VvV VvV OoOoOoO IiIiIiI dD

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VvV VvV OoOoOoO IiIiIiI dD
-------=== VvV VvV Oo oO Ii dD ===-------
----------=== VvV VvV Oo oO Ii dD ===---------
------------=== VvV VvV Oo oO Ii DdDdDdD ===------------
----------=== VvV VvV Oo oO Ii Dd dD ===---------
-------=== Vv vV Oo oO Ii Dd dD ===-------
Vv OoOoOoO IiIiIiI dDdDdD

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ISSUE Number 5
14th January 1993
Submissions, comments etc to : [email protected]
Editor Phil Bird
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1...................................................................EDITORIAL

2................................Next issue and plea for them there articles!

3..................................................PIRATE BBS BUSTS IN THE UK

4.........................................................The Shareware Shope
Morphing
*Win-mod* release

5............................................................Competition time

6...............................Making the most of your memory using memmaker

7..................................................Tricks of the trade in DOS

8...............................PC GAMES REVIEWS.............................
ETERNAM review
ULTIMA VI PART TWO: SERPENT ISLE
MIGHT AND MAGIC IV - CLOUDS OF XEEN
AMAZON - GUARDIANS OF EDEN
WAXWORKS
KING'S QUEST VI - HEIR TODAY AND GONE TOMORROW

9...........................................................ASCII Art gallery

10..........................................A Quick and Dirty Guide to FTPing

11...............................................Back Issues and FTP'ing VOID

12....................................................Parting words and thanks

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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It's FFFFFFFFriday! Welcome to the 5th.. yes, the super huge, 5th issue of
VOId probably the only mag that admits to the odd spelling mistake! (Or at
least I admit to!). I have been quite busy recently trying to give -=VOId=- a
new sparkling look (which is only really half implemented in this issue)
which has ment my contribution to the article situation has, to say the least,
been at a minimum! So there's a few sections of -=VOId=- missing this ish..
but do not despair they shall return for the next issue...

Enough of the bad news and more of the good news! Erm.. the good news.. now
let me see... ho hum.. no good news! Oh well.. :-) Oh apart from the first
competition ever in -=VOId=- with some very special prices.. so read on! :)

Well I guess that's all I can think to Rant about this issue (possibly due
to a having a large hang-over.. but lets not dwell on that!) so it's
goodbye from me.. and goodbye from him.. keep those articles coming and I'll
see you all in the next issue!

Take care and thank crunchy for headache pills! :)

Phil

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/ |/ /____ __/ /_ / _/__ ___ __ _____
/ / -_) \/ / __/ _/ /(_-<(_-</ // / -_)
/_/|_/\__//_/\_\__/ /___/___/___/\_,_/\__/

Things to look forward to in the next ish of Void (due out 2 weeks from now!)

1.........Demo scene
Articles and news in the demo coding scene
2.........Game reviews
Some reviews of some really up-to-date releases
3.........Sim City 2000
A detailed look at this new game.. how will it compare to the
first? Better worse? Only time will tell
4.........MUD in your eye
The start of our regular feature looking at MUD's and MUSHES
around the world!

So watch out eh? :-)

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P.Bird

___ _ __ ___ ___ ____ ___ __
/ _ \(_)______ _/ /____ / _ )/ _ )/ __/ / _ )__ _____ / /____
/ ___/ / __/ _ `/ __/ -_) / _ / _ |\ \ / _ / // (_-</ __(_-<
/_/ /_/_/ \_,_/\__/\__/ /____/____/___/ /____/\_,_/___/\__/___/

Christmas has been a busy period for FAST in the UK.. As many of you may know
there are several Pirate BBS's running (or where!) withing the UK, as indeed
there seems to be in every country. The boards have been in action for several
years now and have a large established base of regular pirate users, these
boards have been growing virtually unchecked until recently... It seems that
FAST has now had enough in the UK and decided to set a few examples or perhaps
to "put the frightners" on UK boards.
On December the 11th 1993 at 6am in the morning the polic and a number of
FAST officals put a sledge hammer from the front door of the sysop of
Arcadia. For those of you know are not familiar with the UK pirate scene
Arcadia was the UK's biggest and most widely used ELITE pirate board
having 6 high speed modem phone lines and a massive 4 gig's of online
storage. The FAST offical confiscated all of his computing equipment
(which as a matter of fact contain hundreds of un-encrypted user details
and adverts for other pirate BBS's!) and a large amount of original computer
games (for which reciepts where actually owned). Not only that but police
and officals searched the premises from the bedroom downwards in looking
for futher encriminating evidence.
John Loader (of FAST) was contactedand he commented that he was now on the
majority of UK pirate boards (obviously under bogus names) and was considering
which board would be best to raid next.. he names the Flying Teapot and
UP as two of the likely candidates... The Flying Teapot has now closed all
4 of his phone lines and has decided to stay away from the pirate scene for
a few years..

Basically don't start a pirate board in the UK for sometime!

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/ / / _ \/ -_) _\ \/ _ \/ _ `/ __/ -_) |/|/ / _ `/ __/ -_)
/_/ /_//_/\__/ /___/_//_/\_,_/_/ \__/|__,__/\_,_/_/ \__/

______
/ __/ / ___ ___ ___
_\ \/ _ \/ _ \/ _ \/ -_)
/___/_//_/\___/ .__/\__/
/_/

Morphing: Part One

Nothing gets me in a better mood than finding a new toy for
my computer and the freeware program WMORPH-2-D is a perfect
example. Programmed by Lam Ka Po and Wong Wing Kin for a
computer graphics course, wmorph provides a simple, intuitive
introduction to the amazing world of morphing. (If you're not
exactly sure what morphing is, it's the process of one object
changing into another, eg. T2 or the Michael Jackson video "Black
or White"). WMORPH allows you to take two 320x200 256 color
images and create a series of gifs depicting one image
transforming into the other.
The program runs in a simple shell which allows you to load
and view the two pictures you wish to morph, specify points on
the two images you want to blend together, and set the number of
frames you wish to produce. A mouse is fully supported, and I
had no problem running the program under both Windows and MSDOS
6.2. Rendering the frames on my 486SX-25 was impressively fast
(~30-60 secs each) considering that I do not have a math
coprocessor to do the grunt work.
The result of a successful morph is a series of gifs. You
will need another program to string them together into an
animation file. When you press the morph button you will be
prompted for the number of frames to produce and the file name of
the result. There are two quirks to keep in mind here. First,
actually two extra frames are produced above and beyond the
number you specify. (eg. Ask for 10 get 12) I assume this is
because the program tacks on the original files. Second, the
name you specify can only be a maximum of five letters long, so
that the frames can be numbered within the file name. (I learned
this the hard way, rendering ten frames only to discover that
nothing had been saved to the disk.) The documentation is
thorough, and does mention this problem. Still it would have
been nice if they had just chopped off the filename when this
occurred. My only other gripe is that there is no file system
for searching for gifs. That means that when you load a gif, you
need to know the full path. (In other words don't store your
morphing gifs in c:\windows\misc\graphics\animatn\morph\gifs :)
WMORPH actually comes with a few nice gifs, ready to be
morphed. For the best results, try to use gifs with the same
color background and image size, the transformation will then
look much more natural. The results of a good morph can be
spectacular, and the price is definitely right. If you have the
creative inclination, or just want to impress your friends with
your computer WMORPH is a must have.

Next installment: DTA, a command line fli generator so that you
can animate your morphs!

JUST RELEASED:
The same day I finished writing this review, a new shareware
morphing program was released for Windows, Winmorph v0.9 by Marko
Marjamaa.

First impressions: Winmorph has a nice interface, but one soon
discovers that it is not quite as intuitive as WMORPH's,
primarily due to extra features. (The eternal trade off between
flexibility and ease of use.) The program comes with thorough
documentation including a walk-through for creating your first
morph, changing a woman into a cheetah! Unfortunately, there is
no Windows help file. Rendering frames is quick, a fifteen frame
morph taking only about 5 minutes. Unlike WMORPH, the input files
for Winmorph must be in the Windows Bitmap (BMP) format. The
output is in the form of Targa images labeled 000#.tga. This
naming system might be problematic if you wanted to work on more
than one morph at a time. If you get tired of morphing, Winmorph
will also allow you warp an image for some interesting results.
Whether you are just a Windows addict, or like WMORPH a lot and want
to get a little fancier, Winmorph is definitely worth downloading.

Program Name: Winmorph v0.9
Synopsis: Morph or Warp 256-color BMPs from the comfort of
Windows.
Author: Marko Marjamaa
Cost: $20.00 to register
FTP Location: garbo.uwasa.fi:/windows/graphics/winmrf09.zip
System reqs: Windows 3.x
600k on HD for program + space for images
[About 200k per image (320x200 256 colors)]

Reviewed by,
Perfectly Normal
[email protected]

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/_/

-=VOId=- what does it mean... is it a bird, is it a plane.. who knows! So
we've decided to run one of the world's biggest competitions.. the first
person to come up with a witty and yet wonderful meaning for V.O.I.D. will
get... wait for it....

A Years free subscription to -=VOId=-

Nows there's a prize to go for... so get a thinking and it could well be
you that recieves this mind blowing prize! :)

Entries to the usual address:[email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to use memmaker
By Alistair
-------------------

If you own MS-DOS version 6.0 or higher then you will have a very useful
program called memmaker. The aim of this program is to maximise your
memory by putting programs such as mouse drivers tucked nicely into a
region of memory known as high memory. This allows some programs (usually
games) that require lots of conventional memory to run properly and, in
some cases, run faster.

Sounds great - and it's fairly easy to use too. Just type memmaker at the
dos prompt and follow the questions. If everything goes correctly then
you are likely to end up with more conventional memory than before, But
you can probably get even more.

Have a look at the memmaker.sts file in your dos directory. You will see
that each program in your config.sys and autoexec.bat files have a
FinalSize and a MaximumSize. Note down the sizes and order the programs
in your config.sys and autoexec.bat so that the programs with the greatest
difference between the two sizes are placed at the start. For example,
you may load smartdrive and a mouse driver in your autoexec.bat file.
If smartdrive has a greater difference between the final size and the
maximum size, make sure that the line concerning smartdrive comes before
the line that loads the mouse driver.

After you have done this then try running memmaker again. Typically, with
some device drivers loaded, you should be getting around 620k of memory.
One word of warning, don't put device drivers that rely on a previous device
driver out of order.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tricks of the trade in DOS
By Alistair
--------------------------

Quick tips:

Creating quick text files
-------------------------
If you need to create small files (for example a couple of lines batch
program) and you can't use EDIT for some reason then try the following:

C:\> copy con <filename> Where filename will be the file
you want to make
<text> The text to be in the file.
^Z i.e. control + Z, return

You can't edit files using this method, and it's severly limited, but
it can be useful.

Checking for a EMS driver from a batch file
-------------------------------------------
There is a quick and simple way to check if an expanded memory manager is
loaded. You may want to do the check in a batch file that runs different
configurations of a program depending if a manager is loaded or not.
An example:

if not exist EMMXXXX0 goto not_there
echo "You have an expanded memory manager loaded"
goto end

:not_there
echo "You don't have an expanded memory manager"
:end

The EMMXXXX0 'file' is always present if an EMS driver is loaded.

Synthesising keys using ALT
---------------------------
I have found several uses for this tip, mainly when a PC's keyboard is
broken! By holding down the left alt key, typing the ascii number of the key
you want on the numeric keypad, and releasing the alt key, the ascii code
is generated. For example, holding down alt, pressing 6,5 on the numeric
keypad and releasing alt gives the letter A. It comes in really useful when
you want to use the extended ascii characters, for example alt,2,2,8 gives
the sigma character.

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=== / _ \/ ___/ / _ \___ _ __(_)__ _ _____ ============================
== / ___/ /__ / _, / -_) |/ / / -_) |/|/ (_-< =============================
==/_/ \___/ /_/ |_\__/|___/_/\__/|__,__/___( ==============================
==============================================================================

ETERNAM

Animated adventure by INFOGRAMES

From the word "go" you know this product is different. Or is
"weird" the word I am looking for? Whichever way you look at it, it
has to be the release of the year in this category: truly a great game.

Anyway, I'll try to describe it for you. A sharp, short,
introduction, wonderful to watch, sets the scene. You will find
yourself in a strange world (although it will be more familiar to
those who played Drakkhen) along which you travel in search of
adventure. The graphics are splendid and refreshingly odd. The
animation is so smooth, I got seasick going up and down hills.

The interface is very simple. You move along with the arrow keys,
and the letters T (take), L (look), S (speak), U (use), I (inventory)
and D (disk) correspond to the icons on the screen. You find items
by bumping into things. And that's ALL that's simple in this game.

The screen in nice and big and it is totally uncluttered. Apart
from the icons I mention, there is a small screen to the right which
indicates your state of health and another to the left which alerts
you when you are about to be attacked by nasties. I have not yet
found the wherewithal to defend my character, although I presume
that, when you do, you can engage in battle. In the meantime, I
just dodged and hurried along.

You get to meet very strange people in this very strange scenario.
You get a choice of lines and you hold incomprehensible
conversations with them which are often quite very funny. More often
than not, you are led astray; with the hilarious result that you get
killed in 1001 different ways. Great.

There are marvellous cartoon sequences which are extremely well
conceived and a joy to watch, and it is full of glorious
surprises. Sometimes it is almost worth getting killed just see
some of the sequences. I don't know if serious adventurers will
take to this game, even if they have a great sense of humour -
because, as an adventure, it certainly cannot be taken very
seriously. I cannot make up my mind if this is a spoof, a
tongue-in-cheek effort or a genuine attempt to entertain jaded
adventurers!

The puzzles are anything but logical and half the time you don't know
what it is all about, so you are forced to try one thing after
another until you hit on the right answer by sheer chance. You
cannot inspect the items you find, so you don't know what they are,
and therefore, you don't know how to use them! For instance, what
is Canis Crotus? Any ideas? Your guess is as good as mine! It
really is an extremely difficult game but, with all the jollies you
get along the way, who cares? You certainly can't complain that it
is not original.

If you enjoy looking at screenfuls of beautiful pictures and
solving way-out puzzles, this game is certainly for you. If you
want hours of great entertainment (and remember that computer games
with such fine humour are very rare indeed) you will love it. It
is worth having just for the cartoon sequences, which are, without
exception, simply brilliant. This is possibly the funniest game I
have come across so far. Whatever you do, don't miss it.

ULTIMA VII: The expansion link

RPG by Origin

This is something you add to your Ultima VII game, presumably
already installed in your hard disk. Basically, you can either play
the whole game plus the extra scenarios or, if you have played it
already, you can go straight to Lord British and get fresh
instructions. If, as directed, you go to Vesper, you find a new
complex of small islands south of here and new tasks to accomplish.
If you enjoyed the puzzles in Ultima VII you will very much enjoy
the new ones - altough they are pretty tough, they are more of the
same.

I found this arrangement rather confusing because, not having
kept my saved games, I had to start from scratch and, in these
circumstances, you are in no state to take on the new scenarios
straight away!

If you had trouble enough completing the original game, you might
be too battle-weary to want to go on. On the other hand, if you
felt you hadn't had enough, here is your chance. The added
adventure is not all that long, so you might even finish it between
meals without spoiling your apetite. Of course, you will have to go
around first doing a spot of murder and pillage here and there to
acquire experience and loot, but I dare say you will enjoy it. I
certainly did!

* * *

ULTIMA VI PART TWO: SERPENT ISLE

RPG by Origin

This is a complete adventure on its own, not to be confused with the
add-on. The story continues where we left off at Ultima VII, as I
feared it would; so now we are off in hot pursuit of Batlin. As
regards graphics and interface, this game is not very different from
the previous one, although it is more difficult. In the first place,
the interface is just as awkward and the terribly slow scrolling has
not improved. And that's only the mechanics of the thing!

For a start, the moment you arrive at Serpent Isle, most of your
equipment gets turned into rubbish, you lose your companions and you
are desperately short of money. Next, the inhabitants of the
nearest town are terrible snobs and won't have any truck with you
until you have become a knight. How you are supposed to accomplish
this with no money, no food and no weapons, is your first problem.

So, here we are, in the midst of yet another great adventure.
Although I actually like the Ultima scenarios, and get invariably
gripped by them, I must confess that I find many sources of
irritation.

For instance, the high moral tone of these series is beginning to
get up my nose. It is considered terribly wrong to lift a loaf you
see laying about when you and your mates are starving - oh, no, none
of that, Avatar. Is this virtuous? What you must do is go off and
kill lots of people and then rob them. How is that for morality?
I should have thought that a spot of pilfering is preferable to
wholesale slaughter, but there you are. What is worse is that, this
time, you get punished if you take no notice of your companion's
warnings.

The game is very linear and designed to make you waste as much time
as possible so that it seems a lot longer than it actually is, and
this ploy is getting a little bit long in the tooth by now. But if
you get fed up chasing people you need to talk to, and are never
there, and go somewhere else to do your own thing, your presence
will not be acknowledged and you will not be able to carry on until
you have finished what you were meant to finish. Frankly, I find
the whole thing too constricting - I am playing the game too much
the programmers' way, and that can't be right.

And then there are the long conversations which one must have with
all and sundry, just to get a kernel of useful info. No wonder the
Ultima series are not universally popular!

I fear that Origin have lost their way somewhat; their stories are
so marvellous, it is such a pity that they don't make their games
more simple and playable. And it is not as though some other people
are not writing good RPG games these days - I must say I am finding
it more and more difficult to remain at my PC on the Ultima games,
whereas previously you would have had to rap me over the knuckles
with a hammer before I would leave off. See what YOU think.

MIGHT AND MAGIC IV - CLOUDS OF XEEN

RPG by New World Computing

Personally, I thought that Might & Magic III could not be beaten -
has this sequel managed to do it? It certainly looks like it.
But having tremendously enjoyed all of the other M&M games, I was
just grateful that there was yet another one, who could ask for more?

Full of anticipation I loaded the new game, and I was not
disappointed. The introduction, brief as it was, took my breath
away. Oh, wow! There is no hanging about, either - it's straight
into play, if you want. You are allowed to choose between being an
adventurer or a warrior. I chose adverturer, thinking there'd be
less monsters. Ha!

You start with a ready and complete party, no messing, and the
first view of the world you are about to explore is truly awesome.
Of course, you can turn around and go back into the inn, find your
way to the desk and click on it. Checking in will allow you to
create your own characters, but I was just too impatient to get
started, and anyway the guys you are given already have useful
skills. Nevertheless it is a good idea to pop into the inn and click
on the various tables and get a few titbits of information.

The setup is exactly as in M&M III, although there are whole number
of improvements, the most important of which is that you can save
your game anywhere, you don't have to go back to the inn. Dr.
Wizard (help), will return you to it if you so desire, from wherever
you are - there is a penalty, however. You lose all your gems, and
without them you can't cast spells. And, believe me, you need them.

You also can keep notes automatically of things you find,
quests you must complete, important items you need, etc. Finding
new features was yet another delight, but the main thing is that the
enormously high standards of M&M III have been maintained.

The graphics are indescribably brilliant - but, then again, that was
to be expected, to jugde from the previous version. Nevertheless,
hang on to your hats because there are some truly stunning
sequences. And the monsters are so beautifully crafted and animated
that when they move up close you instinctively draw back! Only my
dignity kept me from dodging and ducking in my chair...

The interface is very easy, point and click all the way, although,
of course, the amount of options you have this time are on an epic
scale. For instance, whereas in the previous game all the items a
character carried where lumped in one list, now there are separate
lists for weapons, armour, etc. In spite of all the choices, it is
surprising how logically they can be accessed.

You can also use the function keys to access the characters, and
apart from that you don't really need to use the keyboard at all,
save for the tab key, which allows you to save, load, etc.

It is always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the interface,
clicking here and there and looking at your characters closely, sort
of getting to know them. The deeper you get into this game the more
you'll get out of it. It pays to be patient and thorough.

At the start of the game, armed with the very vague task of righting
wrongs, I took my first timid steps and clicked on the first tent I
came to. Ah, that's better - you get your first task. The story
will unfold as you progress, which is as it should be. Like reading
a book, you know. Don't you worry, you'll be given plenty to do.

I started exploring the town and after wandering around for ages I
was staggered by the shear size of the game. And you must look at
just about everything - for instance, click on the ornamental trees
and you will find gold or items! You must explore the town
thoroughly and find out where everything is. Get clicking and
don't miss a thing! As soon as you complete the first task you will
collect your reward and be given your next one. There is no end to
them. How exciting!

You might as well know that this version is a great deal harder than
the previous one. I have not yet come across any mind-boggling
puzzles, but I dare say I will. The system seems to be that each
town has problems you have to solve, but you get a lot of help.
May be we are being let in gently! However, you have problems
enough with the monsters which, from the start, are no pushover.

This is not a game you can breeze through - it should be taken
slowly and thoroughly and it should be savoured at leisure. I can
promise you that you will have hours, days, months of brilliant
play. Just think of all the monsters you will have to slay, the
mountains of loot you are going to find and the hideous puzzles you
will have to solve. And all in glorious graphics and with stunning
animation! Oh, ah, yes, and sound too. Sorry, I am visually-oriented.

This has got to be the best RPG I have ever played, from whichever
angle you want to look at it. You MUST have it - don't miss it.

AMAZON - GUARDIANS OF EDEN

Animated Adventure by ACCESS

I have found myself lately saying that some computer game sequences
are like watching TV. Access has gone to great lengths to make this
game look like a film and, in parts, has actually succeeded.

The digitized pictures, speech and animation are really quite
something. You must see it to believe it. The whole thing is
treated as a serial, in chapters; don't miss the next one, coming to
your monitor soon!
Having cut my teeth on Countdown, and later on Free D.C., I am quite
spoiled as to these effects. Sure, the visual side of it is very
impressive indeed. But I was looking forward to another exciting
adventure and this certainly looked promising. The story is great,
and there are all those lovely problems to solve. This product even
has on-line hints for those awkward moments when you just don't know
what to do next. But don't get excited - you only get so many
hints, so don't use this option unless you are really desperate or
you will find that they dry up when you most need a little nudge in
the right direction. Of course, you could cheat: save the game,
get all the info and then reload. But you wouldn't cheat, now,
would you?

The interface looked terribly simple. You get a large, uncluttered
screen with just a line at the bottom with all your options.
Working with the mouse, it turned out to be a nightmare. The
character was unmanageable and, when quick action was needed, it was
impossible. Then I discovered the trick. Handle the character's
movements with the arrow keys and use the mouse for the actions, and
the whole thing becomes as easy as falling off a log.

So, another great game from Access, and the closest we have come yet
to being in a movie. You've just got to see this one, even if you
hate adventures.

WAXWORKS

Horror Animated Adventure by ACCOLADE/HORRORSOFT

Lovers of the Elvira series will also love this one. Brilliant
graphics, wonderful animation and gruesome sights. Doesn't the
thought make you shudder? Although the images on your screen will
take a lot of beating, I still think the first Elvira had the most
beautiful graphics I have ever seen in a computer game. The second
was very similar, but Waxworks doesn't quite match such perfection.
Nevertheless, a visual treat - like most Accolade products.

Although this game has nothing to do with Elvira, it will look
terribly familiar to those who have played the two previous
products, at least in regard to the graphics, interface and general
tenor of the story.

The introduction is suitably scary. You have come to your uncle's
Waxworks in answer to a letter he left with his lawyer. As soon as
you enter his assistant gives you a crystal ball which immediately
tells you what you are supposed to do. After that, you are ushered
to the first tableau, and Egyptian burial. Enter it, and you have
started your hunt for the evil twin.

There are four different tableaux covering different epochs and
places and you progress from one to the other in your quest to
destroy the ancient curse. For each one, you have a specific task
to carry out. When you've solved them all, you will enter the final
tableau.

As soon as the first part of the game starts, in the Egyptian tomb,
you will see the setup. The view is first person, so-called 3-D,
and the environment is so beautifully drawn that you could fancy
yourself actually there.

First, you will notice in the upper left hand corner an icon of
yourself, presumably to remind you that you are in ancient Egypt.
The icons to the right represent, left right, up down, your carrying
suitcase, the direction icon which can be invoked so that you can
see which way you are heading, the hand icon with which to take
objects (click on it and place it on what you want and then drag the
item to the suitcase icon); the next icon allows you to equip
whatever weapon you are carrying. It is a good idea to arm yourself
as soon as you are able. Click on the weapon and choose "use".

The crystal ball icon allows you to get in touch with Uncle.
Because this drains your psychic points, you save your game at the
outset, use this icon, get all the information you want and then
restore your game. Once you have acquired some papyrus scrolls,
Uncle can turn them into healing spells. This is the only way you
can restore hit points at first.

The last icon of the first group is for fighting. Click on this and
your hand and weapon will appear. To fight, you merely point and
click at your opponent: where you actually click on the screen in
relation to the enemy will determine what kind of blow you deliver.
You just have to practice to see which form of attack is most
effective.

The two icons below this main group indicate PAUSE and the DISK
allows you to save, quit or restore. Under the main part of the
screen, in which all the action takes place, there is a window which
shows what you are carrying. Left and right of that, your status
and that of the enemy you are fighting to tell you how combat is
progressing. Rather silly, really, when one has to concentrate on
chilling out the other fellow - fast.

Although the interface is not all that easy and it takes a bit of
getting used to, nevertheless one does, quite quickly. You can
advance or retreat, or turn, by merely pointing the arrow in the
direction you want to go and clicking. If you click on an object,
you will be given the options - EXAMINE, OPEN, LOOK IN, etc. Keep
the button pressed and the hand icon automatically appears, so that
you can drag an object to your suitcase icon and/or into your inventory.

So now that you know how to handle the interface, all you have to do
is to explore each location, mapping as you go. Oh, for an
automapping option! There are oodles of items to pick up, some
useful, most not. Be very choosy - if necessary, don't take anything
you are not sure about, but make a note of where the items are so
that you can go back to collect them should you need them.
Otherwise you'll find yourself carting a lot of stuff around that
you cannot ditch.

There are many fights to be had, uncomfortably realistic I might
add, and also many gory ends. Your path is strewn with traps, so
keep your eyes peeled. Though, of course, it is quite fun to see
the various ways in which one can get slaughtered.

The puzzles are not as easy as in Elvira, and the penalty for not
solving some of them is spectacularly bloody. They range from
well-loved old chestnuts, such as "use tuning fork to shatter
glass", to brain-teasers, quite a novelty in this type of game.
Uncle is ever at hand to help, though he won't actually solve the
puzzles for you.

Great game, even if this isn't your scene. Don't expect much humour,
unless you think it is hilarious to see mutilated bodies galore! A
strong stomach, by the way, does help - the squeamish should abstain.

KING'S QUEST VI - HEIR TODAY AND GONE TOMORROW

Animated Adventure by SIERRA

Those of you who have faithfully followed King's Quests from the
very first one will be reminded forcefully by this version of the
changes that have taken place in technology. Because, although the
things that attracted us about these games were the plot and the
jolly puzzles, nevertheless we can take any amount of visual and
audio wizardry.

Well, we've had all of those, already. So, what's new? I'll tell
you. The backgrounds are no longer still! Yep, they move a
little. Apart from that, it is the same delightful blend of visual
and mental joys.

When you watch the introduction you will wonder if you are looking
at your computer or a TV set. It is that good. See for yourselves!

The pictures are just as finely crafted as we have come to expect
from Sierra and the interface must be, by now, very familiar to
everyone. If one was new at this, nevertheless one would find it
very easy and logical. Using a mouse, just choose the action with
one mouse button and click with the other to perform it. And if you
still have problems, there is a neat little help program to take you
through the paces. There is also a walkthrough to initiate the new
comers, which is rather thoughtful.

Don't expect any surprises in the plot (but then, surely nobody is
looking for any), it's just the old routine of handsome prince going
to the rescue of beautiful princess (how come princesses are NEVER
cross-eyed, ginger-haired and bow-legged?). Sit back and enjoy a
stroll through Wonderland, having a nice time and solving puzzles.
Only, this time, they are rather mean!

For instance, right at the beginning when your character is stranded
on the beach, don't just walk away. You will see the signet ring
immediately, all right - but will you think of moving the large
piece of wood laying on the sand?

Also, there are various ways of solving the game. The easiest, to
call it that, is rather limited and you are left with a lot of items
you didn't use and places you didn't see. That is rather
unsatisfactory, specially because, having played it through, I can
assure you that there are no logical means of accessing these areas
of the game or finding the vital items.

As well, the order in which you do certain things affects some
outcomes, and therefore you are obliged to play certain sequences
several times to find out the best way to act. And you don't
necessarily do so. Uncertainty seems to be the flavour of the month
at Sierra.

In spite of these limitations, here is another tremendously enjoyable
romp. You'll love it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___ _________________ ___ __
/ _ \/ __/ ___/ _/ _/ / _ \____/ /_
/ _ /\ \/ /___/ /_/ / / _ / __/ __/
/_//_/___/\___/___/___/ /_//_/_/ \__/

With the quality ASCII art I've seen recently I thought it fitting that a
section in -=VOId=- should be devoted to it.. so hey presto. This issue I've
gathered... rather than been sent the ASCII art, so all you budding ASCII
artists lets see what you can do. This weeks installment is (in my opnion..
bearing in mind my strange sence of humour) a funny collection of owls! :)
Enjoy.

___ v v v ___ ___
<*,*> <*,*> <*,*> <`,'> <*,*>
[`-'] [`-'] [`-'] [`-'] =^`-'^=
-"-"- -"-"- -"-"- -"-"- " "
owl punk owl owl with antlers chinese owl flying owl

___ ___ ___ ___ ___
<+,+> <@,@> <*,*> <-,-> <$,$>
[`-'] [`-'] [`-'] [`-'] [`-']
-"-"- -"-"- -"--- -"-"- -"-"-
drunk owl owl junkie one legged owl shrewd owl greedy owl

___ ___ _|||_ /_\
<#,#> <o-o> <*,*> <*,*>
[`-'] [`-'] [`-'] [`-']
-"-"- -"-"- -"-"- -"-"-
T-V owl owl with glasses owl with top-hat owl with fez

___ ___ _____ _
<*,*> <*,*> /o \_/ | * *
[`-// [`o'] [ _ | "owl"
-"-"- -"-"- `-----' `-'
owl with sling medalion owl surreal owl owl in cave owl

___ ___ OWL
<*,-> <*,*> ___ ___
[`-'] [`S'] <*,*> <*,*>
-"-"- -"-"- [`-'] [`-']MOM
confidential owl super owl -"-"- -"-"-

Owl with Owl with
^__^ OWL on its MOM tatoo on
(- 0) head right wing
| \/ | big owl watching little owls
\ /
\/

And their country cousins,

___ v
<*,*> <*,*>
[`-'] [`-']
-"-"- -"-"-
* |
* |

owl punk owl
taking taking a
a dump whiz

O o o
___ ___ ___ |_|
<*,*> <\,/> < > <*,*>
[`-'] [`-'] [ v ] [`-']
-"-"- -"-"- -"-"- -"-"-
Holy owl Satanic owl Owl from behind Martian Owl

___ ___ ___ ___
<-o-> </,\> <*,*>_<*,*>
[`-'] [`-'] [`-'___`-']
-"-"- -"-"- --"-----"--
Tired owl Sad owl Siamese owl(s)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Quick and Dirty Guide to FTPing
or
Why I Had to Buy Another Hard Drive
by
Perfectly Normal
[email protected]

This is just meant to be a quick introduction to the
sometimes mysterious world of ftp. If you are already an old
hack, just skip it, otherwise, you may find this useful.
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and it is one of the
fastest ways to become a true e-mail addict. Using ftp allows
one to log onto file archives all over the world and grab files
including everything from games, to utilities, to song lyrics.
(This guide is written for a generic sparc station, once you are
at a ftp site everything should make sense, but if you're working
out of Super Spiffy Shell Ver 5.08 this might not apply at
first).
The first thing to do when ftping is decide on a site. Some
of my favorites are:

wuarchive.wustl.edu (Probably the largest)
ftp.funet.fi (In Finland)
ftp.uwp.edu (Great for games)
oak.oakland.edu (Because)

Once you've chosen a site simply type: (">" represents a prompt
from now on)
>ftp wuarchive.wustl.edu

If you are already in ftp, you should type:
ftp> open wuarchive.wustl.edu

Your should then be prompted for your name. Type "anonymous"
( ftp is also often accepted as a name )

Next you will be prompted for your password. Use your e-mail
address for a password.
For example, I would type:
password>[email protected]

Usually you can ward off carpel-tunnel and abbreviate this to
just:
password> 96jmr@
The site already has your address.

Placing a dash before you name:
password>-96jmr@
will turn off all the special messages that are posted in various
directories.
(occasionally you will be shut out of an ftp site if there are
already too many people using it, just wait a little while and
try again.)

Congrads, you are now at the ftp site.

How do you move around?
--------------------------------------
"ls" lists the files and directories in a current directory. (I
recommend using something like "ls -sF" which will show the file
sizes in kbytes and distinguish between files and directories
automatically)
Usually, the first place you want to go to is "pub" for public.

Use "cd" to change directories.
eg. ftp> cd pub

Use "cdup" to back up a directory and "pwd" to see where you are.

How do you get files?
-------------------------------
When you find a file you want:
1) THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT
If it is a binary file (such as a .zip file) type "bin"
before doing anything else. This will make sure you don't
download that super duper game as an ASCII text file. The
terminal should respond with "Type set to I"
2) Then simply type "get file-name"
3) When it says it is done, the file will be in your home sun
account.

Notes: "Get" does not accept multiple files or wildcards. To
use those you need to use "mget" for "multiple get". "Mget" will
prompt you for each file in a group you specify; use "Ctrl-C" to
terminate a transfer.

eg. To get all of the gifs in a directory:
ftp>mget *.gif

To eliminate those annoying mget prompts use the -i switch when
ftping.
eg. >ftp -i wuarchive.wustl.edu

Also, remember unix is case sensitive. "README" is different from
"readme"

How do I be a nice person and upload?
--------------------------------------------------------
Same as get, but use put. There are usually specific areas in
which you are to upload.

How the hell do I get out of this thing?!?
---------------------------------------------------------
Just type "bye" or "quit"

Advanced Tips:
1) To access a command back at your regular account, prefix the
command with an !
This is particularly useful for reading indexes.
eg.
ftp> get 00-index.txt
ftp> !less 00-index.txt (One can use any file reader: more,
pg, cat, in place of less.)
ftp> !rm 00-index.txt (Cleanliness is next to
Godlessness, hmmm perhaps that's a
misquote...)
If you spend over five minutes reading a text file, however, your
ftp session will timeout and you will have to log on again.

2) When downloading a bunch of large files, get the process
started; then, type Ctrl-Z to return to your regular account.
Type "bg" to keep downloading in the background, and go ahead and
do whatever else you feel like doing. A quick "ls -l" will let
you look at the current file size of your download. The ftp site
will notify you when it is done downloading. Then just type "fg"
to return to the ftp site.

3) "get" actually takes a local and remote file. This can be
particularly useful when you are getting a DOS file that contains more
than the standard number of letters in the filename.
You could get the file and then rename it, but you can easily do it in one
step while downloading it.

eg. You want to get the file: IncredibleToons.Binary.Demo.zip

ftp> get IncredibleToons.Binary.Demo.zip toons.zip
(file at ftp site) (how it will show
up in your home dir)

Hope you found this useful, happy ftping!

PS. Want to know every last nit-picky detail? There is always
"man ftp."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back Issues and FTP'ing -=VOId=-

A few of you masocists ('xcuss the spelling!) have asked for back issues of this
fantastic creation.. well I'm working on getting VOId plonked onto a regular
FTP site somewhere so you can FTP back issues till your hard drive will take
no more! Where and when is still not clear at this moment in time.. but look
out for details in the next ish! :)

Now that is something to look forward to eh?! :-)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PARTING thanks and last words

The thanks for helping with this issue go out to the following people...

Many thanks to

Lu Richardson
Perfectly Normal
Alistair
Stuart Beale (for your support!)
Matt E. Thurston

for support -=VOId=-.

Hopefully I'll have a couple of more names to plonk on the thanks list..
it could well be YOU! All you have to do is to send in an article, ASCII
or anything else you fancy. :-)

Thanks for reading -=VOId=- once again and I look forward to seeing you
all in the next fine issue.

BTW sorry for any spelling mistakes and/or other mistakes however this
issue was produced in rather a hurry due to time restrictions. Next issue
I promise, will be bigger, better and largely a whole lot better presented!

Take care

Phil (editor)