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Article 35749 of rec.games.video: Path: mentor.cc.purdue.edu!purdue!ames!sun-barr!cs.utexas.edu!usc!chaph.usc.edu!news From: rjung@aludra.usc.edu (Robert A. Jung) Newsgroups: alt.games.lynx,rec.games.video Subject: The Lynx FAQ returns! Message-ID: <l7p2seINNg58@aludra.usc.edu> Date: 3 Aug 92 01:27:42 GMT Organization: Southern California Lynx Enthusiasts Lines: 644 Xref: mentor.cc.purdue.edu alt.games.lynx:351 rec.games.video:35749 Well, after a six-month absence, the Atari Lynx Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file returns! Darius Vaskelis, unfortunately, is too busy with other things to properly maintain and/or post the FAQ. Therefore, with his blessings, I've taken it over in a peaceful coup d'etat (grin). I'm going to be responsible for it now, and (hopefully) will have it updated and posted around the start of each month. Readers of the old FAQ will notice one major change: The "Tips and Tricks" section has been removed. Damian Gick (paranoid@mentor.cc.purdue.edu) currently maintains a comprehensive list of Lynx Secrets and Cheats. Rather than duplicate the effort, the FAQ will now refer readers to Damian instead. I've updated some information, added a few questions, and did some minor reformatting. In all other regards, the Lynx FAQ is changed but little. Send comments, suggestions, corrections, and whatever else to your truly. Thanks again to Darius, who got the ball started in the first place. And now... ----------------------------- Cut Here ---- 8< ----------------------------- ||| ||| ATARI Lynx "Frequently Asked Questions" File! Updated: 8/1/92 / | \ Created by Darius Vaskelis, who saw the need and filled it. Maintained by Robert Jung (rjung@usc.edu) ============================================================================ This file is not maintained by, overseen by, endorsed, or otherwise associated with Atari Corp. or any of its subsidiaries. It's just a collection of questions and answers. This file is posted on a monthly basis, usually around the first of the month. It is maintained by Robert Jung at rjung@usc.edu on USENET. Send corrections, news, updates, comments, questions, or other stuff to that address. All mail is welcome! Updates since the last publically posted FAQ on rec.games.video have a vertical bar in the first column. ============================================================================ Q. What is the Atari Lynx? A. The world's first hand-held color video game system. Sold by Atari, the Lynx offers true multi-player competition, built-in 3D and distortion graphic effects, reversible controls, and fast arcade action for under $100. ============================================================================ Q. What's the relationship between the Atari Lynx and Epyx? A. The Lynx was originally conceived by Epyx in 1987. It was called the "Handy" at that time. Two creators of the system, Dave Needle and R.J. Mical, were also members of the Amiga design team. Atari bought the rights, and the rest is history. While it is true that Epyx no longer does Lynx development, Epyx is still required by its contract with Atari to provide technical support, which it still does. ============================================================================ Q. Are Lynx game cards encoded with any encryption scheme? A. Yes and no. Most of the game card is not encrypted, just a few hundred bytes. The game-card verification system was introduced to enforce game quality, which Epyx perceived as a major threat after looking at what happened to the Atari 2600 (VCS) towards the end. Atari does NOT do the encoding of the game cartridges. Epyx still does them. Epyx makes no judgement on what is encoded, but encodes everything that Atari requests. ============================================================================ Q. What are the differences between the original Lynx ("Lynx Classic") and the new Lynx ("Lynx II")? A. The new Lynx is a bit smaller and lighter than the original Lynx. It has a slightly longer battery life, and can also just turn the screen off during a game pause to save batteries. (The original Lynx had a five minute auto-power shut-off that would have prevented this from being useful. It is gone in the new Lynx.) A power LED has been added (which also blinks when battery power is low), and cartridges can be slipped in a little bit easier. The only differences in a technical sense is that the new Lynx has a more efficient internal design, and the headphone jack supports stereo sound. The speaker in new Lynx is also not as loud as the original Lynx, although it's still more than adequate for all but the noisiest situations. The speaker in new Lynx is a 16-ohm speaker, which causes the system to need twice as much power to drive the same volume through it. Also, the new Lynx can experience what is called "blinking pixel syndrome" with certain game cards. With certain game cards, one pixel on the screen (usually stationary) cycles through all the colors very quickly. It does not affect game play, and isn't always noticed unless it's looked for. The power consumption in the new Lynx is only slightly less than in the original Lynx, and is not enough to account for an extra hour of play time. The extra hour is claimed by assuming that the user will turn off the backlight for some of the running time, which could be counted as dead time, not game time. ============================================================================ Q. What are the specifications of the Lynx? A. Physical dimensions: Size: 9.25" x 4.25" x 2" (10.75" x 4.25" x 1.5" for original Lynx) Screen: 3.5" diagonal (3.25" x 1.88" approx.) Speaker: 2" diameter Buttons: Two sets of fire buttons (A and B) Two option buttons (OPTION 1 and OPTION 2) Pause button (OPTION 1 + Pause = Restarts the game OPTION 2 + Pause = Flips the screen, which allows the Lynx controls to be reversed) | Power on light (Not on original Lynx; indicates unit is on) Power on button Power off button | Backlight button (Not on original Lynx; turns off the screen, | but does not turn off the game. This saves electricity use | when a game is paused) Joypad: Eight directional Controls: Volume Brightness Ports: Headphones (mini-DIN 3.5mm stereo, mono on original Lynx) ComLynx (multi-player) Power (9V DC, 1 A) Game card slot Battery holder (six AA) For the technically minded, the Lynx has two basic chips that form a cooperative set of co-processing subsystems that maximize the Lynx's performance by sharing the work of executing a game program. These chips are called Mikey and Suzy. Mikey (16-bit custom CMOS chip running at 16MHz) - MOS 65C02 processor running at up to 4MHz (~3.6MHz average) 8-bit CPU, 16-bit address space - Sound engine 4 channel sound 8-bit DAC for each channel (4 channels x 8-bits/channel = 32 bits commonly quoted) Range of 100Hz to well above the range of human hearing Stereo with panning (mono for original Lynx) - Video DMA driver for LCD display - System timers - Interrupt controller - UART (for ComLynx) - 512 bytes of bootstrap and game-card loading ROM Suzy (16-bit custom CMOS chip running at 16MHz) - Blitter (bit-map block transfer) unit - Graphics engine Hardware drawing support Unlimited number of high-speed sprites with collision detection Hardware high-speed sprite scaling, distortion, and tilting effects Hardware decoding of compressed sprite data Hardware clipping and multi-directional scrolling Variable frame rate (up to 75 frames/second) 4096 color (12-bit) palette 16 simultaneous colors (4 bits) from palette at one time 160 x 102 "triad" standard resolution (16,320 addressable pixels) (A triad is three LCD elements: red, green, and blue) Capability of 480 x 102 artificially high resolution - Math co-processor Hardware 16-bit multiply and divide (32-bit answer) Parallel processing of single multiply or divide instruction The Lynx contains 64K (half a megabit) of 120ns DRAM. Game-cards currently hold 128K (1 megabit) or 256K (2 megabits) of ROM, but there seems to be a capability of up to 2M (16 megabits) on one game-card. With alkaline batteries, the reasonable average battery life is 5 hours. (4 hours with the original Lynx) The Lynx can run off rechargeable Ni-Cad batteries, but average battery life drops drastically to 1.5 hours per recharge (1 hour for the original Lynx). Your milage may vary. ============================================================================ Q. Why does the Lynx use a 6502 and not a 68000? A. From R.J. Mical, one of the Lynx's creators: "Some people believe it's less of a processor than the 68000, for example. That series of chip was used in the Amiga, but it wouldn't make our machine do things any better. In fact, it would only make the unit larger and more expensive. It's also harder to write 68000 code, so we definitely made the right decision." From Stephen Landrum, another of the Lynx's creators: "The real answer for the choice for the 6502 vs. 68000 was price. Secondary considerations (that did not really enter into the decision making process): 68000 code is very fat compared to 6502 code. An application that takes 1K of 6502 code averages 2.5 to 3K of 68000 code. The 6502 is very bus-efficient, the 68000 has lots of dead time on the bus. As for it being harder to write 68000 code, that is probably not true, and in any case was not part of the reason the decision was made." ============================================================================ Q. Is the Lynx an 8-bit or 16-bit system? A. If 16-bit refers to the main CPU, (such as the Sega Genesis/MegaDrive) then the Lynx is an 8-bit system. If 16-bit refers to the graphics engine, (such as the NEC TurboGraphix-16/PC-Engine) then the Lynx is a 16-bit system. ============================================================================ Q. What accessories exist for the Lynx? A. The following products are known to be available: | * ComLynx cable. Connects multiple Lynxes together for multiplayer games. | * AC adaptor. Powers the Lynx from any AC wall socket. | * Cigarette lighter adaptor. Powers the Lynx from any automobile cigarette | lighter. Will support one or two Lynxes simultaneously. | * Atari Lynx Sun Shield. Folds down to protect the Lynx screen, and pops | open to shade the Lynx screen from sunlight for outdoor play. (NOTE: | There are two models; you need the one appropriate for your Lynx) | * D-cell battery pack. Holds six D-cell batteries, and can be attached | with a belt clip. Alkaline batteries provides power for up to 20 hours | of playing. | * Atari Lynx carrying pouch. Holds a Lynx, several game cards, and a | ComLynx cable. Attaches with a wrist strap/belt loop. | * Atari Lynx Kit Case. Holds a Lynx, up to 24 game cards, and assorted | accessories. Padded interior with Velcro dividers, can be customized. | Carried with a handle or a shoulder strap. | ============================================================================ | Q. What do I get when I buy a Lynx? | A. The Lynx is available in two packages: | | The Lynx "Deluxe Package" costs $129.95. It includes the Lynx unit, a copy | of the CALIFORNIA GAMES game card, a carrying case, a ComLynx cable, and | six AA Alkaline batteries. | | The Lynx "Base Package" costs $89.95. It comes with only the Lynx, and | includes no accessories. | ============================================================================ Q. Is there a TV tuner option for the Lynx? A. No. Atari's official position is that market research shows that a TV | tuner, while a neat idea, would not be bought by most players. The | unofficial word from Stephen Landrum is that the Lynx screen display | is not capable of handling a broadcast television picture. | | There is also an unverified rumor that a European (Great Britian) | developer has invented a Lynx TV tuner, which plugs into the Lynx's | cartridge slot. This story has not been verified, though. ============================================================================ Q. Do all players "lynxed"-up via ComLynx need a copy of the game being played? A. Yes. All players need a copy of the game card. ============================================================================ Q. What's the ComLynx port like? A. There is limit of 18 players via ComLynx. In practice it may be possible to connect more units together, but to operate within specifications, the drivers in the Lynx cannot drive over more than 17 units with pull-ups on the serial ports. ComLynx runs from 300.5 to 62.5K baud. It works on a "listen and send" structure. Data transmission between Lynxes is done in the background, freeing up the CPU to run the game instead of communicating. It's called "RedEye" in-house at Atari. It uses a three-wire cable (+5V/Ground/Data) and allows for bi-directional serial communications. The system frames messages in terms of 11-bit words, each consisting of a start bit, eight data bits, a parity bit, and a stop bit. ============================================================================ Q. Sometimes a multiplayer ComLynx game will freeze up. Why? A. A ComLynxed game will freeze if communication between the Lynxes is interrupted. If your game is freezing up in the middle of a session, it may be due to a fray in one of the ComLynx cables. The cable gets jostled, communication is broken, and the game "freezes." Jiggling the cable may fix the solution temporarily, but the best cure is a new cable. ============================================================================ Q. What are all of the current Lynx games available in the United States? A. Current Lynx Games List (The notation "(x)" means to refer to footnote | number x): Title Stereo? Players Description ----------------- ------- ------- --------------------------------- A.P.B. no 1 Be a cop, drive a car and patrol Awesome Golf no 1-2 Go for par on 3 18-hole courses | Batman Returns no 1 The Dark Knight Returns again Block Out no 1 3D Tetris-like game Blue Lightning no 1 High-speed jet combat Bill & Ted's no 1-2 A radical adventure through time Excellent Adventure California Games no 1-4(1) Harmless fun in the sun and sand Checkered Flag yes 1-6 High-performace Indy auto racing Chip's Challenge no 1 Scrolling mazes and puzzles | Crystal Mines II no 1 180 dirt-digging mining puzzles Electrocop no 1 3D rescue mission adventure Fidelity Ultimate 1-2(2) Chess against the computer or a Chess Challenge no friend Gates of Zendocon no 1 Side scrolling space shooter game Gauntlet: The no 1-4 Fight through dungeons for a gem Third Encounter Hard Drivin' no 1 Stunt and speed driving | Hockey no 1-2 Hot action on the cold ice | Hydra no 1 Pilot a flying boat through the enemy Ishido: The Way of no 1 Place colored tiles to match the Stones Klax yes 1 Catch and position color tiles | Lynx Casino no 1-2 Try to beat the odds the safe way Ms. Pac-Man no 1 Run the mazes and eat the dots Ninja Gaiden no 1 Street fighting game Pac-Land no 1-2 Run and jump through Pac-Land Paperboy no 1 Deliver newspapers, keep your job Qix no 1-2(2) Use colored boxes/trap the helix Rampage no 1-4 Be a monster and destroy cities | Rampart no 1-2 Build a castle and defend it Road Blasters yes 1 Auto racing with guns and rockets Robo-Squash yes(3) 1-2 3D racqetball Robotron:2084 yes 1 Save the humans from robots Rygar no 1 Run and jump to fight the beasts Scrapyard Dog no 1 Run and jump to rescue your pet Shanghai no 1-2 Remove all tiles from 7 layouts S.T.U.N. Runner no 1 Tunnel warfare at 700mph | Super Skweek no 1-2 Paint tiles to save the day Todd's Adventures in no 1-8 Explore slimy caves for treasure Slime World | Toki no 1 Run-and-jump to rescue your cavegirl Tournament no 1-4 Robots and exploding balls all Cyberball 2072 for futuristic gridiron action Turbo Sub no 1-2(4) 3D warfare in the ocean and air Viking Child no 1 Adventure, save the princess Warbirds no 1-4 Biplane dogfight simulator Xenophobe yes 1-4 Arcade alien fighting game Zarlor Mercenary no 1-4 Scrolling shoot-em-up Xybots no 1-2 Destroy the robots in a 3D maze Footnotes: | (1) Manual says 1-2 players, 1-4 is possible | (2) Multiple players on one Lynx, alternating turns. | (3) Stereo sound does not match game action. | (4) Two players can compare scores, but not interact directly ============================================================================ Q. What are some of the upcoming Lynx games? A. Upcoming Lynx Games List: Note: This list is hardly definitive. It's based on many sources, and in some cases, it just might be dead wrong. Games also often change from pre-release to production. Title Players Description ----------------- ------- ------------------------------------------ | Baseball Heroes 1-2 The all-American ball game Basketbrawl 1-2 Hoops with no rules and lots of weapons Battle Universe ? ??? Battlezone 2000 1-2 Update of the classic tank battle Blood & Guts Hockey 1-2? Hockey with the violence knob turned up Cabal 1-2 Shoot for your country and your freedom Cards 1? Cribbage, Gin, and Solitaire Daemonsgate I 1? Fantasy role-playing | Defender/Stargate/ 1? The arcade classics from Williams | Defender II | Dino Quest 1 Use your brain and lead your cave clan Dirty Larry: 1 Take a weapon and blow the punks away Renegade Cop | Double Dragon 1-2 Street fighting game Dracula 1 Watch out for the vampire! | Eye of the Beholder 1 First-person dungeon-exploring adventure Full Court Press 1-2 Fast action basketball Basketball Geo Duel 1-4? Move light walls to conquer the world Gordo 106 ? ??? The Guardians: Storms Over Doria 1-4 Large scale role playing-type game Heavyweight 1-2? Boxing game Contender Home Controller ? ??? Hyperdrome 1-4 Jet-flying ball-slamming 3D sport | Jimmy Connors Bad 1-2 Hit a ball over a net, while Connors comments | Boy Tennis Joust 1-2 Fly your ostrich and dismount other fliers Kung Food 1? Martial arts against killer vegetables Krazy Ace Minature 1-4 Putt for par against zany obstacles. Comes Golf with course construction kit Leaderboard Golf Lemmings 1-2 Save the green haired dudes Lucky Stars 1? Horoscopes, biorythm tracking, etc. Lynx Casino 1-4 Go gambling without risking real money | Malibu Beach 1-4 Ball-bouncing fun on the beach | Volleyball NFL Football 1-2 American football, pure and simple Ninja Gaiden III: 1-2? Sequel to the martial arts game Ancient Ship of Doom (port from the Nintendo) Ninja Nerd 1 Time-travelling, nerds, and ninjas Operation Desert 1 The UN vs. Saddam! Storm Outpost Mars ? ??? Pinball Jam 1 3 famous Williams' pinballs on a Lynx Pit Fighter 1-3? Fight for fame and money in sleazy bars | Power Force ? ??? R.C. Destruction 1-4 Car-blasting game Derby Rabbit Quest ? ??? Rai-Den 1-2 You vs. the aliens in a scrolling shooter Road Riot 4WD 1-2 Off-roading mania with a stun gun! Rolling Thunder 1 One agent against the evil empire 720 degrees 1 Skateboarding for fame and profit Shadow of the Beast 1 Be a barbarian fighting evil! Spacewar 1-2? Simple head to head action | Spot: The Video Game ? The 7-up Mascot goes on an adventure Starship ? ??? Steal Home 1-4 Take me out to the ballgame Steel Talons 1-2 Helicopter combat simulator Strider II 1 Run, jump, swordfight the techo-enemies Super Asteroids & 1? Two updated classics on one game-card Missle Command | Super Off-Road 1-4 Off-road racing on the Lynx Switchblade II 1? Run/jump/kill sci-fi game 4Mbit? Taxi 1? The pinball game now on a Lynx Time Lord ? ??? Vindicators 1-2 Use your tank to destroy space stations World Class Soccer 1-4 Football for the rest of the world ============================================================================ Q. My Lynx screen is badly scratched! How can I fix it, what can I do? A. Get some "plastic scratch remover" or "plexiglass scratch remover." You can find it in hardware stores, or look in your Yellow Pages under "Plastics." ============================================================================ | Q. Where can I find secrets, tips, and hints for <insert game name here>? | A. Damian Gick maintains a comprehensive list of Lynx cheats, secrets, and | tricks. The file is updated periodically, and can be received with | anonymous FTP at atari.archive.umich.edu. If you cannot find it there, | contact Damian at paranoid@mentor.cc.purdue.edu on USENET. | ============================================================================ | Q. Where can I get a review and/or comments about <insert game name here>? | A. Robert Jung has written detailed reviews for every Lynx game ever | released. They are available on-line at the Cleveland Free-net's Lynx | Support Section (see below). If you cannot reach the Free-net, you can | also contact Robert at rjung@usc.edu on USENET. | ============================================================================ Q. What are other sources for Lynx information? A. Publications: - A.P.E. Newsletter Dedicated Lynx newsletter ("A.P.E." 2104 N. Kostner stands for "Atari Portable Chicago, IL 60639 Entertainment"). Write to Clinton GEnie: C.SMITH89 Smith. Published five times per year, cost is $6.00/year. - Atari Explorer Atari's official magazine. Lynx P.O. Box 6488 information is periodic, but often Duluth, MN 55806 early and biased. - AtariUser Atari-oriented magazine. Lynx news 113 W. College Street and reviews on a regular basis. Covina, CA 91723-2008 Subscription is $19.95 (12 issues), free at newsstands. - Electronic Gaming Monthly General video-gaming magazine with 1920 Highland Avenue some Lynx coverage. Will often get Suite 222 screen shots and reports of new Lombard, IL 60148 games before other publications. - Gamemaster Dedicated specifically to the Lynx, Gamemaster Computer including reviews, tips, and buy/ Publications Ltd. sell/trade activity. 10 issues/year P.O. Box 2224 for $10, free sample issue available Arvada, CO 80001-2224 on request. (303) 423-6805 - Gamepro General video-gaming magazine with P.O. Box 3329 some Lynx coverage. Redwood City, CA 94064 - On Target Dedicated specifically to the Lynx, 18C Boyle Avenue including reviews, tips, and buy/ Cumberland, RI 02864-2306 sell/trade activity. Bi-monthly, $4/year, checks to "Matthew Szewczyk", (401) 658-3917 and talk to Matt. - Portable Atari Gaming System PAGS is a quarterly newsletter with P.O. Box 37692 reviews, editorials, news & info, Raleigh, NC 27627-7692 and gaming tips. One year costs GEnie: E.SCHOFIELD $12.00. - Video Games & Computer General video-gaming and computer- Entertainment gaming magazine. Lynx news often in 9171 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 300 news articles and in the dedicated Beverly Hills, CA 90210 portable-gaming column. Usenet newsgroup: - rec.games.video often contains Lynx reviews and discussions | - alt.games.lynx Lynx-related discussions, often crossposted to | rec.games.video Internet FTP sites: - atari.archive.umich.edu or terminator.cc.umich.edu (141.211.164.8): /pub/atari/portadd has back-issues of Portable Addiction, a newsletter about the Atari Lynx, Sega Game Gear, and Atari Portfolio. Subscribe by sending a note to tjerk@nikhef.nl. /pub/atari/misc contains lynx.txt.Z, a compressed file with some GEnie roundtable discussions on the Lynx. Internet TELNET site: - Cleveland Free-net AtariSIG freenet-in-a.cwru.edu or cwns16.ins.cwru.edu (129.22.8.82) freenet-in-b.cwru.edu or cwns9.ins.cwru.edu (129.22.8.75) freenet-in-c.cwru.edu or cwns10.ins.cwru.edu (129.22.8.76) You can log on as a visitor to explore the system. Once inside the Free-net, type "go lynx". Follow the menus to read Lynx related discussions and reviews. BBS: - STAR-LINX BBS (602) 464-4817, 300/1200/2400 bps It's located in Mesa, Arizona (USA) and has a Lynx Club. Be sure to have your California Games game-card handy when you call to gain higher access. Hotline: - Atari Lynx Hotline for tips and strategies: (708) CRY-LYNX 279-5969 Online service: - GEnie Atari ST Roundtable BBS, Category 36 International clubs: - Germany: Internationaler Lynx Club Hans-Jorg Sebastian Siegfriedstr. 3 3684 Schmitten 3 Germany - Netherlands: International Lynx Club Leon Stolk Vanenburg 2 7339 DN Ugchelen The Netherlands - Austria: Internationaler Lynx Club Christian Lenikus Obertraun 27 4831 Obertraun Austria - Switzerland: Swiss-Lynx-Info-Club Eugene Rodel Sangeliweg 45 4900 Langenthal Switzerland ============================================================================ Q. What's the Lynx developer's kit like? A. Hardware: - Commodore Amiga computer: 3M RAM and hard disk. - "Howard" board: A parallel-interface module that has the electronics of the Lynx, also with debugging tools. A large PC board inside of a metal case with power supply, and connections on the back for cable to connect to the Amiga, and to the "Howdy" unit. - "Howdy" unit: A small PC board in a plastic case with buttons and a Lynx display, and a cable that connects to the "Howard" board. Software: - Handy-Bug: A powerful symbolic debugger, also contains a disassembler. - Handicraft: Graphics translator that takes IFF files and turns them into coded Lynx sprite definitions. - HSFX: Sound editor - Macro libraries - Example programs - Notebook of system documentation ("about 3 1/2 inches thick... we've stopped counting pages") plus updates A full Lynx Developer's Kit currently costs around $5,000. ============================================================================ END of ATARI Lynx "Frequently Asked Questions" File. --R.J. B-) //////////////////////////////////////|\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Send whatevers to rjung@usc.edu | If it has pixels, I'm for it. --------------------------------------+------------------------------Lynx up! "You weren't chosen because you are the best pilot in the Air Force. You were chosen because you are the class clown and frankly, you're expendable."