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Top 10 Atari BASIC Games - from a Magazine


MrFish

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Interesting question.  I typed in a game from 1984, Antic Magazine, called "AMODEM".

 

OK, that wasn't a game...but that is what popped into my head...typed it in, found it very useful.  However, I did also replace it with a non-basic term program a month or two later.

 

I have to admit, although the Atari 400 was my first computer, a friend had a TI-99 4/A and we typed in so many games.  enough to realize it wasn't worth the effort for a basic game.  I think I basically made sure it was a machine code game - you know nearly 100% data statements seemed like a good indicator of level of effort.

 

Anyhow, I will say this...we (my brother and I) were into porting basic games, they ran on the Atari, but they weren't magazine type-ins, they came from late 70's computer books that were really targetted at time shared mini computers before the era of the home computer.  We got ahold of these books because they were sold at radio shack on the discount rack...eh, we were dirt poor basically.   So it was stuff like Hamurabi, Lunar Landar (text version), Eliza, to name the interesting ones.

 

Odd that I cannot think of a single Atari basic game...oh well, I guess it wasn't part of my experience, so I sure look forward to finding some now! woot!

 

 

 

 

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17 minutes ago, zzip said:

Compute published a type-in game called "Laser Chess" for multiple platforms, and I remember the 8-bit version being pretty good.

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-laser-chess_2897.html

I typed that one in too -- and pretty cool. I think it was a 2 player only game, though; and I never got anyone interested in playing it with me.

 

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Yeah, I typed in Laser Chess from Compute!.  It was one of the most impressive type-ins I've seen.  Took a while, though.  (damn these hooks)

 

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-laser-chess_2897.html

 

 

I also really liked Stunt Clown, which I typed in from Antic.  The little ambulance animation was a nice touch.  Check it out if you are not familiar with it.

 

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-stunt-clown_5118.html

 

 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Broccoli Macanudo

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19 minutes ago, Fres said:

I also really liked Stunt Clown, which I typed in from Antic.  The little ambulance animation was a nice touch.  Check it out if you are not familiar with it.

 

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-stunt-clown_5118.html

I think I might have seen it before. Not a bad little breakout-type of game, for having character movement. I think it'd have been a bit nicer if PM's were used for the paddle and little guy; they're the only moving objects anyway, and they could have their own colors and smoother movement. Well, I guess being a type-in, they need to make them small enough to fit just a few pages...

 

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Fill 'er Up from ANALOG Issue 10 was a great QIX clone and really good fun.

 

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-fill-er-up_1963.html

 

Later got Ripped off and released commercially as Electric Starfish by Callisto, Dixons & Prism Leisure and by Quellesoft as Starkstrom Seestern

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7 minutes ago, Mr Robot said:

Fill 'er Up from ANALOG Issue 10 was a great QIX clone and really good fun.

 

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-fill-er-up_1963.html

 

Later got Ripped off and released commercially as Electric Starfish by Callisto, Dixons & Prism Leisure and by Quellesoft as Starkstrom Seestern

 

Yeah, it's a decent Qix clone, that I've played before. I'm not really thrilled with the control scheme.

 

Only thing is, it's wasn't done using Atari BASIC, it's machine language.

 

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12 hours ago, zzip said:

Compute published a type-in game called "Laser Chess" for multiple platforms, and I remember the 8-bit version being pretty good.

http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-laser-chess_2897.html

 

Analog published something called "Paper Weight".  It wasn't exactly a game in that you didn't play it,  it played you!

Laser Chess seems like a good candidate to convert to play over FujiNet

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12 minutes ago, FifthPlayer said:

Boot with Atari Basic, then RUN "D:SKI.BAS"

Ski.atr 130.02 kB · 2 downloads

Thanks. A little bold to attempt a scrolling game in BASIC. I can't say I like it too much though. The level design isn't so great and I don't really like falling every time I hit a marker; and the game start sequence is a little weird. It does play a little better in TBXL.

 

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3 minutes ago, FifthPlayer said:

I find it plays nicely in Altirra Basic.   The game start sequence is a bit weird, but that is because it's building the course as it shows a "preview".

Yeah, Altirra should be good for it too.

 

I got that about the game sequence. I guess a little message to the user about "building course" would help; but as you say, it's somewhat of a preview. Then there's the tone that plays until you hit the button. I guess it's supposed to be the release gate sound.

 

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  • 2 years later...

I loved the game Handel from the Atari Info Listing special '87. It is in Dutch though. I made some minor improvements to the game.

 

Wondering whether Nerm of Bemer is also known from magazine? I love Nerm of Bemer as one of my most amazing games, where it doesn't even matter thar it is in Basic.

 

 

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my Top Ten Basic listings:

 

Schatzhoehle by Peter Bluemer from Happy Computer magazine   https://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=5784

Super Miner 2 (or Superminer 2) by Kemal Ezcan from Computronic   https://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=3005

Bubbler by Kemal Ezcan from Homecomputer   http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-bubbler_11927.html

Bank Panik by Oliver Schmidt from Computer Kontakt   https://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=1406

Danger Hunt by Jan Engelhardt from Computer Kontakt   http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-danger-hunt_1498.html

Jumper 2 by Jona Fuchs from Happy Computer mag.   http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-jumper-2_2704.html

Jack the Digger by Jens Berke from Homecomputer mag.   http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-jack-the-digger_2632.html

Nasenjack (or Nasen Jack) by Kemal Ezcan from Homecomputer mag.  http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-nasen-jack_3661.html

Diamonds by Frank Priggert from Computronic   http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-diamonds_1620.html

Big Quest by Kemal Ezcan from Computronic   http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-big-quest_625.html

 

honorable mention:

- Wombel auf dem Eis by Joerg Loeffler from Computer Kontakt   https://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=3415

  (looks like an upgraded Pingu, also by by Joerg Loeffler, released in Computronic)

- Dash by Jan Koprovski (with level editor) from Happy Computer   https://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=3984

- Hoehlenflieger by Oliver Cyranka from HC Mein Homecomputer   http://ataribasiclistings.mygamesonline.org/

- The Castle by Thomas Fischermann from HC Mein Homecomputer  http://ataribasiclistings.mygamesonline.org/

- Gryzzles by J.+E. Hess (Perwares)  from Computer Kontakt (uses TB XL)  https://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=1931

- The Whipping Top by Frank Gehring from Computronic  https://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=4476

- Straussenkampf by Oliver Cyranka from HC Mein Homecomputer  http://ataribasiclistings.mygamesonline.org/

- Sky Warrior by Oliver Schmidt from Homecomputer  https://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=2989

- Kitten by A. and P. Diefenbach from Computronic   https://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=2188

- Crazy Egon by Thomas Fischermann from CPU magazine  https://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=1816

 

All listings were from german magazines.

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