Atari Explorer Online: 18-Dec-93 #0222

From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.freenet.edu)
Date: 12/22/93-03:31:07 PM Z


From: aa789@cleveland.freenet.edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: Atari Explorer Online: 18-Dec-93 #0222
Date: Wed Dec 22 15:31:07 1993

 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 :: Volume 2 - Issue 22      ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE      18 December 1993 ::
 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 ::                                                                      ::
 ::  ATARI .............. News, reviews, & solutions ............ ATARI  ::
 ::    EXPLORER ............ for the online Atari .......... EXPLORER    ::
 ::       ONLINE ................. Community .............. ONLINE       ::
 ::                                                                      ::
 ::       Published and Copyright (c) 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  ::
 ::                                                                      ::
 ::                              Contributor:                            ::
 ::                              """"""""""""                            ::
 ::                              Keith Gerdes                            ::
 ::                                                                      ::
 ::                      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 .................................. The end of this line.

* Jaguar Tackboard .................. The comprehensive Jaguar development
                                          list - Jag Developers post - Jag
                                                 television ad broken down.

* Andreas' Den .................................... Snooping on buses, and
                                                     3DO's fall from grace.

* Atari Asylum .......................... You can't keep a good man in his
                                          straitjacket - Gregg escapes for
                                              one more visit in the Asylum.

* Ancient Art of War in the Skies ..... Andreas takes to the skies to face
                                               the Red Baron - and Sun Tzu?

* The Second Annual AEO Readers' Survey ....... Your chance to tell us how
                                                  you want AEO to shape up.

* LoadAladdin ................... Proving there's nothing an Atari utility
                                      programmer can't do, you can now use
                                        Aladdin on Falcon030s and extended
                                                        TT030 serial ports.

* Cereal What? ......................... Ron and Keith explain the ins and
                                          outs of Atari serial interfacing.

* The Unabashed Atariophile ................... PD and Shareware files for
                                                     _your_ Atari computer.

* The Lynx Cheat File: Part 2 ........ [Ms. Pac Man] to [Zarlor Mercenary]
                                        Amaze your friends and astound all
                                            enemies with your knowledge of
                                                Atari Lynx cheats and tips.

* GEnie News ........................... New files & happenings on Atari's
                                                  Official Online Resource.

* Developing News .......................... Heatseeker: SLM-to-Falcon
                                             Bogus Arabesque Release
                                             Mastering Calligrapher 3
                                             It's All Relative CD-ROM News
                                             TLC Christmas Special
                                             Chroma 24 for Falcon030
                                             CyReL SUNRISE Price Reduction
                                             DMC Yearend Specials

* 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
      -------------------------------------------------------------------

(I'll confine the lookback to two paragraphs.) 1993 marked a sea-change
at Atari Corp. First, the introduction of the Falcon030 computer signalled 
the end of the ST line of computers, the Falcon is truly a hot little
multimedia machine that more and more people around the world are
finding out. The third party products that are starting to show up
more and more often are clearly showing the power behind the price.
For those of you who are looking to purchase a new computer, the
Falcon is well worth your consideration.

But 1993 will be long remembered as the year the pendulum bounced
back - the reintroduction of Atari into the videogame business. (The
same business it would do well to remember that Atari invented.) The
Atari Jaguar has many developers fascinated, many other videogame
manufacturers busy changing their plans, and many customers
satisfied. That Atari got the Jaguar out on time, and in such a
professional manner, bodes well for the Friends of the Fuji.

Welcome to this, the last issue of AEO for this year. Your window on
events in the World Atari has a touch of frost on it this time, I'm
afraid. Over the past week, what my doctor tells me is good old
fashioned arthritis, has slowed my already snail-like typing almost to
a halt. Add this to the ulcer that popped up two months ago, the patch
of gray that won't quit my beard, and the... thinning away in my
northernmost forest region tells me one thing: I'm glad I can still
act like a kid!

I'll forego the usual, "Here's what's in the issue" banter... with
the exception of my drawing your attention to the fairly extensive
Jaguar Development List on the Jaguar Tackboard. You'll spot a couple
of new developers there, and my contacts inside Atari point at a few
more on the verge of coming aboard. No doubt, the Jag's here to stay.

Recently, there's been a public outcry in the United States over
violence and adult themes present in videogames. (With an emphasis on
videogames used by minors.) While I had planned to spend a lot of
your time here giving you my opinion on "what should be done," the
pressures of the holiday season (and the terrible feeling I get when
I realize that I don't want to break deadline yet again!) have
compelled me to postpone my ramblings until the next issue. Be
afraid, I have a lot to say.

Atari will be at CES this coming January 5-9th. If you can make it
there, do so. There could be some earthshaking news to come from
there... but that's for another time, and our next issue. Take care
everybody. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New
Year, and Have A Nice Day, all from the staff of Atari Explorer
Online. I want to see each and every one of you back here safe and
sound, hale and hearty, in three weeks. Bring a friend or two.


                            --==--==--==--==--


 |||   Jaguar Tackboard
 |||   The final word for 1993
/ | \  Collected from: Jaguar developers and Atari officials
       ----------------------------------------------------------------

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Developer / Game List
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

//// Editor: The following developers and game titles have been
confirmed to the best of AEO's ability as of December 17, 1993. While
no dates are tied to any of the games, they are hoped to be out by the
end of 1994.

Developer                     Titles under development
"""""""""                     """"""""""""""""""""""""
21st Century Software
3D Games
Accolade                    - Charles Barkley Basketball, Al Michaels
                              Announces Hardball, Busby, Jack Nicholas
                              Golf, Brett Hull Hockey
Activision                  - Beyond Zork CD-ROM
All Systems Go              - Boogers and Snotnose
Anco Software Ltd.          - Kick Off, World Cup
Argonaut Software (Jez San) - UNKNOWN CD-ROM
Atari Corp.                 - Battlezone 2000, Crescent Galaxy, Club
                              Drive, MPEG 1 and 2 carts, Tiny Toons
                              Adventures, VR Helmet
Atari Games Corp.
Attention to Detail         - (For Atari Corp.) Cybermorph,
                              Battlemorph: Cybermorph 2, Blue Lightning
Beyond Games Inc.           - Battlewheels
Brainstorm
Dimension Technologies
Eurosoft
Gremlin Graphics Ltd.       - Zool 2 - MORE
Hand Made Software          - (For Atari Corp.) Kasumi Ninja
High Voltage Software
id Software                 - Doom: Evil Unleashed
Imagitec Design Inc.        - Evolution Dino-Dudes, Raiden
Interplay                   - UNKNOWN CD-ROM
Krisalis Software Ltd.      - Soccer Kid
LlamaSoft (Jeff Minter)     - (For Atari Corp.) Tempest 2000
Loricel S.A.
Maxis Software
Microids
Microprose                  - 3D Gunship 2000 - MORE SIMULATIONS
Midnight Software Inc.
Millenium Interactive Ltd.
Ocean Software Ltd.
Park Place Productions      - UNKNOWN TITLE (American Football)
Phalanx Software
Rebellion Software Ltd.     - (For Atari Corp.) Alien vs. Predator,
                              Checkered Flag, Dungeon
Retour 2048                 - UNKNOWN (3 titles)
Silmarils                   - Robinson's Requiem
Telegames                   - Ultimate Brain Games, European Soccer
                              Challenge, Brutal Football
Tiertex Ltd.
Titus
Tradewest
Trimark Interactive
U.S. Gold Ltd.              - Flashback
UBI Soft International      - Jimmy Connors Pro Tennis - MORE
Virgin Interactive
     Entertainment Ltd.     - UNKNOWN ("Movie title")


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Official Postings
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

//// Bill Rehbock <CIS: 75300,1606> from Atari asks and answers two
common questions:

   o Q: How do I get specs on developing for the Jaguar?

   A: People interested in Jaguar software development should send a
   fax to 1-408-745-2088. Include: Company name, mailing address,
   phone number, fax number, and brief company/personal background
   relating to software development. Due to the high volume of
   inquires, we do prioritize the mailing of information kits
   according to background (SNES/Genesis/Computer) titles that you or
   your company may have been involved with, etc. Companies wishing to
   become licencees may sign-on and order preliminary development
   documentation and support for $299 USD, which can go toward the
   complete development system fee of $7500 USD.

   o Q: Can the Jaguar be networked to another computer?

   A: Yes, it can, but there naturally would have to be application-
   specific software running on both the PC and Jaguar. The Jaguar is
   equipped with (among other interfaces) a one megabyte per second
   serial interface (suitable for connection to cable, telephone,
   etc.) as well as a 9600 baud serial port that (with an appropriate
   low-cost interface) conforms to RS-232 standards. The 9600 baud
   port as shipped on Jaguar is set up for ComLynx multi console
   networking, just like the Atari Lynx.

Bill's been peppered with other questions, like one about how much
RAM comes with the CD-ROM add-on:

   o There is no developer that won't always ask for more memory or
   more performance (on any system) :-)

   The system has 2 megabytes of RAM in it so that the CD-ROM drive
   didn't have to have huge buffer space in it. Jaguar was designed
   with loads of flexibility, though, so if a developer wants to have
   extra ram in a cartridge, they _could_ do it if they wanted to. The
   cartridge port is accessible even while using the CD-ROM drive.

   One other point that I wanted to make was the fact that although
   there is no built-in operating system, we do supply to developers
   various sets of libraries to do the things that need to get done.
   Such as: a multi-channel polyphonic FM/Wavetable synth; JPEG
   decompression; video set up; drawing primitives; 3D rendering with
   gourad shading/texture mapping and camera manipulation; and others.
   Many of these come with complete source code so that they can be
   optimized for the specific use that the programmer is using in
   his/her game. It's much more flexible and obviously a
   performance-oriented way of doing things.

Next, Bill drops some performance data on AvP and DOOM:

   o Jez San has only seen a very early version of Alien versus
   Predator which was a very slow (for Jaguar) 12 to 18 frames per
   second. It now runs (when you are playing the game as an Alien :-)
   at a full 30 frames per second. I promise that no one will be
   dissappointed with DOOM or AvP on Jaguar.

   The first time I saw DOOM, I said, "I've got to have it on Jaguar,"
   and I proceeded to track down Jay Wilbur and the guys at id. I flew
   down to their office the day before I had to leave for our New York
   roll-out party to meet with id. I THEN got to see a real version
   and I was really blown away :-) It is an absolutely awsome game and
   I look forward to seeing it released during 1994.


//// Don Thomas <CIS: 75300,1267> has taken a lot of time to respond
to questions. First, here is an overall impression of Jaguar:

   o I think the first few games (Raiden, Dino Dudes, Cybermorph and
   Crescent Galaxy) are pretty hot... they'd certainly be shining
   stars on any lesser system assuming they could handle them. In my
   position at the office, I already witnessed fragments of what are
   on some of the forthcoming products. I hear the hallway chatter of
   engineers. I see unfinished graphics on souped-up power computers.
   I feel the thunder from 3-dimensional music compositions. I can
   tell you, that as hot as the first games are... YOU WILL laugh at
   them in even a year or less.

   Keep in mind that the Jaguar has integrated secrets which lie
   deeper than an impressive game macine. With expansion capabilities
   that include ComLynx and telephone, peripheral components such as
   the CD and VR appliances, connectability to full motion video and a
   variety of AV standards, the roar of the feline is none less than a
   preemptive purr.

   At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, you ain't seen nothing
   yet!

Next, when asked about the Jaguar showing up in mass market outlets:

   o Mass merchants... will often delay taking on cutting edge
   entertainment products for several reasons. One is that they demand
   siginicant quantities while the dedicated electronics chains are
   better equipped to deal with preorders. The dedicated electronics
   places are better at providing informed personnel to sell new
   items.

   It is common for explosive new electroinics items to prove
   themselves in specialty stores before the mass merchants take them
   on. In short... keep an eye out. You will definitely see expanded
   distribution as time wears on.

And here's what Don had to say about the bad batch of RF switchboxes:

   o Atari has always planned to pack a reasonably nice RF box in the
   Jaguar systems. As we saw ourselves pressed against deadlines to
   meet Christmas '93 orders, we found that we could not take delivery
   on the originally planned ones in time, so we accepted a lesser
   quality, manual switch which we were told by the factory would work
   fine.

   For the record, there is nothing really terribly wrong with manual
   switch. Any real problems people experience is largely based on the
   specific AV setups people have. With today's technology, people
   have many more things connected to their TV's than they did 10 to
   25 years ago, so there's a much greater chance for interference.

   As soon as we heard that some people were having unusually high
   interference on the manual switch, Atari pressed to speed up the
   availability of the better automatic switch. Still not having
   access to the first one planned, Atari ordered a temporary supply
   to tide us over from Radio Shack (Archer brand).

   I look at it like this... Atari packed some of the original Jaguars
   with factory tires. Most people know that RF connections are not as
   good as S-Video or composite connections and there is no
   perfection in an RF connection, still the Archer box is successful
   at screening out the majority of any interference that the other
   box seemed to let through.

   If anyone received the manual switch box and cares to send it to
   us, we'll swap it out. We'll need a serial number and other
   information.

   In regard to the other cables, I expect them real soon after
   January 1.

Don tells how Atari processed the direct Jaguar orders:

   o I kept a growing list of prepaid orders whereby I was eventually
   told I could accept no more "guaranteed" by Christmas delivery
   dates. Unfortunatley the list grew too fast and we had to cut off
   the number we were selling direct with guarantees that deliveries
   would be by Christmas. At that point, the calls still kept coming
   in and we were unclear for a week or so whether just because we
   couldn't "guarantee" delivery by Christmas whether that meant we
   absolutely couldn't deliver by Christmas. As a result, I instructed
   my staff to tell everyone that we would do what we could.

   That cut off time to my staff was very clear. We processed credit
   cards before that date so we knew there'd be no credit hassles as
   soon as the product arrived. All those customers were told that
   their orders had to be prepaid for that reason. After that, we
   stopped processing credit cards for the specific reason that we
   were unsure that we could deliver as hoped. My staff was instructed
   to only say we would try and do our best since everyone wanted
   delivery by Christmas if possible.

   I am really sorry if there were any misunderstandings with your
   requests. If your credit card was not charged but there were hopes
   to ship in time, it is because we were in the "we hope we can" mode
   and before the "we know we can't mode". At this time we are sold
   out before year's end and if you weren't charged it is because I am
   unable to ship.

   We have a ton of what we call "pending orders". We are waiting word
   daily to see when we will get more units so we can call those
   customers, confirm the orders and follow-up accordingly.

   You might also wish to contact some of the chain stores and see if
   there's something they can do for you. We had several cancellations
   throughout all of this (they were immediately filled with the next
   in line) because consumers found stores to ship them a unit before
   we could. If you find one, just tell us you did so when we call to
   confirm your order.

Don gives a disappointing answer when asked about direct orders from
overseas:

   o I am not allowed to take orders from patrons outside of U.S. or
   Canada. There are several reasons for this, most boiling down to
   our COMPLETE inability to properly service any problems. There are
   other Atari subs that are responsible for sales in other countries.

   Having said that, some people make arrangements to have a friend in
   the U.S. do the purchasing and forward the item when received.

   Keep in mind that there may be physical differences. I know there
   are differences in the carts for PAL countries for instance. Atari
   U.S.  does not have those delivered to Sunnyvale.

Someone posted a negative message about the legal notices on Jaguar
boxes prohibiting rental usage of purchased Jaguars. Don gave his
opinion:

   o I cannot speak officially on behalf of Atari simply because I am
   not physcially a part of the decision making or implementation of
   the rental aspects of the Jaguar. So my comments are unofficial and
   they are subject to correction by more informed people...

   As I understand it, special license and arrangements will be
   required by those interested in purchasing the Jaguar and related
   products for rental. Atari has already designed special rental hard
   shell cases (I'm hoping I can get them for resale---they're real
   cool!). I do not know if there are any physical differences in
   units intended for resale, but I am definitely under the impression
   that we have every intention of catering to the rental market. To
   protect our rights, we are labeling the packages against rentals so
   we can address those needs independently on equitable terms.

   When you look at some of the peripheral things we do to protect our
   interests and make an extra buck, remember back to when people were
   asking how we planned to put out a 64-bit system for less than
   $250.  Atari has always been pretty good keeping prices as low as
   possible, but we also want to make money. To do that, we will
   certainly want to sell and license our merchandise; not give it
   away.


//// Mike Fulton, <CIS: 75300,1141> had this to say about the internal
working of the Jaguar:

   o The Jaguar has 64-bit registers in the TOM chip, the data is
   worked on internally 64 bits at a time, and the system has a 64-bit
   data bus.  It is true that there are some registers which are 32
   bits, but the system as a whole is a 64-bit machine.

   To go back to the car engine metaphor for a moment, if you had a
   car with four engines, and one was a 4-cylinder, one was 6
   cylinders, one was 8 cylinders, and one was a 12-cylinder, which
   would you refer to when you were talking about the car's
   horsepower?  (To be perfectly honest, I don't think the car
   metaphor works real well, but I think you get my meaning.)


//// John Mathieson <CIS: 100111,2631> - one of the designers of the
Jaguar - speaks with authority on Jaguar hardware:

   o From my limited understanding of the 3D0 hardware, I believe that
   Jaguar out-performs it by a factor of two, broadly speaking. Of
   course, both systems have their strengths and weaknesses, but I
   believe Jaguar is much better suited to 3D animation compared to
   3D0. Also, we (Atari) publish the full hardware specification (to
   signed-up developers), whereas 3DO force you through an OS. Games
   programmers tend to want direct access to the hardware and full
   control of the system.

   Jaguar can produce an interlaced display with 720 pixels across
   readily. In fact, the maximum resolution horizontally is around
   1350 pixels, although you have to do some tricks to have more than
   720 pixels horizontally.

   o As one of the Jaguar designers, I thought you might like to know
   why there is a 68K in Jaguar. (I did the GPU &  DSP, and the
   blitter). In one of our cost reduction drives, we seriously
   considered no CPU, however I vigorously opposed this as the GPU and
   DSP are unfamiliar to programmers, were never meant for overall
   system control, and are only really fast out of their relatively
   small internal RAM blocks. The principle is that you get your RISC
   processor to do all the intensive but fairly simple low level parts
   of a 3D game, and you get a CISC processor to handle the high
   level, complex, but fairly un-intensive parts - e.g. game-play,
   view point control, collision detection, etc. Those complex
   addressing modes are great for rattling round structures. Its also
   important to have a manager in a multi-processor system, and the
   68K performs this task well.

   Because the GPU and the DSP both out-perform the 68K so
   significantly, I joked that the 68K was "only there to read the
   joysticks". This joke seems to have spread a little far, so lets
   kill it now.

   o The answer to Jaguar's bus width is that it is 64 bits where it
   needs to be. The two highest data rate paths, which are those
   between the RAM and the object processor (display generator), and
   that between the blitter and RAM, are truly 64 bits. The blitter
   can generate Gouraud shaded pixels as fast as the DRAM can run in
   page mode (13 MHz for us), so it can do 52 Mpixels per second in
   Gouraud shaded 16 bit pixel mode. The display generator can load
   pixels into its internal buffers as fast as the RAM can supply it.

   The RISC processors manipulate 32 bit data as this is all the
   precision they need. They have 32 bit ALUs and 32 bit address
   generators. They can perform 64 bit transfers on the main bus if
   they need to, but not many data are this big. The graphics
   processor uses the blitter as a co-processor when it really needs
   to blast pixels. The instruction size is 16 bits as this allows a
   reasonable number of instructions plus two register/data fields in
   each instruction.

   The name of the game is bus saturation, if you can keep a 64 bit
   bus fully utilised, then your processing elements are as fast as
   they need to be. Well written Jaguar code can get close to this -
   you ain't seen nothing yet.

   By the way, the first time I saw Alien Versus Predator I did not
   believe Jaguar could do that. I look forward to many similar
   surprises.


//// Jez San, the author of the ST classic Starglider, and currently
with Argonaut Software <CIS: 72247,3661>, is one of the newest Jaguar
developers. Here's what he's had to say about Atari's latest cat.

   o All this is leading to the question: Is the Jaguar a 64 bit
   machine?

   It is. No question about it. It has several parts that are 64 bits
   big and it has a 64 bit memory architecture, so it is a 64 bit
   system.  Its also a pretty nifty system... I think its a very
   copmetitive system, and the power of the hardware is not even
   touched by the present batch of the first games.

   I feel that Atari are justified in calling their machine a 64 bit
   machine regardless of how many bits their cpu contains, since it is
   the overall system which is talked about, and not simply the cpus.

   Case in point, the TurboGrafx 16 is known as a 16 bit system, even
   though it has an 8 bit processor. Thats because the rest of the
   system is 16 bits and the aura that the meachine projects, by
   virtue of its superior graphics to 8 bit systems deemed that it
   should be called a 16 bit system.


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Jaguar advertisements
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

There's been almost a half-dozen Atari Jaguar television advertisements
shown over the last six weeks in the test markets here in America.
Doug Engel <GEnie: D.ENGEL>, or "Thunderbird" as we know him on GEnie,
transcribed one of the latest Jaguar and the following Lynx ads:

Fade in

Announcer: "Here's Benjamin Hall on the Jaguar system to play
Cybermorph."

(Kid holding cart plugs into close-up of console)

Announcer: "Let's see how those beastly graphics and intricate moves
that ONLY come from 64 bits of mega-power feel!"

(Various screenshots inter-cut with wildly tilting camera clips of
Benjamin Hall ducking and weaving in his chair as he plays)

Note: screenshots are moving at breakneck speeds and show the system
off better than the previous commercials.

Announcer: "Ben?"

Benjamin: "Urrrllllphhh!"

(Head and shoulders frontal shot of Ben looking ill, as he projectile
vomits _into_ the camera lens! Yellow and brownish bile and food
chunks run down the lens.)

Announcer: "Cybermorph only on Jaguar by Atari"

(Screen shows Cybermorph into screen complete with "Designed By ATD",
and "(C) 1993 Atari")

Announcer: "Get bit by Jaguar!"

(White Jaguar Logo appears, with the clawmarks of the "R" scratching
down with a shredding sound effect and a Jaguar roar as blood floods
down from the top of the logo turning it red. A small white Atari fuji
and logo appear on the bottom of the screen with a yellow "64-Bit"
under that with the yellow eyes appearing on top of the logo.)

Fade out:

And the Lynx commercial.

Fade in:

(Boxing ring bell sounds as two fighters appear in a close up of the
Lynx screen with the words "Lynx" and the Atari logo clearly visible.
One fighter knocks the other one down with a kick, and turns to face
out of the screen. Lynx screen shows close-up of his face)

Fighter: (Yelling) "I like Lynx, the screen is bigger."

(Lynx switches to baseball game viewed from behind the pitcher's
mound where the pitcher has a Fuji logo instead of a number on his
uniform. Crowd is cheering in background. Pitcher pauses before
winding up, turns to face the camera, and smiles.

Pitcher: "I like Lynx, more can play at the same time."

(Screen changes to show Count Dracula's head on the right side, and
three scantily clad women [complete with gratuitous cleavage] on the
left side. Howling in background, as Dracula peers around
suspiciously with his beady eyes.)

Dracula: "Lynx has 16 bytes, I mean BITS."

(Light glints off Dracula's fang as the entire screen switches to a
close-up of a GameBoy [without any logos on it] Onscreen a horribly
low-rez smiling face appears in dark creamed spinach color on a light
creamed spinach color background. The face is standing on a single
horizontal line and has arms and legs. It moves its hands in a waving
motion, but othewise is static except for mouth movement and blinking
eyes. A cartoon-like "boing" sound is repeating in the background.)

(Nintendo and GameBoy copyright appears in white on screen bottom)

Smiley Face (in nerd voice): "I like... Game Boy."

Announcer: "3 out of 4 characters prefer Lynx. Buy Lynx now, get NFL
game free!"

(NFL Football box spins out of Lynx and stops in full view)

(Fine print appears at bottom of screen telling how NFL tradmark is
licensed and how the offer expires on SuperBowl Sunday 1/30/94, and
you pay $3.50 p&h, etc.)

Fade out!


                            --==--==--==--==--


 |||   Andreas' Den
 |||   By: Andreas Barbiero
/ | \  Delphi: ABARBIERO    GEnie: AEO.2
       -----------------------------------------------------------------

I have had some questions about some of the features present in newer
generation computers of late, especially something called "Bus
snooping." So I asked on the net and in usual Atari style, the answers
poured in!

    From: Mr. P M Donovan <csulw@csv.warwick.ac.uk>

    ABARBIERO@delphi.com writes:
...
>What IS bus snooping?  :-)

A bus snooper is simply a device that watches the system bus. If a write
is made to main memory, (i.e. the system bus, and not the local bus which
the cache is on has been used) the snooper checks to see if the local
cache has a copy. If it does, then the valid bit in the cache is reset.

This method is used in the 80386 - the 82385 snoop bus controller

Charles
---

    From: Brian Grier Perpk <bjgrier@bnr.ca>


The 68040 takes it one step farther and updates it's internal cache with
the data the dma device is sending to memory.

Brian
--

And one more message from Cameron Blackwood,

You wrote:
 | So, in other words it is similar in operation to a write back
 | cache, but more broadbased, encompassing the entire data bus?

Yeah, write back caches are no use for improving write performance, so
more complex caches store writes until the bus is idle to write results
back. Naturally if you have more than one thing accessing the bus,
then you have to have bus snooping to make sure if a cached value is
accessed then the latest value from the cache is returned rather than
the old one in memory.

cheers,
cam


 Cameron  Blackwood
 Digital Technology, Monash University of Oz.
 c.blackwood@rdt.monash.edu.au
--

Thanks to these guys for the answers, it looks like bus snooping is
the adult version of those external caches you see on MSDOS machines,
and should really enhance the total system performance. As far as
future Atari machines are concerned, we all have been waiting for the
follow-on to the Falcon030. I am sure that it hasn't been forgotten
about, and considering the power of the Jaguar graphic chip-set, and
the rapid advancement in chip technology, an '040 based computer may
not be the best decision for a computer, at least not for one without
a Jaguar chip-set. The Power PC, like I have written about before, has
the ability to run 68040 code in hardware emulation, and even without
seeing any benchmarks, it could be assumed that native '040 code could
be run faster than on a real '040.

Being in an area where the Jaguar has been advertised and on sale, I
can say the demand has been enormous. (there is a Jaguar ad on TV as I
am writing this... now there is a Lynx ad on.) I am fully expecting
that as the numbers of Jaguars for sale increase and the advertising
spreads, the Jaguar will sell big. Already the glossy graphics of
Crash and Burn have been seen through and lack of gameplay is really
evident. From people I have talked to from the 3D0 camp, their
programming has been really rushed and the software is suffering for
it. Let's hope that future titles will not suffer from this. 3D0 is
not really the competition, at $700 it is a different market. Sega and
Nintendo need to be attacked, and market share needs to be taken from
them as 3D0 has little command over the market.

To further prove that point, a report in the New York Times says that
3DO officials concede that instead of the 300,000 units they had
planned to move by Christmas, only 50,000 REAL Multiplayers were built
by Matsushita, and only 20,000 were delivered to dealers! (And not all
of them were sold.)

Falcon030 hardware is coming along and being imported from Germany and
the UK. Accelerator boards, graphics enhancements, SLM printer
interfaces, and even boards allowing you to use SIMMs are available,
and cheaper than such items were for the ST line. So, if anything was
holding you back from getting a Falcon030, those happy hackers around
the world have probably fixed it. Now if I can only get ahold of a
Falcon030 I can preview this stuff for you.....

Since this will probably be my last article before the holidays, I
want to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, and thank
Travis Guy for daring to edit what I write. Hopefully after I make
this move to Washington state my ramblings will be more coherent! (For
those of you who don't know, I am writing this from the Navy Lodge
hotel room, with all my personal possessions in a truck somewhere.)


                            --==--==--==--==--


 |||   Atari Asylum
 |||   Head Inmate: Gregg Anderson
/ | \  GEnie: AEO.7
       -----------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome back, oh warped ones. As you can see the Asylum's a tad
smaller this time (please, hold your applause). I've been spending
most of the time running tests for a future issue and playing "catch
up" after being Atari-less for so long. Also, with Christmas and New
Year's coming up there've been more than a few distractions of late.
So, bear with me while we get a new duty schedule posted for the staff
here at the Asylum and rearrange the work schedules. Besides, these
government imposed budget cuts are really hurting us all.

Meanwhile, let's go wandering down the dusty halls and visit a few
padded cells;

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Babbling Again?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

OK, in the last Atari Asylum I did a little ranting and raving about
the DOS system I had to use while waiting for my Mega4 to be either
repaired or replaced. In that issue I also made a few rather
disparaging remarks about a DOS program called "PROCOMM." I've since
received Email criticizing my criticism and waxing poetic over the
program "PROCOMM PLUS." Well, I read the post with interest and have a
few comments.

First is that I stand behind my comments on the version of ProComm I
was using. When compared to ANY of the various commercial or PD
ST/TT/Falcon terminal programs I've seen or used over the last five
years that thing was NOT a joy to use. OK, so maybe I wasn't 100%
correct when I criticized the lack of a screen buffer/editor. There
IS a basic text editor available that you can call from within the
program, however it's NOT a true screen buffer and is not capable of
storing or directly editing from the screen the way almost all Atari
Terminal programs do. In fact the only way I could copy/save GEnie
text as it scrolled by was to dump it to a printer, slowing everything
down. And while built-in transfer protocols are limited, it seems
there's a built-in software "hook" so you can install other protocols
if you know how (which I obviously don't). And, finally, everything is
keyboard driven, period (which is fine for some folks but not for me,
I'm spoiled <grin>)!

So yes, while there were a few oversights in the original paragraph I
stand by my overall criticism of the program. HOWEVER!!!!! I must,
in all honesty, confess that ProComm 2.4.2 (the version I used) is
rather old as DOS programs go. In fact, according to a local DOS
dealer, it's old enough to have been released into the Public Domain.
Therefore I did the residents of the Asylum a disservice by not
pointing that fact out and wish to correct that oversight now. Yes,
ProComm is an OLD program and should not be compared directly to a new
program running on an ST. Wait a minute, my original Flash 1.52 has a
copyright date of 1986. Interestingly enough ProComm 2.4.2 also has a
1986 copyright. Hmm, maybe a few comparisons can be made after all.
Aw, the heck with it, it's not worth it and, to be honest, I still
should have been more specific in the first place.

By the way, the ProComm Plus the Email note praised is available in a
Windows compatible version at most DOS dealers.... for the low
suggested retail price of $179.95 (or in the Hendersonville area just
$149.95). Even granting that the Plus version is a FAR more powerful
and capable program, which it is by the way, $180 for a terminal
program seems a touch high. Hmm, $180 for a graphics terminal program
similar to my $49.95 Flash II (which sells locally for $ 39.96)?
Thanks, but I think I'll keep my Atari. <grin>

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is for ALL the visitors to the Atari Asylum.
Please... if you find a mistake, feel I've made an error, or committed
an oversight in ANY issue of the Asylum LET ME KNOW ASAP! Contrary to
popular opinion I'm only human (popular opinion has me rated somewhat
lower) and I will make mistakes and such from time to time. Heck, half
the fun of reading an article is to spot the goofs <grin>. So feel
free to leave me Email (AEO.7) or to the editor (AEO.MAG) with any
problem, error, or misstatement you may have found. I ask only one
thing. Please don't automatically assume that I'm deliberately doing
it to sponsor misinformation or to spread lies. I've made a lot of
mistakes over the past 42 years but telling deliberate lies or
spreading misinformation for personal gain are NOT a part of them and
I find such suggestions highly offensive.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Welcome to the 20th Century
//// & Farewell to an old Friend
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Well, I finally had to take the plunge. I bought AtariWorks this
week and, after screwing my courage together (and verifying I had a
current backup), I installed SpeedoGDOS and AtariWorks (AW) on my
MegaSTe. First let me congratulate Mike Fulton on the installation
program. Speedo and AW's installation is about as idiot proof as you
can get. Put disk in drive A, click on 'Install', follow simple
directions, swap floppies as directed, and POOF.... you're done.
It's that simple! Reboot, make sure your fonts are active, double
check your printer choice, and that's it. You can now run most GDOS
compatible programs and AtariWorks with few problems.

Most GDOS programs, but not all I fear. TimeWork's DeskTop Publisher
is NOT Speedo-friendly and it doesn't look like it is going to become
that way any time soon. However, EasyDraw 3.0 works quite well (though
a tad slower in drawing fonts and saving files) and prints beautifully
on my SLM-804. Be warned that you'll have to go into ALL your EasyDraw
files that have ANY text in them to resize and/or change the fonts
used. SpeedoFonts may or may not be an exact match to the GDOS fonts
used in the original file and that can royally mess up the formatting.
MyDraw seems to work, though I still can't get it to print anything
(my fault I'm sure). TouchUp works just fine and seems fairly
transparent to Speedo.

What about my favorite (and your's too I'm sure <grin>) word
processor, WordUp 3.0? Well, we've got some good news and some bad
news on that front. The good news is that yes, WordUp 3.0 is Speedo
compatible. By that I mean it will run with and take advantage of
SpeedoGDOS fonts. The bad news is that it does so only reluctantly and
has a few problems with the process. All this means that, after years
of loyal service, I'm going to be forced to abandon WordUp before too
long.

Though an outstanding word processor in its day (with its combination
of power and simplicity I feel it was one of the best word processors
ever written for the ST), WordUp has been an orphan too long. With no
updates or support since the release of version 3.0 back in 89/90
WordUp has suffered major compatibility problems with Atari's newer
computers and utilities. One example is the problem WordUp has with
SpeedoGDOS. Speedo (and NVDI for that matter) causes a serious delay
whenever WordUp tries to access its Font Selection Menu, making you
wait almost up to a full minute for the program to locate in RAM the
list of available fonts and display them for selection. If WordUp was
still being actively supported, I wouldn't worry about these problems.

However, with the lack of constant rejuvenation by Neocept (now long
dead and buried, the sad fate of many small Atari third party
developers) or Atari (who has since acquired the rights to WordUp),
I'm afraid it's finally reached its limit and must be retired. Thank
you Neocept, while you were with us you did an outstanding job and
gave great support. You've been missed by your fans and I'll miss
WordUp. Still, time marches on and so must I. Anyone know of a good
utility to convert WordUp files over to AtariWorks or even ASCII?
Other than loading each file by hand and saving it as ASCII that is?
<grin>

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// A little Touchy-Feely?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

So how does AtariWorks feel? First let me say that while I consider
myself fairly handy around a word processor I'm a total klutz when it
comes to databases or spreadsheets. Because of that I'm going to limit
my comments to what I know (which shouldn't take too long). Second;
there have already been a LOT of reviews and comments written on
AtariWorks so I'm not going to try and reinvent the wheel here.
Finally, all comments are on Speedo/AW installed on a Monochrome
MegaSTe with a hard drive and SLM-804 printer.

For the most part, Atari Works is similar in feel to WordUp (and, I
suspect, to most of the better WYSIWYG systems). The keyboard
commands are quite different though and that's going to take me some
getting used to. And yes, for all you power freaks out there, it's
not quite as powerful as Calligrapher, That's Write 3, or the other,
"state of the art" word processors. But then it's not supposed to be.
AtariWorks is an INTRO-LEVEL system that combines ease of use, a
reasonable level of power, and a LOT of flexibility with its
integrated Word Processor, Spreadsheet, and Database.

As such, AtariWorks succedes beautifully and I expect it to become my
primary word processor. In fact this issue of the Asylum is being
written with it. By the way, if you've gotten AtariWorks then you NEED
Papa's Graftic Guide. This is an outstanding booklet that gives you an
easy-to-understand guide to the uses and features of AtariWork's word
processor, a LOT easier to follow than the book that comes with AW.
Give your Atari dealer a jingle and see if he's (OK, or she's) got it
in stock.

>From what I can see, AtariWorks feels slightly faster in many
functions (such as blocking, text movement, & some formatting) than
WordUp was. It also has an outstanding spellchecker/thesaurus that may
also be a bit faster than WordUp's (by the way, WordUp users will feel
right at home with AW's spellchecker and thesaurus). I noticed that on
my monochrome MegaSTe the text display is "shakier" than WordUp's when
you're typing. Each time a character is printed to the screen the
display is adjusted and you can almost watch the line redraw and/or
adjust itself in a wave from left to right as you type, especially as
you get closer to the right margin. All in all it's more than a touch
distracting but is also something that can be lived with for now.

Printing, on the other hand, is OUTSTANDING! It's at least as fast
as WordUp and, on my SLM, the quality of the printed page is clearly
higher with cleaner, more solid appearing fonts. All in all I have
absolutely NO complaints about Speedo's print quality. Kudos to
Atari, Pradip, and BitStream on an excellent product.

So is it perfect? Shoot, anyone that's read the Asylum before knows
the answer to that one. OF COURSE NOT! Nothing is perfect in this
world so yes, AtariWorks could stand a few changes. The first
suggestion is to duplicate WordUp's Graphics abilities. WordUp could
import a wide range of graphics formats (IMG, GEM, Degas, and NEO) and
allow you to resize, crop, and otherwise modify the displayed file.
AW badly needs the ability to import AND DISPLAY graphics formats
other than .GEM (I don't count .IMG files as you can't see them on the
screen though they do print nicely). Hopefully we'll also see .TIFF,
.GIF, PCX, and other IBM color formats available before long.

Also badly needed is a more flexible file format import and export
feature.  ASCII and RTF are a good beginning but WordWriter/First Word
Plus, Word Perfect (Atari, DOS, & Windows), and others are needed as
well. Another suggestion is to PLEASE "hide" the cursor when you're
typing to the screen. WordUp 3.0 and WordWriterST do this and it
really helps cut down on the distraction factor. I can't speak for
everyone but it drives me buggy (I know, a short trip) having the
cursor blink and flicker every time I hit a key. Finally, kill the
program's tendency to redraw the text line when you're typing. This is
even more distracting than the blinking cursor.

I've got to rerun a LOT of tests now to duplicate with Speedo the
tests I've run with NVDI/Warp 9 and GDOS or G-Plus. Just off the top
though I'd have to say that while much faster than Atari's original
GDOS I'm afraid Speedo is noticeably slower than NVDI's built-in GDOS
or CodeHead's G-Plus replacement. Which makes having Warp 9 or NVDI
even more important to most Atari owners. Watch these pages for actual
test results later on.

Another pleasant surprise was the availability of FONTS! Yes, you
really can find Speedo fonts if you go looking for them. I found a
FANTASTIC Bargain at Egghead Software about six months ago (yes, long
before I ever bought Speedo). They had the Bitstream WordPerfect SIX
(DOS) Font Pack. with 50 SpeedoGDOS fonts for only $24.95. That works
out to under 50 cents each (OK, so just under)! Each font is as sharp
and clean as the original Speedo fonts that Atari supplies and other
fonts can be ordered from Compo or directly from BitStream
(1-800-522-FONT). Right now I've got a touch over 4 Megs of Speedo
fonts in my folder, now I'm looking for a good Wedding/Old English
Speedo font. I'll keep you posted.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Good News for SLM-804/605 Owners
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

As you can see from the following GEnie post there have been some
positive developments in the Atari Laser field, though not from Atari
itself. The first is a new TT Compatible version of the always popular
LaserBrain Epson Emulator. The next is even more exciting, it's GREAT
news for Falcon owners.... read on <grin>.

Category 14,  Topic 11
Message 145       Tue Dec 14, 1993
ATARI.BENLUX [W. Kilwinger]  at 17:01 EST
 
John,

There is a German Laserbrain 1.42 that perfectly runs on a TT,
however it is in the German Language. Nathan had somebody that could
translate the German manual into English but since they used a
translation program the translation is not very well done.

I promised to finish that but it was too much work to handle. So I
never finished it. I can email you what I have.

Ken,

Starter toner on a SLM804 (we call it initial toner) allows 1500
copies instead of 3000 copies for a regular toner. You are right
that's half the time as regular toner.  (1500 copies by 5% black which
is text on a letter size paper)

ALL,

Well, I have good news for you. A few weeks ago I noticed a heavy
discussion in this topic regarding SLM connection to the Falcon030. At
that time I was not allowed to speak about the product I like to
announce at this moment:

A German Developer made such an interface that allows the connection
of the SLM laser printers to the Falcon030 and it is available for
sales NOW. It is an small interface connected to the DSP port
replacing the SLMC804 interface (driving directly that fat cable of
the SLM Laser Printer). Several developers tried to make an ACSI
interface but that would cost to much, this interface is smarter and
cheaper.

I have tested it myself and it has a lot of advantages compared to
the normal solution with the SLMC interface since it doesn't freeze
the system and you don't have to leave your laser printer on and it
doesn't matter when your printer is switched off when you boot your
computer.

Attached a message from the German Mausnet, slightly translated from
German to English.

 >Gruppe: Atari.Info
 >ID  : A50183@B
 >Wg. : Heatseeker
 >Von : Laurenz Pruessner @ B (So, 05.12.93 14:27)
 >
 >---------------------------
 >Produktname:    Heatseeker.
 >---------------------------
 >
 >Akt. Version:   1.0.
 >
 >Product:        Interface between Falcon030 and SLM 804 or SLM 605
 >
 >Price:          199.-- DM incl. FontGDOS.
 >                249.-- DM incl. SpeedoGDOS 4.2.
 >
 >Distributor:    R.O.M., Berlin   (makers of the Papyrus Editor)
 >                Raschdorffstra e 99
 >                13409 Berlin
 >                Germany
 >                Tel. & FAX: +49 (0)30 - 4924127
 >
 >Lieferumfang:   -Heatseeker Interface Hardware.
 >                -GDOS-Driver software.
 >                -New DIABLO emulator.
 >                -Driver for 1st Word Plus.
 >                -Installation-, Setup- and Testsoftware.
 >                -FontGDOS oder SpeedoGDOS
 >                -Documentation.
 >
 >Autor:          Laurenz Pr  ner.
 >
 >EMail:          spoil@cs.tu-berlin.de. (Laurenz is the developer, NOT the 
spokesman of ROM Software)
 >
 >Laurenz
 >

Regards,

Wilfred

Head Keeper's comment:
By the way, at current exchange rates these things work out to around
$140-160 each. Though a touch steep, we "may" see a better offer if
they decide to unbundle Speedo/Font GDOS for the American market.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Falcon Compatibility Notes
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Well, it's not confirmed yet but I'm hearing rumors that Microprose's
Ancient Art of War In The Skies is TT [Editor: Confirmed!] and FALCON
compatible! I'm also hearing that the new Elite II game is also TT and
Falcon compatible. All Right! Now we're starting to see major software
houses take compatibility seriously.

And now, from the pages of GEnie, some good news:

Category 9,  Topic 19
Message 11        Wed Dec 15, 1993
J.KRACHT [James Kracht]      at 20:46 EST
 
Hey!

Been playing Elite 2 for twenty-seven hours. Just got my map
dry-mounted, and it hangs majestically on my wall next to my Falcon.
I've got an Imperial Trader (at last!) with a 20MW beam laser. I am
wanted for piracy and murder in Imperial Space! HA!

Also, I noticed that if you install Elite 2 on the HD, you should
create a folder for your save game files. I too saw that  COMMANDE.RS
file, and it confused me, so I created a folder, and have had zero
problems.

Questions: The game runs incredibly fast and fluidly on the Falcon.  I
cannot figure out, however, what the 512 or 4096 color options do,
besides cause a slight flicker in 4096 mode. I must also admit that I
could not stand Elite (the original) even though it was so vast. I was
so jaded by the beautiful control scheme used in Star Glider 2 that I
just could not tolerate the original Elite control method. Now that
Elite 2 has the Star Glider 2 interface... I fear I might be consumed
by this game for years. But, since I never played Elite, what is this
concept of "missions?" I was slightly confused by the preponderance of
space on the "data disk." Who gives these missions in the game?

Tips: Get Rich On Robots, Banard's Star to Sol.

I made a tremendous amount of cash buying robots on Banard's Star and
selling them on the Bulletin Board(s) on the three orbital cities
around Earth. If no one wanted them on one, I'd fly around until I
found the right ad on the bulletin board. I traded animal meat back to
Banard's Star for minimal cash.  This route was totally safe. You can
ditch your weapons, atmopsheric shielding, and everything but your
auto pilot to free up cargo space. I was never attacked once.

BTW, I also made a VAST amount of cash in the slace trade in the
Imperial Systems (that's "slave"). Safe route was Facece to Vaquess,
just "east" of the Imperial Capitol (Achenar).

I love this game... it is truly something other than else!

James
 ------------
Category 30,  Topic 5
Message 49        Wed Dec 15, 1993
J.KRACHT [James Kracht]      at 20:23 EST
 
Well, folks, Elite 2: Frontier is absolutely astounding on the Falcon.
Don't ask me any questions, just buy it.

James
 -----------

Well, I don't know about you but it sure sounds to me like Elite II is
Falcon compatible, and a killer game to boot! I'm not that big on
games as a rule (at my age the reflexes are no longer arcade
compatible) but Elite II is starting to sound VERY interesting. I'll
try and keep you posted on developments.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// And to all, a good night
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Well, it's late into the evening of December 16th right now. As AEO is
published bi-weekly that means I'm not going to have a chance to talk
to you again until after Christmas. In today's world of Political
Correctness, "Happy Holidays," and "Best Wishes of the Season," I'm
going to do something very politically incorrect and enjoy it, and
mean it, very much.

>From my home to your's, from my heart to your's. My prayer for you all
this year is that you and those you love can be together to share and
enjoy your most Joyous, Special, and Holy Christmas ever,

To my friends who hold this season special for a different reason;
Shalom, and Peace be with you this Hanukkah,

To all my friends, both known and unknown: May the Peace, Love, and
Joy that is the eternal gift of God be with you this Christmas Season,
now and always.

Gregg Anderson, Head Inmate and First Keeper of: The Atari Asylum


                            --==--==--==--==--


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--       --==--==--      Delphi Sign-Up Information      --==--==--      --
--                                                                       --
--  To enroll as a Delphi subscriber, modem call 1-800-365-4636. Press   --
--  [Return] once or twice, and type IP26 [Return] at Password:          --
--                                                                       --
--  Answer all of the questions, and you'll be cleared for Delphi        --
--  access in a few days. If you have questions about Delphi services,   --
--  give a voice call to Delphi Member Services at 1-800-544-4005.       --
--                                                                       --
--       --==--==--      Delphi Sign-Up Information      --==--==--      --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------


                            --==--==--==--==--


 |||   Ancient Art of War in the Skies:
 |||   By: Andreas "Snoopy" Barbiero
/ | \  Delphi: ABARBIERO    GEnie: AEO.2
       ------------------------------------------------------------------

Sun Tzu - alive and well in World War I

Microprose has been making software for quite some time and their
recently wavering attitude towards the Atari platform had given me
concern, but then a game like Ancient Art of War in the Skies (AAW)
comes along. This game is very progressive in many ways. It is not an
outrageous tour-de-force of graphic amazement, nor is it the Spectrum
Holobyte version of WW I aerial combat, but this game manages to
encapsulate the essence of WW I combat from the air. It is hard-drive
installable and not only works on the entire ST line, it also works on
the TT030! Unfortunately, I was not able to test this game on the
Falcon.

Being a US naval aviator, I am familiar with the sophistication of
modern air warfare. The sheer level of simplicity in the early days of
aviation is a wild leap backwards from the world of A-6 bombers and
F-14 Tomcat fighters. AAW does not try to be a full flight simulator,
nor does it try to be a complete strategical representation of WW I,
but it does allow you to match wits with the great minds (and some not
so great ones) of the early 20th century - as well as place your
finger on the trigger in attacking enemy planes and bombing ground
emplacements.

The action is seen from an outside view for air to air combat and
from a bomber's sight in the ground attack scenes. Learning to
dogfight has a definite learning curve, but it is a curve and not a
wall, allowing for a beginning player to actually play and not get so
frustrated that he gives it up. Bombing is seen from the high tech
vantage point of a WW I bomber... a cut out in the floor of the plane.
Tactics for winning fights depend on how the player selects the
"rules" of the game. From the combat screens, you can change the rules
of flying, the thickness of aircraft armor, and the rate of climb and
top speed for fighters. Other rules that can affect the outcome of a
battle are set before the player starts a campaign, and the leader's
own personalities.

Knowing the capabilities of the machines of war is the first step to
winning the war. Typically, German triplanes had a lower top speed but
a faster rate of climb due to the extra lift provided by three wings,
versus the two wings of a biplane, but irregardless of the true nature
of the aircraft you are flying, you can change the characteristics of
the aircraft for both sides. With the options properly set, you can
have realistic flight conditions for a Sopwith Camel (the most popular
and effective British fighter) and a Fokker Dr. 1 (the legendary
triplane flown by the Red Baron). Even with the limited flight
simulator, variations can make for some challenging air to air combat
by turning the favor on the enemy's side, or allowing for other period
aircraft to be simulated.

Before trying to win a battle with the scenarios present, some time in
the training areas should be in order. Not only can you just practice
mixing it up with enemy fighters, but you can train in the fine art of
bombing ground targets. Again, the bombing window is a limited view,
but a realistic one considering the time period. Through your own hole
in the floor, you can drop small bombs in free fall onto enemy
positions such as gun emplacements, machine gun nests, listening
posts, and barbed wire. The rudimentary bombing technique is based on
analyzing a map, and then picking an axis to attack along.

The bombers of that period were slow to maneuver and the bombs were
highly inaccurate, and trying to eyeball the impact position of the
bombs you lob, while maneuvering the plane is a complicated bit of
aviation. You have the option of picking the entry point into the
bombing area before beginning your run to avoid anti-air emplacements
and setting you up to fly over most enemy positions without having to
maneuver the plane too much. The aerial recon photo has certain
positions circled, and if you hit all these without getting shot down
by the ever vigilant anti-air guns, your mission will end in victory.
These skills will be invaluable when the time comes to attack the
front, (there is a computer simulated ground battle simultaneous to
your own battles) weakening it for your own troops to carry the fight.

The main focus of the game is using your newly developed Sopwith
Camel, Fokker Triplane fighter, Handley Page, and Gotha bomber skills
to help you win the ~50 campaigns included. You can also try to
emulate other fighters and bombers, but other aircraft are not spoken
about in the manual, so experimentation with aircraft speed, rate of
climb, and armor is left purely to your imagination. The campaigns are
either based on actual battles of the Great War, or hypothetical
conflicts.

Imagine fighting out ancient Roman battles using fighters and bombers
instead of centurions and phalanxes! The included scenarios are fun
and challenging - they range from the simplistic to the complicated,
and with the aforementioned options, even the most intimidating can be
made simple. I have personally played all the scenarios that reenact
the major battles of WW I, and even with a wargaming background and a
great deal of practice with this game, they are not easy to finish
successfully... at least not without changing the rules of the battle.

Understanding these targets and the terrain you will fight over is the
next important step to victory. Battle rules cover the speed at which
aircraft and ground installations are repaired, range of the aircraft,
height of the mountains, and speed at which new aircraft are built.
Enemy commanders play a critical role in the game, and a reason why
this game refers back to the Art of War. Sun Tzu, a great Chinese
warrior, wrote the first book on strategy and tactics 2500 years ago.
This book was called the Art of War, and has defined the way man has
fought in nearly every war since.

The key to the game is using Sun Tzu's philosophy to assess the
strengths and weaknesses of the enemies that you will battle and the
very battlefield itself. Some of the greatest Aces and Generals of the
period are included as opponents as well as Sun Tzu himself, and the
not so famous Helmut von Spike. Capitalizing on the weaknesses of
these men will give you most of what you need for a quick victory. In
some scenarios it is more important to know how your enemy will act
and react to your tactics than it is to fly planes!

Graphically, the game is satisfactory. I was hoping that with TT
compatibility there would be a TT-low resolution with 256 colors, this
was not to be. It still took me more than a quick glance to tell for
real that the screen was ST-low, because the colors and artwork are
done very well, and in most scenes the variety of colors belies the
limited palette that the computer is using. On the TT030, ST-low can
display 256 colors, allowing for the same screen size as ST-low, but
the exact same display that the PC version uses could be displayed on
the TT030.

There are a few digitized scenes, mainly used as recolored backdrops,
but they add an interesting look to the screen. Whenever you pass the
marker (mouse) over a emplacement on the map, or a new pilot arrives
for duty, a tiny digitized picture shows up in the message bar on top
of the screen. From the tactical map board you can control your units,
and react to enemy movements. Allocating fighters to shoot down
bombers or repel enemy fighters, and sending bombers out on deep
strike missions or in support of the line of battle for the boys on
the ground is carried out easily and quickly through a set of dialog
boxes.

The whole game is run from a menu system based in a fashion like much
like a pilot's logbook. When a menu selection is picked, a page slides
out of a notebook displaying the new information. A hand moves up and
down the list with a pencil, and when a selection is made, a pencil
mark is made next to it.

You can control the altitude, speed and flight formation of your
aircraft. As many as 6 planes (3 bombers, 3 fighters) can be grouped
together and sent out on your missions. While aircraft are in flight,
you can change all of these things around to meet any situations that
arise. Many times, the front (that double line of ground troops
actually fighting the ground war) will change so rapidly that a
bombing mission in support of the ground effort will end up needing to
be redirected towards where the fighting is.

Your pointer will scroll around the map with a joystick or mouse, and
when it points to land under Allied control, it will change to a
Rondelle (the round red-white-blue symbol that you have seen on
UK/US/French aircraft) and when over German held land, it turns into a
Maltese cross. This makes for easy reference as to whose land you are
over. When you select an airborne unit, or place the marker over a
ground unit, either the flight path, or in the upper right of the
screen, the program will display the type of unit you are pointing at.

The only problem occurs when you have several aircraft units close
together, the pointer keeps moving between them automatically, making
it frustrating sometimes to select an individual aircraft group from a
crowd of them. This is especially annoying when you are trying to
select a single flight when the cursor is madly jumping between
flights, and you are clicking on every other flight but the one you
want! It would also be really nice to know which planes are fighting
before you take a battle "hands-on." I am better at shooting down
fighters with my bombers than I am in dogfighting, so letting the
computer play out the dogfight usually has better results for me than
piloting the fighters myself. If I knew that my fighters were
attacking other fighters, I would leave them be, but if bombers were
defending against an attack I would really much rather get into the
combat myself.

One trick that worked when fighting bombers was to position my fighter
underneath the bomber, in his blind zone, and with a series of
controlled stalls, point my plane straight up into the bomber's belly
and fire away. Several attacks like this are highly successful, as
long as I don't drift behind the bomber into the aft gunner's sights.
Getting your shots into the engine seems to do much more damage, but
hitting that tiny spot is another matter. The forward gunner doesn't
seem to do as much damage, but he is just as deadly if you stray into
his field of fire. When playing the scenarios, find your strong points
and fill in for the computer with them. The computer will give you
fair odds against your opponents, but if you find yourself good at
dogfighting or bombing, taking over from the computer will increase
the odds in your favor. No matter what, make sure you read about the
people opposing you, or else you may see yourself in for a long hard
battle where a few quick attacks could end it sooner.

The game comes with a hard drive installation program and runs without
many problems. I have found the game to lock up on my TT030 only
occasionally, but this is on a "dirty" system, and launched from
TT-med. When I boot the computer with the Control key depressed,
bypassing the autofolder, the game ran without a hitch. I even got the
game to run from under Teradesk, which was running under Geneva! No,
it didn't multitask, but it did run well enough to finish out a
scenario.

The only other bug I noted was that when I went to see the scores my
pilot ran up in practice dogfighting and bombing, the scorecard would
scroll out of the notebook and back again so fast that I could not
read the scores. Irritating, but it does not affect the actual
gameplay.

Copy protection is the old manual lookup system, and in this game it
is not intrusive at all. When asked to find a word, it is always in
the first paragraph on a page, and the first letter of the word you
are asked for is already displayed. This really avoids much of the
chance for error that this type of protection sometimes incurs. The
information you need to play this game is clearly presented in the
manual, as well as a great deal of interesting material relating to
the First World War, giving the reader a real feeling of the glory and
horror of this, the first real modern war.

The game is purposefully simplistic with the actual combat. The
authors do not expect you to learn the flight characteristics of every
plane used in the war, or to run a ground war simulation, but rather
to have you experience what it is to use aircraft to defeat the
classical military minds of the period. Knowing your enemy and
yourself, with the variables of the battlefield, is ultimately more
effectual than a quick trigger finger.

Ancient Art of War in the Skies
Microprose (UK)
0666 504326 Unit 1, Hampton Road Industrial Estate
Tetbury, Glos GL8 8LD  UK
ST/STe/TT030 compatible
Manual-lookup copy protection
$49.95 SRP

(Thanks to STeve's Software for the lending of this game to review!
You can expect to pay less than the SRP for this game at STeve's!)


 ==============================================================================
     ATARI - "PERSONAL INTEGRATED MEDIA SYSTEM MADE FOR THE REAL WORLD..."
 ==============================================================================
       ////// ///////////////////////  //////    Software Sales - "Sales,
      //       //                   ' //         Service and Support for 
     //////   // ///// //  // /////  //////      Atari ST/TT030/Falcon030
        //   // ///    // // ///        //       LYNX and Jaguar(Coming soon)
   //////   // /////   //// /////  //////        and Portfolio's...
 ==============================================================================
   ......ETARIP T'NOD        ...SSB IRATA ORP EHT         .......IRATA YUB
 ==============================================================================

          *** *** ***          WELCOME to STeve's Software/Hardware Sales.
          *** *** ***          Proud dealers for Atari Computer Corporation.
          *** *** ***          We are an aggressive, growth-oriented company.
          *** *** ***          We believe in the old-fashioned way of doing 
          *** *** ***          business with Integrity, dedication to Atari,
         **** *** ****         both the Company and the Customers, and
       ****** *** ******       'PERSONAL INTEGRATED CUSTOMER SERVICE...'
     *******  ***  *******     Virtually everything you need for your Atari
   *******    ***    *******   system can be found here at STeve's...
 *******      ***      ******* ................................................
 
 |*| Easy Ordering - To order, Call, Mail, Fax or contact   *** *** ***
 | | us via GEnie, Delphi, CompuServe or our OWN BBS.       *** *** ***
 |*| Longer Hours - Thats right, now you can call from 8:00 *** *** ***
 | | a.m. until 8:00p.m. PDT to place your order.           *** *** ***
 |*| Tremendous Selection - We only Support Atari Systems.  *** *** ***
 | | ST, Ste, Mega's, TT030, Falcon030, Lynx AND JAGUARS.  **** *** ****
 | | Portfolio's and we are now expanding our 8-bit      ****** *** ******
 | | section as well...                                *******  ***  *******
 |*| STeve's is Dedicated to bringing Atari Support  *******    ***    *******
 | | to our Customers all across the US & Canada.  *******      ***      *******
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
   "ATARI(ATC): An American Company traded on the American Stock Exchange."
 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
 
 |.*.|===================================================================|.*.|
 |...|                                                                   |...|
 |.*.| STeve's Says THANK YOU to all of our customers for their support  |.*.|
 |...| """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""  |...|
 |.*.|===================================================================|.*.|
 |...|                                                                   |...|
 |.*.|    I just wanted to say to all of my customers,  THANK YOU for    |.*.|
 |...|  your support, your business, your trust and your devotedness     |...|
 |.*.|  to STeve's, and to the Atari Corporation.  We could not have     |.*.|
 |...|  grown as fast as we have without your help, and we THANK YOU     |...|
 |.*.|  for your loyal support.  We are excited about the future of      |.*.|
 |...|  Atari Corporation, and the future of STeve's.  We have promo's   |...|
 |.*.|  that will happen in the upcoming months that I know will make    |.*.|
 |...|  all of STeve's Customers Happy.  Well, Again, THANK YOU for      |...|
 |.*.|  your support, and Thanks goes to the Crew of AEO for their       |.*.|
 |...|  excellent contribution to the Atari World...                     |...|
 |.*.|                                                                   |.*.|
 |...|  STeve Kipker ~ STeve's Software                                  |...|
 |.*.|===================================================================|.*.|
 |...|        Thank you very much for your Support AT STeve's!!!         |...|
 |.*.|===================================================================|.*.|
 |...|  Remember, if you don't see it here, CALL us..  We have a large   |...|
 |.*.|  inventory of 'ONLY' Atari products,  AND GROWING by the DAY!!!   |.*.|
 |...|===================================================================|...|
 |.*.| F.>   We DON'T do MAC. We DON'T do AMIGA.. We DON'T do NeXT...    |.*.|
 |...| Y.>          We DON'T EVEN DO THOSE IBM/CLONES....                |...|
 |.*.| I.>                   WE JUST DO ATARI...                         |.*.|
 |...|===================================================================|...|
 |.*.| F.>              STeve's Software/Hardware Sales                  |.*.|
 |...| Y.>                         ACCEPTS:                              |...|
 |.*.| I.>       VISA, MASTERCARD, MONEY ORDERS, PERSONAL CHECKS.        |.*.|
 |...| ..>   (We DO NOT add surcharge on your credit card purchases)     |...|
 |.*.|===================================================================|.*.|
 |...|                                                                   |...|
 |.*.|  [*] Stock Orders Placed by 3:00pm(PST) will be shipped that day. |.*.|
 |...|  [*] Great Prices/Great Service!!!                                |...|
 |.*.|  [*] No Credit Card Surcharge...                                  |.*.|
 |...|  [*] 24 hour BBS growing daily with info on new and Used Atari    |...|
 |.*.|      products for Sale...PLUS Online Games, DEMO's and much more. |.*.|
 |...|                                                                   |...|
 |.*.|===================================================================|.*.|
 |...|                                                                   |...|
 |.*.|  [*] California Residence add 7.25% sales tax.                    |.*.|
 |...|  [*] Software Orders over $ 75.00 receive free shipping in the    |...|
 |.*.|      contiguous US..                                              |.*.|
 |...|  [*] Please add $ 3.00 for shipping on orders under $ 75.00.      |...|
 |.*.|  [*] Damage or Defective software will be replaced with same      |.*.|
 |...|      title promptly "No Questions Ask".                           |...|
 |.*.|  [*] Recycled Titles are fully Guaranteed.  If you like the Title |.*.|
 |...|      but would like a "NEW" copy instead of the Recycled copy,    |...|
 |.*.|      Just send back the Recycled copy and pay the difference      |.*.|
 |...|      to receive your new copy...                                  |...|
 |.*.|===================================================================|.*.|
 |...|   H >>      Monday - Saturday  8:00a.m. - 8:00p.m. (PST)          |...|
 |.*.|   O >>                    CLOSED Sundays                          |.*.|
 |...|   U >>      BUT call anyway, if we are here we will               |...|
 |.*.|   R >>                   be glad to help!!!                       |.*.|
 |...|===================================================================|...|
 |.*.|  STeve's Software Sales                Order line: 1-800-487-7753 |.*.|
 |...|  5 West Street,                       Info LINE 1: 1-916-661-3328 |...|
 |.*.|  Woodland, CA. 95695                     Fax line: 1-916-661-1234 |.*.|
 |...|  GEnie  E-Mail (S.KIPKER)       Mobile Order line: 1-916-         |...|
 |.*.|  Delphi E-Mail (ATARISALES)           24 HOUR BBS: 1-916-661-1538 |.*.|
 |...|                                        Fax Number: 1-916-661-1234 |...|
 |.*.|===================================================================|.*.|
 |...|   STeve's Inventory of Atari Products Include:                    |...|
 |.*.|   -------------------------------------------------------------   |.*.|
 |...|   Hardware...                                                     |...|
 |.*.|                                                                   |.*.|
 |...|   STe, TT, Falcons, Portfolio's, the Complete LYNX line,          |...|
 |.*.|   The Hot New Jaguars, and we are looking into servicing our      |.*.|
 |...|   our 8-Bit Customers by increasing our 8-Bit inventory...        |...|
 |.*.|                                                                   |.*.|
 |...|   Software...                                                     |...|
 |.*.|                                                                   |.*.|
 |...|   'A Kazillion' Game titles, Utilities, Desktop Publishing Soft-  |...|
 |.*.|   ware and Fonts, Business Applications, Accessories, Cables,     |.*.|
 |...|   Etc.  We have grown over the passed two years and with your     |...|
 |.*.|   Help continue to Grow...  We THANK our Customers very much...   |.*.|
 |...|   Without their help and support, we would not be here today!!!   |...|
 |.*.|===================================================================|.*.|


                            --==--==--==--==--


 |||   The Second Annual AEO Readers' Survey
 |||   By: AEO Magazine
/ | \  GEnie: AEO.MAG    Internet: aeo.mag@genie.geis.com
       -------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, it's the close of another volume of AEO, and the time for you
to tell us, the editors of AEO, what you want us to focus on.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey. When you're
finished, EMail the survey to us at one of the addresses shown at the
end of the survey. Please do not respond to the survey in any Bulletin
Board / public area, as other users wouldn't want to spend online
dollars reading 99% of the same text over and over again.

The rules are simple: Every response must come from an _active_ user
name/user number. Don't vote more than once, and feel free to take as
much space on the essay portion of the survey as you need!

-- -- --                   Clip here and mail                    -- -- --

  I. Please mark where you generally receive your copy of AEO from:

     A. GEnie
     B. CIS
     C. Delphi
     D. Internet subscriber
     E. Internet (other)
     F. AtariNet
     G. FNet
     H. Other (please specify) ______________


 II. Please mark the type(s) of file compression your system supports:

     A. ARC
     B. LZH (LHARC)
     C. ZIP
     D. Other (please specify) ______________


III. In each of the topics listed below, indicate on a scale of 1 to 5,
     your interest.

        5 equals "I am facinated by this. I would read every issue of
                  AEO to find articles on this."

        4 equals "This interests me. I would read a few articles on
                  this."

        3 equals "I have no real interest in this subject, but I don't
                  dislike it. I may or may not read any articles on
                  this."

        2 equals "This bores me. I would only read an article on this
                  if I had nothing else to do."

        1 equals "Total boredom and annoyance. I would avoid this and
                  any magazine that carried articles on it."


     Topic                                             Your Rating (1-5)
     """""                                             """" """""" """""

     News from Atari (Press Releases, Interviews) ------------------

     News from TOS Developers (Press Releases, Interviews) ---------

     News from Atari User Shows ------------------------------------

     News from Atari-attended Trade Shows --------------------------

     Computer Industry (non-Atari) News ----------------------------

     Online News (Recaps of the three major Online Nets) -----------

     Online Conference Reprints ------------------------------------

     Jaguar Material (reviews, news) -------------------------------

     Lynx Material (reviews, news) ---------------------------------

     Portfolio Material (reviews, news) ----------------------------

     Editorial -----------------------------------------------------

     Atari Computer Product Reviews --------------------------------

     "Build-it-Yourself" Hardware Articles -------------------------


 IV. AEO has on occasion bundled graphic files along with the magazine.
     Please indicate the high-end "cut off" limit of graphic files versus
     magazine size that you feel is appropriate:

     A. Unlimited graphic file size.
     B. 100% of the text file size.
     C. 75% of the text file size.
     D. 50% of the text file size.
     E. 33% of the text file size.
     F. 25% of the text file size.
     G. 10% of the text file size.
     H. I don't want any graphic files bundled with the text.


  V. This is the essay portion of the survey. Please answer the
     following questions.

     A. What did you like _most_ about AEO in 1993? Be as chatty as
        you like:


     B. What did you like _least_ about AEO in 1993? Again, be as
        chatty as you like:


     C. Please complete the following sentence. "In the next year, I
        would like to see AEO cover...."


-- -- --                   Clip here and mail                    -- -- --


Thanks for your input into Atari Explorer Online. Please EMail your
responses to AEO.MAG on GEnie or to < aeo.mag@genie.geis.com > via
the Internet

This survey will be valid for three weeks (until January 7, 1994). At
that time, the results will be tabulated and posted in the next issue
of AEO.


                            --==--==--==--==--

 |||   Load Aladdin - V1.0 - An ST Aladdin Enhancement Utility
 |||   By: Ron Robinson
/ | \  GEnie: EXPLORER.1
       ---------------------------------------------------------------

Load Aladdin is a Shareware utility developed by Keith Gerdes of Trace
Technologies that allows Aladdin to run on the Atari Falcon 030 as
well as the alternate serial ports on the Atari TT and Atari MegaSTe.
Load Aladdin was released with the permission of GEnie, Tim Purves and
Griffin Hi Tech Software.

Aladdin is not usable on the Falcon030 due to the program's direct
access to a serial port which no longer exists in the new bird. With
LoadAlad, not only can you use Aladdin on a Falcon030, but you can
also take advantage of the extra serial ports on the MegaSTe and
TT030. Plus, Aladdin no longer hooks into the serial receive vector -
allowing the serial port to be used by other programs or accessories
when not in use.

Load Aladdin (LoadAlad) changes the serial/modem/RS232 routines in ST
Aladdin from direct hardware access to device independent TOS BIOS
calls.

//// How it Works?

LoadAlad loads Aladdin into memory, searches for specific serial
related routines, patches that code and then runs this enhanced
memory-resident Aladdin version. According to TraceTech, the program:

 o At NO time makes changes to the Aladdin file on disk.
 o NO permanent changes are made, to any Aladdin file.
 o Only the version of Aladdin in memory is modified.
 o MSTe device #8 & TT device #9 have a dual serial port assignment-
   LAN and Serial2. If you use one of these devices, LoadAlad will
   automatically switch to Serial2 for that device #.
 o RS232 configuration (Rsconf) and hangup (drop DTR) work on any
   device.
 o Checking the Data Carrier Detect (DCD/CD) line remains a direct
   hardware access.
 o With LoadAlad, you can use a serial buffer expander such as AUXINIT
   or RSxxMDxx to possibly correct or enhance I/O transfers.

//// Serial Patch/Fix AUTO Programs

Before using Load Aladdin on a Falcon, you _MUST_ run FPATCH2 from
your Autofolder. FPatch2 fixes some bugs in the operating system and
enables the serial device used by Aladdin (device 7 on the Falcon) to
be available.

If you use GEnie at baud rates above 2400, you may need a serial port
fix program. For the ST, MSTe or TT you may need to run an AUTO serial
port fix program such as SerialFix2, TurboCTS, etc. For a high speed,
SCC-based connection rate (Falcon, MSTe or TT), you may need to use a
serial fix program such as FastSerial or HSMODEM. (see "Cereal
What???" following this review for more info)

//// Installation 

Now that we've patched the operating system, installing the software
is a simple matter of copying LOADALAD.PRG to the directory where the
main Aladdin program is located. You then just run LOADALAD.PRG
instead of ALAD.PRG.

The first time you run the program, you will get a configuration
screen asking you what kind of flow control you wish to use, your
modem baud rate, which serial port you use, and the name of your
Aladdin program. Then save your configuration and you're ready to
roll! Just Load Aladdin and enjoy using Aladdin on your Falcon or
TT/MSTe alternate serial ports.

The documentation included with Load Aladdin wisely suggests you
verify the operation of LoadAlad _BEFORE_ doing your normal GEnie
routine. Once you have the serial port configured right, then give
LoadAlad test before starting a Pass 1 and walking away. Do a simple
"Log-on" and watch to make sure everything works. Use Aladdin to
"send" an email message to yourself and "retrieve" it. Try uploading
and downloading a file.

//// MTOS & Aladdin:

With Load Aladdin, you should be able to use Aladdin under MultiTOS.
Trace Tech suggests the following:

1) You may need the DSFIX (1.01) archive uploaded by Scott Sanders.
This includes a TSR that monitors a "sound" call made by Aladdin and
other programs. Every sound that Aladdin makes, I think, uses this
XBIOS call.

2) FastSerial may have to run _after_ MTOS in the AUTO folder. Many
AUTO TSRs must follow MTOS because it "unhooks" them when they run
before.

//// Does it Work?

You betchya Load Aladdin works! It is great being to fly GEnie with
the Falcon on autopilot. It also is very handy to be able to now use
the alternate serial ports on the MSTe and TT with Aladdin. I
personally always enjoy seeing someone do the "impossible" as Keith as
accomplished with Load Aladdin.

Some Falcon beta testers ran into intermittent lockups, mainly when
exiting a "reply" window. The reply is safely saved, but you have to
reboot the system in the event of a lockup. Please note this problem
does _NOT_ occur on TOS versions below TOS 4.

If you re-enter Aladdin after a lockup, you will notice the lack of
pending operations. The ALADDIN.CFG file, which keeps track of status
info, was not updated due to the reboot. Don't worry, everything is
still pending for transmission to GEnie.

Trace Tech is searching for the cause of the lockup. Aladdin will
lockup on the Falcon even when being executed directly from the
desktop (without Load Aladdin) - the problem is within Aladdin or
TOS 4.

//// Shareware

The Load Aladdin evaluation archive is only available by sending an
EMail request to Keith Gerdes on GEnie or through the Internet (see
EMail addresses below). The file will be sent to your EMail address
via GEnie FMail or across the Internet uuencoded. Load Aladdin is
supported on GEnie in the ST Aladdin RT (M1000), CAT 2 TOPIC 6.
Please do not post file archive requests in the message area, use
GEnie Mail for all archive requests.

Load Aladdin is Sharware with a $15 fee. You are allowed to evaluate
the program for a 14 day trial period. If you find the program a
useful addition to your system, you are expected to register before
the 14 day limit.

Registering is a simple matter of contacting Trace Tech before the 14
day evaluation period expires and then sending in the shareware fee of
US $15. Your registration investment will be returned in the form of
documentation, technical support and product enhancements.

The $15 shareware payment can be made by check (issued by a U.S.
bank), U.S. funds money order (drawn on a U.S. bank), or postal money
order. (no GEnie "Gift of Time" or credit cards accepted)

Send to: Trace Technologies [LoadAlad]
         PO Box 711403
         Houston, TX 77271-1403
         GEnie: K.GERDES
         Internet: k.gerdes@genie.geis.com
         Phone: (713)771-8332 [weekdays 1PM-5PM Central Time]

Other TraceTech Products
========================
Commercial:
    * Data Diet v2(++) a realtime data compression system
    * Data Rescue - the complete realtime data recovery
      solution
    * Squish II (++) an executable file compression system
      ++ An upgrade from v1 is available. Contact TraceTech.
    * Next major project release - Missouri.
    * Also look for Falcon specific utilities, available
      early '94.


                            --==--==--==--==--


 |||   Cereal What?
 |||   By: Keith Gerdes & Ron Robinson
/ | \  GEnie: K.GERDES
       ------------------------------------------------------
 
The physical hardware and software process behind communicating across
RS 232 ports and its infinite variety of implementations can be more
than a more complex than an IRS tax law. You can use anything from 3
to 25 wires in a connection. There's baud rates, data bits, start
bits, stop bits, parity, connect protocol, error correction and flow
control.

Achieving robust serial communications is a challenging task for any
computer system. The built-in Atari BIOS routines have a few problems
that can be resolved by using "patch" programs. _All_ versions of
Falcon TOS4 can benefit from a serial "patch/fix" program or two in
the AUTO folder. Let's take a look at some of the reasons we need
these patches.

//// Serial Patches:

All versions of TOS4 do not set up the serial devices correctly.
Starting with TOS2, a new method to communicate with serial I/O ports
(a.k.a., devices) was devised. A map is set up in memory to indirectly
assign a Device from 6 on up, to Device 1. Device 1 is the default
serial device in all Atari computers. You may also see Device 1 called
"AUX:", the GEMDOS name.

A new BIOS call, Bconmap, is used to map a serial Device (6 & up) into
the Device 1 spot. Bconmap also keeps track of how many devices are
available in the range "6 and above."

Since the ST only had one serial port (Device 1, MFP), Device 6 is the
default port on the TT and MSTe because it is the MFP port. The other
extra modem ports on the TT & MSTe are SCC-based.

As we can see in the following table, with the Falcon, you only have
one serial port - Device 7, SCC channel B.

//// Device Table

 Dev# Hardware (Name)
 --------------------------------------------------------
  +++ [ST/STe/STacy/STBook]
   1   ST MFP (Serial/Modem)

  +++ [MSTe]
   1   Currently mapped serial device
   6   ST MFP (Modem 1) [initially mapped in device #1]
   7   SCC Channel B (Modem 2)
   8   SCC Channel A (Serial 2/LAN)

  +++ [TT]
   1   Currently mapped serial device
   6   ST MFP (Modem 1) [initially mapped in device #1]
   7   SCC Channel B (Modem 2)
   8   TT MFP (Serial 1)
   9   SCC Channel A (Serial 2/LAN)

  +++ [Falcon030]
   1   Currently mapped serial device
   7   SCC Channel B (Modem) [initially mapped in device #1]
   8   SCC Channel A (LAN)

//// TOS4 Serial Problems

There were 2 items that needed to be addressed on the Falcon.

 1) Total # of devices, default=1
   -and-
 2) Device 6 is the MFP port, which does not exist as an external port.

FPATCH2 (Atari's Falcon patch 2) changes the total # of devices to 3.

  [a] Device 6 = MFP
  [b] Device 7 = SCC channel B (Modem)
  [c] Device 8 = SCC channel A (LAN)

With the total set to 1, you could only address Device 6. Pretty
useless since it doesn't go to the outside world.

BMAPFIX2 (BconmapFix2, independent patch by Don Maple), like FPATCH2,
changes the total # to 3. It also copies the Bconmap values for Device
7 to Device 6. Therefore, anytime an "old" program addresses device 6,
you are still able to talk to the Modem, redirected through Device 7.

If a program such as a screen saver is expecting to talk to the MFP
when accessing Device 6, then there could be a problem when using
BMAPFIX2. BMAPFIX2 should be used in addition to FPATCH2 only if
problems are encountered with any "terminal" program.

//// Flow Control

The TOS serial routines have not really been "certified" as being
reliable when flow control is needed. We all know about flow control
problems on pre-TOS4.

Has anything changed in TOS4? Experience has shown the need to use
FastSerial when flow control is required, mainly with a high speed
connection, either CPU-to-modem or modem-to-modem.

FastSerial can be loosely compared to SerialFix2, TurboCTS, etc.
FastSerial hooks into the BIOS serial routines, giving
_custom-written_ routines for the MFP and/or SCC ports.

Is FastSerial required when using LoadAlad? A 2400 baud, XON/XOFF
connection may work perfectly without FastSerial where higher speed or
hardware handshake setups may need FastSerial. Having to use
FastSerial is not a question related to the Falcon or TOS4 version,
but of the _serial connection type_.

What are some examples of "flow control" related problems?

 a) Text uploads _look_ "odd" ie. scrambled or dropped characters
    You'll find the text is uploaded _okay_, but what you see _echoed_
    back is the problem.
 b) Disconnection
 c) Port freeze up

//// And the Patch Is?

Getting the serial port to work right on the Falcon can be a chore,
but well worth the effort when the right software patches are added to
your system.

Using the Falcon with some modems (depending on baud rate, connect
protocol, flow control, etc.), you may be able to just use FPATCH2. A
recommended "overboard" approach for all systems would be on the
Falcon, to use 2 AUTO programs: FPatch2 and FastSerial. For everything
else, take your choice: SerialFix2, TurboCTS, etc.

//// Glossary:

  Serial Port - hardware in a computer designed to facilitate "serial"
communications where information is sent one bit at a time. Often used
with modems to transmit information over a phone line.
 
  MFP - Multi Function Peripheral, an integrated circuit used in Atari
computers that included a serial port.
 
  SCC - Serial Communications Controller, a high speed integrated
circuit used in the MSte, TT and Falcon for serial communications.

  Flow Control - ways to control the flow of serial information
between two computers, sometimes referred to as "hand shaking".
Allows one computer to tell the other computer "...you're talking too
fast." Can be hardware or software based (or both).

  BIOS - Basic Input/Output System, software in the computer's Read
Only Memory (ROM) that provides low level software control of the
computer's hardware resources.


                         --==--==--==--==--


 |||   The Unabashed Atariophile
 |||   By: Michael R. Burkley
/ | \  Delphi: MRBURKLEY    GEnie: AEO.4
       -----------------------------------------------------------------

A few weeks ago I was listening in on a special conference on GEnie.
The special guest was Vince Valenti of JV Enterprises who produces
PAC, _P_rograms from _A_tari _C_onsumers. I wasn't there by chance
either. I was there because I knew that Vince was going to be talking
about new software his company was bringing to the Atari marketplace
(a notable thing in and of itself) AND that he was going be be giving
away several copies of some of his software. I'd seen the demos of
PAC's software (some written by Vince and others), and I liked them. I
was going to win that contest!

The conference went on, as conferences usually do, waiting for the
typed questions and then waiting for the typed answers. Some people
might think that that would be boring, but it usually isn't because
the subjects are interesting. You can read all about what happened at
this conference in an AEO of two or three issues back. Finally, the
moment of decision arrived. I poised my hands over the keyboard...and
waited...waited some more...and then the question came (I don't
remember what it was now, but I remembered the answer then!) and I
typed away...and I typed the correct answer!!!! But was I the first to
do so...no...yes...YES! I won! (THAT doesn't happen very often!).

What did I win? I won the PAC 1040 software package, three excellent
programs that will run on any ST--Falcon computer with a least one meg
of RAM. That was great! But that wasn't all. A few days later I
received in the mail a box from Vince that had both the PAC 1040 and
his PAC 520 (three more games for 512K RAM and up) game packs! Wow! I
sat down to my computer pronto! The games were great!

But you needn't take my word for that, you can check out the games
yourself! There are very useful demos available for all six programs.
I thought I would begin this issue's "Unabashed Atariophile" with a
review of them. Even the demos would make excellent Christmas
presents!

o HOOKMATH is the Hooked on Math demo by Vince Valenti of PAC
(Programs from Atari Consumers). Hooked on Math presents the user with
an easily mastered interface with a pleasing 3D look. The math student
(suggested ages 6-12) gets to choose between three levels of
difficulty in practicing addition, subtraction, or multiplication
skills (the demo allows only the easiest level of addition practice).
You are presented with a math problem (written vertically). A list of
four possible answers are written on boards on the right of the
screen. Using the mouse, you drag the correct (hopefully!) answer over
to the problem. If correct a sampled voice congratulates you
(presenting one of several different congratulations each time). If
you are incorrect the program also tells you and goes on to the next
problem. At the end of the practice session (normally 25 problems, but
in the demo only five problems) the program lists your score.
ST-Falcon compatible. Requires at least 512K of RAM and a color
monitor. The complete program is even better than the demo. I know, I
have it!

o MAGNOBAL is the Magno-Ball demo by Vince Valenti of PAC (Programs
from Atari Consumers). The game begins with you playing Mango-Ball in
the International Space Tournament Arena. This one or two person game
(played against a human or computer opponent) places you on a
rectangular playing area. The object of the game is to maneuver a
small magnetic ball and guide it to your opponent's goal which
disappears and reappears from one place to another. Sounds simple?
Well, it isn't! "You" are sitting in a floating pad which has no
friction against the floor. You start moving in one direction and
that's the direction you keep moving in, unless you turn around and do
something about it. Once you have the ball the opposing player has the
nasty habit of ramming you and trying to take it away (and in my case,
generally succeeding!). Even if you touch the walls of the arena the
ball floats away. Yikes! Think of Ballblazer from an overhead
perspective. This demo version lasts 75 seconds and is restricted to
the one player easy mode. The full game is great! So far I've kept it
at the easy level, and it's even more fun in the two player mode.
ST--Falcon compatible. Only 512K of RAM required. Color only.
Suggested for ages 9 and up. Joystick controlled.

o OUTOFWRD is a demo of Out Of This Word by Vince Valenti of PAC
(Programs from Atari Consumers). This is an excellent typing tutor/fun
game. Playing this game places you in a ship with which you must
defend yourself. Defend yourself from what? From those maniacal
monster letters (and punctuation marks) which are advancing towards
your ship. The full game has three different levels of challenge (the
demo is restricted to the first level and first screen). As you type a
letter a miles-thick column of energy so raw, so stark, so
incomprehensibly violent rages out and utterly destroys those letters
(wups, I've been reading too much of E.E. "Doc" Smith's "Lensman"
series!). Actually, something like that does happen! If you don't get
the letter typed in time there are shields which can protect you some,
but don't count on them for long! I thought this was an excellent
tutoring program, and with all the extra options the full program is
even better. It's important for kids (and grown-ups, too) to know how
to type today. This program can make it a little bit easier.
ST--Falcon compatible. Only 512K of RAM required. Color only.
Suggested for ages 12 and up (though my nine year-old likes it).

o COPNROB2 is the Cops and Robbers Too (i.e., "Cops, and Robbers, as
well") demo by Kevin L. Scott (first uploaded Feb., 1993) and
distributed by PAC (Programs from Atari Consumers). This is a two
player game (there aren't enough of those out there--and this is a
good one!). In this game you and your opponent are both trying to get
the upper hand. As the robber you must find and rob five banks in the
city. As the cop, you must patrol your city looking for the robber.
The police officer has his/her radio and radar to help locate the
robber, but robbers have resources as well (like a souped up car that
is faster than the police vehicle)! The city is divided up into 32
city blocks consisting of 8 across and 4 down. A complete city is
provided for you to play with. With the commercial game you can modify
or create your own cities with a built-in editor. This game is a lot
of fun, and only limited in ways that won't greatly hinder your
enjoyment of it (rather, the full version enhances the fun!). Color
only. Joysticks required. Ordering info and docs included. ST-Falcon
compatible with one meg of RAM required. I liked this demo, and the
full game is a lot of fun. My son and I enjoy playing it together.

o ESCAPE_D is a working demo of Escape by Jag Jaeger of PAC (Programs
from Atari Consumers). Escape is a "crazy" text adventure and graphics
game. You must escape from your parents' home (Why? You just were
released from a mental institution and your parents are keeping you at
home to help in your "cure."). Find clues located all over the
property and try to escape. Digitized graphics and sounds. TOS 1.0--TT
compatible, one meg of RAM (at least), a DS drive and a color monitor
required.

o MEDEVL_D is the demo of Medieval Chess by Vince Valenti and Jag
Jaeger of PAC (Programs from Atari Consumers). This is a chess program
with a twist. You are required to master the strategy of chess _and_
the arcade action of battles. Play chess, but when you attack another
piece you move to another screen and fight a battle with it. The
outcome then depends on your skill and the power of the piece you
battle with and against. The demo just shows you what is available. It
doesn't allow you to fight. Color only. ST--Falcon compatible. One meg
of RAM (or more) required. The full game is very interesting (I have
it). The rules are mostly the same as standard chess, but there are
appropriate changes based on the situation.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming....

I'm trying to clean up my Hard Drive, so a lot of the below programs
are ones I downloaded months ago and never got around to describing.
Some of the programs are OLD (c. 1988) so if you want to find them you
will have to keep looking!


o 123JUMBL is 123 Jumble by David Becker. This nicely done mono
program will help little children learn the order and design of the
numbers from 1 to 25. You are presented with a set of numbers in their
correct order. After you tell the computer to mix them all up then you
get to put them all back in the right order. You can count the numbers
with an cheery musical scale that plays and counts upwards with the
numbers. You can choose the number of numbers presented so as to not
overwhelm your number learner. Docs included. STe compatible.

o 1WP2RTF is a handy utility by J. Scheerder (dated April 1, 1992) for
all of you AtariWorks owners out there. This .TTP program will convert
First Word Plus (FWP) files to the Microsoft RTF (Rich Text Format).
After you do that you can easily import them into AtariWorks! You can
also convert FWP to (La)TeX format. It includes the C source code and
docs (which also tell you how to create your own "filters" you can use
to convert FWP files to other formats.

o ANSWERS is a series of real life answers accumulated by several
teachers over a period of years. It's a great list! 48 answers like
"Algebra was the wife of Euclid." (Who says we lack quality science
and math education?) There are also some riotous First Aid hints here!
>From the ST Club of El Paso.

o ASPHALT is a 320 x 240 TIFF picture which shows three different
results of using the "Asphalt" texture/surface in the RayTracing
modeling and shading program "InShape." An opaque cylinder and a
rectangular solid stand behind a transparent sphere. All are in front
of a beautiful evening sky. I used GEM View to view this picture, but
any .TIF viewer will do.

o AV_CABLE is a detailed two-color GIF 87a picture that shows how
S-Video and composite cables are connected to the Atari Jaguar.
(Proper grounds are shown.) 1000 x 1800 pixels in size. This file may
be viewed using GEMView and ViewST/TT (but it will not work with The
Speed of Light GIF Viewer or with PhotoChrome3).

o BART12K is a 12KHz signed mono sound sample of Bart Simpson saying,
"Get with it man!"

o BLRMID7 is a set of 46 original midi files created by Bud Rasmussen,
v. 7 (dated December 1, 1993). Created on a 386/40 (!) using Music
Printer Plus, a Sound Blaster Pro card, and a Casio CT-700 keyboard/
synthesizer, these files are briefly described in an accompanying text
file. One file added from the previous version. Well done. 113K
uncompressed. I found this on the CodeHead BBS (a lot of other files
are there, too).

o CHROMEDR is the Chrome Falcon Demo (coded by Opium with soundtrack
by Furycane). This Falcon demo uses 3D Gouraud shading, 25 frames/sec
3D mapping, and other graphic effects. It does not use the DSP chip
nor a math co-processor. The soundtrack (created in Protracker, by
Griff) is 50 khz 7 bits. 494K uncompressed.

 The next few files are some beautiful .PCX pictures for use with the
 CyReL Ambiance Desktop Image Manager. Read on...

o CLIPS is a series of twelve .PCX pictures for use with the CyReL
Ambiance Desktop Image Manager. The Jaguar's spots, a glass goblet,
the TT Logo, a variety of tiled and riveted surfaces, and more. I used
GEM View to view these pictures, but any .PCX viewer will do. 377K
uncompressed.

o CYBERCUB is a .PCX picture for use with the CyReL Ambiance Desktop
Image Manager. This picture shows the Cybercube CUBE (a 2D picture of
a 3D representation of a 4D concept!) and Cybercube Logo with lots of
interesting colors and shades. I would love to be able to put pictures
like this one and others on my desktop! Oh well... someday! I used
GEMView to view this picture (Ralf, I need to register GEMView. I keep
on using it and using it. Drop me some Email to remind me if I don't
send you a check by two weeks!).

o EREWAN2 is a .PCX picture for use as a background picture with the
CyReL Ambiance Desktop Image Manager. This picture shows a beautiful
and peaceful scene with a wide-flowing stream and a small waterfall in
the background. Surrounded by trees and other vegetation and with the
sun brightly shining, this is a scene that makes you want to step into
it. I used GEMView to view this picture, but any .PCX viewer will do.

o FLAME is a .PCX picture for use as a background picture with the
CyReL Ambiance Desktop Image Manager. This picture shows the Space
Shuttle taking off as seen from right below the engines! Aptly named!
I used GEMView to view this picture, but any .PCX viewer will do.
400K uncompressed.

o FLOWERPC is a beautiful .PCX picture of a banquet of colorful
flowers: Lilies, Irises, and others I don't recognize. I viewed this
with GEMView, but any viewer that supports the .PCX format will do.
Uploaded by Cybercube as a background picture for their CyReL Ambiance
Desktop Image Manager. I wish I had the CyReL graphics card or a
Falcon so I could see these in their full glory!

o NFE_G45 is a .PCX picture for use with the CyReL Ambiance Desktop
Image Manager. This picture shows a close-up view of... something. The
download description says that it appears to be underwater plantlife.
I thought that at first, too, but then I changed my mind. I think it
is a close-up of one twig of an evergreen tree with one small
Fall-colored leaf caught in its needles. I used GEMView to view this
picture, but any .PCX viewer will do. What do you think?

o SUNRISE is a .PCX picture for use as a background picture with the
CyReL Ambiance Desktop Image Manager. This picture is an artistic
impression of a rising sun. The word "Sunrise" stands out in the
foreground. I used GEMView to view this picture, but any .PCX viewer
will do.

 And now back to my alphabetical listing of files...

o CODE_MAC by H. Wolfe is two Codekeys macros for use with Spelling
Sentry. The first lets you call up the Spelling Sentry window (it must
be the third .ACC listed). The second macro lets you call up the
correct spelling dialog (only on a 640 x 480 TT size screen). You must
have CodeKeys from CodeHead Technologies to use this file.

o COLCON is a series of enhanced color icons for you to use with your
Falcon030 (lucky you!). Sorry I can't tell you any more about them.

o COP_CODE is a list of the various "Ten Code" used on police radios
from 10-0 to 10-99. If you listen to police scanners, make sure to
10-29 the bytes of this file and 10-91 this without delay. Don't 10-22
this file or you won't know what I'm talking about!

o CQREFV12 is the Calligrapher Quick Reference Accessory v.1.2 by Bill
Aycock (dated sometime in 1992) Bill has written lots of useful
programs (the kind you say, "I'm glad he thought of that!" - What Is
It?, Calendar, to name two). This .ACC will allow you to quickly and
easily find most of the Keyboard Commands, Search/Replace codes, and
Special Key combos in Calligrapher. Not quite "Throw away your
manual," but this helps!

o DBF_5_0 is DBF_info v.5.0 by Albert Dayes (dated August 25, 1993).
The program DBF_INFO.TOS is designed to provide the user with as much
useful information about any given dBASE data file as possible (The
dBASE data file can be from any of the following programs: dBASE III,
dBASE IV, FoxBase, FoxPro, or Clipper.). It will also display and save
all the dBASE III field structures in a dBASE III data file. The main
reason for writing (and using) this program is to view the structure
of HyperLink database files which are dBASE III compatible. It also
contains two utilities that provide dBASE data file creation, load
ASCII data in, unload dBASE data to ASCII (in 15 different date styles
for date fields), and finally the removal of all records in any given
database. ST--Falcon compatible in all resolutions. Docs included.

o DEDCAVRN is a screen for the game Lunar Lander (see LUNARMDL below).
It is entitled "Deadly Caverns". Although some of the landing sites
may look impossible, they can be done (the author says that he has
landed on all of them). Old file.

o LUNARMDL is Lunar Lander by John Williams. This game presents you
with the challenge of landing your Lunar Lander on the Moon (in one
piece!). It's a challenge! The game has an option of adding your own
screens (to make it even harder. An example of this is found in the
file "DEDCAVRN" above. Color only. Old file.

o LUNAR1 is Lunar Lander ST by Moenpower Software. The computer
landing system has gone out inside the lander and you must land it by
manual control. This is a simulation of landing practice for the LM
module. The object of the game is to land the craft on the white
landing pad which appears at a random location on the bottom of the
screen. Every time you land successfully you will be awarded a score
between 100-1000 points; you will also be awarded a certain amount of
additional fuel for the next try. Joystick or keyboard controlled.
Docs included. Color only. SHAREWARE. Old file.

o DOC2ASC2 is Doc to ASCII v.1.2 by Gary Wren (dated 1993). This
program will take any word processing file and strip out any special
text formatting characters and write the resulting ASCII file to disk.
The original file is not changed in any way. The nice thing about this
program is that it will process at one time as many files as you place
in the program's directory. ST--STE compatible (at least, but I would
suspect more since it is compatible with Geneva, Gribnif's
multitasking AES replacement utility).

o DT_LIGHT is the demo of DigiTape v.1.04 for the Falcon030 by "Your
CGS ComputerBild Team" (dated Nov. 23, 1992). DigiTape seems to be an
extremely competent digital sound manipulation program. DigiTape
actually provides three different operating modes: 1. a Multi-track
digital tape recorder; 2. an Online sound processing using effect
modules; and 3. a Frequency analyzer. It supports the Falcon's
built-in sound system with stereo 16 bit A/D andD/A convertors and
realtime effects generated by the specially integrated Motorola DSP56k
as reverb, flanger, vibrato (others projected ...). You can record
two tracks simultaneously with up to 50 kHz sampling frequency, copy
them into 6 replay-tracks, replay these six tracks (and an additional
two recording- tracks), and along with this you can use up to three
real-time generated effects as you replay your sounds. Finally you can
enjoy and listen to all of your beautiful creations!

You must have a hard disk to use this program (or confine yourself to
one second sounds, I guess!). With this version you can even program
your DSP chip with sound effects of your own making! The programs and
information you need to do this is included. One very nice thing about
this program is that while you can only record and playback songs on
the Falcon, you can get a "feel" for the program by running it on any
other ST/STE/TT. Simulated data play over the V/U meters, and all!
This demo is limited in that you can only create tapes with the
maximum length of 20 seconds. You are also limited in the length of
time you can use the program. You can play any length tapes. Color or
mono (though in ST resolutions you can only get the full screen in
mono). Docs and ordering information included.

o EMACS is MicroEMACS v.3.10 by Daniel M. Lawrence (dated March 19,
1989). This has many advantages and improvements over the previous
version (v.3.9 of June 29, 1987 - I don't know why the author did the
version numbers that way, but he did, and mentioned them in the docs).
MicroEMACS is a powerful tool for creating and changing documents,
programs, and other text files. It was originally created for a DEC
system, but has been ported over the the ST (obviously!). It is both
relatively easy for the novice to use, but also very powerful in the
hands of an expert. You can install Macro functions calling up your
most used functions with a keypress.

The program also is designed to allow you to do a variety of tasks
such as file encryption, automatic backup file generation, en-tabbing
and de-tabbing lines, executing operating system commands and more.
MicroEMACS can be extensively customized for the needs of the
individual user. MicroEMACS allows several files to be edited at the
same time. The screen can be split into different windows, and text
may be moved freely from one window to the next. Depending on the type
of file being edited, MicroEMACS can change how it behaves to make
editing simple. Editing standard text files, program files and
wordprocessing documents are all possible at the same time. Run as a
GEM application. Keyboard and/or mouse controlled. Color or mono. Docs
and tutorial included. TOS 1.0-1.62 compatible (at least).

o ESSENTEX is the Essential LaTeX by Jon Warbrick (dated 1989). This
document is an attempt to give you all the essential information that
you will need in order to use the \LaTeX{} Document Preparation
System. Only very basic features are covered, and a vast amount of
detail has been omitted (but the file is still quite large!) If you've
been interested in those TeX formatted documents you often find, then
this will tell you quite a bit about them. TeX, DVI, and PostScript
formatted copies of this file are included.

o GENTLTEX is "A Gentle Introduction to TeX" by Michael Doob (dated
Jan 4, 1990). This manual begins like this: "First the bad news: TeX
is a large and complicated program that goes to extraordinary lengths
to produce attractive typeset material. This very complication can
cause unexpected things to happen at times. Now the good news:
straightforward text is very easy to typeset using TeX. So it's
possible to start with easier text and work up to more complicated
situations. The purpose of this manual is to start from the very
beginning and to move towards these more complicated situations. No
previous knowledge of TeX is assumed." That sounds good to me! TeX,
DVI, and PostScript formatted copies of this file are included.

Speaking of TeX, there is a version of TeX available on a commercial
online service....

o CSTEX40 is CS - TeX v.4.0 (dated May 1992) for the Atari ST by
Christoph Strunk (the author of M-Disk v.6.94--that wonderful RAM Disk
.ACC which I use all the time). He normally will not allow it to be
distributed via a commercial system (he doesn't want anyone to have to
pay money to get it) but because he feels that Delphi is so
inexpensive ($1 per hour including phone fees) he is letting it be
distributed through Delphi. It's a BIG file--nearly 5 meg of .ZOO
files! Anyway, on with the description... TeX is a GEM based
professional book printing system. It was designed to give you maximum
output quality for whatever printer you are using.

Mathematical formulae and complicated tables can easily be integrated
into the text. This version includes many bug fixes, support for new
printer models (most printers you might encounter - lasers, HP
Deskjet, Canon BJ-130, 9, 24, and 48-pin, print to .IMG file, etc.) an
extension of the graphics features to CSG level 2, and a substantial
speed increase in some of the graphics functions. It requires at least
1 meg of free RAM (which means you must have more than 1 meg of RAM on
board your machine) and a hard disk (to install the complete package
will use about 13 megabytes of space). EVERYTHING you need to use this
system (including zillions of fonts) is included. The program and docs
are mostly in German, but English installation procedures are
included.

o FROGGIES is the European Froggies Over The Fence demo by Legacy, ST
Connexion, and Overlanders, et.al.. This is a huge demo - it comes as
three compressed files totaling over 3 meg! The description says that
this demo has excellent sound and graphics, even 4096 colors on a
regular ST! It is also supposed to run on any ST or STE with at least
one Meg of RAM. Unfortunately it doesn't, at least on my STE (TOS
1.62, 4 meg, with a T-25 accelerator board set at 8 MHz). The docs
also say that you need to set your screen frequency to 50Hz (use any
change Hz program or the one that is connected to this download on
Delphi. An interesting point about that screen frequency converter is
that it is by Barry McDuling who lives in Nambia!). In any case, the
opening screen (which is as far as I can get before the demo bombs) is
very nice. You must have a program which will uncompress .MSA files
created this demo. Color only. The three LZH files uncompress to 831K
.MSA files which need the Magic Shadow Archiver or compatible program
to write the files to destination disks. No docs. It has been
successfully tested on TOS 1.0--1.04 machines. If you can get this to
run on an STE with TOS 1.62 please let me know!

o HARDWARE is version 6.0 of the Atari ST/STe/MSTe/TT/F030 Hardware
Register Listing by Dan Hollis (dated Sept. 1, 1993). Dan has kept
working hard on this very detailed listing of hardware registers for
the above computers. He even tells you what he doesn't include! This
version has been reformatted to make it more readable and has had
various bugs and typos fixed. This is a "must have" for programmers.
I've been told that much of this is not even in the Developer's Kit
published by Atari. 107K uncompressed.

o IDEAL340 is Ideal_List v3.40 by Christoph Bartholme. This is a very
comprehensive text file utility featuring up to 9 column printing
(using this program can save you up to 80% on your paper
consumption!), all sorts of text features, source code formatting,
viewing, print preview, background printing, support for DJ, SLM605
(and many other printers, both serial and parallel), clipboard
support, downloadable fonts and much more! This program will allow you
to do just about everything in printing your ASCII, WordPlus, or RTF
(Rich Text Format) files! Includes lots of support files and info.
This program takes all the hard work out of printing files! ST/STE/TT
compatible. Color or mono. .PRG and .ACC versions included. Mouse
and/or keyboard controlled. This file comes with both the English and
German versions with documentation in both languages. 1.21 meg
uncompressed (it comes via three .ZIP files so floppy disk users can
still use it easily). Use STZIP23 or DCXTR22B (DC Xtract v.2.2b) to
uncompress. Works with Geneva in the single-tasking mode. SHAREWARE.

o ILLBEBAK is a 12KHz signed mono sound sample of Arnold S. saying,
"I'll be back!"

o JAG_LOGO by Tom McComb is a series of three images of the Jaguar
Logo. They are in .IMG, .EPS, and .CVG formats. The Logo looks as if
it's been swiped out by the Jaguar's claws.

o KIDMENU2 is KidMenu v,1.02 by Brian K. Biggs (dated Sept 10, 1988).
This program will alllow you to set-up a listing of Dorothy Brumleve's
KidProgs and run them with a keypress. This makes it even easier of
young children to run the programs. Docs included. Color only. TOS
1.0-1.62 compatible (at least).

o LHA_232 is LHarc v.2.32 by Christian Grunenberg (dated Nov. 30,
1993). This compression/uncompression utility is LZH compatible (lh-0
to lh-5) and is compatible with Quester's LZH201L (I'm astounded by
its speed! For example one file which took 16 seconds to uncompress
with LZH201L took only 7 seconds with this utility!!). It's even
faster than ST-ZIP v.2.3 files with a comparible compression ration.
This version uses the same commands as previous versions (and LZH201L)
but with additional switches and the more extensive UNIX wildcards.
This version fixes a few minor bugs AND now includes extensive English
docs (THE EXPLORER'S GUIDE TO LHarc by Alan Kennedy). I've only used
it to uncompress files (so that's all I can vouch for) but it works
fine with ArcShell v. 3.1 by Charles F. Johnson (ARCSHL31). Freeeware,
but if you use it send the author something to encourage him in his
work.

o LMP364 is the December 1993 issue of GEnieLamp ST!. I thoroughly
enjoyed reading through this issue and recommend it to you. It is full
of hints on getting the most of our programs (PD and otherwise) that
you can profitably use, it contains a riotous "Ode to the English
Language," and much more. I recommend it to you. Don't worry about it
becoming dated in the future. Much of this will be useful no matter
the time.

o MISTY is "The Misty Extension" v.1.7 for STOS by Billy Allan and
Colin Watt (dated June 24, 1992). This SHAREWARE extension of STOS
will allow you to speed up your games and demos dramatically and
provide you with many improved and de-bugged commands. Registering it
will bring you lots of useful STOS routines as well. Designed for use
with color systems only (I didn't realize that STOS would support
mono, but the author's speak as if it will). Docs included. I have
STOS (and GFA BASIC 3.5) but I haven't yet found the time to do
anything with them at all. "Real Soon Now" Sure!

o OTHERWUZ is Other Wuzzlers, by D.A. Brumleve (program) and
picture/word file by Juergen Reichenwallner. Like WUZZLER, this file
contains a real "puzzler" of a program. This file contains the Wuzzler
program and a new data file which contains nearly 50 picture/word
puzzles for the game. A bit of "Hangman" as you try to guess a word
before you run out of tries, but with Wuzzlers you get help! A picture
puzzle is uncovered bit by bit with each incorrect guess you make.
This is a fun game. LOTS and LOTS of puzzles included... and you can
make your own with the included drawing/puzzle editor. The words are
appropriate for 2nd grade through adult. This file must run from a
double-sided drive (The original WUZZLERS only needs a single-sided
drive. The WUZZLERS file also contains the GFA BASIC source code).
Color only.

o OZONE by Nick Harper is an excellent game in which you play this
cute little guy with big sneakers. Guide your alter-ego throughout the
stone mansion, gathering all the objects you find (well, you don't
gather the monsters - you avoid them) and advance through the various
levels. Sometimes you need to turn a switch at the start of a level to
effect something you need at the end of the level to exit. It's back
to the beginning if you forget! Dispite what the online description
says, the game does have sound (read the docs). Colorful, and easily
controlled via joystick. Play from within a folder named OZONE in the
root directory of Drive A. TOS 1.0--1.62 compatible (at least). I like
this game, and so do my kids. Shareware. I suspect that this will work
with 1/2 meg of RAM, but I haven't checked it out.

o RUBIKSEQ is a 16 color .SEQ animation by John Brenner of a Rubiks
Cube being solved. I can easily solve a Rubiks Cube, how about you?
I'll let you know my secret: Just peel off the little colored stickers
on the face of small cube and then paste the same colors on each face
of the cube. Simple! This animation doesn't do it the simple way
though. Created from a 3d2 file from Lexicor Software and rendered in
SPC format using Phoenix and then converted to Degas format and
finally loaded into Cyber Paint II for some final touch-ups, this
animation shows a cube sitting in space and being rotated into the
correct positions. Use ANIMATE4 to view. Requires at least one meg of
RAM to view.

o SMASH is Smash-Hit by Peter Zetterberg. This is a one person tennis
game written in STOS BASIC. Joystick controlled, this game has three
levels of skill (hint: stay at the first skill level and you will win
(maybe) - the other levels are a lot harder!). The view is from above
the court. This is definitely the best tennis game I have seen. You
must control your service and position yourself for returns (the
timing of the stroke is important, too). You can put spin on the ball
and vary the power of your return. The sound consists of the ball
being hit and bouncing, and the voice of the official calling his
decisions. Very well done. Shareware. Color only. Compatible with my
STE. Exits cleanly from my hard drive and is compatible with Geneva.
Recommended.

o STRIP1 is STrip 0.95 by Lars Kupferschlger (dated 1993). This is
the first terminal program for the Atari ST that supports the new
Remote Imaging Protocol (RIP) found on many IBM Bulletin Boards. RIP
has been developed by TeleGraphics, a USA Company and is a 7-bit ASCII
transfer protocol for color graphics, mouse control and more. This has
been designed to work on mono systems only and will not work with any
graphic cards. How can a mono system adequately display the RIP
colors? Well, it's difficult, but because of the resolution required
by RIP (at least 640 * 350 pixels) it must be run in ST mono. It works
though! If you call IBM boards then this program is for you! Docs
included. Shareware. I found this on TOAD Hall BBS.

o STSPEECH is version 2.0 of ST Speech, a neat synthesized voice
creator for the ST (TOS 1.0-1.62 compatible, at least). Just type in a
sentence and it will speak it back to you. It has both an English text
mode (where it speaks your typed words) and a phoneme mode (entered by
pressing the "." key) which I can't figure out. I've seen this program
in several places, but I've never seen any docs for it. Can anyone
help me out?

   He's B..A..C..K, and boy, are we lucky! Tom Hayslett has returned
   from an extended trip to Europe (Germany and England), all expenses
   paid by the US Air Force. Because he's back, and because he's kept
   busy programming, we have another batch of new and updated
   utilities for the ST--TT (and perhaps the Falcon as well?). Right
   now there is a Christmas Special going on in regard to his
   SHAREWARE programs. For only $10 US you can get all of the below
   programs. Normally the cost is $20 so this is a real honey of a
   deal! Check them out!

o TLC_ATTR is the TLC Attributer v.3.0 by Tom Hayslett (the docs
include information about Christmas 1993 but there is no other date).
This .PRG or .ACC displays all your files (including "system" and
"hidden" files) and allows you to change any file's attributes. Read/
Write Protected, System, Hidden Attributes can be set as well as
toggling the TOS 1.4 fastload bit on/off, changing the archive bit for
backups, "touching" the date/time stamp of a file or renaming a file.
A true "delete" will even kill "protected" files (This allows you to
delete those pesky files TOS won't delete at times.). Disk info will
give you an immediate free disk space byte count, and you can make
additions/changes of disk volume names, even on hard drives. Keyboard
or mouse controlled. The docs give all sorts of ways to use this very
useful program. Color or mono. ST--TT and Geneva compatible.
SHAREWARE.

o TLC_BOOK is TLC Address Book v.4.03 by Tom Hayslett (dated May 21,
1993). It is really two databases in one! One is a standard address
book that has _fast_ loading, sorting (on up to three fields at once),
searching, merging, and saving of data (as many entries as your
system's memory can hold). The other (fully integrated with the first)
keeps track of birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates and
events. It allows you to easily support any printer (the default is an
Epson compatible printer and a config. file for an Okidata Laser is
included as well, but you can easily make your own drivers). You can
also print your data to disk for mail merging and the like. It also
supports several page sizes, printing of phone and address books,
mailing labels, date books, and date labels. You can now merge
multiple address books. GEM interface with "Hot Keys" for most
functions.

This archive also includes a very useful utility: TLC_View v.1.0
(dated May 26, 1993. TLC_View is a program or accessory (just rename
it) which will allow you to load and view you TLC Book address
databases into a GEM window without leaving the GEM program you are
using (very handy when you are working with your word processor). All
ST/TT res. except ST and TT low. ST/STe/TT and Geneva compatible (sort
of... It runs once from Geneva, exits cleanly, and then remains
resident but can't be called up again). Docs and online help.
SHAREWARE.

o TLC_EURO is the European version of version 4.03 of the TLC Address
Book (see TLC_BOOK above for a full description). This version
accomodates the changes in address lines and label sizes for European
countries. Everything else is the same. SHAREWARE.

o TLC_FIXR is the Text String Fixer v.3.01 by Tom Hayslett (dated June
15, 1992. This program (which runs as an .ACC as well) allows simple
changing of ASCII or HEX strings in programs (you have to know what
text string you want changed). You can change up to 20 different
programs at once. Mouse or "Hot Key" controlled. Great for shareware
program authors, enabling them to customize their programs for
registered users. SHAREWARE. Color or mono. ST--TT and Geneva
compatible.

o TLC_FORM is the TLC Formatter, v.3.02 by Tom Hayslett (dated Aug.
12, 1992). It is a .PRG or .ACC that formats your disks in the
standard 9 or 10 sector (or 18 and 20 with a high density drive) or a
VERY faST 9 (or 18) sector (disks read and write faSTer than Twisted
disks and almost Twice as fast as the standard format!). This program
supports "switching" between 2 drives (if you have 2 floppies) which
makes formatting go so much faster. It will format 80, 81, or 82
tracks and ALL formats are readable (and speed up the reading, too) on
MS DOS 5.x and DR DOS 6.x compatible (except the 20 sector format). It
now supports High Density drives. Allows inclusion of disk volume
names, and formatting can be aborted at any time and errors are
properly reported. Formatting proceeds from track 80 to track 1 so
that if you change your mind about formating a disk in process you
stand a good chance of getting much of your data back (Yippie!). Now
you can turn disk verify on or off and shut off the alert boxes if
you're really brave (or something else!). Docs (and some very helpful
online dialogs) included. ST--TT compatible. Color or mono. SHAREWARE.

o TLC_ICON is the TLC ICON MAKER v.1.0 by Tom Hayslett. This program
simply and easily allows you to take a Degas .PI2 or .PI3 picture and
cut out a (large) section to use as an icon (creating a "mask" for it
as well). Then just enter the name of a resource file to save your
icon as and the program creates a simple resource file consisting of a
dialog box holding your new icon. The program also creates the needed
definition file (.DFN) for the RCS2 program to recognize the resource.
Docs included. Color or mono. ST--TT and Geneva compatible. SHAREWARE.

o TLC_MEGA is the TLCwMega STe Throttle v.1.0 by Tom Hayslett (dated
July 25, 1992). This is a simple speed selector (.PRG or .ACC) for
MEGA STe systems (only). Also included are three other utilities that
allow you to fine-tune your speed and cache configuration at boot-up.
This also shows your TOS and GEMDOS on your Mega STe. You can run this
on an ST or a TT, but all you will get is your TOS and GEMDOS info (so
don't bother!). Color or mono. Docs included. Geneva compatible.
SHAREWARE.

o TLC_NAMR is the TLC NAMER v.3.01 by Tom Hayslett of TLC Software and
Damien M. Jones of DMJ Software (now that's a powerful team!). This
.PRG or .ACC (or .TTP and .TOS, too!) allows you to rename any file to
include symbols like the copyright symbol or any other ST character
(name those file anything you want! Include upper and lower case
letters, + ` ~ | # & % whatever!). This runs in any ST--TT res. except
ST & TT low. Docs included. ST--TT and Geneva compatible. It works
well with CodeHead Technologies MultiDesk, too. SHAREWARE.

o TLC_PLAY is The TLC Sound Machine v.3.00 by Tom Hayslett (dated June
15, 1992). This program allows you to load and manipulate all
digitized sound file formats including ST Replay (Raw data or Sound),
Soundoff!, Digisound, Master Sound, Pro Sound Designer and more. You
can also save your files in Digi-Sound format, SoundOff! (ST Replay)
or as a raw data file. The author says you can load just about
_anything_, you can even load and play _program files_ (though he does
admit that they might sound a little weird! I wonder what _Calamus_
sounds like?) The program allows you to reverse, stretch, squeeze,
amplify, soften the data and resave the file in several compatible
formats. This version adds desktop "hot keys." ST--TT compatible, but
not Geneva compatible. This runs in all ST & TT res. except ST & TT
low. Docs included. SHAREWARE.

o TLC_RSRC is the TLC Resource v.3.01 by Tom Hayslett (dated July 31,
1992). The TLC Resource utility will only be of interest to GFA
programmers. The program asks you to select a resource file (*.RSC) to
convert and then asks you to select an ASCII file to save it to
(*.LST). It then converts the resource into a GFA file that can be
merged into your GFA v.3.5 program. This allows the resource file to
be embedded within the source code. No more .RSC files hanging around
(or getting lost which is far more of a problem!) Instructions are
printed with the .LST file this program creates which will instruct
you on which calls need to be modified and how to use the generated
code. This version fixes a bug which prevented the creation of
multiple resource files and includes a sample GFA program file (.GFA)
and .LST as examples for all you programmers out there who are
learning to use resources with GFA. SHAREWARE.

o TLC_SHOW is TLC Shower v.3.00 by Tom Hayslett. It is a "quick and
dirty" Spectrum (.SPC and .SPU) picture viewer. It allows you to
choose and show one picture at a time. This version now automatically
detects the proper sync rate (50 or 60 Hz, The World or North
America), and if you are using a Mega STE it will automatically toggle
the speed down to 8 MHz as you view the picture and toggle it back up
when you quit (VERY nice!). I was hoping that this would also toggle
my T-25 back to 8MHz, but it doesn't. Color only. Geneva compatible
(it runs, but when you terminate the program it exits the system,
too). This includes a very nice sample Spectrum picture. SHAREWARE by
Tom Hayslett.

    No more Tender Lovin' Care for you! Back to the show!

o WARUM by Lazer of the Independent, is a Falcon Demo (for RGB only)
that took first place at the 1993 680xx Convention in Hamburg. Sorry,
I don't know any more about this. 660K uncompressed.

o WINRC135 is WinRec v.1.35 by Andreas Binner and Harald Schnfeld
(dated October 22, 1993). WinRec is a direct to disk recording program
for the Falcon computer. This version has made many improvements over
previous versions (v.1.3 was the last I'd seen before this version).
This program will allow you to record and play back your sounds in the
background! Using the DSP chip in many ways, WinRec allows you to
install all sorts of sound affects into your samples. It now uses
Atari's D2D effects directly to expand your options. One minor way you
can use this program is to amuse yourself (or rather your friends!) by
doing Karaoke with a mike!. Supports real-time sample packing which
can be unpacked during play. The pack rate is 50% and the loss of
sound quality is VERY small. From what I can see in the docs this is
an excellent program (now I wish I had a Falcon to test it!).
Compabible with virtual RAM programs such as OUTSIDE and VRAM. This
archive also includes 525, (available separately online, too. See
description just below). Requires a Falcon. SHAREWARE.

o 525 is Five to Five, v.0.9 by Harald Schnfeld and Bernd Spellenberg
(dated April 1, 1993). This is a useful utility (!) that converts
digitized sound samples to and from the following formats: - DVSM
(Falcon); - AVR (ATARI); - SND, AU (Sun, Mac, NeXT); - WAV (PC); and -
raw data. Compatible with any 680x0 Atari. MultiTOS compatible. Docs
included. German and English program versions are included.

o Y2PSR500 is the Memory Bulk Dump File Manager v.2.0 by Bob Weidner
(dated 1992). This is a program which will save the Page Memory from a
Yamaha PSR-500 keyboard along with a text description of the keyboard
setup and the songs in the song memory. This version allows transfers
of songs or other blocks of memory from one Page Memory to another.
STE compatible (at least). Mouse controlled. Color or mono. Docs
within the program.

That's all for today! I wish you all a Merry Christmas. May you all
may remember with joy whose Birthday Christmas really is. The New Year
is coming, too, and in the next issue I hope to bring you the most
memorable programs (at least to me - if I don't remember them they
won't get listed!) of 1993. I suspect that it will be a LONG article!

One final note: Harry Steele, the long-time and long suffering SysOp
of the Boston Computer Society's BBS will be retiring from his
position (though not from his online presence) as the BBS SysOp and
closing down his board as of December 31st. Harry's mantle will pass
on to the SysOp of TOAD Hall, Dana Jacobson, another long-time
supporter of things Atari. Thanks Harry, for all the help you have
given me over the years!

 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!  --==--==--      --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------


                            --==--==--==--==--


 |||   The Lynx Cheat File - Part 2: [Ms. Pac-Man] to [Zarlor Mercenary]
 |||   Maintained by: Peter Hvezda
/ | \  Internet: phvezda@wilma.pnfi.forestry.ca
       ---------------------------------------------------------------

     ________________                                ________________
    /                \______________________________/       ___  ___ \
   /                 o                                     |   ||   | \
  /                    _____________________________       |___||___|  \
 /                 [] |  __  ___  _____    _ __  __ | []                \
 |            ||      | |  | \  \/ /|\ \  | |\ \/ / |      || | | |  |  |
 |     _      ||      | |  |  \ / / | \ \ | | \ \/  |      || | | |  |  |
 |   _| |_    ||      | |  |   / /  |  \ \| | <\_>  |      || | | |  |  |
 |  |_   _|   ||   [] | |__|_  | |  |  |\   | /\ \  | []   || | | |  |  |
 |    |_|     ||      | |____| |_|  |__| \__|/_/\_\ |      || | | |  |  |
 |            ||      |                             |      || | | |  |  |
 |            ||      |   T I P S  &  T R I C K S   |      || | | |  |  |
 \                 [] |_____________________________| []    ___  ___    /
  \                                ATARI                   |   ||   |  /
   \                   _____________________________       |___||___| /
    \_________________/                             \________________/


The LYNX Cheats file was originally created and maintained by Damian
Gick He unfortunately lost his net access and couldn't continue his
support.  The honour of maintaining the LYNX Cheats file was then
passed on to Kevin (Tazzzzz) Dangoor, who provided exemplary service
to the LYNX community by not only maintaining the Cheats file but also
compiling all of Robert Jung's game reviews into one handy file. As an
added service he made these files available through a highly efficient
mail server. Kevin sold his Lynx and has passed on the torch of
maintaining both the Reviews and Cheat files to yours truly. I have
some big shoes to fill, and I will do my best to carry on the
tradition set forth by my predecessors.

The LYNX cheat file is now more comprehensive than ever before. I
have added several more tips and tricks as well as changing the format
slightly. I hope that you will find the changes refreshing and I look
forward to any comments or suggestions that you may have about them.
Incidentally, the LYNX Cheat file is also available in RTF format
(which includes bitmapped maps). If you would like to submit any tips
or tricks that you have come across or discovered, please e-mail them
to the address listed below.

The FAQ, the Lynx Game Reviews, and the Lynx Cheat files now reside
at the anonymous ftp site: ftp.mantis.co.uk in /pub/uploads. Special
thanks should be extended to Mathew for maintaining the ftp site and
mail server.

-- Peter Hvezda
   (Internet e-mail: phvezda@wilma.pnfi.forestry.ca)


[MSP]=====================================================================
                                MS. PAC-MAN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. To get a lightning bolt, PAUSE the game and press OPT1, A, OPT1, and
   UNPAUSE

2. To get 5 extra guys, PAUSE, OPT1, B, B, A, A, OPT1, UNPAUSE (Thanks to
   Steve Ryno of Atari for this one) Both of these should be used while the
   game is in progress.  The lightning bolt can be used as many times as you
   like, but you can only use the Extra man trick once.

3. To skip levels PAUSE (during the game) and pressing OPT 1, B, B, B, OPT 1,
   and UNPAUSE. Now press OPT 1 to activate anytime during the game.

4. To get a lightning bolt at any time PAUSE, hold down OPT 1 hit  A, B, A
   Then release OPT 1 and hit OPT 1 the 2nd time.  The Lighting Bolt will
   appear.  Hit B to activate.

[PAC]=====================================================================
                                 PAC-LAND
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get ten extra men:

     First get a high score. Put 330NE as the high score name. As long as
that's the highest score, you'll get ten extra lives when you play.

[QIX]=====================================================================
                                    QIX
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                 QIX Codes
                  Codes found by: Patrick and John Hardie
                               Flushing, NY
                  Text File by: John Hardie      03/18/92

After level 255 you go back to level 0. There is no known code for level 1.

 2- GFGHEF      3- GFGGEN      4- HAHEHF      5- HAHFNJ      6- HAHGOI
 7- HFHCPI      8- HFHNGF      9- HFHMIJ     10- IAIKCJ     11- IAILLE
12- IAIMAN     13- IFIIJE     14- IFILHJ     15- IFIKBJ     16- IFJFBF
17- IFJEHI     18- IFJHCM     19- IFJGIE     20- IFJBAI     21- IFJABE
22- IFJDHJ     23- IFJCBJ     24- IFJNBE     25- IFJMHI     26- IFJPCI
27- IFJOBH     28- IFJJHJ     29- BFAIFP     30- IFJLDF     31- IFJKHC
32- IFKFBJ     33- IFKEBF     34- IFKHHI     35- IFKGCM     36- IFKBOD
37- IFKAAI     38- IFKDCE     39- IFKCLG     40- IFKNBJ     41- IFKMKI
42- IFKPIC     43- IFKOBJ     44- IFKJKL     45- DFBIDC     46- IFKLBJ
47- IFKKPF     48- IFLFLF     49- IFLEBJ     50- IFLHPE     51- IFLGLF
52- IFLBBJ     53- IFLAPH     54- IFLDLF     55- IFLCBJ     56- IFLNPG
57- IFLMLF     58- IFLPBJ     59- IFLOPB     60- IFLJLF     61- BFCIIJ
62- IFLLPA     63- IFLKLF     64- IFMFCM     65- IFMEIK     66- IFMHAI
67- IFMGKJ     68- IFMBIC     69- IFMACM     70- IFMDAF     71- IFMCJJ
72- IFMNJA     73- IFMMJK     74- IFMPKJ     75- IFMOJA     76- IFMJJK
77- DFHIMF     78- IFMLHO     79- IFMKEL     80- IFNFKJ     81- IFNEIC
82- IFNHJF     83- IFNGIM     84- IFNBCM     85- IFNAIK     86- IFNDAI
87- IFNCKJ     88- IFNNIC     89- IFNMCM     90- IFNPHF     91- IFNOJB
92- IFNJJP     93- BFEIDF     94- IFNLFN     95- IFNKJP     96- IFOFCA
97- IFOEJJ     98- IFOHHF     99- IFOGPK     100- IFOBAM    101- IFOAIG
102- IFODHF    103- IFOCIG    104- IFONMJ    105- IFOMDI    106- IFOPID
107- IFOOAM    108- IFOJJF    109- DFFIMF    110- IFOLJD    111- IFOKCM
112- IFPFIK    113- IFPEAI    114- IFPHKJ    115- IFPGIC    116- IFPBEL
117- IFPAKL    118- IFPDIC    119- IFPCJF    120- IFPNIA    121- IFPMBJ
122- IFPPKL    123- IFPOIC    124- IFPJAF    125- BFGIHA    126- IFPLCH
127- IFPKII    128- IFAFKF    129- IFAEOB    130- IFAHJJ    131- IFAGAF
132- IFABNL    133- IFAAAM    134- IFADKF    135- IFACHF    136- IFANJI
137- IFAMCM    138- IFAPIK    139- IFAOAI    140- IFAJKJ    141- DFLIDC
142- IFALGL    143- IFAKKL    144- IFBFIC    145- IFBECI    146- IFBHKL
147- IFBGIC    148- IFBBEM    149- IFBAID    150- IFBDFF    151- IFBCIC
152- IFBNCM    153- IFBMIA    154- IFBPAI    155- IFBOKL    156- IFBJIC
157- BFIIJF    158- IFBLMB    159- IFBKCH    160- IFCFII    161- IFCEKF
162- IFCHOB    163- IFCGJJ    164- IFCBAF    165- IFCALI    166- IFCDAM
167- IFCCMF    168- IFCNHF    169- IFCMJJ    170- IFCPCH    171- IFCOIJ
172- IFCJKF    173- DFJIFB    174- IFCLJJ    175- IFCKCM    176- IFDFIK
177- IFDEAI    178- IFDHKJ    179- IFDGIC    180- IFDBCL    181- IFDAKL
182- IFDDIC    183- IFDCHL    184- IFDNPF    185- IFDMLF    186- IFDPDI
187- IFDOPF    188- IFDJLF    189- BFKINM    190- IFDLJF    191- IFDKFF
192- IFEFKH    193- IFEEBL    194- IFEHPF    195- IFEGLF    196- IFEBAF
197- IFEAJI    198- IFEDAM    199- IFECAF    200- IFENHF    201- IFEMJM
202- IFEPCH    203- IFEOIJ    204- IFEJKF    205- BFNIHB    206- IFELJJ
207- IFEKCM    208- IFFFIK    209- IFFEAI    210- IFFHKJ    211- IFFGIC
212- IFFBCL    213- IFFAKL    214- IFFDIC    215- IFFCFL    216- IFFNPF
217- IFFMLF    218- IFFPJF    219- IFFOIC    220- IFFJCM    221- FFIIFK
222- IFFLBI    223- IFFKPF    224- IFGFLF    225- IFGEAF    226- IFGHIF
227- IFGGCL    228- IFGBKI    229- IFGAIC    230- IFGDCM    231- IFGCLH
232- IFGNAI    233- IFGMCO    234- IFGPLG    235- IFGOAI    236- IFGJBC
237- BFPICG    238- IFGLCH    239- IFGKIA    240- IFHFGJ    241- IFHEKL
242- IFHHIC    243- IFHGHF    244- IFHBIC    245- IFHACM    246- IFHDIB
247- IFHCAI    248- IFHNDA    249- IFHMLG    250- IFHPAF    251- IFHOIA
252- IFHJCM    253- BFOIBK    254- IFHLAI    255- IFHKDA      O- BFBFLM

[RAM]=====================================================================
                                  RAMPAGE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a trick that will let you select ANY level in Rampage.

When the character selection screen appears, pause and unpause the game.
Now when the game continues on to the headlines screen(you must, of course,
select a character.) hold down option 1 and move the joypad.  Now you can
select ANY LEVEL!


Showing the digitized picture of the programmer
(it is very nicely done and even has some "animation"):

Activate the level select trick (Pause and unpause when choosing your
monster). At the newspaper, hold down Option 1 and select Day 6. Press
Pause twice. Hold down Option 1 and select Day 15. Press Pause twice. Hold
down Option 1, Option 2, and the 'B' button simultaneously. The game will
end, but there will be a "smiling programmer" instead of the winning
monster.

===== Levels and City Names =====

     1. BOISE                                32. MINNEAPOLIS
     2. PORTLAND                             33. MILWAUKEE
     3. SEATTLE                              34. CHICAGO
     4. SACRAMENTO                           35. DETROIT
     5. OAKLAND                              36. CELVELAND
     6. SAN FRANCISCO                        37. DAYTON
     7. LOS ANGELES                          38. CINCINNATI
     8. SAN BERNADINO                        39. INDIANAPOLIS
     9. SAN DIEGO                            40. LOUSVILLE
     10. LAS VEGAS                           41. MEMPHIS
     11. SALT LAKE CITY                      42. NASHVILLE
     12. PHOENIX                             43. JACKSON
     13. TUSCON                              44. BIRMINGHAM
     14. EL PASO                             45. ATLANTA
     15. ALBUQUERQUE                         46. TAMPA
     16. DENVER                              47. MIAMI
     17. CHEYENNE                            48. CHARLESTON
     18. BUTTE                               49. CHARLOTTE
     19. BISMARCK                            50. RICHMOND
     20. SIOUX FALLS                         51. BALTIMORE
     21. OMAHA                               52. WASHINGTO D.C.
     22. LINCOLN                             53. PHILADELPHIA
     23. KANSAS CITY                         54. PITTSBURGH
     24. WICHITA                             55. BUFFALO
     25. OKLAHOMA CITY                       56. SYRACUSE
     26. DALLAS                              57. BOSTON
     27. HOUSTON                             58. PROVIDENCE
     28. NEW ORLEANS                         59. NEWARK
     29. LITTLE ROCK                         60. NEW YORK CITY
     30. ST LOUIS                            61. SUNNYVALE
     31. DES MOINES

===== Headlines (XXXX... ON NTH DAY) =====

  GIANT MONSTER GOES ON RAMPAGE (level 1)
  ALL-OUT BATTLE...
  CITY-STOMPING...
  DEADLY DISASTER...
  FEROCIOUS RAMPAGE...
  INTENSE FIGHTING...
  MASS DEVASTATION...
  MONSTROUS MELEE...
  NATIONWIDE MAYHEM...
  PERILOUS POUNDING....
  TRAGIC ONSLAUGHT...

===== Captions =====

  AQUATIC STARLET WADES INTO DEEP TROUBLE...
  AVOID LIGHTNING IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO CONDUCT YOURSELF
  CABBIES CRY "NO FARE!!"
  CITY HOWLING MAD, SAUSAGE SCAM EXPOSED
  DAIRY EXPLODES - UDDER CHAOS EVERYWHERE...
  DRINK THE FINAL POTION TO INDUCE YOUR BACKWARD MOTION
  EAT FOOD ITEMS TO INCREASE HEALTH...
  EVER-GROWING CONCERN OVER MEGA-VITAMIN...
  EX-MUTANT IS ARRESTED FOR STREAKING
  GET A BANG OUT OF LIFE -- PICK UP DYNAMITE
  GIANT APE THROWS MONKEY WRENCH INTO CITY WORKS
  GIANT WEREEOLF GOES SHOPPING...SACKS 5TH AVENUE...
  GUILTY LAB TECHNICIAN DISCOVERS CURE
  GYM SOCK THIEF THWARTED...SUSPECT BEING HELD (AT ARM'S LENGTH...)
  HAVE A FRIEND FOR DINNER...BURP
  HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THE "MONKEY-IN-THE-MIDDLE"???...OUCH!...
  HINT: FOOD BEHIND OPEN WINDOWS...
  HINT: WANT TO EAT WELL? PUNCH SLOWER...
  HOVERING HELICOPTERS HERALD HUMONGOUS HURT...
  IS THERE NO END TO THIS RAMPAGE?
  JOB OPENINGS IN NATIONAL GUARD
  KEEP THE SPRY LAB TECHNICIAN IN SUNNYVALE...OR ELSE!!
  LAB SCREW-UP WEARS OFFF...FILM AT 11...
  LAB TECHNICIAN SIGHTED IN SUNNYVALE...
  MEGA VITAMINS -- JUST SAY NO...!
  PLAY "TROLLEY HANDBALL" WITH YOUR FRIENDS
  POTIONS GIVE SPECIAL POWERS...
  PROPERTY VALUES AT ALL-TIME LOW...
  RADIOACTIVE LAKE CHANGES WOMAN'S SCALE
  REAL ESTATE PRICES PLUMMET...BUYERS BEWARE
  REAL LIFE JEKYLL AND HYDE STORY!!
  SHORTAGE OF PRIME OFFICE SPACE...MARKET COLLAPSES
  SOMETHING'S BREWING ON THE ROOF AT THE ARGLEBARF CHEMICAL COMPANY
  SPOUSE OF MUTANT FILES LEGAL ACTION
  TANK BUT NO TANKS...
  THERE ARE NO (BUY A LYNX) SUBLIMINAL (OR TWO) IN THIS GAME (BUY A LYNX)
  VIDEO PIRACY IN CITY HALL? MAYOR IN REEL TROUBLE...!
  YOU CAN LEAD YOU BUDDIES TO WATER, BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE THEM SWIM
  WARNING!: ELECTRICITY IS SHOCKING...
  WITNESS SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON FLUORESCENT BULB SCAM...

[RAP]=====================================================================
                                  RAMPART
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Pretty sketchy--sorry. Would someone like to send me the complete cheat?]

Clear two veteran levels and ??? and push the joypad left as if you were
trying to select a different battlefield. The highlight will disappear
and then you press A or B you will play on one of the two player levels.

Playing tip!

During the cannon stage, if you click five times on a place where the cannon
can't be built, you'll go on ahead to the firing stage. One strategy is to
place the cannon over a boat you plan to target and click five times, so that
when you start the firing stage the crosshairs will already be over he boat.

[ROA]=====================================================================
                               ROAD BLASTERS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

How to skip levels in RoadBlasters.

Start game normally and choose the Rookie starting area.  Accelerate car,
while holding down the "B" button to about 25 - 50 mph and steer the car so
that it is riding on the left shoulder of the road.  Keep holding down the
"B" button.

Eventually, you will hit a tree which is growing on the side of the road.
When you do this you will see a digitized picture of one of the programers
and a short message.

You will also see in the upper right hand corner a number. This is the level
you are on. Use the OPTION 1 button to move the number forward, and OPTION 2
to move the number backward. (Note: gently tap the OPTION keys. This function
really zooms thru the levels.)

Once you get to the level you want to play, press the "A" button. You're now
back in the game. you will now continue to finish level 1, then the next level
will be the level above the one you chose, i.e. if you picked level 48, after
you finish level one, you'll be on level 49.

(from Star*Lynx)

[RYG]=====================================================================
                                   RYGAR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Floating shield trick:

Throw the shield in front of you, then restart the game with Option 1 and
Pause. When you restart the game, your shield will be floating in front of
you. As soon as you fire, your shield returns to normal. (programming glitch?)

[SCR]=====================================================================
                               SCRAPYARD DOG
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Free shield:

     When you start the game, wait until your man appears and press PAUSE
Now press right on the joypad and press the "B" button at the same time.
You should see a message at the bottom othe screen that says "SHIELD
AWARDED." Note: This works only once at the beginning of each level. Found
by: Sky (John Hardie From Flushing, NY) Feb. 1992.


Playing tip:

     Here is a method I used to obtain lots of shields and lives in Scrapyard
Dog.  If a shop you are about to enter has a red $5 money bag on the same
screen, take the money before entering the shop.  Then exit the shop.  The $5
money bag will appear again.  Take the money and enter the shop again.  Repeat
this over and over to build up your money supply.  Don't worry about losing a
life or two by running out of time for the level because just ahead in another
shop, you will buy yourself more lives ($35) and max out your shields ($10) to
nine.  This method can be used on another level towards the end of the game to
get lots of lives.


WARP to FOREST:

     To perform the warp, you must be on JUNKYARD Level 2.  Move right through
the level to the stack of tires.  Jump onto tires and press down.  The can room
will appear.  The following table show where the arrow starts and where the
prize ends up:

     Start   Finish
       1       5
       2       1
       3       4
       4       2
       5       3

You are now small in size.  This allows you to knock on the WARP door and warp.
As you move to the right, press up in front of the tree to get an extra life.
Keep  moving to the right and avoid being hit by bullets, dogs, mice, and bird
dropings.  Jump up where the hub caps are hanging on a line to get
invincibility.   Also pressing down while on top of the third brown can (the
one to the left of the mouse caught between cans) will give you a shield.  When
you get to the toilet just before the office, jump up on the toilet.  Face left
and hold down.  A red warp door will appear to the right of the office.  Move
over to the door and hold up to open door and warp.


WARP to DESERT:

     To perform the warp, you must be on CITY Level 1.  Move to the right until
you get to the black cat up in the window above the mail box.  Throw a can to
get rid of the cat.  Jump up to window where cat was and press up.  You will
now be small.  Move back to the left to door by mail box.  Jump up steps to get
level with door.  Hold up while in front of door to get red warp door to appear
above the door.  Now quickly jump onto mail box, jump to the left edge of the
screen while holding the jump button (to achieve a higher jump).  This will put
you at the red warp door.  Press/hold up in front of door to warp.


WARP to ICE:

You must be in the FOREST level 1.  At the start of the level, move to the right
to the log when the rabbit comes out.  When you jump on the log over the hole
where the rabbit came out, press down on the joypad.  You are know small.  If
you go to the right, you will encounter a tree with two snakes.  Enter the door
to enter the shop.  Exit the shop and the snakes are gone.  Now jump on the
stump to the right of the shop. Face left and hold down till the WARP door
appears on the branch.  Jump up to the door and press up.  You will now warp to
the ICE area.


     These are the only warps that I found in the game.  There may be more.
Hope this helps you out!

                                   EJ  (Ed Saloka)

[SHA]=====================================================================
                            SHADOW OF THE BEAST
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Keep in mind when you read this that Beast is an arcade game, thus
just knowing how to do this may not be enough. Quick reflexes may be
necessary. Also, my strategy is not perfect in places... if you know how to
improve my technique (ie, you don't get hit as much) let me know
(tazzzzz@eecs.umich.edu).

     Outside. Start by running to the left. Watch for the bats that will
fly down (I've only made it through here unscathed a couple times, normally
I just run back to the right a little bit and duck when I hear the bats
shriek). There are two different sets of bats, and each set of bats will
attack in two different smaller groups. As soon as you get past the second
set of bats, there are three metal traps in the ground. All you need to do
is jump and land between the sets of "jaws". Enter the tree (there is
nothing of value further to the left).

     In the tree, part one. The small head at the bottom of the staircase
will shoot at you when you get a certain distance from it (something you're
bound to discover on your own!). Climb down the ladder and head to the
left. The game progresses pretty linearly here. You've got a few platforms
to jump and a few monsters to dispose of, but there's really only one way
to go. When you get past the green guys with the swords (watch out for
those spikes overhead!), climb up the ladder and head to the right (passing
the next ladder which is heading up) until you come to the ladder that goes
down. A bit more jumping on platforms and you'll come to a blue total
health restoring potion. Things progress a bit more and you will encounter
these golden flying things. When you are at this point, you will climb down
a ladder and find a silvery (but with red center) circular device stuffed
in a corner to the right (somewhat near a big skeleton lodged in the wall).
This is a teleporter that will take you back a ways. Don't use it yet.
Instead, head to the left, ignoring the ladder heading down.

     Next, you will come to the weird eagle thing that is holding a blue
crystal globe. Time his fire-breathing activities and get up close to him
when he's not scorching the air in your vicinity. Ducking will avoid the
fire. Then, when he's not breathing fire, punch the globe (it will flash
each time you hit it). I counted eleven hits for it to be finished. You
will then have the blue globe in your inventory (you'll get to use it soon
enough). Head back to the right the way you came, and then take the ladder
down.

     You will climb down a jog in the ladders, and then head left instead
of down. To the left, you will find an area with a key. I've found it
easiest to jump off of the moving platform into that section and then
getting onto the up-down moving platform without the resident blue guy
seeing me. (Basically don't walk to the left at all after jumping off of
that moving platform. Just hop straight onto the up-down platform). Now,
head back to the right. If you need health, climb down that ladder that I
told you not to climb down before and head to the left. All the way left is
a blue complete health restoration potion.

     I have a hint for this whole section. I found it much quicker to avoid
catching all the ropes and jumping on all the platforms by simply falling
off the ledges. The health potions were conveniently spaced so that I could
easily survive these falls (watch out for spikes though!) and leave this
area with full health. Climb back up the ladders and hop in the teleporter.

     After teleporting, hit option 1 and select the blue globe. The blue
globe gives you a nifty missile weapon. Head left and climb up the ladder.
When you move to the right, a wall will rise sealing you from escape! There
is a lone spike "bush" in the middle of this little battlefield. Stand with
the Beast's right foot just about touching the left edge of the bush. When
the monster rises up, duck. You should be below his shots. Note that before
he rises up, he will fire one shot. Try to jump over them, but they don't
do too much damage so don't worry too much. I comfortably get four shots in
before I have to duck. It takes fifteen shots total (don't waste these
shots, I've found them useful later). Hit option 1 and select "exit" in
order to go back to regular punches. Off to the right, you enter the second
half of the tree and a new save point!

     In the tree, part two. As you run to the right, you will run past a
machine with a lever, gears and a chain coming out of the top. Ignore that
for the moment, and jump over the spikes. After you climb down the ladder,
there will be some snakes coming out of the floor and spitting at you. Just
run up to them and punch them after they spit. After the second and third
snakes a bird thing will fly down and you will need to duck. Don't take the
downward ladder after the snakes. Instead, pick up the gear and head back
to the machine. Once there, hit option 1 and select the gear. Assuming
you're standing close to the machine, the gear will go in place. Punch the
lever and a platform will lower. Climb onto the platform and punch the
lever again to go up. Go to the right and get the torch hanging from a
support pole. Head left, beat up some green guys and flip the switch on the
wall. Climb up the ladder you past when you went to flip the switch, and
head left past the bouncing eyeballs (!?). When the dragon stops breathing
fire, run, pick up the key and stand next to him and wait out his next
attack. After that, run back to the right and past the eyeballs. If you
need health, head to the right and pick up the blue potion. Otherwise, head
back down the ladder and the "elevator". Go past the snakes again, and then
head downward. Head right and punch the lever. Then turn back and cross the
platform that had been extended across what used to be a gap. Punch the
lever you find off to the left and then go back to the right and downard
(gadzooks! They've got you running back and forth!). Run left after getting
to the bottom of the ladder and use the moving platforms to take you
further left. You will find a blue "glove" suspended in midair. If it's
surrounded by electricity, you forgot to flip the switch in the hallway
underneath those bouncing eyeballs. As you head back right past the ladder,
a couple of those red batlike things will fly down. Try to hit them,
because now is a good time to conserve health. You've got a ways to go
before a refill. Continue on downward and avoid the obstacles (I have
really got much to comment on here. Just practice your timing around the
spikes and try not to get hit.) When you get to the ghosts, if you head
right instead of down the ladder to the left you can avoid having to deal
with these rocket engines that are mysteriously igniting. However, only
avoid those engines if you have the health to take a fall into spikes (and
you must also be confident of your ability to get rid of the dragon). Hit
option 1 and select the yellow glove. You can't kill the dragon without it.
If you watch the timing, you will notice that the spike will drop to the
floor and the dragon will stop breathing fire. That is when you need to
jump across. You can comfortably punch the dragon five times before you
need to jump back across when the spike is down. It takes a total of thirty
hits to blast this guy. Use the yellow key you picked up to leave the tree
area through the well.

     Topside once again. All right! So we're out of that hellhole of a
tree. Well, there's still a bunch of ickyness to deal with up top. First,
stand in front of the cannon. After the nifty little green dude lights the
fuse (wait for it to be burning), punch the cannon. The little guy gets
blast and leaves a handy gun behind. Now, head back to the right
eliminating the baddies that you encounter. The columns that look like
piles of rock contain potentially useful items (there is only one evil
column in the game, and that comes near the end). The first two you come
across have health bonuses. The last one contains a large ball. Push the
ball along with you as you avoid the spikes and use it to plug up a hole
from which some green and red balls are popping. When you get to the funky
pterodactyl statue, don't be alarmed. This is actually a pretty easy
monster. He does a bit of damage if he hits you, so don't let him. Punch
the statue five times to let the monster out, and then punch him three
times to take back the freedom you just gave him. I personally hate the
spider forest that comes next, but at least there is health afterwards.
To get past each spider, wait until the spike on the right has just come down,
and walk over until you are directly to the left of the spider. Punch the
spider, wait until just before it hits the ground, and jump into the air. Let
the spider go under you, and move slightly to the right to land where the
spider had been, between the spikes. Wait until the spike on the right has
just come down, and walk to the right. The second time you repeat this
process there will be a spider running along the ground which you must
jump over. The eyeballs aren't too bad once you see the holes that you can
rest in. Duck as the green guy flies overhead, and then punch him as he
comes back around but lower. When the flying dragon drops the winged bomb,
punch the bomb before it explodes and it will eradicate the annoying swarm
of insects. I think you can handle the rest of the obstacles until you get
to the castle.

     In the castle. Go left, past the ladder, and get rid of the green,
hoppy guys. Flip the switch. Go back and climb the ladder.  You can only
punch wooden barrels; the silver balls and indestructible.  There are two
wooden barrels followed by a metal ball, and this repeats itself
indefinitely. Hit the first wooden barrel, and use the ladder up to the
next level as a means to dodge the second barrel and the metal ball.  When
you get to the floor where the barrels are dropping down, run to the left
and flip the switch. Climb the ladder to the top floor, and punch the
chests to the right for health, except be forewarned that the very last
chest contains a green guy who shoots arrows, and the second to last chest
can be stood on to avoid the arrows. Kill the green guy by punching the
chest before getting the last bit of health. Run to the right, avoid axes
and flying dragons. Pick up the wrench. Climb down the first ladder you
come to. As you run to the right, watch for green dudes in the floor which
throw knives at you. To avoid getting hit by the axes that come down, stand
right underneath whence they come, and they'll fly over you from each side.
After defeating the three big green mouths, run and jump across the gap.
You need to jump at the last second to make it. Punch the little head in
the wall three times, and jump onto the chandelier as it lowers. Wait for
the spider to go up to run underneath it. More axes. Some spiders need to
be punched once or twice before they'll go up. After climbing down the
ladders, you'll be back near the entrance. Go right. You might want to
consider using some of your remaining shots from the blue ball to kill the
red bouncy blobs and the bats after them. The gates here will only be open
if you've flipped both switches prior to getting here. Climb down the
ladder; don't go all the way to the left. Some health is on the right then.
Go left, wait for the metal ball to pass, go left, climb the ladder, climb
into the pit, and duck. Wait for the ball, go left, and climb down the
ladder. Pick up the spare bullets, and climb down the next ladder. Run to
the right until you see the gargoyles; then run back to the left, and punch
the button on the wall. There's another green guy in the floor after the
axes. Use the wrench to get past the electric field. Climb up the ladder,
go to the left, and flip the switch. Arm yourself with the gun, climb down
the other ladder, and go to the right. Get in close, and just shoot.  And
keep shooting.  You shouldn't need to refill the gun. Use the blue key to
unlock the door. You are now outside.

     Outside the castle. Go right. Punch the tombstones for health. In the
second set of tombstones, the second tombstone contains a ghost instead of
health. Kill everything. To kill the final guy, watch his shot pattern. Get
in close and jump and kick the face in the middle of his body.
Congratulations, you won.

[SHN]=====================================================================
                                 SHANGHAI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

To View Ending Sequence.

At the high score table, pause, hold down option 1, option 2, B, and press
up and right at the same time on the joypad.


[TOD]=====================================================================
                                SLIME WORLD
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The codes found in this text file were compiled by Mr. Kale Swindell
of La Canada, CA. He indicates that these codes will place your character
(TODD) at one of the restart stations located in the game. The further
along the code is in the list, the further into the level your character
will be restarted.

Adventure 1: EASY
24CAA1  E8CA6C  EC8AA9  118AEA  6FCBE9  919073  E70926  A809E3  6B4B6C
66CBE0  25CBA7  114928  12C9AA  550894  D7C956  19CB93  198AD2  9D0AD9
45C9C5  5DC9DD  070946  CA090D  CCC94F  30C988  4F8B09  0B8BCD  098BC3
078BC1  C28A87  870AC3  8A0ACE  8F0BC8

Adventure 2: EXPLORATION
269AF3  ED9ABE  ECDA78  ED9BBF  E4DB71  259BF7  EA193D  EF58F9  D199B9
E79EB4  EDDE7D  EE9EBF  D29EBB  E79FB5  2F9CF2  6CDCE3  AC5CB2  139CFE
159DF9  D01A24  559925  5A9E23  43DFE9  1E1969  1DDCA0  1899E0  1CD8AF
0399EB  865591  465F57  4EDFDD  75DFD8  245947  085F11  4C5C52  070997
4FDFDD  089ADD  70DCDF  75DCD8  F1181B  B51FDA  711B9B  8EDA1A  F1DA45
745947  749807  F659C1  B85D87  BD1DC0  B79B40  3DDC80  B79B40  7E5D4D
205F09  7F9E0C  60DEC9  20D988  205F09

Adventure 3: ACTION
9157B6  AB9277  2F1176  919073  198AD2  5DC9DD  15563D  569039  98D638
1796FC  111671  5417B2  1DD7BB  1993FB  D052FC  1492F9  D91225  5CD1E4
5CD6E5  011766  DC93A6  1E1262  43536C  42506C  47972D  0D97EB  77D1DF
B816D8  7A575B  B610D8  72139C  0C1654  8916E9  4D9115  F150D3  CA9095
0892D5  8F9350  B69358  391245  FF9086  BC12C0  BD11C4  3C5604  215601
211746  67970D  EAD74B  6B910B  62920F  A610C8

Adventure 4: SUSPENSE
DD0114  DDC154  9D8154  5DC0D4  5C8114  5C4157  1C4117  DC0117  DCC157
DF8197  9C01D7  9C4197  5D8014  9CC117  5C0097  5CC0D7  DCC0D7  C641D9
C941D8  494158  C9C659  464159  474059  46C0D9  464058  884284  0B82C4
0DC286  8C4280  8E4282  B0824C  34004E  C7071C  1A472B  1A076B  1DC7AB
5DC7EB  5D872B  5D476A  5C07AA  9702EB  10C3A2  110362  114322  918362
2E81E6  9146A1  9106E1  EEC666  114621  110661  11C6A6  2E0666  2E4626
2E86E7  2EC6A7  2B413A  2B81FB  2BC1BB  28413B  2881F8  28C1B8  294138
2981F9  29C1B9  24413F  2387F1  200771  E00731  A007F1  6006B1  210671
E10631  A106F1  6101B1  3E0272  FEC171  BEC131  7EC0F1  3EC0B1  FFC071
BF00F1  7F03B1  3C0371  FC0331  BC03F1  7C02B1  3D0271  7C4371  3A0276
FA42F6  BA42B6  FAC276  BA8176  BD42B1  BD02F1  BDC231  A48278

Adventure 5: LOGIC
D9E275  9C26F4  9B62B7  02A2FF  9F63B0  C02032  C4E17F  C2A1B2  032770
DF67F4  022470  05E7B3  47667F  4621BE  8522F9  06E3B8  8921F8  C966F9
8C65BB  CDE665  71E1E1  4C21A4  0EE3A0  CAA3A5  8D62A1  8F22E3  7527A3
336720  CEE565  F52520  39652C  3CA4EB  B7E42D  B2A662  BA64A8  F162ED
77E3E9  796168  BBA66B  3BE0AA  FF61D6  60A417  236516  E02711  A12601
652692  E8E55F  A6E61E  6A2798  AD25D8  27A1DF  A7A358  7CE2D1

Adventure 6: ARCADE
012D7C  016E39  016938  00EAA5  002A64


INVINCIBILITY:

At the title screen with the Slime World logo that falls with a crash,
do the following:

     1) Press and hold Option 2
     2) Press and hold Option 1 while holding Option 2 down
     3) Move the joypad to the upper right, while holding down both Options

After that, release your fingers, and if desired, turn the music back on.
There is no indicator of your success, until you start playing.  Things
behave very strangely in multiplayer mode tho, so be warned!


Hidden Passageways:

When you reach the first exit of what appears to be the end of the
Adventure 6: Arcade,  shoot your gun into the upper right hand corner
of the wall. A part of the wall will disappear revealing the secret
passage way.  If you can't continue on,  then try shooting at the wall
some more.

When ever you find an exit in this level don't be fooled, it isn't the
end of the game. There is always (except for the last exit #6) another
hidden passage to the right of it!  When you are in this secret area of
the game you find a message (only readable from the map screen) alluding
to the zip popping contest.


Zit Popping Contest

A 'Zit Popping' game can be played by going to the summary screens and
then going to the screen where Todd is pictured green. Press Option 1 and
you'll see a zit. Blow it up by hitting the buttons as fast as you can.
This also works in multi-player mode where it becomes a competition against
your opponent.

Playing tips:

You can jump out of sticky slime by jumping and pressing shoot at
the same time.  (I believe Wade discovered this, and it made starting out
in combat a lot different)

You can climb up slippery walls by timing jumps perfectly so that
you jump at the instant you touch the wall.  Pressing the button as fast as
you can works to a lesser extent.(I don't remember but I'll give this one
to Wade as well)

If you make two megabombs explode in different rooms at the same time
you can create a constantly lit mega-bomb room which will stay lit until
some poor fool walks into it.  (You can also do this using a jet pack but
it becomes somewhat more difficult.  I think the easiest place to do this
is probably in J-room in level five combat.  I think we all discovered this
one together.)

Somewhere near the end of level 5 logic, there is a wall that you can
walk into, and all the lights from the room around you will go out.  It's
not that great of a trick but I remember having fun with it.

It's possible to jump into almost any vertical wall and hide by
moving as close to the wall as possible without grabbing on to it, and then
jumping towards the wall pressing jump and shoot at the same time.  It
takes a lot of practice but the rewards are great.  It is deliciously fun
to hide in a wall where no one can see you, and then open fire on the first
poor soul to walk in front of you.  The place where it comes in handy is
at the bottom left of the combat maze (right next to J-room)  Sometimes
you get stuck in that room when someone before you took both jet packs.
Usually you would have to pop, but if you jump through the wall on the right,
you can set up for a good position for a sneak attack.
BE VERY CAREFUL though, if you don't jump and press towards the wall at the
exact same time, it is possible to become forever imbedded in the wall.
In combat with five lives left this can really suck.  Just remember jump,
shoot, and towards the wall all at the same time.  (I think Ryan discovered
this)

After you get the above technique down, try going to the lower right
corner of combat (that big curved dead end next to the big room) if you
jump into the wall on the right, you can jump right through and end up in
level 5 logic.  We suspected that all the mazes might somehow be connected
but never took the time to find out.

-Randall
on behalf of the gang

Ryan Marc Terrence
Wade Jon  Carl


[STU]=====================================================================
                              S.T.U.N. RUNNER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Start out at level 11 (Labyrinth) and complete it. On level 12
(Coathanger) go right and catch the boost and continue going right. You
will fly up and then continue and cross the finish line. You will be warped
to level 18!

[SUP]=====================================================================
                               SUPER SKWEEK
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Choose Normal Game from the options. At the map screen position Skweek
(or Skruch) over the "O" in the word GARGOUIL LAND and scale until you
can't fly any lower. You will see a snorkeling furball. It may take some
positioning, but maneuver yourself over the furball and then press OPT 1 so
you can go to the forbidden islands. If you want two extra men, scale onto
the small island directly to the right of the WELCOME ISLAND in the upper
right corner of the dark blue spot. You will see a Skweek next to a palm
tree. Hover over it and push OPT 1 for two extra lives. To gain 3000 extra
coins, scale over to the large body of water in the PAGALAGOS ISLAND. You
will see a Skweek. Hover over it, push OPT 1 and the cash is yours. (from
July 1992 EGM)

[TOK]=====================================================================
                                   TOKI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Freak out mode:

     Press and hold down OPT1 and UP before the title screen appears get
into "freak out" mode. Or once at the "Continue?" screen, after the first
"beep" of the countdown, and while the timer still shows a 9, press UP and
OPTION 1 at the same time, and hold them. You'll see the GAME OVER screen,
but keep holding them.  The TOKI demo will appear... keep holding UP and
on OPTION 1.  After the names of the designers fall down, the demo should
go psychedelic!!  The demo will cycle through colours, a catchy tune will
begin, and the pad will allow you to sample digitized TOKI sounds...
furthermore, pressing DOWN and LEFT repeatedly will cause the samples to
descend in pitch.  Conversely, pressing UP and RIGHT repeatedly will cause
the samples to ascend in pitch. Note: Once the new demo begins, release UP
& OPTION 1.  Then use pad to sample sounds. Pressing A or B starts the game
normally (from Star*Lynx BBS and Jason).


The digitized designers:

     For those of you trying to get the digitized picture of the TOKI
designers to appear in TOKI but are having trouble, I've found that holding
the pad UP and holding OPTION 1 simultaneously JUST as the screen fades to
black to show the "Continue" screen usually produces the white dot after
the timer expires (of course hold UP and OPTION 1 through the whole
duration of the continue screen). [Ed. This is incomplete. I know that
something else has to be done first in order for this trick to work.
Can someone email me what it is?].


[TOU]=====================================================================
                           TOURNAMENT CYBERBALL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

     In Tournament Cyberball there is an apparent bug in the game that can
be a real cheat.  This works well against another human player.  I haven't
tried it against the computer.  I'm guessing the computer is "too smart" to
fall for this cheat.  Anyways, if you're fairly far up the field, you can
run your quarterback all the way to the opposite end of the field, before
throwing your pass. "Unrealistic" passes can be completed from the opposite
end of the field. Watch out though, some computerized cyberbots will follow
you all the way.

     The advantage of this cheat is simple: It takes out a few of the
computerized defenders, and it throws the defense player off by not
allowing the defense player to see where your receivers are going. In other
words, all you see on both player's lynx's is a pretty much blank screen
with nothing but a quarterback and a few rushers....With enough practice,
one can have little trouble blindly throwing passes like this.

     Lastly, don't try this cheat on the "Real" arcade version of this
game.  It doesn't work.  Actually it's quite amusing what happens.  When
you think the quarterback is going to throw a 70 + yard pass, he/she/it
ends up throwing a pass that lands like 1 yard right in front of the QB.
Try it if you're ahead sometime on the arcade version.  Is kinda
amusing....;-)

[VIK]=====================================================================
                               VIKING CHILD
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following codes indicates what levels are accessible from each password.

   Village, Castle:         --NONE-- Forest, Mountain:                  OMEGAMAN
   Land Bridge, Lake:       PATRICIA Labyrinth, Mud Flats, Volcano:     REDDWARF
   Desert, Pyramid, Island: DEWSBURY

Codes from Wizz Kidd (Mike Reed from Tempe, Az)

[WAR]=====================================================================
                                 WARBIRDS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tip for new players.

When playing alone, pause the game and you can still look around with the
B' button. This may help new pilots so they can pause the action, look
around and plan their route.


To kill the Red Baron:

First select unlimited damage, 200 rounds of ammo, no collisions, unlimited
men if you're not good at landing, and a dueling start. Once you're in the
air, fire your machine guns at the Baron. After he flies by, waste your
ammunition on purpose. Next, land. While your men are trying to fix your
plane, the Baron will crash trying to shoot you on the ground.


Single player grave sight.

For single-player Grave Sight, as soon as you die (when the roses and skulls
border appears) quickly pause the game. 'A' button will change the viewpoint
from plane to plane (And to the point where you died). Look around with the
joypad.


[XEN]=====================================================================
                                 XENOPHOBE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hints:
     First the basics.  I love the yellow electro gun, so all my strategy
revolves around this gun.  The puffer gun does more damage.
I usually crawl along the ground and fire alot.  I stand to kill festers
and ceiling vines.  Jump to move quickly.

Festers  (the fellows who appear on the sides of the screen) Take these
guys out by being just over half a screen away from them.  Fire like crazy.
You better make sure you are at least half a screen away because these
really hurt!  You can advance on them once they retreat and expose their
hand, makes killing them easier if you do.  When they throw stuff, you
better be facing them and firing... Getting hit by this stuff stuns you,
likely costing your life on later levels.  You can kill them with the
puffer gun by laying low near the edge of the screen, and standing up and
firing as soon as they start to retreat.  You can always ignore these guys
buy crawling along the floor... but it's good to take them out as soon as
you can.  They produce other aliens, and create another hazard. You can
often kill festers on the adjacent screen by firing very close to the edge.
I used this to my advantage alot on level 22, which is almost nothing but
festers.

Ceiling vines:  As I mentioned earlier, make sure you don't move into them
while firing. Stop, then aim up and fire.

Rollerbies (the armadillo like things that curl into a ball) Getting hit by
these balled up creatures can stun you for some time, like the festers can,
which means losing your life in later levels. Fire alot at them to make
them roll the other way of course.  Don't fire too much if there is a
closed door in the way, as they'll bounce  back at you at high speed. They
unravel once they stop moving. I often fire once or twice at them to make
them stop.  They then unravel and I kill them.  Or, I throw a grenade, and
fire just enough to make them be near the grenade.  These guys are what
really threatens your life at the beginning of later levels...  Don't
underestimate what a mob of these can do to your game.  :)  One stuns you,
then every alien and their   brother beat up on you while you can't do
anything.  Then you lose your gun, and losing your gun on later levels
usually means the end of your life, if not your whole game!  (you usually
get a laser with your new  guy, which often is inadaquate).  Point blank
shots often don't work on these guys for some reason, very important to
remember.

Laser firing security drones:  Of course you can make these stop firing at
you by getting the disk and putting it in the security machine. But did you
know that you can kill them?  You have to fire alot, unless you have a
puffer gun.  Stand and fire diagonally up, fire like crazy, and don't
change directions!  They'll move right into your fire.  The laser gun does
so little damage, it is questionable if you should do this with that gun.
I kill these drones on every floor I encounter them until I find the disk.
Little crawling aliens: crawl and fire alot, jump if you they stick to you.
On later levels, it often isn't wise to jump immediately... you might jump
into a festers xray beam, and get stunned, lose your gun, your life, your
game...

Snotterpillars (big hopping spitting aliens):  While heading towards a new
screen, if you hear that you are hitting something just before you enter
the new screen, stop and keep firing until the sound stops.  Then fire a
lot as you enter the new screen.  Firing at them usually stops the nasty
spittle they throw.  You should have no problems taking out mobs of these
fellows by firing alot.  Stop moving as soon you are hitting one, you want
to hit them as far away as you can.  I am pretty brave with these guys,
I'll take on a big mob of them at once.  Just fire very very fast.  If too
many get close, or are about to, move directly away and hit jump twice (or
more) in a row.  This one tactic is the main reason why I survive so long!
Not only does it make you run away quickly, it also has the effect of
dodging their spittle.  Practice turning around and hopping away repeatly
when there aren't aliens around.  Make sure you are moving away before
jumping, otherwise you'll jump up instead of away, and then you're really
If you have the puffer gun, have no fear-- if you fire fast enough, you can
kill a solid wall of these guys with it.
machine that spits out bombs:  Each bomb does 200 damage I think, so be
careful.  Jump away or over bombs that get thrown near you.  hit option two
to fix the machine, then hit option one until you have a full load of
grenades.

self destructing:  often a good idea, unless you are about to finish the
level.  You won't get 200 bonus health, but on later levels you'll probably
lose more than that.  I usually self destruct 2 or maybe 3 levels.

Fire levels:  I am continually switching from the fire extinguisher to the
electro gun on this level.  Put out the fire, run and grab your gun and
clear the rooms until you hit the next fire, etc.  You can push along both
guns, but it's risky.  Fires count as part of the alien remaining count...
so don't leave the fires for last!  Otherwise you'll get stuck with a fire
extinguisher on your next level.  If I'm cautious, I often gain more health
than I lose on these levels.

level 21:  This level is utter hell.  Makes every other level look silly.
Be paranoid with every room you enter.  I can't stress enough how hard this
level is.  Fire as fast as you can.  Good luck keeping your gun...  that's
the main thing actually on the later levels, keeping your gun.  The
beginning of 21 and other later levels is hellish, this is one place where
I wouldn't feel guilty using alot of grenades.  Those hordes of rollerbies
are a real problem at the beginning of levels.

level 22:  This level is as easy as 21 is hard. Almost nothing but festers.
This level might not be so easy if you don't have an electro-gun.  I always
have one here.

level 23, final level:  Use my technique for killing snotterpillars,
especially hopping away repeatedly when mobs get close.  Grenades here can
take a wall of snotterpillers, what a rush. :)   Keep up a wall of fire to
stop their spittle.  Be wary of hidden ceiling vines on the edges of the
screen.  Fire as fast as you can when you see the mother alien, crawl
behind her while firing when you've cleared the other aliens in the room.
Fire at her head once you're behind her. (diagonally up from ground)
It's important to learn to survive with a laser gun until you can get
something better.  Be very convervative, do most of your killing from the
adjacent screen.  Hit things as far away as possible.  Run from
snotterpillars when they get inside your max range (yup, hop twice again..)
use grenades if you have to.  God I hate losing your gun on the later
levels. Free free to mail me any questions and comments.  Is the arcade
game exactly the same?
Michael Kaye   horny@ucscl.ucsc.edu  Twin Peaks ADDICT
Map:
      Guide to abbreviations
      BM  - Bomb Machine
      E   - Elevator
      F   - Fire
      FP  - Fireball Pit
      FS  - Fire in space station
      IS  - Infestation Screen
      GD  - Green ooze Dripping from ceiling
      O   - Outdoors
      FO  - Floor opening
      MSU - Moving stars Unit
      PR  - Pestering Robot
      RN  - Research Notes
      SC  - Security Central (needs ID card)
      SD  - Self Destruct unit
      SXU - Sealed Xeno Unit (needs Key)
      Notation in header
      (NN Xenos) - Number of Xenos to kill on this level
      (F)        - Space station is on fire
      (PR)       - Space station has a Pestering Robot that shoots

     |=========================  Space Station  1 =========(63 Xenos)========|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |        |        |        |  MSU   |   RN   |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station  2 =========(56 Xenos)========|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |        |   E    |        |        |   O    |        |   O    |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |   E    |   IS   |   BM   |        |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station  3 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |  GD    |  GD    |   E    |  SD    |        |   IS   |        |   O    |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |   E    |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |   E    |  FB    |        |        |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station  4 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |   IS   |        |   E    |   FO   |        |        |   FO   |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |   E    |   FO   |        |        |   FO   |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |   E    |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  4  |        |   IS   |   E    |        |   SD   |        |        |        |

     |===========(PR)==========  Space Station  5 =========(127 Xenos)=======|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |   O    |        |   E    |   IS   |   O    |   SC   |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |  SXU   |        |   E    |   IS   |        |   GD   |   GD   |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |   E    |   IS   |        |   FP   |        |        |

     |===========(F)-==========  Space Station  6 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |   F    |   E    | IS,F   |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |   F    |        |   E    | IS,F   | SD,F   |   F    |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station  7 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |        |   E    |   IS   |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |   E    |        |   BM   |        |        |        |
     |=========================  Space Station  8 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |        |        |   FO   |        |        |        |   FO   |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |        |   FO   |        |        |        |   FO   |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |        |   FO   |        |        |        |   FO   |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  4  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  5  |   SD   |        |        |   IS   |        |   IS   |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station  9 =========(55 Xenos)========|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |        |   E    |   IS   |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |   E    |        |   BM   |        |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station 10 =========(99 Xenos)========|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |   GD   |   GD   |   E    |   SD   |        |   IS   |        |   O    |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |   E    |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |   E    |   FP   |        |        |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station 11 ========(122 Xenos)========|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |   IS   |        |   E    |   FO   |        |        |   FO   |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |   E    |   FO   |        |        |   FO   |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |   E    |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  4  |        |   IS   |   E    |        |   SD   |        |        |        |

     |===========(PR)==========  Space Station 12 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |   O    |        |   E    |   IS   |        |   SC   |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |  SXU   |        |   E    |   IS   |   GD   |   GD   |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |   E    |        |        |   FB   |        |        |

     |===========(F)===========  Space Station 13 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |   F    |   E    |        |   F    |        |   F    |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |   F    |        |   E    |  F,IS  |  F,SD  |   F    |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station 14 =========(100 Xenos)=======|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |        |   E    |   IS   |        |   O    |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |   E    |        |   BM   |        |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station 15 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |   FO   |        |   FO   |        |        |        |   FO   |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |   FO   |        |   FO   |        |        |        |   FO   |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |   FO   |        |   FO   |        |        |        |   FO   |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  4  |        |   FO   |   IS   |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  5  |   SD   |        |        |   IS   |        |   IS   |   IS   |        |

     |=========================  Space Station 16 =========(57 Xenos)========|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |        |   E    |   IS   |        |        |        |   O    |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |   E    |        |   BM   |        |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station 17 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |   GD   |   GD   |   E    |   SD   |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  4  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  5  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station 18 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |   IS   |   E    |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |   E    |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |   E    |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  4  |        |   E    |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  5  |        |        |        |        |   SD   |        |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station 19 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |   O    |        |   E    |        |        |   SC   |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |   E    |   IS   |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |   E    |   IS   |        |        |        |        |

     |===========(F)===========  Space Station 20 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |        |   E    |   IS   |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |   E    |        |   BM   |        |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station 21 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |        |   E    |   IS   |        |   O    |        |   O    |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |   E    |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  4  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  5  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station 22 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  4  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  5  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |

     |=========================  Space Station 23 ===========================|
Level|   1    |   2    |   3    |   4    |   5    |   6    |   7    |   8    |
-----+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  1  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  2  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  3  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  4  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     +========+========+========+========+========+========+========+========+
  5  |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |        |
     |=======================================================================|


[ZAR]=====================================================================
                             ZARLOR MERCENARY
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

     ZARLOR MERCENARY / The Game of Life

     ACCESSING LIFE:    The game of LIFE is accessed through the character
selection screen of Zarlor Mercenary.  Turn on your Lynx with the Zarlor
Mercenary game card inserted.  Press the fire button twice to get to the
character selection screen.  At this point you must hold down OPTION 1
while moving the joypad as follows: Up, Down, Left, Right, Up.

     At this point your screen should say LIFE and there will be a LIFEform
known as a 'glider' moving across the screen diagonally.  It will go off
the edge of the screen and return on the bottom, eventually running into
the cells forming the word LIFE and causing the chain reaction that
destroys the title screen.

     Before the title screen is destroyed you may try the following
controls:

1.  Moving the joypad or pressing either OPTION button or PAUSE will stop
   the current evolution of LIFE.

2.  Pressing OPTION 1 to continue the evolution puts LIFE into a mode
   where cells that reach the edge of the screen wrap around to the other
   side.

3.  Pressing OPTION 2 to continue the evolution puts LIFE into a mode
   where cells that reach the edge of the screen behave as though they
   have reached a solid wall.  This may be useful if 'gliders' that are
   launched are disrupting your LIFEforms.

4.  Pressing either BUTTON A or BUTTON B puts LIFE into DRAWING MODE.

     DRAWING MODE:  Access DRAWING MODE by pressing BUTTON A or BUTTON B
while LIFE is evolving or after the current LIFEform has reached a stable
state.  You can tell you are in DRAWING MODE because the joypad will be in
control of your cursor, a set of green crosshairs.  While in DRAWING MODE,
your controls behave as follows:

1.  Moving the joypad with BUTTON A depressed will allow you to draw.

2.  Moving the joypad with BUTTON B depressed will allow you to erase.

3.  Pressing OPTION 1 or OPTION 2 will allow your LIFEform to evolve, as
   described in 2 and 3 in the above ACCESSING LIFE section.

4.  Note that the screen cannot be flipped, but attempting to RESTART the
   game will cause the screen to be cleared, and you will remain in the
   DRAWING MODE.

5.  Pressing PAUSE and BUTTON A will put you in COPY MODE.

6.  Pressing PAUSE and BUTTON B will put you in PASTE/ERASE MODE.

7.  Pressing OPTION 2 and PAUSE will copy your current screen to a
   temporary buffer (see below).

     COPY MODE:  Access COPY MODE by holding down PAUSE and pressing BUTTON
A while in DRAWING MODE.  You can tell you are in COPY MODE because the
green crosshairs will be onscreen with the word COPY in green below and
slightly to the right of the crosshairs.  While in COPY MODE, your controls
behave as follows:

1.  Pressing either OPTION 1 or 2 will return you to drawing mode.

2.  Holding down PAUSE and pressing either OPTION 1 or OPTION 2 will
   evolve your LIFEform frame-by-frame.  Note that the OPTION button used
   determines whether screen wrap is on or off.

3.  Pressing BUTTON A sets one corner coordinate of a box that you can
   draw.  Pressing BUTTON A again sets the other corner coordinate of the
   box.  Anything within the box is now in your COPY BUFFER.  You are now
   in PASTE/ERASE MODE.

4.  Holding down PAUSE and pressing BUTTON A takes you to the LIFEform
   library, a screen full of goodies for you to put into your COPY BUFFER.
   After selecting a LIFEform or group of LIFEforms, you will be in
   PASTE/ERASE MODE.

5.  In the LIFEform library, pressing PAUSE and BUTTON A again takes you
   to your temporary buffer (see above). You can cut items from this
   buffer to the main screen.

6.  Holding down PAUSE and pressing BUTTON B takes you directly to
   PASTE/ERASE MODE, using whatever was last put in your COPY BUFFER. If
   you haven't yet selected anything, you may get garbage.

     PASTE/ERASE MODE:  Access PASTE/ERASE MODE either by holding PAUSE and
pressing BUTTON B while in DRAWING MODE, or by going to COPY MODE and
selecting LIFEforms from your screen or the library screen.  You can tell
you are in PASTE/ERASE MODE because your joypad now controls whatever you
have in your COPY BUFFER.  While in PASTE/ERASE MODE, your controls behave
as follows:

1.  Pressing either OPTION 1 or OPTION 2 will return you to DRAWING MODE.

2.  Pressing BUTTON A will allow you to paste your COPY BUFFER.

3.  Pressing BUTTON B will allow you to erase using your COPY BUFFER.

4.  Holding PAUSE and pressing BUTTON B will flip your COPY BUFFER any one
   of eight possible ways.

5.  Note that the screen cannot be flipped, but attempting to RESTART the
   game will cause the screen to be cleared, and you will remain in the
   PASTE/ERASE MODE.

6.  Pressing PAUSE and BUTTON A will put you in COPY MODE.


                            --==--==--==--==--


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--       --==--==--    CompuServe Sign-Up Information    --==--==--      --
--                                                                       --
-- To sign up for CompuServe service, call (voice call) (800) 848-8199.  --
-- Ask for operator #198. You will be sent a $15.00 value CIS membership --
-- kit for free.                                                         --
--                                                                       --
--       --==--==--    CompuServe Sign-Up Information    --==--==--      --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------


                            --==--==--==--==--


 |||   Atari ST RT News
 |||   By: John G. Hartman
/ | \  GEnie: J.G.H.
       -----------------------------------------------------------------

Atari RT Weekly News 12.2

 = ATARI RT LIBRARY =

 = RTC TRANSCRIPTS =

      ------------------------------------------------------
31017 BRODIE16.ARC             X ST.LOU       931207   22784    430  13
      Desc: Jaguars Selling Out!
30974 PRGRTC03.ARC             X MIKE-ALLEN   931204    7680     48  13
      Desc: Programming RTC 2Dec93
30924 INSHAPE.ARC              X ST.LOU       931130   13824     80  13
      Desc: InShape RTC Transcript - READ IT!
30840 SDS_RTC.ARC              X MIKE-ALLEN   931125   11136     67  13
      Desc: SDS RTC Transcript 24Nov93
      ------------------------------------------------------

 = LAST TWO WEEK'S PRESS RELEASES =

      ------------------------------------------------------
31065 MSTRCALG.LZH             X R.DOLSON     931212   10880     25  14
      Desc: Press release from Spar systems
31063 VIEW_PCD.TXT             X GREG         931212    1408    148  14
      Desc: NEWS ON CD ROM FOR FALCON OWNERS
31044 SUNRISE.ARC              X CYBERCUBE    931210    5888    136  14
      Desc: Cyrel Sunrise Card Price Slashed!
31043 TOADRPRT.TXT             X TOAD-SERV.   931210    9344    192  14
      Desc: Report on Toad Holiday Fest '93!
31026 PRORACLE.ZIP             X P.LEFEBVRE   931208    1920     34  14
      Desc: Oracle 1.3 now available!
31020 LA_PR.ZIP                X K.GERDES     931207    1536    168  14
      Desc: Press Release for Load Aladdin
31012 KCACMEET.TXT             X L.PECKHAM    931206    3584     13  14
      Desc: KC Atari Club now meets 2nd Sats!
30997 CYBR12PR.TXT             X J.TRAUTSCHOL 931205    6912     35  14
      Desc: Cyberdrome version 1.2 now available
30944 I_USRUSR.ZIP             X CYBERCUBE    931202    3712     19  14
      Desc: InShape User to User Progam Outline!
30935 AW_BKUPD.TXT             X M.HEBERT1    931201    1152     53  14
      Desc: Papa's Grafik Guide Revisions
30911 RELEAS93.ASC             X DABRUMLEVE   931129    2432    105  14
      Desc: Press Release from the IAAD
30909 TCGIFMAP.ZIP             X TOAD-SERV.   931129   34816     16  14
      Desc: MAP to TOAD COMPUTERS! GIF FORMAT!
30908 TOADJAG.TXT              X TOAD-SERV.   931129    4608     53  14
      Desc: JAGUAR will be PRESENT at TOADFEST!
30881 ATARINET.RTC             X OUTRIDER     931127     384     20  14
      Desc: Atari TalkAbout - Monday in BBS RT!
      ------------------------------------------------------

 = LAST TWO WEEK'S DEMO RELEASES =

      ------------------------------------------------------
31045 M_VIEW15.LZH             X A.WATSON6    931210   40704     59  10
      Desc: Mountain View Text Viewer (1.5)
30996 AGENDAPT.LZH             X F.VUOTTO     931205   41600     30  10
      Desc: AGENDA Printer Functions (Mono Rez)
30962 RECIPE42.LZH             X A.WATSON6    931203   89216     57  10
      Desc: The Recipe Box Demo (4.2)
30905 BLITZDMO.ZIP             X E.MONACO     931129   27008     78  10
      Desc: New GEM defragmenter/optimizer demo!
30894 BLITZCI.ZIP              X E.MONACO     931128    7680    155  10
      Desc: AWSOME! 10K Defragmenter/Optimizer!
30886 SHOOT.ZIP                X R.HARRINGTO1 931127   43264     37  10
      Desc: TT med. rez demo of game
30869 ZOATRULE.DOC             X F.LIEW       931127    4992     51  10
      Desc: INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ZOAT DEMO
      ------------------------------------------------------

 = LAST TWO WEEK'S TOP 10 DOWNLOADED PROGRAMS/FILES =

      ------------------------------------------------------
31031 PATCH02.LZH              X A.PAGE3      931208   81280    237   7
      Desc: Storm patch from 1.01 to 1.02
30921 NEWEOS01.LZH             X CODEHEAD     931130   16512    196  16
      Desc: New versions of 3 EOS modules
30932 CP151_16.LZH             X CODEHEAD     931201   17152    183  16
      Desc: Update Warp 9 CP from v1.51 to 1.6
30941 PLASMA.ZIP               X D.MCANDREW   931202    9472    165  16
      Desc: Warp 9 v3.80 EOS Module
30894 BLITZCI.ZIP              X E.MONACO     931128    7680    155  10
      Desc: AWSOME! 10K Defragmenter/Optimizer!
30910 TOADEOS.ZIP              X TOAD-SERV.   931129    5120    139  16
      Desc: It's Raining TOADS! EOS Module!
30985 AW_ROTAT.LZH             X M.HEBERT1    931205   10496    138   6
      Desc: AtariWorks Text Rotation
30950 GV301INS.ZIP             X CYBERCUBE    931203   53248    131  23
      Desc: GEM-View 3.xx Install Program & Docs
30967 GVW_V301.PAX             X CYBERCUBE    931204  323712    129  23
      Desc: Dieter Fiebelkorn's GEM-View Release
30956 GVW_MDL1.PAX             X CYBERCUBE    931203   67968    118  23
      Desc: GEM-View 3.xx Modules Archive
      ------------------------------------------------------


                            --==--==--==--==--


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Heatseeker - A SLM-to-Falcon030 Interface
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Produkt's name:      Heatseeker.
--------------------------------
Current Version:     1.0.

Specification:       Interface between Falcon030 and SLM 804 or SLM 605.

Status:              Commercial.

Supplier:            R.O.M., Berlin
                     Raschdorffstrasse 99
                     13409 Berlin
                     Germany
                     Tel. & FAX: +49 30 4924127

Includes:            -"Heatseeker" interface-hardware.
                     -GDOS-driver-software.
                     -DIABLO printer-emulation.
                     -Drivers for 1st Word Plus and similars.
                     -Installation-, setup- and testsoftware.
                     -FontGDOS or SpeedoGDOS (Speedo causes extra
                      costs) including raster, or (in the
                      Speedo-package) vectorfonts, the usual
                      device-drivers (such as MEMORY.SYS, META.SYS),
                      installation-accessories and CPXes.
                     -Documentation.

Features:

The hardware was designed to be very error-tolerant. The problems you
might have had using the old "SLMC" controller when switching off the
laser with the computer turned on or booting with an offline laser do
not longer exist. You can now turn the laser on and off whenever you
want. The hardware is very small and handy and does not consume as
much space as the SLMC-controller. Its current size is 50mm*77mm*13mm.
The Heatseeker is easily installed and can as well be easily removed
with a single grip.

The software provides a maximum of compatibility, since it is licensed
original-Atari-software that was modified to control the
Heatseeker-hardware. This allows to run even those programs that are
relatively close to the hardware, such as Julians Diablo-CPX that
configures the driver or displays the current printer status.

Programs printing plain ASCII-text work as well as those printing
bitmap-rasters through the functions provided by the Diablo-emulator.

Even Gnu-Ghostscript, Gnu's postscript emulator, runs without any
problems.

The memory consumption is very low (at about 100 k). Compatibility to
GDOS-applications such as Xact, Prolist or such is provided through a
GDOS-driver that can handle scalable SpeedoGDOS-vectorfonts as well as
graphics.

Author:               Laurenz Pruessner.
EMail:                spoil@cs.tu-berlin.de.

Disclaimer: I'm not R.O.M.'s press secretary and the meanings
expressed are my own and not necessarily those of R.O.M., Berlin. I
cannot guarantee the correctness of any of the statements made above.
For official information, please contact R.O.M.


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Gribnif Software News Release
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Recently the British magazine ST Format published in their magazine a
cover disk that included a copy of our English language version of the
Arabesque Professional software.

That issue of the magazine also included an offer to acquire Arabesque
manuals and copies of Convector Professional from HiSoft in the United
Kingdom.

We at Gribnif Software were not aware of this event until after the
release of the magazine.  We NEVER authorized this distribution of our
software. We have contacted all the involved parties and wish to make
the following facts clear:

  o   The English language version of Arabesque included in that cover
      disk was NOT authorized by us and therefore constitutes a
      violation of our copyrights.

  o   HiSoft does NOT have any distribution rights to either Arabesque
      or Convector.

  o   HiSoft will NOT be distributing any manuals for Arabesque or any
      copies of Convector. If you sent an order to HiSoft, it will be
      returned. They do not even carry the products.

If you have a copy of this software, as acquired through ST Format,
you have an unauthorized copy of the program. Therefore we ask you to
please destroy it.

We, Gribnif Software, are the sole publisher of the English version of
Arabesque and Convector. In the United Kingdom we are exclusively
represented by Compo Software.

Both Arabesque and Convector remain as important and successful titles
in our line of software for the Atari. They are available, in their
complete commercial form (including manuals, packaging, and with
technical support) from leading dealers and distributors in the United
States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

For more information, please contact:

In the U.S. and Canada:             In the United Kingdom:

Gribnif Software,                   COMPO Software
P.O. Box 779,                       7 Vinegar Hill,
Northampton, MA 01061               Alconbury Weston,
Tel: (413) 247-5620                 Huntingdon,
Fax: (413) 257-4622                 Cambs  PE17 5JA
                                    Tel: 0 480 891819
                                    Fax: 0 480 890787


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Spar Systems announces Mastering Calligrapher 3.0
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Mastering Calligrapher 3.0 is a Hypertext Personal Training Guide for
both novice and advanced users alike. Novice users will find the
simple step-by-step approach an easy way to lessen the learning curve,
while advanced users will benefit from the referencing feature.

Each command is explained in detail with all the necessary information
given on how to use it correctly. Tips and tricks are offered as well
throughout the guide to give you ideas on how to exploit each command
to its fullest.

The step-by-step tutorials is just like having a private tutor, but
without the expensive cost of a tutor. The package includes example
files on disk, user manual, the Hypertext Personal Training Guide and
a PaperDirect catalog. A few of the topics covered are quick print,
header, initial cap, virtual clipboard buffers, page numbering, text
alignment, graphics and much more.

Features:

Over five printer drivers included. Send online summary to printer for
hardcopy reference. Runs together with Calligrapher. Resolution
independent. Supports the ST, TT and Falcon resolution modes, and
third party graphic cards. Comes on a double sided disk. Requires
only 145K of memory.

Mastering Calligrapher 3.0 is fast paced and to the point. Tells you
everything you need to know to start creating documents, while
mastering the program. Prepare to become a Calligrapher power user!

Suggested Retail Price $49.95
 
See your Atari dealer or order from us. Include $ 2.00 for shipping
and handling, and mail to:

Spar Systems
381 Autumn Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11208
 
For additional information ring us at (718)-235-3169 Other New
Products Will Be Available Soon


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// It's All Relative CD-ROM News
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

1. A hot off the press copy of Walnut Creek's new Atari CD. Walnut
Creek is one of the largest distibutor of PC and Mac CD roms. This is
their first Atari disc. They have an outstanding reputation in the PC
market.

2. A Photo CD desktop viewer application for the Falcon. Just click
on any Photo CD image and have it pop on the screen in Falcon
true-color!

3. A MultiTOS ready XFS driver that will read both Photo CD and
standard CD roms. Just plug your drive into the Falcon 030 and welcome
to computing in the 90's.

Drives supported include the Toshiba 3401, NEC-38, NEC-55, NEC-74 and
NEC-84.

All the above for $39.95, postpaid, from It's All Relative Software.

Send a check for $39.95 to Randall Kopchak, 2233 Keeven Lane,
Florissant, MO 63031.

Orders will be shipped as soon as the CD is ready. Planned ship date
is on or about December 27. No checks will be cashed till discs are
shipped!


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// TLC Christmas Special
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

As a Christmas special, the entire collection of TLC programs can be
yours (registered versions of course), for the miniscule fee of $10!
What a bargain, a disk full of programs and documentation. If you're
interested in the GFA source code to all the TLC programs, that can be
yours for a $20 contribution. This will come on 2 DS/DD disks unless
you request a single DS/HD disk. As a minimum, the TLC Utilities disk
includes:

o - TLC Book - A combination address book and date keeper. Version 4.x
now prints phone books as well as address books, mailing labels, date
books, and date labels. It allows as many entries as your systems
memory will hold and has full hot key access. Also new is the ability
to merge multiple address books and you can even print addresses,
dates, or labels to disk! Supports any printer and works in ST & TT
resolutions except low.

o - TLC View - An accessory or program that loads your TLC Book
address databases into a GEM window without leaving the GEM program
you're using.

o - TLC Attributor - Allows renaming volume labels, files, changing
files attributes (read only, hidden, system, etc). Runs as a program
or accessory in all but low resolution. Allows setting the fast load
bit as well as updating the date/time stamp on files. It also allows
deletion of those pesky files TOS won't delete at times.

o - TLC Formatter - Accessory/program to format 3.5" disks in 80-82
tracks, 9 or 10 sectors per track. FaST option reads and writes faster
than 'twisted' or 'skewed' formats and is 100% compatible with all ST
programs. All formats are MS DOS 5.x and DR DOS 6.x compatible, in
fact, FaST formatted disks read and write twice as fast on the messy
dos systems! Formats backwards and allows aborting to cover mistakes.
Supports multiple automatic drive switching and detects presence of a
HD 3.5" disk (yes, it does FaST tricks to them also!)

o - TLC Fixer - Allows changing ASCII or HEX strings in programs or
data files. Runs as an accessory or program in all resolutions except
low. Will do multiple searches, ask before changing, keep backups etc.
Uses hot keys or GEM.

o - TLC Icon Maker - Creates icons in .RSC files from DEGAS medium or
high resolution (.PI2, .PI3) pictures, for use with DRIs RCS2 or Kumas
K- Resource.

o - The TLC Sound Machine - Allows playing and manipulating digitized
sounds created with DigiSound, SoundOff, MasterSound, ST Replay and
more. You can modify the sounds and save them to disk in several
formats.

o - TLC Show - A quick and dirty Spectrum picture viewer for those
times you don't want to load a slide show program and set a series of
buttons to display a picture or two.

o - TLC RSRC - Creates GFA Basic 3.x compatible ASCII LST files from
resources created with DRIs RCS2 or Kumas K-Resource so you can merge
it into your program and include your resource file in your program.
Prints full instructions in the LST file. Now this includes a sample
program and source code showing proper implementation.

o - TLC Mega - A short accessory or program that allows you to change
the CPU speed of the Mega STe. Also displays TOS and GEMDOS version
numbers. Includes small auto folder programs for speed switches while
booting up.

All these programs for one low $10 price (or $20 with source code to
all the above). Please make checks payable to:

Tom Hayslett
210 Fairmont Drive
Hampton, VA  23666

804-766-3691

Registered users of previous versions have 2 options to upgrade:

1 - Return your original TLC disk and $1.00 to cover packing/postage

2 - Send $2 and I'll send you the new disk with all programs on it


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Chroma 24 for the Atari Falcon 030
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

An Art Package, Animation and Morphing Studio

Chroma 24 is a revolutionary new art/animation/morphing package
currently under development for the Atari Falcon 030. Written by
Douglas Little of Black Scorpion Software and PhotoChrome fame, it
encompasses the best features of the popular packages of this type on
the Atari ST, Commodore Amiga and IBM PC. A number of features are
unique to Chroma 24 and countless others are implemented in a
completely different manner to that used in other packages. The
emphasis is on ease of use, combined with powerful features, making
Chroma 24 the natural choice for professional and hobbyist alike.

The package runs in 256 colour and true colour modes. It has the
ability to import all common picture formats (and animation types) and
saves in the most useful ones for the mode selected. Chroma 24 is
still in development at the moment, albeit in an advanced stage. We
expect it to be released towards the end of 1993 and the retail price
to be under 100. In addition to all the 'standard' features of an
art/animation package, Chroma 24 includes the following:-

Very fast since it is written in 100% 68030 assembler and it doesn't
use GEM. Instead, it uses its own custom written interface which has
been designed with user friendliness in mind and is similar in
operation to GEM.

= You can select any resolution from within the package itself. You
can even change resolution in the middle of a session (although your
work must be saved first).

= Any picture (or animation) may be loaded into any resolution and
will be quickly and professionally scaled to fit when loaded into
lower resolutions.

= Different canvas sizes may be specified for your work. This allows
you to work on pictures which are larger than the actual screen size,
with the monitor acting as a window to this virtual screen. Canvas
sizes supported are those used on the Atari ST, TT and Falcon,
Commodore Amiga, IBM PC, Next, Sun and Hewlett Packard Worksations.

= Chroma 24 runs in 256 colour or true colour modes with similar
options available for both, although specific tools will be balanced
in favour of the currently selected resolution.

= Chroma 24 features everything from standard drawing and animation
tools to 3D texture mapping and controlled distortion and morphing.
Distortions on broadcast quality images must be seen to be believed.

= The morphing technique used is commonly referred to as field
warping. It allows the user full control over the morphing process,
unlike the more commony implemented mesh warping. Our implementation
of it uses the DSP56001 (written in DSP56001 assembler) for increased
speed and accuracy. A typical 320x200 24-bit true colour frame will
take anything from a few seconds to a few minutes to render, depending
on complexity. The degree of speed and accuracy offered is unrivalled
on any micro computer and is only possible on the Falcon 030.

= Our flexible virtual zoom window is transparent to the user since
all tools and functions operate regardless of zoom level and canvas
size, with many keyboard macros being available during mouse dragging
operations.

= Chroma 24 is very memory efficient. By use of its own internal fast
compression and decompression techniques, it is possible to load
substantially larger animations into memory than would normally be
appropriate for that fitted to your machine. This is completely
transparent to the user and has no effect on the speed at which the
package runs.

Further information will be issued nearer to release date.

Chroma 24 will be available around Christmas 1993 from:

Floppyshop
PO Box 273
Aberdeen. AB9 8SJ
Scotland, U.K.


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Reduced Prices on CyReL SUNRISE
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

                   CyReL SUNRISE M16-1280

                     The High-Resolution
                  True-Color Graphics Card 
               for the ATARI TT030 and MEGA STE.

Cybercube is pleased to announce a reduced pricing structure for our
highly acclaimed CyReL SUNRISE M16-1280 True Color High Resolution
Graphics Cards for the Atari TT030 and Mega STE.

      Effective immediately, the CyReL SUNRISE M16-1280
    will retail for  US $995.00  or  Cdn $1,295.00 (SRP).


Here is a list of some of the special features of our graphics cards:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 *Programmable Color Video Timing Generator for all resolutions from 
 320x200 to 3400 horizontal and 2048 vertical. Supports Overscan
 resolutions. 

 *All SUNRISE cards are equipped with 2MB Video RAM. 

 *Fast Dual-Port Video RAMs increase throughput and effectively
 minimize bus bandwith losses caused by conventional display update
 cycles.

 *Integrated GRAPHICS ACCELLERATOR for faster drawing operations. 

 *No need to exchange or replace crystals and clocks.

 More than 70 frequencies ranging form 5 to 128 MHz are
 software-selectable. 

 *A specially designed VIDEO-GUARD circuit protects all components
 against accidential damage or destruction.

 *Automatic configuration. Every card is equipped with non-volatile
 memory which can completely restore the last used configuration. This
 unique and batteryless solution features up to 1,000,000 programming
 cycles.

 *Every SUNRISE card can be expanded to function as a complete
 Desktop-Video station. The CyReL VidiMix Desktop Video Modules use
 the verstatile expansion port and the alpha channel of the SUNRISE
 boards thus allowing the generation of realtime Video effects.

 *SUNRISE cards achieve a high level of integration and reliability
 employing the latest processing and manufacturing technologies. Every
 production step is being followed by a number of inspections and
 quality control procedures.

 *Supports device sharing in multi-tasking environments.

 *Up to four CyReL 16-1280 cards can be installed in a single ATARI VME
 bus system. The CyReL SERENADE, SUNRISE and SKYLINE cards can be used
 in mixed combinations and support multi-level superimposed images. 

 *Comfortable and user-friendly installation and operation. No need to
 change settings or switches once the card is installed.

 *Easy installation is being made possible by a number of versatile
 interactive installation programs and guides.

 *All SUNRISE boards work with single frequency monitors, VGA monitors
 or multi-sync monitors with 12", 14", 16", 17", 19", 20", 21" and 24
 inch screens.
 
 *All colors can be selected from a palette of 16,777,216 shades.

 *Supports monochrome, four color, 16 color, 256 color/VGA and 24-bit
 true color modes without hardware changes, expansion or options.

 *High ergonomic refresh rates of up to 260 Hz (depends on monitor type
 used) increase the quality of the display and avoid eye-strain.

 *A very flexible access method supports changes in the hardware
 without the need to adapt or patch existing M16-1280 software and
 programs.

 *PAL and NTSC compatible signals can be generated.

 *Outputs video signals in either standard formats or professional
 formats for industrial or TV studio applications. Video output is
 CCIR and EIA343-A compatible.

 *Programmable true color GAMMA CORRECTION.

 *Interlace or non-interlace modes with internal or external
 synchronization for GENLOCK modes.

 *Hardware smooth-scrolling & panning allow virtual screen size
 management.

 *Flash-CLS for ultra fast frame buffer updates.

 *Optional High-speed LAN port. 10 Megabit/second or 20 Megabit/second
 transmission speeds can be selected by software. The optional LAN
 ports allow an efficient and easy way to connect several M16-1280
 graphic stations. LAN structures and hierarchies are programmable.

 *Drivers for serial AT mice and Summagraphics Graphic digitizers
 included. Enables comfortable operation even in higher resolutions.
 Both drivers can be dynamically adjusted and feature a build-in
 screen saver. Left-handers can flip the buttons/keys if desired. 

 *Product and customer support via GEnie or InterNet. We provide fast,
 honest and reliable on-line customer support for all our products.
 
 *Included Software:

 Every CyReL SUNRISE M16-1280 now comes with over 4 MB of software:
 
  1  CyReL RUN-ME-FIRST Interactive GEM Installation    Program 
  1  CyReL CM16_VIP Initialization & Diagnostic Program Driver  
  1  CyReL VDI Driver for 256  Color Mode               Driver  
  1  CyReL VDI Driver for True Color Mode               Driver  
  1  CyReL SERMOUSE Serial Mouse Driver                 Driver  
  1  CyReL M16 Palette Master Accessory                 Utility
  1  CyReL M16 VDI Configuration Accessory              Utility 
  1  CyReL Serial Mouse Manager Accessory               Utility
  1  CyReL XCHANGE Video Mode Changer                   Utility 
  1  CyReL CONFDISP Video Parameter Editor              Utility 
  1  CyReL VIEW_GIF                                     Utility
  1  CyReL SHOW_PCX                                     Utility 
  1  CyReL VIEW_JPG                                     Utility
  1  CyReL CCALAMUS Calamus SL Starter                  Utility 
  1  CyReL CO_LINE3 Outline 3 Starter                   Utility 
  1  CyReL INIT_E2P EEPROM Initialization Program       Program 
  1  CyReL BLOCK_PAINT                                  Program
  1  CyReL M16 User's Reference Manual                  Manual
  1  CyReL Catalog Disk                                 Catalog
 30+ OnLine Help and documentation files                Text    
 45+ predefined color palettes                          Data
 80+ predefined video modes and resolutions             Data
500  Monitor specifications                             Data    

Included SHAREWARE demo programs:

  1  Dieter Fiebelkorn's GEM-View >=3.01                Demo    
  1  InShape Modeler&Shader Demo Disk                   Demo

Optional Programs/Modules:

  1  CyReL GraphLAN                                     Driver  
  1  CyReL M16-1280 LAN Kit                             Kit     
  1  CyReL Ambiance Desktop/Image Manager               Utility 
  1  CyReL GrandFLIx Animation Player                   Utility 
  1  CyReL VidiMix16 Driver                             Driver
  1  CyReL VideoFlair                                   Program 
  1  CyReL VidiMix16 Desktop Video Module               Module
  1  CyReL MPT-16 Module                                Module  
  1  CyReL MonoFlex VDI                                 Driver  


HARDWARE PRICES
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Order Code  Description    Quantity     Canada      U.S./Foreign
--------------------------------------------------------------------
CRL16002    CyReL SUNRISE     1-     Cdn $1,295.00   US $995.00
            M16-1280

TO PLACE YOUR ORDER OR FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
--------------------------------------------------------------------

DMC Publishing Inc.
2800 John Street, Suite 10
Markham, ON, L3R 0E2, Canada

Tel. (905) 479 1880 
Fax  (905) 479 1882

or

Cybercube Research Limited
126 Grenadier Crescent
Thornhill, ON, L4J 7V7, Canada

Tel. (905) 882 0294 
Fax  (905) 886 3261  

Dealer enquiries welcome
--------------------------------------------------------------------

SOFTWARE PRICES

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Order   Description             Media/          Canada     U.S. or
Code                            Format                  International
--------------------------------------------------------------------

AFGV24  Dieter Fiebelkorn's     one 3.5" 2DD  Cdn $35.65  US $29.00
        GEM-View 3.01 or later  Disk

ACSM12  CyReL Serial Mouse
        Manager & Driver        one 3.5" 2DD  Cdn $15.00  US $13.00
        Release 1.02c or later  Disk

ACPM37  CyReL Palette Master    one 3.5" 2DD  Cdn $20.00  US $17.00
        Release 4.0f or later   Disk

AITI10  InShape INTRO 1.0,      two 3.5" 2DD  Cdn$229.00  US$189.00
        Modeler&Shader
        (SEE InShape PRESS
        RELEASE FOR MORE DETAILS!)


SHIPPING & HANDLING CHARGES

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Quantity     In the U.S. or Canada         International
of Disks
Ordered          US $ or Cdn $                  US $
--------------------------------------------------------------------
  1                  $1.00                     $2.50
  2-5                $2.50                     $5.00
  5-10               $5.50                    $10.00
 10-over*           $10.00                    $20.00

*= Contact Cybercube for more information.

Payments: All orders must be prepaid. Cheque/Money Order in Canadian
or U.S. funds only. Please add S&H charges to all orders. For Canadian
orders add appropriate taxes. Full versions of CyReL Serial Mouse
Manager and the CyReL Palette Master as well as a 14-days free
trial-period version of GEM-View are being supplied free of charge
with all CyReL SUNRISE M16-1280 orders.

FOR ORDERS OR INFORMATION CONTACT
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Cybercube Research Limited
126 Grenadier Crescent
Thornhill, ON, L4J 7V7, Canada

Tel. (905) 882 0294  
Fax  (905) 886 3261 
--------------------------------------------------------------------

CONTACT ADDRESSES
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Cybercube Research Limited
126 Grenadier Crescent
Thornhill, ON, L4J 7V7, Canada

Tel. (905) 882 0294 
Fax  (905) 886 3261  
BBS  (905) 882 5895

GEnie:      CYBERCUBE
CRS-Online: cybercube.research

UseNet/
InterNet:   cybercube.research@canrem.com    or
            cybercube@genie.geis.com


DMC Publishing Inc.
2800 John Street, Suite 10
Markham, ON, L3R 0E2, Canada

Tel. (905) 479 1880   
Fax  (905) 479 1882  

GEnie:      POTECHIN, ISD
InterNet:   potechin@genie.geis.com
Compuserve: 76004,2246
--------------------------------------------------------------------

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// DMC Yearend Specials
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

DMC Publishing, Inc.

>From the President's Desk

As we approach the end of 1993, we can look back on this year and see
a long list of accomplishments. The most important was the release of
a major upgrade to Calamus SL a few months back, with many new
features as well as new and exciting modules.

For those of you that had been holding off purchasing any particular
module, or the latest upgrade, wait no longer. The time to upgrade is
now.

For every order over US $100.00 or $130.00 CDN received in-house by
January 31, 1994, I will enclose your choice of 5 professional
typefaces at no charge!

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a great
holiday season and a very happy New Year on behalf of all of us here
at DMC. Our office will be closed from Friday, December 24 through
until Monday, January 3, 1994.

Sincerely,
Nathan Potechin,
DMC Publishing, Inc.

//// Calamus SL

The latest version of Calamus SL is November 1993. This version is a
maintenance update of the August 1993 version in which the overall
performance of Calamus SL was dramatically improved. A number of
significant features were activated as well as some new features and
modules which were included:

1.  An upgraded Text Module now includes both an Anchor Frame function
and a Leader Tab function that allows the use of any character as your
assigned Leader Tab character. The module also includes an improved
spellchecker and separate hyphenation dictionaries, improved vertical
text alignment, improved M-space handling, the ability to insert and
search comments, manual kerning, inserting text style and text ruler
information.

2. The new ROTATE.CXM module gives us the ability to rotate Raster
Graphics in any degree with or without anti-aliasing. This means that
if you rotate a graphic that has straight lines, anti-aliasing will
smoothen the settings and remove stepping.

3. The new COL_CONV.CXM Colour List Converter module generates a
colour list from graphics that have been imported from Outline Art and
other sources. It can also generate a list from free colours designed
within the existing document.

4. The new COMPRESS.CXM is a compression module designed to save you
storage space by compressing bitmap images when saving your document.
Note: Documents saved with compressed bitmap images will automatically
uncompress those images when the document is reloaded into Calamus SL.

5. The new CYMKSWAP.CXM module swaps colour planes.

6. The new LIN.CXM Linearity module allows you to set colour values
optimized for your particular printer. This module will be of special
interest to those of you with an HP550C.

7. The RASTGEN.CXM Raster Generator module has been upgraded.

8. New drivers enclosed with this upgrade for Calamus SL include:
GEMIMG export, CVG export, a RAW import driver for bit planes, an
improved TIFF driver, an improved TARGA driver, an RPS driver for
Repro Studio and an improved GEM Metafile driver.

9. Set Layout/Working Area does automatic generation of both
registration marks and crop marks, colour plane names, double-page
overlap, user definable settings and master page printing.

10. The new document menu provides quick access to any document listed
in the drop-down menu list.

The cost for the November 1993 version of Calamus SL, including all of
the above and these new modules: ROTATE.CXM, COL_CONV.CXM,
COMPRESS.CXM, LIN.CXM, CYMKSWAP.CXM, the upgraded TEXT.CXM, the
upgraded RAS_GEN.CXM, the upgraded PAGE.CXM with Set Layout/Working
Area, the new Select Document and the new import/export drivers, on 3
disks with additional documentation, is US $75.00 or $95.00 CDN. The
August 1993 to November 1993 upgrade is FREE (plus shipping and
handling).

//// Line Art Module

The Line Art module is an advanced vector editing tool that combines
features found in both the Vector Graphic module and Outline Art 3.0,
and then some.

The Line Art module is the definitive tool for creating and editing
vector graphics within Calamus SL.

Line Art features the creation of graphic primitives, blends, text
objects, paths and transformation nets which allow the distortion of
objects using these nets. Vector objects can be created by using
either the included vector editor or one of the Calamus primitives.

This module also includes 3 new primitives: lines, circular segments
and outlines. The vector objects can also be defined using a variety
of writing modes which include outline on/off, fill on/off, and EOR
for intersecting paths. You can also define corners as either bevelled
or sharp. Objects can also be defined as colour blends, allowing the
transformation and rotation of these objects by using the functions
in the blends command area.

The types of blends include horizontal, vertical, rectangular corner
origin blend, circular and transformational blend with starting and
ending angles as well as starting and ending colours (as well as a
definable transition colour). Text can be made to follow paths inside
or outside and to include/exclude the kerning values in the font or
allow manual adjustment of the character spacing. You may also justify
text left, right or centre and change the text direction. The text may
then be converted to a path object for further manipulation.

Your cost for this exciting module is US $150.00 or $195.00 CDN.
Those of you who have Outline Art 3.0 or the Vector Graphic module may
purchase Line Art for US $50.00 or $65.00 CDN. Don't delay!

//// Bridge Module

DMC is very pleased to announce Bridge - the long-awaited upgrade of
Dataformer. Bridge is a single module with 4 command groups. The first
command group contains all the functions for converting frames or
page to a number of raster and vector graphic formats. These include
(raster graphic) Degas, PIC, NEO, PAC, IMG, ESM, BLK, PCX, IFF, TIF,
TGA, CRG and GIF (87a) and (vector graphic) CVG 1.0 or 1.1, GEM, DXF,
PLT, EPS, PS, and Illustrator EPS.

The second command group in Bridge is a much improved set of
PostScript functions which include the ability to compress graphics,
text, show pages, do multipage, print to serial/parallel/file, etc.
TIFF header file options are also available.

The third command group converts raster graphics among different
numbers of planes and colour depths. This command group comprises a
very powerful set of functions which even allow the conversion of RGB
graphics to 4-colour CMYK. You will be impressed with this command
group.

The fourth command group converts frames to vector graphics, useful
for creating special effects using Outline Art, the Vector Graphic or
Line Art modules. Special skews and masking effects can be created
when frames have been vectorized using this command group.

Bridge costs you US $150.00 or $195.00 CDN. 

Dataformer owners may upgrade to Bridge for US $50.00 or $65.00 CDN.

//// Toolbox/Clipboard Modules

The Toolbox Module is a frame-handling utility that allows you to do a
number of useful things with any frame type: quickly position frames
and move them from master to layout pages; line-up multiple frames or
change their order; hide a frame; expand a selected frame to full
view and more. The Toolbox Module is a layout utility that all Calamus
users will appreciate.

The extended Clipboard Module (not shown) adds load and save features
to the regular cut, paste and copy functions. The Toolbox and
Clipboard bundle costs US $80.00 or $100.00 CDN.

//// Mask Module

The Mask Module is a powerful graphics tool that allows you to create
advanced effects in your publishing work, allowing the process of
cropping selected areas of a graphic to create a special mask effect.
Create and edit masked images quickly and effectively, without leaving
Calamus SL. Your cost for the Mask Module is US $150.00 or $195.00
CDN.

//// Colour Separation Module

Our Colour Separation Module allows you to define separation filters,
including the definition of UCR (undercolour removal). This module
allows the use of CMYK, CMY and IHS systems, as well as the ability to
support new systems such as FOCOLTONE. This module is essential for
colour printing. Your cost is US $50.00 or $65.00 CDN.

//// Speed-Line Autotracer Module

The Speed-Line Module provides monochrome autotracing, converting
illustrations to vector graphics. It automatically creates vectors,
using Bzier curves, lines and areas. The user interface offers
several optimizing functions that enable you to define line, angle and
pixel correction together with conversion options for Bzier curves
and line art. Speed-Line quickly converts any raster graphic to a
vector graphic which can then be modified by any of the Calamus
drawings tools such as the Vector Graphic or Line Art modules as well
as Outline Art. Your cost is US $50.00 or $65.00 CDN.

//// Kodak Photo CD Import Driver

The Photo CD process starts with your own camera. Bring any roll of
35mm film to an authorized photoprocessor and ask for a Photo CD disk.
Virtually all the visual information in each original photograph is
stored and compressed on CD. Each picture is stored in one file at 5
different resolutions (128x192, 256x384, 512x768, 1024x1536 and
2048x3072) so you can choose the resolution that best fits your needs
and import the image directly into your Calamus SL document. Your cost
is US $20.00 or $25.00 CDN.


If you require any additional information on the Windows NT version of
Calamus or any of our Atari line of products, please don't hesitate to
contact us directly at:

DMC Publishing, Inc.,
2800 John Street, Unit 10,
Markham,Ontario,
Canada L3R 0E2   

Tel: (905) 479-1880
Fax: (905) 479-1882   
Compuserve: 76004,2246   
GEnie: POTECHIN   
Internet: POTECHIN@GENIE.GEIS.COM

================= Order Form =============================================

NAME________________________________________________S/N___________________

ADDRESS___________________________________________________________________

CITY___________________________ STATE/PROV________________________________

COUNTRY______________________________________POSTAL CODE__________________

TEL. # WORK____________________________HOME_______________________________

VISA or M/C #________/________/________/________EXP. DATE_________________

SIGNATURE_________________________________________________________________


Upgrades                                US           CDN
--------                                --           ---
Calamus 1.09x to Calamus 1.09N         30.00       $40.00      $__________
Calamus 1.09N to Calamus SL (Nov./93) 275.00       350.00      $__________
Calamus SL (pre-Aug.) to SL (Nov./93)  75.00        95.00      $__________
Calamus SL (Aug./93) to SL (Nov./93)    FREE         FREE
Calamus Serial Number_______________________

Outline Art 1.0 to Outline Art 3.0      70.00       90.00      $__________
Outline Art Serial Number___________________

INVISION Elite to IE Colour 2.0         20.00       25.00      $__________
INVISION Elite Serial Number 

Vector Graphic Module or Outline Art 3.0
to Line Art Module                       50.00       65.00     $__________
VG or OL3 Serial Number _____________________

Dataformer Module to Bridge Module      50.00        65.00     $__________

Calamus SL Modules
------------------
Bridge Module      NEW                 150.00        195.00    $__________
Line Art Module     NEW                150.00        195.00    $__________
Gridplay Module      NEW                15.00         20.00    $__________
Vector Graphic Module                  100.00        130.00    $__________
Speed-Line Autotrace Module             50.00         65.00    $__________
Colour Separation Module                50.00         65.00    $__________
Brush Module                            30.00         35.00    $__________
Mount Module                            50.00         65.00    $__________
Mask Module                            150.00        195.00    $__________
Toolbox/Clipboard Modules               80.00        100.00    $__________

Calamus System Products
-----------------------
Calamus for Windows NT (to Jan. 31)    300.00        400.00    $__________
Allcurve Program   NEW                  20.00         25.00    $__________
Simple Pleasures   NEW                  20.00         25.00    $__________
Calamus Font Editor                     50.00         65.00    $__________
EPS2CVG Version 1                       50.00         65.00    $__________
EPS2CVG Version 2                      100.00        130.00    $__________
MT-Scan Scanner Software (TT only)      80.00        100.00    $__________
Kodak Photo-CD Driver for Calamus SL    20.00         25.00    $__________
Vector Graphic Clip Art Library         30.00         35.00    $__________
Focoltone Colour Swatch Book            79.00         99.00    $__________
Focoltone Set of 16 Colour Charts      169.00        209.00    $__________
Focoltone Colour Specifier Chip Book   200.00        250.00    $__________
Robot T-Shirt: Large only               12.00         15.00    $__________
USER to USER TIPS Volume 1              20.00         25.00    $__________
USER to USER TIPS Volume 2              20.00         25.00    $__________
USER to USER TIPS Volume 3  NEW         20.00         25.00    $__________
Outline Art 3.0                        150.00        195.00    $__________
INVISION Elite                         150.00        195.00    $__________

Calamus Fonts 
-------------
(A) 5 Free Typefaces for orders over US 100.00 or 130.00 CDN
    Example: CGTM4RE, TRIU7BC, etc. 
(B) Font Orders (See previous Price List and Font Poster or call for
    information.) Note: When ordering fonts please indicate clearly the
    Font Foundry, Typeface Family name and number of typefaces, along
    with the price. (e.g. CG Times 4 faces)

Power Products
--------------
Cyrel Sunrise M16-1280 NEW PRICE       995.00      1,295.00    $__________
Fast Technology Turbo 030            1,495.00      1,895.00    $__________
  Options: Upgrade to 8 megabytes add  299.00        375.00    $__________
           Upgrade to 16 megabytes add 699.00        875.00    $__________
           68882 FPU add               199.00        249.00    $__________
           68000 Processor add          25.00         30.00    $__________
           Installation add            100.00        125.00    $__________

Shipping and Insurance
----------------------
US and Canadian orders add $10, all other countries add $20.   $__________
Canadian residents please add 7% GST                           $__________
Ontario residents please add 8% PST.                           $__________

                                                    TOTAL      $__________
                                                                ----------


                            --==--==--==--==--


 |||
 |||  Shutdown ............................ Power off, EXIT, BYE, Logoff
/ | \ ------------------------------------------------------------------

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 (11-1)

                            --==--==--==--==--

                     Asphincterboysayslate. Sha! Right!

                            --==--==--==--==--


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 (c) 1993, Subspace Publishers

                                   * * *
                                   * * *
                                   * * *
                                  *  *  *
                                 *   *   *
 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: A    E    O :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 :: Volume 2 - Issue 22    ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE        18 December 1993 ::
 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


-----------------------------------------
Return to message index