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                   ANNOUNCED MILAN GAMES AND WHAT IS LEFT...
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You all know about the quarrels with  the MILAN system and how it ended finally.
You surely all got the information that several people and  even games companies
were showing their interest in creating or at least converting games for the new
MILAN2 machines.

The MILAN was the first TOS compatible project for years now that had the chance
to see commercial games again, also  conversions of wellknown PC and AMIGA games
were  planned to come  to the MILAN. But all ended  because of the  fucking firm
politics of the MILAN company. All things started so promising  and now there is
nearly nothing left.


EPIC MARKETING & PAGAN GAMES

This company is not to be mistaken with EPIC MEGAGAMES, who are famous for their
shareware  games  on the  PC scene. No, EPIC MARKETING  is  responsible  for the
conversions of  several PC games to the  AMIGA and MAC since  the developpers on
the PC aren't interested in those markets anymore, EPIC is doing  those versions
under license.
And because the  MILAN seemed for some  time to be an  interesting  machine with
some future, esp. because  of the hype through the MILAN company, they offered a
conversion of  several games for that machine as well. It doesn't  took too long
untill they  announced the  games "SIMON THE SORCERER II" and "DAFEL: BLOODLINE"
for the MILAN. They started even campaigns to find out if also  a Falcon version
would be possible and searched for coders to make the projects come true.

After short time  I found out that esp. "DAFEL: BLOODLINE", an action adventure,
seems to stay on unsure feets, because the developpers of that game, PAGAN GAMES
from the Amiga scene, not  even announced to work on that title. Maybe EPIC, who
are publishing the PAGAN games, not even talked really with PAGAN, dunno.

Anyway, time passed  by and nothing  happened. So I mailed to EPIC MARKETING and
got the information that  they don't got any support by the MILAN COMPANY and no
development  machines as well. They still wanted to support that system but they
focused mainly to the MILAN2 because of the announced power.

And time  passed by again... Then it happened. Already several weeks  before the
dead of the MILAN 2 project EPIC MARKETING splitted up in two  companies, one is
called EPIC ENTERTAINMENT and focusing on the AMIGA and MAC and  one onto the PC
only. No one was interested anymore in doing games for the MILAN...
End, over and out!

End of the first chapter...


RUNNING DESIGN TEAM

The second  strike in that horror scenario... The people  around RDT have frozen
the Falcon multiplayer version of the game to produce  a MILAN one instead. They
announced a first demo of "RUNNING MILAN" already for April. Nothing happened...

In August MIKE of RDT wrote me that the MILAN VERSION is thought  to be released
at Xmas and that the game development is making some steps forward...
Then announced the MILAN COMPANY the  death of the  MILAN project and it doesn't
took  too long  untill  RDT stopped their "last adventure" on  Atari  compatible
machines at all.

They never got help by the MILAN COMPANY and no one can live with promises only,
I understand their move.

The finished parts of "RUNNING MILAN" will be released on their  homepage in the
beginning of November for free.
Check http://www.running2.de


FUN MEDIA

The maker of this video tool  announced  after the quit of  the MILAN COMPANY to
release a  3d adventure  for MILAN and it seems as  this will be the  only MILAN
game project  at all. He already presented some  screenshots of the  game on his
homepage but as we know the release of screenshots or  even demoversions doesn't
mean to see a full  game sometimes. Esp. on the Falcon we saw a lot previews but
never  finished  games (INCUBATOR, SPACE  JUNK, X-MOON, PAINIUM...). Anyway, I'm
really anxious to see how the development is going on.


NATURE

As HENCOX told me, they're going  to make a MILAN version  of their  forthcoming
game "REEKING RUBBER" as well, but since  even the Falcon version  is frozen for
unknown time and meanwhile the  MILAN project found  it's end, this project is a
bit doubtful in my eyes. I would like to see  them working on the Falcon version
mainly to see at least one final version of the game...


MILAN KOVAC & CDV

Hmmm... since CALIMERO (his nick) has stopped his strategic game project to work
on that "WET - THE SEXY EMPIRE" thingie, not  much  happened. I don't think that
CDV will be interested in creating an Atari or MILAN version at all  of the game
after the MILAN desaster, esp. because CDV never supported the  Atari TOS market
with games so far or at least they weren't interested. Maybe they  will allow to
develop the Atari version under license, dunno... But since it  is around a half
year very quiet around "WET" now, we should wait for official statements...


REBELSOFT

There were rumours about a MILAN version of "CROWN OF CREATION" too but at least
on their homepage or so was never something announced...


That's all  for this theme. In the first  times the MILAN woke  up the scene, it
was the first  clone that got more  attention and with  the announced  games the
MILAN maybe  would had a chance, because I still think games are  very important
for a computer system, because the  most people using their  machines mostly for
entertainment and playing games and a system that doesn't offers the possibility
to use the machine  besides business and work  for some playing around, survived
not very long, because it isn't of any  interest for the masses  and without the
masses who would buy a computersystem the system is dead before it's birth.

But the MILAN destroyed  itself because esp. the developpers from other systems,
who weren't as patient as the Atarian's, lost their interest in that machine and
system because  of the bad support of the MILAN Company. In some points  all the
hype and following  disappointment reminds me hard to a company called ATARI and
especially their late systems, Falcon and Jaguar...

Ok, guys, better  remember your  Falcon and ST now, those machines  are real and
still worth to be supported instead of hunting a dream that doesn't come true...

.tSCc.                                                                   moondog
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