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 obvious 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), Dungeon Master (ST), Doom (PC) and you get the idea. Oids is another that needs no introduction but, this one is possibly restricted to the Atari ST world, and all those who looked on in green envy, of course! Well, let's continue on anyhow just in case you are braindead and have never heard of this game before...

Little iddy biddy Oids are our robotic friends but they 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 bid 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 to whisk everyone 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 are 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 which 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 lacking in the chiptune dept - there isn't any! But we get to 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 absolutely magnificent!! The idea isn't original but the execution is spot-on thanks to superb mechanics, realistic physics, and interesting levels. Not only is this an Atari ST exclusive, it's enjoyable and extremely challenging thanks to great gameplay. A wonderful shooter.

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

UPDATE: 8BitChip has updated Oids with better framerates!!

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? (if so, it was probably a GEM program). By the mid-90s, the PC industry had taken over to claim (and keep) the crown for the winner of the computer wars. Sure, we were still around but we knew our days were numbered and, for gaming especially, the ST was as dead as a Dodo.

All due to Atari's poor management and their lack of enthusiasm throughout the previous years by restricting the old ST to the same 8MHz they gave it in 1985. So, our beloved Atari TOS computer began fading away into the darkness and, by the late 90s, every ST was probably hidden away inside thousands of attics... I jest, but the millennium days where sure gloomy. Cheer up because it also happened to those Commie computers too!

ST Review Invaders

Quick, get inside your laser cannon!

I've just found an ST Review cover disk (#11) and on it is the imaginatively titled ST Review Invaders, a magazine exclusive by Dave Munsie. Sadly, my first impressions weren't great because some traditional elements are altered far too much for my liking. Such as how the cannon moves over a rocky landscape so I wasn't feeling the love.

However, I slapped myself and then began to mellow! After a few games and found myself enjoying this quirky space shooter and the nifty new mechanics which I thought were excellent. Also, I enjoyed the faster gameplay which is superb. I love how the pesky aliens no longer shoot in predictable straight lines and their attack patterns are quite brilliant. Level two sees them bopping along in a humorous fashion with a Mexican wave following later on!!

Overall, the authenticity has been altered far too much for my liking so it's not Space Invaders anymore. However, it's still a great game in its own right and certainly has that 'just one more go' factor. I really enjoyed playing this game!

Atari ST menu disks

Astonishing!

Menu Disks... I love them for the opportunity they gave us poor folk who couldn't afford to buy many games. I hate them for prematurely killing the Atari ST gaming scene. Whether they did or didn't is an argument that's been going on for years. It's up to you what to think but you cannot deny how great they are with their superb visuals, music, and scrollers. Like it or not, they are an essential part of Atari ST history.

Some disks are incredible, often by a kid in his bedroom who put commercial companies to shame with jaw-dropping effects. Most are by teams of talented hackers, musicians, artists, and distributors. I have many favourites I adore, like Dream Weavers, Automation, Fusion, Elite, Replicants, FOF, Cynix, D-Bug, FOFT, Zulu, Mad Vision, POV, Bad Brew Crew and more. Ahh, the list is almost endless!

Sadly, not many of us kept these floppies they are getting harder to find. Some have disappeared from existence, which is terrible. Thankfully, a website has taken up the challenge to preserve this part of Atari ST's history. It's called Stonish (now incorporated into Atari Legend) and is run by Bruno Mathieu.

I asked Bruno why Stonish and what he hopes to achieve:

"Stonish.net tries to collect all menu disks made on Atari ST. They are mainly games menus, but it will feature tools, demos and mod menus in the next months. The site provides more than 1600 disks at the moment (more to come). All disks have been tested and some of them have been repaired.

The goal is, of course, to provide a safe database for all disks, but not only. Some crews didn't spread very well their disks. A lot of compilations have been lost since the 80's. So we need to fill the gap: any help is welcome ;) This is the first of the website, which will probably evolve in the next months."

Many disks have now been rescued but there is still lots missing. Please, if you find anything lurking in your attic then consider donating. Stonish is a great website, doing great work, I wish them success!

STay Atari.

Moon Patrol

Luna road-tripping

Oh no, the moon is under attack from a legion of nasty aliens and it's our job to stop them! We've managed to find ourselves a cute Space 1999 buggy which appears to mostly drive itself. It even follows handy checkpoints to stop you from getting lost so dust off your spacesuit in anticipation of the Atari ST version of this amazing arcade classic.

With your foot always on the gas, you can only control the level of acceleration as you travel the terrain trying to avoid potholes and any obstacles. Moving the joystick left/right changes that acceleration and pushing up allows you to leap over the potholes. However, be careful because that requires precise timing because the wheels aren't too great at going over potholes. So the slightest missed jump causes the buggy to violently explode like something from a cartoon!!

It sounds silly, and it is, but isn't that what makes a lot of older games intriguing? Let's crack on...

Don't let the graphics put you off from playing what is nothing less than a beast!!

Simple mechanics yet still tough!

There are two difficulty modes, beginners and champions. As you can imagine, if you're new to Moon Patrol and wanna break yourself in gently, then choose beginners. This gradually introduces the game's twisted mechanics and alien monsters at a steady rate. Use this mode to learn joystick controls and the general feel of the game. It's cool.

However, the latter difficulty is much better and certainly offers a far more interesting alternative with many extra features, obstacles and enemies, etc. Here, the landscape is terribly hostile and made worse by even more invading aliens who frequently appear from all corners of your screen. It's manic but wait, don't run away there are weapons!!

Yep, banging on that fire button will simultaneously shoot two weapons: one at the top, is a machine gun firing upwards plus there is a front-mounted rocket launcher for the approaching enemies. So keep one eye on the road ahead and another on those pesky aliens. It's a lot harder than you might think so keep on firing and hope for the best!

Okay, it's screenshot time but why not use a different monitor? Check this out...

Hang on, there are mountains in the background with snow. Hmm, very odd... ;-)

Aesthetics

Graphics appear dated because they are. And that's exactly what you would expect from an 80s game. The decor is authentic with silky smooth scrolling supporting a three-layer parallax effect plus the buggy's animation is superb as it rumbles over the bumpy terrain. Don't forget, Moon Patrol also works in ST High (640x400) and looks gorgeous.

A funky chiptune bops away in the background which is oddly, very much excellent. It's foot-tappingly excellent in fact and I love it. This is accompanied by vintage bleeps for the sound effects to suit this classic game perfectly.

I love it when a game transports me back in time rather than trying to improve (ruin) it...

The checkpoint idea is great for a number of reasons plus it's fun breaking a record.

The CryptO'pinion?

Moon Patrol is an excellent conversion that offers a groovy step back in time to 1982. This is instantaneous fun and I love how its troublesome landscape combines the pothole hopping whilst frantically trying to shoot down the aliens. It's tough but very addictive so keep your eyes on the road otherwise - KABOOM! Instant moon junk!!

A faithful conversion of an arcade classic with rock-solid playability. Trust me, this is #retrogaming gold!!

Old Games Finder has access to all the floppy disks

8BitChip has a version for hard drive installation!

Strategy Wiki lists the many versions of Moon Patrol

Here is their walkthrough which I thought was pretty funny.

Atari 1040 STf

When eBay proves fruitful

I've bought an Atari ST and SM125 of eBay. However, both are in terrible condition! Very dirty with many battle scars and what looks like scorch marks near the power unit area. I took the chance and won the bid for a shocking 99 pence. Yep, less than one pound and that included the monitor as well :-)

Once home, I began the cleaning - it took a long time!! This old computer must have suffered fire damage at some point judging by the scorch marks inside. Also, it seems to have suffered more damage with several stickers from different repair companies. I hoovered around the floppy drive because of a soot-like sludge that looked like tar. Plus a thick bunch of spider webs covered the cables. Quite the toxic state!

After all that work, I'm happy to have this marvellous ST running! Plus the SM125 is a fantastic monitor. To think of its previous condition with the keyboard grime, burn marks, and all that weird thick sludge is gross. For once, eBay has produced a bargain and I'm glad to have rescued this beautiful old computer.

SysInfo reports it to be a 1040 STF with TOS 1.00 and 1MB RAM ...and all for 99 pence. Woop Woop!

Filthy on the outside but worse inside with a thick sludge and cobwebs!!

The old ST scrubbed up beautifully :-)