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SILICON TIMES REPORT ==================== INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ============================= from STR Electronic Publishing Inc. December 09, 1994 No. 1050 ====================================================================== Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 R.F. Mariano Publisher-Editor ----------------------------------------- Voice: 1-904-783-3319 10am-4pm EST STR Publishing Support BBS * THE BOUNTY BBS * Operating with * Mustang Software's WILDCAT! 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""""""""""""""""" - STR INDUSTRY REPORT - QEMM 7.5 Update - HP FLASH RAM - EA & ABC TV! - Prison for Porno - ATI G-Turbo Pro! - Roland SCD 15 - GW2000 + Pentium - Frankie's Corner - Creative Modems - People Talking - Jaguar NewsWire -* PRODIGY LAYS OFF 100 *- -* 10k CYRIX CPU CHIPS STOLEN *- -* IBM Plans PC-DOS 7.0 *- ========================================================================== 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/Internet/PROWL/USENET/NEST/F-Net/Fido Mail Networks. You may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1-904-786-4176. Enjoy the wonder and excitement of exchanging all types of useful information relative to all computer types, worldwide, through the use of excellent International Networking Systems. SysOps and users alike worldwide, are welcome to join STReport's International Conferences. ITC Node is 85:881/250, The Fido Node is 1:374/147.3, Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is #620. All computer enthusiasts, hobbyist or commercial on all platforms and BBS systems are invited to participate. ========================================================================== CIS ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX ~ PROWL ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET ~ CIX USENET ~ USPOLNET ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ FNET ~ AOL ========================================================================== SOFTWARE CREATIONS BBS is proud to distribute Silicon Times Report STReport International OnLine Magazine -------------------------------- With more than 130 Lines of PCBOARD access, Internet, Telnet and X.25 local access in every major city world-wide through SprintNet Software Creations delivers the files! -------------------------------------------------- Silicon Times Report joins names like Apogee Software, Borland, id Software, TriSoft, Interactive Gaming, PC Techniques, Coriolis, Fastgraph, PC Information Group, and many more. -------------------------------- Real-Time Credit Card Approval and Membership Upgrades The Software Download Store - for on the spot purchase/approval and download ability! -------------------------------- Call 1-800-4SWCBBS (479-2227); Fax 1-508-365-7214 for more information! ----------------------------------------------------- So, Get the latest releases from SOFTWARE CREATIONS BBS "Home of the Authors" * Software Creations, Voted #1 BBS for 1993 & 1994 * 1200/2400 V.42/MNP Lines : (508) 365-2359 2400-14.4k HST US Robotics Lines : (508) 368-7036 2400-16.8k V.32/V.42bis US Robotics lines : (508) 368-7139 14.4-28.8k V.32/V.42bis/V.fc Hayes Optima lines: (508) 365-9352 14.4-28.8k V.32/V.42bis/V.32terbo/V.fc US Robotics lines: (508) 368-3424 ======================================================================== COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME to the Readers of; STREPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit OnLine Magazine" NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY! 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! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""" I cannot believe its Friday already. This week literally flew by. Oh well, such is life when you are having fun. Christmas is right around the corner. In all your merry making, please don't forget the homeless and the needy. In the next few weeks look for some really neat reports and overviews on the new ATI PCI Graphics Card, a new Adaptec PCI P&P Host and a new... super fast, ultra snazzy GIG+ hard disk from Seagate. The software, hardware and of course the updates and positive leanings of Windows 95 continue to become reality with every passing minute. Speaking of Winodws 95, those of you who seem to take a distinct pleasure in "bad-mouthing" Windows are in for a real surprise. Win95 is exceptionally FAST... WhizBang FAST. "Windoze" is no longer a real term. Win95 has all the bells and whistles. In the next few weeks, we shall be putting together a series of articles involving Win95 and a number of other slick new products meant to "blow away" the nonsense and clear the air. Borland's dBase5 and Paradox5 for Windows are soon to be closely examined for your reading pleasure and information. Not too much time for writing these days with Christmas shopping high on the list of things to do. In any case, thanks for reading our humble offering. Ralph... ps; there's a Pentium Test program in the archive, run from DOS. 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 Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: CompuServe................... 70007,4454 Delphi......................... RMARIANO GEnie......................... ST.REPORT BIX............................ RMARIANO FIDONET..................... 1:347/147.3 FNET........................... NODE 350 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 #50 Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. ******* General Computer News ******* ** NeXT Ships New Operating System ** The newest version of NeXT Computer Inc.'s object-oriented operating system, NEXTSTEP Release 3.3, for use with Intel Corp. and Motorola Inc. chips, now is being shipped. "The NEXTSTEP products that we are shipping today," says NeXT CEO/ Chairman/founder Steve Jobs, "are a result of customer feedback and our goal in 1995 is to continue to offer NEXTSTEP/OpenStep customers even greater development and deployment choices to solve their toughest business problems." Sources say, "Object-oriented refers to programming computers by re- using previously written code that is compiled into chunks or 'objects' for the purpose of inserting into new applications," adding, "That way programmers don't have to rewrite code from scratch." The firm says NEXTSTEP Release 3.3 offers more support for Intel- based PCs, eases system administration efforts, provides enhanced mail features and makes it easier to scale, or appropriately size, applications for large networks. It also includes capabilities to support new standards for communications and software programming. ** ABC, Electronic Arts Team Up ** A joint venture to develop software and video games based on ABC TV network shows is the goal of a new joint venture by software publisher Electronic Arts and Capital Cities/ABC Inc. Reports say the venture, which has been rumored to represent a com- bined investment of $30 million, "is expected to be able to have about a dozen titles in stores by next holiday season." EA says it will contribute its EA Kids and EA World product lines, including early learning titles using the Sesame Street characters. It will be the distributor of all the venture's interactive titles. ** Compaq Cuts LTE Elite Prices ** Compaq Computer Corp is cutting prices on all its LTE Elite notebooks by up to 15%. The company said that its LTE Elite models, with price re- ductions of 9% to 15%, now range from $2,899 to $5,799, so: -:- A Compaq LTE Elite 4/40C Model 170, with an Advanced Passive Color VGA Display and 4MB of memory was reduced to $2,899 from $3,299. -:- The Compaq LTE Elite 4/75CX Model 510, with an active matrix color VGA display, 8MB of memory and a 16K internal cache was reduced to $5,799 from $6,499. The firm also is lowering the price of the 340MB hard drive option for the LTE Elite to $499 from $599. ** 10 Million PowerPC Units Seen by '97 ** An Apple Computer Inc. executive predicts that by the first half of 1997 his firm will have shipped at least 10 million Power Macintosh systems. David Nagel, senior vice president and general manager of Apple's software division, made the comment this week at a forum in Palo Alto, California, on the three-year alliance between Apple, Motorola Inc. and IBM to develop the PowerPC chip. According to sources, Nagel further commented, "Apple has said it is betting the entire future of the company on the PowerPC. I'll say we're pleased with what we've seen so far." Apple said shortly after it introduced the Power Mac last March that it aimed to ship a million Power Macs and upgrades during the first year of availability. Nagel said the company was clearly on track to achieve that goal. According to sources, during the quarter ended Sept. 30, Apple said it shipped more than 250,000 units, bringing the total to more than 600,000 Power Macs shipped since their debut. ** Dialog Renamed, Revamped ** Database vendor Dialog Information Services has been renamed as Knight-Ridder Information Inc. and has been revamped with new Windows- based search tools that officials hope the general public will find easier to use. Reports say that the Windows system now is being tested and is expected to be available to customers March 1. The company also will begin offering subscriptions rather than just charging on a minute-by-minute basis, Weise reports, noting, "The average Dialog user pays about $100 a month, although some companies spend up to a $1 million a year on the service. The company hopes the changes will attract hundreds of thousand of new users." Dialog, which grew out of a system launched by Lockheed in 1963 to organize research information, was purchased in 1988 by Knight-Ridder, the Miami media company. ** IBM Plans PC-DOS 7.0 ** A new version of the DOS operating system, PC-DOS 7.0, is due for release by IBM some time in the first quarter. Microsoft Corp. isn't saying whether it will follow suit with a new version of its compatible MS-DOS. Reports say, "IBM has concluded that many users, including those with older computers or who aren't interested in upgrading to the new version of Windows, will continue to rely on DOS, developed by Microsoft in the early 1980s for IBM's first personal computer and refined many times since." Trade newspaper PC Week is reporting a new version of Microsoft's MS- DOS will be released a few months after the shipment of Windows 95 this spring, but Microsoft officials declined comment. Reports note that Microsoft has said the advent of the Windows 95 operating system could eliminate the need for future versions of DOS. ** Robbery Nets 10,000 Cyrix Chips ** Chipmaker Cyrix Corp. says a robbery Sunday at the firm's headquarters resulted in the loss of some 10,000 central processing units. Officials said that targeted by the robbers were the 486DX2 chips, adding the precise number of stolen chips will not be known until a final inventory is completed. ** Prodigy Lays Off 15% of Staff ** In a restructuring move, the Prodigy online service has laid off 100 workers, or about 15% of its staff. Sources say the move "part of a shift away from the proprietary technology and functions of its service, which has faced more pressure from rivals CompuServe, America Online and Internet access providers." They also say the IBM/Sears online service will "rely more heavily on other companies to provide services and content for its subscribers," adding it also is "adopting the technical standards" of the Internet. As part of the restructuring, Prodigy will have two divisions, one to operate the online service and another to help other companies create products that are available to computer owners on Prodigy or the Internet. ** Few Requests for New Pentium Chips ** The chief operating officer of Intel Corp. said requests for new Pentium chips to replace flawed units are a "small, financially insignificant number." However, Intel COO Craig Barrett is also reported as saying the firm has been "inundated by end user calls" to its toll-free telephone help lines that were set up when the Pentium flaw was discovered. "I don't think we anticipated the response to this flaw -- it is an extremely rare flaw," Barrett said. "One thing we have learned is there is a new power in the communications industry. That is the information superhighway -- the so-called Internet." News of the Pentium flaw spread quickly not only on the Internet, but also on commercial online services. While Intel has promised to replace Pentium chips for those computer users who are performing advanced mathematical calculations, it does not plan a general recall. The company insists the flaw is minor and will not affect calculations made by general spreadsheet and word processing users. Barrett also said that Intel is also working with software companies in devising patches that can block the division equations from being done on the floating point unit or check floating point divisions by redoing them. ** Computer Vandals Target Authors ** Authors whose forthcoming book was excepted as the cover story in the current issue of Wired magazine about turf wars among rival groups of computer invaders now say they themselves have been targeted by angry computerists. Joshua Quittner -- who wrote "Masters of Deception: Gang Wars in Cyberspace" with his wife Michelle Slatalla -- is quoted in Wall Street Journal as saying computer vandals have taken control of his phone line and voice mail and bombarded his online account with thousands of messages. WSJ reporter Jared Sandberg writes someone digitally broke into systems run by Sprint Corp., IBM and Pipeline, which provides Internet access to consumers. "Billing themselves as the Internet Liberation Front," says Sandberg, "the pranksters have warned corporate America to get out of cyberspace, declaring war 'on any company suspected of contributing to the final demise of the Internet.'" Quittner told the paper, "I don't believe I've ever been hacked to this degree," adding he believes the attacks were prompted by the book excerpt in Wired, which told of the Long Island group Masters of Deception and its "war" with rivals in the Legion of Doom. "People in MOD and LOD are very unhappy about the story," he said. Sandberg reports that during the Thanksgiving weekend, someone "took command" of Quittner's phone line "and forwarded it to an out-of-state answering machine, substituting his greeting with a profane message of their own." Adds the Journal, "One former MOD member, contacted by this news- paper, was able to patch through a call to someone claiming to be a mem- ber of the Internet Liberation Front. He, in turn, played the messages left by Mr. Quittner's friends and family on the bogus answering machine they had set up. "The messages included a call from Mr. Quittner's mother asking about her grandchildren and noting, 'I think you ought to check your answering message.' Another came from Mr. Quittner himself, after he realized he'd been had: 'Very funny, guys.'" The paper says computerists also sent tens of thousands of messages to Quittner's e-mail account, as well as about 1,000 messages to the mailbox of Wired magazine, with notes coming from computers owned by IBM, Sprint and Pipeline. "Hackers had broken in and installed a script to fire off the Internet Liberation Front message to Mr. Quittner and Wired every five seconds," the Journal reports. The paper says Sprint shut down several computers for about four hours. ** Matsushita Signs PowerPC Pact ** A letter of intent to work with IBM to explore cooperation in devel- opment and manufacturing of products using the new PowerPC chip has been signed by Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. The agreement covers multimedia and other products, including Personal Digital Assistants and goods using 3DO and optical disc technology. ** Compaq Introduces Deskpro XL 590 ** Compaq Computer Corp. this week introduced a new Pentium-based com- puter and at the same time announced it will replace the flawed Pentium chips of any of its customers' Pentium computers if necessary. Compaq says the new Deskpro XL 590 computer will deliver the most power and performance from a 90MHz Intel Corp. Pentium processor. The machine is up to 23% faster than competing products and lists for a base price of $3,999. Compaq also said it'll work to resolve the problems of its customers of other Pentium-based computers. ** Legal Publisher Goes Online ** The publisher of The National Law Journal, the nation's largest selling legal publication, has introduced an online information and communications service called Law Journal EXTRA!. The New York Law Publishing Company is the publisher of The National Law Journal, the nation's largest-selling newspaper for lawyers. The company also publishes the daily New York Law Journal, the monthly Law Technology Product News, legal books and legal newsletters and provides seminars for the legal community. Since 1986, the New York Law Publishing Company has provided MA 3000, a specialized online service for New York attorneys. The company notes that Law Journal EXTRA! gives lawyers thousands of legal resources, e- mail, national legal news updated throughout the day, discussion groups, legal decisions, directories and databases. The service costs $10 per month plus $10 per hour of use. It is available in both Windows and Macintosh versions. ** Cable TV Online Link Planned ** Philadelphia-based Comcast Corp. says it will launch a new service over hybrid fiber- coaxial cable television networks to bring home computer users a wide range of online services faster, more easily and more reliably than over telephone lines. The new service, called Comcast PC Connect, is currently operating in a technical trial on a Comcast cable system in suburban Philadelphia. The service will enter market trial in 300 homes during the next year, and plans call for the start of a national roll out in late 1995. Using a special modem, Comcast PC Connect delivers data at speeds at least 50 times greater than transfers over a standard telephone line. By the time of commercial deployment, that speed will be several hundred times faster, says Comcast. Comcast plans to deploy its own local computer servers at its cable headends. These servers will provide high- speed, high-quality access to the Internet, to established commercial online services, and to a broad range of new local and regional online services that Comcast will help develop. ** Two Get Prison Time for BBS Porn ** In Memphis, Tennessee, a California couple has been sentenced to at least 2 1/2 years in prison after being convicted of sending porno- graphic images via their computer bulletin board system. Robert Thomas was sentenced to three years and a month in prison, and his wife, Carleen, got 2 1/2 years. Under federal sentencing rules, they must serve their full terms. The Thomases were found guilty in July of transmitting obscenity via interstate telephone lines. A postal inspector testified that he joined the BBS under a fake name and received the images in his computer in Memphis. The case drew international attention earlier this year, raising questions of whether there can be "local community standards" in the world of BBSes. That's because their prosecution marked the first time BBS operators were charged with obscenity in the city where the material was received, rather than where it originated. During the trial, the Thomases unsuccessfully argued that prosecutors took them to trial in the Bible Belt, rather than California, to increase the chances of a conviction. However, in sentencing the pair late yesterday, U.S. District Judge Julia Gibbons said she disagreed, adding, "I don't believe there are places in this country where this is not likely to be found obscene." The Thomases, who live in Milpitas, California, near San Francisco, declined comment on the sentences, but lawyer Thomas Nolan said he will appeal. Reports quotes Nolan as saying one of his arguments will focus on the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 ruling that defines obscenity by local commun- ity standards, saying it's nearly impossible to define "local community" with computer networks. "That issue should be revisited in light of the way communications take place today," he said. ___________________________________ > QEMM 7.5 UPDATE! STR InfoFile First Class customer support! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" QEMM 7.5 UPDATE PARAMETERS ========================== This is the actual readme file from the update files. This patchfile implements fixes to QEMM 7.5, dated 9-17-94 or 10-12-94. The date on the QEMM386.SYS file in your QEMM directory should be 9-17-94 or 10-12-94 ONLY. If the date on this file is earlier than 9-17-94 or later than 10-12-94 do not attempt to apply this patch. This patch should be applied this way: 1) Copy the files which accompany this README: RUNME.BAT, PATCH.EXE, FILES.RTP, MFT.RTP, QEMM.RTP and QEMM75.PAT into your QEMM directory. 2) Type RUNME After the patch has been successfully applied, you may delete the following files (if any still exist) from your QEMM directory: RUNME.BAT, PATCH.EXE, FILES.RTP, README.RTP, MFT.RTP and QEMM.RTP The following enhancements and changes have been made in the QEMM package for this release. CHANGES SINCE THE 9-17-94 RELEASE OF QEMM The following changes have been made in the QEMM 7.5 package since its initial release, dated 9-17-94. 1) A problem with resizing XMS handles has been addressed. This could cause various forms of strange behaviour. The most common symptom is that XMS disk caches capable of lending memory did not resize properly. Other symptoms include a failure to enter Microsoft Windows a second time, a "Not enough memory to load program" report from Microsoft Windows, or a conflict between QuickBoot and QDPMI. 2) OPTIMIZE would occasionally fail to detect adapter RAM properly. This problem has been fixed. 3) For a very small number of users, OPTIMIZE when run with the /ST parameter would add strange strings either -- "k.com" or "goodrich@qdeck.com" -- to the end of the QEMM386.SYS line at some point during OPTIMIZE. This problem has been fixed. 4) A change has been made to QEMM to detect and work around a problem with certain Gateway 2000 PCI machines. The problem is that the WBINVLD instruction (which is a valid 486 processor instruction) is not supported on the chipsets that come with these machines. The symptom would be a hang if the memory cache on these machines was set to Write Back. Setting the cache to Write Through worked around the problem for users of QEMM 7.5 dated 10-12-94 or earlier. The cache may now be set to Write Back. 5) QEMM now works around a bug in the Western Digital drivers for Windows 32-bit disk access, wherein the driver would fail if Stealth was enabled. The Quarterdeck utility 32BDAFIX.SYS would work around this problem; it is no longer necessary. 6) On systems, a bug in QEMM would causes a hang on entry to or exit from Microsoft Windows if Shadow RAM was enabled. This bug has been corrected. 7) A new feature has been added to QEMM's WINHIRAM.VXD driver, which is responsible for telling Windows about the High RAM that's been set up. This feature is invoked by an entry in the [386Enh] section of Microsoft Windows' SYSTEM.INI file. Examples include: [386Enh] QEMMExclude=A000-FFFF QEMMExclude=B000-B0FF QEMMExclude=D000-DFFF When Windows starts up, the High RAM created by QEMM (and all of the TSRs and device drivers loaded there) disappears momentarily. QEMM 7.5, unlike previous versions, makes this memory reappear much earlier than it usually would. This is because Windows drivers sometimes try to access a TSR or device driver before High RAM is re-enabled in Windows normal startup process. Unfortunately, some poorly-written .VxDs (Windows Virtual Device Drivers) try to access ROM directly at startup time, conflicting with this new QEMM strategy. A workaround for the problem with such programs (WRESUME.386, found on some Toshiba laptop machines, is one example) is to EXCLUDE the affected area with an X=xxxx-yyyy parameter on the QEMM386.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS. A superior workaround is to use an equivalent QEMMExclude entry in the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI; this will render the X= parameter unnecessary, at a savings in High RAM equivalent to the size of the EXCLUDE. (The real fix is for the vendor of the errant .VxD to inspect look at the correct physical address for the ROM using the Windows API MapPhysToLinear call, rather than assuming that a linear address is the same as a physical address at time under Windows.) You may have any number or range of QEMMExclude lines in the [386Enh] section. If you have a problem that QEMMExclude solves, Quarterdeck would like to hear about it. 8) OPTIMIZE uses many of the same approaches to detect Shadow RAM that QEMM does, and thus would run afoul of the same WBINVLD problem described above. OPTIMIZE has also been modified to work around this problem. 9) OPTIMIZE now parses lines that contain MSCDEX (the Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions to DOS) to work around a disastrous design flaw in MSCDEX. If there is no expanded memory available, MSCDEX will attempt to put into conventional memory the number of buffers specified by the /M switch, even if this number is large enough to consume all conventional memory. During the hardware detection phase, OPTIMIZE disables EMS, the better to detect hardware that is using address space above 640K. This would cause MSCDEX to put its buffers into conventional memory. If a large number of buffers had been specified on the MSCDEX line, OPTIMIZE could easily run out of memory and terminate abnormally. OPTIMIZE now works around this problem with MSCDEX. Other expanded-memory-using programs which display similar behaviour may present the same kinds of symptoms. This problem can be worked around by specifying the /NH parameter to OPTIMIZE, which skips the hardware detection phase of OPTIMIZE. 10) Manifest now adds a hint to use the /E (use expanded memory for CD-ROM buffers) parameter to MSCDEX. 11) A new feature has been added to Manifest; Manifest will now display the CPU speed on its System Overview screen. 12) A problem with QPI.VXD, the driver that provides access to QEMM information under Microsoft Windows, has been addressed. The symptom would be misreporting of the CPU type (SX or DX) by Manifest when run in Microsoft Windows Enhanced Mode. 13) The EMS handle name for Stealth D*Space has been changed from ST-DSPC to ST-DBL. This is to improve compatibility with AddStor's SpaceManager, which expects to see the latter EMS handle name. 14) Not a fix, but a note: Some customers report less conventional memory available with QEMM 7.5 than with previous versions. In many cases, this is because QEMM attempts automatically to EXCLUDE a byte in the F000 region, in order to better support Microsoft Windows' MaxBPS= SYSTEM.INI setting. If you have set MaxBPS set to a value greater than 200, QEMM's default behaviour will likely be preferable to you. If you have MaxBPS set to a value of 200 or less, you might wish to try adding the SRBP:N (an abbreviation for SYSTEMROMBREAKPOINT:N) parameter to the end of the QEMM386.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS. The SRBP parameter is documented in your original READ.ME in your QEMM directory, in the section headed "NEW QEMM386.SYS PARAMETERS". Quarterdeck Office Systems 150 Pico Boulevard Santa Monica CA 90405 ___________________________________ > ATI GRAPHICS TURBO ULTRA STR Spotlight """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ATI Technologies Inc. Announces.. NEW ULTRA HIGH RESOLUTION GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR FOR VERTICAL APPLICATIONS GRAPHICS PRO TURBO 1600 ======================= To Include Support For 1600x1200 Resolution, VESA DDC Specification ATI Technologies this month announced new versions of its GRAPHICS PRO TURBO accelerator cards. The new GRAPHICS PRO TURBO 1600 will support 1600x1200 resolution, the recently announced VESA Display Data Channel (DDC) "With the new resolution, the GRAPHICS PRO TURBO 1600 brings workstation quality graphics capability to the PC", said Henry Quan, ATI's Vice-President of Marketing. With its 1600x1200 resolution and full featured AutoCAD driver, the new GRAPHICS PRO TURBO 1600, offers flexibility to users of high end CAD and visual simulation, desktop publishing, and prepress applications requiring very high resolution at high color The GRAPHICS PRO TURBO 1600 also incorporates VESA DDC monitor support. ATI is one of the first graphics developers to support the recently announced DDC specification. DDC allows automatic monitor configuration eliminating complex setup. "With the incorporation of the new DDC specification, ATI is taking the next step in making computers easy to to use" added Quan. Based on ATI's mach64 chipset, the GRAPHICS PRO TURBO 1600 offers all the same features as its popular GRAPHICS PRO TURBO accelerator card including: * Full graphics acceleration at all color depths and screen resolutions Refresh rates as high as 100Hz for flicker-free displays * Includes WinSwitch for on-the-fly resolution and color depth switching in Windows * Color calibration software for color matching * Extensive software driver support: Windows, Windows 95, Windows NT, OS/2, X Windows, WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, 3D Studio, Microstation, and deluxe AutoCAD drivers * Designed for ease-of-use: switchless design, automatic configuration, and preview functions Foreign language versions of the GRAPHICS PRO TURBO 1600 have also been developed. Products will be available in multilingual formats including: English, German, French; Japanese; Mandarin and Korean; Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese; and Finnish, Swedish. Scheduled for release in first quarter of 1995, the GRAPHICS PRO TURBO 1600 will be available in VLB and PCI bus configurations, with 4Mb of VRAM. Suggested retail price is $799. With revenues for the year ending August 31, 1994, of over $232 million, ATI Technologies Inc. is a leading manufacturer of graphics and multimedia video enhancement products and components for personal computers. Founded in 1985, ATI holds the largest graphics board market share as determined by market analysts IDC (Framingham, MA) and Dataquest (San Jose, CA). ATI employs over 500 people and has a product line that is sold worldwide through an extensive network of computer manufacturers and leading computer distributors. Copyright(C) ATI Technologies Inc., 1994. ATI product names are trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc. All other company and/or product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective manufacturers. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice. All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ____________________________________________ > STR Feature """"""""""" Bailey's Book House MRSP $36.99 by Edmark P.O. Box 3218 Redmond, WA 98073-3218 phone: 206-556-8484 available in separate versions for DOS and Macintosh on CD-rom or floppy diskettes for ages two to six IBM Requirements Macintosh Requirements CPU: 386DX-25 CPU: Mac Plus RAM: 560k conv., 1 meg XMS RAM: 1 meg, 2 meg for color Video: EGA/VGA Video: monochrome supported CD-rom: Yes CD-rom: Yes H disk: 400k H disk: ? OS: DOS OS: Mono-Sys 6, Color-Sys 7 Sound: Most sound cards supported A printer is recommended for both systems Bailey's Book House is an award-winning reading program which has been updated and brought to CD-rom media. The program features five activity areas which teach vocabulary, preposition usage, letter and sound pronunciation. The program also encourages creativity by allowing children to make cards and stories. Three activities feature an Explore & Discover Mode and a Question & Answer Mode. The explore mode allows the child to satisfy his curiosity by clicking on words or letters. He will see a short animation explaining that word or letter. The child starts Question & Answer Mode by clicking on the picture frame in the scene. Question & Answer Mode will ask the child to find a letter or word to answer a question. The main screen for Bailey's Book House is Bailey's living room. Five objects are the icons for the activities. A clock starts Read-A-Rhyme. Make-A-Story is accessed by the bookshelf. Clicking on Edmo the Clown begins the Edmo & Houdini game. A table featuring envelopes and pencils is the icon for Kid Cards. The Letter Machine is activated by clicking on the typewriter. The Explore Mode of Read-A-Rhyme allows the child to complete a poem using one of four rhyming picture words. When a word is chosen, the poem is repeated and the word is defined with an animation. In Question Mode, the child must find the one rhyming picture word from four choices. From this activity children will learn new words and recognize rhyming words. The Edmo & Houdini game teaches children the meanings and relationships of prepositions. In explore mode, children click on prepositions and then see the resulting change in Edmo or Houdini's relationship to the doghouse. In Q & A mode, the child will be asked to find the correct preposition. The preposition will be shown as text when the question is asked. After two incorrect answers, the words will be shown in their proper relationship to the doghouse. The Letter Machine will familiarize the child with upper and lowercase letters, letter sounds and letter names. Explore mode allows the child to click on any letter. The letter will be shown in both cases and then a sentence using the letter will be displayed. The sentence will then be presented in animated form. Q & A mode asks the child to find a letter. Upon finding the correct letter, it will be displayed and then the animated sentence will be shown. After several incorrect answers, the program will eliminate choices until only the correct answer is available. I believe that more than one sentence per letter should have been programmed to prevent children from tiring of the exercise after each letter has been viewed several times. Also, some words chosen are not used in normal conversation. I can't remember the last time I ever discussed an Ibex (a type of wild goat) with anyone. Kid Cards encourages creativity by allowing children to make greeting cards, gift cards and invitations. Children compose different cards by filling the blanks. They can decorate the cards with stamps suitable to the occasion of the card. The CD-rom version is enhanced with alphabet stamps which allow the child to place his own words on the card. The cards can be printed for sharing with friends and family. The final activity is Make-A-Story. Each story consists of four pages in which the child chooses a character, place or action to tell a unique story. Children will learn that words have meaning, that words make sentences and that sentences make stories. This activity also encourages creativity and fosters a love of reading. The stores can be printed for sharing and reading later. The graphics are good but they do look dated compared to many newer products. The still graphics are pleasing to the eye and the animations have humorous touches which delight children. This program gets a very good rating for sound. The program uses cheery music and humorous sound effects. All voice tracks are spoken well with humor and are easily understood. The interface is very simple and easy to use. The program doesn't offer audible help but this may not be a deterrent to children. One nice feature is that when text is read aloud from text on screen, the words are highlighted as they are pronounced. The program also features an on-line parent's guide which not only explains each activity, but also includes suggestions for off-computer activities to increase the child's comprehension of the lessons. This guide also allows the parent to control the child's access to printers. Play value is quite good. Children will enjoy making their own stories, especially if they can use a color printer. The activities are all fun and amusing. The program teaches vocabulary, prepositions, letters, reading and encourages creativity. Bailey's Book House has good educational value. In moving its titles to CD-rom, Edmark decided not to change the programs. The concept was to provide quality software on a media which would save hard drive space for owners of CD-rom drives. Personally, I would have liked for Edmark to have enhanced the product with more lessons. While this is still an excellent product, it looks a bit dated compared to the offerings of other publishers of CD-rom software. Future products, such as Imagination Express, will take full advantage of storage capabilities of CD-rom for multimedia learning experiences. Bailey's Book House is still an excellent product, especially if you take advantage of the current bundle offer which includes KidDesk Family Edition. Ratings Graphics ........... 8.0 Sounds ............. 8.5 Interface .......... 8.5 Play Value ......... 8.5 Educational Value .. 8.0 Bang for the Buck .. 8.0 Average ............ 8.25 ### Radio Active: The Music Trivia Game Show On November 28 Sanctuary Woods announced the introduction of a new multimedia CD-rom trivia game for Macintosh and Windows computers. Radio Active mixes trivia, songs, puzzles, video and humor into an interactive gaming experience for up to four contestants. Aimed at players aged thirteen and older, the program features music from the 60's, 70's and 80's. This should appeal particularly to Baby Boomers as it will bring back nostalgic memories of the "good old days." The game features over 200 songs, over 800 questions about hit songs and artists, QuickTime video hints and extended-play rounds. Each contestant will choose an on-screen persona such as a punker, model or pirate which will pull a handle on a large spinner to select question categories. The game is hosted by a typical game show host with loud clothes and a wit to match. System requirements for the Mac include a 68030/25 CPU, System 7.1, eight megs of RAM, a thirteen-inch color monitor and a double-speed CD-rom drive. For Windows, you need a 386DX-33 CPU (486-33 recommended), eight megs of RAM, Windows 3.1, 256 color display, Sound Blaster or compatible sound card and a double-speed CD-rom drive. Radio Active: The Music Trivia Game Show was developed together with Digital Trivia Inc. of San Francisco. This is one of the first titles released through Sanctuary Woods' newly-established publishing division. Radio Active retails for $24.95 and will be available in versions for both Mac and Windows formats. The program will be available through software specialty stores, mass merchants, and software catalogs. It can also be obtained directly through Sanctuary Woods at 415-286-6100. ### "Shanghai: Great Moments" Activision announces a multimedia addition to its series of popular Shanghai games. Shanghai: Great Moments will be released on CD-rom for Windows and Macintosh computers. The program will feature actress Rosalind Chao as the live-action emcee who provides humor and hints. Shanghai: Great Moments features three new variations of Shanghai along with the classic game. Nine tile sets feature subjects such as space exploration, inventions, science fiction and more. Matching two tiles will start a short video clip related to the tiles. The new variations of the game will provide a lifetime of challenging gameplay. The Great Wall variation allows players to remove tiles from the bottom causing higher tiles to fall. Beijing is played by sliding tiles and matching pairs. Action Shanghai is played against the clock while the computer places tiles as you attempt to match pairs. Tournament mode features playing all the variations in a series. If a player succeeds in winning all the games, he will see video of the Great Wall from beginning to end. Contact Activision at 11601 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1000, Los Angeles, California 90025 or call 310-473-9200. ### Sammy's Science House MSRP $36.95 by Edmark P.O. Box 3218 Redmond, WA 98073-3218 phone: 206-556-8484 available in separate versions for DOS and Macintosh on CD-rom or floppy diskettes for ages three to six IBM Requirements Macintosh Requirements CPU: 386DX-25 CPU: Mac Plus RAM: 560k conv., 1 meg XMS RAM: 1 meg, 2 meg for color Video: EGA/VGA Video: monochrome supported CD-rom: Yes CD-rom: Yes H disk: 400k/CD 12.5 megs/floppy H disk: ?/CD 11.5 megs/floppy OS: DOS OS: Mono-Sys 6, Color-Sys 7 Sound: Most sound cards supported A printer is recommended for both systems Sammy's Science House was designed to encourage children's natural curiosity and to allow them to discover science in the world around them. The program features five activities which will aid children to learn sorting, sequencing, logic, observing, and building. Sammy is your host, a multicolored snake wearing an unusual hat. The main screen features Sammy in his house. Five objects trigger the activities. The movie projector starts Make-A-Movie. A weather board will lead children to the Weather Machine. Outside Sammy's window is the Acorn Pond activity. The Workshop game is accessed via the workbench. The Sorting Station activity is entered by clicking on the sorting bin. Like the other "House" programs, the activities feature two modes of learning. Explore and Discover Mode allows the child to click on objects and learn the results of such actions to his own delight. Question and Answer Mode features a computer host who will ask the child to perform a certain task or answer a question. Make-A-Movie teaches children to assemble pictures in a logical sequence and observe how things change over time. Make-A-Movie only has the Q&A mode. Children can sequence three pictures or four in nine different sets. Some sets can only be organized in one way but others can be correct in different ways. When the pictures are correctly organized, they can view a movie made from the pictures. They can even play the movie backwards to gain a new perspective. The Weather Machine features three choices of wind, sky and temperature conditions. The host is Frederick, a wisecracking bear. In Explore Mode, the child chooses any combination of the conditions and then he will see an animation based upon that weather. A character will be properly dressed and doing an activity common for the weather conditions. Children will learn weather terms, dressing properly for weather and how variables affect weather. In Q&A mode, the child will progress from choosing only one weather variable to choosing all three variables. Acorn Pond is a field trip within a computer. Children can click on the various creatures and plants living in and near the pond to learn interesting facts about them. They can observe seasonal changes and the effects on the plants and animals by clicking on each of the season icons. Acorn Pond also features a field notebook filled with facts and drawings of the inhabitants of the pond ecosystem. The notebook is not narrated so parents must read it with younger children. Pages from the notebook can be printed for sharing with friends. In the Q&A mode, an owl will quiz the child on facts which were presented to the child during Explore Mode. The Workshop features three levels of play by presenting parts with a choice of one, two or three blueprints. Children click and drag parts to make a whole object. When a part is chosen, its position on the blueprint will be highlighted. Children will learn to follow plans to create an object and that most objects are made of many smaller parts. In Explore Mode, children are free to follow the blueprints or to make objects of their own design. He can then paint the object with a combination of five colors. In Q&A mode, the child must follow the blueprint to create the target object. Children can print out their creations. The final activity is the Sorting Station. Children will learn the names of various rocks, plants and animals while also learning to discern attributes, similarities and differences of objects. They will learn common scientific terms and how plants and animals are classified. Children sort ten objects into two, three or four categories by clicking on an object and dragging it to the correct sorting bin. In some case, an object can be correctly placed in more than one category. Sometimes the differences which place an object in a category can be difficult to discern. Sammy's Science House is pleasing to the eye. The graphics are simple yet appealing. The animations are very amusing. The program has an abundance of catchy music, interesting sound effects and quality voice tracks. The children and adults recorded for this program did an excellent job of enunciating their parts and emoting suitable emotion. Some jokes could prove "unbearable." The interface is typical point-and-click with audible help. During Q&A mode, help is obtained by clicking on the activity's host and sometimes by clicking on random areas. Some activities do not have audible help during Explore Mode to encourage children's sense of discovery. Installation is very simple and the user guide provides troubleshooting tips and suggestions for off-computer activities to enhance the child's learning experience. The program is lacking an on-line parent's guide. The parent's menu allows the parent to turn on or off printing options and whether the child can exit the program unassisted. Children should enjoy many hours of learning pleasure from Sammy's Science House. The activities are designed well to take advantage of children's curiosity. The Workshop and Make-A-Movie have very high appeal. Educational content is good. The program is designed to encourage curiosity in nature and science. This makes it different from many programs on the market which are designed to teach children facts, just the facts. Such programs can become tedious. Sammy's Science House provides a blend of fact and fancy which will allow children's minds to grow. As with the other "House" programs, I am disappointed that the program was not enhanced more for CD-rom. On the other hand, the price is the same for both the CD-rom and floppy disk versions. This is a very good program and well worth the price, especially if you buy now to get the KidDesk Family Edition bonus. Ratings Graphics ............ 8.0 Sounds .............. 9.0 Interface ........... 9.0 Play Value .......... 8.5 Educational Value ... 9.0 Bang for the Buck ... 9.0 Average ............. 8.75 Thank you for reading! ______________________________________________ > FAX REMOVE STR InfoFile Doing it the right way """"""""""""""""""""""" DATASTORM TECHNOLOGIES, INC TECHNICAL BULLETIN #48 REV. 11/4/94 PRODUCT: PROCOMM PLUS FOR WINDOWS 2.x TOPIC : PERMANENTLY REMOVING FAX SUPPORT This document describes the procedure necessary to permanently remove fax support from PROCOMM PLUS for Windows version 2.x. This procedure can only be reversed by completely re-installing PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.x. WHY WOULD I WANT TO DISABLE FAX SUPPORT? For the vast majority of users, the fax support in PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.x will be transparent and will not interfere with any other tasks you may perform under Windows. Some people purchase PROCOMM PLUS specifically for its data capabilities and have no use for its fax capabilities. Although the fax support takes up very little of your hard drive space, some of these people may want to remove the fax support in order to free up this space. Should you have a reason to permanently remove the fax support in PROCOMM PLUS, the steps below will guide you through the process. Please note that the steps described below will permanently disable the ability to send or receive any faxes. The only way to restore fax support is to completely re-install PROCOMM PLUS to regenerate the necessary files and settings. PROCEDURE TO PERMANENTLY REMOVE FAX SUPPORT ------------------------------------------- The following procedure applies to all versions of PROCOMM PLUS for Windows 2.x: 1. Exit PROCOMM PLUS for Windows and close FAXSTAT.EXE, if these programs are currently running. 2. Remove the virtual device driver (DSTASK.386) that was added to your Windows configuration when you installed PROCOMM PLUS for Windows by following these steps: a) Start the Windows Notepad text editor or any other text editor you like to use. b) Open the SYSTEM.INI file located in the main Windows directory (usually called C:\WINDOWS). c) Scroll through the SYSTEM.INI file until you find the section labeled [386 Enh]. d) Search the [386 Enh] section for the "device=dstask.386" statement and delete it. e) Save the SYSTEM.INI file and exit the text editor. 3. Use the Windows File Manager to delete the following files from the main PROCOMM PLUS for Windows directory (usually C:\PROWIN2): FAXSTAT.EXE FAXVIEW.EXE PWCVRED.EXE 4. Use the Windows File Manager to delete the following subdirectories, and every file residing in the subdirectories, from the main PROCOMM PLUS for Windows directory (usually C:\PROWIN2): \FAXCOVER \FAXRECV \FAXSEND 5. Use Windows File Manager to delete the following files from the Windows System directory (usually C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM): PWFAX.DRV DSTASK.DLL DSTASK.386 6. Exit and restart Windows for the changes to take effect. _____________________________________________ > Creative NEWS STR FOCUS! """""""""""""""""""""""" Creative Announces New Communications Product Line for the PC Platform Modem Blaster 14.4 PCMCIA and Modem Blaster 19.2 Voice Data, Fax and Voice Transmission Products SINGAPORE -- December 6, 1994 -- Creative Technology Ltd. (Nasdaq: CREAF), the leading provider of multimedia products for the PC market, today introduced two products that will expand its line of communications offerings. Modem Blaster 19.2 Voice and Modem Blaster 14.4 PCMCIA -- both which provide high speed data transmission and compression, a broad range of connectivity and compatibility with any Group 3 fax machine -- join Creative's award-winning ShareVision desktop communications products in the company's growing family of communications solutions. The development and introduction of Modem Blaster is a direct result of Creative Technology's November, 1994 acquisition of Digicom Systems, Inc., a developer, manufacturer and marketer of modem technology. Designed with Digicom's DSP SoftModem technology, Modem Blaster 19.2 Voice, is a software upgradeable, multifunctional, internal PC modem. The product allows consumers to access the latest communications technologies by providing an all-in-one solution to the many high performance data, fax and voice needs of a small business or home office. Modem Blaster 19.2 Voice will have a suggested retail price of US $149. For portable and notebook computers, Creative's Modem Blaster 14.4 PCMCIA offers "sleep mode" and "wake-up-on-ring" features. The product's power level is automatically reduced until it is signaled by an incoming call, prolonging the life of batteries and the product as well. Compatible with any 14.4K, 9.6K and 2.4K bits per second modem, Modem Blaster 14.4 PCMCIA includes Delrina Technology's WinFax 3.0 fax application software, data application software and is bundled with on-line services -- America Online, Prodigy, CompuServe and Delphi. Modem Blaster 14.4 PCMCIA will have a suggested retail price of US $199. "The introduction of the Modem Blaster family reinforces Creative's commitment to top quality, high value PC peripherals, and furthers our Blaster brand-name recognition," said Rich Sorkin, director of audio product marketing for Creative Labs, Creative Technology's U.S. subsidiary. "Our growing line of communications tools, now ranges from our 19.2K bps voice/fax modem to our ShareVision desktop video conferencing products. As we move into 1995, Creative will continue to lead this market by complementing the Modem Blaster line with additional telephony-based products." Features of Modem Blaster 19.2 Voice ------------------------------------ A high speed V.32 turbo 19,200 bps modem, Modem Blaster 19.2 Voice automatically falls back and connects to slower speed modems, ensuring the broadest range of connectivity from V.32bis/14,400 bps, down to 1200 bps. Using V.42bis and MNP5 data compression, Modem Blaster 19.2 Voice maximizes error-free file transfers up to 57,600 bps. Featuring Kalman Technology's Ancilla fax and voice software, the product supports local record and playback, remote message retrieval and configuration capabilities. It also includes multiple mailboxes, fax on demand, fax forwarding, autodialer and phonebook interface. Its digital voice messaging feature also assists consumers in customizing a professional small business or home office system. Windows compatible Class 1 send-and-receive fax software makes it easy for users to transmit files. Features of Modem Blaster 14.4 PCMCIA ------------------------------------- Fully compliant with V.32bis and V.32 specifications, Modem Blaster 14.4 PCMCIA offers file transfer at speeds of up to 57.6K bps. With V.42 bis data compression and V.42 error correction, it provides maximum throughput, for additional cost savings. Modem Blaster 14.4 PCMCIA is compatible with most PCMCIA notebook and laptop computers including systems from Acer, AST, Chicony, Compaq, Dell, Grid, HP, IBM, NCR, NED, Sharp, Siemens, Toshiba and Zenith. Modem Blaster 19.2 Voice and Modem Blaster 14.4 PCMCIA will begin shipping later this month to Creative's extensive network of retailers and distributors. CONTACT INFORMATION ------------------- Benita Kenn Creative Labs, Inc. (408) 428-6600 ext. 6406 Creative Technology Ltd. develops, manufactures and markets a family of sound and video multimedia products for PCs under the Blaster family name. The company's Sound Blaster sound platform enables PCs to produce high- quality audio for entertainment, educational, music and productivity applications, and has been accepted as the industry standard sound platform for PC-based software. Creative Technology Ltd. was incorporated in 1983 and is based in Singapore. Creative Technology's U.S. subsidiaries include Creative Labs, I n c ., E-mu Systems, Inc., Digicom Systems, Inc. and ShareVision Technology, Inc. Creative also has other subsidiaries in China, Europe, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. The company's stock is traded on Nasdaq under the symbol CREAF and on the Stock Exchange of Singapore. Sound Blaster and Modem Blaster are registered trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. SoftModem is a trademark of Digicom Systems, Inc., WinFax is a trademark of Delrina Technology Inc., Ancilla is a trademark of Kalman Technology Inc., E-mu is a registered trademark of E-mu Systems, Inc., and ShareVision is a registered trademark of ShareVision Technology, Inc. All other products mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners and hereby recognized as such. ___________________________________________ > Roland SCD-15 STR InfoFile """""""""""""""""""""""""" Roland SCD-15 HINTS & KINKS =========================== by Aloke Prasad, VRTC This is a set of hints on installing the Roland SCD-15 daughterboard on the Sb16/awe32 with a Waveblaster connector. First step is to get the Sb16/awe32 working properly with the FM MIDI synthesis. You should be having a statement like the following in your AUTOEXEC.BAT SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 T6 This indicates that the MPU-401 port on the Sb16/awe32 is at the address 330H. Midi files, like CANYON.MID in the Windows directory should play using the FM synthesis, and "Sb16/awe32 All FM" setting in the MidiMapper applet in the Control Panel. The following should also appear in the Drivers applet in the Control Panel: Creative Sound Blaster 16 Auxiliary Audio Creative Sound Blaster 16 Wave and MIDI Voyetra / Sound Blaster SuperSAPI FM Driver If you use the DOS program PLAY.EXE from Creative Labs, the following should be in your AUTOEXEC.BAT: SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E indicating that the program should use the FM synth, and Extended midi map. Other DOS games, say DOOM, should also play FM midi synth by choosing "SoundBlaster" or "Soundblaster 16" as the music source in its Setup program. If the above is not set up right, get the latest driver from BLASTER forum on CIS, or ftp.creaf.com on Internet, and bug the sysops till the basic Sb16/awe32 is setup OK. Now, open up the PC and slap on the SCD-15 on the Sb16/awe32 card. The pins holding the daughterboard on to the Sb16/awe32 are a bit tight, and may require some force to "snap-on" into the holes in the Sb16/awe32. A warning: attaching the daughterboard also makes it inconvenient to change the jumpers on the Sb16/awe32. So, think ahead about making any changes to the Sb16/awe32 (eg., en/disabling the on-board amplifier, en/disabling the joystick, etc.). There is a special caution for people using the MIDI/joystick port on the Sb16/awe32s at the end of this document. Please read that before proceeding. Everyone else..after attaching the SCD-15, plug the Sb16/awe32/SCD-15 combo back in the PC (as far away from the Video card as possible, as there are some indications that in some installations, the Sb16/awe32 may pick up some interference from the Video cards). The following changes are required for Windows and DOS programs: For Windows: Change the MidiMapper to "Sb16/awe32 All MIDI". That's it. MediaPlayer or any program that uses the MidiMapper will now play the glorious Roland sounds. Some programs bypass the MidiMapper (eg. WinJammer Sequencer/Player). In these cases, choose "Sb16/awe32 MIDI Out" (instead of "Voyetra Super Sapi FM Driver") to access the SCD-15. For DOS: If you use PLAY.EXE to play MIDI files, change the statement in the AUTOEXEC.BAT to SET MIDI=SYNTH:2 MAP:G to use the MIDI port with General MIDI map. For games like DOOM, run its setup program and choose "Sound Canvas" if it is an option for the Music source. Choose 330H (or whatever is in the SET BLASTER line) as the address of the MPU-401 port. If your game does not offer "Sound Canvas" support, choose "General MIDI" as the music source. That's it..For those who were mistaken by installing the Roland MPU-401 driver, as described on page 7 of the SCD-15 startup manual, remove the driver from using the Drivers applet in the Control Panel. Set up the Sb16/awe32 as described earlier, and just change the MidiMapper. The SCD-15 attaches to the Sb16/awe32 and uses the MIDI driver provided by Sb16/awe32. Why Roland even included instructions to mess around with the Roland MPU-401 driver is beyond me!! For joystick users: If you use the joystick port on the Sb16/awe32, you may not hear any MIDI sounds. This is because most joysticks ground the MIDI pins of the MIDI/joystick combo port. You have 3 choices: 1. Buy a MIDI adapter cable from Creative Labs for $25. this splits the MIDI and the joystick parts of the port on the back of Sb16/awe32. This is a special cable, and if you buy a MIDI adapter cable from your local computer store, make sure that they have a return policy, as any old splitter may not work. 2. Make a splitter cable yourself by following instructions in a file in the BLASTER and MIDIFORUM libraries. The file in the MIDIFORUM is called MIDIDI.ZIP in Section 15 ("Sound Card Files"). 3. Buy a game card, disable the joystick port on the Sb16/awe32 (requires changing jumpers on the Sb16/awe32). Plug your joystick into the game card. I hope the above has been of some help. Enjoy the wonderful sounds of the Roland Sound Canvas and Sb16/awe32 !!!!! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 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. Fire up that high-speed modem and head for your favorite GEnie Software Library! Effective October 10, 1994, you'll be able to participate in an open beta test, offering access to GEnie Services at 9600 bps for as little as $5.00 per hour. As a result of an arrangement with Sprint, GEnie will be offering 9600 bps access from almost 300 SprintNet locations. Best of all, this high-speed access will not be subject to high-priced surcharges. The normal $2.00 per hour SprintNet surcharge will apply...even at 9600 bps! This open beta test is expected to run through the end of the year. To find the number of the SprintNet access number nearest you, simply type PHONES at any GEnie menu prompt (or use the "Move To Keyword" option in GENIE for Windows and type PHONES). Remember, this rate applies only to 9600 bps access via SprintNet. So be sure to choose the access number showing "9600" in the "Baud Rate" column AND "SprintNet" in the "Network" column. From the "Fine Print" department, please note that the $2.00 per hour surcharge for SprintNet access is applicable even during your initial four hours of monthly usage. So, whether you're into downloading software, reading bulletin boards, or accessing databases, it's about to become cheaper to do it faster! GENIE Information Services copyright 1994 by General Electric Information Services/GENIE, reprinted by permission """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ___ ___ _____ _______ /___| /___| /_____| /_______/ The Macintosh RoundTable /____|/____| /__/|__| /__/ ________________________ /_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/ /__/|____/|__|________|__/ /__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/____ Managed by SyndiComm /__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/ An Official Forum of the International Computer Users Group *** STReport available in MAC RT *** ASCII TEXT for ALL GENIE users! MAC/APPLE SECTION (II) ====================== John Deegan, Editor (Temp) > HP FLASH SIMMS STR InfoFile """"""""""""""""""""""""""" HP ANNOUNCES FLASH SIMM UPGRADES for HP JETDIRECT PRINT SERVERS! As of December 1, 1994, you can upgrade your HP JetDirect print servers to the latest functionality with HP's new Flash SIMM upgrades. The Flash SIMM upgrade products provide the following new features: * lpd support for Ethernet and Token Ring. * TCP/IP support for Token Ring. * Multi-protocol support with automatic switching for HP printers with MIO slots. * Expanded support for Novell networks - 16 file servers and 64 queues. * Reprogrammable Flash memory allowing for easy upgrades in the future. Product To Be Used In The Number Description Following Products J2546A Ethernet SIMM for the HP J2337A, J2338A, JetDirect Card J2339A, J2340A, J2371A, J2372A J2549A Token Ring SIMM for the HP J2373A JetDirect Card J2547A Ethernet SIMM for the HP J2382A, J2382B JetDirect EX J2548A Token Ring SIMM for the HP J2383A, J2383B JetDirect EX J2559A Software/Documentation Kit* All of the above *NOTE: The Software/Documentation Kit contains the latest HP JetDirect administration and configuration software as well as manuals that detail the new functionality the upgrade provides. Please note that you must order this product separately. HP recommends that you order at least one of these kits with your upgrade purchases. To order these products contact your local HP dealer or call (800) 752-0900 for a dealer near you. Copyright Hewlett-Packard Co. 1994 This information is subject to change without notice and is provided "as is" with no warranty. Hewlett-Packard shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the use of this material. ___________________________________________ > Pentium Issues STR FOCUS! """"""""""""""""""""""""" GATEWAY 2000 ADDRESSES PENTIUM CONCERNS ======================================= NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D., December 1, 1994 Gateway 2000 Inc. today announced enhanced support to ensure satisfaction for customers facing concerns associated with Gateway's Pentium based systems. Gateway 2000 is committed to supporting its customers on this confusing issue. The Facts --------- In response to Intel's acknowledgment of a subtle flaw in their Pentium Processor, Gateway would like to clarify this issue. Our understanding of the facts as provided by Intel are: The flaw will occur once in every nine billion divide operations. The chances of this occurring in real world usage is once in every 27,000 years. This issue only affects the accuracy of these computations significantly to the right of the decimal point. "Gateway has always stood behind our customers and we will continue to deliver the service and support they have grown to expect," said Ted Waitt, chairman and CEO of Gateway 2000. "As the leading supplier of Pentium based systems, we have had absolutely no customer reports regarding this anomaly prior to the media coverage. Generally, this is a very minor issue. The biggest problem is one of perception arising from poor efforts in explaining the specifics of the flaw. However, we will stand behind our products and our customers." Support ------- Gateway 2000, in conjunction with Intel, will work with customers to ensure their systems meet their computing needs. Upon determining customer needs, Gateway 2000 will provide replacement Pentium chips. The support will continue throughout the life of the system. "We will incur some additional operational costs offering this level of support, but our customers deserve it," continued Waitt. "Right now our Pentium demand is stronger than ever due to the excellent value of our Pentium systems. We feel that if people just look at the facts as they exist today rather than the perception, demand will continue." About Gateway 2000 ------------------ Gateway 2000, a Fortune 500 company founded in 1985, currently sells more PC-compatible systems through the direct market channel in the United States than any other PC manufacturer. A recent report from Dataquest Inc. said that Gateway 2000 is also the top United States market supplier of systems based on Intel's Pentium processor. Gateway 2000 is listed on the Nasdaq market as GATE. Gateway 2000 addresses Pentium concerns. Editorial Contacts: ------------------- Wendell Watson, (605) 232-2723 Gateway 2000 is a registered trademark. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corp. Dataquest is a registered trademark of Dun & Bradstreet. ********************************************************************** 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 <RET> once or twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and press <RET> 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! ************************************************************ ATARI/JAG SECTION (III) ======================= Dana Jacobson, Editor > From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" It's either feast of famine in the Atari community! Not too much happening this week. We've seen a number of reports on the ToadFest last weekend - all excellent reports. As usual, the Toads put on a terrific weekend for the Atari faithful. There's been no new information regarding the C-Lab "announcement" made last week. I'm sure that there's a lot of work and loose-ends being tied-up before any real information continues to flow in that regard. We'll be sure to keep you posted as we learn anything new. Other than that, I hope that your Atari holiday buying-spree is going well. If I'm fortunate, I may get to start my shopping this weekend! Malls.....! So, stay tuned as we continue to finalize our holiday issue(s). We hope to have some great stuff for you in time for Christmas _and_ New Years!! Until next time... __________________________________ Delphi's Atari Advantage! TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (12/7/94) (1) DR. NECRO DEMO *(6) SOFT-SCI SCREENSAVER V.2.7 (2) ATARI INTERNATIONAL FTP SITES *(7) RECENT CHECK BOOK PROGRAM (3) BACKWARD II 2.80 *(8) FRANTICK DEMO (4) OUTSIDE 3.3 DEMO *(9) GDOS ASSIGN.SYS EDITOR (5) WARP 9 NVDI DISPLAY FONTS *(10) MINT 1.12B (BINARY ONLY) * = New on list HONORARY TOP 10 The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently out-performing every other file in the databases. STREPORT (Current issue: STREPORT 10.49) Atari Explorer Online (Current issue: AEO: VOLUME 3, ISSUE 13) Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database. ________________________________________________ > Lexicor Update! STR InfoFile! - Apex Media! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" APEX MEDIA (formerly Chroma Studio 24) (Animation studio for Falcon030 - RRP: 199 U$D) For the Falcon030 with DSP 56001 support By Black Scorpion Software, now available through Lexicor Software Corporation in North America (dealer inquiries encouraged). Animation and Morphing o Smooth image transforms o Powerful block functions o Block rotation to any angle, proportional re-scale stretch, skew and mirror o File import of animations from disk to paste above/below existing pictures at any point in the target animation Digitizing o Multiple, real-time frame capture to 512x320 in 16-bit color o Rostrum Camera work to 24-bit Post-Processing o Two levels of Noise reduction, "De-jagging" and motion blur o Advanced Delta Compression to reduce memory/disk overheads Drawing Tools o Pen, Line, Curve, Polygon, Circle, Box o Stipple Airbrush o Re-definable grid Special features include: o Re-definable Graduated Circles, Lines, Boxes o Interpolative Lines and Boxes o Definable Fill using Block or Gradient NON-Linear Drawing o Realistic Airbrush for producing soft graduated spray effect o Transform of definable areas controlling hue, saturation, brightness using paint or fill. o Transform and Masking with an extensive range of brushes Screen Modes o Real-time zoom available at all times, even during animations o Every single tool fully usable under zoom conditions o Smooth scrolling under zoom or virtual canvas operation with any tool File Support o PC1, IFF, SPU, PCS, TGA, MTV, JPG, GIF, FLC, SEQ, ANM, APX o CFN font support, saving of palette, Field Warp lines and set-up configuration o Import of images or animations with color reduction, pasting over or under existing images Video Support o VGA, RGB monitors and TV's o Selectable resolutions: 320x200, 320x400, 640x200, 640x400 o Virtual Canvas up to 2048 x 1024 o Super-sampling of true colors images for 256 video modes. o Enhancement of existing 256 color images with dithering and/or super-sampling o Import of large images into smaller canvas sizes with fine scaling. o Grey-scale conversions Lexicor Software Corporation 36 Queensberry Street, Suite 6 Boston, MA 02215 U.S.A. Internet : service@lexicor.com GENIE : GRAPHICS RT or LEXICOR CIS : 75300,763 DELPHI : LEXICORWORLD Recommended Retail Price is 199 U$D _____________________________________________ > Stello 2.0 STR GameFile! - Othello Gets Even Better! """""""""""""""""""""""" Stello 2.0 From: Claus J. Pedersen <atari@monet.name.imada.ou.dk> Hello everybody. Stello 2.0 Othello is out with features such as - Works under Gem, all Atari computers, all screen resolutions, (x resolution must be at least 640). - Supports MultiTOS and WINX. - Uses multitasking under MultiTOS. - Advanced game-playing algorithms, alpha-beta minimax, iterative deepening, response killer table, saves game tree and uses the zero-width minimax modification. - One of the best Othello programs in the world. - Background pictures on the board as black/white or color. - RSC files in english, german, french and danish. - Dialogs in windows. - Nice interface (3d buttons and check-boxes even under old tos versions, nice line menus, animation of discs). - Printing of moves, board and transcript as ASCII, GDOS or Speedo GDOS. - Export of moves, board and transcript as ASCII or META file. This means that you can take the output and use it in a word processor that supports import of META files. - You can set the size of the output, (board size of 4 - 16 cm) 2 types of transcript, (with or without disc's) and turn on/off the border text (abcdefgh, 12345678) - There is a (very primitive) font selector, and you can choose the output device (printer from 21-30 and meta file from 31-40) - Context sensitive help with St-Guide. New in Stello 2.0 This is a major update. Here is a list of the most important improvements. - I have implemented the zero-width minimax modification in the normal alpha-beta search, which means 10 % fewer nodes to examine. - The "brain" has been much improved, which means that it now gives a more accurate and stable evaluation of the positions. - Endgame search now 10% faster. (16000-23000 moves/sec on a TT) - Special endgame search mode where Stello can search for a "Win", "Win/Draw" or "Max disc". The "Win" search is 10-50 faster than the "Max disc" search, and in extreme cases up to 200 times faster. - Stello now evaluates its command line, so you can drag games to its Icon, and it will then load it, and you can install Stello with a DOC type of "GAM", so it will start and load a game if you click on it. - Stello now also supports the drag & drop protocol under MultiTOS. - The filename is displayed in the game window so you can see what game you have loaded. - Manual input of games is now completely mouse controlled. - GDOS and Speedo GDOS is now supported. This means very nice output via printer and META file. If you don't have GDOS you can still print and export as ASCII. - Window with transcript of game. - Context sensitive help file for St-Guide. - various bug fixes (It should now finally be possible to load games and pictures on TOS 1.0 and TOS 1.2) More details in the documentation. Stello is a Shareware game. I have uploaded the game to the following ftp sites, in the file STELLO20.LZH. ftp.uni-kl.de ftp.uni-paderborn.de ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de atari.archive.umich.edu micros.hensa.ac.uk ftp.cnam.fr Happy Othello playing. Claus J. Pedersen. ____________________________________________ > New Atari Internet News Group! STR InfoFile! - Programmers Group Passes! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" RESULT un-moderated group comp.sys.atari.programmer passes 193:35 There were 193 YES votes and 35 NO votes, for a total of 228 valid votes. There was 1 abstain and 1 invalid ballot. For group passage, YES votes must be at least 2/3 of all valid (YES and NO) votes. There also must be at least 100 more YES votes than NO votes. There is a five day discussion period after these results are posted. If no serious allegations of voting irregularities are raised, the moderator of news.announce.newgroups will create the group shortly thereafter. Newsgroups line: comp.sys.atari.programmer Programming on the Atari computer. This vote is being conducted by a neutral third party. For voting questions only contact rdippold@qualcomm.com. For questions about the proposed group contact Yat Siu <ysiu@lexicor.com> CHARTER Summary: a newsgroup for the discussion of programming on the atari TOS or 8bit computer and any clones or otherwise The proposed group will provide a forum for the discussion of programming queries, discussions of techniques or anything else that is related to programming on the atari for any language that exist on the atari (scheme, gcc, c, basic, pascal, assembler etc.) Justification: There are currently several comp.sys.atari.* newsgroups, however none cover the aspect of programming questions. Atari Computer systems (8bit, 16 or 32bit and clones) have various development tools from other third party developers, some of which are very good. Atari Users require a forum where they can ask questions about programming in any language. This new newsgroup is also meant to encourage programming on the Atari and asking questions regarding programming. Very often programming questions are asked in other forums, but they either don't get a reply or ignored because it is not related to the topic. Atari Computers have got a user base of programmers who need to support each other on the usenet on a more global scale, and it should also help third party developers for Atari development tools read and see what programmers use/require/want. ________________________________ JAGUAR SECTION ============== Doom! Tempest 2000 CD! Fighjt For Life! Rebellion/AvP/Atari Conference! CD-ROM! Developer List! And much more! > From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Well, the holiday season isn't going to be as successful as we'd all like, but the games are getting here. As of this issue, there are a dozen games out, with quite a few more in various stages of production. Expect to see at least some of those out in time to make the last-minute Christmas rush. For those of you hoping to see the CD-ROM in time for the holiday, it's very doubtful. There are rumors going around that there may be a limited supply close to or after the holiday, but don't expect it. The good news is that the originally-priced hardware has been reduced from $199.99 to $149.99! No word as yet on whether or not there will be a pack-in game. This may be a reason for the price cut. Apparently, the delay in release of the CD-ROM is due to a lack of games ready to go along with the release. It really doesn't make a lot of sense to release the hardware without any games to play on it! The CD-ROM is ready, but the delay from the 3rd-party developers is holding things up. I'm sure that Atari would like to have better news, but rarely does the software keep up with the hardware. We've got a lot of interesting news and information for you this week! The second of the two OnLine conferences with Rebellion is included in this issue. News of the CD-ROM announcement, Doom, the Tempest 2000 audio CD, a Fight For Life preview, a Doom preview, and much more. Also, our "Name the 1st 20 Jaguar Games" contest is progressing well, to a point!! With the deadline rapidly approaching, we may not have a "first 20 games" list to judge!! If this occurs (and it seems very likely) we'll push the contest deadline back. We've got a few entries so far that have correctly listed the first twelve games, so we want to see how they do with the remaining games to come out! We'll announce a new deadline shortly. So, let's get to the games and see what's happening out there with everything Jaguar! Look for an interesting holiday issue, coming in a couple of weeks! 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. Doom $69.99 id/Atari Corp. J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $59.99 Atari Corp. Club Drive $59.99 Atari Corp. J9007 Checkered Flag $69.99 Atari Corp. Available Soon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER CatBox $49.95 ICD CatBox + $69.95 ICD Theme Park TBD Ocean Syndicate TBD Ocean Troy Aikman Football$69.99 Williams Sensible Soccer J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Cannon Fodder TBD Virgin Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Hardware and Peripherals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER J8001 Jaguar (complete) $249.99 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! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Contact: Ron Beltramo David Harrah Atari Edelman Public Relations 408/745-8852 415/968-4033 For Immediate Release DOOM CREATORS UNLEASH 64-BIT HELL ON THE ATARI JAGUAR SUNNYVALE, CA (December 2, 1994) -- Fans of the cult video game DOOM can now experience what Jay Wilbur, president of Id Software, the company that created the popular game, describes as "the most powerful version of the game on any video game system." According to reports from stores nationwide, the Jaguar version of DOOM is already selling briskly. DOOM is an ultra-fast virtual reality showcase that plunges the player deep into a 3D world filled with legions of gruesome fiends. The Atari Jaguar is the first 64-bit video game system in the world. Unlike versions for other video game systems, the Jaguar version of DOOM * Offers nine additional levels of play, including improved, custom-designed levels available only on the Jaguar. * Exploits the Jaguar's 64-bit power to deliver compelling, realistic game play. For example, the monsters that populate the Jaguar version's hellish world are not flat, two-dimensional characters like they are on other systems, but awesome, three-dimensional beings. Catch a side-view as they walk around you, or turn-around and shoot them in the back! * Uses 65,000 colors -- compared to 256 on other systems -- for advanced lighting and shading effects that provide the most immersive, first-person experience available. * Allows for two players. Until now, this was only possible on the personal computer version of DOOM. Although owners of other video game systems can play their own, more limited version of DOOM, they cannot play each other. Jaguar fans will be able to link up two Jaguar systems and either team up against the gruesome fiends or challenge each other to a death match. * Offers a special save feature so Jaguar players can go back to the last completed level and continue their mission through the bowels of hell. * Takes advantage of the full size of the television screen. "We didn't just license the code to Atari, we developed the Jaguar version of DOOM ourselves," explained American McGee, a game designer at Id Software, the company that created DOOM. "We streamlined and improved the graphics and made the game even more compelling," he added. The favorable reviews already are beginning to pour in. Video Games magazine described the game as an "unqualified addiction for those lucky enough to play it." The reviewer added, "This one could be a guaranteed system-seller for those considering a Jaguar purchase." An aggressive marketing campaign will promote the Jaguar version of DOOM and will include new television commercials and print ads. The ad campaign will run in December, in time for the holiday shopping season. # # # > Jaguar Developers STR InfoFile - Current Developer Lists & Titles """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Game Title Date Game Type MSRP Publisher ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Air Cars 12/94 Racing $59.99 Midnight Ent. Alien vs Predator NOW Role Play/Adventure $69.99 Atari Arena Football 1Q/95 Sports TBD V Reel Assault 1Q/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Midnight Ent. Barkley Basketball 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Battlemorph 12/94 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Battle Wheels 1Q/95 Racing/Combat TBD Beyond Games Blue Lightning (CD) 12/94 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Brett Hull Hockey (CD) 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Brutal Sports Football NOW Sports/Combat $69.99 Telegames Bubsy 12/94 Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Burnout 1Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Cannon Fodder 12/94 Action/Adventure TBD Virgin Checkered Flag NOW Racing $69.99 Atari Club Drive NOW Racing $59.99 Atari Creature Shock (CD) 1Q/95 Adventure/Sci-Fi TBD Atari/Virgin Cybermorph NOW Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Dactyl Joust 2Q/95 Action TBD Atari Demolition Man 1/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Atari Doom NOW Action/Combat $69.99 Atari Double Dragon V 12/94 Action/Adventure $59.99 Williams Dragon:Bruce Lee Story NOW Combat $59.99 Atari Dragon Lair (CD) 1Q/95 Adventure TBD Ready Soft Dreadnought (CD) 2Q/95 Adventure TBD Atari Dungeon Depths 1Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Midnight Ent. Evolution: Dino Dudes NOW Puzzle/Adventure $49.99 Atari Flashback 12/94 Action/Adventure TBD US Gold Fight FFF Life 1Q/95 Combat TBD Atari Hardball Baseball 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Highlander (CD) 1Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Horrorscope 1Q/95 Combat TBD V Reel Hover Strike 12/94 Action/Combat $59.99 Atari Iron Soldier 12/94 Action/Strategy $59.99 Atari Jack Nicklaus Golf(CD) 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Kasumi Ninja 12/94 Combat $69.99 Atari Rage Rally 1Q/95 Racing TBD Atari Raiden NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Rayman 12/94 Action/Adventure TBD UBI Soft Robinson Requiem 1Q/95 Adventure TBD Atari Soccer Kid 1Q/95 Sports TBD Ocean Space War 12/94 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Star Raiders 1Q/95 Space Simulation TBD Atari Syndicate 12/94 Simulation TBD Ocean Tempest 2000 NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Theme Park 12/94 Simulation TBD Ocean Tiny Toon Adventures 1Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Trevor McFur NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Troy Aikman NFL Ftball 12/94 Sports $69.99 Williams Ultimate Brain Games 12/94 Puzzle TBD Telegames Ultra Vortex 12/94 Action/Adventure $69.99 Beyond Games Val D'Isere Skiing... 12/94 Sports $59.99 Atari White Men Can't Jump 1Q/95 Sports TBD TriMark Wolfenstein 3D NOW Combat/Action $59.99 Atari Zool2 11/94 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 Real Time Conference on GENIE Hosts - Charlie Townsend and Lou Rocha Nov. 30, 1994 Guests: Dan McNamee, Don Thomas, James Grunke and Purple Hampton ALIEN vs PREDATOR & other Jaguar Games <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> I will direct traffic tonight. Charlie Townsley will be your host. Dan McNamee, James Grunke and Don Thomas will be in live mode all the time. Try not to trip over each other, eh guys :-) OK Charlie, take it away. <[Charlie/Host] ARCHIVIST> Who, Us, Lou? (Grin) <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> :-) <[Charlie/Host] ARCHIVIST> Good Evening everyone, and welcome to this Special Edition of the Games RTC for the Atari. We're here tonight instead of the usual Saturday night to bring you some special guests from Atari Corp. directly, and discuss the Jaguar, it's future, and what has to be THE hottest game out for it right now: Alien vs. Predator! I'll ask our special guests to introduce themselves in just a minute, but first I'd like to explain a little bit about how an RTC works for those of you who have never attended one before. Because this is a formal RTC the room will be kept in 'listen only' mode for most of the night. In order to ask a question of our guests just /RAISE your hand and we will let you talk in turn. We will have at least an hour for this RTC, possibly longer if our guest don't get worn out, so we will try to get to everyone. Please, only ask one question at a time and have your question ready to send out when we call upon you. This will help the conference move much more swiftly. Thanks! And now lets introduce our guests! <ARCHIVIST> Ron has given me some introductory text to upload for him. Shall I start with that directly, guys? <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Sure thing. <ARCHIVIST> OK, here it comes, and it's some HOT news, too! Hello! (from Ron Beltramo, v.p. marketing) I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Please accept my thanks for joining us this evening. I am aware that everyone would enjoy having conferences more frequently on GEnie and we will review opportunities for more conferences in the future. As you might imagine, we have been working hard on getting more software for the Jaguar on the market as quickly as possible. In itself, that would not be hard if speed was our only concern. By reviewing the message threads forwarded to me and the results of focus groups and retailer feedback we are convinced that you want the type of quality software that features the most immersive and challenging gameplay that can be created for the 64-Bit Jaguar system. With that in mind, we have been firm in our resolve to create a new caliber of quality software. The feedback we are receiving on Alien Vs. Predator, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Tempest 2000 tells me we are on the right track. As we have all discovered, being patient and committed to this standard of quality pays off. This is turning out to be an exciting Holiday Season. As many of you know, we have started to ship Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and Doom. We are shipping these titles as quickly as they come in to us, so make sure you stay in touch with your retailer if you are looking for these titles. On the heels of these titles are Checkered Flag, Club Drive, Iron Soldier, Val D'Isere Skiing, Bubsy, Zool 2 and Kasumi Ninja. Look for a fast flurry of these titles within the next few weeks. I am particularly excited about the diversity of these titles as well as quality. I think this Christmas, there is something for everyone on the Jaguar. This special conference is in the honor of the hard work put forth by the AvP team with their successful release of their new hit. I know people would like some updated marketing scoop, so maybe I can address that topic quickly before turning the entire focus to them. First off, I apologize I cannot be with you live this evening. I am wrapping up some studio production work for three new television commercials: one featuring Kasumi Ninja, one for Doom and one for Iron Soldier. The Doom spot will be finished this week and be on air next week for a three week blitz leading up to the Christmas holidays. Iron Soldier and Kasumi Ninja will be completed next week and on air going into the new year. All three are shaping up to be great ads for three of the next great Jaguar titles. Those of you who live near Venture Stores (a chain very similar to Target with stores mostly in the midwest) have seen their promotion of the Jaguar in recent circulars. The Jaguar and the Lynx have also been featured in recent Incredible Universe advertisements. We have also succeeded in selling an impressive number of Lynx systems on the Home Shopping Club. Toys R Us has expanded the distribution of Jaguar to 300 stores across the country. Jaguar is now being launched into Japan and every Toys R Us Store in Japan will be carrying the Jaguar this Holiday Season. Bill Rehbock, v.p. of software business development, has recently revealed that Primal Rage will be coming to the Jaguar although the timing for release has not yet been announced. The long awaited Tempest 2000 Soundtrack on compact disc is expected in our warehouse within the next 10 days. I think this item makes a perfect Christmas gift at only $12.99 plus shipping. Contact Don Thomas, director of customer service to order. He tells me he has reduced the shipping and handling to just $ 3.50 on this item for onliners. The Alien Vs. Predator cinema-quality poster has been such a hit, we have brought in more. As a matter of fact, EVERYONE that attends this conference tonight live can receive a postage paid free AvP poster. The SysOp will keep track of who attends. You must send your U.S. or Canadian mailing address privately to JAGUAR$ or ATARI to get your poster. If you are reading this text after the conference has concluded, you can still obtain a free poster, however, Atari's minimum $4.95 shipping and handling fee applies. The most recent edition of the retailer's Jaguar demo tape is reaching stores now. Some of you have ordered one for yourselves and are receiving them. I hope you will feel free to loan that tape out to friends. <hint> This 40+ minute tape was produced by Greg LaBrec, director of creative services. It features 30 Jaguar game sequences plus copies of Atari's Jaguar commercials INCLUDING the popular AvP spot; all professionally edited, reproduced and labeled. (Greg has been known to sign a few before they are shipped upon request <g>) clip below and spread the news! *************** AVP ON-LINE TRIVIA CONTEST **************** WIN A JAGUAR or AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ALIEN Vs. PREDATOR! Atari is proud to introduce another online attraction... It's our first ever "AvP Trivia Contest"! Here's how it works... Below are five questions regarding Atari's hit 64-bit Jaguar release of Alien Vs. Predator. Each question may be answered by A, B, C or D. Entrants must submit their answers along with their mailing address and daytime phone number. Entries should be sent directly or through the Internet to one of the following addresses: 75300.1267@compuserve.com or jaguar$@genie.geis.com Entries will be accepted anytime from November 29, 1994 until midnight of December 9, 1994. This contest is open to all onliners who have a North American shipping address (50 U.S. states and Canada) who have complied with the terms of this contest. BBS users can submit their entries by sending a private message to the SysOp of CATscan BBS by dialing 209/239- 1552. Sysops are encouraged to distribute the details of this contest. The winner will be randomly selected from all the correct entries. Due to the anticipated volume, individual replies to entries CANNOT be made. Only one entry per person will be accepted. Employees of CompuServe, GEnie or Atari are ineligible. To make things REALLY easy. You WILL find the answers within the text of the November 29th AvP conference on CompuServe or the November 30th AvP conference on GEnie. Here are the questions: 1) Alien Vs. Predator by Atari for the 64-bit Jaguar interactive multimedia system features the ability for the player to become any one of three characters. What are those characters? A. Ripley, an Alien and a Navy Seal B. An Alien, a Predator and a Marine C. A ship's navigator, a cook and a doctor D. None of the above 2) Which film studios produced the Alien and Predator films? A. Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox B. Disney Studios and Twentieth Century Fox C. Twentieth Century Fox and Twentieth Century Fox D. Universal Studios and Twentieth Century Fox 3) Alien Vs. Predator is a virtual world challenge which is described in the manual to be: A. a tactical simulator depicting the events following the fall of Camp Golgotha Colonial Marine Training Base. B. a reenactment of events created by a supercomputer based on the ultimate terrestrial war Alien vs. Predator. C. a dream sequence of space mining personnel aboard their own contaminated ship. D. a hypnotic recall of the nightmarish events experienced by marines on a recent war mission where germ warfare was used against them. 4) An effective tool to be used while playing Alien Vs. Predator is the H.U.D. which offers status displays. What does H.U.D. stand for? A. Heads-Up Display B. Helmet Ultra-Diatometer C. Heated U-light Diagnostics D. Hampered Utility Detector 5. One of the many obstacles to avoid is referred to as a Facehugger. A Facehugger is which of the following? A. A creature that attaches itself to the face of its host. B. A helmet instrument used by the Predator that injects a poison into anyone else who may attempt to use it. C. A "gripping" gas that stretches the skin of the face until it tears. D. None of the above. *********************************************************** Whew! <g> There is still another Jaguar, AvP and three T-shirts to be given away by your host this evening during this conference. I know people are anxious for more titles as soon as possible. I also know we all have a lot of questions regarding networking, voice/modem, CD-ROM, VR Helmets and more. I assure you we are anxious to release news about these products as soon as we can. I urge everyone to stay tuned to the Atari/Jaguar areas of GEnie and CompuServe for the news as soon as we can post it. Now, finally, to the topic at hand and Alien Vs. Predator... Regards, Ron Beltramo <ARCHIVIST> Whew! Sorry, that was a long one. I'll give you all a minute to read back in your capture buffers before we go on. Of course, the full text will be posted as a file in the Library as part of this conference transcript, so you won't miss anything! In the meantime, those of you with Questions ready can now /RAISE your hands to get in the queue. We'll call upon you in turn. Don, how about you introduce yourself now, and tell us all what you do at Atari? I'm sure there are many people here who have never met you.... <[D.Thomas] ATARI> My name is Don Thomas and I am the Director of Customer Relations at Atari. I am responsible... for a great number of things, but tonight, I am here to benefit from having the AvP team here as guests! <ARCHIVIST> hehe. Ok, it's great to have you here, Don! <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Thanks. <ARCHIVIST> Dan, it's nice to see you again, too! Could you introduce yourself to the folks, and any guests you have with you? <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Sure! Hi all, I'm Dan McNamee. I've been with Atari for almost 7 years now. (In March) I've been an Atari fan for years. I started with the original Pong machine MANY years ago, and worked my way up through the line. I've held many positions in Atari, starting in Tech Support and worked my way up (I think <G>) to test. <ARCHIVIST> Aha! So, those of us addicted to games now know who to bribe for a job as Tester. :-) <ARCHIVIST> James, I'm glad to have you back. Could you introduce yourself, and don't you have a guest sharing the terminal with you tonight? <JAMES-GRUNKE> Hiya, I'm James Grunke, director of audio, just starting my fourth year at Atari. Purple will be joining me here soon as he is fighting his way through traffic from the airport.... <ARCHIVIST> hehe. Does he have the Pulse Rifle or the Flamethrower? (Grin) <JAMES-GRUNKE> ....and yes, I am guilty of the Barney voice in AvP. I was hoarse from the death screams... ga <ARCHIVIST> Well, I'm sure we'll all be happy when Purple Hampton joins you. As the Producer of Aliens vs Predator, I'm sure people will have many questions for him. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> An answer to one of the AvP trivia questions is: Twentieth Century Fox and Twentieth Century Fox <ARCHIVIST> hehe. Thanks Don! Everyone write that down, now! <ARCHIVIST> OK, Lou, lets get to the questions. Can we have our first up to the mic, please? <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> Sure can... here's Mike Lyda. <[mike] M.LYDA> AvsP is excellent!!! Was/Is there a grenade launcher in the game? Are there any hidden rooms/weapons in AvsP? <ARCHIVIST> OK. Anyone at all can take that one, I think ... <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> No the grenade launcher did not make it into the game, unfortunately. There are no hidden weapons (other than the extra pulse rifles) or rooms (other than the blocked off ones that can only be reached by airducts) <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> Next we have Pat Fletcher who is STumped! Pat... <[STumped] P.FLETCHER4> I have encountered an awful lot of negative feelings about Atari among your distributors (eg. Electronics Boutique). Does Atari have a plan to raise its public image? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> I'll take this one ... You are correct that Atari has been down before our rise back up now and we are working hard already to improve that by many means. We are, as we speak, working on another of many direct mailings to our dealers which include posters, videos and other pop items... We also have people in the field making a lot of direct contacts at a lot of corporate offices. We absolutely need to continue working on it and I think we are going in the right direction. <ARCHIVIST> I think the increased ads mentioned in Ron's text will go a long way toward helping Atari's image. <JAMES-GRUNKE> <and we have a lot of great new titles on the way which will make them happy> <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> Carlos from FL is next. <[Carlos] C.CUENCA1> Hello, I would like to know how is "Fight for Life" is progressing..?? Is this the last version of the name or could it change..?? Any release date..?? <JAMES-GRUNKE> I am working on the theme song for the game Joe Vitale (Eagles, James Gang, CS&N) wrote the song for me on spec (meaning see if it's right and we may use it)... and it rocks. It is titled "fight for Life" and you should hear it on the Jag. The guys who work for me (Paul Foster, Hans-Martin Krober, and Nate Brenholdt have been developing the sound system to the point where we are able to take a tune like this and integrate it into the game. The programmer, Francois, is doing magic to the intro sequence and I'll let you wait til the game ships and see what I'm talking about. <ARCHIVIST> James, the Tempest 2000 sound track had enormous popularity and I now it's being released as a CD. Do you have any news on this, and do you see any other really impressive sound tracks in the current crop of games? <JAMES-GRUNKE> The CD is printing as we speak the sales have surprised me (good work, Don) and we will work the record in certain markets although the Techno market is small, it is great PR. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> FYI, we are taking pre-orders <g>. Details in header from Ron. An answer to another AvP trivia question is: An Alien, a Predator and a Marine <ARCHIVIST> Hey, keep it up and BillBoard may have to start a new chart! :-) Ok, next up to the mic ... Howie Frankle! Take it away, Howie! <[howie] H.FRANKEL2> As of today, what games are in production, and When is KN due out?? <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Checkered Flag, Club Drive, Zool 2 Val d'Isere Skiing & snowboarding, Kasumi Ninja and Bubsy. I thinks I nailed them all. <ARCHIVIST> I've heard a lot of good things about Val d'Isere. I think it will surprise many people. Thanks Howie! <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Val d'Isere is pretty cool. It makes me want to go skiing. <G> <[D.Thomas] ATARI> There's a sample of Val d'Isere on the retailer video. <JAMES-GRUNKE> Val d'Isere is awesome!!!! <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Oops! I forgot Iron Soldier. Sorry! <ARCHIVIST> Next up is our Coco-Sysop! Welcome, Alan! <[Allen/Jag!] COCO-SYSOP> Was AvP programmed mainly using the 68xxx processor? IE, every game system ever has had games 2 years after launch that blew away initial launches. Shall we expect that here? <ARCHIVIST> Hmmm. I'd think that's more a question for Purple, but can anyone here answer it? <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> AvP uses all the chips in the system. It was heave on the 68K early on.. but was optimized out over the rest of the system as development progressed. <JAMES-GRUNKE> <Purple has arrived!!!> <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Yea! <ARCHIVIST> Great! Thanks Dan! Ah, good news! James, pull a chair up for Purple and ask him to introduce himself, please. :-) ** <[Purple and J] JAMES-GRUNKE> was <JAMES-GRUNKE>. <ARCHIVIST> Welcome to GEnie, Purple! <[Purple and J] JAMES-GRUNKE> Ola! I just flew in from the airport and boy... never mind... Hi, I'm Purple the Producer for AVP and have been with Atari for just over two years. <ARCHIVIST> Glad to have you here, Purple. <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> brief and to the point. ;-) <ARCHIVIST> hehe. The IMPORTANT point, Dan! (remember it, folks....) let's move right along to our next questions. Kodoger is up next! <[KODOGR] J.DAMISCH> So, I am just dying to ask. Is the Jag CD gonna be just a straight CD player like the Sega CD, or is Atari gonna beef up the spec on this one? Also, how fast is the CD player on this puppy gonna be? <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> The JagCD and play audio CDs, which VLM makes an impressive light show for. It also plays CD+G disks. <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> It's a double speed drive, lots of throughput. <ARCHIVIST> Thanks Dan! Next up is Tim Steed. Welcome to the Atari RT, Tim! <[Tim Steed] T.STEED1> I work at a national software retailer, and am VERY happy to have the Jag as part of our lineup. Any idea when we can see the demo tape? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Tim... We are shipping them as fast as we can. In fact just today we placed an order for more and more will be arriving tomorrow. Send me E-Mail with your store location later and I'll make sure you have one on its way. <ARCHIVIST> Great! Thanks, Don. Tim, that's the ATARI address for your E- Mail later. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Yes. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> An answer to another AvP trivia question is: Heads-Up Display. <ARCHIVIST> Don, we've been hearing rumors in the BB's about the new Sega Machine's CD and the Jaguar CD being related somehow. Any comments? or is this just an off the wall rumor? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> I have no knowledge regarding cross technology in that way. <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> Boing! <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Other than Phillips being the inventor of the CD? <G> <ARCHIVIST> OK, thanks! Next up is Jon Huetel. Take it away, Jon <[Jon] J.HUETTEL> I am relatively new to AvP (I don't even have a Jag system yet) and have only played the coin op version. How similar is the coin op version and the Jag version? Did you guys develop the coin op version or licence it out? <ARCHIVIST> Ah, here's one for Purple .... <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> I think Purp can get this one. <G> <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> ... Purple motors up to the keyboard..... :-0 <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> The coin-op version was developed by Capcom and is NOTHING like the Jaguar version. The coin-op is sort of a final fight type of game while the Jag version is an impressive experience if you haven't seen the Jag version yet, go out and see it. <ARCHIVIST> Jon, AvsP is a first person game, unlike the arcade. Certainly, ask your dealer for a demo at least! <ARCHIVIST> OK. Now we have Bruce up at the mic. Bruce, what's your question, please? <[Bruce] STARISLAND> Where can I find a Jaguar, and how much do they cost? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Bruce, The Jaguar is $249.99 and you can find it at Toys R Us (300 locations), The Wiz, Babbages, Venture Stores, Good Guys, Incredible Universe, et al and thousands of single location gaming stores. <ARCHIVIST> Don, being in Toronto, I'm interested. Is the TRU distribution North America wide or just in the US at present? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Canada... <ARCHIVIST> ... the home of the proud, yes .... (G) <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Distribution there is handled by a firm that escapes me at the moment but we will be more focused as time goes on. <ARCHIVIST> OK, It's Beamscope in Canada. I'll bug my local TRU manager. :-) <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Thank you. I knew you'd help me there. <g> <ARCHIVIST> Dan, last night you released a cheat; got any goodies for us tonight? <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> ALIEN VS. PREDATOR CHEAT CODES PART II: 1. Press PAUSE 2. Press OPTION 3. Press 6 4. Press 1 + 3 5. Press the following sequence: "B", "A", "9", "A", "9", "A", "*", "OPTION", "6", "#", "*" , "*", "OPTION", "2", "OPTION". YOU WILL HEAR A SECOND PREDATOR LAUGH TO CONFIRM!!!! PART II Function Keys: This second code gives you all of the functions listed in Part 1 of the code but the main function of the second phase of the cheat is that you will never run out of energy or ammo as the bars will replenish themselves as long as you have something from the start (meaning if you don't have any smart-gun ammo when you activate the cheat, you still won't have any once it's turned on... at which point you use the ammo replenish function as described in cheat code part 1...) OPTION + A Raises you a level in the base OPTION + BLowers you a level in the base OPTION + 5Toggles Cheat Mode On / Off Happy Hunting!! <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Dat's it! <[James] JAMES-GRUNKE> Cool!!! <ARCHIVIST> Heeheeh. I can see those pencils scribbling now ... <[D.Thomas] ATARI> An answer to another AvP trivia question is: A creature that attaches itself to the face of its host. <[James] JAMES-GRUNKE> People should know that Dan is lead tester for AvP... he is the man. <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Thanks. I couldn't have done it without the excellent help and input from Lance Lewis, though. <[James] JAMES-GRUNKE> Lance is an animal... <ARCHIVIST> OK, now we have Sir Fransys up who is still, I hope, sailing smooth ... <[Sir Fransys] K.DRAKE> I understand the CatBox will be the only way to link three or more Jags but is Atari doing a DSP cable (The Doom manual mentions JagTalk) for quickie two player only linking? Still Sailing! <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Unless anyone else has more information, we are still awaiting some finals on that to release. <ARCHIVIST> But there will be a two station cable? It's in the plans? (personally, I'm waiting for a CatBox, but ....) <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Sure it is and I have been asking daily for info. It's coming soon. <ARCHIVIST> OK, great Don. Now we have Stephen Weigel. Welcome to the Atari RT, STephen! <[Stephen] B.WEIGEL> How come Mortal Kombat 2 didn't appear on the Jaguar like DHGF said? FaceHugger <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Which list? Oh, like... sorry. MK2 and other unannounced properties are always possibilities pending agreements with the companies that own them. In the meantime, we have several great fighting games that will compete with MK2 very well. <ARCHIVIST> Hehe. thanks Don. that's nice Grist for the rumor mill.... :-) Joel is here with a question we're all waiting to hear ... <[joel] J.FOGELSON2> With the sudden resurgence of the lynx is retail outlets, will Atari be producing any new games for the unit? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Yes, we plan to continue looking at how well the Lynx is doing... We are and will remain focused on Jaguar now and until we get the ball rolling at a great pace before going back to look at Lynx projects. <ARCHIVIST> I know there were a lot of people happy to see the lynx back in wide distribution. It's certainly good to see it riding the coat tails of the Jaguar <[D.Thomas] ATARI> I think that's a big key as to how the others did it... now we can too. <ARCHIVIST> Certainly with Sega Game Gear it is. BAH on it... <[D.Thomas] ATARI> :) <ARCHIVIST> Clay Halliwell is next up to the mic <[Clay] E.HALLIWELL> Two questions... 1st-- How the heck do you pronounce "Val d'Iser"? <ARCHIVIST> hehe. Clay, you should have stayed awake in French class. (grin) pronounce it 'SLEEPER HIT' and keep your fingers crossed, Clay. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> how to pronounce Val d'Isere... SKIING GAME. <g> <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> "val dizair....." <[Clay] E.HALLIWELL> A lot of Jag developers on the nets have been... noting, that with their homemade JagNet cables, Doom has a net error every 15-20 minutes. Will the "official" cable fix this? <ARCHIVIST> Dan, perhaps you can answer this? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> It is true that the 100% solid networking is NOT complete and it is not clear as to whether that will be resolved simply by the cable. However, the errors are not fatal, the game is still a lot of fun and we will have more solid info soon... <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Oops... I was checking on dinner. ;-) I see Don got it, though. <ARCHIVIST> heeh. it's OK, Dan. <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> Is the pizza box melting in the microwave? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Dan, eat something off your plate for me <g> <[James] JAMES-GRUNKE> Purple and I have a special GEnie only Trivia question for you.... <[D.Thomas] ATARI> I think James has a trivia question... <[D.Thomas] ATARI> While we are waiting. An answer to another AvP trivia question is: A tactical simulator depicting the events following the fall of camp golgotha... <ARCHIVIST> Purple, what's your trivia question? We're all ready for it.... <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> The first person who emails me after 9 pm Pacific tonight with the answer to the following question will win a Tempest Audio CD... the question is.... What is the name of the sergeant whose grisly demise at the hand of the predator is described in the ships on-board computer... <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Wilbur? <ARCHIVIST> You're not eligible, Don. :-) <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Oh. <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> Not right, either... <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> :-) <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Oh. <ARCHIVIST> Well, I know, but I'm going to be too late out of here tonight, I'm afraid ... Good luck to the rest of you! <ARCHIVIST> Now we have Mark Santora up to the mic. Welcome Mark <[mark] M.SANTORA2> Hi Guys. Two Quick Questions... I heard Microprose put all their games on hold, and if so, what are the chances of them continuing with them? <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> That's a question for Bill Rehbock <[D.Thomas] ATARI> I'm not sure we have the right people to answer that one. Bill Rehbock is making deals in Japan. He'd know. <[mark] M.SANTORA2> OK. Sorry about that then. As far as the CDROM goes, will there be a pack in game and how are Highlander and Battlemorph doing? . <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> I'm hoping to get a look at Highlander tomorrow. The stills I saw of it look FANTASTIC. Battlemorph is looking great too! No CD pack-in announced yet. Stay tuned. <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> Highlander, which is currently occupying most of my life right now is coming along great. To describe I have two words -- Motion Capture-- signed, Purple. <ARCHIVIST> Sorry, Mark. it looks like we've stumped our guests on that one. I'll ask Bill in E-Mail and post whatever reply I get! thanks for the second question, though. Purple, could you please repeat the trivia question? Some people got knocked off-line during the middle of it and we want everyone to have a chance (BTW, there will be trivia questions at the end of this RTC for several prizes. Stay tuned, all!) <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> Sure, The question is: What is the name of the Sergeant, whose grisly demise at the hand of the Predator is described in the base on-board computers... <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Edgar? <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> Remember, no answers until AFTER 9PM Tonight (California time!!) <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Oh. <ARCHIVIST> OK, I was asked to set a firm time for the trivia me so ... I will ask the three trivia questions at 11:00 EST. that's about 15 minutes from now, so those of you who have to get to bed can. :-( <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Sylvestor? <ARCHIVIST> The prizes, BTW, are a Jaguar Console, an Alien vs Predator cartridge, and three cool T-Shirts <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> WOW!!!!! <[D.Thomas] ATARI> That's an autographed AvP cart! (The manual anyway) <ARCHIVIST> oops. Thanks Don, that's an important distinction! In the meantime, back to our questions. Rod Martin is up next! <[Network 23] R.MARTIN22> What are the chances of any new major retailers (Target, Wal-Mart) carrying the Jag in the near future? Can you mention any names? If so, possibly how soon? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> There's a GREAT chance and we are working with them. Each retailer has specific minimum requirements, that must be met. Many of the chains are not know to experiment with new products, some are. As mentioned before Jaguar is in over half of the Toys R Us and we recently got in Venture, which is a well known chain like Target is in other parts of the country. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> There are some we cannot announce until some ink dries and a lot more we are working on... <g> <[Network 23] R.MARTIN22> I figured as much about the minimum requirements. Any time frame? (Thanks!) <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> I have a quick but important announcement before I go... I am pleased to tell the loyal GEnie Atari computer users that we have finalized the C-LAB deal to license the Falcon030 technology for a pro- audio/Musical instrument workstation. I will be posting further information to our friends in the Future Falcon topic in Cat 30. Thank you for your support folks, and my apologies for the off topic announcement. <ARCHIVIST> James, that is FANTASTIC news! Really! Thank you for announcing that here, first, on Atari's Official On-Line Home! <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> Anymore questions before we have to go? <ARCHIVIST> One last question, then the trivia questions. Now up, we have Travis of AEO magazine, our intrepid reporter/editor <[Travis] AEO.MAG> Purple, Hi! AvP rocks, but then again, you knew that before we did. <g> Cheats aside, are there any hidden goodies in AvP? Like, say, hidden rooms or secret messages. Rebellion did say that they had planned to have the shutters on Sub Level 4 able to be opened to reveal a starfield, but that it was scrapped to save space. Thanks for joining us! <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> (actually, the opening shutters was MY idea. <G>) <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> We spent all of the room we had on the main gameplay. Unfortunately that didn't leave any room for any "easter eggs" per se.... <ARCHIVIST> OK. Now for the Trivia Questions. First up is for a Jaguar Game Console, the ONLY 64-bit me console on the market today <ARCHIVIST> Ready, Lou? <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> OK. 90 seconds to type an answer? <ARCHIVIST> OK, when Lou turns the room live fire out your answers. Only paying customers are eligible for this prize. Rgr, Lou <ARCHIVIST> The Question: Name Three currently available Jaguar Games! [Editor's Note: List of answers removed for brevity.] <ARCHIVIST> Well it looks to me like Tim Steed got it! with Ken Gange a close second. Congratulations, Tim! Please send your name and mailing address, in E- Mail to JAGUAR$ <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Congrats Tim! <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> WTG Tim! <[Tim Steed] T.STEED1> I got it? I type so slow.... :) Thanx guys!!!!!!!!! Yahooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> Well done. Is there more? <ARCHIVIST> Yes Lou, two more. The next question is for an Autographed Copy of Alien Vs. Predator! Trivia Question: Name three COMING games for the Jaguar! [Editor's Note: List of answers removed for brevity.] <ARCHIVIST> OK. The winner there was Rod Martin! Congratulations to Network 23! <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Woo Hoo! Congrats Rod!! <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Congrats! <[Network 23] R.MARTIN22> Smokin! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <ARCHIVIST> It's a great prize, Rod. OK, our last prize of the evening is THREE cool Jaguar T-Shirts the first three people to answer this question will win ready? Trivia Question: Who is the Producer of Alien Vs. Predator? [Editor's Note: List of answers removed for brevity.] <ARCHIVIST> Checking, as fast as I can... <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> <drumming fingers......(Charlie always wanted to be a Real RTC Host. :-) ) <ARCHIVIST> It looks to me like Mike Lyda, Dave Shorr and J.Damisch. Congrats to you all! <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Congrats! <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Congrats guys! <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> Wear 'em well!! Congrats!! <ARCHIVIST> All winners should send their info to the E-Mail Address JAGUAR$ <ARCHIVIST> Are James and Purple still with us? <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> for a few more minutes... <ARCHIVIST> Gents, thank you very much for joining us this evening. I hope we can do it again sometime soon! It's been a great RTC. <[Purple &] JAMES-GRUNKE> G'Night all!! eh!!! <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Thanks. You did a great job. <ARCHIVIST> Don, Dan, will either of you be staying for a while? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> If we have some pending ?s <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> Please stay. These folks waited a long time. <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> I'll be around for a bit. <ARCHIVIST> That's great! These last questions and then we'll wrap up a long RTC! <[Niles] N.KAPLAN3> I have three big q's: 1. What is the status on licenses like Capcom, Konami and Sunsoft? 2. Where are IS and Checkered Flag? 3. What about Blockbuster renting Jag games out? <ARCHIVIST> ohh ... Three? Well let's have them and Dan & Don can pick the ones they can answer quickly <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> 1. Bill is the best person to answer that, and he isn't around tonight. Sorry. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Stand by... I have an answer... Those three have not announced licensed agreements... we do continue to talk to all of them. <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> 2. IS and CF are in production and should be arriving soon. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Blockbuster is waiting for a lot more games to initiate another push... they thrive on selection. <ARCHIVIST> Blockbuster IS renting Jag games in some stores <[D.Thomas] ATARI> CF is in production. <ARCHIVIST> OK, next up we have Clifton Mothershed <[Clifton] C.MOTHERSHED> Why does the Alien always face you? And when will there be other American football games, Besides Troy Aikman, I heard Atari is working on their own game? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Dan? <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> There wasn't room in the cartridge for additional faces on the Alien. That was OK, though since the Alien is a kamakazi attacker. <G> <ARCHIVIST> hehe <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> As to football, I think there are some other titles being worked on. Tom Gillen started a topic to ask for design suggestions from our customers. <ARCHIVIST> Yes, that's been a popular topic in Category 26. Lots of football fans on-line, I guess <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> Next is Bruce Welsch.... <[Bruce] B.WELSCH> Will Atari Display at next year's Gencon? This year a user group did it using members' equipment, would be nice to see Atari involved (again). Will there be a D&D type game (dungeon master)? Played Doom today, died in goo ;-| <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> I'd LOVE for Atari to send me to work at a GenCon. <hint> <G> Rebellion is working on a FRPG called Legions of the Undead. No release date yet. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Gencon is an increasingly important show for us. We have not made a final decision on all 1995 shows, but we do hope to announce plans soon. <ARCHIVIST> I'd love to do a D&D RPG .... maybe someday soon .... Next up to the mic is Allen our Coco-sysop <[Allen/Jag!] COCO-SYSOP> There are no Atari dealers in my 30,000 pop. East Texas town. We have K-Mart, Wal-Mart, and Kay-Bee as the only game dealers. However, we have three places that carry CD-i (one rents to own it). This is due to Philips having reps in Houston (2 hrs. south) who come up and work the area. Does Atari have any plans to do similar things with local/regional reps? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Atari has an existing and growing number of regional representatives. We are focusing attention on regions where advertising has been planned with key retailers. The pattern of growth is definitely up. <[Allen/Jag!] COCO-SYSOP> Is there a Texas rep? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> In Texas we have...Watt and Company. <ARCHIVIST> That's good news to hear, Don. Next up is D.Dussias. Welcome to the Atari RT! <D.DUSSIAS> Since 3D0 is coming down in price, and people argue that it is better than the systems out now, what do you think the future of the Jaguar will be, and any comments on the other "new" machines coming like Saturn..etc? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> The 3DO is a system that has it's own unique set of obstacles to overcome. People who have been following that company know they have had recent financing and support problems. We believe we have a lot more flexibility built in the Jaguar while the 3DO is a nice system, we believe ours is not only better but offers a greater life cycle potential. <ARCHIVIST> D.Dussias, there is a LOT of discussion about the 3DO and other systems in the BB here. Check out Category 26 to join in on the chat! Thanks! Now coming to an RTC you're in, Harj Hagra! <[Harj] H.NAGRA1> Is there going to be a sequel to AvP? And do you have any info on third party releases in production? Also, whatever happened to the Jaguar Baseball and Basketball games? <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> maybe. ;-) <[D.Thomas] ATARI> I think that was a maybe to an AvP sequel? <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Baseball and basketball games are also being worked on. <ARCHIVIST> Harj, Dan listed several third party games that are coming out for the Jaguar earlier in the RTC. They'll be in the transcript, available in the library here very soon. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Aside from Brutal Sports, other third party announcements are pending within a couple weeks. <[Traffic Cop] ST.LOU> Next we have Tony Wetmore. <ARCHIVIST> Welcome Tony! <[Tony] WETMORE> Where's my hockey game?!?! Who cares about stinkin' baseball, football or basketball! <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Brett Hull Hockey. I'm checking to see if we know a when yet. <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> Hockey is also being worked on. I saw an early rev and it looks pretty good. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> I'm told the hockey game looks FANTASTIC! "incredible" was the word used and it is expected 2nd quarter. <[Tony] WETMORE> Make sure the hockey game has fights and bone-crunching checks!! I have more questions, in case you're interested... Such as: is Syndicate networkable? What about those Sega licenses? <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> No on Syndicate. It's a one player game. <ARCHIVIST> Thats a good Question. Don, there was supposed to be an announcement about the licenses from Sega sometime around Thanksgiving. Do you have any word? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Specific Sega titles have not been announced yet. I haven't heard personally so I don't know if they have been settled yet. <ARCHIVIST> OK. thanks Don. We'll all look forward to that announcement. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Me too. <g> <ARCHIVIST> Next up is Tony Ridley <[Tony @ Canoe] A.RIDLEY1> My question has to do with the size of the Jag market. Can you tell us how many Jags are out there? And when a new title is released, how many of the title usually sell? Brutal sports for example... how many of that title would be expected to ship? <[D.Thomas] ATARI> BIG?? <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> And growing! <[D.Thomas] ATARI> That privilege is reserved for Sam Tramiel and Augie Liguori to discuss. Atari has always asked numbers to be referred to the top dogs. <g> BSF is up to Telegames. <ARCHIVIST> OK. Now we have Tom McComb <T.MCCOMB> I got here late and don't know if this was asked... what's the story on the Voice Modem? What games _will_ support it? Thanks! <ARCHIVIST> Ah, that's a good question Tom. Hasn't been asked before <[D.Thomas] ATARI> We had intended to have the voice modem integrated in mes by now and we are still finalizing that technology. This is a long term R&D/development investment, and it's to everyone's benefit to have all the specs 100% from day one. We are there in the lab, but there are just some tiny little production issues to resolve. <ARCHIVIST> Don, that's good to hear. I know the Voice Modem is a very popular concept with the gamers here on-line. We'll all look forward to it and the games to support it! <[D.Thomas] ATARI> I agree. We expect the voice modem to be REAL big. That's why the effort must be in it from the start. (as it is). <ARCHIVIST> I'm sure you'll both be glad to know that our last question is coming up now. (G) Joe Mirando gets the privilege! Go ahead Joe! <[Joe @ STR] J.MIRANDO1> Any plans (solid or not so solid) for DOOM II (on CD?) for the Jag? How about a bit higher rez?? <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> That's up to ID. I know we'd love to see it, though. <[D.Thomas] ATARI> You're in luck. I shouldn't tell you, but... <ARCHIVIST> oh do, DO! <[D.Thomas] ATARI> J Patton is prompting me on this. <g> Sorry for the tease. Stand by... <ARCHIVIST> ahhhh. Hehe. Well, we'd all love to see it, I know! <[Joe @ STR] J.MIRANDO1> That's him... Don the techno-tease! ;^) <[D.Thomas] ATARI> Doom is already turning out to be the game hit as we expected. We all know Wolf 3D is continuing to be hot too. It stands to reason that success breeds success. <g> There are DOOM II features in Jaguar Doom... FYI. <[Joe @ STR] J.MIRANDO1> Thanks Don/Dan. <ARCHIVIST> hehehe. Well, we can all use that kind of success for the Jaguar! <ARCHIVIST> Don, Dan, I'd like to thank you both very, very much for staying with us this long! It's been a long and wonderful RTC! We've all enjoyed it very much, and hope you'll both join us again sometime very soon! Anyway, We're looking forward to the next time we can be together, with more hot news for the Jaguar! Thank you again, and good night to you all! <[Dan @ Atari] D.MCNAMEE> BTW, I'll be back next month with Tom Gillen. <[Charlie] ARCHIVIST> Wow! That's great Dan! [Editor's Note: Tom Gillen RTC on Dec. 14 at 9:00 p.m. EST] ========================================================================= 1994 by Atari Corporation, GENIE, and the Atari Roundtables. May be reprinted only with this notice intact. The Atari Roundtables on GENIE are *official* information services of Atari Corporation. To sign up for GENIE service, call (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type XTX99587,CPUREPT and press [RETURN]. The system will prompt you for your information. ========================================================================= /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ /|\ Real Time Conferences in the Atari ST RoundTable are held every Monday (Desktop Publishing and Graphics) and Wednesday (Open House) night at 10:00 p.m. and a HelpDesk is available every Sunday at 9:00 p.m. On the first and third Thursday there is a Programmer's RTC at 9:00 p.m. If you miss a conference, transcripts are made for all formal RTC's (where there is a special guest) and the programming RTC. You will find these transcripts in Library 13 - Atari Archives. Please send your questions, suggestions and comments to RTC$ via GEmail. Thank you. _____________________________________ > Doom! STR Jaguar Gaming First Impressions! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" by Craig Harris STReport Jaguar Staff After beating all three episodes multiple times, after struggling through the commercial sequel, after whipping friends' left and right over modem-play...I still haven't seen the last of it. Atari and id Software whip out another incarnation of the title that has swept the nation and brought production and PC networks to their knees...Doom! -= What the Heck is Doom? =- If you've never heard of, seen, or played Doom, I'll spare you the summary of the bad plot line and get right to the meat. Doom is a fast-paced, you -are-there, shoot-anything-that-moves action game created by id Software, the same team that brought out Wolfenstein 3D. If you're familiar with Wolf, then you've got a pretty good idea what Doom is...sorta. Picture Wolf with more weapons, enemies...picture staircases, textured ceilings and floors, angled walls, varying light sources...picture a nightmarish, Gigerian atmosphere, and you've got the gist. The idea is to get from entrance to exit on each level. During this time, mad soldiers, bi-pedal aliens, and mechanical beasts will try to stop you. Bullets, fireballs, and poisonous green slime will be thrown your way, so you've gotta be fast on your feet and trigger. Some doors will open, some will require you to find its specific keycard. Some doors, like in Wolf 3D, will masquerade as common walls, and hide ways to precious items such as ammunition, health packs, weapons, and armor. -= It Looks Downright Doomy =- To provide a believable 3D, move anywhere atmosphere, id Software programmed a lightning fast texture-mapping graphics engine for the PC and ported and optimized it for the Jaguar hardware. Walls can be virtually any size and at any angle, and platforms can be placed at any height on the playingfield. Detailed textures cover walls, ceilings and floors, and some textures form hazards like acid and lava pools. If you look out a window or go outside, you'll notice a detailed landscape on the horizon. If you're on the Moonbase, you'll see mountainous terrain set against a gloomy, grey sky. If you're in Hell, you'll see those same mountains against a freaky red sky. Either way, the effect is nice. The game itself moves smoothly, only slowing down when experiencing multiple (like 10) enemies on the same play screen. However, this happens a lot when playing on the Nightmare level, so be warned. -= "The Halls Are Alive With The Sound Of Gunfire" =- Doom sports some of the best sci-fi sounds effects this side of Skywalker Sound. As you make your trek through each area, you'll hear crisp samples of aliens gurgle, humans growl, and fireballs smack...into you. Your on-screen persona isn't the quiet-type, either. If you get hit, he'll let you know. Be it a grunt of a gunshot hit or a scream of death, you'll hear it. Unfortunately, I have not noticed any stereo effect. This is a shame, for many times you'll need those audio left-right cues to know where you're being shot from. Music is close to non-existent. Unlike the PC version, where music is played throughout the game, the Jaguar version is quiet...too quiet. The only time Jag owners will hear music while playing Doom is either during the title and between-level screens, or from their own CD players. It has been rumored that the music was axed to give the frame-rate a boost. -= Dooming Gripes =- Though this is the best console version, there is still Doom, er, room for improvement: - The game screen resolution has been cut to half of the PC version, making objects in the background lose their clarity. - There should have been the OPTION of background music. - The debug cheats are WAY too easy to find (I stumbled onto them 15 minutes into my first game). - The save-game option is a joke...the system will save the last level won, and the user can select any level prior to them. There's no way to save your health, ammo, or keys. But as it stands, this game is a blast and I highly recommend giving it a shot. (Ooh, that was bad. Sorry.) -= Doom, anyone? =- During the game, you go from a dark, dank space station into the depths of Hell...you can't avoid it, it happens to the best of us all. But there's plenty of guns and ammo in Haites, so you've got a fighting chance. Just remember: The only way to get out of Hell is to kill, kill, kill. Kind of ironic, eh? > Jaguar Easter Eggs/Cheats/Hints STR InfoFile - Solving Those Riddles! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" We've had loads of additional requests for game cheats, helpful hints, maps, and every thing else possible to make your game-playing "easier". We've been compiling everything that we have to be able to reply to each request on an individual basis. But, since many of the requests have been similar - and extensive! - we're going to publish EVERYTHING that we have. The catch - it'll be a Christmas present that you can't get until our holiday issue in a couple of weeks! In this way, we'll be able to make sure we have everything in order, for your convenience. Stay tuned, folks!! > Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! """""""""""""""""""""""""" CATnips .... Jaguar briefs from Don Thomas... Recently, I announced that the Tempest 2000 Soundtrack was merely a few days away. It has now arrived in our warehouse and shipping will begin tomorrow (Tuesday, 12/06/94) to those who pre-ordered. There's still time to get Tempest 2000: The Soundtrack in time for Holiday Gift Giving... What a great stocking stuffer! I have the one I'll give to my brother for Christmas in my hand and I'm noticing the "sell" copy. Here it is... **** Tempest 2000: The Soundtrack In 1994, Atari Corporation, Llamasoft and Imagitec, Inc. joined forces to create the high-energy -Tempest 2000-, a complete audio-visual overhaul on the smash arcade classic. Hallucinatory, hypnotic and sometimes harrowing, -Tempest 2000- has blown minds (and not a few television speakers) across America and around the video-gaming world. Now re-mastered for the audio CD, -Tempest 2000's- techno-rave, cyber-delic musical maelstrom leaps off your JAGUAR and onto your home CD player in screaming digital stereo, each sequencer tick clean as polished chrome, each throb of synthesizer a distinct, pleasant shock to the system. Feel your mind, your nerves and your pulse gearing up high as you wind your way into the pulsing galactic webs, through jungles of ambient sound, corridors of rhythm, and storms of light and music, voices and effects, symmetry and chaos. -Enter the Tempest!- (c)1994 Atari Corporation. Tradenames and trademarks are properties of their owning companies. **** Here are the selections... 1. Thermal Resolution 3:59 2. Mind's Eye 4:52 3. T2K 5:23 4. Ease Yourself 7:52 5. Tracking Depth 5:04 6. Constructive Demolition 4:05 7. Future Tense 5:54 8. Digital Terror 5:07 9. Hyper Prism 4:26 10. Glide Control 5:12 11. Ultra Yak 4:00 12. 2000 Dub 7:31 The CD is produced by AtariMusic; a division of Atari Corporation. The executive producer of The Soundtrack is Mr. John Skruch. The production director is Mr. James Grunke. Here's the online deal!.... The cost is $12.99 plus $3.50 shipping and handling to be shipped before Christmas. (The shipping and handling is reduced from Atari's normal $4.95 for a limited time.) That's a total of $16.49 ($17.56 in California) ($18.49 in Canada). Mastercard, Visa and money orders accepted (Checks and money orders should be made payable to Atari Corporation. NOT IN MY NAME! <g>. I can ship to any location in North America including U.S. and Canada. Please allow 14 to 21 business days for delivery. To reserve yours, send your order to: Thomas' Terrific Tempest 2K Tunes Deal Atari Corporation P.O. Box 61657 Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1657 OR contact me via Internet or on Compuserve: 75300.1267@compuserve.com OR send me private E-Mail (to the SysOp) on: CATscan BBS ........ 209/239-1552 or fax your request to: Atari Customer Service Fax ..... 408-745-2088 Don't forget the software preview video tapes. If you haven't asked for your copy yet, it features over 30 professional video captures PLUS Atari's recent television commercials. The price is $8.95 plus $4.95 S&H or a total of $13.90 ($14.64 in California) ($15.90 in Canada). I also still have Alien Vs. Predator posters remaining although we are shipping another wave of them to retailers. There is one for each shipping and handling fee of $4.95 ($6.95 in Canada). Other news... if you have not heard. As of last week Checkered Flag and Club Drive have started to ship are now arriving in stores You can help a LOT by passing this offer electronically to another Forum, Roundtable or BBS or make a hard copy and give to friends. Thanks! CATnips.... Jaguar notes from Don Thomas A lot of people have contacted me to confirm or correct an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal yesterday (Tuesday). In it, the CD-ROM by Atari was said to be available at the price of $149.99. I have today confirmed that the price of $149.99 is correct which puts a complete 64-bit CD/Cartridge-based system in the hands of consumers at the same price of a lesser and limited (CD only) 32-bit system. The availability of the CD-ROM is in January... a matter mere weeks away. Everyone should know that Doom, Dragon, Club Drive and Checkered Flag have already begun shipping. Iron Soldier, Val D'Isere Skiing, Zool2, Bubsy and Brutal Sports Football are due within just a couple/few weeks. They are selling fast so urge your forum members to get them as soon as they see them. The retailer video is offers an opportunity for gamers to see great video and audio captures before buying. Remember they are just $8.95 plus $4.95. Tempest 2000: The Soundtrack and the AvP cinema-quality poster make great last minute gifts for someone too. --Don Thomas Atari Corporation > Fight For Life! STR Jaguar Preview! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Courtesy of the CompuServe's Atari Gaming Forums. FIGHT FOR LIFE FAQ Version 1.0 by Danny Miskin If you have any questions send E-Mail to me at 74067,53 or leave a message in either the Video Games or Atari Gaming Forum. I will try to answer your questions in the next version of the FAQ which should be out soon enough (the sooner I receive the info the sooner the FAQ goes out). This version is VERY BASIC. Welcome to the first FFL FAQ. For those of you who don't know, Fight For Life is a new VF style fighting game being worked on now for the Jaguar. It's being developed by Francois who worked for Sega's AM2 R&D staff who have made games like Virtua Fighter 1 and 2, Daytona and many other games. He actually worked on VF1 and 2, and also on the Saturn version of Virtua Fighter. He has been working on FFL for about 6 months now. Now of course as many of you are thinking it's just a VF clone for the Jag but that is where you're all VERY WRONG. The only similarities that I can think of are that it's a VR fighter and uses 3 buttons, a punch, a kick and a defense button and that's where the similarities start to end. Well since the Jag only has 3 buttons I guess it really isn't a similarity is it. Does any know how many VF style games are now being worked on or being released? I can think of around 8 maybe more. Sony has one or two lined up for the Playstation, Namco is releasing a VF style fighter in the arcades soon it was previewed at either the AMOA or JAMMA I can't remember which. There's also a 2nd VF style game coming to the Jag by Rainmaker who no one seems to have heard from in a while. Then there's that game BALLZ which I think just looks slightly pathetic for Genesis. So that's only 5 but there are more. Now I'll get to what you all REALLY wanted the information on the game. - Story - So far the story is this. Because of their bad attitude, these 8 fighters have been sent to hell for the rest of their dead lives. Every year, there is a tournament in hell, and the winner may encounter the son of the devil. A victory against this guy means a life, a new life. Welcome to Fight For Life. Yes, I know it's very basic but that's how Francois explained it to me. It should get more into it later on but for now that's it. - The Characters - Here's the list of the 8 characters you will be able to choose from. - Sarah O'C. (She's in the Game Fan pixs) - Ian - Pog - Muhali - M.J - Lun - Kimura - Jenny In the next version of the faq I'm hoping to have the story line of why some of these characters have been sent to hell for the rest of their Dead lives and as you'll read in the Gameplay part of the FAQ why I will NOT be posting information on moves until much later. Oh, for those of you who have seen the FFL pixs in Game Fan you might notice a character name has changed. There is no longer a character named Bill. - Gameplay - Here is where Fight For Life starts to begin it's journey away from Virtua Fighter. When you begin you will only have BASIC moves (Punching and Kicking). Now you must be thinking well then we LEARN new moves as we play, no that is not the case in FFL... YOU STEAL moves from your opponents. Meaning after you win a fight you get the choice of picking moves from your opponents arsenal. In Francois words if we begin the game with the same character, were not going to finish it with the same. Now here's something to add to this. There is a Password Option, so we will be able, if we fight against each other to see who made the best choices and who has the best fighter. Again his words. - Graphics - Resolution : 320 x 240 FPS : 20 now but could still drop to 15 fps. 1000 Polygons Per Frame, but here is a little note about that, that Francois told me. "By the way when I say I have 1000 polygons per frame, it means I DRAW 1000 polygons on the screen, but I calculate a lot more (hidden, face, clipping...)." Color : 16-bit color (65536 colors) Now to the REAL information on the graphics. There will be MORPHING in the game!!! yes Shang Tsung style except I haven't been able to get any thing out of him on who will be using it but I'm betting the last boss will be. All Light is calculated in real time, and both the texture mapped and flat polygons are shaded depending on the light source. Now here comes ONE of the things that those of you who have been reading my messages should know by now things have changed and like said could keep changing. Francois DID put in Gouraud Shading. Sean F., that was going to be for you, but he was forced to remove it for now. He did say it was in one version of the Game but that the because of the data, the calculation time was going to be too large so like I said he had to remove it. So it's out for now BUT he did say he may go back and do it, let's hope he does. Each character is made up of around 800 polygons. The Polygons at this point are from 25 to 50% done depending on the character. So for those of you who have seen the latest Demo Tape I'm guessing that there's been a lot done since then. The platform the characters fight on is made up of around 100 polys. - Notes - Francois has done all of the coding in the game alone but he said he has done less then 1% of the graphics. There are a total of 200 Motions. These are the ones that you STEAL from your CPU opponents after you win. ALL of those moves are available to all of the characters. Again that is why I will not be posting info on the moves. I might at some point though get a hold of a list with some of those moves. The Game will be a 32 meg Cart. So think about this, VF on Saturn is on a CD of course and has all of that memory to make the game. FFL is on a cart and so far pixs wise comes very close to the FINISHED version of VF. Any one want to see Francois make a game using the CD for the extra memory? with the rumor that the CD will have a texture-mapping chip. I think I read that somewhere... For those of you who read the message that I said who ever has seen the Demo Tape I'm betting a lot had be done since that had been taped. I was right. I'm still trying to find out though what version of the game it was but I've been told that it wasn't the latest and that a lot has been done since then. Francois did not say that but, it was someone that I of course trust more then anyone else at Atari. There are many things about FFL that I can not post...yet. Some of those things are really nothing special just that I can't reveal everything I've been told. This FAQ may be posted in the magazine I run. The mag is called The Czar. I will let people know whether or not it's included but I'll probably upload it separately anyway, although if people wanted the FAQ then they'd have to read the mag, hmm...read it anyway...please. - Credits - I'd like to thank the following people Francois : for making the game...as you read this, and of course for answering all of my questions and giving me all the info. John K. : well since he drove me crazy constantly talking about Tempest. I bought the system... he was right Tempest RULES! Jeff Minter : for showing me why I bought the system in the first place, TEMPEST!!! I WANT MORE MINTER!!! Don Thomas : For just helping me out with the Mag and being very honest about everything. I'd also like to thank rest of the people who are working on FFL and finally Sam Tramiel why? well for getting the system out in the first place, and for hopefully getting Atari to finally succeed, since the Tramiels took over. ---- I hereby acknowledge all companies and games mentioned in this faq. Cya next time. Told you it was only basic...let me know what you thought though. #: 62110 S15/Jaguar General 03-Dec-94 23:27:00 Sb: #IS-German Report (12/3) Fm: Dimitri M LaBarge 71501,3353 To: All Hi all! Since there's obviously a lot of interested in this hot upcoming game, I thought I would take the time to post this 'Net message with a nice preview of the game. This note was posted from Germany (where Iron Soldier was programmed); I have only included the English translation for space. Thanks to all involved with the translation! >>At the ProTos (event) I had the occasion to see for myself what Iron Soldier from the German firm Eclipse looks like. I'd like to thank Marc Rosocha, the head chief in charge at Eclipse -- many thanks... (etcetera) I could hardly wait to have the final version of Iron Soldier in my hands. I've known about this project since the beginning of 1994 and have looked through the games several times since then, playing test levels. I was especially thrilled by the presentation and the (assureschiedenen?) missions. In Iron Soldier, the player controls a gigantic robot through enemy lands. The aim of the games is to complete (successfully) 16 missions. Powerful adversaries oppose you, (who would join as companions to spit in your gear??) You can select from roughly eight weapons, though not all are available from the start. You begin the game with one little rifle. You can improve your weaponry with grenades, a machine gun, or the (one use? all powerful?) missile you find later in the game. At first you have the choice between four missions and only one weapon (the little rifle). When you successfully complete the first four missions, you and reach the next four and so forth. (part deleted, not sure if it says that he has criticisms of the in-game images, as eyes have to wander around the screen.) In the upper left you see your robot and the position of his arms, (the movement becomes problematic?) On the right side is the radar. Bottom- and air(ziele?) become shown (verschieden) color. On the under part of the screen you see the status meter of the Iron Soldiers. Here you can read how healthy you are. Weapons are changed with the number keys on the Jaguar pad. You shoot with the B-button. A in tandem with Up or Down on the control pad (does some sort of movement...) The control mechanism is naturally at first.. (something, maybe confusing?) - it doesn't feel all that difficult. The great graphics start from the beginning. Previously Mark was responsible for graphics in the Atari and Amiga demo scenes and he made a good name for himself, where the elite call him. The (read? text?.. what's this mean?) You can hear the sound, also. The effects sound very realistic. The helicopters sound extremely realistic. Six songs plus title music are there for he who player through the different missions. The title music stems (comes) directly from Atari, and the in-game music from a single German programmer. Don't fear, the songs sound wild and are as vital as the songs in Tempest 2000. Now, no one will claim that the Jag has a problem with sound! The vector graphics in the game fly on RGB-outputs with a maximum frame rate of 30 frames per second, on PAL consoles with 25 FPS. (this is a rough translation here:) When you see this all happening, a whole row of houses falling to the earth, you can hardly (describe it?)... Especially in writing when the houses burst. (etc) You'll see it yourself! Shoot a missile and you change the perspective. There, you can point the rocket and can navigate it exactly. This is where Iron Soldier's speed is shown off. After the impact... ..the missile changes the camera to another view. There, you can sit back and watch the (devastation?). Naturally Marc and Michael Bittner built cheats into the game... Understandably, I can't share the cheats with you. At the ProTos presentation, Iron Soldier was shown for two days. The audience was enthusiastic. The big question was: "can I buy that game [in stores] already?" It's two weeks off (in California?). Standing here, I can predict hearing: "If I want to live, I have to get a Jaguar!" or "Wow, what power it actually has!" (I think that's what it meant.) One or two people were critical. One guest at the show asked me why the graphics only consist of normal vector graphics. Now, Iron Soldier uses texture-mapping and shading not only on houses but on all buildings (?). The worlds are extremely large. Naturally, the more textures you use, you slow down the game, and speed should be the foremost concern in this game. Others saw Iron Soldier as incredibly impressive. One guest wasn't impressed (??) with the exploding houses, that they weren't especially realistic. What is someone supposed to say to that? I've never seen cooler explosions. (Something about the speed of the Jaguar's purchasing/sales increasing when Iron Soldier is out.) Besides all of the positive aesthetics, you should also be assured that Iron Soldier will be a big hit. Many people already ordered this game before release, and other people will have problems getting this game, (there's still an opportunity to get it and have it for Christmas?) Here's a last piece of quality info: Eclipse already has several new projects on the horizon, naturally including Iron Soldier 2 and a pair of other projects, but I can't tell you anything concrete... 800 Jags were sold in 2 days from Pagedown at the ProTos.<< At any rate, I thought that was an interesting view to share. Incidentally, the new magazine Flux has extremely positive reviews of both AvP and Iron Soldier. Dimitri @ AEO ____________________________________________ > 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 a wonderful day in the neighborhood. I finally broke down and bought a Jaguar. I'M IMPRESSED! I've seen some of the games available on other game machines and was ready to see about the same thing on the Jag... Boy, was I surprised with the speed of this little bugger. Now all I need is DOOM and I'll be ready for all those long, cold, winter nights. I know that some of you are now groaning "Oh no, not another computer user who's taken a step down to game machines", but let me tell you, the Jaguar is an excellent machine. The games are involved, entertaining, and very, very, well done. For anyone who enjoys graphic role playing games, Alien vs. Predator is a true winner. I've heard it said right here on CompuServe that DOOM is even better than A vs. P so I can't wait to see it. But in the meantime, let's get to the reason for this column: All the great hints, tips, and news that CompuServe is sooo good at providing... From the Atari Computing Forum ============================== Rob Rasmussen tells us about his recurrent mouse problem: "I think I am having the same problem I've had several times before - the little rollers that are controlled by the ball in my mouse are getting clogged up with dirt. It is a Golden Image mouse, and I would like to clean it. However it looks difficult to get to. I can unscrew a round plastic piece and take the ball out but the rollers are way down in there. There are no screws to take the mouse apart. How can I clean the rollers and the goop that is clogging them?" Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Rob: "On my golden image mouse it does have two screws so I can have access to the rollers. I wonder if there are more than one type of Golden Image mouse since I thought they were all the same." Sysop Bob Retelle tells Rob: "With my Atari mouse I used to use a swab soaked in alcohol to loosen the gunk on the rollers, then the point of an X-acto knife to remove the stuff carefully, so as not to scratch the rollers." Simon Churchill asks Rob: "Is there a paper label on the bottom of your mouse, if there is very carefully with your nail rub it over the label and see if you find some round holes under the label if you do the the screws should be under the label. I have found some equipment o use this way so you can't take it apart without removing or damaging the label. It's worth a look." Frank Heller tells Rob: "You don't have to take the Golden Image mouse apart to clean it. If you use a Q Tip and 99% pure isopropyl alcohol you should be fine. Using Radio Shacks tape recorder head cleaner is even better. It doesn't damage any of the plastic parts and it loosens the gunk immediately...foregoing the X-ACTO knife...which I believe is a very dangerous thing to do...for the "unskilled". I've been using the R/S stuff for about a year on two Golden Image mice. They work perfectly." Rob tells all four of his tutors: "Thanks for the mouse help. I did find the screws under the label and took it apart and cleaned it with Q-tips and alcohol. I will try the head cleaner next ti me. The dirt on the rollers is easy enough to scrub off, but it is the area between the little rods that the rollers are attached to and the plastic it goes into where dirt gathers that causes the rollers to be sluggish. Its such a tiny area, I tried lightly scraping it with a razor blade. Don't know if it did any good. Maybe the head cleaner and some compressed air spray would work better..." Hannes Ruegheimer posts: "I am currently compiling a list of communications programs for different hardware platforms. Therefore I would like to know, which software packages / products you prefer in the following categories: - terminal software - fax software - CompuServe access - access to the German online system Btx/Datex-J As I am from Germany, I am especially intested in German language packages and/or packages that are important for the German marketplace. Also, please note in your replys whether the packages are commercial products or shareware/freeware." Andrew Fletcher tells Hannes: "I've always liked UniTerm by Simon Poole. It is Public Doman. It does a very good job of emulating VT102 and VT220 which makes it suitable for accessing UNIX systems. Some people won't like it because the terminal window is not a GEM window, but this doesn't bother me. I would recommend it to non-novices." Daniel Osborne adds his preferences: " In answer to your questions about terminial soaftware: 1# - I use Flash II to call local BBS's 2# - I use Straight Fax to send and recieve FAXES! 3# - I use QuickCIS to call Compuserve. I use Aladin to call GEnie! 4# - I do not know, never used it!!!!!!!!" My old pal Brian Gockley of ST Informer Magazine tells Hannes: "- terminal software: STalker from Gribnif. Excellent for background transfers, large screen monitors and working with STeno. Needs background transfers with Compuserve B+ protocol. - fax software: STraight FAX! is an excellent and continuously improving package. - CompuServe access: Stalker again! - access to the German online system Btx/Datex-J: STalker works with any system!" Tim Blythe asks for help with his system: "I need help... I put an .acc screen saver on my hard drive and I already had a different screen saver in my auto folder. When I tried to reboot, it goes into a loop and cannot get to the desktop. It keeps cycling through the items in the auto folder. Is there anyway to bypass the auto folder? Or access the hard drive some other way so I can delete one of these file?" Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Tim: "If you have TOS 1.4 or above you can hit a few specific keys and it will boot the machine from the floppy drive. I forgot which ones since it has been a while since that has happened to me. What hard driver software ae you using? ICD, Atari, Supra, etc? What version of TOS do you have?" Mike Mortilla tells Tim: "You can either: 1- Boot the ST with the HD turned off. Then turn it on and run your driver (AHDI.PRG, ICDBOOT.PRG, whatever...). Install a disk icon for the drive with the auto folder (usually C) and double click. You should see the auto folder and be able to delete or rename the offending files (change the ext to PRX so it won't run). -or- 2- TOS 1.4 allows you to hit the ALT-SHIFT (or ALT-SHIFT-CTL) keys during bootup to bypass the HD. You may still have to run your driver and install the icon. It really isn't as bad as it might seem.. It IS an addressable problem. Just don't try that on a MAC...<Very Big Grin> Callum Lerwick posts this about the Pentium's floating-point math flaw: " Q&A: THE PENTIUM FDIV BUG Q: How many Pentium designers does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: 1.99904274017, but that's close enough for non- technical people. Q: What do you get when you cross a Pentium PC with a research grant? A: A mad scientist. Q: What's another name for the "Intel Inside" sticker they put on Pentiums? A: Warning label. Q: What do you call a series of FDIV instructions on a Pentium? A: Successive approximations. Q: Complete the following word analogy: Add is to Subtract as Multiply is to: 1) Divide 2) ROUND 3) RANDOM 4) On a Pentium, all of the above A: Number 4. Q: What algorithm did Intel use in the Pentium's floating point divider? A: "Life is like a box of chocolates." (Source: F. Gump of Intel) Q: Why didn't Intel call the Pentium the 586? A: Because they added 486 and 100 on the first Pentium and got 585.999983605. Q: According to Intel, the Pentium conforms to the IEEE standards 54 and 854 for floating point arithmetic. If you fly in aircraft designed using a Pentium, what is the correct pronunciation of "IEEE"? A: Aaaaaaaiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee! TOP TEN NEW INTEL SLOGANS FOR THE PENTIUM ------------------------------------------------------------ 9.9999973251 It's a FLAW, Dammit, not a Bug 8.9999163362 It's Close Enough, We Say So 7.9999414610 Nearly 300 Correct Opcodes 6.9999831538 You Don't Need to Know What's Inside 5.9999835137 Redefining the PC--and Mathematics As Well 4.9999999021 We Fixed It, Really 3.9998245917 Division Considered Harmful 2.9991523619 Why Do You Think They Call It *Floating* Point? 1.9999103517 We're Looking for a Few Good Flaws 0.9999999998 The Errata Inside ------------------------------------------------------------- John Amsler tells Callum "I've followed this Pentium bug issue on the Internet ... and I LOVED your post!!" Seth Burgess asks for help with Atari Computers: "I am a PC user. I've been asked by my local grade school to find out about two Atari Computers they have been given, Atari 1040STE. Can somebody give me a quick overview of what an Atari is, who uses them, what they are best for, and where you get software? Are they compatible to any degree with a PC? Are they still being manufactured?" Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Seth: "An Atari ST is a computer using the motorola family of CPUs ( 680x0 line). Very similar to a a MACintosh in many ways. It uses DRI/Novell's GEM as the user interface and it is built into ROM like he rest of the operating system. You can get software from the forum libraries and Atari dealers such as Toad Computers in Maryland. The floppy drives use 3.5 inch disks in 720K format that are compatible with the PC. You can also format a disk on the PC (720K) and it will work without any problem on the Atari. It is a good method to move data and programs between the two machines. You can use it for DTP, Music/Midi, programming, etc. It really depends on what you want to do with your machine." By the way folks, I've had several people ask me why I would use posts from someone who writes for a competing magazine. The answer is simple: Albert always has loads of information of just about every facet of Atari computers. Information is power, folks. And Albert is one of the most powerful people around. While I often quote his posts, I do not quote from his columns or articles in AEO as that would be a different story all together. Thanks Albert! Seth tells Albert: "Thanks for the quick response to my question about "What's and Atari". You used a couple of terms I'm not familiar with. What is "DTP" and what is GEM? Also, I understand that data can be transfered from the PC to an Atari in ASCII format, but are there programs such as off the shelf applications that can run on the Atari and the PC or Atari and the MAC?. Thanks for taking the time to bring a neophyte up to speed." Albert tells Seth: "DTP = desktop publishing program. Similar to PageMaker or Ventura Publisher on the PC side of things. We have PageStream and Calamus on the Atari side. You can move both ascii and binary data between the two platforms (Atari and PC). For example you can use ST-ZIP on the Atari side to zip up several files and then use PK-ZIP v2.04g on the PC side to extract. This works both ways without any problems. I move dBASE files, binary files, and ascii between both machines all the time on floppy disk without any problems. There are not many programs that I can think of that ru on both the Atari and the PC. I assume you are thinking of along the lines of MS Word, MS Excel which is on both the PC and MAC? GEM is like MS Windows (PC), actually it used to be out on the PC for a while back in the early to mid 80s. Ventura Publisher used to be a GEM application before it became a Windows application. GEM is also similar to the MAC OS windowing system or X-Windows to a degree also. Originally the Atari ST was to run Windows but it was not available back when it came out in 1985 (the original model: 520 ST). So Atari used DRI/Novell's GEM windowing environment." Carl Barron chides Albert: ">GEM is like MS Windows. No way. Windows is slooowwwwww, Big Bulky and Bloated. WINDOZE: Just say No." Sysop Bob Retelle tells Seth: "To answer your PC compatibility question... no... The Atari ST and the IBM PC can NOT run the same programs. They use two completely different CPU chips, so the programs won't run between them. There are "emulators" that will let PCs run Atari programs, and vice-versa, but they are all somewhat less than100% compatible." Seth thanks Bob: "Thanks for the reply about compatibility. Can you tell me if Atari computers are still being manufactured??" Bob tells Seth: "Atari Corp. has recently stopped manufacturing their computer line, and are devoing all their resources to producing the Jaguar video game system currently. In any event, the St model of Atari computers hasn't been made in several years. There may still be some units of the newest models in stores, but when those are gone, that'll be it for the consumer version of the Atari computer. There are still a small number of dealers supporting the Atari line with software and accessories. Older versions of a few major software packages like WordPerfect are available, but again these are out of production and may be difficult to locate. The major centers of Atari user support now are local users' groups and online areas like right here in the CompuServe Atari Forums. We have a wide variety of both freeware and Shareware for all models of Atari computers." John Masters asks about upgrading his TOS version: "Can anybody recommend an upgrade from TOS 1.02 to 2.06. I have a Mega 4 and it ran quite happily for years using Neodesk 3 as a replacement desktop. I recently purchased MultiTOS but according to the READ.ME file this does not work with Neodesk 3. I have seen an internal upgrade on special offer and I wondered if it would be worth getting. Bearing in mind that I have two left feet on the ends of my arms, how easy is it to fit?" Albert Dayes tells John: "An upgrade from anything before TOS 1.04 is well worth it. TOS 1.04 is close to being the bottom when it comes to good results (disk i/o improvement, bug fixes, etc)." Sysop Jim Ness tells John: "I upgraded my Mega 2 to 4megs and TOS 2.06 in one fell swoop a little over a year ago, and it worked out just fine. The different look of the dialog boxes and windows took some getting used to, but otherwise it's a good upgrade." Simon Churchill adds: "There are two (Well three) types of TOS 2.06 Upgrade board's. There is the solder onto the 68000 version (Very dodg if you ask me) or there is the Analogic plug in verion. All you with this upgrade is locate the GLUE chip, make shore it's the riht way around and plug it in on top of the GLUE chip, piggy back style. A ribbon cable comes off and two of the original system ROMs (Do you have 2 or 6 ROMS) are removed and pluged into the ribbon cable and these plug into the original ROM's position. (This is assuming your ROM's are in socket's. A switch can be connected so as acess to version old and version new. This is the better of the upgrades and two left feet should be able to put it in. The other is not so simple!! I have the plug in one from Analogic Computer's in the U.K. and am very pleased with it. Just check also that your ROM's are away from the PSU. If they are underneath the PSU then you need a slightly different version with adjusted ribbon cable. There is onlt so much hight under the PSU. On mine I had to solder the ribbon cable in place of the socket's, due to the PSU being so LOW." John tells Simon: "I don't know how many ROMS I have, I've never dared to look! Give me a 3 ton lump of steel and I'll play happily for hours but show me a circuit board and I turn into a quivering lump of jelly. I'll probably give it a go though. The upgrade is selling for 30 quid from Silica Systems." Mike Mortilla posts: "OK, kids, here's one for the old timers... A local thrift store has placed on sale an Atari SX3000 monitor. It has a floppy drive built into the front (!) and controls for volume, brightness and contrast. It has a standard Atari monitor input as well as a floppy input. There are no cables wth the unit, and there is also no power cable. There is a 6 pin power port (where the cable plugs in). Anybody know about these? Is it a double-sided drive? Can I still get a power cable for it, or did it use a floor wart? Please let me know if you have any info on this. At $10, it won't last long, even as a door stop. <grin>" Sysop Bob Retelle tells Mike: "The SX3000 was a VERY limited run product... probably only a few hundred of these units were ever made... Atari used to bring them to the AtariFests back when they used to travel all over the country to the shows, because it was a lot easier to set up than separate drives and monitors. I believe the floppy drive is single sided, and I doubt the unit used a "wall wart" because of the current requirements of the monitor. You *might* be able to get a power cord from Best Electronics, although that might be stretching things, even for them..! One possibly good thing in its favor, although I can't say for 100% certain, is that since it's from the first runs of Atari color monitors, it's likely to be the early, better monitor. Either way, it's a piece of "Atari History"..."Simon Churchill asks for help: "I have been trying to get a hard disk to work again on someone else's system. It originaly workd fine for about a year but some one switched on the printer and the whole system went AWOL. Since then thing's have not been the same. The problems are this: The hard disk will read and write perfectly without damaging the FAT on a TOS 2.06 Machine. The Fat keep's getting corrupted on the original TOS 1.02 Machine. I have a few idea's as to what could be cousing the problem. They are. 1) the DMA Chip is going AWOL. 2) the Hard disk track 0 is to old to work correctly. (But why would it work on TOS 2.06 withno problem's.) or 3) The Yamaha Sound chip is AWOL. The last is unlikly but than again the printer was turned on while it was connected to the ST. Also the same files keep getting trashed in the FAT, they end up having to many cluster alocated to them or not enought. If you have any idea then please post it. I am going to be at my whit's end trying to cure this problem." Albert Dayes tells Simon: "TOS below 1.4 had some problems with the disk i/o which can be the cause of the problem. Have you checked your cables between the hard drive and the computer. A very long cable can cause strange things to happen. A DMA chip problem is another possibility. Usually it will work fine for a while and then you get 8888123912931293919391239 bytes in 12391283129381293 files. And everything is gone or just complete garbage. You might want to open up the machine and reset the chips (MMU, SHIFTER and DMA) and see ifthat helps. Also considering checking what size are the partions you have created on the hard drive. Was it originally formatted under TOS 2.06?? Are you using the same hard disk driver software or different versions?" Simon tells Albert: "The cable from the drive to the computer has been fully electrically tested (It's my daily job) and is about 3 feet long in total. The system was originaly working with TOS 1.02 for some time. The printer was switched on at some point and since then the hard drive keep's screwing up. The partitions are 10:5:5, it's an original Atari SM204 drive. It was probably formatted under TOS 1.02 and partitioned then. The computer tell's me it can not format the drive connected to it. I find this very odd as it should work. I am now using AHDI version 5. The original disk for the drive never came with the machine so I have usd this instead. Thee hard disk seem's to work on my TOS 1.02/2.06, T28, 4Mb memory STFM, but I will be doing a lot of testing. There are some other effect's happening and that is 2 and 3 bomb crashes in the system. The more I think about it the more I think the DMA chip or another has become defective. I have used Knife ST to keep checking the files and FAT. It told me 3 files were either short/zero bytes long or had to many clusters. Even if I exited the program deleted the files and recopyed them after using a few programes on the disk these few files would become damaged again. There is also a lot of linked clusters and floating cluster's." Albert tells Simon: "That sounds like a DMA problem. On my 520 ST I would reformat the hard drive (20 meg Supra) and re-copy all of the files/programs to it. Within about 5 minutes after finishing everything was in a mess. Cross-links, billion of sectors that never existed and everything scrambled. After getting the DMA chip swapped it solved the problem. If I just used the floppy drive no problems existed, but once the hard drive was put on probems everywhere." Well folks, that's about all we've got room for this time around. Tune in again next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING ____________________________________________________ """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > A "Quotable Quote" The Sonnet of "Pentium Dimentia" """"""""""""""""" A Sign of the Times! "A ZEALOUS MATH MAJOR FROM TRINITY TRIED TO TAKE THE SQUARE ROOT OF INFINITY. BUT THE EXCESS OF DIGITS GAVE HIM THE FIDGETS SO HE DROPPED IT AND TOOK UP DIVINITY!" ... Cap't. J. Amsler USAF RET. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > DEALER CLASSIFIED LIST STR InfoFile * Dealer Listings * """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" --------------- ABCO Incorporated ================= P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 Est. 1985 1-904-783-3319 1994 HOLIDAY SPECIALS NOW IN EFFECT! Take Advantage of the Holiday Specials --------//*\\-------- ABCO manufactures custom storage devices! 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