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Week of January 19, 1998 |
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| Friday, January 23, 1998 |
Cavedog's Booming Web Site
Using the Internet to Build Community
Cavedog Entertainment's web site is now the most popular computer game company site on the Internet, according to Hot100, (a group that monitors Internet traffic).
Cavedog's unique strategy of offering new, downloadable units for its game Total Annihilation on its web site every week has been a huge traffic boost. But there's more to the story than that -- Cavedog has successfully used the Internet to build up a loyal, base of hardcore fans and a real sense of community amongst Total Annihilation players.
Cavedog's site is third overall in Hot100's games category, which includes all gaming sites -- publishers, developers, fan sites, online magazines, and even the console giants -- trailing only Sony's main PlayStation site and the Imagine Games Network in the standings.
Although Cavedog, a semi-independent, internal development studio owned by GT Interactive), has only released one game, it's site is more popular than online publications like GameSpot or Gamecenter, official game promo sites like the Wing Commander Prophecy site, or the web sites of other much larger companies, such as Electronic Arts, Sierra On-Line or even Cavedog's parent company, GT Interactive, if you go by Hot100's numbers.
So what's the secret behind Cavedog's success?
"We've designed it to be a highly interactive and responsive site," says John Uppendahl, Cavedog's director of communications. Uppendahl notes that besides the new game units, Cavedog fans can submit their ideas for the game, post on the message boards, and email the developers about the game. "We enthusiastically embrace our fans," he says.
For competitive reasons, Uppendahl won't say how many staff he has working full-time on the site, other than to say it's a "lean and mean dedicated team."
What sets Cavedog's site apart from the others is what this team has produced in terms of content for their game, Total Annihilation, and how quickly and thoroughly they answer all emails about it, says Uppendahl.
"A lot of web sites have information and patches," says Uppendahl, "But Cavedog sincerely cares about the quality of the game and supporting our fans."
For that reason, the site is updated regularly, and contains an expansive list of FAQs and technical information about the game.
It's this kind of attention to detail, Uppendahl says, that builds fan a loyal and vocal fan base. (And Cavedog fans are nothing if not loyal, as anyone who has covered computer games on the Internet can attest.)
So while other companies are routinely flamed on the Internet, Cavedog's shows how game developers can use the Internet to interact directly and regularly with gamers, building up brand recognition and consumer loyalty. Of course, the high quality of the game -- Total Annihilation -- is also a major factor for the site's success, says Uppendahl.
While pleased with the site's current ranking, Uppendahl says its unlikely that Cavedog will go even more heavily onto the Internet and try to follow Westwood Blizzard by launching their own full-blown, Internet gaming service.
"There are a number of services doing a great job of that already," he says, and Cavedog is content to have Total Annihilation playable on TEN, Mplayer and the other existing services.
The company earned 35% of its revenues in North America and 61% in Europe (with the remainder in Asia and Latin America). And though its console business is growing faster, 60% of Activision's revenues came from the PC platform.
But would be pirates should take note of the strongly worded notice on the site, that warns of possible consequences of trying to join an Internet game with an illegal copy of Worms 2.
"Right lets get one thing straight," the message reads, "if you've got a cracked or pirate copy of Worms 2 (i.e. you've not bought it in a reputable shop) then you are incredibly silly. You are the sort of people we hate and we hate you even more when you try to use these versions to play Worms 2 across the Internet.
"Why? Simple. They don't work because Worms 2 installs a modified DirectPlay .dll file. Any game you try to log into will crash. Once you have tried to connect to the server we also know your IP address and will be notifying your ISP and your local police enforcement agency. Don't argue with us. We wrote the game, this is now in progress. Pack your bags and move... or face the consequences."
The game is an interesting combination of Quake, Tomb Raider and Mario 64. Played through a first-person perspective, you navigate through a Tomb Raider-like world of lost temples, but the emphasis is less on combat and more on Mario-style gameplay with jumping puzzles and collecting power-ups.
More information on the game can be found here. And remember, you'll be able to check it out for yourself next Friday.
Retail Strategy Games
Competition in this hot genre was fierce, both in online debates, in the published reviews, and at the retail counter, but when it comes down to dollars and cents, Microsoft's Age of Empires is the clear winner.
From its release in October through the end of December, the game has sold more than 178,000 copies, netting Microsoft over $8 million in gross revenues. In fact, Age of Empires sold more copies than Total Annihilation (83,900) and Dark Reign (78,600) combined; and it sold more than four times as many copies as Myth (40,600).
And Age of Empires was released in October, while both Dark Reign and Total Annihilation were released in September (Myth came out in November), so the sales periods were comparable.
So what accounts for Age of Empire's strength?
"Being a Microsoft-published product has its advantages," says Chris Di Cesare, Microsoft's product manager on Age of Empires, "but that's not why it's outselling Dark Reign and Total Annihilation."
Instead, Di Cesare points to the games historical as opposed to science fiction elements, its attractive graphics, and the talents of game designer Bruce Shelley and the development firm of Ensemble Studios.
(Sales figures are courtesy of PC Data, and represent approximately 70% of the domestic retail market).
BMG Interactive shut down its US publishing operations about the same time it released GTA in Europe. Only recently was an agreement signed with US-based ASC Games, giving ASC the go-ahead to publish the game here. ASC says the soonest it can get the game to market is in April, as they are rewriting the manual, ordering packaging, doing additional play-testing, and otherwise prepping the game.
But it seems that some retail chains in the US didn't want to wait until April, and so they purchased copies from European distributors, or acquired them from their European subsidiaries, and paid to have them shipped to the US, a spokesperson for ASC told us. Gamers have told us that they've found copies in Canadian Electronics Boutiques, among other places.
Naturally ASC is quite excited about the good buzz the game is getting amongst Internet gamers, and they're also pleased that retailers are so eager to get the game that they're paying extra to get their hands on some copies, but they're also worried that they're losing sales.
The game itself is a top-down action/driving game, involving gangs, carjackings and cop-killing. The game has caused some controversy with the mainstream press there too, because of its controversial subject matter. GTA was developed by DMA Design, of Lemmings fame.
The demo was released on the Internet and it has already built a cult following, with a lot of buzz on the news groups and some 33 fan sites.
(We've also updated our Grand Theft Auto demo download page with newer versions of the demo today.)
Interestingly, of the eight Quake finalists, five were from California. Garth Chouteau, a spokesperson for TEN and the PGL, commented on that geographical quirk.
"Anybody closer to one of our POPs could have a better connection, so it's possible that those guys had a slight advantage for connectivity," says Chouteau, but he also notes that California is the largest state in the country, and that is far more "wired" than other states.
But of the eight Red Alert finalists, three were from the East Coast and none were from California. Even more interestingly, three of the finalists were from Louisiana. Is there a thriving Command & Conquer culture out in the bayous?
Chouteau explains that the three contenders from Louisiana all come from the same family.
"Two of those guys are brothers, and the third guy is their cousin," he says. When asked how one family could be so good at Red Alert, he offered, "Maybe they come from a family that is a little more inclined to [Red Alert] genetically." Or more likely, he says, they played and practiced Red Alert together quite a bit before the PGL.
And as for concerns about cheating, Chouteau explained that PGL representatives carefully scrutinized all tournament participants, and were satisfied that there was no cheating, throwing of games, or imposters. In the case of the three family members who all qualified, conference calls verified that they were indeed, different people, and not one person with multiple accounts.
The final rounds of the PGL will be held on January 30th, at the Seattle GameWorks.
Well Unfinished Business remains unfinished, as Eidos is still determining what to do with them. A spokesperson for Eidos told PC Gamer that if the levels are ever released, they would most likely turn up in an expanded edition of the original game, Tomb Raider Gold or something along those lines.
Best Selling PC Games (1/4/98-1/10/98)
See You in Court
MicroProse has filed suit against Activision and The Avalon Hill Game Company, alleging false advertising, unfair competition, trademark infringement, and unfair business practices.
The suit was prompted by Activision's signing a licensing agreement with Avalon Hill for the rights to the name Civilization (Avalon Hill published the original Civilization, a board game), and Activision's intentions to use this agreement to publish computer games named Civilization.
MicroProse contends that Avalon Hill does not own the rights to the Civilization franchise, but that the company that developed the Civilization board game, Hartland Trefoil, does. MicroProse purchased Hartland Trefoil earlier this year, soon after the Avalon Hill/Activision agreement.
"By bringing this lawsuit, MicroProse is serving notice that it is determined to protect its Civilization brand and intellectual property," said Kip Welch, MicroProse's general counsel.
For its part, Activision has said that the original agreement between Avalon Hill and MicroProse was a one-title deal.
"Our understanding is that MicroProse was granted a limited license to make a game, which they licensed from Avalon Hill," Mitch Lasky, a senior vice president at Activision, told us in August. "That product was called Sid Meier's Civilization – Build an Empire to Stand the Test of Time [the full title of the first Sid Meier Civ game]. It's our current understanding that those were the only rights granted to MicroProse, and that they don't have any additional rights."
MicroProse is readying an Ultimate Civilization II for release later this year, which will include multi-player components.
A news story in the current issue of PC Gamer (February '98) covers this subject, including comments by Sid Meier, the creator of the original Civilization computer game.
Older news stories are available online as well:
More Civ Stuff From MicroProse; but trademark problems continue (Sept. 17th, 1997).
Though its official name and release date have yet to be announced, it is known that the pack will feature the same base technology (the Quake engine) used in Hexen II. There are no plans to use the Quake II engine, as the license for Hexen II only extended to the original Quake engine.
As these screen shots demonstrate, it appears a whole new quasi-historical region is being created for the pack, one that is Asian in setting. (Hexen II took place in four historical "hubs" -- Meso-American, Roman, Egyptian and Medieval Europe). New monsters are also planned, though details on these creatures and the new story line are scant at this point.
The project is being developed internally at Raven Software, and Activision will publish it.
The company's first online title, Fighter Ace, recently went live and commercial on Microsoft's Internet Gaming Zone.
Other games currently in development are Ultra Corps, a space strategy game played through a web browser interface; Crossroads, a multi-player social game that mixes a text interface, graphics and a spooky, X-Files-style world; and Nomads of Klanth, an off-beat action/strategy game.
Which online gaming network will carry VR-1's next titles has not yet been announced, though Mike Moniz, president of VR-1, tells PC Gamer that several announcements are forthcoming in the next couple of weeks.
"We expect something to happen in the next week for a big European partner," he says, for a game called Air Attack, a modified version of Fighter Ace, while a US partner for Ultra Corps and the other titles will also be announced shortly.
VR-1 is a privately held company that got its start developing games for interactive television ventures that never quite panned out. It then switched to the PC/Internet platform in 1995, with the acquisition of Canadian developer GemSoft, whose Internet technology is featured in VR-1s games.
VR-1's principal shareholder is The Becker Group, a venture capital firm.
Well, we're not going to do that. Instead, we just went around to the rest of the PC Gamer editors and asked them who they thought was going to win the Super Bowl.
"The NFC," said tech editor Joel Durham. "Who's in it for the NFC this year, anyway?" he asked. Green Bay, we told him. "Okay, Green Bay," said Durham.
Gary Whitta's answer was more enigmatic. "I'd say it's between one of two teams," he noted.
But apart from those dubious responses, the unanimous consensus amongst our more football-savvy staffers is that the Green Bay Packers are going to win again.
Internet Gaming Growth Projected
The report was compiled by market research firm Frost & Sullivan, and was compiled by John McCormick, Frost & Sullivan's information technology industry analyst.
Factors contributing to the greater acceptance of online games among consumers include increases in network speeds, which in turn led to more stable action game play, the report indicates. The study also names America Online as the market leader in online games.
"Based on revenues generated, America Online is the clear leader," says McCormick, though he says that position is due to AOL's large membership base (some 8 million members) and not due to its online gaming strategy.
McCormick says that although AOL was one of the first companies to offer networked games, its recent change of policies towards content partners makes "it impractical for many online gaming companies to continue distributing their games through AOL's network."
McCormick concludes that the online gaming market is still in its introductory stages, and, while Internet games probably won't replace solo games altogether, the rapid growth rate of this segment in the industry indicates that online gaming will become a critical part of the electronic games industry as a whole.
The entire, 293-page report is available for $2950, from Frost & Sullivan.
Legacy of Time is Presto's third installment in this adventure game series. In it, you take on the roll of Agent 5, a time traveler with a special government agency (the Temporal Security Agency) whose job it is to prevent evildoers from disrupting the time/space continuum.
The year is 2320. You've just received a cryptic message from Agent 3, a former TSA employee who's turned rogue, warning about a dire alien invasion fleet.
You decide to pursue Agent 3, both to apprehend her and to discover more about the alien fleet. You pursue her through three time periods -- Atlantis, El Dorado, and Shangri-La -- where you uncover more clues about a mysterious, long-lost, all-powerful alien technology -- the Legacy of Time referred to in the game's title.
"By expanding the best elements of the first two Journeyman titles and adding new features, Legacy of Time truly 'ups the ante' in the adventure game category," says Michel Kripalani, president and CEO, Presto Studios.
Journeyman Project 3 is due in February. We also have a preview online.
Ultima Cracks Down on Dupers
The new enforcement policy was announced on January 14th, and gamers have until the 21st to get rid of illegal items, or they will be banned from Britannia under the Ultima Online Terms of Agreement (which all players must accept before signing on to the service).
The authorities in Britannia have compiled a list of 273 "confirmed dupers", or those players whom they believes are illegally duplicating game items by exploiting game bug.
Origin urges that all those who trade in illegally duplicated game objects turn themselves in immediately. To do so, you must page a GM within the game by hitting the "Help" button, choosing "Play Stopping", and choose "Exploitation", with the phrase "I turn myself in, I have duped items", as the subject of your page.
A GM will then show up and process your case accordingly. Origin also asks that players not pose as Dupers who are turning themselves in as a shortcut to paging a GM.
Much like drug laws in the real world, you are considered in possession of illegally duplicated items if they exist anywhere on your person or on your property. This includes your house, castle, bank safety deposit box, backpack, boat, or anywhere else.
Origin explained that the sweep was targeting only big-time "dupers", and that players who may have inadvertently acquired a duplicated item or two from another character are in no danger of account termination.
"If you have not duplicated items, then you do not have any reason to worry," Origin announced. "If you have not accepted obviously duplicated items, then again you need not worry. (For example, if someone gives you a million gold pieces or thousands of reagents, then there is a reason to be concerned. If someone gave you a helmet, then rest easy.)
"We are only concerned with the players, who have adversely affected game balance with the amount of duplicated items they possess," Origin said.
In Rainbow Six, you lead an international team of special operations personnel against international terrorists.
The game is structured along missions; each mission involves organizing, planning, and executing precision assaults on terrorist installations. The mission planning phase of each operation includes planning your mission with a three-dimensional model of the target installation, while the assault portion of the game will be played out in what is described as a "multi-perspective, three-dimensional" view.
During the course of the game, you will gradually uncover a far-reaching conspiracy that threatens the free world. Screen shots of the game are unavailable at this time.
Both solo and Internet play (co-op and competitive) will be included. The game as well as the novel will be released simultaneously this August.
In the game, actor Woods plays Gar Hob the Dark Lord, while Davidovich portrays Angel Gemini, a Las Vegas show girl (with a heart of gold) who opposes the Dark Lord.
Woods frequently plays the part of bad guys in films, as his roles in Ghosts of Mississippi, Disney's Hercules, and Citizen Cohn attest. Davidovich has appeared in Intersection, Cobb, and Blaze.
Of Light and Darkness is an adventure game depicting a mythological conflict at the onset of the new Millenium. It will be published by Interplay this spring.
Activision Reports Financials
Game publisher Activision reported $9 million in profit on $122 million in sales during the all-important holiday quarter, compared to $5.3 million in profit on $60.4 million for the same quarter last year.
Worms 2 Fights the Pirates
The classic turn-based combat game Worms has returned in Worms 2, an updated sequel created by Team 17 and published by MicroProse. And one of the game's most popular components is its Internet play, and the official Worms 2 web site keeps a list of active Worms 2 servers.
Montezuma Returns
The classic 1980s video game Montezuma's Revenge returns to the computer next Friday, in the form of a world exclusive game demo you can download right here on PC Gamer Online.
In Brief
Thursday, January 22, 1998
Age of Empires Winning Sales Battle
Four big real-time strategy games were released last fall: Dark Reign, Total Annihilation, Age of Empires and Myth.
Wanna Buy a Hot Car?
US Stores Importing Grand Theft Auto
BMG's Grand Theft Auto is a hit in Europe, but its US publisher (ASC Games) won't be releasing it in the States until April. But some stores in North America are already carrying the game. What exactly is going on?
West Coast Rules Quake
PGL Finalists Display Geographic Disparity
The Professional Gamers' League has announced the sixteen finalists in its Red Alert and Quake tournaments. Earning a playoff berths was Dennis "Thresh" Fong, along with fifteen other people only identified by their odd monikers such as "Reptile", "Sephiroth", and "Str8ballin".
Tomb Raider's Unfinished Business
Last year, Eidos Interactive told us about Unfinished Business, a series of add-on missions for its award-winning game Tomb Raider. Some brand new levels were made, and at one point, these missions were going to be released for free on the Internet through the Imagine Games Network, but Eidos pulled out. But we still get questions about them.
Top Games January 4th-10th
The sales figures for the first full week of January are in, with Quake II topping the charts again and Riven still holding strong. Meanwhile Tomb Raider II also surged ahead, bypassing the perennial chart-toppers Myst and Flight Simulator.
Source: PC Data
Rank
Title
Publisher
1
Quake II
Activision
2
Riven
Brøderbund
3
Tomb Raider II
Eidos
4
Myst
Brøderbund
5
Flight Simulator
Microsoft
6
Sierra Pro Pilot
Sierra
7
Frogger
Hasbro
8
Age of Empires
Microsoft
9
Red Baron II
Sierra
10
Links LS '98
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EA Reports Financials
Publishing supergiant Electronic Arts reported net income of $58.6 million on $391 million of revenues for the quarter ending December 31st. These numbers represented a 35% increase in revenues and 51% increase in net income over the same quarter in the prior year, EA announced. The company's said its after-tax net gain was $7.4 million, or $0.12 cents per share.
In Brief
Wednesday, January 21, 1998
MicroProse Sues Activision over Civilization Name
What's in a name? Quite a lot, if it happens to be the name of one of the most recognized brands in computer games.
Activision Wants Civilization (August 6th, 1997).
Civilization Dispute Brewing (August 1st, 1997).
Hexen II Mission Pack Planned
The mission pack for Quake II won't be all by its lonesome on the game shelves -- one is also planned for Hexen II.
VR-1 Raises $13 Million
Online game developer VR-1 has raised $13.6 million in private placement funding, the company announced today. The money will be used to pay off debts, cover expenses, and continue developing massively multi-player, online-only computer games.
PC Gamer Picks the Pack
This time each year, everybody simulates the Super Bowl with one football game program or another, with an eye to predicting a winner.
In Brief
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Tuesday, January 20, 1998
A new report estimates that revenues for the online game industry topped $93 million in 1997, and predicts that this total will increase 80% increase through 1998, rising to $169 million by year's end.
Journeyman Project Plot Revealed
Presto Studios has released some plot details for its upcoming game, The Journeyman Project 3: The Legacy of Time.
In Brief
Monday, January 19, 1998
In a sweeping new crack down on cheating in Ultima Online, Origin has announced a one-week amnesty for players to turn in their illegally duplicated items, after which anyone caught with duplicated items will be permanently banned from the Origin servers.
Clancy Game, Novel Set for Joint Release
Red Storm Entertainment said today that it is working on a new computer game called Rainbow Six, based on a novel that Clancy is currently completing.
Motion Capture Complete in Interplay Game
James Woods and Lolita Davidovich have finished their voice acting and motion capture duties for Interplay's Of Light and Darkness adventure game, the company said today.
In Brief
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