• Tag Archives Atari XEGS

  • Rescue on Fractalus! (Atari XE) – Strategy

    Posted on by Azrael 1 Comment

    Strategy guide for Rescue on Fractalus! for Atari XE based systems (Atari 130XE, Atari 65XE and Atari XEGS) from the October 1989 issue of Atarian.

    atarian_issue3_22

    Source: Atarian – Issue Number 3 – September October 1989

    This is a strategy guide for Rescue on Fractalus for Atari XE based systems, including the Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE and Atari XEGS from the October 1989 issue of Atarian.

    The first thing you may notice is that they spelled the name of the game wrong. It is supposed to be “Fractalus” not “Fractulus”. It is spelled fine in the body of the article, just not in the title. This does not bode well for the rest of it…

    But actually, the rest of it does give a good overview of the game. I remember trying to figure this game out on my Commodore 64 without instructions and I never could. While it doesn’t tell you what buttons to press, this article does tell you what actions you need to take and gives you a couple of strategies to be reasonably successful at it.

    There are a number of interesting things about this game. It was first released in 1984 for a number of systems, including the Apple II, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, Tandy Color Computer 3, and others. At first this would seem like a pretty late guide for the game but the Atari XE version was an enhanced version that came out in 1987 on cartridge that was specific to only Atari XE based computers and the XEGS video game system. It had thirty levels to choose from instead of the sixteen of the original release. Even at that, this was a pretty late guide.

    The graphics were generated using fractals, hence the name of the game. An Atari 7800 version was under development but never released that would have used the more advanced capabilities of that system for smoother game play. An unreleased prototype was discovered in 2004.

    Finally, George Lucas had some personal input into this game, suggesting that some of the pilots to be rescued should really be the enemy in disguise. This actually added a pretty significant element and a scare factor to the game.





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  • Sid Meier’s Pirates!

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    ‘Sid Meier’s Pirates!’

    [VARIOUS] [USA] [MAGAZINE] [1987]

    • Compute! Gazette, June 1987 (#48)


    Sid Meier’s Pirates! was released by MicroProse in 1987 for the Commodore 64. Before this game, MicroProse and Sid Meier were best known for their combat simulation games. Pirates! is a simulation too, but not of the typical kind. It simulates the life of a pirate.

    Pirates! is an open world game. You can roam from the coast of South America to the Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, and all the way to Bermuda. You can be a privateer for the Spanish Empire, Dutch Republic, the Kingdom of England. or the French colonial empire. Or you can just be a pirate. You aren’t stuck with a particular loyalty throughout the game. There are a variety of things you can do from attacking enemy ships, to hunting pirates, to seeking buried treasure and more. You can even choose a peaceful route and simply engage in trade. There’s no way to “win” the game per say. It continues indefinitely but as your character ages, it gets harder to recruit and fight. The game ends when you choose to retire.

    Pirates! was truly a groundbreaking game. It was unique for its time and hugely influential for many games that came after. Games like Civilization, Railroad Tycoon, Sword of the Samurai and countless others would never have been made if not for the success of Pirates! Reviews were glowing and this was about as successful as a game could be at the time.

    Success on the Commodore 64 led to countless other ports. First to the Apple II in 1987, a little later to the IBM PC also in 1987, then to the Apple IIgs, Macintosh, and Amstrad CPC in 1988. The Atari ST version came along in 1989 followed by the Amiga version in 1990. Even the NES received a port in 1991. Then came the enhanced Pirates! Gold remake for Windows 3.1, DOS, Macintosh and the Sega Genesis in 1993 and even the Amiga CD32 in 1994. Another remake came along in 2004 for Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, Mac OS X, Wii and the PlayStation Portable. And it still hasn’t ended. A portable version was released in 2008, for the BlackBerry in 2010, the iPad in 2011, and versions for the iPhone and iPod touch in 2012.

    The easiest way to play Pirates! today is probably to get it on gog.com (or Steam if you prefer). However, I believe this is the newer 2004 release. There’s nothing wrong with it and it does have better graphics but I definitely recommend that Commodore 64 fans check out that version if they have never played it. Otherwise, pick the version for your favorite system because they are all pretty great.

    Images above are from the Commodore 64 version of the game.


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  • ANALOG Computing – February 1987

    Posted on by Azrael 1 Comment

    analog_1987-02

    Source: ANALOG Computing – February 1987

    ANALOG Computing was the most popular magazine for Atari 8-bit computers and a great magazine to have a subscription to if you had an Atari system. While it covered the 16-bit Atari ST some as well, ANALOG was always primarily a magazine for the 8-bit line. The 6th anniversary issue from February 1987 includes:

    Features

    • A History of ANALOG Computing – An inside look at our origins: why we did it and how we’ve spent the last six years here in Central New England.
    • The Tablet Typist – The easy way to add text to any of your own touch-pad generated pictures.
    • Slither – This month’s machine language game offering combines constant motion with the need for strategy and careful planning.
    • ICD Future – Not only has ICD been supporting the Atari 8-bit for a long time, they continue to do it in style as Matt found out.
    • Starlanes – Michael J. Fox imitators, this challenging game of interstellar stocks and bonds is playing your tune.
    • Keyboard Buffer – A type-ahead program giving your computer even more flexibility in performing its various tasks.
    • The BBK Monitor – This “permanent” monitor will take up residence in your computer’s RAM.
    • An Introduction to the Vertical Blank Interrupt – The secrets to those frequently-seen nifty programming tricks.
    • the System Rerun Button – “Rewire” your RESET key to rerun programs automatically.
    • ST Color Tuner – Achieve animation on the ST through simple color rotation.

    Reviews

    • BBS Express! – A new bulletin board system packed with value and features.
    • Panak strikes! – Chessmaster 2000 (Software Country) and the Top Gunner Collection (MicroProse) are the games reviewed this time.
    • The Great American Cross Country Road Race (Activision) – Race across America in this fast-playing simulation.
    • Atari Planetarium (Atari Corp.) – A fascinating, useful program with educational value, too.
    • MicroNet (Supra Corp.) – Lets up to eight Atari computers use one peripheral.
    • Family History (Direct Lines Software) – Use your computer for genealogical research and tracking.
    • Phantasie (SSI) – Take the lead in this fantasy, with graphic battles and magic.
    • Strip Poker (Artworx) – An 8-bit favorite comes to the ST – how does it look?

    Columns

    • Editorial
    • Reader Comment
    • 8-bit News
    • Boot Camp
    • Scheduled Atari Fairs
    • Atari User Groups
    • The End User
    • M/L Editor
    • ST notes
    • Index to advertisers

    …and more!

     




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