SPACE Newsletter

It’s SPACE Christmas party time!! Come to SPACE this month to take part in the festivities and enjoy an evening with your fellow Atari users! Great to see everyone last month at the SPACE annual meeting!

We had a very good meeting in November as our president, Michael Current, and Lance Ringquist, both made it to the meeting. They add a lot to our monthly discussion, and that makes it a very satisfying meeting.

Club election results are in, Greg, Steve, Brian, and I were re-elected treasurer, secretary, vicepresident, and president, respectively.

Once again our elections were quick, and all current members in board positions will stay put for another year. Glen agreed to continue his position as chairman of our DOMs and also our membership.

The other volunteer positions remain unchanged as well, with Glen as membership chairman and DOM librarian (8-bit), Steve as Newsletter editor, Mike Allard as ST DOM librarian, and me in charge of the website and Facebook pages. Thank you to everyone for your continued interest and efforts to help make SPACE what it is, we would not be here without you! Thanks, keep using that Atari, and come to your next SPACE meeting and Christmas party, Friday, December 14, 2018.

Thanks to all for filling these positions for another year. As you all know, we have our Christmas party next month, and we will once again have chicken tacos and root beer floats. I will supply beverages and all the table fixings, so if you attend please bring a dish for everyone to share. Snacks and desserts would probably be a good choice. As far as our treasury is concerned, we added $39.00 to our balance. We began the month of November at $622.54, and now at month’s end we have $661.54, thanks to Michael renewing his membership and catching up on his 8-bit DOMs. We now have plenty of funds to cover not only our room rental for this year, but we also have 2019 covered. Please try to make the December meeting. Everyone will have good food to eat, and it is a great way to start the holiday season. See you all there! TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Message from Captain Irata: “Christmastime is here! Full of toys and cheer! But, if you don’t win any video games, all your friends will jeer…” HOO-RAH!

PAGE ONE: The President’s Corner Treasurer’s Report Secretary’s Report PAGE TWO: Recent Atari News Atari ST DOM Review PAGE THREE:

HELLO WORLD! Happy Holidays! Well, here we are with another Secretary’s Report! As always, I am happy to serve you with it. Here we go with it, then. The meeting commenced at 7:30 PM. We had a good time, as SPACE President Michael Current showed up for the venerated Election. As for the Election results, Greg will continue to be the Treasurer, I, Steve, will continue to be the Secretary, Michael willl continue to be the President, and Brian will continue to be the Vice-President. So, business as usual there, with no changes. Anyway, aside from the Election, we also talked about the upcoming SPACE Christmas Party, which will commence on Friday, December 15, 2018. Bring your eating shoes, because there will be plenty of food, and (like Greg said) tacos, too! Of course, I will bring the chips and dip, as always. Happy to oblige, of course! Aside from that, it was a normal meeting. We also previewed the next DOM, and it has some cool stuff in it. You may want to check it out, when you have the chance. The meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM, lasting approximately thirty minutes. However, we stayed a little bit longer than that to preview the DOM a little bit more. I know one thing, our SPACE President was having a lot of fun figuring a game out there. It helped me with learning more on how to play it. On a sad note, comic book maestro Stan Lee has passed away, as of Monday, November 12, 2018, at the age of ninety-five years. I then close, expressing my heartfelt condolences, and in his words and with a heavy heart… EXCELSIOR! IN MEMORIAM: Stanley Martin Lieber “Stan Lee” (1922-2018) He was responsible for games for the Atari 2600 and 8-bit computers such as “Spider-Man” and “The Incredible Hulk.” He will be missed… TRIVIA TIME! Before businessman Jack Tramiel was CEO of Atari, he worked for Commodore Business Machines. The Atari ST computer was nicknamed “the Jackintosh,” after Tramiel’s first name.

Recent Atari News AtGames® Partners With Atari® to Publish 2018 Line-Up of Nintendo SwitchTM, PlayStation®4, and Xbox One Games Companies Partner to Deliver “Atari® Flashback Classics” and “RollerCoaster Tycoon®” Series Software to All Major Consoles in 2018 Press Release - updated: Nov 7, 2018 LOS ANGELES, November 7, 2018(Newswire. com) - AtGames® Digital Media Inc., a leader in interactive entertainment products, in partnership with Atari ®, today announced their complete lineup of exciting software titles for modern consoles. These titles include “Atari® Flashback Classics” Vol. 1 – Vol. 3 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Microsoft Xbox One, “RollerCoaster Tycoon JoyrideTM” for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and enhanced for PlayStation®VR, “Atari® Flashback Classics” for Nintendo SwitchTM, and “RollerCoaster Tycoon® Adventures” for Nintendo Switch. All releases will be available at major US and Canadian retailers this holiday season. “Atari has an incredible library of classic arcade and home games,” says Dr. Ping-Kang Hsiung, CEO of AtGames. “It’s a true pleasure to bring so many of these all-time classics, including the popular ‘RollerCoaster Tycoon’ franchise, to today’s console gamers.”

do Switch retails for $39.99. RollerCoaster Tycoon Adventures for Nintendo Switch retails for $49.99.

DOMs loaded with every PD program made to date. That’s well over 5 GB of programs to have to go through.

About AtGames

Programs are then put on physical disks to test on a real ST, as I don’t care for emulators too much. If the program works it gets put on a master disk, a separate disk from ones I use to test programs.

AtGames Digital Media Inc. (http://www.atgames.net) is a leader in innovative consumeroriented interactive entertainment products. The company leverages the latest technology to develop and publish its best-selling classic videogame products for worldwide distribution. AtGames is based in Los Angeles, with international offices in Taipei and Shenzhen. About Atari Atari is an interactive entertainment 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®” and “RollerCoaster Tycoon®.” Atari has offices in New York and Paris. Visit us online at www.Atari.com. Media Contact: pr@atgames.net Source: AtGames Digital Media Inc.

That’s when the disk swapping commences. And having only one disk drive on an ST has introduced me to swapping mania. A long process putting together a master ST DOM. Once a master disk is done, I then return to the Windows XP computer where an image of the master disk is made. After that, copies of the ST DOM are made from that image. Images are stored and sealed to protect them should they be needed again. The whole process can take days to complete a single ST DOM. Rest assured the DOMs are still being done as I come across NTSC friendly programs. I have the resources as long as the program is not expecting PAL standards. Again, sorry for the long delay. I am hoping to be completely caught up with the ST DOMs during the first quarter of 2019. I apologize for not being able to keep my original October 2018 deadline. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE, TO CLUB MEMBERS, AND THEIR FAMILY!

Joining “Atari Flashback Classics” Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year is Vol. 3, which brings 50 more legendary arcade and home games to PS4 and Xbox One consoles. In addition to more Atari arcade and Atari 2600 console classics like “Atari Basketball” and “Canyon Bomber,” Vol. 3 includes hit titles from M Network, like “Astroblast” and “Dark Cavern,” and a selection of games from the Atari 5200 SuperSystem console, like “Centipede®” and “Star Raiders.” All three volumes together total 150 amazing games. In “RollerCoaster Tycoon Joyride” for PlayStation 4, players are challenged to build and ride breathtaking roller coasters in thrilling environments with an easy-to-use coaster builder. In a twist on the coaster experience, riders can now shoot down fast-moving targets as they soar through the sky to reach the top of the leaderboards. “RollerCoaster Tycoon Joyride” is enhanced for PSVR, marking a first for the beloved series. “Atari Flashback Classics” for Nintendo Switch features a stunning selection of 150 of the best Atari arcade, Atari 2600 console, and Atari 5200 SuperSystem console games ever made. This expansive collection represents the first time all of these games have been brought together at one time and takes full advantage of the Switch’s versatile feature-set. It’s the history of Atari for play at home or on-the-go! “RollerCoaster Tycoon Adventures” for Nintendo Switch lets gamers take a trip to the ultimate theme park by building the biggest, wildest, and most thrilling rides ever. Can you make money in this volatile business? Can you become a true rollercoaster tycoon? Only time will tell. Well-designed gameplay mechanics, appealing graphics, and high replay value make this a must-have title for Switch owners. “Atari Flashback Classics” vol. 1 – 3 for PS4 and Xbox One retail for $19.99 each. “RollerCoaster Tycoon Joyride” retails for PS4 and PSVR retails for $29.99. Atari Flashback Classics for Ninten-

Once again, I am writing to let the club know that I have not forgotten about you guys. I’m working hard on getting the club ST DOMs caught up. But, I keep running into issues. One issue I have is that the ST is a new computer to me. I have never really owned one long enough to get to know the system and what all it does. It has been a learning experience as I am constantly learning its strength and weaknesses while also learning what software was made for it. The main issue I keep running into is with the locale most of the PD games come from. As we are all aware the ST had the largest impact in the UK. That is a good thing, but it makes it extremely difficult to put together DOMs for our loved ST computers. The hertz difference between North America and UK keeps me from finding enough games (or any other programs) to fill up a single disk in time for the meetings. I’ve been on the hunt for a few months to find some sort of program that will change the hertz rate to match our 60 Hertz NTSC standards. So far, I’ve had no such luck. I have no knowledge if the ST monitors suffer from the hertz issues or not. I try to find programs that will work on both a CRT or ST monitor as I know each person has their own setups to fit their needs. In my situation, I use a 20” CRT that only works with 60 Hertz. My previous CRT supported both 50 and 60 Hertz, so I was able to play games made locally and across the ocean. I even discovered one 2600 game I own (Secret Quest) that does not work with the CRT I use. I use an old Windows XP system to make our ST

Again, I wish everyone the best this Holiday season! Welcome to the holiday edition of the A8 DOM Review for the end of 2018. Because I was not present for October’s meeting, I will give a double DOM review again. I apologize for the inconvenience. So, let’s get crackin! October 2018 DOM, Side A: “Amitari,” by Emkay, is the first file on the October DOM. It is great looking with seventy-seven colors and a pulse-pounding music track. It shows a type ticker on the bottom of the screen, in realtime, and the picture shows a soldier brandishing a gun. It is pretty solid, this file, and the music is excellent. I like the artwork with most of the soldier in shadow. It depicts action and even darkness. For 8-bit, it looks spectacular. SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Sound:

9 10 10

TOTAL:

29/30

“Atlantida” is a music track by Zdenek Eisenhammer (PG), and it sounds a little bit eerie, but still sounds good. It is in stereo at double-speed, for technical information. It is slow and somber as well, so it sets a mood. So, I will score accordingly. TOTAL:

8/10

The next file is a picture called “In The Deep.” It shows an underwater scene with a bathysphere (a highly-engineered submersible vehicle to with-

stand high water pressure), a domed underwater city, a skeleton of a plesiosaur, and an angler fish, all surrounded by underwater flora. I like the premise, and it looks nice. I can see the mood of the picture, as it exemplifies the ocean depths really well. It stands out as a great depiction of underwater life, that is for sure. I will score accordingly. TOTAL:

8/10

The next file on the DOM is another music track called “Sunset Ocean Runner Turbo GT ‘87” Aceman, Dreamweb, Agenda, and RSE. It is a pretty peppy tune, with waves simulated in the music. You actually feel you are there, on the ocean.

Wapniak, I assume. Interesting stuff.

Another great tune, which I like. I will score accordingly.

Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:

7 7 10 8

TOTAL:

30/40

TOTAL:

10/10 (perfect)

The next file, an intro, is called “Grey 39 Birthday.” It shows a lot of tonal and color gradients. I like the flashy intro. I love the animation! It certainly is classy, that is for sure.

The next pic is called “Make Less Not More!” It shows the faces of two women, about to kiss. Pretty good graphics. I like it. I think that the way the picture was digitized stands out. It really looks good graphics-wise. I will score.

I am going to score this accordingly.

TOTAL:

SCORE:

“Zweglaj olympijczyka,” by Rafal, is a game. It is a simple game where the “Olympian” tries to douse the Olympic torch. You control the torch and try to keep the flame going and keep it from getting wet.

Animation: Graphics: Sound:

10 10 10

TOTAL:

30/30 (perfect)

The next file is called “Tortura Wodna,” by Koala. It is a game from the group from Poland, Grawitacja 2K18. You play a cake that has to catch fruit falling from the sky. It is interesting, this game, but just a little minigame. It seems like a teaser to me. I think that it could look better, but it is OK. Let me score this. Graphics: Animation: Sound: Gameplay: TOTAL:

8 9 8 8 33/40

“UFO Hunt,” a game by Sikor, is the next file on this disk. You control crosshairs to try to lock on to an alien spaceship. Beware of the orange line in the middle of the screen. It can destroy your ship. The last file on Side A: a picture called “Gaming Room,” shows the ultimate retro game room. Because of the colors on the screen, it looks like an Apple II conversion, but it still shines. I see references to JagNES, Wapniak, and SillyVenture. So, this might be a joint venture of different user groups in Europe. Although it is in B&W, I like the premise. I love the expression of the kid in awe of this stuff. It’s fun and cool. Here’s my score. TOTAL:

9/10 Side B:

“The SillyVenture 2K18 Invitation” is an intro, and the first file on the second side of the October DOM. It is a fantastic file, too, with shimmering graphics, real-time animation, and killer music. I liked the spinning globe with the animated text interacting with it. That blew me away. This is a kicking file. I will score accordingly. SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Sound:

10 10 10

TOTAL:

30/30 (perfect)

The next file is called “Factore, hod ho do stroje,” by coder LiSU. It is a music track. It is fast and pulse-pounding. I like the music and it could stand out in a action-packed video game. I think it is a great little tune. So, I will score accordingly. TOTAL:

9/10

9/10

I think that the game could have been better, and not so weird. I can understand it is challenging. Overall, differences aside, it does seem OK. I will score accordingly. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound: TOTAL:

7 8 7 7 29/40

Baha Software’s “Train” is another game. It is similar to the A2600 game “Surround.” You control the train, as it picks up boxcars. The more boxcars, the longer the train. Just do not run into walls or yourself. Simple premise. Once you collect all the boxcars, a door will open. It will talk you to another level if you successfully go through the door. So, it is a neat little game. I will score accordingly. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound: TOTAL:

7 9 7 7 30/40

The final file on this DOM is an animation called “Fly to Nordlicht.” It is an invitation demo that is similar to “Rescue on Fractalus” in graphic execution. It looks like a pretty cool setup. It has great graphics and mellow music. Nice demo. I will score this then. SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Sound:

10 8 9

TOTAL:

27/30

Now, onward to the next DOM! November 2018 DOM, Side A: The first file on this DOM is an intro called “Wapniak 2018 Invite.” It shows an interactive file with a cat needing to get rings in a game-like setting, so it is a playable invite to a Wapniak function in Warsaw, Poland. I thought it was funny and I loved the interactive feature in the invite. This file is similar to another that I have seen on a previous DOM, also by

Let me score on this. SCORE:

In the next file, famous coder Fandal has done it again with “Crescent Solitaire.” It is a take on the classic Solitaire card game. You have to match the cards with the same suit into piles in numerical order to win. They all must be ultimately piles of the same suit. You have a time limit in real-time that you can play against. You must beat the clock, or it’s GAME OVER. I like the game. It is very challenging, as all Solitaire games are. Cool, challenging, fun, and smart. This is what I like about a video game. Plus, the rules are easy to understand. That is a sell for me. I will score this now. SCORE: Graphics: Sound: Animation: Gameplay:

8 8 6 10

TOTAL:

32/40

Next file is the Konami classic arcade game “Time Pilot,” or at least an A8 port of it. But, it is a great port. It is extremely close to the arcade game. I think that it is pretty cool. I like the graphics and arcade gameplay. It is a good coin-op copy. I will score the game. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:

10 10 10 10

TOTAL:

40/40 (perfect score)

The next is called “First Man on the Mars,” a music track by Poison. I can see that is has a lot of action in the music, there is a sense of urgency in the music, plus the fact that the music sounds pretty good. I like the fast pace and pep in the music. It has a lot going on with it. I will score it now. TOTAL:

9/10

“Miro” is a picture, a digitized picture. I like the picture and its sepia tone. It look great. Splendid job, in my opinion. I will rate it. TOTAL:

10/10 (perfect)

“Just Pong!”, by Bocaniu, is just what it says: Pong. It is a very good facsimile of the classic arcade game. It is difficult, too. I played it once, and got beat by the computer. It is quite fun, being a game from 1972. Very nice conversion. Let me rate this. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:

6 10 10 5

TOTAL:

31/40

Side B: The first game on this side of the DOM is called “Ziggy,” again by Fandal. You play a spring that has to collect certain things on a board in a certain perspective. But, this is a puzzle game that requires thought and ingenuity. Because of the way the boards are set up, you cannot go the direction that you want in a normal fashion. It is almost that you have to tilt the controller a certain way to play it. You can make yourself jump farther, but you will lose energy. Also, you only have a certain amount of lives in the game. There is no time limit, fortunately. But, it is certainly challenging in the way the game is set up. It is definitely fun to play. I will score accordingly. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:

9 10 8 8

TOTAL:

35/40

“AtariOnline vs AtariArea” is a really strange game. It is strange indeed, and I cannot figure it out. The graphics do not make sense, and neither does the game. You play two ships and if you get behind the other player’s thrust plume, it’s game over. There does not seem to be a plot to this game, and it looks incomplete. I think it was supposed to be a demo, but it seems not to even do that well. I will score this. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation Sound: TOTAL:

3 2 9 7 21/40

The next game, “Baby Berks,” is a shoot-em up, by John Williams. You have to shoot robots in your way. Some can be stunned, while others can be destroyed. I think that you have to shoot all the robots that be destroyed to advance to the next level.

fun and full of vigor. So, I will score accordingly. TOTAL:

8/10

“New Life” is yet another music track onthe DOM. It is a cover of a Depeche Mode song, a pop group from the UK. It sounds interesting, but I still think that it’s OK. It is amazing how the A8 can create music tracks. I think it is easy to listen to. But, I think that it can be improved. But, this is 8-bit, and I will give it an A for effort. What this, I will score this track. TOTAL:

8/10

Another tune is called “Shanty.” It sounds pretty snazzy, actually. I like it and it does not sound 8-bit. It sounds more advanced, actually. I like the light-hearted pep and clarity in it. This is a pretty good tune. I will score it now. TOTAL:

10/10 (perfect)

The next tune is called “Yo, Falcons!” It is fast and has some urgency to it. It is a cool tune. It may not be the greatest tune, but it shines anyway. I will score it. TOTAL:

8/10

“Zybex” is a take on the famous game for the A8. It looks grand in its execution. It looks almost scanned, and that gives it its appeal. The graphics are spectacular in this picture. I am impressed. TOTAL:

9/10

This picture called “Mario Land” is confusing to me. Except for the mushroom, I see no correlation between it and the famous plumber. in fact, I think it looks less than stellar. So, I will score this. TOTAL:

5/10

“Clockwork Orange” is based on the Stanley Kubrick movie. It looks pretty good. I like the graphics and appreciate the amount of time taken to create this. Again, it looks like an Apple II conversion, but that is OK. So, I will score this. TOTAL:

9/10

I think that this is a challenging game, as the robots close in on you. Stun the robots to buy time, and you might clear the levels in the game.

In “God of War,” the next picture on this DOM, I think that it could look better. But, it does stand out to me. I do like flashy and complicated stuff, but this is OK, too. I think it’s OK. My thing is that it looks too cartoony for a serious game.

I will score this game.

Here’s my score.

SCORE:

TOTAL

Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound: TOTAL:

7 9 7 7 30/40

“Voda” is a music track by Elko, and it is a strange and eerie sounding one, almost trippy. It does have some ethereal beauty to it. I thought that it was interesting. It sounded like a cool little tune. So, with that, I will score this tune. TOTAL:

8/10

This next music track is called “No Scroll.” It sounds really weird, like it is off-kilter, which is probably the intent. Interesting. But, I think that it could be better. TOTAL:

7/10

“O-La-La by Papa Dance” is another musci track by MotionRide. It sounds pretty interesting. It is a nice peppy little romp. It kind of reminds me of a stroll though a park on a sunny day. It sounds

8/10

Now, we are at the final file for the Review. It is a demo called “Well.” It is not much, as it shows the letter A swirling in a pile of dots. But, I like the attempt. The sound could be better, and it is monotonous, but I like the swirling effect. That was pretty good, and I will score it as such. TOTAL:

8/10

So, that concludes the Atari 8-bit DOM Review. I will be back in 2019 with another one. Carpe Diem, folks! Happy Holidays! Rock on!

The last SPACE meeting of 2018 will commence on Friday, December 14, 2018, at 7:30 PM. We hope to see you there! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

From All of Us at SPACE… Have Tremendous and Happy Holidays! Also, Have a Prosperous New Year in 2019! THANKS!