August 2021
•August 2021 Edition•
The President’s Corner By Michael Current
Most recently my Atari work has stemmed from working my way through the excellent book by Alex Smith, They Create Worlds, Volume 1: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry (published November 2019). I thought I was about to finish it off, when the first page of the last chapter sent me off on another deep series of tangents. Smith recounts the often told story that Joe Robbins, president of the Atari Coin-Op division, went to Japan to meet with Namco and ended up securing the rights to Pac-Man for home consumer markets for Atari, leading to that best-selling Atari 2600 Pac-Man cartridge first and foremost. And I remember hearing before that Robbins even got his picture in the Japanese press at the time. Smith’s reference to Game Machine, the Japanese coin-op trade publication, led me to discover that all of the back-issues of that newsletter are now online. No, I can’t read the slightest Japanese, but most issues had brief English sections. I ended up using the Game Machine online archive to completely revisit Atari’s dealings with Namco, all the way from selling Atari Japan to Namco in 1974, to Warner Communications’ co-ownership of Atari Games Corporation with Namco from 1985 to 1988, and everything in between.
The Secretary’s Report
The Treasurer’s Report
By Steven Peck
By Gregory Leitner
HELLO WORLD! Welcome back to another Secretary’s Report! Since I had something suddenly come up, I was not able to make it to the SPACE Meeting. My apologies, and I will make it up to everybody. As our Treasurer has stated, we have a new member! Please give a warm welcome to Tom to SPACE when you see him. He is very knowledgeable about Atari hardware and should be a great asset to the Club. Anyway, I should return next month to SPACE. I will have more things to say in the next Secretary’s Report. I am glad we have the opportunity to meet again, and I hope we stay safe and healthy. This concludes the Secretary’s Report. In the words of the late, great artist Stan Lee… EXCELSIOR!
Well, how about this? We have not had an increase in our memberships for quite awhile until the July meeting. I am very happy to announce our newest SPACE member, Tom. I can tell you right now he has already fit right in, as he engaged in 8-bit topics with Glen, Brian, Roger, and Rich. Most of what was discussed was way over my head, but it was right in Tom’s wheelhouse. Even though he had let go for sometime, he had acquired an Atari 800 and he got right back in the saddle. He found out about SPACE on the website and that was all it took to get his interest back, and now we have a new member. Future meetings will definitely be fun when we get Steve and Lance back. I can’t wait! We had another great month for our treasury,as we took in $108.00, which included five years of membership renewals ($75.00) and eleven DOM sales ($33.00). We started the month of July with a bank balance of $814.74, and with the $108.00 added for the month we now have a balance of $922.74. Unbelieveable!!
Fun stuff!
I can see us going over a thousand dolllars by year end, as I know we have a few more memberships due. So, there you have it for now. Things are looking great for the future of SPACE!
Also in recent weeks I finally caught up with checking out SPACE DOMs from the past year, so I will have to make another meeting soon to replenish my supply of the latest!
I hope to see you all next month on 8/13/21, Friday the 13th. Come see some of the new gadgets from Roger and Tom.I will be bringing my 5 1/4in. floppy disk drive also. See you all next month.
Thanks, keep using that Atari, and come to your next SPACE meeting: Friday, August 13, 2021.
TRIVIA TIME! In the early days of computing, when computers were room-sized, a bug flew into one of those computers, ending its life by shorting a circuit in the computer. This cause the computer to break down. Hence, we use the term “bug in the system” to describe any computer glitch nowadays.
Table of Contents: Message from Captain Irata: “Hey, you! Get a life! Every 10,000 points!” HOO-RAH!
Page 1: President’s Corner/Treasurer’s Report/ Secretary’s Report Page 2: A8 DOM Review Page 6: Tech Talk/Multi-Platform Game Review/Final Thoughts Page 7: SPACE Comics Section
With this, I will score the file. SCORE:
Greetings and salutations! Welcome back to the Atari 8-bit DOM Review. This will be another review about three DOMs. The DOMs for July 2020 and August of 2021, as well as March of 2020. It’s going to be another fun review! Let’s get started, shall we? July 2021 DOM, Side A: The first file on this side of the July 2021 DOM is called “Triple Invitation Intro,” by M. Cora, and it’s a 256-byte file that looks and sounds like static on the screen with flashing text on the side of the screen. Interesting.
Graphics: Animation: Sound:
10 10 10
TOTAL SCORE:
30/30 (perfect score)
The next file is a game called “Cross Shoot,” by Fabrizio Caruso. You play a character that has to shoot your enemies while obtaining secrets to complete the levels. You also need to shoot missile bases to disable them. If you come into contact with one of your enemies, you lose. This game is simple-looking, simple to play, and challenging as well. It is an interesting game, but I still am pretty novice at it. So, here are some pics of the game in action:
Again, sorry for my unsteady hands. My camera’s SD card gave out and I need to use a tablet to take pictures. It can be daunting for me sometimes. I will score this game now.
it keeps repeating itself in a pattern of red and white lines on the screen, with the text on the side of the screen, flashing and showing info about the invite. Here is a picture depicting it.
SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Sound: Animation:
8 10 10 9
TOTAL SCORE:
37/40
The next file is a picture, titled “Szeryf,” created by Jaroslaw Kaczor. the name of the file means “Sherriff” in Polish. The file does depict a cartoonylooking sherriff with an Atari Fuji symbol for his hat. But, comedy aside, I like the pic. It has great detail and good use of color. The cartoon look of the character adds to the comedy. Not to mention, the Fuji symbol he is wearing. Here is a picture of the file to show you what it looks like. I enjoyed looking at this invite. It’s simple, but looks hypnotic at the same time. The repetition of the graphics and sound can get to a person after a while, but I think it looks great for the simple file it is. Here is my score: SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Sound:
8 10 8
TOTAL SCORE:
26/30
I think the graphics could be more detailed, and there could be sound, but the game is challenging enough for me to give it high marks in that category. It is a well-thought little game in many respects. I will score accordingly.
The next file is another 256-byte file by Freddy Offenga, titled “20202021.” It shows an animated clock with the numbers 2020 changing to 2021, set to delightful music. As it scrolls up. the clock constantly changes years.
SCORE:
I like the look of this demo as well. It has great animation and sound, plus gigantic sprites. It moves very smoothly and works for me. To show you what I mean, here is a pic of the file.
TOTAL SCORE:
Graphics: Animation: Gameplay:
7 7 9 25/30
The next game is called “Sokoban 2021,” by Eric Anschuetz and Weisgerber (I don’t know Mr. Weisgerber’s first name). It’s a puzzle game where you have to push blocks onto round circles on the floor in a maze-like setting. It is difficult to play. f you move the block the wrong way, it gets stuck and you can’t continue. However, there is a reset where you can start over and practice the levels over and over. It has delightful music and graphics. The game is very challenging and can get addictive. It has a great fun factor, if you like puzzle games. At least I thought it was a great game. But, I am also novice at these type of games, so I did poorly at it. Here are some eyecandy to show you what the gam eis like. Sorry for the quality of the pic, but I think you will get the gist of what I mean by looking at the pic.
How’s that for a twist? It even has “ATARI” on the botton right corner of the screen. Cool pic. I will score: TOTAL SCORE:
9/10
The next file is Part Two of the text adventure, “The Queen’s Footsteps,” by Davide Bucci. It shows the character on her treasure hunt from before in Part One of the game. It is very challenging, since you have to imagine how the game looks because there are no graphics, as you know. Although I am not really a fan of text adventures, because I like to see what is in fromt of me in a video game, text adventures are very difficult because of that. That adds to the ambience of the game. I won’t put a picture up because there ar no graphics, but I will score this game with high marks because of its difficulty. SCORE: TOTAL SCORE:
10/10 (perfect)
The final file is “Boulder Dash: Firefox Dash 56,”
by Thomas Schaub. It’s another version of “Boulder Dash,” only more difficult than before. Rockford is at it again, digging for diamonds and hoping not to kill himself by getting crushed by boulders or destroyed by bombs. I will not show a picture of this because there are so many versions of “Boulder Dash” now. We know what the game is like., but I will still score this game in the categories listed:
The first file in the March 2020 DOM is called “Aatori,” a 256-byte demo by Tomasz Wojtowicz. It shows flashy graphics, weird blinking symbols, and strange sounds with a beat to them. Honestly, it looks fun and creative, but I wish it was more. It is interesting and you can kind of dance to the beat of the sound. You would look funny, though. Anyway, here are pics of the demo in action, so you can judge for yourself.
sprite is suppose to vibrate like that. Anyway, I thought it was pretty creative. I liked the little animated dots on the screen and the music. They were captivating. It looks OK overall. The large sprite needed a little work, but overall it was a good demo. Here are pics of the demo in action:
SCORE Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:
10 10 9 10
TOTAL SCORE:
39/40
Now, onto Side B, in which the entire side is a full game. SIDE B: In “A.D.A.M. is Me,” you play a robot in space that lands on different planets and has to clear a path to his ship to advance to the next levels. It is just like “Sokoban 2021.” Only this time, there are more levels and it’s more challenging. The game look neat. Fluid animation and great graphics make this title appealing. But, because of the size of the game, it loads a lot. I am not worried about that, though. It plays spectacularly. I also love the robot animation on the title screen. You can also decide if you want to see the title screen by selecting keys 1 or 2. That makes it faster to load in the future. But, it’s big, vast, challenging and great to look at. Here are pictures I will show you of what it loooks like. There are many ways this could be better, but still it is only 256 bytes. It looks cool for what it is. With that, I will score accordingly.. SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Sound: TOTAL SCORE:
7 6 7 21/30
The next file is called “Escape Time,” by Piotr Fusik. It is another 256-byte demo that shows a picture of fractals on the screen. I like this as well. It has detail and looks great. It’s only one pic with no sound or animation sequences in it, but it is definitely eye-catching. Here is a pic of the demo in action:
With that, I will score: SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Gameplay: Sound:
10 10 10 10
TOTAL SCORE:
40/40 (perfect score)
Now onto the March 2020 DOM! March 2020 DOM, Side A:
The anti-aliasing looks really good, as you can see. I will score this demo now: TOTAL SCORE:
9/10
The next file is a demo called “W.Y.S.I.W.I.C.,” by Dimitry Krapivin. It shows a bunch of anmated dots on the screen and then shows a giant vibrating sprite with music in the scene. I like the demo, but I think there may be a PAL issue with the graphics. I don’t know if the giant
With that, I will score the demo: TOTAL SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Sound: TOTAL SCORE:
8 9 9 26/30
The next file is called “Soft Serve,” by Michal Brzeski. It is another demo. It shows the words “Genesis Project” flashing back and forth on the screen with animated text and a twisting animation in the middle. It looks like ice cream, hence the title. This is great! I love the execution and the style in this demo. It looks very good. I love the twisting animation in real-time. It’s impressive. Here are pics of the demo for you to see.
As yuo can see, it looks startling. I will score the demo now.
It looks kooky, but fun. I like the look in the soldier’s face, standing on the platform.
SCORE:
Let me score this file.
Graphics: Animation: Sound:
10 10 10
TOTAL SCORE:
30/30 (perfect)
TOTAL SCORE:
9/10
Now, onto Side B of this DOM. Side B:
The next file, “Multi 10” is a game coded by Fandal. In the game, it looks like the players have to set up blocks to fill in empty boxes and do it perfectly. It looks quite challenging and the graphics are good in the title screen.
The final file in this DOM is a new version of a game game called “Robbo,” by Galtron. In the game, you play a robot that has to collect screws while avoiding lasers and other enemies to clear the levels. If you get destroyed, you have to start the level over you leave off at.
I always enjoy Fandal’s work. He is a master coder, capable of dazzling work. This doesn’t suffer. It looks addicting. A player will not be disappointed in this game. Here are some pics of the game in action, as you will see.
It’s fun and challenging. We have seen variations of “Robbo” before. It’s not a new game, but a more difficult variation of it. I love the graphics and game play. I will show pics of what it looks like in action for you to see.
Here is my score tally: SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:
9 10 9 8
TOTAL SCORE:
36/40
The next file is called “Fun With Atari,” a music track by Pawel Grabrowski. It really is a fun tune as well. It has some pep and beat to it, and is actually pretty good. I enjoy it. It’s light and fun, as well as energized. Here’s my score: TOTAL SCORE:
It truly is an intersting game. I will score this now. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:
9 10 8 8
TOTAL SCORE:
35/40
The next file is called “The Last Disk+,” by Mariusz. You have to explore rooms and it looks like you have to try to find things in the game. However, you have limited energy. If you run out, the game is over. It looks like it’s a lot of fun. You can set the language between Polish and English, which makes it a lot easier to play the game that way. I think it looks pretty cool. I like the vastness of the game, as it looks big and it is challenging. Although I didn’t play much of the game, I thought it was pretty good. It is interesting and has a cretain limit to it. You even have a map to see where you have been. It generates the map as you explore, which is helpful. So, with that, I will show pics of the game. You can judge for yourselves on this title. I think it has promise. It looks and plays good. Here are the pics showing the game in action:
9/10
In the next file, Michal Radecki dazzles with another music track called “My Ears in Pain.” It even has some graphics in it, showing the beat in action like a graphics equalizer. It’s pretty good and I enjoyed it. It’s more pulse-pounding then the last tune we heard. It looks and sounds pretty good. I will score it. SCORE: Graphics: Sound: Animation:
8 10 8
TOTAL SCORE:
26/30
The last file on this side of the DOM is called “Jump Off Titlescreen,” a pic by Ziembik. It looks like a title screen for a game. It shows a soldier on a suspended platform with a surprised look in his eyes. It looks pretty good. Here is a pic of the screen for your viewing pleasure.
So, there you have it. Challenge and looks make this game a real contender. I wish I could read Polish, then it might be easier for me to understand the game instructions at the title screen. However, the game still rocks. I will score this game now. SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:
9 10 9 9
TOTAL SCORE:
37/40
Finally, we go to the August 2020 DOM for review! August 2020 DOM, Side A: In this DOM, we have for the first file, by Mario Krix, a demo called “Ei Aus Der Taiga 2.” It shows a picture of three baby birds hatched from eggs. It has an animated text ticker below it. The picture was converted using RastaConverter. Plus, it has dynamite high-quality music. it looks and sounds great. I always loved RastaConverter images because of the high-quality of the graphics. This is a top-notch demo. I will show you a picture of the demo for your viewing pleasure. NOTE: There was a demo before this one called “Unsolved,” by Rafal Ciepiela. I could not load it because of memory and time constraints. I apolo-
gize for the inconvenience. It will be shown next month once I get a computer ready with 128K of RAM. Again, my apologies.
I will score this game now.
I will score this file.
SCORE:
TOTAL SCORE:
With that, I will score this demo.
Graphics: Animation: Gameplay: Sound:
7 8 10 7
TOTAL SCORE:
32/40
SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Sound:
10 10 10
TOTAL SCORE:
30/30 (perfect score)
The next file is called “MazeMaster,” a Pac-Man clone by Cymbal. You know the drill. Eat all of the dots and avoid the colorful monsters. It could look better, but it seems quite challenging and cool to play. Here’s a pic of the game in action.
The next file is called “Coinv-20,” an intro by Piotr Fusik. It’s an animated chart showing the rise in cases of COVID-19 from the beginning of the pandemic until more recently. The line keeps going up and the tally goes up on the bottom of the screen. It also has morbid music to boot. It certainly fits the times. It shows the progression of a bad situation well. It isn’t the most appealing tpye of file, but it isn’t supposed to be. Here is a picture of the file as it is playing.
With this, I will score the game. SCORE: Graphics: Gasmeplay: Animation: Sound: TOTAL SCORE:
7 9 8 7 31/40
Yes, very morbid indeed. I will score this file now. SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Sound:
6 7 8
The next file is called “Timeslip 2020,” another game by Jon Williams. It is a side-scrolling shoot’em-up where you have to complete your mission in a certain amount of time. If you get destroyed, you have to start over with time to complete your mission deducted from your mission timer.
TOTAL SCORE:
Once the time runs out, it’s game over.
With this I will score the tune.
You can play an aircraft, a person, or a submarine in three levels. It looks like a really cool game. It is definitely difficult to play. Be ready for a challenge if you play this game! Because it wiil be. Here are pics of the game for your viewing pleasure.
TOTAL SCORE:
21/30
The next file is a music track called “ROR ‘n’ ROL,” by Zdenek EIsenhammer. It has a nice beat to it and has a certain pep as well. Delightful little tune, I must say, with a nice fade out. 9/10
The final file on this side of the DOM is called “Stray Cat.” This is no one attributed to it’s creation. It shows a cat at nighttime in an alley. It looks pretty good. I like the tones and the color, as well as the detail. Here’s the pic.
9/10
Now onto Side B of this DOM. Side B: The final file encompasses the entire Side B of this DOM, but it isn’t a game. It’s a presentation, called “Oni migaja tymi kolorami w sposob profesjonalny,” which is Polish. It has subtitles in Polish and English when you play the presentation. It looks pretty good. It’s colorful and has great graphics. It seems to be about an experience with some folks playing with an Atari computer. It has color and monochrome graphics. I think it is topnotch. It looks spectacular. Here is a pic of some of the presentation.
It even has music and digitized voice, making this a kicking presentation to look at.
FINAL THOUGHTS Well, things have really come to pass in the past two years. We have had the Pandemic, riots, conviction, and hope that things will get better. I hope they do soon. I am glad, though. SPACE is back at Falcon Heights, and that’s great.
So, I will score this file. SCORE: Graphics: Animation: Sound:
10 10 10
TOTAL SCORE:
30/30 (perfect score)
I want to see how this transpires, and I hope for good things to come out of it. In the meantime, I am happy to serve as Secretary and Newsletter Editor. Thanks for having me, as always. I am definitely happy to oblige.
This concludes the A8 Review! I will see you all again in September with another triple-DOM review. Arrividerci, everybody! Have a nice time. TECH TALK By Steve Peck
I’m glad of the fact SPACE has prospered in the last few months. The Treasury is healthy and I am confident. Thanks to everybody who have contributed to the Newsletter with their articles. I could not have completed it without you.
Welcome back to Tech Talk! Today, we are going to discuss 3D printing. It’s a relativity new phenomenon, happening within the last few years, but it shows promise.
I will be at the next SPACE meeting for a short time. If anybody in the Club has any opinions on how I could improve the Newsletter or any ideas of their own, please feel free to contact me.
3D printing. Printing anything you wish for anything you want. Sure, there are limits. You need enough material to print. This sounds like straight out of science fiction, getting something from nothing. Manufacturing looks easier.
Until next time, have a safe and healthy month.
You can make just about anything with a 3D printer. You can make video game cartridge shells, vinyl records, or even replacement parts for your games. Scientists have shown promise in the medical field with these handy gadgets by even printing organs, although that is still experimental. It seems like 3D printing has come along well. It still has a long way to go, but I am confident it will go over well. It already has. We could perfect 3D printing technology to the point where we can make anything out of nothing, perhaps even food items. I believe they are doing that, too. But, it’s still going to cost money for material to make things with a 3D printer. Depending on the project, it could be costly. To make it more viable, it would need to be done cheaply. That way, it would be more efficient and less cost-prohibitive. Well, things advance in technology over time. As it advances, it improves and maybe it willbe made cheaper over time. Perhaps, every home in the future might have a 3D printer that can be used for just about anything. I don’t know, but the sky is the limit. Nevertheless, I am excited about this technology. Well, that concludes this edition of Tech Talk. I will be back with another edition of Tech Talk next month. See you then! MULTI-PLATFORM GAME REVIEW By Steve Peck In this issue, I will review “Scrapyard Dog” for the Atari 7800 system. In this game, Louie’s prized pooch is pupnapped by Mr. Big! You have to find him and rescue him. It take place over multiple levels. You are armed with cans you throw at your enemies. You can get money scattered throughout the levels in the game. You can buy more cans, time and Magic Cans, which act like boomerangs. You have to go through your junkyard, city streets, sewers, et cetera, to find the stolen pup. It won’t be easy, in fact it’s quite a challenge! Here are pics of the game in action for you to see! It could have been a contender for another famous platform game, which shall remain nameless. The A7800 could have been a force to be reckoned with. The game looks really good, and I love the graphics and sound. It should have been marketed better. With that, I will score the game.
SCORE: Graphics: Gameplay: Animation: Sound:
8 10 9 8
TOTAL SCORE:
35/40
So, this concludes the review. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have. I will be back with another edition the review next month. Until then, stay safe, healthy, and have a happy. Carpe Diem!
SPACE COMICS SECTION! Illustrated By Steve Peck The Misadventures of A-Man and C.D.
The next SPACE Meeting will commence on Friday, August 13, 2021, at 7:30 PM! We hope to see you there! Thanks!
Angel, Bandit, and Their Ferret Fracas
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