Nov 28, 2015  Does anybody have any info on how to connect multiple computers up on a 850 to play Midi Maze? I was going to go the Midi Mate route, but Bruce at B & C is busy with family stuff, and may not be able to deliver in time for a Atari party we are having. I only have two midi mates until he comes.

Notes:existsMIDI Maze holds a special place in gaming history as being one ofthe earliest (if not the first) first person shooters. Originallyreleased for the Atari ST in 1987, MIDI Maze allowed multiple playersto fight each other in deathmatch combat years before Doom became partof the vocabulary of every gamer. The secret to MIDI Maze was the MIDI interface (MusicalInstrument Digital Interface). This port found on all Atari ST computers,was normally used by musicians to hook up keyboards and synthesizers tothe computer. However some clever individuals figured out thatit could also be used to network up to 16 computers together for multiplayergaming (hence the name of the game). However since the Atari XEdoesn't have a MIDI port, the programmers graciously implemented severalnew networking options including the MIDIMate (a MIDI interface for the8-bits), XM301 modem, SX212 modem, and even the Atari 850 interface. Thiswide array of connection options ensured that all players would be ableto enjoy the network gaming experience.

MIDI Maze allows players to chose from a surprisingly largenumber of gameplay options: Reload Time, Regen Time, Number of Lives,Bullet Speed, Turn Rate, Single or Team Play, and the Number of Dronesand their intelligence (from Very Dumb to Nasty). After choosingthe game parameters, players are presented with some of the finest 3-Dgraphics to grace the XE. World super police ps2. The first thing you will undoubtedly notice is that theactual game area itself only takes up 1/4th of the screen. Thisis due to the massive memory requirements of the game, and by using onlya small portion of the screen the programmers were able to keep the framerate incredibly smooth. A compass to the left helps the player keephis bearings in the maze, while the smiley display above it shows theplayers current health (very similar to the Doom face).

To the rightis the players 'kill' count display, which shows how many other playershe has eliminated. Above the screen there is a musical staff whichdisplays each player's 'kill' count as a sort of graph. Each playeris displayed as a note, and the more 'kills' each player has, the higherthey appear on the scale. This is an obvious nod to the musicalorigins of the game, although ironically due to memory limitations thereis no music in the game.

The bottom of the screen displays the chatlog between players (this was years before real time chat became popular).Pressing Tab at any time will bring up a map of the maze. Unlike the grisly ultra violent first person shooters oftoday, MIDI Maze uses colorful 3-D smiley faces to represent each of theplayers. Instead of shooting guns and lasers at each other, playershunt each other down using balls (deadly balls). This decidedlynonviolent gameplay allows those under the age of 18 to enjoy the gameas well as adults. Even ultra conservative Nintendo didn't feelthe need to censor the game when they ported the game to the NES as Faceball 2000. MIDI Maze is an absolutely amazing game, and it pushesthe XE hardware to its limits. It's simply amazing to think thata networked multiplayer first person shooter was even possible on theAtari 8-bit hardware, much less one that supports real time chat.

It'sa mystery as to why MIDI Maze was never released, but it was most likelydue to Atari killing off its 8-bit line. The decision to cancelthe game must have been made very late, as had been completed. It's a shame that a game asamazing as MIDI Maze never saw the light of day, because it is truly oneof the lost gems of the Atari XE. VersionCart TextDescriptionNoneFinal Version.

Introducing the XE Super Cart 128 - Midi-Maze Cartridge PCB:Even if you never buy a keyboard or other midi device you can enjoy Atari 8bit game networking using either the forthcoming 1088XLD Atari 8bit based computer, or using the on any Atari 8bit computer with at least 64K of memory and the XE Super Cart 128 - MidiMaze. Enjoy game networking with upto 16 Atari 8 bit computers connected.The cartridge pcb comes in three versions, bare pcb, pcb populated with all parts except the eprom containing the program and fully populated pcb. Only the eprom will be socketed, all other parts will be soldered directly to the board. Currently I am offering the pcb in two formats, the gray XE Super Cartridge case(Bug Hunt) or the Atari Brown Cartridge(Atari Basic) case. A nice peel off Midi-Maze label (Designed by legeek of AtariAge.com fame) will be provided for your cartridge case. You will need to supply the cartridge case.Initial offering will be via pre-order.

At least ten of each format will need to be sold in order to make.Initial offering will take about 2-3 weeks for assembly and testing before shipping once the minimum is reached. Any other items purchased at the same time will be held until the pcb is ready for shipping to save you on shipping costs.PCB bare - $10.00PCB w/o Eprom - $15.00PCB w/Eprom - $20.00In the US shipping is $8.00. International shipping will be more.Please goto my site, register if you haven't already and place and pay for your order. Edited March 25, 2019 by Dropcheck.

Hello LenoreHere's my Bug Hunt cartridge:(I checked before I asked last night)SincerelyMathyMathy,Not sure if you meant you checked on another 130XE or not. I don't know what to say other than my test pcb was rock solid on a XE machine I don't normally use very often and had problems on a machine I know to be finicky with other cartridge devices.

I consider it a wear issue on the cartridge port of the one XE. My XL (bog standard and 256K versions) had no issues, but that is a vertical insert force rather than a horizontal one. So it maybe a weight issue on a horizontal plane? There could be other issues with the one 130XE, but cartridge port wear and horizontal plane weight issues would be the most likely.I can't tell from the outside shell what the inside looks like. Does someone have an inside view?

If your cartridge external is the only difference between the two types of grey XE cartridges then you should be good to go. The Bug Hunt cartridge I linked to is the only grey cartridge I have to do measurements and fit tests with. Hello LenoreWhat I meant was that when I red 'BugHunt Cartridge' in your first post in this topic, I immediately checked my BugHunt cartridge to see which kind of cartridge that was. My MIDI-Mate cartridges are all of the ribbed kind. Since my BugHunt cartridge is NOT of the ribbed kind and I didn't know that Atari also sold BugHunt in a ribbed cartridge, I asked if you PCB would also fit inside the ribbed cartridge case. But since the BugHunt cartridge you showed is of the ribbed kind, your PCB should fit.BTW why not include the case label for one or two USD extra?Since I'm not sure on how many XE's I've tried my MIDI-Maze cartridges (and to make sure it wasn't just one), I'll try my MIDI-Maze cartridges on a couple of XE's soon (if I don't forget).SincerelyMathyPS the picture in your posting above (#7) doesn't show up.

Loading it separately tells me your site can not be found. Edited March 25, 2019 by Mathy. Hi Lenore,Let me ask you the following to you can point me in the right direction (it would also usefull for other readers).:Where we can get the sio2midi device?

There is a long thread I tried to follow regarding a midi device but at the end they centered in the 1088xel and not in a regular original atari SIO device, so I got lost.Are you planning to sell the PCB for a midi compatible SIO device (that works with midimaze)? Those sio midi devices will also work with midi music sioftware and keyboards and drums? As you can see I am lost. Hi Lenore,Let me ask you the following to you can point me in the right direction (it would also usefull for other readers).:Where we can get the sio2midi device? There is a long thread I tried to follow regarding a midi device but at the end they centered in the 1088xel and not in a regular original atari SIO device, so I got lost.Are you planning to sell the PCB for a midi compatible SIO device (that works with midimaze)? Those sio midi devices will also work with midi music sioftware and keyboards and drums? As you can see I am lost.Hi Manterola,Click on the SIO2Midi link in the first post text.

It should take you to mytek's site. It's setup right now as a DIY project with gerbers and BOM. Currently I'm not offering that as assembled device, but I think MacRorie is planning on doing that. PS the picture in your posting above (#7) doesn't show up.

Loading it separately tells me your site can not be found.Can you click on the link in my signature line and bring up my site okay?This persistent issue only seems to be happening for those in Europe. At least I'm only get complaints from European users. If others are getting this please report the web browser/version, whether this is happening only at home or at work/mobile connection. Obviously there is some kind of mismatch, but it remains a mystery why the difference right now depends on US vs European access. Can you click on the link in my signature line and bring up my site okay?This persistent issue only seems to be happening for those in Europe.

At least I'm only get complaints from European users. If others are getting this please report the web browser/version, whether this is happening only at home or at work/mobile connection.

Obviously there is some kind of mismatch, but it remains a mystery why the difference right now depends on US vs European access.I can rarely see your inline images. At this moment: $ nslookup www.bitsofthepast.comServer: 192.168.0.1Address:192.168.0.1#53. server can't find www.bitsofthepast.com: NXDOMAIN$ whois bitsofthepast.com grep ^Registrar:Registrar: GoDaddy.com, LLCLooks like your DNS is borked.Edit: fixed markup/typo, added whois Edited March 26, 2019 by ivop.

Once your images don't show up on AA, your whole site is not accessible. Sometimes I get SERVFAIL (there's no DNS server for your domain) from nslookup, but mostly NXDOMAIN (the DNS server is there, but it doesn't know bitsofthepast.com).It's not an issue with DNS proper or no one in the US could access my site. I couldn't access it either. I'm not getting reports from people in the US.There's something wrong with the DNS resolution between the US and Europe. Can you try a different internet service provider to see if you can reach my site, say a cell phone that can do web site access? Make sure it's not trying to use your home/business internet service provider through your wireless rtr.

Edited March 26, 2019 by Dropcheck. Makes you wonder how long they've been messing up. I remember when I ordered a year or two or so back. I'd think they'd owe you money. Half migration is a terrible thing. Not checking their work.

Well that's another. Mumbling and making such statements, well, that's just unprofessional.I think we need to put anti gremlin devices around the ranch. And a cyber patrol on the wan connections just to be sure.The good news is.

Well, fingers crossed the devices and patrol deployed in time, and the mumblers did their job correctly for once. Edited March 27, 2019 by The Doctor.