GEnie Livewire e-zine/LW0294MM.ZIP/GAMER.TXT

Text File | 1994-01-23 | 6.8 KB | 179 lines

Valentine's Day. The time for loved ones to share
a special moment, to exchange romantic gifts, to
cherish their life together.

This February, Federation, GEnie's multi-player
adult space fantasy game, will be showing the
other side of relationships -- the rows, the
irritations, the truth about the opposite sex. All
those annoying little habits that drive you wild,
make you vow to KILL each other!

Battle of the Sexes

We asked two of our top players - one male, one
female - to collaborate on a planet depicting the
battle of the sexes. We do hope they can put aside
their differences long enough to build the planet.

In Federation, players who reach the rank of
Explorer (approximately halfway up the ranks) can
design their own planets and have them linked into
the game; the players of Federation can visit the
player-planets and explore them.

Some players design planets that tell a story, or
recreate places from history. For example, one
recent player-planet was called Athens, and
depicted life in ancient Greece. Parts of the
planet let you descend into the mythological
underworld, meeting such creatures as the
Minotaur, the three-headed dog that guards the
gates to Hades, and the fearsome Gorgon.

Often, the players design planets with intricate
puzzles for other players to solve. Visitors have
to piece together clues found in the descriptions
of the various locations, and use objects they
find on the planet to open up new areas to
explore. Solving a puzzle often leads to large
rewards, as well as the satisfaction of having
cracked it.

The player-planets in Federation mean that the
game landscape is constantly changing. There are
usually over 20 worlds linked into the game at one
time, providing a vast ever-changing galaxy for
the players to explore.

As well as player-planets, we put in promotional
planets for special occasions -- like the Battle
of the Sexes planet we'll have for Valentine's
Day. We asked experienced players who have proven
they can design entertaining planets to design
something special for us. Recently, two of them
designed the planet Humbug for the Christmas
holidays, taking a sly swipe at Christmas legends
and icons. The planet Liberty, which we
commissioned for Thanksgiving, showed what a
family holiday celebration can be like whe n
things go wrong. And for Halloween, we put in the
most gruesome planet you can imagine!

Federation planets provide an ideal opportunity to
learn about other areas on GEnie. The *StarShip*
Amiga designed a special planet last year that
really is a star ship! Perhaps the most innovative
one is the Religion & Philosophy RoundTable's
implementation of their ideas of the afterlife,
complete with personalised Heavens for players of
all religious persuasions.

In Federation, the possibilities for exploration
and fun really are boundless, with new
player-planets being added all the time, along
with our regular special event planets.

Federation is on GEnie Page 220 (keyword FED). For
details about the Valentine's Day planet, send GE
Mail to Fi Craig at FEDII.2 or read the Weekly
News Bulletin on our main menu.

Long-Awaited New Idiot's Guide

The Idiot's Guide to Federation is the manual to
GEnie's adult space fantasy multi-player game.
Since Federation first arrived on GEnie, players
have been heaping adulation on the authors of the
Idiot's Guide for having produced a work that not
only gives the information needed to play the
game, but entertains as well.

And now, the best just got better! The new edition
of the Idiot's Guide is available. It's greatly
expanded, with new chapters to cover new sections
in the game, and a wealth of information, facts,
hints and tips to help you play Federation.

This magnificent tome, lovingly hand-produced by
our print-shop robots, tells you everything you
need to know to enjoy Fed to the hilt. It's got
maps, pictures, cartoons, and even a new joke!

The new edition of the Idiot's Guide to Federation
can be yours for a mere $15.95. Order it today by
typing ORDER from any GEnie menu prompt. Better
still, buy two! Or even three!!


What's New in the Software Club?

A lot of people don't realize that you can
actually download commercial games from GEnie for
a fraction of the cost of purchasing them in the
stores. This is made possible by the Software
Club, an innovative membership service.

Here's how it works: You join the Software Club,
paying $10 for a year's membership. Once you're a
member, you are given access to the game Libraries
and can download as many titles as you want
throughout the next twelve months, for just the
cost of the connect time while you are
downloading.

Each month, new games are added to the Software
Club Libraries, and you are sent GE Mail telling
you about the new selection. Older titles are
removed from the Library as their licenses run
out, giving an ever-changing selection of games
for you to enjoy.

The Software Club offers titles for IBM PC and
compatibles, Commodore Amiga, and Atari ST.
Throughout your year's membership you have the
chance to download a wide variety of games ranging
from arcade action to adventure and simulation,
and all you pay is the download charge.

As if that's not enough, the Software Club also
holds regular competitions, giving you a chance to
win a boxed game. In February, the prize in our
competition is Turning Points for IBM-compatibles,
simulations of three battles pivotal in world
history -- the Spanish Armada, Gettysberg, and
Waterloo. Turning Points has superb 3D graphics,
and a natural language interface. You don't have
to be a member of the Software Club to enter the
competition!

If you'd like to join the Software Club, go to
Page 1115 (keyword: SOFTCLUB) and select the menu
option to Join the Software Club. If you have any
questions or would like more information, send GE
Mail to Fi Craig at the FEDII.2 address.


RSCARDS Chess Tournament

William Harris defeated Detlef Hopp by a score of
3-0 to claim his fourth title as Champion of the
RSCARDS December 1993 Chess Tournament. Third
place was shared by Bill Pitre and John Terradot;
fourth place belonged to Matthew Jones and Allison
Hopp. Our congratulations to all!

Single-elimination, 100%-return RSCARDS Chess
Tournaments are held every month. For official
rules and information, type CS, CHESS, or M881
from any GEnie page prompt, and select the CS
Tournament Information menu option.

RSCARDS graphic front ends are now available for
IBM-compatibles, Apple Macintosh and IIgs,
Commodore Amiga and C-128, and Atari ST computers.
To join the fun of RSCARDS multi-player games
(Blackjack, Backgammon, Checkers, Poker, Reversi,
and Chess), type RSCARDS from any GEnie page
prompt.