After two years, I can finally update our hardware section with my latest Atari ST purchase. I dumped my old monitor switch box for a Ubeswitch by Urban Jonsson, which I bought off the Exxos Web Store.
It's amazing how fantastic this works: plug it in and power on your Atari ST (mine defaulted to high resolution but that can be changed by holding the top button for a couple of seconds). Changing resolution is simple, tap the same button to send a signal to the ST that you wish to switch resolution - and you can flip between colour/mono at any time. I'm using an NEC 1970NXp multisync which works very nicely.
STOP!! You should first check that your monitor is fully compatible and listed here:
What a cracking piece of hardware with an incredible design that makes using it so easy. If you have a monitor that can support the ST's awkward 15Khz display demands, then head over to the Exxos web store and get this adapter bought. Fascinating witchcraft and I wish I'd have bought one of these years ago!!
Forgive my handy camera skills! Click it for a bigger view of my Ubeswtich love.
Everyone loves the Battleships board game? Well, I know I do! So here is Minefield by Donald Campbell which is a PD game based on the idea. Only this time we're driving tanks across a minefield made from 64 square tiles. Our opponent is your beloved Atari ST who is trying to do the same and the one with the most through wins!
There are three difficulty levels with the first being "Dead Easy" which makes your Atari ST appear rather dumb. Especially as it fails to learn from its mistakes... The second level is "Quite Easy" and a marginally better opponent. Finally, we have "Intelligent" which is the most fun and even uses its cannon to locate mines. Sounds like fun, right?
It sure does! So, let's take a gander at a screenshot before we carry on reading...
As you can see, I shot the square ahead to reveal a mine. Wow, that was a close call. Phew :)
- Play The Game -
We begin each game by placing five mines secretly on your opponent's board (the ST will do the same on yours). Each player takes turns to safely guide a tank from one edge of their board to the other. We start each game by selecting any square from along the bottom row. Our tank can only move upwards or diagonally upwards and once a square tile has been used, it's removed from play. Of course, this is obvious and will also restrict your options later on.
Remember those five hidden mines? Well, to help locate them, use your cannon and fire at any square tile. The explosion will either result in a face or a skull: a smiley face means the tile is clean and free to use. However, if you see a skull then stay clear otherwise it's instant death - and for the duration of the game. Both players repeatably take turns until no tanks remain and the one with the most safely home is the winner. Gameplay is simple and easy peasy to learn!
Those who are clever and don't care about flashy graphics are still here! So let's see another screenshot...
Sometimes this game shoots itself in the foot thanks to its earlier (bad) decisions...
- Graphics & Sounds -
Visually, this game will blow your socks off!! I'm talking 200+ colours, 50fps hardware scrolling and all in overscan... Okay, okay, there's nothing like that whatsoever but a game like this needs nothing more than to be functional. The board is basic but clear, the smilies are cute and the skulls look cheap but I really don't care. Nor should you.
I wasn't expecting much in the audio dept and that's exactly what I got. The old YM chip struggles as I fear Donald wasn't much of a musician? There are a few basic effects but it's all pretty lame and the tanks sound like a wasp is trapped in a spider's web. Not good. However, just like amateur graphics, it really doesn't matter tbh.
That's right, fancy aesthetics are nice but never necessary so let's take a look at the last screenshot...
...and, ahem, as you can see we humans aren't too clever also. Sigh!
- The CryptO'pinion -
This game is superb fun no matter what you might be thinking. However, it's not perfect and I have a couple of quibbles. For example, it's a massive shame that there's no support for two players. Also, I'm not convinced about its three difficulty levels, especially when watching the computer make some terrible mistakes. Also, the 8x8 grid layout is restricting and can leave both players with zero options towards the end - even though a couple of tanks might remain.
Okay, it's time I stopped being an idiot and remembered this isn't a commercial release. Technically rubbish, yet here I am about why you should download Minefield. I can't give you much of a solid reason! Other than I've played dozens of games and loved every single second of it!! Minefield is one of the most enjoyable "PD" games I've ever played.
I've just downloaded an iPhone app that claims to scan photos/boxes and will fix the alignment angles and other funky stuff. Why am I telling you this? Well, everything you see within our Box Art section was taken using my phone's camera which means trying my best to get the angles just right! In fact, that's almost impossible with these shaky hands of mine, so I would often take 500 snaps just to get that one decent photo...
Well, no more because I have finally caught up with the rest of the world and started to use Google's Photoscan. This appears to do everything I need and very quickly too, so I thought I'd begin with Shadowlands which I purchased a couple of years ago (btw, you really should click that link and read all about the game). In fact, this RPG is astounding and one of the best games I have ever featured. Certainly one of my favourite games so I am delighted to own it.
What do ya' think about the box above? I believe it's actually very good and it took mere seconds without any shaky hands getting in the way to ruin it. Anyhow, check out what else we have inside the box...
The back of the box is superb and would have tempted the gamer to empty his wallet to buy it!
Should I post this? I wonder what would happen if I did or would the postman just bin it lol
The manual is nothing short of superb and stuffed with helpful information. Read it!!
And finally, here are the floppies which complete what a 90s gamer would have got for this cash.
