Search found 1487 matches

by 8BitAG
Mon Feb 12, 2024 8:30 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

UnQuill is more for extracting the game's database to a text file. I don't think it will do what people are suggesting it will. (I use UnQuill & UnPAWs all the time) What do you have of the original game? Does it exist on tape? You could make a nice clean version of it by loading the game file b...
by 8BitAG
Sun Feb 04, 2024 11:22 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

The current date on ZXDB for The Plagues of Egypt is incorrect. It's at least as early as 1989, as it was reviewed in the August 1989 issue of Adventure Probe. Plagues is a much bigger (two part) adventure written with the PAW, rather than the Quill as used in Noah.
by 8BitAG
Fri Feb 02, 2024 2:39 pm
Forum: ZXDB Discussion
Topic: Lord of the Rings license/inspiration games not in list
Replies: 4
Views: 335

Re: Lord of the Rings license/inspiration games not in list

The licences for games, products & other artistic works such as films based on The Hobbit and those based on The Lord of the Rings are often distinct. Which has caused... and continues to cause... headaches for the companies licencing works and the various Tolkien companies themselves. ;) The li...
by 8BitAG
Tue Jan 30, 2024 10:03 pm
Forum: ZXDB Fixes
Topic: 'never released' 'not a Spectrum game' trash
Replies: 5
Views: 515

Re: 'never released' 'not a Spectrum game' trash

We have discussed many of these entries in past threads, such as this one...
viewtopic.php?p=26260
by 8BitAG
Tue Jan 23, 2024 9:57 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: British Crown Dependencies on the ZX Spectrum
Replies: 12
Views: 578

Re: British Crown Dependencies on the ZX Spectrum

Opens can of worms about whether the "UK" tag on ZXDB covers the Isle of Man etc. ;)
by 8BitAG
Sun Jan 21, 2024 9:54 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: British Crown Dependencies on the ZX Spectrum
Replies: 12
Views: 578

Re: British Crown Dependencies on the ZX Spectrum

Also on the text adventure front, Mark Walker, who wrote The Amulet of Darath and The Oppressed Land for Zenobi, is from the Isle of Man, iirc.
by 8BitAG
Sun Jan 21, 2024 3:13 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by Tartan Software: vote
Replies: 7
Views: 407

Re: The best Speccy game by Tartan Software: vote

To be fair, I'd advised you in line with your usual rules. ;) Which I always respect, but don't agree with. White Door was disqualified as it was a non-Tartan type-in in its original Crisis at Christmas form. 1942 Mission wasn't originally at Tartan-published game. The Spy Trilogy slips in, as altho...
by 8BitAG
Tue Jan 16, 2024 8:36 pm
Forum: Preservation
Topic: La Diosa de Cozumel
Replies: 14
Views: 653

Re: La Diosa de Cozumel

It was the early pre-DAAD version of... https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/6183/ZX-Spectrum/Cozumel ...I think? Unpublished at the time? I'll leave that to the Spanish adventurers like Rockersuke to confirm, but from what I read it was what Andres used as a demonstration to present to Dinamic bef...
by 8BitAG
Tue Jan 16, 2024 10:49 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by 8th Day Software: vote
Replies: 8
Views: 613

Re: The best Speccy game by 8th Day Software: vote

They were pretty big sellers back in the day and their initial "budget" range was certainly disruptive; making what some companies were charging look extremely expensive. Although the tabloid (and House of Commons) baiting HRH probably gets a lot of the attention, some of the later PAWed t...
by 8BitAG
Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:58 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by Tartan Software: discussion
Replies: 2
Views: 135

Re: The best Speccy game by Tartan Software: discussion

While I always have a preference for looking at the complete catalogue in these sorts of polls, going on your usual rules these games wouldn't normally be included... 1942 Mission (originally released by CCS) Gordello Dynasty (this is a compilation, not a distinct game) The Prospector (original vers...
by 8BitAG
Fri Jan 12, 2024 12:00 pm
Forum: Preservation
Topic: Adventure 4 Pack
Replies: 4
Views: 250

Re: Adventure 4 Pack

Both Mansion and Castle are the same too, so this is probably the version of the compilation already archived.

We didn't have the inlay, though.
by 8BitAG
Thu Jan 11, 2024 10:21 pm
Forum: Preservation
Topic: Adventure 4 Pack
Replies: 4
Views: 250

Re: Adventure 4 Pack

I've quickly checked the first game (Mission X) and the databases for both versions attributed to H&D are identical. I'd imagine it'll be the same for the other three but I will verify at a later point.
by 8BitAG
Thu Jan 11, 2024 10:10 pm
Forum: Preservation
Topic: Adventure 4 Pack
Replies: 4
Views: 250

Re: Adventure 4 Pack

This is the matching ZXDB entry, so I think it should be identical - https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/0013362 I will have a check though, later. Walter went on to release the games himself, where iirc he made various tweaks. Those versions later went on to be republished by GI Games/Zenobi. The...
by 8BitAG
Sun Jan 07, 2024 10:27 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by 8th Day Software: discussion
Replies: 12
Views: 584

Re: The best Speccy game by 8th Day Software: discussion

Serious comment: I don't think many of these games got a lot of attention, so I wonder how meaningfully people can vote. Perhaps not from people who frequent these forums, but 8th Day were a big disrupter of the adventure market back in the day and they're probably one of the bigger "professio...
by 8BitAG
Sun Jan 07, 2024 10:26 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best Speccy game by 8th Day Software: discussion
Replies: 12
Views: 584

Re: The best Speccy game by 8th Day Software: discussion

Skelvullyn Twine probably should be on the list as well. At the moment, there isn't (as far as I know) any evidence Peter himself sold any copies prior to 8th Day releasing the game. All the reviews we have are for the 8th Day version.
by 8BitAG
Wed Jan 03, 2024 8:02 am
Forum: Preservation
Topic: The Domdaniel!
Replies: 5
Views: 623

Re: The Domdaniel!

It wasn't bundled with the Quill, but there was a Characters pack from Gilsoft which had a lot of the fonts you'll see commonly used in homegrown adventures. The font pack was also released in an earlier form by Kevin Maddocks (Sigmasoft/King) and many of the same fonts were later licensed and bundl...
by 8BitAG
Mon Jan 01, 2024 10:56 pm
Forum: Preservation
Topic: The Domdaniel!
Replies: 5
Views: 623

Re: The Domdaniel!

It's not an already known game.

It was produced with the earlier version of the Quill by the looks of things. Feels like unpolished homebrew... I think the author probably ran out of space as a huge chunk of memory is take up by those location descriptions.
by 8BitAG
Mon Jan 01, 2024 8:15 pm
Forum: Preservation
Topic: The Golden Chalice (RM Software)
Replies: 1
Views: 106

Re: The Golden Chalice (RM Software)

There would need to be more evidence that the RM Software came before the printed version. A line in a listing isn't really enough, given especially that the RM version has always looked like it improves on the original and Alan would've submitted his listing at least as early as June 1984 anyway. (...
by 8BitAG
Wed Dec 27, 2023 9:54 am
Forum: Brand new software!
Topic: Doctor Adventures
Replies: 7
Views: 498

Re: Doctor Adventures

For some time now, I have noticed that some old games, when they are brought to Itch.io, are considered (even by Planeta Sinclair) as new releases. But in reality they are not. If they're only just being put onto itch.io then I'm sure Planeta Sinclair is still providing a useful service, highlighti...
by 8BitAG
Mon Dec 25, 2023 11:39 am
Forum: Music
Topic: We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Replies: 31
Views: 1382

Re: We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Nadolig LLawen! Merry Christmas!
by 8BitAG
Wed Dec 20, 2023 11:18 am
Forum: Other Retro Stuff
Topic: Granada TV's 'Chip-In' computing show
Replies: 15
Views: 579

Re: Granada TV's 'Chip-In' computing show

Best of all, on a section about games piracy, the television presenter says: "It's not a crime because unlike video movies there's no copyright on programs and games" . Errrrrm... that's not aged well! That would've been true in one sense that the Copyright Design & Patents Act of 198...
by 8BitAG
Sun Dec 17, 2023 7:54 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Doctor Who on the ZX Spectrum
Replies: 4
Views: 242

Re: Doctor Who on the ZX Spectrum

The Five Doctors is a text adventure that brazenly channels the 1983 TV Special of the same name. So that's yer first five Doctors covered... https://www.spectrumcomputing.co.uk/SCRtoImage.php?SCR=pub/sinclair/screens/load/f/scr/FiveDoctorsThe.scr&border=0 The Five Doctors is quite cool in that...
by 8BitAG
Tue Dec 12, 2023 1:29 pm
Forum: Other Retro Stuff
Topic: Computing Today
Replies: 6
Views: 191

Re: Computing Today

Yeah, I tend to use the Flax Cottage ones as they are quite easily browsable. The versions on the site aren't searchable though, and I'm not sure all the issues are on archive.org, so these new OCRed versions would be potentially be very useful. Computing Today has been invaluable for research into ...
by 8BitAG
Tue Dec 12, 2023 1:19 pm
Forum: Other Retro Stuff
Topic: Computing Today
Replies: 6
Views: 191

Re: Computing Today

I'd always grabbed them from Flaxcottage in the past...
https://www.flaxcottage.com/ComputingToday/default.asp

(That site is also great for Games Computing, but the February 1985 issue of is still unarchived anywhere as far as I know)
by 8BitAG
Wed Dec 06, 2023 9:10 am
Forum: Website
Topic: How I find [CENSORED] game
Replies: 56
Views: 2527

Re: How I find [CENSORED] game

can't delete this now because the GIVE MEAT TO DOG text adventure man did a post and deleted it. Let's introduce him to Inform 7 so he can write a huge sprawling open-world adventure where you can give 80 types of sausage to 70 breeds of dog. p.s. TROWEL is in SHED but you have to examine it twice ...