Search found 106 matches

by bobs
Sat Mar 02, 2024 9:36 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Could Knight Lore have been (a lot) faster?
Replies: 10
Views: 472

Re: Could Knight Lore have been (a lot) faster?

The conversion of Melkiors Mansion that Bob Smith is working on is being optimised for speed and seems to have managed to overcome some of the annoyances of the game becoming slow. Though it doesn’t contain the same array of moveable objects that Knight Lore does I guess The speed of play in my con...
by bobs
Tue Feb 27, 2024 3:04 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Interrupt routine for Vortex Tracker
Replies: 19
Views: 403

Re: Interrupt routine for Vortex Tracker

What’s the “JP 56” instruction 11 lines from the bottom for ?
by bobs
Wed Mar 22, 2023 9:25 am
Forum: Website
Topic: Tips - Tokes?
Replies: 3
Views: 167

Re: Tips - Tokes?

Urban Dictionary: toke toke toke: verb- to in some way inhale the smoke of marijuana! Refers usually to a "rip"/ inhalation from a glass bong, where the bowl's packed with bud. Could also be used in reference to taking a hit from a Joint, Blunt, Bowl, Pipe, etc. a.k.a. -Rip -Hit -Drag -Bus...
by bobs
Sun Feb 26, 2023 10:35 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by Bob's Stuff: vote
Replies: 17
Views: 463

Re: The best Speccy game by Bob's Stuff: vote

Incidentally, the U-Bend screenshot has colour in it (which is another factor in mistaking it for a ZX Spectrum game). How's that possible for ZX81? I admit to knowing very little about the machines, only played with them a few times at the Cambridge Centre For Computing History and I thought they ...
by bobs
Sun Feb 26, 2023 10:09 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by Bob's Stuff: vote
Replies: 17
Views: 463

Re: The best Speccy game by Bob's Stuff: vote

@PeteProdge U-bend is a ZX81 game BTW, so probably shouldn’t be in this poll?
by bobs
Sun Feb 26, 2023 9:38 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by Bob Smith: discussion
Replies: 17
Views: 355

Re: The best Speccy game by Bob Smith: discussion

patters wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 9:31 am Count me in for eagerly awaiting Melchior's Mansion. No development tweets in a while, I do find those interesting too.
Yup, very sorry about that - blame a mix of development hell and real life. On a positive note though, I’ve currently got two Speccy games on the go!
by bobs
Sun Feb 26, 2023 9:20 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by Bob Smith: discussion
Replies: 17
Views: 355

Re: The best Speccy game by Bob Smith: discussion

All my games were published first by me in some form (email, websites, itch.io, etc). Cronosoft is a way of getting physical cassettes out there. Indeed, the physical versions of the game are usually the last version, so they can be as bug-free as possible having been tested by download. “Bob’s Stuf...
by bobs
Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:44 am
Forum: Other Retro Stuff
Topic: Getting the Z88 to do useful stuff
Replies: 13
Views: 377

Re: Getting the Z88 to do useful stuff

@Journeyman If you don’t get any luck here, there’s an active Z88 forum over at Sinclair ZX World where exactly this kind of stuff has been recently discussed.

Try this link: https://sinclairzxworld.com/viewforum.php?f=24
by bobs
Tue Feb 21, 2023 11:11 am
Forum: Programming
Topic: ChatGPT
Replies: 50
Views: 2176

Re: ChatGPT

I don’t think it’s going to be writing Mire Mare any time soon
by bobs
Tue Feb 21, 2023 8:40 am
Forum: Programming
Topic: ChatGPT
Replies: 50
Views: 2176

Re: ChatGPT

That’s a bit of a mess?!! For a start it’s completely confused the pixel-base resolution with character-based resolution. The player will immediately be placed off-screen, and most likely the target block as well
by bobs
Mon Feb 20, 2023 9:24 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by Bob Smith: discussion
Replies: 17
Views: 355

Re: The best Speccy game by Bob Smith: discussion

Ivanzx wrote: Mon Feb 20, 2023 7:49 am I think Gem Chaser 1 and 2 never got a Cronosoft release either ;)
Really? I’ll try and get that to happen then.
by bobs
Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:05 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by Bob Smith: discussion
Replies: 17
Views: 355

Re: The best Speccy game by Bob Smith: discussion

There are only 3 spectrum games which to the best of my knowledge have not been available (at some point) on cassette from Cronosoft - HITMW…, TOGP, and APAC - so I don’t think that makes a poll under your current criteria, no. Splitting their work into three separate groups, instead of by an author...
by bobs
Sun Feb 19, 2023 12:50 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by Bob Smith: discussion
Replies: 17
Views: 355

Re: The best Speccy game by Bob Smith: discussion

Nearly all the games mentioned were also published on cassette by Cronosoft though - all the Farmer Jack games, Factory Daze, W*H*B, X=Y=Z etc - so the distinction is somewhat ambiguous? None of the games were directly written for Cronosoft.
by bobs
Sun Feb 19, 2023 12:12 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by Bob Smith: discussion
Replies: 17
Views: 355

Re: The best Speccy game by Bob Smith: discussion

Apparently he’s a really great bloke! ;) Both Stranded & Stranded 2 are missing from the list though, along with Dominetris, and the first two Farmer Jack games. Also the frankly mind blowing Text-only Grand Prix. The first Speccy game was Stranded, which was actually finished in 1989 but didn’t...
by bobs
Sat Jan 28, 2023 6:06 pm
Forum: Other Retro Stuff
Topic: List of known Z88s
Replies: 9
Views: 391

Re: List of known Z88s

@Jbizzel Mine, although I hope to sell it soon, has S#042844.

(Sorry, not going to do the whole Google thang as I don’t have a G account)
by bobs
Sun Nov 27, 2022 9:54 pm
Forum: Hardware
Topic: Technical assistance back in the day
Replies: 3
Views: 232

Re: Technical assistance back in the day

I seem to remember returning my 48k Speccy to Boots around six times with various issues - all bar one were simply replaced there and then without question, with the last being sent away for repair for a week or two. The final one I still have.
by bobs
Wed Nov 02, 2022 12:35 pm
Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
Topic: Key preferences - am I the only one who doesn't like QAOP?
Replies: 24
Views: 496

Re: Key preferences - am I the only one who doesn't like QAOP?

I can’t stand QAOPM, and I’m often vilified for having ZXKML as the default keys in the games I’ve written. (There’s always the option to redefine them though) I’ve been trying to work out where that comes from, and my best guess is that the early titles I played on the newly-released Speccy, such a...
by bobs
Tue Aug 16, 2022 8:32 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Any way to do this in Pasmo?
Replies: 11
Views: 468

Re: Any way to do this in Pasmo?

You can do it with a combination of MACROs and IRPs… MACRO DEFLABEL_LDI, _idx LDI_##_idx EQU $ ENDM MACRO DWLABEL_LDI, _idx DEFW LDI_##_idx ENDM IRP _idx, 3, 2, 1 DEFLABEL_LDI _idx ldi ENDM ret IRP _idx, 1, 2, 3 DWLABEL_LDI _idx ENDM However, there are much easier ways if you know that your labels a...
by bobs
Tue Aug 16, 2022 5:37 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Any way to do this in Pasmo?
Replies: 11
Views: 468

Re: Any way to do this in Pasmo?

Sorry, but I can’t get this to work as you like. I think the problem is that ## only works within MACRO statements, as I use it, but IRP & REPT both effectively use a local DEFL to hold the iteration/parameter, which you can’t then pass to macros.
by bobs
Tue Aug 16, 2022 4:54 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Any way to do this in Pasmo?
Replies: 11
Views: 468

Re: Any way to do this in Pasmo?

I’ve used that stuff in Melkhior’s, but not near the code right now to check just how. Will post something up later…
by bobs
Sat Jul 30, 2022 2:11 pm
Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
Topic: What does your alias mean?
Replies: 73
Views: 2413

Re: What does your alias mean?

It’s my name :roll:
by bobs
Sat Jul 30, 2022 2:09 pm
Forum: Graphics
Topic: Tool to convert a graphic into BDG's
Replies: 33
Views: 1116

Re: Tool to convert a graphic into BDG's

Coming at this from a ZX81 point-of-view, you might want to try ZXPaintyOne: http://chunkypaint.zxdemo.org/zxpaintyone/ It’s an editor for ZX81 screens, but has the same predefined graphics as the Spectrum that you want to use, and copy/paste for the image as a stream of bytes. You’d need to map the...
by bobs
Mon May 09, 2022 10:42 am
Forum: Emulators
Topic: Can’t find the menu for QAOP
Replies: 10
Views: 350

Re: Can’t find the menu for QAOP

Latest OS on both devices.
by bobs
Sun May 08, 2022 8:23 pm
Forum: Emulators
Topic: Can’t find the menu for QAOP
Replies: 10
Views: 350

Re: Can’t find the menu for QAOP

On iPhone in portrait I get some success double-tapping the top section to pause the emulation, and then double-tapping in the middle of the lower section to produce the menu. Again, very hit and-miss. Also try long-tapping in the middle of the lower section. I find that works every second time - th...
by bobs
Sun May 08, 2022 5:56 pm
Forum: Emulators
Topic: Can’t find the menu for QAOP
Replies: 10
Views: 350

Re: Can’t find the menu for QAOP

I’ve never used it before, but on my iPad in portrait mode double tap on the left edge of the main area for the menu, and on the right for a file browser(? Not sure what it is). It appears to be similar in landscape, but I get less predictable results (I have some luck with a long press on the left ...