"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein

Archived News

(links to even older news can be found at the bottom of this page.)

December 26, 2004

Looking Ahead

Back on October 28th we talked about Howard's Trio of projects.  We're happy to say that two of the three tasks are now complete! With the release of Azteca on December 21st to all subscribers of Malinche's email list and the conclusion of the private Fortune 500 project, Howard is ready to send out 2004 with a bang and bring in 2005 with an explosion of good things.

The First Mile now has Howard's undivided attention.  There's been rumblings of Howard's latest work entering Alpha test next month but don't bet on it! Howard himself is rather tight lipped where game schedules are concerned.

Fear not if you missed the release of Azteca -- it will be accessible from this website in the beginning of January.

Happy New Year to everyone! May 2005 fulfill all your dreams and exceed all your expectations!

November 6, 2004

Pictures from DragonCon

Let the games begin!                And they do! Lots of folks in costume.

Want some grog?                      Gandalf seeks the Malinche booth.

The dealer's room was always busy as was the rest of DragonCon!

Show highlights:

• Achieving a tie with the record-breaking sales at GenCon.

• Meeting lots more Infocom fans who loved seeing new text adventure games. It was so cool watching the "discovery" look on their faces!

• A really kicking Klingon party on Saturday night! Woot!

• Meeting up with Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers), Richard Hatch (Captain Apollo), Herbert Jefferson Jr. (Lieutenant Boomer), David Carradine (Kill Bill) once again as well as many faces not seen at GenCon.

• Watching Dean Haglund (Langely from the X-Files/Lone Gunmen) do a live improv act on Sunday night. The guy has real talent.  And short hair now!

October 28, 2004

Trio

Not content with the incredible workload already shouldered, Howard has taken on yet a third Interactive Fiction project.  In the recorded history of Interactive Fiction spanning more than twenty-five years, no one has ever completed such a Herculean set of tasks much less even propose to.

In addition to ongoing work on The First Mile as well as a private project for a Fortune 500 company,  Howard has committed to complete a short work of Interactive Fiction entitled "Azteca" right on time for the holiday season this year.  A completely free game, Azteca will be available for download sometime in December, 2004 by anyone requesting it.

Having been inspired at a private party recently at the Guggenheim in New York City featuring an exhibit of Aztec and Mesoamerican art, Howard is determined to complete Azteca in time to be given to everyone who visits this site during the upcoming holiday season as a gift.

Coming soon to this section - pictures and trip report from DragonCon in Atlanta this past August.

September 18, 2004

Pictures from GenCon

The GenCon Show in Indianapolis was a wild hit!

Malinche wasn't the only major computer game company at the show...

                                                          The masses line up to get in...

Just a few more of the 25,000 attending     These chaps know how to dress!

Pokemon stops by to say hi              An important announcement is coming...

Booth babe!

Howard is ready for anything!  Curious players give our games a shot

Show Highlights

• Breaking yet another sales record for game sales at a show event

• Demonstrating Malinche games to hundreds of game attendees at our booth

• Meeting G. Kevin Wilson of Once and Future fame and having a chat

• Meeting MANY very serious Infocom game fans who seemed blown away by Malinche's existence. One fan even tested Howard He asked the Implementor which game contained the greeting "!!! Hello, Footpad !!!" Having practically been raised on Infocom text adventure games, Howard predictably gave the right answer (Zork 2!) immediately.  A rock solid friendship was forged and our fellow Infocom fan bought all three Malinche titles.

• Having lots of fun playing games all weekend and meeting some really interesting people both in and out of costume.

• In a personal moment he will cherish forever, Howard shook hands with his childhood heroes from Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers -- Captain Apollo (Richard Hatch), Lieutenant Boomer (Herb Jefferson Jr.) and Captain Buck Rogers himself -- Gil Gerard! He also met David Carradine of Kung Fu and Kill Bill fame.  Cool guy! Howard probably won't admit it but he got everybody's autograph and took pictures with all of 'em too.

August 23, 2004

Endgame is on Sale Now!

Orders are now being accepted and our latest title is shipping now!

Click Here to Order

August 20, 2004

Implementor Howard Sherman Predicts the Future!

Yesterday, Endgame went on sale at the GenCon Gaming Convention in Indianapolis.

Yesterday, the New York Times, CNN, Investor's Business Daily, The Washington Times and other well-respected news sources reported that Iran has warned off the United States and Israel from trying to destroy their nuclear facility in Bushehr.

Ok, So What's the Connection?

The second of Endgame's four missions focuses on the fictional USS Las Vegas launching a military operation to destroy that very same nuclear facility in Bushehr!

More details can be found at the Endgame page here.

August 2, 2004

Fast and Furious

Endgame isn't quite done yet and even so Howard has announced the beginning  his next work of Interactive entitled The First Mile. The First Mile represents Howard's first foray into Interactive Horror Fiction. For those hearty enough, click here to learn more about The First Mile.

Please email Howard and encourage him to get more sleep, eat properly and perhaps even get a life. We worry about him greatly for his relentless push forward. He's just working too hard!

August 1, 2004

New Discussion Forums Added!

Located in our free section, the Malinche Forums make for an excellent forum for Malinche customers to share "war stories" and chat about Malinche titles. Even better, customers can get the inside track into Howard's game secrets, as well as tricks and tips for enhancing your adventure experience! Free for all Malinche customers, click here to enter the Forums now!

On to other news -- Endgame Release Candidate 3 is being released tomorrow to all play testers. Ordering information and package pictures and details should be available later this week.

Stay tuned! You'll be sorry if you miss out on the MASSIVE game launch for Endgame!

July 15, 2004

Endgame To Go Beta This Weekend!

New Game Packaging and Screen Shots will be unveiled within the next week as well. Visit the Online Store  for more!
 

Pictures from Book Expo America in Chicago

Howard in a shirt and tie? Holy   Sir Paul was walking the show...

shit  this show MUST be              The idea of Interactive Fiction intrigued

serious!  (Note the very sweet     him enough to stop in. Howard and corner booth) We had major        Paul became fast friends. Sir Paul

foot traffic the whole weekend.    is a truly nice guy.

It rocked!                    

The show was huge....                     HUGE I tell you!

Howard poses with some new Australian friends he made at the show. Being our booth neighbors, Howard's gregarious nature made international relations easy enough. The fact they were really nice helped as well.

Howard and the Aussies chatted about the British Empire, their common heritage stemming from British rule as well as the global marketplace, and the amazing quality of Chicago restaurants.

Speaking of Shows -- Make your Plans to attend GenCon Now!

Look for Malinche at Booth #1434! The Dates are August 19-22!

June 30th, 2004

The introduction to Endgame  has been rewritten a bit to unveil more of the story's premise. I didn't want to give it all away too early. Go have a look now! Be sure to read up on the latest news while you're there!

June 26th, 2004

All Original Folio Editions Are SOLD OUT.

Do not despair! All of our titles are available for immediate shipping in the new packaging.

England's Lacegem has just a small quantity of ORIGINAL, REVISION 1 copies of Pentari: First Light left.

Collectors! Lacegem is your LAST resort for this collector's item!

Revision 1 folios of First Light are now entering RARE status - grab your copy from Lacegem now before the sun sets on availability.

June 15, 2004

More Accolades for Greystone

Prominent Murder Mystery Review Site Features Greystone

Sharon Wheeler, editor of Reviewing The Evidence, was very gracious with her front page coverage of Greystone at her fantastic murder mystery site http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com

Sharon's review of Greystone was glowing and my first entry in the detective novel realm was received by open arms by this well-respected review site.

Here are some excerpts:

"So if you've ever wondered what it would be like to solve your own mystery, you might want to have a go at Greystone."

"I'm having great fun running my own investigation..."

If you love riddles and puzzles, as well as crime fiction, I think you'll like Greystone."

Read the entire piece here.

June 7, 2004

Malinche Steals the Show at Book Expo America!

Howard's Interactive Fiction Works a Worldwide Smash!

Booksellers, librarians, industry professionals and even authors and celebrities got their first glimpse of Malinche's titles at Book Expo America in Chicago this past weekend. Across the board every sector of the publishing world showered us with praise and encouragement as they immersed themselves in First Light and Greystone.  Industry journalists at the show who had never heard of Malinche or Interactive Fiction were beguiled at what our laptops had on display. Check back for future "sightings" of Malinche in the press at large.

Over 100 booksellers from all over the world have bought-in to Malinche! Expect to find our titles in bookstores all over the United States as well as several other English speaking countries in the weeks ahead. Howard's recent commitment to deliver Interactive Fiction to the retail sector is bearing fruit already. Librarians were similarly inspired by his work leading to Malinche titles to be accessible in several libraries across America  in the near future as well.

Other exciting developments can't be discussed right now but let's just say Howard may have his hands full working with industry professionals and established authors in addition to his own impressive workload driving Malinche forward to the future.

Pictures from the show are coming soon. Stay tuned!

May 21, 2004

Malinche Launches New Retail Channel Program

Look for Malinche titles in your local bookstore soon. Howard has put together an innovative retail program that will deliver Malinche titles to bookstores all over the country! If your favorite bookstore isn't stocking our titles then tell them to call us.

The complete press release can be read here.

May 17, 2004

Traveling Fool

Howard's 2004 Travel Schedule - Updated

June 4-6 Book Expo America in Chicago.

August 19-22 GenCon in Indianapolis, Indiana

Sept 3 - 6 DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia

October 1-3 The New York City BookFest in New York City

October 7-10 Bouchercon in Toronto, Canada

Speaking of travel here are some cool pictures from Eeriecon...

Showtime! With Malinche's all new    Howard extols the virtues of IF...

game packaging

The dealer's room was  busy.          International best-selling author

                                                            Brian Lumley signs some books.

It wasn't all work.  Nadia and me made it a point to see the very best

Niagara Falls had to offer!

Show highlights:

Meeting so many established (and some quite famous) authors including Larry Niven, Brian Lumley, Anne Bishop among several others.

Having a short chat alone with Brian Lumley at breakfast Sunday morning. Meeting with him and hearing his wise words of experience made the entire trip worthwhile, if nothing else had happened.. He's a great man as well as a great author.

Selling a very healthy number of Malinche titles -- more than at any other show we've attended thus far!

Talking with so many cool sci-fi, mystery and horror fans. What a cool bunch of people! The Buffalo League threw a kicking party on Friday night and the Eeriecon folks threw a big pizza and buffalo wing bash on Saturday night. These people know how to live. :)

Seeing all the best of Niagara Falls Friday afternoon before the show began while spending the evenings in Casinos winning money and eating well.

April 25, 2004

Howard is on the Air Monday Night!

Catch Howard on Buffalo's WBNY 91.3 FM on Monday, April 26trh from 6:30-7:00 PM. Host Sal "The Observer" Monaco will be talking with Howard about Malinche's present and future Interactive Fiction titles.

For more information about WBNY and possible Internet-based broadcasts visit:

http://www.buffalostate.edu/wbny/ and http://www.geocities.com/alltalkmonday/main.html

April 15, 2004

OK.  It's official. All original Folio Editions of First Light and Greystone are now COLLECTOR'S ITEMS!

The all new packaging of Malinche Games are on sale now.  Drum roll please...

Click to Enlarge

While I will always be proud of the original Folio work we produced, I am very glad we stepped up to the far more professional cases and packaging!

For the record we have just FIVE copies left of the original Greystone Folio Edition and ZERO First Light Folio Editions in stock.

If you want to add the original Greystone Folio Edition to your collection then the time to act is NOW.  DO NOT ORDER ONLINE.  Call us at 877-299-7999 (International customers 1-732-583-0074) and RESERVE your Folio Edition of Greystone NOW! When those last five copies are gone....they're gone for good.

Avid collectors for First Light are in luck! Lacegem, our exclusive distributor in Europe has a few copies of the original Folio Edition  left in inventory.  We're talking ORIGINAL, GAME REVISION 1 copies here! Visit their website and order your copy now before they vanish into the history books forever.

Reminder -- Howard is in Niagara Falls this weekend attending Eeriecon.  If you're in the area do be sure to stop by and pay a visit!

Happy Tax Day to All our American Guests! You have filed your taxes, right?

March 27, 2004

On The Road Again

Howard's 2004 travel dates thus far are:

April 1-3 Business Meetings in Las Vegas

April 9-12 Business Meetings in Detroit and Windsor, Canada

April 16-18 Eeriecon in Niagara Falls, New York

May 1-2 Malice Domestic in Alexandria, Virginia

August 19-22 GenCon in Indianapolis, Indiana

March 1, 2004

Technicalities and Quality Control

Howard has become increasingly disturbed by the number of spelling mistakes and typos that have surfaced in his many works. Further, because he travels so much in the course of conducting business it's become increasingly difficult for him to keep track of source code revisions to his Interactive Fiction titles on all the different computers he works on.  Finally having enough of it all, he gave the order to develop a new, customized development platform designed around his active business and personal life.

In response, a new platform has been developed by Michael Ferrador, Howard's chief engineer.  Built to Howard's precise specifications and exacting standards, this new development platform was developed in UNIX running under Apple Macintosh's Jaguar OS X operating system. With no small amount of relief, Howard can now spell-check his work on the fly and automatically synchronize the latest and most up to date version of his work anywhere he happens to be. 

The upshot of Michael's outstanding work is ZERO spelling and typographical issues in all distributed titles right from the starting gate and a significant reduction of Howard's ever-mounting load of stress.

While Howard and Michael were of a geek-like state of mind they put together NEW CD-ROM encodings for Windows-based computers.  New customers who insert a Malinche CD in their computers will be delighted to discover auto-launching setup applications and simple placement of game icons on desktops and in Start Menus. Most folks will probably never need to call us for technical support now - but of course you can always ring us up to say hello! :)

February 20, 2004

The Interactive Fiction player's guide has been totally re-written. Originally weighing in at a scant five pages it's now a hefty fifteen page document. New players will greatly appreciate the additional ten pages of detailed documentation. The new guide is scheduled for wide distribution next week and will be included on all new CDs in production.

February 8, 2004

Work on Endgame is proceeding nicely.

We found an incredible article on Interactive Fiction by Marc Blank and Michael Berlyn. Nothing was more surprising than discovering this piece of history.  It's so good I've linked to it in the Welcome section.

We couldn't do a better job myself of explaining what Interactive Fiction is and what Malinche delivers to the world.

January 11, 2004

First Light Release 7 is Now in General Release.

Release 7 corrects a very minor issue with score tabulation. No other changes or modifications have been made.

Registered owners of First Light will receive this new version automatically and for free in accordance with our Zero-Tolerance bug policy.

January 8, 2004

Howard has begun programming Endgame.

January 1, 2004

Happy New Year!

Starting the year off with a bang I'm proud to announce our first of many online workshops for new and experienced Interactive Fiction gamers alike!

On Thursday, January 8th at 9PM EST we will be conducting our first Malinche Workshop.  Here's what you do:

Anytime between now and January 8th, go to the malinchegames group on Yahoo. This is a private group for Malinche customers only so you'll need to join the group. Shortly after you join, we'll verify your status as a Malinche customer and approve your membership.

Then you'll be able to fully utilize the club and participate in real-time chat with fellow Malinche folks, read and post messages and browse the file areas.

Once you're an approved member just enter the malinchegames group and go to the chat area. At 9PM we'll start our online workshop which will cover everything from loading and saving games, starting your adventure, moving around in addition to advanced topics such as talking to NPCs, mapping, exploring as well as an in-depth look at all the powerful commands available in the game.

The online workshops and the Malinche Games group as a whole is a powerful new resource for Malinche customers who are now able to derive the maximum amount of enjoyment and appreciation of Malinche works of Interactive Fiction.

See you there!

Archived News can be found here.