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TEX IS BACK TO STRIKE AGAIN!! IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME WITHOUT DEMOS, BUT THIS TIME WE HAVE SUCCEEDED IN MAKING THE BIGGEST DEMO IN THE UNIVERSE: THE BEST IN GALAXY (B.I.G.) DEMO, OFFERING 113 PIECES OF MUSIC WITH A TOTAL PLAYING TIME OF 243'39' (APPROXIMATELY 4.1 HOURS)!!! THE WHOLE THING IS SURROUNDED BY STUNNING GRAPHICS, TRANSPARENT SCROLLING IN THE LOWER BORDER, 512 COLOR PSYCH-O-SCREENS, THE SMOOTHEST BIG SCROLLER YOU EVER SAW AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF RASTERS - QUITE AN ACHIEVEMENT, WOULDN'T YOU SAY?

ADD TO THAT THE FACT THAT YOU'RE NOW READING THE BEGINNING OF THE LONGEST SCROLLING MESSAGE EVER CONCEIVED ON ANY COMPUTER; AT THE END OF WHICH -ME- FROM THE EXCEPTIONS WILL EXPLAIN HOW TO USE BORDER-SCROLLING TECHNIQUES!! BUT THAT MOMENT IS STILL A LITTLE LESS THAN TWO HOURS AWAY FROM NOW - TWO HOURS BEING THE TIME THAT YOU WILL MOST CERTAINLY NEED TO READ THIS SCROLLING TEXT TO FULL EXTEND.... SOME PEOPLE WILL PROBABLY THINK THAT THIS IS AN ACT OF PURE SADISM, BUT WE LIKE TO SEE IT AS AN ACT OF TRYING TO DISPLAY WHAT WE CAN DO.

THIS DEMO IS WHAT YOU GET IF YOU PUT THE BEST MUSIC PROGRAMMER, THE BEST MACHINE CODE EXPERTS, THE BEST GRAPHIXX MAN AND THE BEST ENGLISH THUMBSUCKER (HEY, THAT'S ME!) TOGETHER: THE B.I.G. DEMO!!! (YOU MAY NOW RISE FROM YOUR CHAIRS AND GIVE FORTH A LOUD APPLAUSE. THANK YOU). DURING THIS SCROLLING MESSAGE, WE WILL GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE EXCITING LAND OF TEX, MUSIC PROGRAMMING, COMPUTERS IN GENERAL, JOKES, NON-SENSE, HARDWARE, RASTER PROGRAMMING (INCLUDING THE LACK OF THE LOWER BORDER) AND A LOT MORE, DURING WHICH YOU CAN SOOTHE YOUR EARS WITH THE NICEST MUSIC EVER MADE POSSIBLE ON THE ATARI ST. BROADENING THE HARDWARE HORIZONS (AND SOME SOFTWARE HORIZONS AND WORLD RECORDS AS WELL), THIS 'BIG' DEMO WILL WRITE HISTORY!!

NOBODY HAD EXPECTED THAT THE ATARI ST'S BUILT-IN YM-2149 SOUNDCHIP (TRASHY AS IT ACTUALLY APPEARS TO BE) WOULD BE ABLE TO CREATE SUCH STUNNING SOUNDS, AND NOBODY WOULD EVER HAVE EXPECTED TO SEE THE SIMPLE VIDEO SHIFTER CHIP DISPLAY BORDER GRAPHICS, EITHER! THIS ASTOUNDING AND UTTERLY STUPEFYING DEMO PROJECT WAS CONCEIVED BY THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE :

......-ME- : CODEING, CRUNCHING, LOTTA RASTERS AND BOOT CODE STUFF

......MAD MAX : CODEING AND MEGA MUSIC CONVERTING COMPOSING FROM THE GOOD OLD COMMODORE

......ES : GRAPHIXX AND CHARACTER SET DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

......ROB HUBBARD : ORIGINAL '64 COMPOSITIONS

......ALYSSA : BORDER SCROLLING CONCEPT

......THE DUTCH MUGGERS ASSOCIATION : TEXT AND IDEA AS WELL AS SOME TIMING

......TNT-CREW : DIGI-SAMPLES AND VERY GOOD SAMPLER-SOFTWARE

......6719 : MORE CODEING AND PUTTING TOGETHER

......ACC : SPREADING AND ADVERTISEMENT CAMPAIGN

WITH THIS DEMO, THE EXCEPTIONS TRY TO SET A COUPLE OF WORLD RECORDS; THE FIRST WORLD RECORD IT SHOULD BREAK IS THE NUMBER OF MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS EVER INCLUDED IN ONE PROGRAM. NEVER BEFORE HAS ANYONE SUCCEEDED IN MAKING THIS MANY MUSIX IN ONE COMPUTER PROGRAM! WORLD RECORD ONE: THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF MUSIX EVER INCLUDED IN ONE COMPUTER PROGRAM....

THE SECOND WORLD RECORD THIS DEMO BREAKS IS THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF MINUTES NEEDED TO LISTEN TO ALL PIECES OF MUSIC TO FULL EXTEND. WORLD RECORD TWO: THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF MINUTES NEEDED TO LISTEN TO ALL THE INCLUDED MUSIX....

THE THIRD WORLD RECORD IS THE LENGTH OF THE SCROLLING MESSAGE YOU'RE NOW READING. I HAVE ALREADY TRIED TO WRITE A WORLD RECORD-LENGTH SCROLL BEFORE (THE 'ARKANOID CONSTRUCTION KIT', REMEMBER?), WHICH WAS ABOUT 19 KB IN LENGTH. BUT THIS SCROLLING TEXT REALLY GETS THE BONUS: ITS OVER 40 KB IN LENGTH (THE EXACT LENGTH WILL BE GIVEN AT THE END OF IT, SINCE IT MIGHT BE A BIT LONGER AFTER ALL - THE AMIGA SOFTWARE SYNDICATE TOLD ME THEY WERE MAKING A 32 KB WORLD RECORD SCROLL, SO THIS ONE JUST HAS TO BE BIGGER)! WORLD RECORD THREE: THE LONGEST SCROLLING TEXT EVER WRITTEN ON A COMPUTER (AND DON'T FORGET TO ADD THE 'BIG' SCROLL LENGTH TO THAT!)....

THE FOURTH WORLD RECORD SHOULD BE THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF COMPRESSED CODE AND DATA PUT ON ONE DISK...

IT SEEMS THAT WE HAVE SUCCEEDED CUM LAUDE IN ACHIEVING THESE GOALS, THUS DESERVING A PLACE IN THE ONE AND ONLY 'GUINESS BOOK OF RECORDS'!!!!..........

AS APPARENTLY USUAL IN MOST SCROLLING MESSAGES, WE WILL START WITH SENDING GREETINGS TO SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTIVE IN THE WORLD OF COMPUTING NOWADAYS (INCLUDING SOME THAT WON'T BE AS ACTIVE NOWADAYS THAN THEY WERE SOME TIME BACK). THE GREETINGS ARE SENT TO (IN GENERAL ALPHABETIC ORDER):

• 007

• 1001 CREW (SENT BACK TEX' DISKS YET?)

• 42 CREW (NOW THIS IS MUSIC!!)

• 666

• A3 (HENKSOFT, THE DIRTY DIGITIZING MAN)

• ABC

• AMAZING CRACKING CONSPIRACY ('ST NEWS' IS A GREAT MAGAZINE! READ MORE ABOUT

IT FURTHER IN THIS SCROLLING MESSAGE. GIVE OUR LOVE TO WILLEKE!)

• ADJ

• AFF

• ALYSSA (AGAIN, MANY THANX FOR THE BORDER SCROLLING CONCEPT)

• AMIGA SOFTWARE SYNDICATE (THOUGH THEY'RE WORKING ON THE WRONG MACHINE)

• ANTIPROTECT

• ATOR (IF YOU'RE STILL ALIVE...)

• BITSTOPPERS

• BLUE ADEPT (WE STILL LIKE YOUR '10TH FRAME' INTRO

• IT MAKES THE GAME WORTH WHILE KEEPING)

• B.O.S.S.

• BXC

• CAPT. HOOK

• COBRA

• CONAN

• COPY SERVICE STUTTGART (CSS)

• DARYL

• DCA

• DESASTER AREA (ARE YOU DEAD OR NOT?)

• DYNAMIC DUO

• DR. FREUD

• DR. MABUSE

• DR. TYPO

• ECA (WHY DID THE 'GARRISON' NEED TO BE BETTER THAN THE ST VERSION OF

'GAUNTLET'?)

• FEDERATION AGAINST COPYRIGHT (FAC - ESPECIALLY ACE!)

• GIGABYTE CREW

• GMC

• HCC

• HOTLINE

• INTERNATIONAL CRACKING GROUP (HOPE YOU DON'T SWITCH TO A TRANSPUTER SYSTEM TOO SOON)

• IRATA (HAS EVERYTHING....BUT ONLY AT HOME)

• JEDI

• KRS

• LOGOS

• MAD MAX CORPORATION (NOT TO BE MISTAKEN WITH TEX' MAD MAX)

• MEGABYTE (UNFORTUNATELY WORKING ON THE WRONG MACHINE)

• MIKEL

• MMC

• MR. ATARI

• MR. COOL

• MR. X (THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS THE SECRET OF FORMATTING WRITE-PROTECTED DISKS)

• MR. ZEROPAGE

• MSH

• NMI (F-16)

• PATER BECKER (PBA)

• PET

• PROBYTE (THE MAN THAT MADE THE FIRST EVER ATARI ST INTRO FOR A CRACKED PROGRAM)

• PSI

• RAMBO

• RAMSOFT

• RAY

• ROBIN HOOD

• ROLF

• RUD

• SCC

• SECTION 8

• SENECA

• SNOOPY

• SOFTRUNNER GROUP (INCLUDING EX-TWR MEMBER THAT'S NEW ON THE ST)

• STCS

• TELEO

• TERRA NOVA

• TFC

• THE DELTA FORCE (ALL MEMBERS)

• THE DESTROYER

• THE GENERAL

• THE KHAN

• THE MERCENARY CRACKER (TMC, BACK ON THE GOOD OLD COMMODORE 64)

• THE USERS

• THE MAD HACKERS (TMH)

• TNT

• TNT-CREW

• TOP GUN

• TSUNOO RHILTY

• UNITED ARTISTS

• URANUS

• WAS

• WMS

• ZAPHOD (PIRATE SOFTWARE, INC.)

• AND, OF COURSE, TO ALL MUSIC PROGRAMMERS ON THE COMMODORE 64 FOR INSPIRING MAD MAX FOR CONVERTING ALL THESE MUSIX - ROB H., BEN D., MARTIN G., HOLGER G. AND DAVID W.!

SPECIAL GREETINGS MUST GO TO THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE ATARI ST AT ATARI CORPORATION: SHIRAZ SHIVJI, JACK'N'SAM TRAMIEL AND SIG HARTMANN.

AND, OF COURSE, GREETINGS TO YOU FOR COPYING THIS GREAT DEMO PROGRAM - PLEASE COPY IT FURTHER TO ANYONE YOU KNOW (FRIEND AS WELL AS ENEMY).

OF COURSE, THERE ARE ALSO PEOPLE AROUND IN THE WORLD OF ST COMPUTING THAT MAKE LIFE TROUBLESOME AND FULL OF ANGER. TO THESE (FEW) PEOPLE, WE WOULD LIKE TO DEDICATE THE FUCKING GREETINGS. THEY GO TO:

• HSS (THE BIGGEST COCKSUCKER AROUND, THAT ALWAYS PUTS HIS NAME IN PROGRAMS THAT OTHERS CRACKED, WRITES 'CRACKED BY' IN LOADING PICTURES OF NON-PROTECTED SOFTWARE, AND THAT HAS TO WATCH HIS STEPS BEFORE SOMEONE WILL PUNCH HIS BLEEDIN' NOSE)

• KLU KLUX CLAN CONSPIRACY (ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE QUEERS, WRITING HIS NAME IN SOME DMA CRACKINGS)

• STRIKE FORCE (A BUNCH A HALF-ASS FAGS THAT PUT SMART-ASS INTROS IN FRONT OF PROGRAMS THEY DIDN'T EVEN CRACK - USING ROUTINES THEY PINCHED FROM OTHERS).

A SPECIAL F.CKING GREETING (IN FACT, A WAGONLOAD FULL OF THEM) GOES TO THE MOTHERFUCKER THAT BROUGHT THE VIRUS ON THE ST - WORDS FAIL TO TELL WHAT WE THINK OF HIM, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU IT AIN'T MUCH GOOD...... IT'S NOT A NICE THOUGHT TO KNOW THAT THESE BASTARDS BREATHE THE SAME AIR THAT NORMAL PEOPLE BREATHE, AND THAT THEY SCREW AROUND LIKE THEY DO (I COULND'T CARE LESS IF THEY WOULD DROP DEAD TOMORROW!!!). MAY THE DEVIL SUCK (AND INFECT) YOUR MOTHERS, MAY BEELZEBUB AND ASTAROTH SLAUGHTER YOUR FATHER AND MAY THUNDER AND LIGHTNING SPLIT YOUR DIM-WITTED SKULLS INTO A THOUSAND TINY FRAGMENTS (SHAME OF THE MESS THAT NORMAL PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO CLEAN).

FOR THE DATA-MANIACS AND OTHER LUNATICS, HERE ARE SOME STATISTICS THAT APPLY TO THE PRODUCTION OF THIS DEMO. THAT PRODUCTION TOOK 2019 MAN HOURS, 32 BOTTLES OF COLA (MOSTLY 1 LITRE BOTTLES, THOUGH THERE WERE ALSO SOME CONTAINING HALF A LITRE MORE - THESE INCLUDE COKE, PEPSI AND VARIOUS OTHER BRANDS OF COLA), 3 BOTTLES OF SPA RED, 382 TEA BAGS (AS WELL AS A COUPLE OF OUNCES OF PEPPERMINT, CHERRY AND ORANGE TEA), 12 CRATES OF BEER (HEAVY STUFF - WHEN THE DEMO REACHED ITS FINAL STADIUM, WE FOUND THAT COKE AND OTHER SOFT DRINK COULDN'T KEEP US GOING ANY MORE), 87 THERMAL CANS OF BLACK COFFEE (FOR THE OBVIOUS REASON STATED ONE DATA-LINE EARLIER), 128 LITRES OF FUEL, 528 BAGS OF CRISPS (INCLUDING NUTS IN THE WEIRDEST ORIENTAL TASTES, BUT MOSTLE ORDINARY SALTY CRISPS THAT WERE BOUGHT IN LARGE FAMILY SIZES), 7.5 KILOGRAMS OF LIQUORICE (VARIOUS TYPES, BUT PREFERABLY SWEET AND HARD), 578 PADDED ENVELOPES (IN VARIOUS SIZES - BUT MOST OF THEM WERE JUST LARGE ENOUGH TO CONTAIN ONE DISK), 46 3.5' DISKS, 12 5.25' DISKS, 5 REGULAR (WHITE OR BROWN) ENVELOPES, 4 'EXPRESS MAIL' ADHESIVES, 9 METRES OF SELF-ADHESIVE TAPE (TRANSPARENT AS WELL AS NON-TRANSPARENT), 2384 SHEETS OF DIN A4 PAPER, LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY (GUILDERS, MARKS, YOU NAME IT - PROBABLY, THESE COSTS WERE DUE TO THE EXCESSIVELY HIGH POSTAL RATES AND TELEPHONE BILLS. COSTS CAN BE ESTIMATED AT AROUND 3000 GERMAN MARKS - SOME LUCK YOU HAVE, US HAVING MADE THIS DEMO PUBLIC DOMIAN!), A LOTTA COMMODORE 64 GAMES DEMOS, QUITE SOME AMIGA GAMES DEMOS, 4 MORE OR LESS COMPLETE ATARI ST SYSTEMS, 2 MORE OR LESS COMPLETE COMMODORE 64 SYSTEMS, 1 MORE OR LESS COMPLETE COMMODORE AMIGA SYSTEM, 1 MORE OR LESS COMPLETE APPLE MACINTOSH II SYSTEM (SOUNDS INTERESTING, DOESN'T IT? IN FACT, IT WAS ONLY USED TO TYPE LETTERS TO EACH OTHER WHEN THE OTHER SYSTEMS WERE IN USE...), A WHOLE BUNCHA SLEEPLESS NIGHTS (WHEN WE WERE THINKING ABOUT A NEW CODE ROUTINES, NEW MUSIC CONVERSIONS OR BETTER SCROLLING TEXTS RATHER THAN BEING IN THE LAND OF DREAMS, DREAMING ABOUT NUDE GIRLS), 82 HOURS SPENT CLEANING THE SCHOOLYARD (DUE TO ARRIVING TOO LATE AT SCHOOL OR NOT PROPERLY ATTENDING THE LESSONS WHILE DEVELOPING A PIECE OF THE DEMO ON CHEMISTRY NOTEPAPER), AND THE FOLLOWING COMPUTER APPLICATION PROGRAMS: NEOCHROME (THE ONLY DRAWING PROGRAM THAT ES EVER USES - HE SWEARS BY IT!), FASTCOPY (SOMETIMES APPROPRIATELY CALLED 'SLOWCOPY' - ESPECIALLY VERSION 2.0 WITH VERIFY ON!), GFA BASIC (THOUGH NOT FOR OBVIOUS REASONS), TEMPLEMON (VERSIONS 1.6 AND 1.8), MICHTRON DISK UTILITIES (VERSION 1.0, WITH SOME NASTY BUGS), AND A LOTTA ASSEMBLERS, DEBUGGERS AND SOME LESS IMPORTANT STUFF. OTHER THINGS USED: CHAMBERS' TWENTIETH CENTURY DICTIONARY, ST INTERN, VARIOUS MC 68000 MACHINE LANGUAGE REFERENCE GUIDES BOOKS, THE USER MANUALS TO THE USED PROGRAMS, THESAURUS OF ENGLISH WORDS (AS WELL AS THE COMPUTERIZED VERSION - K-ROGET) AND QUITE SOME INSPIRATION.

STILL WITH US? THEN I SUPPOSE YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE FREAKS THAT READS EVERY SCROLLING MESSAGE HOPING TO FIND HIS NAME IN IT SOMEWHERE. IN THAT CASE, JUST READ ON AND YOU MIGHT BE SATISFIED!

TO FILL THIS SCROLLING TEXT WITH MORE OR LESS USEFUL THINGS, I THINK IT IS MORE THAN APPROPRIATE TO WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT THE MAN TO WHOM THIS DEMO PROGRAM IS DEDICATED: ROB HUBBARD (MUSIC PROGRAMMER ON VARIOUS COMPUTER SYSTEMS AMONGST WHICH ARE COMMODORE 64, COMMODORE AMIGA AND ATARI ST). HE'S DEFINATELY THE BEST MUSIC PROGRAMMER (THAT'S WHAT ALL OTHER MUSIC PROGRAMMERS - DAVID WHITTAKER, BEN DAGLISH AND MAD MAX - THINK, AND I AM OF QUITE THE SAME OPINION), STARTING BACK ON THE COMMODORE 64 IN 1985. ROB WAS ORIGINALLY THINKING ABOUT EDUCATIONAL MUSIC SOFTWARE, BUT AS THERE TURNED OUT TO BE VERY LITTLE INTEREST IN THAT, HE DECIDED TO START WRITING SOUNDTRACKS FOR COMPUTER GAMES AS HE THOUGHT MOST GAMES HAD LOUSY MUSIC. THE FIRST GAME HE EVER WROTE THE MUSIC FOR WAS 'CONFUSION' - A SONG THAT HE CONSIDERS TO BE QUITE LOUSY. NO MATTER WHAT HE NOW SAYS ABOUT IT: 'CONFUSION' WAS ONE OF THE VERY FIRST GAMES ON THE COMMODORE 64 TO INCLUDE REASONABLY AUDIBLE MUSIC. ROB'S BREAKTHROUGH CAME WHEN HE WAS ASKED TO DO THE MUSIC FOR A GAME CALLED 'THING ON A SPRING', FOR WHICH HE ALSO HAD TO DO THE SOUND EFFECTS. UNLIKE 'CONFUSION', 'THING ON A SPRING' WAS ACTUALLY A NICE GAME AND THE MUSIC WAS VERY GOOD AS WELL. SOON, PEOPLE LEARNED TO RECOGNIZE ROB'S DISTINCTIVE SOUNDS: THE EXCELLENT BASS-LINES, CHARACTERISTICAL DRUMMING SOUNDS AND THE OVERALL LINE IN HIS COMPOSITIONS. JUST AROUND THAT TIME, MUSIC RIPPING WAS GETTING IN FASHION AND PEOPLE WERE, OF COURSE, VERY EAGER TO 'RIP' THIS PIECE OF MUSIC - A SONG THAT WOULD TURN OUT TO BE THE FIRST ONE IN A VERY LONG ROW....... AFTER 'THING ON A SPRING', THE SOFTWARE COMPANIES DISCOVERED ROB'S SIGNIFICANT TALENT AND HE GOT ORDER AFTER ORDER. HIS VERY BEST OLD COMPOSITION WAS 'MONTY ON THE RUN', FOR WHICH HE WROTE THREE TUNES (ONE OF OVER FIVE MINUTES AND TWO SHORTER ONES (Nr.2 / Nr.3) - ALL INCLUDED IN THIS 'BIG' DEMO). WHEREAS 'THING ON A SPRING' HAD TAKEN HIM 2 WEEKS TO PROGRAM, 'MONTY ON THE RUN' TOOK A LONGER WHILE - THREE FULL WEEKS. THE RESULTS OF THOSE WEEKS WERE IMPRESSIVE: 'GUITAR'-SOLOS COMPLETED HIS SONGS NOW, WITH A VIVID AND VITAL SOUND. I SUPPOSE ROB IS WHAT ONE WOULD CALL A NATURAL TALENT. HE NEVER USES SHEET MUSIC TO WRITE HIS TUNES (EXCEPT IF CLASSICAL COMPOSITIONS ARE CONCERNED - E.G. 'SHOWJUMPING') AND HE COMPOSES THEM ON HIS KEYBOARD INSTEAD. USING ADVANCED SOUND EFFECTS IN HIS SONGS, ROB ADDS ANOTHER DIMENSION TO HIS WORK (ACCORDING TO BEN DAGLISH, ROB IS ACTUALLY THE ONLY MAN THAT CAN DO THAT WITHOUT HARMING THE STRUCTURE OF THE TUNE). AFTER 'MONTY ON THE RUN', THINGS WENT FAST. IT TURNED OUT THAT GOOD MUSIC COULD ACTUALLY MAKE A GAME SELL BETTER, ALSO IF THE GAME ITSELF WAS NOT MUCH TO GET EXCITED ABOUT (E.G. 'BATTLE OF BRITAIN', AND I THINK IT'S NOT DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO ADD SOME TO THIS LIST AS WELL). ROB LEARNED MUCH ABOUT THE SOUNDCHIP WHILE MAKING ALL HIS MUSIX. AFTER MANY MONUMENTAL TUNES (OF WHICH I WOULD PERSONALLY LIKE TO PUT FORWARD 'THRUST', 'MASTER OF MAGIC' (Nr.2 / Nr.3) AND 'CRAZY COMETS' (Nr.2)) HE STARTED EXPERIMENTING WITH WAVEFORMS A LOT MORE, ADDING EVEN MORE SOPHISTICATED SOUND EFFECTS (USING E.G. RING MODULATION AND SYNCHRONISATION - FEATURES THE C-64 SOUNDCHIP HAS, BUT THE ATARI ST SOUNDCHIP UNFORTUNATELY HASN'T) HE WROTE THE MUSIC FOR TWO EXCELLENT SHOOT-'EM-UP GAMES CALLED 'SANXION' (Nr.2) AND 'DELTA' (Nr.2 / Nr.3 / Nr.4 / Nr.5 /Nr.6 / Nr.7 / Nr.8 / Nr.9 / Nr.10)(TWO OF THE FEW GAMES I STILL PLAY ON MY SECOND-HAND COMMODORE 64 WITH CASSETTE RECORDER). ALSO, THESE TUNES SOUNDED LESS FAMILIAR FOR THOSE WHO WERE USED TO THE STANDARD HUBBARD CONCEPTS. THINGS REACHED A TEMPORARY CLIMAX WHEN ROB WROTE THE TUNES FOR MELBOURNE HOUSE'S 'KNUCLE BUSTER' AND MARTECH'S 'W.A.R.': THE BEST COMPOSITIONS EVER MADE BY ROB HUBBARD IF YOU ASK ME. 'KNUCKLE BUSTER' FEATURED THINGS UNACHIEVABLE ON THE ST (WITH A TOTAL PLAYING TIME OF ALMOST 20 MINUTES!!), AND 'W.A.R.' FEATURED AGRESSION, SPEED....EVERYTHING YOU'D ALWAYS WANTED (AND THAT TOOK ABOUT 10 MINUTES). AROUND THE SUMMER OF 1987, ROB WENT TO THE U.S. TO PROGRAM FOR ELECTRONIC ARTS. AFTER A WHILE, GAMES APPEARED WITH TOTALLY DIFFERENT ROB HUBBARD TUNES, MANY OF THEM CONTAINING ADDITIONAL DIGITZED VOICES. IT IS HIGHLY PROBABLE THAT MUSIC PROGRAMMERS LIKE ROB HUBBARD, DAVID WHITTAKER, MARTIN GALWAY AND BEN DAGLISH ARE THE ONLY FEW PEOPLE THAT HAVE KEPT UP C-64 SALES FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS. IF THE C-64 WOULDN'T HAVE HAD SUCH A BLEEDIN' TERRIFIC SOUNDCHIP, I SERIOUSLY DOUBT IF IT WOULD EVER HAVE REACHED THE SALES FIGURES IT NOW HAS HAD. FOR SUCH A SMALL AND CHEAP COMPUTER SYSTEM, THE '64 OFFERS SEMI-PROFESSIONAL SOUND CAPABILITIES, THAT OUTRANK THE ST'S SOUND CAPABILITIES BY MILES. AND I EVEN THINK THE AMIGA'S SOUND ISN'T AS GOOD AS THE '64'S (HONESTLY!). THAT'S, IN SHORT, WHAT ROB HAS DONE ON THE COMMODORE 64 - NEARLY ALL OF THE C-64 MUSIX ARE INCLUDED IN THIS DEMO. BUT WHAT HAS ROB DONE ON THE ST? THINGS ALL STARTED WITH MICRODEAL'S 'GOLDRUNNER', A GOOD SHOOT-'EM-UP GAME WITH THE ATARI ST VERSION OF THE COMMODORE 64 'HUMAN RACE 4' MUSIC. I COULD HAVE KISSED THE POOR MAN'S FEET WHEN I HEARD HE HAD DECIDED TO START PROGRAMMING ON THE ST AS WELL! A FEW MONTHS LATER, 'JUPITER PROBE' (ALSO FROM MICRODEAL) ARRIVED. IT CONTAINED AN ORIGINAL ST COMPOSITION OF THE MASTER HIMSELF, AND I FEAR THAT WAS THE ONLY GOOD THING TO BE SAID ABOUT THIS RELATIVELY LOUSY 'SEQUEL' TO 'GOLDRUNNER'. THOSE ARE, AT THE MOMENT, THE ONLY GAMES THAT HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN LAUNCHED WITH ROB HUBBARD MUSIC IN IT. ROB HAS ALREADY FINISHED THE MUSIC FOR 'THRUST' (FIREBIRD) AND 'WARHAWK' (ALSO FIREBIRD), WHEREAS 'ACE II' (FROM CASCADE) IS SAID TO INCLUDE ROB HUBBARD MUSIC AS WELL. SINCE ALL THESE MUSIX ARE COMPOSITIONS THAT WERE ORIGINALLY DONE ON THE '64, MAD MAX HAS ALREADY DONE THEM ALL - AND INCLUDED THEM IN THIS DEMO, OF COURSE. WHEN THE ACTUAL ST VERSIONS OF THE GAMES APPEAR, I THINK IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO COMPARE THE VERSIONS OF MAD MAX AND ROB - WHO MADE THE ST VERSION TOTALLY INDEPENDENTLY. I HAVE HEARD FROM THE MERCENARY CRACKER (TMC - NOT MUCH OF AN ST FANATIC, I FEAR) THAT THE 'THRUST' MUSIC IS LARGELY REMIXED AND HE CALLED IT 'MEGA-TERRIFIC'! HE HEARD IT ON THE PCW SHOW IN LONDON, SEPTEMBER 1987. I PERSONALLY CANNOT WAIT TO HEAR IT (AND, SO I GATHER, NEITHER CAN MAD MAX!). SO ROB HUBBARD IS KIND OF AN IDOL FOR US, MAKING MUSIC THAT CAN REJOICE OUR HEARTS EVERY TIME WE HEAR IT. MAY HE CONTINUE TO GO ON PROGRAMMING MUSIC, AND MAY HE LIVE LONG AND PROSPEROUS FOREVER AFTER....... ?!?

ARE YOU STILL WAITING FOR THE EXPLANATION OF BORDER SCROLLING TECHNIQUES? I THINK YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT A LITTLE BIT LONGER - WE'RE NOT EVEN HALFWAY, YET! SORRY, BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO GET TO LEARN ALL ABOUT THIS REVOLUTIONARY TECHNIQUE, PAL!

AN INTERESTING AND ALSO QUITE APPROPRIATE SUBJECT TO WRITE ABOUT IN A SCROLLING LIKE THIS IS THE SUBJECT OF MUSIC PROGRAMMING ON THE ST IN GENERAL. IN THE BEGINNING....BACK IN 1986....THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE BUT SIMPLE MUSIC, BASIC-LIKE AND NOT USING ANY DIFFERENT WAVEFORMS. ALL ONE COULD LISTEN TO WAS 'MUSIC STUDIO' TUNES - DULL, DULL. I HAVE EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT SELLING MY ST MORE THAN ONCE IN THOSE DAYS - THE DARK AGES. AT THE END OF 1986, A GAME CALLED 'EXTENSOR' (Nr.2 / Nr.3 / Nr.4 / Nr.5) (FROM A COMPANY CALLED GOLDEN GAMES) WAS LAUNCHED. NOBODY COULD BELIEVE WHAT THEY HEARD: VIBRATO, TWIN-TONE MODUS (CREATING A FOUR OR MORE VOICE EFFECT), TREMOLO, THE WHOLE DAMN THING! THE MUSIC PROGRAMMER BEHIND THIS WAS HOLGER GEHRMANN (WHO HAD ACTUALLY ALSO PROGRAMMED THE GAME ITSELF). HE WAS THE MAN THAT HAD ALL ST USERS REGAIN THEIR SENSE OF PRIDE WITH REGARD TO MUSIC AGAIN. SOON, A GAME CALLED 'HOLLYWOOD POKER' (Nr.2 / Nr.3 / Nr.4 /Nr.5) (FEATURING THE SAME TYPE OF SOUND) APPEARED - ALSO PROGRAMMED BY HOLGER GEHRMANN. HOLGER HAS REALLY DESERVED THE TITLE OF 'ST SOUND PIONEER' BY THESE PROCEEDINGS OF HIS. UNFORTUNATELY, HE'S NOT DOING MUCH ON THE ST LATELY. THE ONLY THING I HEARD OF HIM WAS THE 'SPACE PORT' (Nr.2 / Nr. 3) MUSIC RECENTLY (THAT'S A KINDA 'FORT APOCALYPSE' GAME). THE SECOND MAN THAT STARTED PROGRAMMING MUSIC ON THE ST IN PROPER FASHION WAS DAVID WHITTAKER, LIVING UP TO HIS MOTTO OF 'TRYING OUT ALL NEW MACHINES'. HE DID THE MUSIC FOR TWO MASTERTRONICS PROGRAMS: 'NINJA MISSION' (HIS FAVOURITE TUNE ON THE ST) AND 'RENEGADE' (SOLD IN EUROPE UNDER THE NAME 'OUTCAST'). ALTHOUGH THERE WERE STILL SOME ROUGH EDGES (NOISY DRUMS, FOR EXAMPLE), IT WAS CLEAR THAT DAVID WOULD BECOME ONE OF THE BEST MUSIC PROGRAMMERS ON THE ST. AND HE'S AT LEAST DOING A LOT ON THE ST NOW. WHEREAS ROB DID FEW PROJECTS (AND SO DID HOLGER), DAVID HAS DONE SOUNDTRACKS OF MANY ST GAMES ALREADY: 'STAR TREK' (FROM FIREBIRD - HE DOESN'T LIKE THIS ONE HIMSELF), 'RAMPAGE' (Nr.2) (ACTIVISION), 'XENON' (Nr.2 / Nr.3) (MELBOURNE HOUSE), 'DEFENDER OF THE CROWN' (Nr.2 / Nr.3 / Nr.4 / Nr.5 / Nr.6 / Nr.7 / Nr.8) (EXCELLENT MUSIC, PUBLISHED BY CINEMAWARE THROUGH MIRRORSOFT IN EUROPE), 'LEVIATHAN' (DIGITZED MUSIC, PUBLISHED BY ENGLISH SOFTWARE) AND 'BMX SIMULATOR' (Nr.2 / Nr.3) (FROM CODEMASTERS), WHILE HE'S DOING 'PACLAND' FOR QUICKSILVA AT THE MOMENT (NOT ONLY FOR THE ST, BUT ALSO FOR MOST OTHER COMPUTER FORMATS). DAVID IS QUALITIVELY ONE OF THE BEST! SO ROB HUBBARD CAME IN QUITE LATE, BUT EVEN LATER CAME BEN DAGLISH WHO DID THE MUSIC FOR GREMLIN'S '3D GALAX' AND 'DEFLEKTOR' (Nr.2) (DIGITIZED MUSIC). BEN WRITES HIS MUSIC ONLY ONCE AND THEN TRANSFERS THE MUSIC DATA TO THE MUSIC PLAYER SYNTHESIZER ROUTINES THAT HE HAS FOR SEVERAL COMPUTER SYSTEMS. THAT'S PROBABLY WHY HIS MUSIC IS QUITE DOWN-TO-EARTH WITHOUT ADVANCED SOUND EFFECTS LIKE ROB USES SO OFTEN. BEN THINKS IT'S THE MUSIC (THE TUNE) THAT COUNTS - NOT THE WEIRD OR WEIRDER SOUND EFFECTS. LET'S HOPE HE WILL ENHANCE HIS ROUTINES A BIT, SO WE'LL GET SOME ADVANCED MUSIC PROGRAMMING FROM HIM AS WELL. ALL MUSIC PROGRAMMERS (MAD MAX AS WELL) THINK THERE'S A LOT STILL TO BE EXPECTED IN THE FIELD OF DIGITIZED MUSIC. NOT THE SIMPLE RECORD-AND-PLAYBACK STUFF, BUT INDIVIDUAL VOICE COMPOSITION OF INDIVIDUAL SAMPLES ADDED TOGETHER (A TECHNIQUE THAT'S USED IN LORICIELS 'SAPIENS', GREMLIN'S 'DEFLEKTOR' AND SOME OF MAD MAX' MOST RECENT WORK). SO IT'S NOT YET POSSIBLE TO MAKE AN END TO THE STORY OF 'MUSIC PROGRAMMING ON THE ST', AS DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS FIELD FOLLOW EACH OTHER AT TREMENDOUS SPEEDS - NO ONE CAN SAY WHERE IT WILL STOP. BUT AMIGA-AND-'64 QUALITY SOUND ON THE ST IS DEFINATELY POSSIBLE!

THROUGH TEX, I WAS TOLD TO GIVE SOME ATTENTION TO 'ST NEWS', AN INTERNATIONAL DISK MAGAZINE THAT IS WRITTEN IN ENGLISH AND PUBLISHED THROUGH RICHARD OF THE ACC AS A PUBLIC DOMAIN OFFERING. TEX WROTE THE MUSIC FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF ISSUES, AND THEY THINK (JUST LIKE MYSELF, BY THE WAY) THAT RICHARD IS DOING A GREAT JOB WITH HIS MAGAZINE. HE USES EXCELLENT ENGLISH, BUT JUST A LITTLE BIT WORSE THAN MINE - THAT'S WHY TEX ASKED ME TO DO THIS DEMO'S SCROLING TEXT AFTER ALL. THERE'S NOT MUCH TO BE TOLD WITH REGARD TO HIS 'ST NEWS', ONLY THAT IT IS DAMN GOOD AND THAT NOBODY SHOULD BE WITHOUT IT. SINCE IT CAN BE COPIED LEGALLY BY EVERYONE (IT IS, AFTER ALL, PUBLIC DOMAIN), THERE'S NO REASON WHY YOU SHOULD STILL BE WITHOUT IT! A NOTE TO RICHARD: AGAIN, SEND OUR LOVE TO WILLEKE, WHO INDEED SEEMS TO BE A VERY BEAUTIFUL GIRL ACCORDING TO THE DIGITIZED PICTURES YOU SENT ES FROM TEX; WE HAVE THOUGHT A LONG WHILE ABOUT INCLUDING ONE OF THOSE PICCIES IN THIS DEMO, BUT DECIDED NOT TO DO THAT BECAUSE YOU WOULD THEN GET EVEN MORE COMPETITION THAN YOU NOW ALREADY HAVE! THAT'S ENOUGH ABOUT RICHARD, HIS 'ST NEWS' AND THE MOST STAGGERING, BEAUTIFUL, ETC. GIRL CALLED WILLEKE.

LET'S GET ON WITH DECENT PROCEEDINGS IN THIS DEMO PROGRAM. ANOTHER MORE OR LESS RELEVANT TOPIC IS 'JOKES IN SCROLLING MESSAGES'. THE VERY FIRST SCROLLING MESSAGE EVER CONTAINING A JOKE WAS WRITTEN ON THE COMMODORE 64 BY A GROUP CALLED 'FBG'. THEY PUT IT IN THEIR 'BIGGLES' MUSIC DEMO, AND IT WAS INDEED A VERY FUNNY JOKE! WHAT DOES AN ELEPHANT USE AS A TAMPON?........WELL?......NO?......UUUH....WELL, IT'S A SHEEP! BUT, IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT 'JOKES' TEND TO PERFORM AS EXCELLENT SCROLL-FILLERS, I THINK IT'S ALREADY TIME TO QUIT THIS BULL SHIT, KNOWN AMONG PROFESSIONALS AS 'THE JOKE CONCEPT'. THERE MUST BE ONE OR TWO MORE OR LESS RELEVANT TOPICS TO THINK OF BEFORE

TEX STARTS EXPLAINING BORDER SCROLLING TECHNIQUES IN A WHILE?

AT THE MOMENT THAT I WRITE THIS SCROLL, THE SKY IS BLUE OUTSIDE, BUT SOME HEAVY CLOUDS HANG HIGH UP IN THE AIR, READY TO LET GO A VAST LOAD OF RAIN. AT THE SAME TIME, MY LOUDSPEAKERS BURST FORTH EQUALLY VAST AMOUNTS OF NOISE ALL OVER MY ATTIC ROOM. THE RECORD PLAYER IS CURRENTLY MOLESTING MY AMP BY SENDING KREATOR'S 'TERRIBLE CERTAINTY' THROUGH ITS CIRCUITRY (AMAZING WHAT ELECTRICITY CAN DO!). AT EVERY BASS-BEAT (AND THERE ARE ABOUT 2000 EVERY MINUTE!?!), MY HEAD SHAKES AND MY COMPUTER MOVES A LITTLE BIT ON MY DESK. YES, THEIR DRUMMER (VENTOR HE'S CALLED) REALLY KNOWS HOW TO BEAT THE HELL OUT OF THOSE THINGS! THE VOCALS (RATHER: THROAT SOUNDS) OF MILLE SOUND LIKE THE RESULT AFTER AN EXPERIMENTAL COPULATING OF A CHAINSAW AND A FULL RANGE OF SS-20 MISSILES AND BASS-NOR LEAD-GUITAR SEEM TO BE SILENT FOR BUT A NANOSECOND. MY MONITOR'S SCREEN APPEARS MISTY AS MY ROOM VIBRATES ON THE SPEED'N'TRASH METAL. JUST A MINUTE. I CANNOT BEAR THIS ANY LONGER! LET ME PUT ON SOME SLAYER (THEIR 'LIVE UNDEAD' RECORD). THAT'S BETTER FOR MY PHYSICAL HEALTH....JUST A MINUTE.......................RIGHT!.....I NEVER REALISED THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE TO PUT SO MUCH NOISE ON A PIECE OF BLACK VINYL. 'BLACK MAGIC' NOW FILLS MY ROOM, ALLOWING ME TO THINK CLEARLY AGAIN, AS THE FIRST RAYS OF SUNLIGHT MANAGE TO PEEP THROUGH THE DENSE CLOUDS. I COULD EASILY WRITE POETRY THIS WAY......

WHAT ABOUT THE ST VERSUS THE AMIGA? QUITE A JUICY STORY CAN BE EXTRACTED FROM THIS COMPETITION BETWEEN COMPUTERS (AND THEIR USERS). SEVERAL YEARS AGO MORE OR LESS OF A COMPETITION ALREADY EXCISTED BETWEEN THE COMMODORE 64 AND THE ATARI XL SERIES; THE XL COMPUTER PRINCIPALLY HAD BETTER SPECIFICATIONS THAN THE '64 (EXCEPT FOR THE FIELD OF MUSIC, ALTHOUGH THE XL SERIES ACTUALLY HAD 4 VOICES), BUT THE '64 REALLY OUTSOLD THE XL. COMMODORE 64 OWNERS REALLY STARTED VOMITING WHEN THEY HEARD SOMEONE MENTIONING THE NAME 'ATARI XL', AND XL USERS CONSIDERED THE COMMODORE 64 TO BE QUITE A LOUSY MACHINE. SOMETHING RESEMBLING THIS ALREADY EXISTED A LONG TIME - BETWEEN APPLE AND IBM. IN THIS CASE, APPLE HAD THE BETTER SPECIFICATIONS AND IBM JUST HAPPENED TO HAVE THE WORLD STANDARD ON THEIR HANDS WITH THEIR MS DOS OPERATING SYSTEM.

VERY SOON AFTER THE LAUNCH OF THE ST, THE AMIGA ACTUALLY BECAME AVAILABLE FOR THE PUBLIC. IMMEDATELY SOMETHING VERY MUCH LOOKING LIKE THE TWO PREVIOUS CASES DEVELOPED: THE AMIGA HAD THE BETTER SPECIFICATIONS (EXCEPT FOR ITS MEMORY, WHICH REALLY IS FAR TOO LESS), BUT THE ATARI SOLD BETTER. NOW, MANY ATARI ST USERS START THROWING UP WHEN THEY HEAR SOMEONE MENTIONING THE AMIGA, AND NEARLY ALL AMIGA USERS TRULY THINK THE ATARI ST IS A HEAP OF SHIT (AND THE WORST THING IS THAT THEY REALLY THINK IT IS A HEAP OF SHIT, WHEREAS ATARI ST USERS JUST TALK NEGATIVELY ABOUT THE AMIGA FOR JEALOUSY REASONS). THAT JEALOUSY, BY THE WAY, GROWS LESS AND LESS BY THE DAY BECAUSE DEMO PROGRAMS LIKE THIS START APPEARING ON THE ST, TOGETHER WITH MORE AND MORE EXCELLENT GAMES AND OTHER PROGRAMS. AND HAVE YOU NOTICED ALL THE AMIGA USERS SAYING THAT THEY 'CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON TWO HUNDRED DISKS FILLED WITH SOFTWARE'? PECULIAR, ISN'T IT, THAT NONE OF THEM ACTUALLY HAVE THAT MANY DISKS? AND MOST OF THEIR DISKS ARE FILLED WITH DIGITIZED MUSIC SHOWS (LIKE THE 'MIAMI VICE' THEME THAT USES UP A COUPLE OF DOUBLE SIDED DISKS FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES OF MUSIC). REALLY, THE COMPACT DISK VERSION SOUNDS MUCH BETTER (AND ONLY USES UP A SMALL PART OF A COMPACT DISK). IF YOU HAPPEN TO COME AT A USERGROUP WHICH ALSO HOUSES SOME PROUD AMIGA OWNERS, JUST ASK THEM IF THEY CAN SHOW YOU THE 'FABULOUS' 640X400 RESOLUTION WITH 16 COLORS. JUST LOOK AT THE SCREEN BEING SOMEWHAT RESTLESS. THEIR ANSWER WILL PROBABLY BE: 'I CAN USE SOME COLOR COMBINATIONS THAT WON'T SHOW THIS', OR 'TOMORROW I WILL GET AN ADAPTED WORKBENCH THAT HAS TAKEN CARE OF THIS SMALL PROBLEM'. FEELING SOME KIND OF PITY FOR THESE POOR PEOPLE, YOU GO BACK TO YOUR ST AND RUN THIS DEMO PROGRAM - 320X264 (!) GRAPHIXX WITH DOZENS AND DOZENS OF COLORS AND DOZENS AND DOZENS OF EXCELLENT MUSIX. YOU'D BETTER NOT HAVE THAT AMIGA FREAK NEAR, OR HE WILL PROBABLY START SLAVERING ON YOUR 'ATARI' T-SHIRT!

IF YOU WANT TO ENJOY THIS DEMO AS WELL AS POSSIBLE, YOU SHOULD TRY TO GET YOUR HANDS ON SOME SOLDERING GEAR AND SOME WIRES, AND CONNECT YOUR ST TO AN EXTERNAL AMPLIFIER. TO ACHIEVE THIS, YOU SHOULD CONNECT PINS 1 (GROUND) AND 13 (AUDIO OUT) OF YOUR ST'S MONITOR OUTLET TO PINS 2 (GROUND) AND 1 (AUDIO IN) OF YOUR AMPLIFIER RESPECTIVELY. IF THAT DOESN'T WORK, YOU SHOULD CONNECT PIN 8 OF YOUR ST TO THE AMPLIFIER'S GROUND INSTEAD OF PIN 1. JUST BOOST UP YOUR AMP AND RESTART THE DEMO, AND YOU WON'T BELIEVE YOUR OWN EARS! JUST LOOK OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW AND YOU'LL NOTICE A LOT OF PEOPLE WANDERING AROUND IN YOUR STREET WITH FIGHTING GEAR IN THEIR HANDS, READY TO DEMOLISH THE PERSON THAT HAD KEPT THEM FROM HEARING GREAT MUSIC ALL THAT TIME. LISTEN TO THE DRUMS....THE BASS.....THE LEAD VOCALS...LOOK AT THE GRAPHIXX...NOTHING LIKE IT EXISTS ANYWHERE, AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE ST'S SOUNDCHIP IS INDEED A SOUNDCHIP THAT HAS TO BE RECKONED WITH; ONE JUST HAS TO PROGRAM IT PROPERLY, AND USE A DECENT AMPLIFIER AS WELL... I CAN IMAGINE THAT YOU'RE NOW HAVING TROUBLES READING AFTER SUCH A LONG TIME ALREADY, AND THAT'S WHY YOU CAN NOW GIVE YOUR EYES SOME REST. JUST LISTEN TO THE MUSIC FOR A WHILE AND LET YOUR EYES STRAY FROM THE COMPUTER SCREEN

.......................................WE'RE HALF-WAY; JUST REST A BIT MORE.......................................

THAT'S IT, FOLKS! I DONT' WANT YOU ALL TO THINK THAT I AM FILLING THIS SCROLLER WITH THOSE STUPID DOTS JUST TO FILL IT UP A BIT QUICKER THAN WHEN NOT USING THOSE DOTS. LET ME THINK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE TO WRITE ABOUT.....HMMMMM.....HOW ABOUT COMPUTERFREAKS IN GENERAL? NO. GIRLS? JUICY, BUT NOT APPLICABLE HERE. AH! A NOTE TO ALL '64 USERS, THAT STILL HAVE NOT BOUGHT AN ST, AND ARE NOW DRIPPING FROM THEIR MOUTHS AT A COMPUTERCLUB OR AT A FRIEND OF THEIRS WHO JUST HAPPENS TO HAVE AN ST AND WHO JUST HAPPENS TO HAVE COPIED THIS STIRRING DEMO.....STILL NOT GETTING TIRED OF THAT STUPID 64 KB, 8-BIT, 16-COLOR MACHINE? REALLY, THERE WOULDN'T BE ENOUGH SPACE IN THAT THING TO STORE EVEN TWO ST PICTURES IN ITS MEMORY! BOY, AM I GLAD I HAVE AN ST NOW - A '64 REALLY PROVES NOT TO BE SATISFACTORY AT ALL. JUST PLAY 'GREENHOUSE' OR 'KAKTUS' AND YOU'LL KNOW WHAT I MEAN! LET'S GET BACK TO ALL REAL COMPUTER USERS (WITH OTHER WORDS, ALL PEOPLE THAT TURN OUT TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE ATARI ST IN THEIR POSESSION). ENOUGH ABOUT THAT STUPID '64 (WITH ITS EXCELLENT SOUNDCHIP).

OOPS! I NEARLY FORGOT QUITE AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THIS SCROLLING MESSAGE. ONE CAN USE IT FOR A LOT OF THINGS, BUT SOMETHING FOR WHICH IT IS EXTREMELY SUITABLE IS THE WRITING OF A SMALL USER MANUAL FOR THE PROGRAM IN WHICH IT IS CONTAINED. AND I NEARLY FORGOT THAT... I SUPPOSE YOU'VE FOUND OUT HOW IT WORKS ALREADY, BUT THEN...YOU MIGHT HAVE FOUND OUT NOTHING IN WHICH CASE YOU'RE STILL LISTENING TO THE 'ACE II' MUSIC. NOT BAD, BUT IT WILL PROBABLY ANNOY YOU JUST THE SAME AFTER 1.5 HOURS OF REPEATED LISTENING. WELL. ON THE SCREEN, YOU COULD ALREADY READ THAT YOU CAN PRESS KEYS 1-3 FOR ANY OF THE THREE STUNNING PSYCH-O-SCREENS. THE FIRST ONE LOOKS LIKE NOTHING SPECIAL, BUT DO MARK THE RAINBOW RISING AND LOWERING ITSELF THROUGH THE BORDER (MIND THE CUBE IN THE MIDDLE!). THE SECOND SCREEN OFFERS (EXCEPT FOR MANY AN HOUR SPENT PROGRAMMING IT) MANY (MANY!!) COLORS, A FISH SUDDENLY APPEARING BELOW THE BORDERLINE (MADONNA?!) AND SOME NIFY TRICKS. THE THIRD OFFERS REAL PSYCH-O-ACTION (YOU'LL PROBABLY GET AS MUCH OF A HEADACHE LOOKING AT IT THAN TEX GOT PROGRAMMING IT...). THEN THERE'S THE 'BIG' SCROLL, OBTAINABLE BY PRE

SSING THE 'B' ON YOUR KEYBOARD (I HOPE YOU KNOW WHERE THAT ONE IS LOCATED). THAT SCROLLING MESSAGE HAS ANOTHER TEXT THAN THIS ONE (MUCH SHORTER, BUT NOT LESS INTERESTING!). THE MUSIX CAN BE SELECTED FROM THE LIST BY PRESSING THE ARROW UP AND DOWN KEYS. SELECTING IS DONE BY PRESSING THE 'RETURN' KEY. THE TUNE CURRENTLY PLAYING IS HIGHLIGHTED. OOOF. I WAS JUST IN TIME TO WRITE THIS, AS SPACE IS BEGINNING TO RUN LOW (BUT PLEASE DON'T START WORRYING, SINCE THERE'S STILL TIME ENOUGH TO FETCH A NOTEPAD AND A PENCIL, SO THAT YOU CAN WRITE DOWN THE EXPLANATION OF BORDER SCROLLING TECHNIQUES THAT WILL BE SCROLLING THROUGH YOUR LOWER BORDER IN JUST A LITTLE WHILE. I HOPE YOU CAN READ IT FAST ENOUGH - OTHERWISE YOU'LL HAVE TO READ IT ALL OVER AGAIN....(HIHI - SADISTIC LAUGH))......

SINCE THIS DEMO PROGRAM IS PUBLIC DOMAIN (SHAREWARE), IT MAY BE COPIED FREELY. PLEASE COPY IT TO EVERYONE WHO WANTS IT, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO DO NOT PARTICULARLY WANT IT (THEY MIGHT BE GRATEFUL WHEN THEY FIND OUT WHAT THEY HAVE COPIED WHEN THEY START EXAMINING IT MORE CLOSELY). IF YOU THINK THIS DEMO PROGRAM MIGHT BE WORTH A SMALL DONATION (PLEASE, DON'T TAKE THE WORD 'SMALL' LITERALLY!), YOU CAN SEND ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY (IF POSSIBLE IN GERMAN MARKS, ALTHOUGH KRUGERRANDS AND SWISS FRANCS ARE OF COURSE ALSO WELCOMED WITH OPEN ARMS - THE HUGER THE AMOUNTS, THE MORE THEY ARE WELCOMED!) TO: TEX, P.O. BOX 1322, D-6702 BAD DUERKHEIM, WEST GERMANY. ALL QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS, ETC. ARE ALSO WELCOME (WHY NOT?).

EERR...I'D JUST LIKE TO USE A FEW PLAGIATORY PHRASES IN THIS PART ABOUT COPYING THIS DEMO: 'COPY ME, I DON'T EACH MUCH!' OR 'COPY ME, I LIKE TRAVELLING!'. THE GUY THAT INVENTED THOSE PHRASES MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE OUT OF HIS MIND WHEN HE DID IT, BUT THEY'RE QUITE APPLICABLE HERE ANYWAY.

BEFORE I REALLY START WRITING THE FINAL SENTENCES IN THIS WORLD RECORD LENGTH SCROLLING TEXT, I'D LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT COMPUTER PROGRAMS ON THE ST. ESPECIALLY IN RECENT TIMES (NOVEMBER 1987 'TILL NOW), THE ST HAS EXPERIENCED THE LAUNCH OF MANY A SOFTWARE TITLE. SOME STUNNING GAMES HAVE REACHED THE ST USERS, THAT PROVE MORE AND MORE THAT THE ST ISN'T AS BAD AS PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAS. THERE'S THE SUBJECT OF SCROLLING FOR EXAMPLE. SCROLLING 32 KB OF VIDEO MEMORY CAN BE DONE QUITE SMOOOTHLY WHEN DONE VERTICALLY (LOOK AT 'GOLDRUNNER' OR, ALTHOUGH LESS, 'XENON'), BUT HORIZONTAL SCROLLERS HAVE BEEN VERY BAD ALL THE TIME (TOPOTYPE: 'GAUNTLET', WHEREAS 'SKYRIDER' ISN'T MUCH FUN EITHER). 'METRO CROSS' USED TO BE THE ONLY GAME FEATURING SMOOTH HORIZONTAL SCROLLING (ONLY OVER A SMALL PART OF THE SCREEN), AND 'ROADRUNNER' CAME CLOSE. BEST IS A GAME CALLED 'WINTER OLYMPIAD '88', FEATURING TWIN-SPEED SMOOTH HORIZONTAL SCROLLING AND SOME SMOOTH DIAGONAL SCROLLING AS WELL (JUST LIKE 'LEVIATHAN' HAS). SO MORE AND MORE THINGS TURN OUT TO BE POSSIBLE ON THE ST AFTER ALL. AND HAVE YOU ALREADY LOOKED AT THE 'BIG' SCROLL? IT'S PRETTY DAMN SMOOTH AND FEATURES SOME ADDITIONAL TRICKS AS WELL.... ON THE FIELD OF PURE ARTWORK, SOME PRETTY AMAZING STUFF HAS REACHED THE ST USERS AS WELL. WHAT TO THINK OF 'DEFENDER OF THE CROWN', 'CAPTAIN BLOOD' AND 'CRASH GARETT'? AND SCREENSHOTS FROM UPCOMING GAMES (I HEREBY CLEARLY REFER TO 'THE ANCIENT MARINER') PROMISE EVEN MORE. AND MUSIC IS GETTING TO BE BETTER AND BETTER, TOO. THEN THERE'S THE FIELD OF ADDICTABILITY. NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE GRAPHICS, SCROLLING AND SOUND OF A GAME MIGHT BE: IT HAS TO BE ADDICTIVE TO SELL WELL. SOME REALLY ADDICTIVE GAMES ARE 'IMPACT' AND GOOD OL' 'PLUTOS'. AND THEY AREN'T EVEN THAT STUNNING WITH REGARD TO SOUND AND OR GRAPHICS....

BEHOLD! YE WON'T HAVE TO WAITEST DOTH LONG TO LET LOOSE UPON THY POOR AND LOST SOUL THE EVENTUAL SOLUTION THAT YOU HADTH ALL BEEN AWAITING FOR! BUT WHAT TO WRITE NOW? I REALLY THINK I HAVE COME TO THE END OF MY (NORMALLY QUITE EVERLASTING) INSPIRATION WITH REGARD TO THE WRITING OF THIS SCROLLING PREDICAMENT. BUT THEN, YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING MONUMENTARY TO HAVE THE HONOUR OF BEING INCLUDED IN THE GOOD OL' 'GUINESS BOOK OF RECORDS' (SPEAKING OF 'GUINESS' - I COULD DO WITH A BEER NOW SINCE MY THROAT IS JUST AS DRY AS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IF I WOULD HAVE SPOKEN ALL THIS TEXT INSTEAD OF JUST TYPING IT DOWN). JUST A MOMENT, I THINK I'LL HEAD FOR THE COOLER NOW. JUST WAIT A MOMENT.........

........HMMMM.....REFRESHING IT IS! I THINK I CAN NOW DO SOME MORE WRITING TO FILL THIS SCROLL. HOW ABOUT SOME LAST JOKES BEFORE WE GET TO SEE THE TOUGH THEORY BEHIND BORDER SCROLLING? OK. JUST LET ME THINK OF SOME 'JOKES'.........AH YES! I'VE GOT A FEW. THEY'RE COMING NOW: TWO POLAR BEARS ARE SITTING ON AN ICE-FLOW. ONE SAYS TO THE OTHER: 'SHALL I PUSH YOU OFF, INTO THE WATER?'. THE OTHER SAYS: 'NO.' HAHAHA! WASN'T THAT A GOOD JOKE! AND THERE'S ANOTHER ONE EQUALLY FUNNY: WHAT IS A MAN IN A TREE?.......WELL?...... IT'S ONE MAN LESS ON EARTH! HAHA! AND THERE'S MORE: WHAT'S TWO MEN IN A TREE? WELL?........MAYBE TWO MEN LESS ON EARTH?.....NO, BUT YOU'RE GETTING WARM.....WELL.......WELL, IT'S ONE MAN MORE IN THE TREE!! HAHA! DIDN'T YOU HAVE TROUBLE NOT FALLING FROM YOUR CHAIR JUST NOW (FROM LAUGHING, THAT IS)?

THE END NEARS. I AM BEGINNING TO DEVELOP A FEELING OF MELANCHOLY AS I START ON THE LAST COUPLE OF KILOBYTES THAT I FILL FOR TEX' 'BIG' DEMO. ALTHOUGH THE WHOLE IDEA WAS MY IDEA, I WOULD STILL LIKE TO THANK MAD MAX AND ES ESPECIALLY FOR GIVING ME THE HONOUR OF WRITING THEIR SCROLLING TEXT (GOOD FOR MY EGO AS WELL!). SO THE WORLD RECORD LENGTH SCROLL ACTUALLY GOT A BIT LONGER THAN FIRST INTENDED (ALSO DUE TO THE A.S.S. THREAT): IT'S WELL OVER 40 KILOBYTES NOW, 41768 BYTES TO BE SLIGHTLY MORE PRECISE. AND THE 'BIG' SCROLL IS NOT EVEN INCLUDED IN THAT FIGURE!! FOURTY KILOBYTES...THAT'S ABOUT 40 PAGES WRITTEN OUT....40 DISK CLUSTERS....80 DISK SECTORS....ABOUT 9 DISK TRACKS....A LOTTA HOURS OF TYPING....TOO MUCH TO SUM UP, IN FACT. SO I WON'T GO FURTHER. AGAIN, MANY THANKS TO ALL TEX MEMBERS FOR INCLUDING ME IN THEIR BIG PROJECT!! ARE THERE MORE THINGS TO SAY?... I AM AFRAID NOT. SO I'D BETTER GO BACK TO SOME USEFUL STUFF AGAIN (WE DON'T WANT TO LEAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT WE'RE NOT INSPIRED, DO WE - WHERE DID I HEAR THAT BEFORE?). WHEN WATCHING THE BENNY HILL SHOW RECENTLY, I HEARD A JOKE THAT I THOUGHT WOULD REALLY FIT NICELY IN THIS SCROLLING TEXT:......WHY DOES A COW HAVE A BELL AROUND HIS NECK?........WELL?!.......BECAUSE THE HORNS DON'T WORK! HAHA LAUGH LAUGH!

I BET YOU HAD A TWITCH AROUND YOUR LIPS NOW! SPEAKING OF TWITCHES - HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED THE VERY FUNNY GAME 'LEISURE SUIT LARRY IN THE LAND OF THE LOUNGE LIZARDS'? NO? IN THAT CASE, HOP OVER TO YOUR NEAREST COMPUTER FREAK AND GET IT! IT REALLY IS A VERY FUNNY GAME WITH SOFT-PORN TOUCHES THAT WILL KEEP YOU BUSY'N'LAUGHING FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF HOURS. IT IS IN FACT ONE OF THOSE 'KING'S QUEST'-LIKE GAMES, BUT THIS ONE IS REALLY VERY NICE TO PLAY AND (AS I ALREADY SAID) EXTREMELY FUNNY. YOU'LL MEET HOOKERS, PRETTY GIRLS, WILLING GIRLS, WOMEN THAT ARE DYING TO HAVE A TASTE OF SOME 'SPANISH FLY', EXHIBITIONISTS, WANDERERS, AND THE STRANGEST LOT OF PEOPLE THAT NORMALLY HANG ABOUT IN LAS VEGAS' NIGHTLIFE.

OK. IN JUST A FEW SECONDS, -ME- FROM THE EXCEPTIONS WILL START EXPLAINING HOW BORDER SCROLLING TECHNIQUES WORK. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET FETCHED YOUR NOTEPAD AND PENCIL, PLEASE PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A MIND-BOGGLING PIECE OF CONSTANT MEMORY....

HERE IT IS....

HI ! NOW IT'S MY TURN TO EXPLAIN HOW TO KICK THE SHIFTER OF THE ST NOT TO MAKE A LOWER BORDER. JUST A WORD BEFORE: HAVE YOU ALREADY SEEN THE PSYCHO-2-SCREEN ?? IF YOU HAVEN'T, JUST HAVE A LOOK AT IT NOW. THE SCROLLING MESSAGE WILL STOP DURING THE PSYCHO SCREEN. DO YOU WONDER ABOUT THE FISH IN THE RIGHT HALF OF THE LOWER BORDER? WE ALSO WONDER ABOUT IT!! WHEN WE TOOK THE PHOTO OF THE BOARD GLIDING IN FRONT OF THE COLORS THERE WAS NO FISH. BUT AFTER DEVELOPING THE PHOTO THE FISH APPEARED. (HOW I CAN WRITE ABOUT FISHES JUST TO FILL THE LAST 3KBYTE.) BUT LET'S COME TO THE POINT NOW! IF YOU CAREFULLY EXAMINE THE PSYCHO-2-SCREEN YOU'LL DISCOVER A FAINT LINE OVER THE WHOLE SCREEN CROSSING THE RIGHTMOST AIR BUBBLE. AND IF YOU REMEMBER OUR SUPER-NEO-DEMO-SHOW YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED A MISTAKE IN THE PICTURES IN THE BOTTOMMOST LINE (AT THE RIGHT BORDER, 16 PIXELS ARE MISSING.....). THESE ARE EFFECTS OF SWITCHING OFF THE BORDER. ATTENTION!!! I'M NOW EXPLAINING THE PRINCIPLES OF SWITCHING OFF THE BORDER:

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAST LINE OF THE NORMAL SCREEN (NO. 199 COUNTED FROM 0) YOU MUST CHANGE THE SYNCRONIZATION FREQUENCY FROM 50HZ TO 60HZ. THIS WILL CAUSE THE SHIFTER TO START THE RIGHT BORDER 16 PIXLES EARLIER THAN USUAL. THEN WAIT TILL THE ELECTRON BEAM IS IN THE LEFT BORDER OF THE NEXT LINE. THERE YOU MUST SWITCH BACK FROM 60HZ TO 50HZ AND THERE WILL BE NO LOWER BORDER AGAIN. THE GREATEST PROBLEM IS THE EXACT TIMING OF THE SYNCHRONIZATION SWITCHING!! YOUR ROUT WILL BE DISTURBED BY KEYBOARD AND TIMER C INTERRUPTS. IF YOU DON'T SUCCEED IN TIMING THE PROGRAM EXACTLY THERE MIGHT BE 2 DIFFERENT EFFECTS: IN THE EASIER CASE YOU'LL SEE THE BORDER AGAIN FOR A MOMENT, IN THE OTHER CASE YOU'LL SEE CURIOUS THINGS HAPPEN ON YOUR SCREEN (FLICKERING BITPLANES AND SO ON). AN OTHER RESULT OF SWITCHING OFF THE BORDER IS A CONFUSED VIDEO SHIFTER WHICH IS STARTING THE RIGHT BORDER 16 PIXLES TOO SOON AS HE DOESN'T WANT TO SHOW THE LAST 2 BYTES OF THE VIDEO MEMORY. THEREFORE THE FIRST ADDRESS DISPLAID IN THE FIRST LINE OF THE 'BORDER' IS 31998 BYTES BEHIND THE FIRST ADDRESS OF THE SCREEN !! SO YOU MUST MOVE YOUR GRAPHIX 2 BYTES TO THE LEFT FOR NOT GETTING 'FUNNY' PICTURES!

PUH !! WRITING THIS TEXT USED MUCH LESS TIME THAN MAKING THE LOUSY PSYCHO-2-SCREEN FOR WHICH I NEEDED 48 HOURS OF HARD PROGRAMMING AND I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG ES NEEDED TO PAINT THE GRAPHIX WITH NEOCHROME, THE BEST PAINTING PROGRAM ON THE ST!!! THAT'S ABOUT IT, FOLKS! THE 99TH PERCENT OF THIS SCROLLING MESSAGE HAS JUST TICKED AWAY AND WE'RE UNMISTAKABLY NEARING THE 100TH (AND FINAL) PERCENT NOW.... IN A FEW SECONDS, THE SCROLLING MESSAGE WILL START ANEW.... AU REVOIR AUF WIEDERSEHEN TOT ZIENS ARRIVIDERCI TSCHUESS GOOD BYE HOUDOE DOEG SEE YOU LATER, ALLIGATOR .....ANYWAY, WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN IN THE NEXT TEX DEMO (IF ONE SHOULD BE MADE SOMETIMES). BYE!