Volume 3: Return Of The Borders!

Return of the... book

How time flies, it was only last October that I remember giving Marco's planned project a Crypt-push and today (YES) it became a reality. After several days of resentfully watching many ST nutters flaunt their Trilogy collection, I finally have my own copy!! Yup, this morning I received that familiar brown parcel which I excitedly opened.

I've just had a flick through and love what I've read so far, I'm sure to enjoy reading it properly over the coming weekend. If anyone missed out on the support & funding of this project, then don't despair because you can still purchase any or all three volumes. My gratitude goes out to Marco and everyone involved in this hiSToric achievement!!

- Check out the Microzeit web store -

And you thought this book was just about demos? Yeah, it's Jeff Minter!!



Stardust is one of the best 16-bit games ever released and a divine Atari STe release.

Say hello to Jan, one of our amazing Patreons!! Hello Milhouse :-)



Iron Soldier is outstanding, what a game that was/is. I wish I still had my copy...

I love Scavenger so I'm really looking forward to reading this interview.



I cannot afford one but that doesn't stop me from loving the Atari Falcon!

Mole Mayhem

Monty Mole is back!

Er, no. Mole Mayhem is an Atari STe platformer by Croft Soft Software. The city of Moledonia is under attack from a dictator who intends to blow everyone to kingdom come. We are Philby, an agent working for the Moledonia Underground Intelligence Corporation who must destroy all bombs before everything goes BOOM!!

Each screen has bombs that need to be neutralised by Philby and there's usually a particular route through which you need to figure out. Also, look for hazards like electricity and hidden ledges - which you either can't see or might first appear as part of the background. Some levels have teleporters to blindly transport you to another area - so make sure you have that route planned!! Once all the bombs are exploded you can exit.

Controls require precise timing for the wider gaps otherwise Philby falls to a bloody death. Humorously, falling short of that fatal threshold has him squeaking - to let us know how close he came to dying? Philby can jump upwards or sideways (depending on how he stands) and detonating a bomb is done by pushing up. This mole ain't daft, he will protect himself using his superhero cape as a shield of steel - Batfink style!

Graphically, there's little to write home about but I like the humble appearance which is functional and works well. Sound effects are played using the DMA for jumping, detonation, death, etc. Sadly, there's no background chip music so it's more or less silent when not leaping about. I expected more from my STe...

Mole Mayhem is simple and progressively challenging, but I ran out of lives before I could reach the later levels. Thankfully, it has that "just one more go" appeal, but I wanted a password system because it's frustrating having to restart from the beginning. Overall, an addictive platformer that I have thoroughly enjoyed!!

Oddly, there are limited sites to download this but the mighty Demozoo has it safely archived.

   
Detonating bombs is easy when wearing a cape but sometimes it can be a faff just to reach them.

   
Some obstacles require good timing... whilst others take you where no man has gone before!

Hellgate

Wait, what? Is this DOOM?

Hellgate is a first-person shooter for the Atari ST/e created in 1997 by David Walters of Smartsoft. It's an impressive attempt to develop Doom using STOS. Of course, it'll take more than a humble 68000 processor to deliver decent framerates especially when I remember a friend's 25Mhz PC not being that impressive.

Wait a moment... Hold your horses, Marine!! Did I just say that Hellgate was developed using STOS?? That is something else!! Okay, don't get me wrong, this is a brilliant tool that has certainly proved itself more times than I care to mention, however, can it actually handle a 3D engine running at a decent framerate?

Please remember that this is shareware and I have only found an 'unregistered demo' which may not compare to the completed product. This is also missing a few bits 'n' bobs like a rocket launcher and extra episodes. Sadly, after scouring the internet, I failed to find the registered version so I'm praying the full game isn't lost? Please, can anyone help me find the full game?

Okay, enough of my boring blabbing (for now) because we have a couple of screenshots to view...

I like the iWatch menu. Apple, you need to learn from this!

A familiar screen after romping through the first level and successfully killing everything!

I'm getting a Doom vibe!!

The year is 2196 and we humans have somehow terraformed the ice giant Neptune. The planet's largest city is plagued with extremely high crime levels so our mission is to investigate this. Now, I'm no military expert, but I think that means we grab a weapon and kill everything in sight. Well, I'm sold so count me in!!

Firstly, we need identification so enter your name into a simple but sweet screen. The audio is great but I'll say no more to risk spoiling it (I thought it was cool). Next, there are three difficulty levels to choose from:

Dead Easy: which the documentation hilariously says is for kids and your granny!
Well 'Ard: which is kinda like an equivalent of Doom's "Hurt Me Plenty".
Suicide: is for those with Godlike skills but even the docs advise against this nightmare!

Pssst!! Hey, you... Do you fancy a couple more sexy screenshots of STOS Doom...

The pistol is good and does its job as something just to get you started.

Nothing compares to the shotgun. Just ask Doomguy, he'll tell ya!

Let's play...

Once you begin, everything is familiar to ID's iconic shooter (cough...ripoff). The episode screen displays where you are in Neptune's city complex and the in-game status bar shows health, armour, ammo, keys and even your ugly mug in the middle. Well, there's no shame in using a tried and trusted format? (I like it!!)

The controls are performed using the mouse: pushing upwards to walk forward and pulling back on your chunky tank does the obvious. Left/right allows our marine to look around the city - unless holding the right button to strafe. The keyboard is used to flip between your weaponry and open doors.

Yup, you're stuck using the mouse which is incredibly frustrating at times, especially during the first few games. Well, nothing is perfect and it does work quite well but I cannot help but wonder why David didn't implement the alternative WASD. Anyhow, the mouse only works well once you have practised.

Hardly a crushing blow is it but not ideal so let's take a gander at some screenshots...

Look out for medkits, armour, and ammo to help fight off the hoards.

What? No zombie guys or imps? No, we have these blocky robotic dudes to shoot at!

An honourable ripoff?

Fans of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom will instantly feel at home as we begin the mission with only a pistol. Our armoury can ultimately include a Shotgun, Minigun, Rifle, and Rocket Launcher. However, I never got to see the Rifle as I lost my bearings, which you can see at the end of my video recording (scroll back up).

That takes me onto the automap: there isn't one. As much as I tried hitting the TAB key - nothing!! Perhaps it was me but I got lost and desperately needed to find where to go, especially when recording my video!

Look out for pickups to boost health/ammo and there are hidden rooms just as in Doom and Wolfenstein! This is how I found the shotgun on the first level, a fantastic find! Also, some doors are locked and need a specific key to unlock. There is nothing shockingly new but Hellgate's familiarity is no bad thing whatsoever.

Righto, let's not get sarky and just introduce two more flourishingly sexy screenshots. Ahem...

Always keep an eye out for secret rooms just like we did in ID's Doom and Wolfenstein.

Yep, that provided me armour, health and the shotgun. What a find!!

486 Aesthetics?

Graphically, things are poor in comparison to Doom (which is understandable) but also to ST shooters, like Wolfenstein, Destruction Imminent and Substation. Everything looks crude, with a sluggish framerate, and more than a few glitches. Interestingly, the robotic enemies are made from polygons, which is kinda cool and not what I was expecting. However, they are a bit thick and I would have preferred demonic monsters!

The sound effects are sparse using fuzzy samples for firing, pickups, doors, etc/etc. The robotic enemies scream when dying - freaky but cool!! Sadly, there's no music for ST dudes but STe owners can enjoy gorgeous Mad Max chiptunes alongside the effects. This actually works incredibly well and suits the mood and style.

Two more screenshots before the much-anticipated opinion that you're eager to read...

Two missing episodes lost? I hope we find the registered game one day :(

Here ends my game... the screen turns red and I fall to the ground. DEAD!!

The CryptO'pinion?

Hellgate was interesting but it's not good enough compared to the other FPS shooters for the Atari ST. A faster computer, like my Mega STe, compensated for the poor framerate but couldn't fix the wonky mechanics, bugs, or the psychic robots who always seemed to know my movements before I did. Ultimately, the mouse controls are the real game killer because it desperately requires a keyboard. What a shame.

Hellgate is fun for a few hours but I doubt I'll return to it anytime soon. However, let's remember this is probably unfinished and developed by one guy using STOS and that fact alone blows me away. All credit to David.

Download Hellgate and give it a playtest. Let me know what you think in the comments.

- Download Hellgate -

Atari ST demos [part two]

Following on from my previous post, here is part two of my personal homage to some earlier demos that I admire. Keep watching, because I continue with two of the best megademos the world has ever seen before ending with Virtual Escape, possibly the best half-meg Atari ST demo ever? Who knows, do you? Let me know in the comments below!

Once again, I hope you all enjoy what is nothing more than a silly fan-made video of a few demos that I remember enjoying from around 1988 onwards. Each production can be downloaded from either AtariMania or Demozoo.

Finally, I've added an excellent background chiptune called Harmless, by Nemo aka Jan Daldrup.

1. Grusel by Eckhard Kruse: I've always loved this and so does my daughter 30yrs later!!
2. Death Of The Left Border by TNT: Finally, the left border had gone - an incredible moment.
3. Singing Raisins by John Blakely & Mark Booth: An early animation which is so funny.
4. The Junk Demo by TCB: From start to end these guys never failed to impress.
5. Dark Side Of The Spoon by ULM: from the moment I first heard "U..L..M". Superb!!
6. European Demos by OVR: What a jaw-dropping megademo with some incredible screens.
7. Virtual Escape by Equinox: This runs on an 8Mhz computer with half a meg Ram. Outstanding!!

Atari ST demos [part one]

I decided to make a video showcasing a limited selection of the earlier Atari ST demos that hold a special place in my heart. You know, those productions which made our brains, eyes and ears explode with shock and excitement when we saw our machine doing things it was never supposed to be able to do. Well, that was the start of a special era, alright!

I hope you all enjoy this video and I've also added one of my favourite chiptunes as a cool backing track, Best Part Of The Creation by Big Alec. A mesmerising tune from "Punish Your Machine" which is also one of few medium-resolution screens for the ST. Every demo is available on AtariMania and Demozoo and here is what I decided to pick:

1. README.PRG by The Exceptions: Come on, nobody expected this when double-clicking that icon!
2. Little Color Demo by The Exceptions: This is something I really love to listen to over and over.
3. Full Screen Demo by Level 16: Both my TV and I were blown away by this stunning feat!
4. The Union Demo by The Union: I still remember ordering this!! What a moment in time.
5. The Cuddly Demos by The Carebears: To me, this felt like a Union Demo II. Ace STuff.
6. Overdrive Demo by Phalanx: Oh, that menu. Wow, incredible!! How did they do it?
7. Mindbomb by The Lost Boys: Possibly the best demo team? Ohhh what have I just started? lol 

Update: I've made a follow-up video. Clickety Click! :)

Myth

What might have been...

Myth was a promising game by System 3 Software that was released on several different platforms - except for the Atari ST. We got a playable demo to whet our appetites before they later pulled the plug. The first stage is fully playable but there is no music/sfx. So I added a wonderful chiptune by ActoDi called Friday to spice up the lacking audio.

This is /could have been/ a superb game as it's great fun and has a promising Gods/Black Tiger vibe that I really enjoyed. The graphics are fantastic with smooth scrolling and I enjoyed kicking and stabbing demon filth. Yup, this might have been great so I'm gutted System 3 wimped out on the Atari ST... Wow, the potential was there!!

The download is on Atarimania and there are more unreleased Atari ST games to cry over here - grab a tissue!

Frantick

Munsie power!!

I remember playing Frantick years ago so it's about time I gave this another shot. Well, after today's attempt, I still suck eggs but this is a cracking game. Released in 1994 by the legend that is Dave Munsie, Frantick is a shooter like a 2D Tempest! The documentation states that your reflexes and dexterity will be tested.

It's not wrong! This game is challenging so features two extra game modes to help train you: Easy and Droid. Personally, I preferred the help from my trusty droid who seemed to enjoy sacrificing itself to compensate for my sluggish reactions. I suggest playing in either mode for several games of practice, you'll need it.

Our spaceship is situated within a horizontal stripe along the middle of the screen. We can't escape this area but can move along it and fire up/downwards at the enemies. These blighters ascend on your position, so be quick and kill them before they reach you. One touch and you're brown bread, but there are power-ups to help and bonuses. If things get too crazy then whack the spacebar to activate a limited supply of nukes.

Graphically, things are pretty simple but using freakishly psychedelic styles! There are different aliens and everything comes alive with colour. Heck, there is even an epilepsy warning! The sound effects are superb and STe owners, with enough RAM, can listen to streamed DMA music in-game which I really enjoyed!!

As with Anarchy, this is one of those games that is too fast for old Stevie. Frantick bemuses and overwhelms me with its furious action but it's such a thrill. But boy, what a ride. This is what you'd call a great example of arcade-style gaming. Just make sure you wear cheap sunglasses and drink lots of coffee first!

I've thoroughly enjoyed Frantick; it's nothing less than a ridiculous shoot 'em up!!

Download at AtariMania (registered game).

 [ Install to hdd/ultrasatan for best results ]