Atari Lynx
Current/Future Development

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Some people say that the Atari Lynx is a dead system.  Well, just because Atari is dead, that does not mean that the system is.   The Lynx is technically superior to the new Nintendo Color Gameboy, even though the Lynx is 10 years old!!!   Development is still going on, and we should see many new titles in 1999.   Here is a look at a few of them.....

Animation courtesy of Carl Forhan

Ponx - Carl Forhan's new Lynx game is an updated version of a true classic. In PONX, one or two players control paddles on opposite sides of the field.  The goal is simple: bounce a ball (with ever-increasing speed) past your opponent. It sounds easy, but it takes a lot of sweat and skill to defeat the toughest human and AI opponents.  Plus, Carl has updated the graphics and sound effects.  Don't expect 3D polygon engines or raycasting, but DO expect attractive graphics and frenzied gameplay.

http://homepage2.rconnect.com/forhan/ponx.html

Hyperdrome - This game has been sitting on the shelf for some time.  Atari completed it several years ago, but never published it.   It was finished right about the same time as they were launching the Jaguar.   Telegames currently owns the rights to this game, and they should be publishing it later this year.

The game itself is reported to be very similar to the old Lucasarts game Ballblazer.  That game was very popular on the Atari 8-bit systems in the mid-80's.  play the first game will have more of a grasp of what's going on in the second. Of course, that may be half the fun.

I have included a link below to the Telegames web site.  However, they have not posted any information about the game yet.

http://www.telegames.com

Screen capture courtesy of Carl Forhan

SFX - While it is not a game, SFX should appeal to game programmers.  An attractive feature of the Lynx is the sophisticated (if sometimes cryptic) audio hardware at the disposal of the developer. You have everything from crisp digitized voices in Klax and JC Tennis to the intricate tunes provided by Shanghai and Xybots.

To take advantage of all this audio power, Carl Forhan decided he needed a sound effects program that would allow him to experiment with a variety of voices and effects in real time on the Lynx itself, to avoid recompiles to tinker with new sounds. The result is SFX.

It features support for all four channels (one channel is onscreen at a time), and the ability to adjust the audio regs while mixing one or more channels. This is a powerful combination, and you'd be amazed at how quickly a person can generate familiar engine hums, explosions, and more. Just find a combination of regs you like, and you can dump them right into your Lynx game!  Carl believes that developers and tinkerers alike will enjoy this utility.

http://homepage2.rconnect.com/forhan/sfx.html

    
Screen captures of S.I.M.I.S are courtesy of Telegames

S.I.M.I.S - This game is available in the US from Telegames.  S.I.M.I.S. is a multiple game cartridge with four complete games.  The games were programmed by Bastian Schick, and Matthias Domin.  The cartridge consists of:

• Invaders:  Just like the arcade game.  It is probably the best game on the cartridge. 
• Snakebyte:  Very similar to the old Nibbler arcade game.
• Isolation:  A strategy game.  The idea is to take away the game squares, and isolate your opponent.
• Mines:  Very similar to the Minesweeper game in MS Windows.

    
Screen captures of S.I.M.I.S are courtesy of Matthias Domin

The cartridge also includes several demos for games that are in development.  A few of those demos include a clone of Marble Madness, a Dungeon Master style game, and a knock-off of Wolfenstien 3-D.  Hopefully, we will see these demos become full fledged games soon.

http://www.telegames.com