Substation

You'll need a 25MHz PC

I remember the days when the ST was getting on a bit and, ahem, the Falcon didn't quite cut it. Not only that, but all my mates had left behind their Atari STs and Amigas for overly expensive slabs of grey metal towers. I think they are called PCs. Anyhow, they were bulky and incredibly ugly, but I remember how (secretly) gutted I felt when I saw Wolfenstein, and how I almost died of shock when I saw Doom in 1993.

Hey, we had our moments of glory. The Atari ST had a decent selection of first-person shooters by the mid-90s, and in 1995, a company called Unique Development Sweden decided that our computer wasn't quite dead. They graced us with Substation, which was about to change everything we thought possible.

The story goes that Mitushi Industries has developed a new form of energy that can be extracted from beneath the seas. All seemed well until communication was lost with their underwater substation base. Oh no... I think I might know what comes next. So, they contracted the help of a Multi-Environment Marine from the American government. In case you are wondering - yes, this is you. I knew it was gonna be me lol.

That's the storyline, that wasn't really needed, but let's take a gander at the first screenshot...

The mission update screens are superb with tons of information.

When a 1989 computer blows you away!

Upon starting your first game, it's a good idea to ditch the knife. Come on, a knife, really? Anyhow, press key "2", which switches to a rather sufficient Doom-style pistol. Collect all the goodies you see lying on the floor and open the door; outside is access to more essential goodies, but there's also a couple of ghouls lurking! Will you risk a fight or run away scared down that seemingly empty corridor like a big girl?

Movement is actioned with the keyboard: arrow keys are used to walk/turn around with Insert and Clr Home keys for convenient sidestepping - this works brilliantly when using a real computer!! Control key fires any weapon, the Spacebar opens doors, and pressing TAB drops a bomb. Don't forget the map at the bottom of the screen, which automatically tracks your movements, and the keypad, which can be used to examine the explored areas. Absolutely, killer configuration that works so well.

The baddies are intelligent and won't stupidly stand there or simply walk straight for you. Expect them to use some level of evasive tactics - so they might shoot a few rounds and then run away to take cover from returning fire. No dumb zombie marines here. So use that pistol to protect yourself, remembering to sidestep oncoming attacks. Other weapons can be found, and the chain gun is absolutely amazing - Arnold Schwarzenegger would be proud. In fact, each weapon is superb - I only wish it were quicker to find them all (IDFA!?!).

Tell me you aren't excited to play this for yourself? Wait, come back, I've not finished...

I know what you're thinking, and no, there isn't anything wrong with the colour!

Aesthetics

Graphically, I'm both impressed and (hmm) slightly unimpressed. Firstly, let me say that Substation has a freakish amount of atmosphere - this game is scary when something nasty is lurking within its murky corridors. Your anxiety levels will skyrocket thanks to its superb design using amazing visual effects - like light-sourced sprites, which work incredibly well. Also, the frame rate needed to be smooth for a game like this to be properly playable, and the basic 8MHz Atari STe zooms along at 25fps - which is outstanding!!

Sadly, the lack of wall textures is due to UDS opting for Gouraud shading to maintain a smooth framerate. This is understandable but disappointing because games like Destruction Imminent and Wolfenstein 3D prove the ST is actually capable. I feel UDS missed an opportunity to enable optional textures.

The audio is spot-on perfect. And I do mean perfect. Substation utilises the enhanced hardware, so we hear distance and directional effects. This will help to identify where the baddies are coming from. Equally impressive are the excellent tunes played at 25KHz. You're gonna love it, so crank up the volume!

Imagine if this game had been released when the STe was younger? Ah, let's see a screenshot...

LOL, I love this screenshot that I managed to take just as he exploded!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Technically speaking, this is one of the most impressive games for ye olde Atari STe. Think about it, an 8MHz computer capable of running a first-person engine that maintains a brisk 25fps. We never saw a similar-spec PC do that back in the day. Not only that, but it also features distance- and direction-based stereo sound, 30 on-screen colours, light-source sprites, and intelligent enemy AI. Heck, you can even play against other people over a network! Finally, those with faster Atari computers will support smoother framerates.

Substation is magnificent. A fantastic shooter with great weapons, challenging AI, and superb maps. It's not easy; each mission is as tough as it is enjoyable. However, if you're expecting Substation to be "our" Doom, then you will be disappointed - it's more like a Wolfenstein. That is not a criticism.

This is a seriously awesome first-person shooter, so pick up your guns and have yourself some fun!!

This little zappy fellow is tough to hit and annoyingly badass!

- ESSENTIAL SUBSTATION LINKS -

Download on floppy or, best of all, for your hard drive.

ST Format featured a basic preview level on cover disk #72.
They also held a competition, and the winning game is on cover disk #75.
Fancy a trainer? ST Format cover disk #76 has all the answers!
[ ST Format coverdisks can be downloaded from Exxos ]

Substation tips and maps can be found in ST Format issues #74 / #75 / #76 / #77.

We all love cheat codes, and to get all weapons, just type "PUNK"
"NIRVANA" gets you extra health, and "PFLOYD" unlocks doors.
"SKRAPAN" credits extra bombs, and "FALUKORV" allows extra time.

PowerDOS

TOS? No, DOS.

I was reading through Atari ST Review #32, and I came upon an interesting tidbit for a public domain tool called PowerDOS. I had never heard of this, but it sounded interesting and potentially very useful.

The slowest part of any computer is the hard drive, and whilst this might not matter as much for Ultrasatan, there is still a benefit to be had with the Atari ST computers. Basically, PowerDOS is for GEMDOS what NVDI/QuickST/Warp9 are for the VDI components of TOS. That means all those inefficient bits 'n bobs that go together to make up the disk operating system are replaced by "newer" routines that improve system performance (TOS) and add a few features within a multitasking environment.

Installation is as simple as copying the program into your AUTO folder and rebooting. My ST has TOS 2.06 and had the problem with NVDI but everything else appears fine. The speed improvements are most welcome for example, try loading up CAB or JAM (with all their plugins enabled).

I love tinkering with my Atari ST, and utilities like PowerDOS are amazing. The incompatibility with NVDI is worrying, but I wonder if a middle-ground can be forged by using QuickST (this is good enough for most) and Warp9? Whaddya think? Give it a try and see how you get on. Let me know in the comments below.

The download is available from Atari-Forum (with credit to Mark_G & bj)

OIDS!

Oids, the final frontier...

Certain games need no introduction; they are classics that changed the course of history. Think of Knight Lore (Speccy), Impossible Mission (C64), Dungeon Master (ST), Doom (PC), and you get the idea. Oids is another that can be added to the list, and it also needs no introduction for anyone with a brain. In fact, it caused many other gamers to glow green with envy!! Rightly so, but what's this little Gravitar all about?

Iddy biddy Oids are our robotic friends who are being mistreated, in a terrible way, by their evil creators, the Biocretes. Innocent oids are being held prisoner on various remote planets located in the deepest parts of space without any noticeable atmosphere. Yet strangely, trees still managed to grow! ;-)

Oids was created by Dan Hewitt, who unleashed it onto the world in 1987 by FTL. For years, it remained an Atari ST exclusive title until 2002, when the Apple Mac got a conversion. (the older PPC Macs, not the newer Intel or ARM Macs). Anyhow, this is a big deal for the ST because it's exclusive and holds dear memories.

Okay, we've hit the point where even I'm bored of reading, so let's view a screenshot...

Hurry up and rescue little stickmen from that prison!

In space, no one can hear you scream!

Similar to any Gravitar game, we navigate a spaceship through caverns searching for our metallic friends. Use your weapons to destroy the buildings holding them captive; find a place to land so they can climb on board. Now, sit back and watch as the superbly animated stickmen make their way toward your ship. Simple and elegant. Once everyone is found, the mothership appears and whisks them to safety.

Controls are simple to turn, thrust, fire and so on. It might sound strange to rotate and turn your ship in the right direction before thrusting. But it works perfectly well and in tune with the physics and gravity of each planet. It feels real, without being fiddly or difficult and is precise and perfect.

Those Biocretes aren't going to sit back and passively watch as you take the captives. They are an evil bunch and have laid many traps and hazards. Not only that, but each planet has a wealth of artillery defences: rocket launchers, gun turrets, repulsers, gravity bases, etc. Everything can be destroyed, but don't expect a mothership or ground base to be easy. Sometimes it's best to fly away like a cowardly chicken!

Let's pause my yapping and see a lifeless planet with trees. Or is it just nighttime? You decide...

Hang on, so trees can grow fine on rocks without an atmosphere?

Sound & Vision?

Visually, this game might appear simple and without much to it. Well, stop right there, buddy boy, because this game is bang-on awesome. The outline of each planet's landscape is represented by a rough-terrain design that looks ragged and suits the barren theme. Buildings, turrets, and all other objects are detailed very nicely. However, it's the excellent animation of those stickmen that makes my grin very wide!!

The audio is missing a chiptune, but we still hear the boing...boing... of the ball in a cool 3D intro. In-game effects are for the ship's thrusters and guns - I love the firing sounds, and other explosion effects are nice. The audio is perfect, and any music would kill the dead-of-space atmosphere.

It was 1987, a time when the ST was a baby. Yet, Dan/FTL released (another) timeless classic...

Roaming around planets is fun, but later levels are very, very hard to master. Learn to pilot!

The CryptO'pinion?

Every ST nutter loves this game because Oids is magnificent!! The idea isn't original, but the execution is spot-on thanks to superb mechanics, realistic physics, and interesting levels. Not only is it an Atari ST exclusive, but it's also enjoyable and extremely challenging thanks to its wonderful gameplay.

Oids is one of the most outstanding games ever released - it's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!! ;)

UPDATE: 8BitChip has just updated Oids. It's excellent with a better, faster, and smoother framerate!! 🥳

8BitChip has a download that can be installed on HDD.

Klaz Hideaway has a great download for floppy and HDD.

Read the Oids manual (Apple Mac, but relevant)

megahertz war

I had to "laugh" when I read this article by Andrew Wright from issue #24 of Atari ST Review magazine. How right he was about the times, and I do wonder if he had a crystal ball? By the mid-90s, the PC industry had completely taken over to claim (and keep) the crown for the winner of the computer wars. Sure, we were still here, but we knew our days were numbered. For gaming, the ST was as dead as a Dodo.

My opinion? Well, there are many thoughts, but Atari’s poor management ultimately led to the decline of the ST. For example, the ST didn’t feature a Blitter in 1985, and the Atari STe was still at 8MHz in 1989. These decisions contributed to the fading of our beloved TOS computer. By the late 90s, I believe thousands of STs were gathering dust in attics up and down the country. Sigh..

Anyhow, cheer up because it also happened to those Commie computers, too! ;^(