==== Midnight Ramblings ====

I've been a user, co-sysop, and sysop of BBSs since before the term "Surf-the Net" ever existed and began using the internet when most people were using lynx type (text-only) bowsers and an e-mail program like pine or elm. Mosaic was the "hot" graphic interface just being developed.

Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) were the primary source of online entertainment and the Free Exchange of Information and Ideas. Though the internet began as a means for government and educational institutions to easily exchange information over the past 5 or more years it has experienced a explosive growth and commercialization which has both good and bad consequence.

As people have been drawn to the Internet their has been a decline in BBSing not only those who left BBSs for the Internet but many new people that don't even know they exist. Though BBSs may never have the popularity they once had I believe they still have something to offer that cannot be found "Surfing" the Web.

I've been hooked on games for as long as I can remember and, believe it or not, my first experience with a computer game was a very crude version of PONG on a HUGE mainframe in the middle of the New Mexico desert...
Though I've loved games forever my real obsession didn't really kick in until I started calling BBSs and playing Door Games. Even though they didn't have the graphics or arcade qualities of game systems or platform games the fact that I was playing with and against other human beings and not against a computer or program was the real attraction and kept me coming back. I'm still a game addict and there are some really awesome new games that have come out over the last few years I still love to play BBS doors.

For the last several years my interest has been centered around Online Graphics, which is what the focus of this page is. Specifically ASCII, ANSI, RIP, F/X DDO, and MAX Graphics. I will eventually expand into Web graphics and resources.

It may seem a little odd that a "Graphics" Page is lacking graphics, but that was intentional so that my main pages will load quickly and work well on any browser including text only. But as my site develops this page will lead to some pages that I hope to make visually stimulating and intense.

Anxiously awaiting the release of some doors that used it's new capabilities I keep my eyes and ears opened but the few offerings were a big disappointment. I only found 2 and they required major downloading of "icons" and sound files.

At this point I got tired of waiting and figured out how to add sound to existing RIP 1.54 graphics and decided I'd put together a "versatile" sound archive (of about 1meg) that I could use with all my RIP screens and figured out how to add sound to the RIP in L.O.R.D. Thus was born LORD FX and the FX Sound System, which has continued to grow into a number of different FX Add-Ons.

When I first released LORD FX I thought I might ask for a little money... and I figured the best place to release it would be into sites on the WWW where RIP was still being talked about and used. But withing 48 hours I started recieving angry e-mail "How can you charge me to do that?! I could have done it MYSELF!!" My response was to say "Then why haven't you done it?" and to make ALL the FX System Add-Ons FREE!
In all reality it IS very easy to do and even though I've been laughed at and put down about being a RIP enthusiast, I haven't let it get me down too much. I've made the FX System Add-Ons readily available for any and all to use as they wish. I also want to tell SysOps how they can easily add FX Sound or thier very own Custom Sounds to ANY RIP Screen simply and easily using nothing more than a Text Editor!

The addition of IGMs (or whatever a door author chooses to call the In Game Add-Ons) has inspired alot of people to create add-ons or games within games. The DMCS is not unlike that with the exception that (without ANY programing knowledge) it is now possible to create an Entire Game! Not only that, but John has offered to give FREE REGISTRATIONS (for both the DM Engine and Construction Set) to Anyone who creates an Original DM Module of their own! As more people discover this great game and make their modules to get the Free Registrations the available module list is sure to grow with as wid a variety of games to be played as their are people to play them.

I briefly looked at the Construction Set and thought I'd like to make a module of my own, but at this time I was buzy making FX Add-Ons for RIP games and it took second place to my current projects. I wanted to register it eventually but there were other things that had to come first.

I kept an eye out for New modules and visited John's site regularly. When I saw his offer for FREE REGISTRATIONS for Original DM modules that was all the motivation I needed to try my hand at building one and I dived into it head first! Within 2 weeks I was sending First Blood! to John for consideration....which has since evolved into a whole Series of Modules.