Name: CD-Online Internet Browser disc 01
Year: 1996
Catalogue #: 8100332

“Welcome to RAM Raid: The best game on the internet, only available to CD-Online subscribers.
Your mission is to defeat others subscribers and became the best CD-Online RAM Raider and win the right to challenge RAM, the main computer.
Fight against RAM’s mercenaries, and defeat your fellow subscribers, RAM Raid is a heart-stopping jorney through “hyper-reality”.

Not bad right!!??
This message is shown after you inserted “CD-Online disc 01” and selected “the game”. Created back in 1996 by P.R.L. (Philips Research Laboratories) team and playable online via CD-Online server (not available anymore), this was the 1st ever world wide multiplayer online game.

After the creation of this game, Philips decided to create an offline version according to popularity of 1st person shooters known as DOOM like, and sell it as a regular CD-i game.
That’s when in 1997 Atlantis – The Last Resort born.
Atlantis use the same interface of RAM Raid and the same game’s engine, with absolutly new levels as new enemies. About the music, always the dance music, but a little bit polished.
Anyway, we need to say that the sensation betwen play alone against the computer is very differente than play a multiplayer game against opponents from other countries!

The Game is available on “CD-Online Internet Browser disc 01”
This is a CD-i disc with clickable links, they will let you browser to the internet.
2 modes are available: offline and online.

Offline:
This  version is a trainning mode to prepare the player before the internet connection.
2 levels are available: “Practice Arena” & “More Practice”.

Online:
This is the game we are talking about!
9 levels playing in a multiplayer mode, connected to internet.
We all know this is no more possible anymore, since CD-Online was shutdown back in 1999. Connecting to the server, data files was loaded (needed to play online) like maps, enemies and other.

As inside the CD-Online disc, RAM Raid was an european realised only, the American internet on TV known as web-i never got this game.

UPDATE:
Some questions about in which CD-Online disc RAM Raid is available came out.
As the article explain, this game were developed back in 1996, one year before Atlantis – The Last Resort.
The CD case + the disc shown at the top of the article is CD-Online Internet Browser disc 01. This is where the game appeared for the very first time. But the game is also available in more CD-online discs.

Using IsoBuster you can easily define if RAM Raid is inside a CD-Online disc.
We show you 2 screenshots from two different CD-Online Internet Browser disc 01, each one a different language.

CD-Online Internet Browser disc 01
– The European version with catalogue number “8101069 v2” is under English/French/Dutch languages.
V2 means that a earlier version is also available with the same catalogue number, but without v2.

CD-Online Internet Browser disc 01 – 96/10
– The Dutch version with catalogue number “8140153” is under Dutch/French (that is why the screenshot says Belgium.

We have in our possession since many years an absolute rarity title called Arte Rupestre no Vale do Côa.
This is a Portuguese commissioned and published by IPPAR (Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico) in 1995, a governmental institute and CITI (Centro de Investigação para Tecnologias Interactivas) was the selected company to make it to show in an interactive way Rock Art found in the Foz Côa Valley that you can discover here: Foz Coa Valley UNESCO World Heritage.

SOME HISTORY:
The Rock Arts of the Côa Valley (North of Portugal) have been discovered in 1995 when the Portuguese government was building a dam.
Everything stopped and engineers had to make some changes to avoid the discover to be submerged. Today it is possible to visit the site and the museum.

The IPPAR (Portuguese Institute of Architectural Heritage) asked CITI to make a presentation of the prints and paintings collection… and here we are to show you the result!

Nowadays new Rock Arts are still being discovered. The last important one has been discovered in April 2020 with a drawing with 3,50 meters, the biggest of the world until today.

SOME FACTS:

Take a look at this close CD picture, for some reason the year of release and the local of printing aren’t completed. This is a very interesting fact as the title is in fact a complete one and not any kind of Beta Testing, but all those information are available on the back cover. Keep reading this article at A Digital Video title article’s part to get more information about this point.

THE TITLE:
We are talking about a title that will show you in Full Motion Video (FMV), numerous findings made by the archaeologists in 1995.

The title starts with a FMV introduction with 4 minutes long explaining what is the title about and where is this place located.

After the intro you will reach the main menu. You will be able view more videos of the Rock Arts discovered in specific locations.
You can select different Valley zones:

1. Vale de José Esteves
2. Canada do Inferno
3. Orgal
4. Vale Figueira
5. Piscos
6. Quinta da Barca / Penascosa
7. Faia

By clicking on “Descoberta e Investigação” you can watch a video about the discover and investigation of the Valley site. It includes a live archaeologist finds during the video shot where you can see the happiness of the man jumping.

In all videos you can get access to the navigation menu bar placed at the bottom.

1. Back to Main Menu
2. Pause
3. Play
4. Slow Motion

Finally, choose “Saída” to leave the title and watch the credits.

A Digital Video title?
This is a Digital Video title, so it needs a Digital Video Cartridge (DVC) but there is absolutely no information about that on the disc or anywhere else on the covers. If you try the title without one inserted, you will get a black screen without sound nor any message telling you about the missing DVC like those who appears on other titles that needs it.
The black screen will stay until you decide to press a button on your remote.
After that, you will reach the main menu, but once again, if you click on any option, you will once again reach a black screen, without sound, but still, the Play, Pause and Slow Motion will appear (without any effect).

So, with no indication about the need of the DVC for this title, and if you don’t own a DVC, getting a black screen, you will think the disc may have an issue…

That is why, even if no videos appears by playing without a DVC, but still having access to the main menu with the arrow moving and being able to select an option, we will not consider this title as aa DVC optional but a DVC needed one. Maybe it is why there is not final release year nor country printing on the CD…

Other information:
– Not compatible with a Video-CD or DVD player.
– Digital Video Cartridge required. Can be played without one but no content will be shown unless the main menu.
– Remote can be used.

CD-i Emulator Compatibility:
Not tested

Storage % used:
This title use no memory at all.

Good Points:
– A lot of Full Motion Videos!
– You will learn everything about this place.
– Very good audio quality.

Bad Points:
– Only in Portuguese.
– No pictures of the Rock Artes.

EVALUATION:
Graphics 9/10
Music 9/10
Creativity 5/10
TOTAL 7,6/10

Contact: omegalfa@theworldofcdi.com
Twitter: @omegalfapt
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Written by omegalfa, © 11/02/2021