========================================================================== (C) 1993 by Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari Roundtables. May be reprinted only with this notice intact. The Atari Roundtables on GEnie are *official* information services of Atari Corporation. To sign up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type XJM11877,GEnie and hit RETURN. The system will prompt you for your information. ========================================================================== Category 36, Topic 5 Message 1 Mon Aug 03, 1992 K.DRAKE [SirFransis] at 21:05 EDT Eric, When programming the Lynx, does all of the program (including sound) have to fit in the 64K of RAM? Is that why most games don't use a lot of digitized speech or sounds or can the Lynx dynamically pull sounds off the cart when they're needed (thus making the size of the cart the ONLY limiting factor)? Also, if the Lynx HAD more RAM would that mean a larger color palette? I think the screen resolution x being 4 bits deep takes up about 8K or so of RAM and increasing the colors would decrease the programming space to unacceptable levels. Or are the colors hardwired to the blitter. (Blitter, didn't I read something like that on the Falcon specs?) Surfing the Software Seas, Sir Fransis ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 2 Tue Aug 04, 1992 T.KILBRIDE at 00:25 EDT I started a LYNX topic in the *SPORTS BB. Go there soon and keep it going before it vanishes for lack of interest! ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 3 Tue Aug 04, 1992 J.JENKINS19 [Jarius] at 10:34 EDT To message 200. All the program does not have to be in the system at one time. I know because I was able to pull off a neat trick (only was able to do it one day though) I could pull the game cart out of the game while the Lynx was on and it would stay on. If It was Rampart and the Castle graphics were already loaded I could see those graphics. The game would try to progress to the fighting scene, but since the fighting graphics weren't loaded in yet all you would get were blocks where the new graphics should have been. It was interesting to see. But for some reason I can't do it again... *s ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 4 Wed Aug 05, 1992 E.GINNER at 03:49 EDT Sir Fransis - I did digitized sound by loading pieces of a sound into a 256 byte ram buffer. The pieces keep loading in until the sound is done. This method has a couple of limitations - it tends to slow down the game, and you can't load other stuff like graphics from the cart while the sound is playing. Playing the entire sound from ram is the way to go if there is room for it. 16K out of the 64K ram available is used for double buffering 2 screens (8K per screen). About 5K is used up by code for doing music, sound, and other basic stuff, so you have about 43K to use. You could play a game after pulling out the cart until the game tries to load something from the cart. Last but not least, more ram would not allow more colors. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 5 Sun Aug 16, 1992 A.FRIESEN [Aric] at 21:20 EDT It is unhealthy to remove a cartridge while the Lynx is on. Not reccommended. Aric Friesen ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 6 Mon Aug 17, 1992 P.BRENTS at 22:34 EDT I just read in the latest EGM that Atari is going to drop the price of the Lynx to $70. Is this true? Anybody hear anything else about this? Mark Brents ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 7 Wed Aug 19, 1992 K.DRAKE [SirFransis] at 00:12 EDT BRENTS, I know that some Electronics Boutique's are already selling them for $89.99 and if the GAME GEAR price is lowered like they say they are going to then I could see the price getting lower. Another reason to buy a Lynx, just get the software there!! ERIC, Do you know how many programmers there are for the Lynx or can you say. Also, what happened to all of the third-party publishers. Are they waiting for more Lynxes to be sold or did they decide to hold back. One more, this probably belongs somewhere else but I can't think of anywhere else game info could be easily found by others. I read an article in Forbes that said that not one but two major releases are due from Atari in the next 12 months. One the already announced Falcon and the other, the perennial camera-shy Jaguar. Can you mention anything other than verifying it's exsistance (like the article did) or are you NDA? :-) Sailing the RUMOR seas, Sir Fransis ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 8 Wed Aug 19, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 00:36 EDT P.BRENTS - Not unless they're going to drop the price of the Deluxe Package again because otherwise the $129.95 Deluxe Package loses a lot of its value. Maybe $89.95 or thereabouts, but I seriously doubt they'd drop it as far as $70. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 9 Wed Aug 19, 1992 E.GINNER at 00:49 EDT Sir Fransis - I can't mention anything about new products. Atari has about 5 Lynx programmers, but most games are contracted to other companies, so I don't know how many are really working on Lynx games. Telegames and Shadowsoft are the only 3rd party companies I know of, but there are probably a few more. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 10 Wed Aug 19, 1992 J.KUDRON [Jim~ST Sysop] at 19:40 EDT Messages #1-199 have been archived and are in the library-File #25370 Jim Kudron 19Aug92 ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 11 Thu Aug 20, 1992 J.HANLEY4 at 04:28 EDT This may have asked before but I'm new here so give me a break... I have a general understanding of the hardware requirements for Lynx development - what about the software (i.e. language(s), utilities)? ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 12 Thu Aug 20, 1992 E.GINNER at 04:43 EDT The development kit includes a 6502 assembler, debugger, rom building program, graphics converter. You use your own editor and paint program (Dpaint 3 or 4). ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 13 Sun Aug 23, 1992 ALEXANDRI at 07:59 EDT What ever happenned to the plans to speed up the LYNX? Juan ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 14 Thu Aug 27, 1992 K.DRAKE [SirFransis] at 08:49 EDT Eric, I haven't seen Lx's name on any Lynx games recently and as I recall his Lynx music really tweaked the small amount of room that it has for sound. Is he still doing game music? Sailing the searching seas, Sir Fransis. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 15 Thu Aug 27, 1992 T.MCCOMB [=Tom=] at 22:52 EDT I believe he did Rampart. -Tom ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 16 Thu Aug 27, 1992 E.GINNER at 22:55 EDT Sir Fransis - Lx does contract work for Atari, so he can do work for other companies also. He has done music and sounds for some Nintendo games. Right now I think he's doing some stuff for a Falcon game. I agree that he and Bob Vieira have done some of the best music for the Lynx. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 17 Sat Aug 29, 1992 K.DRAKE [SirFransis] at 10:14 EDT Eric, Do you know anything about Road Riot (the Atari arcade conversion for the Lynx). Have you gotten a chance to play it and what did you think. Sailing the software seas, Sir Fransis. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 18 Sun Aug 30, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 02:14 EDT By the way, STEEL TALONS is out! ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 19 Sun Aug 30, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 10:23 EDT S.JOHNSON10: Well, how 'bout a review!?!?!?!?!?!? Are the graphics smooth and superb? Does the control system ruin the game (ala Hard Drivin')??? Is it a 2 Meg cart? Is it a "MUST HAVE" like "Stun Runner"? Does it make the "Lame Geer" and the "Lame Toy" look as inferior as they truly are? Please elaborate!!!!!!!! ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 20 Sun Aug 30, 1992 E.GINNER at 19:31 EDT I haven't played Road Riot yet. According to our testers, Steel Talons is an excellent game. I don't know the details about the controls, but it definitely better than Hard Drivin. It's a 2 meg cart, as most are these days. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 21 Sun Aug 30, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 22:55 EDT From what I hear from a friend on internet, Steel Talons was written by the same guy who wrote Hard Drivin' only in the meantime, he has "learned how to program a playable control system". Good reviews all around. It was proclaimed the next "Gotta have it" game. (Perhaps he learned how to code in some "Uh- huh" or something?) ______________________ \hunderbird P.S. No ComLynx option though... :-( ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 22 Mon Aug 31, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 06:07 EDT D.ENGEL - Check out the new STEEL TALONS topic (I don't know what it'll be yet, but maybe Topic 25) for a review. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 23 Mon Aug 31, 1992 K.DRAKE [SirFransis] at 21:16 EDT Eric, Talkin' bout frame rates =+). What are the most common ones? Is the frame rate directly tied to the complexity of the game? That is, if the CPU needs clock cycles for computation, is the screen frame rate decreased and when there is perhaps one scaling object (Ala Kung Food, Rampage intros), the frame rate maxed? (The max is 60/sec, right?) Also, the 65C02 is an 8-bit processor, right? Is only the graphics chip 16-bit driven by an 8-bit CPU or is the 65C02 16-bit in the same way that a 68000 is 32-bit (16- bit internally with an 8-bit data bus). Sailing the technical seas, Sir Fransis ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 24 Mon Aug 31, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 22:14 EDT SirFransis The Lynx has a 16 bit version of the 6502 in it. It is 16 bits in the same way that the 68000 is 24/16 bits externally. Frame rate is variable. When an image is finished being created, the CPU allows it to be viewed. The next frame is being created, while the current one is visible. This is called 'double buffering'. It is a cool technique for making graphics smoother. It is noticeably absent from many high-end PC games, because of their stone-age graphics architecture. Depending on the complexity of the image being created, the actual creating time may vary. For example, on the ST a sprite drawn on an even word boundary will be drawn faster then one on an odd pixel, so as an object moves across the ST screen, it's frame rate will vary slightly faster and slower. Careful coding can hide or even eliminate this problem, if timing is critical. I would suspect that the more objects on a Lynx screen, the more time it takes to draw one, so the same theory applies. _____________________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 25 Mon Aug 31, 1992 E.GINNER at 22:50 EDT Max frame rate is 75 per second, most games run at about 15-20 per second. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 26 Tue Sep 01, 1992 J.THOMAS12 [JT] at 00:26 EDT Does anybody know where can I get price and availability information for the Lynx development system? JT ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 27 Tue Sep 01, 1992 T.MCCOMB [=Tom=] at 02:02 EDT $5,000 and you supply your own Amiga 2000. -Tom McComb ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 28 Mon Sep 07, 1992 P.HAGGOOD2 [Patrick] at 11:45 EDT Hope this is the right topic: For trade: Electrocop for the Atari Lynx. Only a few weeks old. Would like Warbirds or Shanghai, or a shoot-em-up similar to Rygar or Xenophobe (these I own). Also have Gauntlet for trade. While I'm at it, anyone seen RaiDen or Rolling Thunder? These were supposed to already be out, but nobody's seem em. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 29 Wed Sep 09, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 02:35 EDT You know, for touting the Lynx's stereo sound as much as everyone does, it's really amazing how many Lynx games don't use it at all. Seems like none of the last half dozen or so new Lynx releases (BATMAN RETURNS, STEEL TALONS, SHADOW OF THE BEAST, etc.) have stereo sound and when you look at all the Lynx games as a whole, there's really only a handful that have stereo sound. If space is that much of a problem, then perhaps the minimum size of games should be cranked up to 4Mb??? ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 30 Thu Sep 17, 1992 K.DRAKE [SirFransis] at 00:01 EDT To anyone, Although this doesn't make or break a company in the vidgame biz, it sure doesn't hurt!;-} I think Atari should have a contest where users think of a mascot for their videogame systems (including look, name, the whole sh'bang!) And use the winning entry as their Mario (or Sonic, or Bonk). What do you think? I've got some ideas in mind. Sailing the speculating seas, Sir Fransis. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 31 Thu Sep 17, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 02:25 EDT K.DRAKE - How about WHATIZZIT? ??? Sorry about that! I live in Georgia and can't help worry about how incredibly stupid our Olympic Committee is. Then again, I'll be LONG GONE by the time the Olympics show up here...thank goodness! ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 32 Thu Sep 17, 1992 M.POCHE [Mick] at 04:36 EDT Actually Steve, WHATIZZIT? would make a much better video game mascot than it does an Olympic mascot. Heck, a rock would make a better mascot for anything than that idiotic WHATIZZIT? thing. Makes me wonder if the Olympic Committee is suffering from some bad acid trip back in the '60's. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 33 Thu Sep 17, 1992 REALM [Joey] at 18:29 EDT I still think Pinhead would make a good mascot! Especially with the release of Hellraiser 3. Now all we needs a good movie tie in...:-) ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 34 Fri Sep 18, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 05:18 EDT M.POCHE - I agree. Actually, every time I see WHATIZZIT? now, I feel like I have a mouthful of toothpaste for some reason. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 35 Fri Oct 30, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 00:39 EST Wow! I ran across M magazine today and it had the Lynx listed (and pictured) in its 'holiday gift ideas' section. However, to counteract that good news, I found out today that my nearest Toys 'R' Us store has been out of Lynx's for months now and always has trouble getting more of them from Atari. They DO, however, have a good stock of Lynx games. Still, if Atari's going to continue to have supply problems (with the Lynx and possibly other products), then they should SERIOUSLY consider 'teaming up' with someone who CAN meet supply. Low supply is almost the ONLY reason that the Lynx is getting the crap beaten out of it by the other portables. Also, in the new EGM BUYER'S GUIDE, the reviewers came to the same basic concensus (that I agree with) that although the Lynx has utterly fantastic capabilities, very few Lynx games available take advantage of them and most are therefore, in a sense, second rate. For example, like I'd mentioned before, there are now about 52 Lynx games available, yet only about half a dozen (12%) utilise stereo sound. Why tout the stereo capabilities of the Lynx if you're not going to use them? They also say that there is a relatively small selection of games (52 games in about 3 years IS rather small) and that there are still too few trickling out of Atari. The Game Gear has only been out a year and already has about the same number of games available as the Lynx does. It's also somewhat reassuring, yet troublesome to hear these guys say (to paraphrase) that the Lynx isn't quite dead yet. C'mon, Atari! Get your butts in gear! ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 36 Sat Oct 31, 1992 A.B.SMITH [Barry] at 05:04 EST My son's Lynx has quit. Where would one send it for repair or replacement? What is the complete procedure. Thanks. - Barry ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 37 Sat Oct 31, 1992 C.ROSE4 [Rage] at 16:12 EST I just saw my first plug for the ATARI LYNX on television. The sponsers for MTV's Halloween Dance Party was the ATARI LYNX. About every 15 mins or so they would have a contest and the winner would receive a Lynx. They even had contestants battling each other on Lynx games. It's about time for some national televisual plugs. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 38 Sat Oct 31, 1992 REALM [Joey] at 17:18 EST Rage, I flipped through last night and saw that too! Nice pre-christmas advertising. Except they guy said they fell off truck so they where giving them away. Might have been true...:-) ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 39 Sun Nov 01, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 04:24 EST Yeah, I caught the last few seconds of a new Lynx commercial on MTV a few days ago and hope to see the WHOLE commercial soon. Maybe Atari's head ISN'T so far up there afterall! So what new Lynx games are due out by Christmas? I've heard up to another 20 are due, but I'm a bit skeptical. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 40 Mon Nov 02, 1992 D.MCNAMEE [Dan @ Atari] at 17:41 EST Barry, Repair/replacement for the Lynx is $50 + $5 S/H. For R/R, send the Lynx, plus a check or money order for $55 to: Atari Corporation 390 Caribbean Drive Sunnyvale, CA 94086 Dan McNamee Atari Softsource Administrator ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 41 Tue Nov 03, 1992 T.KILBRIDE at 01:15 EST Can't find the Lynx? I buy from a place in Virginia that's just a phone call away. They sell the Lynx for $89 and discount games too. Leave me E-Mail and I'll give you the name, address, phone. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 42 Fri Nov 06, 1992 K.DRAKE [SirFransis] at 08:32 EST Eric, How does the Lynx save games work? Is it a battery or some pseudo-static ram? Sailing the saving seas, Sir Fransis ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 43 Fri Nov 06, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 21:03 EST SirFransis: I've never heard the term 'pseudo-static RAM' before, but I think the answer to your question is an internal EEPROM (Electrically Eraseable Programmable Read Only Memory). These circuits are reletively inexpensive, have virtually unlimited shelf-life, and have a MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) of about 10,000 write cycles. They make great 'save game' memories. _________________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 44 Sat Nov 07, 1992 E.GINNER at 00:50 EST You're right, it uses an 8K eeprom that you can write to anytime during a game. There is no battery, but as D.ENGEL said, they do wear out after a looooong time. Eye of the Beholder will have one for sure, I don't know of any other games that will use it. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 45 Sat Nov 07, 1992 A.B.SMITH [Barry] at 06:07 EST Dan- Thanks for the help. - Barry ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 46 Sun Nov 08, 1992 K.DRAKE [SirFransis] at 01:03 EST Eric, Is there any way that a game that just went into coding, say, last week no, more like 6-8 weeks ago, could be through production and into the stores by Christmas? I'm asking because of the Castlevania 3-d rumor. Sailing the 3D seas, Sir Fransis. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 47 Mon Nov 09, 1992 D.MCNAMEE [Dan @ Atari] at 18:16 EST Barry, No problem. Dan ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 48 Wed Nov 11, 1992 E.GINNER at 01:03 EST Games that will be in stores by Christmas had to be ready for manufacturing about a month ago. Even that late is pushing it. I don't believe you could do a decent game in less than 3 months, not including manufacturing time. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 49 Thu Nov 12, 1992 R.WELLS6 at 01:16 EST there was 2 lynxes on the ABC show "Full House" last night. The show was about twins, one set of the twins had a lynx each. rod ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 50 Thu Nov 12, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:26 EST Anyone have a list of all the Lynx games due by Xmas? I just saw WORLD CLASS FUSSBALL/SOCCER for the first time today, but I'm not sure if that's 'just out' new or 'out for a couple weeks' new. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 51 Thu Nov 12, 1992 K.DRAKE [SirFransis] at 02:44 EST Has anyone seen the inside of Bud Bundy's room? There on the table by the door sits an Atari 5200! I wish he would want to sell it! Eric, I keep seeing the maximum number of sprites for the Lynx as 128 (as printed in EGM's Buyer's Guide). Is this correct? I mean, I thought you could have as many as available memory could hold. So, if they wanted to be correct, (they did memtion that sprite size was variable) in the extreme case that every sprite is only one pixel big, you could get more than 128 in memory. That is, of course, assuming that 128 is not a hardware limit. Sailing the spritely seas, Sir Fransis ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 52 Fri Nov 13, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:31 EST Does the Lynx drain batteries when it's not in use? I've been wondering because I rarely get more than 1 hour's use out of my Lynx on a fresh set of batteries when it's supposed to be about 5 hours of use. I don't play with the Lynx that often and was wondering if it's normal for the batteries to drain or if there might be a problem with my Lynx. I'm thinking there may be a problem because I've also had batteries drain rather quickly on my Lynx while using the AC adaptor. Am I SUPPOSED to remove the batteries from it whenever it's not in use??? On to a brighter note... It's good to see around here that nearly all the stores I've seen carrying the Lynx have a significantly larger display of Lynx games than they do for the Sega Game Gear and even the TurboGrafix- 16/TurboExpress. Now we just need a big ad campaign and a whole slew of new Lynx games for Xmas. I saw a new Lynx ad on MTV a few weeks ago (or at least the last 5-10 seconds of one) and have been watching MTV a lot since to try to catch it again, but I haven't seen one since. Is a new campaign underway or was the ad I saw part of just for the Lynx-sponsored MTV Halloween Bash? By the way, is the Dracula Lynx game supposed to coincide with the release of Bram Stoker's Dracula? ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 53 Fri Nov 13, 1992 S.FEENEY [SHAUN] at 04:52 EST Rod, I saw the Lynxes too, couldn't tell what game they were playing though. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 54 Sat Nov 14, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:45 EST K.DRAKE - I've always read that the Lynx's 'OS' had support for an "unlimited" number of sprites, so you could conceivably have 10,920 single pixel sprites. Actually, I remember reading that the Lynx had some kind of 'artificial' high resolution of 480x102, so maybe even 32,760 single pixel sprites are possible. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 55 Sun Nov 15, 1992 E.GINNER at 01:38 EST Those Lynxes on Full House weren't even turned on when the kids were playing them! The Dracula game has nothing to do with the movie. There is no limit to the number of sprites on the Lynx, except that if you use too many the game will slow down. For example, each dot in Ms Pacman is a sprite so there are over 200 sprites drawn each frame in the game (20 times a second for that game). ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 56 Sun Nov 15, 1992 K.DRAKE [SirFransis] at 07:02 EST Eric, Is Lx pronounced "Lex" or "Elex"? Do you know if he's up for any more Lynx music (say, Lynx - take out the "yn" - hmmm) Sailing the Lxicon seas, Sir Fransis ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 57 Mon Nov 16, 1992 K.DRAKE [SirFransis] at 23:55 EST Eric, I was playing Hockey and I thought that gray area where you were looking through the protective glass at the rink was just a gray area. Then I realized that my characters actually get a shade darker as they go behind it. Upon further investigation, I found that the "penalty time" numbers would also get dark when they got over that part of the rink. Is that palette flipping or just some real neat programming for a real neat effect? Sailing the shaded seas, Sir Fransis ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 58 Wed Nov 18, 1992 E.GINNER at 01:45 EST Lx is pronounced 'Alex'. I'm not sure what he's working on these days, as he does contract work for Atari and other companies. I haven't played Hockey so I'm not sure what you are talking about. I'll check it out. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 59 Sun Nov 22, 1992 R.COBBLE1 [ROD] at 19:08 EST Just thought you would like to hear about my games I own for the LYNX and my personal rating. (Of course this changes about every week) One Player Two Player ------------ ---------- Rampart Baseball Heroes Checkered Flag Rampart Steel Talons Checkered Flag Scrapyard Dog Warbirds Warbirds California Games Stun Runner Rygar Baseball Heroes California Games These are in order of preference, but I love all of them............ Rod (proud to own a LYNX) ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 60 Sun Nov 29, 1992 K.DRAKE [SirFransis] at 00:13 EST Anyone who works at a Toys R Us, Email me. I want to ask you something about your Lynxes there. Still Sailing, Sir Fransis ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 61 Mon Nov 30, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:54 EST Well, it's the end of the BUSIEST shopping weekend of the year and my local Toys 'R' Us (Atari's seemingly 'pride & joy' of Lynx outlets) STILL has no Lynx's to sell (and hasn't for at least 2 1/2 MONTHS). I guess it's about time I sell mine while it's still worth something??? And yes, I'm a bit pissed off. Things like this don't make me feel any more optimistic about Atari management FINALLY getting the hang of how to run a company. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 62 Mon Nov 30, 1992 REALM [Joey] at 04:39 EST Steve, No offense but how is the lack of Atari management even remotely related to your happiness with the Lynx? Atari could fall over dead tomorrow and I'd still be playing mine. I've already had enough fun to cover the cost. If you've played it 15 or 20 hours it's already cheaper per hour then going to the movies.:-) ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 63 Mon Nov 30, 1992 FAIRWEATHER [David] at 10:16 EST Right now Toy's R Us in Ventura, CA actually has their best selection of Lynx machines and carts since they started carrying the Lynx, so I don't think you can generalize too far from your local store Steve. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 64 Mon Nov 30, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 18:25 EST It really sucks to get a Toys R Us flier in the paper twice a week or more, with whole pages taken up by the Game Toy and another two page spread of the Game Gear, and no sign of the Lynx. I understand that these fliers are paid for by the companies whose products are being featured, and do not reflect the attitudes of the Toys R Us staff. In other words, Sega and Nintendo pay Toys R Us to place the ads in their flier. Don't complain to the store if you don't feel they are giving the Lynx a fair shake. They are. Someone else is at faultless. _____________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 65 Mon Nov 30, 1992 T.MCCOMB [=Tom=] at 18:35 EST That really is a silly position. Umm, err, then again... Say, Steve, I'll pay you $30 for that worthless LYNX system you have there. Yeah that's the ticket! Say they may go belly up next week... it's value could drop to $10... Better jump on that $30 offer!! ;-) -Tom McComb {6:31 pm} Monday, November 30, 1992 ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 66 Mon Nov 30, 1992 JOHN.KING.T [JOHN KING T] at 21:37 EST Steve, I was at my local Toys R Us this weekend in Burbank, CA. They DID have LYNX's in stock. I looked behind the "cage" and my guestimate was about three dozen. The Babbage's in my local mall in Glandale, CA has give the LYNX priority over the other hand held game systems by putting the LYNX "up front." The Electronic Boutique, in the same mall, even has a custom LYNX sign. I guess you don't live in the right part of the country. JKT ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 67 Tue Dec 01, 1992 SAM-RAPP [<>] at 21:07 EST Steve, maybe you should go elsewhere to buy your lynx products. Of the three places here in Chattanooga, TN that I can buy lynx games, Toys R Us has the worst selection and prices. The best selection is at Electronic Botique in the mall. They generally have more than 40 titles in stock and keep thier prices VERY attractive. Frequent sales too, but little advertising. I bought robotron for 14.95 there last week. This is a nationwide chain so you should be able to find one somewhere. -----------------> Sam ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 68 Wed Dec 02, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:19 EST FAIRWEATHER - Well if Atari's still just doing their lame 'select marketing' thing, it tells me that Atari's not doing ANYTHING to improve anything. It's just REALLY disappointing is all. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 69 Thu Dec 03, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 02:14 EST SAM-RAPP - The problem is that Toys 'R' Us is THE place that Atari likes to gloat about having the Lynx available through. I should have noted that message I wrote "WARNING! HEAVY SARCASM!" Yes, Electronics Boutique seems like THE place to buy Lynx stuff (the ones here are now selling most of the games for under $30). I also saw Software Etc. has a Xmas promo where you can get the deluxe package for $10 off with the purchase of a Lynx game. I THOUGHT someone said that Atari was going to have a 'free-game-with-Lynx- purchase' Xmas promo where there would be a choice between 3 or 4 different free game titles, but I haven't heard anything more about it. I've noticed that they've reduced the base unit price to $79.95 for a limited time, though. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 70 Fri Dec 04, 1992 R.COBBLE1 [ROD] at 18:08 EST Just saw a Babbages ad for the holidays, and they have the LYNX Deluxe package for 129.00 & includes Lynx,Cal games cart.,Comlynx, Carrying Pouch AND AC ADAPTER! Thought it was a misprint, but if you look close at the picture of the lynx box in the ad, it list the AC adapter as included. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 71 Sat Dec 05, 1992 EXPLORER.1 [ Ron ] at 00:10 EST ========================================================================== A CHRISTMAS PRESENT -- from ATARI! ================================== ATARI LYNX: And a special low price *** $79.95 *** Order now and get your Lynx faster than Santa! Order by December 21 and receive your order by Christmas! Free Federal Express delivery! Hurry! Offer expires 1/31/93! Call 1-800-327-5151 to order now! This Christmas, push your mind to the edge with the Atari Lynx: Backlit screen, stereo sound, 50+ incredible games, "Flip" controls for left handed players, Play with up to 8 friends with "ComLynx", 4,000 brilliant colors (16 bit graphics engine), The worlds largest portable video game screen (3.5" diag.) Atari Lynx has over 50 games -- all jam packed with full color graphics, digital stereo sound and radical arcade style action that you won't find anywhere else. Get the picture? You'll find plenty of games at your favorite store (call us for the location nearest you). Many titles available at these fine locations: Electronics Boutique, Software Etc., Babbages, Waldensoftware, Nobody Beats the Wiz, The Good Guys, Toys 'R' Us. Or order all the software you can handle: Xenophobic, Rampage, Batman Returns, Pinball Jam, Gates of Zendocon, Toki, Switchblade II, Steel Talons, Electrocop, Ms. Pac Man, Zalor Mercenary, Ninja Gaiden, Paperboy, Rygar, A.P.B, Awsome Golf, Warbirds, Basketbrawl, Blue Lightning, California Games, Hockey, Viking Child, Xybots, Tournament Cyberball, Shadow of the Beast, NFL Football, S.T.U.N Runner, Turbo Sub, Chip's Challenge, Block-Out, Hard Drivin', Superskweek, Crystal Mines II, Rampart, Checkered Flag, Lynx Casino, Shanghai, Klax, Scrapyard Dog, Ishido, Pac-Land, Roadblasters, Kung Food, Hydra, Robo-Squash, Baseball Heroes, World Class Soccer, Gauntlet--The Third Encounter, Todd's Adventures in Slime World, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, and more! COMING SOON: Joust, Pit Fighter, Dracula, Dinolympics, Power Factor, Dirty Larry, Renegade Cop and more every month. The entire Lynx game library is available from us, by calling 1-800-327-5151. And don't forget to order your Atari Lynx for only $79.95 -- that's $20 off through 1/31/93! And get FREE Federal Express delivery. Or send check or money order to: Atari Lynx P.O. Box 61657 Sunnyvale, CA 94088-1657 (For CA residents, please add sales tax) Call for further information 1-800-327-5151. This offer expires 1/31/93. "Atari", "ComLynx", and "Lynx" are registered trademarks of Atari Corp. Atari: an American company traded on the American Stock Exchange ======================================================================== ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 72 Sat Dec 05, 1992 T.MCCOMB [=Tom=] at 00:14 EST Sb: #Xmas Deal Fm: john skruch (Atari) 75300,1165 To: All Hi, everyone.... Well, apparently this Xmas deal is out in the open now, so here it is: Atari is offering Lynxs directly for $79.99, we're also offering all game software titles directly until 1/31/93. This deal includes free Fed Ex delivery. Order by 12/21, and receive your order in time for Xmas. AND -- you can do it all over the phone. Call 1-800-327-5151 to order. Now's your chance to get all those cartridges you can't find! (OK, so it's not a new game system.... picky picky! It _does_ save you from having to go to the mall...!) Merry Christmas-----! Juli Atari Corp ====== Edited for clarity ===== ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 73 Sat Dec 05, 1992 SAM-RAPP [<>] at 11:55 EST I hate to burst your bubble Rod, but I think thats pretty much been the suggested retail for the deluxe package for quite some time..... ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 74 Sun Dec 06, 1992 H.WOOTAN [Harry] at 01:29 EST Sam --- The packages I've seen for $129 haven't included the AC adapter. That's what Rod was referring to as being new. Ron --- I heard an "interpretation" that Atari would be offering the games at a discount as well. Is that not part of it? Sounds like it's just that they'll be available that way. -- Harry ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 75 Sun Dec 06, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:37 EST R.COBBLE1 - Didn't you know about the $129 Lynx Deluxe package for the past year? That's what I got last Xmas. EXPLORER.1 - I take exception to the "over 50 games -- all jam packed with ... digital stereo sound" bit since VERY FEW (only about half a dozen) actually have stereo sound. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 76 Sun Dec 06, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 10:32 EST S.JOHNSON10: What are _you_ complaining about NOW!?!?!?!? You hear the LYNX sounds in BOTH ears, don't you?!?!!?!? So, internally to your head they ARE "all jam packed with digital stereo sound"!!! Stop your whining and get with the program! Oops! This isn't CAT 14 TOPIC 20... I take it back. _____________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 77 Sun Dec 06, 1992 R.COBBLE1 [ROD] at 17:53 EST Sam - Yeah, but did not include the AC Adapter! ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 78 Sun Dec 06, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 18:33 EST Wierd news flash: I just saw ANOTHER Lynx ad on MTV!!!!! This one had a very big "NOW $79.95" on the screen. I expected the "Toll Free Atari Lynxline" number to pop onto the screen at the end of the ad, but it did not happen. Instead a list of stores where the Lynx can be found (sometimes) appeared. I suspect that the new price applies to the stores too. Atari might just sell some this christmas! _________________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 79 Sun Dec 06, 1992 EXPLORER.1 [ Ron ] at 19:20 EST Steve, I think you misread the sentance and doubt there was intent by Atari to imply all Lynx games had "stereo sound" any more than imply all Lynx games include "radical arcade style action." Maybe we need to diagram the sentance structure, "Atari Lynx" is the subject (not "games"). The "all" goes with "graphics" (not "sound"): Atari Lynx has over 50 games -- all jammed packed with full color graphics, digital stereo sound, and radical arcade style action that you won't find anywhere else. The sentance is quoted verbatum from the ad. My ASCII formatting didn't help clairty. Each clause taken separately in my opinion is correct. I can understand how the sentance could be misread and will forward your post back to Atari for future reference. Thanks for pointing it out. ------- D.ENGEL, By golly, you've got it now -- that's the spirit! :-) Ron @ Atari Explorer ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 80 Sun Dec 06, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 22:34 EST THUNDERBIRD'S CHRISTMAS BONUS MESSAGE ===================================== Special offer: The UNKNOWN Lynx Special!!!!!! You heard it here FIRST! Yes, that's right! Buy an ATARI(R) LYNX(TM) between now and 8/30/93 and get your choice of: A) Batman Returns B) NFL Football C) TOKI D) Blue Lightning FOR ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!!!!!!! Yes, you heard me. A Free game. How do I do this, you ask! Simple: 1) Rush to your nearest supermarket and buy a can of Fisher(tm) Mixed nuts with the Coupon Booklet offer in yellow on the can. 2) Open the can and consume the nuts until you find the red booklet. 3) Open the booklet and carefully remove the coupon for a free Lynx Game. 4) Purchase a Lynx at a nearby store. According to the Atari TV ad I just saw on MTV you should find it for $79.95 at Babbages or Toys R Us or Electronics Boutique, and similar stores! 5) Fill out the survey on the back of the coupon. IMPORTANT: DO NOT WRITE IN THE BOX INDICATING YOU HEARD ABOUT THE LYNX "FROM A FRIEND". Place large check marks in one or more of the "TV", "RADIO", and "MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER" boxes instead. 6) Send in the receipt and UPC code from the box to the address on the coupon. 7) Wait... 8) Enjoy your FREE game! 9) Spread this message to every available online service, BBS, or willing listener. ______________________ \hunderbird >PLEASE Reprint in STReport, Z*Net, AEO, Usenet, Forbes, TIME, < >Newsweek, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and your local newspaper.< 'cause you thought Thunderbird never did anything nice around here! ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 81 Mon Dec 07, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:05 EST H.WOOTAN - The deluxe package I got last Xmas (which was when the new Lynx deluxe packages first came out) had the AC adaptor, so it's not a new inclusion. Maybe Rod was just talking about the OLD-style Lynx deluxe package? ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 82 Fri Dec 11, 1992 J.THOMAS12 [JT] at 14:06 EST I know somebody that just bought one last weekend at Toys R Us. They thought it was 99.95, but when they got to the counter, the cashier rang it up as 79.95. It's too bad they didn't advertise that fact! ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 83 Sun Dec 13, 1992 M.POCHE [Mick] at 14:21 EST Last night, while flipping channels on the TV, I happened to stop on the Travel Channel, and they were doing a story on ways to kill time in airports while waiting to board the plane. The first thing they showed was the Lynx, although one of the original ones. They showed a guy playing Blue Lightning, then showed some of the other games available (California Games, Klax, and Slime World). The next thing mentioned was the Portfolio, and showed the same guy doing some spreadsheet work, showed the RAM cards, and some other things on it. The only other thing shown was the Turbo Express, but it didn't get as much time as the Lynx, and there was no sign of the Game Boy or Game Gear! It was a pleasant surprize to see something with the Atari logo on it on TV, and I hope to see more. When is the big newspaper Lynx ad supposed to appear? - Mick ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 84 Sun Dec 13, 1992 EXPLORER.1 [] Ron [] at 15:10 EST Mick, The Lynx ad showed up in a number of metropolitan newspapers this weekend. The ad is very well done with 40+ game screenshots and several well aimed volleys at the "Game Boy" contrasting features with the Lynx. Ron @ Atari Explorer Magazine ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 85 Mon Dec 14, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:37 EST Wow! I just saw Atari's 'Lynx vs. GameBoy' circular in the Sunday paper today and am wildly impressed. This is some damn fine marketing, in my opinion. I'm assuming that this circular went out EVERYWHERE! It's about time Atari took the competition head-on in its marketing. Don't you think saying "Let the truth be known: GameBoy is for babies" is a bit strong, though? Nah!!! I wish the Lynx TV ads were like this! ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 86 Mon Dec 14, 1992 M.POCHE [Mick] at 03:03 EST Well, I just rummaged through my Sunday paper, but couldn't find the Lynx circular. Dang! Sounds like it was pretty cool. I hope it makes more than a few people realize how superior the Lynx is to the Game Boy. Keep it up Atari, and you may just survive the '90's! - Mick ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 87 Mon Dec 14, 1992 E.KRIMEN [Ed Krimen] at 21:38 EST It was very nice to see the GameBoy and Lynx right next to each other in Sunday's GoodGuys insert. GameBoy: $79.95 Lynx: $79.95 ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 88 Mon Dec 14, 1992 SAM-RAPP [<>] at 21:41 EST Sad to say, but there was no Lynx ad in my sunday paper here in Chattanooga, TN. We are the 4th largest city in Tennessee. I belive the sunday edition of the newspaper goes out to about 150-200 thousand homes. I guess my market just wasn't large enough!!! I wonder what the few existing Lynx dealers think about Atari's new direct marketing approach? --------------> Sam ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 89 Mon Dec 14, 1992 JOHN.KING.T [JOHN KING T] at 22:48 EST Sam, My guess is that the LYNX dealers, three within walking distance of my house, are happy about the direct sales approach of the LYNX machines. Gillette was famous for selling the razor cheaply because all the profit was in the blades. This is the same case with the LYNX. There are only a few dollars profit in the LYNX unit but there is good profit for the game carts. The carts are where the the money is. JKT ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 90 Mon Dec 14, 1992 T.MCCOMB [=Tom=] at 23:17 EST Right, John. You sell the LYNX ONCE to a customer, the Card sales go on and on. I wouldn't be surprised if Atari was selling LYNXs to dealers at cost or even BELOW cost. The money is in the cards. -Tom McComb {11:14 pm} Monday, December 14, 1992 ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 91 Tue Dec 15, 1992 T.KILBRIDE at 03:08 EST I ordered another Lynx Sunday on the 800 number. Who could resist? Earlier in the day, I was at INCREDIBLE UNIVERSE, but they didn't get the message and had the Lynx priced at $89.95. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 92 Tue Dec 15, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 06:06 EST Can anyone give more specifics about the newspaper ad which they saw? Upstate N.Y. doesn't appear to 'rate' with Atari either (even though the state capital is up here) ____________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 93 Tue Dec 15, 1992 H.WOOTAN [Harry] at 07:15 EST No more comments on the Fisher Mixed Nuts? Is it real? I've looked at the Fisher nuts around here and haven't seen a specially-marked can yet. Assuming it's a good offer, how early can I have bought my Lynx to be able to take advantage of the offer? As early as Thanksgiving or so? -- Harry p.s. Does anyone like to eat the nuts? Maybe we can work out a deal if you have the special cans in your area. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 94 Tue Dec 15, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 18:20 EST Harry: I'm holding my booklet right now, and it is for real. You must have purchased your LYNX between 8/30/92 and 8/30/93. Look for a red can with a yellow band near the top. ____________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 95 Tue Dec 15, 1992 JOHN.KING.T [JOHN KING T] at 21:38 EST T-Bird, From what I understand, it was not ATARI's decision as to where the four page ad was placed in newspapers. As with many companies, they have demographic information and a budget, then they contract with an outside ad agency who does inserts in newspapers. I can tell you that the four page ad is in the December issue of AtariUser Magazine. John King Tarpinian Assistant Editor AtariUser Magazine ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 96 Tue Dec 15, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 22:13 EST I will be keeping a watchful eye out for that issue then... Thanks! _____________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 97 Tue Dec 15, 1992 H.WOOTAN [Harry] at 22:45 EST Thunderbird ------- GREAT! I purchased my daughter's Christmas Lynx in November. Now to locate one of those cans. At least I know I have a while to find one. I'll probably just have to wait until the current stock at the stores dwindles and a new stock comes around. What size is the can with the booklet? Is it about 3 or 4 inches tall? Or larger than that? -- Harry ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 98 Wed Dec 16, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:53 EST SAM-RAPP - The Electronics Boutique/Games & Gadgets stores here in the Atlanta area are also selling the Lynx 'core system' for $79.95 (I was surprised when I saw that a week or so ago since I didn't know about this direct marketing thing). From what I've seen, most Lynx retailers mainly carry the $129 deluxe package Lynx (which I've seen for as low as $115) anyway, so Atari's offering the basic Lynx via direct mail isn't really hurting them (as was said, that would still increase Lynx game sales at these stores). One thing Atari forgot in the circular is the Lynx accessories. I take it the accessories CAN be bought via the direct mail deal, though. I also notice Atari left off the Shadowsoft and Telegames Lynx games, which is either because they're not Atari-brand Lynx games or because they suck (well, except for Fidelity Chess). As nice as this all seems, it's still somewhat troubling that we're some 20+ Lynx games short for the year, or have most people forgotten that? ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 99 Thu Dec 17, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:12 EST I was sickened today when I saw a guy at Electronics Boutique talk a customer into being put on a WAITING LIST for Game Gear systems (they were sold out) rather than buy a Lynx (she was interested in both. One problem was that he was demoing CALIFORNIA GAMES (as I've ALWAYS and ONLY seen demoed on the Lynx in a store), which brings up something I've mentioned before but MAY need reiterating: PACKAGE A NEW (i.e. different than CG) GAME WITH THE LYNX DELUXE PACKAGES!!! I'm not exactly sure WHAT should replace CG, but a few suggestions would be: TOKI (a 'platform' game), MS. PAC-MAN (a 'favorite' classic), or even JOUST (when available - it's reviewed in the new GamePro). The deluxe package just needs something a little more interesting. The more recent deluxe packages DO have stickers on them saying that CALIFORNIA GAMES is included rather than having it printed on the box, so perhaps Atari has had the foresight to do this, but now they NEED to do it. Anyway, getting back to Electronics Boutique... I'm VERY serious when I say this!...It appears to me (from visiting E.B., Babbages, and other stores that sell the Lynx and other game systems) that these stores have some kind of INCENTIVE to push others ahead of the Lynx. Whether this is because the profit margin on Lynx systems is so small that stores make significantly more money per sale on other systems, Atari doesn't give them a lot of money (for ads and such) like Sega and Nintendo do, or Nintendo and/or Sega are 'paying off' these store to do so (I knew someone who worked for Kay-Bee Toys when they sold Lynx's as well and he said he was TOLD by management to push, specifically, the Nintendo products over Sega and Atari stuff), I don't know for sure, but it DOES appear this way to me. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 100 Thu Dec 17, 1992 ZRATH-SMILEY [Zenobot] at 02:13 EST Yup, push the one product with "spiff" behind it. That's how it goes. Certain companies pay you to sell their products and I'm sure Nintendo does it. Sega might even do it too. Z-S (Who successfully escaped Retail Hell) ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 101 Thu Dec 17, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 19:02 EST Steve: I was in Electronicks Blowtique today doinf a little Christmas shopping. In the past 3 months, they moved their Lynx 'wall' down to a Lynx 'rack' down to today's Lynx 'shelf'! How can this be happening? Well, I found out today... I couldn't resist the markdown on some of the older titles, so I asked for one. The sales guy took the empty box out of the display shelf, replaced the contents from a file cabinet, and had the other guy shrink-wrap it. They said they didn't plan on restocking it. After my visit, they were down to 12 titles, 2 'core' Lynx, and 1 deluxe package (with Batman promo sticker removed). ______________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 102 Thu Dec 17, 1992 SAM-RAPP [<>] at 22:49 EST 20 games short for the year........ yeah I kinda noticed that too. What happened to Dracula? Where are the Lynx RPG's? ----------> Sam ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 103 Thu Dec 17, 1992 T.MCCOMB [=Tom=] at 23:35 EST My Electronics Boutique just expanded their LYNX section and curretnly carries about 35 games. About twice what they carry for the GG. -Tom McComb {11:25 pm} Thursday, December 17, 1992 ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 104 Fri Dec 18, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 18:54 EST Who said 'lightning only strikes once in the same place'? Shoot the guy... I was looking all around town to find a Lynx battery pack for a christmas gift, and _nobody_ had them anymore. Finally, after going way out of my way to get to a distant "Toys R Them", I find one with one of those tags you take to the checkout and pay and then take the stub to a window where they take it and get your item. I pay for my purchase (I paid too much, as I remember Electronics Boutique had them for about $4.00 less when THEY had them), but felt lucky to get one because I promised to get one for x-mas. The girl comes back after a long time and says that they don't carry them anymore... I managed to sweet-talk her into getting me the one in the display case, sans box and all. Sheesh! What is happening to the beloved Lynx???!?!?! _______________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 105 Sat Dec 19, 1992 R.MARETSKY2 [Rob] at 16:45 EST Hi Everyone, I've been an Atari owner in one form or another for about 13 years or so and I currently own a Lynx and about 14 games. I've persuaded two friends to buy one, so believe me when I say that I love the machine and its capabiltities... BUT The Lynx is ALWAYS going to be a second class "me-too" machine. I've seen it happen time and time again with every Atari product. Atari does not market the product appropriately, does not support the product correctly and manages to make bad decisions more than any competitor. Case in point: 1) The lynx has been out for how long now? How many games does it have? This is ridiculous. And to add insult to injury, I have heard the "We've got a landslide of games coming up - tomorrow" saying for so long now that it's just pathetic. You would think with Xmas coming up that Atari would release SEVERAL new games, but I very much doubt it. 2) I have NEVER, EVER seen a TV ad for the Lynx and extremely few print ads. I just don't understand. I also do not understand why Atari thinks its such a great idea to advertise in Atari mags. Listen - the Atari mag readers are ALREADY won over. Try a little missionary work and advertise in OTHER NON-ATARI mags. 3) I shake my head when someone says how great it is that store X carries a DECENT Lynx supply. Current Lynx owners have to fight and scratch to find anything and they are forced to jump for joy when they find mediocre support. We are all slobbering over a few scraps of meat. 4) How many non-Atari people know that the Lynx and Gameboy are the same price? Not enough. Hell, most people I've encountered when I am travelling with my Lynx have never seen one. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if my machine was the Color Gameboy they have heard about (or similar Gameboy - related comments). I have seen twice in Atari's history users try to do the marketing for Atari. Admittedly, this is more on the computer side, but it is practically unbelieveable that people are begging for more games and promoting Atari and the company just sits there. Bottom Line: Joe and Susan Average, who do not log onto GEnie, or read Atari mags are not going to buy a Lynx. They do not see it advertised on TV enough (or at all). They do not see it in the stores. They do not know about it. And its very sad. Like I said before - the Lynx is a great machine. ESPECIALLY when you think how long it has been out and how it is AT LEAST technically equivalent with the other game machines. But I've been down this road before with the Atari 400/800 and the Atari ST (which now sits in my closet). Things are not going to change. We will get our trickle of quality Lynx games and enjoy them in anonimity. Please don't interpet this as an attack. These are just my opinions and I am not trying to set off a flame war or attempt to tell Atari to get their butts in gear. I guess this is more or less a lament about the sad state the Lynx is in. Thanx for letting me bend a few ears, -Rob ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 106 Sat Dec 19, 1992 FAIRWEATHER [David] at 19:18 EST Last week's episode of DREAM ON (the sexy HBO comedy produced by Jon Landis) began with Martin, the lead character, playing with his son's LYNX. The LYNX was featured center screen for at least 15-20 seconds. At one point you could read the logo. I've got it on tape, I need to go back and see if I can tell what game he was playing. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 107 Sun Dec 20, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 00:29 EST Rob- I can agree with you 100%! Did you know that last year (when I bought mine) there were Lynxes stocked in local Kaybee toy stores. Kaybees are in virtually every mall around, and they were on display and people could see them and watch the demo. Very good. The trouble is, that the sales 'dude' tried for about 5 minutes to talk me into buying a GAME GEAR. I had to explain to him (in layman's terms) why the Lynx hardware was superior. He countered every point I made with "Yeah, but the Game Gear is really more cool." I guess that this guy must've been promoted to the top levels of management because Kaybee no longer carries the Lynx. FAIRWEATHER: Last week's "Married with Children" (where Bud Bundy gets a $25,000 scholarship and moves out) in Bud's dorm room you can plainly see a 1040ST (maybe it's a Falcon030) and a SM124 on his desk. Maybe this is an inside shot at Atari? A few weeks ago you could see he had a 7800 in his bedroom. _____________________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 108 Sun Dec 20, 1992 D.WALTER7 [Doug Walter] at 01:26 EST Rob, Some things are not likely to ever change. It must be a genetic problem ;-) OTOH, in Minnesota we have the new Mall of America, often referred to locally the 'Mega Mall'. More than 200 stores and an amusement park - all under one roof. And in this one mall there are FOUR stores that carry the LYNX line of products. A couple of them even give the Lynx its own section, and most carry the entire line of accesories as well as a decent assortment of games. And none of the store "managers" (boss du jour?) had any any information on dropping the line. A few salespeople claimed Lynx sales are up, but did admit that new games were needed. My favorite treatment though, came from a very serious young rep at KB Toys who INSISTED that Atari had just folded. Must have been "insider" information, eh? I had lottsa fun with her :-) Doug7 ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 109 Sun Dec 20, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 13:37 EST Doug7: I've heard that "Atari just folded" thing twice before at Electronics Boutique a few years back. ;-) Good News: I found an EB that had 3 new (to this area at least) titles: Dirty Larry, Dracula, and Fussball Soccer! I had to drive 108 miles to see them! Good thing I _love_ to drive around so much! _______________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 110 Sun Dec 20, 1992 T.MCCOMB [=Tom=] at 14:42 EST Did you buy any of them? I'm particularly interested in Dracula. -Tom McComb {2:37 pm} Sunday, December 20, 1992 ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 111 Sun Dec 20, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 19:50 EST Sorry, Tom... I got Dirty Larry, but I can't tall you much about it because I just finished wrapping it up in pretty red and green paper ;-) I'll be able to tell you more on Friday. _______________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 112 Sun Dec 20, 1992 R.MARETSKY2 [Rob] at 20:38 EST It's me again... I know I came off negative, but those are my honest feelings. The case of Tbird driving ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT miles for the privilege of giving money to Atari sums it all up pretty well. There are dealers out there who sell the Lynx with an objective viewpoint and even some of them are making money off of it. If things continue the way they are though, they'll be harder and harder to find. I'm glad to hear Atari released three new games, right before Xmas. (A week or so before) Just think how well they could have done if they had PLANNED to release a bunch A MONTH before instead. Oh well, I guess Atari did'nt realize Xmas fell on the 25th this year. :-| Go ahead, prove me wrong. I'll gladly admit it. However, in Mainstream America, where the Lynx must exist and flourish, the bottom line is dollars, and the Lynx is not winning the battle. Oh well, there's a strong small group of people who dig their Lynxes that will enable me to enjoy mine in relative obscurity. - Rob ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 113 Tue Dec 22, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 02:37 EST It just made me sick to see that stores were sold out of the Game Gear, yet the store was talking customers into waiting for more Game Gear's to come in (AFTER Xmas and for a HIGHER PRICE) rather than trying to sell them a Lynx (which the store DID have in stock!). On a 'brighter' note, however, there's appeared to be many sell-outs on Lynx games. Even though that leaves a lesser selection for everyone else, at least it means they're selling a lot of Lynx games. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 114 Sat Dec 26, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 00:57 EST Well, I got STEEL TALONS for Xmas and am pretty impressed with it (if only that it SEEMS pretty nice for being on a portable game system). I'll probably be buying DRACULA tomorrow before I go to work (which means I'll have 9 hours of WAITING to play it!!! ). I'll let everyone know tomorrow how DRACULA is. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 115 Sat Dec 26, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 02:04 EST Maybe you should buy "JOUST" instead. I hear it's out and getting rave reviews... ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 116 Sat Dec 26, 1992 REALM [Joey] at 03:21 EST T-Bird, Shhhh... let him buy Dracula, we already know about Joust.:-) I'm waiting to hear about Dracula! Never discourage our online GEnie pigs in the future.:-) ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 117 Sat Dec 26, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 11:09 EST Joey: Not to influence anyone, but I had heard that "Dirty Larry" got "Lame-o" reviews, "Dracula" got "Okay" reviews, and "Joust" got "Awesome" reviews. Since I have like near perfect versions of "Joust" on about 3 of my existing systems, the game no longer appeals to me. A lot of people are "into" the older translations, so I thought I would spread the word of the reviews to everyone. _Myself_ I am waiting for Cyberdrome... I just wish my Lynx had BLAST PROCESSING!!!!! _________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 118 Sat Dec 26, 1992 D.ASHTON1 [Stargazer ] at 15:54 EST Joey.... I'm not much of a RPG player, but Dracula- The Undead has got my attention. Its based on the book written by Bram Stoker, as was the recent movie. The graphics are detailed and mainly a black and white pallette, that has a brownish tint to give you the 'old-time' feel. There is 'color' in parts of he game. Is anyone else playing Dracula? I'm stuck in the catacombs under the castle. I can not get pass a horse, that at the top of a ladder. Dracula has killed me twice already, while I have been in the catacombs. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 119 Sat Dec 26, 1992 R.COBBLE1 [ROD] at 20:40 EST I just wanted to say: I LOVE Speedball II by the BitMap Brothers for the ST and rate it one of the best all time games. Any LYNX developers listening, consider this title....... BTW I love HOCKEY for the LYNX too! P.S. I heard Pit Fighter was due out last month.... what happened?? ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 120 Sun Dec 27, 1992 REALM [Joey] at 06:06 EST Stargazer, Dracula sounds like something I could get into! I don't really get attached to shootem ups, I need a plot.:-) Is there a lot to wonder around and explore? ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 121 Sun Dec 27, 1992 D.ASHTON1 [Stargazer ] at 20:23 EST Like any RPG based game, you do wonder around, searching differrent rooms, climb on walls and though the catacombs under the caslte. You have to do a lot of backing. You find something in one location and have to go to a compifferent area to use it. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 122 Mon Dec 28, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:47 EST Although I've only played DRACULA: THE UNDEAD for about 5-10 minutes so far, I think it's a pretty neat game. Even though it's only in 'ambervision' (the brownish, grey-scale (or brown-scale ) color coordination), I think the result is a pretty nice effect. When I bought it, the guy at Games & Gadgets (a.k.a. Electronics Boutique -- E.B. has $5 off game system cartridges coupons that are good through 1/15/93 in their Holiday Catalog) said, "You know it's not color, don't you?" like that automatically meant the game sucks or something. What a bonehead! I'll post futher on it when I've played it more. Maybe I'll use another $5 off coupon to get JOUST -- I mean, get my BROTHER to use a $5 off coupon to get JOUST (only 1 coupon per customer, ya know! ). What other Lynx games are due for immediate release? It would be kinda nice if people at Atari would tell us here when a game has been completed so that we know about when to expect it around 60 days in advance. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 123 Mon Dec 28, 1992 SAM-RAPP [<>] at 02:37 EST I just started a Dracula topic for the Lynx game of that name. If you have it, come on down.... if not, well come on down anyway! ----------> Sam ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 124 Mon Dec 28, 1992 DENNYA [Denny Atkin] at 10:19 EST Sheesh. I'm thinking of buying a Lynx at the wonderful price they're selling for, but it sounds like it's only getting marginally more support than the ST. It's such a great little system, but I worry about future software availability... Help me decide... Is Warbirds a flight sim? Good? How good is Pinball jam? What's the good driving game? How much is Atari selling the games for on the 800 number? What do the games retail for at stores? How much is the AC adaptor? ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 125 Tue Dec 29, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 00:23 EST Denny: Warbirds isn't a flight simulator. It's an air combat "game". It has somewhat limited actual flight "physics", but it is loads of fun! I don't have pinball jam but I have read it is a decent game. The AWESOME driving game is "Checkered Flag". This game is especially good if you have someone to "Lynx up" with (up to 8 drivers). I hear the 800 number sells for list price, which varies from game to game. The stores often discount the older titles, and have sales on new ones. The AC adaptor was $9.99 when I got mine last year. Anything else? _______________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 126 Tue Dec 29, 1992 T.MCCOMB [=Tom=] at 00:51 EST Warbirds _is_ a flight simulator (WWI), Blue Lightning is _not_. PinBall Jam is _very good_. Checkered Flag is good ComLYNXed up. There are close to 60 games available for the LYNX. -Tom McComb {12:49 am} Tuesday, December 29, 1992 ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 127 Tue Dec 29, 1992 ZRATH-SMILEY [Zenobot] at 03:52 EST Thunderbird (message 107): The game system in Bud Bundy's room looks more like a 5200. The system in his dorm room is a 1040ST and one of those SC1435 color monitors. It's bigger and chunkier than the old 1224s. I don't think this is an inside shot at Atari since virtually nobody knows what Ataris even look like!!! Z-S (1993: Atari's last chance.) ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 128 Tue Dec 29, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 18:38 EST Zenobot: I knew the computer in the dorm was a 1040ST, and I wasn't looking at the monitor long enough to see more than the blue Atari lear the bottom. As for the game machine, I wonder if it had unbroken joysticks! I found a goldmine of 5200 carts yesterday in the $1.00 store and I loaded up on them. My joysticks work okay, but they are cosmetically beat. I wish I knew where to get newer ones. If anyone has a 5200 they want to sell cheap, I know someone who wants one too! I hear that 7800's are going for $25.00 in "Big Lot" stores in Ohio/Western PA, anyone care to pick me up one? ____________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 129 Tue Dec 29, 1992 DENNYA [Denny Atkin] at 20:17 EST Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm thinking about it. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 130 Wed Dec 30, 1992 SAM-RAPP [<>] at 00:30 EST T-Bird---------> I bought a 7800 at a BIG LOTS here in Chattanooga, TN. several months back. I also got about 20 7800 carts for it at $1-$3 each. All that for under $60! While they are out of 7800's they do have a good quantity of carts remaining..... This is where Atari got all that cash they are supposed to be using to advertise the Falcon! -------------------> Sam ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 131 Wed Dec 30, 1992 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:41 EST DENNYA - There's about as many games for the Lynx as there are for the Game Gear (maybe more -- there's currently about 56 Lynx games available w/ another dozen or so due in the next month or so -- see below for a list of games). Games usually sell at or just under full retail price in the stores when they first come out, but after a month or a few months, some stores (like Electronics Boutique) discount the prices further (e.g. STEEL TALONS just came out a matter of weeks ago at $39.99, but now it's selling for $29.99). Some of the older games are as low as $12 (e.g GAUNTLET, ROBOTRON, QIX, FIDELITY ULTIMATE CHESS, ELECTROCOP, CHIP'S CHALLENGE, BLOCK-OUT, etc.). The AC adaptor costs $9.95, but you can buy the Lynx Deluxe Package for $129.95 (maybe as low as $115) and that includes the AC adaptor, a carrying pouch ($14.95 value), a ComLynx cable ($12 value), and the CALIFORNIA GAMES cartridge ($30 value -- though that's debatable ). Since Atari has the base unit available for only $79.95, though, it might be a better deal if you only want the Lynx, AC adaptor, and a game of your choice. D.ENGEL - CHECKERED FLAG is only 6 players, not 8. For those interested, here is an alphabetical list of currently available Lynx games as of 12/29/92 (please correct me if I miss any): A.P.B. Awesome Golf Baseball Heroes Basketbrawl Batman Returns Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Block-Out Blue Lightning California Games Checkered Flag Chip's Challenge Crystal Mines II Dirty Larry - Renegade Cop Dracula: The Undead Electrocop Fidelity Ultimate Chess Challange Gates of Zendocon Gauntlet - The Third Encounter Hard Drivin' Hockey Hydra Ishido Joust Klax Kung Food Lynx Casino Ms. Pac Man NFL Football Ninja Gaiden Pac-Land Paperboy Pinball Jam Qix Rampage Rampart Roadblasters Robo-Squash Robotron: 2084 Rygar Scrapyard Dog Shadow of the Beast Shanghai Steel Talons S.T.U.N. Runner Super Skweek Switchblade II Todd's Adventures in Slime World Toki Tournament Cyberball Turbo Sub Viking Child Warbirds World Class Soccer Xenophobe Xybots Zarlor Mercenary ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 132 Wed Dec 30, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 11:34 EST Sam: There is a guy on usenet who collects 7800 games and is willing to pay top dollar for some of the hard to get carts. The only two I know he's looking for are "Rescue on Fractalus" and "Electrocop", but there were more... if you have or have seen these, I suggest you stock up on them. There are a lot of interested parties looking for them. What carts did you get, by the way? _____________________ \hunderbird P.S. Is that comment about getting cash for the F030 a joke? ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 133 Thu Dec 31, 1992 D.ASHTON1 [Stargazer ] at 20:04 EST Thunderbird...... I have a few 5200 joystick/keypads laying around, I don't have a 5200 so I can't test them. Are you interested in them. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 134 Thu Dec 31, 1992 T.KIM4 [Tae Kim] at 20:24 EST I was about to buy Joust, but it was like 45 bux. Ugh, I've been burned before with Batman Returns. (its wasn't worth the 50bux) Oh well, just play the perfect C64 version. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 135 Thu Dec 31, 1992 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 20:45 EST Stargazer: I think I could find a use for your 5200 joysticks, provided that they are not totally trashed. What would you be asking for them, and how many do you have? Contact me via GEnieMail at D.ENGEL if you want to talk it over... Thanks, _________________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 136 Thu Dec 31, 1992 SAM-RAPP [<>] at 22:38 EST ================================================================= ALERT!!!!: If anyone has gotten very far in DRACULA: The Undead, then please share hints and tips down in the Dracula topic! ================================================================= I was VERY dissapointed to learn that there A LOT of Game Boy games that have battery backup and let you save a game on the cart... When will this be a reality for the Lynx? Seems I recall a game (Eye of the Beholder?) that was to have this feature, but it has yet to show up. Can someone at Atari PLEASE give us an updated Lynx cart release schedule? Maybe in the next Z-net or AEO? Thunderbird-------> I have the following 7800 carts..... Ace of Aces Crossbow Ballblazer Joust Fight Night Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Jr. Dark Chambers Commando Choplifter Karateka Ms. Pacman Desert Falcon Asteroids Robotron:2084 Motorpsycho Xevious Centepede Tower Toppler Galaga Pole Position II Winter Games Super Huey Big Lots also has several other sports type games that I didn't buy. The comment on F030 cash is true. Atari sold off a huge warehouse of 2600 and 7800 stuff to Big Lots last year. This netted them a goodly amount of cash to push Lynx/Jaguar/F030 for 1993. It also explains thier "$40 million dollar loss" last summer, as all those games were in inventory at wholesale price and were marked down to less that $1 each. --------------------> Sam ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 137 Fri Jan 01, 1993 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 00:20 EST Sam: By "Atari sold off a huge warehouse of 2600 and 788 stuff to Big Lots last year", do you mean "last year" as in 1991, or "last year" as in 1992? Happy New Year!!! ;-) Remember: Don't Drink and Telecommunicate! ______________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 138 Fri Jan 01, 1993 R.COBBLE1 [ROD] at 12:02 EST Help Please! I just purchased SLIME WORLD & NINJA GAIDEN without docs (used) If anyone has these games, could you refer to your manual and give me a game objective along with ALL the commands for the game, and any other pertinent info? Much appreciated to whoever, has it in their hearts to do this! :) Thanks, Rod ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 139 Fri Jan 01, 1993 J.HANLEY4 [John] at 16:12 EST Rod, Slime World has on-line help that explains most (if not all) of the functions and controls. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 140 Fri Jan 01, 1993 J.LEBLANC3 [Jeff] at 23:59 EST Steve, The Lynx was doing pretty well up here in Massachusetts. Let's see, I bought one for my son, my sister-in-law and her friend bought a setup, and my sister went out and bought a Lynx for her 2 sons. I bought one at Waace, one at the CT show, one at Walden Software, and my sister got her two a Electronics Boutique. We also picked up some Lynx Accessories at Babbages. We are lucky, we have a huge mall up here with a Babbages, and Electronics Boutique, Toy's R Us is across the street, and there is a local Atari dealer just down the road. As far as display area/support: The Eletronics Boutique had a fairly good size Lynx display area, prices were ok, and the rep told me that they were selling the Lynx as fast as they could get them in. Babbages also had a sized area, and the Lynx was also selling well there. The sales people there seemed generally more enthusiatic about the Lynx than most of the places I have been to. Toy's R US out of Lynx's a few weeks ago, I went back a few days ago, they had not restocked the it. Also a nasty rumour going around about Toy's r Us dropping Lynx support. (heard from my local dealer). Funny thing is, I probably met the biggest Lynx geek I ever met (the biggest Atari geek I ever met, excluding me!) at the checkout line of Toy's R US. He kept me in line for 20 mins telling me what a nice system it was etc (with the wife giving me the "This guy is nut's" look). Local dealer, general Atari disallusionment. Scaling back Lynx and Atari support in general My favorite Lynx game, Shadow of the Beast. I am absolutely addicted to this game. Well have a Happy New Year! ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 141 Sat Jan 02, 1993 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 04:09 EST SAM-RAPP - I think when such games come out for the Lynx that they will probably use EEPROM's or somesuch rather than battery-backed RAM (at least that's what I've HEARD). ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 142 Sun Jan 03, 1993 D.ASHTON1 [Stargazer ] at 15:17 EST Tae Kim.... Try another store for Joust. I bought Joust for $39.95. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 143 Sun Jan 03, 1993 A.FRIESEN [Aric] at 22:51 EST I've got a friend looking to sell a used Lynx. She has the oldstyle Lynx that came with the AC adapter Calif games and the ComLynx cable. She also has Cyberball. The Lynx has been used 2 times so it is in mint condition. She wants to know what to sell it for. Anysuggestions... (this is not an advertisement as she does not wish to sell it over GEnie) Aric Friesen ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 144 Tue Jan 05, 1993 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 00:58 EST A.FRIESEN - If she has the old-style deluxe package + Cyberball, I would think it's only worth about $60-$75. She MAY just want to try selling it "for $100 or best offer." That way, she can bargain down from that but still have the possibility of getting as much as $100 for it. Also, she should make it clear in any ads she puts up that it IS and old-style Lynx. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 145 Wed Jan 06, 1993 R.COBBLE1 [ROD] at 18:15 EST A.FREISEN - I guess it depends on the buyer! To a kid, (who had no way into town to buy his own) I sold a used lynx II, and AC adapter for $90.00 (this was before the 79.95 deal) he saved about $25 from buying it new, but I was extremely happy to get almost full price for it! If you are selling on GEnie and it is the old style lynx, I think you would be fortunate to get $70 for the whole package. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 146 Wed Jan 06, 1993 S.RAMIREZ [Sam] at 23:29 EST Hi, I am just curious if any of you ever wander into the other lynx topics. I have been checking in here and it seems that the only game topic that has any (not much but any) new messages is the batman specific topic. I am kind of dissapointed since I expected to find a plethora of users and tips here on GE(woops!) GEnie. For example, I got Toki for Christmas but other than one person replying in E-mail, zilch! [H [H [H [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [B [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [C [Cthere is not much info on way to beat the enemies. Later, Sam ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 147 Thu Jan 07, 1993 REALM [Joey] at 00:50 EST Sam, Do you have all the topics set? Theres been discussions in the Dracula, Joust and Battlewheels topics the past couple of days. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 148 Thu Jan 07, 1993 J.BUDIL [Jonathan] at 01:45 EDT Tae Kim, Eric Ginner has said that he will eventually reveal a cheat in Batman Returns to access any level or become invincible, so don't feel burned yet. --Jonathan in Normal ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 149 Thu Jan 07, 1993 S.RAMIREZ [Sam] at 22:45 EST Joey, I only have the topics relating to the games I have. They are: Checkered Flag, Batman Returns, Awsome Golf, Toki and Steel Talons. Later, Sam ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 150 Thu Jan 07, 1993 A.FRIESEN [Aric] at 23:04 EST Never heard of BattleWheels. What's that? (BTW I don't like looking in game specific topics 'cause I'm afriad I will learn things I want to figure out for myself.) Aric Friesen ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 151 Fri Jan 08, 1993 REALM [Joey] at 20:46 EST How you suppose to learn about new games if you ignore the topics.:-) Sorry, I use Aladdin and it picks up everything automagically.:-) Battlewheels isn't available yet but I got to beta test a prefab version and it's great! We're discussing it in topic 36. It's basically a driving game where you drive around trying to kill each other with various weapons. You can custom build your own car and such. Best part is the ability to jump out of the car and run around on foot. Soon as you see the other guy bail out you can plow into him full speed and knock him a couple hundred feet.:-) Great fun! ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 152 Fri Jan 08, 1993 R.COBBLE1 [ROD] at 21:07 EST Sam - Just wondering how you like Awesome Golf? I was thinking on maybe this title for my next purchase! All - Here is my list of carts I own and the Order of Favorite (Of course this changes weekly) ----------------- Shadow of the Beast Joust Hockey Rampart Todd's Adventure in Slime World Ninja Gaiden Klax Scrapyard Dog Checkered Flag S.T.U.N. Runner Steel Talons Viking Child Blue Lightning Rygar Baseball Heroes California Games Road Blasters Electrocop Block Out Anyone else care to list their favorites in order! I think this helps readers decide on future purchases and also helps us see what kind of gamers are here! Rod ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 153 Sat Jan 09, 1993 T.KILBRIDE at 23:51 EST I recommend the Lynx golf game and wish they'd do a Golf II with 3 more courses. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 154 Sun Jan 10, 1993 H.WOOTAN [Harry] at 14:39 EST Speaking of the golf game (Awesome Golf), is there some kind of guidance on putting? Such as a power/distance guide? In other words, how do I know how hard to putt based on the distance? -- Harry ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 155 Sun Jan 10, 1993 G.LABREC [Greg @ Atari] at 15:39 EST I know this is a LYNX topic, but since the subject of 7800 games came up I figured I'd post this list of 7800 games available direct from Atari in case anyone is interested. 7800 CARTRIDGES ---------------------------------------------------- ACE OF ACES CX7846 29.99 JOUST CX7806 14.99 ALIEN BRIGADE CX7855 29.99 KARATEKA CX7822 19.99 BALLBLAZER CX7815 19.99 MARIO BROS CX7850 19.99 BARNYARD BLASTER * CX7859 29.99 MAT MANIA CHAL. CX7863 29.99 BASKET BRAWL CX7880 29.99 MEAN 18 GOLF CX7847 29.99 CENTIPEDE CX7801 14.99 MELTDOWN * CX7875 29.99 CHOPLIFTER CX7821 14.99 MIDNIGHT MUTANTS CX7889 29.99 COMMANDO CX7838 29.99 MOTOR PSYCHO CX7852 29.99 CRACK'ED CX7836 29.99 MS. PAC MAN CX7807 14.99 CROSSBOW CX7844 29.99 NINJA GOLF CX7870 29.99 DARK CHAMBERS CX7837 29.99 1ON1 BASKETBALL CX7824 19.99 DELUXE ASTEROIDS CX7802 14.99 PLANET SMASHERS CX7868 29.99 DESERT FALCON CX7811 19.99 POLE POSITION II CX7808 14.99 DIG DUG CX7803 14.99 R.S. BASEBALL CX7834 19.99 DONKEY KONG CX7848 19.99 ROBOTRON:2084 CX7809 14.99 DONKEY KONG JR CX7849 19.99 SCRAPYARD DOG CX7879 29.99 FATAL RUN CX7854 29.99 SUMMER GAMES CX7826 29.99 FIGHT NIGHT CX7851 29.99 SUPER HUEY CX7828 19.99 FOOD FIGHT CX7804 14.99 TOUCHDOWN FOOTBALL CX7823 19.99 GALAGA CX7805 14.99 TOWER TOPPLER CX7856 29.99 HAT TRICK CX7829 19.99 WINTER GAMES CX7831 29.99 IKARI WARRIORS CX7862 29.99 XENOPHOBE CX7858 29.99 JINKS CX7857 29.99 XEVIOUS CX7810 14.99 * Light Gun required 7800 ACCESSORIES ---------------------------------------------------- 7800 POWER SUPPLY CX7800PS 9.95 7800 COMPLETE UNIT CX7800 69.95 PROLINE JOYSTICKS CX24 9.95 SWITCH BOX CX262 6.95 PADDLE CONTROLLERS CX30 9.95 ** JOYSTICK CONTROLLER CX40 6.95 ** TRAKBALL CONTROLLER CX80 14.95 ** LIGHT GUN CA200132 19.95 ** To use with 2600 Video Computer cartridges. If you would like to order anything you can leave me E-mail with the usual -- Name, address, phone, MC/VISA#, exp.date Add $5.00 shipping and handling -- Add tax where applicable ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 156 Mon Jan 11, 1993 SAM-RAPP [<>] at 19:27 EST Greg, Thanks for the 7800 info!!!! Do you have a list of Lynx carts that are out or are forthcomming? How about a price list and cart list for the Jaguar? Thanks, --------------------------> Sam ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 157 Tue Jan 12, 1993 S.RAMIREZ [Sam] at 01:52 EST Harry, the manual (poster) I think says that the maximum putting distance is 32 feet. Take the total gauge and visually break it into 4 parts. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 158 Wed Jan 13, 1993 G.LABREC [Greg @ Atari] at 21:42 EST Ok, as requested, here is a list of LYNX games currently available and forthcoming. Available Now ------------------------------------------------------ PA2101 BATMAN RETURNS 49.99 PA2042 A.P.B. 39.99 PA2049 AWESOME GOLF 39.99 PA2034 BASKETBRAWL 39.99 PA2068 BILL & TED'S ADV. 39.99 PA2020 BLUE LIGHTNING 39.99 PA2025 CALIFORNIA GAMES 39.99 PA2053 CHECKERED FLAG 39.99 PA2105 CRYSTAL MINES II 39.99 PA2094 SWITCHBLADE II 39.99 PA2044 HARD DRIVIN' 39.99 PA2052 HOCKEY 39.99 PA2073 HYDRA 39.99 PA2076 KUNG FOOD 39.99 PA2061 LYNX CASINO 39.99 PA2039 NINJA GAIDEN 39.99 PA2036 ROADBLASTERS 39.99 PA2048 SCRAPYARD DOG 39.99 PA2081 SHADOW OFTHE BEAST 39.99 PA2045 N.F.L. FOOTBALL 39.99 PA2055 PINBALL JAM 39.99 PA2104 STEEL TALONS 39.99 PA2060 S.T.U.N. RUNNER 39.99 PA2100 SUPERSKWEEK 39.99 PA2066 TOKI 39.99 PA2038 TOUR. CYBERBALL 39.99 PA2047 TURBO SUB 39.99 PA2064 VIKING CHILD 39.99 PA2032 WARBIRDS 39.99 PA2062 XYBOTS 39.99 PA2022 RAMPAGE 34.99 PA2102 RAMPART 34.99 PA2043 RYGAR 34.99 PA2028 CHIP'S CHALLENGE 29.99 PA2065 ISHIDO 29.99 PA2057 MS. PAC-MAN 29.99 PA2059 PACLAND 29.99 PA2041 PAPERBOY 29.99 PA2063 SHANGHAI 29.99 PA2029 SLIME WORLD 29.99 PA2026 XENOPHOBE 29.99 PA2056 BLOCKOUT 19.99 PA2021 ELECTROCOP 19.99 PA2023 GATES OF ZENDOCON 19.99 PA2024 GAUNTLET 19.99 PA2031 KLAX 19.99 PA2035 ROBO-SQUASH 19.99 PT5003 ROBOTRON 2084 19.99 PA2030 ZARLOR MERCENARY 19.99 PA2050 BASEBALL HEROES 39.99 PA2087 DRACULA THE UNDEAD 49.99 PA2077 DIRTY LARRY 39.99 PT5005 JOUST 39.99 PA2037 WRLD CLASS SOCCER 29.99 Available Soon ----------------------------------------------------- PA2095 EYE OF BEHOLDER 49.99 PA2092 NINJA GAIDEN III 49.99 PA2070 PIT FIGHTER 49.99 PA2088 BATTLEZONE 2000 39.99 PA2067 CABAL 39.99 PA2090 DAEMONSGATE 39.99 PA2089 DINOLYMPICS 39.99 PA2033 VINDICATORS 29.99 PA2098 FULL COURT PRESS 39.99 PA2097 HVYWT. CONTENDED 39.99 PA2085 J. CONNORS TENNIS 39.99 PA2080 LEMMINGS 39.99 PA2086 MALIBU VOLLEYBALL 39.99 PA2091 NINJA NERD 39.99 PA2109 POWER FACTOR 39.99 PA2078 RAI-DEN 39.99 PA2103 ROAD RIOT 4WD 39.99 PA2058 ROLLING THUNDER 39.99 PA2093 ASTEROID/MISS COM. 39.99 PA2106 GORDO 106 39.99 PA2113 EUROPEAN SOCCER 49.99 Hardware and Accesories -------------------------------------------- PA-4101 LYNX COMP. SYSTEM 129.99 PA-3201 LYNX BASE UNIT 79.99 PAG-1200 AC ADAPTOR 17.99 PAG-3325 BATTERY PACK 17.99 PAG-3200 COMLYNX CABLE 9.99 PAG-3350 CARRYING CASE 23.99 PAG-3375 CARRYING POUCH 19.99 PAG-3425 SUN VISOR (II) 7.99 PAG-3300 AUTO ADAPTOR 20.99 As usual, I would be happy to forward any orders to customer service. If you are interested, send GEmail to G.LABREC with what you want to order, your name, address, phone, MC/VISA#, and expiration date. Tax will be added if applicable. Add $5 shipping and handling per order (not per cart). The warehouse usually ships 1-2 days after I give the order to customer service. I don't have a copy of the Jaguar price list handy. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 159 Wed Jan 13, 1993 J.HANLEY4 [John] at 22:57 EST Whatever happened to the game '720' for the Lynx? ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 160 Fri Jan 15, 1993 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:22 EST I just got SHADOW OF THE BEAST for the Lynx today and am just absolutely amazed by the quality of it. I seriously think that this may be the top contender for replacement of CALIFORNIA GAMES in the Lynx deluxe package. Atari NEEDS to replace C.G. in the deluxe package with SOMETHING, though, and SOON!!! That's the biggest complaint I hear about the deluxe package -- that C.G. isn't all that great and doesn't do much of a job of showing off what the Lynx can do. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 161 Fri Jan 15, 1993 K.DRAKE [Sir Fransis] at 05:13 EST Hi Eric! I'm back from a long modemless period but I did see Aladdin so I at least had THAT genie exposure!! Riddle me this, when someone says Shadow of the Beast has 30+ colors on the screen, they are counting the "colors" created by dithering as well aren't they? Because we all know that the Lynx is a 16-trick (color) pony, right? Also, did you ever get any info on that Hockey color thing? To All: Since Toys R Us has several different floor plans now for several different store sizes and areas, this may mean nothing but all of the Lynx games in MY area have been discontinued by Toys R Us, and the new games are no longer even on the list! But like I said, my store is very small. Still Sailing, Sir Fransis ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 162 Mon Jan 25, 1993 E.GINNER at 02:06 EST It's possible to get more than 16 colors on the screen, but it takes a bit of trickery to do it. Take a look at Roadblasters to see an example of it. I didn't find anything out about Hockey. The Toys R Us stores in this area (Northern California bay area) have Lynx games, but they only seem to have about half of the games available. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 163 Mon Jan 25, 1993 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 18:58 EST E.GINNER: I heard that if you 'bought' the lynx Development System from atari, you had to give it back after 2 years. I also heard that a programmer gets only 15% of the progits (about $1.00 per cart). This comes from a message Steve Landrum left on usenet. Can you also give a little clue about how more than 16 colors are possible on the lynx??? Thanks! ______________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 164 Tue Jan 26, 1993 K.DRAKE [Sir Fransis] at 23:41 EST Eric, aHA! I thought that gradiation on RoadBlasters was too smooth for 16 colors! Thanks! Thunderbird, I think that it's something like swapping the palette on non-moving areas (or slow moving areas) much like pseudo-paralax(sp?) scrolling by fiddling with the vertical interrupts on the graphics display. Or maybe not? Still Sailing, Sir Fransis ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 165 Tue Jan 26, 1993 ROB-G [Rob] at 23:41 EST I was in a local Electronic Boutique today... all the Lynx stuff was gone. Completely. Not a trace. Rob ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 166 Wed Jan 27, 1993 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 21:54 EST Sir Francis: You mean the lynx has the equivalent of "Horizontal Blanking Interrupts"? Or, do you have to stick to a tight timing loop synched to the screen (like Spectrum512)? Also, why do the areas have to be non-moving or slow moving? In my 8-bit game (ROCKS! Analog Computing, May 1986), I used interrupts to change the color of just about everything, change character sets, change the positions of objects, and all sorts of neato tricks. Everything was fast moving in that game. _________________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 167 Thu Jan 28, 1993 E.GINNER at 02:45 EST Companies can use Lynx development systems as long as they need to in order to do the games they are working on. The money situation is probably different for each game. I don't know if 15% is right or not. I don't know exactly how you get more than 16 colors since I haven't done it myself, but Sir Fransis and D.ENGEL are on the right track. You change the palette during interrupts. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 168 Thu Jan 28, 1993 K.DRAKE [Sir Fransis] at 05:56 EST Thunderbird, Horizontal Blanking Interrupts--They only have to be slow or non-moving when you're tryin to squeeze more than 16 colors out of the screen. (This is strictly a speculation exhibition not competition, please... no wagers! ;>) Still Sailing, Sir Fransis ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 169 Thu Jan 28, 1993 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 18:26 EST Okay, that makes sense. The lynx sounds like a really cool system to work with! ____________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 170 Fri Jan 29, 1993 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 01:09 EST If the Lynx ever gets revamped again, I'd suggest going with a better LCD screen (like active matrix or somesuch). On some games, I get annoyed by the way the black areas of the screen are actually grey when I turn the brightness up to it's optimal level. ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 171 Sat Jan 30, 1993 R.STRAUSS3 [Robert] at 01:37 EST My local EB has cut their Lynx section back to one tiny shelf and five titles. You really have to hunt to see it... :( I've been VERY patient for a couple of years, waiting for the software to start to flow, but this is a big step in the wrong direction. What gives?? Robert ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 172 Sat Jan 30, 1993 JOHN.KING.T [JOHN KING T] at 13:32 EST Robert, I dropped into the Electronic Boutique in my home town of Glendale, CA yesterday. The LYNX still have the prime spot behind the counter in this store. My guess is that they had thirty plus games on display, maybe more. Each store can very its product mix based on purchases. Some areas of the country may buy more SNES than Gensis or vise versa. A store gives more shelf space to the products in demand in their area. JKT ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 173 Sat Jan 30, 1993 R.STRAUSS3 [Robert] at 16:11 EST John - My EB is right next to yours, since it's the one in Burbank! Looks like I'll have to go to the Galleria for my Lynx games from now on. Thanks for the info... Robert ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 174 Sat Jan 30, 1993 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 16:45 EST Robert: You're lucky... My local EB moved their lynx products to a small shelf and only had a few titles. Soon, the lynx sign was replaced with a "Misc." sign, and the lynx stuff shared space with some junky dedicated handhelds and the TurboGrafx stuff, that was around x-mas. Now, they don't even have that. The lynx is _gone_ from my local EB. Are they a subsidiary of Toys 'R Them, or is this more bad news??? I wonder what the atari employees think of the treatment of the lynx... _________________________ \hunderbird ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 175 Sun Jan 31, 1993 K.DRAKE [Sir Fransis] at 13:19 EST If companies are dropping the _Lynx_ now, who's to say that they'll pick up the Jaguar this spring? Looks like direct shipment only. The main reason, IMHO, they're dropping it is because Atari is doing nothing to support it. And noone wants to be stuck with a lot of unsellable stock (remember the 2600). This past Christmas, Atari didn't even buy ad space in the Toys R Us Christmas catalog. It's ironic too because this past Christmas I had more people asking about the Lynx (because of the MTV spots and other ads) than ever before! I just _knew_ they were on the way up. Still Sailing Sir Fransis ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 176 Mon Feb 01, 1993 SAM-RAPP [<>] at 22:05 EST Rob-G----> If your local EB is still my local EB, then I think you are in error. They rearranged the store, and now the Lynx is up by the register. Just ask if you don't see it. As to EB dropping the lynx, I asked the manager of one and he said that the systems that each store carried was up to the manager of the store. Here in Chattanooga, TN the lynx did rather well for Christmas, but Atari should have done a MUCH better job of getting a few titles out before Christmas. Dirty Larry, Dracula, and Joust arrived on Christmas Eve here! Sir Fransis--------> Atari IS supporting the lynx. You mentioned the MTV ads yourself. They ran (are running) several free cartrige offers. The $79.00 special was seen by huge amounts of people. The Lynx is in just about every Electronic Boutique and Software etc... flyer that I see. IMHO, Atari is doing the best it can with it's resources. Atari ain't no billion dollar company like it used to be. -------------> Sam ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 177 Tue Feb 02, 1993 S.JOHNSON10 [Steve] at 02:22 EST K.DRAKE - Atari's inability to produce and market Lynx's properly also gives people reservations about the Falcon030. In MY opinion (and I'm not a market analyst), the Lynx COULD have been the most popular handheld game console if Atari were only able to produce enough machines and do something worthwhile to market them. Just further proof (to me) that Atari NEEDS the financial backing and bigger resources of a bigger company (maybe Philips or some other electronics company) in order to meet needs. Wow! There's a Lynx ad on the back cover of (at least) one of the gaming magazines (I forgot which). ------------ Category 36, Topic 5 Message 178 Tue Feb 02, 1993 D.ENGEL [Thunderbird] at 18:31 EST S.JOHNSON10: I second that motion with the additional thought that I am skeptical about the jaguar too. I mean, look at how much B.S. we have had to wade through with the falcon030, and we cannot even get one 6 months since it was said to be shipping. The jaguar (like the lynx) _could_ be the most awesome piece of machinery ever seen by anyone, but if nobody sells them and nobody has heard of them, they will die (like the lynx is). I _used_ to love to bring my lynx out in public, and have my friends say "Wow, that is awesome! Where can I get one?", and I would list off "Sears, EB, Toys R Us, Kaybee, etc."... now, I don't want anyone to ask about it because there ain't no more dealers around here. What am I supposed to do say "Oh, to get one you have to call