kudla@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Robert J. Kudla) (06/20/91)
rkushner@sycom.UUCP (Ronald Kushner) writes: >Now that there are finally game machines comming out with serial ports(CDTV), >will there be online services JUST to play multi-player games on?? Anyone hear >of anything like this? Or is it just too early to speculate? Well, Sierra is starting an online service devoted exclusively to multiplayer interactive gaming.... I don't remember the name, but if you pick up the July COMPUTE! (which I haven't bothered to drop only because it's so cheap I wouldn't get much of a refund anyway) there's a little box devoted to it. Basic concepts: Will eventually allow you to play your Sierra games that support a modem with just about anyone for $12 a month in big cities and $2 an hour outside urban areas. They're also supposedly developing really cool interactive adventure type games like the old Habitat on Qlink would have been (I imagine) but at the moment the only net-specific games they have are things like backgammon. I'm pretty psyched for it, though ten to one I'll get lumped in the 2 bucks an hour crowd.... -- Robert Jude Kudla, <kudla@rpi.edu> for the moment.... "Oh, forgive me, Assembly'O'God! Oh Jaysus, I jest stuck the tip in, oh ma god...."
zuckerma@aludra.usc.edu (David Zuckerman) (06/20/91)
In article <lq+l6wr@rpi.edu> kudla@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Robert J. Kudla) writes: >rkushner@sycom.UUCP (Ronald Kushner) writes: >>Now that there are finally game machines comming out with serial ports(CDTV), >>will there be online services JUST to play multi-player games on?? Anyone hear >>of anything like this? Or is it just too early to speculate? > >Well, Sierra is starting an online service devoted exclusively to >multiplayer interactive gaming.... I don't remember the name, but if you >pick up the July COMPUTE! (which I haven't bothered to drop only because >it's so cheap I wouldn't get much of a refund anyway) there's a little box >devoted to it. Basic concepts: Will eventually allow you to play your >Sierra games that support a modem with just about anyone for $12 a month in >big cities and $2 an hour outside urban areas. They're also supposedly >developing really cool interactive adventure type games like the old Habitat >on Qlink would have been (I imagine) but at the moment the only net-specific >games they have are things like backgammon. What I'm wondering: what are the chances of Sierra actually developing the software to be used on an Amiga? The beta's been going on here in the L.A. area (I almost sent away for a test kit, even though I don't have an IBM, just to see what it's all about) for a few months now, and the date in Compute announces a startup time sometime this month. I'd love to give this thing a try (flat-rate telecom services are few and far between on any CBM machine... 'tis probably why the only pay network I'm semi-active on is Q-Link). I would LOVE to see 'em do a Hab-like environment. I spent almost 2 years as a Club Caribe Guide on Q-Link before the majority of the CCG positions were eliminated recently. I still believe that was one of the best telecom ideas to see daylight... The name of the proposed service is TSN (The Sierra Network). And I agree with you on Compute. :-) >I'm pretty psyched for it, though ten to one I'll get lumped in the 2 bucks >an hour crowd.... Ditto, except L.A. will probably be a flat-rate area. >-- >Robert Jude Kudla, <kudla@rpi.edu> for the moment.... > >"Oh, forgive me, Assembly'O'God! > Oh Jaysus, I jest stuck the tip in, oh ma god...." -Dave -- David Zuckerman | "There's nothing wrong with my sense | Exercise // zuckerma@aludra.usc.edu | of reality. I have it thoroughly | good \\ // Univ of Southern CA | serviced every fortnight." | taste...\X/ Floyd the Droid Fan Club | - Zaphod Beeblebrox | Go Amiga...
wally@athenanet.com (Wally Hartshorn) (06/23/91)
In article <lq+l6wr@rpi.edu> kudla@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Robert J. Kudla) writes: >Well, Sierra is starting an online service devoted exclusively to >multiplayer interactive gaming.... ... >Basic concepts: Will eventually allow you to play your >Sierra games that support a modem with just about anyone for $12 a month in >big cities and $2 an hour outside urban areas. They're also supposedly >developing really cool interactive adventure type games like the old Habitat >on Qlink would have been (I imagine) but at the moment the only net-specific >games they have are things like backgammon. The thing I've been waiting to see for quite some time is a modem option for role-playing games. For instance, Bard's Tale in which you run half the characters and your friend (over the modem) runs the other half. Or something like the air traffic control game that works with Flight Simulator. One person's machine would be the "host", with multiple serial ports, etc, while the others ran single characters connected to the host. Basically, what I'm looking for is something like the old "avatar" game available on the PLATO system at Univ. of IL (and other sites). Up to 25 players at a time, all journeying in the same dungeon, helping each other out in real time. Getting lost when you were poisoned meant yelling for help and having a couple of people poring over their maps and running through the dungeon, trying to find you or get you unlost and back to the city before you died. Getting large groups together in a single party to journey down to the deepest levels of the dungeon, because one of the players has been "quested" to locate and kill Asmodeus before he can advance another level. Multiplayer games are by far the best when it comes to computer gaming. Island of Kesmai (on Compuserve) and Gemstone Warrior (on GEnie) are nice, but it just isn't the same, partly because they aren't graphic adventures like avatar was and partly because you've got that little number after the dollar sign that keeps getting larger and larger.... Anyone out there ever played avatar? (Or for that matter a little game called "ADVDND" that I wrote on the U of I CDC Cyber system? Only had 200 players, but perhaps one of these days I'll bump into one of them....) In the meantime, I have grand visions of writing something like that myself. But then again, meglomania IS a disease. :-) -- Wally Hartshorn (uunet!nstar!pallas!wally or wally@athenanet.com) President, Amiga Computer Enthusiasts of Springfield (ACES) Chronicler, Shire of Swordcliff, SCA Sysop, The Quest, F&SF BBS, Citadel-68K node US (217) 546-7608
rjc@churchy.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Ray Cromwell) (06/26/91)
There is already something availible like this now. They are called
MUDs (multiuser dungeon, multiuser dimension). A few in particular
are aimed at D&D and interactive fiction. DikuMUD, LPMUD and AberMUD
provide a "universe" with monsters and combat systems. LPMUD is
extensible by users and has it's own interpreted object-oriented
C.
--
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