Command and Conquer:
The Creation and Evolution of Multiplayer Genius
There’s no doubt about it, multiplayer gaming is fun; there is no substitute for playing against a human opponent. Artificial intelligence (A.I.) is always working within programmed parameters and simply can’t offer the variety and unpredictability of gameplay provided by a real player. In the mid to late ‘90s online gaming options were somewhat limited, generally being a choice between first person shooters like Doom or Quake, or slower-paced board or sports games such as Chess or Microprose Golf. But, despite the technical limitations of the time and restricted gaming choices, the opportunity to pit your wits against other gamers online was new, exciting and a lot of fun and, as more people were investing in home computers, rapidly growing in popularity.
Command and Conquer was developed by Westwood Studios as a follow up to their 1992 game: Dune II. It was released in 1995 and can offer a reasonable claim to be the game that defined and popularised the multiplayer ‘real time strategy’ genre, by offering four-player online play. By 2010 more than twenty different incarnations had been produced and the series had sold over thirty-million units.
The original 1995 game was relatively simplistic but already exhibited that addictive gameplay (click to enlarge)
The game (and almost all subsequent releases) saw you tasked with building a military base in real-time, funding it by harvesting and refining resources, producing an army and then attacking and defeating enemies who at the same time were building a base and seeking to attack you. Destroy all bases on the map and you would win the mission.
In most games you would start with a Mobile Construction Vehicle which could be deployed on a map, becoming a Construction Yard. This opened up the option to build additional units and buildings including Power Plants (to power your base), Harvesters and Refineries (to collect and refine resources), a Barracks (to train troops), a War Factory (to produce military vehicles and aircraft) and numerous other structures; each with its own function, with both offensive and defensive options becoming available. Everything was collected, built and produced in real time. Once a building was complete, the option to build further different buildings, troops and vehicles was unlocked. Each incarnation of the game was based around conflict between warring sides; for example the Allies and the Soviets (Red Alert series), the Global Defence Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod (Tiberian Sun series), or the United States, China and the Global Liberation Army (Generals series). The buildings and units available to you would vary, depending not only on the game version but also which ‘side’ you were playing.
Red Alert (1996) saw a marked improvement in the sharpness of graphics, along with more buildings and units to unlock (click to enlarge)
The first instalment of the game was fairly simplistic, both graphically and in terms of the buildings and units available to you with your army comprising of a fairly limited selection of troops and vehicles, but each subsequent version of the game would improve upon the last. Each release added more complexity and greater choice, with the graphics and presentation becoming increasingly detailed and impressive. Throughout all the various incarnations (except Renegade, which stands alone as being a first and third person shooter) the core gameplay remained pretty consistent. The real genius was that in each version, despite the additional troops, vehicles and buildings available, the balance of the game was always very fair, with no side offering a significant advantage. It was a key element that each structure, troop and vehicle had different strengths and weaknesses, meaning that there was no ‘one-size-fits-all’ in terms of attack and defence.
Your building and troop training was controlled via a menu bar which was sited (for the majority of the games) on the right hand side of the screen. One of the most striking gameplay features was that you could only view areas of the map that your troops had explored. Most games started with the majority of the map in darkness, so that you couldn’t see where the enemy bases were situated, let alone what kind of base and army they were building. This gave rise to all sorts of stealth options, such as sending out scouts to reveal more play area, or attacking a base from the front with a decoy army, while sneaking a second army around the edge of the map under cover of darkness and attacking from behind while the player was distracted by the first attack (this was particularly satisfying!).
Tiberian Sun (1999) brought many new options including the Stealth Generator which was a game changer (click to enlarge)
You could assign groups of troops and vehicles to move together as ‘unit groups’ simply by highlighting them and pressing Ctrl and a number key. Once assigned, you could easily select each unit group simply by pressing the relevant number. This simple interface allowed you to switch quickly and effortlessly between unit groups and to attack with combinations of troops and vehicles from different directions simultaneously. The game was nicely paced with most battles (even on the biggest maps) taking less than an hour.
Most versions offered a variety of gameplay options. You could work your way through a series of missions which were different depending on which ‘side’ you were playing. The missions were preceded with full motion video scenes which included appearances from established actors such as James Earl Jones and Michael Biehn.
Red Alert 2 (2000) introduced the Nuclear Reactor for the first time (click to enlarge)
Alternatively, you could play customised ‘skirmish’ battles. These saw you taking on a number of computer controlled opponents, after personalising a number of variables such as choosing the map, the strength of each opponent, the amount of starting money and the tech level (later games included hugely destructive ‘super weapons’ which could be excluded if desired). I liked the skirmish option a lot, finding it an excellent way to practice and learn the capabilities of different units. Later versions would allow you to battle up to seven other bases which was a pretty tough test.
Generals (2003) saw several changes, including different methods of collecting resources and moving the menu bar to the bottom of the screen (click to enlarge)
But the cherry on the icing on the cake was to play online against other real players. This option was utterly brilliant and the ultimate challenge; enabling you to properly test your skills. When playing in single player mode, while still a lot of fun, the A.I. could inevitably be somewhat predictable with a lack of variation in the bases built or the attack strategies employed by the computer opponents. For the most part they were competent, but in player versus player matches, a whole new world of play opened up. Real people were much more than competent; they were devious. There were so many different ways of attacking and it was almost impossible to anticipate them all. They might attack your power plants (thus taking other buildings including your air and ground defences offline and rendering them useless until more power plants were constructed). Or perhaps they would target your harvesters, drying up your income and ultimately squeezing and then stopping your production. They might send in engineers to capture your key buildings and render your base defenceless. They could attack by air, land, or even over water (an option in the Red Alert series.) In later editions there were options to cloak your base, build and use nuclear weapons and train and build a huge variety of troops, vehicles and aircraft, each providing different attack options, meaning that every game was unique.
Tiberian Wars (2007) brought a return to the Tiberian problem. And some wars, apparantly. Oh, and the menu bar returned to the right (click to enlarge)
If all that wasn’t enough, you could also find yourself playing on a ‘modded’ map, with some of the pre-programmed game variables changed, such as having time massively accelerated or extreme amounts of resource available. The multiplayer option was the real highlight of the game and to encourage this, the releases of the first few instalments included two disks; allowing two players to play on a LAN without needing two copies of the game.
While predominantly a PC release, it was also available for other systems; indeed one of my earliest memories of proper multiplayer gaming is playing the original C&C with two PlayStations, two televisions and a link cable, which at the time was brilliant fun. But while enjoyable on a console, ultimately the game was less suited to joypad control, requiring the kind of swift and accurate selections and movements that can really only be achieved consistently using the mouse and keyboard controls. I can’t help but feel a release of one of the originals would be hugely popular on Apple store or Android, with the touchscreen of a tablet being far more suited to the gameplay, but unfortunately the only option currently available is C&C Rivals: a turgid and underwhelming mini-game released in 2018 that offers no more than a passing nod to the genius of the original series.
Oh God are we still doing this? Red Alert 3 (2008). Um...it's definitely much prettier... (click to enlarge)
Discounting Rivals (and I think we should, since it is pretty poor), the last time we were treated to a new instalment of the C&C franchise was back in 2013 (although remastered versions of the first two games were released in 2020) so it seems that the series may have run its course, which is a pity. Regardless, if you enjoy strategy gaming and have never played one, they are definitely worth checking out. The titles are all still available and, while almost all are terrific games in their own right, I would suggest that perhaps Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2 were the peak of the series and certainly still hold their own today; maybe being the best balanced of all. Although the original servers are now long gone, there are still alternatives enabling you to play online.
Tiberian Twilight (2010) with added vampires and starring Robert Pattinson. Or something... (click to enlarge)
There is a huge place in my heart for the Command and Conquer series. Deep, involving, addictive and so very well balanced; they are fabulous games with the different play modes offering almost infinite variety. They provide an experience that is as close as I have found to multiplayer perfection and, thankfully, are so much more fun than Microprose Golf.
Wonderful stuff.
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AG 28/09/2021
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Featured in Pixel Addict magazine, issue 1.
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© Words and pictures copyright grapeswriting.com
Small is Beautiful
Examining the increasing popularity of mini-consoles
Modern life eh? Manufacturers are constantly seeking to innovate, to persuade us that we really need their latest offering. Everything has to be faster, smaller or more convenient than what came before. The gaming world has seen this trend for minimisation too (PS5 and Xbox Series X – you can wait outside - I’m not talking about you). In the past twenty years we have seen the rapid rise of the ‘mini-console’. These are small ‘plug-and-play’ devices based on classic consoles of the past, pre-loaded with a selection of games originally produced for those machines.
Everyone has their preferred way of playing classic games. Some like to use the original hardware, while others prefer the convenience of emulation. Mini consoles offer a third choice, but is it a viable one? Is there really a market for them? Do they have a place under a gamer’s television, or are they simply gimmicks, a shameless and unnecessary cash-in? Let’s find out...
How do you take yours?
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Each method of gaming offers a variety of pros and cons. These will affect people differently depending on their priorities, but they are all factors that need consideration when deciding how you will be undertaking your gaming experience.
1. Original Hardware
Those that play classic games using the original software and hardware have a thoroughly justifiable claim to be choosing the most authentic way to play their games. However, while this method can produce the best results, it is not without its problems. Although collecting can be fun, it can also be expensive, can take up a lot of space (particularly if you are collecting for multiple systems) and connectivity is becoming an ever increasing issue. Older consoles will have (at best) a Scart or RGB output and others almost as old as me will simply connect to a television via an RF lead. A cathode ray tube (CRT) television is the classic gamer’s television of choice, but it will have a limited number of suitable inputs and a more modern television may well have none, accepting HDMI only. This can require purchasing endless adaptor cables and switch boxes to get everything connected and running properly. Doable - yes absolutely - but there is no denying that managing the spaghetti-nest behind the television can be a headache as a collection grows. There is also the problem of reduced reliability of both hardware and software as each gets older. So while playing the originals might be the nirvana, there will be associated issues that need managing if you take this route.
2. Emulation
Emulation is certainly more convenient in terms of space and connectivity. This is dedicated software that emulates the original machines and allows their games to be played on a variety of hardware. Emulators can run on a PC, on a modified console such as an original Xbox, Wii or even a hand held device like the Sony PSP or Vita. They offer flexibility and significantly reduce the amount of space required, allowing easy access to a large games library. You also don’t have to manage a mass of cables and connections. On the downside however, setting it up takes time and in some cases requires a fair degree of technical know-how. There are risks of damaging a console by modifying it and, if it is still in warranty, you will be waving that guarantee goodbye the moment you open it up and start messing with it. There are also legal issues - you should only be uploading ROMS that are freeware or that you already own. Emulation is also fairly controversial, with a degree of (in my view somewhat unnecessary) snobbery being displayed by some gamers favouring the original hardware and software route.
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A mixed bag then, with pluses and minuses for each. Does that leave enough of a gap in the market for manufacturers to exploit? Apparently so.
Mini Consoles
The first licensed mini console was the ‘Activision TV Games Video Games System’ made by Toymax International and released in 2001. It contained ten Activision Atari 2600 games bundled within a chubby and brightly coloured controller that plugged straight into a television using an RCA composite/audio connection. It was an inexpensive way to revisit those games and while maybe not appearing overly attractive to the hardened gamer, it certainly opened up classic gaming to a less committed and more fluid market. The system was re-released in 2004 after being purchased by Jakks Pacific, this time re-housed in a more classic joystick type controller. Jakks Pacific became big players in the market, releasing dozens of plug-and-play units over the years.
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In 2004 Atari joined the party by releasing the original Atari Flashback console. Resembling a smaller Atari 7800 (but with no cartridge slot) and retailing for $45, the Flashback was the first true mini-console that visually replicated its older brother. It contained fifteen Atari 2600 games and five Atari 7800 games. Despite mixed reviews over the quality of the game conversions, it sold half a million units. In 2005 the Atari Flashback 2 was launched, this time modelled on the smaller Atari 2600, costing just $30 and containing forty games, plus two secret bonus titles. This version sold 860,000 units in the USA, a PAL version was never released.
Over thirty updated versions of the Atari Flashback have since been released (if you include portable and special editions), with the most recent incarnation (the Atari Flashback X Deluxe) reaching stores in 2019. Along the way developments have seen the included games library expand to 120 games, the inclusion of 720p HDMI output and, on some models, wireless controllers. The aesthetic design of the home unit has remained relatively consistent since the Atari Flashback 2, continuing to resemble a baby Atari 2600 throughout the series.
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The popularity of the Atari did not go unnoticed, and it wasn’t long before other consoles were getting the same treatment. Among dozens of similar releases in the intervening years were mini versions of the Commodore Vic 20, Commodore 64, Sega Megadrive/Genesis, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), NEOGEO, Sony PlayStation and the TurboGrafx-16, and they keep on coming! On the 8th April 2022 the A500 Mini hits the stores, allowing gamers to relive some of the classic games on Commodore’s iconic home computer once again.
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The various mini consoles have been released over the years to mixed reviews, with a number of reported issues that perhaps make them less than perfect purchases.
More is more
Firstly, there is the issue of the number of included games. Game file sizes, especially for earlier consoles, are tiny by today’s standards, and computing memory is stupidly cheap nowadays, so why only include twenty or so games? Wouldn’t you want to offer as many as you can? Give the consumer more choice and your product surely becomes more attractive. Granted, the Atari Flashback has steadily increased its library over time to a respectable 120 titles and the Turbo Grafx and Vic 20 include 57 and 64 games respectively which isn’t too bad. You can’t help but feel that the Megadrive (with 42), NES (30), SNES (21), PlayStation Classic (20) and even the new A500 Mini (25) could have included more. It’s not as if any had particularly small libraries from which to choose.
But it’s not just the numbers of included games that could be criticised. There is also game selection...
Gamers will never agree
Now this is a much trickier area as ultimately, it is subjective. I could ask a hundred readers to list their top twenty games for the SNES, PlayStation, or any other console, and there is little doubt that I would get one hundred different lists. However, within that grey area of opinion there will normally be an overall consensus. Most gaming enthusiasts would know what the top games for each console are. They may not all be personal favourites, but when the ‘top 100 games’ polls are run for various platforms we are rarely surprised at the results. Yet it is not unusual for a mini console to receive criticism for the game selection. Let’s look at two examples...
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I’ll start with the PlayStation Classic. With just twenty games included you would imagine that they would all be the really big hitters. Well....no, they aren’t. It isn’t a bad selection by any means, but I am not sure that it could claim with any real sincerity to be representing the cream of the PlayStation back catalogue.
Here is the full list: Battle Arena Toshinden, Cool Boarders 2, Destruction Derby, Final Fantasy VII, Grand Theft Auto, Intelligent Qube, Jumping Flash, Metal Gear Solid, Mr Driller, Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, Rayman, Resident Evil Director’s Cut, Revelations: Persona, Ridge Racer Type 4, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Syphon Filter, Tekken 3, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, Twisted Metal and Wild Arms.
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Now that is a strong line-up certainly, but if you are only including twenty games then I would suggest that you have to get the selection bang-on. For me there are a few too many questionable choices and some equally glaring omissions. If you asked me to write an ultimate top-twenty list of PlayStation games I would have probably chosen about nine of those included. Then I would be asking why Driver, Ape Escape, Silent Hill and Gran Turismo 2 aren’t there? I would be wondering why there is no Spyro title, or a Tomb Raider, Wipeout, Crash Bandicoot or Medal of Honor game. Those suggestions aren’t swayed by my personal favourites either, they are drawn from multiple online lists of top rated and best selling PlayStation games. Of course, licensing issues may be in play here, but it did feel like a diluted and slightly disappointing selection.
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I have a similar issue with the forthcoming A500 Mini. The hugely anticipated release will include the following titles: Alien Breed 3D, Alien Breed: Special Edition ‘92, Another World, Arcade Pool, ATR: All Terrain Racing, Battle Chess, Cadaver, California Games, The Chaos Engine, Dragons Breath, F-16 Combat Pilot, Kick Off 2, The Lost Patrol, Paradroid 90, Pinball Dreams, Project-X: Special Edition 93, Qwak, The Sentinel, Simon the Sorcerer, Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, Stunt Car Racer, Super Cars II, Titus The Fox: To Marrakech And Back, Worms: The Director’s Cut and Zool: Ninja Of The “Nth” Dimension.
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Again, at first glance that seems a decent enough choice and there are certainly more than enough great games included to provide plenty of entertainment bang for your buck. But the more you look, the more you also realise what is missing. The A500 Mini doesn’t include: The Secret of Monkey Island (1 or 2), Cannon Fodder, Sensible Soccer, Lemmings, Elite, Stardust, Civilisation, Microprose Formula One Grand Prix, Syndicate, Micro Machines, The Settlers, Rainbow Islands, Turrican 2 or Lotus Turbo Challenge II. Now they aren’t all my personal favourites - if I am honest I find Cannon Fodder and Lotus II in particular to be somewhat less than extraordinary - but they are all games that I would fully expect to find occupying the upper positions in any ‘top Amiga games list’ that you might stumble upon on the internet. Not only that, but many of those missing titles are utterly synonymous with the Amiga. The likes of Lemmings, Cannon Fodder, Monkey Island and Sensible Soccer represent the very soul of the machine to many, yet none of them have made it onto the Mini, which seems rather strange.
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Also (sorry - I am ranting here but, hands up, the Amiga is my passion) are Zool and Titus the Fox really the best platform games the Amiga has to offer? No - they really aren’t, not by a long way. There are plenty of far superior offerings, including: Turrican 2, Flashback, Superfrog, Soccer Kid or Gods. Oh, and since I have slipped temporarily into ‘somewhat irrationally annoyed and pedantic grumpy old-man’ mode, I need to get one more thing off my chest. If you are marketing an A500 mini, then I am not sure what Alien Breed 3D is doing on it since that wasn’t an Amiga 500 game, being an A1200/CD32 exclusive release. They are not the same machine. Yes - they were all made by Commodore, but Sony has a few consoles in their stable and we didn’t find them sneaking a few PS2 games onto the PlayStation Classic. Nintendo didn’t crow-bar Super Mario 64 into the SNES mini. C’mon guys, play by the rules. Had it been an ‘A1200 Mini’ then they could (with complete justification and without any artistic licence being deployed whatsoever) have then included more of the top AGA games such as: Banshee, Roadkill, Guardian, Super Stardust and Gloom. But it isn’t, so, in my view, they shouldn’t. Ok, yes, I will concede that I am being picky, and of course it’s great to have the opportunity to play AGA games, but details matter!
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HOWEVER... there is an enormously important post-script here. I am glad to say that in the case of the A500 Mini, it is saved by having the built-in functionality to play other compatible games directly from USB as standard. This is a brilliant feature; while other mini consoles have been adapted to play additional games, this is normally a result of hacking and modding with the associated risks that such action brings. The A500 Mini plays additional ROMS straight out of the box, with minimal tinkering required. So if you don’t like the preloaded games or alternatively want to explore a greater variety, then you can slap in a USB stick loaded with WHDload files and use the unit to play your own. Brilliant. Well done Retro Games Ltd., take a bow!
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However for the majority of these mini units, game selection has always been, and probably always will be a problem. Licensing will cause difficulties, and of course you can’t please all of the people all of the time, but notwithstanding these issues you do sometimes wonder about the decision making process that selects the included games.
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There are other issues that have blighted some mini console releases too, such as the standard of emulation. Coming back to the PlayStation Classic for example, almost half the games used were PAL games running at 50 Hz, on a machine outputting at 60 Hz. This resulted in reports of slowdowns and other technical glitches. Also, the majority of controllers supplied with mini consoles are wired; often with cables that won’t reach across your lounge should you choose to place the machine under your main television. Finally, controller build quality is sometimes less than might be desired.
But of course, it’s not all bad
You might then be thinking that, in considering the benefits of mini consoles, there is little to shout about. But I haven’t touched upon their strengths yet.
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Let’s start with the obvious - convenience. Mini consoles are simple plug and play units, offering the casual gamer the opportunity to easily play classic video games, without filling a room with hardware or software and without buying additional televisions. This of course means not having to negotiate miles of cable and complicated connectors and adapters, and thanks to the plug and play nature, not needing to take an Open University degree in computing to fully understand the complexities of emulation. Many of them achieve this pretty well. Your average mini console works straight out of the box with minimal fuss. The more recent ones plug straight into a modern television’s HDMI input. It is a doddle. Today’s society loves convenience. It is one of those USPs that is almost certain to make a product popular, and that’s exactly what your average mini console offers. They are a very easy way to explore your gaming memories, or for the younger user to have a go at titles they had only previously seen on YouTube.
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Then there is the cost. Most are priced very attractively upon release, usually between £50 and £120. The SNES mini was £79.99 and the Megadrive mini was £69.99 (though both now can sell on Amazon for over £200!) The forthcoming A500 Mini will be retailing somewhere just south of £120, which is great value.
Finally; they look great! Classic gaming is all about nostalgia and you will get a full-on belt of that if you put two or three of these under your television. While simple, most are attractively designed, capturing the feel of the originals nicely. The most recent C64 release even has a fully working keyboard which enables the inputting of BASIC commands.
Verdict
I would fully accept that mini consoles are far from perfect and therefore are probably not particularly attractive to a committed classic gamer, who would probably only buy one as a curiosity. There will also be those shouting “Retro- Pi” at me and those people are completely missing the point. No mini console will outperform original hardware and a properly configured emulation setup on a more powerful machine will certainly offer much more flexibility. But for simple plug and play convenience they are brilliant. If you are a classic gamer already, with a retro cave full of technical wizardry, then you probably aren’t the target market and you are unlikely to be seduced. But if you are Mr or Mrs Average with a mortgage, a house full of kids and a busy life without the time, space or money for full-on classic game setups, but would quite like to play Mario, Sonic, or even Another World again, then I can completely understand why this option would appeal to you.
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They are becoming increasingly popular too. Between 2001 and 2016, Wikipedia lists twenty-eight versions of mini consoles released (though not all of the versions of the Atari Flashback console are listed). In just the following five years from 2017 – 2022 a further twenty-seven have (or will) hit our stores.
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Classic gaming is a beautiful thing, a fabulous hobby. No matter how people choose to indulge, there should be no snobbery, we should just be grateful that more enthusiasts are joining our exclusive little club. In my view, the greater options available the better, which means that as a concept, mini consoles certainly have their place in the world. They may each have their individual flaws and some do their job better than others, but they do target a market that traditional classic gaming methods leave behind, and that can only be a good thing.
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What’s that? How do I play my games? I use every method. I have a decent collection of original hardware and software. I have emulation on my PC, on an original Xbox and on a modified PSP, and under my television in my games room amongst all the original consoles sits a mini SNES, and it’s bloody brilliant...
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AG 05/03/2022
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Featured in Pixel Addict magazine, issue 3.
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© Words and pictures copyright grapeswriting.com
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