so, let me see if I have this straight... 1994 - HSC Software ships KPT Bryce 1995 - HSC Software becomes MetaTools, Fractal Design ships Poser 1996 - MetaTools ships Bryce 2, Fractal Design ships Poser 2 1997 - MetaTools and Fractal Design merge as MetaCreations, Bryce 3D ships 1998 - Poser 3 ships 1999 - Bryce 4 ships, Poser 4 ships, MetaCreations sells its graphics programs 2001 - Corel ships Bryce 5 2002 - Curious Labs ships Poser 5 January 2003 - DAZ3D, maker of Poser models, announces DAZ|Studio January 2003 - Curious Labs restructures, terminates Poser development team March 2003 - Corel admits Bryce "on hold", Microsoft sells off its Corel stock March 2003 - e-on software, maker of Vue d'Esprit, publishes Bryce survey

Vue dEsprit? Ain't that French?!? j/k ;) If such an amalgamation came to be, I'd prefer to keep the Bryce interface, tweak the render engine, and incorporate Vue's Poser import capabilities.

And what happens when you build a house out of proverbial straw? ;)

Corel keeps dropping the price of Bryce (down to $169/$79 upgrade). I hope that's a sign that a new version is on the way. "Corel, which fights for market share against such technology leaders as Microsoft and Adobe, will launch more than a dozen new products or upgrades this year and said that it could see an increase in sales." - zdnet

Attached Link: http://zdnet.com.com/2110-1106-983053.html

In a Corel "eNews" newsletter that I got a few days ago, it mentions: Corel DESIGNER 10 - February 2003 Corel Customer Reference Program - Winter 2003 Corel XMetaL 4 - Early 2003 Corel Painter 8 - Spring 2003 WordPerfect Office 2003 - Spring 2003 I interpret that to mean no new Bryce until summer, at the earliest.

I picked the wrong day to install Poser on a new Mac. ;) Now I can't get to the 4.0.3 updater and Poser 4.0 explodes, when I try to work with some models.

In the past, I have allowed altered humans in the storyline. One was an escaped slave of the aboleth; his skin had been transformed into a slimy mucus and he could breathe underwater. The other character, an experiment of the sahuagin, had similar adaptations. As for my favorite character, that would be Xaetra, the night hag (now a spectral hag) protagonist who has been included in all of my online games since 1995. When it comes to the rules, I mix the 3e core rulebooks (DMG, PH, MM), a handful of d20 supplements (Seas of Blood, Seafarers Handbook, Broadsides), and a few rules from 2e and 1e. To this I add my fascination with the sea and information gleaned from the Discover Channel and similar sources.

mikes said: "1/ The wording on the site mentions both OS9 and X--I hope that it will be available both ways." Personally, I hope they don't waste their time with an OS 9 version. OS X v10.2 will not ship with an OS 9 disc and it's rumored that the next generation of Mac hardware won't support booting into OS 9. Classic will still be around, I suppose.

This blatant CPU chauvinism truly is pointless. Stick with the operating system that you prefer and allow others to do the same. Yes, I use a Mac I have preferred Apple products since the day I got my Apple II+. Yes, I remember the day when Poser and Bryce were part of one big happy family, and the days before that. When Poser 5 comes out, it simply means that the days of using Poser at home and work, courtesy of the hybrid CD-ROM format, will be over. At work, I must endure Windows XP. Will I buy a separate version of Poser, simply to use on this loathsome OS? No. Now my Poser time will be exclusively at home, once Poser 5 for OS X arrives. For the record, I am not purchasing Photoshop 7 for Windows, either CorelDRAW 11 ships with the Mac and PC versions on the same CD, so I will use Photo-PAINT and support a company that supports the same initiatives that I uphold, as they demonstrated with the cross-platform release of Bryce 5 and now CorelDRAW 11.

"I haven't played that since I got hooked to EQ in late '99 " My undersea campaign was created in 1998. ;) I never could get into those online arcade-style games. I'll give then another chance when NWN comes out. "Beneath the Pinnacles of Azor'alq" (BPAA), is a 3e D&D World of Greyhawk message-based game (Play-by-Post) set beneath the surface of the Dramidj Ocean. The campaign, which uses the core rules of 3e, select supplements from 2e, and the heart of 1e, is designed for those interested in participating in a work of coauthored interactive fiction.

Attached Link: http://www.lobi.com/campaigns/bpaa

the confirmation letter, when I placed my order said: Wed May 15 14:35:50 PDT 2002

I hope they offer this promotion to Macintosh users, if/when Avatar Lab for Mac is released. I suppose that, in turn, is dependant upon the release of a Mac version of Atmosphere by Adobe. Even then, it has been posted that the first release will not be OS X native. Adobe needs to work on GoLive X and Photoshop 6.5 at any rate. ;) As I plan to get a new Mac G5 in January, that will be the date that I will no longer by programs not written with OS X in mind. Hopefully, Poser 5 or an OS X-patch for Poser 4 will show up before then, as well.

Attached Link: http://www.lobi.com/campaigns/bpaa