I thought it might be "interesting" to provide some background information about myself for you folk living on the remote island of TOS :)If you didn't know, my name is Steve and I have been an Atari ST nutter since 1988. Of course, I had also spent 1985-88 following Atari scene - which meant drooling over magazine ads and their ST game reviews!
Christmas 1988 was the year my great parents could afford to buy me my first ST, the 520 STfm. Heck, it even came with a ton of games: Xenon, Buggy Boy and Beyond The Ice Palace and none of them had weird colour clash!!
Yep, until that day, I had been a ZX Spectrum guy. But I regard the Atari ST as my first real computer because it wasn't just a gaming machine, it was so much more thanks to the power and wonderful GUI - using a mouse!! This machine helped me during my college years and I learned boring skills like word processing, pixel art, a little programming, DTP, and even networking. I owned this for about a year before upgrading to the new Atari STe. That was the day I finally got to hook up my speakers and listen to MOD tunes in stereo. I cannot remember which tracker I used but I doubt it came close to that jaw-dropper: Sirius!!
Anyhow, when I started working, I could afford to venture deeper into paradise and I bought myself a brand new Mega 1 ST because I started to dabble in 3D and DTP a little more. Yes, I send needed. Later into the 90s and I bought myself a second-hand Falcon and even a TT. The Falcon was my main machine and I finally got to see Doom on an Atari monitor! I had no need for a TT other than I wanted one - I was single and could afford it lol.
My first Apple Mac, the 7600/120. Wow, it was expensive but worth it!!
However, as the 90s evolved, I eventually reached the end - probably because the ST had already died and the Falcon thing just never happened... So, sometime around the late 90s, I finally gave up and left to buy myself an Apple Mac 7600. The following years were spent running certain Atari software under MagicMac. But I admit this lessened over time as I found better Mac programs - so was sucked deeper into the exciting Mac world.
In the noughties, I started a gaming website dedicated to third-party mods and singleplayer maps for all my favourite FPS games - which included a file server for downloads. I did this because Mac support was rare so I convert games, wrote installation instructions and made AppleScripts to launch the game w/ mod enabled.
I had great fun doing this and I eventually began contacting developers of the mods that I couldn't get working because they used PC compiled code. So I would use their source to recompile specifically for the PPC Mac of the day. Busy days back then and I helped convert a LOT of mods for BF1942, Doom 3, Q4, CoD, etc...
Of course, it wasn't all work and no play. There was another game that became an addiction for many years and I still play it today: Myth The Fallen Lords. This was incredible and kept me up until the early hours!! However, I'm too old these days for that malarkey and need lots of sleep!! Such an amazing game and something I still play today.
- The Mac Days -
My first Apple Mac, the 7600/120. Wow, it was expensive but worth it!!
However, as the 90s evolved, I eventually reached the end - probably because the ST had already died and the Falcon thing just never happened... So, sometime around the late 90s, I finally gave up and left to buy myself an Apple Mac 7600. The following years were spent running certain Atari software under MagicMac. But I admit this lessened over time as I found better Mac programs - so was sucked deeper into the exciting Mac world.
In the noughties, I started a gaming website dedicated to third-party mods and singleplayer maps for all my favourite FPS games - which included a file server for downloads. I did this because Mac support was rare so I convert games, wrote installation instructions and made AppleScripts to launch the game w/ mod enabled.
I had great fun doing this and I eventually began contacting developers of the mods that I couldn't get working because they used PC compiled code. So I would use their source to recompile specifically for the PPC Mac of the day. Busy days back then and I helped convert a LOT of mods for BF1942, Doom 3, Q4, CoD, etc...
Of course, it wasn't all work and no play. There was another game that became an addiction for many years and I still play it today: Myth The Fallen Lords. This was incredible and kept me up until the early hours!! However, I'm too old these days for that malarkey and need lots of sleep!! Such an amazing game and something I still play today.
- Real Life Takes Over -
Okay, so let's get to the bad stuff about me... Meeting the girl of my dreams, starting a family and getting a house meant that something had to give. Yup, those old Atari's in my attic were sold to pay the bills. Well, they were almost given away as nobody wanted old Atari computers back then. In fact, I remember lowering the price of my TT and giving away my STe as an included freebie. Nobody wanted it otherwise... How times have changed!!
I regret selling up and still periodically look for a Falcon/TT on eBay. But the prices are ludicrously high so, unless I win the lottery, I'll sadly never own either machine again. Well, now I feel depressed... sigh...
Okay, let's fast forward to 2013 when something silly happened - I begin to take an interest in Atari ST games, demos and was even downloading old programs again. A spark ignited inside - I was suddenly back on the Atari ST wagon and pretty soon I was making videos for my YouTube channel. I even started to write reviews embedded into the description and it was these that eventually got moved over to a blogger website. And... here we are :-)
- The AtariCrypt -
For those interested, I have tried to make AtariCrypt a fun place for the community. Basically, because I was sick and tired of the Atari ST being ignored by the "retro gaming" websites. I hope you agree? And I hope you enjoy visiting and digging through the Crypt's archives that span over 5 years. Wow, has it been THAT long?
AtariCrypt has changed and moulded into a neat place on the net, even if I say so myself. Use the search tool right here to see how much content there is... Wow, that sounds bigheaded, right? Well, I've gone a little further a helped to dig out lost games like Bombaman and Whitewater Madness. Heck, I even made a slideshow!
All this with the help and friendship of some incredible ST nutters. People that I would never have known without being an ST nutter myself. Marko is always there for assistance, I think he knows more about the ST than anyone! Peter, what an amazing programmer/musician and a true Manic Miner. But the CPC sucks, sorry mate!!!
OI!!! Wake up!!!
I hope this 'readme' file didn't bore you all too much? Before I go, I think it is fantastic to know that the Atari ST scene is so alive in the 21st century. I'm also blown away by everyone that visits my website: a homage to the best 16-bit computer on the planet. Greetings to all Atari ST nutters wherever you are - don't forget to say hello!
I hope this 'readme' file didn't bore you all too much? Before I go, I think it is fantastic to know that the Atari ST scene is so alive in the 21st century. I'm also blown away by everyone that visits my website: a homage to the best 16-bit computer on the planet. Greetings to all Atari ST nutters wherever you are - don't forget to say hello!
. . . . . . . stay Atari ST/e . . . . . . . . it's time to WRRRAAAAAAAAAP!!!! :-)
