Cybernoid clones?

[Ralf]

I disagree about Zukinox.

I checked this game and I would give abut 2.5 to Zukinox in "The official Cybernoid index" (tm)

It's flip screen, it's a ship that shoots, it's space themed but graphically it doesn't have this Cybernoid feeling. It has actually very basic graphics while Cybernoid has it very good. I would say a game has to have good graphics to be close to Cybernoid.

And Sophia is a very curious case. You control a person, not a ship, it has a medieval/fairytale and not space setting and yet it feels strongly Cybernoid inspired

[R-Tape]

I agree about Zukinox.

ZXDB always had "inspired by" information about games!

Unbeknownst to many, Spectrum Computing allows you to see this information easily. For instance, in game Elite there's a field called "derived titles". If you click there, you will see a list of 5 titles: 2 "inspired by Elite" and 3 "Elite mods". I just noticed this list is missing Awaken, I will add it in the next update.

On a more technical note, I have already updated our internal spreadsheet (currently used to automatically generate ZXDB updates). There's now a new tab for updating information in previously registered titles. I have already added to the spreadsheet the information discussed in this thread so far, they will appear in the next ZXDB update!

Great! So this will be an easily searchable property when Peter & Ricardo sort out the advanced search?

In which case we should try and list more games with more than say, 3 on the Cybernoid Scale?

EDIT - although Zukinox is arguably less than 3, the author does quote Cybernoid as an inspiration.

Also, good call about not being able to backtrack, I'll revise the scale later.

[Einar Saukas]

Great! So this will be an easily searchable property when Peter & Ricardo sort out the advanced search?

There's no need. As soon as this information is added (in the next ZXDB update), you can simply open the Cybernoid page and click on "derived titles" to find them.

In which case we should try and list more games with more than say, 3 on the Cybernoid Scale?

Not sure about 3. Perhaps above 4?

Also we should try to identify others inspirations missing from the archive and add them too!

EDIT - although Zukinox is arguably less than 3, the author does quote Cybernoid as an inspiration.

You created a scale for "Cybernoid clones". I agree that Zukinox was inspired by Cybernoid, but I disagree that it's even close to a clone!

[Seven.FFF]

I wrote a "lunar lander in a maze" game in 1983. More of a Thrust clone, although that didn't exist yet. It was in the "way too hard for anyone but the dev to play" category, because the tunnels were so tight. It was awful, and I couldn't get it published

[R-Tape]

Okay how’s this for a revised Cybernoid Scale:

0 - A vanishingly small amount in common with Cybernoid, e.g. Yahtzee.
1 - A flip screen game with a floating sprite, the sprite can shoot but it you would not describe it as a shooter, e.g. Cauldron
2 - A flip screen game with a floating sprite, which you would describe as a shooter, e.g. Airwolf
3 - Same as #2, but with a space/alien/biological/mechanical/futuristic theme, e.g. Shark
4 - No backtracking. Some traps and synchronised avoidance e.g. Rough Justice
5 - Orbiting power ups, background hugging baddies, synchronised baddies in columns. So close to Cybernoid, it is Cybernoid.

So, like the Kinsey scale of human sexuality, every game has its position on the Cybernoid Scale, with 4 or more warranting the title of ‘Cybernoid clone’.

Einar – now that I’ve done the difficult bit, could you assign every game in ZXDB a CRN (Cybernoid Reference Number)?

I think Cybernoid 2 is a slightly overegged pudding, so is a 5.1.

[R-Tape]

I wrote a "lunar lander in a maze" game in 1983. More of a Thrust clone, although that didn't exist yet. It was in the "way too hard for anyone but the dev to play" category, because the tunnels were so tight. It was awful, and I couldn't get it published

Don't suppose you still have it?

[Seven.FFF]

Don't suppose you still have it?

Sadly no. Of course I would have wanted to rewrite it if I had it. I still could, I guess, but there's more interesting things to do. It was BBC Model B, and all my tapes and disks vanished in a house move.

[R-Tape]

For ZXDB entry purposes, any objection/opinion if the following go down as 'inspired by Cybernoid':

Rough Justice
Slubberdegullion
Sophia (Ale, happy with this as a comment?)

[Alessandro]

Sophia (Ale, happy with this as a comment?)

Well, since when I presented the game, I openly declared that Sophia was inspired by Cybernoid - as well as from Equinox and Druid - so I would say yes, of course

[R-Tape]

Thanks. You’ll have to forgive the obvious questions, I want to try and get just one of your entries correct on the first try.

[PeteProdge]

I wouldn't call these Cybernoid clones, but I think they'd be on the Cybernoid Scale in the lower ranksTM...

• Rex
• Scumball
• Metal Army

Can we try to find the most un-Cybernoid-like game on the ZX Spectrum? The Hobbit maybe?

[Einar Saukas]

Sophia is clearly inspired by Cybernoid. The gameplay is nearly identical, despite using a different theme. I have no doubt about this one.

Slubberdegullion is a mix between Cybernoid and Asteroids. Should we still classify it as inspired by Cybernoid?

Rough Justice is vaguely inspired by Cybernoid. Is it more inspired by Cybernoid than any other game?

[R-Tape]

Slubberdegullion is a mix between Cybernoid and Asteroids. Should we still classify it as inspired by Cybernoid?
Rough Justice is vaguely inspired by Cybernoid. Is it more inspired by Cybernoid than any other game?

In my opinion:

Slubberdegullion is definitely 50% Cybernoid, 50% Asteroids/Thrust.

Rough Justice is a definite in my book, but Jon kind of says yes and no here.

I guess it's similar to Cybernoid in many ways, though not as insanely difficult.

It should probably come from the author tho, I'll PM him on WoS.

[R-Tape]

I wouldn't call these Cybernoid clones, but I think they'd be on the Cybernoid Scale in the lower ranksTM...

• Rex
• Scumball
• Metal Army

•Rex = 3.0?
•Scumball = 2.5 on the Cybernoid scale, 6.6 on the StarQuake scale
•Metal Army = 3.4

[Einar Saukas]

The Hobbit = 1.5 on the Cybernoid scale, since it's flip-screen and there's gravity certainly (otherwise Thorin and Gandalf would be floating away...)

[R-Tape]

The Pyramid = 3.9

(inspired by Cybernoid 5 years before it was even released)

[PeteProdge]

The Hobbit = 1.5 on the Cybernoid scale, since it's flip-screen and there's gravity certainly (otherwise Thorin and Gandalf would be floating away...)

Drat. Well I'm undeterred in my mission to find the most un-Cybernoid game out there. Even if it means writing it myself.

(And I have nothing against Cybernoid, it's one of my favourites.)

[Joefish]

There's a difference between blocky multi-screen games where you jump and ones where you fly.
Anyway, Cybernoid is just a Thrusta clone...
Or maybe Kokotoni Wilf...

[R-Tape]

There's a difference between blocky multi-screen games where you jump and ones where you fly.

Yep, this particular ZX rubicon is crossed when you have a CRN of 1.

[Spud]

Sqij is definitely on the sprectrum. (Twice in fact!)

[R-Tape]

I'd give Sqij 2018 a 1.9, I tried to calibrate the original Sqij but it made a horrid sludgy mess and contaminated the scale: CRN indeterminate.

[Audionautas]

Some time ago, I made a personal list of clones for Hewson games on the Spectrum. Probably Uridium is the more cloned Hewson game ever (there's a load of clones on the C64, for instance), but on the Speccy I think Cybernoid and Exolon were more influential.

* Shark (Players Premier, 1989). Cyberonid clone.
* Yeti (Destiny Software, 1988). Exolon clone.
* Task Force (Players Premier, 1989). Cybernoid clone.
* W.A.R. (Martech, 1986). Uridium clone.
* Cerius (Atlantis Software, 1988). Exolon clone.
* Antares (Juliet Software, 1987). Uridium inspired.
* Eagle (Juliet Software, 1987). Uridium inspired.
* Vallation (Tardis Remakes, 2016). Cybernoid inspired.
* Aquasquad (Atlantis Software, 1988). Cybernoid clone.
* Ultima Ratio (Firebird, 1987). Uridium clone.
* Rough Justice (Cronosoft, 2003). Cybernoid clone.

As someone commented earlier, Rex is clearly inspired by Cybernoid, although it's a superb game in it's own right. I recall Jas Austin told that Cybernoid was an inspiration during Rex development on the Retro Gamer's magazine 'Making' of' coveage.

[R-Tape]

Slubberdegullion is a mix between Cybernoid and Asteroids. Should we still classify it as inspired by Cybernoid?
Rough Justice is vaguely inspired by Cybernoid. Is it more inspired by Cybernoid than any other game?

...
It should probably come from the author tho, I'll PM him on WoS.

Jonathan's reply (with permission):

Both games definitely drew inspiration from Cecco's classic. RJ was mostly written in 1999 while I was bored at work and really didn't have a lot of thought put into the game design. Slubber was much later, I'd been experimenting with game mechanics for quite a few years before it was written and to this day I don't think anyone understands how the numbers and power-up trails work. Slubber's control method had nothing whatsoever to do with Thrust or Asteroids, it was merely a variation on the control method used in Homebrew with a slight change to the gravity. For its part, Homebrew was inspired by Jetpac, I just decided to make the controls rotational for a twist. Those rotational controls were probably mostly inspired by Grand Prix Simulator, if that makes any sense...

So based on this I would say that Rough Justice should have ‘inspired by Cybernoid’ but Slubberdegullion should not. Slubber has a personality of its own and draws some inspiration from numerous sources.

I'd also say this is further validation of the Cybernoid Reference Number system, with Rough Justice as 4.0.

[Einar Saukas]

Some time ago, I made a personal list of clones for Hewson games on the Spectrum. Probably Uridium is the more cloned Hewson game ever (there's a load of clones on the C64, for instance), but on the Speccy I think Cybernoid and Exolon were more influential.

* Shark (Players Premier, 1989). Cyberonid clone.
* Yeti (Destiny Software, 1988). Exolon clone.
* Task Force (Players Premier, 1989). Cybernoid clone.
* W.A.R. (Martech, 1986). Uridium clone.
* Cerius (Atlantis Software, 1988). Exolon clone.
* Antares (Juliet Software, 1987). Uridium inspired.
* Eagle (Juliet Software, 1987). Uridium inspired.
* Vallation (Tardis Remakes, 2016). Cybernoid inspired.
* Aquasquad (Atlantis Software, 1988). Cybernoid clone.
* Ultima Ratio (Firebird, 1987). Uridium clone.
* Rough Justice (Cronosoft, 2003). Cybernoid clone.

As someone commented earlier, Rex is clearly inspired by Cybernoid, although it's a superb game in it's own right. I recall Jas Austin told that Cybernoid was an inspiration during Rex development on the Retro Gamer's magazine 'Making' of' coveage.

This is a great list, and I will be already including some of them in the next ZXDB update. Thanks!

However I'm not sure about a few items. In particular, neither Eagle or Ultima Ratio seem close enough to Uridium...

[ZXDunny]

Explorer by the RamJam Corp. was definitely inspired by Cybernoid. Same flick-screen action and detailed graphics but only one level. Sprites were large and colourful too.