C|NET
September 27, 1996, 4 p.m. PT

by Bill Meyer 

TEN launches commercial service

Multiplayer gaming service Total Entertainment Network  (TEN) launched a surprise attack this week, kicking off  its national online game service last Monday in order to  beat competitors Mplayer and Engage to the punch. And,  to make the deal even sweeter, TEN is offering a special  introductory rate to the first 25,000 charter  members--half the standard rate.

TEN is banking on a healthy list of popular retail games,  many of which are exclusive to its service, in order to  distinguish it from the current and upcoming competition.  On TEN's bill right now are the service's beta selections:  Westwood Studios' real-time smash Command & Conquer;  3D Realms' Duke Nukem 3D (exclusive); Blizzard  Entertainment's Warcraft: Orcs & Humans; and SSI's  fantasy adventure Dark Sun: Crimson Sands (exclusive),  shareware version of Necrodome (exclusive), and classic  war game Panzer General Online (exclusive).

Within the next few months, the service's other promised  titles will emerge: Westwood's Command & Conquer Win  '95; 3D Realms' Ultimate Duke and Duke Plutonium Pak  (exclusive), featuring new weapons and 11 additional  levels; Sirtech's real-time god game Deadly Games  (exclusive); Eidos's Big Red Racing and World War II  flight sim Confirmed Kill (exclusive); id Software's  unrivaled first-person shooter Quake; Accolade's  planetary conquest game Deadlock; MicroProse's galactic  strategy game Masters of Orion II; SSI's retail version  of Necrodome; and Maxis's classic city builder SimCity  2000.

However, as if acknowledging exclusives alone won't  beat the competition, TEN is also offering an enticing  array of pricing incentives. From now through December  31, the first 25,000 charter members who use TEN as  their Internet provider and select the hourly pricing  structure will receive five hours of game time per month  for $4.95 with additional hours at 95 cents instead of  $1.95. If you are a charter member with your own  Internet provider and select the monthly flat rate, you'll  spend $14.95 as opposed to $29.95. If TEN handles your  Internet access via the Concentric Network, you'll pay 95  cents an hour for connection time on top of the  membership fees.

Finally, all beta testers receive a month of gaming free,  including Internet access, while new members will enjoy a  trial period of five free hours, including Internet  connection time.

TEN also seems to be backing up its claim that it will  nourish its gaming community. TEN members can chat with  other players nationwide and look up specific  competitors' ranking and player profiles. By the holidays,  TEN will feature the musings of editors from print and  online game publications and email support. And right  now, TEN is sponsoring a Duke Nukem level design  contest to kick off its service. To become a charter  member and download all the software, visit TEN's Web  site.