I've been working on a new IGS animation involving this guy, who was pretty popular back during IGS heyday in the early 1990s. Animation is pretty tough, but some of the constraints imposed by the IGS format (plus my own personal constraints) are making really hard. It's also challenging to draw these sprites! But I think I've finally landed on a sequence of events I can draw -- and make fit in the available space. #igs #atarist #atari #pixelart #bbs #bbsing #dev #retrocomputing

Hey #BBS, #textmode, and #pixelart friends ... I'm seeking folks who would try drawing one 320x200 16-color screen in "IGS" format. I made a web-based app that implements the most basic IGS drawing commands to help you avoid needing to use an Atari ST emulator.

JoshDraw

Hoping to release the first all-IGS artpack. Already have 6 pieces, and I'm hoping to get it to 10+. More about IGS:

Instant Graphics and Sound (IGS) - Break Into Chat - BBS wiki

#textmodeart #textart #pixelartist #vectorart

The @internetarchive today posted its 130-page "Vanishing Culture" report, which highlights the "fragility of our digital landscape" and the importance of "empowering public-serving libraries and archives." I contributed a short article on my Kirschen research, which you can read on page 117. It's an honor to be included with folks like Jordan Mechner and Jason Scott.

Vanishing Culture: A Report on Our Fragile Cultural Record | Internet Archive Blogs

I just added ~140 ANSI "telecomic" strips to the 16colors archive.

don lokke jr - artist - 16colo.rs ANSI/ASCII art archive

released with: don lokke jr

These #ANSIart #textmode political cartoons were created by Don Lokke Jr. in 1992 and 1993. He created new installments weekly and sold them to BBS sysops. Pretty unusual time capsule, and it feels sort of timely as the 2024 election nears. #retrocomputing #vintagecomputing #textart #pixelart #ibmpc #ansi #comics #politics #year1992 #year1993 #bbs #bbsing

Breaking news: I've got a cool update to my IGS series! This morning, Tony Rau sent me a 2.5-minute video he recorded in 1987, showing Ralph Mariano, his Atari ST hardware for the "Bounty BBS", and his ABCO workshop. It's a pretty awesome visual time capsule. I've added the video near the top of Part 3 ("The adventure begins").

Break Into Chat

Instant Graphics and Sound, Part 3: The adventure begins - Break Into Chat

Temporarily abandoned by a frustrated creator, Instant Graphics gets new life when a Florida pair create a new drawing tool and add sound effects.

#atari #atarist #dev #gamedev #retrocomputing #vintagecomputing #computers #textmode #textart #history #bbs #bbsing #igs

I'm pumped! Today Emory University published a blog post about my experience learning more about several Jewish educational computer games for the Apple II from the early 1980s, which I came to Atlanta to study last month. https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/marbl/2024/09/16/renaud/ You can learn more about the games here:

Break Into Chat

Unearthed: Kirschen's Apple II games for Gesher - Break Into Chat

Ever wonder what the Jewish version of Pac-Man might look like? In the early 1980s, video games were exploding in popularity with kids and microcom...

Or play them at the @internetarchive:

Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Texts, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine

#kirschen #breakintochat #digipres #gamedev #retrogaming #retrocomputing #vintagecomputing #appleii

From full-blown graphical user interfaces, to strategy and dice games, the point-and-click features of "Instant Graphics and Sound" made some radically different experiences possible on a humble Atari ST bulletin board system.

Break Into Chat

Instant Graphics and Sound, Part 5: Point and click - Break Into Chat

This is the fifth part of a multi-part series. Thirty hours into his “world tour,” Jon Clarke was discombobulated. His business trip ha...

This is part 5 of my #longreads series on IGS. Boosts appreciated! #atari #atarist #dev #gamedev #retrocomputing #vintagecomputing #computers #textmode #textart #history #bbs #bbsing #igs

How about some #RetroComputing #LongReads to relax with this weekend?

Break Into Chat

Instant Graphics and Sound Archives - Break Into Chat

Discover the artist, the programmers, and the community who made cool — but forgotten — art, animation, and games for Atari ST bulletin boards using a protocol called "Instant Graphics and Sound." (Boosts greatly appreciated!) #atari #atarist #dev #gamedev #retrocomputing #vintagecomputing #computers #textmode #textart #history #bbs #bbsing #igs

🌞 🎭 🎨 Steve Turnbull worked in showbiz and lived in sunny Laguna Beach, Calif. A visual thinker, he had become disenchanted with the text-only world of Atari ST bulletin board systems. Then he discovered "Instant Graphics!" in 1990 — and he began unleashing a torrent of art.

Break Into Chat

Instant Graphics and Sound, Part 4: The artist and the community - Break Into Chat

Steve Turnbull, a scenic artist who worked in Hollywood, embraced the IGS format, pushed it to its limits, and helped build a new community.

This is part 4 of my #longreads series on IGS. Boosts appreciated! #atari #atarist #dev #gamedev #retrocomputing #vintagecomputing #computers #textmode #textart #history #bbs #bbsing #igs