Search found 1346 matches

by Pobulous
Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:44 am
Forum: Other Retro Stuff
Topic: Atari 400 Mini
Replies: 15
Views: 914

Re: Atari 400 Mini

There's 4 player "sprites" and 4 missile "sprites"
The 4 missile sprites can combine to be a 5th player.

Each player is one colour, or 3 colours if 2 players are combined, and these are different colours to the rest of the graphics.
Multiplexing is possible.
by Pobulous
Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:02 am
Forum: Other Retro Stuff
Topic: Atari 400 Mini
Replies: 15
Views: 914

Re: Atari 400 Mini

4 colours is usual for most games, but you can change the colours every line without tying up the CPU. On top of that, you have sprites, which can add extra colours. You also have over 100 colours to choose from, so the 4-colour mode is more flexible than on the Amstrad. It can look and sound fantas...
by Pobulous
Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:00 am
Forum: Other Retro Stuff
Topic: Atari 400 Mini
Replies: 15
Views: 914

Re: Atari 400 Mini

I don't get the mini computers with non-working keyboards - this one is pretty ugly, too. C64 breadbin was just about fair enough, although with working small keys it would have been much better. Might as well use one of the hacked mini consoles - the Playstation Classic was great value when it was ...
by Pobulous
Mon Mar 25, 2024 9:08 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: A 16K/48K/128K Spectrum game?
Replies: 5
Views: 192

Re: A 16K/48K/128K Spectrum game?

Has there even been a game that was different on 16K and 48K? In the early 48K era that would make some sense.

I wouldn't imagine any commercial games would support 16K in the 128K era, although it would be an interesting game design and coding exercise.
by Pobulous
Sun Mar 24, 2024 11:23 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Devfinitive Edition (Steve Crow): vote
Replies: 23
Views: 397

Re: Devfinitive Edition (Steve Crow): vote

1. Starquake
2. Wizard's Lair
3. Firelord

All 3 are great - there wasn't much in it.
by Pobulous
Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:37 am
Forum: ZX Spectrum Next
Topic: Atari Driving Controller Games
Replies: 7
Views: 318

Re: Atari Driving Controller Games

The Driving Controller is digital, rather than analogue like the paddles, so can work on any system, as long as the game is coded for it. It uses the standard UDLR inputs to encode the current angle. By reading the joystick port and comparing to the previous reading you can ascertain which way the w...
by Pobulous
Fri Mar 15, 2024 10:02 am
Forum: ZX80 & ZX81
Topic: WRX True High Resolution Graphics
Replies: 4
Views: 422

Re: WRX True High Resolution Graphics

Someone archived Wilf's site and uploaded to Dropbox here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ewop992480t9w ... r.zip?dl=0
by Pobulous
Mon Mar 11, 2024 2:45 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Devfinitive Edition (Mike Richardson): vote
Replies: 24
Views: 585

Re: Devfinitive Edition (Mike Richardson): vote

A lot of games that felt cinematic back in the day, Not sure they had enough substance underneath to keep me playing, though.
I'm rating these based on how they play, not on how amazing or groundbreaking they were at the time.

1. Scuba Dive
2. Harrier Attack
3. Turbo Esprit
by Pobulous
Mon Mar 04, 2024 8:45 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Devfinitive Edition (Keith Burkhill): vote
Replies: 29
Views: 597

Re: Devfinitive Edition (Keith Burkhill): vote

1. Commando 2. Ghosts n Goblins 3. Marauder Commando is almost perfect. Ghosts n Goblins is great, but so so hard, expecially the 4-way scrolling on level 2. Missing most of the levels isn't really a detriment, as can never get that far, anyway! I enjoy Marauder, but it has flaws. The main challenge...
by Pobulous
Fri Feb 16, 2024 9:10 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Guess the screen$
Replies: 7696
Views: 232574

Re: Guess the screen$

Marauder?
by Pobulous
Fri Feb 09, 2024 3:59 pm
Forum: Preservation
Topic: MIA on ebay... ?!
Replies: 12
Views: 707

Re: MIA on ebay... ?!

It does sound like it's the same game as Football - Play The Computer.
Exactly the same nonsensical instructions

Press a key from b to y, the keys a to i will give progressively longer kicks, other keys give a short kick.

Unless they have a very exotic keyboard, that doesn't make much sense to me!
by Pobulous
Thu Feb 08, 2024 11:28 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Guess the screen$
Replies: 7696
Views: 232574

Re: Guess the screen$

Sentinel?
by Pobulous
Mon Feb 05, 2024 2:09 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: In game beeper music
Replies: 43
Views: 1659

Re: In game beeper music

Jet Set Gertie (which is oddly not a JSW mod)

I remember finding a way to get the interrupt-driven music loaded up and running in Basic.
✓ Reviewed
by Pobulous
Mon Feb 05, 2024 10:12 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: R-type question
Replies: 54
Views: 1996

Re: R-type question

The massively inaccurate horizontal collision detection between your ship and the pixel-scrolling background objects always did for me on level 6, as you had to get fairly close to the vertical walls.
by Pobulous
Mon Feb 05, 2024 9:58 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Devfinitive Edition (Paul Holmes): discussion
Replies: 1
Views: 221

Re: Devfinitive Edition (Paul Holmes): discussion

Missed the discussion window, but there's a strong chance that Paul was involved in 911TS, as it uses the same engine as Grand National.
by Pobulous
Mon Feb 05, 2024 9:51 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Devfinitive Edition (Paul Holmes): vote
Replies: 19
Views: 569

Re: Devfinitive Edition (Paul Holmes): vote

1. Bomb Jack
2. Wild West Hero
3. Frank Bruno
by Pobulous
Sun Feb 04, 2024 9:08 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Guess the screen$
Replies: 7696
Views: 232574

Re: Guess the screen$

Plexar? (Top-down section?)
by Pobulous
Fri Jan 26, 2024 2:46 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: ZX Spectrum Raytracer
Replies: 17
Views: 926

Re: ZX Spectrum Raytracer

g0blinish wrote: Fri Jan 26, 2024 2:39 pm oops, wrong source

Image
Still not the final source....
by Pobulous
Wed Jan 24, 2024 10:44 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Games buried by Bumfun Software
Replies: 4
Views: 533

Re: Games buried by Bumfun Software

Cars: The Remix is available to download here - (dropbox download provided by the author) -

Not sure why you'd ever want to download it....
by Pobulous
Mon Jan 22, 2024 2:35 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Guess the screen$
Replies: 7696
Views: 232574

Re: Guess the screen$

Prophyt wrote: Mon Jan 22, 2024 2:27 pm I don't recognise those platforms but I swear that's the boss health bar from Rainbow Islands?
Looks like it's end of level 24 - I don't think I ever got past level 8!
by Pobulous
Fri Jan 19, 2024 3:44 pm
Forum: Other Retro Stuff
Topic: Atari 400 Mini
Replies: 15
Views: 914

Re: Atari 400 Mini

I have an 800XL and it's a nice machine - very similar to a C64, in a lot of ways. I use a Raspberry Pi 1 as disk drive for it. It was a shame that the Atari 8-bit software started tailing off a lot earlier than the C64 or Spectrum, as it was well capable of having decent conversions of the later ga...
by Pobulous
Wed Jan 17, 2024 10:02 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Guess the screen$
Replies: 7696
Views: 232574

Re: Guess the screen$

bluespikey wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2024 4:53 pm Well that passed me by. Its Diamond by Destiny Software. Sounds a bit like Mission Omega. It even has a John Smyth cover (The chap wot did the art for Masterronic. Maybe thats not a good thing to do when you're trying to sell your game form £8.99.).
Yep, passed me by, too.
by Pobulous
Tue Jan 16, 2024 3:35 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Guess the screen$
Replies: 7696
Views: 232574

Re: Guess the screen$

The full screen:

Image

This was a full price game in 1988 available on tape or disk, also on C64, reviewed in C&VG and the three Spectrum mags of the day.
by Pobulous
Tue Jan 16, 2024 11:40 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Guess the screen$
Replies: 7696
Views: 232574

Re: Guess the screen$

Image

Has nice, smooth, multi-directional, multi-speed scrolling
by Pobulous
Mon Jan 15, 2024 2:52 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Guess the screen$
Replies: 7696
Views: 232574

Re: Guess the screen$

Bit more:

Image