“The ST Can’t Scroll”

Really?

One of the things we have all heard time and time again, both now and even back in the day, is that the Atari ST cannot scroll. I’ve never really understood where that came from. Because when I unwrapped my ST on Christmas morning back in 1988, I was straight into games like Xenon, Beyond the Ice Palace, Black Lamp, Return to Genesis, Thundercats, Wizball, and Zynaps. All of them scrolled - and they scrolled well. That was just the start, as the months passed, I got to play R-Type, Robocop, Baal, Pac-Land, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Custodian, The New Zealand Story, Jug, Blood Money, StarRay. And that list goes on (and on, and on...).

Sure, there were some stinkers - lazy ports that got the quick ‘n’ dirty Amiga-to-ST treatment, with zero care and even less optimisation. Especially in the 1990s, and when that happened, some developers shrugged and blamed the hardware. “The ST can’t scroll,” they’d say. More likely: the programmer didn’t have the time or the talent to do the job properly (ouch!). I'm still waiting for someone to Blitterise Cannon Fodder!

However, it's deeper than a handful of poorly converted games. So, where did this myth come from? Well, the standard ST was never going to churn out loads of games running at 50fps because it doesn’t have hardware scrolling, after all. But does that automatically mean anything running slower is rubbish? Not at all, but somehow, that excuse stuck - and even now, decades later, people still repeat it like it’s a fact.

Since I’m clearly not bored of moderating the abusive comments after posting about STDOOM & DOOM8088ST, I figured it was time to put this tired old myth to bed. I’ve made a 'gameplay' video showing several ST games that scroll fine – and yes, I could’ve included many more, but I think the point’s been made.

When the ST is in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing and actually gives a TOS, it delivers. You might say, "A bad workman blames his tools". Just STay Atari, and enjoy my recording! :-)

2025

Another year closer to death

Being the miserable sod that I am, I don't usually welcome in the new year. It's something I've never been bothered about. I'm more of a Christmas guy; January only means work is looming around the corner! Thankfully, I’m retired, and I believe I’m probably a happier person. Don't quote me on that.

So, I wanted a way to celebrate this New Year, but I wasn’t sure how. Then, my iPhone suggested something called Gemini. Apparently, it can create an image that you describe. That sounded strange to me, but I thought, "Why not give it a try?" Even so, I assumed it would be terrible and that I’d uninstall the app!

After having a play, most of the generated images were (at best) hit-or-miss. And if you asked to include the text "Atari ST," it often produced a computer that was a bizarre mix of an older 8-bit Atari and bits of the ST. The results were, to put it mildly, disappointing. That said, a few images turned out surprisingly well, like the house in my Christmas post. Honestly, did you really think I could draw that myself? lol

I can imagine you're all bored reading about how I finally caught up with modern technology. Must admit, I'd have never imagined creating a picture by describing it to a computer. That's weird and a little 'August 29, 1997' scary! Anyhow, let's crack on and show you some images that Gemini created for me.

I hope everyone has a fantastic New Year, and I wish you all the best... STay Atari... Stay Atari ST...

"AtariCrypt" was often nigh on impossible without resorting to capitals. Very odd.

I asked for a horror image, and it came back with this. Which I think is damn cool!!

I wanted the Atari ST to look explosive with flair. It came up with this image.

I love West Texas and asked for a variety of "ST" images. All bad. Except this one!

10 Years!!

Happy Birthday!

Only the other day did I realize that AtariCrypt has been going for a decade. I never expected that!! So I want to thank everyone who has helped and supported me over the years. I call them "Friends of AtariCrypt", and they are (see top/right). Of course, my greetings to everyone else who regularly pops over to see what's new. Thanks for visiting, and it's always a pleasure reading your comments left on the pages here.

I nabbed this picture from the ElefantaSTic demo by Genesis Project. I have always admired its style, using stunning visuals and funky music. It's a fantastic production that also seemed appropriate for today.

After a whopping 10 years, I have built up quite a library of ST talk. The older stuff could be better (ahem), but I have gained experience writing reviews over the years. A fun ride, but it went rather quick!! Well, there are now several categories listed on the right. Please take a look and dig deep into the many archives.

Following on from my previous article, I'm continuing my break from my ST addiction. Just for the moment. I hope to resume someday soon and crack on with the ST stuff for another decade!! He says...

ElefantaSTic credits

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Shadow - Code
MCH - Music
Mermaid - Graphics, Music
https://demozoo.org/productions/93373/

The beST Game Ever

There can be only one

I hate questions like, what's your favourite game? An impossible question to answer because it doesn't take into consideration the genre or even my mood at that moment. Plus, my answer changes daily! However, people still ask me, which is understandable but also quite infuriating. Or am I in a grumpy mood?!!

Possibly!! Yet I'm actually wondering what my favourite Atari ST game is. We have a ginormous library, so how can I answer? Here goes: I'm ignoring ratings. I'm ignoring genre. I'm ignoring my mood. I'm ignoring everything to make this the most pointless article ever. Wait, it's wrong to pick Dungeon Master, right?

NO!! I cannot choose that because it's the game everyone automatically plumps for. Rightly so, but...

Anyhow, what about Defender of the Crown? What about Stardust? What about Rogue? Then there is Prince Of Persia, Gauntlet II, Joust, Magic Boy, Borodino, Zero-5, Stunt Car Racer, Speedball, Populous, Golden Axe, Time Bandit, The Secret Of Monkey Island, Death Chase, The Pawn, Rick Dangerous, Hostages, Kult, Resolution 101, Stormlord, Midwinter, Hunter, Legends Of Valour, Carrier Command, Mr Do! Run Run, Captain Blood, North & South, Starglider, Oids, Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters, Turrican, and Out Run.

The list goes on and on and on... (I was joking about Out Run!)

So, with my back against the wall and a loaded gun held against my empty head, the dreaded question is asked. It demands an answer. I'm starting to sweat. What game might come out trumps? Well, after great thought (honest) I've made my decision - knowing full well this is a pointless venture that makes no sense.

Nobody will read this rubbish website, so I'm perfectly safe from ridicule.

I've done it and picked the best Atari ST game.

Do you wanna know what it is? Really, are you that bored? Right, scroll on...

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The CryptO'pinion?

I have picked Domark's Shadowlands as the best Atari ST game. Not only was it ahead of its time, but it was created, designed and produced to near perfection. It offers the player a fascinating, atmospheric, and captivating world to explore. What, you disagree with me? There's a shocker!! Am I that wrong?

I don't care, but click the above link to read my review. Hang on, can I change my mind? ;^)

Yes, this was silly and a pointless waste of our time. Regardless, if you had a gun held to your head and forced to make that dreaded decision, what Atari ST game would you choose? It can be absolutely anything except Dungeon Master. I'm eager to hear your thoughts, so let me know in the comments below.

Enjoy whatever you play. STay Atari.

Downloads for: Floppy Disks | Hard Drive

The title screen is superb and nicely animated too, which this screenshot fails to show!

The opening level outside is quite lame, but don't enter the dungeon without looking around first...

Once inside, the game perfectly introduces you to the lighting, puzzles, and monsters.

The first baddie is this fella, but don't worry because he's really easy to kill.

Another baddie and some pick-ups too. Hang on, is that a key I see?

Replaying this game again, from scratch, is proving to be fantastic. What an adventure!!

Make sure you read the manual. There are more than enough helpful hints to get you started.

Geeky memories

The biggest games club in the world

Today I was going through a few games from my collection, deciding what I should keep or (sigh) get rid of. Apparently, there's only so much space a married man is allowed for this "old junk", as she calls it. She's a cruel woman!

Anyhow, inside one of my game boxes was a flyer from Special Reserve - these guys were superb and sold many discounted Atari ST games. I've not seen this advert before, so it was an exciting find for this old man. I remember joining them and getting many great deals that our one-and-only local computer shop couldn't compete with. I think I was a member until the mid-90s when our gaming era was drawing to a close. A sad time, but with many mega-cheap deals!

You know, I absolutely love finding geeky stuff like this! It makes my day and is going up on my ST Wall because it's something to treasure! Does anyone else remember this catalogue company? Let me know in the comments below.

Oddly, there were two copies of the same flyer inside my game box - I'll freely send the other to anyone who is interested in this tiny slice of ST history (sorry, UK only). I've taken a few photographs...

Can you imagine ringing their helpline for a game like Dungeon Master or another RPG?

Rubbish! All games worked on the Atari STe. Well, if you used a menu disk hehe!

Even the then-new Atari Lynx gets a little support. I miss my Lynx...

The prices are pretty darn good. I'll take North & South, please!

The mega blaster sounds cool, especially with its steel shaft. Stop it!

Friends Reunited!

Miniature hard drives!

Look what I've just found at the bottom of my cupboard!! After many moons, here is a tiny case that contains two SD Cards I thought I had lost: one features MagiC and the other is a raw ST MiNT image, created by Marcello running Cripple MiNT (due to the ST's 4MB Ram limit, and you can read about that here).

For me, MagiC is where it's at because it's a powerful and versatile operating system, albeit at the expense of some awkward incompatibilities. Unlike MiNT, I've got some RAM left over to make this a usable operating system replacement. It's superb, but the default desktop is lame, so I should find a copy of Ease. Now, I know most will probably scream "Jinnee" but I feel Ease is the better alternative desktop for me.

Sadly, I've yet to find the SD card that has my Geneva/NeoDesk installation (that's now free!!). Anyhow, it's funny what you find when you least expect it. So, which is your favourite, or do you prefer good old TOS? Let me know in the comments below while I stuff this card with programs and my chip music archive...

Marcello's ST MiNT https://subsole.org
MagiC v6.20 https://www.atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?p=327914#p327914
Gribnif Software http://www4.pair.com/gribnif/

Goodbye...

Another year is done!

I thought it might be nice to leave 2019 with a selection of previously featured games that you may have missed. So before welcoming in the new year, here's a bloated list of games which I think are true Christmas Crackers - and for a variety of different reasons. So, should be played by all ST Nutters!! :-)

We begin by taking gaming seriously. Yep, let's tax the old brain cells with four amazing games:

• Yopaz is a familiar thinker running in GEM. But don't let that put you off because it plays really well and even supports the STe for some seriously cool ambient sounds.
• Next is Unheart which has a C64 visual feel and some think it's a Boulderdash clone when they see screenshots - which it isn't. Instead, it's a mind-bogglingly brilliant puzzler!
• Thirdly, it should be instantly obvious what BeGEMed is all about? Never have I played something so captivating with beautiful aesthetics. One seriously addictive puzzler!
• Finally, the brilliant and originally titled Sokoban. This unassuming game is cunningly difficult and easily expandable. It will always get a thumbs-up from me!

 

 

Two extra games

Now that's four games you should take time out to play. But wait, that's not all... Here are two more little-known games which I think deserve a lot of attention and for different reasons...

• Alpha Waves. Wow, this is something captivating and it blew me away when I first saw it. Imagine yourself trapped inside a box and the only way to escape is by bouncing your spacecraft on springy platforms. It's weird yet works so perfectly. A milestone in 3D game that will offer hours of surreal and alternate fun. Download this right now!! 

• Okay, let's switch now to burning rubber and head straight onto the asphalt! The Atari ST is certainly blessed with lots of ace racers and driving games but few seem to remember Power Up? Okay, it's hardly original and slower than we'd like but it's fun, especially on the STe because it can make use of the DMA and Blitter. Faster Atari computers are supported for smoother framerates. It's not perfect but I still love this game!

 

 

Fancy a little more?

Platformers are next and those who know me will be aware of my addiction to the genre. The Atari ST has many: Stario, Rainbow Islands, Gods, Ghosts & Goblins... But here are a few others I wanted to share:

• Prehistorik was written in STOS and is so much fun. It's a lightweight platformer but one with incredible mechanics and is GREAT fun. It should be played by all. Oh yeah! 

• Magic Boy is next and I said BOY not POCKETS!! This is another Christmas Cracker which plays as good as it looks and with STe support. No lame Amiga port here. 

• Next is a fella with a Big Nose who walks along boring landscapes - which should have been far better. But, you know what, this plays brilliantly and is so addictive. 

• Finally, we end with a Thug but he's a nice thug and another hidden GEM in the ST world.

 

 

Yes, there is always more!

Okay, it's time to end this little compilation, but there are plenty more games within our archives - so use the *search* function because you never know what's lurking! Also, don't forget to download AtariCrypt Magazine. Yes, it's free... well... donationware for the honest among you. Go on, grab yourself a copy.

Finally, thank you for visiting my website for another year. It's great reading the comments; your messages of support are always appreciated. Once again, I cannot leave without paying homage to our dear supporters, so this article continues over on Buy Me A Ko-Fi as a special treat to those amazing guys!

All the very beST for 2020 and above all ... Stay Atari!!

Dusty Old Disks!

Arghh, floppies everywhere!

I figured it was time to do a little housework. No, not the dusting-and-hoovering kind, because that's a woman's job (the wife just hit me!). Anyhow, I've got zillions of cover disks scattered about the house. Well, over a hundred!! And I can never find the one I want without hunting through this mess. BooHoo, right?

I'm amazed at how many coverdisks were released by magazines like ST Format, ST Review, and ST User. But there are also others: The One, ST/Amiga Format, Computer Express, Zero, and my favourite, ST Action.

Unsurprisingly, most of my disks are by ST Format, with ST User and ST Review following for a close second and third, respectively. I've been playtesting most disks, and I'm shocked to discover that almost everything still works. I have bad sectors on a few ST Format disks, but otherwise, I'm partying like it's 1990.

Hang on, that's how I live my life every day!

As you can imagine, this was quite the trip down memory lane. I've found many games and programs like Recover, Quick ST, Harlekin, K-Graph, That's Write, Cyber Paint, Ani ST, GEMview, Easy Draw, Spectrum 512, loads of CPX modules, etc... In fact, the abundant amount of utilities is most appealing!

A cynic might say, all of these could have been found on the internet!! But where's the fun in that? Come on, what is your cover disk collection like? Do they work? Why not let me know in the comments?

Don't leave just yet, you have screenshots to view and a pile of disks too...

It's hardly classy, but at least they tried to jazz up their disks, unlike other ST mags.

Dungeon Master for free. Almost, but this is a belting game!!

Why have I yet to feature this incredible platformer???

Chronicles Of Omega. Search it right here on AtariCrypt. ST/STe support!

Grr, I found another 12 disks after taking this photo!! (10xSTF / 2xSTR)

Atari ST friends

My new Atari ST merch

I received my latest "Atari Games" mug by Peter Jørgensen (Enduro Racer / YMT). No, they're not all the same, just scroll down for the reverse side. These cups are superb, and it's so kind of Peter to send them. The mouse mat was a gift from my mate Tom, another ST nutter. Both Peter and Tom made the ZombieCrypt mug - probably because they were blown away by that slideshow I released last year. Hmm, probably not lol.

My greetings, Peter/Tom - nothing is better than suppin' coffee from these mugs!! 😎

Bod

It is with great sadness that I inform you of the death of Stephen Jones, aka Bod. More recently, he was the gentleman behind the Atari STe game R-Type Deluxe, an eagerly anticipated upgrade to an already ace game, and was highly regarded as the biggest STe project for years. He demonstrated to the entire retro gaming world just what this machine was capable of - when in the hands of someone with talent and commitment.

I talked with him quite a lot; he kindly supplied screenshots of his progress. I was excited to feature them on my little-known website. Kindness, I shall never forget. Also, his commitment to the Atari ST scene is fully featured on Demozoo where you can view his Fuji portfolio. It's extremely impressive, to say the least.

A great loss.

Prayers and my condolences to his family and friends at this time †