Pure Energy #42

Renewable Energy

I love this Menu Disk released by Pure Energy early in 1993. It has a gorgeous plasma whilst playing excellent chip music by Crawdaddy. The text might have a simplistic feel, but did you notice anything a little different? Look closer... Do you see now?? Pretty awesome, right? If you don't, leave a comment asking ;)

Anyhow, the disk also features Centipede, which is an incredible game.

Credits

B.F.G - Text

Crawdaddy - Music

Mick - Code

Sebastien Larnac

I thought it was about time for another interview on AtariCrypt, and who better than my mate Sebastien Larnac! He's better known as ST Survivor (STS), a name you will have seen credited in many wonderful Atari ST demos. Also, he's created other screens, such as images for programs like gwEm's STj and MaxYMiser.

Compared to many, he became an ST nutter late in the day. But it wasn't long before he was testing the waters of the demoscene with doodles and writing for diskmags. He's a modest dude, yet his hiSTory is more impressive than he realises!!

So, I had a bright idea to interview the dude behind those funky glasses to see what makes him tick. Some details I found quite surprising, but overall this is an extremely talented young gent, even if he is French (what?). Seriously, folks, take a gander at Demozoo to see his outstanding 16-colour art collection.

ST Survivor - The Interview

What’s your STory?

I received my Atari STe as a Christmas gift in 1990 and spent a couple of years copying games. Until one day one of my floppies was filled with something called a “demo”. What the heck was that? I instantly loved the idea behind it and got in touch with the creators (I phoned one of them!). I already doodled on paper, so why not on a computer? I joined NLC at a time when some people were leaving the demoscene (damn me, for being late!).

I worked on a GFA megademo (Back In France) with my friend Thyrex, who ran the French diskmag ToXic. I had the opportunity to make more pictures for various demo crews and took the position of the main editor of UnderCover Magascene. I also founded aLiVe! with CiH/Maggie Team and that’s it. I left the Atari Scene around 2003 because I was pi**ed off with life and finally got back to my second family somewhere around 2013.


Your favourite work?

It may sound silly but definitely, my best memory and true pride remain for our GFA megademo with Thyrex/NLC. It was started in 1994 as a multi-crew project, then, of course, everyone left and the two of us remained, wondering what we would do. Oddly it did not kill our motivation! Sure it took us another four years, and the final result was far from perfect, yet it is a demo made with a lot of passion and friendship.

Moving onto more recent artwork, I am very proud of the work we did on POOZ along with Cooper, Exocet and DmaSc. I personally think the game looks and plays like a true commercial game!

  
From scary to funky, Sebastien's style is always amazing.

Inspirations?

I am not inspired, graphics-wise, by anyone but me and this must be the reason why I know/feel that most people don’t like my art. Well, sorry folks, art is a matter of taste :) I truly admire people like Evil/DHS who have brought us so many great demos. I don’t admire but have a lot of respect for the friends I have worked with because -most of the time- it was a great opportunity to share ideas and artistic passion. I am still impressed by people like Niko, Mic, Prowler or Slayer, you know the kind of dark-inspired graphics ;)

For a very long time, I have been a fan of Niko with his tortured and highly detailed style. Now I see that most of his pictures were mostly copies of existing paintings, not that it takes away any of his pixel art qualities. Yet today I would rather admire people like Mic/Dune and Exocet who not only have a very specific style but can also work either with very limited palettes or with wider ones. Exocet is also very well known for painting on a lot of platforms, thumbs up! They are true artists who manage to bring art whatever the challenge they need to face.


Favourite demo?

I've had my Atari STe since 1990 so I have never been either fond of or familiar with what the early years produced. Sorry guys, but I’m not in love with demos from the 1980s. In the nineties, demos started showing technique AND style and I have some favourites from this era, as well as some others from more recent years.

If I had to choose only one it would be… Wait, only one you say? Tough choice but I think I would go for Froggies Over The Fence. Not because of some national pride but because it’s a huge megademo showing different styles - “classic” demo parts, an animated story, a Tetris-like game featuring the Jess tunes (I’m a huge fan!), an awesome high colour slideshow and a very long end scroller. Of course, there are tons of other demos I love.

  
As a guy without any artistic skills, I cannot imagine how you would create images like these!

Favourite demo group?

To me, a good group is formed by a bunch of friends who enjoy working together. Dead Hackers Society prove this with their many impressive demos and I am always amazed to see new effects from them, things we thought could not be done. Yet it is not my favourite demo crew, I don’t think I have one, to be honest.

I like the guys of Cream though, they seem to embody the true essence of a crew: each individual does something important, none is ahead, it’s a thing that could not be done without every member. It may sound silly, but this is how I feel this group works (and their latest demo Stresstest proves this perfectly).


Any funny demoparty tales?

Yeah, sure! The very first demoparty I attended was Place To Be again in 1994. I had no driver's licence so my father offered to drive me (+900kms) to the place! I was thrilled, like a kid on Christmas morning, being amongst the last of the great French demosceners. Guys like Dune, Holocaust, Niko/OXG, EXA…

I spent three sleepless days running all around the hall room and then went to get some rest on the compo night… only to eventually wake up the following morning! Yes, I had completely missed the compo! In the end, it was a mixture of joy and disappointment but undoubtedly a great memory :)

  
What personality and mindset must someone require to create such fascinating art!

Pick your favourite Atari ST year!

Again, I would choose 1994 because it was –in my humble opinion- a turning point in the Atari ST history: famous ST crews left for PC or even fewer for the Falcon, while I was only just starting my “scene” life. The ST demoscene died in 1994 and was reborn, even stronger, a few years later. The death of a generation and the birth of another one!


Are you STill doodling?

These days it’s a bit tricky to find time and motivation to work on things and I don’t even doodle that much on paper anymore. I have never been too fond of Art Studies so I missed the basics... I went back to pixelling in 2013 but I haven’t really been too productive and the few things I did, well, I don’t think anyone will remember them? I don’t own an Atari ST anymore (gosh, it tore my guts out to give it away!) yet even though I’m using Peecee, it’s only to run Steem and CrackArt. The only way I know is: 16 colours, STf palette, nothing more, nothing less.

  
From a tripped out colour-scheme to something that is bold and striking. Love 'em!!

Will you remaster any artwork?

I have never thought about reworking my Atari pics on the peecee. Firstly, because I like to paint on such limited retro hardware and within the STf limitations (I don't need STe palette). Secondly, because peecee is no fun, I don't ever want to mix Atari with peecee. Thirdly, I don't have the knowledge nor the will to do so. Basically, the answer is "no Steve" :-)


The future of the Atari ST?

Over the last 3 decades, I have claimed the demoscene to be dead more than once! Obviously, we probably cannot expect fresh blood from the younger generation and we are all growing older and have busy lives. However, there is still room for newcomers and I hope that people find some motivation to do something over the years. Big Atari events, be it Sillyventure or STNICCC (2032?) or God knows what else is needed. We are quiet but we are still here and for a long time!

You are invited to visit my blog: democyclopedia.wordpress.com or visit me on Twitter @stsurvivor.

Spellfire The Sorcerer

We're a wizard, again!

Spellfire is a scrolling platformer developed by Dave Semmens for Code Masters and released in 1992. It is set in a time long ago: a time of myth and legend when knights patrolled the woodlands and magicians were the cool guys. We're a wizard called Willy (stop it!!) and our beef is with an emperor who is holding captive (wait for it) Fifi The Fairy. She's trapped in his tower, so our valiant quest is to rescue her.

Fifi can only be rescued from the dark fortress by collecting ten magic eyes scattered across the levels. It's the usual quest through lands filled with monsters and demonic guardians. Will you help Wizard Willy?

Come on, I know you will, so let's check out the first screenshot from the game...

The graphics are great, but sometimes it feels cluttered.

It all sounds incredibly original, right?

He begins his journey in a forest that leads to the castle where she is imprisoned. This is a great start, which introduces us nicely to the gameplay mechanics: our hero can walk, leap, climb trees, shoot fire bolts, and even mash up magic spells using a rather large cauldron. Health status is displayed at the top of the screen and will decrease if you happen to touch enemies or a dangerous object. Gold coins can be collected (after a kill), and these are used as currency inside a cauldron that can mix magical power-ups, ammo, or health.

Collecting the magic eyes allows us to battle the first guarding boss - a wasp-like critter who isn't exactly intelligent and therefore an easy kill. This grants us access to the castle via the creepy dungeons, but the guardian is a bit of a bonehead (you will see why). This castle takes us deeper into our quest, but continues with the same theme, with lots more tricks and traps to fool you. I really am enjoying this journey!

This ain't no rushed port, the quest is massive, so let's celebrate with another screenshot...

The first boss is a giant wasp who is a bit dumb and easy to kill. I like that!

Aesthetics

Spellfire has stunning visuals, and I love the contrast between lush nature and medieval environments. Sadly, it can feel "busy", and I dreamt of a background without so much clutter. However, the game is colourful, using a gradient sky. I liked the erupting volcanoes and awesome skeletons when raised from the dead. Everything you see is complemented by smooth scrolling that never lags and keeps up with the pace.

The audio is impressive and can be set to chip music or effects. Whatever you decide, you will love it.

Isn't it great when something looks & sounds as good as it plays! Screenshot time...

Watch out for tricks that will catch you off guard.

The CryptO'pinion?

I've enjoyed Spellfire the Sorcererl it reminded me of a cross between Stormlord and Chronicles of Omega. It's easy to get into, so instantly entertaining with good levels, excellent monsters, and power-ups that work nicely. However, I did feel that the screens were a little too (visually) cluttered, albeit very, very pretty.

I'm grateful this isn't a lazy Amiga port and plays every bit as well as it looks. Code Masters released what I can only describe as a hidden gem. Challenging, but stick with it, and you have a superb platformer!

Grab the HDD version @ 8BitChip.

And the floppies @ Atari Legend.

Kult

Let's play something different

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... No, wait, wrong game!! Okay, let me start again. Many moons ago, a good friend of mine surprised me with a gift sent from the land of Vikings. Inside was a beautifully preserved, sealed copy of Kult, something I'd not played before. He was adamant that this was a 16-bit classic, and I even remember it receiving good reviews. Heck, Atari ST User magazine rated it a perfect ten!

So what's this peculiar game about? We are Raven, a psionic mutant, who saw a bunch of other mutants destroy a village and now wants to fight back! That's the gist of it, for what is a confusing (French!) adventure. It's got a tough learning curve, and there are many cunning puzzles. This is a game like no other I have ever played, but it's that learning curve you need to master, especially concerning the user interface. The graphics are creepy-cool in a sci-fi style, and the sound effects are samples, with great speech effects.

Kult has more to it than you first realise. You're probably wondering how my first game went...

I've been getting to grips with this game today, but the hard drive version doesn't work for me (I think it's my SD Card), so I went for the floppy version linked below by Zuul, and it worked perfectly. Well, after a couple of hours, I am blown away by this captivating game. The user interface might first appear confusing and quite laboured, but in fact it's anything but, as navigation is a breeze. I also love how the rooms are titled, which certainly helps me a bunch!

I'm getting to grips with the locations and examining everything I see in the rooms. Objects are often tripped-out and plain silly - I've just polished the eyeballs on a fountain to get it working, why I'm not exactly sure yet, but I've done it. I have also chatted to some strange-looking fellas, so I followed them and used the attack function. Won this battle, but then his friends ate the corpse!

I laughably love using the brain to select instructions, such as inspect, attack, and talk. What a strange yet oddly obvious way to make decisions!! I've learned not to trust people. I walked into a dark room, and somebody told me to follow them. Stupid that I am, I did just that and promptly fell through a trap into a water-filled pit. Here, I was eaten alive by some kind of monster...

This game is different to anything I've played. Its storyline is deep and involving but never overwhelming. I feel that I've only just scratched the surface of what will be a unique experience!

Downloads & More

• 8BitChip has created a version for your hard disk.
• Atari Legend has the floppies, and I recommend Zuul #195.
• Wasabim has recorded a brilliant YouTube video.
• Atari ST User scored Kult 10/10 - wow!! [AtariMania]

Guardian Angel

Dimamic get Dynamic!

Freddy Hardest is our Guardian Angel for Dinamic's scrolling beat 'em up in the Big Apple, which actually ain't too dissimilar to After The War. Manhattan always seems to be the perfect setting for a grim future with crime and gangs. I don't know why, but it's got that Deathwish vibe and setting nailed so perfectly.

I've always had a soft spot for Dinamic, and I think it's because I played their Army Moves on disk (instead of tape) back in my Spectrum +3 days (a short-lived machine that died after a few weeks... sigh). What a new and exciting experience that was, albeit rather short-lived. Still, it wasn't long until I got my first ST!

They've released some great ST games, and you can find them by using the search option on any page. Anyhow, we begin our Death Wish at the docks and are instantly assaulted by waves of 80s-styled thugs! Some have brought their toys, like baseball bats and knives. Where's Charles Bronson when you need him?

The docks are a great place to go looking for trouble, as you can see...

Ahh, nuts! That guy is big, and I hear sneaky footsteps behind me!

Yee Aw that sucka!

As a beat 'em up, we get around crime-infested streets using left/right. The fire button performs a punch, which you'll find is good against the weaker Sailors. Pulling down allows us to stomp on rats but offers little benefit against tougher dudes. Pushing up will unleash the fury of your infamous high kick, which is your only powerful move. Energy levels will automatically replenish IF you get a chance to stand still for a moment.

Guardian Angel doesn't take itself seriously and has you laughing at the silly antics you see on-screen. I love how the baddies turn into zapped skeletons for a split second when dying - it's like a Tom and Jerry cartoon. Watch out for "Death Star", a forklift trucker called Ricky Chang, who is the world's worst driver!! However, my favourite is being kicked out of your yellow boots when suffering a final death blow. Hilarious!

That's this game to a tee, it's stupid but brilliant. The kind you play after a bad day at work...

What? You think ganging up is going to scare me away - not on your nelly!!

Aesthetics

The gameplay window is small, with much of the screen taken up by pointless decor. However, I do like the backgrounds, even if they're too colourful for a bleak city scene! Sprites are large and well-detailed with basic animation, but there are some cool scenes - Ricky Chang will always make me laugh. Fantastic!!

Forget the terrible theme tune. Thankfully, all in-game effects are made from good and meaty samples, with the chainsaw guy being superb. In fact, I really love the excellent variety of sampled sound effects.

This game has sound and vision that will rock your 16-bit world, and I love it all...

Now, this is a proper title screen with outstanding artwork.

The CryptO'pinion?

Guardian Angel is a bucket load of humour matched by responsive controls, superb sprites, and sound effects. Sadly, it's typically Dinamic with incredibly tough gameplay and having only one decent attack move is insane! However, I have enjoyed it with a trainer enabled, but that's a bad thing, right?

You guys need to play this beat-em-up regardless of the trainer. Hilariously entertaining!!

Atari Legend has Medway Boys #85 Floppy Disk

Fuzion #185

Nuclear Fusion!

Fuzion #185 is an intro for the game Ork, by Psygnosis. I love this intro because it presents itself particularly well, with lots of colour and an adaptation of one of the most memorable chiptunes created. It also makes use of the Atari STe hardware for even better results, but happily works on either machine just fine.

Credits

Dump - Music

Orion - Code

https://demozoo.org/productions/84067/

Monitor Switch Box

Flipping it

Okay, it's not exactly a modern option compared to what's available, but I love my old monitor switch box. If there's one thing I dislike about the ST (no, it's not the joystick ports), it's swapping the cables when using colour and mono. So, this little device works wonders for me, but perhaps it's time I looked to upgrade?

Update: I finally upgraded... https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/2020/06/ubeswitch.html

Next on my wish list is a graphics card for my Mega STe. I'd love to have something humble like 640x400 in 16 colours! That's been on my wish list for years... Can anyone help me with this dream??

Kid GP

Munsie magic

This is the third Dave Munsie game to be featured on AtariCrypt, but it's one I've never heard of. The idea is to run around each screen, avoiding the baddies and collecting all of the diamonds. Originally aimed at the younger audience, but I have found it incredibly fun, so there's hope for all of us... Or I'm just simple?

Collecting diamonds may sound easy, but there are loads of wacky creatures zipping about the screens. Each one loves getting in your way, whilst others are looking to give a good chase. Bump into one and a life is lost!! So it's a good job we can use a hammer to smack these blighters and send 'em packing. Yeah!

The game rewards your hammer attacks with lots of bonus fruits - before respawning them. Magic mushroom power-ups are available for a range of cool effects that may boost or alter your visibility. A bonus timer is counting down, and if you manage to finish with time remaining, then you can build up points by grabbing the goodies. What this lacks in (ahem) originality is more than made up for in gameplay!

I think we need to see a colourful screenshot with cute critters with beady eyes...

Okay, it might look ...umm... rather familiar, but the gameplay is rock-solid awesomeness!!

Bubble... Rainbow... What?

Graphically, this is gorgeous with bold colours and the cutest sprites. Those big-eyed blue faces will always make me smile - especially after I've clubbed them! This is exactly how an arcade game should look. Sure, it might look familiar for any number of reasons, but who cares about originality when it looks this good?

Interestingly, you can flip between 50/60Hz and also three game speeds, at any time.

The audio is slightly less impressive because there are no chiptunes. I think it would have been nice, so I missed that. Thankfully, the sound effects are fantastic and very zesty for a game of this ilk.

Screenshot time, and how about some fruit? No? Well, here you go anyway...

Wow!! Look at all that gorgeous colour and beautiful fruit. Yum Yum, get it all eaten up!

The CryptO'pinion?

Kid GP is exhilarating!! Manically running around, collecting lots of diamonds and fruits, whilst avoiding the silly-looking nasties, is surprisingly entertaining. The controls are perfectly responsive, and I loved the ability to have two different jumping options, as the hammer only works horizontally. Which is my only gripe.

Dave Munsie might have originally designed this game for children (my seven-year-old certainly appreciates it), but there’s no denying its positive impact on this big kid (yes, me!!). I thoroughly enjoyed Kid GP!!

Stop whatever you're doing and

download this wonderful game right now.

EasyAraMiNT

Putting old hardware to good use

Aranym is a piece of software by Petr Stehlik to create a virtual Atari computer capable of running GEM software at lightning speeds. Most find Aranym rather awkward to set up from scratch, so a fella called Philippe Noble has developed something called EasyAraMint. This is a "ready-to-go" installation using EasyMint 1.18, which provides an incredible multitasking environment using the power of the host, be that a Mac or PC.

As you can see in my "expertly recorded" video, I'm using an old Mac Mini that was donated to me (thanks Mum!). My video shows me using unix 'scp', viewing images/PDF, listen to tunes, and playing Doom before ending with web browsing. Yes, this is as geeky as it gets. Love it!! :-)

EasyAraMint can be installed in minutes. It also comes pre-installed with many Atari programs. Philippe has done an outstanding job with this ready-to-go multitasking OS. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

Aranym and EasyAraMiNT can be downloaded and tinkered with, so let me know what you create!

I accessed another Mac via FTP and chatted online with a friend. What a geek!!



The command line might not look much fun, so I jazzed up my screen with PixArt...

Not all websites display perfectly, but what do you expect for free? :o)



Why not read a PDF document and listen to some background tunes too!

Jug

Big Jugs

This is a scrolling shooter by one of my favourite companies, Microdeal. It's set in the future, and we are tasked to save Spiraeus, a living planet suffering from a nasty tumour that urgently needs to be eliminated. However, the autoimmune system thinks you're a threat, so it unleashes its defences, intent on your demise!!

This sounds really silly, but stick with me because Jug was programmed by Paul Hunter (Armour-Geddon) and is no lazy Amiga port. In fact, quite the opposite and certainly pushes our old STFM to the limit in terms of the visuals. Playing Jug is a strange and frantic affair, as it combines elements from games like Blood Money, Droid, and Return To Genesis. Sometimes combinations like this fail, and sometimes they work.

Check out this screenshot...

Some eye candy is ghastly, whereas others are great examples of beautiful pixel art.

One smooth shooter

Our ship can move left and right and even fly, but this is affected by gravity like in Alien World and requires fuel top-ups. The controls are responsive, but the movements are a bit sluggish, making it hard to dodge the nasties without depleting precious energy. The action is relentless with baddies constantly zipping across the screen in waves of attack; it’s a frantic, never-ending hell. If you crave excitement, you've got it!

However, they aren't the brightest bulbs and appear to move/shoot blindly with little AI, thus it's like they aren't aware of our presence. Weaponry is an upgradeable mixed bag; however, the plasma gun is mounted far too low to be fully effective. How did that happen? Anyhow, replacing that with a laser cannon is lots of fun!!

Playing Jug is never dull, because the action is near-constant and challenging. It will take practice to beat, as the map layout is quite confusing. The enemies increase gameplay to a crazy pace, and this makes the whole journey thrilling. Or at least try to - this is a tough game that will eat away your spare hours.

Well, I'm sick of typing and wanna show off a screenshot...

Look out for teleporters... And when death comes, it's pretty demoscene-y. Which I love!

Aesthetics

The best thing about Jug isn't its humorous name (based on the ship's barrel-chested assets!!) but its visuals, gorgeously designed by Martin Kenwright. It boasts ultra-smooth parallax scrolling with a metallic palette - so you should use a real Atari ST to fully appreciate the graphics breezing across your screen.

The music is a masterpiece by Paul Shields, so leave the main menu be, to enjoy its chiptune. In comparison, the sound effects are overshadowed, but they do their job well enough compared to the stunning music.

Let's see a screenshot of my successful gaming skill...

Arghh, not again? Is it me? Am I actually this bad at games? How could this be? O_o

The CryptO'pinion?

Jug has all the makings of a brilliant shoot 'em up, but some strange mechanics dampened my enthusiasm. Instead, I recommend any of the above-mentioned games along with Uridium, Cybernoid, or Sideways!! The difficulty is overwhelming thanks to a confusing map and the constant enemy onslaught.

Technically superb, but I'm on the fence because it's left me with mixed feelings. Plus, the need to use a trainer. Or am I wrong?? What do you guys think about this game? Well, let me know in the comments.

If you have a hard drive or Ultrasatan, then grab this superb download.

Floppy disk addicts can find Jug on the Atari Legend website.

Finally, and untested by me, here is how to get infinite energy and extra lives:
 Press and hold down the ESC key on the title screen and then use the mouse to click on the right-hand edge of the screen. This should help the game be a little more achievable. You'll need it!!