Fred - Best of Fred

Magazine

CA                     The Best Of FRED

Welcome to the purchase of the century, the buy of all time, the
disc that can proudly sit at the front of your disc box, the
Best (dramatic pause) of FRED.

This disc is a compilation of the very best material that has
appeared on FRED over the last five (and a bit) years.
Obviously, due to disc space, we haven't been able to bring you
everything we hoped to, but this should prove to be a good
taster of the things that have made FRED so successful.

There isn't much else to say.  If you've been a true SAM lover,
you'll probably be sat there in your FRED T-shirt, having
already written in the date of the next SAM show in your FRED
diary with your FRED pen, whilst at the same time calculating
how much pocket money you've got left with your FRED calculator.

Sigh.


CA                      It's the law...

Can I just remind everyone that this disc is copyright FRED
publishing.  Please don't give out copies of this, or any other
commercial product.  By buying this pack, you've shown that you
look on your SAM with fond memories and want to show support for
its future.  Giving out copies of this and other products will
damage the SAM and could prevent it from having a future.

I don't want to sound negative, but piracy on the SAM is a
dangerous thing.  Fortunately it is low at the moment, but we
can't afford to let it rise.


Anyway, this is the Best of FRED - the Editor's Cut.  It's time
to be cheery.  The pirates can just die, we'll enjoy another
five years of FRED and the SAM.  Let's rid ourselves of this
page and turn to a new, sunshiney-cheerful page.



CA              FRED... the best a SAM can get

I believe that this is the time, when in true Dennis Nordan
fashion, we talk about the stuff I wanted to use, but couldn't.

The main item I wanted to do was a Best of Letters section.
Naturally, this would have included the classic Andrew Collier
letter complaining about SCUM.  SCUM was a joke disc magazine
pretending to be coming out.  In true Matt Round fashion, it was
a blatantly obvious joke, but poor Andrew wrote in and
complained that FRED shouldn't include any more issues of SCUM
because it was a poor disc magazine.  Oh, how we laughed.
However, this is a very sensitive issue, so it's probably better
if I don't mention it.

Oops.  At least now we can all look back on it and laugh, eh
Andrew?  Gulp.

There have been many more hilarious letters, as well as some
very useful ones which would have been included but to copy them
all out and type them in would have taken too long.  I'm lazy...
CA                            snip

Andrew Collier's Mnemotech demo was also a strong contender to
be included, but I wanted to be wary of including too many
recent things.  It's maybe a bit hypocritical because this is
supposed to be the very best of FRED, but I hope you all agree
that you would rather see some of the better old contributions
than something you enjoyed just a few months ago.

I wanted to include a voucher with this pack saying that you
could exchange it for a new SAM, but West Coast Computers
weren't up for it (can't think why...!).

Looking back over old issues of FRED really has been enjoyable.
I'd recommend that you get them all.  The editorials are really
good to read as well (even MacColin's!).  There has been so much
excellent material on FRED that we could make 10 Best Of discs,
and there'd still be stuff missing.  I have no doubt that
everyone would have made a different disc, but I hope that I've
captured some enjoyable items.  Enjoy...

CA                  The BEST Disc Contents

The first item on the BoF is DERF.  DERF was on the superb 50th
issue of FRED and is possibly the best (and at times, most
irritating!) game that has appeared on any disc magazine on the
SAM.  FRED 50 was a couple of days late because Colin was
addicted to it, the same nearly applied to this disc, it has
driven hundreds of people mad and is written by Matt Round.

DERF (read it backwards, and you'll get it) is a disc magazine
company simulator.  Your task is to manage the company and
compile the disc every month.  Due to work, you only have 10
days a month to compile the disc.  In these 10 days, you must
decide what to put on the disc, what price to set the disc at,
how much to advertise, whether to take part in free disc offers,
which duplicators to use and more.  Fortunately, you're not
forced to spend hours writing a gruelling editorial, so you
won't really understand what sort of stress is involved, but it
gives you a good idea.  The aim of the game is to make it to
issue 50.  Sounds easy?  Well, it isn't (stupid game, HATE,
HATE, HATE).  Full instructions are included.
CA                    And there's more...

KE_Disc is a utility for alternating between SAM and PC discs.
It can read PC discs and transfer files either way.  Most people
who own KE_Disc have agreed that it is the most useful utility
that has appeared on FRED (unless you don't have access to a
PC).  It also includes full disc sector editing, so you're
getting two utilities in one!  It is a good idea to make sure
there is a DOS on any SAM discs it reads, otherwise it may not
recognise it.

Once again, the programmer (Geoff Winkless) has included full
instructions.  What a nice person he is.

Tetris, by Lord Insanity, is probably the most famous SAM game
that has been on FRED, and what would a Best Of disc be without
it?  Everyone knows the game and the SAM version is easily one
of the better versions around.  Tetris is the oldest game that
Colin M and I find ourselves going back to play, and even if you
already own it, I'm sure you'll become addicted to it again as
soon as you load it.
CA                       Disc Contents

Mega Sample simply had to be included on this disc.  If the
story I heard is correct, Simon Cooke converted the music about
four years ago when SAMCo were still about.  When he played it
down the phone to Alan Miles, Alan apparently couldn't believe
that it was being played on a SAM and everyone agreed that Simon
Cooke was a smart-arse!  And he still is!

E-Tracker decompiler is a slightly more recent contribution from
Stefan Drissen, the New Zealander/Dutch/Canadian programmer.
Stefan wrote this a year ago when people complained that
E-Tracker wasn't capable of producing very good instruments.
However, everyone was in agreement that Andy Monk had somehow
produced some clever sounds, but as e-tunes couldn't be
decompiled, no-one could 'borrow' his instruments.  With this,
you can.  D-Compiler was being considered for release as a
separate commercial disc, but we decided it would be better if
we gave it to a wider audience to relight the enthusiasm for
E-Tracker.  Listening to the latest tunes, I think it has
worked.
CA                       Disc Contents

Slot H contains another classic bit of FRED history, and is once
again from Simon Cooke.  When I got the issue of FRED with this
on, I was so impressed that everyone I knew was forced to sit
and play with it, and I bet I'm not alone.  OK, it's a bit of a
cliche-a-thon, but it's damn good...

The e-tunes were chosen by someone else because I haven't a clue
when it comes to music.  Again, I'm sure every reader will sit
and say, "But what about 'the-best-tune-in-the-world' by
'God-of-music Jones'???", but I can't help that.  These tunes
are superb.

Thanks must go to Andrew Collier as well for the amazing E-tunes
player.

Flip n Hell is a game by Paragon.  It's one of those simple
games that have been so well presented that it has turned into a
masterpiece.  I'm sure everyone has played Othello (or Reversi)
and knows the rules.  If you haven't, it's the simplest game to
CA                       Disc Contents

understand, ever.  Mouse or keys can be used.

E-converter contains two utilities.  They both convert other
music to E-Tracker format.  The first is from Peter Moore and
converts Sound Machine tunes to E-Tracker, the second is from
Stefan Drissen and converts MODs to E-Tracker.  They are both
very useful and have been responsible for some very good tunes
that have appeared on FRED.

Joke! is the strangest contribution that has been on FRED, but
also one of the most memorable for me.  It was written by Lord
Insanity and was the first FRED item I ever looked at.  The
issue of FRED that this was on (issue 21, in fact) was the first
issue I bought and I instantly got a subscription.  Joke is
simply brilliant.  The actual jokes are pretty dreadful, but the
program is lovely.  If you ever get depressed, loading this will
instantly cheer you up.  Or possibly make you stamp on your SAM.


CA                       Moving On...

The last of the main menu contributions is Eggbum.  Issue 57
contained Eggbum and SAM Mines, both amazing games.  However, I
couldn't use them both and a choice had to be made.  I went for
Eggbum in the end, mainly because of it's addictive quality.
This game WILL irritate the life out of you, but I guarantee you
won't be able to stop playing it.  It's written by Tim Paveley,
so it's him you should blame for any sleepless nights!

In Bits n Bobs, we have a compilation of the best Bits n Bobs
items (as if I needed to say that).  Naturally, the screen
compressor by Lord Insanity is there.  This has been the
compressor used by FRED (and most other people) for well over
three years now, and is STILL the most effective.

SAM to BMP and BMP to SAM are PC picture converters.  I haven't
ever used these, but I am told they are very good.  I think you
may need to use KE_Disc (blimey, what a stroke of luck!) to put
the PC screen onto a SAM disc and then this utility (or vice
versa).  We've had a number of converted screens on FRED, and
CA                       Disc Contents

thanks go to Paul Crompton for this.

Next up in Bits n Bobs is an amazing piece of animation by
Graham Goring.  It's a game of Hang Man, but with the SAM robot
as the person who is being hung.  I'm sure that if you have any
sympathy, you'll save him.  Having said that, you will want to
kill him just once to look at his superb death animation!

Finally is a very popular Bits n Bobs item, once again from
Graham Goring.  This was seen on television, and Graham was so
impressed by it that he brought it to the SAM.  I'm not sure how
it works, but a pattern is produced on the screen which you have
to stare at as it cycles through a number of steps.  When it
finishes, look at something, and you'll see something wierd
happen.  I'm not sure if it's dangerous, but if you suffer from
epilepsy, it may be a good idea to avoid this item.



CA               The Last Page Of Disc Contents

Going back briefly to the main menu, we have a number of screens
chosen by Doug Young and myself which are quite simply,
stunning.  I'm not sure who did them because I've returned the
discs, but thanks to everyone.

There you have it, the Best Of FRED.  As I said before, I only
wish we could compile more discs, or that the SAM could read
high density discs.  There are dozens of excellent contributions
that have been missed.  If you want to see them, buy the back
issues.  FREDEX is on FRED regularly and gives you an index of
back issues.  They really are worth it.

Thanks also go to everyone who has contributed to and bought
copies of FRED over the years.  It's because of you that FRED
and the SAM have been so successul.  Blimey, I'm starting to
sound as if someone has just died.

All you need do now is exit this and play until you drop.  Have
a good time...