Search found 2042 matches

by Joefish
Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:37 am
Forum: Brand new software!
Topic: El Cetro del Sol
Replies: 5
Views: 131

Re: El Cetro del Sol

Hmm. I'm sure I've seen that Aztec Sunstone somewhere before...

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/4 ... s_of_Sunak
(scroll to end)

:lol: :dance
by Joefish
Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:34 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: £12 gets you "Free software for LIFE!", apparently.
Replies: 11
Views: 289

Re: £12 gets you "Free software for LIFE!", apparently.

Given that it has 50% more of both 'Great Utilities' and 'Adventure Games' than 'Arcade Games', I'm guessing it's an early PD library trying to vaguely disguise the fact that you're buying into a giant Cassette 50 scheme without the calculator watch or quality control, rather than a lending library ...
by Joefish
Fri Mar 01, 2024 5:27 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Branding in games
Replies: 20
Views: 507

Re: Branding in games

The Muncher , like Action Biker , only had the endorsement as far as the loading screen. The game itself had nothing to do with the brand. As for Mad Mix , I've seen various screenshots - looks like the C64 and ST versions might have had the PEPSI logo on the scoreboard at the bottom of the screen,...
by Joefish
Fri Mar 01, 2024 2:11 pm
Forum: Sales/Commercial
Topic: The Horace Collection | Kickstarter
Replies: 8
Views: 590

Re: The Horace Collection | Kickstarter

I think this is expecting a lot. And what, no official multi-game ROM cartridge version? :cry: At least it's not ridiculously over-priced, but I don't really get the appeal. I know there was one of those pathetic spoil-someone's-day-out-of-sheer-spite hoo-hahs within recent memory, but a bit of poki...
by Joefish
Fri Mar 01, 2024 12:13 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Branding in games
Replies: 20
Views: 507

Re: Branding in games

Well remembered! But why does the database list it as Test Cricket , when the title International Cricket is all over the loading screen and cassette inlay? Interesting that they put the effort in to making the insurance company's logo readable, but just did the word 'Cricket' at the bottom of the s...
by Joefish
Fri Mar 01, 2024 11:01 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Branding in games
Replies: 20
Views: 507

Re: Branding in games

None spring to mind, besides Weetabix and Wimpy. and the Wimpy one was just to try and legitimise a rip-off of Burger Time . I vaguely remember software companies (Ocean for example) putting their own logo in the background of sports games as sponsors. I don't know if Action Biker had any KP Skips l...
by Joefish
Wed Feb 28, 2024 5:31 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Devfinitive Edition (Keith Burkhill): discussion
Replies: 11
Views: 310

Re: Devfinitive Edition (Keith Burkhill): discussion

From what I can tell of the way Space Harrier runs, it picks a few (three?) sprites that it's going to use on a level, and pre-scales them in software to different sizes along with making masks, at the start of a level, and again, just before the end-of-level baddie appears. Then the level is made u...
by Joefish
Mon Feb 26, 2024 12:01 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Columns (Sega) gameplay mechanics question
Replies: 5
Views: 269

Re: Columns (Sega) gameplay mechanics question

I don't think I've ever seen this, or any other game like it, do match-ups and eliminations whilst individual pieces are still able to fall into space below them - whether they're still under player control, or whether they're 'physics'-falling because pieces under them have just been eliminated.
by Joefish
Sun Feb 25, 2024 5:07 pm
Forum: Hardware
Topic: Question... 2nd joystick button?
Replies: 9
Views: 257

Re: Question... 2nd joystick button?

The COMCON plug-programmable joystick interface supported two fire buttons. To go with it, they re-wired a load of Quickshot II joysticks so that what was normally the +5V line to power the auto-fire circuit, was re-jigged to be the switch line from a second fire button. Most 80s joysticks' cables o...
by Joefish
Sat Feb 24, 2024 12:58 pm
Forum: Hardware
Topic: Question... 2nd joystick button?
Replies: 9
Views: 257

Re: Question... 2nd joystick button?

What you can do is wire a second joystick cable into a controller and that (through up, down, left, right, fire) gives you effectively five more buttons. But the circuits must be completely separate. You can't share a commond 0V wire with the other joystick cable. For a +2 Spectrum, you could also t...
by Joefish
Thu Feb 22, 2024 12:32 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: R-type question
Replies: 54
Views: 1997

Re: R-type question

Mostly you really need to play this level keeping ahead of, and below, the centre of the screen. That way things hurtling down the middle of the screen will pass behind you, but you have to be ready to fire on anything coming at you head-on. Also practise using a charged shot and try to time it so y...
by Joefish
Fri Feb 16, 2024 12:04 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: How big should new Speccy games be? 48k? Bigger? Release 2 versions?
Replies: 67
Views: 1650

Re: How big should new Speccy games be? 48k? Bigger? Release 2 versions?

By 1985, the Spectrum had evolved to 128k, and by 1987, 180k was possible with +3 disks. Nearly 40 years later, why would we "downgrade" the Spectrum? Shouldn't developers be free to use any size up to 180k if they wish? Yes, most developers won't need it, but if you wanted a game with lo...
by Joefish
Thu Feb 15, 2024 7:24 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: How big should new Speccy games be? 48k? Bigger? Release 2 versions?
Replies: 67
Views: 1650

Re: How big should new Speccy games be? 48k? Bigger? Release 2 versions?

But so enraging when a Speccy-clueless "multi format comparison" video loads the Spectrum version in 48K mode and assumes it has no music... I think the trick is to sabotage it. The mistake is trying to pander to these people. There were plenty of perfectly legitimate ways to program a 48...
by Joefish
Thu Feb 15, 2024 7:13 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: How big should new Speccy games be? 48k? Bigger? Release 2 versions?
Replies: 67
Views: 1650

Re: How big should new Speccy games be? 48k? Bigger? Release 2 versions?

Let's face it, you can write a 48K game that pushes that particular machine spec way beyond what anyone would have said was impossible, but there's always going to be someone ready to give you a crappy review because he had a +2A and your game isn't playing incessant AY lift music like he thinks it ...
by Joefish
Mon Feb 12, 2024 1:10 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Unnecessary inclusions in games
Replies: 49
Views: 1802

Re: Unnecessary inclusions in games

always hated the wall-hugging weapon in R-Type , not even because of its movement pattern seemingly covering less space but because it being so weak in comparison to any other I play the arcade version under emulation rather than the Speccy version these days, but that weapon is so much more useful...
by Joefish
Mon Feb 12, 2024 11:06 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by Mike Young: vote
Replies: 5
Views: 345

Re: The best Speccy game by Mike Young: vote

PeteProdge wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2024 11:58 pm The Plagues Of Egypt got this, with four votes!

Noah got only one.
Sadly ironic that Noah didn't even get a pair of votes.
And after he was expecting a flood.
Never mind, let's hope he can take that on board, and move on.
by Joefish
Fri Feb 09, 2024 12:34 pm
Forum: Brand new software!
Topic: Super Sonic Bros. Fast scrolling platform game which tries to not look like a ZX game
Replies: 19
Views: 1074

Re: Super Sonic Bros. Fast scrolling platform game which tries to not look like a ZX game

That's very good. I like how you've used black edges on the background objects, and how that lets you use light and dark shades without affecting the background colour. Also the highlights and shading is impressive for such blocky limitations! I'd like to see a bigger player sprite though, in more t...
by Joefish
Thu Feb 08, 2024 12:19 pm
Forum: Preservation
Topic: The Quest for the Staff of the First Moon
Replies: 21
Views: 698

Re: The Quest for the Staff of the First Moon

I heard the staff of the first moon all quit when they learned the staff of the second moon were getting paid more for shorter hours... :lol:
by Joefish
Wed Feb 07, 2024 2:43 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Another ATTRibute scroller, But At Pixel Speeds
Replies: 11
Views: 786

Re: Another ATTRibute scroller, But At Pixel Speeds

Now vertically, this would have to move in whole characters, but there's a way of hiding that in the gameplay. The trick is, you don't scroll vertically every time the player jumps or drops down, unless they're about to fall right off the bottom of the screen - in which case they should already be f...
by Joefish
Tue Feb 06, 2024 5:11 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Another ATTRibute scroller, But At Pixel Speeds
Replies: 11
Views: 786

Re: Another ATTRibute scroller, But At Pixel Speeds

Wall_Axe wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 11:21 am Any chance of a .gif or YouTube video showing the scrolling?
Can't at the moment. Could someone capture it in a GIF and upload it?
by Joefish
Tue Feb 06, 2024 2:35 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Another ATTRibute scroller, But At Pixel Speeds
Replies: 11
Views: 786

Re: Another ATTRibute scroller, But At Pixel Speeds

And excuse my ignorance as well, please, what is the 4-pixel position? The original thread suddenly started talking about 4 pixels, which didn't make sense to me because attributes are aligned to 8 pixels. Hence I lost track of that discussion. Different relevance! In the first instance, rothers ha...
by Joefish
Tue Feb 06, 2024 2:27 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Ultimate Filmation Maths.
Replies: 9
Views: 1224

Re: Ultimate Filmation Maths.

Fantastic bit of work! So it is optimising to only redraw around anything that moves. And it's interesting how that sometimes leaves further away objects overlapped in the wrong order, but those glitches are outside of the rectangle being copied to update the screen. So not much different to what I ...
by Joefish
Mon Feb 05, 2024 11:29 pm
Forum: Programming
Topic: Another ATTRibute scroller, But At Pixel Speeds
Replies: 11
Views: 786

Another ATTRibute scroller, But At Pixel Speeds

rothers ' post about a Sonic clone got me wondering. How quickly can you shove a pixel pattern up to the screen to make an attribute-block landscape appear to move in pixels? ; ; Example Pixel Scrolling Attribute Blocks Code ; ; by: Jason J Railton ; for: Spectrum Computing ; ; dated: February 2024...
by Joefish
Wed Jan 31, 2024 5:36 pm
Forum: Showcase your work!
Topic: New game in development (any suggestion for the title is welcome)
Replies: 16
Views: 852

Re: New game in development (any suggestion for the title is welcome)

Lupus Invadus
Fleece Yourselves
Sheep Deprivation