1st February 2001I don't want to whinge but I wonder if I am alone in thinking EUG #55 was just a bit immature... Still stuck with PAGE at &1D00 on my Electron setup, I couldn't see the two new games. Without them, the balance of the mag seemed 'off': a review of a game about going to the toilet, a news article expounding the virtues of a piece of pornography (Weren't female readers offended?) and someone, appropriately, "weird" trying to be funny (and failing miserably in my opinion) by negativing Germans!
Since that foul mouthed DANCING CARTMAN demo, I've sensed a decline in standards and am starting to wonder how much lower EUG will sink. A second issue is the abundance of games appearing on the disk, to the exclusion of all else. Another Bomber clone was too quick [After EUG #45, I expect he means - Ed] and Powerball was far too slow to be playable also. I can't criticise too heavily (as I only just about know how to print my name on the screen) but I would prefer textual information on the BBC scene (e.g. suppliers, their standards of service, discounts, where and how to find them as well as how to program new ideas, e.g. Artificial Intelligence - can this be implemented on an Electron?) to old typed in programs from books and magazines!
The Adventures section is another point. I don't play them and most of the text has just been swiped off the world wide web anyway. A simple list of links to where we could read it would suffice in my opinion.
Finally, what's happened to everyone's Christmas spirit? I forgave EUG last year for not coming up with any yuletide goodies because it was changing hands but now we've had two years without our micros singing "'Tis the season to be jolly!" - a screen saying Merry Christmas and Happy New Year would've been nice.
On the plus side, the menu system and many of the articles on EUG are very informative. I gather the last disk was full to bursting. When I tried to save my "Configure Menu" options, I got the "Compaction Required" error and had to *COMPACT the disk to be able to continue!
Sorry if this is a bit tough on you, Mr Editor, but the last EUG was really precariously 'on the line' in its claims to be a "family" mag. Not that I won't stop subscribing - I do realise only what gets sent in can be published. But can readers think about raising it from bog-standard gaming news to something a little more intellectual?
PS. Loving the BRAINTEASERS series!
Simon Ellis
Take note that after my subscription expires, I shall not be renewing it.
Mr J. Dobbin
I was miffed to get these letters after EUG #55 went out, especially as they hail from very long-standing readers of the magazine. However, the selection of articles Mr Ellis quotes is, at best, selective.
Although we haven't actually had any female readers since at least EUG #43 (when I took over), the news report on RAPE OF THE ALECTRO MODULE was meant to be an expression of enthusiasm for a new group producing demos for the BBC series rather than "extolling the virtues of pornography". Perhaps reading this then the Whoopsy review and then the letter from "Weird" Ian did give an unfortunate impression but this was an accidental by-product of the way EUG works.
Practically everything which is sent to EUG makes it into the next magazine since it's reasoned this allows others to enjoy, improve or comment on it. The news and letters must be up-to-date to facilitate this flow of information; and if the letters refer to particular games that have been submitted, it follows that these must be included too. The version of Bomber produced by James Watson, and detailed in his letter, did differ in some respects from the one published in EUG #45. Speed and sprite-size are very different.
Every few issues EUG publishes an updated CONTACTS column, detailing web pages and businesses that still supply BBC-related products and EUG has featured Supplier Reviews before. The market however is, of course, very small (Probably only a tiny fraction higher than the EUG membership - around 60 at time of writing) so it comes down to readers themselves to contribute documentation of their experiences with such contacts. And despite adding your appeal to all of mine, I suspect no-one will.
The high number of games, adventures, solutions and reviews on the EUG disk stems from the fact that the Electron was always primarily a games' machine. Now that there seems no need to worry over copyright issues (David Bradforth excepted!) on most software titles, it is handy to have some commercial tape games recoded onto disk systems. The same goes for adventures. Solutions, all of which are tried and tested several times before being published, offer once and for all the answers to those infuriating problems. As sometimes noted in the text accompanying them, the "Haven" solution may have been compiled from an earlier one in a magazine or from the internet. However, they are very rarely "swiped" because the number of 'bad' solutions constantly amazes me. Electron User is a particular abuser: faults lying with proof-readers and page-setters are most to blame for these being a nightmare to follow. Finally the Reviews section may usually be concerned with games but there has been much more praise for it than the rest of the magazine put together.
Apologies for the disk problem and lack of anything Christmassy about the last issue. Is this a complaint shared by any other readers? If so, an EUG Christmas Special may be considered for the end of 2001.
The BRAINTEASERS are proving quite popular and you can purchase a disk committed to the Genevieve Ludinski puzzles from EUG HQ. Take a look at the review this issue!
Dave E, EUG #56
