Tattadaa! Heeeeeeeere! Taraa! Scandinavian News #6 December '88This page contains pieces from Scandinavian News -magazine - pieces where I write about myself, stupidly smiling, exhaling self-satisfaction.
Well, noo... But anywayz these are old and unchanged documents to those poor people who want to know what I've written about myself back then.
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New SN Editor.........
----------------------May I introduce myself: my name is Grendel (of Byterapers Inc. Intl.) and it seems I'm now the newest editor in Skandinavian News. Preferably full- time editor, maybe part-time edit or or whatever it becomes, depends on how much time i've got left for writing to SN after my all other work.
Many of you propably have found a bell ringing in your heads when heard name 'Grendel'. You're right, it's me, the person about whom has been so much jokes, stories and abuses in the numerous pages of SN. You should know I'm not quite like as TWS and Growl have written, you s hould have lots of sense of humour while reading their stories about me, as we're all good friends and abusing is just normal way to behave between each other (got it, Mystyx? I'm not in war with TWS/Growl, even I admit it looks a lot like it for an outsider).
A short info about me: I'm a not-at- all-typical Finnish young in age of 18 proud years, owning a C64 ( with 2 drives, printer and several hundreds of floppies) and an Amiga 500, with just a few disks at the mom (bought it just very short time ago), but soon I'll have two external drives ready for haard copying. I started computing 4-5 years ago, built the group called Byterapers Inc. with the other founder Kasper in spring of '87, were terrible lame (superlamers) for 6 long months but then started to rise up fast. In the new year 88 (B) was Finland's C64 NO:1, and I one of the fastest swappers. This continued long, I was very fast (quitted school - no work), but now in 26.11. I've stopped my active swapping on 64, after a long and very succesful career. Many people used to say I was the fastest Finnish 64 swapper - I don't know but it's possible I really was it. I'm now slowly concentrating to my Amiga, so watch out for me in the future.
I can't guarantee you'll be on stage as much as other SN editors, because I've got not too much time daily. I work 8hrs per day 5 days per week, then I must work for some real newspapers and magazines, because I'm I used to be a freelancer, and wrote to many newspapers. My main magazines I write as my real job are for example Finnish leading computer-magazines MikroBITTI and "C-lehti", plus several newspapers around Finland. I also write to TLG's and Online's Le Commentaire -mag, and maybe even to some more cracker -mags, just can't remember them now. I've been thinking to sign up into Cracker-journal and Illegal, if they still exist...
My text won't be too hard to understand, because I'm not genius in English, I've not been one year in the States (like Growl) or in one month's language-travel in England (like TWS). My English is mostly learned at school, and it developed rapidly after entering the computer-world. But it's not very good. My life won't be spent to learn English properly, I can do well already so please forgive me.
My text won't be too hard to understand, because I'm not genius in English, I've not been one year in the States (like Growl) or in one month's language-travel in England (like TWS). My English is mostly learned at school, and it developed rapidly after entering the computer-world. But it's not very good. My life won't be spent to learn English properly, I can do well already so please forgive me the mistakes, spellings etc. you find to be wrong. Thank you.
I hope you'll enjoy the articles you read in this issue ( not only mine articles, enjoy EVERYTHING ( even the jokes etc about me if they appear at SN6)).
Your friend,
Grendel....Scandinavian News #6 December '88
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A day in rolegameplayer's life
------------------------------I woke up at 9.30, booted Wizard's Crown and while it was loading I made a quick visit in kitchen, taking some fast food with me. After that I sat 16 hours in front of my computer, fighting against monsters. Sleepy I go to sleep and wait tomorrow, when I again get a bit nearer the end of the game. This was a good day.
Grendel.......
Scandinavian News #7 or 1/1989
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Being a Grendel.....
--------------------What it is to be a Grendel? You don't know, and neither know I but at least I have some strange ideas about this dark subject.
Being a Grendel isn't too fun. There are some aliens who try their best to make one's life as hard as possible. Best examples of this are TWS, Growl, Iceman ( the bastard I'm doomed to live with in same apartment - njargh!) and a long-time friend of me who doesn't onw computer nowadays, but he had a Specu when it was a good micro, he plays now with LA-radios (Cracker knows what they are in English ) and calls himself Garfield.
TWS/Growl are a kind of good friends, friends in case you can listen A LOT of abusements, jokes etc from them. It is quite hard with them sometimes, but oww it's mostly ok. Only things I'm afraid are: A> What they steal from me next or what they stole last time they were here or what they are planning to do to me next time. B> What they're going to write about me in next issue of SN(like this - they've said I'm not gonna like SN7 after Growl told me he had got some cool ideas for SN7).
There are some curses upon me. Being Grendel means that one is a fanatical roleplaying game and strategy-game fan and those take a lot of my time.Usually when I'm back from work I take 1 hrs break and then about 4-8 hours of hard playing with Iceman. One other curse is that I'm supposed to write reviews, articles etc to manymany newspapers and computermagazines including SN.Where do I take time for this????? Also, I'm doomed to work 8 hrs per day 5 days per week (although I many times 'make' my day an hour or two shorter ).Also there tramps lots of guests all the day round by me, members of (B) and local lamers+ other folks ( too much people who know me). And no peace from telephone either as it rings all the time not giving me even a short break.
No fun, no. What about family? One idiotic overcaring silly mom, who does not accept alcohol, smoking or getting girls to house. Then one big 36 years old big-brother who uses me like a free slave (just as TWS, once he was caught and forced to work in his farm). Others are mostly harmless...
Of course there are some nice things in my life too. Some are alcohol, my driving licence, some good friends and sum girlies. I could be a good alcoho- list, but booze is very expensive in Finland so it doesn't work. I can stand booze quite well, I can still walk and stand when others are crawling at the floors and still no sign of throwing up ( arf, this sounds self - satisfied (yes sure it also is! ) but it 's also the fact ). One strange point in my booze-using is that I've never had any kind of hang-over and I always remember what I've been doing last night ( what about Zad or Ice? What about Pastori Jussi the Kyrsor kuten Gryzor/X-MEN who just passed out in back of my car some time ago??? Hehe...... Nice memories or wot. Tuula R. still on the top! But TWS you should treat better guy who drives nearly 170 km just to get your girl time ago??? Hehe...... Nice memories or wot. Tuula R. still on the top! But TWS you should treat better guy who drives nearly 170 km just to get your girl home from Russia....).
Gronkhs. In the middle of night...... TWS/Gryzor calling 1AM,2AM and soon 3AM testing if I'm now sleeping. So life is full of worries, especially T W S, so maybe you now understand why I am what I am.
Grendel.....
Scandinavian News #8 or 2/1989
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Being A Grendel Part II
-----------------------The saga continues.Weight on my heart is so heavy that I've got to tell you more about my life.
TWS. He is my curse. TWS. The guy who lives so near to me, the guy who's in the same time a good friend and the deadliest enemy. How so? Easy.This guy, it, animal, mutant, whatever,he's the source of all abuses on me.All my other friends are OK, some nice small jokes of course fly all the time but that T W S.He's always abusing.In telephone, at my place/his home, in Skandinavian News.ARGH! But.. it's ok.I mostly enjoy of it. MOSTLY. One day he'll go too far and finds himself on a rope, other end around his neck, other fastened high on a tree branch. Njannannaa...
Most abuses are just fun. It's a kind of honour to be on so many pages of SN, in articles not written by me but other people. But there just one thing that amazes me.Why me all the time? It seems to me that TWS doesn't have any other ideas to write about. Most of his articles are about me, no ideas for other interesting things. Just me. Why? Isn't there anything else in his head? Is it a kind of mental problem to write always about me? I accept it, he wrote about MJH as well, but never in this scale.Is there something wrong in TWS's head or?? Any idea? It's all beyond me, I won't start guessing.
There are good things in him writing about me so much. I have become quite famous just by existing and that's much better that many others can say. But I must say one thing about the articles: I DENY 99% OF TEXT IN THEM. There is only that 1% true, other stuff is just good flight of imagination. Remember it and then enjoy the articles.
Grendel.......
Editor's note: The reason Grendel is written so much about is his unique mind. The things he does never stop amazing us. Read about Grendel's newest blunders elsewhere in this magazine!
Scandinavian News #7 or 1/1989
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Digging into the past...
------------------------This is just for several roleplayers and strategy freaks, as I'm only going to think here about the games markets now and in the past in str - & rpg-fan's eye. Others skip page.
Many times I've had a feeling I must play something good on my Amiga. I've taken my seat and turned power on. Only 1 problem: what to play. I find out a very serious problem on Amiga - there aren't much good games to play. And I don't mean those shoot - mjh - ups with digivoices, excellent graphs etc....... I want to play GOOD strategy games.
But what have I got? A good question because when I take a closer look, I find out there aren't much of these. Empire? Very good, but I've played it too much. Nowadays I enjoy playing it only in 2/3-players mode. Reach For The Stars? Well....... 64's version was simpler and playable. Amiga lacks something. Autoduel? Hmm, it's OK but I don't enjoy it.
What about rpg's? Phantasie-series? Phantasie III is super! Only bad is I just completed it. Other Phantasies on Amiga are pure shit. In other words Amiga's P.1 is as much worser to P.3 as 64's P.1 is worser than ST's P.1. Questron II is very good but for those idiotic codes which appear in middle of game, and without instructions it's impossible to play. Roadwar 2000 and RW-Europe are very good too, but njarh I've been playing them too much. No energy to play more...
So you see. Amiga stinks a bit in good str- and rpg-games.It's a very big shame I MUST use my old Commie if I'm in mood for good games.
Here's some games I'd recommend to convert for Amiga very soon:
- The Cosmic Balance, a 1982-product from SSI, but still one of the very best games ever. 1 / 2 -player fighting at deep-space with self-made vessels... Very playable, very inspiring.
- U.S.A.A.F., game of WW2 air-war, time when Allied bomber - armadas flew over Axis trying to bomb'em down. Axis tries to shoot down bombers, Allied try destroy targets and keep planes alive. A lot of aircraft types available!!!!!! - War In The South Pacific, game of war at Pacific, air /sea /land-war combined to one. Challenging...
- Legions Of Death, game of very old sea-war.
- Imperium Galactum, visions of future battles, 4 imperiums trying to conquer one small galaxy. BEST OF ALL!
And from rpg's:
-Wasteland, Wizard's Crown, Mars Saga, Alter Ego Male/Female...
These are maybe poor dreams of a tired man, but I can always have my own dreams of favourite games on Amiga, having enough speed, no loadings and delays. Tell me if you find any of these around.
Grendel.......
Scandinavian News #7 or 1/1989
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Cool fights I've had.
---------------------In our copyparty there were several guys with GGf's, Galactic Gunfighter -infraredguns, ged and of course we made huge battles around the partyplace and woods. Mainly we did it at night, when it was dark outside and it wasn't too easy to see other guys. Silent moving around the house, from tree to tree, hiding in bushes waiting for signs of other players - being ready to attack them without warning and leaving them and their sensors crying after direct hit(s).
But the wars became really cool when we went into woods. We had rule that after 2 hits you are DEAD. This made us very silent and careful. We sneaked around very silently, listening all the time for possible noises from enemy. You cannot imagine what it was like - you must do it yourself.
Later we made some fighting in city's parks and around our house. Some people looked after us wondering what this was about - big guys chasing and shooting each other nearly in downtown. Who cares, we had fun.
Scandinavian News #9 or 3/89
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Interviewing myself
-------------------A strange situation, but TWS asked me to do so, and here you are: Grendel from Byterapers Inc. Intl.
- How old are you?
Grendel: 18 summers, soon 19.- Where are you from?
G: Many answers: (B), Iisalmi, Finland, someone's ass, Savo etc.- Why do you still exist?
G:Just to tease TWS/Growl-cooperation.-When did this all start?
G: 5 years ago, when I got my lovely C64. With her I've shared and enjoyed my life since then (haven't forgotten to read D.Adams).Some time ago I bought also an Amiga, but she will never get a similar position in my heart. My 64 never makes Gurus, even though we deve- loped a cool virus for it too.- About Byterapers?
G:This group was started about 2 years ago. It was one sunny afternoon I was talking with Kasper (my cousin) in phone and we decided to create one more lamercrew to hang around. The name was ready, Byterapers Inc.We went on laming for months,then we began to rise slowly and when FIG party came we were counted as one of the best.Then there was some- one saying that we'd be the best around and it went to our heads immediately. Because also Stack still existed,it was not that easy to earn that status. We had a small, friendly competition which ended when Stack moved over to Amigas and Conan went to army. After that we were NO:1 in Finland on C64. Amigaside, by the way, was ruled by our good friends, X-MEN. Time rolled on, and we became all the time cooler. Summer 1988 was the best time we ever had, cracking cool games nearly daily and spreading them like plague everywhere. It came to a pause in time of our copyparty since we concentrated on organizing it. After it there was a long, long silence.I and the others were just so tired and lazy. I couldn't swap because my cartridge was stolen and it took 6 weeks before I had again energy to swap. After that it has been slower.In summer 1988 we all had extra energy, we were quite young in the scene and wanted to show people we really weren't any dirty lamers. And we really did it!
Nowadays we are again getting faster in every possible way. 64 becomes much stronger every day, for example we've got a BBS of our own in Sweden, which no other 64-crew in Finland has. Cracks come time to time, plus new demos (like our latest one called "Elephant Love"). Amiga-side is making it well enough, too. Some nicedemos are out, and good contacts can be found.
There's only one black sheep around: I. I'm running out of energy to swap. First I quit my career on 64, which was the newsflash of the year here.I'd been so long the leading swapper here with lots of cool contacts (several of the leading ones in the world) and then I just quit. Snif. Now it's happening on Amiga, too. I thought I'd continue my career on Amiga but: NO ENERGY! After this SN I won't swap. I keep only some of the best friends. I'll just keep on laming and looking what happens on the scene. And working as a freelancer plus visiting copyparties in Skandinavia.
- Who are active in (B)?
G: For sure not me anymore.Most of the other guys, both on 64/amiga. Just some are lazy,like Kasper and Professor Fate (founder-members of (B) both).They just keep on drinking. Lanttu has never been active, he's just our mascot. Captain Haddock saves for an Amiga. Other ones are more or less active.- How much you've been cracking and coding?
G:Cracking?In case we count all Kasper has done during his career there are more than 300. If we count only ones made under sign of (B) there're maybe 80. Demos & utilities are in numbers of over 150. I don't know, two years is too long time to count everything we've made.- What is the most important thing in a group? G: Six months ago I'd have answered: How fast one gets originals and how fast one cracks them. Now my answer is much different.
Cracking is important, too, but the thing that counts most is Friendship and having Fun. One has got to be good friends with each other, even if one lives in different parts of one's country or even in other countries like we do. Meet members at copyparties, and have a good time with'em so nothing breaks down.
- Have you had trouble with lamers?
G:Just ask!Endless questions if I want to copy games to them, or if I want to swap or sell games. ugly. And lots of contact-letters with disks, and later phone-calls asking why I didn't return their disks? Hopefully it's over soon.- Enemies?
G: No any more, except the partylamers Amigalords(their own mistake to destroy one's fun -I didn't break any furniture there and never was going to).I hope to have only good friends, all should be like Triad,X-MEN, Accession,FIG,Gang...- Favourite computer?
G:C64, ABC-80 became one after I saw one destroyed. Amiga is cool but shit. ST-STraight from the ass.VIC was great! I still remember times when I played great games on it for the first time.- Favourite games?
G: on 64: M.U.L.E., Imperium Galactum, Wasteland and all other rpg/str-games. Amiga: Empire, Elite, Ports Of Call and Interceptor.- Favourite groups?
G: I really dig Triad. And FIG.+X-MEN.- Favourite demos/demogroups?
G: on 64 our own demos, and all demos made by Finnish Gold. On Amiga????????? Partydemos by X-MEN, and ex-Stack. And my scrolltexts.Best demo ever made?
G: PURE-BYTE's SCROLLMACHINE!Thanks to myself for the interview, and TWS for idea for it.
Scandinavian News #9 or 3/89 ------------
All over now
------------I, Grendel of Byterapers Inc., made the sad decision of discontinuing my career on Amiga for several reasons. Some are listed below:
- After a long and successful career on on 64 I had very little energy left for piracy.In fact none.I was totally bored to swap. After buying an Amiga I collected energy for several months and then started it again. For some time it was fun, but soon I was again out of energy. It was no more fun to send 80 disks out when spreading the latest products. So I quit swapping again, now on Amiga and for good. No more swapping in any machine. I'll only keep in touch with my best friends and rpg-str-contacts.
- Amiga was a disappointment for me. I expected more from it. Games are 90% shit, great graphics/musics but idea missing. It's very hard to make poor demos on Amiga when you have a chance to laugh on some 64-demos around. And the difference in musics between 64 / Amiga... Amiga sounds better but 64's musics have more idea.
- Police was also one reason. If they start hunting for 64-pirates and if they find any of our older cracks I'm going to be one of the first ones in jail. Now I've quit it all. I'm only afraid of what happens to our main cracker on 64, Rockstar....
I hope you understand my reasons. It is true that the world doesn't notice my quitting, on Amiga I didn't get very fast and good.But when one looks at the time I was active and how good I got, I made quite a good job in such a short time! Nevertheless, see you in parties!
I need people to supply me new, good games in future because I can't get them myself. If there are any good souls, please call or write me. I am extremely interested in having good roleplaying and strategy games. Address in ads.
Scandinavian News #9 or 3/89
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TWS in action!
--------------It was a beautiful (of less) evening, and I (Grendel) was having a nice time resting from my trip in Sweden. Then my phone rang and I heard a too familiar and ugly voice saying something that we will come to you later tonight. Damn it was TWS & Growl-cooperation who decided to waste my evening and Cracker knows what else.
Time went and doorbell rang. Opened, and saw TWS/Growl-cooperation outside. Growl started immediately laugh like a madman, while TWS just smiled looking so stupid (as usual). TWS was smiled because the Bloodsuckers' sticker which is sticked to our front-door (damn the Bloodsucker-Scy who sticked it there, it looks cool but BLOODSUCKERS, yak). His basic though was like I've got even more out of my mind because that stick. And Growl, he was still laughing. He even rolled at floor (among all the dust & other things there, yak) all the time laughing hysterically. Finally he somehow stopped it and explained that it was 'so fun to see you after so long time.' Hmm. Krhm. Ehhh? Arg. Hnjaa?????
They seated themselved and started to interfere my living for the rest of the evening. I got some phonecalls and TWS went to another phone to listen and made his own comments. Then I got call where someone asked if the old stinky Habanoid is home? I answered something like ' yes he is if anything hasn't changed after I last time looked at my mirror but you can never be too sure.' There was then some talking, TWS/Growl commenting it's a lamer, but finally I asked too who's there. It was the old fart Zados from X-MEN. And I didn't recognize the voice of old friend. I'm getting old...
Finally TWS/Growl-cooperation left me and I could again enjoy my living. As usual, TWS had stolen something from me. I saw him putting an item inside his coat, but I was too tired to argue against it. After they left I looked for my lovely bottle of Koskenkorva I had brought from the ship. GONE! IT WAS GONE! Now I guessed what TWS stole from me this time. My lovely bottle full of nice Koskenkorva-booze. Arrrgh, I was about to call to his home but it was so late at night. His parents wouldn't like it at all. Anyway I later spoke with IT (not him anymore) and he ex- plained that he wanted to save me. I'd have tasted it anyway at the same night (as I'd) but he wanted me to save myself, and drink it later. Damn.
So again it was proved that NEVER let TWS/Growl-cooperation to your home. You gonna suffer from it.
HAPPY NEWS:
My mother will go to Canarian-islands for two weeks soon. I'll be alone at home, so there's going to some heavy partying around. Also in that time we will leave to Denmark to Ikari/Zargon- copyparty, the biggest party of this year going to be. BS1 party's nothing when IKARI is going to have an party. To people who don't know who IKARI is: as an old 64-swapper I know that Ikari was world's NO:1 on 64 already over one year ago, and it still is that. They crack, and really high-level-cracks. It's a must, especially when many of my old, good 64-friends (and a lot of people who knew me well at that time from our demos/cracks) who I've never met before personally. So MAKE IT COOL!
NewS 10 20.5.1989
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Returning to 64!
----------------A miracle happens! I, Grendel, will make a comeback on the old 64. Why so??
- I got bored of the Amiga.
- 64 started to be again interesting.
- I'll get some extras to my 64 at Horizon's party.
- We are doing so fucking great now on 64, so I can't just sit and look while other Byterapers are cooling.Yep. We are really making HOT now on the Commie. The latest result of our efforts on 64 was a ranking from a VERY cool German 64-group: 711. They ranked us as NO:1,all others were ranked below us. Ikari, Fairlight, Dominators, Elite ,Cosmos, Hotline, Transcom, Beasties... All below us. That really shows some results of hard cracking we've done... And because this I'll return to 64 to re-gain my position as the best swapper in Finland on 64.And to show Finland an old legend is back among the living. Shiver, world, old times are returning!
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Friendly advice
---------------As you may know you shouldn't take these Grendel's stories too seriously. At least I get a feeling that he likes himself a bit too much and that you can read between the rows,too, if you just read his stories carefully enough.