**>> SPYNET BULLETIN **>> EARTHDATE 92.12.20 **>> AN H-by-A SERVICE **>> Compiled by Hazed plus a team of specialist newsdroids **>> your news and gossip and get paid good groats! **>> WANTED - DEAD OR ALIVE This week's big story is that Total has been putting 1-groat rewards onto everyone he meets who doesn't appear on the Wanted list! [Wait a minute... what's this trivial story doing on the front page of the news? Whatd'ya mean, Total asked for it? Since when do we do what people want? Scrap this story and replace it with something important, before I turn you into a trashcan! Honestly, you just can't get the staff these days...] **>> SOUND AND VISION - FEDTERM IS COMING! FedTerm is the new multi-media front-end terminal program for Fed. Fedterm will display pictures (large or small) and play sampled sounds (if you have a SoundBlaster card), whenever it receives a certain word in the Fed output. You can customise the program so that certain words will trigger your own specified sound files or picture files - for example, if FedTerm sees the word "Hazed" it could display a picture of a demi-goddess; if it sees the word "pizza" it could play the sound of someone gulping down food; and so on. A small number of pictures and sounds are packaged with FedTerm, and you will be able to download more from the FedTerm library. You can also upload your own samples and pictures that other people can use in their own version of FedTerm. (Don't forget that you are not charged for uploading files during non-prime- time.) FedTerm does interesting things with different kinds of text it receives. If you are spying on someone, you can have the spybeam output shown in a separate window from the main text, or you can have it displayed in a different colour but remaining in the main text window. The same applies to trading prices in an exchange. A bar graph at the bottom of the screen shows a display of your current personal and ship stats. These are updated every time new QST and QSC information is received from the game. FedTerm will allow you to log a game session to disk, or send it straight to a printer. The scrollback buffer allows you to look back over the session - and while you are scrolling back, you can still see text coming in. You can set up keyboard macros - linking several commands together that will happen at the touch of a key. For example, the default macros that FedTerm comes with have the direction commands set up on the numeric keypad. FedTerm also has a detailed script language for more complex automation. FedTerm for the PC is in its final beta-testing. If there are no last minute snags, it will be released to the public on Tuesday. You will be able to download the program from the FedTerm library, which will be a new item on the main Fed menu on page 220. It is probable that the initial release of FedTerm won't contain the script language, but that will be provided shortly thereafter. FedTerm for the Amiga is in production and will be available soon. A topic has been started in the multi-player games BBS where you can discuss FedTerm. It is Category 13, topic 13. **>> MINOR CHANGES Bella has made a few small changes to certain displays, added a few new commands, and changed an existing command. Most of these changes are to help FedTerm work better. The QST and QSC displays have been slightly changed. They now look something like this: Stats: IG:562398 Sta:45/50 Str:30 Int:55 Dex:30 Sm:10 Stats: H:74/80 S:10/10 E:250/250 C:3/3 F:250/250 You will receive both these displays when you log into the game (so that FedTerm can display the graphs). The QST display is automatically shown whenever you orbit, repair, install any equipment, or refuel, as well as every time you fire a weapon or are fired upon by another ship. If you type , the QSC display will be shown every 5 minutes, allowing FedTerm to keep the graphs reasonably accurate. If you don't want to receive the information any more, switch it off with . Which brings us to the change to an existing command. This is probably one of the most requested changes since Fed started, and finally Our Illustrious Leader has acquiesced! You now don't have to specify an amount when you refuel - the game will just top your tank up to maximum, with not a drop spilt on the landing pad! **>> FESTIVE FUN IN FED We've got lots of exciting things going on over the holiday period. From Christmas Eve until Twelfth Night, you can visit Santa's Grotta at the North Pole. Krell has written a special Christmas planet, called Winter, which you will be able to explore. She says "it is an intergalactic centre for tourism and shopping". She asked us to stress that there are no deadly areas on the planet, so you can explore it without fear. Santa Claus will be popping into Fed to give presents to all the good little boys and girls. As well as giving out groats, he has two great prizes - FREE days' play in Fed! Watch for the messages on the Fed main menu page to find out how to win. On New Year's Eve, because it's the Season of Good Will, death is being abolished. Anyone who dies will automatically be insured immediately, so you won't have to worry about risk to your character. If you're a new player you can take this opportunity to practice your fighting skills, playing with missiles and twin lasers, without fear. Old hands can indulge in friendly fights with their allies - or grudge matches with their enemies! **>> WIN $50 GIFT OF TIME There's still a $50 Gift of Time to be won, courtesy of the Amiga Starship RT, if you can solve the mystery of the Starship planet in Federation. Ashley and Giskard are both close to solving the puzzle on Starship. We sent a newsdroid to snoop around and it came back with the following information: To find the disk you need to have the Security Pass. Local lingo is such that if you have trouble picking up some objects it is probably because the locals call them by a different name. There is a place on Deck 4 where some of the inhabitants have gathered, and they are speaking the local tongue. Eavesdropping might help you in your quest. If anyone is trapped in the lower lift areas, you should the repairtech. He has a clue that will help you get out. **>> GENIE HOLIDAYS The Christmas period will be a GEnie Holiday, which means you can play all day at the normal non-prime-time rate (usually $6 per hour) from December 24 (Christmas Eve) to January 1 (New Year's Day). **>> BEGINNER'S RTC Krell will be running a conference for new players to ask questions and seek advice from experienced players next Sunday, in the MPGames RTC, at 3.00 eastern. **>> PLANETS AND DUCHIES There has been just one change to the duchies this week. Loki has seceded from Megalusa and joined Zippy. Occy really does seem to be creating a mega-duchy. He's certainly the most successful Duke! He's attracting new planets and keeping the owners happy enough that they stay with him. The other Dukes are running the risk of being left out in the cold if they don't watch it! STOP PRESS! Just as we were about to upload the news, Occy gained another planet! Kimos, Squire of Starship, joined up with Zippy. **>> SPYNET REVIEW This week's SpyNet Review shows a lot of promotions at lower ranks, which indicates another influx of new players. Welcome to you all. The new Captains are Rhodes, Humboldt, Abaddon, Sevrina, Dark, Lupus, Scrope and Kharis. Many of these went on to make Adventurer: Humboldt, Rhodes, Sevrina, Lupus and Kharis. Killian solved the awesome JP puzzle and was promoted to Journeyperson. Now he can relax - until it's time to tackle the fiendish GM puzzle! **>>CONTACTS The following information will appear at the end of every News Bulletin, so you 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 GEnie mail with the Federation Feedback option from the main menu You can order a copy of the unexpurgated printed Idiot's Guide to Federation by typing ORDER at any GEnie menu. Cost - a mere $12.95. (New edition will be available shortly!) Federation has several categories 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 discussions). 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