|F5of7| ______________________________________________________________________________ :API: Newsletter - 07/17/89 - Written/Compiled by: Mind Shadow ----------------- - July, 17, 89 - Edited by: Laughing Gas Reviews and Such. - API - Addtions : LG _____________________________________________________________________________ ============================================================================== The Status Line ============================================================================== Well, to begin this off. This part of the newsletter is about new and upcoming games from the Infocom staff. This edition is latest edition of the newsletter Infocom has put out. Let's get on with it. James Clavell's Shogun comes alive ------------------------------------ First, there's the sick, mutinous crew to deal with. Then there's your own exhaustion and illness. Plus, the stormy sea and the treacherous reef to navigate. But all that pales in comparison to the challenge of surviving your abrupt entrance into a culture totally foreign to you. Your training has prepared you for everything.. everything but this. Dave Lebling has taken the adventure, intrigue, and excitement of James Clavell's classic novel, Shogun, one step further in a masterful new work of interactive fiction. The 7 million Shogun fans who enjoyed his book can now enjoy the game. They can now explore the fuedal world of Japan, its labyrinthe palaces, rank jails, serene teahouses, and equally fascinating and complicated inhabitants. The adventure begins on the Erasmus, the only ship of five to survive a dangerous journey through the uncharted seas. At last on the unknown shores of The Japans, you face a barbarian's welcome of torture and imprisonment. To keep your life, you must identify who can hurt you and who can help you. At first, you know very little about the world in which you find yourself. Exploring, asking, learning, and testing are all crucial to your survival. Death is always the merest whisper away. In James Clavell's Shogun, you will meet Toranaga and Ishido, vicious enemies who take the lives of thousands of men in their struggle for the coveted title of Shogun. You also meet and fall in love with Mariko. Your translator and initiator into undreamt-of mysteries. The key to success in the interactive Shogun is the ability to act as the British pilot-major Blackthorne would. Handsome, cagey and self-assured, his confidence is matched only by his ability to navigate a ship through the trickiest waters. To survive and succeed in this new world requires thorough observation, quick thought, and careful action. Lebling's puzzles should be attacked in Blackthorne's character, and they rely on Blackthorne's personal knowledge to be solved. James Clavell's Shogun ushers in a new era of interactive text adventures. Immersing you in the world of the game. Shogun, sets the scene with richly detailed graphix drawn in the style of 16th- century Japaneese court paintings. It is one of the first games to use our newest parser(later on in this newsletter), which makes communicating with the game even easier. Written in the novel's rich , descriptive prose, the game is as engaging as James Clavell's original. James Clavell himself feels the tone of his work has been so well captured, that he claims Dave Lebling is "the person who knows the most about Shogun in the entire world." Shogun is now available for the Macintosh, Amiga and Apple II series. A version for IBM and 100% compatibles will be available in May. Apple II version retails for $49.95: all other versions retail for $59.95. Journey: Enter a new realm of storytelling A great evil has fallen over the land. Your town, suffering from five years of blighted crops, sickness and contaminated water, begins to lose all hope. It is then that a small group sets forth in search of help. These words send you on your Journey. Subtitled The Quest Begins, this classic narrative, in the exciting tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien, plunges you into an uncharted world of dwarves,elves, nymphs and wizards. Journey- the first in our new Role-Play chronicles series- takes you through a world ruled by magic and inhabited by mythical creatures you may befriend or battle. And, because you control the actions of the party, you must be physician, magician, combat-strategist, and character judge while pursuing the defeat of the evil which has infested the land. The party sets out from your home town of Lendros. You may leave your town for the first time and are astonished by the legendary wonders you encounter in your adventure. Your quest leads over mountains, through underground caves, across the plains and over the sea. Clashes with the forces of evil fought with unexpected allies, and you must decide who are friends and who are messengers of the Dread Lord. Journey breaks into an exciting new genre of computer games that draws from the best features of interactive fiction, role-playing games and traditional fiction to create a game with rich prose, challenging puzzles, and a diverse group of characters. Over 100 beautifully rendered graphic images add tone and depth to the tale(too bad I can't show you{hehe} it is pretty good though on a serious note) Journey departs from other games in its formats as well. You interact with the story through menus which provide individual and group options. That means you spend more time enjoying the story and less time trying to figure out where you can go and what you can (or can't) do. With the new menu interface you don't need to be a typist to play. Simply hit the first letter of the option you desire or use the arrow keys, and voila, you're on your way. Or, should you prefer, you can use a mouse or a joystick. This simplicity lets you get into the story quickly. If you're a seasoned player, you'll love how fast you can make progress on your trek. Journey, itself a new exploration in the field of computer storytelling,was written by Marc Blank, a pioneer in the creation of interactive fiction. Marc co-authored the original mainframe version of Zork and the personal computer versions of Zork I, II, and III. Journey is now available on the Macintosh and Amiga, and is scheduled for release on the Apple II, IBM and 100% compatibles in May. All versions of Journey will retail for $49.95. Introducing Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur ------------------------------------------- Imagine sitting your London flat, sharing a Sunday meat with your family, when...poof!...you turn yourself into an eel. Your Aunt Rose faints dead away and into her mashed potatoes as your mischievous little brother runs to capture you in a mayonaise jar for hideous biological experiements. Although it seems like a little more than a party trick, you'll take this special power seriously in this game. Infocom's newest Graphic Interactive fiction story casts you as the youthful Arthur on a quest for the legendary sword in the stone that will make you King of England. You meet up with Merlin, the most famed magicians, who give you insight into both the world of nature and the nature of man. But equally as precious a gift is the power to turn yourself into several different animals. This allows you, as eel or owl or salamander, to get into places and perform heroic deeds impossible for a mere human. The legend of young Arthur comes alive as never before through the graces of Infocom's newest generation parser. Communicating with the story is now easier than ever. and mercifully, we decided not to require you to use Olde English. Nearly 100 pictures enhance your adventure with vivid scenes of midieval England. For the less aesthetically inclined, the graphics may be set aside in favor of on-screen mapping, your inventory, or your score. The Quest for Excalibur is a 3-day crusade with a finite number of moves, so don't waste them trying to cultivate a meaningful relationship with the kraken you hook up with in the lake. And not even a future king gets something for nothing, so be prepared to offer gold or good deeds as needed to move along in your quest. You'll need to keep your eyes and ears open to find the treasures for your trades and the tools for your good deeds. And you can hone your wits with the riddles sprinkled throughout the game. Arthur lived in the Age of Chivalry, a time when virtuewas recognized and rewarded. Your accomplishments will also be rewarded, earning you points for Chivalry, Experience, Quest, and Wisdom. All are needed as proof that you have what it takes to be a righteous king. You'll meet many intriguing characters, some nice, some needy, and some downright nefarious. Included from the classic Arthurian legend are the evil King Lot, your archrival for the throne, and the mysterious Lady of the Lake. You'll encounter a spectrum of knights-blue,black, red, and colorless(but not dull)-- whose zeal for their knightly activities saddles you with roadblocks. There's a peculiar dragon, a spicy leprechaun, and even a drooling village idiot. But especially beware the evil demon Nudd, whose powers rival those of Merlin. Arthur offers all the features you've asked for in adventure stories. Merlin's crystal ball lets you take advantage of on-screen hints. The undo command makes it possible to rescind even the most foolhardy of decisions. And the mouse option offers you flexibility you've never had before. This will be an immediate hit with the fans of fantasy. Within the package you will find an illuminated Book of Hours. Arthur : The Quest for Excalibur will be available in June 1989 for the Macintosh, Apple II series, IBM, and Amiga computers. Retail price is $49.95 for the apple II version, and $59.95 for the others. (fuckin' cheap. Raise the price 10 bucks for every other one.) Battletech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception ----------------------------------------- War is the way of life in the 31st century on the Human Sphere. You are training to be one of the elite warriors. Your education is violently interrupted by an enemy invasion, and you must save your planet and your life. Challenge your combat strategy skills, and explore the more than 4 million individual locations of the game. Exciting graphics and animation show you everything, from your immediate geography to close-ups of the action. Battletech is a fully-integrated parts of FASA's Battletech Universe. (IBM requires CGA,EGA,VGA, MCGA or Tandy graphics and at least 384k) IBM- 49.95 (only listing since this is geared to people who have IBM's) Quarterstaff ------------ In a quiet colony, now deserted, hides the dreadful secret of the Druid's sudden disappearance. Parties of brave adventurers have gone in search of the key to the mystery and no one has returned. Now it is your turn to discover the fate of the Druids. Quarterstaff features a spectacular Macintosh interface with realistic sound, sparkling color and black and white graphics, hierarchical menus, contact-sensitive on-screen hints and a dynamic window. They haven't come out with it for IBM but they will so I put this up. Zork Zero ------- Travel through time to Dimwit Flathead's court, where you witness the powerful curse of Megaboz. Wake up years later as one of your own descendents and embark on an adventure that tells the story of the classic Zork Trilogy. Larger than any previous Infocom story, Zork Zero is bursting with dastardly graphical puzzles, maniacal riddles, and more challenge than the other Zorks combined. An aggravating court jester takes your gaming skills to the limit in a devilish round of Double Fanucci. On-screen hints and maps, and friendlier parser. Zork Zero is the creation of the deranged Steve Meretzky. PARSER?? by Stu Galley ------------------------ What is a parser anyway, and why should it matter to you? Almost any dictionary can answer the first question, and I'm here to tell you about second one. As the dictionary states, a parser is something that takes apart a sentence, word by word, and determines what the words mean, and then what the sentence means. If you ever diagrammed a sentence for an English class, then you were parsing. But it's a lot easier for you to parse English than it is for a machine, because you've had a lot more practice at it, and you start life with a certain natural ability to do it. At Infocom, I've been working on a program that will parse your commands and pass "meaning" to an interactive story. This program is a part of Zork Zero, and Shogun, as well as future Infocom products that may want to understand more complex sentences. In a way, I'm like the recording engineer for your favorite rock album, because my job is to make sure that the artists talent comes through to you as clearly as possible. If the implentor wants more adverbs then I give it to him/her. The better I do my job the less you notice it. Almost anyone can write a simple parser program, just as almost anyone can make simple recordings on their boom box. A simple parser could parse any two-word sentence,by calling the first word a verb and the second a noun. If it didn't know the verb,or if the noun wasn't the name of something in the room, then it would give up. Some simple adventure games work exactly like this way. Until now, Infocom's thirty-odd interactive sotries have all used parser thatevolved from Zork I. But each new story needed some new features in the parser, and so it grew more clever,but also more harder to fix and improve. Eventually we decided to build a new parser from scratch, using the theory of computational linguistics.(For those BBS'ers who doesn't know what this means. It means technically, he used an ATN algorithm and an LALR grammer and one-token look ahead.) So what does this mean to you? It means that you can converse with our interactive fiction more simply than ever, and we can easily add more features that you've never seen before. So you can talk to characters and maybe in the future hold an intelligent conversation with the computer or a character in a story. (This article I found rather interesting and decided to pass it on to you.) Helpful Hints From Customer Support ------------------------------------- Battletech: 1)When you get to the map room, don't despair. Touch the 7 planets that are listed in the dark green section on page 14 of your manual. You'll be suprised at what happens. 2)When you get to the Inventor's Hut, you don't exactly feel welcome? Simple solution: Make sure you have a tech and a medic in your party and they are both trained to excellence. Bring them to the Hut with you and the red carpet will be rolled out for you. Quarterstaff: 1)No one knows what the heck to do with the coin and parchment. So here's what to do. On the lower portion of the parchment, there are four cryptic messages surrounding a compass rose. These four messages are instructions for deciphering four different magic words. Each magic word, when used in conjunction with the magic identity wand (the one depicted in the upper portion of the parchment), will reveal the nature of potions,scrolls,keys, or other wands. 2)The first step in deciphering a magic word is to place the coin on the compass with the coins arrow pointing the prescribed direction.IF parch. says peering South. Place the coin on the compass rose with the coins arrow pointing South. 3)Next the message says "let your mind's eye oppposite journey." Therefore, you begin deciphering at the North point, keeping the coin fixed in place, pointing South. 4)The message next specifies "four steps to the East." This means you'll be obtaining a four letter word. Each step equals one letter in the word. 5)Proceeding around the compass from North to East, the first letter would then be "G" The G is on the parchment. When deciphering the other magic words, the first letter may appear on the coin. However, in all cases, each step will alternate between the parchment and the coin. So, if the first letter is on the coin, the second letter is on the parchment and so on. 6)Moving from the compass to the coin in the ex., the next letter is U. 7)Then, moving back out of the compass, the third letter is R. 8)Finally the fourth letter,going back to the coin is Z. You then end up with GURZ. 9)Now you can identify the nature of an old key and let "no Lock be your barrier." Simply hold the identify wand and type GURZ OLD KEY. Well, this is the end of the Infocom's Newsletter. In no way am I just copying the newsletter. I have the written consent of Infocom from themselves, letting me write this newsletter. Also, I have given credit where credit is due. Any complaints etc. Talk to Infocom themselves, send a SASE to INFOCOM P.O Box 8123, San Francisco, CA 94128. Tell them your problem or question. Any complaints or comments in my typing or if you want me to include a newsletter you have. Contact me on Surf Shop, Ocean Atlantic, or any good pirate board. Mind Shadow [2 Hype] _______________________________________________________________________________ Inside S.S.I ------------------ Well, I'm back with another raving review of Curse of the Azure Bonds. I could do the Hillsfar one, but basically everyone knows what the game is about. If you don't and would like to know, then ask somebody! This summer, S.S.I will release Curse of the Azure Bonds, the much anticipated sequel to POOL OF RADIANCE. Curse of the Azure Bonds, a multi-character fantasy role-playing game, features beautiful 3-D point of view graphics, dozens of animated monsters, and exciting tactical combat. The game includes a huge multi-disk quest and an Adventurers Journal containing maps,clues, and other players aids. The game covers a large area, including some of the most populous and detailed parts of TSR,inc's FORGOTTEN REALMS game world. Based on an expanded version of the game system pioneered in S.S.I's best selling Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds includes higher lvl. characters(over 10th lvl. in each class), new character classes(paladins and rangers), and many new spells. Curse of the Azure Bonds allows the player to continue the adventures started in Hillsfar and Pool of Radiance. The player can also develop new intermediate characters at the start of the game:new players need not begin with lvl. 1 characters. (COOL!) The games contains a completely new adventure inspired by the Azure Bonds novel written by Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak(where credit is due) and published by TSR. The computer-game adventure will also be available from TSR as a paper module to AD&D. The Storyline takes your party of player characters from the quiet streets of Tilverton, through the war ravaged remains of Yulash, to the Dark Shrine in the evil city of Zhentil Keep.(Where do they get these names?) At the beginning of the game, the characters awaken to find themselves in Tilverton with cursed bonds on them with magical runes. A design represents each bond below the skin on the players arm. The party quickly realizes that the bonds cannot be removed by magic or by force. They also discover that the bonds contain an evil power. Whenever the runes start to glow, the character does things he/she can't control. Each bond has a different evil power. Your goal is to remove the curse of the bonds from each character and find why it was placed on your characters. OVERRUN ----------- Overrun! the modern version of Gary Grisby's Panzer Strike. Typhoon steel game system covers action in the Arab-Israeli wars and combat in the early 1960's in both the Middle East and Europe. The game contains several unique features, the map is 50% longer than it was before- allows for the increased ranges of modern weapons. In addition, the game includes new technological advances: new armor types, increased accuracy of modern fire- control systems, and the ability to direct counterbattery fire against enemy artillery units. The inclusion of helicopters constitutes a dramatic change in Overrun! Helicopters can soar at one of 8 altitudes and either fly slow,fast, or in a special evade mode that makes them harder to hit. A well-entrenched defender with a small number of supporting helicopters can wreak havoc on a careless attacker. Other additions include any unit's ability to lay smoke and to spot units for artillery formations and anit-tank guided missiles. Missiles can also be very deadly. You can make your own confrontations or play one. Includes NATO, Israeli, Warsaw PACT, and Arab units. Since the available weapons range from the T-34 to the T-94 and from the Sherman to the Abrams tanks, the player can almost design any post WWII tactical combat. SOON TO BE RELEASED THIS SUMMER! Hints for Hero's of the Lance. ------------------------------- 1) How do I recharge the Blue Crystal Staff? "In an encounter with Baby Dragons,cast "deflect dragon's breath" and hold up the staff. 2)How do I get to the third lvl.? Look for holes in the floor and enter these sewer pipes. This will take you to the final dragon. Coming: Red Lightning Experience the next potential war in Europe between NATO and Warsaw Pact nations. Engage in land and air combat utilizing the most advanced technology from the Soviet MIG-31 fighter to the U.S. F-117 Stealth Bomber. Available soon this Summer. Well, this wraps up the Inside S.S.I newsletter. I wrote about the things you might want to check out. I'd like to thank S.S.I for giving me this information. Well, this about sums up all of the game reviews I have done for you. Later and upcoming issues I might try and do some business software. If you think this might be a good idea, then drop me a message whereever you see me around. I have one last thing I wan't to type up. There are alot of Documents people have written to help the young carder and the young phreaker. How many of these docs. actually help? Sure, some of them give some good info. and ideas. They don't necesarily tell you everything you need to know. I know some people will get a hold of this and spread it around, acting all bad and shit. Well, these are the type of people who get caught and rat on other users. So, instead of helping you phreak and card. I am asking you inexperienced people please stay out of it. You get the FCC nosing around in our business and other people get caught. So just chill and be happy with the boards around your state. Also, to the people who pirate Apex. I saw a copy on Death Metal. People, don't download the program. Aries has worked long and hard making it the best it possibly can be. He is only testing it out, he is not giving it out to special people. Time will pass, and in the future maybe Apex will be available for everyone. There's so many other software programs, LEAVE APEX ALONE! Well, that about sums up this part of the newsletter. I hope you have enjoyed it and found it informative. We of API salute all the people who have helped us construct this newsletter. If you have ANY thing to comment on or criticize contact an API member near you. We still need some people who have knowledge in the field of carding,phreaking, anarchy, etc. If you have a resourceful knowledge of any of these subjects and would like to contribute to future newsletters then by all means contact me. Thanks for your time, and please upload this newsletters to other BBS's! Spread the word, thanks for your cooperation. Mind Shadow [2 Hype] ________________________________________________________________________________ Section II: Compiled and Edited by: Laughing Gas New Releases to Look for soon. ------------------------------ COMMING SOON FROM ARCADIA: ROADWARS Stunning conversion of the coin-op smash brings all the excitement of the arcades into your home. Has all the amazingly detailed graphics and animation and action-packed exceitement you've come to expect from state-of-the-art gameware. Go head-to-head against the computer or another player to battle against the odds and clear the road of obstaqvles in a white knuckle fight for survival. No, this isn't any relation to Roadwar Europa or Roadwar 2000. It's a bike game, from the arcade, and its pretty good in the arcade, althouth I don't have high-hopes for it for the PCs. Now shipping for Amiga, Atari ST and Commodore 64. Comming Soon for IBM PC and PS/2. METEROPOLIS Venture into the streets of a place wich exsits somewhere on the dark side of your imagination, in this graphic game. Walk, talk, live, and die within the confines of an enormous high-tech city wich hides a macabre secret only you can unearth. Meteropolis pushes back the frontiers of the possible. Its vocabulary (20,000 Words) exceeds that of the average human being (let alone the average adventure game) and the artifical inteliigence programs are the most advanced anywhere. 60,000,000 computer responses are possible in this revolutionary game! Features Include: * 20,000 word vocabulary (didn't they already say that). * 60,000,000 potential intelligent responses (Said that too). * State-of-the art animation * Uniquely interactive controls * Multi-layer game structure (whatever the f*ck that is) Recent Releases. ---------------- FROM MELBOURNE HOUSE: BARBARIAN This is your average run-of-the-mill-beat-the-shit-out-of- a-bunch-of-different-monsters-until-you-win type game, with not-so- run-of-the-mill controls. (Programmer's liked function keys). This game isn't that new, but since this is the first release of this file.. why not? Features Include: * 48 high resolution background screens * over 20 different enemies and traps * more than 300 animation sequences FROM NEW WORLD COMPUTING: MIGHT & MAGIC II Another wonderful FiRM crack, (ra-ra-ra!), this game is exactly what a sequal shouldn't be -- an improved version of the first edition. It has the same set up/lay out, and the graphics and sound haven't really improved that much... It would be nice to see a company put out a sequal thats different from the original once in a while. [Although I think Sierra and Electronic Arts do good sequals]. If you liked the first MM, then you'll like this one, because its the same thing. Good ahead and get it. Why not? (Other than a waste of credit)... Its not that much more challenging from the looks of it either. _ _ _ VETTE _ Yes, the game you've all been waiting for, and as of today are still waiting for. - By Spectrum Holobyte ... NCP Race one of three new-model Corvettes through the streets of San Fransico. Dynamic 3-D solid model graphics adds to the realism as you speed from landmark to landmark. -$32. (* This info from PC-Connect *) This seems to be a pretty good game, and it should be out, as it's rumored to be in the process of being cracked right now. _______________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________END_______________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X Another file downloaded from: NIRVANAnet(tm) &TOTSE 510/935-5845 Walnut Creek, CA Taipan Enigma Burn This Flag 408/363-9766 San Jose, CA Zardoz realitycheck 415/666-0339 San Francisco, CA Poindexter Fortran Governed Anarchy 510/226-6656 Fremont, CA Eightball New Dork Sublime 805/823-1346 Tehachapi, CA Biffnix Lies Unlimited 801/278-2699 Salt Lake City, UT Mick Freen Atomic Books 410/669-4179 Baltimore, MD Baywolf Sea of Noise 203/886-1441 Norwich, CT Mr. Noise The Dojo 713/997-6351 Pearland, TX Yojimbo Frayed Ends of Sanity 503/965-6747 Cloverdale, OR Flatline The Ether Room 510/228-1146 Martinez, CA Tiny Little Super Guy Hacker Heaven 860/456-9266 Lebanon, CT The Visionary The Shaven Yak 510/672-6570 Clayton, CA Magic Man El Observador 408/372-9054 Salinas, CA El Observador Cool Beans! 415/648-7865 San Francisco, CA G.A. Ellsworth DUSK Til Dawn 604/746-5383 Cowichan Bay, BC Cyber Trollis The Great Abyss 510/482-5813 Oakland, CA Keymaster "Raw Data for Raw Nerves" X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X