Article View: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.misc
Article #70771Apogee FAQ v6.3, part 1/3
From: s... The Rink
Date: Sun, 21 Jun 1998 00:00
Date: Sun, 21 Jun 1998 00:00
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The HTML version of the FAQ can be found at: http://www.rinkworks.com/apogee/
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T h e ___ " O f f i c i a l "
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\/==|| || \\ || || || || || \\ || \\ F A Q
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|/ / \ Version 6.3
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Also Featuring
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Current as of May 15, 1998
(changes and additions since v6.2 are denoted by leading '}' marks)
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Contents:
[1] Introduction
} [1.1] A Word From Me
} [1.2] About This FAQ
} [1.2.1] Obtaining the latest version of the FAQ
} [1.2.2] Revision history
[1.3] Obtaining Other Apogee-Related FAQs
[1.4] What Is Apogee?
[1.5] What Does "Apogee" Mean?
} [1.6] How Apogee Markets Its Games
[1.7] Getting the Latest Information
} [1.7.1] Electronic news
} [1.7.2] Apogee's Internet mailing list
} [1.7.3] World Wide Web
} [1.8] Apogee's Staff
[2] Historical Information
[2.1] Other Companies
[2.1.1] What's Apogee's relationship with id?
[2.1.2] What's Apogee's relationship with Softdisk?
} [2.1.3] What's Apogee's relationship with Parallax?
} [2.2] The Apogee Theme Song
} [2.3] The Dopefish
[2.4] History of Specific Games
[2.4.1] The Kroz Series
} [2.4.2] Commander Keen
[2.4.3] Crystal Caves and Secret Agent
[2.4.4] Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II
} [2.4.5] Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of Destiny
[2.4.5.1] "Call Apogee and say Aardwolf"
[2.4.5.2] What's B. J. Blazkowicz's relationship with Commander Keen?
[2.4.6] Halloween Harry and Alien Carnage
[2.4.7] Mystic Towers
[2.4.8] Wacky Wheels
[2.4.9] Boppin
} [2.4.10] Rise of the Triad
[2.4.10.1] ROTT characters
[2.4.10.2] ROTT levels
[2.4.11] Terminal Velocity
[2.4.12] Paganitzu and Realms of Chaos
[3] Lists
[3.1] Games
} [3.1.1] What games are currently available from Apogee?
[3.1.2] The games are too big to download! Are there "split" versions?
} [3.1.3] What upgrade patches are currently available?
} [3.1.4] Hardware requirements and support
} [3.1.5] Companies involved with each game
[3.2] Past Projects
} [3.2.1] What Apogee games are no longer supported?
[3.2.2] Working titles of Apogee games
[3.2.2.1] Alternate titles for Wolfenstein 3D
} [3.2.3] Cancelled projects
[3.2.4] Early games by the staff
[3.3] Previews
} [3.3.1] What slide shows are currently available from Apogee?
[3.3.2] What games are forthcoming?
[4] The Almanac
} [4.1] Release Dates
} [4.1.1] Games
[4.1.2] Slide shows
[4.1.3] Miscellaneous
[4.2] Cast of Characters
[4.2.1] Heroes
[4.2.2] Villains
[4.2.3] Cameos
[4.3] Behind the Scenes
[4.3.1] Programmers
} [4.3.2] Artists
} [4.3.3] Musicians
[4.3.4] Sound engine programmers
} [4.3.5] Level designers
[4.3.6] Vocal artists
[4.3.7] Creative directors
[4.3.8] Advertising layouts
[5] Obtaining the Games
[5.1] The Shareware Episodes
} [5.1.1] The Internet
[5.1.2] Fidonet
} [5.2] The Registered Episodes
} [5.2.1] Ordering information
} [5.2.2] What combination deals does Apogee offer?
[5.3] Other Products
[6] Playing the Games
[6.1] Network Services
[6.1.1] TEN
[6.1.2] Dwango
[6.2] Cheating
} [6.2.1] Complete cheat list
[6.2.2] Hex editing
} [6.2.2.1] Raptor: Call of the Shadows
} [6.2.2.2] Wacky Wheels
[6.3] Hints
[6.3.1] Paganitzu
[6.3.2] Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy and Aliens Ate My Babysitter
[6.3.3] Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition
[6.3.4] Stargunner
[6.4] Secrets and Other Fun Things
[6.4.1] Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy!
[6.4.2] Raptor: Call of the Shadows
[6.4.3] Wacky Wheels
[6.4.4] Rise of the Triad
[6.4.5] Terminal Velocity
[6.4.6] XenoPhage: Alien Bloodsport
} [6.4.7] Balls of Steel
[6.5] Troubleshooting
[6.5.1] Things to try first
} [6.5.2] Setting the BLASTER environment variable
[6.5.3] Slowing down your computer to play old games
[7] Contacting Apogee
[7.1] By Phone
[7.2] By Fax
[7.3] By Snail Mail
} [7.4] Through Networks
}[8] Credits
[9] Dopefish and Friends
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Legal Quagmire: This FAQ is Copyright (c) 1994-8 by Samuel Stoddard. No part
of this FAQ may be distributed unless it remains intact, with all credits,
attributions, and other miscellaneous praises to myself preserved. You may
keep as many copies of this FAQ as you like, on whatever and however many
different mediums that you like, and you can even read more than one copy
at one time. There's a whole lot of trademarks in here that are acknowledged
implicitly because there's too darn many to acknowledge every last one
explicitly. All company names are trademarks of said company. All software
titles are trademarks of the companies that own them. Comm-Bat network play
is a trademark of Apogee. If there's anything else, I hereby explicitly
acknowledge it implicitly. The header for the ASCII version of this FAQ was
done with the aid of the "Figlet" software package (also a trademark). I take
no responsibility whatsoever for anything that happens as a result of this
FAQ's existence. Except for the good things. Finally, I am not liable for
lost or stolen valuables, and no dogs are permitted on the premises.
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[1] Introduction
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[1.1] A Word From Me
Who am I? I'm Samuel Stoddard, just another Apogee fan, the primary difference
between you and me being that I'm the one flaunting my vast sea of Apogee
knowledge. I don't guarantee that all of the information in this FAQ is true,
but I try to make this as informative and truthful a document as I humanly
can without playing hookey from work or school. If you have some tidbits
of information, or, heck, a whole flood of information tidbits, let me know
and I'll put it in the FAQ along with your name in the credits. You can
}reach me through the Internet at s...@rinkworks.com.
[1.2] About This FAQ
This FAQ is the official FAQ of Apogee and its spin-off brands such as
3D Realms and Pinball Wizards. It is copyrighted (see above) by Samuel
Stoddard. While it is authorized and "officialized" by Apogee, it is not
the property nor the work of Apogee. However, Apogee has contributed greatly
and generously to its creation and growth; for that, I offer my sincere thanks.
There is now an HTML version of the FAQ, produced by me through my web site
production organization, RinkWorks, whose home page is available at
}http://www.rinkworks.com/. It contains exactly the same information
as the text based version but looks prettier and is easier to navigate. It is
}available at http://www.rinkworks.com/apogee/.
[1.2.1] Obtaining the latest version of the FAQ
- Through the Web - Both the text and web based versions of the FAQ can be
found in the following places:
} - http://www.rinkworks.com/apogee/
- http://www.apogee1.com/faq/
- Through Usenet - I try to post the FAQ in alt.games.apogee,
comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.misc, and
comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action on occasion.
New versions will be posted to all three newsgroups
immediately upon release.
}- Through Email - Write me at s...@rinkworks.com.
[1.2.2] Revision history
The revision history of this FAQ is as follows:
} Version 6.3w - 05/15/98 - HTML equivalent of version 6.3.
} Version 6.3 - 05/15/98 - Minor updates.
Version 6.2w - 12/08/97 - Resurrection of the HTML version of the FAQ.
Version 6.2 - 12/08/97 - Lots of minor updates.
Version 6.1 - 04/16/97 - Added the "companies" section and some historical
information. Other minor updates.
Version 6.0 - 02/22/97 - Revival of the FAQ. Huge changes everywhere.
The 3D Realms FAQ has been incorporated in to this
FAQ, and information about Pinball Wizards was
also added.
Version 5.2 - 11/21/95 - Reorganization of some sections. Lots of minor
updates.
Version 5.1 - 10/08/95 - Major additions: working titles, cancelled
projects, expanded credits. Other revisions.
Version 5.0 - 09/01/95 - Major additions, updates, and corrections.
Addition of hints section.
Version 4.2 - 06/25/95 - Minor updates and corrections.
Version 4.1 - 06/17/95 - Softdisk history added. Other minor updates.
Version 4.0w - 04/17/95 - HTML equivalent of version 4.0.
Version 4.0 - 04/17/95 - Addition of secrets, theme song, Dopefish, and
ROTT history sections. Institution of voting
system. Reorganization of some sections. Other
updates, major and minor.
Version 3.0 - 03/24/95 - Major changes, additions, revisions, and
reorganization. Addition of the hardware
requirements and some of the history sections.
Version 2.4w - 02/95 - First HTML version, roughly equivalent to v2.4.
Version 2.4 - 01/29/95 - Hex editing section added. Almanac release date
updates and additions. Cheats additions. Other
minor updates.
Version 2.3 - 12/21/94 - Revision of the "blaster environment variable"
section. Updated "behind the scenes." Other
updates.
Version 2.2 - 11/16/94 - Behind the scenes sections added. Other minor
updates.
Version 2.1 - 11/05/94 - Minor updates.
Version 2.0 - 10/26/94 - The almanac added. Game release dates added.
Tech support addresses added. Other major
changes, additions, and revisions.
Version 1.1 - 09/27/94 - Minor updates and additions to several sections.
Version 1.0 - 09/16/94 - Cheats section completed. Many major additions.
Version 0.4 - 09/94 - Formatting and typo fixes. Minor additions. Not
publicly released.
Version 0.3 - 09/94 - First public release. The first batch of Joe
Siegler's additional information incorporated.
Version 0.2 - 08/94 - Minor changes made before Joe Siegler's response.
Version 0.1 - 08/94 - Sent to Joe Siegler for suggestions and
corrections.
[1.3] Obtaining Other Apogee-Related FAQs
Several other FAQs relating to Apogee are available. You can obtain these
via Apogee's home page on the World Wide Web by connecting to
http://www.apogee1.com/faq/. This page contains a list of all the official
Apogee-related FAQs available, links to download them, and email addresses for
contacting the author of each FAQ.
[1.4] What Is Apogee?
Apogee is a games distributor for PC games of many sorts. It is a diverse
gaming company, contributing to several different genres of games. While
much of what Apogee publishes are games written primarily by other companies,
such as Cygnus or Argo Games, Apogee writes their own games as well. Apogee's
staff includes an array of talented programmers, artists, and musicians. For
many years now, Apogee has been among the leading shareware games companies
for the PC and compatible market.
In June of 1994, Apogee announced a new spin-off company called 3D Realms,
which would only produce 3D action games. At that time, the 3D games Apogee
had in development -- "Duke Nukem 3D," "Shadow Warrior," "Blood," and "Ruins:
Return of the Gods" -- became 3D Realms games instead of Apogee games.
(Since then, the rights to "Blood" were sold to Monolith Productions, and
"Ruins: Return of the Gods" was sold to Playmates Interactive Entertainment,
who changed the title to "PowerSlave.")
Later, on February 4, 1997, a third company was announced: Pinball Wizards.
As its predecessor, 3D Realms, specializes in state of the art 3D action
games, Pinball Wizards will specialize in state of the art pinball games.
The pinball game Apogee previously had under production, "Balls of Steel,"
moved to the Pinball Wizards division.
It is Apogee's intention for most if not all of its future games to be
funneled through specialized divisions such as 3D Realms and Pinball Wizards.
The goals of each brand is to produce the best games in their respective
genres.
This FAQ covers not only Apogee and its games but also all of Apogee's
specialized divisions and their games.
[1.5] What Does "Apogee" Mean?
According to the American Heritage dictionary, "apogee" means: "the point
in the orbit of the moon or of an artificial satellite most distant from
the earth." Or, more generally, "the farthest or highest point; apex."
Related words are the Greek "apogaion," the neuter form of "apogaios"
which means "away from the earth." There is also the New Latin word
"apogaeum," which is derived from the Greek word. There is a French word
"Apogee" (with an accent over the first 'e'). In English, there is the
related word "apogean" and the antonym "perigee."
Interestingly, the meaning of the word "apogee" was one of the questions in
the shareware version of an early Apogee quiz game (discontinued since)
entitled "Word Whiz."
All this is academic, however, for according to an Apogee slogan, "Apogee
means action." :-)
[1.6] How Apogee Markets Its Games
In 1987, Apogee came up with a unique method of marketing their games. Since
then, other shareware companies have adopted their strategy. Their scheme is
this: each game they produce is divided into three to four, sometimes even
six episodes. The first episode is free. It can be downloaded from
the Internet or other online services or bought in a store that distributes
shareware games for disk copying charges. You can distribute the shareware
episode to your friends yourself, if you like, provided you leave all the
original files intact.
Starting in June 1994, Apogee began the creation of specialized brands for its
games. The company 3D Realms was created for Apogee's 3D action games. In
February 1997, the Pinball Wizards division was born for its pinball games.
}In the future, no more games will be released under the Apogee name; instead,
}they'll be released under one of its specialized brands -- or, if necessary,
}a new brand will be created.
If you like the shareware episode of an Apogee game, Apogee requires that you
register it. This is the normal rule regarding shareware. Upon registration,
you will receive the complete game. Apogee uses this marketing scheme so that
people can have a good idea about the game they are buying before they put
their cash on the line.
Starting with Death Rally, the registered versions of most Apogee games are
}published simultaneously in retail by GT Interactive (or, in the case of
}Stargunner, one of its divisions, such as WizardWorks). So, if you'd rather
not order Apogee games by mail, you can pick them up at your local software
}store. Starting with Max Payne, Gathering of Developers also handles the
}publication of some of Apogee's games.
[1.7] Getting the Latest Information
There are a few ways to get the latest information about Apogee, even if you
want it more quickly than keeping up with the latest revisions of this FAQ
would do. These methods are mentioned briefly in the following sections.
[1.7.1] Electronic news
On Usenet, the newsgroups alt.games.apogee, comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
and comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.misc all carry discussion about Apogee's latest.
}Apogee monitors these, plus other gaming and shareware forums. In addition,
}Apogee has their own forums on their web site. The direct URL to these
}forums is http://www.apogee1.com/forums/.
[1.7.2] Apogee's Internet mailing list
Apogee has an Internet mailing list for press releases, announcements for
newly released games, slide shows, or important patches, and other
miscellaneous information. The traffic is sporadic and very minimal. The
mailing list includes information about any of Apogee's specialized divisions,
such as 3D Realms, and is free of charge.
}To sign up for the mailing list, there are a couple different options. The
}easiest is to visit http://www.apogee1.com/tech/mailinglist.html and fill out
}the form. Alternately, you can send mail to lis...@3drealms.com and put the
}word "subscribe" (and only that word) in the body of the message (not the
}subject line). You will then be sent a confirmation letter, with further
}instructions.
}
}To unsubscribe from the mailing list, send email to lis...@3drealms.com
}and put the word "unsubscribe" (and only that word) in the body of the message
}(not the subject line).
[1.7.3] World Wide Web
You can reach Apogee and all its divisions via the World Wide Web. The sites
contain links to all of Apogee's shareware games; screen shots, synopses, and
ordering information for each; press releases; progress reports on games in
development; live chat areas; and more.
Company URL
------- ---
Apogee http://www.apogee1.com/
3D Realms http://www.3drealms.com/
Pinball Wizards http://www.pinballwizards.com/
(Note: The Apogee and 3D Realms addresses actually link to the same page,
} which features information about both. In addition, some information
} about Pinball Wizards' games can be found there.)
[1.8] Apogee's Staff
}This section lists the administrative and tech support personnel at Apogee.
}Developers are listed in the Almanac section of the FAQ.
Scott Miller - President, Co-owner
George Broussard - Executive VP, Co-owner
Steven Blackburn - VP Operations
Joe Siegler - Webmaster, On-Line Support Manager
Kevin Green - Customer Support Supervisor & Technical Support
Dennis DeSmeth - Technical Support
Bryan Turner - Technical Support
Colleen Compton - Customer Service
You can obtain more detailed, often more up to date staff lists and
mini-biographies at http://www.apogee1.com/bio/.
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[2] Historical Information
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[2.1] Other Companies
[2.1.1] What is Apogee's relationship with id?
Joe Siegler's explanation of the relationship between Apogee and id follows:
Apogee and id Software are two completely different companies. They
always have been, always will be. Apogee doesn't own id; id doesn't own
Apogee; nor is one a division of the other.
Apogee Software writes and distributes software. Of the many games that
Apogee has published, only a handful have not been written by Apogee as
well. id Software wrote three of these games, namely, Keen: Vorticons,
Keen: Galaxy, and Wolfenstein 3D.
id Software writes software, and up until Doom, had never published anything
themselves. id has published through a few companies, Apogee being one of
them. As mentioned before, Keen Vorticons, Keen Galaxy, and Wolfenstein 3D
were distributed by Apogee. (At later dates, id went on and also published
Keen Galaxy and Wolf3D in the stores through GT Software, but that's another
story.) Some earlier id efforts such as Catacomb 3D are distributed
through Softdisk. (Technically, these early games, such as Catacomb 3D,
Dangerous Dave, and Rescue Rover, are Softdisk games, not id Software games,
though they were made by the same people who would ultimately found
id Software. The first game released as an "id Software" game was
Keen: Vorticons.)
Starting with Doom, id has been publishing on their own. Apogee has absolutely
nothing to do with Doom, nor future titles by id Software. Furthermore,
starting with the release of Heretic, id Software will also be publishing games
on their own label. They licensed their Doom engine to two companies, Raven
Software and Cygnus Studios (whose credits include Raptor). (The game
produced by Cygnus Studios was cancelled and picked up by a company called
Rogue.) The two games produced under this agreement (Heretic and Strife
respectively), were published under the "id" label exactly the same way that
id Software themselves published Wolfenstein 3D under the "Apogee" label.
There has been no "big divorce," or "feud" or something along those lines
between id and Apogee. The id crew and the Apogee crew are all good friends,
and in fact get together every once in a while to shoot pool at the id
offices. Other mutual activities include paintball (which also involves
Cygnus). There was never a fallout between Apogee and id. Anyone implying
this is attempting to drive a wedge where it doesn't belong or exist.
[2.1.2] What's Apogee's relationship with Softdisk?
Daniel Tobias' (senior programmer/editor for Softdisk) explanation of the
relationship between Apogee, id, and Softdisk follows:
Apogee and Softdisk are two companies whose paths have crossed time and
again since Scott Miller submitted Kingdom of Kroz to them on November 26,
1987. It won second place in Softdisk's CodeQuest '87 and published on
issue #20 of Softdisk's subscription software product "Big Blue Disk"
(which later became "On Disk Monthly" and, finally, "Softdisk PC"). Scott
Miller continued to submit his games, listed below:
Title Submitted Issue/Date
----- --------- ----------
Kingdom of Kroz 11/26/87 BBD #20, 06/88
Computer Quiz 01/20/88 BBD #21, 07/88
Astronomy Quiz 01/20/88 BBD #26, 11/88
Maze Runner 01/20/88 BBD #26, 12/88
BASIC Quiz 01/20/88 BBD #28, 02/89
Dungeons of Kroz 01/20/88 BBD #29, 03/89
Meteors 03/12/88 BBD #30, 04/89
Block Five 01/20/88 BBD #32, 06/89
Caverns of Kroz 04/22/89 BBD #35, 09/89
Castle of Kroz 08/31/89 BBD #47, 09/90
These are available as back issues of the Big Blue Disk; only the Kroz games
are currently available from Apogee.
Apogee's Vice President George Broussard wrote a game for Softdisk under
contract called "Scubadventure," which was published as part of a defunct
monthly game disk subscription from Softdisk and also sold as a stand alone
item. Scubadventure came about when Scott Miller, intrigued by id Software's
Catacomb 3D, wanted to contract id to make a 3D shareware game for him. id
was reluctant, instead intending to make another Commander Keen game, but
Scott Miller gave them several proposals all of which guaranteed a large sum
of money. However, id was obligated to make another game for Softdisk, so
Apogee made an arrangement whereby Apogee would make a game for Softdisk,
thus freeing id to write a 3D game for Apogee. id's game for Apogee was, of
course, Wolfenstein 3D, and Apogee's game for Softdisk was Scubadventure.
Apogee's Keith Schuler also made a submission to Softdisk, namely,
"Chagunitzu," the forerunner of Apogee's "Paganitzu." This was published
by Softdisk on Big Blue Disk #44 (dated 6/90).
The id team also has its ties with Softdisk. Originally, the people who
ultimately founded id Software worked for Softdisk and wrote numerous
games for them.
Games done as full-time employees of Softdisk:
Catacomb [2D game published first as an Apple II version on
Softdisk #114, then ported to the PC for BBD #50]
Dangerous Dave [published on a game "sampler disk"]
Catacomb II [later changed to "The Catacomb"]
Slordax
Games done on a contract basis after the id group left:
Rescue Rover
Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion
Hovertank 3D
Keen Dreams
Rescue Rover 2
Catacomb 3D
Tiles of the Dragon
Solo works of John Romero:
Twilight Treasures [on BBD #35]
Zappa Roids [on BBD #36] (also an Apple //e version)
Pyramids of Egypt [on BBD #46]
Sub Stalker (Apple //e version)
Double Dangerous Dave (Apple //e version)
Solo works of John Carmack:
Dark Designs I [on BBD #52]
Dark Designs II [on BBD #54]
Tennis
Keen Dreams was released in a shareware version by Softdisk (latest shareware
release is v1.20), as well as various registered, catalog, and retail
editions. (Apogee does not distribute Keen Dreams -- those who would like it
should contact Softdisk.)
The 3D game, "Catacomb Abyss," was not written by the id crew, but rather a
team of Softdisk programmers, headed by Greg Malone, after they had left.
The engine for "Catacomb Abyss," however, was the Catacomb 3D engine
previously written by id. "Catacomb Abyss" is part of a trilogy along with
"Catacomb Apocalypse" and "Catacomb Armageddon." Greg Malone later became
the creative director for Duke Nukem 3D and, for the first half of its
production, Shadow Warrior, two of 3D Realms' games.
Of the various people mentioned elsewhere in this FAQ, the following are
former full-time Softdisk employees: Jason Blochowiak, Adrian Carmack,
John Carmack, Tom Hall, Jerry K. Jones, Greg Malone, Michael Maynard, John
Romero, and James T. Row.
[2.1.3] What's Apogee's relationship with Parallax?
Originally, the game Descent, written by Parallax and distributed by Interplay,
was to be an Apogee game. And indeed, Parallax and Apogee worked on it
together for seven or eight months. But due to financial issues, Apogee
cancelled it in January of 1995. Interplay picked it up, impressed by
the working demo Parallax then had after its association with Apogee, and
the rest is history.
}Part of the deal Apogee made with Interplay when the Descent rights were
}sold was that Apogee would get a cut of Parallax's next new game. Descent II
}didn't qualify for that, but Descent: Freespace did. Initially, the plan
}was for 3D Realms to release the shareware version of Descent: Freespace and
}sell the registered version exclusively for three months, at which point
}Interplay would start selling it too. However, in late April 1998, Interplay
}bought the full rights to the game. Apogee no longer has anything to do
}with Descent: Freespace or any of the other Descent games.
In the credits for Descent, there is a thank you note to "Scott Miller and
Apogee Software." Apogee's Joe Siegler asked Descent's project leader, Mike
Kulas, about this credit. Mike's response is given below:
Hi Joe,
We put Scott and Apogee in there because we truly appreciate
all that Apogee did for us. Scott showed a lot of faith in
us when we didn't really have anything to show anybody. If
not for Scott, I don't think we would be anywhere near where
we are today.
You can tell people exactly this, if you like.
Mike
Mike is also quoted in PC Gamer, Vol. 2, No. 4, as saying, "They're really a
great bunch of guys, and they were a big help on Descent." Matt Toschlog,
also a key member of the Descent team, is also quoted: "Without them [Apogee],
I don't know how we would have gotten started."
[2.2] The Apogee Theme Song
The earliest hint of a theme song for Apogee Software might have been in such
early games as Crystal Caves and Secret Agent, wherein the then Apogee logo
was accompanied by a series of trills uttered by the PC speaker. It was
less of a theme song and more of a "semi-standard opening" for Apogee games
at the time. The first real appearance of the familiar Apogee theme song,
was in the game Major Stryker. Today, any Apogee fan will instantly recognize
the Apogee theme song and will probably be capable of humming it on command.
The Apogee theme song is a short, simple, but sweet few bars, and one could
easily imagine it as a theme in a symphony or fugue.
Lee Jackson's paraphrased history of the Apogee theme song follows:
Robert "Bobby" Prince, the composer of the scores of numerous Apogee games,
did the original theme song, which appeared essentially unaltered in Major
Stryker, Monster Bash, Bio Menace, Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold, and Blake
Stone: Planet Strike. He composed a "rock"-like version for Duke Nukem II,
which was later used in Raptor v1.2. (Previous versions of Raptor had a
version of the theme much like the original.)
For Halloween Harry (Alien Carnage) and Mystic Towers, something different
was needed. These used MOD music instead of the MIDI-style used in our other
games, so a new file was needed. The folks at SubZero composed a dramatic
version for Harry; an appropriately silly version was made for Mystic Towers.
I took over the MIDI version of the fanfare starting with Hocus Pocus. It
wasn't something I was asked to do -- I just played around with an idea, gave
it to Tom Hall and Joe Siegler, who then played it for Scott Miller and
George Broussard, who dubbed it the "John Williams fanfare." (It was actually
an attempt to emulate the MOD file that SubZero did for Harry -- I always
liked it.) This fanfare has appeared in Hocus Pocus, Wacky Wheels, Boppin,
Rise of the Triad, Realms of Chaos, and XenoPhage: Alien Bloodsport.
For Stargunner, again something new was needed since Stargunner used MOD music
instead of MIDI. The "John Williams fanfare" MIDI didn't really work with the
musical style introduced in Stargunner. I tried several different MOD
versions of the fanfare and never got anything that satisfied me. So I
talked the Stargunner team into supporting large WAV files so I could use a
digitized recording of a MIDI playback of the fanfare. Scott and George
wanted a new fanfare that featured rock instead of orchestral music. I came
up with the new fanfare, played it out through one computer into the
Roland SC-88 in the studio, and recorded it digitally into a second computer.
That was the fanfare that wound up in Stargunner.
One final note that should be mentioned in this section is Raptor's unique
hidden rendition of the theme. When Raptor is started when the system date
is set to the birthday of one of the Raptor team members, you don't hear the
usual theme. Instead, it's a sound file of the Raptor team trying (in vain)
to sing the theme song themselves. More information on this can be found
in the "secrets and other fun things" section.
}No theme song was ever created for 3D Realms or Pinball Wizards.
[2.3] The Dopefish
}In October 1995, longtime Dopefish fan Joe Siegler of Apogee made a Dopefish
}web page which was based on a modified version of text that originally
}appeared here in the FAQ. The Dopefish web site blossomed with information,
}pictures, sounds, music, and so forth; it is no longer practical to duplicate
}it all here any longer. The URL for the web site is http://www.dopefish.com/.
}
}An abridged version of the Dopefish history follows:
Dopefish is the product of the fertile mind of Tom Hall. It was one of 24
drawings he did of ideas for characters for Commander Keen: Goodbye,
Galaxy! while part of id Software. Dopefish was one of the characters from
these drawings that made the cut. According to Tom, "I just drew this stupid
little fish," and the rest is history.
Dopefish is described in the cast of characters for "Commander Keen: Secret
of the Oracle" (Keen 4, the shareware episode of "Commander Keen: Goodbye
Galaxy!") as the second dumbest creature in the universe (the number one
ranking is anyone's guess). His thought patterns go, "swim swim hungry, swim
swim hungry." Dopefish "will eat anything alive and moving near them, though
they prefer heroes." Dopefish appears in the level of Keen 4 entitled "The
Well of Wishes."
Dopefish was "adopted" by the Tech Support staff at Apogee soon after Joe
Siegler was hired. When Steve Quarrella and Lee Jackson joined the company,
}it ballooned from there. Ever since, Dopefish has had a huge cult following,
}and its weird popularity shows no signs of slowing.
}
}Countless artwork of the Dopefish has been made: ASCII art to animated
}graphics, icons, logos, backgrounds, etc. Frequent in-house Christmas
}presents at Apogee have been mugs, dolls, ornaments, etc, featuring Dopefish.
}(These items were never made for retail sale, however, so please don't ask
}Apogee how to buy them.)
}
}Another unlikely method of celebrating the Dopefish has been in music. Bobby
}Prince's piece "Eat Your Veggies" was originally intended for the Softdisk
}game "Keen Dreams" (see the section on the history of Commander Keen for
}further information) but Softdisk insisted that the game fit on a 360K disk,
}which meant the music had to go. Instead, the music was used in "Commander
}Keen: Goodbye Galaxy!" and happened to be the tune that plays in the level
}where Dopefish appears. Ever since, the music has been inextricably tied
}to Dopefish. Other music has been composed with Dopefish in mind, including
}Lee Jackson's "Fish Polka" from Rise of the Triad.
Even though the Dopefish belongs to id Software, he is a welcome adopted
member of the Apogee family. If there are ever any new Keen games, you can
wager a goodly amount that the Dopefish will be in it.
}Again, visit the Dopefish page, http://www.dopefish.com/, for more information.
[2.4] History of Specific Games
[2.4.1] The Kroz Series
Scott Miller had been programming games since 1975, when he was in high
school. "Caverns of Kroz" was the very first Kroz game, written in Turbo
Pascal and originally endowed with the simple title "Kroz." It was sold to
the disk magazine I.B.Magazette, as was the second Kroz adventure, "Dungeons
of Kroz" (originally titled "Kroz II"). In 1987, Scott wrote "Kingdom of
Kroz" and, with the full knowledge that, at the time, 99% of shareware was
not profitable for its authors, released it into the shareware market. Thus,
it was a mystifying surprise when Kroz turned out to be a smash hit. The
letters poured in, expressing love for the game and demanding sequels. One
of the reasons it was so successful, besides the merit of the game itself, was
its then new marketing scheme; Kroz was the first game to be split into
smaller episodes, with one episode released as shareware.
In 1988, Kingdom of Kroz I received top honors in the game category of
Softdisk's CodeQuest '87, a national programming contest, and came in second
overall (it lost to a spreadsheet program). Scott Miller himself said, in the
notes to a later version of the game, "Thanks to Kroz, I now know what a mutual
fund is, but on the downside my taxes require a book two inches thick to
figure out."
In short, Kroz marked Apogee's birth, emergence into the national
mainstream, and coronation as one of the earliest kings of shareware.
What inspired Kroz? At the time, Scott Miller's favorite games were
M.U.L.E., Archon, and Spelunker, among others. He liked games where puzzle
solving was first, and the action secondary. Kroz's main inspiration was
probably Rogue, which Scott used to play, but disliked for its randomness
and reliance on chance. So Kroz was born. Another of Scott's favorite
games is evident from the title; Kroz spelled backwards is "Zork," one of
Infocom's most famous and successful text adventure games.
The various episodes and versions of Kroz are many. To confuse the issue,
Kroz, as well as many of the other early Apogee games, were not sold
strictly in a single bundle of three or four episodes. The shareware
episode, Kingdom of Kroz, could be registered at a cost of $7.50, and this
registration made the customer eligible to buy other episodes at $7.50 each,
or several episodes at some savings. The episodes of Kroz are as follows:
1. Caverns of Kroz
2. Dungeons of Kroz
3. Kingdom of Kroz
4. Return to Kroz
5. Temple of Kroz
6. The Final Crusade of Kroz
7. The Lost Adventures of Kroz
"Return To Kroz" was published in two separate disk magazines, under different
titles. One title was "Shrine of Kroz"; the other, "Castle of Kroz." Scott
finally decided upon the "Return to Kroz" title because he liked the title to
the third Star Wars movie. Similarly, "Valley of Kroz" was an alternate title
given to "Temple of Kroz."
Episodes 1-3 comprised "The Kroz Trilogy," and originally published on
Softdisk's Big Blue Disk series. These episodes were later redone in 1990,
their names changing to "Caverns of Kroz II," "Dungeons of Kroz II," and
"Kingdom of Kroz II." Since Kingdom of Kroz II had significant map changes
to 17 different levels, the original "Kingdom of Kroz I" remained available
for purchase to registered owners of "Kingdom of Kroz II."
Episodes 4-6 comprised "The Super Kroz Trilogy." These contained more
levels, more items, and more effects. This trilogy was intended to complete
the Kroz series, but the letters kept pouring in, including one from
Patricia Baker, RI, who said, "I have lived in Kroz for almost a month and
was sorry tonight to finally find the Amulet."
So one final episode of Kroz was to be made, namely Episode 7, "The Lost
Adventures of Kroz." This contained 75 new levels, and, as such, was sold
at the slightly steeper rate of $20. As said earlier, however, the rates
were lowered if more episodes were purchased at once. In early 1991, one
could buy the first six episodes for $35 total, or $45 for all seven.
"The Lost Adventures of Kroz" was the final episode to be completed. At
one time, another episode had been planned for release in March 1991
entitled "The Underground Empire of Kroz," but this never saw the light of
day. Apogee, along with the rest of the gaming community, started moving
on toward more ambitious projects.
Unlike most of Apogee's early games, the Kroz series is still commercially
available from Apogee. The episodes you'll get upon a $24.95 registration are
the revised Kroz Trilogy, the Super Kroz Trilogy, and the Lost Adventures.
You cannot buy the individual episodes for Kroz or any other Apogee game any
longer; Apogee stopped doing this in mid 1993.
[2.4.2] Commander Keen
Joe Siegler's explanation of the history of the Keen series:
The seven Commander Keen games were all written by id Software.
They are:
1) Marooned on Mars ---\
2) The Earth Explodes | ---> Invasion of the Vorticons
3) Keen Must Die ---/
3.5) Keen Dreams
4) Secret of the Oracle --\__ Goodbye Galaxy
5) The Armageddon Machine --/
6) Aliens Ate My Babysitter
Episodes 1-3 are collectively called "Invasion of the Vorticons,"
and are published by Apogee Software. This series of Commander Keen
was released on December 14th, 1990, according to Tom Hall, then Creative
Director for id Software and, later, for Apogee.
Episodes 4-5 are collectively called "Goodbye Galaxy!" and are also
published by Apogee Software. This series of Commander Keen was
released somewhere around June of 1991. There was also a special CGA
edition of Keens 4-5. The CGA version is functionally identical to the
standard EGA version of the game, but with CGA graphics. Apogee discontinued
the CGA version in November 1997.
}In April 1998, episodes 1-5 were bundled together on a single CD and sold
}as a unit for $49.95. This is now the only way any of these Keen episodes
}may be purchased.
Episode 6 is a stand-alone game which uses the Keen 4-5 engine and is entitled
"Aliens Ate My Babysitter." From its creation in 1991 until 1996, it was
distributed by FormGen, and Apogee merely resold it, like any other retailer
would. In 1996, FormGen was bought by GT Interactive and did not continue to
distribute the game. Therefore, Apogee was left with what stock they had at
the time. In August 1997, that stock ran out. As of now, the only way to get
Keen 6 is as a part of "The id Anthology" package, but that CD, for some
reason, only has the CGA version of the game. There was a playable demo of
Keen 6 that FormGen distributed at one point. It was released to various
online services as #6k-demo.zip and k6demo.zip; it may or may not still exist
in some remote part of the Internet.
Keen Dreams has an interesting story. This is referred to as the
"Lost Episode" of Commander Keen. I like to think of it as "Keen
Episode 3.5." The reason is that Keen Dreams falls in between
Vorticons and Galaxy both in terms of technology and story line.
Before the id guys actually formed id, the majority of them worked at
Softdisk, a computer software publisher in Shreveport, LA. The
founding members of id Software left Softdisk to do the Vorticons
series of Keen for Apogee Software. However, they were contractually
obligated to deliver another game to Softdisk, and since development
had started on the Galaxy series, they threw together a Keen game for
Softdisk, and Keen Dreams was born. This game is not sold by Apogee
Software, nor does Apogee have anything at all to do with it. You'd
need to contact Softdisk for any further information regarding Keen
Dreams.
Episodes 1, 3.5, 4, and the three level demo for Episode 6 are
the only ones that you are legally allowed to upload and download
anywhere. Episodes 2, 3, 5, and the full version of Episode 6 are
commercial software, and should not appear on the Internet or any
other online service, or should otherwise be sold except for authorized
sellers of the games.
In December 1996, id Software published a package called "The id
Anthology". This product contains every single game that id Software
ever made, as well as some others that were made by id people for other
companies like Softdisk. Included in this package are all seven Commander
Keen games. As a side note, for some reason, the person at id Software who
put the package together put in only the CGA version of Keen 6. Why they
did this, we don't know. For more information on the id Anthology, contact
id Software (Apogee has nothing to do with the id Anthology).
Here are the online filenames as currently available from Apogee for the
}various Keen games from Apogee. Some forums may have a '#' prepended onto
}the filename.
Keen 1 -> 1KEEN.ZIP
Keen 4 -> 4KEEN.ZIP
Keen 4 -> 4KEENC.ZIP (Special CGA Version)
I've seen the 3 level Aliens Demo available with the filename
#6K-DEMO.ZIP and K6DEMO.ZIP. I've seen Keen Dreams available with
the filename KDREAMS.ZIP. However, neither of these are Apogee
products, and I cannot vouch for the files' names.
If you played Keen 5, you may have noticed a screen that said something to
the effect of, "Join us in December 1992 for the greatest Keen adventure
yet." There was a picture of Keen smiling, with a Santa Claus hat on.
At the time, id Software was intending to do a third series of
Commander Keen, tentatively entitled "Commander Keen: The Universe is
Toast." However, other projects came up (Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of
Destiny, and later, Doom). There are no serious plans now to do more
Keen. The main reason for this is that id Software owns the rights
to Commander Keen, and any new project would have to be either done
by them (extremely unlikely), or at least approved by them. At this
time, there are no Keen games under development by either Apogee, id,
or Ion Storm (where Tom Hall and John Romero now work as of 1997), and
if and when there ever is more Keen, it will be state of the art
of whatever technology is current at the time.
On a different note, Commander Keen, and artifacts from the Keen games have
found their way into other games. Commander Keen is listed in the default
scoreboards of a handful of Apogee games, mentioned in the instructions of
one, and has made a few more prominent appearances, which are listed under
the "Cameos" section of this FAQ. Also, see the section on "What's B. J.
Blazkowicz's relationship with Commander Keen?" for information on that.
Finally, you can visit the Keen: Vorticons page of the Apogee WWW pages to see
the original, rejected title screen for Keen I. The direct URL for this
}is http://www.apogee1.com/catalog/keen1/.
[2.4.3] Crystal Caves and Secret Agent
Originally, Crystal Caves and Secret Agent were developed at George
Broussard's Company, Micro F/X. The author, Frank Maddin, poked fun at the
Apogee/id game Commander Keen by including Keen's helmet in a level of
Crystal Caves, partially obscured by some junk and debris. Half way through
the games' development (and after the helmet was put in), George Broussard
became Scott Miller's partner at Apogee and dissolved Micro F/X. The
as yet unfinished games Crystal Caves and Secret Agent came with him to become
Apogee games. Keen's helmet was left in as an inside joke.
[2.4.4] Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II
There is frequently a great deal of confusion over the correct spelling of one
of Apogee's most prized characters, Duke Nukem. The original spelling for the
name was "Duke Nukem"; however, during the code fix stage between v1.0 and
v2.0 of the original game, Apogee found a character overseas named "Duke
Nukem" that was thought to be copyrighted. So, for v2.0 of the original Duke
game, the name was changed to "Duke Nukum." Then, during the programming of
Duke II, it was discovered that the character they found overseas was not
copyrighted after all -- and so the original name was reinstated. "Duke
Nukem" is also the spelling used in all successive games that featured the
character.
The spellings "Duke Nuke 'em," "Duke Nuke'um," "Duke Nuke'm," "Duke Nuk'em"
and other variations are not, and were never, correct.
[2.4.5] Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of Destiny
It started when a 3D game id made for Softdisk grabbed Scott Miller's
attention. He decided that he'd like id to make a 3D shareware game for
Apogee and convinced a somewhat reluctant id to agree. However, at the time,
id was obligated to make a game for Softdisk, so Apogee made a deal in which
Apogee would make a game for Softdisk, thereby freeing id to write the 3D game
for Apogee. Apogee's game for Softdisk was "Scubadventure," written by George
Broussard; id's game for Apogee was the now legendary Wolfenstein 3D.
Joe Siegler's explanation of the history of the Wolfenstein series from this
point follows:
On May 5, 1992, Apogee Software released the shareware episode of Wolfenstein
3D, and has been distributing it in the shareware market since. Apogee
is the official distributor of Wolfenstein 3D's original six episodes in the
shareware market.
Somewhere around September of 1992, FormGen Corp released Spear of Destiny.
This is a retail sequel to Wolfenstein 3D. This game consisted of one episode
with 20 levels. It had some new wall art, a couple of new objects,
and new boss creatures. This game is essentially the same as Wolf3D
but is completely new in the level design aspect. This game is available
in stores like CompUSA. Apogee also resells this product, but is not
responsible for its distribution. Apogee has to buy it from FormGen
like any other store would. There is a two level playable demo floating around
for Spear of Destiny. It's the same first two levels that appear in the full
version of the game. It is not shareware; commercial demos are for the most
part non-interactive, however, this one *is* interactive, and since it bears
a close resemblance to Wolfenstein 3D, which is shareware, the SOD demo is
frequently mistaken for being shareware, which it is not.
There have been numerous editors and extra levels created by users for both
Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of Destiny. With regard to Wolf3D, Apogee
respectfully requests that you not make or distribute any editors, extra
levels, or other add-ons that will work on the shareware episode. If you
choose to make add-ons, please make these items for the registered version
only, and be aware that Apogee cannot support user-created items.
Sometime in mid/late 1993, id Software decided that they were going to publish
these same six original episodes in the retail market. These are the same six
episodes that Apogee had been selling since May of 1992. Since Apogee was at
that time not set up for retail distribution, id Software went with another
company called is GT Software. This package is available in CompUSA and
contains the same six episodes that Apogee distributes. Apogee has absolutely
nothing at all to do with this product. The GT Software version of
Wolfenstein 3D is totally a GT product. Apogee has no control over the
packaging, quality control, or price.
In May of 1994, FormGen Corporation released two new episodes for Spear of
Destiny to stores. The collective name of the product is "Spear of Destiny
Mission Add-On Packs." The new episodes each have their own individual
titles, these being "Mission 2: Return to Danger," and "Mission 3: Ultimate
Challenge." These add-ons have some new level graphics and some differently
colored actors, but is essentially more levels for Spear of Destiny. These
extra versions require that you have the first Spear of Destiny game (the
original six Apogee Wolf3D episodes are not required). In late 1994, FormGen
marketed a "Spear of Destiny Super CD Package," which consists of id's
original Spear of Destiny, the two additional add-on missions, and hint books
for these new episodes. Neither Apogee Software nor id software sells the
add-ons or the CD, supports it, or has anything else to do with it. These are
strictly FormGen products.
}In April 1998, id Software repackaged Wolfenstein 3D for retail again, with
}Activision as their retail publisher. This new box has the full version of
}Wolfenstein 3D in it as well as the full version of Spear of Destiny plus
}the two Spear of Destiny mission packs that FormGen had made. Although the
}box bills itself as "finally available for Windows 95," the games themselves
}are physically unchanged -- there is simply a new Windows 95 installer.
}Apogee has nothing to do with this new product or new packaging and does not
}sell it.
id Software has also either written or released versions of Wolfenstein 3D for
other platforms over time. Apogee Software has nothing to do with any
of them. id Software holds the copyright to Wolfenstein 3D and can
license it to others for other platforms or do whatever they want with it.
These versions are listed for completeness' sake only.
The Super Nintendo version was released around Jan/Feb of 1994. This was
published through a company called "Imagineer." Due to Nintendo restrictions,
some elements of the game had to be removed. These were all Nazi references,
the dogs (replaced with rats), and blood (replaced with sweat). This is still
a good game, especially considering what it's programmed for. There was a
version released for the Atari Jaguar around August of 1994, and this version
is probably the best graphically of any version published. When you go up
right against walls and the like, they do not become as blocky or chunky, as
compared to previous versions of Wolfenstein 3D. This version was published
by Atari. id also licensed Wolf3D so that it could be published on the
Macintosh computer. This version was released in October 1994 and is being
distributed by MacPlay, a division of Interplay. WolfMac is a shareware
title, and there is a shareware version of it available. When you register,
you get something like 30 levels. Again, Apogee has nothing to do with these
versions of Wolfenstein 3D; you would need to contact the various companies,
or id Software directly for more information on them. In the fall of 1994,
it was revealed that Vitesse was working on a version of Wolfenstein 3D for
the Apple IIgs. This version was being done by Bill Heinemann. This brings
the Wolfenstein saga full circle as the original Castle Wolfenstein was
written for the Apple //e. However, as of November 1997, the game still
hasn't been released and may never be.
Sometime in August/September 1995, id Software released the source code for
Wolfenstein 3D to the Internet and CompuServe. It does not contain the code
for the levels and graphics, however, so you'll need the data files from the
shareware or commercial versions of the game for it to work properly.
The premiere issue of Game Developer's Magazine stated that Apogee Software was
working on a game called "Wolfenstein 3D: Part II," which was to be a totally
new game, with completely new actors, and new everything; the only thing the
same being the title Wolfenstein 3D. This information is partially
incorrect; there is no such title under production at either Apogee or id
Software. However, this was under production at Apogee for a while back in
early 1994, but this was dropped, and the project changed to "Rise of the
Triad." This game is now available from Apogee Software.
[2.4.5.1] "Call Apogee and say Aardwolf"
Joe Siegler's explanation of "Aardwolf":
"Call Apogee and say Aardwolf." It's a sign that to this day is something
that I get asked about a lot. This is a sign that appears on a wall in a
particularly nasty maze in Episode 2 Level 8 of Wolfenstein 3D. The sign
was to be the goal in a contest Apogee was going to have, but almost
immediately after the game's release, a large amount of cheat and mapping
programs were released. With these programs running around, we felt that
it would have been unfair to have the contest and award a prize. The sign
was still left in the game, but in hindsight, probably should have been
taken out. To this day, Apogee gets letters and phone calls and asking
what Aardwolf is, frequently with the question, "Has anyone seen this yet?"
Also, in a somewhat related issue, letters were shown after the highest score
in the score table in some revisions of the game. These letters were to be
part of another contest that got scrapped before it got started, where we were
going to have people call in with their scores and tell us the code; we'd then
be able to verify their score. However, with the cheat programs out there,
this got scrapped too.
Basically, "Aardwolf" and the letters mean nothing now. Also note that if
you found the Aardwolf sign in the game (without cheating), there's a VERY
strong chance that you're stuck in there. The only way out may be to restart,
or load a saved game from before you went into that maze.
[2.4.5.2] What's B. J. Blazkowicz's relationship with Commander Keen?
Besides the fact that id Software created both the Commander Keen and
Wolfenstein games, there is a further relationship between the two main
characters. The following is an excerpt from the Official Hint Manual for
Wolfenstein 3D which explains the relation:
William Joseph Blazkowicz was born August 15, 1911, to Polish
immigrants. Blazkowicz was a top spy for the Allied Forces,
receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor and other accolades
for heroism. "B.J.," (as he was called by his friends) married
after World War II, at age 40, to Julia Marie Peterson. Their
son, Arthur Kenneth Blazkowicz, became a television talk show
personality in Milwaukee. For show biz purposes, Arthur changed
his last name to Blaze. Arthur later married Susan Elizabeth
McMichaels. They had one son (which they named after Arthur's
father), William Joseph Blazkowicz II, or as he signs his grade
school homework, B. Blaze....
[2.4.6] Halloween Harry and Alien Carnage
Halloween Harry was written by SubZero Software, located in Australia.
Apogee is the game's distributor. In October of 1993, Apogee released
v1.1 of Halloween Harry in the United States.
As with Wacky Wheels and Mystic Towers, version 1.0 of Halloween Harry was
actually an incomplete version of the game released to a magazine in the UK.
The first complete, public release of Halloween Harry was version 1.1.
A month later, v1.2 of the game was released. A year after that, Apogee
suggested a title change to "Alien Carnage." SubZero agreed. Thus, in
early November of 1994, "Halloween Harry" was dropped from Apogee's
distribution, and "Alien Carnage" added. Alien Carnage v1.0 is essentially
Halloween Harry v1.2 with a name change, price change, and episode
reorganization. The shareware version of Alien Carnage (its first episode)
is Halloween Harry's episode three. With the exception of this
reorganization, Alien Carnage consists of the same episodes as Halloween
Harry. The shareware version of Halloween Harry is still legal to
distribute; however, Apogee prefers you distribute the shareware version of
Alien Carnage only, as this version has the new pricing information
screens.
In late 1996, Gee Whiz! Entertainment published a sequel called "Zombie Wars."
A demo version of this was released to the Internet. Apogee has nothing to
do with this sequel, however, and you cannot purchase the full version from
them.
[2.4.7] Mystic Towers
Baron Baldric, the star of Mystic Towers, originally starred in a game
called, simply, "Baron Baldric: A Grave Adventure." The game was designed
for the Amiga by professional animator Lindsay Whipp of Animation F/X. It
was then ported to the PC. The game was a 2D scrolling platform game and
released as shareware by Manaccom in 1993.
Afterward, Lindsay Whipp began work on a second game starring Baron Baldric,
which would later become "Mystic Towers." The character of Baldric survived
the transition between the games almost unchanged, humorous mannerisms
intact, but the game of Mystic Towers is radically different -- it's more of
a puzzle game than an action game and has the Baron moving in three
dimensions.
Apogee agreed to publish Mystic Towers for Animation F/X, and it was released
on August 15, 1994.
As with Halloween Harry and Wacky Wheels, version 1.0 of Mystic Towers was
actually an incomplete version of the game released to a magazine in the UK.
The first complete, public release of Mystic Towers was version 1.1.
[2.4.8] Wacky Wheels
At the time of its release, in October of 1994, the registered version of
Wacky Wheels was available in two forms: a regular version, containing three
sets of tracks, for $24.95; and an "upgrade edition," containing an additional
three sets of tracks, for $34.95. The upgrade could be also purchased
separately for $20. Presently, Apogee only registers the larger, six track
set, $34.95 version of Wacky Wheels, and only on CD.
As with Halloween Harry and Mystic Towers, version 1.0 of Wacky Wheels was
actually an incomplete version of the game released to a magazine in the UK.
The first complete, public release of Wacky Wheels was version 1.1.
[2.4.9] Boppin
At the time of its release, in November of 1994, the registered version of
Boppin was available in two forms: Basic Boppin, which contained only the
first two episodes of the game including the shareware version, for $19.95;
and Super Boppin, which contained all four episodes and a level editor, for
$29.95. Owners of Basic Boppin could upgrade to Super Boppin at additional
cost. Since then, Apogee has discontinued Basic Boppin and only registers
Super Boppin.
The initial version of Boppin contained a disturbing, gory logo, as well as
bloody suicide sequences when you failed to solve one of the puzzles correctly.
These were put in the game by the company that made it, Accursed Toys.
However, Apogee, Boppin's distributor, found the gore to be gratuitous and out
of place and attached a message to the game disclaiming the violent aspects of
the game. The suicide sequences could be turned off once inside the game, but
the logo could not. Accursed Toys received enough email protesting the gore
so that, in v1.1 of Boppin, the default was to not show any of it. A command
line parameter, "blood," now has to be given to turn it back on.
[2.4.10] Rise of the Triad
Back in early 1994, a game called "Wolfenstein 3D: Part II" was under
production. This was dropped, and the project became "Rise of the Triad," or,
as it is casually known, "ROTT." Version 1.0 was released on December 21,
1994; in February 1995, versions 1.1 and 1.2 were released. Version 1.2 was
supposed to have fixed the problem that 1.1 introduced where 4 meg machines
could not play at all. As it turned out, 1.2 did not fix that, and a 1.2a
patch was released a week later. At this point, the CD version of ROTT was
burned (but not the Site License version). After that started shipping, a
bug was found where people playing directly from the CD could not save games.
So 1.2b was released to fix this. Since this was a CD only bug, a version 1.2b
was not released for the shareware version or disk based registered version.
The Site License version was produced after v1.2b, so that does not exist as
a version prior to 1.2b. Version 1.3 was released for all shareware and
registered versions in August 1995. The disk based registered version was
available starting in late February; the regular CD based registered version
started shipping in March, and the Site License CD started shipping in April.
Starting January 1997, the registered version of Rise of the Triad was
available on CD only. In July 1995, Apogee released a package of rejected
ROTT levels, available for free in the file ROTT_REJ.ZIP.
Late that year, Apogee released an add-on pack to "Rise of the Triad" called
"Extreme Rise of the Triad," which contained some new hazards and 42 new
}levels (designed by Joe Siegler and Tom Hall), and sold on CD for $19.95.
This add-on pack was discontinued in November 1997.
In early 1996, Tom Hall and Joe Siegler put together what was the final
release of ROTT materials from Apogee Software. A college in Ohio was running
a gaming contest and was using Rise of the Triad for it. Apogee created a
special level pack with four levels for use in this contest. Two of the
levels were done by Joe Siegler, and two by Tom Hall. In February 1996, after
the contest was held, the file was released to the public for free
as OHIORTC.ZIP.
Tom Hall, the creative director for Rise of the Triad, dubbed the Rise of the
Triad team the "Developers of Incredible Power" (DIP). ROTT was the first
release of the Developers of Incredible Power, under that name. For most of
the members of "DIP," Rise of the Triad was their first real project. Tom
Hall and Stephen A Hornback were the only ones who had worked extensively
on previous Apogee games.
The principle composer for ROTT was Lee Jackson. In 1984, Lee Jackson marched
in a Drum and Bugle Corps, called the Nighthawks, out of Houston -- he did pit
percussion and wrote the pit parts for some of the pieces. In his words,
"this style has a tremendous influence on my writing. . . . One chart from
ROTT (Havana Smooth) is almost a pure Corps chart. . . . Joe [Siegler] hates
Drum Corps. [He] absolutely *can* *not* *stand* Drum Corps when he knows what
he's listening to. I kind of slipped this song past him." To this day, Joe
vehemently denies that this song is a Drum Corps piece.
The name of the shareware version is "Rise of the Triad: The HUNT Begins."
The name of the registered version is "Rise of the Triad: Dark War," which
contains four new episodes. The four registered episodes have the titles,
in order, "Approach," "Monastery," "Caves Below," and "The Slow and the Dead."
[2.4.10.1] ROTT characters
One of the curiosities of ROTT is that the actors in the game were digitized
and voiced by members of Apogee. The following chart shows who was scanned
and who was sampled to create each ROTT character.
Character/Description Real Life Actor Voice
--------------------- --------------- -----
Low Guard Steve Quarrella Steve Quarrella
(Grey Shirts - There are lots of em) (Former Tech Spt)
High Guard Steve Blackburn Steve Blackburn
(Green Uniforms - Drop MP40's) (VP of Operations)
Lightning Guard Kevin Green Kevin Green &
(Begs for Mercy, Steals your weapon) (Cust Support Mgr) Willam Scarboro
Triad Enforcer George Broussard George Broussard
(Throws Hand Grenades) (Exec VP of Apogee)
Strike Patrol Scott Miller Scott Miller
(White Shirts - Ducks and Rolls) (President of Apogee)
Overpatrol Nolan Martin Nolan Martin &
(Brown uniforms - throws nets) (Former Programmer) Chuck Jones
Death Monk Lee Jackson Tom Hall
(Waddles, drains your life) (Musician)
DeathFire Monk Allen H. Blum III Tom Hall
(Shoots Fireballs) (Programmer)
Robot Guard Was a model by Sound CD #4005
(Small Metal Robots) Gregor Punchatz
General Darian Steve Maines Mark Dochtermann
(Large Boss with Rocket Launcher) (Former Art Director)
Sebastian "Doyle" Krist Joe Siegler Joe Siegler
(Boss in Chair) (Online Support Mgr)
NME (Nasty Metallic Enforcer Boss) Was a model by Sound CD #4005
(Nickname "Spray") Gregor Punchatz
El Oscuro Tom Hall Tom Hall
(Main Boss - both forms) (Creative Director)
Taradino Cassatt Not Applicable Joe Selinske
Thi Barrett Not Applicable Susan Singer
Doug Wendt Not Applicable Lee Jackson
Lorelei Ni Not Applicable Pau Suet Ying *
Ian Paul Freeley Not Applicable Jim Dose'
* Pau Suet Ying was a waitress at a Chinese Resturant, called May China Cafe,
about half a mile from Apogee's Headquarters.
Not everyone that was digitized was used in the game. The following chart
shows other people who were scanned and sampled, but not used in the final
release of the game.
Character/Description Real Life Actor Voice
--------------------- --------------- -----
Alternate Low Guard Marianna Vayntrub Colleen Compton
(Fiancee of Mark D.)
Alternate High Guard Steve Hornback Steve Hornback
(Main ROTT artist)
Alternate Overpatrol Pat Miller Pat Miller
(Scott Miller's Mom)
Alternate Strike Team Ann Grauherholz Ann Grauherholz
(Tom Hall's Friend)
Alternate Lightning Guard William Scarboro William Scarboro
(ROTT Programmer)
Alternate DeathFire Monk Mark Dochtermann Tom Hall
(ROTT Programmer)
[2.4.10.2] ROTT levels
There are a wealth of levels available for "Rise of the Triad," even if you
just count the "official" levels made by Apogee. Some are packaged in various
versions of the game, some were released separately; some are free, some cost
money; some are regular (one player) levels, some are Comm-Bat (multiplayer)
levels. Below is a description of each of the level sets available from
Apogee.
- "Rise of the Triad: The HUNT Begins" is the name of the standard shareware
episode of ROTT. The shareware episode cannot make use of any other
levels besides its own.
- "Rise of the Triad: The HUNT Begins Deluxe Edition" is a special version
of the shareware episode distributed ONLY by LaserSoft. This version has
six levels unavailable anywhere else: three regular levels and three
Comm-Bat levels.
- "Rise of the Triad: Dark War" is the name of the registered version of
ROTT. There are several versions: a floppy disk version, an upgraded
floppy disk version, a CD version, and a Site License CD version. (Both
floppy disk versions were since discontinued.) The upgraded floppy disk
was the same as the regular CD version, but with fewer "extras." The
Site License CD version had an extra 14 Comm-Bat levels.
- The ROTT "rejected level set" was released to the net for free. It
contains levels designed for "Rise of the Triad: Dark War" but eventually
cut from the game. A text file that accompanies this level set explains
some of the history behind the levels.
- "Extreme Rise of the Triad," or EROTT, is an add-on pack designed by Joe
Siegler and Tom Hall. It contains an additional 42 regular levels usable
by the registered version of ROTT and utilize new tricks and traps.
However, EROTT was discontinued by Apogee in November 1997 and is no
longer available.
- The "Ohio Comm-Bat Pack" is a set of four Comm-Bat levels designed
especially for a contest at a college in Ohio. After the contest, the
levels were released to the net for free.
Here is a listing of all the levels for Rise of the Triad and who designed
each. The vast bulk of levels were done by Tom Hall, so if no name is given
for a particular level, he made it.
==============================================
Rise of the Triad: The HUNT Begins (Shareware)
==============================================
1-1 The HUNT Begins
1-2 Foggy Mountain Shareware Warp Only Levels
1-3 The Fourth Door --------------------------
1-4 Dark Tunnels 2-1 Too Tall
1-5 Metal Threat 2-2 Play Room
1-6 Ride 'em Cowboy (Joe Siegler)
1-7 Boom Boom Boom
1-8 Wall to Wall (Joe Siegler)
=============================================================
Rise of the Triad: The HUNT Begins DELUXE Edition (Shareware)
=============================================================
Regular Levels Comm-Bat Levels
-------------- ---------------
Prelude to a Kill The Siege
Jumpin Jehoshaphat The Box
GADZOOKS! Rise And Tide
========================================
Rise of the Triad: Dark War (Registered)
========================================
Episode 1: Approach Episode 2: Monastery
-------------------- ---------------------
1-1 The Thick of It 2-1 Into the Castle
1-2 Winding Way 2-2 Great Halls of Fire (Marianna)
1-3 Burned and Amazed 2-3 The Room
1-4 Too Much Room 2-4 Spiralling In (Marianna)
1-5 Two Key Return 2-5 Rocky Plateau
1-6 Spring Surprise 2-6 Four Way Chamber
1-7 General Darian 2-7 Sebastian Krist
1-8 Turn of the Screw (Marianna Vayntrub) 2-8 Elevator Trouble
Episode 3: Caves Below Episode 4: The Slow and the Dead
----------------------- ---------------------------------
3-1 Robotricks 4-1 "Monky" Business
3-2 Down & Over (Marianna Vayntrub) 4-2 Fire and Brimstone
3-3 Dead in Five Seconds 4-3 Crushing Defeat
3-4 Clear and Present Dangers 4-4 Diamonds & Rust
3-5 The Angry Quilt 4-5 Backfire
3-6 Movin' Walls 4-6 Circles of Fire
3-7 Know Thine NME 4-7 Lair of El Oscuro
3-8 Eight Ways to Hell (Joe Siegler) 4-8 Switched Around (Joe Selinske)
4-9 Canyon Chase
4-10 In the Dark Nest
Registered Warp Only Levels
---------------------------
5-1 Dead in Two Seconds
5-2 The Vomitorium (Joe Siegler)
5-3 This Causes an Error! (a joke level)
=================================
Rise of the Triad COMM-BAT Levels
=================================
Shareware Comm-Bat Registered Comm-Bat (Continued)
------------------ -------------------------------
The Corpseyard (William Scarboro) Batter Up!
Falling for It Attonement
Fun House Memorize This
The Labyrinth Swimmin' Pool
Dark Warrens The Sanctum of Rocking (William Scarboro)
Hill and Hill Again Think Up!
Iron Tower Ziggurattack
The Great Divide Free Flight
Cross Purposes (Joe Siegler)
Registered Comm-Bat Joustin' Time (Mark Dochtermann)
------------------- Captured
One Stop Gun Shop Yellow Brick Road
The Well Crystal Fields
Way Too Tiny
Sign Language Site License Comm-Bat
Land Bridge ---------------------
Checkers King of the Hill (Joe Selinske)
Tree House The Castle
Mazewar '94 It's the Pits (Joe Selinske & Tom Hall)
Impossible Land Popcore (Joe Selinske with Tom Mods)
Picture This Round 'n' Round
Mark's Madness (Mark Dochtermann) Hey! More Barrels! (Joe Selinske & Tom)
Bazooka Joke Too Tight
Above All This Race Track (Mark Dochtermann)
Four Square Cave In (Joe Selinske with Tom Mods)
Giza Glen Park
Ramp Urge to Kill (Jim Dose)
Into the Fray Death Tree
Lotta Lava Oh Yeah! (Joe Selinske)
The Machine Staff Meeting
===============================
Extreme ROTT Add-On Pack Levels
===============================
A Tomb With a View Lights Out (Joe Siegler)
Up NME Mine (Joe Siegler)
Triadagio (Joe Siegler) They Say HOO-Mahn-Ay (Joe Siegler)
The Barracks Halls of Walls
Moatin' Lava Getting the Drop
Nothin' But Net A Boulder Vision (Joe Siegler)
Truth or Darian Pykus Peak (Joe Siegler)
Through & Through The Hoppe Hop (Joe Siegler)
High Road, Low Road Technical Ecstasy (Joe Siegler)
Open Fire Oscuro's Legions
Dark 'N' Deadly 95 Windows (Joe Siegler)
Lightning Strikes On Its Tail
A Mode I Rode (Joe Siegler) The Unholy Chamber
You're Fired (Joe Siegler) Danger Mouth
Krist Cross (Joe Siegler) Fencing
Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Welcome to the Machine
Overview Gods of Annihilation (Joe Siegler)
Sky Tunnels The Grand Vomitorium (Joe Siegler)
Bridge Over Trouble Fire Flight
Experiment IV Run Like Heaven
The Ride Stupid Dog Tricks
================= =========================
Reject Level Pack Ohio 1996 Comm-Bat Levels
================= =========================
Use The Fish (Joe Selinske) But This Goes to 11
Wan Fife (Joe Siegler) Walloper
The Pound Dwayne Goes 48 (Joe Siegler)
Valhalla The X Factor (Joe Siegler)
Aztec Paramecium (Joe Selinske)
Death Box
Battle Squid (Joe Selinske)
Great Wally (Joe Selinske & Tom Hall)
Lumpy's Delight (Joe Selinske)
Pillar Killers (Joe Selinske)
Red Rum! Red Rum! (Joe Selinske)
Barrelling Down (Tom Hall & Joe Selinske)
Spears of Density (Joe Selinske)
Balconexus (Joe Selinske)
Spinblade Runner (Tom Hall & Joe Selinske)
Five Windows (Joe Selinske)
Storm's Eye (Joe Selinske & Tom Hall)
Skylands (Joe Selinske)
Speed (Joe Selinske)
Twin Falls (Joe Selinske)
This Causes Error Too (Joe Siegler; another joke level)
[2.4.11] Terminal Velocity
Written by Mark Randel of Terminal Reality, Inc, the lead programmer of
Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0, Terminal Velocity was the first game ever
to be released under the 3D Realms label. The slide show was released on
April 4, 1995, and the game itself followed on May 1. And thus, 3D Realms
emerged into the "realm" of the computer gaming world.
There's a second distinguishing fact about Terminal Velocity; namely, that
it made the cover of the April 1995 issue of the gaming magazine, "Computer
Player." This is the first time in the history of computer gaming that a
shareware game made the cover of a popular gaming magazine before its
release. In the article, many praising comments are made: "The 3D
environments are simply breathtaking. Utilizing cutting-edge real-time
techniques, the graphics engine creates worlds that are like nothing seen
before in computer games." And, "A great deal of attention was spent to
balance the fast action with the spectacular environment. Terminal Velocity
has achieved what many have unsuccessfully tried in the past: an incredible
combination of scenery and game play."
There are two noteworthy remarks contained in 3D Realms' initial press
release for the game. One is, "Climb into Terminal Velocity now, and you'll
never go back to flight simulators that offer combat as an 'option.'"
Wrapping up 3D Realms' plot synopsis is the comment, "You're outgunned,
outmanned, and strapped into a flying coffin. But just think how good
'Saved the Known Galaxy' will look on your resume."
The registered version of Terminal Velocity was sold both on disks and on CD.
The disk based version was discontinued in March 1997. A patch for the game
was released in January 1997 which optimizes the game for computers with
S3 Virge cards. This patch was made and released by Terminal Reality,
however, not by Apogee.
Terminal Reality later made two sequels to Terminal Velocity, both for
Windows, both distributed by Microsoft: Fury3 in 1995, and Hellbender
in 1996. In late 1995, there was also a Fury3 add-on pack called F-Zone.
[2.4.12] Paganitzu and Realms of Chaos
About a year before Keith Schuler wrote Paganitzu for Apogee, he wrote
another game called Chagunitzu for Softdisk. These two games were almost
identical, containing the same characters and story and so forth. Unlike
Paganitzu, however, Chagunitzu does not adapt to the speed of your computer,
making it virtually unplayable on fast computers without a program to slow
the computer down. (See the section on slowing down your computer in
this FAQ.)
Following his success with Apogee's Paganitzu, Schuler began a sequel
in early 1992 entitled, "Paganitzu II: The Bloodfire Pendant." Later, it
went through a name change to "Alabama Smith and the Bloodfire Pendant."
Still later, its name became "Realms of Chaos," losing all its Paganitzu
references in the process.
Realms of Chaos was originally supposed to be a 16 color EGA game, slated
for a 1994 release, but, with the increasing popularity of VGA games, it was
decided that time should be spent converting Realms of Chaos to a 256 color
VGA game. Finally, after three years in production, Realms of Chaos was
released by Apogee in November 1995.
Contrary to what one might think, the cancelled 3D Realms project
"Ruins: Return of the Gods" was not ever associated with Paganitzu, even in
its early days.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[3] Lists
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[3.1] Games
Please note that this information is constantly changing, especially when new
games are added to the list of Apogee products. Some of the information given
here could become out of date rather quickly.
[3.1.1] What games are currently available from Apogee?
}A list of Apogee games follows. The filename given is the name of the
}shareware episode as it appears on most online services. Some online
}forums may have a '#' prepended onto the filename.
The price given is the cost of the complete game with all episodes.
If "N/A" is present in this field, it means the game has been discontinued.
}If "[combo]" is present, it means you can no longer purchase the game
}individually, but you can still buy it on CD with other games in a combination
}deal. See the "What combination deals does Apogee offer?" section for more
}information.
The "Ep" field contains the number of episodes in the complete version.
The "Ver" field contains the latest version number of the game. "OS" is the
operating system the game was written for ("D"=DOS, "95"=Windows 95). "Med"
are the media that the registered version is available on ("d"=Disk, "c"=CD).
"Gph" is the best graphics mode that the game utilizes ("T"=TEXT, "C"=CGA,
"E"=EGA, "V"=VGA, "S"=SVGA). The "Size" field is approximate.
From Apogee:
Name Size Genre Filename Price Ep Ver OS Med Gph
---- ---- ----- -------- ----- -- --- -- --- ---
Stargunner 5940k Shoot 1star11.zip $29.95 4 1.1 D c S
}Death Rally 6958k Race 1ral11.zip $ 5.00 N/A 1.1 D c S`
}XenoPhage: Alien Blood... 6438k Fight 1xeno11.zip $ 5.00 N/A 1.1 D c S^~
Realms of Chaos 2544k Plat 1roc.zip $24.95 3 1.0 D d/c V~
Rise of the Triad 3661k 3DAct 1rott13.zip $34.95 5 1.3 D c V*^~=
Boppin 1349k Puzzl 1bop11.zip $29.95 4 1.1 D d V`
Wacky Wheels 1664k Race 1wacky.zip $34.95 6 1.1 D c V
Mystic Towers 1204k 3DPuz 1mystic.zip $24.95 6 1.1 D d V
Hocus Pocus 944k Plat 1hp11.zip $24.95 4 1.1 D c V
Raptor: Call...Shadows 2018k Shoot 1rap12.zip $34.95 3 1.2 D d V^
Blake Stone: Planet... N/A 3DAct [none] $24.95 1 1.01 D d V+^`
Blake Stone: Aliens... 1506k 3DAct 1bs30.zip $29.95 6 3.0 D d V^`
Duke Nukem II 1117k Plat 4duke.zip $34.95 4 1.0 D d V
Alien Carnage 1750k Plat 1ac.zip $19.95 4 1.0 D d V^
Wolfenstein 3D 729k 3DAct 1wolf14.zip $49.95 6 1.4 D d V`
Bio Menace 637k Plat 1bio11.zip $29.95 3 1.1 D d E`
Monster Bash 1011k Plat 1bash21.zip $34.95 3 2.1 D d E*`
}Commander Keen: Galaxy 649k Plat 4keen.zip [combo] 2 1.4 D d E*^
}Commander Keen: Vorticons 210k Plat 1keen.zip [combo] 3 1.31 D d E^
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure 524k Plat 1cosmo.zip $34.95 3 1.2 D d E
Duke Nukem 277k Plat 1duke.zip $29.95 3 2.0 D d E
Major Stryker 568k Shoot 1majr14.zip N/A 3 1.4 D N/A E'
Crystal Caves 222k Plat 1crystl.zip $29.95 3 1.0 D d E
Secret Agent 239k Plat 1agent.zip $29.95 3 1.0 D d E
}Math Rescue 430k Educ 1math.zip [combo] 3 2.0 D d E
}Word Rescue 377k Educ 1rescue.zip [combo] 3 2.0 D d E
Dark Ages 189k Plat 1dark.zip N/A 3 1.0 D N/A E'
Paganitzu 322k Puzzl 1paga.zip $29.95 3 1.02 D d E*`
Arctic Adventure 131k Plat 1arctic.zip N/A 4 2.0 D N/A C'
Pharaoh's Tomb 118k Plat 1ptomb.zip $24.95 4 3.0 D d C
Monuments of Mars 136k Plat 1mars.zip N/A 4 1.0 D N/A C'
The Kroz Series 111k Puzzl 1kroz.zip $24.95 7 1.0 D d T
}SuperNova 136k Adven snova.zip Free 1 B D N/A T'
}Beyond the Titanic 93k Adven titanic.zip Free 1 N/A D N/A T'
From 3D Realms:
Name Size Genre Filename Price Ep Ver OS Med Gph
---- ---- ----- -------- ----- -- --- -- --- ---
}Shadow Warrior 12941k 3DAct 3dsw12.zip $34.95 3 1.2 D c S~
Duke Nukem 3D 5911k 3DAct 3dduke13.zip $49.95 3 1.3d D c S*"~
Terminal Velocity 3955k 3DSho 3dtv12.zip $39.95 3 1.2 D c S*=
} From Pinball Wizards:
}Name Size Genre Filename Price Ep Ver OS Med Gph
}---- ---- ----- -------- ----- -- --- -- --- ---
}Balls of Steel 14028k Pinba bossw11.exe $29.95 5 1.1 95 c S~
From id, resold by Apogee:
Name Size Genre Filename Price Ep Ver OS Med Gph
---- ---- ----- -------- ----- -- --- -- --- ---
Spear of Destiny N/A 3DAct [none] $29.95 1 1.4 D d V+~
Commander Keen: Aliens... N/A Plat [none] N/A 1 1.4 D d E+*^'
+ - Spear of Destiny is a commercial piece of software by FormGen Corporation,
now owned by GT Interactive. id Software wrote it, and FormGen
distributes it. Apogee only resells this title. There is a demo
available from FormGen for this game, but since it is not an Apogee
title, Apogee does not distribute the demo.
- Commander Keen: Aliens Ate My Babysitter was also a commercial piece of
software by FormGen but has been discontinued. Therefore, Apogee cannot
resell this game any longer.
- Blake Stone: Planet Strike is also distributed by FormGen but written
by Apogee. However, since this is Apogee's own game, it is still
available for purchase. There is no demo or shareware version of this
game.
* - There is an optional CGA mode in Paganitzu.
- There are CGA versions of Keen: Galaxy and Keen: Aliens.
- There is a "Monster Bash Lite" version of this game, which contains the
first three levels of the shareware episode. Apogee does not distribute
this version anymore, but it is still legal to pass around. If it still
exists on an FTP site or BBS, its filename will probably be "1mblite.zip"
("#1mblite.zip" in some online forums).
- There are several versions of Rise of the Triad available. The regular
registered, no longer sold by Apogee, was $29.95 and contained 32 regular
levels and 30 comm-bat zones. The power pack add-on, which is still sold
for the people who bought the regular registered back when it was
available contains 10 extra comm-bat zones, a random level generator, and
BMP and WAV files from the game. Super Triad, still sold, costs $34.95
and contains everything in the regular registered, plus the power pack,
plus more BMP and WAV files, plus some extra Apogee shareware games.
The Site License version costs $89.95, includes 10 more comm-bat zones, a
signed site license agreement, and eleven command cards. For people to
play a networked game using the registered version, each member must have
either their own registered versions, or a site license version owned
among them.
- The shareware Terminal Velocity version 1.0 does not contain SVGA support.
- The regular registered version of Duke Nukem 3D v1.3d, no longer sold by
3D Realms but still available in retail, was $39.95 and also contained
the complete registered versions of Duke Nukem I and II. The Atomic
Edition, which costs $49.95, and the Plutonium PAK upgrade, which costs
$19.95 and upgrades the regular registered version to the Atomic Edition,
does not contain Duke Nukem I or II.
' - The registered versions of these games are no longer sold. See the
section on games no longer sold for further information.
" - There is an add-on to "Duke Nukem 3D" called the "Plutonium PAK" which
upgrades the game to "Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition." The Atomic Edition
is either version 1.4 or 1.5 of Duke Nukem 3D. Included in the Plutonium
PAK upgrade is a new episode, a new weapon, three new monsters, and new
cinematics. It is available for $19.95 and requires a previously
installed registered version 1.3d of Duke Nukem 3D. Or, you can buy
Duke Nukem 3D and the Plutonium PAK at the same time for $49.95.
- In addition, GT Interactive (not Apogee/3D Realms) distributes "The
Kill-A-Ton Collection," which has everything Duke in it. It has the
full versions of Duke Nukem I, II, 3D, and 3D: Atomic, plus miscellaneous
add-ons.
^ - The full titles of the Keen games are "Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy!,"
"Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons," and "Commander Keen: Aliens
Ate My Babysitter."
- Alien Carnage used to be known as "Halloween Harry."
- The shareware episode of Rise of the Triad is also known as "Rise of the
Triad: The HUNT Begins;" the registered episodes are also known as "Rise
of the Triad: Dark War."
} - The full title of the Blake Stone games are "Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold"
} and "Blake Stone: Planet Strike." Often the latter is simply referred
} to as "Planet Strike."
} - The full title of Raptor is "Raptor: Call of the Shadows."
} - The full title of XenoPhage is "XenoPhage: Alien Bloodsport."
` - These games contain some measure of graphic violence and may be
unsuitable for young game players.
- Boppin v1.0 has an option to minimize the violence somewhat. Boppin v1.1
does not have violent content unless a command line parameter is given.
(See the cheats section.)
~ - While these games contain graphic violence, there are password
protectable violence settings.
= - The file specifications for Rise of the Triad are available as
ROTSPEC1.ZIP in any official Apogee area.
- RTSMaker, a RemoteRidicule sound editor for Rise of the Triad, is
available as RTSMAKR2.ZIP in any official Apogee area.
- There is a set of "rejected" levels for ROTT available as ROTT_REJ.ZIP.
- There is a set of four levels specially created by Apogee for a contest
at a college in Ohio is available as OHIORTC.ZIP.
- There's a Dwango client for Terminal Velocity, available as TVDWANGO.ZIP,
which allows you to play Terminal Velocity on a Dwango network. The
Dwango client software is included in all versions of TV 1.2 and the
registered version of 1.1. This separate client is only necessary if you
have a version of TV different from one of these.
- An executable for the registered version of Terminal Velocity optimized
for the S3 Virge chipset video cards is available as TVREG_S3.ZIP. It
requires the registered version of the game and an S3 Virge video card.
It is distributed by Terminal Reality, Inc., and not by 3D Realms.
- The MOD music files used in Terminal Velocity are available as TVMODS.ZIP.
- An early beta version of Duke Nukem 3D, released purely for the curious
amusement of the game's fans, was released as LAMEDUKE.ZIP.
--
At-A-Glance Film Reviews: +----------------------------------+
http://www.rinkworks.com/movies/ | ...He that heareth my word, and |
Computer Stupidities: | believeth on him that sent me, |
http://www.rinkworks.com/stupid/ + hath everlasting life... Jn 5:24 +
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From: s...@christa.unh.edu (The Rink) Subject: Apogee FAQ v6.3, part 1/3 Date: 1998/06/21 Message-ID: <6mjp1r$110@mozz.unh.edu> X-Deja-AN: 364776944 Organization: University of New Hampshire Newsgroups: alt.games.apogee,comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.misc MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit