Help A Noob Learn Something Special About the 8-bits

[blainelocklair]

I had never experienced the Atari 8-bit line of computers until this summer. I bought an Atari 400 while I was at the Southeast Game Exchange in Greenville, SC. In fact, I'm pretty sure the guy that sold it to me is a member here from the North Carolina area and sells 8-bits regularly.

 

The 400 I got from him is in great shape, was completely tested, RAM upgraded, and worked exactly as he promised. It's led me down a path of discovery that I've enjoyed. Somehow, I just never had access to an 8-bit for the over 40 years they've been around until that day.

 

To that end, I put together a video about my journey and what I've learned so far. You might even find something in there you hadn't thought about before.

 

 

Yeah, I know the thumbnail has the Programmer Kit box. It's just meant to be representative of the system in a way that's recognizable to those unfamiliar with it. Also was kind of tough to find a great box image for the 400 at the time.

 

But as much as I've learned already, and shared with others, there's so much more I still need to learn. I'd love to know your thoughts about it all. What do you think would be a great next step for me in my learning journey about the 8-bits?

 

Thanks!

Blaine

 

[Beeblebrox]

@blainelocklair  welcome.

 

Will watch ya video but as a quick response in terms of games/demoscene to check out in video form on the A8 scene (as you appear to have a 400 which will limit you to the games you can run) check out these as they showcase why, 40 years on, the amazing Atari 8 bit chip set is still so capable.

 

Games

 

Flob - 2021

Prince of Persia - 2021

Final Assault 3D fps - 2021:

Albert - 2021:

The Last Squadron - 2021:

 

Gacek (aka Bombjack) - 2021:

Onescape 2022:

 

 

Bunnyhop - 2022:

Bubbleshooter - 2022:

 

Dye Heritage edition. - 2022:

 

Arcadia - 2022:

 

Binary parasite - 2022:

Break it 2022:

Atari last! 2016:

 

Space harrier - 2014:

Ridiculous Reality 2012:

Crowland 2012:

 

Yoomp 2007:

 

Wip:

L'Abbaye des morts:

https://forums.atariage.com/topic/322679-adm-teaser/page/4/#comments

Dude story:

https://forums.atariage.com/topic/307126-dude-story-wip/

 

Bloody planet:

Trax:

Giana sisters:

 

Flimbo's Quest:

There are 1000s of classics to check out, too many to list, but personal favs include :

 

Zybex

Blinkys scary school

Henry's house

Alley cat

Rescue of fractalus

International Karate

 

Demo scene definitely check out these vids:

 

Rewind 2022:

 

 

Alley dog demo 2022:

 

Drunken chessboard (2004?):

 

Numen demo (late 1990's):

 

Also check out as part of the Rewind demo a Doom engine was showcased:

https://youtu.be/UwKu5pbbmtw?t=8377

 

 

You might wanna check out:

 

http://www.atarimania.com/pgemainsoft.awp?type=G&system=8

And

http://atarionline.pl/v01/index.php?ct=nowinki&ucat=1&subaction=showfull&id=1670721370

 

For download able games

 

Also Altirra emulator:

https://www.virtualdub.org/altirra.html

 

Finally hardware wise there is a lot. 

 

Check out:

And also watch this:

I highly recommend you read as much on Atari age forums as you can. 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2022 by Beeblebrox

[Mark2008]

You describe the Atari 400 in the video as part computer/part video game console.

 

Using that phrasing I would say an interesting avenue of exploration is the computer side of that split....and especially early magazine articles and books, the earlier in the era, the better.

 

I would even start before 1979 release of the Atari 400,  and explore the scene from 1975 onwards.  I admit it's because I went through this process back in the 80's.

 

In other words, my local library had a collection of "Creative Computing" magazines going back to the 70's, so in the 80's I was introduced to 70's computing, if that makes sense.

 

Look at the world through the eyes of those early magazine articles - because it changed dramatically over the course of one decade.  Even by 1985 the articles were not the same. The system had morphed form "World of tomorrow" hobbyist exploration... to a consumer platform.

 

The early articles speculated on everything, self learning programs, crowdsourcing (didn't use that word), AI topics, such that a machine could compose its own music, be your personal therapist, and other things that AI cannot even accomplish quite yet today.  They were a few decades off from those concepts, they were already inspired to believe the computer could do such things, wrote articles about it - did early 8-bit demos.

 

It's endlessly uplifting somehow.... anyway, that's my 2 cents.  I know the games are an enduring legacy and many here enjoy playing games.  Eh, even though I'm not on that side of the split, I consider the Atari 400 to be a computer and not at all a video game console, the reality is, I've taken to buying a few game carts, I saw you reviewed Wizard of Wor, I bought that cart a month ago.  It's pretty cool.

 

But like many people in the IT industry, I trace back, well basically the story of my life, back to those early days.   The propagandists for 8-bit computing, certainly convinced me.       The Atari 400 was my platform to that world.  Some of the earliest programs I wrote, were on the dewey decimal system, or a parabolic mirror demo.  But also games, sure.   It was an application that computers could handle, among so many others, spreadsheets, word processors, "home publishing" was a thing back then.  But even more so than what they could really do, it was the promise of what they could someday do...whew, that was one addictive drug.

 

 

Edited December 16, 2022 by Mark2008

[blainelocklair]

Wow! Thank you for the well-written, thoughtful replies. There's a lot of great info here, and I'll certainly be digging into it.

 

I still can't believe I missed so much of the 8-bit Atari computer era. I had my head buried deep into a TI and a IIe.

[ClausB]

What about the killer app which drove the 400's design, Star Raiders?

[+Larry]

@Beeblebrox

What a nice collection of game videos!  Nice job!

[mojek]

A newbie question: I just wonder, when and where the XEX file format appears first? (I can remember .obj,perhaps even the .com are the DOS binary files formats). As I can see using of this broadly in disk emulation, I guess it comes with it, or did it come at the same time the ATR format was born? 

Please also correct me, if I am wrong - I think, the ATR format comes into the world after XFD format with the atari800 emulator.

 

Is there by chance any nice resource describing the 3 decades recent history? Or something listing these newer formats?

[Zolaerla]

22 minutes ago, mojek said:

A newbie question: I just wonder, when and where the XEX file format appears first? (I can remember .obj,perhaps even the .com are the DOS binary files formats). As I can see using of this broadly in disk emulation, I guess it comes with it, or did it come at the same time the ATR format was born? 

Please also correct me, if I am wrong - I think, the ATR format comes into the world after XFD format with the atari800 emulator.

 

Is there by chance any nice resource describing the 3 decades recent history? Or something listing these newer formats?

XEX is just a .COM or .EXE file from the Atari, but renamed so Windows doesn't try to execute them directly. EXE reversed to become XEX.

[mojek]

I have luckily found a nice source with the FAQ - https://mcurrent.name/atari-8-bit/faq.txt

there is answer to the ATR format - "invented by Nick Kennedy, for his SIO2PC project..."