**>> SPYNET BULLETIN **>> EARTHDATE 92.06.14 **>> AN H-by-A SERVICE **>> Compiled by Hazed plus a team of specialist newsdroids **>> your news and gossip and get paid good groats! **>> BUGS AND FIXES Bella is continuing to work on the Duke puzzle, so there's no visible new features in the game this week. She has, however, fixed a bug that has been around for a long time. The bug meant that when you received a very long display from the game - for exampl if you typed or - the message would be split somewhere in the middle. Not a terribly important problem, but rather aesthetically unpleasing. She's waved her magic wand over the code, or what it is she does in her control room, and lo and behold the bug has vanished! There's a catch to Bella's fix (isn't there always?). When you are spying o someone, you won't see the first half of any of these long displays, but sh assured us this will be fixed soon. Actually, we would have thought the las thing you want to see when spying is displays and boring stuff li that - the only reason to spy on someone is if you think they are doing something you can gossip about later! **>> DANGEROUS NEW TECHNOLOGY Earlier this week, Scientists at the Department of Naval Intelligence on Ea accidentally allowed a working model of their new cloaking device to be deployed around the Galaxy. The rogue invention prevented people from being able to see their ships on the landing pad, although they could see other people's. Obviously still some problems with this device! The DNI has refused to explain how the cloaking device became implemented w it is supposed to be a secret, and still under development, but we understa that they are advertising for new scientists to replace those that have "sa been forced to retire on the grounds of ill-health". **>> FUN NEW TECHNOLOGY The new command has, for the first time, enabled planet-owners t persuade Hazed and Cryptosporidium to tear themselves away from Chez Diesel visit other worlds. All you have to do is give them the address of the bar your planet, and they are only too happy to port over and be bought a drink Polar, Russ and Oddball can also now make use the porting facility. Oddball overjoyed at being able to trade three times faster than he could before - obviously he's not so interested in sampling a variety of native beverages Hazed and Crypto are! Rezrov says he should have built the facility that lets him teleport in a f days. So desparate has he been to gather the commodities needed to build th he has even been seen trading on Zippy! Indeed, there's been a general shortage of commodities since Barons started work on the puzzle. There need for certain items is so great that there hav been real shortages for the first time since player-planets were introduced Anyone wishing to build factories should consider talking to the Barons to out what they are really short of. **>> FIGHTING SCHOOL The "Theory" part of the Fighting School takes place today, Sunday 14, at 3 Eastern. If you are not able to attend, don't worry, because Krell will upl a transcript of the RTC as soon as she can, so you can read it before next week's "Practice" session. The Practice session will be on Sunday June 21, again at 3.00 eastern, in t game. For the duration of the event, nothing that you do in the game will b saved... so you can practice fighting without fear of damage or death. The persona file will be saved off just before the event starts. When it is finished - probably two or three hours later - it will be restored to the s position. So while the Fighting School Practice Session is in progress, it won't be worth doing any Jobbing or Trading. Pegasus's homicidal tendencies will be turned off for the duration of the event. In fact, he will be nailed to one spot in the Solar System, so can b used as target practice - but he won't have his weapons disabled, so you'll have to learn how to run away, too! The event will finish with a "free-for-all" during which you can all blast other to bits, safe in the knowledge that Bella will clear all the mess up stick you back together again. **>> I'LL NAME THAT PLANET IN ONE! Following Cryptosporidium's unexpected elevation to Baronessness, we have b soliciting suggestions for the Vile One's planet. So far we have received t printable ideas (and a number of completely unrepeatable ones!). Elex has suggested La Trine. Yes, that has a certain ring to it, and keeps the scatalogical tone of Crypto's ship (when it has one). Paladin has suggested Mycellium - a nice sounding word, but completely inaccurate! The dictionary tells us it is "the white thread-like mass of hy forming the thallus of a fungus". Cryptosporidium, on the other hand, is a bacterium commonly found infecting water supplies. We cannot be bothered to look up the meaning of "hyphae" or "thallus" but we doubt they are anything do with bacterium, pseudopods, or stomach complaints. Still, nice try! Eliminator's idea is Spaceswamp. Yes, that would certainly fit with what we know of the amorphous blob's habits. Sewer might be more accurate! Please keep sending your suggestions to Hazed. We might be able to find a g or two to award to the best. **>> HELL HATH NO FURY... "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" is a common quote, but it's actual inaccurate. The truth is that "Hell has no fury like Rich People infuriated To prove it, was the cry going around Fed Data Space earl today. What has Bochiman done to anger the upper echelons? He's taken out a contra on a lower-level player, and is offering a reward for his/her death - and h means dead-dead! Not surprisingly, this has upset a lot of people... so Bochiman, either tak the contract off again, or built yourself a teleporting facility darn quick you don't have to fly through space again! **>> BE PREPARED A recent message told us the following: "Rezrov has been seen furiously working on the Intergalactic Commerce Merit Badge - seems he has a new mistress who has a thing for boy scouts." No, we don't understand it either. **>> DOWN BY THE RIVER SIDE We've had several reports of Davidge and Berthab "making it" on a riverbank Maya. One report said that "Davidge was acting like a man possessed!" Sound like he should have cooled himself down a bit by dunking his head underwate **>> INSANITY CLAUSE There's a new sicko wandering around Fed Data Space. Trader Mojo hasn't bee around very long, but so far he has: 1) Claimed he saw Elvis in Samantha's on Castillo 2) Claimed he saw Elvis in the Insurance Broker's on Venus 3) Claimed he saw Elvis in Monty's ship 4) Claimed that Hazed is Elvis in disguise 5) Said he wanted to marry Hazed Any one of these would be proof that he is certifiable (except perhaps the about marrying Hazed); the last straw came when he said he wanted to marry Occy! Nurse... **>> PROMOTIONS NEWS You're all getting quite slack about reporting your promotions to us. We're telepathic, you know! You won't see your names in the news unless you tell what you've been up to. Just details to Hazed as soon as you achieve promotion. This week, we have been told about, or have otherwise noticed, the followin achievements: Traveller and Inkagneto have both made it to Adventurer. Well done. Congratulations to Kittycat and Eliminator, who are this week's new Merchan Myriddion has made it to Explorer, and will start work on his planet. Elex has become a Technocrat, with his planet's elevation to Technical leve **>>CONTACTS The following information will appear at the end of every News Bulletin, so don't have to read it if you already know it. In the event of a problem or question, you can: * talk to Hazed or Bella in the game * leave a message in the game log * a message to Hazed or Bella * send mail with the Federation Feedback option from the main menu You can order a copy of the unexpurgated printed Idiot's Guide to Federatio typing ORDER at any GEnie menu. Cost - a mere $12.95. (New edition will be available shortly!) Federation has several category in the new MPGames RT. To get there, type M1045,1 from any menu prompt and SET category 13 (for information, instructions, questions and answers) or 14 (for general chat and discussion The Federation Leader in the bulletin board is Krell (Mail ID: K.HILLYER). There are also private categories for Explorers, run by Krell, and for the Conclave run by Oddball (Mail ID: D.STALZLE). The MPGames RT also has a Federation library in the files area, Library 5. Library 18 holds the Federation News Archives. **>> BULLETIN ENDS