--== The Compleat Gamer ==-- the Weekly Newsletter of the People's Glorious Software Collective Volume 0, Issue 0 18 June 1999 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Table Of Contents Title Line Number ----- ----------- PGSC Gossip 18 Rant -- by Boggess 58 Recipe of the Week 109 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --==PGSC Gossip==-- Beta Testing Program As the Noop III engine nears completion, and level design has finally begun, we are thinking of instituting a beta testing program. Though the details have not yet been worked out, those that sign up will more than likely be sent a beta of Noop III for testing and evaluation purposes. If you are interested in becoming a part of the PGSC Beta Testing Team, send email to beta@pgsc.freeservers.com, and we'll make a note for when the program gets off the ground. --- The Realm of Imagination A local favorite amongst the role-players in northern Mississippi, the Realm of Imagination (TROI, pronounced "troy") will be getting it's own computer game series. Created by Joe Bearden, TROI is a fantasy live-action RPG that encourages good role playing above all else; we hope that our computer game will have this same quality. Look for the TROI website soon, and an interview with it's creator in a later issue of the Compleat Gamer. --- First 3D game to commence work Yep, that's right. Our first games are 2D, and several future games will be as well (we like it!). But, now that we have a grasp on how to program for the Crystal Space 3D engine, it's time to actually use it. So, we begin design of our first 3D game this week...yay! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --==Rant==-- J. Boggess yahoo! look at me, i'm getting published! i'm gonna be rich! i'm gonna be famous! i'm gonna get published in a newsletter put together by a friend and housemate, for his software company. and, it's gonna be read...by... one person. wow. so much for enthusiasm. so, anyway, i couldn't decide whether to write this article on the death of conversation, or the decline in quality control in software companies, or aol's attempt at building an empire, so i'm going to write about something completely different: Today's Games Suck. there's this annoying tendancey in the current world of video games to make one of two types of game: first person action/strategy (doom clones) and real time strategy (warcraft/dune2 clones). two games have been released so far this year that have really caught my eye, and two other games have been released that at least provided a welcome distraction. the two that i really and truly enjoyed were sid meier's alpha centauri, and heroes of might and magic 3. the two that provided a distraction, but didn't really make me stay up all night, call in sick the next day, and forget to eat entirely, were sim city 3000, and roller coaster tycoon. i find it quite amusing that, of all the games released so far this year, very few manage to fit into a category other than first-person shooter or real time strategy, and most of those just got named. there are some exceptions, such as baldur's gate, but these prove the exception, not the rule. oh, sure, games like half-life and rainbow six aren't _really_ first person shooters, but they use a game engine designed for fps's, and, to be honest, i felt that game-play had more the feel of a fps than anything else. and i'm not even going to start on the number of rts games that have come out recently. nor am i going to go into how badly they all suck. especially the ones that think they're combining c&c with civ. age of empires was the lamest excuse for a game i've ever played. i'm tired of starcrack. seven kingdoms bored me. total annihilation got old so quick it crumbled. quake 2 made me want to smoke crack. sin bit my left nut. all shogo had going for it was the anime qualities, and those were nowhere near enough. and john romero can suck my big toe. sid meier is the man. still, even with this trudge of games that are getting harder and harder to tell apart, we do get a few gems. the first two weeks i played alpha centauri, i had to be beaten with a broomstick to go to class, and heroes3 is months of gameplay, for those who have good taste, and enjoy strategy games that depend on one's ability to think, not how quickly one can click the mouse. sc3k and roller coaster tycoon are more novelty items. they pass the time, fair enough, but after the initial "oooh, this is neat!" wears off, they don't call out to you and say "come on, just one more turn/scenario/year." anyway, if anyone finds a new game that is both good and not one of the two genres of death, send me mail and a copy of the game. you won't get anything out of it, most likely, but it'll give me something to do. hugs and kisses, boggess -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --==Recipe of the Week==-- This is from memory; it just came to me on the fly last week as I was cooking some extra gameli we had lying around the house. [Noodles] with Butter Sauce 1/2 lb. of your favorite noodles, dry (I prefer gameli) 1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) butter 1/4 cup milk 3 Tbsp white cooking wine 1 tspn white pepper 2 tspn chopped oregano 2 tspn sweet chopped basil 1-2 cloves garlic, pressed -or- 2 tspn garlic powder Fair amount Parmesan cheese (to taste; I like a lot) Boil the noodles as normal; drain. While the noodles are draining, melt the butter in the noodle pot on low heat. Mix in the milk and wine while the butter is melting. Smells kinda strange, huh? Don't worry, it gets better. Stir in the pepper, oregan, basil, garlic and cheese, and just stir it all together. Add in the noodles and toss until thoroughl mixed. Allow to thicken for a bit, then remove from heat and serve. Serves 1-2, maybe 3 if you're not too hungry. If you feel ambitious, try adding some chopped steamed broccoli, or boiled spinach. Or perhaps some diced chicken. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= And so ends our first adventure in writing to an audience of total strangers. Expect more content in two weeks, as we begin to figure out just what we're doing anyway. Suggestions, criticism, thoughts, recipes should all be sent to newsletter@pgsc.freeservers.com In the meantime, tell all your friends about us! Don "Capt. Oblivious" Goodman the People's Glorious Software Collective http://pgsc.freeservers.com this newsletter and its contents copyright 1999 the People's Glorious Software Collective