April 2003
I NEWSLETTER for April, 2003 President's Corner
Treasurer's Report
by Michael Current April, 2003
by Greg Leitner
Not much to say again this much, the club just keeps humming right along.
I celebrated my birthday recently by having a few mends and my brother over, and naturally we spent part of the evening · playing Atari computer games. Rally Speedway, Kaboom!, and BC's Quest For T"tres were hits again, along with a game of Archon. Also popular, to my somewhat surprise, was Worms?, especially when it wasn't even displaying right, presumably because we were on an XE rather than an original 800. Fun was had by all. Speaking of the original 800, the club acquired two of them last month, along with a great deal of additional goodies, so we'll probably be able to hold another auction soon.
For March, 2003
We couldn't ask for better weather for our March 2003 SPACE meeting. The traffic wasn't as kind as it took me an extra 10 minutes to cross the Lafayette bridge and Michael said his trip was even slower. But the meeting went on and with eight members present we conducted our business and had a . chance to talk to a former member of SPACE. I can't remember his name but I know he was a member before I joined and that is over fifteen years ago. Sony to hear that this former member is going to give up on his Atari 8-bit system, but the Club is going to profit from it as he has donated all his stuff for the next auction. I would expect the auction to be taking place at the May meeting, but we can discuss this possibility at the April meeting. Here is the breakdown of the Club's treasury for March:
At work, I'm deep in the middle of performing a web server upgrade. Moving from WebSTAR 4 on MacOS 9 to WebSTAR Von MacOS X The new server is live now, but there are still many issues to iron out. After all, the previous server was the product of years of tweaking on my part, it's tough to expect to get everything the way I want it on the new server in just a week!
Beginning balance on March 1, 2003: Receipts for the March meeting: Dom sales
1,134.74
+ 27.00
Expenses for the March meeting: BBS for March
You may recall the new Contiki Internet OSand web browser for 8-bit computer systems. Initially only running on the
Commodore 64, they now have the basics ofit working on the 8-bit Atari. If we're looking for utilities to include on the SPACE DOM, maybe we can ask Glen to include Contiki? SPACE home page counter update: as of3/30/03 @5:30pm: 9073 hits since 2/9/02. Thanks, keep using that Atari, and come to your next SPACE meeting, Friday, April 11, 2003.
Ending balance for March 31, 2003:
l, 151.74
The Club is doing very well, but the first quarter room rental should be coming to me very soon and I also e-mailed Mike Schmidt to get the newsletter expenses caught up to date. I expect the Club would be about $150.00 poorer after these bills are paid. Don't forget anyone who isinterested that the Midwinter Madness Electronics Show is coming up on the 29th of March at the GanglehoffCenter which is part of Concordia University on Marshall Avenue. Advance tickets this year are only $6.00, and $8.00 at the door. Not much for Atari fans but it is fun just walking around and looking as it is a close to a regular flea marl<.et as you will find this time of the year. Well I will keep busy with the NCAA basketball tournament coming up, and before you know it the April meeting will be here. So I will see you all there.
Playstation 2 computer entertainment system (MSRP: $29.99).
~J ~:. J '-~
't ;-_ ..l"
Secretary's Report By Brian-Angel C Little For March, 2003
No Minutes Submitted.
*******••········••**••··························· --From: Carsten Strotmann --Date: Mon, 03 Mar 2003 22: 19: 14 +o I 00 About • Assembler: BiboAssembler 1.21 • License. GNU Public License, hUp://~.gnu.org • Author: Carsten Strotmann *Version: 0.8 • Description: Mini-Read-Only DOS 2.x compatible
Officially licensed by the Formula One Administration Limited and based on the 2002 FIA Formula One World Championship, Grand Prix Challenge is designed to conquer the hearts of all Fl followers. Developed by Infogrames Melbourne House, Grand Prix Challenge brings a level of realism to the physics, handling and racing strategy never before achieved in a console game. Feel the adrenaline rush of being behind the wheel of an FI powerhouse as you race against 21 other cars at 60 frames.per.second.
"Grand Prix Challenge offeB the ideal balance between accessibility and depth," commented Nancy MacIntyre, Vice President of Marketing for lnfogrames' Beverly, MA studio. "With this game, our aim is to fully entertain not only the Fl fans but all the gamers, seeking the perfect combinatioo between graphic quality and addictive gameplay within the fantastic Fl universe. Grand Prix Challenge on PS2 complements the already successful Fl Grand Prix series perfectly."
Why? Why I've written this DOS? I bad a BASIC Cassette program. The program consists of two files, partl.bas and part2.bas. The first part initializes a new character-set and the starts the second part via the CLOAD command
Indeed, while Grand Prix Challenge is heavily based on real world driving physics and constraints, it has been tuned to allow instant enjoyment to the new racer. But Grand Pri.x Challenge, with its 3 different level of handling and 4 different level of artificial intelligence will also provide huge depth and compelling challenges for the most experienced race player.
The second part was really large. Because the cassette load take some time, l would like to have a cassette version. But with a normal DOS loaded (MyDOS, ATARI DOS 2.x, 3, DOS XL, Turbo DOS, I tried almost all), there was only some byte free memory left. Too less to nm the programm.
Melbourne House has modeled the 22 cars and 17 tracks to an unprecedented level of detail Even the many drivers' personal styles have been simulated. Pit Stops are now interactive; you can affect the perfonnance ofyour pit crew to gain those valuable seconds.
So I tested serveral game-dos. (btw, thanks to Matthias Reichl for the new GPL Release of MyPicoDos, http://www.horus.com/-hias/atari/ ). But the game-dos I own don't install a "D:" CIO Handler, they just load the file and start it. That is ok for one-part files, but it didn't work with my two-part file.
Grand Prix Challenge offers S addictive game modes that will keep you coming back for more, from championship mode where you can live all the thrill of a full championship season to frenzy multiplayer races up to 2 players in split screen. Formula One gaming has never been so much fun.
So I wrote 3SDOS. It's 384 Bytes long and fits into the first 3 bootsectors. With this, the basic-cassette program works! And it has 4k free space.
For more information, please visit www.us.infogrames.com.
Limitations: • only read operations • "open file" and "get byte" CIO oouurumds • only finds files in the first directory sector ($169), so only the first 8 dircctocy entries work • no checks • slower that non11al dos load, but dos starts vecy fast! • maybe buggy Future development • Autoload and Start Basic program in the first Directocy entl)', for real Basic-Boot-Disks • keep it in 3 sectors (SD) Download http ://www. strotmann.dc/lwiki/bin/vicw/APG/ThrccScctorDos
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BEVERLY, Mass.-March 7, 2003Leading interactive games publisher lnfogrames, Inc. (NASDAQ:IFGM) has announced today that it has shipped Grand Prix Challenge, the most exciting Formula One game to date. Developed by lnfogrames' Melbourne House for Atari, Grand Prix Challenge hits stores this week for the Sony
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• --From: Thomas Richter --Date: 5 Mar 2003 10:04:23 GMT
Hi folks, atari++ 1.20 has been released. This is mainly a bug-fix release, only minor additions have been made - as the configurable atari 130.xE compatible Ram disk support. Atari++ 1.20: - Fixed name resolution in the generic device handler. (This broke H: successfully in 1.19) - Fixed handling of DD disks. (Thanks, Matthias!) - Fixed error handling within the menu. - Added emulation of various XE like RAM expansions that use bankswitching controlled by PIA Port B. (Thanks, Andreas!) This is still experimental, though. - Fixed endian dependentness of Antic emulation. - Fixed a possible CPU pipeline trash on the G.M monitor command. Plans for future releases: 1.21 will most likely provide access to I050/810 Atari diskdrives by
means of proper cables thanks to the "atarisio" interface of Matthias Reich!. It was still in an unfinished state for the 1.20, but I first wanted to get a couple of bugs fixed before rm going to introduce new ones. (Maybe there will be also "alsa" support without the "oss" layer, all provided I find a suitable documentation ofthe alsa API. I haven't been able to find a proper and sufficient docwnentation for the features I need, yet. Ifyou know wfiere to·obtain a real manual please let me know. Greetings, Thomas
--From: "Adam Dunkels" --Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 08:56:11 +0100 Hello c.s.cbm, c.s.atari.8bit, and c.s.apple2! I am extremely proud to present version 1.0 ofthe cross-platform, open-source, Internet-enabled Contiki operating system and desktop environment. Contiki was originally intended for the the (unexpanded) Commodore 64, but also runs on the VIC-20, CBM PET, Plus/4, Atari 8-bit and the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Ports to the 8-bit Apple][, Atari Jaguar, and a bunch of other platforms are under development. This first version of Contiki contains the following: • Multitasking kernel. • Windowing system with themeable GUI toolkit. * Screensaver. * TCP/JP networking with RS-232/SLIP or Ethernet (PPP support is under development). * Personal web server for convenient file transfers (currently only on C64/TFE systems). * Simple Telnet client (instead ofthe web server on RS232systems). * Web browser (the world's first true web browser for 8-bit systems!). Everything is fully multitasking and does not require any loading of programs. Contiki does not require a disk drive or any other form of mass-storage devices, which means that it is useful both for disk drive owners and tape users. See the Contiki web site for more information, a FAQ, lots of screenshots and for downloading the binaries or the source code: http://dunkels.com/adam/contiki/ Contiki was written in the C programming language by me (Adam Dunkels) with encouragement, suggestions and support from Ullrich von Bassewitz, author of the cc65 C compiler. The VIC-20 port has been made in cooperation with Anders Carlsson, the Atari 8-bit port in cooperation with Christian Groessler, and the NES port together with Groepaz/Hitmen. Chris Morse is currently working on the Apple ][ port and Matthias Domin is working on the Atari Jaguar port. Lawrence Chitty is working on PPP support and on porting Contiki to the Sharp Wizard PDA, Fabio Fumi is porting selected parts of Contiki to the Casio PocketViewer, and James Dessart is porting Contiki to the Tandy CoCo. Mikael Backlund has drawn the Contiki desktop icons. Huge thanks to all for making this possible! /adam Adam Dunkels - http://dunkels.com/adam/
--From: (Mark Grebe) --Date: 13 Mar 2003 21 :09:13 -0800 The new version of the Atari800 port for Mac OSX has been released. You can download from http://members.cox.net/atarimac New Features/Bug Fixes (version 1.3): Features Added/Changed: * Added ANTIC/GTIA Cycle Exact code from Atari800 core emulator. This adds compatability with several games and demos. See Compatability page of program help for more detail. * Added ability to save and load multiple Disk Sets from the Disk Management window. (Also from the Fullscreen UI). See the Media page of the program help for details. • Ability to handle 4 USB Gamepads. This change will require users of earlier version to respecify their joystick emulations. *Added x3 Scaling and x4 Scaling on Wmdowed Display, and added the ability to lock Fullscreen display to 640x480 (on by default) * Added Cartridge and Disk state information to State files. Now when loading a saved state, ·the cartridge and disks present when the state was saved will be mounted. The state file fonnat has not changed, but the disk/cartridge info was added to the end. * Added Backquote () as break key, in addition to Pause/Fl5. • Added Known Bugs page to Help pages. • Added Hot Key (F7) for "Limit to Normal Speed" * Added Emulator message window, which is used to display debug and informational messages from the Emulator core. It can be found under the Control menu. Bugs Fixed: * Fixed Break key/Interrupt bug from Atari800 core emulator * Fixed bug where Gamepad Joystick would stick in one or two directions, unless moved in the other direction. This bug would go away after a few mintues, but was very annoying :). (But amazing easy to fix.... "I love it when a plan comes together" :)). * Fixed bug with Boot Disk Images where only one or two images could be specified without crashing the program. * Fixed bug where Atari Inverse, Cir-Tab, Set-Tab, InsertChar, Insert-Line, Delete-Char, and Delete-Line keys were not recognized by the emulator. * Moved Mouse Grab key(FI2 to FI 1), as it conflicted with Optical Media Eject on non-Apple keyboards. * Fixed BW/Color conversion bug in Pallette Formating code From core emulator.
************************************************** -Date: Sunday, March 16, 2003 9:23 AM -0800 --From: Kevin Savetz --To: Michael Current The team at AtariArchives.org is pleased to announce that the full text ofthe best-selling book _Machine Language For Beginners_ by Richard Mansfield is now online at http://www.atariarchives.org/mlb/ Published in 1983 by Compute! Books, this classic book shows BASIC programmers how to program in 6502 machine language. It includes examples and program code for Atari, Apple 2, PET/CBM, VIC-20, and Commodore 64 computers.
This is the 12th classic computing book available at AtariArchives.org. Like all books at the site, it has been made available by permission ofthe copyright holder. --Kevin SavetzCurator of Classic Computer Magazine Archive http://www.atarimagazines.com & Atarian:hives.org - http://www.atariarchives.org Moderator ofnews:comp.sys.atari.announce - Atari computer news
.................................................. LOS ANGELES-March 26, 2003Atari has shipped the latest installment of the hugely successful "VRally(TM)" racing series -- ''V-R.ally 3" -- to the Xbox(TM) video game system from Miaosoft. With more than 4 million units in the series sold to date, "V-R.ally 3" - already a hit on Sony PlayStation®2 -- promises to be the most authentic rally racer on Xbox. "'V-R.ally 3' presents an incredible range of tracks. fully detailed cars and a powerful game engine that allows for stunning graphics on Xbox," said Jean-Philippe Agati, senior vice president and head of Infogrames, Inc. 's Los Angeles studio. "The vast array of interactive tracks, challenging AI and intuitive controls will satiate any rally fan's desire for realism while at the same time maintaining the fun that made the · V-R.ally' series a worldwide leader in racing games."
In the game, players pilot highly detailed cars across meticulously haod-ccafted tracks, created to produce unpra:edented racing realism. Scurrying spectators run from oncoming speedsters while defonned car parts fly off during collisions, making tracks and races come alive as never before. AU of the most coveted rally cars on today's circuit are included, including the Subaru lrnpreza, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7, Citroen Xsara, and the Ford Focus. Gamers have the ability to customize each one to their own unique racing strategy and style. Three modes take gamers through the most extreme driving conditions including mud, snow, rain, standing water, bright sunshine and ice. Single and multiplayer versioos ofTime Attack and Challenge modes are included, as is the all-new V-Rally mode, where gamers live the life of a professional rally driver, strategically planning their careers, earning and selecting offers from major sponsors, and racing their way to the top of both divisions, 1.6 and 2.0 Liter. The powerful game engine allows for enhanced interactivity, including realistic car physics, destructible track elements, high-resolution cockpits and all the progressive damage that gamers expect from careening as fast as possible through hostile landscapes. The new collision engine and physics model provide the realism and professionalism that mud-slinging racers have been hungering for since the last incarnation of the franchise. The original "V-Rally" game, developed by lnfogrames' Eden Studios, the French software team known for its mastery ofracing games, debuted on PlayStation in 1997. The game soon became ooc of the system's benchmark racers and set the standard for racing graphics and great playability. Eden Studios brings its development expertise to "VR.ally 3."
"V-Rally 3" for Xbox is available at North American retail outlets for an estimated retail price of$29.95 and an ESRB rating of'E' for everyone.
LOS ANGELES ? March 27, 2003 ? Atari today announced that it will publish Artifact Entertainment?s Horizons, one of the most closely-followed and highly-anticipated massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG) in years. Currently in development for the PC by Artifact Entertainment, Horizons will allow players to experience online gaming like never before in a single massive online world primed for exploration, brimming with adventure and rife with danger. ?Artifact Entertainment has spent the last few years making sure that Horizons will present MMORPG players with an experience like none other,? said Jean-Philippe Agati, senior vice president and head of lnfogrames, Inc.?s Los Angeles studio. ?Just imagine beautiful, massive, zone--free environments, epic level combat encounters on a scale never seen before, an extremely intuitive, deep and selfsustaining trade skill system, extensive support for player run eommunities and guilds within the game world and, for the first time in any MMORPG, playable dragons!? Horizons talres place within the world of lstaria -- filled with cities and towns, castles and strongholds, villages and mystical structures, in envirooments ranging from tropical jungle and arctic tundra to windswept plains and mountainous wilderness. Whether adventuring by themselves or questing with a group offriends, players are free to choose their own path and encouraged to create their own stories. Fierce warriors, arcane spell casters and cballenging combat will rule the frontier lands, but skilled craftspeople will play an absolutely critical role in overall character and world development. ?With Horizons we wanted to create a world where players would have a massive impact on their environment -- a dynamic place where cataclysmic events could change the appearance and function of the world in real time right before your eyes,? said David Bowman, Creative Director and Co-President of Artifact Entertainment. ?And, that?s exactly what players can expect. Our advanced world building capabilities, the seamless integration of changes into the Horizons universe and, most importantly, the inherently dynamic nature of extensive player-run communities are sure to deliver a level of immersion and interaction not seen before.? Nine playable character races will be available when Horizons launches this Fall; Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Fiends and yes Dragons are among them. Each player character can be further customized with a near endless variety of visual tweaks, including gender, ethnicity, age, skin color, body and facial types, hair styles and color as well as wings, horns and other exotic alterations associated with select species. In Horizons, players will be able to select from a number of base adventuring schools such as, Warrior, Healer, Wizard and Scout as well as base crafting schools, including Blacksmith, Gatherer, Outfitter and Scholar. Guilds and player communities have become the lifeblood oftoday?s MMORPG and Horizons will revolutionize support for these critical game play elements with a number of new and innovative features as well as refined and improved approaches. Friends and guild mates can cooperate to build frontier towns, bustling merchant communities or even mighty def! ensive castles along the borderlands. Horizons will be available for PC CD-ROM Fall 2003. Additional information about Horizons can be found oniine at www.istaria.com, which features Istaria history and lore, character race and skill infonnation, downloadable and streaming game play movies, screenshots and much more.
******••·········································· --From: Carsten Strotmann -Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 23:16:22 +0100
and some information about the hardware here http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/--un55/Hardware/ISAInterface/ReadME.html
Hello,
Regards
I ported the Sweet 16 Interpreter from the APPLE II ROM (done by Steve Womiak) to the ATARI. You find a disk image and sources for BIBO-Assembler and Mac/65 at http://www.strolmann.de/twiki/bin/view/APG/AsmTips
Carsten Strotmann
Sweet I6 (do not confuse with the 65816 Ugrade with the same name) is a software assembler extension. It gives you a kind of 16 x 16 Bit registers and new opcodes for a simulated 6502 16 BIT CPU. The binary code is very lean, and the original sourres done by Steve Womiak are an example for tricky good 6502 programming. This was the first time I used Mac/65 for a project (Vers 1.01 Cart), and I got a lot of "Phase Error 13" I cannot find the cause. Can anyone give me a hint what is \\-rong with my Mac/65 source?
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• --Date: Sunday, March 16, 2003 3:49 PM +-0100 --From: Christian Groessler Hi, you can find it on ftp://ftp.groessler.org/pub/chris/cc65/contiki/contikil.O.atr It currently only supports the 850 serial interface. Since it loads very low in memory, a special loader DOS is needed, and it won't work frODl e.g. SpartaDOS or AtariDOS.
Have fun! Some things ofthe C64 version are missing (e.g. .frames support),
Carsten Strotmann
because the memory is still very tight.
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On the ftp site there are bootable images and the sources/diffs for Contiki LO and the MyPicoDOS 3.0 loader.
--From: Carsten Strotmann --Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 21:02:09 +<HOO New: • Bootdisk Loader with Sectorcountec -> http://www.strotmann.de/twiki/bin/view/APG/AsmBootLoader * Picture Fade-In Routine for BASIC --> http://www.strotmann.de/twiki/bin/view/APG/ AsmPictureBlendln • Little Typo Joke Program-> http://www.strotmann.de/twiki/bin/view/APG/AsmKeyJoke • Movie-End-Credits Scroller --> http://www.strotmann.de/twiki/bin/view/APG/AsmMovieScroll • Display Routine for MultiColor ( 128 C-01) Pictures -> http://www.strotmann.de/twiki/bin/view/APG/AsmMultiC-Oior • Screen Print Routine without ATARI OS --> http://www.strotmann.de/twiki/bin/view/APG/AsmPrintWithoutOs • ST-Mouse Routine-.::> http://www.strotmann.de/twiki/bin/view/APG/PgmHardwDriverMous e
All Sources are free to use. Have fun!
Thanks to Adam Dunkels for the Cootiki browser and network stack, and to Matthias Reich! for MyPicoDOS. regards, chris
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ATARI SHIPS SUPERMAN: SHADOW OF APOKOLIPS AND SUPERMAN: COUNTDOWN TO APOKOLIPS March 27th, 2003 Atari today announced the release of Superman: Shadow of Apokolips for the Nintendo GameCube and Supennan: Countdown to Apokolips for the Game Boy Advance. Developed by Infogrames? Sheffield House and based on the Warner Bros. and DC Comics hit animated series, The New Superman Adventures. Superman: Shadow of Apokolips for Nintendo GameCube is a port of the successful version currently available on PlayStation®2, and also features voice acting by the original cast, a sweeping orchestral score and more than 30 minutes of stunning cinematics.
Carsten
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• --From: Carsten Strotmann --Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 19:43:23 +-0100 Hi,
I put some sourcecode (Assembler) online on how to access a hercules video card with the PC-Interface build by the Stuttgart ABBUC Regional Group (ARGS). I think it can also be used to access other PC Cards like EGA or VGA cards or a soundcard. You find the sources here http://www.strotmann.de/twiki/bin/view/APG/PgmFardwDriverHerc
Supeiman: Countdown to Apokolips, also based on the popular animated series from Wma Bros., is an entirely new adventure developed specifically for the Game Boy Advance. As a prequel to the events which transpire in the PlayStatioo®2 and Nintendo GameCube titles, Superman: Countdown to Apokolips is sure to rivet handheld gamers with its fast action, isometric view, and full use of all of Supennan?s amazing powers. Supeiman: Shadow ofApokolips is a eel-shaded, third person action game featuring the World?s Greatest Super Hero of all time armed with all ofhis super powers. In the game, players are thrust into the mighty red boots and cape ofthe original super hero and the fate of the planet is in their hands. Darkseid, the most evil being in the galaxy, has enlisted the aid of Lex Luthor in his quest to destroy the Man of Steel. By providing Luthor with highly advanced Apokolipt.ean
weapons technology, Darkseid has enabled him to create an army of nearly unstoppable Interbots. Just when Superman seems to have everything wider conlrol, cybernetic supervillain Metallo busts out of Strykers Island Prison, creates malevolent mayhem ofhis own. Supennan must accomplish what no mere mortal ever could: tum back the irrepressible forces of evil and save the planet. As Superman, players have access to all of his amazing powers from the moment they start to play, including flight, frost breath, X-Ray vision, super strength and many more. Players will make their way through epic battles with legendary super-villains like Livewire, Parasite and Metallo in either first-person or third-person play perspectives. Superman: Shadow of Apokolips? mission-based gameplay combines action, stealth and mind-bending challenges, as players fly throughout 14 enonnous, fully interactive levels. Recreating the look and feel of the animated series took an W1precedented amount ofcollaboration between the developer, OC Comics and Wamec Bros. Voice acting in the game is recorded by the original cast of the animated series, including Tim Daly as Superman and Malcolm McDowell as Metallo. Superman: Shadow ofApokolips also includes a sweeping orchestral score reminiscent of the TV show as well as more than 30 minutes of amazing cinematics. New features for the Nintendo GameCube include: ?New Playable Characters: Two new cheat codes allow the player to play through the entire game as either Clark Kent or Parasite. ?New Item Hunting: A new secret item has been added to every level. Players that find and collect all of these items can unlock several brand new ?goodies,? including a new cheat code that allows the player to freely explore Metropolis. ?Explore Metropolis Mode: Players can now freely explore the city of Metropolis in an extra Nintendo GameCube-ooly mode. ?Improved Boss Al: Bosses have become more intelligent making boss fights much more challooging. ?Difficulty Settings: The game now features 3 difficulty settings: easy, medium and hard. ?Enhanced ?Making of! Movie: The player can unlock an extra loog ?Making or! movie which shows concept art, early prototypes of the game, animations tests and more. ?Experie.oce Enhancements: Supaman: Shadow ofApokolips for the Nintendo GameCube now features support for Dolby Pro-Logic 2 as well as support for new video fonnats including Widescreen and Progressive Scan. Superman: Shadow ofApokolips is now available for the Nintendo GameCube at retail stores nationwide with an estimated retail price of $49.95 and an ESRB rating of ?E? for Everyone. Superman: Countdown to Apokolips is also now available for the Game Boy Advance with an estimated retail price of$29.95 and an ESRB rating of?E? for Everyone.
LOS ANGELES--March 28, 2003Warningl Helmets are NOT included. Atari today sent gamers on a wild ride with the release of "Furious Karting" available exclusively for the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft. Developed by
Paris-based Babylon Software, "Furious Karting" is an extreme gokart racing game soaked in attitude and hard-wired with pure adrenaline. "Strap yourself into a miniature rocket ship and hang on for dear life -extreme sports has never seen racing as over-the-top as 'Furious Karting,'" said Jean-Philippe Agati, senior vice president and head of Infogrames, lnc.'s Los Angeles studio. "With ultra-hip characters who know no fear and amazing graphics powered by Xbox, · Furious Karting' is an entirely new racing experience with slap-you-in-yourface edginess!" Players will assume the persona of one of eight uber-contemporary racers with varying nationalities as they speed through a wide variety of racing locales that include indoor stadiwns, classic outdoor tracks and extreme fantasy courses that defy conventional laws of physics. Up to 11 opposing go-karts will be competing at once, each featuring fully animated and hyper-aggressive adversaries as well as intricately rendered vehicles. Several game play modes will keep players coming back for more, including Scenario (story), Arcade, Time Trial, Tutorial and multiplayer battle mode, featuring pick-ups and tricks to play on rival racers. In addition, the game allows players to experience "Furious Karting" in their own way - if the game is played aggressively, special challenges are unlocked; if played fairly, the player is rewarded with "happy endings." "Furious Karting" is now available exclusively for Xbox at retail stores nationwide with an estimated retail price ofS29.99 and an ESRB rating of "T" for Teen.
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LOS ANGELES '! March 28, 2003 ? Atari is bringing all of the drama and fast-paced action of the Old West exclusively to the Xbox? video game system from Microsoft this Fall with Dead Man?s Hand, a first person shooter chock full of gun fights and dripping in frontier lore. In development by Human Head studios, the creators of Rune®, Dead Man?s Hand uses the latest Unreal® technology from Epic Games to provide amazing graphical performance, non-stop action and enhanced multiplayer capabilities through Xbox Live!? ?Dead M.an?s Hand will be an amazing recreation ofthe Old West, from the high drama of showdowns to the window-smashing action of shoot outs to the bitter plights of vengeance,? said Steve Allison, vice president of marketing for Infogrames, Inc.?s Los Angeles studio. ?Using the power of the Xbox and Unreal Technology together, Human Head is creating one ofthe best looking, best playing and truly unique first person shooters ever released. Xbox owners are in for a real treat, both in single player and against online foes through Xbox Live!? In Dead Man?s Hand, players will step into the boots ofEI Tej6n, a master gunslinger riding with one of the roughest gangs in the West, known as The Nine. When the ruthless leader of The Nine betrays El Tejon, El Te_jon turns to a life of vengeance, vowing to put every member of his fonner gang six-feet under.
Through an epic single player story of vengeance and betrayal, the player will travel the American Frontier, experiencing bar fights, shoot outs, stagecoach chases and other definitively Western scenes. Dead Man?s Hand captures the grandeur, action and drama of the Old West with six-shooters, rifles, black hats, horses, hombres, dancing girls, riverboats, saloon poker and many other iconic images.
Besides straight shooting, Dead Man?s Hand incorporates unique gameplay elements taken from the Old West Gamers will ti)' their hands at blasting desperados from the back of their trusty steed and shooting it out on a moving train, ducking just before going through tunnels. In addition, as the game progresses, players will acquire ?Legend,? a unique scoring system that awards points as the player blaz.es a path into Western folklore. When accumulated, Legend will allow gamers to pull off amazing trick shots and death-defying feats. Players will also be able to pick their own path through the game, revealing new mission choices as the game progresses. Saloon poker also plays a major role in Dead Man?s Hand. Players will sit down for a poker game before each mission as a bonus round. If successful, the player will earn bonuses such as additional Legend, health or ammo. The player then decides whether to gamble their initial earnings for bigger bonuses. However, they could lose all of their bonuses in the process. More than 20 adventures will challenge gamers, through the deserts, hills and towns ofthe old southwest, across the mountains and mine shafts of the great northwest, and in the riverboats and cities of the Midwest. Missions will take place upon vast maps that feature detailed indoor and outdoor locations, from rickety old saloons to sprawling mountain vistas to dark mysterious mineshafts. Players will have nine different Old West fireanns to choose from, each modeled on the real pistols, shotguns and rifles that made the Old West famous. Odter weapons include knives and dynamite, as well as fixed Gatling guns and cannons that will blow enemies clear into the next county. Players will be able to compete against other Xbox owners via Xbox Live! as well as against friends in their living room in split screen multi-player mode. A variety of competitive and cooperative play modes will be available. Utilizing the power of the latest Unreal technology by Epic Games, Human Head has developed an amazing recreation of the sweeping vistas and rustic canyon towns of the American Frontier. The sophisticated in-game physics engine will make hats fly off enemies when they are shot, bad guys fall offroofs, knock over barrels and bust up furniture as they drop; and wagons and carts buck and bounce realistically as they race across the desert floor. Human Head?s unique ?Semi Persistent World? technology (SPeW) enables varying terrain through mountains, deserts, prairies, and river valleys. This technology enables multiple missions to be played oo the same map and reveals new missions as the game progresses. In addition, SPeW allows for many items that get changed or destroyed in one mission to remain destroyed when players return on later missions. The name Dead Man?s Hand itself is steeped in Western folklore. History reports that the famous ?Wild Bill? Hickok, the Prince of Pistoleers, was murdered with a single shot to the back of his head while playing poker in a Deadwood, South Dakota saloon ? the first time he evet" sat with his back to the door. The poker hand Wild Bill held when he died with was two pair ? black aces and black eights. Since then, this hand has been known worldwide as the Dead Man?s Hand.
Dead Man?s Hand is scheduled for release on Xbox in Fall 2003.
A-T-A-R-I Answers, Tips, And Relevant Information by Paul Alhart, paulalhart@hotmail.com 1987.2 Now here is what I call the deal of the month. Electronics One is selling $69.95 Ape Face printer interfaces for $12.99 and they do work with Print Shop. What's the catch? I'll let you in on a little secret. There is no catch if you know the facts. Digital Devices, the manufacturer, is out ofbusiness, so the l yr. warranty is no good, but Electronics One will replace defective units. I know this from past personal experience with them.
There is no extra serial port, so the interface must be the last item in the daisy-chain. This is only a problem ifyou want to run another peripheral without an extra serial port at the same time. The reason for selling them so cheap is that they are the model for the 1200XL ONLY. But wait, here is the secret They will work with ANY 8-bit Atari computer. The only difference in this model is how it gets it's power. The standard model got power from pin l Oof the serial port. Since the l200XL is the only 8-bit Atari that doesn't supply power at pin IO a SPECIAL model was made just for it. This model gets it's power by daisy-chaining the 9 Volt AC from the transformer that plugs into the wall and powers the computer. The 600/800XL and 65/l30XE computers use a different power transformer, so you can't daisy-chain power from them, but you can get your power from any of the other 9VAC transformers in your system. These transformers are used on the 810, I 050, and Rana disk drives; the 400/800 computers; the l 027 printer; slot cars; calculators: and lots of other things. Ifyou need an interface, don't let the 1200XL Only scare you off. At this price you can afford a back-up. The add is the Jan 1987 issue of Compute. One last thing though. I got two of them and they both worked fine but bad a rattle in them. Upon opening the cases a metal washer fell out ofeach one. Ifyou get one, check it before applying power.
For all ofyou with modems, I discovered two new local Bulletin Boards recently. Spaceport 734-3330 Reference Point 734-1407 Both are up 24 hours a day. The Referalce Point features a joke exchange and my wives favorite, a recipe exchange as well as an Atari File Section. You'II find two of my favorite recipes there as well as my SEARCH SYSTEM II data-base program that I added to our library last month.
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(507)663-9029 Michael Current President: Published by the Saint Paul Atari Computer Enthusiasts mcurrent@carleton.edu (SPACE), an independent organization with no business (651)455-6550 Greg Leitner Vice President: affiliation with ATARI Corporation. Permission is granted greglites@hotmail.com (xxx)xxx-xxxx to any similar organization with which SPACE exchanges Angel C. Little Secretary: newsletters to reprint material from this newsletter. We do angellittle@msn.com Glen Kirschenmann (763)786-4790 however ask that credit be given to the authors and to SPACE. DOM Librarian: kirschg@netzero.net Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not (763)6893711 Nolan Friedland necessarily reflect the views of SPACE, the club officers, BBS Operator friednw@tcfreenet.org club members or ATARI Corporation. Glen Kirschenmann (763)786-4790 Membership Chairman: kirschg@netzero.net (651)455-6550 - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - Greg Leitner SPACE Treasurer greglites@hotmail.com (763)757-4192 You can find the Club's home page at: SPACE Newsletter Editor: Michael Schmidt mike.schmidt@andersencorp.com
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