#cyberworld qborgs

[vikenticomeshome]

Cyberworld QBorgs (part 4) - Perrona Prime and Scuzzle Station X

Hello all,

I'm back with more Cyberworld QBORG content to discuss. This will be a bit different than the others. As of right now, both of the QBORGs that I want to talk, "Perrona Prime" and "Scuzzle Station X" about are lost media. Outside of a few screenshots, nothing is known to have been preserved anywhere. Maybe someone who used to work at Cyberworld will come out with backup discs like what happened with the other QBORGs that were completely found. Otherwise, this may be it. This is one reason why I am cover these two together, since there isn't very much to talk about. The second reason is that I'm not entirely clear on whether they are related. Scuzzle Station X may have been a sequel or expansion on Perrona Prime or visa-versa. The third reason is that both of them were produced on behalf of StanLeeMedia.net. Now, you may be familiar with other work by the founder of StanLeeMedia.net, the late Stan Lee. He is probably best known as an actor who made brief appearances in several recent superhero movies. Here he is in Spider-man: Homecoming from 2017.

He was also well-known for his flash-based animated series "7th Portal". Everyone reading this probably remembers the plot. You have a group of friends get pulled into a virtual world through a portal. Their goal is stop an evil figure from taking over.

Ah, that's the wrong image. Let me just... here we go. This is from 7th Portal Episode 2 "Enter Darkmoor".

Let's see... what else? He did produce a pilot episode for an animated series that was not picked up. It was called "Mary J. Blige", and it sought to turn the real-life singer of the same name into a super-heroine.

Oh, and he was one of the biggest names in comics for decades.

Anyway, I found a quote from Stan Lee on the Cyberworld website from the time. It appears to be specific to Scuzzle Station Z.

"I can't wait to show fans around the world our 21st century Superhero creations in their new 3D playground. They come to life in 3D with captivating and interactive adventures by utilizing CYBERWORLD's mind-boggling multimedia technology."

-- Stan Lee

However, the same quote appears on the page for Perrona Prime, which makes me wonder what the relationship was between Perrona Prime and Scuzzle Station X.

The pitch given for Perrona Prime reads as follows:

Welcome to the world of Perrona Prime. Are you ready to embark on your new world quest?

Welcome to the fantastic world of Perrona Prime. Here you’ll find the primary entry portal to just one our new worlds. Please enter our world. Explore the walkways, streets and hidden passages. As you walk around you’ll quite possibly meet one of or most celebrated citizens; Stan ‘the Man’ Lee himself.

We get a better synopsis on this other page. This ties Perrona Prime into the 7th Portal lore, as it mentions the main villain Mongorr. Apparently, our heroes failed and he got to Earth.

The year is 2135 and man has taken to the stars to escape Mongorr's wrath on Earth. The setting is Perrona Prime- a giant floating city in space where entertainment still flourishes. There's lots to see and do here. Utilizing CYBERWORLD technology, view Stan Lee Net webisodes in the CyberCinema, play exciting new games in the MegaGames holocade, and embark on an adventure to recover the Builder PDA stolen by Mongorr. Obtain it and you will have the abillity to create your own worlds in cyberspace and even make a home in Perrona Prime!

As I said before, both of these QBORGs are lost. There are four promotional images left for Perrona Prime, so we get to see what the giant floating space city looked like.

Yeah, the images are pretty small. I like the design of the walls inside the building. We don't see any residents, aside from the floating golden robot in the bottom left image. I think this would have been really cool to explore back in the day. Stan Lee is either a giant floating orb or the moon. The first synopsis talked about us possibly getting to meet Stan Lee, as if it wasn't guaranteed. I found him.

I think the item on the lower walls in the top right screenshot may be constellations. Are those globes of the Earth in the screenshot on the bottom left?

We also have two surviving screenshots of Scuzzle Station X. These are interesting because they show a custom design for the Cyberworld browser. I have been unable to find any archives of working downloads for this customized version of the browser.

The first one looks just like Perrona Prime, which reinforce the idea that Scuzzle Station X was just a rebrand or expansion. In face, the two screens appear to show the same minimap. The art style looks completely different. However, the second synopsis for Perrona Prime talked about being able to watch Stan Lee webisodes. So, I think this is actually showing one of the cartoons. I recognize some characters from 7th Portal.

We don't get much of a synopsis for Scuzzle Station X.

Comic book icon Stan Lee, wanted to transform his web community from a world of flat graphics to an interactive 3D universe. Using CYBERWORLD technology, he was able to combine 2D and 3D graphics in an easy-to-navigate, immersive world of information and entertainment to introduce his new line of branded superheroes. Visitors to the site are able to step into the web and navigate an exciting multimedia world surrounded by video webisodes, animation, graphics and sound.

I couldn't find much online as to any other uses of Perrona Prime outside of this Cyberworld QBORG. I'm not sure if it featured in the 7th Portal series itself. I have been able to find references to Stan Lees' Scuzzle property though. Here's a poster of Mongorr, the 7th Portal villain with a reference to Scuzzle, so this managed to be a thing outside of the lost QBORG.

That's the long and short of it.

[vikenticomeshome]

Cyberworld QBorgs (part 3) - Zeta Quest 3D

Here's another post about Cyberworld QBorgs. The QBorg "Zeta Quest 3D" was based on the cartoon "The Zeta Project" from the 2000s. Unfortunately, much of the content from this QBorg is currently lost. I believe I have assembled just about everything that could be retrieved from the Internet Archive. While it is possible to walk around in the known levels, it is currently not possible to interact with the characters or get much of the story. Maybe someday a former Cyberworld employee will come forward with assets.

Here's the page where they explain the premise and ask you to download the Cyberworld browser. I will transcribe the text.

Begin

The Zeta Project Presents Zeta Quest 3D.

Become Zeta, and continue the search for Dr. Selig in this revolutionary 3D game.

If you have not already downloaded the Cyberworld browser you will need to do so, but trust us; it's worth it!

End

I like that we get a small screenshot of the game world which shows what the right-side panel is supposed to look like. Even after gathering all of the files that could be archived, much of the right-side panel is missing.

Since we're here, we may as well see the system requirements.

Begin

The Cyberworld browser is for PC users only.

System Requirements: Windows 95 or 98, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 (or greater), Windows 200 Professional/Server

Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 (or above); compatible with Netscape Communicator 4 (or above)

VGA with 256 colors or greater

Pentium 90 MHz (133 MHz recommended)

16 MB RAM (32 MB recommended)

End

I think I can handle that.

Our first borg is the intro. It is just a flash animation that discusses the premise in more detail. I will transcribe this as well.

Begin Narration Bucky has intercepted a transmission from Dr. Selig, Zeta's creator, who is working on a new Infiltration Unit at a top secret lab deep in the mountains of New Mexico. By triangulating the Satellite signals carrying the transmission, Bucky has pinned down the location of the lab. This may be Zeta's best chance to find Dr. Selig.

Playing the role of Zeta, you must find Dr. Selig, and keep from being captured by security forces at the lab.

We are then dropped off in a forest, presumably near the lab that we need to inflitrate.

If we move forward, we can find Ro, one of Zeta's allies in the show. She has a phone for us to take.

She's also supposed to have some dialogue here, but that is lost.

We can walk down the single path until we reach an ominous looking building. I believe this is the hidden science lab. However, we cannot just walk in there. Zeta is an infiltration robot on the show, and I think he has disguises in this game. However, with most of the buttons missing their images, I can't figure out how to put on the disguise. I'm guessing the correct disguise is "Lab Tech", which is the top right item.

However, it looks like, if I was able to put on a disguise, I would move onto a borg called "guard" next. So, let's skip ahead.

I think I can make out my character's face on the Wanted poster.

Shhh.. the guard is sleeping.

You can steal that tablet computer off his desk. I also found some power cells down the hall.

The white void awaits at the end of the hall.

It's supposed to lead to the "office" borg, but its broken. Let's skip ahead to that borg anyway.

Someone painted an entire desk, chair, and computer on the wall, which is odd.

We can find some office workers.

I found this area in the office map, which looks out of place. It has a white void, but it didn't seem to take me anywhere.

So, I tried another white void that looked more like it belonged.

I think I put on a scientist disguise, though its hard to say when the disguise menu doesn't have labels. Anyway, that second white void took me to "IU 8 Lab A".

I found a new friend. He is called weldbot. He doesn't speak, move, or do anything, so he may not be alive.

And then, I found another white void with no real way to continue. There are no other maps (called borgs) known to exist.

So, what did I think of that? I have never seen "The Zeta Project", so I can't speak for the accuracy or any creative liberties here. Unfortunately, so much of the game content is currently lost that it would be unfair for me to form much of an opinion on it. Here's hoping that we get another situation like when Eddie Ruminski came forward with the assets for those other Cyberworld QBorg games.

Anyway, I should probably watch the show at some point. I like the concept of a an assassin robot growing a conscience, rebelling against his agency, and trying to track down his original creator.

[vikenticomeshome]

Cyberworld QBorgs (part 1) - How We Got Here

Hey, I'm posting something that isn't Cyberchase-related. How novel. There may be some overlap between fans of Cyberchase and fans of this other thing, though.

So, from around 1999 to around 2003, there was a company called Cyberworld International Corporation. They wanted to created web-based multi-media experiences. The idea was that you could make websites and web media more interesting if you gave the user a 3d virtual world to wander around in. Let me transcribe the text from a 2003 Internet Archive capture of their homepage.

Richmedia on the Web has never been so easy.

Cyberworld's revolutionary approach to web development lets you produce 3D multimedia web environments in days rather than months.

Seamlessly integrate multimedia products into a 3D environment without modeling and significant programming. Create a lifelike and interactive online experience for you, your company or your customers.

Let Cyberworld dramatically reduce your time to market and cost of web production.

That's their mission statement.

The 3D worlds that they produced were known as QBORGs. They were playable via a proprietary browser known as the Cyberworld QBORG Browser. Surprisingly, as of 2024, this browser still works on Windows 11. Here's the regular version of the browser. This is the most recent version, 5.3. This is the one that will run most, if not all, of the games.

Quite possibly their most famous game was "Pokemon 2000 Adventure". This one used a custom version of the browser with tons of Pokemon branding.

For many years, these games were completely unavailable. Due to their strange file structure, many of them were not archived properly on the Wayback Machine. Additionally, setting them up on a webserver for the proprietary browser to access them was apparently pretty tricky.

The Flashpoint Archive project is a group that handles the preservation of web games. As the name suggests, their big thing is flash games. However, they have expanded over the years to cover plenty of obsolete web technologies. Here's a link to their project: https://flashpointarchive.org/

And here's a link to a page talking about the different web technologies that they cover, as well as technologies that they plan to cover: https://flashpointarchive.org/datahub/Platforms

In 2023, there were several breakthroughs in reviving the Cyberworld QBORG content within the Flashpoint Project. A former employee from Cyberworld International Corporation, Eddie Ruminski, came forward with CDs containing the missing assets for several games. Flashpoint Project members, including DoomTay and AL_2713, worked out how to setup the QBORG Browser inside Flashpoint.

The Flashpoint Project isn't yet at the point of making the games part of its official release, but that is planned to happen. In the meantime, it is possible to obtain the asset packs for the games and load them in the Flashpoint Project yourself. Here's a screenshot I took while playing the "Pokemon 2000 Adventure" game.

Now, this map is covered with 2D sprites of tree, which may make it a bit harder to see the 3D modeling. Here's a screenshot that I took in a different game, "Cyberworld Olympiad" that shows a 3D building in the background. It also shows a floating robot, who was there to ask trivia questions around the Olympics.

I never played with these growing up. I didn't hear about until many years later. I would have found these to be amazing at the time though. Remember that this was 1999-2003. It was still pretty early days for 3D-rendered games playable in your web browser.

I am planning to play through the available games and make some tumblr posts containing my thoughts on them. However, before I did that, I wanted to put together a post discussing what the games are, and crediting the people who helped bring them back roughly 20 years later.

I'm not sure how long it will be before The FlashPoint Project includes these games in an official release. That will be the point when running the games will be as simple as downloading the Flashpoint Infinity software, selecting the game from a list, and launching it.

As I've shown, the games can be played through the Flashpoint Infinity software, but there are additional steps required. I put together an Internet Archive Upload of the assets with some instructions on how to load them, if anyone is interested.

There were other games produced for Cyberworld QBorgs, but the assets for those games have not resurfaced in their entirety yet. I am also planning to make some tumblr posts going over the missing games and what we know about them. Here is the current list of Lost/Found QBorgs from the Lost Media Wiki.

[vikenticomeshome]

Since I am now at 50+ posts, and most of them are Cyberchase, I thought it best to go ahead and write a Table of Contents to make things easier to find.

Non-Cyberchase Content - Table of Contents

Cyberworld QBORGs

Cyberworld QBorgs (part 1) - How We Got Here: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747776745410838528/cyberworld-qborgs-part-1-how-we-got-here?source=share

Cyberworld QBorgs (part 2) - Cyberworld Olympiad: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/748312614870908928/cyberworld-qborgs-part-2-cyberworld-olympiad?source=share

Cyberworld QBorgs (part 3) - Zeta Quest 3D: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/748326377123659776/cyberworld-qborgs-part-3-zeta-quest-3d?source=share

Cyberworld QBorgs (part 4) - Perrona Prime and Scuzzle Station X: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/749701662191583233/cyberworld-qborgs-part-4-perrona-prime-and?source=share

Miscellaneous

Chaos Theory by Conspiracy (2006): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/750199526499991552/does-anyone-remember-which-cybersite-this-was?source=share

Cyberchase Content - Table of Contents

Cyberchase Character Discussions

#1 - Inez (Nezzie): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745140437309882368/cyberchase-character-discussion-for-your-local?source=share

#2 - Matt: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747212797667049472/cyberchase-character-discussion-for-your-local?source=share

#3 - Jackie: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747232027979415552/cyberchase-character-discussion-for-your-local?source=share

#4 - The Hacker: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/748257842380849152/cyberchase-character-discussion-for-your-local?source=share

Cyberchase - An Interview With The Hacker by Reporter CyBob from "Cyborg Life!": https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747251079483424768/cyberchase-an-interview-with-the-hacker-by?source=share

Zorgon the Evil Wizard: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/748331634038849536/cyberchase-zorgon-the-evil-wizard?source=share

Cyberchase- Why is The Hacker Such an Ass?: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/748422375513735168/cyberchase-why-is-the-hacker-such-an-ass?source=share

The Cyberchase Homepage Through the Years

Part 1 (December 28, 2001 through December 12, 2004): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745099003856830464/i-decided-to-collect-some-screenshots-showing-the?source=share

Part 2 (January 6, 2005 through February 10, 2007): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745227891086917632/i-decided-to-pick-up-where-i-left-off-on-my?source=share

Cyberchase Lesser-known Cybersites

#1 - Valussa: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745076792239456256/i-decided-to-give-some-recognition-to-some?source=share

Cyberchase - Cybersite Valussa (follow-up): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745825039073574912/cyberchase-cybersite-valussa-follow-up-i-made?source=share

Cyberchase Merch

Flying Minds - The Defunct Cyberchase Merch Empire (part 1): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/748361823260196864/flying-minds-the-defunct-cyberchase-merch-empire?source=share

Flying Minds - The Defunct Cyberchase Merch Empire (part 2): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/748363201305018368/flying-minds-the-defunct-cyberchase-merch-empire?source=share

Cyberchase on Pixter Console (part 1/?): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/750950385431232512/cyberchase-on-pixter-console-part-1?source=share

Cyberchase Contests

The 2004 Cyberchase Online Contest: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745780583151665152/cyberchase-the-chase-is-on-museum-exhibit-videos?source=share

The 2005 Cyberchase Online Contest: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745765865491972096/alright-i-wanted-to-share-the-content-that-i-have?source=share

Cyberchase Individual Episode Discussions

Season 1 Episode 1 "Lost my Marbles" (part 1) - How It All Started: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/750232303187410944/cyberchase-season-1-episode-1-lost-my-marbles?source=share

Season 2 Episode 4 "True Colors" - One of the best: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747265878646784000/cyberchase-season-2-episode-4-true-colors?source=share

The Cyberchase Web Adventures Official Web Comic Series (including "How It All Started")

Cyberchase: How It All Started (Episode 1): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745889287277543424/cyberchase-how-it-all-started-episode-1-when-i?source=share

Cyberchase: How It All Started (Episode 2): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/746493652973535232/cyberchase-how-it-all-started-episode-2-okay-i?source=share

Cyberchase: How It All Started (Episode 3): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/746799646422302720/cyberchase-how-it-all-started-episode-3-this-is?source=share

Cyberchase Web Adventures Episode 4: Numberless Poddles: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/746980214442164224/cyberchase-web-adventures-episode-4-numberless?source=share

Cyberchase Web Adventures Episode 5: Hacker Jack by Ron Barrett: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747026377717465088/cyberchase-web-adventures-episode-5-hacker-jack?source=share

Other Official Cyberchase Web Comics

Cyberchase Comics: The Great Cyber-skate by Ron Barrett: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747042147783655424/cyberchase-comics-the-great-cyber-skate-by-ron?source=share

Cyberchase Comics: Half-Off Hacker by Ron Barrett: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747338138473676800/cyberchase-comics-half-off-hacker-by-ron-barrett?source=share

Cyberchase Comics: Cyber Idol by Ron Barrett: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747352055579066368/cyberchase-comics-cyber-idol-by-ron-barrett?source=share

Cyberchase - What's Hacker's Secret?? Promotion

Cyberchase - The "What's Hacker's Secret?" content (part 1): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745698917707071488/alright-cast-your-mind-back-to-watching?source=share

Cyberchase - The "What's Hacker's Secret?" content (part 2): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745702051476013056/the-whats-hackers-secret-content-part?source=share

Cyberchase - The "What's Hacker's Secret?" content (part 3): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745758203615264768/the-whats-hackers-secret-content-part-3-the?source=share

Other Cyberchase Promotions

Cyberchase - "Who's New?" Promotion: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747761737080717313/cyberchase-whos-new-promotion?source=share

Cyberchase - "September 2005 Promotion of New Episodes: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/749045453411188736/cyberchase-the-september-2005-promotion-content?source=share

Around Town with Cyberchase (and the Harry Show): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/748243089066491904/around-town-with-cyberchase-and-the-harry-show?source=share

The Australian DVD Releases of Cyberchase

Cyberchase (Australian Release) DVD Volume 1: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/750208935798128640/cyberchase-australian-release-dvd-volume-1?source=share

Cyberchase (Australian Release) DVD Volume 3: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/746403677091282944/cyberchase-australian-dvd-from-mra-entertainment?source=share

Cyberchase (Australian Release) DVD Volume 4: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745978858436771840/cyberchase-australian-dvd-from-mra-entertainment?source=share

Cyberchase (Australian Release) DVD Volume 10: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747439379811811328/cyberchase-australian-release-dvd-volume-10?source=share

Cyberchase (Australian Release) DVD Volume 11: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/750210116212654080/cyberchase-australian-release-dvd-volume-11?source=share

Cyberchase - Cyberspace is a Dystopia

Part 1: The Cybersite Clearing House (and their Prizes): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/746487365186551809/cyberchase-dystopia-the-cybersite-clearing-house?source=share

Miscellaneous Stuff

Cyberchase - Nezzie's Special Eyes: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/744906196364001280/this-is-a-well-known-aspect-of-cyberchases?source=share

Cyberchase - The Hacker's Darkest Quote: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/744903344365109248/cyberchase-season-2-episode-12-the-guilty?source=share

Cyberchase - Promotional Material: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747628865272299520/cyberchase-promotional-material?source=share

Cyberchase - A Brief AIM Conversation Between Inez (SalsaDancingOnMyHead) and Jackie (DreadPirateRobertas): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747238319929294848/cyberchase-a-brief-aim-conversation-between-inez?source=share

Cyberchase Clock Featuring Matt Figurine: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/747107515110686720/cyberchase-clock-featuring-matt-figurine?source=share

Cyberchase - The Grim Wreaker Ship (as portrayed in Season 2 Episode 3 "Harriet Hippo and the Mean Green"): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745987910095044608/cyberchase-the-grim-wreaker-ship-as-portrayed?source=share

Cyberchase - Hey, you guys want to see something cursed?: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745862370652553216/cyberchase-webisode-3-panel-7-pbs-kids?source=share

Cyberchase - The Hacker's Most Humiliating Defeat: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/745079873722351616/i-wanted-to-draw-attention-to-what-may-well-be-the?source=share

Cyberchase: How to Hack the Motherboard: https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/750302642374410240/cyberchase-how-to-hack-the-motherboard?source=share

Cyberchase Character Gallery (Artwork Submissions): https://www.tumblr.com/vikenticomeshome/750315625693446144/cyberchase-character-gallery-artwork-submissions?source=share

[vikenticomeshome]

Cyberworld QBorgs (part 2) - Cyberworld Olympiad

Alright, let's start out by walking through Cyberworld Olympiad. This was an educational game where your character wanders through an Olympic stadium setup learning about the Olympics. We start with these introductory instructions. I will transcribe them.

Begin Instructions

Each robot in the world, will ask you an Olympic trivia question. Answer enough of them correctly and you'll receive a gold medal.

You can finish the trivia questions at any time by clicking on the "Go to Podium" buttom, but you need to answer them all in order to get a better medal.

End Instructions

We are dropped straight into our main map, "cw_olypiad.borg", which is the outside area. We can see the Swimming building up ahead, and we also see the robot with a trivia question for us. I will transcribe the text in the right-hand panel, which explains where we are.

Begin Right Panel

Welcome to the Cyberworld Olympiad. Answer the trivia questions in all three stadiums, and win a medal for your hard work!

The swimming facilities are to the left. The path of stars to your right will take you to the other two buildings.

End Right Panel

As we approach the swimming building, we get some historical information in the right panel. I will transcribe it.

Begin Right Panel

In 1896, the modern Olympics were started in Athens Greece by Pierre du Coubertain. Swimming was a major event in these games.

Enter the building for swimming facts and trivia.

End Right Panel

We can go ahead and enter the swimming building, and there is plenty to see in there.

We load into the map "cw_swimming_pool.borg". We've got some sprites made from photo cut-outs of people. We have an animated man on a screen who is swimming. We have the very flat looking pool, since it's basically a floor texture. We have some very low-resolution fans filling the seats. Remember that this was the year 2000 and playable in a web browser, so there were some severe limitations.

Let me transcribe the new information from the right panel

Begin Right Panel

Swimming became part of the modern Olympic Games in 1896, which was held in Athens. Races were open to any style of swimming, but competitors using an overarm, scissor-kick stroke called the Trudgen normally won.

Some of the compressed sprites are worse than others. This man's eyes look like something out of a horror game.

Check out the big blocky scoreboard in the top right and the floor to ceiling informational board on the left.

Here's an example of the trivia questions that could come from the Cyberworld-branded robots.

In what year did the U.S win event event in the swimming competition?

A) 1944

B) 1948

C) 1952

D) 1976

With the modern internet, it's easy enough to find the answer (1948). I'm not sure how easy it would have been 24 years ago.

It turns out the looping animation of a man swimming has some interactivity. I can open some fun facts. I will share one.

Fact 2: The butterfly came about because of a loophole in the breaststroke rules.

I salute pink speedo man for levitating in the air for 24 years for our entertainment.

Let's go back outside. There is a button here to start the fountains. We can also see various flags and the giant Gymnastic building in the distance. I will transcribe the right panel text.

Begin Right Panel

The Greek athletic Games, commonly known as the Panhellenic Games, were an integral part of Greek life. Running events were among the oldest and most exciting contests in these games.

Enter the Olympiad Stadium for more trivia questions.

End Right Panel

I won't go into the stadium just yet, as I believe that is the final stop where we get our medal. Instead, I will go to the Gymnastics building.

You may or may not be able to read the motto printing along the upper wall "Stronger, Faster, Higher". Apparently, that motto goes all the way back to 1894. As of 2021, it is now "Stronger, Faster, Higher - Together".

Let me transcribe the text from the right panel.

Begin Right Panel

One of the oldest sports in the Olympics, Gymnastics began in ancient Greece more than 2000 years ago.

More facts and trivia questions await you in the gymnastics building. Good luck!

And so, we load into the map "cw_gymnastics.borg"

We have an animation of someone swinging around on a horizontal bar. We also have giant flags everywhere. Let me transcribe the right panel.

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Gymnastics is one of the oldest Olympic sports, as it began in ancient Greece more than 2000 years ago. Men gathered at gymnasiums to practice the sport, and debate about art, literature and philosophy as well. Gymnastics focused on finding symmetry between the mind and body by pairing physical exercise with intellectual activity. After financial corruption led to the banning of gymnastics in 393 A.D., the sport did not reappear in the public arena until the 16th century.

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Off topic, I had never heard that fact before. I can't imagine how bad the corruption would have been lead to banning an entire set of sports from the Olympics for that long.

You may be able to see that the gym area ahead and to the right is dark.

The lights turn on when you enter the gym. That was probably pretty amazing in the year 2000. Let me transcribe the right panel.

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Head over to the gym floor and clock on your favorite apparatus for interesting information.

Did you know that the word "gymnastics" came from the word "gymnazein", which meant "exercising without clothes"?

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Here's another trivia example, by the way.

Let's start our tour of the different apparati with the still rings, which light up when we touch them.

It comes with a video demonstrating how they would be used. However, the video doesn't seem to play properly. The assets may be lost.

Here's another view of the Gymnastics floor.

I'm going to move onto the main stadium before I hit the image limit for this post.

We go inside, and we load into "cw_trackandfield.borg".

We can see the famous Olympic flame, more cut-outs of people, and an animation on a screen of someone running.

I will transcribe the Right Panel.

Begin Right Panel

During the ancient Olympic games, Greeks sometimes made runners wear infantry armor. Eventually competitors only had to carry a soldier's shield as they ran.

Women's running events were added in 1928. Unfortunately officials banned the women's 800 metre run when several competitors collapsed. Today, however, men's and women's track and field events are nearly identical.

We can see a sprite of a runner about to begin, to the delight of the low-resolution fans in the crowd. We also see the Cyberworld company logo being held up by those fans.

Here's one of our fun facts. The first recorded sprinter was Coroebus, a Greek who a 193 metre race in 776 BC. Props to Coroebus for his win.

Unfortunately, when I tried to go to the podium to see if I had done well enough in the trivia questions to get a medal, the "cw_ceremony.borg" failed to load. I suspect that an asset is missing somewhere, or some underlying JavaScript code is getting into a bad state.

However, DoomTay created a program called JSBorg that can read the map data and assemble it, as well as allowing us to walk around. The Sprites are rendered in a weird way, but at least we can see inside.

And so, I walk to the podium.

I'm not sure who these three guys are. Because the ceremony is broken, I declare myself the winner of the gold, silver, and bronze medals by default.

So, what did I think of this? I didn't play this back in the day, but I think I would have been very impressed at the time. Sure, the graphics look pretty crunchy now, but that was what they could deliver over the Internet in the year 2000. I think this would have been a cool way to learn about the Olympics back then.

Anyway, let me give a big thanks to AL2713, DoomTay, Eddie Ruminski, and everyone else who worked together to resurrect this game in 2023, over 20 years later.