Saturday, April 23rd, 2004: StarLock Beta in One Week

      The beta form for StarLock will remain up for a few more days, and then selection will begin for additional testers for the May 1st Beta. Because the game will be developed in five stages (five chapters), the first chapter will most likely open for live, public play following a successful end to this phase of testing. If you plan to participate in the beta, you have very little time left to submit your application.

  Saturday, March 15th, 2003: StarLock Promo Ad

      We've been running this ad at mpogd.com this month, with a click-through percentage better than any results yet. Is it a little early to start hyping a game that isn't even finished for Phase-2 beta yet? Nah. It's good to get the word out!

  Tuesday, February 18th, 2003: BBS Site of Interest + StarLock Screenshots

      BBSmates.com: A website called BBSmates is chock-full of nostalgia for everybody who remembers the days when going "online" meant calling up your favorite local BBS, and the internet was not yet widely used. There are voluntary members lists for thousands of old boards, BBS-related links, and more. Check it out!

      8 New StarLock Pics: New screenshots from StarLock have been posted to the screenshots page here. You'll find plenty of recent development news as well.

  Wednesday, January 1st, 2003: In Case You Missed It

      StarLock Slightly Delayed: Those of you who have been keeping an eye on StarLock know that the January 1st launch date has been pushed back. Currently, I'm tentatively shooting for March this year. This has been such a huge project and I have had so many unforseen distractions, development has been slow-going. November's closed beta testing was successful, and has proven that the engine itself works fine (whew), but has resulted in a lengthy to-do list. Plus, I have to add tons of quests and flesh out the story (yes, still). I've recently been receiving quite a few emails asking when it's going to be ready, so I know there is already a big fan base just waiting for the day to come. Please continue to be patient, and I promise, our next online gaming project will strive to be far less ambitious. :)

  Tuesday, September 3rd, 2002: StarLock is Just Around the Corner

      StarLock News and More: The beta and release schedule for StarLock was announced recently. Beta applications will be accepted starting October 1st (look for an announcement at the offical page, when the time comes), with closed testing to start November 1st, and the public launch slated for January 1st (if testing goes well). Links have also been posted to plenty of articles and exclusive interviews posted at other game news sites around the Web - some lengthy reads, but great for anybody wanting more StarLock and Prowler Productions info. Read more at the StarLock Home Page.

      Lunatix Review Contest: It's not quite too late to get in on the review contest, for a chance to win one of several Lunatix Online subscriptions. More information on how to take part was posted to the Lunatix forum in this message.

  Thursday, July 25th, 2002: Long Time, No News - Here's an Update!

      World at War News: World at War, the turn-based strategy game from Blue Dragon, is no longer hosted by Prowler Productions. However, it's still alive, well, and better than ever on its own server here. Enjoy!

      Lunatix Online News: Amazingly, Prowler Productions' flagship game continues to grow, with more then 2400 accounts registered and almost 300 paying subscriber accounts. In a day when players still demand free, free, free, a browser-based game with this many subscribers is very successful. If you have not already tried Lunatix Online, play here. Part of the recent growth comes from a very well-received, redesigned tower ad, which has been used at MPOGD as well as TopWebGames. Lunatix also received a very favorable review at MPOGD last month. It's not uncommon to see upwards of 30 players online at once, with 50 or more on during some peak hours (right after midnight, for one).

      StarLock News: It's frustrating enough to underestimate the difficulty involved in developing a game... it's even worse to overestimate the amount of free time available to work on it. Such has been the case with StarLock, in a seemingly endless series of on-again, off-again development cycles. Already a year past-due, the present plan is for beta testing later this year, with a full launch by December. This is still a very tentative schedule, as so much else draws away the time that could otherwise be invested in StarLock development. The initial launch will most likely be the beginnings of an epic, with all the undone areas being added as it grows. Check the StarLock page for udates on progress.

  Monday, December 10th, 2001: What's Going On at Prowler Productions

      First, we had to stop hosting The Colonies several weeks ago due to high loads placed on our server, and almost no new Lunatix Online business as a result. They're still running though, with different hosting, and I encourage anybody interested in browser-based strategy games to go check it out.

      Second, StarLock is still in development. A "hopeful" beta test date of December (now here) is evidently impossible. On the bright side, some important decisions concerning the subscription model have been made. People will be able to play StarLock for free, on an account that doesn't expire. There won't be a "free" trial. Players will be awarded free play time each day, and may optionally purchase more time (or a subscription). For more information, check out the FAQ.

      Third, I already have ideas for two new games. One would be perfectly suited for browser-based play. The other would make a very unique online multiplayer action/adventure game. Until StarLock is completed though, both ideas have to remain on the shelf. The success of our current project will have a lot to do with the direction we take next.

  Sunday, July 22nd, 2001: Hosting Another Game; Advertising; More!

      Prowler Productions is happy to announce that we're now hosting another browser-based multiplayer game, The Colonies.

      We're finally giving "advertising" a shot, on what's probably the best site for independent game listings and news coverage (mpogd.com). We started with two banners for Lunatix Online (LUNATIX1 and LUNATIX2), but found that the second banner was getting twice the clicks as the first one. A few visitors of our forum also indicated they liked the second one best, so we removed LUNATIX1 from the rotation. Because everybody seems to like "free" stuff, we're also adding a banner for The Prowler Portal which can be seen HERE.

      For those who are curious, yes, StarLock is still in development. It has been my primary focus for many months. As always, it's coming along nicely but nothing has been set for a release date (or even an exact open beta date). The official page needs an update, which has simply been less of a priority than actually working on the game. Some of the new developments include MIDI (probably the first/only browser game with an original musical score - let alone music at all) which can easily be disabled for those who prefer a quiet game. More graphics -- Improvements to the engine -- It's becoming more MUD-like, and should really appeal to fans of RPG, MUDs, Sci-Fi, and Interactive Fiction.

  Sunday, July 8th, 2001: New Online AND Offline Games
      I wrote a game called WaterQuest (Legend 1: The Journey to LifeLake) more than 10 years ago, during the second semester of my first year of college. This is a cool, challenging, single-player EGA action/adventure game which has just been gathering dust on a diskette (literally), unreleased before now. I had planned to sort out some data space problems that prevented it from being "compiled" into a stand-alone .exe game (so that it wouldn't require the QBASIC.EXE interpreter). Well, I've finally decided just to release it as-is. You can download the full version of WaterQuest 1 (complete with source code) from my Games page. Click the image below to view a page of screenshots.

      You'll need QB.EXE (or QBASIC.EXE, available for free from Microsoft) to play, as well as a utility such as Mo'Slo (or SLOWDOWN.COM, which is included) to slow down a DOS window on today's MUCH faster computers to emulate a 25Mhz machine. See the README.TXT first for information. Run the game via the WQ1.BAT file. I hope somebody out there might find this game enjoyable, even though it's old and outdated. Although it's difficult at first (two hits and you die), you'll find items to help protect you (to withstand 4 hits, and finally 8 hits), you'll learn to fire at (or avoid) monsters, and if you're brave enough, you'll find the fabled LifeLake! Remember to find and use the "SAVE" huts!

      Also available now, as mentioned previously, is the Open-Source game BlackNova Traders. Prowler Productions is hosting a copy being run by Morkeleb. Check it out, and see if you've got what it takes to become a master trader, and dominate the galaxy!

  Thursday, June 21st, 2001: All the web-gaming you can handle - and MORE!
      We've just moved (again) to a new server. Now, instead of sharing a powerful system's resources with 20 or 30 other high-traffic sites, we have full use of a dedicated server that's even more powerful than the previous shared one! The move was pretty fast, all things considered, at around three days to move and configure the entire site and all the games. So far, things are zooming! This is the major step we needed to make in order to have the resources to launch StarLock later this year. This also means lag-free play for every game we host! We couldn't do this without the subscription income from Lunatix Online, so if you're here for the free games, please give Lunatix a look as well (you do get ONE two-week free trial period - no obligation - to check it out).

      We've recently traded links with The Violet Sector, a very cool web-based multiplayer game from The Vision Studios:

Their site states:

The Violet Sector is a FREE multi-user, multi-platform turn based game. Join a legion and battle against other players all around the world for domination of the galaxy! Strategise and team up with friendly pilots to dominate sectors and hyper to new areas to beat the enemy.

      In other big news, Morkeleb is about to set up and administer an Open Source game called "Black Nova Traders" (appearently a web-based game similar to and inspired by the classic TradeWars BBS game). Look for this game to be added to the Prowler Portal soon - he's hosting it here - sponsored by Prowler Productions and Lunatix Online.

      We also want everybody to know that StarLock is still in development. We are expecting to begin beta testing within a few months - perhaps by late summer or early fall (nothing definite though). A bigger, official update will be posted to the StarLock page (with new screenshots and info) soon. I doubt any other browser-based game has been in development for so long. Most browser-based "space" games are heavily slanted toward strategy (build up a base, attack, take over the galaxy). StarLock isn't like that at all. As an RPG, it takes much more time to plan and develop than a strategy game. We're certain it will be worth your wait, and something unlike anything you've seen before. :)

      If you're a Lunatix Online player - or if you've EVER played, we have big news. In Spring 2002, the first-ever REUNION will be held in Wichita Kansas (the home of Prowler Productions). Many players are already excited, making plans to attend. For a game with a comparatively small player base, the response to this has been wonderful! For all the details, keep an eye on the offical reunion site. at the link above.

      With the distribution of our last batch of t-shirt prizes, we're now offering a variety of other prizes to Lunatix Online winners. Beat the game and take your pick from cool Lunatix ball-caps, mouse pads, or desk clocks (my personal favorite). Although t-shirts are no longer offered as prizes, you still have the option of picking 2 free months of subscription time as your prize. The Prize Page will be updated soon to detail and display these new prizes. As a bonus, when you pick a prize (except for free time), you get a couple of bonus freebies.

  Saturday, February 24th, 2001: New Lunatix T-Shirts: WIN or BUY ONE!
      We're pleased to announce our new T-Shirt design. A small batch will be printed soon, to give away as prizes to those who win the game (our last batch has been reduced to a single medium shirt and two larges, of the original “plain” styles 1 and 2). Approximately 15 of these new shirts will be printed to give away as prizes. When these are gone, we will no longer be offering T-Shirts as prizes. However, we plan to substitute their absence with other prizes, such as mouse pads. Scroll down past the shirt logo images for information about how you can BUY your own t-shirt!

Front (small image with Smileys) and Back (large advertising-style image) of the new T-Shirt!

      Scared that there won't be any shirts left by the time you win? Or, want to own one now without waiting until you win? Now's your chance. For a VERY limited time, you can reserve a shirt of your own. We're taking orders from now through Wednesday, February 28th. Because this is planned to be our FINAL batch of Lunatix T-Shirts, we're going to add any orders we receive to the batch we request from the printers (15 as prizes, plus any that are ordered through the end of the month). If you want one, order now!

      To order a shirt of your own, you will need to pay using PayPal (purchase by credit card). If you've been a paying Lunatix subscriber for a few months and would prefer to pay by mail, contact wyndo@prowler-pro.com for information about getting your order to us in time. The price is $20 per shirt (order as many as you like, but we can't offer any discounts). This is expensive for a T-shirt, we know. However, you get a FREE MONTH of Lunatix Online time for each shirt you purchase -- a good deal if you were going to add a month to your subscription anyway.

      You have to purchase by 2/28/2001 to reserve your shirt. The following day (March 1st), the order will be taken to the printers. When you order, make sure you tell us your name and mailing address, what SIZE of shirt you want (Medium, Large, X-Large, XX-Large), your Lunatix character name, and mention that the $20 payment is for the Lunatix T-Shirt offer. Feel free to email us if you have questions.

      Although we don't plan to offer T-Shirts as prizes once this new batch is gone, we may still occasionally sell more. If this offer has expired, email us for information about the possibility of putting in a future Lunatix T-Shirt order.

  Friday, January 26th, 2001: New Version of JabberChat - 1.1a
      Our JabberChat Perl CGI real-time web-based chat script has just been updated to version 1.1a, which now works with Netscape 6. We're sometimes asked why a "freeware" program such as this costs $25 to license. That's easy, when you think about it. Software under BSD or GPL licensing is designed to be modified, re-used, and distributed free of charge. Don't confuse this with freeware. Freeware is rarely public domain. Freeware is copyrighted software made available "for free" in its original form. JabberChat isn't "shareware" either (which would imply that a fully-featured version must be purchased). The $25 license fee for JabberChat is to obtain the rights to make modifications to the script, its graphics, and related files. Think about it this way. If you download a freeware video game, you don't have to pay to use it, and you don't have to pay to obtain a "full" version. However, you aren't allowed to edit the binary to remove the author's information, add features or fix bugs, or make other changes (unless the author has granted permission to do so). The same is true of JabberChat. Since the script is essentially a collection of source code, it's easier to make changes -- in fact, it may even be tempting to do so. Please remember that unless you've purchased a license, it's illegal -- and smaller companies feel the effects of piracy, perhaps moreso than the big boys.

  Wednesday, January 24th, 2001: More Navigation Bar Goodies
      I'm almost finished with the new user-friendly site design. I've added a poll in addition to the site search, plus the best links for additional information about the different things we've "specialized" in from time to time (BBS games, web games, Dink Smallwood D-Mods, etc).

      The Dink Smallweb page has been removed, although its contents (D-Mod zips, the FAQ, the Forum, The Dinkanoid High Score List, etc) remain in case anybody is linked to it. The "change" will be that the news will be archived on the "old news" page, and the main page will redirect to this site. I'm glad to have contributed to the success of Dink Smallwood by coining the term "D-Mod" (yep, that was me), providing the first-ever 3rd party D-MOD (Scar of David), writing an authoring FAQ, providing a start-up skeleton D-MOD, and making other contributions (encouraging others, answering questions, a forum, etc). It's been fun, and while one never knows what the future may hold, our other new projects (such as StarLock) require our attention. Instead of leaving a dead site sitting around, it's better to provide links to GOOD information (I've done this on the navbar here).

      If you are interested in linking to the Dink Smallweb for the purpose of "nostalgia" or so people can read and enjoy our old news, link to www.prowler-pro.com/smallweb.html. This is esentially the old Smallweb home page renamed. Make sure you note that the page is now "archived" and that no further updates are planned.

  Tuesday, January 23rd, 2001: Good Links Added
      I have added numerous links on the navigation bar, to good Game, CGI script, and Interactive Fiction (adventure game) sites. I also plan to add a section for BBS games. I wanted to provide these for the various types of people who visit our site -- whether you're interested in our BBS games, web games, games like "The Insanity Circle," or CGI scripts.

      True to my recent comment on the StarLock page about the utter lack of respect people tend to have for web-based games, I came across this topic on the MPOGD.COM forums. The person in the message later comments:

You see, I believe people that work hard in making an online (non web based) game have put more effort into it GFX and gameplay wise...

      Grrr.... Say that web-based games don't have the appeal that you want, but DON'T say they don't have as much effort put into them. That's not always the case.

  Saturday, January 20th, 2001: Gambit's Maze Factory is READY!
      Gambit's Maze Factory is now online, and already features dozens of cool mazes for your enjoyement. What many have found even more fun than playing is creating mazes to add to the maze library. Try it. It's free!

      Frequent visitors of this site may notice that the look has changed. Enjoy!

  Thursday, November 16th, 2000: PipeLine, 2-Player Strategy Game, PLAY FREE!
      PipeLine is now available for play. Beta testing is almost finished, and we're not anticipating another full game reset -- so join now! Game play is totally free (additional features are available to subscribers of Lunatix Online). Be sure to read the instructions if you're not already familiar with how to play.

  Tuesday, October 3rd, 2000: Web Game News. World at War, Pipeline, & More!
      As we mention at the bottom of the Prowler Portal, we're always ready to host new web games at our site, even if we didn't develop them. This helps bring more attention for other developers since the Prowler Portal is already actively visited. It helps us too, by bringing more content for your enjoyment. Blue Dragon has brought his multiplayer strategy game World at War to the Prowler Portal. Those of you who remember the BBS game “Global Wars” will already know how to play. Global Wars was based on the board game “RISK.” Take over the world by moving and attacking with your troops.

      We're considering offering licensing to people who'd like to add web games to their site. We already license Lunatix Online (it's very expensive) to other gaming sites (pay for play), and we're considering licensing/selling Pipeline, Solitary Confinement, maybe the Lexter games, and even new projects to other sites. Depending on the size of the game, they could be very cheap to purchase ($10 to $25), or even free (with some games having a free “shareware” version lacking all the features of the full version). If you run a game site -- or any kind of web site where you'd like to add games for your visitors -- please email wyndo@prowler-pro.com and let me know! I'd like to get feedback on how popular web games might become.

  Monday, September 25th, 2000: CoCo Quest Updates
      I've been updating the CoCo Quest site quite a bit recently. I've added thumbnail pictures for most of my CoCo 3 games, as well as 5 full “disk images” containing the remainder of my old CoCo games (at least, the ones I've found so far). I've even put several adventure map scans online there. If you remember the Radio Shack Color Computer (TRS-80), go check it out! These days, emulators are available to “mimic” them right on your PC or Mac! The CoCo (Color Computer) is vintage, classic computing at its finest! Check out the first games I ever wrote, 10 to 13 years ago!

  Monday, July 24th, 2000: Lunatix.NET Operating Without License
      Brandon Burch of GKC Designs has refused to discontinue using our Lunatix Online software despite repeated warnings and notices that his license has been revoked for breach of contract. Instead of removing the game as we asked, only the new player sign-up screen is gone (appearently to prevent people from being notified that they're operating illegally). If you are a subscriber at lunatix.net, you should be aware that you are paying to use pirated software, and that your subscription money is being paid to an individual/company who is profiting illegally from our program. Because many people have gotten confused over the difference between the two sites, remember that lunatix.net is where the illegal one is located -- lunatix-online.com is our own site, and we invite you to come play here. :)

  Sunday, July 23rd, 2000: We're Also WWW.ProwlerProductions.COM
      This site is now accessible using www.prowlerproductions.com. It's a secondary domain name we've added (we're not getting rid of www.prowler-pro.com). You don't have to use the new one to get here. It's longer to type, after all, but it seemed to make sense for making it more “intuitive” to find our company site. Either will work.

  Sunday, May 14th, 2000: StarLock Development Has Continued
      Once again, development of StarLock has continued. Prowler Productions' follow-up to Lunatix is poised to set a new standard for web-based gaming. We're often asked if it's like other “space” games already out there. It isn't. You've probably noticed that they're often cookie-cutter games, showing very little originality, having no purpose other than to destroy the universe. You've never seen a game like StarLock, which is why we have to keep most of the details very secretive at this stage in development -- but stay tuned!

    Thursday, March 9th, 2000: More About PayPal - $10 For Free!
Quite a few people have already taken advantage of this PayPal offer using our referral link. I think there is still some confusion, so I hope this answers your questions.

1) Most importantly, PayPal is easy to use. Very easy. Don't be scared.
2) You do not have to subscribe to Lunatix. You can still get $10 for free.
3) See #2. PayPal is offering you $10 even if you never intend to buy!
4) You need a credit card for verification only..
5) Your card is only charged if you spend more than the initial $10.
6) You don't have to buy anything. You can just cash out! See #2.
7) Unfortunately, the offer is only good for US residents right now.
8) There aren't any hidden charges. Using PayPal actually is free!
9) To see what the Wall Street Journal says about PayPal, click here.
10) Take a look at some of the uses for the PayPal service.
11) To get started, use our referral link.

    Monday, March 6th, 2000: New Credit Card Site & More!
Want $10? For free? Use our PayPal referral link to sign up for this new, free service that allows you to transfer money to anybody with an email address. It sounds like a scam, but (thank goodness) it isn't. For a limited time they're giving you (and us) $10 just to make an account there. The best thing is, it's free (no fees or charges). If you play Lunatix Online and you plan to use a credit card to subscribe, we are now using PayPal exclusively for these orders. When creating your account, make sure it shows wyndo@prowler-pro.com as your referral.

Do you remember the classic Radio Shack / Tandy Color Computer? I grew up on the COCO2 and COCO3. Well, I've launched the CoCo Quest web site to look for all the games I wrote over a decade ago. Check out this page on classic computing!

Finally, our Solitary Confinement beta went well. Actually, nobody reported anything at all. The two bugs fixed were ones we found ourselves. So, it's bug-free? Must be. Nobody replied to tell us what kind of computer they use and the game's speed and performance either, so I guess it worked for everybody on every system.

    Saturday, February 26th, 2000: Solitary Confinement
We've done it again! We've brought another great game to the web. Check out Solitary Confinement, now in open beta phase. Let us know what kind of results you have so we can fix any bugs and figure out what minimum system requirements we should recommend. Correspond with wyndo@prowler-pro.com about it.

Special thanks to BetaZine for helping us spread the word about the S/C testing phase. If you've never checked out their site, you should! BetaZine is a great place to find out about current and upcoming game betas and tests in which you may participate.

    Friday, February 11th, 2000: The Prowler Portal
Prowler Productions has just launched The Prowler Portal, a front-end site for our web-based games (Lunatix Online, Lexter, StarLock, etc). We're now able to offer Froggy Racing (a multiplayer web-based CGI game developed by Robert Fogt of BlueSparks) as part of the Prowler Portal. You can try Froggy Racing as a guest (your game doesn't get saved), or use your Lunatix Online name/password to play for real. Remember that since you're only allowed one character in Lunatix Online and that you just get a single 2-week free trial there, the same is carried over to Froggy Racing.

Are you a web game developer who'd like to get more exposure for your company or web site, or do you need a place to host your game for free? Prowler Productions is seeking partnerships with web game developers to add more content to The Prowler Portal. If you have (or are developing) an original, fun web-based game and would like to learn more about partnership opportunities with Prowler Productions, send email to wyndo@prowler-pro.com.

    Tuesday, January 25th, 2000: Cupid-Slayer Is Here!
Alright, this is one of the silliest and strangest games I've ever made. You must save humanity by defeating the evil angel of Love. Playing is simple (just click, click, click) but winning can be difficult. Battle Cupid on 5 levels to save the world. Cupid-Slayer is completely FREEWARE. If you like it (and even if you don't) we encourage you to send it to all your friends! There is nothing to install. Just run cupid.exe and away it goes! You'll need Windows 95 or Windows 98 (Windows 2000 and Windows NT might work too). You'll need the runtime library “MSVBVM50.DLL” which should already be in your c:\windows\system directory. Anyway, click here to download Cupid Slayer 1.0 and have fun with it!

    We wanted to release this in time for Valentines day. Now, it's back to work on other projects such as Lexter 3 (mentioned below) and our upcoming StarLock online SCI-FI RPG.

    Tuesday, January 4th, 2000: The Year 2000 Is Here!
Ok, if you're going to go by a calendar, at least get it right. :) While the Year 2000 is a pretty cool thing (and a great excuse to party) it's not the new millenium just yet. What's in store for you from Prowler Productions this year? We do plan to complete and open StarLock, our next big web-based multiplayer game. We also have a few other smaller ideas -- some just-for-fun games like The Insanity Circle last year.

Click any of these three pics to see the full-size screen shots from
a very early alpha-version of Lexter 3, to be released soon.

One of these just-for-fun games is second sequel to our classic puzzle game Lexter. We're giving this challenging puzzle concept game a face-lift by expanding the top-down view to show a better sense of depth. Lexter 3 (available only for Windows 95 or higher) will also include some new levels and new features. Lexter 3 will be freeware, possibly with puzzle expansion pack (priced cheap) available. Stay tuned for details, and information on how you can become a Lexter 3 Tester.

In the meantime, brush up on your puzzle-solving skills by playing any of our six existing Lexter games! The original Lexter is DOS-based (written in early 1993) and can be downloaded HERE. The DOS-based sequel, Lexter 2 (written in late 1993) can be downloaded HERE. Three additional Lexter games (Lexter, Lexette, and Lex Junior) are available for online WEB-based play at our Exertion Javascript Games site. Our last Lexter-style puzzle game, called BillyBob is available HERE and was designed for Windows 3.1 but works ok with Windows 95/98 too. It was our first stab at a Windows-based Lexter game in late 1994 and is still pretty fun today. Several other stand-alone DOS and Windows games are available at our GameZips page. Many of them are quite old and very outdated by todays standards, but they're all free!

    Thursday, December 2nd, 1999: StarLock Development
The S.A.G.E. project has been temporarily suspended as we focus our efforts on StarLock once again. StarLock is our 2nd web-based RPG/Adventure. Unlike Lunatix Online (which is our first), this one has a heavy sci-fi theme with wide rendered scenes and gameplay that spans thousands of locations. Visit the StarLock web site to check in on our progress frequently!

    Monday, November 15th, 1999: A New Free Game For You!
It's the final day of voting in the 5th annual Interactive Fiction Competition. Now, Lunatix: The Insanity Circle is available to the public... FOR FREE! Download the game HERE or read more about it (and see the screenshot thumbnails) HERE by looking in today's news (11-15-99). Let us know what you think, and if you get stuck and need a hint, let us know that too!

    Monday, October 25th, 1999: Our SAGE Site Is Open.
Before you ask, no we haven't abandoned StarLock. It's true that development has been paused over the last few months, but it isn't dead. With that said, welcome to our new project - SAGE. Visit the official site at www.prowler-pro.com/sage. SAGE will be available initially for Windows (95/98/NT), but will later be ported to the web so SAGE games can be enjoyed online as well.

    Saturday, October 16th, 1999: Play and Vote on Adventure Games!
Here's something for everybody who remembers (or would like to try) Interactive Fiction (those text games where you move around by typing “N” to go North, “Get Book” to pick up a book, and “Read Book” to read it). The 5th annual Interactive Fiction contest is currently underway. You can play 37 free adventure games and all you have to do is cast a voting score (1 to 10) on at least five of them by November 15.

Most of the games require an interpreter to run (TADS, Inform, or Alan). Basically this is an "engine" which you can download for your computer (most are available for PC's, Macintosh, Unix, and more) to run the games. The official contest site at www.textfire.com has the information you'll need to play these games as well as the offical rules for judging them.

The competition games are available from any of these sites:

Note that the competition is sponsored by the rec.games.int-fiction and rec.arts.int-fiction internet newgroups, not Prowler Productions.

    Wednesday, September 15th, 1999: Lunatix: The Insanity Circle
Other projects (StarLock, Pro-Seek) have gotten sidetracked temporarily while Mike Snyder works on an adventure game (nowdays known as “Interactive Fiction”) for submission in the 5th annual Interactive Fiction competition (COMP99). If you remember adventure games from days gone by (Zork, Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Collosol Caves, and dozens of others) then you know what I'm talking about. Adventure games are (surprisingly) alive and well with many new ones being released all the time (the biggest, most comprehensive repository for downloading adventure games is ftp.gmd.de). I've also been hanging out a little in two Interactive Fiction newsgroups: rec.games.int-fiction (for adventure players) and rec.arts.int-fiction (for adventure authors).

    Tuesday, August 31st, 1999: CGI Scripts Are Available!
Our CGI Voting Booth “ProwlerPoll” is now available for download at www.prowler-pro.com/prowlerpoll. We've also started on a brand new free script to help make your web site better. Get all the info on this new project at www.prowler-pro.com/pro-seek. A CGI Scripts page has also been added to link to our cgi programs at www.prowler-pro.com/scripts.html.

    Saturday, August 28th, 1999: Prowler-Pro.Com Is Back!
We were never really gone but our domain name took much longer to transfer than anticipated (our technical contanct info at Internic had gotten changed somehow). However, it's back and working again now. If you notice any broken links to pages at our sites, please send email to wyndo@prowler-pro.com and let us know about it.

    Sunday, July 25th, 1999: Introducing “Prowler Poll”
It's not quite ready for public release, but our new Prowler Poll Perl CGI program is running and can be seen on the navigation sidebar here. We expect to have it finished shortly and we'll make it available for free download. You'll be able to easily add your own poll/voting questions to your web sites!

    Wednesday, July 21st, 1999: Our Info Page
An About Us page has just been added. It contains links to personal info pages for Mike Snyder, Anna Kasl, and Steven Tucker. If you're interested in finding out more about the people behind the games, visit it! At this time, the only personal page with any info is Mike's, but the others will be added.

    Tuesday, July 20th, 1999: Added Shilla to Links Page
We just traded links with the web-based fantasy RPG “Shilla II” at www.shilla.org and added the shilla banner to our banner exchange script and listed the site on our links page.

    Saturday, July 17th, 1999: Lunatix Online “Actions Contest”
It seems like everybody has good suggestions for “actions” to add to Lunatix Online (and JabberChat). To help encourage those creative thoughts, Prowler Productions has just announced an “Actions Contest.” Read all the info at the Lunatix Online Official Web Site.

    Saturday, July 17th, 1999: New Links Page Added
A better links page has been added. Not only does it list the other sites we've traded links with, but it also includes information on emailing us with a link exchange request. We are particularly interested in linking to other web games and online gaming sites.

    Saturday, July 17th, 1999: Two New Game Sites Linked
Two sites recently contacted us for trading links. ArchMage is a free multiplayer web-based RPG, reportedly very active! Black Dragon Software is the home of "The Magic of Vitael" DOS-based RPG. Banners from both sites have been added into our Banner Exchange script for better exposure.

    Tuesday, July 14th, 1999: Brand New: JabberChat
Prowler Productions has just released a free CGI-based (Perl) program for chatting on the web! While it's not a new idea by any means, we think JabberChat is unique among its competition and very worthwhile. If you run a web site and you're allowed to upload CGI programs (like hit counters, guestbooks, or whatever) then you can probably run JabberChat. Go ahead and demo it now, and download your free copy from the JabberChat web site!

    Tuesday, July 14th, 1999: Prowler Productions - A New Look!
The look of the Prowler Productions home page has changed some. The new layout should be easier to navigate now. We've placed a random link exchange banner at the top of the page for better exposure for sites which link back to us (this is in addition to being listed on our links page). Trade links with us!

--- Thursday, June 17th, 1999 ---

     Lunatix Online Server Licensing Now Available: Licensing is now available for our Lunatix Online web-based multiplayer RPG. For additional information see the licensing page. Direct your inquiries via email to wyndo@cxo.com.

     StarLock Development: After a 2-month delay in development, the StarLock project is underway again. Check out all the latest info on this exciting web-based game -- and visit often!

--- Sunday, March 7th, 1999 ---

     Official StarLock Web Site: Check out the official StarLock home page at www.prowler-pro.com/starlock and bookmark it! Development of our second web-based RPG has begun! Stay tuned in the weeks and months ahead as we bring this new world to life.

--- Wednesday, March 3rd, 1999 ---

     Our Next Game: Since our current project (Lunatix Online) is nearly finished (only a few minor things remain to be done), we're now in the planning stages of our next online multiplayer game. Not much has been determined, and nothing has been coded yet, but it will be Sci-Fi. StarLock will be available for play at no additional charge. A subscription to Lunatix will be a subscription to StarLock as well -- how cool is that??

Development of “StarLock” will begin soon and we anticipate having a playable beta online sometime in the summer. Stay tuned for more information about it, including a new web site to chronicle its progress. After this, we have the concept for a third web-based game as well!

     Go Play Lunatix: If you haven't already tried it, go to www.lunatix-online.com now and check out Lunatix Online: Global Insanity Crisis. After many months of hard work, we're finally putting the finishing touches on it! Feedback has been very good so far! We're told that this is the MOST entertaining web-based game some people have ever played. This is very encouraging, and we hope to continue this success with StarLock. Until then, be sure to check out Lunatix Online.