SPACE Newsletter

NEWSLETTER for August, 2003 President’s Corner by Michael Current August, 2003 Last month's SPACE club birthday party was a great success once again, thanks to everyone who helped with the food, the setup, and the cleanup. Blimpie's makes great subs! Everyone seemed to eat a lot, and for the first time in my memory we actually seemed to have just about the right amounts this time! It was also great to have some equipment brought in for diagnosis. I really enjoyed seeing everyone spring into action to figure out just where the problems were (800XL's?, disk drives?, power supplies?, cables?). This is what participating in and supporting your local Atari computer club is all about! I heard from Red; he hopes to be at the August meeting. Perhaps he'll be able to drop off the old SPACE newsletters I keep hoping to see eventually. In personal Atari news, I just purchased copies of two issues of Atarian magazine. Do you remember this one? Atari put out just three issues of this in 1989, to support the 2600, 7800, and XE Game System. David H. Ahl, who was also publishing Atari Explorer for Atari at the time, published it. He was also famous as the publisher of Creative Computing. I made my purchase direct from the man himself! He has a web site at www.swapmeetdave.com. SPACE home page counter update: as of 7/22/03, 2:20pm: 260 hits since June 7, 2003. Thanks, keep using that Atari, and come to your next SPACE meeting, Friday August 8, 2003.

Treasurer's Report by Greg Leitner For July, 2003 What a fantastic birthday party for those who attended the July SPACE meeting. Seven members and two guests absolutely devoured a Blimpie sub that was supposed to feed fifteen to twenty people. Four pieces of the sub were left at evening's end and about 1/2 pound of four pounds of potato salad was left. Thanks to Glen & Bill who brought the desserts. We all went home completely stuffed. The meeting went well and we said our good-byes and well

wishes to our President, Mike Current, who is embarking on his new job in LaCrosse, WI. Our loss will be their gain. Even though Mike has intentions of contributing to SPACE as much as his time allows we all know the distance between us will prohibit him from making most of the future meetings. This means he will be giving up his position as President of SPACE effective this year's elections in November. This also means I will be stepping in as President in Mike's absence, but I have no intentions of continuing as President when the year ends October 31, 2003. So that means we need candidates for that position and this will be a topic to discuss for the August meeting and will be crucial to the Club's future. Now for the financial picture for the month of July; Beginning balance as of July 1, 2003:

1,164.52

Receipts for the July meeting: Membership Dom's

15.00 12.00

Total receipts for the July meeting

27.00

Expenses for the July meeting: BBS Food for the Birthday Party Room rental for six months Total expenses for the July meeting Ending balance for July 31, 2003:

20.00 60.42 150.00 232.35 959.17

As you can see the month of July drained our account somewhat but at least we are paid up through the first half of 2003 on our room rent and with the birthday party now behind us, we should be able to increase our bank balance in the upcoming few months. No auctions are in sight for now but that can change at any time if someone donates their Atari collection. Keep reading your newsletter so you don't miss the next one. Thanks to all who shared our 21st Birthday and to those who couldn't make it I hope you can make the August meeting? And be sure to pick up the July Dom next month as Glen put together a classic disk filled with oldies but goodies. See you all next month.

Secretary's Report By Brian-Angel C Little For July, 2003

No Minutes Submitted. ************************************************** News from Outer S.P.A.C.E.! By David Sherwin Welcome to the inaugural column of "News from Outer S.P.A.C.E.!" I’ll keep S.P.A.C.E. members -- whether they live 30 or 3000 miles away from the twin cities -- informed about recent happenings in the world of Atari. You may be surprised to find out just how much activity is going on!

MIAMI -- Bryan Garcia has announced the creation of MIAUG (the Miami International Atari Users’ Group). The sixteen year-old Atari enthusiast and high-school student wants to "party like it’s 1982" and plans to keep the spirit of classic computing alive with regular monthly meetings, special events, and bargain hunts at local flea markets. He’s also printed up a batch of special MIAUG shirts and will be dispensing them shortly to all members. I’ve just received mine in the mail, and man does this look sharp. Thanks, Bryan! -----------------------------------------------------MILWAUKEE -- MILITARI, the local Atari users’ group, hasn’t existed as a formal association since the late ‘90s as official support from Atari died off and members drifted away to other platforms. Plans are afoot to resurrect this venerable club, though, with one former member rounding up eager participants and club archives to form the core of a new group. Stay tuned for more news! CHICAGO -- Nick Di Masi, president of the Suburban Chicago Atarians (SCAT), says that this year’s Video Game Summit, hosted by Dan Iacovelli of the Atari Video Club, was a big success. "Several people came by the S.C.A.T. booth and expressed interest in the club", he reports. With the recent publication S.C.A.T.’s new newsletter, there’s sure to be an upswing in club participation. -----------------------------------------------------ROCHESTER, MN -- Carl Forhan of Songbird Productions has announced the imminent release of "Crystal Mines II: Buried Treasure", a sequel to the immensely popular arcade puzzler "Crystal Mines 2" for the Atari Lynx. Boasting over 100 new levels, CM2:BT is sure to be a big hit with Lynx fans the world over! -----------------------------------------------------COLUMBUS -- ACEC, the Atari Computer Enthusiasts of Columbus, is alive and well in 2003! Members meet twice per month at a pre-determined location, and hold an annual swap meet in September. ACEC has its own website, and encourages everyone to contact club members for information regarding upcoming events and meeting locations. ************************************************** LOS ANGELES--June 19, 2003-- Atari will bring "Terminator®3: War of the Machines(TM)," a single-player and online multi-player first-person shooter set in the ravaged battlefields of the Tech Com-

versus-SkyNet conflict from the Terminator world, to the PC this Fall. Currently in development by Hungary-based Clever's Games, "Terminator 3: War of the Machines" will allow up to 32 players to face off online as either technologically advanced SkyNet Terminators or battle-hardened Tech Com Special Forces in an epic multi-player struggle for supremacy. "Tech Com versus SkyNet in `Terminator 3: War of the Machines' is the very definition of online multi-player armed conflict," said Steve Allison, vice president of marketing for Atari's Los Angeles studio. "You're not saving John Connor, you're not saving Sarah Connor, you're not saving the world... you're trying to survive alongside your comrades and work together to eliminate your enemies. It's war like the world has never seen, and hopefully, never will!" "Terminator 3: War of the Machines" will place players at the very center of the conflict outlined in the Terminator world -- the war with the sentient machines. The battle will rage in singleand multi-player modes across a variety of vast landscapes taken straight from the upcoming theatrical release, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," including downtown Los Angeles, a ruined ocean harbor, devastated highways, Tech Com and SkyNet bases, crumbling factories and more. In "Terminator 3: War of the Machines'" vast multi-player mode, players will compete online as either a member of Tech Com or as a SkyNet Terminator model. Eight playable character classes are available for SkyNet and Tech Com forces and up to 32 players can wage war on each server. Humans will have the advantage of cunning and stealth while SkyNet will bring to bear the awesome power of overwhelming force, brutality and durability. Each class will offer unique advantages and disadvantages in numerous battle situations. For example, SkyNet T-900 Endoskeletons can utilize their unique vision to quickly and easily identify even the most camouflaged opponents, but will be unable to heal or repair themselves in combat like their human counterparts. In the single-player campaign, players will power on as the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, with full likeness and voice acting, to wage war alongside SkyNet's mechanical forces against the human Tech Com revolutionaries. Once captured, however, the player is reprogrammed by Tech Com to fight for the humans and the player battles against his former robotic allies. Weapons in "Terminator 3: War of the Machines" will run the gamut from modern-day and near-future weaponry, such as the M4A1, Desert Eagle and X-29, to the futuristic weapons used by SkyNet, including phased plasma rifles and cannons. A number of armored and weapon-equipped Tech Com and SkyNet vehicles will be at the player's disposal both in singleand multiplayer modes. Vehicles included modified trucks, cars and personnel transports for the humans with mounted guns, plasma rifles and rockets. SkyNet vehicles include a variety of landand air-based machines. These vehicles act as the classes for the Terminator team, meaning the gamer plays as an FK hover attack craft or HK tank, rather than manning them from the inside. In addition, the player will be able to call in air strikes by targeting an object and issuing commands to offscreen allies. "Terminator 3: War of the Machines" will release for the PC in Fall 2003. ************************************************** New York, New York, July 15, 2003 - Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), one of the world's largest publishers of interactive entertainment software, today announced operating results for its fiscal year and quarter ended March 31, 2003. As the result of a change in its fiscal

year end, announced on March 28, 2003, results herein reflect the nine-month period (fiscal year 2003), as well as the quarter ended March 31, 2003. All results reference the comparable year-earlier periods. For the nine-months ended March 31, 2003, net revenue, including publishing and distribution revenue, climbed 40% to $404.6 million as compared with net revenue of $289.4 million in the comparable 2002 period. Publishing revenue of $329.8 million marked a 56% increase over publishing revenue of $211.9 million in the year-earlier period, while distribution revenue declined modestly to $74.8 million from $77.5 million in the comparable 2002 period. The Company reported net income for the fiscal year of $18.1 million, a significant improvement over a net loss of $10.2 million reported in the comparable year-earlier period. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) rose to $33.3 million, or $0.48 per share, from a loss of $4.1 million, or a loss of $0.06 per share, in the comparable 2002 period. The Company's revenue growth was primarily driven by the strong performances of key franchises, which were expanded with new products during the period, including, from the Dragon Ball Z series: Dragon Ball Z: Budokai (PlayStation 2), Dragon Ball Z: Legacy of Goku (Game Boy Advance), Dragon Ball Z: Collectible Card Game (Game Boy Advance) and Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors (Game Boy Color); as well as, RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 (PC); Unreal Championship (Xbox) and Unreal Tournament 2003 (PC); and a new sport for the Backyard Sports series, Backyard Hockey (PC); among others. "Our positive results demonstrate that our portfolio management is performing well," said Bruno Bonnell, Chairman and CEO of Atari, Inc. "We have successfully expanded productive franchises, taking them to the next level, thereby paving the way for entirely new properties or the expansion of still other franchises. With a foundation built upon the proven power of properties like Unreal, Dragon Ball Z and Backyard Sports, we were able to exploit opportunities such as Enter The Matrix, and set the stage for our upcoming titles which include Mission Impossible: Operation Surma, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Kya, Sinbad, several new products from the legendary Dungeons & Dragons franchise, and the much anticipated Driver 3, among others." For the quarter ended March 31, 2003, net revenue rose 68% to $84.7 million from $50.5 million in the comparable 2002 period. Publishing revenue soared 145% to $66.4 million from $27.1 million in the prior-year quarter, while distribution revenue posted a slight decline to $18.3 million from $23.4 million in the comparable 2002 period. The net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2003 of $12.7 million represented a significant improvement over the net loss of $22.9 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2002. EBITDA for the quarter was a loss of $7.8 million, or a loss of $0.11 per share, an improvement over a loss of $24.8 million, or a loss of $0.36 per share, in the comparable 2002 period. The January-March quarter, which is typically a slower period for the Company, benefited in fiscal 2003 from strong sales of several new releases in the period, including Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 (PSone), Unreal II: The Awakening (PC), Master of Orion 3 (PC), and APEX (Xbox), as well as the continued performance of other Dragon Ball Z titles released earlier in the fiscal year. New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre-defining games such as Driver", Enter the Matrix", Neverwinter Nights", Stuntman", Test Drive®, Unreal® Tournament 2003, and Unreal® Championship;

and mass-market and children_s games such as Backyard Sports", Nickelodeon_s Blue_s Clues" and Dora the Explorer", Civilization®, Dragon Ball Z® and RollerCoaster Tycoon®. Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext 5257), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com. ************************************************** LOS ANGELES - July 1, 2003 - Atari, BioWare Corp. and FloodGate Entertainment have released the first official expansion to the smash hit Neverwinter Nights(tm), the award-winning fantasy role-playing game based in the Dungeons & Dragons® Forgotten Realms® world created by Wizards of the Coast. Neverwinter Nights(tm): Shadows of ndrentide(tm) is now available in stores nationwide and was developed under license from Hasbro Consumer Products Worldwide. "Neverwinter Nights is the definitive role playing experience on the personal computer," said Steve Allison, vice president of marketing for Atari, Inc.'s Los Angeles studio. "With Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide, we are giving the fans all new content for their single player campaigning as well as new tools to push their own creations to the next level in the Neverwinter Nights Aurora Toolset. Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide will include a new extensive single player campaign as well as game features new to Neverwinter Nights, such as additional D&D(tm) skills, feats, classes, monsters, weapons and spells. In addition, the pack will include three new tile sets and other assets for use in the Aurora toolset that will enable module designers to create completely different worlds. The game is being co-developed by BioWare Corp., creators of the original game and the popular Baldur's Gate series, and FloodGate Entertainment. A second expansion, Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark(tm), which will feature a new single player campaign and even more features is also in the works for Fall 2003 and is under development exclusively at BioWare Corp. Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide offers role playing fans even more D&D features than the groundbreaking original. Additions include: new skills, including Tumble and Appraise; new feats, such as Divine Might, Great Cleave and Bullheaded; new weapons, such as Holy Water Flasks and Choking Powder; five new prestige classes, including the Blackguard, Shadowdancer, and Assassin; new monsters from the D&D universe, including the Pit Fiend, Cockatrice, Sphinx and Manticore; and over fifty new spells. In addition, the expansion pack equips module makers with additional content for the Neverwinter Nights Aurora Toolset, the groundbreaking software included with the full game that allows players to create their own universes, quests and storylines. The toolset will be augmented with all new tile sets for creation of new environments as well as new _Wizards, or automated guides, to help gamers build and play adventures of their own creation. Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide is now available at retail stores nationwide with an estimated retail price of $29.95 and an ESRB rating of _T for Teen. Additional information about Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide can be found online at www.bioware.com, which features message boards, wallpapers, screenshots, game play information and much more. ************************************************** LOS ANGELES - July 16, 2003 - Atari is bringing Unreal® II: The Awakening to the Xbox" video game system from Microsoft this Holiday season. Unreal II: The Awakening is the follow-up to Epic

Games' 1998 smash PC hit, Unreal. The Xbox version of the game will include console specific enhancements and exclusive multiplayer modes playable on Xbox Live! "Unreal II: The Awakening raised the bar for single player first person shooters on personal computer, and now Xbox owners will get to experience the same amazing gameplay along with the multiplayer benefits of Xbox Live!," said Steve Allison, vice president of marketing in Atari's Los Angeles studio. "The game features a great story, amazing graphics and truly unique gameplay styles that keep it exciting from beginning to end. It's the perfect title for console shooter fans." The Xbox version is in development by Tantalus and Legend Entertainment (an Atari studio) in concert with Epic Games. The game is being modified and tweaked to create better-than-ever performance and controls specifically designed for the Xbox. In the game, players jump into the scarred combat boots of a grizzled lawman of the future to battle a torrent of bizarre alien creatures and hard-hitting enemy soldiers. The mission: win a brutal galactic race to collect powerful artifacts and stop a malevolent plot to awaken an ancient power. The player will be dispatched to unique worlds with exotic new settings that range from stunningly realistic outdoor terrain to spine-chilling alien cities, archaeological dig sites and more. The player will be armed with a devastating arsenal, ranging from familiar alien-bashing favorites like the Rocket Launcher and Combat Assault Rifle to all new exotic alien variants modified by your cantankerous ship's engineer. Those weapons will come in handy versus a large bestiary of creatures, including the fearsome Skaarj from the original Unreal along with a host of all-new enemies, such as the Drakk and the Izarians. Unreal II: The Awakening for Xbox will include a robust multiplayer component both onand off-line. Two players will be able to join forces in splitscreen co-op mode to battle through the epic single player campaign as a team of mercenaries. Online play will be supported through Xbox Live! and will feature an all new classbased, team-oriented multiplayer mode. Under the hood lays the latest Unreal technology from Epic Games, creating the best graphics available on any system. The advanced particle system creates the illusion of blazing fire, drifting smoke and weather effects. Enemies in the game use new AI to find cover during fire-fights, work together in teams and react believably based on the caliber of weapon the player is carrying. Unreal II: The Awakening for Xbox is expected to ship in the 2003 Holiday season with an estimated retail price of $49.95 and an ESRB rating of "M" for Mature. Additional information about the game can be found online at www.unreal2.com, which features downloadable and streaming game play movies, screenshots and other game information and background. ************************************************** A-T-A-R-I Answers, Tips, And Relevant Information by Paul Alhart, paulalhart@hotmail.com 1987.7 I really tire of doing the same thing over and over again. After all, I have a computer to do that kind of thing for me, don't I? AtariWriter Plus is a pretty decent word processor but every time I load it up I have to go to the Global Menu and set the defaults the way "I" want them. I happen to like my margins different than

ATARI does. If I want to do Double Column Condensed Printing, like for this News Letter, then it's back to the Global Menu to set the Font, Left Margin, Right Margin, 2nd Left Margin, 2nd Right Margin,.... Now what was the value to use for the 2nd Left Margin? Anyway, wouldn't it be nice to have them already programmed in? Well, (I bet you guessed) YOU CAN!! And you can have TWO (2) sets of YOUR defaults loaded in at the same time. What?? Two sets?? Yes, and here is how. At the bottom of the Global Menu it says "Press TAB for defaults". There are already two sets of defaults. ATARI just chose to make them both the same. The first set loads in when the program is first booted up. The second set loads in when you press TAB from the Global Menu. The only catch is that they aren't the defaults WE want. So WE will just have to change them. That's exactly what the following Type In Program (AtariWriter+ Default Adjuster) allows you to do. And it will work on either the 48K or the 130XE versions. I tried to keep the program as short as possible without using any "special" characters. As a result there are a few important precautions to follow. 1 Type it in carefully and save it to disk. Double check lines 700 to 730. Why not make an extra copy for the Club Library while you are at it. 2 Copy the file "AP.OBJ" from your AtariWriter+ disk to a freshly formatted (Single Density) (BLANK) disk. 3 Make another copy of AP.OBJ just to be safe. 4 RUN AtariWriter+ Default Adjuster and follow the prompts. You can enter any number from 0 to 255 for each default value, but AtariWriter+ is fussy. Page Wait for instance can only be a 0 or a 1, so enter with care. 5 Copy AP.OBJ back to your AtariWriter+ Disk. That's all there is to it. You now have two sets of defaults (of your choosing). One when AtariWriter+ first loads, and the other any time you press TAB from the Global Menu. ***NOTE**** AtariWriter+ uses a bad sector for it's Copy Protection. This sector is not "in" the AP.OBJ file, or any of the files for that matter. This allows you to copy the files back and forth without problem. Just don't Format your AtariWriter+ Disk. The bad sector is checked by the program and will not run without it. If things go sour, just Copy that back up copy of AP.OBJ that you made in step 3 back to your AtariWriter+ Disk and you'll be back where you started. Now, Can anyone tell me how to disable that awful bell without having to type "Control B" every time I load up AtariWriter+??? 1 REM AtariWriter Plus 2 REM Default Adjuster 3 REM by Paul Alhart for 4 REM The Atari Federation 5 REM July 1987 6 REM 10 DIM A(55),B(27),A$(3):C=0:E=0 15 ? CHR$(125);"Place disk containing 'AP.OBJ'":? "in Drive #1." 20 ? "Press RETURN when ready":INPUT A$ 30 TRAP 1000:POKE 82,2:OPEN #1,12,0,"D:AP.OBJ":NOTE #1,Q,W:Q=Q+79:W=W+56 40 IF C=2 THEN 1000 50 POINT #1,Q,W:B=0:FOR I=1 TO 4:GET #1,A:B=B+A:NEXT I 60 IF B<>262 THEN Q=Q+21:W=W+36:C=C+1:GOTO 40

70 FOR I=0 TO 55:GET #1,A:A(I)=A:NEXT I 80 ? CHR$(125),"CURRENT DEFAULTS":? :? "POWER UP",,"TAB KEY":POSITION 2,4:C=0:GOSUB 500 90 C=C+32:POKE 82,22:POSITION 22,4:GOSUB 500 100 POKE 82,8:? :? "Edit Write Quit":INPUT A$ 110 IF A$(1,1)="Q" THEN END 120 IF A$(1,1)="W" AND E=1 THEN W=W+4:GOTO 700 130 POSITION 8,4:E=1 140 FOR I=0 TO 13:INPUT A$:A=VAL(A$):B(I)=A:NEXT I 150 POKE 82,28:POSITION 28,4 160 FOR I=14 TO 27:INPUT A$:A=VAL(A$):B(I)=A:NEXT I 170 GOTO 100 500 ? "B >--- ";A(C) 510 ? "D >--- ";A(C+2) 520 ? "G >--- ";A(C+5) 530 ? "I >--- ";A(C+7) 540 ? "J >--- ";A(C+8) 550 ? "L >--- ";A(C+10) 560 ? "M >--- ";A(C+11) 570 ? "N >--- ";A(C+12) 580 ? "Q >--- ";A(C+15) 590 ? "R >--- ";A(C+16) 600 ? "S >--- ";A(C+17) 610 ? "T >--- ";A(C+18) 620 ? "W >--- ";A(C+21) 630 ? "Y >--- ";A(C+23) 640 RETURN 700 A(0)=B(0): A(2)=B(1): A(5)=B(2): A(7)=B(3): A(8)=B(4): A(10)=B(5): A(11)=B(6) 710 A(12)=B(7): A(15)=B(8): A(16)=B(9): A(17)=B(10): A(18)=B(11): A(21)=B(12): A(23)=B(13) 720 A(32)=B(14): A(34)=B(15): A(37)=B(16): A(39)=B(17): A(40)=B(18): A(42)=B(19): A(43)=B(20) 730 A(44)=B(21): A(47)=B(22): A(48)=B(23): A(49)=B(24): A(50)=B(25): A(53)=B(26): A(55)=B(27) 740 POINT #1,Q,W:FOR I=0 TO 55:A=A(I):PUT #1,A:NEXT I 750 CLOSE #1:GOTO 30 1000 ? CHR$(125);"NO CAN DO!":CLOSE #1:? "ERROR # ";PEEK(195):END

************************************************** --Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.announce --Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 12:27:33 -0700 I've uploaded a new version of WriteAtr (V0.92b) to my homepage http://www.horus.com/~hias/atari/ This version contains experimental support for the enhanced density (1040 sectors in MFM) format. Although most of my datasheets about uPD765 compatible floppy controllers contain a note that this format (128 bytes per sector in MFM) doesn't work, some experiments showed that my PC (350MHz P-II, ASUS P2B mainboard) is able to create this format, but it cannot read the disk it just wrote :-) But then – my stock 1050 happily read from and wrote to the disk!

So feel free to try it with your PC. I can't guarantee it will work at all for you so use it at your own risk! BTW: for those of you who don't like to read manuals, here are the command line parameters to use the enhanced density format: writeatr -f9 -n my.atr so long, Hias ************************************************** --Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.announce --Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 09:39:21 -0700 Pecus and Pirx decided to release their 4-years in development game for Atari 8-bit computers. About authors: Pecus created first Amiga to 8-bit Atari module converter and player (SoundTracker Player). Pirx was engaged in several commercial 8-bit games like Operation Blood, Special Forces, Bank Bang and others. http://www.future-net.pl/~10vg3b/scorch/ [This news item courtesy of Atari.org - http://www.atari.org]