The Daily Hot Dog

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An e-zine covering Computer Games, Websites, and just about anything else.

The Daily Hot Dog (TDHD) is a division of Surfing Hot Dog Co. (SHDC).

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Executive Editor - Alex Dodge

Managing Editor - Michael Kelly

Reporters:
Alex Dodge
Chris Remmel
Michael Kelly
Michael Weaver

Archive of: December 2000

News Year's Eve! 12/31/00

Well, although there isn't much activity on the site, happy new year! Woohoo...happy... Tomorrow this month goes to the archives, so chances are no one will read this :)

Review, Update. 12/22/00

I've made a little change to the nav bar (the "SHDC" and "Archive" buttons now are rollovers), and I've made another small half-baked website review.

Planet Rainbow Six, www.planetrainbowsix.com
by Michael Kelly

Planet Rainbow Six is pretty much what it sounds like: it's a resource center for everything Rainbow 6 ("R6")- or Rogue Spear ("RS")-related. It has an archive of mods and strategies, as well as many opinion columns relating to R6 and RS. It also has a small collection of RS and R6 screenshots, and links to sites with tutorials explaining how to create mods and armpatches for RS and R6.

The sites has far more information on it than I have looked over, but what I've seen is very good. There really isn't much more to say about the site. If you have — or are interested in — Rainbow 6/Rogue Spear, give this site a look.

Screenshots:
None. Just visit the freakin' site.

Links:
PlanetRainbowSix: Woah, where'd this one come from?

Rolln', rollin', rollin', rollin'! 12/19/00

Weehoo! We're on a roll! Another review! This one's from Chris Remmel! Read on and enjoy!

God of Thunder
by Chris Remmel

God of Thunder is an adventure game. Other than that, it's hard to classify it. Brought to you from the people who made the best-selling shareware game "Jetpack," God of Thunder is no less excellent.

The plot of the game is: you are Thor, the God of Thunder, and you are out to stop your evil brother Loki, the God of Mischief, and his allies, Jormangund, the Midgard Serpent, and Nognir, Prince of the Underworld (Whooooo).

The way you play is, you move around using the arrow keys, and you destroy monsters and solve puzzles using magic and your Boomerang Hammer.

Eventually, in each episode (there are three, one for each baddie), you make it to a town. You do not kill the people in the town. Why? Because

a) You lose points, and

b) Odin, the king of the Gods, gets annoyed.

I know you are all dying to get your hands on episode one, but wait! There is an added bonus! God of Thunder was recently released as freeware! You can get episodes two and three free! Now go out there and have fun! Get it at the company site at www.adeptsoftware.com.

Screenshots:
odin.gif: The big guy, explaining things.
skunkapple.gif: Kill the skunks! Say, what's with the apple?
Town.gif: Be kind to the locals.

Not-weekend edition! 12/18/00

Well, howdy y'all! Another report, from my good friend and superior, Executive Editor Alex Dodge! My sources tell me that there's a Rogue Spear Demo review on its way, too ;)

Deathlace
by Alex Dodge

Okay... Where to start... Deathlace is an Avara level set by me... It's basically a repackaging of a level from one of my other sets (Hats) plus a few new versions of it... There are four levels in this set, Missile Madness, Missile Madness II, AS Missile Madness and Missile Madness 0.5. The first level, Missile Madness, is the level that was taken from Hats. It has 9 pillars arranged 3 by 3. The edges of the level are enclosed by a glass wall. The gravity is also set to slightly lower than 1G. The middle pillar has four ramps leading up to it (Note: Really pretty ramps), there is a goody up there that will fill up your missiles and grenades... It's very pretty, but the lack of abundant goodies makes game play slow and boring...

Average Score: 3.0
Look: 4.0 Feel: 3.0
Playability: 2.0

The second level, Missile Madness II, is a brand-new level... It is basically Missile Madness with more goodies... The center left, center right, center top and center down pillars now have goodies on them... This helps to solve the problem of slow game play, but doesn't solve it all together. I'm working on a possible Missile Madness III... So, this level gets:

Average Score: 3.5
Look: 4.0
Feel: 3.0
Playability: 3.5

The third level is AS Missile Madness. This is Missile Madness II set up so you can play it with Aftershock. {BIG IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't try to load this level with normal Avara, it'll crash. It doesn't have the bsps you need to play this one in normal Avara. That's my theory...} Anyway, there are four clip goodies and the goody on the pillar is now a med. kit... Because of the more advanced weapons in Aftershock, the slow game play that has been plaguing Missile Madness levels has been solved, due to the one shot, one kill-ness of Aftershock.

Average Score: 4.0
Look: 4.0
Feel: 3.0
Playability: 5.0

The fourth and final level is Missile Madness 0.5... When I was putting together Deathlace, I found some old Claris Works files for the prerelease of Hats (the original level set). So, I threw one of those in for fun... It's done away with the see-through walls because this was before I know how to make them... The whole level has the feel of a very cramped level because of this... The ramps leading up to the center are less elaborate and thus easier to get up... This plus the fact that there are some polygon errors in the level (Avara has problems with walls if they're 700 meters high... That's one of the reasons I went with the invisible ones.) makes me give it:

Average Score:1.0
Look: 1.0
Feel: 0.5
Playability: 1.5

So, the average score for this level set is... About 2.8 outa 5.0... But, you really don't NEED to play them all... Just the ones you like... Umm... I should probably make a rating for the whole level set, huh... Okay...

Average Score: 2.8
Look: 4.3
Feel: 3.1
Playability: 2.0
Splat Rating: 0.001 (These are robots blasting at each other! You can get higher splat rating watching tennis championships...)

Well, that's it! I'll see 'ya all later!

Screenshots:
mma1.gif: A hector on top of the middle pillar.
mmb1.gif: A shot of 0.5 showing the layout...
mmc1.gif: A shot showing the new goodies in Missile Madness II...
mmd1.gif: A shot showing the clip and med. kit goodies in Missile Madness AS...
mmd2.gif: A hector is scanning the area for enemies in ASMM...
mmd3.gif: A better shot of the clip goody in ASMM...

Links:
Avara.org: The place for Avara stuff...
Ambrosiasw.com: The guys who made Avara...
aftershock.avara.org: The place for Aftershock stuff...
homepage.mac.com/alexdodge/main.html: My page... I mean, the page of the people who made Deathlace...

Weekend Edition! 12/16/00

I don't know if it's unusual to have weekend editions, but why not? Here's my much-put-off Rainbow Six review. I didn't break Alex's record of 20 screenshots in one review, but I came close ;)

Game Review: Rainbow 6
by Michael Kelly

Rainbow 6 is a rather hard game to explain. It appears to be a straight shooter, and yet it requires strategic thinking that rivals that of StarCraft. The backstory is also excellent, since the game was designed around Tom Clancy's novel of the same name.

In R6, you are a member of an international anti-terrorist organization (ooh, long words) called, fittingly enough, RAINBOW ("6" refers to the title of the team leader). You must choose from 20 operatives, each with their own specialty, and organize them into fire teams. You then plan out the entire mission beforehand: There is a map of the level, complete with approximate locations of tangos (terrorists) and other important objects such as security stations, alarms, etc. You use the map to set paths of waypoints for your teams to follow. To get your teams to do what you want, you can tell them to perform certain tasks at each waypoint, such as waiting for a go-code (a good way to get all your teams into position so they can all storm a building at once), clearing rooms, breaching doors, etc. You can either control one team personally or use "full watch" mode, where you just observe your computer-controlled teams carry out your plans.

Although any operative can do anything any other operative can do, each specializes in one field, such as assault, recon, electronics, etc. Most of the time, though, an assault specialist with some spcial equipment (like an electronics or lockpick kit) does just fine.

You can equip each operative with a primary weapon, a secondary weapon, and two special items. Primary weapons are what the operatives will use in most firefights. They range from small semi-automatic weapons such as the MP5 to full-blown assault rifles like the M-16. Secondary weapons are pistols, and so are used only in special situations (or when your primary weapon runs out of ammo). Special items can be a host of different things like stun grenades, lockpick kits, or primary or secondary ammo clips.

The levels in R6 are true masterpieces. They are quite detailed and fit each mission well. The only big downside is that most missions follow the same formula: run in, save the hostages, and get everyone back out alive. It's a fun formula, but it does get old.

The actual combat in R6 varies a bit, but not as much as it could. Almost all missions are in tight urban settings (which is realistic). There is only one outdoor-only mission, and once you've played 10 missions of predominantly room-to-rom combat, it's very refreshing. But for the most part, combat is an exercise in extremes. You move slowly, trying to get into a good position, and when you see someone, you open fire. Most firefights are over in about 2 seconds, and you can resume sneaking around. However, in those 2 seconds, half your team can easily be killed if you didn't plan correctly.

No game is truly complete without a multiplayer mode. Rainbow 6 succeeds in this category with flying colors. You can play online with up to (I think) 16 players in co-op or adversarial modes. In co-op, you (you guessed it!) cooperate with other players on several maps to achieve preset objectives. In adversarial, you fight other players in several different modes, the most popular being free-for-all and team games. As with any 3D game, lag is an issue, and can lead to "lag fights" (players running around like mad shooting wildly at each other, yet missing due to heavy lag).

But assuming you have a low-lag host and a fast machine, multiplayer Rainbow 6 is awesome. Unlike traditional shooters, you DO have to change clips, and yes Rambo, that does take time. Another thing that sets multiplayer R6 away from Quake III or Unreal Tournament is deciding who to shoot — literally. While team games are "gold vs. blue", the blue team doesn't run around in blue jumpsuits. Each team uses different uniforms, but these vary from map to map, and are NOT related to the team color. For instance, blue team might use a plain tan uniform and gold a tan-camo uniform. This, combined with the fact that when you die, you STAY dead, adds a definite sense of realism to the game.

Overall, R6 is a very different brand of game that is truly in a genre of its own. It has an expansion pack, Eagle Watch, that adds new operatives, new weapons, and new levels. If you have a PC, you can also get Rainbow 6's stand-alone sequel, Rogue Spear (which also has an expansion pack: Urban Operations). The Mac version of Rogue Spear (complete with Urban Ops) is comming out "soon". Additionally, you can get a load of mods. As with any game, they range from the insanly stupid ("the big farting gun") to the breathtaking (like ITF: can you say 150+ new weapons???).

If you have the machine to handle it (the game isn't all that new, so most modern machines should have no problem), I definitely recommend this title.

Platforms: Macintosh, Windows, several consoles.

Overall Rating: 4.5
Graphics: 5.0
Replay Value: 3.5
Multiplayer: 4.75
Expandability: 3.0
System Requirements: 2.5 (rather heavy).
Splat Rating: 4.0 (not overboard violence like Q3 or UT, but it's realistic).

Links:
RedStorm.com: Homepage for RedStorm Entertainment, publishers of Rainbow 6.
Planet Rainbow Six: A good Rainbow 6 site.
MacOps: Rainbow 6: A Mac Rainbow 6 site. Go here to get the Mac version of ITF.
RainbowSix.net: Well, what can I say? Go here for the PC version if ITF.

Screenshots:
ChoosingPeople.gif: Choosing your operatives.
DeadTeam.gif: This is what happens if you fail to plan correctly.
Equip_Screen.gif: Choosing your weapons and equipment.
FireFight.gif: A firefight ending favorably.
Lose_Screen.gif: This is what happens when you lose.
Plan_Screen.gif: This is where you'll spend most of your time.
Sniping.gif: One shot to the head and this guy's history...
Stealth.gif: Sometimes stealth beats brawn.
StealthMission.gif: The mission briefing screen.
TangoDown.gif: Another firefight.
WhatHappenedHere.gif: Close-quarters combat entails very high casualties.
InMySights.jpg: Using a dedicated sniper rifle from the ITF mod, I get ready to take my shot...
TakenOut.gif: ...I take my time, and *pop*. One shot, one kill.
SecurityBreach.gif: 3 terrorists posing as security guards are taken out.
AreaSecure.gif: Successful forced entry (that's a muzzle flash, not my head exploding).

Stuff. 12/15/00

Well, we're still all alive and well, but I have been getting too lazy to make reports. I'm sort of busy working on a report for school, but the weekend's coming up, so I think I'll try to make that promised Rainbow 6 report. No. Really this time! No, I mean it! I do! :) But, in the mean time, here's a quick little website report:

As the Apple Turns, http://www.appleturns.com/
by Michael Kelly

As the Apple Turns, otherwise known as AtAT, is a news site dedicated to Apple-related news. They aren't quite as biased as some other sites -- in fact they make fun of Apple more than anyone else. The entire site is modeled after the MacOS 8 interface, and I am extremely impressed with its accuracy. It also has a "preferences" section that allows you, the user, to customize how you view the site, by setting such things as the background, text color, window tinting, and text size.

What sets AtAT apart from the other Mac news sites is its great sense of humor. While you can get some information on the site, it is unwise to actually believe any of it. However, if you're looking for a good laugh, come here. Where else would you find a poll asking what would be the most appropriate Christmas card to send to Steve Jobs?

The ony real downside to the AtAT is that it's sort of a niche site (if you use a Windows machine, do you really care what Steve Jobs had for breakfast today?), and its content is rather repetitive. But in my opinion, it's a worth a look.

Average Rating: 4.75
Layout: 5
Originality: 5
Content: 4
Eye-Candy Factor: 5

Woah... 12/3/00

Well, I've been changing the site configuration around a bit, trying to get it to look good and work in both IE and Netscape. I think I have it now...I think...as always, email me to tell me which things I missed (I imagine I forgot to change the IMG tags -- the ones that control images -- somewhere in the site)...

Once I get the new site construction off the ground, I should have finally make that Rainbow 6 report :)

Ch-ch-ch-changes! 12/1/00

Ok...lotta stuff to 'splain. First off, this is Michael Kelly. As you see, the site has gone through a giant face lift (at least I think it looks a little better). I've also been apointed the new editor and webmaster by Alex. He is still in control of the overall operation, but I do the daily (oh, we can dream, can't we?) work. So, send your reports to me (jedimike@mac.com). I'm trying to stay as true to the original design as possible. Tell me what you think, and please tell me about any suggestions you may have -- this isn't my site, I'm just here to webmaster it! It's still under the jurisdiction of Surfing Hot Dog Co.

Before the change, I asked Alex if we could deversify, and he agreed. Not only can we rate websites and games, but we can make fun of celebrities, politicians, and anyone else who doesn't know where we live ;) So, if anyone even cares anymore, send in stuff...I sure don't care if it's good...it just has to have little marks organized into words, sentences, and paragrahs...