Lone Wolf - Mirror of Death PC games

[nigthhunter]

Hi guys,

As suggested by Black Cat and as I have already post at TotS temporary forum, I have found this site where we can get this LW oldie for free.

www.the-underdogs.info/game.php?id=3208

To know more about this site: www.the-underdogs.info/about.php

So I have two questions,

Does this game is now classed as an abandonware? Joe and the developer(still existing today) should have copyright on this.

And if, in the case, it hadn't become an abondonware, is PA can put this game in the download section, with the authorisation of Mr. Dever?

EDIT: I was going to forget, notice that they put a link to PA site in the game description as a related link. Does PA have something to do with it?

[outspaced]

Heh--it's a long story.

In July 2006 we contacted Peter Calver, former head honcho of Audiogenic, the company who published Lone Wolf: The Mirror of Death. He was quite enthusiastic about Project Aon (and the fact that we'd bothered to track him down and contact him. He said, in part:

Therefore, provided that Joe Dever gives his permission in writing I'd have no objection to making the game available for free online download AFTER I have been able to dispose of the remaining stocks.

These stocks appear to be >1,000 copies of the Red Fox edition of The Plague Lords of Ruel, and some copies of the game, still held by Audiogenic.

At that point I'd also conduct a search of our archives for unreleased versions of the game, and make these available to Project Aon. . . . I would need to recover a modest sum towards the cost of producing and storing the books and games for the past 15 years . . .

So the answer is no, the game is currently not Abandonware, and copies of it might still available from Audiogenic. Thus, we cannot, at this time, put it on our site for official download. Sorry. We do have the Rules for the game on our site to download as a PDF, along with pictures of the packaging.

I don't know how Audiogenic are getting on with their copies of the books, how many they have left, and what sort of "modest sum" they would be looking for, either. Hmm.

[outspaced]

Oh, and we have no official connection with The Underdogs site. But as a well-known purveyor of gamebooks online, many sites probably link to Project Aon that we don't know about. My own personal website does, for example.

[Black Cat]

Hey, since you are putting a link on the main PA's website to the Mongoose page for people to buy the new gamebooks, why don't you put a link to the Audiogenic webpage (does it exists?) or make some publicity for people to buy this old videogame? Maybe it will help Audiogenic to get rid of the last copies they have (and make it available for download on PA) more faster. Maybe the company will even lower the "modest sum" they are asking for the game if you collaborate with them?

[nigthhunter]

Ok, no problem with that. I was just asking. This would have been a nice add-on on the download page. So this site, Underdogs have no right to make it on download on thier site, as we know.

This is a strange response from Mr. Calver. Surely he just want to to limite his loss with these stocks. God, now that the Gamebook being republished, these 1000 copies(maybe less today) of the Red Fox edition of The Plague Lords of Ruel must begin to be hard to sell, unless some new fans want to put a hand on it. About the game, he won't sell it anymore. LOL!!! Unless, still some fans want to put a hand too on it. Maybe a VGA remake of the game can be more profitable.

[nigthhunter]

Nice idea there BC.

[outspaced]

Quoth Jon Blake:

AFAIK, we're still in the position of trying to find someone to buy those 1000 books from Peter.

I don't think it would be appreciated if we set up a direct link on the site to buy these books, since Mongoose might eventually get round to releasing The Plague Lords of Ruel in a couple of years' time. However, if anyone feels like buying some copies of the original Red Fox edition featuring Peter Andrew Jones's cover, you should probably contact <[e-mail]> to ask for a price. You might also want to name-check us as the ones who put you on to them.

Cheers!

[Doomy]

Hmm, going by Amazon Marketplace prices 1,000 copies of that book could fetch £10! Pity it'll cost more than that to get them out of Audiogenic's warehouse.

[triwen]

I was looking up Audiogenic on wikipedia when I noticed a link to www.worldofspectrum.org they have all 3 games for download and magazine articles the instruction booklet, the cassette inlay, even an on-line emulator. The three links are


Flight From The Dark: www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0006591

Fire On The Water: www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0006593

The Mirror Of Death: www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0002920