Search found 2279 matches
- Fri Mar 22, 2024 2:01 pm
- Forum: Programming
- Topic: Machine Code: Moving from Attribute scrolling to pixel scrolling
- Replies: 33
- Views: 778
Re: Machine Code: Moving from Attribute scrolling to pixel scrolling
If we talk about scrolling, then a good game to discuss is Stormlord: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/4922/ZX-Spectrum/Stormlord It allows much more variety in background tiles than let's say Cobra. Cobra is actually very limited and allows background built only with a few tiles. Here is my ol...
- Thu Mar 21, 2024 11:43 am
- Forum: Programming
- Topic: Machine Code: Moving from Attribute scrolling to pixel scrolling
- Replies: 33
- Views: 778
Re: Machine Code: Moving from Attribute scrolling to pixel scrolling
Don't rewrite your game. People are right saying that you can try pixel scroll in your next game.
Just remember, pixel scroll is much harder to do than attribute scroll and requires much more CPU power. Quite often the
only reasonable solution is to use a screen buffer for it.
Just remember, pixel scroll is much harder to do than attribute scroll and requires much more CPU power. Quite often the
only reasonable solution is to use a screen buffer for it.
- Tue Mar 19, 2024 8:24 pm
- Forum: Preservation
- Topic: Fake history
- Replies: 16
- Views: 714
Re: Fake history
Speaking of Giana Sisters, I believe it existed, mostly or totally completed. Just unlike versions for other computers it didn't reach the shop before Nintendo threatened the legal action. Still I guess it was actually slow and bad. The Amstrad CPC version which exists is very slow and Spectrum vers...
- Tue Mar 19, 2024 10:37 am
- Forum: Preservation
- Topic: Fake history
- Replies: 16
- Views: 714
Re: Fake history
Yes, it's possible to do such a fake. But there aren't any real money to be made from such fake. Yes, you can make a small fortune by forgery of classical paintings and creating and "unknown" painting of Rembrandt or so and convincing people that it's real. But Spectrum games are different...
- Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:18 am
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: Impossible games...
- Replies: 24
- Views: 879
Re: Impossible games...
Actually most of them. It would be easier to make a short list of games that are actually possible to complete for an average personWhat other well-known Spectrum games are technically possible to complete without cheating but, practically, are actually impossible?
- Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:08 pm
- Forum: Programming
- Topic: With Machine Code how much memory to leave basic
- Replies: 7
- Views: 300
Re: With Machine Code how much memory to leave basic
And what kind of game are you writing if I may ask?
Are you already struggling with little memory left or are you just checking?
If memory is a problem then you need to consider some optimisations.
Are you already struggling with little memory left or are you just checking?
If memory is a problem then you need to consider some optimisations.
- Fri Mar 15, 2024 4:11 pm
- Forum: Programming
- Topic: With Machine Code how much memory to leave basic
- Replies: 7
- Views: 300
Re: With Machine Code how much memory to leave basic
Loading screen shouldn't really be any problem. You load it directly to screen memory while loading and the game later overwrites it. It doesn't occupy any memory when the game is running. Or did you mean something else? A game need some Basic loader. But if you keep it minimal (load loading screen,...
- Thu Mar 14, 2024 12:09 pm
- Forum: Brand new software!
- Topic: My mod of ... Vixen
- Replies: 9
- Views: 727
Re: My mod of ... Vixen
Thanks for the comments. Yes, there is a problem that enemies sometimes (or maybe quite often) dissappear behind the scenery. It's the problem of the game engine. By default background objects go before the sprites. The exception are white objects which are ORed with sprites. Even if it could be cha...
- Wed Mar 13, 2024 7:17 pm
- Forum: Brand new software!
- Topic: My mod of ... Vixen
- Replies: 9
- Views: 727
My mod of ... Vixen
Hello everyone ! I succeeded in completing one of my old projects. So there is a game called Vixen. It managed to attract some attention in the past due to that poster stuff, you can read about it if somehow you don't know the story behind it. https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/5589/ZX-Spectrum/V...
- Tue Mar 12, 2024 10:19 pm
- Forum: Preservation
- Topic: Ring-O
- Replies: 2
- Views: 176
- Sun Mar 10, 2024 7:21 pm
- Forum: Preservation
- Topic: 2 demos
- Replies: 4
- Views: 298
Re: 2 demos
Just in case if someone doesn't know - "unlimited bobs" is a very well known, classic demo effect.
It's actually a clever but simple trick which doesn't require much CPU power:
https://democyclopedia.wordpress.com/20 ... ited-bobs/
It's actually a clever but simple trick which doesn't require much CPU power:
https://democyclopedia.wordpress.com/20 ... ited-bobs/
- Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:56 pm
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: Pirates
- Replies: 7
- Views: 251
Re: Pirates
Yep, it's the thread: viewtopic.php?t=1569Was someone on here not working on converting the Sid Meier one, IIRC?
I guess that nothing came out of it.
- Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:51 am
- Forum: ZXDB Discussion
- Topic: A request for new tags
- Replies: 22
- Views: 464
Re: A request for new tags
Interesting idea with "boss" tag. Personally I would just add one global "game boss" tags and didn't go into details. However if you want to go into details then you will have: - endgame bosses (like Draconus) - end level bosses (Renegade) - middle game bosses (Castlevania, game ...
- Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:59 pm
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: Pirates
- Replies: 7
- Views: 251
Re: Pirates
You should realise that it's not a version of "these" famous Pirates: https://www.mobygames.com/game/214/sid-meiers-pirates/ I've never got deep into it but it seems to be some kind of a turn-based board game where there are two sides, each with its own fleet of ships. But could be interes...
- Sat Mar 02, 2024 2:40 pm
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: Game versions 48K vs 128K
- Replies: 30
- Views: 700
Re: Game versions 48K vs 128K
It was discussed many times here and on WOS but I'll leave searching for these old threads for others :) Here you can can check which +3 disk games have some additional content: https://zx-pk.ru/threads/31635-spisok-igr-s-uluchsheniyami-skonvertirovannykh-i-eshche-net-s-3.html (the forum is in Russi...
- Fri Mar 01, 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?
Yes, probably it could be faster. Hard to say how much however, without getting deep into it. I suppose it wouldn't be an easy job. it cannot be done with one or two pokes and would require a serious rewrite. But I guess that with very good programming it could run at similar speed as Batman or Head...
- Fri Mar 01, 2024 6:37 pm
- Forum: Emulators
- Topic: New multi platform emulator - Speculator
- Replies: 12
- Views: 800
Re: New multi platform emulator - Speculator
I've tried it and it is really promising - nice looking, easy to install and use.
Currenlty it supports only basic 48kB model but I guess it may change in the future.
Just the name is unfortunate, easy to confuse with Spectaculator.
Currenlty it supports only basic 48kB model but I guess it may change in the future.
Just the name is unfortunate, easy to confuse with Spectaculator.
- Thu Feb 29, 2024 2:03 pm
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: ZX Gaming Survey
- Replies: 25
- Views: 4854
Re: ZX Gaming Survey
I do play recent RPG games for Spectrum if that matters :) I played and completed: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/30064/ZX-Spectrum/Los_Amores_de_Brunilda https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/17203/ZX-Spectrum/Viking_Quest_2_Heart_of_Town https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/20749/ZX-Spectr...
- Wed Feb 28, 2024 6:20 pm
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: Devfinitive Edition (Keith Burkhill): discussion
- Replies: 11
- Views: 310
Re: Devfinitive Edition (Keith Burkhill): discussion
I have mixed opinions of Keith Burkhill works. His version of Commando is simply great. On the other hand I dislike his Ghosts'n'Goblins and could never understand why some people like it. It's smooth but that's all. It is difficult, has bad graphics (small, simplistic and limited) and is only about...
- Mon Feb 26, 2024 10:10 am
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: The 20 games with a <= 10% rating from all three major ZX Spectrum magazines
- Replies: 16
- Views: 474
Re: The 20 games with a <= 10% rating from all three major ZX Spectrum magazines
Well, I don't know many of them but judging by the screenshots maybe that's better. An interesting case is SAS Operation Thunderflash which is actually an all right looking isometric game. But try to play it and you'll discover very quickly why it got so low notes. It's simply impossible. Some reall...
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 2:02 pm
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: The best Speccy game by Infogrames: discussion
- Replies: 12
- Views: 205
Re: The best Speccy game by Infogrames: discussion
They still exist and some time ago they changed name to Atari but they aren't Atari, my feeling is that they hadn't "moral right" to do it :) But they made good games in the past. My favourite would be North&South. Actually I played it more on PC and Amiga than on Spectrum but the Spec...
- Fri Feb 23, 2024 7:14 pm
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: Games that made good use of FLASH
- Replies: 26
- Views: 1563
Re: Games that made good use of FLASH
Neons in Renegade level 3 (Big Bertha level) use flash and it looks quite nice. Maybe it's a cheap trick but it adds a real value to the game. You know, in the 80s I really aprreciated animated background. Leaves on the trees moved by the wind, moving clouds in the sky, flowing and sparkling water, ...
- Wed Feb 21, 2024 2:23 pm
- Forum: Other Retro Stuff
- Topic: Did actual game code get bigger as game machines evolved? (Excluding graphics and audio)
- Replies: 19
- Views: 726
Re: Did actual game code get bigger as game machines evolved? (Excluding graphics and audio)
As a non-coder, I'm still trying to get some idea of how much code is "enough" for most games? What is a comfortable amount to work with? Let me give you some estimate, how much space is needed for different things in a game: graphics: 5 - 20kB level data: 5 - 20 kB music: 5 kB screen buf...
- Mon Feb 19, 2024 12:20 pm
- Forum: Other Retro Stuff
- Topic: Did actual game code get bigger as game machines evolved? (Excluding graphics and audio)
- Replies: 19
- Views: 726
Re: Did actual game code get bigger as game machines evolved? (Excluding graphics and audio)
The code got bigger because the games got bigger. If a game has more content then it requires more code to deal with that content. Another thing is a shift from games written in pure assembler to games written in higher languages or a mix of a higher language like C and assembler. It raises an inter...
- Thu Feb 15, 2024 3:44 pm
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: How big should new Speccy games be? 48k? Bigger? Release 2 versions?
- Replies: 67
- Views: 1649
Re: How big should new Speccy games be? 48k? Bigger? Release 2 versions?
Yeah, sureThis is not a true story.