Atari Explorer Online: 23-Nov-93 #0220
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 12/05/93-11:00:41 AM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: Atari Explorer Online: 23-Nov-93 #0220
Date: Sun Dec 5 11:00:41 1993
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:: Volume 2 - Issue 20 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 23 November 1993 ::
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:: ::
:: ATARI .............. News, reviews, & solutions ............ ATARI ::
:: EXPLORER ............ for the online Atari .......... EXPLORER ::
:: ONLINE ................. Community .............. ONLINE ::
:: ::
:: Published and Copyright ; 1993 by Subspace Publishers ::
:: """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ::
:: Publisher ........................... Michael Lindsay EXPLORER ::
:: Editor .................................. Travis Guy AEO.MAG ::
:: Assistant Editor GEnie................ Ron Robinson EXPLORER.1 ::
:: Assistant Editor CompuServe.......... Albert Dayes AEO.1 ::
:: Assistant Editor Delphi......... Andreas Barbiero AEO.2 ::
:: Assistant Editor Internet........ Timothy Wilson AEO.8 ::
:: Atari Asylum ................... Gregg Anderson AEO.7 ::
:: Unabashed Atariophile ..... Michael R. Burkley AEO.4 ::
:: Atari Artist ................... Peter Donoso EXPLORER.2 ::
:: ::
:: Contributors: ::
:: """"""""""""" ::
:: Al Fasoldt Tom McComb ::
:: ::
:: Telecommunicated to you via: ::
:: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" ::
:: GEnie: AEO.MAG ::
:: CompuServe: 70007,3615 ::
:: Delphi: AEO_MAG ::
:: Fnet: AEO Conference, Node 319 ::
:: AtariNet: AEO Conference, Node 51:1/10 ::
:: Internet: aeo.mag@genie.geis.com ::
:: ::
:: Internet subscription service: stzmagazine-request@virginia.edu ::
:: (Internet subscription requests ONLY!) ::
:: ::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Table of Contents
* From the Editors ................. Jaguars are selling - Warp 9 outlawed!
* Four Days With A Jaguar ............ Hands-on previews of several Jaguar
games including Cybermorph and AvP.
* COMDEX Reacts to the Jaguar .................. What the crowd was saying.
* Fall COMDEX 1993 .................. Albert takes a stroll through COMDEX.
* The Man in the Mall .................. Tom McComb goes Jaguar hunting in
the (New) Jersey wilds.
* First Buyers' Reactions .......... Jaguars were being sold today. Here's
online reaction to Atari's latest
(and hottest ever) game machine.
* 10 Frequently Asked Questions About the Jaguar ....... Answered by Atari.
* Jaguar Tackboard ...................... Developers' Quotes on the system
Blood and Gore in Kasumi Ninja
15 new Jaguar developers
Accolade titles
* A New Cat from Atari ............ Getting the word out in his syndicated
newspaper column, Al Fasoldt covers
where Atari's been.
* Jaguar ASCII Art .................. Two examples of ASCII art I've found.
* The Unabashed Atariophile ................... New PD and Shareware files
for _your_ Atari computer.
* GEnie News ........................... New files & happenings on Atari's
Official Online Resource.
* Developing News ................................. Flash II 2.2 Available
Toad Holiday Fest
HACKS Jaguar Party
OVER/Drive for Falcons
New Recipe Box
Studio Photo is out
ATARI UNITED! & FOG
New Grocery Lister
BraSoft Support
* Shutdown ............................ Around the world and up your block.
--==--==--==--==--
||| From the Editors ....... Atari Explorer Online: The Next Generation
||| Travis Guy
/ | \ GEnie: AEO.MAG Delphi: AEO_MAG Internet: aeo.mag@genie.geis.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------
(Have you played Atari today?)
Atari's stock was being shredded by short selling on the AMEX; a whole
week had gone by since the 15th, and nobody saw a Jaguar for sale;
rumor-driven, short-tempered messages were flying about on the onlines
saying, "Atari's blown it. I knew it was too good to be true...."
4th-and-long, time to punt, right? Wrong. Time for the Puntrooski.
Atari showed up in IBM's OEM COMDEX area last week showing the Jaguar.
(If all Atari did was to sell Jaguars to IBM employees, they'd still
have a minor hit on their hands!) Jaguars are in retailers' warehouses,
and have started hitting the stores. (ATC's price started skyrocketing
again today, hmmm.) New commercials are airing in NY and SF (and
grabbing a lot of nonbelievers' attention). Atari is being spoken of
again in the mass media and gaming magazines, and the mall show that
Atari's sponsored is drawing the curious aside to scope out the Jag.
While there's no Jaguar tucked away inside AEO for you this week, and
though we'd love to convert a commercial to an animation file to show
you, we do have articles on everything else current in the World Atari.
First up is Albert Dayes' COMDEX reports. Albert doesn't live too far
from Las Vegas, and decided to pop over to see what was going on. Not
your average videogame junkie, Albert was amazed by the Jaguar. He sat
down with one, and over four days "work" he got lots of game time in.
While it's not enough to qualify as a full blown review, I asked
Albert to jot down everything he saw and heard in the Atari area. He
was really psyched up when we were discussing things on Saturday, and
I told him to let his enthusiasm show.
There's also a "10 Frequently Asked Questions" file about the Jaguar.
They're interesting, and _are_ the official word from Atari. So when
someone tries to pull the "It's only two 32-bit processors" bit, you
can correct them.
There's lots more inside - a report from Tom McComb on last weekend's
mall show in New Jersey, user reactions to their shiny new Jags, Al
Fasoldt's column on the rebirth of Atari, Michael Burkley's Unabashed
Atariophile (how _does_ he find time to look at everything?), John
Hartman's GEnie ST RT News, the first half of the Lynx Cheat file (for
you to practice with while waiting for your Jaguar) and last but not
least, general Atari press releases. For things Atari, if it's not in
AEO, it probably doesn't matter. Veronica can just sit back and sigh
for now.
(Have you played Atari today?)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// No More Warp 9!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
As reported elsewhere this past week, United Federation of Planets
scientists are concerned that the very fabric of space itself is being
threatened by previously unknown side effects of Warp Drive propulsion.
As a stopgap measure, an order was issued prohibiting any Federation
vessel from exceeding Warp 5, "except in cases of emergency."
After hearing of this startling news, I contacted CodeHead Software,
makers of Warp 9 - The Software Accelerator, to see if this Federation
injunction would force any changes upon them. John Eidsvoog (one of
the chief CodeHeads) replied, exclusively, to AEO:
"In accordance with the Federation's new directive, CodeHead
will be providing a new release entitled Warp 5 - the MultiTOS
version. It is our opinion that CodeHead's Warp 9 has no
undesirable effect on time or space. We will continue to use
Warp 9 in-house until forced to do otherwise.
"However we cannot recommend that our users violate the
Federation's directive. CodeHead Technologies assumes no
liability whatsoever for any perceived damage to the fabric of
the time/space continuum caused by the use or misuse of Warp 9."
It's truly a universe gone mad! (Apply grins liberally throughout
this section - and a tip o' the hat to John for playing along.)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// So Where Do We Go?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Atari has already "sold out" of Jaguars for 1993 - what is meant by
that is, all of the 1993 production runs have been allocated to the
retailers. Now the question is, can Atari meet its 1994 targets
without any significant delays? Bob Brodie says they can. Everything
to date has gone as smooth as can be expected, and the 1994 Jaguar
vintage only awaits any possible fine-tuning that any company
typically applies to a new product.
There's blue skies in Sunnyvale. That means blue skies for the entire
World Atari. See you in two.
Have you played Atari today?
--==--==--==--==--
||| Four Days With A Jaguar
||| By: Albert Dayes
/ | \ CIS 70007,3615 GEnie: AEO.1
------------------------------------------------------------------
JJJJJJJJJJ AA GGGGGGGGG UU UU AA RRRRRRRR
JJ AA AA GG UU UU AA AA RR RR
JJ AAAAAAAA GG GGGGG UU UU AAAAAAAA RRRRRRRR
JJ JJ AA AA GG GG UU UU AA AA RR RR
JJJJJJ AA AA GGGGGGGGG UUUUUUUUU AA AA RR RR
64-bit Interactive Multimedia System
After hearing about the Jaguar I was skeptical about the system. After
hearing the phrase "It's just like the arcade!" I became even more
skeptical. (I've heard that ever since the Atari 2600 (Video Computer
System, 1977) days.) Especially when someone talks about a Missile
Command being "just like the arcade" I just laugh. Owning the real
arcade game version of Missile Command, I know nothing will ever come
close to being the real thing. For one thing, a trak-ball of that size
has never been duplicated in the home video game environment and the
game play always suffers tremendously because of it.
One thing I always enjoyed about Atari's arcade games were the
military simulations. Games like like Missile Command (1980),
BattleZone (tank simulation, 1981), Red Barron (World War I style
bi-plane, 1981), and my current favorite Steel Talons (a one or two
player helicopter simulation with rockets, 20mm cannon and Hellfire
missiles) are just some of great ones. They key point across all of
Atari games is the game play. They always did an excellent job with
the design of the controllers and how they interface with the game
itself. That is something I can always count on with Atari coin-ops.
Their outstanding graphics is just another reason to play.
NOTE: These games were/are from Atari's Coin-op division which is now
Atari Games corporation. Atari Games corporation is a private
company and is not related to Atari Corp (which manufacturers
computers and home video game systems).
After looking around Comdex I found the Jaguar in the IBM OEM
(original equipment manufacturers) section. There was a crowd around
the machine so I had to squeeze in and get a good look...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Evolution Dino-Dudes
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This version of the popular caveman survial game combines 50 of the
best levels from the previous version with all new 3D true-color
background graphics and CD-quality music. In this multi-platform
puzzle, caveman must survive by avoiding man-eating dinosaurs,
discover the spear, making fire and physically running, jumping and
climing their way up the evolutionary ladder.
The background is a partly darkened cave that has reddish color walls.
It's amazingly detailed and is definitely awe inspiring. One can see
that the texture mappping capabilities of the Jaguar are very
impressive. Basically, the game takes place in the beginning of time
and one has to discover a spear, fire and a few other things. This was
the one game I did not try hands on. This game is a platform puzzle
type and it's supposed to have a man-eating dinosaur. This game was
not in the console long enough to even come close to seeing all the
levels. This was created by Imagitec Design and is available now.
As one looks at all Jaguar games one is impressed by the brillance of
the colors. In most home video games the color has a washed out look
compared to their arcade counter parts.
=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Raiden
=-=-=-=-=-=
The player pilots the aircraft over enemy territory, shooting
realistic military tanks and other aircraft while avoiding enemy
gunfire and hidden missiles. This is the ultimate arcade game
conversion, allowiing the player to use a vertical scrolling
motion to simulate aircraft flying.
This is a game that really shows off the brillance of the colors
involved. This is a one or two player game similar to Xevious
(Namco-Atari, 1983). An arcade conversion from a 1990 game of the same
name, this is a very fast action game and it's great with two players.
In most arcade games if too many objects are on the screen at one time
they slow down. These arcade slowdowns are very annoying since the
screen can jerk by 1/4 screen increments. On the Jaguar version, there
is no slow down at any point even with two players blasting away.
In this game one can fly all over the screen while the landscape
scrolls downward. As one looks at the game one can see how much
colorful detail is on every object. To notice this one can not be
playing the game. <grin> With all of the colors the depth perception
of the different objects is very, very clear. This one should be great
game for those who love shoot-em up style games. This was also created
by Imagitec Design and is available now.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Crescent Galaxy
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The player, Trevor McFur, and his sidekick, Cutter Lynx blast
through five worlds filled with asteroids, horrific creatures and
digitized protagonists. The game features full textured 3D
rendering of creatures and planets with nine levels reflecting five
different worlds.
This game is a sideways shoot-em up style game. If anyone remembers
Space Duel (a one or two player asteroids style game with color vector
graphics and 3D rotating rocks, Atari 1982) this has similar features.
The rocks are really outstanding texture map creations. Some of them
look like polished marble while others look just like black lava. They
tumble so gracefully through space - its really incredible. The
background looks just like the Great Nebula, in the constellation
Orion. I wonder if they digitized that picture from an astronomy book?
The monsters look very well done and it's amazing how many different
ways one can modify an object. For example there is a dinosaur like
creature with wings (in a dull blue-grey color) while the bottom is
that of a snake. The tail snake like section looks just like a normal
snake on a coil. (Editor: This was what shown on a monitor in the CBS
This Morning segment in October that many people asked about) The
amount of colors and texture mapping gives one a very good idea of
what the Jaguar is capable of. This one is created by Atari and is
available now.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Cybermorph
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Cybermorph, which is bundled with Jaguar, makes the player a One
Man Rescue Probe sent into an interplanetary battlefield to rescue
stranded survivors of a dying war. As the player files into a
real-time, light shaded, polygon-based world, his craft, the
Cybermorph assumes differnet forms to blend into the landscape
below. A Holographic face speaks to the player, giving him
information as he races toward all 50 moons to save final
survivors.
I spent more time with this one title than all of the others put
together. With this game I will also illustrate the different features
of the Jaguar itself. It was created by Attention To Detail and is
available with every Jaguar system.
//// Boot Up
When the Jaguar is turned on with a game cartidge installed, the
screen turns jet black and the blood red Jaguar name appears on the
screen. This is also accompanied by an audio roar. An interesting
feature about the Jaguar is if the cartidge is not inserted properly,
the machine boots but the entire screen is a dull red. This is great
so one has a visual clue immediately when there is a problem.
In continuing with the normal bootup sequence the white letters
"A t a r i" fall from the top of the screen to the bottom. A short
tune plays... I think it's "Have you played Atari today?" The red
Jaguar name moves from the center of the screen to the top. Then a
rotating, texture mapped cube of the Jaguar appears in the middle of
the screen.
After this the Cybermorph game starts. A craft appears on the screen
and then it morphs into the word Cybermorph. One then chooses which
planet he/she wishes to visit. The planets are arranged around the
outside of the screen. Moving the joypad controller to the appropriate
planet selects it. This selection is signalled by red square brackets
around the planet. By pressing the fire button one jumps immediately
to the planet itself.
//// The Controller
Before the game itself is discussed, let's look at the controller. At
first glance the controller seems very big and bulky. But after
picking it up, one realizes how light it really is. It seems like it
should be very hard to adjust to, but it's very easy.
___
| | XXX
-- -- XXX
| JOY | XXX
-- -- P O XXX
| | P O XXX
--- P O XXX
KPAD KPAD KPAD
KPAD KPAD KPAD
KPAD KPAD KPAD
KPAD KPAD KPAD
The cross in the upper left is the joypad controller. The three Ps are
the pause button. The three Os are the option button. The three groups
of X's represent the three fire buttons. And lastly the 12 KPADs
represent the 12 keys on the keypad. The feel of the controller is
supposed to be similar to the Lynx, when held. Since I have never used
an Atari Lynx myself, I can not make a judgement on that point. The 12
keys of the key pad can handle overlays. This will be most useful in
sport simulations, but I'm sure its not limited only to that.
One nice feature about the Jaguar is that one can remap the keys to
their own preferences. For example in the game Cybermorph the three
group of X's represent a forward thrust, fire button, and reverse
thrust. One can change this to any possible combination that he/she
feels comfortable with. The combination I used was the top, outer
right button signifies the fire button, the middle for forward thrust
and the bottom for reverse thrust.
The game starts out with a large polyhedron flying out of the top left
corner of the screen and unfolding, unveiling the ship, Cybermorph.
(This is difficult to describe - you have to actually see it.) One can
think of a clenched fist unfolding, and then opening to display an
object.
Then the SKYLAR apprears and says "Good Luck." SKYLAR is a green,
bald, female face that speaks to you during your mission. The phrases
she speaks are crystal clear too.
One of the first things most people who played that game at Comdex
wanted to do was to fly at top speed. This is accomplished by pressing
your forward thrust button, and flying into your "virtual" world. It's
amazing that you are not stuck in a rails-style game with only one
direction. Everything moves very fast and very smooth - its really an
incredible experience. It's great to be able to over fly a target and
then just swing all the way around to make another pass. As one flies
into the turn, one can notice how the light sources change on the
wings of your craft. The shading goes from light to dark to light
again.
As one flies around searching for pods the terrain moves by very
smoothly. The shape of the craft changes as one speeds up, slows down,
flies backwards or turns. The shading of the terrain changes are
subtle and very fluid. There is no jerking or slowdown at any time
during the game due to objects being created on the fly.
//// What you see....
Before we get more into the game the screen needs to be defined. At
the bottom of the screen is the cockpit console. It indicates the
status of the following:
A) Shields
B) Weapon Systems
C) Energy
D) Pods remaining
When one loses all of the energy the craft crashes and even the
console looks smashed. The screen is defined below.
R G
SKYLAR's Radar --------------------> R G
FACE (transparent) R
(your best friend, RRRRRRRRR
only on screen when R
speaking ) R /\
R
A
A
ALTITUDE indicator ---------------> A
(transparent) A
A
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
C C
E S C C
N H CCCCCCCCCCC
E I
R E The console area which indicates the status of the
G L different weapon systems, energy, shields, etc.
Y D
S
The face in the upper left corner is SKYLAR's (she is your best friend).
One can not really turn her off completely since she does give important
messages like:
"Portal Open"
"Only one more"
The radar and altitude display are transparent so one can still see
the game beneath it. It similar to a HUD (Heads Up Display) found in
many of today's modern aircraft. When pods are in range they are
indicated on the radar screen as yellow V's. When one gets very close
they change to diamonds. Enemies are indicated by different colors.
Cargo carriers are green while fighters are red. Also some enemies do
not show up on the radar screen at all.
//// Keeping SKYLAR silent?
As one attempts to fly around at top speed a lot, one will hit the
ground at some time. When you do hit the ground you lose part of your
shield (indicated by a yellow bar). To the immediate left of this bar
is a green one that indicates the entire craft's energy level. These
items are on the console which lies across the bottom of your screen.
In addition to losing part of your shields, SKYLAR starts nagging you.
At first, she says. "Avoid the ground." If you hit the ground more
than a few times consecutively SKYLAR gets sarcastic. "Where did you
learn to fly?" There is a solution to the problem of this pesky face
however and its a great feature I hope a lot of developers can copy.
To turn off SKYLAR, first press the pause button on the controller. At
this point, one is given the option of adjusting several different
things, the first being SKYLAR's voice. By moving the joypad up or
down the loudness of the voice changes. The next option is to change
the loudness of the engine and finally the loudness of the effects.
The best part is these options (in addition to the top 10 scores) are
saved to the cartridge. So the next time you play the game these
options are still the same. There is some SRAM in the cartridge itself
to accomplish this feat.
There are several things you can do in this game:
A) Fly around avoiding all contact with the "bad guys".
B) Fly around collecting pods and advance to the next planet.
C) Fly in very agressive manner and destroy anything in your path.
D) B and C.
One can mix and match any of these options at any time. The D option is
one of the most exciting!
The planet itself is a very exciting "virtual" world. It's a complete
sphere and one can fly in any possible combination of directions. Each
planet has a complete different combination of terrain. The following
is a short list of some of the non moving objects you will see. These
are my own names and may be termed differently in the manual.
//// "The Virtual World contains...."
1) Mountains (too high to fly over)
2) Rivers
3) Trees
4) Canyons
5) Bridges
6) Small towns
7) Plains (a great expanse of flat land)
8) Energy Rings
The moving objects differ from "virtual" world to world.
1) Cargo Carriers
2) Defense Fighters
3) Harrassing Scout Fighters
4) Pods (a golden, dual tetrahedron shaped object similar to a solid
3D diamond )
5) Kidnappers
6) Fixed Weapon emplacements
7) Flying Worms
8) Ground Poisoners
9) ??????
//// "Cargo Carriers"
In the default planet the cargo carriers can go over any of the
mountains. On this planet Cybermorph can not obtain that altitude.
When a cargo carrier starts up a steep mountain, one can fly around it
at full speed and attack the cargo carrier as it comes down the other
side. If one fails to destroy it, then one can either go backwards and
make another attempt. Or one can make a half circle and take another
shot. Unlike other games your shots do not follow where your craft
flies. Each shot once it leaves your craft is completely independent
of you.
Cargo carriers contain special items such as speed boosters, missiles,
or energy. After one is destroyed the contents are left floating in
the air. Running into these objects will add them to your current
inventory. When one runs into any of these particular objects a "gulp"
like sound is heard. These objects do not last forever when exposed
(floating in the air) and will disappear after a given length of time.
The Cybermorph is very fast already, and I have never found a speed
booster to see how much faster one can go. There is no method to
determine what is in a cargo carrier before destroying it. Also, cargo
carriers do not carry any weapons for defense against your attacks.
Cargo carriers change in shape and size depending on which world one
is currently on.
//// "Fighters"
There are two types of fighters in Cybermorph. Scout types and
Defender types. Scout types fly all over the world and just show up in
the most difficult times. They fire shots and leave but may turn
around and attack your or continue on their predestined path. These
craft vary in shape and size as well. Some look like low sillouette
style triangles, while others look similar to X-wing craft from Star
Wars. The defense against these is to change altitude often. These
craft fly at the altitude that you fly at the most. So if you are
flying low most of the time to gather pods when they attack they will
be at the same level. When you're stuck in a dead-end canyon, picking
up a pod, one of these scouts always seems to fly into the area.
The other type are defender type of fighters. When large groups of
pods are gathered in one place, these defender fighters can also be
present. These fighters just fly around in a circle guarding their
bait. It's possible to fly in at high speeds and snatch a pod or two
before the defenders even notice. Also one can hover (or fly) at a
great stand off distance and fire into these fighters without a
counterattack. Once within range however, they will all open fire and
a retreat is the best option. The shots that these defender fighters
shoot look like a long, barbed tetrahedrons. These shots come fast and
furious so be careful.
The problem with using only stand off techniques to attack defender
type fighters is scouts always seems to end up behind you. Since
scouts can fly anywhere one has to be very careful not to get stuck in
the crossfire. Fighters (scout and defender) are present on all
planets in Cybermorph.
//// "Pods"
Finding a pod is usually straightforward, using your radar as your
guide. But when flying at high speeds (around mountains, over rivers,
under bridges, and through mountain passes) one can easily overshoot a
pod. There are several options to choose in this case. One can make a
180 degree turn and make another pass, or they can go backwards and
then make another attempt, to rescue the pod.
To control the speed of Cybermorph the one uses a combination of
forward and reverse thurst. To go backwards one presses the reverse
thurst until the desired backward movement is achieved. To pick up a
pod one just runs into with the craft. A single clink is heard when
this is successfully accomplished. SKYLAR sometimes appears and says
"Well done."
//// "Kidnappers and Poisoners"
These are present on some planets and take completely different forms
depending on the planet. One one planet they looked like a crab with
three or four long legs. The legs are about twice as long as the body
and the unit moves erratically across the planet surface. Actually
they remind me of Jellyfish or Portuguese Man-O-War in their looks.
These kidnappers grab pods and carry them to different locations on
the planet.
One of the locations is where the "Ground Poisoner" lives. It looks
like 7 or 8 solid, 3D triangles or rather tetrahedrons piled on top of
one another. The area that is poisoned looks like a very jet black oil
slick. To reduce its activity one fires at it until it disappears back
into the ground. With each hit it changes color until it descends back
into the ground. It reminds me of a morey eel in some ways.
One strategy is to wait for the kidnappers to bring all the pods to
this place and pick them up as they are dropped. It's more exciting to
race over the planet's surface looking for kidnappers. Also in some
locations, kidnappers have pods tied down on the ground and these must
be liberated. Unfortunately I do not recall if these imprisioned pods
show up on the radar or not. Probably not.
//// "Fixed Weapon Emplacements"
These are standard AA (anti-aircraft) style weapons that either alone
on the ground or in groups. High speed passes are the best way to deal
with these. These can unleash a huge volume of firepower very quickly.
//// "Flying Worms"
Flying worms stay in their specific areas or so it appears. These are
very difficult to destroy, if they can be damaged at all. My best
solution was to avoid them. The Worms look like a large string of
cubes and are very unpredictable. Beware, these are very dangerous and
are not intimidated.
//// "Energy Rings"
There are several type of "energy" rings. Some replenish lost energy
to your craft while others provide some sort of transport. The solid
ring versions provide energy and can be found by flying around the
planet (or "virtual" world).
The second type are transport types. The type of different colors are
portal to leave the planet. These appear on your radar screen as a pod
when you have completed your mission. SKYLAR also informs you that a
portal is open as well. This are made up of rotating triangles of red
and blue usually. After one flies into this a polyhedron envelops your
craft and it goes off the top of the screen. Then the player chooses
another planet to rescue more pods from.
The other transport types are of the same color (usually red or blue
rotating trangles), and take you instantly to different parts of the
planet. In many cases this is the only way to get to a pod, which is
completely surrounded by mountains (which are too high to fly over).
Scout fighters always seem to be in these areas as well, so watch out.
//// Cybermorph weapon systems
The available weapon systems include bombs and missiles. To switch
from your normal cannon to a different weapon, one uses the option key.
Several types of items can only be destroyed by such weapons.
Buildings which contain pods are the best candidates for these weapon
types. Many times there are groups of buildings with many pods
scattered around them. It takes a skillful hand to navigate between to
reach them all but it's not too difficult.
In many games in the past, I've noticed that sometimes when one
attempts to perform such an operation it's near impossible. The
software's collision detection of where the game (computer) sees an
edge is way off. (Compared against what a player sees on the screen.)
Cybermorph DOES NOT have this flawed characteristic. One can fly full
speed out of a mountain place, gracefully glide in between the
buildings to rescue pods, and come out the other side completely
unscathed.
The best weapon system is just being to handle the craft speed and
direction. This makes a big difference between "players" and
"outstanding players." One such outstanding player is Jay Patton
(Projects Manager) at Atari. He was watching over the Atari exhibit in
the IBM OEM section most of the time, but when he was demonstrating
Cybermorph it was awe inspiring. He could make the most incredible
moves to accomplish the necessary goal. The reason this is important
is that players are not hindered by the controls when playing the
game. With the right touch, one can really do some incredible things.
Everyone gets turned off by a game if the controls do not allow you to
perform what you need to. Cybermorph has excellent handling
characteristics and no one will be hindered in what he/she can do.
//// "????????"
According to the literature there are 50 planets (moons) to "fly" on.
There are about nine different planets to choose when one first starts
out. After these planets are cleared then another group will appear.
On one planet I was flying around and suddenly, this brillant red
laser beam just destroyed my ship. Unfortunately I never saw the
source of this beam so I do not have any idea what it was. And I do
not remember which planet it was on either. So as SKYLAR would say
"GOOD LUCK!"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Alien vs Predator
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This game IS NOT FINISHED yet. So this is just a preview of what will
be coming in first quarter 1994.
This tunnel/maze game has texture-mapped walls and striking
renderings of monsters. The player selects to be the Alien, the
Predator or the Marine Corporal. The Alien, complete with a tail
that whips around and nasty jaws, smoothly scales walls to pounce
upon his unsuspecting prey; the Predator uses sophisticated
weaponry and superior infrared night vision to seek out his victims
and the Marine Corporal depends on his piles of ammunitions and
sophisticated military combat computer skills to hunt and defend.
Camera speed races at a high frame rate to create the ultimate in
chase sequences.
The amount of time I had with this game was limited but it was very
impressive nonetheless. The speed of going through the maze is
incredible with the hallway getting lighter and lighter as one
approaches the end of the hallway. The walls differ in different parts
of the maze with a very strong green metalic look. In other places it
a brownish tan look. The real-time scaling and texture mapping
capabilities of the Jaguar really come to life in AvP. In addition to
the texture mapping, there is a transparancy overlay that show
weapons, ammunition and other important status indicators. As one goes
through the ship at full speed, it feels just like running. And run
you should once you (as a Marine) see either Predator or Alien.
Imagine this: as you round a corner there stands the Predator: a
large menacing monster, and as soon as you turn to run it is on your
tail. As you turn around to see how close it is behind you you can see
him running at full screen after you. You suddenly turn around and
realize that Predator took a short cut and cut you off completely.
Turning around you face the evil looking Predator. Firing your weapon,
the Predator disappears into thin air.
After you catch your breath, you continue down the different halls.
Past the elevator, into the armory, and then... lost. The scheme of
the ship lightens up as you run into the medical lab and there you
find a Predator again. He is behind some glass and follows you as you
move around within the medical lab. By going to the exit, Predator
jumps through the door and starts chasing you again. Turning, you fire
your weapon and Predator disappears for a season.
Upon entering a dark, green metalic room you notice dark, large oval
shaped objects. They appear to be hatching eggs (that bring forth
Aliens). You wander aimlessly throughout the ship, cautiously looking
this way and that. You open one door and reload your weapon looking
for the second door. The second door opens and Alien surprises you. As
you run backwards down the hall you see Alien coming full speed after
you. Its gleaming white teeth increase in intensity as it closes in.
While its tail whips from side to side, you fire your weapon with no
effect. The fire belches from your weapon as you attempt to at least
slow down the monster. Finally you run into a wall and see that you
are trapped. Alien slows down and stops in front of you. You muster
your courage and charge directly at Alien, firing your weapon. You go
right through Alien unscathed... sorry, collision detection was not
completed yet! Neither was the sound, so you'll have to look for this
completed title in first quarter 1994. This one is going to be hot!
Written by Rebellion Software.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Checkered Flag II
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Jaguar Formula Racing hits its peak using real-time 3D generated
action that allows the game player to customize racing cars. Cars,
buildings and roads are rendered in real-time 3D. Racing speed is
intensified by 100 percent-true sound effects; crashes are realistic
in both sound and imagery, with parts flying and tires screeching.
With this sweaty-palms racing racing game, players will practicallly
feel the wind in their hair.
This one still has some work to do like collision detection and sound
effects also. Also the graphics needs to be improved in some places.
Since this is a work in progress, it was expected to be in this
format. Look for this in early 1994, from Rebellion Software.
--==--==--==--==--
||| COMDEX reacts to the Jaguar
||| By: Albert Dayes
/ | \ CIS: 70007,3615 GEnie: AEO.1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Most people were quite impressed with the Jaguar and with good reason.
The speed of texture mapped graphics really drew quite a crowd. There
were also several IBM employees from the different divisions that were
very interested in the Jaguar. Some from the PowerPC division were
more interested in discussing the technical merits of the chip set.
There were others from Motorola and other IBM divisions that were also
very impressed with the chip set.
The second question after the technical questions were answered was
"Where can I can get it?" Several IBM reps walking through the IBM OEM
booth stopped and looked at the Jaguar for a long time. Then they
asked. "Where can I can get one?"
Several people who had read different gaming magazines also came
through the booth and asked to see it in action. Crescent Galaxy,
Cybermorph and Alien vs Predator were always on the list of must see
games.
Most people were surprised to hear that Atari Games was going to be
using the Jaguar chipset in their arcade games. That made several
people pause in silence before asking where they could get a copy.
The other questions were related to what the Nintendo-SGI alliance
would produce. If they were using the MIPs 4x00 family of 64-bit RISC
chips the price on the chip alone was at least $200. If Atari can sell
the Jaguar for $249 retail the Jaguar chip set must be very
inexpensive. The Nintendo-SGI will make the market a very exciting
place for consumers for sure.
A certain businessman walking through the booth asked why this game
machine was present. After hearing that IBM was doing component
sourcing, assembly and distribution he looked at the Jaguar a while
longer, picked up a brochure and left without another word.
Several different reps from game software producing companies also
came through the booth. Most were interested in getting more
information on how to develop for the Jaguar. Since they were not
facing me, I could not read their badges and see what company they
were from. Several 3DO developers wanted to know the price and
availability of the CD-ROM drive for the Jaguar too.
When exhibitors came through the booth it was much easier to tell from
what company they were from. This was due to the fact that each
company had a dress code. IBM employees and guests were wearing tan
pants and purple shirts with IBM OEM written on the shirts. Borland
had green shirts and black pants. And this list goes on.
Two representives from the Microsoft Advanced Projects Group were very
interested in getting Jaguar development units. They already had 3DO
units in the lab and wanted to the get Jaguar units right away.
When there was a slight lull in the crowds and I got some hands on
time with the Jaguar someone would always stand right next to me. When
I asked them if they would like to try, most said sure and happily
took the controller in their hands. When playing Cybermorph most had
no problem getting used to the controls. All loved the speed and
clarity of the graphics. They loved how fluid the motion was and being
able to fly all over the planet was a real treat.
J. Patton handled most of the technical questions non stop during the
time I was present at Comdex. Technical discussions of the chip set,
block diagram and object processor were almost always being discussed.
It was quite amazing the amount of interest in the Jaguar.
IBM's Charlotte plant is also an interesting place. This the only IBM
facility that has everything in one place. Manufacturing, assembly,
software development, hardware development, CD-ROM disc duplication,
etc, etc, and it's duty free as well.
Everyone wanted to feel the Jaguar controller, and since there were
two at the booth this was quite trivial. Most like me were surprised
at how light it was. Most after playing a game had no complaints about
the controller either.
There were many comments about what 3DO had to offer and its high
price. Some expressed concern about the number of developers Atari had
on board versus 3DO as well. There were many questions about past
history and how this would impact the future. But regardless of these
questions everyone wanted a copy or wanted information on how develop
software for it.
After getting to spend quality time with the Jaguar at Comdex I am
very impressed. When one has a computer for such a long period of time
one can hardly think of spending $49 to $79 for a single cartridge.
But after seeing and most importantly, playing with the Jaguar, it
will be a very easy step.
Jaguar 64-bit Interactive Multimedia System (includes Cybermorph).
$249.95
Shipping New York and San Francisco areas currently
US National/European Rollout in 1994
--==--==--==--==--
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||| Fall COMDEX 1993
||| By: Albert Dayes
/ | \ CIS: 70007,3615 GEnie: AEO.1
------------------------------------------------------------------
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FALL 1993
COMDEX is one of the largest information technology shows in the
world. The Fall show in particular had an estimated 175,000 people in
attendance this year. COMDEX caters to resellers and corporate
decision makers but anyone who goes to the show (Comdex/Fall) will not
be disappointed.
The show is set in Las Vegas, Nevada one of the most popular gambling
and conventions spots in the world. Another important show that is
held in Las Vegas on a regular basis is CES, (Consumer Electronics
Show) which is scheduled for January 1994.
California, USA
|
|
|
|
V
|-------|--------
| | |
| | | <-------------- Nevada, USA
\ \ |
\ \ |
\ \ |
Pacific \ \ * <---------- City of Las Vegas, Comdex/Fall 1993
Ocean \ \ -
\ \
-------
As one drives up from southern California, one enjoys the picturesque
desert landscape as it changes color in the early morning light. The
scene changes as one approaches the Nevada border with large signs for
the many different gambling establishments appearing.
Upon entering Las Vegas one has the opportunity to choose which of the
many hotels and convetion sites to visit first. If one arrives early
on the first day, the best place to hit is the Las Vegas Convention
Center. If one arrives later in the day you will have a better chance
at winning the lottery than finding a parking space. The Sands always
seems to have parking available regardless of the time of day.
Free buses will take one between the different sites during Comdex.
This is much easier than driving between sites since finding parking
is always difficult. Taxis are also available for a nominal fee.
<============ Las Vegas Blvd ===========================================>
| | | | | |
[ ALADDIN ] | [ SANDS HOTEL | [ RIVIERA ] |
[ BALLY'S ] & CONVENTION | |
CENTER ] | |
| | <- Riveria Blvd
| |
Convention Center Drive ---> | |
| |
|---------------|
[ LAS VEGAS [ LAS VEGAS
CONVENTION HILTON ]
CENTER ]
NOTE: This is not drawn to scale but just to give a basic idea of how
the Comdex show is laid out.
//// No Badge, No Show
Upon driving into the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center
(LVCC), one is greeted with many banners and signs hanging from the
side of the convention center. Then a short line for registration and
getting the two most important things you will need at the show. The
Comdex Badge and the Comdex Book. The badge gets one into the show,
while the book is your detailed road map to the show.
//// The Voice
Then the waiting game begins as one stands waiting impatiently for the
doors to be opened. This is where one gets starts to notice different
things. Where I was standing was a large monitor made up of 16 smaller
monitors that suddenly came to life. "The best selling word processor
of all time!" the voice announced. "With 15 million copies and
counting." This was a display for Word Perfect that went through all
the paces talking about all of the different products made by Word
Perfect. Integration was a very important theme this year. Everyone
was toting how easy their product made sharing information between
applications and other users.
//// "Exhibitors only... show does not open till 10"
As the doors are finally opened people pour into the gigantic hall
that opens into the huge Microsoft booth. The Microsoft booth has
about 6 or 7 asiles within it that cover many of the different parts
of their product line. This product line includes Operating Systems
(DOS, Windows, Windows NT), Applications (Excel, Word, Power Point,
Access, etc), and Development tools (Visual C++, Developer Network &
CD-ROM, Visual Basic, etc). In addition to Microsoft products there
are many small booths with third party developers and their products.
As one walks around the floor of the show immediately everyone on both
sides of the aisle attempts to get your attention. Whether it be
giving out free literature, asking if you have seen their product or
some other type of act. These acts include fire eating, juggling,
dancing, music videos, or free software if you get in a line.
//// "Your card for a prize"
Computer Associates (CA) was giving away a free copy of Simply Money
to anyone who wanted one. This was very unusual since most software
was given away as a prize. For example if one sat in a seminar/
demostration on a particular product one had an oppertunity to win a
free prize. To win a prize one could either attempt to answer a
question before anyone else. Or had your name entered into a drawing.
To get into a drawing they would "run" your card (badge). Basically
this would add your name to their mailing list. Software, hardware,
hats, pins, pens, and brief cases were some of the possible prizes.
In addition to these methods of winning prizes there are many free
copies of the different computer magazines. DBMS, Byte, Software
Development, Dr. Dobbs Journal, Embedded Systems Programming, Lan
magazine, Microsoft Systems Journal, OS/2 Magazine, Unix Review, PC
Magazine, Computer Shopper, PC Week, Mac Week, AI Expert, Database
Programming and Design, STACKS, Mac User, OS/2 Developer, New Media,
AVideo, Computer Pictures and Windows Sources are some of the more
popular ones.
Also some of the magazines had free subscriptions available as well.
One just fills out a form and if you qualify you get a free
subscription.
In addition to the magazines their are also book signings by popular
authors. Prentice Hall Computer Publishing (which includes Sams, Que,
Brady and a few other labels) and McGraw Hill are two of the bigger
book publishers. With book signings, the first 100 or so people could
choose a free book that the author has written.
Also there were also quite a few computer drawings as well. By filling
out a form, one had the possibility of winning a new color notebook
computer. There were at least 10 different booths that were having
such a drawing. Also some booths had a bowl to place your business
card in to win software or cash. Borland gave away $10,000 each day of
Comdex show for example. The requirement for Borland was to attend
three different seminars on Borland products (ie Paradox, C++, dBASE,
InterBase, or Borland Office).
Programmmer's Shop in the Hilton had a "Big Bertha" slot machine. If
one could get the three copies of the same software title to appear
he/she won that prize. The prizes included Clarion Developer (v3.0 or
Personal), IBM's OS/2, Lotus Smart Suite, Borland C++, CA's Clipper
and a assortment of pins, pens, tee shirts or the "Big Bertha" home
game.
Programmers' Paradise next door had a golf game to win software prizes
as well.
//// Hands on hardware
In addition to all the free products/prizes there were many exciting
new hardware developments. There were some new CD Writers (for making
a CD-ROM disc) for under $3000. The previous price before was $4000 or
so. Yamaha had a 4x model on display. This model would create a CD-ROM
in 4x times the normal time and it fits in a normal 5 1/4 inch slot.
Apple Computer had several interesting computers on display. The first
being a Apple Macintosh with a PC inside. The PC was Intel 486 chip
based and one could hot-key between both systems. By pressing the
Apple Command and the Return Key it would switch between DOS and the
MAC. The screen would fade and then instantly jump to the new
operating system screen. It was interesting being able to switch
between Windows and the MAC OS. It seemed quite stable for most of the
applications that were being run on both machines. One also had access
to the PC files via a virtual PC drive (icon) on the MAC side. This
worked very quickly but some of the machines were always locking up.
The main culprit would be people running games on the PC side of the
Mac.
Apple also had a PowerPC Macintosh which could run multiple operating
systems. The other operating systems were DOS and Windows which were
run using SoftPC software. This SoftPC software is available for the
normal Macintosh, SUN, HP and other UNIX workstations.
Motorola was presenting PowerPC, 56K and 96K dsps (digital signal
processors) and chips for wireless communication. They had a huge
booth next to IBM and were running Windows NT which was up and running
on Wednesday. The other Motorola Codex booth had modems, network
routers, and data compression hardware. The PowerPC was running
against an Intel Pentium chip with the same application. PowerPC won
by quite a margin.
MIPs a subsidary of SGI (Silicon Graphics) was showing its 64-bit 4x00
series of RISC chips. They also had Windows NT running on a NEC
machine with a Mips cpu. SGI had their new Indy (low end machines) and
the new Onyx (high-end machines) on display. They had some really
outstanding simulation software running it was very smooth and
extremely detailed. The cost for the high-end machine was $150,000
starting. While the low end was close to $5000. The simulation
software being demonstrated would run on all machines but not as fast
on the low end machines. The high-end machine had 4 processors within
it. SGI machines were used in quite a few films including The Abyss,
T2, and Jurassic Park.
HP had on display their entire HP 4 line of printers, including the
4ppm HP 4P and 4MP; HP 4 and 4M, and the high end 4SI. All of these
printers print at 600 dpi compared to the 4L which is only 300 dpi.
Maxtrox has a new 64-bit graphics card for the PC. It allows one to
switch resolutions in MS Windows without rebooting. This was quite
nice and it was very fast. One of the low end cards started at $599.
ATI had a graphics card that include video compression/decompression
hardware. This card also started out at $599 for the low end. They
also gave away MediaMerge (a complete video editing package for
Windows) every thirty minutes. They also had "Wayne" from Wayne's
World in another part of their booth. One could be captured on video
with Wayne and then be given a floppy disk of the session in MS video
for windows format.
UPS (United Parcel Service) and Federal Express both had large booths
in the Sands. They had seminars on their new and efficent package
tracking systems.
Caere had a fax management package that works in conjuction with
Delrina's WinFAX Pro software. It includes its own OCR (based on
OmniPage 5.x) and stores your data in fax, text, and image format. One
can access this information via boolean logic engine, or their simple
to use Windows interface software. Full text search and being able to
define your own key words for any document are some of its unique
features. They are working on an API so all FAX software can support
their new standard.
Close by to Caere was Delrina with WinFax Pro software and WinComm PRO
telecommunications software. Form Flow integrates your custom designed
form on a network if needed.
Rockwell was in the Sands demonstrating their new modem chips sets
which include v.fast (which is operates at 28K speeds). Also included
was information on packet radio technology.
Corel was showing its entire line of software including Corel Draw 4.x
and the software they recently aquired from Xerox corporation. This
new software is the Ventura line of DTP products. Some of us will
recall that one of the early versions of Ventura Publisher used DRI's
GEM interface. They were also promoting the tennis challange that was
to occur the next day. Its quite amazing how much information Corel
packs into its packages. Two CD-ROMs with over 700 Adobe Type 1 fonts,
tons of clip art in addition to the program. Corel Draw seems like a
very capable package. Corel Move was for those who needed animation
capabilities. Ventura Publisher has Adobe's acrobat reader software
included. This way one can exchange documents in a platform
independent manner. This is very useful when one is on a network.
During one seminar a person went to sleep and fell backwards out of
his chair. The seminar leader commmented on how these chairs were
programming to automatically wake people up. I don't recall whose
booth it was but one of the many booths in the Sands. It was nice to
have some excitement during the seminar. <grin>
Intel was promoting its x86 and Pentium line of cpu chips. In addition
they had people in space suits to see the "Adventure Inside." This was
dealing with Intel's new PCI standard.
Word Perfect was touting Word Perfect and Word Perfect Office as a
solution to everyone's office needs. Everyone seemed to have an office
product that works over the network with some form of EMail and data
sharing capability. Borland Office and Microsoft Office are two other
similar type of packages.
Exiting the Las Vegas Convention Center to the South Annex was the
MultiMedia section. They had all sorts of interesting things. They had
several companies displaying and selling CD-ROM titles - the prices
were very good for the source code ones. (About one half of the price
of what some of the vendors in software development related magazines
charge.)
There was a computer for $18,000 that generated true 3D images, and
with $1200 glasses one is all set. There were also several virtual
reality development toolkits being demonstrated as well. Most of these
helmets were several thousand dollars in price. The software price was
not currently set for most of the development kits.
Media Vision demonstrated its Pro Audio spectrum line of cards in
addition to some new CD-ROM titles. There were several companies
demonstrating CD-ROM titles and it was quite amazing. I have not seen
so much interest in CD-ROM since the Intermedia show in March 1993.
They were also demoing OPEN-GL which is a 3D graphics development
toolkit based on this standard. I think OPEN-GL is based on something
from SGI. This toolkit lists for about $1000.
There was also another type of "entertainment" present in this area. I
think it should be obvious what type it was. We won't talk about it
here.
In addition to seminars there are all types of acts to try to get
attendees attention. MicroGraphix had a complete half pipe ramp in
their exhibit area. Demonstrations like this are very common and all
foot traffic stops in during these demos.
They also had some interesting video conferencing products. One opens
a window and the person you are talking to appears in that window. And
you can open an unlimited number of windows as well.
AT&T had their video telephones on display and they were also very
exciting technology. Even though the screens are not updated since the
pictures come from a database it's not bad at all. In addition to
video phones they had information on their language translation
service. It also supports VAS (value added services) such as
typesetting and localization of software applications for DOS, Mac and
UNIX. Other options include video and audio foreign translations.
Several companies also displayed touch screen monitors in addition to
touch screens that attach to the serial port.
There were also many booths that had monitors, disk drives, cases, and
power supplies available. After walking through Comdex it seems like
21 inch monitors are the bottom of the line while 40 inch is the new
standard.
Pinnacle Micro had some new MO (magnetic optical) drives on display
storing 1.3 gigabytes. The access time was claimed to be close to
19ms. With this removable storage (extra discs around $250) this is
not a bad deal. The base price for the unit is around $4400.
IBM had many booths including OEM, PSP (independent vendor leage), PC
Company, and PowerPC company. There was also the IBM publication's
group and UltiMedia group. There are many companies that are not
listed in the normal Comdex guide that are in these sections. As a
guest of an exhibitor, walking through these large sections was the
only way to find out who was actually present. Atari for example was a
guest of IBM's OEM group. In IBM's OEM guide Atari is also listed.
In the OEM section IBM Business partners could get a new AS-400
midrange computer. This similar to S-36/38 series of long ago. The
AS-400 is a quite large computer but this newer one is about the size
of a large briefcase. It's quite impressive if anyone has worked with
these beasts in the past.
There are so many things to see at Comdex that even with five days to
see everything its quite difficult. Also I got distracted by the
Jaguar.
In the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center was mostly DEC
Alpha related products. Most were running Windows NT from Microsoft.
Cray was also there in the high performance computing section. I did
not have time to see what they had but I suspect it's a massively
parallel computer using DEC Alpha chips. Cray is also working on
another massively parallel computer using SUN Sparc RISC chips.
There were quite interesting networking software companies in this
section include Lantastic. DCA was demonstrating their new visual
software tools. This toolkit captures ascii character screens and then
translates it to GUI style commands. This works in conjuction with MS
Visual C++ compiler and Visual BASIC. This is very useful to create
GUI style front ends for mainframe and mini hosted applications. It
also allows for a common entry point for all access to the
mainframe/mini/network so to better control security.
In the Hilton, LaserMaster was demonstrating many of its 1200 dpi
plain paper typesetters. Several models could handle paper up to 12 x
19.5 inches in size. These ranged in size from $6,000 to $12,000
range. They also had an upgrade for the HP LaserJet 4 that would also
give 1200 dpi output capabiltiy under MS Windows. They also had some
color printers that would print large pictures (appoximately 3 feet
across) for close to $25,000.
Probably the best Comdex report would be to have everyone who went to
Comdex write a report on the 10 most important things they saw. There
would be some overlap but there would be much better descriptions of
the many different products available at Comdex. To cover all 2200
exhibits would be very difficult indeed.
There are many more exciting things at Comdex and if one ever gets a
chance to go please do so. Even if one has never seen or heard of a
computer before, Comdex is a great place to be introduced to its
capabilities. It's a true feast for the eyes and ears.
--==--==--==--==--
||| Man In The Mall
||| By: Tom McComb
/ | \ GEnie: T.MCCOMB
-----------------------------------------------------------------
My fiancee Michele and I trekked out to the Newport Center Mall in NJ
on November 14th and saw the Jaguar/Lynx exposition. It was a hit.
LOTS of public interest and about a dozen Jags to play with.
Yes - they are real. We saw. We touched. We played. We want one.
Impressions: The unit itelf is bigger than it looks in the digitized
pictures that have been available online. It's longer and wider. It's
nice. Looks fast while it's standing still. Grrrrr. It's hot.
The controller is very nice. If you like the LYNX controls (I do!)
you'll LOVE the Jag controller. Light and form fitting. It takes two
hands to hold but is very comfortable and intuitive.
Games: Only two were available for display and _play_. I played
CyberMorph for about 15 minutes. Michele got a real kick out of
watching my head, arms, body sway to the motions of my spacecraft as I
flew at incredible speeds through varied terrain. It's _fast_, it's
_very_ fluid, very smooth. It was fun. I was sweating by the time my
three ships were destroyed.
I need to see more of it, but the graphics probably could have been a
bit more detailed, at least in comparison to the game playing next to
it: Crescent Galaxy. Very nice graphics, much of it looks photographic.
I didn't get a chance to play it (darn!). There are three levels of
parallax: Foreground, midground (playing area) and backdrop. Each
scroll along at a different speed.
There were about a dozen reps there, each outfitted in a black Jag
T-Shirt and Jag hat. They were knowledgeable and helpful. The display
area consisted of two groups of 4 kiosks each and a raised stage with
another six jags hooked up to 20" or 25" monitors. The stage also had
stereo speakers blasting away!
The host was named Ira and he would periodically get onstage and give
a short talk about the Jaguar. First he would remind everyone of
Atari's history (Pong to 2600) and then boast about the Jaguar's
specs. During the talk Sega, Nintendo and especially 3D0 would get
trashed. All during the talk, he would stop and ask questions of the
crowd - first one with the correct answer would get a Jag T-Shirt or
Cap tossed at them.
People were encouraged to sign-up for a chance to win a free Jaguar (a
total of 4 were given away over the four days). They didn't need much
encouragement to sign up. At any one time, I'd say there were about
50-75 people gathered around the display area.
To whet peoples appetites, Ira kept reminding people of what games
originally shipped with other systems (Sega/Nintendo/NEC) and what
programmers were eventually able to do with the systems once they
became adept at it. Just wait till they really master it!
Later in the day a local DJ from HOT97 came and helped Ira pump up the
crowd and toss out T-Shirts. Full color Jag brochures were also
available for people to bring home. People seemed very interested in
the machine and it was a big hit with the kids.
Most frequently asked questions that I could overhear were:
1) How Much?
2) Where can I buy it?
and
3) When will they have them for sale?
Oh yeah, people kept asking for the Jag shirts and hats too!
Best moment: When Michele caught a Jaguar T-Shirt for me! Yes folks,
_I_ have my very own Jaguar T-Shirt. Nyahhhh! Eat your heart out! It's
black, it's beautiful! Front: "Atari (and Fuji)" in small white
lettering, and the Jaguar name/logo in larger red printing. Back:
Large yellow Jag eyes above the big red Jag logo, underneath which is
the "64-BIT" & "Interactive Multimedia System" tag line.
Guess what Michele's going to get me for Christmas? The future's so
bright, I gotta wear shades.
--==--==--==--==--
||| First buyers' reactions
||| Courtesy: GEnie
/ | \ ------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
>From the ST RoundTable on GEnie:
Category 14, Topic 45
Message 187 Tue Nov 23, 1993
M.SCHEFFEL at 21:16 EST
It's about time!
About three o'clock today I got a call at work. One of my employees
reserved Jafuar's were in. Against my better judgement I relayed the
message. Sure enough he dropped what he was doing and left. He showed
up an hour later with the Holy Grail. It is out in the New York area!
Afetr work I got my first taste, Cybermorph is great. The morphing is
smooth and combination of scrolling and rendering is more than
impressive. This machine must be a winner,
Only two complaints, they are already sold out (Electronics
Boutique), and we want more games.
Let me again repeat: someone went to a mainstream store and bought
Atari!
Yes I've played Atari today!!!!!
------------
>From SCORPIA'S Games RoundTable on GEnie:
Category 8, Topic 35
Message 24 Tue Nov 23, 1993
ERIDDLE at 21:14 EST
Well the Jaguar finally hit Asheville, NC today (Special order from
our local software store) and M.CARTER14 and myself got to pick ours
up! The machine is very sleek, although a bit bigger than the
pictures led to believe.
The controller is awsome! And CyberMorph comes with an overlay for
the keypad similar to the old 2600 Star Raiders.
The box has to been seen... Atari has outdone themselves!!! Oh well,
more later...
ed @ home
------------
Category 8, Topic 35
Message 25 Tue Nov 23, 1993
CARBON.14 at 21:37 EST
Some comments from people who picked up their Jags today!
Article 199 (129 more) in rec.games.video.misc:
From: todd@hal.com (Todd Nix)
Subject: Re: Jaguars are IN!!!
Date: 23 Nov 93 19:21:11 GMT
In <todd.754075248@xymox> todd@hal.com (Todd Nix) writes:
>I'll be heading over there at lunch to pick it up, and
>try to get a review out later.
Well I picked it up, took it home, plugged it in.
Unfortunately the controller was DOA. One of the buttons is
shorted or something, because where B should fire, Pause fires instead.
I'm going back to the store to pick another one up this evening.
More bad news. The only connector packed in is an RF cable. Maybe
it was just my unit, we already know it was bad, but the first
third of the screen was clear, while the right 2/3s was a little
jittery. I tried using a different channel, socket in the power strip,
as well as disconnecting the CATV cable from the RF box. Called ATARI
and they said the composite and SVHS connectors would be out in 1/94.
They connect to a little card slot in the back, so it would be pretty
hard to roll your own.
Good news. Cybermorph looks pretty cool from the demo. Fast, smooth,
good sounds. The landscape isn't texture mapped, but there is a good
deal of shading and shadows. Everything moves very very smoothly. Pretty
impressive. The landscape doesn't look real blocky either, nice and
smoothed. You can see some edges, but they aren't very sharp. Not a
system seller, but I think it will be pretty fun.
The controller is nice. It would nicer if mine worked, but oh well.
Fits nicely in the hands. Good feel on the buttons. Not too heavy.
Cybermorph comes with an overlay that fits over the buttons. You can
change views to look at your ship from outside in 4 directions, or from
inside the cockpit. There are buttons to turn off the sound, toggle the
targetting view, and 3 buttons for "super weapons".
That's all for now. Hopefully the unit I pick up tonight will be fully
functional.
Todd Nix (512)794-2855 todd@halaus.hal.com
Article 220 (128 more) in rec.games.video.misc:
From: tpp@cbnews.cb.att.com (Grue)
Subject: Jag stuff
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 1993 21:45:51 GMT
Ok, I'm a little more calm now... B)
Anyhow, I've been playing Cybermorph. Just got it from the Electronics
Boutique in Woodbridge, NJ. They didn't have any games (Boo!), but
Cybermorph is very nice indeed. Is it texture mapped? No. Is it very
fast and very smooth? You bet your ass it is! Is the sound any good?
Damn right! And I'm used to a Roland on an IBM PC. And it's fun. And
addictive. And I think I'm a-gonna go play it again. Quick mechanics
breakdown: A accelerates, B fires, C brakes, keypad does lots of neat
things, from firing special weapons to changing cockpit views and turning
off the music.
The game saves 100,000 updates to the high score list, btw.
Gotta run!
Tom
-----end-----
------------
Category 8, Topic 35
Message 26 Tue Nov 23, 1993
M.CARTER14 [Mac] at 22:13 EST
We'll as of today I am one of the proud owners of a ATARI Jaguar!!!.
I leave in Asheville, N.C. I finally got a call from my friends at
Babbage's. I flew over to the store and picked it up and then had to
wait three hours before I got my lunch break before I got to play it.
The base unit itself is much larger than I thought it would be, not
that it was bad or anything, I like the bigger unit. You can tell
that there is some quality in the machine. The controler is the best
one of any machine I have. (And I have them all!) It feels like it is
a part of your natural hand. The control pad and button are all in
perfect finger reach. The full keypad is very easy to select. The
opening screen is just like someone said. The Jaguar logo scales in
and you hear the jaguar growl, the individual ATARI letters fall in
from different directions and the little ATARI theme song plays. The
they split apart and the cube with the photographic image of the
jaguar animals rotates around. The box and all the manuals have the
same cover with the logo and the cateyes. It also come with a poster
that looks like the box with some screen shots along the bottom. The
back of the poster and manual just show you how to hook the unit of
about a million different ways. The carts are curved just a little so
that they are easy to get in and out. Now about Cybermorph. I only
got to play it for a couple of minutes and I thought it was more of a
game to show off what the machine had in "horsepoer" than a "gameplay"
cart. After getting home and playing it for about 15 minutes, I
think it is very fun. The landscape is killer with all of the colors
and shading. There is NO slowdown at all. The gameplay is not as
fast paced as say Starfox. It's more like Stellar 7 than Starfox. I
got past the first couple of planets and was wondering if that was all
eight levels there was to play. Then after reading the book I found
out there was eight planets per stage and there were five
stages.(IE:40 levels) The voices are crystal clear and the opening
music was good. There is no music during game play. There are a lot
of different options during play like controling the volume of all the
different sounds. (IE: Skylar, Engine, sounds.) Over all it is a very
good game for the first cart and pack in. It's not the best game ever
made but I like it a lot. I also ordered Cresent Galaxy but I'm not
sure when it will get here. Now the wait for Aliens Vs. Predator.
Mac Carter @ Home playing Jaguar. (With a big GRIN)
------------
--==--==--==--==--
||| Ten Questions About Jaguar's 64-Bit Technology
||| Courtesy: Atari Corp.
/ | \ -----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1. What does 64-bit mean?
"64-bit" refers to the amount of data Jaguar can process at one time.
Because Jaguar processes data 64 bits at a time - versus 8, 16 and 32
bits for other video game systems - Jaguar delivers unprecedented
animation speed, true-color graphics and stereo CD-quality sound.
Jaguar is the world's first 64-bit interactive multimedia home
entertainment system.
2. What are the main differences players will notice when using 64-bit
systems as compared to conventional machines and newer 32-bit systems?
The biggest difference players will notice is an enormous increase in
the overall speed and smoothness of objects in motion in their video
games. Game players will be able to manipulate and respond to game
action much more quickly and objects will travel at high animation
speed. In addition, players will notice a significant improvement in
the appearance of their video games; colors will be brighter and more
numerous, graphics will appear clearer and extremely realistic, 3D
objects will feature multi-textured surfaces, special effects will be
much more sophisticated and games will include true-to-life lighting
and shadows. Game realism will also be enhanced by sound effects
generated in CD-quality audio.
3. How does Jaguar achieve its 64-bit processing power?
Jaguar achieves its processing power through an advanced architecture
that features a 64-bit data bus. This bus acts like a 64-lane freeway,
permitting data "traffic" to flow 64-bits at a time. Five processors
work together to move data through the bus including:
7 The Atari-proprietary 64-bit Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) with
RISC technology - responsible for delivering Jaguar's complex 3D
graphics at high animation speed
7 The Atari-developed 32-bit Digital Signal Processor - delivers
Jaguar's CD and stereo sound capabilities
7 The Object Processor - provides an advanced video environment
7 The Blitter Graphics Accelerator - rapidly manipulates and copies
images
7 The 68000 16-bit processor - manages secondary processing functions
4. If Jaguar includes a 16-bit processor, how can it be a true 64-bit
system?
Jaguar is a true 64-bit system because it moves data through a 64-bit
data bus. While it includes a 16-bit processor, this processor plays
only a minor role in system performance. This processor acts as a
necessary, but less important stage hand - managing minor processing
functions, including reading joystick commands and distributing
workloads to system components.
5. In video game systems, what is the relationship between processing
speed and video graphics?
The processing speed of a video game platform has a direct
relationship to the quality of video graphics it is capable of
generating. When graphics are complex and include many colors, the
system needs more power to maintain high-quality animation speeds from
cartridge to screen without degradation.
Atari Jaguar's 64-bit processing speed allows the system to display
more than 16 million colors with an animation speed greater than 850
million pixels per second. This means Jaguar's 3D graphics are very
realistic, with bright colors and fast moving action.
This performance is significantly better than that of 32-bit machines,
which display 16.7 million colors, but are only able to move 64
million pixels per second. In other words, 32-bit systems have just as
much traffic as Jaguar, but they are trying to squeeze the same number
of colors onto a 32-lane highway instead of a 64-lane freeway. This
can result in grainier graphics, fewer colors used and slower
animation speed.
6. How has Atari been able to leapfrog 32-bit systems?
Atari Corporation has been able to leapfrog 32-bit systems because the
company made a commitment to meet the needs of the industry by making
a quantum leap to the 64-bit architecture. Atari backed this
commitment with resources, including the world's finest engineers and
the industry's most experienced management team. This combination of
vision, dedication and talent allowed Atari to build Jaguar's
proprietary 64-bit hardware and deliver Jaguar to customers while the
company's competitors were still struggling to develop and market less
powerful products.
7. How is Atari able to offer advanced 64-bit technology at such a
competitive price?
Jaguar retails for $249 (bundled with one video game), when much less
powerful systems are selling for $700 and up. Atari is able to offer
the world's most advanced video game system to consumers at such an
affordable price because:
7 Atari hires and retains the world's best engineers. This allowed
Atari to reduce Jaguar's time-to-market by ensuring the development
cycle was efficient and the design was high quality.
7 Atari is the sole investor in Jaguar and thus, operating overhead is
much lower than it is for competitive systems in which multiple
investors receive a portion of the profits.
7 Atari founded the video game industry and was able to apply more
than 20 years of expertise to the cost-efficient development of
Jaguar.
8. How do developers benefit from Jaguar's 64-bit processing power?
With Jaguar, developers enjoy unsurpassed ease in creating real-time
3D worlds. Because developing games for Jaguar is easier and less time
consuming than it is for conventional platforms, developers are able
to spend much more time on the creative process. Creatively, Jaguar's
64-bit processing power gives developers the flexibility to create
revolutionary video games that are much richer in color, animation,
texture and sound than traditional game systems.
9. What will be the industry standard for interactive multimedia
performance?
Atari's Jaguar has moved ahead of the competition to set the industry
standard for interactive multimedia performance. Jaguar's 64-bit
technology gives players the features and functionality they need
today while also supplying the power and components, such as virtual
reality and CD-ROM, to ensure they can move successfully into the
future. It will be years before players and developers exhaust
Jaguar's potential and competitive systems catch up to Jaguar in terms
of price and performance.
10. What lies ahead for Jaguar users?
Jaguar's advanced 64-bit technology will allow users to expand the
system's capabilities by adding peripherals without decreasing system
performance. For example, in 1994, users can look forward to the
release of Jaguar's CD-ROM peripheral. Atari also plans to develop and
market a Jaguar virtual reality helmet.
--==--==--==--==--
||| Jaguar Tackboard
||| Items collected by: Travis Guy
/ | \ GEnie: AEO.MAG Delphi: AEO_MAG Internet aeo.mag@genie.geis.com
------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope to make this a semi-regular feature of AEO, a place to post
various comments found online, press releases that make it in, and
bits of conversations about upcoming Jaguar games (and about the cat
itself!) This time, we've got some conversation about Kasumi Ninja,
an Atari new developer PR, a PR on the Accolade titles, the list of
New York and San Francisco chains carrying the Jaguar this season, as
well as some developer comments about programming on the Jaguar.
//// First, Rob Nicholson of Hand Made Software
<100060.154@compuserve.com> posts on CIS about the martial arts
game Kasumi Ninja:
The number of characters isn't yet finalised but 20 [is] probably too
many. We're limited by cart space and RAM as to how many
frames/characters will fit. Our aim is at least ten. Most of the
planned characters are human (e.g. Ninjas, UK fist fighter, Bronx
female, Eskimo) but there are a some mythical characters (e.g. Yeti).
Each character has a special move.
//// Then Ted Tahquechi, Kasumi Ninja's producer at Atari
<72662.1314@compuserve.com> joins in the CIS discussion:
Well, I just thought I'd take a second to throw in my two cents for
Kasumi Ninja. First, a comment was made about the fact thqt the game
might be 'watered down' NO WAY! I have it on good authority that
Kasumi Ninja will have a Ton of Blood and Gore. (I know, I'm the
Producer of the game at Atari.) I'm shooting for a ton of special
moves, as well as Never Before seen Fatality moves. The game will
carry a 'Mature Audiences' Warning sticker.
The cart size is and is not a relative issue. We have very good
compression routines, so we can fit a lot of data into a very small
space. The cart size is currently set at 16 Megabits. As far as sound
goes, before I started working at Atari, I was a Sound Engineer and DJ
For a Local Radio Station. I also run a recording studio. I did most
of the sample work in Cybermorph, and the Soon to be released Dino
Dudes. So, yes sound is a key part of the game to me as well.
...Kasumi Ninja is going to have a fair amount of Blood....
Weapons...Weapons...I love them. Yes, there will be weapons in the
game. I will keep you posted as to what types as the development of
the game winds down, which should be rather soon.
//// From Accolade's press release, announcing their games for the
Atari Jaguar:
Atari Corp. together with Accolade Inc. of San Jose, Calif., a notable
publisher and developer of Sega and Nintendo video games, Thursday
jointly announced a licensing agreement that will enable Atari to
bring five proven, hot titles from Accolade to consumers on the new
64-bit Jaguar Interactive Multimedia System by Fall 1994.
The new approach with the Jaguar by Atari brings faster, smoother
animation and enhanced sound and graphics to these hit titles.
Commenting on the company's decision to work with Atari, Accolade's
chairman, Alan R. Miller stated, "That Atari Jaguar is definitely
cool, new technology that is being introduced at a price point
attractive to consumers. We think Atari has a real shot at
establishing Jaguar as a successful system, and we want be part of
that effort." The Accolade titles for Jaguar include:
7 Al Michaels Announces HardBall III - Built on the reputation of the
best selling HardBall series of computer and video games, Al Michaels
Announces HardBall III features a full 162 game season, 26 accurately
rendered stadiums and the Emmy award winning commentary of Al Michaels.
7 Brett Hull Hockey - This action-packed simulation features input
from and the digitized skating of the NHL's most popular All-Star
player, Brett Hull. Several modes of play are offered including
exhibition game, 11 game short season, 42 game half season and an 84
game full season offered by no other hockey simulation game.
7 Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind - The world's supply
of yarnballs is seriously threatened in one of the year's most popular
video games, and it is up to Bubsy Bobcat, "a hero for cryin' out
loud!" to put a stop to the yarnball plundering Woolies.
7 Charles Barkley Basketball - With a jump start, court-time
integrates Barkley's fast-breaking, intimidating, whatever-it-takes-
to-win playing style into an intense basketball game.
7 Jack Nicklaus' Power Challenge Golf - The Golfer of the Century is
just one of four fully-digitized golfers in this award winning game
that features two Nicklaus designed golf courses, English Turn Golf
Club in New Orleans and Sherwood Country Club in California.
"Accolade's list of titles adds significantly to the Jaguar product
line," said Sam Tramiel, president and chief executive officer of
Atari.
"Accolade's proven titles enhanced by the 64-bit power of Jaguar will
enrich the Jaguar player's library of video games with life-like
sports adventures and real-time 3D animated characters that speak. The
Accolade titles help us to attain our goal of delivering a high
quality selection of Jaguar titles that will entertain all age
groups."
//// Atari announces more developers - a press release from Atari.
ATARI SIGNS 15 MORE NEW SOFTWARE COMPANIES
Jaguar Momentum Accelerates; Total of 35 Agreements Signed
Atari Corporation has announced that 15 additional leading software
companies have signed agreements with Atari for Jaguar. The Jaguar is
available now in the New York and San Francisco markets at a
suggested retail price of $249.95.
Bringing the total number of Jaguar licensees to 35, the following
new companies have inked agreements with Atari:
Accolade 21st Century Software
Activision UBI Soft International
id Software UBI Soft Inc
Microprose Ltd Interplay
Microprose Ltd (US) Millennium Interactive Ltd
Phalanx Software Brainstorm
Gremlin Graphics Ltd. Virgin Interactive Entertainment Ltd.
3D Games
"We're pleased to add more of the top software companies to the
Jaguar family," said Sam Tramiel, president of Atari. "With Jaguar,
developers enjoy unsurpassed ease in creating real-time, 3D virtual
worlds. They are not bound by the technological limitations of
antiquated systems or stringent programming requirements. Jaguar gives
developers the freedom to spend more time on the creative process,
producing games for Jaguar players that are rich in color, animation,
texture and sound.
Some of the hot, new titles for Jaguar include:
7 Activision's current IBM PC hit, Return to Zork will soon become
available to Jaguar game players. Return to Zork challenges players to
solve numerous puzzles as they try to save humanity from the evil
spirit, Morphius. Motion picture quality production values and
technological innovations make Return to Zork a challenging
interactive entertainment experience.
7 Accolade's titles promise fast, hard hitting sports action with Al
Michaels Announces Hardball, Brett Hull Hockey, Charles Barkley
Basketball and Jack Nicklaus Power Challenge Golf. Also available will
be 'Bubsy, in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind'.
7 id Software, well known for the hit Wolfenstein 3D, is developing a
Jaguar version of the much awaited first person perspective 3D game,
Doom: Evil Unleashed. In Doom, the player is a space marine that has
been suddenly flung into hell and the safest place is behind the
pistol. Atari will be the publisher and distributor of the Jaguar
version of this title.
7 Known for Wing Commander and Tank Platoon, Microprose, a leading
simulation company, has teamed with Atari to develop superior military
games for Jaguar. Most immediately, Microprose plans to create a
Jaguar version of its simulation helicopter game, 3D Gunship 2000.
7 Gremlin, one of the top publishers in the UK, will develop a number
of its proven titles for Jaguar including, Zool 2, based on the
exploits of the Ninja for the Nth Dimension.
7 UBI Soft International plans a number of games for Jaguar, including
the famous Jimmy Connors Pro Tennis. UBI Soft represents more than 80
per cent of the entertainment software publishers in the French
market, with distribution rights to more than 30 labels worldwide,
including LucasArts.
//// The list (from Atari) of the retail chains that are carrying the
Jaguar in 1993.
Initial stores in these markets that are carrying the new system
include Babbages, Electronics Boutique, FAO Schwarz, J & R Music
World, Nobody Beats the Wiz, Play World Toys, Toys 'R Us, Trans World
Music and Waldensoftware in New York; and in San Francisco, Babbages,
Electronics Boutique, FAO Schwarz, G & G Software, The Good Guys and
Waldensoftware. A complete roll-out in the United States and Europe is
slated for early 1994.
//// In the press kit for the November 4th rollout in New York, there
were a few pages listing comments from developers about their
general feelings about the Jaguar. I thought everyone might be
interested:
//// From Attention to Detail, developer of Cybermorph:
7 "Every developer wants to create a game that makes the player
experience the intensity of the adventure. Getting the
Cybermorph craft to 'morph' into different forms that appear to
mold with the landscape it flies over achieves this goal.
Players will find that the speed and the motion of the craft
causes their own bodies to rise and fall in their chairs. Their
heads will jerk in reflex reaction to oncoming obstacles and
their hands must react quickly in order to bring the craft and
survivors safely through the mission."
7 "Our development team had tons of fun challenging the 64-bit
platform to add more and more detail to Cybermorph. In fact, the
platform challenged them because it presented so many
possibilities."
7 "Atari understands what true-blue video adventure is all about.
Jaguar's 64-bit processing power enabled us to develop Cybermorph
with elaborately detailed light-shaded 3D polygons."
7 "When creative ideas pop into our minds, Jaguar's flexibility
lets us take advantage of more sound, more color, more images,
more layers of texture, smoke, fog - everything we need to make
it happen."
7 "Game players will notice that Jaguar's video games look less
computery or digitized - the Gourand shading makes them look more
realistic."
7 "Jaguar's strength is that the player feels the action - he can
enjoy the exhilarating speed and energy as he flies the ship
straight down into a cannon."
7 "We took advantage of the CD quality sound and stereo capabilities
to enhance the player's experience. If game players wear headphones
while they play Cybermorph, they will actually hear shots coming
from the left before they see them. Also, the holographic face
uses the audio capabilities in its eerie speaking voice."
//// From Rebellion Software Ltd., developers of Alien vs. Predator
and Checkerd Flag II:
7 "Jaguar is 100 percent faster than anything else in the market...
with Jaguar there are no limits. The 64-bit power gives you
complete freedom."
7 "The question is no longer what we can or cannot put on the
screen. With Jaguar, the speed and tools are available. Now we
are faced with the wonderful challenge of getting our great ideas
implemented."
7 "The first thing players will notice is Jaguar's spectacular
colors and 3D images. Jaguar allows developers to overcome all
previous video boundaries to deliver realistic, high-speed 3D
worlds."
7 "The video possibilites we thought were merely science fiction
are becoming science fact. Jaguar has permitted developers to
turn their wildest ideas into reality - to introduce a virtual
video dreamland"
7 "As for the future, Jaguar will continue to challenge developers
and players. A CD peripheral further expands stroage space -
opening up even more creative avenues. And, Jaguar's virtual
reality helmet will put even more motion in the game. Players
will find it difficult to distinguish reality from game fiction."
//// From Imagitec Design Inc., developers of Evolution Dino-Dudes
and Raiden:
7 "Jaguar's programming and graphic manipulation capabilities are
extremely diverse and yet very flexible."
7 "With Jaguar, developers are able to actually create what other
platforms will not support. What was once a mere fantasy in the
developer's mind can come to life with Jaguar's 64-bit animation
speed, true-color graphics, and CD sound. Jaguar blurs the fine
line between reality and fiction."
7 "The main benefit of developing video games for a 64-bit
architecture is that it opens up new avenues for art work. This
gives developers the ability to express complex ideas in video
form."
7 "Creating on platforms with less processing power would be like
stepping backward - stunting the developer's creativity with old
boundaries. There's no turning back now."
//// From Atari Corporation, developer of Crescent Galaxy:
7 "Jaguar is an extremely flexible system. With the Jaguar
Development Environment, developers are no longer forced to
handle programming tasks one way. in fact, Jaguar allows you to
program many different ways, depending on your specific needs.
The flexibility is great."
7 "Developers benefit greatly from Jaguar's high processing speed -
it allows them to push the limit of 3D graphics. They can use up
to 16 million colors as well as endless textures and display them
all on the screen at one time. Working with 3D true-color images
allows developers to ensure games look real."
7 "Jaguar allows for wonderful game play. Ultimately, this is what
the consumer is looking for."
7 "We work very hard to make sure that every game we create is
entertaining. Some products in the market look pretty without
being entertaining or sound nice without offering lasting-play
value. We fine-tune every product we make before releasing it to
manufacturing to ensure all of the play elements are in place
that make the game a lasting and enjoyable experience."
--==--==--==--==--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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-- --
-- To enroll as a Delphi subscriber, modem call 1-800-365-4636. Press --
-- [Return] once or twice, and type IP26 [Return] at Password: --
-- --
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--==--==--==--==--
||| A New Cat From Atari
||| By: Al Fasoldt
/ | \ GEnie: A.FASOLDT
-----------------------------------------------------------------
//// Editor: This article comes from Al Fasoldt's syndicated
//// newspaper column, and may not be reprinted without the
//// written permission of Mr. Fasoldt. It is reprinted here
//// (with Mr. Fasoldt's permission) as an example of how
//// Atari is starting to become a household name in America
//// again.
Copyright (C) 1993, the Syracuse Newspapers and Newhouse News Service
Wall Street is the last place you'd expect video games to make
headlines, but that's just what is happening this fall. The new
darling of investors is Atari, whose stock has tripled and then
tripled again in recent months as the company geared up for the
introduction of a revolutionary video-game machine called the Jaguar.
Atari's once-lonesome common stock soared from about $2 a share to a
recent close of $12 a share. Some analysts are predicting a rise to
$20, a 10-fold increase.
Hot tips have been floating around the financial markets ever since
Atari's executives set up private previews of the Jaguar this summer.
A recent boomlet was touched off by radio commentator Paul Harvey, who
raved about the Jaguar and mentioned Atari stock in a noontime
broadcast.
Atari's stock had been all but forgotten in the company's
post-Nintendo years, after Nintendo of Japan took over most of the
game market that Atari had created with its invention of the first
home video games in the 1970s.
Despite its name, which means ``go'' in Japanese, Atari is an American
company, once owned by media giant Warner Communications. In the
mid-1980s, computer tycoon Jack Tramiel and his sons took over Atari
and began producing a succession of unusual computers. These have
earned a cult following, but have sold well only in parts of Europe.
With the Jaguar, Atari is returning to the source of its initial
success on a large scale.
Unlike all previous video game devices, the Jaguar is actually an
advanced computer with far greater data-processing power than any
IBM-compatible PC or Apple Macintosh computer, the two common types in
use today. In its blazingly fast display of moving images and its use
of stereo digital sound, the Jaguar even surpasses the megabuck
graphics computers used for special effects in the movie industry.
The Jaguar is being manufactured for Atari by IBM at one of the large
factories in the United States that IBM had idled during its recent
cutbacks. The deal was worth $500 million for IBM, and assured Atari
of a reliable source of Jaguars.
Because of its close relationship to Atari in the manufacturing
phase, IBM has reportedly begun work on a way of incorporating the
Jaguar's graphics power in an add-on device that could be used either
in its standard personal computers or in the Power PCs that IBM, Apple
and Motorola are creating.
The Jaguar will retail for $250, and is likely to sell for about $200
in discount stores. For the first few months, the Jaguar will only be
available in a couple of major cities, with nationwide distribution
expected after Christmas.
The only competitor for the Jaguar is the so-called 3DO game system,
which is appearing under the Panasonic name and other brand names. It
costs three times as much as the Jaguar and cannot match the Jaguar's
performance, although it is expected to sell widely because of its
connection with Panasonic.
--==--==--==--==--
||| Jaguar ASCII Art
||| Compiled by: Travis Guy
/ | \ Collected online
-----------------------------------------------------------------
No, the two pieces of ASCII art that follow are not mine, I found
them online in various places, and I thought I'd share them with
everyone. If you've seen an example of good ASCII art (clean too!)
send it to me at <aeo.mag@genie.geis.com>.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// The Jaguar Logo
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I first noticed this on a post I saw from Usenet from Lea Anthony
<lea@uk.ac.bham.cs>. I EMailed Lea about it, only to find out that
Lea got it from a file posted by Robert Jung <r.jung@ >. Deadline
time prevents me from carrying the search any further now, but as
soon as I can trace this to the source, I'll do a follow up. In the
meantime, I'm sure the artist won't mind Jaguar enthusiasts including
this everywhere!
_ _ ____ _ _ _ ____
||| Atari | | / |/ ___\| | | | / | _ \
||| | | / | | __| | | | / | |_| |
/ | \ /| | |/ / | | |_ | | | |/ / | _ <
| |_| / _ | |__| | |_| / _ | | \\\
\___/_/ |_|\____/ \___/_/ |_|_| \\\
64-Bit Interactive Multimedia System \\\
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Jaguar Block Diagram
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This originated as a vector graphic I obtained from Atari Corp. and
distributed with the First Jaguar Special Edition of AEO in
September. Steve Johnson from GEnie <steve-j@genie.geis.com> spent
some time making it into ASCII art, and posted it on GEnie. I thought
Steve did an excellent job.
(NOTE: Each line in the bus connections counts as 8 bits - '|'
equals 8 bits and '=' equals 16 bits!)
64-bit
JERRY System
+--------------------+ Bus
| +-----------+| |||||||| TOM
|+-----+| || |||||||| +--------------+
||Sound|| DSP +|======++|||||| |+------------+| +--------+
|+-----+| +|========++|||| || || | |
| | +-----------+| ||||||++======|+ DRAM +|====+ |
| | | 8K SRAM || ||||++========|+ MEMORY +|====+ DRAM |
| | +-----------+| ||++==========|+ CONTROLLER +|====+ |
| | +-----------+| ++============|+ +|====+ |
| | |Timers/UART|| |||||||| || || | |
| | |Joysticks || |||||||| |+------------+| +--------+
| | |Clock Ctrl.|| |||||||| | |
| | +-----------+| |||||||| |+------------+|
| | | | |||||||| || ||
+--------------------+ ||||||++======|+ ||
| | ||||++========|+ OBJECT +|---> Video Out
| +-> Joystick ||++==========|+ PROCESSOR ||
| Controller ++============|+ ||
| |||||||| || ||
+---> Sound |||||||| |+------------+|
|||||||| | |
+-------------+ |||||||| |+------------+|
| | |||||||| || ||
| 68000 +======++||||++======|+ ||
| | ||||++========|+ GPU ||
+-------------+ ||++==========|+ ||
++============|+ +-------+|
+-------------+ |||||||| || |4K SRAM||
| | |||||||| |+----+-------+|
| CARTRIDGE +======++|||||| | |
| CD-ROM +========++|||| |+------------+|
| | |||||||| || ||
+-------------+ ||||||++======|+ ||
||||++========|+ BLITTER ||
||++==========|+ ||
++============|+ ||
|||||||| || ||
|||||||| |+------------+|
+--------------+
--==--==--==--==--
||| The Unabashed Atariophile
||| By: Michael R. Burkley
/ | \ Delphi: MRBURKLEY GEnie: AEO.4
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Thanksgiving is coming up in less than a week (at least for all of us
US readers), and I have much for which to be thankful. I have a
wonderful wife, precious children, caring family, a loving church, a
country to be proud of, and much, much more. Your blessings might be
different than mine, but you are blessed. I would suggest that we all
try to "count our blessings" this coming week. Wouldn't it be great if
we would all rejoice over the skills we have, the gifts we've given
and the gifts we've received. I think the world would be a better
place!
Lastly, I've been thinking about a quotation a lot lately. I don't
know where it originated, but it's been half-remembered by a lot of
people. It goes, "My Country, right or wrong." I've always identified
with that pride and commitment, but have also always been a bit
uncomfortable with its potential blindness. It seems to mean that the
person would agree with the policies of his or her country no matter
if they were right or wrong. Imagine my surprise when I found out that
the above quote is only the first part of a longer quote. That quote
goes, "My Country, right or wrong. When right to be kept right. When
wrong to be put right!" That's an astounding quote to me, and one full
of hope. May we all strive to keep what is right, right, and to put
right what is not!
I can see from my downloads that Atari programmers are continuing to
do just that. Excellent programs are continuing to be produced, and
bug fixes are being written for those programs that are flawed in one
way or another. Keep up the good work!!
7 SPECFALC which I reviewed last issue is NOT what I said it was. I
thought it was a program that would allow you to display Spectrum
pictures on your Falcon030. Wrong! It is a Timex-Sinclair emulator
optimized for the Falcon030! Oh well! Sorry about that, and Thanks to
the person who pointed this out to me! There are still no docs with
this program file! 104K uncompressed.
7 1994_CAL is a single Calamus 1994 Calendar document (.CDK) for
Calamus 1.09 and S/SL users. All twelve months are included. If you
need a calendar to customize with your own events then this document
is for you! By Glenn Gorman.
7 3DICNS_2 is a series of NeoDesk 3 icons by Dan Dreibelbis (dated
Jan. 10, 1993) that allow your icons to have that 3-D look - click on
one and it looks like it depresses into the desktop. These are
designed for a mono monitor, but should also work in color. Some of
the icons are for SuperBoot, Knife ST, UNdel.TTP, Balgus, Multi Viewer
Graphica, and more.
7 ALICREST is a file containing a brief text and two Degas pictures
(high and medium res. versions) of the church building in which Alice
Brock lived. Alice was a figure in the great Thanksgiving epic Alice's
Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie. Arlo now runs an interfaith church with
services for the disadvantaged. The picture came from an invitation
to a fund raiser (a Thanksgiving dinner that can't be beat according
to the uploader) for the church. Suitable either for a desktop picture
of for DTP work.
7 AMBIANC1 is a 800x608 GIF file showing the capabilities of the Cyrel
Ambiance Image/Clip Selection Utility from Cybercube. It shows the
deskop of a TT with a colorful and detailed photograph of a floral
arrangement. Around the picture is the desktop with icons and a
drawing of autumn folliage. I'd like this for a desktop picture! View
with GEM View or with your Falcon!
7 AMBIANC2 is a 800x608 GIF87a snapshot shows some of the
capabilities of the CyReL AMBIANCE Desktop Image Manager. The desktop
background has been replaced with a two-layered image composed of a
background of pink squares grouped around a beautiful Patrick Nagel
illustration of a reclining woman.
7 AMBIANC3 is a 800x608 GIF87a snapshot that shows some of the
capabilities of the CyReL AMBIANCE Desktop Image Manager. The desktop
background has been replaced with a stunning 256 color fade to
demonstrate the richness and attractiveness of the 256 color modes in
the TT, Falcon, or an ST equipped with a CyRel color board.
7 AMBIANC4 is a 800x608 GIF87a snapshot that shows some of the
capabilities of the CyReL AMBIANCE Desktop Image Manager. The desktop
background has been replaced with a famous picture of a whale's tail
disappearing below the surface of the sea. In the background is the
shoreline and forest beyond that. Standard (Falcon standard, that is)
icons and desktop overlay the picture. This shows what can be done
with Ambiance and any TT, Falcon, or ST equipped with a CyRel color
board.
7 APPLIER v.1.0 by John Eidsvoog (dated Jan. 7, 1993) is a small
utility that increases the power and flexibility of the installed
application feature of Atari computers. Normally you can only
"install" one application at a time (you can only specify one type of
document that, when double-clicked on, will start a specified
application). Applier enhances the installed application process in
two ways. First of all, it allows you to install more than one
application for a single file extension. Up to eight different
applications can be invoked for each extension. Secondly, Applier
allows you to include commands on the command line along with the
document's filename. Read the directions to see how you can use the
amazing power this little utility gives you! Color or mono. ST/STe/TT
compatible.
7 ARABCOKE is an .IMG file that shows a scanned label printed with
Arabic letters from a bottle of Coca-Cola. Unfortunately, I would have
to say that the quality isn't all that hot, but if you need that and
it's "the only game in town" you take what you can get!
7 ARTISAN is "The Artisan's Tomb" v.1.0.0 by Dead Seagull (!) and
dated Nov. 2, 1993 (or Feb. 11, 1993--write out the months folks!).
This is an AGT (Adventure Game Toolkit) adventure. To play this you
must have AGT v.1.3 (see AGTST_13).
7 AW_94CAL is a set of calendar sheets for the 12 months of 1994 with
each month on a separate page. This file is by Michael 'Papa' Hebert
(the author of a large number of helpful files about Atari Works, and
a new book, too!). Dated November 5, 1993. The calendars were created
in MyDraw (see M_DRAW110) using Swiss 721 Bold as the font. You don't
have to leave it as he has it though, because he's set it up to be
easily configured to your liking. Docs included.
7 AW_POPUP by Michael Hebert is two AtariWorks documents (.STW) which
provide you with a sample "pop-up" table decoration using the label
maker in AW and instructions on how to make them for your own
Thanksgiving dinner (or with a bit of imagination and work any other
holiday).
7 AW_PRALN is a set of files by Michael Hebert that will show you how
to correctly align your paper in your printer when using AtariWorks.
Includes screen shots of AW that show correct and incorrect border
placement. Included with this archive is a simple portrait border with
a 1" margin used as a tutorial.
7 AW_RCPBK by Michael Hebert (Papa, THE Atari Works guru!) is a
recipes database (.STD) and a document template (.STW) that will allow
you to record, edit, select, and print out your recipes. He says this
is not a "polished application," but it works, so why argue! Requires
Atari Works. Keep up the excellent work Papa!
7 AW_WDING by Michael Hebert (dated Oct. 29, 1993) is an AtariWorks
document that lists the extended character set from ASCII 127 through
255. This can jog your memory of just which character is in which
place. A second file serves much the same purpose. It is a multi-page
complete set of the More Wingbats font in 18 point type. Just what
does "A" do in Wingbats? Print this file out and it doesn't matter if
you forget. A "surprise" 400 dpi .IMG file is included as well (I
wouldn't want to be a party in _that_ party!).
7 BIGLIFE is BigLife v.1.00 by Owen Rees (dated 1993). This GEM based
program is the most interesting and full-featured adaptation of "Life"
that I have seen. It's not the Milton Bradley game of LIFE which I'm
writing about here, but the computer program which tracks
"generations" of "cells" as they live and die on your computer screen
as based on a simple set of rules. This version allows you to create,
save, and load your own patterns, load patterns from a sampling
included with the program, and even load XLife format files from
X-Windows. The patterns included with this are fantastic! Rocketships,
shooting guns, gliders, and more are all included! The docs make for
fascinating reading, too. I recommend this program to you! ST-TT
compatible in ST resolutions.
7 BSTAT246 is B/STAT v.2.46 by Robert Wilson (uploaded by the author
on Oct. 20, 1993). It is a sophisticated statistical analysis and
business graphics spreadsheet program. A powerful graphing program is
also included. Data can be entered from its own spreadsheet or others.
It will load DIF (save too), comma delimited ASCII (save too), PRN,
WKS (Lotus 123) and SYLK files. It requires a minimum of 2 Meg of RAM
(more is better) and a double-sided drive or hard drive. B/STAT will
use GDOS or SpeedoGDOS if available but they are not required. This
program is complicated, but powerful. A significant upgrade from the
previous version. Docs and online help included (though I have to say
that I don't have the statistics background to really understand the
docs). 861K uncompressed. Color or Mono. ST through TT compatible.
SHAREWARE.
7 C-172 is a .GIF image of a 3D image of a Cessna 172 originally
rendered with Phoenix and then touched up with Prism Paint. Created
for TT Low resolution. Looking at this picture in GEM View doesn't
show anything spectacular, though I am not sure but that might be the
fault of my system rather than the GIF.
7 C_172 is a CAD 3D v.2.02 .3D2 format file of a Cessna 172 Skyhawk.
Created by K. Fanning with CAD-3D and Cyber Control just because he
loves flying that plane! It's nice to have enthusiasts about!
7 CACHE277 is Master Cache v.2.77 by Daniel Carl Gouthro (dated March
15, 1993). This is really just a two bug fixes from v.2.76 and one
other improvement(a problem with floppy formatting and one with the
Media Change check). According to the author it is the most advanced
disk caching system for hard disk owners (floppy too) and it is BEST
disk cache system for the ATARI ST, Mega ST, STe, Mega STe and TT
computers!
It support any logical size up to 8192 bytes per sector, write delay
caching, TOS buffers configuration for TOS V1.4 or higher, FAT/DIR
priority option, many other features (now including "pre-caching"
which speeds up AUTO folder program execution). A must for anyone who
owns non-ICD HDs, but you can use it for ICD drives (and controllers)
as well. This demo version is limited in several ways, but you can
upgrade it to full-registered status with a password (obtained by
registering, info included). This is the last SHAREWARE version
(unless another bug fix comes along - he supports his programs).
Version 3.0 will be commercially distributed (register while you
can!). Docs included. ST-Falcon compatible.
7 CALSL_23 is the complete transcript from Aug. 29, 1993 through Oct.
16, 1993 of the Calamus SL Topic on GEnie and the Atari Roundtables. I
used to think that Calamus 1.09N was the best Desktop Publishing
solution around. I don't think that anymore. I upgraded to Calamus S!
I'm working on learning my way around "S" right now. It's interesting
to read this file and see all the things that I have no idea at all
about what they are talking about! Still, I learn from it! This
discussion is continuing in Category 16, Topic 20 on GEnie. I'll keep
reading, too!
7 CARRIER is a Cybersculpt model (.3D2) of a spacefaring fighter
carrier. While I hope this particular model isn't in our near future
(though I wouldn't be surprised), I do hope that we soon make it out
into space in a big way like this. Multiple "Spinhabs" rotate to
provide artificial gravity, and they each rotate in a different
direction to cancel out their torque. You can view this from within
Cybersculpt or Phoenix (even the demo). Color only.
7 CAUTILS by Craig Anderton is a series of test sequences created to
aid him in his musical endeavor, and his is allowing them to be
distributed to make your life easier, too. I don't really know what
this program does (when I sing or play I usually just make "a joyful
noise"), but it seems to do lots of things such as allowing you to
tune multiple intruments (it seems to be MIDI instruments indicated),
allow you to easily "flag" particular MIDI programs when listening to
then, tune your guitar, bass, or other string instrument, and more.
Docs included.
7 CDLISTN2 is v.0.2 of Keith Lord's program (dated Oct. 29, 1993)
which will allow you to control a CD-ROM drive (any kind that can read
CD audio disks) and allow you to playback audio CDs. This program is
different from other CD players in that it does not require a CD-ROM
player that complies with the SCSI-2 standard. It is known to work
with the Toshiba XM-3131 and XM-3232 drives and the IBM 7210 CD
drives. This program requires an ICD host adapter. Docs included.
Shareware.
7 CG_CITY1 is a beautiful 24-bit Type 2 320x240 Targa picture taken from
the Jaguar game "Crescent Galaxy." It shows some of the action taking
place on the "City Planet." It shows a robot and some crazy eyeballs
on screen! View with GEM View or View TT/ST. This file will also work
with PhotoChrome3 (though the picture is upside down there, it is the
best method for viewing on an ST or STE).
7 CG_COWSK is a 24-Bit Type 2 512x288 Targa picture of two ships
flying through a desert of waving sand and rocky craigs. They are
doing battle with a giant skeleton of a demon cow! View with GEM View
or View TT/ST. Not compatible with PhotoChrome3 <sigh>.
7 CG_PORTS is three 24-bit Type 2 Targa (.TGA) portraits of characters
from the new Jaguar game "Crescent Galaxy." The first is of Cutter, a
distinguished cat wearing a military uniform. The second picture is of
General Patent, a maned lion wearing a general's uniform. The final
picture is of Trevor McFur, a jaguar with some sort of cloth draped
over his shoulders. View with GEM View or ViewTT/ST. Unfortunately,
Atari keeps releasing Targa pics that are not compatible with
PhotoChrome 3, so if you don't have a machine that can show extended
colors then these pictures are at best, so-so. 106K.
7 CG_WORLD is a series of five 24-bit Type 2 Targe pictures (.TGA) of
a number of different worlds in the new Jaguar game, "Crescent
Galaxy." The first is a picture of a Jupiter-type planet with two
visible satellites. The second is of a planet mostly blue and black
with orange-yellow-red highlights. The third is a picture of a
Saturn-type world. The fourth is a picture of a Neptune-like world
with a thin ring. The planet's axis is tilted almost perpendicular to
it's orbit (as shown by the lit and shadowed portions of the globe,
and the position of the ring). View with GEM View or View TT/ST. 466K
uncompressed.
7 CLOCK12 is the "Digital Clock" v.1.2 Extend-O-Save module for use
with Warp 9 v.3.8x. By Charles F. Johnson of CodeHead Technologies
Fame, this file will present you with a constantly updated clock (with
four different typefaces for the clock display), floating digital
clock moving across your screen and bouncing off the edges. It
requires Warp 9 v3.80 or higher to function as a screensaver (and to
save your favorite settings), but you can run it without Warp 9 in a
special "demonstration mode" by renaming it to CLOCK.PRG and launching
it just as you would any other program. This version has a fix which
allows it to work correctly on computers without built-in clocks. It's
fun! Resolution-independent, it will run on any ST--Falcon computer.
7 COCKATOO is a 300 dpi .IMG scanned line art of a Cockatoo (parrot).
It was scanned from a Dover Art book. The drawing is good, but to use
it in DTP work you will need to block out the edges of the drawing as
they contain some mess from the scanner. 233K uncompressed.
7 C_5B is a TTLOW GIF of a C-5 Galaxy cargo jet. Originally rendered
with Phoenix and then touched up with Prism Paint this GIF file isn't
much when viewed in GEM View on my STE. I am not sure though but that
might be the fault of my system rather than the GIF.
7 DCCPARTY is listed on Delphi as the Falcon DCC1993 Demo. That just
goes to show that even an excellent service messes up sometimes! It's
really not a Falcon demo at all, but an ST/STE demo! How do I know
this? Someone on Delphi told us (they don't let mistakes hang around
for long!). It is a scrolling text and effects demo advertising a
"Coding Party" for earlier in 1993. It's small and yet has nice music
and effects. One nice feature is that by pressing the HELP key you can
see the real-time processor use in the demo. It leaves quite a bit
available! Does NOT work on the Falcon! Color only.
7 DELIMITR is the Text Delimiter v1.0 by Gerry Genson (dated 1991). He
wrote this program to save himself save hours of retyping in data so
that he could convert the data to a new database program he owned.
This presents you with a very easy to use interface. Many database
programs can import data in a delimited file format. Basically this is
with the data fields separated by commas. There are, however, very few
that can read SDF (standard data format), which is just a text listing
of the data (which is the kind many database programs Export!).
This program will convert SDF files to delimited files. This will work
with any TOS 1.0-2.06 computer. One bug is that it conflicts with the
standard Atari Item selector, but not with any replacement item
selectors! I am including this file here because I needed it to export
ZIP Code data from our church mailing list to a form which the Post
Office could read (they want to give us the ZIP+4 codes). This program
let me do that. Maybe you can find a use for it as well.! Shareware.
Docs included. Gerry is an officer in BRAG ST, the local user group to
which I belong!
7 DELPHI is a Basic language script file for logging on to Delphi
using Storm, the new telecommunications program by Alan Page (see
STORM100). If you use Storm and log on to Delphi (an excellent
service) then this file is for you.
7 DINGBATS by Keith Brooks is an AtariWorks document (.STW) that is a
"map" of the Bitstream ITC Zapf Dingbat font. This was created using a
template created by Michael "Papa" Hebert. No longer will you need to
remember just what dingbat goes with which letter. Simply print this
out once and post it on the wall! What a great memory jogger!
7 DJ_CDT is two printer drivers created by Steve Liversidge for use
with Calamus (any version) and the DeskJet 500 series of printers
(color, too).
//// Several weeks ago I downloaded a series of 12.5KHz .AVR digitized
sound files of John Wayne - The Duke (and one or two others) taken
from the John Wayne Movie "Big Jake." I've finally gotten around to
listening to them using Damien M. Jones excellent Shareware program
SoundLab (currently at version 1.11. I've registered and I recommend
it to you). They are named DUKE01 - DUKE08. Here's what I heard!
DUKE01: Mr. Sweet saying, "But I ain't never been to Nakadoshus...."
DUKE02 is John Wayne--The Duke saying, "You do that again and I'll
break every bone in your body."
DUKE03 is The Duke saying, "I'm not worried about your butt, it's
his back!"
DUKE04 is The Duke saying, "Now that would give me great annoyance
and displeasure."
DUKE05 is The Duke saying, "You must think that I'm a real dangerous
man."
DUKE06 is The Duke saying, "Have you ever been to Nakadoshus?"
Someone replies "Nakadoshus?...No."
DUKE07 is The Duke saying, "You can call me Father, you can call me
Jacob, you can call me Jake, but if you ever call me 'Daddy' again
I'll finish this fight!"
DUKE08 is The Duke saying as the music swells, "Now you understand;
anything goes wrong, my fault, your fault, nobody's fault. It
don't matter. I'm gonna blow your head off. It's as simple as
that."
7 ET_19 is the October 1, 1993 issue of Express Times, the newsletter
for the BBS Express ST! SysOp. This issue is full of news about BBS
Express! ST, online games, CD ROM disk updates, Door/Utilities
updates, and more. If you are interested in becoming a SysOp or have
thought about using BBS Express ST! then this file is for you.
7 EZT_PRO is the Easy Text Professional DTP program demo. This version
requires either GDOS or SpeedoGDOS (not included) in order to run.
Presently it is only partially compatible with SpeedoGDOS (no rotated
fonts). This program allows you to import text of several different
document types. It has the same feel as TimeWorks Publisher ST, but is
faster in many respects. This version is fully enabled except that it
will only print on 9 and 24-pin printers and only the top 1/4 page of
any document. Requires one meg of RAM (minimum) and 800+K of disk
space. Color or mono. Docs included. This looks to be a contender as a
low end DTP program (but I still like Calamus!). Ordering information
included.
//// Here are some Falcon specific programs and files I found recently:
7 BOUND2 is the Bound Demo 2 for the Falcon030. By Audoly Gilles, this
demo is a "continuation" of the original bound demo (a bouncing ball
with a picture). It is a real-time raytracing demo which will work on
any monitor. This demo shows a bouncing ball with another ball inside
the first, and a third half-way out of it. I haven't seen it, so I
can't tell you any more about it.
7 DGIBV100 is the Digital Tracker v.1.00 (dated Nov.2, 1993). This
beta test version is a SoundTracker/NoiseTracker compatible MOD
editor/ player for the Falcon030. It will play four or eight voice 16
bit modules "a l'aide d'instrument digitalisis" (with the aid of a
digitizer?). The docs are all in French and since I don't have a
Falcon.... This archive contains four MOD files GUN ("GUN!! Stop the
Gun!" - secret agent type music), HUMSTORY (more "secret agent music"
with percussion and electric piano), Rythmo ("Rythmno I-N-S II"), and
SPACE4 (Echoey and yet clipped space music with sounds like the voice
pipes on a pipe organ). Paula, the .MOD player chokes on HUMSTORY and
SPACE4 but BACKTRAK, the .ACC .MOD player works fine with them (I
assume also that they work with the program!). SHAREWARE.
7 DSFIX is the MultiTOS Dosound() Fix v.1.0 by Scott Sanders (the
author of "The Atari Compendium"). MultiTOS Dosound() fix makes an
undocumented function of the TOS call Dosound() work under MultiTOS.
Aladdin (and maybe other programs) use this method to determine
whether a FM sound is already playing prior to playing their own
sound. This feature was never documented by Atari and went away in
MiNT v1.00-v1.08. This patch program catches this call and mimics the
undocumented behaviour to prevent Aladdin (and others) from crashing.
Docs included.
7 RESFOOLR is Rez Fooler v.1.2, an AUTO folder/desktop program that
will fool your Falcon and make it think you've got another kind of
monitor connected than the one actually connected. This is mostly
because some demos won't run on a standard TV, although it should
(from the programmers point of view, there is no difference between a
standard TV and a RGB monitor). You can also use this program if you
have a multisync monitor that can do RGB & VGA modes. Using it will
(or at least it _should_) allow you to quickly access all the
different resolutions. Docs included.
7 VERTICAL is Vertical Mayhem by Martin Griffiths. It is a "Columns"
clone for the Falcon030. Columns if you remember is a game in which
columns of three colored blocks fall from above. The object is to get
three blocks of the same color adjacent to each other in either
straight or diagonal lines. You maneuver the blocks with the keyboard.
This game uses 64 colors on screen, 16bit 4 channel 50KHz stereo
soundtrack, 10 levels of increasing difficulty, and two game variants
with different graphics, soundtrack and level of difficulty. Falcon030
only.
//// Now back to the regular downloads!
7 FAXSHEET by Michael Mastaler is a PageStream 2.2 .DOC file that is a
template for a FAX cover letter for home or business. To use this load
it into PageStream and add your own address, FAX number and letter and
your ready to send it off! The .DOC uses the Garamond font, but you
can change it to whatever you wish. I just purchased the STraight FAX
software and am anxious to turn my ST into a FAX. I just might use
this myself!
7 FC_KIMO is a brief text file that gives you ten "fortunes" (or
rather, in this case, wise sayings) for you to add to the fortunes
file in the CodeHead Technologies Warp 9 Extend-O-Save module entitled
FORTUN12. They are called "Kimo's Rules". Even if you don't have Warp
9 (WHY NOT!! It's something I wouldn't willingly do without!) get this
file and tack them up on the wall next to your computer. Good stuff.
7 FESTIVAL is a .MID file that is a sequence of Festival DeRitmo on
the Dave Weckle album "Master Plan". The Drums were played in with
MIDI pads and used an Alesis D4 drum mudule (Jazz Fusion set #10). The
file also included an offer from D'note Recording which will allow all
of you MIDI enthusiasts and artists to receive high quality transfers
of their MIDI to cassette tape, played on some of the best MIDI
equipment on the market today (for a small fee <especially considering
music studio fees!!>).
7 FILLTYPE is a Calamus SL .CDK document that shows you with words and
with detailed graphics (or are they English Muffins? See .CDK!) how to
take a word in .CVG format (created in Outline Art) and fill it with
small point message or character(s) and in so doing create a custom
fill pattern.
7 GS252B is Ghostscript 2.52B for the ST has been around for awhile
(dated Sept. 20, 1992) but since I just downloaded it I thought that I
would pass a description on to you. Ghostscript is the GNU project's
(Free Software Associaion's) PostScript language interpreter. It can
be used to convert postscript files into formats suitable for
non-postscript printers, or display PostScript files on the screen.
Now you can take any postscript file (.PS) generated on any platform
and print it out on the ST (printer or screen). Command line based,
this program can be difficult to use for most ST'ers, but it's free
and works very well. Drivers are included for the screen, the Atari
Laser, the HP DeskJet and PaintJet (yes, it supports color!), the HP
LaserJet, a BubbleJet (bj10e), and an Epson 9 & 24 pin printer.
It requires at least 1 Meg of RAM, a monochrome monitor and a hard
drive (well, if you fiddle with the program you _might_ get it to work
on a floppy system, but I wouldn't count on it). The program is slow,
but if you only occasionally need to output PostScript files then this
is probably a better alternative than UltraScript or CompoScript
(commercial PostScript interpreters) or a PostScript printer.
Otherwise, fork over the money for the commercial products. Docs (some
English some German) are included. Some fonts are included in this
package, but more are available online (search for GhostScript). This
archive uncompresses to 1.48 meg of files.
7 GEMGS13 is gemGS v.1.3 (dated Nov. 27, 1992) by Tim Gallivan. GemGS
is a GEM shell for Ghostscript v.2.52 on Atari ST/TT computers (source
code included). GhostScript is a public domain PostScript interpreter
for the ST/TT. Normally functioning as a command line based program,
this utility allows you to use GhostScript with GEM (yaa!). GemGS 1.3
should be used with GS 2.52, while gemGS 1.2 is intended for GS 2.41.
Once inside the gemGS shell, you can:
1) pick the input and output files from the File menu,
2) choose the device from the Device menu,
3) pick the resolution from the Resolution menu,
4) pick the page size from the PageSize menu,
5) pick any options from the options menu,
6) click Run under the File menu.
Now that sounds A LOT simpler than GhostScript plain (I'm not a command
line type of guy at all!). Color or mono. Docs included.
7 GL4DEMO is the demo of the newest version of The Grocery Lister
v.4.0 by Randy Hoekstra (uploaded Nov., 1993). This is a MAJOR upgrade
from v.3.1 (the last released version). Grocery Lister allows you make
your purchasing decisions away from the grocery store bakery smells
wafting out over the air conditioning. The author is a living example
of the support Shareware authors give registered users. I had
mentioned that it would be nice to be able to keep lists for the
different grocery stores I frequent. Voila'! Grocery Lister now
supports four stores at any one session with the option to load many
others with the click of the mouse. I had mentioned I had some
difficulty with selecting the grocery items using the mouse and guess
what? This version gives me not a problem at all!
I can't begin to mention all of the new and expanded features of this
program. It's excellent! Just get it, you won't regret it! This demo
comes with a grocery database of 1,000 items already, with the option
of easily adding more items. A single grocery database file can have
grocery item information including item name, category, location,
coupon or sale flag, a taxable flag, and a price. Did I mention price?
Yes, food costs money! Using grocery lists is a sure fire way to save
money grocery shopping, and you also stand a better chance of not
forgetting the _one_ thing you were going to the store to buy in the
first place (how many times has that happened!).
Mark your shopping list to match the store with the items you wish to
purchase and the aisle numbering of your local market (I like this
feature - it saves a lot of running around). You can even remind
yourself of the coupons you have! This GEM based demo is limited in
some extended features, but certainly usable as is (too usable - don't
"forget" Shareware authors!). Color or mono. Docs come with the
registered version. ST--Falcon (Geneva, too). One final bit of
advice - make a list, and then remember to use it!
7 GRAM_110 is Grammarian v.1.1.0 by Dan Panke (the owner of ST Plug,
the sole <legal> distributor of Budgie UK Software in North America).
Grammarian is an easy-to-use (I don't see how it could be any easier -
it's downright simple!) program designed to look at text files and
check for word usage, spelling problems, and some grammatical rules.
This version fixes a problem that sometimes led to not being able to
read the whole grammatical comment AND adds the possibility of editing
the grammatical rules and word checks so that you can customize the
checking to your own needs. Grammarian may not be right in everything
it finds but it does present some good reminders. Docs included. STE
compatible (at least). (Uploaded by the author on Nov. 7, 1993.)
7 HCOPY16S is a copy/format utility by Robert Weiss (dated April 22,
1992) that has been around for awhile now. I was pleased to see this
newer version (it's nice when people keep supporting their products,
isn't it!). This SHAREWARE program (or .ACC - just rename it) will run
in color (due to Mark Matts releasing a med. .RSC file on Sept. 18,
1993) or mono on any ST/STe/TT with TOS 1.2 or newer (it's funny, older
versions of this ran just fine on color systems straight from the
author).
It now has High Density floppy support, formatting your HD drive to 82
tracks and 22 sectors! Of course it does everything for your standard
floppies as well (5.25", too). You can format your disks with any
track or sector density, twisted or not, set the step rate, zero your
disks (for FAST erases), do multiple copies of disks, automatically
format your destination, and much more. It is mouse or hot key
controlled. One feature I like is the detailed info on a disk you can
get with the click of a button. SHAREWARE. The program is in English
with German docs.
7 ICD_PSU is the ICD Pause Setting Utility by Stuart Coates (The
Hitchiker). The new ICD hard drive driver (v.6.2.3, but it should work
with the PRO software as well) includes a three second pause when it
boots. If you find that astoundingly annoying then this patch program
is for you. With it you will have the option of setting the delay to
anything between 0 and 9 seconds. Running this program will modify your
ICDBOOT.SYS file, so be sure to keep a copy of that as a backup! This
hasn't been sanctioned by ICD so you are on your own, but the author is
a competent programmer (I've seen a number of his programs) and it works
fine for him. Docs included.
7 JLOGOCOL.GIF is a 640x228 GIF picture file of the Jaguar Logo in
red/orange on a black background. It looks as if it's been swiped out
by the Jaguar's claws.
7 KEY20 is the Skeleton Key, v.2.0 by Bill Jones (dated Mar. 1992).
This program places itself between your BBS Express ST! program and
any other program you use with it. It will completely relieve you of
the need for GATEWAY.TOS, CHAINER.TTP and DORINFO1.SCR. It will allow
you to run games written for other BBS systems. Not only that but it
will allow you to run any other program as well (for example a
compression utility). This version has been completely re-written and
is now 1/3 the size of the original and twice as fast. It also
includes many new features (including environmental control). Detailed
docs included. SHAREWARE (not crippled at all). Don't bother with the
phone number in the docs; it's been disconnected.
7 LAFFCAT by Don Harris of Laser's Edge Graphics is an .IMG drawing
created in Calamus and Outline Art 3.0. It features a cat sitting on
its haunches and laughing with a silly grin on its face. The cat is
sitting in a pentagonal star superimposed over a circle. Around the
circle are the words "Laughing Cat Graffixx." This .IMG shows some
effects of the XOR function in Calamus SL. 86K uncompressed.
7 LAUNCHER is Launcher v.1 by Frank Vuotto of F10 Software. This is an
excellent and well-thought out utility. I've installed it on my
NeoDesk Desktop and in Geneva and that's where it's going to stay!
Launcher allows you to install a list of programs into it and then
easily run them with just two mouse clicks. This works very well from
the standard desktop (you can run your programs without searching
through mounds of folders), but it is also very valuable for NeoDesk
and DC Desktop users.
Those two desktop replacement/enhancers only allow a certain number of
programs to be placed on the desktop. You can use Launcher to increase
that number tremendously and frees up a lot of space on your desktop
at the same time! Place Launcher once on the desktop and you get
another 32 programs just two clicks away. Rename it to indicate what
type programs are listed in it and install it multiple times on the
desktop! You can also pass documents to a parent program. Launcher
only uses 32K of system memory! Color or mono. ST-TT compatible.
SHAREWARE.
7 LEADDRS is an .IMG file created by Don Harris of Laser's Edge
Graphics using Calamus SL and its XOR function and then printed to a
file with the .IMG print driver. It's hard to describe other than as a
group of circles and triangles overlapping each other several times in
a white and black image.
7 LOOKFOR2 is the complete transcript from April 11, 1993 through
Nov. 7, 1993 from the "I'm looking for..." topic on GEnie and the
Atari Roundtables. This file applies the software skills of numerous
online people to fit the appropriate software to a person's needs.
Have you been looking for a certain bit of software to meet your
specific needs, but don't know just what it might be? This topic
(which is still continuing on GEnie, Cat 2, topic 25) might be able to
help.
7 LORIKEET is a nicely done 300 dpi .IMG scanned line art of a pair of
Lorikeets sitting on a tree branch. It was scanned from a Dover Art
book.
7 LZH2LZH by J. Watts is v.1.1 (uploaded Sept. 20, 1993) of his
program that will allow you to convert your ARC, Lh1, and ZIP files to
the Lh5 format. I've taken so long to review this archive because I
just want to wish it away. It's a fine program, don't get me wrong,
but I have difficulties in the files it includes besides the main
program. A previous version of this program had the Shareware ARC
Shell v.3.1 by Charles F. Johnson included, but without any doc files.
It also included various archive utilities, but also lacking
documentation for those files (and not even the complete utilities,
either). Finally, the previous version had a copy of LZH201M, or
rather what the author thought was LZH201M. It is really a mislabeled
copy of LZH201L. I informed the author of all of this hoping it to be
corrected in the next version. Well, this is the next version and he
has removed ARCSHL31, but that is it. All the other partial archives
are included. Hey, it's not kosher to distribute other people's
programs without docs! Get with it!
7 M_DISK is an enthusiastic review by Everett Wells of the .ACC RAM
disk M-Disk v.6.94 by Christoph Strunk. He includes a brief text file
describing how he uses it to organize his ST. Also include is a Degas
picture showing his normal desktop when he uses M-Disk. To show this
he adds DC_SHOWIT, a shareware desktop SHOW replacement. Unfortunately,
he doesn't include the DC_SHOWIT doc file! Everyone! If you don't want
to get rapped by me in this column don't leave out doc files or any
files from programs you include in your archive! It's not fair to
those authors! Just what is M-DISK? I think it's just about the best
RAM disk available (CODE_RAM from CodeHead Technologies is pretty
neat, too!). I'll dig up my old review... here it is!
MDISK694 is M-Disk v.6.94. JUST GET THIS FILE! This is an excellent
.ACC reset proof (or not - you choose) RAMdisk. I use this program
every day. It does A LOT! M-Disk provides you with:
- a sizable removable multi-function ramdisk
- a floppy disk copy program (with virus detection logic which
prevents viruses being transferred!)
- It will format _and_ copy a RAM disk to floppy in 120 seconds -
which is as fast as most format options, and yet retains all verify
features (THIS is Wonderful! - a previous program I used took 180+
seconds!).
- a fast disk "wipe" option
- a fast ramdisk load/save program
- a harddisk backup/restore program
- a PS/2 compatible floppy disk formatting program; and
- a boot sector virus destruction program
- a "reverse" formatter, starting at a high track # going down to 1
(this can save some of your data if you mistakenly start a
format)
MiNT and MultiTOS (KAOS, too) compatible. ST--Falcon compatible.
Extensive docs are included that do a very good job of explaining even
the little details of the program. I have now moved this file into the
"boot up with" category. Excellent!
7 MACAW is a full-page 300 dpi .IMG scanned line art of a pair of
Macaws. The scan (done on a Cannon Navarrone flat bed scanner) was
then imported into Convector and reduced to its present (small) size.
It was scanned from a Dover Art book. The drawing is good, but to use
it in DTP work you will need to block out the edges of the drawing as
they contain some mess from the scanner.
7 MAGEINFO is a very interesting press release/info file on M.A.G.E.@
- MajicSoft Arcade Graphics Engine (formerly the GP Graphics Engine).
M.A.G.E.@ has been designed to offer the novice or professional game
designer a set of tools that provide powerful results with a minimum
of programming headaches. This looks like one competent program! If
you program in GFA BASIC, I recommend this to you.
7 MC_20 is a working demo (or free update if you already own the
commercial program!) of MEGA-Check 2 v.2.05 by Chris Muller of Muller
Automation (dated Nov., 1993). This newest upgrade to this constantly
improving product adds a large number of features, both in increased
speed of execution of a number of functions and in increased
functionality in many other areas.
This is a fully working demo (with only a 30 transaction limit) will
allow you to easily (well, fairly easily!) track your finances,
personal, investment, and business. GEM based, it has features that I
really appreciate. It doesn't require you to learn any arcane language
to use it. It interacts with you in plain English, and tells you what
to do in the same way.
Here are just some of its features: A built-in alarm that won't let
you forget to pay your bills or create a needed report; fully
automated checkbook balancing; prints out your checks on any printer;
add or edit any number of accounts (limited only by your computer's
memory); configurable warnings when specific account balances get too
high or too low (avoid account charges and limit risks in various
investments; run "what if" projections; track appreciation/
depreciation; add extended notes to any transaction; built-in address/
phone database; very powerful report generation - and all in the
"background" as well, which increases your productivity, and extensive
on-line help.
Color or mono. ST--TT compatible (in ST resolutions). Requires at
least one meg of RAM and a hard disk is recommended. This file
uncompresses to 836K, so you will either need a hard drive or an
extended format disk to uncompress it.
MDTST102 is v.1.02 of MODEMTST, a program by David Troy of Toad
Computers for all current and prospective owners of STraight FAX!.
Actually, the current version is now v.1.05, but I haven't reviewed
that yet! This program will test your modem to see what features it
has (Class 0, 1, or 2, Caller ID, and more), how fast it can go, and
where its firmware came from. It will also tell you if your modem is
compatible with STraight FAX. You can print out this information as
well. It works on all ST/TT/Falcon computers and has been tested on a
Mega STE, 1040STE, 1040STF, TT030, Falcon030 and Gemulator. It even has
an attractive 3D interface when used on the Falcon030 or under MultiTOS
(Geneva, too). Docs included. Color or mono. An inclosed text file
details some terrific deals that Toad Computers is offering for FAX
modems and STraight FAX (only through Dec.). Make sure you get
MODEMTST v.1.02 rather than v.1.00 or v.1.01 since 1.02 is compatible
with more modems (including voice-mail compatible and US Robotics
modems).
7 MD_ENG by Michael Hebert (dated Nov. 13, 1993) is the English
language resource file for MyDraw Version 1.1 and a text file
detailing how the file was created (with thanks to Mike Valent's
original work on MyDraw v.1.06). Just rename this file (docs included)
and pop it into the MyDraw directory and you will have an English
version of this very capable shareware vector graphics program.
7 MIDIMODS is an amazing file. It's not so amazing that it contains
"Manshadow" a nicely done .MOD music file so much as it is amazing
that it contains a text file listing all the Noisetracker MOD files in
the MIDI Roundtable's Library 14 on GEnie. I didn't even know that
library was there and I see from this file that there are over 1,340
MOD files there! I'll check it out for next time and let you know more
about it!
7 MILSCORE is a file for all of you folks out there who play Mille
Bornes and have Calligrapher 3. This is a score sheet. Caution: I
don't think I've played Mille Bornes since I won with a tremendous
score against a friend. He tackled me and I nearly broke my thumb!
This game may be hazardous to YOUR health!! <g>
7 MR_TOAD is a MIDI file rhythm sequence of the tune "Mr. Toads Wild
Ride" from Tower of Power's "Monster on a Leash" album. The Drums were
played in on pads and using an Alesis D4 drum mudule. The file also
included an offer from D'note Recording which will allow all of you
MIDI enthusiasts and artists to receive high quality transfers of
their MIDI to cassette tape, played on some of the best MIDI equipment
on the market today (for a small fee <especially considering music
studio fees!!>).
7 OUTBST_1 is the complete transcript from June 8, 1992 through Oct.
27, 1993 of the OutBurST! Printout Speedup Topic on GEnie and the Atari
Roundtables. OutBurST! is a printout speedup routine especially
effective with Pagestream using HP LaserJet and DeskJet compatible
printers and BubbleJet printers (or other high speed printers).
Recently a version to support Calamus was released. OutBurST! really
speeds up the printout of PageStream documents (it used to be
painfully slow, but with OutBurST! it just zips along). Lots of info
about the program, but lots of information missing as well - info like
how to work around program bugs - that's missing because not many
people reports bugs (and believe me, if there were, these people would
report them!).
7 POST by Sol Guber is a Calamus font (.CFN) converted from a True
Type font. It is designed to be used for making postal bar codes (to
help speed the mail along and to help save you money!). It's
shareware. Docs on how to use this font to generate correct bar codes
are included.
7 PRENS is PRENSORIUM by Martin and Adrian Gibbons. Prensorium is an
arcade puzzle type game, the object of which is to destroy all enemies
on each of fifty levels. That's easier said than done! You start off
the first level with no weapons and three "lives." To gain points and
weapons you need to lure the enemy to their destruction amidst the
various deadly traps scattered about. They're tenatious, and they will
keep on coming after you no matter what, which you can _sometimes_ use
to your advantage. Bonus points, bombs, level passwords, extra lives,
bombs, traps, and mines all make this a fast-paced and challenging
game. It all takes place on a grid of 20 by 10 tiles, so you need to
keep on your toes! I like it! Low res only. ST-TT compatible. Docs
included. Joystick controlled. SHAREWARE.
7 RAFFLE_3 is an ad for STeve's Software/Hardware Sales. Make a $20
purchase from STeve's (or any multiple thereof) and receive one raffle
ticket/$20 purchase. A ticket is picked and the winner has a choice
among a variety of games. Also customers with a receipt # ending in
"00" get a free TOS International software catalog. I wish more
dealers were online as much as STeve is online (Lotsa Bytes is right
up there, too).
7 RAW2RAW2 by Damien M. Jones (the author of more programs than you
can shake a stick at - View II and SoundLab come to mind) is v.2.0 of
his special request picture converter. It will convert raw output from
ComputerEyes (in .CE1 format), VidiChrome (in three .PI1 files), or
QRT (in .RAW format) to either QRT Raw (.RAW) or Targa (.TGA) formats.
Docs included. While I don't know, I suspect that this is ST--Falcon
compatible in any resolution.
7 SERV-BUR is a file which contains an order form (a Calamus CRG)
which may be used when sending in files to DMC Publishing (the Calamus
People) for printing. Their rates are inexpensive and the quality
(2400 dpi!) can't be beat. A companion file, OUTPUT, is a straight
text file which fully explains the ordering procedure. Calamus is
great, and the support DMC gives is superb!
7 SPELLR20 is Magic Spell v.2.0 by Thomas A. Savino, RPh (dated
October 21, 1993). I liked the first version of this program enough
that I registered it. Along with the registration I made some
suggestions for some possible improvements in the program. This
version implements them all and more besides! Amazing! This is an
excellent program that was designed to encourage people to improve
their spelling skills. As u no I dont hav ne problem with mi speling
abillidy, but I still enjoy this program. After a brief initialization
the Wizard (the Spelling Wizard, that is) presents you with a number
of letters at the top of the screen (the most letters at the Easy
level, with fewer at the Medium level, and the fewest at the Hard
level, and now the program will auto-save your preferences). Your task
is to try to make up to ten words using those letters (mor then once,
if nesessare). The length of the words, and the frequency of the
letters involved (a "Z" scores more than an "A") determine your score.
You can now set the game length to be from one to 10 minutes. If after
you have placed a word you find a better one, you can go back and
change your selection (but watch out! There is a possible cost
involved if you run out of time!) After you are done you can access
the dictionary to see all of the words you could have picked (A LOT!).
You can also add to the 2600+ word dictionary included with this file,
either from within the program itself or with the included editor.
Brief appearances by the Wizard, and many other "touches" to this
program show that the author has done his homework in program design
and friendliness. Color (and the program now uses some color to
brighten things up) or mono. Docs included. Recommended. Shareware
(with an interesting incentive to register). 472K uncompressed. TOS
1.0--TT compatible (at least) in ST resolutions.
7 TAKEOFF2 is Take-Off v.2.07 by Thomas Klein and Oliver Scheel (dated
April 1993). Take-Off is an .ACC designed to allow you to rapidly
start a program from a pop-up menu. It is designed to work within
MultiTasking systems such as MultiTOS and MagX (It runs under Geneva,
too, but I don't know really how it works, so I can't help you here!).
It is also designed to hook into Gemini, another desktop replacement.
If this description sounds vague it's because the docs are in German.
7 TMPLTN202 is TempleMon v2.02 by Johannes Hill & Thomas Tempelmann.
TempleMon is a command-oriented monitoring program. It is a memory
resident, machine language debugger & monitor. When you work on
writing the Great American Program it helps you recover from the usual
bombs; it tells you what went wrong and helps you to disassemble the
code that was reponsible for the problem. Now TempleMon supports
symbols included in the program file of all loaded programs (I have NO
idea what that means!). Templemon is for all of you programmers out
there. It will now work with SysMon. Color or mono (overscan as well).
ST/STe/TT/ MultiTOS/Falcon (with some reservations) compatible. The
program is in English with brief English docs and online help. German
documentation also included.
Here are some excellent TIFF files created in...well, you'll see!
7 ABC is a 320x200 True Color TIFF created in the new InShape Demo
(distributed by Cybercube). It shows a set of towering block letters
(ABC, of course) that are freestanding and made of what appears to be
wood and stone. You can view these files using GEM View (also
distributed by Cybercube). 192K uncompressed.
7 FERRARI is a 320x200 True Color TIFF created in the new InShape Demo
(distributed by Cybercube). It shows a red Ferrari with a blue
interior sitting on a checkerboard of white and mirror squares. Nicely
done. 169K uncompressed.
7 GOBLET is a 320x200 True Color TIFF created in the new InShape Demo
(distributed by Cybercube). It shows a beautiful blue-tinged shallow-
bowled stemmed glass goblet. 193K uncompressed.
7 MAPPING is a 320x200 True Color TIFF created in the new InShape Demo
(distributed by Cybercube). It shows a large "paper" cylinder with the
words "NShape" mapped on it (I'm sure the "I" in "INShape" is there,
but around the back of the cylinder!). The Ferrari TIFF is cut up and
pasted on an upright plane, shadowing the floor on which the cylinder
rests. 231K uncompressed.
And now back to our regular programming....
7 TREK_TOP by Joseph M. Torres is a series of three Degas .PC3 color
pictures designed to be used as background pictures in Warp 9 (or any
other program that allows you to place a picture on the desktop). They
are designed to be bright and colorful and to give your screen the
look of the computer interfaces you can see on "Star Trek: The Next
Generation." An ASCII text file describing how to use these pictures
is included as well.
7 TTART15 is TT Artist, the TT GEM Screen Saver v.1.5 by Massimo
Farina (dated Nov., 1993). This file is a very nice PD screen saver
designed for use with the TT. It takes advantage of all available
colors, and provides you with a wide selection of animated display
modules from which to choose. Docs included. Tested on TT and CyReL
M16-1280 graphics card. Not compatible with ST med & low resolutions.
7 TUXEDO_J by Henry K. van Eyken (the author of the FLEABYTE set of
programs)is a fascinating file entitled "Teradesk at Tuxedo Junction"
taken from the Nov. 1993 issue of "Current Notes" magazine. This text
file and related configuration files gives a detailed description of
how you can use effectively use Teradesk by Wout Klaren, an
alternative desktop (now up to version 1.36 - see TERA_136 for the ST
version and TERA_020 for the TT version). Following the directions in
this file will allow you to magnify the functionality of your ST--TT's
desktop multifold. For STs with two meg of RAM or more. The upload
description says that it contains "68 autoboot programs for ST
applications? but that is not accurate. It contains configuration
files for those 68 programs which you must supply. Details on getting
PD programs used with this file are included as well.
7 VOL_UTIL is the Volume Label Utility .ACC/.PRG (VLU) by Erin Monaco
(dated Oct. 22, 1993). Erin is the author of the BlitzSchnell, the
Hard Drive Auto Defragmenter/Optimizer shareware program, currently at
v.1.47. But this program doesn't have to do with hard drives, but
rather floppy disks, and volume labeling of floppy disks at that. VLU
provides you with a simple GEM interface which will allow you to
automatically provide different label names to any number of disks in a
series (for example your 50 utility disks might be labeled UTIL0001
through UTIL0050) without any great effort on your part (I know,
inserting and retrieving 50 disks _is_ a pain!). He has provided us
with an interesting, amusing, and informative doc file (online help,
too). This program only uses standard OS calls so it should be
compatible with all 16/32 bit Atari computers. Shareware.
7 WARP9_18 is the complete transcript from Oct. 11, 1993 through Oct.
26, 1993 of the Warp 9 Screen Accelerator Topic on GEnie and the Atari
Roundtables. Warp 9 from CodeHead Technology (currently at v.3.81) is
an amazing utility that speeds up your work on your Atari computer -
from a lowly 520 ST TOS 1.0 through the Falcon030. I would not
willingly be without Warp 9 on my system. It's fast (I have a T-25
accelerator installed, and Warp 9 still doubles my apparent speed.
This topic is full of interesting facts about Warp 9. You can tell
it's well attended and supported by the volume of messages in only 16
days! The discussion continues on GEnie.
7 WEAVING by Dorothy Brumleve (dated Oct. 25, 1993) is an ASCII and
Degas .PI3 file which provides you with a glimpse at a project that is
glimmering on her horizon (go to it Dorothy!). She is considering
writing a program that can assist weavers in the development and
editing of weaving "drafts," graphical representations of woven fabric
which would then provide instructions for a pattern with just a
glance. Look at this file to see what she invisions.
7 XCTRLDOC is a text file that contains the documentation for v.1.31
of Atari's Extensible Control Panel (sometimes known as XControl). It
is designed to take advantage of features only available in the latest
(>2.0) versions of the operating system, though it will work perfectly
well with older TOS versions (with some reservations detailed in the
docs). Why wasn't it included with the companion program? It was
accidently left out of the upload, and yours truely (modesty
personified) first recognized it and pointed it out to Atari Corp.
7 ZOAT is the ZOAT Demo by Andrew Laing. The download description says
that it is a three-level working demo of the game ZOAT. There are no
docs within the archive, and while I could get the program to run, I
could not succeed in doing anything other than move some characters
about a room which had no lasting effect. The graphics looked poor and
blurry, no matter if I began in ST Low or medium res. There were no
instructions as to what to do, which was frustrating! I suspect that I
am doing something wrong, as I doubt a shareware game would really be
this bad! Not Falcon compatible. Requires joystick, one meg (minimum)
or RAM and a color monitor. It is a STOS game which will not work on
TOS 2.05 or above (but get STOSFX21 to take care of that). I wouldn't
recommend downloading this just yet. I'm going to try to get in touch
with the uploader to see what this is all about!
I guess that's all for now! Take care and have a thankful Thanksgiving
(all us USA folks, that is!).
Take care,
Michael
All of these files can be found on one or more of the following
on-line services: GEnie (M.BURKLEY1), Delphi (MRBURKLEY), The CodeHead
BBS (213-461-2095), Toad Hall (617-567-8642), and The Boston Computer
Society's Atari BBS (617-396-4607) (Michael R. Burkley). Drop me a
line!
Michael lives in Niagara Falls, NY. He is a former Polyurethane
Research Chemist and is presently the pastor of the Niagara
Presbyterian Church.
--==--==--==--==--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- --==--==-- GEnie Sign-Up Information --==--==-- --
-- --
-- 1. Set your communications software for half duplex (local echo) --
-- at 300, 1200, or 2400 baud. --
-- --
-- 2. Dial toll free: 1-800-638-8369 (or in Canada, 1-800-387-8330). --
-- Upon connection, enter HHH. --
-- --
-- 3. At the U# prompt, enter XTX99436,GENIE then press <Return>. --
-- --
-- 4. Have a major credit card ready. In the U.S., you may also use --
-- your checking account number. --
-- --
-- For more information in the United States or Canada, call 1-800- --
-- 638-9636 or write: GEnie, c/o GE Information Services, P.O. Box --
-- 6403, Rockville, MD 20850-1785. --
-- --
-- --==--==-- Atari's Official On-line Resource! --==--==-- --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--==--==--==--==--
||| Atari ST RT News
||| By: John G. Hartman
/ | \ GEnie: J.G.H.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Atari RT Weekly News 11.3
= Upcoming Realtime Conferences =
-- "The Atari Compendium" and Software Development Systems RTC --
Scott Sanders will discuss the new Atari programming bible,
"The Atari Compendium" in an RTC on November 24th at 10:00 pm EST.
You'll also get the latest scoop on new products from SDS
including the new color icon editor. A copy of the Compendium
will be given as a door prize. For more information go to the
Atari bulletin board CATegory 2, TOPic 39.
-- "The INSHAPE Expedition" RTC Monday Nov. 29th at 10:00 pm EST--
InShape is a fully integrated modeling, rendering and animation
system that allows you to create 3D objects, images and animations
with extraordinary ease and elegance. Curious? Then Join us at the
InShape RTC at 10:00 pm EST page 475;2 and enjoy a journey into a
new colorful dimension! A copy of InShape 1.02 will be given as a
door prize. For more information check out the Atari bulletin board
CATegory 7, TOPic 41.
-- Dateline Atari! RTC Saturday Dec. 4th at 10:00 pm EST --
The next Dateline Atari! will be held on Saturday Dec. 4th. Stay
tuned for what is happening in the world of Atari from Atari! Win
one of four Jaguar tee-shirts given away as door prizes!
= ATARI RT LIBRARY =
Missionware Software releases the second major upgrade to Flash II.
Version 2.2 is now fully Falcon030 compatible. There are a number
of other new features as well! A free upgrade program (file number
30784) is now ready for download in the ST Library for all current
Flash II owners. See Cat. 25, Topics 2 and 3, for more information.
= Library Changes =
Codehead files can now be found in their own Library 16. Old OS9 files
have been moved to Library 22 and all Icons can be found in DTP, Clip
Art Library 18.
= RTC TRANSCRIPTS =
------------------------------------------------------
30668 TOAD_STF.ARC X MIKE-ALLEN 931111 11264 126 13
Desc: Toad Comp/STraight FAX! RTC 10Nov93
30626 PRGRTC01.ARC X MIKE-ALLEN 931106 18304 80 13
Desc: Transcript of 1st Programming rtc
30622 BRODIE15.ARC X ST.LOU 931105 18816 558 13
Desc: The Jaguar Rollout from New York
30603 JV_RTC.ARC X MIKE-ALLEN 931104 8704 90 13
Desc: JV Enterprises RTC 3Nov93
------------------------------------------------------
= LAST TWO WEEK'S PRESS RELEASES =
------------------------------------------------------
30680 GLMPR339.LZH X R.FAULKNER4 931112 40064 84 14
Desc: GEnieLamp Press Release #3.39
30662 STDPHOTO.TXT X COMPO 931110 2176 148 14
Desc: Studio Photo info
30657 BRAPHONE.TXT X BRASOFT 931109 2176 35 14
Desc: New support number for Branch Always
30639 MAGEINFO.TXT X M.STAUFFER1 931107 4736 52 14
Desc: M.A.G.E. 3RD ANNOUNCEMENT
30632 TEMPLATE.TXT X R.DOLSON 931106 2816 93 14
Desc: Templates for Pagestream 2.0 and up
------------------------------------------------------
= LAST TWO WEEK'S DEMO RELEASES =
------------------------------------------------------
30699 SPLASHDM.LZH X D.RUTHERFORD 931114 15360 23 10
Desc: Put Degas/Prism pics on your Desktop
30696 MAGICBOY.TOS X E.BAIZ 931114 200320 35 10
Desc: Great game demo for the ST.
30684 GL4DEMO.ZIP X R.HOEKSTRA1 931113 52992 45 10
Desc: Demo of The Grocery Lister Ver. 4.0
30679 PROTEXT6.ZIP X GRMEYER 931112 371712 17 10
Desc: Protext v6.0 demo
30660 STDPHOTO.ZIP X COMPO 931109 254976 122 10
Desc: Studio Photo demo
30644 MC20.LZH X C.MULLER3 931108 247296 74 10
Desc: The Ultimate Finance Manager
30604 AMPDEMO2.LZH X S.LASHOWER 931104 49664 51 10
Desc: MIDI sequencer with karaoke lyrics
------------------------------------------------------
= LAST TWO WEEK'S TOP 10 DOWNLOADED PROGRAMS/FILES =
------------------------------------------------------
30602 STORM100.LZH X A.PAGE3 931104 227968 576 7
Desc: Storm v. 1.00. shareware terminal
30661 SPATCH01.LZH X A.PAGE3 931110 32896 305 7
Desc: Patches STORM 1.00 to 1.01
30609 LHARC231.ZIP X GRMEYER 931104 145280 196 40
Desc: LHARC v2.31
30568 NOSTRAM.ZIP X E.BAIZ 931031 156544 189 8
Desc: Gods-like game for the ST.
30669 CLOCK12.LZH X CODEHEAD 931111 6656 160 16
Desc: New EOS clock works on all machines
30563 MDRW110.LZH X M.HEBERT1 931030 131968 157 10
Desc: MyDraw Ver. 1.10 GEM Drawing Prg
30556 ZOAT.ZIP X F.LIEW 931030 385152 152 10
Desc: awesome new game!!!
30624 AW_94CAL.LZH X M.HEBERT1 931106 9344 147 21
Desc: AtariWorks 1994 Calendar
30612 TERA_136.ZIP X GRMEYER 931104 102912 140 2
Desc: Teradesk v1.36 desktop
30582 BATSUB.ARC X J.DOVER 931101 16768 137 8
Desc: A cute Seafox type game.
------------------------------------------------------
= INTERNET ARCHIVES - Library 48 =
------------------------------------------------------
30631 INET71.ARC X DARLAH 931106 84352 48 48
Desc: Internet November 6, 1993
------------------------------------------------------
--==--==--==--==--
||| Developing news!
||| Items of interest from TOS platform developers and supporters
/ | \ -------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Flash II Version 2.2 Shipping
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Missionware Software is pleased to announce the release of version 2.2
of Flash II. This is our third update this year. Flash II originally
went up for sale in April of 1992. Version 2.2 fixes a number of
problems discovered by our customers and beta testers over the past
few months. We've added a number of enhancements as well, and now the
program is fully Falcon030 compatible! It's our second full upgrade.
If you already own a version of Flash II just download the file
F22UPG.LZH and use it to patch your current version.
Flash II is the update to the most popular Atari ST telecommunications
program ever! It's available exclusively from Missionware Software and
at an affordable price! Flash II is completely rewritten by Paul
Nicholls of Clayfield, Australia. But don't let that fool you! Flash
II has the same look and feel as previous versions of Flash... plus a
slew of new features to boot! And it's just as easy and fast to use
for the telecommunications beginner or pro!
The new features of Version 2.2 include:
7 Full Falcon030 compatibility.
7 Enhanced DEC VT Terminal emulations including the ability to swap
the functions of the Delete and Backspace keys for conformance to
standard DEC terminals.
7 Enhanced ANSI terminal and graphics.
7 History buffer is now included for Type Ahead editor.
7 Full support for all Atari serial ports on TT030 and MegaSTe.
7 Terminal mode now displays either the real time clock or a timer.
When the timer is displayed, it now runs all the time.
7 Search-Next mode added in editor. Control-F9 keystrokes can be used
for this new function.
7 Enhanced DO scripting language, including:
PORT: Selects the port to be used.
CLOCK: Selects Clock display in terminal mode.
TIMER: Selects Timer display in terminal mode.
DBPATH: Sets path for Block file operations.
KERMIT: Selects various Kermit transfer options.
Naturally, all of your old favorite Flash II features are still
available:
7 DO script files compatible with older versions of Flash!
7 All macros use the familiar Flash DO script format!
7 Easily setup the parameters for each BBS you call... this includes
everything from ASCII upload/download options to baud rate!
7 You can program up to 20 individual and separate macros for each BBS
plus an additional 10 global macros !
7 Displays RLE & GIF pictures either on or off line! You can also save
or load these pictures for later review!
7 Supports the following terminal types: TTY, VIDTEX, VT52, ANSI,
VT100, VT101, VT102, VT200, VT300 & PRESTEL.
7 Includes full support for RTS/CTS. This mode can now be turned on
and off by the user.
7 Includes Automatic Answer mode!
7 Includes Auto Boards mode - Preselect the board(s) you wish to dial
and when Flash II is launched either manually from the desktop by
you, or automatically by some other program launcher, Flash II will
wakeup and dial the board(s) you've got selected. It will also wait
for the proper time to dial these boards.
7 Includes full featured GEM text editor with: merge, block commands,
cut & paste, search & replace, paragraph reformating; user tab
settings, page width, full keyboard cursor and delete control and
more!
7 Supports the ST, IBM and DEC character sets, including IBM graphics
characters!
7 Includes Silent Line for background file transfers!
7 Supports the following upload/download protocols: ASCII, Xmodem,
Ymodem, Ymodem-G, Zmodem, Modem7, WXmodem, CIS B, Kermit and
SEAlink! And all of these protocols are built into the program... no
external modules required!!!
7 Zmodem supports the selection of AutoStart and Streaming options.
If you prefer to use an external Zmodem protocol with Flash II, you
can now force Flash II's Zmodem autostart mode to off. For BBS' that
don't support "streaming", this too can now be turned off.
7 Logs all on line time and calculates your approximate costs for you!
7 New version written in assembler! Fast!
7 Runs on all ST, STe and TT's
7 Supports "Install Application". You can create a DO script that can
be used to launch Flash II from the desktop and force it to dial up
and go online for you, all automatically!
7 Both the Terminal and Editor have been enhanced significantly for
both speed and ease of use. You'll be amazed at how fast the new
Flash II is!
7 A new "BReak" script command is added which permits the sending of a
terminal break to the host computer while a script is running.
Missionware Software's upgrade policy remains the same for the new
Version 2.2! We will continue to upgrade any old version of Flash!
(copyright Antic Software) for just $30 US, plus $4 shipping and
handling (US and Canada), $8 worldwide. Or, you can purchase Flash
II, version 2.1 outright, for only $49.95 US plus the shipping and
handling charges applicable to your area. To order, or for more
information, contact:
Missionware Software
354 N. Winston Drive
Palatine, IL 60067-4132
United States of America
phone 708-359-9565
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Toad's Holiday Festival
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
We just wanted to take a moment to remind you about the upcoming (two
weeks away) Toad Computers Holiday Festival '93! We have new news
about developers that will be attending, and we want to make sure
you're coming!
As of 11/19/93:
- Dave Small from Gadgets By Small (innovators of the Spectre GCR Mac
Emulator and the SST Accelerator board) will be attending the TCHF
'93! He will be demoing Spectre 3.1, answering your questions, and
being generally helpful!
- Joe Waters, Editor of Current Notes Magazine
- Andrzej Wrotniak, CN Columnist and developer of El-Cal, Starbase,
and Big Sky
- Tim Reyes, Developer of Silhouette Colortrace (which _may_ be
released at the show) and Silhouette
- Charles Smeton, Developer of STraight FAX! 2. Charles will be
offering upgrades to STraight FAX! 2.1, which will run as a DESK
ACCESSORY. It also adds some features and enhances compatibility with
different modems.
- Jimmy Carter, Developer of PAPER PLATES for Calamus
- Dave Troy, CN Columnist, Partner at Toad Computers
Special Arrangements have been made with:
- Codehead Technologies. Codehead is making sure that we're well
stocked with all of their products! If you want a Codehead program,
this is the time to get it.
- ICD, Inc. We will be well stocked with ICD hardware and software.
Don't miss this opportunity.
Thousands of Postcards have been mailed to:
- Atari users up and down the east coast.
Press Releases have been included and printed in:
- Current Notes, November 1993
- ST Informer, October 1993
- Atari User
TOAD COMPUTERS HOLIDAY FESTIVAL '93:
December 4th 10:00am - 7:00pm
December 5th 10:00am - 5:00pm
Toad Computers
Park Plaza Shopping Center
570-F Ritchie Highway
Severna Park, MD 21146-2925
BOOTH SPACE IS STILL AVAILABLE TO DEVELOPERS AND USER GROUPS. PLEASE
CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY IF YOU ARE INTERESTED! SPACE IS GOING FAST!
Voice: (410) 544-6943
Orders: (800) 448-8623
FAX: (410) 544-1329
BBS: (410) 544-6999
For MAPS, DIRECTIONS, HOTEL ACCOMODATIONS, or any other information
you may need, please call us!
WE HOPE YOU CAN MAKE IT!
SEE TOADSHOW.ZIP for more info on this show!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// LA Jaguar Party!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
On Saturday December 11, the computer club H.A.C.K.S. (the guys that
brought you The Glendale Show) AND The Computer Network, 1605 W.
Glenoaks Bl., Glendale, CA is going to have an Open House for all you
Jaguar Fans. You will be able to get some hands on play time with the
Jaguar. So if you are in the Greater Los Angeles area feel free to
drop in and say hello.
John King Tarpinian
President of H.A.C.K.S.
The Hooked on ATARI Computer Knowledge Society
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// OVER/Drive for the Atari Falcon030
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This will let any Falcon owner use 3.5 IDE drives. Why use 3.5 IDE
drives? 3.5 IDE drives are bigger(Mb), Faster, and Cheaper than either
the 2.5 inch IDE or 3.5 SCSI drives! This upgrade would win product of
the year if there was such a competition!
Not only do we give you a bigger(Mb) and faster drive, we also have a
special deal, just signed, to allow us to offer Trace Tech's great
software at super bundled prices.
Data Diet v2 $50 Save $25 off retail
Squish II $25 Save $15 off retail
Data Rescue $30 Save $15 off retail
Buy all 3 for $80. This 3-fer price is good until Jan 15, 1994.
The great thing about this deal is you can try out the free Trace Tech
demos included on the drive and you will have 30 days to order your
Trace Tech Software at these savings.
Want more? We will partition your new drive and include several Megs
of Shareware and picture files for free!
Now for the special Intro prices in effect until Jan 15th, 1994:
Drive Reg price Intro price Price per Meg
-----------------------------------------------------
Maxtor 131Meg $310 $275 $2.10
Maxtor 213Meg $355 $315 $1.48
Maxtor 345Meg $475 $400 $1.16
Maxtor 540Meg $900 $855 $1.58
Seagate 130Meg $310 $275 $2.11
Seagate 261Meg $380 $330 $1.26
Seagate 345Meg $475 $415 $1.20`
Westren 341Meg $450 $390 $1.14``
` The fastest Drive we have! Will do 1503K/s 13ms, a real screamer.
It boots faster than light!
`` The Most economical drive! If you want speed, go with the Seagate!
(above prices subject to market fluctuation)
What will the Same SCSI drive Cost?
Drive Price $per meg OVER/Drive IDE
-----------------------------------------------
127meg $358 $2.82 SAVE $83
213meg $407 $1.91 SAVE $92
240meg $470 $1.96 SAVE $150
345meg $503 $1.46 SAVE $113
540meg $1042 $1.93 SAVE $187
(prices from St Informer Oct 93, for Falcon SCSI HD's)
The IDE port is faster than the SCSI 2 port! A Quantum 240 on my Mega
gets 1249K/sec 18ms, but on the Falcon's SCSI port, the best the drive
will do is 1012K/sec 25ms, and drops to 739K/sec 48ms in 256 color
mode.
So you save money over a SCSI drive, you can pick up Trace Tech's
excellent file compression and data recovery products at a steal, you
get free Falcon shareware on request, and you can use your internal
IDE when 2 IDE drives are supported in the near future.
This is THE upgrade for Falcon's with no internal Drives! Why waste
money on drives that cost up to $3.00 a Megabyte, when you can get a
faster drive at better than half the price?
We can also install a volume control either internally or externally
for the Falcon's internal speaker for $12, a real life saver!
We also install FPU's and might have a 33-50Mhz upgrade for it as
well, in a short while, please email for FPU prices. We will also
install RAM.
Look for us at TOADFEST '93 on Sat the 4th.
A kit may be avalible in '94; please inquire.
Please Email or call for more information:
GEnie: B.AEIN
Formula-1 Systems 301-251-0997
(Drive specs, Cache size, RPM, and Access times available on request)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// The Recipe Box 4.0
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Already the best selling recipe database in the shareware market, The
Recipe Box has been completely rewritten for commercial release.
The most requested feature for The Recipe Box was a larger recipe
capacity, and version 4 meets that need by allowing up to 2.5 Million
recipes!
The Recipe Box now runs in a movable window in any resolution (color
or mono), provides full access to your desk accessories, and the new
'3D' user interface is now fully user configurable. The recipe editor
has been greatly improved for easier recipe entry and support has been
added for nutritional data. The resizing feature has been enhanced to
allow saving resized recipes in addition to viewing them. The search
feature has been improved to allow text searching as well as title
searches. The new print routines allow easy printing using text or
GDOS, and a new batch menu makes it easy to print or export complete
chapters or any recipes you choose.
Most operations now take place at the main menu which is easier to
read and more flexible than any previous version. Previously difficult
operations such as moving recipes to new chapters have been replaced
by simple 'Drag-and-Drop' operations.
The Recipe Box will now directly import Meal-Master, Computer Chef,
The Recipe Box (version 3.5), or any text file without the need of an
external conversion program. In addition, version 4 now Exports
directly in Meal-Master 7.0 format. These new import and export
functions should make recipe exchange with other computer platforms
much easier.
In addition to recipe storage, version 4 now includes a built in
grocery planner, meal planner and user editable calorie chart. A text
reader is also built in for easy reading of external information
files.
The Recipe Box works on all ST, STE, TT and Falcon computers, though
1Meg of RAM and a hard drive are the recommended minimums. SpeedoGDOS
is recommended, though the program is compatible with all GDOS
versions. The Recipe Box is fully compatible with, and will multitask
with Geneva (Gribnif), or MultiTOS (Atari).
Suggested retail price is $54.95. Dealer inquiries are invited!
Orders placed directly with Mountain Software prior to December 31,
1993 are only $35+shipping. Owners of version 3.5 or earlier may
upgrade to version 4 for only $20+shipping.
Shipping is $3.00 in the US, or $6.00 on foreign orders. Residents of
Washington State please add 7.6% sales tax.
For more information or to place an order contact:
Mountain Software
6911 NE Livingston Road
Camas, Washington 98607
USA
Direct Orders will begin shipping December 1, 1993
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Studio Photo Available
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Studio Photo turns your Atari computer into a complete photographic
studio, providing a suite of tools to retouch images and much, much
more....
Studio Photo lets you create and retouch true color (24-bit) images on
any Atari computer. It always works with an internal palette of 16.7
million colors, regardless of video display. If you load a 24-bit
scanned image, you can successfully retouch it on any Atari, even a
monochrome system. Studio Photo will adapt to whatever video mode
you're working in to display an image.
Definable filters allow you to adjust brightness, contrast, and hue in
an image. Preset filters are available to quickly change brightness,
contrast, and sharpness. Convolution filters let you dramatically
alter images for practical and artistic effects. Convolution filters
are user-definable, but Studio Photo does include a set of preset
filters including Derived, Laplacien, Sobel, Prewitt, Kirsh, sharpen,
blur, outline, and anti-aliasing. In addition, effects such as
spherize, rotate, resize, mosaic, and mirror are built-in.
The tool palette includes pencil, paintbrush, airbrush, sharpener,
water (blur), finger (smudge), rubber stamp (copier), eraser,
eyedropper (color picker), cropper, bucket (color fill), and others.
Tool parameters include tolerance, opaque/hue operation, blur,
strength, and brush size and shape. Tools can be used directly or
applied along a line or bezier curve.
Studio Photo supports many file formats, including SEF, TIFF, GIF,
Targa, PCX, IFF, Degas, Neochrome, JPEG, and Photo CD. A CD ROM driver
is included for accessing and controlling a CD ROM drive.
Studio Photo is enhanced on Falcon030 computers, optionally using
DSP-based JPEG decompression for remarkably fast image retrieval.
Studio Photo also includes separate programs for 68000 and 68030
processors to make the most of your computer system.
Studio Photo is available now for $99.95.
COMPO Software Corp.
104 Esplanade Avenue Suite 121
Pacifica CA 94044 USA
Tel: 415-355-0862
Fax: 415-355-0869
GEnie: COMPO
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// ATARI UNITED! in the FOG
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
As part of its ongoing effort to unite Atari owners with support
groups and developers, ATARI UNITED! wishes to announce to North
American Atari owners the existence of the Falcon Owners Group. The
Falcon Owners Group was originally established in March of 1993 and is
based in the United Kingdom.
The Falcon Owners Group (FOG) provides support for Falcon owners
through several services and discount prices for the Falcon specific
shareware library which is handled by a professional outfit and
accepts international and credit card orders. The Falcon Owners Group
Magazine is produced four times a year and distributed with a high
density cover disk. This mini-magazine is a legal page sized
compilation of useful information concerning hardware and software for
the Atari Falcon030. In the 27-page September issue, reviews of Ishar
2 and new Falcon shareware shared space with some extensive Q&A and an
ST software compatibility chart. There are a few noticeable typos in
the magazine, and little in the way of graphics, but it is rather well
laid out for such a new publication.
They also provide two BBS for members in the UK (Tel 0454 317047 or
0454 881095) providing Atari message bases and Falcon030 software
downloads. While some of the information presented in the magazine may
not be new to those who spend their free time online, FOG exists as an
effective repository of Falcon specific information and is nearly a
complete stand alone source for a Falcon user. Richard Davey, the Club
Chairman, is actively seeking the establishment of a North American
branch to the FOG, and anyone interested in founding a US or Canadian
site is strongly encouraged to contact FOG and request the information
needed to spread Falcon030 support to and from the UK.
The only unfortunate side to all this is that they do not have an
Internet address yet and while the Membership is only 16.99 pounds for
Europe, people in North America will have to pay 20.00 pounds. They
accept Visa and Mastercard, or checks made payable to the 'Falcon
Owners Group' and sent to:
FOG
10 Oak Drive
Portishead, Bristol, Avon
BS20 8QS
Tel: 0272 424743
******************************************************************
For more information regarding ATARI UNITED! please contact:
Patti Barbiero Gordie Meyer
P.O. Box 691 P.O. Box 1982
Mountain View, CA 94042-0691 or Ames, IA 50010-1982
(415) 903-9787 (515) 232-1627
abarbiero@delphi.com biblinski@delphi.com
******************************************************************
To register, please provide the information below, and mail to:
ATARI UNITED!
P.O. Box 691
Mountain View, CA 94042-0691
or email your registration, questions, comments, etc to:
abarbiero@delphi.com
Name (Last, First, MI): _________________________________________
Mailing Address: _________________________________________
_________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________
Phone Number: _________________________________________
Online Address: _________________________________________
Computer Model: ___ 520 ST ___ 520 STe ___ TT
___ 1040 ST ___ 1040 STe ___ F030
___ Mega ST ___ Mega STe
Computer Serial Number: _________________________________________
User Group (if a member):_________________________________________
( ) Yes! Please include me in your list of possible contacts
for isolated Atari TOS owners in my area.
( ) Also please make my name and address available to other
Atari related concerns.
( ) Please keep all information on my registration form
confidential.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Grocery Lister Version 4.0
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The Grocery Lister is a household utility program that allows you to
compile a list of grocery items complete with current price and total
estimated cost. The Grocery Lister can be used to determine
approximately how much you will spend at the store if you know the
items that you need, or it can be used as a budget tool to allow you
to select the items you most need or want if you only have a fixed
amount to spend. The grocery database serves as a useful reminder of
items which you may need as you compile your grocery list. Finally,
for those who have 'errand boys' do the shopping, The Grocery Lister
will generate a very neat and easy to read printout of the current
grocery list.
The Grocery Lister has many advanced features as well as an
easy-to-use, mouse driven, multiple-windowed GEM interface. A single
grocery database file can have grocery item information including item
name, category, location, coupon or sale flag, a taxable flag, and a
price for up to 4 stores. A grocery list can be created for up to 10
stores at one time by loading in other grocery database files. The
list is then printed with items grouped by store so you know exactly
what to get at each store. There is also a feature that will
automatically select items from the store with the lowest price so you
can price shop at multiple stores without thinking about it.
The Grocery Lister also has many advanced editing, sorting, and
display options to provide maximum flexibility and ease of use. For
example, the grocery list can be sorted by location so that items
appear in the list as you would find them in the store. No need to
search up and down the list to see if you missed anything on the
canned goods aisle, the items are all right there in one spot on the
list.
The Grocery Lister has been tested on various ST,STe,Mega,TT, and
Falcon machines and runs in any medium to high resolution. A partially
disabled demo version is available on GEnie and various other on-line
sources.
The Grocery Lister also has a flexible pricing structure. You can
order the software direct from the author for $20.00 + $5.00 shipping
and handling + $5.00 for a printed user manual. You can substitute a
blank floppy and large self-addressed-stamped-envelope for the $5.00
shipping charge or you can choose to only receive the program
documentation on disk. As a special bonus, The Grocery Lister comes
with a database of nearly 1000 items!
Write for more information or order you copy direct from:
Randy Hoekstra 3414 Norwood Circle Richardson, Texas 75082
Genie: R.Hoekstra1
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// BraSoft Customer Support
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Branch Always Software, makers of the Gemulator 3.0 Atari ST
Emulator, are happy to annouce the addition of a new customer support
phone number, extended fax and voice hours, as well as new voice mail
support. This well allow us to better support our current Gemulator
product, handle orders faster, and support our new releases in the new
year.
Effective Monday November 15 our current phone number 206-885-5893
will become a dedicated fax line available 24 hours a day. Use the fax
number to request ordering, pricing, and other product information,
and specify whether you would like the information to be faxed back to
you or mailed out. Be sure to include a return address or fax number.
Our voice support is moving to a new number, 206-369-5513, and too
will be available 24 hours a day for both live support and voice mail.
Live support hours are being extended to 6 days a week, Monday thru
Saturday, from 10am to 3pm (eastern time) daily. During all other
hours of the week the number will access our new voice mail system
allowing you to place orders and request newsletters 24 hours a day.
If you have any questions about our Gemulator product, its pricing or
availability, or need help using it, feel free to phone or fax us at
the new number any time after November 15. Or write to us at the above
address.
If you have not yet received your copy of our Brasoft News
newsletter, please send us your name and mailing address to receive
the current issue which discusses our Gemulator 3.0 product. You will
also receive our upcoming January issue which contains new product
release announcements.
We can also be reached via email on GEnie at BRASOFT and on
CompuServe at 73657,2714.
Branch Always Software
14150 N.E. 20th St., Suite 302
Bellevue, WA 98007 U.S.A
voice: 206-369-5513
fax: 206-885-5893
--==--==--==--==--
|||
||| Shutdown ............................ Power off, EXIT, BYE, Logoff
/ | \ ------------------------------------------------------------------
Dana, you shouldn't assume. Next time ask first, you may learn
something.
Starting with this issue, AEO can now be found on CompuServe in the
GAMERS forum (type "Go Gamers" at any system prompt). AEO-PJ will
continue to be available, as usual, on CompuServe in ATARIARTS.
Friends of Dan McNamee at Atari should be notified that his
CompuServe account has been revoked. (This action was taken at the
behest of the account's sponsor, Atari Fourm SysOp Ron Luks.) You can
send EMail to Dan from Usenet to his GEnie mailbox
<d.mcnamee@genie.geis.com>.
I'm pleased to be able to offer the many readers of AEO who can only
access us via the Internet a chance to obtain AEO through a
subscription service. If you have an Internet connection, drop Greg
Lindahl a request at <stzmagazine-request@virginia.edu>.
We welcome feedback from all of our readers; feedback both positive
and negative. Whatever you think of our efforts, we sincerely would
like to know. Our EMail addresses are sprinkled throughout each
issue - with the new Internet gateway into GEnie, you can reach us
through the Internet also. Append "@genie.geis.com" to any of our
GEnie addresses.
Until the next issue of AEO, I remain,
Your Editor
Travis Guy
Internet: aeo.mag@genie.geis.com
--==--==--==--==--
(This issue printed on recycled photons)
--==--==--==--==--
DNFTEC
--==--==--==--==--
#1 (10-1)
Go Noles!
It's great
to be
a Gator Hater!
--==--==--==--==--
Happy 30th, Doctor
--==--==--==--==--
Atari Explorer Online Magazine is a bi-weekly publication covering the
entire Atari community. Reprint permission is granted, unless
otherwise noted at the beginning of the article, to registered Atari
user groups and not for profit publications under the following terms
only: articles must remain unedited and include the issue number and
author at the top of each article reprinted. Other reprints granted
upon approval of request. Send requests to <aeo.mag@genie.geis.com>.
Opinions presented herein are those of the individual authors and do
not necessarily reflect those of the staff, or of the publishers. All
material herein is believed accurate at the time of publishing.
--==--==--==--==--
Atari, ST, Mega ST, STE, Mega STE, TT030, Atari Falcon030, TOS,
MultiTOS, NewDesk, BLiTTER, Atari Lynx, ComLynx, Atari Jaguar, Atari
Portfolio, and the Atari Fuji Symbol are all trademarks or registered
trademarks of Atari Corporation. All other trademarks and identifying
marks mentioned in this issue belong to their respective owners.
--==--==--==--==--
Atari Explorer Online Magazine
"Your Only Independent Atari Online"
Copyright ; 1993, Subspace Publishers
* * *
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:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: A E O :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: Volume 2 - Issue 20 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 23 November 1993 ::
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