Search found 1644 matches

by Rorthron
Sat Jun 10, 2023 11:05 am
Forum: Website
Topic: Would you like a SAM Coupé sub forum (Poll)
Replies: 16
Views: 548

Re: Would you like a SAM Coupé sub forum (Poll)

I'm with R-Tape . This is the sort of question that invites yes answers, because it implies that the SAM discussion will be additive. A more accurate phrasing might be: Do you want to: (a) marginalise SAM discussion in a separate tumbleweed-strewn forum, or (b) keep it in the main forums? The WoS fo...
by Rorthron
Sat Jun 10, 2023 3:02 am
Forum: ZXDB Fixes
Topic: Little bugs in the database 6
Replies: 126
Views: 5014

Re: Little bugs in the database 6

Paul Owens wrote Road Frog and Bob Wakelin did the artwork according to the History of Ocean https://archive.org/details/The_History_of_Ocean_Software_Retro_Fusion_Books/page/n105/mode/2up?view=theater https://archive.org/details/The_History_of_Ocean_Software_Retro_Fusion_Books/page/n239/mode/2up?v...
by Rorthron
Sat Jun 10, 2023 3:01 am
Forum: ZXDB Fixes
Topic: Re: Cover Artists 2
Replies: 337
Views: 48469

Re: Cover Artists 2

According to the same interview, Wakelin also did Road Frog and Caterpilla. However, StooB has cast doubt on whether Wakelin did the cover for the Spectrum version: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?p=42956#p42956 Personally, I think the earlier Road Frog cover could also be Wakel...
by Rorthron
Sat Jun 10, 2023 2:43 am
Forum: ZXDB Fixes
Topic: Re: Cover Artists 2
Replies: 337
Views: 48469

Re: Cover Artists 2

Thanks. So it seems to me safe to add Edward Blair Wilkins as co-creator of the Moon Alert cover: 1. Wakelin says in the quoted passage thst he and Wilkins started by working jointly on art 2. Elsewhere in the same interview he says Moon Alert might have been his first cover. 3. Moon Alert is signed...
by Rorthron
Fri Jun 09, 2023 8:57 pm
Forum: ZXDB Fixes
Topic: Re: Cover Artists 2
Replies: 337
Views: 48469

Re: Cover Artists 2

Very interesting. So we can put Armageddon down as a "maybe". What's the story of the signed poster? It has two signatures: Edward Blair Wilkins and Bob Wakelin. Which leads to the question, what other covers he might have done? You can always ask him: his email address is in the comments ...
by Rorthron
Sat May 20, 2023 7:18 am
Forum: Programming
Topic: Text compression routines...
Replies: 21
Views: 1057

Re: Text compression routines...

@Rorthron did a load of manual tokenizing for the text in Balachor's Revenge (saved 200+ bytes I think). Because we had a relatively small amount of text and really needed to squeeze as many bytes out as we could, a bespoke routine was, I think, the best way to go. If my memory is correct, the way ...
by Rorthron
Sun May 14, 2023 8:23 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Original Jetpac art
Replies: 8
Views: 418

Re: Original Jetpac art

uglifruit wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 8:02 pm The original artwork looks like the far-too-saturated colours that seemed to be in Windows games in the late 90s. If someone told me that was the artwork from JetPac for Win98 I'd believe them, and tut.
Hmmm.... Colours too bright for you, eh? Are you a C64 fan in disguise? ;)
by Rorthron
Sat May 13, 2023 8:56 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Original Jetpac art
Replies: 8
Views: 418

Re: Original Jetpac art

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 7:01 pm I think that artwork should be preserved here
I have already uploaded it.
by Rorthron
Sat May 13, 2023 4:07 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Way of the Exploding Fist design choice...
Replies: 15
Views: 567

Re: Way of the Exploding Fist design choice...

The overlapping pixels might create a better 3D effect.
by Rorthron
Sat May 13, 2023 4:05 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Original Jetpac art
Replies: 8
Views: 418

Original Jetpac art

Tim Stamper has posted it on Twitter:



Compare the inlay:

Image
by Rorthron
Mon May 08, 2023 8:47 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Good enough to be an Ultimate game?
Replies: 50
Views: 1848

Re: Good enough to be an Ultimate game?

Tim Stamper also said on Twitter that Knight Lore was started while Ultimate were still working on Atic Atac.

by Rorthron
Mon May 08, 2023 6:53 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Good enough to be an Ultimate game?
Replies: 50
Views: 1848

Re: Good enough to be an Ultimate game?

I read an account somewhere that I think came directly from the Stampers, which said that Sabre Wulf was a project of Tim Stamper's while Chris Stamper worked on Knight Lore. However, Tim couldn't get it to work, so after finishing Knight Lore, Chris completed the coding of Sabre Wulf. This might ex...
by Rorthron
Wed May 03, 2023 10:02 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The best top 10 best spectrum games ever list ever.
Replies: 73
Views: 1775

Re: The best top 10 best spectrum games ever list ever.

You're all wrong. The correct answer is (in chronological order):

The Hobbit
Scuba Dive
Jetpac
Cookie
Manic Miner
Atic Atac
Way of the Exploding Fist
Starquake
Bomb Jack
Quazatron

I excluded modern releases.*

* I.e. 1988 onwards.
by Rorthron
Sat Apr 15, 2023 8:55 am
Forum: Announcements
Topic: FRGCB - Finnish Retro Game Comparison Blog
Replies: 25
Views: 1109

Re: FRGCB - Finnish Retro Game Comparison Blog

I'm reminded of a Gary Lineker quote....

FRGCB is a simple concept. Skaepoy does a careful analysis of every aspect of every version and at the end the C64 always wins.

:)
by Rorthron
Sat Apr 15, 2023 8:47 am
Forum: ZXDB Fixes
Topic: Re: Cover Artists 2
Replies: 337
Views: 48469

Re: Cover Artists 2

The colour covers of the AWA releases of Bedlam and Beetlemania have very small "AJC" signatures.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/4 ... rum/Bedlam

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.php?cat=96&id=501
✓ Reviewed
by Rorthron
Sat Apr 15, 2023 8:36 am
Forum: Sinclair Miscellaneous
Topic: Custom keypanel kits
Replies: 2
Views: 100

Re: Custom keypanel kits

I had some of the custom keypanel kits back in the day. They seemed like a good idea, but in practice got very little use. For programming, everything you needed was already printed on the key plate. For games, overlays were mostly unnecessary or even unhelpful. Most games used only a few keys. Apar...
by Rorthron
Sun Apr 02, 2023 9:13 am
Forum: ZXDB Fixes
Topic: Re: Cover Artists 2
Replies: 337
Views: 48469

Re: Cover Artists 2

Who Would Be King: Terry Greer
Per TEL signature

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=10395
✓ Reviewed
by Rorthron
Fri Mar 24, 2023 7:20 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: Game art copied from elsewhere
Replies: 412
Views: 73057

Re: Game art copied from elsewhere

John Romero was apparently the model for the Doom cover in 1993, so there appears to be no connection between these covers.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/07/ ... -giveaway/

To my eye, there isn't a significant resemblance, anyway.
by Rorthron
Fri Mar 24, 2023 7:17 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?
Replies: 50
Views: 2087

Re: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?

Einar Saukas wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2023 11:07 am OK, the other file is now available too:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... Hobbit_128
That's great. I look forward to seeing your improved version when you finish it.
by Rorthron
Tue Feb 28, 2023 11:01 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?
Replies: 50
Views: 2087

Re: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?

jpnz wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 10:58 am Question for @Rorthron did you contribute anything for this project?
Yes, though I personally would not attach great value to my contributions.

Why does that matter?
by Rorthron
Tue Feb 28, 2023 10:42 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?
Replies: 50
Views: 2087

Re: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?

Seriously? Yes, seriously. You criticise me because I didn't work out the point you were trying to make wasn't actually made in your post, and you expected me to click on the link, navigate away from the embedded video to the YouTube site, go to the description and click "more" to expand ...
by Rorthron
Tue Feb 28, 2023 10:23 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?
Replies: 50
Views: 2087

Re: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?

A joke? Please, read first the description before saying this kind of things. If you have a point to make about the description of a YouTube video, please include or at least make mention of the description in your post, rather than link to an embedded video in which the description does not appear...
by Rorthron
Tue Feb 28, 2023 9:54 am
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?
Replies: 50
Views: 2087

Re: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?

But why he appears to be the only author in the Spectrum Show video then? Also in another video appears: conversion by Kayamon and members of WoS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrYAijTFPSw If this was a community effort, maybe no names should be in front of others ;) Is this a joke? The video you...
by Rorthron
Mon Feb 27, 2023 5:24 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?
Replies: 50
Views: 2087

Re: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?

Only in the Sinclair re-release. Even so, it's really really hard to notice. No. It's in the Melbourne House original. Not that this line of argument really makes a difference one way or another. To me, it sounds like trying to make arguments to "work around" her requests, instead of tryi...
by Rorthron
Mon Feb 27, 2023 3:19 pm
Forum: Games/Software
Topic: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?
Replies: 50
Views: 2087

Re: The Hobbit 128 unfinished?

Therefore if original "The Hobbit" is by Melbourne House, it shows the Melbourne House logo, it explicitly says "Melbourne House" in the inlay, it never mentions Beam anywhere, then it's clearly not by Beam. If it's by Melbourne House, it's not by Beam. The original "The Ho...