home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
/ Falcon 030 Power 2 / F030_POWER2.iso / ST_STE / MAGS / MAGGIE22.ARJ / magg22st.msa / DATA / ATARISHO.DOC / ATARISHO.DOC
Text File  |  1997-01-16  |  34KB  |  595 lines
  1. 0660103030571
  2. 9[........................................................]
  3. Ç
  4.  
  5. àTheAutumnAtariShows
  6.  
  7. 28thand29thSeptember1996
  8.  
  9. ÇAndsotothelatest'awayteam'visitationbyMaggieandfriendsat
  10. thesetwoveryimportantAtariShowsinBirminghamandLondon..
  11.  
  12. Thesehavealittlebitofhistorybehindthemaswewereoriginally
  13. goingtogetanAtariWorldsponsoredshowinSpring,butthepremature
  14. deathofthatmagazinetooktheopportunityaway..MikeGoodman,the
  15. proprieterofGoodmansPDLorganisessomenewshowsfortheautumn,
  16. whichSTFormat,thatbelovedFuturePublishinginstitution,decidesto
  17. sponsor..Thisseemstohaveafataleffectsonthem,asSTFthengo
  18. downthepanaswell,leavingtheoutcomeoftheshowssomewhat
  19. uncertaintosaytheleast..
  20.  
  21. MikeG.stepsintosafeguardtheshows,andinaconversationthatgot
  22. lostbetweenFelice,Mike,andthegatepost,the'MaggieTeam',ie.
  23. 'us',arepencilledintoappearbehindastandaswell!
  24.  
  25. VariousotherthingshappendirectlyafterthedeathofSTF..MikeG.
  26. reportsalotmoreinterestintheshowsthanpreviously,aspeople
  27. realisethatitmightbetheirlastchancetofindoutwhatisgoingon
  28. Atari-Wiseasthereisnownonews-standmagazineleft..Also,thenew
  29. subscriptiononly'AtariComputing'magazineissettoappearherewith
  30. theirlaunchissue,replacingSTFormat..Theshowwasgettingmoreand
  31. moreinterestingwitheachpassingweek..
  32.  
  33. Additionally,Dave'ST+'Hollisoptedtocomedowntotheshowwithus,
  34. andthisbeinghisfirstvisittosuchagathering,wasgreatlylooked
  35. forwardtobyhim..
  36.  
  37. ++Maggie21!++
  38.  
  39. Ataboutsixweekstotheshow,itisdecidedtoreleaseMaggie21at
  40. theshowvenuesinspiteofsomefairlymajorhandicaps,which
  41. consistedofthelackofarticlesatthatstage,andextremelaziness
  42. onourpartuptothen..HowevercertainotherpartsoftheMaggieTeam
  43. hadbeenworkingveryhard,withtheresultthatwehaveahugebacklog
  44. ofgamereviewsstilltoputinthemagazine(thanksLeonandTash!)
  45.  
  46. TheotherpartsoftheimpressiveMaggieproductionmachineswinginto
  47. actionasmanymorearticles,arevampedSTversionshellprogram,and
  48. evenacoupleofdemointrosareproduced,includingonewhichkicksa
  49. lotofassontheST..Anyway,organisingthisgivesmemorethan
  50. enoughtodointheshorttermintheweeksanddaysbeforetheshow..
  51.  
  52. Maggie21isdoneandputtobedafterasplashthroughafewminor
  53. bugsandthreatsofpostalstrikes,withtheveryverylastminute
  54. stuffbeingdoneonthefridaynightbefore..
  55.  
  56. Anyway,enoughofthehopefulpreviews,andonwithasplurgeofshow
  57. relatedreporting!
  58.  
  59. ++Saturday!++
  60.  
  61. Itis1.00aminthemorning,andthankfullyno-onehasphonedatthis
  62. unearthlyhourtoaskifIamgoingtotheshows..Ihavejustfinished
  63. copyingandtestingsomesparecopiesofthefinishedMaggie21,andI
  64. amgoingtobedafterpackingmyFalconintothewaitingtravelbag
  65. readyforanearlystartinjustafewhoursfromnow..
  66.  
  67. Now6.00am,andslowlywakingupwiththedawn..Toomuchdarkness
  68. outside,althoughthatslowlyliftsasIgetready..Amongother
  69. things,Igetsomefoodorganised,rememberingthatthefood
  70. arrangementsattheBirminghamvenuewereneitherbrilliantnorcheap..
  71. ItjustremainsforFeliceandhiscartoarriveonthestrokeof
  72. seven..
  73.  
  74. 7.10am..Phonerings..
  75.  
  76. Aha,kindlyoldMrFuckup,afrequentgueststaratthesekindof
  77. occasions,hasvisitedFelice'spremisesandputametaphoricalcrowbar
  78. throughhisalarmclock..Felicewillbeatadlate,whichwill
  79. probablystillbealright,astheshowdoesnotstartuntil10.00am..
  80. GoodjobIfinishedMaggieoffthenightbeforethen..Quicklyring
  81. DaveHollistotellhimabouttheproblemandsitbackandrelax
  82. awhile,oratleast,relaxasbestIcan,awarethattimeisgetting
  83. shorterthanIwouldhaveliked..
  84.  
  85. Feliceturnsupabitbefore8.00aminaglitterofshinymetaland
  86. apologies,weloadhiscarupwithmygear,skirtingpastthecovered
  87. monsterofthegiantdisplaytelevisiononhisbackseat..Thepresent
  88. statusofMaggieteamisbasicallytwoFalcons,twonormalRGB
  89. monitors,thehugetelly,andsomePC-type'boom-box'speakerswhich
  90. tuckawaysnuglyinthepassengerseatfootwelltwixtthebigtelly..
  91.  
  92. Alittlebitlater..PickupDaveH.atNorthamptonfromST+GHQ..Next
  93. majoritemonthecockupeventhorizonisadistinctlackofspare
  94. spaceforDave'sstuff,andhehastoleavemostofitbehind..In
  95. spiteofthis,Daveissqueezedintothebackseat,alongwithan
  96. unfeasiblyhugerucksack,withwhichheisengagedinaneternal
  97. wrestlingmatch,atleastuntilwegettoBirmingham..Davedoesbring
  98. alonghisSTe,whichdoesnotmakeitoutoftherucksackatall,and
  99. hislunch,whichdoes..
  100.  
  101. ThejourneytoBirminghamisnotatalleventful,andaboutanhour
  102. later,wearriveattheNationalMotorcycleMuseumforthefirstofthe
  103. weekendsAtariindulgingorgies..Alargeselectionofvansandcars
  104. withpeopleunloadingvariouscomputerybitsgivesawaythefactthat
  105. thisistheshowvenue..Wegointofindourallotedspace,missit
  106. thefirsttimeoflooking,butfinditagainwiththehelpofinfra-red
  107. imagingcamerasthatarespeciallydesignedtolookforsmallconcealed
  108. objects..
  109.  
  110. Wearesharingthespacewithotherusergroups,mostnotablythe
  111. WessexAtariGroup,representingthemightoftheUKassociationof
  112. AtariUserGroups..'Sharing'theavailablespacetranslatestopicking
  113. upwhatisleft,andweunloadontotheonetinytablewhich*just
  114. about*takestheweightoftwoFalcons,monitors,andthehugetelly..
  115. Still,settingupisstraightforward,andonlythebigtellyishernia
  116. producingaswecarryittheunsteadytwentyorsoyardsfromthecar..
  117.  
  118. 9.30am..
  119. Plonkingtheprovided'MaggieTeam'signatoptheFrankensteinsized
  120. screenandsqueezingmymousematbetweenthetwoFalcons,weswitchon
  121. andprepareforsomeseriousMaggiebasedaction!
  122.  
  123. Asthereisstillabitoftimebeforetheshowopensitsdoorstothe
  124. public,Ihaveaquickskirtaroundtheotherstandsstillinvarious
  125. stagesofsetupedness..ComingacrossMerlin,whoverymuchlooklike
  126. theyareontheirlastmajorshow,andareheretopromotetheirnew
  127. onlineservice'Libris'..Still,nicetoseethemagain..
  128.  
  129. NextupistheAtariComputingstandwithvariousteammembers
  130. includingMikeKerslakeandJoeConnor,andIgetmyfirstlookatthe
  131. newmagazine..Iwasgoingtosubscribeinaslightlydutifulsense
  132. anyway,butverymuchlikethelookofthenewmag,andenduphanding
  133. overmychequerathermoreenthusiasticallyinstead..Themaglooks
  134. likeablackandwhiteversionof'AtariWorld',butwithanextra
  135. 'non-serious'dimensionaddedbytheusergroupsanddiskzinepages
  136. includingourowntwopages..Itisalsonicetoseeatrulyobjective
  137. pageofdiskmagreviews!!!;-)
  138.  
  139. MoreonthemagazineelsewhereinMaggie,butAtariComputingwasto
  140. becomethemajorsuccessstoryoftheshows..
  141.  
  142. MovingaroundtheshowwetakeinTitanDesignswhoaredemonstrating
  143. boththelegendary'Nemesis'accelerator,andaveryearlyversionof
  144. Apex3..Neitheroftheseareforsale,asNemesisjustmissedtheshow
  145. byafewdays,andfullproductionhadnotactuallyhappenedasyet..
  146. TheydohaveFalcon14MBmemoryupgradesforarathergut-busting£129,
  147. butIamnotquitetemptedjustyet..WeseeabitmoreofDougandco
  148. towardstheendoftheLondonshowonSunday..
  149.  
  150. SystemSolutions(KarlB'sBoys!)areoutinforce,andareshowing
  151. quitealot,andtoppingthelotistheHadesTTclonebasedarounda
  152. Motorola'060CPUcapableofmakingtheaveragePentiumbased
  153. GatesmobilePClookpunyandshrink-wrapped..Itisontheviciousside
  154. oftwograndthough,sonoluckthere!AlsoasoftwareSTemulatorfor
  155. variousmachinesincludingPC'sandMagiCbasedIntelmachinescalled
  156. 'MagiCPC'whichsoundslikeithasmanagedtodoquitealotona
  157. singleH/Ddisk..newversionsoftheMagiCO/S,andvariousCD-Roms
  158. alsogoonthestand..HidingawayarethePanthergraphicscardsfor
  159. the'humble'STseriesofcomputers,thenew'InfopediaCD-ROM
  160. encyclopaedia,anewartpackagePhotoline,andmore..
  161.  
  162. Swingaround,wealsotakeinGoodmans,and16/32whoareunloading
  163. theirstandsstill..Nearby,awaitingBeSTelectronicswiththe
  164. faithfulBradKodaawaits,otherattendeesincludetheUpgradeShop,
  165. FloppyshopwithPositiveImage,andCalamusUserGroup..AlsoHiSoft
  166. andsomeMidifolkarethereaswell,andhardbyourownstandisthe
  167. ConsoleCentre,majoringonJaguarandLynxgames..
  168.  
  169. 10.00am
  170.  
  171. Doorsopen!
  172.  
  173. Iamstillflibbingaroundthecentreofthehallwhenthefirst
  174. membersofthepublicstarttotickleintotheshow..Iglimpseourown
  175. standinthefarcorner,whichisputtingonacreditableperformance
  176. withTat'sMaggie21STintrotwistingSamTramielthroughatumble
  177. dryerlikemotiononthebigscreen,andfigurethatisagoodplaceto
  178. gobackto..Thedaysvisitorsstarttoarrivenow..
  179.  
  180. (Fatherforgiveme,formymemoryisnottoogoodastowhoarrived
  181. first,butI'llhaveadecentstabatguessinganyway!)
  182.  
  183. ItisthefaceofNEIL,orArnelthatcomestomindasbeingthefirst
  184. Maggierelatedpersontoarrive..AfacenotseensinceSymposiumand
  185. verymuchwelcometoo..Nextup(Ithink)areTatandKevDempseynot
  186. toolongafterwards..TatishisusualsmilingselfandKevhaskept
  187. whatevervividhaircolourhecurrentlyfavourshiddenawaywithan
  188. all-coveringbaseballcap..LeonandTashsoonafterthat,MikeNoyce
  189. andall,andsoonthelittlespacearoundourstandispackedoutwith
  190. MaggieTeampeopleandrelatedfellowtravellers..Peoplearepointed
  191. tothedifferentpartsoftheshow,purchasecopiesof'Atari
  192. Computing',commentontheobjectivityofthediskmagreviews,leave
  193. bagsandcoatsinthespacebehindourstand,buryingcarefully
  194. preparedbyexhibitionstaffpackedlunchesoutofsight,andmixingup
  195. everyonespersonaleffectsintoaclothporridgeinaghastlyre-runof
  196. theMaggieBirthdayPartyepisode"Whosecoatisitanyway?"
  197.  
  198. ComingalongabitlaterstillisEdClevelandwhomanagedapainless
  199. journeybybusandtrainrightuptotheNationalExhibitionCentre
  200. (NEC),butthenfoundoutthatthemotorcyclemuseumisratherless
  201. accessiblefromthere..Atthistime,variousinterestingpreviewsare
  202. beingloadedontomyharddrive,includingsomeveryearlyroutinesfor
  203. theAvenaSonoluminescenzdemo(excepttheonesthatKevforgotto
  204. bringwithhim!)Alsogoingonthereisaveryearlypreviewofthenew
  205. ReservoirGodsgamebasedontheoldarcadeclassic'Spyhunter'..Ed
  206. managestoputafewpreviewsofhisownontheretoo,includinga
  207. hilariousspoofonaLucasSoftPCrelease'DayoftheTentacle'called
  208. 'DonkeyIsland!'Also,muchdemowatchingfollows,includingthemuch
  209. lovedANCoolFalcondemo'Crystal',andsomeotherdemosthatgot
  210. progressivelylessloved,especiallyattheLondonshow,butmoreon
  211. thatissuelateronfolks!
  212.  
  213. Feliceturnsupwithatrayofdrinkstoremindmeofthatlesserknown
  214. SimonandGarfunkellyric"Hellodehydrationmyoldfriend",andthe
  215. cokeinquestiondoesnotevengettotouchthesidesofmythroatas
  216. ithitsthestomachwithasizzlingroar..Freedtogoandlookaround
  217. foralittlewhile,Icomeacrossaveryfamiliarfigurewithtwoother
  218. menacingdudesintowneartheCalamusUserStand..Theseturnoutto
  219. beTonyGreenwood,Deano,ofStosserfame,andKeefyof'Warp'
  220. notoriety..TonyandcoarereeledintoenjoythenewissueofMaggie,
  221. andareinturn,pounceduponbyadelightedDaveH.whoismeetinghis
  222. heroforthefirsttime..AsurprisedTonyisalsointroducedtoEd
  223. Cleveland,oneofhisfavouritewritersinMaggie20..Nobloodis
  224. shed..AtleastnonethatIcouldsee..
  225.  
  226. Aprocessionmakesitswayupstairstothebar,tofulfilanageold
  227. ritual,thedowningofseveralcansofTigerBitter!Ijoininshortly
  228. afterwards,carefullyavoidingtheotherritualof'payinggrosslyover
  229. theoddsforaplateofcardboardpseudo-chips'havingdisinterredmy
  230. foodfromtheclothmessonthefloorofthestand..Onanearbytable,
  231. Tony,Keefy,DeanoandDaveHsit,lookingmorelikethecastofa
  232. gangstermovieorthegame'MobstersCity'thaneverastheyplotin
  233. hushedvoices..
  234.  
  235. TimepasseseversoslowlyuntilacertainWelshpersonturnsupand
  236. announceshispresence..KevDaviesalsotellsusthatMikeNoyceis
  237. gettingteedoffwithmindingtheMaggiestand,andextremelythirsty..
  238. WeareallalittlebitunsteadyfromourenforcedTigerbingeing,so
  239. theeverdutifulnarrator/editordoestherightthing..
  240.  
  241. ..AndsendsFelicedownstairswithavaguepromisethathewillfollow
  242. shortly!
  243.  
  244. However,IdoplungebackintothefrayalittlebitlatertofindEd
  245. ClevelanddoingallsortsofscareythingswithmyFalcon,andanother
  246. littledudewhoseemstobelongtoDaveH'slothangingaroundthe
  247. standstrokinghischinthoughtfully..Thislatterpersonageturnsout
  248. tobeSteveMoore,theassemblylanguagecorrespondentforST+.Heis
  249. tryingtopuzzleoutwhytheearlybatchofissue9ofthatmagis
  250. failingsodismallyontheMaggieFalcons,andcommentinginsucha
  251. mannerthatsuggestsafifteenyearoldmadgermanrocketscientistis
  252. onthecase"Achhso,Ithinkitizzkorruptiontozerdisk!"andso
  253. on..However,enoughstereotypicalfunnieslater,andheturnsoutto
  254. bereallyarathernicechap..
  255.  
  256. TheafternoonslidesbyinaTiger-inducedblur,wegetourdemosand
  257. diskmagsoutforthelads,pumpupthevolume,andsoon..Onething
  258. thatgetshordesofinterestedcasualobserversisthepreviewofthe
  259. Doomclone'Running',shownonthebigscreen,andpulledapartbya
  260. frenziedStevenMoore,thisgetsalotofpeoplelookingatus.Some
  261. otherpeopledropby,butseemtobelessinterested"Ohwe'rejust
  262. keepingsomeonecompany,"theysay,andarelookingfrenziedlytothe
  263. fireescapedoorswhenwetrytoshowthemsomething..Probablylost
  264. theplotcomputing-wise,whentheAmstradPCWfirstcameout!
  265.  
  266. TatperformssomestrangeritualofbuyingpostcardsoftheMotorcycle
  267. museumandthebeautifulsightsofBirmingham(three,allofthemkept
  268. insecurelocationsbywealthyprivatecollectors!)Hegetsusallto
  269. signwithourwateryandindistinctsignaturesinthebottomcorner,
  270. andthenhesentthesecardsouttovariouspersonalitiesinthe
  271. 'Scene',whonodoubtdecidedthattheoldMadCowdiseasewasbitinga
  272. bittoohardhereintheUK,andvowedtocutoffallremaining
  273. communicationsforfearofcrossinfectionorsomething..
  274.  
  275. Suddenly,peopleareleaving,aswestartonalongseriesoftearful
  276. goodbyes,asvariousteampeopleleavethebuildingforthelasttime..
  277. Thepreviouslymanicpacedshowiswindingdown,andwehaveabit
  278. moretimeandspacetowandertheflooroncemore..Stoppingby
  279. Goodmanstofollowupearlierreportsofanother'Doom'orSub-Station
  280. clonefortheSTFM..Thegameisinteresting,inthatyougettoshoot
  281. todeath,severalviolentlyaggressivegingerbreadmen,butnothingtoo
  282. greattechnically,atleastonthesurface..
  283.  
  284. StoppingalsobyAtariComputing,whohavesmuggrinsseveralmiles
  285. wide,andseveral'soldout'signshoistedoverthetatteredremnants
  286. oftheirstand..Theyhavesoldoutoftheentirerunofthefirst
  287. issue,apartfromthosecopiesthattheyforcedthemselvestokeephold
  288. offortheLondonShowtomorrow..Theoriginal'break-even'printrun
  289. of500wasexceededbyseveralhundred,andoverthetwodaysofthe
  290. show,thesetotallysoldout!Averylargepartofwhattheytookwas
  291. intheformofthreeissuesubscriptions,assuringafutureforthis
  292. newmagazine(Furtherupdatedpost-showinfosuggeststhatafurther
  293. printofthefirstissuehasbeentakenupasthereisstill
  294. unsatisfieddemandforthemagazine!)
  295.  
  296. Alltoosoon,itistimetoleave,astheassortedshowpeoplestartto
  297. packaway.IstopandbrowsetheWessexAtariGroup's'VirtualWeb
  298. Site'andchatovertheday'seventswiththeteamthere..Weunload
  299. thecarinreverse(eh?-Ed),Feliceandthebigtellyendingupina
  300. squashedmassonthebackseatofhiscar..DaveandIwaitinthecar
  301. whilstFelicehasalastcheckaround,Isitthere,waitingformy
  302. headachetosubside,andDaveHappearstohaveimmenselyenjoyedthe
  303. showtothepointwherehecoulddiehappy..We'reallfitonlyforthe
  304. knackersyardanywaybythistime..Davesuggestsgoingdowntothe
  305. showwithsomeoneelse,inordertogethisequipmentdownthere..We
  306. gohomequietlyandwithevenlesstroublethanonthewayup..
  307.  
  308. Later..
  309.  
  310. Food,abath,andsleep,theseallcomeveryeasily,andevenafter
  311. makingsomemorecopiesofMaggie21,Iaminbedwellbeforemidnight
  312. totrytogetsomerestbeforethecommencementofroundtwoonSunday
  313. Morning..
  314.  
  315. ++Sunday!++
  316.  
  317. 6.00am,andslowlywakingupwiththedawn..
  318.  
  319. Thereistoomuchdarknessoutside,althoughthatisslowlylifting..
  320. Itisalsowindierthanyesterday,withwildboastsofraintofollow..
  321. Alittleflashinglightonmyansaphone,previouslyunseen,suggests
  322. thatsomethinginterestinghasgoneonovernightwithoutmeknowing..
  323.  
  324. ThemessageburblesoutanditisDaveH,whohaschangedhismind
  325. aboutcomingdowntotheLondonshow,thisisashame,butweareto
  326. havethecompanyofMattSmithandhisFalconinstead..
  327.  
  328. 700am..Onceagain,Igetpackedandready,andthistime,Iamtomake
  329. thejourneydownwithmycar..Unlikeyesterday,Felicedoesarriveon
  330. time,andinbutafewminutes,alltheequipmentistransferredtomy
  331. car,journeycommences..
  332.  
  333. Thejourneydowniswithoutmajorincident,althoughwithmajor
  334. weather,whichconsistsofsquallydownpoursandbriefanguishedpauses
  335. fortheweathertogetitsbreathbackbeforeresumingtheattack..
  336. BothmotorwaysusedtogetustoOsterlyarenottoothrillingwhenyou
  337. can'tseethemthatwell,butwemakegoodtimetotheFourPillars
  338. Hotel,whichspringsoutatasfromtheroadsidealmostbeforewesee
  339. it..parkingup,wefindthesamecollectionofpeopleunloading
  340. furiously,andquicklyfindourallottedplaceinthehall,andMatt
  341. Smithandfriend..
  342.  
  343. About8.30am..Unloadingiseasywiththeextrahands,andIcunningly
  344. avoidhavinganythingtodowiththebigtelevision..Unloadingis
  345. easy,buttablesaren't,asmostofthesearestillinusebypopular
  346. demandofthebreakfastingguestsoftheHotel..Bothourselvesandthe
  347. WessexBoysoftheUKAAUGarewaitingforsometableshapedobjectsto
  348. turnup.Today,weareonthestageoverlookingthemainhall,standing
  349. immediatelyaboveMerlin,theCalamusUserGroupandSystemSolutions..
  350. Thereismoreroomonthestage,theextracomfortfactoriswelcomed
  351. byus,andwhichmadeabigdifferencetohowIfeltbythedaysend..
  352. NewheretodayisColinFisher-McAllumoftheAtariphileDiskmag,
  353. anotherfamiliarfaceverynicetosee..
  354.  
  355. Whilstwaitingforcertainlongpiecesofwoodtoturnup,webriefly
  356. amuseourselvesbystickingtheUKAAUGsignonsomepipeworkabovethe
  357. stage,andwatchitunstickitselfandfalldownmomentslater,glibly
  358. predictingthatwiththeinadequateamountofstickytapeandbluetack
  359. used,thatsuchathingwouldhavehappenedanyway..Adappergentleman
  360. ofsenioryearsalsoturnsupwithabriefcase..Heisthe
  361. representativeofthe'Wrinklies'UserGroup,theseniorAtariansclub..
  362. Weaskwhereheneedstosetuphisequipment,hepointstoapileof
  363. pamphletsinthebriefcaseandsays"It'sallhere.."Wearestill
  364. waitingforsometablestoturnup..
  365.  
  366. 9.30am
  367. Tablesstarttogrudginglyturnup,andtableclothstoo..Firstsystem
  368. setupismyFalcon,withtheSIDmusicplayerandspeakersplayingthe
  369. restin..Atthispoint,thewholeofoursectionisrunningoffone
  370. extension,whichhasaredlightwhichisflickeringinanalarmingred
  371. fashion..Weworryforawhile,wonderingifthewholeelectronic
  372. shootingmatchensembleisgoingtoblow,butitdoesn't,andwelet
  373. outthedeepbreaththatwe'veallbeenholdingontoforthelast
  374. coupleofminutes..Nothinghappensduringtheday,noloudbangunder
  375. thetable,orsuddenlyappearingbluesmoke,evenwhenwe'vegotthe
  376. volumepumpedup,sothatseemstobeokay..
  377.  
  378. Ilookaroundtheshowforthelasttimebeforethedoors,open,
  379. kidnappingafewstraychairsthatwanderedunwiselyfromtheirowners
  380. reach..Atleastwewillbecomfortabletoday..Thelayoutofthisshow
  381. issomewhatdifferentfromthedaybefore,asinsteadofonebig
  382. centralhall,therearealsosidepocketscontaining16/32,theConsole
  383. Centre,theAtariComputingmagazineandthePortfolioUsersGroup.The
  384. mainhallhasthebiggerstandssuchasTitanDesigns,whogotthere
  385. relativelylateandarenowstrugglingtosetupintime,HiSoft,
  386. SunriseAudio,theMIDIpeople,SystemSolutions,Floppyshop,Goodmans,
  387. Merlinandall..Weareinadominatingpositionlookingdownfromthe
  388. stageatthetopofthehall..
  389.  
  390. Thefirstofthedaysmanyperformancesboomsoutloudlyfromourpart
  391. ofthehall,FeliceissoundcheckingtheObnoxiousDemo,thefirstof
  392. manyappearancesfromthatdemo,andMerlin,immediatelybeneathus,
  393. arescrewingtheirearsshutwithpainandpleadingwithustostop..
  394.  
  395. ..Tonoavail..
  396.  
  397. 10.00am
  398. Doorsopen,andthepuntersonceagainbreachthestronghold..Todayis
  399. moreofa'publicday'astheattendeesfromyesterdaywholivenedup
  400. theBirminghameventarenottoreturntoday..However,weare
  401. expectingafewnewfacestoturnupduringthecourseoftheday..We
  402. actuallydogetafewverynewfacespeeringaroundinaninterested
  403. fashion,andIfindmyselfplayingan'official'roleafewtimesto
  404. differentpeople,includingonechapwholivesinRutlandwhoread
  405. abouttheMaggiePartyandwishedhecouldhavecomedown..Another
  406. personisimpressedbyTat'seffortsbothontheissue21STintro,
  407. variousFalconintros,andearly'rushes'ofthenewAvenademo..
  408.  
  409. Arto!
  410. Aboutmid-morning,afamilarfacefromSymposiumappears,asArto,
  411. anothercontributortoissue21arrives..Initiallydisappointedthat
  412. Leondidnotvisittoday,hetakesininterestinvariousMaggie
  413. relatedproceedings,andsmileswithquietpridewhentheMaggie21
  414. Falconintroisrun..Iamalsotreatedtohisexpertcommentarywhen
  415. variousotherdemosarerun,("Tooslow,butnicelooking..")Wetalk
  416. aboutvarioushappeningsintheFrenchscene,andhegoesofftotake
  417. intherestoftheshow..
  418.  
  419. Itishotonthestage,thereisstrongoverheadlighting,andsomeone
  420. thoughtfullyturnsupwithatrayofdrinks,whichdonotstayaround
  421. fortoolongatime..Somewheretomyright,aseriesofbooming
  422. crashesannouncesthestartofthe'BugsfromOuterSpace'demo..
  423.  
  424. Felicewandersoffforawhile,leavingmeinchargeofthestand,soI
  425. amshowingmoreofMaggietopeople,wishingforaspecial'show'mode
  426. whereMaggieislefttoload,scrolldown,andquitarticlesat
  427. random..HowaboutitLeon?
  428.  
  429. Artoreturnsforawhile,andspendssomemoretimewithusbefore
  430. leavingtheshow..InspiteofLeonnotbeingthere,Igetthe
  431. impressionthathedidenjoytheshow..Soonafter,anothersemi-
  432. familiarfacearrives,recognisablefromanartisticallymangled
  433. portraitseeninST+Diskmag,itisPeteAugustin,whowashopingto
  434. meetDaveH.heretoday,andwasdisappointednotto..However,heis
  435. soonathomewithus,asweimpressthefur-linedbootiesoffhimwith
  436. Maggieinitsvariousguises,andtry,andfailtogetST+issue9to
  437. runfrommyFalcon,notrealisingatthetimethattheproblemwasraw
  438. andnakedSTOSwhichhadnotbeenfixedfortheFalcon..Alittlemore
  439. demo,andmultichannelmusicrelatedmayhemleaveshimblubbingand
  440. wantingaFalcondesperately..
  441.  
  442. Felicereturns,andIgotoseehowtheshowisprogressinginamid-
  443. showupdatemood..AbriefrescuemissionfromFloppyshopforsomeof
  444. DaveH'sdisks,andeverythingismuchthesameasyesterday..Atari
  445. Computinghavesoldoutagain,Ihavemyeyeontheonlymajorpurchase
  446. oftheday,adiskboxfromMerlin!!Thisismorethanslightlysadof
  447. me,buttherewasnothingreallytemptingthathadcomeoutonsale
  448. withNemesismissingtheshowandnoreallynewCD-ROMseither..
  449.  
  450. NickHarmanof16/32suggestedthatseveralnewreleasesinthesilver
  451. platterdepartmentsuchasCrawlyCrypt3hadjustmissedtheshowas
  452. well..WedidtryoutSystemSolutions'BirdofPrey'CDonMatt's
  453. Falcon,butthereisnothingreallynewonthereeither,that
  454. collectionwasonlyafewmonthsyoungerthan'Transmission',although
  455. itdidhavethesublimegoodtastetohaveMaggie18onthere..
  456.  
  457. Felicedidpurchasethenotwidelyavailable'Defender2000'forhis
  458. Jaguar(ReviewinMaggieshortly!),andtheConsoleCentrewasalso
  459. running'FightforLife'ontheirstand..Theonlyotherexpenditure,
  460. thedaybefore,wasabatchofoldandtiredex-AtariBasiclanguage
  461. diskswhichweregoing*very*cheapfromMerlin..So,inreplytoEd
  462. Clevelandwhowroteinlastissues'Dirk'thattherewasnosuchthing
  463. asanunformattedAtarilanguagedisk,Inowhaveaboutfiftyofthem!!
  464. AvidcollectorsofcraparewelcometowritetotheusualMaggie
  465. correspondanceaddress,buthurry!Withsuchalargestockofquality
  466. memorabilia,demandisboundtobehigh,andtheywillsellout!,OrI
  467. willhavereformattedallthedisksshortly,orsomething..
  468.  
  469. ThelargefigureofamancalledGareth,alinkwithanancientlong
  470. deadpast,nowblocksoutouravailablesunlight..Gareth,whousedto
  471. bepartofourlocalsceneattheWellingboro'Clubisthatinteresting
  472. sub-species,thereluctantAtarian..Havingbeenintheprocessof
  473. gettingsomethingelseforthepastthreeyears,butnotquitemanaging
  474. to..GarethhasbeentoIKEAbeforecomingtotheshow,butheis
  475. suspiciouslylightofSwedishpine-strippedwardrobes..Afterspending
  476. alittletimearoundus,hegoesofftolurkinthevicinityofBeST
  477. Electronics..
  478.  
  479. IdriftneartotheHisoftstand,whichisrunninganMPEGdecoder
  480. whichattachestoaSCSICD-ROM,andplaysbackMPEGmoviedisks,yes,
  481. therealthing,asarolling'demo'ofHughGruntandAndieMacVowelin
  482. 'FourWeddingsandaFuneral'isplaying..
  483.  
  484. WithoutDanishsubtitles.....
  485.  
  486. AvisittoSunriseAudiotakesintheirrecasedFalconmusic
  487. workstation..Anotherbitof'must-have'kit,ifyou'vegotafew
  488. thousandspondooliestospare,whichalotofmusiciansdohave..
  489.  
  490. Backatthestand,andacoupleofcrudelyname-taggeddudesdropin,
  491. theyarethereonbehalfofKelstarDiskmag,andhavealittlenotepad
  492. containingarealtimearticle!Thisseemstohavestartedfromtheir
  493. wakingmoments,andgoesonforabit..Weareinvitedtodonateinkto
  494. it,andwedo,reflectingontheearlycasualtythatwouldhavebeen
  495. ourownattemptatarealtimetext,hadspace/time/circumstances
  496. allowedittotakeplace..
  497.  
  498. Obnoxiousdemothundersoutfortheumpteenthtime..
  499.  
  500. Laterstill..
  501. Theshowisstartingtogettothelaterstages,andisyawningloudly
  502. andwantingtogotobed..Thoughtsturntopackingup,butnotbefore
  503. variouspeopleexpressaninterestintheCreamSIDplayerthatI've
  504. beenplayingloudly,inbetweentheotherstuff.DougLittleandco
  505. (Sorryotherchap,I'veforgottenyourname!)turnupwiththeirhard
  506. drive,andsomeseriousupdatingofdemosanddiskmagsfollows..Robat
  507. SystemSolutionswantsacopyoftheSIDplayeraswell..Inthe
  508. meantime,attheMattSmithendofthings,ahugeamountof
  509. daisychainingofexternalSCSIdevicestakesplace,asFelice'smachine
  510. issubjectedtoCD-ROM-o-maniaonahugescale..Attemptstogetitto
  511. talktomy(early)versionofExtendosdon'tgoquiteasplanned,
  512. althoughsomenicegamedemos,includingthebrilliantTechnoballare
  513. pickedup..Thelikelyguiltypartyonthisoccasionbeingtheweird
  514. versionofAHDIthatDougLittleusedearliertogethisSCSItotalk
  515. tomymachine..
  516.  
  517. Allfinished,andstartingtopackup,andwerememberinamomentof
  518. suppressedpanicthepoorlittleextensionthatwascarryingallthat
  519. electricityduringtheday..Welookunderthetable,anditisstill
  520. there,notsmouldering..Itisnodoubtrelievedtobeswitchedoffand
  521. packedaway..Imovethecarclosertotherearexitdoorsoftheshow,
  522. allthelessdistancetocarrythelargetelevision..Wesoonloadup,
  523. thebigtelevisionslumpingintomybootwithmuchcursing..Weare
  524. readytoleave,butstopbytosayafarewelltotheremainingparties
  525. packingup,suchastheSystemSolutionspeople,andMikeyG.himself..
  526.  
  527. Journeyhome..
  528.  
  529. Lesssaidaboutthisone,thebetter..
  530.  
  531. Well,itwasgettingdark,andstillraining..Wefindourwayoutof
  532. Londonafteralittleinitialconfusionwitharoadsignthatpointed
  533. ustowherewewantedtogo,butshruggeditsshouldersinagallic
  534. fashionandleftusonourownafteralittlewhile.Gettingontothe
  535. M25isfairlystraightforward,buteverybodyelselivinginLondonis
  536. onthereaswell,andtrafficismovinginasemi-paralysedgridlock
  537. fashion..Afteraboutanhoursworthofslowagonisedcrawling,wefind
  538. 'our'motorway,theM1,andstarttomakebettertime..Itisstill
  539. raining,andvisibility,alwaysanissueonthewaydown,isevenworse
  540. now..Still,wedofinallygethome,somewherearound8pm,andafter
  541. transferringFelice'sstufftohiscar,andgenerallyunloading,sit
  542. down,profoundlyrelieved,andnotinanyshapetoattemptwritinga
  543. showreport,justthen..
  544.  
  545. ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
  546. (**M25HandyHints!!**)
  547. OverpaidandmentallyunderpoweredBMWowners,whynotdashatfull
  548. speeduptothepointwherethesliproadjoinsthemotorwayproper,
  549. brakeattheverylastsecond,andtrytoslipin,forcingeveryoneon
  550. themotorwaybehindthemtobrakesuddenly,anddisruptingthesmooth
  551. flowoftraffic,thusmakingeverythingalotslowerthanitneedsto
  552. be..
  553.  
  554. Ohyes,andrandomlyswitchinglaneswithlittleornowarningis
  555. anothergoodonetotryaswell..
  556. ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
  557.  
  558. ++Conclusions++
  559. Yes,thiswascertainlydifferentfromanythingthatwe'veattended
  560. before,andwe'reprofoundlygratefultoMikeGoodmanfromgivingus
  561. thechancetoexperienceagatheringlikethisfromtheexhibitors
  562. pointofview..Thevalueofhavinga'Maggie'standextendedtoour
  563. compatriotsandfellowteammemberswhohadacentralfocalpoint,and
  564. astrongerthanusualreasontogoandvisit..Italsoservedforabit
  565. offreeadvertisingforus,althoughwesuspectthatmostpeoplegoing
  566. totheseshowswouldbealreadyfamiliarwithustosomeextent..
  567.  
  568. Theshowswerewellattended,andwereasuccessfromthat
  569. perspective..TheclosureofSTFormat,andtheopeningofthenew
  570. magazine'AtariComputing'werestrongmotivatorstogodownaswell
  571. formanypeople,uncertainofwhatwasgoingtohappennext..The
  572. significanceoftheseshowsgainedalotwhenSTFclosed,asthiscould
  573. havebeenthelastopportunitytogoandvisitone..(Althoughitlooks
  574. liketherewillbemoreshowsintheearlypartofnextyear..)
  575.  
  576. Froma'product'pointofview,notquiteasgoodaspreviousshows,as
  577. certainthingsjustdidnotquitemakeitintime,althoughpeople
  578. *not*lookingforaNemesisboard,butperhapsintorareJaguar
  579. games,mighthavebeenhappier..AtariComputing,thenewmagazinehad
  580. averysuccessfulshow,andthisoccasionwasinvaluableingetting
  581. thatmagazineofftoanunbeatablestart..
  582.  
  583. Asalways,greatpeople,andmemorabletimes,evenoneortwopeople
  584. suchasArtothatyoumightnotnormallyexpecttoseehere(hewas
  585. handilyintheUKatthattime!)Andthatalwaysmakesthesesortof
  586. gatheringsworthwhile..
  587.  
  588. Wouldwedoitagain?
  589. à
  590. ÇAnswer-Yes!
  591.  
  592. (C)CiH-Oct'96
  593.  
  594. à
  595.