December 2003
NEWSLETTER for December, 2003 President’s Corner
Treasurer's Report
by Michael Current December, 2003
by Greg Leitner For November, 2003
Happy Holidays! I hope everyone has a great holiday season.
Can you believe it? Another year has come and gone and here we are, still sanding and maybe a little weaker on the support front, but stronger than ever financially. With six SPACE members present and a most welcome President who braved the over three hours of travel time to attend, we had one of our best meetings I can remember in a long time.
In the most dramatic election night in memory, at this year's Annual Meeting last month we elected our SPACE club Executive Board members and we secured the full slate of volunteer positions as well. Congratulations and thank you to Greg Leitner as Vice-President and Treasurer, and to Nolan Friedland as Secretary. And after a lengthy discussion, I agreed to be nominated again as President, and was re-elected as well. I will do my best to make this work as a long-distance member. Thanks also to each of the club volunteers: Glen Kirschenmann as Membership Chairman and DOM Librarian, Mike Schmidt as Newsletter Editor, and Nolan as BBS Operator. I also continue as WebMaster. Thank you to outgoing Secretary Brian Little for your service to the club over the past year. As you know, we couldn't go on as a club without club members getting involved as Greg, Nolan, Glen, and Mike have. If it wasn't for their dedication and service, SPACE would have to shut down for lack of interest. But thanks to them, SPACE lives on! One way we'll try to improve the functioning with an "absent President" will be for both Greg and Nolan to copy their Newsletter articles, which they submit by e-mail to Mike Schmidt for publication, to me as well. That way, I'll know something about the previous meeting when trying to come up with an article for the next month's newsletter. Thanks in advance, guys!
Elections went quickly with the only change being Nolan stepping up and taking the Secretary position in place of Brian. We all thank Michael for accepting the position of President once again even though he did so reluctantly due to the fact he knows he can't make most of the meetings. We all feel that Mike is still the link that is holding this Club together. Thanks to all the other Club members who have once again accepted the responsibilities of BBS, Dom, membership & newsletter chairpersons. Without these people our Club would be lacking the services and functions that our Club dues are meant to give us. The meeting was so long in November that I ended up locking the doors at 9:30 as I and Michael said our good-byes. I hope Michael can make the Christmas party in December, but we all understand if he can't. The weather will play a large part in his decision to make the long drive. Anyway, please note the menu at the bottom of this article, and you can decide to bring something that we may have left out or anything you may want to bring for all to enjoy. We hope every SPACE member can attend and please bring your spouses or friend. There will be a good time for all. Here is the breakdown of the financial activity after the November meeting: Beginning balance for November 1, 2003:
The annual SPACE club Christmas party is on. Please find details elsewhere in this issue. Come one, come all!
1,064.17
SPACE home page counter update: as of 11/22/03, 2:00pm: 884 hits since June 7, 2003.
Receipts for the November meeting: Memberships Doms Total Receipts for November
30.00 18.00 48.00
Thanks, keep using that Atari, and come to your next SPACE meeting and Christmas party, Friday December 12, 2003.
Expenses for the November meeting: BBS
10.00
Ending balance after the November meeting:
1,102.17
All I can say is, if SPACE ever dies it won't be because we
went broke. It's hard to believe how healthy a Club with sixteen members can continue to be so financially strong as this Club has been over the years. We didn't have funds like this even when the Club had fifty members. So hats off to all the current members who have felt strongly in keeping this group together. Please join us for the annual Christmas party next month on December 12, 2003 and feast on the following: Chicken strips and ribs from Applebee's Club Cole slaw and potato salad Club Pop and ice Greg Chips and dip Lance Ice cream and plates Glen Chocolate chip cookies Bill (we hope) As you can see we have most things taken care of, but if you want to bring something that is not on the list we definitely encourage you to do so. The more choices the better the party. See you all for the end of year big bash!
Secretary's Report By Brian-Angel C Little For November, 2003
No Minutes Submitted. ************************************************** Dear Greg: My computer crashed in the middle of my last message to you (danged WinTel machines!), so I'll try this again. I've shipped off the first lot of my new newsletter/magazine "eightsixteenthirty-two" to you. This is in a constant state of revision, but I believe that the issues that I did send to you have reprints of recent issues of the SCAT, SPACE, and MIAUG newsletters. I'll be sending out copies to all of these groups, as well as ACEC, VAUG (new group in Vermont), and GCACE (Victoria, Canada), as these groups do not have newsletters of their own. I'll probably also send a few issues to the world's largest group of Atari users, ABBUC (in Germany), though cost will be prohibitive for mass mailings. The only thing that I will ask of SPACE is that you do not mail any issues to any members who are not part of the executive. This is supposed to be an incentive to get people to show up at meetings, and mail-outs would certainly be counterproductive to this purpose. Article submissions would also be most welcome, though I do currently have enough material for the next issue (which will come out sometime in March, I think). I've set this mag up to be a one-man operation, though, and I can get this done as long as I restrict mailings to user groups themselves. In the future, I hope to include material from IMAGE and ABACUS, as these groups still do have newsletters. As for now, though, the three aforementioned groups' newsletters will constitute the largest part of the mag. In any case, enjoy -- and any feedback from you and SPACE would be most welcome!!
Thanks, David Sherwin
********************************************** Dear Michael (and Greg): I think your point regarding the purpose of a "super newsletter" is an important one, but I'd like to distinguish it from a "regular" newsletter exchange. First, a number of users' groups are either undergoing significant personnel changes (SPACE), stepping up their activities (ACEC in Columbus; SCAT, with a new newsletter and greater visibility), or just forming (MIAUG in Miami; VAUG in Vermont). Many of these groups do not produce newsletters, and they could not, therefore, actively participate in such an exchange. The "super newsletter" that I'm contemplating would be available to ALL Atari users' groups and it could be obtained only from them (there would be no private mailouts). I see two direct benefits with this plan: 1) Group participation will increase ("casual" enthusiasts will be "forced" to obtain their copies of the newsletter at group meetings) 2) Production costs will be lowered due to the fact that newsletters will be mailed only to a few locations each quarter (I anticipate that the newsletter will be a quarterly), and its content will largely consist of pre-printed material. IMAGE has, as of yet, not responded to my request for membership, and I'm not sure how they would feel about contributing to a "super newsletter". ABACUS has not responded to my last few e-mails on the topic. I would, of course, be happy to include newsletters from these groups should they desire to do so. David
********************************************** A-T-A-R-I Answers-Tips-and-Relevant Information by Paul Alhart paulalhart@hotmail.com 1987.11 Several people (more that one) have asked me recently about Translators for the XL/XE machines. There are several available ranging from the original Atari Translator Disk to several hardware translators. The one that I use exclusively though is a P/D disk based program called OS800. What sets this translator apart from the Atari Translator is that it is not a Boot file. It can be loaded from DOS or even from a three sector menu program that doesn't use DOS. This means it can be on the same disk that your programs are on and you won't have to swap disks. Another nice feature is that you can do a Warm Start (RESET) without erasing the translated operating system from RAM. This is done by pressing the (START-SELECTOPTION) keys all at the same time. This allows you to boot another program without having to reload the Translator. Pressing the (RESET) key Will take you back to the XL/XE operating system though. OS800 is now in our club disk library. Try it, You'll like it!
********************************************** LOS ANGELES – Nov. 19, 2003 – Atari today announced that it has shipped Magic: The Gathering™ – Battlegrounds, for the Xbox® videogame system from Microsoft and PC CD-ROM, to retail stores nationwide. Developed for Atari by Secret Level, Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds is based on the incredibly popular trading card game created by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS). The game is filled with faithful card game translations of classic creatures, spells and enchantments and presented in a visually stunning 3D game environment rife with real-
time strategic fighting, devastating wizard arsenals and intense creature combat. “Based on one of the best game franchises ever created, Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds will truly usher in a new era of strategic fighting gameplay,” said Steve Allison, vice president of marketing, Atari’s Los Angeles Studio. “Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds is like no other Magic game to date – it is incredibly fast-paced, eyepopping in full 3D and filled with tons of strategic fighting action. Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds also takes full advantage of Xbox Live allowing players to compete against friends worldwide, track their stats and rank as well as download new creatures, spells, arenas and more.” Created by award-winning game designer Richard Garfield and published by Wizards of the Coast, the Magic: The Gathering® trading card game made its debut in 1993. Today, there are more than 6 million Magic players worldwide. Just as in the Magic® card game, in Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds players will choose a duelist and any of Magic's five colors -- red, green, white, blue, and black -- to attempt to reduce their opponent’s life to zero. Of course, getting an opponent to zero will not be easy, players will have to utilize lightning reflexes, strategic brilliance and, on occasion, raw power to overcome an enemy. An important aspect to Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds will involve the player’s mastery of the five colors in the development of his/her duelist. Each color has a proficiency at certain types of activities, such as attacking, defending and healing. Players will be able to select up to two colors and utilize creatures, spells and enchantments in any combination from those schools. For example, a red duelist may choose to augment the attacking powers of his Lava Dragon by adding powerful green enchantments to his arsenal or increase his resilience by using white’s restorative powers instead. Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds will feature an engrossing single-player Quest Mode featuring a plot that includes characters from Magic: The Gathering storylines while also introducing a variety of new characters and locales. Single-player Quest Mode will be comprised of six chapters; each features up to 15 quests. Most quests will involve battles with resident duelists, sub-bosses or bosses who often control a particular creature or spell that the player has not yet acquired. As the player progresses, the resident duelists get tougher and control more powerful spells. Additional Highlights: • Xbox Live Enabled -- Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds takes full advantage of Xbox Live with a robust set of features including online dueling and chat capabilities, a complete ranking system and statistic tracking. In addition, new creatures, sorceries, enchantments and arenas will be made available to players for download after launch. • Creatures, Creatures, Creatures -- Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds will feature dozens of creatures that can be utilized by duelists throughout the game. Creatures include the Goblin King (red), who improves the performance of any other goblin under player control; the Krovikan Vampire (black) who can “resurrect” enemy units to serve his side after defeating them in combat; the unstoppable Avatar of Might (green), who can trample through defending forces and still attack the opposing duelist; the Warrior Angel (white), who can heal the controlling duelist with the damage she deals in combat; and, Horned Turtle (blue) who acts as a barrier to all ground units. • Super Sorceries – While creatures get all the headlines an effective sorcery can unleash a devastating, game-ending, world-of-hurt with one simple spell cast. Red features some of the most devastating sorceries with show stoppers including, Inferno, Scorching Missile and Engulfing Flames, which all deal varying amounts of damage to
creatures and duelists alike. Not to be left out, the other colors also feature a horde of deadly spells, including Hellfire (black), which instantly kills all non-black creatures; Overrun (green), which grants all green creatures bonuses to attack and defense as well as the ability to trample opponents; Spelljack (blue), which allows a blue duelist to literally steal an opposing players spell if timed correctly; and, Demystify (white), which destroys an enemy duelist’s last cast enchantment. • Enchanting Enchantments – Just as important as any creature or sorcery, enchantments can easily swing the tide of battle. Gratuitous Violence (red) grants all creatures with improved attacking power; Test of Endurance (white) alters win conditions by granting the first player to reach 50 health the victory; Liability (black) causes damage to any duelist whenever their creatures perish; and, Pendrill Mists (blue), which steals mana from any duelist after a creature respawns in battle. • Choose Your Battlefield -- Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds will initially feature more than 15 arenas to battle in. While featuring similar play mechanics, each arena is unique and relates to key geographic areas found in the Magic universe. Arenas include Maraxus’ Volcanic Forge, Akroma’s Castle Lucetos, Ihsan’s Forbidden Fen and Multani’s Everfall among many others. Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds is now available at retail stores nationwide with an estimated retail price of $49.95 and an ESRB rating of “T” for Teen. Additional information about Magic: The Gathering – Battlegrounds can be found online at http://www.mtggame.com/, which features downloadable and streaming game play movies, downloadable developer commentaries and strategies, screenshots, duelist information and much more.
********************************************** BEVERLY, MA - Nov. 18, 2003 – Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) today announced that the highly anticipated action/adventure title, Kya®: Dark Lineage, created exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, has shipped to retail outlets nationwide. Gamers everywhere can join Kya on her journey through a strange and mysterious world with non-stop action and an immersive story line that leads Kya to discover and confront the secret of her dark lineage. Plunged into a mysterious world, Kya is on a quest to find her lost brother and a way back home. Along her journey of discovery, she encounters the Nativs, a peaceful tribe, oppressed by the Wolfens, the menacing army of the evil ruler Brazul. Kya must lead the rebellion of the Nativs for their freedom, and the only way is to master magical powers to liberate the Wolfens from their mystical imprisonment and restore their Nativ identity. Kya: Dark Lineage is a creative blend of game play features including unique flying action that allows Kya to soar and freefall at breathtaking speed using powerful air currents, based on real wind physics. Kya can perform thrilling freestyle maneuvers and 360degree spins with magical boards, battle evil Wolfens and other creatures with more than 30 melee attacks and dynamic fighting combos, and explore nine massive and highly-detailed environments culminating in the discovery of her dark lineage. “Kya is an original intellectual property from Atari that blends action, adventure and platforming elements with stunning graphics and distinctive game play mechanics for a new and innovative gaming experience,” said Nancy MacIntyre, vice president of marketing for Atari. “In addition to the fantastic gameplay, Kya is a highly appealing lead video game character – confident, tough and independent – whose personality will keep gamers coming back for more.”
Powered by a proprietary game engine that delivers high-resolution models and textures, smooth-blended animation and utilizes spectacular physics, Kya: Dark Lineage allows players a liberating sense of movement and freedom as they travel across vast and open worlds. Through 50 quests and side missions, Kya must increase the strength and ability of her new-found mystical powers to unlock secret areas and fight off enemies. Developed by Atari’s own Eden Studios, Kya: Dark Lineage is now available at retail outlets nationwide for a suggested retail price of $39.95. For additional information on this product visit http://www.kya-game.com/ or http://www.atari.com/.
********************************************** --Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2003 11:45:48 -0800 Atari SAP Music Archive, or ASMA, was updated just today. Adding 124 new songs, it is now totaling 1771 tunes. You will find new (or newly found) tunes by Radek Sterba, Grayscale (Grzegorz Kwiatek and Lukasz Sychowicz}, Jakub Husak, Tomasz Liebich, and many others. The archive and players can be found at the ASMA homepage. http://asma.atari.org/ [This news item courtesy of Atari.org - http://www.atari.org]
PlayStation(r)2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox(r) video game system from Microsoft and Game Boy(r) Advance. More information can be found online at www.t3game.com.
********************************************** LOS ANGELES - Nov. 11, 2003 - Atari today announced that it has shipped Terminator(r)3: Rise of the Machines(tm), for the PlayStation(r) 2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox(tm) videogame system from Microsoft and Game Boy(r) Advance, to retail stores nationwide. Based on this summer's blockbuster motion picture from Intermedia, IMF and C2 Pictures, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is a first-person action game that allows players to become Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator. Developed by Black Ops, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines marks the first time Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice and likeness has ever appeared in a videogame -- the involvement of Claire Danes, Nick Stahl and Kristanna Lokken rounds out the stellar videogame cast. "With both the Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines movie DVD and videogame releasing today, fans can watch the Terminator in action on their home theaters and one minute later become the Terminator on their favorite game system," said Steve Allison, vice president of marketing, Atari, Inc.'s Los Angeles studio. "The Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines videogame takes the movie to an entirely new level. Not only do players get to play through the plot of the feature film nearly line for line, but they'll also be able to experience first-hand everything that happened just prior to the feature
********************************************** LOS ANGELES - Nov. 11, 2003 - After delivering a $430 million summer blockbuster film in collaboration with Intermedia, IMF, C2 Pictures, and Columbia TriStar International, Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his first-ever video game appearance in Atari's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines for the next-generation game consoles due for release on November 11, 2003. Highlighting the close collaboration between Schwarzenegger and Atari, the video game will include an exclusive "Making Of The Video Game' documentary containing footage of, and interviews with, Schwarzenegger and the entire cast, as well as a behind-thescenes look at the making of a Hollywood video game. The Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines DVD, released by Warner Bros. Home Video in North America and by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment internationally, will also feature this behind-the-scenes material. As an added bonus, the DVD will also feature trailers for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Atari's PC game, Terminator 3: War of the Machines, which will be released this December. "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is another example of how Atari is changing the way people look at Hollywood entertainment properties and specifically how they translate to the interactive medium," said Steve Allison, vice president of marketing, Atari, Inc.'s Los Angeles studio. "Our increasingly collaborative relationships with studios, talent and producers, such as C2 and Intermedia, are delivering richer, deeper and more enjoyable gaming experiences than anyone has ever seen before." Atari's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines will also feature never-before-scene film footage created exclusively for the video game. The five-minute segment featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger sheds new light on the mythology behind the origins of the Terminator. In addition, footage from the feature film is also used throughout the game to set up key situations and story-related game elements. Developed for Atari by Black Ops Entertainment, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines will be available on November 11 for the
film's start. How was the Terminator sent back this time? How did he kill John Connor? And, what does SkyNet really look like? All of these questions, and more, are answered in the game." Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines continues Atari's trend of bringing outstanding film properties to life in the interactive realm complete with Hollywood talent, feature film footage, dramatic plots that interweave with the movie, authentic sound tracks and much more. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines features 15 minutes of footage taken straight from the blockbuster film that helps set up key situations and story-related game elements. An additional five-minute segment, filmed by director Jonathan Mostow, exclusive to the DVD and videogame features Arnold Schwarzenegger and sheds new light on the mythology behind the origins of the Terminator. Players will also be treated to extensive behind-the-scenes footage from both the videogame and feature film, including an eight-minute segment detailing the entire making of the game. The Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines videogame storyline will weave in and out of the movie script as players encounter scenarios similar to those faced by the Terminator where John Connor must be protected from the threat of the T-X and the initial rise of the machines, to the apocalyptic future where the War of the Machines is waged on all fronts. While following the feature film's plot closely, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines will go one step further by providing fans of the Terminator series with a deeper look into the movie's universe and the role of the Terminator, a futuristic fighting machine reprogrammed to save humanity from the SkyNet Armageddon. As the Terminator, players will face swarms of enemies in firstperson action from the wastelands of the future to present-day Los Angeles. Military bases, laboratories and downtown Los Angeles are just a few of the more than 20 unique locations found in the game, which have been taken straight from the current Terminator timeline of events. In addition, more than 20 futuristic and modern-day weapons will be at the player's disposal for use in terminating any enemy in the most efficient manner possible, including the SkyNet Arc-Laser, Tech-Com Micro Rocket Launcher and the SkyNet
Assault Cannon. Much like the feature film, when Terminators clash in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines all hell is sure to break loose. Terminators are designed to utilize the most readily and efficient means available to eliminate any particular foe -- when that enemy is a Terminator this leads to absolutely brutal hand-to-hand combat. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines will allow player's to engage in true movie-like Terminator combat as they repeatedly face the ultimate killing machine, the T-X, throughout the single-player game. Smashing opponents into walls, massive two-handed chops and crushing kicks are just a few of the dozens of moves in the Terminator's arsenal. A unique twist in the Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines story will also allow players to operate the Terminator before it was reprogrammed in the future to save John Connor. As a result, players will be able to test their terminating skills against battle-hardened Tech Com special forces from the future as they fight alongside and utilize SkyNet's advanced weaponry, including Future Killer tanks and flyers, fixed gun emplacements as well as other Terminators in an effort to crush the last remnants of mankind. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is now available at retail stores nationwide with an estimated retail price of $49.95 and an ESRB rating of "T" for Teen. Additional information about Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines can be found online at www.t3game.com.
********************************************** Date: 26 Nov 2003 16:43:36 -0000 To: Michael Current From: Kevin Savetz The folks at AtariArchives.org are thrilled to announce that the full text of the classic computer book Digital Deli is now available on the Web. Published in 1984 and subtitled "The Comprehensive, User-Lovable Menu of Computer Lore, Culture, Lifestyles and Fancy," Digital Deli offers a unique perspective on computers and their users in the golden age of microcomputing. It is available at http://www.atariarchives.org/deli/ The book was written by more than 100 contributors and edited by Steve Ditlea. Contributors include computing pioneers Ralph Baer, Steve Wozniak, Nolan Bushnell, Robert Moog, Bill Gates, and Mitch Kapor, in addition to well-known writers and pundits, such as Stan Veit, Steven Levy, Howard Rheingold, and Esther Dyson. In it, you can read: - how Paul Lutus wrote the Apple Writer word processor in a tiny, secluded Oregon cabin - how Ken Uston used the first practical computer to count cards in a Las Vegas casino - about the development of RACTER, early software that would synthesize prose - about Blaise Pascal, Ada Lovelace, and other great "computer eccentrics" - about John Draper and other pioneering phone phreaks - about online etiquette circa 1984 - ...and much more "I've always been struck by how much of the history of
technology is missing from the Net. It's as if anything predating the World Wide Web's creation simply didn't exist," Steve Ditlea, editor of the book, said. "Thanks to atariarchives.org anyone curious about the state of personal computing circa 1984 can now access a book that has been out of print for nearly two decades." This is the 21st classic computing book to be made available at AtariArchives.org. The site launched in April 2000 with the goal of digitally preserving books, software, and other information about classic computers.