Editorial: Scene+ #14

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I have now been working at a Saturn branch for a month and barely had any time to get a proper sleep. But now that normal operations have finally begun, I have a little bit of time left — very little, but just enough to finish this issue. Fortunately, one article was already finished before I started working. I have also already started writing a completely new story titled VORTEX, about a war between two planets: Terra Prime (well known from LORDS OF ZER) and our Earth. I won't give away too much, except this: quite a few surprises await you!

After Indian Patience was already covered in both the SPC and SUC info sheets, I must make the following remark: the music is indeed by Cat's Eye, but I don't know whether she ripped it or composed it herself. After all, I received a whole Opus disk full of ST modules from her, and some sound quite familiar. She herself wouldn't tell me where she got the music from. Many people have already playtested the game, and everyone found it very good, even though the graphics are too slow.

In this issue, by way of exception, there are no piccy shows, but rather 10 (in words: ten!) VU 3D animations instead. Aside from standard rotation, some of them are also animated in other ways, but take a look for yourselves.

Some of you surely already know Master Brain; it was featured on a Crash Powertape and is a memory game with outstanding graphics. Since Crash no longer exists (it was an extremely foolish idea to sell out to Sinclair User), I looked up Eric Auterith in the phone book and asked him for permission to publish it on SCENE+. Fortunately, he agreed, although he currently has not a single spare minute to spend on the Speccy; perhaps that will change again someday. He didn't send me his other programs because, according to him, they were bad.

Since there were several letters asking me to release ESCAPE (made via 3DCK), I am doing so in this issue.

Another game I already wanted to showcase in the previous issue was Mega Xonix. In this issue, you will find this successful mix of Zolyx, Bomberman, Pyromania, and several Russian tunes — especially if you load it in USR mode. The goal is to eliminate all moving targets (with a limited supply of bombs), outline about 90% of the playfield, and try not to get caught by the spreading fire. An overall superb game, which by the way is started with option "1", using keys Q, A, O, P, and M for controls. During my brief testing phase, I managed to reach level 3.

Oh yes, I plan to finish a new freeware game by the time of the meeting in Cologne. It's supposed to be a kind of Battleship game, but no more will be revealed, except that graphics and sound are meant to be quite good. The graphics were already created using Art Studio (that's right! For once on the Speccy?!), and another track from Cat's Eye's music disk serves as the soundtrack.

NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF THE SPECTRUM

The WoMo team, who called me a saboteur in one of their recent newsletter issues (quite rightly so, because I coded INDIAN PATIENCE), have prepared a compilation disk of +D application software. It contains almost all the essential utilities that every +D user absolutely needs for productive work; I only miss Transit and perhaps the IFF Converter 1.9. Several programs were created by me or at least with my involvement.

SUC has moved, evidently not wanting to lag behind SPC on that front. The new address is:
Rainäckerstr. 4, D-70794 Filderstadt.
The phone number remains the same.

There is an English-language info leaflet available about the MB02, which you can order from SUC. In the next issue of SCENE+, there will be a mini-review of the MB02 as well as a guide for the device.

With the release of the second issue of ZX Files, it seems confirmed that the magazine will indeed appear on a regular basis.

The SUC Demo, coded by myself and Cat's Eye, has become SUC's favorite demo. No idea what Xterminator himself thinks about it, since he managed to escape with the help of a wormhole (Varlon, how could you do this to us? Smuggling a wormhole expander into his cell — ahem, I mean his room!). I'm curious to see who will replace Xterminator next. The dungeon has been cleaned up and... Thomas! Fred! Why are you looking at me so strangely!?!?

Three jokes to wrap things up:

1. Nowadays, genetic engineering allows us to breed the perfect politician: people without brains who are still viable. The first successful specimens are being tested in the SPÖ. (That was a pretty tasteless political joke!)

2. A man is speeding down the autobahn at 300 km/h. A police officer pulls him over and asks:
   — "I hope you have a good explanation for driving this fast?"
   — "Of course," the driver replies, "I want to reach the next petrol station while I still have some fuel left!"

3. The final joke of the day is my bank statement.