SPACE Newsletter

I NEWSLETTER Treasurer's Report by Greg Leitner s~rr,1998

o~fAnother warm evening for our September Meeting. This is the kind of weather you would e:-..-pect in July or August. It's the kind of weather that would make it easy to have an · excuse to find something better to do than go to a SPACE Meeting. Next month I would hope that we would have most members attend the meeting. The summer is officially over by then and the Elections are looming for the November Meeting. Our October Meeting is very important in that we will have nominations for the Officers of SPACE for the upcoming 1999 calendar year. As for our treasury, at the end of September we are once again looking very strong. We had a deposit of$105.00 based on one membership renewal, ele,·en DOM sales and $41.00 collected from the Auction at the August meeting. We had no expenses paid out in September, so our ending balance for September 30th, 1998 now stands at $950.23. I would like to say a few words about the BBS. The reason we did not have a BBS expense in September is that someone circumvented the system and deliberately destroyed the BBS. Lance indicated that it would take a few weeks to get everything back in order and it sounded like the BBS' s harddrive may have to be re-formatted from scratch. Lance waived the BBS monthly bill to SPACE because of this problem. I can't belie,·e there are still hackers out there who want to cause this damage to small BBS's like ours when they have the whole Internet to screw around with. It' s too bad that these guys if they are so smart aren't writing some worthwhile programs for us ATARI 8-bitters instead of wasting their talent on mischievous code. Come on guys, we are lucky to still have a BBS for ATARI, don't ruin it for all ofus. Don't forget to plan ahead for the October Meeting. Elections arc coming in November and we need candidates for President and Vice President and of course all other positions are open for nominations. See you all in October.

Secretary's Report by Briaµittlc Sc e!ilber, 1998

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No Minutes From The Secretary This Month.

Se~er, 1998

o c-'cher

~~~;~; ~re postings submitted by Michael Current.

Subj: Date:

Always Check the Mirror Before You Start the Car 98-09-26 17:53:38 EDT Always Check the Mirror Before You Stan the Car Keynote speech by Donald A. ·momas Jr. August 22, 1998 - I U:30 a.m. World of Atari '98 - Las Vegas, Nevada © 1998 may be reprinted in entirety and \\ith byline

It was about six weeks ago or so that my tinnily hopped a plane from the Sacramento to San Diego for a couple of days. It was a trip we had promised our son for years. -- Actually for about three year~ now. -- At twelve, Kyle, was very much into skateboarding and inline skating. When we finally connected cable television to the house, it seemed whenever Kyle was not outside our house devising new tricks with his skateboard, he was inside watching the pro-skaters compete in ESPN2 X-treme game competitions. I don't know if you have watched a lot of the X-trcme games like my son has, but Kyle has learned two major lessons in life by watching professional skateboard competitions. First, there are desirable careers to be had in that sport. Secondly, all the nation's skateboard pros live in San Diego. California. Hence, he has had ai: eager desire to visit that city. Kyle just ki1e,,· that professional skaters were all over U1e streets in San Diego and he just had to sci: and mingle with them. So now Kyle is filleen. He is in his early years of high school and a trip to San D iego is an opportunity to tour San Diego State University, a renowned venue for a respectable college education. Of course, now, Kyle isn't into skateboarding any more it's definite!: BMX trick cycling. We hit San Diego during a very ,,·arn1, but still pleasant weekend We visited the Zoo on a Sunday and toured the SDSU campus on th~ Monday before flying back home. On the evening of that Sunday, were touring U1e area in our rental car and comparing differences between San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area. At some poim. Kyle told Lynn and me, "One thing is for sure, There aren't all the professional skaters on every street comer like I thought there woulc: be!" How nice it was to see my son mature and get a better grasp of what the world is really like. Just as I was about to congratulate hi.r= on his astute observation, he added. "TI1ey must all be on tour." l guess he still has a lillle more maturing yet. <g> Good morning. My name is Don Thomas. I worked at Tramiel's Atari between November 1989 Urrough August 1996. Many Atari users once knew me as a spokesperson for Atari offering feedback and support on CompuServe and the Genie on-line services. I have been an Atari computer user and game player since the early eighties and fouuded a small software publishing company I called Artisan Software in the late eighties. I have been profiled in publications such as Start Magazine and have had my articles printed in many prominent trade journals and throughout the Internet over the years. I currently work in the video game indust~ and am responsible for the Web Domain of "LC.When.COM". "LC When'' is a comprehensive chronological history of video games an.: home computers.

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In a few minutes I \Viii offer an opportw1ity to answer questions you may have about me, my experiences at Atari or in the industry. But first, fd like to share some thoughts I have with regard to the impact classic gaming and computing SHOULD have on us all ... particularly the decision makers and the trend setters. So my son, Kyle, is convinced that he understands the skateboard industry. He'll be the first to admit that he doesn't know everything, but that is not really the point. TI1e point is more related to the integrity of the information he does know. For instance, he is convinced that skateboarders and BMX riders and inline skaters can earn a respectable living by touring the country and winning competitions. "All it takes is finding the right sponsors," he says. h1 most respects, Kyle is simply \\Tong and he is in for an awakening when he learns that life is most probably going to be made up of flipping hamburgers, going to school and landing a series of traditional jobs throughout his career. On the other hand, Kyle may very well become the Ralph Baer or Nolan Bushnell in some aspect of the X-Games industry. His detennination may well persevere and he could be in the right place at the right time as t11e world adopts a new billion-dollar devotion to world league network of skateboard teams and competitions. If Nolan had listened to his critics, tl1en he may well be an unkI10\\n engineer at Lockheed and the world may have never known the same "Pong" that we now !mow. But, while m: popularize the stories that beat t11c odds, we often forget to check the mirror in life and sec all the mistakes to avoid new failures. The gambles that lost. The bets that may have won if the gamblers looked at all the angles and examined all t11e risks before starting t11e machine that failed so unceremoniously. Now, let's fast-forward away from Baer's Odyssey and Buslmell's "Pong'' to a world of PlayStation, Dreamcast, N64 and Color Ganie Boy. Dare I forget to mention Project X? I think we can all agree tliat the video gan1e industry has changed in a quarter century. Companies make systems t11at are MIPS ahead of a time t11at power \\"3S evaluated by how many sprites and colors could be on a screen simultaneously. Technology includes tem1s related to texture mapping and full motion video instead of bank switching and \'ertical blanks. Gaming magazines tend to allocate more space to well endowed polygons named Lara. Publishers select games t11at spatter oceans of blood-red pixels across t11e screen and replay digitized screams of real-time animated monsters being ripped apart Lo terrorize more tlian just our imaginations. This weekend's World of Atari '98 show is indicative of an old trend that is re-emerging. It is one that explores the value of updating and republishing classic video games. Most recent examples include Activision's libraries of Atari 2600 and Commodore 64 compilations for the PC, Hasbro's release of "Froggcr", Namco's series of "Namco Museum" titles for PlayStation, other releases such as "Centipede", "Asteroids" and so many more. I think it is exciting that companies are putli11g back in to my hands easy access to t11e games we loved playing so fondly in vears gone by. In my opinion, this trend is not a step backward by any stretch of tl1e imagination and J feel it has been way too slow in coming. I believe that t11e video game industry has successfully established a new market of game players in the last decade. By doing so, t11ey have abandoned t11e original phenomenon that built t11e industry twenty years ago and, thus they have abandoned those who loved it so. I guess it could be similar as if the music industry gave up on classical, swing, blues or jazz just because most of the world seems to appreciate some fonn of rock. So what is it exactly that built the industry? What is this phenomenon t11at differentiates the games of the nineties from those introduced in the seventies and eighties?

Many ofus at Atari had a name for t11e fommla that makes classic games so great. I don't know if anyone else ever tried to define it like I have, but it is tlrree simple words, ""flle. Fun. Factor.". I define t11e fun factor as a phenomenon that includes five primary components: I can remember them more easily because t11e parts spell out t11e word PRESS as in "Press the Fire Button". 1. high score Potential 2. Repetition 3. Ease of learning 4. Strategy 5. Secrets All games, past and present, have to have some mixture of these components to survive very long on t11e marketplace. But only the original classic games consistently maintain a balance of all of them. Let's look at t11em quickly. First, 1 mentioned "high score Potential". (I am cheating a little bit to steal t11e P from potential to make the anagram, but it is a very serious component.) You might remember "Pong" had scoring. It had to. It was the only measure of bow one did when playing the game. A higher score t11an your opponent meant that you won tltc game. A higher score tl1an tl1e computer player meant that you beat the game. But, by today's stfilldard, t11e scores ,vere awfully unimpressive. A good game might conclude wit11 a score of I I , maybe 15 depending on the version of "Pong" being played. Then tl1ere were games like "Warlords", "Breakout" and "Missile Command". Suddenly games allowed players to score as high into t11e hundreds, ma~·be thousands. Then along came "Galaxian" and "Phoenix" which doused players ,vit11 scores in the tens and hundreds of thousands. Eventually, next generation games took over and high scores have been fading fast. Games are too complicated to score anymore. Racing games give lap times. R.P.G.'s reward players with new levels and fultilled objectives. Arcades no longer publish player high scores over each machine and we never hear about a game t11at revealed somet11ing unusual simply because a dctennined player hit a new high score. There is an article I fotmd in the most recent September 1998 issue of Next Generation magazine. The article starts on page 10 and is titled: "When was the last time you scored?" TI1e piece concludes and I quote, "Will score ever come back? Probably not. As technology evolves, games will become even more complex, and current titles that still employ a high score, such as 'N20', 'Einhander', and 'Incoming', are in an ever-smaller minority." The article sheds some rays of hope however and I quote furt11er, "But classic games are making somet11ing of a comeback; titles like 'Centipede' and 'Asteroids' are being retrofitted for t11e 90's, ,vit11 score intact." Sadly t11c author concludes, "Still, it's safe to say that score ,viii never play t11e pivotal role it once did in gaming history." If not11ing else, 1 am not t11e only one t11at believes t11at high score potential is an elementary difference between games of today and yesterday. Let's look at the second clement of the ftm factor. Repetition. When I say Repetition, l am describing the ability to identify a way that a game is played wit11in the first few seconds of pressing t11e start button and depend on t11at overall premise to stay the same tlrroughout t11e game. "Pitfall" is a game that includes climbing, swinging and jumping in a horizontal scrolling fommt. The obstacles may change U1eir positions, the ladders may not always be on t11e left or on the right, but tl1e game never ends up being different than how it started. Each new wave, each new level predictably resembles the one prior. Someone might say, ah, but "Gorr• deviated from that fonnula and "Donkey Kong" had a series of different virtual game venues that had a lot of changes from one level to t11e next. Well, not really.

It may have taken more Umn a few seconds to learn U1e new looks of each level, but they eventually recycled and U1e series of levels fit tile definition of repetition that I am describing here.

fd like to suggest to forward U1inking companies in this business two U1ings. It's wise to check tile mirror and apply the good iliings from U1e past into the things U1ey do in our future. And, secondly, it would be smart to look for more ways to work togeilier to solidify a plan to help legitimize the gaming industry completely. Let's find more opportunities to recognize all the better games and to put the people who create tilem in tile spollight. ### END###

Okay, let's look at ease of leaming the E in the anagram that defines the tun factor. Many people tell me Umt ease oflearning is not at all missing from games today. TI1ey bring up games like "Unreal", "Gran Turismo" or "Crash Ban<licoot". Yes, U1ose arc relatively easy games to learn, but are still for more complex than walking up to a machine, dropping a quarter and driving a circle through a maze to eat dots and avoid ghosts. I've played "Unreal". It's fun, but U1ere are a lot complexities too. A lot of passages to discover. A lot of items to recover. A very difficult game to sit down and compete against your previous high score. I have played "Gran Turismo". It is undeniably a phenomenal racing game. Of course I have to be concerned witil a lot more tilan l did when I played "Night Driver" or even "Pole Position". There's tire tread, engine capabilities, car handling. Not much instant plugand-play here. I have enjoyed many hours of "Crash Bandicoot'' and "Crash Bandicoot 2 ". I know I will rnsh out and buy "Crash Bandicoot 3". But it is more complex of a gan1e to learn and accomplish tilan "Space Invaders" or "Missile Command". Games from yesteryear, games that were filled witl1 U1e tun factor, were never hard to leam. Often hard to master, but never hard lo Ieam. All games require U1e gamer to )cam and apply a strategy to master tile gameplay. Whether it is "Checkers" or "Othello", "Boxing" or "Street Fighter", U1ere are one or more strategic moves that enable competitors to score better with experience. Fuially, the fun factor is unleashed in any specific game when there are Secrets in or about the game to be discovered. A secret may be a hidden level or character. Maybe it is a code to add lives or weapons. Maybe it is a way to see U1e programmer's initials such in Atari's "Adventure" or "Yar's Revenge". Or, perhaps it is a fascinating story on how the game was developed or marketed. So why does an understanding of U1e fun factor and U1e appealing aspects of video games from yesterday have significance to you and me today? Because we are approaching a new fork in tile road. An opportunity to go in new directions. New generations of video game systems such as Dreamcast and Project X as well as whatever competing products designed to knock tile socks off of tile mass market. And before we embark on a journey to new next-nextgeneration technology, let's check the rear view mirror. Let us begin to recognize tile market that wants to play classic favorites or new games that instill the fun factor into them. Let's put high score back into tile game. I applaud what companies such as Hasbro for what they appear to be doing. Their focus on reintroducing some of tile world's greatest software titles on up-to-date platfom1S is cutting edge. Hasbro has tasted tile success witil "Frogger" selling over a million copies in less than six monU1s since its lmmch last November. "Centipede" will undoubtedly do similarly as well. I believe tilat tiley will do equally as well witl1 each new title as long as they look back and enhance tilem using tile same formula that made tilem great in tile first place. Thankfully, companies like Hasbro and Activision and Namco and nYko are beginning to adjust the mirror before moving forward on new projects. They may not always make tile greatest decisions based on what they have seen behind iliem, but U1ey are pulling out into the proverbial traffic of progress while being more informed.

Subj: 'Ib.e AfterMatl1 Date: 98-09-26 18:08:32 EDT From: mcurrent@carleton.edu (Michael Current) To: xx004@cleveland.freenel.edu, kirscheg@juno.com, mschm656 l 2@aol.com, stirrell@portland.com, john_davison@compuserve.com, mcurrent@carleton.edu - The AfierMath by Donald A Thomas, Jr. © 1997-1998 - Donald A Thomas, Jr. all rights reserved - http://www.icwhen.com May be reprinted in entirety witl1 byline. (Revised 08/26/98) (WINDOW DRESSJNG: Mr. Mark Santora is producing a quality video documentary ofWOA '98. For information and ordering, visit, Mark's homepage at: http://home.earthliuk.ne1/-santora.) Suddenly, a Vegas weekend has passed me by and I fmd myself on a plane chasing a Stmday sunset toward tile western horizon. The firnt ruumal Classic Video Game and Home Computer Show, oiliernise touted as World of Atari '98, had come to a close. The people and the memories have bid me a fond farewell. While mere hours before I was saturated in a sea of can1araderie I now find myself heading home in an airship of anonymity. I did not win U1e "Asteroids" cocktail table raffied by Mr. Tim Arnold to benefit U1c Las Vegas Salvation Army, but I did carry ,,ith me a few small boxes of memorabilia U1at I consider just as pricel<!SS. And I carry a camcorder crauuned wiU1 a few hours of video. And I carry a few chocolates for my wife and son as tiley stay up at home to ask me if! had a nice time. I now feel inspired to share, witil those who honored us by attending and for U1ose who so desperately wanted to go, a report oi tile show from my unique perspective. It was an interesting change of pace for me. After so many years of attending Comdex, CES, E3 and a number of Atari-specific shows over tile years as one of the crew, I am suddenly bestowed U1e title of Distinguished Guest. lltis time, I am not responsible to help set up walls of a booili, components of a kiosk or crates of literature. Instead, I am invited to verbalize my experiences at Atari, shake friends of old and new and sign an occasional request for an autograph. Mr. Keila Iida and Mr. Don Rogers greeted me at McCarran International Airport around noon on Friday, August 21, 1998. Both gentlemen were anxious to help carry my bags. In spite of my insistence to carry tilem myself, Keita managed to grab one away as I put one down to switch hands. Tuey took me to tile Holiday Inn Boardwalk Hotel and Casino (http://www.hiboardwalk.com) located right on tile world famous Vegas strip. The hotel required me to wait a couple hours to register so we checked my bags and a group ofus drove over to TGI Friday's (http://www.tgifridays.com) for ltmch. In Ute earliest hours of my arrival I met all tile core promoters. Mr Rich Tsukiji has one of those last names that I can spell, but just cannot learn to pronounce. I feel redeemed, however, since I later learned he once misspelled my last name in tile official program. Payback maybe? <g> In reality I have always kno,\on Rich as Rich and he has always known me as Don. We have always been on a

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first name basis from the first time we met. In fact, those years go back almost a decade when World of Atari was held at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California. It was at that show that Rich helped me to introduce Artisan Software in its first ever public exhibition. Rich filled the role of producer at WOA '98. The event is ultimately to his credit just like we owe him for the experiences at so many Atari-specific events over the years. It was good to see Rich again and to meet Rich Tsukiji II, the proud offspring of his father.

Mr. John Hardie was rubbing his tired eyes but still fow1d plenty of energy to smile and welcome the guests as they arrived. John and Keita co-produce tl1e Atari Headquarters web domain (http://www.atarihq.com). The two gentlemen actually coordinated most of the events at the show, helped solicit sponsors and arrange ke)notes. By this time on Friday tl1ey have already spent a great deal of time keeping promises and schedules on track. Before it would be over, they would see it get much worse before it would get better. Mr. Brad Kota, was an inspiration for tl1is year's show. As a long time friend and colleague of Mr. Tsukiji, Brad helped to persuade him tliat tl1ere would be interest in a classic video game show. Brad's Best Electronics has al\\"ays been a fonnidable icon in tl1e industry witl1 tl1e world's most unique selection of hard-to-find components and parts for Atari video games and computers. I soon caught up with Mr. Randy Stoller, a memorable young man who has a rare collection of classic gan1e and computer products. Mr. Jerry Jessop worked at Atari in the late seYenties and early eighties. Jerry did a variety of engineering projects at Atari. Mr. Dan Kramer is renowned for his work on the track ball at Atari in the early years. Mr. Leonard Hennan , autl1or of ''Pheonix: The Fall and Rise ofVideogames" and tl1e "ABC to the VCS" (Rolenta Press, http://www.atarihq.com/features/phocnix.html), was setting up to olTer autographed copies of his books. Mr. Sean Kelly, of D igital Press, set up next to Leonard to offer his Classic Videogame Conunercial Archive on VHS tapes (http://www.xnet.com/-skelly/video.htm). Amidst all tl1e hustle and bustle, mammotll crates were moved carefully into tl1e vender area. Each one was marked "Atari Historical Society" (http://www.atari.nu) and followed closely by a Mr. Curt Vendel. By 3 p.m. on Friday, tlle show appeared to be coming togetl1er quite well. (I was happy. I finally received my key to room munber 463.) Anyone in tlle know, however, knew things were not going as well as hoped. TI1ere were problems. Tiiroughout the afternoon, Rich Tsukiji had to nm around Las Vegas city offices to acconunodate a variety of exltibition pennits that had previously not been required. WOA '98 was becoming a much bigger show tlian some people had anticipated and an entirely new plateau of pern1its and licenses were suddenly required. With a lot of hot Vegas sweat and a heavy dose ofTsukiji finesse, Rich pulled everytl1ing together just as the city was locking the business office doors closed for the weekend. Meanwhile, back at tlle not-so-okay coral, Keita sat next to a pair of gold plated pay phones in the foyer of the convention floor. He had long run out of quarters to feed the phones and was now typing out the same numbers into his cellular phone tlmt Don Rogers pointed out in a tl1ick edition of the Las Vegas yellow pages. TI1e mission: get between six to eight 19-inch color televisions to tl1e show at a reasonable price before the rental stores closed and WOA '98 commenced. The long awaited "Battlesphere" tournaments must go on, but no televisions had shown up as originally pla1med. Ultimately, Keita and Rich resolved tl1eir emergencies to everyone's satisfaction, but tlle energy was building and tlle pressure was mounting. Mr. Bmce Carso and his wife and family arrived with tl1eir 15-foot box truck direct from B&C ComputerVisions (ht1p://www.myatari.com). Mr. Tim Arnold had his classic coin-ops

to unload. Mr. Jerry Jessop and Mr. Dan Kramer had a large rental van full of artifacts for the Classic Game Museum. Artifacts tlmt included tl1e very first "Computer Space" ever manufactured and an original coin-op "Pong". Mr. Steve Kipker and his crew from Steve's Software (http://www.atarionline.com) set up cotmtless boxes of computer and gaming software featuring notable mentions such as "Air Cars" ($75) for the Atari Jaguar and "Visicalc" ($1) for Atari computers. All new in originally shrink-wrapped packaging of course. Keita and John would not get much sleep again this long and anxious day. Even at late night hours, they had yet to set up tl1eir own contributions to the musewn tliat required a painstaking system to catalog and arrange all of tl1e displays and exhibits. Much of this time I didn't feel right j ust standing around. Everyone was working so hard. I did my best to document the course of events witl1 my camcorder, but I did set it aside for a while to help Bruce and Cathy t111load their truck. At 6:30 p.m., the doors opened across tl1e hall oftl1e main convention hall to the fonnal reception area. Persons connected directly to the production of tlle sl1ow took a well-deserved break and pre-ticketed attendees were all invited. TI1ere were two cash bi1I"S, a great sound system playing tl1e soundtrack from ''Tempest 2000" and wall-to-wall people. Rich asked me to make a few opening remarks. People who know me do not tl1i11k I am much capable of making just a few remarks, but I managed to prove them wrong this time around. I tlianked Rich, Brad, John and Keila. I urged others to find them and tlmnk them all as well. Rich asked me to tell tl1em how to get their programs for tl1e show and I closed with a fonnal welcome to each and everyone in attendance. Not too long aficr tl1e reception, activities bega n to settle down to a realistic pace. Most of the venders had found time to sigh and only John and Keila were still in a mode that some say resembles panic. In spite ofit all, Rich , Jolm, Keila and a few otl1ers including myself broke away to get some dinner at Applebee's Neighborhood Grille and Bar (http://www.applebees.com). I am familiar wit11 the Applebee's chain, but I have no idea where Keita took us tliat night to get tllere. 1l1e trip allowed me to renew a friendship witl1 Rich and we lilied in a lot of blanks for a number of old Atari anecdotes from days gone by. hnmediately after dinner, we returned to tl1e Boardwalk and Rich, Keita and John returned to work as if they had never yet started. TI1e appeal oftl1e slot machines overcame me and 1 began to throw money away into as many of them as I could. Ouch. By around 2:30 a.m. I returned to room 463 and reread my keynote speech one more time. Well, two more times. i-Inmun, a few typos. Maybe it turned out being several times before I actually turned out tlle lights ar0tmd 4 a.m. Lynn, my wife, refused to bear the Las Vegas heat witl1 me. She knew I would be pre-occupied and decided playing mom was a most important role at home. As always, she turned out being t11e wise woman I know and adore. Saturday was hot long before anyone had a chance to complain about it. Staying at tl1e same hotel as t11e show was wonderful and tl1e uncomfortable heat was felt only near the windows. I arose at 8:40 a.m. By IO o'clock I walked past a long, long line of attendees who clearly wanted tl1e doors to open sooner rather tl1an later. At approximately, 10:07 a.m. tl1e doors pushed back the crowd as tl1ey opened and tl1e crowd calmly funneled themselves into tl1e exhibition floor. I took a lot of videotape and will need to dedicate a day to review it all. But from recollection, there were items for sale and ite ms for display. 1l1ere were displays for display and displays for sale. There were mint condition Ms. Pac-Man dolls offered by Jack Berg Sales Company, a firn1 based in El Paso, Texas. TI1ere were hard-to-find coin-op art panels available from tl1e Atari Historical Society. TI1ere

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were mint copies of "Metorite" ($75) for the Atari 5200 game system offered by Atari Headquarters. Mr. David Naghi and Mr. Robert Ricnick introduce nYko Teclmologies' (http://www.nyko.com) new Classic Track Ball for the PlayStation (http://www.playstation.com) game console. In a center aisle, Tim Arnold kept track of the rafl1e total with a makeshift tally redesigned from an old pinball game. Each of his targeted $1,500 nmg out with a loud bell ru1d Tim would make hourly announcements of small prize winners using a handheld megaphone. At 10:30 a.m., 1 entered the keynote hall (a.k.a. the reception area from the night before). There was a small number of people there awaiting my arrival for my keynote. "Phew", I thought to myself as I knew speaking to just a few people would be a stress-less task. At that moment, Keita Iida saw I was ready and ran across the hall to announce my speech. In an instant, the crowd from the venders area swanned to the keynote area and left only the reannost group of chairs w1claimed. I enjoy speaking. I have perfonned in some amateur theater in my yow1ger days and I know no shame to admit that I enjoy a little notoriety from time to time. TI1is was different. People were seated before me trnly interested in what I was about to say. (http://www.icwhen.com/articles/keynote_82298. html) Was my talk too short? Would it be too Jong? Would it be meaningful or sound like rambling? I decided tl1e best thing to do was do it. I had 19 (very small ) pages of script and I tried hard to refer to it as little as possible while looking at my audience as much as possible. It must have not been too bad. People asked a nun1ber of great questions aller tl1e talk and followed me into the corridor to ask more. One very attractive yo1mg lady wanted to know if I was tl1e founder of Atari. I said "no". Now tl1at my keynote was over, the pressure of tl1e weekend had been lifted from my shoulders and I was free to do nothing more except enjoy the show. And I did. Big tin1e. 1 met ,villi Mr. Rob Fulop, designer of "Demon Attack" for the Atari 2600. I saw the rare Cosmos, the holographic game system, designed by Atari before Mr. Jack Tramiel sold holograph teclmology to American Banknote (http://www.abnh.com). I saw rare prototypes such as "Dukes of Hazard" for the Atari 2600. I saw an early mold of the Atari Portfolio computer. I saw mint condition still-packaged Colecovision carts. There were photocopies of rare internal Atari documents. One collector showed me an entire box of badges for Atari employees from many, many years ago. At 5 p.m., the exhibit hall for the first day crune to a close, but a swap meet commenced in the keynote area that lasted a couple hours. Tiiat evening, I met David Naghi and Robert Rienick in the hotel lobby at 7 p.m. Robert's ,vife, Betty, also caught up with us and the trio escorted me to Gordon Biersch (http://www.gordonbiersch.com) for dinner. David and Robert shared a number of great things they have planned for their product lines. Meanwhile I enjoyed a tremendous garlic-rubbed hanger steak and an unusually decadent slice of cheesecake. There was no rush for me to get up terribly early on Sunday. I wanted to be there when the doors opened at IO a.m. ru1d I was. My new camcorder also takes digital stills and I exploited some of the pre-show inactivity to take pictures of the coin-ops scattered throughout the hall. When the doors opened, a steady stream of aficionados came ru1d left throughout the day. On tllis day, I had a greater opportunity to sit in on some of the other keynotes. First, was a presentation from Dan Krruner and Jerry Jessop. They told n number of stories from their days at Atari as renegade engineers. If the audience was not spellbound~they were laughing at an intentional quip or waving their h811ds to ask a new question. Also this day, I sat in on a talk by Mr. Bill Kunkel, cofounder of Electronic Gaines Magazine. Bill spoke of the early trade

shows and the horrific videogame industry crash that tore many of the companies apart. Dave Staugas was WOA '98's surprise speaker during mid-afiemoon. Dave spoke how he survived the Trruniel takeover ru1d created a nwnber of games and applications for Atari over the years. TI1e ke;110tes, as well as the otl1er events at World of Atari '98 are being documented by Mr. Mark Santora's video. For infommtion on ordering tl1is video visit http://home.earthlink.net/-santora. In late afternoon, I introduced myself to Mr. Derek Mihocka or Gemulators Inc. (http://www.emulators.com) who was demonstrating Gemulator '98. This incredible device allows Atari ST, STe ru1d TT software or Apple Macintosh, Mac SE or Mac II software lo nm at lightning speeds in a Windows environment for prices way under $200. Also intriguing at the show was the new Lynx TV converter by Wizztronics (http://www.wizztronics.com) sho,,11 by founder, Mr. Steve Cohen. ·m e device enables users to play Atari handheld Lynx games directly on a stru1dard televisions even n big screen! The resolution looked fantastic and ilie picture was incredibly stable. For tmder $ 150 users can finally see and play Lynx games on a full size screen. Nearing the end of the day, tl1e Auction was held and nearly one hundred items were put up for bid. Mr. Alan Miller, certified, licensed and bonded auctioneer, U.S.A. Auctions, conducted the auction. A number of one-of-a-kind and tmusual rutifacts and products were shown and blocked. Rich Tsukiji whispered to me that this was undoubtedly the world's first professional auction of Atari products. Around 4 p.m., Tim Arnold picked the last few \\iru1ers ofl11e raffie. (Darn, I did not win the "Asteroids" grune.) Activities in tl1c main hall had died do,m and venders had already begun to pack things up. In tl1e far corner, Jerry Jessop and friends were doing tl1eir best to sell oIT items still on the table. I wanted to spend some time tilming the "Battlesphere" tournament, but it was always so crowded in that corner of the hall. Mr. Scott Le Grand and Ms. Stephanie Wukovitz of 4Play (http://www.best.com/-sebab/dvidgames/dsphere/sphere.shtml) had the crowd captive, but by the tin1e I got back over to there following the auction, the \vinner ,vas declared and gone. 111ere is no way to explain the pleasures that come to us at events such as these. Those of us in the industry love it. We remember unpacking trainloads of boxes and crates for the Winter or SUll1Tiler Consmner Electronics Shows or a Comdex. We remember working late at night wondering all the while if the booth would be completed by the time the show started. We remember gathering late at night to fulfill traditions at a local pub or restaurant. We remember new product launches and all those times that someiliing was supposed to work and didn't. World of Atari '98 serves as a fomm for us to recall tl10se memories and to relive them tlrrough the stories we tell. For those who love the industry, but are not employed as a part of it, I know it is equally fun to be a part ofWOA '98. I know because I am uniquely a part of that crowd too. I got into the business as a happenstance and as an outsider who swore to myself that I would never forget how it felt to press my nose against the glass looking in. I don't believe I have ever failed that personal promise. Some said at WOA '98 that I started a trend to get the progr8llls autographed. I managed to get almost everyone although I missed a few. There was Rob Fulop who I did miss in spite of intentions otherwise, but I did get Mr. Michael Mika of Next Generation Magazine (http://www.next-generation.com). I missed Marshall Rosenthal of the LA Times (http://www.latimes.com), but I did get Ms. Van Burnham of Wired Magazine (http://www.wired.com). I got most all of the venders that I have known over the years to sign my programs and of course the likes of Sean Kelly, Leonard Henn811, Jerry

Jessop, Amie Katz, David Staugas and the rest of the World of Atari '98. 1 am not certain why I did not see representation from Hasbro InterActive (http://www.hasbro-interactive.com) A lot of people would like to know what their plans are with their new acquisition. A lot of people want to know why ATARI.COM seems to have been abandoned since ITS (http://www.jtscorp.com) shut it down (especially me since I produced the original site for Atari). People like Mr. Nolan Bushnell ,vould have been nice to see one day. Other names that would have fit in well with the atmosphere would have been Activision and Willian1s. Just the same, I had one heck of a great time.

Subj: Atari800Win 2.4 98-09-18 16: 14:55 EDT Date: From: mcurrent@carleton.edu (Michael Current) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1998 06:59:33 CST

Do I have any regrets at all? Yup. I regret losing as much as I did in the slots.

Here is what is new in version 2.4:

### END### Subj: Date: From:

Pooldisk TOO double cdrom 98-09-26 16:56: IOEDT mcurrent@carleton.edu (Michael Current)

I ii Atarian, We're about to release the "out of this world" experience of the year. It's our upcoming POOLDISK TOO cdrom with mostly Atari 8bit stuff on it. The release date is October 24th on the ABBUC's Jahn~s Haupt Versrumnlung (JHV) in Herten in Gern1any. So, you still have I month to contribute to this project if you want to. Did you write a nifty Atari 8 bit progrrun and want to put it in the Public Domain, or is it shareware, send it to us, and we'll put it on the CD. Besides helping tl1e Atari 8bit community, you get a nice backup of your software as well;) We're also interested in pd from Page 6. We miss a lot of disks there, so if you've got a Page 6 pd disk, it would be nice if you could email us a disk image of it. ·me closing date of sending software to us will be October 21 st, because we will be burning disks on October 22nd and 23rd all day... Besides software you can email nice pictures of Atari artifacts as well, as long as it has to do with our beloved 8bit computer it's OK. On the new Pooldisk, we've also included some Internet homepages. If you've got a nice homepage, send us the URL and we'll include it on our CD. You probably guessed it, if you've got sometlling interesting concerning the Atari 8bit, and want to share it with the rest of the Atari co1rununity, send it to us, and we'll put it on the CD. The new POOLDISK cdrom will consist of2 CD's. It seems like one cdrom will only contain .ATR disk images (650 MB or so). We removed the .XFD disk images because of the limit in disk space <grin>, and one can transfonn an .ATR disk into a .XFD image using ATR2XFD anyway. Some nice people and clubs already contributed to our new project, like ABBUC, SCAT, 13ELLCOM (Bob Wooley), Timnderdome BBS, just to name a few. The otl1er cdrom will contain movies, internet homepages, Atari 8bit pc programs, Mapping the Atari in electronic fonnat, pictures of covers, hardware and other Atari related stuff TI1e double disk cdrom can be ordered through tlle ABBUC. Prices an<l such will be rumounced on the Intemt:t allcr the ABBUC's n-rv on October tl1e 25t11 (all dates are in GMT). Sincerely, Bo and Ernest Schreurs Email your disks, soflware, scans to: emest@wxs.nl

I have updated Atari800win at ilie usual home page, http://www.cris.com/-Twist/atari800win Atari800Win is an Atari 8-bit emulator for tlle Win9X/NT environment. It emulates the Atari800, 800XL, XE series, and 5200 systems.

09-08-98 Ver 2.4 - large update, some beta features 4'. A request: I am looking for an image of the 8-bit Epyx game "Hellfire Warrior". I'm not sure if it was available for tlle Atari, but it was for the Apple]f. I own this game, but only have tl1e TRS-80 disk image. If you can help, please e-mail rich@cstone.net • Big feature: support for save states (also known as "snapshots''). You must have ZLIB working (tlle DLL supplied witll Atari800Win must be in the path) to use tl1is. Saved states saves _everything_ about your Atari itself, tl1e entire contents of memory, where you are in a program, etc. A save state docs NOT save your display, input, or sound settings. When you load a state save, the Atari will be paused on a black screen. Hit F9 to start t11e saved state. Saved state file sizes \\111 vary based on the machine type and what it was doing / had loaded. Use the Fi le menu to access tl1e Load/Save state features. There are two twes of save: nornml and verbose. Verbose is ONLY necessary if you have patched ROMS that somebody else wouldn't have. Verbose saves are larger. Save states should be considered a somewhat beta feature. Changes might affect the fom1at as otl1er Atari800 ports adopt it, making the current fonnat obsolete. Keep in mind that even if you snapshot a program it may still want to access the disk later, and save states do NOT save disks. If you know a program accesses the disk, you \\111 have to keep the disk handy with your save state to resume later. Save state arc machine independent; they will be useable on other ports of Atari800. • Machiue language routines here and there; small speed difference. I spent considerable time rewriting some large sections in assembly, and found tl1ere was little speed increase in tl1em even when heavily optimized. 1'11 continue investigating asm for things like Autic though. • Atari crashes are much less dramatic now, as you don't have to exit Atari800Wi11. The screen will simply go black, you then have the opportunity to change settings, and there is a new Atari/Restart menu option to fire the machine up again (Ctrl-F5 will also ,vork). • Added 512:--384 mode. Should help those on slow machines without 320 modes. Shows full overscan and on most cards has tliat "scanline" feel. • Completely rewrote tl1e keyboard handler, many changes include: -A few layout changes; see README.TXT - Insert/Delete work correctly (char nonnally, line when shilled) - Clear character now on t11e Windows Home key - Option/Select/Start can be held down in combinations, fixes some demos - When holding a regular key, pressing then releasing a second key will have no effect (tl1e first key will stay held). - Hold dO\m a regular key, hold down a second. Release the first key. TI1e Atari will register tl1e second key as being held down after exactly I frame of no keys. - FI-F4 exist only for XL, returns no keyboard code for oilier machines.

- Help returns no code for non XL/XE machine - With CTRL + SHIFT held, the following keys do NOT work on purpose: J KL;+• Z X CV B Fl F2 F3 F4 and HELP In many cases the new behavior my seem more limiting than before; but it is now highly accurate compared to the real hardware. Many hours in testing with a real XE back this up. Since there is considerable new code there may be an errant key here or there; please e-mail me if you find keyboard oddities (or if you find things fixed!) • Keyboard templates option added (Options/Keyboard .. menu). This is a complicated feature for expert users, consult the README for details. Do not mess with it if you don't understand the purpose. Briefly, It allows you to remap ahnost the entire keyboard to anything you wish to define. Helpful for games that use whacked out directional keys like the Ultima series or if you want to exactly duplicate the Atari layout. • Keyboard joystick reworked. Now handles combination keys (numpad4 + numpad8 = diagonal up/right). Ignores your Windows key delay/ repeat settings and works right off the keystroke (instant feedback). • Checkbox for "use AGP memory", which controls whether a surface is allocated as ''local video memory" in Ddraw terms. This is basically for DDraw windowed modes, and could be faster, much slower, or no change on any particular card - you11 just have to try it and compare. • Fixed a problem with small graphics selector dialog used in 320 modes. • All foll screen modes clear their backgrounds. • Bolder, more ambitious icons, less filling but taste great. Any icon artists out there? • Machine type and speed shown in window title (status bar in foll screen) * Finally remembered to add keyboard click. You will notice a slight delay between the keystroke and sound, can't be helped at present. * Fixed a display bug that had crept in when in windowed mode with the display partially off the desktop * lfyou exit while running full speed, the next time you launch sound will be (correctly) disabled until you switch back to i1onnal speed * Pause shows paused text on Atari screen (for full screen modes) • Fixed crash bug that sometimes occurred changing artifacting modes. TI1e Following are a couple ofE-Mail's l've received. (EDITOR) Subj: Date: From:

Atari System For Sale 98-09-09 16:52:59 EDT MWillial42

Hello, I have an Atari 1040 ST with monitor and a Syquest 2 Cartridge Hard Drive (40 mbs. each) with the Link for sale. I also have a Mega file 30 computer/hard drive witl1 an SLM 804 Atari Laser Printer. Recently, due to graphics limitations (I do much layout work), I switched platforms. The Atari systems have been wonderful to me; I've used them in my music business for several years. If you know of any one who might be interested in purchasing some Atari hard ware please refer them to me. I have know idea what the current value is but will consider all reasonable offers. Calumus Desk Top Publishing is loaded on the Mega file system along with the musical sequencer-Cubase (Steinburg Jones) which is quite sophisticated. TI1anks for your consideration. MikeW. My web site: http://members.aol.com/MWillia142/index.htrnl

Subj: Date: From: To:

Atari and Linux 98-09-06 19:57:24 EDT floyd@novia.net (Matt Mullin) MSc1un65612@aol.com

I've recently been experimenting with Linux on a PC and a friend told me there is a version for the ST. I have had an ST since they first came out. TI1e idea of having my 520 ST on a network with my PCs is prompting me to ask for some advice. I need info on installing a hard drive in my ST, and obtaining Linux for the 520 (I've seen it only for tlte Falcon) or perhaps you could even suggest alternatives. I've run the emulators, and my PC does ST very well, but it's just not the same. Please help me make my Atari Iive again. Subj: Atari Date: 98-09-26 09:25:02 EDT From: the-womble@geocities.com (Pete Williams) To: kirscheg@juno.com, MSchm656 l2@aol.com, pac@pacitier.com, acaoc@imagiware.com Hi, I need to know the answers of some Atari questions for a competition, can you help? the questions are; I) what does the Atari symbol represent 2) Who Owns Atari 3) What docs Atari mean in Japanese Timnks From Pete Williams (The Womble) Surrey, England the-womble@geocities.com Motor Madness: http://sur[to/cars The MotorSport Wehring: http://surf.to/MotorSports l 001 Resources for Webmasters http://come.to/resources

Subj: Date: From: To:

atari equipment 98-09-24 15:23:22 EDT rjanzal@up.net (Robert Anzalone) MSchm65612@aol.com

I have some Atari computer equipment that is just gathering dust and I was hoping you could help me find a home for them. I have 2 800XLs, 2 disk drives, 1 data recorder, 1 printer interface, many game cartridges and disks, some programs, and some dust covers. If you know anybody interested please contact me via my e-mail address. Thanks in advance for your help. Bob. (906)466-2628

CLUB DISCLAI11ER PrP.!-iclfmt:

GrP.g T.eitnP.r (TP.mp) 4f>S - flf>50

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Greg Leitner Brian C. Lllllc

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Published by the Saint Paul Atari Computer Enthusias t;; {SPACE), un independenl orgaui ~alion wil h no bu:sinc,::,; affiliation with ATARI Corporation. Permission is grantP.c to any similar organization with which SPACE exchanges newsletters t.o ri:,prln t. m;it.i:,1•i;,l trom I.hi;; newsletter. W;, ,l.. however ask lhal credil be given lo lhe aulhors and lo SFMT

Opinions expressed are those of lhc aulhors and do no'. necessarily reflect the ,iews of SPACE, the club officers.

Saint Paul Atari Computer Enthusiasts (SPACE)

club members or ATARi Corporation

meets on the second Friday of each month at 7 :30 PM

in the Falcon Heights Community Center at 2077 West Larpenteur Ave. Doors open at 7 :00 PM.

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Gibbs

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BBS

FP.kon He.ight.s

Community Center 2077 W. Larpcnlcur Ave.

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