Spectrum Computing

Hi Einar Saukas I've found more titles compiled by Super Compilatore - Softwell, I added them to the spreadsheet (near the end), just in case you are also doing the tagging once you add that particular compiler. Also, I found another local version of the MCoder II, this time from Hungary. 1984. PI-V...

Hi! Can someone with experience take a look at Planet Protector? https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/21845 The game was compiled or is a save from MCoder II. The tape image has two code blocks repeated one after the other, and they sound identical. I want to try and execute it so we can take a scr...

I don't think i can do a lot this time as my method of comparing takes significant time. But i will look into Aquasquad and Tank Command during weekend to see if i can do any conclusion about these titles. Yeah, exactly, don't worry about the other titles, there is no way we can manually check all ...

About Super Compilatore: does it have relevant differences from MCoder II, or only cosmetic changes (like different loader or some modified messages)? If it's the latter, then it will simply have the same ID. Since it is MIA, I'm not sure, but seems to be the same software just translated and with ...

In the course of my search I saw this link, page 14 declared the winner and runner-up of the PSS Competition for best game using MCODER back in 1983 [...] Anyway my point is surely the winning games must be MCODER based - Elektro Storm and Panic [...] Ahem - now I see that the copyright text is the...

What tool do you use to search HEX ? I'm using Total Commander, that has the nice addition to be able to go into zip files. Right now I'm running it in a full WOS archive backup, but my intention is to run it on TOSEC. The issue with this method is that is not able to unpack loaders, but so far my ...

Excellent! I also confirmed a bunch myself, I think we have a pretty decent list.

The Sacred Armour of Antiriad - https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/4 ... f_Antiriad
Has a DOS version, developed by Palace Software and published by Epyx: https://homeoftheunderdogs.net/game.php?id=1424

Confirmed, at least in this case the Colt compiler has the same copyright notice as MCoder II, meaning, we can't rely on the message alone to match exclusively MCoder II. https://i.postimg.cc/bdgyP9BG/Screenshot-2024-01-13-170030.png That's a bummer. On the plus side, we can probably match some Colt...

Might be also a mistake, we don't know why they are marked. For example, Yength is already (correctly) tagged as MCoder II. But let's see, I'm building the initial list to check what we already have in the DB.

NICE!! We have the starting list!

That's a good catch! Added.

Thanks, this is great! First white section AA60-AB30 is changed with orange one and you see copyrights there (red frame) - in MC2 file but not in Cerius game. That's why you have good chance to make wrong conclusion if you just look for any copyright inside game. Exactly what I was thinking: it is e...

Great!
The planets are from Exolon, and I just removed a Christmas header from Special Delivery.
The idea was to make a bunch and randomly place them on the header, but those planets look so good, I need to find something equivalent.

Hi! New version of the dark theme with small improvements. Some warning messages still illegible due to the background color are now fixed. Also, some changes on the voting template, hopefully looks nicer and fixes the dark text issue. https://i.postimg.cc/GhN9fqfh/Screenshot-2024-01-08-124955.png T...

The issue I have with the string search is that there is no copyright notice inside Aquasquad's TAP/TZX or doing a memory dump. So, I can't use it to validate the claim that all Shaw Brothers games use MCoder II. Astros Software also does not seem to have any obvious signature, at least looking at Z...

There is an up-to-date list here: viewtopic.php?p=130957#p130957 for anyone that want to take a look.

WIP list of titles we are reviewing. We have also some Hisoft Colt compiler titles in the list EDIT: we also detected several Colt compiled games. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hSNwKweLdJ_cfi4co8F35xNOx4TE711RiXmKI6apsTE/edit?usp=sharing Since some time now, I'm going back to this report b...

Ok, sort of helpful-ish, so do you have the edition in question?

In fact, could be nice to have the full scan of those magazines. Years 1989 and 1990 are missing from the site or Archive.org (at least, by that name), and the Museum of Computing History only have the covers scanned.

Stefan wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2024 5:01 pm oh... but the cpc folks have already figured ISSI out as being John Boy.

Oh, we posted the same thing at the same time. Yep, but I want another source, if we can find it.

I have a strong suspicion that everybody was playing with names inside Mr. Micro. Credits always look incomplete. I already mentioned John Boy, that sometimes is replaced by John May, even when the ingame credits specifically say "John Boy", and sometimes is credited as John "ISSI&quo...

I bet you're right about Jim Gregory being ISSI, I want to learn more, but all the first games by Mr. Micro, and one of them mentioned in the article, are signed by ISSI.

How about Jim Gregory (the founder) using nickname ISSI. The letters are stylized like rock band KISS and in the interview https://archive.org/stream/home-computing-weekly-028/Home_Computing_Weekly_028#page/n37/mode/1up with him in Home Computing Weekly (linked on Mr Micro page) he started with ele...

In Mobygames we have the following credits:

Game Design by Greg Duddle (as Greg)
Coding by Greg Duddle (as Greg)
Loading Screen by Issi

I do think Gred Duddle is ok, but I don't think Issi did the loading screen alone, we can see the signature inside the game under "design & code".

Treasure Island by Mr. Micro - https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/5400/ZX-Spectrum/Treasure_Island has the following credits: Jim Greg (UK) Issi (UK) Those are most certainly extracted from the loading screen: https://i.postimg.cc/7Gxmp9N3/jim-greg-issi.png But I don't think Jim Greg is a real pe...