double DD

Don't risk it!

Backing up your files can be a pain in the .. neck .. but you'd be gutted if you lost any precious data! So here is a simple method to duplicate your Ultrasatan's SD card, which is not only effective but takes little effort. The requirements are a Mac with an SD slot and a basic knowledge of the Terminal program.

 - IDENTIFICATION -

Firstly, eject your SD card from the Ultrasatan and slide its "lock" switch to write-protect it. Better to be safe than sorry! Insert it into your Mac (if a warning appears, then click on the "ignore" button).

Load up Terminal.app (within the Utilities folder) and type in this command:

diskutil list

This will display information to help identify the SD card - look for the capacity of your card. Mine is 8GB, as you can see in the clipping below. Thus, my card is "/dev/disk1"

/dev/disk1 (internal, physical):
 #:     TYPE     NAME     SIZE     IDENTIFIER
 0:     *                 8.0 GB   disk1

If you would like to verify this information, type in this command :

diskutil info /dev/disk1

Within the output, you will see a line confirming that this is indeed our SD Card :

Device / Media Name:      SD Card Reader

 - BACK IT UP -

Type this command to back up the SD card (enter your password when prompted)

sudo dd if=/dev/disk1 of=~/Desktop/st-backup.img

Leave it to finish, and after a few minutes, you should have a file on your desktop called "st-backup". Now eject the card from the Apple Mac and reinsert it into your Ultrasatan - not forgetting to slide off the lock switch! I recommend zipping your backup file and storing it somewhere safe, like iCloud or Dropbox.

 - RESTORES -

Perhaps you have a spare SD card idly doing nothing? So long as it's the same capacity as the first, we can easily restore our backup file onto this using the command :

sudo dd if=~/Desktop/st-backup.img of=/dev/disk1

 - AND FINALLY -

There are many different methods to secure your data; this was just one. It's the backup method I personally prefer because the dd command is easy and powerful. I hope this is of some use to Mac & Linux users. Sorry, but I wouldn't know about Windows. Any questions, then just gimme a shout and I'll be happy to help.

Atari STM

I've always had a longing for the sleek Atari STM computer before it became bloated with an internal PSU and floppy disk drive (STFM). I've just bought one off eBay for a meagre £14. It's in superb condition too. Needless to say, I now require an external floppy drive and PSU. I cannot wait to get this beast working :-)

UPDATE: https://ataricrypt.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/atari-stm-continued.html

Double Dragon 3 - Rosetta Stone

Yie Ar Kung-Fu!

To celebrate St George’s Day, I wanted to feature an Atari ST game and thought something dragon-related would be perfect. I tried a few games but wasn’t feeling them, and sadly, nothing else really grabbed my attention. Then I remembered Double Dragon 3. Ahem. Come on, it has got the word "dragon" in the title!

• For all those people left wondering what England's St. George's Day is about 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Double Dragon 3 whisks us away on a global adventure, kicking off in the hardass streets of America. From the outset, we’re plunged into the chaos, facing a horde of thugs eager to ambush us. Being a hard dude, the game offers a variety of kicks and punches to unleash onto the enemy hordes. So let's do just that!

This game appears to have it all, so let's pause for some screenshots...

You don't mess with guys that look like these two!!

But I gotta laugh at the fun artwork throughout. It's great, but a little creepy!!

Kick him when he's down!

From the outset, it’s clear this game prioritises fake Hollywood action over any pseudo-realism. The villains are fantastic and can attack in groups, creating a frantic experience that’s perfect for a joystick-bashing time. At times, I felt like I was playing Golden Axe, and I thoroughly enjoyed the barrage of silly fighting.

The controls are smooth and responsive, allowing for easy execution of kicks and punches. In fact, DD3 is incredibly easy to pick up and play, giving me that arcade feeling I was hoping for. There’s no learning curve, and even a complete noob like myself gets a thrill from this arcade-style kicker! Occasionally, shops appear offering power-ups like weapons and so on (there's always someone willing to cash in on your pain!!). This adds depth and longevity to the entertainment and proves that beating people up is always incredibly fun.

The gameplay is well-balanced, neither too easy nor overbearing. I soon discovered a jumping/flying kick that’s very effective. However, repeating the same move quickly became boring, so I resorted to my joystick-waggling skills to uncover other hidden moves. Before long, I found a spinning vertical kick - yay! The enemies are a traditional bunch with predictable AI, but their slow movement reduces the overall pace.

It's like a game version of a Chuck Norris movie!! I love it, so here are more screenshots...

Come on, get up and take some more smackin'!! Yeah, I can take on anybody GRR!!

Ah, he's big. Well, they say that the bigger they are... (I hope that's true!!)

The CryptO'pinion?

Double Dragon 3 is a blast of fun with fantastic graphics. The sound effects are great, but it’s a shame there’s no in-game chip music. I loved the gritty American streets setting. I’m genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this beat 'em up, and I highly recommend it. Kick-ass action, so it scores top marks from me!

Kick & punch your way using either
floppy disk or your hard drive

Buggy Boy

A 16-MHz Buggy!

Buggy Boy is great, and the ST has a fantastic conversion with gorgeous aesthetics that suit its style perfectly. This is a no-frills arcade racer that doesn't take itself seriously - it's simple, extremely addictive, and I love it. However, there are a zillion videos scattered throughout YouTube land, so I thought I'd make something different. My video emulates it running on my 16Mhz Mega STe, which is ludicrously fast. Ie, insane!

I don't know why I made this video, but I hope you enjoy what is a silly recording!! :o)

Stardust

Meh, another Asteroids?

Stardust was released late in the ST's life by Bloodhouse in 1994. It's not only one of the last commercial games, but it's a STe-only product. Developed by famous names from our demoscene (thank you, Aggression), these guys burnt the midnight oil to deliver a wicked twist on the Asteroids arcade genre.

It not only plays similarly to the old favourite but features modern aesthetics for extra zest. Such as ludicrously awesome colours and sampled sounds, all are quite stunning and complement the frantic action.

Wanna see the war plan? It's technical but translates to "kill everything and don't die!"...

A clear and accurate war plan, I'm sure you'll agree? lol

Bam! Bam! Bam! Blast the rocks!

There are a total of five levels, with each containing six missions. All are host to a variety of rocks along with the expected baddies. After each level is completed, you must travel through a wormhole-like tunnel onto the next part of the galaxy like something from Buck Rogers!! These tunnels are filled to the brim with oncoming rocks for you to dodge or destroy - no easy task, but it's a thrilling moment that I never expected to play!

Bonus levels pop up regularly and feel similar to a particular Thrust clone. These are optional, but you must be daft to ignore the fun. Of course, a game like this wouldn't feel right without End-Of-Level Bosses. Each mission has them, and these guys are tough! Much perseverance will be required during these enjoyable romps.

It's time to stop reading and enjoy the pixels! Let's take a peep at a screenshot...

Check out these outstanding and colourful visuals!! Amazing stuff.

Enhanced gaming!!

Stardust is on another level with gritty, fast-paced gameplay. The basic mechanics are what you’d expect: asteroids, and it feels more or less the same. This is great as you can jump straight in and begin playing without that learning curve. Heck, it's all about dodging and shooting. Are you tough enough?

The controls are also familiar: left and right will manoeuvre your spacecraft. Pushing upwards will thrust forwards into hell, and we have a shield that aids during those sticky moments. Finally, our ship's main weapon is more than capable of gratifying rock-blasting!! Nothing wrong here - all this is super-spacey-gun-fun!

This next screenshot does itself no justice. Seriously mind-blowing effects...

Buck Rogers' side event is absolutely exceptional. Impossible not to be impressed.

Enhanced Aesthetics

Stardust is utterly glorious. Everything is bold and colourful with stunningly smooth animations. The rocks are also something else, with jaw-dropping 3D renditions that look beautiful. Not only that, but the display is running in overscan!! Yep, it looks so HOT in overscan, which means lots of extra pixels to blast.

Equally impressive is the audio with thumping stereo tunes, accompanied by BAM!! BAM!! BAM!! DMA sound effects. This is one shooter that's gonna blow your socks off. If I can offer one piece of advice: crank up the volume!! Yes, I guarantee you will love everything Stardust delivers, so turn it up high.

This is one of the best-looking/sounding Atari STe games released. Let's have another screenshot...

Look out! Move quick and keep on firing - are your reactions good enough?

The CryptO'pinion?

A spectacular showcase of what the Atari STe is capable of when in the hands of talented people. These guys didn't rehash an old idea or produce a weak Amiga port. No, they unleashed a product that feels fresh and exciting. The effort put into the gameplay, visuals, and audio is far beyond praiseworthy.

Stardust is a joyride of rock-blasting thrills and a perfect shooter. One of the best games I've played.

Download for floppy or hard drive.

uIP-tool

Easy-peasy transfers

As you may have read in my previous article, I've bought the NetUSBee. This is a gorgeous slab of hardware available from Lotharek. It has an Ethernet socket to connect to the outside world easily.

It's possible to connect your ST to a Mac/PC thanks to Mariusz Buras, who has developed a program called uIP Tool. This will transform your Atari ST into a file server without any configuration. Just load it up, and it will automatically assign itself an IP, which you will use in Google Chrome on your Mac/PC. It's no different from accessing any website. Now you can access the Atari ST and begin transferring files.

NetUSBee with uIP-tool makes transferring files to/from your Atari ST a cinch...

In fact, you don't need to use a web browser at all. Load up uIP-Tool and then copy a file over to your Atari ST using the command line. It's geeky but it works very well so is lots of fun! Here is the example command to copy 'myfile.zip' over to the D-Drive on my Atari ST...

curl -0T myfile.zip 192.168.2.2/d/myfile.zip

uIP-Tool makes the process of getting files onto your Atari ST very easy. It's simple to use, with a great interface, and it gets the job done. Yep, NetUSBee is a fantastic piece of kit, and uIP-Tool marries up well.

This is excellent software!

Help for those using WiFi
If your router is in a different room to your Atari ST then you might think uIP-tool isn't compatible with your setup unless you have a mega-long ethernet cable? Not so. My router is located downstairs so I bought myself a very short ethernet cable to physically connect the Mac to my Atari STe.

To provide uIP-Tool with a working IP address - just enable the Mac's Internet Sharing. Sorry, I don't own Windows or Linux, but I expect a similar function exists? Just follow this:

 1) load up System Preference (via the Apple menu)
 2) click on Internet Sharing (view me)
 3) choose WiFi in the dropdown menu & tick the ethernet box (view me)
 4) lastly, tick the box left of "Internet Sharing" to activate this service.
 5) now quit System Preferences.
 6) load up uIP-Tool on the Atari ST and note the IP it displays for you.
 7) enter that IP into Google Chrome so you can now access your Atari ST. Job done!

Mouse Trap

Not the board game!

Billed as "old in style but brilliant in design" is Micro-Value's 1987 platformer, Mouse Trap (originally for Acorn Electron). I love platformers, but not the Mario/Sonic kind, the ZX Spectrum kind I grew up with: Chuckie Egg II, Manic Miner, JSW, Monty Mole, Saboteur II, etc. As you can imagine, I was eager to give this a go!

We are Marvin the Mouse, who wants to win back the heart of his ex-girlfriend who left him for another. She must be quite the materialistic female, when you think about the plan he's come up with to win her back: scrounge dozens of lethal rooms looking for precious items that are gonna impress her. Women, eh?

This is a cruel and unforgiving platformer: make a mistake, and it's often impossible to go back and try again, which means a life lost as you replay. Each screen needs every item collected before you can progress. Finishing them is a matter of working out the best route rather than what appears the quickest.

There is a time limit, so hit the 'F' key to pause - now study the layout to figure out the route.

No, he's not floating but simply in mid-fall. And that aspect took me a while to fully master...



Wow! Those colours... This game is incredibly different from the norm, and I love that.



Some levels are pretty simple. Not only to look at but complete very quickly. Like this one!

Input & Outputs

The controls are excellent, but I initially found them fiddly and quite perplexing. For example, if you're facing left and then tap "right" (to turn around), Marvin will not only do that, BUT he also walks a couple of steps in that direction. This frustrating mechanic took me some time to master. But I did, so can you!

Mouse Trap looks like an 8-bit platformer, but with the extra pixels and colours. It's weird and features the oddest sprites: check out the old man with the big nose who appears on level two!! A strange game with sprites that are either excellent or plain crud: like the terrible floating skulls. Yet somehow it always works.

Music is eerily enjoyable, but it will get annoying, so press M to turn it off when your ears ache.

This baffled me at first, but it's actually a lot easier than you realise. Love the sinking ledges!



Some of the levels are far simpler than you first think. Just take your time...

There is the odd dodgy screen, but then it redeems itself with this blue beauty!

The CryptO'pinion?

Mouse Trap is a charming platformer with an incredible variety of screens. All are as difficult as they are quirky, and you will be drawn back for that one-more-go! The only negative aspect is the lack of passwords or a save-game feature. Baffling, because there are many levels to plunder (IE, you are forced to replay).

I've enjoyed Mouse Trap. It's a blimmin' excellent platformer, so (nearly) top marks from me!!

Download for hard disk or floppy.

Only after a few games, I'm rocking the high-score table. Can you beat me?
No, I didn't think so!! :p

Floppyshop

Disks in the post

For those of us old enough to remember Floppyshop, you will be pleased to hear that Chris Swinson has brought to life their entire catalogue. That's right, it's all here. And, unlike the old days, everything is completely free of charge!! All that is required is nothing more than a click of the mouse to relive the PD days.

Each disk is split into the original 16 categories, and I'm currently hitting the games. How predictable of me!

Art & Graphics / Astrology / Clip Art / Communication / Demos / Disk Mags / Educational / Fonts / Games / Programming / Midi / Music / Product Demos / Sound / Utils / Word Processing

Everything you once saw advertised in the latest issue of ST Format is now available to download. Kudos to Chris for supplying this service. I've already downloaded tons of disks, and I hope you guys do too :-)

NetUS-Bee

Lotharek has done it again!

I've received my latest gadget from Lotharek, the NetUSBee. This awesome piece of hardware slots into the ST's expansion port to provide the option for fast Ethernet networking and two modern USB ports.

I've connected a USB mouse (worked a treat), but at the moment, there are no more USB devices to use. I hope this changes because the potential is huge. Using a modern mouse is nice, but I'm really looking forward to getting the ST connected to my home network. I've already been able to access my FTP file server. Later, I shall attempt to configure STinG and get my Atari ST on the internet using CAB - so wish me luck.

I look forward to future drivers getting more out of this. How do you guys use yours?

NetUSBee is a fantastic product and is built like a tank!

Vaxine

Contaminated box art

It is time for more awesome box art from my own collection, with US Gold's fantastic voyage into the human body. It's a familiar 3D shooter set within a unique environment, and The Assembly Line always developed great games, but with Vaxine, they even made use of the enhanced hardware lurking inside Atari STe: glorious technicolour visuals, and DMA samples, which are a substantial improvement.

I've enjoyed playing this because it feels like a weird dream. Very different and addictive!!

Floppies can be found at Atari Legend, and 8BitChip has a hard drive game!

Highway Encounter

1985 has come knocking!!

This is one of my all-time favourite 8-bit games from the brilliant mind of Costa Panayi, Vortex Software. It's an understatement to say I was flabbergasted when I read an old post on Atari-Forum concerning the unreleased ST game, developed in 1990 by the late Mark Haigh-Hutchinson. Sadly, Vortex was unable to find a publisher, so the game was left to gather dust for years. Which is terrible when you think about it!

I always had a soft spot for Vortex and fondly remember playing Android, Cyclone and Revolution, but Highway Encounter was my favourite. It takes place on a stretch of highway populated by aliens, tricky puzzles, and many other obstacles to get in your way. The aliens invaded, and our robot convoy has the task of merrily pushing a bomb down the highway to destroy their mothership (located at the other end of this road).

Funny tidbit, I remember making a basic map of this back in the day. Very crude but I was pleased with my progress. Well, until I saw a screen-captured version in one of the magazines. Anyhow, there's a link to the Atari ST map right at the bottom of the page for all interested.

Right then, let's stop this badly written review for the first screenshot... 

Guide our little friends the best you can; they have dangerous cargo!

Road rage!

Our version of Highway Encounter has not been modified with pointless bloatware, so it remains much the same. The obvious improvements are with the graphics; gone are the monochrome visuals for a world of technicolour. The highway and your objective remain the same, with many wacky aliens roaming about, causing trouble. Our droid colleagues are still daft and will get stuck on objects just like the original. However, this can be good: leave them behind - in safety - so you're free to clear the highway ahead of the dreaded aliens.

The joystick controls are spot-on perfect. If you appreciate isometric games, you'll be at home - left and right rotate, forward to accelerate and pulling back slows/stops movement. As expected, the weaponry is the same and features an ultra-cool energy bolt. This can be improved upon - thanks to power-ups lying along your road trip. So, the ultimate question - can you make it to the end of this motorway and save the day?

Interestingly, there is an editor to create your own highway. This is something I've yet to play with but I'd love to know if any of you guys have used it. Let me know in the comments below!

Let's take another pause from the reading to see another lovely screenshot... 

Some wobbly things are approaching! Let's kill 'em!!

Speccy aesthetics?

Visually, this is a joy with old-fashioned styles. In fact, I'm transported to 1985 by its authentic style that is updated yet preserved using a gorgeous palette that isn't over the top. In the 80s, isometric games were the in-thing, and this was one of the best examples of that genre. The sprites are as crazy as ever, making you appreciate the finer details of what was achieved. The ST has taken the original and bettered it.

As for the audio, in-game music would have spoiled the atmosphere and something I would have muted. Highway Encounter is all about careful planning and strategy, so it has to have sound effects. Thankfully, they are made from samples and perfectly futuristic for the zapping. It sounds great, and I love it!

I think we've got the room to squeeze in one final screenshot...

Those guys are almost too cute to kill. But let's kill 'em anyhow. Do you see a theme here?

The CryptO'pinion?

Let's take a moment to think about something. This is an Atari ST version of Costa Panayi's exceptional 8-bit game. Additionally, the original has been bettered with marvellous aesthetics whilst remaining faithful. What more could we desire? Unlike many, this is how all 16-bit remakes should have been produced.

Well done, Mark, I say. You respected the original and honoured us with a polished conversion. Highway Encounter will always be a Crash Smash, and the Atari ST has gained an exquisite remake.

Originally unreleased, yet shockingly one of the best games for the Atari ST!! 10/10.

Download floppy / hard drive (ultrasatan)

AtariMania has an awesome map!

History of Vortex Software

Happy Easter

Happy Easter, everyone!!

Okay, I needed an egg-related game for Easter, which usually means Dizzy or perhaps even Chuckie Egg 2 (Nah, I'll never play that terrible game again!). So, here is Heartland 2000 (originally released in 1996 by Tony Greenwood), and later improved for the Atari STe by TOS-Crew with 50fps scrolling!!

That's right, the original Heartland was a great game, but the improved game is something else! In fact, I wonder if this is Dizzy's only outing on the STe? Another thought, could this be his only 50fps game?

Go on, let's see a screenshot of Dizzy standing proud in his 1VBL world...

Hey, what's Dizzy doing here in the land of whizzy scrolling!

Eggcellent!

This is a cracking (sorry) platformer, but I admit that I struggled to grasp the sheer size of its map. This is a big game and something you either play properly or not at all - unless you enjoy running around just to see the smooth 50fps scrolling whilst listening to the DMA sound burping through the speakers? The older STfm guys still get the same visuals, but the audio is now crisp YM-generated. Which I prefer, if I'm being honest.

Regardless of the computer, this is a great upgrade, and I enjoyed the graphics whizzing across my screen like silk that completes the experience. However, I wasn't so sure about the music as I prefer chip.

Okay, let's take a look at the keys you can smack during gameplay...

• Move using the cursor key's: left & right
• space: jump (or use the joystick or JagPad)
• m: map
• r: show processor time left rasters
• s: toggle sample (STE, Falcon), sound chip, effects and no-sound
• Esc: quit the game
• c: to toggle between sizzy and sazzy
• h: toggle 50/60 Hz (ST, STE only), on 8 MHz machines

Woo, this map is confusing at first. And boy, is this game big. Perhaps too big?

Play it

Okay, it might be the same game, and aesthetics never matter much, but I must admit, they sure are nice to have. TOS-Crew has taken a good game and made it even better with proper scrolling that slides across the monitor like never before. I think this will help you to enjoy Heartland more than ever.

This proves the power of the Atari ST when programmed by people who care. What a wonderful upgrade and my congratulations @TOS-Crew for going that extra mile to improve an already excellent game!!

Grab the floppies or a hard disk installable version, and I hope you have a great Easter †