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
--==--==--==--==--
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--==--==--==--==--
||| 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!)
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--==--==--==--==--
||| 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
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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