Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 21/02/2026Latest work on my #AtariSTE enhanced version of Lotus 2, now with a sky gradient similar to that featured in the #Amiga version. Still loads of work to do in various areas but it's looking good and performing well. 👍 🚗 I'll probably release as a single stage proof of concept. 0489
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 17/02/2026Spent several hours last night rewriting and optimising the 68k code that draws the rev counter on the #AtariST version of Lotus 2 to use the Blitter chip instead. These are the lengths that us ST folks are willing to go to in order to compete with that other machine. 😉 1245
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 12/02/2026Spent a couple of days progressing the #AtariSTE enhanced version of Lotus 2 using some of the knowledge and techniques gained while developing FaSTer. Still some way to go, but much closer to the #Amiga version than before. And yes, it's quite glitchy at the moment. 😄 1509
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 02/02/2026I guess I should probably stop messing around with demo effects on the high score screen and get back to writing the damn game. 😄 #CaveyTaxi #AtariSTE 1181
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 27/01/2026Thanks to Atari-Forum user ThorN for this "STOT Players Favourite new ST Game" award for Faster! 🥳 (STOT is the ST Offline Tournament - a high scores competition hosted on Atari-Forum and played using Atari ST games). Download Faster for Atari STE from retroracing.itch.io/faster-atari.... 0152
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 26/01/2026Cavey Taxi for Atari STE: high scores now being loaded from floppy and displayed on high score screen. Tons of raster time left, so I feel the urge to get a lot more colours on screen and more demo effects going on here. 😄 (Yes I'm aware of the glitch!) #CaveyTaxi #AtariSTE 1101
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 25/01/2026As suggested by Angus over on X - raster bars underlying the wavy logo. Who needs one of them "copper" things anyway? 😄 (excuse the artifacts - it's next on my list...) #CaveyTaxi #AtariSTE 0101
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 24/01/2026I'm supposed to be working on the core gameplay of Cavey Taxi for the Atari STE, but instead I've gotten caught up in creating this logo distorter for the high scores screen. 😄 Back to the game itself when I've got these demoscene urges off my chest! #AtariSTE #CaveyTaxi 0191
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 21/01/2026Cavey Taxi for Atari STE - game is now booting from floppy and I'm working on mundane stuff like title screens and high score tables. I tend to implement things *very* roughly before going back to refine them - this video illustrates this idea very well. 😄 #AtariSTE #CaveyTaxi 1111
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 18/01/2026Coming soon to an Atari STE near you, with another one of those tasty hi-colour title screens that does a great job of showing off the STE's 4096 colour palette. 😄 #CaveyTaxi #AtariSTE 0161
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 17/01/2026Sometimes I get a bit bored of working on the game itself, and find myself going off on a bit of a tangent to add some demoscene-style magic into the mix. 😄 0182
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 16/01/2026"Cavey Taxi" for Atari STE: activated scoring system and added notifications to indicate how many passengers are remaining to be picked up. At this rate of progress, I'll be looking for help with YM music and digital sound effects soon - please let me know if you'd like to help! #AtariSTE 0143
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 15/01/20262 minutes of gameplay from my upcoming Atari STE minigame "Cavey Taxi", running on real Atari STE hardware (with a badly calibrated modern monitor 😞). Look how effortlessly this powerhouse of a retro system handles that 2-layer parallax scroll and particle system! #AtariSTE 0222
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 13/01/2026This is the latest build of the WIP Atari STE game I am now provisonally calling "Cavey Taxi". Pick up passengers in a tight cave complex and drop them off elsewhere, fighting gravity, time and fuel consumption. With pretty parallax scrolling and particle systems. What's not to like? 😀 2112
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 07/01/2026Continued work on this upcoming minigame for the Atari STE. The gameplay is shaping up to be a bit Crazy Taxi-esque - pick up passengers and drop them off elsewhere in the cave without running out of time or fuel. Still lots of work to do but coming along nicely! #AtariSTE 0130
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 02/01/2026Score/status display starting to take shape (yes, the masking around the timer isn't yet finished...). Working with hardware scrolling can be pretty mind bending at times. 🤯 #AtariSTE 1112
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 02/01/2026Mockup of status display, including countdown timer, fuel remaining, score and high score. Hoping to implement this in the game in the coming days. #AtariSTE 060
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 01/01/2026Fixed colour palette and added pixel-perfect collision detection with foreground. Ship spawns back to a safe point when it crashes. All STE features except DMA sound on show here - Hardware scroll, Blitter and Enhanced palette! DMA sound to come soon to complete things. 😀 #AtariSTE 0154
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 30/12/2025First signs of gameplay in this new Atari STE project - joystick left and right rotate the ship and up activates the thrusters. Gravity pulls the ship downwards. The particle system is looking really nice - there aren't nearly enough ST/Amiga era games with particle systems. 😀 #AtariSTE 1211
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 30/06/2025Big thanks to @zeropagehomebrew.com for this exquisite award certificate and trophy for FASTER on the Atari STE! (Amiga OCS/ECS version of FASTER is still in the works - please bear with me...😃) 1203
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 05/04/2025Here's a very informal comparison between the existing #AtariSTE version of FASTER and the (WIP) #Amiga OCS/ECS version, because I know you guys love this kind of thing. 😄 Atari left, Amiga right. 35014
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 04/04/2025FASTER for #Amiga OCS/ECS: switched over to single pass (rather than 4 pass) rendering for car and scenery bobs, giving a noticeable increase in performance. Further evidence for any existing doubters out there that this is definitely not a lazy port from the ST! 😄 2597
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 29/03/2025FASTER for #Amiga OCS/ECS: currently adding in some features that had to be left out of the STE version because they were too CPU intensive. This depth-cueing effect on the ground/road surface is a good example. I don't love everything about the Amiga, but I love the Copper! 😁 46712
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 28/03/2025FASTER for #Amiga OCS/ECS: currently adding in bobs for top status display. Time digits will be hardware sprites. As with the STE version that came before it, each new feature requires a load of optimisation work in other areas to hold onto that all-important 50fps framerate! 37311
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 25/03/2025FASTER for #Amiga OCS/ECS: Following much head scratching, the speedo in the bottom right has been switched from BoBs to hardware sprites, giving a nice performance boost and other cool benefits that I'll come to later. I did say this would be no lazy STE->Amiga conversion. 😄 28014
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 23/03/2025FASTER for #Amiga OCS/ECS: copper sky gradient is now in, enabling reduced bitplane count in parts of screen for better performance. Still frame drops when screen busy but hoping to sort with optimisation. Next up: status display and speedo, using a mix of HW sprites and bobs. 311019
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 21/03/2025FASTER for #Amiga OCS/ECS: still getting the right foundations in place to build upon. Switched to interleaved bitplanes to allow single-pass bob drawing. Considering best use of Copper and HW sprites to maximise framerate. Be assured: this is no lazy STE->Amiga conversion! 😄 2294
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 09/03/2025FASTER for #Commodore #Amiga - a new WIP 50fps racer being ported from the existing Atari STE version. Game now playable with joystick. Lots of work left - HUD not implemented, no sound and tons of optimisation required to match the STE version. Very happy with progress though! 4463
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 07/03/2025Here it is - the first in-development footage of the much-requested #Amiga OCS/ECS conversion of my #AtariSTE game FASTER. Weird/unexpected chipset behaviours and optimisation challenges are slowing things down somewhat, so no plans to talk about a release date just yet! 46716
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 23/02/2025FASTER for #AtariSTE is the winner in the Atari ST(E)/TT/Falcon Best Homebrew category at the 7th Annual Atari Homebrew Awards! Thanks to all involved in the production of the game, along with the retro community for your support! Download FREE from retroracing.itch.io 8547
Reposted by Jonathan ThomasAtari Scene News @philsan.bsky.social · 07/02/2025Defender, #AtariST computers work in progress port from original source code youtu.be/9GMYvLaeg8k #atari #retrogames #retrogaming #arcadeyoutu.beAtari ST Defender WIPThis is a WIP port of Williams Defender to the Atari ST. No sound.Captured on the Hatari ST emulator. Smooth IRL, stuttering due to AVI capture.Original game... 1186
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 05/02/2025A question for #Amiga folk... I'm trying to create an ADF floppy image that will automatically load and boot a hunk executable stored on the same image. I've installed a boot block and have my Startup-sequence file in the S directory, but not sure what commands to use. Help! 352
Reposted by Jonathan ThomasGames That Weren't @gamesthatwerent.com · 05/02/2025Discover the lost vertical shoot-'em-up Eutanasia by Synchron Assembly, the creators of Audio Sculpture. Developed for #AtariST & #Amiga, it boasted 50fps performance, parallax scrolling, rich audio, and intense action. Thankfully a prototype has surfaced! www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/02/euta... 35214
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 31/01/2025Living the dream with a boxed copy* of FASTER for the #AtariSTE. ✊ (*Note: there is currently no such thing as a boxed copy of FASTER - this is just a box designed and made in very small quantities by the very talented Jez Hollinshead, and he was kind enough to send me one! 😀) 1170
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 24/01/2025Here's a boxed Atari STE game you won't see on Ebay or Facebook Marketplace. It's the amazing FASTER box by Jez Hollinshead, with artwork loosely based on the original ZX Spectrum packaging for WEC Le Mans! 3223
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 24/01/2025Great new video from Jez Hollinshead showing FASTER running on real STE hardware. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRrB...youtube.comFaster - Atari STE hardwareYouTube video by Jez Hollinshead 1101
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 19/12/2024The C/68k source code for FASTER on Atari STE is now available! Please note: ❌ The code is not representative of best practice, clean, maintainable, or for beginners. 😀 ✅The code does show a high-performance STE game using modern paradigms. That said, please enjoy! github.com/jonathanopal... 58330
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 16/12/2024You can always guarantee that at least one stupid mistake will creep into the 1.0 release of a game. And sure enough, this lovingly crafted road sign fails to appear anywhere in the FASTER track. All because of a single byte I set to the wrong value in the executable. 😠 3362
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 14/12/2024New podcast episode discussing some new racing game for the Atari STE. 🤔 1223
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 14/12/2024I'm loving seeing so many people playing FASTER on real STE hardware. Keep the pics/videos coming please! 0221
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 13/12/2024Some very early development screenshots of FASTER for Atari STE from February and March 2024, before I showed it to the world for the first time. Back then, it had the humble title of "50fps racer". Download the finished product from retroracing.itch.io/faster-atari.... 2251
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 12/12/2024Your pre-weekend reminder that FASTER for Atari STE is finally here! A brand new, 100% oldskool, super-fast-and-smooth racer. 1st place in SillyVenture 2024 WE ST game compo! Download FREE from retroracing.itch.io/faster-atari.... 1000 downloads and counting! Plays on real hardware and emulators. 23411
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 09/12/2024For those still looking to download FASTER for Atari STE, the good news is that itch seems to be back online after the earlier outage. You can download the game at retroracing.itch.io/faster-atari... Here's the best score I can manage tonight. 😄 1245
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 08/12/2024FASTER for Atari STE is finally here! A brand new, 100% oldskool, super-fast-and-smooth racer. 1st place in SillyVenture 2024 WE ST game compo! Please RT and spread the word by any means possible! Download FREE from retroracing.itch.io/faster-atari.... Plays on real hardware and emulators. 16240105
Reposted by Jonathan ThomasPeter Fletcher @rectapete.bsky.social · 08/12/2024Faster for the Atari STE by @atariste.bsky.social was a huge hit at Atari Party today. Everyone that played it was amazed at just how smooth and awesome it is. Thanks Jonathan for allowing me to demo the game before its official release on Dec. 9. #Atari 6729
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 06/12/2024FASTER, my new super-fast and super-smooth 50fps racing game for the Atari STE, is being shown this weekend at the Silly Venture demoparty in Gdańsk, Poland. Here's the gameplay trailer that will be shown on the big screen at the party. www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6nQ...youtube.comFASTER for Atari STE - Silly Venture trailerYouTube video by gridleaderretro 3413
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 05/12/2024Hello new followers. 👋 This is my 2017 conversion of the Pole Position arcade game to the Atari STE, naturally running on real STE hardware. The game logic is reverse-engineered from the arcade game, and it features funky realtime sprite scaling. Download: www.atarimania.com/game-atari-s... 48618
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 04/12/2024Bluesky, what have I done to deserve the butchering you've just given to the 1920x1080 50fps video I just posted? 😱 Come back Twitter, all is forgiven. 😆 440
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 04/12/2024This is FASTER, my brand new racing game for the Atari STE. Inspired by Enduro (Atari 2600), Hang On (arcade) and (of course) WEC Le Mans (arcade). It's being entered into the Silly Venture game compo taking place in Poland this weekend, and will be released to the public on Monday 9th December. 86210
Jonathan Thomas @atariste.bsky.social · 04/12/2024Hello Bluesky. I'm the guy known as RetroRacing on Twitter/X, and the author of Pole Position, Lotus STE and FASTER for the Atari STE. FASTER is a new racing game for Atari STE, and is being shown at the Silly Venture demoparty this weekend and released to the public next Monday 9th December. 1938228
