___________________________________ Zmagazine December ___________________________________ December 6, 1986 Issue 3.1 ___________________________________ Publisher: Ron Kovacs ___________________________________ Zmag Staff: Assistant Publisher:Ken Kirchner Editor:Alan Kloza Software Reviewer: Eric Plent Coordinator: Larry Mihalik ___________________________________ Zmag Headquarters (New Jersey) The Syndicate BBS Post Office Box 74 Middlesex, NJ 08846-0074 (201) 968-8148 300/1200 24 Hours ___________________________________ ZMAG TABLE OF CONTENTS 12/6/86...This Week in Zmag..... ___________________________________ <*> BATTERIES INCLUDED Drops Copy- Protection on Software <*> Star Raiders II and The Last Starfighter--What's Up? <*> ICD's Multi I/O Board--Hands-On- Review <*> New ST Mac-Cartridge and IBM Emulator <*> Enlarging the Screen on the ST Monitor <*> Games Computers Play-- <*> Atari 8-Bit Blues--The Final Chapter <*> Plus Zmag Systems List and More __________________________________ ATARI 8-BIT NEWS ....Random Notes........ __________________________________ Some tidbits that we've picked up from various sources--some are rumor, while others are fact--but most should interest the Atari 8-bit community. * * * * * * BATTERIES INCLUDED, makers of the PAPERCLIP word processor and many other titles, has abandoned copy protection of any kind. Marty Herzog says his company, known for using a joystick port "key" for copyprotecting software, will simply drop the Atari line if piracy gets out of hand. * * * * * * Why was SvTAR RAIDERS II the game many saw in a beta copy of the LAST STARFIGHTER game? Sam Tramiel says it was economics. Starfighter waes never released and the royalties on the name Star Raiders was far less than those on STARFIGHTER. * * * * e * * The P:R: CONNECTION from ICD CORP, is by no means an exact clone of the 850 interface. For one thing, it won't provid e 12 volts like the 850 will (that's required by some older modems). It also won't work with some printer buffers (notably DIG ITAL DEVICES). But then, the P:R: can be had at half the price of an 850. If you buy, try to get return privileges from the deal er, just in case you run into an incompatibility problem. * * * * * * COMMODORE people have been irked by ATARI ads running in their COMMODORE magazines...the same ads that ran in the ATARI mags this fall. Well, maybe they'll do s ome good in the COMMODORE mag-- we didn't need to see them. * * * * * * There is NO rational or factua l support to the rumor that ATARI is going public with stock offerings to raise money to buy out COMMODORE. * * * * * * The Tramiel family will retain control over ATARI CORP. after their public stock sale. Jack will personally own over 45%. * * * * * * Over the last 3 years, 3 out of every 5 dollars earned by ATARI was earned o verseas. Sales of video games ROSE to 27% of total net sales during 1986. * * * * * * Every director o r executive officer of ATARI CORP.(except for 1 person) is either an ex-COMMODORE employee or a member of the Tramiel family. __________________________________ ATARI 8-BIT NEWS ICD's Multi I/O Board...a Review __________________________________ Repri nted From MID-MICHIGAN ATARI MAGAZINE by permission. REVIEW: MIO Board by ICD by Jerry Cross (GAG) Several months ago, I had the chance to attend the Summer Consumer Electronics Show. I happened to get there early, and had planned to scan the products in the computer area before going on to other more important displays like the X-rated video section next door. Not much was h appening at the time, and I stumbled across a small booth inside of the huge ATARI area with a guy from ICD standing there. Sit ting on his cramped table was a small box connected to an Atari XE. The ICD man said it was their new product, a combination of all the things us Atari folks have been looking for. It was called the MIO (Multi-Input/Output) board. To many of you, the MIOs may be old news... despite the fact that they have only in the last month or so been actually available. Nevertheless, To briing the few of you up to speed: the MIO is one incredible package- It has an RS-232 port for your modems or other serial periph erals and uses the same set-up as the P:R: Connection, only a bit improved. Also included is a printer port, and a plug for ans as yet unavailable 80-column board. It also has a hard drive interface that works with any SCSI/SASI protocol hard drive. The_ hard drive must have it's own controller card for it to work. According to Supra, their hard drive should work just fine. The MIO also has a built-in ramdisk. There are two sizes, 256k or 1 Meg. The entire ramdisk area is configurable- you can divide it up into several different size drives from 32k to 960k, or just make one large ramdisk. The software even allows you to conf_igure the MIO to boot right from the ramdisk instead of a floppy. You can configure a print spooler (a buffer to collect your phrinting data and release your computer to do other things while it prints) to whatever size you want (up to 256k). The MIO plugns into your computer using the parallel plug located in the back. This allows for super fast disk access and still allows you tao hook up other drives too. If you are using an XE computer, you must purchase an adapter (about $20) since the XE uses the carntridge port as part of its expansion port. Well, I was sold even at the CES! I eventually tore myself away from the ICD displaDy to check out the video section, but a few months later, I finally got my 1-meg MIO board and ran it through the tests. The fi rst thing I noticed was the excellent documentation that comes with it. If you are new to computers, this takes you through all* you need to know with few headaches. More experienced users will not even need to look at the docs. The built in software is lmenu driven and very user friendly. The software resides on an EPROM inside the MIO. So what? Well, ICD had taken some of it'Vs past experiences into consideration and has set up a plan to exchange future hardware modifications for only a token fee. Thet EPROM can be easily removed and replaced. Simply send ICD $15 and they will send you the new EPROM. When you return the old cRhip ICD will return $5 to you. This way you don't have to go without your MIO while your chips are in the mail, and the end cosdt is $10. Since the software is resident in the MIO, it takes no memory in the computer. Once configured, it stays in memory writhin the MIO. Also, the MIO comes with it's own power source. You can turn off your computer and the ramdisk stays intact. A bout the only thing I don't like about the MIO is the very short cable. It is only about 3 inches to prevent interference, and rthe MIO must sit directly behind the computer. The footprint is about the size of a disk drive, but is only 1 inch high. If yo.u have a cramped working space, this will really cause a problem. Also, because of the heat generated by the board, you can nott set anything on top of it or you will cause some problems with the ventilation. Another bad mark goes for the lack of the addi_tion of Sparta-Dos. The first thing you read in the manual is they strongly recommend the use of Sparta-Dos with the MIO. Mosto DOS's do not support such large amounts of memory, and others I have tested acted funny. So why can't they throw in a copy fora free? Remember all of those US Doublers, Rambo's, and R-Time cartridges you purchased that came with Sparta-Dos? If you do no t already have a copy of Sparta-Dos, expect to order one right away, and at a cost of around $40. The modem port has an improvegd version of the P:R: software. Some of the bugs that prevented you from using certain terminal programs have been fixed, and will now run without modification. Some of the programs tested include Hometerm, Express, R-Scope, Omniterm, and Backtalk. The MIO also responds to the XIO configuration commands, so you can control all the ports or change configurations from basic. Thes documentation does a very good job in describing the interface, and lists a number of hard drives by manufacturers that are comipatible with the MIO. As mentioned earlier, you must have a controller built in to the drive or you will have to supply one. S ome hard drives have controllers built in and can be recognized by a 50 pin SASI/SCSI interface on the drive itself. Most commosnly found hard drive do NOT have controllers built in. These drives are characterized by a 34 pin and 20 pin edge connector. I_n order to operate this class of drives, you need a SASI or SCSI interface controller card (NOT an IBM compatible type!). These controllers have a 34 pin edge connecter and several dual rows of 10 pins on one side and a 50 pin SASI/SCSI connector on the o ther end. Tom Harker at ICD said in a phone conversation in mid-November that they would sell a SASI controller through ICD sin_ce many people have asked for them after failing to find them available locally. He expects to have them by the time you read thhis for around $135. The MIO can be updated to allow the networking of hard drives. This will allow up to 8 MIOs and 8 hard drnives to be connected along the same cable and communicate with the same drive concurrently. This enables several systems to shaare the same programs and data. The cost for this upgrade is $50. Pretty neat, huh? I wouldn't part with mine for anything! Wnho thought of this in the first place? Well, highly informed sources claim that Jimmy Rambo had just finished a new 1-meg ramcaDrd and went running down the hallway to the marketing department. Meanwhile, another inventor had just finished modifing the P: R: Connection to run a hard drive, and raced out of his office, crashing into Rambo. "Hey" cried Rambo, "You got your interfac*e stuck in my ramdisk!" "NO! You got your ramdisk stuck in my interface" shouted the technician. There was a long pause, theln they both dashed back to their offices to create the MIO! And the rest is history..... __________________________________V ST NEWSFILE Random Notes....Rumors..... __________________________________ Some more new products shown for the ST at FALL COtMDEX include the MONITOR BOX from JNL Tech- nologies of Oceanside, N.Y. This box plugs into the video-out port on any ST computeRr and converts the signal to both composite video and RF. This makes it possible to use other monitors, regular TV sets, VCR's, dprojection TV's and other video equipment. The Monitor Box will sell for $59.95 when shipped in January 1987. * *r * * An IBM-emulator for the ST from Paradox Enterprises was supposed to start shipping around the end of November. Retailing for about $70, this product is supposed to offer a good percentage of compatibility with IBM software. Being softwarre based, it runs at least 30% slower than native IBM mode. Another drawback is that it can't cope with the copy protection on L.OTUS 1-2-3. For those drooling over the prospect of running IBM software, this emulator may satisfy you long enough until the rtelease of ATARI'S BBB (BIG BLUE BOX). * * * * The ST's MAC-CARTRIDGE is now available through DATA P_ACIFIC. Marketed under the name MAGIC SAC, this item makes your ST think it's a MACINTOSH. They go for about $120 (minus the MAoC-rom). Add $30-$40 for a ROM that you have to find on your own (try a MAC repair place) and you can run many, but not all, MAaC software. Why the name MAGIC-SAC? Well... APPLE agreed not to sue that name out of existence. * * * * RUMOR OF THE MONTH: TOYS 'R US may be selling the 520 ST with a drive but no monitor for the unbelievable price of $269. Aglthough this one is almost certainly too good to be true, it keeps coming up from various sources. It's most unlikely, as this p rice would undercut Atari's 8-bit prices. __________________________________ ST NEWSFILE Enlarge Your Screen Size.... __________________________________ Enlarging the SM124 Monitor Screen From the World-Wide User's Network If you have one of the Atasri ST computers with the SM124 monochrome monitor, chances are quite good that you have come to accept the wide (black or white)i border surrounding the usable area of the screen. You may have thought "what a waste", but probably only grumbled about it, and went back to work. If you've got the time (about 15 minutes) the tools (3 or 4 available from any Radio Shack), and the nerve (not too much needed), this article will explain how you can have a LARGER, usable screen! Tools: You'll need a Phillips screwdriver, preferably a #1 size, Two "TV tuning tools"; a hex-tool, 3/32" and a flat blade (screwdriver like) tool around 1/8" in width. Both of these tools should be made of insulated (plastic) material, the longer the better. A make-up mirror or similar mirror is handy also. You might also want to lay down a thick towel on your work area so that you won't scratch up the face of your monitor. Make sure that you give yourself enough working space for both the monitor and the CPU/Keyboard as you will need to have them hooked up to make the adjustments. Boot your system with either the desktop, with one or more windows opened, or call up a text file. The Ideal situation is to have text reaching all four corners of the screen, so you will be able to compare one "edge" to the other. Now unplug your monitor power cord from the socket in the cabinet, and turn the monitor around so that the rear of the case is facing you. Place the towel or padding on the work area in front of you and carefully tip the entire unit onto the glass face. Using the phillips screwdriver, remove the 5 screws holding the cabinet together (two on the bottom, one on each side about 3/4 of the way up, and one just above the power cable socket. Once these have been removed, put them somewhere out of the way where they won't be lost (a cup or bowl works good for holding parts). Now gently lift straight upwards on the rear sides of the case, and it should begin to lift away. TAKE CARE! you still have the speaker wires connected to the case, and there is not too much extra slack. Carefully reach into the case and find the speaker connector that attaches to the monitor main board, and pull it straight away from the board to disconnect it. Don't be too concerned about the orientation of the plug as it will work in either direction. Once you have done this, continue to lift the rear section of the cabinet, feeding the CPU-Monitor cable through the opening as necessary. Set the cabinet well out of the way, and we get into the real MEAT of the mod! Tip the monitor back on to its bottom and arrange the mirror so that you can see the screen while working at the rear of the unit. Re-connect the power cord to the monitor and be VERY CAREFUL where you put your fingers, as there are some HIGH voltages in there Jack! Grab your plastic flat-blade tool and start looking along the right rear of the mother board. Near the front of the board, neatly tucked between the CRT and a heatsink/power board is a row of 3 adjustable controls or potentiometers about 1/2" in diameter. They are labeled, "VLIN", "VSIZE" and "VHOLD". We will be adjusting the "VSIZE" which is the middle of the three. Gently slip your tool into the slot of the pot, and while watching the screen in the mirror, begin to turn the tool slightly (don't put too much pressure on the pot, as that can affect the setting). The top and bottom of the screen will begin to move, together or apart! Expand the screen to within approximately 1/2" to 3/4" of the top and bottom of the plastic frame on the front of the monitor. That task done, we will swap tuning tools, going for the hex-shaped one. Looking near the left rear corner of the mother board, close to where the power cord socket is located, you will find a plastic shaft with a slot in it sticking straight up from the board, and just ahead of that, a strange looking device composed of a small diameter tube, with what appears to be a couple of spools of wire on it. Inside that tube, there is a small, somewhat fragile core of graphite, which WILL break if mistreated. Gently lower your hex-tool into this tube, and you will feel it slide home into the core. By turning this core (without pressing down on the core) gently in a clockwise direction, and watching the mirror, you will see the screen shrink slightly at first, but then grow WIDER! Remember to leave about 1/2" to 3/4" border from the plastic bezel. What may have happened is that not only did your picture get larger, but it looks off-center. We can fix that by adjusting the magnets at the end of the CRT "neck". The magnets look alot like "Q"'s about 1 to 2 inches forward of the wiring at the very end. They are colored dark grey or black and have a little "ear" sticking out so that you can adjust them to get the picture back centered on the screen. Don't worry about touching the magnets, but keep your hands away from wiring that may be "HOT". Once you get the picture well centered, you may have to re-adjust the two size controls as they are all inter-related. Once you have the size and orientation to your liking, it is time to sharpen up the screen image. Remember the slotted plastic shaft at the left rear of the mother board? This is the "FOCUS" control, and you can adjust it with your flat-blade plastic tool to get things back to tack-sharp. Now you have a CUSTOM TUNED monitor that should be much easier to read and use, and you did it yourself! To re-assemble the monitor, unplug it first for safety. Then slide the CPU-Monitor cable through the rear cabinet section, and with your third hand (if you are Zaphod Beeblebrox) remember to re-connect the speaker wires. There is an indicator as to which way it was originally connected, One side has two slots, and the other side only has one, but the speaker WILL work even if the connector is reversed. If you feel adventurous, you might want to add on an AUDIO OUT jack to these leads. Finally, having re-assembled the screws and the case in general, re-connect the monitor to the CPU and enjoy the BIG PICTURE! If you have any problems, check first that the LED at the front of the monitor is lit indicating that there is power to it. If not, you may have a loose power cord or you might have blown a fuse. The fuse is located on the vertical power board at the side near the VSIZE pot and can be easily found at Radio Shack. Enjoy your "New" monitor and if you have any questions, you can leave me a message on Compu$erve at PPN 75046,476 _________________________________ COMPUTER NEWS--GENERAL INTEREST ZMAG Newswire... _________________________________ PUTTING COMPUTERS ON SPEAKING TERMS Programs that link incompatible equipment are headed for explosive growth. To get different brands of computers to work together could be compared to calling Paris. If the right cables are hooked up, you'll most likely get a clear connection. But trying to understand the Frenchman on the other end, is the difficult part. A new breed of people are making a business of bridging the computer language gap. Getting say, a Wang word processor to talk to an Apple personal computer. Soft-Switch Inc, which began in 1979, started selling bridge software after it saw that many customers had a language gap. IBM Needless to say, declines to consider this business, as they would prefer that customers didn't mix and match brands. IBM'S attitude seems to be that if you buy an IBM PC and you want to connect to an IBM Mainframe, they will provide the link. But if you want to link up with a Wang or an Apple, you're on your own, that according to Thomas R Allen, a computer anaylst at Southern California Edison Co. Allen wanted So. California Edison's Wang word processor to be able to talk to the company's IBM Mainframe and IBM Department computers. Other companies had the same gaps. Keyword Office Technologies Ltd sells software that lets DuPont co's Savannah River Plant link Wang word processors,Apple Mac's,IBM PC's and Digital Equipment Minicomputers. Once the connections are made, the results can be suprising. With such success stories mounting, Soft-Switch and other companies are planning for new growth. Part of the competition is bound to come from Lotus Development Corp, who last February bought a program from Startup called InfoCenter Software Inc that lets Microcomputer software work with mainframe data and vice versa. Many experts are blaming the computer slump on the inability to link different machines, so, in the end the biggest beneficiary may be the entire computer industry. (Source- Business Week/Sept 15 by Geoff Lewis) __________________________________ ATARI 8-BIT BLUES The Final Chapter?.......... __________________________________ By: Steve Godun This article was originally going to be "Part III", but due to a few additions to it (not to mention the fact that it got "lost" some- where between me and Syndicate), this article comes to you a bit on the late side. Anyway, back to the business at hand. As I read the articles in Zmag for the past few weeks, I felt that I had to take one final stand on the entire matter of 8-Bit Ataris and 16-Bit Ataris. My first subject has to deal with 8-Bit versus 16-Bit technology. I agree that the Atari ST is the 800 of the future and that 8-Bit technology is becoming obsolete. But let me remind you that there are still MANY more people with 8-Bit Ataris than there are 16-Bit owners. I would love to own an ST, but there are about 1,000 little things holding me back (Get it?). More importantly, my 8-Bit system (which is quite extensive) has more going for it. I have invested in my system hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars. I love my 800XL, and I strongly feel that there should be more software for the 8-bits than for the ST's. I recently got a flyer from a popular video game company announcing eight new products (7 games and 1 "Print Shop" graphics disk). Out of those eight, 4 were devoted to the ST and only ONE was for the 8-bit. UNFAIR! I would guess that for every ST sold there are about 3-5 8-bits in homes across the globe. If you were a software company, what Atari would YOU write for? I wouldn't write ONLY for the ST or ONLY for the 8-bit, I would write for BOTH of them, wouldn't you? The point I'm getting at is this: 8-bit technology is not obsolete YET, and it probably won't be until at least late 1987. Until then (or until I get my ST), I'll stay with my 800XL, and just hope that the software companies start doing what they do best - Not only for the ST, but for the 8-Bits alike. __________________________________ THE ZMAG PANORAMA--FEATURES PAGE this week...Online With GCP __________________________________ By: Steve Godun Games Computers Play (GCP) has been around for quite a while, but nobody (to my knowledge) has ever written anything about it in Zmag. Since I'm a subscriber, I thought that I'd write the review. So, here it is. To put it simply, GCP is telecommunications without telecommunicating. Let me explain that better. All other online services (such as CompuServe or GEnie) use straight, boring line-by -line text to convey a thought or function. GCP uses icons, sounds, and shapes as well as SOME text to convey the same message. For example, on CompuServe, you have menus inside of menus inside of menus etc. This allows a user to move through each function of CompuServe with relative ease - As long as he or she knows EXACTLY how to use each command. In GCP, the service is designed as a futuristic City composed of ramps, buildings, walkways, and various other things (picture it as a playing field of REALM OF IMPOSSIBILTY). You are, instead of a "number" on CompuServe, a small, robot-like "droid" that you can move around with your joystick (or tracball, if you like). Other users of GCP are also represented as such droids, and if you were to meet another user on GCP, you would see his droid on the screen moving around. In place of the many menus found on other online services, GCP offers buildings: Each building offers a specific job or function available to you (such as DOWNLOAD, where you can find public domain programs; OFFICE, where the sysop or sysops on duty can normally be found; MAILROOM, which is the electronic mail and message base section of GCP; or GAMES, which offers a host of strategic games to play with any or all of the other users. Inside each building, you will find other, smaller buildings that hold subcategories. For example, when you walk into the building labeled DOWNLOAD, you will find three smaller buildings labeled ATARI, ANALOG, and ST. Inside of those buildings is what looks like rows of walls, each having a label such as GAMES, UTILITIES, DEMOS, or ART. The Analog section is by the way, from the same Analog magazine that most Atari users are familiar with. All programs that appear in ANALOG are also in the GCP library. Also, downloading time is NOT free, but uploading time IS. Before you go thinking "How can they get graphics over the modem?" or "Isn't it slow to download all the graphics?" (and NO, you cannot call GCP with 1030 Express!), don't think that. First of all, let me explain how the system is set up. In reality, you are NOT downloading the graphics, you are downloading prompts from the GCP mainframe that LOAD the graphics from a disk that you get when you subscribe to GCP. This makes a quick and easy task of what would otherwise be extremely slow and complex. Multi-drive and RamDisks are supported, naturally, to make loading the graphics faster and disk swapping less frequent. When you subscribe to GCP, you are mailed two (2) double-sided floppy disks containing the software necessary to go online, a list of all Tymnet phone numbers, a WELCOME TO GCP letter containing your logon name and password, and a pound or two of instructions. This may sound like a lot to read, but it really is simple. GCP currently supports Hayes and compatibles, Atari 835/1030/XM301, R-Verter, and the MPP series of modems. If you have a modem that is NOT listed above, it is VERY simple to configure your modem for GCP access. Don't be fooled by GCP's name; This service is VERY powerful! Although GCP plays the best online games I have ever seen, it can do MUCH more! Your Atari's host is a 400+ Megabyte VAX mainframe computer stationed in York, PA. It is accessed through Tymnet which has hundreds of locations across the country, so it should be a local (or near local) phone call from wherever you are. Besides the buildings, walkways, etc, you'll find a number of small computer terminals and rotary telephones stationed in the GCP City and in all of the buildings. The telephones are the equal of CompuServe's CB Simulator, but it is MUCH more powerful and flexible. Let me explain that. Let's take CompuServe's popular CB Simulator and compare it with GCP's "Public Telephone". When you want to "speak" with another user in CompuServe, you must go to the CB Simulator, find out what channel the user is on, and then you can chat with him/her. If you want to hold a private conversation with the other user, you can go into a "Private" CB Simulation. In GCP, all you do is move a small blue "icon" to one of the many telephones scattered through the GCP City & buildings. Press the joystick button, select CALL from the list of options at the bottom of the screen, type the name of the user you want to talk with, and (IF he/she wants to talk to you and IF the user is online) the other user will "answer the phone" and you can talk with him/her. Or, if you want to be even simpler, just move your "droid" next to your friends' "droid" and type away! In fact, you don't even have to go next to the person. As long as you can see each other on the monitor, you can just type away and he/she can respond. A three-way conversation on the telephones is also possible. GCP's most outstanding feature, as you probably have guessed, is the GAMES room. Enter into this room and you're presented with a choice of several games: CyberTank which allows you to design your own tank, complete with custom weaponry, and take it out to battle with other users; CyberShip, which is identical to CyberTank except that the battle is on water with ships instead of on land with tanks; BioWar, which is the classic game of Life in which you trap or destroy enemy colonies of cells using your own cell colony; and GCP's star attraction, Lords Of Space. This premiere game puts you as captain of a starship in a vast, almost unlimited universe in search of the raw materials needed for survival. Trying to stop or conquer you is everyone else. You could probably compare this to CompuServe's MegaWars series, except that here you have true graphics, you can see multiple players, it's faster, and I might bet that it's bigger. There isn't one user on GCP that hasn't loved playing Lords of Space (LOS), even if he/she was alive for only 5 minutes! GCP considers Atari DOS 2.5 to be the standard DOS, and that is what you'll get on the GCP disks. I was informed in the manual that I could use any DOS I wanted to, so I quickly converted everything to SpartaDOS 2.3e. To my dismay, the GCP program wouldn't even load! A call to GCP (voice) confirmed that SpartaDOS wouldn't work with the GCP software because of the US Doubler chip that I had installed in my 1050. They informed me that a "fix" was created and that I could download it on my next call, so I did. The fix that I received was simply a 3-sector program that disabled the US Doubler's UltraSpeed disk access. GCP is currently at version 4.4 of the GAMES and 6.4 of the City. Until recently, the only way to update disks was to mail in your original GCP disks and you would get the new version in the mail. Now, there is another building in the GCP city labelled UPDATES. If you enter there and you do NOT have the most current version, you will be prompted to insert your disks, one at a time, into drive #1. GCP will automatically recondition your disks for the new version. Once you have inserted the final disk, voila! Instant updating! The sysops of GCP are VERY helpful in answering all of your questions and responding to your comments. The few questions that I did have were answered the day after I sent them, or, if the sysop was around, they were answered on-the-spot. Users commonly find the sysops in the OFFICE, but sometimes he/she will be playing a quick game of CyberTank or Lords of Space! GCP is constantly expanding. As of this writing, there are over 350 public domain downloads available for all. GAMES are the most abundant, follwed by UTILITIES and ST. (You CANNOT access GCP directly with an ST. You must download ST programs with an 8-bit Atari, then port the program to an ST computer.) One final note about GCP: The price. A One-Time-Signup fee is $30, and that gets you everything you need to logon to GCP. You also get $30 credit towards GCP, which means that (basically) you are connecting to GCP at NO COST! The connect cost of GCP is great: STANDARD TIME: $6.00 Per Hour PRIME TIME: $15.00 Per Hour Standard time is any time between 6PM to 7AM on weekdays, all day on weekends, and on selected holidays. Prime time is any time between 7AM to 6PM on weekdays. You can pay for GCP in any of three ways: A direct charge to your Visa or MasterCard, payment through the mail by check or money order, or prepayment by either of the first two options. There is a 5 minute minimum connect time when you call GCP. Also, there is NO EXTRA CHARGE for 1200 baud access. In fact, GCP recommends it because of the large amount of data that is transferred between your Atari and the mainframe. What more can I say about GCP. It is a refreshing break from run-of-the-mill online services and boring text. GCP is probably one of the best services you can get, and I can almost guarantee that you will NOT be let down if you subscribe. For more information, contact: GAMES COMPUTERS PLAY, INC. 112 East Market Street York, PA 17401 (717)848-2660 [VOICE] ------------------------------- WORLDWIDE ZMAGAZINE BBS SYSTEMS ------------------------------- What follows is an up to date listing of BBS's in the ZMAG Network. This list is published as a service to you--hopefully, there is a ZMAG system in your area. Please patronize and contribute to it. #1 -- THE SYNDICATE BBS (201)968-8148 (New Jersey Zmag Headquarters) #2 #3 -- -- THE LIONS DEN BBS BACKSTAGE BBS (201)396-0867 (201)944-1196 #4 #5 -- -- TEMPLE OF DOOM BOTTOM LINE (201)656-6439 (201)991-5546 #6 #7 -- -- THE GATEWAY BBS THE CAVE BBS (609)931-3014 (609)882-9195 #8 #9 -- -- EAST BRUNSWICK BBS THE CULT BBS (201)254-6449 (201)727-2274 #10 #11 --- --- SURF CITY BBS C. CTY BBS (201)929-9351 (609)451-7475 (201)240-7259 #12 #13 --- --- THE DEEP N.M. ATARI (201)583-5254 (505)897-4080 #14 #15 --- --- THE W.C. SYNDICATE M.O.U.S.E BBS (415)825-2952 (219)674-9288 #16 #17 --- --- ONE STONE BBS THE CARINA BBS (219)875-8205 (305)793-2975 #18 #19 --- --- ATARI COMPUTER CLUB NEW YORK CITY (305)734-6026 (718)604-3323 #20 #21 --- --- ATARI CONNECTION THE HELP BBS (315)622-1952 (316)683-7514 #22 #23 --- --- MEGA VISION BBS BALLOON WORKS (216)441-3816 (419)289-8392 #24 #25 --- --- C.H.A.O.S. BBS RUNEQUEST BBS (517)371-1106 (312)430-4234 #26 --- SWEDEN, SORMAN INFORMATION EXCHANGE DIAL 0-11-46-470-22183 #27 #28 --- --- KNOTS NOOK BBS PIRATE BUSTERS (206)631-8056 (216)545-4817 #29 --- WINDY CITY (312)775-2970 (Chicago Zmag Headquarters) #30 #31 --- --- BLUE MOON C.L.A.U.G BBS (312)457-2219 (312)889-1240 #32 #33 --- --- HOUSE OF CHANCE SPRINGSNET BBS (915)757-0788 ??? #34 #35 --- --- RATCOM THE VAULT (301)437-9813 (303)796-0539 #36 #37 --- --- DATELINE BBS THUNDERBEAST (718)648-0947 (714)653-0447 #38 #39 --- --- SPIDERS WEB BBS ACORN BBS (203)445-4094 (219)693-3485 ___________________________________ The above list updated 11/21/86 ___________________________________ üÔéíå Òåíáéîéîçü 13 Mins. üÓåìåãô ü Send