612 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
612 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
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^^^
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Zmagazine Special Editon CES 1986!!
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The Final Rap Up
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Ron Kovacs-Editor June 15, 1986
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Special Edition #4
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Xx Summer CES Rap-Up
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-----------------------------------
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ANTIC ONLINE
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PUBLISHING COPYRIGHT 1986,
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REPRINTED BY PERMISSION
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FROM COMPUSERVE ANTIC ONLINE.
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By Jack Powell
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Associate Editor, STart
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6/4/86 CHICAGO
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Tantalizing glimpses of the long-
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rumored ST 32-bit machine were
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offered by Atari Software President
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Sig Hartmann and Computer Product
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Marketing Manager Brian Kerr.
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Hartmann said,- presumably an
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operating system compatible with
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UNIX, the multi-tasking operating
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system developed by ATT Bell Labs.
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According to Kerr, the 32/32 uses
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the Motorola 68020 chip. The 68020
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is in the same -family- as the
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68000, making all 520ST and 1040ST
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software -downwardly-compatible-
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with the new machine. Atari is
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toying with two possible
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configurations: either an open
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architecture machine with slots, or
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using the ST as front end to the
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32-bit as number cruncher.
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This all happened when the
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Chicagoland Atari User's
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Group ( C.L.A.U.G.) invited Atari
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Corp., Antic magazine,
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Analog magazine, and Bill Wilkinson
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(representing both his company
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Optimized Systems Software and
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Compute! magazine) to participate
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in a Tuesday night dinner meeting
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at Trinity College. The Atari
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representatives fielded questions
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from over 250 members of several
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midwestern Atari user's groups
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during the informal panel session.
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THE IBM ST: According to Atari's
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Sig Hartmann, the ST IBM PC
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emulator will -hopefully- be ready
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before the end of the year.
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Hartmann added that he expects the
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future to bring an ST emulator for
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those unfortunate enough to still
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own an IBM PC.
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THE APPLE ST: Atari is also
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considering the possibility of
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developing their own Apple II
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emulator. This move would allow
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schools with ST computers to tap
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the vast Apple II education
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software library. Hartmann is
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negotiating the legal complications
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with Apple Computer Corp.
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BLITTER CHIP: Questions on the
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rumored -blitter chip-, said to
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improve the ST's graphic
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capabilities, prompted Hartmann to
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announce, -We will definitely have
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a one-million pixel machine early
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next year.- It is not known if he
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was referring to an add-on for the
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existing machines, or the
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resolution of the new 32-bit
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workstation. Hartmann also vaguely
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mentioned a project that would use
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the ST as the -brain- for a low-
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cost laser printer. Though
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Hartmann declined to source at
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Batteries Included told Antic
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that Atari has asked them to design
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software for the laser printer.
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200,000 STs WORLDWIDE: The latest
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Atari sales claims came from Kerr
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who announced sales of 200,000
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units worldwide, 40 percent of
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which have been sold in the United
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States. In Germany, the 520 and
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1040ST are number one and number
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two respectively on the German
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hardware best-seller lists.
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NEW DOCS: The infamously obtuse
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ST developer's documentation is
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being re-written by a team of seven
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professional writers. Atari expects
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to receive the first draft this
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November. No date was set for
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publication.
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MORE ATARI MAGAZINES: At the
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meeting, Bill Wilkinson announced
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Compute!'s new ST magazine,expected
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in September. Like Antic
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Publishing's STart, the new Compute
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magazine will include a 3 1/2-inch
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disk. Lee Pappas of Analog
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Computing magazine announced a
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special, one- time, exclusively
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8-bit issue. At the same time,
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Pappas took the opportunity to
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announce that ST Log, the ST
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section of Analog, will become a
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separate magazine -by the end of
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the year.-
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SNEAK PREVIEW:
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THE NEW DEGAS
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Batteries Included showed Antic a
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sneak preview version of the new
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DEGAS Elite written by Tom Hudson.
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No release date was set for the
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updated version of the popular ST
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paint package, which will retail
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for $79. An upgrade will be
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available to registered DEGAS
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owners at half price. The new DEGAS
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can load practically any file
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format including 8-bit picture
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files, various resolution formats,
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or Macintosh and Amiga picture
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files. It works completely within
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the familiar GEM interface. Click
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and drag colors, blend between
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colors and create multicolor fills.
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Up to eight screens are available
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within RAM in the 1040ST, and half
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that number on the 520ST . Color
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palettes may be loaded from any
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picture file on disk. The program
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will eventually have a distort
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function allowing you to grab and
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stretch parts of the picture. The
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version shown had a system to
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create color animation with four
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different sets of colors. There are
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ten levels of zoom with a split
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screen which you can scroll within.
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Batteries Included also showed two
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business-oriented packages; Thunder
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($39.95), a real-time spelling
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checker, and I*S Talk, ($79.95) an
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advanced telecommunications
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package. Both programs are now
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available.
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INTEGRATED SOFTWARE: Timeworks
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demonstrated Data Manager, the
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first in a series available in late
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August. All programs are GEM-based
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and all are designed so that you
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may use either the mouse or
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keyboard commands. Intuitive and
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fairly easy to use, the non-
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relational database features a
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flexible report generator. View
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records in form view or column view
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-- which looks much like a
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spreadsheet. Fields may be defined
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as text, numeric, calculator, time,
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date, and custom. The custom design
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lets you design your own field
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format from elements of the other
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field formats. SwiftCalc, the
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spreadsheet part of the package and
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the WordWrite, word processor were
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not available for demonstration.
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SwiftCalc is described as a Lotus
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1-2-3 -type- spreadsheet without
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macros, but with windows.
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Timeworks is also releasing Silvia
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Porter's Personal Finance, a
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financial planning package. All are
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packaged in in professional-looking
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IBM-style box-and-binder, and sell
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for $89.95 each.
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CONTROLLING HOME: With this
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system, you can be sure your
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electric ice cream maker is turned
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on and ready for you when you
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return from vacation. X-10 USA has
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created a collection of home
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control hardware for various
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computers. The main controlling
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interface - which is expected to
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sell for $69.95 - is programmed by
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the computer, which may then be
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turned off. The Powerhouse retains
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the instructions and acts
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accordingly. Each remote module
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($16.95 each) can control a single
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appliance or light. Hippopotamus
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Software and Michtron are creating
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ST software to interface with the
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X-10 Powerhouse modules.
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TERMINAL SPORTS: Hardball,
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Accolade's baseball program for
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8-bit Ataris has some very
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detailed, three-dimensional
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graphics and a good sense of play.
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Also available for the 8-bits is a
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fight game called, appropriately
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enough, Fight Night. Both games
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will be available in July for
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$29.95. For the ST, Accolade
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demonstrated Mean 18, a golf game.
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Shipping date is the end of June
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for this $49.95 golf simulation
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featuring four famous courses
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(Pebble Beach, St. Andrews) and a
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course architect program which lets
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you create your own.
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MORE FORE: Golf seems to be a
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popular ST sport this year.
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Access software has their own ST
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golf release, Leader Board ($39.95)
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with 3-D point-of-view and
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computerized scoring, handicap
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system. While swinging clubs, we
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checked out Artworx Hole in One
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Golf ($29.95) which provides an
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overhead view of the game and a
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-course creator- to design your own
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challenges.
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KIDS STUFF: Parents desperately
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seeking ST software suitable for
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children, will be relieved to hear
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about Baudville's Rainy Day Games,
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for kids age 4 and up. This package
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is a collection of three family
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children's classics: Concentration,
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Old Maid, and Go Fish. Also from
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Baudville, a company new to the
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Atari world, is Video Vegas, a game
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for grown ups which includes a slot
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machine, blackjack game, Keno, and
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draw poker. Guitar Wizard, a guitar
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tutorial, is in the works. The
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programs will be available this
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Fall for $34.95 each.
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BUSINESS IS WAR: Avalon Hill was
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touting Spitfire 40, a game and
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flight simulator for both the ST
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and 8-bit, available in October at
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$35 for both machines. For the
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8-bit only is Mission on
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Thunderhead ($25), an arcade
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adventure which is available now.
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In September, 8-bitters can look to
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this company for Guderian, a
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strategy game priced at $30.
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SILENT SERVICE: Programmer Silas
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Warner showed an ST version of
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Microprose Silent Service. Expected
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by the third quarter for $39.95,
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this thoroughly accurate submarine
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game contains seven scenarios which
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we were assured, are exact
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duplicates of the actual event --
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unless you change the course of
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history by torpedoing the wrong
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vessel.
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PENGUIN DOES IT AGAIN: A few years
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ago, Penguin Software -- makers of
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adventure games such as
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Transylvania -- created a
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marketing stir by lowering their
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prices to $19.95 at a time when
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everyone else was selling game
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software for $49.95. Well, they're
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doing it again. At CES, they took
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the opportunity to announce that
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all Penguin ST software will
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henceforth be priced at $19.95.
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Many Penguin 8-bit products are
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even lower.
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SOFTWARE AS MOVIES?
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Several companies have recently
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tried incorporating movie editing
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techniques in games for a greater
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sense of reality. The Lucasfilm
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games come most readily to mind.
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Mindscape -- in addition to
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throwing the best party at CES --
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rented a hotel suite to Demonstrate
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Cinemaware, a series of
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-graphically advanced- computer
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games for the ST. Among the
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impressive list of contributors to
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this series are Bill Williams,
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author of Necromancer and
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Alleycat; Sci-Fi author and
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computer pundit Jerry Pournelle;
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Bruce Webster, author of Sundog;
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and Doug Sharp, of Chipwits fame.
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The games have theatrical titles as
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well: -Sinbad and the Throne of
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the Falcon-, -The King of Chicago-,
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-Defender of the Crown-, and
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-S.D.I-, a Sci-Fi thriller. All
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four games were prominently
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illustrated with garish movie-style
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posters hanging from the walls of
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the Mindscape suite. A Mindscape
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representative said the games were
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designed with the -older, more
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sophisticated gamer- in mind. All
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games are to be primarily the
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best graphics possible. They will
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each feature an original musical
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score and an -open universe- --
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there will be no -right- way to
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play. -We learned a lot from
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Sundog,- the Mindscape rep said.
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The games will also use real-time
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situations with built-in timers.
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Players will be forced to make
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decisions within the limits. -We
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picture the player with sweat
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dripping down their faces,-
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Mindscape said.
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The Amiga demo was a little more
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involved than the ST, but both
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demos were essential picture slide
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shows with a bit of animation now
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and then. The graphics on both
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machines, however, were excellent.
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No mention was made of how many
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disks each game would require to
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display a complete movie, or how
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the designers would manage to
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manipulate massive amounts of
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graphics memory. S.D.I. the first
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release, should be ready by October
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1st. The remaining games are
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expected in time for the Christmas
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season.
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INFILTRATOR: For the 8-bit crowd,
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Mindscape will be releasing
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Infiltrator, a C-64 port. Described
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as a -strategy adventure-, it
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sounds more like an arcade game.
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You are helicopter ace Captain
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Johnny -Jimbo- Baby- McGibbits.
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Your mission is to fly through
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hostile enemy air space. No release
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date was given. Price is expected
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to be $29.95.
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AND YET MORE PRODUCTS
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Although no one product struck us
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as the star of this CES, we were
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impressed by the energetic support
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of Atari by third-party developers.
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Q, no A: No name has been set for
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the Softronics' integrated package
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similar to Q & A on the IBM which
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will include telecommunications,
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CAD, word processor, database, and
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sdYM!Q9j|
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JUST LIKE THE OLD DAYS: Epyx
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Software decorated a room in the
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West Hall to look like a Chicago
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gangster's warehouse. Computers sat
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on crates and life-size cardboard
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gangsters glared threateningly from
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behind tommy-guns. Epyx is adapting
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the Temple of Apshai Trilogy, World
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Games, and Rogue to the ST. All
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were in final form at the show and
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are expected on dealer shelves by
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the end of June. Rogue, a graphic
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version of an old classic fantasy
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role-playing game which graced the
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minis and mainframes of college
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campuses for many years, is mouse-
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driven and takes good advantage of
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ST graphics. There are 27 levels,
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and role-player fans should love
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it. The old favorite, Temple of
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Apshai has been placed within GEM
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with drop-down etc. Graphics are
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slightly clearer than the 8- bit
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versions, but otherwise the ST
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Apshai is pretty much the same as
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the 6502 classic.
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SUPRA DRIVERS: Did I mention the
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Supra 20-meg hard disk that is
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about 3 1/2-inches longer than an
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Atari 3 1/2-inch drive, but
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otherwise the same size? How about
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the Supra 60-meg hard disk which
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is the size of the old Supra
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10-meg? Supra scattered a few of
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these at select booths at CES just
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so we would believe they really
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exist.
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80-COLUMN CARD ADDENDUM: For the
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technically minded who are
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wondering how to program the Atari
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80-column card, Jose Valdez of
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Atari tells us the adapter takes E:
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device calls and can also receive
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P: device calls. Just send certain
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codes to the device and you're on
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your way. The card will be
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completely -transparent- to any
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software using the E: device --such
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as BASIC cartridges. Programs
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addressing the screen directly will
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run into some unusual problems and
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have to be reprogrammed to work
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with the new card. FTL gave Antic
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demo disks of Micro Cookbook and
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Dungeon Master to take home. Yes,
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Micro Cookbook is a cookbook on
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disk. The database of recipes is
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easily searched according to a
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variety of categories.
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Dungeon Master, a point-of-view
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dungeon maze, will be followed up
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with construction set disk. FTL is
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currently talking to dungeon-game
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fans to find out what they like.
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The graphics on the demo disk are
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remarkable -- you -walk-
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downstairs, through doors and as
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you approach objects from a
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different angle, you get a
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different point of view. Both are
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due in September.
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A-MAZE-ING! Xanth, creator of the
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8-bit and ST Boink! and Fuji Boink!
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demos is developing a 3-D maze game
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with smooth-scrolling mazes. The
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trick here is that Xanth plans to
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make this a multi-machine game
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where each player can track down
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another with the maze.
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SHANNER SLEW: Shanner International
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has a whole slew of ST products on
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the way, including ST-Key, a desk
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accessory for function-key macros;
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Soundwave SW-1, a single-track MIDI
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sequencer; Colorwriter, a GEM-based
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word processor; LogiKhron, a real-
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time clock cartridge; and MacroDesk
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from Blue Moon Software, a desk
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accessory which includes calculator
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weekly planner, card file database,
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and alarm clock calendar.
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XLENT: Xlent Software will be
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adapting all its 8-bit products,
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including Rubber Stamp and Page
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Designer, to run on the new Atari
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XMM 801 printer. Xlent will also
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create a translator program to make
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your computer -think- the XMM 801
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is an Epson.
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PROFESSIONAL-QUALITY MIDI:
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Hybrid Arts, makers of professional
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MIDI software, such as DX-Droid and
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the Oasis series of waveform
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synthesizer editors, introduced EZ-
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Track ST, a consumer-oriented, 20-
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track, polyphonic MIDI recorder.
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EZ-Track lets you control up to 16
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different synthesizer channels and
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record full MIDI specs, including
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velocity, program changes, pitch
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wheel, mod wheel, and all 128 MIDI
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controls. The GEM-based program,
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expected on the shelves by July at
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$65, will be the first in a series
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of increasingly complex and
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professional ST MIDI sftwr tools.
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Frank Foster of Hybrid Arts told us
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there is a large user base of
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professional musicians using Hybrid
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Arts products on the 8-bit Atari's,
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and a growing base of musicians
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beginning to use ST's.
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BUFFER CONTROL:
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Up to 11 computers to share up to
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two parallel printers with the
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Falcon ACS (Automatic Control
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System) series of printer buffer-
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controllers from Pace Mark, a
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Chicago-based hardware firm.
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The main unit, Falcon ACS 3000,
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comes with either a 64K or 128K
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buffer (priced $449.95 and $589.95
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respectively). This allows three
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computers to use one printer.
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Additional units increase the
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capabilities of the system, which
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is argeted at schools and
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businesses.
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Mastronic International, a London-
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base software firm with stateside
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offices in Maryland, showed several
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games for the 8-bit and announced
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more to come for the ST.
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Ninja, Speed King, Electra Glide,
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and Action Biker are 8-bit games at
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the low price of $9.99. Ninja will
|
|
be adapted for the ST along with
|
|
another game called Mirage.
|
|
|
|
Hi Tech Expressions has a series of
|
|
Print Shop-like programs with the
|
|
added gimmick of in-computer
|
|
animation presentations. CardWare
|
|
(greeting cards), PartyWare
|
|
(placemats and invitations) and
|
|
HeartWare (mushy stuff) retail for
|
|
$9.95 each.
|
|
|
|
Want some cheap software? The
|
|
Keypunch Software series of titles
|
|
for the 8-bit all retail for $6.99
|
|
and include Space games, Adventure
|
|
Pak and Mind Mazes. Each disk is a
|
|
collection of three to four games.
|
|
|
|
THERE MUST BE MORE...
|
|
|
|
We've tried to cover all available
|
|
Atari products in these reports,
|
|
but there were so many at CES some
|
|
were inevitably omitted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------
|
|
Zmag Rap of the CES Show.
|
|
-----------------------------------
|
|
Xx Other news
|
|
-----------------------------------
|
|
Our next regular edition of Zmag
|
|
will be June 18th.
|
|
|
|
XxZmag Notes
|
|
I have modified a file called
|
|
PRINTDOC which was original made
|
|
by Jerry White a year or two ago
|
|
to read and or print DOC files.
|
|
I have modified it for Zmag. This
|
|
file will allow you to either see
|
|
what issues are on your disk and
|
|
give you the choice of making a
|
|
hard copy. I have renamed it ZPRINT
|
|
.BAS. It is available only at the
|
|
Syndicate BBS right now. Should
|
|
this file become a wanted utility,
|
|
I will make sure the other Zmag
|
|
systems get it on their Zmag file
|
|
area.
|
|
-----------------------------------
|
|
Zmagazine Special Edition #4
|
|
Antic Online ctsy of Antic
|
|
Publications, Copyright 1986.
|
|
June 15, 1986 Happy Fathers Day!!
|
|
See you soon!!
|
|
-----------------------------------
|