Running With Scissors Newsletter

Kamek Speaks!
When we first announced last issue that the famed Mod King Kamek's AW7 (a MOD that adds all the AW weapons to Postal 2) had finished in the Top 15 Mods of 2005 according to a poll taken by ModDB.com, we didn't get to hear much from the conquering hero, who was already absorbed in yet another project. This time, however, he gave us the complete story and we want to share it with you:

"I first started working on AW7 not too long after Apocalypse Weekend was released here in the states. I'd played through the game a few times and was kind of disappointed with the rigid structure of the game. It was mission-oriented and you couldn't deviate off the beaten path, which was
one of the greatest features of the original POSTAL 2. The new weapons fucking rocked, though! I had so much fun with the boomerang machete. The only problem was that you couldn't take these weapons back to the original POSTAL 2 game -- you were confined to Apocalypse Weekend's levels. You COULD bring the weapons back into Postal 2 levels, but the pawns in the Postal 2 maps don't respond properly to those weapons.

"So, AW7 was born. I did a lot of coding work to make new subclasses of AW's pawns so that they would fit in with the normal POSTAL 2 game. Then I spent days taking the original POSTAL 2 maps and replacing every single character with an AW-compatible character. Then I would check the level to make sure everything worked fine. I came across a few glitches here and there, but for the most part everything went well.

"I wasn't satisfied, though. Around this time M@DJackal released his M@DModz, so I got his permission to incorporate them into AW7. I recoded some of the weapons to take advantage of some of AW's features, such as the weapons getting more bloody, and the obvious limb-severing properties. I also got several Eternal Damnation weapons into the game.

"Then I decided that since I was pretty much re-making the POSTAL 2 experience, I'd throw in bonus content. Unfortunately that didn't get
too far. There are two bonus missions, one on Monday and one on Tuesday, and you can play some of the arcade games at Grossman's Arcade and access bonus levels. I wanted to do a lot more with that feature but I just didn't have the time, what with college classes and all.

"The 'final' version that's released right now isn't quite the final version. I still have several bugs to fix, and I plan on releasing the Eternal Damnation Patch which implements some of the Eternal Damnation weapons into the game, such as the chainsaw.

"This is my second major mod release, the first being AirMail for Postal 2 Share The Pain Multiplayer. I got the idea for AirMail from RuneQuake, which was a modification for the original Quake game where you picked up various runes that granted you all kinds of powers. I never really did any major modding before that, although I dabbled in various programming languages.

"My favorite part of AW7 is probably the zombie school level. That level was originally a deathmatch level for Postal 2 Share The Pain, and it's
probably my best map ever, which isn't saying much because it's like my ONLY map ever. But I paid a lot of attention to detail on that level -- check out the alphabet above the blackboards, and have fun in the karma playground. Weapon-wise, I'd say my favorite weapons are the holy hand grenade (cheap rip-off of a Worms World Party weapon), the katana (Bio did a great job on that), and the nuke launcher (an old favorite by Dopamine).

"I did a lot of work on AW7, but without all the other people who chipped in, it wouldn't be much other than just AW weapons in Postal 2 maps.
Thanks again, guys!

According to MODdb.com: " Apocalypse Weekend 7-Day Game takes the best elements of both Postal 2 and Apocalypse Weekend , throws in a bunch more weapons, mixes in a touch more variety to the NPCs, and allows you to go absolutely friggin' nuts. While not a complete overhaul by any means, 7-Day Game expands on the original universe just enough to keep players grounded in a familiar universe while opening up a wealth of additional options to play around with.

"And did I mention the Katana? Man, is that thing fun..."

For access to the MOD itself, check out the AW7 page then check out the AW7 thread on the forums.

Macologist Posts AW 7 instructions for OS X

As evidenced on numerous threads on RWS, Macologist, and other forums, Kamek's hot new mod has been vexing Mac gamers, who couldn't get the mod to launch. The problem was with the Mac-specific way in which the stock retail AW launches, and the current solution involves a manual installation of the ZiP version of the mod, as well as a manual launch in Terminal, the Unix command line of OS X.

Rest assured a standalone launcher (in either C or Applescript) is coming soon, as well as a full automated installer in a Mac DMG disk image, so keep your eyes on Macologist over the next few weeks for updates.

(Thanks to 'Santaduck' for the tip!)

Pleasant Dreams...
Remember that outstanding POSTAL fan who reproduced scenes from POSTAL 2 using only Lego toys? Well… he's baaaaack! And while his brother is busily tagging Germany with POSTAL grafitti, he mom produced one of the coolest items we've ever seen – a RWS/POSTAL Pillow!

And that's just for starters. Once again the creative energy of the POSTAL community continues to blow us away. For example, our pal Maik from lovely Holland (a trip to Amsterdam just blows all that business smoke right out of your head – and replaces it with a much better kind of smoke). Maik wanted to let us know that "POSTAL rules and anyone who doesn't like it can suck my ass!" Of course, actions speak louder than words, but pictures sometimes speak even louder. Check out his POSTAL artwork.

Finally, we have SysLord, a self-described "POSTAL 2 player and fan from 'We-want-to-ban-every-video-game-with-guns-in-it' Germany . Some time ago I made a Postal2 wallpaper, perhaps you want to put it on your homepage or newsletter. I'm waiting for Postal3 to finally see another good game! Keep up the very good work!"

Now baby, THAT'S wallpaper (click for fullsize image)

Thanks Vince and all the people at RWS for doing a kick ass job on AW! I just bought it yesterday after months of searching! I'll definitely be spending more than four hours playing POSTAL 2 each day now. I was searching in the back of Gamestop yesterday, and I had very little confidence that I would actually find it. But in a flash, I saw it! I saw it! I couldn't believe it! There was one copy in the back of all the PC games. It hadn't sold since it first came out. This was like an animal instinct; I reached for the damned shelf so fast it was rocking and about to fall over, and I scared the crap out of my grandparents! But I got it for half price! Yesterday was definitely the day of my year! Thanks Vince ! Great Game! Looking forward to POSTAL 3 Catharsis!

I have been playing POSTAL since it first came out. I then bought POSTAL 2 and the expansion pack. Might I say how brilliant you all are. The game is exactly what I need to unwind with after dealing with a bunch of DFU's (Dumb Fucking Users) at my boring software support job.

The game actually provided me with some inspiration to create a web site the deals with carnage of the roadkill type. Can't wait for the next expansion pack or version of POSTAL! Keep 'em coming!

Robert Payne, meanwhile, sent us some interesting stuff from his POSTAL-influenced blog. Very nice insights, Robert !

We also received a very nice thank you note from Ricsi, whose POSTAL site will become a regular addition to our site list starting next issue.

It seems the harder Germany tries to suppress games like POSTAL, the more it backfires. Ralf from Germany is the latest to produce a first-rate RWS-based fan site. Check it out even if you don't speak German.

And finally, we have I have an STP-based fan site from Shannon Newman with new maps and scenarios for download!

Thanks to all of you – you truly amaze us every issue. -And if YOU haven't amazed us yet, what the fuck? Send us something cool dammit!