Archive-name darkfaq1 703 %%The 4Th Disciple%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% $$ $$ $ s#$$ s s $$$S#s $ $ $$$ s$$$ss ss$ $s $$$$$$ $$$S#s $ $ s#S$$$ $$$$ $ $ $$$ $$$$$ $$$ $$$ $ $ $$$$$$ $$ $$$ $$$$$$$ s$$s $ $ $$$ $$ $$$$$ $$ s#S$$$ $$$S#s $$ $$$ $ $$ $ s$$ $$$ $$$S#s $ $ $$$$cc$$ s$$s $$$$$$$ $ $$$$ $$cc$$$ $$$$$$$ $$$$$ $ $$$$$$$ $ $ $$$$$$$$ $$$ $$ $$$$S $cc$$$$$s$$$$$$$Ss$$$$S $ $$$$$ $$ $$$$ $ % s $ $$$$ $$ $$$$$ s## $$$ $$$ s $$ $$$ $$$$Ss s$$s $$cc$$$$ $ ss$ $s $$$$ $ $$$$ $$ $$$ $$ $$ s$$ s $$$$ $$ $$$ $ $$$$ $$$$$$$ $ % $$$ $$$$ $$ $$$$$ s $$$$$ $$$ $ $$$ $$$$ $$cc$$$$s$$$$$$$ $$$$S $ $ $$ $$$ $$$ $ s$$$s $$$ $$$$$$$ $$$ $$ $$$$ $$ s $$$ $$Ss$$$$Ss $ $ $$ $$$$$ $$$cc$ $ $ $$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$ $ s$$$s $$$$ $ $$$$$ $ $ $$$$ $$ $$$$ $$$ $$ $$ s$$s $$$ $$$$ $$$$$ $$ $$$$ $$$$$ $$ $ $ $$$cc$$Ss$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$ $$$$$$ $$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$ $$ $$$ s$$s $ $ $$$$$ $$$$$$$ $$$$$$ $ $$$$$ $$$$$ $ $$$$$ $ $$$$ $ $ $$$ $$$ $$ $$ $$$$$ $$$ $ s $$$ $$$ $$$ $ $ s$s $$$cc$$Ss$$$ s $$4thds s$s s$ $s $s $$$cc$ $ $ $ s $$$$$ s$$$s Dark s $$$ $ $$$$$ $ $ $$$ $ $ $$$ $ $ s$s s$s $ $ s s $ $$s s$$ %%%%%% I pledge allegiance to the DARKness that engulfs all our hearts %%%%% FAQ last updated on August 31 1996 v1 703 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT DARK ILLUSTRATED Introduction Distributed each month on the Official Dark Home-Page Dark-affiliated boards and Dark Collections this article is a documentation of questions with answers for the cyberspace community This document includes information pertaining to Dark Illustrated and various computer-specific art forms in which the organization specializes This list of Frequently Asked Questions is maintained by a team of Dark Illustrated s Senior Members Please address any suggestions or comments regarding this document to Carnifex at his new Email address fex@interlog com or to any one of the other Seniors (see Q3 8) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents * SECTION 0 DRAMATIS PERSONAE * 0 0 Listing of Dark Illustrated s active duty roster SECTION 1 GETTING STARTED 1 0 What is the art scene 1 1 What is ANSI 1 2 What is VGA 1 3 What is RIP 1 4 Have any other art groups released a FAQ like this one 1 5 Why are pseudonyms handles aliases used in this document * SECTION 2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT DARK ILLUSTRATED 2 0 So what is Dark anyways What s the background on the group 2 1 What does Dark mean if anything 2 2 What is meant by a Dark Collection * SECTION 3 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS AND OTHER INFO 3 0 How can I join Dark 3 1 How can my BBS become an official Dark distribution site 3 2 Who writes the Dark NFO files 3 3 Where s the second disk of the Dark Collection July 1995 (archive name DARK0795 ZIP) 3 4 What is Dark s Official Position on dual-grouping 3 5 What is the answer 3 6 Does Dark accept members for writing (ie lit) only 3 7 How can I request artwork from Dark members * 3 8 Where can Email a Dark Senior member through the Internet * SECTION 4 LIST OF FILES ARCHIVES AND WHERE YOU CAN GET THEM * 4 0 Listing of commonly requested files & archives * - new or updated since the last edition of this FAQ list ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Answers SECTION 0 DRAMATIS PERSONAE * Q0 0 (Listing of Dark Illustrated s active duty roster) (A) Acidic Soap asoap@interlog com Agent 77 Anarchist (The) s341380@liberty mohawkc on ca Armaggeddon Donut jbamfort@ww online com Arzach (B) Burnout (C) Carnifex fex@interlog com Corinthian corinthian@dark tor250 org Cosmic Catalyst cosmicc@globalserve on ca Cyber X pcollie@lonestar utsa edu (D) 4th Disciple (The) tribe@cris com Daddy Mac Dark Aggressor (The) the dark agressor@dark tor250 org Dark Side The Death Karnage desalvo forlorn@sizone org Drone-Fly drone fly@sns gryn org (E) Eiht Ball Essential Obscenity essob@ionsys com Epitaph alvin@igloo com Epoxy Eternal Vigilance david tym@components gryn org Evil Genius (F) Free Fall (G) Grail wyld@wyldstudios com Green Hornet (The) grhornet@sizone org (H) Hannibal the Cannibal Hektic Hennifer hennifer@bbs multiboard com (M) Mage Magnetic Rage mr@ionline net Master of Darkness master of darkness@dark tor250 org Moby moby@clo com (N) Narcosis (O) Oxygene rcongdon@noc tor hookup net (P) Phantom Lord Primus Prison Breaker yu145971@yorku ca Purple Dye purpled@wyldstudios com (R) Raffaello shr2@bbs infosquare it Riptide ereet@idirect com Rubidium Bromide rubidium bromide@dark tor250 org (S) Samurai samurai@info66 com Shadow Hunter shadowhunter@bbs multiboard com Stile stile@pathcom com Sudden Impact 95shiwra@wave scar utoronto ca (T) Technifix Trash Tribal Siege bigwood1@metronet lib mi us (V) Viral Overlord (W) warpus warpus@bbs multiboard com WayneKerr euan@wintermute co uk (X) Xypher Matryx (Y) Yggdrasil drasil@io org ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION 1 GETTING STARTED Q1 0 (What is the art scene ) In general the art scene is comprised of individuals who share a common interest in producing computer art through several different mediums The forms of visual art most commonly used are ANSI VGA and RIP PC music is also important to the scene and is composed in various formats such as MOD and S3M Another integral role in the art scene is that of the programmers or coders They are the ones responsible for creating the different programs used in the scene like application generators and graphics viewing utilities Cliques or groups of artists make up the majority of the art scene These groups are comprised of people who share common goals and or interests and release compilations of their group s art on a regular basis The art scene itself has evolved over the years and has become very competitive at times Also a sort of hierarchy has developed where certain established groups have been dubbed the best groups in the art scene and smaller groups strive to achieve that level of achievement However it must be noted that not all groups strive to live up to a standard set by others Q1 1 (What is ANSI ) In terms of the scene an ANSI is the manipulation of the standard ASCII character set along with the use of colour (or otherwise) to produce realistic or abstract pictures on the screen An ANSI is limited to the ASCII character set and a text only video mode ANSIs are most commonly drawn using the set of block characters and A limited colour palette is available by using primary foreground colours along with background colours and various ASCII characters As mentioned ANSI artwork can either be realistic or abstract - moreso it is clearly divided into two complementary forms pictures and logos A picture is just that - a picture A logo on the other hand is a strict word title phrase etc It is usually limited to letters and or numbers Logos can also be drawn either realistically or with a more abstract tone Logos and pictures are usually drawn together as a promotional tool or to advertise just about anything most ANSI is drawn for BBS (Bulletin Board System) advertisements however Since an ANSI uses the standard ASCII character set it is compatible with virtually all DOS-based computers provided an ANSI driver such as ANSI SYS is loaded beforehand It is most commonly used on BBS s (Bulletin Board Systems) as a way to effectively display colour and text at a very high speed ANSI does not require a software specific terminal as with RIP (see below) but is included as a terminal option with most terminal software (such as Telix(tm) Procomm(tm) Telemate(tm) etc ) Q1 2 (What is VGA ) VGA stands for Video Graphics Array a video mode and capability designed to display graphics on a CRT In terms of the scene a VGA is generally known as any picture or graphic drawn with a computer paint render or other program in any video mode (but most commonly in the VGA (640x480x256) or higher (SVGA) video modes ) Some of the more commonly used programs are Photoshop(tm) PhotoPaint(tm) 3D Studio(tm) and Autodesk Animator(tm) In general the styles used to draw a VGA are very diverse - but they can be divided into two large categories rendered and non-rendered work Rendered work as the name suggests is art drawn with the aid of a computer rendering program such as 3D Studio(tm) or POV Raytracer(tm) Non-rendered work is a hand-drawn freestyle form of drawing which encompasses everything from simple airbrushing to pixel by pixel drawing A VGA is different from an ANSI in the fact that an ANSI is limited to the exclusive ASCII character set and text video mode - a VGA is limited only to the confines of the program in which one draws Q1 3 (What is RIP ) A RIP is a picture drawn using the Remote Imaging Protocol The Remote Imaging Protocol henceforth known as RIP is a method devised by TeleGraphix Communications Inc (tm) to display EGA quality graphics (640x350x16) over standard telephone lines RIP was devised as a way to eliminate the inherent limits of ANSI and eventually to send full colour high resolution VGA as a terminal RIP as mentioned above is the primary RIP1 standard which is limited to EGA quality However it has been rumored that a new RIP standard is to be released which will allow a maximum image quality of 640x480x16M through JPEG(tm) compression In terms of the scene a RIP image is a picture drawn in using the remote imaging protocol A RIP is different from a VGA in the fact that only very general paint functions are available - the structure of various shapes (circles polygons squares etc ) along with shading (specific halftone like gradients) and pixel by pixel drawing Due to these inherent limitations the drawing of a RIP requires previous planning and since the protocol was designed to be displayed across phone lines it is not instantly displayed as with a VGA Individual shapes are plotted according to vectors and these are used to comprise a picture * Q1 4 (Have any other art groups released a FAQ like this one ) Not until recently when Apathy Studios put forth their own Apathy List of Frequently Asked Questions We are pleased to see another group using such a convenient and informative means to convey its essence to the public and encourage other groups to follow suit Q1 5 (Why are pseudonyms handles aliases etc used in this document ) Aliases are used throughout this document referring to people who are members of Dark Illustrated In the scene the use of aliases is prevalent one might relate it to the use of a nick on the IRC or another form of anonymous contact Aliases and other such monikers have been traditionally used as a just another fun way of participating in various activities computer or otherwise ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION 2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT DARK ILLUSTRATED Q2 0 (What is Dark Illustrated ) Dark Illustrated is a non-profit special interest group which supports various computer-specific graphic mediums such as ANSI and VGA artwork in addition to multimedia feature presentations Primarily based in the 416 905 (Toronto Ontario) area code the organization features an enthusiastic team of talented young artists Officially founded in 1993 by Black Widow Dark first began releasing compilations of its recent artwork in February 1994 To this day Dark Illustrated continues to provide a non-profit form of exposure through bulletin board systems (BBSes) and the Internet Q2 1 (What does Dark mean if anything ) Originally used as an acronym the word DARK was once coined for Digital Artists of the Rare Kind The use of the acronym within the group declined over time however and eventually became obsolete It was replaced in mid-1994 with the current group name Dark Illustrated Dark and Dark Illustrated are used interchangeably throughout this document * Q2 2 (What is meant by a Dark Collection ) At the end of each month a compilation of recent artwork from Dark Illustrated is released to the cyberspace community in the form of Dark Collections This artwork often takes the form of ANSI RIP and or VGA graphics as well as various multimedia feature presentations The filenames of these Collections are archived in month year format DARK month year ZIP (Ie DARK1295 ZIP) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION 3 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS AND OTHER INFO * Q3 0 (How can I join Dark ) Although Dark Illustrated is a group of mostly non-professional artists anyone is always welcome to submit an application to join the group As with any job an application requires a resume a portfolio and an interview A much more detailed explanation of this can be found in the following paragraphs The resume is not a resume in the standard printed on paper sense - in this case an application is filled out using the Dark Illustrated Application Generator (DARKGEN EXE found in OLD Dark Collections ) The application contains the most basic information about the individual such as name telephone number past experience etc In this sense it is much like an everyday resume It is not required for one to use the Dark Illustrated Application Generator when applying to join Dark - however some sort of resume file must be included with any application so the Senior Staff may reach the applicant(s) This must include Real name alias (if applicable) telephone number(s) along with the best time to call an Internet Email address (if applicable) past and present drawing and art experience (any medium computer or otherwise) and in the case of people already familiar with BBS s (Bulletin Board Systems) a BBS where one can be reached The official application generated by the Dark Application Generator is in a generally foreign file format - however any home made file should be written in straight ASCII 80 columns wide The other portions of the application being the portfolio and interview are relatively self-explanatory - the portfolio being a collection of the applicant s artwork and the interview being an interview often over the phone with the prospective member A note on the portfolio any number of pieces of artwork may be submitted but keep in mind your own standards and those of Dark Illustrated as a whole The artwork in the portfolio must be of a standard file format In the case of ANSI artwork (please refer to Section 1 1 for a definition of an ANSI) this should be saved as follows Clear screen 65 character line limit In the case of artwork drawn using various paint programs (collectively known as VGA s - refer to Section 1 2 for a definition of a VGA) the picture can be any video mode and any number of colours - however for optimal compatibility pictures should be in the following formats Any picture drawn with 256 colours or less any resolution - GIF(tm) (Graphic Interchange Format (c) Compuserve) PCX(tm) (PC Paint) or BMP(tm) (Windows Bitmap) Any picture drawn with more than 256 colours any resolution (15 16 24 bit and above colour depth) - TGA(tm) (TrueVision Targa) JPG(tm) (JPEG) PCX(tm) (PC Paint) or BMP (Windows Bitmap) In the case of JPEG(tm) saved files a compression value acceptable for the picture submitted should be used Please exercise your own discretion If uncertain use a minimal amount of compression - that is the lowest setting In the case of animated artwork (any resolution any number of colours) the work should be in AVI(tm) (Windows Audio Video) FLI(tm) (Flick) or MPG(tm) (MPEG - Motion Pictures Experts Group) format In the case of music any format one may use to compose may be submitted This would include MOD S3M HSC etc Any form of written work should be submitted in ASCII form 80 columns wide To apply to join Dark Illustrated one must have the application (or resume whatever the case may be) along with the portfolio These files should be compressed using PKZIP(tm) ARJ(tm) or failing that LHArc(tm) Other compression formats may be used but keep in mind that they will not necessarily be supported The first and best choice is PKZIP The compressed file can then be delivered to the Senior Staff through any one of the following methods 1) Uploading it to the World Headquarter BBS The Lethal Aspect In the New User Application mention your desire to join DARK This is the most favorable approach 2) Contacting a Dark Illustrated member or Senior directly and submitting the application to him The head of the ANSI department is Grail the head of VGA is Prison Breaker the head of Music is Moby and the head of Coding is Sudden Impact 3) Through the Internet This can be done in 2 different ways (a) Internet Email The application can be UUENCODEd and submitted as a series of messages which will be then UUDECODEd and viewed Refer to Email contact addresses at the end of this document (b) IRC Members of Dark Illustrated can usually be found using the Internet Relay Chat particularly #dark Once found one can DCC their application to the member who will relay it to the Senior member in charge of the respected department 4) As a last resort the application can be submitted through any Dark Illustrated Headquarter BBS Please note however that individual Dark Illustrated Headquarter BBS s have their own private policy - please observe individual BBS rules and regulations Once the application has been submitted a response is usually affected within 5 business days If you have submitted an application and have not been contacted by then please renew contact and politely describe your situation * Q3 1 (How can my BBS become an official Dark distribution site An official Dark Illustrated distribution site is one that both distributes productions of Dark Illustrated and supports the group in public relations and product support However Dark is no longer actively looking for distribution sites in the form of BBS s We are always interested in Internet-specific support such as FTP sites and or links on the WWW Email any Dark Senior member (see Q3 8) for more information Other methods are used and are available as distribution sites - shareware distribution houses software trees etc In the case of these less modem- intensive distribution methods please contact a Dark Illustrated member directly Q3 2 (Who writes the Dark NFO files ) With the exception of our Best of Dark 94 pack DARK1994 ZIP (written by Desalvo) our July 95 Collection DARK0795 ZIP (written by Carnifex) and our August 95 Collection DARK0895 ZIP (also Carnifex) the NFO files have been written by Black Widow Currently the NFO files are collectively designed and written by a team of Senior members Q3 3 (Where s the second disk of the Dark Collection July 1995 ) We wish you good luck in finding in it! (due to a printing error the FILE_ID DIZ identified the DARK0795 ZIP file as being Disk 1 of 2 when in reality it was just a single file ) Q3 4 (What is Dark s Official Position on dual grouping ) First the question what does Dark Illustrated consider dual grouping must be considered Dark Illustrated considers dual grouping to be the instance act or event in which a member of Dark Illustrated is also a member of another group Dark does not look down on dual grouping in the instances of personal side projects (ie magazines music disks internal compilations games etc ) However anything that would detract from a member s full concentration focus and energy towards Dark is highly discouraged In terms of dual- grouping this would mean and include participation in groups that have in mind direct competition with Dark Illustrated or groups that produce a product design or which have a focus similar to that of Dark What does this mean exactly The reasoning here is that Dark Illustrated wishes the full participation and focus of its members in all group aspects This is not to be selfish defiant or oppressive but to keep the interests of the group at the forefront If a member has chosen to devote some of his self-allotted time and energy towards another directly competitive group it presents both a weakening of production and effort on top of an immense conflict of interest What is acceptable and what isn t Projects initiated by a member to produce an uncomparitive product (this would include magazines music disks games etc ) are acceptable Projects with members of other groups in the aiding of art production are also acceptable (this would include joint art projects ) However participation as an artist in two different groups is not acceptable To use the analogy of having more than one wife it is impossible to devote 100% of one s time and energy towards two different groups This immediately causes a conflict of interest Dark wishes and in a sense requires the focus of its members Without that focus the purpose of the group is lost So the official position is that dual grouping in the strictest sense (ie being in two different groups in direct competition with each other) is highly discouraged and looked down upon However Dark is always open to special cases These will be considered for what they are Q3 5 (What is the answer ) What is the question Q3 6 (Does Dark accept members for writing (ie literature) only ) Although Dark does support writing in the form of poetry prose stories etc Dark s official stance is more informal than formal The primary focus of the group is computer art Writing something and then porting it over to a typed form in the strictest sense is not computer art However because of the general informality of the group s stance whatever a member may write if acceptable for release will be included in the month s Collection So to finally answer the question Dark does not close the door to those who wish to apply for writing only positions However keep in mind that Dark has *rarely* accepted anyone for this kind of position Someone who applies with a fully rounded application (ie primary focus as a VGA artist with writing as an aside) is the kind of forward thinking multi- talented person Dark Illustrated is looking for Q3 7 (How can I request artwork from Dark members ) Just ask! This won t always mean you will get what you ask for as the decision to draw write etc lies within the discretion of the particular artist A list of the Internet Email addresses of all members is being compiled at this point in time if you require something absolutely specific and cannot reach the artist in question please direct your query to a Senior member (Email addresses for those on the Net can be found in Q3 8) Keep in mind that although Dark Illustrated is a non-profit group break even compensation for an artist s time (always negotiable) is always appreciated but not always expected Dark Illustrated is always open to companies that require our services on a contract permanent pro-bono or freelance basis For more information regarding our policies please contact a Senior member * Q3 8 (Where can I Email a Dark Senior member ) - Carnifex Dark Illustrated Senior Staff fex@interlog com - The 4th Disciple Dark Illustrated Senior Staff tribe@cris com - Xypher Matryx Dark Illustrated Senior Staff (no Email address at present) - Grail Dark Illustrated Senior wyld@wyldstudios com (ANSI Department Head) - Stile Dark Illustrated Senior stile@pathcom com (General Coordinator) - Moby Dark Illustrated Senior moby@clo com (Music Department Head) - Prison Breaker Dark Illustrated Senior yu145971@yorku ca (VGA Department Head) - Sudden Impact Dark Illustrated Senior 95shiwra@wave scar utoronto ca (Coding Department Head) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- * SECTION 4 LIST OF FILES ARCHIVES AND WHERE YOU CAN GET THEM * Q4 0 (Listing of commonly requested files & archives) Filename Description DARK0294 ZIP - The February 1994 Dark Collection (premiere) DARK0494 ZIP - The April 1994 Dark Collection DARK0694 ZIP - The June 1994 Dark Collection DARK0894 ZIP - The August 1994 Dark Collection DARK0994 ZIP - The September 1994 Dark Collection DARK1294 ZIP - The December 1994 Dark Collection DARK0295 ZIP - The February 1995 Dark Collection DARK1994 ZIP - The Best of Dark 1994 Collection DARK0495 ZIP - The April 1995 Dark Collection DARK0595 ZIP - The May 1995 Dark Collection DARK0695 ZIP - The June 1995 Dark Collection DARK0795 ZIP - The July 1995 Dark Collection DARK0895 ZIP - The August 1995 Dark Collection DARK0995 ZIP - The September 1995 Dark Collection DARK1095 ZIP - The October 1995 Dark Collection DARK1295 ZIP - The December 1995 Dark Collection DARK0296 ZIP - The February 1996 Dark Collection (listed as DRK0296A ZIP & DRK0296B ZIP) DARK0396 ZIP - The March 1996 Dark Collection DARK0496 ZIP - The April 1996 Dark Collection DARK0596 ZIP - The May 1996 Dark Collection DARK0696 ZIP - The June 1996 Dark Collection DARK0796 ZIP - The July 1996 Dark Collection DARK0896 ZIP - The August 1996 Dark Collection DRK-FAQx xx - Frequently Asked Questions About Dark Illustrated These files can be obtained through the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) on #dark just ask somebody on the channel Or from any Dark-affiliated BBS (consult the latest Dark NFO file for further details) If you would like to inquire about becoming an official FTP site or file archivist please mail one of the Senior members (see Q3 8) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Carnifex Dark Illustrated Senior Staff fex@interlog com - The 4th Disciple Dark Illustrated Senior Staff tribe@cris com - Xypher Matryx Dark Illustrated Senior Staff (no Email address at present) All references made to copyrighted or trademarked items people places things or events are (c)copyright or (tm)trademark the specific originators creators maintainers or owners of the specific item(s) people place(s) thing(s) or event(s) Dark Illustrated reserves all of its rights in any matter pertaining to the group or its members THIS DOCUMENT IS (C)COPYRIGHT 1995 1996 DARK ILLUSTRATED ALL RIGHTS RESERVED