Audyssey; Computer Games Accessible to the Blind Issue 23: May/June, 2000 Edited by Michael Feir +++ Welcome Welcome to the twenty-third issue of Audyssey. This magazine is dedicated to the discussion of computer games which, through accident or design, are accessible to the blind. Packed with reviews and some exciting news, this issue is certain to have something in it that will captivate you. David Greenwood gives us a status report on the ongoing Shades of Doom project. Randy Hammer gives a review of the soon to be released Windows version of LoneWolf. James Peach introduces a new section of Audyssey which will contain definitions of gaming terms for novices. These are but a few of the exciting items you'll find below. *Note: Long-time readers should skip ahead to the next plus-signs. Please write articles and letters about games or game-related topics which interest you. They will likely interest me, and your fellow readers. They will also make my job as editor a lot more interesting and true to the meaning of the word. This magazine should and can be a highly interesting and qualitative look at accessible computer gaming. To insure that high quality is maintained, I'll need your written contributions. I'm not asking for money here, and won't accept any. This magazine is free in its electronic form, and will always remain so. PCS needs to charge a subscription cost to cover the disks and shipping costs that it incurs by making the magazine available on disk. I'm writing this magazine as much for my own interest as for everyone else's. Your articles, reviews, and letters, as well as any games you might care to send me, are what I'm after. Send any games, articles, letters, or reviews via E-mail, or on a 3.5-inch disk in a self-addressed mailer so that I can return your disk or disks to you once I have copied their contents onto my hard drive. Please only send shareware or freeware games. It is illegal to send commercial games. By sending me games, you will do several things: first, and most obviously, you will earn my gratitude. You will also insure that the games you send me are made available to my readership as a whole. As a further incentive, I will fill any disks you send me with games from my collection. No disk will be returned empty. If you want specific games, or specific types of games, send a message in ASCII format along. Never ever send your original disks of anything to anyone through the mail. Always send copies! This principle may seem like it shouldn't even have to be stated, but when it comes to just about anything related to computers, there's always some poor soul who will act before applying common sense. Disks are not indestructible. Things do get lost or damaged in the mail, and disks are not immune to these misfortunes. If you have a particular game that you need help with, and you are sending your questions on a disk anyhow, include the game so that I can try and get past your difficulty. If you can, I recommend that you send e-mail. Thanks to my new computer, I can now send and receive attachments with ease. This way, no money will be wasted sending me a game I already have, and you'll get my reply more quickly. You are responsible for shipping costs. That means, either use a disk mailer which has your address on it, and is either free matter for the blind, or is properly stamped. I can and will gladly spare time to share games and my knowledge of them, but cannot currently spare money above what I spend hunting for new games. I encourage all my readers to give my magazine to whoever they think will appreciate it. Up-load it onto web pages and bulletin board systems. Copy it on disk for people, or print it out for sighted people who may find it of value. The larger our community gets, the more self-sustaining it will become. This magazine is published on a bi-monthly basis, each issue appearing no earlier than the twentieth of every other month. All submissions to be published in an issue must be in my possession a minimum of two days before the issue is published. I now use MS-Word to produce Audyssey, and can therefore accept submissions in pretty much any format. They may be sent either on a 3.5-inch floppy disk, or via e-mail to my CompuServe address. I will give my home address and my CompuServe address at the end of the magazine. There are now several ways of obtaining Audyssey. Thanks to ESP Softworks, there is once again a distribution list for those who want to receive Audyssey via E-mail. To subscribe to the distribution list so that you receive all future issues, the direct Url to the subscription form is: http://www.espsoftworks.com/forms/audyssey_to.asp You may also refer a friend and pass onto them the current issue as well as an introduction e-mail explaining the magazine in detail. Then, if they wish to subscribe they will be referred to this form. The form is available from the Audyssey Magazine section of the ESP Softworks web-site. To get there directly, go to: http://www.espsoftworks.com/textonly/audyssey/audyssey.html The Audyssey section also contains all back-issues of Audyssey if you want to get caught up with events. Travis Siegel has set up a list to facilitate discussions among readers between issues. Anyone participating in the discussion list will have issues of Audyssey automatically sent to them via E-mail. Representatives from all major developers of games for the blind are actively participating on the list. All staff members of Audyssey are also participating. If you want an active role in shaping the future of accessible games, this is where you can dive right in. To subscribe to this discussion list, send a message to: listserv@softcon.com with "subscribe Audyssey" in the body of the message. To post to the discussion list, send your messages to: audyssey@softcon.com You can find all issues of Audyssey on the Internet on Paul Henrichsen's web site at: www.thesocket.com/~henrich If you have web access, Audyssey now has an official web-page, maintained by Igor Gueths at: www.concentric.net/~igueths Besides having all issues of Audyssey available for down-load, six megabytes of storage space are available for popular games. Another source for back-issues of Audyssey and accessible games is provided by Kelly Sapergia. He was our first interactive fiction expert, and has put his Internet skills and resources to splendid use for the magazine. Visit his site at: http://listen.to/ksapergia If you have ftp access, all issues are also available at Travis Siegel's ftp site: ftp://ftp.softcon.com Look in the /magazines directory. For those of you who have trouble finding some of the software discussed in this magazine, or if you know someone who doesn't have access to the Internet, but would be interested in the magazine, this magazine is now available on disk. PCS has agreed to distribute Audyssey, as well as selected shareware or freeware software on disk for ten dollars US per year. To subscribe to Audyssey on disk, contact them at: Personal Computer Systems 551 Compton Ave. Perth Amboy N.J. 08861 Phone (732)-826-1917 E-mail: pvlasak@monmouth.com +++ Contents: Welcome Contents From The Editor Letters Strength In Numbers Shades Of Doom Status Online Gaming: The Blind Gamer's Extreme Sport Dolphin E-mail Leagues Welcomes Blind Coaches Free Game Winner News From ESP Softworks News From PCS News From Zform Gaming According to James The Definitions of Gaming Game Announcements and Reviews Contacting Us +++ From The Editor: Greetings to all of you, new readers and old. The Audyssey community has gone through a series of remarkable events since the last issue. While not all of these have been entirely favourable to us, we have emerged from it all as a much stronger and stable entity. By far, the biggest news was David Greenwood's release of the alpha version of Shades of Doom. I was originally planning to take the best of the discussion that this generated on the list and share some of it with the rest of you. However, there was so much excellent material that it was a far too daunting task for me to complete. I counted well over a hundred messages on that game alone. Fortunately, Mr. Greenwood himself was able to give us a concise status report which you'll doubtless find of interest. Grizzly Gulch also saw some extensive discussion. There is no new information from Bavisoft as of this writing to put in this issue. However, last reports indicated that a patch to fix some bugs in the game is still in the works. We'll doubtless hear from them in the next issue at the end of August. You'll find two reviews of Grizzly Gulch in this issue from Audyssey staff members. The company I work for has begun to support the Audyssey Plus staff, and you'll see some of what's in store for you in the near future when the Audyssey Plus site launches. Since things are still just getting started, the full benefits haven't yet kicked in. Eventually, however, the constant flow of material from the Audyssey Plus staff will provide the base of future issues of Audyssey and finally end these marathon cessions I go through when things come in at the last minute. Who are these staff members? We have already come to rely on most of their expertise. Randy Hammer is now solely in charge of mainstream and commercial games. Kelly Sapergia and Justin Fegel will continue to cover the ever-popular and still growing area of interactive fiction. James Peach will cover accessible games and game-related sites on the Web. Our new staff member, Jay Pellis, is an expert in console games such as those for the Playstation and older systems. He will report on which of these are worth a blind person's attention either with or without sighted assistance. He is also a veteran of graphical adventures as you'll see in a review in this issue. So then, where is Audyssey heading? The way I see things, two paths lie before us. If we simply wait passively for things to happen, we will walk the path that leads us into obscurity. I'm certain that all of us have let opportunities slip past which might have lead to enjoyment or benefit. On a whim, we decided not to bother going to that party or enter that contest. Those who would support our quest for fun must first know that we're here and have an idea what we're after. Why bother making games if nobody seems eager to play them? Game developers are all set to propel us with a vengeance into a whole new realm of experience. Things we consigned ourselves to never being able to fully experience are now about to appear. Arcade-style action is now a reality. Real-time strategy is only months away at the most from happening. The path that leads to all of this coming to pass is called participation. To walk down it, we must all become active in our pursuit of fun. Our love of fun is what brought us all here. Everybody involved in the Audyssey community came here in search of that most important element of life. Our common quest for this has caused us all to become, to some extent, friends. Due to this friendship, none of us need be afraid to admit our difficulties, defeats, or mistakes. Charity is another crucial element of Audyssey's success. I started Audyssey to share what knowledge and pleasure I had gained through computer games with other blind people. Over the years, others in this community have chosen to give of their time and expertise to benefit all. Game developers have seen the potential of Audyssey, and have generously stepped in to help us take the right path. Even the act of participating in discussions is a valuable service to the community. It gives us direction, purpose, and continuity. To all those who think that just because they've never submitted an article or review, that they haven't helped us walk down the path of participation, you've got another think coming. Simply by discussing the games you play, you do quite a lot for Audyssey. By telling us how unfair that puzzle was, how unsuitable that sound was, or how fantastic that game that's eating up all your time is, you are participating. That grass roots participation is the key to everything. Audyssey is merely a catalyst for this. Fun, friendship, charity. Seems like a pretty good motto for Audyssey to me. These three elements seem to be common to all of the people who have helped me build a reality out of my dream. I thank you all for getting me this far, and hope that you continue to trust me as your editor as we move down this path. I couldn't ask for a better crew for this ship of exploration. A great many changes will take place in the months ahead. I hereby give you my word that I'll be the best captain that I know how to be. I hope you all enjoy this issue of Audyssey. Over the next months, I hope that you choose to lend a hand at the helm. +++ Letters: ++ From Stan Bobbitt: Hello to all the listers, I would like to remind everyone about my Audyssey web page where you can browse Audyssey magazine online, just as you would a web page in HTML version; You can click from article to article, view the latest issue , including back issues, and direct links to all the games mentioned in the magazine, as well as links to the sites of the providers of the games that were reviewed. The main reason I have worked so hard on this is that it saves you having to remember or record all the different addresses to where these games are! If you are interested in a game, simply click the link provided and get the game. Granted, this is a free site through GeoCities. It cost me nothing monetarily, but I have put a lot of long hours of work into providing Michael Feir's marvellous magazine in HTML version. My intent is not to detract from this smashing magazine in any way. Rather, I want to provide an alternative means for anyone and everyone to be able to have access to all the interesting and helpful information found in the magazine. http://www.geocities.com/sbobbitt21/audall.html Thank you, S Bobbitt + That work of yours is starting to pay off already, Stan. I've gotten a number of E-mails from sighted people who have stumbled onto what you've done. As things move forward with the on-line community my employers are working on, it will become even more valuable as a means of quickly becoming familiar with what's happening in the gaming world for the blind. One of the things we plan to do is to try and get mainstream game sites to link to Audyssey Plus. Nobody is quite certain how things will turn out just yet, but there will likely be more discussion on this before the next issue goes out in August. ++ From Robert Betz: I am a new member, and I would like to introduce myself. My name is Robert Betz, and I am the developer of Accessible Games. I have wanted to read the Audyssey magazine, and join this list, but was too busy developing new games. I have a small break, so I thought I would join, and see what is going on. I look forward to contributing to this list in any way I can, and reading your views about games that are accessible to us blind folk. If anyone is unfamiliar with Accessible Games, my web site is: http://www.GamesForTheBlind.com + A hearty welcome indeed to you, Robert. You've certainly put up a large number of games in a short space of time. It is no wonder you couldn't squeeze us in before. I trust that you'll find this community to be a good springboard for ideas and discussion. As other developers turn their attentions to producing action games, you have filled the need for more conventional Windows-based games rather nicely. Of course, your professed long-term plans for producing more complex games in the future are intriguing. I'm certain all of us look forward to further discussions with you over the coming months. ++ From Kent Tessman: Michael-- I've build a simple-text version of the Hugo Engine that seems to work well with speech software. (Mike Coulombe helped me test it; I'm copying him on this as well.) Currently it's sitting in ftp://ftp.gmd.de/incoming/if-archive, and will soon move to ftp://ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/programming/hugo/executables. The file is called hugov25_16bit_simple.zip. Hopefully this may be of interest to Audyssey readers. + Thanks for coming to bat for us, Kent. Thanks are also due to Mike Coulombe for testing for accessibility. This letter was received quite a while ago, so readers interested in examining Hugo games should look in the second location Kent gave for the correct Hugo interpreter. It has long since moved out of the Incoming directory. We have yet to receive any reviews on Hugo games. Let's see about rectifying that situation, folks. As the quote says in Heist: "With the tools, we are prepared". Kent and Mike have provided the tools, so it merely remains for us to explore with joyous abandon. ++ From David Lant: [Editor's note]: This letter was addressed to Phil Vlasak and was part of a small but important discussion concerning the reliance of screen-readers for accessibility. ...Regular accessible programming and design techniques should make any game accessible, irrespective of which screen reader is being used. Saying a game is now accessible, by specifically providing tailoring for named screen readers, is kind of ducking the issue in my opinion. When I build an Access application, I don't design it with my own screen reader in mind. I use the techniques and guidelines that will make as much of the application easily available through the automatic defaults of most screen readers. Simple things like using standard Windows classes, sticking to standard colour schemes, and using the normal focus and re-drawing of Windows to generate highlights and dialogues. If, in fact, these games are accessible to most screen readers, rather than just the named ones, then I'm leaning on an open door. But it would be nice if the fact that there are at least half-a-dozen screen readers in regular use, could be acknowledged a bit more often. I do not want developers of games for the blind to think that if their games are designed to work with JAWS and Window Eyes, that they are covering the accessibility issue. David Lant + From my vantage-point, there seem to be two conflicting demands being directed at game developers about this issue. On the one hand, we have the call to have games be self-voicing so that screen-readers are not necessary at all. At the moment, this option seems to be a more attractive one for game developers. Both PCS and Bavisoft have demonstrated that such games can indeed be made. On the other hand, I am constantly being asked whether there are games which work with certain screen-readers. This is particularly desirable for new users who want a fun way of learning their access technology. It would not surprise me in the least if manufacturers of screen-readers eventually took aggressive steps to have games made that were particularly accessible with their access software. We've already seen an example of this in Winboard. This Chess software was specifically modified to be accessible with Jaws For Windows. When educators finally wake up to the possibilities offered by computer games, I think the funds and resources will emerge to support more such development. ++ From Jak Goodfellow: Hi all fellow readers out there! as all of you will be aware threw either Audyssey or it's list, we are socialising together as a group with audio-tips which allows us to play games and other stuff like that and the list. after thinking about this for some time and how it could be done, I came up with the below idea. now after some tohught, I have decided to bring the below preposition to your attention and would like to see some discussion and maybe the idea be carried threw with some of you. I have recently become interested in mudding. so interested In fact, that I spend hours and hours on them every day [grin]. What if we on the discussion list were to decide on a mud we would like to play and set up our own party to go exploring? This could be grate fun, as it would allow team work from our fellow readers. Of course, we would all have to decide on a particular mud we were going to try and play, and become familiar with the special commands, layout and the software used to connect to muds etc. I would not want to be the leader of the party because I have little experience. However, I would be more than willing to organise such an event. I my self am not to familiar with muds and have only tried the darkwind mud which seems fairly interesting. once you have a fair understanding of how it all works and how to chat with others, your away. if people were to find chatting on the actual mud it's self hard, and had the write equipment, our party could use the audio-tips chat room to talk to each other, and just use the mud to play our game on. if this was not possible, I would set up a closed email list to facilitate the discussion whilst in play. my only thought is all the different times and time zones. If we were to set these ideas in motion, we would all have to discuss and decide on a convenient time for everybody. If any other readers would be interested in this, please contact me personally or threw the discussion list. I think it is well worth a go, and I am not just saying this because it was my idea. who knows? It maybe like a regular thing like DD and voice chats. Hope to hear from you. Jak Goodfellow. jak.goodfellow@cableinet.co.uk + I've long imagined what fun it could be to do something like that, but have steered clear of muds since I would likely never want to stop playing one once I started. This fear of being swallowed whole forces me to decline to join any such expedition. I have no doubt, however, that brave venturers like Jak could start something like this. It might be fun to have reports on any such adventures to put in Audyssey. It might also be a good eago-booster to have a band of blind adventurers become known in the sighted world. Of course, they'd need a catching name. In honour of the intrepid but modest lad who put forth this suggestion, might I suggest Jak's Dungeoneers? ++ From Kevin Lyon: hi, my name is Kevin Lyon, I live in st. Helens in the north of England. I am new to all types of PC games (I've been playing for about 8 months), a definite novice. I've got the hang of text-based games such as Zork, jigsaw etc. (even though I've not completed any of them as yet). I keep reading about games such as Adom and nethack (I have recent versions which I downloaded from the Internet). The thing is, I just cannot get the hang of them. I've spent hours reading the documentation, which, even though it is a bit overwhelming (there's such a lot of it) is very in-depth and informative. when it comes to starting the games, I just can't get my head round them. These are the first screen-orientated games I have encountered and I just can't seem to combine what the documentation says and the actual screen. I am using windows 98 with JFW 3.31 if this helps. I'd really like to get playing these types of games as, judging from the documentation that comes with them, they sound absolutely great and right up my street. I hope you, or someone, can provide some advice. I think the idea of a website for novices is a great idea (in fact I could do with it right this minute). I hope someone is willing to start one. anyway, that's all for now. keep up the good work with Audyssey. Kevin Lyon + Welcome aboard, Kevin. I'm always encouraged when ambitious newcomers like yourself decide to try the more unconventional games available to us. Screen-oriented games like Nethack can be quite difficult to come to grips with. I hope you don't give up on them. No other games have nearly as much replay value as the screen-oriented ones. Much earlier in Audyssey, I did a brief tutorial about playing those kinds of games. Perhaps, this might help you get your feet wet. Remember to route your Jaws cursor to your PC cursor since the PC cursor will always be where your character is. It's a little tricky playing these games with JFW since it keeps wanting to say the whole line when you move up or down. Despite this, it can still be done and is worth the effort. Best of luck to you, Kevin. Be certain to look in our new gaming definitions section to become familiar with the terms you're likely to start bumping into. Happy gaming. +++ Strength In Numbers By Michael Feir When I began Audyssey, I had no idea where it would take me. It was a simple hobby that has grown into something far larger than I dared to hope. I have always strongly encouraged people to distribute and post issues of Audyssey to whoever they wished. May this practice forever continue. The bigger we are, the better things can be for all of us. I've often been asked how many people actually read Audyssey. Because of how openly Audyssey is distributed, it has been impossible even to give an educated guess. People can down-load Audyssey from numerous web-sites, or simply read it online. They can receive it via E-mail, and might even have obtained it in other formats from friends or colleagues. Audyssey has now become the centre of a vibrant and growing community. That much is proved by the activity on the discussion lists and the continued support from the game developers working to add some fun to our lives. I think that it might now be time to try and accurately measure how many readers Audyssey has. This will give me, the staff, the game developers, my employers, and all of you an idea of how large we are. To get this information, I ask everybody who reads Audyssey in whatever form to send an E-mail to: michael@student2day.com Put the phrase: I read Audyssey In the subject field of your message. Please only do this once. These messages will be kept in a special folder so that they are automatically counted. The E-mail addresses will be kept absolutely confidential. From this point forward, each issue of Audyssey will include the current number of responses from your fellow readers. We can all thank Doug Poirier, my very clever and talented co-worker, for finally solving the mystery of how to begin to get a sense of how large we are and how quickly we grow. I would also like to thank you, the readers of Audyssey, for doing this small favour. In the future, we might also try and see just who we are as a community. For now, however, this will make for an excellent start. +++ Shades of Doom Status By David Greenwood Almost a year ago, I asked the Audyssey community if they were interested in designing a Doom-like game, using the discussion mail list as the medium to exchange ideas. My hope was that the final result would be a game that contains an interesting playing environment, and a user interface that works well for the VI community. One of my main interests was how the whole process would work. Would this type of exchange encourage the development of ideas that would lead to a better game, or would it produce a game that looked like it was designed by a committee. I think the jury is still out on this one, but I feel that it is going quite well so far. The process has developed much more interest than I could have imagined. I have over seven hundred e-mail messages, from people both on and off the discussion mail list, giving advice, sharing ideas, offering encouragement, and providing constructive criticism. The best part of the process is the way ideas have evolved from initial discussions through to today. If I were to design and develop this game by myself without all the input I received, I feel that the game would have turned out much differently, and I am sure, not nearly as well. We are currently on the third go-round. The first step involved a general discussion of what type of game we would design. Would it be a RPG, a shooter game, or both? Would it contain puzzles? How would we handle orientation and navigation? How would monster melees work? This is just the tip of the iceberg. I used the ideas generated in this step to create the prototype I released in November 1999. In Step two, the list reviewed the prototype, then we worked on a finer level of detail. We considered many aspects of the game. Do the ambient wind sounds do the job as intended? Does the movement of your character, and targeting of monsters make sense? What would be useful as a source of information during the game? How do you avoid bumping into walls? How do you find objects in the game? What type of game are we working towards? Again, there were many more questions which we addressed. In May of this year, I released what I called the alpha version of the game. We have just started the next step. The list is discussing the alpha version and is concentrating even more on the details. We are grappling with the following questions, to name a few. How should rooms be identified? Should there be signature sounds used to identify passageways and rooms? How do we keep score? Should the layout of rooms and passageways be simpler, or more complex? How should the detecting, taking, and automatic inventorying of objects work? These and many more questions are still being discussed as you read this issue. Where are we going from here? I would like to release at least one more alpha version, maybe in September or early October. This will contain all the decided upon features of the game, if not all the content. Depending upon the outcome of this release, I can see the beta version released before the end of the year. +++ Online Gaming: The Blind Gamer's Extreme Sport James Peach CAUTION: The word "extreme" and "extremely," will be utilised in extremely excessive amounts. If you have an extreme problem with the word "extreme," then please proceed onto the next article (which won't be quite as extreme). We have all enjoyed text adventures and single-player role-playing games. These are extremely popular, but they are still fairly tame compared to the avenues in gaming being offered to us today. Aside from the conventional, we now have sports simulation and management, arcade, and even some action games to give us a blast of fresh air. These however, are merely that sharp drop that begins your ski run down the Swiss Alps. The ride is only beginning. While action, arcade and the like are quite exciting and challenging for the lone blind gamer, some may feel even these extremes to be extremely tame. You may be ready for the ultimate challenge. If so, look no further than web-based gaming. What? Were you expecting something else? Yes, web-based gaming could be considered an extreme sport when contrasted with other games in their genres. Their content and characteristics make them a genre all their own. For those of you who don't know what I'm babbling about, web-based games are games that are played over the Internet as the primary platform. Such games generally consist of: A] online RPGs: In these games, your character goes online to compete with other characters. These are usually commercial downloadable software that sets up and accesses an account online. Some of these, such as Everquest, have software available in computer stores. B] Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs), which are discussed in past issues of Audyssey, will be the most referred to in the following article. With that said, such entertainment could be considered an extremity for the following two reasons: (1) one must have a connection to the Net. They must be able to browse pages that contain such things as Java, tables and style sheets. Older computers or those unfamiliar with their access technology may have problems in these areas. (2) the very nature of some of these games requires not only some devotion of your time, but also a devotion to the community which you may belong to. If you've ever seen an entire computer room filled with people playing the same online game (in this case, Archmage), all starving for more time to play, you know firsthand how out of control it can be. With this issue in mind, the following questions could be asked of one's self before setting foot in this new and exciting realm of entertainment for the blind: 1. Could I afford the time, money, and effort that these kinds of games require? 2.If so, how much of each could I contribute without going overboard? 3. If I got my friends involved, would I be doing more harm than good (if you stop playing and they don't, or one of your friends is sacrificing things to play, what will you do?) These are merely a few of the many queries that should be made to determine whether you're ready for such an extreme activity. I urge anyone considering playing these games to think critically about their possible impact. In all seriousness, it may be one of the toughest gaming decisions you'll ever have to make. I'm not trying to be extreme about it). The following is a short list of warnings and advice: (1) Don't join any online games unless you either have a home connection to the Internet, or a good school connection with a lot of time to use it. Using a friend's connection is at best unreliable. Using one at work could possibly get you behind or even in a lot of trouble with the boss. (2) Don't join a game that doesn't suit your interests. This is more a common sense warning than any "DO" or "DO NOT" warning. You most likely won't have fun if you don't like the games content; you only joined because your friends did, for example. Utopia and Earth 2025 are examples of such taste differences, as the same group maintains both but have completely different content. (3) If you have a friend who is playing a game you are interested in, ask them to describe it and go over any problems they have with the game (mechanics, not content). Also, do some research on the game. Most of what you're probably looking for could be found at the game's website. Determine if the game is right for your style, speed and level of ability. WARNING: Most of these kinds of games will take at least an hour out of your time, and can take longer depending on the game and the level of detail. (4) If at some point, you can't continue playing a game, or no longer wish to play, quit the game cold turkey! The reason is that most (if not all) web-based games are expecting that you spend some time online each day, and if you don't, you could be dead, or far worse off, by the time you start up again. If you want to start up again, start a new character (or whatever), and begin anew. These tips and warnings should hopefully give you a head start when it comes to online gaming of this type. NOTE: Internet gaming options for software driven games especially, are very different than totally online ones. However, most of the afore mentioned advice, questions, suggestions and warnings could be applied to both. The web can be a fun place to play, but knowing its nature and effects beforehand can greatly reduce possible future problems for the gamer. Have fun, good extreme gaming, and see you online. +++ Dolphin E-mail Leagues Welcomes Blind Coaches Have you ever wanted to run your own sports team? Ever thought you could do a better job than the millionaire coaches? Dolphin E-mail Leagues (http://www.dolphinsim.com/) gives you that chance! Dolphin E-mail Leagues is a family of e-mail and web-based sports strategy leagues, giving you the chance to run a professional or college football, basketball, baseball, soccer, or hockey team. You take full control of your team's personnel decisions through the draft, free agency, trades, and contract negotiations in the professional leagues; and recruiting and scholarships in the college leagues. You also set your team's strategy on game day, giving you the chance to affect your team's performance in a way that fantasy leagues can only dream of. Dolphin E-mail Leagues has been online since 1995, and has attracted hundreds of coaches through word-of-mouth advertising alone, as well as numerous spin-off leagues not on the official website. We offer the following features: -E-mail and web-based command interfaces, both with immediate feedback, for ease of entering personnel and coaching orders. -Entirely text-based interface for easy use with text-to-speech software. -Your choice of sports: baseball, basketball, football (American), hockey, and soccer, with college levels available for baseball, basketball, and football. -Full control of your roster and finances in pro leagues: contract negotiations, draft, trades, and free agency. -Minor leagues and training squads in pro leagues to let you see younger players' performances. -Realistic recruiting and scholarships in college leagues. -Ability to view season and career stats for all players. The stats library is up to 28Mb for professional leagues, and up to 55Mb for college leagues. -Detailed game plans that you can set before each game. -Games are simulated play-by-play, based on game plans and player abilities. The home computer versions of the game engines have been published world-wide on shareware CD-ROMs, with the football game listed by download.com as one of the top 10 all-time shareware games. -Season-by-season simulation, so you watch as players come in as rookies, develop, and eventually get old and retire. -Games, draft rounds, and free agency signing periods are run on a strict schedule, so you will always know when your next deadline is. -Excellent customer service. Most questions are answered and bugs are fixed very quickly, usually within 8-12 hours. The cost is $5.95 per season, with a season lasting roughly three months (depending on the sport). All new coaches get a free trial season. For more information, visit our website at http://www.dolphinsim.com/ +++ Free Game Winner This time around, the free game was easily won by Stan Bobbitt. Stan has done the Audyssey a tremendous service in making Audyssey available online as HTML documents. He has plunged into pretty much every thread on the Audyssey discussion list and has thereby shown himself to be an extremely well-rounded gamer of the highest order. You'll find examples of Stan's excellent work in the Game Announcements and Reviews section as well as on pages he has set up on the Internet to help players. Congratulations, Stan. +++ News From ESPSoftworks From: jnorth@espsoftworks.com on behalf of James R. North [jnorth@espsoftworks.com] Sent: June 25, 2000 9:02 PM To: Michael Feir Michael, Here's the new update for ESP. Thanks, James =================== What's New @ ESP Softworks - June 2000 ESP Softworks is an up and coming game and entertainment software company that specialises in the development of software that's completely accessible to those with low or no vision. You can visit the website at http://www.espsoftworks.com. The following news and/or changes are occurring at ESP Softworks: Monkey Business To Be Released in July 2000 ------------------------------------------- Get ready for an absolutely fun action arcade-style game in this first-person adventure against the evil Dr. Wobble! As a net-for-hire by a scientist who's teleportation invention and plans have been stolen by Dr. Wobble, you must catch a fleeting group of monkeys across ten levels of arcade-style insanity and several bonus levels! Dr. Wobble has broken into your bosses laboratory in the middle of the night and stolen the teleportation device he's invented. But, that's not all.. Dr. Wobble's also spiked the monkeys used for the teleportation tests' water supply with a drug that has made them extremely smart and mischievous. Not only does Dr. Wobble have the device, but the monkeys have gotten loose and stolen the plans! Now, it's up to you to catch the monkeys, retrieve the pages of the plans, and put a stop to Dr. Wobble! Monkey Business features: - Ten Themed Levels of Gameplay With Fun Puzzles - Great Ambient Sound Effects - Complete Player Freedom of Movement - Several Bonus Levels - Innovative and Fast Action Gameplay - Cool Music Monkey Business will be released in July of 2000. The estimated price will be $24.95. Check our website at http://www.espsoftworks.com during July for news about this upcoming release. Web Site Overhaul ----------------- ESP Softwork's website will be undergoing a face lift in order to simplify navigation. There will only be a single version available at that time that's most conducive for ease of navigation. We also have a few surprises in store! Freebies -------- The free game 'Shell Shock' is still available on our website's Freebies section. Shell Shock is an 'artillery' style game that can be played by two players or one player against the computer. It features cool stereo sound effects and is easily accessible to play. Requires Microsoft Direct X to play. Two new Freebies will be available via the website during July and August so stay tuned! +++ News From PCS: From: pvlasak@monmouth.com on behalf of Philip Vlasak [pvlasak@monmouth.com] Sent: June 23, 2000 10:37 AM To: Michael Feir Subject: PCS article SNIPE HUNT Personal Computer Systems is releasing Snipe Hunt. This game is a no brainer, intense planning of strategy isn't needed. Fast action, using quick reflexes is what counts. You run through a winding path chasing and catching snipes in your bag. What are snipes? They are small birds with long straw-like bills. They fly close to the ground with great speed and dexterity. What is it about snipes that lures scouts, campers, and fun folk like you and I to seek them out? Could it be the adrenaline rush of chasing down snipes with your potato sack? Or is it the chill that runs down your spine as you listen carefully for their call? Or is it the smell of the midnight air as you pursue them on the path with your lamp, hoping to catch these marvellous creatures? Regardless of what it is that has drawn people to hunt this bird at night under a moonlit sky, the sport of snipe hunting has grown and become more difficult than ever. The common snipe has a complex disposition unlike any other bird known to civilisation. Most snipes fly away when they spot you. But now there is an insidious demon snipe that will attack your light, sending you back to the starting point for another torch. This game uses the same system to navigate as our Pack man game. A blip in the right or left speaker indicates openings to path ways. Snipes peaking around corners are revealed. The path always raps around keeping you in the fertile hunting ground. So, your next evasive Snipe may just be around the corner! The game doesn't need any screen reader to play, all the speech is recorded by Cristina Downey. It comes on CD with both WINDOW and DOS versions. Free CD demo P C S is putting out a demo on CD which contains both WINDOW and DOS versions. Just send your name and address to, pvlasak@monmouth.com and we will send you the free CD. The demo restricts you to one lamp and five snipes. The full version starts you out with three lamps and the chance to get more. In the full version, you will also get unlimited snipes to catch and a Braille map of the path. SPECIAL OFFER If you request a demo of Snipe Hunt, you will also receive a coupon for five dollars off of your order when the CD demo is returned. Snipe Hunt costs forty dollars. With the return of the coupon and CD demo the cost will be thirty five dollars. You can contact P C S in any format at PERSONAL Computer Systems 551 Compton Ave. Perth Amboy NJ. 08861 phone (732) 826-1917 E-mail pvlasak@monmouth.com P C S Games web site: http://www.pcsgames.com +++ News From Zform Zform Update: Dear Audyssey community, The Zform web page has been silent for a while now, this is because our small team has been working furiously on many fronts. You might be wondering what all the "furious work" is, yes? Well, read on. * This year portions of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (UMass), the nearby colleges, and Mass Ventures Corporation decided they wanted a program to encourage entrepreneurship in our area. This program, the Entreclub, sponsored a business plan competition. In this competition, participants worked on their business concepts and crafted them into formal business plans. Zform is proud to announce that our business won the competition! This success brings with it prize money to help fund the company as well as prestige that has already helped us move forward. Zform gives a special thanks to our editor, Elizabeth Slavkovsky, who's help in writing the plan was indispensable. * Zform makes the paper! As winners of the Business Plan Competition, Zform was interviewed by the Union News. The article can be found online at: http://www.masslive.com/business/index.ssf?//business/pstories/biz403bi.html * Zform is proud to announce that Patricia Pizer has joined our board of advisors. Patricia is an industry veteran with over 14 years experience working for some of the greatest computer game companies of all time. For instance, she worked for Infocom during its glory days and helped develop, among others, the famous Hitchhiker's Guide all-text-adventure. Patricia told us she was excited to be able to help us make our mission a reality. She is currently the Lead Designer at turbine games, makers of Asheron's Call * Zform attended the "Internet Economy Comes to Main Street" conference, held in Northampton and Springfield MA. There, we were able to touch base with the pulse of the new economy and participate in excellent discussions on the changes the information revolution is bringing to everyone. We also learned that the many beneficiaries of the new economy feel, like Zform, a commitment to their communities and social responsibility. * Cofounder Paul G. Silva, after an intensive five year career where he balanced the work of a very challenging major and starting Zform, graduated from UMass with a degree in computational physics. (there was much rejoicing) AND, last but certainly not least: * Zform has begun raising the funds necessary to finance the development of its first fully accessible computer game, Tre. For more information on Zform, see our website: http://www.zform.com/vi_home.html Stay tuned to it for the latest Zform news. To contact zform directly, email us at: info@zform.com We welcome any and all questions. Zform would also like to thank Audyssey Magazine for giving us this opportunity to let you know what we're up to. Thanks Audyssey! Sincerely, Paul G. Silva (paul@zform.com) Cofounder and VP of Development Zform LLC (http://www.zform.com) +++ Gaming According to James James Peach For the novice, it can often seem difficult to grasp all the terminology bandied about by veterans of accessible games. This problem may even be the cause of some intimidation or paranoia of gaming in general. Being faced with a barrage of unfamiliar words and concepts can scare people away from a great source of entertainment, which would be a real shame. In a magazine and community that is devoted to computer games accessible to the blind, it is essential that newcomers receive the guidance and support needed to get them started. Apparently, from current discussions on the Audyssey Discussion List, this support for novices is somewhat lacking. If you have gaming friends or have visited gaming sites, you're probably already aware of some definitions, abbreviations and acronyms associated with this sort of entertainment. You may already know what IF stands for (Interactive Fiction), and maybe know what a patch is (a replacement of unstable/buggy files), but do you know what RTS stands for? How about what a trailer is? Probably not. You may be even more baffled with how much these terms and tons more are used. Fortunately, you are not the only one out there who feels totally confused, bewildered, and quite frightened by some of these colloquialisms. We at Audyssey are here to help. Be warned though. There are a lot of them. As new types of games become available, there will always be more to ponder. Thanks to a lot of comments and suggestions from Audyssey fans, we have decided to include a new section in Audyssey Magazine entitled "The Definitions of Gaming." This section will attempt to dispel some of the confusion and anxiety when concerning games and gaming resources. The section will include the newest definitions, abbreviations and acronyms sorted alphabetically. With the clear fact that there are heaps of terms, phrases, acronyms and abbreviations, we'll try to cover the most commonly used and least understood ones first. If after seeing what this section has to offer, you have any suggestions, comments, or definitions, please send them all to: jamespeach@hotmail.com and we'll try and get it in the next issue. +++ The Definitions of Gaming Section maintained by James Peach This issue, we will focus on the genres that games can fall under as an icebreaker to this new section within Audyssey. It is important to know of the different types of games that exist before understanding the language associated with them. As with all concurrent issues, there will be a minimum of ten definitions to give everyone a broad area of information to deal with. I hope that with this first instance of "The Definition of Gaming", that you, the blind/visually impaired gamer, will become more aware of the possibilities in gaming around you and be ready to travel in new paths in gaming. Action - Action games are games typically less cerebral than those of other genres. They are generally linear, with a very simple plot, and simple operation. Don't be fooled. To achieve your goal of getting to the end of the game (that's basically the only objective), it often involves taking on tough enemies or traversing difficult climes; nothing is ever easy. Examples of some action games are Super Mario Brothers series, the Metal Gear Series, and the Doom series. For the most part, action games are inaccessible without sighted assistance, though that is slowly changing. Role-playing games (RPGs) - These types of games include the pen and paper (Dungeons & Dragons type) games, as well as console and computer games. It has been explained that there are five basic elements that define an RPG: (1) the player must be playing a role of some kind; (2) there must be more than one objective in the game (i.e.: find the magic crystal, and defeat the end boss); (4) there must be a way for a character to advance in ability (gain levels, increase in skill, etc.); (5) the must be some sort of storyline. While these elements may not be the only ones that define an RPG, they are the most objective that could be found. Real-time strategy (RTS) - These are organisational games where actions, decisions, mistakes, are all made in real-time with little time to think, and only enough time to react. Real-time strategies a generally inaccessible due to their impulsive action/reaction nature; this is unfortunate. The WarCraft, Age of Empires, and Command & Conquer series of games are all examples of RTS's, with this genre being the one of the most popular. Turn-based strategy (TBS) - Games defined under this genre are such that are played in a chess-like fashion. This means that actions are made back and forth, with each player having a turn to make decisions. Chess, as mentioned above, is a simple version of an TBS. Each player makes a decision, and then allows the other player to make theirs. This continues back and forth. TBS is distinctively different from RTS, and not just for the obvious reasons. Each has it's limitations; TBS on realism and RTS on flexibility as examples. Even the techniques implemented are different. TBS is easier to play, and should be sought to play over RTS. Active Turn-based (ATB) - ATB is a combination of the aforementioned real-time and turn-based strategy. It is essentially like turn-based strategy. The difference is that each turn is timed. Decisions must be made quickly or the other players will take their turns. The Final Fantasy series is an example of it's implementation within an RPG, and the MAX series (see previous issues) is an example of ATB within a strategy game. Sports - Hockey, baseball, soccer, curling and football are all types of sports simulated on the computer or on console. These games simulate not the individual player, but either all of the players, the coaching of the players or the management of the team. Aside from on the field/court/ice decisions, there are a lot of external choices to be made, like the signing of players or the organisation of rosters. Sports games can come in text-based versions which are most accessible, though with some help, the graphical versions can be played as well. Arcade - Space Invaders, Pong, and Tetris come to mind as the classic arcade games, though most of us know that that's old hat. These days, arcade games seem to be defined as entertainment is the least cerebral, with the minimum of background and maximum of hack and slash. Even if you are blind, you could probably play most of these games as they require little skill, and some would be helpful with a sighted partner playing along. Racing - While racing is considered a sporting event, it has grown out so far that it has become it's own gaming genre. On motorcycles, jet skis, boats, snow mobiles, and even cars, racing can be seen and played. There is little to say about racing games, as they are all basically the same with only subtle differences in quality, options and realism. Some assistance from the sighted would make the experience more enjoyable, though you can play alone at your own risk. Simulation (sim) - Despite that other genres might simulate some elements of the experience, they are not simulations. To truly call something a simulation, a game has to be *simulating* portion of reality it is based on. For example, a flight sim simulates the experience of flying an aircraft, right down to the turbulence, the landing and takeoff, and everything else involved in flight simulation. Technically, sports is a sub genre of simulation, but has grown to become it's own like racing. The accessibility of sims are quite variable, and should be examined further though most will require some form of assistance. Interactive Fiction (IF) - This is by far the most recognised of all gaming genres within the blind gaming community. It is completely accessible, and available in whatever flavour of story you desire. As the name implies, you are playing within of story, making decisions and generally acting to move along with the story to it's end. RPGs and IF games have been confused in the past as they are both similar, though IF games lack some of the elements that would define them as an RPG; multiple objectives and character development as starters. What you may be referring to as IF may in fact actually be an RPG, such as Nethack, ADOM, Rogue, and Fallthru. It is easy to put all text-based "story" games into the IF category, but now that you are aware, this may happen somewhat less. +++ Game Announcements and Reviews: Above the full reviews which appear in this section, any new games which have not been fully reviewed yet will be announced in the hopes that readers and/or the Audyssey staff will try out and review these games for us. Reviews of games will not appear in any particular order. The only exception to this will be when we have more than one review for a game. In this case, reviews will be placed consecutively so that it is easier to compare them. As with Anchorhead a few issues back, I may wish to interject my own thoughts on a game should it provoke significant reaction or otherwise prove itself especially noteworthy. When I choose to do this, you'll find my remarks above the review or reviews for the game in question. Should a game have more than one review, two plus-signs will be placed above the first review and/or my remarks. This policy will hopefully encourage people to try both the latest as well as some older games which may have been overlooked. Just because something isn't hot off the presses doesn't mean that it is any less worthy of a gamer's attention. Also, remember that it doesn't matter if a game has been reviewed before. If you have a different take on the game than has already been published, send in your review and I'll consider it for publication. If a review fails to interest you, simply skip to the next plus-sign. It's that simple, folks. + Accessible Word Scramble Announcement Developer: Robert Betz Accessible Word Scramble is a Windows 95/98 game written specifically for blind users of JFW version 3.3 or higher, and Window-Eyes version 3.1 or higher. The object of this game is to unscramble 5 words in as little time as possible. It is a race against the clock. The game is timed, but there is no time limit. The game screen is a grid with 2 rows. The scrambled word will appear in the top row, and you must move the letters in the scrambled word to the bottom row to create the word the computer is looking for. Many times, the letters in the scrambled word can be unscrambled to create more than one word, so the object is to find the word the computer is looking for. When all letters have been moved to the bottom row, you will be informed if you have created the correct word or not. If you did not create the word the computer is looking for, you will be told how many letters are in their correct position, and those letters will remain in the bottom row. So, if you have no idea what word can be created, or you are not the world's best speller, you can make up nonsense words and if any letters are in the correct position, you can use the correct letters as a guide to create the word the computer is looking for. This game interfaces directly to JFW version 3.3 or higher and Window-Eyes version 3.1 or higher to provide spoken feedback to the user. This interface combined with several keyboard commands and sound effects make this game completely accessible to the blind gamer! An easy to use interface is also provided for sighted family members, allowing them to enjoy Accessible WordPlay too. Play your family and friends, and see who can unscramble 5 words in the shortest time! You may download a trial version of Accessible Word Scramble from the Accessible Games web site at: http://www.GamesForTheBlind.com + Wintruck Announcement: Produced by Jim Kitchen I have put a windows version of the trucker game up on my web site. So far, it plays pretty much like the DOS version but with continuous and multiple sounds. I do plan to keep working on the game and make it similar to the super rig door game. The file name is wintruck.exe and it is 4.5 meg in size. my web site address is http://www.simcon.net/public/jkitchen + Announcing Monarchy Discovered for Audyssey by Stan Bobbitt. [Editor's note]: The following was taken from the Monarchy web-site. The Basics Monarchy is a free turn-based strategy game. It is played online and does not require any downloads or plug-ins. All you need is a fairly recent web browser. The Game Monarchy is a fantasy game featuring dragons, sorcery, and more. Each player takes on the role of a lord or lady in charge of a small territory. Your goal is to turn these few acres into a thriving kingdom. By building, recruiting, and making war on other players, you attempt to make your kingdom the greatest. What is required to play? Monarchy is an online text based strategy game. No download required, just a web browser capable of frames. What is EDC? Evernight Design Corp. consisted of Daniel Crowe (Neurosis) and Dustin Collis (Decae). Together we designed and created Monarchy. In 1998 Monarchy became part of the Shareplay gaming network. Dustin and I are now employees of Shareplay and continue to support Monarchy. To play Monarchy, visit: http://www.shareplay.com/ + Metal Gear: Solid Published by: Konami Inc. Reviewed by: James Peach In such a delicate operation as this, only one can truly succeed where many would fail; that one is you, as mercenary Solid Snake. A seasoned soldier and mercenary from the Outer Heaven and Zanzibar campaigns, you've been called up one more time for this important mission. Despite what the game hype leads you to believe, you're not the lone maverick who sees, thinks and knows all. In fact, you actually have a former member of The Next Generation Special Forces backing you up, in spirit anyway. A motley crew of unlikely and mysterious contacts encountered during the game also assist you in moments of panic or uncertainty. In Snake, one can also quickly gain the impression that you're not just dealing with your average grunting male, blindly following orders. Instead, we see an intelligent male who is able to calculate, contemplate and understand. At the risk of spoiling it, you'll find this snake to be far more than the sum of it's parts. This group of contacts you will acquire keeps in touch with a personal codec system. Advice, suggestions, inspiration and support are all gained through the use of the personal codec for personal or group communications. It won't be too long into the experience before you realise that you have an invaluable resource in this collection of people, each with their own knowledge, skills and experience to bring to the fray. Before too long, you will find that the codec is the most valuable piece of equipment you're carrying. You may have to do it alone, but you're not doing it without help. You'll need all the help you can get. After leaving the personal sub behind and floating to the surface, you'll notice right away that Metal Gear Solid is very different from your average action type games. With superior numbers in manpower against you and former members of Foxhound out for your blood, creeping your way in is the only sane option. The emphasis on cloak and dagger techniques cannot be stressed enough, as the only other avenue is out the way you came in, in a box. Patience is the name of the game here, considering that aside from drugged up genome soldiers, there are mines, wolf hounds, a sensor-guarded "death chamber," and sensor-operated mounted guns to deal with. Oh, did I mention the former members of Fox Hound? Well I did, and for good reason! Every so often, you'll have to face one of these men or women and they were trained to be killers! Furthermore, some of them have a horrible tendency to come back for more, so expect the unexpected. Is the action a little too intense? Security getting tighter? Enemies getting smarter? Well, why not relax and go for a round or two in the VR training sessions? Such simulations as: weapons training, timed training, offer the intrepid merc an opportunity to unwind and let it all fly out the barrel. Only after completing a training level successfully will you be able to move onto the next level. Some levels aren't even available until you've played through some of Metal Gear Solid. Once you feel a bit more confident in your abilities, you can leave training to continue the quest. This type of training may be one's only saving grace, as they may not be ready to traverse some of the challenges awaiting them. For enthusiasts of the RPG genre, one could almost classify Metal Gear Solid as such for: it's attempt at rich plot development, the portrayal of the cold mercenary character, character development (body meter increases after every boss), and the use of multiple objectives which you uncover later. Though it has many shortcomings, I don't think RPG fans will be too disappointed so long as they're not expecting an RPG. In actual fact, there are two primary objectives to give you plenty to do: (1) rescue the DARPA Chief and the Armstech president as well as other key hostages; (2) locate and shut down Metal Gear. One of the highlights of Solid that is slowly becoming a standard in the graphical gaming universe is the implementation of intelligent enemies. Gone are the days when mindless monsters, mutants and zombies would be plodding around and waiting for you to dispatch them. Instead, as you improve, they improve, forcing you to advance to a higher level far faster than usual. The general gaming public has been complaining for years that non-player characters (NPC's) are getting to easy to kill, and so this was the result. Just to give you an idea of how "intelligent" these genome soldiers are, relatively speaking: if a genome soldier hears a noise, it will deviate from it's path in the direction of the noise and continue to do so until satisfied. For all the smarts of the computer artificial intelligence (AI) in this game, they can be fooled and lead around as it suits Snake. Aside from many fine options in items and weapons, and the intensity of a spy thriller, Metal Gear Solid also has a stunning plot and great voice-over acting. The primary reason why I chose to review this Playstation game was due to this, and it's movie-like flavour. After playing for a short while, you'll feel more and more like you're playing a role in a movie instead of a character in a game. This feeling is supplemented by the fact that this title is loaded with integrated video clips and lengthy cinema scenes. Even if the non-sighted player is not actively participating, it is an experience in itself just to sit and listen to the dialogue, the ambience, and the experience as a whole. + Utopia Game by Echelon Entertainment Reviewed by Stan Bobbitt Utopia is a web based interactive text-HTML adventure game that you play online. You will need an Internet connection and a web browser to play. To sign up for a FREE account to play utopia, go to: