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1995-05-17
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Stardock Systems: OS/2 from the Ground Up
by Steve McNally
Stardock Systems Inc. (SDS) is a leading developer of native
OS/2 multimedia applications. Developers there have been
working to exploit the power of OS/2 and demonstrate its ability
to be a superior gaming platform. They are now marketing three
impressive software packages, two highly advanced games and a
suite of helpful mini-apps for OS/2, which take full advantage
OS/2's 32-bit, multithreading, multitasking capabilities.
Galactic Civilizations was built from the ground up to utilize
OS/2's power. It's an advanced space-based strategy game where
you, as the player, have the goal of spreading humanity
throughout the cosmos. You have at your disposal control of your
civilization's economic, military, social and technological
powers. To achieve your goal, you'll have to deal with alien
civilizations, merchants, scientists and eligible voters
everywhere in the galaxy (the election campaign funds needed
would boggle the mind).
The game begins in the near future with you and 50,000 of your
closest colonist friends being transported through a wormhole to
another galaxy billions of light years from Earth. It's up to
you to befriend the several native civilizations (which are no
more advanced than your own), develop new technology, and defend
yourself from those civilizations where diplomatic means fail.
The game ends if you are destroyed, destroy all the other
players, form a united galaxy or advance technologically to the
point of omnipotence (a problem we here at the NetWire have been
dealing with for years).
Stardock System's own Artificial Intelligence Engine employs the
multithreading function of OS/2 to allow the computer players
(who act as actual strategy game players) to operate in the
background. This makes for a more "real-time" game because the
aliens are making their moves at the same time you make yours.
Other advanced features are full Multimedia Presentation Manager
(MMPM/2) support including digitized sound, MIDI music and
Ultimotion video, Multiple Resolution Presentation Manager which
enables the game to be played at any resolution, and Advanced
Module support which allows plug in modules by 3rd parties to
add to the game.
SDS' Entrepreneur is akin to a Monopoly game after drinking too
much coffee. A player begins by choosing either Engineering,
Science, Marketing or Business as their area of expertise. The
player then chooses whether to sell computers, automobiles or
softdrinks (These are the three currently available modules.
More are in the works).
The object of the game is to grow your company, through
successful research and development, production and marketing
and sales, to the point of having a 90% marketshare in your
field or controlling all the markets worldwide. Entrepreneur
also employs SDS' multithreaded Artificial Intelligence Engine
to act as the opposing players (You can also play against other
human players. There is no real limit to the number of
capitalists you can pit yourself against in this game).
OS/2 Essentials is a mini-application suite of enhancements for
OS/2. It includes an advanced file manager (Dir Master), Screen
Saver 2.0, a multimedia arcade game (Roids), a task manager
(Filebar), a Workplace Shell trash can, and a multithreaded
directory space grapher (File Graph/PM).
Stardock has two more products in development now. One is called
Avarice and it is a "Myst"-like game. The second is called
Object Desktop. Brad Wardell of Stardock thinks that this
application will be the biggest OS/2 application in 1995. He
claims that Object Desktop will do for OS/2 what Norton Desktop
did for Windows.
Galactic Civilizations and OS/2 Essentials are available now at
computer retail stores. The other applications will be released
as follows.
Object Desktop: July 1995
Avarice: September 1995
Entrepreneur: September 1995
Student Entrepreneur: October 1995
Stardock Systems of Gibraltar, Michigan can be reached at
(313)782-2248.