Last chance to join PBEM playtest for start of game From: Central Admin <gsf@ftech.net> Date: Sat, 30 Mar 1996 00:00:00 +0000 Play by Email Playtest - Playtesters needed, new game starting shortly. New Playtesters are sought to participate in a Play by Email playtest of the Timelapse Game. Participation in the playtest is free. This playtest of the Timelapse Game will be starting at the beginning of a game to test out the new Windows turn display and inputting program. To play the game players need to have access to FTP to download the rules and program files. (Commercial games in the UK of the Timelapse PBM game are run for paper and disk players by Allsorts PBM Games, post@allsorts.demon.co.uk) In the Timelapse game you play a character stranded on a bronze age world and use your skill and diplomacy to forge an empire and gather the scattered parts of your spacecraft, some of which can be used to enhance the fighting abilities of your bronze age allies. Periodically Timeshifts occur that shift you, and the parts of your spacecraft, forward in time. Each game has up to 50 players and up to 450 non player characters, as well as armies, tribes, firms (from the 5th Time period), Settlements, hillfort & castles. Players receive their turn by email, which is then unzipped by the program, updating the game database on your PC. Players can input their turn commands while viewing their maps, their characters activities & that of their allies as well as game league tables. Players then email their turn file back to be processed. The program will UUencode the turn file for you which you insert into an email and send to gsf@ftech.net. The full rulebooklet, as a Windows Help file, can be downloaded from the ftp site mentioned below. The next game will be starting this weekend and free places are still available. If you are interested in taking part in this extended playtest please feel free to download the rules from the ftp site below. To join the playtest send an email to gsf@ftech.net with PLAYTEST in the subject line of your email. Timelapse Game description Turnaround : 7 day Players per game : 50 Game type : Tribal/Strategy/Empire building Turn cost : Free (currently in playtest) Game interface : Windows GUI Computer required : PC with Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 Internet access required : FTP to download rules and program files. Email for turns Game rules : ftp.ftech.co.uk pub\games\PBM\tlaphelp.zip (Windows help file) Sampler DOS GUI program : ftp.ftech.co.uk pub\games\PBM\tlapse.zip Email contact : gsf@ftech.net N.B the DOS GUI program is being phased out as it cannot give the scrolling maps in the Windows version, but you are welcome to download it to get a flavour of the game. Up