FOUND GAME: Alchemist by Aim Software

[graywest]

Hello again! After uploading Holster last week, I snagged another Aim Software release in an Ebay auction: Alchemist. It doesn't seem to be archived anywhere either. @www.atarimania.com - this is for you if you're interested.  

 

I'm attaching a .cas file and a bootable .atr file for those who want to try it out. Also an image of the cassette is below.

 

The gameplay here is a little harder to figure out than Holster was. It seems like you have to collect certain items for points. You can move through the white "doors" to go between floors. The "10" icons give you more time. The "B" icons kill you. Not really sure how it plays beyond that.

 

No author info or title screen on this one - I didn't see anything in the BASIC code either.

 

Enjoy!

 

alchemst.cas

alchemst.atr

[graywest]

Also: does anyone have any info on how much Aim Software was charging for these cassettes back in the day?

 

If it was more than a couple bucks, I think people were getting ripped off.  I mean, I know there weren't a whole lot of entertainment options early the 400/800s life cycle, but still... a couple hundred lines of BASIC code? From my cursory inspection of the program files from a couple of these, it seems like they were using a pretty generic game template, POKEing some data to change the character graphics, mixing up the rules a little, and that's about it. They seem to have used this format to crank out loads of rudimentary single-screen arcade games.

[Atarigrub]

Good find @graywest , but agreed both the Aim Software and ALA Software games are dreadful! So it would be interesting on how much these originally sold for.

There's some auctions for VIC-20 games from Aim Software that have a Kay-Bee price sticker on them for $19.99 (crossed out and reduced to $4.99) here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/275759476480?hash=item40348baf00:g:K94AAOSwCiJkHloQ

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275757722023?hash=item403470e9a7:g:zQQAAOSwrR1kHRpP

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275755231582?hash=item40344ae95e:g:vhwAAOSwPu1kGlnW

 

So I'd imagine the Atari Aim Software titles were a similar price?

 

Its rarer to find the original boxed versions, though as with ALA Software, they do have interesting artwork on them, so shame they are quite hard to find on the market. But price-wise, the game itself isn't worth it!

 

@graywest okay for me to add this to www.a8preservation.com ? Do you have the original WAV file still?

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by Atarigrub

[www.atarimania.com]

Wow... So cool that you actually went out to buy the game for the community!

 

Actually, this may be one of the early examples of shovelware. In spite of their relative rarity now, the games probably sold well due to their availability and artwork... but ended up in the trashcan pretty quickly due to their low quality. Not sure about the initial price, I think I saw one or two dealer ads stating they were $9.99 on the Atari. $19.99 sounds crazy - particularly for the VIC-20 - but the market was huge so they probably got away with it.

 

Many thanks!

[rdefabri]

Nice find!  I guess that means I need to uncover another Aim Software piece now

 

I seem to remember these games were priced around $9.99.  I noted on Atarimania that I believe I win Ambulance in a video game competition, but for some reason $9.99 is stuck in my head.

 

FWIW.

[graywest]

5 hours ago, Atarigrub said:

@graywest okay for me to add this to www.a8preservation.com ? Do you have the original WAV file still?

Absolutely! Feel free to add it. I'm glad you all are preserving this kind of thing. I'm attaching the .wav file that I pulled from the cassette - let me know if you run into any problems with it.

 

Also, thanks for the info on the pricing for these. It's interesting to see the box alongside the tape for scale. The boxes were tiny! Not that much bigger than the cassette itself. I had pictured these being sold in plastic bags with instructions, or in a full-sized box. 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by graywest

[www.atarimania.com]

Does anybody have a paid subscription to Newspapers.com? Some dealer ads appear to be promoting Aim Software games but, as a free member, I can't see much of what's on the page. 

 

[rdefabri]

10 hours ago, www.atarimania.com said:

Does anybody have a paid subscription to Newspapers.com? Some dealer ads appear to be promoting Aim Software games but, as a free member, I can't see much of what's on the page. 

 

I may have some old Atari mags that have Aim ads in them, on my "to do" list