Floppyshop 2/Floppyshop - 2.zip/Floppyshop - 2.iso/diskmags/0022-3.564/dmg-0107/inydrv26.txt

Text File | 1997-04-16 | 12KB | 218 lines

NOTICE: This article originally appeared in the February issue of Atari
Interface Magazine and may be freely distributed or reprinted in non-profit
User Group publications as long as the article's author and Atari Interface
Magazine are credited AND this notice is reprinted with the article.  All
other publications must obtain written permission from Unicorn Publications,
3487 Braeburn Circle, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, Phone: [phone] before using
this article.

The Christmas Special Edition of In Your Drive #26

by good ol' Chet

All right, so it isn't Christmas!  It was when I started this, so it should
count for something.  With the colds (I'm running a 101 fever now, thank
you),
pneumonia, impacted sinus, and accidents which have befallen my family, I've
spent so much of my time in doctor places that I have hardly had a chance to
glance at STella (our lovely ST).  And in a calculating move by my oldest
daughter and wife (Hm...that reads as if I have a younger wife somewhere.
Let's imagine that the previous phrase was blocked, deleted, and replaced
with
"my wife and oldest daughter."), all the computer equipment and desks were
moved in a random fashion (RND(0)*.57) so that I'd have a difficult time
finding anything.  I now have to turn my head at a 90 degree angle to see the
mono monitor, and my phone wire won't reach to my modem.

This has all been an obvious conspiracy to keep me from writing another In
Your Drive.  Foolish mortals all, as any can plainly see that I DID finish
it.
However I'm unable to straighten my neck now....

Dungeon Master Sequel

Chaos Strikes Back is the sequel to the best selling Dungeon Master, and it
compares to DM as Hellfire Warrior did to Temple of Apshai.  By that, we ask
you to remember just how VERY tough H.W. was compared to the Temple.  Chaos
dumps you in a locked room with those *&^$#@! Worms on ALL SIDES OF YOU, f'r
cryin' out loud!!  A real killer!

I spoke out previously against the dungeon crawling adventures, such as
Dungeon Master, which actually call themselves role playing games.  They're
not, and they tend to take the most unrealistic scenario type of rolegames --
a "dungeon" which more properly resembles interiors of a castle, which is
populated by hundreds of dozens of monsters and bandits which never heard of
the food chain because they've been living a few doors from each other for
God
knows how long, and only turn violent when you enter the picture.

So, yes, Chaos is just as unrealistic as its mother program.  But we tend to
forgive more when it's running on a computer.  The dungeon crawl is perfect
for a program -- you CAN limit the parameters, define the boundries, and
limit
the options of the player without seeming arbitrary.  And the Dungeon Master
series has the advantages of great graphics, an easy to understand interface,
and some nice sounds.  Like other computer games, it has the advantage of
always being there when you want to play.  (I don't care HOW much your spouse
loves you, she is NOT going to get up at 2 am for a quick rolegame session!)

Be warned!  Though some ads have stated otherwise, CHAOS is NOT playable
without Dungeon Master.  You don't need to load anything from DM, but you DO
need that manual.  Even the box warns that you need DM to play it.

I mentioned RazRats again last month, one of my favorite beer and pretzel
games.  The author's brother asked my why I didn't mention the address for
mail order, so here it is: JCN Software, Jerry Nolan, 1047 Brahman Ln, Uma,
AZ
                            85364, [phone].

Usually, I don't mention mail order for two very good reasons.  The first is
that this column was originally a part of the Mile High Atari newsletter;
anyone reading it knew of our local Atari stores.  The second reason is that
I
actively discourage mail order except as a last resort.  Not only do I have a
permanent grudge against the Postal Service, but I've seen what happened to
Atari stores when all their customers went the mail order route instead of
supporting their stores.  So, please, people, once again -- support your
stores, if you got 'em!  They can't possibly sell as cheaply as mail order,
and they'll vanish if they have no customers.  Remember:  Use 'em or lose
'em!

The Tax Advantage

Which is as good a time to lead into The Tax Advantage from Double Eagle will
only be available by mail for us Atarians who use the XL/XE version.  Why?
Because not enough of us bought it last year; they sold only around 600.  You
can't justify running anything through distribution channels for that small
of
a number.  It would have been easy for them to drop Atari from their line --
every one else is.  I'm grateful to them for continuing the program for us,
and am ordering a copy.  If you do anything with your taxes beyond the 1040EZ
form, I suggest you pop $25.95 + $3.50 postage and handling to 'em right
away.

How can this be reviewed?  Simply:  It does your federal taxes.  Quickly and
simply.  It prints the forms you'll need, and all the data in it.  It's up to
date with all new federal tax laws.  And it gives you a record of it for easy
storage.  (A disk is SO easy to store.  The needed paperwork would fill a
shoebox otherwise.)  I'm an acredited VITA tax worker, and I fill out other
people's taxes regularly.  But I STILL use Tax Advantage to save hours of my
time, and a few cubic feet of storage space.  I've made mistakes from time to
time when doing taxes by hand.  NEVER have I made a mistake using Tax
Advantage; that's why I use it each year.  Double Eagle Software, 2340 Plaza
Del Amo, Suite 215, Torrance, CA 90501.  Send 'em your bucks now.

I thought I'd mentioned the address of Skills Improvement last time, because
their excellent study helps are available ONLY by mail.  That address is
Skills Improvement, Box 595, Aurora CO 80040, [phone], and, as I've
said, their Generic SKT program is useful to anyone studying for ANY kind of
test.  Their other programs are of use only to Air Force folk studying them
thar arcane Air Force tests.  (Yecch!  YOU study hundreds of pages of the
history of airpower and its relation to human social interaction!)

The Monitor Master got mentioned very quickly in passing last time, because
--
useful though it is -- it is SO SIMPLE that there really is no way to
elaborate on "It lets you switch back and forth between mono and color
without
unplugging and replugging."  Now I can add just a bit more.  You knew that it
permitted you to hook any RGB monitor to your ST, and that sound traveled
well
through it.  You knew all the particulars.  What I can't possibly make you
feel is how MUCH help it is to a busy Atarian.  Case in point:  PageStream
(We'll talk about it in a moment), which permits you to design color pages.
You can see the COLOR on a color monitor, but the fonts are so intricately
designed that they are too blurry on any color monitor for my poor vision.
With the Monitor Master, I save to disk, turn off STella, press the button
(There's only ONE button; how user-friendly can you get?) on the Monitor
Master, then reboot with the OTHER monitor in place.

This came in really handy during the STIG demonstration of PageStream.  With
the mono monitor, the crowd could see how the page really looked and read;
with the color monitor, we could see how overlays of color could really
enrich
a page.  (If you have a color printer, that is.  Sigh.  So who can afford a
laser OR ink-jet color printer?  Someday, there'll be an inexpensive one for
the rest of us.)  For $30-40, you have the best of both worlds.  I'd never
try
to deal with text on a color monitor -- my eyes go bad after just twenty
minutes with the Zenith at the office.  On the other hand, there's nothing
like color to spice up a game, is there?

PageStream 1.8

Pagestream, version 1.8 could easily be called a brand new desktop publisher.
I've been unable to crash the thing -- and I've tried.  It evidently runs
with
even a "mere" 512K (see several paragraphs below), and does everything I can
imagine for a DTP.  And I can imagine a lot!  This bears repeating:  the
manual is excellent!  The Quick Start section will get you up and running --
and you may never need to go farther.  For 90% of everything you'll do, this
section is plenty.  But if you greedily want MORE, there's more.  PageStream
is also an excellent word processor, with most of the features you'd expect
from a word processor.  Though it won't print in text mode (All DTP stuff is
graphics.  Read:  Slow Printing.), it will SAVE to disk in ASCII format,
making it a snap to print in straight ASCII later.  If you don't have a good
drawing program, you can create or modify pictures with PageStream's
formidable art options and tools.  (Sheesh!  The rotating and alignment
features are something I never thought I'd find easy to use!)

And quick!  Hoo boy, is your screen output quick!  Almost makes up for the
tedium of waiting for the printer to get done!  PageStream tells you it needs
a meg of memory, though a friend tells me that version 1.8 seems to run fine
on a 512K machine.  I can't verify this, but it wouldn't surprise me.  I do
know that it runs fine on a single-sided drive system, a double-sided drive
system, a two drive system, or a hard drive.  The secret to good
pagestreaming
is in your installation set up.  This "difficult" task is explained in simple
English in brief (less than a page) terms.

The many options of PageStream are so varied that we could take up the whole
magazine.  Take a good look at the back of the package, if you have an Atari
store around.  The back of the box is FILLED with lists of features in teeny
tiny print...and it DOESN'T list them all.  For all you Other Computer users,
or if you're sending your output to a typesetter, PageStream is PostScript
compatable.  The only warning I'll give is to look at the tutorials in the
Quick Start section of the manual.  If you value your sanity, DO THE
TUTORIALS.  They're paced well, and they introduce features in the order
you'd
be likely to need (or wonder about) them.

For some examples of PageStream's output, take a good look at the magazine
you're holding.  If last issue was any indicator, Pattie 'n' Bill are liable
to be running color covers more often...and this layout sure yam easier to
read than past issues of (for instance) ST LOG.

PageStream will not make you into a graphics artist, nor will it magically
impart the knowledge and skills of a layout artist.  The manual will give you
many headstarts, and the program is simple enough to "keep out of your way"
while you're learning.  Get a few good books from the library and learn about
typesetting layouts the way the big boys at the New Yorker do it.  And
produce!

Speaking of AIM

Who was?  We were, y'know, up there in the PageStream review.  In just three
issues, AIM has passed my previous favorite Atari-zines (STart and ANTIC),
even without color photographs.  I honestly get a kick out of reading other
clubs' successes and troubles.  It reminds me that we're all in this
together.
And I find the irreverent style and straightforwardness of the writers here
refreshing and entertaining.  (The recent debate about big vs little clubs
comes to mind, as does Jim Cox's excellent description of the Portfolio in
use.)  Would one of the remaining professional magazines have the nerve to
publish "the Power of Advertising?"  Perhaps.  But it would have been edited
into impotency.  This article should be read -- and answered -- by the folks
at Atari who can't seem to make a dent in the American market, and don't
remember how to try.

A great magazine, which I'm grateful to be in, and to read.  This goes to the
top of my "Must Read" stack every month.

I don't know about anyone else, but this cold makes me feel miserable.  I
think I'm about ready to end this IYD early.  Meet you back here next month,
and you can tell me if I split too quickly.  Or too slowly.

Jeep!