• Tag Archives atari

  • Necromancer (Atari XEGS)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    atarian_issue1_18

    Source: Atarian – Issue Number 1 – May/June 1989

    Atari really new how to beat a dead horse. Here we have a strategy guide being published in 1989 by an official Atari publication for a game that was released in 1987 that had also previously been released in 1982. Necromancer was originally published for Atari 8-bit computers in 1982 and then the Commodore 64 in 1983. It was re-released for Atari’s XEGS in 1987. Given that an XEGS was just an Atari 8-bit computer in game console form factor, the game was exactly the same. Not that there is anything wrong with the game. It is a very good game in fact. It’s just that Atari had this tendency to re-release the same games over and over vs. publishing new stuff. Re-releasing old games is great but that isn’t what is going to sell systems in the long run and it is why so many more people had an NES vs. an Atari 7800 or an Atari XEGS. By the late 1980s, Atari just wasn’t developing enough new quality first party titles and could no longer attract significant third party support.


    Necromancer was originally released on disk by Synapse for the Atari 400/800 in 1982. It was ported to the Commodore 64 the following year. Four years later, it was released unchanged on the Atari XEGS in cartridge format. I suppose that by this time the other versions were probably relatively hard to find so if you wanted to buy it, the XEGS was probably your best bet. Of course, by this time the original Atari and Commodore disk versions had probably been pirated to a significant degree.


    The game itself is very well regarded. You control a Druid who is battling with a Necromancer. The game takes part in three stages. In the first, you build up an army of trees while defending them from ogres and spiders. In the second, you take your army of trees to destroy the spiders in their lair. In the final stage, you battle the Necromancer himself as he uses fire and his remaining spiders to try to destroy you. The game is fast paced and gets faster in each stage and there is a lot to juggle with controlling the trees and the Druid. The unique and tense atmosphere makes for an addictive game. But maybe they should have published a sequel that included the original game instead of just shoveling the original out again…


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

  • Galaxian (Atari 2600)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    atariage_vol1num6_03

    Source: Atari Age – Issue Number 6 – April 1983

    Galaxian was originally an arcade game by Namco released all the way back in 1979. It is perhaps not quite as well known as its sequel, Galaga, but was very popular nonetheless.

    Given that the Atari 2600 (or VCS as it was originally known) was also released in 1979, it is a little surprising that Galaxian was not ported to that system until 1983. However, it looks like most of the ports for this game came out in the 1982/83 time frame so it may just be that Namco was not willing to license it until then.

    Galaxian is similar to and was designed to compete with Space Invaders. Personally, I never liked Space Invaders all that much but loved Galaga and though I never liked Galaxian quite as much, I still prefer it to Space Invaders. At any rate, this is definitely one of those classic arcade games that everyone should play.

    The above ad for the Atari 2600 version of Galaxian released in April of 1983 and appeared in the April 1983 issue of Atari Age.





    📂This entry was posted in Atari 2600 Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • Compute! (September 1982)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    compute_issue_028_1982_sep-001

    Source: Compute! – Issue Number 28 – September 1982

    Compute! was probably the best multi-format computer magazine throughout the 1980s. In 1982 if you were reading this you probably had a VIC-20, Atari 8-bit or Apple II as those were the most popular at the time. There were plenty of other computers around as well including the new Commodore 64 that would soon come to dominate the home computer scene.

    The September 1982 issue of Compute! included the following:

    Features

    • The Sounds of Tron – This article covers the usage of home computers in the making of Tron, particularly for sound. In addition to sound effects generated with the Atari 800 and Apple II, a database on an Atari 800 was used to keep track of all of the sound effects.
    • Peripheral Vision Exerciser – A BASIC type-in program for the Atari 400/800 designed to improve speed reading skills.
    • User Defined Functions: Defined – Creating user defined functions in BASIC. The particular examples here are for the Commodore PET.
    • Meet Jim Butterfield – At the time, Jim Butterfield was an Associate Editor and columnist for Compute!

    Education and Recreation

    • Banish INPUT Statements! – Some alternatives for the use of INPUT statements on the Apple II, PET and VIC-20.
    • CHARADES – A computerized version (type-in program) of Charades for the TI-99/4A.
    • Student Mark Adjustment – A BASIC type-in program for the Apple II, PET, OSI, etc. that will automatically curve grades.
    • Turtle PILOT: Part 1 – The first in a three part series on PILOT for the Atari 400/800 and Apple II.
    • Accurate Statistical Calculations – Using BASIC to achieve statistical accuracy.

    Reviews

    • Understanding Computer Science – A review of the book by Roger S. Walker.
    • Flex File: A PET Database Manager – An $80 database manager for the Commodore PET.
    • Moonbase Io And Space Ace For Atari – A review of two space based arcade action games for the Atari 400/800.
    • VIC Invaders – A look at the various Space Invaders clones for the VIC-20 including VICVaders, Alien Blitz, and VIC Avenger.

    Columns and Departments

    • The Editor’s Notes – Compute!’s subscription base reaches 100,000; The first Commodore 64’s hit the shelves; Atari 400 price cut; Atari 400, VIC-20, TI-99/4A and others have big sales through department stores; and more.
    • Ask The Readers – Questions about: large screen CRTs for those with sight impairment; printing lowercase on the Comprint 912 printer with a PET; using an Epson printer with a PET; sorting baseball records; VIC-20 user groups; BASIC on cartridge for the Atari; and more.
    • Computers and Society – A look at the effect of massive price drops of computers and technology in general as well as a glance at upcoming computers including the Sinclair Spectrum, NEC PC-6000 and Commodore 64.
    • The Beginner’s Page: How Computers Think – A look at computer logic, including how things like AND and OR gates work.
    • Friends of the Turtle – An overview of the best “user friendly” languages available for the Atari 400/800, TI-99/4A and Apple II, including Atari PILOT, TI LOGO, and Apple LOGO.
    • The World Inside the Computer: The Talking Head – A “Talking Head” type-in program for the Atari, PET and Apple II. The first step in creating a “computer friend”.
    • Learning with Computers – A look at the book “Practical Guide to Computers in Education”, chapter by chapter.
    • Insight: Atari – Using BASIC for making games and making BASIC run faster.
    • Machine Language – A look at IRQ and NMI interrupts on the 6502 processor.
    • Telecommunications: All About ASCII – A look at ASCII and how ASCII allows computers to talk to each other.

    The Journal

    • Sprite Graphics and Sound Synthesis on the Commodore 64 – A look at the Commodore 64’s advanced color, graphics, and sound capabilities.
    • PET Pointer Sort – A fast way to sort on the PET using pointers instead of strings.
    • PET Autoload – A type-in program to make it easier to load programs from disk on the PET.
    • Process Any Apple Disk File – A way to open any type of file in Apple DOS instead of just text files.
    • TRS-80 Color Computer Energy Monitor Graphics – A type-in program for the Color Computer that gives you a visual display of annual energy consumption. It is designed to work with a program from a previous issue called “Energy Monitor”.
    • $20 VIC Digitizer – How to build a $20 drawing tablet for your VIC-20.
    • On-The-Spot Commodore Disk Fixes – How to safely handle file problems as a result of a program crash or other issue.
    • VIC Sticks – How to handle joystick inputs on the VIC-20.
    • Atari Video Graphics and the New GTIA: Part 3 – The last in a three-part series that explain and demonstrate the use of Atari’s new GTIA graphics chip.
    • Atari GTIA: An Illustrated Overview – A few type-in programs that demonstrate Atari’s new GTIA graphics chip.
    • VIC Pause – A short type-in program that allows pausing of program listings on the VIC-20.
    • A VIC Bug – A demonstration of a bug in the VIC-20 INPUT command and how to avoid it.
    • Three PET Innovations – Techniques on the Commodore PET for combining text and graphics modes on screen at the same time, plus using conditional debug statements.
    • GTIA Demonstration – A demo program for Atari’s new GTIA graphics chip.
    • PET Machine Language Delete – A type-in utility for the PET that lets you delete a range of lines from a BASIC program.
    • Resource Part 2: Mapping Machine Language Code – “Resource” is a collection of BASIC programs that help to produce annotated disassemblies of machine language programs (such as your computer’s BASIC).
    • Atari Message Board – This type-in program allows you to display up to 20 pages of messages (flipping through each page) for use as a title maker for home video or, for example, for informational purposes at a meeting, etc.
    • Editing BASIC Programs with the Atari Assembler/Editor Cartridge – Using the Atari Assembler/Editor Cartridge to edit your BASIC programs allows you to do things like mass-deleting lines, renumbering, searching and more.
    • Perform a Task at Equally Spaced Intervals – Creating an accurate timer that could be used to trigger external actions (ringing a school bell, etc.).

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana 📎and tagged