Introduce yourself!

Introduce yourself. Pimp your website, competition, event or other activity here, as long as it's Spectrum related.
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R-Tape
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by R-Tape »

BiNMaN wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 12:59 pm can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to joining

howdy folks
Hello!

I keep seeing your name pop up on various projects like Kingdom Crystal 2017 but I'm still waiting for a Bog Brother's reunion :-p
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BiNMaN
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by BiNMaN »

R-Tape wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 1:23 pm
BiNMaN wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 12:59 pm can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to joining

howdy folks
Hello!

I keep seeing your name pop up on various projects like Kingdom Crystal 2017 but I'm still waiting for a Bog Brother's reunion :-p
I'm seeing CodenameV later today, we still discuss ideas but never seem to pin the time down...

but who knows ;)
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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Welcome, BiNMaN!
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Seven.FFF
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Seven.FFF »

Helloooo BiNMaN :)
Robin Verhagen-Guest
SevenFFF / Threetwosevensixseven / colonel32
NXtel NXTP ESP Update ESP Reset CSpect Plugins
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stformatjez
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by stformatjez »

Hey everyone, I'm Jez :D I've been into the Spectrum since about '83 I guess. Favourite games include Manic Miner, Flying Shark, Renegade, Rastan, River Rescue to name but a few.

Moved on to the Atari ST in '90 (couldn't afford an Amiga!) and now run the ST Format magazine website www.stformat.com. I say I run it, I haven't actually updated it for about 2 years :lol:

Other retro interests include Tamiya RC cars, Space Lego and an unhealthy interest in G1 Transformers (pre '86) and their more recent Masterpiece counterparts :lol:

If you're dead bored and fancy a laugh, check out my Arcade/Spectrum/ST etc etc Picade emulator review, with a short Manic Miner / JSW intro :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o_nRplktDI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nl9HrNaQ9E
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Spector
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Spector »

Hello - I'm Spector and have posted on a lot of retro forums through the century, and I couldn't resist coming on here. You have a great up to date archive of Speccy games, and the forum looks pretty good too. Looking forward to some good arguments! :D
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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Welcome, Mr. Spector! :)
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R-Tape
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by R-Tape »

I recognise that badge! Hi Spector.
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Turtle_Quality
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Turtle_Quality »

Hi,
I'm Thomas. I had been doing some simple games programming as a 15 year old on friends' ZX81s and Acorn Atoms (both 1k), and was hoping to get my own computer -maybe a VIC20. Then at a computer show in April 1982 , at a crowded Sinclair stand, Clive announced the ZX Spectrum. As the flashbulbs popped and reporters asked questions about it, a spotty 15 year old shouted "What's the keyboard like ?" Clive stretches over the tables around the stand, I stretch through the crowd, to prod those rubbery keys. Late that night I persuaded my dad to loan me a massive £175 and I phoned in an order on the Sinclair hotline.

I don't remember how long it took to arrive, 6 or 8 weeks maybe, but I still got it before many of the major software houses had one. I remember being at a show in August asking ... maybe it was Quicksilver... if they would bring out Centipede because I was struggling to write my own version in basic, but they just wanted to buy my precious Spectrum from me - no way !

I got the PSS compiler by hacking it out of Light Cycles, and liked writing noisy games with nested for next loops and out commands. Sent some in for a PSS Compiler competition including a nice lunar lander (with a sprite routine written in assembly with the Spectrum manual and poke commands) and a crappy but extremely noisy game called Mazeball, that got picked up by PSS related company Wildest Dreams. You can still find Mazeball in the archives but sadly my lunar lander is lost to time. Earlier this year I tracked down my first cassette copy of Mazeball

I'd also written a short compress / decompress routine in assembly, and when I went to buy a Multiface from Romantic Robot in Kilburn, I asked if they compressed data before they dumped it all to tape. Apparently they hadn't thought of that. I offered my code for a free Multiface. They had about 130 bytes spare when my code was about 200, and I spent a couple of weeks reducing the code when I should have been doing homework, and got my free Multiface worth £40. Which went on to sell countless numbers on Spectrum then Amstrad, but I had geek cred.

So now I'm trying to push the grey cells, try to recreate that sprite code, and squeeze out an excessively noisy puzzle game - I was so taken with Sega Columns in 1990 I went home and wrote one on my Sam Coupe. Then maybe back to lunar lander.
Definition of loop : see loop
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Einar Saukas
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Einar Saukas »

Nice story :)

Please tell us your full name, so we can add missing author information in the Mazeball entry at https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=15606
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Turtle_Quality
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Turtle_Quality »

Einar Saukas wrote: Fri Dec 07, 2018 11:29 pm Nice story :)

Please tell us your full name, so we can add missing author information in the Mazeball entry at https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=15606
Thomas Quillin

Mazeball was a complete ripoff of a game I played on a BBC computer which annoyingly addictive. I went home and got the game running in about 10 minutes (well it was a very simple game). Then I spent about 4 hours writing sound effects, there was quite a nice one if you get a high score, and a better one if you fail to get a high score. It's entirely compiled basic.

I got none of the royalties promised by Wildest Dreams, apparently the founder ran off with cash he'd borrowed to setup the business.
Definition of loop : see loop
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Ast A. Moore
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Ast A. Moore »

Turtle_Quality wrote: Fri Dec 07, 2018 11:03 pm They had about 130 bytes spare when my code was about 200, and I spent a couple of weeks reducing the code when I should have been doing homework . . .
My kind of guy!

Welcome to the forums, Thomas!

Image
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.

Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
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Ivanzx
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Ivanzx »

Turtle_Quality wrote: Fri Dec 07, 2018 11:03 pm Hi,
I'm Thomas. I had been doing some simple games programming as a 15 year old on friends' ZX81s and Acorn Atoms (both 1k), and was hoping to get my own computer -maybe a VIC20. Then at a computer show in April 1982 , at a crowded Sinclair stand, Clive announced the ZX Spectrum. As the flashbulbs popped and reporters asked questions about it, a spotty 15 year old shouted "What's the keyboard like ?" Clive stretches over the tables around the stand, I stretch through the crowd, to prod those rubbery keys. Late that night I persuaded my dad to loan me a massive £175 and I phoned in an order on the Sinclair hotline.

I don't remember how long it took to arrive, 6 or 8 weeks maybe, but I still got it before many of the major software houses had one. I remember being at a show in August asking ... maybe it was Quicksilver... if they would bring out Centipede because I was struggling to write my own version in basic, but they just wanted to buy my precious Spectrum from me - no way !

I got the PSS compiler by hacking it out of Light Cycles, and liked writing noisy games with nested for next loops and out commands. Sent some in for a PSS Compiler competition including a nice lunar lander (with a sprite routine written in assembly with the Spectrum manual and poke commands) and a crappy but extremely noisy game called Mazeball, that got picked up by PSS related company Wildest Dreams. You can still find Mazeball in the archives but sadly my lunar lander is lost to time. Earlier this year I tracked down my first cassette copy of Mazeball

I'd also written a short compress / decompress routine in assembly, and when I went to buy a Multiface from Romantic Robot in Kilburn, I asked if they compressed data before they dumped it all to tape. Apparently they hadn't thought of that. I offered my code for a free Multiface. They had about 130 bytes spare when my code was about 200, and I spent a couple of weeks reducing the code when I should have been doing homework, and got my free Multiface worth £40. Which went on to sell countless numbers on Spectrum then Amstrad, but I had geek cred.

So now I'm trying to push the grey cells, try to recreate that sprite code, and squeeze out an excessively noisy puzzle game - I was so taken with Sega Columns in 1990 I went home and wrote one on my Sam Coupe. Then maybe back to lunar lander.
Its always interesting to have people that were in the industry in the 80s, and also interesting to hear the stories behind them!

By the way, have you thought about remaking Mazeball in the Spectrum? There is now a compo that may interest you ;) !

http://zx-dev-mia-remakes.proboards.com/
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Turtle_Quality
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Turtle_Quality »

Ivanzx wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 9:02 pm
Its always interesting to have people that were in the industry in the 80s, and also interesting to hear the stories behind them!

By the way, have you thought about remaking Mazeball in the Spectrum? There is now a compo that may interest you ;) !

http://zx-dev-mia-remakes.proboards.com/
Thanks Ivan ZX

I never really considered myself "in the industry", just knew a few people who were... Now if I'd got past that interview at Bubble Bus in '84 ...

On a Mazeball remake, to be fair the game looks tedious now, I'd have to find a way to make it interesting to play. There's a few Atari VCS games I'd love to remake in expanded Spectrum format - Combat, Adventure, Maze Craze, Warlords.. I still play those with my 8 year old son (except Warlords, searching for a paddle alternative). What I love about these and many Spectrum games is that playability is the core not flashy graphics.
Definition of loop : see loop
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oblo
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by oblo »

Greetings from Spain!

Long-time ZX Spectrum user, I started borrowing/using 48ks from friends/school and learning from programming books that were on the public library, until I could afford a +2A. Since then, I like to "mess" with anything about our speccys (gaming, harware and software) but after all this time I still considered myself a "seasoned amateur", mainly because I barely can read assembler :roll:

I discovered yesterday this forum so I decide to register to share what I can and to ask what I (still) don't know. Anyway, here are a few links with some of the games I developed until now:

O-trix
O-cman
2x1 Depthcharge/Escape
O-Puzz Attack!

... and in a few days I hope to release a new one :)

Later!
Cheers.
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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

¡Bienvenido, oblo! 😃
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Ivanzx
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Ivanzx »

oblo wrote: Mon Dec 10, 2018 9:35 pm Greetings from Spain!

Long-time ZX Spectrum user, I started borrowing/using 48ks from friends/school and learning from programming books that were on the public library, until I could afford a +2A. Since then, I like to "mess" with anything about our speccys (gaming, harware and software) but after all this time I still considered myself a "seasoned amateur", mainly because I barely can read assembler :roll:

I discovered yesterday this forum so I decide to register to share what I can and to ask what I (still) don't know. Anyway, here are a few links with some of the games I developed until now:

O-trix
O-cman
2x1 Depthcharge/Escape
O-Puzz Attack!

... and in a few days I hope to release a new one :)

Later!
Welcome here too, Oblo! Looking forward to seeing your new game! ;)

It is a pleasure to have more Spectrum classic members over here :)
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Ast A. Moore
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Ast A. Moore »

oblo wrote: Mon Dec 10, 2018 9:35 pm Greetings from Spain!
Hey, [mention]oblo[/mention]! Fancy seeing you here. Welcome!
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.

Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
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PeterJ
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by PeterJ »

Welcome @[mention]oblo[/mention]

Just to let you know that the first two games are available on the main Spectrum Computing website without the need to go elsewhere:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=15743

I'm sure [mention]R-Tape[/mention] will add the other two, if that is OK with you?
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oblo
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by oblo »

PeterJ wrote: Tue Dec 11, 2018 7:19 pm Welcome @@oblo

Just to let you know that the first two games are available on the main Spectrum Computing website without the need to go elsewhere:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=15743

I'm sure @R-Tape will add the other two, if that is OK with you?
Of course, no problem at all and thanks for the link.
Cheers.
Nick
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Nick »

Good afternoon.

I'm Nick McLelland, a fairly regular contributor/rambler on the World Of Spectrum forum, mainly reviewing games in the 1980's to 2010's threads and I thought it was about time I registered on this forum as well so I can waffle away here also. :)

My first experience with a Speccy was playing Manic Miner on my uncle's back in 1983 and was instantly hooked and I badgered my parents for one that Christmas. I have recently been trying to get to grips with such utilities such as PAW and AGD but this irritating thing called real life keeps getting in the way. ;)

So, hello again and I hope to have just as much fun reading and posting on this site as I do on WOS.
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R-Tape
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by R-Tape »

Hello!
Nick wrote: Fri Dec 28, 2018 2:59 pm I have recently been trying to get to grips with such utilities such as PAW and AGD but this irritating thing called real life keeps getting in the way. ;)
Have you made a Speccy game before? If not, make 2019 the year!
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Nick »

Back around 1987 time myself and mate made a couple of games using Argus Press' Arcade Creator and sent them off to Alternative Software. My mate was convinced that we were on our way to being millionaires , the games got rejected. :oops: :D

If I remember right, one was a shoot-em-up called Solar Fire and other was a platform affair called Attack Of The Killer Space Hoppers and no I do not have any copies of them floating around.

I am hoping that finally I will get round to creating at least one game this coming year, but don't hold your breath everyone. ;)
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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Welcome, [mention]Nick[/mention] !
SUPERMORITZ

Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by SUPERMORITZ »

Hi, my name is Sebastian.

I am addicted to the speccy, but i still can't do any coding in machine code (which i want to learn since ages...)
Most of the time i am getting on the nerves of experienced users (sorry Dave!) to create some games with AGD or other tools.
I am kind of obsessed to build a 8 bit monument of my dog, who is seriously ill.
Slowly approaching my 50s i am still feeling like 13 years old, when it comes to 8-bit fever.
Collecting all kinds of speccy stuff, i have regularly arguments with my wife (she don't live in the 8-bit world and can not understand, why it is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious to touch a rubber key...she wants me to do a day job, to pay the bills and put all the "old rubbish" in the dustbin...when she was young she owned a C64, so i can't blame her to be so cruel ;) )

Long live the speccy!!!!
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