Spectrum Computing

Metalbrain wrote: ↑Mon Jul 29, 2019 8:40 am

goodboy wrote: ↑Sun Jul 28, 2019 5:58 pm but game (is denied) and unfortunately is not complete.
there is no part of the code for final fight (the dragon/robot is not mobile)

That's a known problem, and the game was heavily bugfixed here to make it work:
https://www.worldofspectrum.org/forums/ ... terland/p1

Yup, a lot of effort went into fixing it, but the detail is lost in the thread...

Given the game is "distribution denied", the fixed game couldn't be provided as a new TZX (ahem) so the approach was twofold:

Write some code to hack the Activision and Sega Master Mix tape releases (not re-cracks), and apply the appropriate fixes "on the fly"

Write some code to load the last level(s), fix it so the game could be completed, and then SAVE the level(s) back to tape

When playing through, load the fixed last level(s) so you could complete the game

All the fixes are here - and for a change, have some vague comments!

I thought Batty was a brilliant game, and it is probably the spectrum game I still play the most to this day. It had the gameplay, nice graphics and great colours, all that was missing was a tune.

There's loads of enhanced remixed games, where various people have added AY music to games that didn't have it previously.

If you go here, you can find quite a lot of them here:

http://retrospec.sgn.net/users/tomcat/T ... racks.html

There's Commando with the proper arcade music, Sacred Armour of Antiriad with much nicer AY version of Richard Joseph's classic tune, Barbarian Collection with added AY sound, Zynaps etc. Loads of games and they're brilliant when enhanced with AY music.

If you choose the games that have either the music icon or 128 icon, they tend to be the enhanced games.

Is there any chance these could be added to the database? There seems to be quite a lot of enhancements released, but not a single site that tracks them all as even the site above is a little out of date.

Bard’s Tale - AY music for the bard songs

Sokurah wrote: ↑Sun Jul 28, 2019 11:41 pm

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Sun Jul 28, 2019 10:49 pm Green Beret
Rambo
Commando

I'm pretty sure there's a version of Commando with AY music out there. A hack, obviously, but still.

Yep, and a pretty funky tune it is too.

https://youtu.be/FDZimGehAbM

Ralf wrote: ↑Sun Jul 28, 2019 1:41 pm - Bombjack
- Mikie

They are great ports on Spectrum but the arcade versions of them had very characteristic tunes during gameplay and having them on Spectrum would be great.

Characteristic in that they both had songs by The Beatles!

Bombjack - Lady Madonna

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYTVc7bCXUs

Mikie - A Hard Days Night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Oi9_eTMTrI

But yes, it would have been really nice to have had those tunes on the Speccy!

MrD wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2019 8:45 am Bard’s Tale - AY music for the bard songs

Also The Hobbit, when Thorin sits down and sings about gold.

Star Wars would benefit from sound full stop.

Really don't get this desperate need for chip music in a game. Whoever thought to themselves, what would make this game better? I know - if I was trapped in a Las Vegas hotel lift while playing it!

That Commando one is just annoying, and it's not helped by the tune just playing through the title screen and the game as well regardless. And it drowns out what little sound effects there were. I'd much rather the sound chip was used for generating better sound effects. Maybe have a simpler, quieter tune playing on two channels and dedicate one channel and the noise generator to effects. And at least have the tune stop and re-start between levels, and play something else when the player dies. Otherwise, it's just cheesy background muzak.

The

Nick wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2019 4:19 pm

MrD wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2019 8:45 am Bard’s Tale - AY music for the bard songs

Also The Hobbit, when Thorin sits down and sings about gold.

Star Wars would benefit from sound full stop.

I remember being very disappointed when Star Wars was released and it had a message saying “due to memory limitations, there is no sound, so play your favourite music instead”!

But it turned out memory issues wasn’t the reason, they just ran out of time and you’ll be glad to hear that there is a version of Star Wars with sound! I’ll have to find it, but I’m sure it’s the Star Wars trilogy compilation version (I think it’s the TZX called V2 on this site).