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Bio Menace Freeware Release Notes - December 2005
Bio Menace is (c)1993/2005 Apogee Software, Ltd.
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This game was deleted from Apogee's product line quite some time ago, and 
has been re-released as freeware in December of 2005.  We've had a few 
successful freeware releases recently, and Bio Menace was the next one 
chosen to be released as freeware.  There are a few notes you should be 
aware of with the release.

1) We offer no support in helping to getting this freeware release running.  
   You are on your own in getting it working.

2) Of all the games we've ever released, this one has had the most problems 
   working in some situations.  Even back when MS-DOS was the #1 operating 
   system on the PC, it had problems, it required odd uses of config.sys 
   variables, and now in the era of Windows XP, it's somewhat more 
   problematic.  If you can't get it running, you're not alone.  It is most
   definitely being released "as is". 

3) A third party program called DOSBox has been known to have been helpful 
   in getting the game running.  You can obtain DOSBox here: 
   http://dosbox.sourceforge.net .  The DOSBox guys have been very helpful 
   in getting some of our other legacy titles working, and this should help 
   you here.  In fact, the DOSBox guys have released a patch to use in 
   conjuction with Bio Menace and DOSBox which does seem to help.  That 
   patch is included in this archive in the file biopatch.zip.  Information
   on how to use the patch is inside the biopatch.zip archive.

4) There was never a printed manual for this game, there was just a single 
   "hint sheet" which is available in an on-disk form in this archive as 
   bm-hint.txt.  The original tech support info is also available as 
   bm-help.txt.  However, Apogee does not offer any current support, these 
   files are provided as they were part of the original distribution.

5) There is a file in the game directory named file_id.diz.  This is a 
   leftover file from the days of dialup BBS's.  The file areas for said 
   BBS's could extract a description for the uploaded game out of that file 
   if it was inside the zip file.  However, the version here says "THIS IS 
   PIRATED SOFTWARE!".  If you altered or deleted this file, the game would 
   not run - it was an anti-piracy attempt at the time.  Since we're unable 
   to recompile the game to remove the check for that, this file must 
   remain with the archive, or the game will not work.  As of December 
   2005, the status of the file has changed to a freeware release.  It is 
   legal to upload/download the full version of the game now, provided all 
   files are distributed as released by Apogee Software in December of 
   2005.  If you have any questions about this, please email us at 
   [email protected].

6) This game is released as freeware.  That's not to be confused with 
   public domain, abandonware (which is illegal), or releasing something 
   under the GPL.   This is a freeware release, which means we retain full 
   legal rights to the title and it's materials.  You are free to play the 
   game as we've released it, but not free to "do whatever you want with 
   it", which includes selling it or otherwise using the materials for your
   own gain.

Enjoy Bio Menace!
-- Apogee Tech Support, December 2005

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Here's a few words from Jim Norwood (Bio Menace's author) and Scott Miller 
(founder of Apogee) about this freeware release:

Jim:

'The good ol' days' - that's what I always say when I am referring to the
times when a one person with a vision, some TLC, and a lot of time on their 
hands, could sit down and write a cool PC title from start to finish
without a sixty million dollar budget and a team of one hundred.

I wore every hat while working on BioMenace. From designer, to artist, to
programmer - I was a veritable army of one (at least in my own mind). Alas, 
those days are long behind us. I have continued to be a part of the game 
industry as it has matured at a frightening pace over the last fifteen 
years, and these days, one needs be a lot more focused to find a niche 
among the mega-teams it now takes to create a competitive, cross-platform 
title. 

However, a well rounded knowledge of what it takes to make every aspect of
a game is an important knowledge base for any developer, as you will likely 
find yourself task switching (within constraints), along with the need to 
be able to speak the language of developers in other disciplines. A well 
rounded knowledge of what goes in to making a great game will give you 
that. For example, it is considered a pivotal skill for a programmer to be 
able to explain tech to an artist without geeking out on him and leaving 
him in a more confused state than before. For those trying to create their 
'big break' into the industry, this is still where it all begins - a love 
of games and a big idea. You start small, dream big and the rest will work 
itself out eventually if it's meant to be.

In that spirit, little games like BioMenace still have merit as a learning 
tool on the road to gaining the coveted knowledge of the 'big picture' of 
game development that any development house worth their salt will look for 
in a solid candidate. Perhaps making BioMenace freeware will take you one 
step further along that journey. That is my hope...

-- Jim Norwood

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Scott:

Bio Menace is an interesting project for several reasons, not the least of
which is that Jim Norwood created practically every asset on his own, from 
game code, to art, to sound, to level design.  The one significant area not 
created by Norwood is the game's engine.  It was created by Id Software, 
and was the engine original used for the second trilogy of Commander Keen 
games, starting with "Goodbye, Galaxy."

Back in 1991, Apogee brought several designers down to Shreveport, 
Luisiana, where Id's offices (at their lake house) resided.  The people who 
traveled to Id for this event included Jim Norwood, Todd Replogle (Duke 
Nukem), Frank Madden (Secret Agent and Monster Bash), George Broussard and 
myself.  The idea was that Id would allow all of these designers to use 
Id's side-scroller engine to developer their own games -- the first 
instance of engine licensing by Id, and based on a proposal I put together 
for Id.  We all had a great weekend meeting with Id and learning about 
their engine and tools.

In the end, though, only Norwood ended up using Id's engine.  Replogle 
created his own for Duke Nukem 2 (based on his original Duke Nukem engine, 
with dual parallax scrolling, a feature not available in Id's engine), and 
Madden used an engine created by Apogee's engine designer, Gerald Lindsley.

Because Bio Menace was a one-man show, it took close to two years to 
create, and by the time of it's release it was somewhat dated as a 16-color 
EGA game. Still, it sold pretty well, and allowed Norwood to pursue his 
next major game with us, Shadow Warrior, teaming up with Frank Madden, and 
using the Build engine.

I've always been impressed by Norwood's talents and dedication, and if 
there was ever a chance to work with him again, I would do so without 
hesitation.

Scott Miller
www.3DRealms.com