Omnitrend's Universe

[ahclem]

Hi all. I'm new to this forum. I posted this query at Atarimania, but so far there has been no response. I'm hoping someone on this forum will be able to help me.

 

I'm still struggling to get Omnitrend's Universe to work in Atari800Win PLus 4.0. Has anyone succeeded in getting this to run?

 

I've tried versions 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 of Universe. I can get the two disk drive versions to work as far as creating a player disk and fitting out my ship. But everytime I try to use the sublight drive to move to a lower orbit the game locks up.

 

I'm fortunate to have saved my original copy of the game and manual. I've followed the procedure for changing orbit exactly as described in the manual but the game freezes while waiting for the orbital radius to be input. At that point there is no response to any keyboard input.

 

What am I missing? Is there some special setting to the emulator software?

 

Please help.

[kevinmacf]

I'm stuggling with it as well, though I only have Version 1.1 and 1.2. Supposedly RemoWilliams has a FAQ for Universe, but have not been able to find it or the version 1.3 disks anywhere.

 

Any leads on either the FAQ or Version 1.3?

[Bill Lange]

The 1.3 disk images do indeed work with Atari800Win PLus 4.0 emulator using the two disk drive configuration.

 

I've seen the 1.3 version lockup when attempting to move to a lower orbit with the sublight drives (attempting to TRANSFER). Make sure you have the emulator set to the 64KB Atari XL/XE settings with BASIC disabled (and all other options/settings disabled as well). Make a back up of your Player disk before attempting to TRANSFER between orbits and play with the settings until it works for you.

 

Regards,

Bill

[Booster1]

I'm stuggling with it as well, though I only have Version 1.1 and 1.2. Supposedly RemoWilliams has a FAQ for Universe, but have not been able to find it or the version 1.3 disks anywhere.

 

Any leads on either the FAQ or Version 1.3?

 

I too would like to know where the FAQ is on Universe. Where does it say what version of Universe you have? I dont know if I have 1.2 or 1.3 etc. Right now..it wont let me purchase weapons. So stuck at the moment.

 

Thanks

Booster1

[Bill Lange]

I'm stuggling with it as well, though I only have Version 1.1 and 1.2. Supposedly RemoWilliams has a FAQ for Universe, but have not been able to find it or the version 1.3 disks anywhere.

 

Any leads on either the FAQ or Version 1.3?

 

I too would like to know where the FAQ is on Universe. Where does it say what version of Universe you have? I dont know if I have 1.2 or 1.3 etc. Right now..it wont let me purchase weapons. So stuck at the moment.

 

Thanks

Booster1

 

I think I have 1.3. Let me check when I get home this evening.

 

Bill

[Booster1]

I'm stuggling with it as well, though I only have Version 1.1 and 1.2. Supposedly RemoWilliams has a FAQ for Universe, but have not been able to find it or the version 1.3 disks anywhere.

 

Any leads on either the FAQ or Version 1.3?

 

I too would like to know where the FAQ is on Universe. Where does it say what version of Universe you have? I dont know if I have 1.2 or 1.3 etc. Right now..it wont let me purchase weapons. So stuck at the moment.

 

Thanks

Booster1

 

I think I have 1.3. Let me check when I get home this evening.

 

Bill

 

Ok Bill. Thanks. On the format part ..be sure to use the Option to make it see the 2nd drive. This didn't work on the rest of the game play though..so going to try the Start/Enter command when booting the flight one disk..and see if that makes it see the 2 drives. Still have the hanging problem with the sub drive to figure out..and for some reason...wont allow me to purchase. weapons ..so lots to do..but slowly muddleing my way forward.

[Bill Lange]

Ok Bill. Thanks. On the format part ..be sure to use the Option to make it see the 2nd drive. This didn't work on the rest of the game play though..so going to try the Start/Enter command when booting the flight one disk..and see if that makes it see the 2 drives. Still have the hanging problem with the sub drive to figure out..and for some reason...wont allow me to purchase. weapons ..so lots to do..but slowly muddleing my way forward.

 

 

I was playing alot last summer ('08) and was using two "drives" ... of couse it was in an emulator. I started creating a step by step FAQ as well. I'll send it along tonight. I was able to play two drives, max out all of the gear on the ship, travel anywhere, mine planets, etc. Everything seemed to work well though I never got to the point where 'subspace message' appeared.

 

The only issue I remember was something with the number of missiles the ship could carry. Didn't matter what size missile rack I had, I could only carry X amount of missiles. Details are a little hazy.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Bill Lange

[Booster1]

Ok Bill. Thanks. On the format part ..be sure to use the Option to make it see the 2nd drive. This didn't work on the rest of the game play though..so going to try the Start/Enter command when booting the flight one disk..and see if that makes it see the 2 drives. Still have the hanging problem with the sub drive to figure out..and for some reason...wont allow me to purchase. weapons ..so lots to do..but slowly muddleing my way forward.

 

 

I was playing alot last summer ('08) and was using two "drives" ... of couse it was in an emulator. I started creating a step by step FAQ as well. I'll send it along tonight. I was able to play two drives, max out all of the gear on the ship, travel anywhere, mine planets, etc. Everything seemed to work well though I never got to the point where 'subspace message' appeared.

 

The only issue I remember was something with the number of missiles the ship could carry. Didn't matter what size missile rack I had, I could only carry X amount of missiles. Details are a little hazy.

 

Hi again Bill,

 

Ohh boy..you have my mouth watering now. Can't wait to see the details. I'm using an emulator also. It's called AtariwinPlus. not sure of the version..but was done in 2000.

 

Ed

[Bill Lange]

Ohh boy..you have my mouth watering now. Can't wait to see the details. I'm using an emulator also. It's called AtariwinPlus. not sure of the version..but was done in 2000.

 

Ed

 

The four 1.3 images should be attached.

UniverseAtari.v.1.3.zip

[Bill Lange]

Here is the 'Sample Game' I was building. Its Universe 1.3 running in Atari800WinPlus. It a .html file with an bunch of screen shots. I don't remember how complete it is, but should help you out.

Sample_Game.zip

[Booster1]

Here is the 'Sample Game' I was building. Its Universe 1.3 running in Atari800WinPlus. It a .html file with an bunch of screen shots. I don't remember how complete it is, but should help you out.

 

 

Thanks a million Bill. Will check these files out. Really appreciate the time you spent to send. Thanks again.

 

Ed

[Rob Allen]

Maybe you can help me out here... I never had the privelege of playing Universe I back in its heyday, but I am an avid fan of the genre and played Universe 2 and Rules of Engagement (1, 2 and Breach 3 IGS). The fact that all of these games take place in the same universe (no pun intended) was intriguing to me and so started collecting the various games. Well I've gotten Universe to run in Atari800WinPlus, however at the ship selection screen, I can't get the Select (f3) key to work, so I can't select a ship. It's odd, because I was able to get F2 to work on the PC version in DosBOX (though when trying to get to the Launch section in Flight I crashed out with "Overlay not found"), anyway, I'm thinking I must be overlooking something simple. Can someone give me a few pointers? Anyone else had this problem?

[+remowilliams]

You may already be aware of this, but if not - Universe has specific directions to follow when using two drives.

 

 

Using Universe With Two Drives

With the Construction disk - Boot the Construction disk as you normally would and begin playing. The program will ask you if you want to use 2 drives after the section where you purchase a spacecraft. Leave the Construction disk in drive 1 and put the Player disk in drive 2. Press option. When the computer asks you to insert a different disk, (ex. Please Insert the Starport Disk) use drive 1. The Player disk should always remain in drive 2.

 

With the Flight 1 & Flight 2 disks - Put the Flight 1 disk side into drive 1. Boot the computer. When the "Insert Player Disk and Hit Return-display appears, place the Player disk into drive 1 and the Flight 2 disk side into drive 2. Hold down the start key and at the same time, press return. Do not release the start key until the computer beeps.

 

With the Starport disk - Boot the starport disk. When the "Insert Player Disk and Press Return" display appears, place the Player disk in drive 1 and the Straport disk in drive 2. Hold down the start key and at the same time, press return. Do not release the start key until the Customs display appears. Both disks will remain in their respective drives.

[Rob Allen]

You may already be aware of this, but if not - Universe has specific directions to follow when using two drives.

 

 

Using Universe With Two Drives

With the Construction disk - Boot the Construction disk as you normally would and begin playing. The program will ask you if you want to use 2 drives after the section where you purchase a spacecraft. Leave the Construction disk in drive 1 and put the Player disk in drive 2. Press option. When the computer asks you to insert a different disk, (ex. Please Insert the Starport Disk) use drive 1. The Player disk should always remain in drive 2.

 

With the Flight 1 & Flight 2 disks - Put the Flight 1 disk side into drive 1. Boot the computer. When the "Insert Player Disk and Hit Return-display appears, place the Player disk into drive 1 and the Flight 2 disk side into drive 2. Hold down the start key and at the same time, press return. Do not release the start key until the computer beeps.

 

With the Starport disk - Boot the starport disk. When the "Insert Player Disk and Press Return" display appears, place the Player disk in drive 1 and the Straport disk in drive 2. Hold down the start key and at the same time, press return. Do not release the start key until the Customs display appears. Both disks will remain in their respective drives.

 

Thanks, but I was aware of it. The problem I'm having occurs before I can even purchase a ship. The select key (to get to the purchase screen) does not seem to work. The reset key works, but obviously that doesn't help here.

[Bill Lange]

Thanks, but I was aware of it. The problem I'm having occurs before I can even purchase a ship. The select key (to get to the purchase screen) does not seem to work. The reset key works, but obviously that doesn't help here.

 

Frequently used keyboard keys when playing Universe with the emulator:

 

1. F2 = START

2. F3 = SELECT

3. F4 = OPTION

4. ENTER = RETURN

5. ESC = ESC

 

At the shipyard, you should purchase the cheapest design with the most hull space (every penny counts!). Here's how: Press the SELECT (F4) key. The screen will clear and you will be asked for a design number. You should enter 3. After typing in any numbers, you should press the RETURN key.

[Rob Allen]

Thanks, but I was aware of it. The problem I'm having occurs before I can even purchase a ship. The select key (to get to the purchase screen) does not seem to work. The reset key works, but obviously that doesn't help here.

 

Frequently used keyboard keys when playing Universe with the emulator:

 

1. F2 = START

2. F3 = SELECT

3. F4 = OPTION

4. ENTER = RETURN

5. ESC = ESC

 

At the shipyard, you should purchase the cheapest design with the most hull space (every penny counts!). Here's how: Press the SELECT (F4) key. The screen will clear and you will be asked for a design number. You should enter 3. After typing in any numbers, you should press the RETURN key.

 

Yeah, did all that. The problem is the Select key (F2, F3, F4, doesn't matter which), doesn't work. No screen clear, no next screen, just stays the same, like i never pushed the key. I can enter numbers, I can hit enter but all I can do is view the ship descriptions. Maybe I got a bad ROM? Can anyone recommend a ROM? The ROMs I have are: ATARIBAS.ROM, ATARIOSB.ROM, ATARIXL.ROM. I'm using the XL one.

[Bill Lange]

Yeah, did all that. The problem is the Select key (F2, F3, F4, doesn't matter which), doesn't work. No screen clear, no next screen, just stays the same, like i never pushed the key. I can enter numbers, I can hit enter but all I can do is view the ship descriptions. Maybe I got a bad ROM? Can anyone recommend a ROM? The ROMs I have are: ATARIBAS.ROM, ATARIOSB.ROM, ATARIXL.ROM. I'm using the XL one.

 

 

Try the ATARIOSB.ROM

[Rob Allen]

Yeah, did all that. The problem is the Select key (F2, F3, F4, doesn't matter which), doesn't work. No screen clear, no next screen, just stays the same, like i never pushed the key. I can enter numbers, I can hit enter but all I can do is view the ship descriptions. Maybe I got a bad ROM? Can anyone recommend a ROM? The ROMs I have are: ATARIBAS.ROM, ATARIOSB.ROM, ATARIXL.ROM. I'm using the XL one.

 

 

Try the ATARIOSB.ROM

 

 

Ok, still no luck though. With OSB it crashes right at the ship selection screen, I think it needs the extra memory. I think the emulator is ok, it reads select and start in the self-test. It only seems to stop working when I load the game.

[+remowilliams]

I think it needs the extra memory.

The v1.3 disks are labeled Atari XL/XE...

 

Yeah, did all that. The problem is the Select key (F2, F3, F4, doesn't matter which), doesn't work. No screen clear, no next screen, just stays the same, like i never pushed the key.

After hitting select on the ship viewing screen, you should see the following

 

 

This was just done from the Construction disk (with the 1.3 XL/XE disks below), using the VAPI patched Atari800win from Atarimania. Emulator is set to XL/XE, 64K, Basic disabled, and SIO patch off.

 

Universe_1.3__Atari_XL.XE_.zip

Edited March 13, 2009 by remowilliams

[Rob Allen]

Ok... I downloaded those files and am using them. It still didn't work, but then I just hit the pause/break key (not even sure why), and after that now the select key is working. I have no idea why, or what possessed me to hit that key in the first place.

 

I'm not an expert on the Atari computers (the last one I owned was a 2600), so maybe one of you experts has some idea. Anyway, thanks for all the help. If nothing else, these files you provided will alleviate any other problems I may have encountered in the future, and be helpful for any other Universe fans that happen across this thread in the future.

[Bill Lange]

If only there was an online version of Universe, like Facebook's Mob Wars, where we could all play against each other!

[ahclem]

Wow! Almost two years later and I checked this forum out of sheer boredom and what do I find?

 

You guys are awesome. I can't wait to try again to get Universe to work. Wish me luck.

[ahclem]

It worked! Turns out it was the SIO patch that was causing it to hang up. Once I turned that off I was able to change orbit. Awesome.

 

Thankfully, I hung onto all my Universe documentation and notes. I even have a captains log that I kept. Now if I can just find a way to convert my old Player disk to .atr format, I can pick up where I left off almost 20 years ago.

[carmel_andrews]

I didn't know there was a two disk version of Universe, ones i've always seen or downloaded are 5 or 6 disk sets (or am i missing something)

[Bill Lange]

I didn't know there was a two disk version of Universe, ones i've always seen or downloaded are 5 or 6 disk sets (or am i missing something)

 

 

Two disks meaning you can play with two disk drives at a time instead of one saving tons of disk swapping. All Atari version require five diskettes: Construction, Flight 1, Flight 2, Starport, and Player, if I remember correctly.