CompuNotes Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing April 2, 1998 Issue 112 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= To subscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SUBSCRIBE COMPUNOTES-L FirstName LastName To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to listserv@peach.ease.lsoft.com SIGNOFF COMPUNOTES-L For Contact and Other Information See Bottom of Publication! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= CONTENTS My Notes: 1=> CompuNotes Changes, mailto:pgrote@i1.net 2=> This Issue's Winner! News: 3=> News of the Week, mailto:pgrote@i1.net Reviews: 4=> Product: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, games Reviewed By: Leandro Asnaghi-Nicastro, mailto:leandro@capnasty.org 5=> Product: Major League Math -- Second Edition, educational Reviewed By: Mike Klein, mailto:mikek@travsoft.com 6=> Product: Discover Microsoft Publisher 97, book Reviewed By: Judy Litt, mailto:jlitt@qualitty.com 7=> Product: Novell's Guide to Internet Access Solutions, book Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dhughes@wwdc.com 8=> Product: Total Annihilation, games Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com --- BEGIN ISSUE 1=> CompuNotes Changes, mailto:pgrote@i1.net Yes, we have been gone for about two months. Sorry about that, but Doug and I have been very very very busy. Did I mention we were busy? We're making some changes here at CompuNotes. Most of the changes revolve around how we handle the writers, but some affect the readers. Changes the readers will see: * Issues every two weeks. * More articles, opinions and how-tos. * Shorter reviews with more of them. Hope you enjoy the new version of CompuNotes! We'll start with the new version in the next four weeks! 2=> Winner! This week's winner: chris@HALCYON.COM . 3=> News and Game Bits, mailto:pgrote@i1.net or mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com The Spam Fighters Are Going On Strike http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,20713,00.html?st.ne.fd.gif.f Yahoo Passes $100.00 a Share! Trades at 140 Times Sales! This is Nuts! http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,20706,00.html?st.ne.fd.gif.k Scary Look at Search Engines http://www.abcnews.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/searchengines0402.html Insight into the PC of the Future http://www.zdnet.com/pcweek/opinion/0330/01cuff.html Usenet II - Remember RIME, Ilink and such? http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/11425.html A Computer Animated Horror Film? http://www.wired.com/news/news/culture/story/11419.html 4=> Product: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, games Reviewed By: Leandro Asnaghi-Nicastro, mailto:leandro@capnasty.org Requirements: Win95, 16MB RAM (32 recommended), Pentium-90, 2x CDROM, 40 MB Hard drive. Supported 3D graphics card recommended (see end) MSRP: $54.95 Since everybody and my uncle are making 3D shooters these days, it's a little hard to take things seriously when you are faced with yet another one. When Lucasarts sent us our copy for review purposes, I was thinking it was going to be some sort of Quake with a different environment and different weapons. After all, the original Dark Forces was nothing more than a souped up Doom 2 with lotsa of new weapons and many hidden baddies all made to look like the Star Wars universe. I opened up the package, installed the game and I was blown off in surprise at what I was seeing on my screen. Although this is still a 3D shooter, it was taken to a completely new dimension. I felt as if I was playing inside a movie, in an environment really based on the Star Wars universe. The weapons one encounters are truly amazing, like the Bryar pistol, the Stormtrooper's rifles or the rail guns, but what's even more surprising, that although you have plenty of ammo and destructive force, you'll use just one thing: the light saber. Yes, you can actually fight with a light saber in this game, and not only that, you can even deflect incoming fire. One thing that I was impressed with was the implementation of the force. As you travel through the various levels, you'll have the choice to join either the light or the dark side. The path to becoming a good Jedi is hard, as you defend civilians, protect your life. Becoming evil instead is easy. Just kill all the civilians that come across from you and you'll quickly become evil. The force is nicely done, and in fact through the levels you will find yourself using it in order to keep going or even to survive. You can jump high walls, steal your enemies' weapons and use them against them. The force powers for the light side are used for good and protection while the force powers for the dark side are used for destruction. The soundtrack is beautifully done, and the sound of the whole game will keep you stirred to the point that you will not notice time go by as you try to figure out each puzzling level. This game demands a good video card. With it you'll be able to enjoy the incredible scenery that is that typical Star Wars used/old look making it so damned realistic. A few negative sides, I wish the enemy was a little more intelligent. If I steal their weapons from their hands, it would be nice to have them attack me. If I am detected in their compound, that my position is radioed to other troopers who start looking for me. On a more positive note, I was well entertained. Superb graphics, excellent playability, lots of weapons to choose from and an incredible amount of enemies to fight. Multiplayer is even more fun as you duel viciously with your light sabers and use the force as your best ally. Watch your mana though, sometimes it comes low just when you need it the most. Here is a little interesting fact I have discovered. Lucasarts puts Max, the bunny from Sam & Max in just about any of their products. He is here as well. Here is how to find him: As you enter Baron Hed (level 5) you'll find yourself in the canal. Work your way through until your first objective is completed. By now you should be in front of a building with two baddies shooting at you from a window. Enter the building and run up the stairs. Kill the baddies in the room to your left and then enter the room to your right. In here you will see another bad guy with a woman in the corner. Kill him, and from your right you should hear some growling. It's another bad guy coming up to kill you. Finish him and enter the corridor where he was. You'll notice here stairs that go down with two Tusken's waiting for you at the end. Kill them, but DON'T go down the stairs yet. Instead go left, to the balcony and kill the Tuskens that are by the river. It's not really necessary but it will make things a little quieter to help you out. Now run down the stairs and you will hear a door open. If you are fast enough and you can reach the bridge, the building right before the bridge has a door. A woman will come out of that door. DON'T kill her. If the door closes, it will be locked, so you'll just have to patiently wait that she walks back. A minute later she'll be back, she'll open the door and you can walk inside. Who's that sitting on the couch? It's Max, he's got a super Bryar pistol and he has a grudge against anything that moves. This concludes my review for Jedi Knight. It's an entertaining game that satisfied me to the max. Not only it sounds and looks amazing, but also the environment where I am placed has a pretty realistic feel to it. So I guess until the next best 3D shooter comes out giving us even more amazing special effects, I'll be playing Jedi Knight for quote a while. LucasArts http://www.lucasarts.com/ Hints/Walkthroughs/Demo - find them all at http://www.jediknight.net Editor's Note: I just wanted to add my $0.02 to Leandro's review. Forget Hexen II, Quake II, and all those other sequels. Jedi Knight surpasses the everyone else with the old one-two-three punch: gorgeous graphics, incredible sound (John Williams' soundtrack), and engrossing gameplay. Jedi Knight is not as strong at multiplayer gaming as Quake, but so what? The story is the thing here, and it really shines. Id, Raven, take note: your own efforts show improved attempts to include a plot, but take a lesson from the master. Jedi Knight gets my vote for best game of the year. -Doug, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com 5=> Product: Major League Math -- Second Edition, educational Reviewed By: Mike Klein, mailto:mikek@travsoft.com Reviewed On: Pentium Pro 200, 64 MB RAM, Windows 95 Requires: 486SX/33, 4 MB RAM (8 MB recommended), Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 (Windows 95 requires 8 MB) Major League Math is an educational game designed to teach children from 8 to 12 math. In spite of some small problems, I believe that it does a good job of making math drills entertaining. The game is pretty easy to install. The only 2 questions the user needs to answer are whether to do the 2.6 MB or the 12 MB installation and what folder the user wants the game to reside in. A program group with the appropriate icons is created. Running the game reveals the first potential "gotcha." The game will on run in 256 color mode. Given the relatively low system requirements, this is not terrible, but if you are a parent, reluctantly giving up playing the latest High Color game to further your child's education, it can be annoying. Once the appropriate color depth is selected, the game starts with some fairly cool pseudo-animation of stadium lights coming on. And yes, if you've seen it before a simple click bypasses the opening. The main menu options are large and easy to select, however, they are written in script. This might prove to be a challenge to the younger age range members of the target audience. A little parental guidance is all any potential all-star should need. One of the options is a math tutorial named Coach's Corner. In Coach's Corner there are 18 different lessons. Each lesson covers a math topic that will aid the child in answering the questions in the game. The lessons that I looked at were concise, entertaining, and helpful. Coach's Corner is also available during a game so that anytime someone wants to brushing up on a topic it is easy to access. An option that will be of primary interest to the parent is the Game Control choice. This is where the configurable choices for the next game are set. Settings include the number of players, number of innings, and the math skill level. For a two person game the skill levels can be set individually, allowing the game to be leveled for different math abilities. The Game Control option is not password protected or hidden in any way, which means that any child who wanted to, could lower their skill level to make the game easier. Again this is not a big problem, but it might have been nicer if a parent could set and lock these settings. After choosing New Game from the main menu the user then gets to pick their team. Since Sanctuary Woods got a license from Major League Baseball, all 28 major league teams are available and the game uses their correct colors and logos. In fact the game even distinguishes between home and away uniforms. Because they did not get a license from the Major League Player's Association the actual player's names are not used, sort of. When a batter is ready the announcer will state the number and position of that player. These seem to be accurate for the 1996 season. The math questions do refer to real player names, so a young fan should see their favorite player as well as their favorite team. All right it is finally time to "Play Ball!" In the one player game, when the child is on defense, they select every pitch (from a choice of 5 pitches and a walk), they can also choose to move the infield in and attempt to pick off a runner on base. On offense they can choose from a bunt, normal or power swing and whether to attempt to steal a base. Not enough options for a full fledged baseball game, but for a math game it's plenty. In fact it may be too many. It is not always clear what effect each option has on the eventual result, however there is a "Play Meter" that indicates the "goodness" of a particular play. So after selecting what play to attempt the actual math part begins. The players are asked a math question that is based upon actual baseball statistics. Sometimes the question is very baseball oriented, calculate a pitchers Earned Run Average, and sometimes is just adding or subtracting for example given a players number of hits, doubles, triples and home runs, how many singles did they have. These questions do refer to specific players and seem to have accurate 1996 statistics. If the user installs a team from the optional "Pro Pack" then all of the questions will refer to players on the chosen team. In a two player game, one player will select a play, either a pitch or swing type, and the other will have to answer the math question. This approach should keep both players interested and involved in the game. Once the math question is answered the user clicks on the Play Ball button. This does two things, first the answer to the math problem is checked. If it is right it becomes green and a good sound is played, otherwise the correct answer is shown in red and a bad sound is played. Then the result of the play is shown on the Jumbotron. The Jumbotron looks like a screen in a stadium, showing a television type replay. The plays have a surprising amount of variety and are all done using some good 3D rendered animation. My belief is that eventually the plays might get repetitious, but even after playing a couple of full 9 inning games, I was still interested to see what was going to happen. One of the things that kept my interest, may be one of the things that frustrate children playing the game. A player can choose a good play and answer the math question correctly, but still not achieve success on that play. For example, while up to bat, I choose a power swing and answer the math question correctly, but I'll line out to the shortstop. As a baseball loving adult, I can say, "That's baseball," but as a child learning math I am a little concerned that it does not give enough positive reinforcement. I believe that over the course of a game, picking the good plays and giving the right answers will probably result in a win, but it is difficult to prove. One other example of the randomness, once I chose a normal swing and missed 2 of the 3 parts of the question. My batter hit a home run. Clearly there are things out of the players control that also come into play. One last element of the game is the addition of non-math based arcade games. These four games, Knockout, Flyball, Pickle, and Sultan of Swat, allow a player to increase their power in pitching, fielding, running and batting respectively. With one exception, each of the games is keyboard based and mildly entertaining. The one exception is Sultan of Swat, which was supposed to allow some batting practice with the goal of breaking some windows. I say supposed to, because the game went so fast that I was unable to hit a ball before the game was over. This happened on both a 486 machine and a Pentium. This was the only area of the game that did not work as advertised and was not a major nuisance. Overall, I liked the game. My children (aged 7 and 12) enjoyed it for the brief amount of time they have been allowed to use it so far. (Now kids, daddy has to review this first.) However, along with my earlier minor reservations let me mention two other things. First is the availability of a calculator in the game. During the math question portion the child can click on a calculator and enter the numbers to do math. I do not have a problem with parents allowing their child to use a calculator, but I wish that it could be optionally locked out. The second thing is the amount of clicking that a child must do on every play. First, one clicks on either the pitcher or the batter, then clicks on the play, then on the done button, then answer the math question, then on the pitch or bat button, then after watching the play on the Play Ball button and then we start all over again. Over a nine inning game that includes several multiple ball and strike calls, this can get tiring. )At least to this old adult, perhaps it will not bother children as much.) If your progeny like baseball and you would like them to learn a little math, take a look at this product. Sanctuary Woods 1825 S. Grant St. San Mateo, CA 94402 (415)-286-6000 WWW: http://www.sanctuary.com 6=> Product: Discover Microsoft Publisher 97, book Author: Katherine Murray ISBN: 0-7645-3091-7 Pages: 310 Reviewed By: Judy Litt, mailto:jlitt@qualitty.com MSRP: $19.99 US The Microsoft Publisher 97 box states: "Create high-impact publications in a few easy steps." That's probably what got you to buy the product, right? But now you've installed the product and tried to design something. Maybe you find it as easy as the hype implies. Maybe you didn't. If you didn't, this book is for you. Armed with this book, you'll be turning out newsletters and brochures with MS Publisher in no time. The author guides you, step by step, through these projects and much more. She gives clear, precise instructions. She also points out a lot of interesting Web sites with more information. In the preface, Ms. Murray states: "If you've ever wanted to look good in print, now's your chance." She also states that she thinks MS Pub 97 is easier and more intuitive than Quark Xpress or Adobe PageMaker. I don't disagree; MS Pub 97 is easier to use than "professional" layout programs. It's also more limiting, with no controls for trapping, lack of "real" kerning, no true support for four color process. Anyone who's ever tried printing out four color materials from MS Pub 97 knows it's not easy. It is possible, but it's not easy - and you really have to know what you're doing. This book doesn't address this fact at all. It's really tempting for me to give you a review of MS Pub 97, and not this book. I keep wanting to talk about what's missing in MS Publisher, but that's not why you're reading this, is it? So let's get to the book. Discover Microsoft Publisher 97 is divided into six sections: quick tour, basic design, adding text, adding artwork, taking the next step, and the appendices. Quick Tour This short introductory section walks you through a business card design using a wizard. Clear instructions help you design your first business card, and add text and pictures to it. Part I: Basic Design This section is right where it ought to be - before you get into actually how to use MS Publisher. You should always begin designing before you start your computer. There's a lot of good advice in this section, like knowing your goal and reader before you start designing. Ms. Murray gets you thinking about your publications before you start designing them, and that's good. Much of the design "tips" in this section are very basic, but some important points - such as using white space, pull quotes, decreasing the use of boxes and fonts - are emphasized. My only real quarrel with this section, and with much of the book, in fact, is the continued emphasis on how great your publications will look with MS Pub 97. Your publications can look great with MS Publisher. But the software itself doesn't guarantee it, no matter what features it has or what the box says. The author writes: "By using Publisher's built-in features, we can rely on the expertise of professional designers to assemble great-looking publications." And "MS Publisher can help you get noticed with professional, inviting design . . ." In the right hands, that's true. But no software is going to make someone with no design sense into a designer. It can improve their designs, but it won't turn them into a professional. The tools don't make designers, it comes from within - and a lot of training and reading and observing. Part II: Adding Text This book has a very personal, chatty voice, which I think is perfectly appropriate to a book of this nature. For instance, the author shares with us a personal story about backing up and saving work. She also shares with us some good, basic guides for beginning designers: Don't use tabs for indents; use a paragraph indent (although you're not told how to do this until later in the book). Don't use a carriage return after a paragraph for spacing; use the spacing settings. Once again, how to actually use spacing settings isn't revealed until later in the book, but you are told which chapter you can find the information in. The author writes: "One of the great things about MS Publisher is that it's so easy to make your text look good." Actually, I think it's much easier to make text look good in a higher end page layout program, like PageMaker. PageMaker offers a lot more control over text. On the other hand, there is quite a learning curve for PageMaker and MS Publisher can be mastered much quicker. Part III: Adding Artwork This section covers how to add clipart to your publications, whether it's the clipart that comes with MS Publisher or your own clipart. There's a very good, basic discussion of vector vs. bitmap clipart. This is extremely important, because the type of user MS Publisher attracts may very well not realize what the difference is, and then use inappropriate formats. However, the use of clipart is glossed over a bit. The author writes: "Once you've paid the cost of the clipart, it's yours to use." While this is generally true, it's not always the case. It's very important to read the licensing information that comes with the clipart to know what you can and can't use it in. For instance, some clipart cannot be used in products that will be resold, such as t-shirts. Part IV: Checking, Printing, Web Page This is one of MS Publisher's strengths, as Ms. Murray points out. MS Publisher has a built-in "design checker", which helps you spot common mistakes that can mess up your job. Clear, concise instructions in the use of the design checker are given. You're also provided with a good check list for reviewing your publication. Printing to your own printer is covered in detail, but printing to an outside printer is barely mentioned. There is a passing mention of Printnovation, a company that commercially prints MS Publisher and Word documents. The chapter on building your Web page with MS Publisher will help those who have no HTML experience build their first Web page and get it on the Web. Unfortunately, it doesn't cover creating a Web page from your current publication, which is a feature of MS Publisher. Appendixes The Discovery Center is an appendix which gives you step by step instructions for the most important tasks covered in the book. It's organized by chapter, and also gives you the page number which has the information. The Visual Index attempts to do the same thing. Rather than being organized by chapter, it shows graphics of some common publications. Common tasks on that publication are highlighted with the page number where you can find more information. There's also a troubleshooting guide and a guide to installing MS Publisher. Conclusion Discover Microsoft Publisher 97 is a well written, easy to follow book that will get you up and running with Publisher quickly. It attempts to help you with the basics of design, although it's a little weak in this area. 7=> Product: Novell's Guide to Internet Access Solutions, book Reviewed By: Don Hughes, mailto:dhughes@wwdc.com Authors: Roger L. Spicer, Laura A. Chappell, & Colin E. Dixon MSRP: $39.99 U.S.A./$54.99 Canada The "Novell Guide to Internet Access Solutions" contains eighteen chapters, which is an assemblage of over 400 pages, plus Appendixes A through D. This handy reference has many illustrations that indulge the reader with visualizations of the topic being discussed. The reference work is specifically targeted towards network administrators, workgroup manager, IS manager or the systems engineer. While the book does an excellent job of conveying an overview of network option, the authors also provide step by step details on: How to determine your Web Connectivity needs. How to locate the ideal Internet Service Provider (ISP) for your system. How to set up your NetWare system to access Web resources--both on your Internet work and on the Internet. The Chapter topics cover: Internet and Intranet Basics, Fundamentals of Internet and Intranet Access, Browser Basics, Connection Options, Selecting Your ISP, Securing Your LAN for Internet Access, Access Design, Designing a TCP/IP Network, Internet and Web Access Solutions, Intranet Access Solutions, Mixed Internet/Intranet Access Solutions, LanWorkPlace Pro, NetWare Connect2, NetWare MultiProtocol Router 3.1 and NetWare, Internet Access Server, InnerWeb Publisher, Novell's GroupWise Web Access, and IntranetWare. The publication is skillfully designed (although not intended for the novice user), and the convenient illustrations help make a technical discussion much easier to comprehend. The authors have ingeniously included "smart links" to various web sites where the reader can attain more information on the subject matter. In chapter nine, "Internet and Web Access Solutions," the reader is presented with eleven diversified case scenarios. In each scenario, the business differs in the equipment they now have and their reason for wanting Internet connectivity. The following is an abbreviated look case number three "A Real Estate Company uses the Internet to Display Properties:" ...Real Estate chain with several offices wants to show clients high resolution graphics of properties...they also want to make this information available on the net...information will need to be updated...company has very little computer networking expertise...system should require little or no training to maintain. The authors give the solution to this problem and explain each of the steps required and the action taken to complete the project. The entire solution would be just a tad to long for this review, but I have included the solution topic headings: Existing equipment, IP Addressing, Bandwidth Needs, and The Solution. The eleven scenarios demonstrate the a broad range of Internet access problems one might encounter when called upon to design a Internet connection, and how to accomplish the desired goals successfully. The purpose of the scenarios is to show no matter how complex the design and implementation of the hardware/software looks at first glance. The solution to any network problem is split apart the obstacle into a series of smaller logical steps, making any project a complete success. Novell's Guide to Internet Access Solutions is a hand on reference work useful for the planning, building, maintenance, troubleshooting, and security of Internet network connections. Novell has also included a CD-ROM containing LAN Workplace Pro, NetDraw Plus Demo, and an HTML version of the book. If you are a network administrator workgroup manager, IS manager or a systems engineer this is one valuable reference guide that will not collect dust on your bookshelf. Novell's Guide to Internet Access Solutions By Roger L. Spicer, Laura A. Chappell, & Colin Dixon Published by Novell Press 2180 Fortune Drive San Jose, CA 95131 8=> Product: Total Annihilation, games Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Requirements: Pentium-100, 16 MB RAM, Win 95, 4x CD ROM, Sound card, 40 MB hard drive space, SVGA Recommended: Pentium-133; 24 MB RAM Reviewed on: Pentium-166, 24 MB RAM, 16x CDROM Be prepared, the C&C clones are coming! I've seen it reported that no less than 40 new "real-time" strategy games will be released this fall, all hoping to capitalize on the success of Command & Conquer and Warcraft II. With so many titles, separating the wheat from the chafe will be a tough job . Total Annihilation is the first title by Cavedog Software (being marketed by GT Interactive) and is an impressive effort. The backdrop for the game is standard fare for this genre: a futuristic war between two opponents, in this case the Arm and the Core. Seems that once upon a time the Core, a group of scientists, led the galaxy in a time of peace and prosperity, a Paradise. But the Core discovered a way of achieving virtual immortality, by transferring conscious thought from flesh to machine. A small but determined group rose in resistance, called the Arm. Over the centuries, the two have fought until the entire galaxy is devastated. Now, in a final desperate series of battles the war will be concluded. So, what separates Total Annihilation from the pack? Realistic 3-D terrain. 150 different units, with more available from the Total Annihilation web site (http://www.totalannihilation.com). 50 different scenarios for single play (25/side). Internet/LAN play for up to 10 people! The graphics in Total Annihilation are gorgeous. I already mentioned the terrain, which is quite pretty to look at. There are the 150 different units as well, each with their own unique look and firepower. Explosions are simply the best I've seen in a computer game. Kill an enemy tank and watch your own nearby tanks rock from the blast wave! Tank guns recoil as they shoot - that is how detailed the graphics are in this game. Accompanying this is a soundtrack unlike any other you might have heard; it was created with a full symphony orchestra! So instead of the seemingly traditional rock music that accompanies most games these days, you get some very nice, well done classical music. The effect of the music is at first a little disconcerting - but once you get used to it, it is very pleasant to listen too. An interesting choice, and one that works quite well. With a few exceptions, the game itself is standard "real-time" fare. The game screen is split into two basic portions - the battle map, which dominates most of the screen, and the orders menu which allows you to set orders for individual units. The player assume the role of the Commander for either the Arm or the Core. In the case of single player games, the goal is to complete the mission objectives; for multi-player games you can choose allies & colors, select a map to play on, and have at it. One different touch from other games is that the Commander is an actual unit in the game; while you can survive it's destruction, it is the definitive central unit for each side. The Commander is slow, but carries the "Devastator Gun" which can destroy any unit with a single shot. Commanders are also the best units for construction and reclaiming metals and energy, a key towards winning the game in the early stages. For multiplayer games you can toggle whether the death of the Commander means the end of that player's game; they can also choose to reenter the game with a new Commander and no resources. The heart of the game is in the construction of new units. In order to succeed, you'll need to build energy & metal collectors, then funnel those resources into the construction of new units. One of the more interesting aspects of the game is the way in which unit construction is carried out. Units are set into three tiers - Levels 1, 2, and 3 (Level 3 units are "top secret"). To construct level 2 units, you must first construct a level 1 construction unit, which can then construct a level 2 construction unit. This means that you can't just simply build one factory and set it to constantly build things; you have to keep improving the technology of what you are building so your units can match up with your opponents. It's an arms race, in other words! At the same time, of course, you do have to build some military units so that you can establish your base and then set out to accomplish the mission objectives. Simply put, Total Annihilation is a blast to play. The single player campaigns are tough; while no tutorial missions per se are included each campaign does have a few missions at the beginning designed to get you into the idea of how combat works in the game and how to best utilize the Commander and construction units. The inclusion of multi-player games that can be carried out over the Internet is an extremely nice touch; no more scrounging up friends to play on a LAN - you can do it over the Net! Two items to note with multi-player games is that 1) they require you use a for-charge gaming service, and 2) they do require that your computer have a fair amount of horsepower in the way of RAM; for a 10 player game Cavedog recommends a Pentium-166 with 48 MB of RAM. Players can not only join games already in progress but can choose to passively watch a game instead of participating. The game allows the host computer to also set passwords so that unwanted players can not join if you so desire. A very, very nice touch! Another nice feature I haven't mentioned is the time compression function; a full range is available from -9 to +9, meaning that you can slow the game way down, give your orders, then speed it back up to see how they are carried out. This can be quite useful! Another very useful command is the ability to form units into squads (9 total are allowed), although you can't dictate unit formations to the squads, just objectives and combat orders. I only have one quibble with the game, and that is with the interface. The interface is a little tough to learn and first, although once you've played a few times you do get used to it. But expect a slightly longer than normal time to learn how to select unit and squad orders. If you are a fan of real-time action games, I highly recommend Total Annihilation. I myself have been slow to warm to the genre, however, I thoroughly enjoy playing Total Annihilation. It has come a long ways since Dune 2. A Unit Viewer is available from the Total Annihilation web site that allows you to see what each unit looks like and what it can do in combat. Beginning in November, new units and maps will be available on the site, a feature which will greatly extend the longevity of this game. Cavedog's literature says that they are fully committed to Total Annihilation as a game system, not just simply a game. If that is true, then we'll all be playing Total Annihilation for some time to come! Cavedog Software http://www.cavedog.com http://www.totalannihilation.com +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Managing Editor: Patrick Grote -- mailto:pgrote@i1.net Assistant Editor: Writer Liaison: Doug Reed-- mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com Assistant Editor: Robin Nobles, mailto:smslady@netdoor.com Archives: ftp://ftp.uu.net/published/compunotes/ Website: e-mail: mailto:notes@compunotes.com Want to Write for Us?: mailto:writers@compunotes.com fax: (314) 909-1662 voice: (314) 909-1662 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= CompuNotes is: Available weekly via e-mail and on-line. We cover the PC computing world with comprehensive reviews, news, hot web sites, great columns and interviews. We also give away one software package a week to a lucky winner for just reading our fine publication! Never dull, sometimes tardy, we are here to bring you the computing world the way it is! Please tell every on-line friend about us! CompuNotes B440 1315 Woodgate Drive St. Louis, MO 63122 notes@compunotes.com (C)1998 Patrick Grote