Atari Lettermakers?

[Monk]

Hello, all.

 

I used programs that I called 'lettermakers' a lot in the eighties, when there was a need to communicate indirectly with people that I swapped floppies with and such. I always considered it like a fun surprise, or some kind of uplifting extra to look forward to.

 

Besides, it felt somehow almost magical to just see someone 'typing' text, although there was no one there..

 

Now that I finally own an Atari 8-bit computer (Atari 800 XL, not sure if it works yet, because I don't have a video cable - already ordered one, but it looks like it's just sitting in one city and seemingly not moving at all - has been this way for already 60 hours or so), I am scouting interesting programs, games, demos, utilities, tools and such.

 

However, I couldn't find any 'lettermakers' for Atari.

 

For those who are not sure what I mean by 'lettermaker', you can think of the C64 program called "Lettermaker V", for example, or "Future Writer II", or even Letter Noperator.

 

http://csdb.dk/release/?id=33027

http://csdb.dk/release/?id=91106

http://csdb.dk/release/?id=20071

 

(I just learned that Future Writer is supposedly called "Lettermaker VI", so no wonder they are so similar)

 

These programs work in such a way that first you choose the font and music, then you basically just type what you want to say, and you can use 'effects', change colors in 'real-time', use faster and slower speeds, etc. in doing that, then you save your 'finished letter' to a disk (or possibly even a tape), and afterwards, someone can just load this letter, and it will "play" as you typed it. It's pretty cool, actually!

 

So my question is: Do such lettermakers exist for Atari 8-bit computer systems?

 

Especially ones that would work without any memory expansions (my Atari will probably never be expanded, because I can't solder and I don't know anyone, who could).

 

It would be really cool to be able to type such letters on a real Atari 800 XL, especially with Atari's grand, vast color palette - what kind of great rasterbar-effects could be created! (You actually get nice rasterbar-effects with those Lettermakers if you change colors when you have the fastest speed activated - I am thinking of that, but in a much more beautiful and attractive form, because of Atari's big color amount).

 

Also, you could do all kinds of neat screenfade-effects and such, that simply aren't possible on the C64, because of the same reason - the amount of colors.

 

Was there ever a 'lettermaking' culture on the Atari side? I just realized I don't know much about the practical life on 'the other side of the fence', and I'd like to learn.

 

Thanks to anyone who can give me any information about this, that might lead to me finding such a program.

 

Some offtopic notes about my recently expanded appreciation of the Atari 8-bit computer line:

 

I am finding Atari more and more interesting a system lately. I never knew it was this fascinating. I guess Atari 2600 opened the door for me to see how fantastic and exciting the Atari systems can really be (though I was always -somewhat- interested).

 

And I am loving the vivid Atari colors, and of course Pokey has a great sound capabilities. The Pokey noise wave can reach places that the SID noise can't touch. But also, those games, especially the ones that are better than the C64 versions (there are many), are pretty immersive and exciting, and radiate a wonderful 'Atari atmosphere'. I experienced this a lot with the Atari 2600, but I have realized since, that even with an emulated Atari 800, that great feeling is there.

 

Can't wait to play games on a real Atari 8-bit computer for the first time in my life..

 

.. and being able to use a lettermaker of some sort would really make it perfect.

 

Here is a picture of my Atari and my C64 side by side, living in harmony:

 

http://s4.postimg.org/9ydzmic6k/Atari800_XL_and_C64_C.jpg

 

I wonder if it'd be possible to create a demo that runs simultaneously on both computers, and is synchronized - that would be total harmony between the old rivals. The screens would be roughly the same size, and right next to each other (like two TV sets, for example). If a guy running on the C64 screen would throw a magical object to the Atari screen, which would then blaze into a glorious plasma effect or something, and then someone on the Atari side would throw some kind of fireworks onto the C64 screen, and that could become some kind of sprite explosion effect, and so on.

 

The possibilities would be relatively endless!

[pirx]

we (our 5oft) used to exchange such funny letters with our swap friends, too bad I have none of them now.

 

Our recording was pretty simple Basic programme - it was just a loop writing to (ram?)disk pairs of pressed key value and time passed (in jiffies, max 255) from the previous keypress.

The player has got click, variable speed (the letter was enjoyable when played at least 2x faster than it was typed), ripped music and some moving sprites with the songs.

 

Best,

 

pirx

[F#READY]

Exactly what i remember Pirx!

 

:-)

[Monk]

I see. Thanks for the replies!

 

It seems like there aren't ready programs that let you write letters, but one would have to create their own BASIC program for it. Or would you happen to still have that program? I'd like to toy around with it.

 

The Atari didn't work, by the way, so I am now waiting to gather enough resources to be able to try again.. finding a cheap Atari is quite difficult, though. Oh well, maybe next month, who knows.