June 2004
NEWSLETTER for June, 2004 President’s Corner
Treasurer's Report
by Michael Current June, 2004
by Greg Leitner For May, 2004
Last Sunday, May 23 I was able to make it to the Midwest Gaming Classic in Milwaukee. I've not been to many Atari or Atari-related shows in the past so I didn't know what to expect. This show was much bigger than I expected! I had the most fun in the arcade rooms, where there were many arcade games available for unlimited playing. I tried my luck at two old classics, Donkey Kong and a tabletop Pac-Man. But mostly, I played pinball. There were many generations of machines, including one whole room of machines much older than I had ever seen before. Despite the slower speed, these were fun! There weren't many from my brief arcade days, but I was happy to see and get to play Black Knight (Williams), one of my old favorites. The game was always hard and frustrating, but rewarding for a well-played game. This hasn't changed! I only had one decent game, and wasn't able to get to a multi-ball this time. Of the many newer pinball games, I think the one I enjoyed the most was Rollergames, also by Williams. Corny sound effects, but fun! There was an entire second area of the show dedicated to home game consoles and, to a lesser extent, computers. Atari was well represented, both game systems and the 8-bit computers. I even saw some ST hardware, and the "museum" room included things like a Falcon030, Portfolio, and what I think was an Atari laptop PC, along with every 8-bit Atari computer model. The AtariAge and SunMark room included some 8-bit cartridges, such as Castle Crisis, MIDI Maze, Commando, and Rampage. But also, there were three Imagic games for the 8-bit on cartridge. They looked like more games Atari had the rights to but never released. Sorry, this poor reporter didn't bother to get the names of these games. One looked a little like Vanguard, and was quite fun. My ability to do well at it got the attention of others around. I sort of intended to go back there with more cash in hand to buy something, but my fiscal responsibility got the better of me, and now I'm left hoping I'll learn later what those games were. I'm sure I'd never heard of their existence before. So far I don't see mention of them on the Sunmark web page or at the AtariAge online store. Be sure to check out the online forum Nolan has been constructing on his web site, with a little activity it could become a great place for information exchange! SPACE home page counter update: as of 5/28/04, 5:40pm: 1,763 page views since June 7, 2003. Thanks, keep using that Atari, and come to your next SPACE meeting, Friday June 11, 2004.
I can't believe it! After April's Good Friday meeting I thought we would be all clear for the May meeting. But no, this year fishing opening was pushed to the week after Mother's day and guess what that meant? You got it. Four members were present for the May meeting and I guess the rest were on their way up north. Oh well, what can you do. Maybe there won't be any conflicts for the June meeting, but no guarantees anymore. We will just have to go with the flow. Even with four members we had a good meeting. Nolan is very busy with the BBS and web-site, and he is giving all of us some good advice and direction on how to use the sites and what is taking place on them. If you want to learn a whole lot more then you have to come to the meetings. Nolan is more than willing to answer all questions thrown his way. Here is the SPACE treasury report for the month ended May 31, 2004. Beginning balance for May 1, 2004: Receipts for the May meeting: Dom's Expenses for the May meeting: BBS Ending balance for May 31, 2004
833.92
3.00 20.00 816.92
As you can see there wasn't much activity for the month, and couple this with last month, we haven't been doing so well. If we want to keep our treasury healthy we need to get our current members to the meetings. Dom sales have fallen drastically. Glen puts in a lot of time and his only reward is when the members purchase them. The doms have a lot of interesting programs on them and most of them are something new we haven't seen before. Please help support your Club by buying a Dom each month. We also need to remind ourselves about our membership renewals. This is where most of our income is coming from lately, and without the memberships we would certainly be struggling. It still doesn't look like an auction is forthcoming, as Atari items just don't seem to be making their way to our Club. I guess that means everyone is hanging on to what they got. I know I am, I just can't bear to part with my 8-bit stuff even though I don't get much use out of it anymore. Maybe some day I will cave in but not right now.
Hope to see you all at the June meeting, and keep our fingers crossed that there won't be any conflicts next month and we will have a large member turnout. Until then.
Secretary's Report By Nolan Friedland For May, 2004
in the forum is invited to go to the website. Different aspects of the forum were discussed – the different categories, login questions, etc. Handouts with address of the SPACE forum printed on them were made available. Meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m.
BBS Corner By Nolan Friedland For May, 2004
Meeting started at 7:42 p.m. Greg welcomed everyone to the meeting and then we briefly discussed what happened at the last meeting. The treasury went up from $821 to $833.92. There were 4 DOMs sold for a total of $12. Twenty dollars was paid out for the BBS for the last two months. There may or may not be an auction in the future depending on the number of items that can be found. As of the start of this meeting there are 13 paid up members. There was another excellent DOM this month packed full of programs – All from a folder called “Pace”. Side A includes several games: Harvey, Horse 20, BopoTron, Peckman, Jane, Popcorn, Guns, Ohm's Law, Resonance, Holly, and Trivia. Side B is a Family Tree type program. There is no Secretary's Report this month as I was not as the last meeting, and the person that took the minutes last month is not present. As mentioned previously, we briefly discussed what happened at the last meeting. A lot of new things going on with the BBS this month. The BBS website counter is now up to 976 total hits. The Telnet BBS listing counter is now up to 1327 and the Dialup BBS listing counter is at 545. An update to the BBS Listings was received via email. There are now 30 users on the BBS, up from 18 two months ago – This does not include the numerous Guest account logins. It was discussed that file areas would be created to allow BBS users to download the numerous BBS Express Pro! files that have been acquired. Permission was received from Lance a few meetings ago to go ahead with this. In addition to file areas on the BBS, an FTP server may also be setup to allow everyone on the Internet to browse and download the files. A new hosting provider has been acquired for the SPACE BBS website and the SPACE Forum. Email was received from atari.org stating that the spacebbs.atari.org domain is now pointing to the new hosting provider. In Old Business – It was mentioned that nothing was heard from Nathan Block about having an Xbox gathering hosted by SPACE. It was voted down last month since SPACE is an Atari club and doesn't have anything to do with the Xbox or PC platforms.
Nothing Received This Month For The BBS Corner.
********************************************* NEW YORK--May 6, 2004--Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), a leader in interactive entertainment, and fashion pioneer Marc Ecko, creator and founder of the urban lifestyle brand Ecko Unltd. and publisher of COMPLEX magazine, are joining forces to create the first truly authentic video game based on urban culture and graffiti art. A sneak peek at Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure will be available exclusively at Atari's booth (Petree Hall #4003) at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles May 12-14. In graffiti terms, "getting up,” means getting your name (or tag) out and visible. In announcing the partnership, Bruno Bonnell, Chairman and CEO of Atari, said, "Videogames have become a huge part of the urban lifestyle but no game has yet to truly capture the look, attitude, action or sound of urban culture. We have an incredible opportunity to change that.... To be the first to get it right and share the authentic experience with gamers worldwide. Marc's vision of Getting Up fuses his expert knowledge of youth culture, his talent as a graphic artist and his passion for gaming. It's nothing less than extraordinary and Atari is thrilled to be a part of it." Marc Ecko, said, "This game will be genre-defining. Revolutionary. We will put the flag in the ground of popular culture with Getting Up. Over my seven-year journey to get this thing made, I have had the good fortune to have met and explored opportunities with many different publishers. Atari allowed me the freedom to challenge the status quo manner in how games are developed, and that is precisely why it is the ideal home for this title. This is a dream come true for me." Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is being developed by The Collective and is currently slated for release in June 2005. More details about the game will be released in the weeks to come. About Marc Ecko Enterprises
And in New Business – SPACE now has an online discussion forum, available at http://www.ilmarinen.us/forum/. There has already been a post to the forum. Anyone interested in posting
Marc Ecko founded Ecko Unlimited, the world-famous
rhino brand in 1993. In 10 years the company has grown into the largest urban apparel brand. Product categories include: Ecko Unlimited men's and women's apparel, outerwear, footwear, watches, eyewear, underwear, belts, bags, hats, small leather goods, formalwear and more. Marc Ecko Enterprises also includes the G-Unit Clothing Company (a joint venture with multi-platinum musician, 50 Cent), Zoo York (a line of skateboards and skateinfluenced clothing and accessories), Femme Arsenal (an upscale line of women's clothing, accessories, and cosmetics), and Marc Ecko (a premium collection of men's clothing and accessories). The company also publishes Complex magazine, a young men's consumer magazine with a rate base of 315,000. Ecko Unltd. products are available in over 5,000 stores domestically and in over 45 countries internationally. Ecko Unltd. runs over 25 of its own retail stores across the country. ********************************************** BEVERLY, Mass.--May 12, 2004-- The classic war between the heroic AUTOBOTS and the evil DECEPTICONS has begun! Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) announced that the highly anticipated TRANSFORMERS(TM) video game, developed exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, is available at retail stores worldwide today. Under license from Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS), Atari's TRANSFORMERS video game allows players to control AUTOBOT legends - OPTIMUS PRIME, HOT SHOT or RED ALERT - as they battle to destroy the mighty forces of the DECEPTICONS.
Led by OPTIMUS PRIME, the AUTOBOTS only hope for survival is to locate and rescue the long-lost third race of TRANSFORMERS, the MINI-CON, that are stranded on Earth and possess a unique ability to make ordinary TRANSFORMERS characters extremely powerful. The ultimate goal is to free the MINI-CON race, defeat the MEGATRON warrior and his evil arm, and save the Earth. Atari's TRANSFORMERS game is a fast-paced, singleplayer, third-person shooter with countless enemies, immense battles and intense boss fights against the DECEPTICON leaders. Players control a single AUTOBOT character as you battle against some of the most infamous DECEPTICONS, including MEGATRON, UNICRON, STARSCREAM, TIDAL WAVE and CYCLONUS. Special MINI-CON partners including SPARKPLUG, JOLT and LONGARM will assist the player in combat. With an arsenal of weapons available, combat spans eight colossal environments, each incredibly detailed and open to exploration. There are specific objectives and numerous secondary objectives that need to be accomplished on each level, as well as many hidden power-ups and un-lockable extras. Developed by Atari's Melbourne House, the TRANSFORMERS video game is rated "T" for Teen and has a suggested retail price of $49.99. About the TRANSFORMERS Brand
"The TRANSFORMERS brand has established itself as an evergreen property whose immense popularity spans generations. This powerful brand combined with innovative gameplay and amazing graphics, is sure to make our game a favorite with fans and gamers alike," said Nancy MacIntyre, vice president of marketing for Atari, Inc. "We are thrilled to bring this game to market in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the TRANSFORMERS brand this year." "We feel that have developed the most authentic TRANSFORMERS video game experience to date," said Andrew Carter, vice president of product development for Atari's Melbourne House. "As TRANSFORMERS fans ourselves, we really wanted to bring the brand to life in a fashion that hasn't been achieved thus far and we believe we've done so in every aspect of the game - from the precise models to the classic items featured in the extras section." Atari's TRANSFORMERS video game takes place during one of the AUTOBOTS darkest moments. Back on the TRANSFORMERS home planet, Cybertron, the evil DECEPTICON leader, MEGATRON has unleashed his massive DECEPTICLONE army whose sole purpose is the destruction of the AUTOBOTS.
The year marks the 20th anniversary of Hasbro's TRANSFORMERS brand. With a best-selling Dreamwave comic book series, a hit TV series on Cartoon Network, and a wide array of licensed merchandise, the TRANSFORMERS saga continues to inspire the imagination of its numerous fans. Additional information about Atari's TRANSFORMERS video game, including artwork, videos, game information, character bios, press reactions and TRANSFORMERS forums can be found online at Atari's TRANSFORMERS dedicated website www.atari.com/transformers. ********************************************** LOS ANGELES – May 13, 2004 – Atari’s upcoming military blockbuster, Shadow Ops: Red Mercury, the highly anticipated cinematic first-person action game for the Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft, has earned the coveted THX Certified Game™ status. THX ensures that the game has the potential to deliver the immersive and compelling audio and video experience typically found in blockbuster Hollywood films. Shadow Ops: Red Mercury will be available June 22 and will offer players a gripping action movie-style experience through its unprecedented Hollywood production values and ground-breaking sound
and visual effects. The THX Certified Game program, launched in September 2003, provides game publisher’s optimization of the development environments that were used to produce Shadow Ops: Red Mercury. These capabilities leverage the cinema design and films post-production experience of THX and provided the Shadow Ops: Red Mercury sound designers and visual artists a means to push the limits of interactive content creation. In addition, THX expertise in audio/visual playback provided a level of consistency across all elements of the game that were created in different studio locations, ensuring the artistic vision of the production team was maintained throughout its development. “Video games like Shadow Ops: Red Mercury are moving closer to Hollywood blockbusters, incorporating 5.1 surround soundtracks and visual effects that match the realism of feature films,” said Mark Tuffy, director of advanced technology at THX. “We are thrilled to work with Atari to help its team of developers create a truly groundbreaking game experience. This partnership reinforces the commitment of THX to innovation that raises the production standards for game development.” 'Working closely with THX to deliver the most realistic and impactful audio and video experience is another example of how Atari is continually blurring the lines between games and films,” said Jean Philippe Agati, executive producer, Atari. 'With a richly textured universe of sounds and emotional depths, Shadow Ops will provide players with a new level of realism that will change the way they play games.” Set in the near future, Shadow Ops: Red Mercury will engulf players in the world of an elite Delta Force operative. When a female Russian double-agent discovers information on “Red Mercury” -- a secret substance that can be used as a nuclear accelerant – players must travel the globe from the Middle East to the African Congo to the battlefields of Eastern Europe to find and control Red Mercury before terrorist organizations can use the device for mass destruction. For more information on Shadow Ops: Red Mercury, please visit the game’s official Web site at: www.shadowopsgame.com. About THX Ltd. Founded in 1983 by George Lucas, THX Ltd. Provides technologies, certification programs, and quality assurance standards to ensure the integrity of sound and visual content throughout the evolving digital production chain - from content creation through presentation. THX Certification is considered a mark of excellence in the presentation technology industry, offering consumers a promise that the cinemas they visit and the products they purchase have been evaluated and tested to
meet the highest standards for picture and sound performance. For licensees, affiliation with THX is a powerful tool to drive sales and increase market share. A privately held company, THX is headquartered in San Rafael, Calif. Its Digital Works office, offering quality assurance, DVD mastering and post-production services, is based in Burbank. For more information, visit www.thx.com. Editor’s Note THX Certified Games do not require users to purchase special audio playback equipment to receive an improved game play experience. However, gamers who have home theatre or PC multi-media systems with surround sound capabilities and/or THX Certified components will enjoy a more immersive picture and sound presentation. ********************************************** LOS ANGELES--May 24, 2004-- Atari today announced it has signed New York Times best-selling author R. A. Salvatore to develop the storyline for its upcoming action adventure video game, "Forgotten Realms®: Demon Stone"(TM), which will also feature the extraordinary talents of actors Patrick Stewart and Michael Clarke Duncan, who will lend their voices to two prominent roles in the video game. "Demon Stone," which is scheduled for release in Fall 2004, is set in the popular "Dungeons & Dragons"® world created by Wizards of the Coast. "Demon Stone" is being developed by Stormfront Studios, creators of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," for the PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment system. "'Demon Stone' features a classic struggle between the forces of good and evil, and we needed two powerful voice talents to make that conflict real and bring it to life. Patrick Stewart's classic articulation and Michael Clarke Duncan's presence were absolutely perfect as the two opposing sides of that conflict," said John Hight, executive producer in Atari's Los Angeles studio. "As a best-selling author of numerous Forgotten Realms novels, R. A. Salvatore is uniquely suited to take on this project and his mastery of storytelling will immerse players more deeply in our game." Patrick Stewart, who has starred in numerous major theatrical releases, including "X-Men," "X-2: X-Men United," "Conspiracy Theory," as well as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" television series and feature films "Star Trek: Generations," "Star Trek: First Contact," "Star Trek: Insurrection" and "Star Trek: Nemesis" will give voice to Khelban "Blackstaff" Aunsun -- a wizard of legendary power and wisdom. Michael Clarke Duncan, who has appeared in feature films that include "Daredevil," "The Scorpion King," "Planet of the Apes" and "The Green Mile," will provide the voice of Ygorl, the evil Slaad Lord - a bloodthirsty conqueror from a mystical realm of chaos. R. A. Salvatore is a prolific fantasy writer who has penned
dozens of novels centered in the Forgotten Realms and other D&D locations, including the "Icewind Dale Trilogy," the "Dark Elf trilogy," and the "Demon Wars." Best known as the creator of the popular Drizzt Do'Urden(TM), one of the fantasy genre's most beloved characters, Salvatore has sold nearly nine million novels to date. His latest novel, "The Lone Drow," chronicles the continued adventures of Drizzt in the land of Faerun, and spent 10 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list.
Stone" can be found online at www.demonstone.com. ********************************************** A-T-A-R-I Answers-Tips-and-Relevant Information by Paul Alhart paulalhart@hotmail.com 1988.7 THE ATARI FEDERATION NEEDS YOUR HELP!!
In "Demon Stone," the player directs a party of three characters -- Fighter, Sorcerer and Rogue. Switching control between characters "on the fly," the player fights a wide range of enemies, with the other two party members controlled by sophisticated artificial intelligence and ready to return to the player at any time. For example, when the player controls the Fighter, the Sorcerer and Rogue will continue to engage in combat, cast spells and assist the player in defeating all challengers. In many situations, the characters will be able to divide and conquer difficult objectives -- while the Fighter holds back a horde of YuanTi snakemen with brute force, the Sorcerer supports him with devastating long-ranged magic spells while the rogue sneaks above and behind the enemies for a coup de grace. The player participates seamlessly in each critical moment as the perspective and control switches among the characters, all under user control. This real-time, on-the-fly character switching design allows "Demon Stone" to challenge players with innovative and compelling encounters. In true D&D fashion, each of the characters excels at a certain type of gameplay. The Fighter thrives in melee combat, the Sorcerer is excellent at ranged and magical combat and the Rogue excels at jumping, sneaking and disarming traps. Players will be continually tasked with choosing the best character for each challenge, as well as using each character's gameplay specialty to maximum effect. "Demon Stone's" intense, cinematic action is set entirely within the visually stunning Forgotten Realms fantasy world. Familiar characters, such as the famous drow Drizzt Do'Urden and the legendary mage Khelban "Blackstaff" Arunsun who assist the party in their struggles; terrifying monsters, including Dragons, Orcs, Slaadi, Yuan-Ti and Trolls; as well as geographical locations straight from the popular D&D campaign setting, will make appearances and serve as backdrops throughout the game. The story of "Demon Stone" revolves around the adventuring party's unwitting intrusion into an age-old conflict between two warring demonic armies; one led by a Githyanki Princess and the other, a Slaad Lord. After inadvertently releasing both demons back upon the world after eons of imprisonment, the adventurers must embark upon a quest to right this wrong and restore order to the world of Faerun. "Demon Stone" is scheduled for release on the PlayStation 2 in Fall 2004. Additional information about "Demon
As you know, we are temporarily without a president. We will miss Bob and the GREAT job he has done. If we want the FEDERATION to continue to advance though, the support of ALL of us is required. You owe it to yourself and the FEDERATION to be at the July meeting to help pick our next president and the direction the FEDERATION will be taking in the coming months. It won't go the way YOU want it to unless YOU help push it along. The RANA Repair Guide has been printed. Come see it at the July meeting. To encourage you to be at the meeting, I will be selling it at a SPECIAL, ONE TIME ONLY, discount price, available only at the July meeting. Come get your copy and help out YOUR User Group. Speaking of help. This may be my last regular A-T-A-R-I column unless I get some help. I need some ideas for programs or topics to write about. Please help me out!