Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs
Yes, I know that. What happened in the game, then? Pedro R. Quaresma [EMAIL PROTECTED] / [EMAIL PROTECTED] So long, and thanks for all the fish C.E. Forman [EMAIL PROTECTED] 14/11/01 13:15 Solicita-se resposta a swcollect Para: [EMAIL PROTECTED] A/C: Ref: cc: Assunto: Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs Actually, no. Ford gives Arthur the Babel fish in the book. - Original Message - From: Pedro Quaresma [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 2:30 AM Subject: Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs About Hitchhiker... many times the creators of games that are based on well-known books forget that the players may have not read the book yet (or ever will). So maybe that Babelfish puzzle was clear to whomever read tHHGttG, but not for everyone else? Pedro R. Quaresma [EMAIL PROTECTED] / [EMAIL PROTECTED] So long, and thanks for all the fish Lee K. Seitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] 13/11/01 22:52 Solicita-se resposta a swcollect Para: [EMAIL PROTECTED] A/C: Ref: cc: Assunto: Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs Jim Leonard boldly stated: Chris Newman wrote: I think this paucity of physical components falls under the same category as companies releasing barebones documentation to virtually require that the player buys the strategy guide (aka real manual). Am I being too harsh here? No, you're being quite accurate. Many consider Outpost to be the start of this downfall; the manual blatantly omits pieces of information that were necessary to play the game -- only to be included in the strategy guide. Personally, I consider it to be King's Quest V, which included a puzzle so out there that you *had* to buy the hint book to win the game. I don't know. I think the Babel fish in Hitchhiker just about qualifies. 8) I managed to figure out everything except the final step before I got the hint book. -- Lee K. Seitz * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/ Wanted: Vintage Pac-M*n necktie (The asterisk is to keep from mucking up people's Usenet search results. Replace it with an a, if you didn't know.) -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/ http://www.salvador-caetano.pt http
Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs
Side note: The Hitchhikers' Guide series is one of the best written sci-fi humor epics of all time! I've noticed that the hardcover compliation (w/all five books and an extra short story) has been in the bargain books racks at BN for the past 2 years. It is a steal at $15. I've a suspicion that the bargain status is a marketing ploy, and the book is a consistent seller. If you've never read the series pick it up! (Or, you can download the complete works from many places). The author, Douglas Adams, died a few months ago. I think he was only 50. 50! C.E. Forman wrote: Actually, no. Ford gives Arthur the Babel fish in the book. - Original Message - From: Pedro Quaresma [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 2:30 AM Subject: Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs About Hitchhiker... many times the creators of games that are based on well-known books forget that the players may have not read the book yet (or ever will). So maybe that Babelfish puzzle was clear to whomever read tHHGttG, but not for everyone else? Pedro R. Quaresma [EMAIL PROTECTED] / [EMAIL PROTECTED] So long, and thanks for all the fish Lee K. Seitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] 13/11/01 22:52 Solicita-se resposta a swcollect Para: [EMAIL PROTECTED] A/C: Ref: cc: Assunto: Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs Jim Leonard boldly stated: Chris Newman wrote: I think this paucity of physical components falls under the same category as companies releasing barebones documentation to virtually require that the player buys the strategy guide (aka real manual). Am I being too harsh here? No, you're being quite accurate. Many consider Outpost to be the start of this downfall; the manual blatantly omits pieces of information that were necessary to play the game -- only to be included in the strategy guide. Personally, I consider it to be King's Quest V, which included a puzzle so out there that you *had* to buy the hint book to win the game. I don't know. I think the Babel fish in Hitchhiker just about qualifies. 8) I managed to figure out everything except the final step before I got the hint book. -- Lee K. Seitz * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/ Wanted: Vintage Pac-M*n necktie (The asterisk is to keep from mucking up people's Usenet search results. Replace it with an a, if you didn't know.) -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/ http://www.salvador-caetano.pt http://www.globalshop.pt -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/
RE: [SWCollect] New SKUs
Agreed (sorry for continuing the tangent but I'm passionate about HHGG). I have everything from the paperbacks to the hard-cover, leather-bound compendium. I have a couple of audio tape versions and the movie. I would save the movie for last since it will likely turn you off (with cheesy Dr. Who/BBC type effects). The audio tape is actually the original format for HHGG and highly recommended. The books are also excellent reads (especially the first two). If you're into English humor (like Monty Python), they are a must. If not, this may convert you. HHGG has shaped my sense of humor since I first heard/read/saw it in college. Hugh -Original Message- From: Chris Newman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 8:36 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs Side note: The Hitchhikers' Guide series is one of the best written sci-fi humor epics of all time! I've noticed that the hardcover compliation (w/all five books and an extra short story) has been in the bargain books racks at BN for the past 2 years. It is a steal at $15. I've a suspicion that the bargain status is a marketing ploy, and the book is a consistent seller. If you've never read the series pick it up! (Or, you can download the complete works from many places). The author, Douglas Adams, died a few months ago. I think he was only 50. 50! C.E. Forman wrote: Actually, no. Ford gives Arthur the Babel fish in the book. - Original Message - From: Pedro Quaresma [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 2:30 AM Subject: Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs About Hitchhiker... many times the creators of games that are based on well-known books forget that the players may have not read the book yet (or ever will). So maybe that Babelfish puzzle was clear to whomever read tHHGttG, but not for everyone else? Pedro R. Quaresma [EMAIL PROTECTED] / [EMAIL PROTECTED] So long, and thanks for all the fish Lee K. Seitz [EMAIL PROTECTED] 13/11/01 22:52 Solicita-se resposta a swcollect Para: [EMAIL PROTECTED] A/C: Ref: cc: Assunto: Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs Jim Leonard boldly stated: Chris Newman wrote: I think this paucity of physical components falls under the same category as companies releasing barebones documentation to virtually require that the player buys the strategy guide (aka real manual). Am I being too harsh here? No, you're being quite accurate. Many consider Outpost to be the start of this downfall; the manual blatantly omits pieces of information that were necessary to play the game -- only to be included in the strategy guide. Personally, I consider it to be King's Quest V, which included a puzzle so out there that you *had* to buy the hint book to win the game. I don't know. I think the Babel fish in Hitchhiker just about qualifies. 8) I managed to figure out everything except the final step before I got the hint book. -- Lee K. Seitz * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/ Wanted: Vintage Pac-M*n necktie (The asterisk is to keep from mucking up people's Usenet search results. Replace it with an a, if you didn't know.) -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/ http://www.salvador-caetano.pt http://www.globalshop.pt -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com
[SWCollect] New SKUs
I went to my local Wal-Mart today and dropped by the software aisle. My internal reaction went something like this: Gah!!! What are these?!? Are these PC games??? [Picks one up.] Yeah, I guess they are. They shrank! The boxes are about the size of DVD movies, but two or three times thicker. They're still cardboard boxes, though, not DVD-style plastic cases. I presume they still have the same ol', plastic CD cases inside. I'd heard some talk about the software game industry standardizing their boxes a year or two ago, but didn't realize a decision had been made. So will I start seeing all games coming out in this packaging from now on? (If it's not a budget, bare CD case, that is.) Or is this primarily some new requirement that some of the big stores (like Wal-Mart) are imposing on companies if they want them to stock their games? Regardless, I'd guess the effect would be for all companies to start selling all their games in these boxes because it would be prohibitive to print two different styles of each box. So, now the Infogrames and Hasbro Interactive releases of the same (Atari) games are different for more than just the HI logo changing to Infogrames. Do I have to collect both versions? 8) On the bright side, the smaller versions of Pac-Man: Adventures in Time and Revenge of Arcade are about $5-10 cheaper. -- Lee K. Seitz * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/ Wanted: Vintage Pac-M*n necktie (The asterisk is to keep from mucking up people's Usenet search results. Replace it with an a, if you didn't know.) -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/
Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs
Welcome to the wonderful world of new packaging standards. I hate it with a passion. I started a thread on this as soon as I heard about it last year: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/msg00258.html Lee K. Seitz wrote: I went to my local Wal-Mart today and dropped by the software aisle. My internal reaction went something like this: Gah!!! What are these?!? Are these PC games??? [Picks one up.] Yeah, I guess they are. They shrank! The boxes are about the size of DVD movies, but two or three times thicker. They're still cardboard boxes, though, not DVD-style plastic cases. I presume they still have the same ol', plastic CD cases inside. I'd heard some talk about the software game industry standardizing their boxes a year or two ago, but didn't realize a decision had been made. So will I start seeing all games coming out in this packaging from now on? (If it's not a budget, bare CD case, that is.) Or is this primarily some new requirement that some of the big stores (like Wal-Mart) are imposing on companies if they want them to stock their games? Regardless, I'd guess the effect would be for all companies to start selling all their games in these boxes because it would be prohibitive to print two different styles of each box. So, now the Infogrames and Hasbro Interactive releases of the same (Atari) games are different for more than just the HI logo changing to Infogrames. Do I have to collect both versions? 8) On the bright side, the smaller versions of Pac-Man: Adventures in Time and Revenge of Arcade are about $5-10 cheaper. -- Lee K. Seitz * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/ Wanted: Vintage Pac-M*n necktie (The asterisk is to keep from mucking up people's Usenet search results. Replace it with an a, if you didn't know.) -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/
Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs
Chris Newman wrote: Yes, but why should this be restricted to limited editions? I think it should be the norm, as it once was. I think this paucity of physical components falls under the same category as companies releasing barebones documentation to virtually require that the player buys the strategy guide (aka real manual). It's another way to generate revenue. Am I being too harsh here? No, you're being quite accurate. Many consider Outpost to be the start of this downfall; the manual blatantly omits pieces of information that were necessary to play the game -- only to be included in the strategy guide. Personally, I consider it to be King's Quest V, which included a puzzle so out there that you *had* to buy the hint book to win the game (my memory is fuzzy, but IIRC you have to catch an elf with a feather and honey, but nowhere is it suggested you even need to capture him in the first place, nor how to do it!). -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/
Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs
Jim Leonard boldly stated: Chris Newman wrote: I think this paucity of physical components falls under the same category as companies releasing barebones documentation to virtually require that the player buys the strategy guide (aka real manual). Am I being too harsh here? No, you're being quite accurate. Many consider Outpost to be the start of this downfall; the manual blatantly omits pieces of information that were necessary to play the game -- only to be included in the strategy guide. Personally, I consider it to be King's Quest V, which included a puzzle so out there that you *had* to buy the hint book to win the game. I don't know. I think the Babel fish in Hitchhiker just about qualifies. 8) I managed to figure out everything except the final step before I got the hint book. -- Lee K. Seitz * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/ Wanted: Vintage Pac-M*n necktie (The asterisk is to keep from mucking up people's Usenet search results. Replace it with an a, if you didn't know.) -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/
RE: [SWCollect] New SKUs
That's one I figured out on my own. I didn't find HHGG as difficult as other Infocoms...but plenty of other games stumped me...the first stumper I remember was my first Adventure game...Scott Adams' Pirate Adventure on the TI-99/4a. I couldn't figure out how to get past the alligator without a hint book...wow lots of nostalgia for me today. Hugh -Original Message- From: Lee K. Seitz [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2001 5:53 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [SWCollect] New SKUs Jim Leonard boldly stated: Chris Newman wrote: I think this paucity of physical components falls under the same category as companies releasing barebones documentation to virtually require that the player buys the strategy guide (aka real manual). Am I being too harsh here? No, you're being quite accurate. Many consider Outpost to be the start of this downfall; the manual blatantly omits pieces of information that were necessary to play the game -- only to be included in the strategy guide. Personally, I consider it to be King's Quest V, which included a puzzle so out there that you *had* to buy the hint book to win the game. I don't know. I think the Babel fish in Hitchhiker just about qualifies. 8) I managed to figure out everything except the final step before I got the hint book. -- Lee K. Seitz * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/ Wanted: Vintage Pac-M*n necktie (The asterisk is to keep from mucking up people's Usenet search results. Replace it with an a, if you didn't know.) -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/swcollect@oldskool.org/
