Today's images are the first five screenshots of various areas on the Solaris map. From what I remember, these screenshots are from the semi-internal closed beta test that was available to Kesmai employees, MPBT game staff, House command players, and a select few others.

A small blurb from the September, 1991 edition of The New Fone Express, the newsletter of the Society for the Freedom of Information:

"Rumors have that due to America On-Line's interactive graphical games, Genie also has similar plans in the works. It seems that they have contracted Kesmai to develop a new multi-play MechWarrior to run on the Genie network. It is supposed to encompass some of the politics between the houses and it is supposed to allow players to join and form units to accomplish

More in-character roleplaying and stories from GameStorm's forums are now available.

The in-character forums were some of the most popular MPBT forums on GameStorm, continuing (in spirit) the traditional in-character conflicts and rivalries of the GEnie Round Tables in EGA.

If the Four HorseMen cannot have it, noone will.

As the battle rages, a lone Locust recon mech sits in a hull down position
atop the ridgeline overlooking the drop zone. As the carnage unfolds across
the plains beneath him, a lone figure in black fatigues surveys the situation

Measuring 20" x 36", these posters featured the House icon the all 15 rank icons for all five Houses. This promotional poster was created for the 1999 Gencon GameStorm booth. Only five hundred of these posters were produced.

They were originally handed out at the Kesmai MPBT dinner at Mader's German Restaurant in Milwaukee (the traditional restaurant for the Gencon MPBT dinners) but were also handed out at the GameStorm booth.

The second set of EGA Round Tables for Bug Reports and Hints & Tips are now available.

Today's interesting chunk is about Solaris being implemented in EGA. It highlights some of the issues and rawness of that part of the game in 1991.

A short story from the Fujitsu archives (the Japanese host for MPBT: Solaris) has been translated to English and is available in the archives.

The story is pretty incomprehensible after running through the translator, but it's definitely Solaris-based fiction and the flavor holds true.

If there are any Japanese-literate people out there, let me know and I'll get a copy of the original for (hopefully) a better translation.

Check out the story here.