SILICON TIMES REPORT ==================== INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ============================= from STR Electronic Publishing Inc. A subsidiary of STR Worldwide CompNews Inc. April 21, 1995 No. 1116 ====================================================================== Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 R.F. Mariano, Editor Featured in ITCNet's ITC_STREPORT Echo ----------------------------------------- Voice: 1-904-783-3319 10am-4pm EST STR Publishing Support BBS * THE BOUNTY INTERNATIONAL BBS * Featuring: * 4.5GB * of Download Files Operating with * Mustang Software's WILDCAT! 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""""""""""""""""" - STR INDUSTRY REPORT - NetScape 1.1b3 - Spry Mosaic - Netlauncher - Trumpet 2.0b - Win'95 DBoot - HP NEW Color Scanner - MS on the WEB - 500 Nations CD - CyberSpace & Ether - People Talking - Jaguar NEWSWIRE -* HP NOW A TOP 3 PC VENDOR! *- -* HAYES REPORTS $1.5M OPERATING PROFITS! *- -* IBM POSTS BIG PROFIT GAIN! *- ========================================================================== STReport International OnLine Magazine The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine -* FEATURING WEEKLY *- "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports ========================================================================== STReport's BBS - The Bounty BBS, invites all BBS systems, worldwide, to participate in the ITC/Fido/Internet/PROWL/USENET/USPOLNet/NEST/F-Net Mail Networks. You may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1-904-786-4176. 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CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198 You will receive your complimentary time and be OnLine in no time at all! "Enjoy CompuServe's forums; where information is at its very best! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" LottoMan V1.3 Results: 04/15/95: 6 1# matches ---------------------- > From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""" A few weeks ago.. I asked in the cartoon area, why is it so many of the little people must pay the ultimate price for the mistakes and acts of the powerful people in this world? Is there an answer I don't know, but the Delberti's (locked up in Iraq) and the Oklahomans who were killed this past week would probably like to know also. It senseless for these people to suffer for the acts of others especially the children of Oklahoma. The big picture of all this must be examined very closely. If whacko's around the globe from Hussein to whomever, are going use the helpless little guys to get at the "big guys" then the "big guys" ought to re-examine this picture and correct what is obviously wrong. Removal of opportunity is of course the ideal correction. But not withstanding that factor, there are indeed alternatives. For example, a truthful consideration of the immediate effects and fallout from the decision making process must be made. In Iraq, why wasn't Stormin' Norman allowed to complete the job?? Because the powers that be in the States were concerned of adverse public opinion? Yes, there's a very strong possibility there was a great deal of negative talk over the carnage along the roads back to Baghdad. Now, of course, its an entirely different tune. We should've gone straight to Baghdad and taken Hussein down thoroughly and completely. The same things apply in this country. Our intelligence gathering agencies in this country are among the world's very best. Nobody can get away with trying to tell this reporter or any other informed observer of the elite US Law Enforcement agencies that they were and are unaware of potentially deadly "action groups" within the borders of this country. They are and can really do nothing until the law is broken. Of course if the obvious pointers are there, (stockpiles of munitions, explosive ingredients etc.), especially members or suspected participants with known records of either violence or politically subversive activities. This government's highest law enforcement agencies should and must be permitted to act to prevent such incidents rather be forced to simply pursue perpetrators of henious acts such as we have seen in the Trade Center in NYC and the Federal Building in Oklahoma. These investigations should and must have the highest of priorities. Else, no one in this fair land is safe. We are all fair game. Say or think what you wish, J. Edgar Hoover may have been a lot of things. But ..one thing he was not! He and HIS FBI were not ineffective in the business of preventing of this sort terrorism in the USA. He and his methods got the job done. From Nazis to Klansmen his ways struck fear and respect for the FBI in their terrorist hearts. Actually, there is no doubt, we need the iron hand of prevention and enforcement at that level once again. More so now than ever before. We now must deal with the "Enemy from Within". Seeing those kids so badly mutilated said it all. God, in his infinite mercy, will have to help us all if we don't act now to adamantly demand the procedures of true prevention and enforcement be put in place again.. J. Edgar's way. Ralph F. Mariano Of Special Note: ---------------- STReport will be branching out further to Internet's userbase in the very near future. We've received numerous requests to receive STReport from a wide variety of Internet addresses. As a result, we're putting together an Internet distribution/mailing list for those who wish to receive STReport on a regular basis, and we'll UUENCODE each issue and mail it to you. If you're interested in being added to our mailing list, please, send your requests to either "dpj@delphi.com" or, RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM. Look for mailings to begin by October first. We are also considering a number of Internet ftp sites in which to post our issues for as well. Whatever we can do to make STReport available to you. we'll try it! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU! """""""""""""""" Publisher -Editor """""""""""""""""" Ralph F. Mariano Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs Section Editors """"""""""""""" PC SECTION AMIGA SECTION MAC SECTION ATARI SECTION ---------- ------------- ----------- ------------- R.D. Stevens R. Niles J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson STReport Staff Editors: """"""""""""""""""""""" Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin John Szczepanik Paul Guillot Joseph Mirando Doyle Helms Frank Sereno John Duckworth Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur Melanie Bell Jay Levy Jeff Kovach Marty Mankins Carl Prehn Paul Charchian Contributing Correspondents: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Dominick J. Fontana Norman Boucher Clemens Chin Eric Jerue Ron Deal Mike Barnwell Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller Craig Harris Allen Chang Tim Holt Patrick Hudlow Tom Sherwin Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: CompuServe................... 70007,4454 Delphi......................... RMARIANO GEnie......................... ST.REPORT BIX............................ RMARIANO FIDONET........................ 1:112/35 FNET........................... NODE 620 ITC NET...................... 85:881/253 NEST........................ 90:21/350.0 America OnLine..................STReport Internet.............RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM IMPORTANT NOTICE ---------------- STReport, with its policy of not accepting any paid advertising, has over the years developed the reputation of "saying it like it really is". When it comes to our editorials, product evaluations, reviews and over-views, we shall always keep our readers interests first and foremost. With the user in mind, STReport further pledges to maintain the reader confidence that has been developed over the years and to continue "living up to such". All we ask is that our readers make certain the manufacturers, publishers etc., know exactly where the information about their products appeared. In closing, we shall arduously endeavor to meet and further develop the high standards of straight forwardness our readers have come to expect in each and every issue. The Staff & Editors """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > STR INDUSTRY REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS """"""""""""""""""" IBM/POWER-PC/PC SECTION (I) =========================== Computer Products Update - CPU Report ------------------------ ---------- Weekly Happenings in the Computer World Issue #16 Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. ******* General Computer News ******* >> Laptop Pointer Patented << InControl Solutions Inc. says it has been awarded a U.S. patent for the layout of stick pointing devices used in laptops. Company officials said the patent award is for technology similar to that used by IBM in its Trackpoint II keyboard pointing devices and which IBM has sought patents to protect. The new patent will allow InControl to license keyboard and notebook computer makers that now are offering or want to offer a pointing stick in the middle of the keyboard. >> Motorola Makes New Modem << A new advanced modem designed to provide high-speed data communi- cations over interactive hybrid fiber and coax networks has been announced by Motorola Inc.'s multimedia group. Reports say the new CyberSURFR modem is an extension of Motorola's CableComm product line, adding, "It delivers data communications at 20 to 100 times the speed of conventional modems currently on the market." The new modem is to be available at the end the year. >> Video CD Technology Improved << Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. says it has improved the design of a video compact disc format created by Toshiba Corp., boosting Toshiba in its battle with Sony Corp. to create an industry standard. Matsushita officials are quoted as saying the firm figured out a way to place two layers of data on one side of the disc, allowing it to contain twice as much data, up to nine gigabytes. (A typical compact disc used in today's computers and stereos holds .6 gigabytes of data.) Also, Pioneer Electronic Corp. says it has developed a version of the Toshiba disc that computer companies can use to put software on, though its capacity is limited to 3.2 gigabytes. Sony's format, which uses layering technology developed by 3M Corp., is backed by Philips Electronics, which co-developed the format. Toshiba's effort has received support from Time Warner, Samsung, Matsushita, Thomson, Hitachi, Pioneer, Mitsubishi and Zenith. >> Digital Cuts PC Prices << Digital Equipment Corp. has announced price reductions in its Prioris family of PC servers and its HiNote notebooks. The new prices are up to 26% lower for certain Prioris servers and up to 24% lower for HiNote models. The changes take effect immediately. Five Digital HiNote models have also been reduced in price. They in- clude monochrome and color 486-based notebook computers. The reductions range from $90 to $650. >> HP Announces New Scanner << Hewlett-Packard Co. says it has created its highest-image- quality scanner to date: the HP ScanJet 3c color/grayscale scanner. According to the company, the $1,179 unit offers double the speed performance of the ScanJet IIcx, which it replaces. HP says the ScanJet 3c color scanner is twice as fast as the ScanJet IIcx for text and image capture when scanning at resolutions of 300 dpi or less, the typical scanning resolution for most text- and image-scanning applications. The scanner is compatible with PC and Macintosh systems. HP notes that the unit's 600-dpi optical resolution and 30-bit color internal capabilities provide increased control in maintaining original-image quality when scanning and enlarging images. The PC versions of the ScanJet 3c come bundled with a full-featured version of Corel's PhotoPaint 5 image- editing software. >> Dell Cuts Dimension Price << The prices of Dell Computer Corp.'s 120 MHz Dimension XPS models has been cut by $400, bringing the cost of its most popular, full-featured system configurations to under $3,000. Dell officials said the firm has begun U.S. shipments of its Dimension XPS and OptiPlex systems based on Intel's new 120-MHz pentium processor. Dell said it believes it is the first company to deliver 120 MHz pentium-processor-based systems to customers in volume. >> IBM Posts Big Profit Gain << IBM Corp. says it nearly quadrupled its net profit in the first quarter of 1995 to $1.29 billion, up from $336 million a year earlier. The computer giant's sales rose 18% for the quarter to $15.74 billion, up from $13.37 billion in the first quarter of 1994. >> CD-ROM Yellow Pages Announced << BellSouth Advertising & Publishing Corp., the directory publishing unit of BellSouth Corp., says it will develop the first interactive, multimedia version of Yellow Pages directories on CD-ROM for general consumers. The first CD-ROM version of The Real Yellow Pages will be available for Southern Bell's Raleigh, North Carolina, directory by this summer. The Real Yellow Pages CD-ROM will allow computer users to search, display and print Yellow Pages business information. Users can search for information by name of business, type of business, zip code or by location. The product will also feature community interest information, audio consumer tips and detailed maps to some business locations. The Raleigh CD-ROM will be available free to consumers. Order forms for the disc were included in the initial delivery of Southern Bell's 1995-96 Raleigh directory. Customers who request the CD- ROM version will be asked to complete a brief questionnaire on the product so that BellSouth can gauge customer likes, dislikes and usage. >> Microsoft Licenses Web Catalog << Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University says it has signed an agreement with Microsoft Corp., giving the software giant a non-exclusive, renewable license to use The Lycos Catalog of the Internet, developed by Carnegie Mellon. Since its inception last July, the Lycos software has cataloged more than three million of the estimated four million documents on the World Wide Web and has serviced more than nine million search requests. CMU estimates that The Lycos Catalog is used by more than 175,000 people each week. The catalog is developed by a software system that includes a robot that searches the Web and catalogs the documents it finds. The Lycos software also includes an "information pursuit engine" that helps people with varying computer skills access information quickly and easily when they type in keywords or topics. >> Microsoft Offers '500 Nations' << Microsoft Corp. has announced 500 Nations, a multimedia exploration on CD-ROM of the history of North American Indians. The 500 Nations CD-ROM is an interactive companion to the film 500 Nations, hosted by Kevin Costner and scheduled to air on this week and during late May on CBS. The product is the first title from the software publisher's Microsoft Home to support the AutoPlay and AutoSetup features in the forthcoming Windows 95 operating system. 500 Nations looks back at life in North America before the arrival of Europeans, then follows the struggles of Indian nations as the continent is reshaped by European-Indian contact. 500 Nations is shipping to distributors now and will be available in stores for approximately $39.95. A special Academic Edition of 500 Nations is scheduled to become available in May at a discount to public and private schools. >> CD-ROM Sales Up 229 Percent << Sales of CD-ROMs jumped 229% in 1994 to $648 million, according to the latest figures from the Software Publishers Association, which tracked 52 leading CD-ROM publishers. SPA's sales report for the fourth quarter reflects sales of major players such as titan Microsoft Corp., but does not cover all CD-ROM sales. Other companies surveyed include Broderbund, Compton's New Media, Knowledge Adventure, MindScape and World Library. >> Intruder Hits Australian System << From Sydney, Australia, comes word a vandal has invaded a major Internet service provider and has stolen up to 1,400 credit card numbers. Reports say the intruder, known as Optik Surfer, gained access to the AUSnet World Wide Web server last week and accessed the information after cracking the password of a system operator. The Optik Surfer is believed to be an American operating from Melbourne, copied AUSnet subscriber information, including credit card details, and claims to have distributed it on the Internet. The Australian Federal Police Computer Crime Section has confirmed it is investigating the theft, after being informed of the breach by AUSnet last week. >> Hayes Reports Operating Profits << Operating profits of $1.5 million have been reported by modem maker Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc. for the second quarter, resulting, it says, from the company's reorganization. Hayes has been under Chapter XI federal bankruptcy protection since Nov. 15. >> TI Unveils Personal Organizers << Texas Instruments Inc. has introduced two new personal organizers and an optional personal computer connectivity kit that links the units to a PC. Identical in styling and functionality, the PS-6700 and PS-6800 differ only in their memory specifications. The PS-6700 has 64KB of storage; the PS-6800 offers 128KB of memory. Each organizer offers data managment software that can store reminders, addresses and notes. Also provided are a calculator, a clock and an LCD screen that shows six lines of information with 24 characters per line. A scan feature is designed to provide fast access to a telephone directory and daily planning calendar. TI plans to begin shipments of all three products later this spring. The PS-6700 will cost between $69 and $79. The PS-6800 will sell in the $89 to $99 range. The PS-6155 PC Connectivity Kit will be priced at $75, but will be available directly from TI for $49.95. >> Info Tech Industry Up 7 Percent << A trade group says the U.S. information technology industry -- made up of computers, related equipment, software, services and telecommuni- cations equipment -- grew 7% in 1994 to $645.9 billion, exceeding expectations by $5 billion. >>HP Now a Top 3 PC Vendor << New research from Computer Intelligence InfoCorp indicates that, for the first time, Hewlett-Packard ranks among the top three PC vendors selling to the U.S. market through the dealer channel and is the fastest growing PC vendor overall. In February, CII's research showed that HP's market share had climbed to 13%, representing a 242% increase in unit sales since September, catapulting HP into the Top Three for the first time. >> Apple Cuts PowerBook 150 Price << Apple Computer Inc. has cut the price of its low-end PowerBook 150 and added a new version of the notebook computer. Effective immediately, the price of the PowerBook 150 has been reduced by 27% to $1,069. The company is also offering a new $1,229 configuration of the PowerBook 150 with twice the hard disk capacity -- 250MB -- as the original version. >> Power Unveils Mac Clones << Power Computing Corp., the first company to receive and announce a license for Apple Computer Inc.'s Mac OS, has introduced its first three Mac- compatible systems: the Power 80, Power 100 and Power 110. The systems, available in desktop and tower configurations, are based on 80MHz, 100MHz and 110MHz versions of the PowerPC 601 microprocessor and are comparable to Apple Computer's Power Macintosh 7100 and 8100 class of computers. First customer shipments are set to start on May 1, with volume ship- ments due to begin in July. Pricing for the desktop systems will range from $1,995 to $2,899. Prices haven't yet been announced for the tower models. Power Computing says the systems have received Apple's Mac-compatible certification after undergoing product compatibility testing in Apple's own labs. >> Gateway Unveils Pentium PCs << Direct market PC specialist Gateway 2000 has introduced the P5-120XL and P5-120 Best Buy, a pair of PCs based on Intel's 120MHz Pentium microprocessor. Both models come standard with 16MB of EDO (extended- data-out) memory with 256K pipelined burst cache. The P5-120XL's standard features include a quad-speed three-CD changer and a 1.6GB enhanced IDE hard drive. The $3,999 system also includes a 17-inch Trinitron-type monitor and a video card with 2MB of VRAM. The tower-style system's built-in Telepath IIv Communication Center features a 14.4K bps fax/modem with a telephone answering device. The $2,999 P5-120 Best Buy comes with 1GB enhanced IDE hard drive, a quad-speed CD-ROM drive, a video card with 2MB of DRAM and a 15-inch monitor. The P5-120 Best Buy comes in a desktop case. >> Apple Updates Digital Camera << Apple Computer Inc. has announced immediate availability of the QuickTake 150 digital color camera for Macintosh, Power Macintosh and Windows computers. The company notes that the QuickTake 150 is an enhanced version of its QuickTake 100 digital color camera. The new lightweight, portable device is designed for use in business, home offices, education, publishing and online services. Apple adds that the QuickTake 150 offers several new features that aim to enhance performance, quality and convenience without an increase in price. Significant enhancements include improved image quality and resolu- tion, twice the storage capacity and a "What- You-See-Is-What-You-Get" (WYSIWYG) close-up capability. The QuickTake 150 for Macintosh and the QuickTake 150 for Windows are each priced at $739 and include software, cables, batteries and a charger. _________________________________________ > WIN'95 Dual Boot STR InfoFile The fine art of helping others """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" DUAL BOOT - Win'95 ================== by Bob Schaffer - 76516,2047 I wanted to install a dual boot with Win95 & WFWG 3.11 so I could try out Win95 without sacrificing my old system setup. Here are the steps you can take to duplicate my dual boot installation: 1. Copy (duplicate) the whole Windows directory and all it's sub directories to another directory, like \WIN31. Copy the \DOS directory to another one as well, like \DOS6 . 2. Edit all the INI files in the WIN31 directory and change all references from \WINDOWS to \WIN31. The "find and replace" command in most word processors makes this easier, but be sure you save them as text files. 3. Boot up your PC and install Win95 SETUP through windows program manager "FILE-RUN". As you install WIN95 it will rename your CONFIG.SYS AND AUTOEXEC.BAT files to CONFIG.DOS and AUTOEXEC.DOS. (When you dual boot it renames them back to CONFIG.SYS AND AUTOEXEC.BAT....and then backups the WIN95 versions as .W40). 4. After Win95 finishes installing and you are on the desktop, use notepad with "select all files *.*" to edit the CONFIG.DOS and AUTOEXEC.DOS files and change all \WINDOWS references in them to \WIN31, and all \DOS references to \DOS6 . 5. In order for the dual boot menu to work, the following lines must appear in the [Options] section of your MSDOS.SYS file: (If you use Doublespace or Drivespace disk compression you must change both MSDOS.SYS files - one on the boot drive and one in the compressed drive) [Options] BootGUI=1 Network=0 BootMulti=1 BootMenu=1 BootMenuDefault=7 (original DOS as default. Use 1 for Win95 default) BootMenuDelay=5 (number of seconds to select something else) ; To add these lines, first, open "My Computer" and use the menu bar to VIEW - OPTIONS - VIEW - Show All Files, and also unclick "hide MS-DOS file extensions". Then double-click on the MSDOS.SYS icon and look. If it doesn't have all the above lines, you'll need to edit this file and put them in. Since the MSDOS.SYS file is "read-only-hidden" you'll need to first change the file attributes and then use the notebook editor to insert the new line(s). Then you'll have to change the attributes back to their original states when done to protect the file. 6. To change the attributes, click on the MSDOS.SYS icon using your RIGHT mouse button. Select Properties and uncheck the attribute blocks. Exit and make your text changes, then save the file. Then put the attribute check marks back where they were. 7. Now, exit Win95 and re-boot. You should now see the boot menu and be able to select which mode you want to boot into. Remember, any programs you install after this will only appear in the system you were running at install time. For example, if you install MS Word under Win95 you will have to install it again under old DOS/Windows if you want to run it both ways. You can install the program to the same directory both times and you'll simply overwrite the files and avoid having two sets of the new program on your hard drive. Let me know how it works for you! Bob Schaffer - 76516,2047 _______________________________________ > CYBER SALES! STR FOCUS! """"""""""""""""""""""" ===== THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY BECKONS! ===== ===================================== Don't let your competition grab those CYBER sales Let us set up your 'online storefront' on the World Wide Web! We have many options to suit your business needs. Here is a breakdown of our Best Value Package which is available for a limited time only: FIVE pages of hyper-linked text information about your company, products and services (you provide the text). FIVE graphic images to accentuate the information and put a visual face on your company (provided by you or we'll scan it). ONE standard response form so your customers can request more information about your products and services! Responses can be sent to almost ANY online service such as CompuServe, America Online, Delphi, Prodigy, MCIMail, most local BBS's and any existing Internet account with email. PLUS - We will list your business 'storefront' in all of the popular indexes and public directories. AND -- Send you monthly statistics on the number of user accesses. We can tell you exactly how many people stopped to browse in your online store! CALL TODAY AND ASK ABOUT OUR INTERNET SERVICES!! Remember, introductory pricing is available for a limited time only. You can reach us at: Voice: 817-656-5970 Fax: 817-656-7794 Email: CompuServe 70404,3014 ____________________________________________________ > Frankie's Corner STR Feature """""""""""""""""""""""""""" The Kids' Computing Corner -------------------------- Thinkin' Things Collection 2 Dual-format CD-ROM for IBM and Mac ages six to twelve estimated retail $42 Edmark P.O. Box 3218 Redmond, WA 98073-3218 phone: 206-556-8484 IBM Requirements Mac Requirements CPU: 386DX-25 CPU: Color Mac or higher Graphics: 256-color VGA Graphics: 256 colors Hard disk: 3 megs Hard disk: n/a RAM: 4 megs Ram: 4 megs, 5 for SYS 7.5 OS: DOS OS: System 6.0.7 CD-rom: Double-speed CD-rom: Double-speed Sound: MPC compatible sound card Misc.: a microphone is recommended by Frank Sereno In volume 10, issue 51 of STReport, I reviewed the floppy diskette version of "Thinkin' Things Collection 2." I still consider it one of the finer and more exciting educational programs that I have reviewed. "Thinkin' Things 2" doesn't teach children by forcing them to memorize facts. It instead teaches them how to learn and think by allowing the children to explore fascinating musical and spatial environments. TT2 has five activities. The Oranga Banga Band is an exploration of three-part rhythm. The child can play a game in which he identifies the band member doing a part in a song by the Oranga Band. The difficulty level gradually grows with the child's abilities or can be set manually. The child can also compose original music. These exercises will teach children rhythm, to read and write rhythm patterns and also enhancing auditory discrimination. Toony's Tunes allows children to compose and save original songs on unique xylophones. Toony also offers a memory game in which the child must repeat the notes that Toony plays. Difficulty will again increase as the child gains more skill. Toony's Tunes will aid the development of auditory memory, listening skills and recognition of musical pitch. Frippletration is concentration with a twist. Players can choose to play with audio or visual clues to build auditory or visual memory and discrimination. The game is for one or two players. The game will progress from sixteen cards to thirty-six to sixty-four. 2-3D BLOX encourages three-dimensional visualization by having children work with a variety of rotating 3-D objects. The child can use the rudimentary painting tools to create artwork which will be instantly mapped to the rotating shapes, create his own backdrops or he can use the stock items. Children can make customized shapes by using a lathe tool. Background music and text can be added to the 3-D masterpiece, which can be saved for later viewing. The program even provides suggestions to aid creative thought. The final activity is Snake BLOX. This activity allows children to layer background and foreground layers. This creates a perception of depth when snakes are run under and over the various features. Many tools are available to create background art. Numerous background music tracks can be used to create a music video. The Ideas section includes many designs that will fascinate and inspire the creativity in anyone. Masterpieces can be saved for later viewing and editing. This activity will enhance visual analysis and synthesis skills. TT2 features wonderful graphics and excellent sound. The interface has full audible help and verbal encouragement in the first three activities. In the BLOX activities, the child will use the intuitive point-and-click interface to the explore the many possibilities of creativity. TT2 will entertain children (and adults) for many hours. The educational value is excellent. Priced at approximately $40, TT2 offers an outstanding combination of fun learning activities at a moderate price. Thinkin' Things 2 CD-ROM has one enhancement over the diskette version of the program. Edmark Vice President Donna Stanger, an award-winning software designer, gives a video presentation to parents. The presentation includes information on learning theories, the learning objectives of each Thinkin' Things activity, and offers suggestions for proper parental involvement in computer learning. The information is very interesting and is beneficial to parent and child. The diskette and CD-ROM versions have the same retail price. If your system has a CD-ROM drive, I recommend getting the CD-ROM version. If you already have the diskette version, contact Edmark for details on costs to upgrade to the CD-ROM version. Ratings Graphics ........... 9.0 Sound .............. 9.5 Interface .......... 9.0 Play Value ......... 9.5 Educational Value ..10.0 Bang for the Buck .. 9.5 Average ............ 9.41 ### A MOMENT OR TWO FOR THOUGHT --------------------------- I would like to express my condolences to the victims of the Oklahoma City terrorist attack. To a small extent, all Americans are victims. The image of the United States as a free, friendly and safe country has again been tarnished. Over the past few years we have lost the freedom to walk the streets of many neighborhoods after dark. In some cities, it is unsafe to sit on a front stoop or to frolic in a playground in broad daylight. Children can longer trust a stranger to be friendly. This attack makes it clear that no one is totally safe anywhere. An attack of this sort shows the evil and capriciousness of man. But let us not give in to the fear and the evil. Keep in mind that most likely only a handful of cowardly individuals were involved in this act of terror. Instead, remember the hundreds of individuals who risked their safety to rescue the injured at the site. That bravery and self-sacrifice is much more typical of the nature of man. The good deeds of many do outweigh the evil deeds of a few. I would like remind everyone that there is one small sacrifice that most of us can make that can be of great importance to others. If you are a healthy adult, please consider becoming a blood donor. Donating blood takes about one-half hour, but that contribution can aid several lives. Most hospitals and trauma units constantly face blood shortages. Your donation can mean the difference between life and death. Thank you for reading. _________________________________________________ > STR InfoFile """""""""""" //// /// ////// // // // // // // TM // // // // //// // /// // // /// ////// // // // ///// // // /// // ///// // / // // // // // // ////// // // // // // // // // ///// // // // // // // // // / //// // // /// //// //// ////// //// ////// ///// // // ///// //// // // // // // Cutting-Edge Ideas & Technology // // // // for // // // // // Entrepeneurs, Business Owners & Executives ////// // //// E-Mail Address: request@cyberbiz.com Check out our Web site at: http://www.cyberbiz.com MAIL ADDRESS: PHONE: (312) 338-3755 6625 N. Rockwell FAX: (312) 338-7567 Chicago, IL 60645 CyberBiz, Inc. is... "The Cheapest, Fastest, Simplest Way to Get Your Business on the Internet!" * * * HURRY! - LIMITED PROMOTIONAL OFFER! - EXPIRES MAY 1ST 1995 * * * Put your information on the World-Wide Web..TODAY! Whether your selling a product, service, or placing a general classified ad...NOW, you can test the Internet as a means of advertising, quickly and inexpensively. REACH 30,000,000 people for pennies of what it would cost you to reach similar numbers of people with traditional advertising. IT'S NOT GOING TO COST YOU 1000'S OR EVEN 100'S OF DOLLARS LIKE MOST SOME CONSULTANTS WOULD CHARGE YOU!!! ---------------------------------------------- COST: ONLY $.99 a word (that's right only 99 cents a word!) MIMIMUM: 20 words HERE'S WHAT YOU GET WITH YOUR ORDER -- A LOT FOR A LITTLE MONEY! ---------------------------------------------------------------- * One Web Page with your information * The Internet address of your Web Page. And, your address won't be some lengthy, rediculous address like some companies would give you. Your Web Page will be "mapped" DIRECTLY under our server. EXAMPLE: www.cyberbiz.com/[name of your home page] EXAMPLE: www.cyberbiz.com/acmeshomepage.html (NOTE: CyberBiz will even let you even choose the name for your Web Page, as long as it is 15 characters or less in length. Please include the name of your page page with your order). * CyberBiz, Inc. will do basic publicity for you web site, announcing it to other popular sites. * Your Web Page Will be up the VERY SAME DAY we get it -- GUARANTEED, or CyberBiz, Inc. will deduct 10% off your order! No other traditional method of advertising can make the same guarantee. * Your Web Page will be available for one month. (After the one month, you will have the right to reinstate your Web Page for up to 6 months, at the original price you paid for it! You must exercise this option up to 2 weeks after the expiration date of your one month service) Simply, you can can now have a site on the World-Wide Web for as little as $19.80 (20 words x $.99)!!! FREE BONUS WITH YOUR ORDER! --------------------------- If you have an Internet E-Mail address, or any E-Mail address that can be reached from the Internet (i.e. Compuserve, Prodigy, America Online), CyberBiz will include an E-Mail "link" in your Web Page, with your E-Mail address...at no additional charge! This means that viewers of your Web advertisement will be able to DIRECTLY & IMMEDIATELY (i.e. send you inquiries, orders, comments, etc.) to you when viewing your Web Ad! PAYMENT/ORDER INFO ------------------ COST: 99 cents a word (20 words minimum) (NOTE: see below how to calculate the word count for your advertisement) We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, checks and money orders. * Make checks and money orders payable to CyberBiz, Inc. * For credit card orders, please include: credit card type(Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express), card number, and expiration date. * For all orders, please include a name of a person to contact, a street mailing address, and a phone number. Also please include an E-Mail address if available. * Include your Web Page information with your order. SEND ORDERS TO: --------------- Internet E-Mail Address: order@cyberbiz.com Compuserve E-Mail Address: 71222,351 Fax: (312) 338-7567 Phone: (312) 338-3755 Mail Address: CyberBiz, Inc. 6625 N. Rockwell Chicago, IL 60645 (NOTE: Only credit card orders can be accepted by E-Mail, Fax, or processed directly over the phone.) ORDER PROCESSING ---------------- * For credit card orders, CyberBiz will process your order the very same day we receive it! You will have the address of your Web Page, plus your information on The Web the very same day we receive it! * For Check & Money Orders, payment must first be received in the mail, and then CyberBiz will process your order. However, you may still send us your information by E-Mail, Fax or directly over the phone, as soon as your payment is received. Your Web Page will be available the very same day we receive your payment. COUNTING WORDS FOR YOUR AD -------------------------- - Name & Address is included in counting the number of words in your ad. - Zip code is NOT counted. - Symbols used as keys are NOT counted, as long as not more than 3 are used in your ad(EXAMPLE: Phone #. The "#" symbol is being used as a key). - City and State, count as one word each. - Abbreviations such as C.O.D and P.O.B. are counted as one word. For These Services, Contact CyberBiz, Inc. for Pricing: ------------------------------------------------------- * Graphics & Sound * Interactive Forms * Highly customized Web Pages * custom-Coded Web Pages * Putting multiple Pages on the Web CyberBiz, Inc. has computer consulting/software development available in these areas: ------------------------------------- * Software with Fax capabilities(i.e. fax marketing/fax order forms) * Touch-tone recognition/Fax-on-demand systems * Database development * Caller ID inbound marketing systems * Multimedia/CD-ROM * "Touch-Screen" applications (i.e. electronic kiosks) * Artificial intelligence (neural networks and expert systems) __________________________________ > 32x DOOM STR Spotlight """""""""""""""""""""" DOOM on 32X =========== Okay here is a walkthru for DOOM on 32X. Be advised that NOT ALL levels will be 100% complete. So go with the flow! Remember to also try to follow the Sequences in most cases. LEVEL 1: -------- Courtyard:From Starting position, Head NORTH to small corridor. The corridor goes East to a door. open door and enter large dark room. Continue EAST down a winding corridor and it will soon head south. you'll be at a room with a zig-zag path with Toxic slime at it's sides.Continue SOuth and you'll see a gray patch of wall. Open and it go west in the courtyard with a lake of Toxic slime and BLUE COMBAT ARMOR in the middle. RUN through it to get the armor. No go to step 2 Step 2:Hidden Corridor:, From courtyard head back to the corridor South, then East. Now head south to exit door. Enter this door but DO NOT pull the switch. Head back to zig zag path, and you'll see a new path. RUN thru the Toxic slime and into the new area to get the shotgun. Step 3. ZigZag Running:,From north entrance of Zig ZAG path, RUN in the new corridor to the SOuth east. Be quick and you enter a elevator to a secret area that has ammo and armor power ups. LEVEL 2: -------- From the Start position head EAST to Door. Go thru and continue EAST, and UP the stairs. At the Top go into the hallway, and on the west side of hte hall is the RED KEY CARD. Step 2: Once you have the Card, fro mthe start position, head North then WEst to red locked door. Open it Step 3 Fake Wall: After this door, Proceed West/North to Toxic filled Room with a column. RUN to column. and flip switch. A wall by the RED doro has opened. It contains a maze. Step 4: the Maze: Head south west in Maze to a fork. Head WEST. Continue until you reach the corridor. Shoot at the wall until a new corridor appears. Go into this and head up the stairs. At the top is a room with a chainsaw on a column. Find Switch to lower the column. Step 5 Court Yard: From the start go north tehn look east for a brown false wall. Enter this room and pull the switch. Head northeast from here to a door. Open it and continue until you see the opening to the courtyard. There is a SOUL SPHERE and a CHAINGUN with ammo here! Step 6: An Elevator: From the LOCKED DOOR position, head west to the stairs. Then to the top, just at the top and west is a small opening go into it and ride the elevator to a small supply area. Step 7:Before you entered the locked door, look left of it too see and elevator ride it up to find health and ammo Step 8:2nd Elevator: from the First elevator, Head east to a winding path. then North to next Elevator. before stepping on it to your left is a fake wall. Enter it for some supplies then go back to elevator and ride it down. you'll enter a room with a switch. Flip it then enter EITHER openin that appears. Follow the path to another door that leads to exit switch. LEVEL 3: -------- Step 1 Switch/New Corridor: From the Start go NorthWEST to a door, open it and go NORTH until you see a West entracnce go into it and find the switch. Then Check for a new cooridor by the door you entered. Go into it. Go up the stairs. the path forks left and right RUN left to an open wall(if you heard a wall open, if not then walk until you hear it) Go into the new hallway and down to a column Flip the switch, to get a SOUL SPHERE. Now go back up the stairs and you shouls hear another wall open up QUICKLY RUN into it and you find a room with armor and rocket launcher. and a secret hole in the south east wall SWIM the toxic junk to a switch with a back pack. Flip it. Now go open the secret wall beside you get all powerups and go thru the elevator to find yourself back in the first room with the switch you flipped to begin that merry little escapade. NOW return to that new Corridor AGAIN and find the YELLOW KEY CARD. Step 2: Blue Keycard:from the start, go North west and continue to a door. Go thru it and then the path curves EAST to an open area with a LOT of monsters Go thru the area, enter the corridor and go EAST until you find the BLUE CARD. Step 3: Blue DOOR:From the Start go to the Right until you find the BLUE DOOR OPen it and go east.ENter the Corridor and if you hear a door open up RUN into it then go up stairs to find the ChainSAW. Keep going to the Yellow DOOR. OPen and it and retrieve the Health Kit, Armor ups, the SOUL SPHERE and the COMBAT ARMOR. Now return to that corridor Step 4: Exit to level 4: From the BLUE DOOR go in the corridor and proceed to three Corridors. Go into the Center one, go up stairs to the exit Door and find the switch to level 4. BAH! There is more though!!! Step 5 Exit to 17!!!: From the Start point there sould now be a bridge above the acid pit IF you found the secret room with rocket launcher that led to another room with a switch. if you havent GO DO IT!! Now cross this path and EXTERMINATE whatever you find. You'll enter a rounded room. Go to the north side of room to find a corridor that goes EAST. You'll see a door that leads to a switch to level 17. BUT be sure to check the wall OPPOSITE the switch, and before going to level 17, make sure you go thru all the areas of this level and get all the AMMO you can!!! Thats it for now. More to come, but before I wrap this up I am going to repeat some advice I stated in another file. To win at DOOM tyou Do NOT cheat and you MUST start from level 1 and go thru 17, which then leads back to 4 and then on thru the game. There is NO other way! Also Some tactical advice: If you play Like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone YOU WILL DIE!! You do NOT charge in to the enemy as if you were unbeatable. You might last 5 seconds if that. To win you think like a sniper, and you ACT like a sniper. Make them come to you as you hide around corners, and make them shoot each other too. Also Barrels are your friend. THINK or you sink! EMPEROR CYBERSURFER/Ass't SysOp _____________________________________ > WinPack STR InfoFile ...for use with MicroSoft Windows """""""""""""""""""" WINPACK for WINDOWS =================== AshSoft is pleased to bring you a complete archiving utility, WinPack, for use with MicroSoft Windows, Win95, Windows NT (tm). WinPack is designed to bring you flexibility and ease of use, with a competitive price that is easy on your pocket book. WinPack offers ZIP, ARC, SIT, ZOO, Packit, TAR, Compress, GZip, Lharc, UUencode and Decode, Freeze, BinHex, Pack, and ARJ in one convenient package. All of WinPack's code is integrated into one bundle. No external programs are needed. WinPack is not a shell. There is no shelling out to DOS. WinPack stands on it's own. WinPack will be offered in two varieties...WinPack, and WinPack Deluxe. WinPack is a ZIP only shareware version of our program. WinPack will be available on all the major online services, and on the Internet. WinPack will be priced at an affordable $10(US) and allow you to see our program interface, and experience how the program works. In addition, if you only need a ZIPping utility for Windows, this utility will hopefully cover all of your needs. With WinPack Deluxe, you will have everything covered. WinPack Deluxe is roughly the same design as WinPack with the bonus of compressing and decompressing about everything out there. WinPack Deluxe is priced at $20(US). Registered users of WinPack can upgrade to WinPack Deluxe for $10(US) at any time. A Windows (16-bit) version of WinPack and WinPack Deluxe should be available at or before June 1st, 1995. Additional site licensing, information, and other pricing will be available at that time. WinPack and WinPack Deluxe are owned and developed by AshSoft. WinPack and WinPack Deluxe are distributed by RetroSpect. Please contact Randy Snow at 71540,1240 or snow@retrospect.com for more information on either of these products. MicroSoft Windows, Windows 95 (Win95) and Windows NT are registered trademarks of MicroSoft Corporation. __________________________________________ > Xmen 2 STR Feature """""""""""""""""" XMEN2 HINTS =========== FROM THE "DEAN" OF HINT FILES... EMPEROR CYBERSURFER/Ass't SysOp Well, well, well,.....Some people are asking for Xmen 2 Clone Wars character recommendations for the various levels. So...... The First level: Well can't recommend anyone for this one! Sentinel Factory: Use Cyclops. Keep his health maxed out and blast away. Use him through the ENTIRE level, even through the interior of the Sentinel. Avalon: The first two areas require a special touch,...So use WOLVERINE. He can slice through the opponents quickly and can climb to reach the various power ups. For the first boss, with the rocket pack just use his super slice and it will take about 5 hits. For the next stage in which you are in free-fall, use GAMBIT. Charge his attack up on the way down and always throw his cards at the switches that open the trap doors. Not at the enemy just the switches Trust me. For the Next boss:Exodus, just use CYCLOPS. Dodge his attacks, and just charge up that ole' optic beam! For Magneto himself: Use Wolverine, you must slice through one wall then another while ducking Magneto's attacks. The third wall, Magneto must blast through, so trick him into blasting the wall. Once its down, run into the area, grab any health ups you need, then use your super slice to knock Magneto into the Swirling energy field being generated in the Far right Corner. Magneto will be trapped and surrender. Now, you can USE HIM! For the Next Stage: Apocalypse's temple. The First two areas are for Psylocke. Her Katana slices can hit enemies on all sides, and for the first boss just stand underneath him and slice upwards with the Katana. The Next area use her again and navigate thru the maze. After the maze:you get to choose a new character, be smart Choose MAGNETO because its time for the APOCALYPSE. Just Hover in the air and blast the BLUE mines to damage the computer systems, and then just open fire on Apocalypse himself when he attacks. Just hover in the far right upper corner and just open fire! The next area is the Savage Land. Use Wolverine for the first two areas. Just stay at the bottom and go to the right. For the next two areas, the green water is rising fast so you need a good jumper and a strong punch. So use the Beast. One punch wrecks the enemies whereas all the other characters have to blast repeatedly at the Phalanx monsters. ICK! Just use Beast and keep moving UP to find the exit. The last boss is a Phalanx clone of BrainChild. He's a WIMP! Oh Cyclops?? The next area is the Phalanx ship. Use Magneto for the first area. His energy ball can explode and take out all enemies on screen, plus with all the moving platforms, if you miss a jump, controlled use of his hovering will keep you from falling too far so that the frustration level wont get too high The next area is a rising platform. Use Cyclops and fire diagonally upwards in both directions repeatedly. The last boss is deathbird Just blast her to pieces. No real recommendation for the next area, but after this third area is the brood queen. Use Wolverine, and slice at her brain when its exposed. Then use Wolverine for the final level. Part II ------- Well, well, well........I've been sitting back today looking at all my files and asking myself "How can I top all that I have done?" "What is next?" Then I stumbled across a source of mine who slipped me some very interesting codes on a game. Oh, and YES I tested them out! Now I bet you are wondering what I could possibly be talking about...... What could it be? Which game? Well here it is! Polish those adamantium claws, get the trench coat, and the ruby-quartz visor to handle those killer eyes! Its time for X-men 2:Clone Wars How about the ability to skip levels AND change characters? Really? You'd like that? Okay! At ANY TIME during the game PAUSE and press Left+C, Up, Up, Left, Down, Down, Right, C and you'll hear a noise. Now unpause the game. Now Pause it AGAIN and press Right+C to SKIP levels, or even Left+C to change characters! Unfortunately the character change code does NOT make Magneto available. You still must rescue him in stage 3. Now then how about another code? One that everyone loves yet hates. What is that you ask? Well...how about INVINCIBILITY??????? Pause the game and type: Up+B, Up, Right, Down, Up, Right, Down, Down, Up, B and you'll hear a noise. Now unpause then pause again and type Up+B to activate the code! BTW the codes can be combined. Plus as an added treat How about some Genie codes: RFMA-N60W: Play as Magneto on any stage AB7B-WWDN Wolverine regenerates up to nine health bars. 6F7B-WAD6: Wolverine regenerates 4 times as fast Now there are other codes for 9 lives, infinite life, invincible, but with the preprogrammed codes and these genie codes, You are ready! EMPEROR CYBERSURFER/Ass't SysOp BTW:Anyone remember this quote: "Cyke's got his problems, but he don't smell like a Morlock!" have fun! have fun. EMPEROR CYBERSURFER/Ass't SysOp """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N FARGO PRIMERA PRO COLOR PRINTERS - 600DPI For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent to you that demonstrates FARGO Primera & Primera Pro SUPERIOR QUALITY 600dpi 24 bit Photo Realistic Color Output, please send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to: STReport's Fargo Printout Offer P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155 Folks, the FARGO Primera Pro has GOT to be the best yet. Its far superior to the newest of Color Laser Printers selling for more than three times as much. Its said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. Send for this sample now. Guaranteed you will be amazed at the superb quality. (please, allow at least a one week turn-around) A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT: _________________________________ Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo) Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN. GENIE Information Services copyright 1995 by General Electric Information Services/GENIE, reprinted by permission """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ___ ___ _____ _______ /___| /___| /_____| /_______/ /____|/____| /__/|__| /__/ /_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/ /__/|____/|__|________|__/ /__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/_____ /__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/ ________________________________________ /_______________________________________/ MAC/APPLE SECTION (II) ====================== John Deegan, Editor (Temp) > STR Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard" """"""""""""" STReport's MailBag """""""""""""""""" Messages * NOT EDITED * for content ----------------------------------- Subject: #89328-#Apple Infomercial????? - Msg Number: 89330 From: fred krughoff 75540,1730 To: Norman Powell 75562,331 Forum: MACCLUB Sec: 02-About Apple Date: 20-Apr-95 11:30:21 Apple is never going to get it ....they have had the power PC now for over a year, a machine which, I as a DOS WIREHEAD and MAC 8100 owner, think is the best computer ever built. And what has Apple chosen to focus on ??? The outright LIE... the very very big LIE ...that you can run Windows on your Power PC using soft windows. Talk about your DOZE ..that was a doze.. Does anyone at Apple think that anyone wants to run ancient windows apps at a crawl on a $3000 Mac? When you are at this level of stupidity and mistruth there is ..simply no hope. By the way, all Mac people should put that PLUG and PLAY bull to rest. I spent last night fighting with a Mac Scanner and many crashes ..a usual problem ..even dispite the fact that my 8100 has three busses. I have never found high end Macs any easier to set up than PCs, Macs are only easy on very simple systems.. if anything, they are much harder to keep stable with many SCSI devices connected . Keeping tcp/ip going on a Mac server is also no easy task.. I find Win NT or SOlARIS much, much more Plug and Play in this area. And long filenames are great if you are only on a Mac.. even in windows NT where we can use long names we are careful not to.. if the file is going out of house. Mac strengths no longer lie in plug and play and other hardware problems. but the Apple OS had a beauty which is hard to describe in a commercial. The fact it was so simple and easy.. there is nothing I can't do on a PC that I can do on a Mac...but its the doing that is different. The Mac leaves one less wired when you are done working. The Mac has a quiet simplicity to its interface which just plain makes sense to most new users and old users alike. This productivity issue can be addressed in ads. But saying a PC is so hard to use just makes all the windows people feel smug ..knowing they are so smart to have figured it out. They only react to the ads by thinking that macs are for dummies, and PCs for the clever. Apple is not going to wake up.. but if they do the following they might survive.. and not become part of IBM Give some developer support for multimedia products ..and stop selling those two speed CD drives Run ads for the new user showing the Mac as fun and easy to use ..with no lies. Make the ads for the common man not the ivy league bookstores ..think midwest forget Boston and California. Forget slick and grey ..think funny ..get some goof ball like Letterman behind Apple. lower the prices (the Mac clones should do this ..there must be a power PC for $1000 with a 500 meg hard drive and 8 megs of ram ..there are many 486s out there at that price. Lower the prices ..2600 for a performa with claris works and quicken? For 2600 I can buy a pentium 100 with a quad speed drive and 1.2 gigs of HD from any Staples office supply here in N.Y.C., and.. will give me 200 bucks back which I can buy software I want lower the prices ...remember why there are no BETA recorders lower the prices ...this is not a bookstore at harvard....this is Comp USA lower the prices ____________________________________ > ETHER! STR FOCUS! The Future.. is here TODAY! """"""""""""""""" Mosaic, Netscape, Trumpet ========================= Super Growth Factors by Ralph F. Mariano There is much to learn and so little time to learn in. Or, so I thought. Internet, the Sleeping Giant of Telecommunications, is awakening with an aggressive but friendly demeanor. First, a little history lesson... (grin) I know, "just what you needed". Well, its not as much a lesson as it is a small dose of nostalgia. I am certain there are quite a few readers who remember stuffing the telephone receiver into that goofy looking, two hole device called an acoustic modem. We all thought what an amazing device.. dial the number, wait for a ring etc... then stuff it into the modem. Modern technology at three hundred baud. That's right young man, 300bps!! We all thought we had it made. Until the ever, memorable "Volksmodem" hit the marketplace. You know, for a modem that "everyone" owned, one can only wonder what became of it or the people behind it but that's another story. The Volksmodem was a super, blazingly fast 2400bps (bits per second)!! There I was, the "hot shot" calling CompuServe way back then during the "heydays" of the Atari and Commodore 64 and Amiga Computers. It was a time when Ron Luks of CIS was the "Top Banana" in a computing world that simply amazed me everyday with something new and hypnotizing. During those times, Ron Luks was pictured in every Antic Magazine illustrating the wonders of the highly popular, original Flash Telcom program for the Atari. But that's all an aside. The real story is about Telcom and its growth. From the "ever so innocent" times of modeming about using an eight bit computer, 850 interface and a 2400 baud Volksmodem, till now, a great deal of water has passed under the bridge of technology. Now, the world of telecommunications is rife with hustlers trying to sell you everything from the colors and construction of a Web page to the promise of unbelievable fame and fortune. The "menu" of telecommunications offerings is vast. The popularity of the "ether" is such that its attracted the most predatory of creatures.. the politicians. Politicians, salivating over the possibilities of increasing their reach, are scratching about in the nets trying to makes names for themselves by introducing populist movements, action groups and regulatory legislation (YUCK!) because some moralist "willy nillies" decided it was time to tell people what is or is not good for them. Again that's another story. The major networks, CompuServe, America OnLine, Delphi, Prodigy and GEnie and others have truly paved the way for the phenomenally explosive telecommunications growth we've all seen in the last few years. Just a scant four years ago, STReport did a study and offered that in a given userbase, at the time Atari Computers, of that userbase an easy twenty five percent of the users had and were using modems. Of course the "industry leaders" scoffed at those figures because they had their ultra expensive demographic studies that "clearly stated otherwise". How sadly mis-informed they were. STReport had interviewed well over two hundred and fifty officers of Usergroups, users at computer shows and spot interviews at computer stores nationwide gathering information. The figures didn't lie... there was, at least, twenty five percent of the users active in telecommunications. Now, its a much larger figure. Its been arrived at in much the same way. The figure is approximately sixty eight percent of those who own a computer also own a modem. Another interesting figure pertains to those who already own a computer, at least twenty eight percent own two or more computers. Now, the hefty figure... recently, we were told by a "highly respected" source that of all American homes thirty three percent had at least one computer. Nice figure but... way off the mark. STReport did its own study and found that in the USA, the figure at this time is more like forty seven percent and its climbing rapidly. People are turned on to computers and computing. They have the "wants" for a computer. We can at this time, predict (comfortably) that by the year two thousand, eighty five percent of the homes in the USA will have at least one computer if not more. During the last election, we heard about the Cyberspace, the Information Highway and the Ether Zone... Many folks thought they were phrases used to make the candidates look like they were "in the know". Those folks were right. Now, here we are nearing re-election time and what has happened? The current administration used the Internet "catch phrases" to their advantage in giving people the impression they'd be readily accessible via a modem and a Telcom network. As it turns out, with dumb intra-party rivalry... the funding for the Internet is now in serious doubt. Another notch "on Newt's gun butt". Another shot "in the butt" for Clinton's Democrats. Hey! Al Gore!! Where are you now?? It seems that no matter which way an election goes these days, the people wind up on the short end of the stick. One thing is for sure, barring a ferocious natural disaster, the Internet, regardless of all the political finagling, is here to stay. This past week, I took the effort to install Spry Mosaic and Net launcher both free Inet access software packages from CIS into Win'95. The install went without a hitch after seeing the elaborate "eye candy" one can encounter on the Web... I was hooked! This stuff is great! Once I was cruising the Ether.. I began to hear about a couple of "super hot" programs for use in the areas I was in and then some. They were talking about Trumpet Winsock and Netscape. With little trouble, all I did was hit the search button and bang! There was Netscape right in front of me as was Trumpet using the same features. I downloaded both programs and proceeded to install them. Again, no problems. The trick with the various Winsock.DLL files is to place the .DLL for each program in each respective directory. Forget having it in the system directory. Netscape is a powerhouse! Trumpet seems far more efficient that Netlauncher. In fact, the Netscape - Trumpet combo seemed quite a bit faster in overall performance than Netlauncher and Spry Mosaic. But don't take my word for it... try it for yourself. Its all out there for the asking. A few D/L's later and you'll be able to compare them for yourself. The bottom line in all this is the Internet. It the way to go. Its the future in your grasp today. Most of all, its accessible to most everyone worldwide. Just think, for the time being... its the only mass communications media that is NOT Censored or manipulated to give the impressions others wish you to have. No propaganda, censorship or head games. Sure, there are flame wars, free-for-alls and controversy but then that's what gives the Internet its uniqueness. Its individuality and its enviable freedoms. So far, CompuServe is the only service offering Free Internet Access including Web, PPP, FTP etc., that's at 28.8bps as the nodes come OnLine. And that is with no rate increase for using the 28.8 bps. I am certain the other Nets will follow suit. How soon and with what kind of overall performance and speed will be the big question. ********************************************************************** IMPORTANT NOTICE! ================= STReport International OnLine Magazine is available every week for your reading pleasure on DELPHI. STReport's readers are invited to join DELPHI and become a part of an extremely friendly community of enthusiastic computer users there. SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI ====================== Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access DELPHI services via a local phone call JOIN --DELPHI -------------- Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002 then... When connected, press RETURN once or twice and... At Password: type STREPORT and press RETURN. DELPHI's 20/20 Advantage Plan 20 Hours for Only $20! ----------------------------- Advantage Members have always enjoyed the lowest DELPHI access rates available. On the new 20/20 Advantage Plan, members receive their first 20 hours of access each month for only $20. If you happen to meet someone OnLine or find some other diversion, don't worry because additional usage is only $1.80 per hour. 20/20 Advantage rates apply for access via SprintNet or Tymnet from within the continental United States during home time or via direct dial around the clock. Home Time is from 6pm to 6am weekdays. Access during business time carries a surcharge of $9 per hour. These rates apply for most services, but note that there are some surcharged areas on DELPHI which are clearly marked with a "$" sign. Who is eligible to take advantage of the plan? Any DELPHI member in good standing. Applications are reviewed and subject to approval by Delphi Internet Services Corporation. It's easy to join. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply OnLine -- at any time -- for membership in the DELPHI 20/20 Advantage Plan. Your membership becomes active at 4 a.m. Eastern Time on the first billing day of the following month. The $20 charge will be billed to you at the beginning of the month to which it applies. Any portion of the 20 hours not used in any month does not carry forward into the next month. Advantage rates may be changed with 30 days notice given OnLine. TRY DELPHI FOR $1 AN HOUR! For a limited time, you can become a trial member of DELPHI, and receive 5 hours of evening and weekend access during this month for only $5. If you're not satisfied, simply cancel your account before the end of the calendar month with no further obligation. If you keep your account active, you will automatically be enrolled in DELPHI's 10/4 Basic Plan, where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for a minimum $10 monthly charge, with additional hours available at $3.96. But hurry, this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage of this limited offer, use your modem to dial 1-800-365-4636. Press once or twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and press again. Then, just answer the questions and within a day or two, you'll officially be a member of DELPHI! DELPHI-It's the BEST Value and getting BETTER all the time! -* ANNOUNCING: DELPHI INTERNET JET *- -------------------------------------- Windows-based graphic interface for the otherwise text-only Delphi online service. In addition to providing the user with a graphic interface, Delphi Internet Jet can be configured to automatically gather Delphi Internet e-mail and forum messages, and place them into a QWK packet for the user's existing QWK mail reader! Complete instructions for setup, operation, Delphi membership, and a FREE five hour trial included in the INTJET.TXT file. ************************************************************ ATARI/JAG SECTION (III) ======================= Dana Jacobson, Editor > From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Please forgive me if I sound less than my usual enthusiastic self this week. The tragedy in Oklahoma City is simply overwhelming. And Boston (where I am) has been saturated with all kinds of bomb threats and other mindless acts of mental terrorism over the past two days. Our thoughts go out to those who have had this tragedy thrust at them; the families and friends that were lost or hurt senselessly. ***** Missionware Software has just recently announced the latest update to the ever-popular telecommunications software, Flash II. As a former "die-hard" Interlink user until Flash II came on the scene; as well as being a current beta tester of Flash II, the program keeps getting better (and continues to do so, but an NDA prevents me from saying more!). You'll find the details of this upgrade later on. And the best part is that it's free for the downloading on your favorite BBS or online service! Be sure to check it out. Over the past month or so, there have been numerous inquiries about our weekly Internet distribution process. If you're unaware of this, we have been providing a weekly mailing of each issue of STReport via the Internet to those people who don't have access to local bulletin boards or online services to download the issues directly. What we do is compress each issue using some form of a ZIP compression routine (either STZIP or a PC version (g)), then uuencode it, and then e-mail it, via Delphi's mail system to those who have subscribed. The usual question that arises is "how do I view the file?" Well, the process is fairly simple, if you're unsure. All that you need to do is utilize a "uudecoder" program to convert the coded file to the original ZIP'ed file, and then uncompress that file to readable text. Since the uudecoded file comes through the mail, you'll likely have to remove the e-mail header before trying to decode the file. This is where most people run into a problem - they're not removing this header. Once you do so, the rest should be easy. Need a uudecoder program? It's been suggested that PC users try WinCode. I'm sure that there are others out there, including DOS versions. For Atari users, I can personally attest to ESS-Code, from Michel Forget. If you still have problems, let us know and we'll try to make sure that you get the necessary help to make things easy for you. If you want to subscribe, and haven't yet, drop us a line at either of the two Internet addresses listed near the beginning of this issue. Until next time... _______________________________________ Delphi's Atari Advantage!! TOP FIVE DOWNLOADS (4/19/95) (1) UNIVERSAL PRINT CONTROL ACC (2) SPEED OF LIGHT 3.7B (3) SILKBOOT 3 (4) ACCENT PUTS FUN IN YOUR TEXT! (5) LITTLENET/MIDI PORT NETWORK PRG. * = New on list HONORARY TOP 5 The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently out-performing every other file in the databases. STREPORT (Current issue: STREPORT 11.15) ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4) Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database. ______________________________________ > FLASH II Version 2.22 STR Spotlight """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" FLASH II ======== Version 2.22! FROM: MISSIONWARE SOFTWARE 354 N. Winston Drive Palatine, Illinois 60067-4132 United States of America phone 708-359-9565 Missionware Software is pleased to announce the release of version 2.22 of Flash II. This is our fifth update. Flash II originally went up for sale in April of 1992. Version 2.22 fixes a number of problems discovered by our customers and beta testers over the past few months. We've added a number of enhancements as well! If you already own a version of Flash II just download the file F222UP.LZH and use it to patch your current version. Flash II is the update to the most popular Atari ST telecommunications program ever! It's available exclusively from Missionware Software and at an affordable price! Flash II is completely rewritten by Paul Nicholls of Clayfield, Australia. But don't let that fool you! Flash II has the same look and feel as previous versions of Flash...plus a slew of new features to boot! And it's just as easy and fast to use for the telecommunications beginner or pro! The new features of Version 2.22 include: ---------------------------------------- * Fully Falcon030 compatible! * Enhanced DEC VT Terminal emulations including the ability to swap the functions of the Delete and Backspace keys for conformance to standard DEC terminals. * Enhanced ANSI terminal and graphics. * History buffer is now included for Type Ahead editor. * Full support for all Atari serial ports on TT030 and MegaSTe as well as baud rates up to 153600. * Terminal mode now displays either the real time clock or a timer. When the timer is displayed, it now runs all the time. * Search-Next mode added in editor. Control-F9 keystrokes can be used for this new function. * Enhanced DO scripting language, including: PORT: Selects the port to be used. CLOCK: Selects Clock display in terminal mode. TIMER: Selects Timer display in terminal mode. DBPATH: Sets path for Block file operations. KERMIT: Selects various Kermit transfer options. BREAK: Sends a BREAK during script operations Naturally, all of your old favorite Flash II features are still available: * DO script files compatible with older versions of Flash! * All macros use the familiar Flash DO script format! * Easily setup the parameters for each BBS you call...this includes everything from ASCII upload/download options to baud rate! * You can program up to 20 individual and separate macros for each BBS plus an additional 10 global macros ! * Displays RLE & GIF pictures either on or off line! You can also save or load these pictures for later review! * Supports the following terminal types: TTY, VIDTEX, VT52, ANSI, VT100, VT101, VT102, VT200, VT300 & PRESTEL. * Includes full support for RTS/CTS. This mode can now be turned on and off by the user. * Includes Automatic Answer mode! * Includes Auto Boards mode - Preselect the board(s) you wish to dial and when Flash II is launched either manually from the desktop by you, or automatically by some other program launcher, Flash II will wake up and dial the board(s) you've got selected. It will also wait for the proper time to dial these boards. * Includes full featured GEM text editor with: merge, block commands, cut & paste, search & replace, paragraph reformating; user tab settings, page width, full keyboard cursor and delete control and more! * Supports the ST, IBM and DEC character sets, including IBM/ANSI graphics characters! * Includes Silent Line for background file transfers! * Supports the following upload/download protocols: ASCII, Xmodem, Ymodem, Ymodem-G, Zmodem, Modem7, WXmodem, CIS B, Kermit and SEAlink! And all of these protocols are built into the program...no external modules required!!! * Zmodem supports the selection of AutoStart and Streaming options. If you prefer to use an external Zmodem protocol with Flash II, you can now force Flash II's Zmodem autostart mode to off. For BBS' that don't support "streaming", this too can now be turned off. * Logs all on line time and calculates your approximate costs for you! * New version written in assembler! Fast! * Runs on all ST, STe, TT030 and Falcon computers! * Supports "Install Application". You can create a DO script that can be used to launch Flash II from the desktop and force it to dial up and go online for you, all automatically! * Both the Terminal and Editor have been enhanced significantly for both speed and ease of use. You'll be amazed at how fast the new Flash II is! Missionware Software's upgrade policy remains the same for the new Version 2.22! We will continue to upgrade any old version of Flash! (copyright Antic Software) for just $30 US, plus $4 shipping and handling (US and Canada), $8 worldwide. Or, you can purchase Flash II, version 2.22 outright, for only $49.95 US plus the shipping and handling charges applicable to your area. To order, or for more information, contact: Missionware Software 354 N. Winston Drive Palatine, IL 60067-4132 United States of America phone: 1-708-359-9565 _________________________________________ > SozobonX! STR InfoFile! - New SozobonX Distribution """"""""""""""""""""""" From: Jerry Gerald Geiger Date: Tue, 11 Apr 1995 New SozobonX release available at new SozobonX home-site SozobonX is the eXtended Version of Sozobon C, currently supported and maintained by some people. SozobonX is a freeware C-Compiler system, based on the original Sozobon 2.00 release, to run under Atari TOS (+-MiNT) or compatible systems. It includes GEM libraries and ST-Guide hyper-text library docs. The adapted MiNT-lib (mntsox.lzh) is somewhat out of date but will be updated soon. :-) There is an alternative compiler included (c68: sozc68.lzh). HOMESITE: ftp.fu-berlin.de PATH: pub/atari/programming/Sozobon FILES: sozbin10.lzh, sozlib13.lzh, sozuti07.lzh, sozc6844.lzh, mntsox44.lzh -- jerry Greetings from another Okami Newsreader user. -/- CD-ROM Sales Up 229 Percent -/- Sales of CD-ROMs jumped 229 percent in 1994 to $648 million, according to the latest figures from the Software Publishers Association, which tracked 52 leading CD-ROM publishers. Reporting from Washington, United Press International says the report "shows signs that computer drives that read the discs have become less of a new fangled gadget and more a standard hardware format for consumer products, home CD-ROM titles." Some specifics from the report are: -:- Sales reached $647.5 million on 22.8 million units, or $28.42 per CD on average, up from $202.8 million in 1993 for 8 million units, or $25.25 a CD. -:- In the fourth-quarter Christmas season of 1994 alone, sales reached $298 million on 10.2 million CDs, up from $102 million on 4 million units for the fourth quarter of 1993. -:- Consumer-oriented market segments led sales. Content products such as encyclopedias and games and other home products each accounted for about one-quarter of CD software sales in 1994, half of all sales. -:- Home-education software accounted for about one-sixth of sales, growing 222 percent. -:- "Content" software, such as guide books and reference volumes, remains a substantial part of the CD software market, but it has been losing ground to other categories. Still, sales in that category were up 143 percent in 1994. UPI notes SPA's sales report for the fourth quarter reflects sales of major players such as titan Microsoft Corp., but does not cover all CD-ROM sales. Other companies surveyed include Broderbund, Compton's New Media, Knowledge Adventure, MindScape and World Library. SPA said another sign of the consumer market for CD-ROMs is that fewer CD-ROMs are being sold bundled with drives and computer systems as original equipment. David Tremblay, the association's research director, told the wire service, "For CD software publishers, OEM (original equipment manufacturer) sales represent an important part of the business, but as the number of installed CD drives increases, retail, direct and other channels will become an increasingly important part of the distribution mix." SPA reports that for all of 1993, unbundled sales accounted for 49 percent of units sold and 74 percent of CD software revenues. For 1994, unbundled channels grew to account for 61 percent of units and 89 percent of revenues. Bundled channel revenues grew 37 percent in 1994, but unbundled channel sales grew 296 percent. -/- Hayes Reports Operating Profits -/- Operating profits of $1.5 million have been reported by modem maker Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc. for the second quarter, resulting, it says, from the company's reorganization. The Reuter News Service reports from Atlanta that privately held Hayes said profits were up, but did not provide previous quarterly figures. The firm said it had record sales the past two quarters, with about $65 million in the second quarter. As reported earlier, Hayes has been under Chapter XI federal bankruptcy protection since Nov. 15. Company officials told Reuters its merger with Practical Peripherals Inc. has helped reduce inventory and manufacturing costs. -/- Intruder Hits Australian System -/- From Sydney, Australia, comes word a vandal has invaded a major Internet service provider and has stolen up to 1,400 credit card numbers. Writing for the Australian Associated Press, reporter David Killick says the intruder, known as Optik Surfer, "gained access to the AUSnet World Wide Web server last week and accessed the information after cracking the password of a system operator." Killick says Optik Surfer, "believed to be an American operating from Melbourne," then "copied AUSnet subscriber information, including credit card details, and claims to have distributed it on the Internet." AAP say the Australian Federal Police Computer Crime Section has confirmed it is investigating the theft, after being informed of the breach by AUSnet last week. "Internet users have known of the security breach since Thursday when the hacker's message -- "Remember, too many secrets" -- appeared on the AUSnet home page. The quote comes from the 1993 hacker cult movie Sneakers, starring Robert Redford." AAP quotes PC Week columnist Thomas Liddle as saying copies of credit card numbers, and a message claiming responsibility for the attack also were sent to several Sydney computer journalists." Says Killick, "The electronic graffiti left by the hacker first drew attention to the security breach on the AUSnet site. 'Did you know that Ausnet clients credit card details are all sitting readable on their system?!?!?!,' the message read. 'We have the credit card numbers, and it has already been distributed to many other hackers and carders around the world.'" -/- Poulsen Sentenced to Prison -/- Renegade computerist Kevin Lee Poulsen has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison after admitting he rigged radio call-in contests to win luxury cars, Hawaiian vacations and thousands in cash. The 29-year-old Poulsen also has been ordered by U.S. District Judge Manuel Real to pay $58,000 in restitution and serve three years supervised probation upon his release. In Los Angeles, prosecutors told The Associated Press this is the harshest sentence ever given a computer vandal. U.S. Attorney Nora M. Manella commented, "The Department of Justice rejects the notion that hackers such as Poulsen are simply harmless computer wonks, frolicking in cyberspace." Poulsen faces additional charges of stealing classified Air Force communications listing the names and locations of structures that would be attacked during a war. As reported earlier, Poulsen, who was a computer security consultant to the Pentagon in the 1980s, was indicted on 19 counts of computer intrusion and pleaded guilty to seven. Court documents allege Poulsen blocked incoming phone lines of radio stations KRTH-FM, KPWR-FM and KIIS-FM, then he, a friend or relative called at the right moment to win a prize. Prosecutors say Poulsen fraudulently won two Porsches from KIIS-FM, $20,000 from KPWR-FM and at least two trips to Hawaii and $2,000 from KRTH-FM. ____________________________________ JAGUAR SECTION ============== Defender 2000 Update! Lap-Cat! Hover Strike Released! Opinions! VidGrid and ? And Much More!! > From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Well, Hover Strike is in Atari's warehouse and will be shipping to dealers immediately! Expect to see it on the shelf Monday or Tuesday. Word has it that this one is impressive; we're looking forward to seeing and providing an extensive review as soon as we can. We also have some other reviews in the works, for which I apologize for the delay. Time constraints have been limiting reviews as late, but we're working to overcome this. The staff at STReport warmly welcomes Dean Fox, Atari's new marketing guy, to the fold. Fox comes to Atari from Sega; and Dean was responsible for the campaign surrounding the release of the 32X CD. One of Fox's first responsibilities will be to head up the JaguarCD campaign - something we're all looking forward to learning more about. In a few of our recent past issues, there had been some growing concern by our readers, as well as many of the online community, pertaining to the rumored JaguarCD pack-in. The rumor was that VidGrid, a music/puzzle game, was to be the pack-in. There had been, and continues to be, a lot of negativity surrounding this possibility. The concern is that people just don't want this game; they want something better. Well, it's pretty much a "done deal" that VidGrid WILL be the pack-in for the CD. However, it's also known that there will be a second title included! There hasn't been a confirmation on what that second title might be. Word has it that Jaguar users' voices have been heard and partly responsible for this added title! The likely reason as to why VidGrid is being included is probably that an agreement was reached early on and there's no way to change that commitment. Adding a second game (or making VidGrid the second game) won't affect the agreement. Expect to see an official announcement, likely at the E3 show. So, if you think your opinions don't matter, think about it again. Keep those comments/opinions coming. They may not always have the effect you want, but they might make a difference! Jeff Minter continues to keep us abreast of the status of Defender 2000. Look for more "Minter Classics" further on in this issue. Want an affordable joystick for your Jaguar? Well, read about the latest addition to the market, the LapCat!! Check out the latest comments from the online community. The Internet is always buzzing with opinions and items of interest. Jeff Kovach brings us a few of them, included in this issue. Well, deadlines come by a lot faster these days, or so it seems! Let me wrap up this week's issue so you'll be able to have it on time. Until next time... __________________________________________ > Jaguar Catalog STR InfoFile - What's currently available. """"""""""""""""""""""""""" What's coming out. Current Available Titles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER J9000 Cybermorph $59.99 Atari Corp. J9006 Evolution:Dino Dudes $49.99 Atari Corp. J9005 Raiden $49.99 FABTEK, Inc/Atari Corp. J9001 Trevor McFur/ Crescent Galaxy $49.99 Atari Corp. J9010 Tempest 2000 $59.95 Llamasoft/Atari Corp. J9028 Wolfenstein 3D $69.95 id/Atari Corp. JA100 Brutal Sports FtBall $69.95 Telegames J9008 Alien vs. Predator $69.99 Rebellion/Atari Corp. J9029 Doom $69.99 id/Atari Corp. J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $59.99 Atari Corp. J9003 Club Drive $59.99 Atari Corp. J9007 Checkered Flag $69.99 Atari Corp. J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Corp. J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Corp J9020 Bubsy $49.99 Atari Corp J9026 Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari Corp J9060 Val D'Isere Skiing $59.99 Atari Corp. Cannon Fodder $69.99 Virgin Syndicate $69.99 Ocean Troy Aikman Ftball $69.99 Williams Theme Park $69.99 Ocean Sensible Soccer Telegames Double Dragon V $59.99 Williams Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Corp. Available Soon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER CatBox $69.95 ICD Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Jaguar CD-ROM $149.99 Atari Hardware and Peripherals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER J8001 Jaguar (complete) $189.99 Atari Corp. J8001 Jaguar (no cart) $159.99 Atari Corp. J8904 Composite Cable $19.95 J8901 Controller/Joypad $24.95 Atari Corp. J8905 S-Video Cable $19.95 > Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" From CompuServe's AtariGaming Forum: Sb: 6-Button LapCat Released Fm: Dale & Karen Dobson 73637,3457 To: ALL Found this on Christian Svensson's Jaguar WWW Page (using CIS' new Mosaic feature - cool!) Excuse the formatting - I kind of fudged it from the Unix world and may have lost some special characters, etc. I also deleted some pricing information since I wasn't sure about ad restrictions here. According to the preceding Jaguar News WWW pages, this stick is AVAILABLE from Formula-1 as of 4/10/95. It apparently conforms to Atari's 6-button specs with the absence of the "Shift" keys that will be present on Controller II. Here's the info: Lap Cat Atari Jaguar Joystick upgrade From Formula-1 Systems If you have been waiting for an affordable joystick for your Atari Jaguar, your day has come! Welcome to the innovative style of the Lap Cat. Lap Cat is an ergonomic Six button joystick made from real arcade parts. The front upward slope has a beautiful feel and very stress free on the wrists. The fire buttons are arranged in two rows of three. The Keypad is just above the fire buttons for easy selecting. The pause and option buttons are to the right of the fire buttons so you can instantly pause the system. The extra three buttons are used to control the 7,8,9 keys on the keypad, as per Atari's new 6 button joypad. If you suffer from Nintendo Thumb, this is the only cure for extended playing periods. No more yelling at the TV and stumping on your joypad because You Were moving at a diagonal, but that poor joypad had a mind of its own and said that you weren't! Unlike other Joysticks that require that you have a second joypad to access the keypad, Lap Cat has the keypad built in above the Six fire buttons. This means instant control at all times. Games like Iron Soldier become a breeze when you can instantly pick the weapon you want without having to divert your eyes to look down at the joypad. Lap Cat is a Joystick conversion from your original joypad. Lap Cat measures L 11.5 in W 11.5 in Front 3 in Back 5 in To find out more or to order a Lap Cat: EMail B.Aein@genie.geis.com or phone 301-251-0997 (ask for Ben, Formula-1 Systems). > Jaguar Developers STR InfoFile - Current Developer Lists & Titles """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Game Title Date Game Type MSRP Publisher ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Air Cars 2Q/95 Racing $59.99 Midnight Ent. Alien vs Predator NOW Role Play/Adventure $69.99 Atari Arena Football 2Q/95 Sports TBD V Reel Assault 2Q/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Midnight Ent. Barkley Basketball 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Battlemorph 2Q/95 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Battle Wheels 2Q/95 Racing/Combat TBD Beyond Games Blue Lightning (CD) 2Q/95 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Brett Hull Hockey (CD) 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Brutal Sports Football NOW Sports/Combat $69.99 Telegames Bubsy NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Burnout 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Cannon Fodder NOW Action/Adventure $69.99 Virgin Checkered Flag NOW Racing $69.99 Atari Club Drive NOW Racing $59.99 Atari Creature Shock (CD) 2Q/95 Adventure/Sci-Fi TBD Atari/Virgin Cybermorph NOW Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Dactyl Joust 2Q/95 Action TBD Atari Demolition Man 2Q/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Atari Doom NOW Action/Combat $69.99 Atari Double Dragon V NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Williams Dragon:Bruce Lee Story NOW Combat $59.99 Atari Dragon Lair (CD) 2Q/95 Adventure TBD Ready Soft Dreadnought (CD) 2Q/95 Adventure TBD Atari Dungeon Depths 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Midnight Ent. Evolution: Dino Dudes NOW Puzzle/Adventure $49.99 Atari Flashback 2Q/95 Action/Adventure TBD US Gold Fight For Life 2Q/95 Combat TBD Atari Hardball Baseball 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Highlander (CD) 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Horrorscope 2Q/95 Combat TBD V Reel Hover Strike NOW Action/Combat $59.99 Atari Iron Soldier NOW Action/Strategy $59.99 Atari Jack Nicklaus Golf(CD) 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Kasumi Ninja NOW Combat $69.99 Atari Rage Rally 2Q/95 Racing TBD Atari Raiden NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Rayman 2Q/95 Action/Adventure TBD UBI Soft Robinson Requiem 2Q/95 Adventure TBD Atari Sensible Soccer NOW Sports Telegames Soccer Kid 2Q/95 Sports TBD Ocean Space War 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Star Raiders 2Q/95 Space Simulation TBD Atari Syndicate NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean Tempest 2000 NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Theme Park NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean Tiny Toon Adventures 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Trevor McFur NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Troy Aikman NFL Ftball NOW Sports $69.99 Williams Ultimate Brain Games 2Q/95 Puzzle TBD Telegames Ultra Vortex 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $69.99 Beyond Games Val D'Isere Skiing... NOW Sports $59.99 Atari White Men Can't Jump 2Q/95 Sports TBD TriMark Wolfenstein 3D NOW Combat/Action $59.99 Atari Zool2 NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari [Editor's note: Titles, scheduled release dates, and prices are verified from Atari and Edelman Public Relations - all subject to change] > Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! """""""""""""""""""""""""" From the Internet... From: spew@j51.com (Senor Bongles) Newsgroups: alt.atari-jaguar.discussion,rec.games.video.atari Subject: plan to save the jaguar from death Date: Wed, 12 Apr 95 16:36:01 GMT In the latest issue of a magazine (Wizard the guide to comics), there is a contest to decide the best game system out there. The winner gets a free system of their choice. What you have to do is go to your local comic store or newsstand, open Wizard #45, rip out page 69 and return it filled in with gushing praise for the Jaguar. If Jaguar wins this contest-thingy, it gets free advertising to millions of comic/video game fans. All of the info is on page 69. Remember, this is over on June 30, so get your entries in FAST. ~*~ ======================== ~*~ Relay note: I do not advise ripping pages out of publications that belong to someone else. This does sound like a great idea otherwise and I'm going to vote for my favorite! (Jag Rules!). "Wizard" magazine can be found at comic and trading card shops everywhere. --D.Thomas@Atari From CIS SysOp and STReport staffer, Jeff Kovach: Sb: D2K Update 4/15/95 Fm: SYSOP*Jeff Kovach 74777,3071 To: All From Jeff Minter's WWW page, the latest Defender 2000 update: ------------------ D2K Thangs for April April 15: The ASAD Object Handler Well, the perspective tile thang came off nicely. Finished off the background generator for 2K, and my graphic artist has the task of creating a test set of 2K graphics on the top of his stack. Replaced the graphics of Pods and Swarmers in Plus mode; now there are none of the original Defender graphics in Plus mode. I've been working on an all-singing, all-dancing object list handler for 2K, and planning out the data structures for objects in that game. The OL handler's just about finished now, and very useful indeed. It handles creation of Object List entries for sprites, and deals correctly with clipping of both scaled and unscaled sprites; performs mapping of objects from 'planet' space to 'screen' space; handles animation and effects (such as spin around a vertical axis, or throb by frobbing the scale fields of a sprite); does X/Y and optionally Z motion and behaviour at boundaries (reflect, wrap or cease). In conjunction with the tiling generator it makes any kind of sprite game easy to get running, as well as being perfect for 2K levels. It's a most useful little GPU overlay. So llook out for little hidden Llamasoft easter eggs in the final game... Next thing is to begin to beweapon the player ship, put in some prey and predators, and get collision detect and real game stuff happening. I should be getting the final anim of my Iron Camel this coming week, so it'll befun to make a kinda AMC-level as I get everything running. I'm really looking forward to having some real stuff in my background generator too. At the moment there's some psychedelic stuff and lots of Pythonesque Flossies layered back there, which is all well and good, but I want to see what a real level is gonna look like... Oh yeah, and we've got the first cut of several of the D2K tunes! More than the three I was expecting... they sound promising, particular standouts at the moment being the Main Theme, which is very funky with FX from original Defender dropped into the mix; Level Tunes 2 and 5; the Bonus Round medley and the Hiscore theme. I'm pretty pleased; very promising for a first cut. So... next week, more 2K, possibly some Llamatron... \ (:-) - and I can run Netscape at last on top of Netcruiser! Excellent! / Fm: SYSOP*Jeff Kovach 74777,3071 To: All A fellow Jaguar enthusiast (Tony Belding) requested that I post the following here. I hope you find it interesting! Jeff ----------------------- Atari Jaguar Classic Games Report 11 April 1995 INTRODUCTION When the Jaguar was first announced, Atari gave the impression that updated versions of classic games would be a big attraction. At that time Tempest 2000 and Battlezone 2000 were announced, and not long afterward Star Raiders 2000 was also announced. After only a few months, Tempest 2000 was delivered and surpassed everyone's expectations. Many still consider it the best game available for the Jaguar, and it propelled its programmer, Jeff Minter, to the status of cult hero in the Atari community. However, Star Raiders 2000 and Battlezone 2000 never appeared. Now the Jaguar has been on the market for well over a year, and Tempest 2000 is still the ONLY classic arcade port for it. That is not what we were led to expect. In failing to bring these kinds of games to the Jaguar, Atari is missing a great opportunity. Trying to compete against 3DO, Nintendo, Sega and Sony on the basis of generic fighting, racing or platformer games is a losing strategy. Games are what sell systems. To sell the Jaguar, it needs distinctive games that are not available elsewhere. Games like Tempest 2000 could be the lever that raise Jaguar to true popularity. So, where are they? 2000-SERIES GAMES -- A STATUS REPORT Battle Sphere -- This space combat game is not a port from anywhere else, but it looks good and the programmers at 4Play have indicated Battle Sphere may have a play mode similar to Star Raiders (see below). Battlezone 2000 -- This game, being done in-house by Atari, mutated into something different during development, to the point that Atari felt it should be renamed. It is now known as Hover Strike, and is not being billed as any kind of relation to Battlezone. It's unclear now whether Atari has any desire to revive the Battlezone 2000 name or concept in the future. See also Iron Soldier. Dactyl Joust -- This is supposed to be a 3D version of Joust, the classic Williams game. It is being developed by High Voltage Software. Although it's been in the works for a while, very little information has leaked out about it, and it remains a rather mysterious project. There is also no word on whether a Joust Traditional version will be included, though it's a reasonable assumption since one has been programmed for the Jaguar as a demo. Defender 2000 -- One of the most highly anticipated games being worked on for Jaguar, Defender 2000 is being coded by Jeff Minter. Latest word is that it will be a Jaguar CD game, including direct CD music from the team that gave us the excellent Tempest 2000 soundtrack. Like Tempest 2000, it will include Traditional, Plus and 2000 modes. The Defender Traditional mode is supposed to be a virtually perfect recreation of the original Defender arcade game. The information posted by Jeff Minter about Defender 2000 has generated a great deal of enthusiasm for it. Iron Soldier -- Here's another game that's not a port of anything else, but which is available now, is a fine game, and has distinct similarities to Battlezone. Iron Soldier puts the player in a giant mecha robot instead of a battle tank, but otherwise this could almost be thought of as Battlezone 2000. Major Havok 2000 -- Atari wanted Jeff Minter to program Major Havok 2000 after he finished Tempest 2000 and his Virtual Light Machine. However, Jeff begged off and took up the Defender 2000 project instead. Thus, the idea of Major Havok 2000 remains in limbo. Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure -- For the SNES and Genesis, Activision did this overhaul of their Atari VCS/2600 classic including a perfect translation of the original game hidden as an easter egg. It is reportedly in development for Jaguar as well, expected late this year. I have no other information about it right now. Space War 2000 -- See Star Raiders 2000 below. Stardust -- Done by Bloodhouse Ltd. for the Amiga computers and Amiga CD^32 game machine, Stardust is basically Asteroids given the same kind of overhaul as Tempest 2000. It is Asteroids 2000 in all but name. The catch is that there doesn't seem to be any Jaguar version in the works. Surely there must be some way to bring this kind of game to Jaguar? Star Raiders 2000 -- This game, another Atari in-house project, also mutated during development into something much different and is now being developed under the name Space War 2000. Exactly what relation it may have to the original Space War game is unclear. On the face of it, Space War 2000 appears to be a first-person perspective piloting game quite unlike the original Space War. It's unclear whether Atari ever intends to do a Star Raiders 2000 game as such. See also Battle Sphere. Tempest 2000 -- It's the only 2000 series game actually available, and it proves that the concept is viable. The cartridge has several game versions including a Tempest Traditional that mimics the old Tempest arcade game, though not precisely since Jeff Minter did it from memory. By contrast, the Tempest 2000 game mode goes over the top with fantastic graphics, new enemies and powerups, and exotic bonus rounds. The music soundtrack has also garnered much praise all around. This is what we want and need more of! A NOTE ABOUT EASTER EGGS A perfect translation of Joust was reportedly programmed some time back for the Jaguar. There was some talk of putting it into another game as an easter egg, though nothing ever came of that. Now it seems more likely that it will come with Dactyl Joust whenever that game finally sees the light of day. The Atari Lynx had some quite neat easter eggs, such as the Mandelbrot generator in Chip's Challenge or the Game of Life in Zarlor Mercenary. There haven't been any easter eggs (as far as I know) for Jaguar games yet, perhaps because of limited ROM cartridge space. When more Jaguar game development moves onto CDROM, it will be easier to put in easter eggs. I think it would be cool if some of the very old and simple games found their way onto Jaguar in this manner, such as Astro Invaders, Pong or Night Driver. WHY WE NEED THESE GAMES The Atari Jaguar is facing some tough competition. 3DO is already on the market with a powerful (albeit expensive) system and a bigger game library. The new Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation, 3DO M2 and Nintendo Ultra-64 will all have a technological edge over Jaguar. How can Jaguar fight back? For a clue, here is a quote from Tom Kalinske, president of Sega of America: "The battle really comes down to software. No one cares about hardware." Everyone in the videogame business should frame that quote to serve as a constant reminder. That's not to say software is the only factor of success, but there is evidence that it is the most important. Just consider how one game, Donkey Kong Country, has extended the life of Nintendo's aging SNES machine. Today the majority of home console games fall into three categories: run-and-jump platformers, fighting games, and racing games. Each of these categories has been around long enough to become stagnant and show little innovation. Furthermore, they appeal only to a narrow segment of potential game players. The first generation of Saturn and Playstation games have been heavy on these types of games. This is a weakness Atari can exploit by providing an alternative. By offering unique games that are only available for Jaguar, Atari can differentiate their product and attract consumers who have been alienated by the lack of diversity on other platforms. Let people understand, if they want to play Defender 2000 or Dactyl Joust, Star Raiders, Breakout, Asteroids, etc., they aren't going to do it on Playstation. Bringing back old arcade games is a tactic with special strength because it plays to two different audiences. As we saw with Tempest 2000, old timers are attracted to these old games by nostalgia. However, because the game was so dramatically updated to take advantage of Jaguar's power, it also made inroads with the younger game players who did not remember the original Tempest. To them it seemed like something fresh and different. Some have been calling for a VCS/2600 emulator for the Jaguar, or for direct ports of the old arcade games without enhancement (as in Microsoft Arcade, for example). Either of these approaches would be a mistake since the games would have little appeal outside of nostalgia. That is not sufficient by itself. Furthermore, there is no reason to limit ourselves in that way. As Tempest 2000 demonstrated, the old games can be very soundly improved by an infusion of Jaguar power while still providing the "Traditional" game mode for those who want it. WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT? For some reason Atari has not put much effort into this idea. They have fooled around and given us lackluster games like Checkered Flag and Dragon when we could have had Star Raiders 2000 or Asteroids 2000 instead. This is a sadly missed opportunity. However, there is something we can do to turn this situation around. Write Atari. Yes, it really is that simple. I've noticed plenty of people complaining to each other on the net about the lack of classic games for Jaguar, but that doesn't help any. We must go to the source and tell the people at Atari about our concerns. Let them know we expected more and we want more! Here's how you can contact Atari: Atari Corporation PO Box 61657 Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1657 Also email: Ron Beltramo: 75300.2110@compuserve.com Loic Duval: 74431.1703@compuserve.com Lynn Latz: 75300.2630@compuserve.com John Mathieson: 74431.1702@compuserve.com Bill Rehbock: 75300.1606@compuserve.com Laury Scott: 75300.2631@compuserve.com Darryl Still: 75300.2632@compuserve.com Don Thomas: 75300.1267@compuserve.com ?: jaguar$@genie.geis.com Please do not call Atari about this by voice telephone, as you will only end up hassling some already overworked people to little avail. Writing letters is probably the best way if you have time, because they can be easily stacked up and taken to show the boss. It makes an impression. When writing letters, here are some guidelines: * Be polite, not strident. Flaming is not helpful. * Be brief. You don't' need to drag it out by pages or make any convoluted arguments. Just explain that you like Tempest 2000 and want more classic games like that. * Handwritten notes may make a better impression, as long as they are easily readable. It shows you cared enough to expend some time and effort. You may wonder whether our letters are taken seriously at Atari. Just consider this excerpt from a recent Atari press release: > "Mortal Kombat" is one of the most frequently requested video > game titles from Jaguar enthusiasts. > > "Letters have been pouring in daily telling us that gamers want > 'Mortal Kombat' for the Atari Jaguar," indicated Mr. Sam Tramiel, > president of Atari Corporation. If the Mortal Kombat fans can get their message across that way, maybe we can too. Although I'm sure it's a fine thing that MK3 will be available for Jaguar, it's going to be on plenty of other systems as well. We need something else to set the Jaguar apart from the crowd. The "2000" series games can do it. / end of listing Tony Belding (tony.belding@starlinx.damar.com) Sb: #76879-#Further validation Fm: Bob McCauley 73160,3542 To: Daniel Skelton 73742,464 (X) More trivia from Prodigy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- ----- From: GENE BOUDREAU Time: 04/10 7:55 PM <><>AKLM<><>Hope this doesn't "bum you out". My broker spoke with DAWN Barry today(APR 10) and as I and others have speculated, the recent announcement was "too good to be true". First, for those that make AKLM contacts, own shares and speak with the IR folks, they've moved the IR (and perhaps other corporate offices), I'll post the new phone # if anyone cares. Here's what I think is not so favorable; Ms Barry (who does not appear enthusiastic about ATC, what so ever, by my previous conversations with her and many by my broker) states, AKLM IS NOT [READ...NO WAY RENE'] publishing any of the 3 games recently announced. In fact she said AKLM "gave" the 3 titles to ATC. I guess ATC officials wore AKLM officials out on this issue. She then went on to say ATC people "will do all the work". Again she said, we are not a publisher for ATC. Let me also say, (and I know my head was ripped off by a few who visit us from the Games BB when I made this statement over a year ago), AKLM is NOT and has my broker understood from her nothing you could develop/publish with. RE: PSX/Saturn, AKLM is developing/publishing for them or working towards that end. She essentially said AKLM is working with those that will, "We want sales" was the bottom line my broker understood clearly, quite clear. Hope the deal with ERTS is better than this nonsense. ATC's current s/w licensee's, VIRTUALITY and any 3rd party immersive VR developers is looking better and better. GO VIRGIN, OCEAN, ID, WILLIAMS, ATARI VGRPY etc.and the other 130(?). No wonder the stock didn't move with the AKLM announcement...Geezzz! >>> This note is not to suggest AKLM is not going to work with NTD, in fact they plan to, they're just waiting for something to work with. No matter, ATC is going to make it on their own, Williams, ID, Ocean, Virgin, Atari and now VGRPY are "major" enough. SINK or SWIM! SAM T & Co, show us what your made of, Show us your stuff, Bring on the JAG VR(and get the price down too From: PETER RAUCH You've probably been told about a million times by now that the long-predicted '95 system wars are underway. I'm not going to bother telling you that, since it just ain't true...having two encrypted Japanese machines on the market at about $700 a piece (DieHard prices) does not, IMHO, constitute a war. I am here to state the present and future situation of the Jaguar. No, I have not been kind to the Jag in past postings; for obvious reasons...the early releases were horrible as expected, followed by the mid-1st gen releases that were even worse...then the games came in by the truckload, with>> about half of them being Genesis quality. Yet, the more I play, the more I like the Jag...when I first played AvP, I was literally angry at how bad it was...then I began to understand what the programmers were trying to do, and I loved it. I gave DOOM a horrible review for it's repetitive gameplay and missing music, but when I play it through the [text missing] Let's be honest with ourselves, the Jag CD's first few titles look less than stellar, but the future releases are what concern me: specifically those of Atari Games/Time Warner Interactive (a company composed of Atari Games, Atari Corp, and Tengen). Besides the obvious Primal Rage release (history shows that a system needs either a great platformer or a popular fighter to get off the ground), there is the other, possibly more potentially popular title, lurking in the shadows...T-MEK, and its brethren. Remember the $5-for-3-minutes VR machines you played during Virtuality's 1992 road tour? Imagine owning one...for $500 (the price of the Jag, Jag CD, and HMD). Then picture T-MEK, the bastard>> son of CyberSled and DOOM, played over a modem through an HMD. THIS, not AvP, not DOOM, is going to be the Jag's flagship...coupled with the ever-looming possibility of enhanced ports of Virtuality's own Dactyl Nightmare and Kill Or Be Killed, it presents the closest thing to home VR you can currently get, and that is something even the almighty PlayStation isn't going to do in the near future. Who knows...maybe Atari will make the modem network compatible, allowing for some psycho 8+ player T-MEK tournaments... whatever does happen, Atari has assured themselves a market niche that will keep the Jag alive until at least 1997. Watch out for that damn bird... Sb: #ECTS Video Report Fm: SYSOP*Jeff Kovach 74777,3071 To: All From the Jaguar mailing list on the Internet, a message detailing games shown on an ECTS promo video: ---------- From: jw4@basil.acs.bolton.ac.uk (Deeply in love with Dot) I just (last night) received a copy of the promo video made for the ECTS in London last month. It was made *for*, not about, so there is no footage of the show, but it does have some more up to date looks at games, some new stuff etc.. So I thought I'd put a summary up.. DISCLAIMER: I have not played ANY of the games not already published. The opinion I am passing is based on what is shown, and in the case of conversions what I know from the games on other platforms. 1. AVP commercial Nothing new there 2. AVP Same as dealer video but it has the T2K soundtrack over it instead? 3. Checkered Flag As dealer (why bother??) 4. Iron Soldier ad Hadn't seen this, as Atari don't advertise in the UK. Not bad.. 5. Iron Soldier Again, same footage as dealer video with T2K soundtrack 6. Doom ad As above for IS 7. Doom As above for IS 8. KN advert Not as good as the other too 9. KN Once again, dealer footage with T2K sound. (feeling bored? I was..) 10 Val D'Isere Skiing Is what it is. You know it, you bought it or didn't.. 11. Power Drive Rally Actually looks very impressive. Nice animation, nice speed, several cars, good scrolling, I think this could be fun. There's a great effect in the night stages where you can see the headlight beam illuminating the road ahead. Looks like it could be cool, if not killer.. 12 Rayman Same as dealer video (AAAARRRRRGGGHHHH). 13 Ultra Vortex New front / title screen (much better). New character selection screen - but still the 'demon weighing' thing which is good. The game looks about the same speed & smoothness as it was, but there are more special moves in evidence. Each new game has an 'available :' across it. UV's said 'September'. Oh no, what's the delay *this time*. 14 White men can't jump. Looks pretty good. I have to admit I know NOTHING about basketball, and it all looked very confusing to me. However, the court looks great, and the players animate quite well. Plus there is speech in there, and I'm sure one of the players said a rude word very similar to 'spit'. How very odd.. 15. Hover Strike. Much improved from the dealer tape. The t-mapping is much improved, and the landscape is much more rugged than the dealer tapes was. Plus the bad guys are now fully t-mapped too. It could be a lot better than people were setting it up to be, this one.. 16. Super kart This is a new one on me, a super mario kart clone (bitmap gokarts over a mode 7 track). Personally, I don't think much of this sort of game, and this one seemed pretty early on - they hadn't got any collision detection, for example. Unless it improves a lot, I don't think I'll be buying this one. 17 Fight for Life. Yes, the controversial one returns. The figures are much better than the dealer video, and the small screen in the corner has gone. They also have more T-mapping (e.g. the guy in the camo pants is now almost 100% T-mapped.). There still weren't many moves in evidence, just basic kicks & punches. It was every smooth though. The ninja has this great stance where his arms swirl that looks really cool. Right now, it looks generally better than Saturn VF (although it doesn't have any of the neat touches like Sarah's pontyail). I would really like to know what stage of development this was at - I can't see any gouraud shading, for example. 18 Konan A Streets of Rage / Golden axe clone. The graphics for this game are gorgeous. The figures are about 1/3 the screen in height and beautifully drawn. Semi-transparent mist (or maybe it's a parallax glitch?) covers part of the scene. Big heroes, big swords, big game? I dunno, but I'm keeping an eye on this one from now on. Then we go onto the CD games.. 1. Creature Shock. I'll say this now. I know people dislike this sort of game because it's not really that much of a game, but this one blew me away. I saw this at 320*240*256 on a PC with a 2X CD rom and it struggled and it looked awful. This version looks to be in 24 bit, and it was smooth as glass. They had the introductory animation going with the Mars movement of Holt's Planet suite as the music (with great narrator voice too) and it was stunning. They could show this as an ad and people would buy this game. As I know, this game is somewhat simplistic (gulp) but it looks like it could be great fun, but only for a short term, and that's the killer. If you're a fan of computer generated animation (like I am) then this might well be good value. If not, consider deeply whether you think you will get bored before finishing it. 2. Primal Rage This looks just about done, actually. Some of the backdrops are a bit iffy, but the game itself seems solid. Lots of special moves are shown, plus most of the characters. This looks about as advanced as UV does. The odd thing was the sound. The effects sounded hollow, like they had been recorded from the other side of a large empty room from the thing generating them. I think this could be good too. 3. Super Burn Out 'It's Alive! Alive!'. The game everyone thought had been lost is apparently still on (on CD now). It hasn't changed much from the dealer tape, although it too now has a night driving mode with cute headlight transparency effects. Plus it now has a split screen mode too. But it still looks drab. Spruce up the graphics someone!! 4 Blue Lightning. This one has a stunning intro too. A 3D rendered F-18 does various cool things to a thumping rock backbeat complete with radio chatter (pity the controller sounds so much like an English person pretending to be american). The actual game looks a bit disappointing. The terrain is a flat area, which skyscrapers scale at you with tanks neatly lined up for you to shoot. This looks not much better than 32X afterburner, and look what hammering that got. And this is on *CD*.. 5 Soulstar. This too has an into-the-screen section, which actually looks better than BL. Plus it has a mode 7 style drive around in this weird vehicle shooting things game. Of the two (SS / BL) this has less flash but is a better game, IMO. The sprites do look nice, too.. 6. Highlander Is a game similar to Alone in the Dark. However, the scenes showed were all outdoors, so it has a less enclosed, claustrophobic feel. Beyond your figure walking around a few scenes, not much happens here. There is a nice cartoonstylee intro though. If you know the cartoon 'Prince Valiant', it's very similar in style and quality to that. 7 Defender (plus). The one we've all been waiting to so, so I'll go into some detail. Starting from the bottom, the are under the traditional defender mountains is filled with a weird video effect. The best way I can describe it is this. There is a certain form of hologram (usually in a badge) that, whatever direction you look at it from, always appears to be a honeycomb heading away from you as you go left - right across it. It looks like that, except it colour cycles. Behind and above that you have a colour cycling interference pattern that looks like something from a 70's Earth, Wind & Fire video (God, I'm showin' me age here). Above that you have a vertically rising starfield. The objects / sprites are quite detailed, and there is so much going on and they move so fast I didn't get a real good look at any of them. The sound effects are SPOT ON. 100% the coin op. God, the feeling of nostalgia they bring on... And this isn't even the 2000 variant folks... Ohhhh boy.. Oh, and I did see flossy in there somewhere too.. 8. Demolition Man. Nice movie sequence intro (bits from the actual movie, bits not) followed by a game much like the 'Lethal Enforcers' coin op. Um, I liked the movie, but the hype over it has gone (bring on Judge Dredd) and it may be too little too late.. 9. F1 Racer The game checkered flag should have been. The cars are shaded, so the wheels actually look round. The cars are also much larger and more detailed. The tracks are proper F1 tracks (bridges, but no tunnels). There is actually a pit stop but only bitmapped pit crew :-(. You actually feel like you are in a race. Plus it's much smoother. To press the point, the split screen mode (yes it has one) is as fast as CF (to my eye) and the one player is MUCH better. Oh goody.. The only thing I WOULD prefer is a bit more t-mapping on the cars, indeed maybe they can borrow 4play's decal mapping routines.. 10 Varuna's forces. THis one was ALL FMV. A nice intro, a talk with a briefing officer, a chat with one of your squad, then a dropship sequence that was a direct ripoff of the one in 'Aliens' (no bad thing). Here the FMV had real problems, a couple of frames 'stuck' on the screen for about a second. Then a flight over a fractal terrain (like one thie flyovers you can do with Vista Pro) and that's it. No game there AT ALL. I hear it's an FV Strategy game, a bit like controlling the squad in 'Aliens' when they go into the reactor core. I would want to see a lot more of this before I decide about it. CONSPICUOUS BY THEIR ABSENCE Battlemorph Flashback Phear Thea Realm Fighters Tiny Toons (God, If this isn't the best thing since sliced bread when it comes out, it's going to get SLAUGHTERED) MK3 (:-) ) Star Battle Space War 2000 What would I buy, having seen them.. Rayman Power Drive Rally Ultra Vortex Hover Strike FFL Konan Creature Shock Primal Rage Soulstar Defender F1 Racer Which have I reserved judgement on Highlander Super Kart Blue lightning Varuna's Forces which won't I be buying Demolition man. White Men Can't jump Overall, not bad.. TTFN JOn ---------------------------------------------- "The moonlight; casts no shadow for me to hide.": 'Breakdown' One Dove J White, Dept. Psychology, Bolton Institute, Deane Road, Bolton, BL35AB, UK JW4@BOLTON.AC.UK UK jaguar owners mailing list now running! mail me for details! ____________________________________________ > ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" PEOPLE... ARE TALKING ===================== On CompuServe ------------- compiled by Joe Mirando CIS ID: 73637,2262 Hidi ho friends and neighbors. It's time to take a look at all of the great hints, tips, and news that's available on CompuServe every week, but first I'd like to tell you about how I've spent my idle moments this past week(all two of 'em). I dusted off an old copy of ST Xformer (pronounced TRANSFORMER), the 8-bit Atari computer emulator. I had a blast! I never had an 8-bit Atari, but a friend of mine did, and he made the mistake of getting nostalgic in front of me. We played several games for a while and lo-and-behold, the nostalgia went away. I knew that what my friend was really looking for was not those old 8-bit games, but rather a time when using a computer made you different than anyone else around (even if he had no idea of how to do anything other than putting a self-booting disk in the drive and turning the machine on). He's now moved on to the DOS world and hasn't much more of a idea of what's going on now than he did back then. But he can proudly tell people that he's got a computer. Of course, if they ask him what he does with it, he's in trouble. It's just too bad that he doesn't have a CompuServe account. That's the place to find help, companionship, and serenity... you know, a real digital nirvana. Well, let's take a look at what's come up this week... From the Atari Computing Forums =============================== Last week Sysop Bob Retelle mentioned that he didn't have enough time to read all of the information that is generated every day both on CompuServe and on the Internet. He finished up his post by saying: "...What we need is an Artificial Intelligence that can read all this stuff for us, and that knows what interests us.. then once a week or so it can tell us all the neat stuff it's read... Sort of like a well informed friend who calls us up and lets us know the latest gossip." This week, Peter Joseph tells him: "I heard that Atari was developing a new computer that will do just that. They're gonna call it the Cerebral Navigator. Huh? What? Oh, sorry, I must have dozed off. What were we talking about? Oh yeah, artificial intelligence. Think that's what I have. :) Reality bites. " Gee, I guess that that phrase has become a lot more acceptable since the movie of the same name. Jon Sanford tells Bob: "I just got something like that from a guy I never saw before on our local BBS. He is trying to provide a service " just ask me". People who are without a good job right now may build a occupation, by converting internet info to local BBSes. I haven't read the data dump he sent me except to scann it at it came in ( it atually amaizes me that I can get the gist of something at 14.4.) I gather it was where to get more info on the internet. I was impressed by seeing local sources." Sysop Bob tells Jon: "That sounds interesting... There's just so much available now that it takes a lot of time wading through it all to find the little of real interest. Anything that could help would be pretty welcome..!" Grant Shaw asks a question about his trusty Mega: "I have been making music on a set up centered on an Atari Mega4 st with an Atari hard drive. Both of these boxes have rather noisy cooling fans which tend to intrude on quiet music. I have tried cleaning the fans blades but that did not help. Has any one a solution to the problem? I live in UK so if I need to buy some thing a UK supplier would be easier." Sysop Bob Retelle tells Grant: "I've heard of people just unplugging the fans in their computers to kill the noise... I don't know if that would cause a problem in the computer itself, but hard drives tend to put out a lot of heat, and if the mechanism gets too hot it could lead to read and write problems. Perhaps if the room the equipment is in is fairly cool to begin with it would be safer, if you were to give that a try. There may also be quieter fans available from electronics supply houses near you... you'd need to match the size and voltage to replace them. Another thought I just had, depending on how much room you have, would be to remove the small fans in the equipment housings and run a flexible hose out the back where the fan was mounted, down to a small, quieter fan in a housing under the table. (Just rambling on here...) another thought is that if the fans are AC voltage (not sure of that in the case of Atari equipment), you might be able to insert a 200v. 1/2 amp diode in series with the power leads, which would make the fan run slower and cut down on the noise. Of course, it would blow less air that way, but it would be better than turning it completely off. Unfortunately this wouldn't work if the Atari uses a DC fan." Peter Joseph tells Grant: "I have a setup like yours and I understand how you feel. It is noisy. Be thankful you don't have an SLM804. I do, and I can tell you it's more noisy than both of the others. With all three of them on at once, it's like being in a turbine room. In fact, SOMETIMES I HAVE TO SHOUT TO BE HEARD OVER IT. :-) SORRY I CAN'T OFFER A SOLUTION." For those of you who don't know it, online etiquette tells us that typing in all capital letters denotes shouting or yelling. Now you know . Frank Heller tells Grant: "I have a Falcon and the fan AND the internal HD noise drove me nuts. I removed the HD and the fan. Been using it for a year and a half this way with no problem. I use an external 1.2gig drive as my boot drive. It's MUCH quieter than the original stuff. I don't know if you have an internal HD...but if you do, you may not be able to remove or turn off the fan because of the heat the HD makes. Call Systems Solutions in London for further advice. I hear they are pretty big on Atari modifications." John Amsler tells us: "The other day I upgraded from STalker 3.02 to 3.03. (Thanks, Gribnif!!) (I'm using STeno version 2.00 along with it.) Now, however, the "Paste to STeno" utility doesn't work. Is this "normal," or do I need to do something else besides copy the upgraded files (STALKER.PRG and STALKER.RSC) to my D:\COMM\STALKER directory? (The "Copy to clipboard" utility still works as it did with version 3.02.)" Brian Gockley of ST Informer Magazine tells John: "I think the install docs said to replace all yur files, not just the PRG and RSC ones. Also, once you have done this, Stalker will lose it's old preference setup. You'll need to "Open Configuration File" select your old STALKER.INF file and then "Save Configuration." My problem has been STeno jumping top the bottom of the desk accessory list after starting out in the middle. Otherwise, I have been delighted with the two new upgrades." Corey Klemow asks: "Is there any software for the ST here that would allow World Wide Web access via CompuServe? (There's nothing Atari-related over in the Internet Forum; I was told to look here...)" Sysop Bob Retelle gives Corey the bad news: "Unfortunately there's nothing available at the moment that's easily implemented on the Atari platform for WWW browsing. We've heard of a number of ongoing projects to create the needed software, but at the moment there's really nothing to compare with what you've been seeing for other platforms." Chris Roth tells us: "I have downloaded the KA9Q internet package for the Aari and am now wondering how I have to setup the domains, addresses etc. for use with CompuServe's PPP internet access. Has anybody tried something? Futhermore, the KA9Q port to the Atari seems not to include the bootp(d) commands which would automate the configuration. Since CompuServe gives you a new internet id each time you log on, wouldn't that be essential? However, I don't know which domains to configure for my own address..." Sysop Jim Ness tells Chris: "The domain would be compuserve.com and your own address would be: 100321.1763@compuserve.com (note the dot in your User ID, instead of comma) If the program supports PPP, you GO PPPCONNECT (that CIS address tries to initiate the PPP protocol, so your program needs to be ready to go). If it only supports TELNET, you can get there via GO TELNET." Chris tells Jim: "Thank you for your information, it sounds logical. Futher, I'd like to know the decimal host id's. Actually it was these numbers that troubled me... For a dial-up sequence, it's easier to send "100321,1763/GO:PPPCONNECT" that takes you directly to the PPP session. Is there any noticeable difference from logging on an then "GO PPPCONNECT"?" Jim replies: "Yes, you skip some of the CIS intro info and menus." Chris Miles tells us: "I'm new to this forum (and compuserve), and I hope some nice person can help with setting up QuickCIS? I can get it to log on OK but it doesn't download any mail due to me, and seems to stop at the end of a menu with the message, Unrecognized sub Command! Any ideas? Also, why did it take 30 mins to download the zip file, My modem is set to 2400 and used x- modem protocol.(i am trying out Vanterm 3.8) Does Compuserve support data compression yet. My modem returns a message " connect 2400 LIne 9600, what does this all mean?" Sysop Jim Ness tells Chris to: "Try this: manually GO MAIL and when there type: SET MODE COMMAND. Then, when leaving, and asked whether you want this to be permannt, respond YES. See if that clears up the problem. On your download question, Xmodem is probably the second slowest download protocol supported by CIS. Kermit may be slower. Use CIS B or Ymodem, instead." Richard Lawson tells us: "I'm new to this forum. Does anybody have a copy of Pretty Good Privacy TTP, or know where one is? Also, anyone who loves MultiTOS, please write to me with hints/tips." Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Richard: "Pretty Good Privacy (PGP.TTP) is not on Compuserve because of legal issues on the export of encryption technology from the US. You should be able to find it on an internet or local BBS somewhere." Carl Barron adds: "I have pgp, but the security of this country is at stake. It is strange that a program available world wide, can not be exported from the USA. . As far as Multitos goes, I have it, have used it and prefer geneva, it is more stable. Mint is fine, but atari's multitos aes leaves a lot to be desired. I have some place a mint routine to detaz files, as I have a hard time configuring those unix shells, from total scrach. On PGP, O'reilly has a good book on that program, check your booksellers." Paul Peeraerts tells Carl: "I've tried to find an Atari version of PGP using Archie on the Internet. I've found twenty sites who have PGP - of which a few in the United States ;-) - but none of them has the word Atari in a directory path, so I suppose it's all Unix stuff..." Bernie Lagarge asks for help with 1ST Word: "I'm running 1st Word on my 1040ST. When I type, everything looks fine on the screen, but when I print the .doc file, the words are joined together without spaces. I'm using an Epson FX-80 compatible printer. Any suggestions would be appreciated." Sysop Bob Retelle asks Bernie: "Are you printing your document directly from within 1st Word, or are you printing the saved file from the desktop..? 1st Word, like most wordprocessors, uses a special format for its saved files which isn't directly readable (or printable). As you noticed, the effect in the case of 1st Word is that there ar no spaces in the file. There should be an option inside 1st Word to print the document, which will print correctly. If you do want to print the text from the desktop instead, there should also be an option in 1st Word to sae the file in ASCII format (I believe in 1st Word there is a menu selection to turn off "Wordprocessor Mode" that will do this). That way the saved file will be normal, printable text." Bernie tells Bob: "Thanks for your speedy reply. Actually, it's my sister who has the 1040, and I'm going to her place for Easter, so I'll try your suggestions. I used to be a 1040 owner, so I'm familiar with its workings. I think she's printing from within 1st Word. If I still can't get her file printed I'll let you know. Otherwise, thanks again..." Mike Mortilla tells us: "In the FWIW (for what it's worth) dept, I downloaded and ran the Atari emulator for the MAC. It seems very fast (at least the desktop did) but since I don't have my Syquest connected to my MAC yet I didn't attempt to run any programs. The floppies wouldn't read directly on the MAC. I'll be attempting to copy some ST progs to PC floppies and test this prog a little more in the coming weeks. Also, you can't quit the prog! So if you're running it on a MAC be sure you don't have an application running that has info you need. I guess you could wait for the demo to time out (30 min?) but I choose to re-boot. Lastly, the entire deal is still in German and I failed German in Jr High. But the look and feel of the program is great and very fast on my lowly 030 MAC. ps- I'm keeping my STs for a few more years! " Chris Roth tells Mike: "There is definately a way to quit the demo as well, was an eye-witness at my brother's. For I'm no Mackie I unfortunately didn't memorize how. But there is.." Mike tells Chris: "Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that I can't read any screen directions? I suppose there is a way to quit, I just wasn't able to find it!" Thomas Tempelmann tells Mike: "MagiCMac (not MacMagiC! - remember "Magic Sack"?) is as fast as your CPU of your Macintosh is. There is no real emulation, because Atari programs were written for 680x0 CPUs. And, of course, MagiCMac is fast compared to the old Atari models, especially if you take a Mac with a 68040. In general, Atari floppy disks can be read, but only if they were formatted with 80 tracks, 9 sectors per track (spt) and 2 sides (or the HD equivalent). One-sided floppies and 10 or 11 spt are not supported by the Apple driver. Of course, if you copy your programs onto a double sided DOS disk, it should work. You can quit MagiCMac - like any other Mac program: Command-Q! You also can type Command-W to switch to the Mac application~s side whenever you like. Compatibility: In general, all Atari programs tht do only use operating systems functions instead of accessing the hardware i/o registers directly, should run on MagiCMac. Most arcade games will not work for this reason. Currently, every 2-3 weeks we have a new demo version that makes more atari programs work." Mike tells Thomas: "I did use the Command-Q but the program would not leave my screen. I am using system 7.5 so maybe that's it...? Thanks for the info. At the moment the best place to load the program would be the Atari forums, IMO (in my opinion...)" Kai Irle tells us: "Not having used my 1024ST for 3 years, I tried to start it up again (want to use my Roland MT32 again). But I cannot read any disk anymore. Mostly I got an error msg like "defect data, check your disk or cable", sometimes I got 3 bombs, seldom TOS#35 and sometimes something happens then it reboots again. But I always can read the disk directories. What's the problem???" Sysop Bob Retelle tells Kai: "Hmm.. it sounds like there might be a number of possibilities causing your disk problems... The heads on the disk drive might be dirty, although being able to read the directories would tend to discount that one... The disks themselves may have deteriorated over time, or been exposed to stray magnetic fields. Another strong possibility is that the socketed chips in the ST have formed oxidation on their connections, and are causing intermittant problems. The way to check on that would be to open up the ST and carefully, but firmly, press all the large socketed IC chips back down into their sockets. A lot of times this will clear up mysterious problems like you described. Be sure the power is completely disconnected before you open the computer if you decide to give it a try..!" Tim Blythe asks for help: "My ST will not recognize my hard drive at all no matter what I run AHDI does not work. What could possibly be wrong?" Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine asks Tim: "Did you check your cables? Also did you check for loose chips (MMU,SHIFTERand DMA)? Or it might be software corruption. Have you tried re-installing your hard disk boot software?" Tim replies: "All my cable are hooked up ok. Runing AHDI does nothing Running HINSTALL say "No available logical drive for installation of driver" I dont' think my chips are loose, but I haven't opened to check(no a techie) How do I reinstall the HD boot software, when I can't access the HD? When I turn on the HD, the fan comes on, the light comes on, but there is no familiar blurb or chirp. The light stays on longer than normal, then shuts off. I then turn on my computer and it goes to the floppy drive and there is only A & B drive icons." Albert tells Tim: "It almost sounds like your hard drive is dead. This is assuming that it is not spinning up (the normal "chirp" sounds) when turned on." Karl Ward asks: "Is there any such program that I can get to run my old ST Programs on my pentium pc?" Albert Dayes of... well, you know... tells Karl: "There is a product called Gemulator that will run ST programs on your PC. I have not used it myself but other users in this forum have." Benjamin Voiles tells Albert and Karl: "I have a gemulator for my Pentum. I have not worked all the bugs out but it does allow you to run most atari software on an IBM. It also has better video than an ST." Well folks, that's about all the space we have for this time around. I'll see you again next week... same time, same channel, so be ready to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING ____________________________________ """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > A "Quotable Quote" A true "Sign of the Times" """"""""""""""""" * Oklahoma City * For a Moment of Silence.... 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