The Gold Rush
Christopher Reid
The Gold Rush.. or How I Got The Last Copy Within Thirty-five Miles
Like many of you, I had to have the new Wing Commander game the first
day it was available. For some months we've been anticipating a Gold
release on October 14. This was confirmed by the shipping date from the
EB offer linked from prophecygold.com.
First things first, from the 10th to the 12th I called and tried to
reserve a copy of WCP Gold at the local software retailers. I gave up
when the guy at Comp USA said that their computers had no records of a
Wing Commander Prophecy 'Gold', but they expected a regular Wing
Commander Prophecy to be released sometime in 1999.
So.. on Wednesday, October 14th, I made my way through the local
gauntlet of computer stores. In order, I went to Super Software, Barnes
and Nobles, Computer City, Circut City, Future Shop, Electronics
Boutique, Software Etc., Comp USA and Half Price Books in search of the
illusive game. All nine stores came up empty. Two gave me November 2,
and EB said it'd be in 'tomorrow'. So, I consoled myself with buying a
WC4 (which included a copy of the Official Guide) at Half Price Books.
Thursday I checked back at EB, again 'tomorrow'. On Friday however,
they admitted their shippers hadn't gotten it yet, and to come back
Monday or Tuesday. On Saturday, I checked nearest cluster of computer
stores, some 35 miles away. Their EB didn't even have it in the
computer. This was the day LOAF got his at the local Best Buy.
So.. today.. Monday.. I decided to call EB instead of making the trek
to the mall. And they had it! But.. they didn't just get their
shipment in that morning.. they'd sold all but ONE copy so far in that
shipment. Needless to say, I reserved that copy.
When I arrived at the mall and bounced up to the cashier, the
salesperson didn't even ask me for a name or anything to confirm it was
I who had reserved the game. Either he could sense my enthusiasm, or he
recognized me from the visits (houndings) the previous week. I had the
box open by the time I got out to the parking lot (I even cut through a
Mervyn's to get out more quickly) and read the manual in my car.
And as I added the beautiful gold box to my shrine (it turns out it
looks best with my copies of Prophecy to the left of it, instead of my
idea of it being between the Prophecies) and realized that, boy, it
really was worth it. :)
Chris Reid
CRei...@aol.com
SX Glory
>The Gold Rush.. or How I Got The Last Copy Within Thirty-five Miles
<snip>
Doesn't everyone just love a story with a happy ending ;-)
SX Glory
Realm of the Privateer
http://www.dsuper.net/~sxglory
"By will alone I set my mind in motion"
Mandrake
invested at great dividends!
Frank
SX Glory wrote in message <70gsvb$tcp$1...@delphi.dsuper.net>...
Christopher Reid
>
> SX Glory wrote in message <70gsvb$tcp$1...@delphi.dsuper.net>...
> >Christopher Reid wrote in message <362BF4...@aol.com>...
> >
> >>The Gold Rush.. or How I Got The Last Copy Within Thirty-five Miles
> >
> ><snip>
> >
> >Doesn't everyone just love a story with a happy ending ;-)
>
> have been invested at great dividends!
Incredibly happy. That box sitting on the shelf gives me far more
peace of mind than $40 in stock would ever do.
Chris Reid
CRei...@aol.com
David Hedbor
>
> Incredibly happy. That box sitting on the shelf gives me far more
> peace of mind than $40 in stock would ever do.
You must have lots of extra money to spend. I wish I could buy every
game I wanted.
--
[ Below is a random fortune, which is unrelated to the above message. ]
I took a course in speed reading and was able to read War and Peace in
twenty minutes.
It's about Russia.
-- Woody Allen
Raoul Schroeder
: I rarely post New Messages so.. here goes.
:
: The Gold Rush.. or How I Got The Last Copy Within Thirty-five Miles
:
Now... I understand that it satisfied the collecting instinct in you. That
is allright, I wasted (no offense, really) money for worse things. But..
But, was it really worth it? I mean, the fiction of SO is still seperate on
the Web-page. There is a new manual..
It just escapes me. I would buy it, if I saw a reason in it. So, request to
all: Convert me poor ignorant... ;)
Raoul
Ben Lesnick
>
> Christopher Reid <CRei...@aol.com> writes:
>
> >
> > Incredibly happy. That box sitting on the shelf gives me far more
> > peace of mind than $40 in stock would ever do.
>
> You must have lots of extra money to spend. I wish I could buy every
> game I wanted.
But you don't *want* WCP Gold...:) Anyway, if Chris is anything like me
he has *NO* money, but bought Gold because it's probably the *one* game
he'll get this year... (G)
> --
> [ Below is a random fortune, which is unrelated to the above message. ]
> I took a course in speed reading and was able to read War and Peace in
> twenty minutes.
>
> It's about Russia.
> -- Woody Allen
--
Long live the Confederation,
Ben "Bandit" Lesnick
The Wing Commander CIC
http://www.wcnews.com
"You go, Loaf! Get some!" - JPG
Philip Langdale
>
> But you don't *want* WCP Gold...:) Anyway, if Chris is anything like me
> he has *NO* money, but bought Gold because it's probably the *one* game
> he'll get this year... (G)
>
Second surely, he had to prophecy in the first place. :-)
And technically third, he got two prophecy's right? :-)
--phil
ps:I would too if we got maps over here. *grumble*
SX Glory
>Christopher Reid (CRei...@aol.com) wrote:
>: I rarely post New Messages so.. here goes.
>:
>: The Gold Rush.. or How I Got The Last Copy Within Thirty-five Miles
>:
>Now... I understand that it satisfied the collecting instinct in you. That
>is allright, I wasted (no offense, really) money for worse things. But..
>But, was it really worth it? I mean, the fiction of SO is still seperate on
>the Web-page. There is a new manual..
What's worth it to one person may not be to another. If Chris receives any
enjoyment or pleasure from buying the game, then why shouldn't he? It's not
a matter of wasting money, and wether the fiction is with it or not is
irrelevant.
>It just escapes me. I would buy it, if I saw a reason in it. So, request to
>all: Convert me poor ignorant... ;)
I don't think CR's post was meant to "convert" anyone. He simply wanted to
share his quest for the elusive WCP Gold, and it's happy conclusion. All the
while brightening up the group.
SX Glory
>> Incredibly happy. That box sitting on the shelf gives me far more
>> peace of mind than $40 in stock would ever do.
>You must have lots of extra money to spend.
That's irrelevant.
>I wish I could buy every game I wanted.
That's unwarranted, especially since you don't want to buy WCP Gold (as you
mention in another post).
SX Glory
>Happy? He already had the game! In my mind, that's $40+ that could have
been
>invested at great dividends!
Some might say that investing your money is the least entertaining thing you
can do. It is only through consumption that people can gain utility. When's
the last time you saw a happy stock broker?
Mandrake
hoochies. Now that was a happy stock broker!
Frank
SX Glory wrote in message <70i3s1$lhn$1...@delphi.dsuper.net>...
Raoul Schroeder
: What's worth it to one person may not be to another. If Chris receives any
: enjoyment or pleasure from buying the game, then why shouldn't he? It's not
: a matter of wasting money, and wether the fiction is with it or not is
: irrelevant.
:
: I don't think CR's post was meant to "convert" anyone. He simply wanted to
: share his quest for the elusive WCP Gold, and it's happy conclusion. All the
: while brightening up the group.
:
When I was posting this, I was considering saying that I am not serious. I
decided against it, cause I thought it was obvious. I now see I was wrong.
I tried to be funny, but utterly failed. I probably would be Prophecy Gold,
too, if I had the money right now.
So please, everyone, forgive me. Next time I will clarify it
My apologies, especially to Chris Reid. I really did not want to attack
anyone or question anything.
Raoul
Barrie Almond
Raoul Schroeder wrote:
> Christopher Reid (CRei...@aol.com) wrote:
> : I rarely post New Messages so.. here goes.
> :
> : The Gold Rush.. or How I Got The Last Copy Within Thirty-five Miles
> :
> Now... I understand that it satisfied the collecting instinct in you. That
> is allright, I wasted (no offense, really) money for worse things. But..
> But, was it really worth it? I mean, the fiction of SO is still seperate on
> the Web-page. There is a new manual..
>
Manual? Oh that doesn't matter. You get a cool gold box with a flap!
>
> It just escapes me. I would buy it, if I saw a reason in it. So, request to
> all: Convert me poor ignorant... ;)
>
> Raoul
The box. That's reason enough for me to buy it.
--
Barrie "Cpl Hades" Almond
bal...@oasis-net.co.uk
SX Glory
>When I saw him drinking champagne in the back of his limo with his
expensive
>hoochies. Now that was a happy stock broker!
Stock brokers have no life, are constantly worried about their investments,
have high blood pressure and usually go bald by their mid-twenties, suffer
nervous breakdowns by their mid-thirties, and hit a mid-life crisis by their
forties, if they even last that long. That's why you won't find many of them
deeply involved in the game over 30, they've burned out by then. Is the
money worth the aggravation. I don't think so. And do they own limos? I
think not, you're just assuming that's how it works out for them.
Christopher Reid
> > more peace of mind than $40 in stock would ever do.
>
> game I wanted.
$30 isn't a lot of extra money.. (it come down to $30 after the
rebate).. and I don't "waste" money on non-WC games..
Chris Reid
CRei...@aol.com
Christopher Reid
>
> Ben Lesnick wrote:
> >
> > But you don't *want* WCP Gold...:) Anyway, if Chris is anything like
> > me he has *NO* money, but bought Gold because it's probably the
> > *one* game he'll get this year... (G)
>
> Second surely, he had to prophecy in the first place. :-)
I bought Prophecy in 1997.
> And technically third, he got two prophecy's right? :-)
Yeah.. but I think he meant full priced games.. my second Prophecy
was only half as much as WCP Gold which was cheap for a new game anyway.
> ps:I would too if we got maps over here. *grumble*
I only opened my first box. :)
Christopher Reid
>
> Christopher Reid (CRei...@aol.com) wrote:
> : I rarely post New Messages so.. here goes.
> :
> : The Gold Rush.. or How I Got The Last Copy Within Thirty-five Miles
>
> Now... I understand that it satisfied the collecting instinct in you.
> That is allright, I wasted (no offense, really) money for worse
It's really worth it to me. For $30 I got more enjoyment when I
bought WCP Gold than $30 worth of most things would bring. That's what
it comes down to.
> It just escapes me. I would buy it, if I saw a reason in it. So,
> request to all: Convert me poor ignorant... ;)
It's just your hobby.. other people like other things more than Wing
Commander. I have a narrower range of hobbies than some, but the things
I do enjoy I would say I enjoy more.
Chris Reid
CRei...@aol.com
Christopher Reid
>
> My apologies, especially to Chris Reid. I really did not want to
> attack anyone or question anything.
Not necessary.. I meant the thread for fun and I interpreted your
reply in the same spirit.
Chris Reid
CRei...@aol.com
Christopher Reid
>
> Mandrake wrote in message <362c0cd2$0$12...@nntp1.ba.best.com>...
> >Happy? He already had the game! In my mind, that's $40+ that could
> >have been invested at great dividends!
>
> franchise:
> -Wing Commander and both Secret Missions disks on 3 1/2" (remember
> those? I didn't even have a computer that'd RUN the stupid game)
Ahh.. but do you have the 5.25" versions? :)
> -WCII and Speech Pack on 3 1/2"
Same as above. :)
> -Complete WCII on CD (the Special Ops disks were long gone once I got
> a computer that'd run it)
I have some of those. There's so many different ones. Deluxe
Edition.. Deluxe Classic.. Twin Pack..
> -WCIII (the real reason I bought a new computer)
Yup.
> -WC1&2 together on CD (the original WC floppys gave out),
The Twin Pack? In the white box? That was a special find. :)
> -WC Kilrathi Saga (bells and whistles! bells and whistles!)
And the Callendar on the wall.. :)
> -WCIV (I'd probably buy the W95 version if I saw it cheap someplace)
Me too.. all mine are actually DOS versions, shame, shame..
> -WC Prophecy (without my Diamond Monster, it wouldn't run at all on
> this ol' P.O.S. P75)
I bet it would.. if you made it.. :)
> Plus both Privateers, Armada, Academy...
There's various releases of those too. I have lots of Privateer
boxes that are gold colored for one reason or another.
> and almost *24* hours downloading WC Secret Ops on my antique 14.4
> modem.
Yup.
> Sadly, my track record points towards buying WCP Gold... yet another
> redundant purchase.
I would guess you wont be disappointed.
> I wish I'd never heard about that new manual... drool. (A whole shelf
> of strategy guides too, of course.) And I'm on my third joystick.
Too bad there's no WCP Gold Official Guide. :/
> Still, this is nothing compared to my Ultima collection.
Hehe..
Chris Reid
CRei...@aol.com
Christopher Nolen
>Happy? He already had the game! In my mind, that's $40+ that could have
been
>invested at great dividends!
Lord, the redundant investments *I've* made in the Wing Commander franchise:
-Wing Commander and both Secret Missions disks on 3 1/2" (remember those? I
didn't even have a computer that'd RUN the stupid game)
-WCII and Speech Pack on 3 1/2"
-Complete WCII on CD (the Special Ops disks were long gone once I got a
computer that'd run it)
-WCIII (the real reason I bought a new computer)
-WC1&2 together on CD (the original WC floppys gave out),
-WC Kilrathi Saga (bells and whistles! bells and whistles!)
-WCIV (I'd probably buy the W95 version if I saw it cheap someplace)
-WC Prophecy (without my Diamond Monster, it wouldn't run at all on this ol'
P.O.S. P75)
Plus both Privateers, Armada, Academy... and almost *24* hours downloading
WC Secret Ops on my antique 14.4 modem. Sadly, my track record points
towards buying WCP Gold... yet another redundant purchase. I wish I'd never
heard about that new manual... drool. (A whole shelf of strategy guides too,
of course.) And I'm on my third joystick.
Still, this is nothing compared to my Ultima collection.
Yours,
Sabre-X
Christopher Nolen
those? I didn't even have a computer that'd RUN the stupid game)
No, in those days I had an XT (Lord!) with a low-density 5.25" drive. I
planned to get a HD 3 1/2" drive for the new system... of course, by then,
5.25" was a dead medium.
ME: Complete WCII on CD (the Special Ops disks were long gone once I got a
computer that'd run it)>>
CR: I have some of those. There's so many different ones. Deluxe Edition..
Deluxe Classic.. Twin Pack.
Mine was Deluxe Classic, I believe. Crummy online docs. I barely remember
this one, as I gave it to a friend when I got...
ME: WC1&2 together on CD (the original WC floppys gave out),
CR: Twin Pack? In the white box? That was a special find. :)
The same! Found it at a Best Buy, paid something like $25, I think. I knew
I'd never see it again if I didn't buy that one... occasionally I see things
as they come to pass.
CR: Too bad there's no WCP Gold Official Guide. :/
I bought the Prophecy guide, of course, but <asskiss>The CIC SO Strategy
Guide is all the SO Strategy I need.</asskiss>
Yours,
Sabre-X
Edward Pang
wrote:
>CR: Too bad there's no WCP Gold Official Guide. :/
>I bought the Prophecy guide, of course, but <asskiss>The CIC SO Strategy
>Guide is all the SO Strategy I need.</asskiss>
Goddamnit.. I wish I had all the Ultima Games. :/
The Ultima Collection didn't do it for me (couldn't get the
damned thing to RUN in DOS).
---
"Clippy?? CLIPPY??"
"You mean I've been afraid of getting my ass chewed out
by a freak who liked being called Clippy?"
- Lt. Max 'Maestro' Garett, Wing Commander: Secret Ops
Ben Lesnick
>
> ME: Wing Commander and both Secret Missions disks on 3 1/2" (remember
> those? I didn't even have a computer that'd RUN the stupid game)
> CR: Ahh.. but do you have the 5.25" versions? :)
>
> No, in those days I had an XT (Lord!) with a low-density 5.25" drive. I
> planned to get a HD 3 1/2" drive for the new system... of course, by then,
> 5.25" was a dead medium.
>
> ME: Complete WCII on CD (the Special Ops disks were long gone once I got a
> computer that'd run it)>>
> CR: I have some of those. There's so many different ones. Deluxe Edition..
> Deluxe Classic.. Twin Pack.
>
> Mine was Deluxe Classic, I believe. Crummy online docs. I barely remember
> this one, as I gave it to a friend when I got...
>
> ME: WC1&2 together on CD (the original WC floppys gave out),
> CR: Twin Pack? In the white box? That was a special find. :)
>
> The same! Found it at a Best Buy, paid something like $25, I think. I knew
> I'd never see it again if I didn't buy that one... occasionally I see things
> as they come to pass.
>
> I bought the Prophecy guide, of course, but <asskiss>The CIC SO Strategy
> Guide is all the SO Strategy I need.</asskiss>
People use strategy guides for actual strategy:)?
> Yours,
> Sabre-X
--
Long live the Confederation,
Ben "Bandit" Lesnick
The Wing Commander CIC
http://www.wcnews.com
Death
<Sab...@worldnet.att.net> scrawled the following, in the chapter
titled alt.games.wing-commander:
<snip>
> ME: WC1&2 together on CD (the original WC floppys gave out),
> CR: Twin Pack? In the white box? That was a special find. :)
>
> The same! Found it at a Best Buy, paid something like $25, I think. I knew
> I'd never see it again if I didn't buy that one... occasionally I see things
> as they come to pass.
Heh... I got my copy of the Twin Pack at the local (Groton, CT)
Software, Etc, back in late 94 or so. I had originally gotten the WC2
Special Edition (I think that's it... one of the "all of WC2" CD
packages, anyhow), but when I saw the Twin Pack there I said, "Hmm...
One game and it's addons at $30, or TWO games and their addons at
$30?"
Decisions, decisions...
Needless to say ("Then why are you saying it?" ;) ), I returned the
WC2 CD and replaced it with the Twin Pack. Too bad the system[1] to
play it on is gone... melted BIOS battery will ruin a motherboard
pretty quick. :)
(Then again, the mb was hosed anyway[2], and screwed up EMS so bad the
system couldn't run WC3, which was THE REASON I BOUGHT THE COMPUTER IN
THE FIRST PLACE!!! **AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH** *deep breath*
Ok, I'm better now. ;) )
SubCrid Death
ICQ UIN: 3908950 <http://wwp.mirabilis.com/3908950>
LOAF's Merry Guild: <http://www.loaf.pi.se/loaf/guild.html>
[1] 486DX2/80MHz w/ 16MB. Hit the "turbo" button to bring it down to
20MHz, then use ICD/ICE to disable the cache without going into BIOS,
effectively giving me a 386DX/20 that has 16MB of EMS memory (plus
634KB base thanks to QEMM 7.0) to play with. VERY smooth WC system. :)
[2] Don't EVER by a system from Micro Xperts[3], in Solomon Ohio.
They'll shaft you with cheapo no-name 3rd-world-slave-labor-built
parts, and then stall till the warranty runs out when you try to get
things fixed.
[3] Actually, I'm not even sure if they still exist. I don't think
anyone beyond the employees would really mind their demise, though.[4]
[4] Enough footnotes yet?[5]
[5] How about now? :)
Christopher Reid
>
> ME: Wing Commander and both Secret Missions disks on 3 1/2" (remember
> those? I didn't even have a computer that'd RUN the stupid game)
> CR: Ahh.. but do you have the 5.25" versions? :)
>
> No, in those days I had an XT (Lord!) with a low-density 5.25" drive.
> I planned to get a HD 3 1/2" drive for the new system... of course, by
> then, 5.25" was a dead medium.
Yeah.. I have a 5.25" inch drive in my 486 actually.
> ME: Complete WCII on CD (the Special Ops disks were long gone once I
> got a computer that'd run it)>>
> CR: I have some of those. There's so many different ones. Deluxe
> Edition.. Deluxe Classic.. Twin Pack.
>
> Mine was Deluxe Classic, I believe. Crummy online docs. I barely
> remember this one, as I gave it to a friend when I got...
Yeah.. I have so many WC2's but only a couple original WC2 manuals.
> ME: WC1&2 together on CD (the original WC floppys gave out),
> CR: Twin Pack? In the white box? That was a special find. :)
>
> The same! Found it at a Best Buy, paid something like $25, I think. I
> knew I'd never see it again if I didn't buy that one... occasionally I
> see things as they come to pass.
I bought it at some funky store.. like Plato's Pocket.
> CR: Too bad there's no WCP Gold Official Guide. :/
> I bought the Prophecy guide, of course, but <asskiss>The CIC SO
> Strategy Guide is all the SO Strategy I need.</asskiss>
Hehe, Hades is supposedly working on a downloadable printable
version..
Chris Reid
CRei...@aol.com
Karl "CFF" Frank
> Yeah.. I have a 5.25" inch drive in my 486 actually.
I just wished that I had a drive for old music cassetes too, like we had
in the times of the C64.