25 October 1999
Reported, written and edited by David Duberman
for editorial/subscription inquiries, send mailto:duberman@dnai.com
Check out Spectrum on the Web at http://www.3dlinks.com/spectrum
___________________________________
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I-drive.com
last week launched Sideload and Clip, two new tools that let visitors to a site
save files and content directly to i-drive accounts. Sideload allows saving and
sharing downloadable files, and Clip makes it possible to capture and store
dynamic Web content.
Sideload
and Clip are the newest additions to i-drive's Builders Tools for Webmasters.
Adding Web-based file storage and management tools is designed to let
Webmasters add value to a site and extend the relationship between visitors and
the site's content. All the tools are free.
___________________________________
Macromedia's new
Authorware 5.1, an upgrade to its authoring software for deploying learning
applications for the Web, networks and CD-ROM, adds support for multimedia and
Web media formats, new delivery capabilities and an enhanced user interface.
Key new features include support for Macromedia Flash 4, Macintosh delivery,
and a new, smaller player for streaming delivery over the Web. The upgrade is
free for registered users of Macromedia Authorware 5.
The new features in
fall across three major areas: new media formats, enhanced delivery and
improved usability:
·
New media
formats - Authorware 5.1
allows developers to take advantage of the latest versions of Web and
multimedia formats including Macromedia Flash 4, Apple QuickTime 4, QuickTime
VR and animated GIFs. Lightweight Flash 4 content keeps applications small for
fast Web delivery. Authorware can capture and respond to Flash and QuickTime VR
events, enabling the use of these powerful media types within learning
applications.
·
Enhanced
delivery - Authorware 5.1
offers improved capability for delivering Authorware applications over the Web,
networks and CD-ROM. The new minimal Authorware Web Player reduces the player
footprint by 80 percent to less than 800K and will play all Authorware 5.0/5.1
applications. With version 5.1, Macromedia is also delivering a Macintosh
player, which allows Authorware developers to author once and deploy
cross-platform applications to Windows and the Macintosh.
·
Improved
usability - The Authorware 5.1
user interface has been enhanced to improve usability and workflow. The new
version provides model palettes, new right-click context menus and optional
scrollbars.
___________________________________
Newly
available from Smart and Friendly is CD Rocket Fuel 80: extended-capacity, 8x
certified CD-Recordable media capable of storing 700MB of data or 80 minutes of
audio/video. Supported data formats include CD-ROM, CD-DA, CD-ROM/XA, CD-I,
CD-Bridge, Video CD, CD-Extra and CD-Text. The new media reportedly conforms to
all established industry standards set forth in the "Orange Book, Part
II" as modified on March 1999 to incorporate the new 80-minute format.
According to industry analysts, CD Rocket Fuel 80 media can be played back in
any of the market's estimated 1 billion CD players.
http://www.smartandfriendly.com
___________________________________
RTIME,
Inc., a provider of networking solutions for realtime, multiuser applications
over the Internet and broadband networks, last week announced the immediate
availability of its networking engine for Macromedia's Shockwave. The
combination reportedly enables new classes of interactive applications that
span entertainment, "advertainment," education, distance learning,
community, and multiplayer games.
RTIME for
Shockwave is built on top of RTIME's networking platform, which runs on
standard servers running Linux, Irix, Solaris, Window NT operating systems.
Each server can support hundreds of simultaneous users located anywhere on the
Internet. On the client side, Shockwave developers use a customized Macromedia
Xtra that plugs in to Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator browsers. This
plug-in communicates with RTIME's servers, which provide the realtime interaction
among active participants.
The
Software Development Kit (SDK) with a 5-user server is free of charge, and is
available now at http://www.rtimeinc.com.
Included with the SDK is a documentation, tutorial, a sample application, and
the source code to the sample application.
___________________________________
Forty
Software last week released Download Wonder 1.55, a utility for downloading
files online and organizing the files offline. New capabilities include the
ability to organize downloads, manage simultaneous downloads and maintain
Internet, AOL and NetZero connections while downloading files.
While
online, the program intercepts file downloads and controls the interaction
between the PC and the file server. While offline, Download Wonder 1.55 allows
users to organize their file downloads with a database.
During the
download process, Download Wonder 1.55 lets users:
A database
lets users to organize their files by:
___________________________________
Creative
Technology of SoundBlaster notoriety has a free, stand-alone beta version of
its interactive music technology, LAVA! (Live Audio Visual Animation). Creative
also announced last week audio support for Microsoft Windows Media. The two
companies will add Windows Media support for an upcoming release of the LAVA!
MusicVideo Player, said to enable interactive 3D music videos on the Internet.
The
enhanced player, available for download at www.LAVAmusic.com,
now supports PC-based sound card made by Creative rivals. Using audio analysis
developed at the Creative-EMU Technology Center, it lets users with a graphics
card that supports OpenGL experience MP3s accompanied by a an environment made
up of 3D objects consisting of textures, images and colors that move to the
music.
Creative
also announced partnerships with Internet music providers who will provide
LAVA! MusicVideos associated with MP3 tracks. These content partners include:
___________________________________
A U.S.
Patent was granted last week for a new computer-based system to help people
quit smoking, lose weight or reduce stress. The principal inventor is Joseph M.
Segel, founder of QVC, The Franklin Mint, National Software Testing
Laboratories and 19 other companies.
Segel has
established a new venture, HealthLIFT.com, which reportedly will be one of the
few Internet services that have patent protection.
The newly
patented methodology (U.S. Patent No. 5,967,789) will use an "expert
system" database to produce wellness programs that are matched to the
needs of the user. The programs will be formatted into daily action plans
accessible online via a personal Web page or delivered daily by email or fax,
with an interactive capability to keep each program in sync with the user's
progress. The patent covers applications of its methodology through the
Internet, intranets, fax or any other electronic means, as well as any printed
medium.
"There
are two key advantages of this new methodology," Segel said. "First,
by communicating the program one day at a time, it avoids the information
overload commonly associated with other behavioral modification programs that
distribute a week's worth of instructions - or an entire program - all at one
time. Second, the daily feedback option enables the next day's plan to be
adjusted on a timely basis to be in perfect harmony with the user's
progress."
HealthLIFT.com
is headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania. Segel is chairman and Michael C. Boyd,
former president of QVC, is vice chairman.
___________________________________
LightWork Design, Inc. last week released Kazoo version 2.0, a technology suite providing software developers with expanded 3D image-editing effects.
The suite includes:
Kazoo Viewer 2.0 -- Designed for software developers to bundle with their own products. Viewer 2.0 comes with a drag-and-drop interface that can be customized to feature a developer's brand name, logo, specialized help files, Web links and other tailored content. Kazoo Viewer 2.0 includes all Kazoo Version 1.0 features, including a browser for searching by keyword and selecting Kazoo 3D models from catalogs, and a wide range of artistic styles embracing realistic, cartoon, gold, mosaic and hand drawn, with controls to customize each style.
In addition, Viewer 2.0 lets end users:
Kazoo Toolkit -- Available for software developers to include Kazoo within or alongside current applications or indeed to develop specific Kazoo-based products. Allows customization and integration of the new 3D image editing components within Kazoo whilst maintaining the look and feel of their own graphical user interface.
Kazoo Encoder -- A conversion tool for 3D modelers to save 3D models into the secure Kazoo file format for future use within a Kazoo-based product. The 3D modeler is also able to interact with the model to ensure proper conversion, and store pertinent information about each model such as keyword for searching, copyright and contact information.
Kazoo Player -- A viewing tool that lets Kazoo users share 3D images with non-Kazoo users for interactive viewing.
Kazoo Style & Model Packs -- New styles and model collections
The Kazoo Technology 2.0 Toolkit and Player are available for Windows '95,'98 and NT as well as the Mac. The Viewer and Encoder are currently available for Windows '95,'98 and NT.
___________________________________
Newly available
from Cambridge, England-based is its Satori 64-bit graphics and animation
bundle; vector paint, graphics, special effects and animation software for
graphics professionals, designers, artists and animators working with
Photoshop, Painter, Paint Shop Pro, Photo-Paint or other compatible 2D/3D
software (Satori PaintFX is designed for Photoshop plug-in compatible
software).
The Satori
64-bit graphics and animation bundle offer is available until November 26 and
comprises the latest full high-end versions of Satori FilmFX64 3.2 software and
Satori PaintFX 1.1 plug-in suite.
http://www.satoripaint.com/SatoriPaintStore.htm
___________________________________
Autodesk division Discreet's 3D Studio MAX is helping bring a 3D look to Fox's new Saturday morning cartoon series, "Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century." The series, which premiered Sept. 18 and topped its time slot ratings during its first two weeks, is a traditional 2D cel animation production enhanced with 3D vehicles and backgrounds. Using 3D Studio MAX software, artists at the Hyper Image studio add three-dimensional, real-life camera techniques to key sequences in the series' 26 episodes.
"The 3D scenes add camera rotation, perspective shots, and high-impact landscapes," said Rob Smiley, Hyper Image founder and co-director of the series. "A number of scenes in the series demand a level of realism that would take too long and cost too much for cel animation to produce. In a street scene, for instance, a cel animator might make his job easier by putting the character in front of a brick wall. But with 3D Studio MAX, we can place that character on a busy 22nd Century London thoroughfare with 1,000 futuristic cars flying around. And because it's a mystery show, we use 3D to great effect when the perspective rolls 30 degrees to reveal something important in the story. "
To match the palette used by the 2D animators, Hyper Image used 3D Studio MAX software to map painted textures onto 3D geometry. "Unlike in a film project, we weren't looking for photorealism, which would have stood out from the rest of the content," said Smiley, whose animators first studied the show's storyboards to identify scenes that could be enhanced with 3D.
___________________________________
Credo
Interactive Inc. and Digimation, Inc. announce the Life Forms 3.5/Bones Pro 2
bundle, available for $495 from Digimation.
Bones Pro
2 brings a deformation system to 3D Studio MAX. Compatible with R3, the plug-in
provides visualization tools to help determine how the mesh is being
controlled. Included is Bone Jiggler space warp, used to make the vertices of a
mesh jiggle when animated. This can be used to add secondary motion to
characters automatically.
A
stand-alone app dedicated to character movement, Life Forms offers a figure
editor for keyframing and editing animation, plus an instant walk generator.
http://www.digimation.com or
800-854-4496.
http://www.CharacterMotion.com or
888-291-7453.
___________________________________
Paris, France-based NeMo S.A. (formerly Virtools) last week released version 1.0.1 of its NeMo interactive 3D authoring tool. New features include:
___________________________________
3dfx Interactive Inc. last week released Beta version 5.0 of its Macintosh developer drivers with support for the Voodoo3 3000 PCI board. The drivers include two selectable ROMs for the 143MHz and 166MHz clock speeds, featured on the Voodoo3 2000 PCI and Voodoo3 3000 PCI respectively.
The drivers are available for download from the 3dfxgamers.com Website at http://www.3dfxgamers.com/view.asp?IOID=30
___________________________________
The
Mindscape division of Mattel Interactive last week released version 4 of its
Dogz and Catz virtual-life products. New features include:
IBM's
ViaVoice voice-recognition software lets owners talk to their Dogz and Catz and
train them to respond to voice commands, such as "sit,"
"fetch" and "roll over." Each package includes a microphone.
The
Playscene Editor allows users to create new play environments for their Petz
with a digital camera or by scanning in traditional photos or by using an
artwork program.
Both
titles offer several new places for Petz to explore, including a gypsy
carnival, a wild West scenario, an Arabian desert, the South Seas' Islands and
a winter wonderland. Version 4 also features new costumes, toys, and
accessories, including pirate hats, bandannas, a sheriff's badge and more.
___________________________________
Lego
Mindstorms Robotics Invention Kits may turn out to be the hottest geek gadget
of this year's gift-giving season. Unfortunately, the documentation that goes
along with the kit doesn't take its many fans far enough. Forbes Magazine even
reported recently that dedicated LEGO robot programmers had
"open-sourced" code designed to run the robots and posted it free on
the Web.
Publisher
O'Reilly & Associates says Jonathan Knudson's new book, "The
Unofficial Guide to Lego Mindstorms Robots," shows geek-gadget buyers how
to get the most out of the product.
"Lego
robots go way beyond being cool toys. Combine a bunch of Lego bricks, a
standard robot brain, a talented and highly motivated online community, and
your own imagination, and you've got an advanced tool for learning and teaching
about robot design and programming," says Knudsen. "Best of all, it's
a lot of fun."
Based on
hands-on robot projects, the book includes descriptions of advanced mechanical
techniques, programming with third-party software, building your own sensors,
working with more than one kit, and sources of extra parts.
The book
includes:
The book
includes numerous illustrations and code examples. Many URLs are listed to
serve as an introduction to the online Mindstorms community.
For more
information about the book, including Table of Contents, index, author bio,
online resources, and samples, see: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lmstorms/
___________________________________
Currently,
Europe is home to more than half of the world's most sophisticated Web markets;
yet, US and EU Web enterprises have failed to move toward establishing
high-value consumer relationships aggressively, according to new research from
Jupiter Communications Inc. The research featured rankings of top nations for
Web sophistication and Internet market potential. European nations secured 12
of the top 20 spots for Internet sophistication and 10 of the top 20 spots for
future Internet market potential.
To date in
the European market, the key elements of Internet commerce--access, commerce,
and content players--are driving low-value, high-volume relationships with
consumers. However, Web ventures in Europe must increase the value of those
relationships, from acquisition to retention, and eventually ownership in order
to practice truly targeted marketing.
In the
case of access, free-to-air ISPs have increased the sheer number of people
online in Europe; yet, by their failure to increase incremental usage of the
medium, they have not increased the value of those relationships. In a similar
fashion, content players have attempted to increase their overall audiences by
focusing on portal offerings of commoditized data and listings, and neglecting
to drive consumers to specifically focused vertical content sites. The latter
offer content such as sports or lifestyle, where a meaningful, targeted
relationship between content and customer can exist. In Europe's commerce
arena, merchants--especially those in the off-line world--have concentrated on
driving traffic to their sites instead of developing strategies to retain these
customers. This is best illustrated by the generally low quality of European
customer service online. A recent Jupiter survey of the top European e-commerce
sites found that more than 60 percent of sites did not respond to a customer's
inquiry within 48 hours.
___________________________________
Cinematic Effects, a new 90-minute training video from Digimation featuring Discreet's Frank Delise, aims to reveal how the big animation houses produce Hollywood-style special effects. It offers two hours of step-by-step tutorials using 3D Studio MAX Release 3's newest features.
The exercises include:
$99.95 NTSC, $119.95 PAL
___________________________________
The Image Conference, first held in 1977, is sponsored by the Image Society Inc., a non-profit, professional association for the advancement of the technologies used to create, sense, operate, and navigate computer-generated virtual environments. Approximately 36 papers will be accepted for presentation at the conference and publication in the conference proceedings. If you're interested in submitting a paper, visit http://www.public.asu.edu/~image/EVENTS/00IMAGE/CFP.html.
___________________________________
CTR (Crash
Team Racing), an extension of the Crash Bandicoot franchise, raced into
retailers nationwide last week. The PlayStation game lets fans assume the
identity of characters from past Crash Bandicoot games as well as new
characters introduced in this title. Using the Multi tap adaptor, up to four
people can challenge one another in a high-speed go-cart race.
Developed
by Naughty Dog, Inc., and produced in partnership with Sony Computer
Entertainment America, CTR features a new mad scientist named Nitros Oxide, who
is about to wreak havoc on Crash's little island paradise. Nitros Oxide is
obsessed with speed, claiming "fast just isn't fast enough." He
concocts a crazy idea to speed up the whole world until the end of time. It is
up to Crash and his friends and foes to race to save the planet and restore a
steady pace.
Crash
Bandicoot, Coco and the infamous Dr. Neo Cortex are the most notorious of the
more than 12 playable characters, some of them hidden. Others include Tiny,
Dingodile, Pura, Polar and N. Gin. More than 25 tracks can be played in five
modes, including Adventure, Time Trial, Versus, Gran Prix and Battle modes.
Gameplayers must pick up Bandicoot goodies and avoid environmental hazards like
TNT crates. Power-ups can be used to pick up speed or to slow down opponents.
___________________________________
Electronic
Arts and Firaxis Games last week shipped Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire, an
expansion pack to Meier's Alpha Centauri. The product features seven new
playable factions, several new technologies and secret projects, and a new plot
that continues the story of humanity's struggle to colonize a hostile alien
world.
In Alien
Crossfire, the original inhabitants of Planet have returned to reclaim their
world. The aliens, though, are split in a brutal struggle. They engage in
battle over Planet, nearly destroying each other in the process. The survivors
jettison to Planet's surface where humanity has been building a new home. Now
the humans from Earth are caught in the crossfire.
"One
of the most exciting parts of the game is battle between the two alien
factions," said Brian Reynolds, lead designer and programmer of Alpha
Centauri and vice president, software development for Firaxis. "The aliens
are slightly more powerful than the human factions but are balanced by the fact
that all the other factions tend to gang up on them. As a human, getting caught
between the aliens' hatred can be quite an exhilarating experience. As an
alien, having the world against you can be pretty fun and challenging as
well."
___________________________________
Maxis'
upcoming game The Sims has reached "alpha," the stage at which all
design features have been implemented in the game's software. The Sims, the
people simulator designed by SimCity creator Will Wright, has been in
development for over seven years. While quite a bit of game balancing, tuning
and debugging is still required, Maxis says that the game is on track for
release in the first quarter of 2000.
"The
Sims has evolved so dramatically over the past several years, it's hard to
believe we've finally gone alpha," said Wright. "The team has been
working around the clock to get the game to this critical final stage. We've
been tuning the gameplay for the past several months, but it's difficult
without having all the features in place. We have a lot of work to do, but
we're in the final stretch."
Maxis has
released preview versions of two tools, available for download from http://www.thesims.com, that allow future
players to begin customizing their games today. With the Home Master tool,
users can preview custom wallpapers, floors and artwork for houses in The Sims.
SimShow lets players preview "skins" for Sims characters. Edit the
skins in a paint program, then preview them using the tool.
___________________________________
Mindscape
Entertainment last week introduced Creatures Adventures, a virtual life program
for a younger audience with a large interface and bold, colorful graphics
designed to invite play and exploration.
Users and
their Norns can play baseball games, bake cakes, explore castle dungeons,
parachute from airships, make music with dinosaurs, grow vegetables or ride a
skateboard. Other interactive scenes include a friendly forest, a spooky
forest, a toy room and Dragon Land. There is also a nestery to incubate and
hatch Norn eggs and a doctor's cart to heal sick Norns.
Creatures
Adventures utilizes an enhanced application of developer CyberLife's artificial
life technology. Each Norn is a complete, artificial life form with its own
DNA, brain, biochemistry and personality. The game was developed by Creature
Labs, the entertainment division of CyberLife Technology, Ltd. in the United
Kingdom. CyberLife Technology developed the original Creatures, which was
released in 1996, followed by Creatures 2 in 1998. Creatures 3 will be in
stores this November.
___________________________________
Codemasters,
a UK-based developer and publisher of computer and video games, recently
announced establishment of its first USA-based development studio and the
acquisition of certain assets previously owned by Sierra On-Line and Havas
Interactive, of which The Realm is one. As Codemasters' US operation ramps up,
the process of coordinating the transfer of "The Realm" is underway.
The transition brings the game back to the location where it was originally
developed and launched in late 1996 - in Oakhurst, California near Yosemite
National Park. The transition is being coordinated between managers of both
Sierra On-Line and US-based Codemasters' managers.
USA-based
development personnel interested in job opportunities at the new Codemasters
studio in Oakhurst, CA should contact http://www.codemasters.com
___________________________________
Microsoft
wants you to know about a free, downloadable Pandora's Box puzzle. Based on
Pandora's Box, a new game developed by Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, the
puzzle demo features a view of sunny Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head on the
island of Oahu, Hawaii.
http://www.microsoft.com/games/pandorasbox/
___________________________________
Electronic
Arts last week shipped Jane's USAF, featuring jets of the United States Air
Force. Players can fly historical missions over Vietnam and the Middle East, or
futuristic missions over Germany, and defend home soil over Nellis Air Force
Base and the Las Vegas Strip.
Published
by Electronic Arts' Jane's Combat Simulations brand and developed by Pixel
Multimedia Inc. in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jane's USAF allows players to fly the
F-15C, F-15E or A-10 Warthog "in the mud" and destroy enemy ground
targets. Relive historic air battles over Vietnam in the F-4E or the F-105. Fly
the F-16C Falcon and take out enemy MIGS. Push the envelope while flying the
menacing F-117 Stealth Fighter and ultra-modern F-22 over Las Vegas.
A
next-generation 3D terrain engine reportedly allows for high resolution and high
frame rate terrain rendering on all kinds of PCs. Detailed
"real-world" terrain is created with real satellite data with true
elevation and coloring. Special effects include night flight, lighting,
multiple explosion types and 3D virtual cockpits.
Jane's
Combat.net (http://www.janescombat.net)
lets players fly with as many as seven human foes or allies for free online.
The site features a "Kill-and-Compare" area where Combat.net posts
players' combat statistics every time they go online, allowing players to
challenge other pilots based on their expertise with specific weapons or
tactics. This feature allows players to trace their career development, learn
from mistakes and earn their place at the top of the pyramid.
Jane's
USAF features a mission recorder that works like a digital VCR, with the
ability to edit camera angles or skip to the point where the MIG bit the dust,
then send the file as an email attachment to wingmen or rivals. Another feature
lets players command allies using voice activation for wingman commands,
aircraft operations, and predefined chat messages.
___________________________________
Version
1.5 of the bleem! PlayStation emulator reportedly provides improved
compatibility for over 70 games, bug fixes, improved texture rendering in
Direct 3D, new controller profiles for automatic configuration, and improved
speed management for more consistent gameplay in Microsoft Windows.
bleem!
v.1.5 improves memory card support for popular games like WWF:Attitude, Final
Fantasy 8, Castlevania and Star Ocean: The Second Story. In addition, bleem!
will now work with another 30 PlayStation games for the first time, including
Dino Crisis, Knockout Kings, Contra, Final DOOM, and G-Police.
The
company says its emulation code has been entirely re-written for more
consistent and accurate game speed overall, resulting in better sound
synchronization and gameplay that more closely matches the PlayStation console.
The new
version also offers a "texel alignment" option to eliminate faint
lines that can appear between textures when playing games in 3D hardware mode;
emulation support for NegCon and JogCon controllers, and added automatic
configuration profiles for game controllers including Microsoft Force Feedback
Joystick and Gravis GamePad Pro USB; an installer/uninstaller program for
easier download and installation; and various other performance tweaks.
The new
upgrade can be downloaded free at www.bleem.com.
___________________________________
Shipping
in mid-2000 from Microsoft and Zipper Interactive, the action/simulation game
Crimson Skies plunges gamers into a world of aerial piracy and daredevil
adventures set during the golden age of aviation.
In this
alternate history, the year is 1937 and the United States is fractured into
squabbling nation-states, brought about by the weight of the Great Depression,
regional prohibition and mounting isolationism. Giant Zeppelins crisscross the
skies carrying both passengers and cargo, and airborne bandits are a constant
threat. It is a time of gunship diplomacy and airship piracy, as dastardly
villains, beautiful air-privateers and valiant militia forces battle for
control of the skies over North America.
In Crimson
Skies, the transcontinental railroad and the budding highway system are useless
because they cross the hostile borders of the nation-states. In an effort to
maintain commerce and trade, flight becomes the vital lifeline connecting
allied countries. America has fallen in love with the airplane, not the
automobile, resulting in an explosion of unusual and exotic aircraft.
The creative
team of FASA Interactive, acquired earlier this year by Microsoft and led by
Jordan Weisman (one of the creators of the BattleTech universe), is providing
the vision and design expertise for the Crimson Skies PC game. Zipper
Interactive, the development team behind MechWarrior 3, is leading the
day-to-day development of the new game.
http://microsoft.com/games/crimsonskies/
___________________________________
Impressions
Games and Sierra Studios announced last week that Pharaoh, Impressions'
strategic city-building game set in ancient Egypt, has gone gold. The prequel to the Caesar trilogy, Pharaoh
lets gamers manage cities, construct giant monuments, and interact with the citizens
of their creations. The title is expected to ship the first week of November.
Pharaoh is
set in ancient Egypt from 3200 - 1350 BC and allows players to lay out majestic
Egyptian cities and grow them into thriving metropolises. Players can build large
pyramids, and discover why the Nile was so crucial to all aspects of life as
they witness the effects of seasonal flooding on the lives of the local
inhabitants.
___________________________________
Electronic
Arts last week announced its results for the second fiscal quarter ended
September 30, 1999. Net revenues for the quarter were $339 million, a 38
percent increase compared to $246 million reported for the same quarter of the
prior fiscal year. Net income increased 69 percent to $18.1 million in the
second quarter, compared to $10.7 million reported last year before a one-time,
pre-tax charge of $41.8 million. Diluted earnings per share increased 65
percent to $0.28 from $0.17 reported excluding the one-time charge, in the same
quarter of the prior fiscal year.
During the
quarter, the company released 17 new products on three different platforms. New
products shipped included six for the PC, seven for the PlayStation and four
for the Nintendo 64. New releases during the quarter included: Command &
Conquer Tiberian Sun and NHL 2000 for the PC; Final Fantasy VIII, Madden NFL
2000, WCW Mayhem, NASCAR 2000, NHL 2000, NCAA Football 2000 and Sled Storm for
the PlayStation; and WCW Mayhem, Madden NFL 2000, and NASCAR 2000 on the N64.
___________________________________
Blizzard
Entertainment announced today that in Korea it has recently topped the 1
million units sold mark in combined sales of StarCraft and its expansion pack
StarCraft: Brood War, according to figures released by international sales
partners. Currently, Blizzard has sold over 3 million copies of both games
combined worldwide.
Considering
that Korea is a country of approximately 40 million in population and that by
industry standards a successful game in Korea sells roughly 10,000-15,000
units, the StarCraft phenomenon in Korea is unprecedented.
According
to Blizzard, it is the fast-paced style of the game that attracts the Korean
players. In addition, the company says its success can be attributed to the
recent birth of over 10,000 game rooms that parallel the cyber-cafes or
Internet gaming coffeehouses that are becoming popular in the U.S.
The game
is also said to be becoming a cultural phenomenon in the country.
"StarCraft-related scenes and characters are popping up everywhere
throughout Korea," Young Seog Yoon, president of character product agent
YNK said. "The way in which this game has become a part of the Korean
culture can only be compared to the way in which the Star Wars Phantom Menace
movie became a cultural icon in America."
___________________________________
Sony
Computer Entertainment Group company 989 Studios said last week that its online
PC game EverQuest has broken all subscription-based online gaming sales
records. In six months, the title has reportedly sold more games than any other
online role-playing game ever released, with 225,000 units sold and an active
subscriber base of more than 150,000 players. The monthly subscription fee is
$9.89.
EverQuest
was released in February 1999, and was developed by 989 Studios' PC division,
the predecessor of Verant Interactive. The game involves a variety of adventures
and quests whose storyline evolves according to the decisions a player makes.
Players
can choose to begin the game in any of three continents, with more than 70
adventure zones and 12 cities. Each of these continents has diverse species,
economic systems, alliances and politics.
During
peak periods, EverQuest adventurers and dragon slayers can form alliances with
up to 37,000 other players simultaneously. The active global EverQuest
subscriber base is comprised of players from various countries including the
U.S., England, Canada, Singapore, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, France and New
Zealand.
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Be Incorporated last week reported financial
results for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 1999.
Net
revenues for the third quarter of 1999 were $775,000, an increase of 44% from
$537,000 reported for the second quarter of 1999, and an increase of 243% from
$226,000 in the same period in 1998. For the nine months ended September 30,
1999, the Company reported revenue of $1,621,000, an increase of 82% from
$892,000 reported in the first nine months of 1998.
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The
Creative Process
When:
October 28, 1999, 7:00 to 9 PM
Where:
Exploratorium - McBean Theater
3601 Lyon Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
1-415-EXP-LORE
Directions: http://www.exploratorium.org/general/directions.html
What: 7 to 9 PM Panel talk and discussion on
the creative process.
Cost: free
Speakers:
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