A Prehistoric Tale

The Lost Boys!!

If there were ever giants in the Atari ST demoscene, these fellas were it. In 1990, they ventured into the gaming world with A Prehistoric Tale, published by Thalion. So, how does it play, and can a demo group create a good game? We all remember Enchanted Land. Talent doesn’t always translate to great gameplay.

Fans of Chuckie Egg or Panic will feel at home as we’re transported back to a time when dinosaurs roamed and a constant threat of being eaten alive looms. But amidst this danger, we encounter sexy cavewomen who resemble Raquel Welch. Our mission is to collect dinosaur eggs to prevent the extinction of all mammals.

Transport these eggs to the teleport for safekeeping, but be warned, there’s a time limit (ugh, I hate time limits!!), and you can only carry three eggs at a time unless you use an egg basket. To complicate matters further, the teleport changes location after each use, and numerous spiders and other prehistoric creatures constantly appear. Oh, don’t forget to watch out for the swarms of Pterodactyls!

The graphics are reminiscent of the 8-bit era, boasting a lovely 16-bit quality. It feels just like we're playing a demo by The Lost Boys! The audio is equally impressive, thanks to Jochen Hippel. His gorgeous chiptune beats will have you tapping your foot along. To say the audio is fantastic would be an understatement.

A Prehistoric Tale is straightforward, but beneath its humble exterior lies a surprisingly challenging game that keeps you on your toes. Even the most skilled player will find it difficult, but with practice, you’ll love it.

See, the demoscene can make excellent games, and this is nothing less than just that!!

• Downloads are available for floppy, and 8BitChip has an HDD version.
• The Lost Boys archive is stored on Demozoo.

Is that a teleporter, or has he simply eaten all his Ready Brek!

The pixel art animation when dropping off a ledge is hilarious!!

Storm 94

Alien Breeding

Storm 94 is an overhead shooter by Marcus Platt/Fugitive Freelancers, released by LAPD in 1994 for the Atari STe. It's obviously based on the Alien Storm theme, and reminiscent of Alien Blast and Alien Thing.

Like other similarly inspired games, we explore a spaceship whilst suffering a constant onslaught by the ravenous aliens. They are relentless, so shoot first and never ask questions!! Ammo, health, and security keys are scattered throughout the levels, but if you need more, they can be purchased from the computer terminals. Our job is to find key cards to operate the airlock, allowing us to escape this Sci-Fi hell.

This game is superb. However, my quibble is the unnecessary time limit. So, if you notice the screen turning red, you're near death!! It doesn't need a timer, so it spoils everything good about the game. I hope somebody gets a hold of this and adapts/removes its timer. Then we should be able to see more of the game.

I thoroughly enjoyed Storm ’94; its action and strategic elements are simply superb. However, the timer severely hindered my progress and prevented me from fully appreciating it. I genuinely hope someone reading this can hack it and remove the timer! Grab this game from the Hang Loose archive on PigWa.

ATARI STM (...continued)

I thought it was time I followed up on my previous article concerning my Atari STM. I have opened it up for a good clean, and it powered on perfectly. Sys Info reports: 1mb Ram / TOS 1.2 / GEM 0.13 / AES 1.20, and I have successfully connected up my external floppy disk drive to play games. Yes, I'm a happy bunny :)

This is such a cool-looking computer and super-compatible for games. I now need to buy myself a pair of midi cables for Midi Maze against my 6-year-old daughter. Yes, I sense so many easy victories ahead!!

NES

Nintendo on an Atari website?

Nesulator is a collection of programs by Ed Cleveland that emulate five Nintendo games: Donkey Kong Jr, Castlevania, Dig Dug, Mario, and The Legend of Zelda. Each program is the same emulator but dedicated to that particular game. This package was released at STNICCC 2000, but sadly never completed. However, as is, the potential is outstanding - with Dig Dug performing the best I thought (relatively speaking!)

Thankfully, we can still enjoy these games to a degree - remembering that they are unfinished!! However, you will need an upgraded Atari ST or a Falcon because each game demands lots of horsepower to run at an acceptable speed. A fantastic piece of software, but I sure wish Ed had finished his work.

I wish I could go back in time to tell myself NOT to sell my TT or Falcon...

- Screenshots and the download at Demozoo -

Midi Maze

FPS - long before Doom!

Midi Maze is a multiplayer first-person shooter that hit the shelves in 1987, thanks to the talents of Xanth FX. This really is an early taste of multiplayer first-person gaming, similar to a typical deathmatch. It takes place inside a labyrinth of weird smilies that roam looking for blood. So ignore their happy faces because they're anything but nice - and need killing!! You could say, the last sphere "standing" wins?

Once inside the maze, it becomes a tense cat-and-mouse game. The design of the corridors offers very little opportunity to hide, so you're constantly listening and watching for movement around the next corner. Encounters are often sudden, forcing split-second reactions as you fire before your opponent does.

Learning the layout of a newly-generated labyrinth becomes just as important as having quick joystick reflexes. Better players will anticipate likely routes, set up ambushes in co-op, or make a speedy escape after a successful hit. Despite the simple presentation, matches remain surprisingly exciting and can become wonderfully frantic! Bring your MIDI cables; the more players roam the maze together, the better.

The controls are rather straightforward and easy to master. You can use either the joystick or the mouse, but I think the joystick works much better (and I never expected to say that, since I figured the mouse would be best). Those without MIDI cables can play in Solo mode, which allows up to 15 computer-controlled bots with three levels of AI. Those with cables and ST friends can invite friends over and link up to 16 computers. Think about that, it is quite staggering for an '80s deathmatch. And this was 1987, folks!!

To set up a two-player game, you will need two MIDI cables to create a connection between your Atari ST computers. Connect the MIDI Out port of the first ST to the MIDI In port of the second, and then connect the MIDI Out port of the second ST to the MIDI In port of the first.

This "loop" allows both STs to send and receive game data simultaneously, with one serving as the Master and the other as the Slave. Your connection is simple, robust, and ready for play...

• Cable 1: ST A (MIDI Out) $\rightarrow$ ST B (MIDI In)
• Cable 2: ST B (MIDI Out) $\rightarrow$ ST A (MIDI In)

The graphics are understandably basic compared to later games. The walls appear to be "paper-thin" and without any texture or ambient lighting - but remember just how old this game is. Frame rates on any ST are fast and exceptionally smooth, and I was impressed to see the baddies have shadows, which adds to the 3D perspective. Sound effects aren't going to win any awards, but they do their job.

There is nothing I enjoy more than a good first-person shooter, and single-player works well, but this comes into its own when linked with other Atari computers. Few games can claim to have been ahead of their time, but Midi Maze certainly can. Years before LAN parties became popular on PCs, Atari ST owners could already link multiple machines together and enjoy frantic multiplayer battles over a local MIDI cable network.

Midi Maze is one of the best games I've featured and is easily a true Atari ST gaming legend!!

• Check out this Midi Maze fanzine (It's in German, but Google Translate will help!
• Here is a PDF document of the original game manual
• Atarimania lists all three games in their Atari ST database.
• Floppy disk images are available from Atari Legend.