VICTORIAN COSMOS ONLINE CARD AND GAME SHOP
Starting from the grand opening, the site will be in English and Spanish, other languages will be added later.
Trading card games and accessories
Magic, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Harry Potter, AD&D, Lord of the Rings, counters, card protectors, binders, mats, league kits, markers, coins, etc. All languages supported.
Various styles of playing cards, tiles and accessories
Standard (French-suited), German-suited, rook deck, pinochle deck, additional historic suits (i.e., Crowns and Royales), Italian and Spanish decks, specialty sizes and lettering, Marseilles tarot, other historic card decks, original design tarot and tarrocco decks, dice, shoes, cribbage boards, poker sets, table covers, storage boxes, instruction and rule books, etc.
Card Captor cards and storage book
3D Chess Sets
Classic design from the original Star Trek television series, or Victorian design. Would include the CD How to Play 3D Chess. (See below.)
Recreated game tokens
Monopoly, Clue, Sorry, etc. and also custom ordered to match customer’s set. Especially (or exclusively) for games no longer supported by the original manufacturer.
SPONSORED TCG LEAGUES
Magic, Pokémon, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings
Emphasis on leagues abandoned by Wizards of the Coast/Nintendo/any one else especially when due to lack of interest on the part of the original manufacturer of the cards, e.g., there will be a Yu-Gi-Oh! league until the card game is declared “dead” (rumors started by marketers who want to push new card games) and the original Yu-Gi-Oh! leagues close. This will start out as local to the area of Seventeenth Arcanum/Victorian Cosmos headquarters (i.e., my home).
SEVENTEENTH ARCANUM
Originally planned to begin with the Windows platform then include MacOS for the PCs, but if I follow thru on the new OS project then the software will be written primarily for that OS. So keep in mind that any reference to Windows should probably read “OS” or “PC”.
GAMES
Labyrinth of Kratos
Crystal Orb
World of Oz
Pokémon PC†
Pokémon (or any) TCG for the PC†*
Pokémon (or any) TCG evaluation and inventory database*
Adventureland (pending obtainment of permission)
As a 3D graphical adventure, 3 levels:
Adventure: The original by Crowther and Woods, and Adventureland†: The adaptation by Scott Adams for Infocom. The Crowther and Woods version will need to be translated from FORTRAN to C++ for the Windows OS. 350 points, Conquering Hero or banished to the Loosers Hall of Shame.
Adventure 550: An adaptation of the version of the original Crowther and Woods game created by David Platt which was installed on most of the major time-sharing systems (CompuServe, The Source, GEnie, etc.) during the late 70s and 80s, and Colossal Cave†: the original expanded by Dave Malmberg for the AGT interactive fiction game system. 550 points, Conquering Hero or banished to the Loosers Hall of Shame.
Humongous Cave†: Colossal Cave expanded again by Dave Malmberg for the Master Edition of AGT from Platt’s version. 1000 points, eight ranks from Adventurer Grand Master to rank amateur or even thrown out of the game.
The player chooses his level. Later on, pending the obtainment of permission, adding games from Scott Adams’ Classic Adventures 2–14†.
Magic Compass Interactive Fiction Games
Adaptations of GAGS/AGT (perhaps other systems as well) games (pending permission of original authors).*
Adaptations of the original Adventure game by Crowther and Woods (released into public domain), Adventure 550 by David Platt (also public domain), and the Scott Adams series† (but not the Marvel Adventure Quest series), pending permission from Scott Adams.*
Magic Door Interactive Fiction Games
Original works (e.g., Labyrinth of Kratos) written using the Game Wizard IF Toolkit for the Game Wizard IF Player.
Discontinued RPGs such as Champions from Heroes Games.
Lords of Magic/Legends of Urak
Another set of potentially good games poorly written and then abandoned by the company that bought out the company that produced them. Since VU Games has no plans to re-issue Lords of Magic Special Edition, create patches, or continue support for it (other than a lame and elitist message board that has more messages about other games than LOMSE), I do not see how they could possibly cry copyright infringement if I recreate this suite of games without the bugs and with game play improvements. This includes the world-building tools also, which are remarkably generic and very similar to the tools used in Maxis’ The Sims and others (See below).
Likewise re-creation of other old games (especially DOS games) for the same reason: Ishido, Day of the Pharaoh, Castles series by Interplay, the old Amiga games, etc. adaptations of old video games (e.g., Shining in the Darkness, Champions, Golden Axe)—all converted to Windows format.
International Playing Cards CD
Various decks of playing cards: French suit, German suit, Italian, Spanish, pinochle decks, double decks, dominoes, mah-jongg tiles, original tarot decks, the Marseilles tarot, the rook deck, etc. This will also include several card games from around the world that can be played against the computer.
How to Play 3D Chess
by David E. Rutan
Instructions† and demonstrations on how to play the game for real. Practice against the computer.
CREATIVITY
Game Wizard IF Toolkit
Text adventure creation system similar to the Adventure Game Toolkit. There will be three levels each with their own tutorials: Standard, for beginners; Master, for advanced users and people who want to make professional games; and Ultimate, for converting RPGs into IF games. Comes with a compiler and a decompiler both with a unique id number so that each author will be able to decompile only their games. Compilers will do the tasks that were performed by AGT Lint, AGT Num, and the AGT compilers combined, have a Windows interface like the Windows AGT compiler, and send the error (or successful compile) reports to a text file.
Magic Door IF Player
Text adventure player that plays IFG format games.*
Magic Compass IF Converters
Text adventure utilities that convert GAGS/AGT format games into IFG. The source code converter converts the source code files into the new IFG format source code then compiles those files into IFG compiled code files. The compiled code converter decompiles the compiled code into the IFG source code format then recompiles these files into IFG compiled code then deletes the intermediate files thus protecting the original author’s source code. These will be sent to every former author of GAGS/AGT games that can be located (even if they are still using obsolete technology).*
PlayFKiSS* and EditFKiSS*
Commission Chad Randall to perfect his FKiSS programs. Including the CEL creation plug-in for paint programs (which would probably be best included in the KiSS Tools Suite). He will retain all copyrights.
KiSS Tools Suite*
Commission Hobun “Mars” Suzuki, Dov Sherman, and Chad Randall to perfect their tools for KiSS. They will retain all copyrights.
Gamerama
Commission Accursed Toys, Inc. to perfect Gamerama. Accursed Toys will NOT be a subsidiary of Seventeenth Arcanum and will retain all copyrights to Gamerama.
World Building Tools
There are world-building tools included with LOMSE by Sierra Studios (now VU Games). These are very similar to EA Games tools used in The Sims and the world building tools from the Graphics Adventure Game Builder by DC Games (David Hernandez). As generic as they are they might also be found with the DirectX SDK. Possibly something similar to all of this could be incorporated into Gamerama. The idea is that if Seventeenth Arcanum has an interactive fiction game design kit then a graphical (2- and 3D) game design kit would also be nice to produce. Something easier and more usable than the Game Programmers Starter Toolkit offered by Pearson Education.
Heraldry (including banners and flags)
Plug-in for PhotoShop, PhotoPlus and other paint programs. With expandable database of devices from around the world. User may add from the online heraldry database (below). The artist will be able to create a blazon (formal text description) from the completed achievement or have an achievement created from a blazon.
TrueType font creation by turning on/off pixels
Sims Tools Suite
A complete line of editors and utilities compatible with the latest versions of The Sims by Maxis/EA Games available on CD. Like PlayFKiSS and KiSS tools, may commission some by other authors if feasible. For the sake of compatibility may need to produce all Sims Tools in-house. Some examples of applications would be:
Sims Editor (a comprehensive editor combining all of the features found in EliSims, Sim Edit, Menu Editor, Simplorer, FarEdit, SimFlux, etc.), Sims Skin Tutorial, Sims NPC Replacer, Sims Character Studio (a combination of Sim Show, Sims Metamorphoser, Sim Enhancer Suite, Sims Character Make-Over Studio, and BodyWarp), Sims Animation Studio, Object Studio (combination Object Viewer and Blueprint), Sims File Maid and Sims File Cop, Sims Life Cycle Project.
KiSS Desktop Theme And Screen Saver(s)*
A tribute to the many wonderful KiSS artists whose work I have enjoyed. Archived in the Desktop Themes and Screen Savers database mentioned below.
Customizable slide show viewer
Capable of displaying graphics, animations and adding sound.
ONLINE VIRTUAL TOURS
Arnheim’s Garden, Island of the Fey and Landor’s Cottage
World of Oz
Valhalla Museum of World Heroes of Myth, Legend and Fiction
ANIMATIONS
Enchanted Forest
Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Timeline of Heroes
Pokémon: The Real Story
PERSONAL ENHANCEMENT
Virtual Wiccan Temple
A simulated Wiccan temple for the solitary witch who has limited space. It provides all of the elements required to “build” a temple, complete with Circle, Altar, ritual tools, libations, and Book of Shadows (a database which can be used to record spells, rituals, important dates, journal of activities, etc.). Choose a basic “room” template or design one yourself, then add items from the built-in “stores” or even customize the tools. Add background music/ambiance sounds. Can be set to react according to the time of day and day of year. Compatible with the calendar planner and alarm application to set and remind you of coming holidays or events. You may also add on modules or link to other personal enhancement applications, such as astrological charts, your favorite card-reading program, or perhaps a feng shui application.
The “temple” will appear in 3D first-person view after you have designed it. You may then manipulate the objects, optionally display the ritual verses so that you may recite them, record events in your personal Book of Shadows, even go online and visit with friends, shop for electronic or real Wiccan artifacts, anything that you need to do to enhance your Wiccan lifestyle in close quarters. Password protected for privacy and security.
Astrological Chart Generator
Create astrological charts from the birth data entered. Interpretations are then formed from the user’s studies or the astrologer’s own experience. The user then may add their own notes to the completed charts.
Card Reading
From the tarot or playing card decks included in the International Playing Cards CD, the user may select one of several built-in spreads (or one that they have defined) and style of interpretation for the cards. They may even create a text data file of their own interpretations and custom design their own set of cards.
Numerology
Generate numbers and profiles from data entered.
Feng Shui
By using standard architectural symbols the user will be able to describe their current surroundings and then learn how to rearrange and change their environment to maximize their chi. User may select from the different schools of thought and processes in order to discover the one with which they are most comfortable.
I Ching, the Book of Changes
All of the symbols of the I Ching with the interpretations from I Ching: Book of Changes. User may generate different castings. Then the interpretation(s) will be displayed.
Palmistry
The user scans their hands or the hands of someone else into the program which creates a JPG of the palms. From that picture, areas are marked and the user may enter the interpretations which will result in a text file. As an option, possible interpretations will be displayed for each area highlighted for the user to choose from depending on the condition of the highlighted area.
PRODUCTIVITY
All of the applications in this section are to be compatible with Word, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Address Book, Money, Boxer, PhotoShop, CakeWalk, any ISP, ICQ, and Encarta Encyclopedia or any other popular applications that do the same thing (i.e., Netscape, Encyclopedia Britannica, NoteWorthy Composer, PhotoPlus, Quicken, Access, PowerPoint, MSN, Windows Messenger, etc.), and able to share information between modules via universal file formats (e.g., TXT, TIFF, AVI, DOC, HTML, MIDI, JS).
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Shell to coördinate and launch projects similar to Works, but without actually launching the apps. Applications that the shell uses would be selected by end-user. Fully configurable. Modern interface.
Data base application similar to Works, but more up-to-date in function and features.
Spread sheet application same changes mentioned for data base application.
Calendar planner and alarm. Able to set alarm for appointments, recurring events, and short periods of time/one-time uses. Finally, you can work on the computer while waiting for the biscuits in the oven. Including reminder for special days and “This Day In History” features.
Media browser capable of displaying all universal formats without third party applications such as RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, QuickTime, etc. Also able to organize a gallery more efficiently than Picture It! or previously mentioned media players. Will automatically launch file conversion utility, if available when a obsolete or proprietary format is detected.
Map and Atlas combination to plan any kind of trip or give information about any place, anywhere in the world. Even mixing modes of transportation, i.e., cross-country bus, subway/local bus, air, sea, etc., capable of adding local public transportation schedule for user-selected cities so that user would not need to go online to plan trips for frequently traveled communities.
Desktop publishing/portfolio/binder application that pulls it all together without redundancy or adding another annoying toolbar.
Animation creation program that saves in AVI format, or alternately, DVD.
Movie and slide show creation program that saves in MPEG format, or alternately, DVD.
Calendar and time conversion. Convert between different time zones and astronomical time, and various calendar systems (ancient and modern). Perpetual calendar feature will allow going backwards or forwards in time. Holiday tracker for each calendar system with the ability to add new holidays.
Weights and Measures of various systems ancient and modern.
Cel phone synchronization application.
CE device synchronization application.
Palm compatible device synchronization application.
FILE CONVERSION
PDF to HTML/JAVA conversion.*
Proprietary, obsolete (e.g., MOD, VOC), DVD and CD Sound file to MIDI, WAV and MP3 conversion.*
Japanese MAG file to JPG/GIF/TIF conversion.*
Proprietary, obsolete (e.g., RAM, MOV, FLI, FLC), and DVD video file to AVI and MPEG conversion.*
UTILITIES
I never intended to get to heavy into utilities. Initially all Seventeenth Arcanum was going to produce was mainly entertainment, creativity, productivity and personal enhancement software. However, recent aggravations of the propensity of badly designed software by major companies has forced me to re-evaluate this position. I have come to the conclusion that a division of Seventeenth Arcanum Enterprises will be “Working Class Software”, inexpensive yet high quality utilities that any literate computer-user with a job or small business can afford. Let the large corporations, wealthy, technophiles, and computer-dummies deal with the hassles of Microsoft Windows. Basically, I intend to bring back Henry Ford’s original concept, before it was replaced by General Motors’ marketing strategy which introduced the concepts of “keeping up with the Jones’” and “buying on time”. Both concepts seem to be directly responsible for the bankrupt economy and morals of the industrialized nations of the world. (No, I am not going to just limit this criticism to the United States only. Everyone else should take their lumps also.)
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A streamlined and efficient OS that is not the patch-work monster that Microsoft Windows has become. It will include many of the current features of Windows XP for Home, but without being a resource hog. Many Mac users will probably contend that the MacOS does this. This may be true, but how affordable is it? Will it run on PCs? (Which brings up another point: my OS will need to be supported by PC manufacturers [i.e.; Intel] or I will have to see that it is designed to run on Intel processors. Of course, if I can get it to run Windows programs that would be good too. Not all Windows/PC programs are badly written [See list below].) This will necessitate that all of my applications will be compatible as well as creating many other standard applications that I have not listed so far. Also many useful features which are available only as add-ons will be automatically included upon installation. Such as:
A backup system for the PC similar to Microsoft Backup, but able to write directly to CDs and DVDs as well as USB Flash Drives.
The ability to backup, restore and repair the registry when it really isn’t necessary to restore the whole system.
A defragmentation program similar to the version of Speed Disk that was included in Norton Utilities 2002. In fact, a suite of utilities similar to Norton Utilities 2002 (with some improvements) and many of Microsoft’s optimization tools like Tweak UI.
A built-in firewall system designed by Frisk Software.
An internet browser and file manager similar to the UI of Microsoft Windows.
Keyboard redefinition program for Windows so that most Latin-1/Unicode characters may be entered from the keyboard (using key combinations that make sense) regardless what program is being used (user-configurable).
A program that keeps track of all of the applications on your computer, builds a catalog, then when activated, will go online and automatically find any and all updates/upgrades for you and list what is available so that you decide whether or not to install them. It will include Windows updates and updates for such programs such as SystemWorks which already have such a program, but limited only to their software.
ONLINE DATABASES
IFG games
Submitted by users of the Game Wizard Toolkit Suite, and also including the Magic Door and Magic Compass line. Both shareware and freeware.
Graphics and sound
Public domain files in GIF, JPG, BMP, AVI, MPG, MP3, WAV, and MID formats. Even public domain files that were originally in obsolete or proprietary formats. Easily accessible for a low life-time membership fee. Special rates for libraries and schools. Some copyrighted materials stored with permission of rightful owners accessible by special membership to cover royalty costs.
A separate section will be devoted strictly to heraldry. Heraldic devices, banners and flags of all cultures from around the world will be included. All in uniform proportion and in the GIF format so as to be fully compatible with the Heraldry plug-in described above.
KiSS file archive
Original works by employees of Seventeenth Arcanum. Other users will be encouraged to archive their works at OtakuWorld. Recommended links and research sources. Separate section for elaborate commercial sets.
Fonts
Public domain and freeware TTFs.
The Sims
Skins, furnishings, documentation, houses, etc. (but not tools). PD and freeware only.
Desktop Themes and Screen Savers
Freeware.
Food and Drink
Recipes from around the world for home-cooked meals, appetisers and desserts. Menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and social occasions of all kinds. Also historical dishes and the history of food. For example, the reason for barbecue sauces, authentic pemmican, elephant stew, the first catsup recipe, the answer to “what flavor was ‘bubble gum’ before it became associated with bubble gum?”
Time-Table of History
Find information by date, topic or event. Possibly to be released on CD.
Time-Table of Fictional Histories
Same as above, but only within the context of fictional works. Cross-indexed by the actual dates of publication or production. For the authors of fan fiction or RPGs. Possibly to be released on CD.
ONLINE CLUBS AND SERVICES
Message boards*, chat rooms*, online help, technical support, newsletters, mailing lists* (i.e., customers who request newsletters, etc. to be mailed to them) and FAQs. Online help and tech support available only to registered users of the software. Newsletters available only to subscribers. Also will have TCG online games sites. Occasionally will have (if arrangements can be made and they are still alive) interviews with/news about celebrities of interest to club members (e.g., J. K. Rowling, Satoshi Tajiri, Tsunekazu Ishihara, Evgeniy Papkov, Tamoaki Imakuni, Dov Sherman, YoshinoZui, Terrence Dicks, Brent Spiner, Emby Quinn, Steve Lepisto, Scott Adams, Will Crowther, Don Woods, Will Wright, Martin Chan, Graham Kerr, Martha Stewart, Steve Jackson, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Chris Columbus, Daniel Radcliffe, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Leonard Nimoy, Stephen Spielburg, George Lucas, Jodie Foster, Kevin Sorbo, Bill Mumy, Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen, Jackie Chan, Regis Philbin, Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters, Larry King, et al.)
Interactive Fiction
KiSS
Graphics, Animation, Music, Sound Effects, and Fonts
Computer Art and Desktop Toys
Trading Card Games
Pokémon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Lord of the Rings, AD&D
Role-Playing Games
GURPS, AD&D, Heroes
Playing Card Games
Board Games
Heraldry
Members of the Society of Creative Anachronisms and other such organizations welcome.
Pokémon
Nintendo games and Pokémon PC
Pokémon TCG Online
Imakuni Fan Club
The Sims
World of Oz
Doctor Who
Star Trek
Star Wars
Dark Shadows
The original daytime serial.
Pokémon
The TV series, movies, etc.
Harry Potter
Books and movies
JRR Tolkein
Books and media spin-offs
Anime
Manga
Terran Society
People from around the world exchanging ideas, information, and cultures.
International Cooking Club
People sharing home recipes from around the world!
Heroes
Fictional, legendary and mythical; books, television, movies, comics, history, etc.
Urak Adventures
Labyrinth of Kratos
Crystal Orb
Also proud sponsor of:
Carrot House, Gengar and Haunter’s Pokémon Dungeon, Kissin Institute of Software, Little KiSS Page, Mall of the Sims, OtakuWorld, Pokémon Zeo, SimFreaks, Sims Resource, Well-Dressed Sims, et al.
PROUD DISTRIBUTOR OF FINE SOFTWARE FROM OTHER COMPANIES
(whether compatible with my OS or not)
Ad-Aware SE, Ad-Watch and RegHance by LavaSoft
Ax-Icons, Ax-Cursors, Ax-Screen Saver Toolkit(, Axialis CD Player?, Axialis Media Browser?) by Axialis Software
Boxer Text Editors by Boxer Software
DirectKiSS Viewer by Dov Sherman
F-Prot by Frisk Software International Ltd.
Font Wrangler by Alchemy Mindworks Inc.
Gamerama by Accursed Toys
GetRight by Headlight Software
Kamishibai* by Accursed Toys
KiSS Tools Suite* by Hobun “Mars” Suzuki, Chad Randall, and Dov Sherman
NoteWorthy Composer and other NoteWorthy tools
PlayFKiSS* and EditFKiSS* by Chad Randall
HTML Pokédex* by Gengar
PowerArchiver* by eFront Media, Inc.
RenameWiz by Thomas T. Hunt
Serif PhotoPlus and plug-ins
The Scarecrow CD by the Owl
The Sims (1), and its expansion packs by Electronic Arts (if still in production)
and others as yet unlisted, but of no less quality
MISCELLANEOUS
New TrueColor GIF format*
New monospaced serif and sans serif fonts that are readable and appealing*
Other fonts created by and used on sites owned by Seventeenth Arcanum Enterprises*
POLITICS
Initialize movement to create tougher anti-spam laws encouraging web hosts and ISPs to report spam and internet fraud to government officials for investigation and prosecution. Also tough penalties for creators of spamming programs and computer viruses (including stiff fines and confiscation of all computer equipment, peripherals, media storage devices, and total elimination of all of their web sites.
Initialize movement to ban the use of cookies or any other information-gathering system without the expressed (not implied) and completely voluntary consent of the user for the purpose of obtaining statistical and/or demographical information about the buying habits of the visitor/customer by all businesses or agencies. Limit information gathering to on-site visits only, i.e., not via e-mail, using cookies to send information while the consumer is visiting other sites, etc.
Consumer awareness program to make people aware that the best protection against hackers and legitimate businesses from prying into their private affairs is to NOT have the computer online 24/7. Firewalls are made by businesses that are easily bought off by other businesses that want to be able to breech them. Viruses, pop-up ads, spamming, high-tech detection of valid e-mail addresses, hidden and involuntary cookies, spyware, and proprietary file formats add unnecessary costs to the consumer either directly by having to purchase the extra equipment and programs to block them, or indirectly through increased costs of browsers to cover royalty payments, anti-spam protection, etc. It is not true that having 24/7 DSL/cable access decreases download time or increases the speed of access. This problem is caused by limited bandwidth of the site that is being visited and the number of people trying to access this site at the same time. The bandwidth is controlled by the web host of the site (e.g., Yahoo!, Msen, AOL), not the site owner (unless the two are the same).
Initialize movement to ban the use of meta-tags that deliberately divert keyword searches at search engines to non sequitur web sites. Also to ban recursive web sites and sites that require you to vote on the popularity of their web site in order to access it.
Initialize movement to ban and severely punish use of pop-up advertisements completely.
Initialize movement to replace proprietary and obsolete file formats on web sites with the universally accepted ones for PCs and Macs.
Initialize movement to change current copyright laws strengthening the rights of the individual, while restricting copyright use by corporations (e.g., abandonment of a work terminates all copyrights and the work becomes public domain).
Initialize movement to ban all psychological profiling questionnaires from job applications, unless given and evaluated by licensed psychologists. Also unemployment benefits reform.
Initialize movement to reform the cel phone industry. Banning the practice of locked cel phones and limiting the customers choice of cel phone that can be used with a particular service. Land-line phone companies do not do this. Internet service providers do not require the customer to use a particular brand of computer with their service. There is no technological reason for this practice by the cel phone companies. Also end charges for using the internet by cel phone. Again, there is no technological reason for charging for downloading/uploading data. There is no costs involved either. The land-line phone companies gave up on trying to do this long ago. Seems to me that I remember the FCC ruled this as illegal for the land-line companies, so this should apply to cel phones also. Even if this is not the case, there are laws against such practices because the government wants to encourage development of business on the internet and such charges only discourage people from using the internet to conduct business.
This page was last updated 2005 September 10.