uIP-tool

Easy-peasy transfers

As you may have read in my previous article, I've bought the NetUSBee. This is a gorgeous slab of hardware available from Lotharek. It has an Ethernet socket to connect to the outside world easily.

It's possible to connect your ST to a Mac/PC thanks to Mariusz Buras, who has developed a program called uIP Tool. This will transform your Atari ST into a file server without any configuration. Just load it up, and it will automatically assign itself an IP, which you will use in Google Chrome on your Mac/PC. It's no different from accessing any website. Now you can access the Atari ST and begin transferring files.

NetUSBee with uIP-tool makes transferring files to/from your Atari ST a cinch...

In fact, you don't need to use a web browser at all. Load up uIP-Tool and then copy a file over to your Atari ST using the command line. It's geeky but it works very well so is lots of fun! Here is the example command to copy 'myfile.zip' over to the D-Drive on my Atari ST...

curl -0T myfile.zip 192.168.2.2/d/myfile.zip

uIP-Tool makes the process of getting files onto your Atari ST very easy. It's simple to use, with a great interface, and it gets the job done. Yep, NetUSBee is a fantastic piece of kit, and uIP-Tool marries up well.

This is excellent software!

Help for those using WiFi
If your router is in a different room to your Atari ST then you might think uIP-tool isn't compatible with your setup unless you have a mega-long ethernet cable? Not so. My router is located downstairs so I bought myself a very short ethernet cable to physically connect the Mac to my Atari STe.

To provide uIP-Tool with a working IP address - just enable the Mac's Internet Sharing. Sorry, I don't own Windows or Linux, but I expect a similar function exists? Just follow this:

 1) load up System Preference (via the Apple menu)
 2) click on Internet Sharing (view me)
 3) choose WiFi in the dropdown menu & tick the ethernet box (view me)
 4) lastly, tick the box left of "Internet Sharing" to activate this service.
 5) now quit System Preferences.
 6) load up uIP-Tool on the Atari ST and note the IP it displays for you.
 7) enter that IP into Google Chrome so you can now access your Atari ST. Job done!

Mouse Trap

Not the board game!

Billed as "old in style but brilliant in design" is Micro-Value's 1987 platformer, Mouse Trap (originally for Acorn Electron). I love platformers, but not the Mario/Sonic kind, the ZX Spectrum kind I grew up with: Chuckie Egg II, Manic Miner, JSW, Monty Mole, Saboteur II, etc. As you can imagine, I was eager to give this a go!

We are Marvin the Mouse, who wants to win back the heart of his ex-girlfriend who left him for another. She must be quite the materialistic female, when you think about the plan he's come up with to win her back: scrounge dozens of lethal rooms looking for precious items that are gonna impress her. Women, eh?

This is a cruel and unforgiving platformer: make a mistake, and it's often impossible to go back and try again, which means a life lost as you replay. Each screen needs every item collected before you can progress. Finishing them is a matter of working out the best route rather than what appears the quickest.

There is a time limit, so hit the 'F' key to pause - now study the layout to figure out the route.

No, he's not floating but simply in mid-fall. And that aspect took me a while to fully master...



Wow! Those colours... This game is incredibly different from the norm, and I love that.



Some levels are pretty simple. Not only to look at but complete very quickly. Like this one!

Input & Outputs

The controls are excellent, but I initially found them fiddly and quite perplexing. For example, if you're facing left and then tap "right" (to turn around), Marvin will not only do that, BUT he also walks a couple of steps in that direction. This frustrating mechanic took me some time to master. But I did, so can you!

Mouse Trap looks like an 8-bit platformer, but with the extra pixels and colours. It's weird and features the oddest sprites: check out the old man with the big nose who appears on level two!! A strange game with sprites that are either excellent or plain crud: like the terrible floating skulls. Yet somehow it always works.

Music is eerily enjoyable, but it will get annoying, so press M to turn it off when your ears ache.

This baffled me at first, but it's actually a lot easier than you realise. Love the sinking ledges!



Some of the levels are far simpler than you first think. Just take your time...

There is the odd dodgy screen, but then it redeems itself with this blue beauty!

The CryptO'pinion?

Mouse Trap is a charming platformer with an incredible variety of screens. All are as difficult as they are quirky, and you will be drawn back for that one-more-go! The only negative aspect is the lack of passwords or a save-game feature. Baffling, because there are many levels to plunder (IE, you are forced to replay).

I've enjoyed Mouse Trap. It's a blimmin' excellent platformer, so (nearly) top marks from me!!

Download for hard disk or floppy.

Only after a few games, I'm rocking the high-score table. Can you beat me?
No, I didn't think so!! :p

Floppyshop

Disks in the post

For those of us old enough to remember Floppyshop, you will be pleased to hear that Chris Swinson has brought to life their entire catalogue. That's right, it's all here. And, unlike the old days, everything is completely free of charge!! All that is required is nothing more than a click of the mouse to relive the PD days.

Each disk is split into the original 16 categories, and I'm currently hitting the games. How predictable of me!

Art & Graphics / Astrology / Clip Art / Communication / Demos / Disk Mags / Educational / Fonts / Games / Programming / Midi / Music / Product Demos / Sound / Utils / Word Processing

Everything you once saw advertised in the latest issue of ST Format is now available to download. Kudos to Chris for supplying this service. I've already downloaded tons of disks, and I hope you guys do too :-)

NetUS-Bee

Lotharek has done it again!

I've received my latest gadget from Lotharek, the NetUSBee. This awesome piece of hardware slots into the ST's expansion port to provide the option for fast Ethernet networking and two modern USB ports.

I've connected a USB mouse (worked a treat), but at the moment, there are no more USB devices to use. I hope this changes because the potential is huge. Using a modern mouse is nice, but I'm really looking forward to getting the ST connected to my home network. I've already been able to access my FTP file server. Later, I shall attempt to configure STinG and get my Atari ST on the internet using CAB - so wish me luck.

I look forward to future drivers getting more out of this. How do you guys use yours?

NetUSBee is a fantastic product and is built like a tank!

Vaxine

Contaminated box art

It is time for more awesome box art from my own collection, with US Gold's fantastic voyage into the human body. It's a familiar 3D shooter set within a unique environment, and The Assembly Line always developed great games, but with Vaxine, they even made use of the enhanced hardware lurking inside Atari STe: glorious technicolour visuals, and DMA samples, which are a substantial improvement.

I've enjoyed playing this because it feels like a weird dream. Very different and addictive!!

Floppies can be found at Atari Legend, and 8BitChip has a hard drive game!