:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: Volume 2 - Issue 21 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 7 December 1993 :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: ATARI .............. News, reviews, & solutions ............ ATARI :: :: EXPLORER ............ for the online Atari .......... EXPLORER :: :: ONLINE ................. Community .............. ONLINE :: :: :: :: Published and Copyright ½ 1993 by Subspace Publishers :: :: """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" :: :: Publisher ........................... Michael Lindsay EXPLORER :: :: Editor .................................. Travis Guy AEO.MAG :: :: Assistant Editor GEnie................ Ron Robinson EXPLORER.1 :: :: Assistant Editor CompuServe.......... Albert Dayes AEO.1 :: :: Assistant Editor Delphi......... Andreas Barbiero AEO.2 :: :: Assistant Editor Internet........ Timothy Wilson AEO.8 :: :: Atari Asylum ................... Gregg Anderson AEO.7 :: :: Unabashed Atariophile ..... Michael R. Burkley AEO.4 :: :: Atari Artist ................... Peter Donoso EXPLORER.2 :: :: :: :: Contributors: :: :: """"""""""""" :: :: Peter Smith :: :: :: :: Telecommunicated to you via: :: :: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" :: :: GEnie: AEO.MAG :: :: CompuServe: 70007,3615 :: :: Delphi: AEO_MAG :: :: Fnet: AEO Conference, Node 319 :: :: AtariNet: AEO Conference, Node 51:1/10 :: :: Internet: aeo.mag@genie.geis.com :: :: :: :: Internet subscription service: stzmagazine-request@virginia.edu :: :: (Internet subscription requests ONLY!) :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Table of Contents * From the Editors ....................... This is not your father's Atari. * Dateline: Atari ............... Bob Brodie tells all in this information packed GEnie Real Time Conference. * Jaguar Tackboard .................... San Bruno mall show this weekend Atari replaces defective R/F boxes * Stalking the Elusive Jaguar ........... Can an anti-Atari gamer fall for Atari's new Jaguar? One such Jaded Gamer shows us how. * Andreas' Den ...................... Andreas makes up for lost time as he visits Atari for us. TT030s are back in production! * Atari Asylum ........................ Reopened and ready for new inmates. * Battlewheels for the Lynx ...................... Crash'em, smash'em cars. * The Unabashed Atariophile ................... New PD and Shareware files for _your_ Atari computer. * The Lynx Cheat File: Part 1 ............. From [APB] to [Lemmings], Lynx hints and cheats galore! * GEnie ST RT News ..................... New files & happenings on Atari's Official Online Resource. * Developing News ........................... Computer Musicians Coalition New IAAD Board Photo Show Professional Technation's sonavista Cyberdrome 1.2 * Shutdown ............................ Around the world and up your block. --==--==--==--==-- ||| From the Editors ....... Atari Explorer Online: The Next Generation ||| Travis Guy / | \ GEnie: AEO.MAG Delphi: AEO_MAG Internet: aeo.mag@genie.geis.com ------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to this issue of Atari Explorer Online, your window to events happening in the World Atari. The Atari Jaguar is still the main point of interest - as well as Atari's reaction to customer problems. It seems that the RF switchboxes that Atari bought to include with the first shipments of Jags were causing horrific amounts of interference on the video displays. Jaguar nay-sayers immediately pounced on the problem, saying things like "Atari's dumping old 2600 switchboxes" and "Is this 64-bit power?" The very next day at Atari Corp., steps were began to isolate and correct the problem. The result is Atari held up shipments of Jaguars until they could secure new autoswitching RF boxes. Atari also has indicated that they will replace the defective RF boxes for current customers and that if a customer had taken it upon his/herself to replace their own box, Atari would "make good" to them by offering a S-Video or composite A/V cable! This won't quiet the nay-sayers, but I feel it is a clear indication that Atari Corp. is serious about customer satisfaction, and that they will do what they have to to make the Jaguar's introduction a success. For more Jaguar information, please read the Dateline: Atari transcript (heck, read it two, three times!), as well as Andreas' articles in this issue. (Welcome back, Andreas!) Another "Welcome back" goes out to the Atari Asylum's Gregg Anderson. Gregg has been Atariless for the past few months, and with his recent purchase of a Mega STe, has picked up where he had left off. It's good to have him back around again. A name that hasn't graced an Atari publication in many, many years is back as well. Peter Smith, better known of late to GEnie gamers as "The Jaded Gamer," succumbed to the lure of the Jaguar. Peter had left the Atari community years ago, vowing to never buy Atari again. His article shows that the Jaguar has the appeal to almost mystically draw attention. (Not to mention that he finds Cybermorph to be an outstanding game.) Peter represents the type of crowd Atari needs to attract. It's good to have you "back in the fold" Peter. Albert's COMDEX articles in the last issue caused me to bump the appearance of the first half of the Lynx Cheat File. Now if I had only deleted any reference to it in my editorial also.... It's in here, with the second half already set for the next issue. Also, looking ahead to the next issue of AEO, there'll be the Second Annual AEO Readers' Survey. It's vitally important that we keep in touch with you, our readers, so be prepared to dictate to us how you want AEO to focus on things. Before I go, let me draw your attention to the shuttle astronauts who are busy repairing the Hubble Space Telescope even as I type this. When I was a kid back in the sixties, being an astronaut was the coolest thing one could imagine. Over the past few nights, watching the video of the repair work in process has brought back some of that excitement. They're truly playing with high-tech toys! Our best to the Endeavour's crew on their "house call" and a safe trip back home! Jaguars are HOT! Atari is making good, and working on making it better. TT030s are coming off the production line. Let's keep our cool out there, and we'll see you back in two weeks. Happy Holidays! Have you played Atari today? --==--==--==--==-- ||| Dateline: Atari ||| Captured and Edited by: Travis Guy / | \ Courtesy: GEnie Atari ST RoundTable ----------------------------------------------------------------- <[Host] ST.LOU> Before getting started, some business about how an RTC works. While the RTC room is in Listen-Only mode, you can only address our guest when I let you talk. To get my attention, just /RAIse your hand. Just enter this from your keyboard: /rai <[Host] ST.LOU> I'll acknowledge your raised hand as soon as I can, but please be patient. I will let you know when your turn is coming up. <[Host] ST.LOU> Some other RTC commands are: /hel - Lists all RTC commands. /sta - Status (list) of everyone in the RTC room. /exi - Exit the RTC, but you remain logged onto GEnie. /bye - Log off of GEnie directly from the RTC. /rai - Raise your hand. Lets me know you wish to address our guest. /nam - Lets you change your nickname. <[Host] ST.LOU> Welcome to the December edition of Dateline Atari with Bob Brodie. I am going to keep my introductory comments REAL short because the last time Bob joined us - so did over 100 people! With that many people, some were disappointed that we ran out of time and could not answer their questions. No doubt the focus of tonight's Real Time Conference will be the Jaguar's outstanding rollout in New York and San Francisco. I am sure Bob will talk about Atari's fantastic success with this incredible product. Before beginning, I would also encourage you 'gamers' to check out the new Jaguar CATegory in the Bulletin Board. May I suggest you begin by downloading the fast-accumulating archive files! Now, heeeeeeeeeeere's BOB!!!! It's great to be on GEnie for our monthly Dateline: Atari! Session. I'd like to take this opportunity to extend my wishes for Happy Holidays to all Atarians. May this holiday season be full of joy for you and those that you hold dear!! We've got a lot to talk about as we head for the holidays, and some of the much sought after Jaguar T-Shirts to give away tonight, so let's get started!! Tonight, I'm once again coming to you from the East Coast. This session of Dateline: Atari finds me as guest of Ron Kovacs of Z*Net News Service. Atari has sent me to the New Jersey/New York area to visit the retailers that are presently carrying the Jaguar. I'll be here for five days, returning to Sunnyvale late Friday night. I'm grateful that Ron has opened his home to me for dinner this evening, and to do tonight's RTC. This also marks the first time we've had a Dateline: Atari Following the roll out event in New York last month, we began shipping the Atari Jaguar, our new 64 bit multimedia entertainment system. Consumer acceptance has been outstanding, and we are working to accelerate shipments to meet demand as quickly as possible. Virtually every retailer that is carrying the Jaguar has sold out their present allocation!! We will be shipping additional quantities of Jaguars today, and next week. Our roll out hasn't gone entirely smoothly, though. We have had some consumers report that they had problems with poor image quality on the screen. Upon investigation, we discovered that some of the RF switchboxes, which were supplied by an outside vendor, did not meet our specifications. We stopped shipping Jaguars briefly in order to remove the defective switchboxes, while we acquired an acceptable replacement unit. The new RF switch box is upgraded from the initial RF box, in that it is an auto switching unit. In the event that there are people that still have the defective switch box, they can call our 800 service number, 1-800-GO-ATARI. We will be happy to send them a new switch box at no charge. For those customers that have already obtained another switchbox, or do not wish to wait for Atari to replace their defective switch box, Atari will send them free of charge their choice of an S-Video or Composite Video cable. These customers should call 1-800-GO-ATARI, and return their defective switchbox. Please remember that this 800 number is strictly a service number. Atari regrets any inconvenience that this might have caused our customers. On a personal note, I read a number of posts on-line speculating that Atari might have utilized old RF boxes from the Atari 2600, XE Game System, or other products. That's simply not true. Ironically enough, if we had been as cheap as some of our critics would have you believe, there probably wouldn't be any problem with the RF boxes in the Jaguars! While this has been an unfortunate happenstance, it does underscore the value of doing a test market to discover any problems before going national with a new product. The weekend following the New York launch event, Atari conducted a promotional event at the Newport Mall in New Jersey. We're pleased to report that the event was a tremendous success! Thousands of youngsters participated, and enjoyed a hands on experience with the Jaguar!! Atari is pleased to announce tonight that there will be another mall presentation of the Jaguar, this time at the Tanforan Mall in San Bruno , CA. This mall is located off of Interstate-380 and El Camino Real, not too far from San Francisco International Airport. We'll be at the mall on this coming weekend, December 11-12. Those of you in the Bay Area that haven't had a first hand look at the Jaguar should stop by this event. We'll be giving away Jaguar T-shirts, and Jaguar caps at this event as well. I've been swamped with requests for Jaguar units for reviewers, the amount of attention that Atari is garnering for the Jaguar is simply _HUGE_. Atari has had the Jaguar showcased on the CBS Morning News, The Today Show, we're going to be on "Good Morning America!" during their hot Christmas gift giving segment the holidays. The Jaguar will also be featured in "Hi-Tech Toys for the Holidays" segment of the "Next Step" program produced by The Discovery Channel and KRON-TV, Channel 4 in San Francisco. Those of you in the Bay Area will be able to see this segment of "Next Step" on Friday, December 17th at 8:00 PM on Channel 4. Nationally, the show will be available on The Discovery Channel, which airs on Tuesdays at 9:30 PM. Show host Richard Hart is also the high technology reporter for KRON-TVs NewsCenter 4. KRON-TV is the San Francisco NBC affiliate. The latest edition of "Die Hard Game Fan" is hitting the streets now, with Cybermorph on the cover of their current issue. Die Hard Game Fan reviewers made Cybermorph their Game of the Month, rating it 99, 98, 98, and 96!!! Be sure to check out this issue of Die Hard Game Fan, it has close to 8 full color pages of Jaguar coverage. They also review the next game due out for the Jaguar; Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy, and a terrific poster of Cybermorph that their staff artist created!! The current issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly also has a "Future Wave" coverage of the Jaguar version of Raiden!! Trevor McFur in The Crescent Galaxy is due at Atari next week, with Raiden due in Christmas week. Evolution: Dino Dudes was the last of our titles to be released by our game testers, and should be in the stores shortly after Christmas. Be on the lookout for other Jaguar coverage in Game Pro, Video Games, ST Format, and ST Informer Magazines!! On the review front, I'm doing the best I can to keep up with the demand for review units, but there are bound to be a few people that will be upset if they don't receive a Jaguar for review. If you have a particular publication that you feel would be useful for Atari to have the Jaguar reviewed in, please feel free to send me a note in GEnie mail with your suggestion. I've been amazed at some of the publications that are excited about the Jaguar, including publications that normally just review video products, rather than video games. Atari has also been contacted by a number of more "mainstream" publications that are very interested in the Jaguar. Sometimes it feels like anyone that has ever written an article is queueing up to request a Jaguar review unit. We're being a little bit careful about where the units go right now. As our supply of Jaguar units increases, we'll be getting out even more units for review. For the time being, I'm concentrating on the magazines, with the newspapers and free lance writers taking a back seat. On the Lynx front, this week will mark the beginning of the Lynx TV ads that we're going to begin running. These ads will be in the same markets (NY and San Francisco) where we are presently doing our Jaguar TV ads. The print ads for the Lynx have been running concurrently with the Jaguar ads. The Lynx print ads will be changing to reflect a new promotion that we're running for the Lynx - Buy a Lynx between now and Super Bowl Sunday (January 24th, 1994), and we'll send you a FREE Lynx NFL Football Game Cartridge! There are coupon pads being mailed to all of our retail partners now for this promotion. Your cost for the game is just $3.50 for shipping and handling. Be sure to check the next issue of Atari Explorer Online Magazine for all the details on this special purchase promotion. By the way, Atari Explorer Online Magazine is also preparing some very nice GIF pics of the pin outs for the S-Video and Composite cables for those of you that just can't wait for them to get to the stores! AEO will also have some GIFs of the Jaguar roll out event in New York very soon as well. They used a Migraph Color Scanner with a Falcon030 to scan some 35mm photos from the event. I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing them! On the computer front, we continue to have an excellent supply of Falcon030s in stock. The new Migraph Color Scanner for the Falcon is really terrific, and Cubase Audio for Falcon is getting rave reviews in the Music field!! According to one of our rep firms, Cubase Audio has capabilities that would cost a Mac or PC owner over $7,000 more to obtain! With that... I'm ready to conclude my remarks and take any questions, Lou. Let's get started!! <[Host] ST.LOU> Before taking questions, a reminder that the Jaguar T-shirts will be given away to the 4 persons who answer the skill testing question. HINT: The answer is in that massive text file that Bob just uploaded :-) :-) OK, here we go with Hydraxxus. <[Hydraxxus] J.GERMAN3> Bob, as you may have seen I posted a question about other nets getting news about Atari before GEnie And complained that I thought this was THE place for Atari news....what's the scoop? GA <[Host] ST.LOU> By the way, folks... just one question tonight. Hi Jim. Well I think what you're really referring to is Sam's postings. He's been playing around with Aladdin, but not with a lot of success. On the other hand, he was really impressed with how easy CIM was to set up. I'm trying out some of the new things like Oracle for GEnie to see if I can make it easier for him to get on GEnie. He's using a Falcon, and an IBM laptop. He doesn't care for Aladdin on either one. I'm in constant contact with AEO, and am online as much as possible. But as I indicated in my opening remarks, I'm out of the office now visiting retailers. That doesn't leave very much time for being online. I'm trying to get here more often, but it's tought. oops, that's tough. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Thanks, Bob. Give me a sec to record all the /RAI :-) Swamped at the moment :-) Next we have Shadow. <[Shadow] D.VANTREASE> What's the tentative release date of the CD unit, and price? And will there be software bundled with it? (CD unit for Jaguar, that is!) GA Shadow, the CD is set for mid 94. At this point, we envision a price of approx $200. No plans re the CDs at this point. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> On to Travis at Atari Explorer Online. <[Noles #1!] AEO.MAG> Hi Bob, Ron. Bob, AEO thanks you for you dedication to online users. You do a terrific job that many just can realize. First, congratulations to Atari. The way it looks, the Jaguar is already a winner with consumers. Bob, I suppose you have had time to read the response to your letter to Electronic Gaming Monthly in which they make some pretty interesting claims. Would you care to respond to them tonight? ga I thought some one might want to ask about that tonight... When I wrote the letter to Electronic Gaming Monthly, I was truly surprised that they told their readers that we were responsible for the lack of Lynx coverage in their magazine. When I saw the response to my letter that they printed, I was really upset! First of all, you have to understand that prior to my taking over the relationships with the game mags, they were handled by Juli Wade. She had been asking EGM to return the Black Box that they had for a couple of years. Every time she asked them to return it, they denied having a Black Box. (We knew that they had one...our staff in our Chicago office gave them one.) It wasn't until she resorted to asking them to return it so it could be modified to work with the Jaguar that they finally returned the box that they had denied having for YEARS! And they have the gall to say honesty is the best policy?!?!?!? While they bemoan our supposed lack of support, we agreed to meet with EGM Editor Ed Semrad the day after our initial Jaguar press conference in Sunnyvale because he couldn't make it to the "real" press conference. Ed was given hours of exclusive, hand on time to question myself and Bill Rehbock, all without the hassle of the crowd that the other media had to contend with at the press conference. Ed makes regular trips monthly to the Silicon Valley to visit Electronic Arts, Sega, Capcom, 3DO, and other companies. I invited him to visit us on his next trip, but he chose not to. Instead, he returned to our office two months later, complaining about the fact that other mags had screen shots that he didn't. So even though other publications had obtained the shots that AEO had uploaded for us, I modemed all of the screen shots (close to 14 megs) to EGMs offices so Ed wouldn't have to mess around with a Syquest. When EGM called to ask for a Jaguar unit so they could have coverage in their issue for CES, I personally got the unit shippped out from a Fed Ex office that accepts shipments past the normal cut off times. I sent them out a unit that had literally just come back in to the office from the Newport Mall event in New Jersey. I'm very sorry that EGM seems to think they aren't getting proper support. The fact is that the support we've been giving EGM _IS_ what they need, but it is not what _they want_! Other magazines print reviews of Lynx games with the very same support from Atari. For EGM to say that they can't write about the Lynx simply isn't true. If they were really honest, they would have said that they WON'T write about the Lynx. But then again, if they were really honest, they would have returned our Black Box when we asked for it. Instead, they denied having one for YEARS! Mind you, this is the same magazine that constantly insults Atari in print. In one publication, they ran a column telling people what to do to get on the cover of EGM. One of the suggestions was new hardware always gets on the cover...unless it's from Atari. Another column ran the top ten reasons that the Jaguar will fail. There were two versions of that column. One of them ran in a sister publication of theirs called "HERO Illustrated". According to them, the number one reason that the Jaguar will fail was Sam Tramiel. I was shocked to see that they were so very personal, so nasty, in their attack on Atari. The last time Ed was in our building, we discussed all of these things with him. Ed assured us that he just wanted to run a quality magazine from an editorial standpoint. Sam Tramiel personally spoke to Ed, and simply told Ed that he didn't know what the problem was between EGM and Atari. Sam asked Ed for a better relationship, and for all the nasty commentary to stop. We have even started advertising with EGM, like the other game magazines. After everything Atari has gone out of our way to do, I'm shocked that Ed would be so arrogant, so very nasty in his reply to my letter. If they choose to ignore the needs of their readers, that's they're choice. We've seen what happens to other publications that ignore their readers needs, and continually insult and belittle people in their publication, like STR. They burn _all_ of their bridges, alienating consumers and industry people alike, and then wonder why they don't get any information. I hope that EGM won't be foolhardy enough to continue down that path. At this point, I recommend that you read Game Pro, Die Hard Game Fan, or Video Games to get the best Atari coverage. <[Host] ST.LOU> Wow... were you expecting that question? :-) Or of course, AtariUser Magazine. ga <[Noles #1!] AEO.MAG> I think we all should give Bob a round of applause for the job he does. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Thanks Travis. Bob, let's welcome Nate to the RTC> <[Nate] L.JESSE> Bob, first, what is Atari doing about third party licensees such as electronic arts and Capcom, etc.? Secondly, what options do i have, I'm from Illinois, to get a Jaguar before X-Mas? GA Hi Nate, we've signed up over 35 licensees at this point. EA is not on the list yet, which is no surprise considering Trip Hawkins close involvement with 3DO. <[Host] ST.LOU> Folks, there are 14 in queue. I will get to you ASAP. Thanks for being patient. GA, Bob However, EA is really much more of a publisher, than a developer. We've gotten a number of licensees that have been published by EA, like Park Place. Re Capcom, they have requested a development unit, and we're expecting to have a meeting with their staff in Japan at some point. <[Host] ST.LOU> REMINDER... the answer to our T-Shirt Draw question is in Bob's opening remarks. Being from Illinois is tough right now. I was reading in the BB earlier tonight about a number of people being told by Babbages that we had dropped the ball. I'm certain that this is just a misunderstanding by the personnel in the store. We've been very clear with their corporate management that we would prefer they restrict their shipments into just SF and New York. If they go out of those areas, they are diluting the product availability to the target areas. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Thanks. Now Sam RAPP! <[Sam_030] SAM-RAPP> Bob... When will you be shipping Jags to those of us that ordered from Atari Direct? It has been almost a month since you charged my credit card! I figured you were waiting for the next batch of T-shirts, so you could send one along! Would it help if I had only ordered the console, instead of an extra controller and two other games? Thanks! GA Hi Sam, the Jaguars will be shipped to you so that they will arrive before Christmas. I wish I could be more specific, but I cannot give you a more accurate statement at this time. Remember that the units are really being shipped by IBM. So for the orders that are sent out from Sunnyvale, we have to get a shipment from IBM before we can ship, too. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Ooops, I missed Hal. Here he is now. GA Hal. <[Hal] H.SCHEIE> I have a Jag on order from J&R, I'll get it in their next shipment .Any chance it will be this week? I don't have the exact allocations on hand, Hal. I believe so, but can't guarantee that. Please, remember that I'm NOT in the office right now. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Sean from Processor Direct <[Sean@TWP] P-DIRECT> Good evening Bob, easy question for you tonight: Are any developers are making an indepth flight sim for the Jaguar, and if not could you pass the hint on to them? GA Can you say Microprose? ga <[Sean@TWP] P-DIRECT> Not chopper.. GA Fighter sims, jet sims, etc. <[Host] ST.LOU> Sounds good to me. Next we have Ken. <[Ken] K.STEVENS1> Hey Bob, still waiting for my direct order Jag (hint, hint). Question, how many titles are being developed/ready for the Jag CD? (By the way,how do you give a round of applause on a computer?) ga Ken, I know of several titles being developed, but I'd rather not get into specifics right now. They are just getting up to speed on the system. Remember, CD games take around 500+ megabytes of data. That's a lot of stuff to develop. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Moving along to Kid Metal. <[Kid Metal] M.MURPHY31> Howdy from Texas, Bob. Will the INcredible Universe in Dallas get any Jags to sell before the national roll-out? GA Yes ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Oh..... Mark Warner is next. GA Mark. Welcome <[Mark Warner] M.WARNER8> Bob, can you tell me what other games beside Alien v Predator are due out in January? I also want to comment on how impressed I have been with way Atari has handled the RF problem. (whoops thats "with THE way") ga Thanks Mark. I've been really tied up getting out and dealing with the review unit issues, so I'm about a week behind in that info. Maybe more. At this point, I know that we're hard at work on Tiny Toons, AvP, and Club Drive. But after AvP, I'm not sure about release dates. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Charles Smeton of NewSTar is our next guest, Bob. Hi Bob. Thanks for sending Crescent Galaxy, an extra game controller, and the Jaguar T-Shirts and Hats to the ToadFest. Toad Computers donated a Jaguar that was raffled off and which raised over $500 for Habitat for Humanity. The Jaguar was the main attraction at the show. With the Jaguar being the main focus at Atari, I have heard numerous rumors that the outside of TT's for Jaguar Development Kits, there is little to no activity on the computer end of things at Atari. As a developer with a vested interest in the computer end, do you have any encouraging words? GA Charles, we're still very interested in the computer business. We're looking for applications that will give people a reason to select an Atari over the competition. Programs like Cubase Audio do just that. We don't have any intention of giving up on the computer business. But in order to do the Jaguar properly, it's requiring just about all of our resources. At least in the manpower segment. ga Thanks Bob, I just hope that we can hang in there until the resource allocation shifts a bit ;-) ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Thanks Charles. Charles, me too. Me too. Please keep... in mind that we've also publically talked about using the Jag as a CPU at some point. <[Host] ST.LOU> Next we have Hydraxxus... then Hassen <[Hydraxxus] J.GERMAN3> Earlier you mentioned MP. Did you mean to say you would pass the word or that they were working on titles? (Clap, clap, clap {for the Jaguar, it's a great machine, I like mine}) (nice tie) Jim, they are working on titles. Glad you like your Jaguar...I wish I had more time to play!! ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Now Hassen <[Hassen] H.HAMMOUD> Hello Bob. I was in Toys R us on Friday here in Indiana. They had no Lynx carts at all, nor did they expect to be getting any. What's up? Also, will there be an Asteriods port to the Jag???(I still love that game.) GA <[Hydraxxus] J.GERMAN3> Gee, free question? Hassen, we've had a problem with the Lynx in Toys R Us for quite awhile. However, that has been resolved, and they will be getting them, along with some promotional material regarding the Lynx NFL Football game. ga Re Asteroids, we're talking abouti t. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> OK On to Matt Rivman. <[Matt] M.RIVMAN1> Hi Bob, and thanks yet again, for being here! The question is just a bit off the Jaguar topic... Any ideas about the late financial statement from Atari? I'm a somewhat new investor and would like to keep up! GA <[Host] ST.LOU> You folks are being terrific... and patient. Still 15 in the queue. Hi Matt. We've been so busy with the press of business for the Jaguar that we asked the SEC for an extension to file. We should be releasing the numbers very soon. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> OK, now we have J.Hardie. Bob, does Atari have any plans to attend the January CES in Vegas? Also, how about filling us in on the Crescent Galaxy cheat? ga Yes, we will be at CES in January in our own booth. Because the booth allocation occurs so early, we didn't get a prime space. So our booth will be small, but we'll probably have at least one suite, too. Re Crescent Galaxy...if I told you now, it'd ruin all the fun for everyone else! :) Suffice it to say that it requires an extra controller, and there are some specific codes you input for things. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Time out, Bob. If you folks have already /RAI but were not acknowledged by me, please /RAI again now. I think I have everyone in queue.... On we go to Jungle Jim. <[Dave] D.SMITH200> Bob, are there any plans to interface the Jaguar with existing Atari computers to handle I/O processing for advanced graphics applications? If not, it might be something to consider... ga <[Host] ST.LOU> What just happened? hmmmm..... Dave, we're certainly interested in using the Jaguar technology across all of our product lines. <[Host] ST.LOU> Dave, what is your Job # And we've had a lot of "feelers" from other people looking to use it on their systems as well. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Oh oh... Jungle Jim was 51. JJ... please /RAI now to get your question There he is....! <[Jaguar Jim] J.THORNHILL> Bob, while in N.Y. did you happen to stop by ACCLAIM's offices for a little 3rd party chat? Yes, sorry! <[Host] ST.LOU> GA Bob Actually, their R & D office is in Chicago I think. :) I've got a pretty full schedule, Jim. Mostly with retailers and the press. Bill Rehbock will handle the developers. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Here's Travis! <[Noles #1!] AEO.MAG> Bob, I'm sure that the "make good" policy on the switchboxes and the extra A/V cables will go a long way to showing people that Atari Corp. is deadly serious about satisfying its customers. Are you having to visit all the dealers in the NY area, or just the regional offices? (If you weren't so busy, I'd ask you for a report for the next AEO. ) ga Well there are over 150 dealers in the NY area. And I'm only here for 5 days, so I won't get to all of them. But I am visiting the stores, not the regional offices. We have a rep that is doing that. Thanks for the kind comment about the switch boxes/cables. We're upset about it, too! Heck, we paid for the bad stuff just like our customers did!!! ga <[Host] ST.LOU> T. Lipsky. Step up to the mic GA T.Lipsky Bob, Microsoft has expressed intrest in the home market including Childrens software, has Atari been approached by Microsoft regarding the JAguar. ga No comment. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> OK... then we have L.GRACE next Hi Bob. will the success of the Jag help fund marketing for TOS machines? i.e. Falcons. Thanks GA Yes, in fact we have talked about at some point using the Jaguar chipset for a TOS machine. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> On to Harj Nagra from Toronto! <[Harj] H.NAGRA1> When is that Kasumi Ninja game due out? And how does it compare to Mortal Kombat? Again, I'm a little bit behind on the software release schedule right now. I suspect that it might be the late 2nd quarter. It's designed to be a competitor to Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II, with lots of blood and gore. :) <[Host] ST.LOU> GA, Bob? Nope..just clearing the capture buffer. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Steve Johnson is here.... <[DrHfuhruhurr] STEVE-J> Have any new retailers (and developers) signed on that you'd care to mention? There is talk that Sears, Montgomery Ward, and even the vehemently anti-Atari Software Etc. are getting a bit of an itch to carry the Jaguar. GA Sears and Montgomery Ward are coming on board during the national rollout. Software Etc. is not on the list at this point. We have a few other developers that we signed on, but I want to hold off on the announcements so we can coordinate everything properly with their PR firm. One of the other retailers that I think is very interesting is Blockbuster Video. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Apollo is next. <[Apollo] N.CHANDLER> Modem? Head to Head? Multi-Player Network(s) (Like here on GEnie)? Any plans for this type of gaming? :) <[Host] ST.LOU> GA Apollo. Yes, yes, yes!!! In fact, we think that some of the multiplayer networks espoused like the Sega Channel might be better served by a cartridge that allowed you to dial into GEnie to play online games here! The keypad on the controller is perfect for that kind of stuff!!! ga <[Host] ST.LOU> We're going to Shadow, then our draw question. <[Shadow] D.VANTREASE> Bob, when will the S-Video/composite 'adapter' be available, and can I order it directly from Atari? Every time I call, they say they have stopped taking orders! Know a price on the adapter? Also, any _longer_ cables coming? (AvP date? :-) It really isn't an adapter. It's a cable that plugs on to the A/V connector on the back of the Jaguar. The S-Video and the Composite units are not the same. They are separate cables. You will be able to order it, but we're not taking any more orders on Jaguar product at this point until we have fulfilled the orders that we have in hand. I'd guess (emphasis on guess) that the cables will go for around $15-20. The pricing hasn't been set yet. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> After the contest we have K.Swift, Rob Anisko, P.Irwin, Nate, Chris C., Steve-J, Hassen, T.Hebel and C.Oates. Did I miss anyone? use the /RAI now! OK ga <[Host] ST.LOU> I added jobs 33, 10, 25, and 23 to the queue. That will be it for tonight. Now for the contest. The Rules: Only paying members are eligible! No free accounts :-) Bob will post the question. Type your answer and don't hit RETURN until you see that the room is in TALK-MODE. The first four correct answers judged by Bob and Ron will win a FREE Jaguar T-Shirt! OK Bob.... the question please! In my opening remarks, I mentioned that Atari is now doing a special offer to people that purchase a Lynx between now and January 24, 1994. What is the FREE game that you get when you purchase the Lynx? <[Host] ST.LOU> 60 seconds. 30 seconds 15 seconds 10, ** <[Host] ST.LOU> Room is now in the talk mode. <[Sean@TWP] P-DIRECT> Lynx NFL Football <[Phil] P.HANZE> NFL football <[Sam_030] SAM-RAPP> NFL FOOTBALL <[Stargazer] L.HINSLEY> NFL Football nfl football <[Sean@TWP] P-DIRECT> Lynx NFL Football <[=Tom=] T.MCCOMB> NFL FOOTBALL <[Hassen] H.HAMMOUD> NFL Football <[Hydraxxus] J.GERMAN3> NFL football !!!!! <[Harj] H.NAGRA1> NFL Football! NFL Foorball <[Nate] L.JESSE> nfl football nfl football NFL Football Game Cartridge for the Lynx <[Dave] D.SMITH200> NFL Football <[Tim] T.OSBORNE> NFL Football <[Iver] I.POSSEHL1> Iver Possehl: NFL Football red baron nfl football <[Rick] R.RIMKEVICUS> Pit Fighter <[Apollo] N.CHANDLER> NFL Football NFL football <[Zombie] R.ANISKO> Lynx NFL? nfl football <[Kim] K.SWIFT> Chips Challenge? Just a guess! In 'N Out Burger, the game. <[Ted] J.PATTERSON3> Batman Returns <[Dave] D.SHORR> Lynx NFL Football Game cartridge <[Doug] D.ASHTON1> NFL Football <[Parrot Head] C.CASSADAY> Nfl Football <[Ken] K.STEVENS1> NFL Football <[Spud Boy] T.HEBEL> NFL Football for the Lynx Summer Games? Lemmings! <[Moe] R.MOORE12> NFL Football NFL Football <[Shadow] D.VANTREASE> NFL Football ('94) !!!!!! <[DrHfuhruhurr] STEVE-J> NFL Football <[Matt] M.RIVMAN1> NFL Football <[Sir Fransis] K.DRAKE> Warbirds <[Sam_030] SAM-RAPP> NFL FOOTBALL <[James] J.VOGH> Lynx NFL Football Game <[Jaguar Jim] J.THORNHILL> nfl football, NFL FOOTBALL <[Hal] H.SCHEIE> NFL FOOTBALL nfl foodtball <[Zombie] R.ANISKO> <[Noles #1!] AEO.MAG> "Crash & Burn"? <[Sam_030] SAM-RAPP> NFL FOOTBALL <[Zombie] R.ANISKO> <[Sam_030] SAM-RAPP> NFL FOOTBALL NFL FOOTBALL NFL FOOTBALL Do! <[Sam_030] SAM-RAPP> NFL FOOTBALL <[Ron] EXPLORER.1> Ralph's World <[Sam_030] SAM-RAPP> NFL FOOTBALL NFL FOOTBALL NFL FOOTBALL Sonic The RoadKill? <[Hydraxxus] J.GERMAN3> Hawaii time lag!!!!!!!! tramiel vs. predator. <[Sam_030] SAM-RAPP> NFL FOOTBALL NFL FOOTBALL NFL FOOTBALL <[Hassen] H.HAMMOUD> Super Asteroids <[Sam_030] SAM-RAPP> NFL FOOTBALL <[DrHfuhruhurr] STEVE-J> Gee, Sam! <[Sean@TWP] P-DIRECT> Kill Sam! Please! <[Matt] M.RIVMAN1> NFL FOOTBALL ** <[Host] ST.LOU> Room is now listen-only. <[Host] ST.LOU> Ralph's World??? :-) OK Bob.... check your buffer and declare the winners. after I let you talk.... :-) GA Bob :-) The winning answer was NOT Flaming UPS Trucks in Jacksonville. <[Host] ST.LOU> Hahahaha The correct answer is NFL Football. <[Host] ST.LOU> Jacksonville Jaguars? OK... looks like Sean D. The winners are: P-Direct, P.Hanze, Sam-Rapp, L.Hinsley <[Host] ST.LOU> Phil Hanze, Stargazer and Sam! Congratulations. Please send your mailing addresses to ST.LOU and I will forward everything to Bob. OK? Bob is NOT in Sunnyvale right now. Sam really doesn't want the shirt. He just wanted to win. <[Host] ST.LOU> Not much! :-) :) <[Host] ST.LOU> Oh... and send your sizes!!!! with your addresses. King, what size for you? :-) Congratulations, gang! You're gonna love 'em. Very high quality Hanes T-Shirts. If you're an XXL, don't be shy about it. I've got 'em. Mine is an XXL and it fits all 320 pounds of me. <[Host] ST.LOU>a I am getting some very funny /sends :-) <[Host] ST.LOU> OK.... Yeah, but you gotta dry clean it, King. <[Host] ST.LOU> Now to finish off the queue. NO MORE /Raises please. K.SWift <[Kim] K.SWIFT> Is Atari planning a computer based on the PowerPC chip set? I want to buy a computer in summer 1994 and that's when the PowerPC is coming out. To be honest, I'm very tempted. I'd like to see an AtariPOWER system for s/w compatibility. <[Kim] K.SWIFT> ga We've talked about it a lot, Kim. We're longtime partners with Motorola, and now with IBM, the Power PC becomes very tempting. However, the Jag chipset is VERY appealing, too. At this point, we haven't decided. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Rob Anisko is next. <[Zombie] R.ANISKO> Bob, just curious about the origins of Microsoft Arcade, or that is, how 5 classic Atari games landed up on the old Windows platform? just hearing about this made me go "hmmm" :-) <[Zombie] R.ANISKO> <[Zombie] R.ANISKO> ga We did a licensing deal with Microsoft so they could do the arcade stuff. :) ga <[Host] ST.LOU> On to P.IRWIN <[Host] ST.LOU> Hi Bob got my jag. today and it was defective :( <[Host] ST.LOU> How so? Butto my question When can we expect everything to hit the stores... (controllers, CD drive, Cables and such..) (Left Bob e-mail on how the sound goes beserk) ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Thanks. I'm sorry to hear that you're unit was defective. Unfortunately, that does happen from time to time to all manufacturers. How was the unit defective? The second controllers will be available in just a couple of weeks, the CD ROM is due out the mid part of 94, and the cables will be in the stores the end of January. I'll look for the email on the unit. Thanks! GA <[Host] ST.LOU> On to Nate <[Nate] L.JESSE> Hey again Bob, first of all, 'kudos' on the GEnie online idea, I love it. Secondly, is Atari planning any character to represent them? Such as Nintendo's plumber, or Sega's Sonic? How about Jinx the Jaguar? ga At this point, we're just sticking with the black Jaguar, Nate. Once you see the box, you'll have a good vision for how it will look. All of our marketing efforts are using the black background with the cat eyes logo. as well as the red JAGUAR logo with the slashed R on it. I think it would be neat to see a Jaguar game a la Sonic or Mario. We do have a Lynx (Cutter) in Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy. Glad you like our modem idea...some of the phone companies/cable companies are not as pleased! :) ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Chris Cassaday... NOT a winner tonight :-) <[Parrot Head] C.CASSADAY> Bob, with the test market shipments reaching full capacity in late December, does that push the national roll-out back any? It would seem that it would take a few weeks before a 'true' nation-wide tendoroll-out was in force. BTW, I second Charles Smeton's remarks about 'sending out Crescent Galaxy and the shirts and hats to the TOAD fest. I had a really great time, and have a "way-cool" Jaguar hat to show for it. ga... Hi Chris, glad to hear you got a hat...they're rarer than the T-Shirts!! Boy, am I getting /sends about the hats now! <[Host] ST.LOU> Did you get my /send ? :-) :) I don't expect it to cause a delay. We're actually getting more up to speed. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Steve Johnson is back with another question. <[DrHfuhruhurr] STEVE-J> NINJA GAIDEN III is the next game to be released for the Lynx, but do you have a date for it (and others forthcoming -- hopefully SUPER ASTEROIDS/MISSILE COMMAND and ULTRA STAR RAIDERS (???), among several others)? By the way, I'd like to pass on the suggestion to air a few 'well- placed' teaser ads nationwide this Xmas to maybe take some of the OTHER system sales away! Ninja Gaiden III _should_ be here already, I'll check on it when I get back to the office. I haven't heard of Ultra Star Raiders and the other titles you mentioned as ones that are going to be ready any time soon, Steve. Thanks for your suggestion about the ads, but that would just compound the frustration of people that want Jags that can't get them at this point, Steve. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Hassen returns.... <[Hassen] H.HAMMOUD> Bob, just exactly _when_ is the National Rollout? Also, anyway one could purchase a Jaguar T-shirt or cap? I bought an old Atari jacket from Telegames and my nephew loves it! It will begin toward the end of January, and we'll have T-shirt, caps, and OTHER GOODIES available for sale then. :) ga <[Host] ST.LOU> T.HEBEL <[Spud Boy] T.HEBEL> How many Jags have been made so far... In round numbers. Also I have heard rumors that you could use the Lynx with a Jaguar somehow, is this true? <[Host] ST.LOU> C.OATES ans Sir Fransis follow Spud Boy, again...I'm not in the office. I do know that IBM released a bunch of machines today for delivery, but the numbers aren't on hand. Yes, you will be able to use the Lynx with the Jaguar. The ports for the Comlynx port are on the expansion bus of the Jaguar. You will have a special cable to connect from the Jaguar to the Lynx. We forsee you using the Lynx as a controller for Jaguar games. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Bob, I am told that there were no Comlynx ports on the Jags at Toad. Can you confirm that? The expansion bus is inside? The Comlynx signals are on the expansion bus, Lou. Every Jaguar has one. There isn't a Comlynx port per se on the Jaguar, but just as you have a S-Video or a Composite cable, you will have a cable from the expansion bus. It's on the rear of the unit, clearly accessible from the outside, not internally. <[Host] ST.LOU> Oh, now I get it! Back to hosting.... :-) Chris Oates <[Chris] C.OATES2> 1) You mentioned Blockbuster as a retailer. Does this mean Jaguar games for rent? 2) Any chance of eventually using Jag + CD as a CD rom for my Falcon? I don't want to have to purchase two CD Rom drives. GA Hi Chris, yes...It does mean that you will be able to rent Jags. They'll also be selling them, too. Re the Jag CD, I don't think so. The Jag CD is intended to be plugged into the cartridge port of the Jaguar, and then pass thru for another cartridge to go into. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> On to Sir Fransis <[Sir Fransis] K.DRAKE> My ship pulled into port late! :) Do you know if Atari plans to offer a special deal next year and pack the Jaguar with a CD ROM unit at a lower-than- separate price? GA Oooooh, have you been talking to one of my co-workers???? :) Well, we have a couple of ideas for the CD. :) I want to point out that these are just ideas, we haven't decided on anything in particular yet. Nah, better not. <[Host] ST.LOU> Go for it! Ok, what the heck... <[Host] ST.LOU> :-) As you know, the Jaguar CD is also capable of playing Music videos. We're working with some of the musicians we know well to do music on the game, and include a music video with the cd. But that's not cast in stone. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Mike wants to know if these are RAP artists. He LOVES RAP music! All of em. <[Host] ST.LOU> Next we have J.HARDIE Bob, I've heard rumours of special controllers being packaged with some games, most notably TEMPEST 2000, what can you tell us about this? ga Wow, a lotta ANTI-Rappers here tonight! <[Host] ST.LOU> Four more question, Bob! Mike, calm down :-) Hmmm, /RAP Mike. Hi J.Hardie, Tempest is still a way out, but we're certainly looking at special controllers. We've also have a few people that are talking about separate controllers to do other things like fighting games. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Back to Jungle Jim. <[Jaguar Jim] J.THORNHILL> 1) Dpo you know why Babbages is telling some people that the CD unit will be $400.00 and 2) Does the Jaguar fit into SGI and Warner's plans for a cable TV bix of some sort they are working on? GA Jim, I don't know, but I will talk with our people that are working with Babbages. We haven't set the price firmly on it. So there really isn't any concrete info, just speculation on their part. <[Host] ST.LOU> Three more questions, folks. Re the Cable thing...well it's this way. If you follow the San Jose Mercury News (which is the hot paper in the silicon valley), one day the cable multimedia thing is the hotest thing going, the next day it's over-rated. We're talking with a number of people about it. But so far it's just talk. ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Ken Stevens is here. Welcome, Ken. <[Ken] K.STEVENS1> [A[A[D[DBob, one more question on the Jag CD. With the potential release of the Sega Saturn (64 bit with built in CD Rom) in late 94, how will that affect the release of the Jag CD? Thanx....GGGGGAAAAA!!! <[Host] ST.LOU> Bob, ignore those /sends for now :-) Ken, it depends on what version of Saturn they release. :) At first they said that it was a 32 bit machine, now they are saying 64 bit. Actually, it really isn't going to impact Jag CD at all. We're of the opinion that the Jaguar offers the best of both worlds. The Jaguar carts are faster than CDs, and hold the most data of any cart system in the world!! ga <[Host] ST.LOU> G.SAUNDERS is next. 3DO Crash and Burn has "CD-ROM lag"; how will the Jag avoid this problem? <[Host] ST.LOU> Then Matt Rivman will wrap it up for us. I played that at a "Nobody beats The Wiz" today and noticed the same thing. Two ways, #1 Double speed, #2 Cache. There won't be much noticeable slowdown. If you have seen other CD games, you've seen the "LOADING" message on the screen. We don't need that. :) ga <[Host] ST.LOU> OK, my buddy Matt Rivman has the last question for tonight. <[Matt] M.RIVMAN1> Bob, I just wanted to know what I can go back to my local Babbages and tell them in reply to their statement that Atari short-shipped their distributor?? And will Atari be sending 'pro's' to the stores to demo like 3DO did? (oops! thats2) Great to have friends, eh Matt? First of all, Babbages doesn't have a distributor. They deal directly with us. Second of all, it appears that they are shipping around the country, not just to NY and San Francisco. That's not what they were supposed to do. And I guess you missed my opening remarks, I'm in NY visiting retailers all this week. I guess that makes me a pro like 3DO. :) ga <[Host] ST.LOU> Whew! A record number of questions _and_ we managed to hold a contest in the middle! Bob, thanks for taking the time, once again, to bring the latest Atari news to GEnie's ST RoundTable. I hope our guests enjoyed the evening. I sure did! I look forward to the January edition which will likely be moved off the long weekend (I hope). Actually, it will be on the 7th, right? Anyway, it was great to have Bob and Ron online with us tonight. Have a great holiday season with your families. GA Once again, I have enjoyed our time together here on our official online service, GEnie. These Dateline: Atari! Sessions have become a monthly event that I truly look forward to each and every month. It's been wonderful to see the high level of interest in the RTC each month! That's a tremendous source of encouragement to me as I prepare for it!!! Thank you once again for attending, and may you all have the most wonderful holidays ever! Goodnight, and thank you!!! --==--==--==--==-- ||| Jaguar Tackboard ||| By: Andreas Barbiero / | \ Delphi: A.BARBIERO GEnie: AEO.2 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Continuing with AEO's promise to deliver the straight news right from Atari, before you have to read it elsewhere, a couple of informative memos were passed to me to pass to you! //// Jaguar Promo Tour Continues!! Well, Mr. Terry Valeski is at it again! Following on the heels of the widely successful November mall presentation, the weekend of Dec. 11-12 will see a showing of the Jaguar and its software at the Tanforan Mall in San Bruno, CA. The great thing about these mall expos is that they are cooperative. They are usually linked in with a radio station and with the promotion company for the mall itself. This means that there is a huge amount of free publicity for the event - in this case, two weeks of radio promotion, as well as being in one of the largest malls in the San Francisco area. San Bruno is about 5 miles from Candlestick Park, and about 10 miles from downtown San Francisco. It is on a short, but highly travelled part of highway, connecting 101 to 280 about 2 miles north of San Francisco International Airport. The high profile show-off of the Jaguar in the mall not only hits up Christmas shoppers, but also makes an impression on the stores in the mall, changing any bad opinions about Atari to the better. Now all they need is to hit up the malls in Northern New Jersey where hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers come to shop (there is no sales tax on clothes in NJ) and the malls in Los Angeles, followed by a whirlwind tour of Houston, Atlanta, Miami.... //// Customer Service? Atari redresses a minor error. A few RF switchboxes shipped in the Jaguar boxes were defective, some Atari detractors even claimed that they were old switchboxes from the 2600! This is not the case as the Jaguar RF boxes have a little Jaguar logo on them, as well as having a 300 Ohm connector. Remaining and future Jaguars are being shipped with fully functional and upgraded switchboxes. Know someone with a bad switchbox? Call Atari at 1-800-GO ATARI to receive a new one FREE. Don't want to wait? Buy a standard switchbox at any electronics retailer, which will solve the problem immediately. Then call Atari at 1-800-GO ATARI, and Atari will send you, free of charge, your choice of an S-Video or composite cable for enhanced game playing! Yes, you read it correctly! Of course, your TV needs to have these inputs, but either way the problem will be quickly solved. --==--==--==--==-- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- --==--==-- GEnie Sign-Up Information --==--==-- -- -- -- -- 1. Set your communications software for half duplex (local echo) -- -- at 300, 1200, or 2400 baud. -- -- -- -- 2. Dial toll free: 1-800-638-8369 (or in Canada, 1-800-387-8330). -- -- Upon connection, enter HHH. -- -- -- -- 3. At the U# prompt, enter XTX99436,GENIE then press . -- -- -- -- 4. Have a major credit card ready. In the U.S., you may also use -- -- your checking account number. -- -- -- -- For more information in the United States or Canada, call 1-800- -- -- 638-9636 or write: GEnie, c/o GE Information Services, P.O. Box -- -- 6403, Rockville, MD 20850-1785. -- -- -- -- --==--==-- Atari's Official On-line Resource! --==--==-- -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --==--==--==--==-- ||| Stalking the Elusive Jaguar ||| By: Peter Smith / | \ GEnie: PAS.JPD --------------------------------------------------------------- First, to get it all out in the open, let me take a moment to tell you that I am not a fan of Atari Corp. In fact, I like to think that I'm not a fan of any company. I've been burned by the giants of the industry, and by the little guys. I'm a confirmed skeptic, and a very Jaded Gamer. Now, not being an Atari fan, and having sold my ST long ago, I don't have cause to keep track of Atari's plans aside from what I read in the magazines. I'd heard rumors about a videogame system called the Jaguar but wasn't privy to any inside information. I love electronic gaming though, so I kept reading about the system. The Jaguar sounded really intriguing but I couldn't help but think that Atari would blow it. It has been my opinion (as an Atari 400, 800XL, 520ST, Mega ST, and Lynx owner) that Atari couldn't sell a glass of water to a desert nomad. They've always come out with hardware that pushes the state of the art, and then never marketed it properly to get the word out. I firmly believed that this would once again be the case, and I decided that I wouldn't buy a Jaguar and be stuck with an orphaned system. Time passed, and I learned more and more about the Jaguar, and it kept sounding better and better. Folks on the nets started talking about massive marketing budgets, and I, frankly, scoffed at them. "Atari and marketing just don't mix." I told them. Then the ads started to appear... in the magazines and on TV. I quietly ate my words. Still, though to me, Atari would have to prove its on-going commitment to marketing the unit before I'd be suckered into buying one. There was, however, a growing group of online enthusiasts who just could not wait for the Jaguar to hit the stores. Atari announced its test markets would be in NY and CA. Since I happen to live in NY, an online friend from outside the test market area asked me if I could help him to get a Jaguar. As an incentive, he offered to let me "test" the unit for him for a day or two. I readily agreed, and called a few stores and found there was already a waiting list. I put my name on two, just to be sure. As the release date grew near, I was drawn into the thrill of the hunt. Even though the Jag wasn't for me, I was still anxious to get it as soon as possible. I was hoping to be the first one online to get one, and pass it on to my friend as quickly as possible. Every day, I'd call 3 or 4 stores, asking if they'd gotten Jaguars in. I was surprised to find that I never came across a salesperson that replied, "A what?" when I asked about a Jaguar. Obviously, the word was out. Finally, the day came. I called a store, and was answered with "Yes, we got three in. Sadly, you are number seven on the list." Arrgghh! I called the other store, where I had actually prepaid for the Jaguar. "We'll have them tomorrow." At this time, I had my name on two lists. I now realize that I was, somewhere in the greedy recesses of my mind, hoping both would come in so I'd be forced to buy a 2nd Jaguar - for myself. I still couldn't reasonably and logically justify buying a machine this young from a company with a track record like Atari's. The next day came and sure enough the store where I had prepaid for the Jaguar got a shipment. I grabbed my old money spending buddy (let's call him Brian, just because I've always wanted the chance to "change someone's name to protect the innocent"), and we rushed to the mall and picked up the Jaguar. We got the last one. I felt a strange pang of loss in the pit of my stomach, and couldn't understand it. I mean, I didn't really need a Jaguar so why the sense of disappointment? Brian was disappointed, too. He wanted a Jaguar in the same vague "gotta have the new toy" way I did. We stopped to quench our thirsts at the bar in the mall. While sipping soft drinks (actually we were swilling beer, but this is a family magazine) and watching the staff hang Christmas ornaments, we discussed the Jaguar. "Well, the hardware is certainly impressive, but can Atari market it properly?" "If we wait a year, the price will probably drop and there'll be a wider assortment of software for it." "There is no software now, aside from the pack-in, VyperMoth is it? What? Oh! Cybermorph!" "Yup, I'm happy to play what I've got until the Jaguar establishes itself. I'll wait a while to see how it does before -I- buy one." "Me too!" Soon enough it was time to go, but "Brian" wanted to stop in at an electronics store across the street. He -said- it was to buy an audio CD, but in retrospect I have my doubts. We were walking past the video game section, when we both stopped and swiveled on our heels. Two Jaguar boxes. Two of us. No one inbetween. "Probably just empty, 'Coming Soon' boxes." Brian ventured. "Yeah, I called here yesterday and they said they'd no idea when they'd be getting Jaguars in." Tingling from head to toe, we crept closed. I picked up one box, Brian grabbed the other. "This one is full." I whispered. "This one is too." replied Brian. We looked at each other, and both knew what the other was thinking but neither wanted to say anything. "Really, the smart move is to wait." I said. "On the other hand, I do have a store credit card for here... it's only credit, right? I'll just pay it off a little each month..." Brian's reply? "Do you have enough room on your card to buy this one, too?" At about this moment an unaware clerk strolled by. We grabbed him by the collar and threatened to end his life if he didn't take our money RIGHT NOW and let us run off with these Jags. He led us around a corner to a register to ring us up and we interrupted a second salesman in the midst of a lengthy pro-Jaguar spiel to Joe Yuppie and his kids, Bill and Hillary. Crestfallen, the second salesman quickly trailed off with "... and those are our last two...." Joe Yuppie looked at me, and I sneered at him and sorta growled deep in my throat. He looked at Brian, who answered with a feral grin. "I'll give you $300 for one of those." Joe Yuppie said, as Bill and Hillary started to whine. Looking at his demented offspring as they started to really wind up into fits, Joe looked like he was gonna panic. "Make that $400!" he shouted. "You'll get my Jag from me when you pry its controller from my cold, dead fingers." I said, as I signed on the dotted line. Backing away from the Yuppie family, we made a break for the door. We didn't feel safe until we were headed for home, three Jaguars safely stowed away. //// Life With My Jaguar My fingers trembled a bit as I unpacked my Jaguar. "Not bad" I murmured as I gazed for the first time on its sleek contours. Appearances are of course a subjective thing, but I'd rate the Jaguar just under the TurboDuo in sex appeal, which puts it way ahead of the Genesis and Super Nintendo. Still, no one is going to mistake it for a piece of audio equipment. The controller is bigger than I thought it would be, but fits very comfortably in the hands - as long as you hold your controller in the traditional way (holding it with your fingers and working the controls with your thumbs). I sometimes like to reverse my right hand, hitting the buttons with my fingers while supporting the controller with my thumb. This is going to be difficult with the Jag controller due to its size. The controller has three "fire" buttons on the right, a directional pad on the left, and a pause and option button in the middle. This part of the controller looks like a hybrid of the SNES and Genesis controllers. But the Jaguar controller adds a numeric keypad below the traditional buttons. These are arranged just like a phone's keypad, right down to the * and # signs. Slots on either side of the keypad help to secure a plastic overlay which sits on top of the keys and describes their function. Presumably, many games will come with their own overlays. This keypad may become extremely significant if computer game developers start flocking to the Jaguar. More buttons means the potential for more complex controls and games. Ah! Before I forget it, one very neat function that I've only seen on the TurboDuo before now is the ability (with the Cybermorph cart, at least) to reset the machine from the controller. This can come in handy when you're in a really lazy mode and want to restart a game. The one real gripe I have with the controller is that the cord is just too short (4 feet). No doubt either Atari itself will lengthen this, or a third party will come out with either extenders or a complete replacement for the controller with a longer cord. So at any rate, enough looking at the bloody thing, let's plug it in and play something! I quickly toss aside the cheap looking R/F cable and dig for the A/V cable. And dig. And dig. Don't you bother making the same mistake 'cause there ain't one in there! All Atari supplies with the Jaguar is an R/F cable with a manual switch box. Well, I have numerous A/V cables lying about the house so I turn the Jag around to see where to plug them in...! Curses, foiled again! There are no standard output ports on the Jaguar except for the R/F port! There is an edge connector which will accept Atari's own composite, RGB or S-Video cable. Muttering under my breath, I resign myself to using the R/F cable. I plug everything in and turn the Jag on for the first time. I hear a decent sounding Jaguar's roar, some very cheesy music, and see a screen full of snow. I turn the unit off again, still muttering, and check my connections. Turning it on again yields the same results. The leftmost edge of the screen looks pretty good but the rest has horizontal bars of snow on it, moving in time to the music. I pick up the controller and hit thrust. I fly at high speed, seeing mountains pop into existence in front of my eyes and quickly crash. Disgusted that I'd been so excited over such a lame piece of equipment, I go to bed, wondering what the store's exchange policy is. The next day, the nets are abuzz with Jaguar gossip. Seems I'm not the only one with reception problems using the R/F setup. Word is, if you have another game system, you can use the cable from that. I try it. The picture gets much, much better. The sound is still feeble and monophonic. Still, at least I can see what I'm doing. Atari makes a statement that some people have had problems with the included R/F cable, but most do not. Maybe so, but then the people who haven't had trouble are a silent majority because just about everyone I've heard from on the nets ran into exactly the same interference I had. At any rate, Atari promises to rectify the problem and this is where the situation stands as I write this. Atari has a chance to show it really means business this time out. The low quality R/F cable is a problem that can readily be fixed. If they take care of it promptly it will show a dedication to the customer that will install confidence in this skeptic. (Editor: Already done!) I call Atari to buy a S-Video cable since that is what I want, anyway. I am told that these won't be out until the end of January. Harumph! Later, the grapevine reports 1) that the cable will be ready by the beginning of January, and 2) that one of the Tramiels has ordered to have the cables ready in 10 days. Again, if this were to occur it would really send a message that Atari is trying its best to do right for its customers. To sort of add insult to injury, within a few days of the Jag's release some kind-hearted souls on GEnie post the pinouts for the Jaguar's edge connector. Following their directions and with the help of some friends with good soldering skills, I build myself an A/V cable. The picture improves even more (less artifacting and bleeding of colors, and overall brighter, more vibrant colors), and the sound is now in full glorious stereo. THIS is more like it! THIS is what I paid for. You really owe it to yourself to hook your Jaguar up to your stereo system or to a stereo TV. Cybermorph uses the aural abilities to good effect (for instance, if there is an enemy off screen shooting at you, you can clearly tell from the sound which direction he is shooting from) and I can only expect that future titles will sound even better - as the programmers and musicians get comfortable with the system. This seems like the perfect time to take a closer look at the pack-in game. //// Cybermorph As I mentioned earlier, my first look at Cybermorph was less than awe inspiring. And in fact, my opinion didn't really change until I realized I was coming at it all wrong. Cybermorph is not what's generally called a video game. Cybermorph is a computer game that happens to be on a console system. For those who haven't seen it let's start with a brief description of the game. In Cybermorph you control a vessel, call it a hovercraft or a plane, in a fully 3D world. You can roam about the world at will, with your only limitation being one of height. Your craft has a very definite ceiling and many mountains jut far above it, creating a maze in some areas. Your object is to collect pods, which within the fiction of the game contain data, equipment, or even cryogenically suspended people. There are myriad enemies out to stop you from accomplishing your goal, and many of the pods are hidden. On the plus side, you have several different weapons at your disposal. Your basic cannon has unlimited ammunition, but all your other weapons must be powered-up by picking up tokens which are sometimes left behind when you destroy an enemy. Picking up the tokens adds a limited amount of ammunition to one particular weapon. The standard weapons are: the Cannon (with Rapid Fire, Twin Shot, and Three-Way Shot power-ups); Cruise Bombs, which hug the ground as they travel and are thus excellent for taking out buildings and non-flying enemies; Mines, which excel at taking out pesky enemies on your tail; and Incinerators, a stream of flame which will travel up a mountainside, and thus can be used to destroy enemies above your maximum height. Additionally, there are three SuperWeapons, only one type of which can be carried at a time. These are: Nitros, which give a burst of super speed and make you invulnerable to your enemies (but not to mountainsides, so be careful where you're aiming before you fire a Nitro); ThunderQuakes, which act as a smart bomb and destroy all nearby enemies; and Detonators, which act as a smart bomb for buildings, crumbling any in the area to the ground. So basic gameplay goes something like this - you are deposited on a planet (I'm told there are 50 planets total) and you must fly around and collect a certain number of pods. While doing so, you destroy enemies and buildings for defense, points, and power-ups. Once you've collected the pods, a portal will open up and take you off the planet. Once your mission is accomplished, you move onto the next planet. There are 10 planets per level, (8 normal planets as just described, 1 boss planet where the basic goal is to kill off an ultimate badthing, and 1 bonus planet which is an opportunity to rack up points and powerups with no enemies to harass you) and you are given a password whenever you leave a level. While I am grateful for this password feature, I would have been even more grateful for an in-level save game feature, since conquering all the planets of a given level can take hours if you're going after maximum points. Cybermorph is, however, more than the sum of its parts. The basic premise is simple but the designers have put enough twists and surprises in the game to really keep your attention. For instance, often you will find mountain ranges that you just can't get over, even though your radar tells you that a pod is on the other side. Sometimes you will discover a transporter portal which will whisk you to the other side instantaneously. Then later in the game when confronted with the same situation, you'll find that rather than trying to find another teleporter, there is a twisty little passageway that you can just fit through to get you past the mountains. And then there are the Vortex towers. These innocent looking fixtures generate a field of anti-matter that will destroy any pod it touches. They can't be destroyed, although shooting them will halt the spread of anti-matter for a while. In cahoots with the Vortex towers are enemies called Snatchers. These flying pests will scour the planet searching for pods. If a Snatcher finds a pod, it will pick it up and carry it somewhere - usually to a Vortex tower and its nefarious anti-matter field! (Although not always. There are times in the game when the Snatchers actually provide a service to the player.) An additional feature of the anti-matter field is that they are very hard to navigate, as they are completely black. There are no visual clues to help you navigate by - you'll have to rely on your scanner to grope your way out of a large anti-matter field. Writing a review of a game like this is a little like walking a tightrope. I want to convey to the reader just how much I am loving this game (yes, I'm still playing it after a week straight!) but on the other hand, I don't want to give away any of the surprises that have so delighted me. Suffice it to say that as you progress through the game, you'll encounter more and more different enemies. Each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses. Learning about the enemies is a big part of the game. Exploration is an even bigger part, as collecting pods can become quite a challenge, involving the discovery of teleporter portals hidden inside buildings, or even pods hidden inside... ah, but that would be telling. There are radar dishes which, when destroyed, will cause certain hostile enemies to freeze in place, making them easy pickings. There are guns which are indestructible but which do nothing but reflect your own shots back at you. There are mysterious ships floating overhead, and to be honest I'm still not sure what, if anything, they actually do. There are force fields which are impenetrable, until you find and destroy their source of power at which time they fall. There are things that look just like pods until you try to pick them up, at which time they attach themselves to your ship. Hey! I didn't tell you about Skylar! Skylar is your on-board computer. She pops up in one corner of your screen to commend you on a job well done, or state such obvious things such as "Avoid contact with the ground" when you fly into the side of a mountain. In good American SF tradition, Skylar's voice is that of a woman with a British accent. Skylar is usually just neat (or annoying, depending on your point of view) background, but she does occasionally come in handy. For instance, if an anti-matter field is approaching a pod, she'll announce, "Pod in trouble." Cybermorph is quite customizable. If in fact you detest hearing Skylar ask you "Where did you learn to fly?" you can turn down her volume, independent of other sounds. In fact engine noise, sound effects, and Skylar volumes are all controlled individually. As far as flying goes, you can choose to see the Cybermorph ship from above and behind, or you can choose an "in-cockpit" view, which is really just the same view but without the ship being visible. You have a view behind the ship, and from the left or right (the keypad on the controller is used to control these). Lastly, you can toggle a targeting crosshair on or off, as the mood suits you. In all, Cybermorph is without a doubt the best game of its kind ever to grace a console system. This is the opinion of a hybrid gamer, who normally prefers computer gaming but also plays a lot of video games. Whether it finds as enthusiastic a reception among the younger gamers weaned on Street Fighter remains to be seen. Cybermorph is not a fast-paced, adrenaline pumping, arcade blastathon. It requires some thought, some planning, and some patience. And it takes a bit of playing time before you start to really appreciate its nuances. Still and all, this Jaded Gamer gives it a whole-hearted thumbs up. If Cybermorph is any indication of the kinds of games we'll be seeing for the Jaguar, then I'm going to have to change my handle. //// So, Was It Worth The Wait? I'm still not convinced that Atari Corp. and I are ever going to be friends. A lot depends on how they handle the cable issue, and how fast they get product on the store shelves. But I'm really happy to be a Jaguar owner, and if I get a half-dozen more games of the caliber of Cybermorph the system will be worth having, even if aliens come and abduct all the Jag developers after that. The national roll-out is in January. Atari has a month to iron out its R/F hookup difficulties, and get a selection of games on the store shelves. While they're getting that together, if they keep up the media blitz, I think the machine will do really well. Nintendo and Sega are going to be pushing the development of their next generation machines, but Atari has a headstart. If it keeps up the pressure, the Jaguar could be THE system to have for the next few years. I can say from personal experience that none of my SNES or Genesis games seem to be as interesting as they were before this cat came to live with me. What matters now is getting a good solid base of machines into the hands of the gamers. Once that happens, third party support will follow and we all know it is the support which really makes or breaks a machine. The list of Jag developers is getting more and more impressive, and I for one can't wait to see what some of them come up with. The name Atari may become a household word once again. I've paid for my ticket, and I'm ready for the ride of my life. //// Author's Bio: My name is Peter Smith, also known as The Jaded Gamer. I've been playing computer and video games basically since there have been such creatures. Like so many others, I first got really hooked on home systems when I saw Star Raiders playing on an Atari 400. I've never regretted the decision to buy that system. I got my start reviewing games back in the days of ST Log and later, ANALOG Computing. Back in those days I used a 520ST and Mega ST for my gaming hobby. As the software support for the ST declined, I looked for something to supplement it. This led to the purchase of a TurboGrafx-16 game console, and later, a Genesis. While I enjoyed the arcade games on these machines, I really wanted games with a bit more depth. Eventually, I bit the bullet and bought an MS-DOS machine - something I didn't think I'd ever do. In the years since, I've added to my hardware collection. I now play on a TurboDuo, a Genesis with CD, a Super Nintendo, a 486/66, a Lynx, a 3DO, and now, of course, a Jaguar. I look forward to the day when I don't need a PC to play a game with some real depth to it. I think the 3DO and the Jaguar may provide that experience for me. In any event, I'm confident the future holds some seriously intense gaming experiences for all of us! --==--==--==--==-- ||| Andreas' Den ||| By: Andreas Barbiero / | \ Delphi: ABARBIERO GEnie: AEO.2 ----------------------------------------------------------------- //// Back from the Great Beyond. Returning to America, even from the highly Americanized military bases around the Pacific rim, is still a culture shock. Even more so was the change from having money in my wallet to the usual cashless situation around home. My wife and kids still got all my paycheck on deployment, but when overseas I got the magical PER DIEM, about $600 a month paid directly to ME. It was exciting to be able to buy beer whenever I wanted, not to mention the occasional bottle of Johnny Walker Red label. I had to pay for my own food out of that, but it was still really cool. Thank God there were no Atari stores around there... I would have been broke even then! Speaking about computer equipment overseas, Japan was not the hardware Mecca that I had supposed it to be. Everything from harddrives to monitors was FAR more expensive than back home. RAM was cheaper, but I had all I could plug into my machine. (Still needing a TT-RAM board, all I have on my TT030 is 4 megs of ST-RAM) The cost of consumer goods, and the taxes paid on them, was far higher than in the USA. Singapore, for instance, is a beautiful, clean country (island actually, but a sovereign country none the less) but in order to get a car you have to buy a permit to own a car (~40,000) and pay a tax on the car which is about 1.5X the cost of the car sometimes, I spoke to a Singaporean A-4 pilot and he said he paid close to $200,000 for a $20,000 car! Most people I met in Japan said that because they could not afford a bigger home or a bigger car, they banked their money. Up north near Misawa, the wages were lower, and prices were just as high, I met many people who were one or two years in debt just paying living expenses. Needless to say computer users were fewer than I would have expected. The American marketplace is still the place to go when you want to sell something, even despite the outrageous competition. //// Inside Atari News on the computer front at Atari is looking good. TT030's, rumored to be out of production, are finally rolling off the assembly lines. These machines are overdue not because of lack of demand, but due to a "unimaginable string of production nightmares." Hopefully, they will become available soon. Where? We don't know where the production units will be going to, but in Germany or the USA - wherever they land - they will be welcome. These units are not just going to be sold for Jaguar development either, but as units available for sale to computer users! Don't beat up on your Atari dealer too quickly about all this though, the Jaguar is eating up every extra hour at Atari, and just as soon as they can get going with them, they will! TT RAM boards are available also, in limited quantities, but all sizes are in stock as of last week. The Lynx has not been forgotten! In the next issue of Die Hard Game Fan magazine (not yet on the shelves) there is a brand new two page spread advertising the features of the hand-held machine, boldly comparing it directly to the competition. There should be a big promotion in the wings for the Lynx, pared up with NFL football, and a game giveaway. Watch AEO for more information on this as it is released. Also included in this issue is a objective review of the Jaguar and Cybermorph. Cybermorph may not be the immediate "eye candy" of Crash & Burn on the 3DO, but Cybermorph is more varied and challenging than some detractors would have us believe. Cybermorph received the accolade "Best Game of the Month" from Die Hard, and for all the details you need to read the magazine because there is some awesome 3rd party reviewing of the Jaguar in this magazine! Speaking of the Jaguar, Atari held direct sales of the Jaguar via a 1-800 line, but due to the fact that there was only a limited percentage of units available for direct sales, the demand far outstripped the supply, so if you REALLY want a Jaguar, there are dealers who can sell you one via their own mail order channel! Upon my return, I managed to get in to Atari to speak with Bob Brodie. We talked about the happenings of the past six months, and the increased health of Atari Corp. The rise in stock and the huge interest in the Jaguar has placed Atari in a position where it can now hope to wedge its way into the general computer marketplace. Pushing the Falcon030 heavily in the past year, while appealing to Atari users, would have drained resources that could have been used to earn money from the stock rocketing in price, or in pushing the successful roll-out of the Jaguar. What is going to happen with the Falcon030?? Atari remains confident in its new entry, and will start to push Atari computer products as name recognition increases. This is something that dozens of Atari users have told me that Atari needs to make its presence known in the computer market. This is exactly what will happen, and just like the existence of the Atari 2600 instigated me to buy an Atari 800, the Jaguar will interest a whole new generation of video game players into the wonders of what a REAL computer can do. Computing is not all Street Fighter II!! Digital Optical Analog FINALLY got a fully working version of the Blackmail voice mail system in to Atari - they are supposed to have one up and running over in Sunnyvale right now - and the consumer versions ready to sell. Falcon030 games are starting to come in now, and once the titles start to appear, sales will rise for the hardware. The third party hardware people have been really busy, and the Falcon030 is now able to compete speedwise in all factors to a TT030. Screenblaster is as cool as it was hyped to be, and there are other products that AEO will be covering in the future that will allow for fast-RAM, video expansion, and other neat things. I had a chance to play with the Falcon Speed at B&C Computervisions. It was only the '286 version, but it ran Windows faster than I thought it could have. I have seen Windows 3.1 run on a real '286 and it was totally unusable - on the Falcon030, it was really quick. It couldn't be confused with a '486DX2-66, but it ran Windows applications fast enough to use. I got to thinking that the Cyrix '486 plug in chip/board upgrade for '286 computers could be used to boost the Falcon Speed, but the surface mounted chips of the Falcon Speed might be hard to modify to accept the Cyrix upgrade. Now, if someone could figure out how to run a '486DX2 in a Falcon or TT030 with Windows running under MultiTOS or Geneva, THAT would be cool. I wonder if it ever would be possible to run VGA PC games. On the game topic, there are many new games that I need to catch up on, especially things which will run on a TT030 and a Falcon030. The first game that I will be reviewing is Ancient Art of War in the Skies, this game is specially enhanced for STe and TT030 usage, and that kind of work is definitely worth a closer look. STeve's Software out here in California is once again supporting the userbase by offering to lend us the software to review. As the Falcon030 sells, interest in ST software diminishes, and for a while it may seem as things are dead until the Falcon takes off in sales. Regardless, there are dozens of games in work or recently released, and just suffering from a lack of exposure to the marketplace. We'll fix that. --==--==--==--==-- ||| Atari Asylum ||| Head Inmate: Gregg Anderson / | \ GEnie: AEO.7 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Greetings my fellow GEnieaics; Wow... I've never seen the Asylum so crowded before. I take off for a little while and look at what happens, Total Chaos! Seriously, I've been absent from the electronic pages of AEO due to a death in the family.... My always loyal Mega4 gave up the ghost last month and, between first trying to get it repaired and then having to look for a replacement, it's taken until now for me to get back to my private padded cell here in the Asylum. So then, let's start wandering down my fevered imagination. I'm now sitting in front of a brand new (well, new for me anyway) MegaSTe and enjoying it immensely. I can see why this unit was considered the best ST system ever released. Internal hard drive bay, easy 1.44 Meg floppy upgrade, 16 Mhz CPU, separate keyboard, and the newer TOS make it a great system to work with. Ok, I'll admit that it's raw CPU power is not quite the equal of a Fast Technology T-25 (or even a T-16 for that matter). However, it's more efficient graphics hardware and TOS 2.06 make it feel just as fast as my old T-16'd Mega. Having a place for my hard drive is also nice, though FrankenDrive's noticeably noisier than he was living in that old shoebox. Another joy is in the booting process. Even with my external SyQuest I no longer have to go through a prolonged six- button powerup sequence like I did with my old Mega4. Now everything is a 'one button' operation, everything except the SLM-804 that is. That beast's just too much of a power hog to trust on the same circuit as the rest of the system. Ah well, a small sacrifice at worst . Another change is that I no longer have to hold down the 'mode' key on my Omnix when rebooting via the keyboard or reset button (WuzTek's ST/Multiscan VGA adapter). This system ALWAYS remembers what res.. it was in before the reset. My Mega4 demanded that I hold 'color' or 'mono' every time it was. So what have I been using to log on to GEnie? Well, since you asked... How about a borrowed DOS box? Yes, I share your revulsion, but beggars can't be choosers and I was lucky to have access to an extra system (though the owner never hesitated to rub it in every time he saw me using it. This was especially embarrassing since the owner is also my Father ). So what was it like? Well, I suppose it was better than being rolled over a bed of tacks then dunked in a pool of rubbing alcohol, but not by much. The system was a 25 Mhz 386SX with Windoze, a VGA monitor, and (for GEnie purposes) the old DOS standby ProComm. Now then, from a simple numbers point of view this thing should have out powered a Falcon, let alone a Mega. After all, it was a good five years newer than my old Mega4, clocked in at twice the CPU speed, and had all the "bells and whistles" that DOS owners like to brag about. So it was faster, right? WRONG!!!! I was appalled how much slower Windows made this thing feel than my six year old Mega. Yes, the VGA display was nice to have (though not nearly as sharp as my old monochrome ST) but the Falcon's display is just as large and MUCH brighter and clearer. Sound? Forget it! Even my original 520 had better built-in audio than a standard DOS box. My new MegaSTe sounds at least as good as a "base level" DOS audio board (ThunderBoard, Sound Blaster, ect) and the Falcon's built in audio appears to challenge even the best available on the DOS platform, for a LOT less money. As for ProComm... well, let's see; limited download protocals, no edit buffer, no way to check what you've downloaded or reread what you've scanned, no graphics interface (total keyboard control), no... well, you get the idea. There is just NO way to compare ProComm with any ST compatible terminal program now in existence (and I've used a lot of them). Well, maybe the old ST Talk was a bit similar, but then it dates from back in '85 or so. Most Atari owners have no concept of how big the step from ST to DOS/Windoze really is. While Windoze offers a visual similarity to GEM, Finder, and Intuition it's in NO WAY as easy or to use or as logical in its operation. Since it's a disk-loaded shell it also consumes huge amounts of your hard disk space, up to (or over) 20 Meg just for the operating system (and OS/2 and WindowsNT will demand even more). Windows also places a MASSIVE demand on system speed. Why do you think there's been such a huge push to increase the speed of Intel CPUs, create local bus video systems, and the constant redesign of Windoze Accelerators? It's to make these systems operate the now popular Graphics Interfaces so that they at least "feel" as fast as what you and I have been using for years. Think I'm kidding? Check it out for yourself. Only recently has the DOS world managed to match the ST/TT in graphics speed (though not in ease of use) and then only after spending billions of dollars in the process. After a month of beating my head against a DOS wall I was past desperate, I was well into frantic! You can imagine how relieved I was to find an available MegaSTe here on GEnie. My thanks to the previous owner as this unit's in pretty good condition and, better still, didn't require that I sell my first born son to get my hands on it. I'd have killed for a TT030 system, but such was not to be. The new TT's that Atari promised us still haven't arrived (not that I could afford one anyway) and used ones are going for almost as much as they did new . Though I'd have loved to get a Falcon, there were similar problems. Not only the expense of the bird itself but the change would also have required that I replace my SLM-804 & Migraph hand scanner. Buying a Falcon would have killed my bank account, buying a Falcon AND a new laser AND a new scanner would have left me out on the streets wearing a sign saying, "Will compute for food." Well, enough of all that. Let's just say that I'm happy to be back and hope to start reviewing some new material for the eager occupants of the Atari Asylum. In fact, I'm putting something together for us right now... no promises but if it works out I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. If the next project manages to work out, I almost guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised. Wish me luck. //// Where Sherlock Unmasks the Villain //// or, Who done baby in? So what killed my Mega4? I'll tell you; what killed Baby was a weakened power supply. The symptoms were erratic resets, noticeable video distortion when the floppy was accessed, and a tendency to reset EVERY TIME something put a load on the wall outlet. Seriously; if anything in the room powered on (A/C, dehumidifier, microwave, etc) my Mega would reset. Needless to say this was the source of much fun and amusement.... NOT! I changed surge suppressors, added a UPS, altered the daisy chain, all to no effect. Then, finally, baby took that big dive and never came back up for air. If your system shows ANY of these symptoms RUN, do not walk, to your nearest dealer/service center AND GET THAT POWER SUPPLY REPLACED!!!! If you can, I suggest one of the better power supplies from Best Electronics. Why? From what I hear they've proven to provide not only cleaner power but more reserve power than Atari's admittedly "what's needed and no more" design. If I'd installed one in Baby when this first started I'd still be a good $500 to the better right now. So what caused the failure? How about having to deal with 50Hz, 100VAC for two years? That's what they use in Japan, and while most DOS-boxes have over-designed power supplies that can handle the stress, my Mega's couldn't. Despite surviving it for almost two years (and doing fairly well), it finally gave up the ghost and took the Serial system with it. The power supply we could replace, but the damage to the serial port drivers were beyond repair. //// Back in the real world So what's new? Well, there are some new games on the shelves these days. Ishar II (a new D&D adventure from Europe), Reach For the Skies (Battle of Britain simulator, not Falcon compatible I'm afraid), ZOOL (a seriously strange but highly successful arcade game, can you say teenage mutant ninja ant?) and Microprose's Dog Fight (lets you fly combat in a wide range of aircraft ranging from WWI to today, or how about taking on an F-16 with a Spad?). Also not Falcon compatible, what's wrong with Microprose anyway?. In terms of productivity there are serious rumors of new goodies coming from Compo, Lexicor, DMC/CyRell, and others (details to follow in a future issue). =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Falcon Compatibility =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Once Again it's time for another exciting episode of: "FALCON COMPATIBILITY." As usual the following is adapted from posts here on GEnie as Falcon owners tell us of their own experiences. Thanks again folks, we appreciate your help. ------------ R.GRABLE [Richie] I recently picked up a Falcon 84/4meg and decided to try the ICD Pro utilities on it. After re-formatting the drive with ICD I installed the booter and configured the booter for 256 color Falcon mode. This is where I started having problems. M-TOS and Geneva would not load at all (screen was really funny). Re-formatted with HDX (5.03c) with a partition scheme of GEM, BGM, BGM. This produced problems after about half an hour with what normally can be cured by installing folderxx. However, this did no good so I tried the ICD booter again but this time did not set the video. Guess what, it's running fine even with M-TOS and Geneva. Looks like setting the video screws things up. Anyone else experienced problems with either HDX or ICD? ------------ R.NELSON48 [Grouch (:{] Yo Richie - I wasted half an hour today booting and rebooting trying to get multiTOS to work with the ICD booter until I tried letting the boot happen in ST medium rez. It was that high rez falcon screen that was killing MiNT or whatever. Sometimes you just have to keep banging your head against the wall until it feels good. =-= Grouch (:{ =-= ------------ S.BULTMAN [Scott] at 09:15 EDT Just a note to you Falcon MIDI users, MIDI Master Drummer from Zobozian Software is now Falcon-compatible. We're pleased to be able to support the Falcon and have plans to take full advantage of the Falcon's internal sounds/sampling in future upgrades. For more info, check out the demo (MMD_2_5.LZH) and MIDI Master Drummer topic in the MIDI area (CAT 3, TOPIC 39). ------------ FAIRWEATHER [David] Bentley Bear Educational games works. Monty Python's Flying Circus game works! Sierra Games: Colonel's Bequest, Conquest of Camelot, Leisure Suit Larry III, Codename Iceman, Hoyle's Card Games, King's Quest IV all work! (And speedily too!) Music Mouse (a very old program that turns your mouse into a midi instrument) works. ------------ J.EIDSVOOG1 [CodeHead] With the recent release of Warp 9 v3.80, _all_ of CodeHead's software is now compatible with the Falcon, except for one small point. MaxiFile has a problem deleting a folder. Although the contents of the folder are delete, the folder itself remains. An update to MaxiFile is planned, but no release date is available. John ------------ PG.MUSIC [PG-Kevin] John, The folder deletion problem sounds just like the problem that NeoDesk had in deleting a folder on my Falcon. Dan has mentioned something about a bug in the Falcon TOS that causes this problem. --Kevin ------------ TOWNS [John] Congrats to CodeHead and John! Super work. I am sure that all those Falcon owners will be very happy to have CodeHead products available to them. To ALL Falcon030 owners: If you don't own or have never looked at the CodeHead Software lineup of products, do yourself a favor: Do it now! They definitely will enhance the usability of your Falcon030. They are worth _EVERY_ penny and more! ------------ J.EIDSVOOG1 [CodeHead] Thanks all for the show of support. I didn't realize that my message was going to be such big news. Warp 9 was the only program that didn't work on the Falcon when it was released. The rest of our products required no change. Kevin, We don't call this a "bug" in Falcon TOS, but they did change the way the GEMDOS folder deletion call works. It used to accept either of the following strings: C:\TEST C:\TEST\ Now it only accepts the first one. MaxiFile uses the second one. I didn't realize that Neodesk had this problem as well. I guess we're in good company. John ------------ T.HEBEL [Spud Boy] Dennis, Older versions of SMPTE Track won't run on the Falcon. That was one of capabilities added in the Platinum Upgrade. I would suggest upgrading. It is the best and easiest to use sequencer you'll find, IMHO. Try Oracle. It is a Stalker script that Talks to GEnie and it works on the Falcon. ------------ M.WORLEY3 [Michael] Category 9, Topic 6 Falcon030 Owners, Civilization is now working on my Falcon!!! Unfortunatly there's more things wrong with the game than just the Falcon. Here's some things I did to get it working. 1. Look on your disks for the file SLAM2.BBM. This file must be renamed SLAM2.LBM. 2. The INSTALL.PRG, Don't use it. The version I have will either crash, quit without finishing or miss some of the files. Copy the disks to a folder on your hard drive yourself. When you get a 'Name conflict' press 'skip'. 3. Versions: I bought my game back in April and the files are all dated 3/11/93. When I bought my Falcon I got another version of the game with files dated 3/08/93, 3/11/93 and 3/23/93. Some files were missing on the other version. There should be 111 files to the game, not including the game save files: CIVIL?.* . 4. BACKWARD V2.23: Here is the setup I use. Freq= 16 Mhz Caches= Both Tables= Kept TOS Patches= On Speaker= Off Hard disk= Off Blitters= 16 Mhz Errors= ST mode DMA Sound= Timer A Memory= 1 Meg I don't reboot I use install. I hope this helps! /\/\ichael / \ / \/\/orley Atlanta,GA -*- ------------ AEO.7 [Gregg] On the table of 'no-go' I have to include Accolade's 'The Duel' and ARC's 'Enterprise' games. On the 'Works' stack though we can now add 'Red Storm Rising' and the original 'Risk'. Interestingly enough the VERY old and original Battle Zone and Star Raiders work in ST Low mode. -Gregg- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// A fine dinner of CROW //// (or: where your favorite //// Asylumite fesses up) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From: the ICD Forum Topic 8: "The Link -- an external SCSI Host Adapt" Hi guys... Well, it's time to bring out the old grill and saute' one of my favorite dishes.... crow For almost two years I've had intermittent problems with a hard drive partition refusing to accept a copy or file creation (first the D partition (word processing) then my C partition (boot & color stuff). In each situation the drive was far from being full, less than 1/2 in the in the case of the C partition. All my disk/file checking utilities said everything was perfect... I reformatted many times, swapped files around, and even when the problem seemed solved it eventually returned. Well, I think I've found the cause... and it's got NOTHING AT ALL to do with the ICD formatting/boot software, my DiamondBackII utility, or anyh-thing else. So what is it? Well, here comes that dirty bird.... Was anyone here aware that the ST has a 256 item limit on entries in the root directory? You can have any combination of folders and files so long as the total listed by GEM at the top of the open directory is BELOW 256 items or less. Try to go over that limit and you get all kinds of strange results... including mundged files if you try to force it on older versions of TOS. Newer versions seem better able to prevent damage, though they still don't tell you why you can't finish the copy operation. I owe special thanks to Al Fasoldt and Wayne Watson who mentioned this limit to me in the Atari forum. Guess that'll teach me not to let my hard drive get so cluttered. Seriously folks, if you find your partitions getting up near that 256 limit do yourself a BIG favor and CLEAN IT UP!!!!! Avoid the frustration and more (such as my current embarrassment) that I've gone through. Thanks again guys for for all your help folks, sorry to have been such a pain. Gregg (who's C partition has gone from 256 to 170 entries) (and by the time this was written had dropped to 125 entries) ************ Topic 39 Thu May 26, 1988 Sub: HARD DRIVES ------------ ST.LOU [Lou] Gregg, instead of repartitioning, just add a few more main folders to hold your subs.... \DOWNLOAD, \UPLOAD, \ALADDIN, etc. ------------ GENIELAMP.ST [John G] Gregg, I think the 256 limit on the root partition is from the DOS compatibility angle Atari was striving for :) I know there is a limit like that on DOS partitions. John E. Gniewkowski Editor, GEnieLamp S ------------ A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] Gregg, This limit of root directory entries is not an Atari invention. :) It's the way all drives, hard and floppy, work. By the way, my original SH204 manual has an excellent section on the root- directory limit, so Atari hasn't been keeping this secret. The root directory is located in a fixed-size area on the disk. Depending on the disk type, the disk may have anywhere from 64 to 512 slots for root-directory entries. You may have noticed that some floppy formatters let you specify a non-standard number of directory entries; on one of the formatters, this is called "Minfat" or "Minifat," referring to a smaller File Allocation Table entry for that floppy; this lets you put more data on the disk while limiting the number of entries that can go in the root, since it frees up the actual data space slightly. This entire matter has never, to my knowledge, been looked at as a genuine limitation, for a very good technical reason: A disk with hundreds of root directory entries forces the operating system to slow down quite a bit when it reads the disk. Folders that are tucked away inside other folders (or one level down in the root) aren't polled by the OS during a standard disk read, but the root directory is always logged in. Having your files inside folders also provides better organization on your disk. And the old limitation of eight nested folders that make life a little difficult under the older TOSes is not present in 2.06/3.06/4.xx, so you can nest them (for storage, at least) as far down as you like. Many applications will have problems finding files that are nested past eight levels, but you won't have a problem storing them 'way down there. Al ------------ AEO.7 [Gregg] Wayne & Al.... MANY MAJOR THANKS, MUCH GRATITUDE, HUGE SMILES EVERYWHERE! You were right on the button, the C partition had EXACTLY 256 items listed. It now has under 170 and will go lower before I'm done. I'll be totally honest with you. For all my reading, writing, and Atari time (from an 800 in 83, a 520 in 86, a Mega4 in 87, and my current MegaSTe in 93) with hard drives from the Mega4 on.... I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT 256 ENTRY LIMITATION MENTIONED.... even in the various DOS magazines I've read. Seriously, I've never heard of it and, considering all the experts I've been asking since the first time it showed up two years ago (in Japan) I'm surprised I've not it was never mentioned before. What can I say? The fault was mine.... I've already gone over to the ICD forum for a quick side-order of Crow .... See you in AEO..... Gregg ---------- So, what's the moral of this little tale? while you can never have too much disk (or closet) space, you can over-clutter. This is especially true if you've got unusually large partitions or (like me) are just a tad too sloppy for your own good. Final suggestion? CLEAN UP YOUR DRIVE!!!!!!!!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Random Thoughts, Comments, //// and GEnie Wanderings =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Category 14, Topic 41 Message 174 Wed Nov 17, 1993 STEVE-J [DrHfuhruhurr] at 03:34 EST Well, according to Bob Gleadow (head of Atari U.K.), through Summer 1993, between 13,000 and 14,000 Falcon030s were sold in all of Europe (about 40% of those being in Germany). I think it would be a pretty safe guess that around 20,000 to 25,000 have been sold worldwide. Also of interest is that, apparently, Atari is interested in licensing other companies to produce ST/TT clone systems, if any are interested (since, I would guess, Atari's 'done' with them). ------------ Head Lunatic: 20-25,000 Falcons? If accurate then this number's not as good as we'd like but better than it might be considering how little 'push' there's been in marketing Falcons or in letting the non- Atari world know about them. What is encouraging is that the lion's share has been in Germany where most of our better productivity software comes from (though the better games seem to originate in England or France and the best utilities are home grown here in the USA). I assume that the USA, Canada, and Australia account for the remaining 10-12,000 Falcons. There have a few rumors of a TT clone under development in Germany but there are no real details yet. //// A Faster Falcon? Auf Deutsch! Head Lunatic (again): Here's an interesting little tid-bit from the pages of GEnie. There've been rumors of a German made Falcon accelerator floating about for months, almost since the day the Falcon was released. Now we seem to have at some confirmation that such a product may be more than just hot air (as in Vapor ). Read on; Category 18, Topic 23 Message 156 Mon Nov 08, 1993 B.AEIN [B Man] at 23:36 EST I Hope no one minds my cleaning up this post. Bman ************************************************ This just in over Atarinet.. thought some people here might be interested. I found a message which might be of interest to our ATARI-insiders :-) The Author can be reached via Gateway Atarinet-Turbonet. ========== cut ========== Msg #242 / 1-253 Time: 03 Nov 93 00:11:04 From: Werner Frey To : All Subj: Falcon 030 Upgraded :-) ---------[T_ATARIS]------------------------------------ Hi folks, today I've got my Falcon upgraded using an upgrade-board called Mighty-Sonic from German manufacturer GE-Soft. After doing some testing using Gembench 3.25 here are the results: GEM Bench v3.25 Ofir Gal 10.9.93 ============================================ Falcon 030 TOS 4.02, MiNT not present Blitter Disabled, NVDI 2.50 present Video Mode = 640 * 400 * 2 Colours FPU not present Run and Malloc from STRAM Reference = ST + Blitter 1. 2. 3. 4. ============================================ GEM Dialog Box: 292% 387% 447% 324% VDI Text: 1107% 1976% 1976% 1437% VDI Text Effects: 1369% 2506% 2485% 1740% VDI Small Text: 1181% 1667% 1667% 1398% VDIGraphics: 934% 1591% 1652% 1262% GEM Window: 167% 208% 250% 183% Integer Division: 582% 1165% 1168% 1165% Float Math: 213% 248% 3714% 3654% RAM Access: 281% 594% 591% 348% ROMAccess: 294% 414% 402% 364% Blitting: 192% 157% 158% 129% VDI Scroll: 354% 418% 420% 389% Justified Text: 276% 450% 450% 340% VDI Enquire: 259% 424% 461% 287% ============================================ Average: 535% 871% 1131% 930% Graphics: 613% 978% 996% 748% CPU: 342% 605% 1468% 1382% 1. F030 16MHz, no Fastram, NVDI 2. F030 32MHz, Fastram, NVDI 3. F030 32MHz, Fastram, 68882, NVDI, GEMRAM 4. F030 32MHz, no Fastram, 68882, NVDI When running at 32MHz Blitter was always disabled ! On the board I have 8 MB Fastram (TT-Ram) Next I compressed a whole directory from my hd, containing 3.2 MB of mixed data in 99 files to a LZHarchive of 1.4 MB using LHARC 2.31. Clock | Fastram | 640*400*2 60Hz | 1024*768*16 88Hz(i) | Effectivity ------+---------+----------------+---------------------+--------- 16MHz | no | 8min 05sec | 11min 10sec | 79% 32MHz no | 6min 18sec | 10min 52sec | 60% 32MHz | yes | 3min 16sec | 3min 45sec | 87% Most impressing i found the acceleration when activating the fastram. Effectivity takes care of the increased bus-arbitration when working in higher resolution. I don't wait for the F-040 now, as I bet ATARI won't drive it that fast:-) BTW, on the board I found a 68030-50. We're thinking about getting the clock up to 48 or 64 Mhz :-) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Wrap Me Up! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Well, looks like this wraps up another exciting episode of the Atari Asylum. Hopefully the next issue will be more informative (no promises on being more entertaining). Till then, take care and keep on computing. Gregg Anderson, head inmate and keeper of: the Atari Asylum PS: Would YOU like to find your name in print? If you have an interesting review, article, or topic you want to write about, feel free to drop me an Email note at AEO.7 or our illustrious editor: Travis Guy, at AEO.MAG We'll be only too happy to look at it for you and, most likely, enter it in the Asylum so that others can enjoy it (with full credit and thanks to the author of course ). I'll be looking forward to seeing your submissions.... Want to write? Then GO FOR IT! --==--==--==--==-- ||| Lynx Review: BattleWheels ||| By: Tim Wilson / | \ Internet: wilsont@rahul.net GEnie: AEO.8 --------------------------------------------------------------- Type: Action/Strategy Developed by: Beyond Games Comlynx: Sure does! 6 players! Probably the most popular Lynx game around, BattleWheels is an incredible title and a must have for your Lynx. Definately a game for you and your friends to have. BattleWheels is a first person view driving game, but one doesn't just drive around a track. Instead, you choose an arena to wage combat in. See, in Battlewheels, not only can you have big engines and go fast, but you can also have big guns that make things blow up fast. BattleWheels is much like "Car Wars" (By Steve Jackson Games). The premise is this: Combatants equip cars with weapons, armour n' engines then duke it out for the delight of the television audience. Think of a demolition derby, BattleWheels represents just a fatal one. You start out by selecting various options for your game, such as: car color, character portrait, team color, starting cash, arena, number and skill of the computer opponents. The game will remember your options, if you ever have to press restart, say, to end an uneven match, you won't have to go and reset all of your options. (As long as the power is on.) The game is split into two types. Action: where the player is given a preset car so one can get playing quickly, or Custom: where the real strategy comes into the game, and one builds a car from stratch. "Custom" allows the player to spend up to the amount of money that he or she has. The first round's cash is dictated by the startup settings, but if the player wins the next round, kills other players or picks up cash prizes, will be able to spend those earnings as well. Money is spent on the following attributes: Armour, Weapons, Engine, Frame and Ammo. Your car has various armour positions, front, back,left, right, even underneath the car, to ward off mines. Weapons may be mounted on any of the four sides, but some only in certain places, for example, one wouldn't want a flame thrower to be put on the _front_ of a car right? That'd really screw up your paint. If playing more than one round, you have to fix up your car as this is not done automatically (you may not have the money for it!) Your weapons are: Machine Gun, Flame Thrower, Rockets, Paint Spray, and Mine dropper. Paint sprayers will paint an opponent's windshield, so they can't see. So what do you do if you can't see through your windshield? One gets out of their car.... Yes, you can get out of your death machine, and with your autopistol and body armour, walk/run around outside of your car. Players on foot are extremely easy targets for cars. I've gotten run over quite a few times by other players racing along at 65 m.p.h. If you happen to be the one doing the running over, you get to see your victim launch into the air...arms and legs flopping. "Why get out of your car then!?" you ask. Like I mentioned before getting out of (and then into) your car will clean paint. But you can also get the money bags that are scattered around the play area. Or if one has the ill-fourtune of their car being on fire, well it's a good idea to get out of it before the gas tank goes. Your character is a very good acrobat, by pressing Option 2, and moving forward, right or left, the runner will do a dive-roll in that direction. This can save your butt from getting run over if you dodge at the correct moment, or dodge behind a tree or building. Combat is fast and furious. One can look out any window, look at a radar screen (possibly disabled at the setup screen for added challenge) or look at your car's status. The windows will crack, or get bullet holes in them as you get shot up on that side. Weapons are selected with the combo: O1 + (direction). If you have more than one weapon on a side, pressing once more moves to the next weapon. Your current weapon and ammo remaining are displayed in the forward view, as well as a compass and your speed. This requires you to glance forward occasionally (very realistic in my opinion) not only to check up on ammo reserves, but also to see if a tree or car is in the way. "A" is the trigger, this fires whatever weapon you are currently using. If that weapon is facing anywhere besides forward, your view will switch (as long as you hold down A) to the weapon direction. The graphics are some of the best I've seen in a Lynx game. Small details such as the bullet holes, or the runners that perform dive-rolls to the spinning tires on the cars are great. Cars even smoke, burn, and then explode. Sound is also great. While the music is only on the title screen (thank goodness), the sound effects during battle are top notch for a Lynx game. The sounds are in true stereo! If I get attacked from the left side, my left earphone hears the machine gun and bullets biting into my armour. Normally, the only cue is a green arrow on the forward screen. Playing with other Lynxers is the best way to play Battlewheels. I recently played with 3 others and it was a real blast. We usually try to take on the "Dark Lords", computer players with maxxed out cars. And other times we split into teams, or have a free for all. Verdict: No timers, no bosses, no score, no levels, this is my kind of game. Good blending of action and strategy. My 10 year old cousin even liked it. (expect him to be a regular feature ;-) The Comm-Lynx is used right. I can't wait to see what these guys do on the Jaguar. Ratings: ***** Really cool **** Neato *** I raised an eyebrow ** Eh...er..uhm. * This Bites... burn it. ' ' I'd pay people to take it. Sound: ***** Way cool stereo effects, wear headphones and turn em up! Music: ** Ok music, its only on the title screen. Graphics: ***** Lots of detail, cars look neato. Gameplay: ***** I loved Car Wars(tm), so this is great! Controls: **** Theres a lot of controls, sometimes tricky. Overall: ***** Buy it, play it, love it. Reviewers Note: Overall is not an average, it's "overall." The total sum of the entire game, not just the rated aspects. --==--==--==--==-- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- --==--==-- Delphi Sign-Up Information --==--==-- -- -- -- -- To enroll as a Delphi subscriber, modem call 1-800-365-4636. Press -- -- [Return] once or twice, and type IP26 [Return] at Password: -- -- -- -- Answer all of the questions, and you'll be cleared for Delphi -- -- access in a few days. If you have questions about Delphi services, -- -- give a voice call to Delphi Member Services at 1-800-544-4005. -- -- -- -- --==--==-- Delphi Sign-Up Information --==--==-- -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --==--==--==--==-- ||| The Unabashed Atariophile ||| By: Michael R. Burkley / | \ Delphi: MRBURKLEY GEnie: AEO.4 ----------------------------------------------------------------- I have been astonished by many things these past two weeks. Thanksgiving was spent at my in-laws, and I had a great time (astonishing!). I've already finished most of my Christmas shopping (amazing!). I downloaded over 150 new files (Terrrribble, because I spent too much time downloading them all and not enough time reviewing them!). My son had his Ninth Birthday on December 5th (how can this be?). But perhaps the most astonishing thing of all was a piece of mail my wife and I received in the mail last week. It was a "Season's Greetings" card from Paul Lee, the author of DC Sea version 2.2b and DC Xtract version 2.2b (Get these! He has also written many other programs). We had registered DC SEA and DC Xtract several months ago. Shortly after we sent him a check we received a personalized thank-you note for registering. That was amazing enough because it doesn't always happen that way. I've registered Shareware with which the only acknowlegement I've received has been the canceled check. I really expect nothing different. But to be thanked is very nice. Thanks Paul! I would also wish to thank Uncle Carl (check out his software - excellent!), Damien M. Jones (for Sound Lab), Paul Lefebvre (for Oracle), and Randy Hoekstra (for Grocery Lister) for adding notes and help in acknowledging the registered versions of their programs. It makes a guy feel special! But Christmas Cards? That, I think, is above and beyond the call of duty. I was astonished, and very pleased. Thank you again Paul! Shareware authors: Take note! I am a pleased customer, and pleased customers like me might become repeat customers in the future. That card cost some money to buy and to send, and I didn't expect it, nor will I expect another in the future. But a post card is a different matter. They only cost nineteen cents and a little effort. It would be nice to get a postcard. OK? Astound me some more! Here is a (limited) review of some (few) of the files I have downloaded recently... ù 32DODGE is a 640 x 400 .GIF file by Barry Summer of a 1932 Dodge car rendered with Phoenix 1.0. Originally the Dodge was a complex DXF object file which he converted to a Cad3D2 file using Rosetta 3D. Not stunning, but nicely done with flowing lines and bright highlights. ù ACCTRIS is v.1.0 of ACCTRIS, a very nice dual player Tetris clone by Frederic and GALLEE Gilles (dated Nov. 24, 1993). Designed to work with any ST--Falcon, this color or mono (640*400 minimum resolution which means mono only for standard ST/E's) .ACC/.PRG can be played as a one person game or with either a computer or human opponent. It uses the STE sound chip if available so you get excellent sound. Keyboard controlled (and you can select your own keyboard controls). You can select the "intelligence" of the computer opponent and, to a limited extent, the intelligence of a human opponent (hint: it depends on whom you invite to play with you!). Lots of options you can select. The game is played in an open window allowing background downloading and multi-tasking applications to continue to be used even when playing. French and English resource files are included along with French docs. I recommend this version. Also included is a low res demo of a single or dual- player "Shufflepuck Cafe" clone (two mice required for dual-player mode). This is actually a "work in progress" so it provides only the most limited of demos. I like Shufflepuck Cafe (like an Air Hockey table) and have often wished that it had a dual player mode. If this comes out I will get it! ù COMA_150 is the demo version of CoMa v.1.50 by the SOFTBŽR-Team (dated Oct. 29, 1993). This is a .ACC/.PRG Shareware fax send and receive software package from Germany. This version has better Falcon compatibility, fixes some bugs, now allows 1st Word Plus documents with all enhanced text features to be transmitted, and polishes things up. It is limited in that only the top 500 lines of any FAX will be sent (or printed). Simply by clicking a button in the program you can switch between English or German versions of the program. Docs (German) included. Lots of features, but you are going to have to check them out. ù DIGITAL is the Digital Tracker v.1.01 by Emmanuel Jaccard (dated Nov. 17, 1993). This program is a SoundTracker/NoiseTracker compatible MOD editor/ player for the Falcon030. It will play and edit four or eight voice MODs (and play 16 bits). It contains tools to manipulate blocks, tracks, and patterns of notes, and will search and replace notes as well. The docs are all in French and since I don't have a Falcon.... This archive contains three MOD files GUN ("GUN!! Stop the Gun!" - secret agent type music), Jurrasic, and Planet. SHAREWARE. ù EASEDEMO is Ease 2.0 by Dirk Sabiwlasky, an alternate desktop demo program from Germany. Ease will work with any ST-Falcon with at least one meg of RAM. This desktop will allow you to do just about anything you wish a desktop to do. It will allow you to place program icons on the desktop and run then with a key press or mouse click (but the demo version can't run programs, or save any changes you make). Like the newest TOS's allow (and NeoDesk, of course) you can "drag and drop" files on to a program icon and thus start the program. TOS programs will run in a window. Clicking on a text file (any file, actually) will then show its contents in a scrolling window. You can place pictures on the desktop, cycle through your windows and resize them at will (open up to 50 windows at a time when used in conjunction with WINX!). You can have text displayed in one window while icons are displayed in another. There are really too many items to list here. The program and docs are all in German (the docs translate very well with GER2EN30 and the ALFRED_E translation file - over 90%, though I still had difficulty making sense of much of the translation). Ordering info included. One nice thing is that EASE is (mostly) compatible with Geneva and with NeoDesk. You can have both loaded into Geneva and switch between them as you wish! ù GEM++19 is the GEM++ : C++ libraries for GEM/AES/VDI, version 1.99 (not quite 2.0 or so the author, Warwick Allison, says). These files require the GNU C++ compiler and Bammi's GEMLIB patchlevel 30 or better or MiNTLIBS patchlevel 34 or better to be useful. The author has increased Falcon friendliness of produced code and has configured the makefiles for optimized compilations (greatly reducing the size of the library and executables). Docs included. I would guess that if you know how to use this in your C++ programming then you need it! ù JAGLOGO is a Targa (.TGA) rendering of the Atari Jaguar's Logo created using Lexicor's Phoenix Object Renderer. View with GEM View or another Targa viewer. Not PhotoChrome3 compatible. ù JPEGV214 is the V11 JFIF viewer v.2.14 by David R. Oldcorn of Volume 11 Software Development (dated Nov. 11, 1993). This JFIF viewer (JPEG is a sub-set of this, I gather) for the Atari Falcon will also allow you to view GIF, Degas, and Spectrum 512 pictures, all in the Falcon's True Color mode. This freeware viewer is a full competent and speedy viewer but is actually only a teaser for the author's DSP-aware version (cost œ5). Both of these viewers are FAST. For example you can view a 640x480 color JPEG file with the 68030 version in just 15 seconds and the DSP version only takes 6 seconds! It will also run as a slide show, keeping pictures in memory as memory availability allows. Docs included. Falcon only. ù KAND155E is Kandinsky v.1.55 by Ulrich Rožgoderer (dated Sept. 13, 1993). This shareware vector/GEM metafile drawing program is excellent. Now translated into English (still with German docs, though) this program allows you to create vector graphics which can be printed out at the highest resolution of your printer with no image degradation (can't say that about bit mapped files!). You can import .GEM images from EasyDraw (another excellent program from MyGraph). The program allows you to export images in PostScript format, too! It works on color and mono 680x0 machines (Falcon and TT res, too?), and is very fast on image re-draws (nice!). It has some excellent GEM sample files included. It seems to be very easy to use, and I think, fairly easy to figure out, even with the lack of English documentation. GDOS/SpeedoGDOS compatible (while needed to save files they are are not needed to run the program). Check it out! ù MIDIMODS is an amazing file (I told you this last time!). It's not so amazing that it contains "Manshadow" a nicely done .MOD music file so much as it is amazing that it contains a text file listing all the Noisetracker MOD files in the MIDI Roundtable's Library 14 on GEnie. I didn't even know that library was there and I see from this file that there are over 1,340 MOD files there! I downloaded a PILE of these and I'm only to the "A's." I also found a stack of .MOD files in the Amiga group (AUDIO) on Delphi and downloaded a few meg from there. I'll try to get you a review of them... real soon now! ù MULTLANG is a working demo of a Multi-Lingual Word Processor, V.1.51ST by Drew Hanniger (dated May 20, 1987). It does everything except saving a file. MLWRITER is an easy to use Multi-Font Word Processor that allows you to print out to a number of dot matrix printers. Ten Fonts (English, German, Mormal, Arabic, Greek, Russian, Swedish, Hebrew, Math, Symbols, Spanish and Custom are supplied, plus you can customize your own font or Language with the supplied font Editor (that's a 10 minute time limited demo). Docs and ordering information included. Even though it's such an old program it works fine on my TOS 1.62 accelerated STE. ù PGP23AB is "Pretty Good Privacy version release 2.3a" by Phil Zimmermann (dated July 2, 1993). PGP, short for Pretty Good Privacy, is a public key encryption package; with it, you can secure messages and data files you transmit against unauthorized reading and digitally sign them so that people receiving them can be sure they come from you. The keying is very secure and efficient. Excellent docs which explore both the theory and practice of public encryption. I would recommend this file just for them. (I don't know where the "B" comes from in the file name as it isn't in the docs anywhere I can see). English, French, and Spanish help files are included (all docs are in English). 716K uncompressed. ù POVSH111 is POVShell v.1.11 by Dirk Klemmt (dated Dec. 2, 1993). POVRay is an excellent Ray Tracing program with one big drawback (for me at least). It operates in a command-line environment so is difficult to use and program. This program is a "shell" that simplifies the use of POVRay. It fixes some bugs in v.1.10 and is compatible with the ST--Falcon line. This works with either the older POVRay v.1.0 or the newly released v.2.0. The program is in English, but the docs are in German. ù ROCBOT by Barry Summer is a .GIF picture that is the combined output of a Microbot Disk rendering in Phoenix 1.0 and a POV hi res GIF. The robot (from the Microbot Disk) looks as if it is being constructed in the midst of a vast outer space factory (from the POV rendering). Small spheroid robots are moving about, up and down, and could possibly be doing the construction. View with any GIF viewer. ù BETRTRK3 (entitled STARTREK SEQUENCE on Delphi) is a .SEQ animation by J. Fry (dated 1992) in which the USS Enterprise (original version) appears on the viewscreen of another star ship (nice idea). It rotates in a complete circle then goes into Warp Drive and disappears in a blaze of colors. Well done. Use ANIMATE4 to view. ù STGD0993 is the Sept-Oct, 1993 issue of the ST Gaming Digest. This is the "leaner, meaner" issue in which a lot of the "dead wood" in games has been cleared out. What you see here is what you can get! ù TOAD is a GIF file by Barry Summer. Entitled TOAD 3d2, this GIF, rendered with Phoenix 1.0 and taking advantage of the power of Bitstream's Speedo fonts shows a metalic "Toad" that I would never want to meet! It looks more like a squat T-Rex than a Toad, and a mean and shiny one at that! ù TRIKE by Barry Summer is a .GIF taken from the Microbot Design Disk. It is of a 3D tricycle (sort of) which is wearing a hard hat and sunglasses! The "tricycle" name is a bit of a mis-nomer because the trike is missing its front wheel!. Rendered in Phoenix 1.0, this GIF is 256 colors, 640 x 480. View with any GIF viewer. ù ZOAT is the ZOAT Demo by Andrew Laing. ZOAT is a three-level working demo of the game ZOAT. If you remember last issue I told you to hold off downloading this game because there were no docs included in the archive, and I could not figure out how to play the game. Well, the author has uploaded the doc file! See ZOATRULE for the docs to this game. They are very helpful. Now that I can see how this game is supposed to work I find it interesting. The object is to move these two pairs of figures about the screen and have them end up _exactly_ over the desired spot. When that happens you move on to the next level. The only problem with that is that at each level you have to re-learn the joystick controls! The author switches them around at each level to keep things interesting! The graphics also appear much better this time (I don't know why, but things look different this time around). Shareware (over 50 levels when you register). Not Falcon compatible. Requires joystick, one meg (minimum) of RAM and a color monitor. It is a STOS game which will not work on TOS 2.05 or above (but get STOSFX27 to take care of that). Sorry this is such a short issue folks. That just means that next week's will be bigger (_maybe_ but Christmas is a busy season for me!). Until then I recommend that you check out Anthony Watson's Recipe Box v.4.2 (WOW!) and any of Uncle Carl's programs just released. I'll tell you more about them later. Until then, take care! All of these files can be found on one or more of the following on-line services: GEnie (M.BURKLEY1), Delphi (MRBURKLEY), The CodeHead BBS (213-461-2095), Toad Hall (617-567-8642), and The Boston Computer Society's Atari BBS (617-396-4607) (Michael R. Burkley). Drop me a line! Michael lives in Niagara Falls, NY. He is a former Polyurethane Research Chemist and is presently the pastor of the Niagara Presbyterian Church. --==--==--==--==-- ||| The Lynx Cheat File Part 1: From [APB] to [Lemmings] ||| Maintained by: Peter Hvezda / | \ Internet: phvezda@wilma.pnfi.forestry.ca ------------------------------------------------------------------ ________________ ________________ / \______________________________/ ___ ___ \ / o | || | \ / _____________________________ |___||___| \ / [] | __ ___ _____ _ __ __ | [] \ | || | | | \ \/ /|\ \ | |\ \/ / | || | | | | | | _ || | | | \ / / | \ \ | | \ \/ | || | | | | | | _| |_ || | | | / / | \ \| | <\_> | || | | | | | | |_ _| || [] | |__|_ | | | |\ | /\ \ | [] || | | | | | | |_| || | |____| |_| |__| \__|/_/\_\ | || | | | | | | || | | || | | | | | | || | T I P S & T R I C K S | || | | | | | \ [] |_____________________________| [] ___ ___ / \ ATARI | || | / \ _____________________________ |___||___| / \_________________/ \________________/ The LYNX Cheats file was originally created and maintained by Damian Gick He unfortunately lost his net access and couldn't continue his support. The honour of maintaining the LYNX Cheats file was then passed on to Kevin (Tazzzzz) Dangoor, who provided exemplary service to the LYNX community by not only maintaining the Cheats file but also compiling all of Robert Jung's game reviews into one handy file. As an added service he made these files available through a highly efficient mail server. Kevin sold his Lynx and has passed on the torch of maintaining both the Reviews and Cheat files to yours truly. I have some big shoes to fill, and I will do my best to carry on the tradition set forth by my predecessors. The LYNX cheat file is now more comprehensive than ever before. I have added several more tips and tricks as well as changing the format slightly. I hope that you will find the changes refreshing and I look forward to any comments or suggestions that you may have about them. Incidentally, the LYNX Cheat file is also available in RTF format (which includes bitmapped maps). If you would like to submit any tips or tricks that you have come across or discovered, please e-mail them to the address listed below. The FAQ, the Lynx Game Reviews, and the Lynx Cheat files now reside at the anonymous ftp site: ftp.mantis.co.uk in /pub/uploads. Special thanks should be extended to Mathew for maintaining the ftp site and mail server. -- Peter Hvezda (Internet e-mail: phvezda@wilma.pnfi.forestry.ca) [APB]===================================================================== A.P.B. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level skip: In APB, if you hold down OPT 1 and OPT 2, and run into a donut (or through the Donut shop) your quota will be filled and you will be returned to the station and proceed to the next level. Skip to level 99: When your quota is met, hold down OPT 1 and OPT 2 when you touch the Officer Bob parking space. This will warp you to level 99. (The game will not end, just repeat level 99 with random quotas). [AWE]===================================================================== AWESOME GOLF -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hole in one: Entering LANDLORD as your name at the beginning of the game. Use the OPTION 2 button to swing at the ball. Hitting OPTION 2 while the ball is in the air, will sink the ball! [BAK]===================================================================== BASKETBRAWL -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Play with Michel Jordan on your team! Put in MJ?? to play with a partner, supposedly Jordan. Replace the ?? with any two numbers. Pause, hold down Option 1 and press Option 2. You can change the pause message to anything you want! (from Star*Lynx BBS) Level codes Level 1-1 AAAA Level 3-3 IIII Level 1-2 BBBB Level 4-1 JJJJ Level 1-3 CCCC Level 4-2 KKKK Level 2-1 DDDD Level 4-3 LLLL Level 2-2 EEEE Level 5-1 MMMM Level 2-3 FFFF Level 5-2 NNNN Level 3-1 GGGG Level 5-3 OOOO Level 3-2 HHHH Taken from January 1993 EGM (Edward Mann). Someone at Atari is very imaginitive. These codes transport you to the beginning of each level with maximum power-ups and allow you to shoot at the hoop in any level: Level 1-1: 999Q Level 2-1: PP9T Level 3-1: 9PPW Level 1-2: P99R Level 2-2: 99PU Level 3-2: PPPX Level 1-3: 9P9S Level 2-3: P9PV Level 3-3: 999I Level 4-1: P99J Level 5-1: 99PM Level 4-2: 9P9K Level 5-2: P9PN Level 4-3: PP9L Level 5-3: 9PPO (from Deena Krutak in June '93 GamePro) [BAT]===================================================================== BATMAN RETURNS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Invincibilitiy: You can make Batman invincible with the following steps at the title screen (the one with the Batlogo): press up 8 times, down 12 times, left 15 times, right 19 times and option 1 27 times, press A or B to start the game. Once the action starts, press pause. Then use option 1 to skip to the next level, option 2 to make Batman invincible! Falling can still kill you, however. >From Video Games and Computer Entertainment. [BAL]===================================================================== BATTLEWHEELS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get the Spray Gun While on Foot: When you're on foot, pressing OPTION-2 + OPTION-1 will get you a paint sprayer. Lock Your Viewscreen: When you are looking at an alternate view (left, back, or right, by using the B button), press and hold OPTION 2 before releasing button B. When you release button B, your view will be "locked" in that direction until you press button B again. Stealth Mode: On the character selection/options screen, pick the female driver with the short blonde hair. Now pick the green car, and keep the highlight box around the car. Hold OPTION 1 and press button A, and your car turns to an all-black design. When you play, your car will be invisible on radar and "by eye". You will be seen if you leave your car, and finding it again can be tricky... Super Car! On the character selection/options screen, pick the male blonde driver. Now pick the tan car, and keep the highlight box around the car. Hold OPTION 1 and press button A, and your car turns to a red body with a black top. When you play, your car will have unlimited ammunition and rapid-fire for all weapons. [BIL]===================================================================== BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE -------------------------------------------------------------------------- WalkThru From Portable Addiction Electronic Magazine First of all, collect all the notes you can get and find the gold nugget. Now go to the guarded building and give the nugget to the guard. Enter and find the man that tells you about the staff. Return to the telephone booth and travel to 15OO BC. Use the scare stone. Find all the notes you can get (remember to count by sixteens!). Enter the valley and find the paper note about the fake staff. Travel back in time and put the note at the pillar. Go to the South-East of Egypt and find the royal ankh (You must wade through shallow water). Travel to 15OO again and find the boat at the South-West part of Egypt. Use the royal ankh. Find your way thru the water (it's like an invisible maze). First go to the place where you found the ankh in 17OO BC. Enter the temple and find the secret passage which leads to the harp. Return to your boat and go to the pyramid. Go into the pyramid and open the door by walking over the red spots on the ground. Then, when past the wall/door, walk over the four other red spots and take the staff. Find the two keys and open the corresponding doors. To get rid of the two creatures guarding the room, just lure them out of there and then run away. When you return to the room they will be gone. To take the staff, use the harp. Return the staff to the man to get the flute. Use this flute in 17OO BC at the North-East to scare the animals over there. Then find all the notes that are hidden under the trees to find a phonebook-page. Travel to Rome. First, enter the dungeon. Find all the notes and the two keys: Blue and black. Remember to visit Caesar at the north of the arena when you have enough notes. Outside the arena you must once again find notes. When you think you have all of them, go to the statue. Push the four pieces around the statue in place and the push the statue. Now do this again and then go stand in the middle yourself. After you get launched, find all the notes around the house, but don't enter it. When you got all the notes, walk into a roman to get kicked out of the garden. You are now outside. Go West, to where a roman is guarding the entrance of the city. Now go down and find your way through the forest. Somewhere in the forest there is the next page of the phonebook. You must collect all the notes in the forest and you must also find the little building. Enter it and find the way through the maze until you find an apple. Leave the building and go to the guard. Give him the apple and enter the city. If everything is right you now have 8O notes. Travel to Europe. In Europe, enter the mansion. To avoid the furniture, stay on the green dots on the floor. This may take some practise! Find the white key and then find your way to the backyard. Use the black key to open the gate. Go to the North-West of the screen to find a red key. Use it to enter the small house nearby. Avoid dracula and take the magic wand next to his coffin. Return to the mansion and find the organ. Use the wand to shrink it down so you can carry it. Return to the phonebooth (The wand causes the furniture to stop). Travel back to Rome. Do the trick with the statue and this time enter the house while using the organ pipes. You can now safely walk thru the house to the backyard to take the lyre. Return the lyre to Ceasar and you will get another lyre. Enter the dungeon and use the lyre to scare away the lion that guards the white lock. Use the white key to open the lock and take the page of the phonebook. Travel to Rome 7O BC and enter the dungeon. Use the black key and put it back where you found it (Bottom-right). Now travel to Texas. Collect all the notes you can get. Somewhere, hidden under a skull, there's a golden coin. Go to the station and buy a ticket. Walk to the train and use the ticket. Now use the train to find the remaining notes. You must also find the golden nugget, hidden under yet another skull. Travel back to Egypt and replace the golden nugget at the place where you first found it. Now travel to San Dimas 2691 AD! Yeah, most radical, dude! Be careful on the step-stones as you can only jump from one to another if they are in the middle-position. Again find as many notes as you can and find the dynamite. Return to Texas. Use the dynamite to release Billy the Kid. Return to San Dimas. Go to the place where you usually get overwhelmed by enemies and use the harmonica. You can now safely enter the next part of San Dimas. Every time you pick up a note in this part, a block will disappear somewhere else, thus letting you reach other notes after which you will be rewarded with a golden key. Return to Europe. Collect 16 notes. Use the golden key to enter the previously unaccessable house at the swamp. Here you will find a mandolin. You can use this to enter the previously locked part of San Dimas. The Grim Reaper welcomes you, and you're now ready to play his game. As the exact route isn't easy to explain in a solution like this, I'll just tell you what to do. The objective of this part is to collect yet another 16 notes. Sometimes it is necessary to shove blocks over the lava in such a way that you can go to other parts of the playing field. The princesses have got the last note. If you succeed in rescuing them you should have 144 notes by that time. To get back to the entrance of the playing field, go east from the place where your rescued the babes. The go south and walk clockwise (ie: south, west, north). When you are standing against the north wall, walk west to the corner and go counter-clockwise. Once in the northeast corner you must go west, south, west and north to the exit. You'll have to find the correct tiles to jump on all the way yourself. Now you must return to the phone booth. The Grim Reaper is guarding it, but when you play your guitar he suddenly realizes that he has LOST! Enter the booth and travel through time to finish the game! [BLU]===================================================================== BLUE LIGHTNING -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The mission codes are: Code Mission No. Code Mission No. AAAA 1 LOCK 6 PLAN 2 HAND 7 ALFA 3 FLEA 8 BELL 4 LIFE 9 NINE 5 Landing upside-down: How About an Upside-Down Landing? In Level 6, you land and take-off from air strips. Try doing a barrel-roll (Pressing Option 2 and turn left or right), and then hold the plane upside-down, while pressing Up over and airstrip (to land). You will then land upside-down, the cockpit opens from the fuel tank, and you take off backwards! Bonus points: For bonus points, hit your afterburniners as you enter the canyons on level BELL. The Gutsy Bonus will give you 30,000 points ("You've got guts!"). When you're in the canyons fire your afterburners for 65,000 poins (Lunatic Bonus) "You're crazy!!" The points are added when you land -- but if you do both, it will only display the Lunatic Bonus, but you get points for both. (A good place for the second bonus is right before you enter the second set of canyons) [CAL]===================================================================== CALIFORNIA GAMES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Although the manual says it's two player, up to 4 can be Comlynxed. It may take a few tries, but keep at it. (It's also a bit slow, but hey, it wasn't meant for 4 players.. :) BMX: If you stay just a little (about one pixel) above the place where the grass meets the dirt there won't be anything in your way (Like those pesky bales of hay). You can crash the game by hitting the bale of hay on the bottom of the track just before the finish line. The game will freeze and the only thing you can do it turn it off. Tiny tid-bit: If you're going _really_ fast when you cross the finish line and jump just a little after crossing it, you will end up crashing into something you can't see way to the right. SURFING: In the surfing game, you can ride the pelican. Run your last man into the bottom of the screen a few seconds before the timer runs out. The bird will fly across the screen until the timer runs out and you'll land on it! It's possible to do an UNREAL 360 (5 360's) for 1200 points (As opposed to 600 for a Quadruple 360) FOOTBAG: If you spin right after jumping, you spin faster than normal. Thus, jump and hit the bag with your head, then spin away... Also-- in the manual under Foot Bag it says: "Score an extra 50 points for hitting the seagull in the beak with the foot bag (but only in this game -- be kind to the birdies in the other events)." [ Thought that was pretty cute. :) d.g. ] HALF-PIPE: Hitting Option 2 while skating will show off the Lynx's awesome scaling capabilities. [CHE]===================================================================== CHECKERED FLAG -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Course information: RIDGEWAY Odo Side SHANGHAI 0.3 Right PORTFOLIO (w/picture) 0.7 Right CYBERBALL 1.0 Left ATARI CORP. 1.2 Right [atari logo] 2.1 Left ST (w/picture) 2.7 Left Total lap distance: 2.9 miles GRIZZLY FLATS Odo Side ATARI CORP. 0.8 Right SLIME WORLD 1.3 Left SHANGHAI 3.2 Left [atari logo] 3.7 Left Total lap distance: 3.7 miles SKULL VALLEY Odo Side WARBIRDS 0.2 Right RAMPAGE 0.9 Left AWESOME GOLF 1.5 Left PORTFOLIO (w/picture) 2.3 Right Total lap distance: 2.7 miles GREAT BEND Odo Side SHANGHAI 0.5 Right AWESOME GOLF 1.4 Left SLIME WORLD 2.3 Right ATARI CORP. 3.0 Left RAMPAGE 3.5 Right Total lap distance: 3.8 miles PALM SPRINGS Odo Side ATARI CORP. 1.0 Right PORTFOLIO (w/picture) 1.2 Right ST (w/picture) 2.0 Right TT (w/picture) 2.4 Right [atari logo] 3.3 Right Total lap distance: 3.7 miles DEATH VALLEY Odo Side KLAX 0.2 Left STUN RUNNER 0.6 Left ST (w/picture) 0.8 Left RAMPAGE 1.1 Left CYBERBALL 1.4 Right MS. PAC MAN 1.9 Right [atari symbol] 2.7 Left ATARI CORP. 2.8 Left SHANGHAI 3.3 Right PORTFOLIO (w/picture) 4.1 Left Total lap distance: 4.2 miles REED POINT Odo Side LYNX (w/picture) 1.0 Right CYBERBALL 2.2 Left Total lap distance: 3.1 miles LOGAN SPEED Odo Side GEO DUEL 1.0 Right MS PAC MAN 2.3 Left STUN RUNNER 3.5 Left Total lap distance: 4.7 miles WOODLAND Odo Side KLAX 0.2 Left BASEBALL HEROES 0.6 Right STUN RUNNER 1.0 Left PORTFOLIO (w/picture) 1.2 Left MS PAC MAN 1.4 Left Total lap distance: 1.7 miles EAGLE BEND Odo Side KLAX 1.1 Right CYBERBALL 1.8 Left AWESOME GOLF 2.3 Right TT (w/picture) 2.9 Right [atari logo] 3.8 Right Total lap distance: 4.0 miles VICTORVILLE Odo Side CYBERBALL 0.5 Right SHANGHAI 1.3 Left BASEBALL HEROES 1.8 Right MS PACMAN 2.4 Left KLAX 2.8 Left GEO DUEL 3.7 Right ATARI CORP. 3.9 Left Total lap distance: 4.0 miles PHOENIX Odo Side STUN RUNNER 0.9 Left RAMPAGE 1.1 Left ST (w/picture) 1.6 Right LYNX (w/picture) 2.2 Right [atari logo] 2.5 Right ST (w/picture) 2.7 Right ATARI CORP. 3.0 Left TT (w/picture) 3.1 Left AWESOME GOLF 3.6 Right SLIME WORLD 4.2 Right Total lap distance: 4.4 miles FARMINGTON Odo Side WARBIRDS 0.9 Right RAMPAGE 1.8 Right LYNX (w/picture) 2.8 Left Total lap distance: 2.8 miles MIAMI Odo Side TT (w/picture) 0.3 Left LYNX (w/picture) 0.6 Left BASEBALL HEROES 1.0 Right GEO DUEL 2.0 Right AWESOME GOLF 2.5 Right WARBIRDS 2.9 Left Total lap distance: 3.1 miles BLACK CANYON Odo Side RAMPAGE 0.3 Right ATARI CORP. 0.7 Right BASEBALL HEROES 1.3 Right CYBERBALL 2.2 Right Total lap distance: 3.0 miles MOUNTAIN VIEW Odo Side LYNX (w/picture) 0.1 Right TT (w/picture) 0.4 Right GEO DUEL 0.8 Left (atari logo) 1.6 Left CYBERBALL 2.4 Left ST (w/picture) 2.7 Right Total lap distance: 3.2 miles COLDWATER PASS Odo Side WARBIRDS 0.4 Left LYNX (w/picture) 1.0 Left PORTFOLIO 1.4 Left AWESOME GOLF 2.1 Right SLIME WORLD 2.8 Right TT (w/picture) 3.0 Right Total lap distance: 3.2 miles DARLINGTON Odo Side BASEBALL HEROES 0.9 Left MS PACMAN 1.9 Right STUN RUNNER 3.1 Right ST (w/picture) 3.6 Right Total lap distance: 3.7 miles Transmission information: Gear (7-speed) Top Speed Gear (4-speed) Top Speed 1 29 1 49 2 55 2 106 3 83 3 172 4 107 4 219 5 148 6 179 7 219 [CHI]===================================================================== CHIP'S CHALLENGE -------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHIPS CHALLANGE LEVELS LEVEL CODE NAME |LEVEL CODE NAME |LEVEL CODE NAME 1 BDHP LESSON ONE | 51 IGGJ I SLIDE |101 RPIR APARTMENT 2 JXMJ LESSON TWO | 52 PPHT THE LAST LAUGH |102 VDDU ICEHOUSE 3 ECBQ LESSON THREE | 53 CGNX TRAFFIC COP |103 PTAC MEMORY 4 YMCJ LESSON FOUR | 54 ZMGC GRAIL |104 KWNL JAILER 5 TQKB LESSON FIVE | 55 SJES POTPOURRI |105 YNEG SHORT CIRCUIT 6 WNLP LESSON SIX | 56 FCJE DEEP FREEZE |106 NXYB KABLAM 7 FXQO LESSON SEVEN | 57 UBXU STRANGE MAZE |107 ECRC BALLS O FIRE 8 NHAG LESSON EIGHT | 58 YBLT LOOP AROUND |108 LIOC BLOCK OUT 9 KCRE NUTS AND BOLTS | 59 BLOM HIDDEN DANGER |109 KZQR TORTURECHAMBER 10 VUWS BRUSHFIRE | 60 ZIVI SCOUNDREL |110 XBAO CHILLER 11 CNPE TRINITY | 61 RMOW RINK |111 KRQJ TIME LAPSE 12 WVHI HUNT | 62 TIGW SLO MO |112 NJLA FORTUNE FAVORS THE 13 OCKS SOUTH POLE | 63 GOHX BLOCK FACTORY |113 PTAS OPEN QUESTION 14 BTDY TELEBLOCK | 64 IJPQ SPOOKS |114 JWNL DECEPTION 15 COZQ ELEMENTARY | 65 UPUN AMSTERDAM |115 EGRU OVERSEA DELIVERY 16 SKKK CELLBLOCKED | 66 ZIKZ VICTIM |116 HXMF BLOCK BUSTER II 17 AJMG NICE DAY | 67 GGJA CHIPMINE |117 FPZT THE MARSH 18 HMJL CASTLE MOAT | 68 RTDI EENY MINY MOE |118 OSCW MISS DIRECTION 19 MRHR DIGGER | 69 NLLY BOUNCE CITY |119 PHTY SLIDE STEP 20 KGFP TOSSED SALAD | 70 GCCG NIGHTMARE |120 FLXP ALPHABET SOUP 21 UGRW ICEBERG | 71 LASM CORRIDOR |121 BPYS PERFECT MATCH 22 UZIN FORCED ENTRY | 72 EKFT REVERSE ALLEY |122 SJUM TOTALLY FAIR 23 HUVE BLOBNET | 73 QCCR MORTON |123 YKZE THE PRISONER 24 UNIZ OOR TO GELD | 74 MKNH PLAYTIME |124 TASX FIRE TRAP 25 PQGV BLINK | 75 MJOV STEAM |125 MYRT MIXED NUTS 26 YVYJ CHCHCHIPS | 76 NMRH FOUR PLEX |126 QRLD BLOCK N ROLL 27 IGGZ GO WITH THE FLOW| 77 FHIC INVINCIBLE CHAMPION|127 JMWZ SKELZIE 28 UJDD PING PONG | 78 GRMO FORCE SQUARE |128 FTLA ALL FULL 29 QGOL ARTICFLOW | 79 JINV DRAWN & QUARTERED |129 HEAN LOBSTER TRAP 30 BQZP MISHMESH | 80 EVUG VANISHING ACT |130 XHIZ ICE CUBE 31 RYMS KNOT | 81 SCWF WRITERS BLOCK |131 FIRD TOTALLY UNFAIR 32 PEFS SCAVENGER HUNT | 82 LLIO SOCIALIST ACTION |132 ZYFA MIX UP 33 BQSN ON THE ROCKS | 83 OVPJ UP THE BLOCK |133 TIGG BLOBDANCE 34 NQFI CYPHER | 84 UVEO WARS |134 XPPH PAIN 35 VDTM LEMMINGS | 85 LEBX TELENET |135 LYWO TRUST ME 36 NXIS LADDER | 86 FLHH SUICIDE |136 LVZL DOUBLEMAZE 37 VQNK SEEING STARS | 87 YJYS CITY BLOCK |137 HPPX GOLD KEY 38 BIFA SAMPLER | 88 WZYV SPIRALS |138 LUJT PARTIAL POST 39 ICXY GLUT | 89 VCZO BLOCK BUSTER |139 VLHH YORK HOUSE 40 YWFH FLOORGASBORG | 90 OLLM PLAYHOUSE |140 SJUK ICE DEATH 41 GKWD I. C. YOU | 91 JPQG JUMPING SWARM |141 MCJE UNDERGROUND 42 LMFU BEWARE OF BUG | 92 DTMI VORTEX |142 UCRY PENTAGRAM 43 UJDP LOCK BLOCK | 93 REKF ROAD SIGN |143 OKOR STRIPES! 44 TXHL REFRACTION | 94 EWCS NOW YOU SEE IT |144 GVXQ FIREFLIES 45 OVPZ MONSTER LAB | 95 BIFQ FOUR SQUARE |145*******THE END****** 46 HDQZ THREE DOORS | 96 WVHY PARANOIA |146 JHEN CAKE WALK 47 LXPP PIER SEVEN | 97 IOCS METASTABLE TO CHAOS|147 COZA FORCE FIELD 48 JYSF MUGGER SQUARE | 98 TKWD SHRINKING |148 RGSK MIND BLOCK 49 PPXI PROBLEMS | 99 XUVU CATACOMBS |149 DIGW SPECIAL 50 QBDH DIG DIRT |100 QJXR COLONY |150*******THE END****** _______________________|____________________________|________________________ The code for level 146 was found on level 34 (Cypher). That level spells out: JHEN which is the password for level 146. CHIP'S CHALLENGE FRACTAL GENERATOR PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS Chip's Challenge has a secret. In it's many codes for levels of play, there is a code which will allow you to enter into the infinite world of fractals. A fractal is a geometrical or physical structure that has an irregular or fragmented shape at all scales of measurement between a greatest and a smallest scale such that certain mathematical or physical properties of the structure are greater than the spatial dimensions. If you can understand the definition, that's what a fractal is. Fractals were discovered by a man named Benoit Mandlebrot and he even named one of the images you'll see in this program after himself. There are lots of different images to be seen in this program, so don't just stay in one area. Now, on with the fun of fractals. The code for entering the program is MAND. After it is entered. a picture will start to form on the screen. DON'T TOUCH ANY BUTTONS UNTIL THE PICTURE IS DONE. When it's done, then you can move around and zoom in to see more details. NOTE: Since each picture has extremely fine detail, it will usually take a few minutes for an image to form. Especially if there is black in ore around the picture. CONTROLS FOR THE PROGRAM: (B) Button: When this button is pushed, it will create a box outline on the screen which you can move around. When the button is pushed again, the image on the screen will zoom away from you. (A) Button: When this button is pressed, it will also create a box outline. When pressed again, this will cause the image to zoom towards you. NOTE: After the image has either been zoomed away or towards you, take the outline off the screen and let the Lynx adjust the picture to more detail. OPTION 1 Button: This will create and vanish he box outline. NOTE: Always take the outline off the screen after you are done with it. OPTION 2 Button: This will create the box outline and starts the color cycling on the screen. One push on the button causes the cycling to go forward. Another push causes it to go backwards and a third will stop the cycling altogether. NOTE: To change the color of the cycling, go to the index. PAUSE Button: This button will cause the MANDLEBROT / JULIA SET EXPLORER INDEX to appear on the screen. In the index, you can change the depth, color and cycle rate of the fractal's and also create your own pictures. The index should look like this: MANDLEBROT EXPLORER X: FE.0000000000 Y: FE.0000000000 STEP: 00.0800000000 DEPTH: 0100 PALETTE: 00 CYCLE RATE: 04 XJUL: 00.0000000000 YJUL: 00.0000000000 You can change anything you want on the index and it will not hurt the Chip's Challenge game. But, before you change any of the X, Y, XJUL and YJUL settings, look at all the different images that can be found in the pictures on the screen. You can change the palette and cycle rate without messing up the programmed images. NOTE: There are two different programs to play with in this game. To see the other images other than Mandlebrot's, go to the index and push OPTION 2. It will change the title from MANDLEBROT EXPLORER to JULIA SET EXPLORER. That's all there is to this program. Hope this help's you have lots of fun exploring the infinite images of the fractal generator. NOTE: These instructions have been created by KALE SWINDELL 1990 and have not been copied from any other source material. The Lynx Mandelbrot code does 48-bit fixed-point math using 8 bits of integer and 40 bits of fraction, via the hardware multiplier (16x16) and a lot of help from the 65C02. The comment line on it (the source) says it was written by Steve Landrum of Blue Lightning fame. [CRY]===================================================================== CRYSTAL MINES II -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crystal Mines 2 Codes --------------------- List compiled by: Greg Littlefield and John Hardie Completed by Charlie Craft 5/11/92 Text file begun by John Hardie 4/10/92 1 - TSLA Down In The Dirt 2 - UEPT Logan's Run 3 - MTFQ Blocks And Bombs 4 - IRTR Wren's Nest 5 - ZCXP Out With A Bang 6 - DPRX Tanya's Tangram 7 - OIGT Monster Go Boom 8 - YHYR Dan's Deadly Maze 9 - VYHK Rocky Horror 10 - ITCU It Grows On You 11 - QCFK Easy Trap Of Doom 12 - BXNG Rock And Roll 13 - MOXA Bombs A' Plenty 14 - IDWJ Catacombs 15 - RFVC Red Herring 16 - GHSI Behind The Lines 17 - SKHU Impervections 18 - TRFN Blasting Zone 19 - LQRE A Wrinkle In Time 20 - AURV Bolder Dash 21 - TYGU Mud Wrestling 22 - FUIX Buried Alive 23 - QFXV Crystal "Mines" 24 - XVXU Can't Touch This 25 - KYPO Felony Arson 26 - HBTR Sandbox Bullies 27 - SFEB Stake Your Claim 28 - HXRE Dry Vein 29 - TRVJ Quiver 30 - FQCS Boulder Mania 31 - ZOIH Pipe Hype 32 - LHJV Stuck In The Mud 33 - GVYU Rat Race 34 - EMTV Split Infinity 35 - OHXY Switch Swatch 36 - GSTB Minefield 37 - UXRC Chimney Sweep 38 - PWYH What A Blast! 39 - XQCE Hardrock Headache 40 - PNGU Nuke Zone 41 - DZDI Down Is Up 42 - PIPH Lucky Number 43 - PKAV Of Gravity... 44 - TBUM Shape Up 45 - CXRI Gravity Wise 46 - QIPZ Slime Pit 47 - HBJP Candlestick 48 - NXKU Bouncing Boulders 49 - IGPY Cloudbuster 50 - INUK Whirlwind 51 - LPHD Block Mania 52 - NEBX I Get Around 53 - JVNL Hot Pursuit 54 - CAQS Runny Stocking 55 - KEHL Cakewalk 56 - EMSE The Sewers 57 - ZLAE Crystal Factory 58 - MSXV Drop A Rock 59 - JXTD Magic Mirror 60 - SOVS Cache 61 - GHGV Rock Concert 62 - QVOZ Crystal Tomb 63 - ZCEL Make My Maze 64 - COYH Pardon Me 65 - HJHT Take Control 66 - DONQ Castle Mania 67 - VBHF Rad Drops 68 - JSMJ Crystal Cannon 69 - HTRA Tick Tock 70 - WBHD Crossroads 71 - MVJX Rain Dance 72 - ANZI Jungle Gem 73 - EDLA Zero Gravity 74 - PCMN Boulder Exchange 75 - YJKJ Monster Mania 76 - RAIQ Which Way? 77 - ZRWH Mud Boggin' 78 - ECMO Safe Cracker 79 - AOTP The Howling 80 - SVWK Trial -N- Error 81 - VRBO Squeeze Play 82 - SVYA Jailhouse Rock 83 - KRFH Dodge Ball 84 - CNQR Sidewinder 85 - YNXR Ghost Of A Chance 86 - CWQU Plumber's Helper 87 - YXFJ Change Machine 88 - SRDW Triple Threat 89 - PDSQ Out Of Order 90 - QKOA Robo Rooter 91 - CKLQ Riddle Me This 92 - KHBA Cheque It Out 93 - MZKM Joel's Conniption 94 - DYDO Saturn V 95 - IDIC To Boldly Go 96 - WVOM Who Knows? 97 - NJCU Pipe Dream 98 - WUQR Volcano Vacation 99 - BSZB Pipeline Puzzle 100 - RERF Asylum 101 - WNON Slime Jar 102 - IVLC Around The World 103 - PJOL Crystal Trap 104 - RGEI Central Square 105 - WCEF Down The Drain 106 - DSGY Creature Comforts 107 - PHUF Swamp Things 108 - NCDS Gravity Ball 109 - KOMZ Herringbone 110 - LFXQ Water Closet 111 - WAET Xenophobe Zoo 112 - YJNV Conveyor Belt 113 - TAUJ Mutation 114 - IMOZ Towering Inferno 115 - NBFD Take Your Pick 116 - ZAPR Shopping Spree 117 - BXFT Elevator Muzak 118 - GEFA Kaleidoscope 119 - QIKD Gemnastics 120 - GMWJ Death Zone 121 - MKIH Don't Be Greedy 122 - ULEL Multi-abuser 123 - KBDW Bombs Away 124 - QEFP Sound And Fury 125 - SFJX Make 'Em Yourself 126 - LQXW The Four Seasons 127 - INMQ Lobotomy 128 - NMAD Hell And Back 129 - RHEM Pipe Organ 130 - YHVR Newton's Nightmare 131 - FSHF Jail Break 132 - EIKJ Quantum Quarry 133 - CQCR Running On MT 134 - AIYA Haunted House 135 - SXOE Arrow Phlegm 136 - EKDR Bohemian Rhapsody 137 - DRVY Lift Lackeys 138 - RGUM Spacin' Vaders 139 - FEDC Avalanche! 140 - PRKL Evil Twins 141 - ONKO Leftright 142 - QXPL Meltdown 143 - JRXP Girls Best Friend 144 - PADJ Phase Shift 145 - KGLI Spiral Of Doom 146 - FDXR Mouse Trap 147 - BLKS Zen 148 - TJGB Freeze Frame 149 - QKBT Check Mate 150 - AUEC Terminus *NOTE* Upon completing level 28, you are awarded a 1 million point super bonus. Bonus Levels ------------ 0 - ZERO Secret Vault From Level -- 1 - KQVW Deja View From Level 9 2 - QATR No Time To Think From Level 18 3 - DBFQ Bonanza! From Level 27 4 - LEJM Nimbus From Level 34 5 - ODJY Monty Haul From Level 39 6 - BVOS Pinball Wiz From Level 43 7 - SKLR Ping Pong From Level 48 8 - JPGR Twist And Shout From Level 52 9 - BIOH Time's Up From Level 55 10 - BNRY Time Bomb From Level 59 11 - UJIL Time To Spare From Level 61 12 - NMXS Lava Slide From Level 66 13 - LKBI Slam City From Level 70 14 - RNSK No Way Jose' From Level 73 15 - STRA Hide-N-Seek From Level 78 16 - YTST Snake's Belly From Level 84 17 - HBJO Flood Gate From Level 89 18 - CHRN Killing Time From Level 96 19 - WIFC Way Out From Level 100 20 - ESBD Hermit Crab From Level 106 21 - TMCB Menagerie From Level 111 22 - GCSQ Yuchsville From Level 114 23 - PNZS Mine Shaft From Level 119 24 - KDVI Surrounded From Level 125 25 - DHZY Pool Queue From Level 130 26 - IVRQ Pit Of Lost Souls From Level 134 27 - OSNY Shoot The Moon From Level 138 28 - LOTL Tarmaze From Level 143 29 - MWOH Safety Dance From Level 146 30 - JCXZ Downtime From Level 149 Level skip: Enter the password KIMI but don't press the A button to start the game. Instead hold down Option 1 and Option 2 buttons and press B. You will hear a sound like a machine gun and you'll see the first level (Down in the Dirt) appear on the screen. Press A to skip ahead to the next level or press B to move back through the list. When you see the level you want to play, press any direction on the control pad to start the game. [DIN]===================================================================== DINOLYMPICS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: wsgbat@rwa.urc.tue.nl (A. Thissen) Level Codes: Level codes are only revealed for every four levels completed. Level name: Code: 1 Let's get the spear LYNX 2 Let's get the torch 3 Nobody steals our idol 4 Let's get the rope 5 Let's get our friend KRIS 6 Jump over the mammoth 7 Rescue the witchdoctor 8 Visit a girlie 9 Feed the god CAVA 10 Rescue Fido 11 Visit a friend 12 Go fishing 13 Let's go hunting DBBS 14 Visit your cousin 15 Visit a girlie 16 Our idol is missing 17 Feed me TINA 18 Recover the boulder 19 Find your friend 20 It's your wife's birthday 21 Go home for tea KITI 22 Get those fishies 23 Find your brother 24 Get food for party 25 Party time [DRA]===================================================================== DRACULA THE UNDEAD -------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: dab1@ukc.ac.uk First, get the notebook from the chest of drawers. Go into the bedroom and get the tinder box from the table and the crucifix from the bed. Use the crucifix. Go to the dining room, get the oil from the table. Talk to Dracula, and immediately afterwards, use the notebook. Go to the antechamber, open the window and look out of it. Use the notebook. Climb out of the window and go to the next window on the right. This room should be the bedroom. Open the window and climb out of it. Make your way to the top right window (it should be a big window like the one you climbed out of initially). Examine the table, then use the notebook. Get the lantern, fill it with oil and light it with the tinderbox. Go through the door on the right into Dracula's money room. Get some money, get the box, then open the box. Use the iron key you find in it on the door. Go into the crypt. Turn the lantern so that it says "The lantern has been turned down". Go down, right. Get the twine. Go right, down, down. Get the crowbar, examine the coffin, use the notebook. Find your way back to Dracula's study. Climb out of the window, and go back to the top left hand window. Go to the south wing landing and use the crowbar on the door. Enter the sewing room. Wait to be returned to the bedroom and then use the notebook. Climb out of the window and go to the top left hand one. Go to the dining room, get the sugar from the table. Go back to Dracula's study and get the lantern. Light the lantern with the tinderbox and enter the catacombs again. Go down, right, right, down, down. Get the small brass key from the coffin. Return to the south hallway and use the small brass key to open the clock. Get the small key. Return to Dracula's study, examine the desk and then use the notebook. Get the hook from the drawer. Go to the money room and turn the lever on the bottom wall. Enter the library through the door which opens and examine the books. Examine the book you get, then tie the twine to the hook. Enter the catacombs and go down, right, up, up. Climb the ladder and then use the sugar on the horse. Get the spade and use it on the well. The fishing line on the well, then climb down the well. THE END. [ELE]===================================================================== ELECTROCOP -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the codes to all the doors and what they contain. Level 1 D1 = 2473 -> Level 2 Level 7 D1 = 6021 -> Level 4 D2 = 9874 -> Level 2 D2 = 5824 -> Level 9 D3 = 8743 -> Weapons Level 8 D1 = 7698 -> Level 6 Level 2 D1 = 3287 -> Lvl 7 (Right) Lvl 3 (Left) Level 9 D1 = 0170 -> Pla.Cannon D2 = 5409 -> Empty D2 = 1092 -> Empty D3 = 7102 -> TriLaser Level 3 D1 = 9284 -> Level 4 D4 = 4726 -> Empty D2 = 7210 -> Level 4 D5 = 1375 -> Level 11 D3 = 3936 -> Smart Bomb D6 = 2857 -> Bi-Laser D4 = 7395 -> Plasma Cannon D7 = 6998 -> Tri-Laser D5 = 8294 D8 = 1798 -> Tri-Laser D9 = 4321 -> Level 1 Level 4 D1 = 0394 -> Weapons Level 10 Left Exit -> Level 11 Level 5 D1 = 8658 -> Weapons Middle Exit -> Level 9 D2 = 5462 -> Door 7 Right Exit -> Level 2 D3 = 9973 -> End of Game D4 = 7642 -> Door 1 Level 11 D1 = 0293 -> Bi-Laser D5 = 0912 -> Door 2 Left Exit -> Level 3 D6 = 0974 -> Door 3 Right Exit -> Level 12 D7 = 7865 -> Door 4 D8 = 4285 -> Door 5 Level 12 D1 = 2987 -> Pl.Cannon Stingrays -> Level 10 D2 = 6473 -> Pl.Cannon Open/Closing Doors -> Level 1 Level 6 D1 = 9722 -> Level 5 D2 = 8765 -> Level 12 [Get the lynx cheats rtf file which includes maps to all the levels!] Crash the game: To crash the game go to either level 5 or 9 and get as many programs hacking the door codes as possible. It may be best to set the code to the one over the actual code (See above) so the program won't find the code too soon. Level select: Turn off your sound at title screen, now hold up and left on the joypad and keep tapping both A & B buttons until it says "LEVEL 1" instead of "NOW TELEPORING TO LEVEL 1".. Use joypad to choose level. (from Star*Lynx) [GAT]===================================================================== GATES OF ZENDOCON -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Following are all of the codes, maps, and some hints for GATES OF ZENDOCON: SPOILER WARNING: If you enjoy discovering things for yourself, you should probably stop here. This file takes a lot of the fun out of it! General Strategies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GZ's monsters are completely predictable: Every time you play a level, they will appear in the same places, in the same sequence. In addition, the "alien helpers" and other objects in the level appear in the same places. Thus, the key to mastering a level is to first explore the level. Move your ship up and down, up and down, as you proceed through the level, so you can see everything that's there. You might have to sacrificing your ship lots of times before you manage to get the whole level explored. After you know what's there, you can develop the best strategy for getting through the level. This might involve moving your ship as little as possible to reduce risk, or it might involve moving it as much as possible so as to blow away more aliens. The Levels ~~~~~~~~~~ In the listing for each level, the gate(s) which exist on that level are indicated with a letter, an arrow "->", and the name of the level which that gate leads to. Different letters indicate different possible positions of the gate, as shgown in this diagram: +--------------------------+ | B | | A D E | | C | +--------------------------+ This is meant to be a schematic representation of the level; your ship starts out at the left and proceeds towards the right. For example, in the first level ("BASE"), it says "A -> ZYBX, E -> RAZE". This means that there are two gates: one at position "A", and another at position "E". You have to go through two "waves" of alien attack to get to a gate at position "E". Each level's entry also tells which "friendly aliens" can be found on that level, and where. The symbols used are as follows: @: "Floating Eye". Hovers below your ship and shoots a fireball horizontally. *: "Plasma Ball". Hovers above and behind your ship, until you fire, at which point it wanders off (usually towards the closest enemy) and attempts to destroy enemies by touching them. ^: "Death Arising". Hovers above your ship and shoots a red "laser beam" straight up. >: "Sonic Dart". Hovers above and slightly ahead of your ship and shoots a vertical white "sonic pulse", which moves to the right and enlarges as it moves away. The result is a continuous triangular wave of pulses which "sweeps out" virtually everthing in front of your ship. The description also tells where the alien is found. Note: You won't find the alien if your ship is already accompanied by an alien of the same type. The levels are numbered in such a way that the gates always lead you to a higher-numbered level. Also, whenever possible consecutive levels have been given consecutive numbers. (Most levels only have one gate.) 1. BASE: A -> ZYBX, E -> RAZE 2. ZYBX: B -> NYXX, C -> XRXS, D -> NEAT 3. XRXS: A -> ANEX 4. ANEX: A -> NEAT, E -> BARE 5. NEAT: A -> YARR 6. YARR: B -> EYES. *: Near bottom, at end. 7. EYES: A -> NYXX, D -> BARE 8. NYXX: C -> ZYRB. @: Near top of screen. 9. ZYRB: A -> SRYX 10. SRYX: A -> BARE 11. BARE: A -> STAX, D -> XRAY As soon as possible, move the ship straight up to the top of the playfield. Do *not* move left or right. The dragon will fly into your tailjets and get killed instantly. A description of the "real" strategy for killing the dragon is given below under level "NERB". 12. XRAY: A -> RATT. *: Near top of screen. 13. RATT: A -> NYET 14. NYET: A -> RAZE One easy way to get through this level is to stay on the bottom and never shoot. Of course, you don't get many points this way! 15. STAX: A -> SZZZ 16. SZZZ: A -> RAZE. *: Middle of screen, at beginning. 17. RAZE: A -> TRYX, B -> ROXX, C -> TRAX, D -> TERA 18. ROXX: A -> NERB 19. NERB: A -> TREY. @: Stay above partition, after dragon. The dragon in this level is like the one in "BARE": It can be killed only by having its "head" contact your tailjets. None of the alien helpers affects the dragon. To slay the dragon, note that it travels on a grid of circles. It will always stay in this grid. Here's a rough sketch: : : : : '. .' '. .' '. .' .'''. .'''. .'''. .' '.' '.' '. : :xxx : : '. .'. .'. .' '...' '...' '...' .' '. .' '. .' '. : : : : The dots, quotes, and colons represent the path of the dragon. The key is to get your ship into the position marked "xxx" in the center of one of the circles. Avoid the dragon until you can see where the "center of the circle" is, and then put your ship there when the dragon is out of the way. Once in the center of the circle, your ship is entirely safe. After a while, the dragon's path repeats; when it comes round the circle again, it will fly through your tailjets and die. (Actually, this doesn't always happen. Sometimes your ship is a little too far to the right and the dragon will just "chirp" a little as it goes by. If this happens, move your ship to the left a *tiny* bit and wait for him to come around again. Note: This strategy has to be modified somewhat in "SSSS", where you get more than one dragon at a time. 20. TREY: A -> STAR. >: Third set of partitions, top. 21. STAR: D -> SSSS, C ->BYTE. @: First set of partitions, bottom. The "B" gate is under the second partition. It's also sort of hard to enter. 22. SSSS: A -> BREX The dragons in this level come in groups of two or three. This makes things more difficult, because they don't always travel on the same "grid". The strategy is the same, but since the dragons travel on different grids, you'll have to keep moving your ship. If you can't move fast enough, use your shields -- they will get you out of the way much more quickly. (However, you'll be dead if you're caught between two dragons or caught between a dragon and the edge of the playfield.) Dodge the dragons repeatedly until you see what pattern they follow. Each one follows a repeating path. Then, kill them off one-by-one, using the method described in "NERB". 23. TERA: A -> BYTE 24. BYTE: A -> BETA. >: Near bottom of screen. 25. BETA: B -> TRAX, E -> NEST 26. TRAX: A -> ZEBA 27. ZEBA: A -> TRYX, E -> ROXY. @: Near top. 28. TRYX: B -> STYX In this level, the "floor" restricts the ship to the top half of the play-field. However, there is a "hidden feature" or "easter-egg" which allows you to access another gate "below the floor". Here's how you find it: *** HEY! WOULDN'T YOU RATHER FIND THIS FOR YOURSELF? I THOUGHT *** SO. IF YOU'RE NOT A WIMP, YOU'LL SKIP THE NEXT FEW PARAGRAPHS. Immediately put on your shields and move the ship down, to kill the alien tanks. Then, start dropping bombs (using your shields when necessary to kill newly-appearing aliens). You will notice at one point the bombs appear to go through the floor. At this location is an invisible "hole" through which you can fly your ship. It will probably take a few tries before you get through, because the hole is rather small. Once you get through, you maneuver through a couple of minor obstacles and then find the gate. It leads you to the "easter-egg level", whose name is " ". (Four blank spaces: this level, therefore, can't be accessed directly as the others can because its name cannot be entered.) The easter-egg level is fun. It also gives you all four alien helpers: @, *, >, and ^. *** END OF WIMP'S SECTION *** 29. STYX: A -> YARB 30. YARB: A -> BREX 31. ROXY: A -> NEXA 32. NEXA: A -> NEST 33. NEST: A -> EBYX 34. EBYX: A -> BREX. *: Middle of screen (can't miss it). 35. " ": A -> NERB. *, @, ^, >: all near bottom, near beginning. This is the easter-egg level. Description of level "TRYX" above tells you how to get here. Since this level leads back to an "earlier level", it is possible to loop, and thus (in theory) to play Gates of Zendocon forever: NERB->TREY->STAR->BYTE->BETA->TRAX->ZEBA->TRYX->here->back to NERB. 36. BREX: B -> ZEST, C -> SEBB, D -> STAB. ^: Near bottom, after a long sequence of towers with yellow-and-gray pyramid-shaped tops. 37. ZEST: A -> ZORT. *: Bottom of screen, under stalactite. 38. ZORT: B -> STAB, E -> BRAN 39. BRAN: A -> BROT 40. STAB: A -> BOXX. @: Middle of screen, at beginning. 41. BOXX: C -> SEBB, E -> TENT Here's a map of this level. "[]" represents a box which is hard to shoot, "<>" represents one which is easy. "C" and "E" show the locations of the gates. (left half:) +--------------------------------------------------------/ | <><> [] <> [] [] <> [] <> [] <> / | [][] [] [] [] <> [] [] [] [] [] \ | <> <> <> [] <> [] [] [] [] [] \ | [][] [] [] <> <> [] [] [] <> [] / | [] [] [] [] [] [] <> [] [] [] / +-------------------------------------------------------\ (right half:) /-------------------------------------------------------+ / <><><><> <> <><><><><><><><>[][][][] [] | \ [][][][] [][][][][][][] <>[][][][][][] [] | \ [][][][] <>[][][][][][][] <>[][][][][][] [] E | / [][][][] [][][][][][] <>[][][] [][] | / [][][][] C [][][][][][][] <><><><><><> | \--------------------------------------------------------+ 42. TENT: A -> BROT. *: Near middle. 43. SEBB: A -> SNEX. ^: Near bottom. 44. SNEX: C -> ZAXX Yes, the "tank/truck" objects can be destroyed! However, it's a very complex operation. 1: Wait until the first tank is about halfway across the screen. 2: Move behind its cannon, then down behind it after the 2-legged walker isout of the way. 3: Follow it closely, and simultaneously maneuver the ship so that it's 3 pixels off the floor. Move almost all the way to the edge of the screen. 4: Keep the lasers on continuously. This should kill additional walkers as they approach. 5: As each additional tank piles up behind you, the score increments by increasing amounts. When the score is incrementing 10 at a time, the one's digit will be constant. Shortly after this happens, you will kill a walker. Just after the walker is killed, move up slightly, wait for a missile to fly just under you, then move back down into position. 6: Continue to the end. When the screen stops scrolling, leave your ship still for a bit; the tanks will all simultaneously be destroyed. 45. ZAXX: A -> BROT 46. BROT: A -> STOB. >: Near bottom. So-named because of the Mandelbrot Sets used in the background? 47. STOB: A -> XTNT 48. XTNT: A -> BOTZ 49. BOTZ: A -> SNAX 50. SNAX: A -> ZETA, D -> NEAR 51. NEAR: A -> ZETA. *: Near bottom. @: Near top, immediately after *. >: Near bottom, shortly after @. 52. ZETA This is the "penultimate level", as it were. The object is to shoot at the object which slowly moves up and down along the right edge of the screen. Every now and then, this object will "open its eye"; this is the only time when it's vulnerable. The second time you successfully hit it when its eye is open, everything on the screen blows up and you are sent to the endgame. NOTE: If you have alien companions, they will be destroyed along with everything else! (However, they still help you get through this level.) The consequence of this is that when you face Zendocon, you always face it alone. 53. Endgame In the final screen, you fight it out with Zendocon itself, the evil spider-monster which rules all the other aliens you've been fighting. To make it through this level, use the following procedure: Zendocon appears on the right edge of the screen and moves horizontally towards you. While firing the lasers continuously, move your ship down slowly. You will eventually find a point at which your lazer-fire makes "explosions" appear on the monster. When Zendocon is getting close, move your ship to the left and *up* out of the way. It can touch your ship without hurting you, but you want to avoid having it cover your ship entirely. Use your shields if it's a close call. When it starts heading back towards the right, move your ship back down to fire at Zendocon's "soft spot" again. Use your shields when necessary to keep the "eyeballs" from hitting you. After the first couple of left-right "cycles" of Zendocon's movement, you'll be able to position your ship so that you can hit the soft spot and also avoid touching the eyeballs (because Zendocon slowly drifts up as it moves back and forth.) Using this technique, you should be able to hit Zendocon enough so that it dies after five or six repetitions of its left-right path. If you don't, it will start moving around the screen diagonally. This means it's probably too late -- but in a last-ditch effort, put on your shields and fly into its "mouth". This might do it in. If you kill Zendocon and then "commit suicide" by crashing your ship into the floating eyes, you're given another ship and have to kill Zendocon again. If you lose your last ship in this way, you lose the game. Killing Zendocon multiple times doesn't increase your score all that much, but it's something to do if you have lots of extra ships at the end of the game. Shortest Route From Start to Finish ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fifteen screens, plus Zendocon. There are three equally short paths from BREX to BROT: ,->ZEST->ZORT->BRAN-. BASE->RAZE->TRYX->STYX->YARB->BREX--->STAB->BOXX->TENT--->BROT-. `->SEBB->SNEX->ZAXX-' | ,---------------------------------' `->STOB->XTNT->BOTZ->SNAX->ZETA->endgame At BASE, take the second gate. At RAZE, take the first. At TRYX, STYX, and YARB you have no choice (disregarding the easter-egg in TRYX). At BREX, choose whichever path you like best (if you choose the upper path, take the second gate at ZORT; if you choose the middle path, take the second gate at BOXX.) From BROT to SNAX you have no choice; at SNAX take the first gate. A typical final score for the "shortest route" is around 100,000. (Or 10,000,000 in the "hard" mode -- good luck!) Gates of Zendocon Map: Each level's gates are numbered left to right, top to bottom, as the terrain scrolls from left to right. Start AAAA -->BASE 1 2/ `--. / ZYBX 2 / 1/|3 `--. / / | XRXS / / | | / / | 1 ANEX / / | .--' |2 / / NEAT | / / | | | | YARR | | | | | | | 1 EYES | | | .--' /2 / | NYXX / / | / / / | ZYRB / / | | /______/ | SRYX / | \ / | BARE 2 | 1| `--. | | XRAY | STAX `--. | | RATT | | | \ SZZZ NYET \ `--. .--' `----------->RAZE___ 2 1/|3\4 `--------ROXX / | \ `--. / | \ NERB / | \_ | / | TERA TREY / | | .--' / | | 2 STAR / | | .--' |1 | | BYTE SSSS | | | | | | 1 BETA | | | .--' |2 | | TRAX | | | | | | | 1 ZEBA | | | .--' |2 | | TRYX ROXY | | | | | | STYX NEXA 1 | | | |2 `--. | | YARB | NEST | \ | | | \____ | EBYX | \ | .--'-------<-' 1 BREX .---'2| 3\___ ZEST | \ / | \ / | STAB / | | ZORT | | | | | | | 1 BOXX | | .--' |2 | SEBB | | .--' TENT | SNEX / | | / BRAN ZAXX / `--------`--. / BROT | STOB | XTNT | BOTZ | SNAX 2 1| `--. | NEAR | .--' ZETA -- Howard Chu @ University of Michigan [GAU]===================================================================== GAUNTLET -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Solving the plant problem in the last level (Level 40): 1) Take the first plant in the second group of plants. It will spit you out of another plant. 2) Escape from this plant and take the top plant of the four. This will spit you out between two more plants. 3) Take the left-most plant and get the Star Gem! Immediately give it to Noj and all the robots turn to gold. To Select Levels 1) Choose your character. 2) Start the game, but DO NOT move your character. 3) Press the OPTION 1 button, this will take you to Level 5. 4) Repeat this to go to Levels 10, 15, and 20. [KLA]===================================================================== KLAX -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can warp to level 56 by getting a "Big X" on level 11. You can also warp to level 51 by getting a "Big X" on level 6. Both of these give you bonuses of ~60,000 points. [LEM]===================================================================== LEMMINGS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- >From ken@hpclkms.cup.hp.com Mon Sep 27 14:57:28 1993 CODES FOR LYNX LEMMINGS ----------------------- FUN TRICKY TAXING MAYHEM --- ------ ------ ------ 1 N/A 1 kellieseye 1 seeittonon 1 nearlygone 2 dinkiedoos 2 singleduck 2 justforyou 2 lemmingoue 3 whenyousee 3 lookandsee 3 runandflee 3 spendspree 4 opensadoor 4 manyanmore 4 doortodoor 4 onthefloor 5 lemmsalive 5 cansurvive 5 stillalive 5 uncleclive 6 onesinafix 6 lemsbricks 6 fixedmyfix 6 clogclicks 7 luckyseven 7 walkingstk 7 anurebevan 7 difference 8 onefatlady 8 dontbelate 8 helpmemate 8 waitanwait 9 washinline 9 doinitfine 9 drinknwine 9 eatanddine 10 jmajorsden 10 lemmsagain 10 tenpercent 10 tentontess 11 lovelylegs 11 lemminlegs 11 stickuptwo 11 binisthree 12 justadozen 12 ontheshelf 12 digindelve 12 twotimesix 13 unluckyyou 13 yourinluck 13 hisbadluck 13 returntome 14 atenanfour 14 fourteenie 14 teensforth 14 twicelucky 15 threefives 15 fiveteenie 15 teensfifth 15 nineandsix 16 verysweety 16 sugarlevel 16 notsosweet 16 charitynum 17 sevenanten 17 yeartowait 17 driveukcar 17 stillyoung 18 keyofadoor 18 agecanvote 18 votesforme 18 comesofage 19 lasteenage 19 lesstwenty 19 tenstonine 19 olderstill 20 secondscor 20 totimesten 20 doublesten 20 numbtwenty 21 todaytoday 21 halfanswer 21 lockandkey 21 olderlemms 22 doubleduck 22 duckstwice 22 twoelevens 22 lemminduck 23 twoanthree 23 oneisforme 23 justforeme 23 soonbefree 24 sentrydoor 24 playinmore 24 lemminmore 24 lemmsstore 25 quarterton 25 lemsstrive 25 jiveanjive 25 lemmsdrive 26 thisisafix 26 chopsticks 26 lemsinafix 26 yourinafix 27 lowendevon 27 aluckyduck 27 lemsheavon 27 lemtodevon 28 sellbydate 28 shutmygate 28 gardengate 28 twostoplay 29 goldenline 29 wotsmyline 29 startowine 29 oneafterme 30 dirtygirty 30 hurtyhurty 30 fivexsixis 30 lemmgfinal Here's what you get when you win: --------------------------------- ALL DONE! congratulations!! you've completed l e m m i n g s everyone here at dma design salutes you as a master lemmings player not many people will complete the mayhem levels. you are definately one of the elite. programming brian watson (biscuit) with graphics conversion by mike dailly gary timmons scott johnston level editor by steve hammond (using amos which was an atomic-size mistake) original music by tim wright and brian johnston lynx music tony williams additional graphics jamie grant levels themselves were converted by john harris and john delayney psygnosis/atari liason greg duddle graham stafford and john skruch testing mike clarke gray mercer craig duddle faran thomason and sean patten original concept by dma design tea boy mike dailly scott johnston and russel kay sprite generator mark ireland Electricty supplied by scottish power which was originally contained in a big hydro-electric dam which was powered by water that got its energy from the sun and so on and so forth right back to the very beginnings of the universe and now the traditional scrolly message things. the following items were consumed during the making of lynx lemmings; 520 cans of coke 200 bags of crisps 108 custom built sandwhiches 300 cups of tea 64 tracker bars 1 fruesli bar (blech!) and a lot irreplacable fossil fuels and the following equipment used in the course of the project; 900 gallons rocket fuel 1 teleporter 4 hard disks set of spanners nicam tv set 15 amigas 22 pcs desk lamp paintball guns farside calendar amos compiler blank disks too much paper cranky old amstad printer satellite system screen blanker star trek video tayside buses cfcs welding kit soldering iron hammer nails circular saw 30 rolls wallpaper bucket and spade power sander hover mower paint strpper particle gun cold fusion reactor comic rays fan telescope digital thermometer lemon curd sandwhich fridge microwave oven jar of loose change gobstopper business card vacuum cleaner stickey backed plastic with invented assistance from the following people and places. nasa cern synchrotron hubble space telescope jodrell bank corner shop cray research edinburgh zoo starbase 47 not forgetting the hinderances from these; road works headphones network crashes solor storms ozon depletion chocolate cake pcs snowstorms tidal wave earthquake disk errors volcanoes blocked drains hangovers yogurt coffee perculator are we clear yet? anybody listening? no? good. important message ---------------- 5 4 3 2 1 we're going for the record now.. What's the largest scrolly mesage ever seen on a game cartridge? no idea? miniscule, thats what. we at dma design in our shiny green office building are attempting 40k worth of message. pointless, futile, mesage. thats 40960 characters. we even employ someone purely to write these scrolly mesages. we have more text. loads! loads!! loads!!! and then some!!!!!! speaking of characters, there were some very strange ones involved in creating the game. I myself am a member of the the guild of scrolly message writers, not the everyday messages that get flung around on demos but a bona fide scrolly embedded on a rom cartridge. few are qualified to reach this level of expertise. if you wish to do this youself there are special night classes you can attend. you just have to know where to find them. thanks go especially to the sandwich ladies and the chocolate cake that caused me so much trauma trying to slim down.. so anyway, in several thousand years time some archeologist is going to dig up this cartridge. i may as well explain a few things about 1993 first of all the location of atlantis. it is in fact in the tay estuary just next to dundee, sctoland that fact alone explains why atlantis has remained so quiet over the years. who could take them seriously nowdays with the think highland accent and a claymore come to think of it, wielding a claymore in front of people does tend to make them take you seriously. so why did atlatis sink? it was the constant rainfall that did it. I may as well tell you that the scrolly message classes are held at the following address. the university 1 south underwater st west 15 atlantis enclose around 20 quids worth of stamps for all correspondance and now vampires. are you one of the legions of the undead? does the sun make you peel until there is nothing left? do hordes of irate locals armed with sunbeds try to ruin your night? if the answer to any of the above questions is a resounding yes then you really have got problems I suppose in that case you'll have been playing lemmings in the middle of a transylvanian castle in the basement. in that case, make sure you've got plenty of batteries. can't leave out aliens: why would anyone wish to leave aliens out of a scolly message (a note for the pedantic: under no cimcumstances is a message text called a scolling message, it is always a called a scolly ) so anyway: aliens. we are of course talking about the suckers that come from space and not the ones that try sneak in you're country when you're not looking. I am confident that no-one at dma design has in fact been abducted by aliens although several of them may actually be aliens themselves. have you ever seen whitley strieber's communion? if so then i can give the true explanation. the alien is large, white, bald and has enormous eyes. now consider what michael jackson is doing to himself, and it will instantly become clear that this is what michael will look like in several hundred years. considering his reputation for eccentricity and his vast wealth i have no doubt that he will fund a time machine and go back to the eighties and pretend to be from outer space. or not. a word about piracy. yes, even cartidges can be copied. it's not very nice is it? if you do try it then the jokes on you. inserted into this text is a powerful magical spell to shred the very soul of evil nasty people who would take away our livelihood. nasty pirate go way. you'll never live, to see the day, when evil triumphs over light, 'cos we all think you're full of * zzzt * software failure there* mmm, never mind. on with the next topic. the pentagram graphics should take care of it anyway. 7k of message! ah we never quite got to 40K but I think it is still enough to count. i think it's a... world record for a console cartridge. you! until next time a little message from the programmer. enjoy your lynx. it is the best of all of the hand held portable machines. only with your support can we produce software for this lovely little piece of hardware with a goal keeping the machine alive and kicking well i may not have plans to do anything in the immediate future on the lynx, but if it is still around in a few years maybe I'll do lemmings ii on it. then again maybe not i suppose i would have to be mad to attempt it but then again anyone who attempts a major programming feat using a 6502 must be mad but don't forget the lovely hardware this little machine can do more to the display than an amiga can thanks to rj mical and his team for being insane enough to design such a nice piece of hardware and having the foresight to produce their development software on the amiga maybe it's because they had something to do with that as well? bye... | Ken Sumrall | Internet: ken@cup.hp.com | --==--==--==--==-- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- --==--==-- CompuServe Sign-Up Information --==--==-- -- -- -- -- To sign up for CompuServe service, call (voice call) (800) 848-8199. -- -- Ask for operator #198. 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Graphic Calendar Creator PG/DA 30724 SAFEMENU.ZIP X GRMEYER 931117 3840 129 2 Desc: Mac style menu utility 30741 DOGFIGHT.ZIP X S.KIPKER 931118 277504 119 10 Desc: Demo of DogFight from MicroProse. 30749 FLYGRAMS.ZIP X G.FUHRMAN 931119 8576 115 16 Desc: Warped Book of Changes module ------------------------------------------------------ --==--==--==--==-- ||| Developing news! ||| Items of interest from TOS platform developers and supporters / | \ ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Creative Musicians Coalition' Album =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= \`- Combines the realism of a real-time flight simulator with arcade action plus problem-solving and exploration of a dungeon game. -> Single player or 2-player/2-computer mode using a serial cable or modem. -> All elements of single-player mode are active in the 2-player/2-computer mode. -> Includes special 2-player Head-to-Head competition mode to increase your skills as a Hoverjet pilot. -> Multiple level missions allow for novice to advanced pilot training plus a special training mission for beginning pilots. -> Official CyberForce ranks awarded to players for successful completion of each of the six Mission Levels included. CyberDrome Version 1.2 - New features: 1) More realistic Raider movements - Raiders never stop, they keep shooting and running all the time. They come at you from all sides and are very unpredictable (and difficult to hit with conventional pulsars (see part 3 below) . 2) Drone (in solo mode) now acts as real wingman - it attacks the Raiders in very realistic ways and it is fun sometimes to just sit there and watch a Raider and the Drone battle it out. 3) New Weapon: Bore-sight Tracking Pulsar. Locks on to nearest badguy; just press the trigger key to fire. This weapon is really needed against the new fast moving Raiders and also works against the Predators as well as Seeker missiles. Experienced players will find that this new weapon makes it pretty easy to kill the Predators. They may still use the older Vertical Pulsars to give the game more challenge, but for everyone else, this will be the weapon of choice against everything on the grid. 4) New Sky: We've added a "painted" image of a gridded sky with parts of it "eaten" away. It really adds the the "other world" feeling of the game. 5) Weapons-Scope view is no longer wire-frame. Everything uses solid-filled polygons now. The Weapons-Scope still uses the heads-up display and the rest of it works the same. 6) Start Time: Every level now starts at the BEGINNING of an ATTACK Cycle, so there is only a few minutes to wait before the action begins. The rest of the Cycles remain unchanged. Note: Modem vs Direct Computer-to-Computer connection: Version 1.2 of CyberDrome checks serial numbers at bootup. It will not permit team play *over a modem* if serial numbers match. You must have separate copies of CyberDrome to play this way. However, you can play CyberDrome using the same copy when using a direct, null-modem connection. Upgrades are now available directly from Missionware Software. You need no new documentation for version 1.2, therefore we can keep the upgrade cost low. And if you enjoy playing in "Team" mode, we've got an even better deal for you. If you are a registered owner of CyberDrome and would like to update to version 1.2, just send in $15 to receive your new version 1.2 disk. If you and a Teammate would both like to upgrade, the cost is only $25! You both must be registered owners. No matter what upgrade method you choose, make sure to include your full name and address AND the serial number(s) off of your disk. If the registered name and serial number does not match, we will not be able to process your upgrade. If you aren't sure whether or not you are registered, include your old master disk. Would you like to join the CyberForce? If so, this is a great time to do it. CyberDrome normally sells for $39.95 plus $4 shipping and handling, for a total cost of $43.95. But now you can purchase CyberDrome for $39.95 with shipping and handling included! That's a savings of $4 over your usual mailorder costs. Even better is our special deal when 2 of you purchase CyberDrome for Team play. If both copies are shipped to one address, your cost is only $69.95, shipping included! Now *that's* a deal you can't pass up. (These special deals are for USA and Canadian customers only. Overseas customers must include an extra $4 for shipping, making the total purchase price $43.95 (for a single copy purchase) or $73.95 (for a Team purchase). Even so, that's a savings of $4 over our usual overseas shipping and handling rate of $8.) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The special deals above are available through January 31, 1994. Missionware Software accepts payment for upgrades and new purchases as follows: Personal checks Money Orders Visa MasterCard To order, or for more information, contact: Missionware Software 354 N. Winston Drive Palatine, IL 60067-4132 United States of America phone 708-359-9565 --==--==--==--==-- ||| ||| Shutdown ............................ Power off, EXIT, BYE, Logoff / | \ ------------------------------------------------------------------ AEO can now be found on CompuServe in the GAMERS forum (type "Go Gamers" at any system prompt). AEO-PJ will continue to be available, as usual, on CompuServe in the Atari Forums. I'm pleased to be able to offer the many readers of AEO who can only access us via the Internet a chance to obtain AEO through a subscription service. If you have an Internet connection, drop Greg Lindahl a request at . We welcome feedback from all of our readers; feedback both positive and negative. Whatever you think of our efforts, we sincerely would like to know. Our EMail addresses are sprinkled throughout each issue - with the new Internet gateway into GEnie, you can reach us through the Internet also. Append "@genie.geis.com" to any of our GEnie addresses. Until the next issue of AEO, I remain, Your Editor Travis Guy Internet: aeo.mag@genie.geis.com --==--==--==--==-- (This issue printed on recycled photons) --==--==--==--==-- DNFTEC --==--==--==--==-- #1 (11-1) Go Noles! --==--==--==--==-- Atari Explorer Online Magazine is a bi-weekly publication covering the entire Atari community. Reprint permission is granted, unless otherwise noted at the beginning of the article, to registered Atari user groups and not for profit publications under the following terms only: articles must remain unedited and include the issue number and author at the top of each article reprinted. Other reprints granted upon approval of request. Send requests to . Opinions presented herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff, or of the publishers. All material herein is believed accurate at the time of publishing. --==--==--==--==-- Atari, ST, Mega ST, STE, Mega STE, TT030, Atari Falcon030, TOS, MultiTOS, NewDesk, BLiTTER, Atari Lynx, ComLynx, Atari Jaguar, Atari Portfolio, and the Atari Fuji Symbol are all trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. All other trademarks and identifying marks mentioned in this issue belong to their respective owners. --==--==--==--==-- Atari Explorer Online Magazine "Your Only Independent Atari Online" Copyright ½ 1993, Subspace Publishers * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: A E O ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: Volume 2 - Issue 21 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 7 December 1993 :: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::