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<link=g41.scr>S I K O R S O F T</l>
8 - B I T A T A R I S O F T W A R E P U B L I S H E R
F R O M W A R S A W / P O L A N D
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short overview: sikor soft is a well known 8-bit Atari software
publisher who is thinking of the posibility of
getting back into this market!
Grey: Hello, Sikor!
Sikor: Hi Grey! Nice to se that you remember me.
Grey: Please introduce your person to our readers, when was Sikor Soft
founded and for what activity?
Sikor: Oh well, my real name is Pawel Sikorski, I have university education
and I am old atarian (of course I mean about my fance for computers,
not about my age). SIKOR SOFT was founded in 1994 for publishing and
selling software for Atari XL/XE series. Later I've started the co-
operation with big publishers like Mirage or L.K. Avalon, as well as
with other smaller firms. I managed to develop a couple of titles.
Grey: Why did you choose Atari system?
Sikor: Well, in time, when I was going to buy a computer I didn't have a big
choice due to the huge prices. At the beginning I wanted to buy
anything and buy Atari later (I knew various games on this computer,
I could compare them to ZX Spectrum and C64 games as well). I've been
one step away from buying the C-16 (or 116, I don't remember now). At
the time I didn't have a whole sum of money. Some time later my
mother promised to support me with some coins for the computer. Atari
65XE arrived to the shops called "PEWEX" and cost 199 USD without a
tape-drive. For the hard conquered USD (yes it was pretty hard to get
USD in Poland thanks to the communists era..) we managed to buy this
computer. Later I laid my hands on the tape drive with amazing speed
of transmission - 600 baud) and powered it with a special TURBO
system. I did my best to persuade Mariusz Geisler to create Karin
Maxi (any floppy-drive from PC, speed of 240000 baud). I became the
user of other floppy-drives as well: CA2001 and Atari 1050. Why I
stayed with Atari? I think that the short part of the scroll text
from GARFIELD demo (by Jakub Husak) is a good reply to this question:
"Atari is like a sponge, you can extract a lot of things yet".
And there is a lot of evidence - music cards for 8-bit Atari (Covox)
and other expanders (personally I have two POKEYs which make STEREO
sound and 320KB of memory), new graphic modes (256 colors on the
screen, *.RIP format), hard drives, *.jpg viewers, connection to the
internet (with 8-bit computer!!!) and much more...
Grey: Could you name all the titles which your firm published till today?
Any words about these?
Sikor: Hmm, the amount isn't that huge, so I'll try:
* MOSCOW 1993 - easy strategic game
* Teacher Killer - the title says all
* Cyborg - when this game was published it became a big hit.
Copies of this game the same as the copies of Ketchup
are revolving in USA and Canada.
* Liga Polska - football manager
* Pilkarski Poker - another football manager, better enlarged.
* FIRE STONE - very similar game to the legendary Boulder Dash
but without a sound and featuring only 16 screens.
* SEXY SIX - That's a game! Shown skills of the SLIGHT demo-group,
Master Mind with 6 chicks in 256 colors! (the 1st XL/XE
game in that amount colors displayed AT THE SAME TIME
on the screen), couple levels, cheats...
* SEXY SIX Data Disk #1,#2,#3 - 3 disks with additional chicks
* 5x5 - game based on the production in TV
* 5x5 passwords editor - title says all
* Centurion - strategic game
* ABC - logical game featuring excellent music and nice graphics
* KETCHUP - game in the Cyborg style
* NEUROID - logical game
* NEXUS - static labirynth
* Jurassic Park II - game firstly published in Slovakia by
Satantronic.
* MAX/Magic World - It's the enlarged version of Ketchup it's
the additional game to the Jurassic Park II
* Orto Puzzle - educational game for the childrens
* Magic of Words - logical game on the high level
* TEKBLAST - simply, the DYNA BLASTER for 8-bit Atari, 1-3 players
at the same time, stereo music (2nd pokey required), many bonuses
and surprises. Really excellent game!
The most detailed descriptions I leave for other people because being
the publisher of these games I am not able to look objective at them.
But I would like to read the reviews because I don't know myself
which game was better which worse..... Like every publisher I think.
Grey: When did Sikor Soft publish the last game for the XL/XE system? And
why did you decide to close your activity? Maybe this market simply
didn't make a profit anymore?
Sikor: Tekblast, 1998 (I don't remember a month). I was active at the
beginning of 1999 yet but lack of the new orders suddenly appeard
(Mirage and L.K. Avalon weren't interested in distributing XL/XE
software anymore and amount of shops selling software for these
machine was decreasing fast. Also there were hardly any orders from
XL/Xe users but for the real reasons I will try to write later..
Grey: Few years ago we had a lot of new titles dedicated to 8-bit Atari,
many publisher came up seeing their chance in that machine, just let
me to name part of them: Mirage, L.K. Avalon, Sonix, Krysal, StanBit,
Firebird, ASF or mentioned Sikor Soft. How do you think what was the
reason of their leaving from publishing new titles on this computer?
Sikor: Hmm, you simply push me to explain the reason of this crash. Oh well,
it's mainly the fault of.. atarians (unfortunately). Software for our
computer was one of the cheapest around, but most of people prefered
to buy the illegal copy. In that case such a person was making a
fortune on illegal copying but the distributor or publisher couldn't
dream even about covering the costs of producing (not to mention
about the profit...). I think it was a main cause of the XL/XE
market's crash. But the most sad accident was the fact that these
games were illegally copied also by people from the demo scene which
I supported by publishing their software.
Sikor Soft, except Mirage and L.K. Avalon, was one of the biggest
publishers if you look at the amount of software for the Atari XL/XE
series. And only Sikor Soft NEVER stood with Atari. Personally I
don't have a PC and I don't need this machine.
Grey: Do you agree with me that in the '90s there was another "boom" for
8-bit Atari in Poland? The computer, which through many years earlier
was object of jeering and laughing by C-64 and Spectrum users back to
the highlights thanks to the new standards of the software? It's some
kind of phenomenon because Atari was losing market share quite fast
and none else took this computer too serious. And suddenly thanks to
the programmers we could read about Atari again in the biggest mags
about games. Pictures of XL/XE games, hardware and even such things
like stylish dustcovers laying near the PC and console stuff in shops
wasn't the rare view anymore. Also new paper-magazines dedicated to
Atari saw the light of the day e.g. Tajemnice Atari (Atari Secrets in
english) or Swiat Atari (Atari world). During 91-95 c.a. 200 titles
hit the market for this computer. How could you explain that?
Sikor: I have to repeat something: "Atari is like a sponge, you can extract
a lot of things yet". More and more improving utilities, excellent
"Quick Assembler" from L.K. Avalon and price of the Atari let this
machine to stay in many polish houses. Such a good computer couldn't
die with the natural death, two chips called MOS 65C02 and Antic let
to do something what seemed to be impossible. Applause Atari!!!
Personally I believe that this computer will live that long, as long
real Atarians survive. There is still a lot of Atari clubs around in
the world and I still hear about newer and better software for this
computer. This "grandpa" can imagine us a couple times yet...
Grey: Not that long time ago you surprised a lot of people giving the news
on the Atari Area www-site that you are seriously thinking about
going back to the XL/XE market. Is it true?
Sikor: Well, I am an old atarian :) If I find enough people who are willing
to buy new software then - why not? But if I want to cover costs of
producing I nead AT LEAST 100 copies of any new program (with the
minimal profit for author and non-profit for Sikor Soft but without
losing money on it). Till today I've got a couple orders from Poland
and other countries but still not that much. I heard there are more
people willing to buy software for XL/XE so maybe this interview will
help me somehow?
If all goes well I will publish the new game for Atari XL/XE at the
end of this year called "Mr Proper" made by the people from Bit
Busters group. This game looks REALLY promising! But time will tell
what will happen with this title.
Grey: I don't know if you remember that but at one of the QuaST parties you
were considering the posibility to enter into the ST market? Why did
you stop? Were you scared to take the eventual risk? Or was it that
you didnt find anyone interested to write software for you?
Sikor: Scared to take a risk? Well, publishing software for Atari XL/XE
shows thats not true. We were talking about that in 96 or 97.
I remember someone who promised to send me a preview of the ST game
but it never reached my hands. There was a try of converting Sexy Six
to the ST but this project was never finished. If I look backto what
we were doing then I don't see any problem with publishing software
for ST, TT or Falcon. But I only hope I'll find someone willing to
write software on the good level. I am a poor coder myself but anyway
I am trying to do something and I should publicise my game called
"Handlarz" written on my TT (it works in mid and higher resoulution).
But don't prepare for something exciting. Maybe next year I will make
something bigger (I am going to write in C and this gives me more
possibilities). Important note: Software authors shouldn't expect a
"fast money" beacuse the Atari market is very specific.
Grey: Do you own other Atari computer than XL/XE? If yes, then what you are
doing on it etc?
Sikor: Atari only, here it is:
* Atari 1040STE (with 4Mb of memory) which I used in the past to
make the instructions for XL/XE software (Calamus 1.09N),
sometime to play games, watch demos...
* Atari TT030 - DTP (unfortunately I don't have a graphic card),
writing text and programs, easy games (lately I am spending time
on playing CLICS downloaded from the Net).
* C-Lab Falcon MKII - watching demos, playing games
* CA2600 - the console compatible with Atari 2600, I am playing on
it just being sentimental to the Atari.
* Atari Jaguar + CD + 3 games, I am playing on the Jag sometimes
and I am listetning to the Audio music from CD.
* Maybe I will manage to get enough money on the new computer
like Milan or Hades? Of course "Atari compatible", I am not
interested about other systems, even if I had contact with
them.
Grey: Ok, thanx a lot for giving all your questions! If you want to greet
someone through the medium of our magazine? :))
Sikor: Such list could be quite long. So I will mention only few groups and
people. Greetings fly out to: Bit Busters, Vasco, Fox, X-Ray, Sword
Soft (for these who remember about Atari), Slight (now pc...) Macioos
Joy, Bober, Jakub Kosc, High Voltage, Artur Borkowski and all other
real atarians who I know and these who I don't...
With atari greeting,
Sikor
The final note: If you are interested in buying software published by Sikor
Soft then direct your orders to the following e-mail address:
sikor_soft@poczta.fm
or snail mail address:
Sikor Soft
Pawel Sikorski
ul. 1-go Sierpnia 28 m 64
02-134 Warszawa
Poland
Price for one game in different currencies: 2USD/5DM/8PLN
Attention! Shipping costs are quite expensive so better find
more friends interested and make an order!
- -- --- --- -- ---------------------------------------------------------------
CHOSNECK team contact us:
we're listenin' 2 da voice of da scene! atarimsb@wp.pl
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