June 2019
•June 2019 Edition•
Spaghetti, eh? Sounds like a plan to me! But, it’s not a done deal just yet, so if you want to help finalize plans for next month’s July SPACE party, be sure to make the meeting this month to make your voice heard! Trying to dig out of my latest deep dive of Atari history timeline work, this time focused on the many marketing executives in the chaos period of 1983-1984. Actually, it all started when I noticed my own library has the recent second edition of the book, Computers As Theatre, by Brenda Laurel. She was an Atari researcher under Alan Kay, and has continued to be involved in serious scholarly research ever since. But, she was in the Home Computer division at Atari before transferring into Atari Research. And in a brief passage in this book, she describes her earlier roles in a bit more detail than I’d seen before, including the role of director of software product management. I had not realized her role had been that prominent, so it was fun to figure out where she fit in, following predecessors Peter Rosenthal and Tandy Trower in that capacity. Doing this work led me back into what happened afterward in software marketing management, in that 1983-1984 time frame. A whole lot of source revisiting, much new clarity, and even a couple of surprising new bits of information. For instance, Phil Restaino, who was head of games marketing from fall ’83 through June ’84, seems to have also taken over computer marketing from Fred Simon when Simon left at the end of May. Also leaving at the same time as Simon was the director of hardware marketing, John Hahn. Who?? A new name, still need to work with that one! But I think I can see how he fits in, too. Fun!
Our May SPACE meeting had five members in attendance. All showed up in plenty of time to review Glen’s 8-bit DOM. The picture files are hard to comprehend on an Atari 8-bit computer. So many colors and so clear; beautiful to look at. Glen talked a bit more about his demo of the Atari 8-bit Wi-Fi he showed us last month. He is now looking for more Atari BBS’s to dial up, so if any member has any leads on them, please let Glen know. Our Club balance on May 1, 2019, was $472.54. We added $15.00 for one membership renewal and another $9.00 for three 8bit DOMs for a total receipts of $24.00. Now at the end of May we now have a SPACE balance of $496.54. It looks like spaghetti is on the menu for our July Birthday party. I will fill you all in on next month’s Newsletter on the final plan. It will be nice to have a change if only for one time. I guarantee you will enjoy the spaghetti dinner. Our next meeting is June 14 and I hope to see you all there so we can finalize the July party. See you next month.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
All Atari 8-bit game systems and computers, as well as the Lynx, have variants of the MOS 6502 CPU as their main processor.
Page Two: Atari 8-bit DOM Review Atari ST DOM Review
We had a great meeting in May. I am psyched, maybe a little early, about the SPACE Birthday Party, which was talked about in depth last month, as well as the month before. I will not worry about mentioning the “T” word, which will not be the main course this time. But, of course, if you want to bring something of your own to eat and share with, you can always do that, as it is always potluck. I think that it was a good time last month. Brian showed us his Flashback with Atari games for the A2600 on it. We talked a little about everything under the sun. I am happy that the Treasury is strong and that we have enough money for this year and, possibly, next year for the room rent. I am glad that the Club is doing well financially. So far, it looks like the website is still in good order, and our President is in good charge of that. Thanks, Michael, for doing that. It is a great service and undertaking.
EXCELSIOR! TRIVIA TIME!
The President’s Corner Treasurer’s Report Secretary’s Report
Well, another SPACE month, another SPACE Secretary’s Report. There was a lot of talk about the DOM, which I will get into in the A8 DOM Review later.
Anyway, I apologize for the short Report. I do not have much to say about it, except this. Keep your Atari machines in good order, and you can never go wrong. So with this, I close. In the words of the late, great, cartoonist Stan Lee...
Thanks, keep using that Atari, and come to your next SPACE meeting: Friday, June 14, 2019.
Page One:
HELLO WORLD!
Atari had a 16-bit console in the works. It was called the Mirai, meaning “future” in Japanese. It was touting backwards-compatibility with the XEGS, due to its 65816 processr. It was never released.
Message from Captain Irata: “I got an Atari Jaguar recently. It has a BYTE!” HOO-RAH!
It shows a blonde-haired woman clad in armor and wearing a cape. This is more appealing, and I think it still needs more, but it is good. I like the use of colors in this. Very intricate drawing, to say the least. Here is my score. Welcome to the May 2019 Atari 8-bit DOM Report. As always, there are a lot of cool computer demos, invites, and games on these DOMs. We are going to rate these files and we will cover it in-depth. Anyhow, let us get started. Off we go! May 2019 DOM: Side A: The first file is a colorful intro, called “RainboWomit,” from Zibi, Wieczor, and Werynajs, all from SillyVenture 2018 in Poland. It shows a unicorn that gets blasted with rainbow colors. Overall, the unicorn could look better, but I loved the music and rainbow animation. It was pretty grand and pleasing to look at. Here is my take on that. SCORE: Graphics: Sound: Animation: TOTAL:
8 8 8 24/30
The second file is a demo by BolPoison, consisting of Bol and Rick from the Czech Republic. It is called “Top Secret, Part II.” It looks like a fun demo. It has excellent graphics and the music is clear and pristine. We saw Part I of this mega demo last month. It looked good then, and it looks good now. SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Sound:
8 10 9
TOTAL:
27/30
The third file is a puzzle game called “The New Adventures of Laura,” and it is difficult. You play an archaeologist, a little girl named Laura, who has to escape a site with ruins, and avoid drowning. You have bombs and weapons, but you must use them sparingly. It has a great looking title screen. It is equally as challenging as it is good. It is like other puzzle games, like “Chip’s Challenge” and “Crystal Mines II,” both for the Lynx. Excellent game. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:
9 10 7 8
TOTAL:
34/40
The next file is a picture called “Succubus.” A succubus is an evil demon who takes intimate advantage of men in the form of a woman. This exemplifies that, but it is not racy or sexual in any way. It could be better, but it does well. I like the way it is drawn on the screen. It shows the sinister looks of the Succubus well. You can identify the horns coming from her head, for instance. It is dark, as it should be, in the visage of the picture. Here is my score. TOTAL:
8/10
The next file, another picture, is called “Maiden.”
I will score. TOTAL:
8/10
9/10
The next file is an into from NYD 2019. It was developed by Mad Team in Europe, where a lot of these demos come from. It looks good and has humor in it, as it shows Santa Claus crashing into the side of a house.
The final file on the A side of this DOM is called “Darksiders.” It was created by MotionRide. It shows a picture of a wizard with what looks like a staff with skulls in it.
The animation is good, and in realtime, as shown in the text ticker on the bottom of the screen. Very good, Mad Team! Kudos to you all who created this.
Very clear, colorful, and pleasing to the eye, I must say. I like the wizard’s cloak and hood. You can see the sinister side of this man. It is well exemplified. With that, I will score this file.
SCORE:
TOTAL:
TOTAL:
9/10 Side B:
The next file on the other side of this DOM is the classic A2600 game “Combat.” It is reproduced to the minutest detail, but it is only about maybe a 4K game in size anyway.
Graphics: Animation: Sound:
10 10 10
TOTAL:
30/30 (perfect score)
The next file, another picture, is called “Sister of Mercy,” and it looks refined and excellent. It shows a woman with a robot behind her brandishing a chain gun (also known as a Vulcan or Gatling gun).
It has tank battles and air battles. It has always been a fun game, even as primitive as it is. I have always enjoyed “Combat,” especially in the 1980s playing the game with my Dad. I loved beating his pants in that game.
I love the detail and it looks great. The woman is stunning in looks, and the graphics are highquality and top-notch. Kudos!
Fun and challenging, and that is what I can say. Here is my score.
Poison is the creator of the next picture called “Terrible Alien.” It is the Alien from the classic movie franchise. This is an excellent scan of the picture, directly from the movie.
SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound: TOTAL:
5 9 9 6 29/40
TOTAL:
10/10 (perfect score)
Very well done, and it has the details almost perfectly captured. Kudos to the scanner of this picture. Very good! TOTAL:
10/10 (perfect score)
“MOS,” the next file on the DOM, is a small demo showing rotating pixels on the screen. Not much of a demo, but it is animated in real-time. That is why I like it.
The next file is a demo, called “Top Secret-Part III,” which is the third installment of the Czech mega-demo, this time solely by Rick. It looks great, too. I love the type effects, but there is a PAL timing issue.
The animation is very fluid. Plus, it looks better that way. Nice job, by the way, as it is pleasing to my eyes.
I will overlook that. It’s a wonderful demo. It is done well and looks pleasing graphically. Great job, Rick!
SCORE:
SCORE:
Graphics: Animation:
8 10
TOTAL:
18/20
The next file is a game called “Mister Hoppe,” by coder Bocianiu. It shows a guy who has to hop over obstacles, but you have to time it correctly. Otherwise, you will die trying. It is a simple game, but fun. It may have a PAL timing issue, I don’t know, but it is challenging. I like the animation and parallax scrolling. That dresses the game up. It id a fun game, and a difficult one. With that, I will score accordingly. SCORE:
Graphics: Sound: Animation:
9 9 10
TOTAL:
28/30
The next file is a music track by Poison, called “Voodoo People.” It is a good track, but it seems simple. But, that’s OK, as simple can be good. In this case, it is. It does not sound, though, like voodoo. It sounds different from that. But, overall, I liked it. Great job, Poison, on this music, and it will be scored accordingly. TOTAL:
8/10
Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:
9 10 8 8
The final file on the DOM is called “Winter (Rocky),” and it is a picture of a castle next to a frozen river. I like the color, but I think it could have much more detail.
TOTAL:
35/40
But, again, simple is good in certain circumstances. This is pretty good. Great job on the graphics, as it is noticeable. I will score.
The next file is a picture called “Montezuma.” It shows an explorer entering the land of a Mayan temple. There is a skull on the lower right corner of the screen, so it exemplifies danger. It is also well-colored and drawn. You can see what is happening here and the action involved.
TOTAL:
8/10
So, that concludes the Atari 8-bit DOM Review. I close from here. Carpe diem, fellow Atarians, and keep the great demos coming ashore to us here
in the States from Europe. They are all very well done. Thanks for letting me share.
This is just an update on how ST DOMs are coming along. I’m sorry for the long wait but I decided to sit down and go through all the past club newsletters. I’m making a list of all the public domain ST programs and games that were already used for ST DOMs. I’m trying to avoid repeats which I noticed I already did with at least one game so far. I also took the time to create a new ST DOM Review section header artwork that I hope you guys will enjoy. The ST in the image belongs to Lance. It is his 520STFM he let me borrow until I could get my own ST. It was used to create the ST DOMs I have made so far. I’ve also been working really hard on developing games for the Atari 7800. I’ve been reading every document on the 7800 I can find...and from what I have learned about it so far no one has ever seen what all that system is capable of yet. No official game has even scratched the surface to what is under its hood. From what I have learned, so far there was really no real reason why the 7800 couldn’t have taken the NES off its throne. But that’s about all I can say at this time about it. I will give a hint that the game I’m working on will support four players. Again, sorry for the absence of ST DOMs lately but those should return full force in the next month or two once I get that list of past ST DOMs completed. Until next time keep plugging away at those Atari computers!
The next SPACE meeting will commence on Friday, May 10, 2019, at 7:30 PM. We hope to see you there! Thanks!
It’s Coming! SPACE Birthday Party Friday, July 12, 2019 BE THERE! Thanks!
SPACE COMICS SECTION!
The Misadventures of A-Man and C.D. By Steve Peck
Angel, Bandit, and Their Ferret Fracas By Steve Peck
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