¢FUTURA FEEDBACK¢by Stuart J. Murray¢¢ Welcome to another new column - Futura Feedback. Within this column I will try to answer any questions or problems put to me by Futurians. If I can't help, I'm sure other Futurians out there will have the answers. All the following questions are excerpts from letters I have received from Futura subscribers.¢¢ If you have any questions or problems please write to me at the usual address: S.J.Murray, NOSAUG, 71 Walker Road, Torry, Aberdeen, AB1 3DL, Scotland.¢¢ Now, let the questions begin...¢¢¢Dear Stuart,¢¢ Do you know of a decent PD draughts game for the 8-Bit Atari? I have a very simple type-in from C&VG that does not allow multiple jumps and plays poorly.¢¢Alan Hitchen, Runcorn, Cheshire.¢¢¢Ed: I don't know of any good PD draughts games for the Atari 8-Bit. However, Page 6 sell a book entitled 'Writing Strategy Games' which features "sample games for draughts, chess, and other strategy games". This book retails at only 1.50. If you find the sample draughts game to be of high quality why not send it in to Futura for inclusion in a future issue? Does anyone out there know of another PD draughts game for the Atari 8-Bit?¢¢ -----------------------------¢¢Dear Stuart,¢¢ I would like to know where I can get hold of Diamond GOS as it looks good. Also, I would like to upgrade my 65XE to at least 128K so if you know of some way of doing this I would be grateful - maybe I could swap with somebody who does not use a 130XE to its full potential? Finally, are there any educational disks in the NOSAUG PD Library?¢¢John J. Boyle, Doncaster.¢¢¢Ed: Check out the Diamond column within this issue for the bad news about the availablity of Diamond. A private ad in Page 6 is your best bet now.¢¢ I have just checked with Peter Mattock (0375-374280 - see InfoFile for address) about his charge for upgrading a 65XE to 128K: Peter stated that his usual price is 20 pounds + postage. However, he is awaiting new chips from the U.S. which may increase his charge by a couple of pounds depending upon the cost of the chips. You could also try Derek Fern (see InfoFile) but he may be more expensive. If anyone is willing to swap their 130XE for a 65XE please get in touch with me detailing any extra cash payment required.¢¢ There are five educational disks in the new NOSAUG PD Library listing. I Love My Alphabet & Jericho are games for the young at heart. The R.A.C.C. disks are packed full with a wide range of educational software for various ages. The Kids Fun / Education disk is mainly educational games.¢¢ -----------------------------¢¢Dear Stuart,¢¢ How do I convert Multiboot and Rob C. programs to Atari DOS 2.5?... Is Futura PD?... Do you know anything about Mega Magazine? I bought issues 1-4 from ANG but I can't load issues 2-4 (despite holding down Start when booting the menu - see Atari Classics issue 2).¢¢Peter Geraghty, Sutton, Surrey.¢¢¢Ed: Use the File To DOS Converter program on Futura 3 (side B) to convert Multiboot and Rob C. files to DOS 2.5. Howfen files can also be converted with this program by first transferring them to a boot disk and then using the 'Load from boot disk' option.¢¢ Futura issues 1-6 are in the public domain and may be copied and passed on only if no money is exchanged. They may only be placed in a PD Library with my written permission. From issue 7 onwards, Futura will NOT be public domain - it will only be available direct from NOSAUG.¢¢ Send your faulty Mega-Mag disks back to ANG and request replacements. Remember to include an outline of the problem encountered. If the replacements do not load, send them back and request a refund. Has anyone else experienced problems with ANG's Mega-Mag?¢¢ -----------------------------¢¢Dear Stuart,¢¢ How did the name 'Futura' come about for your magazine?¢¢John McIntyre, Broxburn, West Lothian.¢¢¢Ed: I wanted to choose a name which signalled my belief in the future of the Atari 8-Bit. For this, I turned to my love of the Hip-Hop culture. I have been a great fan of this culture for over ten years now. For those who don't know, Hip-Hop involves rap, scratch-mixing, break-dancing (not so popular now), and graffiti art. One of the most outstanding graffiti writers of the late 1970s and early 1980s was a man called 'Futura 2000'. His tag (graffiti signature) is art in itself! I was drawn to this particular writer's tag because I thought it was a great way of depicting 'The Future Of Your Atari 8-Bit', i.e. The Future...Your Atari, Future...Atari, Future...A, Futura!¢¢ ------------------------------¢
