The Christmas Special Edition of In Your Drive #26
NOTICE: This article originally appeared in the February issue of Atari Interface Magazine and may be freely distributed or reprinted in non-profit User Group publications as long as the article's author and Atari Interface Magazine are credited AND this notice is reprinted with the article. All other publications must obtain written permission from Unicorn Publications, 3487 Braeburn Circle, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, Phone: (313) 973-8825 before using this article.
The Christmas Special Edition of In Your Drive #26
by good ol' Chet
All right, so it isn't Christmas! It was when I started this, so it should count for something. With the colds (I'm running a 101 fever now, thank you), pneumonia, impacted sinus, and accidents which have befallen my family, I've spent so much of my time in doctor places that I have hardly had a chance to glance at STella (our lovely ST). And in a calculating move by my oldest daughter and wife (Hm...that reads as if I have a younger wife somewhere. Let's imagine that the previous phrase was blocked, deleted, and replaced with "my wife and oldest daughter."), all the computer equipment and desks were moved in a random fashion (RND(0)*.57) so that I'd have a difficult time finding anything. I now have to turn my head at a 90 degree angle to see the mono monitor, and my phone wire won't reach to my modem.
This has all been an obvious conspiracy to keep me from writing another In Your Drive. Foolish mortals all, as any can plainly see that I DID finish it.
However I'm unable to straighten my neck now....
Dungeon Master Sequel
Chaos Strikes Back is the sequel to the best selling Dungeon Master, and it compares to DM as Hellfire Warrior did to Temple of Apshai. By that, we ask you to remember just how VERY tough H.W. was compared to the Temple. Chaos dumps you in a locked room with those *&^$#@! Worms on ALL SIDES OF YOU, f'r cryin' out loud!! A real killer!
I spoke out previously against the dungeon crawling adventures, such as Dungeon Master, which actually call themselves role playing games. They're not, and they tend to take the most unrealistic scenario type of rolegames -- a "dungeon" which more properly resembles interiors of a castle, which is populated by hundreds of dozens of monsters and bandits which never heard of the food chain because they've been living a few doors from each other for God knows how long, and only turn violent when you enter the picture.
So, yes, Chaos is just as unrealistic as its mother program. But we tend to forgive more when it's running on a computer. The dungeon crawl is perfect for a program -- you CAN limit the parameters, define the boundries, and limit the options of the player without seeming arbitrary. And the Dungeon Master series has the advantages of great graphics, an easy to understand interface, and some nice sounds. Like other computer games, it has the advantage of always being there when you want to play. (I don't care HOW much your spouse loves you, she is NOT going to get up at 2 am for a quick rolegame session!)
Be warned! Though some ads have stated otherwise, CHAOS is NOT playable without Dungeon Master. You don't need to load anything from DM, but you DO need that manual. Even the box warns that you need DM to play it.
I mentioned RazRats again last month, one of my favorite beer and pretzel games. The author's brother asked my why I didn't mention the address for mail order, so here it is: JCN Software, Jerry Nolan, 1047 Brahman Ln, Uma, AZ 85364, (602) 782-0708.
Usually, I don't mention mail order for two very good reasons. The first is that this column was originally a part of the Mile High Atari newsletter; anyone reading it knew of our local Atari stores. The second reason is that I actively discourage mail order except as a last resort. Not only do I have a permanent grudge against the Postal Service, but I've seen what happened to Atari stores when all their customers went the mail order route instead of supporting their stores. So, please, people, once again -- support your stores, if you got 'em! They can't possibly sell as cheaply as mail order, and they'll vanish if they have no customers. Remember: Use 'em or lose 'em!
The Tax Advantage
Which is as good a time to lead into The Tax Advantage from Double Eagle will only be available by mail for us Atarians who use the XL/XE version. Why? Because not enough of us bought it last year; they sold only around 600. You can't justify running anything through distribution channels for that small of a number. It would have been easy for them to drop Atari from their line -- every one else is. I'm grateful to them for continuing the program for us, and am ordering a copy. If you do anything with your taxes beyond the 1040EZ form, I suggest you pop $25.95 + $3.50 postage and handling to 'em right away.
How can this be reviewed? Simply: It does your federal taxes. Quickly and simply. It prints the forms you'll need, and all the data in it. It's up to date with all new federal tax laws. And it gives you a record of it for easy storage. (A disk is SO easy to store. The needed paperwork would fill a shoebox otherwise.) I'm an acredited VITA tax worker, and I fill out other people's taxes regularly. But I STILL use Tax Advantage to save hours of my time, and a few cubic feet of storage space. I've made mistakes from time to time when doing taxes by hand. NEVER have I made a mistake using Tax Advantage; that's why I use it each year. Double Eagle Software, 2340 Plaza Del Amo, Suite 215, Torrance, CA 90501. Send 'em your bucks now.
I thought I'd mentioned the address of Skills Improvement last time, because their excellent study helps are available ONLY by mail. That address is Skills Improvement, Box 595, Aurora CO 80040, (303) 695-6187, and, as I've said, their Generic SKT program is useful to anyone studying for ANY kind of test. Their other programs are of use only to Air Force folk studying them thar arcane Air Force tests. (Yecch! YOU study hundreds of pages of the history of airpower and its relation to human social interaction!)
The Monitor Master got mentioned very quickly in passing last time, because -- useful though it is -- it is SO SIMPLE that there really is no way to elaborate on "It lets you switch back and forth between mono and color without unplugging and replugging." Now I can add just a bit more. You knew that it permitted you to hook any RGB monitor to your ST, and that sound traveled well through it. You knew all the particulars. What I can't possibly make you feel is how MUCH help it is to a busy Atarian. Case in point: PageStream (We'll talk about it in a moment), which permits you to design color pages. You can see the COLOR on a color monitor, but the fonts are so intricately designed that they are too blurry on any color monitor for my poor vision. With the Monitor Master, I save to disk, turn off STella, press the button (There's only ONE button; how user-friendly can you get?) on the Monitor Master, then reboot with the OTHER monitor in place.
This came in really handy during the STIG demonstration of PageStream. With the mono monitor, the crowd could see how the page really looked and read; with the color monitor, we could see how overlays of color could really enrich a page. (If you have a color printer, that is. Sigh. So who can afford a laser OR ink-jet color printer? Someday, there'll be an inexpensive one for the rest of us.) For $30-40, you have the best of both worlds. I'd never try to deal with text on a color monitor -- my eyes go bad after just twenty minutes with the Zenith at the office. On the other hand, there's nothing like color to spice up a game, is there?
PageStream 1.8
Pagestream, version 1.8 could easily be called a brand new desktop publisher.
I've been unable to crash the thing -- and I've tried. It evidently runs with even a "mere" 512K (see several paragraphs below), and does everything I can imagine for a DTP. And I can imagine a lot! This bears repeating: the manual is excellent! The Quick Start section will get you up and running -- and you may never need to go farther. For 90% of everything you'll do, this section is plenty. But if you greedily want MORE, there's more. PageStream is also an excellent word processor, with most of the features you'd expect from a word processor. Though it won't print in text mode (All DTP stuff is graphics. Read: Slow Printing.), it will SAVE to disk in ASCII format, making it a snap to print in straight ASCII later. If you don't have a good drawing program, you can create or modify pictures with PageStream's formidable art options and tools. (Sheesh! The rotating and alignment features are something I never thought I'd find easy to use!)
And quick! Hoo boy, is your screen output quick! Almost makes up for the tedium of waiting for the printer to get done! PageStream tells you it needs a meg of memory, though a friend tells me that version 1.8 seems to run fine on a 512K machine. I can't verify this, but it wouldn't surprise me. I do know that it runs fine on a single-sided drive system, a double-sided drive system, a two drive system, or a hard drive. The secret to good pagestreaming is in your installation set up. This "difficult" task is explained in simple English in brief (less than a page) terms.
The many options of PageStream are so varied that we could take up the whole magazine. Take a good look at the back of the package, if you have an Atari store around. The back of the box is FILLED with lists of features in teeny tiny print...and it DOESN'T list them all. For all you Other Computer users, or if you're sending your output to a typesetter, PageStream is PostScript compatable. The only warning I'll give is to look at the tutorials in the Quick Start section of the manual. If you value your sanity, DO THE TUTORIALS. They're paced well, and they introduce features in the order you'd be likely to need (or wonder about) them.
For some examples of PageStream's output, take a good look at the magazine you're holding. If last issue was any indicator, Pattie 'n' Bill are liable to be running color covers more often...and this layout sure yam easier to read than past issues of (for instance) ST LOG.
PageStream will not make you into a graphics artist, nor will it magically impart the knowledge and skills of a layout artist. The manual will give you many headstarts, and the program is simple enough to "keep out of your way" while you're learning. Get a few good books from the library and learn about typesetting layouts the way the big boys at the New Yorker do it. And produce!
Speaking of AIM
Who was? We were, y'know, up there in the PageStream review. In just three issues, AIM has passed my previous favorite Atari-zines (STart and ANTIC), even without color photographs. I honestly get a kick out of reading other clubs' successes and troubles. It reminds me that we're all in this together. And I find the irreverent style and straightforwardness of the writers here refreshing and entertaining. (The recent debate about big vs little clubs comes to mind, as does Jim Cox's excellent description of the Portfolio in use.) Would one of the remaining professional magazines have the nerve to publish "the Power of Advertising?" Perhaps. But it would have been edited into impotency. This article should be read -- and answered -- by the folks at Atari who can't seem to make a dent in the American market, and don't remember how to try.
A great magazine, which I'm grateful to be in, and to read. This goes to the top of my "Must Read" stack every month.
I don't know about anyone else, but this cold makes me feel miserable. I think I'm about ready to end this IYD early. Meet you back here next month, and you can tell me if I split too quickly. Or too slowly.
Jeep!
