The first time I sat down and began working on the new CD-ROM format of the Inside Mac Games, I decided before doing any work to go back and took a look at our very first issue, February 1993, which we published in late January 1993. It was a very small issue, some 18 chapters but it marked a new beginning for us Mac gamers. Finally there was a magazine devoted to nothing but Macintosh games.
It was a good beginning, although I now admit we didn’t have a clue then what IMG would turn out to be. Obviously the demand was there for a Mac games magazine, it just took some two guys, Jon Blum and myself to realize we could do it. Surprisingly, people loved the magazine and many of you have supported us through subscriptions. However, even then I realized that publishing on disk and e-mail would not last forever and could only take us so far. Publishing on disk was just too limiting in that the disk space prevented us from including QuickTime movies, slide shows, demos, more articles, ads, etc. I knew that eventually we would have to publish on CD-ROM, but the we had to wait for the right moment.
After a year of publishing IMG, we came out with the IMG CD-ROM Volume I in early 1994. It was a huge success. Over half of our subscribers ordered the IMG CD-ROM, which really opened our eyes. The feedback we got was extremely favorable and people began suggesting we publish IMG on a monthly CD-ROM. The decision really wasn’t to hard. After we figured out the logistics of it, we decided to begin publishing on CD-ROM with the October issue. One of the more important decisions we took was to stick with DOCMaker (the application we use to create the magazine) for now. Some of the feedback we had gotten from the IMG CD-ROM Volume I was about the interface. Although it was well built, pretty, and innovative, it was just too slow. The last thing we want you to do is wait 20 seconds for an article to pop up or to have to search seven levels to get to a demo. Thanks to Mark Wall, creator of DOCMaker, the program was modified to meet our CD-ROM needs. DOCMaker can now launch demos, slide shows, QuickTime movies, sounds, etc. It may not be as glitzy as some other CD-ROM magazines you’ve seen, but we strongly believe in content, providing worthwhile information, and DOCMaker allows us to do that without compromising speed.
In much the same way, I feel the new CD-ROM format of the magazine is another new beginning. Quite a few things have changed in the year and a half since our first issue. The PowerPC was introduced, more Macintosh game titles are shipping than ever, and CD-ROMs have proliferated exponentially. IMG has also changed through the years and the new CD-ROM format will continue to do so to meet the demands of our subscribers. As time goes on (and we get used to the new format) you’ll be seeing more improvements to the interface, content, etc. As always, if you have any questions, comments, and suggestions about the CD-ROM, please let us know.
When we announced the new format, the response was overwhelming. To date, nearly half of our subscribers have switched to the CD-ROM format and new subscriptions have come in droves. At the same time, however, some of our non-CD-ROM drive subscribers are concerned that we will not publishing on disk anymore. IMG will continue to publish on disk until the demand for it declines dramaticly. So obviously we encourage all our subscribers who have CD-ROM drives to switch to the new CD-ROM format and we encourage all our non CD-ROM drive subscribers to buy a CD-ROM drive, quick!
Tuncer Deniz
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
IMG’s New 800 Number
We’ve added an 800 number for ordering subscriptions and other IMG products! Please keep in mind this number is for ordering only. You can call anytime to place an order, 24 hours a day. If no one is available to take your call or you call after business hours, you can order a CD-ROM subscription by pressing 1. To order a Disk or e-mail subscription, press 2. Please make sure you include your name, address, telephone number, Visa or Mastercard number, and the card’s expiration date. Allow 4-6 weeks for your first issue.
The 800 number is 1-800-339-0636. This number is for ordering only, for all other inquires, please dial (708) 486-0636.
Music Credits
Thanks to the following artists for making this CD all the more enjoyable to create: AC/DC (especially Back in Black), SoundGarden, Genesis, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails, Candlebox, John Mellencamp, REM, and Pink Floyd.
Special Thanks
A special thanks goes out to the following people: all our writers and advertisers, Eric Parker and Darrin Woods of Parsoft, Tyler Gee, Steve Lundin, Bill Dugan at MacPlay, Mark Wall, all the shareware authors, Jon Blum, Camela Boswell at LucasArts, Mark Adams, Bill Money, Jason "when's it shipping?"Jones, Alexander Seropian, Doug, Alan, Ryan, and Reg at Bungie, Eric Klein, and Hartley and Pattie Lesser.
