HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dgemoets@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov (Darren Gemoets-- CSC)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games,comp.sys.amiga.games
Subject: Re: More Warlords Hints
Date: 31 Jul 92 19:14:54 GMT
Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center

mikew@mdcbbs.com (Mike 'the Bard' Whitaker) writes:

>In article <1992Jul29.205315.17416@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov> 
>dgemoets@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov (Darren Gemoets-- CSC) writes:
>>I know some cities are tougher (six light infantry vs. two, plus a higher
>>city defense rating, for example), but my observations (over an admittedly
>>brief span) still make me think there's something fishy.  Once I sent a
>>pretty darn good force to Hithos (a city with six or seven light infantry and
>>a defense rating of 6), and they defeated me without losing a man.  Then *one*
>>Storm Giant giant army took out the city two turns later!  It *could* have
>>been luck, but...

>It is generally our (my and my Warlords-junkie friend) considered opinion
>that computer-controlled Warlords cheat like heck. They win battles that 
>they shouldn't have a prayer of winning, they seem to acquire troops from
>NOWHERE...
>Comments, anyone??

Someone else has observed that he believes the computer merely uses a strategy
in which it makes heavy use of the "Send Army to..." function and sends massive
amounts of forces to one (or two) cities.  You figure this way it can get four
units in a given turn every few turns, and maybe 2-3 every other turn.
This strategy can be helpful in defending a single city, but few other cities
are able to produce armies for their defense or for offensive strikes.  In
general, I find that the computer, at least at the Novice and Baron levels,
plays *very* conservatively.  I'll have to check them out on Warlords level.

Darren Gemoets
dgemoets@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games,comp.sys.ibm.pc.games
From: galt%peruvian.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Greg Alt)
Subject: Re: Virtual Reality Survey
Date: 22 Jul 92 13:41:49 MDT
Followup-To: comp.sys.mac.games,comp.sys.ibm.pc.games
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept
Distribution: world 

In article <1992Jul22.170034.15164@sequent.com> georged@sequent.com (George Dolbier) writes:
>In article <1992Jul21.174623.22414@ultb.isc.rit.edu> sjked@ritvax.isc.rit.edu writes:
>
>Answer in two parts:
>A: you can get better information about VR from the following newsgroups
>sci.virtual-worlds
>alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo
>alt.cyberpunk.movement
>alt.cyberpunk.tech
>alt.cyberpunk
>alt.cyberspace
>alt.cyb-sys

and don't forget sci.virtual-worlds
>>1. Have you ever tried V.R.?

I've played around with some of the 3D mouse driven VR demos for the PC
I've also tried out VPL's head mounted display as well as a boom-mounted
display.  I've messed around with the nintendo powerglove, but I've never
tried out a dataglove.

>>2. What did you think of it?
The boom-mounted display (using BW CRTs) was much better visually, but it
was awkward since you had to move the display with your hands.  The HMD
was lo-res with some kind of blurring lens so that you wouldn't notice how
lo-res it was.  The powerglove is very limited but CHEAP!  You can pick one 
up for about $25 as opposed to $10000 for a dataglove.  
>>
>>3. How much would you pay for a complete V.R. home
>>computer system (with the computer?)

Already have the computer...  I'd pay $500-$1000 if I am able to program
it myself.  With the computer?  About $2000-$3000 (assuming a fast 486)

-
sig?
-
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
From: trinkad@jasper.cs.orst.edu (Darald)
Subject: Re: Looking For Spaceward Ho! 3.0 Suggestions
Organization: Oregon State University
Distribution: USA
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 16:40:28 GMT

It would be better to make it Appletalk dependent rather than MacTCP dependent.
This way people with a small LocalTalk net would be able to use it. 
Making it work over a network is a MUST;  saving the file on a file server is 
WAY to slow!!!!



																															Darald
From: wilsona@cpva.saic.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Playmaker 2.0 bug
Date: 23 Jul 92 16:53:07 GMT
Organization: Science Applications Int'l Corp./San Diego

Noticed a bug in Playmaker 2.0 last night. When you throw an incomplete pass
the clock continues to run! The only time the clock will stop after an
incomplete pass is when there is < 2 mins left in the half.

Does anyone know if this happened in 1.0?

aw
From: dgemoets@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov (Darren Gemoets-- CSC)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: Looking For Spaceward Ho! 3.0 Suggestions
Date: 28 Jul 92 13:21:30 GMT
Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center

jas@ISI.EDU (Jeff Sullivan) writes:
>Have computer players send messages also.  Otherwise, it's a dead
>giveaway who is and is not a human.

I agree.

>Also, allow computer-human alliances (otherwise, non-appletalked
>players will miss out, and two-player games will be less fun than they
>could be).

I agree whole-heartedly.

>Eliminate the Global Metal paradigm.

I disagree.  This paradigm really simplifies things.

>I also think a Tanker type ship should be able to go refuel other ships.
>Jeffrey A. Sullivan		| Research Scientist at small

I agree.  It's a pain to have to decide between abandoning a ship and sending
a Colony Ship to refuel the ship.  This other ship type also seems somewhat
realistic (doesn't the Air Force have something like this?).

I also agree with someone else's idea to be allowed to decrease the speed of
a particular unit for a particular journey, so that it can reach a planet at
the same time as a smaller vessel.  Of course, you can just send it a turn or
two later to compensate, but...

Also, I assume that colony ships are the first to go in a battle because the
enemy will try to destroy it first.  Sounds logical.  But it also seems that
the ships with the colony ship would do everything in their power to defend
the colony ship.  Maybe you could make colony ships the last ones to be
attacked, assuming the other ships try to protect it, or as somebody else has
suggested, allow the player to arrange other ships to protect the colony ship.
I do agree that battles should not be run tactically (with ship repositioning,
moving, flank attacks, etc).  

Thanks for listening.  This is a great game!  Now if I could just find a few
people to play over an AppleTalk network, who happen to be able to provide the
AppleTalk network...  :-)

Darren Gemoets
dgemoets@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov
From: howard@netcom.com (Howard Berkey)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: What implies "legal user"? (Was: Hellcats help needed)
Date: 30 Jul 92 22:48:06 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

In article <10028@sun13.scri.fsu.edu> stricher@masig.fsu.edu (Char Aznabul) writes:
>In article <1992Jul30.020359.12819@adobe.com> cpage@adobe.com (Chris Page)  
>writes:
>
>+ floppy when I try to run software on my hard-drive. I hate dealing with
>+ special "code" disks and looking up answers to questions in the manual.
>+ Hellcats, although it requires use of the manual until it is registered,  
>was
>+ designed thoughtfully enough that all you have to do is register your copy
>+ and you get to unlock your software (even the original floppy) and never  
>have
>+ to deal with copy-protection again. The cost of this scheme? I have to let
>+ the makers of Hellcats know my name and address. Seems fair.
>
>In general, how long does it take to get the unlocking code back??? It
>seems like forever - it's been over a month, and it's gotten a bit
>irritating...
>
>James




Along these lines, could someone who has the code please help me?  My original disk was ripped off out of my roommate's car before I could send in the 
registration.  Hence, I have no clue as to the serial number of my game.    
I have all the documentation (pilot's manual, etc) and the card but no damn
disk.  Anyway, if someone who has the code could email me, let me convince
you that I really own the game, and give me the code, I would be very happy.
I just hope the code isn't somehow tied to your serial number...

-Howard

-- 
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Howard Berkey						howard@netcom.com
Genius, n.:
	A chemist who discovers a laundry additive that rhymes with
"bright".
From: zklf0a@gs144.uucp (Fergason)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: Sub Battle Simulator
Keywords: n
Date: 28 Jul 92 20:39:04 GMT
Distribution: comp.sys.mac
Organization: Amoco Production


In article <Brwvux.8D@taligent.com> rob_hawley@taligent.com (Rob Hawley) writes:
>In article <uXDeoB1w164w@netlink.cts.com>, macdevil@netlink.cts.com (Leonard
>Cayetano) writes:
>> 
>> seymour@wam.umd.edu (Rockwood Lee) writes:
>> 
>> > In article <63961@hydra.gatech.EDU> gt5870c@prism.gatech.EDU (Noah White)
>wri
>> > >
>Actually Spectrum-Holobyte released a competing program called Gato.  Sub Battle
>Simulator came from Eypx.


Yes.  Those were the days.  I was in Floppy Wizard's last night, and saw
Sub Battle for the Atari ST on the shelf.  

Gato was written by a couple of guys from Nacogdoches, one of them being Sean
Hill.  Sean helped with the design of Sub Battle, and did the Atari ST port.

There will be no more updates, with Epyx going under, and Digital Illusions
being bought out(or whatever happened, i havent figured it out yet.)  The
people who worked on Sub Battle, and PT 109 are all scattered.  I have had this
urge to do a Windows version though, if I can figure out who has the copyright.
Epyx might still have the copyright, though Gordon was trying to deal with them
and get the rights.  Would be interesting.


Kelly Fergason
primary programmer on the C-64 version.
From: Derek_Juntunen@abcd.Houghton.MI.US (Derek Juntunen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: SoftAT PC emulation
Date: 28 Jul 92 00:27:12 GMT
Organization: Amiga BitSwap Central Dispatch

SoftAT is slow...

-- Via DLG Pro v0.995
From: torrbj@bigbird.SLAC.Stanford.EDU (Eric C. Torrence)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: Hellcats - Sound effects stop during play
Date: 23 Jul 92 17:00:09 GMT


     Rumor has it that the speaker contact for the IIsi is right in front of the 
fan exhaust and every now and then it gets gummed up.  I am not sure why messing
with the control panel turns the sound back on, but a much better way to fix it
is to give the si a firm tap on the left front side of the case.  Seems to work
every time.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
From: Sarek@world.std.com (Garrett Fitzgerald)
Subject: Re: Looking For Spaceward Ho! 3.0 Suggestions
Keywords: MultiPlayer Strategy Game
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 20:03:11 GMT

In article <1992Jul25.052847.5473@ads.com> adiseker@ADS.COM (Andrew Diseker) writes:
>	How about a "below-average but not dumb" setting between "Dumb"
>and "Average", something I can beat some of the time, but that doesn't
>humiliate me every time! 8^) 8^)  Or at least start the computer players
>a >tad< farther apart! 8^)

I like both of those suggestions--I lose badly when playing Average,
but have no problem winning at Dumb... And I started one game with 3
opponents and a very large galaxy--I found all three within the first
century. _Not_ good.

>I mean, 
>having real planet systems instead of just random planets floating
>around. 

Ooh, I like. :-) "Ceti Alpha VI exploded 3 years after we were left
here, and everything was laid _waste_."

One suggestion of my own is to allow concurrent ship-building. If
you're developing a new class of colony ship, and you want to build a
couple of satellites, you're in trouble...
--------------------
"Yah!!!!"

Sarek of Vulcan
a.k.a. Garrett Fitzgerald `:-)
Official Diver of the RFA and 'Chelle's TwinSib

Sarek@world.std.com

Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
From: robert@metropolis.com (Robert Munyer)
Subject: Re: Battlezone for Mac? (arcade)
Organization: Metropolis Software, Inc.
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 05:31:51 GMT


In article <1992Jul17.160029.13927@wdl.loral.com> dcb@wdl1.wdl.loral.com (David
C Blume) writes:

> If you're talking about MacBZone, you are limited to 30 shots until you
> register your copy.  Send $10 to Randy Frank to get a restration number.

Folks, please don't call this kind of thing "shareware".

This is "demoware".

There's a difference.

                                        Robert Munyer
                                        robert@metropolis.com

Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
From: walker@eplrx7.es.duPont.com (Scott Walker)
Subject: Covert Action
Organization: DuPont Central Research & Development
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 14:49:09 GMT

I'm glad to see Covert Action come back up in conversation.  I really
enjoy this game but I have had a few problems with it.  Namely, I'll be
tracking a target for what seems like forever, getting closer a little bit
at a time.  Then all of a sudden, it will jump miles away, just when I was
ready to fire upon it!  This made playing the game very frustrating because
you spend all that time sneaking up on some boat, and then it just takes
off!  Has anyone else had this problem?
   Another problem I had was after I had completed a mission (i.e. sunk the
target boats) I could never figure out how to go to the next mission.
Any ideas?  I wish we could find the author to see if he has updated this
potentially great game.

Scott
******************************************************
Scott C. Walker
walkersc@esvax.dnet.dupont.com

+++The few opinions I express are not the opinions of my employer.
"What's settled down?  Settled down is you get married and then you buy a
house.  You can get a wood house, a plaster house or a stucco house.  
Oh, how you can get stucco!"  - David Lee Roth, on Rockline
******************************************************
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
From: commons@Sunburn.Stanford.EDU (Peter Commons)
Subject: Re: Spaceward Ho!
Keywords: Ho!
Organization: Computer Science Department,  Stanford University.
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 21:13:07 GMT

>When is 3.0 due?

December at the earliest. I'm asking questions about 3.0 now so that I have
time to decide what to add & then to implement and test it.

>If I buy 2.0 now, what will the upgrade policy be? 

Upgrade from 1.x to 2.x is $15. Upgrade to 3.0 will be about the same.

>Question #3: is commons@Sunburn.St|anford.EDU (Peter Commons) the author or
>rep. from Delta Tao?

The author. I'm not tech support or orders, so please call Delta Tao directly
with questions along those lines.
From: cfranz@iiic.ethz.ch (Christian Steffen Ove Franz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: Spaceward Ho! 3.0: Keep Historical Info
Date: 31 Jul 92 09:02:23 GMT
Organization: Dept. Informatik, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, CH

In article <1992Jul30.212236.13859@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU> commons@Sunburn.Stanford.EDU (Peter Commons) writes:
>Someone sent me email (remember, please post to the net) suggesting some
>kind of movie at the end of a game to show you how it played out (showing
>how you expanded, killed the enemy, and conquered the galaxy)...
>Although this sounds rather more complex than might be easy and desirable to
>do, we have imagined 3.0 having some way to show at least recent history, like
>a graph of metal, money, and ship power over the last 20 turns.
>
>Comments? Thoughts? Would this be useful. What would you want? How much disk 
>space and update time would you be willing to sacrifice for such a thing?
>

I really love the idea. This 'movie' should have two parts: 

  - recent history: changes in income, metal and ship power over the last
    ten to twenty turns. four bytes times twenty turns times three items
    = 240 bytes per player. not too bad. could be saved locally for each
    player in a history file.

  - total history: this would be the real 'movie'. it should show how the
    player expanded over the turns. Show what planets s/he attacked or
    conquered. Maybe show the unsuccesful attacks as well. For saving raw
    data for such a movie: world number (four bytes), turn (four bytes) and
    boolean (succesful/unsuccesful) = 9 bytes per incident. save this to the
    local history file as well. (hey, maybe you should save the fighting stats
    as well (like how many ships attacked and what were their ratings).

I would love to have a personal history file so I can keep it to review
it later and analyze my mistakes. Have some kind of stand-alone history
viewer so we can view/analyze the game without having to start theHo! itself.
This would also make an excellent demonstration tool for those who don't
have theHo! yet and show them what the game is all about. 

Cheers,
Christian

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christian S. O. Franz                 |                   cfranz@iiic.ethz.ch
ETH Zuerich, Swizerland               |                     vismgr@rz.ethz.ch
From: wardw@CS.ColoState.EDU (william bradley ward)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: More for Spaceward Ho 3.0
Date: 27 Jul 92 03:25:28 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University

The features I'd like to be included in Spaceward Ho 3.0:

Look at the Pax Imperia demo.

:)

Actually, I agree with the "spatialness" of the galaxy comments from other
people.  When I play the most humongous galaxy with a few friends and
computer players, we are garunteed to be centered in the galaxy, one star
away from each other.  Spread us out a bit!

Brad
From: kreme@nyx.cs.du.edu (Not A Random Name :-()
Subject: Re: Virtual Reality Survey
Organization: University of Denver, Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci.
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 92 08:33:10 GMT

cdwilde@hertz.waterloo.edu (Chris Wilde) writes:

>In article <15429@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu>, fzchen@othello.ucdavis.edu writes:
>> as I can attest to firsthand).  However, as standup video games were to
>> the 80's so should standup games incorporating virtual reality technogies
>> be in the 90's.  By the year 2000 there should DEFINITELY be at least 
>> standup video games incorporating what were experimental technologies only
>> a couple of years ago.

>So for now, 3D VR is going to be religated to hobbyists and backroom labs.

There is already a 3D VR video game out.  It is called "Virtuality" or some-
thing like that.  I played it in an Arcade in Springfield, Virginia.  The
graphics are pretty lousy, but it is real-time 3D.

>now the military is working on VR simulators, but I don't know where they
>have gotten to, yet.)

Actually, most of the VR work of note is coming from private companies.

From: Babak.Gohari@f421.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Babak Gohari)
Sender: Uucp@blkcat.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: COMPLAINT TO CERTAIN SOFTWARE COMPANIES
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 09:01:58 -0500

This is a complaint to certain software companies, namely Sierra/Dynamix and
Lucasfilm Games, and probably a few more.  Why do you insist on using HD Disks
for your games?  A lot of us out there do not have the SuperDrive, and for
example, it'll cost me a few hundred to upgrade my II to have superdrive (I need
some ROM upgrade in addition to the drive itself).  I mean, is it really that
much more expensive to put the game on 5 disks rather than 3?  At least put out
two versions, one for us 800k disk drive people.  Thanks.
From: dcutter@oregon.uoregon.edu (dann cutter)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: SpaceHo morality
Date: 29 Jul 92 17:37:49 GMT
Organization: Stellar Enterprises

In article <1992Jul29.145516.24639@neptune.inf.ethz.ch>,
cfranz@iiic.ethz.ch (Christian Steffen Ove Franz) writes:
> So the simple explanation would be:
> The two races are incompatible that it is much more economic to kill >everyone than to provide for them when terraforming (since it is a game, we >can ignore the ethical problems with this). 
> 
> Cheers,
> Christian

Because it is a game, by no means should we rule out the ethics of killing
an entire planet. More you should say: "because the game requires it, we
must kill, since we have no alternative."
	The fact that there are several series of games (Ultima 4-7) out there
which show us that even while killing, we must have a concious(SP?). In
Space I see it as needless to kill computer players whose ideal planets are
completely unusable to me... rather I disarm them by slowly wasting their
metal supply away until I know they are basically defenseless, and then I
protect them as If they were my own planet. Stupid... possibly, but it
makes the game that much harder and adds an element of realism. Who says
winning must be by destruction? Anyways, It is much better to conquer a
HUGE galaxy, knowing that 7 of your twenty computer opponets(SP?) are
docilely inhabiting useless planets to you... but are at your mercy. One
must never forget his ethics and morals, for if they apply in everything
you do, then you have overcome. dann

ps - sorry that was needlessly mesianic... but you get the idea.

___________________________________________________|Stellar Enterprises*	  
    	       	
"I know that one is left. And that once you        |private space explo...
figure out that, then the other hand is your right.| 	Pres: dann Cutter
Then basically all you have to do is make a choice.|"because Space IS the 
But the question is, how do you figure out that    |  Final Frontier!"
first part."dann Cutter 
dcutter@oregon.uoregon.edu|
From: Joe.Francis@dartmouth.edu (Joe Francis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: More Warlords Hints
Date: 30 Jul 92 06:55:08 GMT
 <1992Jul27.213729.3509@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov> 
 <2795262764@dwetzel.mis.stratus.com>  
 <1992Jul29.205315.17416@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

In article <1992Jul29.205315.17416@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov>
dgemoets@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov (Darren Gemoets-- CSC) writes:

> I know some cities are tougher (six light infantry vs. two, plus a higher
> city defense rating, for example), but my observations (over an admittedly
> brief span) still make me think there's something fishy.  Once I sent a
> pretty darn good force to Hithos (a city with six or seven light infantry and
> a defense rating of 6), and they defeated me without losing a man.  Then *one*
> Storm Giant giant army took out the city two turns later!  It *could* have
> been luck, but...

When attacking a neutral city, the loser always loses all the attacking
force and the winner none.  Moreover, there appears to always be a fair
chance of losing, even with a very strong force.  I always attack
cities with individual pieces, never using a piece I'm not willing to
lose.  I find that even the toughest city will usually fall to three
individual attacks by light infantry, even though it may beat a single
attack by three light infantry 50% of the time.  I've seen the computer
waste valuble allies (demons, devils, ghosts, and especially wizards)
by immediately sending them to take nuetral cities.  It's a mistake. 
Use them against the real opponents, where they significantly help.
From: joshua@lclark.edu (Josh Rochester)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: Why No Games For Mac?
Date: 27 Jul 92 17:15:32 GMT
Article-I.D.: lclark.1992Jul27.171532.19351
Organization: Lewis and Clark College

In article <1992Jul25.042447.23688@usenet.ins.cwru.edu>, jxs52@po.CWRU.Edu (Jonathan Sheir) writes:
> 
> 
> I have a quick question.  I know IBM and its compatibles make up a 
> much larger share of the market.  But the main reason IBM is so much
> bigger is because 99.9% of businesses use them.  As far as recreational
> use goes, I think it is much closer.  So why is there only one shelf
> of Mac games at computer stores and a dozen shelves of IBM games?  The
> only ones that seem to come out are the Sierra games (and always way after
> they come out for IBM)  Where are the Mac games?
> 
> 

One of the biggest factors, in my opinion, is the severe lack of magazine
coverage of mac games by mac magazines. Both MacUser and MacWorld act like 
there aren't any real games out there (but from the Magazine staff that thought
that Crystal Quest was arcade action at it's best, what can you expect?).
There are several worthwhile games available for the mac and they don't even
rate the coverage that a utility/toy like 'Wallpaper' does. If I were a PC
software publisher and saw this sort of media coverage, I'd go ahead and write
my Amiga version first and wait for there to be a mac market for my games.

Josh Rochester
joshua@lclark.edu