• Tag Archives atari

  • Antic (August 1984)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Antic was one of the two major Atari 8-bit magazines in the U.S. (the other being ANALOG). Antic also had some coverage of the Atari ST though 1984 was before that. The August 1984 issue includes:

    Features

    • It’s Mere Horseplay – A type-in program for handicapping horse races.
    • Add IBM Or CP/M Capability To Your System – A look at the ATR8000, a versatile expansion for Atari 8-bit computers that adds the ability to connect standard disk drives and printers and depending on the variant, can also add CP/M or IBM PC compatability.
    • Do More With DOS 2 – Using DOS 2.0 to increase disk storage with the Atari 1050 disk drive.
    • Disk Drive Survey – A look at some of the disk drives available for the Atari 8-bit, including the TRAK AT-D2, RANA 1000, INDUS GT, Atari 1050, ASTRA 1620, and Atari 810.
    • Lucasfilm And Atari – Early Lucasfilm games came out first on the Atari 8-bit. These include Ballblazer and Rescue on Fractalus which are discussed here.
    • Embark On The Road To Adventure – A look at adventure games including Infocom’s Enchanter, Infidel, and Planetfall.
    • Logic According To Boole – Using Boolean logic in your programs.
    • Escape From Fragile Floppies – A look at the AMDC I and AMDC II, single and dual 3-inch floppy drive systems for the Atari 8-bit.
    • The Care And Feeding Of Floppy Disks – A guide to taking care of your floppy disks.

    Departments

    • Inside Atari – Atari’s sponsorship of the women’s Olympic volleyball team.
    • Education – A type-in memory game that gives you what is basically a computer version of Simon.
    • Communications – A look at password protected BBS’s. In the early days, you didn’t necessarily need a login and password to access a PC. Though obviously, having a unique account has its advantages and would become the norm.
    • Game of the Month – A type-in action/adventure game called Creepy Caverns. It looks a little like Gateway to Apshai.
    • Toolbox – A type-in tool for creating a variable cross-reference list for your programs. It gives you a list of variables and line numbers on which they appear.
    • Product Reviews – Reviews of the Aprom and Six Pack, Panzer-Jagd (Avalon Hill), Exodus: Ultima III (Origin), Safetyline (Maximus), Spare Change (Broderbund), BASIC Building Blocks, 810 Turbo, Dragonriders of Pern (Epyx), and Success With Math (CBS Software).
    • New Products – A brief look at new and upcoming products including Bruce Lee (Datasoft), C-221M and C-2215 disk drives, Pack It/Chain It, Relax (Synapse), Diskette Head Cleaning Kit, and more.

    …and more!


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  • Compute! (March 1986)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Compute! – Issue Number 70 – March 1986

    Compute! was an excellent magazine that covered most popular computers of the time. I was partial to the spin-off Gazette because I had a Commodore 64 but this one was excellent as well. It was a little less technical that Byte but all magazines at the time were technical compared to today. The March 1986 issue includes:

    Features

    • The Future of Mass Storage – The future was bright for mass storage. 3.5″ floppies were replacing 5.25″ floppies, Hard drives were becoming affordable, and optical storage for the average user was on the horizon.
    • The Computerized Home – Computerized home automation was a thing long before Alexa. The X-10 interface was the de-facto standard and X-10 modules were available for pretty much any platform.
    • Switchbox – A type-in puzzle game with versions specifically for the Commodore 128, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, PC, and Amiga.
    • SpeedCalc for Atari – A type-in professional quality spreadsheet program for the Atari 8-bit.

    Reviews

    • The Works! – A software package for the Commodore 64 and Apple II that includes 13 programs in the categories of tools, organizers, arts, and learning.
    • Under Fire – A World War II strategy game for the Apple II.
    • M-Disk – Software for creating a RAM Disk on the Atari ST.
    • Atari XM301 Modem – A 300bps direct connect modem for Atari 8-bit computers.
    • EduCalc and NoteCard Maker – A combination of a simplified spreadsheet program and simplified database manager with versions for the Commodore 64, Apple II, and PC (Apple II version reviewed here).
    • Hex – A puzzle/strategy game for the Atari ST.
    • Sylvia Porter’s Personal Financial Planner – This software package includes six programs including Transaction Manager, Budget Manager, Asset/Liability Manager, Balance Sheet, and Financial Planner. The Commodore 64 version is reviewed here with versions also available for the PC and Apple II.

    Columns and Departments

    • The Editor’s Notes – A comparison of the new Amiga and Atari ST.
    • Readers’ Feedback – Letters from readers about code comments, computers for charity, recording music on the Amiga, and more.
    • HOTWARE – The top five selling software titles in three different categories. In the top places were F-15 Strike Eagle (Entertainment), Typing Tutor III (Education), and Print Shop (Home Management).
    • INSIGHT: Atari – A look at Atari character codes. Atari 8-bit computers used a variant of ASCII called ATASCII.
    • The Beginner’s Page: Cutting Strings Without Scissors – How to split strings in BASIC.
    • Computers and Society: Humanizing the User Interface, Part 1 – Exploring ways to make the user interface easier to use and more intuitive.
    • The World Inside the Computer: Snowflakes, Quilts, and Stained Glass Windows – Art on the Amiga.
    • Telecomputing Today Games Modern People Play – A look at online multiplayer gaming. At the time, that typically meant turn based gaming on BBS systems or services like CompuServe.
    • IBM Personal Computing: The Ultimate Entertainment Center – A guide for using your PC or PCjr with a TV.
    • Programming the TI: IF-THEN Statements – Using IF-THEN statements including examples for simulating AN/OR, doing Algebra, and more.
    • News & Products – Valhalla announced for the Commodore 64; MIDI Ensemble for the PC; AtariWriter and AtariWriter Plus word processors for the Atari ST; What’s Our Worth? home inventory package for the Commodore 64; and more.

    The Journal

    • IBM Fractal Graphics – Three type-in programs for creating fractals on the IBM PC and PCjr.
    • Commodore ML Saver – A type-in program for saving machine language programs directly from memory to disk on the Commodore 64.
    • Loading and Linking Commodore Programs, Part 1 – The first in a series of article on loading, chaining, and overlaying programs on Commodore computers.
    • Atari P/M Graphics Toolkit – Atari Player/Missile graphics is the Atari 8-bit version of sprites. This type-in toolkit makes it easier to develop and use P/M graphics on the Atari.
    • MultiMemory for Commodore 64 and Apple – Short type-in programs for the Commodore 64 and Apple II that allow you to segment memory for loading multiple BASIC programs.
    • Experimenting with SID Sound – Some examples for controlling the Commodore 64’s SID sound chip.
    • Mousify Your Applesoft Programs, Part 1 – The first of a two-part guide to using a mouse (or joystick or paddles) with your own programs.
    • Atari BootStuffer – This short type-in program for the Atari 8-bit allows you to create a menu system to load up to 8 different programs with one key press.
    • Requester Windows in Amiga BASIC – A guide to adding requester windows (dialog boxes) to Amiga BASIC programs.
    • Softkeys for Atari BASIC – This type-in program gives you automatic line numbering and various hotkeys when writing your own BASIC programs.
    • BASIC Sound on the Atari ST – A guide to getting started with creating basic sound effects on your Atari ST.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana 📎and tagged

  • ANALOG Computing (July 1984)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: ANALOG Computing – Issue Number 20 – July 1984

    ANALOG was one of the most popular Atari 8-bit computer magazines in the U.S. It was published from 1981 to 1989. It had all the typical stuff you would expect in 8-bit computer magazine of the 1980s including reviews, type-in programs, and more. The July 1984 issue includes:

    Features

    • The Winners (ANALOG’s Favorite Games) – ANALOG editors pick their all time favorite games. Some of these games include Star Raiders, MiG Alley Ace, Breakout, Boulder Dash, Archon, Miner 2049er, Missile Command, Pac-Man, Gateway to Apshai, Donkey Kong, Pole Position, Choplifter, M.U.L.E., Agent USA, Shamus, Wizard of Wor, and others.
    • Buzz-zap! – A type-in maze game in which you control a bee who must avoid killer strawberries and other obstacles to make it back to the hive.
    • Bacterion! – This type-in game is described as a sort of sequel to Robotron though it plays more like Asteroids.
    • What Is It? – A type-in educational game for younger kids in which they must type the name of the object that appears on screen.
    • AlterDOS – A type-in program that modifies DOS to recognize files other than AUTORUN.SYS as the autorun file on a disk.
    • Auto Line Numbering+ – This type-in program will assist you in writing your own programs by autonumbering them and performing other tasks.
    • ConTEXT – This type-in program will convert Letter Perfect word processing files into a more standard format that can be used with other programs on the Atari.
    • Stars 3-D in Action! – Action! is a programming language and IDE provided on cartridge and available only for Atari 8-bit computers. This type-in program is rewrite of a previously published type-in program in ANALOG rewritten here in Action!.
    • Bounce in Action! – An Action! version of a previously published type-in program in which you place obstacles to change the direction of a bouncing ball. This version has higher resolution and more colors than the original.
    • Scredit – A type-in program for helping you to design smooth scrolling screens.

    Product Reviews

    • Boulder Dash – A review of the classic Boulder Dash by First Star Software.
    • Universe – A rather ambitious (for its time) sci-fi adventure game that shipped on four disks and cost $89.95.
    • Seven Cities of Gold – An action/adventure/strategy game from Electronic Arts in which you play the role of a sixteenth century Spanish conquistador.
    • Movie Maker – This software allows you to create animated movies 30 to 60 seconds long.

    Columns

    • Reader Comment – Readers write in about modem usage.
    • Griffin’s Lair – Reviews of educational software with an emphasis on typing skills this month, including Mastertype, Type Attack, Typo, and Touch Typing.
    • Our Game – Game development in which the readers participate.
    • BASIC Training – Useful BASIC tips for those writing games including using vector routines and ways to speed up games.
    • Boot Camp – An ongoing assembly language tutorial. This edition covers multiplying numbers.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Atari 8-bit Computer Arcana 📎and tagged