Letters @~Any letters or e-mails received on an adventuring-related topic @~may be reprinted in here unless marked 'not for publication'. ------------------------------------------------------------------ First a query from: Thomo, Middlesborough Although I am NOT on the Net, I have installed Win 98 which is very Net orientated. I have removed a lot of items which I don't need (eg MSN etc) and have a system which I consider good for what I need. As well as adventure games I use Flight Sim 98 (still haven't got the knack of landing on the runway) and golf sims. As for games like Unreal etc, being an OAP, I don't think I would get anywhere, they are a bit too quick for me. At least I could die a thousand times? I have tried some demos and the graphics are really something ... this brings me to another subject which I find confusing, maybe some techno wizard could help ... Besides 2D which every PC has, there is now 3D and 3Dfx. What's the difference between the two? I know (via demos) that some 3Dfx games will not run on a 3D card, but will a 3D game run on a 3Dfx card? Then we have PCI and AGP - can one use a card in PCI *and* a card in AGP together? Now the latest is combined 2D/3D and 2D/3Dfx cards in either PCI or AGP. As I am going to upgrade soon, some advice re video cards would be appreciated. @~I wouldn't mind having all that explained too ... any offers? ------------------------------------------------------------------ @~Next from: Jean Childs, 24 Waverley Road, Bagshot, Surrey GU19 5JL Dear Readers of SynTax, My conversion of 'Excuse Me - Do You Have The Time?' for the PC is virtually finished and may well with the playtesters by the time you read this, and meanwhile I've been giving thought to my next project and intend to use TADS to write a game that I started when testing 'The Adventurer' writing utility. 'Don't Assume Anything' is an adventure about SynTax and will be a freeware adventure / advert for SynTax. I thought it would be a good idea to have characters as part of the game that are based on actual people. With some adventure games the player is the only human around, entering unlocked buildings that give the player the feeling he or she is on the Marie Celeste. With TADS it's easy to program characters that don't have to do anything but just add atmosphere. Some can be part of a puzzle and some can be helpful with information. So, if anyone would like to be a character in the game, please let me know. I would need to know names (but no addresses will be used, except SynTax), occupations, hobbies, strange habits that they would like to share with the world etc etc. If preferred I would use Christian names only. I do hope some of you will agree to be 'stars'. @~Come on, don't be shy, please drop Jean a quick note. Or you can @~email me with your details. ------------------------------------------------------------------ @~And finally, from Neil Shipman by email After nearly 5 years of running a 486, drooling over the much better spec machines that most other SynTax readers have got and getting more and more frustrated that I couldn't run the software I wanted to, I've finally bought myself a new PC. Now I'm the proud owner of a 300MHz Pentium II with a 6.4 GB hard drive, 64MB RAM, 36 speed CD-ROM, Soundblaster PCI64 sound card, Diamond Stealth video card with 8MB RAM, Rockwell 56K internal fax/modem and a 15" monitor. It came installed with Windows 98 and MS Works 4.5 and cost me just over œ700 from the local computer shop I've used for the last 15 years. You can get similar spec machines at cheaper prices I'm sure, but at least I was able to go and discuss what I wanted and have it built to my specifications within 5 days, I know from experience that their work is good and, if it does need any work on it in the future, they're only just down the road so taking it in isn't a problem. That's not to say that there's anything wrong in buying by mail order - I've done it myself (with varying degrees of success in the past) - it's just that I felt more confident about being able to have that personal contact with the supplier. Anyway, the transition from Windows 3.11 on a 486 to Windows 98 on a Pentium II is a quantum leap and I'm on a steep learning curve. But it's an exciting one and the performance is amazing! Internet access is incredibly fast, the CD-ROM speed allows game video-clips to run without chopping, the sound and graphics are wonderfully clear and I can even set up my modem for voice mail. Although I knew computer technology was advancing at a pretty rapid pace I didn't really appreciate how fast until now. As far as adventures are concerned I've only loaded Arthur C. Clarke's Rama at the moment. Having read the books it's one I've wanted to get into for a long time and I hope to do a review for a future issue. And I've a number of mouth-watering titles sitting on my shelf waiting to be opened, so all I've got to do now is find a few more hours in the day to enjoy them all. It took me a long time to finally make this jump - and then a couple of days later I hear about Pentium IIIs running at 500MHz! Ah well, I could never afford one of those. I expect they'll be up to Pentium Vs before I look at a new computer again! Oh, so far I am pleased to say I haven't encountered the thing everybody has told me I would - you know, the Blue Screen of De$%^&*&(* @~Hehe, you will, Neil ... you will! @~Thanks for your letters this issue - any comments on the state @~of adventuring or life in general will be very welcome for next @~issue as always ... Sue - o -