CAIN Newsletter: 31-Mar-95 #0203
From: Atari SIG (xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 10/22/95-09:29:21 PM Z
From: xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Atari SIG)
Subject: CAIN Newsletter: 31-Mar-95 #0203
Date: Sun Oct 22 21:29:21 1995
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\ Mar 31, 1995 Vol.II No.3 /
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/___|_|_|__________ Monthly Newsletter _______| |___________/
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The Official Online Newsletter of the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG
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The Cleveland Free-Net Community Computer System is accessible worldwide!
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telnet freenet-in-{a,b,c}.cwru.edu (129.22.8.32 or 129.22.8.51)
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Covering:
7800/XE/XL/800/400,FALCON030/ST/TT/ST(e),PORTFOLIO,LYNX,JAGUAR
CAIN Online Newsletter Published and Copyright (c) 1995
by Cain Publishing
Publisher/Editor
Voting/Conferences.........Mark Leair aa338@cleveland.freenet.edu
Assistant Editor
SIG Manager/Jaguar Area....Len Stys aa399@cleveland.freenet.edu
8-Bit Support Area..........Michael Current aa700@cleveland.freenet.edu
8-Bit Technical Forum.......Craig Lisowski aa853@cleveland.freenet.edu
16/32-Bit Support Area......Bruce D. Nelson aa789@cleveland.freenet.edu
16/32-Bit Support Area......Thomas Main em129@cleveland.freenet.edu
Atari Classic Gaming Corner/
Portfolio Support Area......Fred Horvat ap748@cleveland.freenet.edu
Lynx Support Area...........Barry W. Cantin aa852@cleveland.freenet.edu
Atari WWW Support Area......Mark S. Smith M.S.Smith@dl.ac.uk
_________________________________________________________________________
Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG Internet E-Mail: xx004@cleveland.freenet.edu
_________________________________________________________________________
Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG, P.O. Box 364, Mentor, OH U.S.A. 44061-0364
_________________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
>From the Editor..........................................The CAIN Newsletter
-Mark Leair
>From the SIG Manager..........................................Time Will Tell
-Len Stys
Atari News....................................................Press Releases!
-Atari Corp.
8-Bit Computers Support Area...............................8-bit News #1 - #3
8-bit Feature Articles #1 - #3
8-bit Commentary
-Michael Current
16/32-Bit Computers Support Area......................Falcon Software Reviews
-Mark S. Smith
Portfolio Support Area...............................Portfolio Club Announced
-Fred Horvat
Lynx Support Area...................................................Lynx News
-Barry W. Cantin
Jaguar Support Area................................Interview with Laury Scott
Internet Reviews
Jaguar Messages of Interest
Jaguar Commentary
-Len Stys
Atari WWW Support Area.............................Mark's WWW site has moved!
-Mark Smith
Upcoming Atari Shows......................................Atari Show Calendar
-Mark Leair
Voting Issues and Results..........................Now three methods to vote!
This month's issue!
-Mark Leair
General Information of Need.........................How to Contribute to CAIN
Article Requests
-Mark Leair
>From the Editor
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Mark Leair
Welcome to the March issue of CAIN! Now that CAIN has survived a year,
let us know how we're doing. If there's anything you would like to see in
CAIN, drop us a line in email. Direct your comments to "xx004@po.cwru.edu".
Some ideas we have been tossing around include a CAIN index of articles by
volume number and a "Best of CAIN" special issue. If these ideas interest you,
let us know.
CAIN's World Wide Web site has been doing very well since it was first
introduced last September. It features links to CAIN newsletter archives,
information on the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG, and the "Who's Who in the
Atari Community" listing. Recently we added "CAIN's Virtual Voting Booth" to
the site. Now WWW users can vote on CAIN's Surveys on the 'web. For more
information, consult the "Voting Booth" section of this newsletter.
CAIN has done it again! Not only are we featuring the best news and
reviews from the Atari Community, we are bringing you a special interview with
Atari's VP of Manufacturing and Operations, Laury Scott. See the Jaguar
section for this informative interview. This issue also features the largest 8
bit section ever published in CAIN. I'm sure every 8 bit reader out there will
find something of interest here. Next, we have news on an upcoming release for
the Atari Lynx. See the Lynx section for details. Finally, those Portfolio
users that are looking for a user group should check out our Portfolio Support
Area. There, they'll find information on a Portfolio Club. These and other
great articles make up this month's exciting issue. Enjoy!
-Mark Leair
Publisher
>From the SIG Manager
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Len Stys
I guess time will tell if the Jaguar succeeds this year and if Atari
continues to survive. Time Warner announced a few weeks ago that it plans
to sell all or part of their shares in Atari. Since the company has
already sold over one-hundred thousand shares of stock between the price
of $3 and $4, it probably would not be crazy to suspect that if it gets
that high again, Time Warner will sell more. This means Time Warner may
be placing a ceiling on how high Atari's stock will go. This isn't to say
that investing in Atari is a bad idea right now. There are a lot of games
on the way and some of the latest games released have good reviews.
Speaking of games, Acclaim will be making games for the Jaguar soon. We
have a press release about this in the Atari News section. Also,
Mortal Kombat III will be coming to the Jaguar and there are some rumors
that Electronic Arts is interested in the Jaguar.
One thing is for certain though, there are games coming for the Jaguar
and at $150, it is an incredible system.
-Len Stys
SIG Manager
Atari News
-=-=-=-=-=
CONTACT: August J. Liguori Sam Tramiel
Atari Corporation Atari Corporation
408-745-2069 408-745-8824
ATARI CORPORATION ANNOUNCES RESULTS FOR THE YEAR AND FOURTH QUARTER
1994
SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 13 - Atari Corporation reported today its
results for the year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 1994.
For the year ended 1994, NET SALES were $38.4 million as compared to
$28.8 million for the year ended 1993, an increase of 33%. Increased
sales were a result of the sales of Jaguar, the Company's 64-bit
multi-media interactive entertainment system and related software.
Primarily as a result of settlements of patent litigations, the
Company reported NET INCOME for the year 1994 of $9.4 million as
compared to a NET LOSS for 1993 of $48.9 million.
For the fourth quarter 1994, NET SALES were $14.9 million as compared
to $8.5 million for 1993, a 75% increase. Primarily due to significant
marketing expenses of $8.0 million and an inventory valuation
adjustment of $3.6 million, the Company incurred an operating loss of
$12.6 million in 1994 as compared to $21.9 million operating loss for
the fourth quarter of 1993. As a result of the Company's ongoing
research and development, the wholesale price of Jaguar was reduced in
the first quarter of 1995 to allow retailers to sell Jaguar at a price
of $159.99. Accordingly, the Company has adjusted the value of its
existing inventory and anticipated purchases through the period until
cost reductions become effective. During the fourth quarter of 1994,
the Company closed its transactions with Sega Enterprises Ltd. which
resulted in an income item of $29.8 million after contingent legal
expenses and the sale of approximately 4.7 million shares of the
Company stock for $40.0 million. As of December 31, 1994, the Company
had $81.0 million in cash and marketable securities and shareholders'
equity of $67.1 million. As a result of the items previously
discussed, the Company reported for the fourth quarter of 1994, NET
INCOME of $17.6 million as compared to a NET LOSS of $22.6 million for
1993.
Commenting, Sam Tramiel, Atari Corp. president, said, "We are very
pleased to offer Jaguar for $159.99, thereby making new 64-bit
technology competitively priced against older 16-bit systems.
Although we are disappointed that our expectations for Jaguar were not
met in the fourth quarter due to delayed game software, we believe we
have taken corrective actions to ensure an ongoing stream of software
through 1995 and beyond. Today, we have announced a publishing
arrangement with Williams Entertainment for 'Mortal Kombat III' and
will be announcing another significant arrangement with a major
software publisher shortly. Those titles, along with some of Jaguar's
current hit titles such as 'Tempest 2000,' 'Alien vs. Predator,' 'Doom'
and 'Val d'Isere Skiing' will be added to the list of titles that will
be available for Jaguar."
ATARI CORPORATION
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in thousands, except per share)
Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended
Dec 31, Dec 31, Dec 31, Dec 31,
1994 1993 1994 1993
Net Sales $14,921 $8,525 $38,444 $28,805
Operating Income (loss) (12,595) (21,861) (24,047) (47,499)
Exchange Gain (loss) (5) (709) 1,184 (2,234)
Other Income (Expense) Net 77 288 484 854
Settlement of Patent
Litigation 29,812 -- 32,062 --
Interest (Expense) Net
of Interest Income 316 (291) (289) (251)
Income (Loss) Before
Income Taxes 17,605 (22,573) 9,394 (49,130)
Credit for Income Taxes(a) -- -- -- (264)
Net Income (loss) $17,605 $(22,573) $9,394 $(48,866)
Earnings Per Common and
Equivalent Share:
Net Income (loss) $0.30 $(0.39) $0.16 $(0.85)
Weighted Average number
of shares used in
computation 59,460 57,177 58,962 57,148
a) No income tax expense as a result of the utilization of the
Company's Net Operating Loss Carryforward and Deferred Tax Assets.
CONTACT: Ron Beltramo Terry King Atari
Corporation Williams Entertainment Inc
408/745-8852 903/874-2683
For Immediate Release
"MORTAL KOMBAT III" WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE ATARI JAGUAR
SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 13 - Atari Corp. and Williams Entertainment
Inc. are pleased to announce that Atari will be publishing "Mortal
Kombat III" for the Atari Jaguar 64-bit multimedia system. "Mortal
Kombat" is one of the most frequently requested video game titles from
Jaguar enthusiasts.
"Letters have been pouring in daily telling us that gamers want `Mortal
Kombat' for the Atari Jaguar," indicated Sam Tramiel, president of
Atari Corp. "We at Atari are dedicated to the mission of giving the
enthusiastic Jaguar game players exactly what they are looking for
and `Mortal Kombat III' will give them the latest version of the
`Mortal Kombat' series of arcade hits."
"Mortal Kombat III" is the third in a series of outstanding coin-op
games incorporating true-to-life graphic images into a challenging
fighting experience. Williams Entertainment Inc. is the home video
subsidiary of WMS Industries Inc., the company that created "Mortal
Kombat" and "NBA Jam" for the arcades.
"Mortal Kombat III" for the Atari Jaguar will feature true-color
graphics and all the sounds and action of the arcade version of "Mortal
Kombat III." Planned release will be within the second quarter of 1996.
Williams Entertainment already has other popular video game titles
scheduled for release on the Jaguar platform. "Troy Aikman Football" is
currently available to be followed up shortly by "Double Dragon V."
Electronic Gaming Monthly says of "Troy Aikman Football," "... the
Jaguar version is the best yet." Saturday morning cartoon fans will
recognize the fighting lineup in "Double Dragon V" with eye-popping
animated action.
Other software hits being developed in partnership between Williams
Entertainment and Atari Corp. include new adaptations of classic games
such as "Joust" and "Defender." "Defender 2000" is being developed with
three distinct play modes (the classic favorite, "Defender Plus," and
"Defender 2000") for the Jaguar by Jeff Minter of "Tempest 2000" fame.
According to Bill Rehbock Atari's VP of Software Business Development,
"`Dactyl Joust' will bring the classic game alive as a first person
perspective, fully texture-mapped Joust in a realistic, three
dimensional environment." Atari will market these games for the 64-bit
Jaguar system while Williams Entertainment will license and market them
for high performance PCs.
These distinct agreements between Atari Corp. and Williams Entertainment
are indicative of the strong relationship these two companies have
established. Williams Entertainment is one of the first third-party
licensees to begin working with Atari on the Jaguar 64-bit platform and
remains a strong supporter of the system with top software titles.
Atari Corp. markets interactive multimedia entertainment systems,
including Jaguar, the world's first and only 64-bit system and the only
video game system manufactured in the United States. Atari is
headquartered at 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94089.
CONTACT: Ron Beltramo, Atari Corporation, 408-745-8852
For Immediate Release
Contact: Ron Beltramo, Atari Corporation, (408) 745-8852
ATARI ANNOUNCES MASS MARKET PRICE FOR 64-BIT JAGUAR
Sunnyvale. Calf. (March 21, 1995) -- Atari Corporation today
announced that the 64-Bit Jaguar Interactive Multimedia system will
have a suggested retail price of under $160. This Atari Jaguar
system will be called the "64-Bit Power Kit" and includes the Jaguar
console, a controller, power adapter and video cable (game cartridge
not included). "64-Bit Power Kit" packages will be specially marked
to highlight the "Mega-Power, Maximum Value" that the new price point
represents.
"With this new Jaguar price, and the great software now available in
stores-- with more to come-- the Atari Jaguar will lead the next
generation of video games into the homes of America. This price puts
the 64-Bit Jaguar within the grasp of a broad market looking for the
most advanced system at an affordable price," said Sam Tramiel,
President of Atari.
Technological advances have allowed Atari to take this aggressive
pricing action, as the cost of components has been reduced through a
planned chip set integration and further design advances.
Tramiel further stated, "We are very excited to provide these great
values, and look forward to strong sales for both the 64-Bit Jaguar
Hardware and Jaguar software.The current library includes such major
hits as 'Tempest 2000', 'Alien Vs. Predator', 'Doom', 'Troy Aikman
Football', 'Val D'Isere Skiing' and 'Iron Soldier'. As the Jaguar
software library increases with great titles like 'Fight For Life',
'Hover Strike', 'Rayman' and 'Super Burnout', we expect solid
hardware sales growth. Our Retail Dealers are equally excited about
the new pricing, and anticipate that a broad base of consumers will
rush to the store to buy the Jaguar."
To launch the new Jaguar unit, Atari will deliver a targeted
marketing campaign to build awareness of the new Jaguar system value
and the great current games (and pending new titles). Advertising is
scheduled to commence in the spring. Special in store merchandising
materials have been developed to reinforce the Mega-Power/Maximum
Value message and encourage the consumer to "Do the Math".
Atari Corporation markets the Jaguar, the world's first and only
64-Bit interactive multimedia entertainment system. Atari is
headquarters at 1196 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94089.
###
Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is a registered
trademark of Atari Corporation. Other products named may be
trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies.
Enter Command:
Contact: Ron Beltramo, Atari Corporation, (408) 745-8852
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATARI AND ACCLAIM JOIN FORCES IN MAJOR SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION
AGREEMENT
Sunnyvale, CA, March 22, 1995 -- Atari Corporation (ASE:ATC) and
Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKLM) are proud to announce an
agreement which will bring the most popular contemporary video game
titles to the 64-bit Atari Jaguar Multimedia system. The new
alliance includes three stellar Acclaim titles that Atari will
distribute:
* NBA Jam - Tournament Edition
- planned release: fourth quarter, 1995
* Frank Thomas 'Big Hurt' Baseball
- planned release: fourth quarter, 1995.
* The third title will be announced later this year for release in
early 1996.
"Atari's focus will continue to be to deliver great software on the
world's best video game system available. The agreement with Acclaim
is substantial milestone in our commitment to the Jaguar gamer,"
stated Sam Tramiel, CEO of Atari Corporation. "We are delighted to
work with Acclaim and to include these titles in the expanding
library of Jaguar sports and action games."
NBA Jam - Tournament Edition
With more than 100 NBA players, cross-court slam dunks,
new codes and secret characters, Jaguar gamers will not
only play basketball, they'll feel it with this
fast-paced action experience that features incredible
graphics.
Frank Thomas 'Big Hurt' Baseball
Two-time MVP Frank Thomas headlines this innovative title
that will feature Thomas' actual baseball movements using
Acclaim's motion capture technology.
Atari Corporation markets interactive multimedia entertainment
systems and software including Jaguar, the world's first and only
64-bit system, and the only video game system manufactured in the
United States. Atari is headquartered at 1196 Borregas Avenue,
Sunnyvale, California 94089.
Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. with offices in Canada, France, Germany,
Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom, is a leading worldwide
entertainment publisher of software and peripherals for major video
game hardware systems, personal computer and CD-ROM software,
coin-operated arcade games, and comic books. Acclaim also operates
motion capture and blue screen studios and A.D.I., a global sales and
distribution company for products from a variety of entertainment
publishers, including Acclaim, Digital Pictures and Marvel Software.
Acclaim, which recently formed a new company with
Tele-Communications, Inc. is publicly traded on the NASDAQ National
Market System under the Symbol AKLM.
###
Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is registered
trademark of Atari Corporation. Other product named may be
trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies.
Enter Command:
Atari Related Press Releases
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Virtuality Group and Atari Corp Strike New Deal
MARCH 16, Britain's Virtuality Group, which claims to have
an 80 percent share of the world market for virtual reality
entertainment, announced on Thursday a new licensing pact with
computer games maker Atari Corp. based in Sunnyvale, CA.
Virtuality Group said turnover rose in 1994 to 9.1 million
pounds ($14.5 million), from 5.4 million ($8.6 million) in 1993 and
a pre-tax losses rose to 1.4 million pounds ($2.2 million from
370,000 pounds ($587,300) in 1993.
The recent Atari deal is for Virtuality to develop two games
for the Atari 64-bit Jaguar games console. This deal follows an
earlier agreement with Atari for a virtual reality headger that is
planned for release by Christmas of 1995.
In the agreement, Atari will pay advance royalties to Virtuality
to fund the development of two VR games to be used with the Jaguar
VR upgrade. Virtuality Group will receive royalties of each copy of
the game sold. The company has also developed a security code to ensure
that only approved software firms can develop games for the Jaguar
virtual reality upgrade. Since the code is jointly owned, if either of
the partners commissions and publishes games from a third party, it will
pay a royalty to the other partner.
The new pact is the fourth major deal for Virtuality, which
already has agreements with Sega and IBM.
already has agreeements with Sega and IBM.
Time Warner To Sell All or Part of Atari Stake
Time Warner Inc. said Friday, March 24, that it plans to sell some
or all of its 24.5 percent stake in Atari Corp. as part of its plan to
raise $2 billion to $3 billion to reduce debt.
Last month, Time Warner Inc. stated that it aimed to sell businesses
that do not contribute directly to its bottom line in order to reduce
its debt load. At the time, Time Warner did not specify which assests
would sold, but the company has also held talks regarding its 19.4 percent
stake in Turner Broadcasting System Inc.
In Time Warner Inc.'s recent SEC filing, Time Warner said it sold
154,000 shares of Atari between Feb. 17 and March 22 at prices ranging
from $3.25 and $3.9375 a share.
Time Warner presently holds 15.6 million common shares of the
Sunnyvale, Calif. based video game company.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
8-Bit Computers Support Area
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Michael Current
This month, we have a special announcement from the North East Atari
Regional User Support group, NEAR*US. Plus, we have two reports on the
status of projects in development by Bill Kendrick of New Breed Software,
and we have a description of GTRACKER, the new sequencer for digitized
sounds from Richard Gore.
But wait, there's more! Our three Feature Articles this month include: A
set of well thought out Task-Swapping Laws for a generic GUI by Bill
Kendrick; a complete list of Atari Logo primitives, keyed-in by Joseph
Power; and a very helpful set of tips for using the Atari 1020
Printer/Plotter with the popular shareware text editor from Ronnie Riche,
TextPRO.
Enjoy!
8-Bit News #1
----------
The journey of NEAR*US continues........
February 25, 1995
Dear Fellow Atarians,
On December 3, 1994, representatives from several user groups,
BBSes and a few Internet Surfers meet on Long Island to discuss the
future of the NORTH EAST ATARI REGIONAL * USER SUPPORT group. The
discussion lasted for several hours. The formal meeting was forced to
end as our meeting place was closing.
The purpose of this unofficial meeting was twofold. We wanted to
evaluate the feelings and needs of the Atari Community in our region.
We wanted to determine if there was enough interest to revitalize
NEAR*US.
The discussion and attitudes were surprisingly positive and
constructive. The group displayed a realistic attitude that showed the
community is reaching a higher level of maturity. The hopes and dreams
have been tempered by years of disappointments and unfulfilled
promises. As time passes, the Atari community is decreasing in size
and becoming increasingly isolated and fragmented. There is a clear
realization that the future of our computers rests in our hands.
As the discussion continued, several points became clear. The
most evident is genuine support for the revitalization of NEAR*US.
The nature and scope of the group must change to meet current needs.
Even our name may change to better represent our new directions.
The discussion took many paths but increasing communication was
the central theme. The community has many problems and needs. With
the deceasing size of our user base and dominance of other computer
platforms, isolation is increasing. The Atari community has always
been fragmentated. The need to pull together is greater than ever.
What are our plans... our ultimate goals? Where will the journey
take us? I wish there were concrete answers to these basic questions.
We are still in a reformation stage, formulating a new strategic plan
based on our actual resources. We need to be a dynamic group, changing
with needs, resources and goals.
Several concrete decisions were made at our December 3rd meeting.
The first and most important was to continue! The second was to open
the group to all interested Atarians. This includes user groups,
programmers, developers, non-pirate BBSes, and any interested users.
New avenues of support, including the Internet, are being investigated.
We are expanding the NEAR*US Net to non-user group BBSes.
On March 11th the journey will continue in Plainview, New York.
We will build on the existing camaraderie. Our goals will be further
evaluated and a plan created for the remainder of 1995. A few
committed volunteers are needed to work together in leading NEAR*US.
We will stay open minded to any suggestions that may help support the
needs of our Atari community.
In any group or organization, people are the most important
ingredient. Our December 3rd meeting included a very diverse group of
committed users. Everyone present gave of their time, resources,
opinions and suggestions. The value of every individual was felt by
all. For success, we must continue to recognize the value of each
participant's contribution.
It is with anticipation we look forward meeting again on March
11th. We know our journey is a difficult one. However, even the
longest and most difficult journey can be accomplished one step at a
time..
Sincerely,
Jonathan C. Mordosky
NEAR*US Interim Chairman
If you need further information, please feel free to contact me at the
following:
on GEnie: J.C.MORDOSKY
on the Internet J.C.MORDOSKY@genie.geis.com
on the IAN & NEAR*US Nets: Jonathan Mordosky
on ACUTE BBS (610) 261-0620: Feedback to SysOp
via US Mail: Jonathan C. Mordosky
P.O. Box 796
Whitehall, PA 18052-0796
What is NEAR*US?
NEAR*US is an association of 8/16/32/64 bit Atari users. It is in a
process of reformation. It is non-profit and self-funded. It is not
affiliated with Atari Corporation, its subsidiaries or any commercial
enterprise. We do not support piracy either directly or implied, or
the use of computers for any illegal activity. A short history and
more information can be found on GEnie and many BBSes. The file name
is listed as NEARUS.TXT and dated about 11/94.
8-Bit News #2
----------
From: kendrick@zippy.sonoma.edu (William Kendrick)
Subject: Cooltris 2
Date: 28 Feb 1995 08:05:09 GMT
Ok, status of New Breed Software's (that's me) current projects:
HyperIt!: I need to: Support SpartaDOS
Fix the mouse
Add preferences (colors, etc.)
Rework the Stack-selection interface
Add the "Field" command
Make better error trapping
Add a nicer MORETEXT command
-------------------------------------
I will eventually: Add Daisy Dot III font support
Add sound/music/digital audio/icons support
Support real Mice/Trakballs/Touchpads/Light pens
===========================================================================
HTML8bit: I don't know what I'll do with it, definitely add support
for more HTML command and Anchors, but I don't know if I'll
make an HTML->HyperIt! converter, a true HTML viewer, or what!?
===========================================================================
Geneocide: This won't be out for quite a while! :)
===========================================================================
Outbreak: Consider this dead and go play Unicum.
===========================================================================
Adventure XL: Yes Glenn, I haven't forgot this! I'm perfecting my use of
VBI's and will soon have a nice many-player engine to play
with. Once I have that going and AXL at least started, I can
move on to more of Geneocide.
===========================================================================
Cooltris 2: What!? Since when was I going to make a sequel!? Well, it's
been in the back of my mind ever since Richard Gore said
"nice, but just isn't good enough compared to Euro/German
wares" and I read the description of the ST game "Dropix"(sp?).
This will be THE first game supporting my sorta-flickery
souped-up multicolor text mode. (So far, 9 colors with 16+
possible if I want to tweak the color/font designs which I
don't at the moment :) ).
===========================================================================
ADOS: Yes, the ADOS team IS doing something. I seem to come up
with the most theoretical "we must support THIS aspect of the
interface!" input. Nice yes, practical, I hope so! :)
===========================================================================
Megagirl: Once I get Geneocide either out or vaporwared, I'd like to
work on this game very much!
It will of course be using the many-players and more-colors
engines.
===========================================================================
ScotchDUP: Sometimes I feel nobody cares <sniff>. Well, >I< do, so
this WILL be done. I seem to be getting closer and closer
every time I try. (Just as I used to get closer and closer
when writing BBSes over and over again from scratch; and I
actually had a relatively nicely WORKING one up, too! :) )
===========================================================================
So, there's the status of New Breed Software as well as an official notice
that Cooltris II is going to be created! :)
Cooltris fans look out for dual-player-mode WEAPONS and actual COLORED
pieces! :)
Perhaps I'll have to redo Sludge as well! :) Any Sludge fans out there?
(Why does no-one LIKE this game!?)
-bill!
kendrick@vax.sonoma.edu ||| kendrick@zippy.sonoma.edu
William (Bill) Kendrick / | \ ** New Breed Software **
8-Bit News #3
----------
From: kendrick@zippy.sonoma.edu (William Kendrick)
Subject: Cooltris 2 details
Date: 28 Feb 1995 08:35:53 GMT
Like the original Cooltris, Cooltris 2 will support:
1-, 2-, 3- and 4-piece 'trads
0- to 9-high "garbage" at the beginning of the game
Adjustable percentage of "stuck" (unrotatable) 'trads
Bombs
Crystals
Weights
Two-players
Also, Cooltris 2 will support the following (some of which is
unavailable in ANY Atari 8-bit (and many other platforms?)
Tetris clone!):
Weapons for two-player mode:
Freezer (freeze opponents game temporarily)
Trader (remove your bottom line and give it to your opponent)
Warp (warp your opponent temporarily to the fastest level!)
Gravity (remove all air-pockets in your game area)
Money (gain bonus points)
Love (remove your bottom line AND your opponents bottom line)
Coal:
Pieces that turn into crystals when they're "crushed"
Rain Mode:
Pieces randomly appear as if they've fallen right after you've
placed a piece (like in Dredis, Lineup, etc.)
Color:
Using a special software-driven graphics routine, I've pumped
currently 9 colors: black background plus two shades of the
following colors: red, green, blue, yellow. Normally, in
the parent mode I'm using (IRG4) one can expect black background
plus ONE shade of those colors, or perhaps two shades of two
colors, or three shades of one color and then a single shade of
another color, etc.
Music:
If I can fit some in (and WRITE some! And the player!)
Digital sound:
If I can fit it in (doubt it; unless it's very small and low quality).
(Oops, I forgot to mention, 0- to 4-'trad preview in what Cooltris 2 will
have that Cooltris (original) already had!)
Anyway, how does it sound!? And yes, the slight flicker of the graphics
engine IS standable (esp. if you turn your contrast down). I would support
"grey" or "reduced color" mode, but it'd hog MORE RAM for MORE fonts. :(
Sorry!
Feedback welcome! As are beta-testers. I MAY even release the source!?
-bill!
kendrick@vax.sonoma.edu ||| kendrick@zippy.sonoma.edu
William (Bill) Kendrick / | \ ** New Breed Software **
8-Bit News #4
----------
From: CHMRIG@EAST-01.NOVELL.LEEDS.AC.UK (R. GORE)
Subject: What is GTRACKER?
Date: 13 Mar 1995 12:30:53 -0600
GTRACKER is a new piece of commercial software from Visionaire
Software in the UK and sold by Richard Gore.
It can best be described as a sequencer for digitised sounds. You
sample some music (or whatever) using Replay, Parrot, ASP etc and
use GTRACKER to arrange and sequence it into a longer piece of
'music'. The editor is low level and requires the user to keep track
of the start and end addresses etc but it is powerful and supports
Gumby compatible stereo upgraded machines. Your mono samples can be
played back through both channels at once and/or steered to only one
of the channels (left or right). the tunes can then be saved and
played using the player program supplied.
GTRACKER is a two disk pack, one of them is a PD demo disk to show
you what can be done with GTRACKER. The package retails for #6.50
($14). We also have nearly ready a suite of utility programs that
include a sample editor and a mini compiled language to allow
inclusion of the sounds in your own programs, more utilities and
demo sound disks will follow.
Recently I uploaded a copy of the demo disk to the archives under the
name GTRACKxy.DCM, x=1 or 2, y= A to E, unfortunately side 2 got
corrupted and needs some extra files uploading which I will do shortly
In the meantime please download side 1 GTRACK1y.DCM and enjoy it.
If you want more information about GTRACKER please feel free to e-mail
me at chmrig@leeds.ac.uk or write to me at:
RICHARD GORE, 79 SPROTBROUGH ROAD, SPROTBROUGH, DONCASTER, DN5 8BW
ENGLAND
Thanks for your interest...
Richard Gore
chmrig@leeds.ac.uk
8-Bit Feature Article #1
---------------------
TASK SWAPPING LAWS
Bill Kendrick
_________________________________________________________________
These are the "laws" as I describe them to which a task-swapping
GUI-style environment should obey.
These laws are based on the Macintosh System 7 environment and will
hopefully be used in ADOS or K-OS for the Atari 8-bit platform (or
Atari Sweet-16-based machines).
_________________________________________________________________
Terms:
The terms and acronyms used in the law descriptions are as follows:
* CLI: Command Line Interface
An environment where the user tells the interface to execute
programs by giving it their name (and location) and the parameter
list to send to the program.
Examples:
+ MS-DOS
+ Unix
+ SpartaDOS
* GUI: Graphical User Interface
An environment using bitmap- or text-based graphics, usually
using:
+ Windows
+ Icons
+ A pointer (usually mouse-driven)
+ Menu-bars
* OS: Operating System
A set of routines which are installed in hardware (ROM) or loaded
at boot-up (stored on disk and transferred to RAM).
* F-Man: File manager
A program which presents the user with some sort of access to
his/her files and applications. In a GUI, this would of course be
a windowed system.
Examples:
+ MS Windows 3.1 Program Manager
+ MS Windows 3.1 File Manager
+ Macintosh Finder
* E-Man: Environment manager (or "shell")
A program or OS routine(s) which bridges the space between the
user interface (CLI, GUI, etc.) and the programs.
The E-Man would place commands and parameters in a list and then
jump to or execute a program. The program would then act
accordingly.
Examples:
+ MS Windows 3.1 File Manager: File types (depending on thier
extender (.TXT, .GIF, .WAV, etc.)) would be associated to
certain programs (Text Editor, Graphic Viewer, Sound Player,
etc.). When the user tells File Manager to open a file, it
would launch the application and tell it to open that
specified file.
+ Finder: (Acts the same as Windows 3.1 File Manager except it
determines type and associated program as "resource" data and
is almost never determined by the user.)
+ Unix: Unix converts (variables, wild-carded file lists, etc.)
the command and parameters and executes it.
_________________________________________________________________
Opening an Application
In a GUI F-man or P-man, this would be double-clicking the
application.
This can also be performed from within other non-F-man applications. A
C-compiler might have other "external" programs it uses such as
editors, linkers, etc.
IF THE APPLICATION IS ALREADY "RUNNING"
Simply jump into it
IF THE APPLICATION ISN'T "RUNNING"
1. Load it into memory
2. Jump into it
3. Tell it to do its installation routine
4. And tell it to do its default load-up action (ask the user to open
an existing file; create a new file; do nothing; etc.)
Opening a File(s)
In a GUI F-man, this would be either double-clicking the file(s) or
"dropping" the files into the application.
Non F-man and P-man programs can also perform the task of loading
other applications.
For example, a World Wide Web browser can jump into a text processor
to view HTML source files or into an MPEG player to play MPEG
animations.
IF THE FILE'S APPLICATION IS UNKNOWN (N/A IF "DROP" IS PERFORMED)
Report an error or prompt the user for an application to process the
file with
IF THE FILE'S APPLICATION IS LOADED OR NOT LOADED
1. Load or jump to the application
2. Tell the application to open the file(s)
Special Case: Direct Returning from an Application
A good F-man should be able to process multiple files at once. For
example, the user can select a half dozen text files, double click the
whole lot, and the associated application (hopefully a text editor)
would load up all of the files.
Another example is say 3 text files and 3 graphics files are selected
and then "opened" (double clicked). The F-man would load the text
editor, tell it to load the text files and also tell it to return to
the F-man (or E-man, assuming the F-man would be piping a batch of
commands to the E-man; E-man is useful for smaller machines because
the F-man would be a large, complex program, and the E-man would
simply be the actual program launching routines, without the user
interface). Once the F-man has been reloaded or jumped back into, it
would then load the graphic viewer, tell it to load the graphics
files, and either stay in the graphic viewer, or return to the F-man
or E-man and it would choose which application to load.
EXIT (OR RETURN)
Along with other basic commands such as launch, do nothing, and open
files, this would be another option which would return to the previous
system level (E-man or F-man (see above)).
Special Case: Auto-quitting an Application
A good F-man should also support a "shut down" feature for quickly
exiting from all applications (properly) and quitting the F-man
(either back to the lower level environment (DOS for example) or
allowing for powering down).
It's also useful for the F-man to be able to see what programs are
idle (without open windows or files) and let you quit them when you
try to open a new application but are lacking the memory to do so.
QUIT
The program will simply act as if you selected it's own "Quit"
command; prompting you to save open files (if any), if you're sure you
want to quit, and closing up support files (preferences, data files,
etc.).
_________________________________________________________________
Last updated: March 9, 1995.
Comments, questions, suggestions? E-mail me!
-----------------end-of-file---------------------------------------------------
-bill!
kendrick@vax.sonoma.edu ||| kendrick@zippy.sonoma.edu
William (Bill) Kendrick / | \ ** New Breed Software **
8-Bit Feature Article #2
---------------------
Atari Logo Primitives
Keyed into ASCII by Joseph Power
Copyright(c) 1983 Logo Computer Systems, Inc.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATARI Logo Primitives (for Atari 8-bit systems)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: A number sign (#) indicates a procedure which can take any number of
inputs. If you give it other than the number indicated, you must enclose the
entire expression in parenthesis. An asterisk (*) indicates an editing command
which works both inside and outside the editor. The procedures which output
TRUE if some condition is met output FALSE otherwise.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turtle Graphics
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASK turtlenumber list asks the turtlenumber(s) to run the instructions in
list
BACK, BK distance moves the turtle distance steps back
BG outputs the number representing the background color
CLEAN erases graphics screen w/o affecting turtle's state
COLOR outputs the number representing the current turtle's
color
CS erases graphics screen and moves the turtle to [0 0]
with a heading of 0
EACH list makes each turtle seperately run the commands in list
EDSH shapenumber starts the Atari Logo editor, displaying the shape of
shapenumber requested
FORWARD, FD distance moves the turtle distance steps forward
GETSH shapenumber returns a list of 16 numbers; these numbers correspond
to the bits in the shape
HEADING outputs the current turtle's heading
HOME moves the current turtle(s) to [0 0] and sets heading
to 0
HT makes the current turtle(s) invisible
LEFT, LT turns turtle degrees left (counter-clockwise)
PC pennumber outputs number representing pen color of pennumber
PE puts pen eraser down
PEN outputs pen state (PD, PU, PE, or PX)
PENDOWN, PD puts turtle's pen down
PENUP, PU raises turtle's pen
PN outputs the pen number (0..2) currently in use
POS outputs coordinates of turtle's position
PUTSH shapenumber shapespec gives shapenumber the form of shapespec
PX puts reversing pen down
RIGHT, RT degrees turns turtle degrees right (clockwise)
SETBG colornumber sets background to colornumber (0..127)
SETC colornumber sets current turtle(s) to colornumber
SETH degrees sets current turtle's heading to degrees
SETPC pennumber colornumber sets pennumber (0..2) to colornumber (0..127)
SETPN pennumber sets the pen to pennumber (0..2)
SETPOS position moves the turtle to position
SETSH shapenumber sets the shape of the current turtle to shapenumber
SETSP speed sets current turtle's speed (-199..199)
SETX x moves the turtle horizontally to x-coordinate x
SETY y moves the turtle vertically to y-coordinate y
SHAPE outputs the number representing the shape of the
current turtle
SHOWNP outputs TRUE if turtle is shown
SPEED outputs speed of current turtle
ST makes the turtle(s) visible
TELL turtlenumber(s) addresses all following commands to turtlenumber(s)
WHO outputs number of current turtle
WINDOW makes graphics screen a window of an expanded turtle
field. The screen is cleared.
WRAP makes turtle field wrap around edges of screen. The
screen is cleared.
XCOR outputs turtle's x-coordinate
YCOR outputs turtle's y-coordinate
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Words & Lists
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASCII character outputs ASCII code for character
BUTFIRST, BF obj outputs all but first element of obj
BUTLAST, BL obj outputs all but last element of obj
CHAR n outputs character whose ASCII code is n
COUNT obj outputs the number of elements in obj
EMPTYP obj outputs TRUE if obj is empty
EQUALP obj1 obj2 outputs TRUE if inputs are equal
FIRST obj outputs first element of obj
FPUT obj list outputs list formed by putting obj on front of list
LAST obj outputs last element of obj
LIST obj1 obj2 outputs a list of its inputs
LISTP obj outputs TRUE if obj is a list
LPUT obj list outputs list formed by putting obj on end of list
MEMBERP obj list outputs TRUE if obj is an element in list
NUMBERP obj outputs TRUE if obj is a number
# SE obj1 obj2 outputs list of its inputs (if words) or the members
of its inputs (if lists)
# WORD word1 word2 outputs word made up of inputs
WORDP obj outputs TRUE if obj is a word
obj1 = obj2 outputs TRUE if obj1 equals obj2
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Variables
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAKE name obj makes name refer to obj
NAMEP name outputs TRUE if name has a value
THING name outputs object referred to by name
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arithmetic Operations
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COS n outputs cosine of n degrees
INT n outputs integer portion of n
# PRODUCT a b outputs product of its inputs
RANDOM n outputs a random integer between 0 and n - 1
REMAINDER a b outputs remainder of a divided by b
RERANDOM makes RANDOM behave reproducibly
ROUND n outputs n rounded off to the nearest integer
SIN n outputs sine of n degrees
SQRT n outputs the square root of n
SUM a b outputs the sum of its inputs
a + b outputs a plus b
a - b outputs a minus b
a * b outputs a times b
a / b outputs a divided by b
a < b outputs TRUE if a is less than b
a > b outputs TRUE if a is greater than b
a = b outputs TRUE if a equals b
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defining & Editing Procedures
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT, ED name(s) starts Logo editor with named procedure(s)
EDNS starts Logo editor with all variables in the workspace
END ends the procedure definition started by TO
TO name (inputs) begins defining procedure name
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flow of Control & Conditionals
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COND condnumber outputs TRUE if the particular condition specified by
condnumber is occurring
IF pred list1 (list2) if pred is TRUE, run list1 otherwise run list2 if it
exists
OUTPUT, OP obj returns control to caller, with obj as output
OVER turtlenumber pennumber Outputs number symbolizing collision between
turtlenumber and pennumber
REPEAT n list runs list n times
RUN list runs list; outputs what list outputs
STOP stops procedure and returns control to caller
TOUCHING turtlenumber1 turtlenumber2 outputs number symbolizing collision
between turtlenumber1 and turtlenumber2
WAIT n pauses for n 60ths of a second
WHEN condnumber list sets up a when demon so whenever condition condnumber
occurs, list is run
WHEN condenumber [] clears (stops) WHEN demon for condnumber
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Logical Operations
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# AND pred1 pred2 outputs TRUE if all inputs are TRUE
FALSE outputs the word FALSE. Special input for AND, IF,
NOT and OR
NOT pred outputs TRUE if pred is FALSE
# OR pred1 pred2 outputs TRUE if any inputs are TRUE
TRUE outputs the word TRUE. Special input for AND, IF,
NOT and OR
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Outside World
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CT clears text section of the screen
FS devotes entire screen to graphics
JOY joysticknumber outputs the current position of joysticknumber
JOYB joysticknumber outputs TRUE if button on joysticknumber is pressed
KEYP outputs TRUE if a key has been typed but not yet read
PADDLE paddlenumber outputs rotation on dial of paddlenumber
PADDLEB paddlenumber outputs TRUE if button on paddlenumber is pressed
# PRINT, PR obj prints obj followed by carriage return (strips off
outer brackets of lists)
RC outputs character read by the current device (default
is keyboard). Waits if necessary.
RL outputs line read by the current device (default is
keyboard). Waits if necessary.
SETCURSOR position puts cursor at position
SETENV voice duration sets envelope of voice for TOOT so volume reduces by
one unit every duration
SHOW obj prints obj followed by carriage return (doesn't strip
off outer brackets)
SS (Ctrl S) splits screen: top for graphics, bottom for text
TOOT voice freq volume duration produces sound on voice of frequency
freq and volume for a given duration
TS (Ctrl T) devotes entire screen to text
# TYPE obj prints obj leaving cursor at end of line
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Workspace Management
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ERALL erases everything from workspace. Frees up all nodes.
ERASE, ER name(s) erases named procedure(s)
ERNS name(s) erases named variable(s)
ERPS erases all procedures
NODES outputs the number of free nodes
PO name(s) prints definition of named procedure(s)
POALL prints definitions of all procedures and values of all
names
POD condnumber prints WHEN demon condnumber currently in action
PODS prints out all active WHEN demons
PONS prints names and values of all variables
POPS prints definitions of all procedures
POTS prints title lines of all procedures
RECYCLE performs a garbage collection
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Files
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CATALOG device: displays names of all files on diskette. On a
cassette, prints all the procedure definitions and
names in the file.
ERF device:filename erases filename from device
LOAD device:filename loads file called filename from the device into the
computer
SAVE device:filename saves workspace onto the device. If the device is a
printer, all procedures are printed.
SETREAD device:filename causes RC and RL to get input from filename on device
SETREAD [] closes the file and redirects RC and RL back to
keyboard
SETWRITE device:filename starts the process of sending to filename on
the device a copy of all the characters
displayed on the screen
SETWRITE [] closes the file
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special Primitives
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CALL n transfers control to a machine language subroutine
starting at address n (decimal)
DEPOSIT n byte writes byte to address n (decimal)
EXAMINE n outputs the contents of address n (decimal)
PRIMITIVES prints the list of Logo primitives
SETSCR n sets aspect ratio to n
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special Keys
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATARI key / Reverse Video key after this key is pressed, all characters
typed appear in reverse video on the screen
* BREAK aborts whatever Logo is doing. If editing, changes
made in the edit buffer will be ignored. Clears the
line being typed at the toplevel.
* Ctrl -> moves cursor right
* Ctrl <- moves cursor left
* Ctrl {up arrow} moves cursor up
* Ctrl {down arrow} moves cursor down
* Ctrl 1 makes Logo stop scrolling until Ctrl 1 is typed again
* Ctrl A moves cursor to beginning of line
* Ctrl CLEAR deletes text from cursor to end of line
* Ctrl DELETE erases character at cursor position
* Ctrl E moves cursor to end of line
Ctrl F devotes entire screen to graphics
Ctrl Insert opens a new line at cursor position
Ctrl S splits screen: top for graphics, bottom for text
Ctrl T devotes entire screen to text
Ctrl V scrolls screen to next page in editor
Ctrl W scrolls screen to previous page in editor
Ctrl X moves cursor to start of edit buffer
* Ctrl Y In editor, inserts contents of delete buffer.
Outside editor, inserts the last command
Ctrl Z moves cursor to end of edit buffer
* DELETE erases character to left of cursor
ESC completes editing and exits to toplevel
F1, F2, F3, F4 cursor control keys that can be programmed
* RETURN completes line and moves cursor to start of next line
* Shift DELETE deletes text from cursor position to end of current
line
Shift INSERT opens a new line at the current cursor position
\ (Backslash) tells Logo to interpret the character following it
literally as a character rather than keeping some
special meaning it might have. You have to backslash
[, ], (, ), +, -, /, =, <, > and itself.
SYSTEM REBOOT reboots Logo, erasing memory space
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Input Words
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
byte a number from 0..255
colornumber 0..127
condnumber 0..21
degree -9999.9999..9999.9999
device "C: (cassette), "D: (disk), and "P: (printer)
the " and : are required
distance -9999.9999..9999.9999
duration 0..255
freq 14..64000
joysticknumber 0..3
paddlenumber 0..7
pennumber 0..2
shapenumber 0..15
shapespec a list of 16 numbers
turtlenumber 0..3
voice 0..1
volume 0..15
8-Bit Feature Article #3
---------------------
Using the Atari 1020 Printer/Plotter with Ronnie Riche's TextPRO
By Steve Wallace
TEXTPRO FORMATTING COMMANDS
Margins (and other TextPro features) are set by text formatting commands.
With TextPro, these are usually placed at the top of the document and
are entered by holding the [SELECT] key while typing a _lower case_
letter. On the screen, the letter should appear in inverse video.
Below is a list of the most important text formatting commands
and their defaults:
[SELECT] + Key Default
-------------- -------
b bottom margin................58
c center text.................none
d down page with count........none
e edge right..................none
f footer define...............none
g go to linked file...........none
h header define...............none
i information line............none
k down page w/o count.........none
l left margin..................5
m margin release..............none
n next page, conditional with #0
p page length..................66
q justify right 0=off 1=on.....off
r right margin.................75
t top margin...................5
w page wait....................off
x columns across...............80
y set z-margin................none
z z-margin.....................5
# page number.................none
@ starting page number.........1
? print starting with #........1
& stop at page................none
! skip # pages during print....0
To set the margin to 40 columns, enter these lines at the top of your
document:
[ SELECT-l ]0[RETURN]
[ SELECT-r ]40[RETURN]
[ SELECT-x ]40[RETURN]
Hold the [SELECT] key while typing the letter and release it while
typing the number. All of these commands can be typed on the same
line with only one [RETURN] at the end if you want. The numbers
associated with the "l" and "r" set the actual margin widths. The "x"
number sets maximum page width (the printer's column width) and is used
during line centering.
TEXTPRO PRINTKEYS
TextPro doesn't use printer drivers as some word processors do. It's
possible to send commands to your printer at printout time by
imbedding them in your text file. The method used in TextPro is to
assign a printkey that represents each printer feature. Each printkey
uses an _upper case_ letter typed while holding the [SELECT] key.
On-screen in your document, the letter will appear in inverse video.
Most printers have a command set made up of "escape sequences".
During printout, the ASCII escape character is sent to the printer
followed by the command character. The escape character can be included
in your text file by pressing the [Esc] key twice. A special escape
symbol should be displayed on the screen at the cursor location on the
second press. The command character will be the assigned printkey and
will also be included in the text.
To assign printkeys for the Atari 1020 printer, boot up TextPro and
type in the following printkey assignments:
[ SELECT-N ]=14[RETURN]
[ SELECT-P ]=16[RETURN]
[ SELECT-S ]=19[RETURN]
[ SELECT-W ]=23[RETURN]
[ SELECT-X ]=24[RETURN]
Hold the [ SELECT ] key while typing the letter, and release it for the
equals sign and number. These five lines should be placed at the top of
your document either above or below any formatting commands. They will
define your printkeys. They may be written to a file by themselves
which you would load before typing in your text if you don't want to
have to type them in each time.
To use a printkey to invoke a printer feature, type the [Esc] key
twice and hold the [SELECT] key while typing the upper case printkey
letter. The escape symbol and inverse printkey letter should be
positioned just before where the printer feature you want to use
begins. Here is how to type the printkeys into your text and what
they mean:
printer Feature Escape Sequence
-------------- ---------------
20 Columns........[Esc][Esc][SELECT]P
40 Columns........[Esc][Esc][SELECT]N
80 Columns........[Esc][Esc][SELECT]S
Start Intnl Char..[Esc][Esc][SELECT]W
Stop Intnl Char...[Esc][Esc][SELECT]X
When setting printer column width with printkeys, keep in mind you
will also have to set TextPro margins and columns across to
prevent words from being broken at the ends of printed lines.
International characters can be printed on paper, but will show up
on-screen as a different symbol. To print international characters on
paper, turn on the feature with the printkey. Type the [Esc] character
_once_, then hold the [CONTROL] key and type a letter key where you want
the international character to appear. At printout time, the
international character associated with that letter key will be printed
on paper. You can use TextPro to make a chart that you can print out
and keep that will show all international characters. Type the
international printkey first, then make a list like this:
A [Esc][CONTROL-A][RETURN]
B [Esc][CONTROL-B][RETURN]
C [Esc][CONTROL-C][RETURN]
...
...
...
Z [Esc][CONTROL-Z][RETURN]
Hope this helps you to better use your Atari 1020 with TextPro.
Steve Wallace
8-Bit Commentary
----------------
*Whew*, I think that was the longest 8-bit computers section for the
CAIN Newsletter yet!
Until next month,
-Michael Current
16/32-bit Support Area
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Thomas Main
Falcon Software Reviews by Mark Stephen Smith (msh@dl.ac.uk)
~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each month I hope to look at different parts of the Falcon PD scene, whether
the software is old or new. I will give my opinions on the software as I see
it.
Falcon Games
~~~~~~ ~~~~~
Killing Impact
~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
A fairly recent addition to the PD games collection for the Falcon is a
shareware game called "Killing Impact". In this game you guide a small
character around a large colourful multi-directional scrolling background.
Your man can walk or using thrusters propel himself through the air, flying
around the scenary. Control is fairly good but it can be a little hard getting
your man to respond to turns when in flight.
The demo version of this game offers one large playfield to explore with
various colourful backgrounds and foregrounds. The purpose of the game is the
land with force upon the many creatures inhabitting this land thus killing them
(hence the name killing impact). Control when lining up to drop can be a
little tricky and without practice you will find yourself missing the target
and losing energy.
When killed, some creatures will release special pods which enhance your
character in many ways. Although the sprites are small, they are well drawn.
Scrolling is very smooth and there is a nice background soundtrack that is
fairly long. The game sounds are okay but nothing exceptional. An interesting
thing is the ability to change the colour values of the background graphics.
Using the numeric keypad you can raise or lower the Red, Green and Blue
attributes of the background, and reset them to default. This makes getting
the best out of your TV or monitor easy and also has a limited appeal in new
effects with colour you can get.
Overall the game isn't bad although the demo isn't really big enough to show
the games full potential. It is well executed but could do with just a little
more to make the game play stand out.
Overall 6/10
Vertical Mayhem
~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
Another Tetris based columns game for the Falcon. There are two types of game
but the harder one is recommended as the game graphics and music change as you
advance. The game doesn't offer any of the special features of some of the
other columns varients but does offer a good playable game.
The in game music is very good in my opinion although I find you need to crank
the volume up to hear it well. The graphics are attractive but little more
thanfunctional and don't really show off the Falcon's abilities in any way.
There is a high score table but unfortunately it doesn't save your scores which
is a shame.
Despite it's plain and simple nature this game has a one more game appeal to it
and as such I recommend it to anyone who likes to relax with a good puzzle
game. Overall 7/10
Nethack
~~~~~~~
A port of the famous game based upon Moria. This version introduces graphics
although only small and using a limited 16 colours. The game requires a
resolution of 640x480 with 16 colours to work properly, and although it can be
run in lower or higher resolutions I have found it unstable or buggy to do so.
The game utilises GEM and therefore is fairly slow in redraws, it also supports
MultiTOS. The game itself is a top view down RPG. Control a character based
on a class you choose and guide him/her through the many dungeons, mines, and
castles that exist in the game. The game is huge and luckily therefore you can
make a save, however upon restoring a save it is wiped from disk meaning if
you die your character is lost.
The game is playable although a little hard, but it is fun meeting new monsters
or finding interesting objects. With a little cheating I managed to progress
as far as level 18 before getting fed up of been killed over and over again.
This game really does take a dedicated player to complete and can be very hard
and frustrating at times.
It is however a fairly good game with a lot of depth and is therefore worth a
try if you like this sort of game. Graphically it is little more than
functional but still better than other versions which don't use graphics but
keyboard characters instead. Sound is none existent but I enjoyed using an
accessory module player to have backgound music whilst playing.
To use on a TV set at 640x480 you will require an overrrscan program and for
this I used "Multiblow" which worked fine. Overall and in depth and difficult
game but one not to be without if you are a fan of this genre.
Overall 6/10
Graphics
~~~~~~~~
Apex Media Demo
~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~
If you don't already own the full program but want a Falcon art package check
this out. The demo is supplied with English, French and German versions and
contains everything the full package does with the exception that the save
doesn't work.
What do you get?
A full design, image handling, and animation suite in one program. The biggest
drawback of the demo is that there aren't any examples to show it off. If you
are looking for an art package this should be enough to stop you looking. It
has everything you could want and operates at amazing speeds, giving excellent
results. The lack of save limits it but it is still excellent fun to play
with. Get it!
(NOTE: Several of the programs tools require the manual to understand or get
the best results from. Do not be put off by not fully understanding it).
Overall 9/10 (10/10 for the full version)
JPEG Viewer v2.20
~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~
A shareware JPEG viewer. The unregistered version doesn't use the DSP. This
viewer will allow you to view JPEG, GIF and TGA file formats. Interlaced
GIF's aren't supported however.
You select the file to be viewed from the menu and it loads into memory
displaying it as it does so. It doesn't like overscan very much and will often
result in a crash or messed up screen if used. Decompression is good even with
the unregistered version and the display is in 16 Bit colour (not 24 Bit).
Results are normally good and you can alter luminence thresholds. It is
possible to tag views for a slide show although to do this they must all be on
the same drive and in the same directory.
It will automatically choose between low or high res when loading the picture
and will use overscan to give a larger screen. However unlike some viewers it
does not compress the picture so it fits on screen. To get around the problem
of losing the image of the edge of the screen you can scroll the screen with
the arrow keys, and half size the image with the spacebar.
It is also possible before loading a file to view information on it. This will
tell you about the image size, how much memory it requires, if it is a GIF if
it is interlaced or not, and if it is a JPEG what compression it uses.
Overall a good program definately worth considering for viewing pictures.
Overall 8/10
Utilities
~~~~~~~~~
MultiBlow
~~~~~~~~~
Well I've already mentioned it so I thought I should review it. MultiBlow is
an overscan configuration utility for the Falcon when used on a TV. You can
use it to set the resolution of different colour modes and the size of
interlaced overscans.
For instance you would have:
16 Colours 40 column 80 column Non-Interlace Interlace
320 640 200 400
Now if you choose 40 column it would change the 320 to 384, or if you chose
Interlace you would get 480, 560, etc. Resolutions up to 768 x 560 in True
Colour are possible on a TV using this program. Also if you choose the ST
Modesyou can get 1200 or 1600 x 240 (Too thin to read).
Once you have set your resolutions for each colour mode save the settings and
with the main program installed in the AUTO folder reboot. When selecting a
colour mode and column and interlace setting from SET VIDEO you will now get
the new overscan modes you set. If you are not happy with them simply run the
editor again and change the settings. Save the settings and reload that mode
and you will have the new resolution.
Drawbacks!
Well there are some drawbacks in that there are several programs that don't
like overscan and therefore you will have to disable this program in the Auto
folder for it to work.
Overall it is a very good program and worth having if you only have a TV and
arefed up with the normal resolutions.
Overall 7/10
Next Month
~~~~ ~~~~~
Hopefully next month I'll have a review of the full version of the great game
Towers II, and a look at many more Falcon PD programs.
Portfolio Support Area
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Fred Horvat
Source: Mark S. Smith's Atari WWW Site.
http://www.mcc.ac.uk/~dlms/atari.html
Portfolio Club Announced!
-------------------------
I and several friends run a Portfolio club in the Czech Republic. We make
programs and develop peripherals.
I would like to get in contact with as many other users as possible. Any news
about Portfolio activities both on the NET or in the "outer" World would be
welcome.
Please email any information to:
Jan Sedlak Portfolio Club
Sarajevska 29 252 45 posta Zvole
120 00 Praha 2 the Czech Republic
phone: +42 2 691 11 63 phone: +42 2 99 61 894
sedlakj@dec59.ruk.cuni.cz
Lynx Support Area
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Barry Cantin
Lynx News
---------
Bubble Trouble Hints/ Tips part 2 will be available in the next issue of the
CAIN Newsletter. E-mail me (aa852@cleveland.freenet.edu) in the meantime if
you're playing Bubble Trouble and we can compare notes. %^)
***************************************
Upcoming Lynx Releases
Still no word from Atari Corp. on the release of those four Lynx titles (Eye
of the Beholder, Fat Bobby, Super Asteroids/Missile Command, and BattleZone
2000). They are completed and awaiting production at this point.
However, Telegames will release Krazy Ace Miniature Golf sometime in
mid-April. This title was reviewed in a 1992 issue of Electronic Gaming
Monthly, and was originally due sometime in spring of that year.
No word on how many courses it will include, or whether or not it will be a
"limited edition prototype format" like Bubble Trouble and Super Off-Road
(released last August). Telegames has listed it in their current catalogue
but it has not come back from production yet... The price is currently set
at $39.95. CAIN will keep you posted on these new releases as they are made
available.
***************************************
Lynx T-Tris available!
Yes, that's right, a genuine Tetris game is available NOW for the Atari Lynx.
It's called "T-Tris" and comes to us from Germany. T-Tris is a "private"
release, in that it wasn't distributed through a company such as Atari or
Telegames, but rather through Christian Lenikus -- who has a few of these
available.
This is good ol' fashioned Tetris, with the standard Tetris brick set:
_____ _____ ____ ____
| ___| |___ | |__ |__ |__ |__
|_| |_| |____| |____|
_ _____
__| |__ ___________ | |
|_______| |___________| | |
|_____|
The game has 9 levels of difficulty, where Level 1 is ennui and Level 9 is
absolute *mayhem*.
When the game is powered up, the word "T-Tris" appears on the screen
initially, then another screen with a (really nice) rotating cube comes up.
Game credits appear, then you get the game menu (along with a bit of Star
Trek music!).
The game menu consists entirely of level selection, 1 through 9. After
choosing the level, the game starts.
T-Tris makes great use of the Lynx color palette. Each piece has its own
distinct shade; this makes it easier to quickly associate the new bricks as
they start to drop.
The game screen consists of three main parts: (1) status windows on the left,
which have info on time played, # of lines completed, score, the level you're
currently on (1-9), high score, and player # (if comlynxed); (2) game area
(25 X 10 grid), and (3) screens showing the # of each brick type used so far,
as well as the upcoming brick.
The control is basic -- you can move the brick left, right, or down with the
joypad, or rotate the brick counter-clockwise with the B-button. Pressing
the A-button drops the brick, as does down on the joypad.
There is no music, but there are some nice digitized sounds which are part of
the gameplay. Completing a line produces the "door-open/close" sound from
Star Trek. When you've completed enough lines to advance to the next level a
voice tells you as much (in German). When you lose the game you hear a "nah
nah nah nah naaaaah naaah". And so forth.
T-Tris is comlynxable, so that you can play head-to-head. The rules are
slightly different, in this case; example: if one player completes two rows
simultaneously, then all other players find that they have a row, randomly
filled, shifted into the bottom of the shaft (their piles of blocks become
higher by one row).
The game card is a bare circuit board with a chip attached, and comes in a
protective orange case (which can hold three other cards). The card fits in
both Lynx I and Lynx II models. English instructions are included.
T-Tris was programmed by Bastian Schick of Frankfurt, and the hardware was
laid out by Lars Baumstark of Munstertal, Germany.
For ordering information, contact Christian Lenikus at the following address:
100344.1070@compuserve.com
The cost of the game is US$50 and they are "made to order". The game cards
are guaranteed to work or he'll replace them for you.
Lynx Traders' Mailing List
--------------------------
Those Lynx owners with e-mail access can benefit from the Lynx Traders' mailing
list maintained by Daniel Woodard. Members of the list can list games that
they have for sale/for trade and games that they are looking for. For more
information contact:
Dan Woodard
11412 T.R. 100
Kenton, Ohio 43326
Internet: sa073@getty.onu.edu
Jaguar Support Area
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Len Stys
Interview with Laury Scott, Atari VP of Manufacturing & Operations
------------------------------------------------------------------
Len Stys
If you read Atari Explorer Online, you know that it was the first
publication to get an interview with Atari's VP of Manufacturing &
Operations, Mr. Laury Scott. The interview was great, but I thought
of some great questions that I thought needed to be asked. So I asked
them to Laury and he answered most of them. There were some questions
that he stated he could not answer which were concerning the future
of the Lynx. He stated he could not answer these questions because they
were not for him to answer. The interview is very informative and
I thank Laury Scott for the time he took to answer my questions. All
of which were answered while he was overseas.
L.STYS> How was Atari able to bring down the price of the Jaguar?
L.SCOTT> There are two factors that contribute to this. The first is that
we look at the video game business like Gillette looks at the razor/
razorblade business. We believe that the Jaguar console is like the razor.
We must sell it at the best price possible. If that means selling without
any profit to meet certain price points we will do so. We will make our
profit on the software (the razorblades). The second is that we are
regularly looking for ways to drive costs down. We have reduced the cost
of the console by continually looking at better (lower cost) ways of
doing things. My group is always looking for lower cost (but NOT lower
quality) components. Our engineering group is always working on ways to
further integrate the hardware design. And finally remember that although
Jaguar looks and plays like the $400 games we have done it with a cartridge
based game and not a CD based product.
L.STYS> Why has Atari decided to attack the 16-bit market with the
64-bit Jaguar instead of just staying with the other systems that are
predicted to cost $250+?
L.SCOTT> We don't believe that we are attacking the 16-bit market.
Jack Tramiel's philosophy has always been to provide the consumer with a
feature based product at a competitive price. We are continuing to work
to this philosphy. Furthermore, the video game market is extremely price
sensitive. As prices go down sales volumes increase. At $149-159 we
believe that we not only have the best next generation system but the best
value for money available.
L.STYS> How long does it take a Jaguar game to be manufactured in mass
quantities and released to retailers after it is released from beta-test?
L.SCOTT> For a cartridge based game it used to take several months but
through hard work we have now been able to bring this down to 5-6 weeks.
I have been able to do it on occasion in 4-5 weeks and I am hoping to get
to the point that I can do it every time in under 5 weeks.
L.STYS> As most of the online Jag players know by now, the Jaguar will be
getting a new PowerPad joypad controller. Will this new controller be
completely compatible with all present games?
L.SCOTT> Yes. The new controller will be compatible with all existing
games.
L.STYS> Will the present Jag controller become obsolete due to this new
six button joypad controller?
L.SCOTT> This is really a marketing decision. It is obvious that the new
controller will cost a little more than the existing controller and the
additional buttons are not required for some games. I will let you know
when the decision will be made public.
L.STYS> How do the new shift keys work on this new Jag controller?
L.SCOTT> The left and right 'shift' keys are wired in parallel with the
4 and 6 keys repectively. Their use is entirely up to the discretion of
the game programmers. In some cases they will configure them as a 'fire'
button. Using Checkered Flag as an example one of these could be the
'gas' and the other the 'brake'. In other games they will be a 'shift'
key. This means that key 'A' would be one command but by pressing
'Left Shift' and 'A' it would have another. If you were trying to rotate
your field of view in a game (like Iron Soldier) pressing 'A' could rotate
you slowly while 'Left Shift' 'A' rotated you quickly.
L.STYS> When will this new Jaguar controller be available to purchase?
L.SCOTT> The new Jaguar controller will be in stores in June.
L.STYS> Will this new Jaguar controller be shipping with Jaguar systems by
the end of Summer?
L.SCOTT> This is a marketing decision.
L.STYS> Is the Jaguar 2 or what I call "Cougar" still planned to be
completely compatible with the present Jaguar?<<
L.SCOTT> Our design goal is for Jaguar 2 to be completely downward
compatible. In other words all existing Jaguar '1' software would play on
Jaguar 2.
L.STYS> Is it physically possible to offer an upgrade for the present
Jaguar to be compatible with the next generation Jaguar when this system
is released?
L.SCOTT> There are currently no plans for such a product. It would
probably be nearly as expensive as Jaguar 2 and therefore makes no sense.
L.STYS> The Jaguar+CD integrated unit may be released in the U.S. this
year. Is there any possibility that it will have JPEG compression
software built-into the hardware just as future 3DO units will?
L.SCOTT> As far as I understand it our cartridge based games are already
using JPEG compression software. I have heard that one of our earlier
2 Megabyte game cartridges contains about 48 Megabytes of data. (Note:
I don't know if others contain more or less I just know about this one.)
L.STYS> Jaguar Voice-Data Modem - Is Atari holding it up or is the
company designing it?
L.SCOTT> Most things in life are not black or white but shades of grey.
In the case of our Jaguar modem there are a number of factors 'holding up'
this product. Some are our responsibility and others aren't. We are
working to bring this product to as soon as it is practical to do so.
L.STYS> What are you doing away from the nice, warm, Sunnyvale, CA?
L.SCOTT> Drying out! <g> California has been very wet this year. It rained
27 days in January (setting a new record). Sunnyvale may change its name
to Rainyvale if this keeps up.
Actually, my job requires a fair bit of traveling. I need to regularly visit
our manufacturers as well as our key component suppliers. In addition, I
need to continually look for better ways of doing things.
L.STYS> You seem like you have a lot of duties at Atari. Do you work long
hours to accomplish everything?
L.SCOTT> I haven't yet found the way to be successful without working hard.
In Sunnyvale I normally put in 55-60 hour weeks.
L.STYS> How old are you?
L.SCOTT> 49 years young.
L.STYS> You are the Vice President of Manufacturing/Operations at Atari
Corporation. One of the most famous companies of all time. And you seem
to be doing a very good job at what you do. What is the secret to your
success?
L.SCOTT> Thank you! This is not an easy question to answer. There are a
number of factors contributing to my successfully doing my job. To list
a few:
1) I feel that a lot of business is relationships and try to deal with both
suppliers and customers in an open and honest fashion.
2) I believe that I have been blessed with good common sense. This enables
me to solve most problems.
3) I try to deal with problems as they occur. I feel that very few
decisions will seriously damage a company but not making decisions will
definitely cause damage.
4) I try to give my staff as much responsibility as they are willing to
accept.
5) And as I mentioned above - hard work.
-End of Interview-
Internet Reviews
----------------
THEME PARK
----------
>Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari,alt.atari-jaguar.discussion
From: rjung@netcom.com (Robert A. Jung)
Date: Sun Mar 26 19:45:07 1995
Okay, let's see what's in the box...
==============================================================================
Theme Park
1 Player
Cartridge
Ocean, for the Atari Jaguar
$69.95
OVERVIEW:
So, you think Michael Eisner's pulling in easy money? Ever wonder how Six
Flags gets away with charging $3.50 for a cup of Pepsi? Think you can do a
better job? If so, then Ocean's THEME PARK for the Atari Jaguar is for you.
This port of the computer simulation from Bullfrog Productions puts you in
charge of designing and maintaining a world-class amusement center. Every
aspect of park operation, from placing refreshment stands and roller coaster
tracks to labor negotiations, stock trading, and visitor satisfaction is your
responsibility. Plan well and you can amass a fortune by building parks
throughout the world; plan poorly, and you'll go bankrupt soon enough. A
number of options let you set the difficulty and complexity levels, and five
different games can be saved to the cartridge.
GAMEPLAY:
The biggest strength of THEME PARK is its complexity, as the game offers
an overwhelming number of features, options, and decisions. None of them are
trivial, which provides plenty of room for strategies. But this also makes
the game difficult to learn. Even with a sixty-six page instruction manual, a
brief built-in tutorial, and your advisor's helpful hints, you'll need several
short sessions before you learn all the controls and become familiar with how
to activate all of the features.
One of the things that bother me about some simulator games is the lack of
a concrete goal. In SIM CITY, for instance, there's little incentive to play
it again once you've successfully built a thriving metropolis. THEME PARK
avoids that problem by being very competition-oriented: in the full game mode,
you're not only running the park, but also fending off hostile takeovers,
investing in competitors, and trying to make your park the most popular
worldwide. On the other hand, it's possible to play a less demanding game and
avoid the problems that you wish to avoid.
While all this sounds wonderful, what keeps THEME PARK from greatness are
numerous minor flaws that, taken together, huts the experience. The controls
are sometimes sluggish, selecting small objects is difficult, and option
dialogues have inconsistent controls. The monetary unit is confusing; are you
spending dollars, pounds, dimes, or yen, and why are guests willing to pay 180
of it to visit? There seems to be no optimization of the Jaguar itself, as a
little slowdown occurs when things get frantic.
The biggest disappointment is the game save feature. The only time you
can save a game is at the end of the year, and only after you auction off your
current park. The only data recorded is your balance and the countries you've
built parks in; when you restore a game, you're essentially starting from
scratch. This means you need several hours of uninterrupted play during each
game session (to build and develop a new park), and loses the feeling of
accomplishment that makes other simulations fun.
GRAPHICS/SOUND:
The graphics on THEME PARK are merely serviceable, lifted directly from
the computer game and don't take advantage of the Jaguar's capabilities at
all. Rides and objects are identifiable, but the animation is simple.
Scrolling is done in fixed jumps, which distracts a little. Most annoying,
though, are the small graphics. Text and icons originally formatted for a
high-resolution monitor comes out smudged on a regular television screen. I
was able to find out what some icons did only with trial and error, while the
text on a few buttons and screens still remains unreadable. If you don't have
a large-screen TV or a monitor attached to your Jaguar, be prepared to do some
deciphering of blobs and blurs.
The sounds fare better, though they're still somewhat sparse. The music
consists of a variety of bouncy amusement park tunes, which play during the
regular day-to-day operations of the park. Sound effects come from a wide
series of digitized samples, like cheering kids to racing roller coasters and
"disturbed digestion," which are sprinkled through the game. They're all very
clear and amusing enough, but there's nothing that stands out, and often the
game is simply mute.
SUMMARY:
THEME PARK on the Jaguar is a case of approach-avoidance: there's a fun
and engrossing game here, but various flaws (most notably the save-game
feature) keep the player from totally embracing it. This is a cartridge best
recommended for the simulation buff who's looking for an unusual challenge and
can spend several hours for each play session. For them, THEME PARK will
easily provide months of entertainment, despite its warts.
GAMEPLAY: 7
GRAPHICS: 6
SOUND: 6.5
OVERALL: 6.5
Rating values 10 - 8 Great! This game can't get much better.
7 - 5 Good. Average game, could be improved.
4 - 2 Poor. For devotees only.
1 Ick. Shoot it.
==============================================================================
Pity. A good first effort from Ocean, but the rough edges could have used
a bit more polishing...
--R.J.
B-)
SENSIBLE SOCCER
---------------
>Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari
Subject: Sensi Soccer Reviewish
From: bseddon@molbiol.ox.ac.uk
Date: Wed Apr 5 11:45:03 1995
I got Sensible Soccer last night, so here is a quick first impressions.
For those who don't know, this is a conversion (by Renegade software) of
Sensible Software's football game (on ST, Amiga + others). This is the
International version and features both national squads and major sides from
many countries, complete with players etc. I think this is based on last
season (Leeds Utd weren'y featured, boo hoo!).
Presentation :
is slick, with pretty graphics for the startup screens and
option menus for the game, all the while playing some average digitised
computer music. After a while, it kicks into a demo.
Game play :
The game plays very smooth and fast. You control one player at a time,
usually the one nearest the ball. Whilst in possesion of the ball, you can
pass, kick (hoof) or shoot with the ball, using the joypad to swerve it
shortly after striking. This will require some practice I suspect! Whilt
defending (i.e. not in possession) you can slide tackle opponents, though
doing so from behind can result in a foul. Dive heading the ball is also
possible with higher balls and is very satisfying, especially in front of your
own goal! Player control is good and responds
to keypad clicks without delay resulting to a nice sensation of control.
Passing between players works well. Player sprites are small, so a large area
of the pitch is visible at any one time, so building up complex moves over
half the pitch is possible. No kicking the ball off screen and hoping there
is some one there!
If you've played SS on another platform, you'll know all this already. If
not, then this is a great football simulation! Fast paced action with lots of
ball control. Hurrah!!
Graphics and Sound:
The sounds are adequate with a satisfying thumb when kicking the ball and a
reasonable repertoire of crowd noises, which change with the game, e.g.
drumming sounds at corners, cheering at goals. This all adds very well to the
atmosphere. The graphics deviate little from other versions, with small but
perfectly formed sprites for all the players. Whilst you hear the crowd, you
don't see it, with all screen area dedicated to the pitch.
This is hardly a 64bit show piece, but the graphics work well for the game.
Game Options:
Many, many, many. This is where the true strength of this game lies. The
combination of good game play with all the options gives the game a long
lasting appeal. There is included just about every International competition
a footballer could want to enter, and then some! There are knock out
competitions, with either 1 or 2 legs, away goal rules or not as you like,
world cup style cometitions with inital groups followed by knock out, European
cup, European cup winners cup, + leagues of various description.
All this either as a National side or as a club side playing internationally.
There is much more stuff too.
Sum up:
If you like football, get this game as it lives up to all its hype. If you
don't, get this and you will!
Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 7
Sound: 8
OVERALL: 8.5
Ben...
SENSIBLE SOCCER
---------------
From: adw@ukc.ac.uk (A.D.Webber)
Date: Mon Apr 3 06:52:22 1995
Short Review of Sensible Soccer
Well, I popped into my local computer/video games shop (Computer World here in
Canterbury) and picked up a copy of Sensible Soccer for the Jaguar
(@52.99 UK pounds). So, I thought I'd post a short review...
The Jaguar version of sensible soccer does not spectacular (but then it
probably wouldn't be the same game if it did). The options screens and actual
game screen look fairly similar to other versions I have seem (namely the Super
NES version).
I haven't had a chance to play it for too long but so far I have found it easy
to control. I do, however, keep losing...
On a positive side the sound is quite nice and the use of stereo is also quite
good.
So, in summary very similar to the other versions of Sensible Soccer with one
or two improvements (minor). So far I've had most fun playing against a friend
rather than the computer as at least I was able to win...
Lloyd. :-)
P.S: Picked it up Saturday the 1st of April which must have been close to when
it arrived in store as it hadn't been entered into their computer stock system
and it wasn't there when I looked two days earlier. Plus it really was there
(i.e. not an April fools day joke).
Jaguar Messages of Interest
---------------------------
From: jeking@xmission.xmission.com (James King)
>Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari
Subject: Activision to release 2600 games for Jag
Date: Thu Mar 30 09:43:27 1995
I was in a conference on Compu$erve last night with Activision (they were
announcing the release of their 2600 Action Pack), when the owner (?)
announced that the 2600 Action Pack would be released for the Jaguar as
well as the PC, MAC, SEGA, SEGA CD and other platforms. In addition, he
hinted about Pitfall, the Mayan Adventure being released for the Jag also.
I won a free copy of RETURN to ZORK for my PC! (hardly ever use my 486
66, but this might be a nice opportunity to try an old game released!)
From: mrathwel@uoguelph.ca (Mark Rathwell)
>Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari
Subject: Atari's PC publishing company?
Date: Thu Mar 30 19:18:57 1995
In a recent article in "Next Generation", Sam Tramiel mentioned
that Atari was going into the CD-ROM publishing business under a
different name. Does anyone know anything more about this?
>> Mark <<
=============================================================================
Mark Rathwell The University Of Guelph
mrathwel@uoguelph.ca or av999@Freenet.Carleton.CA
From: swolff@oregon.uoregon.edu (Steve Wolff)
>Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari
Subject: Jag CD When? "NOT TILL SUMMER"
Date: Thu Mar 30 16:42:31 1995
1-800-GO-ATARI
A lady employee at atari says the Jag CD has been postponed to the
beginning of Summer "SHE DID NOT KNOW WHY!!!"
Darn I really want that thing, but if its a delay for software
improvements so be it. Developers for Atari really need to make the
system shine.
A Good RPG would be nice, but of course everyone is dying for anything new
and good.
Oh yeah, for those Developers out there. I purchase only good quality
games, and I remember which Developers put out the crap and will not buy
or recommend others to buy from these people.
On the other side I do buy and recommend highly games that are of good
quality such as AVP, Iron Soldier, Tempest 2000... I will probaly buy
everything Jeff Minter Produces for the Jaguar. I can't wait for Defender
2000 "GREAT PROGRAMMER/GAMER"
later :^)
--
****************************************
swolff@oregon.uoregon.edu (Steve Wolff)
****************************************
Jaguar Commentary
-----------------
Len Stys
1995 Is the Year that Atari needs to get things Done
If you have observed Atari Corp. for the last several years as I have,
you have noticed that the company always seems to come up short with what
the company needs to do. The company may produce a fantastic product, but
it is unable to manufacture it properly, or market it properly, or
distribute it properly. Atari has always come up short in the past and
that is why Atari is not a billion dollar company today.
Let's take a look at how Atari is doing in some key areas:
Product--The Jaguar 64-bit technology was approximately 2 years ahead of
the competition. But starting September, the Jaguar technology will be
equal to if not slightly behind other competing systems. The main
advantage for the Jaguar going into the Christmas 1995 shopping season
will no doubt be its price (around $150).
-= Job IS Getting Done =-
Product Accessories--There is no Jaguar CD-ROM which was promised to be
on store shelves over a year ago. There is no voice-modem which was
promised to be on store shelves six months ago. Each of these products
have been delayed time and time again. The new Jaguar controller is
suppose to be released in June. The Virtuality headgear is suppose to be
released in December.
-= Job NOT Getting Done =-
Product Software--There are fewer than 25 games on the market for the
Jaguar as of March 31, 1995. Sam Tramiel, President of Atari promised
that there would be over 50 games by this time. Atari recently made
deals with Williams and Acclaim to get some popular titles for the Jaguar,
but this will most likely not happen until 1996. There have been no
Accolade titles released by Atari as of yet even though Atari made a deal
with Accolade when the system was first released. The only games
utilizing Atari's voice-modem are third-party games--not even Atari made
games. Time Warner's gaming division which has produced many games for
Sega and Nintendo systems has not produced one game for the Jaguar.
And Time Warner owns 25% of Atari. Atari has not made any known agreements
with major game companies like Electronic Arts, Sierra, LucasArts,
Dynamix, and others.
-= Job NOT Getting Done =-
Manufacturing--The Jaguar base unit is selling at most retail stores for
the price of $149.95. The system continues to be built very solid.
The cartridge games are being produced and released in a little over a
month. Other game manufacturers take as long as three months to produce
a release a game cartridge. The Jaguar CD-ROM unit will be sold for
under $150 with a game. This is a $50 price reduction of what the unit
was originally to cost.
-= Job IS Getting Done =-
Distribution--Electronics Boutique, Babbages, WaldenSoftware, and other
smaller stores continue to carry the Jaguar. Not all of the Toys "R" Us
stores carry the Jaguar yet. Larger electronic stores such as Best Buy
and Circuit City are not carrying the Jaguar. Walmart which at one time
prided itself on carrying USA made goods is not carrying the Jaguar.
If Atari does not hurry and get into these stores by this Summer, these
retailers will end up telling Atari: "Sorry, we are already carrying the
3DO, Saturn, and Ultra-64. We do not have room for the Jaguar on our
store shelves."
-= Job NOT getting Done =-
Marketing--Atari's marketing has improved in 1994 over the other years.
But it is still not good enough.
FOCUS: Sega is concentrating on getting the "Sega" name known to consumers.
This is demonstrated by the repeated yelling of "Sega!" by people/animals
at the end of their commercials. There are two reasons for this:
1) It is much more expensive to educate consumers of a specific product
name than just promote a name that consumers are already faimilar with.
2) Sega is/will be releasing many video game products in the future and
the company wants companies to think of Sega when they think of video games.
Atari, on the other hand, a company with little money, has opted to go
the expensive route and educate consumers about a specific name. Most
people remember "Atari" and it would have probably been much more cost
effective to concentrate on the "Atari" name when selling the Jaguar
instead of trying to educate people about what a "Jaguar" is all about.
If you ask people off the street what the Jaguar is, I doubt they are
going to say Atari's new 64-bit system. They will probably tell you what
they've told me and that is they thought it was some kind of video game
adapter for the Sega or Nintendo system.
SLOGAN: When people hear "Do+The+Math", it does not stick in their minds
like "You can't do this on a Nintendo" or "Welcome to the Next Level"
or even Atari's very old "Have you played Atari today?" The slogan really
says little about the Jaguar or Atari and since most kids do not like
math, it may discourage sales instead of encouraging them. And Atari's
critics claim that the company wants you to do the math because the system
has two 32-bit processors and is not true 64-bit. But Atari plans to use
the "Do+The+Math" slogan again this Spring when promoting the Jaguar.
Maybe the slogan will work in 1995 when it didn't work in 1994?
VISUAL: None of Atari's commercials have SHOWN what the Jaguar looks like!
The commercials just talk of the Jaguar 64-bit system without giving the
consumer anything visual to go on. One of the commercials could have at
least shown consumers what they are looking for when they go to the store.
AUDIO: The theme behind selling the Jaguar should be "power" since it is
supposedly the most powerful game system out there. But not even the
announcer's voice is any of the commercials is strong or powerful sounding.
Commercials should leave kids an impression of power.
AWARENESS: Most dedicated video game players know about the Jaguar.
This is because they read video game magazines and they keep up with the
latest products. But the general consumer does not know about Atari's
return to the video game industry. They do not know there is a 64-bit
system on the market. Why? Perhaps Atari needs to produce a direct
and to-the-point commercial stating what the Jaguar is, who produces it,
what great games are for it, and how much it costs. Nice and cute
commercials are just nice and cute. They often do not get the job done.
-= Job NOT Getting Done =-
In my opinion, Atari is not getting the job done where it should be
getting things done. This has nothing to do with money. It does have
a lot to do with management. I doubt that Time Warner would be
selling Atari's stock if Atari would have gotten Time Warner Interactive
committed to the Jaguar last year. Electronic Arts is/was committed to
3DO and it owns less stock in 3DO than Time Warner does Atari. Atari is
going to have to get things done this year. And with the "Do+The+Math"
campaign approaching, it seems like there is a lot to be done.
Atari WWW Support Area
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Mark S. Smith
Editor's Note: Mark Smith is busy this month moving his Atari Web Pages to
a new site. Mark Smith's WWW Support Area will return next
month. In the meantime check out his new site (and update
your links): http://www.mcc.ac.uk/~dlms/atari.html
-ML
<< Computer Shows >>
Updated: 03/31/95
To include shows (preferably shows that include Atari products),
for the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG's Show list and the CAIN newsletter,
send the show's name, date, location, and any additional information to
xx004@po.cwru.edu. Please address the e-mail with the subject
"Computer Show". The following information is correct to the best of our
knowledge. However, we cannot guarentee its accuracy. Corrections and
cancellations are therefore requested.
+-----------------+
|Shows at a Glance|
+-----------------+--------------+--------------------------+----------+
| Name | Location | Date |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------+----------|
|1. Atari Canadian Exhibition '95|Toronto, ONT Canada |04/01/95 |
|2. Spring All Micro Show 2 |Staffordshire S.G., UK |04/15/95 |
|3. MIST Atari Fest VII |Indianapolis, IND |07/29/95 |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
For more information on these shows, please consult the Atari SIG on the
Cleveland Free-Net (telnet to freenet-in-a.cwru.edu or Nextsun.ins.cwru.edu)
Once connected to the Free-Net type 'Go Atari' to get to the Atari SIG.
In addition to show information, the CAIN newsletter would like to print
any reports, summaries, or reviews of these and other recent shows. Please
send any of these articles to 'aa338@po.cwru.edu'
Thank-you...
Vote Issues and Results
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
<< Voting Booth >>
On occasion CAIN will conduct surveys on various issues affecting the Atari
Community. Results are then published in the following issue of CAIN. There
are now three methods for voting on these issues:
1> Cleveland Free-Net users may use the Voting Booth located on the
Atari SIG. It is option '11' off of the Atari SIG's main menu.
2> World Wide Web users can use CAIN's Virtual Voting Booth -- option
number '2' off of CAIN's WWW homepage. Use the following URL to
get to CAIN's WWW homepage:
http://ace.cs.ohiou.edu/personal/mleair/cain.html
3> Ballots are also excepted by internet e-mail. To vote for this
month's issue place "CAIN Vote 4-95" in the subject line of
the message. Next, cast your vote in the message body by entering
"Yes" or a "No". Send this email to:
mleair@bigbird.cs.ohiou.edu
This month's issue:
Do you think Atari Corp will resume manufacturing NEW games for
the Atari Lynx?
Please vote "Yes" or "No".
General Information of Need
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
How to Contribute to CAIN
-------------------------
For full details on contributing to CAIN, please check out the "CAIN Online
Newsroom," option 13 from the Atari SIG's main menu. In summary, we can
use articles, tutorials, and reviews on Atari products. The format is simple
--ASCII format with 80 characters per line. The text should be sent via
internet electronic mail to "xx004@freenet.cleveland.edu". All submissions
to CAIN become the property of CAIN, unless otherwise agreed upon.
Article Requests
----------------
Below are some suggestions of articles we would like to see in future
issues of CAIN. For a complete list of newsletter needs, please consult the
discussion board under the CAIN Online Newsroom (option 13 from the Atari
SIG's main menu).
Newsletter Needs
----------------
Communications: Any articles that fits into the area of communications (ie:
reviews, summaries, articles, tutorials on BBS systems, term or BBS
software, services, etc for any Atari computer) may be submitted to this
section. When submitting to this section, please address this article with
the subject "Communications."
File Archives: Any type of summary, review, or list of new files that
are on any Atari ftp archive will benefit our readers. Please address this
article with the subject "ftp archives."
Tutorials: CAIN is actively seeking any project, "how-to," and tutorial
articles for future issues of CAIN. These articles can be for any type of
Atari product. Please address this article with the subject "Tutorial
Submission."
Atari Shows: Not only can we use information on upcoming Atari Shows, but we
also can use reviews and summaries of recent Atari shows. Please address this
article with the subject "Atari Show Information."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
THOUGHT OF THE MONTH: Jag CD-ROM going way of ST CDAR-504? Let's hope not!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[C]entral [A]tari [I]nformation [N]etwork Newsletter Mar 31, 1995
Copyright (c) 1995 All Rights Reserved No.011
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Central Atari Information Network (CAIN) Newsletter is produced by Cain
Publishing and is no way affiliated with Atari Corporation. Cain Publishing
is made up of the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIGOps. CAIN Newsletter
editors/staff produce this publication on a volunteer basis strictly to
benefit users of Atari products. Views, and opinions expressed herein are
those of the article's author(s) and not necessarily those of the editors/
staff of CAIN Newsletter, the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG, or its
affiliates. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless
otherwise noted. Reprints must include: Name of article, author's name, name
of publication, date, and issue number. CAIN Newsletter may not be edited
in any way without prior written permission. CAIN Newsletter is believed
to be reasonably accurate. If any inaccurate information is found within,
please contact the editor of CAIN Newsletter and a correction will be made in
the next issue.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Atari, ST, Mega ST, STE, Mega STE, TT030, Atari Falcon030, TOS, MultiTOS,
NewDesk, BLiTTER, Atari Lynx, ComLynx, Atari Jaguar, Atari Portfolio,
Atari 400, 800, XL series, XE series, and the Atari Fuji Symbol are all
trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. The "Free-Net"
name is a Servicemark (SM) of the National Public Telecomputing Network
(NPTN). The Free-Net "FreePort" software is copyrighted by Case Western
Reserve University. FreePort is a registered trademark of Case Western
Reserve University. All other trademarks and identifying marks mentioned
in this issue belong to their respective owners.
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-----------------------------------------
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