Spectrum Computing

Having done a lot of research recently on Tom Frost's games for various archives, I've put together a process on the talented Scottish coder & "Britain's Best Adventurer"...

http://8bitag.com/info/tartan.html

Nice read!

Interesting read. He seems to be much older than your average teenage programmer from the 80s. Wonder what he's doing today.

Ralf wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2019 9:53 am Interesting read. He seems to be much older than your average teenage programmer from the 80s. Wonder what he's doing today.

He would be in his 80s now, if he is/was still around.

Text adventure authors came in all ages and genders back then... they weren't just all spotty teenagers. Jack Lockerby, one of the most prolific adventure authors for the Spectrum,.. and he was in his sixties back then, iirc. There was certainly a huge age range attending the UK Adventurer's Convention back in the 90s, many of whom were programmers.

Great read and makes we wish I'd spent a bit more time on GAC. It was the usual thing, where I had all these grand ideas about an adventure game, but, when it came to actually building it, it was such a daunting task even in GAC i'd just go back to a copy of Razzle

Nice read.

I think I remember seeing those 'split' screen games, quite a nice idea.

Nicely presented and interesting bio. Enthusiasm, patience and determination required in bucket loads to successfully create a text adventure using those utilities all of which I have at least briefly explored! I remember 'Micro Adventurer' with fondness, it didn't last very long but it was one of my favourite computer magazines. I won a Stranglers tape 'Aural Quest' from one of their competitions. Never got very far with it though.

Morkin wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2019 1:24 pm Nice read.

I think I remember seeing those 'split' screen games, quite a nice idea.

Yeah, because single screen text adventures are way too easy!

RWAC wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2019 2:10 pm Yeah, because single screen text adventures are way too easy!

Haha, yeah..! Having failed at The Hobbit, I remember trying to play Lord of the Rings, and trying to keep track of who I was/what I was doing...

Morkin wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2019 1:24 pm Nice read.

I think I remember seeing those 'split' screen games, quite a nice idea.

Terrors of Trantoss was a 'sort of' split screen adventure where you controlled two characters:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=7089

Interestingly Crash Issue 29 not only has a review of Terrors of Trantoss but also Spy Trilogy by Tartan Software:

https://ia902907.us.archive.org/8/items ... n_1986.pdf

stupidget wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:43 am Terrors of Trantoss was a 'sort of' split screen adventure where you controlled two characters:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=7089

Trantoss wasn't really split-screen, it just had it's graphic window on the left of the screen rather than at the top, like most text & graphics adventures do. Technically you could say they're all split-screen too. The tool used for Trantoss, Ramjam's The Biro did allow for some more interesting screen layouts than the GAC or the PAW, though. As you can see from that game, Twice Shy, and also several of the unreleased projects that were going to use the system, like Three Days in Carpathia.

There were quite a few multi-character text adventure games, but Tom's were interesting with the two viewpoints being represented side by side.

8BitAG wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2019 12:14 pm

stupidget wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:43 am Terrors of Trantoss was a 'sort of' split screen adventure where you controlled two characters:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=7089

Trantoss wasn't really split-screen, it just had it's graphic window on the left of the screen rather than at the top, like most text & graphics adventures do. Technically you could say they're all split-screen too. The tool used for Trantoss, Ramjam's The Biro did allow for some more interesting screen layouts than the GAC or the PAW, though. As you can see from that game, Twice Shy, and also several of the unreleased projects that were going to use the system, like Three Days in Carpathia.

There were quite a few multi-character text adventure games, but Tom's were interesting with the two viewpoints being represented side by side.

Do you mean Twice Shy was also authored with The Biro?

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2019 3:19 pm Do you mean Twice Shy was also authored with The Biro?

We've got it listed as having been so, on CASA. I will see if I can find the reference.

8BitAG wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2019 3:29 pm

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2019 3:19 pm Do you mean Twice Shy was also authored with The Biro?

We've got it listed as having been so, on CASA. I will see if I can find the reference.

Good enough for me, there's no need for a reference.

This information will be in the next ZXDB update. Thanks!

Well... as I've just dug it out anyway...

Here's a reference to Twice Shy being created with the Biro
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Ga ... he+biro%22

And here's a nice big article on RamJam and The Biro (with a Twice Shy review) if anyone is interested.
https://archive.org/details/ComputerAnd ... he+biro%22

The Biro was an interesting utility. Developed for in-house use by RamJam. It was offered out to the general public to use with the proviso that anyone who made a game with it had to first get their game approved by RamJam before it could be released! Unsurprisingly, people didn't exactly rush to take them up on the offer when the Quill was available without such strings attached.

The creator of the system was interviewed by CASA, but he seemed to not know any of what RamJam went on to do with his tool.
http://solutionarchive.com/interview_tony/