Xenophage Freeware Release Notes - April 2006
Xenophage is (c)1993/2006 Apogee Software, Ltd.
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This game was deleted from Apogee's product line quite some time ago, and has been re-released as freeware in April of 2006.  When the original author was contacted in regards to the "Legacy Interview Series", we asked about a freeware release at the same time, so here we are.  There are a few notes you should be aware of with the release.

1) We offer no support in helping to getting this freeware release running.  YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN HERE.

2) This game was released before Windows 2000 & Windows XP were released, and as such, these more modern operating systems might have issues in running the game.  A third party program called DOSBox has been known to have been helpful in getting the game running.  You can obtain DOSBox here: http://dosbox.sourceforge.net

3) This game is released as freeware.  That's not to be confused with public domain, abandonware (which is illegal), or releasing something under the GPL.   This is a freeware release, which means we retain full legal rights to the title and it's materials.  You are free to play the game as we've released it, but not free to "do whatever you want with it", which includes selling it or otherwise using the materials in other projects.

That's about it - before we go, we'd like to leave you with a few thoughts on Xenophage by Jason Blochowiak, the original programmer.

Enjoy Xenophage!
-- Apogee Tech Support, April 2006

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Looking back, all I can say is "wow." Every game project worth its salt is a huge struggle, an endeavor that tests everyone involved. Xenophage - Alien Bloodsport didn't turn out to be the success that we had hoped, but it certainly was a learning experience across the board.

We at Argo Games hadn't done a fighting game before, and neither had the folks at Apogee. We at Argo hadn't dealt with the ups and downs of out-sourcing art content, and learning how to manage that (including understanding when/if to pull everything in-house) is an art unto itself. All of that was a drain on the game (and game-play), but youthful optimism made us believe that we could kind of blunder our way through to a successful result, by way of abundant effort.

Now, reflecting back across all of these years (and all of the projects I've been involved with then and since), I really believe that reasoned, rational project management is the cure for what has, and continues to, ail the games industry. Larger scope projects have amplified some of the issues that have been lurking for quite some time now. Know your strengths, know your limitations. Capitalize on your strengths; minimize the effect of your weaknesses. Be bold in your attempts, but understand your risk/reward choices.

Lastly, don't wait until 1am the night before one of your legacy product's anniversary release to write up your reflections, lest you sound like you're zapping off some blatantly obvious truisms. I mean, they're true, but still.

Cheers,
Jason Blochowiak
CTO, Monster Entertainment
