- / \ / \ / \ / \ ___________/ \__________ \ / \ Sep 15, 1994 Vol.I No.6 / \ / ________________________________________________|______________ /_________________ CAIN ________-_____________/ /___|_|_|__________ Monthly Newsletter _______| |___________/ /____|_|_|__________ ______| |_________/ /____/__|__\_________ Central Atari ______| |________/ /____/___|___\________ Information Network ____| | | |_____/ /______________________________________________________________/ / / \ \ August / / \ \ September / / \ \ The Official Online Newsletter of the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG _________________________________________________________________________ The Cleveland Free-Net Community Computer System is accessible worldwide! _________________________________________________________________________ telnet freenet-in-{a,b,c}.cwru.edu (129.22.8.32 or 129.22.8.51) _________________________________________________________________________ 216/368-3888 | 300-14400 bps | type 'go atari' at any menu _________________________________________________________________________ Covering: 7800/XE/XL/800/400,FALCON030/ST/TT/ST(e),PORTFOLIO,LYNX,JAGUAR CAIN Online Newsletter Published and Copyright (c) 1994 by Cain Publishing Publisher/Editor Voting/Conferences.........Mark Leair aa338@cleveland.freenet.edu Assistant Editor SIG Manager/Jaguar Area....Len Stys aa399@cleveland.freenet.edu 8-Bit Support Area..........Michael Current aa700@cleveland.freenet.edu 8-Bit Technical Forum.......Craig Lisowski aa853@cleveland.freenet.edu 16/32-Bit Support Area......Thomas Main em129@cleveland.freenet.edu 16/32-Bit Support Area......Bruce D. Nelson aa789@cleveland.freenet.edu Atari Classic Gaming Corner/ Portfolio Support Area......Fred Horvat ap748@cleveland.freenet.edu Lynx Support Area...........Barry W. Cantin aa852@cleveland.freenet.edu Contributor.................Augie Kuo akuo@cirrus.com Contributor.................Kevin Haley khaley@nova.gmi.edu Contributor.................Marty Chinn drknight@garg.campbell.CA.US Contributor.................Sgt. Dudley gt7608b@prism.gatech.edu Contributor.................Darren Bates gary@batesg.demon.co.uk Contributor.................Andrew Heller heller@akh104.rh.psu.edu Contributor.................Rick Reaser r.reaserjr1@genie.geis.com Contributor.................John Daniels ah499@cleveland.freenet.edu _________________________________________________________________________ Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG Internet E-Mail: xx004@cleveland.freenet.edu _________________________________________________________________________ Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG, P.O. Box 364, Mentor, OH U.S.A. 44061-0364 _________________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents >From the Editor..........................................The CAIN Newsletter -Mark Leair >From the SIG Manager......................The Cleveland Free-Net & Atari SIG -Len Stys Free-Net News Part I............................Atari SIG Conference No More? New 16/32-Bit Computers SIGOp CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94 Prize Report NOISE in Greater Cleveland Area -Atari SIG Atari News.........................................Video Gamers Need Not Wait Atari Abolishes All Rules Jaguar Tips and Tricks Publication Alien Vs. Predator Ad -Atari Corp. Wolf 3-D on Babbages Top 10 List -Sgt. Dudley European Trade Show Report -Darren Bates Jag Site Returns -Andrew Heller Jaguar in "History of Computing" -Kevin Haley 8-Bit Computers Support Area..........................8-bit Support Area News 8-bit Product News 8-bit Feature Article--Rick Reaser 8-Bit Commentary -Michael Current 16/32-Bit Computers Support Area..........The Persistence of Vision Raytracer -Thomas Main Free-Net News Part II..................CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94 Show Exhibitors -Atari SIG Atari Classic Gaming Corner...............Pitfall Map/Solution--Thomas Clancy -Fred Horvat Lynx Support Area...................................................Lynx News CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94 Lynx Report--John Daniels Lynx Summer Steal Deal Extended to Fall -Barry W. Cantin Jaguar Support Area...............................................Jaguar News AvP, Iron Soldier, and others--Marty Chin Brutal Sports Football Review--Kevin Haley Brutal Sports Football Review--Augie Kuo Brutal Sports Strategy Tips--Augie Kuo Messages of Interest Jaguar Release Date Lists Jaguar Commentary -Len Stys Head Organizer Show Report........................................Fred Horvat CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94 Responses................................Part-Time BBS Upcoming Atari Shows......................................Atari Show Calendar -Mark Leair Voting Issues and Results............Reader and User Opinion Poll Information -Mark Leair General Information of Need........................How to Contribute to CAIN Article Requests -Mark Leair >From the Editor -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Mark Leair What's this? An August/September issue of CAIN? Has CAIN, like Current Notes, changed to a bi-monthly schedule? Of course not! Let's just say it was one busy month for the CAIN staff. Some staff members were without Internet access, some were heading back to school, and others were making up work that was missed while planning the CAIN Atari Fun Fest. However, you'll be happy to hear that we haven't "short changed" you. This double issue will definitely live up to its name. Over 160K of Atari news and reviews are at your finger tips! (But wait! There's more!) ...and for you Jaguar Fans, there's a special supplement containing details on how you can encourage more game manufacturers to develop for the Jaguar. So, with the supplement you're getting over 200K of Atari news! If it's news, it's in here! You may notice a few minor changes in this issue. First, there's the Free-Net News area which has been split into two sections. The second section contains a list of vendors whom attended the CAIN Atari Fun Fest. Because this list is rather large, we felt it would interfere with the continuity of the news section. Therefore, please refer to "Free-Net News Part II" for this list of vendors. Next, you may notice that there isn't any "Conferencing" section. This has to do with the fact that the Free-Net Administration has made a decision that prohibits SIG Operators to access the IRC Multi-User Chat facility. Without access to the IRC, the Atari SIG Operators are unable to moderate conferences. No explanation for this decision has been made public as of September 13, 1994. See the "Free-Net News Part I" section for this and other news. Thirdly, CAIN has a new 16/32-bit writer on its staff. Thomas Main has joined the CAIN ranks and brings you a review on the "Persistence of Vision Raytracer," a graphics tool for the ST. Finally, one will find many "CAIN Atari Show Reports" scattered throughout this issue. It is hard to believe that the end of summer is here! However, it was definitely a memorable one. The CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94, which was held August 7th in Kirtland Ohio, was definitely the highlight of this summer. "If you throw a show, they'll come." A good portion of our spectators were from the Northeastern Ohio and Pennsylvania. Many people came out to see the Jaguar, while other die-hard Atari fans came out of the wood work in search for the ultimate Atari deal. Overall it showed us that there is still an interest in Atari products in the area. Give Aways! Give Aways! Give Aways! The highlight of the show was definitely the raffling of three Jaguar systems courtesy of Atari Corp. Additionally, most of the vendors donated door prizes to the show. Door prizes were given away 1-2 times an hour. For a complete list of winners, see the Free-Net News Part I section. * * * Finally, we are in need of a few talented writers. If you're interested in joining our team, please send me e-mail (Internet) at "aa338@po.cwru.edu". Thanks a million! -Mark Leair CAIN Publisher/Editor >From the SIG Manager -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Len Stys The CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94--the highlight of the Summer--the biggest day of the year for Atari users in Ohio and surrounding states--is over and everyone that I have talked with had a blast. The official count of the number of people that attended the show was near 300 people. Because many people did not register, we estimate that well over 300 people attended the CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94. This was the first show ever organized by CAIN User Group and the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG. It was also the first Atari show in years that was located in the Cleveland area. Since this was our first show, we spent a lot of time to make sure the show went well. But we knew that the show would not be perfect. We have learned a lot from our first show and we will remember these things for future shows that we do. We were told, however, by a lot of people that they could not believe it was our first show. They thought the show compared favorably to other shows that have taken place in the United States. I am thankful to the dealers/vendors, developers, and user groups that attended the CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94. You were part of something that this area has needed for a VERY long time. And you didn't disappoint anyone. Most of the people that attended the CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94 had a great time and you are directly responsible for it. We have mentioned the dealers/vendors, developers, and user groups in another part of this newsletter--look for it! I am especially thankful to Atari Corporation. The company gave the show organizers THREE Jaguar 64-BIT integrated multimedia systems and THREE Tempest 2000 cartridges to demonstrate and then raffle off at the show. The support that Atari has given us is one of the reasons the show was a success. And because of Atari's contribution, everyone that attended the CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94 has a new positive attitude towards Atari Corporation. The people at Atari that arranged to give us the Jaguars and Tempest 2000s to demonstrate and raffle off at the show made a smart move. This is because their contribution to the show has not only helped the show in many ways, but it has also helped Atari Corporation in many ways. 1) Atari Corporation received a new image through the advertisements that were made to promote the show. Each of the advertisements stated that people can win Jaguars and Tempest 2000s from Atari Corporation. Immediately, people have a positive image about Atari in their minds. The thought of Atari being cheap is dismissed by people because of Atari's actions now. The advertisements were: Usenet newsgroup postings, messages sent to over 200 Free-Net users, 10,000 Cleveland Free-Net users through the System Announcements, major Atari gaming BBS postings, messages posted on over 25 Greater Cleveland BBSs--including PC OHIO, letters sent to all Atari user groups in Ohio and surrounding states, letters sent to all Atari dealerships and Atari publications, over 1,200 flyers about the show that were distributed through 20 Jaguar dealers, flyers posted on bulletin boards of local libraries, post offices, and colleges, information in CAIN Newsletter, Atari Explorer Online, & ST Report, information in ST INFORMER, and advertisements in the CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER and CHESTERLAND newspapers. 2) The contribution of Jaguars and Tempest 2000s by Atari Corporation also resulted in dealerships carrying the Jaguar and games. Before the show, there was little excitement about the Jaguar by many of the video game dealerships. After the show, we have heard of at least one Jaguar dealer setting up a Jaguar for people to try at their store. The WaldenSoftware in Akron, Ohio set-up a Jaguar that now sits next to the 3DO that they had been demonstrating for awhile. Guess which system gets the most attention? You guessed it--Jaguar. Dealers are excited about the Jaguar and this is a result of Atari Corporation's support of the show. 3) A lot of people know about the Jaguar, but they refuse to buy a product before trying it. These people came to the CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94 to try the Jaguar to see if they want to buy it. Several Jaguars were sold at the show and a large number of Jaguar games were also sold. The people that went home without buying a Jaguar or game cartridge will most likely buy a Jaguar or game cartridge soon after. 4) The Jaguars that people won resulted in sales of games. And the Tempest 2000 cartridges that people won resulted in Jaguar sales. One winner of the Tempest 2000 bought a Jaguar at the show and also bought all of the games available for the Jaguar. In any way I look at it, Atari Corporation did very well for themselves by contributing Jaguars and Tempest 2000s to be demonstrated and raffled off at the show. The contribution of the Jaguars and Tempest 2000s was much more cost effective than advertising in a newspaper for one day. The contribution also boosted the morale of many Atari supporters and loyalists in the Greater Cleveland area. I would also like to thank TOAD Computers for sending several hundred post cards that promoted the show. Unfortunately, the U.S. Postal Service is up to their usual standards and most people did not receive the post card until after the show. I received my post card from TOAD Computers on the Tuesday after the show. The post card was done extremely well and it was really nice of TOAD Computers to try to help make the show a success. Thanks to everyone that attended. The Atari Community is definitely made up of special people. A number of people are writing game companies to encourage them to produce their favorite title for the Jaguar. In the CAIN Newsletter Supplement, you will find a letter writing campaign which lists several companies and their addresses. I encourage you to read it and participate. If you own a Jaguar or plan to buy one, these games are fun to play and should help make the Jaguar a success. Free-Net News Part I -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG Conferences No More? The Cleveland Free-Net Administration took away IRC (online conference) access away from SysOps. No explanation was given to SysOps for the action taken. This makes it impossible for the Atari SIGOps to continue monthly online conferences. In order to get IRC Access back to SysOps, please write Jeff Gumpf at jag@cleveland.freenet.edu and inform Mr. Gumpf that you enjoy online Atari conferences and wish for them to continue on the Cleveland Free-Net. In order for the online Atari conferences to continue, IRC access to SysOps must be returned. * * * New 16/32-Bit Computers SIGOp The Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG welcomes Thomas Main (em129) as the new 16/32-Bit Computers SIGOp. He will also be contributing articles and information to CAIN Newsletter each month. This month's 16/32-Bit article is an extensive review by Thomas Main on the Persistence of Vision Raytracer. The Atari SIG is looking for additional 16/32-Bit SIGOps and writers for CAIN Newsletter. If you are interested, please send e-mail to: xx004@cleveland.freenet.edu * * * CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94 Prize Report Jaguar 64-BIT Winners! ---------------------- Gary Branstein Robert Lai Dave Merklin Mentor, OH Euclid, OH Akron, OH * * * Below is a list of prizes donated and the vendor whom donated it. Vendor/User Group Prize ----------------- ----- Atari Corp. 3 Jaguar Multi-Media Systems 3 Tempest 2000 game cartridges for Jaguar AAA Video Tweety Board The Computer Shoppe Pair of Remote Control Joysticks FMH Games 8-bit games Pac-Man + Joust 2600 console with 10 used games 16 new 2600, 5200, and 7800 games Fouch Software Mailing Manager ST software It's All Relative View II by DMJ software Jeff's Atari Outpost 2 $50.00 gift certificates 3 2600 Grab Bags Majic Soft MAGE Arcade hits Vol 1. Micro Computer Depot Button Awari ST software Buttonz Basic ST software Nertz ST Software Spectrum Atari Group Spectrum T-shirt Stys on the Rise Gauntlet III Lynx game Toad Computers 2 Jaguar Caps with $5.00 off coupons Steven J. Tucker $40.00 gift certificate * * * Below is a list of prize winners at the CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94. Name Prize ---- ----- Brian Roach $50.00 gift certificate Joyce Kowalski $50.00 gift certificate Paul Klomfas Atari 2600 console and 10 used games Andrew Floyd Jaguar cap and $5.00 gift certificate Tim Roach $40.00 gift certificate Tom Lamparty Nertz ST game Larry Ray Jaguar cap and $5.00 gift certificate Joe Pallendino Wireless joysticks Linda Spangler 4 new 2600 games Robert Lai SAGE T-shirt George Adams Mailing Manager ST Al Silverstien Buttonz Basic St software Nick Branstien 4 new 2600 games Rob Cupples 4 new 2600/5200/7800 games Adam Corover 2 new 8-bit cartridges Sandy Durisin MAGE Arcade Pack Gable Blankenship Buttonz Awari ST software Don Crano Tweety Board Dave Curtin 4 new 2600/5200/7800 games James Woodford View II Software Dan Paxton Gauntlet III Lynx game * * * NOISE in Greater Cleveland Area Northern Ohio Internet System Explorer (N.O.I.S.E.) is a public access OS/2 Internet site. It is designed for the novice user, but its help screens are unobtrusive for the experienced hand. We offer a full range of Internet services, including email, usenet, Telnet, FTP, Archie, gopher, WWW, MUD and IRC. The System is front ended with a standard bulletin board which provides a menu driven access to all functions. On the bulletin board we maintain current files of interest to internet users, including a number of basic FAQ's. We are available from 9 am to midnight to provide assistance to users via a bulletin board 'yell' feature, and by voice phone (see below). Our service is price at $2 per hour with a free trial for the first five hours. Discounts for educators, students and businesses are available. Fore more information, contact: Bill_Leyser@noise.cleveland.oh.us Data: 216-892-110, Voice: 216-871-7419 Atari News -=-=-=-=-= Contact: Ron Beltramo Atari Corporation (408) 745-8852 VIDEO GAMERS NEED NOT WAIT 'TILL LATE 1995 TO EXPERIENCE 64-BIT POWER Wolfenstein 3D, Alien Vs. Predator, Kasumi Ninja and Doom Among Many Hot New Titles Available by Christmas on the Award-Winning, 64-bit Atari Jaguar SUNNYVALE, CA (August 29,1994) -- Sega, Nintendo, 3DO and Sony continue to tell game enthusiasts that they must wait until late 1995 to experience advanced video game technology and performance. But the Atari Jaguar, the world's first 64-bit multimedia home entertainment system, already is available. "By Christmas 1994, Jaguar fans will be playing 30-50 new game titles on their 64-bit systems while our competitors continue to play catch up and beg their followers to be patient," said Sam Tramiel, Atari president and CEO. "Its nice to know American companies are once again leading the way in technology." The Atari Jaguar is the only video game system manufactured in the United States. Jaguar, the most powerful multimedia system available, was recently named the industry's Best New Game System (Video Games Magazine), Best New Hardware Systems (Game Informer) and 1993 Technical Achievement of the Year (Die Hard Game Fan). Jaguar also recently was given the European Computer Trade Show Award for Best Hardware of the Year. "We still have the best hardware on the market. And now we have great titles rolling in." said Tramiel. "So if you can buy 64-bit power today for under $250, why should you wait until 1995 to spend close to $500?" said Tramiel. In September, Atari will launch an aggressive advertising campaign highlighting the great gameplay made possible by the Atari Jaguar's 64-bit power. One of the campaign spots stresses the immersive, 3D nature of Jaguar games by focusing on upcoming title Alien Vs. Predator. "The 3D graphics and texture mapping take full advantage of the Jaguar's technological superiority and create an experience that is out of this world," said Tramiel. Atari Corporation, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., designs and markets 64-bit interactive multimedia entertainment systems and video games. --- Jaguar is a trademark for Atari Corporation. Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Other products named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies. Contact: Diane Carlini Ron Beltramo Edelman Public Relations Atari Corporation (415) 433-5381 (408) 745-8852 Terry Grantham Telegames, Inc. (214) 224-0690 ext.901 * * * For Immediate Release ATARI ABOLISHES ALL RULES -- SCORES TOUCHDOWN WITH NEW "BRUTAL SPORTS FOOTBALL" Title Is First Of Many Third-Party Games For Award-Winning, 64-Bit Atari Jaguar SUNNYVALE, Calif. (August 22, 1994) -- Imagine no rules on the football field as you decapitate your opponent as he runs toward the goal line. The only game you'll experience it on is Brutal Sports Football and the only video game system you'll play it on is Atari's award- winning Jaguar. The first of many third-party video games, Brutal Sports Football also is the first sports-related, fast-action game developed for the 64-bit Jaguar system. Initially released for sale in mid August, with national availability in September, Brutal Sports Football represents a hybrid in video games -- coupling the sporting elements of rugby with the blood-and-guts mayhem of the most popular video games. The product is designed for action gamers and football fans who are tired of the same old set of moves and rules. The new rules are simple ... there are none. Players simply pick up the ball and run for their video game life while avoiding the head-hunting opposition. "Brutal Sports Football was our chance to work with the most sophisticated video game platform on the market, the 64-bit Jaguar," said Telegames' Terry Grantham. "We've been developing software for Atari hardware since 1982 and believe this is our most innovative product yet." Brutal Sports Football, retailing for $69.95 at consumer electronics and toy stores nationwide, is the first of numerous games Telegames is developing for the Jaguar platform including World Class Cricket, Ultimate Brain Games, Casino Royale, and Operation Starfish (James Pond 3). Atari's Jaguar game system has approximately 30 software titles planned for release before the holiday season. Popular titles in the works include Alien Vs. Predator, Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story, Doom, Busby, Troy Aikman Football, and Kasumi Ninja. "We've challenged our software designers to develop games that use the full technological capacity of the 64- bit Jaguar," said Atari Corporation President Sam Tramiel. "This means players can look forward to some incredible titles in the near future because our developers are not constrained by less-sophisticated 16-bit or 32-bit technology." More than 150 independent developers currently are working on Jaguar-compatible products. Since its release in November 1993, Atari's Jaguar game system has been named the industry's "Best New Game System" (Video Games Magazine), "Best New Hardware System" (Game Informer) and "1993 Technical Achievement of the Year" (DieHard GameFan). The Jaguar is the only video game system manufactured in the United States. Atari Corporation, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., designs and markets 64-bit interactive multimedia entertainment systems and video games. # # # Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Other products named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies. * * * Contact: Ron Beltramo Joe Harabin Atari Sandwich Islands Publishing (408) 745-8852 (808) 661-5844 For Immediate Release FANS OF JAGUAR VIDEO GAMES CAN LEARN THE LATEST TIPS AND TRICKS WITH "ATARI JAGUAR OFFICIAL GAMES SECRETS" First Authorized Jaguar Book Available December 1994 SUNNYVALE, CA (August 18, 1994) -- Fans of Jaguar video games -- the most technologically-advanced games on the market -- soon will be able to learn the best strategies for playing their favorite games with Atari Jaguar Official Games Secrets. Hawaii-based book company Sandwich Islands Publishing will produce the strategy guide, the first Jaguar book written with the full authorization and cooperation of Atari. Written by Zach Meston (contributing editor to Video Games, Computer Player, and Tips and Tricks Magazines), J. Douglas Arnold, and Danny Han, Atari Jaguar Official Games Secrets will feature: * Detailed strategies for the hottest Jaguar games on the market including: Tempest 2000, Aliens vs. Predator, Kasumi Ninja, Wolfenstein 3-D, Doom, Iron Soldier, Ultra Vortex, Club Drive, and many more * Previews of upcoming Jaguar releases * Interviews with Jaguar game programmers and a "tech specs" chapter written by Jaguar game developer Douglas Engel * A vivid design -- with hundreds of screen shots -- which conveys the excitement of the Jaguar's 64-bit power Atari Jaguar Official Games Secrets will be available in December 1994 at a suggested retail price of $14.95. "Our secrets and strategies for Atari's library of superb games will make for a book that no Jaguar owner can afford to be without," said Joe Harabin, president of Sandwich Islands Publishing. Zach Meston, lead author of Atari Jaguar Official Games Secrets, added, "It's an incredible thrill for me to work directly with the company that helped me sharpen my hand-eye coordination and get such a great job in the first place." Some of the tips included in Atari Jaguar Official Games Secrets already are available on Atari's popular Jaguar hotline (tel. 1-900-737-2827). The hotline is available 24 hours a day and costs only 95 cents per minute. (Children under 18 require parental permission.) Atari Jaguar is the world's first 64-bit interactive multimedia home entertainment system and is the only video game system manufactured in the United States. Jaguar, the most powerful multimedia system available, was recently named the industry's "Best New Game System" (Video Games Magazine), "Best New Hardware Systems" (Game Informer) and "1993 Technical Achievement of the Year" (Die Hard Game Fan). Jaguar also recently was given the European Computer Trade Show Award for "Best Hardware of the Year." Atari Corporation, based in Sunnyvale, California, manufactures and markets 64-bit interactive multimedia entertainment systems, video games and personal computers for the home, office and educational marketplaces. Sandwich Islands Publishing is a privately held company based on the tropical paradise of Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. It was formed in 1984 and has been producing best- selling video game strategy guides since 1990. Sandwich Islands Publishing's books are distributed in the U.S. and overseas, including Canada, Spain, and the UK. --- Jaguar is a trademark for Atari Corporation. Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Other products named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning companies. * * * ALIEN vs. PREDATOR MAGAZINE AD From: 75300.1267@compuserve.com (Donald A. Thomas, Jr.) Below is the text of the 2-page ad that appeared on facing pages (48 and 49) of the September 1994 issue of VideoGames magazine. The ad has a color photograph on the upper two thirds of each page. The photograph on the left page is of the Alien from Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation The first line of a three line headline is "pasted" just over the Alien's image. The right page photograph is of the Predator holding a human skull from Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. The second line of the headline is pasted above the Predator's head and the last line of the headline is pasted just beneath the image of the skull. All three headline lines appear in a large, underlined typewriter font. Headline line 1: _YOU_CAN_BE_THE_ALIEN._ Headline line 2: _YOU_CAN_BE_THE_PREDATOR._ Headline line 3: _OR_YOU_CAN_BE_LUNCH._ The Alien vs. Predator logo stretches just beneath the two photographs across both pages. Six screen captures taken directly from the Alien vs. Predator video game for the Atari 64-bit Jaguar Interactive Multimedia System are "stacked" side-by-side across the two pages. There are a few lines of italicized text beneath or to the right of each screen capture. SCREEN: far left; left page IMAGE: Aliens' perspective facing marine TEXT: YOU'RE THE MARINE. YOU'RE THE ALIEN. YOU'RE THE PREDATOR. Be any one of them and fulfill your biological destiny; kill or be killed. SCREEN: center; left page IMAGE: Marine's perspective facing Alien TEXT: THE ALIEN LASHES OUT. His claw and tail strikes are beautiful and deadly. No such aesthetics apply to acid-spitting. That's just plain sick. SCREEN: far right; left page IMAGE: Marine's perspective facing Alien in airduct TEXT: YOU'RE JUST A CRYBABY WITH A SHOTGUN TO THE ALIEN. Texture-mapping heightens the claustrophobia of the airduct. Too Bad. Tell your therapist. SCREEN: far left; right page IMAGE: Marine's perspective facing Predator TEXT: THE PREDATOR'S DISKS FROM HELL may outmatch your more conventional weaponry. Might be a good idea to keep your first-aid kit handy. SCREEN: center; right page IMAGE: Predator's x-ray perspective TEXT: THE PREDATOR CAN SEE WHAT YOU CAN'T. Stay out of his view. Too many x-rays can be bad for you. SCREEN: far right; right page IMAGE: Predator's perspective facing Marine TEXT: MARINE? SOLDIER-ON-A-STICK IS MORE LIKE IT. Your extraordinary bit-mapped image makes the shape of your skull look so very right to the Predator. Above the screen captures and beneath the photographs from Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation are four lines of body copy: BODY COPY: Lunch. Toast. Dogmeat. You're on the menu. The Alien eats you from the inside out. The Predator's razor-like mouth parts go for the crust. It's one thing to be the low man on the food chain in a 16 or 32-bit game. But in Jaguar's 64-bit system, it takes extremely fine tuned reflexes to stay alive. Give your reptilian hindbrain a workout. Be the Predator or the Alien. Ancient animal instincts exploit the high-resolution bit-mapping - the better to see you. Huge sound-sampling - the better to hear you. And unparalleled animation - the better to come out of nowhere and eat you. In a 64-bit environment, pure sensation can overwhelm. Keep a little blood in your adrenaline system, and maybe you'll survive. At least until dinner. On the left page is an Atari logo underscored by "MADE IN THE USA". To the right of the logo are three small lines of disclaimer: DISCLAIMER: Game tips and hints: 1-900-737-ATARI. 95 cents per minute. If you are under 18, be sure to get a parent's permission before calling. A touch- tone phone is required. USA only. Atari Jaguar information is available in the Atari Gaming Forum on CompuServe. Type GO JAGUAR to access this area 24 hours a day. Atari, the Atari logo, and Jaguar are trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. All rights reserved. Alien and Predator(tm) & (c) Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. Used under sublicense from Activision. In the lower right hand corner of the right page is the Jaguar logo with a square stating "DO+THE MATH" and six circled yellow reverse letters spelling out "64-BIT". Beneath the logo it states: "INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM". * * * WOLF3D ON BABAGES TOP 10 SALES LIST -From: gt7608b@prism.gatech.edu (Sgt. Dudley) -Date: Sun Sep 4 00:02:25 1994 Jag Wolf 3D was on Babbages top ten sales list for September Here is the whole list 1. SSF2 2. Breath of Fire 3. FIFA Soccer 4. Sega CD Rebel Assault 5. Jag Wolf 3D 6. World Series Baseball. 7. Hardball '94 for Genesis 8. Ken Griffey Baseball 9. The Incredible Hulk 10. Vay This is the first time I've seen a jag game on this monthly flier. It's a good sign. Later, Jarrell * * * EUROPEAN COMPUTER TRADE SHOW REPORT -From: gary@batesg.demon.co.uk (Darren Bates) -Date: Tue Sep 6 20:09:59 1994 European Computer Trade Show I have just attended the ECTS in London, it was ACE. Although Atari did not have a dedicated stand there (they held a private conference in a nearby hotel), there was a stand showing off RAYMAN on Jag. I must say it looked absolutely stunning! 24-bit backgrounds, 30 FPS, cool! I know cute platform games are not everyones' cup of tea, but this game may convert a few of us. The animation on the central character was some of the best I've seen, and the enemy characters were equally impressive. Hopefully, this will aid Atari's sales at Xmas with the younger players. Also, one of the rep's at the Atari area revealed that Atari has a secret game in development that no-one has seen or heard of. He also claimed it would blow ANY game away, on ANY platform! Does anyone have any clues to what he was referring to? BTW, the PSX video made me wet my pants, Labyrinth boasted the best graphics I have seen in years and Poly Circus Racing was more impressive than Cruisin' USA on Ultra 64!!!! The future is looking EXCITING * * * akh104.rh.psu.edu JAG SITE RETURNS! -From: heller@akh104.rh.psu.edu (Andrew K. Heller) -Date: Fri Sep 2 23:29:16 1994 Its up again. Remember this site has not been updated with new information since May 5, 1994. If you could tell me the name of a site or two that has the Jag stuff..I'll pull it all. Uploads are welcome... =) * * * JAGUAR MENTIONED IN "HISTORY OF COMPUTING" -From: khaley@nova.gmi.edu (Kevin Haley) -Date: Wed Sep 7 12:50:57 1994 There is a 70-page book published by the Computer Science Department of South Bank University (UK) called "The History of Computing". It is a chronological timeline of major events, milestones, and accomplishments in the history of computing. The publishing date is March 1994, so it is quite recent. Anyway, I had to buy this book for a Comp. Science course. A quick perusal of the book revealed a mention of the Jaguar! The entry is dated "November, 1993", and it gives a 3 line mention, "Atari introduces Jaguar games console; 64-bit architecture with multiple RISC processors estimated at 55MIPS", or something similar. I was rather impressed to see that the Professors who authored the book found the Jaguar of significance to mention it. This is magnified when the mentioned topics seem to be those that are "new or innovative". For example, the Super Famicom is mentioned, but the NES, SNES, Genesis, and other competing machines aren't mentioned. CD-I is mentioned as "first consumer based dedicated multimedia machine", but there is no mention of 3DO. Other Atari-related events mentioned: - Creation of Pong - Creation of Atari VCS (2600) - Introduction of Atari ST -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- | CLEVELAND FREE-NET WILL PRESENT __FREE__ COMPLIMENTARY USAGE TIME | | to the readers of: | | | | CAIN Newsletter | | | | New Users Sign Today! Connect by modem: 216/368-3888 or | | Telnet to: freenet-in-a.cwru.edu, 129.22.8.32 | | | | You can log on as a visitor to explore the system. At the opening | | menu ("Please enter 1 or 2:"), enter "2" to log in as a visitor. At | | the next menu, enter "2" again to explore the system. You will then | | read an opening disclaimer and a login bulletin, then be sent to the | | main Free-Net menu. Once inside, type "go atari". Follow the menus | | to read Atari-related discussions, reviews, news, and information. | | In order to post messages, send e-mail, vote, chat online, and sign | | a user directory, you need a Free-Net account. Apply for a Free-Net | | account by entering "1" at the second menu instead of "2". | | | | All new registered users receive "free" accounts which will not | | require payment for the usage of the system. | | | | The Cleveland Free-Net has an Atari SIG comparable to other systems. | | The Atari SIG carries _ALL_ Z*Magazine issues. Z*Net & ST Report | | from 1989. All Atari Explorer Online issues. The latest and | | greatest Atari news. "Support Areas" for all Atari users. Multi- | | User Chat, Voting Booth, Wanted & For Sale, User Directories, and | | even direct access to Atari related Usenet newsgroups. | | | | No charge for registration or usage of this system! Register today! | | | - =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--= 8-Bit Computers Support Area -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Michael Current 8-Bit Support Area News ----------------------- Apparently quite a few 8-bit users showed up at our CAIN Atari Fun Fest this month, but I was personally unable to attend (I live in Iowa City, IA). Maybe I'll see you next year! 8-Bit Product News ------------------ From: b.poehland@genie.geis.com ATARI CLASSICS: Final Farewell August 10, 1994 It pleases me greatly to report that the issuing of refunds to all former subscribers to the old AC is now essentially complete, and as of this date the original publication may be considered officially terminated. I wish to officially announce my departure from the AC Staff, and hereby declare my resignation therefrom in the positions I occupied, Managing Editor and Circulation Editor. The status of refunds at this time is as follows: 1.) A batch of 88 refund checks, representing the last of the American refunds and all of the Canadian refunds, was posted on August 9 and should be in the hands of their intended recipients shortly. 2.) A batch of 18 IPMOs and bank drafts, representing refunds to overseas subscribers, was posted today. The IPMOs will take a few weeks for postal processing before final delivery. 3.) Unicorn Publications is presently working up 17 credit card refunds to overseas subscribers. Notices of account credits will be mailed out shortly by Unicorn Publications from Ann Arbor, Michigan. All together, a total of 351 refunds has been/are being issued. The refund policy as announced in the April AC was followed very nearly as given, except in the case of Australian refunds: one Australian refund was denied and the remainder made by bank draft, in consequence of the discovery that IPMOs are not available to Australia. The entire stock of back issues of the old AC has been transferred to the magazine's new management in California, including back issues of the AC Software Disk. I will no longer respond to inquiries concerning back issues or subscriptions to AC. Individuals desiring such information about the new AC should contact: ATARI CLASSICS Magazine 5507 Langford Court Concord, CA 94521 ATTN: Jim Hood, Managing Editor A number of people have asked what role I will play in the new AC. I've made myself available to the new management in a consulting/support capacity over the past 6 months and expect to continue in that role for as long as they desire my services. Many people have begged me to continue my "Alchemist" column in the new AC, but regrettably circumstances will not permit me to make contributions of that nature in the foreseeable future. In consequence of unprecedented instability now sweeping the U.S. pharmaceutical industry in the wake of political turmoil surrounding the Clinton national health plan proposals, many scientists in that industry are experiencing the loss of their jobs and wreckage of their careers. I am one of them. In June the department where I worked for 13 years was abolished, and I became unemployed. A few weeks later I received news that my mother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. In a few days I'll be leaving for an extended visit to Mesa, Arizona to attend my mother's needs. I trust the 8-bit community will forgive me for placing these serious concerns far above any continued participation in Atari magazines. However, I anticipate being an 8-bit user for quite some time to come, and of course I'm a charter subscriber to the new AC. The slow pace of refunds over the summer on the part of Unicorn Publications initially hobbled the efforts of our California colleagues to restart the magazine. Many loyal readers apparently held off subscribing to the new AC until they had received their refund from the old AC. By encouraging Unicorn to complete the refund process in a timely manner I expect to see a corresponding boost in support for the new AC in the weeks ahead. Feedback I've received from readers in response to the refund program has consisted mainly of expressions of astonishment that the policies stated in the April issue were actually followed and people had a cash refund in hand from an Atari magazine for the first time in the history of Atari computers. I'm very proud of the legacy AC established in dealing "up-front" with its loyal supporters and hope the new management will continue the tradition. I don't have any real figures for the present level of support for the new AC, but reasonable estimates place it at around 200 paid subscriptions. Based on my experience I believe the revived publication will probably top out with a subscriber base in the range of 300-350. Unpublished manuscripts remaining in my hands were turned over to the new management following their promise to continue the same policies toward author compensation that I originally established. Recently they've begun aggressively recruiting a staff, and I'm pleased to report many of the former AC Staff will be serving the new publisher. I'm also aware the new management has been in contact with Unicorn Publications to secure transfer of the magazine's 2nd Class mailing permit. They've also made local arrangements that will permit them to print the new AC far more cheaply than Unicorn did, which means they'll be able to survive financially with a smaller subscriber base. All indications point to a revival of AC very soon, I would guess September but must admit that's purely speculative. Finally, many people have questioned why it was necessary to shut down AC and start it up anew instead of just having the old publisher turn over operations to the new. First, I must point out that plans to shut down AC had already been laid in January 1994, well before Bob Woolley became actively involved in saving the magazine and securing a new publisher. Once the presses began to roll it was too late to stop the process; the best I could do was extend support to the new effort. Second, back in February no one knew what level of support a revived AC might attain. Staff morale was extremely low due to the sharp falloff in renewals in Dec.'93/Jan.'94, and even Bob Woolley and Jim Hood were concerned there might not be enough support to warrant their continuing the effort. The whole period of January-May 1994 was fraught with unknowns, anxiety, chaos, and instability-- punctuated by power blackouts and disruptions caused by the Killer Winter of '94 (which left me with $2,000 in property damage and a huge mess to clean up). For Unicorn to turn over AC to an unknown third party in such a climate would have been an act of catastrophic stupidity. Due to the uncertainty of future support, Bob Woolley and I mutually agreed any continuation of AC would have to be an independent effort. And finally, neither the Staff nor Publisher of AC had the authority to transfer the magazine's operations even under ideal conditions. Had AC been threatened by some external event (for example, the collapse of its publisher), it would have been within the scope of my authority to transfer the operation elsewhere. But instead, AC was threatened by a failure of support from the very community that brought it into existence. In conferring with Jeff McWilliams (de facto representative of the 615 people whose response to the mail campaign of 1992 authorized him to ask me to start the magazine), we agreed that in view of the situation the correct response was to "give AC back" to the community that authorized its existence. The only way to do that was to release the Staff back to the community and distribute the magazine's financial resources back to the community. We have in effect given AC back to the community from whence it sprang, in consequence of the community's failure to support the original mandate. People should bear in mind that the revival of AC in California is totally independent of the original AC. All the support given by elements of the old publication to the new have been at a purely personal level, none of it official. For the past 8 months I've walked a fine line between strict adherence to the original proposals upon which AC was founded and my own personal desire to see the AC Experiment live on. Through the intervention of Bob Woolley and a mutual spirit of informal cooperation between elements of the old and new publications, I believe I can at last claim success on both accounts. We have been through a trial by fire, from whence a new AC will arise as a Phoenix from the flames. For some of you, the refund you receive(d) is merely a check, to be cashed and spent. But for others- those of you still capable of dreaming- that refund check is a ticket to be used to vote yet a second time to continue what still stands as one of the most unique events in the history of personal computers. I hope people will realize the extraordinary effort that has gone into giving the community a second chance to vote, and that you will do so wisely. Respectfully submitted, Benjamin L. Poehland ATARI CLASSICS Magazine \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ From: dx107@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Dean Garraghty) Subject: NEWS-PAPER BACK ISSUES Date: 20 Aug 1994 04:43:50 -0500 Ok, here's a good deal for you all! We have now produced 5 printed issues of the News-Paper (our magazine). Get the lot for just $10 including Air Mail shipping! We must be mad!! Come on folks, get your $10 to us! As usual, pay in cash in US$. We have about 50 sets available, so there's no need to reserve any. Dean Garraghty. -- Dean Garraghty Software (D.G.S.) - dx107@cleveland.freenet.edu D.G.S., 62 Thomson Ave, Balby, Doncaster, DN4 0NU, ENGLAND. Phone (in UK): (0302) 855026 / International: +44-302-855-026 D.G.S -- Supporting the Atari 8-bit!! 8-Bit Feature Article --------------------- FidoNet 8-bit Echo Rick Reaser From: r.reaserjr1@genie.geis.com Date: 13 Aug 1994 22:09:48 -0500 The following is a list of FidoNet BBSes that carry the Atari 8-bit Echo. It is organized by area code and compiled from the taglines of messages posted over the past several months on the echo. Hopefully, the format won't get too messed up and you will be able to decipher the list. It's actual 93 characters across. Phone Location Node # BBS Name SysOp Baud (204) 889-3608 Winnipeg MB 1:348/104 Ability Jim Martinuk 9600 (206) 472-6805 Tacoma WA 1:138/245 Permanent Crew Rest John Schliep 2400 (206) 695-0799 Vancouver WA 1:105/169 Aurora BBS Scott Hemphill 9600 (210) 333-5360 San Antonio TX 1:387/307 Quantum Leap Mike Mazzola 9600 (214) 442-0388 Wylie TX 1:124/7028 Wylie Connection Wes Newell 9600 (216) 478-0548 Canton OH 1:157/629 CanCom BBS Gary Cox 9600 (219) 674-6040 Osceola IN 1:227/145 Ye Ole Connection Chris Smith 9600 (301) 292-7955 Fort Washington MD 1:109/412 The Computer Orphanage Ken LaCapria 9600 (302) 239-7242 Hockessin DE 1:150/120 Inner World BBS Brian Funk 9600 (305) 472-7715 Fort Lauderdale FL 1:369/120 Bashful Pervert BBS Bob Patten 9600 (310) 374-7929 Redondo Beach CA 1:102/137 PC Heaven BBS Tony Reeves 9600 (315) 797-3054 Utica NY 1:2609/507 W.A.A. BBS Richard Seeley 9600 (317) 356-5519 Indianapolis IN 1:231/370 The Zoo Bill Jones 9600 (407) 568-8774 Bithlo FL 1:363/153 MoonRose HQ Kevin Hoffman 9600 (501) 932-6961 Jonesboro AR 1:389/2 The Wizard's Domain Jon Wagner 9600 (501) 933-9281 Jonesboro AR 1:389/3 The Gameing BBS! Gary Edwards 9600 (504) 362-1636 New Orleans LA 1:396/80 Assassin's Lair Todd Jordan 9600 (514) 466-9637 Greenfield Park Qc 1:167/565 Evening Shade Chris Ross 9600 (516) 579-2069 Seaford NY 1:2619/119 The Arena BBS Mark Ciochetto 9600 (601) 992-4023 Jackson MS 1:3632/3 MCS Micronet James Simmons 9600 (602) 459-0013 Sierra Vista AZ 1:309/51 United We Stand America Bill Starr 9600 (602) 459-6514 Sierra Vista AZ 1:309/35 The Danish Tower BBS Bill Morris 9600 (602) 464-4817 Mesa AZ 1:114/318 STAR*LINX Jeff Kovach 9600 (604) 272-5888 Richmond BC 1:153/813 T.R.A.C.E BBS Terry Schreiber 9600 (604) 323-9698 Vancouver BC 1:153/7091 Miramax BBS David Poon 9600 (609) 223-0133 Mullica Hill NJ 1:266/52 Python Bbs Rudy Schmidt 9600 (609) 794-8907 Vineland NJ 1:266/73 Connections! BBS Michael Nelson 9600 (612) 544-5118 Minneapolis MN 1:282/47 FlightLine BBS Craig Peterson 9600 (615) 376-7623 Knoxville TN 1:3615/17 Soft Touch Mary Pinckard 9600 (617) 595-5626 Swampscott MA 1:101/106 NewWorld Magic1 Hal DuPrie 9600 (617) 595-5627 Swampscott MA 1:101/107 NewWorld Magic2 Hal DuPrie 9600 (617) 932-0958 Woburn MA 1:101/435 MMASKS Herb Oxley 9600 (701) 727-9811 Minot AFB ND 1:14/645 Gamma World Lance Powell 9600 (702) 435-0786 Las Vegas NV 1:209/745 The Rebel BBS Terry May 9600 (703) 642-3616 Alexandria VA 1:109/618 Infinite Data Source John Choi 9600 (706) 868-9726 Martinez GA 1:360/17 The Far Side BBS Jim Noblett 9600 (713) 461-1682 Houston TX 1:106/6969 STarship Rich Tietjens 9600 (718) 817-5500 Bronx NY 1:278/103 Fordham Jesuit BBS Fr. N. Lombardi 9600 (803) 731-3884 Columbia SC 1:376/50 Dreadnaught Class Julius Edwards 9600 (803) 788-8194 Elgin SC 1:376/112 Jake's Place Leo Davidson 9600 (805) 734-4742 Vandenberg AFB CA 1:206/2703 FIDOdoor Support BBS Bryan Hall 9600 (816) 763-3353 Kansas City MO 1:280/66 Synergy John Hutton 9600 (818) 763-9006 N. Hollywood CA 1:102/836 Computer One Ed Baker 9600 (904) 268-9203 Jacksonville FL 1:112/57 The Dragon's Domain B. Himmelstoss 9600 (904) 375-7913 Gainesville FL 1:3601/106 The Den Ken Sallot 9600 (904) 871-6536 Panama City FL 1:3608/1 221B Baker St James Young 9600 (904) 769-9688 Panama City FL 1:3608/121 The -< Bejue >- Larry Black 9600 (916) 737-1844 Sacramento CA 1:203/69 Humanx Commonwealth Smokey Layton 9600 (916) 448-5840 Sacramento CA 1:203/9264 *Your BBS* Curtis Delzer 9600 (919) 469-8463 Cary NC 1:151/139 ArenA Paul Newton 9600 46-31-363973 Partille 2:203/221 STraight BBS Bertil Jagard 9600 64-3-389-0898 Christchurch 3:770/140 Mirth Control [#1] Daniel Ayers 9600 64-9-817-2868 Auckland NZ 3:772/480 Hitch-Hiker's Jamie Walker 2400 64-9-445-0661 Auckland NZ 3:772/1000 PC WORLD-1 Chris Miller 9600 Rick Reaser Atari 8-bit Editor Current Notes Magazine 8-Bit Commentary ---------------- Recently I received my postcard acknowledging my resubscription to Atari Classics magazine. Yes, folks, Atari Classics lives! Publication is expected to resume within a month or two. Meanwhile, Rick Reaser at Current Notes continues to deliver quality 8-bit coverage in every issue, although CN has now been forced to move to a bimonthly (six issues per year) schedule. Over at Page 6 in Great Britain (publishers of New Atari User), things seem to be more desperate. They are presently almost begging people to add to their subscriptions or purchase merchandise from them as soon as possible, in order to prevent a deathly cash crunch which isn't really anyone's fault. The untimely demise of NAU would be a low blow to all 8-bit users, as this publication has provided more quality coverage for a longer period of time than we've ever experienced among 8-bit magazines in the U.S. Good luck Page 6! It's been a couple weeks now since I began my attempt to install a 1Mb installation of the MEG130 upgrade by Newell Industries and now a product of Fine Tooned Engineering. I've managed to regain functionality of the lower 64K, but my upgraded memory is too flakey to be usable. Since I am very used to having at least 128K in my 130XE, my system is rather crippled for now, but I'm hoping to get everything working soon. Mike @ FTe has provided helpful telephone support. Maybe by the next issue you'll be reading my report of the thrills of huge RAMdisks! Until next month, -Michael 16/32-Bit Computers Support Area -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Thomas Main The Persistence of Vision Raytracer The Persistence of Vision Raytracer (POV-Ray) is a relatively new software package that will transform your Atari computer into a powerhouse graphics tool. POV-Ray allows you to create stunning and realistic three-dimensional images. Even if you don't possess traditional artistic drawing skills, with POV-Ray you will be able to create beautiful true-color pictures that have perfect shading and perspective. A Note About the Required Hardware The POV Raytracer will run on all Atari computers, but because of the nature of its output--24 bit true color pictures--real use is limited to those who own a Falcon or an ST/TT with a graphics card. Also, POV-Ray's method of rendering images is very math-intensive, so a math-coprocessor will significantly increase the speed of the program's execution and thereby increase its usefulness. What Is Raytracing? Raytracing is a way of rendering pictures in three-dimensional space by describing objects that exist in that space and the light sources that are shining on them. For example, when we look out into the night sky and see a crescent moon, we see an object (in this case a sphere) that is only partially illuminated by its light source (the sun). If we were to trace the rays of light emanating from the sun, we would see that some of them hit our object, and thereby formed the visible crescent, and some were blocked by another object (the earth) which would form the shadow on the moon. This way of tracing rays of light and seeing which objects are illuminated and which objects are not forms the basis of raytracing. But raytracing is not limited simply to lights and shadows. Color intensity, texture, and reflection also play an important part. Let's bring our example down to earth. Imagine putting a tennis ball on a table and illuminating it with a desk lamp that you have placed directly overhead. If you view the tennis ball from the table's level, you will notice that the top of the ball appears to be a brighter color yellow than the ball's base. The gradation in the ball's color from bright to dark yellow enhances our depth perception and allows us to see the ball as a sphere rather than a flat disk. A raytracer uses the same technique of color shading to simulate a three-dimensional object on a computer screen. The texture of a tennis ball also determines how we perceive light reflecting from it. For instance, a tennis ball is relatively dull and fuzzy compared to the smooth sheen of a marble. If we were to replace the tennis ball in our example with a white marble we would still see a gradation of color on the marble. But because of the smooth and lustrous texture of the marble, other effects would become noticeable. For instance, the marble's surface would have a spot reflecting the light source. This was unnoticeable on the tennis ball because its texture allowed for the spot's absorption. The spot of light on the marble that reflects its light source adds a grater degree of realism to our scene. We can perceive the texture of an object without touching it through this sort of visual information. A raytracer uses texture information to calculate the way light should reflect from an object. As you'll see shortly, all sorts of textures are already predefined in the POV-Raytracer, allowing you to create very realistic three-dimensional scenes. As a final example of how raytracing works, let's consider the idea of reflection. We have already seen how rays of light reflecting on objects of different textures can influence our perception of the object. Now let's examine how direct reflections from other surfaces give an object a degree of realism. Let's replace the marble in our example with a pinball. If we look at our object (the pinball) we will see it as not only a sphere that has shading and reflects a light source, but will see the reflection of other surfaces upon its face. For instance, we might see a representation of all the other objects in the room wrapped around its shape. The pinball acts as a mirror of the space surrounding it. Of course, because of the shape of a sphere, the image is distorted. A raytracer will mathematically calculate the amount of distortion of reflected objects appearing on the face of a sphere with a mirror finish. It will then "map," or wrap the distorted picture, around the sphere to achieve the illusion of three-dimensional realism on a two-dimensional computer screen. The Program The Persistence of Vision Raytracer is a unique program in the graphics field. As a matter of fact, it's text based! That's right, unlike traditional painting and illustration programs, the POV-Raytracer uses text-based input to create its images. Rather than draw with a mouse or graphics tablet, with the POV-Raytracer you must describe the scene you are painting using a simple scene description language. The POV-Raytracer takes the information that you provided through writing a scene description file and renders the picture. A Note About Artistry In recent years, much has been made of the theory that the two hemispheres in our brain support different types of thinking. It is said that the "right brain" supports intuitive, creative, and artistic reasoning whereas the "left brain" is oriented more towards analytical and rational reasoning. Since the POV-Raytracer uses mathematics and a computer programming language to render its scenes, some of you may be inclined to see this application as "left-brained." Indeed, it does have a logical and straightforward structure that can be intimidating to the "right brained" artist. However, I prefer to see this program as more of a marriage between the two different ways of thinking. It requires "left brain" thinking in the implementation stage and "right brain" thinking in the design stage. Therefore a symbiosis is achieved that will, hopefully, improve the final product. The Scene Description Language POV-Ray's scene description language can be compared with a simple computer programming language. This may seem daunting to users who are used to a point and click interface, but I assure you that the trouble of learning a few cryptic commands will pay off when you see the quality of the scenes that you can render with this powerful application. And, although it will take some time to master the language of POV-Ray, it is not that hard to start and within an half an hour of studying the language, you will be able to render some pretty good pictures. Probably the best way to see what is involved in learning to use POV-Ray's language is to look at an example: #include "colors.inc" #include "shapes.inc" #include "textures.inc" camera { location <0,2,-3> look_at <0,1,2> } sphere { <0,1,2>,2 texture {pigment {color Yellow}} } light_source { <2,4,-3> color White} This is an example of a complete POV-Ray file that will render a sphere on your computer screen. Let's take a look at this file in detail. The first three lines tell the raytracer to use some predefined colors, shapes, and textures in this scene. Using these "include" files, as the are called, can be of enormous benefit as they save artists from the trouble of defining these picture elements for themselves. The second part of the file specifies where the "camera" should be located. In other words, from what perspective shall this scene be viewed. Notice that the locations of the camera, sphere, and light source are all given using three numbers. These numbers are called a vector and simply represent the object's location in three-dimensional space using an x,y, and z axis. Are you feeling nostalgic for your high-school days yet? The third part of the file specifies that the object you would like to place in this scene is a sphere and that its color should be yellow. And finally, the location of a light source is given so that you may illuminate the object from the proper angle. I hope this has given you a taste of the POV-Ray scene description language. Since this a review rather than a tutorial, we'll move on. But don't fear if this seems a little cryptic to you, the POV-Raytracer comes with complete documentation of all its features as well as a tutorial that will take you through the creation of scene files step-by-step. With a little determination, anyone with a basic understanding of a three dimensional coordinate system and a willingness to learn POV-Ray's language will be able to create beautiful raytraced images. Some of the Included Files The POV-Raytracing package is a very complete program that comes with many predefined textures and sample scenes for you to render. There are far too many to list here, but to give you an overview, take a look at some of these textures that come predefined with the POV-Ray package: Classic white marble with red veins Jade A grey blue agate Pink granite Basic Blue Sky w/ clouds Cherry Pine Rosewood Luminous finish Mirror finish Glass finish Metal Brass texture Gold texture Bronze texture Copper texture Silver texture Imagine being able to use all of these textures to form your scenes. An array of basic shapes is also included with the POV-Ray distribution. You can use these textures on spheres, cones, boxes, or a multitude of other geometric and original shapes. Combining POV-Ray with Bitmapped Graphics Those of you looking to put a new spin on art you've already created with your computer will benefit from POV-Ray's powerful graphics tools. For instance, it is easy to use an existing picture as part of your POV-Ray scene. You can even wrap your picture around a box, cone, or other object in your raytraced picture! Other Options The scope of all the tools POV-Ray has available does not allow for their inclusion in this short review. But POV-Ray has many features that are there for the user to explore. For instance, creating raytraced animations is simplified because of POV-Ray's language. Once you have created a scene, it is easy to render the additional frames necessary for an animation. A simple animation could be created just by moving the camera in subsequent renderings of the same scene. Use your imagination! The Program's Distribution The Persistence of Vision Raytracer was developed by a dedicated team of computer programmers and graphic artists who support the program by making it widely available to the public and who meet on-line regularly to dispense ideas regarding raytracing and offer new scene files that artists from around the world have created. To the end of making the program available to a large number of people, several versions have been created for almost every computer platform. There is a POV-Raytracer available for the IBM-PC and compatibles, Apple Macintosh, Commodore Amiga, Unix workstations, and our own favorite, the Atari. The Atari version of the POV-Raytracer is identical in output to all the other computer versions. Also, the standard "include" files are the same, allowing any computer user to take advantage of the predefined textures that come with the package. Another way in which the program has been made widely available has to do with its distribution. The POV-Raytracer is copyrighted freeware. This means that it may be freely distributed pending a few restrictions that the creators of the program have made (such as the distribution must be complete, it may not be modified and redistributed, etc.). This liberal attitude to the distribution of such a powerful graphics tool was implemented by the POV-Ray Team (as the originators call themselves) in order to make POV-Ray a standard in the computer graphics field. I hope it will also become a standard in your graphics work. It has become a staple program in my collection of quality software for the Atari computer. Free-Net News Part II -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94 Show Exhibitors -------------------------------------- Exhibitor : The 2600 Connection Contact : Tim Duarte Address : P.O. Box N664 : Westport, MA 02790 Internet ID : tduarte@umassd.edu Products/Services : Atari 2600 bi-monthly newsletter. Exhibitor : A A A Video Repair & Computers Contact : Doug Novak Address : 5538 Pearl Road : Parma, OH 44129 Phone : 216-845-6260 Fax : 216-845-6260 Products/Services : Atari, PC, ICD, Panasonic, etc. Repairs, sales, hardware and software. Exhibitor : CACUG (Cleveland Atari Classics User Group) Contact : Martin Quinones Address : 3201 Russell Ave : Parma, OH 44134 Phone : 216-398-3866 Internet ID : ak527@cleveland.freenet.edu Products/Services : Atari 8-bit user group. Exhibitor : CVACC (Cuyahoga Valley Atari Computer Club) Contact : Don Crano Address : P.O. Box 9173 : Akron, OH 44305 Phone : 216-376-7618 Fax / BBS : 216-376-0885 Products/Services : Atari user group. Exhibitor : Dr. Bob + Bob Rakocy Exhibitor : Harry Dodgson Contact : Harry Dodgson Address : P.O. Box 19574 : Kalamazoo, MI 49019-0574 Phone : 616-375-5809 Internet ID : dodgson@coyote.cs.wmich.edu Products/Services : Atari 7800 and LYNX developer. Exhibitor : FMH Games Contact : Fred Horvat Address : P.O. Box 493 : Chesterland, OH 44026-0493 Phone : 216-729-0761 Internet ID : ap748@cleveland.freenet.edu Products/Services : Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, 8-bit, Colecovision, ADAM, Aquarius, Arcadia, Channel F, Intellivision hardware and video game dealer. Exhibitor : Fouch Software Contact : Jim Fouch Address : 1823 West 8th Street : Erie, PA 16514 Phone : 814-455-1294 FAX: 814-459-1808 Products/Services : Atari Mailing Manager ST Exhibitor : ICD, Inc Contact : Tom Harker Address : 1220 Rock Street : Rockford, IL 61101-1437 Phone : 815-968-2228 info 800-373-7700 orders Fax : 815-968-6888 Products/Services : ICD Link, ICD Jaguar Cat box, Adspeed ST, Star Battle (tm) Jaguar game, Atari hard drive connectors and software. Exhibitor : It's All Relative Contact : Greg Kopchak Address : 2233 Keeven : Florissant, MO 63031 Phone : 314-831-9482 Internet ID : greg@genie.cis.com Products/Services : Photo CD, CD-ROM, Photo Show Pro, Art For Kids, It's All Relative View II, and Sound Lab Exhibitor : Jeff's Atari Outpost Contact : Jeff Morin Address : 17545 Madison Ave. : Lakewood, OH 44107 Phone : 216-529-1485 Products/Services : Everything Atari. Exhibitor : Majicsoft / Microcomputer Depot Contact : John Stewart Address : 348 Meredith Square : Columbia, SC 29223 Phone : 803-788-8177 Fax : 803-778-2010 Products/Services : Atari ST/Falcon Software producers. Exhibitor : PCS Contact : Paul Plants Address : P.O. Box 469 : Washington, PA 15301 Phone : 412-229-7378 Products/Services : Atari software, hardware, and magazines. Exhibitor : Spectrum Atari Group of Erie Contact : Dennis McGuire Address : P.O. Box 10562 : Erie, PA 16514-0562 Phone : 814-833-4724 Internet ID : mcguired@apmail.mpd.lord.com Products/Services : Atari usergroup, all Atari products. Exhibitor : Stortech Contact : Terry Stiglic Address : 15610 Madison Ave. : # 102 : Cleveland, OH 44107 Phone : 216-529-1999 Products/Services : Atari Desktop Publishing, MIDI and IBM hardware and software. Exhibitor : The Computer Shoppe Contact : Len Olenik Address : 297 Highland Ave : Wadsworh, OH 44281 Phone : 216-334-5205 Products/Services : Full line of Atari hardware and software, including Jaguar and LYNX. IBM hardware and software sales. Exhibitor : Toad Computers Contact : David Troy Address : 570 Governor Ritchie Highway : Severna Park, MD 21146-2925 Phone : 410-544-6943 info 800-448-8623 orders Fax : 410-544-1329 410-544-0098 Fax Back BBS : 410-544-6999 Internet ID : taod@genie.geis.com Products/Services : Full line of Atari hardware, software, and repairs. Atari Classic Gaming Corner -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Fred Horvat Here's something I down loaded from the Usenet last winter. This will help you find all the treasures in the classic game "Pitfall". * * * PITFALL MAP/SOLUTION * * * by Thomas Clancy 1 1 6 5 1 2 1 3 2 34 LEGEND: #%-A%S*---A<%>F>--A<-A%-A>-S*---A<-A%<>%-*F*-F*--*F # Starting Point < % < Tunnel Left > Tunnel Right % Dead End Tunnel 45 5 6 7 6 - No Snake/Tunnel *--A%F*--A%SSSF--F*-S*F---*S*---*-A%<-A>F>-F*--ASSF Fire/Alligators <> % <% A Alligators S Snake F Camp Fire 7 8 9 9 * Treasure ---AF---A%--A%-*-*-AF--S*--F*-ASF % > < The numbers show which tunnels 1 11 1 connect. 0 801 1 ie: 1 to 1 --S*SSF---*-A%--A%--*-*-AF%--A< >% < etc; 1 1 1 1 11 11 1 2 2 3 3 45 64 6 -*-A>%%-ASSSSSF---A<%>S*F---AF<--*-A%%%>>%-ASF---A# % % >< There are 254 screens which "wrap" together. ie: Going in either direction will eventually return you to start. Simply read the map from left to right and descend when you reach the end of a line [remember to read the new line left to right]. If you chose to go left when starting out simply reverse this, start at the bottom of the map and read from right to left and ascend when you reach the end of a line, then simply continue reading from the right to the left for each line. One is not limited to traveling in only one direction, as a matter of fact one can solve the game quicker by traveling in both directions. There are 4 different treasures types with eight of each to be found for a total of 32. Bag of Money $2000 I have a more detailed map [ie: that tells me Silver Bar $3000 exactly how many scorpions there are per tunnel] Gold Bar $4000 but it would be impossible to reduce to ASCII Diamond Ring $5000 form without cluttering p on Thomas Clancy an old cartridge and 1 Hunt's Lane send it to someone that St. John's NF, Canada will use it - me! 8-) A1B 2L2 This file is copyright 1993 and is freely distributable. If you publish any portion please include the author's name. PITFALL is copyright of Activision, ATARI 2600 Copyright Atari Inc. Lynx Support Area -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Barry Cantin Lynx News --------- Just when you thought you'd seen the last new title for the Lynx, we receive a surprise from Telegames! Two games have just been released that we have been eagerly awaiting: Bubble Trouble and Super Off-Road. Bubble Trouble is about a research scientist named Travis who works in a physics lab which concentrates on high-energy dense matter used to create black holes for inter-dimensional travel. Travis finds himself travelling around the lab in a friendly bubble, which protects him from the dangers around him. His object is to collect radioactive deposits that will allow him to return home. The game is divided into five sections that travis must explore, inside his bubble companion. Naturally he meets with hostile entities along the way, and can defend himself and his bubble with shots from equipment he has with him. Energy is a factor here, and must be conserved so he can get from one level to the next. Super Off-Road is a translation of the arcade game of the same name. This one was reviewed in one of the popular video game magazines back in March, but the game is finally available. No specific details available on this one yet. These games are "limited edition" releases, but no word on just how many of each title will be produced. They are not in the typical small card format, but rather on a bare circuit board with a plastic block covering the EPROM -- as Telegames puts it, "prototype cartridge form". Not much to look at, but a new release is a new release... These games can be ordered directly from Telegames USA at 1-(214)-228-0690. This is a NEW telephone number. Each game is $39.95 a piece. CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94 Lynx Report ---------------------------------- From: ah499@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (John Daniels) >Newsgroups: freenet.sci.comp.atari.spec.video Subject: Re: Lynx at the CAIN show Date: Sun Aug 28 22:23:19 1994 I was at the CAIN fest with my kids and our Lynxes. We were among the first in the Lynx Up room and due to the fact that there was no overlap between our collection and those of several other people that showed we wound up running Checkered Flag between the 3 of us. There were several others there that were having a good time razing cities playing Rampage. A fellow next to me had a copy of Desert Strike there that he let me play with (not comLynxable) and I'm suitably impressed to add it to my Want List. Rampage has been added to that list too (so what if I already have it for the Atari 7800 and the Sega Master System?). I was quite impressed with my first viewing of Wolf 3-D on the Jaguar and a company (ICD) had a demo of a Jag game "Space Battle" with marvelous gourad-shaded polygon ships that you controlled the rotation and scaling of. Many ships with neat designs (the Castrator looks like a double edged axe head). ICD also had the Catbox there attached to a Jag - must have been the Plus model since it was driving headphones. Many tables with carts for the classic Atari game machines were there too. I resisted temptation several times by reminding myself that I need the money for new Jag and Lynx games. It worked. I hope there's another next year. I'll discourage my wife from coming and bring another power strip for the comLynx room. And try to have more discretionary cash. If the Jag takes off like I hope it will a bigger facility than the Knights of Columbus might be needed. John Daniels ah499@cleveland.freenet.edu Lynx Summer Steal Deal Extended to Fall --------------------------------------- The following Lynx Summer Steal Deal has been extended to at least Fall 1994. The original deal was only to the end of August, but you can still order Lynx games from Atari at dirt cheap prices. Now there's NO excuse! Atari Corporation has a new summer deal everyone should enjoy... New low prices on almost every Lynx video game. By special arrangement with the factory, a large but limited quantity of 60 outstanding game titles have been set aside especially for this special offer. Now and for a limited time, buy popular Lynx titles by Atari for as little as 14.99 each (SRP). Enjoy the fast paced action of Pinball Jam or an exciting whirl around the track with up to 6 ComLynx'd friends with Checkered Flag. Look for chilling answers to ghastly problems with Dracula The Undead for only $19.99 each (SRP). Beat incredible odds against an army of adversaries with Ninja Gaiden III for only $29.99 (SRP). In fact, NO specially reduced cartridge is priced any higher than $29.99. Most cartridges are less than $15. If you are tired of the same old thing that the other guys ram in front of your face, then ask your dealer for the system that's exploding with colorful excitement. Find out what head-to-head ComLynx gaming is all about. Spend your allowance on the system that leaves you change for lunch! Can't find the Lynx or great Lynx titles in your area? Call 1-800-221-3343 or 1-800-GO-ATARI toll free, Monday thru Friday; 9am to 5pm Pacific time. OR Write: Atari Lynx "Summer Steal Deal" P.O. 61657 Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1657 OR fax your order to Atari at 1-408-745-2088 OR send a message from any online service through the Internet to CIS:70007,2363 or GE:ATARI Any way you do it... Get Connected... Get the Lynx! NEW LYNX VALUES FROM ATARI! (limited time offer) NOW $29.99 ========== AWESOME GOLF* NINJA GAIDEN III TOKI WARBIRDS* NOW $19.99 ========== A.P.B. BATMAN RETURNS BLUE LIGHTENING CALIFORNIA GAMES* CRYSTAL MINES II DINOLYMPICS DIRTY LARRY RENEGADE COP DRACULA THE UNDEAD GORDO 106 HOCKEY* JIMMY CONNORS TENNIS* LEMMINGS MALIBU BEACH VOLLEYBALL* NFL FOOTBALL* NINJA GAIDEN PITFIGHTER* POWER FACTOR SCRAPYARD DOG SHADOW OF THE BEAST STEEL TALONS SWITCHBLADE II TURBO SUB* VIKING CHILD PAPERBOY NOW $14.99 ========== BASEBALL HEROES* BASKETBRAWL* BILL & TED'S ADVENTURE* BLOCKOUT CHECKERED FLAG* CHIPS'S CHALLENGE ELECTROCOP GATES OF ZENDOCON GAUNTLET 3RD ENCOUNTER* HARD DRIVIN' HYDRA ISHIDO KLAX KUNG FOOD LYNX CASINO* MS. PAC-MAN PACLAND PINBALL JAM RAMPAGE* RAMPART* ROADBLASTERS ROBO-SQUASH* RYGAR S.T.U.N. RUNNER SHANGHAI* SUPERSKWEEK* TODD'S ADV/SLIME WORLD* TOURNAMENT CYBERBALL* WORLD CLASS SOCCER* XENOPHOBE* XYBOTS* ZARLOR MERCENARY* * denotes multiplayer games. Atari Corporation reserves the right to correct typing errors or to change promotional pricing at any time without notice. Can't find the Lynx or great Lynx titles in your area? Call 1-800-221-3343 or 1-800-GO-ATARI toll free, Monday thru Friday; 9am to 5pm Pacific time. OR Write: Atari Lynx "Summer Steal Deal" P.O. 61657 Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1657 OR fax your order to Atari at 1-408-745-2088 OR send a message from any online service through the Internet to CIS:70007,2363 or GE:ATARI Any way you do it... Get Connected... Get the Lynx! Jaguar Support Area -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Len Stys Jaguar News ----------- ALIEN VS. PREDATOR STATUS ------------------------- Alien Vs. Predator is suppose to go into production this week. If it does go into production this week, there should be mass quantities available by the end of October, 1994. DOOM STATUS--help@idsoftware.com -------------------------------- Status of DOOM ports---Updated: Thu, Sep 8th 12:20am JAG: Running very fast. We are doing this port in-house. Maps are being worked on now. They will be the same maps. This is very close to being finished. Out before Christmas. Sega 32X: Like the Jag version. Sega is doing this one. Close to being finished. No release date. DOOM FACTS & INFORMATION ------------------------ INTERVIEW WITH: Shawn Green at id Software (Editor's Note: The following is concerning why id Software is using a lower resolution for Jaguar DOOM) LS:Other people think it is because Jaguar DOOM is a direct port from LS:PC DOOM and special features of the Jaguar aren't used. The portions of DOOM that were directly ported from the PC do not affect the refresh. When we port a game, the refresh must be re-written from scratch. LS:And finally, some people think that id Software is using a graphics LS:engine that doesn't support the Jaguar's blitter chip. Wrong. Don't believe anything you hear unless it comes directly from id. (Even then it may change :) LS:One last question... In Jaguar DOOM, will it be possible to have two LS:Jaguars in one house and two Jaguars in another house and allow all four LS:systems to participate in the game? Or will Jaguar DOOM only allow for LS:four players if all four of them are sitting in the same room? JagDOOM will only be two player. :( UPDATE! ------- From: Mark Santora Date: Wed Aug 31 19:42:07 1994 Yet Another UPDATE from GEnie:The official Atari on-line resource! -Mark "Stingray" Santora This messages if from a guy named Steven Horn, a EBX manager. ------------------------------------------------------------ NEW INFO!!!!!!!!!! According to Gary Tramiel (I talk to him today) AvP is not in production as of 8/30 but is in the final stages. He added that the final version is MUCH HOTTER than anything seen previously. According to him it is much better looking than what has been seen in the mags or at CES. He said the street date is the first week in Oct. rather than 9/22 that I posted earlier. I had a feeling that our list was dated but I posted exactly what I had in the store, and had a feeling it would be around early Oct. Hurray for me. It should be worth the wait. He's also sending me a video tape of the final version running. I'll let everyone know what I think. ******Kasumi Ninja Update******* The version seen at CES was the 16meg version. According to Gary Tramiel the final version will be 32 MEGS !!!!! New characters and moves have been added and maybe some new back grounds. The price for the cart will be $69.99. Not bad when you consider that MKII has a SRP of 74.99. If this one is as good as what i've seen then it WILL be worth it. You have to finish the end boss by using each character in order and chase him through a maze ( and the maze I saw rivals DOOM graphics )!!!! Well, that's the latest.....oh yeah...Gary said he was impressed with the amount of work ID has put into DOOM. It's an early Oct. cart as well. I asked him about the res and color and he said that Id is still playing with it...they might kick the res back up. UPDATE 2! --------- From: qaz1111111@aol.com (QAZ1111111) Date: Wed Aug 31 21:43:08 1994 AT&T dropped the 3DO and Genesis Voice Modem module stating their focusing their efforts on "nuclear water polo league for the def impaired who have recently seen Elvis with Bill Belichick at a Bon Jovi concert". Maybe nobody was developing for it. But as we all know and love the JAG's voice/modem module should be making it's way to us soon. Remembering CES it seemed there were at least 10 games being developed for this feature. That's 10 more than on any other game system and this is originality at it finest. A selling point if you will. I predict the Genesis and 3DO will eventually have to develop this module to stay in pace. But it's going to be a least 6 months before there's one game for it, by then the JAG could have a big lead. I'm especially interested in the Space Fighting game (Name escapes me) that will support up to 16 separate consoles hooked together, with each player having their own star craft to explore in. This game sounds good to me in concept alone. BH AVP, IRON SOLDIER, AND OTHER MINI REVIEWS ----------------------------------------- From: Marty Chinn Date: Fri Sep 2 16:57:38 1994 The two hottest Jaguar titles had to be Alien vs Predator and Iron Soldier. Alien vs Predator is still not completed but is near completion they say. They need to place the items and aliens and predators around the levels. Its 90 to 95 percent completed. They expect it to be done within a few more weeks and then released in September. Yes its taking a long time, but damn is it good. When you first start out, you can pick between either the soldier, alien or predator. The story behind the soldier is, you are locked up in the brig for some reason that I have not learned, and the base gets invaded and everyone is killed but you. Your goal is to self destruct and nuke the area to rid the aliens and predator of the area and release the escape pod so you can leave. When you first start out, you will have nothing. No motion tracker, no weapons, no security access cards. Everything will be placed in various places and you need to have a certain amount of points to obtain higher level items. You get points by of course killing aliens and predators and face hungers. There is a catch to the scoring, your points awarded is determined how you killed the enemy. If you use a strong weapon, little points will be given, but if you use a weak weapon, you get more. They tried to make it a fair challenge and not too easy. At the beginning you will find a fallen soldier with a diary and that diary will help you figure out what to do. He will also have a shotgun with him that you will be able to get. One of the key items that you need to obtain to self destruct the base will be deep in the alien's lair and you might even run into the Queen Alien.They said they put a lot of effort into how the Queen Alien looks as kind of a reward for going so deep and far into the alien's lair. In the alien's lair, you will need to find the last item needed to self destruct the base which is in a guy that is being cocooned for the alien eggs. The story behind the Alien is the Queen is on the Predator's ship and you have to bring her back to the lair. You start deep in the lair and have to work your way up into the Predator ship. The alien is fast but has limited weapons. It does have one good thing about it, it can travel through the air ducts. The soldier and predator can as well but this area will be infested with aliens. But when you're the alien, it will be empty and a transportation route for you. The Predator is the opposite of the Alien. In this, you must capture the Alien Queen. You start in the predator ship and so on. He has the most powerful weapons and can even cloak. But if you cloak and kill something, you will get minimum points. There are many small details to this game which makes it even better. Face hungers will kill you if you don't shake them off immediately. All the aliens and predators will stay there when they are dead so in certain places you could just have a floor full of dead bodies. When you kill the alien, of course there is blood remaining.Those familiar to the movie know that the alien has acid for blood. When you walk over it, there will beminor damage but later on in the game you can earn armor that will protect you from in. There will also be three saved game slots, one for each character. I know this sounds bad and when I was talking to the developer I suggested they make it so the three slots could be used for any character not just one dedicated to a single character. He told me they never thought of doing it and that it could easily be done. He also asked if I thought people would like it that way, and as representing you as Jaguar nuts on the net, I said yes! Hopefully the change will go through. Wow I know this is long, but I have to add my opinion to it. The game is damn good. This game alone would keep me satisfied with buying a Jaguar even if they didn't release any more games. I'm very impressed and it does live up to the hype. Many people talked about how realistic it was and better yet, that this game was better than most of 3DO. I even heard some people say, they haven't seen anything of this genre on the 3DO. The introduction and ending weren't there but they did have one intro screen and its a beautiful picture and it is on the video. Iron Soldier is a mech type game in which you control the mech of course from the inside. Not only can you look left and right, and turn around, you can also look up and down. I watched myself walk over a tank. It was cool to walk around and destroy things and the 3D effect was good. There were at least 5 weapons. This will probably be the next hit, not next release, next hit on the Jaguar. Kasumi Ninja was a very early version but as far as visuals go, it was very good and I couldn't ask for anything more. Both the characters and backgrounds were digitized. The characters were well animated as well. This is where it ends though. The play control is awkward and it was hard to figure out special moves. There are fatalities in the game as well. What was cool was the blood stayed when it landed on the ground. But there was also blood after every hit which was bad. The energy bar is unique. Its a sword and when you get hit, more blood appears on it and it also drips down. When the sword is full of blood, you're dead. For more reviews of Jaguar games, please request them but not by email. Request them in public, and I will post them on rec.games.video.atari. This concludes part 1 of Day 3 of the Chicago CES. I figured I'd put it in a few posts rather than just one huge post. drknight@Garg.Campbell.CA.US (Marty Chinn) The Land of Garg BBS -- +1 408 378-5108 $7 SUMMER CES VIDEO ------------------- Date: Tue Aug 2 16:36:59 1994 From: 180DEGREES@delphi.com Summer CES Video for $7.00 ($10.00 priority) The video contains Jaguar game video and several interviews. It also includes video on the 3DO, third-party game companies, and much more! For more information, write: 180DEGREES@delphi.com (Editor's Note: I (Len Stys) received this video and if you are interested in getting a video, I recommend it. I thought it compared really well to the AEO Summer CES video.) ALIEN VS. PREDATOR BOX SUMMARY ------------------------------ From: 75300.1267@compuserve.com (Donald A. Thomas, Jr.) ALIEN vs. PREDATOR - COMBAT ACTION Choose you weapon and brawl with the notorious warriors of the big screen! Commission the Colonial Marine and use your weapons and your wits to destroy the base - and survive. Be an Alien and use your voracious instincts to defend the hive and rescue your Queen. Or play a Predator and use your grisly arsenal to acquire the ultimate trophy... the skull of the Alien Queen. Game features "miles" of texture-mapped 3D corridors to explore and conquer. Detailed graphics with chilling stop-motion animation create ultra-realistic character likeness, movements and responses. Digitized SFX from the 20th Century Fox films bring graphic horror to life. Each character possesses his or her own arsenal and battle skills -- just like in the movies! [1 player] $69.99 (Atari/J9008) Release: 4th QTR '94 AVP ON NEWS REPORT #1 --------------------- From: liu@aol.com (Liu) Date: Sat Sep 10 02:16:02 1994 One of my local TV news programs did a bit part on MKII and the "violence in video games" when they segued to Atari and how a majority of their games are "non-violent." I can't remember the name of the guy that they talked to, but in the background, on a TV or monitor, was AvP in all it's glory! Although the TV I was watching on was a old, puny, B&W Sony "tummy TV," AvP was cooking!!!!!!!!!! Extremely smooth. Bobbing just like in Doom. Shotgun pumping also. Part of what was shown was of the marine walking through a door and then around a corner, when an Alien comes after him. The marine starts moving backward, shotgun firing away, while the Alien chases after him. The details were amazing, especially the texture mapping on the walls. The HUD was very nice as well. You know it's there, but in no way does it intrude. It was just amazing!!! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eric Liu PS For those of you in the SF area, it was on the KTVU 10:00PM news. Hope you got a chance to catch it! AVP ON NEWS REPORT #2 --------------------- From: david.yee@vidgame.com (David Yee) Date: Sat Sep 10 02:59:00 1994 Saw some more screen shots of AvP tonight on the local news show on channel 2 KTVU in the SF bay area. They did a news story on the game rating or lack of it on the new games. They interview GamePro, they show screen shots from MK II and Primal Rage. Anyway, then they interviewed someone from Atari. I first thought he was Sam T. No, it was an Atari spokesman I never heard of. Couldn't catch his name fast enough. In the background was AvP running. Then they should close up of Zool and AvP. Now my copy of the AEO video is at my friend's house, so I don't know if this was on the AEO video. But the soldier's hands moves back and forth. I couldn't tell if it was running off a cart and I didn't see fighting with Aliens or Predators, but I didn't see the soldier collect a medikit when he walk over it. Well that's all I could remember. Jaguar Reviews -------------- BRUTAL SPORTS REVIEW -------------------- From: khaley@nova.gmi.edu (Kevin Haley) Well, I had a chance to play Brutal Sports Football, so I thought I'd throw in my comments... Yes, graphics-wise, it doesn't look much more spectacular than what the 16bit systems can do. However, the graphics are nice, the complaint that they are not "64-bit" shouldn't imply that they are bad... because they're not. When I read the reviews on this group, I expected some "unimpressive" graphics, and a pretty lackluster game overall. But I was very pleasantly surprised! THIS GAME IS FUN! (IMO) Playing by yourself doesn't do the game justice... find a friend to play with you. Two player "unfriendly" matches are a blast! It took me and my friend a while to get used to the controls, but once we got the hang of it, it became quite enjoyable. For those who have seen all the bad reviews of BSF, I offer a dissenting opinion, with the addendum that the game is much more fun when played with a friend. My personal list of "the top 3 most fun Jaguar games"... 1. Tempest 2000 2. Wolfenstein 3D 3. Brutal Sports Football (2-player mode) My overall opinion on BSF? It's a good game. However, it's not worth the high price. Personally, I would buy it for even $40, but not much more than that. I would recommend the game for those who are into the "violent sports" genre, especially for those who know they would be playing the game against other human players 75% of the time. This is definitely a "2-player" game. Solo play doesn't do the game justice. /Kevin BRUTAL SPORTS REVIEW -------------------- From: akuo@cirrus.com (Augie Kuo) I've had BSF for a couple of days now so here are my impressions of it: Graphics: People have said that they weren't really impressed with it - well, I wasn't really impressed with Cybermorph's graphics either or Tempest 2000. I think the graphics are better than the current games out and I think any more detail would probably get the game an "X" rating when heads start rolling. Sound: Definitely doesn't rock like T2K but adequate. Music is kind of cheesy-Nintendo-like but it doesn't distract from the action. I would have liked to hear screams/grunts when people get stomped on or get their heads cut off but then again maybe some people would complain. Documentation: Describes stuff with no pictorials of the icons - maybe some advanced players can post their findings? It's not really a big deal since you can find out which ones are which. Maybe it was intentional so that advanced players can really stomp on beginners (hehe). Playability: Downright fun. I've stopped playing T2K because it got frustrating and repetitive. The two-player action is kind of slow in T2K but this one is a lot more exciting. The play is more like soccer, you kick/pass the ball to your offense to score a goal and you kick the ball away when the ball is too close to your goal. The really fun part is the smashing/slashing game. There are swords and axes which players can pick up and whomp on each other/the opponent while play goes on. A player has a limited lifeline which goes down every time he gets hit with an axe, punched/tackled, slashed with a sword, or stomped on while on the ground. Once it goes to zero, he gets decapitated. The winner is the one with the most goals or chops off 6 heads of the opponent's 7 players. This is the interesting part because one guy could be scoring goals and the other is trying to kill him off. Even if you have 10 goals more than your opponent, if he kills off 6 of your players, you lose! Overall: Cool game - definitely recommended. It won't get oohs and aaah's for its looks but once you start playing it, your friends won't want to leave. This may turn out to be a cult game like BallBlaster, MULE, etc. There are a lot of elements to this game (especially with two people playing) that will make you enjoy it for a long time. Augie BRUTAL SPORTS STRATEGY TIPS --------------------------- From: akuo@cirrus.com (Augie Kuo) Date: Sun Sep 11 16:51:34 1994 I'd like to know how other people are playing BSF so I'm posting some of my own strategies. Basically the computer isn't a very good opponent because it will continue to try to score goals even though you're cutting the heads off of most of its players. Since you win outright when you kill 6 of the 7 players, trying to make goals only puts your players in a weaker position to defend themselves from getting stomped on and their heads cut off. The real name of this game should be BEHEADING RUGBY since there isn't anything football about it. Anyway the real fun of this game is playing with another player. Basic strategy: CHOP! MAIME! KILL! Ignore the ball - if you have it, get rid of it! The goal is to kill 6 of your opponent's players - he can score as many goals as he wants but if you do this first, you win automatically. The ball serves as a hindrance to you most of the time. If it comes to you, get rid of it because when you have the ball, you can't pick up weapons and the shield. Also people can tackle you then stomp on you if you're carrying the ball which lowers your health. The only time the ball is useful is moving it so you can see other parts of the field (like finding where a sword is) and giving it to your opponents so that they drop their weapon/shield and you can tackle them, stomp them and grab whatever they had. When the ball first comes out, you can tackle your opponent's players behind your player who's supposed to go for the jump ball. Stomp on him and switch to another player to help out the guy who your opponent is stomping on (assume that your opponent is using the same strategy). Try grabbing the weapons before your opponent does. Use the ball to make him drop whatever he was carrying and cut down his players that aren't currently under his control since they're sitting ducks. The reverse power up is useful if it looks like he's about to grab something useful before you can reach it, like a bomb or a sword. Axes are cool to use on the guys guarding the goal since there are usually two of them close together and the axe takes both of them out! If you can make an easy goal, make it. Also if it looks like your guys are taking a beating, score a goal. Your opponent drops whatever he was carrying at the time and you line up again for the jump ball. If the killing takes awhile, score some goals to pressure your opponent. If it looks like you're ahead on goals but low on players, HIDE them! Try to run out the clock. The "radar" is useful in moving your players away from your opponents. He'll have to carry the ball to look for you to stomp on and you can have a guy with a weapon ready to cut off his head. The goal is a nice place to hide inactive players since you can't see them too clearly and your opponent would have to spend some time to align his guy correctly to stomp on you. Anyway this is how my friends and I have been playing it so far and its served me well so far. I haven't used the fist or question mark powerup too effectively since I'm not sure what they do exactly. Anyone else have some ideas? Augie Jaguar Messages of Interest --------------------------- -From: alenm@ifi.uio.no (Alen Milkovic) -Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari -Subject: Is the Jag better than PSX -Date: Wed Aug 31 16:18:05 1994 - - A game developer explained the potential of jag`s 64-bit GPU - What I can make of it is that the PSX is better if you use the - default texture mapping routines. In other terms almost any idiot - could make an impressive texture mapped game on the PSX. To make the - same game on a jag you would need a really good coder. - But on the other hand it I think it wouldn't help much being a wizzcoder - on the PSX cause of the hardware limitations of the texture mapping - device. - The games I have seen on the Jag (T2K, Raiden,Cybermorph) have not - used the jags potential. Well T2K is somewhat impressive having - the best 3d and color use i have seen in a game. But I think there - are almost no limits with the jag's hardware since the chips are - fully programmable. It will take a good deal of time before the - limits of the hardware cant be pushed anymore. It's much like the - old C64 that has pushed the limits beyond the obscene. But as I said - it takes time and lots of good coders. - - The 3DO is no real hardware competition since its inept at - handling 2D graphics. (developers have serious problems - getting anything run on 60 fps) - The 3D handling capabilities are the same as - the Jags with default routines. (the jag is much faster!) - - - The PSX is real competition in Japan. THE PSX WILL OUTSELL THE JAGUAR - in JAPAN !!! (so what?) - It has great 3D hardware - It has great 2D hardware - It wont make it big outside Japan before next - X-mas. - It will cost much. - It has one big advantage above the jag, - its CD-rom. - (more gfx and sound,but not FMV SQes i hope) - - I think the Jag will outsell the PSX in US. And if -the Jag doesn't get it all wrong, it will outsell the 3DO in the US -eventually. - - - The question is : - - will the Jag outsell 3DO in the US ? - - and - - will the games on Jag be better than on PSX ? - - I dunno, time will tell - -From: smiller@bnr.ca (Scott Miller) -Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari -Subject: How difficult is it to remake classics? -Reply-To: smiller@bnr.ca -Date: Fri Sep 2 09:40:12 1994 - -In article , yak@cix.compulink.co.uk ("Jeff - Minter") writes: -|> - I dunno. I realize that the classic Tempest I did was not 100 percent -|> true, *but*, I didn't have to put it in, I wanted to, and I was going by -|> memories that were six odd years old. However I have seen *so* much -|> bitching about 'oh classic version wasn't an identically perfect version -|> and there was no software version of the rotary controller' that I am no -|> longer convinced I should spend time doing classic versions in 2000 games -|> :( - -When I first read this I thought 'Oh no! That would be a shame!'. But then -I got thinking... (Don't you hate when that happens?) -The problem I have with Traditional Tempest is that it 'felt' different -enough that it didn't push my nostalgia buttons, so I had a kind of lukewarm -reaction to it. T2K is clearly the superior game. So, for me, a 'classic' -version should be as close as possible close to the original. -But I apologize profusely if that is bitching, 'cuz I don't mean to bitch) - -But it seems to me that recreating all of the details of a classic game might -be very difficult and time consuming. If it takes as much effort to recreate -the original as to update it, it may be better to leave it out entirely and -spend the time on the next project. - -But then again, Traditional Tempest was 95% of the way there, and it probably -wouldn't have been much effort to get it all the way. (assuming access to an -original). And it would be *really* cool to have Defender/Stargate/D2K on -one cartridge, so I'd love to see it. - -Somebody should be able to scare up some originals for you... - --- -Scott Miller, in the bowels of Bell-Northern Research -signature USES DISCLAIMER Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -smiller@bnr.ca (For personal email: aa438@freenet.carleton.ca) - -Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari -Subject: :Checkered Flag and networking -From: sal.manfredoni@syncomm.com (Sal Manfredoni) -Date: Tue Aug 30 23:55:00 1994 - -Does anyone know if Checkered Flag for the Jaguar will support more than -one player at a time? If so, will it support the modem and network -options? ---Sal Manfredonia - -Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari -Subject: UPDATE 2! -From: sal.manfredonia@syncomm.com (Sal Manfredonia) -Date: Sat Sep 3 00:30:00 1994 - --> AT&T dropped the 3DO and Genesis Voice Modem module stating their --> focusing their efforts on "nuclear water polo league for the def --> impaired who have recently seen Elvis with Bill Belichick at a Bon --> Jovi concert". --> Maybe nobody was developing for it. But as we all know and love the --> JAG's voice/modem module should be making it's way to us soon. --> Remembering CES it seemed there were at least 10 games being --> developed for this feature. That's 10 more than on any other game --> system and this is originality at it finest. A selling point if you --> will. - -It's a definite selling point. Many of the best games will use the -modem--for instance, Doom, Club Drive, Ultra Vortex, and Iron Soldier. - --> I predict the Genesis and 3DO will eventually have to develop this --> module to stay in pace. But it's going to be a least 6 months before --> there's one game for it, by then the JAG could have a big lead. - -That's quite possible, if Atari makes all the right moves. They should -really emphasize connectivity (both modem and direct networking) in -their advertisements and such. ---Sal Manfredonia - -From: rattion@fornext.com -Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari -Subject: Re: Jaguar Game Release Disappointment -Date: Thu Sep 15 08:11:22 1994 - - -This goes out to everyone, but Advertising is something i think atari -should take a little more seriously. They should use some of the things -that worked in the 2600 Ad's. Warner use some of the same people (kids -for one of the repeat ad's) and everytime a new game came out they would -have one of the club house members bash in with the game and all start -fighting over who was gonna play and what they liked about it. I -remember how it invoked me and my friends to do sorta the same thing. - -Remember What Works Works! Starting over and not using ideas that you -have sitting in some Ad room on a shelf is stupid, take all of the Ad -stuff from day 1 and look at it over again, and think and take ideas -from every one of them and put it together into something new that would -work with todays people! :) This is Atari's one chance to be #1 again, -but they only have till Thanksgiving, after that it will most likely be -to late to take control of the market it time for kids to get it in -thier minds and thier parents to buy JAGUAR! More Games and More Eye & -Mind Catching stuff is needed NOW! - -Thank you for listening to my Rambles :) - -Jeff (Rattion@fornext.com) :) - -- 4Next GT BBS (fornext.com) 72 Lines (All 16.8 - 28.8) -- 714-956-4698 (16.8's) 714-956-8127 (28.8's) -- Soon Telnetable! For More Info, Email xerxes@fornext.com - -From: (null pointer)@symphony.cc.purdue.edu (George Belle) -Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari -Subject: Atari ads on tv -- too early? -Date: Wed Sep 14 12:04:20 1994 - -Ok, of course I'm excited that Atari is actually advertising... but does -anyone else agree with me in thinking perhaps they should have waited -a few more weeks before beginning them? Maybe even a month? If AvP is -delayed at all, it will be the end of October before it's out. I just -think this may get even more people frustrated with Atari... but I guess -it may establish more of a user base. I'd just like to hear some opinions. -George - -From: mikess@comtch.iea.com (Michael S. Smith) -Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari -Subject: Re: Atari ads on tv -- too early? -Date: Wed Sep 14 14:45:47 1994 - -George Belle (@symphony.cc.purdue.edu) wrote: -: Ok, of course I'm excited that Atari is actually advertising... but does -: anyone else agree with me in thinking perhaps they should have waited -: a few more weeks before beginning them? Maybe even a month? If AvP is -: delayed at all, it will be the end of October before it's out. I just -: think this may get even more people frustrated with Atari... but I guess -: it may establish more of a user base. I'd just like to hear some opinions. -: George - -I agree. Why shows tv ads with all these neat games that aren't even out -yet? It's just going to disappoint people when they go into buy a Jag. I -think Atari should either wait until all those games are out (October?) -or just show the T2K commercial. - -Mike - -From: Travis Guy -Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari -Subject: Re: Atari ads on tv -- too early? -Date: Wed Sep 14 22:32:02 1994 - -Michael S. Smith writes: - ->I agree. Why shows tv ads with all these neat games that aren't even out ->yet? It's just going to disappoint people when they go into buy a Jag. I ->think Atari should either wait until all those games are out (October?) ->or just show the T2K commercial. - -The Cabbage Patch syndrome. - -From the early reports I've read, Jaguar "know nothings" are greatly impressed -by the clips in the scoolteacher ad. - -Just wait until they see the AvP "attic" ad. Heh heh. - Jaguar Release Date Lists ------------------------- BABBAGE'S JAGUAR RELEASE DATES (AS OF 25 AUG 94) ------------------------------------------------ From: cu593@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Alexander G. Falkenberg) Date: Fri Aug 26 01:01:01 1994 I gleaned these from our POS today. As always, dates are subject to change, but we all knew that. For information purposes only. :) Here we go: ATARI JAGUAR RELEASE DATES Title Company Date ---------------------------------------------------------------- Brutal Sports Football Telegames 09/12/94 Dragon's Lair - CD ReadySoft 09/15/94 World Class Cricket Telegames 10/03/94 Alien vs. Predator Atari 10/10/94 Checkered Flag Atari 10/10/94 Club Drive Atari 10/10/94 Doom Atari 10/10/94 Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls Williams Ent. 10/17/94 Troy Aikman NFL Football Williams Ent. 10/17/94 Kasumi Ninja Atari 10/31/94 Space Wars Atari 10/31/94 Star Raiders 2000 Atari November Tiny Toon Adventures Atari November Ultimate Brain Games Telegames 11/21/94 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Re: BSF Football. Seems Atari told Babbage's that only 1200 copies of BSF were produced in the recent run, and Babbage's was not a part of that distribution... So, Babbage's will apparently be getting their first copies of BSF in September... FWIW. :) Alex Falkenberg | cu593 @ cleveland.freenet.edu | _________________________|___________st7759 @ siucvmb.siu.edu______| ELECTRONICS BOUTIQUE'S JAGUAR RELEASE DATES ------------------------------------------- From: dimitril@aol.com (Dimitri L) Date: Wed Aug 24 03:40:01 1994 Okay, this just came along as of CIS, and is the latest release list that Electronic Boutique just got. Thanks to Steve Horn. >> #: 50815 S15/Jaguar General 23-Aug-94 22:25:52 Sb: #EB Jaguar release list Fm: Steve Horn 74461,637 To: ALL Here is the complete Electronics Boutique release list for the Atari Jaguar as of 8-23-94: ----Alien vs Pred Atari 9/22/94 ----BattleWheels Beyond Games 9/30/94 ----Cannon Fodder Telegames 9/30/94 ----Casino Action Telegames TBA ----Air Car Wars Telegames 9/30/94 ----Club Drive Atari 9/30/94 ----Commando Microids TBA ----DOOM!!!!!!!! Atari/Id 9/30/94 ----Double Dragon V Williams Ent. 10/30/94 ----Dragon Bruce Lee Atari 11/?/94 ----Dragons Lair Ready Soft 9/30/94 ----Dungeon Depths Midnight Soft. 11/?/94 to 12/?/94 ----European Soccer Chall. Telegames 9/30/94 (maybe sooner) ----Evidence Microids TBA ----Flashback Us Gold 11/30/94 ----Grunge All Systems Go TBA ----Hardball III Atari TBA ----Hosenose & Booger Asg Tech. TBA ----Iron Soilder Atari 11/?/94 ----Kasumi Ninja Atari 9/30/94 ----Legions of the Undead Atari 11/?/94 ----Lester the Unlikely Dtmc 10/30/94 ----Lobo Ocean 9/30/94 ----Military Might Midnight TBA ----Pinball Fantasies 21st Century 09/30/94 ----Return to Zork Activision TBA ----Skid Marks Telegames 1/30/95 ----Soccer Kid Ocean TBA ----Space Wars Atari TBA ----Syndicate Ocean 10/?/94 ----Synergy All Systems Go TBA ----Thene Park Ocean TBA ----Tiny Toons Atari 11/?/94 ----Troy Aikman Football Tradewest TBA ----Ultimate Brain Games Telegames 9/30/94 ----Ultra Vortex Beyond Games 11/?/94.....this is gonna be a good one!!!!! ----White men can't Jump Trimark 10/30/94 Here are the titles that my rep tells are are on the way: ----Checkered Flag 10/01/94 ----Demoliton Man 11/?/94 ----Assualt/ Covert Operations 11/?/94 to 12/?/94<< Look at all those September dates! Tal was saying we'd see a significant number of titles in September... Okay, with AvP going into production this week, and Atari reps telling callers that the rollout is *still* scheduled for the first week of September (waitaminnit! A week away and it's still on? Is this Atari?)--well, things look not so bad. Dimitri Jaguar Commentary ----------------- Len Stys Most of my commentary does little good unless the person reading it is Mr. Sam Tramiel, President of Atari. I have a better chance at winning the $4 million dollar Ohio lottery than I do of Sam reading this commentary, but I'm writing it anyway. Why? Because I play the Ohio lottery too. There is no need to rush through the games to make sure that 30 to 50 games are available for the Jaguar by Christmas. If a game is rushed, features may not be included in the game that could be a selling point next year and the year after. An example of this is Jaguar Checkered Flag. This game would be incredible if it included the feature of Jaguar networking and Jaguar voice-modem. And in all honesty, I really don't care to see the game released without these features. How fun is racing around the track against drones in 1994? Not as fun as racing around the track with your friend from across town. And not as fun as racing around the track at an Atari show with several other Jaguar players. Atari--TAKE YOUR TIME AND DO IT RIGHT. There are 7 Jaguar games available now. I will be happy if there are a total of 25 by Christmas, 1994. This means Atari and third-party companies will need to release 18 games between them. This shouldn't be that hard to do. I received my AEO Summer CES Video and a $7 video that was created by 180DEGREES. I thought that each video had it strengths. The $7 video had better interviews. It also had video of all the games. The AEO video had the direct video of games, Sam Tramiel interview, and Jaguar commercials. But I definitely got more moneys worth with the $7 video. I would have paid $15 for the $7 video. Atari made some new Jaguar commercials in June that Tal from AEO put on the video. Since I have a degree in Business (emphasis in Marketing & Management) and I have studied advertising, I feel I can give my opinion on what I thought of Atari's commercials. My opinion is that if Atari wants to sell more Jaguars, they should make better commercials. The commercials looked like something put together for a video game manufacturer that has a lot of money to waste. They were more cute and fancy than they were convincing. I would expect such commercials from Nintendo--not Atari. The first commercial was "Video Game Marketing 101" and showed a classroom teacher teaching bored video game marketers about the Jaguar compared to other video game systems. I have no idea who the target audience is for this commercial. It can't be children between the age of 8 and 18. This age range does not know anything about college courses or marketing. And they will not understand the point that the advertisement is trying to make. The second commercial was an Alien Vs. Predator advertisement. The problem with this commercial is that it focused more on the person playing Alien Vs. Predator than the game itself. Alien Vs. Predator is the first game to really demonstrate 64-bit power through its high quality graphics and sound. Showing the graphics and sound is the only thing that should matter in the commercial. But the audience never really gets a good look at the game in this commercial. The slogan "Do The Math" is not catchy either. Besides, kids play video games to get away from math and homework. The last thing they want to hear is video games and math in the same sentence. If you look at it from a psychological stand-point, it probably turns them off to the Jaguar more than it turns them on. The "Do The Math" slogan also does not help convince people that the Jaguar is a true 64-bit system. I was arguing with a video game dealer that claimed the Jaguar had two 32-bit processors and they are added together to make the Jaguar a 64-bit system. I told him that he was wrong and he asked me then why do all of the ads say "do the math"? The "Marketing 101" commercial is being in use now. And I question why it is in use now. Perhaps the commercial is being targeted at retailers more than consumers? In either case, it is advertising Kasumi Ninja, Iron Soldier, Doom, and other games that are not available to purchase. And they will not be available to purchase for at least another month. Is the commercial creating suspense? No, it just makes people upset with Atari for advertising products that are not on the market. Atari's customer relations is the best, Atari's producers and programmers of video games are very good, but Atari's marketing department has needed and still needs improvement. If you are disappointed by the lack of games for the Jaguar, don't be too disappointed. There are several good things that came out of these delays. The first thing is that the game quality should be very high. The second thing is that AvP, Kasumi Ninja, Club Drive, and Checkered Flag are now going to be double the size of what was originally planned. The third thing is that the games will be receiving major publicity in gaming magazines and television programs just in time for the Christmas shopping season. The fourth thing is that there will be A LOT of excitement over the Jaguar because of all the games coming out at once. You should also realize that making Jaguar games isn't like making PC games. If there is a bug in a PC game, the game company just releases a quick patch for it. This cannot be done on a Jaguar game. The Jaguar cannot have any bugs in it when released. The Jaguar is on its way to success. But we can help get the games we want for it by writing game companies. I have included a list of popular game companies and their addresses in the CAIN Newsletter Supplement so we can all encourage them to make their games for the Jaguar. Until next time--JAG RULES! Len Stys, Jaguar Support Area Head Organizer Show Report -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Fred Horvat OK, the C.A.I.N. Atari Fun Fest '94 is officially over. The show went over better then anyone had expected. Our official or best estimate on the number of people exceeded 300 people! Because we did not charge admission, an exact count is unavailable to us. Well who was at the show? The list of exhibitors is listed elsewhere in this issue so I won't repeat it here. The exhibitors appeared to really get into meeting their customers face to face. Some vendors did real well selling their products. Others commented that they did only fair. All vendors did mention that maybe they did not sell as much of their products as they would have liked, but the public relations side of attending the show will help their business down the line. What is meant by this is they get to meet customers and answer their questions on hardware and software. The person takes a catalog and now knows that the vendor is a great source of information to them. Maybe the person is just not ready to purchase anything at the show, but some time later when they need more information and are ready to purchase they now know who to contact. What was there to see and do at the show? Plenty, but unfortunately for me I did not get to see every display because I was running the show. What I did see I really enjoyed. I guess I'll start out with the user groups. There were a few local user groups in attendance. They were each given a free table to help promote their group and hopefully increase their membership. Actually about half of the dealers were from out of state with the rest local to Cleveland. Without dealer support at the show it really would not have been much to the show. These are the people that are more "in- the-know" on hardware and software then the average user. Just talking to them was a pleasure in itself. Besides all their knowledge, they are the ones with all the great stuff. You actually got to test products out before you bought them. Its true that you can do this at your local dealer, but how many of us still have a local Atari dealer? Plus you got to see some of the newest releases and even some prototype products. I happened to miss seeing 4Play's (ICD) Jaguar game "Star Battle" demo. Len told me about it after the show. I did get to see and play some prototype LYNX games. One that comes to mind was "Marlboro Challenge" which was a Paris to Dakar motorcycle rally type race game. Some newsletter publishers were in attendance and they handed out free issues of their newsletters. We also had from the past an Asteroids stand up arcade game and a 2600 kiosk for folks to play. The main attraction of the show was obviously the Jaguar. Atari Corp was generous in giving C.A.I.N. three Jaguars and three Tempest 2000 cartridges to demo and raffle off at the show. Besides the three Jaguars to try out on the C.A.I.N. tables there were about 5 others setup. So from going from one table to the next you were able to try out all the Jaguar games that are available. At certain times in the day you could hear Wolfenstein 3D's music playing on eight Jaguars at once. The Cleveland LYNX-up started out slow but around 2:00 there were about a dozen people ComLynxed-up in the front room and having a great time. This I really wanted to be a part of but time did not permit it. All of the dealers went out of there way to pitch in for door prizes. We had an awesome collection of items on the table to give away. Again a list of free door prizes is listed elsewhere in this issue. We tried about every half hour to give a door prize away starting around 12:00. My observation on what type of crowd we had is best described as a curious one. Curious about the Jaguar and the world of Atari. The Jaguar brought the largest percentage of the people to the show without a doubt. The final week before the show most phone calls I received were from people interested about the Jaguar and what was going to be on display for the Jaguar. Plus some people thought Atari was out of business or Nintendo had bought them in the 80's and so on. The show really opened the non-Atari community's eyes wide open. Three dealers I recognized attended the show. They were totally dumbfounded that there was this much enthusiasm for the Jaguar! They were surprised that Atari still made computers and people use them! A couple of days later I contacted a dealer and he decided after what he saw at the show to set up a Jaguar to demo. He put Tempest 2000 in the Jaguar and set the unit next to the 3DO. After the show they were not too amazed to see that they had people in line to play the Jaguar and the 3DO went untouched. Another dealer commented that "Gee I wish that Sega or Nintendo would do a show like the C.A.I.N. Atari show". And this is a guy who went to Summer CES. At the 1:00 - 2:00 hour the hall was so packed I couldn't get from the front to the back to the front so I ended up going through the back door and around the building to get up front. The hall size otherwise was just about the right size for the number of dealers and spectators. Well I'd like to thank Sandy Durisin, Barb Gollini, and Michele Horvat for running the concessions. They did a great job and the food was great too. I'd like to thank Dennis Roff for handling the Jaguar raffle table and to Robert Lai for standing in traffic with a Fuji flag to help people find the hall easier. Also I'd like to thank the dealers, user groups, newsletters, developers and to all the spectators for attending the show. Most of you may not have known this, but the dealers went well out of their way to help advertise the show. Many spectators heard about the show from their dealer. Toad Computers actually sent out two weeks before the show about 200-300 post cards to the tri-state area stating that they would be at the show and giving $2.00 off at their table. One problem in the way was the U.S. Postal Service. I received my post card two full weeks after the show! So it took one month to mail something first class from Maryland to Ohio? Well hats off to Toad Computers for their effort! One final thanks goes out to Don Thomas and Atari Corporation for supporting our show by sending us three Jaguar units and three Tempest 2000 game cartridges to give away and to raffle off. Atari's support really made the difference in turning a good show into a great show. It did not matter that this was our first attempt at an Atari show or not. People complain that Atari does not spend enough money on advertising. Well, if you think about it for their cost of the Jaguars and games for our show they hit 100% of the audience that they wanted. What would it have cost to hit the 300+ Jaguar audience on a nation TV advertisement? Personally I learned a great deal on how to put on a show. There are a few area's that needed improvement. After how well this one turned out it definitely looks as if C.A.I.N. will have another show next year. CAIN Atari Fun Fest 94 Responses -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The following messages were taken from Part-Time BBS: 216/582-1196 Message: 102 (#12334) Title: Fabulous Fest!!!!! Author: Mr. Haney To: All Posted: Sun 7-Aug-94 at 11:43:00pm Replies: 0 Ok. IT WAS FANTASTIC!! You should have been there indeed. It was Disney like.. I just can't describe it any better. There is no known noun or verb to make it clear to those who missed it... Yea, I know. I am in 40col. Making the adjustment to the COmm software that I have for 2400 baud. Hey, this is ok. It is how WE all started out. Now for the BIG THANKS! Thanks to Len, Mark, Fred,.. ICD, Triple AAA, Toad, C.V.A.C.C.. Computer Shop, Relative,(They have the CD stuff as well as TOAD).. Jeff's Outpost and the many others who showed up. It was just great. To all who made it happen: BIG THANKS! My apology's to anyone who I did not get to talk in great detail about our own user group. It was really hard to concentrate with all that was happening in the K&C hall..Big Thanks to them for hosting it. I loved the Pizza! This was a big time for the Atari users in the Cleveland area. If you did not go, then you missed all the real fun. I could not sit still. There were: Falcons St's Xl's/Xe's and 2600'rds CD ROMS and Classic Games. The Door Prizes and Inovations! T.G.I.A...! If you want to know what that means call me! Thanks Russ for starting us out in the wee hours of the morning. By the way, you won a prise in the raffle drawing. But, you had to leave. You had to be there to collect it, (Hey, we tried but rules are rules). Also, Washired won on the raffle. Sorry about that VAC! I just can't thank everyone enough.. *** Mr. Haney *** (102/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 103 (#12335) Title: FEST PART II Author: Mr. Haney To: All Posted: Sun 7-Aug-94 at 11:56:00pm Replies: 0 Yes it was Fab-U-Luss!! Atari Fest 94! We felt the power and have the POWER..supplies. 'This is 8-bit country'..quote from an IDC Rep. There were alot of great deals. VAC got the best. Yea, somehow he always does it. $12.00 for a drive..it was one of those 'shady types' that wander around computer shows. He tried to sell me a mint-condition Sega system..old style. I declined. I missed that one deal no dought. There was so much Used and 'NEW' equipment at the Fest that I felt that I had gone on vacation again. I missed seeing AT/COM, yea. I miss ya Dud. We inherited some ideas from ya..call me sometime. Geez, we were there only for about 6 to 7 hours and it was JAG that really made me stoned! The system is just beyond belief. Those who won one of Jag systems in the Raffle were indeed to LUCKY! Oh yes, next time I will bring DOS DISKETTE!! 8-Bytes the father and mother of IT! :) Mr. Haney :> (103/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 104 (#12336) Title: Vision 3000 Author: Mr. Haney To: All Posted: Mon 8-Aug-94 at 12:32:00am Replies: 0 The Fest was a better Idea. Yes, it was the best. C.A.C.U.G. was present and accounted for indeed. But where can U go from here? Hey, anywhere we what to go. C.A.C.U.G. is a good Idea for the use of the old 8-BYTE. Don't let your 8-BYTE sit in the closet collecting dust. (You'll Sneez to much!) Get it out and go to a User-Group meeting of some type. Really, There was alot of interest I noticed for the 8-Byte. There were many people who expressed an interest in the 8-Byte, But, they claimed to be left out without a group centered around the 8-bYTE computer. Understandable. Now I know that there are lot of 8-BYTE people out there. That is fact that presented it's self to me at the FEST. However, can we innovate and leave us alive it the 64 bit world? Humm..I think this stuff is still useful. We must innovate it a little. There were 'hints' of this by the ICD REP at the show. He spoke very highly of BOB PUFF and those New Guys..FINE TUNED. There are at lest 3 8-byte user groups in Cleveland. Noah 8 over at 3-aaa, (Passive?), C.V.A.C.C and use C.A.C.U.G people. The key to all of this of course is a practical use of the 8-BYTE. Yes, there is still alot of unexplored computer landscape for it. There may even be a sort-of a PHOENIX like hardware production if anybody who cares reads this message. They should have never stopped making the 8-bit...said that once before did I? .. Mr. Haney.. (104/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 105 (#12337) Title: FEST II Author: Mr. Haney To: All Posted: Mon 8-Aug-94 at 12:45:00am Replies: 1 The Fest was a GREAT. Yes, you are getting sick of me talking about it are you? Not me!! There were some real good ideas put into this opps! THIS..SHOW. Next one should last of at lest 2 days. The Hall should be 'Bigger'. Why do i say that? Well..There was so much to see and do of course. Will it be alot ..lot bigger we shall see. There was something that was GENIUS about this. Must be those Collage boys playing around again. EH? How about it LEN? Humm..2 days of Atari Festing, GOd, I love the thought! The very Idea. We would have a weekend of nothing but computers..without WINDO's. For that WINDOW's..it SUCKS..Quote from an x-Atari user. Yes. That would be nice..more space and lots of time. It just did not last long enough JOHN P.! (: Mr. Haney and the PIG :] 'What ever your read, it is Better Backwards. You know how it will end.'.. From the HighTeck Holy Book.. CHpt. 8.vs. 120 (105/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 106 (#12374) - Reply to #105 Title: FEST II Author: Aslan To: Mr. Haney (Recvd) Posted: Mon 8-Aug-94 at 3:43:00am Replies: 1 Well I made it out there, had fun. Met Joe Pallendino and some strange guy with glasses who said his name was John something or other :-) Actually it was fun seeing those old 2600 games again (makes me want to pull mine out of the closet again) and seeing what the new stuff was. To bad I missed meeting Mr. Haney. (106/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 107 (#12377) Title: Thanks Author: Len Stys To: All Posted: Mon 8-Aug-94 at 11:55:00am Replies: 1 Thank you all VERY much for attending. I am glad that everyone had a great time. Something like this really needed to happen in Ohio and I'm glad that Fred, Mark, and myself were able to organize it. One company that people forget to mention to thank is Atari Corporation. They really showed support by giving us Jaguars to demonstrate and then to raffle. The show would not have been as much of a success without Atari's support of the show. A large number of people there came just to see the Jaguar 64-bit system. A couple of things I found out by the registration forms was that MANY people want more information about user groups in the Greater Cleveland area. They don't belong to one, but they would like to belong to one. Another thing is that one of the Tempest 2000 winners bought a Jaguar from one of the vendors at the show. I'm sure if the others didn't already have a Jaguar to play Tempest 2000, they soon will have one. :) Thanks for coming. I really had a lot of fun. I enjoyed meeting all of you and as soon as I take care of some things and get my car fixed, maybe I can attend some of your meetings. Len (107/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 108 (#12422) - Reply to #106 Title: FEST II Author: Mr. Haney To: Aslan (Recvd) Posted: Tue 9-Aug-94 at 12:27:00am Replies: 2 [> Edited <] Yea, you should fire it up..the 2600 games. I really loved seeing them too. That was C.V.A.C.C Prez. who had that going. He was the Guy with the HAT. By the way, in case you did not know, the Sega Gen. Controllers will work with the old 2600 games. Try it if you get the chance..it is an interesting experience. I was there all day..should have run into me at lest once..but there were alot of people there. I was running all over the place looking at stuff..(Could not help my self). I talked and talked to alot of people..and was dizzy by it all. If I talked to you I don't quite remember it. Hey, sorry it was just to much for me to handle. You did talk to Joe. He is our resident Genius hacker. He can put anything together that is broke. It fact, the very modem I am using, (2400 b.p.s.) was fixed by him. Russ Gilbert is the other guy you might have met. He is other G.H. type..and has written some Super programs for the 8-bit. To bad he missed his raffle prise. :) <-Big Grin> ** Mr. Haney..and minus the PIG (108/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 109 (#12423) - Reply to #107 Title: Thanks Author: Mr. Haney To: Len Stys (Recvd) Posted: Tue 9-Aug-94 at 12:58:00am Replies: 0 WE bought a whole lot of STuff. The Jag was outstanding. I would have bought one but I was to busy having FUN. AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES ATARI BETTER.. now for the SOAP-BOX: If there is one feeling about Atari that I have had all along it is that you can have fun with this computer type system. Yes, I know you can play games on the I.B.M'ed. I know that Apple has a real catch on the educational end. But with the Atari, you can have fun with all the work. I find it REAL interesting that you can emulate Atari 8-bit games on the 486, of course it takes a 486 to do it..! Someone in the I.B.M.'ed world liked Atari. The Falcon was doing the same thing at the Fest. Micro had it running 8-BYTE games. Of all the games.. really, DONKEY CONG??? (I Cringed!) Geez, we at C.A.C.U.G. could have provided a better game no dought. Off the SOAP BOX now.. You are LEN always welcome to our meetings..if you have any interest in the 8-BYTE. Do you still have one? No matter.. You must have had one at one time or other. Remember: We have NO Fees or Dues. You just come when it is posted here. The meetings always happen the 3rd week end of the month. We will be 'Roving' to 'Washired's' house for the Next meeting. Please come if you can. I am not yet sure what the subject will focus on in Sept. But I can tell you it won't ever get boring. Mr. Haney and Mrs. Dougles Fest 95' yea..3 days of GRAPHICS PEACE and MUSIC. *-0 (Guitar) (109/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 110 (#12453) - Reply to #108 Title: FEST II Author: Aslan To: Mr. Haney (Recvd) Posted: Tue 9-Aug-94 at 1:34:00am Replies: 1 I was only there from 10-12, I had to run off for work. You might have seen me, I was the one with the hat (the big black cowboy hat that is). Now all I want to do is get Narnia Up again. Any ideas where I can get a good system for $300 or less? (110/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 111 (#12454) - Reply to #108 Title: FEST II Author: RUSS GILBERT To: Mr. Haney (Recvd) Posted: Tue 9-Aug-94 at 7:34:00am Replies: 1 Mr. Haney said it all. I had a great time, but I just tire out too quick to stay for the raffle. Ok, it's killing me. What prize did I miss? (111/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 112 (#12455) - Reply to #110 Title: FEST II Author: RUSS GILBERT To: Aslan (Recvd) Posted: Tue 9-Aug-94 at 7:36:00am Replies: 1 Aslan, You are one big clown. I saw you but didn't know who you were. Missing you would be like missing the side of a barn. No offense. (112/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 114 (#12487) - Reply to #111 Title: FEST II Author: John Polka To: RUSS GILBERT (Recvd) Posted: Wed 10-Aug-94 at 4:10:00am Replies: 0 You missed whatever was left on the d00r prize table when your name was called... (114/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 117 (#12582) - Reply to #115 Title: thank-you Author: Joseph Pallendino To: John Polka (Recvd) Posted: Thu 11-Aug-94 at 2:02:00am Replies: 1 [> Edited <] I haven't had time to try the wireless joysticks. I've been trying to seal my garage roof for the 4th time in 5 years. I'll let you know my thoughts on the wireless joysticks as soon as I have time to check them out. I had a fine time at the Atarifest & hope to attend another soon. Don't spend that donation I gave you in one place. I appreciate the ability to post things I have for sale & occasionally download a shareware program through your BBS. This is what the donation was for. (117/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 124 (#12725) - Reply to #123 Title: 2400 baud & Omnicom Author: Mr. Haney To: Joseph Pallendino (Recvd) Posted: Mon 15-Aug-94 at 1:29:00am Replies: 0 ok. I am on vacation all this week. If you want to come by say, Tues. or Wed. I should be around. I have to get the SX212 back to VAC, I'll be doing that tomorrow or sometime this week. I have been fooling with Sparta Dos alot. I can see why so many people like it so much. No matter how many times I hit the reset key it is still there in memory. I think VAC will really enjoy those books that you bought, especially the Sparta one. We were lucky that ICD REP. had them on hand. I really enjoyed talking to the C.V.A.C.C. people. Thanks to the ANDY, we came away with some really nice PD demos. You do know that I am using the 2400 baud modem you fixed. To think that you pick out the problem and now I am putting it to good use. I have not had any problem with it at all. We will have to look at that little modem software that VAC had the outputs 80col. That looks a little better than OMINCOM. Yea, I think I know why RUSS like the Sparta so much.. The Fest was a real boost for us. Well, got to go. Have alot of exploring to do with the DOS. I have another game in mind as well.. (( MR. Haney )) (124/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 162 (#13151) - Reply to #161 Title: POWER Author: Mr. Haney To: Aslan (Recvd) Posted: Sun 4-Sep-94 at 12:07:00am Replies: 1 There where lot more that just 300..that was an official count of the registered vender and Atari People I believe. There were people coming and going all day lot through the doors. I never counted but I saw alot of people all day long. I would bet that the number was more like close to 7 to 8 hundred all told. This was of course considering it was a one day event and the location. It was a bit out there in Urban land. No dought if it had been closer to Cleveland or a more congested area it would be larger in attendance. It was great success to those who still have an interest in the computer system. A real shot in the arm. You know, I think I have a picture file of you Aslan..at lest it is of some fellow wearing a cowboy hat..say: HOWDY [[ MR. HANEY ]] (162/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 166 (#13158) - Reply to #162 Title: POWER Author: Aslan To: Mr. Haney (Recvd) Posted: Mon 5-Sep-94 at 12:38:00am Replies: 1 Yeah I can't believe I drove all that way to look at Atari's, but it was fun. Speaking of that hat, it make a great identifier when meeting someone. I wore it to the TRO/Narniapik-a-nik and everyone was able to find us by looking for the hat (166/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: Message: 168 (#13167) - Reply to #166 Title: POWER Author: Mr. Haney To: Aslan (Recvd) Posted: Tue 6-Sep-94 at 2:36:00am Replies: 1 I can't believe that VaQ and I found anything at all..and we were not wearing any hats! The one major thing that impressed me at the show was the CD stuff. I forget just who it was that had a Falcon running the CD stuff but was Fantastic. Toad had tons of CD stuff in their booth. We had our little 8-bit setup right across from them. It was funny really. We 'Borrowed' some PD demo's from the C.Valley people ..(Poor 8-Byter that we are), and many of those who passed by us were stunned that it was an 8-bit graphic machine! I had more than one person ask me what machine it was that we had setup..When I told them it was an XEGS they had to look again..! Of course it could not match the CD stuff..but, it was interesting to see the 'RAW' graphics running away with some people.. Why oh why did they stop making these machines I really do and don't understand..so..my hat's off to those who put so much time into it for so little reward. You are you know welcome to the meetings..'Hat and all'. Mr. Haney at 2400.2 baud..the pig died by the way.. (168/175+) C.A.C.U.G.: << Computer Shows >> Updated: 08/30/94 To include shows (preferably shows that include Atari products), for the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG's Show list and the CAIN newsletter, send the show's name, date, location, and any additional information to xx004@po.cwru.edu. Please address the e-mail with the subject "Computer Show". The following information is correct to the best of our knowledge. However, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. Corrections and cancellations are therefore requested. +-----------------+ |Shows at a Glance| +-----------------+--------------+--------------------------+----------+ | Name | Location | Date | |--------------------------------+--------------------------+----------| |1. Atari PowerShow International|Freiburg, Germany |09/23/94 | |2. 5th Elmshorner Computerage |Elmshorn, Germany |10/29/94 | | | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ For more information on these shows, please consult the Atari SIG on the Cleveland Free-Net (telnet to freenet-in-a.cwru.edu or Nextsun.ins.cwru.edu) Once connected to the Free-Net type 'Go Atari' to get to the Atari SIG. In addition to show information, the CAIN newsletter would like to print any reports, summaries, or reviews of these and other recent shows. Please send any of these articles to 'aa338@po.cwru.edu' Thank-you... Vote Issues and Results -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- << Voting Booth >> One exciting feature of the Atari SIG is its voting booth. Here, users can create their own opinion polls. The voting booth is accessible from the main menu of the Atari SIG on the Cleveland Free-net (CFN). Select option '11' from this main menu to enter the voting booth. General Information of Need -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- How to Contribute to CAIN ------------------------- For full details on contributing to CAIN, please check out the "CAIN Online Newsroom," option 13 from the Atari SIG's main menu. In summary, we can use articles, tutorials, and reviews on Atari products. The format is simple --ASCII format with 80 characters per line. The text should be sent via internet electronic mail to "xx004@freenet.cleveland.edu". All submissions to CAIN become the property of CAIN, unless otherwise agreed upon. Article Requests ---------------- Below are some suggestions of articles we would like to see in future issues of CAIN. For a complete list of newsletter needs, please consult the discussion board under the CAIN Online Newsroom (option 13 from the Atari SIG's main menu). Newsletter Needs ---------------- Communications: Any articles that fits into the area of communications (ie: reviews, summaries, articles, tutorials on BBS systems, term or BBS software, services, etc for any Atari computer) may be submitted to this section. When submitting to this section, please address this article with the subject "Communications." File Archives: Any type of summary, review, or list of new files that are on any Atari ftp archive will benefit our readers. Please address this article with the subject "ftp archives." Tutorials: CAIN is actively seeking any project, "how-to," and tutorial articles for future issues of CAIN. These articles can be for any type of Atari product. Please address this article with the subject "Tutorial Submission." Atari Shows: Not only can we use information on upcoming Atari Shows, but we also can use reviews and summaries of recent Atari shows. Please address this article with the subject "Atari Show Information." -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- THOUGHT OF THE MONTH: A shake-up at the Cleveland Free-Net soon? Could be... -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [C]entral [A]tari [I]nformation [N]etwork Newsletter Sept. 15, 1994 Copyright (c) 1994 All Rights Reserved No.006 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Central Atari Information Network (CAIN) Newsletter is produced by Cain Publishing and is no way affiliated with Atari Corporation. CAIN Newsletter editors/staff produce this publication on a volunteer basis strictly to benefit users of Atari products. Views, and opinions expressed herein are those of the article's author(s) and not necessarily those of the editors/ staff of CAIN Newsletter, the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG, or its affiliates. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints must include: Name of article, author's name, name of publication, date, and issue number. CAIN Newsletter may not be edited in any way without prior written permission. CAIN Newsletter is believed to be reasonably accurate. If any inaccurate information is found within, please contact the editor of CAIN Newsletter and a correction will be made in the next issue. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Atari, ST, Mega ST, STE, Mega STE, TT030, Atari Falcon030, TOS, MultiTOS, NewDesk, BLiTTER, Atari Lynx, ComLynx, Atari Jaguar, Atari Portfolio, Atari 400, 800, XL series, XE series, and the Atari Fuji Symbol are all trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. The "Free-Net" name is a Servicemark (SM) of the National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN). The Free-Net "FreePort" software is copyrighted by Case Western Reserve University. FreePort is a registered trademark of Case Western Reserve University. All other trademarks and identifying marks mentioned in this issue belong to their respective owners. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - / \ / \ / \ / \ ___________/ \__________ \ / \ Sept.15, 1994 Vol.I No.6 / \ / ________________________________________________|______________ /_________________ CAIN ________-_____________/ /___|_|_|__________ Monthly Newsletter _______| |___________/ /____|_|_|__________ ______| |_________/ /____/__|__\_________ Supplement ______| |________/ /____/___|___\________ ____| | | |_____/ /______________________________________________________________/ / / \ \ / / \ \ / / \ \ 1994 CAIN Jaguar Letter Writing Campaign Organized by: Len Stys E-mail: aa399@cleveland.freenet.edu ***** Sept. 15th, 1994 ***** The Jaguar 64-bit interactive multimedia system is the most advanced video game system ever created. If you are reading this, you either own a Jaguar or plan on buying one as soon as some more games become available for it. You are also interested in finding out what you can do to get your favorite games made for the Jaguar. I am glad to see that you are interested and if everyone participates in this campaign, we will _all_ be seeing our favorite games made for the Jaguar. This is the situation. The people at Atari Corp. are doing everything that they can do to make sure the Jaguar is a success. But because the Jaguar is a new product and it is competing against systems like 3DO, SNES, Genesis, and future systems like Saturn and the Nintendo 64-bit, big name companies are wary about investing in the Jaguar. They are also not sure if there is a demand for their games on the Jaguar. Yes, Atari Corp. has 150+ companies developing for the Jaguar, but most of these companies are one or two man operations. And a lot of these people are writing games for the Jaguar as an extra to their full-time job. It could very well take these small companies a year or more just to finish one game. There is also no guarantee that these companies will even release the game they are working on and if they do release it, the game may not be a hit. We are at a point where Atari Corp. is waiting for big name companies to decide to develop for the Jaguar. At the same time, these companies are waiting to see a demand for their games on the Jaguar. So when will these companies realize that there is a demand for their games on the Jaguar? One of two things must happen. Atari Corp. must sell 1 million or more Jaguar units before these companies will start making their games for the Jaguar. Since Atari Corp. will not be able to sell 1 million Jaguars without these companies selling their games for the Jaguar, the second thing must happen. This is for companies to receive hundreds of letters from Jaguar owners that want their games for the Jaguar. If these big name companies are not convinced to make their games for the Jaguar in the next few months, they will sign to develop for Sega's 32X, Sega's Saturn, or Nintendo's new 64-bit. If this happens, the Jaguar will never get the games you want. Will writing letters work? Yes, it will work. I've learned from my prior business experience that letter writing does work. There are many ways of determining a demand for a product, but nothing is more convincing to a company president than hundreds of letters from consumers that are asking for their product. Letters are concrete proof that demand exists. If you want to see big name companies and big name titles for the Jaguar, join in with this letter writing campaign. I'm participating in this campaign for three reasons: 1) I really think that my letter will make a difference in the decision making process at these companies. 2) I don't want to think "what if" in the future. I want to do my part now so I can say that I did my share. 3) It is my duty as a consumer to let companies know how they can satisfy my needs (or wants). I hope you will see a need to participate in this campaign as well. And don't think that someone else will write because if that person feels the same way you do, nobody will write. The Atari Community is small and this campaign will require everyone to participate. As soon as you are done reading this supplement, print it up, and put it some place where you won't forget about it. Every month you will need to write the companies listed or this campaign won't work. Make it a priority in your already busy life. If you do not see the games you want for the Jaguar in this campaign, do not be concerned! When the following game companies start making games for the Jaguar, the Jaguar will be on its way to becoming the most popular home video game system in the world! And when the Jaguar is on its way to fame, your favorite games will be made for it! But the campaign will not work unless you participate. And you cannot only write one game company and not the others. Each time one company signs to make Jaguar games, it helps get another company to make Jaguar games. Let's make this writing campaign the most effective video game writing campaign that the world has ever seen! Ok, the companies we are concentrating on are companies that are familiar with high quality graphics and sound in games. Most of these companies are well-known for PC games. *************** *************************** SEPTEMBER, 1994 **************************** *************** Atari Corp. id Software WMS Industries Inc. Capcom USA Inc. Electronic Arts Inc. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Atari Corp. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< --------------------------------------------------------------------- First, we will first be writing Don Thomas, Jr. at Atari Corp. to let him know that we are participating in these campaigns. No, we aren't writing to annoy him. We are writing him so that Atari Corp. knows the magnitude of this letter writing campaign. If Atari Corp. knows that five-hundred people will be writing Dynamix in October, the appropriate person at Atari can contact this company on becoming a developer for the Jaguar during this time. Do not expect a letter from Don Thomas, Jr. We are not writing him for a response. We are only writing him to inform him of what we are doing. Atari's mailing address is: Atari Corp. Attn: Don Thomas, Jr. 1196 Borregas Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Place the letters: C.A.I.N. at the bottom left side of the envelope so that Atari will know what it is for. Please use the following form letter: (date) (your address) Don Thomas, Jr. Atari Corporation 1196 Borregas Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Dear Mr. Thomas, I am writing you to inform you that I will be writing the following game companies to encourage them to make games for the Jaguar. I hope that my efforts will help Atari Corp. to sign these companies to make games for the Jaguar. The companies I will be writing are: September: WMS Industries, Capcom, Electronic Arts October: Sierra On-Line, Dynamix, LucasArts, NovaLogic November: Spectrum Holobyte, Psygnosis, Origin December: QQP, Broderbund, Konami Thank you for reading my letter and for recording the number of people writing these companies. Sincerely, (sign your name) (print your name) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> id Software <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The letter to id Software should thank the company for producing Wolfenstein 3-D for the Jaguar, encourage them to make Jaguar DOOM the best that they can make it, and to encourage the company to make QUAKE for the Jaguar. id Software's e-mailing address: Jay Wilbur, CEO id Software Town East Tower 18601 LBJ Freeway Suite 615 Mesquite, Texas 75150 The form letter to Atari Corp. is the only form letter that will be used in this campaign. This is because companies do not take form letters as seriously as those that are originally written. The following is a list of things which you may want to say in your letter to id Software: Dear Mr. Wilbur, 1) How much you enjoy Jaguar Wolfenstein 3-D. 2) How much you like id Software. 3) Thanks for making Wolfenstein 3-D for the Jaguar. 4) How you would like to see the best graphics possible for DOOM on the Jaguar. 5) How you would like to see four-player or more networking capability for Jaguar DOOM. 6) How you are excited about Jaguar DOOM coming out this year. 7) How you would like to see QUAKE made for the Jaguar. 8) Thank you to Mr. Wilbur for reading your letter. Another thing which you may want to include in this letter is concerning the Jaguar resolutions. id Software is using a lower resolution on the Jaguar because they want to get the game as quick as Jaguar Wolfenstein. I, personally, do not care if Jaguar DOOM is as fast as Wolfenstein. One suggestion could be to make two modes (just like on the PC). One mode is for higher resolution and slower speed. The other mode is for a lower resolution, but higher speed. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> WMS Industries Inc. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< --------------------------------------------------------------------- As of September 14, 1994, Mortal Kombat II is not being produced for the Jaguar. And Acclaim has no plans to produce Mortal Kombat for the Jaguar. But next year, WMS Industries will be able to release Mortal Kombat II for any game system that the company wishes to release it for. The time is now to let WMS Industries know that we want to see Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat III for the Jaguar. Mortal Kombat II is by far the #1 most wanted game for the Jaguar according to the Most Wanted Games for the Jaguar list by CAIN Newsletter. If this game is released for the Jaguar, the Jaguar will be the most wanted game system. The mailing address of WMS Industries Inc. is: Louis J. Nicastro, CEO WMS Industries Inc. 3401 North California Ave. Chicago, IL 60618-5889 OK. I don't think I have to remind you that you should write as neat and as professional as possible to get the best results. If you certify your letter, you may even reach the president with your letter. The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to WMS Industries Inc.: Dear Mr. Nicastro, 1) How much you enjoy Mortal Kombat II 2) How you like the games that WMS Industries makes. 3) How you enjoy the Atari Jaguar. 4) How you think the Atari Jaguar is the only game system that will do the game justice. 5) How you will run out and get the game for the Jaguar as soon as it is released. 6) How you would also like to see Jaguar be the first system to get Mortal Kombat III. 7) Thank you to Mr. Nicastro for reading your letter and for considering making Moral Kombat II for the Jaguar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Capcom USA INC. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< -------------------------------------------------------------------- Capcom is known for producing the Street Fighter II series of games. The company is also known for producing games such as The Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Demon's Crest, and Saturday Night Slam Masters. The company also does conversions of popular titles such as Wizardry V and Eye of the Beholder. Super Street Fighter II Turbo is second only to Mortal Kombat II on the most wanted games for the Jaguar CAIN Newsletter listing. If the game existed for the Jaguar, it would no doubt sell a lot of Jaguars. But Capcom is not making Super Street Fighter for the Jaguar and no plans have been announced to do so in the near future. The strange thing is that Capcom is making Super Street Fighter II Turbo for the 3DO platform. The game will even have better graphics than that on the SNES and Genesis. But this only means that if Capcom will make a version of SSFIIT for a much higher-priced system than there is a chance that the company will be willing to make a Jaguar version. The mailing address for Capcom USA Inc. is: Scott Smith Product-Development Coordinator Capcom USA Inc. 475 Oakmead Parkway Sunnyvale, CA 94086 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to Capcom USA Inc.: Mr. Smith, 1) How much you enjoy Street Fighter at the arcades. 2) How you like the games that Capcom makes. 3) How you enjoy the Atari Jaguar. 4) How you think the Atari Jaguar is the only game system that will do the game justice. 5) How you will run out and get Super Street Fighter II Turbo for the Jaguar as soon as it is released. 6) Thank you to Mr. Smith for reading your letter and for considering making Super Street Fighter II Turbo for the Jaguar. You may also want to FAX Capcom USA by the phone number: 408/774-3995. But sending mail through the U.S. Postal Service may prove to be more successful. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Electronic Arts Inc. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< -------------------------------------------------------------------- Electronic Arts is the publisher of some incredible games such as: NBA Showdown, FIFA International Soccer, PGA European Tour Golf, NHL Hockey '94, Wing Commander, Super Wing Commander, John Madden NFL Football, Escape from Monster Manner, Twisted, Mario Andretti Racing, MLBPA Baseball, and many more! Electronic Arts also owns several other software companies that they may give the OK to develop the Jaguar for if they see there is a demand for Jaguar games. Unfortunately, Electronic Arts is also a major backer of 3DO, a company that is a big competitor of Atari Corp. Electronic Arts is spending a lot of time and money on making games for 3DO that it could be spending on the Jaguar. There is hope though! Electronic Arts is a licensee. This means that the company has Jaguar developers units. Electronic Arts' management just has to give the OK to make games for the Jaguar. The mailing address for Electronic Arts Inc. is: Lawrence F. Probst III, President Electronic Arts Inc. 1450 Fashion Isle. Blv. San Mateo, CA 94404 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to Electronic Arts: Dear Mr. Probst, 1) How much you enjoy Electronic Arts games. 2) How you have been buying Electronic Arts games for your computers since the company was started (if this is true). 3) How much you enjoy your Atari Jaguar. 4) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 5) The games that you would love to slee on the Jaguar (choose two or three Electronic Arts games--I'm choosing John Madden NFL Football!). 6) How you believe Electronic Arts games will be unbelievable when using the graphics and sound capabilities of the Jaguar. 7) How you will run out and buy Electronic Arts' games when they are produced for the Jaguar. 8) Thank you to Mr. Probst for reading your letter and a thank you for considering producing games for the Jaguar. ************* ****************************** OCTOBER, 1994 **************************** ************* Sierra On-Line Inc. Dynamix Inc. LucasArts Entertainment Co. NovaLogic >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sierra On-Line Inc. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sierra On-Line is a company that is well-known for their role-playing games such as their Space Quest and Police Quest series. The company is also known for their latest hits in the PC world: Gabriel Knight, Aces Over Europe, and Leisure Suit Larry VI. Sierra On-Line is planning to release their new title, Phantasmagoria, very soon. Sierra On-Line is definitely a company that needs to be developing for the Jaguar if the Jaguar CD-ROM is to become used. If Sierra On-Line starts making games for the Jaguar CD-ROM, several other companies will make games for it as well. The mailing address for Sierra On-Line is: Kenneth A. Williams, President Sierra On-Line Inc. P.O. Box 485 Coarsegold, CA 93614 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to Electronic Arts: Dear Mr. Williams, 1) How much you enjoy Sierra On-Line games. 2) How you have been buying Sierra On-Line games for your computer since the company started making computer games (if this is true). 3) How much you enjoy your Atari Jaguar. 4) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 5) How you would like to see Sierra On-Line producing several Jaguar CD-ROM games. 6) The games you would love to see on the Jaguar (choose two or three Sierra On-Line games). 7) How you believe Sierra On-Line games would be fantastic on the Atari Jaguar. 8) How you will run out and buy Sierra On-Line games when they are made for the Jaguar. 9) Thank you to Mr. Williams for reading your letter and for considering producing games for the Jaguar. In my letter, I will also be encouraging Mr. Williams to make games which have the option of using a keyboard with the Jaguar. A keyboard can be created for the Jaguar and Sierra On-Line could work with Atari Corp. to produce one for it. The use of a keyboard in role-playing games help children learn words. This is something that Sierra has gotten away from in PC games. I'm also writing Sierra to release HOYLE Card Games for the Jaguar. I love this game and it would be great to see a modem feature being used in the Jaguar version of this game. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dynamix Inc. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dynamix Inc. is a game company owned by Sierra On-Line. This game company makes many wonderful titles for the PC such as: Betrayal at Kronder, Aces of the Pacific, and Front Page Sports Football Pro. The company is planning to release: Front Page Baseball, Battledrome, LodeRunner: A Legend, MetalTech: Earth Siege, Alien Legacy, and an excellent reviewed game called Aces of the Deep (submarine game). Dynamix Inc. is making some real great games and these games would be a very good addition to the present Jaguar game library. The mailing address for Dynamix Inc. is: Alan Higginson Executive Vice-President Dynamix Inc. P.O. Box 978 Oakhurst, CA 93644-0978 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to Dynamix Inc.: Dear Mr. Higginson, 1) How you enjoy Dynamix games on the PC. 2) How much you enjoy your Atari Jaguar. 3) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 4) The games that you would love to see on the Jaguar (choose two or three Dynamix games--I'm choosing Front Page Sports Football, Alien Legacy, and Aces of the Deep). 5) How you believe Dynamix games will be unbelievable when using the graphics and sound capabilities of the Jaguar. 6) How you will run out and buy Dynamix games when they are produced for the Jaguar. 7) Thank you to the person for reading your letter and for considering producing games for the Jaguar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> LucasArts Entertainment Co. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< --------------------------------------------------------------------- LucasArts is famous for making games based on popular movies. The company has also has several popular titles out for the PC. Some of these titles are: Star Wars Rebel Assault, X-Wing, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Monkey Island 2: Le chuck's Revenge, and Day of the Tentacle. And if there is any truth to the rumor of a new Indiana Jones movie, LucasArts will probably make a great game based on this movie. The mailing address for LucasArts is: LucasArts Entertainment Co. LucasArts Games Division P.O. Box 10307 San Rafael, CA 94912 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to LucasArts: Dear Sir or Madam, 1) How much you enjoy LucasArts games. 2) How much you enjoy the Atari Jaguar. 3) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 4) The games you would love to see on the Jaguar (choose two or three LucasArts games). 5) How you believe LucasArts games would be fantastic on the Atari Jaguar. 6) How you will run out and buy LucasArts games when they are made for the Jaguar. 7) Thank you to the person for reading your letter and for considering producing games for the Jaguar. You may also want to FAX LucasArts by the phone number: 415/721-3344. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> NovaLogic <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NovaLogic is known for its high-quality games on the PC. The president and CEO, John Garcia makes sure each game title released is of the highest quality. NovaLogic is known for producing Comanche: Maximum Overkill (a game title that rated high on the Most Wanted Games for the Jaguar listing from CANI Newsletter). The company also produced WolfPack (a submarine simulator) and UltraBots. The latest and greatest game from NovaLogic is Armored Fist. This game is highly praised by reviewers that have seen it. John Garcia is interested in producing modem games and networking games in the future. NovaLogic's games would be a great addition to the Jaguar game library. The mailing address for NovaLogic is: John Garcia, President NovaLogic 19510 Ventura Blvd. Suite 200 Tarzana, CA 91356 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to NovaLogic: Dear Mr. Garcia, 1) How much you enjoy NovaLogic games. 2) How much you enjoy your Atari Jaguar. 3) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 4) The games that you would love to see on the Jaguar (choose a couple of NovaLogic games). 5) How you believe that NovaLogic games will be even more fantastic when using the graphics and sound capabilities of the Jaguar. 6) How you would like to see NovaLogic games that use the Jaguar voice-modem and networking capabilities. 7) How you will run out and buy NovaLogic games when they are produced for the Jaguar. 8) Thank Mr. Garcia for reading your letter and for considering producing games for the Jaguar. You may also want to FAX NovaLogic by the phone number: 818/774-0684. Please consider writing NovaLogic through the U.S. mail first and then FAX NovaLogic. ************** *************************** NOVEMBER, 1994 ***************************** ************** Virgin Games Spectrum Holobyte Psygnosis Origin Systems >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Virgin Games <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Virgin Games is already a Jaguar developer, so this letter is mainly to thank the company and to encourage them to make more titles for the Jaguar. Virgin is suppose to be making Cannon Fodder, Demolition Man, and Dragon for the Jaguar. The company is also planning to make a CD-ROM game called Creature Shock for the Jaguar. Virgin Games is known for making a popular PC CD-ROM game called: The 7th Guest. It has also made Land of Lore, Dune II, and Indy Car Racing. It will also be releasing 11th Hour and Command & Conquer for the PC soon. The mailing address for Virgin Games is: Virgin Games 18061 Fitch Avenue Irvine, CA 92714 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to Virgin Games: Dear Sir or Madam, 1) How you enjoy Virgin Games' games. 2) How much you enjoy the Atari Jaguar. 3) How you are really happy that Virgin Games is making games for the Jaguar. 4) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 5) How you would like to see other popular games such as The 7th Guest (and name a few) besides the ones the company is already making for the Jaguar. 6) How you would like to see the Jaguar modem and network features used in Virgin Games' software (OPTIONAL). 7) How you will run out and buy Virgin Games' games when they are produced for the Jaguar. 8) Thank you to the person for reading your letter and for producing games for the Jaguar. You may also want to FAX Virgin Games by the phone number: 714/833-8717. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Spectrum Holobyte <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Spectrum Holobyte is famous for their Falcon flight simulator game. The game can even be played through the modem on PCs. Spectrum Holobyte has just released Fields of Glory and is rumored to be working on Falcon 4.0. Modem games is something that a game system must have if it will be successful in the future. And Spectrum Holobyte is well-known for their modem games. Falcon 4.0 sounds like it would be perfect for the Jaguar. The mailing address for Spectrum Holobyte is: Barry J. Folsom, President Spectrum Holobyte 2490 Mariners Square Loop Alameda, CA 94501 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to Spectrum Holobyte: Dear Mr. Folsom, 1) How much you enjoy Spectrum Holobyte games. 2) How much you enjoy your Atari Jaguar. 3) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 4) How you would like to see Falcon 4.0 with voice-modem and networking capabilities on the Jaguar. 5) How you would like to see Fields of Glory and other Spectrum Holobyte games for the Jaguar. 6) How you believe Spectrum Holobyte games will be unbelievable when using the graphics and sound capabilities of the Jaguar. 7) How you will run out and buy Spectrum Holobyte games when they are produced for the Jaguar. 8) Thank Mr. Folsom for reading your letter and for considering producing games for the Jaguar. You may also want to FAX Spectrum Holobyte by the phone number: 510/522-2138. But please keep in mind that sending a letter through the U.S. Postal Service may be more effective. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Psygnosis <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< -------------------------------------------------------------------- Psygnosis is a well known producer of video games. A few of Psygnosis' popular games are Microcosm, Shadow of the Best II, and Puggsy. A recent game is Hexx: Heresy of the Wizard. TThe company has also done Lemmings. The mailing address for Psygnosis is: Psygnosis 675 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02139 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to Psygnosis: Dear Sir or Madam, 1) How much you enjoy Psygnosis games. 2) How much you enjoy your Atari Jaguar. 3) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 4) The games that you would love to see on the Jaguar (choose a couple of Pysgnosis games). 5) How you believe Psygnosis games will be unbelievable when using the graphics and sound capabilities of the Jaguar. 6) How you will run out and buy Psygnosis games when they are produced for the Jaguar. 7) Thank the person for reading your letter and for considering producing games for the Jaguar. You may also want to FAX Psygnosis by the phone number: 617/497-6759. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Origin Systems <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Origin Systems is a maker of many popular PC role-playing and action games. The company is owned by Electronic Arts but may have freedom to develop for any system it wishes. Some of the games that Origin makes are: Ultima series (most recently Ultima VIII: Pagan), Wing Commander Privateer, and just recently Pacific Strike. Origin will be also making Biforge and Wings of Glory. Since Origin Systems is a subsidary of Electronic Arts, there is no specific person to write. The mailing address for Origin Systems is: Origin Systems Attn: Production Teams P.O. Box 161750 Austin, TX 78716 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to Origin Systems: Dear Sir or Madam, 1) How much you enjoy Origin Systems games. 2) How much you enjoy your Atari Jaguar. 3) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 4) The games that you would love to see on the Jaguar (choose two or three Origin Systems games). 5) How you wish the Origin Systems Production Teams will attempt to get these great games on the Jaguar. 6) How unbelievable Origin Systems games will be when using the graphics and sound capabilities of the Jaguar. 7) How you will run out and buy Origin Systems games when they are produced for the Jaguar. 8) A thank you to the person reading for reading your letter and for considering producing games for the Jaguar. ************** **************************** DECEMBER, 1994 ***************************** ************** QQP, Inc. Broderbund Konami MicroProse >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> QQP, Inc <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Many people are not familiar with QQP, but the company has released some pretty amazing games for the PC. Some of the games are: Solitaire's Journey, Merchant Prince, The Perfect General, Conquered Kingdoms, and their most recent--Origamo. Most of the games that QQP makes either has to do with strategy or war. Strategy games are always popular, but war games have been restricted to PCs due to lack of a "save game" feature on video game systems. Jaguar can save games on its cartridges so this is no longer a problem in getting war games to home video game systems. The mailing address for QQP, Inc. is: QQP, Inc. 495 Highway 202 Flemington, NJ 08822 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to QQP: Dear Sir or Madam, 1) How much you enjoy strategy games. 2) How much you enjoy your Atari Jaguar. 3) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 4) The games that you love to see on the Jaguar (choose two or three QQP games). 5) How you would like to see these games make use of Jaguar's voice-modem and networking capabilities. 6) How you believe QQP games will be unbelievable when using the graphics and sound capabilities of the Jaguar. 7) How you will run out and buy QQP games when they are produced for the Jaguar. 8) Thank you to the person for reading your letter and for considering producing games for the Jaguar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Broderbund Software Inc. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Broderbund Software is well-known for producing two games. The first game is a CD-ROM game called Myst. The second is the Carmen Sandiego series of games. The Carmen Sandiego is educational. The mailing address for Broderbund Software Inc. is: Edmund R. Auer, President Broderbund Software Inc. 500 Redwood Blvd. Novato, CA 94948-6121 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to Broderbund: Dear Mr. Auer, 1) How much you enjoy Broderbund Software's games. 2) How much you enjoy your Atari Jaguar. 3) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 4) How you would love to see Myst, Carmen Sandiego, and any other new Broderbund titles on the Jaguar. 5) How unbelievable Broderbund Software games will be when using the graphics and sound capabilities of the Jaguar. 6) How you will run out and buy Broderbund Software's games when they are produced for the Jaguar. 7) A thank you to Mr. Auer for reading your letter and for considering producing games for the Jaguar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Konami Inc. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Konami makes several popular games. Among these are Double Dribble: The Playoff Edition, Lethal Enforcers 2, Batman the Animated Series, and a new game called Contra 4. The company has also made Rocket Knight Adventures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters, Blades of Steel, Track & Field II, Top Gun: The Second Mission, and many others. Konami is also rumored to be developing Gradius for Sony's new PSX. Since Konami is already developing for other next generation systems, it may be more difficult to convince them to make games for the Jaguar. But Konami certainly does bring a lot of titles to a game system. The mailing address of Konami is: Konami Inc. 900 Deerfield Parkway Buffalo Grove, IL 60089-4510 The folowing is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to Konami: Dear Sir or Madam, 1) How much you enjoy Konami games. 2) How much you enjoy your Atari Jaguar. 3) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 4) The games that you would love to see on the Jaguar (choose a few Konami games). 5) How unbelievable Konami games will be when using the graphics and sound capabilities of the Jaguar. 6) How you will run out and buy Konami games when they are produced for the Jaguar. 7) A thank you to the person for reading your letter and for considering producing games for the Jaguar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MicroProse Inc. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< --------------------------------------------------------------------- MicroProse is already developing Jaguar games so this letter will be mainly to thank MicroProse and encourage the company to make more of their games for the Jaguar. MicroProse is supposedly making Grand Prix, Gunship 2000, and possibly Star Trek: The Next Generation game. But MicroProse has made a lot of fantastic games for the PC that should really be made for the Jaguar. These include: World Circuit, Fleet Defender, Master of Orion, and Civilization. Civilization has already been made for the Falcon030 so it may not be too hard to convert the game to the Jaguar. Since Jaguar can save games on cartridge, it may be possible to make Civilization on the Jaguar. MicroProse is also making Across the Rhine, Colonization, and Masters of Magic. MicroProse is indeed a very good company to have making Jaguar games. The quality has always been good and it would be nice for the company to make a lot of their games for the Jaguar. The mailing address for MicroProse is: Ronald J. Bueche, CEO MicroProse Inc. 180 Lakefront Dr. Hunt Valley, MD 21030-2245 The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your letter to MicroProse: Dear Mr. Bueche, 1) How much you enjoy MicroProse games. 2) How much you enjoy your Atari Jaguar. 3) How you are really glad that MicroProse is making games for the Jaguar. 4) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the future due to its high-performance/low-price. 5) How you would like to see other popular games besides Gunship 2000 and Grand Prix be made for the Jaguar (name a few of your favorite MicroProse games). 6) How you would like to see the Jaguar voice modem and network capabilities used in MicroProse games. (OPTIONAL) 7) How you will run out and buy MicroProse games when they are produced for the Jaguar. 8) Thank you to Mr. Bueche for reading your letter and for making games for the Jaguar. You may also want to FAX MicroProse at the phone number: 410/771-1174. But only FAX MicroProse if you do not have time to mail the letter or if you have already sent mail to the company. ************************************ * * ************* LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN FINISHED ************* * * ************************************ After you have done writing all of these companies, the letter writing campaign will be finished. If you have written all of these companies, the campaign will no doubt be successful and we will be seeing the games we want for the Jaguar very soon. Please spread the word around about this letter writing campaign on online systems, BBSs, message areas, user groups, and any other place that you can help get the word out abuot this campaign. Also, please tell your friends! It is very important to get everyone participating in this letter writing campaign! ********** THANK YOU! *********** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [C]entral [A]tari [I]nformation [N]etwork Newsletter Sept. 15, 1994 Copyright (c) 1994 All Rights Reserved No.006 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Central Atari Information Network (CAIN) Newsletter is produced by Cain Publishing and is no way affiliated with Atari Corporation. CAIN Newsletter editors/staff produce this publication on a volunteer basis strictly to benefit users of Atari products. Views, and opinions expressed herein are those of the article's author(s) and not necessarily those of the editors/ staff of CAIN Newsletter, the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG, or its affilitates. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints must include: Name of article, author's name, name of publication, date, and issue number. CAIN Newsletter may not be edited in any way without prior written permission. CAIN Newsletter is believed to be reasonably accurate. If any inaccurate information is found within, please contact the editor of CAIN Newsletter and a correction will be made in the next issue. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Atari, ST, Mega ST, STE, Mega STE, TT030, Atari Falcon030, TOS, MultiTOS, NewDesk, BLiTTER, Atari Lynx, ComLynx, Atari Jaguar, Atari Portfolio, Atari 400, 800, XL series, XE series, and the Atari Fuji Symbol are all trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. The "Free-Net" name is a Servicemark (SM) of the National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN). The Free-Net "FreePort" software is copyrighted by Case Western Reserve University. FreePort is a registered trademark of Case Western Reserve University. All other trademarks and identifying marks mentioned in this issue belong to their respective owners. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-