HELP: Anyone got Software Pre 1985?

[lifeschool]

I'm not sure if there anything we can do on this but I thought I would ask anyway. Prior to the final boing demo being finished by RJ and Dale in Jan 84 there was a primitive one created by Sam Dicker that (as described by Dale) 'was a yellow and blue spinning ball with no shadow, primitive and very flat...really just a simple colour palette animation, but it still impressed the visitors but we thought we could do better'.

Have you ever heard of such a demo being released or reconstructed? Its the demo that RJ and Dale worked all night to change into the classic red and white one.


Also, any primitive demos or apps that have somehow been unofficially released that we know were created prior to the Commodore launch in 1985. For example Dale, Dave and RJ tell us that they were able to add blitter line draw just prior to Jan 84 CES, they mocked up some basic demo but have no idea whatever happened to it or really what it looked like. Now there is a 1987 blitter line draw demo, but I wondered if you may have got your hands on such 1984-85 pre-release demos and applications?

The holy grail would be demos the team created and used at the CES in Jan and June 1984. I think the demo looked like this:

http://amiga.lychesis.net/applicatio...all/Boing.html

Also, anyone heard of Asus art package, perhaps used on A1000?

Thanks for all leads.

[Lonewolf10]

The only pre-1985 software I may have is for the PC...

It would be cool to find those original Amiga demo's though

[Mark Wright]

If you want to see some of the earliest examples of Amiga software, take a browse through the first 50 or so disks in the Fred Fish series. I'm sure I recall seeing files with 1984 and 1985 datestamps on some of his early disks. While he may not have started his collection before the Amiga was widely available, I seem to remember his disks were a mixture of new, current and old.

http://www.amiga-stuff.com/pd/fish.html

(Disk 5, for example, has programs dated January 1985)

I must confess that, back in the day, I would rather have slashed my wrists than explore any of these "Fish Disks". To me, they were the single most boring thing you could do with your Amiga - the electronic equivalent of watching paint dry; fossilised remains of zero interest to an eager upstart, constantly on the lookout for flashy, shiny things.

With the benefit of hindsight, there's probably a wealth of undiscovered Amiga artefacts contained on those early Fish disks. Or perhaps not. Maybe they're as uninteresting today as they ever were!

As for commercial software, and going off-topic, I think it's widely agreed that Mindwalker was the first "leisure" retail release for the Amiga, in the USA. The UK's first leisure/entertainment retail release was probably either Brattacas by Psygnosis or Lands of Havoc by Microdeal. As for application/utility release... Graphicraft/Textcraft/Musicraft? Doesn't Andy Warhol use Graphicraft at the A1000 launch? It'd be interesting to research some sort of timeline..

[NorthWay]

Originally Posted by Mark Wright

I think it's widely agreed that Mindwalker was the first "leisure" retail release for the Amiga, in the USA.

AFAIK the first commercial release was "Monkey Business", by Other Valley Software, a Donkey Kong clone.
Peter Olafson, who I believe was a writer for Amiga World, asserted as much ages ago.

It also holds the dubious honor of being effin impossible to find a copy of.
(I've seen a youtube vid of the ST version.)

[Amiga1992]

I'd like to see this MOnkey Business. It's not even in HOL. Is it real?

[Belgarath]

Yeh I've never heard of Monkey Business either, and also Mark Wright thinks the first UK amiga entertainment release could have been Lands of Havoc by Microdeal???

Er also not in HOL..

[Amigajay]

No evidence that I can find of any Amiga version of Lands of Havoc?

[lifeschool]

Just wanted to bump this thread.

The Art package I was looking for was Aegis, not Asus, and I found a disk with Aegis Plus but cant get it to run.
Yes, GraphiCraft was what Andy Warhol used. I'm looking for V0.7, I have 1.0 here.

As far as the first Amiga game ever, I want to know this!

I thought it could be:

Mindshadow
Archon
One on One (unlikely)
MasterType, 1985, Scarborough Systems
A Mind Forever Voyaging, 1985, Infocom

Never heard of Monkey Business, I trust its not Monster Business, or perhaps Catch 'Em?

[idrougge]

An inlay in the Archon game packaging says that "This product requires Kickstart version 1.1, which is scheduled for release by Commodore Amiga in November, 1985. See your dealer for availability."

[Lonewolf10]

Originally Posted by lifeschool

The Art package I was looking for was Aegis, not Asus, and I found a disk with Aegis Plus but cant get it to run.

Would SnoopDOS be of help here, or is that too modern?

[lifeschool]

These old packages need specific kickstarts, so the likihood is I was using Aegis with the wrong one. It needed 1.2 and a bit of extra memory as it turns out.

[emufan]

Originally Posted by lifeschool

The Art package I was looking for was Aegis, not Asus, and I found a disk with Aegis Plus but cant get it to run.

if this is the one, it does run here on 030/882 kick 3.1 setup - Aegis.Draw.Plus_v2.0-1985.DMS zoned

[NorthWay]

Originally Posted by lifeschool

Never heard of Monkey Business, I trust its not Monster Business, or perhaps Catch 'Em?

It is this one here [ Show youtube player ]

Other Valley Software did some real early 68K sw.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by NorthWay

It is this one here [ Show youtube player ]

Other Valley Software did some real early 68K sw.

But that's an ST version. We're trying to determine the actual existence of an Amiga version.

[NorthWay]

Originally Posted by Akira

But that's an ST version.

I know. I thought it was evident I was linking the ST version I mentioned earlier.

Reference to the old discussion I mentioned: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!to...es/ZV7hG3BA2hc
You can find him on LinkedIn if you wish to get in touch to continue on that.

Reference to the review in Amiga World: http://commodore.bombjack.org/pdf/am...86_May_Jun.zip - there is a batch of games reviews in there. None of the earlier issues have any game reviews.

[lifeschool]

ok, so this is how my list of dates looks. If anybody can give me more specific dates, by hacking the code and finding revision logs and version dates, that would be great. I cannot believe nobody has ever asked about the first Amiga game - ever!

1985 (EDIT

September:
Archon EA
Skyfox EA
?
?

1986
January - Last update of code: American History Adventure, Queue, Inc
Spring 1986 - InterAction, by IntraCorp, Inc - WB1.1 copyright 1985

From COMDEX in spring 1986 march/april

Hacker Activision

The Coveted Mirror Polarware/Penguin Software
Frank and Ernest's (Spy) Adventure Polarware/Penguin Software
Oo-Topos Polarware/Penguin Software

Jewels Of Darkness Rainbird (1986)

Monkey Business The Other Valley Software

Ultima II Sierra on-line

Spellbreaker Infocom 85 - September 16, 1985 & September 4, 1986
Moonmist Activision/Infocom 86
Borrowed Time Activision / Infocom
Mindshadow Activision / Infocom

Talking Trivia (Speech Trivia Game, marketed by Megatronics, Utah

Apl 1986 Crimson Crown Polarware
Apl 1986 Transylvania Polarware
1986 Mindwalker Synapse - Commodore Amiga
May 1986 Seven Cities Of Gold
May 1986 One-On-One Larry Bird - EA
Jul 1986 Brataccas Psygnosis
Aug 1986 Delta Patrol - The Other Valley Software (July info library)
Sep 1986 A Mind Forever Voyaging Infocom/Activision
Sep 1986 Rogue
Sep 1986 Temple Of Apshai Epyx
Oct or Dec - The Pawn - Rainbird

[idrougge]

Well, Archon. Note the reference above, and the fact that EA had prototype Amigas.

[Belgarath]

The Coveted Mirror Polarware/Penguin Software
Frank and Ernest's (Spy) Adventure Polarware/Penguin Software
Ultima II Sierra on-line
Talking Trivia (Speech Trivia Game, marketed by Megatronics, Utah

No proof that any of these ever existed for the Amiga


Monkey Business The Other Valley Software
Evidence seems anecdotal at best..

Would love to be proved wrong but I seriously doubt any of these exist along with an Amiga ver of Lands of Havoc..

[lifeschool]

Ah yes, sorry I missed Archon off the second list. Also added Skyfox as the second EA game announced in development and sheduled for release sometime late (Sept/Oct) 1985. There are two other games from this time appearantly. These may be false leads, but there is Conquest and Trek73 on Fred Fish Disk 10.

Trek 73 was converted from Basic in to C, and released 18 Jun 1985 (according to the docs). But the Amiga wasnt released until July 1985 so I'm no nearer with that one ether.