Atari 8bit Computer

After two years with a Sinclair ZX81 (with 1KB RAM), 1984 an Atari 800XL came on my desk. ‘64 times more memory! That should suffice for a lifetime!’ Well, 1985 I got an Atari 130XE with that memory doubled.

Me and my brothers and sisters were happy for many years with those computers, and we love to remember the times. It had games I still love to play. And the first money as programmer I earned with a program for those computers.

The hardware decayed long ago, but (using a SIO2PC cable and the Atari 810 emulator) I have saved my own works. To play them on the Atari800Win emulator. And so can you, if you download them here.

Download Happy Trash Software Atari 8bit Software

All programs contained are a shared effort by me and my brother Alexander.

Kitten
Teaser
A jump&run—ahem, nearly, because our hero only wants to jump. But exactly that makes it a real puzzler for 1 player. With 20 Levels, and a level editor.
Many thanks to Andreas Koch, who created another set of 30 levels. I put those on a separate disk.
Disk
HTSKitten -bas.atr, HTSKitten Andreas Koch -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled, 32K RAM minimum.
Instructions
Lead the young playful tom cat to his playmate. Collect some flowers on his way, or she will reject him. In his high-spirits tom cat doesn't want to run, but only jump. Springs bring him up. Hurdles and falling deep make him lose a cat's life; same if his playmate rejects him or the time is up. And to make matters worse, the greedy microflicros (small flying crocodiles) are out for prey.
Usage
Assigned keys during game
Joystick left/right Choose viewing direction.
Joystick up Long jump in viewing direction.
Joystick down Short jump in viewing direction.
Option Exits the current game and shows the title screen.
Select Tom cat loses a cat's life and re-starts the level.
S Music on.
N Music off.
Assigned keys in editor
Joystick Moves cursor.
Fire button Sets chosen icon at current cursor position.
Option Switches microflicros' speed (fast / slow).
Select Sets / removes microflicro in row of current cursor position.
Start Switches icon.
Cursor up / down More / less time.
Cursor left / right Less / more flowers to collect.
Return Saves the level.
Esc Leaves to title screen.
Backspace Removes a character in screen name.
other keys Enters screen name.
Published in
Computronic, Tronic Verlag, Issue 09-10/1986 (to typewrite, only with 2 levels).
Also ported to
 Java,  HTML5 (JavaScript)
Wille
Teaser
A (German) science fiction story, enriched with images, music and small games. For 1 player.
Disk
HTSWille_A -bas.atr, HTSWille_B -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled, 48K RAM minimum, Atari XL/XE.
Instructions
Explained in the story.
Usage
Explained in the story.
Reviewed in
ATARI Magazin 06/1987. Quote:

‘Viel Neues gibt es zu berichten. Machen wir den Anfang mit einem Allround-Spielpaket für die 8-BitAtaris, entwickelt von zwei phantasievollen Brüdern. ›Wille‹ ist die humorvoll erzählte Geschichte einer Zeitreise, gespickt mit insgesamt acht Tempo-, Geschicklichkeits- und Tüftelspielen. Die Gebrüder Diefenbach aus Norden/Ostfriesland haben hier alles andere als einen Ostfriesenwitz geliefert. Beim Lesen der Geschichte, die die einzelnen Spielepisoden verbindet, entspannt und amüsiert man sich.

Die verschiedenen Runden verlangen dann ganzen Einsatz. Damit man beim Neustart des Programms gleich ein bestimmtes Spiel anspringen kann, gibt es Code-Worte, die in der jeweiligen Spielsituation verraten werden. Die grafische Gestaltung ist überdurchschnittlich; Idee und Humor könnten jedem kommerziellen Programm als Beispiel dienen. ›Wille‹ nimmt zwei Diskettenseiten mittlerer Dichte in Anspruch und ist als PD 8 beim Verlag zu bekommen.’

It seems it can still be obtained there. But of course also here by the authors.
Life
Teaser
A cellular automaton, implementing the ruleset of John Horton Conway. The calculations are done in machine code, so in Graphics 7 resolution it takes 2 seconds per generation. With many features like magnifying glass, raster, comparism this / previous generation, automated calculation of n generations, print to Atari 1020 plotter and more.
Disk
HTSLife -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled, 48K RAM minimum, Atari XL/XE.
Instructions
Create a cell culture and see how it evolves.
Usage
Uses a joystick. Help or Inv shows a help screen.
Also ported to
 Java,
Zeichner/Julia
Teaser
A drawing program for Graphics 7 (Julia) or Graphics 15 (Zeichner). With magnifying glass, free drawing, lines, boxes, circles, ellipses, text, spray, erazor, fill, mirror axes, choice of colors, box copy, box mirroring, box copy with resize, and 1 step undo.
Compiled Turbo-Basic or Turbo-Basic Interpreter. Contains some demo images. And some print tools for the Atari 1020 plotter.
Disk
ZeichnerJuliaRun.atr
Emulator settings
Basic disabled, 48K RAM minimum, Atari XL/XE.
Instructions
To start, enter ‘JULIA’ or ‘ZEICHNER’.
Usage
Joystick Moves active cursor 1 step in chosen direction.
Fire button Action depending on chosen menu entry.
Space Switches between cursor 1 and cursor 2.
1, 2, 3, 4 Chooses active color.
Cursor up, down, left, right Moves active cursor 10 step in chosen direction.
L Magnifying glass on/off.
Return Saves all changes and switches to main menu.
Esc Discards all changes and switches to main menu.
Wurm
Teaser
The classical snake worm game. My first opus on the Atari. 1 to 2 players.
Disk
HTSGames -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled.
Instructions
To start, in the disk start menu, select WURM.
Usage
Needs 1-2 joysticks.
Joystick left/right/up/down Worm takes given direction.
Tanks a lot
Teaser
A 2-player tank shooter through 5 screens. May the best man win.
Disk
HTSGames -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled.
Instructions
To start, in the disk start menu, select TANKS.
Usage
Uses 2 joysticks.
Joystick left/right Turns tank.
Joystick up Moves tank.
Fire button Fire!
Ski Alpin
Teaser
A sports game with randomly calculated tracks in four difficulties.
Disk
HTSGames -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled, 32K RAM minimum.
Instructions
To start, in the disk start menu, select SKIALPIN.
Usage
Joystick left/right Moves in given direction.
Fire button Slows down.
Temple of Xo
Teaser
An action adventure for 1 player.
Disk
HTSGames -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled, 32K RAM minimum, Atari XL/XE.
Instructions
To start, in the disk start menu, select XO.
You are an explorer in the footsteps of Indiana Jones, in search for the fantastic temple of Xo. You can collect items (by simply running throught them, but you can only carry one item at a time) and use them (which lets the item disappear).
The quest contains several keys and doors, a tiger (looking more like a boar), vases, bottles, rifles, dynamite, walls to blow, a parachute, and a labyrinth you need to cross several times.
Usage
Joystick Move.
Fire button Use collected item.
Wusch!
Teaser
A collecting game with steering as in Joust, like with inertia and gravity.
Disk
HTSGames -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled, 32K RAM minimum, Atari XL/XE.
Instructions
To start, in the disk start menu, select WUSCH.
You are a little ostrich in a cave. You love to eat fruits. If there were no microflicros (small flying crocodiles).
Usage
Joystick left/right Accelerate towards left/right.
Fire button Flap = accelerate upwards.
Breaker
Teaser
A simple, not fully serious rip-off of Hacker.
Disk
HTSGames -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled, 32K RAM minimum.
Instructions
To start, in the disk start menu, select BREAKER.
Log into a world-wide freemason organization that has built a tunnel system all over the world. Move on the world map through that tunnel labyrinth (that you can't see) and avoid the exploration satellite. Visit the capitals and exchange goods to where needed most (according to the political landscape of the 1980's).
Usage
Uses 1 Joystick.
Rubber Ball
Teaser
You're a rubber ball in a museum and try to break as much antique material as possible. But beware of the museum assistant's ghost and green alarm sensors.
Disk
HTSGames -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled, 32K RAM minimum.
Instructions
To start, in the disk start menu, select RUBBER.
Usage
Joystick left/right Accelerate towards left/right.
Fire button Accelerate upwards.
Stern
Teaser
This is more of a joke. You're a star, reach the plus. Invisible hashes impede you. Question marks show the hashes for a short time. As the hashes are spread randomly, it could happen that a level is impossible to finish.
Disk
HTSGames -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled, Atari XL/XE.
Instructions
To start, in the disk start menu, select STERN.
Usage
Uses a joystick.
Dragon
Teaser
You're a dragon progressing from room to room, always exit right. But as dragon you're very thin-skinned, every touch with a wall is deadly. You also have to deal with barriers as deadly, moving walls, gravity crystals, and bats.
Disk
HTSGames -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled, 32K RAM minimum.
Instructions
To start, in the disk start menu, select DRAGON.
Usage
Joystick Accelerates in the given direction.
Pong
Teaser
A primitive copy of Atari Pong, written in Basic. For 2 players. Our self-set goal to fit the code on a single page we only nearly met.
Uses the Turbo-Basic interpreter.
Disk
HTSGames -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Atari XL/XE.
Instructions
To start, in the disk start menu, select PONG.
Usage
Uses 2 paddles.
Risk board game dicing tool
Teaser
The board game ‘Risk’ I played a lot. But larger battles of material meant a lot dices to throw. Therefore this program: It throws dices for both parties involved in the battle, and calculates the consequences of the dices. If you want, repeatedly, until one party is annihilated.
Disk
HTSGames -bas.atr
Emulator settings
Basic enabled.
Instructions
To start, in the disk start menu, select RISIKO.
Usage
First enter the number of attacking and defending armies. Then the system calculates the result of the first battle round and waits for further input:
+/- Automatic repetition turned on/off.
Esc Starts a new battle.
other keys Next battle round.
Raytracer for sphere, including demo sequence
Teaser
A simple raytracer program for Graphics 8. You can position a sphere and select its size, position a point source of light, define a pattern for an endless plane, and define position, direction and wide angle of the camera.
A demo loads eight pictures created that way into the upper 64K of a 130XE and shows them in an endless loop.
Uses Turbo-Basic XL.
Disk
KugelRaytracer -tur.atr
Emulator settings
Basic disabled, 128K RAM, Atari XL/XE.
Instructions
To start the demo: RUN"D:DEMO.TUR".
To start the raytracer: RUN"D:KUGEL.TUR".