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 backup 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!

I wanted to feature an Atari ST game to celebrate St George's Day so I figured something dragon-related would be great? Anyhow, I tried a few games but I wasn't in the mood for those and sadly, nothing else really caught my attention. Then I remembered Double Dragon 3 ... ahem ... come on, it has "dragon" in its title!

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

Double Dragon 3 takes us on a trip around the world and begins on the streets of America. From the first stage, we're thrown into the thick of it as these streets are filled with thugs - all intent on giving you a good hiding!! There are lots of kicks and punches which can be acted out - drawn well with cool animation.

Controls are smooth & responsive with each type of kick or punch easily performed. In fact, DD3 is actually very easy to pick up and play so I got that "arcade feeling" I hoped for. We need no learning curve. I must say that, immediately, even a beat 'em up noob like myself gets a thrill from this arcade-styled kicker!

Let's pause the read 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!

Immediately, it's obvious this game was designed with fake Hollywood-style action over any pseudo-realism. The baddies are awesome and can attack in groups making for a frantic, full-of-laughs, joystick-bashing time. At times, I got a Golden Axe vibe and, throughout, I enjoyed the barrage of silly fighting.

The gameplay is well-balanced, without being too easy or overbearing. I soon discovered a jumping/flying kick which is very effective!! However, repeating the same move soon bored me, so out came my joystick-waggling skills to uncover other hidden moves and before long I found a spinning vertical kick. Yeah!!

The enemies are a traditional lot with predictable AI but they all move slowly so the overall pace is reduced. Occasionally, shops are available to offer you power-ups like weapons, etc/etc. This adds a little more depth and longevity to your entertainment and proves that beating people up will always be incredible fun.

It's like a gaming version of a Chuck Norris movie and I love it. Screenshots incoming...

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 bucket load of fun with great graphics to boot. The sound effects are neat but it's a shame there's no in-game chip music. I loved the initial location set in the grungy streets of America. I am genuinely shocked by how much I relished this beat 'em-up and I cannot recommend it enough.

Double Dragon 3 offers kick-ass action and scores top marks from me. I enjoyed this game a bunch!!

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