ST Power User: 23-Sep-90 #1
From: Atari SIG (xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 04/11/94-12:23:33 PM Z
From: xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Atari SIG)
Subject: ST Power User: 23-Sep-90 #1
Date: Mon Apr 11 12:23:33 1994
Article 82 of freenet.sci.comp.atari.mags:
From: aj205@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Kevin Steele)
Date: Sun, 7 Oct 90 17:36:10 GMT
ST Power User
Online Magazine
Issue 1
September 23, 1990
The bi-monthly online magazine that shows you what's available
in commerical and shareware programs for the Atari ST
Chief Editor and Publisher............Brian Hilbern
Reviewers.............................Brian Hilbern
.............................Chris McBride
.............................Jay Ford
DTP Editor............................Jay Ford
Temp Business Editor..................Brian Hilbern
---------------------------------
If you have a shareware or commercial program you would like
reviewed in our magazine please send the program, purchasing,
and U.S. and Canadian pricing information to:
ST Review
P.O. Box 890117
Oklahoma City, OK 73189-0117
If you would like to upload your program you may by calling
(405)691-0244 24hrs a day, 3/12/24. Please include full
documentation and a list of the features to be placed in the
magazine. You may write to me in Fido Net mail at 1:147/25
and send the message to Brian Hilbern. GEnie address L.HILBERN.
---------------------------------
Contents this Week
------------------
o Information about this new magazine
o Mainstream Publishing
o ST and Business
o Program Reviews
Programs Reviewed this Week
---------------------------
Program Name Program Type Type Price
-----------------------------------------------------------
Second Generation BBS.......BBS...........SW.......$70
Reviewed by: Brian Hilbern
View GIF 0.8...............Graphics.......SW.......$15
Reviewed by: Brian Hilbern
Drakkhen.....................Game.......Comercial...$59.95
Reviewed by: Chris McBride
Nova........................Game..........PD.......Free
Reviewed by: Brian Hilbern
Explode.....................Game..........PD.......Free
Reviewed by: Brian Hilbern
---------------------------------
Information about this magazine
-------------------------------
This online magazine is being published to help show you
what is available at your local computer store and what is
available in the world of shareware. We felt that there was
something missing in software reviews in magazines and that is
shareware reviews. Also we noticed that a lot of commercial
software reviews appeared in magazines sometimes months after
their release.
It's easy at times to find out about commercial software.
You just go to your local dealer and demo the program. But now a
lot of dealers don't demo programs as much as they used to and
some software dealers will only have an IBM computer to demo
programs and that leaves out us ST users. Or in some cases you
don't live near anyone selling ST software and must rely on mail
order. It's hard to demo a program from a mail order house.
Shareware on the other hand is easy to try out. But have you
ever spent 30 minutes downloading a program from a service that
charges you $10 an hour only to find that the program won't do
you any good and you end up deleting it an hour later?
We are here to try and fill the gap. We will give you a
non-biased review of the programs we review. We will rate the
program by different categories. All the programs will be given
a rating between 1 and 10.
This magazine will also greatly benefit software authors.
People will know the price of your program, were to obtain the
program, and where to order the program.
Our reviewers will be many different people. Anyone who
wants may submit a review and the program you are reviewing
(please do not review your own program). All DTP programs will
be reviewed by someone who uses ST's for a publishing business,
specific use ST software will be reviewed by the person that is most
qualified to give an objective review.
We are now looking for a games editor and a business editor.
If you would like to apply for one of these positions just write
a column and if we like what we see you can be the editor. Please
include you name, mailing address, phone number, net mail address
if any, and you GEnie or CIS mailing address if any.
---------------------------------
MAINSTREAM PUBLISHING
by Jay Ford
Before we get started I'd like to invite everyone out there who
puts out a newsletter on their ST's to get involved with the STix
Newsletter Exchange program. How? Simple. Just send put STix on
your mailing list and when we receive your publication, we'll put
you on ours. I've found that this sort of an exchange program is
an excellent way of communicating with other ST people and
generally fosters a little bit of 'friendly competition' that will
improve the quality of all our newsletters. Hope to see yours!
ST Information eXchange (STix)
P.O. Box 161
Nicoma Park, Oklahoma 73066
You have booted in your machine the first of a hopefully ongoing
series of articles dealing with Publishing and the Atari ST.
Dropping 'Desktop' was intentional- DTP implies semi or non-
professional publishing. Computers have moved into every aspect of
publishing and no 'proffessional' service is without them now...
even the hard-liners who swore that Linotype, Stat Cameras and
Pasteup were as far as typesetting technology could go and
computers simply didn't produce the quality that the old methods
did.
The second reason is that 'Publishing' encompasses every aspect of
the trade; we can't just talk about the ST and Atari's Desktop
Publisher package. Being submerged in just one machine would cause
a publishing service to go broke very quickly, and the home user
to miss a lot of excellent products that CAN be used with their
machine.
To illustrate this point, our first article deals with the
foundation of electronis publishing today: PosctScript.
********************
PostScript and the PostScript World
Just what are we Talking about Anyway?
********************
PostScript (def). an interpreted page description language.
Doesn't say much, does it? Like most technical definitions, it's
short, concise and completely non-informative. PostScript is,
essentially, a programming language purely for output devices
(originally only for printers, but now there is Display PostScript
as well). Like any programming language, it acts as an interpreter
between the machines and users to allow easier programming in more
'human terms'. In fact, a PostScript (.PS) file bears a strong
resemblance to a Pascal source code file.
Few humans program in PostScript. It's most important function is
to allow communication between different machines and software.
For example, a Linotype 3400 series typesetter equipped with a
PostScript interpreter can output a file whether it was created on
an Atari ST in Timeworks Desktop Publisher, an IBM PC in Ventura
Publisher, A Macintosh II with PageMaker 3.0, or a mainframe using
Interleaf Publisher. In fact, PostScript is flexible enough that
it has been adapted to every type (and most brands) of output
device and virtually every piece of Publishing software made.
The greatest strength of a Page Description Language (PDL) is that
it provides a standard format for scalable-outline fonts. Even
though there are three different Adobe PostScript Font Types, a PS
user can conceivably have several thousand different typefaces
available... and dozens of customizer programs at his fingertips.
SCALABLE OUTLINE is the professional's way of making a computer
typeface; PS uses nothing else.
Generally, a PostScript printer has a whole computer of its own to
interpret a file sent to it. This has it's pluses and minuses. A
user can wind up buying a whole second computer system in his
printer, for one minus. At least two meg of ram, a fast (ususally
32-bit) processor, a math co-processor, and sometimes even a hard
drive that are used only for printing. Sometimes the cost of a
laser printer can be double or trebeled this way. On the Plus
side, souping up the printer can make for very, very fast output.
Also, this means an old printer can be retro-fit with PostScript
to improve it's quality and compatibility.
Lately, PC-based PS interpreters have popped up, using the
computer's memory and processor instead of the printer. They are
the poor man's way of printing quality; they are also very, very
slow (depending on the machine). In addition, the cheaper versions
(especially the IBM's) do not use Compugraphic standard font
outlines and don't yield the quality of the real Adobe product.
Happily, the ST's own UltraScript is relatively quick and has
wonderful font outlines with excellent overall output.
Of coarse, PostScript isn't the only Page Description Language
around. It is, however, the most complete. Like regular
programming languages, PDL's have their strengths, weaknesses, and
tradeoffs. PostScript's winning feature is that it is the most
complete; it isn't fast, but it will do EVERYTHING, so a
professional publisher is 99% likely to use it over something that
will just say "I can't" at an unexpected time. PosctScript's
drawbacks are twofold: it's slow (it's big!), and it's expensive.
A license can add a lot of cost to a PostScript printer, which is
why machines like the Apple LaserWriter are so much more expensive
than something like an SLM-804.
The industry's best art packages use Encapsulated PostScript (EPS)
as their graphic standard, and all major publishers (EXCEPT
Calamus) can import this artwork... which just happens to be
available by the CD FULL.
For final output, PostScript simply looks better than anything
else made. Not even the mighty speed demon Calamus can match it's
graphic quality (one of those trade-offs) and they are evenly
matched on fonts, since both Calamus and PostScript were designed
by the same company: Compugraphic. PostScript is also one of the
few PDL's capable of color output or color seperations.
What does this mean to ST'ers? PostScript means that we can
purchase a package like PageStream and use professional graphics
and fonts not meant for us in the first place. It means (with
UltraScript) we can add something like the Spectre GCR and use
excellent Mac publishing software, but don't have to pay out the
Wazoo for a printer to output the results. It means we can print
our documents to disk and take them to a printing service and have
them output at 1,200-3,400 d.p.i.-- national magazine quality. It
means we communicate with the Real World and needn't worry that
our machine brand isn't what everyone else has.
Products Mentioned
***********************************************************
Atari ST, SLM-804-
Atari Corp.
360 Carribean Dr. Door 4E
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
(408) 745-2367
PostScript-
Adobe Inc.
1585 Charleston Rd.
P.O. Box 7900
Mountain View, CA 940397900
Apple Laserwriter, Macintosh, Macintosh II-
copyright Apple Computer Inc.
Timeworks Desktop Publisher-
Timeworks Inc.
444 Lake Cook
Deer Field, IL 60015
(312) 948-9202
Ventura Publisher-
copyright Xerox Corporation
PageMaker 3.0-
copyright Aldus Systems
Interleaf Publisher-
copyright IBM
Calamus Desktop Publisher-
I.S.D. Marketing
2651 John St. Unit #3
Markham, Ontario Canada L3R2WS
(416) 479-1880
UltraScript-
ImaGem Corp.
P.O. Box 58101
Santa Clara Ca. 95052
PageStream Desktop Publisher-
Soft-Logik Publishing Corp.
P.O. Box 290070
St. Loius, MO 63129
314-894-8608
800-829-8608
BBS 314-894-0057
--------------------------------
ST AND BUSINESS
By Brian Hilbern
I have been using Atari ST's in business for a little over 3
years now. I have suffered some ridicule by my IBM using friends
during that period of time. Each time the ST has stood strong to any
criticism. This article will be an attempt to help bring the business
side of the ST to the light. Many ST users don't know what business
software is out there for the ST. I know several ST owners that use
IBM's for business just because they didn't know about business
software for the ST.
The first area I will be talking about is retail programs. There
are several out there for the ST that have everything IBM programs
have including cash drawer support and bar code readers.
Sales Pro
---------
The first products I will be talking about are the programs
from Hi-Tech Advisors. They are makers of high quality business
software for ST's and IBM's. The first program is called Sales Pro.
Sales Pro is a retail sales program that is very expandable with the
use of add-on modules and is powerful by it's self.
Sales Pro Features
------------------
Process Sales and Returns, Inventory Management, Notes, Lay-away's, and
accounts receivable, Account Payable, Purchase Orders, Reports, Vendor
Files, Deposits and Credits, Floor Planning, Service Center, Back
orders and customer files, General Ledger, UPS Shipmate, and much more.
Accessories
-----------
'Bill To', allows printing of Bill To: Ship: information on invoices
Utilities, removes bad dates, makes files dBase compatible, insert one
vendor I.D. into all inventory records, allows price percentage
changes to all prices.
Bar Code Accessory that allows using a bar code reader with Sales Pro
Optional Hardware
-----------------
Bar Code Reader
Cash Drawer
SBM ST
------
Another program for the ST designed for a retail or wholesale
environment is SBM ST from Newell Industries. This is a point of sale
program that can handle almost all sales functions.
Features
--------
Produces invoices, purchase orders, statements, mailing labels, price
labels, quotes, sales and account reports, plus much more.
Inventory Control
-----------------
Each inventory record consist of item number, part number,
description, vendor number, quantity on hand, location, reorder point,
quantity on order, cost, sale price, quantity sold, dollar amount
sold, and product group.
Accounts
--------
Account records consist of account number, name and address, terms,
total purchased, total paid, last invoice date, and balance due.
As you can see from the information on these two products either
one would be a good point of sale program for you. The Atari ST makes
a great point of sale system. With software like this available I
don't see why more Atari dealers don't use this software. It doesn't
look good for an authorized Atari dealer to be using IBM's when
software like this is available for the ST.
Hi-Tech Advisors also has a full line of other business software
for retail environments. They have programs for video stores, gas
stations, clubs, and churches.
Take a look at what the ST has to offer and you might find
yourself putting that IBM you use for business up for sale like I did.
In the next issue I will be showing you some more of the ST
business power. So until then.....
Products mentioned in this article
----------------------------------
Sales-Pro $99
Church Manager $199
Fuel-Pro $199
Video/Rental-Pro $299
Super Video/Rental Pro $499
Club Manager $199
Hi-Tech Advisors
P.O. Box 7524
Winter Haven, FL 33883-7524
1-800-882-4310
SBM ST $69.95
Newell Industries
P.O. Box 253
Wylie, TX 75098
(214)442-6612
---------------------------------
SOFTWARE REVIEWS
---------------------------------
Second Generation BBS
---------------------
Reviewed by: Brian Hilbern
Requires:
ST with 1 meg RAM
Hard Drive is strongly recommended
Color or Mono though color is prefered
This is a BBS program written by Jason Strautman. It is a
full BBS program with file areas, message areas, online games,
and message networking through F-Net. The program uses SIG's
rather than combining all file and message areas.
Features
--------
From the SG BBS Instructions
----------------------------
SG can support up to 16 different SIG's (just like forums or RT's) on
each system. SIG's can have their own SigOp(s) with SysOp-type access that is
only good on their own SIG. Each SIG can have their own surveys (polls),
questionnaires, 64 message bases, and 64 libraries. BBS lists are shared
throughout the system, and menus can either be placed in one directory to be
shared by all SIG's or can be created specifically for each SIG. (Some SIG's
can even use one version of a menu and others can use their own separate
menus.) The system setup (where the commands are placed on the menus, which
commands are accessable, etc.) can be edited for each different SIG, and there
are almost 70 commands to cover most everything imaginable. Global commands
(those that are available system-wide) may also be defined.
Message base features: Threads of messages (an original message and any
replies are all part of the same thread) can be selected and read individually
in addition to the normal "read all new messages." Messages with files
attached will also be supported in the full version of the software. Also,
SysOps/SigOps can change people's access to message bases AND decide which
message bases will be active for their users (only active bases are accessed
by most commands). There is also a reply by E-Mail option, for SysOps who do
not wish to enable private messages, and, of course, anonymous messages may be
posted if the SysOp wished to enable them.
Library features: Files may be searched on their keywords, age, description,
library, uploader, or filename. Searches may then be expanded (where files
that were previously "found" AND those found in the last search will be
marked) or narrowed (where files must meet both sets of requirements) and any
found files may be batchmarked, listed, or browsed (full descriptions).
Naturally, batch transfers are allowed. Additional protocols may be added
simply by editing a file and supplying an external program (like XYZ.TTP) to
make the actual transfer. Up to 100 protocols may be in use at one time
(although finding the symbols to represent them may be more difficult). A
reply feature is provided so that users may send the uploader of a file a
comment with little effort. Files do not need to be in any specific folder or
partition, so you can even take files off of your own partitions on your HD
and make them available for download.
Profile features: All of the normal profile features (like upload/download
ratios, etc.) are available, although any user may have an unlimited "limit,"
such as unlimited daily uploads or unlimited messages. Otherwise, limits must
range from 0-32767. In addition to a download access level, 32 different
flags are available (I use these to set the user's default SIG), with an
additional 8 flags for each SIG (the SigOp's may only edit SIG flags in theConnection at local terminal on 08/15/1990 at 21:21:40.
Jason Strautman/SG SYSOP (100001) connected.
ser or SysOp/SigOp. Also, there is a batch edit
available where you can make specific changes on users' profiles (you can
limit the changes to users with certain access levels), which saves the
trouble of having tens of validation masks (which you would need if you have
several SIG's with SigOps.) The batch edit options (one for general access
level and one for SigOps) will not change a user's access level unless
requested, so you could possibly change all user's upload/download ratio in
several keystrokes without altering other parts of their profile.
Assorted features: An override option is provided so that you can be prompted
(by a short tone) whenever a user does not have access to a certain feature,
and then give them "access" to that feature without changing his profile.
Function keys are provided for most functions, including entering, exiting, or
(de)activating chat mode. Also, it is virtually impossible for a SigOp to
raise their own access level, as SigOp/SysOp shell commands are only loaded at
boot-up, preventing someone from changing the menus on-line. Also, SigOps
cannot change anything in their general profile (only library/message access
in their SIG or SIG flags). Support is provided for 5 graphic modes, and
graphic modes can even be passed onto SG-type doors programs (by type, such as
IGS, ASCII, VT-52, etc.). Any menu (including action menus at message,
E-Mail, and library prompts) may have different versions for each graphic
mode, especially handy for IGS users and for making point-and-click menus).
Naturally, FoReM-type doors are supported (the DORINFO1.DAT is created - I'm
working on the FOREM.DAT file). GEM support can be provided in the form of
dialog boxes, desk accessories, and file selector boxes (including alternate
selectors).
Message Bases
-------------
The message areas are somewhat complicated to use.
Reading new messages in a SIG is not easy unless you are shown
like I had to be. The message base edit commands are lacking
but are functional. The message bases need work. This program
has F-Net but I was not able to try that feature.
File Areas
----------
The file areas are one of the best features of this BBS.
They are easy to use and have several functions not available on
most BBS program like being able to send E-mail to the uploader
of a file from the file area. There are several transfer
protocols on the program including X modem, Y modem, Y batch,
and Z modem. You can limit a persons access to a particular files.
SysOp Commands
--------------
The SysOp shell is very easy to use and validating new
users is very easy. There is a full range of DOS type commands,
file area editing, message base editing, and user editing
features. The SysOp shell is nice.
Overall View
------------
Second Generation BBS is a nice program but needs a lot of
work. It would be confusing for first time modem users as well
as some veteran users. I spent an hour on the program and
sometimes needed help and I have been using modems and calling
bulletin boards for around 14 years. I didn't get to view the
documentation because all I was allowed to try was the demo.
The price for this program is $70.
Price.........2
Quality.......5
Ease of Use...4
Features......8
Overall Rating..5
Second Generation may be ordered by sending a check or money
order for $70 to:
Jason Strautman
239 Redwood
San Antonio, TX 78209
His BBS number is (512)828-8165 and his GEnie mail address is
J.STRAUTMAN.
---------------------------------
View GIF 0.8
------------
Reviewed by: Brian Hilbern
Requirements: Any ST
View GIF 0.8 is a shareware program written by Craig S.
Buchanan. This program is used to view graphics.
Features
--------
This program has just about anything you can want from a
graphics viewer. It displays GIF, NEO, MAC, and Degas pictures.
With this program you can view large GIF pictures that before you
couldn't view with any other ST GIF viewer. It will convert the
256 color GIF pictures to grey scale for easy viewing. This
program doesn't crunch the picture for viewing. It uses a GEM
window to view the picture and allows you to scroll up, down,
left, and right. You can clip the picture for saving to NEO or
Degas or you can shrink the picture to save the whole thing but
then it will be crunched.
This program also supports overscan though I wasn't able to
try that feature. The program also allows you to translate 256
color GIF to 256 color gray scale for image processing using the
Atari Image Manager. It will also convert to Spectrum and CP8.
Future Enhancements
-------------------
Support for 4096 color palletes in now in the works.
Support for the resolution of the TT is also in the future.
Overall View
------------
If you like GIF pictures this program is for you. It is
worth every penny. There is nothing out there that can touch
this program in features and use. I highly recommend it to
everyone that like GIF pictures.
Price...........8
Quality........10
Ease of Use.....9
Features.......10
Overall Rating..9
This program may be ordered by sending a check or money
order for $15 to:
Craig S. Buchanan
4-319 Mackay St.
Ottawa, Ont.
K1M 2B7 Canada
This program was released in Febuary of 1990 so it is a little
old but I felt it was a good program and needed some more
recognition. The $15 price is for Canada I assume so if you are
in the United States you should probably contact the author
before ordering.
---------------------------------
Drakken
-------
Data East USA, Inc.
1850 Little Orchard Street
Licensed from Infogames San Jose, California 95125
Price $59.95 (408)386-7074
Review written by Chris McBride
_______________________________________________________________________________
Adventure / Role Playing Game
Includes:
2 disks
- copy protected
- not hard drive installable
- density unknown
Background Storybook
Instruction guide
Requires:
Color Monitor
ST w/ 512K
Features:
Great on screen graphics
digitized sounds
4 separately or singly controlled characters
a island playing area with many castles and settlements
The Game:
Drakken is a new game that is being distributed by Data East but was
originally created by those at Infogrames in France. Infogrames has a long
history in the ST game world of creating good games with good graphics and
good playability. Data East unfortunately has a reputation of producing
shallow shoot-em-ups and has very few good games available for the ST market.
I had hoped upon purchasing this program that it would be Data East's final
triumph and that they would finally have a hit on their hands, because it
has long been rumoured that Data East was getting out of the ST software
world as soon as possible. And they might succeed with Drakken because it
really is a good game with new ideas in a slightly overworked genre of
programs.
Drakken is a world where magic is fading fast because of one erronious
Paladin that destroyed the last Dragon in the world. Evidentially the
dragon was the embodyment of all the magic in the world, and when it was
destroyed all the magic was too. Well the Paladin was discovered soon
after his horrible deed by the rulers of the land and put to death for his
trouble. At about the same time that the Paladin was killing the last
dragon in the world there was a ship that was sailing the seas of Drakken,
and when the magic faded the Wind-Wizard of the ship was unable to create
the winds that would give the ship power to move forward. Thus the ship
drifted for a week or so but finally ran a ground in some completely unknown
place hat was totally foreign to the sailors. This foreignness of the land
became quite apparent when the sailors made their first run in with the
locals. It seems that the locals of this new land were decended from
Dragons and looked exactly like it. Well these Drakkens, as they came to
be called, were none to friendly and almost completely destroyed the landing
party. The Wind-Wizard and a couple of others were one of the few to make
it back. They came back to the capital city and told their story to the
rulers who immediately sent the call out for the best adventurers in the
threatened to take over the world.
The game play is interesting to say the least. You control 4 characters
of your creation of the usual RPG mismash of fighters, magic users,
thieves, etc. These four characters can either be controlled in a 'group
mode' or a in a 'character mode'. Group mode is where you control the
whole party to move them around in the landscape. When your in group mode
the landscape moves around you much like or better than it would in a
flight simulator (except your stuck to the ground), the screen updates are
fast the graphics are well done and the group is easy to control. In
character mode you can control each of the characters on the screen
separately, this mode is used for fighting and exploring castles and houses.
Either the keyboard or the mouse or the joystick can be used to move your
players around. The Magic system consists of already learned spells that
depend on your level as to whether they're available or not. To set a
character to use spells instead of fighting you click on the sword icon on
the lower left corner of the screen and it switches to some kind of magical
script. You can then click on the script and it will change to different
words. Each word is a different spell, and to find out which word does
which spell you have to look in the back of the story book. To fight you
just leave the above icon set to a sword and as soon as someone appears
they will attack. There are also icons to talk with other characters,
closely inspect items, save the game, take objects, activate mechanisms,
and greet other characters.
The low down:
Drakken is a good game with a potential of being a great game except for
some problems. As I've mentioned before the graphics are really good with
a close attention to detail that you find in really good games. The sound
is kind of sparse but I feel that there's enough of it to make an impact on
the game. The background story book is well written and worth reading but
unfortunately it doesn't tell you how to play the game, and worse yet the
instruction guide doesn't either. All the instruction guide does is vaguely
tell you what each object on the screen is for, and what the keystrokes are.
I didn't find one thing in the game that actually told me HOW to play it.
Maybe that's my failing and I should have been able to play the game with
the information provided, well some people may be able to do that but I
need a little more instructions especially for a game of this size. An
example of what I mean:
When you first appear in the game you're in the middle of a path with a
castle like structure in front of you. You move towards the castle with
and intent to go inside it and find out whatis in it. Once you get to the
castle the game automatically puts you in character mode and you proceeded
across the moat into the gate. A shark that is moving around the castle in
the moat suddenly jumps over the drawbridge and kills your character. You
try again, same thing happens. And within less than 3 minutes of
starting the game for the very first time all your characters are dead and
you have to start over. Not good.
I still haven't made it inside that castle. Its a great game, but entirely
too difficult to play (for me).
I think I'll wait for the hint book on this one.
Graphics ......... 9
Sound ............ 8
Playability ...... 4
Instructions ..... 5
Value for Money .. 7
---------------------
Overall Score .... 6.6
---------------------------------
Nova
----
Reviewed by Brian Hilbern
Requirements
512K
Colour Low Res
Use keyboard keys for movement
Nova is a fast paced shoot-em-up space game similar to the
arcade game Galaxian. It is written by Arunan Thaya-Paran in
machine code using HiSoft's Devpac. The graphics were drawn using
Rainbird's Advanced OCP Art Studio.
The game starts out hard but gets a little easier as you go.
There are many stages in this game and each one is more difficult
that the later. This is a challenging game but can be conquered
with a lot of playing. The graphics are very nice. One thing I
didn't like about the game was that you didn't get a free ship after
you reached a certain score. The game is hard without that free
ship. You'll be entertained by this game for many hours. The game
is PD so look for it on your favorite BBS and download it as soon
as possible, you'll be glad you did.
Playability.....9
Instructions....8
Graphics........9
Sound...........7
Overall.........8
---------------------------------
Explode
-------
Reviewed by Brian Hilbern
Requirements: Any ST
Programing by Peter D. Hibbs
Explode is a game designed for the thinking types among you. The
first thing you must do before playing Explode is to unplug that
joystick and plug in your brain and prepare yourself for some
serious brain busting.
The object of the game is to turn all the pieces on the
board to your own colour. To play the game move the mouse pointer
to a square and click the left mouse button. This will add one
to that square in your colour (you cannot select a square with
your opponents piece on it). Each square has a critical explode
value; The corner squares are 2, the edge squares are 3 and all
central squares are 4.
When the number on a piece reaches its critical value,
the square will explode and the pieces with move to the adjacent
2, 3 or 4 squares. If any of these adjacent squares have your
opponent's pieces on them, they will change to your colour thus
capturing that square. If a captured square reaches its
critical value, it will inturn explode and may capture further
squares in a chain reaction across the board.
Explode doesn't offer a lot of fancy graphics or a lot of sound.
It is a fun game none the less. I have spent many hours playing
this game. It is challenging game. It is PD so be sure to look for
it on your favorite BBS, it's worth downloading.
Overall......8
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P R E S S R E L E A S E C E N T E R
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Quick ST II Update Information
Seurat Version 2.0
Turbo * Blitz Verison 3.0x
Quick ST II version 2.2
=======================
- faster!
- new features!
- 68030 compatible!
- new phone numbers!
- newsletter for registered users!
- German language version in Europe!
- expanded credit card and shipping support!
Price: $19.95 U.S.
Branch Always Software
14150 N.E. 20th Street, Suite 302
Bellevue, WA 98007 U.S.A.
Order line: (206)-643-9697 (10am to 6pm Pacific Time)
FAX: (206)-643-3844 (24 hours)
Telephone: (206)-885-5893 (24 hours)
Compuserve: 73657,2714
GEnie: DAREKM
This is to announce that an update to our popular screen accelerator, Quick
ST II version 2.2, is being released this Friday, September 14, 1990. It
will be on sale at the upcoming Atari shows in Glendale and Washington.
Quick ST 2.2 will go on sale at dealers across the U.S. and Canada in
October. A German version will also go on sale in Europe. Existing
registered users of Quick ST and Quick ST II can upgrade immediately.
Features:
---------
Quick ST 2.2 is a software screen accelerator. When used on any Atari ST,
Atari STE, or Mega ST, it speeds up the text and graphics operations on the
screen. Almost any text or GEM based program runs faster as a result,
making your ST perform like a much faster machine. No hardware
modifications are required. And the ability to install custom background
patterns and pictures is included!
Quick ST 2.2 is very memory efficient, using less than 30K of memory for
the standard version, and less than 20K for the 2.2G version (also
included). An extra 32K of memory is required for background pictures.
Quick ST 2.2 is fully compatible with hardware accelerators, such as the
T16 accelerator from Fast Technologies, the Blitter chip, and even the
68030 chip. When used with a hardware accelerator, Quick ST 2.2 provides a
speed increase on top of the speed increase of the hardware accelerator.
Quick ST 2.2 has a number of improvements compared to Quick ST 2.1 and
earlier versions. Some of the new improvements include:
Support for the ISAC graphics card (which gives a screen resolution of
1024x768 pixels in 16 colors). Moniterm monitors and Overscan
modifications are still supported, as is the MonSTEr emulator (in all
3 screen resolutions).
Blitter support for faster screen scrolling, and it now checks the
status of the blitter chip to see if it is disabled. This allows Quick
ST 2.2 to run on machines with defective blitter chips.
GEM line drawing and rectangle fills are even faster than before.
68020/68030 accelerator board support is available on a second disk
for $10 more. Quick ST 2.2 also supports the original 3 graphics modes
on the TT. Full TT support will be available in Quick ST 3.0.
The Desktop Customizer now allows you to temporarily disable Quick ST
2.2 from the menu bar, for easy "before" and "after" speed
comparisons. We found this feature handy when demonstating Quick ST
2.2 at the recent World Of Atari show in San Jose, and you will too.
Several bugs have been fixed with Word Up 3.0, Laser C, Opus,
Wordflair, GFA Basic 3.0, and other programs. Two bugs relaeted to the
fast GDOS font drawing are fixed. First, a bug that caused Word Up 3.0
to occasionally display garbled text when scrolling is fixed. And
outlined GDOS fonts now get drawn correctly on a color monitor.
The Quick ST 2.2 package also includes the MonSTEr high resolution monitor
emulator, the Quick Index benchmark utility, Quick View, and of course, the
Quick ST II Desktop Customizer.
Starting in November, all registered users of Quick ST II and Quick Tools
will receive a periodic newsletter which gives information about updates
(such as Quick ST III), tips for using the software, answers to commonly
asked questions, and other information. To receive the newsletter, you MUST
fill out and send in the registration card that came with your Quick ST II
or Quick Tools software.
How to order Quick ST 2.2:
--------------------------
Quick ST 2.2 can be ordered directly by credit card (VISA, Mastercard, and
Discover) through Xanth Corporation. Various shipping methods are
available, including UPS, DHL, Express Mail, and First Class Mail. Call the
order line between 10am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. Most orders received
before noon will be shipped out the same day. Shipping charges will depend
on the shipping method chosen and the country being shipped to.
If ordering by mail, send a check or money order for $19.95 + shipping ($3
in Canada and the U.S., $5 elsewhere) in U.S. funds and allow 3-4 weeks for
delivery. Make all checks payable to Branch Always Software. No C.O.D's.
How to upgrade to Quick ST 2.2:
-------------------------------
To upgrade to Quick ST 2.2 from an earlier version we MUST already have
your registration card. Take your original Quick ST or Quick ST II disk,
include the appropriate update fee, and mail it to Branch Always Software.
Please note the new upgrade prices:
$3 - If you purchased Quick ST 2.1 after August 31, 1990. If you did not
purchase it directly from us, include a copy of the receipt showing
the date and dealer name it was purchased from.
$5 - If you are upgrading from Quick ST version 2.0 or 2.1 and live in
Canada or the United States.
$10 - If you do not live in Canada or the U.S., if you are upgrading from
Quick ST version 1.8 or earlier, if you lost the original Quick ST
disk, or if it is inconvenient to send the original disk.
Sorry, if we do not have your registration card, we don't know about you
and you cannot upgrade and you will not receive the newsletter. So dig up
those Quick ST packages and mail in the registration cards folks!
NOTE: $5 off discount coupons which appered this summer in various ST
magazines we valid for purchasing Quick ST 2.1 only, and cannot be used to
purchase Quick ST 2.2.
Quick ST III
------------
Rumors of Quick ST III (a.k.a. Quick TT) have been circulating for a while.
It was our original intention to write a new TT compatible screen
accelerator to take advantage of the 68030 chip and the new TT graphics
modes and have it released at around this time. That was based on original
estimates on the release date of the TT in North America, which have now
come and gone. So a decision was made to take some of the features of Quick
ST III and some badly needed bug fixes and make the Quick ST 2.2 release
for the ST computer. Quick ST III also runs on any standard ST, although it
has much higher memory requirements and a hard disk is recommended. Until
we have a better idea of when the TT will be available, what the ST market
will be like a few months from now, what sort of new hardware (i.e.
accelerator boards or new ST models) will be available, consider Quick ST
III to be vaporware. Please do not phone us asking when it will ship or for
more information about it. When we decide on a release date, which will
probably not be until at least the end of the year, that information will
be sent out in a newsletter to all registered Quick ST II users. For now,
enjoy Quick ST 2.2!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This magazine may be distributed freely as long as no part is
edited. Portions of this magazine may be reproduced as long as
credit is given to the person who wrote the article and the issue
number and name of the magazine is included. H&H Enterprises accepts
no liability. The reviews are those of the authors and not of this
publication. Advertising information my be obtained by writing to
the address below or calling the BBS at (405)691-0244. All
materials submited become the property of the magazine and may
be edited. All programs submited become the property of H&H
Enterprises in exchange for the advertising. (c) 1990, H&H
Enterprises. When sending programs please include Canada and U.S. prices.
Product names shown in this publication are the registered trademarks
of the manufactures of the products.
H&H Enterprises
P.O. Box 890117
Oklahoma City, OK 73189-0117
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin Steele (aj205.Cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
-----------------------------------------
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