' People used to look down on PD'thinking it was a cheap realm where'nothing existed apart from poor-quality'games (mainly commercial rip-offs),'boring slideshows and stunning but'incredibly repetitive demos. But in'recent years this seems to have changed'- the overall `cheap' label still'remains (and to a great extent so does'the `poor quality' one) but PD is now'filled with far better disks than ever'before. The Shareware and Licenceware'markets have also become bigger and'better, with many magazine coverdisks'featuring programs from both of these
outlets.' But what about originality? Games'have certainly become better with some'of the most recent releases being'nothing short of brilliant. However, as'Paul Cuipek of NBS Public Domain'Library told us in issue 2 of "Amiga'Pro" magazine, the single-man'programmer is slowly dying out. As'hi-tech CD technology grows ever'bigger, so shrinks the market for'freelance coders and, I suspect sadly,'the PD market itself. I predict a sharp'rise in the quality and originality of'PD productions just before the CD'revolution takes over. Whether I am'right, God only knows but until then, I'for one certainly hope to take PD to
the limits.' So what's this article about then?'How Andrew Campbell intends to push his'software over the edge? Partly, yes.'I've been examining a lot of PD'productions and library catalogues'lately and trying to find any `missing'markets'. Not easy, I can assure you;'at first glance PD seems to have a'low-cost answer to just about every'kind of software on sale. Obviously'there are exceptions; who's going to'write a "Brilliance"-beating art'package and release it as a Shareware'disk (apart from some one as crazy as'me)? Not many. Perhaps the best you can'expect from a PD disk is semi-'commercial quality (okay, just- about'-on-par with commercial quality if the'program is Shareware or Licenceware.'Satisfied?). So, lets take a quick look'at what's currently available shall we?' Of course there are millions of'games, but only a small proportion'actually sell hundreds of copies.'Browsing through a popular PD library's'advertisement, what do I see? The same'names appearing every time - "Ork'Attack" (supposedly the goriest game in'PD. Ha! I think not. Crap and severely'overated is more like it), "Deluxe'Galaga" (a super-smooth Galaxians clone'- good but far from original), "Road To'Hell" (more tired clones), "Dithell In'Space" (please God not another'platformer), "Black Dawn" (the `nearest'thing to "Hired Guns" yet' according to'one library. No comment because I coded'it!) and the ever popular "Megaball"#(Goddamned breakout clones! Argh!).' Far more interesting than all the'above titles are games like "Raise The'Titanic" (a great idea for a 3D'Construction Kit Game), "Numerix"'(smart, original puzzle game) and'"Sensible Massacre" (now this is a good'example of PD as a means of self-
expression! Hahaha!).' I really couldn't find anything'missing, apart from a decent'"Lemmings"/"Troddlers" clone (my own'"White Rabbits" isn't bad but it's more'of a sliding puzzler than a'save-em-up). Some one has yet to write'a game as technically impressive as'"Doom" (or even the now quite dated'"Wolfenstien 3D") as seen on the PC,'but I guess that's asking a bit too
much.' Utilities and Educational software'is perhaps Amiga PD's strongest point.'"Text Engine" (superb, solid Word'Proccessor), "D-Copy" (just as good as'"X-Copy"), "MessySid" (multi-format'disk/file handler), "ProTracker 3"'(commercial quality music maker) and'"Power Packer" (amazing file-cruncher)'are just a fraction of the fantastic'tools available for just over the price
of a disk.' Recently there has been an increase'in the number of kid's programs - my'own "Artistix" (the success of which'has been printed in several PD'magazines) seems to have started off a'chain of children's art programs such'as "Art School", "AZ Paint", "Kids'Paint" and "Smarty Paints" (or the'sudden appearance of educational stuff'could be a coincidence in which case I'apologise for trying to premote myself,as the creator of a new trend!).
[35m(Such+modesty. Ed.)
[0m Educational software is'extremely worthwhile and often very'rewarding to the programmer - in this'area of PD originality thrives! I say
no more.' More PD originality appears in the'form of animations, though most seem to'be merely sick jokes rather than'anything else (eg. "Suicide Man").'Floppy disks and low-memory severely'limit this potentially exciting means
of expression.' Similarly, slideshows are often'original, though tend to sell less'copies due to the "boring" label that'shrouds them. Talented artists can'freely advertise examples of their work'through PD in the hope of attracting'commercial interest, unusual styles and'techniques can be shown to the world,'and of course, the female body can be'exploited in 256-colour AGA scans'(which is why all pervs own A1200's I'm'told!). Apart from the odd experimental'disk that really makes a change, art on'the Amiga is far from varied, the only'slideshows with a decent "theme" being!the ever-dull "Star Trek" clones.'Definitely a lacking area (quite what'is lacking I can't seem to pin-point
but there is something).' The majority of disk magazines are'as dull as ever too, bursting at the'seams with VERY offensive language,'tedious "Top 10" charts, galleries of'"scene" party snapshots and big-headed'articles about how "lame" every non-
machine coding Amiga user is.' You get the odd giggle out of'"Grapevine", "Visual Intensity" and the'like but rarely much else. Sensible,'useful diskmags such as "Amos- zine"'and "Shareworld" (I had to plug it,somewhere in this article!),
[35m(Very good'Andrew. Now if you get the capital-'ization right next time you might even+get a raise. Ed.)
[0m, are far more worthy
purchases if you want serious,'interesting articles (like this one -'hehe!). Okay so the presentation is'hardly as polished but you're unlikely'to find any offensive, racist or sexist'jokes thrown in "just for the laugh"'and you won't be made to feel like a'"lamer" for owning an Amiga, either.
[35m(??? Ed.)
[0m' Short-stories have appeared in the'PD scene on occasion, perhaps most'recently in the form of "The Quatermass'Experiment" (a science-fiction diskmag'and "a platform for new and aspiring'writers") but are such productions'worth buying? Surely reading a whole'story from your monitor screen would'give you a major headache, never mind'fail to hold your attention. Not so;'"The Quatermass Experiment" is a superb'read (you can print the stories, too)'and a fantastic idea for a new PD'realm. Add my own "Dark Portal" short-'horror-story compilation and Ivan'Millett's epic on-disk novel "Deus Ex'Machina" and you're talking about a'new, limitless form of PD that, given a'chance, could allow talented writers an'alternative way in to the commercial'book- publishing market. I have my own'plans to shift this area of PD into the'mainstream with the release of "Dark'Portal Edition 2" and later, I hope, a
full-size on-disk novel.' Well, I've trampled through a jungle'of PD and Shareware disks and to be'honest I don't think I've got a good'enough excuse to compain. The market is'massive, varied, full of life, and it's'cheap too - what more could I possibly'want? Apart from the odd gripe where'originality is concerned and the'hopefully soon-to-be-corrected lack of'a decent writers' market, I'm perfectly
happy with PD at the moment.' My latest releases? The biggest,'fastest Shareware `Dungeon Master' game'ever, a collection of short-stories'which break down the walls of insanity,'and a dangerously emotional on-disk'novel that I hope will encourage others'to express themselves through the
(.txt)