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Retrograde Station >> News

2006-04-03

Up again temporarily (maybe). Retrograde Station will still move to a new, permanent server some time in the near future, but it's back up for now. This is only a temporary solution though, but Retrograde Station will be moved to a new, permanent server shortly. I'm writing this, since it might disappear again before it's moved... The address will still be the same, it'll just be on a new server.

2006-03-16

The whole trustno1.org domain was offline for a couple of weeks. That means that I haven't received any mail since it went down, so if you've sent me any mail after March 4, *please* send it again, so I can receive it properly!
Finally managed to crack and fix The Alpine Encounter. The copy I received was broken, but I was able to puzzle it together, and the result is up on the Odds page. I also converted it to DOS.
Converted Ulysses and the Golden Fleece to DOS, result on Sierra page.
Got some new PCjr cartridges, Pitfall II and River Raid. Up on the PCjr page.
Added the game manual, and a high resolution map for Pirates! (Microprose page)
Contrary to what I wrote on 01-31, my copy of Super Zaxxon works in composite mode in MESS, but the scrolling is horrible.

2006-03-02

Made a new page for Bally Midway, containing Spy Hunter and Tapper.
Moved all Broderbund Software games from the Odds page to their own page. (Apple Panic, Championship Lode Runner, Lode Runner and Serpentine).
Added a new version of The Black Cauldron to the Sierra page, version 1.1J. I also updated the crack for version 1.1K, so that one works in MESS now (the old one didn't). I also renamed the image files of all Black Cauldron and King's Quest 2 versions to match each other, so all files can be unpacked in the same directory without renaming.
Added a lot of stuff to the PCjr page, which also has been renamed to PCjr Software. New stuff is: IBM PCjr & PCjx system ROMs, and also 2 cartridge dumps that replace the system ROM, one that makes the PCjr identify as a standard PC, and one that makes it boot quicker. I also added info about where in memory the cartridges load.
Updated the Wanted booters list, added a lot of games people have mentioned in mails to me over the years. (Also added some PCjr cartridges to the wanted list.)

2006-01-31

I made a completely new crack for Pirates!, which makes it more compatible to run in emulators. This version works fine in Flopper.
I added Super Zaxxon to my wanted list, since the copy I have has some problems. There are sectors missing, and it only runs in Composite mode. It also uses very advanced CGA-only graphics tricks, so it doesn't play like it should in any emulator I've tested it in. If anyone has a copy of this game, please don't hesitate to contact us! Also, if anyone knows of an emulator that emulates CGA (and especially composite mode) properly, contact us, so we can check if this one works. (It does not work in MESS.)
I ripped Atari's Pac-Man to DOS, and added it to the Atari page.
Added links to MESS, DOSBox and WinImage on the Links page.
Added Tandy 1000HX for use in MESS to the Tandy ROMs page.
Added DOS Rips for the games on the PCjr page that work on other computers as well.
Cleaned up the code on the page a *lot* (over 33KB of unnecessary tags & other superfluous stuff removed). Recommended browser is Mozilla Firefox.

2005-12-31

Retrograde Station wishes all its visitors a happy new year! To celebrate the end of the year, here's a new update for you!
2 new pages created, one for Dinamic, containing the games Game Over, Game Over 2, Narco Police, Phantis and Satan, and one for Operasoft, containing Goody, The Last Mission and Livingstone 2.
I added Murder on the Zinderneuf to the Electronic Arts page.
The Ikari Warriors DOS conversion I made didn't work in DOSBox for some very weird reason. I don't know why, but for some reason the Reset disk system command failed in DOSBox. I added a fake response that everything is OK, so it should work now. Updated version is up on the Data East page.
On the PCjr page, Colorpaint has been re-ripped, new version is up, as well as a new double cartridge, Lotus 1-2-3.
A simple search engine has been added as well, so from now on it'll be easier to find games, especially if you don't know who made it.

2005-10-30

Added a page for Orion Software, containing games J-Bird, Paratrooper and PC-Man. I ripped Ikari Warriors for DOS, so it's been added to the Data East page. Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road DOS conversion has also been added, thanks to The Underdogs and Mok. I also added Flopper infomation for all the games that weren't previously tested.

2005-10-18

Yet another update! I've been in an oldskool mode lately, and I've been going through all the attachments I've received here between the 2001 update and today. I've found some treasures in there, including Zork 2, PC Pool Challenges (for DOS) and Space Strike (also for DOS). So, thanks a lot to everyone that contribute! :)
Here's what's new this time:
I converted Big Top to run from DOS, so that's been added to the Funtastic page. I also found a DOS conversion of Space Strike, also by Funtastic, that one has been added as well. Someone sent me this a while back, but it was after I disappeared into oblivion, which is why it wasn't added earlier... PC Pool Challenges for DOS added (IBM), Zork 2 booting added (Infocom), Planetfall DOS conversion, 3 different versions added (Infocom). I also added the release numbers of all Infocom games, for all you Infocom fans out there...

2005-10-11

Another update!!
After fixing Serpentine the other week, I thought there was something that felt familiar about it. I found an old image of Apple Panic that I never managed to get working, because the track with the protection was broken, and the whole thing was heavily encrypted. As it turns out, it uses the exact same protection as Serpentine (not so strange, since both are from Broderbund Software, and both from 1982). I could use the protected track from the Serpentine disk, and the game worked like a charm :)
I also managed to finally fix Cyborg, we've had this laying around a while, not as long as Apple Panic though. As it turns out, the first copy we got was corrupt, so it was no wonder it didn't work properly. The second one didn't work either, but it was salvagable. Both games have been converted to DOS as well, by yours truly. Those two games, together with another rare booter called I, Damiano, are added to the Odds, Ends & Other rarities page.

2005-10-01

Hey, what do you know? The site isn't dead!! Or more like, the site is back from the dead! Since it's been a while (heh, 4 years...), I've got a pretty big update this time. Let's see:
Added an Activision page (Ghostbusters, Hacker 2, Mindshadow, Portal and Tass Times in Tonetown).
Added a Links page.
Added games to already existing pages: Attack on Altair (Windmill), Crusade in Europe & Solo Flight (Microprose), Cutthroats & Planetfall (Infocom), Sierra Championship Boxing (Sierra), Championship Lode Runner & Agent USA & Below the Root & Defender of the Crown EGA & Serpentine (Odds & Ends).
Fixed broken links to The Underdogs and Floppy Frenzy.
Added 20+ Mobygames links to already existing games.

2001-08-21

Hehe... Vacation is over, but the page updates are still slow. The Underdogs turned up another rare Sierra booter, Ulysses and the Golden Fleece, so I'm updating the page just to put that game up. It took a while to crack, and the game itself has a few bugs, but the result is finally up.

2001-06-19

OK, I'm going away on vacation now, so the updates will be as frequent as usual... ;) Seriously, I won't be home to do anything about the page in about 5 weeks, but I hope to have a couple of days extra off when I get back to make new screenshots and stuff... I have one whole page, and a few other games planned to be added, so I hope I can do that when I get back... Until then... (also, I won't be able to check the email, so I can't reply to eventual mails until I get back...)

2001-06-12

I fixed Donald Duck's Playground playable for DOS, so I've added it to the Sierra page...

2001-06-06

I know, I know... I'm not good at updating the page, and I feel kind of bad about it. It's just that each game I add takes about 1 hour to get ready for the page, and that's usually an hour that I don't have. :(
But, now I've taken at least some time, and I've added Donald Duck's Playground (uncracked version courtesy of Home of the Underdogs) to the Sierra page, and The Witness to the Infocom Page.
Also, I got a letter a while back from a guy that wanted to play Wizardry, but it wouldn't work properly. I took a look, and found that it had a disk based protection that I had missed. I've fixed this, and also Wizardry 2 & 3, which had similar protections, so if you've downloaded Wizardry 1, 2 or 3, and it wouldn't work, download it/them again, and it should work better. I've also added empty scenario disks to Wizardry 2 and 3, since they were a bit of a hazzle to create. Now all I have to figure out is how to create/add characters in Wizardry 2 & 3...

2001-03-08

Another surprise update!
I added a Data East/SNK Corporation/Quicksilver page with the following games: Commando, Guerilla War, Ikari Warriors, Karnov, Lock-On, Tag Team Wrestling and Victory Road. Removed Ikari Warriors (CGA only) from Odds page...

2001-03-06

What?! The site isn't dead? Well, I guess that's a legit question... Sorry about the very long wait, but here's at least a small update...
I've added a Sega page with 5 games, Buck Rogers, Congo Bongo, Frogger & Frogger 2 and Zaxxon. I hope to add another page this week, as well as a small links section and maybe some other goodies...

2000-11-27

Added Montezuma's Revenge to the Odds page.

2000-11-18

Added a new version of the BC's Quest for Tires game for DOS. The previous version had problems with the highscore, so I made a little patch to save the highscores to a file instead. I also created a similar non-CGA patch that I fixed for Troll's Tale.

2000-11-17

Added DOS conversion of Troll's Tale. My friend (at the Underdogs) wanted it converted to DOS, so I took a look at it. It was really simple, and the result is up on the Sierra page... I played through the whole game just to make sure that it worked OK.
Added a little fix for Troll's Tale that patches the IMG/EXE to show proper picture on non-CGA graphic adapters.

2000-10-28

The entire page has been moved, and is now at a (hopefully) better location. Seriously, Webjump added a few awful features after I put the page there, and you just can't tolerate stuff like jumping to other pages! I hope the page will work a lot better here.
Added the rare Sierra booter: Troll's Tale!

2000-09-20

I've created the PCjr Cartridge Page, and added the 6 cartridge dumps I currently have. These are: Cartridge Basic, Crossfire, IBM PCjr Colorpaint, Mine Shaft, Mouser and ScubaVenture. I've also removed the link to Mine Shaft PCjr cartridge from the Sierra page...

2000-09-19

I'm back from vacation now, and the DSL problems still haven't been fixed... :( It seems that they've located a possible cause, but it will take some time to get it fixed... I probably also will move the page soon, to a "real" domain, not a free one, so hopefully it'll work better, and there won't be any more annoying banners and popup windows... More on that when the new place is all set up.
I've also answered the massive amount of mail that I had waiting, so feel free to write more... :)
I hope to update the page sometime soon, but it's a real pain when sending takes forever... I know I will set up a PCjr cartridge dump page (yes, *real* ROMs!), that will be runable in Tand-em in a future release... I hope that Retrograde Station will be the first page ever to feature PCjr cartridge dumps!

2000-08-27

I'm going away on vacation for a coule of weeks today, so there'll be no updates in a while. And for the two, or three who actually have used the e-mail address... I won't be able to check it until I get back home, so please write, but don't expect lighting fast answers... :)

2000-08-19

Added Fleet Sweep, Freddy Fish and Ikari Warriors to the Odds, Ends... page.

2000-08-14

I've changed e-mail address, since Hotmail is so very, very, very annoying, and I can't stand Outlook anymore (mayhap cause they're both Microsoft products)... The new address is: retrograde@trustno1.org. I've updated the mailto link in the left frame to send messages to the new address.

2000-08-13

No new updates this time, I'm afraid... I'm in the middle of vacation, and my DSL connection is acting up for some reason. I can download files OK, but sending files is pretty damn near impossible! I kid you not when I tell you that sending 400k to the FTP took countless retries over 3 days! I've reported the problem, but nothing seems to happen... :( Before this is fixed, updating the page properly will be a problem, but I'll try to fix it somehow. Hope you'll have patience with me (and my connection...)
OK, so maybe there was a small "update" of sorts. The IBM page html had somehow disappeared from the site, so I've sent it again. Please report if you find any broken links, missing pages or other errors...

2000-07-16

Added MS Flightsimulator v2.12 to Microsoft Series page.

2000-07-03

Added Microsoft "Series" booters, including MS Adventure, MS Decathlon and MS Flightsimulator v1.05, v2.1 and v2.13.
Added a bunch (25) of links to Mobygames entries that have appeared at Mobygames since I last checked.
Added a disclaimer startup page. Link to http://retrograde.trustno1.org/index2.htm if you want to skip it when jumping to Retrograde Station... (doing this still implicitly binds you to the disclaimer...)

2000-06-14

Just made some changes to the Tandy 1000 ROM page... I Zipped all ROMs, since Netscape has such problems with unknown extensions. I also added 2 more ROMs.

2000-06-13

Hmm... It's been a while again... I've moved, and it seems like I'm working all the time, so the page has fallen into the shadows a bit... I've updated the Booters and Wantboot lists, added a page for Tandy 1000 ROMS (for emulation purposes), and updated the EA Unprotector program to recognize Murder on the Zinderneuf.

2000-03-15

I've been busy with a bunch of other projects and stuff, so I haven't updated in a while. But since I got the very first mail a few days ago, I found some motivation again. Today I've added all my Infocom and Infocomics (the ones with screenshots). I didn't add any screenshots for the text-only games, as I found it a bit too obsessive...

2000-02-20

Added Mineshaft PCjr Cartridge conversion+actual Cartridge dump to Sierra page.
Added Loderunner to Odds, Ends and Other Rarities page.

2000-02-19

Added Czorian Siege to Odds, Ends and Other Rarities page.

2000-02-13

Added Odds, Ends and Other Rarities page.
Added Dunzhin: Warrior of Ras.
Added this page...

2000-01-31

Page officially launched.