Kudos and Criticism
by Ambrosia Software Users



This section features reader responses to Ambrosia's software & service. We will include the
good with the bad, and address any problems brought to our attention. These are real people
writing real letters about real issues. Feel free to drop us a line.

Harry the WHAT?!?!?

Harry the Handsome Executive?! What on earth? You must be crazy to even
think of such a wacko idea. I think you should all take a deep breath and rethink
your game ideas. Okay now, hurry up and finish it so I can play it! Really though,
only Ambrosia would make this game.

-- Ryan Clark

Thanks for the comments. Harry has a ton of potential to be a very entertaining game. Can you have fun in a corporate office environment? Just you wait and see...

I just learned of this awesome 'Harry the Handsome Executive' game, and hurried
as fast as my modem would carry me to the TechWorks page. But, alas! After three
days, the beta was already closed! The depression has been slowly eating away at
me.... I can't stand it... I've already printed out the few screenshots around and
plastered my bedroom walls with them. At every update, I tatoo the progress report
to my back for all to see... I've even written my own NDA pretending that I got
accepted as a tester... but I still can't handle it!

-- Mike Wakerly

Believe it or not, that testing session was only open for about 16 hours. The applications came in just a little bit quicker than we anticipated. We apologize to those of you who missed it. Don't worry, there will be more.

Helpful EV Advise

Someone wrote in an issue of "The Ambrosia Times" that EV should remind you every two hours to go out and enjoy life. Well, I agree with them, but not exactly...

1.You have been playing for 45 minutes. Do you want to keep playing?
Please respond within 10 min. or the EV will quit.

2.You have been online for 135 minutes. Not to put any pressure on you,
but there ARE other people who would like to use the computer. Let's
show some sorry consideration for our family and quit, what do you say?

3.You DO realize that you've been playing for 184 minutes, right? When
was the last time you went outside?

4.OK. This is getting ridiculous. Frankly, you're starting to make us upset!
If you sign off now, we'll fix that corrupted pilot file for you, OK? Yup!
Finally We mean it!!

5.You have been playing for 360 minutes now!! We promised you could
play all you want, we know, but can't you just finish up NOW and go read
a good book?

6.You have been playing for 467 minutes. Do you remember your family
members' names?

7.You have been playing for 513 minutes. Your husband has left you and
your dog is starving. Do you wish to keep playing?

8.You have been playing 724 minutes. Matt Burch is coming, personally,
to your house to unplug your computer....

9.You have been playing 852 minutes, do you KNOW how many HOURS
that is???"

10.You have been playing for 967 minutes. When we said you could play as
much as you wanted, we didn't think you would take it literally. Now get the
*bleep* off before your fingers freeze onto the space bar!

11.We make it a rule that after you have been playing for 1396 minutes, we
make it mandatory that you join EVA (Escape Velocity Anonymous).

12.Forget it. Someone must have put super glue on the keyboard. Are you
sure you don't need to eat something? I mean, it has been only 31 hours since
you started playing...

13.You know, if you had gotten up to do anything during the past 2435
minutes, you would have realized that your mother-in-law died...

14.This is the last message. If number 13 didn't get you out, nothing will.
Since you have been playing for the past 3183 minutes, which is only the
past 53 hours, we will send out emergency medical personnel to check on
you every 2-3 days.

Believe it or not, that first letter was written by our new employee, Jason Whong. Crazy things can happen to you when you are quoted in a magazine ;)

Letter of the Month!

When I first jumped on the main Ambrosia home page, I thought you must be some
giant software producing corporation (I also had that idea based on the very high
quality of the software). Then I started looking around and found out there are exactly
six people who make the whole thing work. Amazing.

In my line of work as a computer consultant and trainer, I'm always telling people
about how the web is having such a great effect on what smaller companies can now
provide in terms of information and support. I think your web site really exemplifies
that concept.

It reminds me of the recent problem that the Barbie doll makers (Mattel?) had when
they came out with little Wheelchair Barbie. Apparently, Wheelchair Barbie's chair
was too wide to fit into regular Barbie's house, so they couldn't play together. The
media was quick to report on this embarrassing faux-pas. However, Mattel quickly
fixed the problem by resizing its new doll. The reason they were able to react so
quickly? The internet. Customer feedback via their web site was nearly instantaneous,
and their 'engineers' quickly jumped on fixing the problem. Instead of an embarrassment,
they turned it into a bunch of free advertising.

The point is, I'm glad to see this medium put to such good use. I found a lot of helpful
information (FAQ's) and files to download from your site. I just registered Escape
Velocity (killer game, by the way) and I was glad to find a bunch of plug-ins I could
download. They should keep me busy for quite a while, even though I got a Kestrel
in only three days (long ones :-) of playing EV.

-- Andre LaBranche

So you think you're pretty tough in Escape Velocity, eh? Driving a Kestrel, aren't ya, Tough Guy? Oooo, let me power up my shields, I'm scared of the big bad tough g..... oh, uh, Sorry. Thanks for the wonderful letter ;)

Misdirected? Misguided?

Hello, I'm hoping this'll go out to Drew Carey the actor. I'm a screenwriter has worked
on such shows as Spencer for Hire, Cheers, and Night Court as an intern and as an
actor. I'm currently seeking investors for a project. I'm a female actor and writer. I'm
hoping Drew will contact me, No Joke....Thanks.

-- Name withheld

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