Spectrum Computing

Had a hour's blast on Loony Zoo last night. It's certainly one to file under 'charming', but I keep returning to it. The difficulty is up to usual early spectrum standards (difficult, often frustrating), but once you get used to its unusual physics you can get several levels in.

Terra Cognita by Code Masters through emulation, almost every evening.




And had a go at a recently purchased copy of Arkanoid on the grey +2, scored about 83000 points.

And also at Robocop, first time I'm able to load all the levels in one go.

No Zythum.

WIWC wrote: ↑Sat Sep 22, 2018 12:48 pm No Zythum.

You’re slipping.

Wandering around in Alien 8. I've gone further than I had thought!

Fired up my +2 for the first time in a while:

-Slubberdegullion, novel shmup, with the most arsekicking AY. Unfortunately my +2 has a beeper bias, so the fire and spot effects sound really loud, and the music light in comparison.
-Dingo. Didn't load this time. Usually does. No idea why
-C is for Crabby. Whatever design tool he uses, Gabam can't help but spunk his passion and talent all over it. Great game, very hard, got nowhere.
-Manic Miner. It loaded; It's great. Nuff said.
-Mole Rat!

Hypaball by Odin Computer Graphics (1986)

I used to enjoy it back in the day, and firing it up today managed to beat the computer 20:10.

Only just noticed that one of the selectable players is called Joffa Smifff and the developer, Doug Burns, spells his name Bernie Dugggs on the main menu screen. A nice homage to Joffa and his humor.

I'm sure I've seen 'Bernie Dugggs' in another game.

Bernie Dugggs was the main developer of Ping Pong, which has music by Joffa.

Hypaball sounds like it has the same 'Applause' sound as Ping-Pong.

Metalbrain wrote: ↑Wed Oct 03, 2018 4:13 pm Bernie Dugggs was the main developer of Ping Pong, which has music by Joffa.

That's it

Super Scramble Simulator - https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=5034
A difficult but very interesting and rewarding game by Gremlin, and a powerful soundtrack by Ben Daglish.

Fired up my Vega not plus. It's perfect for a feet up, lazy play of the games that suit it, the less keys the better.

Albatrossity: great golf inspired puzzle platform game
Coracle: an unusual shmup that went under the radar
Dominator: atmospheric shooter, inventive beeper use, captures the oppressive feel of 'go to hell'. I never reach zone 2
Humphrey: about as polished as a painter game could get. Hard.

Played Albatrossy a few weeks ago, snapped each level as I was going along. Great game and hard - especially the last level (basketball style) but it can be done.

Been playing 'take apart the Samsung N130 netboot' as the CMOS battery has finally died. Removed every screw, unplugged every ribbon cable, removed the motherboard, cleaned out 8 years of dead skin cells dust and hair, found the CMOS battery, pondered on how to remove it from the shrink wrap plastic stuck to the motherboard, created a new CMOS battery by carefully slicing the connectors off then electrical taping them back onto a fresh battery, bunging everything back together and finding that it is still switched on (yay!) and spent the last half hour trying to get the base back on. The bunging the screws in and finding none were left over - that's a first, and it's still working.
Hopefully the new battery will last another 8 years, as the old one did.

It made Albatrossy look like a walk in the park.

Strider. Haven't reached level 2 yet, but I'm enjoying the acrobatics.

I'm having some go's at Exolon, lately which is ok although not as good as Salamander or Zythum.

Missing Omega: build you own robot army, drop them on a maze-like base, click the "auto" button, let them pick objects and destroy enemies, all using a point &click interface.

Mission Omega - https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=3239





BTW, couldn't categorize this game correctly. It is currently on "Arcade Game: Maze", but it's not an arcade game really, more like a strategy one, but the map looks like a maze, so...

druellan wrote: ↑Sat Oct 20, 2018 4:56 pm Missing Omega

I've never heard of that before. It sounds proper cool, and original. Would that even have a genre these days? Simulation? Must try it out tomorrow.

Cool gif btw In a similar vein, I keep wondering whether or not to type 'ZXDB' in the input line of text adventures.

R-Tape wrote: ↑Sat Oct 20, 2018 9:12 pm

druellan wrote: ↑Sat Oct 20, 2018 4:56 pm Missing Omega

I've never heard of that before. . . .Must try it out tomorrow.

Then grab the fixed version from my little den of game fixes.

R-Tape wrote: ↑Sat Oct 20, 2018 9:12 pm I've never heard of that before. It sounds proper cool, and original. Would that even have a genre these days? Simulation? Must try it out tomorrow.

Sorry the typo on the name, but the link is the correct one: Mission Omega.
I think the game has more strategy than simulation really, the problem is that there is no plain "Strategy" category on the ZXDB, only "Strategy Game: Management" and "Strategy Game: War", that are too specific.

R-Tape wrote: ↑Sat Oct 20, 2018 9:12 pm Cool gif btw In a similar vein, I keep wondering whether or not to type 'ZXDB' in the input line of text adventures.

Yes, I was thinking to seek for screenshots that has a WOS typed somewhere, and replace them with ZXDB But, I don't want to start just another project without finishing something before.

I didn't spot the typo!

druellan wrote: ↑Sun Oct 21, 2018 2:23 am Yes, I was thinking to seek for screenshots that has a WOS typed somewhere, and replace them with ZXDB But,

Yes I wondered about doing the same thing. It would reduce any confusion that old WoS = ZXDB, but it might be seen as a disservice to the years of hard work of many people that ultimately gave rise to ZXDB. There have been quite a few times that I could have put "ZXDB" on a .scr, but so far decided to leave them blank.

I don't want to start just another project without finishing something before.

Aye, I wouldn't start something like this without further discussion. Einar may not agree with the principle, for example.

My Vega nonplus is getting a lot more use than I ever expected. As I leave it by the telly, it's perfect for firing up simple games (i.e. with uncomplicate controls) while in a post teatime torpor.

I gave Starship Mulvaney a blast last night. It's a platformer with a lot of 'oldschool charm'.

The very well written new text adventure Unhallowed.

The previously uMIA FG is an unusual game. I've manage to 'complete' it but I'm not sure I understand it. If you touch the cross at the middle bottom, or perhaps another sprite touches it, then you are accepted into the party and they are nice to you. Then you wait for the clock to reach midnight, and you get a congrats message.

Does anyone know what's going on?!

Also—does anyone think the name should be 'Let's Party', rather than FG?

Last Mission by US Gold. I've never liked it much. Any fan of it out there?