Micro-Ware "Ate-Pak" cassette -- dumped? Rare?

Mirage1972 · Post by **Mirage1972** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 7:35 am

Hi all. I'm new here, but I've been a C= & Atari collector for over 10 years now. The Vic was my first computer back in about '83.

I recently found a box of Vic-20 cassette tapes. Mostly common. A couple intrigued me and I can't find any mention of one of them anywhere. I've checked the usual zimmers, arma's, etc.

"Ate-Pak by Mike Pierone, Micro-Ware Dist., Inc, 1982"

The other is "Alphoids by ROMIK" but it appears this one is known.

Anyone have any info about this? Looks like Micro-Ware's only other known cassette is Word Wizard.

Note, I haven't tried the tape yet to see if it works. All my hardware is boxed in the closet in preparation to move in the near future, but if this is something very interesting, I might pull it out.

Thanks for any help.
Chris

ral-clan · Post by **ral-clan** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 8:25 am

Scans of the cover of Ate-Pak might jog someone's memory.

Mirage1972 · Post by **Mirage1972** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:41 am

ral-clan wrote:Scans of the cover of Ate-Pak might jog someone's memory.

Right. Here ya go. I don't have the box, manual, just the cassette itself:

http://www.aestheticofdecay.com/temp/Ate-Pak.jpg

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 10:58 am

Can't say it's familiar... a backup of it would be useful

Centallica · Post by **Centallica** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 1:14 pm

Welcome Chris to the group by the way

Where you from (please put in your profile)

Alphoids is from a Canadian company Romik Software Ltd (some sort of affiliation with the UK based company) and distributed by Laing Marketing Ltd of Toronto back then.

Mirage1972 · Post by **Mirage1972** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 6:22 pm

Thanks for the Alphoids scan. I was wondering what it looked like. Unfortunately, none of these tapes came with any inserts. A few have instructions, but not for anything interesting.

Well, it seems that no one really has seen this game (or whatever it is) yet. I know that finding new previously-lost software isn't probably as exciting as in, say, the Atari 2600 community, but I know that we'd all like for this stuff to be archived properly.

I'm really not in a position right now to archive this, or even test it, honestly. All my hardware is packed away and I don't really want to unpack it until I move (not sure yet when I'm moving, but near future).

If some (trusted) member of the community would be interested in, and willing to make a .tap file of this and release it to the community, then return the original cassette to me, I'd be willing to pay postage in both directions. If they'd return it right away, within like a week or so.

Anyone willing to volunteer? Or can direct me to an appropriate person to do this? Preferably someone in the U.S., as postage would be cheaper, but it probably wouldn't be too much to Canada.

ral-clan · Post by **ral-clan** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 9:14 am

If you don't get any other offers to do this from people in the US, I have the equpiment to do it (I am in Canada)!

Mirage1972 · Post by **Mirage1972** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 11:30 am

I just looked it up (estimating weight at 10 ounces), and it would cost me approximately $8 round-trip to-from Canada. The USPS got rid of all their ground forms of service to Canada in about May 2007, so it all has to go air First Class or Priority now.

So yeah, anyone from the US? Otherwise, will probably take ral-clan up on the Canada offer. And thanks ral-clan...!

ral-clan · Post by **ral-clan** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 12:17 pm

Well, I would double check that by calculating the return postage (Canada to US) on the Canada Post website. Canada Post is very expensive and it is likely to cost double to send it back to you.

www.canadapost.ca

Mirage1972 · Post by **Mirage1972** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 1:36 pm

Aye Caramba! Okay, well, anyone from the U.S.? Otherwise, it'll probably just have to wait until later this year (hopefully), and I'll do it. I hope the tape is still good. It's in a plastic bag with a dessicant pack.

What's up with seemingly so many people on this board from Canada? Just random, or is the Vic just really popular up north?

ral-clan · Post by **ral-clan** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 3:04 pm

Commodore (CBM) had a huge presence in Canada. In the States, Apples were in every elementary & high school. Not so in Canada. From about 1979 to 1985 every school had Commodores (PETs, C64s, and by the late 1990s CBM-made DOS boxes). My elementary school had PETs & my high school had a C-64 lab.

So, when a kid asked his or her parents for a home computer, it was likely to be one like they were accustomed using at school.

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:27 pm

I would in honesty recommend someone in the US. Not because of Ral-clan's virtue (perish the thought), but because mail can take weeks to get through Customs and be delivered when sent from the US to Canada.

It would be quicker to even mail it to me in the UK to do!

Mirage1972 · Post by **Mirage1972** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:44 pm

ral-clan wrote:Commodore (CBM) had a huge presence in Canada. In the States, Apples were in every elementary & high school. Not so in Canada. From about 1979 to 1985 every school had Commodores (PETs, C64s, and by the late 1990s CBM-made DOS boxes). My elementary school had PETs & my high school had a C-64 lab.

So, when a kid asked his or her parents for a home computer, it was likely to be one like they were accustomed using at school.

That's interesting. I know that typically in the U.S., schools had Apples, but in my elementary school, we had PETs. I was in elementary school from 1977 to 1982, near Minneapolis, Minnesota.

More importantly though, as far as home computers went, I only ever knew two people who had an Apple ][. In one case, it was the parents' computer, and in the other case, it was an older kid who ran a local BBS. Everyone, and I mean everyone I knew had a Commodore 64 (once I got into Jr High and HS). I'm sure the popularity of each computer varied by region, but I know that Commodores in most areas that I know of were more popular. Probably mostly due to price, and availability of games (both via legal and non-legal sources). Even to this day, when I talk with people about old computers, most everyone remembers (and had, or used, and has fond memories of) a C64 (or Vic), but hardly anyone had an Apple.

So, I guess I'm still a little surprised that this board seems to be skewed towards Canada, unless it's for some reason other than original popularity. Perhaps the Vic itself was more popular in Canada than in the U.S. Before I got a C64 (when I had a Vic), definitely not nearly as many people had computers of any kind where I lived.

Kweepa · Post by **Kweepa** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:55 pm

I could give it a try. It's not something I've done before but the process seems simple enough, and it looks like fun! I have access to some decent sound equipment.

Mayhem · Post by **Mayhem** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 6:30 pm

Sound equipment can be very hit and miss. A dedicated TAP producing setup is the most ideal way to get results.