Bulletin Board |
Starcraft 2 Announced
Starcraft 2 was announced this last week. Time to brush up on your Terran, Protoss and Zerg history!
|
|
News |
|
FRAG! Issue 55, Jan 2006
FRAG! The Newsletter of Shrapnel Games, Inc.
http://www.shrapnelgames.com The Art of Wargaming [TM]
Issue 55, Jan 2006
In this issue:
1. The January Editorial Introduction
2. News Direct from the Frontlines of Shrapnel Games
3. Trivia Time
4. Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space Patch
5. Sizzling Sellers and Those Special Offers
6. Link O' The Month
7. The Crystal Ball
(1) The January Editorial Introduction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to the first issue of Shrapnel Games' Frag! newsletter of the new
year! 2005 has faded away, to be replaced by 2006. Whether this is a good
thing or not is yet to be determined.
Looking back at the world of gaming in '05 is it just me or was it simply
not a very exciting year? At least in the world of mainstream gaming, as
both the worlds of boardgaming and independent computer gaming provided us
with plenty of quality titles. But mainstream gaming...
I don't know, looking back I can't think of a single title that really stood
out. Sure, there were some good ones released, but even the best ones just
ended up feeling "okay" in the end. There were no titles that had me
jumping up and down in joy, none that made me want to make sure everyone I
knew also played the game, and none that anyone recommended to me that came
with a recommendation of "ya gotta play this". Most were, "Yeah, if you
have the time you may want to borrow this, but if you don't you're not really
missing out on anything."
Heck, even my spending habits with computer gaming were severely curtailed. I
just couldn't bring myself to spend money on potentially mediocre titles,
especially in a year that saw record high gas prices, and a winter in which
I'm paying 80% more for natural gas than I did last winter.
In the end 2005 just felt like a really blah year for mainstream titles. Too
many sequels, too many games that all feel the same. No one wants to take
a chance anymore.
Not so in independent gaming though. A few years ago most indie games looked
like something you'd play on you're 386, but in 2005 indie games never looked
better. Sure, we're still not talking next-gen level or anything, but we
are talking some pretty sweet looking titles. And more than just a pretty
face, indie gaming continues to innovate, whether through unique and
interesting themes, or the most important aspect of a game, the gameplay
itself.
2006 should be an even more exciting year for indie gaming. As the
mainstream gaming continues to rehash the same games, and become even more
vanilla, look for indie gaming to provide you with the same rush you felt when
you first discovered computer games.
Here's to a great gaming year!
*************************************************************************
(2) News Direct from the Frontlines of Shrapnel Games
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ah, December, the month full of get-togethers, parties, last minute shopping,
airport runs, and enough social obligations to cause anyone to become a
misanthropic computer gamer who spends all his time in a dark room, only
venturing out to answer the door when the pizza delivery guy shows up. Even
game publishers aren't immune to the effects of December, so if you're
thinking December was a quiet month you'd be right.
Last month we unveiled our newly redesigned e-store, the Gamers Front. Sleek
and sophisticated, just the way you like it, the new Gamers Front boasts
a slew of helpful features, including one of the most often heard requests,
the ability to purchase gift certificates. We're also now offering a series
of reward and bonus points, which may sound an awful lot like frequent flyer
miles, but instead of boring flights you'll be able to cash in on Shrapnel
products!
Reward Points are awarded based on each full dollar you spend on the store,
with each dollar spent equaling one Reward Point, and for every 75 points
earned you receive one dollar in discounts. Best of all, these Reward Points
can be immediately applied to your order!
Bonus Points work a little different though the net result, saving you money,
is the same. Bonus Points have a higher ratio of earning, with ten Bonus
Points equaling one dollar in discounts. Bonus Points must be converted to
a gift certificate to be used, but the gift certificate can be to yourself.
Bonus Points are also awarded in various fashions, such as purchasing a
particular game for that month. They can also be awarded in a variety of
other ways, such as a promotional offer. Be sure to sign up for the free
Premium membership to be eligible for bonus points.
So if you haven't yet checked out the new store do yourself a favor on drop
on in at:
www.gamersfront.com
The other big news of December was Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space.
Last ish of Frag! we told you about Weird Worlds being awarded both Game of
the Month and an Editor's Choice award over at Game Tunnel
(www.gametunnel.com). While everyone was pretty stoked about those awards
it got even better!
Game Tunnel voted Weird Worlds as the 2005 Quest/Adventure/Platform Game of
the Year, and it was the number two title when it came to their top ten
games of the year! And the accolades don't stop there!
Weird Worlds is now a finalist in the 2006 Independent Games Festival
(www.igf.com/) in two categories, the Seumas McNally Grand Prize and
Innovation in Audio, with the actual awards chosen in March. Congratulations
to Digital Eel on taking the gameworld by storm!
Be sure to check out Weird Worlds at:
www.shrapnelgames.com/digital_eel/weird_worlds/1.htm
Lose yourself in the demo, and once you're ready to buy head on over to the
Gamers Front. We offer the game in both a digital download format or the
trusty ol' physical CD. The choice is yours!
And if you already own Weird Worlds be sure to check out the exciting
mod possibilities out there by visiting:
www.freewebs.com/strangefederation/
-and-
www.digital-eel.com/modguide/
Finally, if you're a Dominions fan check out the latest issue of Computer
Games Magazine and see why they chose Dominions III as one of the most
anticipated games of 2006.
Until next month, happy pixels! Have fun gaming!
*************************************************************************
(3) Trivia Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Think of the air war during the Second World War and probably one of the
first thoughts you have is of the skies over Germany filled with hundreds
of American B-17s thundering towards their targets in broad daylight. The
air war at night is often forgotten about, along with some of the more
interesting craft that fought in the darkened skies above Europe and the
Pacific.
In today's day and age, when sorties are conducted at all hours, in all
weather, it's difficult to imagine what it was like to be a pilot during
WWII attempting to prosecute the war at night. When one considers that
hitting within eight kilometers of a target was considered a good bomb run
during the day, what was it like at night? Was hitting the right country
considered a success?
Except for the Americans the majority of combatants chose to make their
bombing sorties at night. Both the British and Germans started off by
attacking during the day, but quickly found out how dangerous that was. The
British especially took a beating when attempting daylight raids, and
if Bomber Command had not put a halt to them it was very likely they would
have had no more bombers to command.
Of course even though night raids weren't the most accurate, they were
still enemy raids and therefore had to be stopped. All sides employed a
variety of methods to deal with the aerial night war, from radar, to
searchlights, to aerial mines. In the end the ultimate defense was what
proved so deadly to daylight raids: the fighter.
One dedicated night fighter was the American Northrop P-61 "Black Widow".
The P-61 was a large twin-engine aircraft, with a range of 1,400 miles.
Heavily armed it carried four 20mm cannons, and a remote controlled
operated top turret housing four .50 caliber machine guns. The crew
consisted of three: a pilot, gunner, and radar operator/gunner.
The P-61 operated in all theaters of the war but served the best use in
the Pacific. It was the Pacific theater that the first kill was made by
a P-61, that being a Japanese Betty bomber shot down on June 30th, 1944.
All told P-61s are credited with 127 enemy aircraft kills, and 18 V-1
flying bomb kills. As the war headed towards the end enemy night time
activity became increasingly rare, as most new pilots weren't up to
the challenge, and so P-61s took on more and more ground attack missions.
There were sixteen P-61 squadrons, ten of which operated in the PTO, with
the rest operating in Europe. Unlike their day counterparts, night fighter
pilots rarely made ace status due to the difficulties of night combat.
The highest scoring American night fighter ace was Major Carroll Smith
of the 418th Night Fighter Squadron (5th Air Force), who ended the war with
seven kills. Interestingly, four of those kills came in a single night,
when his P-61, "Times A Wastin'" downed four Japanese off the Philippine
coast on December 29th, 1944.
*************************************************************************
(4) Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space Patch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
For all you space trippers, rocket jockeys, and Dilithium crystal fiends,
Digital Eel has released a patch for Weird Worlds that will make your next
voyage even more smooth. Bringing the retail release up to version 1.11,
the patch provides players with an assortment of game enhancements and
bug termination, along with much love for the mod community.
A partial listing of what to expect from the patch includes:
* Fixed: Crash on pressing number keys to select Farseeker on starmap.
* MOD fix: Captured player ships become dormant when killed.
* Fixed: OpenAL interfaces directsound3d; plain directsound is more
reliable.
* New for MODs: Allow more fleets per race (added A-F).
* New: Show nova radius if you have extent calculator.
* Fixed: Can try to ram a fighter.
* MOD fix: Can't change name of Trade Emporium.
* And lots more...
For a complete listing of the changes found within the patch, and to
download it, please go to:
www.shrapnelgames.com/digital_eel/weird_worlds/6.htm
*************************************************************************
(5) Sizzling Sellers and Those Special Offers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey, do you remember last month's top selling games at the Gamers Front?
It's not a problem if you don't since the December hot games replicated
the previous month's list. Yep, once again the grooviness of Weird Worlds,
the iron horses of WinSPMBT, and the divinity of Dominions II scored
high with gamers.
Break warp factor nine with Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space:
www.gamersfront.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16138&cat=0&page=1
Kill a commie for mommy in WinSPMBT:
www.gamersfront.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16163&cat=0&page=1
Lord over more than your cubicle in Dominions II: The Ascension Wars:
www.gamersfront.com/xcart/search.php?mode=search&sort=title&sort_direction=1
This month's specials can be found at:
https://www.gamersfront.com/xcart/home.php
And what are the specials?
You can pick up Dominions II and Coliseum for 15% off their normal
retail price, which means Dominions II for only $42.45, and
Coliseum for the unbelievable price of $16.95.
Additionally, if you're a Premium Member of the Gamers Front (which
is free to do), you'll earn 10 Bonus Points for each of these
games purchased!
So beat that seasonal affective disorder with a couple of really cool
games from Shrapnel! With easy shopping and cheap shipping, what are
you waiting for?
*************************************************************************
(6) Link O' The Month
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
On April 10th, 1942, thousands of American and Filipino troops, newly
surrendered to the Japanese and now prisoners-of-war in the Philippines,
began the infamous Bataan Death March. In a state of physical weakness,
the POWs were marched over a week to their internment camp. The number
that made it were far smaller than the number that started off.
The POWs were subjected to brutal hardships, executed for the slightest
provocation (real or imagined), and often simply left to die in the
elements.
White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico has hosted a memorial march
to honor those that suffered through the Bataan Death March since 1989,
with only 2003 being skipped with the opening of the 2003 Iraq War. The
march is 26.2 miles, through the desert and elevations of up to 5,300 feet.
There is a secondary course added this year that is 15 miles long for
those not up to the 26 mile challenge.
The event takes place on March 26th and is a team event, with each team
consisting of five people, all of who must cross the finish line. They
are currently taking registration, and there is a fee to participate.
To learn more of this event, or to sign up, go to:
www.bataanmarch.com/
*************************************************************************
(7) The Crystal Ball
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
All American: The 82nd Airborne In Normandy: Early 2006
ForeSight: Early 2006
ETO: Early 2006
Galley Battles: Early 2006
Dominions III: Early 2006
Warriors of Russia: Early 2006
*************************************************************************
end --------------------------------------------------------------------
FRAG! is the official newsletter of Shrapnel Games, Inc.
To visit our blog please go to: http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/blog/
|
News List (1-10 of 3,495) |
EVE Online Tyrannis Delayed to May 26th
From EVE Online Tyrannis Delayed : tyrannis release delayed reported by CCP t0rfifrans | 2010.05.14 19:40:07 | Comments Esteemed capsuleers, We regret to inform you that... |
Special TradeWars: Rising Event
SYLIEN GAMES SPECIAL EVENT May 15th 2010 “DIG DEEP” TRADEWARS RISING GAME EVENT - STARTED Large universe, more colonists per ColoRing, and 2 extra... |
The Space Review, May 10 2010
Welcome to this week's issue of The Space Review:Destination: onward---In his new direction for NASA, President Obama has directed the space agency to plan for exploration to multiple destinations beyond Earth orbit using new technologies. Doris... |
Features for Pardus Newcomers
Pardus is a real-time graphical game set in a futuristic universe that can be played right from the browser. It features dozens of maneuverable ships as well as a sophisticated production tree with a multitude of possible buildings and commodities... |
Alganon Released
Alganon Released April 28th, 2010 SummaryEarn Tribute Double Dip Trial The much anticipated official launch of our MMO title, ALGANON is finally underway and is sure to impress! "The completion and much anticipated official launch of... |
Shadowroot Games News
From the front page of Shadowroot Games :General Apr 19, 2010, 2:34 am : Paul discuss [0]New Scheule + World Tour Not really a world tour but I'll be in London England and possibly a few other countries in Europe starting May 8th. The trip... |
DarkHorse Pony Express #133
DarkHorse.com Pony Express #133 April 14 2010 If you have trouble reading this email, please see the online version. http://www.darkhorse.com/nl_cltrack/r.php/DHNL133T/3198 Welcome to the Dark Horse Newsletter! In case you haven't heard... |
|
|
