Letters @~I know a lot of you enjoy the letters section of SynTax and @~there's a nice, lively selection for you to read through this @~time. Do let me know if you have any comments to make and, as @~always, if you write to me on an adventure-related matter and @~your letter isn't marked "not for publication", I'll assume it's @~ok for me to quote from it here. ------------------------------------------------------------------ From Graham Cluley, Camberley (extract) Thank you very much for the copy of Syntax. I've been browsing through it on and off for about 4 hours now.. and I still haven't run out of things to read!! It's certainly great fun even without @+an ST. ~Graham was reading the files from the DOS prompt on his @~PC Thanks also for the great review of HUMBUG. I always get very nervous when people review my games.. I tend to be a little sensitive about what people say about my games, and have nightmares of people saying: "I typed PUT THE PINK MONGOOSE IN THE DENTIST'S CHAIR and it replied But I cannot see a big wobbly pumpkin here." Anyway, it was a great review and I was well chuffed. I wonder if it would be okay to shove your review on my game disks? I've added information about SynTax to the end of the file (HUMBUG.REV) and taken out your phone number. I'd hate to think of you being rung up at all hours of the night by disgruntled Lotus 123 users. @~They wouldn't get much out of me if they did; I know more about @~pink mongooses than Lotus - which ain't a lot! Anyway, I'm more @~than happy for anyone to add details about SynTax onto their @~disks; it's a nice bit of advertising for the magazine. What else? Oh yes!! JACARANDA JIM is in the adventure charts! Racing to the top of the pops with a stunning five points.. Jimmy Saville will be playing it next! Thanks once again for the review, and the chance to have a look at your magazine. I was very tempted to send in my own top ten of adventure games: 1) HUMBUG v 3.4 2) HUMBUG v 3.3 3) HUMBUG v 3.2 4) HUMBUG v 3.1 5) HUMBUG v 3.0 6) JACARANDA JIM v 2.23 7) JACARANDA JIM v 2.22 8) HUMBUG v 2.9 9) HUMBUG v 2.8 10) HUMBUG v.. oh, okay then... Lurking Horror. From Bruce Perry, Oxford After receiving the new issue of SynTax, along with your questionnaire, I felt compelled to put printer to paper immediately, as some of the questions screamed out at me to send you a reply in more detail than space allowed for. Firstly I would like to state categorically that I support the magazine in its present form. All the information I require for now and in the future is neatly stored away in disk form, like hints and solutions for adventures I do not have at present, but may well have at a future date. Those members who are unlucky enough not to have a printer, or access to one, would probably find a paper edition more useful. I wonder how many of us are organised enough to keep what could eventually amount to years of collecting these hints and solutions safe and to hand whenever we required them. I have tried to do just this with the many offerings supplied with the commercial monthly mags, but I just end up with mountains of cuttings to sort through, or alternatively, piles of magazines which take even longer to @+discover what I am searching for. ~I know what you mean! I've got @~a cupboard with two shelves stuffed with old mags and several @~folders of torn out pages waiting to be filed! +You might gather from this that I am not very clever at working out adventures for myself, and you would be right, and I suspect that I am probably not alone in this. There are also available through the various PD libraries disks devoted to game solutions for those of you who require this service. Also phone services which will give on the spot help when you are good and stuck, which in my case probably accounts for a @+good proportion of my phone bill. ~Incidentally, remember you can @~always phone me for help at any reasonable time - 081 302-6598 - @~and I'll do my best. My own preference leans towards graphic adventures over text ones, as I find on a standard colour TV the text is too hard to read for long periods, and in a few cases, (Ooze, for example), almost impossible. The cost of a colour monitor is out of the question for me at the moment as I have recently upgraded to a double internal drive for my 520 ST, along with a 1 meg memory upgrade in order to run some of the new graphic adventures now on the market that require this upgrade. On the question of introducing PC and Amiga to the diskmag, I think it is a good idea as information for these often relates to the Atari and the introduction would probably benefit all three formats, providing the Atari content doesn't suffer as a result. Here are a couple of other suggestions I would like to put forward and they are as follows: Would it be feasible to have a simple tune playing while viewing the SynTax disk? One that members could lift for use on their own boot disks. I would be even cheekier and ask for it to be a different one each time. One realises, of course, that these @+things can become tedious after a time but fun to use. ~I'll look @~into the space considerations for musical accompaniment - with the @~ability to disable it if people prefer. It was something @~considered when SynTax first started the but the general opinion @~seemed to be along the lines of ... use the space for reviews etc @~and we'll put a record on instead! Secondly, the old question arises of whether SynTax should remain single-sided or go double-sided. I appreciate this could make double the editorial work at a stroke, unless the second side contained something like maps, still pictures from games and such. Perhaps with complete and updated adventure lists. I don't know what the ratio of single and double-sided owners is amongst the membership but commercial pressures are ever increasing to have us all go double-sided. In the end we may not have much @+choice in the matter. ~Again, this has been considered seriously @~but there are still quite a few readers with single-sided drives @~so they'd be missing out on some of the information etc provided. @~I'll have a think about it though. Well, I hope this letter has been of some little help to you, Sue, and given you food for thought. I look forward to the next issue of SynTax to see what other subscribers have thought about it all. John Carter, Trawsfynedd (Extract) As I'm sitting here in the middle of a power cut (again) and the old Amiga has crashed at a crucial point in the game I'm playing (again), I thought it was the ideal time to write and thank you for the copy of SynTax which you sent me. The ST emulator was a kind thought and although I already have a copy I was never one to look a gift dragon in the ear. I found the list of available ST games very interesting, so much so that I'm toying with the idea of buying an old ST to play them on, as many of the titles are not @+available on Amiga format. ~I think we're all the same - we always @~fancy playing games that aren't on our machine! I would imagine @~that ST text adventures would play quite happily on the Amiga @~using the emulator which, bless it, manages the SynTax loading @~screen and all the text files very happily though it throws a @~wobbly at the idea of the screenshots. I have delayed replying to you as I was going to send a solution for "Buck Rogers" which I am now in the last stages of playing (well, I was until the #%^&^ power failed) .... As in "Krynn" and "Pools", emphasis is on combat rather than puzzles but it is put together very well with plenty of things to do and places to explore. The only two niggles I found were having to install the game onto three floppies before you can play (takes about half an hour) and having to go through the stats screen to get to a character's inventory every time you want to change weapons, @+reload, trade etc which you need to frequently. ~I recently bought @~"Pools" cheaply for the PC and it took about 30 mins to install @~onto the hard disk but according to the manual it could take up to @~two hours to install it onto floppies! ...I've also managed to get one of the pieces of corbum in "Chaos Strike Back". Yes I know all you ST freaks finished it 6 months @+ago ~(not me, guv, I haven't even started it yet, or even finished @~DM; I'm often ages behind everyone else finishing games) +but it's only just come out on the Amiga. I think the word "awesome" was coined to describe "Chaos" (and mind-warping, brain-boiling, nerve-shattering and insomnia-inducing!) @~I guess you're enjoying it then! I'm glad you liked SynTax too. From Robert Hampton, Maldon, Essex (Extract) I cannot understand why SynTax isn't selling like hot cakes. Indeed, what attracts me to it is the professionalism not only in the writing of the magazine itself but also in the care and attention paid to myself as a consumer. Having received many disks through the post, yours is the only one wrapped and packaged in @+such a manner to prevent data damage. ~Wrapping disks in foil is @~a little tip I picked up from Andreas Ramos' excellent "Second @~Manual to the ST" book and it seems to do the trick. +You even included a stamped addressed envelope and for this you have my greatest commendation. The space on the questionnaire did not provide enough space to express my thoughts so I just wish to expand a little. 1. The style is just right - the point-and-shoot method is undoubtedly best and should be kept that way ie I wouldn't like to see any complicated system of dragged-down windows and icons. @~I wouldn't like to have to program 'em either! 2. For me, personally, bimonthly issues are just about right. However one concern with static sales would be that, in my case, having only bought Issue Two, I then forgot completely about ordering another copy. I am not suggesting this is always the case but I feel that not all new readers are being held onto. If you could perhaps promote subscription further (by perhaps including a free PD or some such) or by sending out regular reminders that SynTax is available then I am sure that more people will become "regular" readers. However, both these ideas may initially need funding, for example, postage on reminder slips. I myself would not object to paying an extra 20p on the price of SynTax and @+neither would other devotees. ~I remind people after they've @~missed an issue or two, or their sub has lapsed, but usually don't @~remind them again in case they think "Oh, no, not her again!" @~I'm afraid I'm not the most pushy person in the world.... which @~can be a bit of a disadvantage when you're trying to promote @~something. Whatever your decision, I am confident that your current sales problem has had nothing to do with style, presentation etc but rather a lack of consumer awareness of SynTax. If you could get yourself mentioned not just briefly in "Zero" but regularly, the situation might change. Perhaps you could negotiate with "Zero" or some other such magazine for a mention in exchange for ideas, @+tips, cheats, maps etc. ~Again, I don't like to presume on the @~good nature of reviewers. I'm very grateful for all the help @~and plugs they've given me so far and there will be another coupon @~in "Zero" soon which should bring in some more new readers - I @~hope. 3. The current mix of features in SynTax is just about right. However, for my own satisfaction, I would like to see less "loading" screenshots and more actual game graphics and especially @+maps. ~Often the loading screens are easier to capture than game @~screens but as screenshots are generally less popular than the RPG @~maps, the 3:1 ratio will change to 1:1 in the future. I especially like the 3-in-1 hints but would appreciate more reviews, not necessarily of commercial full price games which as a consumer I can read anywhere, but what would be great is more reviews on PD/shareware and homegrown adventures that don't go through large software houses. That is especially good for me as expensive commercial adventures have often proved a waste of money for me and I enjoy and get a great deal of satisfaction from spending a "reasonable" sum on a good adventure. Often these homegrown adventures are greater value for money that commercial releases so, please, more reviews! @~I couldn't agree more and I do try to cover as many new homegrown @~games as possible. The independent ST software market is very @~lively at the moment thanks to a few enthusiastic individuals. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Ron Rainbird, Holmes Chapel (Extract) Very many thanks for your kind gesture in sending me the emulator which works perfectly on my Amiga for the current SynTax disk ... From what I've seen I am very impressed, both with the contents and the clarity of print. I'm looking forward to a thorough read-through when the present holidays are over. During the past year, I've become really addicted to RPGs and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. I feel they are the natural progression from text/graphic adventures although the "rear-guard" strongly object to my views on this subject which have become a very touchy point. But, as in all things, matters must advance otherwise stagnation occurs (in my opinion) and I feel that adventures in which I used to revel, such as Scott Adams, Level 9 and Infocom were to me becoming either repetitive or containing extremely obscure problems, as if the programmer was determined to make certain situations insoluble. Very rarely do I now see a new text/graphic adventure in the shops - "Loom" and "Wonderland" are the only titles that spring immediately to mind, neither of which I have bought - yet! I think that the withdrawal of Infocom from the scene is a clear indication of the falling off in the demand for such games. However, having said that, when "Probe" recently ran a poll to ascertain what subjects the members preferred to be covered in the magazine, a very definite and resounding "NO" was received to the proposal that a RPG/AD&D section be included. (I do not think that the majority of players can differentiate between RPG and Advanced D&D). Both Mandy and I were extremely disappointed in @+such a response. ~From the questionnaire results, the SynTax @~readership seems pretty well split between die-hard text addicts @~and avid RPGers with a few who are more inclined towards @~icon-driven or Sierra-type games. It makes it hard to please @~everyone all the time but at least it gives the magazine a good @~range of games to cover and makes it more interesting. Anyway, after that dissertation, let me say that I am glad to see SynTax refers to RPGS (I noted a passage on "Legend of Faerghail") and that you - as I - think "Might and Magic II" is an excellent @+game. ~Excellent and very addictive; but I think it'll take me the @~rest of the year to finish, at least! +I've played it off and on for several months now - my style of play is to switch games when the going gets too tough, then return at a later date when mostly I find I make further progress .... At present I am alternating - no, wrong choice or words, perhaps switching would be better - between "Legend of Faerghail", "Pool of Radiance", "Curse of the Azure Bonds", "Bard's Tale II" and "Elvira". @~I tend to have a couple of games on the go too, at least one text @~adventure and one RPG, and swap between them when I grind to a @~halt. That way I'm less likely to give in and ask people for help @~too soon as while I'm working on another game I'll sometimes get @~an idea to use in one of the others. What methods do other readers @~use? Do you stick to one game at a time until you complete it or @~chop and change from one to another? ------------------------------------------------------------------ Darrel O'Neil, Choppington Ideally (forgetting costs!) I think SynTax would benefit from combining both the disk and paper. Using a disk has certain advantages which you have already shown with the screenshots and maps etc, which work great. The only problem, (which I'm sure you have had many headaches over) is disk space. Reviews and anything else that is mainly of a text basis and has no distinct advantages to being on disk should be printed on paper, allowing more disk space for even more screenshots. Again, ideally of those games that are on review. It would also be nice to see a short transcript of the various text adventures so as to get a feel for the game, even if it is only half a dozen location descriptions. Disk space permitting, how about using STAC to write your competitions? That could open up some interesting possibilities! A mini-adventure perhaps? I am trying to picture the perfect adventure magazine here - what I would like to pick up and read. I know it would be difficult if near impossible to do all of the above; it's just a few ideas. After all, you did ask! Ho, hum. @~I'd love to do a "perfect" magazine but with so many people to @~please, space, time and financial considerations, I just have to @~do as much as I can to suit the majority. The idea of mixing paper @~and disk is good in theory but could be messy in practise, I @~think, though I can see the attraction. As for a STAC-based @~competition, I haven't got the time to do one but perhaps someone @~else might....?? From Tony Woolcock, Southampton (extract) May I add some suggestions that I feel would greatly improve SynTax, not that it isn't good at the moment. Richard Alexander who used to produce a similar disk to yours for the QL (such fond memories) soon realised that all the material contained on his disk could be more conveniently placed on paper. As a result his publication became a lot more acceptable. This, however, does not mean that a disk-based mag is no good. I just feel that its full potential is not being used. Several useful utilities could easily be placed on disk making your product much better value for money. Pat Winstanley, who used to produce the STAC mag, used to include several routines that could be used in her readers' games, all of which had to be typed into a computer, often not to work because of bugs that crept in during the production of her magazine. If such routines were included in SynTax then the errors would not exist as a hard copy of the program would be available on disk. The real power of a disk-based magazine is then realised. ...You will find on the disk two STAC section files that could be merged into one of your readers' programs. Nothing special but useful. I have included the instructions as an ASCII file .... this is just a very simple example of what can be done and included on your disk. There were several complicated special conditions used in The Blag. They could also be utilised and used by your readers. @~Tony's routine and instructions for its use are in the Hints @~section and the files to include are on this disk. How do you all @~feel about this idea? It sounds excellent to me but you readers @~will have to provide the routines! I know a lot of you are STAC @~users so how about it? I've hung onto some pictures files he also @~sent for the time being while I work out the best way to use them. @~And now a bit more from Tony.... May I take this opportunity to inform you and your readers that The Blag has finally been solved and the competition is now closed. I am pleased to inform you that the super sleuth was none other than Neil Shipman from Bristol, a regular contributor to Syntax. Neil sent me a saved section some time ago with all the correct arrests but not enough evidence to secure all of the convictions. With a little bit of help from Quiz he has finally convicted all those arrested. Well done, Neil, perhaps you could give a little bit of help to other struggling detectives through SynTax. We have decided to reduce the price of The Blag to œ4.99 now that the competition has been won and that still includes the free Blag pen! Quiz can still be obtained free on receipt of a blank disk or 50 pence. Quiz can be sent with the Blag if you so wish, just let us know when ordering the adventure. While on the subject of Quiz, The Blag indicates the weight of the Police dog as nearly 100 lbs. Early editions of Quiz however would only accept the weight as 96 lbs which is in fact the weight of the dog pictured in the attack sequence of the game. Quiz is now more flexible in relation to the dog's weight and will accept anything from 96 to 100 lbs. At least you can now get one question right! I am so kind. @~With Blag reduced to œ4.99, I hope Tony will be swamped with @~orders! Well done again to Neil for winning the competition.