Faster Than Light: The Atari ST

Kick back and enjoy another Atari ST book

Jamie Lendino of ExtremeTech has released a book for the world's best 16-bit computer. I've just got the digital edition tonight and enjoyed flicking through some pages. To say I'm impressed would be a huge understatement. This is seriously good stuff. Heck, even my little website gets a mention, which is mind-blowing.

Faster Than Light is full and covers many different topics: from the history and range of different computers, plus the various uses we got from this incredible beast. The book is available on (your local) Amazon store now for less than a tank of fuel!! I'm buying the paperback edition, and I hope you ST nutters do the same.

Shall we see some nabbed screenshots and text? Why not! Here you go...

   

   

“Power Without the Price.” Every Atari fan remembers that slogan from the 1980s as the rallying cry for 16-bit computing in the form of the Atari ST. This groundbreaking computer brought previously unimagined power to the home user for the first time—and transformed an industry or two along the way.

Author Jamie Lendino offers a fresh, vital look at the history of the Atari ST, guiding you from its inauspicious genesis at the centre of a company known for its gaming consoles to its category-defining triumphs in music, desktop publishing, and video gaming. And he doesn’t stop there: He then leaps to the present to pull back the veil on the thriving software and mod communities that aren’t just keeping it alive today but taking it to places its creators never could have imagined.

Whether you’re a longtime devotee who wants to relive the magic of the machine that unleashed the wonders of Dungeon Master, Time Bandit, and Starglider, an intrepid DIYer on the hunt for new ideas and resources to take your homebrew system to the next level, or a newcomer hungry to learn the ins and outs of one of the most important computers ever created, this book will get you there just as the ST did its long-ago digital pioneers: Faster Than Light."

Bugziacs

1983 has come knocking!

A new remake of Don Priestley's Maziacs is released by Bello Games with coding by George Nakos (aka GGN), graphics by Niels Kleine (aka Tinker) and Kevin Dempsey (aka SH3). At the moment, it's unfinished, but I loved the ZX Spectrum original so much that I couldn't wait to get my grubby mitts on the olde classic.

I expected differences, but this feels authentic, and with a remake of the old DK'Tronics loading screen. Surprisingly, there is a good reason Bugziacs feels so much like the original - "This version actually runs the original Spectrum code translated to 68000 using a custom tool and then some routines replaced with ST-specific code". Extremely interesting, and I hope many more Spectrum conversions are in the pipeline.

Check out the first screenshots. I feel like I'm 12 again looking at these Speccy delights...

Ohh, the menu system is just like the original. Even the font...

...and these silly sprites too. Comical and I love it.

I wish more games had an intro detailing what to do. Brilliant idea.

Wow, it really is Maziacs!

Once the game begins, things feel familiar, but the look (and movement) is better than my favourite Z80 computer could ever manage. The goal remains the same: explore a maze for hidden treasure and make your escape. It sounds easy, but you cannot carry both a weapon and the treasure at the same time.

Each maze is randomly generated, which means a different game each time. The one thing that remains constant is the angry Maziacs who roam the corridors looking for a scrap with our plucky hero. Thankfully, some kind soul has left swords scattered throughout. Sadly, these can only be used once per battle! So this is where the map comes in handy, along with your memory for those weapons you may have missed.

This might sound weird and rather limiting, but it works well to keep you on your toes. The ST game plays like I remember and, unlike most 16-bit updates, it doesn't feel like it's lacking that 'je ne sais quoi'. This is authentic yet also a unique improvement. That in itself is impressive, as I'm tired of classic games being spoiled by better graphics or unnecessary changes. Yes, I mean the terrible Chuckie Egg II as an example!

Bugziacs also boasts a surprising and fascinating feature: you can play the game using either the original Spectrum graphics or the updated and delightful Atari ST graphics. This is incredible and something I’d love to see in other games being ported to the Atari ST. It’s a truly wow moment.

You don’t believe how good this is? You’d better check out some more screenshots then....

The Atari ST version looks amazing. Authentic, yet a cracking advancement too.

Of course, you could step back in time and use the original Speccy graphics?

Whatever you decide, it's always best to use the map. Don't get lost!

Don Priestley would love this!

Keep an eye on your energy levels (displayed using a red vertical bar) because that ticks down as you explore. Fear not, whoever left the swords has also kindly left energy drinks. Also, I advise chatting with the prisoners who are usually willing to aid you on your travels. Although it's odd, they know so much yet never ask to be freed? Finally, please use the map, which will be incredibly helpful at crucial times!

This is well-balanced and incredibly playable. Sure, it's got some quirks/bugs as those randomly generated maps can sometimes be rather unfair: more than once, I began with a Maziac standing beside me!! But let's not forget this is a work-in-progress, so I'm extremely eager and excited to see the final product.

I’m absolutely thrilled to be playing this game on my Atari ST! Here’s a screenshot...

Maziacs... oops!! Bugziacs has the most helpful prisoners you could ever imagine.

The swords are necessary but probably made in China - they don't last very long!

Hang on a mo, three monsters and only one sword? Oh no!!

The CryptO'pinion?

What an absolutely fantastic version this is, and being able to switch between Atari ST and ZX Spectrum visuals is just too good for words. It's always great to see a "new" game in development for our computer. I hope GGN can put this tool to use in the future and get other Speccy games converted. GGN - please develop Chuckie Egg 2 next, as this is my favourite 8-Bit platformer, but I also have a massive list ;-)

Whether you're old enough to remember the original game or not, Bugziacs is a bundle of frantic mayhem. It's a simple idea, and it's a rush hunting down the treasure before panicking to quickly escape. Yes, it's tough, but it's so much fun. This is a brilliant game, and I cannot help but highly recommend it to everyone.

Maziacs is superb on the ZX Spectrum, but guess what? So is Bugziacs on the Atari ST. Absolutely superb!!

Both AtariMania and Demozoo have Bugziacs to download.

UPDATE = a new version is released!!!

ST Collection #8

This is a cool one

Here's another menu disk that I like, ST Collection 8 by Typhoon. As you can imagine, it features loads of intros by the likes of Cynix, Fuzion, plus also a few other oddities: I love the strangely funny Sonic Demo and Dune's Faith features spectacular artwork, stunning effects, and audio to die for!! MJJ's Trisogames is always great, but I must admit it was Pascal Ganaye's Strip Tetris that caught my attention (naughty boy)

As you'd expect, it's just Tetris, but we're also treated to a 4-bit glamour girl who removes her clothing the better you perform. Hmm, that didn't come outright, but you know what I mean? Gameplay is pretty good, and my old man reactions did well in the video recording, so is a nice conversion of the boring old classic!

There's lots of cool stuff on this disk, and Demozoo has the credits and download. Check these out...