@mwichary Something interactive would be super cool, especially if the whole thing really feels alive — like a weird metamorphosing UI/software organism.

@mwichary I'm not aware of any such books existing, but for a few years now I've had in my head an idea to write one — and a growing feeling that it needs to exist. Are you planning a new project?

(If I were to pursue my idea it likely wouldn't be until next year, but I might not bother if you're doing something that overlaps heavily with it.)

The book includes coverage of how Apogee, id Software, and Epic MegaGames changed gaming with their cool games and grassroots marketing as well as how shareware empowered solo devs to make weird games and put them out into the world. Plus shareware "libraries"/catalogues, licenceware, and much more.

I'm calling it a "Revised Edition" as it fixes all known errors from the original release, but I haven't changed much else besides removing Unbound branding. I'd love to do a new (possibly expanded) physical edition, but it's not on the cards anytime soon; in the meantime, if anyone in Australia (or willing to pay for shipping from Australia) wants to buy one of my spare author copies, hardcover or paperback, hit me up.

I'll also be putting out a "Shareware Edition" in the next month or so as a fun experiment — I'll break the book up into a few "episodes" and release one as a free PDF with an old-school shareware notice at the start and an id/Apogee-style registration/full-version-advertisement splash page at the end that links to a "registration" page.

My book Shareware Heroes: The renegades who redefined gaming at the dawn of the internet is available to buy again. Read about the rise of indie game publishing and digital distribution alongside stories of indie devs big and small making their way years before Steam existed. https://payhip.com/b/hbTL5

Peter Cartwright, the creator of beloved classic Mac game Escape Velocity: Override, has died. He'd been working for years on a remaster called Cosmic Frontier with help from a fellow called Tom Hancocks, who vows to push through and finish the game in his memory. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cosmicfrontier/cosmic-frontier-override/posts/4589101

@slembcke Wonderful! The Secret History of Mac Gaming is still the biggest highlight of my career, even after directing a commercial documentary and publishing a second dream book project. I've been working on again, off again on a second volume for several years now. Hoping to find time to move it forward properly next year (and praying that's not just wishful thinking).

@vga256 Yes, I now own the IP rights to Shareware Heroes. I'm putting the ebook up for sale on my own store as soon as I get around to create the sales page. I've not been able to recover the print design files, however, so if I want to do a proper new edition I'll probably have to design it from scratch.

(We need to prove there's interest in the project before it goes into crowdfunding and production, so waitlist signups really will make a difference. Plus you'll get to fill out a survey at some point, which I realise may not sound all that enticing but I can promise that all the responses will be read by me.)

Introducing my next documentary project: Passport to Adventure: The SCUMM Story. There'll be more to share in the New Year, including the synopsis I put together with help from several LucasArts fans and adventure genre experts, but for now it'd be great if you could all just read the intro post in the attached images and join the waitlist at https://scummdoc.com if it sounds like something you'd enjoy.

@vga256 I learnt very early in my career that if you want to survive as a creative professional, you have to be ready to adapt to what the market demands — and quickly. Sometimes there's a way back to getting paid for your passion, sometimes not.

@vga256 They still show flashes of their old form, but I'm not sure it'd be financially viable for Ars now to be like it was in its peak years.

@earthshaking And it's still one of the better rates I've been offered, too. Most of my work for Ars ended up being nearer to 30 cents a word, which made them one of my higher-paying clients. No idea what they pay now, but it's horrifying to think about the steady drop in typical freelance rates in the past 25 years.

Here's a fun bit of obscure games history I just stumbled across: the founder of XOR Corporation (NFL Challenge, Basketball Challenge) made repeated (failed) attempts to get the CIA to endorse — and consult on — a counter-intelligence simulation game. https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2018/feb/06/cia-nfl-challenge/