Steve!

It's all in the name!

I love trolling through the STs archives looking for anything to entertain this old man I've become. Not only games, but anything - just look at sections of my website like Software(s) and Other STuff Out There.

I’ve found a program called (wait for it) Steve, and being the owner of such a cool name, I thought it was funny. The name stands for ST EVent Editor, a multi-function program that does just about everything we dreamed of back then: Text, Graphics, Database, Desktop Publishing, and Computer-Aided Instruction.

ST Event Editor was developed in 1989 by Primož Jakopin, a Yugoslavian (wow, that takes me back), whom I had to contact. He still has an active website, which shocked me, but not as much as finding out that the manual is available to download. Wanna know a little more before you click the links below? Here ya go...

"STeve - ST EVent Editor - is a general-purpose software tool that can handle text, pictures, data records, full pages (in DTP mode) and computer-aided-instruction units. It has been designed to get the most out of the ATARI ST range of computers - to be as fast as possible, to save as much space as is feasible and last, but not least, to be easy on the eyes. Processing of Mega-byte files, containing hundreds of pages with text and graphics, makes sense with STEVE. The program comes from Slovenia, a small country in the northwest of Yugoslavia, situated between the Adriatic Sea, the Alps, the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula."

STeve seems to be all things to all men, but it’s surreal seeing something like this today. Using it is complex, so check out the online manual, especially the keyboard commands. The potential is massive, and I can imagine how it was used back in the day - read "The usage of STEVE" in the interview linked below.

Let me know if you boot up STeve, and what you think of it. My greetings to Primož for his time over the months since the summer - I enjoyed hearing his fascinating stories, ST program, and hiSTory.

Here are lots of links for more about Primož and the ST EVent Editor...

• AtariCrypt interview with Primoz: https://www.jakopin.net/papers/memoirs/On_STEVE_en.php
• His website: https://www.jakopin.net/primoz/
• STeve's manual: https://jakopin.net/steve/STEve_Reference_Manual.php
• Demozoo download: https://demozoo.org/productions/194056/
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primož_Jakopin
• Other Atari ST software featured here: https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/search/label/Software

ZOG

Grab your joystick!

During my time away (wow, that made me sound like a criminal), I was enjoying videos by many YouTubers - ugh, I hate that expression. People like Trusty, PJ Neiland, and the Vertical Blankers have released several amazing Atari ST videos. Click on those links and take a look, but remember to come back!

Into The Vertical Blank released a video about different ST shooters. One of which was called Zog by Chris Lloyd (designed using SEUCK by Palace Software). That acronym stands for Shoot 'Em Up Construction Kit. Now, one thing I did pick up from their video was his American pronunciation of SEUCK. I can't speak for all ST nutters over here in Blighty, but I pronounced it as a dirty plughole sound effect: Schhhh'uck!

Ah, it was just a few of us crazy fools over here? Damn, let's move on quick...

Frantically bashing the fire button like a madman, hoping not to die!

Am I getting old and slow?

Chris released Zog in 1990, and it appears to be his one and only shooter 'em up. The gameplay is typically simple; a vertical-scrolling shooter with nothing flashy or fancy, but this is homebrew stuff we're talking about. The docs are pretty thin on the ground, but perfectly explain the gameplay: shoot everything that moves. Even shoot the stuff that doesn't move. And that sums up this perky little shooter very nicely.

As with any similar game, we are positioned near the bottom of the screen with the nasties coming into view at the top. Shoot, dodge, and blast everything you can whilst trying not to die. Points are awarded for successfully killing the enemies, but you only get three lives, which isn't nearly enough. Thankfully, an extra ship can be earned every 10,000 points. If... you... survive... long... enough!! lol

Our ship(s) manoeuvre spritely, but that doesn't mean avoiding the bullet hell is easy. Well, certainly not for me, thanks to my old man's reactions. Fortunately, Zog supports two-player mode, which is absolutely superb!! Another cool thing is the use of autofire, and I loved this little 'cheat' a lot - if I'm honest.

Right then, it's got to that point when I stop waffling and show another screenshot...

With two gamers playing at the same time, things improve drastically!!

Aesthetics

Visually, this is neat considering it isn't commercial, and reminds me of Frenetic. I've played a few games developed using SEUCK, but none blew me away. However, this looks good, and the scrolling is smooth(ish), albeit with a reduced screen size. Enemy sprites move predictably, making their way across your screen briskly as the landscape scrolls - a positive testament to the ability of this underrated development tool.

There is no title music, and all sound effects are the traditional zaps and zings you've heard before. These YM effects are good, but a decent background chiptune would have been a much better option.

Steve, stop complaining because this is public domain! Sheesh, that idiot. Hey, it's screenshot time...

A message you see a lot. Argh, if only the gameplay was better optimised...

The CryptO'pinion?

Let's be honest, I doubt anyone will bother downloading this game anytime soon. There are already many ST shooters like Lethal Xcess, Flying Shark, SWIV, Goldrunner, and Xenon. Heck, maybe even Chopper X. Well, maybe! However, Zog was released into the public domain, so with that in mind, I enjoyed it.

Beware, this is one tough cookie. No matter how I try to avoid the enemy bullets, I end up hitting them. Far too easily, I might add. Which is hardly entertaining, is it? Having said that, ZOG is a totally different game as a two-player shooter, and the duel hoard-blasting is fantastic - like it was meant to be played this way.

I'm gonna rate this a respectable 75% for duel-gaming. However, knock off 10-15% if you're hammering that fire button alone. That's it - play with a mate, or look at one of the others I've already mentioned.

• What, you disagree with me? Then get it downloaded from Atarimania and let me know what you think in the comments below? 

• Finally, go and check out Atari Legand for a ton of other SEUCK games listed.