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Created by Robert Jung (rjung@mac.com),
because no one else wanted to.
Dedicated
to ASTEROIDS, for getting me hooked in the first place
Last update: 10/1/2000
==============================================================================
This file is not maintained by, overseen by,
endorsed, or otherwise
associated with Atari Corp., JTS, or any of
its subsidiaries. It's just a
collection of questions and answers, with
a few news tidbits thrown in.
This file is posted on a monthly basis to rec.games.video.atari,
alt.atari-jaguar.discussion, news.answers,
and rec.answers around the first
of the month. The latest version of
this file is also available on the
world- wide web at http://www.digiserve.com/eescape/atari/Atari.shtml.
It is
maintained by Robert Jung at rjung@mac.com
on the Internet. Send
corrections, news, updates, comments, questions,
or other stuff to that
address. All mail is welcome!
Updates since the last publicly posted FAQ
have a percent sign (%) in the
first column.
Robert tries to get the latest news and information
into this FAQ; however,
he's only human, and might miss something
important due to real-life demands.
Feel free to send in news tidbits and announcements
to rjung@mac.com for
inclusion in this FAQ.
==============================================================================
Q. What was the Atari Jaguar/Jaguar64?
A. The Atari Jaguar was the world's first
64-bit home console video game
system. Developed
after three years of research, manufactured by IBM, the
Jaguar was released in Fall
1993, and offered high-speed action,
CD-quality sound, and polygon
graphics processing beyond most other
machines available at the
time.
Orignally released as the
Jaguar, Atari had, at times, referred to the
machine as the "Jaguar64"
for marketing purposes. For the sake of
simplicity in this document,
the term "Jaguar" will be used.
==============================================================================
Q. What was included when you bought a Jaguar?
A. The Jaguar was first sold for $250.
It came with the Jaguar itself, one
controller, an AC adapter,
a television RF switch box, and the CYBERMORPH
video game. Later
on, the Jaguar was sold without a game, and as time
progressed, the Jaguar was
sold for $150, then $99.
==============================================================================
Q. What happened to Atari, anyway?
A. The trials and tribulations of Atari could
fill a small book (and, in
fact, once did). To
summarize VERY briefly, the history of Atari is as
follows:
1972
Atari Inc. founded by Nolan Bushnell from a $250 investment.
Pong arcade game becomes a smash sensation.
1976
Atari Inc. sold by Bushnell to Warner Inc. for $28 million.
1980
Atari Inc. posts record sales. $2 billion profits annually.
Atari occupies 80 offices in Sunnyvale, CA.
1983
Decline of video games and irresponsible spending by Atari Inc.
results in record losses ($536 million, up to $2 million
daily).
1984
Warner divides Atari Inc. Home division (Atari Corp.) is sold to
Jack Tramiel.
1985
Atari Corp. releases Atari ST home computer.
1989
Atari Corp. releases Atari Lynx, the world's first color
hand-held video game system (see the Atari Lynx FAQ).
1993
Atari Games becomes Time-Warner Interactive.
1993
Atari Corp. releases Atari Jaguar, the world's first 64-bit home
video game system.
1996
Time-Warner Interactive (Atari Games) sold to WMS.
1996
Atari Corp. announces reverse merger with JTS Corporation.
1996
Atari Corp. and JTS connsumate deal on July 31 1996.
1998
Hasbro acquires the rights to Atari Corp.'s name and properties
1999
Hasbro releases their rights to the Jaguar to the public; Atari
is reborn as their new home video game label.
==============================================================================
Q. What was IBM's role in the Jaguar?
A. IBM had a $500 million contract with Atari
Corp. to assemble, test,
package, and distribute
Jaguar units. Manufacturing was done at IBM's
Charlotte, NC facility,
and the Jaguar was IBM's first attempt at
producing a consumer-grade
product for an outside vendor. By mid-1994,
Jaguar units were also manufactured
by Comptronix in Colorado Springs.
Jaguar circuit boards were
manufactured and assembled by an IBM
subcontractor; IBM then
cased, tested, and packaged final Jaguar units,
which were then sent to
Atari. IBM had no participation in the actual
design of the Jaguar chipset.
==============================================================================
Q. Okay, who did design the Jaguar?
A. The primary designers of the Jaguar were
Martin Brennan and John
Mathieson. They started
their own company in 1986 called Flare 1, and
designed an original multiprocessor
game console. After the system was
finished, Flare wanted to
"evolve" the system, but needed funding for the
job. Atari was contacted,
believed in the idea, and agreed to
participate. Atari,
Brennan, and Mathieson started a new company called
Flare 2 to develop the system.
As Jaguar development moved along, it
became apparent that the
machine would leapfrog the then-new systems from
Nintendo and Sega (the Super
Nintendo and Sega Genesis, respectively), so
they decided to bring the
machine to light. The entire process took three
years, from initial design
to production-ready models.
The proprietary Jaguar chipsets
were manufactured by Toshiba and Motorola.
According to Chris Gibbs,
Attention To Detail was asked to write
technology demos for the
Jaguar chipset. The company opted to develop a
game instead, resulting
in the first Jaguar title, CYBERMORPH.
The Flare design was was
reportedly based on a project called "Loki,"
developed by Sinclair Research.
Information about the Loki project can
be found at http://www.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/planet/lokifram.htm
According to Jaguar developer
Andrew Whittaker, "Some of that [Loki]
technology also found a
home in a machine called the SAM Coupe, which was
manufactured and produced
in the UK by MGT technologies (Bruce Gordon and
Alan Miles, both ex-Sinclair
staff also). It shared many interesting
features with the Jaguar
in terms of its video chip, but the machine sold
very badly in Europe and
the company folded."
==============================================================================
Q. What are the specifications of the Jaguar?
A. Physical dimensions:
Size:
9.5" x 10" x 2.5"
Controls: Power on/off
Display: Programmable
screen resolution. Horizontal resolution is
dependent on the amount of scanline buffer space given to the
"Tom" graphics processor. Maximum vertical resolution varies
according to the refresh rate (NTSC or PAL). Reportedly, a
stock Jaguar (without additional memory) running NTSC can
display up to 576 rows of pixels.
24-bit "True Color" display with 16,777,216 colors
simultaneously (additional 8 bits of supplimental graphics
data support possible)
Multiple-resolution, multiple-color depth objects (monochrome,
2-bit, 4-bit, 8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit) can be used
simultaneously
Ports:
Cartridge slot/expansion port (32 bits)
RF video output
Video edge connector (video/audio output)
(supports NTSC and PAL; provides S-Video, Composite, RGB
outputs, accessible by optional add-on connector)
Two controller ports
Digital Signal Processor port (includes high-speed synchronous
serial input/output)
Controllers: Eight-directional joypad
Size 6.25" x 5" x 1.6", cord 7 feet
Three fire buttons (A, B, C)
Pause and Option buttons
12-key keypad (accepts game-specific overlays)
The Jaguar has five processors
which are contained in three chips. Two of
the chips are proprietary designs,
nicknamed "Tom" and "Jerry". The third
chip is a standard Motorola 68000,
and used as a coprocessor. Tom and
Jerry are built using an 0.5 micron
silicon process. With proper
programming, all five processors
can run in parallel.
- "Tom"
- 750,000 transistors,
208 pins
- Graphics Processing
Unit (processor #1)
- 32-bit
RISC architecture (32/64 processor)
- 64 registers of 32 bits wide
- Has access to all 64 bits of the system bus
- Can read 64 bits of data in one instruction
- Rated
at 26.591 MIPS (million instructions per second)
- Runs
at 26.591 MHz
- 4K bytes
of zero wait-state internal SRAM
- Performs
a wide range of high-speed graphic effects
- Programmable
- Object processor
(processor #2)
- 64-bit
RISC architecture
- 64-bit
wide registers
- Programmable
processor that can act as a variety of different video
architectures, such as a sprite engine, a pixel-mapped display, a
character-mapped system, and others.
- Blitter (processor
#3)
- 64-bit
RISC architecture
- 64-bit
wide registers
- Performs
high-speed logical operations
- Hardware
support for Z-buffering and Gouraud shading
- DRAM memory controller
- 64 bits
- Accesses
the DRAM directly
- "Jerry"
- 600,000 transistors,
144 pins
- Digital Signal Processor
(processor #4)
- 32 bits
(32-bit registers)
- Rated
at 26.6 MIPS (million instructions per second)
- Runs
at 26.6 MHz
- Same
RISC core as the Graphics Processing Unit
- Not limited to sound generation
- 8K bytes
of zero wait-state internal SRAM
- CD-quality
sound (16-bit stereo)
- Number of sound channels limited by software
- Two DACs (stereo) convert digital data to analog sound signals
- Full
stereo capabilities
- Wavetable
synthesis, FM synthesis, FM Sample synthesis, and AM
synthesis
- A clock control
block, incorporating timers, and a UART
- Joystick control
- Motorola 68000 (processor #5)
- Runs at 13.295MHz
- General purpose
control processor
Communication is performed
with a high speed 64-bit data bus, rated at
106.364 megabytes/second.
The 68000 is only able to access 16 bits of
this bus at a time.
The Jaguar contains two megabytes
(16 megabits) of fast page-mode DRAM,
in four chips with 512 K
each. Game cartridges can support up to six
megabytes (48 megabits)
of information, and can contain an EEPROM
(electrically erasable/programmable
read-only memory) chip to save game
information and settings.
Up to 100,000 writes can be performed with the
EEPROM; after that, future
writes may not be saved (performance varies
widely, but 100,000 is a
guaranteed minimum). Depending on use, this
limit should take from 10
to 50 years to reach.
The Jaguar uses 24-bit addressing,
and is reportedly capable of accessing
data as follows:
Six megabytes cartridge ROM
Eight megabytes DRAM
Two megabytes miscellaneous/expansion
All of the processors can
access the main DRAM memory area directly. The
Digital Signal Processor
and the Graphics Processor can execute code out
of either their internal
caches, or out of main memory. The only
limitations are that
(1) "jump" instructions in
main memory have certain restrictions; the JMP
(unconditional jump) command is longword-aligned, while the JR
(jump-indexed-by-register) command must be either word- or longword-
aligned. And
(2) running out of the cache
is much faster (up to four times faster) and
efficient.
Some believe that the inability
to jump/branch in main memory makes the
main memory feature useless.
Swapping data between the
caches and the main memory is a quick, low
overhead operation, and
therefore the main memory is often used as "swap
space" for cache code.
The RISC compiler included in the latest Jaguar
developer's kit produced
code that transparently swaps code through the
cache. This effectively
allowed developers write RISC code without
concern for the cache size
limits.
Compressed cartridge data
can be uncompressed in real-time, and ratios of
up to 14:1 have been cited.
In theory, a Jaguar cartridge can store up to
84 megabytes (672 megabits)
of data, though actual results will vary
widely (most often, images
are compressed, while sound and code are not).
Compression is performed
with BPEG, an enhanced JPEG image decompression
mechanism. BPEG supercedes
the former JagPEG algorithm, working up to 10
times faster and with more
flexibility.
Other Jaguar features:
- Support for ComLynx I/O
for communications with the Atari Lynx hand-held
game system and networked multiconsole games (on DSP port, accessible
by optional add-on connector). Networking of up to 32 Jaguar units
available.
- The two controller ports
can be expanded to support "dozens" of
controllers
- Digital and
analog interfaces
- Keyboards,
mice, and light guns are possible
- Expansion port allows
connection to cable TV and other networks
- Digital Signal Processor
port allows connection to modems and digital
audio peripherals
(such as DAT players)
- One megabyte per second
serial interface
- 9600 baud, RS-232 serial
port (accessible with optional interface)
- General-purpose I/O bits
via the cartridge port
- Can accomodate future
expansions of different processor types, I/O
types, video types, and memory types and/or quantities.
==============================================================================
Q. Was the Jaguar really a 64-bit system?
A. The question is hard to resolve, largely
because the definition of what
constitutes an "N-bit" system
has not been set. Of the five processors in
the Jaguar, only the object
processor and the blitter are "true" 64-bit
components. Because
the blitter and the object processor are in the Tom
chip, by extension Tom is
a 64-bit chip. Furthermore, the Jaguar also
used a 64-bit memory architecture,
according to Jez San of Argonaut
Software.
Some say the Jaguar should
be considered a 32-bit system, as that is the
maximum register size in
the programmable processors (the 68000, the
graphics processor, and
the DMA sound processor). Others say the Jaguar
can be considered a 64-bit
system, because 64-bit components are used, and
the GPU can access 64 bits
of data if required. Again, the lack of an
agreed-upon definition serves
to complicate the issue.
According to Jaguar designer
John Mathieson, "Jaguar has a 64-bit memory
interface to get a high
bandwidth out of cheap DRAM. ... Where the system
needs to be 64 bit then
it is 64 bit, so the Object Processor, which takes
data from DRAM and builds
the display is 64 bit; and the blitter, which
does all the 3D rendering,
screen clearing, and pixel shuffling, is 64
bit. Where the system
does not need to be 64 bit, it isn't. There is no
point in a 64 bit address
space in a games console! 3D calculations and
audio processing do not
generally use 64-bit numbers, so there would be no
advantage to 64 bit processors
for this.
"Jaguar has the data shifting
power of a 64 bit system, which is what
matters for games, so can
reasonably be considered a 64 bit system. But
that doesn't mean it has
to be 64 bits throughout."
For the record, the opinion
of most third party developers and observers
is that the Jaguar is indeed
a 64-bit system. The emphasis is on the word
"system"; while not every
component is 64 bits, the Jaguar architecture,
as a COMPLETE SYSTEM, is.
==============================================================================
Q. The Jaguar used a 68000. Isn't that
the CPU?
A. Again, quoting from Jaguar designer John
Mathieson, "It may be the CPU in
the sense that it's the
centre of operation, and boot-straps the machine,
and starts everything else
going; however, it is not the centre of
Jaguar's power. ... The
68000 is like a manager who does no real work, but
tells everybody else what
to do."
And...
"Atari were keen to use a
68K family device, and we looked closely at
various members. We
did actually build a couple of 68030 versions of the
early beta developers systems,
and for a while were going to use a 68020.
However, this turned out
too expensive. We also considered the
possibility of no [Motorola
680x0 chip] at all. I always felt it was
important to have some normal
processor, to give developers a warm feeling
when they start. The
68K is inexpensive and does that job well. I
maintain that it's only
there to read the joysticks."
In rebuttal, Jaguar developer
Andrew Whittaker notes, "In practice, what
many of us did with our
titles was use the 68000 for AI and gameplay
logic, and have the custom
chips drive the rendering to screen and 3D
code."
==============================================================================
Q. How could a graphics processor be the CPU?
A. The 64-bit custom graphics chip was a good
general purpose RISC unit, but
it had been optimized for
graphics work. Developers were free to specify
which processor(s) to use
in a program, as desired.
==============================================================================
Q. What kind of special effects could the
Jaguar do?
A. The Jaguar was capable of doing the following
visual effects:
- High-speed scrolling (Object
Processor).
- Texture mapping on two-
and three-dimensional objects (GPU and Blitter).
- Morphing one object into
another object (GPU).
- Scaling, rotation, distortion,
and skewing of sprites and images
(Object Processor).
- Lighting and shading from
single and multiple light sources (GPU and
Blitter).
- Transparency (Object Processor).
- "Rendering" up to 850
million one-bit pixels/second (35 million 24-bit
pixels/second, 26 million 32-bit pixels/second), or 50 million Goroud
shaded pixels/second. "Rendering" is believed to mean transferring
a
pixel from a frame buffer to the screen.
- Sprites of "unlimited"
size and quantity. Realistically, sprites can be
over 1,000 pixels wide/tall, and the number of sprites allowed is
limited by processor cycles instead of a fixed value in hardware
(Object processor).
- Programmable screen resolutions,
from 160 to 800 pixels per line. The
resolution can be increased even further with additional hardware up
to a reported 1350 pixels per line.
One of the Jaguar modes is
called "CRY mode", which supports lighting and
effects in 3D graphics.
Red, green, and blue color elements are ranged
from 0 to 255, and the lighting
level for any pixel can be changed by
setting one byte linearly.
E.g., the relative proportions of red, blue,
and green are indicated
with one byte, while a second byte selects an
overall intensity of 0 to
255. CRY allows much smoother shading of single
colors, but doesn't allow
blending between colors as smoothly.
Actual graphics performance
is hard to measure, as there are no industry-
standard benchmarks.
Rebellion Software has claimed that the Jaguar can
render "10,000 Gourard shaded,
large, 65536 color, any shape polygons per
second," while still performing
other tasks. Presumably this level can
be increased further with
optimized programming; indeed, some unofficial
calculations speculate that
FIGHT FOR LIFE may generate between 20,000 to
40,000 texture-mapped polygons
per second.
A key to understanding the
Jaguar's performance is to realize that most
effects are accomplished
by programming one of the processors to do the
job. To perform texture-mapping,
for instance, required a developer to
write a texture-mapping
routine for the GPU and/or blitter, then call it
as needed. The general-purpose
nature of the Jaguar architecture gave
developers a lot of flexibility;
unfortunately, the drawback was that
software routines for such
effects are invariably slower and less
efficient than dedicated
hardware chips and components.
==============================================================================
Q. How come the Jaguar claims to have "32-bit"
graphics, when only 24 bits
are needed to render 16
million colors?
A. The additional 8-bits was for programmers
to implement whatever visual
effects might be desired.
Examples cited include Z-buffering (for polygon
graphics) and an alpha channel
(for transparency).
==============================================================================
Q. Who were the third-party publishers/developers
for the Jaguar?
A. The following companies have, at one time
or another, been announced as
official developers, licensees,
or publishers for the Jaguar. Note that
an official announcement
was not an obligation for a company to produce
Jaguar-related products;
many times, it merely meant that the company made
a commitment to "consider"
producing product(s) for Atari.
Attention to
Detail (ATD)
Imagitech Design
Llamasoft
Rebellion
Handmade Software
Anco Software
Ltd. Maxis Software
Telegames
Beyond Games
Inc. Microids
Tiertex Ltd.
Dimension Technologies
Midnite Software Inc. Titus Eurosoft
Ocean Software
Ltd. Tradewest
High Voltage Software
Rebellion Software
Trimark Interactive Krisalis Software Ltd.
Virtual Experience
U.S. Gold Ltd. Loriciel
U.S.A.
Silmarils
Millenium
Park Place Productions
Ubi Soft
Gremlin Software Microprose/S. Holobyte
Accolade
Virgin
Interplay
21st Century
Software Activision
Id Software
Twilight
Brainstorm
3D Games
All Systems
Go Argonaut
Software Euro-Soft
ICD Incorporated
Photosurrealism DTMC
Epic Megagames
V-Reel Productions Sunsoft
Domark Group
Ltd. Elite
Br0derbund
Williams (Midway/Williams)
Rage Software
Readysoft
Spacetec
Visual Concepts
Bullfrog Productions
Imagineer
Jaleco
Sculptured Software
Williams Brothers Accent Media Productions
Anthill Industries
Audio/Visual Magic Bethesda Softworks
Black Scorpion
Software Visual Sciences Ltd. Steinberg Soft-und Hdw
Borta &
Associates Clearwater Software
Computer Music Cslt.
Cybervision
CyberWare
Delta Music Systems Inc.
Pixel Satori
Elite
E-On
EZ Score Software
Inc. GameTek Inc.
Genus Microprogramming
H2O Design Corp.
HiSoft
Limelight Media Inc.
Manley &
Associates NMS Software Ltd.
PIXIS Interactive
Rest Easy
Software Creations Team Infinity
Team 17 Software
Ltd. Techtonics
Technation Digital World
Teque London
Ltd. Thrustmaster
American Laser Masters
Tengen
Eclipse
Zeppelin Games
Time/Warner
Interactive Acid Software
20th Century Fox Int.
Alfaro Corporation
Ltd. B.S.A.
Bando Svenska AB
Beris
Bitmotion Software Bizzare Computing
Brandlewood
Computers Ltd.
Cannonball Software
Celebrity Systems
Inc. Condor Software
Cross Products Ltd.
DAP Developments
Data Design
Denton Designs Ltd.
Diskimage
Electro Brain Corp. Electrom
Extreme
Factor 5
Flair Software Ltd.
Frankenstein
Software Funcom Productions Human
Soft Ltd.
JVC Musical
Industries Inc.
Kungariket Multimedia
Lost in Time
Software Malibu Interactive Michton
Inc.
Media Technology
Scandinavia
Merit Industries Inc.
Miracle Designs
Nebulous Games Neon-Buttner
i-SPACE
Network 23 Software NMS Software Ltd.
Odyssey Software
Inc. Orion Technologies Phobyx
Rage Software
Ltd. Rainmaker Software
Riedel Software Prod.
Scangames Interactive
Wave Quest Inc. 4Play
Selgus Limited
Shadowsoft Inc. Sigma Designs
Sinister Development
Soft Enterprises Softgold Gmbh
Software 2000
Software Development Systems
Tantalus Entertainment
Hyper Image
Virtual Artistry, Inc.
Springer Spaniel
Core Design
Acclaim
Electronic Arts
Level Seven
iThink, Inc.
Arcade Zone
JV Enterprises Fatal Design
Moving Target
Software Design
Visual Dimensions 3D
OMC Games
Dark Knight Games Songbird Productions
Also, Time-Warner Interactive
had licensed the Jaguar architecture for
use in arcade games.
The modified systems were referred to as "CoJag"
architectures, with more
memory, additional storage, and other
additions. More information
can be found elsewhere in this FAQ.
==============================================================================
Q. What were all of the Jaguar games released?
A. Jaguar cartridge games:
Title
Players Publisher Developer
Type
-----------------
------- ------------ ------------ --------------
Air Cars
1-8 ICD
Midnite Sw. Action/Driving
Alien vs. Predator
1 Atari
Atari/ Action/Adventure
Rebellion
Atari Karts
1-2 Atari
Miracle Sports
Attack of the Mutant 1-2
Atari Sunrise
Puzzle/Strategy
Penguins
Battlesphere
1-8 Scatologic 4Play
Action/Shooter
Breakout 2000
1-2 Telegames Atari
Action
Brutal Sports
1-2 Telegames Millenium/
Sports
Football
Teque
Bubsy in Fractured
1-2 Atari
Imagitec Platform
Furry Tales
Cannon Fodder
1 Computer West Virgin
Action
Checkered Flag
1 Atari
Rebellion Sports
Club Drive
1-2 Atari
Atari Action/Simulator
Crescent Galaxy
1 Atari
Atari Shooter
Cybermorph
1 Atari
ATD Action/Strategy
Defender 2000
1-2 Atari
Llamasoft Action/Arcade
Doom
1-2(1) Atari id Software
Action/Adventure
Double Dragon V:
1-2 Williams Williams
Action/Fighting
The Shadow Falls
Dragon
1-2 Atari
Virgin Action/Fighting
Evolution:Dino Dudes
1 Atari
Imagitec Puzzle/Strategy
Fever Pitch Soccer
1-2 Atari
Atari Sports
Fight For Life
1-2 Atari
Atari Action/Fighting
Flashback
1 Tiertex Ltd. U.S. Gold
Action/Adventure
Flip Out
1 Atari
Gorilla Sys. Action/Puzzle
Hover Strike
1-2(2) Atari Atari
Action/Shooter
Hyper Force
1 Songbird Prod. Visual Impact Action/Fighting
I-war
1-2 Atari
Imagitec Action/Shooter
International
1-2 Telegames Williams
Br. Sports
Sensible Soccer
Iron Soldier
1 Atari
Eclipse Action/Simulator
Iron Soldier 2
1 Telegames Eclipse
Action/Shooter
Limited Ed.
Kasumi Ninja
1-2 Atari
Handmade Sw. Action/Fighting
Missile Command 3D
1 Atari
Atari Action/Arcade
NBA Jam Tournament
1-4(4) Atari High
Voltage Arcade
Edition
Pinball Fantasies
1-8(3) Computer West Spidersoft Action
Pitfall: The Mayan
1 Activision Imagitec
Action
Adventure
Power Drive Rally
1-8(3) Time-Warner Rage
Action/Driving
Protector
1-2 Songbird Prod. Bethesda Sw. Arcade/Action
Raiden
1-2 Atari
Imagitec Arcade
Rayman
1 Ubi Soft Int. UBI Soft Int. Action/Platform
Ruiner
1-4(3) Atari High
Voltage Action/Pinball
Skyhammer
1 Songbird Prod. Rebellion
Flight/Simulator
Soccer Kid
1 Songbird Prod. Krisalis
Platform
Super Burnout
1-2 Atari
Shen Action/Sports
Supercross 3D
1-2 Atari
Tiertex Sports
Syndicate
1 Ocean
Bullfrog Strategy
Tempest 2000
1-2 Atari
Llamasoft Action/Arcade
Theme Park
1 Ocean
Bullfrog Simulation
Towers II
1 Telegames JV Enterprises
Adventure
Troy Aikman NFL
1-2 Williams Telegames
Sports
Football
Ultra Vortek
1-2 Atari
Beyond Games Action/Fighting
Val D'Isere Skiing
1-2 Atari
Virtual Studio Sports
and Snowboarding
White Men Can't
1-4(4) Atari High
Voltage Sports
Jump (w/Team
Tap)
Wolfenstein 3D
1 Atari
id Software Action/Adventure
Worms
1-16 Telegames Team 17
Action/Strategy
Zero 5
1 Telegames Caspian
Sw. Action/Shooter
Zool 2
1-2 Atari
Gremlin Platform
Zoop
1 Atari
Viacom Action/Puzzle
Jaguar CD-ROM games:
Title
Players Publisher Developer
Type
-----------------
------- ------------ ------------ --------------
Baldies
1 Atari
Creative Edge Puzzle/Strategy
Battlemorph
1 Atari
ATD Action/Strategy
Blue Lightning
1 Atari
ATD Action
Brain Dead 13
1 ReadySoft ReadySoft
Action
Dragon's Lair
1 ReadySoft ReadySoft
Arcade
Highlander
1 Atari
Lore Design Action/Adventure
Hover Strike:
1-2(2) Atari Atari
Action/Shooter
Unconquered
Lands
Iron Soldier 2
1 Telegames Eclipse
Action/Shooter
Myst
1 Atari
Atari Adventure
Primal Rage
1-2 Time-Warner Probe
Arcade
Space Ace
1 ReadySoft ReadySoft
Arcade
Vid Grid
1-8(3) Atari High
Voltage Puzzle
World Tour Racing
1-2 Telegames Teque
Sports
(1) Multiplayer games supported
by connecting multiple Jaguars together.
(2) Cooperative play only.
(3) Players alternate turns
with one controller.
(4) Three and four players
can play simultaneously with the Jaguar Team
Tap peripheral.
==============================================================================
Q. What were the unreleased Jaguar games?
A: The following games were announced at one
time or another as being planned
for the Jaguar. With
the dissolution of Atari, the chances are very slim
that any of these games
will ever be produced or released. However, a few
enterprising companies and
individuals have considered plans to either
finish their Jaguar titles
for release, to sell finished-but-unreleased
games, or to produce new
games on their own.
Screenshots of some unreleased
Jaguar games can be found at
http://www.wheres.com/console/IntelligentGamer/feature/jaglair/lost.htm
Announced Jaguar cartridge games (? = Uncertain entry):
Title
Players Publisher Developer
Type
-----------------
------- ------------ ------------ --------------
Allegiance
1-2? ?
Team 17 Action/Strategy
Al Michaels
1-2 Accolade/Atari Atari
Sports
Announces Hardball
Arena Football
1-8 Atari
V-Reel Prod. Sports
League
Assault: Covert Ops
1-2? Midnite Sw Midnite Sw
Action
Automaniacs
1-2 Visual Dim. Visual Dim.
Action/Driving
Batman Forever
1-2? Atari
Atari Action
Battlewheels 2025
1-2 Beyond Games Beyond Games
Action
Bong+ 1999
1-2? ?
Just Claws Action
Brett Hull Hockey
1-2 Atari
Ringler Sports
Casino Royale
1-2? Telegames Telegames
Strategy
Center Court Tennis
1-2 Zeppelin
? Sports
Charles Barkley
1-4? ?
Ringler Sports
Basketball
'Dactyl Joust
1? Atari
High Voltage Action/Arcade?
Deathwatch
1-2 Atari
Data Design Action
Demolition Man
1? Atari
Virgin Action/Shooting
Dino Dudes 2
1 Atari
Imagitec Puzzle/Strategy
Dune Racer
1-2 Atari
? Action/Driving
Dungeon Depths
1 Midnite Sw Midnite Sw
Adventure
Droppings
1? Delta Music ?
?
European Soccer
1-2 Telegames Telegames
Sports
Challenge
Frank Thomas "Big
1-2 Atari
Acclaim Sports
Hurt" Baseball
Galactic Gladiators
1-2 ?
Photosur. Action/Strategy
Gorf 2000
1-2? ?
Krunch Corp. Arcade
Gotcha!
1? ?
?
?
Graham Gooch's World 1-2?
Telegames Telegames
Sports
Class Cricket
Indiana Jags
1 ?
Virtual Exp. Action/Platform
Iratan Supremecy
1-2 ?
Level Seven Action/Fighting
Iron Man/XO-Manowar
1-2 Atari
Acclaim Action?
James Pond 3
1 Telegames Telegames
Platform
Jagmania
1 ?
Matthias Domin Action
Jagmarble
1 ?
Matthias Domin Action
Jagtris
1 ?
Bastian Schick Action/Puzzle
Kick Off 3
1-2 ?
Anco Software Sports
Legion Force Jidai
1? ?
FORCE Design Action/Arcade
Legions of the
1? Atari
Rebellion Action/Adventure
Undead
Lester the Unlikely
1 DTMC
DTMC Action/Strategy
Max Force
1? ?
? Action/Shooter
Mountain Sports
1-2 DTMC
DTMC Action/Sports
Nanoterror
1? ?
Delta Music ?
Native
1? ?
Duranik Sw. Action/Shooter
Nerves of Steel
1? ?
Rainmaker Action/Adventure
Painter
1? ?
Sinister ?
Phase Zero
1-8 Atari
Hyper Image Action
Phear
1-2 Atari
H2O Design Puzzle
Powerdrive
1? Telegames Elite
Action/Driving
Rainbow Warrior
1? ?
3D Games Action?
Return of Magic
1? ?
Virtual Art. Adventure?
Rise of the Robots
1 Time-Warner Williams Br.
Action/Adventure
Robotron:2084
1-2 Atari
? Action/Arcade
Rollcage
1-2? ?
Team 17 Sports/Driving
Space War 2000
1-2 Atari
? Action
Star Raiders 2000
1? Atari
? Action
Sudden Impact
1-2? ?
? Action
Super Off-Road
1-2 Telegames
? Arcade/Driving
T-Mek
1-2? Time-Warner ?
Arcade
The Assassin
1 OMC Games OMC Games
Adventure
Thunderstalker
1? Telegames Telegames
?
Ultimate Brain Games 1-2?
Telegames ?
Puzzle
Virtuoso
1? Telegames Williams Br.
Action
Virtual Warriors
1-2 ?
Rainmaker Action/Fighting
Waterworld
1? Ocean
Ocean
?
Wild Cup Soccer
1-2? Telegames ?
Action/Sports
Witchwood
1-2 Atari
Team 17 Action
World Cup
1-2? ?
Anco Software Sports
Zzyorxx II
1? ?
Virtual Exp. Action/Shooter
Announced Jaguar CD-ROM games:
Title
Players Publisher Developer
Type
-----------------
------- ------------ ------------ --------------
Age of Darkness
1 ?
OMC Games Action/Adventure
Artemis
1? Springer Sp. Springer Sp.
Adventure
Black Ice/
1? Atari
? Adventure
White Noise
Brett Hull Hockey
1-2 Atari
Ringler Sports
Circle of Four
1 ?
JV Enterprises Adventure
Commander Blood
1? Atari
? Adventure
Commando
1 Atari
Microids Action/Strategy
Country Grid
1-8 Atari
High Voltage Puzzle
Creature Shock
1 Virgin
Argonaut Sw. Action/Adventure
Dante's Inferno
1 Atari
Gorilla Sys. Adventure
Defcon 1
1 Dark Knight Dk Kngt/Vis.D
Action/Adventure
Demolition Man
1 Atari
Virgin Action
Deus ex Machina
1 ?
Silmarils Adventure
Evidence
1 ?
Microids Action/Adventure
FIFA International
1-2 ?
Elec. Arts Sports
Soccer
Freelancer 2120
1 Atari
Imagitec Action/Adventure
Highlander II
1 Atari
Lore Design Action/Adventure
Highlander III
1 Atari
Lore Design Action/Adventure
Horrorscope
1? ?
V-Reel Prod. Action/Fighting
Ishar Genesis
1 Atari
Silmaris Adventure
Kid Grid
1-8 Atari
High Voltage Puzzle
Litil Devil
1 ?
Gremlin Int. Adventure?
Lobo
1? ?
Ocean Action?
Magic Carpet
1 Atari
Bullfrog Action/Arcade
Max Force
1 Atari
Genus Action
Mind-Ripper
1? Atari
? Strategy?
Mortal Kombat III
1-2 Atari
Williams Arcade/Fighting
Need For Speed, The
1 ?
Elec. Arts Driving
Neurodancer
1? ?
PIXIS Int. Adventure?
Orb of Bangzai
1 ?
OMC Games Action/Adventure
Powerslide
1 Telegames Williams
Br. Driving
Return Fire
1-2 ?
Alexandria Action/Strategy
Return to Zork
1 ?
Activision Adventure
Robinson's Requiem
1? Atari
Silmarils Adventure
Rocky Horror
1 Atari?
? Adventure
Interactive
Scottish Open
1-2? ?
Core Design Sports
Virtual Golf
Sinister Missions
1-2 ?
OMC Games Action/Shooter
Soul Star
1 Atari
Core Design Action/Shooter
Starlight
1-2 ?
V-Reel Prod. Action/Sports
Bowl-A-Rama
Striker '95
1-2 Time-Warner Rage
Action/Sports
Swagman
1 ?
Core Design Adventure
Thunderhawk
1 ?
Core Design Action/Shooter
Tomb Raider
1 ?
Core Design Action/Adventure
Varuna's Forces
1 Atari
Accent Media Action/Adventure
Virtuoso
1 Telegames Williams
Br. Action
Wayne Gretzky NHL
1-2 Time-Warner Time-Warner
Sports
Hockey
Wing Commander III
1 ?
Elec. Arts Action/Strategy
Announced Jaguar Virtual Reality Headset games:
Title
Players Publisher Developer
Type
-----------------
------- ------------ ------------ --------------
Gravon
1 ?
Suma Action/Sim.
Zone Hunter
1 Atari
Virtuality Action
==============================================================================
Q. Where can I get a review and/or comments
about <insert game name here>?
A: Robert A. Jung (rjung@mac.com) has reviews
of some Jaguar games and
peripherals. They
are available on the world-wide web at his web site,
at http://www.digiserve.com/eescape/atari/Atari.shtml
==============================================================================
Q. Where can I find secrets, tips, and hints
for <insert game name here>?
A. A comprehensive list of Jaguar cheats and
codes is available from "The
Mage," at http://users.aol.com/TheMage1/jaguar/jagcodes.txt
or
http://members.aol.com/TheMage1/jaguar/jagcodes.txt
Clay Halliwell maintains
the Atari Jaguar Cheats and Codes FAQ, which he
updates regularly.
It can be found on the world-wide web at
http://www.atarihq.com/jaglynx/jag/jagcheat.txt
==============================================================================
Q. Is there a Jaguar emulator available?
A. No Jaguar emulators currently exist, and
it is the opinion of some Jaguar
developers that the system
architecture is too complex to be emulated by a
current desktop computer
using a Pentium or PowerPC processor. On the
other hand, "RealityMan"
(developer of the UltraHLE Nintendo64 emulator
for Windows 95) is reported
to be working on a Jaguar emulator. For news
updates, visit http://www.emuunlim.com/
==============================================================================
Q. Some of my Jaguar games don't have overlays
for the keypads. Where can I
get them?
A. Not all Jaguar games used overlays for
the keypad; some titles didn't use
the keypad at all, while
others used the keypad, but the developers did
not feel that an overlay
was needed. Making your own keypads is certainly
possible; simply use an
existing keypad for a template, draw whatever
designs you like, then cut
and to fit.
Tony Price has made a number
of overlays for Jaguar games that didn't
include them, as well as
dust covers for the keypads. He can be reached
by mail at mfmurdock@earthlink.net,
or on the world-wide web at
http://home.earthlink.net/~mfmurdock/jaguar/jaguar.htm
==============================================================================
Q. What Jaguar peripherals are available?
A: The following Jaguar-related peripherals
were released. Availability will
vary according to source:
* Atari Corp.
1196 Borregas
Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA
94089-1302
Phone: (800)
GO-ATARI (800-462-8274) 9:00am to 5:00pm PST, M-F
- CD-ROM PLAYER.
Attaches to the top of the Jaguar console. Allows the
Jaguar to play Jaguar CD games. See the dedicated entry for details.
- COMPOSITE VIDEO
CABLE. Attaches to the Jaguar expansion port to
provide a clearer/sharper picture.
- JAG LINK.
Networking peripheral. Allows two Jaguars to be connected
for networked games, up to 100 feet apart.
- MEMORY TRACK.
Peripheral. Plugs into the cartridge slot of the
CD-ROM drive. Allows Jaguar CD games to be saved for later play.
Holds up to 128K of data.
- PRO CONTROLLER.
Game controller. Provides more action buttons to
be used in games. Adds three more "fire" buttons (X, Y, Z, which
correspond to 7, 8, 9 on the numeric keypad) and two index-finger
buttons (L and R, which correspond to 4 and 6). Some games were
designed/optimized for the Pro Controller (PRIMAL RAGE, HIGHLANDER,
SUPER BURNOUT, ATARI KARTS, and BATTLEMORPH are the most notable
ones); other titles, while not specifically written for the Pro
Controller, are easier to play with the easier access to the keypad.
- S-VIDEO CABLE.
Attaches to the Jaguar expansion port to provide a
clearer picture.
- TEAM TAP.
Controller port expansion. Allows up to four Jaguar
controllers to be attached to a single controller port. With two
Team
Tap adaptors, eight players can play simultaneously on one Jaguar.
Was sold with the game WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP and also available
separately.
- TEMPEST 2000:
THE SOUNDTRACK. Audio CD. Contains twelve tracks of
"techno-rave" rock music by Imagitec Design Inc. Tracks are either
remixes or inspired by the soundtrack from the Jaguar game TEMPEST
2000.
* Ben Aein
B.Aein@genie.geis.com
(301) 251-0997
- LAPCAT.
Joystick controller. Lap/table-sized joystick controller.
12" x 11.5" x 3". Arcade-quality build, with steel joystick shaft
and reed contact buttons. Six large fire buttons are provided, and
all Jaguar controller keys are available. Available in left-handed
or
right-handed models (fire buttons on the side of the hand). A "Lapcat
Pro" is also available. Write to Ben for pricing details.
* Dark Knight Games
http://www.darkknightgames.com
- JAGUAR EXTREME
ROTARY/JAGUAR EXTREME ROTARY PRO. Game controller.
These are rotary controllers to be used for playing TEMPEST 2000.
The "Extreme Rotary" controller includes three fire buttons, a numeric
keypad, and a TEMPEST 2000 keypad overlay. The "Extreme Rotary Pro"
controller differs by having six fire buttons (corresponding to
Atari's Pro Controller layout) and a joystick. Price is $80 US for
the Extreme Rotary and $99 US for the Extreme Rotary Pro. Send e-mail
to "bell_d@darkknightgames.com" to order.
- JOYSTICK UPGRADE
KIT. Game controller enhancement. This kit allows
you to permanetly attach a joystick to the joypad of a standard Jaguar
controller.
* Demand Systems
Phone: (805)
482-7900
- PRO-STICK.
Joystick controller. An arcade-quality joystick and
buttons, mounted on a large base. Suitable for lap or tabletop use.
A Jaguar controller is attached to allow use of the keypad and other
buttons.
* GOAT (Games of All Types)
Store
http:/www.goatstore.com/
- JAGUAR JAMMA
JOYSTICK. Joystick controller. Arcade-quality joystick
for the Jaguar made with authentic arcade JAMMA components. Available
in regular and LX configurations.
* ICD, Inc.
1220 Rock Street
Rockford, IL
61101
Phone: (815)
968-2228, extension 222
FAX: (815) 968-6888
GEnie e-mail:
ICDINC
CompuServe e-mail:
76004,1600
Internet e-mail:
icdinc@genie.com
- CATBOX.
Output/Networking adaptor. Attaches to the rear of the
Jaguar, and provides a variety of industry-standard output ports:
> S-Video, RGB, and composite video
> Left/right channel RCA jacks
> Two 1/8th inch stereo headphone jacks (with volume control)
> Pass-through Jaguar DSP bus
> RS-232 (modem) port and "CatNet" networking
The
CatNet is a differential pair network that is formed by connected
multiple Jaguars/CatBoxes with RJ-11 telephone wiring. Up to 32 units
can be connected, up to 1,000 feet apart. Price is $69.95.
- CATBOX ACCESSORIES.
ICD sells video, audio, and networking adaptors
and cables for use with the CatBox if you cannot find them locally.
ICD can also custom-manufacture RGB adaptors to suit most computer
monitors, per buyer specifications. Contact ICD Inc. for individual
prices and details.
* Sandwich Islands Publishing
P.O. Box 10669
Lahaina, HI
96761
Phone: (808)
661-2715
- JAGUAR GAMER'S
GUIDE. Game tips book. Provides codes, tips, maps,
and solutions for almost 20 Jaguar games. ISBN is 1-884364-13-6.
Can be reached at http://gamebooks.com, or send e-mail to
sales@gamebooks.com
* Songbird Productions
1736 Chippewa
Drive NW
Rochester, MN
55901
- RAPID FIRE
CONTROLLER. Game controller. This is a standard Jaguar
joypad modified to support automatic rapid fire on either the A or B
buttons. Two rear-mounted pushbuttons toggle the rapid fire circuit,
and two small LEDs mounted near the A and B buttons indicate whether
rapid fire is active or not. Rapid fire can be set to 5, 10, 15,
or
20 pulses per second.
- J.J.J.
Game controller. The J.J.J. is an arcade-quality joystick for
the Jaguar made with authentic JAMMA components. Manufactured by
Team
13, and sold through Songbird Productions.
* Victor Maxx
- CYBERMAXX 2.0.
Peripheral. A "Virtual Reality" helmet that uses
standard RCA video and audio inputs. Existing games can be played
with the helmet display for two-dimensional graphics, but full
"virtual reality" games requires custom-written software (none exist
at this time). The helmet provides 62 degrees of vision and weighs
one pound. Includes three IBM PC Cybermaxx games and a VCR tape.
* Virtual i-O
- I-GLASSES.
Peripheral. Shows video images on the lenses of the
glasses, providing a very large display. Accepts standard RCA video
and audio inputs. Weight is 8 ounces. The "video" version accepts
only RCA audio/video inputs, while the "PC" version also accepts SVGA
input and supports head tracking. [Ed. note -- ViO had a Jaguar in-
house, and recommend the i-Glasses for DOOM and WOLFENSTEIN 3D.]
==============================================================================
Q. What Jaguar peripherals were announced?
A. The following Jaguar-related peripherals
were announced at one time or
another:
* Atari Corp.
1196 Borregas
Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA
94089-1302
Phone: (800)
GO-ATARI (800-462-8274) 9:00am to 5:00pm PST, M-F
- VIRTUAL REALITY
HEADSET. Controller/Peripheral. Allows playing of
Jaguar virtual reality games, with head and controller tracking.
See
dedicated entry for details.
- VOICE MODEM.
Networking/Communications device. Allows two players to
play networked games over standard phone lines at 9600 baud. A
headset and microphone allows players to talk to each other during the
game. Call-waiting support will pause the game if an incoming call
arrives, and the game can be continued after the call is complete.
Project has been suspended indefinitely.
In
addition, rumors of a rotary controller continue to exist, even
though no official announcement was ever made. See the dedicated
section below for details.
* CSCN (Cybercon Systems
Carsten Nipkow)
- MULTIBOX.
Output/Networking adaptor. Similar to ICD's Catbox, the
Multibox was supposed to attach to the rear of the Jaguar and
provide a variety of industry-standard output ports. In addition,
the Multibox was supposed to provide error-free networking by using
error correcting hardware.
- INFRA-RED
JAGLINK. A Jaguar linking system that allowed two Jaguars
to communicate via infra-red broadcasting.
- RADIO JAGLINK.
A Jaguar linking system that allowed two Jaguars to
communicate via short-wave radio. A distance of up to five kilometers
was promised.
* Sigma Designs
- JAGUAR PC CARD.
Computer peripheral. Sigma Designs is developing a
card for IBM PCs and compatables that runs Jaguar CD software and acts
as a ReelMagic MPEG card. Last announced release date was December
1994. No price has been given.
* Spacetec
- SPACE PLAYER.
Game controller. The Space Player is a controller that
is reported to offer six degrees of movement (up/down, left/right, and
in/out). No further details are available at this time.
* Thrustmaster
- FLYING YOLK.
Game controller. A four-directional flight controller
for use with flying games. No release date or price has been
announced.
- STEERING WHEEL.
Game controller. A two-directional controller and
pedal for driving games. No release date or price has been announced.
* Time-Warner Cable
- JAGUAR GAME
CHANNEL. Game service. Time-Warner Cable's Full Service
Network (FSN) plans to offer Jaguar games over television cable lines.
The games are downloaded to the customer and played at home, and game
instructions can be printed with additional equipment. Details are
available from local FSN service providers.
==============================================================================
Q. What's the information on the CD-ROM drive?
A. A double-speed CD-ROM drive was available.
The CD drive has an access
time of 210 milliseconds,
and has a sustained data transfer rate of 352.8K
per second. The CD-ROM
drive features a modified data bus interface for
access to the Tom and Jerry
chips almost directly, allowing for a higher
throughput rate on sound
and graphics. Storage on a disc is approximately
790 megabytes (6,320 megabits).
The CD-ROM drive plugs into the Jaguar's
cartridge slot. A
pass-through cartridge slot allows cartridges to be
used with the CD-ROM attached.
Separate memory cartridges allow Jaguar CD
games to be saved for later
play.
The Jaguar CD format is a
non-standard format that is not compatable with
the ISO-9660 standard.
It uses audio-format sectors for data, which
allows for 2352 bytes of
useable space in each sector. Unfortunately,
this leaves no provision
for error correction or file system management
(though errors are detected
by the CD drive hardware). Each disc is
copy-protected with encrypted
data that is specially formatted to look
like an error. Attempts
to copy a Jaguar CD will fail because it cannot
read the encrypted data,
which means the copy will not work.
The Jaguar CD allows delivery
of full-screen, full-motion video. The
CinePak video decompression
system has been licensed from SuperMac
Technologies. It is
a 7K routine in the GPU and can be included in any
CD-ROM software that needs
it, allowing full-screen video at 24 frames per
second. Movie quality
pictures can then be overlaid on the screen with
computer generated graphics
if the game demands it. Time-Warner has
licensed a library of film
clips from its movies to Atari.
The Jaguar CD has "Virtual
Light Machine" built in. This program plays
audio CDs and generate accompanying
color and visual effects that react to
the music and sounds.
The user can control and select effects with the
Jaguar controller.
Regular audio CD playback features (volume control,
track programming, etc.)
are also available.
The Jaguar CD can also display
CD+Graphics discs. Supplimental cartridges
for Kodak PhotoCD and MPEG-1
(Motion Picture Experts Group) compression
were considered. The
MPEG cartridge would reportedly include extra RAM
for buffering and support
the whitebook video format.
The drive was being manufactured
by Philips in the United States. Its
dimensions are 6.5" x 10.5"
x 3.5", and it weighs 1 pound, 10 ounces. The
price was $150, and includes
the TEMPEST 2000 soundtrack audio disc, a
sampler for the CD game
MYST, and two CD-ROM games: VID GRID and BLUE
LIGHTNING.
% Atari also developed and patented (#5,607,356)
a technology for the Jaugar
% CD called "GameFilm". Essentally,
GameFilm allowed different video clips
% to be mixed and matched in real-time,
with seamless integration of video,
% subtitles and soundtracks. The
player would control the movie by making
% choices throughout the game, with
multiple choices available at each point.
% The only known GameFilm title was
"Caves of Fear", where the player was
% cast as a CIA agent on a mission in
Uraguay to stop the development of a
% deadly new virus. Though the
game was neveer finished, its themes and
% situations (up to and including assassinations)
would probably have earned
% it a Mature rating.
==============================================================================
Q. What's the information on the virtual reality headset?
A. Atari Corp. and the Virtuality Group had
signed a contract whereupon
Virtuality would develop
virtual reality hwardware and software for the
Jaguar. In return,
Virtuality would get the rights to port Jaguar VR
games to their Virtuality
arcade consoles.
Though announced, the Jaguar
VR was never produced. Unofficial reports
conflict on whether the
unit was cancelled, suspended, and/or reworked.
Reasons given for the inaction
ranged from Atari's needs to reassess their
investments and focus on
core business, to the high suggested retail price
of the Jaguar VR headset,
to Virtuality's problems in trying to create
a mass-market headset that
could track head movement fast enough to avoid
motion sickness after a
few minutes of play.
As originally reported, the Jaguar VR package consisted of two components:
(1) A lightweight headset
(weighs less than one pound). It can be
adjusted for fit and works with or without glasses. Game graphics
are
provided by a single 7", TFT active-matrix color LCD screen, with a
resolution of 260 by 400 pixels and up to 65,000 colors. Dual temple
speakers provide sound, and a built-in microphone allows player
communication in future networked games. A custom optical system
projects a binocular image to both eyes; it is aligned at infinity, so
focus adjustment is not needed. Two degrees of freedom (left/right
and up/down) are available. Field of view is 52 degrees horizontal
by
40 degrees vertical.
(2) A tabletop-mounted tracking
station. The station senses the position
of the controller and the headset with "V-Trak" infra-red tracking.
The tracking speed is 250 Hz, with a lag time of 4 milliseconds, four
times faster than Virtuality's arcade hardware. The tracker has a
range of approximately 100 degrees; multiple trackers can be daisy-
chained together to provide a complete 360-degree tracking range, but
most Jaguar VR games will not require a full 360 degrees.
The Jaguar VR equipment was
designed to be played while sitting down, so
as to avoid injuries.
if a player moves out of the tracking station's
range, a safety cutoff would
have been triggered to suspend the game.
Jaguar VR games would have
been written for use with the regular
controller, as well as a
two-button "virtual gun" hand-held joystick. The
licensing agreement between
Atari and Virtuality permitted authorized
Jaguar third-party software
developers to write their own VR titles.
One product did come out
of the Atari/Virtuality agrement. MISSILE
COMMAND 3D for the Jaguar
provided virtual-reality type play, without the
need for special equipment
or controllers. The game was later transported
to Virtuality's arcade systems.
Clint Thompson owns a working
Jaguar VR headset prototype (one of two
known to exist). User
reports, photos, screen pictures, and other related
information is available
on his web site, http://www.AtariVision.com
==============================================================================
Q. What's the "Panther"?
A. Quick history lesson: Sometime in the late
1980s, Atari Corp. was doing
research and development
on "next generation" video game consoles. There
were two systems, a 32-bit
machine called the Panther, and a 64-bit
machine called the Jaguar.
It is reported that work on the Jaguar was
progressing better/faster
than expected, so Atari abandoned the Panther to
focus their energies on
the Jaguar instead. Supposedly, if both machines
were fully developed, the
Jaguar would have followed the Panther only two
years later.
Reports of development work
on the Panther have been whispered since 1988;
some people have erroneously
mistaken those rumors to be about the Jaguar.
The Panther reportedly was
considered a "32-bit" machine by Atari, though
for reasons unknown.
It featured three chips, consisting of a Motorola
68000 running at 16Mhz,
an object processor called the Panther, and an
Ensoniq sound processor
called Otis, featuring 32 sound channels. The
Panther could supposedly
display 8,192 colors from a palette of 262,144
colors, and could display
65,535 sprites of any size simultaneously.
According to Jeff Minter,
the Panther's sprite hardware was very similar
to the object processor
in the Jaguar, to the point where both had the
same limitations.
Putting too many sprites on a single scan-line, for
instance, would require
too much time to draw the line and caused a
"tearing" effect in the
affected row.
Stefan Walgenbach is the
proud owner of a working Panther prototype. He
has a web page at http://www.HomeComputer.de/
devoted to all sorts of
information on the Panther.
==============================================================================
Q. What's the "Jaguar II"?
A. There's been a little confusion with this
topic, since at least two
separate machines have been
called a "Jaguar II." The first was to have
been an integrated Jaguar/Jaguar
CD-ROM unit. That project has since been
cancelled, making the point
moot.
The other Jaguar II was Atari's
next video-game console. Though rumors
were passed, a final design
was apparently never produced for even the
prototype stage. The
following rumors were strongly suggested, however:
* Main chipset (codename
"Midsummer") developed by Motorola.
* Fully backwards compatable
with the existing Jaguar. Would have been
able to play all Jaguar games and use all Jaguar peripherals.
* Processing speed "two
to four times faster than the Sony PlayStation."
* Full C/C++ development
package available.
==============================================================================
Q. What's the information on the CoJag and
CoJag games?
A. To briefly recap, after the Jaguar was
released, Time-Warner Interactive
(now a subsidiary of WMS/Midway
known as Atari Games) licensed the Jaguar
architecture for use in
arcade games. These systems were called "CoJag"
games, and consisted of
a Jaguar chipset with additional memory, extra
storage, and other architectural
changes.
Two CoJag games have been
released:
* Area 51: A light-gun shooting
game for two players. The Jaguar's 68000
was replaced
with a 68020 or SGI R3K, and ran at 25 MHz. It was also
equipped with
a four megabytes of RAM and a one gigabyte hard drive.
* Maximum Force: Another
light-gun shooting game. The 68000 was replaced
with an SGI
R3K, and came with six megabytes of RAM and a two gigabyte
hard drive.
While it was rumored that
the TWI games "Primal Rage" and "T-Mek" were
also CoJag games, this is
false; developer Al Vernon has confirmed that
those titles did not use
any aspect of the Jaguar design or chipset.
Finally, funkster@midwinter.com
reports that he playtested a third CoJag
game, "Freeze," that was
never released. Here's a slightly-edited version
of his report:
"I saw Freeze
a couple weeks ago at a local arcade pinball/video
game expo.
The game made it to field test but didn't do well, so
Atari Games
axed it early this year.
"Freeze was
a puzzle game, most closely related to Bust-A-Move or
Super Puzzle
Fighter II Turbo. You controlled a character at the
bottom of a
rectangular grid, five wide and eight deep. You had
the following
controls: move left, move right, throw, and special.
You start with
a fish in your hands; when you press 'throw,' you
threw it into
the grid, where it goes up until it hits something.
Once your hands
are empty, a fish launcher gives you another.
"The goal is
to get groupings of three or more similarly-colored
fish to touch
each other, at which point they disappear. Holes
are filled in
by reverse gravity -- the fish fall up. The game is
over when your
grid is full of fish or ice.
"Here's where
it gets original: when you get a group of fish to
disappear, you
"freeze" a couple of fish on your opponent's field,
starting at
the top and working down. A frozen fish doesn't work
for groupings;
fish are unfrozen by making a group nearby. Empty
slots get frozen
too (the ice is empty).
"The 'special'
button is for a special attack. When you start the
game, you pick
a character, which also decides which special attack
you get.
I didn't play that much of the game, so I don't know how
the special
works or when you get it. You could play one or two
players simultaneously.
One player meant playing against computer
opponents, along
with a bizarre story -- I usually played the
monkey character,
who was searching for an alarm clock so he
wouldn't oversleep,
and he asked his opponents for a clock.
"The game was
pretty fun, and the graphics were nice. It had a
look like Trog
-- simple 3D, bright saturated colors. It's a shame
it didn't fare
better in field test."
Pictures of the Freeze prototype
cabinet and game screen can be found at
http://www.cyberroach.com/cyromag/two/woa.htm
==============================================================================
Q. Was there a difference in Jaguar games/units
sold in different countries?
Do I need to keep track
of PAL and NTSC versions of a game?
A. There is no difference in the Jaguar game
software. A properly-written
Jaguar game detects PAL
or NTSC at startup and changes the playfield size
and game speeds accordingly.
A properly-written Jaguar game will run at
the same speed on either
machine. There are no regional or national
market lock-outs as there
are for other game consoles.
The Jaguar consoles themselves
were configured differently, according to
the country they were sold
in. The primary differences were in the video
output format (NTSC or PAL)
and the power adapters (110 volt or 220 volt).
Due to the Jaguar's use
of an external adapter, a step-down transformer is
not needed. A local
PSU can be used so long as it matches these
specifications:
1. 9 volt direct current (DC)
2. 1.2 amps
3. Center pin negative
The PSUs from old Sinclair
computers and Sega Game Gears can be used with
the Jaguar without problems.
To use an American (NTSC)
Jaguar in Europe, you will need a new power
adapter and a SCART lead
to supply the Jaguar's RGB signals to the TV.
Some European TV sets might
have also required changing the Jaguar display
from a 60Hz frame rate to
50Hz.
The 50Hz/60Hz frame rate
is set by soldering pads on the bottom of the
Jaguar PCB. On an
NTSC Jaguar, they're located on the bottom of the PCB
near the controller ports.
The set labelled "R140" determines between
50Hz and 60Hz. Connect
the two points for 50Hz, or leave them
disconnected for 60Hz, as
follows:
60Hz 50Hz
o-o R135 o-o
o o R136 o o (Information courtesy
of Martin Zimmer,
o o R137 o o marz@haari.mayn.sub.de)
o o R140 o-o
PAL Jaguars sold in Europe
have the R140 pads connected with a zero ohm
SMD resistor, which can
be removed with a soldering iron. It is possible
to wire a switch to the
points, allowing the Jaguar to be toggled between
50Hz/60Hz. This is
mainly useful for PAL Jaguars to play games at the
original speed and screen
resolution of the NTSC version.
Russ Juckes (russ_j@raiden.demon.co.uk)
gives these instructions for
finding the pads on a European/PAL
Jaguar:
"Hold the Jaguar PCB with
the Joystick ports to the bottom. On the
underside of the board,
near the joystick ports, and to the left of centre
there are four links, the
top and the bottom one bridged. (Both with zero
ohm resistors). Above
them there is another link, with a brown resistor.
"The bottom link is the one
that needs to be broken. I used a penknife to
scratch away the solder,
and then a needle-nosed pair of pliers to break
the resistor.
"The links are *not* labelled
in any way. As another guide to make sure
you are about to snip the
correct link, they are placed directly
underneath a chip (which
is obviously on the top of the PCB!) so if you
use a soldering iron, be
careful!"
==============================================================================
Q. Hey! My Jaguar makes a quiet hissing
sound! What's going on? Is it
dangerous?
A. Early Atari Jaguars had a rumored problem
with the console hissing softly.
Atari had cited several
reasons for the hissing noise. Some have said
that the sound is from the
RF generator. The RF shield has holes in it
(ostensibly to help air
flow and keep the unit cool), and it is believed
that the holes produce the
noise.
Others said the sounds are
produced by coil L29 which is responsible for
the proper voltage regulation
to +10.0V, together with U38. The coil's
copper wire vibrates when
the current through it changes abruptly, making
the hiss.
There are two solutions:
1) Use plastic spray or silicone rubber glue to
fix the coil's wire. 2)
Replace the original Jaguar power-supply with a
variable power-source, using
7.5V DC instead of 9V DC (it is not certain
whether the Jaguar CD will
require 9V DC, which would make this "fix"
unworkable with the CD drive).
In any case, the "hissing"
noise was not dangerous, but merely annoying.
It was usually audible only
if you put your ear next to the unit and
listen closely, and is not
interference in the audio output. It is
roughly analogous to the
buzz made by electric clocks.
Most later Jaguars did not
have this problem, though a few rare cases have
been noted.
==============================================================================
Q. My Jaguar comes up with a red screen instead of a game! Is it broken?
A. Most often, the "red screen" problem appears
after the Jaguar logo has
disappeared off the TV screen,
and is caused by one of the following:
1. Poor contact between the
Jaguar and the cartridge (most likely). Make
sure that the cartridge
is firmly seated in the cartridge slot, and that
contacts are not dirty/dusty.
2. Bent pins in the cartridge
slot (rare). This may be caused by rough
edges on some cartridges.
The pins should be carefully straightened.
3. Defective cartridge (rare).
If the red screen only appears with one
cartridge but not others,
the game may be defective. Exchange it for
another.
If the Jaguar logo appears
without problems, then the Jaguar is probably
working fine, and it's only
the data transfer between the unit and the
cartridge that's causing
the problem.
==============================================================================
Q. I've heard stories about the Jaguar version
of DOOM having network errors
when playing with two Jaguars
linked together. Are they real? If so,
what causes the problem,
and can I avoid it?
A. There is some truth to the reports -- when
linking two Jaguars together
for multiplayer DOOM games,
network errors sometimes appear which
interfere with the gameplay.
At worst, the game resets to the start of
the current level, which
can be annoying if you're in the middle of a
heated Deathmatch firefight.
The problem stems from several
causes. The networking code in DOOM was
not thoroughly tested before
release, because the game was finished before
Atari settled on the final
specifications for the JagLink cable (the cable
came out almost a year after
DOOM did). As a result, this causes some
problems due to integration
differences. On the other hand, some of the
folks playing networked
DOOM are using their own home-made link cables,
which might not have enough
shielding, which also causes errors. There
are reports that earlier
Jaguar models are more susceptible to errors as
well, but the evidence is
inconclusive.
Recommendations? Set
up your Jaguars in an area relatively clean of
electromagnetic interference,
make sure you are using a well-shielded
cable, and cross your fingers.
And remember that, even with an
occassional networking error,
DOOM is still lots of fun with a friend
(or foe).
==============================================================================
Q: What's the wiring schematic for the Jaguar controller?
A: Uwe Roeger (uwer@aragon.bb.bawue.de) reverse-engineered
the Jaguar
controller port and dissected
a Jaguar controller to provide the
following circuit diagram:
Padport 4 Padport 3
Padport 2 Padport 1
(yellow) (orange)
(red) (brown)
74HC244
|
| |
|
______
|
| |
| R1 4k7 |
|
|
| |
| |
| | Padport 6
Pause -------|----------|----------|----------+-----
2| -|)- |18- (blue)
|
| |
|
| |
|
+---|------+---|------+---|------+ R2 4k7 |
|
|
| | | |
| | | |
| | Padport 10
"A"--|<-+
"B"--|<-+ "C"--|<-+ Opt -|<-+---+----- 4| -|)- |16-
(black)
|
| |
|
| |
|
+---|------+---|------+---|------+ R3 4k7 |
|
|
| | | |
| | | |
| | Padport 11
Right-|<-+ "1"--|<-+
"2"--|<-+ "3"--|<-+---+----- 6| -|)- |14- (grey)
|
| |
|
| |
|
+---|------+---|------+---|------+ R4 4k7 |
|
|
| | | |
| | | |
| | Padport 12
Left -|<-+ "4"--|<-+
"5"--|<-+ "6"--|<-+---+----- 8| -|)- |12- (l.blue)
|
| |
|
| |
|
+---|------+---|------+---|------+ R5 4k7 |
|
|
| | | |
| | | |
| | Padport 13
Down -|<-+ "7"--|<-+
"8"--|<-+ "9"--|<-+---+-----11| -|)- |9-- (pink)
|
| |
|
| |
|
+---|------+---|------+---|------+ R6 4k7 |
|
|
| | | |
| | | |
| | Padport 14
Up --|<-+
"*"--|<-+ "0"--|<-+ "#"--|<-+---+-----13| -|)- |7--
(white)
|______|
Padport 9: Ground (violet) -- Pin 1,10,15,17,19 on 74HC244
Padport 7: +5 VDC (green) -- Pin 20 on 74HC244
SYMBOL KEY
==========
--|<--
1N4148 Diode
+ Wire connexion
Rx 4k7
Standard resistor, 4700 Ohms, .25 Watts (all resistors are
pull-ups; i.e. tied to +5VDC on one end)
Padport numbers correspond
to those on a standard 15-pin SUB-D plug. The
colors of the wires may
be different in other versions of the controller.
==============================================================================
Q. What's this about a rotary controller?
What games use it? How do I make
one for myself?
A. TEMPEST 2000 has hidden in it an option
for a rotary controller (at the
"Game Options" menu, press
Pause on both controllers to activate the
"Controller Type").
No plans for an official Atari rotary controller were
announced, but many TEMPEST
fans have been trying to build such a
controller, to give the
game a feel that's close to its arcade original.
Andy Light has written instructions
for taking a Jaguar joypad and an
Atari 2600 Driving Controller
and building a rotary controller with the
parts. His instructions
are condensed below. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS
THOROUGHLY BEFORE ASSEMBLY
-- there are some areas that are left to the
whim of the builder, and
advance planning is highly recommended.
* * *
ANDY LIGHT'S JAGUAR ROTARY
CONTROLLER INSTRUCTIONS
Parts needed: Atari Jaguar
controller
Atari 2600 Driving Controller (NOT the paddles)
13 wires, preferably of separate colors
Buttons
A board or box or shell to mount everything on/in
1. Open the driving controller
by removing the two underside screws.
Inside is a top-like device
or a grey box with three wires coming out of
it. This is the encoder.
Pull the driving controller's knob off the
encoder's shaft, then remove
the encoder by unscrewing the nut that holds
it in place. Disconnect
the wires from the encoder.
2. Open the Jaguar controller.
There are four screws on the bottom
holding it together, behind
the round rubber pads. Inside the controller
are two circuit boards connected
by a ribbon of wires. The bottom board
is for the numeric keypad
and is held by two screws. Remove the screws
and take out the keypad.
3. Disconnect the wire ribbon
from the keypad by melting the solder.
CAREFUL! This is delicate
work -- get help if you need it. Solder the
thirteen wires where the
ribbon connection was; do not confuse them.
4. From the left side of
the board (the side that says "P2"), I've
numbered the wires as follows:
1) Common
5) Button A 9) Button C
13) Down
2) Right
6) Button B 10) Pause
3) Option
7) Button B 11) Up
4) Option
8) Button C 12) Left
5. On the encoder, connect
wire #1 to the center terminal, #2 to the right
terminal, and #12 to the
left terminal. The rotary part of the controller
is now finished.
6. How to connect the other
controls is up to you. I'm using arcade
buttons, a thumbpad, and
a switch (to toggle joypad or rotary control)
mounted in an Atari 5200
trak-ball controller case. You can mount a
joystick, extra buttons,
or other features for your own controller.
Buttons and empty control
boxes are available at stores such as Radio
Shack.
Wiring for the other signals
are as follows:
Up - wires #1 and #11
Button A - wires #1 and #5
Down - wires #1 and #13
Button B - wires #6 and #7
Pause - wires #1 and #10
Button C - wires #8 and #9
Option - wires #3 and #4
Because wire #1 has multiple
uses, you will either need to string it or
split it for each destination.
7. Reassemble and mount everything
according to your design. For better
spin, you can glue lead
fishing sinkers to the inside of the knob, and
lubricate the shaft of the
encoder with light oil or silicone lubricant.
That's it! Please forgive
me for any mistakes in my grammer, terminology,
spelling, etc. If
you encounter any problems, feel free to e-mail me at
ALIGHT55@AOL.COM.
Good luck!
==============================================================================
Q. I want something better than RF output from
my Jaguar. What do I do?
A. Atari had an S-Video cable and a Composite
video cable available for use
with the Jaguar. See
the "Peripherals" section for details.
If you are willing to build
your own, the schematics for the expansion
port are as follows:
Pinouts for Jaguar Video Cable
(view is looking at the rear of the Jaguar)
01A 02A
03A 04A 05A 06A 07A 08A 09A 10A 11A 12A
--- ---
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
--- ---
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
01B 02B
03B 04B 05B 06B 07B 08B 09B 10B 11B 12B
01A - Left
Audio 01B -
Right Audio
02A -
Audio Ground 02B - Audio
Ground
04A -
Chroma Ground 04B - Red
05A -
Blue
05B - Composite Sync (can also be used
06A -
Horizontal Sync
for vertical sync)
07A -
Green
07B - Luma Ground
08A -
Chroma
08B - Luma
10B - Video Ground
11A -
+10V power supply 11B - Composite Video
S-Video Cable
##\
/---(##- P2 RCA Male (Red)
###
/
P1 ###>>--(Shielded cable)-----<-----(##-
P3 RCA Male (White)
###
\
___
##/
\---<## P4 4 pin SVHS 3/. .\4
Jaguar
Mini-DIN 1| . . |2
Plug Male \_=_/ (front)
Conn Pin
Signal Conn Pin
+----+--------+--------------+----+-----+
P2 Center
Right Audio P1 01B
P2 Shell
Audio Ground P1 02B
P3 Center
Left Audio P1 01A
P3 Shell
Audio Ground P1 02A
P4
1 Luma Ground P1 07B
P4
3 Luma
P1 08B
P4
4 Chroma
P1 08A
P4
2 Chroma Ground P1 04A
P4
Shell Not Connected P1 N/A
Composite Video Cable
##\
/---(##- P2 RCA Male (Red)
###
/
P1 ###>>--(Shielded cable)-----<-----(##-
P3 RCA Male (White)
###
\
##/
\---(##- P4 RCA Male (Yellow)
Jaguar
Conn Pin
Signal Conn Pin
+----+--------+--------------+----+-----+
P2 Center
Right Audio P1 01B
P2 Shell
Audio Ground P1 02B
P3 Center
Left Audio P1 01A
P3 Shell
Audio Ground P1 02A
P4 Center
Comp Video P1 11B
P4 Shell
Video Ground P1 10B
For Jaguar owners who wish
to use SCART, a Jaguar-to-SCART RGB cable can
be made as follows:
SCART socket:
20 18 16 14 12 10 8
6 4 2
+--------------------------------------------+
\ -- --
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|
\
|
|
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
-- -- |
+------------------------------------------+
19 17 15 13 11 9 7
5 3 1
RGB connection using an 8-pin shielded cable:
SCART
Signal Jaguar A/V port
+-----+---------------+---------------+
6 Left Audio
1A
2 Right Audio
1B
4 Audio Ground 2A
15
Red
4B
7 Blue
5A
11
Green
7A
16
H-Sync (Blank) 6A
20
Composite Sync 5B
17
Video Ground 10B (connected by cable
shield)
==============================================================================
Q. How did the ComLynx port on the Jaguar
work? Could I connect my Lynx to
it?
A. The Jaguar does not have a ComLynx port
per se, but has a ComLynx signal
on the system bus.
An expansion port add-on would have made the port
available, and developers
had announced plans for such accessories. It is
possible to daisy-chain
multiple Jaguars for multiplayer games into a
"Jaguar network".
In theory, it would have also been possible to connect
Jaguars and Lynxes, though
no plans for cross-system software were ever
finalized.
There was also talk that
the Jaguar's ComLynx signal could allow Lynxes to
be used as peripherals:
software could have been developed to allow Lynxes
to be part of a Jaguar game
as "smart" controllers. Again, no actual
plans were ever announced.
For enterprising engineers
who wish to build a ComLynx cable for two
Jaguars, the following schematics
from jonin@netcom.com are available.
USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
* * *
12 Contact IDE Card Edge Connector (Atari Jaguar DSP Connector)
View from the front of the connector (not the solder side):
Top
Cable pinouts
7 8 9 10 11 12
Jaguar 1
Jaguar 2
L +------------------+
R 2 (TX) ______ ______
2 (Tx)
e | x x
x x x x | i
\/
f | x x
x x x x | g
3 (RX) ______/\______ 3 (Rx)
t +------------------+
h 6 (Ground) __________
6 (Ground)
6 5 4 3 2 1 t
Key signals: 2 - Transmit, 3 - Receive, 6 - Ground
Assembly Notes:
As shown, the
only 3 wires needed for the cable are 2, 3 and 6 (Tx, Rx,
and Ground).
All of these wires are on the bottom connector, so that
is a good indicater
of which way the cable plugs in the Jaguar.
Shielded and
RF-Choked cables work best. Due to the nature of this
connector, it
will be hard to shield this cable completely.
If you cannot
find a 12-contact IDE Card Edge Connector, a 10-contact
version can
be used. A quick one can be built with no soldering using
JDR MicroDevices
(Part# IDE10). This is made for ribbon cable, but you
can use regular
shielded cables with a little work. As long as lines 2,
3, and 6 remain
properly connected, there should be no difference.
Usage tips:
* DO NOT PLUG THIS CABLE
IN UPSIDE-DOWN! You may damage internal
components if you plug it incorrectly.
* TURN OFF BOTH JAGUARS
BEFORE CONNECTING. You may damage internal
components if you do not.
* Since there isn't much
strengh in the wires, remove the cable by the
connectors.
==============================================================================
Q. Agh! My Jaguar is broken! How
can I fix it?
A. Unforutnately, with the dissolution of
Atari Corp., repair or replacement
of broken Jaguars is no
longer available; Atari/JTS does not have any
units remaining for sale
or replacement. On the other hand, with the low
price of clearance Jaguars
today, it isn't expensive to buy a new unit.
In Great Britian, Telegames
UK will offer to repair your Jaguar for a fee.
They can be reached at:
TeleMail
Kilby Bridge, Wigston,
Leicester LE18 3TE, UK
Tel. +44-116-2880445
Fax. +44-116-2813437
==============================================================================
Q. Where can I get other information about the Jaguar?
A. Publications:
- Instant Replay
Newsletter devoted to the Jaguar, with
7570 South Manor
Avenue news and reviews.
Write to Frank Eva
Oak Creek, WI
53154
for more information.
- Wild Cat
A one-man, home-made Atari video gaming
Phil Patton
"fanzine." Subscvriptions are $12/year
131 Dake Ave.
for eight issues, at 12 pages each
Santa Cruz,
CA 95062
issue. Covers all Atari consoles and
computers.
Internet/USENET newsgroups and services:
- rec.games.video.atari
USENET newsgroup. Contains news for all Atari video-game systems.
- World-Wide Web Pages
Go
Atari is a web site that sells Atari software and hardware:
http://www.goatari.com/
Telegames
UK sells Jaguar consoles, games, accessories:
http://www.telegames.co.uk
The
Electric Escape is the official home of the Jaguar FAQ.
http://www.digiserve.com/eescape/atari/Atari.shtml
Jaguar
Explorer On-line is a free electronic newsletter covering the
latest news on the Jaguar (and other Atari-related matters):
http://www.atarihq.com/jeo/
Atarinews: On the Prowl is an electronic newsletter that reports the
newest developments in the Atari gaming community:
http://gem.atari.org/~atmosphere/atarinews.html
The
Jaguar Community Webring is a collection of web sites devoted to
all aspects of the Jaguar:
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Vista/6856/JCU-WebRing.html
%
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/jaguarcommunityunited
Carl
Forhan's (Songbird Productions) numerous Lynx and Jaguar
projects can be found at:
http://homepage2.rconnect.com/forhan/
http://songbird.atari.org
http://jagdomain.atari.org/
http://lynxdomain.atari.org/
The
Jaguar Development Club and Jaguar City have joined forces to
create a German/English web site for developers and enthusiasts.
http://www.atari-jaguar.de/
The
Atari Lynx and Jaguar Club Deutschland is on the web:
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/6679/
General-purpose
Atari/Jaguar Web pages:
http://www2.ecst.csuchico.edu/~jschlich/
http://www.redsun.net/jaguar/
http://www.mcc.ac.uk/~dlms/atari.html
http://dcpu1.cs.york.ac.uk:6666/~andrew/jaguar/
http://rzserv2.fh-lueneburg.de:8080/Jaguar/
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/5916/
http://www.cwo.com/~holstine/jz/us640.htm
Also, Yahoo!'s list of Atari Jaguar web sites can be found at
http://www.yahoo.com/Recreation/Games/Video_Games/Systems/Atari/Jaguar/
Llamasoft
has a web page which contains updates on upcoming Jaguar
projects, as well as ruminations on lovely llamas, hot music CDs, and
other musings from Jeff Minter:
http://www.magicnet.net/~yak/
Mailing list:
- Atari Jag-mail
J. Sinn runs a Jaguar e-mail newsletter. For subscription
information, write to j-sinn@ellijay.com
BBS:
- CATScan
(209) 239-1552, 300/1200/2400/9600/14400 bps. Single line.
The
BBS is completely dedicated to Atari products and Atari video game
consoles. Includes screen shots, press releases, pictures, and other
files. Run by Don Thomas of Atari Corp.
- Video Game Information Service.
(201) 509-7324, 300/1200/2400/9600/14400 bps. Multiple lines
Located
in West Orange, New Jersy (USA). The BBS is completely
dedicated to video gaming, and maintains files of cheats and reviews
for all game systems. Carries video-game-related conferences from
other computer networks, including Fidonet, Worldnet, and Globalnet.
On-line services:
- America On-Line
The
PC Games/Video Games discussion group has areas devoted to the
Atari Lynx and the Atari Jaguar consoles. Use the keyword PC GAMES,
then go to the Video Games discussion board. From there, select Atari
Discussion, then the console of your choice.
- GEnie
A
dedicated/expanded Jaguar roundtable has been established. Type
M475;1 to reach it. For assistance regarding the roundtable, send
e-mail to JAGUAR$ on GEnie.
==============================================================================
Q. How was development for the Jaguar done?
A. Jaguar game development environments existed
for the Atari TT030 computer
or an IBM PC/compatible.
Art development could be performed on any
machine, whether a low-end
Apple Macintosh or commercial rendering
software such as SoftImage.
Wavefront's "GameWare" was the official 2D/3D
graphics development system;
Atari itself used GameWare for in-company
development, and registered
third-party Jaguar developers could buy
GameWare licenses at special
discount prices.
Estimated price for a developer's
package was $9,000 for the TT030 setup,
and $7,500 for the PC/compatible
platform. The package included a Jaguar
development unit, documentation,
and development/debugging software.
The Jaguar had modified
boot firmware to run the development board (the
"Alpine board"), and it
had a cable coming out to provide signals to the
Alpine board that are not
normally present via the cartridge connector.
CD-ROM developement packages
(including the cartridge development kit)
were ranged at about $8,000,
and were upgradeable from the card-only kit.
Software routines packaged
with the system included a multi-channel
polyphonic FM/Wavetable
synth; JPEG decompression; video set-up; drawing
primitives; 3D rendering
with gourad shading, texture mapping, and camera
manipulation. GCC
is the primary 68000 C compiler; support for other
languages was not available
from Atari, but developers were free to use
whatever tools they may
prefer. The development toolkit ran under DOS,
TOS, or Linux. Work
was proceeding on a Linux development system using
the GNU tools.
The centerpiece of the TT030
deveopment platform was DB, an assembly-
language level debugging
tool. The Jaguar and the TT030 were connected
with a parallel cable, and
software could be debugged interactively
without interfering with
the Jaguar's screen display. DB supported the
use of scripts and aliases,
which simplified the use of complex or common
functions.
Support for the development
packages was primarily provided by Brainstorm
(Atari France), who worked
closely with Atari Corp.
Atari granted final code
approval, but did not see the need to "censor"
games. Every game
was given one man-month of compatibility and quality
testing before it was approved.
Atari offered technical support via FAX,
mail, electronic mail and
voice. Atari allowed developers to source their
own cartridges, documentation
and shells if desired. Jaguar software is
encrypted with a proprietary
key, thus preventing unauthorized developers
from releasing Jaguar software.
Cross Products (SNASM) offered
an alternative Jaguar Development system.
It came with a multiwindowed
debugger, assemblers, compilers, and SCSI
support, for approximately
$3,700. The package allowed for full screen,
source level debugging of
multiple processors, in C or assembler. This
was software only for the
IBM PC; the Jaguar development hardware (Alpine
board, modified Jaguar,
etc.) had to be purchased separately from Atari.
Ambitious hobbists have started
their own unendorsed Jaguar development
efforts, with several "home-brewed"
development systems and electronic
documentation of the Jaguar's
inner workings. Several games have been
written for play on the
"Jaguar Server" development system (requires some
hardware modification to
an existing Jaguar, and an IBM PC or Atari ST
computer).
Information about these
efforts may be found on the web at the following
sites:
- "Jaguar Server"
Development system
http://hem.passagen.se/isvar/jaguar_server/jserver.html
- "Behind Jaggi
Lines" Development system
http://rghx54.gp.fht-esslingen.de/students/mt/elw5basc/jaguar/
- Jaguar Underground
Mailing List
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/1460/ugd.html
- Gavin's Jaguar
Hardware page
http://www.cee.hw.ac.uk/~ceegbs/jaghard.html
In addition, the Jaguar Development
Club of Germany has made the official
Jaguar development manual
available exclusively for downloading on their
home page (http://jdc.atari-computer.de/manual.htm).
==============================================================================
Q. Where is the encryption key for Jaguar
games? Now that Hasbro has
declared the Jaguar an "open
system", the key should be available to the
public, right?
A. Wrong. Even though Hasbro has officially
declared the Jaguar to be an
"open" system, they have
not released the encryption code for Jaguar games
because they do not know
what (or where) it is. Hasbro's declaration of
openness on the Jaguar simply
means that developers and hackers are free
to use any means they can
to develop and sell Jaguar games -- whether they
do this by figuring out
the encryption key, bypassing the Jaguar's startup
checks, or using any other
techniques, Hasbro's lawyers will not bother
anyone along the way.
As of this writing, the
unofficial word in the Jaguar community is that
the few people who DO have
access to the Jaguar's encryption key are
trying to make sure that
they're "safe" -- that if they release the keys,
they won't be prosecuted
by some other company for some other reason.
But all hope is not lost!
According to Scott LeGrand of 4Play, former
Atari engineer Dave Staugas
has mentioned that the Jaguar's startup
encryption check has a "back
door" in the software -- a safety measure to
be used in case the "real"
encryption key was lost. Investigation in this
direction is currently continuing,
and the latest (unconfirmed) theory is
that the encryption (and
the back door) works as follows:
1. A 512-bit
key is applied to the memory data, and then a 32-bit
checksum is used for validation.
2. The bottom
8K or so of ROM memory is filled with a key generated from
the cartridge data. When a Jaguar boots, this 8K of data is combined
with the ROM data to generate the 32-bit checksum.
3. If the checksum
is valid, the cartridge is allowed to run.
4. The "back
door" checksum value is: 03D0 DEAD (hex). And yes, it IS a
cheeky reference to the Jaguar's then-current competitor...
More details about the Jaguar
encryption process will be added as it
becomes publically available.
==============================================================================
Q. Since the Jaguar encryption code is missing,
does that mean there's no way
for people to write their
own Jaguar games? Is the whole "open system"
thing a crock?
A: Not at all! Hobbists and developers
have been writing their own Jaguar
games for a while now; the
lack of an encryption key simply means they
can't distribute the game
to non-developers.
But wait! In response
to this need comes JUGS, the Jaguar Unmodified Game
Server. JUGS is a
computer hardware/software package that allows you to
download Jaguar games from
your personal computer to a Jaguar and then run
them. With dozens
of homebrewed Jaguar programs in existence, this opens
up a new source of software
for the Jaguar enthusiast.
To use JUGS, you need the
following:
* A copy of
the game BattleSphere.
* An IBM-compatible
PC with a RS-232 communications port.
* A JagLink
interface.
For more information about
JUGS, ordering information, and available
developer titles, visit
http://www.buyjugs.com/
==============================================================================