@database AEM104.guide @$ver AEM 1.04 @node main "Amiga Entertainment Monthly, Vol. 1, No. 4 - October 10, 1994" Amiga Entertainment Monthly --------------------------- The MONTHLY information source for the Amiga gamer! --------------------------- Vol. 1, Issue 4 - October 10, 1994 Table of Contents: @{" The Front Page " link front} @{" New Game Reviews " link reviews} @{" Amiga News/Stuff " link anews} @{" The Back Page " link back} ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This issue: Reviews of Wild Cup Soccer (Amiga), Overkill/Lunar C (CD남), Deluxe Galaga (Amiga) UFO: Enemy Unknown (CD남), Simon the Sorceror (CD남) Gary Stimpson's Complete CD남 Gamelist More news on the Commodore Buyout ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (c) 1994 Sean Caszatt All Rights Reserved Although freely distributable, no part of this electronic publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the copyright holder. @ENDNODE @NODE FRONT "Welcome!" The Front Page @{" Editorial Column " link edit} - The C= Battlefield @{" The Serial Port " link mail} - Mail from the Readers! @{" The Bulletin Board " link corr} - Corrections/Comments @{" How to Reach Us " link addr} - How to contact us @ENDNODE @NODE edit "Editorial Page" Well, it's nearly the middle of October and the Commodore situation STILL hasn't been resolved. Creative Equipment and Commodore UK, the only remaining warriors on the now lonely battlefield, both seem confident that they have won the bidding war for the control of the single best home computer ever produced. As they wait for the almighty Supreme Court of the Bahamas to declare a victor, the frustration grows amongst the loyal followers of the Amiga. One by one, Amiga software and hardware producers are scaling back production and distribution of Amiga products. Amiga vendors are becoming more and more scarce. Tales of making a trek to the local Amiga dealer, only to find them closed for good, are becoming more common everyday. Rumors abound that some of those that promised unwavering support for the Amiga at the beginning of this long battle are now reconsidering their position or that their position is killing them financially. The loyal following are so starved for news and hard facts that they swamped AmigaWorld's 1-800 information line and forced them to take the line down due to the cost. And still...the wait continues. The Amiga, who's reputation amongst videographers and producers is highly regarded, remains in extremely high demand although no new Amigas have been produced for over six months and the supply is exhausted. Those that have Amigas to sell demand top dollar for their stash. The Video Flyer, the highly anticipated non-linear editing system for the hugely successful Video Toaster, is still scheduled to be released this fall despite a lack of growth potential due to the lack of new machines. As a game machine, the Amiga has begun to show cracks in the armor. The CD남, the machine with so much potential when it was announced in 1993, has been written off as "dust" by video game magazines in the United States and the UK. The AGA chipset, which breathed new life into the Amiga's graphics and made the CD남 possible, has not been utilized anywhere near it's potential. The games that are being released are tired rehashes of the same games from earlier in the year. Sound depressing? It is. Is there hope? I'd like to smile and say, "Sure, there's hope. There's a rainbow just over the horizon." I can't say that with any certainty. However, there are some signs that things may be looking up. I'm not sure if it's a long term thing, but it is a little relief. First, both Commodore UK and CEI seem willing to work together no matter who actually ends up holding the reins of the company. This should help avoid any of the situations that were present with the old regime at the helm, like the CEO not knowing what machines were in demand. Second, some really good games are on the slate for the Christmas season. Big titles from Electronic Arts and Microprose to name a few. Titles like MUTANT LEAGUE HOCKEY, JUNGLE STRIKE, MEGARACE, PGA EUROPEAN TOUR GOLF, UFO: ENEMY UNKNOWN and, finally, TFX. I've thought long and hard about the future of this newsletter. Sometimes, I'd like to just quit and give myself back some free time. Then, something clicks in my brain (usually after using a DOS or Windows based machine) and I get excited about it and hope someone appreciates it as much as I enjoy doing it. So, don't worry, Amiga Entertainment Monthly is NOT going to disappear. It might get lean if new titles don't appear as scheduled or continue to appear as slowly as they have recently, but it WILL continue to appear every month. You may have noticed that this issue is a bit late. I apologize for that. It's not because of a lack of material. (This issue is the biggest yet.) I had been delaying the release as long as I could to include some new news about the Commodore situation. That, and getting some new software to be reviewed became difficult because the distributor I get games from went belly-up, caused the issue to go way past its usual deadline. My apologies to the distribution sites and the readers. More reviews will appear next issue. (I got a bunch of new titles in on the day this issue was released. The reviews are already being worked on. Next issue will not only be full of new reviews, it will also be on time!) Please remember that all Internet mail for the magazine should be directed to the following Internet address: sean.caszatt@f512.n2601.z1.fidonet.org I cannot call Delphi to get mail on a regular basis anymore, so addressing the mail to the FIDONET.ORG address will get the message directly to me. (Plus, it will receive a faster reply.) Until next month, have fun with your Amiga! Sean Caszatt, editor & founder of Amiga Entertainment Monthly Click here for @{"electronic addresses." link ADDR} @ENDNODE @NODE MAIL "The Serial Port - Mail from our readers!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Dave Matthews - "david.matthews@oaminet.omahug.org" Sean- Just got Amiga Entertainment Monthly. Good Job. I especially enjoyed the honest reviews, though I wish you had more really good games to review. One minor improvement would be to have the reviewers name right up at the top of the article. I always like to know whose work I am reading. Not that guessing isn't fun, with AEM's giant staff of writers! :-) Well, here's hoping the Amiga lives on. Keep up the good work. Dave Matthews Editroid Micro Guerrilla News 1006 West 2nd Street McCook NE 69001 E-Mail: David.Matthews@oaminet.omahug.org [Sean replies: Thanks! I review whatever games I can get ahold of and find the time to review completely. There's no real point in me reviewing a game that I haven't played enough to really know what I'm talking about. If there's a game you'd like to see a review of, let me know and I'll do the best I can to get a review done for it. Actually, the reviewer's name IS at the top of every _contributed_ review. If there's no name, that's because I wrote the review. We don't exactly have a "giant" staff, so there's not a lot of contributed stuff anyway.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- @ENDNODE @NODE ADDR "How to Contact Us" We can be contacted via the following means: FIDONet Netmail: 1:2601/512 (Sean Caszatt) BBS Number: (412) 962-1590 Internet: Sean.Caszatt@f512.n2601.z1.fidonet.org (preferred address) CASZATT@DELPHI.COM (Please note the change of the preferred address to the FIDONET.ORG address. This gets your message directly to me and I can respond faster.) Compuserve: 72143,521 Or good old Snail Mail: 2978 Ford Avenue Sharpsville, PA 16150 @ENDNODE @NODE CORR "The Bulletin Board" The Bulletin Board ------------------ @{" Thank You! " link thanks} - Our way of saying thanks! @{" Whoops!!! " link errors} - The board of corrections. @{" Credits " link credits} - Informational stuff @ENDNODE @NODE THANKS "Thanks and Kudos!" Thanks to all the readers that keep reading this newsletter every month. We seem to be getting quite a following. Keep supporting the Amiga and we'll do the same! We had planned a contest in this issue that'll be a sort of "thank you" to all the readers. However, that is going to have to be delayed at least another issue until we can come up with a good idea for a contest that's not too easy but enjoyable and fair. Have any ideas? Send them to us! @ENDNODE @NODE ERRORS "Whoops! We goofed." No major errors last month! Wow! However, a few minor problems cropped up and I was unable to obtain copies of Detroit or Dream Weaver in time to review completely for this issue. @ENDNODE @NODE CREDITS "Credits" Amiga Entertainment Monthly Staff --------------------------------- Founder & Editor: Sean Caszatt This issues's contributors: -------------------------- Gary Stimpson Marc Buhmann Nyle Landas Asha Develder Would you like to write for Amiga Entertainment Monthly? If so, send a letter to this Internet address: sean.caszatt.f512.n2601.z1.fidonet.org and we'll send you our writer's guide. This will explain exactly how to write a review or article for the newsletter. This newsletter is created and written on an Amiga 3000T/030/25 MHz with two CD-ROM drives, a US Robotics Sportster 14.4K Fax Modem, and an Archive Viper tape drive. Software used: MEmacs, the editor supplied with every Amiga. It's SIMPLY the best. I've tried others, but only MEmacs works for me. Hey, at least I don't use ED! Guide2Doc, by Bernd Koesling, is used to produce the ASCII/ANSI version of the newsletter. Thanks Koessi! BadLinks, by Roger Nedel, is used to test the links in the Amigaguide version of the newsletter. Thanks, Roger! @ENDNODE @NODE REVIEWS "GAME REVIEWS" GAME REVIEWS @{" UFO: Enemy Unknown " link GAME1} - X-COM? UFO DEFENSE? Yes! @{" Deluxe Galaga " link GAME4} - A shareware review! @{" Quick Capsule Reviews " link GAME5} - Games at a glance @{" Previously Reviewed... " link PREV} - Previous Reviews @{" Ratings Explanation " link RATINGS} - How we rate the games. @ENDNODE @NODE GAME1 "UFO: ENEMY UNKNOWN Review" UFO: ENEMY UNKNOWN System: CD남 My first contact with this title was (gasp!) on the PC. I received a playable demo of a game called X-COM: UFO DEFENSE and, after playing it once, tossed it aside. At the time, there was little known about an Amiga version of the game. I believe a contributing factor to the confusion is the fact that the US version is called X-COM: UFO DEFENSE and the European version is called UFO: ENEMY UNKNOWN. Why the change? I don't know. (Remember how the US version of ANOTHER WORLD was called OUT OF THIS WORLD?) The Amiga version is from Microprose's European division, so the Amiga version will always be called UFO: ENEMY UNKNOWN. Either way, I wasn't too excited about this game based on my experience with the demo. I began hearing a lot about how addictive this game was from PC owners. Amiga owners were beginning to get restless; they wanted the Amiga version. I still didn't understand why. An Amiga version still is M.I.A., but a CD남 version appeared and I figured I'd better take a fresh look at this game to see what all the buzzing was about. Boy, have I been missing out! The demo of the PC version was just a small part of the game and didn't really give me any idea on the scope of the game. The whole premise of the game is that you are in control of X-Com, an anti-alien defense squad that is funded by the world's governments. It is your duty to protect the Earth from an alarming number of alien craft that have been buzzing the planet. Beginning with the barest essentials, you must defeat alien ships by knocking them out of the sky, racing to their crash sites and stealing technology and weapons from the surviving aliens to use against them later. All the while, you must keep in close contact with the governments of the world to keep your funding in order. The whole game is really a series of sub-games. The scenario of building the X-Com bases has elements of DUNE II and the alien crash site sequences are similar to SABRE TEAM. (These similarites are not at all a problem, they actually help lend some familiarity to the game.) It's hard to explain why, but the game is extremely addicting. Maybe it's the fact that you're given so much to do. The game blends a giant heap of strategy with just enough action to keep it from ever getting boring. The game includes a tutorial on how the basic functions work, so you'll get the hang of things right away. (Although, I didn't use the tutorial...I just jumped right in, started playing and never got lost.) My only gripes about the game are minor. First, the disc access times are relatively slow. It takes a little while to move from one scenario to the other. Second, the packaging is kind of cheap. Even though the game comes in a big box, the CD is in a paper envelope rather than a jewel box (Microprose's long box packaging, like those for IMPOSSIBLE MISSION 2025 and GUNSHIP 2000 would have been much nicer.) It's games like this (especially now, with game releases of any significance for the Amiga and CD남 becoming fewer and farther between) that make me happy I own a CD남. It's fun, intelligent and challenging: everything a good game should be. Highly recommended. @{"Ratings:" link RATINGS} Graphics: 85% Manufacturer: Gameplay: 95% Microprose Ltd. Control: 95% The Ridge, Chipping Sodbury Sound: 85% Avon BS17 6AY UK OVERALL RATING: 91% Video Mode: NTSC @ENDNODE @NODE GAME4 "Deluxe Galaga Review by Marc Buhmann" DELUXE GALAGA SYSTEM: Amiga 500 or higher HARD DRIVE INSTALLABLE: Yes MEMORY REQUIRED: 1 MB or higher CONTROLLER: Joystick Workbench 1.3/2.x/3.x compatible "Deluxe Galaga" a vertical space shoot 'em up arcade game. This is the newest version, updated from version 2.2 on September 21, 1994. Actually, I think this is the newest verison since I haven't seen anything newer out. I'm not one who gets into shoot 'em up arcade games. Mainly for the fact that I suck at them. But when I saw this game getting great comments from fellow Amiga users on Fidonet, I decided I'd try and find to see what all the hype was about. Well, after over a month of searching, I found this version (as stated above, newest version me thinks =-). I quickly downloaded (about 5 minutes with 14,400 bps) it and decompressed it. After scanning through the documentation that came with it, I was ready to load up the game and play it. The first thing that pops up (or should unless someone has set the prefs already in which case you may want to delete them if you're not using their standard computer setup) is a preference screen. You get to choose the screen mode (NTSC or PAL), the processor (68000, 68020, 68030/40), and when the game should save the high score (during the game or on exit of the game). After you set it up to your liking, it saves that way in a prefs file. When you have it set up the way you want, just click on the 'OK' button and the game loads up. The game is the standard shoot the bad guys and advance in levels. As stated before, I usually don't get into this type of game. But I was impressed with this game. Unlike a lot of other shoot 'em up games, "Deluxe Galaga" does not put all its efforts into the graphics and leave the play ability alone to suck. The graphics are good but could be better, but all this is explained in the docs. Basically he wanted a game which put all efforts to the play ability and not so much on graphics (am I repeating myself???). Anyways the evil ships come at you and you shoot them and advance levels. One thing I've never seen in a PD/SHAREWARE game like this is the ability to buy add-ons to your ship. After every forth level you can buy new things for your ship which is kind of nice. That's about it for the review of the game, now lets get on with the LIKES and DISLIKES. LIKES AND DISLIKES One thing that I like is you can play the game either from floppy or from the hard drive... your choice. If you want to make the disk bootable so the game starts when you put the disk in the drive, there are instructions on how to do this in the docs. I know of one version out there that has this ability already put in. I guess the uploader wanted to go that extra step to help his fellow Amiga users =-). Unfortunately, that version is in a .DMS compression and it is located on Delphi. Another thing I like is how easy it is to configure. All of it is from the main screen when you first start the game. There are a few things (like adding random Protracker modules to the game) where you have to actually do some work, but nothing the most computer illiterate user couldn't figure out. The documentation is well written and makes everything in the game clear. I wish most docs were like this. One of the final LIKES about this game is that you can use the CD남 controller (if you have one). Though it doesn't use any of the buttons except the red fire button, it does make the play ability a little better. Lastly, the thing I like most is... THE GAME MAY GO AGA!!! The author hasn't decided yet, but is considering it. Really, the only dislike I have about the game is the fact that the sound reminds me of the sound capability in the "ancient" IBM's. Now this may be a cruel thing to say, but that was the first impression I recieved. Other players of this game my feel totally different. PLEAS Edgar W. Vigdal has released this game (Deluxe Galaga v2.3) as SHAREWARE. When you download the game, you get the full blown working version (at least, that's what it appears). The only request is you send him $10US dollars, �5 England pounds, or 150 NOK (what the...?). @{"Ratings:" link ratings} Graphics : 80% Sound : 70% Gameplay : 94% Control : 85% OVERALL RATING: 87% Video Mode: PAL/NTSC (Switchable) ABOUT REVIEWER I hope I didn't offend anyone by saying something. I don't think I did, but it's always a possibility. I have written a few reviews for Amiga Report ("Beneath A Steel Sky" and the PD game "Colonial Conquest") and more recently Amiga Entertainment Monthly (the complete walkthru for "The Labyrinth of Time" (with the help of Bruce Buhmann)). This review is Copyright � 1994 by Marc Buhmann (me!). You are free to pass this around all you want as long as no change is made to the file, especially the copyrights to Edgar M. Vigdal for "Deluxe Galaga" and me for this review. Marc Buhmann is reachable via the Internet at wl-unreal-wow@society.com @ENDNODE @NODE GAME5 "Quick Capsule Reviews" This is a quick glance at some games I had a chance to play for a bit, but didn't get a chance to do a complete review of: OVERKILL/LUNAR C - (CD남) Oh, wow! Two games on one disk. That might sound good, but once you realize that instead of getting one good CD-ROM based game with excellent sound and graphics you're getting two semi-mediocre Amiga ports with iffy graphics and somewhat sloppy game play. OVERKILL is a DEFENDER clone with some nice graphic touches, but it lacks the "feel" of the original game. LUNAR C is a way-too-easy shooter game that might be good for kids, but real gamers will want to avoid. OVERALL RATING: 65% Video Mode: PAL WILD CUP SOCCER - (Amiga) Continuing the Brutal Sports series of games that began with BRUTAL FOOTBALL, WILD CUP SOCCER attempts to make soccer brutal. It works to a point but is nowhere near as fun or exciting to play as the original game. Soccer with over-the-top creatures with violent tendencies just didn't work for me. The rather odd control response didn't help the playability factor much. It's fun, but, if you don't have BRUTAL FOOTBALL, you'd be better off hunting that title down. (Plus, BRUTAL FOOTBALL is available in ECS, AGA and CD32 versions while WILD CUP is available only in an ECS version.) OVERALL RATING: 70% Video Mode: PAL SIMON THE SORCERER - (CD남) The CD남 version of the extremely popular graphic adventure uses the CD남's CD audio capability to bring the game to life. Using actors' voices, the characters in SIMON become much more engaging. Unfortunately, the game hasn't changed much at all and a few new animations and a new soundtrack will probably not attract those that have already enjoyed the game on the Amiga. As a game itself, SIMON CD남 is great fun. It's just too bad that it can't be enjoyed as a totally new experience for everyone. OVERALL RATING: 85% Video Mode: PAL @ENDNODE @NODE PREV "Previously Reviewed Titles" Here are the games we've taken at a look at so far: Title System Rating Date ----- ------ ------ ---- ALFRED CHICKEN CD남 65% 6/1/94 AMIGA CD FOOTBALL CD남 79% 4/1/94 APIDYA Amiga 91% 9/1/94 ARABIAN NIGHTS CD남 60% 3/1/94 BATTLE CHESS CD남 80% 8/1/94 BATTLETOADS Amiga 25% 7/1/94 BENEATH A STEEL SKY Amiga 96% 7/1/94 BLUE AND THE GRAY Amiga 80% 7/1/94 BRUTAL FOOTBALL CD남 87.5% 5/1/94 CASTLES II CD남 50% 3/1/94 CHAOS ENGINE CD남 90% 5/1/94 CHAOS ENGINE AGA Amiga 50% 9/1/94 D/GENERATION CD남 65% 3/1/94 DANGEROUS STREETS CD남 17.5% 5/1/94 DEEP CORE CD남 80% 3/1/94 DEFENDER OF THE CROWN II CD남 71% 6/1/94 DIGGERS CD남 45% 6/1/94 ELFMANIA Amiga 90% 8/1/94 FRONTIER: ELITE II CD남 45% 5/1/94 GUNSHIP 2000 CD남 82.5% 6/1/94 HEIMDALL 2 CD남 75% 9/1/94 IMPOSSIBLE MISSION 2025 Amiga 82% 8/1/94 IMPOSSIBLE MISSION 2025 CD남 82% 8/1/94 INSIGHT: TECHNOLOGY CD남 80% 5/1/94 INTERNATIONAL KARATE + CD남 45% 4/1/94 JOHN BARNES EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CD남 46% 4/1/94 LABYRINTH OF TIME CD남 79% 3/1/94 LIBERATION CD남 90% 3/1/94 LOST VIKINGS CD남 75% 8/1/94 MEAN ARENAS CD남 75% 3/1/94 MICROCOSM CD남 91% 4/1/94 NICK FALDO CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF CD남 75% 7/1/94 NIGEL MANSEL CHAMPIONSHIP RACING CD남 85% 3/1/94 OSCAR CD남 80% 3/1/94 PINBALL FANTASIES CD남 90% 3/1/94 PIRATES! GOLD CD남 87.5% 3/1/94 ROBOCOD: JAMES POND 2 CD남 80% 3/1/94 THE SETTLERS Amiga 80% 9/1/94 SLEEPWALKER CD남 20% 3/1/94 SUMMER OLYMPIX CD남 54% 5/1/94 SUPER PUTTY CD남 84% 8/1/94 SURF NINJAS CD남 10% 7/1/94 TOTAL CARNAGE CD남 53% 9/1/94 TROLLS CD남 75% 3/1/94 ULTIMATE BODY BLOWS CD남 84% 7/1/94 VALHALLA Amiga 79% 9/1/94 WHALE'S VOYAGE CD남 3% 3/1/94 ZOOL CD남 80% 3/1/94 @ENDNODE @NODE RATINGS "The Ratings - Explained" We judge the games we review in four different categories: Graphics -------- This is pretty self explanatory. The higher the percentile, the better the graphics are. Sound ----- Another no-brainer. The higher the percentile, the better the sound. Although, this also relates to it's coordination with the gameplay. If the sound seems inappropriate for the type of game it is, the game will score lower in the Sound category even if the sounds are technically well done. Gameplay -------- The gameplay refers to the addictive quality of the game as well as the way the game plays. If you find your self sitting and watching rather than interacting with the game, the game will score lower than one that actually involves you. Control ------- This refers to how easy the game is to control given the control method specified by the manufacturer. A game requiring a special controller that is not specified or not included will be penalized. A game that comes with a special controller or one that recommends that, say, an Amiga mouse might work better than the standard CD남 controller will not be penalized. A game that is programmed to use a mouse when a joystick would be much more appropriate would also be penalized. Of course, a game that's just plain hard to control with any control method will also feel the sting of the rating. @ENDNODE @NODE LGTM "Lame Game of the Month" This is an award presented to one game per month for being the worst of that month's issue. It's mainly to warn you, the consumer, about a game that's REALLY bad. If we have an issue with no really bad games...there'll be no award given. A game that wins this award DESERVES to win! @ENDNODE @NODE ANEWS "Amiga/CD남 News & Stuff" Amiga & CD남 News @{" Rumors/Rumors/Rumors " link NEWS1} - What's buzzing around. @{" The Latest Amiga News " link NEWS2} - News of interest @{" The CD남 Complete List " link NEWS3} - It's back and updated! Columns @{" Hardware Corner " link COL1} - Upcoming exclusive! @{" GameTips/Tricks " link COL3} - Game Tips & Tricks. Duh! @ENDNODE @NODE NEWS1 "Rumors/Rumors/Rumors" Rumors...oh, those nasty rumors: @{" AmigaWorld 1-800 # " link RUM1} - Information hotline! @{" More C= Scuttlebutt " link RUM3} - More rumors about C= Please remember that all information found in this section is based on information from sources that may or may not know what's really going on. Rumors make for interesting conversation. Rumors make for active imaginations. Don't base purchasing decisions on anything other than something you've seen or know is true. @ENDNODE @NODE NEWS2 "Amiga News" Here's the latest Amiga related news via that Information Superhighway off-ramp known as FIDONET CREATIVE EQUIPMENT INTERNATIONAL VERY CONFIDENT IT'S THE ONE! From: MIKE BRANTLEY Date: 09-22-94 17:08 To: ALL Msg#: 1369 Subj.: Knight-Ridder Report 1 Area: Amiga International (ECHO) Here's the latest Knight-Ridder report on the Commodore situation: Commodore bidder so confident it's advertising for new engineers, managers By Dan Stets Knight-Ridder Newspapers After weeks of delay, the fight for Commodore International Ltd. finally may be entering the last round. One of two contenders is feeling so confident that it is advertising Thursday morning for engineers, managers and accountants to restart the computer company's operations in the West Chester, Pa., area. The two main adversaries -- one American, the other British -- are to meet separately in New York over the next few days with one of the liquidators appointed by the Bahamian Supreme Court to dispose of the assets of the once-mighty, small-computer maker. The liquidator, Franklyn Wilson, will be reviewing the final buyout proposals from Creative Equipment International of Miami and a management team from Commodore's subsidiary in the United Kingdom. The contest pits Commodore's largest distributor in North America, CEI, against the managers of one of Commodore's most successful subsidiaries. Commodore filed for bankruptcy in the Bahamas in early May and the court there appointed two accountants as liquidators, the Bahamian equivalent of a bankruptcy trustee under U.S. law. The company was incorporated in Bahamas but had its North American headquarters in West Chester. Wilson, the lead liquidator, had hoped to sell Commodore's assets and technology by the end of August, but it now looks like a final decision will not come until next month. ``We think that it could happen within the next three weeks,'' said CEI president Alex Amor, who today (Thursday) starts advertising for employees in the West Chester area. ``We'd like to have resumes on hand and we'd like a good pool of talent,'' said Amor. CEI would like to hire back as many of Commodore's former computer engineers as possible, he noted. If CEI's proposal is successful, Amor said he will be hiring about 90 people, including about 70 engineers, over the next nine months. He also has begun looking for a new engineering and research center in West Chester or Norristown, Pa. An employment ad appears in Thursday's editions of The Inquirer. ``Commodore Experience Helpful,'' the ad emphasizes. ``That should give you some idea where we think we are with the trustees,'' said Amor. The CEI proposal is ``the best offer on the table,'' he added. CEI would like to have an engineering and research staff of 90 people, Amor said. At its peak, Commodore had 78 engineers, he said. While the employment ads indicate CEI is bristling with confidence, the United Kingdom team is not fazed. ``I would hope they would pass the resumes on to us when we win the bid,'' said Colin Proudfoot, a managing director of Commodore U.K. and a leader of the buyout effort. Both buyout teams say they are committed to developing and expanding the technology of Commodore's Amiga computer, which among other things can be used as a low-cost videotape editor. Both teams said they have scheduled meetings at the Manhattan offices of Fulbright and Jaworski, the liquidators' counsel, the British on Friday and the Americans on Monday. Wilson has been in the Philippines this week trying to resolve what has become one of the stickiest issues in the liquidation. Commodore had its manufacturing operations there and still has an inventory of components there. Both bidders had hoped to acquire the inventory, which includes computer processors. For reasons which he has not yet explained publicly, Wilson has been having trouble including those assets in the final package for purchase. Neither the U.K. team nor CEI intend to resume manufacturing in the Philippines. The U.K. team handed its final proposal to the liquidator last week. It was supposed to be valid for only 10 days, but Proudfoot Wednesday dismissed the notion of any expiration date. ``The fact of the matter is that we are in correspondence with the liquidator and it is a fluid situation,'' he said. ``Does it mean we are going to withdraw if the 10 days expires? No, it doesn't because we want the business,'' he said. * Q-Blue 1.0 [NR] * --- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.00 * Origin: Di's Online Cafe - Mobile, AL (205) 661-8945 (1:3625/470.0) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERVIEW WITH DAVID PLEASANCE OF C= UK From: ASHA DEVELDER Date: 09-09-94 16:28 To: ALL Msg#: 9912 Subj.: Pleasance Interview Area: Amiga International (ECHO) Here's the latest off of Compuserve (note tagline....I didn't edit this one!!): Here is an article that will appear in the next issue of the ICPUG Journal in England, to be published in about two weeks. The JOURNAL is one of the best technical journals for Commodore products still being published. COMMODORE - THE FUTURE INTERVIEW WITH DAVID PLEASANCE John and Janet Bickerstaff Tuesday 6th September 1994. We arranged to meet David Pleasance, Joint Managing-Director of Commodore, at the European Computer Trade Show in London. This is what he had to tell us. Management Buy-Out We are, in fact, about two weeks behind what our schedule was. We had planned to announce the successful management buy-out of the assets of Commodore International and Commodore Electronics at the ECTS. The reason why we are two weeks late is that two weeks ago Colin Proudfoot and I were in New York with Coopers & Lybrand (who are acting for us), one of our investment people, the Liquidator and the Liquidator's lawyers, for a meeting which took approximately five hours, which you can take as a positive sign that the Liquidator is taking us very seriously. The purpose of that meeting was two fold. One was to establish finally what can and cannot be delivered in terms of what is available for sale. The second reason for the meeting was to determine exactly how our bid was to be structured to make it easier for the lawyers. To say that the situation with Commodore and all the subsidiary companies is complex is a major understatement. All the companies have cross-shareholdings and trading arrangements. The net result is that we were told (and it came as a major surprise to us) that the Liquidator could not, as previously promised, deliver to us all of the component parts inventory which is currently in the Phillipines, and that formed a very major part of our business plan to enable us to bring products to market for Christmas. That meant that we had to come back to the UK, get in touch with all the component suppliers from around the world, find out whether they would supply us, find out how much it would cost to get our product put to the front of the queue, how much for air freight, work out how many machines we can built and the profit on them. In other words we had to draw up a completely new business plan in order to satisfy our investors, and that we have done in just two weeks, but we are two weeks behind on what we had originally planned. Coopers & Lybrand have now drafted an unconditional draft agreement, which is what the lawyers asked for, and that effectively says, this is our offer, this is what we want and, subject to you delivering this to us, we will pay you. That will be delivered to the Liquidator today. We have put on the bid a validity period of ten working days to come back with an answer. However, life was never meant to be simple, the US courts have yet to decide whether they wish to intervene. They have the option of letting the Bahamas do it, doing it in conjunction with the Bahamas, or taking it themselves, which is very unlikely. We should know within ten working days from today whether we have got this or not. We are very confident about it because we know that the other players are doing, but nothing is certain in life. Research and Development The seventeen Commodore engineers currently residing in Norristown, US, are extremely happy to work with us, and we have budgeted to immediately take them back up to sixty/sixty-five people. The way that we will run the R & D Centre is that there will be a team of about fifteen people, who will be looking after current technology. Their role will be to support existing products and to manufacture derivatives, and new products from our present architecture. The remainder will be working on new technology, and that is exclusively RISC. We have canned that AAA project completely, and the reason is that although the chips are virtually finished, there is no operating system, and this would take eighteen months to bring to the market. In addition, we will be bringing Chris Ludwig over to the UK permanently, and he will head up a team of about twenty people whose sole job in life will be to support developers. This will be a major step forward to strengthen our relationship with the developers. Within six months we will have development systems for the RISC product and those systems will go selectively to the development community. I intend to loan them the machines until they have developed products and, when they start to sell these products, I expect them to pay me for the machines. For the first time we will have developers able to work on new software before the hardware hits the market. Current Technology We intend to establish sub-license agreements with companies who make third party products and who have ancillary products who are not in competition with us. We have established a good relationship with NewTek and Scala, and we intend to allow them to use our hardware in whatever manner they see fit to sell more systems. We will be prepared to work very closely with anybody who wants to develop third party peripherals that will help us to sell Amigas, and that again is a complete change of attitude from Commodore in the past. Marketing We expect to have products coming to market around the middle to end of November and, because of the component part situation, we will have less CD32s and A1200s that we wanted to meet demand, but we will major more on A4000s. This gives us the opportunity in the UK to support the independent dealers and we will feed them the bulk of the products and likewise in European countries. New Products - Amiga card for the PC There will be no new products this side of Christmas for obvious reasons. As soon after Christmas as we can, we will have the CD drive for the A1200 and the expansion box for the CD32, and then within a few months we will have new products using existing technology. One of those products is almost certainly going to be an Amiga on a PC card. This will probably be a sub-license deal with another manufacturer. This could be a very substantial business because everybody who has a PC wants to turn it into a multimedia machine and an Amiga on a card could be a very cost-effective solution. The Way Forward We will be having a forum in the UK, and one in the US, very quickly after we have got the company and that forum will basically be to talk with everybody saying, look we have got a blank piece of paper, we can go in any direction you like, tell us what you want so that we can all swim in the same direction. This forum will be for anyone interested in the future of the Amiga. Change of Name The company name will almost certainly be Amiga International and we will not be using the name Commodore anywhere. The new company will be based at Maidenhead. The products will be manufactured in the UK, possibly by ICL, who can provide warranty and support. Shows We are doing the Motor Show. There is part of the Motor Show called Future World and that is at the NEC at Birmingham from the 18th to the 30th October. What they have got is the Motor Show, the Ideal Home Exhibition, and Future World on at the same time. One ticket gets you into all three shows. Future World contains a ride which was manufactured for BMW for last year's Motor Show in Frankfurt. This ride takes you through a series of shop windows with live people working in them (a bit like the Epcot Centre). It carries two thousand people an hour and we have a stand right where everybody gets off this ride. 800,000 to a million visitors are expected at this show. **************************************************************************** There you go guys....not much, but it's something! Asha.DeVelder.... Internet: asha.develder@209-216-5.genesplicer.org * The universe is simple - it's the explanation that's complex. --- * Origin: Don't bite my finger; Look where I'm pointing! (1:209/216.5) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- @ENDNODE @NODE NEWS3 "The CD남 Complete Gamelist by Gary Stimpson" __ . _:___________ _____________ _____/\_______________ /\_\ | ___ _ _________ ____ ___ \/_/ . _ __ | / _ \__ _ (_)__ ____ _ / ___/ __ \|_ /|_ | | _ _ . _ _ //\ | / _ / ' \/ / _ `/ _ `/ / /__/ /_/ //_ >> Please send me corrections, updates and comments. gS. /X\ Internet: titan@sys6626.bison.mb.ca \X/ Remember to never split an infinitive. @ENDNODE @NODE RUM1 "AmigaWorld's 1-800 #" This is not a rumor...this is true. AmigaWorld and TechMedia had to disconnect the 1-800 information line that they had provided to keep everyone informed of the situation regarding Commodore. It was swamped with calls and it cost them a LOT of money. Here is one of many messages that delivered the news to those on the FIDONET Amiga International echo: From: NYLE F. LANDAS Date: 09-10-94 07:17 To: ALL Msg#: 9907 Subj.: Commodore Update....... Area: Amiga International (ECHO) Hi all, I just called the 1-800 number, which will be shut down soon since too many people have been calling. Many people called everyday, and the bill has reached the tens of thousands of dollars. So, the number will now be direct dial only 1-603-924-2195. There is still no official announcement - blame the lawyers. Commodore U.K. still appears to have the lead bid, and David Pleasance made an unconditional bid this week in an attempt to speed things up. David, also believes as mentioned before that no official announcement will be made until the 15TH of September. I'm sick of waiting too folks, but let's just pray that they get the technology in enough time for the Christmas Season. I'm also starting to hate the 15TH of each month with a passion. I hope this helps quell more rumors... As it is from a pretty good source the AmigaWorld Hotline - And editor in chief Dan Sullivan. Kudos to all hard core Amiga fans and to the rest ... well you know... -Nyle --- MEBBSNet 0.157 * Origin: FileWorks All Amiga! 716-377-0719/3695 (1:2613/278.0) @ENDNODE @NODE RUM2 "New Games For the Amiga" @ENDNODE @NODE RUM3 "More C= Scuttlebutt" From a very good source, we received word that Commodore UK and CEI have each resubmitted bigger and better bids for the remains of Commodore. Rumor has it that Commodore's former chief of operations in Germany has pledged his help to Alex Amor and the CEI group. He would assist CEI in their European affairs if CEI wins the bid. Both CEI and Commodore UK have met with the Bahamian Supreme Court and the trustees as recently as the last week of September. Another rumor indicates that a third bidder will soon enter the fray. Officials from Commodore Germany and Australia have teamed up and will offer a bid of their own. How this is related to the CEI/C= Germany team-up, if at all, is unknown. These are rumors after all... @ENDNODE @NODE COL1 "Hardware Corner" @{"Nothing this month...but!" link SX1} - Coming Next Month! @ENDNODE @NODE SX1 "Next Month: Zappo CD-ROM Drive" Next month, we will be looking at one of the most anticipated Amiga hardware items of all time: The Zappo CD-ROM Drive for the Amiga 1200. We have been testing a full production unit for the past week and the results may surprise you. A completely uncensored review is coming next month. Please be here! @ENDNODE @NODE COL2 "The Humor File" @ENDNODE @NODE COL3 "GameTips/Tricks" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Dieter Hirsbrunner "drh@cherry-semi.com" Subj: Hired Guns Cheat In the Amiga version of HIRED GUNS, type amiga at any point while playing. The screen will flash, you will have unlimited ammo reloads and you will be unkillable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- @ENDNODE @NODE back "The Back Page" AEM's The Back Page @{" Amiga/CD남 Dealers " link dealers} @{" What's coming next month? " link next} @{" AEM Distribution Sites " link sites} @ENDNODE @NODE DEALERS "Amiga/CD남 Dealer Directory" AEM's Dealer Directory @{" Dealer Listing " link DEALLIST} @{"HOW TO GET IN THE LISTING" link HOWTO} @ENDNODE @NODE DEALLIST "AEM's Amiga/CD남 Dealer Listing" Amiga Entertainment Monthly Dealer Listing: Amiga Crossing 176 Gray Road, Unit 5 Cumberland, ME 04021 Phone: (207) 829-3959 Fax: (207) 829-3522 Antik Slovenskej jednoty 10 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia Phone: +42 95 35511 Fax: +42 95 426815 Applied Computer Systems 6108 Watt Avenue North Highlands, CA 95660 Phone: (916) 338-2000 Fax: (916) 338-2004 BBS: (916) 338-2543 Computer Advantage 7370 Hickman Road Des Moines, IA 50322 Phone: (515) 252-6167 Computer Basics, Inc./Amiga Warehouse 1490 N. Hermitage Road Hermitage, PA 16148 Phone: (412) 962-0533 Fax: (412) 962-0279 BBS: (412) 962-0961 The Event Horizon 351 N. Air Depot Rd Midwest City, OK 73110 Phone: (405) 733-3232 Moebius Computer Concepts Suite #101-306 Burnside Road West Victoria, BC V8Z 1M1 CANADA Phone: (604) 386-2667 Fax: (604) 380-3032 Video Computer Resources 1200 N. Battlefield Blvd, Suite 110 Chesapeake, VA 23320 Phone: (804) 436-9508 Fax: (804) 436-9508 Note: AEM does not endorse the dealers listed here. They are listed for the convienence of our readers. No compensation is required to be listed. @ENDNODE @NODE HOWTO "How to get listed in the AEM Dealer Listing" If you're an Amiga dealer or CD남 dealer, big or small, please send us your business' name, address, telephone number and fax number to be listed here. We'd like to provide our readership with a list of places where accessories and software can be found. Readers are also encouraged to submit dealer information. With the Amiga community in danger of losing dealers, we need to know where to find one when we need one. Support your local Amiga dealer! (The prices may not always be as low as mail order, but the service is face-to-face and they'll really appreciate it!) We can be reached via the Internet, FIDONet Netmail or US Mail. Internet: Sean.Caszatt@f512.n2601.z1.fidonet.org (preferred address) CASZATT@DELPHI.COM (Please note the change of the preferred address to the FIDONET.ORG address. This will get your message directly to me and I can respond more quickly.) Compuserve: 72143,521 FIDONet Netmail: Sean Caszatt at 1:2601/512.0 US Mail: Sean Caszatt 2978 Ford Avenue Sharpsville, PA 16150 @ENDNODE @NODE NEXT "What's coming next issue?" In the November, 1994 issue of AEM, look for the following: o An exclusive and surprising review of the Zappo CD-ROM drive! o Reviews of Guardian (CD남), Jet Strike (Amiga/CD남), King's Quest VI (Amiga), Detroit (Amiga) and DreamWeaver (Amiga) o Hopefully, a LOT more reader contributions!!!! o And, even more hopefully, news on who's got control of Commodore! But don't hold your breath! This is a tenative list. (I hope I can have these in next time!) @ENDNODE @NODE SITES "AEM Distribution Sites" Amiga Entertainment Monthly Distribution Sites ---------------------------------------------- The latest issue of AEM can be file-requested (FREQ'd) at these BBS' under the magic name AEM. You can also download the magazine from these systems in the traditional way as well. (File-requests not available from non-FIDO sites.) United States Distribution Sites: Project Aurora Harbour Lights Sharpsville, PA Kennebunkport, ME (412)962-1590 (207)967-3719 FIDONet 1:2601/512 FIDONet 1:326/209 Sysop: Sean Caszatt Sysop: Rick Lembree Mike's Video House Applied Computer Systems Glendale, CA North Highlands, CA (818)240-1593 (916)338-2543 FIDONet 1:102/852 FIDONet 1:203/227 Sysop: Mike Moon Sysop: Jeff Hayer The Gateway BBS Pioneers BBS Biloxi, MS Edmonds, WA (601)374-2697 (206)775-7983 FIDONet 1:3604/60 FIDONet 1:343/54 Sysop: Stace Cunningham Sysops: Mike & Marthe Arends Glenn's World Amiga Haven Salem, OR Ellerbe, NC (503)581-6524 (910)562-2367 FIDONet 1:3406/32 FIDONet 1:3634/40 Sysop: Glenn Schworak Sysop: Tom Clayton AmiTrek BBS Fileworks BBS Kissimmee, FL Fairport, NY (407)348-3365 (716)377-0719 FIDONet 1:3633/1701 FIDONet 1:2613/278 Sysop: Ken Rumsey Sysop: Tom Waterstraat International Distribution Sites: The Hell BBS The Hague, Netherlands +31-(0)70-3468783 FIDONet 2:281/418 Sysop: Robin Vermaat We're also looking for non-FIDONet sites as well, so if you run a BBS and would like to be a distribution site, don't hesitate to ask. More international sites are needed! To become an official distribution site, please send a request to us at SEAN.CASZATT@F512.N2601.Z1.FIDONET.ORG via the Internet. We WILL get back to you! @ENDNODE