Since the first newsletter, there has been a very constitent rise in visitors to this site. Many people who come here do not post in the forums, but do read the site content (as its best around). Also, the traffic to the revitalised original KKND and KKND 2 sites are gaining a lot of traffic now.

Surprising, only a handful of people have unsubscribed from the newsletter, despite me collecting emails from other KKND 2 and KKND sites on the web. People are pretty dedicated to the game!

I hope that Justin will also contribute to this issue as neither KKNDMaster or I have heard anything from him in ages.

For newsletter content, please post your articles here. Click on the left to view the archived January issue. This issue will be in a similar format, but hopefully have more contributors (not just KKNDMaster and I).

Start posting here now!

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- Click here for stats...

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ok, what about counting them?

EVERYBODY WHO IS READING THIS MESSAGE
(yeah, i mean YOU, the person behing the monitor) ANSWERS SOMETHING TO THIS MESSAGE

I can do some of the newsletter, but I hope other people will play a large role in this one.

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Please help out here - even if you are new to Planet KKND 2 or new to the game itself. Perhaps someone could tell us of how they rediscovered the game...

Reply here!!

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The cycle of hatred continues, untill something is done about it.

[ July 23, 2002: Message edited by: PeeDee ]

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You need to post articles here... not just ideas.

Thank you.

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Just a little tidbit to let everyone know that the conversion of the highland and urban tilesets has been quite an interesting experience. I am a NOOB at all of this.

• I have learned how to use PSP 6.02 (at least without crashing the program nor my computer).

• Have learned how to somewhat precariously use KME to create a new tileset (MY HORROR STORY OF THE YEAR!!!!).

• I was trying so hard to create a new multi player map for everyone and KME kept crashing---I tossed out a total of at least 1,500 converted tiles before BennyBarrageCraft explained to me that the multi player map maker portion of KME does not work--thank you Benny for that tidbit. (I have yet to learn how to export a mission---haha--I just create test maps and make sure they look at least somewhat presentable as I have been too busy with the tile conversion, etc. to complete the making of a mission).

• Testing and retesting each newly made tile to see if it had any appearance problems. Many of my new tiles were edited pixel by pixel to try to make sure they would fit smoothly together.

• Taking screen shots while playing KKnD2 and making new tiles for the new tileset.

• Finally throwing together a test bunch of tiles to see if others find them usable.

• Then I found out there is a really COOL tool in PSP where everything does NOT have to be in squares or rectangles (the lasso tool). Thank you Nahoo so very very much for that info. The square and rectangular tiles were really a pain.

• I am back to the tiles once again and I am removing all unnecessary green, brown, water, etc. on all the top layer tiles (never understood what top layer meant before but now I do).

• If anyone has figured out how to make underground tunnels work---email me with the directions so I can check out two new tiles I have created for such. Thanks.

• I would appreciate any screen shots for additional tiles. Everything will be looked at.
  

I am also in the process of trying to learn HTML so I have been extremely busy.

All of this has been exciting, fun and definitely frustrating. I really am thankful that I am a part of this community.

pdwalters1@charter.net

-PeeDee

[ July 26, 2002: Message edited by: PeeDee ]

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I have launched a new forum: http://forums.dahost.net
- this will deal with all site design, scripting and hosting related problems.

With regards to tunnels - its perfectly possible with KME.

1. Create a background image BOTTOM layer (eg. desert or mud with shadowing).
2. Create TOP layer, that hides all units, just like plants and old chimney stacks in the Desert.kp. This layer is what people will see, rather than the units (underneath). It would be something like a cliff with two mouth openings.
3. Go to Attribute layer, now edit it so that only small units can travel through the tunnels.

This tile will be quite large, perhaps in two parts. It will be difficult to make it fit with the rest of the tileset, unless there are quite a few on offer. I cannot see how there other units can pass over the tunnels (as in some missions), without some disappering acts or something. Basically, its possible, but probably more limited than the KKND 2 campaign versions.

More articles please - thanks Peedee!

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FYI: this forum can now be accessed at: http://forums.kknd2.com

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This will liven the place up!

Please post Tournament related posts in the Multiplayer forum. Thanks

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Well of course we all like kknd 2. In the kknd universe there is basically the tale of mutated humans, bunker dwelling humans, and ex-farming robots, all fighting for the control of the planet earth or what remains of it atleast.

With kknd 1 the game soared high with the help of EA games. It sold over 200,000 copies. Such sales considering it was in the time of the real time strategy clones was good enough for it to spawn an expansion pack. KKnd xtreme.

KKnd xtreme sold well too and it was good enough to spawn a strategy guide to go with the game. But there were other things to come.

Well kknd 2 came out on october 1998. Unfortunately it wasn't as lucky. The game introduced several new elements that were never seen in the previous kknd games. And also a few never before seen elements in the entire real time strategy genre in general.

But that was not enough to stimulate the crowds and potential kknd 2 ers. There were a few reasons pertaining to kknd 2's demise.

The first reason could very well be the reviewers. Yes the critics are payed to write their opinion on the internet about a game or a movie and well people think that those are their opinions as well. When large places like www.gamespot.com and zdnet write poor reviews of the game well you have to expect that will punch a nice large hole in the selling.

Also the previous games in the series never had a map editor. KKND 2 did have a map editor. But it was not very high end. First of all it only had the tiles necessary to make desert landscapes. Second of all even the desert tile set was not complete. Third of all the map editor didn't have any forms of triggers (E.G. an airlifter flying in and dropping off a load of soldier and then flying away). Fourth of all the map editor was very very buggy and for alot of people they can't get it to work properly without getting kernel32.dll errors. Fifth of all it is impossible to make multiplayer missions with the map editor.

And I could honestly go on an on and on. But there is no point since the whole map editor was a big fluke and it only made people dissapointed to be excited that there was a map editor just so in the end it would be barely comfortably usable. I am normally sympathetic with melbourne house but if they spent at least one more month working on that damned map editor thing's would've been different.

Also another thing that might be the case is that basically they did not advertise too much. Unlike for example today's warcraft 3 they didn't have hype going around everywhere like crazy. And with no commercials and bad reviews well that is unfortunately a losing combination. But Melbourne House was a small company back then so it could not afford to make so many commercials.

Well that is a few things why the game failed. But what do we see for the future might be the question that is going through our head's right now.

Well the future is well probably revolving around me and a few other individuals at the moment. I have constructed a very well rounded document which you may observe if you wish in the literature section of http://planetkknd2.hotmagma.com . It is a doctument containing elements for a kknd 3.

Now Justin Halliday is a big producer down at melbourne house and if he would like my document well he might try to convince someone high up to approve the game. And if that happens well good things will happen in the future. But Justin is very busy and hopefully he gets around to reading it soon. But maybe if everyone could sign a petition for the making of a kknd 3 then that could convince melbourne house that kknd is still alive and they might take the thought of a kknd 3 more seriously.

So currently everything revolves around either Justin a petition or both!

[b]Anyone else that would like to contribute?[b/]

(There are lots of people out there....)

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The cycle of hatred continues, untill something is done about it.

More news please... the regulars (minus Bez) have spoken, any other words of wisdom?

Please reply!

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Sorry, not selling mine!

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If people want to recycle and rush, they should play Quake 3 where you repeatedly die and matches last as long as their attention span (not very long).

There is no discussion about rushing. Its not happening.

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This sucks, and has happened to me and I'm sure everyone else. It sucks and is why I hate deathmatching against just one person. I think there should always be at least 3 people or at least 1 or 2 AI's in every match... just to keep the loser tactics from doing too much damage. In one game you can probably get away with one cheap thrill, but you damned sure won't get away with a second... once you've had your fun, somebody's gonna Krush you and then you won't get to see the rest of the game, because everyone else will be playing, and you'll be staring at the scoring screen early... ..not only that, if you use those tactics, nobody will want to play against you in the future, or nobody will want to be on your team.

Who wants to play against someone suicidal, and who would want to have a suicidal teammate? Not me, I'd like to know that my teammates are building a base and nice force, so they can help me out if I need it... I like to know that they are actually PLAYING THE GAME

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Now here's part of an ad for KKND 2 Krossfire:
--The Survivors are back, freshened up after spending 40 years away from the radioactive surface. The evolved are there as well, fired up after spending 40 years in radiation and becoming even more mutated. And the Series 9, agricultural robots gone REAL wrong, have shown up to punish humanity for ruining their livelihood. It's gonna be a great war, so long as you keep a head on your shoulders.

"so long as you keep a head on your shoulders" Wouldn't that mean playing strategically to win?

When you play the AI, their attacks come early, but they don't sell all but one of their buildings to make just a few more units, they also don't upgrade one building just to access one powerful unit to come get you by surprise.. If you've ever watched the AI build up its base, it always upgrades all its buildings and never just one. It also builds different kinds of units. -in other words the AI is playing strategically. Using the sell and rush, or build one big unit tactics less than 4 minutes after the game starts, that is suicidal and obviously that person doesn't want to sit down and play the game, they want a quick cheap win at any cost, so long as the game is over quickly and they don't have to think. (la la la, blow through, lalala get my name up on that 1st place trophy, lalala don't care if I use strategy so long as I win, lalala I don't know how to use all the units, so I try to get it over with as quick as possible)

If you want to win, you should work at it. Sell and rush may get you a win in a 1on1 game, but in a game with anymore than 2 players, it is certainly suicide as you would make your way through one base and probably come out banged up, but when you made your way to another base, you would surely be annihilated with much ease, because you won't have reinforcements or a base to go back to and repair.

The game is RTS, so naturally you'd have to expect attacks anytime, there's no taking turns. But selling and rushing in the first few minutes of game play, while everyone else is trying to build is lame, and is annoying for the other people, annoying like being strapped to a table and having an ice pick driven into your spine, three vertebrae below the base of your skull.

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It is carefully worded so that noone can dispute their meaning. Rushes are fine, as long as you follow the rules. There is to be no recycling of Oil producing or the Outpost buildings within 15 minutes from the start. That will make it impossible to rush by rcycling your base and taking a very short-term approach to the game.

There is no skill in recycling and rushing. This "strategy", if you can call it that, is condoned in all RTS games. If you play Red Alert 2, Age of Kings, StarCraft, its all the same.

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Post your contributions now!

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new league, join now. guarantees kknd2fun 4ever.

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Well basically there might not be a kknd 3. Though I stress that everyone signs the petition for a perhaps brighter future in a dim world. But you have to be look at the other potential as well.

But anyways the most to get out of kknd 2 nowadays for any veteran is a nice match of multiplayer. And the best way to get that is to get that is to mosey on down to the LEAGUE down at everyone's favorite kknd 2 site. And register and that is so far the best way to get multiplayer.

Though one thing, you need icq. Just go on down to http://www.icq.com and download yourself a copy. the whole installation should not honestly take more than 5 minutes.

Also the planet kknd 2 team is currently searching for people with programming knowledge. The reason is that we would want to make such a server like battle net except for kknd 2. And that way we would make the world a much much better world for kknd 2 fans. If you have any such skills you think could be useful talk to the planet kknd 2 team either at the planet kknd 2 forum, or contact nahoo@kknd2.com and please help us make things better! All able-bodied programmers are needed!

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