Cool... you might think... but nope, it is a 3D disaster... it renders so slowly on every browser, with all the VRML plugins I did try, that I simply do not dare to debut my long promised VRML site... yet

many site news

Psycopath answered the call, and this website will finally have a portuguese version, thanks to him! For now, you can only browse last day 22 Setembro 1999, from where you STILL can download the FINAL version of DirectX 7, but from now on - the World hopes :) - you will be able to read all this stuff in european portuguese language! Thanks a lot Psycopath!

Meanwhile, my VRML experiments have gone seriously wrong, and I simply can't model my small apartment, so it displays fast on any browser with a VRML viewer plugin. I can't really understand what is the problem, but I think it is related to the way I am cutting the walls... which I am not... but I really don't have the time to explain it now. Believe me: VRML will be available, soon, no matter the effort required! Are you feeling adventurous? Download my current VRML disaster [22 K zip file].

Another regular feature I am thinking about is publishing the CDROM contents of future PC-GUIA magazines. PC-GUIA always offers a brilliant CD-ROM :), and I think some of you might be interested in knowing what will be available, months from the actual release. Check the October 1999 and November 1999 contents. Both are superb, but the November 1999 edition does represent a very high value for money, with at least 5 FULL software solutions!, crammed in 653 MB!

I will try to debut a [portuguese only] section, publishing all the CDROM editorials of mine, ever printed on PC-GUIA. It seems that some of them are quite a nice reading :) But NOT today. I am so tired! I wish days could last some 96 hours, at least, so I could do everything I want... For example, today there was this super F1 race @ Nurburgring / Germany, where Jarno Trulli scored the best ever result for the PROST team! Such achievement deserved better than this short mention... Check APR to learn about Alain Prost... More: I have contents to publish for both APAA and AUDIOPT.COM... tomorrow? Time...

If Time - with a capital T - allows, this week, there will be some impressive F1 pictures, a great reading titled "what's behind the patch", more reviews of Irvine Welsh's "the Acid House", more books for you to buy with huge discounts, free software, and something that will allow you to look UNDER everyone's clothes [?!!?]... ouch... sexy?

Clear these problems out of the path, and you can dive into the forest.

Then wipe the bikers...

...and face the final tanks... final? I really don't know. c3m5 is hell!

H&D c3m5 ordeal

Hidden & Dangerous [H&D] is becoming an ordeal. The game is very buggy, but until c3m5 [campaign 3, mission 5], the bugs don't really spoil your enjoyment - they just cause graphical glitches, under some clipping situations, or a very rare crash, when loading your previously saved position. Mission "close fire" @ Germany [c3m5], turns the tide, offering the player what could be the greatest sim-soldier event ever programmed, but what eventually unveils as the most irritating bug ridden mission!

"Close fire" was supposed to be a tank race, as german bikers are on your tail... but you will soon understand that the "race" thing is not to happen, as your stolen vehicle can't cross a sand section, crammed with enemy tanks, enemy soldiers, surveillance towers and bazooka launchers... So your team must leave the car and eliminate the threats...

I've done all the wiping, with just 2 soldiers. There is a river on the left bank of the sand terrain, and you can take advantage of the water, to occupy some good "clearing" positions. Easy to write, very hard to perform. It will take you grenade and sniper mastery, machine-gun and bazooka expertise, in order to clean the path into the forest. I would say, you'll need at least 30 minutes to make it safe for the tank to run through.

After this very hard first section, you will face enemies on [stopped] motorbikes wearing sexy machine-guns... Sure, another defying moment... but if you could take care of the previous environment, you certainly can handle these dudes. And so on... your path through the forest is damn hard, but possible; it will demand very well chosen spots, many saves and reloads... but you will end up facing, what I presume to be the path home, or at least, the path to the next mission.

And that is when it all happens. Coming from behind, from where you believed to have eliminated all resistance, comes this stupid german soldier, with a regular machine-gun, that you simply can't see approaching... and that you simply can kill, no matter how many grenades you launch...

This is H&D's BB - the BIG BUG! One 1 hour of gaming excitement, absolutely lost, thanks to superman! Have a try, downloading my save [58 K zip]. Copy it to your savegame\single folder, unzip it, rename the unzipped file to "artur.bin", restart a new game under the "artur" name, and if you can walk away from where the save puts you, I will give a candy of your choice. Honest! :)

What a frustration! I still didn't try H&D's 1.2 patch, for the USA release [my version], by I very much doubt it will solve this problem. When I do try, I will post the results here. Meanwhile, if you want to correct your game, try to patch yourself. Go ahead and download the 3.8 MB file.

Now, the patches subject deserves more attention. Check the "what's behind the patch" feature, tomorrow! Serious reading, really!

Yeah, I don't know german either. But it would be nice if someone out there could offer to translate this :)

H&D - Germany campaign

The Germany campaign is a misc of very hard and very easy missions. Here is a very short description of what you will find:

c3m1 - mission fire portal - This one can be completed with just one soldier, although it must be a strong soldier, as it is mandatory to carry 3 dynamite explosives, to blow up some archives. I recommend a sniper gun, effective up to 1500 meters and some hand-gun, for the close encounters...

c3m2 - mission trap key - This one can, again, be completed with just one soldier. The sniper gun is mandatory. Take some grenades with you, as some enemies are very will hidden inside rooms. This mission is easier than c3m1. It is a good idea to take more than one soldier, for the sole purpose of collecting guns and ammo, by the end of it.

c3m3 - mission viper nest - Easy. This mission can be completed in less than one minute, if you are experienced. Take 3 soldiers, with sniper guns and with 1500 meters effective machine-guns. position them still, by the entrance of the room where you begin. Get command of just one of the soldiers and fire at will, to whatever is your front, without advancing. Everything will explode. When everything burns, just take the way out.

c3m4 - escape from hell - You will remember this mission because of the dogs! Their bark is simply 100% realistic. I hate dogs. Kill them all, after killing the germans, sure. Two men are absolutely necessary. Both should use sniper guns, but by now you should be running out of ammo, so I don't know if you can do it. If you can't, use long distance machine-guns. You should command both men, always placing the 2nd one @ strategic places, from where he can give cover to the other. This mission is very special. You have to board a tank and run away with it, but the thing is that @ the exit, there is a BIG bad surprise, waiting for you. In order to deal with such surprise, be sure to grab all the bazookas you can [next to the tank you steal]. Bazookas are heavy. Take strong soldiers with you. Fire the bazooka against the BIG surprise, pointing slightly up. BUM! Run away.

c3m5 - close fire - Check my H&D c3m5 ordeal report.

c3m6 - ? - must wait....

Ah, please check the previous September 1999 updates - H&D has been a very regular feature!