nd2003grad Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Hi, I'm kind of getting a feel for the waters of several systems. I'm wondering where to start game-wise on the Atari (Falcon and ST). I would like to get an idea of what's going on with these systems as I was generally too young the first time around! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 That's a big question- what sort of games do you like? Are you going to be playing these on real hardware from flopppy/SD card, on an emulator, or watching videos of them on YouTube? Do you have a Falcon? If not you may be able to emulate some games on Hatari but probably not most, and you'll be limited to watching them on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1AB7526F4B7B331C A few games that stand out in my memory from the ST are Dungeon Master, Stunt Car Racer, Oids, Xenon 2, No Second Prize, Wings of Death, Llamatron, Kick off 2, IK+, Super Sprint... a more 'definitive' list was voted on here: http://www.atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=14766 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd2003grad Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 Currently, I'm doing both emulation and the Youtube trick. These are systems I never knew. I love general arcade games, but also platformers and RPG's. I do not have either computer. I'm kind of trying to try before I buy, as I am looking for my next collection victims! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Do yourself a favor and download SuperFly from Resevoir Gods - great, fun game and catchy music! Same goes for Chu Chu Rocket for either the Falcon or the ST. Crown of Creation 3D is the jewel for the Falcon but I don't think you're going to be able to emulate it. If you can find Killing Impact to download somewhere, that's a good one too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Emulation will get you a long way, there's no real reason nowadays to get the original hardware, except for the 'fun' of using it and coping with all the little quirks. For emulation I like Steem SSE, but Hatari is also very good. You'll a TOS ROM image (or probably several to choose from). Disk images of games should be easy to find. Bear in mind that some software only works on specifc machine/TOS/memory configurations, many people get confused by this. (e.g. one game might require a 4MB STE, but another game might only work on a 512KB STFM with TOS 1.02, etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd2003grad Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 Thanks for that info...incidentally, how much/rare is a Falcon these days? As you can see by my profile photo...I'm into torturing myself with old glitch hardware. That Astrocade has put an indefinite halt to further collecting at the moment, but I'm trying to learn in the meantime! I like the feel and authenticity of the real thing for the systems that I love...but I'm trying to keep it narrow now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Falcons go for around $500 to $1000. Better graphics and sound than an ST but not much software. You'd probably have more fun with a $100 or so STE. I've got a Falcon and it's awesome, but I use the STs more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd2003grad Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 THANK YOU!!! Yes, this is all helpful info. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ataricrypt Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Dungeon Master, Stunt Car Racer, Oids, Xenon 2, No Second Prize, Wings of Death, Llamatron, Kick off 2, IK+, Super Sprint... a more 'definitive' list was voted on here: http://www.atari-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=14766 I don't think you can top that reply, what a great choice of games there! Of course as said, it depends on what you like.... Allow me to add a few of my own onto this already awesome list: Wolfenstein 3D, Corporation, Mig-29, Chaos Engine, Lure Of The Temptress, Vaxine, Magic Pockets, Frontier, Stardust (STE), Galdregons Domain, Battle Command, Vroom, Captive, Stormlord, Annihilator, The Immortal, Well 'Ard, Blood Money, Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters, Pac-Mania (STE), Giana Sisters (STE), Resolution 101, SWIV, Gauntlet 2, wow the list could go on and on... lol Love the ST, me! Good luck Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Falcons go for around $500 to $1000. Better graphics and sound than an ST but not much software. You'd probably have more fun with a $100 or so STE. I've got a Falcon and it's awesome, but I use the STs more. I would love to own a nice STE for $100 but that's unlikely to happen. Sell me your Falcon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 I would love to own a nice STE for $100 but that's unlikely to happen. Sell me your Falcon I'm more likely to buy another Falcon than sell my current one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 I'm more likely to buy another Falcon than sell my current one Well you're no fun lol but I'm calling dibs because I have 0 currently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSchoolRetroGamer Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 Sorry if I missed the answer in this thread already and I ask these questions as someone likely to never own a Falcon but more for curiosity sake..... Exactly compatible is the Falcon with the ST line (if compatible at all?) Do ST emulators emulate the Falcon well or is there a dedicated Falcon emulator? Thanks and sorry if off topic or going off course of the OP topic but I figure not needed to start a new thread with you knowledgeable people already answering here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd2003grad Posted March 18, 2016 Author Share Posted March 18, 2016 Hey, this is helping me too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Hatari emulates a Falcon but I believe not the DSP so much s/w won't work, maybe other problems too. The Falcon is compatible with well behaved ST programs, i.e. No games and few apps that weren't targeted for the Falcon. Many ST games have been patched though- look up d-bug.kicks-ass (patches) or atari.8bitchip (hard disk adapted). Lots of ~1993 and later apps are Falcon compatible. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 With that said, I think the FireBee is still available but I'm not sure about its capabilities in the DSP area or just exactly how compatible it is when it comes to games. Maybe someone who owns one can chime in with details with said experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSchoolRetroGamer Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Ah right, Well thanks for that, seems I will remain satisfied with my ST models than, thanks for the clarity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galax Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 With that said, I think the FireBee is still available but I'm not sure about its capabilities in the DSP area or just exactly how compatible it is when it comes to games. Maybe someone who owns one can chime in with details with said experience. There is a batch of Firebee's being remade, so if you want one it's now or never, or wait to pick one up used. Firebee isn't 68K binary compatible, doesn't 'yet' have any DSP, and is a worse option for games at the moment than an ST or Falcon. A FireBee likely appeals more to someone who doesn't think that compiling their own Linux kernel is a big deal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 There is a batch of Firebee's being remade, so if you want one it's now or never, or wait to pick one up used. Firebee isn't 68K binary compatible, doesn't 'yet' have any DSP, and is a worse option for games at the moment than an ST or Falcon. A FireBee likely appeals more to someone who doesn't think that compiling their own Linux kernel is a big deal. Too bad it's so restricted. Thanks for clearing that up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd2003grad Posted January 1, 2017 Author Share Posted January 1, 2017 So, I started this thread almost a year ago. In the end, I purchased three classic computers: 1. C64 2. Atari 800 XL 3. An Amiga 500 I love all three for differing reasons. I'm fascinated by the Amiga, as may not be surprising. I still have a desire to eventually purchase an ST. However, they seem much harder to come by than an Amiga (even a 1200) and it seems the necessary model is at least an STe to get the full experience. Is this true? Should they be near-impossible and expensive to boot? Not in the position to get one right now, but wondering... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjameslv Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Well ste is the best route imo. Now days you cant touch one for under 300 but its still alot cheaper than a 030 falcon which will run 1000-1500 minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leech Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Crazy how the prices bounce. I got my 1040STe last month for 272 USD, and my Falcon last year for 700. Granted I have already upgraded the ram on both to 4mb and 14mb, plus I already had an ultrasatan and cosmosex laying around... but then they are voth my latest STs, ai have a Mega STe and a TTO30. These are fantastic systems. With the 800xl and Amiga 500 you have the Jay Miner design, and once you add the ST with the C64 you'll have Shiraz Shivji design. Kind of wished I had known that back in '91, probably could have gotten an Amiga 3000 instead of the Mega STe, but I did love it. Still remember playing snowball fight and Megalomania with digitized voices and being amazex, while my friend who had a DOS system was still stuck with a PC speaker for sound because decent soumd cards were still 200 plus dollars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Android8675 Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Where the hell are you finding Falcons for $700?! I've pretty much just given up on the Falcon, every time I see one at a reasonable price I don't have the cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leech Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 (edited) I found mine on Amibay. Only downside is it has a Y key that looks like it was from a qwertz keyboard layout, and a UK keyboard. US ones seem difficult to find. Yeah, all the ones I have seen lately have been 1500+. I waited a long time to find mine. Haha, I just noticed... got my Falcon in late 2015, not 2016. So about a year ago Edited January 13, 2017 by leech Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd2003grad Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 Wow...I'll save up in my piggy bank I guess...!!! Sounds like ST is even more expensive than Amiga to get into...maybe I'll try and snag a 1200 first. I was that kid with the DOS speaker...haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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