Newsletter

Over the years, many newsletters and periodicals have been created in order for the small group at Cyberlife/Creature Labs to communicate with the much larger group of Creatures users.

The Creatures Newsletter
This was the first newsletter distributed to the Creatures Community by Cyberlife and ran from June 1997 to February 1998 (see history). Regular features included the Norn-based comic strip River and Petal and a closing item from Toby Simpson. It was initially edited by Ben Simpson, but the position moved to Paul Dobson in November 1997.

The Wayback Machine has archived copies of these newsletters.

June 1997

 * Upcoming Creatures Features - News from CyberLife (imminent release of the Observation Kit and Preview Kit)
 * Short stories - A tragic tale of Digital Love
 * Tips & Tricks - This month, a tip by Daryl Burley
 * CyberLife Information - Interesting information from CyberLife (regarding the afterlife)
 * The Norn Doctor - A monthly column on health and general Norn care
 * River and Petal - Our new Norn comic strip, we hope you enjoy it!
 * Final Word - Closing comments

August 1997

 * Preview Genetics Kit Released - A brief explanation of what it can do, and an update on our plans for this Kit
 * New Objects - Mark Ashton explains his new objects (Object Pack 1)
 * Hints and Tips
 * CyberLife Technology Ltd - Press Release (regarding an agreement with Sony)
 * Norn Doctor – The Doctor explains genetic mutation
 * River and Petal - Egg Fashion. Petal learns how to keep dry
 * Toby Simpson talks about June and what it meant to Creatures user everywhere

October 1997

 * Mark Ashton's description of the new objects
 * Web Masters Say
 * Hints and Tips
 * The Norn Doctor
 * A Sad Tale
 * River and Petal – A new Adventure
 * Toby Simpson's Epilogue

November 1997

 * Creatures Support
 * Third Party COB Support
 * Web Masters Say
 * The Norn Doctor
 * Toby Simpson introduces the new Object Injector
 * River and Petal – November's Adventure
 * Toby Simpson's say

December 1997

 * Creatures Support (discussing the move to new offices)
 * Web Masters Say
 * A Christmas Breeder's Story - Christmas for a Lonely Grenorn
 * River and Petal – Playing in the snow
 * Toby Simpson's say ("Ho, Ho, Ho, etc!")

February 1998

 * Creatures Support
 * Web Masters Say
 * The Norns sing the Beatles
 * Creatures Tip
 * River and Petal - The Dangers of Sending a Valentine's Card to the wrong address.
 * Toby Simpson's Spot (where he mentions that there will be no Creatures 2 for the Mac)

Stuff & NORNsense
This was the second newsletter, edited by Sarah Keefe, and ran from May(?) 1998 to February 1999

Issue 5 (February 26, 1999)
Note: This issue was mismarked as being on 1998

Much Ado About Norns
This was the third newsletter. It was edited by Lis Morris, and ran from January 2000 to January 2001. Ali also happens to have a copy of them.

MAAN 1 (January 2000)

 * A Pocketful of Worlds
 * Powerful Programs for Power Players (vadim's PowerKit)
 * Sprechen Sie Deutsche? (German websites)
 * And now for balance... (UK websites)
 * Bizarre Behaviour - C1 Lemon Stacking

MAAN 2 (August 2000)

 * Just What Is the Creatures Community?
 * Norns in the Blood? (all about the Immune Norns genome by Jcarrcwalk - worth a read)
 * You will obey my commands... (Uttar's Voice Machine)
 * Look at all the Pretty Colours! (Jewels' Mask Norns)
 * The return of Spriglysium Nebula (from Ali)
 * Bizarre Behaviour - Violent C3 Ettins?

MAAN 3 (September 2000)

 * Making a Creatures Webpage
 * Creatures Combat?
 * Red and Yellow and Pink and Blue... (Nina's Rainbow Norns)
 * Sprechen Sie Deutsch, Zwei! (german community sites, including Mummy's Creatures)
 * Indulge your Fantasies (Terra Fantasia - which appears not to have happened)
 * Bizarre Behaviour - C1 Picky Grendels (females picked on male norns, males picked on female norns)
 * GreenReaper: This would tally with the theory that Grendels were basically Norns who got pleasure from hitting rather than kissing - obviously, for a norn, kissing the opposite sex is a more rewarding occupation. ;-)

MAAN 4 (October 2000)

 * How do you play it? ("What is the objective of this game?" is apparently the most common general support question - answers given included wolfling runs/feral runs, COB/agent development and norn torture)
 * Web Publishing by Numbers (talking about web hosting available from Albia 2000 and CreaturesLife.net)
 * Norminate! (vadim's Nornimator)
 * Get your Graphics, Guys (free use web graphics by FeralChicken)
 * A Nornotopian Vision
 * No one likes a Smart Alec! (Iggynorn and her object-stacking norn that got picked on)

MAAN 5 (January 2001)

 * Online life is complicated...
 * Lilac is my Favourite Colour (Lilac Bengal Norns)
 * Where's my Creator Gone? (engine autokill of rogue agents, and Lis' own C3 Spaceship Repair Tool)
 * The strange world of Midgard
 * It's Party Time! (Helen's Party Pack for C2)
 * The Dangers of Splicing

The Albia Times Herald Tribune Courier Post (17 October 1997?)
This was a prelude to The Daily Bibble by Chip Hinshaw. Despite being a "weekly edition" it is not clear how many of these were made - only one has been archived on the Cyberlife website, although quite a few more are archived on his website, Artificial Death.

The Cyberlife edition contained:
 * Headline - The Three Stooges?
 * Editorial - De Doo Doo Doo De Da Da Da - regarding bibble, this includes:
 * Everynorn learns at a different rate. It would be unkind of me to label those who lag behind as "mentally impoverished." After all, I believe it was Göthe who said, and I quote, "Wir sind gewohnnt dass die Menschen verhönen was sie nicht verstehen."


 * What that means or what it has to do with this editorial is beyond me.


 * What it actually means is We are accustomed to seeing man despise what he does not understand, at least if "gewhont" is used.


 * Voice - The Call of the Mild
 * Sports - Let's get ready to mumble
 * Local - Siege of History
 * Weather - El Nornio!

This also included the Sun day Magazine article entitled "Nostalgic Nocturne":
 * So, the debate rages on: Is there such thing as night? Could Albia have night? Would night be good or bad? What is the square root of pi? How much wood does a woodchuck chuck? The answers may very well remain as hidden as . . . stuff that hides.

The Daily Bibble
This bi-weekly periodical by Chip Hinshaw and Cyberlife was written in the run-up to Creatures 2. It details general goings-on in Albia from the norn point of view, leading shortly to the events surrounding the volcanic eruption that devestated the landscape. It has three known issues. Ali has an archive of these.

Issue 1

 * Headline - Island Paradise? Or Tropical Terror?
 * Editorial - Ignorance: The Blissful Kind
 * Voice - Is that the moon? Or a big, giant eye?
 * Science - We CAN handle The Truth

Issue 2

 * Headline - Shee loves me, Shee loves me not
 * Editorial - Everything Changes
 * Voice - Get your hands off my hubby! (And put 'em on me)
 * Profile - Norn of the Year

Issue 3

 * Headline - Ummmmmm . . . Duck!
 * Community - Lemons and Black Holes and Eggs, Oh My!
 * Travel - 10 Good Reasons Why to Vacation Away from Albia (either parodied by or a parody of LummoxJR's Top 10 reasons Norns don't have a space program at The Norn Underground, Gem Treasury section)
 * Science - Voices from the Past
 * Weather - You're gonna need more than an Umbrella ("Partly ashy, some areas may reach 4500 degrees, with a 1% chance of tomorrow.")

From the Journal of Mercury Norn
This later periodical by Chip Hinshaw covers the minute-by-minute adventures of Mercury in the shiny new world of Creatures 2. It has three known issues. Ali has an archive of these, too.

Docking Station newsletter
This was written by Ashley Harman.