August 2016
August 2016 Edition 4.48 has me once again trying to get a better handle on the various high speed disk drive protocols for our little Atari computers, Happy Enhancement Warp Drive, ICD US Doubler and UltraSpeed, the Indus GT and Synchromesh, etc.
Message from Captain Irata: “Game Over Happens! HOO-RAH!”
So far this summer my Atari history research has taken me to the main library at the University of Iowa, the main central Chicago Public Library, and twice to the Hennepin County Central Library in Minneapolis. Much material collected, no time to process it! One thing I’ve noticed is that as I’ve move forward in time covered, once I got into 1979 there seems less to discover through this process. I suspect that when Kassar took over at the beginning of 1979, there might have been some kind of edict that random Atari employees were not to talk to the press, that only PR people should supply the public with information. As a result, fewer stories in the professional trade publications, just because reporters had less material to write about. The recent release of SpartaDOS X
Not too much re-writing from previous rounds, but trying to be more consistent about describing hardware products as clones of the original hardware, and describing supporting software by which of the software protocol standards they are supporting. Rather than vice versa. SpartaDOS X supports almost everything, but for whatever reason does not support the “Turbodrive” high speed protocol, which originated with the 1050 Turbo upgrade from West Germany in 1985, and became very popular in eastern Europe presumably because it was less expensive than the established Happy and US Doubler products we were familiar with over here.
Our birthday party went off without a hitch, but when we heard about the protest march on Larpenteur that evening we weren’t sure the road to the City Hall would be open. But it ended up fine and the party was very enjoyable. Plenty of food, chicken tacos, beans and Franks, chips and root beer floats for dessert. A perfect meal for the five members and two spouses who partook in the festivities.
Thanks, keep using that Atari, and come to your next SPACE meeting, Friday August 12, 2016. TABLE OF CONTENTS:
As far as the SPACE bank statement looks for July here is where we are at. We started with a balance of $372.54 and added another $33.00 for July. We added $15.00 for a membership renewal and $18.00 for six 8-bit DOMs sold. So we ended up with a $405.54 balance.
President’s Corner: Treasurer’s Report: Secretary’s Report: 8-bit DOM Reviews: SPACE Comics Section: Latest Atari News: CX-30 Evolved Review:
1 1 2 2 4 5 6
A very short meeting (less than ten minutes) and when we got to old and new business we got the same response (I’m hungry and I’m still hungry)! So we just shut down the meeting and dug in to the food.
Not much else to add so I guess I will see you all again on August 12. Have fun at the fairs and all the parades this summer. So lucky to have two young-uns to take to these places.
it redeems itself in other areas. Marvelous. Graphics: Gameplay: HELLO WORLD! Welcome to the latest Secretary’s Report, fellow Atarians! There were five members present, and we have a membership count of ten members. The meeting lasted fifteen minutes, ending at 7:45 PM. People just wanted to eat and party, so there were no old and new news. Also, there was no Web Site Report, since there was no sign of Nolan again. But, there was a lot of food. There were, of course, tacos. But, there were also cocktail franks and beans and franks from Lance, root beer floats from Glen, and lots of beverages. Yes, it was a lot of fun. This concludes the Secretary’s Report. I will see you at the next meeting on Friday, August 12, 2016. In the words of Stan Lee… EXCELSIOR!
8-bit DOM Reviews By Steven Peck
Well, I am back with not one, but TWO reviews for August. Since I was unable to make it to the June meeting, I will have the reviews for both June and July, as promised.
Total:
6 8 14/20
Chi Bao is a music track. I thought it could have sounded better, but it was still OK. It was somewhat enlightening, however. Sound:
6/10
June 2016 DOM, Side One:
The Gift is a Christmas demo with a flashy script text splash screen and shows Santa with a gift in his hands and there is a text ticker in real time with credits.
Dance With Us is a demo showing three people damcing to music, and the animation is astoundingly excellent. It looks like it is in Polish or Czech, but that is immaterial.
Problem, though. This is a PAL demo and will eventually artefact into bits of ASCII-coded gibberish and will unfortunately crash the computer. Bummer.
The animation is so fluid, it looks like motion capture or rotoscoping, meaning it looks traced on there from a real image. Astonishingly good. Here is the score:
I will give this problem the benefit of the doubt, however. It’s still a great demo program.
So, here we go with that. I will waste no time and begin.
Graphics: Music: Animation:
9 8 10
Total:
27/30
The Saga of Erik the Viking is a text/graphics adventure. Basic, but not so basic. It is vast and more complex than it seems. The graphics are a little slow to load, but this is a conversion from Amstrad CPC and we are talking about an Atari 8-bit, which is great but not by any means perfect. This has the potential to be a great game. Unfortunately, it has no sound, so it will suffer a little in that department. No worries, though, as
Graphics: Sound: Animation: Total:
9 9 7 25/30
Manic Miner has a sappy primary splash screen, but, wait, it gets better. As Miner Willy, you have to escape a mine before your air runs out and you suffocate. I liked this game because it is difficult to play, but I wonder if it is too difficult. It’s still fun to play. It would take a seasoned gamer hours to figure the levels out. Good, clean fun. Graphics: Animation: Gameplay:
7 8 8
Sound: Total:
7 30/40 Side Two:
Made with Atari 800 is a great, colorful demo showing colored pencils in a 97-color display with a text ticker in real-time. I was extremely impressed by it. The scanned typography is spot-on perfect and exemplifies the graphics on-screen. Kudos! Graphics: 10 Animation: 9 Sound: 10 Total:
29/30
MD201601 is a simple-looking demo with particle effects simulating fireworks at dusk over a cityscape. I think the city coud have looked better, but the fireworks… in one word… ASTOUNDING! The particle effects are great and can be better, but they will pass. I would have liked to see them as bigger particles. That would have taken it ove the top, I think. Graphics: Animation: Sound:
8 9 10
Total:
27/30
Echoes and Step It Up are two music tracks that are made by Makary Brauner and are pretty good, but sound quite similar to each other. But, they still astound and amaze. I would like to have seen more difference in the sound in the music tracks. But, I am impressed, anyway. Great tunes! Total for both: 8/10
Belegost is a text advanture with interactive icons that is actually impressive. I played it and it was fun for me, but it crashed. No worries, though. I could still enjoy it. This game is also in Czech as well as English, and you can select the main language. Cool game. Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound: Total:
9 9 9 9 36/40
Jezkovy voci is a shooting gun game with the XE Light Gun. There are five games, but when I used the gun, the shot registered before I pulled the trigger and the voice said something to me that I could not understand because it was in Czech language. Then, I could not do anything because the game seemed to freeze. So, here is my score for this game: Graphics: 6 Gameplay: 5 Animation: 1 Sound: 10 Total:
22/40
July 2016 DOM: Side One: Muxeso is a game of concentration where you have to match cards that have individual letters of the alphabet. It’s actually prety cool. I liked this game and I highly recommend it to anybody. It is a great exercise for the mind. Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:
9 10 8 8
Barmania is a demo that contain impressive wavy graphics and some music. The graphics are great, but the music somewhat suffers. Nevertheless, it is magnificent. Graphics: Sound: Animation:
9 7 10
Total:
26/30
Jil the Queen is a black-and-white demo of a warrior queen blasting a castle with her bow and arrow while incessantly cursing expletives like a drunken sailor. UGH! Great demo. I will still it high marks. But, why the extreme profamity? It’s absurd. Anyway, that’s my take on it. Great graphics, though. Graphics: 10 Animation: 10 Sound: 10 Total:
30/30 (perfect score)
Legacy of Sin is another excellent demo with weird music, but it is still a great demo, nonetheless. All it shows are monochrome blobs on the screen, like a lava lamp. Hey, I like it, and that’s OK! Graphics: Sound: Animation:
10 10 10
Total:
30/30 (perfect)
Porucha Dne is a music track that is pretty good and delightful. This music rocks and I especially gave it high marks. Total:
9/10
Rain Bliss is another great music demo that shines. It is definitely bliss to hear.
Total: 9/10 Bam 2016 is a demo that has smooth animation and graphics, but there is no sound. It is a preview of a new game coming out, unless it has already been released. There is also a text ticker showing the credits due to the programmers. It’s pretty cool. I enjoyed it. Graphics: Animation:
10 10
Total:
20/10 (perfect)
Animation: Sound:
10 10
Total:
30/30 (perfect)
Well, that concludes the DOM Reviews for this month. Carpe diem, guys, and I will be back with another Review next month. Thanks.
The Rocky Horror Show is a demo based on the cult classic show, and it has the lips of Dr. Frank N. Furter with yet another text ticker. But, the graphics look excellent. I liked the demo and I am going to give it high marks. Graphics: Sound: Animation:
10 9 8
Total:
27/30
NOTE: Special thanks to Glen for his Document Lister app, for we can get information on these programs. Kudos. Side 2: This whole side of the DOM is all one demo. It’s that big and that good. It is depicted in space and then the ship lands on a planet. The graphics are like Rescue on Fractalus, only better looking. It folows a storyline leading up to a Wolfenstein 3d-like maze. This maze is all for show and self scrolls. This is a great demo from Desire and it rocks! Graphics:
10
Another Message from Captain Irata: “In Cyberspace, no one can hear you scream when you are frustrated with your games… HOO-RAH!”
SPACE COMICS SECTION The Misadventures of A-Man and C.D. By Steven Peck
The next SPACE meeting is on Friday, August 12, 2016, at 7:30 P.M. We hope to see you there! As Dr. Doom says on the right…
Latest Atari News Sent by Michael Current
Innovative Audio Company ROAM® and Atari® Announce Partnership to Develop Co-Branded Headphones and Earphones Based on Atari’s Iconic Brand Next-Generation Headphones and Earphones to Bring a Personalized Audio Listening Experience to Atari Fans NEW YORK – July 7, 2016 – Atari®, one of the world’s most recognized publishers and producers of interactive entertainment, today announced a partnership with innovative audio company ROAM®. The collaboration combines Atari’s iconic and timeless brand with ROAM’s stylish, high quality earphones to create co-branded mobile audio products. The new line of gaming headphones and earphones will serve as a platform to bring ROAM’s personalized audio to listeners. As part of the deal, Atari has become a shareholder in ROAM. As a passionate innovator in the audio industry for more than a decade, Steven Lamar, co-creator of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones and CEO of ROAM, founded the company to give people a new way to listen to the music they love. ROAM’S exclusive and game-changing technology enables listeners to fully personalize the earphone’s sound settings, eliminating the standard “one sound fits all” listening experience. “I’ve been a fan of Atari my entire life,” said Lamar. “Collaborating with such an iconic brand is a dream come true. Together, we’re going to bring a fresh, fun and creative audio experience to genera-
tions of Atari fans.” “ROAM is transforming the way people experience music. We are excited to partner with them because of their dedication to the art of sound and passion for delivering to users a quality product that will powerfully change the way they listen to music,” said Fred Chesnais, Chief Executive Officer, Atari. Producer Stephen Belafonte, who helped broker the deal, joins as a partner in this endeavor. He has previously worked with Atari as a producer on both film and music projects. For more details, stay connected with ROAM on Twitter @ROAM, Instagram, and Facebook.
© 2016 Atari Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved. Atari word mark and logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners. About ROAM: ROAM® is the creator of Ropes, the next generation of earphones that combines the best in ergonomic design, sound quality and personalization into a superior mobile listening system. The company was founded in 2013 by Steven Lamar and is based in San Francisco, California. To learn more about ROAM, visit www.ROAMwith.com.
Atari® and AtGames® Collaborate on Upcoming Atari FlashTo learn more about Atari, follow back® Classics Release for Conus on Twitter @Atari and “Like” us sole on Facebook .
### About Atari: Atari (www.atari.com) is an interactive entertainment production company. As an iconic brand that transcends generations and audiences, the company is globally recognized for its multi-platform, interactive entertainment and licensed products. Atari owns and/or manages a portfolio of more than 200 games and franchises, including worldrenowned brands like Asteroids®, Centipede®, Missile Command®, Pong®, Test Drive®, and RollerCoaster Tycoon®.
Companies Partner to Deliver Iconic Game Collections on Next-Generation Consoles for the First Time with Modern Gaming Capabilities Including Global Leaderboards, Online Multiplayer, and More
New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA – June 29, 2016 - Atari®, one of the world’s most recognized publishers and producers of interactive entertainment, and AtGames® Digital Media Ltd., today announced their latest retro-gaming releases, Atari Flashback® Classics Volume 1 and Atari Flashback® Classics VolEmmett/Furla/Oasis Films have ume 2. Each volume features 50 partnered with Atari®, to produce different classic Atari 2600 Video and finance two films based on Computer System (VCS) and ariconic Atari classic games, Centicade games. The addictively fun pede® and Missile Command®. bundle of games will launch on Atari has offices in New York and next-generation consoles in Holiday 2016. Paris.
For the first time on console, players can experience Atari’s greatest hits with the benefit of today’s technology, including full 1080p high-definition, global leaderboards, online multiplayer, and more. Featuring games like Asteroids®, Centipede®, Missile Command®, Tempest®, Warlords®, and many more, each volume of Atari Flashback Classicscombines the nostalgia of the Atari 2600 arcades with modern gaming capabilities.
Widow (Arcade), Blackjack (2600), Bowling (2600), Canyon Bomber (2600), Centipede (2600), Centipede (Arcade), Circus Atari (2600), Combat (2600), Combat 2 (2600), Desert Falcon (2600), Dodge ‘Em (2600), Fatal Run (2600), Football (2600), Home Run (2600), Human Cannonball (2600), Liberator (Arcade), Lunar Lander (Arcade), Millipede (2600), Millipede (Arcade), Miniature Golf (2600), Pong (Arcade), Quadrun (2600), Radar Lock (2600), Realsports Boxing (2600), “Each volume of Atari FlashRealsports Football (2600), Realback Classics offers convenient sports Soccer (2600), Realsports access to some of the most memVolleyball (2600), Save Mary orable titles in gaming history, (2600), Slot Machine (2600), Slot introducing a new generation of Racers (2600), Space Duel (Argamers to many of the very best cade), Sprint Master (2600), Star videogames ever created,” said Raiders (2600), Steeplechase Fred Chesnais, Chief Executive (2600), Stunt Cycle (2600), Super Officer, Atari. “It is our hope that Baseball (2600), Super Football the same excitement people ex- (2600), Swordquest: Earthworld perienced when these titles were (2600), Swordquest: Fireworld first introduced to the home and (2600), Swordquest: Waterworld in the arcade can be felt again, (2600), Tempest (2600), Tempest and that today’s gamers can dis- (Arcade), Video Olympics (2600), cover what made these titles legWarlords (2600), Warlords (Arendary.” cade), Yars’ Revenge (2600) “Atari Flashback Classics is a wonderful expansion of our popular Atari Flashback hardware series, which has sold millions of classic game consoles worldwide,” says Dr. Ping-Kang Hsiung, CEO of AtGames. “We are delighted to once again partner with Atari to bring amazing classic gaming titles to the latest generation of consoles.”
Atari Flashback Classics Volume 2 features the following titles:
man (2600), Haunted House (2600), Major Havoc (Arcade), Maze Craze (2600), Missile Command (2600), Missile Command (Arcade), Night Driver (2600), Off the Wall (2600), Outlaw (2600), Race (2600), Realsports Baseball (2600), Realsports Basketball (2600), Realsports Tennis (2600), Red Baron (Arcade), Return to Haunted House (2600), Secret Quest (2600), Sentinel (2600), Sky Diver (2600), Spacewar (2600), Sprint (Arcade), Starship (2600), Stellar Track (2600), Street Racer (2600), Sub Commander (2600), Super Breakout (2600), Super Breakout (Arcade), Surround (2600), Video Pinball (2600) Developed by Code Mystics, each volume of Atari Flashback Classics will be available both digitally and at retail in Holiday 2016. About Atari: Atari Interactive, Inc. (www. atari.com) is an interactive entertainment production company. As an iconic brand that transcends generations and audiences, the company is globally recognized for its multi-platform, interactive entertainment and licensed products. Atari owns and/or manages a portfolio of more than 200 games and franchises, including world-renowned brands like Asteroids®, Centipede®, Missile Command®, Pong®, Test Drive®, and RollerCoaster Tycoon®.
A Game of Concentration (2600), Adventure (2600), Asteroids (2600), Asteroids (Arcade), Asteroids Deluxe (Arcade), Atari Video Cube (2600), Basic Math (2600), Brain Games (2600), Breakout (2600), Casino (2600), Championship Soccer (2600) ,Checkers (2600) ,Chess (2600) ,Code Atari Flashback Classics Volume Breaker (2600) ,Crystal Castles 1 features the following titles: (2600), Crystal Castles (Arcade), Demons to Diamonds (2600), Atari has offices in New York 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe (2600), Air-Sea Double Dunk (2600), Flag Capand Paris. Battle (2600), Backgammon ture (2600), Golf (2600), Gravitar (2600), Basketball (2600), Black (2600), Gravitar (Arcade), Hang- © 2016 Atari Interactive, Inc. All
rights reserved. Atari word mark and logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc. About AtGames: AtGames Digital Media, Ltd. (www.atgames.net) develops innovative interactive entertainment products for worldwide distribution. AtGames has offices in Los Angeles, Taipei, and Shenzhen. About Code Mystics: Based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Code Mystics (www.codemystics.com) is a prolific and versatile independent developer, comprised of industry veterans. With over 50 titles spanning both high-profile flagship brands and popular indie titles, Code Mystics’ proprietary technology delivers pixel-perfect solutions on all platforms from console and handheld to mobile and desktop and even custom hardware.
CX-30 Evolved Paddle Controller Review By Steven Peck Our friendly V61 dealer (and felloe SPACE member), Lance, has come up with yet a new product: the CX30 Evolved Paddle Controller for the Atari 8-bit platforms. It is a dandy, too. I beta tested it on Super Breakout the other day, and it handles really nicely. It handles better than the A2600 Paddles (the original CX-30. These beauties have the case of a ProLine joystick, but the rotary con-
troller of a paddle. I suggest that you inquire Lance about it. This controller is destined to be a classic accessory. I loved it, and so will you. So, that is all I have to say about that. I will gab at you later and you can visit Lance’s site at wwww. atarisales.com for more information. Thanks again.
Yeah, What Now, Captain Irata?! “I was bored. So I came back to say one more thing to you SPACE Cadets…
HOO-RAH!” (Sorry. The Cap is outspoken, even though he has little to say.)