Hello Jonathan !
 JF> It might be the Rage II chipset on those rigs.  I don't think there
Yep, the ATI 3D RAGE II+ graphics card, it says on the advertisements. But my 
Mac owning friend told me that particular graphics card was too slow for the 
the entry level (233 or 266Mhz) G3 based Macs, causing a system bottle neck, 
where the computer is always waiting for the graphics card. :(
The newer G3 Macs have a IX Micro 128bit/6MB card, which is much faster. But 
those rigs start at a much higher price. :-/
 JF> are any Mac video cards with the Rage Pro chipset - yet.
No, I can't see one in the magazines.
 JF> Maybe... based on what the Project X machine is supposed to do, Quake
 JF> II would be an excellent showcase.  If it's everything they claim,
 JF> it'll handle 640x480 and 24-bit colour without a hitch.
 And they have Jeff Minter which /has/ to be good. :)
 JF> In essence, it adds "depth" to textures by adding shading to specific

 JF> ever get a Voodoo 2 board, 3Dfx has a bump-mapping demo available.
Oh. I have to say: is it really worth it? My mate said a 3Dfx is all you need 
in a Mac for 3D games.
 JF> This reminds me... something I've actually been impressed with on the
 JF> PSX is Gran Turismo.  Ever seen video of it?  Not only does it have
 JF> nice physics and loads of gameplay options, but the car bodies
 JF> actually reflect the light from the sun, tunnel lights, and so on as
 JF> they pass by!  I hope they do a PC conversion.  :-)
:) Fantastic. I haven't seen it, but I can imagine.
 JF> In some places.  BC and Alberta are chock-full of the mountains and
 JF> forests; Ontario and Quebec have loads of their own forests.  The
 JF> Maritimes (the eastern provinces) are generally quite rocky though,
 JF> and Saskatchewan is largely flat prairie.  But we don't always get
 JF> all that much snow!  BC is almost always snowless (except for the
I just got this vision of snow for some reason, proably cos in films there 
always seem to be big mountains in the background with snow bound peaks. :)
 JF> mountains, of course) and has spring-like temperatures all year.
 JF> Around Ottawa (in Ontario) where I live, the level of snow varies a
 JF> lot.  Some years we hardly get any; some years we get too much.  But
 JF> on the whole, it's actually not that bad.
Sounds real nice. I like snow, but then I obvisiously haven't experienced 
your Real Snow. ;)
 JF> Of course, we use NTSC - otherwise we'd never get American
 JF> programming (which is obviously a plus) or use most American
 JF> electronic gaming equipment!
I thought so.

 JF> Well, the computer's having SOME of its power used.  I've played the
 JF> TOCA demo... I kind of liked it, actually!  The graphics are
The first time I saw TOCA running on a PSX I thought: that /must/ be a 
rendered intro, right? Wrong! Its the actual game, blew me away that did, the 
sheer power to create such a stunning game on a little grey box that costs 
less than 120 pounds! Fantastic.
 JF> certainly detailed, and the physics are real enough.  But the track I
 JF> played in the demo had awfully narrow roads, and the turns were
 JF> nasty.  That steering wheel would certainly help!
It helps if you slow down a bit when you go around the corners? ;) Since 
purchasing that steering wheel over a year ago he has had about six 
replacements cos bits keep breaking. I guess they just don't make them as 
strong as the Real Thing that Stuart is used to driving with (and giving some 
real abuse, I would imagine)
 JF> This also reminds me of something... there aren't many good rally
 JF> games on the consoles!  When it comes to racing on them, it tends to
 JF> be either A) a good traditional racer, or B) a bad rally game.  I
Hmmm, I dont know, there are good and bad games. Its not really dependant on 
the platform. IMO.
 JF> think it's mainly that the PC's more convienient storage method (much
 JF> less CD use) and more abundant RAM are conducive to rally racing.
I don't agree with that at all. :)
CheeryBye
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