Serenade #78

I really enjoyed the STAX #90 feature so figured I would do another one! This time we delve into the Serenade archives to see what's lurking on one of their amazing 85 "PD" disks - nothing quite like keeping it legit? Anyhow, menu #78 appeared to stand out from the crowd with lots of cool games crammed onto one disk.

This is quite a simple menu compared to others from their catalogue but there is stereo music for those lucky enough to own an Atari STe. In fact, it's one of few mods which hasn't aged badly at all, so it's a massive thumbs up from this chiptune guy. Also, the scroller is very interesting - apparently, Man Utd did well against their arch-rivals!

The entire Serenade library can be downloaded from Stonish with credits/etc on Demozoo.

- DEADLAND -

A platoon of little stickmen have crash-landed on the planet Ursula Minor and this place is crawling with Ursulan Soldiers who are eager to kill you without mercy! Also, there are dangerous natural disasters to avoid so it's best we don't hang about and quickly repair our spaceship to escape this hellhole. This means piecing that together (JetPac-style!) before anyone can be safely evacuated. Sounds very easy, right?

Deadland first feels similar to Rebellion or Cannon Fodder: control the direction of your active soldiers using the mouse and a right-click turns them into trigger-happy Rambos. The planet is crawling with enemies and constantly frantic so it's tough learning to battle whilst planning construction work - that might also leave some vulnerable? It's easy to lose your bearings and, just when you're getting to grips, your men drown in a mud pool!!

The enemy is relentless so you cannot expect to wander about easily killing anything without taking a more strategic approach. Each member of your team is listed on the right-hand side of the screen for a health condition and other abilities. Don't forget to look after these guys - green is never good outside of the GEM desktop. There is a lot to master whilst here, especially whilst defending against enemies, incoming rockets, mines /etc.

I really enjoyed Deadland and the concept is great but this isn't something you can easily pick up and play. It takes time and a map would have been nice as would using the cursor keys to scroll. Yep, I have struggled to get to grips with Deadland but it's an excellent strategy and potentially rewarding. If you're brave enough?

- TRAPPED II -

I couldn't get this to work on my Atari STe - blank screen! So I switched to emulation to discover a nifty Tron game. I've never been much of a fan of the genre but I gotta admit that it's good and features different game styles, screen layouts and even a few power-ups (which I didn't expect). There's not much to look at (shock) and I imagined the sound effects would grate, but they didn't. After all these decades, I actually enjoyed a Tron game!

- MANIC MINEFIELD -

Minesweeper was another fad that I have always failed to appreciate and Manic Minefield appears faithful to what I remember with gameplay that's about as enjoyable as I expected. Anyhow, after a few games I enjoyed this crude imitator even though I never won a single game! Actually, I would often feel robbed of a win because I'm sure the ST cheats!! Then it rubs salt into your wounds using a fuzzy sound sample to mock your lack of success. Interestingly, the board size, wallpaper, /etc can all be altered in the Options screen, which is kinda cool.

Manic Minefield is okay and I imagine fans will enjoy it? But I doubt it's something I will play again...

- FRANK & THE LOST AUBERGINE -

Never would I have imagined loving a game's title more than "Hector vs The Mutant Vampire Tomatoes From Hell" yet here is Frank And The Lost Aubergine which is superb!! It's a fast-paced platformer developed using the STOS Missing Link extension and has us frantically running around screens crammed with monsters and gems.

Collect every gem to proceed onto the next level but watch out for the baddies. These can be killed by dropping a well-timed bomb directly in their path - difficult but doable. Or you could just slam into them albeit at the expense of losing one of your 50 lives. Yep, 50 and you'll need them all because there are lots of monsters!

Movement is very fast - too fast!! It's extremely difficult to position just where to stand when you wish to leap off a ledge. In fact, leaping over the wider gaps is close to impossible and it takes too many attempts. I love a platformer that tests your patience, skills and dexterity but it simply doesn't work here. A good idea poorly executed.

- DELUXE INVADERS -

I love Space Invaders and I'm confident nothing will ever beat Sinister Developments' fantastic conversion which is arcade-perfect using authentic effects!! However, this is a conversion of Roklan's 8-Bit Deluxe Invaders by one of the biggest ST legends. I've never played the Roklan game so was hoping for something different.

There are two game modes: slow and fast. The slower game looks superb with colourful aliens invading your screen and can be sped up by flicking over to 60Hz - something you should consider. The faster version is better to play but appears boring in comparison, so I went looking for green cellophane to wrap around my monitor!

Sadly, I didn't feel it with Deluxe Invaders and much preferred the original if I'm brutally honest. Okay, it's a good game but, there are better "Invader" games for the Atari ST. Sigh, I'm also a bit deflated about that fact if I'm honest.

- NIBE -

This is a great snake game I featured this a couple of years ago so I'll copy and paste it:

NIBE is a Nibbler/Snake game by Marc Bourlon that features an ever-greedy snake who wants to chomp his way through lots of apples. However, this gluttony makes him grow longer with each bite so it becomes harder protecting him from bumping into walls or even his own tail. It's our job to help him eat his way through lots of screens - and many are pretty cruel in their design. You can even change the game's speed (if you dare!!)

Graphics are humble and suit the retro theme plus I love its title screen - which is actually a good intro. Sadly, there are no sound effects so Mad Max music plays throughout - never a bad thing!! Overall, Nibe is pretty straightforward and also extremely challenging thanks to a sinister design. Stick with it because the basic mechanics are spot-on and Nibe will certainly test your reactions, patience and concentration so prepare thyself to be tormented!!

I really enjoyed this olde game but beware, it's tough. Probably too tough for you!!!

- MULTRIX -

Groan, another Tetris game? Yup, and it's not that good I'm sorry to say so play BLAT or Teserae instead.

- The CryptO'pinion -

Well, that wasn't the awesome ride through the Atari ST history books that I first imagined. In fact, it was a little bit of a letdown if I'm honest! Not only did I have compatibility problems with a couple of games (Atari STe) but this was a true mixed bag of joy, disappointment and even a few stinkers thrown in for good measure!

It all depends on what you like but, for me, Deadland and Nibe are the best reasons to click download.

River Raid

Let's play with Carol

For those living under a rock for the last few decades, River Raid was developed by Carol Shaw for the Atari 2600 and is a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up. It was ported to other machines like the C64, Intellivision and ZX Spectrum (the latter being what I played throughout the 80s). I thought this game rocked and it's only now, thanks to using OpenEmu, that I've had my eyes opened by the original. Wow, the differences are staggering!

Okay, we're flying up the River Of No Return which is endless so split into handy sections, divided by bridges. Viewed from a top-down perspective, we fly under the radar and shoot anything that gets in our way - but stay over the water because the land results in our humiliating destruction!! (Really?). The controls are superb and dead easy: we can alter our speed by pushing up to go faster and pulling back to slow down. Left/Right skims over the water using an awesome level of inertia and allows us to dodge the enemies we foolishly left alive.

Testing your skills and dexterity are many enemies: helicopters, planes, tanks and more (depending on the conversion). Kill everything using missiles and clear the way for a smooth flight up the river. Fuel can be replenished from neglected tankers or you could blast 'em to smithereens for lots of extra points? Yup, that's about as complex as this shooter gets - survive as long as you can whilst killing anything dumb enough to get in your way!

River Raid appears to have its fair share of lovers and haters but I love it. It's such a thrilling blast without complicated mechanics or pointless objectives. However, others feel this simplistic approach can become tedious - but they're weirdos. Enjoy what is nothing less than a fantastic and timeless shoot 'em up. Okay, let's play...

- ATARI 2600 -

As this is the original, I was expecting a fascinating blaster beyond anything I'd previously experienced and that's exactly what I got. Visually, it's a typical 2600 with bland backgrounds and enemies made from Lego. Okay, I'm forgetting how ahead of its time this wooden slab of late 70s technology is because everything moves fast and smoothly. The sound effects are grungy and raspy which is perfect for the engines and explosions.

Wow, this is so incredibly playable with well-balanced gameplay and great controls. It just feels right and obliterates the ZX Spectrum game that I grew up playing - so I'm now looking into time-travel technology. Sigh...

This is the best version of River Raid that I have ever played. Simple as that.

- ATARI 5200 -

I had high hopes for Atari's SuperSystem but there is very little to separate this conversion from the original. Sure, the graphics have been improved using rugged landscapes so the river is more interesting thanks to the contours of the shoreline. This design works well and helps pilots like me to survive longer, which is great because there are now lots of extra enemies. Plus what's better than blasting a bridge just as a tank is crossing over?

Sadly, I preferred the controls of the original but I'm not entirely sure why. The 5200 lacked something and God only knows how I'd cope using the machine's analog stick! Don't get me wrong, this is a great conversion but something about the original kept dragging me back and I cannot say the same for the 5200. Close, but no cigar.

- ATARI ST -

It's sad that River Raid never graced the Atari ST. However, there might be light at the end of this tunnel of disappointment, thanks to a game by REIsoft called (wait for it) River Of No Return. It was developed by Jürgen Reichenwallner using SEUCK and is described as a rescue mission with a military theme. Hmm...

Unlike the original, this river is littered with stranded soldiers eager to be rescued otherwise the idea remains basically the same. Controls are fine but the plane could have had a nip more speed and agility. I failed to understand the mechanics behind our weaponry which appeared to speed up to a rapid level and thus made the game easy. Weirdly, we're not restricted to water but some buildings can destroy you, whilst mountains won't. Ahem.

Visually, it's okay to look at, with nice landscapes and sprites that aren't too shabby. However, the scrolling is poor using a low framerate which is incredibly embarrassing. Sound effects are equally humiliating for our powerful 16-bit beast - which should have annihilated those "lesser" consoles! oh, and the firing will drive you insane!

Remembering that this was developed using SEUCK, it's not bad and I did get a level of enjoyment. However, those expecting a River Raid clone will be extremely disappointed by this shambles (the ST has zillions of better shoot 'em ups). I did play a few games - eventually reached the boss - but it beat me (twice) so I never bothered trying again. 

UBESWITCH

My best purchase ever?

After more than two years, I can finally update our hardware section with my latest Atari ST purchase. Yep, I dumped my old monitor switch box for a Ubeswitch by Urban Jonsson, which I bought off the Exxos Web Store.

It's amazing how fantastic this thing works: plug it in and power on your Atari ST (mine defaulted to high resolution but that can be changed by holding the top button for a couple of seconds). Changing resolution is simple, just tap the same button to send a signal to the ST that you wish to switch resolution - and you can easily flip between colour/mono at any time. I'm using an NEC 1970NXp multisync which works very nicely.

STOP!! You should first check that your monitor is fully compatible and listed here:

Best-Electronics
Atari-Forum Wiki
15khz.net
Wikidot

What a cracking piece of hardware and with an incredible design that makes using it so easy to use. If you have a monitor that can support the ST's awkward 15Khz display demands, then head over to the Exxos web store and get this adapter bought. Fascinating witchcraft and I wish I'd have bought one of these years ago!!

Forgive my handy camera skills! Click it for a bigger view of my Ubeswtich love.

Minefield

- You sunk my battleship!! -

Everyone loves the Battleships board game? Well, I know I do! So here is Minefield by Donald Campbell which is a PD game based on the idea. Only this time we're driving tanks across a minefield made from 64 square tiles. Our opponent is your beloved Atari ST who is trying to do the same and the one with the most through wins!

There are three difficulty levels with the first being "Dead Easy" which makes your Atari ST appear rather dumb. Especially as it fails to learn from its mistakes... The second level is "Quite Easy" and a marginally better opponent. Finally, we have "Intelligent" which is the most fun and even uses its cannon to locate mines. Sounds like fun, right?

It sure does! So, let's take a gander at a screenshot before we carry on reading...

As you can see, I shot the square ahead to reveal a mine. Wow, that was a close call. Phew :)

- Play The Game -

We begin each game by placing five mines secretly on your opponent's board (the ST will do the same on yours). Each player takes turns to safely guide a tank from one edge of their board to the other. We start each game by selecting any square from along the bottom row. Our tank can only move upwards or diagonally upwards and once a square tile has been used, it's removed from play. Of course, this is obvious and will also restrict your options later on.

Remember those five hidden mines? Well, to help locate them, use your cannon and fire at any square tile. The explosion will either result in a face or a skull: a smiley face means the tile is clean and free to use. However, if you see a skull then stay clear otherwise it's instant death - and for the duration of the game. Both players repeatably take turns until no tanks remain and the one with the most safely home is the winner. Gameplay is simple and easy peasy to learn!

Those who are clever and don't care about flashy graphics are still here! So let's see another screenshot...

Sometimes this game shoots itself in the foot thanks to its earlier (bad) decisions...

- Graphics & Sounds -

Visually, this game will blow your socks off!! I'm talking 200+ colours, 50fps hardware scrolling and all in overscan... Okay, okay, there's nothing like that whatsoever but a game like this needs nothing more than to be functional. The board is basic but clear, the smilies are cute and the skulls look cheap but I really don't care. Nor should you.

I wasn't expecting much in the audio dept and that's exactly what I got. The old YM chip struggles as I fear Donald wasn't much of a musician? There are a few basic effects but it's all pretty lame and the tanks sound like a wasp is trapped in a spider's web. Not good. However, just like amateur graphics, it really doesn't matter tbh.

That's right, fancy aesthetics are nice but never necessary so let's take a look at the last screenshot...

...and, ahem, as you can see we humans aren't too clever also. Sigh!

- The CryptO'pinion -

This game is superb fun no matter what you might be thinking. However, it's not perfect and I have a couple of quibbles. For example, it's a massive shame that there's no support for two players. Also, I'm not convinced about its three difficulty levels, especially when watching the computer make some terrible mistakes. Also, the 8x8 grid layout is restricting and can leave both players with zero options towards the end - even though a couple of tanks might remain.

Okay, it's time I stopped being an idiot and remembered this isn't a commercial release. Technically rubbish, yet here I am about why you should download Minefield. I can't give you much of a solid reason! Other than I've played dozens of games and loved every single second of it!! Minefield is one of the most enjoyable "PD" games I've ever played.

- FLOPPY DISK DOWNLOAD -

Shadowlands

Brace yourself for an epic adventure!

I've just downloaded an iPhone app that claims to scan photos/boxes and will fix the alignment angles and other funky stuff. Why am I telling you this? Well, everything you see within our Box Art section was taken using my phone's camera which means trying my best to get the angles just right! In fact, that's almost impossible with these shaky hands of mine, so I would often take 500 snaps just to get that one decent photo...

Well, no more because I have finally caught up with the rest of the world and started to use Google's Photoscan. This appears to do everything I need and very quickly too, so I thought I'd begin with Shadowlands which I purchased a couple of years ago (btw, you really should click that link and read all about the game). In fact, this RPG is astounding and one of the best games I have ever featured. Certainly one of my favourite games so I am delighted to own it.

What do ya' think about the box above? I believe it's actually very good and it took mere seconds without any shaky hands getting in the way to ruin it. Anyhow, check out what else we have inside the box...

The back of the box is superb and would have tempted the gamer to empty his wallet to buy it!

Should I post this? I wonder what would happen if I did or would the postman just bin it lol

The manual is nothing short of superb and stuffed with helpful information. Read it!!

And finally, here are the floppies which complete what a 90s gamer would have got for this cash.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Wakey Wakey!!

I woke up early today - in the mood for demos! No idea why, but I started watching a few old video recordings whilst suppin' my coffee. Yes, it's a weird way to spend those early hours when the family are still sleeping but... I am weird. There are so many great demos for the Atari ST and even a few for the STe too. (I never understood how the STe had all that extra graphical hardware, yet its demos pale considerably compared to the STFM releases?)

Anyhow, I ended up watching a few more videos - Punish Your Machine never fails to impress my old eyes and ears! Brace, by Diamond Design, is simply jaw-dropping. These got me in the mood - for another coffee!! Then I grabbed the headphones and enjoyed a few fave tunes by Scavenger, Nemo and TAO. A golden trio there!!

The trouble is, the hands ache holding onto the phone for that long, so I cast YM Rockerz' Spinning Wheels onto the TV. However, time was now running out and this "noise" woke my girls, who halted the fun ;-) But what a great start to the day! (Everything mentioned is within the above two [ST+STe] playlists I've linked.

I'll end this silly post with the groovy Sexgames by Christian Källström (Crazy Q) of DHS which is brilliant!!

Line Of Fire

We're going to war, bring a mouse!

Line of Fire was converted from the arcades in 1990 by Creative Materials for US Gold and is basically a "crosshair" shooter. It begins from behind enemy lines as we're trying to escape never-ending hoards of angry bad guys. They're annoyed because we've sneaked in and pinched their brand-new toy - a Rapier Gun. Of course, we have no intentions of returning it so must now escape in a blaze of glory. A-Team style!

The gameplay is really simple: move the mouse onto the enemy soldiers and hit fire to send 'em to hell. Kill anything that looks mean, including the hardware that they use: a truck, plane, boat, or even their incoming missile attacks. Well, that's about as technical as this shooter gets - lots of frantic killing and loud explosions. Great stuff!

Oh yeah, so let's start by taking a look at the first screenshot...

The map shows our escape route through the base, jungle, rocky canyon, town, etc.

And bring a friend too!

One or two players is supported for a single or a (much-needed) co-op onslaught of pure adrenalin. Solo is controlled using the mouse which is perfectly precise but I felt the crosshair should have been bigger because it sometimes got lost among the action and explosions. Try it - hit the SHIFT key to spark a nuclear explosion (aka grenade) but be thrifty because these are best left for the end-of-level bosses. Trust me, you'll need 'em all.

We begin trapped inside the enemy compound with lots of baddies lining up the corridors all ready to kill us! The display shows our health and the number of grenades - both of which can be topped up by shooting the corresponding supply boxes left lying on the ground. There's a boss waiting at the end of every stage, be it two ugly brutes firing missiles, a plane stuffed with a cargo of airmen, or a ghost train and its endless supply of soldiers.

Okay, shall we take a stroll through the many levels of this crazy game? Yes, a good idea...

- Eight Stages To Freedom -

Level 1 - The Enemy Camp

This is where we broke into the enemy camp, kicked in their sandcastle and make the bad guys cry. However, tons of smurf-looking soldiers were alerted (very odd) and they're mean and sneaky - some even hide inside the floor panels and ceiling vents. Once you reach the end it's time to battle two enormous bad guys who are just asking to eat those grenades.

Overall, I really enjoyed this opening stage albeit very short. Should have been much longer!

Level one kicks in with an assault of smurf soldiers!

It's not long before a couple of bosses appear but I brought fire!!

Level 2 - Destroy The Enemy Jungle Base

Those smurfs failed to stop us and we made it outside to jump into our jeep and head for the jungle. Lots of enemies are lurking in these muddy waters, along with choppers and planes dropping bombs of mass destruction! The action feels unbalanced for solo gamers but the helicopter boss is pretty cool and a good fight without being too complicated.

Overall, this stage proves the developers used ST Basic and had no beta testers! Let's take a look...

Chug...Chug...Chug... alongside an unused Blitter...

Be quick and get blasting everything you see on the screen. Gun love time!

Level 3 - Exit By Speed Boat

Pretty much more of the same as the previous level - but this time we're riding through the soggier parts of the massive jungle. Watch out for the soldiers hiding on the river banks and you might even see the odd Rambo impersonator. The two bosses are back but this time they've brought some help for what is quite a fatiguing battle.

Overall, this level is more of the same which isn't great unless you have a faster computer?

It's good fun actually. Essentially, my pessimistic attitude is because of the framerate.

Okay, the two guys have brought in some help. It's very tough so expect to lose lives.

Level 4 - Fighting In The Canyon

Like the jungle, this time the graphics have changed to an odd-looking rocky canyon. Hmm, those walls don't look right, especially when you see soldiers hovering in mid-air! Anyhow, this level is another which is stuffed full of gun love and there's even an aeroplane boss that lunges rockets at your face.

It's probably better than the jungle stages but just as crazy with too many enemies eating away at your credits.

Enemies everywhere! Shoot - quicker - shoot some more. No, be quicker!

Gotta be impressed by the boss scenes, especially as no Blitter is utilised.

Level 5 - Do Or Die Battle In The Desert

Landscape graphics are gone and the display is reduced to objects and sprites. It's now that I noticed the odd blue background - it really stands out because there's nothing else. Looks very strange. However, the benefit of this sudden change is a decent framerate which means it plays better than all the other levels. The boss stage is a train, which is something solo players should fear!

Overall, a great level and I wish the others were as fast and responsive as this one. I enjoyed it :o

It looks... odd... but fear not there's a bunch of fun to be had here!

The train level is great actually, but there's a lot to do and it seems to last forever.

Level 6 - Foes Await In The City's Ruins

Finally, we've made it into a rough shantytown for a terrifying urban siege. Terrifying because that horrendous framerate has returned with a vengeance - I think this stage is the most sluggish of all? To be honest, it's a bit boring and also far too tough in solo. Where's the boss stage?

Overall, it's okay but all a bit... meh because of the dreadful framerate.

The idea behind this stage is actually very good but poorly implemented.

I'd had enough by the time this screenshot was taken and that's not good, is it?

Level 7 - Evade The Enemies Aircraft

We're on the runway and zoom off into the skies for aeronautical hell. However, this stage is tacky with a lame submarine boss - which is rubbish. Overall, this feels like a stocking filler and is the worst level so far.

Wow, I said that after playing the previous stage? Dang!

I've really had enough...

Oh, go away! (Yes, I've really really really had enough of the game now)

Level 8 - Fly To Your Base By Helicopter

Glad I didn't throw in the towel because Howling Mad Murdock would have loved this stage! The enemy chucks everything at you for one final attempt to get their fancy gun back! Don't get defeated because the end is very near. Sadly, I did, because it's insanely difficult! Which means I failed to save the Western World from the dreaded Terrorists.

Ah well, at least I tried...

That blue background might look daft, but imagine it black. See, it's actually a good idea!

No matter how much I tried, I failed to complete the final stage by my lonesome.

Graphics and Sounds

Visually, Line Of Fire is an oxymoron because it impresses and shocks in equal measure. Overscan is utilised with both top and bottom borders removed to provide tons more pixels. I also loved the palette which is comically bold, the sprites are huge and those explosions are just ginormous! Sadly, the sprites look like I've drawn them and the framerate shocking. In fact, it's possibly the worst performance I've seen from an Atari ST which is a sad thing to type.

The audio failed to impress. It begins with a nice title screen chiptune with a humorous intro but it's all downhill afterwards. In-game sound effects are basically your gun and grenades. So it's your gunfire that you're constantly hearing, which sounds like a room full of dancers shuffling their feet. Ugh, turn down the volume.

A mixed bag of goodies alright but the Blitter would have helped a lot... sigh... Time for another screenshot...

Gotta take my hat off to the developers for using overscan albeit at the expense of framerate? :/

The CryptO'pinion

I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of crosshair shooters but Line Of Fire shocked me. There's no 2D landscape with pop-up cardboard soldiers waiting to be shot. Instead, we have a first-person perspective similar to something like Narco Police but in overscan. Which is kinda cool for a machine with only half a meg Ram!

However, this conversion is screwy and appears to do everything it can to make the Atari ST perform like a Vic-20. Okay, I would never compare a home computer to the specs of an arcade machine with its faster processors, sprite scaling hardware, etc but this feels rushed and should have been better. I don't understand what Creative Materials were thinking. Then again, aren't these the guys that gave us Street Fighter 2 and Days Of Thunder?

Overall, I enjoyed Line Of Fire because it's something different from what I usually play. It's better with a friend as it's not balanced for solo play, but at least it provides a few continues to keep you interested. I'm glad I didn't buy this terrible game, but I still enjoyed rampaging through the various levels. Worth playing - but only with a friend.

- Downloads -

Floppy - Bad Brew Crew #33 (Stonish)

Hard Disk - 8BitChip (w/ extra credits)

Silly Dabbles Demo

Oh no, I've been creating again...

I love finding Atari ST programs that do something silly or unexpectedly cool. There are lots already within our Software section, like Full Screen Construction Kit, MandelST and I even got to play with overscan. Yep, I love to dabble in hiSTory so I was pleasantly shocked to find an intro maker which I had not heard of before...

It's by Deviant Designers, called Letter And Intro Maker (L.A.I.M.) and is simple to use. Just select the various fragments of what actually makes an intro - a picture, fonts, chip music and, of course, a text file used for the scroller. There are already lots of fonts on the disk and dozens of chiptunes to choose from - the hardest part is writing the text (read the docs) and finding a decent image to use - unless you're talented in NeoChrome?

Once you're happy, save your production to disk and then quit into GEM to load it up. Yep, you've created your first demo screen in mere seconds! This is what I've done here and called it "Silly Dabbles" which features an image from Beastlord and music by An Cool. Try this program - I'd love to see what you guys create.

I've recorded a video and the disk image can be downloaded too. It's jerky under emulation (for me) but smooth as silk on a real Atari ST. Anyhow, I hope you like my Silly Dabbles Demo and enjoy using the program too?

Credits and Download Links:

Deviant Designers for Letters And Intro Maker (LAIM)
https://demozoo.org/groups/38004/

Picture was taken from Beastlord by WJS Design/Grandslam
http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-st-beastlord_8696.html

Music by An Cool used in The Death Demo for 2-Life Crew
http://sndhrecord.atari.org/mp3/AN_Cool/

- Screenshots from L.A.I.M -

Nothing flashy here but it works great and never crashed on me once!!

Oodles of fonts to choose from and a preview is shown before you decide, which is nice.

Dozens of awesome chiptunes to choose from but sadly no preview. Can't have it all...

Randomazer

Thomas has been busy again!

It's always exciting to hear of a brand-new game in development for the Atari STe. I have just been given an early playable demo of Randomazer, by Thomas Ilg. That's right, the fella who gave us a fantastic conversion of Frogs. The graphics are designed by none other than STS with sweet tunes by xFalcon. Both are nothing less than top-notch!!

As you have probably guessed, Randomazer features randomly generated isometric mazes. Like those old Christmas presents, we guide colourful baubles around this maze, trying to guide it safely home. That sounds simple, and the idea is, but the gameplay isn't, especially when there are multiple balls! That's when things get frantic!! There are four different game modes, tutorials, buckets of levels, and also cool special actions. These can be used and applied to particular needs - like destroying walls or teleporting elsewhere on the map. Tilt-guide the ball home, can you handle it?

These type of puzzlers aren't really my cuppa tea because I simply haven't got the patience for something like this!! However, I have actually enjoyed playing Randomazer which is something that both Thomas and I are probably shocked to hear!! Why, I hear you scream?

Well, after suffering through Marble Madness, I wasn't initially keen with Randomazer. At first, I struggled and it destroyed what little patience I managed to muster! But the tutorials are helpful so I managed to get a grip of this intriguing puzzler which has elements of Lemmings in some respects. Yep, I still find it infuriating (sorry Thomas!) but it's unique and oddly very addictive!

It's incredible to think a brand new Atari STe game was born from what was a basic maze generator only a couple of months ago. I wish Thomas much success with this but please remember that it is currently a Work-In-Progress. Any feedback, help, or other ideas will be appreciated so click the link and get this baby playtested right now :-)

Update: the game is pretty much finished albeit marked as a beta as I write. You can download it right now from Thomas's website for free with the final release only hours away. Please note, that the boxed version is available to pre-order!! Also, it's worth checking out Stickhead's fantastic new video showcasing the current game. Enjoy!!

* UPDATE *
Buy the BOXED version!

Use those green arrows to safely guide your ball home (the green square)

I never thought I'd see "perfect" when I first started to play this tough game!!

Woo!! Things are getting difficult now and what are those buttons at the bottom? Hmm...

Hang on, I can blow up walls? Let's try that for starters!!! :D

The Galactic Miner

We dig for diamonds, we dig for gold...

Galactic Miner was developed by William Anderson of (wait for it) Willie Wonka And The Software Factory. How ludicrously funny is that? Anyhow, this started life on the TI-99 4/A and is basically a Digger developed using STOS. However, it doesn't appear compatible with many models of the Atari ST/f/e but more on that problem later.

Dig Dug fans are gonna love this but we begin with a terrain map that details the quality of possible mining locations: white areas have the best pickings, brown is good whilst green is poor. However, travelling costs money, and we don't have much, to begin with, so it's best to keep things local. Once a decent spot is chosen, a fantastic animation displays us driving along in a truck before stopping to erect a mining shack. It's from here we can lower ourselves down into the mine.

Chose the location of our shack wisely. Here is a screenshot of the mining map...

We're the red block and this is the map used to pick ourselves fertile lands. In theory!

Shack Attack!

Our shack wouldn't be complete without a credit-munching Vendomatic! This machine is used to restock dynamite that is used to clear a path through the mines. Droids are bought to help protect us from sneaky thieves and Clones aid with extra lives. The final option is another shack, which will be used at the next dig site. Sounds expensive, right?

But wait, that's not all the magical shack offers! There's a copy machine - which is used to exchange mined ore for credits. Eagle eyes will notice a save game feature - which you should use regularly! The doorway represents an exit onto other sites but the computer isn't something I've used - because I've never earned enough credit... Hmm, everything costs money! Finally, use the hatch to return to the mine but don't forget to turn out the light on your way out!!

Let's take a peep inside our shack, it's pretty cool actually...

Not your typical mining operation but everything you need is available from inside your shack.

Too scary for Miner Willy!

Okay, we've built ourselves a shack and have a fist full of dynamite so let's get inside the mine and begin the hunt for goodies. Instantly, the gameplay feels familiar but with a few basic differences. Freely moving through the dirt is only possible when something collectable is within your grasp. Use dynamite when thicker dirt or small rocks are blocking the way to the goodies. Dynamite has no effect on the larger rocks which are too strong, so look for another way.

Beware of ugly creatures lurking within the depths! There are scary monsters that will roar onto your screen at random intervals and in random areas. Thankfully, these can leave behind a present to pick up. Also, it's a good idea to protect your shack from thieves by purchasing a Droid - it's expensive but has good security. There's nothing worse than being underground whilst someone's on the surface robbing you blind (great to watch though!)

Check out these fantastic screenshots which detail my busy route looking for cool stuff...

What's wrong with the world today? I'm working and that no-mark turns up to rob me blind!

The attention to detail is pretty cool and I love my truck. I want one!!

As you can see, each mine is always different as are the quality of your dig with gold, gems, etc...

Grab as much loot as you can and run!

Each screen is randomly generated so always different including item locations, monsters and cave-ins - which can change things drastically. It's also possible to run low on dynamite but there is the option to return back to the shack to cash in and restock? Deciding if/when to do that is entirely up to you, based on how much of the good stuff remains. Also, bear in mind that it costs us money to detonate a stick of dynamite. There is more to this game than I first thought!

So, it's decision time, should you restock and return to the same mine to collect what's left or move on to new pastures? It's all up to you based on your finances and what remains to be collected but, if you do go back, then I seriously advise buying a Droid. Yup, there is actually a lot more to this game than just digging. Good luck, you'll need it!

It's time for more screenshots so keep on scrolling ST Nutters...

I've pretty much cleaned out the mine!

Wait, a monster... at least he didn't bite me!

I forgot to clone myself... How often have I said that? And then this screen mocks you!

Aesthetics?

Graphically, this feels oldskool and very amateur. But it's also very appealing thanks to lovely landscapes, good use of colour, well-drawn decals and funny sprites. However, it's the cartoon animations that steal the show and it's a blast watching your Ford Ranger (I'm daydreaming, okay!) drive along the landscape before we stop to masterfully build a shack. Heck, even the truck's suspension rises as its cargo is removed!! So much effort obviously went into this and I love it!!

The title screen has a neat chiptune and there are a few jingles here and there to enjoy. In-game sound effects are all made from crunchy samples which I really enjoyed. Okay, I'm gutted the STe hardware wasn't utilised (1992!!) as the samples sound rather STFM'y but I love how they're used. Watch out for those roaring monsters!

Sadly, I couldn't get Galactic Miner to work on my Atari STe (TOS 1.62). It booted up fine but then appeared to hang on the title screen. Sadly, things didn't improve with Hatari on my Mac - using my usual default ST/STe configurations (TOS 1.02/1.04 and TOS 1.62).

I had better success using an ST (in Hatari) but the miner lost his position on the screen - and that got worse with each movement!! So, I went back to the basics and emulated the original ST with TOS 1.00 and everything worked. Looks like this game only works with TOS 1.0 but YMMV?

I love the neat touches, like being able to collect a dead clone's loot.

I never did get why the old shack needed to be blown up?

...but then I'm eaten alive. What a great day!

The CryptO'pinion?

Ignoring the need to emulate with TOS 1.00, Galactic Miner has a couple of other issues I didn't care for. I don't feel it's well-balanced concerning the cash/credit system because everything is far too expensive in comparison to the rewards earned via mining. Also, we get charged for detonating dynamite and then charged again for supplies!

Ignoring my sneaky plea of an extra credit cheat (any hackers reading this??) Galactic Miner is one of the silliest yet most addictive games I've played in ages. Enjoy digging in the mud like a kid from the 70s. You're gonna love this.

Download now to become a Galactic Miner