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The best type in magazine programs


adamchevy

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I’m working on obtaining a collection of vintage magazines that had good type in programs for the Atari 400/800. I wasn’t old enough at the time to enjoy typing programs in on an 400/800, so any suggestions of what particular magazines to get would be much appreciated. If you can remember the name/month/year that would be amazing.

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If you really need to type... most if not all can be downloaded from game sites.

 

Compute! had a good number. Computer and Video Games had a few, I remember typing in Balloonacy which was pretty good.

 

Atari specific magazines also like Antic, Analog, Page 6 and Atari User.

 

 

The advanced search page at AtariMania lets you look up games by publisher - in most cases the games you'll find appeared in the magazine though I think Antic might have had some that were disk only.

Edited by Rybags
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I tried doing that with SoftSide magazine but what OCRed it wasn't good and I would have spent more time finding all of the mistakes. Google had an API library that you could teach by providing examples of each letter but it still wasn't perfect. I, instead, got my hands on most of the typed in programs. The problem is that stupid dot matrix font they decided to use. Some letter look too much like other letters. I guess they didn't expect people to copy/paste this into their emulators 30+ years later. :grin:

 

Or copy and paste the program type in text into Altirra :-D

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I’m working on obtaining a collection of vintage magazines that had good type in programs for the Atari 400/800. I wasn’t old enough at the time to enjoy typing programs in on an 400/800, so any suggestions of what particular magazines to get would be much appreciated. If you can remember the name/month/year that would be amazing.

 

Hi there, Adam,

 

I'm partial to Compute!, ANALOG, and ANTIC, but only because those were the only sources I had available to me in the late 80s as Atari 8-bit was on the decline and the Atari ST was trying to compete with the Commodore Amiga.

 

I cut my teeth on the BASIC program listings, learning how the various programmers structured their programs and how they were able to perform activities and functions I was curious about for my own programming needs.

 

Compute! offered program listings for several makes, including Texas Instruments, Commodore, and Atari— so you may want to take on the challenge of converting a non-Atari program to Atari as you mature as a programmer.

 

If you're wanting to explore either ACTION! or assembly language programming, I'd steer you more toward ANALOG, which has a great collection of assembly code for not only ML programs you type in by hex code, but also assembly listing breakdowns for USRs that get called in various BASIC programs— allowing you to extend your familiarity with the Atari's more powerful abilities provided at the machine language level.

 

I think, too, someone recently posted an Index of a magazine's articles. You may want to give that a look to see if anything jumps out at you and piques your interest. :)

 

--Tim

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I have the entire set of ANTIC. Always loved it. In fact, I still read through them. I understand wanting to type in programs. It gives you that tactical connection to the 8-bits, which is still the charm of the 8-bit series (say over the more advanced windows-based machines we have now, including the excellent ST series). I prefer ANTIC. All their type-ins were contained in a special section of the magazine. They also used an error checked, TYPO, TYPO II. Works really well. I have a bunch of Analog mags as well, but they just weren't as good as ANTIC. ANTIC always (in the article that always accompanied the program) explained the programming structure, why the program worked....always a lesson there, usually a lesson in BASIC programming structure. I suggest any of the JD CASTEN programs (great platform games). JD was prolific and his games are fun, playable. Check him out in ANTIC.

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By the time I had migrated to the Atari computers, from other platforms, I was getting most of the magazine programs on disk, though there was always a bonus type-in or two. One I remember typing in and getting a bit frantic doing so, was BBK Artist, which was from Analogue Computing, I think. Lots of numbers. Fortunately there was Typo II, also typed in. ;)

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ANTIC had a fairly decent Game of the Month every issue. Some had bonus type-in games.

 

I thought Warrior 3000 (Feb 1986?) was an exceptional 2 player game. I thought I read theres a construction set to create levels but I probably was just dreaming it

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I liked "Ski!" from Compute! February 1983. It's a downhill skiing game in BASIC that's pretty comparable to Intellivision Skiing or Activision Skiing for the 2600.

 

It runs at just the perfect pace if you use Altirra Basic rather than Atari Basic.

Where can I find it?

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I would suggest some of the later Softside type in programs. They are all pretty good. But they also have a good section just before the listing about what each section of the program dose, and an explanations of all variables. There is a very good compilation zip file of all issues as excellent quality pdf's, with all programs ready to run somewhere in here. I also have that file.

If you want a really good program, and want some major eye strain to go with typing it in, try LiveWire from ANALOG magazine!!

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Typing in BASIC programs does more to teach typing in general as do all the typing programs (wiz type, word invaders etc.... now if he want to become the number pad wizard that's another story... picks up mouse and talk into it... nothing happens... drops mouse and cracks knuckles muttering... - a keyboard, how quaint! :)

Edited by _The Doctor__
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Heh, I remember doing that with my Vic 20 and not knowing how to get the special characters at first. Made for some interesting gameplay.

Compute's Gazette was the Commie-door mag of the time.

 

I couldn't even imagine typing in games on a 400's membrane.

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