HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rls@cbnewsc.cb.att.com (richard.l.schieve)
Subject: Re: Pinball plastics
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 21:58:47 GMT
Summary: Use mylar on the bottom

In article <9212222031.AA17617@fritz.filenet.com>, ung@felix.filenet.com writes:
> Well, once again, I picked up a new set of HIGH SPEED plastics from CA
> Robinson in California.  The first set I ordered from the San Francisco
> office ($83.00), which was missing several items.  The second batch I
> ordered from the Los Angeles office ($99.95), which was only missing one
> tiny bit of shrubbery ... I decided I'll live with it.  Both arrived in
> a clear plastic bag semi-sealed with masking tape and had '541' (the
> game's ID#) written on it with a magic marker.  Highly professional.
> 
> Anyway, I'm kinda interested in keeping these things as new as possible.
> I'd like to know if there are ways to keep the paint from scratching off
> too easily.  Something like Cover-Your-Glass, only for plastics.  I'm
> also interested to know more about something I heard about a long time
> ago.  Color photocopying the plastics and then perhaps getting them
> transferred to new plastic.  This was done as an attempt to revive old,
> broken plastics, but if I've got a brand-new set, why not start there?
> Anyways, any information would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> BTW, still looking for an extra HIGH SPEED bumper cap.  I don't suppose
> anyone out there has one?  Please??  Too bad the plastics set doesn't
> include them :-(
> 
> Bill Ung
>   ung@filenet.com  (back on the air!)


A relatively old trick is to simply put mylar on the bottom of the
plastic.  You often see this done to re-enforce broken or cracked
pieces but it could be done on a good one too.

Do you really think the plastics need any added protection with the
amount of use a game gets in a home?  I know my games don't but I
do seem to spend much more time working on the new projects than
playing the old...

				Rick Schieve
				rls@ihlpb.att.com
				
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: lfs@mitre.org (Lyman F. Sheats Jr.)
Subject: Re: MAD Money by Sega
Organization: The Mitre Corp., Bedford, MA.
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 17:45:03 GMT

In article <1992Dec22.132157.15997@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> norris@madmag.enet.dec.com (My name is...) writes:

		 I'm looking the slot machine MAD Money by Sega. I believe it
		 was produced in England in the early '60s. It has Alfred E.
		 Neuman featured. Three Alfreds and you hit the jackpot.

I heard that MAD would be a Data East release three games down the road.
First, Rocky & Bullwinkle, then Jurassic Park, then MAD.  Even heard a rumor
that Alfred E. Neuman's face will fill the real-estate on the backglass.

So what does this say about Tales From The Crypt?  I guess it's gone.
Would be a shame, really, IMO.  I think I would much prefer the Tales
From The Crypt theme over and above the MAD theme.

Again, rumors.  Just passing on what I've HEARD....

--
Lyman F. Sheats Jr.
The MITRE Corporation
202 Burlington Road, Bedford MA 01730
e-mail: lfs@mitre.org
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: gleeson@mundil.cs.mu.OZ.AU (Red Mountain)
Subject: Re: I liked Black Rose...
Organization: Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 06:56:19 GMT

In <1992Dec29.221421.9111@nwnexus.WA.COM> elf@halcyon.com (Elf Sternberg) writes:

>In article <1992Dec28.215049.17320@clipper.ingr.com>
>     jimmy@clipper.ingr.com (Jimmy Blair) writes:

>> Black Rose, which must be the Turkey of the Year...

>   Now wait a second...

>   I _like_ Black Rose.  While the score could be taken off any .mod
>file, it's still a good score.  The table art is *very* good, although
>the backglass artist needs to learn his female anatomy better.  

But hey, if the women had any link to reality, it wouldn't be sexist pinball 
backglass art... Let's not get into another sexist pinball flamewar, though :-)

>The video modes are fun, theme-oriented (without having to have come from a
>movie), and could only be better enhanced by an "override" to let the
>player speed get past the "How-to" every time and get on with the show.

Ah, a nice looking game doesn't make a playable game though. I played a few
games on Black Rose, but with that habitrail right down the middle of the
playfield, and a shoot-and-hope shot from the cannon at best, I haven't
played it for a long time...

>   Star Wars... now *that's* a turkey.

Indeed. We should throw it into the same dark corner as Star Trek. Maybe get
a good Black Hole to crush both those Stars to oblivion...

Marty.
---------------------=============***O***=============-------------------------
Martin J. Gleeson  | Computer Science, Melbourne Uni, Oz |    ...  __o    Outta
gleeson@mundil.cs.mu.oz.au |     E Pluribus Unix         |  ...   -\<,       my
"We gladly feast on those who would subdue us." - Addams |  ....(_)/(_)..  way!
 "I can't give you brains, but I can give you a diploma." - The Wizard of Oz
---------------------=============***O***=============-------------------------
From: sbb@panix.com (Steve Baumgarten)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Star Wars pinball
Date: 24 Dec 92 02:58:50 GMT
	<SBB.92Dec11092640@panix.com>
	<1992Dec16.234231.13358@cbnewsd.cb.att.com>
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

In article <1992Dec16.234231.13358@cbnewsd.cb.att.com> knudsen@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (michael.j.knudsen) writes:

   Contrast this with late Bally EMs like WIZARD, that took so long to
   rack up your bonus that a friend keeps another game going on the pin next
   to his WIZARD, to play between balls.

   I like how HIGH SPEED adds your bonus: show it in numerals,
   show it multiplied (with a noise for each multiple), then add it on.
   Informative, fun, and takes little time.

One thing I like about CREATURE was that you can abort the "bonus
countdown" song and dance by pressing a flipper button (I think the
instruction card even mentions this).  That's one change I'd put into
the "home version" of the TAF ROMs -- I suspect those long bonus
countdowns get a little tiring if you own the game and have seen it
all before, many, many times.

Is this also true of WHITEWATER?  Any other Williams games?

--
    Steve Baumgarten       |  "New York... when civilization falls apart,
    PANIX, New York, NY    |   remember, we were way ahead of you."
                           |  
    Email: sbb@panix.com   |                            - David Letterman
From: joshua (Joshua Levy)
Newsgroups: rec.games.cyber
Subject: Snowcrash world
Date: 21 Dec 92 22:19:00 GMT
Organization: VERITAS Software


Is anyone playing cyberpunk in a world like the one found in the
book SNOWCRASH by Neal Stephonson (sp?)?

Joshua Levy  (joshua@veritas.com)
From: joshua (Joshua Levy)
Newsgroups: rec.games.cyber
Subject: Snowcrash world
Date: 21 Dec 92 22:19:00 GMT
Organization: VERITAS Software


Is anyone playing cyberpunk in a world like the one found in the
book SNOWCRASH by Neal Stephonson (sp?)?

Joshua Levy  (joshua@veritas.com)
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
From: ctjmrr@daimi.aau.dk (Claus Torp Jensen)
Subject: Re: Starting Theories and Empire Flaws
Organization: DAIMI: Computer Science Department, Aarhus University, Denmark
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 93 13:54:35 GMT

I agree with several posters. The game has reached a level where playing well
just takes more time than you've really got to spend.

A catalogue for reducing complexity without affecting the game too much (in
my own humble opinion anyway):

Remove plauge (and thereby research).

Remove mob cost for distribution and maybe even delivery (I dislike the use
of tools...:-) ). Consider removing mob cost for move's, although that
would alter the game balance.

Remove happiness (including any kind of civil disturbance other than by
ENEMY guerilla). Maybe consider removing guerilla too, although that would
alter the game balance.

Remove food (yes, I know that it gets harder to take out opponents, but
fighting is the fun part anyway).

To be drastical maybe even remove iron. Just let the factories produce
cm's out of nothing. It even makes smaller worlds possible, reducing
the maintenance part.



Unfortately I'm not even sure that this will be enough to allow me to play
again......
Anybody want to start a game with one update every 14 days??????


Claus/Graahoeje

Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
From: taylor@wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu (Doug Taylor)
Subject: FAQ?
Originator: taylor@wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu
Organization: Washington State University
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 92 22:59:27 GMT

Is there a FAQ somewhere?  I'd like to know where
games are being held, how to login as a visitor,
etc.

Thanks,
doug
taylor@wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu
From: zog@topper.ksu.ksu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
Subject: Blitz on the 27th
Date: 27 Dec 1992 04:29:26 -0600
Organization: Kansas State University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: topper.ksu.ksu.edu


The blitz that was going to be on the 27th has been cancelled
due to the area that the files are in are currently not available
to me since greyhelm has left the area.  We forgot to set up the 
stuff on his account before he left and now we dont have the 
disk space to run the game on my account.

Sorry about this since there was people that wanted a game.  =(
I hope no one changed the holiday plans on account of this.
I will try and make it up to anyone that did change there plans

Thanks

and again sorry
From: metzler@pablo.physics.lsa.umich.edu (Chris Metzler)
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
Subject: FAQ
Date: 21 Dec 1992 21:24:08 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan Department of Physics
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: pablo.physics.lsa.umich.edu

Is there an FAQ for this newsgroup?  I know absolutely nothing
about Empire, but it looks interesting and I'd like to learn . . .

-- 
SNAILMAIL:                                       AT&TMAIL:
Chris Metzler                                    313-764-4607 (office)
Department of Physics, University of Michigan    313-996-9249 (home)
Randall Lab, 500 E. University
Ann Arbor, MI  48109-1120 USA

E-MAIL:  metzler@pablo.physics.lsa.umich.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
From: ts@chainsaw.ecn.purdue.edu (Thomas Ruschak)
Subject: Re: Start islands (was Re: Starting Theories and Empire Flaws)
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 09:17:40 GMT

In article <1hrlu6INNi05@agate.berkeley.edu> griffith@xcf.Berkeley.EDU (Jim "The Big Dweeb" Griffith) writes:
>
>I played in the last Sweden Slow Update game, which had 30-sector start
>islands, and I had a lot of fun.  Certainly, there's still a factor of
>luck when being placed, since you can be surrounded by inactive start
>islands or active ones.  But you pretty much have to commit to expanding
>in a certain direction before you discover which islands are inhabited
>by idiots, so the luck factor is largely eliminated.

	I think that one of the things the deity or deities of a game really
need to do is have an active replacement policy. In the games I've co-deitied,
we had the first update 1 day after the game start, and anyone who hadn't
broken by 18 hours after game start time was replaced. Result: 100% active
countries, no 'empty' start islands. Also during the game, countries going
inactive were replaced quickly, if viable. This helps keep more skill in the
game, imho. It's kind of a pain to do, but the results are worth it.

Tom
From: camelsho@magna.ksu.ksu.edu (   James A Seymour)
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
Subject: Just out of curiosity...
Date: 28 Dec 1992 03:59:14 -0600
Organization: Kansas State University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: magna.ksu.ksu.edu
Summary: Questions to ponder

NOTE: I am not running a game.  I'm just curious.

SUBJECT: Start Islands...

When I first started playing empire start islands were all
the rage.  People seem to have gotten away from them lately.

What goes into setting up a world of start islands?  I realize
that there is probably a lot of hand editting, but what else
is involved?  How do you decide on the island sizes, i.e. is
it arbitrary or are there sizees that just fit better than
others?

How much extra work does a good deity need to devote to
start islands?  Notice I said good deity.  I have come into
contact with a deity or two that basically did nothing more
than run the land programs and throw sanctuaries about the
world.

Do you like start islands?  Why or why not?

SUBJECT: World size...

I realize that world size depends greatly on country number.
However, what is the multiplier that seems to work best?
And what % of land?

I suppose some of this depends on how much early fighting
you want to happen.  Also, how much importance you want
to place on ships vs planes.  Kinda hard for planes to dominate
a game if they can not even reach the enemy, eh?

SUBJECT: Where is empire headed?

I was not in on the start of empire.  I did manage to start
play in one of the PSL empire games at M-NET, before I
lost internet access to that site.  To one used to the 
bsd variety, PSL is wierd!  I could see a partial
evolution of the game by comparing PSL to BSD.  

Since then, the game has continuted to evolve.  The chainsaw
code has quite a few good mods that will probably be considered
standard from now on. (multifire and ship fuel are a couple of
examples.)

The coders out there are doing some good stuff.  However, I have
to wonder if our game is becoming just too damned complex.  For
instance, there are players here at Kansas State that would be
lost without the Xemp client.  The number of commands is just
daunting to these neophytes who have come to rely on the client to
do the work, instead of learning the commands.  

As a matter of fact, scripts and piping out to egrep to isolate
info were seemingly foriegn concepts to these relative newbies.
Take away xemp and they are toast.

BUT, back on the subject, is the game becoming to complex?
OR, is it just coming into its own?  Is empire entering its
golden period of enlightenment?  The tools and "new" clients
allow people to play without having to have the knowledge that
was hard to gain in the days of yore.  (Notice, i said "play"
not "master") 

What are your views on the subject?


         james seymour/camel/camelsho@matt.ksu.ksu.edu
From: st1dg@elroy.uh.edu (Wilkinson, Damon E.)
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
Subject: Blitz Tourney Games
Date: 27 Dec 92 19:29:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: elroy.27DEC199213292123
Distribution: world
Organization: University of Houston
NNTP-Posting-Host: elroy.uh.edu
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41


I dont have a problem with weekday games - in terms of If I can play -
however, there are those RARE people like myself
who have to work for a living/ cannot play all day while
we "work"
I'm under the impression that that is a rare case among Empire players,
but oh well.
so, I'd like to see a couple of weekend games too.


dydereha
From: kevin@cyber.net (Kevin R. Sanders)
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
Subject: Re: Chainsaw for Linux Problem
Date: 22 Dec 1992 20:37:38 GMT
Organization: The Cyberspace Station
NNTP-Posting-Host: cyber.net

In article <1992Dec19.222003.5558@camaro> tfoley@camaro (Tim Foley) writes:
>
>  Has anyone got Empire, Chainsaw 2.2, working with Linux?
> 
>I have everything running so far, except for the Power command, whenever
>I execute it, the server kills itself and exits....really annoying.
> 
>On a general note, are there anything special that must be done to prepare 
>the server to run the power command or something?
> 
>Also, Kevin@cyber.net, what is your full address?  I can't email you at all 
>from around here, cyber.net is not known.
> 
>						Thanks 
>							Tim
The problem with power appears to be that the power file is present but
empty.  Perhaps the stdio library acts somewhat differently under Linux.
I will look into this problem further starting next month, but for now I
just wanted to get something usable uploaded.

I mentioned this in the README.linux file, I believe.  The solution is
to run a "power n" to generate a new power file; after that power works fine.

My full address is kevin@cyber.net.  We have been having some problems
with our connection to CERFnet over the last week or so; I know it used
to work fine.  Have you gotten any mail from me, Tim?

-- 
---------------------
Kevin Sanders, KD6FKJ
kevin@cyber.net
From: evil@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu (-=TheEvilOne=-)
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
Subject: Re: XMAS down again?
Date: 3 Jan 93 23:35:49 GMT
Organization: War Lord and Imperial Emperor of THE Evil Empire
NNTP-Posting-Host: hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu

In article <103573@netnews.upenn.edu> mendels@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Jeffrey Mendelsohn ) writes:
>
>I can not log into the mazda.ece.cmu.edu game again.  Anyone else with same
>problem?


	Folks, posting to a world wide newsgroup about a game being down is
really dumb.  By the time your posts percolate around the world the game 
is probably up as it usually takes days.  The best and only solution is
for the deity to provide a mailing list and keep players informed via
that list and allow players to use it.  As players it's your job to 
keep the deity's email address handy and hope that his email account is
not the machine the game is on if it's down.  Also try pinging the
host if it's dead either it or some connection between you and the host
is down.  I know it's agravating to not know but blast your deity not
the net.

Thanks...

This public service brought to you by EVIL EMPIRE Inc.

-=TheEvilOne
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
From: Little Lost Robot <mishka@halcyon.com>
Subject: Europe Empire game ? 
Originator: bbs@halcyon.com
Keywords: Empire
Organization: The 23:00 News and Mail Service
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 11:41:14 GMT


I'm looking for a game , that taking place in Europe , i.e. server is
placed in Europe site. Why ? Because I livee in Israel and links
betwenn here and US is very bad .

                                With thanks.
                                        Michael.
P.S. My Internet address is c0384866@techst02.technion.ac.il
P.P.S. Sorry about terrible English :)

Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
From: ts@chainsaw.ecn.purdue.edu (Thomas Ruschak)
Subject: Re: Start islands and mobility
Keywords: start islands mobility
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 09:44:14 GMT

In article <1hrou2INNicp@agate.berkeley.edu> mr-frog@xcf.Berkeley.EDU (Dave "Human Decompiler" Pare) writes:
>One of the interesting side-effects of the current mobility accumulation
>mechanism is that it allows someone who expands quickly to accumulate
>huge amounts of mobility in newly-occupied areas using just one civ
>or mil in each sector.  This is quite an advantage if you want to have a
>war near a surrounded enemy cap one or two updates into the game.
>
>Would start islands be as necessary if a max mobility cap were placed on
>sectors with few civilians?

	It'd partially solve it, but not completely, I think. A surrounded
country still could expand at most 1 'ring' per update, even if there were
only 1 mil in each surrounding sector. The surrounder couldn't rush all his
mil up to kill the surroundee, it'd take longer. Still, it seems to me that
being surrounded would still be a sizable disadvantage, depending on distance
between the sancts, since the surroundee would have less distance between
the enemy and his cap.

>Insofar as the positioning/luck question goes, as Deity I would operate
>to fix some of the more unfair placements the computer would make
>in random assignments.  I had the luxury of knowing my players
>relatively well, I always ran shared-continent games, and was always
>aware of who was going to be placed next to whom.

	Knowing most or all of the players is nice, I agree. It's always
easier to set up a fun campaign-type game when you have some idea of the
playing skill/styles of the players involved.

>Generally, I let the computer set people up, and "corrected" anything
>that looked particularly atrocious.

	Why not just place them by hand, even on large continents? A few
interesting mountain ranges can do wonders in creating starting zones.
(Unless you just prefer the Darwinian aspect of random placement :-)

Tom
From: akuo@mazda.ece.cmu.edu (Augie Kuo)
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
Subject: player needed
Date: 29 Dec 92 08:37:36 GMT
Article-I.D.: fs7.C00IMp.KMu
Organization: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon

Hello everyone -
	If anyone's interested in co-ruling a country in the XMAS empire
game, let me know.  The EMPIREHOST is mazda.ece.cmu.edu and EMPIREPORT
1617.  You can log in as visitor password visitor to check out what's
going on.  The country you'd be helping out is in the top 10.

thanks

Augie
-- 
WOOF!   ^ ^     "...Life is complex.  It has real and imaginary parts..."
        o o
        (v)             INTERNET: akuo@mazda.ece.cmu.edu 
         U              UUCP:     bsw!augie@uunet.uu.net
From: dmurray@xihu.inria.fr (Don Murray)
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
Subject: Re: XMAS empire, can not connect since 6:20 AM
Date: 2 Jan 93 16:59:37 GMT
Organization: INRIA, Sophia-Antipolis (Fr)

In article <103527@netnews.upenn.edu>, mendels@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Jeffrey Mendelsohn ) writes:
|> 
|> I have been unable to connect to the XMAS empire game since 6:20 AM.
|> Getting host not reachable.  Anyone else with similiar problem?

yep, i have the same problem... what's going on?  another starvation
session?
From: bhathena@ug.cs.dal.ca (Firdaus B Bhathena)
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
Subject: Dec 27th Blitz?
Date: 25 Dec 92 23:54:28 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Math, Stats & CS, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada


	Is there going to be a blitz game this weekend??

	If so, I'm all for it!!!
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
From: zcjm0f@wwnv67.hou.amoco.com (CJohn Mace)
Subject: I exist!
Organization: Amoco Production
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 16:16:34 GMT

You only wish I had disappeared forever....

cjohn mace
From: tfoley@camaro.uucp (Tim Foley)
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
Subject: Re: Just out of curiosity...
Summary: Is empire becoming too comples?
Date: 29 Dec 92 12:43:30 GMT
Organization: camaro


I agree about the xemp/complexity of Empire, but at the same time...I like 
it this way!  It takes alot longer to get the curve right, but once you are 
there...I have it easier, I can run empire on my home system (Chainsaw), so 
I can constantly practice without getting tromped upon by Gingus 
wanna-be's... ;)  
  But keep up the added commands/complexity, because as the complexity 
increase, so does the complexity of the clients (ala xemp), so far the 
balance is more or less there.
 
  By the way, is there any good non-X clients out there?  I wouldn't mind 
checking out some auto-map like clients.
 
  Also, where is the latest xemp avail?
 
							Tim Foley

-- 
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
               The HeartBeat of America...Yesterdays Camaro Z28 
                             tfoley@camaro.uucp   
     Call the Camaro Linux Pub-access site: 1-416-238-6550 USRobotics HST
    Note: Please, no ftpmail or mailing lists or the host gets annoyed :)
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: mendels@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Jeffrey Mendelsohn )
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
Subject: XMAS empire, can not connect since 6:20 AM
Date: 2 Jan 93 15:54:42 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania


I have been unable to connect to the XMAS empire game since 6:20 AM.
Getting host not reachable.  Anyone else with similiar problem?