WOOT 2020 is out. Happy ZXMAS.

[cmal]

Just a few pages through the magazine and getting quite a laugh out of it. Excellent writing skills and good humor! Thanks all for providing this to the community.

Here's the Mousetrap backstory: The game was written in 2002. I dared myself to start and end the game development in just one weekend. Therefore the game couldn't be too ambitious but still had to be playable. I completed it, except for the sound effects.

Somehow I lost track of the game and then 18 years later here's R-Tape looking for WOOT material. So two weeks ago I spent the good part of a Saturday going through old hard drives and CD ROMS of backups until I eventually found it. The .asm file was still called Prog1.asm so it made the search somewhat more difficult.

I was so relieved when I found the file. If it wasn't for [mention]R-Tape[/mention], that game would have been lost and forgotten.
After adding some sound, QAOP keys, fixing a bug, then drawing a loading screen it was ready to go.

[hikoki]

Exelent! Exiting! The tir da grog gag left me groggy!

[TMD2003]

I'm getting into the Games and Demos section now, and Flash Dance is intriguing. While [mention]R-Tape[/mention] might be a high-level machine code wizard, I'm still stuck at level 3 or so. But something tells me I might be able to write a routine that does the same as this... from scratch, seeing as all that needs to be done is attribute manupulation and Dave's done it in 150 bytes.

I will give it a go myself, then disassemble those 150 bytes and compare the two. I expect to be promoted to level 4 if it works!

Also, if anyone is unfamiliar with the music of Gargoyle's Quest and wants to make a comparison with the original, here's a complete playthrough with no commentary over the top of it. It's from 2012, so the video quality's not super-ultra-HD, but on a Game Boy game with a screen smaller than a Spectrum, does that matter?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3oWNm563H4

[uglifruit]

This is great, and hats off to [mention]R-Tape[/mention] for his efforts in assembling this again this year.
His overview of the year is interesting, and the jokes are funny. A genuine delight of a 'magazine' to read through.

I also really enjoyed [mention]cmal[/mention]'s Mousetrap (It's reminiscent of Pete Cooke's Brainstorm). Thanks for supplying the .asm too, that'll be interesting to pick apart.

The Xmas-oid one-screen game is utterly brill too. A lovely tribute to Eugene's Lair, and the movement is so interesting; bouncing off walls changing your direction vector and being affected by gravity only when not 'thrusting'. It makes for very having to be very careful. The 'one screen'-ness of this is a bit mis-leadng as each corner of the screen offers its own challenge. That reminded me of Xbox Indie title "Platformance" in that it's technically one level - but it's not, is it? (Xmas-oid has got great music by Beyker).

[mention]Joefish[/mention]'s multicoloured scrolling pathway marvel is ... well ... marvellous! Perhaps bit too quick and hard for my aging brain/fingers, but honestly its amazing. I certainly look forward to the 'finished' version of this with a more gradual increase in difficulty across the levels. ("Main Road" by Karlos is utterly BRUTAL! He must be a cruel cruel man.)

[mention]TMD2003[/mention]'s Corono Chan demos is fun too. In an utterly depressing way. And Jim's Gargoyle's Quest jukebox is a great set of tunes - and also highlights there's loads of other great music out there (on other platforms) that I won't be able to spot in a 'Name That Tune' quiz!

I enjoyed reading people's picks for desert islands, too. Much like [mention]jdanddiet[/mention]'s top 100, I find people's personal selections, and their justifications fascinating. (And not wanting to diminish the quality of the Woot magazine release in anyway, but my Desert Island Disk choices has a little mistake. My first pick is titled 'Rogue' but should read 'The Sentinel'. - I've never even played Rogue - perhaps I should!).

Anyway, cheers again for this. It's a lovely early Xmas Present. And long may it continue as a tradition!

[Joefish]

Some mistake? Can someone try my game on a 128 and a +2A, I thought it was working?

[llewelyn]

Thanks a million chaps, what a wonderful, funny, creative piece of work. Well worth spending my time on again and again. The desert island tapes was a great idea and provides an insight into the tastes of people whose posts I always look out for, the lockdown report was bloody funny as was the Xmas party gag. Really an excellent gift from you to us and thanks again.

[R-Tape]

My first pick is titled 'Rogue' but should read 'The Sentinel'. - I've never even played Rogue - perhaps I should!).

Sorry about that. I'll get that sorted later.

I loved your ending comment about Combat School, and getting told off for swearing at the computer.

Some mistake? Can someone try my game on a 128 and a +2A, I thought it was working?

My mistake! I forgot you updated it. It works great in SPIN in 48 and 128. I've edited the first post.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Just finished watching the tap files and playing the games. Really great. The year of Covid has provided it many hilarious plots.

Woot has become another Xmas and end-of-year tradition, very creative and with a lot of fun. Excellent work!

[moroz1999]

Thanks to everybody involved with this gem! A lot of laughter.

[XTM]

For a moment I was expecting Rick Dangerous would change his first name to Richard ...

Also, if Covid Masters is gobbled up by EA, will it infect them and bring them down from the inside?

[Joefish]

'Dick Dangerous', surely?

[R-Tape]

I'm trying to ace each level of Roger the Pangolin one by one. I finally managed 'Crevasses' in 26secs, but can't reliably repeat it. The 4th and 5th jumps are hard to time. When you're through that bit, I love the 'herrrreeee we go runaway feeling!

[mention]Joefish[/mention] do you know your PBs for each level? I suppose that, as long as one doesn't fall off, it's hard to make many marginal gains?

[TMD2003]

Best of luck. I can't finish one of my own levels...

...though in my defence they had to be sent untested, as I couldn't get the PASMO .BAT file to work - it never made a new tape image with my level in it, it was always the default test level. I did what I thought might work, and if it didn't... oh well. I thought I was being REALLY EVIL with the end of "Waves", but now it appears I am merely a small-time crime lord next to Karlos The Jackal and Einar The Implaer.

"Crevasses" is supposed to make you think "aha, I chose the correct path... ...OH SMEG!"

[hikoki]

I want to like Pangolin. Please tell me how to avoid falling

[R-Tape]

I want to like Pangolin. Please tell me how to avoid falling

There are no secrets I'm afraid. I'd just keep doing the trial run until you can ace it, then move through the rest.

[hikoki]

yes the first level works fine but there are others where I don't know why I fall off the track even jumping from white springs.
The engine looks ace though Apart from Sonic this reminds me of Abagames' Torus Trooper

[Joefish]

Stay on the platforms!

Yes, some of them are really hard. I don't have a list of PBs as I didn't had time to play them all before release. The only ones I tried out and edited a bit were Jim's, since he got stuck testing them himself.

In 'Crevasses' there are two main tricks. The first is when there are four white squares in a row, jump on the first one,land on the fourth one to jump again. The other is to move sideways in the jumps.

In 'Hopscotch', it's generally about lining up a cyan boost square with a white jump square to be able to cover the gaps. Though when there are magenta pads, you have to take them at normal speed. The jump will land on the magenta and the bounce will take you over the smaller gap. But you have to avoid any speed boosts in the run-up or you'll be running too fast.

If you haven't got the controls yet, tap SPACE to jump or hold it down to accelerate. The gauge gives you three jumps or limited boost, and will recharge when just rolling along the ground.

P.S. those yellow squares you're dodging, R-Tape, are speed-ups!

White is jump, Green is sticky slow trap, Black is clearly bad, and speed-ups can vary from level to level, though are typically yellow or cyan. Or red. Or maybe blue. Occasionally magenta...

[Morkin]

Well I've finally got round to this, and it's fantastic work..! Reminds me of when you used to get that bumper Crash mag at Chrimbo, but it's really, REALLY packed this year. I would've loved it if this sort of tape mag was available in the mid 80s...

I'm embarrassed to say I haven't even got to the games but have to comment before I forget... Hope it's OK putting pics, feel free to add spoiler tags if you feel the need...

The Spectrum beeper surprised me as the optimum way to recreate the bleak vibes of Joy Division's 'Isolation'..

Weird, I thought it was Therapy! (though it took me aaaages to identify, couldn't place it)...

Couldn't quite figure out all the alliteratively-named game characters, though it was nice to see Mrs Mopp and William Wobbler make an appearance (particularly the latter not actually moving on a lurid magenta backdrop).

The graphs were brilliant..! Nice to see that SQL effort hasn't gone to waste.. Can't believe how many games there were in 2019, what's going on?? And I wonder if we'll see the re-emergence of some C.G.D. games in 2021?

The reviews have put me slightly to shame... I feel I haven't played very many of the new games over the last couple of years, and I don't think I've played any of the text adventures (properly at least)... I think I feel a new year's resolution brewing...

The Mary Whitehouse bit made me laugh... Welsh girl having a night out on the snakebite? Harsh..



(Also, that second 'ban this filth' pic made me chortle at the inventive use of game sprites)

Good to see a mention of the HSC..
- I was very glad that Kosmic 'effing' Kanga didn't make an appearance on someone's Desert Island choices...
- I was very disappointed that it wasn't one of the 'throw away' Desert Island choices...

COVID chronicle - great stuff..! How long did it take to rip some of those sprites/animations? Kudos for doing Cuchhull... Cookuch... Cuhculla... the Tir Na Nog dude.

I did laugh at the 'clapping for keyworkers' bit - surely a mini-game or CSSCGC candidate? Though trying to get the beeper to simulate someone banging a wooden spoon on a saucepan might be a challenge.

Home schooling - Eric was a bit hard done by in that lesson I think... Is anyone here going to admit to actually having a Sam Fox poster?

(BTW I like banana bread, thankyouverymuch)

The COVID briefings (as already mentioned) were fantastic... and I enjoyed the "Daley vs Hypersports" scrapping, even getting a Nohzdyve reference in... Very niiiice...

I do feel for Horace and his long rat-tail... NO, WHAT AM I SAYING..!?!?! IT'S NOT A RAT-TAIL..!!!

Slideshow was great... A good mix of humour and screens, and great music..! Now where can I get the vegan punkgoat pirate craft ale? Need something to wash down that delicious slice of Parsons Laverbread...

Desert Island Tapes was a nice read... Now I want to see what Utarg of Utarg cosplay might look like.. But I'm too scared to Google it...

Some awesome graphics of uncle Clive as well... If anything similar happens in 2022 for the 'big 4-0' I'd definitely be up for going... I'm already having nostalgic flashbacks to the Speccy 30 thing in Cambridge, now 8 (!) years ago...



...I'll get onto the games over the next week or two as I've got a few days off now.

[dazman100]

I am so looking forward to this.

[scoppack]

Just had a brilliant Christmas Day evening with this, excellent!!!
Needed something to cheer myself up after dying in the poppy fields and crap all on tv

[Ivanzx]

Thanks a lot Dave and all that participated in this, for bringing this awesome piece of Speccy Xmas tradition!

[R-Tape]

The Spectrum beeper surprised me as the optimum way to recreate the bleak vibes of Joy Division's 'Isolation'..

Weird, I thought it was Therapy! (though it took me aaaages to identify, couldn't place it)...

That's what TMD thought!

Couldn't quite figure out all the alliteratively-named game characters, though it was nice to see Mrs Mopp and William Wobbler make an appearance (particularly the latter not actually moving on a lurid magenta backdrop).

I almost had them dancing... but couldn't be bothered in the end. Aye there's a few tricky ones there, here's the answers:

Spoiler

COVID chronicle - great stuff..! How long did it take to rip some of those sprites/animations? Kudos for doing Cuchhull... Cookuch... Cuhculla... the Tir Na Nog dude.

I ripped the graphics a few years ago, and planned to include them at the time, so thankfully I had (what I believe is now called) an oven-ready routine. It's a big sprite ~4K, so my original plan was to compress it and spunk it onto the display file hidden under attributes, but there was plenty of of room in normal memory in the end.

(BTW I like banana bread, thankyouverymuch)

Nope. I don't believe you.

Desert Island Tapes was a nice read... Now I want to see what Utarg of Utarg cosplay might look like.. But I'm too scared to Google it...

I did risk googling it. Turns out I'd seen [mention]WhatHoSnorkers[/mention] dressed as this in the Margate PLAYexpo video, but I'm ashamed to say I thought he was dressed as that mushroom from MarioKart at the time

Some awesome graphics of uncle Clive as well... If anything similar happens in 2022 for the 'big 4-0' I'd definitely be up for going... I'm already having nostalgic flashbacks to the Speccy 30 thing in Cambridge, now 8 (!) years ago...

That was ripped from a magazine scan, which presumably ripped it from a photo from a photo. Only a bit of tinkering in ZX-paint was needed to make it.

Aye let's hope there is an event to mark the occasion!

[TMD2003]

Weird, I thought it was Therapy! (though it took me aaaages to identify, couldn't place it)...

That's what TMD thought!

Some years ago. Not now!

[Morkin]

Well I've finally got round to "Side B", better late than never etc. At least I managed it before next Christmas...

Great stuff again - I enjoyed the mix of quick games and tunes. I didn't realise you could have tunes going while you're trawling through a BASIC program.

[uglifruit]

I didn't realise you could have tunes going while you're trawling through a BASIC program.

I didn't either! I was very pleased to get that working. I'm not sure how useful it is, but it's a slightly unsettling effect isn't it?