have played the game for 8 days only, we keep getting the ‘PAUSED’ screen. In your ‘README’ section it says we can play for 30 days.”
Jane Stuart, Singapore
—Congratulations! You’ve found Apeiron’s Pause function. Your Caps Lock key will activate this function to give you access to other areas of your Mac, or just to answer the phone. Ambrosia put this function in Chiral & Maelstrom, so when Apeiron came along we added it without even thinking. Simply switch your Caps Lock key off, and game play will kick in.
>>> “Apeiron is very well done except for the ricocheting bullets which really frustrate me”
Kurt Kennel, USA
— Hee-hee-hee. They can ruin a perfectly good morning , can’t they?
>>> “Swoop’s soundtrack is perfect, sounds are great, gameplay is challenging. All in all a good arcade classic that no Mac should be without.”
Andre Simonsen, Denmark
— Thank you. We were having trouble deciding which soundtrack to use, so shipped it with two and left the tough decision making process to our users. Just last weekend I saw a Centipede & Galaga machine side by side in my laundromat. I had a good chuckle when I compared those graphics and sounds with Apeiron & Swoop’s.
>>> “Recently, I (greedily) downloaded and read all the previous issues of ‘The Ambrosia Times’ and (naturally) have become a great fan of your online publications. I found it an attractive mixture of good information and entertainment.”
Yoko Inoue, Japan
— Wow, thanks Yoko. I appreciate the positive feedback. Although a lot goes into putting each issue together, we have a lot of fun doing it. I’m glad folks out there are enjoying reading these things. This is actually our “anniversary” issue. We have been publishing the Times for one year now this July. I think we have really improved over that time, but we always have an open ear for new suggestions.
