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      <h5><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">//<a href="../../../index.html"><font color="#7C420E">loonygames</font></a>://<a href="../index.html"><font color="#7C420E">issue 
        2.14</font></a>://<a href="index.html"><font color="#7C420E">birth of a 
        gamer</font></a>://1, <a href="index2.php"><font color="#7C420E">2</font></a></font></b></h5>
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              <h5 align="right"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#00025E"><img src="../../images/icons/boag_final.jpg" width="193" height="235" align="left"><loonystart>Vol. 
                2, Issue 14<br>
                February 29, 2000<br>
                </font></b></h5>
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                </font></b></font></h5>
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                <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000FF"><i><font color="#904C10" size="3">Birth 

                  of a Gamer:</font></i></font></b></p>
                <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000FF"><i><font color="#904C10" size="6"> 
                  Creatures 3:<br>
                  <font size="4">I'm Hooked!</font></font></i></font></b></p>
                <p align="right"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">by 
                  Heather &quot;<a href="mailto:heatherhazel@eudoramail.com">elki</a>&quot; 
                  Haselkorn</font></p>
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              <p align="left"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="../../images/letters_new/a.jpg" height="39" align="left" width="22"></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">t 
                this point in my gaming career, I’m looking for the perfect game.  
                One that holds my attention for more than an hour, allows me to 
                think yet isn’t too difficult, and above all, is fun.  So far 
                the closest I’ve gotten is <b>Creatures 3</b>.  In fact, I think 
                I’m developing a little problem here.  Normally I play a game 
                for just long enough to be able to write a column on it.  I usually 
                don’t give it a second glance afterward.  This time around, I 
                was torn between writing my column and playing with Norns.  The 
                game just turns me into a sappy fool and I can’t break away.  
                Now, I should warn you:  if you don’t like drippy columns about 
                cute fuzzy animals, you should probably stop reading right here.  
                </font></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">If you’re 
                not familiar with the game, the idea is to hatch two little creatures 
                called Norns, teach them to talk, keep them healthy and safe from 
                evil Grendels, and eventually breed future generations.  Sounds 
                simple?  Maybe not.  At least, not unless you know what you’re 
                doing.</font></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">You begin 
                by naming your world.  Profound student of literature that I am, 
                I named my world Messina, the setting for <i>Much Ado about Nothing</i>.  
                Actually, I started with Arden, but my first batch of Norns all 
                died before they could reproduce, so I restarted the game.  Anyway, 
                to populate Messina, I chose the option of hatching two Norns.  
                Having learned from my previous mistake, I realized I had to lay 
                down some Grendel defenses before my eggs hatched.  I set a Sludge 
                Gun and a Creature Detector near a door, and then went about my 
                work of becoming a mommy.  I put one egg in the incubator to hatch 
                right away, and left the other egg to hatch on its own a little 
                later.  My first creature was a cute, fuzzy little thing that 
                looked sort of like a cat with curly hair.  I named her Beatrice.  
                I took Beatrice to the training room and taught her a few words.  
                Then, as the tutorial I had printed out off the <b>Creatures </b>home 
                page directed, I took her to Grendel territory to find the Stone 
                of Knowledge.  After that, Beatrice, or “beatwice,” as she liked 
                to call herself, had an almost full vocabulary.  By the time I 
                led her back to safety, Benedick was already hatched and eating 
                cheese.  Benedick was really cute…he looked sort of like Tigger.</font></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I was 
                all set to go.  Except for one thing:  I had set my defenses up 
                at one door, but there was at least one other door that I knew 
                of.  I hadn’t seen a Grendel yet, but I noticed a few Ettins.  
                Ettins don’t beat up Norns the way that Grendels do, but they 
                can be a major pain.  Sort of like freeloading holiday guests 
                who pick your fridge clean.  Ettins like to pick things up and 
                carry them away.  Creature Detectors, for instance.  So now Grendels 
                were walking right past my Sludge Gun and beating up my Norns.</font></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Good mommy 
                that I am, I led my Norns to temporary safety.  Beatrice and Benedick 
                were adults, and ready to breed.  The way they breed is neat.  
                They just tickle each other and suddenly there’s an egg.  First 
                there was Hero.  And then Claudio.  Then Juliet.  And how can 
                I forget the very short-lived Romeo?  The eggs were hatching before 
                I could even find them!  And of course, with no time to finish 
                laying down defenses, a few were slaughtered before I even knew 
                they were there.</font></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Meanwhile, 
                while I’m worrying about how to protect my creations, they’re 
                in perfect bliss, talking and playing.  Hero, seeing Benedick 
                nearby, says, “Hewo likes Benedick.”  When a Grendel shows up 
                they tell me they’re scared, or they run away saying something 
                like “Juliet dislikes Ung.”  The best is when they talk to each 
                other, though.  The conversation can go something like this:</font></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>BEATRICE:</b>  
                Beatrice very hungry for starch.<br>
                <br>
                <b>BENEDICK:  </b>Maybe eat seeds Beatrice?</font></p>
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<p><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2">Credits: Illustration 
  &copy; 2000 Dan Zalkus. Birth of a Gamer is &copy; 2000 Heather Haselkorn. All 
  other content is &copy; 2000 loonyboi productions. Unauthorized reproduction 
  is prohibited, you cartoonish villian, you.</font></i></p>
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