
Numb: 112/120
Subj: Alien Mind
From: The Talisman [Rob]
Club: First Class
Date: 04/18/88 02:40:21 AM

 As several people have already said, Alien Mind is now complete.  The
documentation is fully written, although it has to be formatted and printed.
They still have to receive disk labels and get the mass production started.
        The packaging itself is already complete.  I have a box now with all
the cover art, etc...

        The entire process should take approximately 1 to 2 weeks before
actual shipments begin.  You can order copies from PBI, and if you are going
to buy one, that would be best for all people concerned (cheaper for you,
more royalties for Matt and I, and faster delivery).

        If any of you have heard of Bob Lindstrom (Editor in Chief of A+'s
Game reviews), he has already seen the product and loved it.  In fact, he
said it was the best thing he had seen by far, is going to do a free review
which he termed as "the best review ever", and even wanted to be a beta-tester.  His review will probably be seen in about 2 months (I hate bureaucracy, I want to see it now, but oh well.. )

        Will Low (the President of PBI) and Bob Lindstrom both agreed that AM
should cause a major change in the trend of software design on the GS.
Games like Gauntlet should not be able to be released anymore.  Also, I
already talked to Will about comparing Gauntlet to Alien Mind.  He basically
laughed and said that there is no comparison-  As far as he's concerned,
Gauntlet isn't even a product.
        If sales are high enough on this, every software company will be sure
to jump on the bandwagon.

        Approximately 5000 copies should be shipped within a month, according
to Will Low (this is actually very high).

        I got stereo sound in, and background music..  The disk routines,
though they can often be overlooked, are actually some of the best things
about Alien Mind.  The load times are approximately 10 times faster than the
prodos version that I was working with originally (no exaggeration).  Even
with this speed I made sure to have something come on that the user can be
doing (reading a message, seeing a hi-res screen, etc) while the load
continues.  You will not notice any loading time whatsoever between levels,
and it's loading the equivalent of about 1/6 of a normal disk each time.

        The plotline of the game turned out far better than Matt or I
expected originally.  At first we were hoping that the fast-action part of
the game would be it's major thrust.  Now we predict that the storyline will
be the prevalent factor in the game.  It can be quite involving...

        Glenn now has a demo disk, as does PBI (of course).  This is a demo
that must be run by someone though...  I don't know if we'll be getting a
store demo done in the next couple of weeks (I have 3 more weeks of school to
complete, and I have a lot to catch up on.. I've been out).

        By the way,  I have already seen Tomahawk and it's incredible.  I
can't see a better flight simulator program coming out for the GS in a LONG
time.  I will be talking with John real soon, and hopefully we can get my
version of our disk routines into his game...  In any case, Applefest should
be great.  If ANYONE is going, I can get you discount tickets, and if you
already have discount tickets, I have some that you should use instead (I'll
tell you the details if you ask).

        In any case, I'm still hoping that people will support Alien Mind by
not cracking it.  I think that in the end, it will help the GS market
substantially enough to earn its support.

        By the way, some of the sound we got in is really good.  I hope I
don't sound too much like I'm bragging, but it turned out better than I even
expected.

 Rob

If you want to mail order the game, here are the numbers to call.

         1-800-843-5722 ext. 103

   in CA 1-800-572-2746 ext. 103

