8 bit computer Atari 8 bit computer game instructions (.pdfs & .jpegs)

[Fingolfin]

Unable to locate an even modestly complete and convenient archive for Atari 8 bit computer game instructions, I have decided to start my own here at AtariAge (several websites have good resources available but I couldn't find any that are a) mostly complete and b) dedicated to easy access of game manuals for off-line use).

 

If this post is duplicating another/other post(s)/thread(s) or is otherwise redundant here or anywhere else I apologize for causing any cognitive or organizational dissonance in advance.

 

Also if you are at all like me (first, heaven save you! ), then you like to read and refer to game manuals frequently until mastery is achieved!

I find this much easier to do offline and preferably on a tablet for convenience, easy reading and on the fly referencing while playing.

 

The sources for these Atari 8 bit computer game instruction digital scans are:

http://www.atarimania.com/pgemainsoft.awp?type=G&system=8 and https://archive.org/details/atari8bitmanuals

Both are very good online sources for Atari 8 bit computer game instructions but both are somewhat incomplete and both are set up for primarily online access.

 

Below you will find .zip files that contain the game manuals and instructions grouped alphabetically and corresponding thumbnails that show what each of the .zip files contain.

 

Please note: some .pdf scans had to be compressed; some scans are better than others but all are quite readable.

Some resources here may need some magnification applied but that'll depend more on individuals and eyesight acuity/strength.

 

Also please note that this archive of Atari 8 bit computer game instruction manuals and resources is just getting started: I imagine it will take several months or even a couple of years to become truly developed and more useful to more Atari users.

 

Anyone who has suggestions for other websites for game manuals or similar resources or anything else having to do with this post and topic, please reply and offer your thoughts, insights or advice.

 

I cannot guarantee locating a manual of potential interest but you can try the above links to check for yourself or make a recommendation or request by adding a post; I'll try my best to track it down and add it here.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read and check out this topic. I hope that it is helpful to others.

 

Best Regards

Fingolfin

A-F.zip

G-L.zip

M-R.zip

S.zip

T-Z.zip

[+Allan]

Why are you doing this?

 

Allan

[Fingolfin]

Why are you doing this?

 

Allan

 

Ago ergo sum!

 

To restate:

"Several websites have good resources available but I couldn't find any that are a) mostly complete and b) dedicated to easy access of game manuals for off-line use."

"I hope that it is helpful to others."

 

As an AtariAge noob I would like to help others where I can and where it seems to make sense.

 

I do not mean this as a criticism of any Atari website or resource but the archive for game manuals for off-line reading and use that I would like to try and (help) create/establish does not seem to exist.

 

I hope that others do not think this a waste of AtariAge Forums' resources or my time; that is certainly not my intent.

Nor is it my intent to upset, irk or annoy anyone for creating this topic.

 

Again I apologize if that is the case:

"If this post is duplicating another/other post(s)/thread(s) or is otherwise redundant here or anywhere else I apologize for causing any cognitive or organizational dissonance in advance."

 

 

If I may ask Allan, what do you use for looking up game instructions (especially for more complicated games)? How do you go about it?

 

What do others use? What other resources are helpful in tracking down information and manuals for how to play 8 bit Atari games?

[Fingolfin]

Why are you doing this?

 

Allan

 

To try to add some additional levity...your question is rather existential. (joke intended)

 

Also because it is fun to research online and find a manual that has a good or at least decent scan: seeing manuals for Atari 8 bit games from the 80's for the first time is really fun and rewarding!

 

I am also a bit of an information/history/vintage freak.

I am wired to read stuff, and preferably not always on a computer monitor: it's hard on my eyes to read and play (tablets/ipads tend to be much easier to read/easier on the eyes); I am getting old!

I've had .pdfs for over 40 different 80's Atari books, hardware users guides and programming manuals on my computer and iPad for several years now (most of those .pdf files are larger than 50MB and would need to be compressed in order to be posted here).

 

With this project I just hope to be a competent librarian/custodian/treasure-seeker-and-preserver of Atari video game information and history.

 

I do own some disk software with manuals and several carts with manuals but that doesn't begin to fill the need or interest for more Atari 8 bit documentation....

[Bilejoni]

Thank you!

[+Allan]

 

Ago ergo sum!

 

To restate:

"Several websites have good resources available but I couldn't find any that are a) mostly complete and b) dedicated to easy access of game manuals for off-line use."

"I hope that it is helpful to others."

 

As an AtariAge noob I would like to help others where I can and where it seems to make sense.

 

I do not mean this as a criticism of any Atari website or resource but the archive for game manuals for off-line reading and use that I would like to try and (help) create/establish does not seem to exist.

 

I hope that others do not think this a waste of AtariAge Forums' resources or my time; that is certainly not my intent.

Nor is it my intent to upset, irk or annoy anyone for creating this topic.

 

Again I apologize if that is the case:

"If this post is duplicating another/other post(s)/thread(s) or is otherwise redundant here or anywhere else I apologize for causing any cognitive or organizational dissonance in advance."

 

 

If I may ask Allan, what do you use for looking up game instructions (especially for more complicated games)? How do you go about it?

 

What do others use? What other resources are helpful in tracking down information and manuals for how to play 8 bit Atari games?

I'm not going to bother talking about the obvious issues that you are creating here and I don't want to get into an argument with you or anyone else mainly because this is a hobby for me.

 

 

I will just say though, if you REALLY want to help, you can purchase original manuals, disks, boxes, etc., that have NOT been archived, and put them into high-quality, digital/Web format (scans, ATRs, ATXs, CAS, etc.) and put them up onto the various Atari archiving websites, torrents, etc. (or even start your website/archive of your own scans/ATX/CAS images that you have made from your own media.)

 

If you have a small amount of un-archived stuff you want archive (and we would grateful if you did) you can post them here or send them to the Atari archivist here on Atariage or elsewhere.

 

Allan

[_The Doctor__]

I like what your trying to do, with all the websites that come and go or suffer loss, it sure is good to have another archive out there. I really do like the idea of being able go to a full list and just grab what is needed. Sometimes the exact moment I need something a site is down or there is a DNS error. Many people contribute to all of these sites, I hope they contribute to yours as well. Just make sure to reciprocate and share your work scans archives with them as well. I am not a fan of watermarking and all that jazz, chances are we gave it to whoever now has it anyway. The only marking should be the original copyright, or reserved marks. I look forward to seeing how this progresses, I used to type instructions/guides in and post them on my BBS's. It's all cool.

 

I like that you gave credit to places of note, you could always make a list giving credit to who the original documents came from if they'd like... almost none of the sites do this any more... or at least they're not fastidious about it. As time progresses I'm sure you will run across some gems. Don't forget to offer your findings to the crew of ever present individuals here at AA and other Atari Hobby sites, they run sites like the ones you mentioned, but also sites about prototypes, papers, artwork, you name it. They are a good bunch.

 

We can be a rough old bunch, but we really do like to help. I welcome many of the ideas that flow through here.

Edited February 24, 2018 by _The Doctor__

[retango]

Thanks!

[lbaeza]

Gracias!

[popmilo]

What do others use? What other resources are helpful in tracking down information and manuals for how to play 8 bit Atari games?

Only resource I use is my own brain, lot's of coffee and back catalog of million hours spent playing games ;)

 

On a serious note - yeah, manuals are important for some games, and I thank you for putting it together in such a nice package. Thanks !

[Fred_M]

I can understand Allans reaction. A small group of people (including Allan and myself) are very busy with archiving software and documents for the Atari 8-bit community. Those files are published on various sites a.o. Atarimania. Everyone can visit these sites and make a personal offline copy.

 

Atarimania (and other sites) are always thankful to the people who are helping them to publish as much as possible. They acknowledge that by publicly saying thank you to the people who contribute.

 

I know your (Fingolfin) intentions are good and you are a newbie to the scene. But (and this is my personal opinion) ripping large sets of online documents scanned by others without asking the people involved in those sites is not very nice

 

That's why my documents on my websites are watermarked. If people ask me to get one or more without watermarks, I am always happy to help. The watermark is only there to prevent people to republish them (which took weeks of scanning) without asking me.

 

I know that I am not popular having this opinion

Edited February 25, 2018 by Fred_M

[Fingolfin]

I like what your trying to do, with all the websites that come and go or suffer loss, it sure is good to have another archive out there. I really do like the idea of being able go to a full list and just grab what is needed. Sometimes the exact moment I need something a site is down or there is a DNS error. Many people contribute to all of these sites, I hope they contribute to yours as well. Just make sure to reciprocate and share your work scans archives with them as well. I am not a fan of watermarking and all that jazz, chances are we gave it to whoever now has it anyway. The only marking should be the original copyright, or reserved marks. I look forward to seeing how this progresses, I used to type instructions/guides in and post them on my BBS's. It's all cool.

 

I like that you gave credit to places of note, you could always make a list giving credit to who the original documents came from if they'd like... almost none of the sites do this any more... or at least they're not fastidious about it. As time progresses I'm sure you will run across some gems. Don't forget to offer your findings to the crew of ever present individuals here at AA and other Atari Hobby sites, they run sites like the ones you mentioned, but also sites about prototypes, papers, artwork, you name it. They are a good bunch.

 

We can be a rough old bunch, but we really do like to help. I welcome many of the ideas that flow through here.

Thank you very much for your insights, recommendations and positivity _The Doctor_!

 

All are greatly appreciated!

 

I can understand Allans reaction. A small group of people (including Allan and myself) are very busy with archiving software and documents for the Atari 8-bit community. Those files are published on various sites a.o. Atarimania. Everyone can visit these sites and make a personal offline copy.

 

Atarimania (and other sites) are always thankful to the people who are helping them to publish as much as possible. They acknowledge that by publicly saying thank you to the people who contribute.

 

I know your (Fingolfin) intentions are good and you are a newbie to the scene. But (and this is my personal opinion) ripping large sets of online documents scanned by others without asking the people involved in those sites is not very nice

 

That's why my documents on my websites are watermarked. If people ask me to get one or more without watermarks, I am always happy to help. The watermark is only there to prevent people to republish them (which took weeks of scanning) without asking me.

 

I know that I am not popular having this opinion

Thank you very much for replying Fred_M!

 

I really appreciate your direct and specific concerns about giving due credit to the archivists who have created all of these documents; I do not wish nor did I intend to usurp, steal or step on the earnest efforts of others who take the time to make and share these documents.

 

You and _The Doctor_ have both brought this very important issue up, so I am responding with a multi-quote.

 

As someone who has some desktop publishing background from when the term desktop publishing was still in use I know how long it takes to scan and archive documentation from scratch.

I want to acknowledge all the people who've worked hard to make the content that I am trying to archive here.

I did not intend to deny anyone acknowledgement and a proper, well deserved and most sincere thank you!

And yet I have inadvertently done so.

 

As it stands without acknowledging the work of others I have plagiarized the content I have taken because I have not given due credit; this is not acceptable to me as an individual who respects, values and appreciates the hard work others have done (in any context) and it is even more vexing to me as a would be archivist/librarian of Atari 8 bit documentation.

 

I apologize to you, Fred_M, and Allan and all other archivers for having done so.

 

That is a huge oversight and failure on my part and I want to address this as soon as possible.

 

Edit/addition: It will likely take a day or two to track down the sources/archivists and address acknowledging those sources/archivists.

And equally important to me, thanking all of those sources/archivists for their work.

Thank you for your patience while I am amending this oversight.

 

I have determined how to track down sources/archivists and acknowledge them for the archive.org resource I have used, but how does one identify sources/archivists for documentation for atarimania?

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this topic thread and reply here!

 

Best Regards

Fingolfin

Edited February 25, 2018 by Fingolfin

[Fingolfin]

Recognizing the need for acknowledging and thanking the sources/archivists of the Atari 8 bit game instruction documentation for their hard work and generosity, I am starting the process of converting .jpeg game instruction scans (i.e. non .pdf files) from atarimania into .pdfs. Hopefully this will be useful here and at atarimania (as I will share the end result of cobbling together multiple, individual .jpeg files to make new .pdf files).

 

I will add some as I go when I am through addressing lack of acknowledgment to my existing Atari 8 bit game manuals/instruction archive here.

 

I have also already prepared some other hopefully useful manuals and other game instruction documents for uploading here; will do so as soon as possible (perhaps a day or two).

 

Are there any game manuals or sets of instructions that anyone would like prioritized?

Any requests for prioritizing converting any of the existing .jpeg game instruction scans (i.e. non .pdf files) from atarimania?

 

Thank you to all who have replied, liked posts and offered a thank you here!

I only wish to try to help the AtariAge community.

 

Best Regards

Fingolfin

[+Allan]

 

Ago ergo sum!

 

To restate:

"Several websites have good resources available but I couldn't find any that are a) mostly complete and b) dedicated to easy access of game manuals for off-line use."

"I hope that it is helpful to others."

 

As an AtariAge noob I would like to help others where I can and where it seems to make sense.

 

I do not mean this as a criticism of any Atari website or resource but the archive for game manuals for off-line reading and use that I would like to try and (help) create/establish does not seem to exist.

 

I hope that others do not think this a waste of AtariAge Forums' resources or my time; that is certainly not my intent.

Nor is it my intent to upset, irk or annoy anyone for creating this topic.

 

Again I apologize if that is the case:

"If this post is duplicating another/other post(s)/thread(s) or is otherwise redundant here or anywhere else I apologize for causing any cognitive or organizational dissonance in advance."

 

 

If I may ask Allan, what do you use for looking up game instructions (especially for more complicated games)? How do you go about it?

 

What do others use? What other resources are helpful in tracking down information and manuals for how to play 8 bit Atari games?

I buy them with money. I do not look them up on the Internet because if I could I would not have to buy them. I am not wealthy so it cost me a lot to purchase them. Now some are scanned/archived by others (which is greatly appriaciated) but most of them come from either eBay or some of the Atari dealers.

 

Again, if you really want to help, purchase Atari 8-bit programs that have not been archived, and archive them. If you do not have a place on the Web to post them, I suggest putting them up on archive.org. It's free and you can post very large scans with no problem.

If you just have a few things to archive, you can post them here. But if you are going to do lot of archiving, find an archiving site to post them on. You also might want to contact Farb here on Atari Age to see if you can add them to his Atari 8-bit torrent.

 

Allan

[Fingolfin]

I buy them with money. I do not look them up on the Internet because if I could I would not have to buy them. I am not wealthy so it cost me a lot to purchase them. Now some are scanned/archived by others (which is greatly appriaciated) but most of them come from either eBay or some of the Atari dealers.

 

Again, if you really want to help, purchase Atari 8-bit programs that have not been archived, and archive them. If you do not have a place on the Web to post them, I suggest putting them up on archive.org. It's free and you can post very large scans with no problem.

If you just have a few things to archive, you can post them here. But if you are going to do lot of archiving, find an archiving site to post them on. You also might want to contact Farb here on Atari Age to see if you can add them to his Atari 8-bit torrent.

 

Allan

 

Hi Allan,

 

Thank you for replying again. I would really like to continue/start a conversation via personal message, if that is okay?

 

I know that real Atari gear costs $. I hear you; especially when you try to acquire new or newer stuff as much as possible/as much as you can afford.

I invested in a small collection of Atari hardware and software a few years ago; I also am not wealthy and have one child in her first year of college now and another headed there soon but still saw returning to Atari 8 bit computers as a hobby from my childhood and teenage years as being worthwhile as an older adult.

 

I have tried very hard to keep everything in good shape (in spite of moving and having to put all my Atari stuff in storage for about a year and a half!!!), especially all of the physical hardware and software and all of the original documents, manuals, etc that were purchased new.

 

It was an amazing hobby back in the mid to late 1970's and into the early 1980's when home computing and video game systems were all so new, and it still is an amazing hobby today! A great deal of the time these days I'd much rather sit down at an authentic original 8 bit computer -- especially Ataris, Apples and even old IBM PCs-- than work on a contemporary computer, tablet or phone. But like many other hobbies, the vintage Atari/computer/video game one can be expensive.

 

Although I am a newbie here at AtariAge, I'm not crashing the party late or jumping on any recent bandwagon, at least I didn't think so when I (re)took the Atari plunge (anyone remember the Nestea plunge? ) seven years ago this Spring when I got my first pieces of new Atari hardware and software in over 30 years: a 130XE, Star Raiders and Eastern Front carts, a composite video cable and one refurbished/reinforced CX40 from Best (Thank you Bradley for all your time and help over the years!).

 

I used to say in my late teens and into my twenties that "I grew up in an arcade" because of all the time and hard earned quarters spent there -- obviously figurative language: the food at most arcades even now tends to be pretty limited and trying to sleep there -- oy vey! (again humor intended here)

 

And back in 2012 when my interest was piqued and I wanted to get back into Atari 8 bit computer use and gaming, what was so great was that sites like atarimania, AtariAge, atariarchives.org, atari 8 bit frequently asked questions, and many other sites and even a few Atari dealers themselves helped me a) figure out what I should try to invest in and b) how to make it all work again!

 

Especially the easy to use, incredible all-in-one Atari resource, archive, compendium and friendly website that is atarimania; I used that site more than any other (no offense to the good folks here at AtariAge or any of the many other great Atari websites and resources) to help try to re-educate myself about all Atari 8 bit stuff-- computers, video game systems, software, controllers, manuals, but especially the information on Atari 8 bit computers offered there.

 

Something about the 70's brown/orange colors at atarimania: mood-wise or tonally speaking it's like watching re-runs of the Brady Bunch (that's intended as a high compliment in vintage terms, even if that show was terrible and we only all realized it after we'd turned 12 or 15 or whatever): atarimania's vibe and aesthetic is very 1970's and also very inviting, warm and friendly... 70's style.

 

To me, it seemed/seems that archive.org is to live music recordings and lots of other historical documents and various eclectic collections, what atarimania is to vintage Atari hardware and software -- an open library free and available for anyone on the internet to read and borrow from both literally and figuratively, both websites organized and tended by knowledgeable, generous and helpful custodians.

 

Does anyone out there remember a kindly librarian who helped you find stuff, going from the card catalog to the shelves along with you, when you were younger?

Well archive.org and atarimania make me think sort of like that but even more accessible and widely used and available, and without the coffee breath.

 

(As opposed to AtariAge which for me is like an old experts group from back in the day but with all that the 21st century has to offer and amazing home-brews too! )

 

I tinkered some with emulation but that's just not for me; it was great to see old games running on modern computers but something just seemed/seems very off to me when using emulators. It's rather twilight-zone-esque to me: it seems real but something about my core life experiences and DNA tell me that there's a fancy but hard to discern illusion at work (maybe like being in a reverse Matrix, whatever exactly that might be)...something just doesn't feel right (and like playing old, vintage games on emulators might even suck out my brain, if I am not very, very careful in doing so!!!).

 

MAME has really come a long way and is truly amazing in all that it can emulate, but like all emulators no matter how amazing the graphics are, it'll never reproduce the feeling of playing original games on original gear, whether arcade games or home video games that used "idiosyncratic" controllers like a track ball, weird controllers like the 5200 or even 7800 original US controllers (not that those Atari efforts were altogether successful) or even the N64 controller with rumble it's pack or any game system light gun!

 

MAME and all types of vintage emulators do help preserve the history of gaming and offer it to new generations and all of those folks out there who either can't afford to or have no interest in running and maintaining old vintage gear. Sorry, I've digressed (again).

 

Allan, Fred_M informed me that you're the primary 8 bit archivist at atarimania, and given some of my criticism of the availability and access to 8 bit game instructions and manuals (which still seem valid to me), I can understand why you might be upset with what I have said here and what I am trying to do by creating a downloadable Atari 8 bit archive in spite of the acknowledgment that atarimania is one of the two sites I used to track down 8 bit Atari game instructions (never trying/tried to hide anything from anyone).

 

Please let's try to talk this over through personal messages please.

 

Of course you and the good folks at atarimania may say no to my asking now (and of course I recognize it is after the fact, again it was a huge oversight on my part not to acknowledge all contributing archivists and not ask for permission first from website staff), but I would like to ask you and the good folks at atarimania to consider that what I am trying to do is help others play their Atari 8 bit games and access instructions for those games without being online.

 

I am not trying to rip any website or anyone off or take advantage of anyone's hard work and I am certainly not doing what I am doing -- taking hours to locate, download, compress, organize and then post the end products here-- for personal gain. That I can promise! And I don't want to get anything back in return...I just want to try to help others where a need seems to exist....

 

Also I really did think that atarimania's content was open and allowed for free and open dissemination as is the case with most if not all of the content at archive.org. Am I wrong?

 

I have looked before in the past and have recently over the weekend spent several hours trying to comb through all the documentation and documentation about documentation (i.e. whatever fine print I could find) at atarimania and I didn't/don't see anything anywhere about asking/requesting/expecting users not to repost elsewhere or "please do not disseminate what is posted here" for anything at atarimania (as is clearly the case with the content at a website/resource like atariarchives.org, where they very clearly and consistently ask for people using their site not to repost without permission): including game files themselves and the documentation that goes along with the game files at atarimania.

 

On account of you and you alone, Allan, I have stopped this project altogether and have tried to sincerely and genuinely apologize for the acts of plagiarism that I have committed by not acknowledging the hard work, efforts and personal resources committed to archiving the materials that I have tried to disseminate here with the best of intentions: to help others who'd like to have .pdfs of 8 bit Atari game instructions and manuals for reading offline.

 

Edit/addition: I would like your help, Allan, in order to find out who to acknowledge and thank at atarimania for all of the wonderful content that archivists have contributed there. I completely agree with and see the need to implement some of what _The Doctor_'s reply above entailed: that acknowledgement and a genuine, heartfelt thank you to contributing archivists should be part of this or any archiving project!

 

Allan, I would very much like to communicate with you as a fellow Atari fan, as a fellow human being capable of compromise and reasonable back and forth discussions about what your concerns are in good faith and in person (via personal message). Please consider reading and replying to my messages.

 

Thank you very much for replying here in the forum/topic/thread.

Best Regards

Fingolfin

Edited February 27, 2018 by Fingolfin

[Fingolfin]

Just a quick update.

 

I would like to apologize for the rude and disrespectful tone used in the opening of the post; if and when I can edit that, I will do so with greater humility and with appropriate and due respect for any of the resources and archives I use for developing this project.

 

I sincerely apologize for being rude and disrespectful in my opening post.

 

After re-reading the opening to this post now numerous times I am really uncomfortable with the tone and lack of respect employed there.

 

My sarcastic yet earnest and wise guy tone often rubs others the wrong way; if I really censor myself (and do actually censor myself somewhat ) my communication tends to be very dry and dull. I'll do my best to limit being annoying to others in my posts but also not put anyone reading to sleep.

 

I would also like to specifically apologize for my being disrespectful towards Allan and any other Atari archivist, or anyone who contributes to archiving Atari materials, who I have offended and to whom I have been inadvertently or unintentionally disrespectful by going about this project the way I have: more than a little backasswards.

 

As stated previously I certainly should have asked for permission from my sources first and should have given specific credit where possible to those archivists whose work I am using and reposting (or hoping to post) here.

 

I have asked Al here at AtariAge permission to create and establish a small but thorough and useful archive of downloadable game instructions for Atari 8 bit computers here in the Atari Age forums; I should have done so before. Another mistake I made in starting this project more or less spontaneously last Friday (2/23).

 

My aim is to create a good, small yet thorough archive here consisting of docs for 200-250 games or so that will allow others to download .pdf and .jpeg files containing game instructions for those Atari 8 bit games that really need or at least would really help players play those games (for example simulations like Microprose and SSI titles). Really any game that it would be useful to have documentation for; as it stands the archive I have tried to start here does contain game docs for games that aren't really necessary (like Galaxian, Jumpman Junior or Load Runner).

 

I would like to thank Fred_M for all of his help, time, advice, suggestions and recommendations and for the generosity of spirit he's demonstrated and is demonstrating by allowing me to use some of his Atari 8 bit instruction documents.

 

For now some of these game docs from Fred_M are posted below.

 

Thank you very much Fred_M!

 

I will integrate these files into the the archive here once permission to use AtariAge resources for this project has been granted.

Also I have a few other game docs I hope to share when I next update this topic/thread and the archive here.

 

For now these game instructions are posted here in two .zip folders with thumbnails detailing what is in each folder.

 

Thank you to all for your support and for your patience as this project is under construction and seeking permissions and refinement!

And thank you for putting up with all of my malarkey!

 

Best Regards to all!

Fingolfin

manuals1.zip

manuals2.zip

Edited March 1, 2018 by Fingolfin

[_The Doctor__]

part of the fun could be to name it the flattened manual set, or something to that effect...fresh squeezed manuals! as you are making a small footprint yet readable archive taking up less space. In order to prevent what some fear may happen... the names should distinguish themselves so that an archivist doesn't mix the lower dpi stuff with the high dpi stuff etc etc etc.

 

Just another rambling thought from the muddled mind... (I'm considering an alias change)

 

_Muddle Minded Doctor__

okay okay

-Doc

[Fingolfin]

I like it. Thanks Doc!

 

Small footprint was intended from the outset; must make sure I am honoring my sources and their preferences, if they have any, for borrowing from, redistributing and disseminating original documents but smaller file sizes seem better for this particular downloadable Atari 8 bit game instruction archive.

 

Although I must honor, acknowledge and thank all sources and respect the preferences of those sources, I was thinking all along of compressed .pdf files for everyone's benefit for the immediate downloading and use of Atari 8 bit game instructions and manuals for reading offline and during game play.

 

Compression is not good for archiving for historical reasons and for posterity because image quality is lost but compression does make sense in order to respect the resources of AtariAge forums and for all potential users of game instructions who just want that -- just instructions on how to play their games. 144dpi is usually very useful and readable unless the original scan is not good and/or it was scanned at a low resolution (for whatever reason(s)). Most of the time pdf files compressed to 144dpi are quite good and very readable and useful (especially for purposes here: just getting the instructions on how to play!).

 

Either way -- compressed or not compressed -- I'll make sure to identify what files are/have been compressed (some high res game manual scans have really large .pdf files -- even over 50, 60 or 70MB!) and how those files have been compressed (i.e. what resolution's been used and what compression software or website(s) were used for such compression).

 

Freshly squeezed Atari 8 bit game instructions?

Flattened Atari game manuals and instruction sets?

Flat stack o' Atari 8 bit computer game instructions?

 

Doc, you're a bit of a fellow rambler too?

All the more, good and glad to know ya!

Edited March 2, 2018 by Fingolfin

[Fingolfin]

Hello again!

 

Another update and request for community input and feedback please!

Thank you in advance for your help and time: thanks for any and all replies, input, suggestions, criticisms, concerns, feedback, etc

 

After discussing this topic in some private messages with a few kind, helpful and generous AtariAge members, I have tried to see if OCR scans of .pdf and .jpeg files might work for the purpose of creating a downloadable Atari 8 bit computer game instruction archive/library using simple and easy to read and save/store ordinary text files.

 

I am attempting to take .pdf and .jpeg game instruction documents and convert them into simple and very, very small text files!

 

Please see examples below.

 

Also please note:

a) I apologize for using a .pdf manual from atarimania as an example; it is only that, intended to be an example here for considering ocr simple text file alternatives to original source .pdf and .jpeg docs.

b) I did not take this directly from atarimania although its source is most certainly atarimania because watermarks show this to be the case.

c) I did not realize the source doc was taken from atarimania by means of the watermarks present until I started looking at the .pdf document for ocr scanning/testing and had already performed my test scans and used up my free trial of ABBYY FineReader Online.

 

Again sorry for this; I was intending/attempting to use a non-atarimania sourced document...

 

I downloaded this compressed and rather poor .pdf of the Beyond Castle Wolfenstein manual from www.gamesdatabase.org @ http://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Atari_8_bit/manual/Formated/Beyond_Castle_Wolfenstein_-_1984_-_Muse_Software.pdf

 

I had read www.gamesdatabase.org terms of service and did't believe I'd be violating their terms of service by posting here; regardless, the .pdf document uploaded here for demonstration purposes has been significantly compressed and degraded, and is in poor shape compared with the original Beyond Castle Wolfenstein documents at atarimania.

 

Please note: link provided for demonstration and for purposes of comparing/contrasting only: the atarimania original docs are much higher quality and better/higher resolution than the compressed images found in the .pdf taken from atarimania source docs (downloaded from www.gamesdatabase.org thinking it was one of their own original document/scans/.pdf) and used here.

 

You'll also notice that there are no issues with watermarks in these examples: the watermarks in the .pdf are not present in the text files (and of course they shouldn't be being watermarks and not ocr readable text).

 

One ocr scan conversion of the .pdf was created using a free trial of ABBYY FineReader Online and the other was made using google drive/google docs which performs ocr scan conversions automatically when converting documents (.pdf, jpeg, etc.) by simply opening a document on google drive using the function "open using google docs" and then converting that by saving it as a simple text file.

 

Both ways produce good ocr scans of .pdf and .jpeg files (not great and far from perfect but still fairly good and both potentially provide a fair amount to work with and use to edit and revise); however both ocr scans offer something the other seems not to: google method seems better at identifying more/most/or even almost all English characters/letters of the alphabet (which is very cool and useful), while FineReader Online seems to do a better job recognizing source document text formatting (and that is cool and useful as well). Combining the best elements of both would be ideal...

 

Also pretty cool that google drive/google docs can do this, do so in an unlimited capacity and for free!

ABBYY FineReader Online requires a subscription (or allows purchase of its ocr page scans by the page).

 

What do you all think of this?

Is it a good idea?

It it a) a better solution to using game document scans, b) just as good (text or scanned docs please just help me find instructions for some games!) or c) a much less preferred option for obtaining and using downloadable game instructions?

Please feel free come up with alternatives to a, b and c above.

 

There would be the loss of the graphics, images, etc and some of color and "fun" of the old Atari 8 bit game documents as scanned from original sources (i.e. manuals, reference cards; where possible I would keep and include .jpegs of maps and the like) but there'd be the benefit of a very small foot print here at AtariAge and hopefully this sort of conversion for the sole purpose of creating easy to read text files for Atari 8 bit game instructions could work and be a possible solution for potentially helping everyone while respecting all AtariAge members and their interests while honoring the yeoman's efforts of all of those involved in archiving and sharing Atari vintage documents.

 

Thank you all for taking the time to read and consider this post.

 

Thank you very much for replying: it's greatly appreciated!

 

Best Regards

Fingolfin

Beyond Castle Wolfenstein (ocr using ABBYY FineReader Online).txt

Beyond_Castle_Wolfenstein (ocr using google drive convert to google docs).txt

Beyond_Castle_Wolfenstein.pdf

Edited March 3, 2018 by Fingolfin

[+mytek]

Just my 2 cents. But I would be greatly surprised that all of the archived manuals, games, and utilities on the talked about sites were cleared for scanning, copying, and republication by the original copyright owners of said materials. If they were, then you have my sincere apologies for suggesting that they are not. But on the other hand, if any of the archived material was not approved for republication, then this whole argument has very little weight. Oh don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the fact that I can simply download a book, a manual, or a game for free that I once used to have to lay out cash for. But to suggest some kind of ownership because someone scanned someone else's work is probably a bit of a stretch. Personally I think it's great to have multiple sources for this old (and getting ever older) material, so as someone else suggested there might still be a chance that it survives into the future if one or more of those archive sites disappears. But I totally agree that the owner of this site has the right to dictate the terms on whether this site may be used for doing this, and in what way.

[Fingolfin]

Hello and a bit of an overdue update!

 

Thank you for replying mytekcontrols; with respect to original owners and Atari archive sites today, I had been wondering about issues of legality, ownership, copyrights/trademarks as well. Also, I completely agree that it is up to Al and AtariAge to decide if and how this project goes forward here.

 

My hope has been to create a useful, helpful and downloadable Atari 8 bit game instruction archive/library/resource.

I had thought to try to establish such a resource at AtariAge as a way of trying to give back to the community.

AtariAge as a whole community and many of its individual members have been very helpful to me over the years.

Many members have been very generous with offering their time and help (and often doing so repeatedly, on numerous occasions).

Regarding the community and its members, I also really like the range of discussions and topics at AtariAge: from highly insightful (and often quite varied) views on software and hardware use and options, to detailed discussions of compatibility issues and programming.

 

I was hoping to create useful, helpful and downloadable Atari 8 bit game instruction resource from the outset by attempting to have as small of a footprint as possible and use as little AtariAge resources as possible. Initially I tried using only small .pdf file docs and compressing those .pdf files that were really large (in some cases unnecessarily large for the purpose of just downloading and reading game instructions) to 144dpi.

 

As this project has evolved over the last two weeks I've been trying to use ocr software to convert .pdf files to text files, for a few reasons (see posts above for more about the progression or at least directions this project's taken).

 

Trying to use OCR software as a solution hasn't worked out as well as I'd hoped (so far there have been mixed results at best).

 

The snag is that the google ocr conversion process is not cutting the mustard for games and manuals that really need it: more complicated games and their correspondingly more complicated manuals. Again unfortunately, using google for ocr conversion is not working effectively on the .pdf documents that need it the most, the more complicated Atari 8 bit simulation titles (like the documentation for many or all of SSI's and Microprose's games).

 

Please consider downloading the examples below, looking them over, and letting me know your thoughts about the different scans, the ocr issues here and what might be the best way to proceed. I could really use some feedback, please. Thank you very much in advance!

 

Files below for download:

1) Revised ocr text from Beyond Castle Wolfenstein™ (started as a raw simple text file created using google drive, google docs); the Beyond Castle Wolfenstein™ simple text file came out fairly well with about one hours worth of revision and editing, with a only a few instructions or sections needing to be typed in/added manually.

Please note that one screenshot from the original .pdf of the manual depicting in-game elements and objects is missing; with ocr software conversion from .pdf to simple text files, it is not possible to retain screenshots (or the formatting for most charts and tables found in .pdf source documents as I'm finding).

 

2) Original, uncompressed Silent Service™ manual in .pdf form downloaded from archive.org. This looks great; it's made from high quality scans. It is a large file.

 

3) A compressed version of 2) above made using smallpdf.com. This looks good and is quite readable (also this should be the same file size used in my initial post with .pdf files for Atari 8 bit game instructions). It is a much smaller file size, although in the process of being reduced to 144dpi, there is detail and some clarity/sharpness lost.

 

4) A simple text file of the google ocr raw conversion of 2) above (and not 3)). This did not turn out well: almost all of the pages did not show up; just some text at the beginning and end and the rest is just blank lines.

 

5) A simple text file of the google ocr raw conversion of a Wizard's Crown™ manual in .pdf form. Most if not all of the text is here --google ocr did a good job identifying letters, words, etc.-- but almost none of the formatting is retained. In many cases no formatting is retained at all: there are lots of loose clumps of text, even paragraphs of text present but as many of the pages of this SSI game instruction manual --and almost all others like it made by SSI-- employ various tables and charts, text formatting is mostly lost in using google ocr conversion. The tables and charts disappear: the data is present but often in quite a jumble, a text formatting knot of sorts.

 

Please consider downloading and taking a look at these files and letting me know what you think.

 

For example, do you think the simple text file (end result) for 1) Beyond Castle Wolfenstein™ is useful? What could be improved? What could be removed or redone?

Do you think 3) is inferior to 2) to the point of not being that useful? (i.e. Why do you prefer 2) over 3) for the purpose of being used for this Atari 8 bit game instruction resource?).

What do you make of the raw ocr conversions for 4) and 5)?

 

 

Taking an hour or even two to proofread, edit, revise and add and re-format text where necessary for each simple text file of game instructions is reasonable and quite doable on my end. That's easily done and I'm glad to do it.

 

However, looking at the raw conversion text results of 4) and 5) above, simple text files made using google drive/google docs ocr capabilities, reveals quite a mess with using this technique to try to create simple text files from .pdf game instructions.

 

These more complicated manuals (with their more problematic ocr conversions) would require several to many hours in order to be edited and revised and made into useful and helpful game instructions.

 

I don't have several hours to many hours to spend on each simple text file for these more complicated .pdf manuals, typing in pages of missing content and reformatting (or attempting to reformat) text into intelligible, useful and more readable print. It just doesn't seem practical; even if I had all the time to do so, it might take me months to convert only a few dozen of these more complicated manuals into useful, readable game instructions using the google ocr method.

 

Unfortunately I am still after all these years a hunt and peck typer and I don't know that I have the eyestrength/accuity for the comparing/contrasting original .pdf files with simple text raw conversions which will be required to add/reinsert text and (re)format text necessary to make a useful readable simple text file from these complicated manuals. A few dozen conversions with revisions, performed very slowly might be possible.

 

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this post!

 

All replies are most appreciated: it is very helpful to know AtariAge members' thoughts on this subject generally and here in response to this update.

 

All suggestions, concerns, criticisms, critiques, and insights are most welcome here!

 

 

Best Regards

Fingolfin

Beyond_Castle_Wolfenstein (google ocr with revisions).txt

Silent Service.pdf

Silent Service (compressed to 144dpi).pdf

Silent Service (google ocr raw conversion).txt

Wizard's Crown (google ocr raw conversion).txt

Edited March 9, 2018 by Fingolfin

[Zarxx]

Scanned these old photocopies which don't seem to be available.

 

Haunted Hill.pdf

Floyd of the Jungle.pdf

The Battle of Shiloh.pdf

[Fingolfin]

Thanks Zarxx!

 

Very cool to have these.

 

I hope it is okay but I've gone ahead and made simple text-only .pdf files of Floyd of the Jungle and Haunted House.

 

It was easy to crank out using google ocr as these documents are fairly clean and offer good text for ocr purposes.

 

I'll try to get to Battle of Shiloh later tonight.

 

Thank you very much for posting and adding your scans here!

 

Best Regards

Fingolfin

Floyd of the Jungle (text only).pdf

Haunted Hill (text only).pdf