Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!Sullivan
From: Sullivan@cup.portal.com (kevin lee smathers)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Dungeon Master WARNING
Message-ID: <12446@cup.portal.com>
Date: 11 Dec 88 02:35:36 GMT
References: <9389@gryphon.COM>
Distribution: na
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 46

>Sullivan@cup.portal.com (kevin lee smathers) writes:
>>
>>FTL:  Why don't you offer unprotected versions of the software to registered
>>users?  Say $10 for a new disk that can be put on a hard-drive, and doesn't
>>have the stringent memory control that is no doubt required to (almost) run
>>in 512k.  The thing is, I have 3 Megs on my machine, and if I can't play 
>>some game while I'm dialing a busy bulletin board, then it really isn't 
>>very useful to me.  And I promise, dialing a bulletin board isn't a very
>>CPU intensive task.  Your program won't speed won't be degraded by much.
> 
>Dungeon Master isn't the KIND of game you'd want to play while dialing a busy
>bulletin board.  This isn't Shanghai or Battlechess or some other kind of
>diversion that requires only occasional attention.  Dungeon Master runs
>in _real time_. If you JUST SIT THERE stuff happens.  The only way not
>to let stuff happen is to pause the game or quit the game.  This game 
>demands your attention during play - not only isn't it tiles or chess or
>cards, it's also not mindless shoot'em up.  I don't like copy protection
>any more than anyone else does.  But putting up with it for this game
>is worth it to me.  It doesn't concern me that I can't dial a busy BBS
>while I'm riding Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland either. 

as you point out, the game can be paused.  It can also be saved in progress.
It loads quickly enough on floppies to indicate that on a hard-disk it
would be tolerable to save and quit every time your program connected.
Speaking for myself, I thrive on complexity. I find it extremely easy
to context swap between a particularly troublesome puzzle and a BBS.  The
limiting factors are: Games that won't load while something else is running,
and the two interlaced, one normal screen bug.  (I always seem to forget that
page flipping is bad for your copper lists... Oh well, one of these days my
brain will learn to cope)  

actually it is usually easier to solve a mystery if you take some time off
to think about other things.  


                           -Sullivan Segall
_____________________________________________________________

/V\  Sully set the example: to fly without moving.  We shall
 '   learn to soar on wings of thought. And the student will
     surpass the teacher.
To Quote the immortal Socrates: "I drank what?" -Sullivan
_____________________________________________________________

Mail to: ...sun!portal!cup.portal.com!Sullivan or
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