Bob,
The site is still beta, or perhaps better put, not yet in beta as near as I can tell. They're asking for beta testers. And, I discovered the site apparently works only with IE5 or higher. Netscape 4.97 consistently gave a file not found error when trying to load the pages. I didn't try Netscape 6 or higher.
In looking at their version of the game description, it appears as though they have retained some of the basic game concepts, but made some changes which could affect the game play and strategies. As I remember Trade Wars, everyone played on the older version of the game, which was relatively error free. There were some newer versions but they were highly susceptible to errors. Perhaps some of the changes I'm seeing were in newer releases of the DOS version, but I don't know. Anyway, the most notable change I see is that you choose your race of people to command. I don't remember that feature in the original game. While the original game allowed only one person at a time into the universe (usually; limited due to phone line restrictions) this version is multi-player in real time, which could give a different feel to the whole game.
Some of the old game features are not mentioned in the current description, such as line of command (pirate versus trader) or planet creation or tunnels, possible strategies, etc... The features may still be there, just not mentioned in the very brief game description provided. And no mention is made of the mapping features that used to be available through individual game logs under the original version.
I looked up the real world address in WhoIs, and see that they're not at all far from me, so when the opportunity presents itself, I may drop over there for a visit. One thing I don't like is the location, which is not exactly the high rent district. Who knows? Maybe they're trying to save a buck or two until they're making some money. Oh, and I should mention that I very much get the impression that this will be a for profit venture, though no proposed fee schedule is available yet.
If/when I find out more, I'll let you know. Thanks for finding the site location.
KJC |
