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When The Saints Go Marching In
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- Test of SainT v1.00b -
Atari ST... these words sound like magic for us. Most of us have discovered
computers with the ST. All around the world, the ST was famous for its games and
MIDI applications. Now, it is commercially dead but people still love using it.
And what about the demos, these finely optimized pieces of code which push the
physical limits of the machine to the extreme? Nowadays, we must admit there are
PCs everywhere, but it is time for the ST to come back!
If you have one of those powerful but crappy computers called PCs, you have
surely used an emulator, haven't you? On Kro$oft's platforms, the two best Atari
ST emulators are STeem and SainT. One is not better than the other: they are
complementary and not competitors.
SainT version 1.00b is available since June 2002. It has been tested on two
different computers:
1/ PC with Windows 2000
Pentium-III processor running at 700 MHz
192 MB of RAM
GeForce 2 graphic card
2/ PC with Windows XP
Pentium-III processor running at 1.2 GHz
256 MB of RAM
NVIDIA Riva TNT2 graphic card
WHAT IS SAINT?
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SainT is coded by James Boulton (alias JimB) and Arnaud Carre (alias
Leonard/OXYGENE). This software is totally freeware. SainT is more than an Atari
emulator. According to its author, it is a demo-oriented emulator. SainT
requires at least a Pentium-II PC at 233 Mhz with a basic 3D card. It runs on
every Windows version and needs DirectX8.
In this version 1.00b, ZIP archives are treated as directories. In general,
the STE sounds are well played. Thanks to the choice between STFM and STE, we
can see the demos which do not work on our "true" STs.
On the other hand, the F11 (reset) and F12 (menu) keys are too much close.
SID-voice musics aren't played very well and they are unbearable for my ears.
Moreover, fullscreens often slow down the musics.
THE MAIN MENU
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When you run SainT for the first time, it checks if DirectX8 is present and
it asks if you prefer fullscreen or windowed-mode.
Disk Menu:
Here you can select the directory containing disk images. Each disk image
can be inserted into A: (B: isn't supported in this version).
Options:
You can choose the rendering mode. SainT supports the GPU rendering but
every graphic card doesn't support DirectX8.1 dynamic textures. For example,
GPU rendering slows down the GeForce 2, but it runs very well on a NVIDIA
TNT2.
In the options screen, it's also possible to choose the ST type (STFM or
STE), the amount of memory (up to 2 MB) and the drive speed. The joystick
and the sound can be configured as well.
Record:
For the moment, you can only save a screen shot and record an YM music. In
future versions, you will be able to record a movie.
Run:
You go back to the emulation.
Quit:
Well, that's obvious... isn't it? ;-)
COMPATIBILITY
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I've not tested *all* the demos, of course (I'm not that crazy). I've put
the Supremacy's ST Anthology CDs and I've choosen some well-known demos. Note
that some demos need a patch (e.g. Dark Side of the Spoon) in order to run
perfectly with SainT.
These demos run very well:
Beyond Deadline
Blood (synchro problems with some fullscreens)
Colorz
Cuddly Demos - the fullscreens are great!
Dark Side of the Spoon (you need a patch)
If Pigs could fly
Japtro (synchro problems with vertical scrollings)
Just Buggin'
Life is a Bitch (Gigatex's Ak-screen doesn't work)
Mindbomb Demo
Oddstuff
Ooh Crickey wot a Scorcher (I've not tested all the screens)
Pete Megademo (except the STE screens)
Snork Demo (I've not tested all the screens)
Sowatt (STF mode only)
Synergy Megademo
Things not to do
Vodka Demo
Whattaheck
These demos don't run correctly:
Anomaly Demo
Bad Taste
BIG Demo
Brain Damage (due to STE video hardware?)
Brutal Techno Demo 1 (SainT has crashed!)
European Demos
Flip-O-Demo
Froggies over the Fence (freezes when depacking the main menu)
Humeur Vitree (it hangs on during the first fullscreen)
Knockin' on Krystal's Door (it hangs on after the first screen)
Phaleon
Punish your Machine
Relapse (doesn't recognizes the STE mode)
Syntax Terror
Ventura (the intro is OK but choosing a screen is impossible)
White Spirit
I've also tested a few games, even if STeem is more appropriate to play ST
games. These ones run correctly with SainT (non exhaustive list, of course):
Elf
Jim Power
Lemmings 2
Parasol Stars
Rainbow Islands
Saint Dragon
Toki
Wings of Death
Xenon 2
Note: STE games such as Sleepwalker don't work yet.
THE LAST WORDS
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To conclude, SainT is an ST demo emulator for the purists who wish to find
the feelings of the ST: noise of the floppy disk drive, overscan, only 8 MHz,
neither saving nor restoration of the memory...
For the next versions, I think the STE emulator must be improved. It would
be cool to save and restore the memory, because restarting a game from the
beginning is a real pain sometimes.
Some links:
Download SainT: http://saint.atari.org/
Atari forum with emulator section: http://www.atari-forum.com/
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By Strider/Supremacy on June 2002.
I've used my Portfolio as a notepad for this article :-)
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