SILICON TIMES REPORT ==================== INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ============================= from STR Electronic Publishing Inc. January 20, 1995 No. 1103 ====================================================================== Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 R.F. Mariano Publisher-Editor ----------------------------------------- Voice: 1-904-783-3319 10am-4pm EST STR Publishing Support BBS * THE BOUNTY INTERNATIONAL BBS * Featuring: * 45GB * of Download Files Operating with * Mustang Software's WILDCAT! 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""""""""""""""""" - STR INDUSTRY REPORT - DEC Earnings UP - Prodigy SUIT Heats UP - PerfectOffice DEALS! - WARP = 1mil SOLD - PCTools CPAV FAQ - DKC 6mil Copies SOLD - 6 mil SUBS Online - GIF24 Spec - Nintendo SUES Samsung - BOCA cuts modem $$ - Jaguar Newswire -* BORLAND Layoff 650 Worldwide *- -* BAD PENTIUMS COST INTEL $450 MIL *- -* INTERNET $$ TO END *- ========================================================================== STReport International OnLine Magazine The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine -* FEATURING WEEKLY *- "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports ========================================================================== STReport's BBS - The Bounty BBS, invites all BBS systems, worldwide, to participate in the ITC/Internet/PROWL/USENET/NEST/F-Net/Fido Mail Networks. You may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1-904-786-4176. 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CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198 You will receive your complimentary time and be OnLine in no time at all! "Enjoy CompuServe's forums; where information is at its very best! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""" Can you believe how late we are this week? Between the weather crippling some of the local the phone lines in Boston and Connecticut, there were some very weird power outages here in Florida too! Albeit on a very local level also. The neighborhood was out three different times for better than three hours. Naturally, it came on Friday evening and sporadically into the night. So, here I sit on Saturday morning finishing up what should have been long gone yesterday. Word Perfect, a Novell Applications Group, is shipping PerfectOffice. If you've heard me rave about Word Perfect 6.1 for Windows, I'm absolutely ecstatic over PerfectOffice. It is superb! Its exciting just thinking about using it in place of all the "ditties" I was using to get the job done. Elsewhere in this issue and in the next few issues, we'll be covering OfficePerfect, its installation, look and feel, usefulness, value and the most important factor of them all with both hardware and software... the "pleasure factor". Ralph... Of Special Note: ---------------- STReport will be branching out further to Internet's userbase in the very near future. We've received numerous requests to receive STReport from a wide variety of Internet addresses. As a result, we're putting together an Internet distribution/mailing list for those who wish to receive STReport on a regular basis, and we'll UUENCODE each issue and mail it to you. If you're interested in being added to our mailing list, please, send your requests to either "dpj@delphi.com" or, RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM. Look for mailings to begin by October first. We are also considering a number of Internet ftp sites in which to post our issues for as well. Whatever we can do to make STReport available to you. we'll try it! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU! """""""""""""""" Publisher -Editor """""""""""""""""" Ralph F. Mariano Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs Section Editors """"""""""""""" PC SECTION AMIGA SECTION MAC SECTION ATARI SECTION ---------- ------------- ----------- ------------- R.D. Stevens R. Niles J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson STReport Staff Editors: """"""""""""""""""""""" Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin John Szczepanik Paul Guillot Joseph Mirando Doyle Helms Frank Sereno John Duckworth Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur Melanie Bell Jay Levy Jeff Kovach Marty Mankins Carl Prehn Paul Charchian Contributing Correspondents: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Dominick J. Fontana Norman Boucher Clemens Chin Eric Jerue Ron Deal Mike Barnwell Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller Craig Harris Allen Chang Tim Holt Patrick Hudlow Tom Sherwin Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: CompuServe................... 70007,4454 Delphi......................... RMARIANO GEnie......................... ST.REPORT BIX............................ RMARIANO FIDONET..................... 1:347/147.3 FNET........................... NODE 350 ITC NET...................... 85:881/253 NEST........................ 90:21/350.0 America OnLine..................STReport Internet.............RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM IMPORTANT NOTICE ---------------- STReport, with its policy of not accepting any paid advertising, has over the years developed the reputation of "saying it like it really is". When it comes to our editorials, product evaluations, reviews and over-views, we shall always keep our readers interests first and foremost. With the user in mind, STReport further pledges to maintain the reader confidence that has been developed over the years and to continue "living up to such". All we ask is that our readers make certain the manufacturers, publishers etc., know exactly where the information about their products appeared. In closing, we shall arduously endeavor to meet and further develop the high standards of straight forwardness our readers have come to expect in each and every issue. The Staff & Editors """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > STR INDUSTRY REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS """"""""""""""""""" IBM/POWER-PC/PC SECTION (I) =========================== Computer Products Update - CPU Report ------------------------ ---------- Weekly Happenings in the Computer World Issue #03 Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. ******* General Computer News ******* >> Internet Funding Ends in Spring << A Cambridge, Massachusetts, research group says the Internet will undergo major restructuring after April 30 with the end of a contract for direct funding by the U.S. National Science Foundation's NSFnet. Forrester Research Inc. says the end of the federal funding will mean profit-based Internet service providers with national networks will take over as existing operators disappear. Regarding security issues, CI says the report foresees commercial solutions becoming "increasingly available to provide data insulation such as router filtering, hacker-shielded applications software and global virus traps." >> Seagate, Sony Creating New Drive << Seagate Technology says it has reached an agreement with Sony Corp. to jointly develop and commercialize a magnetic hard disk drive utilizing a new media technology pioneered by Sony. The drive, which will be based upon technology known as Pre-Embossed Rigid Magnetic (PERM) media, has the potential to improve storage capacity, simplify the manufacturing process and reduce overall manufacturing costs of disk drives, says Seagate. PERM, unlike conventional aluminum and glass based media used in hard disc drives, is a plastic-based disc similar to the media technology used in CD-ROM and magneto-optical (MO) disc drives PERM discs have a permanently embossed embedded servo, which offers potential benefits that would reduce manufacturing costs while enabling significantly higher areal densities. >> Borland Cuts 650 Workers << To cut costs, software publisher Borland International Inc. is set to reduce its worldwide work force by about 40 percent, from 1,700 to 1,050 workers. The restructuring also includes closure of many Borland distribution operations in Europe, as well as shutdown of two manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Europe and focusing development on core products. Borland now will focus on its software development tools. The company this year is to launch a tool called Delphi that analysts say appears to be its best hope for significant growth. >> Bad Pentiums Cost Intel $450 Mil. << A $450 million charge is being taken by Intel Corp. to account for the costs of replacing its flawed Pentium microprocessor. The chipmaker says the charge produced a 37% decline in Intel's fourth-quarter earnings to $372 million, or 86 cents a share, from profits of $594 million, or $1.35 a share, in the 1993 quarter. Intel sales were up 35% to $3.23 billion from $2.39 billion. Saying the charge will cover all the costs associated with replace- ment chips and writing down the value of the flawed chips, Intel President/CEO Andrew Grove commented, "The Pentium processor divide problem has been a learning experience for Intel. In the end, I think it will strengthen the company by improving our policies and infrastructure for serving customers with a wide range of computing needs." Meanwhile, sources quote Intel as saying it will debut its next gen- eration chip -- code-named P6 ("6" for Intel's sixth generation micro- processor and "P" for Pentium -- during this year. >> Microsoft, PCTV Ready TV Show << Microsoft Corp. and PCTV Inc. are jointly producing a series of shows that will air weekly on the Jones Computer Network via the Mind Exten- sion University cable television channel. The series is set to debut this Sunday. Microsoft says the venture's goal is to offer timely information on Microsoft business products using real- life examples. This Sunday's segment, for example, demonstrates how to connect disparate network environments and features a solution implemented by a credit-card processing company using Microsoft BackOffice and Windows NT. >> Digital's Earnings Increase << Digital Equipment Corp. this week reported net income of $18.9 million (or 7 cents per common share of stock) for the second quarter ended Dec. 31, 1994, compared with a net loss of $72.1 million (or 53 cents per common share) for the same period a year ago. Digital said its balance sheet continued to strengthen. It ended the quarter with $1.132 billion in cash. At the quarter's end, 65,000 people were employed by Digital, a reduction of 21,900 positions, or 25%, over the previous 12 months. >> IBM Sells 1 Mil. Copies of Warp << IBM Corp. this week announced it has shipped 1 million copies of its OS/2 Warp PC operating system. "We've just shipped our one millionth copy of Warp," said Mark Elliott, IBM vice president of software marketing, noting that this brings the installed based of the OS/2 operating system, including previous versions to 7 million. Elliott says IBM believes many of the buyers of OS/2 Warp are first time OS/2 users, rather than users who have upgraded from earlier versions. >> AST Offers New Notebook << A new notebook computer that will retail for $2,499 has been intro- duced by AST Research Inc. AST officials are quoted as saying the 5.9- pound Ascentia 810N is more than 30% faster than a typical notebook in its class and has the largest color display in a notebook computer of its size and weight. The system has a floppy disk drive that can be replaced with a second nickel metal hydride battery, doubling battery life to allow up to six hours of non-stop performance. Options include a credit card sized modem that allows users to down- load files from an office personal computer, read electronic mail and monitor stock prices. It comes pre-loaded with Lotus Organizer, Connect- Soft E-Mail Connection, Traveling Software LapLink Remote Access, Delrina WinFax and COMit LITE for faxes and data files and CompuServe, Prodigy and America Online starter kits. >> Seagate Offers Fast Hard Disk << Seagate Technology Inc. says its fastest AT-interface (IDE) hard disk, the Decathlon 850, is now in production. The 850MB dual-platter drive combines an 11-millisecond average seek time with a 5,400 rpm spindle speed and a 16.6MB per second Fast ATA-2 industry standard disk interface. Seagate notes that the Decathlon 850 is fast enough to allow a low- cost, fully- configured multimedia PC to handle 30-frame-per-second full-screen video playback using minimal compression. It adds that the drive's performance eliminates the need to add a higher-cost Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) adapter. "The Decathlon 850 provides the means to build a multimedia machine for consumers," says Brian Dexheimer, Seagate's director of marketing for desktop and mobile products. "The Decathlon 850 plays an important role in this type of system to enable data-intensive multimedia applications like high-quality video playback. >> Boca Research Reduces Modem Price << The price of Boca Research Inc.'s V.34 28,800 bps BocaModem has been reduced. The new estimated selling price of the V.34 External BocaModem is $232 and $183 for the internal model. >> U.S. Robotics, Cisco Sign Pact << A 3-year technology-sharing and manufacturing pact intended to ease communications between computer networks has been signed U.S. Robotics Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. The deal merges U.S. Robotics dial-up communications modems and Cisco's routing technology into one box. Currently, networks use routers to move data between networks and separate communications hubs to allow remote dial-up access. In a statement, the firms said the first products from the collabor- ation are expected in the first quarter of this year. Each company will sell the jointly developed products. That first joint product will combine a Cisco 2500-series access server and networking software with a U.S. Robotics network hub. >> Canon Ships NEXTSTEP Computer << Canon Computer Systems Inc.'s Advanced Technologies Operation has introduced the object.station 31, an entry-level addition to its line of Intel '486-based personal workstations. The object.station 31 is specially optimized to run the NEXTSTEP operating system. "NEXTSTEP is the most mature object-oriented software available and, combined with our object.stations, provides programmers with the performance boost necessary to rapidly develop mission- critical custom applications," says Dale Fuller, director of marketing for Canon's ATO group. The object.station 31 incorporates a 100MHz 486DX4 microprocessor, 16MB of RAM (expandable in 16MB increments to 112MB) and a high- performance video subsystem with 2MB of video RAM. Customers can order the system with NEXTSTEP preinstalled. The workstation can be upgraded to a Pentium OverDrive CPU. Pricing for the object.station 31 starts at about $4,000. It's available now. >> Gateway Shipping New Notebook << The ColorBook2, the latest in Gateway 2000 Inc.'s portable product computer line., will begin shipping later this month. Reports say the 5.7-pound ColorBook2, starting at $3,499, offers among its new features integrated 16-bit stereo sound, enhanced video performance and increased hard drive and memory capacity. >> H&R Block Offers TaxCut Software << H&R Block today introduced TaxCut, tax preparation software available in Windows, DOS, Macintosh and CD-ROM formats that also includes free human assistance. Reports say that TaxCut 1994 Final Edition features a real world user interface of notebook style tabs to help users navigate quickly and easily throughout the program. On-screen decision-making tax tips help users answer complex tax questions and find ways to reduce their taxes by suggesting legal deductions. If human assistance from professional tax preparers is needed, TaxCut users can call participating H&R Block offices nationwide for free answers to tax-related questions. If a TaxCut-prepared return is audited by the IRS, H&R Block will assist with preparations and send an H&R Block staff member to the audit -- all at no charge. If a customer runs out of time, he or she can have the return completed at any participating H&R Block office. H&R Block will deduct the full retail purchase price of the software from its regular fees. Retail cost of $39.95 for all versions, including the multimedia CD- ROM edition. >> Nintendo Sues Korea's Samsung << In Seattle, Nintendo has brought a federal suit accusing Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics of counterfeiting thousands of Nintendo video games. The suit alleges the counterfeit cartridges containing Samsung- produced parts have been distributed worldwide, with bogus games found in Asia, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. Nintendo also alleges that in China, Samsung supplied components containing Nintendo software to at least one of two major government- owned operations that pirates software. Samsung spokesman Tad Bixly said the company denies wrongdoing. Expressing "disappointment" over the charges, he likened Nintendo's action to "suing a diskette vendor because you found pirated software on one of their disks." Samsung, a major manufacturer of ROM chips for computer cartridges, is quoted as saying it would be "impractical and inappropriate" to analyze each of its customer's proprietary software. Meanwhile, Nintendo called its allegations against Samsung "most troubling" because the large electronics company is one of only a few capable of reproducing specialized components, including the 32-bit chips used in Nintendo's latest hit, Donkey Kong Country (which has sold more than 6 million copies since late November). Nintendo's suit seeks immediate termination of allegedly illegal production, seizure of all inventories, monitoring of future production and unspecified monetary damages. >> Online Subscribers Top 6 Million << The latest best guess is that there are now 6.3 million subscribers to commercial online services, up 38%, or 1.7 million users, since last year. Doing the estimating is Information and Interactive Services Report, which says in a statement that much of that growth was in the last three months of 1994, when the industry added 800,650 users, or 14.5%. The publication added that, due to overlap, the actual number of users may be closer to 5.4 million, since it appears about 15% of online customers subscribe to two or more services. IISR Editor Rod Kuckro said, "There's no reason to expect that growth on online services would not continue in 1995 at the same robust rate. The rate will likely exceed the growth in 1994." He predicted competition will continue to drive down connection charges and monthly fees and "more Americans will be able to 'kick the tires' of online services as computers come prepackaged with at least one online service as part of the standard suite of software." IISR said the six largest consumer-oriented online operators at the end of 1994 were: -:- CompuServe, with 2.45 million users. -:- America Online, with 1.5 million users. -:- Prodigy, with 1.2 million users. -:- Delphi, with 100,000 users. -:- GEnie, with 75,000 users. -:- eWorld, with 65,000 users. >> Prodigy Libel Suit Expanded << An investment firm has expanded its $200 million libel suit against Prodigy, now also accusing the online service of negligence. Stratton Oakmont Inc.'s suit originally named Prodigy and ex-Prodigy employee David Lusby as co-defendants in the suit, alleging Lusby posted an electronic message on the service accusing Stratton Oakmont of fraud. However, attorney Jacob Zamansky, representing Stratton Oakmont, now has filed an amended complaint dropping Lusby from the suit, saying someone else apparently used his account to post a message. Zamansky has said that he contends that by allowing Lusby's account number to be filched, Prodigy acted negligently. "This case has exposed the serious lack of security procedures" at Prodigy, he said. A Prodigy spokesman called the allegations "unfounded." Lawyer Robert Charles of Weil Gotshal & Manges in Washington, D.C., characterized this as "a high-stakes case," noting that if successful, it may force online services to take preventive measures to protect themselves against such claims. "If unsuccessful, he added, companies or individuals defamed online may be without a legal precedent for recourse". ______________________________________________ > Frankie's Corner STR Feature """""""""""""""""""""""""""" The Kids' Computing Corner ========================== by Frank Sereno Clock Shop Nordic Software P.O. Box 6007 Lincoln, NE 68506-0007 phone 402-488-5086 FAX 402-488-2914 floppy diskette for Windows and Macintosh approximate retail $30 ages 5 to 12 IBM Requirements Macintosh Requirements CPU: 386SX CPU: MacPlus or greater RAM: 4 megs RAM: 1 meg Video: SVGA Video: Monochrome or color CD-ROM: no CD-ROM: no Hdisk: 3.4 megs Hdisk: 3 megs OS: Windows 3.1 OS: System 6.0.7 Sound card recommended Clock Shop teaches children how to tell time by both analog and digital clocks by using drills and work problems. Children will also learn how to solve math problems involving time and clocks. The program will track the progress of numerous children through a logging procedure. Children can automatically progress through the eight lesson groupings or they can select random lessons. Upon completing a lesson successfully, the child will be granted 30 seconds of game time. The game involves moving a mouse from one side of the screen to the other while avoiding a pendulum swinging in the middle. As the child gets a higher score, the pendulum will swing faster requiring precision timing to avoid being hit while traversing the screen. Options include setting the number of questions for each lesson and the number of incorrect answers the child may give before the program moves to the next question. The main lesson screen shows an analog clock on the left half the screen. A digital clock is in the upper right corner of the screen. Below the digital clock are five buttons. One is marked "Done" and it is clicked when the child has answered the question. The remaining four buttons adjust the hours and minutes forward and backward. Below the buttons will be the text of the problem to be answered. A speaker button can be clicked to have the problem stated aloud. The program has eight lesson groupings. These involve setting digital time from an analog clock, setting an analog clock from digital, setting a digital clock from words, setting an analog clock from words, digital clock problems, analog clock problems, counting by fives and quarter hour terms. The clock lessons are divided into six intervals of an hour, half hour, quarter hour, ten minute, five minute and one minute. The smaller time interval problems have a higher degree of difficulty. Clock Shop is not visually exciting. The graphics are rather plain and animations are not used often enough. The sounds are adequate. Digitized voices have good diction and are easily understood. The program uses few sound effects or music. The interface is point and click but it does have some rough spots. The method for logging into the program may be difficult for younger children to accomplish without adult supervision. On screen help is available but it is not audible. The positive feedback is a bit understated. Negative feedback is very gentle and the correct answer will be shown after a set number of incorrect responses. Another nice feature is the printing of worksheets to reinforce the computer lessons. The manual is rather small and does not contain a troubleshooting guide. Clock Shop has limited play value. The lessons are rather staid and can be repetitious. The Clock Game which serves as a reward to encourage further learning is not enticing. Game play becomes very difficult after several crossings. Some children may enjoy watching the squishing of the mouse. This program does not have much replay value. The lessons are designed well but the subject matter is rather limited and can become boring. Better positive feedback would improve the program's appeal and increase the learning potential. This program has limited educational scope and appeal. It is better suited for the school environment. It just lacks the niceties of home edutainment titles. The lack of a money-back guarantee is another strike against this program. Nordic Software does guarantee against defective media for ninety days. In comparison, many software producers are now offering thirty-day or more satisfaction guarantees which allow you to return the product if it does not meet your needs or expectations. Ratings Graphics ........... 5.0 Sounds ............. 6.0 Interface .......... 6.5 Play Value ......... 5.0 Educational Value .. 7.0 Bang for the Buck .. 6.0 Average ............ 5.91 ### Welcome to Bodyland IVI Publishing 7500 Flying Cloud Drive Minneapolis, MN 55344-3739 phone 1-800-432-1332 CD-rom versions for Windows and Macintosh approximate price $30 for ages 5 to 11 IBM Requirements CPU: 386DX-33 RAM: 4 megs Video: SVGA CD-ROM: Double-speed Hdisk: 4 megs OS: Windows 3.1 Sound: SB16 or compatible Information on Macintosh requirements was not available. Welcome to Bodyland is a multimedia theme park featuring thirteen attractions. Children will learn interesting facts about the human body from Ricki, the tour guide, and her friendly parrot, Hiccup. Each attraction is a human organ which is colorfully illustrated and animated. Each destination features a colorful theme song which includes information about that organ. The main screen is an overhead view of the Bodyland Amusement Park. Simply point and click on the body part that you wish to explore. Once you have arrived, a child will ask a question about that part of the body. Ricki will then list some facts that will answer the question. You can click on various objects in the scene to view amusing animations or learn more interesting facts. A book icon presents a few pages of facts to further enhance the learning experience. After you have visited all the body attractions, you can test your knowledge at the Discovery Tower. It features three levels of difficulty and you can amass a maximum score of 9999. This quiz feature is intended to help learning retention. The graphics are bright and appealing. They are lacking in detail but they are satisfactory. The animations are a bit jerky. Mouth movements were not synched precisely to the sound even on a 486DX2-66 with eight megs of RAM. Sound is excellent throughout the program. The voices have excellent enunciation and have a cheerful tone. Digitized sound effects are used often and to good effect. The music is interesting and varied. The interface is point and click. Audible help is not available from an icon but Ricki and Hiccup will give instructions to the child at appropriate times. In the Discovery Tower game, negative and positive feedback is provided by sound effects. Spoken words might be a better choice. Another nice touch which IVI missed is that a narration of the books should have been available for pre-readers. The manual is extremely brief at ten pages which includes the program credits and the music lyrics. Additional information is provided in a readme.wri file. Technical support is available at a toll-free number. Welcome to Bodyland is fun and interesting. The animations are amusing and the learning facts should fascinate children. The drawback that I see in the program is that it does not vary from play to play. It may take several hours to search all the attractions but once completed there is nothing to bring the child back. Educational value is good. This program will help satisfy children's curiosity about their bodies but I do wish that more information were available in the program. The program is probably a bit simple for ten and eleven-year-olds. Perhaps a dictionary of body organs or the addition medical illustrations would give the program added value to older children. This program is reasonably priced and has good value for educational and play content. On the minus side, the program has no mention of guarantees in its documentation or packaging. Toll-free technical support is a plus. Ratings Graphics ........... 7.0 Sounds ............. 9.0 Interface .......... 8.0 Play Value ......... 7.5 Educational Value .. 8.0 Bang for the Buck .. 8.0 Average ............ 7.91 Thanks for reading! ___________________________________________ > CPAV FAQ STR InfoFile """"""""""""""""""""" This is the Frequently Answered Questions Document for Central Point AntiVirus and Microsoft Anti-Virus. 0.0 What is an FAQ (Frequently Answered Questions)? ----------------- GENERAL QUESTIONS ----------------- 1.1 Where should I install Central Point AntiVirus? 1.2 How do I update Central Point AntiVirus or Microsoft AntiVirus? 1.3 Technical Support Services ---------------------------- FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS/UPGRADES ---------------------------- 2.1 I heard that Symantec is going to drop the Central Point Products. 2.2 Are there any program upgrades available? --------------- TROUBLESHOOTING --------------- 3.1 How can I receive more information about Central Point Products? 3.2 When I try to start Windows I get dropped back to the DOS prompt if VSAFE is loaded. 3.3 When CPAV is scanning the drive I get a GPF in Windows or the system locks up. 3.4 The virus list feature of Microsoft AntiVirus does not work. 3.5 Windows does not start or I hear a beep and Windows does not load 3.6 I updated CPAV but the message telling me to update it still appears. 3.7 VSafe warns that a virus is present but CPAV doesn't find any viruses. --------------- RECOMMENDATIONS --------------- 4.1 How to make an Emergency Disk and when to use it. 4.2 Data security ------------------------ ------- ANSWERS ------- 0.0 What's an FAQ? Introduction: An FAQ is a compilation of the most common questions about a subject and their answers. This is an established technique (adopted from its widespread use on USENet) for reducing the repetition of questions and answers from on-line services (such as BBS, CompuServe and America Online). Our intent is to answer as many questions as possible. You don't have to leave a question and call back to get an answer to something that we've already covered a few times before. We will be aggressively maintaining these to ensure that they always have answers to the most current issues pertaining to a product. Naturally users are encouraged to read the FAQ. Hopefully you'll find your question (and its answer) here (which will save you time and money). Please note that this is not intended to replace the manual or the built-in help. It is prepared and maintained by our electronic support staff so our FAQ's may not have breadth or editorial polish of our official documentation. Hopefully, this will answer some questions that our technical writers couldn't foresee. You may have been referred to this document by one of our technicians or another customer. Please don't take offense to this. We are trying to provide the answers in the best possible way. You are welcome to suggest improvements. How to update Central Point AntiVirus or Microsoft AntiVirus ------------------------ 1.1 Where should I install Central Point AntiVirus? If you already have an earlier version of Central Point AntiVirus, CPAV should be installed to the same subdirectory that has CPAV.EXE or WNCPAV.EXE for Dos and Windows respectively. Because CPAV updates certain files in the PCTOOLS or CPS directory, installing into that directory will guarantee that all files are updated properly and minimize the amount of disk space needed. If you do not have an earlier version, then it can be installed on any drive and to any subdirectory of your choosing. ------------------------ 1.2 How do I update Central Point AntiVirus or Microsoft AntiVirus? To receive the update for CPAV or MSAV you will either need to order the update disk or download the update from one of the online services. Dial (503) 984-5366 for the Central Point BBS, select F(iles) and choose the appropriate library. For CompuServe use the command GO SYMCPDOS and look in Library Section 4, GO SYMCPWIN and look in Library Section 4, or GO SYMNET and look in Library Section 10. On America OnLine use the KeyWord Symantec and open the File Library. Once the update has been downloaded move it to an empty sub-directory and run it. When it is finished running you will have the actual update files in that directory. There will be a README.TXT file with further instructions on how to proceed. This file will need to be viewed and the instructions followed in order to update the anti-virus program. To view this file type EDIT README.TXT. The file you need to download depends on the version (Dos, Windows, or OS/2) you have. If you are using Central Point Anti-Virus for Dos you will need to check the version number you are updating. Change to the directory that contains CPAV.EXE and run it. Choose Help, and then About, writing down what it says the version is. Look at the following chart to find out what file you need. After the update is completed delete all of the SMARTCHK.CPS files on your hard drives and start CPAV. Select options and turn off Fast Verify and scan the hard drives. This will create new SMARTCHK.CPS files with the correct information for the updated program. If you have an Emergency Disk copy the new CPAV.EXE and VIRULIST.CPS files to the floppy disk. Product Updater Microsoft Anti-Virus for Dos -------------------------- DOSAV.EXE Microsoft Anti-Virus for Windows ---------------------- WINAV.EXE CPAV for Dos v1.0 - 1.4 (PCTools v8.0 and earlier) ---- V1SIG.EXE CPAV for Dos v1.5 - 2.2 (PCTools v8.0a and later) ----- V2SIG.EXE CPAV for Windows (PCTools for Windows v2) ------------- WINSIG.EXE ------------------------ 1.3 Technical Support Services A wide variety of services are available to registered owners of Central Point products. ON-LINE & AUTOMATED SUPPORT SERVICES Technical Support via on-line services is available through the services listed below. Use these services to converse with us and other Central Point customers for helpful dialog, tips and for access to files using your computer. CompuServe Forums: Call your local access number, available in your CompuServe membership kit, and type GO CENTRAL at any exclamation point (!) prompt. We have two Forums, and if you are using a script to log onto CompuServe, type GO SYMCPDOS for DOS products, type GO SYMCPWIN for Windows, Macintosh, and OS/2 products, type GO SYMNET for support of Network products. America Online Industry Connection: Call your local access number, available in your America Online membership kit. The keyword for our industry connection is CENTRAL. Bulletin Board System: Set your modem to 8 data bits, 1 stop bit and no parity. Dial 503-984-5366 for up to 14,400 baud access. With our automated fax retrieval service you have instant access to up-to-date technical articles and product information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call this easy-to-use system from a touch tone phone to request catalogs or up to four documents to be sent directly to your fax machine. Call 503-984-2490. INTERACTIVE TELEPHONE SUPPORT Technical Support by telephone is available through a variety of programs designed to meet the individual support needs of users of our products. Telephone support is available weekdays from 6:00am to 5:00pm Pacific Standard Time. Following is a summary of our telephone support plans: If you have only an occasional need for technical assistance via telephone, our PriorityCare program gives you immediate access to our experts on a pay-as-you-go basis. You have two options with this program: Call our 800 number to charge the service fee to your credit card, or call our 900 number and the service fee will be charged to your regular phone bill. Dial 800-491-2764 to charge the $25.00 service fee to your Visa, MasterCard or American Express card. Please have your credit card handy when you call. Dial 900-555-7700 to charge the $2.00 per minute fee directly to your regular phone bill. The first minute of your call is free. This option is a good choice for those quick questions. Our QuickStart support program is designed for users who need telephone assistance getting started with their new software. This program is also a great value if you think you may need to make more than one or two calls to technical support. QuickStart gives you 30 days of unlimited telephone access to our technical experts for $30 per person, per product family*. PremiumCare Gold, our annual support plan, is a cost effective solution if you frequently call technical support. This plan offers a full year of unlimited calls to technical support for $149.95 per person, per product family*. Extended plans are also available to organizations in need of additional technical support services. We offer a variety of plans, ranging from toll-free priority telephone support to extended hours and weekend support. Please call customer service at 503-690-8090 for more information, or to order any one of our telephone support plans. *Product Families ANTI-VIRUS Anti-Virus for DOS, Windows and OS/2 BACKUP CP Backup for DOS, Windows and special manufacturer's bundles MACINTOSH MacTools, MacTools Power PC, Safe & Sound and Anti-Virus for Macintosh PC TOOLS PC Tools Pro (DOS), PC Tools for Windows, E-Disk, Speed Tools, and File Manager XTREE XTree Gold, XTree for Windows and XTree Gold for Windows Please note that support is no longer available for Copy II products or for the Deluxe Option Board. These products have been discontinued. The most common support questions and answers for these products are available via the automated fax retrieval service. Order document 58000 for the Copy II document and 59000 for the Deluxe Option Board document. ------------------------ ---------------------------- FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS/UPGRADES ---------------------------- 2.1 I heard that Symantec is going to drop the Central Point Products. Central Point will remain a separate division of Symantec. The Support Policies will continue to be those of Central Point. ------------------------ 2.2 Are there any program upgrades available? If program upgrades should become available, they will be available in our file libraries on our BBS, CompuServe and America Online forums. ------------------------ --------------- TROUBLESHOOTING --------------- 3.1 How can I receive more information about Central Point Products? Symantec and Central Point both offer several less known ways to gain technical support. Our faxback service is one of them. It contains most of the more prevalent issues regarding Central Point Software. The faxback number is (800) 847-8766. Remember, You'll need a touch tone phone, and a fax machine. ------------------------ 3.2 When I try to start Windows I get dropped back to the DOS prompt if VSAFE is loaded. This situation may occur after updating the AntiVirus program with new virus signatures. If this should happen simply login to one of our Online Services and leave a message stating that you are having this problem and would like to resolve this issue. In the message please state what the file date and time is of the CPAV tsr's (VSAFE.* and VWATCH.*) and you will receive a response within 24hrs, except on weekends. ------------------------ 3.3 When CPAV is scanning the drive I get a GPF in Windows or the system locks up. This situation may occur after updating the AntiVirus program with new virus signatures. Delete all of the SMARTCHK.CPS files on your hard drives and start CPAV. Select options and turn off Fast Verify and scan the hard drives. This will create new SMARTCHK.CPS files with correct information. ------------------------ 3.4 The virus list feature of Microsoft AntiVirus does not work or it says "Out of Memory". The virus signature updates size has grown beyond the virus listing ability of the Microsoft AntiVirus products. There is nothing we can do at this time to correct this. If you desire specific virus information please consider one of the support options mentioned above and we will be glad to give you the appropriate information. ------------------------ 3.5 Windows does not start or I hear a beep and Windows does not load. This may happen after upgrading a Windows program or Windows itself. While Windows is loading the TSR Manager is not loaded and therefore only a beep will sound. After the beep press U(pdate) to update the SmartCheck file with the file checksums of any changed files. If you are not certain of why this is happening check the system for possible infection. Boot from the Emergency Disk and scan the drive(s) with CPAV. ------------------------ 3.6 I updated CPAV but the message telling me to update it still appears. If the message telling you to update the AntiVirus program keeps appearing even after updating CPAV you will need to edit the CPAV.INI file. Change to the directory containing CPAV.INI (usually in the DATA subdirectory of PCTOOLS or CPS). Type EDIT CPAV.INI and look for a line that begins with havetoupdate=. Remove the numbers at the end of this line, save the file, and exit. ------------------------ 3.7 VSafe warns that a virus is present but CPAV doesn't find any viruses. This situation is more likely to occur after updating the AntiVirus programs signatures. If this does occur after updating the AntiVirus program simply delete the SmartCheck file in the directory where the supposedly infected file is and run CPAV to create a new SmartCheck file. If this occurs after changing or updating the file that is supposedly infected then delete the SmartCheck file in the directory where the supposedly infected file is and run CPAV to create a new SmartCheck file. When this occurs and neither of the criteria above are valid make a copy of the file(s) and send it(them) via regular mail to our AntiVirus Lab at the address below or call the Central Point BBS at (503)984-5366, leave an e-mail message to username VSend, and at the end of the message attach the file(s). Symantec Central Point Division ATTN: Virus Lab 15220 NW Greenbrier Parkway, Suite 150 Beaverton, OR 97006-5798 ------------------------ --------------- RECOMMENDATIONS --------------- 4.1 How to make an Emergency Disk and when to use it. To make an Emergency Disk for Central Point AntiVirus run the EDISK.EXE program and select Central Point AntiVirus, and CMOS and Partition Tables. This will save needed information baring a disaster. Run this program after making changes to the operating system or the hard disk drives. If a virus is suspected or if the system starts behaving abnormally use this disk to detect changes to the system and, if needed, repair any errors. The BOOTSAFE.EXE program can be used to update the Emergency Disk after changes to the system with BOOTSAFE.EXE /M. ------------------------ 4.2 Data security Keep current backups of your system. The importance of this can not be stressed enough. One day you will need it and not having a current backup will cost you. If you don't have a tape drive then save copies of files that you create on a floppy disk and label it accordingly, and when a full backup is performed don't backup programs that you have installation disks for. ------------------------ _______________________________________ > PerfectOffice STR InfoFile The BEST... keeps getting Better! """""""""""""""""""""""""" NOVELL SHIPS PERFECTOFFICE 3.0 FOR WINDOWS ========================================== New suite receives acclaim from users and enthusiastic reviews; Novell offers special $199 upgrade price PerfectOffice 3.0 combines WordPerfect, the best-selling word processor of all time, with award-winning applications in six different categories. The new product goes beyond traditional suites by offering superior program integration with PerfectFit technology, task automation with the first cross-application scripting language and network benefits for both end users and IS managers. PerfectOffice 3.0 is also the first suite to include workgroup publishing tools for collaborative computing across networks. PerfectOffice 3.0 has already received industry acclaim since its announcement in June 1994. PC/Computing gave the product a 4.5 (out of five) star rating, the highest score in its suite review (November 1994) and called it the best all-around suite for integration. The Nov. 14, 1994 issue of InfoWorld claimed that the product has a definite shot at the office suite title. The Oct. 25 issue of PC Magazine predicted that PerfectOffice may well change what we expect from suites. The January issue of PC World reports that PerfectOffice has the best integration we've seen yet in suite products. We are thrilled to see such a tremendous early response to this product, said Ad Rietveld, president of WordPerfect, the Novell Applications Group. We are confident that PerfectOffice offers the best integrated software solution on the market and will begin to define the next generation of network applications. Users Discover Innovations in PerfectOffice ------------------------------------------- The installation routine was easy, especially for a network administrator, said Tim Hickernell of Commonwealth Edison Co. in Chicago. It provides centralized management of user defaults in far more detail than in other suites. The user interface makes sense, said Bruce Norton of Norton Innovation in Lititz,Pennsylvania. There are QuickTasks and Experts all over the place so you can spend more time using the product and less time learning it. The scripting language, PerfectScript, is like nothing else I've seen in other office suites, said Paul Dalton, of Jackson & Walker, a Texas law firm. It s a really nice, easy-to-learn, cross-application approach. Two Versions of PerfectOffice Now Shipping ------------------------------------------ PerfectOffice is now shipping in two versions Standard and Professional. PerfectOffice Standard includes the following products: -WordPerfect 6.1 (word processor) -Quattro Pro 6.0 (spreadsheet) -Presentations 3.0 (presentation graphics) -InfoCentral 1.1 (personal information manager) -Envoy 1.0 (workgroup publishing tool) -GroupWise 4.1 client license (integrated e-mail, calendaring and scheduling) PerfectOffice Professional will include all of the above products as well as Borland International s Paradox 5.0, a relational database, and Novell AppWare (formerly Visual AppBuilder), a fifth-generation visual custom development tool. A third version, PerfectOffice Select, will offer the industry s first create your own suite solution and is scheduled for release in first quarter 1995. Using new CD-ROM-based technology, customers will be able to select from any of the applications in the Standard and Professional versions, as well as certain Novell GroupWare applications, WordPerfect Main Street products, and a variety of integrated third-party applications. PerfectFit Integration Dramatically Improves Ease of Learning. PerfectFit technology provides each of the PerfectOffice components with unparalleled program integration including a consistent user interface, common tools, and PerfectScript, the first cross-application scripting language to be included in a suite. Each of the programs in PerfectOffice shares consistent toolbars, pull-down menus and common key dialog boxes. PerfectFit ensures that each PerfectOffice program looks and feels alike, so users can easily learn each of the applications. PerfectFit technology also provides PerfectOffice users with the most extensive set of common suite tools in the industry. The speller, thesaurus, drawing module, grammar checker, file manager, Coaches, Experts and QuickCorrect feature are shared among applications. In addition to consistency, users benefit from conservation of system resources and memory. In addition to PerfectFit technology, PerfectOffice is the first suite to offer support for object Linking and Embedding (OLE) 2.0 functionality in five applications. Users can easily rag and drop data among PerfectOffice programs. With in-place editing, users can edit objects (such as a Quattro Pro spreadsheet) directly from WordPerfect or other PerfectOffice applications. QuickTasks Help Users Focus on Tasks Rather than Applications PerfectOffice goes beyond the traditional ease-of-use features found in competing suites to automate entire tasks for users, independent of individual applications. New QuickTasks, accessible from the Desktop Application Director (DAD), automatically perform simple and complex tasks directly from the desktop, letting users concentrate on tasks rather than applications. QuickTasks does not force the user to open individual applications in order to get work done. Users can access more than 50 QuickTasks to automatically create letters, faxes, spreadsheets and slide shows; update InfoCentral records; schedule meetings; open e-mail; generate mail merges or perform other common tasks. Users can also use the QuickTask Expert to create their own customized QuickTasks. PerfectOffice Leverages the Network to Help Users Work Together Better The merger of WordPerfect and Novell, and the acquisition of Quattro Pro, has helped the new Novell create the industry's first network suite, said Mark Calkins, general manager of Novell's Business Applications Division. Being the first network suite means much more than just running on a network. PerfectOffice is the first suite to begin to integrate network and workgroup services with desktop applications, making it the best solution for end users, as well as for system administrators who manage software across an enterprise. PerfectOffice is the only suite to include a workgroup publishing tool for collaborative computing. Envoy lets users electronically view, annotate and distribute documents across the network while keeping all graphic design elements intact even if they don t have the software that was used to create the document. The innovative compression technology in Envoy often reduces files to one-third their size, conserving network resources as documents are distributed. PerfectOffice integrates all of its products with GroupWise, Novell's leading groupware solution. From within each of the PerfectOffice applications, users can access GroupWise to send e-mail, schedule personal and group appointments, check calendars, and assign and manage workgroup tasks. For system administrators, PerfectOffice supports Novell's NetWare Navigator, giving them the ability to easily install and update software across a network. PerfectOffice includes two network installation models: the Corporate model allows administrators to control the settings for an enterprise from a central location and the Professional model lets users define their own settings. Industry's Best Toll-Free Customer Support ------------------------------------------ Novell is the only software vendor to offer toll-free, no-fee support for its business applications (Microsoft and Lotus offer toll support only). PerfectOffice users can receive six months of toll-free, no-fee Classic Service, after which they can choose from a variety of other support options. Pricing and System Requirements ------------------------------- Until March 31, 1995, users can take advantage of special introductory upgrade pricing. Users of any version of Novell applications (WordPerfect, Quattro Pro, etc.) or NetWare can upgrade to PerfectOffice Standard 3.0 for $199 (US) and users of competitive products can upgrade for $239 (US). For new users, the suggested retail price of PerfectOffice Standard is $659 (US). The suggested retail price of PerfectOffice Professional is $859 (US), upgrade price is $359(US)and users of competitive products can upgrade for a suggested retail price of $399 (US). PerfectOffice requires a 386-25MHz machine or better with 8MB RAM, and Windows 3.1 or higher. For more information about PerfectOffice 3.0 for Windows, customers can call (800) 451-5151. The business of Novell Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL) is connecting people to other people and the information they need, enabling them to act on it anytime, anyplace. Novell is the world's leading network software provider. The company's software products provide the distributed infrastructure, network services, advanced network access and network applications required to make networked information and pervasive computing an integral part of everyone's daily life. WordPerfect and Quattro are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. PerfectOffice, PerfectFit, PerfectScript, Presentations, Envoy, InfoCentral, GroupWise and AppWare are trademarks of Novell, Inc. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Paradox is a registered trademark of Borland International. PerfectOffice Policies and Information 12/94 Special Promotional Period: --------------------------- During the period December 1, 1994 to March 31, 1995, the Standard Upgrade packages in both 3.5" disk and CD versions will be offered at special introductory pricing of approximately $199 in stores and $209 directly from Novell. The Standard Tradeup packages in both 3.5" disk and CD versions will be offered at approximately $239 in stores and $249 directly from Novell. (CD availability for the Tradeup version will be announced soon.) Free Upgrade from Borland Office 2.0 to PerfectOffice Professional: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Customers who purchased Borland Office 2.0 between June 28, 1994 and December 14, 1994, are eligible to receive a free license upgrade (with software on CD) to PerfectOffice Professional 3.0. This offer is fulfilled by the customer receiving the PerfectOffice Professional Upgrade CD Package. Proof of purchase is required. Customers should call 800-451-5151 or 801-226-6800 for more information. Upgrade and Tradeup Policies: ----------------------------- Proof of purchase requirement to qualify for upgrade or tradeup pricing: Photocopy of front of manual, copy of certificate of license, copy of proof of purchase card (the middle portion of the new tri-fold registration card), copy of dated sales receipt, or verbal verification of license or serial number. Individual products qualifying for upgrade* to Standard Version: ---------------------------------------------------------------- Borland Office WordPerfect Quattro Pro Presentations/DrawPerfect InfoCentral Envoy GroupWise WordPerfect Office Informs SoftSolutions PlanPerfect DataPerfect NetWare client Individual products qualifying for tradeup* to Standard Version: ---------------------------------------------------------------- Any competing suite, or suite application that also sells separately, including: Microsoft Office Lotus SmartSuite Word Ami Pro Excel Lotus 123 PowerPoint Freelance Harvard Graphics or other full-featured word processor, spreadsheet, or presentation graphics application. Individual products qualifying for upgrade* to Professional Version: -------------------------------------------------------------------- PerfectOffice 3.0 - Standard Borland Office WordPerfect Quattro Pro Presentations/DrawPerfect InfoCentral Envoy WordPerfect Office GroupWise InForms SoftSolutions Paradox PlanPerfect DataPerfect NetWare client Individual products qualifying for tradeup* to Professional Version: -------------------------------------------------------------------- Any competing suite, or suite application that also sells separately, including: Microsoft Office Lotus SmartSuite Word Ami Pro Excel Lotus 123 PowerPoint Freelance Harvard Graphics Access Approach or other full-featured word processor, spreadsheet, presentation graphics, or database application. * Products can be in any version or on any platform. Customers Owning WordPerfect, Quattro Pro, or Paradox: ------------------------------------------------------ Customers who have purchased WordPerfect 6.1 for Windows, Quattro Pro 6.0 for Windows, or Paradox 5.0 for Windows, or any combination of these products, qualify for upgrade pricing to PerfectOffice Standard or Professional versions, as indicated above. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N FARGO PRIMERA PRO COLOR PRINTERS - 600DPI For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent to you that demonstrates FARGO Primera & Primera Pro SUPERIOR QUALITY 600dpi 24 bit Photo Realistic Color Output, please send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to: STReport's Fargo Printout Offer P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155 Folks, the FARGO Primera Pro has GOT to be the best yet. Its far superior to the newest of Color Laser Printers selling for more than three times as much. Its said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. Send for this sample now. Guaranteed you will be amazed at the superb quality. (please, allow at least a one week turn-around) A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT: _________________________________ Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo) Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN. Fire up that high-speed modem and head for your favorite GEnie Software Library! Effective October 10, 1994, you'll be able to participate in an open beta test, offering access to GEnie Services at 9600 bps for as little as $5.00 per hour. As a result of an arrangement with Sprint, GEnie will be offering 9600 bps access from almost 300 SprintNet locations. Best of all, this high-speed access will not be subject to high-priced surcharges. The normal $2.00 per hour SprintNet surcharge will apply...even at 9600 bps! This open beta test is expected to run through the end of the year. To find the number of the SprintNet access number nearest you, simply type PHONES at any GEnie menu prompt (or use the "Move To Keyword" option in GENIE for Windows and type PHONES). Remember, this rate applies only to 9600 bps access via SprintNet. So be sure to choose the access number showing "9600" in the "Baud Rate" column AND "SprintNet" in the "Network" column. From the "Fine Print" department, please note that the $2.00 per hour surcharge for SprintNet access is applicable even during your initial four hours of monthly usage. So, whether you're into downloading software, reading bulletin boards, or accessing databases, it's about to become cheaper to do it faster! GENIE Information Services copyright 1995 by General Electric Information Services/GENIE, reprinted by permission """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ___ ___ _____ _______ /___| /___| /_____| /_______/ The Macintosh RoundTable /____|/____| /__/|__| /__/ ________________________ /_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/ /__/|____/|__|________|__/ /__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/____ Managed by SyndiComm /__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/ An Official Forum of the International Computer Users Group *** STReport available in MAC RT *** ASCII TEXT for ALL GENIE users! MAC/APPLE SECTION (II) ====================== John Deegan, Editor (Temp) > Go Graphics Group NEWS! STR FOCUS! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" GIF24 Proposal -------------- Over the past two weeks, there has been considerable discussion related to the GIF graphics format specification, resulting from the fact that the GIF specification designed by CompuServe contained proprietary LZW compression technology. However, CompuServe remains committed to the continued free interchange of online graphics. For this reason, we will be offering our resources to develop a follow-on specification to GIF that will offer significant enhancements and be free and open. CompuServe is announcing that we will coordinate the development of GIF24, a successor to GIF capable of 24-bit lossless compression. CompuServe is committed to keeping GIF24 as an open specification, available without cost. This effort will also avoid a proliferation of standards. The new specification will be developed in cooperation with the graphics community and will include a review of relevant technology and intellectual property issues. In keeping with these goals, we are soliciting input from key GIF users such as: commercial graphics vendors; the CompuServe GO GRAPHICS Forum community; Internet communities including the World Wide Web, and bulletin board developers and users. As the first step in this process, we have been interacting privately with many people who have offered constructive input on GIF via CompuServe and the Internet. As the next step, we have established an e-mail address for public input regarding GIF24. Suggestions can go to: GIF24@csi.compuserve.com when sending from the Internet, or CSI:GIF24 when sending from CompuServe. We invite suggestions of design goals for GIF24 as well as technologies to be considered for use in the new specification. In addition, we solicit nominations of community representatives who will be invited to participate in developing GIF24 as an open standard. CompuServe wishes to acknowledge the contributions of the online community to the ongoing GIF discussion, and we look forward to further input. Based on the response to this announcement, we will shortly provide a synopsis of initial design goals for GIF24, an initial list of nominees to participate in the development, and further details on the development process. Thank you for your time and input. Sincerely, Tim Oren CompuServe vice president, Future Technology FREELANCE ARTISTS NEEDED ------------------------ This file (CATES.TXT) is the text part of an associated image file named CATES.GIF. If you do not have the image, please down-load it. Cates & Associates is primarily a business consulting company that also provides display advertising art. For several years we have been working with companies to teach them how to work in cooperation with their employees and use their employees' talents, abilities and ideas. Once a company begins to work in cooperation with its employees then its operating efficiently improves. At that point they need more customers. Part of our work is helping companies get more customers. The need for freelance artists derives from that. We are just starting that part of the business that supplies ads. We presently use commissioned artists to create display ads for newspapers, magazines and yellow pages. We pay a flat rate for ads. The rates are based on the size of the ad and whether it is Gray Scale, Spot or Process Color. The rates range from $100 to $375 for an 8x10 gray scale. Our experience is, these ads take 2 to 8 hours to create. If you are interested in obtaining work from us then we need the following; A resume. A sample of your work We prefer an example of a display ad - newspaper or yellow pages You can make one up if you have not done any for hire It needs to be transmitted electronically unless you are in the San Diego area. The technical parts are; We are IBM-PC based. We use WordPerfect 6.1, Freehand, Corel 3, Illustrator and PhotoShop. For the sample ad we recommend you supply a JPG, GIF or IBM TIF. We think half page ads provide a good test of your ability, 8"w x 5h". Use 100 DPI for your image resolution. The result should be a TIF about 400k in size and a much smaller GIF. The resume may be in almost any word processor format or ASCII text file. The parts we are interested in; We want to see an example of what we call a New Style ad. Our GIF image provides an example of what we are talking about. Beyond that image, here are some things to consider. 45% of Americans are right-brained and 45% are left-brained and 10% are considered balanced. Most ads for computers miss the right-brained people. Most yellow page ads miss them too. Beautifully artistic ads lacking enough solid information fail to sell the left-brained people. Marketing studies show that illustrations (line drawings), 3D illustrations or renderings, pictures and then these three again, with color, are what attracts people's attention and in this order. To provide an example of your understanding of these concepts we suggest you find, what you consider a poor attorney's or plumber's yellow page ad. Create what you would consider an ad that would appeal to the widest audience. A half page ad size is what we would prefer to see. We also want to see the original ad from the yellow pages (we will provide a snail-mail address). Provide a gray scale piece only. Please place your copyright notice in the ad. It should be small and not attract attention. All rights to this image will remain with you. Part of this process is also to learn how well you can use CompuServe and file translators. If it is well enough to submit your resume and a sample image then we can probably work together. Another part is how well to you handle instructions, in this format. My name is A. Alan Cates and I am the owner of Cates and Associates. I look forward to hearing from you. ********************************************************************** IMPORTANT NOTICE! ================= STReport International OnLine Magazine is available every week for your reading pleasure on DELPHI. STReport's readers are invited to join DELPHI and become a part of an extremely friendly community of enthusiastic computer users there. SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI ====================== Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access DELPHI services via a local phone call JOIN --DELPHI -------------- Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002 then... When connected, press RETURN once or twice and... At Password: type STREPORT and press RETURN. DELPHI's 20/20 Advantage Plan 20 Hours for Only $20! ----------------------------- Advantage Members have always enjoyed the lowest DELPHI access rates available. On the new 20/20 Advantage Plan, members receive their first 20 hours of access each month for only $20. If you happen to meet someone OnLine or find some other diversion, don't worry because additional usage is only $1.80 per hour. 20/20 Advantage rates apply for access via SprintNet or Tymnet from within the continental United States during home time or via direct dial around the clock. Home Time is from 6pm to 6am weekdays. Access during business time carries a surcharge of $9 per hour. These rates apply for most services, but note that there are some surcharged areas on DELPHI which are clearly marked with a "$" sign. Who is eligible to take advantage of the plan? Any DELPHI member in good standing. Applications are reviewed and subject to approval by Delphi Internet Services Corporation. It's easy to join. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply OnLine -- at any time -- for membership in the DELPHI 20/20 Advantage Plan. Your membership becomes active at 4 a.m. Eastern Time on the first billing day of the following month. The $20 charge will be billed to you at the beginning of the month to which it applies. Any portion of the 20 hours not used in any month does not carry forward into the next month. Advantage rates may be changed with 30 days notice given OnLine. TRY DELPHI FOR $1 AN HOUR! For a limited time, you can become a trial member of DELPHI, and receive 5 hours of evening and weekend access during this month for only $5. If you're not satisfied, simply cancel your account before the end of the calendar month with no further obligation. If you keep your account active, you will automatically be enrolled in DELPHI's 10/4 Basic Plan, where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for a minimum $10 monthly charge, with additional hours available at $3.96. But hurry, this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage of this limited offer, use your modem to dial 1-800-365-4636. Press once or twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and press again. Then, just answer the questions and within a day or two, you'll officially be a member of DELPHI! DELPHI-It's the BEST Value and getting BETTER all the time! ************************************************************ ATARI/JAG SECTION (III) ======================= Dana Jacobson, Editor > From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" It's been a weird week!! I don't know if it's related to the unseasonable weather lately (sunspots?!?), or what! Whatever it is, my luck has been running out. On a normal week (define "normal, please!), I have most of the Atari section of STReport put together and just wait for those last- minute items that come in, like clockwork, at the last minute (no names please!). Well, Thursday when I sat down to start to make my online rounds to pick up my mail, I was surprised that my calls weren't connecting to the services I was calling. I then checked my terminal screen and noticed that I didn't have a dial tone. Hmmm, check all of the phones to make sure one wasn't off the hook - everything was fine. Then it dawned on me! Aha! It had been raining slightly the last few days. So, you say?! Well, for the past 18 months or so, every time it rains, my home phone line seems to go on the blink. "Ma Bell" has been called in at least 20 times over this period and can never seem to fix this problem although the service people always tell me that the problem is resolved and it won't occur again. Famous last words...it's happened again and I have no phone. I did manage to pull the plug on my BBS and try that line. Naturally, the line was full of static that a reasonable attempt to get my mail and read some messages proved less than successful. So, if this week's issue appears "skimpy," it's because of Ma Bell!!! Enough rambling about my troubles, I guess. Fortunately, only a few of our regular features will be missing, or lacking. Until next time... ____________________________________________ > ACE 95! STR AtariFest News! - TAF Show Scheduled for April! """"""""""""""""""""""""""" January 15, 1995 =================================================================== ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 =================================================================== ******************************************************* NEWS RELEASE: THE TORONTO ATARI FEDERATION PRESENTS.....ACE '95!! ******************************************************* _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/ _/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/ Software Demos! _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ Hardware Demos! _/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/ Membership! _/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/ Phoenix Newsletter! _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ 16/32 Bit Library! _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ _/_/ Monthly Meetings! _/_/ _/ _/_/ _/ Flea Market! _/ Seminars! Raffles! BBS! #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# Support! GRAPHICS! SPREADSHEETS! DATABASES! #*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*# DESKTOP PUBLISHING! TELECOMMUNICATIONS! MIDI! WORD PROCESSING! MUCH MORE! ~~~ The Toronto Atari Federation ~~~ Largest Atari User Group in North America! ~~~ (416) CALL-TAF (225-5823) ~~~ ~~~ TAF Online BBS (416) 421-8999 ~~~ ******************************************************* NEWS RELEASE: THE TORONTO ATARI FEDERATION PRESENTS.....ACE '95!! ******************************************************* Remember this LOCATION and this DATE ..... >>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>> NORTH YORK CIVIC CENTRE >>>>>>>>>>>>> (MEMORIAL HALL MEETING & EXHIBITION CENTER) >>>>>>>>>>>>> 5110 YONGE ST. @ PARKHOME AVE. >>>>>>>>>>>>> LOWER LEVEL (CONCOURSE) >>>>>>>>>>>>> TORONTO, ONTARIO CANADA >>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>> APRIL 1st & 2nd, 1995 (Saturday and Sunday) >>>>>>>>>>>>> 9 AM to 6 PM & 9 AM to 5 PM >>>>>>>>>>>>> There is a time and place for every great event - and Atari Users are entitled to their share! ACE '95 is IT!!!! WHO WILL BE THERE ================= If you want to see DMC Publishing (Calamus!), GRIBNIF, BRANCH ALWAYS (Gemulator, PCXformer), Clear Thinking (Craig Harvey), Oregon Research, COMPO, Missionware, Scarborough Computers, ABC Solutions, IT'S ALL RELATIVE, cro_Magic, ICD/4Play/Catbox, and about 20(!) other fabulous Atari Dealers and Developers ALL IN ONE PLACE ***** CALL US FOR THE LATEST EXHIBITORS LIST ***** .............. ............. ............. ACE '95 IS WHERE THEY'LL BE!! All the developers will be doing lectures and seminars on <<<<<<< their superb software and hardware! <<<<<<< Three daily door prizes! The Saturday and Sunday Grand <<<<<<< Prize Draws! <<<<<<< THE BEST SALE PRICES ON ALL ATARI SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE! <<<<<<< THIS WILL BE THE TIME AND PLACE TO STOCK UP! <<<<<<< The LARGEST gathering of the BEST Atari Dealers and <<<<<<< Developers in YEARS! <<<<<<< Dedicated MIDI area - demos, the latest hardware & <<<<<<< software! <<<<<<< Contests: Look for ENTRY FORMS for the ACE '95 Atari <<<<<<< Creativity Competition! We're REALLY looking forward to <<<<<<< this! Dedicated JAGUAR area - and plenty of Jag Game Developers <<<<<<< on-hand, to answer *ALL* your questions! <<<<<<< MORE ATARI USERS IN ONE PLACE THAN YOU'VE EVER SEEN! <<<<<<< ....... and that's a GOOD thing! <<<<<<< ================================================================= ================================================================= ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ACE '95 ================================================================= ================================================================= ACE '92 was a *HUGE* success. ACE '95 will be even better. Incredible buys! Incredible demos! Incredible new products! The very finest gathered in one place! April 1st & 2nd, 1995 (Saturday and Sunday), in Toronto. DIRECTIONS ========== Getting to ACE '95 is easy. If you're coming from the United States, cross the border at Detroit, Fort Erie, Buffalo, Kingston, Champlain, Ogdensburg, etc.; get on Highway 401 and head for Toronto. When you get to the Yonge Street Exit (Hwy #11 on some maps), take it and go North for 6 stop lights, to 5110 Yonge St. (at Parkhome Ave.). Turn left and you're there! For those of you who take the QEW Highway from the border (if you cross at Fort Erie or Buffalo, that is), just follow it until you get to either Hwy #403, Hwy #427 or Don Valley Parkway (it's your choice): they all connect with Highway 401. Take the 401 to the Yonge St. Exit (Hwy # 11 on some maps), take it and go North for 6 stop lights and you're there. There is street-level and underground parking. Remember that your local AAA or CAA branch can supply you with a Triptik, Toronto Map & Ontario Road Map too! FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL US AT: >>>>>> <<<<<< >>>>>> 416-752-2744 <<<<<< >>>>>> or <<<<<< >>>>>> 416-225-5823 <<<<<< >>>>>> <<<<<< YOU MAY BOOK ADVANCE TICKETS & HOTELS, BY CALLING EITHER OF THE PHONE NUMBERS. PLEASE LEAVE A NAME A NUMBER WHEN YOU CALL. WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU VERY QUICKLY!! Call SOON .... THE BEST SHOW EVER ================== LLLLLLLLLLLL The MEMORIAL HALL Exhibition Facility is the LLLLLLLLLLLL perfect venue for an ATARI EXHIBITION. The Show LLLLLLLLLLLL will be spread out through 5 Exhibition and Seminar LLLLLLLLLLLL rooms, surrounding a central foyer. Show programs LLLLLLLLLLLL will be available on site. Call either of the LLLLLLLLLLLL numbers listed above for Advance Hotel Bookings LLLLLLLLLLLL (you must have a valid Visa, M/C or Amex card). LLLLLLLLLLLL ACE'95 IS RIGHT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF TORONTO! LLLLLLLLLLLL Toronto's famous Yonge Street Strip is right outside LLLLLLLLLLLL the door; there is endless shopping, theatres, LLLLLLLLLLLL movies, the CN Tower, the Science Center, the Royal LLLLLLLLLLLL Ontario Museum, galleries, restaurants (*lots* of LLLLLLLLLLLL restaurants!), and a whole lot more, in addition to LLLLLLLLLLLL the VERY BEST ATARI SHOPPING AT ACE '95!! ACE'95 ACE'95 ACE'95 * ACE'95 ACE'95 ACE'95 5110 YONGE ST. @ PARKHOME AVE NORTH YORK CIVIC CENTER MEMORIAL HALL MEETING & EXHIBITION CENTER TORONTO, ONTARIO CANADA Saturday April 1, 1995 - 9 AM to 6 PM Sunday April 2, 1995 - 9 AM to 5 PM CALL 416-752-2744 or 416-225-5823 FOR INFORMATION ~~~~ Howard Carson, Chief Organizer, ACE '95 ~~~~ ___________________________________________ JAGUAR SECTION ============== WCES Announcements From Atari! New Games Announced! Dragon Review! Rayman Rumors Dispelled! Battle Sphere News! Dorfman Ripped! > From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" As mentioned in my opening remarks, this hasn't been a great week for me. Spring-like weather, earthquakes, floods, and telephone companies - has anyone seen Chicken Little?!? We had planned to have at least one more Jaguar game review this week, but it will have to wait for our next issue. Since this week is not one of our major Jaguar-issue weeks, this will actually turn out okay. We were also planning to have Marty Mankins' WCES report for this week, but getting online to retrieve it has been impossible! We'll have it in an upcoming issue, for sure. So, before anything else happens, I'm going to wrap this week's editorial comments up real quickly and hope that I can get this week's issue off to Jacksonville with a minimal amount of trouble, and before the final deadline for the week runs out on me! Let's get on with the games! Until next time... > Jaguar Catalog STR InfoFile - What's currently available, what's """"""""""""""""""""""""""" coming out. Current Available Titles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER J9000 Cybermorph $59.99 Atari Corp. J9006 Evolution:Dino Dudes $49.99 Atari Corp. J9005 Raiden $49.99 FABTEK, Inc/Atari Corp. J9001 Trevor McFur/ Crescent Galaxy $49.99 Atari Corp. J9010 Tempest 2000 $59.95 Llamasoft/Atari Corp. J9028 Wolfenstein 3D $69.95 id/Atari Corp. JA100 Brutal Sports FtBall $69.95 Telegames J9008 Alien vs. Predator $69.99 Rebellion/Atari Corp. J9029 Doom $69.99 id/Atari Corp. J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $59.99 Atari Corp. J9003 Club Drive $59.99 Atari Corp. J9007 Checkered Flag $69.99 Atari Corp. J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Corp. J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Corp Bubsy $49.99 Atari Corp Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari Corp Val D'Isere Skiing $59.99 Atari Corp. Available Soon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER CatBox $69.95 ICD Cannon Fodder TBD Virgin Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Hardware and Peripherals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER J8001 Jaguar (complete) $249.99 Atari Corp. J8904 Composite Cable $19.95 J8901 Controller/Joypad $24.95 Atari Corp. J8905 S-Video Cable $19.95 Jaguar CD-ROM $149.99 Atari Corp. _________________________________ > Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Thanks to CIS Atari SysOp and STReport Jag-staffer Jeff Kovach, from CompuServe: ADDITIONAL GAME DESCRIPTIONS FOR 1995 JAGUAR RELEASES Battlemorph (CD) - Q1 '95 - Atari One of the most realistic 3-D shooter/explorer games to date, Battlemorph picks up where Cybermorph left off. This sequel will have more unique worlds, more elaborate missions, and both underwater regions and underground tunnels to explore. Players can use the various formations of the War Griffon to battle into enemy territory, using fighter, tank and amphibious forms to gain the edge over enemies. Battle Sphere - Q1 '95 - 4-Play 800 years into the future, the seven dominant races in the galaxy are in a constant state of war. Recently, these adversaries have agreed to confine their hostilities to a small sector of space known as the Battle Sphere. Players fly an assortment of ships, ranging from high speed fighters to near-indestructible capitol ships, to kill or be killed and conquer the galaxy. Blue Lightning (CD) - Q1 '95 - Atari Gamers pilot a chosen plane from a squadron of United Nations operatives as they fight to stop General Drako, the UN member turned terrorist. Players design flight plans and use their quick maneuvering skills to destroy key enemy locations and bases. Players also protect cargo planes and other UN planes transporting important government officials. Burnout - Q2 '95 - Virtual Experience The 64-bit motorcycle has arrived! Race against the computer, the clock or friends on eight different high-speed tracks. With a whopping 60 frames per second animation and CD-quality sound with 12 heart-thumping soundtracks from which to choose, this game is sure to keep players off their seats if they can keep their cycles on the track. Cannon Fodder - Q1 '95 - Virgin War may be hell, but this new title is heaven for gamers who enjoy realistic combat action and never ending challenges. Players negotiate arctic wastelands to find the scud missile factories, plow through the steamy jungle to protect the natives from advancing tanks and scourge the desert to track down the President's abandoned helicopter. Double Dragon V - Q1 '95 - Williams With 4 levels of game play, 10 different battle locations, 12 unique characters, and 15 different musical scores, Double Dragon V is much more than double your average fighting game. After reading characters' dossiers, players can customize game play, controls, and even their character's special attributes to create fighting machines never seen before on any platform. Fight for Life - Q1 '95 - Atari This 3-D fighting game is set in hell, with each character striving for the ultimate prize: the chance to gain redemption and live again. Players choose one fighter from among eight different characters. They then battle the remaining characters one-by-one and proceed to the final showdown with the end boss. As they defeat each opponent, players can select up to two of each character's five special moves, in effect creating their own truly unique fighting character. Flashback - Q1 '95 - US Gold Players take a 64-bit journey through alien worlds in the role of Conrad Hart in this award winning sci-fi action/adventure. As Hart, gamers seek their memory and attempt to foil an alien plot to dominate the earth. Hover Hunter - Q2 '95 - Hyper ImageProductions The age of limitless resources and vast armies is over. The battlefield now belongs to the elite; those with the speed, firepower, reflexes and intelligence to get the job done fast and done right. As pilot of a high-speed attack hovercraft, gamers man the most powerful tool utilized in this struggle for complete global domination. Hover Strike - Q1 '95 - Atari Players pilot a futuristic hover tank through a variety of 3-D texture mapped territories as they battle an army of enemy armored vehicles. At your disposal is rapid fire cannons, powerful missiles, an on-board radar and protective shields. This 3-D action is only available as a result of Jaguar's 64-bit technology. Off Road Rally - Q2 '95 - Time Warner Interactive To the victors go the spoils in this fast action, arcade style, 3-D racing game based on the World Rally Championships. Players race on dozens of courses with a variety of terrain and weather conditions to win thousands in prize money. Players spend their prize money on repair costs for their existing cars or buy a newer, faster car altogether. Phear - Q2 '95 - Atari With more than 65,000 screen colors and 70,000 polygons per second, Phear is the ultimate puzzle challenge. Players have a limited amount of time to place a hovering geometric shape completely on top of its double on the sphere. This 64-bit challenge promises to keep gamers busy for hours on end. Pinball Fantasies - Q1 '95 - 21st Century Go ahead, nudge the table a bit, Pinball Fantasies is that real! Players can choose from four different challenging pinball games with thousands of screen colors and stereo sound. This game will definitely save the pinball enthusiast a few quarters. Rayman - Q2 '95 - UBI Soft Rayman lives in a fantasy land beyond the reaches of the universe. The land is inhabited by Electoons who live a free and easy life controlled by the Great Proton. One day, the evil Mr. Black steals the Great Proton and Rayman's world becomes unbalanced and chaotic. In order to restore peace and harmony to his world, Rayman must defeat Mr. Black and retrieve the Great Proton. Sensible Soccer - Q1 '95 - Telegames Players kick, pass and even slide tackle their way to victory on fields with genuine player to field proportions and perspective in tournaments ranging from the Euro-Cup to the World Championship in the most addictive and playable soccer game available. Space War 2000 - Q1 '95 - Atari As a space knight, gamers vie for glory, honor, fame and fortune in this first-person perspective 3-D adventure. With the proceeds from each successful intergalactic joust, players can procure multiple weapons to defeat the enemy and have their name cast for eternity in "The High Score Table." Syndicate - Q1 '95 - Ocean A rival Syndicate has gained full control of the population via a mind-altering techno drug known as CHIP. Gamers play an ambitious executive in the Syndicate, hand-picked to lead a team of CHIP-induced Cyborg mercenaries on a quest to infiltrate and seize opposing Syndicate territories. This award-winning PC smash comes alive with the 64-bit technology of Jaguar. Theme Park - Q1 '95 - Ocean As designer/builder/operator of Theme Park, players construct the world's greatest amusement park. You choose the land, hire the staff, build the rides, operate the food stands and novelty shops... even monitor the day-to-day activities and customers' reactions to the spectacular 27 rides. But make your decisions wisely. You wouldn't want your customers throwing crab cakes and busting tables at Long John Roger's Fish Stick Emporium. Troy Aikman NFL Football - Q1 '95 - Williams It's only appropriate that the best player in football have his own video game on a system with the best technology available. Player(s) choose among all 28 NFL teams, three season modes, three difficulty levels, 54 offensive and 27 defensive configurations, six field options, variable quarter lengths and more. The 64-bit technology of Jaguar assures gamers the most sophisticated graphics and game play available in a football-style video game. Ultra Vortex - Q1 '95 - Beyond Games Players become one of ten eye-popping, bone-crunching warriors of the underground who battle it out in mind-bending arenas carved from the living rock, with one goal in mind: Defeat the dreaded Guardian of the Vortex. This game features a "lock-out" code to limit violence within game play. Val d'Isere Skiing and Snowboarding - Available Now - Atari Cut the slopes on some of the steepest mountainsides on earth! Val d'Isere Skiing & Snowboarding is a wild winter challenge where speed is guaranteed. Train and compete on the slopes of France's world famous Val d'Isere Ski Resort. White Men Can't Jump - Q1 '95 - TriMark Trash talk runs rampant on this in-your-face, two-on-two, blacktop basketball shootout. Automatic camera control zooms in and swings around to catch all the action in the fast-paced, hard playing new sports game for the 64-bit Atari Jaguar. Other titles scheduled for release in the first half of 1995 include the following: Game Title Game Category Publisher ---------- ------------- --------- Air Cars Racing/Combat Midnight Entertainment Arena Football Sports V Real Assault Action/Combat Midnight Entertainment Baldy (CD) Action Adventure Atari Battle Wheels Racing/Combat Beyond Games Brett Hull Hockey (CD) Sports Atari Casino Royale Gambling Telegames CD League Bowling (CD) Sports V Real Charles Barkley Basketball Sports Atari Commando Action/Combat Atari Creature Shock (CD) Adventure/Sci-Fi Atari/Virgin Dactyl Joust Action Atari Demolition Man (CD) Action/Combat Atari Dragon's Lair (CD) Adventure Ready Soft Flip Out Puzzle Atari Freelancer 2120 (CD) Adventure/Sci-Fi Atari Galactic Gladiators Space/Combat Photosurrealism Graham Gooch Cricket Sports Telegames Hammerhead Flying/Sci-Fi Atari Hardball Baseball Sports Atari Highlander (CD) Action/Adventure Atari Jack Nicklaus Golf (CD) Sports Atari James Pond 3 Action/Adventure Telegames Legions of the Undead Role Play/Adventure Atari Redemption (CD) Adventure Atari Robinson's Requiem Adventure Atari Ruiner Pinball Arcade Atari Soccer Kid Sports Ocean Soul Star (CD) Action/Sci-Fi Atari Space Ace (CD) Space/Combat Ready Soft Tiny Toons Action/Adventure Atari Ultimate Brain Games Puzzle Telegames Vid Grid (CD) Puzzle/Music Video Atari Zodiac Fighters Combat V-Real ### Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Other products named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies. _________________________________________ > STReport Jaguar Game Review: "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" -= Available Now =- Developed by: Virgin Interactive Published by: Atari Corp. Sugg. Retail Price: $59.95 Ease of Play: Average/Difficult by Marty Mankins The age old battle of fighting games reining for the top rank is something that has been going on for years in the video game market. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is another entry in the karate expert vs. tough dude that leaves Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter a the top, but provides a good challenge to those of us who didn't have the expertise of video game fighting. GAME OVERVIEW Dragon is a game of many challenges, screens, modes and fighters. You are Bruce Lee, greatest karate expert of all time (so they say!). You can fight a number of people in a "story-like" environment, moving onto the next "scene" after you beat the pants off your opponent. You can play the computer (1 player) or if you have a second controller attached, you can play your favorite enemy (or friend). You have several choices for choosing a game. For single players, you can play in a story or in a battle. The difference between the two modes is with the story, you move on to different areas of the world and in various locations to fight people. In Battle mode, you go one on one with different meanies, but with the option of picking where you want to fight. This mode has the famous "Enter The Dragon" scene, for those of you who are Bruce Lee movie buffs. You also have a set of options that can make game play very exciting, changing the way the game plays, how fast it moves and so forth. The difficulty level has Piece of Cake, Easy, Normal, Tough and Arcade. All modes are pretty hard for the first few times playing the game, but Arcade is simply insane. I suggest this is a mode to frustrate your friends for their first time playing Dragon (or after you've played it enough hours and get really good). Next option is speed. You have three choices: Normal, Turbo and Manic! A really challenge is Arcade mode and Manic! speed. Makes you feel like an old timer! Sound can be turned off or you can select several selections of just effects, just music or both music and effects. A fun feature is the ability to go through all 33 sounds in this game. This could come in handy for recording your own sounds (those of you with Macintoshs or Windows PCs with sound boards) and having them as your error beep. Once you set all of the game play options you want, you are ready to start. I would suggest playing several of your first games in battle mode in the alleyway. This is one of the easiest modes and the person can be easily beat, as long as you keep moving and learn all of the moves. I use a combination of jumping (up on the joypad) and hitting the 'A' or 'C' button. You can also duck (down on the joypad) and can hit 'A', 'B', or 'C' buttons to add a kick, punch or flip to your fighting action. DIFFERENT MODES When in Battle mode, you play without scoring any points. But you do get a chance to rack up what's called chi. This is where you make key hits and execute key moves on the other player, to the point of where it can hurt them really bad, but in a way that it is done well. For some reason, the computer player knows all the moves and can rack up a serious amount of chi, making me look like some fool, moving around with no shirt on. But, after reading the manual a bit and then playing a few more games, I was able to get my chi level above the half way mark. And, watch for the bonus rounds, where you get to test your skill of hitting the pads on the dummy fighter. The more pads you hit, the faster the sticks will turn (which are attached to the dummy fighter). If you are good, you will get more chi to help you throughout the rest of the game. The Story mode takes you to many different areas and fighting all sorts of bad dudes. The first is Lantern Festival 1961. This takes place in Hong Kong and you get to fight a mean old sailor who loves to kick your butt in front of dozens of people. He has a favorite move that will get you the first several times. He loves to duck, making it harder for you to use your high kicks (hitting the 'A' button). He also has a chain that he can injure you with pretty bad. And if you get in the wrong spot, he'll wrap the chain around your neck and throw you to the ground. The next chapter to this story is the kitchen. Here you fight a knife-happy ninja that can slice you up pretty bad. But to throw a twist in the game, you may suddenly jump to the alley where another fighter who is meaner, but not as bright, will come to help Mr. Ginsu is his quest to make you ready for dinner! Fighting two meanies is really hard, but it can be done. Moving on to Seattle to the University Gym where you get to fight Scott, a very tough competitor. He has a spin kick that will catch you off guard. And no, you can't reach for the rings above you to grab hold and lift you up to a safe zone, although it would be neat if you could. Other scenes move you to Oakland (another gym), back to Hong Kong (a film studio), Bruce's old school, Long Beach Stadium, Thailand, the "Enter The Dragon" film set in Hong Kong and the graveyard, where the phantom comes to flight you with his deadly Kwondon sword. For what's it's worth, you get to fight the phantom after you lose a round in either battle or story mode (hint: you don't last too long so try to stay away until you know you can get a good shot). The story mode gives you points and will reward you with bonus points for each story you finish. The number of points you get depends on how well you did and how much energy you have left over at the end of the round. SOME DISLIKES Adding items to my Dragon Wish List, there were several times while fighting that the responses to the keypad and button combinations would be a tad slow in making their move. Also, when you get into a corner, the computer player has the advantage unless you have not moved for a split second can move your player out of a danger zone. While most of the game was good, this area does need some improvement. I have seen other games where the players flash a lot when in motion to the point of being very frustrating. This did not happen in most of the game play, but I did notice a few spots where the players flashed and disappeared for a brief "flash". There could have also been some better sound effects during some of the stories. The sound appeared to repeat itself more often than it should have, forcing me to turn off the sounds after an hour or two of game play. The manual needed just a few more details, but it was good for the most part. Controlling the players was good, but there could have been some tighter execution when jumping and moving about. The overall entertainment value of Dragon is good and I would say it could make a good amount of game players happy, until something better comes out! CONCLUSION Dragon may not be for everyone, but it has found a home here. It's very challenging, regardless of it's few shortcomings. While it may not be the best fighting game out there, it does offer a considerable amount of levels and options to challenge the intermediate fighter into many months of battles. Graphics: 8.5 Sound FX/Music: 7.0 Control: 7.0 Manual: 7.5 Entertainment: 7.0 Reviewer's Overall: 7.5 > Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! """""""""""""""""""""""""" From Compuserve's Atari Gaming Forums: Sb: Battle Sphere Description Fm: Ken B. Moyers 75017,2700 To: all I found this in the Jaguar Homepage on the Internet and thought some of you might be interested. I will try some time soon to also get the screen shots and put them out here. Ken _____________________________________________ Battle Sphere Description 1/13/95 @1994, 1995 4Play 800 years in the future, the 7 dominant races of the galaxy are at war. Stealing a plot idea from an ancient Star Trek episode, they have agreed to confine their hostilities to Sector 51, a spherical sector of space formerly used by the Earth government to secretly test new weapons and starships. Each race has sent its best soldiers and military hardware to participate in a tournament of space battles in this Battle Sphere. The race that wins the tournament will be given control of the galaxy. The Races: The Oppressors resemble the human race's concept of demons and it is believed that Earth legends of demons were caused by the arrival of an Oppressor strike force that was somehow destroyed soon after it reached the planet. They once controlled 80% of the known galaxy but have been slowly losing their hold as they encounter one disaster after another. The Oppressors will do anything to regain their former hold on the galaxy. The Se'Bab were an all-female slave race of the Oppressors until the sudden arrival of the Telchines 50 years ago weakened their hold leading to a brutal rebellion and double blow to the Oppressors which destroyed half of their empire. The Se'Bab were bred for beauty and obedience. This has translated into extreme xenophobia towards all other races and extremely aggressive, almost suicidal battle tactics. The Se'Bab bare one breast at all times in defiance of male power. The Telchines appeared 50 years ago and are presumed to originate from a neighboring galaxy. Their advanced craft brutally vaporized a section of the Oppressor's empire which indirectly triggered the rebellion that freed the Se'Bab from their Oppressor masters. The Telchines do everything in threes and are obsessed with the 5 Platonic solids. Their ships have threefold symmetry. No one has ever seen a Telchine and lived. They appear to be transforming space around their Empire. The Slith are lizard-like beings whose ships seem to be alive. They also have the greatest repair capacity of any race. Never leave one of their ships for dead, it isn't. They are rumored to devour their prisoners after interrogation. Their capitol ships resemble giant writhing snakes and lizards, and can reproduce if sufficient resources are supplied. Their weapons are tailored to achieving the paralysis and capture of other ships for this purpose rather than simply destroying them. The Smg'Heed are the last surviving descendants of the human race, mostly wiped out by a scourge of retro-viruses and accumulated debt from placing their entire GPP into developing absurdly powerful weapons. As a result, their ships are based on modified 20th century technology, have lousy maneuverability, but do incredible damage if they manage to hit anything. The other races decided to include them in the tournament mostly on the fear that they'd activate one of their many budget-busting Doomsday Devices had they not done so. The Ocatanut are a feline race that follow the Slith wherever they go. An uneasy alliance exists between them, but it has been suspended for the sake of the tournament. There is the general belief that there will be some form of power-sharing between them if either race wins the tournament. The Ocatanut focus on stealth and speed to overcome their enemies. Frequently, they will then share their kills with the Slith. The Thunderbirds are the sworn enemies of the Ocatanut and the Slith. They are hawk-like predators who blend speed and firepower in their ships. They are obsessed with Coup de'tat-like behavior and tend to make a great show of any kill, making sure their victim knows who it was who has beaten them. It is believed that the Se'Bab and the Thunderbirds have been sharing technology. Gameplay: Battle Sphere is everything we (Doug Engel and myself) have wished for in space battle games, but haven't seen since the industry seems intent on continually cloning Wing Commander in one form or another. We personally cut our teeth on Star Raiders and consider it to be the best Space Battle game ever done (TIE Fighter is our favorite Wing Commander clone)... Accordingly, Battle Sphere has the play mechanics of Star Raiders with 16 bit graphics along the lines of TIE Fighter. There are 4 play modes: 1. Arena: 1-8 player Street Fighter II in Space. Players select any ship they desire and head into a variety of arenas where the object is to kill every other player (or every other player on the opposing team)for points which can be utilized to improve the functionality of their ships. The resulting ship can be saved for future use. This is also similar to a space-based version of Sega's Wing Wars I suppose. 2. Gauntlet: Single player or multiplayer cooperative 3D Missile Command. The players are given 6 starbases to defend against waves of incoming enemy fighters, bombers, capitol ships and strange things until all starbases are destroyed. Periodically, a destroyed starbase will be replaced. 3. Alone Against the Empires: A single or multiplayer cooperative game similar to Star Raiders. The Battle Sphere is broken up into 64 or so spherical sectors. Some of those sectors, close to the center, contain starbases. The outer sectors contain armadas of enemy ships, enemy starbases, and random strange things (all depending on the skill level). Play proceeds as the enemy ships head for the center of the Battle Sphere in order to destroy the starbases. Enemy reinforcements will arrive at the edge of the Battle Sphere as long as there are enemy starbases. Play continues until 1) All friendly starbases have been destroyed (you lose) or 2) All enemy forces have been eliminated (you win). 4. Network: 2-8 player Netrek meets TIE Fighter. Two alien races at a time are placed in the Battle Sphere with a number of starbases and capitol ships. The object of the game is to destroy all of enemy capitol ships and starbases before an adjustable time limit runs out. Failing this, the team that caused the most damage against its enemy wins. This proceeds until all alien races have fought in the Battle Sphere and the winning race is granted control of the galaxy. Miscellaneous: Current Framerate is 25-30 fps although we can get it down to 1 fps if we stack 10 starbases on top of one another and get up close and personal, gee we must suck, eh? Anyone who played our demo at the WCES will testify that we're pretty smooth, even better than TIE Fighter on a 486 at this point. All of our ships are gouraud shaded, many don't even look like polygon models. Texture mapping is being used sparingly to provide detail on top of the gouraud shading, a technique we're calling "Decal-Mapping". Look for more and more of it as the game progresses. See who can count the most homages to other computer games and SF movies and series... The winner is a total nerd, worse than we are probably... The one thing we absolutely despise about Wing Commander is the huge cockpits with the cute joystick which leaves an absolutely tiny viewing area. Our cockpit designs are minimal and we are placing most tactical information in HUDs. This way, if one turns off the cockpit view, no important information is lost. At least they finally fixed this in WC3! Progress Report: All background engines are finished, as is the flight engine, we are currently working on explosions to top Iron Soldier's. Projected release is 2Q '95. The long haul continues. 4Play: Douglas Engel: Sound and music engine, cool intro, artwork, and ship design Tom Harker: All that annoying CEO stuff, and the CatBox, critic Scott LeGrand: Graphics and game programming, game design Stephanie Wukovitz: Music Acknowledgments: This game was not designed in a vacuum. Many people have provided hints and ideas as well as denounced certain of our ideas as plain stupid. Here's an incomplete list, sure to grow: Ralph Barbagiallo: For fixing an absolutely horrible-sounding MOD Jer Horwitz: For not being afraid to speak his mind about our ideas Tim Wilson: The man behind our configurable radar scheme Various competitive system fanatics: Keep it up, your stuff's hilarious! After all, we all know that the JAG SUX! Sb: #Ubi Soft on Rayman Fm: Frank Slater 100072,661 To: all I come into this Forum about once a month to see what people are talking about concerning Jaguar ... and I see that today they're talking about us! Here's the real story right from the source: Rayman is NOT out yet, we are sorry to say, on any format in any country. That was the bad news. The good news is Rayman is coming soon to a Jaguar near you - - before it comes to any other system. Expect to be playing one of the most graphically eye-popping, amazingly fun and challenging platform games ever made by June. Rayman is also being developed for other next-generation systems including the PSX and the Saturn, for a summer 1995 release in Japan and release in the rest of the world as soon as those systems become available outside of the land of the rising sun. There is a PSX demo version out in Japan right now, perhaps this is where some of the confusion came from. Hope this clears things up some. Frank Slater Ubi Soft France Rayman for Jaguar was initially planned as a 16 megabit (2 MB) game. It will be released as a 32 megabit (4 MB) game. I hope this answers your question! Frank Slater Ubi Soft Dorfman Gets His "Come-Uppance"!! From the Internet: Dorkman snubbed!!! From: Corey Liu Date: 18 Jan 1995 19:41:26 GMT Got the following from a friend whose news poster is screwy at the moment. This post is marginally related to Atari stuff, if at all... But, we thought it would be fun for this group to see. -----Start Forwarded Message-------------------------------- I think this was Friday, Jan. 13, 1995. Front page of the Business section (inside Sports) of the San Jose Mercury News. ------------------- Coke Decides Dorfman isn't the Real Thing Glenn Collins, New York Times Does Dan Dorfman have a clue? Coca-Cola doesn't think so. Dorfman, a financial correspondent for the CNBC cable channel, reported Friday that Coca-Cola Co. wanted to make a $60-a-share offer for Quaker Oats Co. Dorfman said there were "rumors" that Coca-Cola had suggested the takeover to its biggest stockholder, financier Warren E. Buffett, and Buffett supposedly gave his blessing. But after Quaker Oats rejected a friendly offer, Dorfman said, Coca-Cola began to consider a hostile bid. Quaker Oats [sic] shares jumped $4.50 to $36.13 on the New York Stock Exchange. Coca-Cola remained unchanged at $49.75. The report also struck a nerve at normally courteous Coca-Cola. The company issued a terse news release that must be one of the most blunt, and most colloquial, communiques from a Fortune 500 company in recent memory. The statement said: "It is the policy of the Coca-Cola Co. not to comment on rumors about acquisitions or divestitures. That remains our policy. However, today we would like to elaborate on our statement and observe that Dan Dorfman does not have a clue." Quaker Oats and Buffett issued less colorful no-comments. Dorfman, who is also a senior writer at money magazine, explained that Friday, for the third time in two weeks, he had heard the rumor, "and I didn't run with it the first or the second time." He added that he asked Coca-Cola, Quaker Oats and Buffett for comment, but they had declined. Coca-Cola had no further comment on Dorfman's comment about Coca-Cola's comment. ----- End Forwarded Message ----- "Dan Dorfman does not have a clue." Bwa ha! Seems I've heard similar comments before... Where was that? Hmmmmmm.... :-) :-) :-) --Corey """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > A "Quotable Quote" Of the "Goose and the Gander"... """"""""""""""""" "NEWT" cries loudly about "The Delay Tactics of the Democrats"!! "NEWT" forgets... it WAS HE and the REPUBLICANS who... TAUGHT the Democrats _all about_ GRIDLOCK! "NEWT'S A BEAUT!!" 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