Search found 839 matches
- Tue Feb 20, 2024 9:43 am
- Forum: Other Retro Stuff
- Topic: Did actual game code get bigger as game machines evolved? (Excluding graphics and audio)
- Replies: 19
- Views: 908
Re: Did actual game code get bigger as game machines evolved? (Excluding graphics and audio)
Just re-read LB's original post: NES Super Mario Bros = 32k 32K!! Which is the entire thing - code base, graphics, sound etc. That's some supremely efficient coding. My poster child for code efficiency has always been Ultimate fitting Jetpac into 16K. But this is another level. Edit: Been doing some...
- Mon Feb 19, 2024 2:04 pm
- Forum: Other Retro Stuff
- Topic: Did actual game code get bigger as game machines evolved? (Excluding graphics and audio)
- Replies: 19
- Views: 908
Re: Did actual game code get bigger as game machines evolved? (Excluding graphics and audio)
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 interesting problem - how should we compare a program size of a program written in assembler vs a program written in C. Higher language...
- Tue Feb 13, 2024 10:08 am
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: Guess the screen$
- Replies: 7898
- Views: 240625
Re: Guess the screen$
Hijack?
- Mon Feb 12, 2024 3:56 pm
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: Unnecessary inclusions in games
- Replies: 49
- Views: 1926
Re: Unnecessary inclusions in games
The hover button in Jetpac. I'm one of those who's known about it's existence since 1983 and even today can't use it. It's a game where it's better to be almost constantly moving, unless you're on a platform. Sticking around in the same place, in open space, for a few seconds spells death usually. S...
- Tue Feb 06, 2024 10:00 am
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: Tall tales about the spectrum
- Replies: 39
- Views: 2163
Re: Tall tales about the spectrum
There are about a dozen people on the retrogaming scene I could pull apart and eviscerate for their gaslighting and vile actions, but on this forum I try to keep it light and only mention their misdeeds if it's relevant. I considered making a video on it, but as you hit middle age, it's best to jus...
- Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:50 am
- Forum: Announcements
- Topic: On The ZX Spectrum - A New Speccy Newsletter
- Replies: 61
- Views: 3176
Re: On The ZX Spectrum - A New Speccy Newsletter
Highway Encounter
- Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:37 am
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: Tall tales about the spectrum
- Replies: 39
- Views: 2163
Re: Tall tales about the spectrum
Amazed no one's mentioned Mr Kizza/Kieren Hawken/TheLaird yet :-) That's as tall a tale as the Speccy gets. Did you know he's still going around and if anything is worse than the SDS 128K debacle? Selling books on Amazon now as well as YT, creating himself as a self-styled retro guru. Bit of a rabbi...
- Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:28 am
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: Tall tales about the spectrum
- Replies: 39
- Views: 2163
Re: Tall tales about the spectrum
I'll raise you an old Pompey Pirates (used to release cracked games for the ST) site. It's reminiscent of an early Geocities site in all its glory. (Doesn't look like it's been updated in two decades to be fair). https://www.gingerbeardman.com/archive/pompeypirates/ Special mention to this page. Blu...
- Mon Feb 05, 2024 12:07 pm
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: R-type question
- Replies: 54
- Views: 2104
Re: R-type question
Nice. Congrats. Did you play The Hit Squad release? Is that version fixed? After 4 days I’ve beaten level one only once. I make it to the boss regularly, but only got past it with luck. This is on about 30-45 minutes a session. I’m shooting for a month, but two seems more realistic. I don't think a...
- Mon Feb 05, 2024 9:33 am
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: Devfinitive Edition (Paul Holmes): vote
- Replies: 19
- Views: 603
Re: Devfinitive Edition (Paul Holmes): vote
1. Bomb Jack 2. Frank Bruno's Boxing 3. Tapper I seem to recall a bit of luck being involved with getting past the third boxer, Alexander Punchyeredov. If you jabbed him the animation of his head going back was practically identical to his signature headbutt move - which (I think) always resulted in...
- Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:52 pm
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: What, in your eyes, is the worst games software house?
- Replies: 40
- Views: 1946
Re: What, in your eyes, is the worst games software house?
Yeah, I've regaled often enough being in the computer shop on that day in 1984 when they loaded up Knight Lore. Within seconds there was a crowd about eight-people-deep craning to get a look, with jaws on the floor. Nobody could believe that the Speccy could produce something like that - it really w...
- Fri Jan 26, 2024 1:00 pm
- Forum: Website
- Topic: PDF manuals
- Replies: 23
- Views: 1976
Re: PDF manuals
Wow! I never knew these even existed. The Frankie Goes To Hollywood version is a thing of beauty.
- Fri Jan 26, 2024 10:46 am
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: Guess the screen$
- Replies: 7898
- Views: 240625
Re: Guess the screen$
Shot in the dark...
Salamander?
Salamander?
- Thu Jan 25, 2024 9:30 am
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: If you could work on your favourite magazine...
- Replies: 15
- Views: 604
Re: If you could work on your favourite magazine...
I'm probably being naive here but I was just reading the Dominic Handy interview on Crash Online . This bit: "Here’s an insider fact to whet your appetite... The access code for the door to CRASH Towers was 2169! I still remember it now, as when someone explained why it was 21-69, I was disgust...
- Thu Jan 25, 2024 9:18 am
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: Endless games (turbo mode)
- Replies: 2
- Views: 251
Re: Endless games (turbo mode)
Jetpac when you get to the fourth screen (I think, the one with the fighter jets regardless) you can get in the middle of the left platform and just leave it forever to rack up a hi-score as the planes will never touch you. (I may have the platform incorrect (it may be the top-right), but it's defin...
- Wed Jan 24, 2024 1:47 pm
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: If you could work on your favourite magazine...
- Replies: 15
- Views: 604
Re: If you could work on your favourite magazine...
On a similar subject, there seems to be hardly any interviews/videos/blogs about or from the people who worked on the magazines. You can pretty much find an interview with any developer from back in the day, but nothing from old journo's. I've always found that really unusual. I'm really struggling...
- Tue Jan 23, 2024 10:30 am
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: Spectrum memes
- Replies: 1235
- Views: 205858
Re: Spectrum memes
This one really made me chuckle
- Mon Jan 22, 2024 12:55 pm
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: Crash magazine 16bit special.
- Replies: 8
- Views: 639
Re: Crash magazine 16bit special.
Ah, so in the end you didn't upgrade. ;-) :lol: :lol: I had a lot of good years out of that ST - starting with the awesome Dungeon Master and ending with Frontier - up until I upgraded to my first PC in 1994. A 486 running at a whopping overclocked 33MHz. Getting the latest Automation and Pompey Pi...
- Mon Jan 22, 2024 10:32 am
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: Crash magazine 16bit special.
- Replies: 8
- Views: 639
Re: Crash magazine 16bit special.
It was that issue and article that finally convinced me I needed to upgrade to 16-bit. November that year I got an ST.
- Thu Jan 18, 2024 12:42 pm
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: The code so bad you won't hire
- Replies: 131
- Views: 4251
Re: The code so bad you won't hire
That's probably how I'd have done it in Sinclair BASIC! I'm not a proper coder - whats so wrong with that example? It works for all eventualities doesn't it? Yup, as Steve says it technically works but it should have raised alarm bells with anyone with a basic grasp of mathematics. All it's attempt...
- Thu Jan 18, 2024 11:25 am
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: The code so bad you won't hire
- Replies: 131
- Views: 4251
Re: The code so bad you won't hire
Holy hell - that's unforgivably bad!
- Tue Jan 16, 2024 9:12 am
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: Devfinitive Edition (John Gibson): vote
- Replies: 13
- Views: 917
Re: Devfinitive Edition (John Gibson): vote
1. Frankie
2. Cosmic Wartoad
3. Zzoom
2. Cosmic Wartoad
3. Zzoom
- Fri Jan 12, 2024 10:42 am
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: What does ZX mean?
- Replies: 21
- Views: 1200
- Fri Jan 12, 2024 10:33 am
- Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
- Topic: Sinclair C5 ends up at Lincolnshire recycling centre
- Replies: 3
- Views: 438
Re: Sinclair C5 ends up at Lincolnshire recycling centre
It's quite astonishing what people send to the tip or dump in a skip. Even a cursory glance on eBay is going to tell you that a C5 in poor condition is still probably going to fetch at least £100. Someone will buy it. I always have a quick look in any skips we pass on our evening walks just to see i...
- Wed Jan 10, 2024 12:50 pm
- Forum: Games/Software
- Topic: Guess the screen$
- Replies: 7898
- Views: 240625
Re: Guess the screen$
Feel free to jump in for my go.