KK Commander 1.0C released
Pierre TON-THAT announced in usenet:
Download on my website, or directly in the folder:
http://rajah.atari.org/files/ -> kkcmd10c_uk.zip
Changes (thanks Olivier Landemarre & Mark Branson):
- removed unnecessary code
- if right-click on unselected file, select it. If a selection alrealdy
exists, no effects.
- mouse selection with rubberbox (initiate it on an unselected file).
- Control key detected also at the end of drag'n'drop (for files moves)
- Alternate key detected with mouse click (select one file, then select
another + Alt key pressed)
- radio buttons correctly read in the confirmation dialogbox for copying/moving
files.
Voilą
I will work this week-end on my gem games to work with MiNT Memory Protection, without recompiling yourself.
Link: http://rajah.atari.org/
From: http://www.atari-users.net/
Litchi 1.1B released
Pierre TON-THAT announced on usenet:
Download on my website or directly in the folder:
http://rajah.atari.org/files/ -> litchi11b_uk.zip (100 KB)
News for this FTP client (STinG or compatible):
bugfixes:
- no more crash at launch under MiNT with Memory Protection (*).
- removed bad TOS version detection (LPEEK)
+ shell capability in the local files window. Just programs launches.
+ the none-executable fichiers can be opened if an AV_SERVER is present.
+ Control is detected after drag'n'drop, for files moves
+ Alternate + mouse click : several items selected if one was.
+ mouse selection if an item was not selected (adding files with shift
is allowed, but while the rubberbox is active)
(*) could not test with both MiNT Memory Protection AND MiNTNet. If someone could do it and tell, thanks.
Link: http://rajah.atari.org/
From: http://www.atari-users.net/
Space Invaders 30th Anniversary Bath Towel
Another of those Classic Gaming lifestyle accessories we love so much - show your appreciation for the classics with this Space Invader Bath Towel, created to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the same! Some futher details:
The three varieties are as follows
A) Black Towel with multi-colored invaders (top-left of photo)
B) White Towel with crimson invaders (bottom-left of photo)
C) Black Towel with Space Invaders logo and 30th Anniversary background
(right of photo)
Link: http://www.shopncsx.com/spaceinvaders30thanniversarybathtowel.aspx
From: http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/
PicrossST - Ac2008 Edition
This version of PicrossST is a tournament version of the game, NOT a demo of the full PicrossST game.
It creates a random grid you have to resolve : you have 45 seconds to mark a full cell. To do so, use the indications on the left and top of the grid. It count the consecutives full cell in the row/column.
PicrossST - Ac2008 edition is played with the mouse : left click marks a full cell, right click marks an empty cell. Each full cell correctly marked, reset the timer et 45 seconds. Each mistake ( an empty cell marked as a full one ) decrease more and more the time counter.
The 30 best scores are held. The more full cells are correctly marked, the bigger the score is. If the puzzle is entirely solved, a time bonus is added to the score.
The archive also contain the best scores maid at AC2008.
Download the game http://files.dhs.nu/files_game/pic_ac08.zip
Visit the projects homepage http://picrossst.free.fr/
Visit the Pouet.Net page http://pouet.net/prod.php?which=50461
From: http://www.dhs.nu/
JagCode II releases
One intro and two games for the Jaguar were released for the JagCode II compo. The games are a 3d-sokoban-thing and a platformer, the intro shows off the Jaguars ability to show (alot of) sprites.
Download the "Facts" 96k intro by Jagware http://files.dhs.nu/files_demo/facts_final.zip
View "Facts" at Youtube http://youtube.com/watch?v=hweRZ0sFE9E
Download "Ozmozys" game by Orion http://files.dhs.nu/files_game/osmozys.zip
View "Osmozys" at Youtube http://youtube.com/watch?v=nprfvXEWF9g
Download "The Maxx" game by AlterWerld http://files.dhs.nu/files_game/the_maxx.zip
View "The Maxx" at Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypkxE4Ul78E
Visit the Pouet.Net page for JagCode II http://pouet.net/party.php?which=1460&when=2008
From: http://www.dhs.nu/
Fading Twilight Excerpt 12
The first release from Outline have already arrived. Lotek Style of .tSCc. have released the Fading Twilight Excerpt 12 of Atari digital music. Fading Twilight Excerpt 12 features material from the following artists:
Ajt aka Axis, An Cool, Big Boss Man aka NiceGuyUK, Casanova, Chromatic, Clawz, Colibri, Count 0, D.D, Devil, Diego, DJ Rondel, Docs, Dr. Kaya, Drost, Groovykid, Gwem, High Flyer, Hobby One, Kafka, Kev, Liszt, Metronome, Mickey, Miggy, Misery, Mordicus, Overdup, Profi, Rademenes, Razor, Samson, Sewercide, Shoot, Skidz, Sonic, Spock aka HMC, Tebirod, The Sonar, Trauma aka Magellan, Vision Gonzales, Xtal, Zonk/Inter and Zonk
Visit the Atari.Org webmirror of Fading Twilight 12 http://fading-twilight.atari.org/browser/index.php?dir=fading_twili...
From: http://www.dhs.nu/
The Top 15 Vaporware Products of All Time
The tech industry has had more than its fair share of products that infamously failed to take off. Some fit the classic definition of vaporware, and were all hype and no substance. A few were simply too far ahead of their time. And others were merely victims of bad judgment about what users wanted. Here are the 15 best examples of products that never saw the light of day (at least in their originally intended form), plus some honorable mentions that we just couldn't ignore.
[snip]
10. Atari 2700
Someone at Atari had a great idea: Take the insanely popular Atari 2600 gaming system, put it in a new cabinet, add spiffy new controllers, and call it the Atari 2700.
The end result was almost a license to print money. The cabinet designers skipped the dated 1970s look of the faux-wood panel and went for a then-futuristic sleek, wedge-shaped design with matte and glossy black finishes, topped with a built-in storage container for the controllers at the top.
The controllers themselves were innovative for the time, featuring built-in select and reset buttons (providing even less motivation to get off the couch), a touch-sensitive fire button, and a joystick that doubled as a rotating, 270-degree paddle. The killer feature: The controllers were wireless.
Advertising and packaging were created, but the Atari 2700 never reached store shelves. In quality assurance testing people noticed that the controllers had a broadcast range of 1000 feet. Since the controllers didn't have unique identifiers beyond "left controller" and "right controller," playing a game would affect any Atari 2700 unit within that radius. To top it off, the electronics were based on garage-door openers, so interference with other remote-control devices was a possibility. In the end Atari decided that redesigning the system and the controllers would be too expensive, and it scrapped the 2700 project.
The 2700 didn't exactly vanish without a trace, however. The cabinet design was slightly retooled for the Atari 5200, and the 5200 controllers also used elements of the 2700 controller design. The wireless functionality wound up in an Atari 2600 add-on, which relied on essentially unusable fat-bottomed versions of the classic 2600 joystick.
Link: http://news.idg.no/pcw/art.cfm?id=BA9E9AEF-17A4-0F78-31674A800C09EC18
The Hall of Shame: Dishonorable Mentions II
There are some times where I go into a toy store and I see the Rubik's Cube for sale, and looking at it I have an urge to buy it. But then I remember that it'll likely be a gargled mess that will be impossible to solve without the removal and re-applying of those stickers, so I decide not to get one instead. It also doesn't help that these days those things run for about $10, because for a Rubik's Cube, I think that's just too much money. So if $10 is too expensive, imagine deciding to pay $30 for one. No, it isn't some kind of autographed or super rare version of it, but rather a cartridge for your Atari 2600.
At first the game was simply called "Atari Video Cube" as a knockoff of the product, but with the popularity of the actual cube they changed the name and sold it off as a different product. The only major change from this compared to the toy version is that you control Hubie the Cube Master to switch the colors, only he can't touch a color that matches him. You also have a time limit and sometimes a limited amount of moves. That's pretty much all the info I can gather about the gameplay. What I also found however was the instruction manual that came with this game, and it is so amazingly awful I just had to share it:
Welcome to the cubical world of Hubie the Cube Master. Hubie can solve the ATARI VIDEO CUBE puzzle in seconds flat, 33.7 seconds, to be exact. That's fast, but then, he's had a lot of practice. You see, puzzles are Hubie's specialty.
Hubie wasn't always a Cube Master, in fact he used to live a pretty ordinary life. Every morning he made his breakfast, fed his dog Ralph, and went to work. He did have a peculiar habit, though. Hubie loved everything that had to do with squares or angles. For instance, he was always sure to eat three square meals a day, waffles for breakfast, ravioli for lunch, and cube steaks for dinner. Hubie slept in a perfectly square bed. Every day he swam laps in a square swimming pool. And each morning, as he walked to work, Hubie was sure to count the squares in the sidewalk beneath his feet.
People called Hubie a blockhead, but when they did, he always had an answer. Looking them squarely in the eyes, Hubie would shout, "Squares are important! Try playing checkers on a round checkerboard. Or try using ice balls instead of ice cubes in your drinks. Can you imagine going to New York to visit Madison Round Garden? It's just not the same. It wouldn't work!" And with that, he would square his shoulders and walk off.
Yes, Hubie certainly had a checkered past. But that was before the big change in his life. One day, while square dancing in his favorite restaurant (the one with the checkered tablecloths), someone gave Hubie a puzzle, a cube puzzle. He played it day and night, twisting and turning it to move the colors to the proper sides. Soon, he started to see cubes and squares everywhere, on the walls of his house, inside Ralph's square water dish, and even in the mirror while brushing his teeth.
Something very strange was happening to Hubie. One morning, instead of being in his square bed, he found himself on a strange flat surface. He saw immediately that everything around him was square, he was in an entirely square world! This transformation was a mystery, but Hubie didn't really care. He was...Hubie the Cube Master!
Hubie knew his mission in life was to teach cubists and future cubists the best ways to play the magical cube puzzle. He promised himself that he would learn how to solve the magical cube faster than anyone else in the world. He invites you to help him with his pledge, can you solve the cube faster than Hubie? Try it and see!
That last part about finding himself on a flat surface and suddenly the whole world is square makes me think that "cube puzzle" was actually marijuana. Considering many Atari employees used to smoke that a lot in the 70's, I wouldn't be surprised if that was true.
Oh, and these days because the game is so rare, it costs around $40-$50. Still too expensive it my opinion.
Link: http://www.411mania.com/games/columns/74892/The-Hall-of-Shame-05.07...
Zaku - the new horizontal shooter for Atari Lynx!
Hello, everyone!
We at Super Fighter Team are proud to announce Zaku, the incredible new horizontal shooter being developed for the Atari Lynx by PenguiNet!
aku is a huge, lightning-fast game full of beautiful graphics and devious enemies that adapt to your unique playing style. Created with the aid of an official Lynx development kit, Zaku is not only quick and pretty but made up of clean, concise code. It's a defining game for the Lynx that you're sure to enjoy.
Currently, Zaku is in development, having been introduced to the public in France at last year's Retro-gaming Connexion. If you like what you see and want to be kept up-to-date with the game's progress, you are invited to join our mailing list.
Link: http://www.zaku-lynx.com/
From: http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?s=961d923af39b4a5776...
A History of Gaming Platforms: Mattel Intellivision
While not exactly Atari, I've found the Mattel Intellivision interesting.
Link: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3653/a_history_of_gaming_plat...
