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J*@J*J*J@?? *J*@JJ*J*@T@T@ *JJJjJJ@T@T@ M}*JJJ*JJ@ *BJJ*BB@T@UUT@UU@T@T@ *JJJjJJ@T@T@ JAD U +A1AR@C@@dUB7t@d ,,(O}$ ŠԠ//(& ŠŠ ZY(-("Yes, it's another boring SharP}ewareY(&message! Before you hit the Spacebar,_//(&please read the following information:dY(-("The text, menus, pQ}ics and originalY(&programs on this disk are presented ton(you as SHAREWARE.0(0(%If your copy was not purchaseR}d directS-(%from NOSAUG please register your diskS(!by sending two pounds sterling or))(!three US dollars to this aS}ddress:^(2(&ǬϠؠĬ^(&´άĮ//(&(Payable to 'S.JT}.Murray' / Cash is OK)[(/($You will then receive the next issue[(&of Futura, a NOSAUG PD Catalogue, etc.1(1(%U} Ӡ٠٠ϠŠ AdAU F:Ad,AUA@ A .AdAUV}(}.%D:VIEWDOCS.BASD:SHAREAdAU F:Ad,AUA@ A .AdAU) P f OUOUTCOLSAIFIOCBAAAHAALLSSHSSLFROWRO@s@8BysssAiX}@AH Bp# @f A' Ber AcAA9s %%VIEWDOCS.BAS BY}Y S.J.MURRAY 4/92%%BASED ON TOPRINT.BAS BY T.PAZEL4##Š͠ӠԠϠĠ5##ήàZ}6##ϠĠΠΠà7##ŠŠŠӽ8##ΠŠϠӽ= @p>"[}@@h? F:@, @"@i@SAdAU'-@@#S(&Šө\}ԠA F:Ad,"AU@eB F:Ad,"@bAC(AdAU(*@A%D<6-%@]}!@U0*@@<6-E$Fg +AR@1@@CAdAUU@^}@dgB7t@dKQ0@@@70@@Q0@@Z6-P:I:_},$?,d++;,;@,;@,;@ ,f 6.D:n767@,.67,.767@,.7@,x`}$($(creen or rinter Output?-@-@@K)@."@6.E:$6-a}@8. A."@6.P:$6-@. A A@ŧӠŠ70@@@b}70@@F (}-@F(&ҠŮݠҠԠ2@ ARc}@2AdAU( (>@B:,A =@3@@D:*.d}DOC= A1@17@<@,0 A"(7@<@," A+67@,.+67B:,%e}@,..DOC5@ A5@@""ΠӠĠӠ͠!"@!@f}@6-@+@@=AR@W0@@@q0@@g}0@@@@dB7t@dZ6-AH6-C:,)6-P:'AV,96-&Ah}V$J6-P:'AV,Z6-&AV$O%@@%%@3%@A%@O%@ 6i}-?:C:hhhLV,<@,""F:%@,!A'A"))6-F:%@,%AV$F:%@ ,66 "(@7@j}<,, @b6 A`@ --J!7&<&,4 '! APT ^J!(@7&%@<k}&,+ @b36-&=+%,!@'J Aph r'(@7%@<,' @b| A` Ơ5@l}@" @b*@5@@@ AD:VIEWDOCS.BAS Things improved slightm}ly in the years that followed but the gap remained until the 1.99 Atari 8-bit release of Action Biker by Mastertronic. US Gon}ld were also selling Datasoft and Microprose programs at the 1.99 Atari 8-bit release of Action Biker by Mastertronic. US Go9INTRODUCTION - ISSUE 9by Stuart J. Murray Hello everyone! Welcome back to the wonderful world of Futura! Yes, Ip} know, I'm late again - sorry! I'll be back on schedule from the release of Futura issue 11 - I PROMISE! One thing led to aq}nother after the release of issue 8 and I simply didn't have any spare time to begin work on this issue until recently. Issur}e 10 (Nov/Dec 1993) will be released soon after AMS7. On this side of the disk you'll find a wide selection of text artis}cles. The Turbo BASIC Flyer starts with a look at modular programming; Software Scene is in four parts (lot's of reviews!); t}another new column, Hardware Warehouse, takes a look at the Citizen 120D+ computer; there's a look at the Atari Jaguar and alu}so a new competition! Due to my preparations for AMS7, some of the regular columns are missing from this issue - fear not, tv}hey will return in issue 10! You'll find the usual assortment of quality goodies on Side B of this disk. Program documew}ntation can be found in the file 'SOFTDOCS" on this side. Just wait until you hear the new Sound Monitor Professional .SNG fx}iles! Amazing! Many thanks to Ray Brown, Kevin Cooke, Alan Hitchen and Bryan Zillwood for submitting articles and progry}ams for inclusion in Futura! The articles by Kevin and Alan can be found on this disk. Bryan's great new game will be releaz}sed on Futura issue 10 along with Ray's hilarious Simpsons Slideshow! Keep up the excellent work guys! Thanks also to a{}ll Futura subscribers, old and new! Your support is, and always shall be, appreciated! I hope you all enjoy this disk. |} Talk to you again soon!Stu.ew! Your support is, and always shall be, appreciated! I hope you all enjoy this disk.  FUTURA EDITORIAL - ISSUE 9by Stuart J. Murray. Thanks to everyone who wrote in with support for my comments in the la~}st Futura Editorial. If users voice their opinion together, it can become a very loud voice indeed! After all, the user sup}ports the supplier who in turn supports the developer. Take away the support of the user and... KABOOM! Suppliers and deve}lopers take note!The Sheep in Sheep's Clothing! With the imminent widespread release of the Falcon computer and Jagua}r console, I hope Atari Corp. have prepared themselves for an all-out war with the auld enemy, Commodore. Have you noticed a}ll the CD-32 ads on TV lately? Not forgetting of course, the gruesome twosome, Sega and Nintendo! It really is going to be }war next year! Let's hope that for once Atari actually market their products successfully rather than play their usual game }of follow the leader! Having read previews and reviews of the Falcon and Jaguar, I am hopeful of a return for Atari from} the depths of the computing graveyard. Mention the word "Atari" to anyone today and you'll get the standard reply: "Oh, com}e on, the ST is pathetic!" or the ocassional, "Are they still on the go; I thought they died with Space Invaders". I've said} it before, and I'll say it again and again until the company get their act together... Atari themselves have a lot to answe}r for! Atari are their own worst enemy! No other computer corporation would drop products of the standard and standing }of Atari's products at the time they dropped theirs! Everyone knows that the Atari VCS should still be with us today in }the form of some kind of "Super 9800" system with 16-bit technology and a 2600/7800 converter! Everyone knows that the A}tari 8-bit range should have dominated worldwide computing throughout the 1980s! Everyone knows that this system should }still be supported today, having blasted the C-64 into oblivion way back in 1984! If only! Everyone knows that the ST s}hould have been upgraded further and faster to keep the Amiga down! Atari had the lead but fell at the first hurdle! Ev}erybody knows... EXCEPT ATARI CORPORATION! Wake up my friends before your sleep becomes a permanent one!st hurdle! EvkFUTURA 8-BIT NEWS - ISSUE 9by Stuart J. Murray* I noticed in the latest issue of Atari Classics that ICD are looking f }or someone to buy out the rights to their infamous range of products (US Doubler, SpartaDOS, MAC-65, Action, etc.). Hopefull }y, we'll see the return of these amazing products soon! If you're interested in negotiating a deal with ICD for the righ }ts to one or more of their products, give Tom Harker a call on 815-968-2228, ext.320 (USA!). Perhaps ACPC or Micro Discount }could negotiate a deal for the UK / Europe? How about it lads?* You've probably already read about a Spanish-language A }tari magazine from Chile called STAK ATARI (it's been mentioned in recent issues of Page 6 and AC). Just in case you missed }this info, here is the address... REVISTA STAK ATARI, Casilla 51552 STGO 1, Correo Central, Santiago de Chil }e, CHILE. Foreign subscriptions by Airmail are $50 (US) for the magazine only or $70 (US) for magazine and disk. ST }AK Atari does NOT accept cheques or credit cards! Send cash by Registered Airmail (preferably split into two or three letter }s). The content of the magazine is supposedly about 60% 8-bit and sounds like a great source of 8-bit support for Spanis }h-speaking Atarians. I might write to the editor, Rodrigo Gomez, to ask about the possibility of an English language ver }sion or a disk-only subscription (perhaps for $20). Watch this space!* Look out for lots of NEW software releases at AM }S7 and after! Kemal Ezcam of KE-Soft (Germany) is set to release the long-awaited Lemmings-clone "Brundles" at the show! Ot }her new titles to look out for include The Artefact, Bang Bank, Operation Blood (Light Gun Version), Miecze Valdgira II, Midn }ight, Special Forces and 8-Bit Tracker Replay. Oh boy, there goes my wallet!* Page 6 New Atari User issue 65 is due out } on 30th November - remember to order your copy! Send 2.50 pounds to: Page 6, P.O. Box 54, Stafford, ST16 1DR, England. Six }-issue subscriptions are only 15 pounds (mag) / 25 pounds (mag + disk). If you haven't ordered a copy for a while, I suggest } you check out what you've been missing! It's worth the cover price alone just to read the columns by that strange space-tra }velling Scotsman!* Alex Pignato of OHAUG has written to thank me for the OHAUG article in Futura issue 8. Thanks Alex! } However, he's a little worried that OHAUG will become swamped with new European Ol' Hackers (the current OHAUG membership is } almost at an all-time high - the sign of a well-run user group!). I suggest that everyone reading this news column shou }ld send away their OHAUG fees NOW! How does 100 new European Ol' Hackers sound Alex? (Alex: "Aghhhhhhh! Sheee cannae take }much more of this captain!") Nah, only kidding! Don't worry guys! For those of you interested in the Ol' Hackers, I su }ggest you take a look at the back-issues of the Ol' Hackers Newsletter in the NOSAUG PD Library. OHAUG have been kind enough } to allow us permission to include these wonderful disks in our library. They each offer a huge amount of quality text and s }ome good bonus programs too! Also available from NOSAUG (we swap disks with OHAUG) are the excellent Turbo BASIC Program }ming Kit (by Ron Fetzer, author of the Turbo BASIC Flyer) and Disk Management System. Both of these disk sets received very }favourable reviews in the USA (and Scotland!). If you do still want to join OHAUG, I'm sure Alex and the membership will } warmly welcome you into what has become probably the most influential Atari 8-bit user group in the USA! I've really enjoye }d being a member over the last year or so - I only wish I could make it to one of the meetings in New York; perhaps next year } when I buy my first private jet (grin). Please refer to OHAUG.DOC in the last issue of Futura for full details. OHAUG goes } on!That's all of the news for issue 9!ease refer to OHAUG.DOC in the last issue of Futura for full details. OHAUG goes ,SOFTWARE SCENE - ISSUE 9PART 1TARKUS AND THE ORBS OF DOOM /THE CITADEL (DOUBLE PACK)Reviewed by Kevin Cooke An$}yone that has looked through the adverts in Page 6 recently, can't have helped noticing the incredible range of NEW software.$} The word "NEW" sounded better everytime I said it, so I decided to send off for a couple of these "NEW" games. After a co$}nsiderable amount of time choosing which one to buy, I eventually decided to get the TARKUS 2/CITADEL double pack because it $}seemed like pretty good value. A few days later, my disks arrived. The first thing I noticed when I opened the large en$}velope were two strange A4 sheets of the sort that I had never seen before. A quick read of the instructions on the sheet re$}vealed that it was part of their new software protection system to stamp out piracy. Although some sort of protection is cer$}tainly a good idea, the only thing I can see this type doing is annoying the end user. The system involves placing a pap$}er mask over a sheet of coloured patterns and then putting the correct pattern into the computer. This must be done succesfu$}lly in three goes or less or you will have to reboot the disk. The problem with this system is that it takes me about a minu$}te to put in the correct pattern, so I am kept waiting before I can even play the game. Never mind. Enough about the pr$}otection though; what are the actual games like? Well, the only thing Tarkus 2 has in common with Tarkus 1 is one of the cen$}tral characters. In this game, he must collect all of the orbs of doom to restore peace to the world. The orbs have been cr$}eated by an evil warlord to cast depression over everyone, and must be captured at all costs. This plot is basically an $}excuse for a platform and puzzle game, if a good one at that. Tarkus now has the help of his giant pet chicken Aquatakus, wh$}ich is lucky, as most levels require both of their special abilities. Aquatakus can walk over water without losing any energ$}y, but cannot jump. Tarkus has good jumping abilities but just can't go through water without losing energy. As both charac$}ters share the same energy bar, it is important not to let either of them lose too much, as you only get one life. Throughou$}t the game, the characters will have to work together to get the orb and get to the top left of the screen. In one player mo$}de, one person can control both characters and switch between them by pressing the space bar. In two player mode, one player$} can control Tarkus and one Aquatakus. Thoughtfully, a password facility has been included to allow you to restart at an$}y previously completed level. This is certainly a nice thought but you will have to use self control, otherwise you will com$}plete the game a little sooner than you would have hoped. The graphics in Tarkus 2 are well drawn (in the same style to $}Tarkus 1), and the whole game plays through nicely. There is also a tune playing throughout which can be turned off if requi$}red, but I prefered to keep it playing for most of the time. Tarkus 2 is certainly a good game, and well worth the money$} whether bought as part of the double pack or on it's own. I wouldn't recommend using the passwords though, or the game won'$}t last you very long at all, but if you've got enough self control not to, Tarkus 2 is a bargain. The storyline in THE C$}ITADEL might seem a little strange at first, but don't let that put you off what is a good game. The story states that becau$}se you are the kings son, you must prove your right to rule in the future by completing all of the puzzles and geting through$} to the other side of the citadel. THE CITADEL is essentially a sort of Boulderdash clone. The main difference being th$}at the boulders in the citadel will not drop on you. There are also other obstacles such as round holes which you will need $}to fill with boulders, and square holes which need to be filled with square bricks to get past. There are also transporters,$} dynatmite and detonaters, and, of course, exits. One good point when playing THE CITADEL is that you can see all of the$} screen at once. This is helpful when planning your route through the caverns. The only real minus point is the lack of a p$}ause mode, but due to the password feature, you could easily restart where you left off. It is possible to ponder on how to $}complete a level for an age, and then suddenly work out how to do it. This keeps the game addictive, which the three speed o$}ption also helps to do. Overall, THE CITADEL is a very good game. It is harder than TARKUS 2 and is another definite pu$}rchase. There again, why not buy both games as the double pack. Apart from saving money, if you don't like them (which I ca$}n't honestly see), you won't have lost much. Both of the above games are available either seperately (2.99 each) or as a$} double pack (4.99) from: TIGER DEVELOPMENTS, 159 WARLEY ROAD, HALIFAX, WEST YORKSHIRE, HX1 3TW.Kevin Cookeach) or as a$qHARDWARE WAREHOUSE Welcome to Hardware Warehouse, the new column devoted to Atari 8-bit hardware! First up, we have a (}printer review by Futura subscriber, Alan Hitchen...ADDING A PRINTERby Alan Hitchen Having upgraded to a disk system(}, the next logical progression was to add a printer, but which one? The ability to handle text and graphics meant a dot matr(}ix unit. A good quality output excluded the Atari 1029 (apologies to all 1029 users). The XMM801 would be nice, if you coul(}d find one, so that left only third party printers in the running. Models by Panasonic and Citizen had receive good revi(}ews in the past, and the Citizen 120D+ in my local Tandy looked very good. It was priced at 155 pounds which gave me a bench(}mark to aim at. I then looked in some current magazines to see what was on offer in mail order. In PC Format I found what I(} was looking for. Silica Systems had the 120D+ available for just 135 pounds and this included a starter pack of paper, labe(}ls, envelopes, cable and disk (for PC/Amiga) plus free delivery. So after raiding my piggy bank I sent off my cheque. The p(}rinter arrived the day after they received it as promised. After unpacking it and flipping through the comprehensive man(}ual the first task was to install the parallel interface (serial is an option). This proved to be unexpectedly difficult unt(}il I gently bent the socket straight as it was slightly out of line. Once in it need not be disturbed. As mentioned earlier(} a standard cable is supplied, but for a Classic Atari an interface is needed. The MicroPrint interface is available from Mi(}cro Discount and Gralin International for 31.95 plus 1.50 postage. The casing of this unit lacks the standard lugs for the s(}ecurity clips, which had to be removed to allow it to fit. The ribbon cartridge was next to be installed and this also prove(}d to be fiddly to fit correctly. To ensure all is well there are two built in test routines. One prints the entire Epso(}n or IBM character set. the other identifies the control program, the current dipswitch settings and prints a line of H's to(} check alignment. The computer does not need to be connected to carry these out. With the tests successfully completed the (}printer was ready to go. If you intend to use only programs written for an Epson compatible then you need do nothing fur(}ther. The standard settings are for the Epson FX/LX with a UK character set, ie the hash symbol is replaced by a pound sign.(} However the setup may be altered by the dipswitches mounted on the interface. The manual states that the interface must be(} withdrawn for the settings to be changed, but there is a sliding cover in the printer well which allows access to the switch(}es. These switches can select one of two Epson or two IBM modes with a selection of options within these configurations. (} Apart from the power switch at the left side, there are switches for On Line, Line Feed and Form Feed on the front panel to(}gether with Power, Paper Out and Ready lights. Using the panel switches one of two type faces may be chosen, as can NLQ text(}. Also available is a print style mode with a choice of NLQ, Italic, Emphasised, Compressed, Double or Quadruple height and (}width text. It is also possible to select Auto Sheet Feed (the feeder is an option), 6 inch" or 11 2/3 inch form lengths. A(} tractor feeder is supplied for continuous paper which may be fed from above, or below if using a printer stand (also an opti(}on). For the more adventurous who wish to write their own programs the main bulk of the manual is given over to detailin(}g all the features of the printer, illustrated by example programs in Microsoft Basic. Tips for adapting the programs to oth(}er Basic types including Atari Basic are given. So what can the printer do? The short answer is just about anything you(} will ever need. Pica, Elite or high speed Elite at 144 cps. Expanded or Compressed, even Expanded and Compressed. Double o(}r Quadruple in width or height, or width and height. Near letter quality of course, plus proportional printing and spacing. (} Full justification, left right and centre, together with full control of page formatting. Emphasised, Doublestrike or both (}together. Italics, underlined or overscored, subscript or superscript, or even white on black. The tear out quick reference(} guide will help you keep track of the options available. Graphics are no problem! Use the set provided or design your own (}graphics (or type face) and print them out at up to 240*216 dpi. This printer does the lot! Made in Britain with a two (}year guarantee, this unit is built to last. The ribbon has a life of two million characters. The print head will last for 1(}00 million characters and can be easily replaced. In conclusion I have no hesitation in recommending this printer to you(}. However those of you with deeper pockets might like to consider the 24 pin and colour models from Citizen which no doubt w(}ould be of an equally high quality.pockets might like to consider the 24 pin and colour models from Citizen which no doubt w($Reprinted from XIO3 the GARDEN CITY ACE - CANADA Jul/Aug 1993 NEWSLETTER and the OL' HACKERS NEWSLETTER Sep/Oct 1993, with t-}hanks.THE BEST COMPUTERby Douglas Skrecky What's better a 486 powerhouse with 8 Megs of ram, a 100 Meg hard disk, Su-}per VGA monitor and a Laser Printer... or an Atari 800XL with a Panasonlic 1080 Dot Matrix Printer?... Before a tidal wa-}ve of laughter erupts, perhaps we should weigh the merits of these two choices objectively just in case the obvious winner sh-}ould prove to be have feet of clay. What can an Atari 800XL do? Well, you and a friend could play Angleworm with it, w-}hich just happens to be the best public domain two player game ever invented. What can a 486 do? If you were an account-}ant you could play Dbase IV, which I hear is lots of fun for these people, but unfortunately not for anyone else. The Atari -}can run an excellent PD shoot-em-up game called Gauntlet. The 486 can help you to balance your checkbook, which is real easy-} seeing that it would be empty if you bought a 486. The Atari can help you rattle off a letter to a friend. The 486 can hel- }p you go broke running your very own desktop publishing business, provided you can master the 500 page manual first. Per- }haps all this is a rather unfair comparison because of the large price difference between the two choices. A fairer contest - }would be between packages of equal value. So, lets throw in a used Ford Fiesta with the 486 and compare that to an Atari pac- }kage with an expensive sports car that the babes are sorta... partial to. And the winner in this contest is... I have j- }ust been handed the envelope and I am now opening it... a hush desends on the crowd, and... The winner is Atari, just -}as we expected all all long. No surprise.pening it... a hush desends on the crowd, and... The winner is Atari, just ,+THE BATTLE OF THE BASIC'S(C) 1992 By Tom HuntAll rights reserved This article may be freely distributed, and includ1}ed in user's groups newsletters, and electronic magazines. There seems to be a universal language among computer users. 1} It's the basic programming language. Almost everybody had dabbled with basic, at one time or another. There are a lot of o1}ther programming languages available for the Atari 800/XL/E. Like: C, Action!, Pascal, Logo, Pilot, Assembly, and AVUE. But1} Basic remains popular, even today. Basics come in two major flavors. The first being the interpretive type, and the se1}cond being the type that compiles the Basic source program. For those of you who are unfamiliar with these terms, an interpr1}eter gets a chunk of tokenized program, and interprets it, one chunk at a time. Almost like a human language interpreter, it 1}must translate the source code into something the computer's CPU can understand. And more importantly, it does this while yo1}ur program is running! A compiler, on the other hand, will translate your Basic program into something your computer's CPU c1}an understand, called machine language. It does this once, and saves the compiled Basic program out to disk, usually with a 1}".COM" or ".OBJ" file extension. Occasionally you will find a compiler which generates what is known as pseudo-code, or "p-c1}ode". But since none of the Basics reviewed here uses pseudo-code, we won't cover that here. The Basic's reviewed in th1}is article are as follows:Interpreters: Atari Basic Revision C Basic XE Turbo Basic XL 1.4 CTH FastBasic 2.0 Turbo1} Basic 3.2qCompilers: MMG Compiler Turbo Basic XL In this article I will attempt to touch upon several of the most p1}opular Basic language programs, and briefly describe what I feel are each one's strong points. I will also be describing how1} each of them performed a simple benchmark program I made. First of all, about the benchmark program. The benchmark pro1}gram I made was no scientific marvel. It made no attempt to measure "drhystones" or "whetstones", which are pretty alien to 1 }most Basic users. Instead, I made my program access certain functions of Basic, which your own programs would most likely be1!} accessing. The program also benchmarked how long it took each Basic to perform a GOSUB loop, and a FOR/TO/NEXT loop. Here'1"}s a list of the functions and tests which my benchmark program tested these Basic's with. LOOP TEST, 500 ITERATIONS GOSU1#}B TEST, 400 ITERATIONS SIN(X) TEST, 50 ITERATIONS COS(X) TEST, 100 ITERATIONS SQR(X) TEST, 30 ITERATIONS ATN(X) TEST, 301$} ITERATIONS 2^X TEST, 30 ITERATIONS X/.2 TEST, 200 ITERATIONS The benchmark program used the real-time clock insi1%}de my 800XL to time how long it took for each Basic to perform each test, along with the amount of time to run all the tests 1&}together. The total time to run all the tests is interesting, because since the results of each test were printed out to the1'} screen, it indicates how efficient each Basic's print-to-screen routine is. The following table shows the average total tim1(}e each Basic used to run through the entire benchmark program. The time recorded is in jiffies, or 60ths of a second.Ave1)}rage Total Time Test For Interpreted BasicBASIC USED: ATARI - 1889 BASIC XE - 455 CTHFB - 778 TB XL - 3641*} TB 3.2Q - 364Average Total Time Test For CompiledBasicCOMPILER USED: MMG - 1416 TB XL - 300 Now f1+}or a brief examination about each interpreted Basic performed. ATARI BASIC The version of Atari Basic used was revisio1,}n C. Results of the benchmark program shouldn't differ if ran on revision B. Atari Basic came in last in the benchmark test1-}. Didn't surprise you, did it? However, I don't want to "beat up" on good old Atari Basic too bad. You have to remember wh1.}en it was designed, and that it fits neatly into 8k of memory. BASIC XE This is a Basic sold by ICD, and before that1/} by OSS. It has many fine features which weren't accessed by the benchmark program. One of these features is the fact that 10}it can use banked ram on machines with more than 64k. For running the benchmark program, it had all extension loaded in, and11} FAST was set to ON. It finished second. CTH FASTBASIC This is a shareware Basic, sold by my company, CTH Enterprise12}s. It came in third. It features a built-in screen accelerator, and a built-in fast floating point math package. It should13} be noted that the numerical results printed out as the result of each individual test varied from the other Basic's. This i14}s because of the custom fast floating point package. It is more accurate than any of the other Basics tested. TURBO BASIC15} XL, and TURBO BASIC 3.2q These two Basic's tied for first place! Turbo Basic XL will only run on XL/E computers. It u16}ses the ram that is underneath the operating system rom, in the $C000 through $FFFF address area. Unfortunately, Spartados 317}.2d also wants to use this area for itself, making Turbo Basic XL incompatible with it. Turbo Basic 3.2q is a variation 18}of Turbo Basic 400/800, originally written for the old Atari 400's and 800's. The 3.2q version was made so that it is fully 19}compatible with Spartados 3.2d. It supports all the same functions that Turbo Basic XL has, except for the BRUN and BLOAD fu1:}nctions. However, these can be easily done with XIO's. Now for a brief examination about how the compiled Basic's perfo1;}rmed. MMG COMPILER When program compilation starts, you have the option of including either the integer or the floati1<}ng point math package into your program. Integer math is much faster than floating point math. However, integer math cannot1=} handle functions that require a floating decimal point, such as many of the individual tests within the benchmark program re1>}quire. To be fair, if I had made a benchmark program based upon integer math, and had included the integer math package into1?} the compiled code, the MMG compiled Basic program would have fared much better. But in real world programs, floating point 1@}math is used more often than integer math. That's why I included floating point math functions into the benchmark program.1A} One of the big advantages of using the MMG compiler, is that it produces object code which will run under any dos. Anoth1B}er advantage is if you actually DO have a program which only uses integer math. You can include the integer math package int1C}o your compiled code, producing a very fast running program. TURBO BASIC XL This is the winner, in the compiler categ1D}ory. It came in at a blazing 300 jiffies for the average run time of the entire benchmark program. There is one major detra1E}ction from this otherwise excellent compiler. Neither the compiler, or the compiled code it produces, will run under Spartad1F}os 3.2d. It functions just fine under Sparta dos X, MyDos, and Atari dos 2.0/2.5. So, which basic is the best? It dep1G}ends upon what you want to do. I'm sure that it is fairly obvious that each Basic has its own strong points, and their own w1H}eaknesses. But for all out speed, Turbo Basic wins, hands down! **** If you would like to download the1I} benchmark program, you may do so from the BBS listed at the end of this article: Closer To Home BBS- 419-368-4413 24 Hour1J}s/7 Days- 300/1200/2400may do so from the BBS listed at the end of this article: Closer To Home BBS- 419-368-4413 24 Hour0* NOTICE *Please note the new address for NOSAUG as of August 1996:NOSAUG,PO BOX 11903,WESTHILLAB32 6GE,SCOTLAND.,`|SOFTWARE SCENE - ISSUE 9PART 2Chuckie Egg / PengonCHUCKIE EGGReviewed by Kevin Cooke As Page 6 are now offeri5M}ng many cassettes at a budget price, it seems an ideal time to review (or re-review) some of them. CHUCKIE EGG is one of5N} the games that is currently on offer, and quite a good one at that. An initial look at the inlay card might put you off a l5O}ittle as apart from the loading instructions, everything else is not only sparce but scarce (in fact, there are no game instr5P}uctions on the inlay as it quotes them as being included in the program). Not to be put off, I waited for the short load bef5Q}ore being greeted with the friendly title screen. Pulling back on the joystick brought the instructions to the screen, where5R} I found out that it was my task to guide HEN HOUSE HARRY around the hen house to collect eggs. Collecting corn would add ex5S}tra points onto my score, but I was also warned to watch out for the ducklings that would peck me to death if I was caught.5T} Pressing fire returned me to the title screen and pressing it again took me to the first game screen. Here I was met by 5U}a platform and ladders game in fairly basic but bold graphics. In the top right of the screen was my time ticking away so I 5V}decided to try moving. The joystick response was good, and I progressed onto the second screen at the first attempt. Addict5W}ed, I tried again, and progressed a little further. By now I was already hooked, and after a few more goes, decided to rest 5X}my tired hands. One point worth mentioning is the four player option, which allows up to four players to take turns at p5Y}laying the game (unusual, as most games only allow 2 players to play). Although not totally original, it may come in handy f5Z}or those who's friends often turn up and get bored waiting for everyone else to finish their game. Another slighty stran5[}ge feature is the function of the ESC key. On many games this serves as a pause key, but on this game it quits the game with5\}out asking you if thats what you really want to do. There doesn't seem to be a pause key at all, so if you have just got to 5]}a new level and the doorbell rings you'll have to lose your place on the game (if I were you though, I'd leave the door and c5^}arry on with the game!). Obviously, CHUCKIE EGG isn't up to the standard of some full price games, but for 1.95 (or less5_} if you buy more than one cassette), what can you expect. Disk drive owners may also be interested to know that I transfered5`} it to disk on my first go with HOWFEN DOS, so you have no need to worry about long cassette loads. Overall, if your loo5a}king for a cheap game with lots to keep you entertained, why not have a look at CHUCKIE EGG. It really is a bargain.PENG5b}ONReviewed by Kevin Cooke One of PAGE 6's recent additions to their accessory shop is PENGON. This game comes on a 5c}cassette which can be bought for a budget price. From the description in the magazine, I assumed the game to be more of5d} a puzzler, but while re-reading the description after playing the game, I found that I had misled myself. The players 5e}job as Willy the penguin is to kill the mutant sea lions by pushing the ice blocks in the room to crush them. The title scr5f}een is the first screen that is seen when the game is loaded, but it contains some almost unreadable text stating the games p5g}ublisher. Once the game is started, the player is met with a very basic screen of graphics showing Willy in the middle of th5q}'b%DOS SYSb)AUTORUN SYSb +PICLOADRBASb5FUTURA PICb NSHARE bWVIEWDOCSBASboINTRO DOCb}EDITOR DOCb NEWS DOCb(SOFT1 DOCb)HARDWAREDOCbBEST DOCb<BATTLE DOCb*LSOFT2 DOCbTFLYER DOCbCOMP DOCbSOFT3 DOCbJAGUAR DOCbSOFT4 DOCb CASSPD DOCb1%DISKPD DOCb VFUTURA DOCb`SOFTDOCSDOCb4uGLYPH DOCBKNOTICE DOCe screen with ice blocks arranged around him. These ice blocks seem to change position each time the game is played,allowing5r} more challenge(?) to be had. After your character has been on the screen for about 3 seconds the "mutant seals" appear5s} ("Mutant",as the instructions describe them, is an apt description as they all look exactly the same, and they all look like5t} ghosts from pacman who have just finished a diet!) You are then left to run around and push the ise blocks into them u5u}ntil either you or they are dead. If you manage to kill all of the seals, you are then put onto a new level to repeat the pr5v}ocess. The game was copyrighted in 1984, and to be honest, really shows it's age. Your character is all one colour, an5w}d whoever wrote the game had probably never seen a seal before. There is also an annoying tune playing throughout the game, 5x}made even worse by the fact that it can't be silenced. The seals also partially disappear when they collide (in true spectru5y}m style) and it is far to easy to be killed as soon as you start to play. On the plus side, the game has a5z} pause mode, and is fairly addictive, if only for a short time. It also has a very short loading time (the game takes up les5{}s than 16k of memory), so you wont have long to wait before playing it. Pengon is not not exactly the best game ever, b5|}ut someone might enjoy it. I haven't become addicted to it, but lets face it, if you don't like it, you won't have wasted mu5}}ch cash and could even use the tape as a blank cassette (sounds like a good idea to me!).CHUCKIE EGG and PENGON are avail5~}able from PAGE 6, PO BOX 54, STAFFORD, ST16 1DR. Reviewed by KEVIN COOKE.to me!).CHUCKIE EGG and PENGON are avail4Q The following article by Ron Fetzer is from the Turbo BASIC Flyer (Summer 1989) and is also included in Ron's Turbo BASI9}C Programming Kit. Even if you already have the Kit, this article is well worth re-reading!*****************************9} THE TURBO BASIC FLYER *****************************PROGRAMMING MADE EASYby Ron Fetzer, OHAUG. When I was a beginnin9}g programmer I always wondered how these long programs were written. I said to myself "Boy this must be some smart guy who d9}id this!" As most of us who learn programming by ourselves we start with "BRUTE FORCE" programming. With this method yo9}u can write about 100 to 150 lines before you hit the wall and become hopelessly lost. There is a better way! Anyone wh9}o can write 15 to 20 lines can write a program that can easily exhaust the memory of your Atari computer. The academic term 9}for this method is called STRUCTURED PROGRAMMING. That term has very little meaning to most of us. I call this method MODUL9}AR PROGRAMMING. In modular programming you write short modules and then string them together. TURBO-BASIC is especially9} suited to MODULAR PROGRAMMING. You will have the following benefits if you use this method. 1. Programs are easy to w9}rite the first time. 2. Programs are easy to read. 3. Programs are easy to change 4. Programs are easy to take apart 9}5. Programs are self documenting 6. Long programs are easy to write In modular programming you write the MOST GENERAL M9}ODULE FIRST, such as the CONTROL MODULE. Then you write the more specific modules such as 'GET THE DISK DIRECTORY' etc. You9} go from GENERAL to SPECIFIC as far as modules are concerned. This is called TOP DOWN PROGRAMMING. In actual practice y9}ou write out a list of all the things you want your program to do. Each action becomes a module. The modules are written as9} subroutines. In TURBO-BASIC we use PROC -ENDPROC. In Atari Basic you would use GOSUB. It is like making an outline of9} a report. You have a title, main heading and sub headings. You start out very general and become more and more specific.9} The MAJORITY of your time should be spent planning an outline of the program and constructing a block diagram. The a9}dvantage of doing modular programming is that you break a problem into small chunks. You work with one module at a time igno9}ring all the rest. A good program is easy to read, self documenting and usually elegant with very little REM lines in it9}. A good program requires careful planning, consistency, good form and structure. Filling in the code is usually the EA9}SIEST part of the process. Purist in STRUCTURED PROGRAMMING maintain that you should use GOTO as little as possible or n9}ot at all because it leads to SPAGHETTI CODE. I maintain a judicious use of GOTO is all right as long as you do not jump out9}side the module with the GOTO. Your goal in each module should be to obey the LAW OF STRAIGHT SEQUENCE. That is your en9}try point to the module is at the top and your exit point of the block or module is at the bottom. In other words we should 9}not have a GOTO to jump outside the module. A module may have several blocks. That is several commands that perform a s9}pecific action. They should also be ONE-IN/ONE-OUT type of blocks. You enter in at the top and you exit out at the bottom.9} I am going to do a program in MODULAR TURBO-BASIC called 'DISK SECRETARY'. I will go step by step to show how it is don9}e. My DISK SECRETARY program should list a disk directory in 2 columns on the screen or the printer. It should give me 9}the free disk space available in K. bytes rather than sectors. It should work with single, 1050 and double density disks. I9}t should give me most of the DOS functions so I can manipulate the files. It should work with disk drive No 1, 2 and RAM DIS9}K D8.OUTLINE IN ENGLISH I GENERAL SECTION Ia Screen Colors Ib Dim Section Ic Density & Drive i9}nfo. II MENU SECTION IIa Print to Screen IIb To Printer a1&b1 Convert free S9}ectors to K-Bytes IIc Lock a File IId Unlock a File IIe Rename a File IIf Delete a File 9} IIg Format g1 Single Density g2 1050 Density IIh End Each sub section will become a P9}ROC-ENDPROC SUBROUTINE. It will be a closed module. The modules are separated by the -- COMMAND.MAKING A BLOCK DIAGRAM9} It is MOST IMPORTANT that you make a BLOCK DIAGRAM of your program. I usually allocate 50 lines for each module. Someti9}mes you will have modules calling other modules or subroutines within subroutines.DISK SECRETARY BLOCK PROGRAM *********9}***** 10 - 490 CONTROL MODULE ************** ************** 500 - 990 SCREEN COLORS ************** ************** 9}1500 - 1990 DENSITY INFO ************** ************** 2000 - 2490 MENU ************** ************** 2500 - 2490 9}PRINT TO SCRN* ************** **************** 6500 - 6900 CONV9}ERT FREE SEC Subroutine for Screen/Printer **************** ***9}*********** 3000 - 3490 TO PRINTER ************** ************** 3500 - 3990 LOCK A FILE ************** ***********9}*** 4000 - 449 UNLOCK A FILE ************** *************** 7000 - 7490 9} FILE NAME Subroutine for Lock/Unlock/ Delete 9} *************** ************** 5000 - 5490 RENAME A FILE ************** ************** 5500 - 5590 DELETE9} A FILE ************** ************** 6000 - 6490 FORMAT SD/1050 ************** ************** 7500 - 7990 END ***9}*********** The first module is the CONTROL MODULE. All other modules below it are sub modules. Each sub module will 9}return to the CONTROL MODULE via the MENU MODULE. In the MENU MODULE when a choice is made and the appropriate action h9}as been completed then the program returns to the ENDPROC. After this the program goes back to the CONTROL MODULE line 70. 9}Line 70 directs the program again to the MENU MODULE. This kind of a program is called a CASE STRUCTURE type of program. 9} No sub module will make decisions that must be followed by the CONTROL MODULE. Some modules will call other modules and su9}b sub modules. Each module will exit with ENDPROC.THE SKELETON PROGRAM The skeleton program is a program where you s9}et up each module. Each module will have a PRINT to identify the function of the module. The reason we make a skeleton 9}program is to verify that our BLOCK PROGRAM will execute in the right order. Each block becomes a module. When we do th9}e coding the PRINT line will be removed from each module. It is IMPERATIVE that you make a SKELETON PROGRAM.SKELETON PROG9}RAM 10 REM DISK SECRETARY BY RON FETZER 20 ------------------------------ 30 EXEC SCRN_CL 40 EXEC DIM_SEC 50 EXEC9} DENST 60 EXEC MENU 70 GOTO 60 490 ------------------------------ 500 PROC SCRN_CL:CLS 510 ? "SCREEN COLORS":PAUSE 9}60 980 ENDPROC 990 ------------------------------1000 PROC DIM_SEC:CLS 1010 ? "DIM SECTION":PAUSE 601480 ENDPROC 1499}0 ------------------------------1500 PROC DENST:CLS 1510 ? "DENSITY INFORMATION"1520 ? "DRIVE 1, 2 OR 8":PAUSE 1201989}0 ENDPROC 1990 ------------------------------2000 PROC MENU:CLS 2010 ? :? " MENU":? 2020 ? "1. DISK DATA"2030 9} ? "2. DIRECT. TO SCREEN"2040 ? "3. DIRECT. TO PRINTER"2050 ? "4. LOCK A FILE"2060 ? "5. UNLOCK A FILE"2070 ? "69}. RENAME A FILE"2080 ? "7. DELETE A FILE"2090 ? "8. FORMAT A DISK"2100 ? "9. END"2110 ? :? :INPUT " SELECT A 9} NUMBER";NUM2120 On NUM EXEC DENST,SCRN,PRNT,LOK, UNLOK,RENAM,DELET,FORMT,FINI2480 ENDPROC 2490 -------------9}-----------------2500 PROC SCRN:CLS 2510 ? "DIRECTORY ON THE SCREEN":PAUSE 602900 EXEC CONVRT2980 ENDPROC 29}990 ------------------------------3000 PROC PRNT:CLS 3005 EXEC SCRN3010 ? "DIRECTORY TO THE PRINTER":PAUSE 6039}400 EXEC CONVRT3480 ENDPROC 3490 ------------------------------3500 PROC LOK:CLS 3510 EXEC SCRN3520 EXEC FILE35309} ? "LOCK A FILE":PAUSE 603540 EXEC SCRN3980 ENDPROC 3990 ------------------------------4000 PROC UNLOK:CLS 4010 EX9}EC SCRN4020 EXEC FILE4030 ? "UNLOCK A FILE":PAUSE 604040 EXEC SCRN4480 ENDPROC 4490 ------------------------------9}5000 PROC RENAM:CLS 5010 EXEC SCRN5030 ? "RENAME A FILE":PAUSE 605040 EXEC SCRN5480 ENDPROC 5490 ----------------9}--------------5500 PROC DELET:CLS 5510 EXEC SCRN5520 EXEC FILE5530 ? "DELETE A FILE":PAUSE 605540 EXEC SCRN59809} ENDPROC 5990 ------------------------------6000 PROC FORMT:CLS 6010 ? "FORMAT":PAUSE 606480 ENDPROC 6490 ------------9}------------------6500 PROC CONVRT6510 ? "CONVERT SECTORS TO K-BYTES":PAUSE 606980 ENDPROC 6990 ----------------9}--------------7000 PROC FILE7010 ? "FILE NAME INPUT":PAUSE 607480 ENDPROC 7490 ------------------------------7500 PROC9} FINI:CLS 7510 ? "END OF PROGRAM":PAUSE 607970 END 7980 ENDPROC 7990 ------------------------------SUMMARY I9}n MODULAR PROGRAMMING the most important steps are writing the BLOCK DIAGRAM and the SKELETON PROGRAM. Planning is TOP D9}OWN. The CONTROL MODULE is the most general and the sub modules are the most specific. Modules are self contained units9} using PROC - ENDPROC. The entry point of each module is at the top. The exit point is at the bottom. Modules follow the L9}AW OF STRAIGHT SEQUENCE. Modules can have several BLOCKS in them. A block is a section of code that perform a specific 9}action. They also follow the ONE-IN/ONE-OUT rule. You separate the modules with the -- command. The SKELETON PROGRAM ve9}rifies that the program is executed in the right order. Later on the SKELETON PROGRAM is fleshed out. The conclusion of9} this article will be on the next issue of this disk. Then we will flesh out the SKELETON PROGRAM and fill in the modules wi9}th the actual code. Your comments are welcome! Please write to: RON FETZER 22 MONACO AVE 9} ELMONT N.Y. 11003 U.S.A.-----Ed: Ron Fetzer's Disk Secretary (SECRTARY.TUR) will be on Futura issue 10. 8yFUTURA COMPETITIONISSUE 9 Up for grabs this time are FIVE NOSAUG PD disks of your choice! All you have to do is sol=}ve the following Atari-related anagram...PITEDCEENClue: Don't get your fingers caught in the TrackBall!Send you =}answers to:S.J.Murray,NOSAUG,71 Walker Road,Torry,AberdeenAB1 3DL,Scotland.Good luck!he TrackBall!Send you <bSOFTWARE SCENE - ISSUE 9PART 3ENIGMATIXReviewed by Kevin Cooke Imagine a game boasting 32 levels of increasinA}g difficulty, a level creator which allows mouse and joystick use, and has a back up facility. And what if all of this was aA}vailable for only 6 pounds 95p? PAGE 6 have quite recently required the rights to ENIGMATIX, a game written by British A}software author Stephen Firth. The actual game comes on disk only, and has the three main parts as mentioned above. ThA}e actual game idea of ENIGMATIX is quite a simple one. You control a ball, who's bounce height can be controlled by the amouA}nt of time that the joystick fire button is held down for. The main aim of the game is to reach the door which will be somewA}here on the level. On your way you will be hindered by various obstacles such as dead-ends, doors which require keys, blocksA} which reverse your left and right control, bounce operated lifts, and many other things. You will also encounter bonus blocA}ks which will give you varying scores, depending on the height from which you bounced on it. There is only one word to A}sum up ENIGMATIX, and that is BRILLIANT. The joystick response is very good, and the graphics are of a high standard. You cA}an also access four levels to start off with, and this limit increases everytime you complete another four levels. Another bA}ig plus points for the game is the very addictive quality of it. Throw into this a level creator, and a user friendly back-uA}p facility, and you have one of the best games ever released.ENIGMATIX is available exclusively from PAGE 6,PO BOX 54,STAFA}FORD,ST16 1DR.PRICE:6 pounds 95 + 1 pound p&p.SOFTWARE SCENE RATING:GRAPHICS..........87%SOUND.............85%GAMEPLA}AY..........93%VALUE FOR MONEY...95%OVERALL...........91%REVIEWED BY KEVIN COOKE......87%SOUND.............85%GAMEPL@WTHE ATARI JAGUAR While flicking through some of the pages of channel 4's TELETEXT, I came across an interesting articlE}e about Atari's JAGUAR. For those of you who don't know, the JAGUAR is a games machine which is said to have better specificE}ations than ANY of the currently heard about consoles. What follows is the basic information from the article. I hope it isE} of interest to some of you.SPECIFICATION The Atari JAGUAR contains five processors, mounted on three chips. The twE}o most important chips have been named TOM and JERRY. TOM, a 64 bit multi risc chip takes care of the graphics, being capablE}e of displaying 16 million colours and moving 850 million pixels per second. JERRY is a 32 bit risc digital signal processorE}. The actual JAGUAR has 16 megabits of RAM, and is supposed to have sound quality that will better a CD.JOYPAD The jE}oypad is a 17 button monster. This partly contains a 12 button keypad with 3 fire buttons.GAMES AND ADD-ON's There aE}re currently 10 games in development. Those currently known about are: TINYTOONS, RAIDEN, CYBERMORPH, ALIEN vs PREDATOR, andE} an F1 polygon racing game. Atari are also planning virtual reality helmets, and a CD ROM unit. The JAGUAR is also capable E}of acting as a modem, so a phone interface is under development.RELEASE DATE AND PRICE The JAGUAR is supposed to be tE}est marketed at the end of this month (October) in New York, London, and Paris, with the release planned for Easter '94. TheE} target price is set at 135 pounds, but the Times newspaper has suggested that it might be nearer the 200 pound mark.WORRIE}ES? After highlighting the JAGUARS features, the article also went on to highlight what is considered by some as the bigE}gest problem of all... Atari themselves. (Ed: I couldn't agree more!) The article pointed out that Atari have a past record E}of releasing technically brilliant machines, and then leaving others to support it. Should Atari provide some decent back-upE} though, the JAGUAR has only the other established companies in it's way.WANT TO FIND OUT MORE? If you are in any wayE} interested in the Atari Jaguar, I would highly recommend that you watch BAD INFLUENCE (BBC1, 4.45pm on Thursdays) every now E}and again, as it has already looked at the Jaguar and shown some of the games under development.Article by KEVIN COOKEow DzSOFTWARE SCENE - ISSUE 9PART 4DESERT FALCONby Atari CorporationReviewed by John McIntyre There have been manyI} variations on the Zaxxon theme - Desert Falcon is another. It is set in ancient Egypt with you cast in the role of a large I}falcon who can fire laser type arrows; ahh - the power of computerised imagination! While flying along you must dodge througI}h pyramids and kill or dodge on-coming baddies which appear in the form of flying fish, mini-sphinx's and phantom gliders to I}name but a few. On power up of the cartridge you are presented with a rather plain title screen consisting of text and sI}ome lines which I think are supposed to represent wings behind the game title. Despite this bland opening, the game gives yoI}u all the action that should be in a game of this genre. The graphics are good with smooth scrolling and real nice flight anI}imation. The sound consists of typical blasts and explosions; the type of noises that give you a real feel of death and destJ}ruction (I just love blasting things...!). Don't get me wrong though: On no accounts is Desert Falcon "just another blaJ}ster". It incorporates a neat way of collecting your power-ups. As you travel diagonally up the screen you'll come across hJ}ieroglyphs which can be picked up. Once you have three you'll be rewarded with either points or a super power depending uponJ} which hieroglyphs you have. A double-press of the fire button will take the points or power-up. Beware though, as there arJ}e a couple of powers which are more of a hinderence than a help. For example, 'shackles' stops you from being able to hop onJ} the ground. At the end of each level you are confronted by a howling sphinx which spits fireballs at you. The 'hold spJ}hinx' power-up comes in handy here as it stops the sphinx from firing. It only takes one hit to destroy the sphinx but it muJ}st be right between the eyes! This isn't as difficult as it sounds; especially after you've had a few games. To concludJ}e this review I'd say that Desert Falcon is a must buy for any Atari owner. It is one of the best variations on Zaxxon I've J }seen. If you don't own Zaxxon and you're finding it difficult to get hold of then Desert Falcon more than makes up as an altJ }ernative.Futura Rating:Graphics 85%Sound 77%Playability 93%Overall Value 87%Game Title: DESERTJ } FALCONPublisher: Atari CorporationPrice (P&P extra): 4.50 pounds (Gralin International) 4.99 pounds (Miles Better SoftwJ }are) $9.95 (B&C ComputerVisions)ionPrice (P&P extra): 4.50 pounds (Gralin International) 4.99 pounds (Miles Better SoftwH"THE NOSAUG PD CASSETTE LIBRARYC01: GAMES 1 - Air Hockey, Deathzone, Cuttlemania, Amphibian, Two Maze, The Empire Strikes N}Back, Rocks.C02: GAMES 2 - Tetrix, Arax, Crazy Scooter, Ataroid, Rescue Mission 2, Meteor.C03: UTILITIES - Page 6 Writer,N} Colourspace, BBK Artist, GRASS Calculator, Sun Plotter, Escher Sketcher, Metrics, Door Prize, Gas Miles, Typing Evaluator.N}C04: AMAZING DEMOS - FujiBoink, Vortex, Little Demo (HTT), What? (WFMH), Ballsong II, Home Entertainment.C05: GAMES 3 - IxiN}on, Smush, Skateboard, Ion Roadway, Roto, Floyd the Droid Goes Blastin'.C06: MUSICAL MADNESS - Advanced Music Processor traN}cks by Gary Gilbertson: Robotman, Air Strike, Cosmic Tunnels, Monster Smash, Alternate Reality.Music 16 demo tracks: TelemN}ann Duet in G Major, One Way (Taxicab Hill), Funiculi Funicula.Willi Biber presents: Fire Cracker, The Synthesong.The EnhaN}nced Music Box: Hayes Brothers Sound Demo 2.C07: KIDS FUN - Colorasaurus, Rabbits, Snakes & Ladders, Rat Race, Popcorn, HaN}ts, Dragon's Breath.C08: GAMES 4 - Warsaw Tetris, Elevator Repairman, Webmaster, Photo-Finish Greyhound Racing, Cecil, PlanN}ts.FC1: FUTURA ISSUE 1 - Let's Hop, Speedscript 3.0, Cyrtabor, Font Maker, Gunpowder Charlie, Total Recall, To Kill a CommN}odore, Elevator Repairman, Roman Numberal Converter.FC2: FUTURA ISSUE 2 - Laser Demo, Quadromania XL, Jump, Sound Creator, N}Sound Studio, Music Box, Piranha.FC3: FUTURA ISSUE 3 - FuncTest, Arabic Converter, GRASS Calculator, I.B.C., Tetris 3D, JanN}e's Program, Crillion, Cosmos Pinball Plus.FC4: FUTURA ISSUE 4 - Shop Steward, Visions, Videostop, Passionately, Munich DemN}o, My Jong, Invest!, Fusebox, GTIA Sketchpad, Bingo Caller.FC5: FUTURA ISSUE 5 - Munchy Madness, Master Blazer, Flip, ConveN}rsion Program, Calendar, Protect1, Snowball Fight, Galactic Chase, Revenge of Magnus Demo.FC6: FUTURA ISSUE 6 - Color HelpeN}r 4.0, Capture the Flag, Turbo BASIC, Random Music Maker, Installment Loan, Hexadeci, High Rollers, Miniature Golf, Zand's LaN}byrinth, Laser Duel.FC7: FUTURA ISSUE 7 - FiveUp, Checkers, Syntron, Bowling, Mandala Kaleidoscope Construction Set, Xagon,N} I.A.U. Demo.FC8: FUTURA ISSUE 8 - Syntron 2 (Escape From Syntron), Trong, Water Ski School, Dungeonlords, Biorhythms at yoN}ur Keyboard, Julian Calendar, Eight Ball Demo, Troll War.All NOSAUG PD cassettes are supplied on quality C60 cassettes. TN }hey come complete with documentation and hints on using the programs.Prices (including UK P&P): 1-3 cassettes : #2.95 N!}each 4-6 cassettes : #2.50 each SPECIAL OFFER! ******************************** ** 7+ cassettes : #1.95 eacN"}h ** ********************************International P&P:European Community = 25p per cassette(i.e. 4 cassettes = #1 P&PN#})Elsewhere = 50p per cassette(i.e. 4 cassettes = #2 P&P)Please make cheques/PO's payable to S.J.Murray and send your oN$}rder to:S.J.Murray,NOSAUG,71 Walker Road,Torry,AberdeenAB1 3DL,Scotland.NOSAUG - SUPPORTING THE CASSETTE USER!r oLzTHE NOSAUG ATARI 8-BIT PD LIBRARYUtilities* U01 - Arc/Unarc Utilities & docs.* U02 - Howfen PD Utilities / Manager 300R&}3+.* U03 - Mydos V4.50 & docs.* U04 - Turbo BASIC Power!* U05 - Pantheon View, Superb Print 3 and pics.* U06 - See-Pic & R'}pics / Picture Pirate & pics.* U07 - The NOSAUG Palette.* U08 - Textpro V4.54+, Utilities & docs.* U09 - SuperDOS V5.1, UtR(}ilities & docs.* U10 - Masks (1050).* U11 - PI9 PicLoader & Pics.* U12 - Degas Read V1.0 / ColorView V2.3.* U13 - DOS 2.5R)}, Utilities & MiniManual / DOS 2.5XL & Utilities.* U14 - DOS 4 / DOS XE.* U15 - AMPlifying Antics.* U16 - AMPlifying AnticR*}s II.* U17 - Screens & docs / Page 6 Writer & docs.* U18 - Composer's Jukebox II / Music 16* U19 - DeskTop V1.5 & UtilitieR+}s / Mec DOS & Utilities.* U20 - AtariView8 Graphics Interchange & pics.* U21 - Draper Pascal & docs.* U22 - Menu Makers / R,}Text Readers.* U23, U24, U25 - Turbo BASIC Programming Kit (3-disk set for 3.95). U23 - Turbo BASIC, Compiler & docs / 39R-}-Page Turbo BASIC Manual; U24 - Structured Programming I & II; U25 - Turbo BASIC Modules / Documentation.* U26 - AtmosR.}pheric Utilities (Moontracker, Sunplotter, Atari Numerologist / Genealogy Database & Family Tree Organizer V4.1, Biorhythms,R/} Julian Calendar).* U27 - The Atari Tutorial.* U28, U29 - Disk Management System (2-disk set for 2.95). U28 - Cleanup, SR0}ticker, Disk Label, Disk Envelope, Quick Catalog & Docs. U29 - Catalog & Docs.-----Games* G01 - Tetris Terror.* GR1}02 - The Loaded Brain.* G03 - Gold Hunt II+.* G04 - Atomit / Dandy Dungeon.* G05 - Battle Trivial (1050).* G06 - Marios DR2}esert World & Scrids / Wheel of Fortune.* G07 - Basketball Pro-Style / Spacer.* G08 - Cosmic Crusaders & Docs.* G09 - HowfR3}en PD Games.* G10 - Greedy Gunther II.* G11 - Type-in Classics.* G12 - Surf's Up / Ski King II.* G13 - Best of Antic GameR4}s.* G14 - Microdos PD Games 1.* G15 - Microdos PD Games 2.* G16 - Polish ShareWare Games.* G17 - Best of Analog Games.* R5}G18 - Megablast (1050) / Merchant Spaceman (1050).* G19 - Simon Roe's Turbo BASIC Games* G20 - Mind Games (Battle Star 2, R6}Feltron Project, Mind Busters / Autocrostics).* G21 - XE Baseball / The NFL.* G22 - Microdos PD Games 3.* G23 - Star LordsR7} / Valley of the Kings.* G24 - Ultra Tetris / Texas Holdem Poker V2.1.* G25 - Travelers / Travelers 2.* G26 - Card Games /R8} Ramblin' Gamblin'.* G27 - Best of Antic Games 2 (Naval Battle & Miniature Golf Plus).* G28 - Charley's BASIC Games & ProgrR9}ams.* G29 - The NOSAUG Casino.-----Demos* D01 - Hobbytronic 1989 / Hobbytronic 1990 (1050).* D02 - Hobbytronic 1991R:} (1050).* D03 - Hobbytronic 1992 (1050).* D04 - Shiny Bubbles (128K) / Video Blitz (128K).* D05 - The Big Demo (1050).* DR;}06 - Howfen Demos.* D07 - The NOSAUG Demo Collection Vol.1 (HTT/WFMH).* D08 - Alpha Systems Digital Xmas Card.* D09 - The R<}NOSAUG Demo Collection Vol.2 (Hurek).* D10 - The NOSAUG Demo Collection Vol.3 (Our 5oft/SCS).* D11 - Digital Visions.* D12R=} - Parrot II Demo / Don't Ask Demos (1050).* D13, D14 - The Halle Project (Hobbytronic 1993) (2-disk set for 2.95).* D15 -R>} World of Wonders / Unity Project (1050).* D16 - Digital Data Demo / HeartWare Computer Love Note.* D17 - The Miracle Demo R?}/ Atari Expo II Demo.* D18 - The Top MegaDemo (parts 1, 2 and 3) (1050).* D19 - Quick Programming Language Demo Disk (1050)R@}.* D20 - The NOSAUG Demo Collection Vol.4 (Polish demos).* D21 - The NOSAUG Demo Collection Vol.5 (German demos).-----RA}Education* E01 - I Love My Alphabet / S.A.G.E. Kids' Disk.* E02 - NOSAUG Education 1.* E03 - Best of Antic Education.RB}-----PD Disk Mags & Library Disks* II01 - Inside-Info Disk Issue 1 (Issue 38).* II02 - Inside-Info Disk Issue 2 (Issue RC}39).* MGC11/90 - M.A.G.I.C. Disk Of The Month, November 1990. (ARCed files included)* MGC12/90 - M.A.G.I.C. Disk Of The MRD}onth, December 1990. (ARCed files included).* MGC05/92 - M.A.G.I.C. Disk Of The Month, May 1992. (ARCed files included)* RE}MGC06/92 - M.A.G.I.C. Disk Of The Month, June 1992. (ARCed files included)* OH01/92 - Ol' Hackers Newsletter, January/FeRF}bruary 1992.* OH03/92 - Ol' Hackers Newsletter, March/April 1992.* OH05/92 - Ol' Hackers Newsletter, May/June 1992.* OH07/RG}92 - Ol' Hackers Newsletter, July/August 1992.* OH09/92 - Ol' Hackers Newsletter, September/October 1992.* OH11/92 - Ol' HaRH}ckers Newsletter, November/December 1992.* OH01/93 - Ol' Hackers Newsletter, January/February 1993.* OH03/93 - Ol' Hackers RI}Newsletter, March/April 1993.* OH05/93 - Ol' Hackers Newsletter, May/June 1993.* SIL1/2 - Silica User Group Disk 1 / DiskRJ} 2 (bonus programs included).* SIL3/4 - Silica User Group Disk 3 / Disk 4 (bonus programs included).* SIL5/U - Silica User RK}Group Disk 5 / Utilities (bonus programs included).* STA1/2 - STart 8-Bit Disk Oct/Nov/Dec 1990 / STart 8-Bit Disk Jan/FebRL}/Mar 1991.-----N.B. All disks within the NOSAUG PD Library are, to the very best of our knowledge, in the public domaiRM}n. However, if you know of any program or disk within the Library which is not in the public domain please inform us so we cRN}an withdraw it. Thank-you.----- All NOSAUG PD disks are single density / DOUBLE SIDED disks (unless otherwise stateRO}d). UK post and packaging is included in the price.Prices (in pounds sterling): 1-4 disks...... 1.95 each. 5-9 disks.RP}..... 1.50 each. 10+ disks...... 1.00 each. Please make cheques/POs payable to S.J.MURRAY and send to:S.J.Murray,NORQ}SAUG,71 Walker Road,Torry,AberdeenAB1 3DL,Scotland.INTERNATIONAL P&P P&P to EC member states is #1 for every tenRR} disks ordered (#1 minimum). P&P to non-EC states is #2 for every ten disks ordered (#2 minimum). All internationalRS} orders are despatched by airmail. Payment must be in UK pounds. IMOs payable to S.J.MURRAY. Cash is OK, preferably by RegRT}istered Airmail.-----COMING VERY SOON: The NOSAUG PD Catalogue featuring full disk contents listings and descriptions.RU}stered Airmail.-----COMING VERY SOON: The NOSAUG PD Catalogue featuring full disk contents listings and descriptions.PFUTURA SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATIONNew issues:Futura issue 9 - Sep/Oct 1993Futura issue 10 - Nov/Dec 1993 (available late-VW}Nov)Futura is available in the following formats:UK ORDERSDisk............................ 1.956-ISSUE DISK SUBSCRIPTIVX}ON...... 11.00Cassette & Printed Copy......... 3.95Cassette of programs............ 2.95Back issue disks 1-8 are now onlyVY} 1.50 each.Please make cheques/POs payable to S.J.MURRAY.INTERNATIONAL (NON-UK) ORDERSEUROPEAN COMMUNITY MEMBER STATESVZ}Price in UK poundsDisk............................ 2.506-ISSUE DISK SUBSCRIPTION...... 14.00Cassette & Printed Copy......V[}... 5.00Back issue disks 1-8 are now only 2.00 each.Cash is OK; preferable by Registered Airmail. IMO's payable to S.J.MUV\}RRAY.ELSEWHEREPrice in UK pounds (cash dollars)Disk...................... 3.00 ($5)6-ISSUE DISK SUBSCRIPTION. 17.00 ($V]}28)Cassette & Printed Copy... 6.00 ($10)Back issue disks 1-8 are now only 2.50 ($4) each.Cash is OK; preferably by RegisV^}tered Airmail. IMOs payable to S.J.MURRAY.Dollar payments must be in cash.Become a Futurian and send to...S.J.Murray,V_}NOSAUG,71 Walker Road,Torry,AberdeenAB1 3DL,Scotland. must be in cash.Become a Futurian and send to...S.J.Murray,T;SOFTWARE DOCUMENTATIONFUTURA - ISSUE 9Boot Side B WITHOUT BASIC for the program menu. Here are the details...VALGUSZa} 2 A superb Atari 8-bit version of the ST public domain Tetris clone of the same name. Valgus 2 features four-way actioZb}n! At the title screen, use Select to change the starting level. the gameplay consists of building coloured rectangles arouZc}nd the centre square. Great fun!GLYPH FONT EDITOR This is the best font editor I've seen for the Atari 8-bit! GlyphZd} is packed with options. I've included a couple of fonts on the disk to get you started. Full docs can be found within the Ze}file "GLYPH.DOC" on this disk.ACE PLOTER Demo time again! This time we have Ace Ploter from Magnus of the World FedeZf}ration of Mad Hackers. Hit the Spacebar to exit the intro scroll, then use a joystick to change the path of the Ace Ploter! Zg} Up/down = choose options. Left/right = change options. Try the eight demo modes - amazing!BBK ARTIST Seen by many Zh}as the best PD art package on the Atari 8-bit, BBK Artist is a feature-packed program with the ability to load fonts and placZi}e text onto pictures. All of the art options are pretty straight-forward (except "DefTxt" - anyone got any ideas?). Use theZj} "Params" option before using "Text". Change colours with "Txture" and set them with "SetClr". The magnify option "NLarge" Zk}is excellent! I use BBK Artist to design the title screen for Futura. I find it to be a powerful and yet easy-to-use arZl}t package. Mess about with all the options and I'm sure you'll agree!SOUND MONITOR PROFESSIONAL V1.2 The return of SZm}MP! To celebrate the imminent release of the new NOSAUG PD double-sided SMP disk (with English docs and loads of .SNG files!Zn}), I've included five new .SNG files on this disk. SMP was featured on Futura issue 2, July/August 1992. As the SMP proZo}gram file is quite small, I've included it again to save you the bother of having to boot the program from issue 2 and then sZp}witch disks. Just wait until you hear these new .SNG files!!! For those of you who haven't used SMP before, here are soZq}me brief details: Select DISK with the < and > keys and LADE (Load?) with the left and right arrow keys. Next, select SZr}PIELEN and ALLE to play the .SNG file. Full docs will be available soon in the NOSAUG PD Library.KOUNG This is a litZs}tle 2-player Pong game which I've included to fill up the remaining few sectors. Programmed in Quick, it's good fun if you gZt}ive it a chance! It's even better fun if you remember the old Pong machines in the arcades!Enjoy!Stu.od fun if you gXnGLYPH v1.0A ShareWare Font Editor and Utilities Package for all Atari 8-bit Home Computers!Copyright 1991 by Atari Zone ^v}TechnologyWritten by Jack Prevost (known as The Bishop), and released this first day of February, 1991A Note from the Au^w}thor If you want to register this program, or have any suggestions or comments, send mail to:AZtechnology Registration^x},c/o Jack Prevost,E. 637 18th Ave.,Spokane, WA 99203 I suggest a $10 check for registration, but you don't need to s^y}end that much, send whatever you feel the program is worth, and whatever you can afford. I'll keep track of registered users^z}, and I'll try to get updates out to you every few months about what's going on over on this side of the program, and news ab^{}out any updates for Glyph. Thanks!The Glyph EditorGeneral Info on Using Glyph Font editors are not a new idea in ^|}the history of Atari computers. In fact, I know of at least three very good ones right now off of the top of my head. Howev^}}er, I hope to have a better program than any of the others. The one main difference between Glyph and all other font editors^~} is that Glyph allows you to have two user-editable fonts in memory, along with the system font (which cannot be edited.) ^} Glyph has three main areas. The first one you will notice as you load up is the menu. Here you will find all of the comma^}nds available to you as you use the program. Another area is the character selection and font display area. This is at ^}the bottom of the screen, and hilited to display the character set you are working on. From this area, you will select which^} characters you want to work with, etc. When you are asked to make a selection from the font window, one of the characters w^}ill be selected. As you use the arrow keys to move around, you will see a number displayed in the upper left hand corner of ^}the screen. This number is the internal (screen) code for that character. The last area of the screen, but certainly no^}t the least, is the edit window. Here, the bit pattern character you are editing will be displayed, along with it's hexadeci^}mal representation to the right of the main section of the window. This character is not physically in the character set, bu^}t is set aside in a special buffer so you may move characters from set to set, and try out various possibilities without eras^}ing already defined characters. Sometimes, you will be asked to select a line in the edit window. When this happens, one li^}ne of the window will be hilited, and you can move up and down using the arrow keys or joystick to select the line you want t^}o work on.The Glyph Menu Scroll U,D,R,L: These commands scroll the pixels of the characters in the buffer one space i^}n the direction indicated. Insert Row: When you select this command, you will be put in the edit window to select a lin^}e. After you do this, a blank line is inserted on the selected line, and all lines below it move down. The bottom line is l^}ost. When you are done inserting lines, press the [ESC] key to return to the menu. Delete Row: After you select a line^} from the edit window, it will be deleted, and all the lines below move up. Use [ESC] to exit when you are done. Swap C^}har: This command lets you choose two characters from the font window, and swaps their positions. Clear: When you choo^}se this command from the menu, the edit buffer will be cleared so you may start editing a character from scratch. Revers^}e: All of the white pixels will become black, and vice-versa, when you select this command, effectively changing the charact^}er to what it would be in inverse-video. Quit: Guess what? Load/Save Font: These two commands let you store and ret^}rieve fonts from disk. At the Load or Save prompt, enter a valid path and file name for the file you want to access. If you^} want to use a disk in a drive other than D1, use the space bar to cycle through drives. One>Two: This is not actually ^}one command, but four. When this command is hilited, you can press the space bar to cycle through the possibilities: One>Two^}, Two>One, Sys>One, Sys>Two. Each of these copies the first character set to the second. So, if you have a modified font in^} set one, and choose Sys>One, pressing [RETURN] to execute the command, it will restore that character set to the system font^}. Directory: This command lets you view a disk directory. At the DIR prompt, enter the file mask for the directory you^} want, or press [RETURN] for *.*. Like the load and save options, use the space bar to cycle through disk drives. Flip ^}Vertical: Flip Vertical does just that. After executing this command, the edit buffer is upside down. In future versions, ^}I hope to have a Flip Horizontal command, but, it's not there yet. Edit Char: This takes you into the edit buffer to mod^}ify your character. When in the editor, you can use the arrows keys and joystick to move, and the space bar, [RETURN] key, a^}nd fire button to toggle pixels on and off. When you are done editing, press [ESC] and you will be returned to the main menu^}. Get/Put Char: These two commands both take you to the font window. When you execute the Get command, whatever is in^} the character you select is put into the edit window. When you use Put, the edit window is placed in the character set at t^}he position you specify. Overlay: With this command, you can overlay one character onto another. The first selection i^}s placed on top of the second (via the logical OR command), so all pixels that are on in EITHER character are on in the secon^}d. Restore: When you use this command, you can restore any number of characters to their visage from the system font. ^}Press [ESC] when you're done. Set: This command lets you choose which character set you want to work on: One, Two, or S^}ys. You can have your own character sets loaded into one and two, but the system font is non-editable, and is only available^} for reading characters. -----Ed: The complete Glyph package comprises:* Glyph User Manual;* Glyph Fo^}nt Editor (GLYPH.COM);* Rosetta Stone (converts Atari 9-sector fonts to BASIC statements or an Action! code block);* BASI^}C and Action! routines for using fonts with Rosetta Stone;* FontLoad (SpartaDOS font loader);* A selection of Atari 9-sec^}tor fonts.Look out for this package in the NOSAUG PD Library soon!d (SpartaDOS font loader);* A selection of Atari 9-sec\ESCOTLAND.Stuart J. Murray, 1st August 1994.ess for NOSAUG as of August 1994:NOSAUG,PO BOX 10001,PETERHEADAB42 6ZN,`1