Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

People are still making stuff for the Sinclair related machines. Tell us about new games and other software that runs on the Spectrum, ZX80/ZX81, Pentagon and Next.
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Ivanzx
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Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Ivanzx »

Not lying, have to be purchased to try it, it was recovered by the author and now on sale:

https://cosmium.itch.io/quadron

:o
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R-Tape
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by R-Tape »

Ivanzx wrote: Mon Dec 03, 2018 11:11 pm Not lying, have to be purchased to try it, it was recovered by the author and now on sale:

https://cosmium.itch.io/quadron

:o
Neat. If anyone has this yet, could they upload a run & load screen via the upload facility pleez:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/edit/
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Cosmium
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Cosmium »

Hello!

Thanks for picking this up! Yes, took a while to get out there but here it is for anyone interested:

Image

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-04LrBsPOUQ[/media]

The game draws inspiration from the Williams classics and features fast arcade-style gameplay, multiple weapons, enemies, collectables, power-ups, and a pointer based status screen and scanner.

What's unusual about this game is that it was written over the course of two years and completed back in 1988. Sadly, the publisher (now defunct) pulled out towards the end of development and the game remained unreleased along with its plans for an Amstrad CPC conversion. So in order to prepare the game for release, and since I didn't have access to the original source code, I ended up working with the disassembly and my original notes to kind of reverse engineer the whole thing. I also spotted some bugs and tweaks to address along the way and 5 months later, it’s finally out!

Sorry, I don't have the loading screen anymore. It was lost along with the source code.

The next best thing I have is a black and white dot matrix print out, which I've scanned here:
Image

I resized it to 256x192 and had considered using it as a template to recreate the loading screen. Then I got carried away in Z80 land and decided it wasn't such a priority since the .sna file jumps directly into the game's menu screen!

Cosmium
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Andre Leao »

Andy Green ;)
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by R-Tape »

Cosmium wrote: Tue Dec 04, 2018 10:57 pm Thanks for picking this up! Yes, took a while to get out there but here it is for anyone interested:
Not had chance yet but I'm going to buy one soon.
Sorry, I don't have the loading screen anymore. It was lost along with the source code.

The next best thing I have is a black and white dot matrix print out, which I've scanned here:
Image

I resized it to 256x192 and had considered using it as a template to recreate the loading screen. Then I got carried away in Z80 land and decided it wasn't such a priority since the .sna file jumps directly into the game's menu screen!
That's a great place to start. I've just opened the .png in ZX-Paintbrush at a 25% Threshold level with no colours, and it would be a perfect template for someone. The attributes look pretty well placed too, for example the planty shaft that truncates the 'Q' wouldn't clash with whatever colour the letters were (can you remember?!).
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Yeah! As Andre mentioned, a new mission for [mention]Andy Green[/mention] !
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Cosmium »

Due to the interest and enthusiasm generated, I am going to be reconstructing the loading screen myself from the printout, and fully complete what I started 30 years ago!! Watch this space... :)
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Andy Green »

Cosmium wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:40 pm Due to the interest and enthusiasm generated, I am going to be reconstructing the loading screen myself from the printout, and fully complete what I started 30 years ago!! Watch this space... :)
Sorry mate. Been a tad manic and I meant to had replied to being 'tagged' (which is an honour!). Firstly; that looks to be an absolutely superb game! Congrats on all the work! Andre did mention about proposing me to do a loading screen but I see you are going to attempt to recreate that from the printout. I did have a mess around last night, working with the title as the one in the print-out is different to the new version. Anyhow, look forward to seeing your loading screen. :D :D


Image

* EDIT * Not sure if anyone can see the image below? Not showing for me....

* EDIT 2 * Try this: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZkXel ... DUcuJagpYN
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Ast A. Moore
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Ast A. Moore »

Andy Green wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 6:48 pm * EDIT * Not sure if anyone can see the image below? Not showing for me....

* EDIT 2 * Try this . . .
Both work for me.
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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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Cosmium »

Andy Green wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 6:48 pm
Cosmium wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:40 pm Due to the interest and enthusiasm generated, I am going to be reconstructing the loading screen myself from the printout, and fully complete what I started 30 years ago!! Watch this space... :)
Sorry mate. Been a tad manic and I meant to had replied to being 'tagged' (which is an honour!). Firstly; that looks to be an absolutely superb game! Congrats on all the work! Andre did mention about proposing me to do a loading screen but I see you are going to attempt to recreate that from the printout. I did have a mess around last night, working with the title as the one in the print-out is different to the new version. Anyhow, look forward to seeing your loading screen. :D :D
Thanks for the compliments on the game :D - equally impressed with your work.. look forward to seeing more!!

Cheers
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Cosmium »

Cosmium wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:40 pm Due to the interest and enthusiasm generated, I am going to be reconstructing the loading screen myself from the printout, and fully complete what I started 30 years ago!! Watch this space... :)
Needs a little more tidying up but not a bad rendition of the original!
Image

Cosmium
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by R-Tape »

Brilliant! What package are you using? And will customers that bought the .sna get a .tap when the screen is done?
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Ast A. Moore
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Ast A. Moore »

Yeah, and if you need a mean, robust, and ultra fast (3x!) tape loader for your game—let me know!
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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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Turrican »

Bought the game!
Great! :mrgreen:
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Andy Green »

Cosmium wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 5:28 am
Cosmium wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:40 pm Due to the interest and enthusiasm generated, I am going to be reconstructing the loading screen myself from the printout, and fully complete what I started 30 years ago!! Watch this space... :)
Needs a little more tidying up but not a bad rendition of the original!
Image

Cosmium
Oh I see you used my title then. :)
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Cosmium »

R-Tape wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 9:45 am Brilliant! What package are you using? And will customers that bought the .sna get a .tap when the screen is done?
Thanks for all the positive feedback!

The 'new' Quadron logo I created for the 2018 release was first made in Illustrator and edited in Photoshop. I wanted it to capture the essence of the one in the 1988 printout, but with a more modern look. I also worked in a bit of a 'Defendery' look to it, in the way it tilts back. It was then imported into ZX-Paintbrush (many thanks for the suggestion!) and used as the title in the loading screen.

For the rest of the loading screen image I scanned the printout and pieced together "broken elements" introduced into by the printer - not sure why it wasn't all aligned! - then resized to 256x192 and exported it as a PNG from Photoshop. From there it was brought into ZX-Paintbrush to be worked on and combined with the title element.

Yes, I'll look into combining the .sna with the finished screen and then make a .tap available on the download page too. :D

Cosmium
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Cosmium »

Andre Leao wrote: Sun Dec 09, 2018 1:10 pm Review's ready :)

https://planetasinclair.blogspot.com/20 ... adron.html
Brilliant! Thanks for taking the time for a very detailed and very fair review. :D

Cosmium
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Cosmium »

R-Tape wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 9:45 am Brilliant! What package are you using? And will customers that bought the .sna get a .tap when the screen is done?
Yes I uploaded a .tap file of the game today for those who prefer a tape file - it's available on the Quadron download page along with the .sna :D
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by R-Tape »

Cosmium wrote: Mon Dec 24, 2018 3:58 am Yes I uploaded a .tap file of the game today for those who prefer a tape file - it's available on the Quadron download page along with the .sna :D
Cheers. I'm mobile only until after the hols, but I'll get it then.

I didn't realise until I collated Quadron for the last update, but you are this Andy Beale aren't you?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... bel_id=881

I never got very far, but I spent countless hours on Microbot BITD. You should make a redux version!
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Rorthron »

R-Tape wrote: Mon Dec 24, 2018 9:07 amI didn't realise until I collated Quadron for the last update, but you are this Andy Beale aren't you?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... bel_id=881
The Millipede entry in that link doesn't look right:

1. It looks like the same game as Megapede. Should it not be combined with Megapede?
2. The translation is called Ciempies, but that is not listed as an AKA.
3. The entry mentions an Atari licence, but I can see no evidence of an official licence.
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Cosmium »

R-Tape wrote: Mon Dec 24, 2018 9:07 am
Cosmium wrote: Mon Dec 24, 2018 3:58 am Yes I uploaded a .tap file of the game today for those who prefer a tape file - it's available on the Quadron download page along with the .sna :D
Cheers. I'm mobile only until after the hols, but I'll get it then.

I didn't realise until I collated Quadron for the last update, but you are this Andy Beale aren't you?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... bel_id=881

I never got very far, but I spent countless hours on Microbot BITD. You should make a redux version!
Yup, same one!

In Microbot there was that sense of lots to take care of, yet you couldn't be everywhere at once which makes for quite a challenge. That idea was taken a lot further with Quadron. But by adding the collectable objects the player can overcome some of this and it gives the game a more strategic element I think!
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Cosmium »

Rorthron wrote: Mon Dec 24, 2018 1:17 pm
R-Tape wrote: Mon Dec 24, 2018 9:07 amI didn't realise until I collated Quadron for the last update, but you are this Andy Beale aren't you?

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... bel_id=881
The Millipede entry in that link doesn't look right:

1. It looks like the same game as Megapede. Should it not be combined with Megapede?
2. The translation is called Ciempies, but that is not listed as an AKA.
3. The entry mentions an Atari licence, but I can see no evidence of an official licence.
1. Yeah, it should probably be combined. I think Millipede was the same game, but got renamed for sale in Spain.
2. Listing it as an AKA sounds reasonable!
3. No, just a clone (along with all the others ;))

I'm off for a mince pie..
Happy Christmas!
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by R-Tape »

I've finally had a chance to play this properly.

Apart from the choice of keys and no redefine option, I think this is a great game. There's a lot more to it than Microbot, and if you find the instructions a bit impenetrable to begin with, just start off and remember that the goal is to shoot every alien in the map (press space and it's the top middle red square). The power ups and what to collect become clear with time. If you take too long for each attack wave, then scary dudes on hoverpods come and get you.

If it was released BITD, I would have spent at least as many sunny afternoons playing this as I did with Microbot!

It's proper great that this game has been not only rescued, but given a bloody good scrape and polish.

Can you see yourself making any more Speccy games Andrew?
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Re: Quadron, a uMIA from 1988... that you can buy now!!

Post by Cosmium »

R-Tape wrote: Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:07 pm I've finally had a chance to play this properly.

Apart from the choice of keys and no redefine option, I think this is a great game. There's a lot more to it than Microbot, and if you find the instructions a bit impenetrable to begin with, just start off and remember that the goal is to shoot every alien in the map (press space and it's the top middle red square). The power ups and what to collect become clear with time. If you take too long for each attack wave, then scary dudes on hoverpods come and get you.

If it was released BITD, I would have spent at least as many sunny afternoons playing this as I did with Microbot!

It's proper great that this game has been not only rescued, but given a bloody good scrape and polish.
Happy to hear you like it.
R-Tape wrote: Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:07 pm
Can you see yourself making any more Speccy games Andrew?
It's tempting.. ;)
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