jmh@ns.network.com (Joel Halpern) (09/25/90)
This note is an apology to the author of Columns. A while back I posted a note indicating that it crashed a lot. It doesn't. My machine did. The problem was that my machine was overheating and crashing at random times. Something about the way columns used memory caused it to be more affected earlier than everything else. The machine eventually became unusable. Now that I have moved into central air, and the temperature has come down, the machine works, and so does columns. Summary: Columns is a very good, enjoyable, and addictive game. Do not play unles you are prepared to spent much too long enjoying it. Joel M. Halpern jmh@nsco.network.com
chris@momenta (Chris Christensen) (09/27/90)
>Now, I'm not a huge fan of either of these games, nor am I a fan of litigation >in general, but it seems like something strange is happening here, when I >see almost identical rip-off versions of games appearing like this. I actually >don't know which came first, but I suspect (given the about boxes on the Mac >versions) that the Mac authors came up with the ideas. (And names.) For columns, an X11 windows version came first and the Mac version was written with the permission of the original author. The rights to the original were eventually sold, so you are probably seeing one of the first commercial versions. Although there are at least two PC versions and and atari version that are not commercial (and only one of which was "authorized"). It is not my desire to make an explaination of columns into a periodic posting, but in answer to recent questions I will again describe it. Columns is a "Tetris-like" game. Tiles drop from the top and the player tries to keep them from piling up. In Columns, the blocks are composed of three tiles. Each tile is one of 6 patterns. The user can rotate the order that the patterns appear. When 3 or more like patterns exist after the block can drop no further, the matching tiles remove. This can cause chain reactions. This is one of the reasons I liked columns more than Tetris and decided to port it to the Mac. Columns is available on most large Mac bulletin boards or services. For details on abtaining it contact me. Chris "Mr Columns" Christensen P.S. Stay tune for "Son of Columns"
anthes@geocub.greco-prog.fr (Franklin Anthes) (10/07/90)
I'm still looking for a place to ftp columns from... I tried the info-mac archives, but wasn't able to find it. So could somebody please tell me where I can find it? merci beaucoup -- Frank Anthes-Harper : Bien le bonjour de la France anthes@geocub.greco-prog.fr