CompuNotes
Notes from The Cutting Edge of Personal Computing
August 29, 1997
Issue 95

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CONTENTS
My Notes:
1=> Thanks for the help!, mailto:pgrote@i1.net
2=> Virtual Business News!
3=> This Issue's Winner!

Reviews:
4=> Product: Hyperblade - game/action
Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com
5=> Product: Java Network Programming by Elliotte Rusty Harold - book/java
Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com
6=> Product: ProCD Select Street Atlas 2.0 for Windows - utility/mapping
Reviewed By: Mike Gallo, mailto:gallomike@aol.com
7=> Product: Theme Hospital - game/action
Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com

--- BEGIN ISSUE

1=> Thanks for the Help!, mailto:pgrote@i1.net

A couple of issues back I asked for help on three topics. First was how to have Windows 95 automatically log me into my Windows NT Domain. Many readers lamented there was no possible way as this was a function of NT security. Two people pointed me to TWEAKUI by Microsoft. This is a great utility I had looked at once and discarded. It is full of neat little tricks you can have Windows 95 do, including logging you into your domain automatically. To download TWEAKUI point your browser to
<http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/info/powertoys.htm>

The next question I asked was whether there was a way to force Internet Explorer to open a new window silently when I right click on a link and say OPEN IN NEW WINDOW. Alas, no one had a solution. Someone suggested this was inconsistent with Windows 95 designs. Why can't it silently open it for me? Windows 95 is capable of spawning applications without making the windows it is running in the current window.

The third question was by far the most responded to. I asked if anyone knew of a little utility that would alert me when web pages change. Answers ranged from the NETMINDER service to IE 4.0. Not exactly little. I settled on Internet Fast Find by Symantec.

Thanks for all your help!

2=> Virtual Business News!, mailto:pgrote@i1.net

Believe me when I say I get a ton of mail. Most of it is caused by my inability to say "no" to cool sounding email newsletters. I've been a long time reader of Virtual Business News and want to share it with you!

VBN is one of those publications I can't wait to get each week. I know when you subscribe it will quickly turn into the same for you. 

The information for joining:

VirtualBusiness.News       "Hard core 'How-To' for Small Business"

Improve cash flow, reduce expenses, save time, money and headaches. If you're a businessperson who wants practical info to help boost your productivity and profits without a lot of hype, VBNews is for you. Software reviews, networking tips, and feature articles about every phase of business, from people who've been there. No theory. No bizopps. And no trouble finding the articles between the ads.

Subscribe Today! Send any email to mailto:VBNews@just-business.com

3=> Winner!
This week's winner: mstoico@METLIFE.COM.

4=> Product: Hyperblade - game/action
Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com
Requirements: Pentium-90, Win95, 16 MB RAM, 2x CDROM, SVGA graphics, sound card
MSRP: $49.95

Someone recently complained that the reviewers for CompuNotes have a tendency to rate products too highly; while I can't speak for the other reviewers, I do know that nearly all of the products I've reviewed are superb and deserve the praise I heap on them. Only occasionally does a turkey come along, and I'll admit that I do try to find at least some redeeming quality in the product and not trash it entirely. Such was the case with Hyperblade. At its heart, Hyperblade is a cool-looking, fast-action sports game that has BIG HIT written all over it. Unfortunately, this cool-looking, fast-action sports game is burdened with the single worst interface I've seen for a game yet. One can only hope that Activision and Wiz Bang software will only listen and fix the interface and give people the game that they could truly love.

In essence, Hyperblade is a futuristic hockey game set inside an enclosed "drome"; there are only three players per side (including the goalie) and two substitutes. Unlike NHL Hockey, there are very few "fights"; however, players can do nasty things to their opponents including decapitate them! The player views the drome from the perspective of just behind the active athlete; if you pass the ball or are chasing an opponent with the ball the game will switch you automatically to the other athlete. Besides the goals and the players, each drome contains a number of objects like score multipliers, hurdles, ramps, and turnstiles. Turnstiles are rather nifty and nasty; fly through one and the opponent behind you flies right into the swirling razor blades. Ouch! Just like hockey, games are for three periods, with the highest scoring team the winner (ties are allowed). If a player dies during a period he can't be replaced during the period; substitutions are apparently only allowed while the player is still alive.

Graphically, Hyperblade comes in two flavors: standard 256-color and 3-D graphics enhanced. By all means play with the 3-D enhanced version if you can, since it offers the best looking athletes and drome objects. However, the 3-D version does require more horsepower than just the minimum required for the game; I can't say exactly how much but can tell you that Hyperblade ran smooth as can be on my P-166 with the Nitro 3D graphics card. Athletes for the various teams come decked out in their team colors; sadly there is no way to customize these colors to suit your own tastes. Otherwise, everything looks terrific and runs at a great framerate; this is definitely a game designed for high speed play.

There are three choices for gameplay - exhibition, gauntlet, and multi-player. Multiplayer games are with three human opponent (two per side) over a LAN; currently Hyperblade supports neither modem or Internet play (although an update is rumored to be in the works). Only the host computer needs the CDROM in order to play, so it is possible for you to get four people together to play Hyperblade and they don't all have to own a copy. Exhibition games are just that - one game against the opponent of your choice. The Gauntlet involves the player choosing a team and then facing off against all of the other teams (15 in all); any players lost during the gauntlet are lost permanently, so you have to extra careful with your team during gauntlet play. Each team has a distinct personality and style of play which the athletes are geared towards; keep that in mind when choosing who you will be so that they suit your style of play. Unfortunately athlete attributes can not be altered, leaving you to play with what you choose.

So far Hyperblade sounds like a decent game, right? Now comes the bad part - the interface. For some unknown reason, Hyperblade is played from the keyboard and not the joystick or mouse. The player uses the arrow keys to move and the selects various keys to carry out several commands (like substitutions, or passing, or taking a shot). No problem, except that there are a few too many commands- tough to remember what key to hit when everything is happening so fast. The problem comes with the various attacks that the player can use. The "S" key signals an auto attack or expert attack, and S+ the arrow keys gives you special attacks. You can also "double-tap" the arrow keys to jump, crouch, or punch to the side. Are you ready? Here he comes, now quick, double tap that left arrow key! Opps, you tapped too slowly and the computer interpreted it as a single tap and headed left, now he's on the right! Argh!!!!!!! No joystick support - double argh!!!! This is a game - like most action games - that screams for a gamepad; it seems very weird for Activision to leave it out. The keyboard is a poor interface for this game; one wonders whether this game was play tested or not, since surely someone would have pointed this out. One general rule for games to be successful is that they should be easy to learn, tough to win. Hyperblade is both - and that makes for a bad game. Fix the interface, add Internet play, and this could be a terrific game; till then I have a hard time recommending Hyperblade.

Activision
<http://www.activision.com>

Installation: Gold
User-Friendliness: DNF (Did Not Finish)
Quality: Bronze
User: Action sports games fans with a tolerance for a bad interface.

5=> Product: Java Network Programming by Elliotte Rusty Harold - book/java
Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com
MSRP: $34.95

Java Network Programming is the latest in a series of books published by O'Reilly & Associates covering advanced Java programming topics. Despite covering an advanced topic, is also the most coherent, well-written book on Java programming that I have read. That says a lot, because I've covered quite a few books on Java for CompuNotes, as well as purchased some on my own. If O'Reilly recruited Elliotte Harold to write all of their Java books they would easily have the best series on Java, bar none!

Elliotte Harold does maintain the Cafe Au Lait web site at http://sunsite.unc.edu/javafaq/, which is a tremendous resource for information about Java and Java programming. Harold is also the author of the Java Developer's Resource, published by Prentice Hall. Weighing in at 442 pages, Java Network Programming is not slender, but nevertheless makes for fast reading thanks to the author's conversational style. Although Elliotte considers it a prerequisite that the reader be knowledgeable about the basics of Java programming, he takes the standpoint that the reader is not an expert at either Java or networked computers.

Elliotte Harold's style of writing is conversational while at the same time technical; this is to say that while he covers very advanced topics he does it in such a way that even inexperienced readers can follow along. If you have ever heard the great Stephen Hawking talk or read one of his books, you will understand exactly what I mean. You sit there reading about something you think of as daunting and impossible to understand(either network programming or advanced physics), and you say to yourself, "Holy cow, I understand this!" The first three chapters of the book hardly mention Java at all; instead they give the reader a basic knowledge of network communications, the Internet, and in particular the nitty-gritty of the World Wide Web and how browsers communicate with web servers. It is essential that the reader understand this reasonably well before proceeding to write Java applets or applications that can run over a network.

From there the remaining 12 chapters are progressive, introducing one topic after another but always building on what was learned before. One rather interesting new idea I've not seen before should be adapted by other programming authors: at the end of each chapter Elliotte presents entire programs that illustrate the principles learned in the chapter. This is unique because the usual practice is to present only snippets of code, making it difficult for the reader to really see how the code works in real life. Actual programs serve to not only show the reader how the concept is meant to function but also can give inspiration for programs that the reader themselves might create. For this reason alone the book is a treasure; combined with Elliotte's writing the book becomes a classic.

Why do network programming with Java? Simple - that is what Java is designed for! If you've done much web browsing with a Java-enabled browser you have most likely come across Java applets on the Web; for the most part these consist of animation or widgets like Ticker Tape texts (we even had a ticker tape applet on CompuNotes' main page for a while). But these widgets do not fulfill the true promise of Java: the ability for different computers to communicate with one another. In other words, so your PC- compatible can communicate with another user on a Macintosh, an OS/2 computer, or any other machine that can run a Java Virtual Machine (and new versions are appearing all the time -Microsoft has a beta that will run Java under Windows 3.1). Examples of things that you can do with Java programs over a network include communicating with databases stored on remote computers, agents that can search the web for information you wish to retrieve, content and protocol handlers. Content handlers function more or less like browser plug-ins/ActiveX controls, with the primary difference being that content handlers do not have to be installed prior to being used and are not stored on the client's machine, thereby saving valuable hard drive space. As of this writing, there is only one web browser capable of downloading content handlers - Sun's HotJava browser, which was finally released with very little fanfare back in April. Other browser manufacturer's including Netscape and Microsoft, however, are promising support.

While this book covers primarily version 1.0.2 of the Java Development Kit, it includes some information on version 1.1, especially on how 1.1 differs from 1.0.2 (1.1 was released in March, and is available for free from Javasoft's website at http://www.javasoft.com). For anyone interested in doing more with Java than creating nifty animations, this book is essential. It would also be a good book for anyone interested in writing any kind of program that will communicate over a network. Elliotte Harold's efforts are very impressive; one can only hope that we will see more from him in the future!

O'Reilly and Associates
<http://www.ora.com>
Author: <http://sunsite.unc.edu/javafaq/>

Installation/Ease of Use: Gold
User-Friendliness: Gold
Quality: Gold
Audience: Java Programmers, from novices to experts

6=> Product: ProCD Select Street Atlas 2.0 for Windows - utility/mapping
Reviewed By: Mike Gallo, mailto:gallomike@aol.com
Reviewed on: Pentium 100, 1GB HD, 16MB RAM, 4X CD-ROM, SVGA
Requires: 386SX, 4MB RAM, CD-ROM, SVGA, 7MB HD, Windows 3.1 or later
MSRP: $49.00

As the name implies, Select Street Atlas is a street level map program. The documentation states the program's database contains more than 30 million street segments and 500,00 geographic and man-made features such as parks, airports, and railroads. The database also contains more than 1 million travel and business destinations. More on this later.

The program starts out with a view of the entire United States. It looks just like a paper atlas you buy at a gas station. It has states, counties, zip code boundaries, interstate routes and much more. There are several ways to get around on the map. Merely clicking on the map will zoom it it a level. A drop down box on the tool bar allows users to quickly zoom to their desired level like state, city or street level. Yet another way to move around is with the overview screen which always stays a couple of levels higher that the main screen. A rectangle in the small screen indicates what is being shown in the main screen. This feature came in handy at the city level when I was viewing streets because the overview window could show a whole neighborhood while I was viewing a street in the main window.

An impressive feature for those new to an area are the places of business feature. A right mouse click on the map brings up a menu that allows you to select this feature. Once selected, the user is presented with a list of different types of businesses that can be marked on the map. The businesses includes banks, restaurants, hospitals, churches, gas stations, schools, and government buildings and many more too numerous to list here. Each business has its own unique symbol. Once selected, markers will appear all over your map to designate those businesses. Users can put the mouse pointer over the marker to find out the name of the place. A right mouse click on the marker will allows user to select further information from the menu. Select Street will give the full mailing address a phone number and an SIC code. A similar function is the yellow pages button. When clicked, a list is provided of all places on the current viewable part of the map. However, since the symbols on the map are small, it can be hard to find the business you selected. It sort of becomes the "Where's Waldo?" game.

Searching is quick and simple. Selecting the search icon from the toolbar brings up a tabbed menu to perform a search. Users can select different levels of searches, from state to city to a specific location. I typed in Fort Detrick which is just down the road from my home. The program quickly found the landmark and zoomed in so that Fort Detrick was in the middle of my screen.

Users can also get a guess about the distance between two points on a map using the distance measuring tool. This tool basically calculates a bird's path(ie a straight line). The measuring tool can measure multiple segments, so it is possible to get a fairly accurate estimate of what you would actually drive by going to the street level and tracing over the street or route carefully. This can get tedious however when large distances must be traversed.

Judging by the fact that the program came on two CDs, one for the eastern half of the U.S. and one for the western half, I thought surely that must mean it has a massive amount of information. Alas, I was disappointed when I could not find my street on the map. I know that my development is fairly new, but it's been around now for more than seven years. Surely by now it would get into someone's geographic database. I also could not find my employer's location on the map either. The street was cut off at a certain point. Come on folks, the place has been there for years!

Putting all of these features together, you can make your own slick looking map to provide directions to your friends when you invite them over for that pool party this summer. This assumes of course that your street is in fact on the map. Even if it's not, there are some simple drawing tools available so you can always draw in your own street. Print out the map, and your friends should never get lost finding your street again!

The overall performance on my computer was adequate. The screen updates were not instantaneous on my Pentium-100 machine. I think a faster CD-ROM drive would have made a difference in performance. 

Pro CD Inc.
<http://www.procd.com>

Ratings:
Installation: Gold - No hitches at all
Usability: Silver - Didn't have my home street, and I couldn't find my employer's place either.
Overall Rating: Silver - Good product. Easy to find what you're looking for. Business markers are great for folks new to an area or for checking out what schools are in the neighborhood.

7=> Product: Theme Hospital - games/action
Reviewed By: Doug Reed, mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com
Requirements: DOS/Win 95, 8 MB RAM, 2x CDROM, sound card, SVGA, 486/66
Tested on: Windows 95, 16 MB RAM, Pentium-166, Nitro 3D, sound card, 16x CDROM
MSRP: $49.95

Theme Hospital is the sequel to the enormously successful Theme Park, made by Bullfrog Productions. Odds are that you have heard of Bullfrog; they have been responsible for some of the more unusual and interesting computer games. Examples of Bullfrog's games include Populous, Powermonger, Magic Carpet, and Theme Park. The Theme series, much like the Populous series, is a god game; the player takes control of a hospital and is responsible for all aspects of running, improving, and maintaining the entire operation. The Theme series is very tongue-in-cheek; in Theme Hospital you will see patients suffering from Bloaty Head syndrome, Slack Tongue syndrome, and many other strange and exotic diseases. How do you cure Bloaty Head? Well, first you grab a pin, then you pop the head and re-inflate it to the proper size! In many ways Theme Hospital is not for those with queasy stomaches; in addition to the aforementioned head popping you will also see patients vomiting. If your tummy isn't bothered by such scenes and you're looking for a light-hearted, fast action strategy game, then Theme Hospital might be just the game for you.

The game starts with a very long and intricate movie depicting the hospital where you will be working; the characters are all done in a claymation type look that comes across as both graphically pleasing and humorous. This is followed by the appearance of your typical medical faculty, a rather frazzled looking Prof who pulls down a chart and points at it - by moving the pointer you can select where you want to go. If you select start a new game, another screen and by selecting options on the chart you can create the game you want. This was also where I ran into the only bug I saw in the game; I had no way to change the difficulty level! For some odd reason the scrollbars that were supposed to be there to allow you to select easy, medium, or hard were missing and you could only select medium. If this is your first game you can use the Tutorial mode, which includes on-screen instructions and help while you play. You can also select whether to play in high- or low-res mode. Once you have set your options the game displays a game board that shows your progress towards completing the game and gives you a mission briefing for your first hospital. The mission briefing lists your objectives - items like hospital reputation, patients treated, and money made.

The game itself is a quasi-three dimensional isometric perspective that is attractive while still remaining functional; you can't see quite everywhere, but you can see more than well enough to place objects where you need. The doctors and patients all move around in the little computer person shuffle; moving around from place to place sometimes with a purpose and sometimes almost aimlessly. Not that you will have much time for sight-seeing! As the hospital administrator you oversee all aspects of the hospital; from building rooms to hiring staff and filling hallways with sufficient seating, all while trying to keep costs down and both staff and patients happy. This forms the crux of the game - constantly striving to reach a balance whereby patients are treated and cured while costs are kept down. After a while you almost feel sorry for the real hospital administrators out there!

Once you have the basic game down, reaching this balance becomes easier; to counter this the game throws in some curveballs - epidemics and disasters such as Vomit Waves, Boiler Breakdowns, Earthquakes and Rats. At the end of each year you are given an appraisal; do well and you are promoted to run another hospital with a more difficult challenge; fail and you could be out of a job! An example of the amount of detail in the game comes from looking at what can happen during an epidemic. To counter an epidemic you have to hire a nurse whose sole job is to run around and vaccinate infected patients so it doesn't spread. While this is occurring, you have a couple of options - you can either declare an epidemic (bad for your reputation) or cover it up. If you attempt to cover it up you can be caught and the result is an even greater loss in reputation. Another example is that you must hire not only nurses and doctors but receptionists and handymen; handymen pick up the trash, water the plants, and more importantly, maintain the equipment you need to treat patients. At the same time that you are building your hospital, three other computer opponents are also building their's, and you often compete for both patients and staff.

The only knock that I have about Theme Hospital is that this is a game that is practically begging for a multi-player mode. The premise is already built right into the game: the competing computer opponents trying to steal your patients and staff. In this day and age when practically every game coming out has a tie to the Internet, this omission seems quite surprising. Not that Theme Hospital isn't fun - it most definitely is - but Bullfrog missed a good chance to elevate the game from merely good to great.

Theme Hospital is quite hectic and also quite a bit of fun. The gameplay is fast and furious and will keep you on your toes. This is definitely not a game for the squeamish, nor is it a game for those who are looking for something laid back and relaxing! A game of Theme Hospital can be quite invigorating, and you will definitely come out of it feeling challenged. Download the demo from Electronic Arts and get going! Thumbs up for Theme Hospital!

Bullfrog Productions, a division of Electronic Arts
<http://www.ea.com>
<http://www.bullfrog.com>

Installation: Gold
User-Friendliness: Gold
Quality: Silver
User: gamers who like to run it all

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Managing Editor: Patrick Grote -- mailto:pgrote@i1.net
Assistant Editor: Writer Liaison: Doug Reed--
mailto:dr2web@sprynet.com
Archives: ftp://ftp.uu.net/published/compunotes/
Website: <http://www.compunotes.com/main.html>
e-mail: mailto:notes@compunotes.com
fax: (314) 909-1662
voice: (314) 909-1662
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CompuNotes is: Available weekly via e-mail and on-line. We cover the
PC computing world with comprehensive reviews, news, hot web sites,
great columns and interviews. We also give away one software package a
week to a lucky winner for just reading our fine publication! Never
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the way it is! Please tell every on-line friend about us!
CompuNotes
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notes@compunotes.com
(C)1997 Patrick Grote
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END OF ISSUE
