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BBS ANSI OR ATSCII graphics


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I am interested in looking at and watching and debugging ansi graphics for the opening screens for old school BBS's.

I may incorporate the coding into a new game and i want a database of images to get an idea as to where i can go with this artistic medium.

 

I found a lot a few years back but cant find it now

 

I wish to add a few atacsii vignettes into my game as it progresses. I wonder if it requires a modem line to run?

 

Thanks, Douglas

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am interested in looking at and watching and debugging ansi graphics for the opening screens for old school BBS's.

I may incorporate the coding into a new game and i want a database of images to get an idea as to where i can go with this artistic medium.

 

I found a lot a few years back but cant find it now

 

I wish to add a few atacsii vignettes into my game as it progresses. I wonder if it requires a modem line to run?

 

Thanks, Douglas

 

A good starting point would be to check out some Atari BBSs that are still online. The Atari 8 bit BBSs have ATASCII and the ST BBSs have ANSI. Actually, my Atari 8-bit BBS, The Basement, also has an ANSI welcome screen. :)

 

You can get a list of BBSs at the following link:

 

http://sfhqbbs.org/ataribbslist.php

 

-JP

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I am interested in looking at and watching and debugging ansi graphics for the opening screens for old school BBS's.

I may incorporate the coding into a new game and i want a database of images to get an idea as to where i can go with this artistic medium.

 

I found a lot a few years back but cant find it now

 

I wish to add a few atacsii vignettes into my game as it progresses. I wonder if it requires a modem line to run?

 

Thanks, Douglas

 

There are some offline ATASCII players that will simulate modem speeds

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A good starting point would be to check out some Atari BBSs that are still online. The Atari 8 bit BBSs have ATASCII and the ST BBSs have ANSI. Actually, my Atari 8-bit BBS, The Basement, also has an ANSI welcome screen. :)

 

 

I remember logging into Atari BBSes- they'd have you push return/enter and determine from the code sent whether you had an Atari or something else. Most sent dready looking ASCII screens if you didn't have ATASCII. having a graphical ANSI alternative would be cool, though ANSI wasn't quite a thing then.

 

Even the ST didn't have ANSI, It had a VT-52 terminal by default. IIRC, ANSI was based on VT-220. I actually wrote a terminal program for the ST that interpreted and displayed ANSI code properly on ST for these BBSes. Not sure I ever finished it though.

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We supported ASCII, ATASCII, VT52, Instant graphics, Color Graphics System, and ANSI so I'd say yes. It certainly was supported back in the day.

 

Back in the day, I was planning on adding some Instant Graphics to my Atari 8 bit BBS, but never got around it. When I was thinking of adding it, I posted a message that included some "Instant Graphics". The message is still on my BBS after all these years. I don't remember what it shows. Now that I have an Atari ST again, I need to find a term program that supports IG so I can check it out. :)

 

-JP

Edited by JohnPolka
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We supported ASCII, ATASCII, VT52, Instant graphics, Color Graphics System, and ANSI so I'd say yes. It certainly was supported back in the day.

Anyone know of any IG or CGS documentation? I recently "think" I got the CGS for BobTerm working, but when I went to The Resistance, all the files were missing (got file not found errors on all screens and menus).

 

I'd like to try to implement IG and CGS, but without any docs, I'm guessing it's a lost battle.

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I remember logging into Atari BBSes- they'd have you push return/enter and determine from the code sent whether you had an Atari or something else. Most sent dready looking ASCII screens if you didn't have ATASCII. having a graphical ANSI alternative would be cool, though ANSI wasn't quite a thing then.

 

Even the ST didn't have ANSI, It had a VT-52 terminal by default. IIRC, ANSI was based on VT-220. I actually wrote a terminal program for the ST that interpreted and displayed ANSI code properly on ST for these BBSes. Not sure I ever finished it though.

Other people did finish theirs. ANSITerm and TAZ both seemed to handle it well, others handled it ok... Even the 8-bit has ICE-T.

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The Resistance may have the choice for IGS but it doesn't have anything created for it.

 

The old BBS's I speak of are Starship and Parallel Dimension...

 

I will look for some old floppies with CGS documents....

Edited by _The Doctor__
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Anyone know of any IG or CGS documentation? I recently "think" I got the CGS for BobTerm working, but when I went to The Resistance, all the files were missing (got file not found errors on all screens and menus).

 

I'd like to try to implement IG and CGS, but without any docs, I'm guessing it's a lost battle.

 

I haven't tried it yet, but here's a link to an IG Editor. It also includes some documentation for the text commands that produce graphics/sounds/animation:

 

http://umich.edu/~archive/atari/Telecomm/ig_edit.zip

 

 

The following archive has support for IG on Interlink (in case you don't already have a term program that supports IG):

 

http://umich.edu/~archive/atari/Telecomm/ig214.arc

 

 

-JP

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The Resistance may have the choice for IGS but it doesn't have anything created for it.

 

The old BBS's I speak of are Starship and Parallel Dimension...

 

I will look for some old floppies with CGS documents....

 

It looks like CGS was created by Tom Hunt. Maybe someone can ask him if he still has any documentation? Abdul of Boot Factory BBS may still be in contact with him. I left Abdul feedback on his BBS.

 

-JP

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Anyone know of any IG or CGS documentation? I recently "think" I got the CGS for BobTerm working, but when I went to The Resistance, all the files were missing (got file not found errors on all screens and menus).

 

I'd like to try to implement IG and CGS, but without any docs, I'm guessing it's a lost battle.

 

I also found the editor and Flash plugin on Boot Factory BBS (file sig #3). I think the file descriptions (included in my post below) are useful too. (yes, these were originally uploaded by my step dad a.k.a. PT SysOp :) )

 

File: IGS.ARC
Size: 73770 bytes (577 sectors)
Date: 4-06-99 11:06p
Time: 1 min. at 19200 baud
Owner: PT SysOp
D/L's: 11
Instant Graphics Editor. This ARC contains the Editor, Docs, and a couple
of sample files. Just load the Editor, open a sample file, and you can see
the power of Instant Graphics. Take anyfile you make and place it on your
board as a TEXT file and any user calling with an ST that has the ACC file
for FLASH or the emulator file for InterLink can see your work.
File: IG_FLASH.ACC
Size: 57602 bytes (451 sectors)
Date: 4-06-99 11:18p
Time: 1 min. at 19200 baud
Owner: PT SysOp
D/L's: 5
This is the ACC file for FLASH to be used when calling a board that has
Instant Graphics. Be sure it is on you FLASH disk BEFORE you boot it. Call
the board with FLASH in normal mode. After you have connected activate the
ACC. There is a help menu within the ACC. Have fun.
Edited by JohnPolka
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It looks like CGS was created by Tom Hunt. Maybe someone can ask him if he still has any documentation? Abdul of Boot Factory BBS may still be in contact with him. I left Abdul feedback on his BBS.

 

-JP

 

Kevin Savetz interviewed Tom Hunt for the Antic Podcast in 2017. I just sent Kevin a message that asked if he was still in contact with him.

 

-JP

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I remember logging into Atari BBSes- they'd have you push return/enter and determine from the code sent whether you had an Atari or something else. Most sent dready looking ASCII screens if you didn't have ATASCII. having a graphical ANSI alternative would be cool, though ANSI wasn't quite a thing then.

 

Even the ST didn't have ANSI, It had a VT-52 terminal by default. IIRC, ANSI was based on VT-220. I actually wrote a terminal program for the ST that interpreted and displayed ANSI code properly on ST for these BBSes. Not sure I ever finished it though.

 

Been using ANSI at DarkForce! for like, ever.... Have a dedicated ANSI editor called "FANSI" that works great.

 

Some examples below.

 

I've got code in place that checks an incoming call and if they are using ANSI automagically switches them to

ANSI screens....

 

post-5822-0-97291900-1558655022.jpg

 

post-5822-0-69980400-1558655039.jpg

 

post-5822-0-43014700-1558655054.jpg

 

post-5822-0-27184700-1558655068.jpg

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unfortunately the bbs's that are online today come nowhere NEAR the level of intricacy that 80's Atari warez BBS's did... Not to knock anyone running a current board... But kids with all the time in the world on their hands most certainly came up with some awesome stuff.. I know, I was there.

 

If the OP happens to come across any old school stuff I'd love to see it... Just like everything else, PC, Amiga, Apple and C64 stuff is everywhere.. Nobody wanted to hang on to the Atari Pirate scene for whatever reason. Maybe bitterness that piracy had I guess at least a partial reason to Atari failing - but not really.... It was mostly on atari being dumbasses. :)

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I too would love to see some ATASCII from those days, almost all of it I've seen so far has been pretty basic.

 

If you're on Facebook, there's a couple groups that have some nice examples of ATASCII. Just enter the group name in Facebook's search prompt and ask to join.

 

1. ATARI 8-bit BBS scene!

2. 216 Atari reunion

 

The "ATARI 8-bit BBS scene!" has some impressive ATASCII screens from BBSs that were online in the New Orleans area.

 

The "216 Atari reunion" group includes ATASCII screens from BBSs that were online in the Northeastern Ohio (216) area code.

 

-JP

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unfortunately the bbs's that are online today come nowhere NEAR the level of intricacy that 80's Atari warez BBS's did... Not to knock anyone running a current board... But kids with all the time in the world on their hands most certainly came up with some awesome stuff.. I know, I was there.

 

Hmm. I started calling BBS's in the late 80's and have never stopped. I remember some really nice 8bit based BBS - they were all the rage back then.

 

But...I'm curious about "nowhere NEAR the level of intricacy". Could you please give examples of such? I'd really like to know about them and see if I could incorporate them

via scripting into my BBS (DarkForce!).

 

Got some pretty heavy duty scripts already in play, mass mail, online CD-ROM collections, etc...

 

Thanks.

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