An early beta of the new R-Type Deluxe was released at STNICCC by Stephen Jones, aka Bod. It has been designed to use the STe hardware - Blitter co-processor, hardware scrolling, and DMA effects/music. It plays far better than the original game, and the pictures you see here were sent by Stephen.
I have enjoyed playing R-Type Deluxe, which has proven the Atari STe to be a formidable computer. The action feels smoother and much better, plus the audio has a great effect by making this feel more arcade-like. This is looking to be an impressive project, but please remember this is a Work In Progress. (update).
Update July 24th
This file is already on Atari-Forum, but here is my backup of Stephen's R-Type Deluxe source code. I'm keeping it safe until another developer continues the work. <download link>
Satan has been a bad boy and turned the world on its head. It's our job to reverse his dastardly deeds before it's too late. Developed by Optimus Software for Gremlin, we are Percius and fly on the mythical horse Pegasus. Our adventure is split into two parts: a shooter with us riding Pegasus. And a platformer where Percius is free to unleash his wrath using a large sword (it flips between these two throughout).
The shooter parts are... okay. Imagine something like R-Type, but on horseback, and you have the idea. The baddies appear in the expected patterns so bang on that fire button and collect the crystals they leave behind. They enhance weaponry and there are lots of power-ups that help brighten up this dull affair.
The platform parts are better - run, jump, and leap, collecting crystals and killing baddies. Hardly riveting stuff but still enjoyable with superb joystick mechanics. Controlling Percius is a cinch and I wish more platformers had fluent movement like this. This part of the game had great potential but ended up very boring.
The graphics are bland and I fear a lame port because it's sparsely populated, quite barren of detail. It's like they didn't put in any effort at all. Not only that but that blue background could have been better with a splash more colour. However, the scrolling is nice and smooth so at least that's something? Sadly, the audio is feeble and only the firing stops this game from being as silent as a ZX81!! I really don't think Gremlin cared...
Let's not kid ourselves, this is lame Amiga port and a terrible one at that. It could have/should have been better so it's embarrassing to think Gremlin released this. However, I gotta admit that the platform stages are enjoyable and had potential. It's not a bad game but it's far from a good game. A rushed port.
There are far better shooters and platformers, just use the search option at the top of this page!
The platform part isn't bad but could have been made into something great with little effort.
Collect those power-ups otherwise, it's Zzzzzz!! Play R-Type instead.
Download and play Pegasus using a hard drive thanks to both D-Bug and 8BitChip. But those wanting the floppies can find 'em on Old Games Finder.
If the game is too hard (boring) then here are some nifty cheats:
Press P on the title screen and type in this code: FRUITBAT
Now use the arrow keys to select your starting level.
I had a free hour today, so I entertained myself with Rainbow Arts' Z-Out. Essentially, this is a bog-standard horizontally scrolling shooter with nice graphics and (familiar) sound effects. The controls work well, but it feels like a clone of Menace or R-Type. There is anifty two-player feature which we enjoyed!!
However, I found it extremely difficult at times, plus it didn't really bring anything new to the table compared to shooters already out. Don't get me wrong, this is a very good game, but there are better shoot 'em ups. Am I right? Well, I think so, but let me know what you think in the comments below. Go on, do it.
Downloads and cheats for anyone wanting to experience more of this shooter...
8BitChip has adapted this for hard drive installation with a level skip feature.
> pressing J + K together gives infinite energy. > pressing J and a number between 1 - 6 (on the main keyboard) to skip levels. > pressing K and a number between 1 - 3 (on the keypad) to jump stages.
I remember when I first heard tracker music, it was around 1989, and a pretty cool experience, albeit not on the ST. To be honest, it was something that I never expected to hear from such a small file - I am comparing it to a sound sample that eats the entire space on any floppy disk (and then the Ram).
When I upgraded to an Atari STe, finding a MOD player was one of the first things I attempted. I wanted to ditch chip music for this tantalising new style of computer music. It's weird, but back then, I felt disappointed in my Atari ST and its chip music, but I don't feel that way now. In fact, I find many of those MODs I find poor and often quite irritating, excluding classics like R-Type, Menace, and a few others.
Today, I'm a chip guy. That doesn't mean I'm completely against MODs. I just prefer chip. I see videos on YouTube and read people's comments about how they wish a particular ST game sounded more like the Amiga. I get that, but imagine IF our computer did sound the same. Would that be a good thing? I don't think so. The ST is its own entity with the ability to sound its own way using gorgeous chip music. If the ST had the same music capabilities as the Amiga (in games), then why not just buy the Amiga and be done with it?
No other computer out there has to justify itself like the Atari ST, and that ... annoys me! Think about that, and it's why I started AtariCrypt. I want the ST to be an ST and not pretend to be something else. The YM is part of what makes the ST an ST, and that's a good thing and shouldn't be thought of negatively.
With that off my chest, here is a selection of excellent MOD players for the Atari STe...
Atari STe MOD / Tracker Players
BackTrack - I wasn't too sure about this at first, but I cannot deny its quality, and the selectable frequencies are a brilliant idea that will be useful on every model of Atari. The audio playback sounds great, especially at 50KHz - but you might need a Mega STe for that!! (v4.04 - released 1993 - by Wizzcat)
CD Player STE - This is like a CD player from the 90s. Just copy the MOD files into the same folder as the program and boot it up. Obviously not a GEM program, but something that works well, is very effective, and has a fantastic interface. Cracking program - leave it running while you work! (released 1990 - by Light)
DBE Player - Another GEM program to punch out your favourite MODS. The quality is excellent and has a decent playlist feature. However, I thought that it's pretty demanding of the basic model STe compared to the others (v2.0 - released 1999 - by Sector One)
The MusicPlayer - Ignoring its quirky GEM interface (which is odd), I thought this program produced good sound quality and even supports 50KHz / 8 channels! (v1.0 - released 1994 - by Christian Dahl)
Sirius Player - This is another that refuses to use GEM and replaces it with its own beautiful UI. The sound quality is Grade A with support for 50KHz, thus proving GEM can be a beast. Also, 8-channel MODS can be played using features like presets /etc/etc. Don't forget to press the HELP key for all of the options. This is my favourite program; its playback quality is mind-boggling!! (v2.0 - released 2001 - by TSCC 2001)
Paula - A great program that makes you wish you'd have bought a Mega STe for that extra grunt! This is yet another example of the sound quality an Atari STe can produce - and in GEM too. Great programs. My thanks to Pavel Puchala for alerting me to the freeware release! (v2.6 - released 1999 - by Pascal Fellerich)
JAM - A true jack of all trades that works either in GEM or using its own frontend GUI. It features a neat plugin architecture, so lots of different file types are supported - not just MODs but various chiptunes. This is absolutely fascinating, and JAM always produces excellent sounds! (v1.0 - released 2000 - by Cream)
The CryptO'pinion?
This page proves nothing. Well, except that the Atari STe can easily handle Amiga MODs with quality playback, no matter what program you decide to use. They're all great. It just depends on your own needs: if you need a GEM player, then any of the above is a good choice to install onto your hard drive/ultrasatan.
Yes, they are all great in their own way, but I loved how the CD Player can be stacked and left to play while you're doing something else. JAM is great and can handle a variety of different formats, too. Ultimately, I think Sirius is best (for me) with its astounding 50Khz playback, so I tend to prefer this above all others.
What says you? Let me know in the comments below...
I'm not big on social media, but one of the reasons I remain on Twitter is to follow people like Jonathan Thomas. Yep,
that same dodgy fella who developed
Pole Position
for the Atari STe and then dared to update
Lotus Turbo II
in ways we never thought possible back in the day. Okay, I guess he's not a
bad lad...
His tweets are often fascinating because he pokes deep within the
depths of ST code. It's here that weird techniques are discovered or he
experiments with probable improvements. He also enhances code by utilising the Atari STe hardware. All this coding talk is way
over my head, but intriguing nonetheless.
So, onto his latest 'project', a horizontally-scrolling shooter for the Atari
STe, not too dissimilar to Menace, R-Type, etc. Jon’s using hardware scrolling while the sprites and particle effects are handled by the Blitter. There are no DMA sound effects, but I cannot complain as he was
generous in sending me an early beta lol
I asked Jon for his thoughts and prospects for what might eventually be an Atari STe game. Although he replied that he had no concrete plans, he did hint toward several promising short-term goals:
A title screen (we will need a name for this!).
16x16
sprites for a selection of individual enemies.
Each sprite will use
10-15 predefined attack moves.
A couple of (2-3 minute) stages with
increasing difficulty.
A "game completion" screen.
Multiple DMA
sound effects.
Chipmusic hopefully by (fingers crossed)
Dma_Sc.
Having "played" the beta, I must say it's impressive, along with the
prospect of what's already been achieved in a short time. I liked the
feel of the joystick controls, and collision detection is spot-on. Border
rasters indicate the remaining CPU time for future additions and demonstrate the potential. You might say, I'm excited!
If, like me, you love hearing what other people are doing with their Atari
STs, then take a look at Jon's
Twitter stream. It's amock with weird programming gizmos (that I shall never understand) as he enjoys dismantling ST games. I can imagine the
dorky entertainment Jon has with his Atari STe!! I hope that continues.
Update: Jon has started a source
repository
for those interested in helping him out.
I'm sure you were expecting this video. I've put together a second recording that features even more Atari STe games from the Crypt archives. Once again, just a few seconds of each is shown, accompanied by the same groovy background tune by Tomchi. If you missed the first video, click here. Enjoy!!
Let's check 'em out...
Uridium - Peter has performed his usual magic and transformed this clunky shooter into a beauty.
Operation Garfield - I dare you not to laugh at this silly shoot 'em up!
Zool - Good on the ST and even better on the STe. Different to Sonic and fun for a few hours.
Giana Sisters - One of the best-enhanced games, 10x better than the original.
Chronicles of Omega - More colours on the STf but smooth as silk on the STe and with DMA audio.
Substation - Doom for the ST? Well, no, it's not, but it's still a BRILLIANT game.
Stardust - Now we're talking, play this Asteroids and tell me it's not mind-blowing!!
Heartland 2000 - An Easter Egg with legs, but look how smoooooth it runs!!
Zero-5 - The STe goes Star Wars on us, and it's utterly superb. What a cracking game.
Pac Mania - The original was good, but this blows it out of the water!!
R-Type Deluxe - Good old Bod did us proud. I miss him and thank him for the pics.
Team - I ain't a soccer fan, but check out this in overscan. Wow!!
Sliders - Looks weird, scrolls like silk, but can you play it? One very odd game.
Obsession - The best pinball game? Very possibly because this is a jaw-dropper, alright!
Alien World is a shoot 'em up by Gary Antcliffe (Blazing Thunder/Yogi's Great Escape) and was released in 1992 by Hi-Tec Premier Software. Ignoring the dreadful title tune, the game is a cross between the likes of Menace and R-Type, with a dollop of Venus Flytrap thrown in for good measure. Which is always gonna be ace!
The action is relentless and immediately hits you with a ton of pitfalls like red-hot streams of molten lava that shoot up from glowing pools. It isn't long before you feel a little Blood Money creeping in as the scrolling alternates between horizontal & vertical. I liked the parts that don't automatically scroll, allowing you to move at your own leisure. Gravity plays a part in affecting your movement, think Flappy Bird or SantaFly!
Graphically, Alien World is outstanding with ultra-smooth scrolling, best experienced using a real Atari ST. Everything is exquisite, rich colours, detailed sprites, and fluent movement. Sadly, audio is a different story with no in-game tune and weak sound effects. A few decent chiptunes would have been perfect!
Gameplay is what matters, and I’m impressed with this challenging shooter. While it has an immense learning curve, Blood Money fans will enjoy it. Like many 16-bit games of the era, it’s incredibly tough and requires a cheat. However, it’s a game that keeps you coming back for that satisfying "just one more go".
Alien World is great and will keep you entertained for hours. It’s so challenging, but I absolutely love it.
Let's go back to the days of Starsky & Hutch and Asteroids!
Most people might think it's stupid to emulate a retro computer using a retro computer. Thankfully, not me, as I've found something rather incredible called 2nd Life. It's a TRS-80 Model III emulator by Sander Berents and is something I stumbled on purely by chance. So, I figured I should give it a good playtest.
I've never used a TRS-80, and I imagine few made it outside the US. Anyhow, Tandy and RadioShack released the first model in 1977; it was a hit for those wealthy enough to have lots of spare cash burning a hole in their pockets. Back then, I would have been six and too young to care about something like this :-)
Let's begin with a screenshot of the credits. Oh yeah, it's screenshot time...
It's sad that something this good wasn't released earlier in the ST's life.
What's a RadioShack?
Like you, I love my Atari ST, even when it pretends to be something else - a Sinclair, Commodore, or even a peculiar clunk of hardware by RadioShack (I used to love the Tandy stores). Anyhow, a TRS-80 emulator sounded too tempting not to try! I read the docs and hit the web to learn how to operate this ancient beast.
First things first, read the docs and look at the FAQ text file to understand which options to enable/disable for the best performance and compatibility settings. You will also find two more disk images with compiled and BASIC games, but you'll be best with a 16MHz computer to enjoy something close to native speeds.
2nd Life requires ST High resolution and is very easy to use. Along the bottom of the screen are four floppy disk drive icons - click to highlight Drive 0 and use that as the TRS operating system boot drive. The second drive icon can be used for anything, like games or other images that you may have downloaded.
Lots of features and is versatile. Plus, it can play many different games too, which matters more...
One of the first things I booted up was Donkey Kong. It looks terrible, but it plays well.
Old but not that much different
Using the TRS-80's DOS commands feels a little quirky, but is fairly easy to learn. For example, DIR will display the directory of a disk, and it can be expanded with extra options and filters, as you'll see in the video:
DIR 0 - will produce the contents of Drive 0
DIR 1 - will produce the contents of Drive 1. Easy, right?
DIR 1,/BAS - this displays the same list but filters for BAS files. CAT 1 - this provides an alternative way to load programs!
We're gonna get a little more complex now, but it's worth it to watch the dancing alien:
BASIC RUN "DANCING/BAS,1"
The command looks worse than it actually is. Breaking it down, it simply instructs the computer to load up the BASIC program. Then that will load/run the file "DANCING/BAS" which is stored on Drive 1. Easy!
This is starting to be fun, so I went searching for a game like Menace or R-Type. Ahem, screenshot time...
Sea Dragon is a terrible mess of ZX81 blockiness, but it is a brilliant shoot 'em up!
Get to the games already!
Ultimately, we're here to play some TRS-80 games, and I gotta tip my hat to this old piece of 70s kit. There are some great games in its library, and there's a good reason I chose Sea Dragon as the video thumbnail. Like any old computer, there's a wealth of vintage games from the era: Pac-Man, Invaders, Frogger, etc. I'm a geek, so I enjoyed the thrill of playing with something that's almost as old as me. No rude comments, please!
Performance-wise, the humble 8MHZ Atari ST will successfully emulate and run everything you throw at it. It will struggle with the games as it's simply not fast enough. Personally, my Mega STe is the essential, minimum requirement and produces near-perfect speeds, generally speaking. So, 8MHz will be fine, but 16MHz will get you gaming. Hardly a shock and just the same as with other emulators we have within our library...
Don't forget to read the docs as README.TXT is there for a reason... Okay, I'll nag no more!
Yes, this really is Frogger. Hopper has awful collision detection, but it's a good game.
Games! Give me games!
One of the best games is Sea Dragon, which is a fantastic scramble through watery canyons. Sadly, I wasn't impressed with Penetrator. I struggled with jerky graphics and twitchy controls. It was a shock to see a chunky version of Donkey Kong with huge black and white blocks, but the gameplay is superb, and that's what matters. However, the blocks worked great for Armoured Patrol and the wealth of Pac-Man games!
There are a few games bundled with 2nd Life, and sooner or later, you will want more. Thankfully, there are some great websites with disk images stuffed full of games, and I managed to find racers, lots of different Space Invaders, Zork, and even Temple of Apshai - which is nothing at all like the Atari ST version. Its "turn-based" element caught me off guard, in a nice way. But boy, is it slow - even on a real TRS-80. Yikes!
Most (all?) disk images found on the internet won't be compatible with the Atari ST. Thankfully, Sander has a utility to convert these for 2nd Life and it works a treat from what I've seen so far. Hence, how I got to play Hamburger Sam, Berserk, erm Robot Attack and the sluggish Temple of Apshai.
He might not be yellow, but he's on the TRS-80 as Gobbler!
The CryptO'pinion?
I initially expected the TRS-80 to be nothing more than a cumbersome piece of ancient hardware that I wouldn't particularly enjoy. I couldn't be more wrong. This machine appears to have more power and versatility than I would ever imagine. It's a great computer, and it's no wonder those plucky Americans snapped it up!
2nd Life is an equally fantastic piece of software! I'm impressed with how well it runs in terms of speed, ease of use, and compatibility. The inclusion of a utility to convert disk images into a format that 2nd Life can recognise is wonderful. That opens up the possibility of playing everything there is. Techies can go further: font editor, keyboard alteration, linking computers, and even tinkering with a disassembler debugger...
The TRS-80 is great, and it's impressive to see the Atari ST flip back in time so easily and reliably. I have really enjoyed using 2nd Life, and I'd love to hear what hardware you guys are using to run this software.
GitHub has the download, which includes the source code for those uber-geeks amongst us :-)
- MORE SCREENSHOTS -
Look what I found!! It's different to the Atari ST game. Quick, kill the Ant Man!!
This is Astro, and it's a BASIC game. No, I mean it's written in BASIC, and it's good.
Hamburger Sam, based on BurgerTime, but felt more like Mr Wimpy to me. Love it.
This is Speedway, and it's kinda like an early Spy Hunter or Major Motion. Hmm...
Runner demands quick control action - you'll regret not reading the FAQ text file!
I only ever played Penetrator on the ZX Spectrum... and this isn't as good!
Hang on, is that Berserk? No, it's Robot Attack and completely different. Honest.
Limit Zero is absolutely superb and something you should play!!
ScarfMan? Okay, it's getting silly now...
Lunar Lander is a cracking conversion, but too slow for an 8MHz ST to handle.
