Saturday, November 14, 2015

YOPAZ IceStar




A brand new GEM game!

Yopaz is a new Sokoban-themed puzzler by Cedric Bourse that stars a happy chap who loves to collect stars. It's a GEM program but don't let that put you off. No sir, this is one slick, very smooth puzzler. Heck, it even features ambient sounds on 4MB Atari STe computers (without, the requirement is only 1MB).

The Sokoban table, viewed from above, represents a part of the universe with the stars we need. In the vast expanse of space, everything follows the rules of physics. Once Yopaz starts moving, he’s locked in that direction until he hits something. So, take your time and think carefully. You’ll need to use the ice blocks to move around and collect all the stars. Some blocks aren’t ice but will teleport you to a different place.

Basically, there is only one rule to constantly follow - think carefully before you move.

There is an advanced mode for those with a sadistic desire to punish their brains on levels that are incideously cunning. This is a brain-killing choice (I'm too scared!!). You have been warned!!

Cedric Bourse, aka Orion_ (not Orion), has a website where you can download a playable demo and he is only asking for $4 to purchase the full game. An incredibly cheap asking price for such a brilliant puzzler.

Monday, November 09, 2015

Bootsie




A boot sector program that's useful

Bootsie is a utility by Stefan Krey writes a boot sector on a floppy to perform nifty system init functions. These are useful for Atari's with a hard drive or those fortunate enough to own a MSTE, TT, or Falcon. By default, my Mega STe boots up in an 8MHz "compatibility mode" which is great for gaming but lame for everything else. After all, the boot process from start to end will be slower than if it were running at 16MHz.

Enter Bootsie to set the processor speed to steroid mode! And it can do more cool stuff, such as CPU caching, activating the Blitter chip, 60Hz display, etc. What a fantastic utility that helps make a computer as ultra-zippy as possible. Download it right now from Atari ST Essential Software List.

More random ATARI ST articles from the archives