Completely FREE Software - CFS Weekly Newsletter #424 issued March 9, 2007

Home > CFS Weekly Newsletter #424: issued March 9, 2007

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This electronic newsletter is registered – ISSN 1441-6840
Welcome to the CFS Weekly Newsletter.
The programs listed here are completely free for non-commercial use, even though some may be shareware or commercial products. None are time-limited and all are fully functional. If you know any that aren't exactly as specified, please let us know and they will be removed immediately.
If the link below does not work (does not take you directly to the program listing) it is probably because the site has been upgraded and the link is no longer valid. Please use the CFS Site Search facility (above) to locate the program.
COMPLETELY FREE SOFTWARE

The Farm: Episode One – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
The Farm: Episode One is an adventure/puzzle game where you are in a society where it is illegal to be fat. It features a good use of video cutscenes (11 in total), excellent graphics, text & voice, challenging gameplay, keyboard & mouse controls, and more. This is a huge game that, while challenging, is somewhat predicable. You start off asleep and the NPS police come and grab you. You wake in a cell with no knowledge of why they grabbed you. Your first task is to get some light into your cell and then escape... Probably the hardest part of the game is escaping from that cell. Using the L (look), I (interactive – picking up things, etc) and T (talk) keys, plus the left mouse button to move around and the right mouse button to access any items you have collected. The concept of The Farm: Episode One (there is no evidence that Episode Two has even been started!) is terrific. The graphics are well done and the way it has been put together is excellent. We did find that running other open programs on the desktop, in tandem with this game, caused the video cutscenes to be somewhat erratic and disjointed and we suggest that you ensure that it has full reign on your computer when played by closing everything that is unnecessary. There are no minimum requirements specified by the author except a minimum of an 800x600 screen, and we tested it on an 2GHz XP computer with 1GB of RAM. Without other programs running, we assume it will run on a much lesser machine. The download is immense and it requires about 200MB of disk space. The Farm: Episode One is superb. It will give you many, many hours of challenging gameplay though you may find the ending a little disappointing (as if the author was looking to continue it in Episode Two). There was also occasional bad language that may deter some people from playing this game. If you like adventure games, in Sierra's Kings Quest or Leisure Suit Larry style, then grab a copy of The Farm: Episode One from the CFS server. Like us, you will love this fun game. Get this 123MB download (we said it was immense!) from: Win95 General Games

Blender v2.43 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Blender is a 3D content creation suite for 3D modeling, animation, rendering, post-production, interactive creation and playback. It features 3D object types (includes polygon meshes, NURBS surfaces, bezier & B-spline curves, metaballs, & vector fonts), fast Catmull-Clark subdivision surfaces, full multiresolution sculpting capabilities, modifier stack deformers, undo support on all levels, built-in text editor, anti-aliased fonts, built-in raytracer, special effects, and more. This is a superb suite for creating 3D stills, 3D animations, games, and more. It is full featured though you may sometimes struggle to find the command you require. Blender includes extensive on-line help, but very little included with the program download. Its interface is not the same as most Windows' programs and this, too, can create problems as users struggle to learn the complexities of this program. However, once learnt it is a remarkably powerful tool that can act in a number of different ways depending on the user's requirements. It can create sophisticated 3D images, both still and animated, and we understand that its games capabilities are excellent (we did not check this part of the program). Without doubt the biggest problem for new users is the steep learning curve, and the lack of Windows' standardization which would assist users learn the program sooner. We also consider the lack of on-board help to be something which should be rectified. Because the help files are separate HTML pages, the user cannot carry out a search to quickly find the solution to a problem. That said, the on-line tutorial is a major tool to assist users to learn this complex program. Blender is a powerful 3D tool that suffers from a non (Windows) standard interface and the lack of a good searchable Helpfile. We were impressed! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 8.67MB download from: Win98 Graphic Programs

Scribus v1.3.3.8 – WinXP/Vista
Scribus is a professional desktop publishing program (DTP) that produces "press-ready" output. It features CMYK color, separations, ICC color management, PDF creation, 18 preset shapes, polygons, layers, and more. It allows the user to create detailed documents – pamphlets, books, flyers, cards, etc – and then present them ready for printing. DTP programs can also be used to create letterheads, internal forms and documents, sale item advertising cards, and much more. With its solid PDF support, and the common use of PDF in printing companies, Scribus can present your project to a printer in a form he or she can easily use. Scribus offers a slightly different from normal approach to DTP, which has both its good and bad points. It allows you to create text frames and to flow text (from quite a few document sources) into the frames. It even offers support for native OpenOffice images. Text in frames can be manipulated in many ways, from basic hyphenation and text justification to font type and size. However, we were disappointed that it did not offer better control over placing and shaping headings – we could not find a way for us to create a heading without first creating a text frame to place it in. This limits the heading to the constraints of the text frame and it did not seem easy to then manipulate that text (it could not be shaped or manipulated beyond the basic text controls of font, size, attribute, etc). While this places it above a word processor in handling text, it still lacks the true freeform control over text that we have come to associate with good DTP programs. Without freeform control over text, you may as well use a good word processor to create your documents. That said, we still found Scribus to offer a level of control that allows the user to create layered documents that combine text and image in a way that is better than most word processors. It lacks an easy way of flowing text around an irregularly shaped image but it does offer excellent color support. If you have been using a word processor to create flyers, calendars and other printable documents you are advised to look at DTP. If your requirements are not extensive then Scribus is probably what you need. Why don't you check it out? Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95, 98 or ME. Access this 18.1MB download from: WinXP Text Programs

Outpost Firewall v1.0.1817 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Outpost Firewall is a software firewall that offers basic protection for casual Web surfers and people with low budget systems. It features standard packet & application filtering, connections monitoring, surfing protection, and more. This is a very basic firewall which can help protect you from the Internet nasties that are trying to infiltrate your computer. Already 5 years old, this is an early version of the commercial product which is now at version 4.0. In effect, it is a "come on" to encourage you to buy the latest version (which has the PRO tag). We suggest that you do not allow the program's auto-update function to work or it may install the commercial version. The free version of Outpost Firewall lacks the functions of more sophisticated firewalls and, for that reason, we suggest caution when using it (there are other free firewalls around which offer more functionality and which are still being updated). We tried to check the effectiveness of Outpost Firewall against Steve Gibson's "Shields Up" on-line firewall test (www.grc.com) but, while our system passed all firewall tests with a perfect 100% score, we also passed 100% without any software firewall installed. This is due to the effectiveness of the built-in hardware firewall in our modem/router but does not give us an indication of the effectiveness of this firewall. If you are looking for a firewall, and you are not a heavy Net user, Outpost Firewall may be all you need. Check it out. Access this 2.49MB download from: Win95 Internet Related

NagaSkaki v4.00 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
NagaSkaki is a fully functional chess game for 1 or 2 players. It features 10-personality computer play (10 levels of difficulty), multiple modes (Seconds/Move, Blitz, Tournament & Beginner), chess clocks, displays best move, load/save games, autoplay (computer Vs computer), choice of 6 resizable boards, unlimited undo/redo, and more. This is an awesome chess game that offers features and functions for both beginners and very experienced players. With a choice of 10 personalities, each with its own level of difficulty (1 being the most difficult, 10 being the least difficult) a human can play against the computer at almost any level they like. The top ranking personality is rated at 2300 and the bottom ranking personality is rated below 1500. NagaSkaki has multiple game modes so you can select the type of game you wish to play. For those moments of boredom, or to learn more about the game, use the autoplay mode and let the computer battle it out with itself. Of course, you can always play against another human though we were disappointed that it did not offer LAN or Internet gameplay so players are not limited to the same computer. NagaSkaki is one of the best chess games we have seen. If only it had network gameplay... Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 1.96MB download from: Win95 General Games

VideoTagger v1.0.0 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
VideoTagger is a program that adds credits to any movie, TV program or Web video. It features control over text layout, a choice of 7 video format/resolutions (from 320x240 to 1920x1080), allows the user to control text attributes & color, to control background color, there is a credit preview, and more. Unfortunately CFS was unable to review this program. The author says: "VideoTagger makes it easy to add credits to any movie, tv program or web video. We provide a simple way to organize, and fully customize the way that your credits will appear. We feel that you should put your effort into filming a great movie, and VideoTagger is the application that will make getting the recognition you deserve at the end of the movie an appropriate last thought." If you create movies then you will want to add your own credits to them – and this is one way of doing that. Access this 3.65MB download from: Win95 Multimedia Programs

Turnoff Master v1.1 – Win98/ME/XP/Vista
Turnoff Master is a program to turnoff, reboot, log off or hibernate the computer. It is activated after a specified period of time has elapsed (up 99 hours & 99 minutes), at an exact time (up 1 year), or after a program has terminated. This is a great way to turn off your computer if you cannot be present. It is perfect for allowing tasks to continue overnight and then having the computer turn off once the job is finished (huge downloads, encoding movies, defragging a hard drive, etc). You can specify if you want the computer forcibly closed at the specified time (or after a program has closed) or to close normally. Forcibly closing can be dangerous because unsaved data can be lost, but computers have been known to hang on boot down and you may find that your computer is awaiting a response when you get up in the morning (which defeats the purpose of the program). With its excellent control over when the computer boots down (or goes into hibernation, etc) Turnoff Master is one of the best programs of this type we have seen. If you need to be able to turn off your computer when you aren't there, grab of a copy of Turnoff Master. Like us, you'll love it! Note: we have been advised that this program is not suitable for Windows 95. Access this 444kB download from: Win95 Desktop Utilities

Star Wraith 2 – Win9x/ME/XP/Vista
Star Wraith 2 is a 3D space combat simulation where you fly missions for the Alliance. It features 2 primary modes (soldier & mercenary), 3 action modes (Freeflight, Random missions & Create your own mission), excellent 3D graphics, and more. This is a sensational 3D strategy shooter that has two totally different primary modes – that of a commander in the Alliance where you fly covert missions for the Special Operations Wing, and that of a mercenary where you fly, and fight, for profit. Both these primary modes are totally different to play where, as a soldier, your equipment and support is provided by your employer, and as a mercenary where you must purchase your own ship, employ pilots to help you, etc. In both modes you can choose any of the three action modes. "Freeflight" allows you to fly around without a mission objective and is a good mode to familiarize yourself with the controls. "Random" will generate a mission for you using random parameters, and "Create" which lets you design your own mission. There is the usual HUD information to assist you in your mission. The game can be played through a joystick (the default), the keyboard or the mouse, and you must use the Options dialog box if you want to change the default method of control. The keyboard offers many commands and the KEYBOARD.BMP (found in the main program folder) should be checked, and even printed, so you know all the additional commands you have available. The 3D graphics are awesome and the background music and sound effects are equally good. Star Wraith 2 is not a demo but a full game and anyone interested in this genre will find it a professionally crafted game that will provide days and even weeks of intense gameplay. Unfortunately with are no network or multi-player functions so you cannot play it against a friend (specially over the Internet). That aside, Star Wraith 2 is an awesome game that most will really enjoy. A "must have" game! Access this 5.71MB download from: Win95 General Games
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