Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Whether it's Mire Mare or a BASIC tape you found in the attic, it needs to be preserved digitally. Post here and experts can help to do so.

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MatGubbins
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by MatGubbins »

R-Tape wrote: Sun Mar 25, 2018 12:49 pm
MatGubbins wrote: Sun Mar 25, 2018 12:39 pm I've not downloaded the 2015 entries yet, so if anyone wants to do them then please go ahead with them.
You can't lick the donut and put it back on the shelf!

(or is cowpat more appropriate?)

Just to be clear - have you just bagsied or unbagsied 2015? No-one's claimed it.
I've licked the donut and put it back on the shelf, taken the 10% free portion from the packet and added a bottle of wine to my wine gums. Tasty!
It remains unclaimed.
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Digital Prawn
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Digital Prawn »

Digital Prawn wrote: Thu Mar 22, 2018 2:47 pm
R-Tape wrote: Thu Mar 22, 2018 5:46 am If we're going down the host collates route then it's @Digital Prawn we should feel sorry for...
I'd rather watch the entire box set of Albion Market. :)
But seriously I would be happy to help out with this if I had the free time. Sadly I don't at the moment (or for the forseeable future), apologies for that. So if anyone else is brave enough to take on 2008, then please feel free. Although it is not a decision to be taken lightly. It is a great initiative to get the CGC entries fully sorted in the archive. Thanks to R-Tape for starting this thread. :D
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Kweepa
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Kweepa »

There's only... 123... of them :O
Nicely archived, DP!
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R-Tape
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by R-Tape »

Digital Prawn wrote: Mon Mar 26, 2018 2:23 pm But seriously I would be happy to help out with this if I had the free time. Sadly I don't at the moment (or for the forseeable future), apologies for that. So if anyone else is brave enough to take on 2008, then please feel free. Although it is not a decision to be taken lightly. It is a great initiative to get the CGC entries fully sorted in the archive. Thanks to R-Tape for starting this thread. :D
Don't worry Prawn, you've suffered enough.
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Kweepa
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Kweepa »

I started poking at 2008... I hadn't 'played' any of these before I don't think, so it's pretty fun.
Is there a deadline? I'll probably only manage 4-5 a day, so I might not be the best person to tackle the problem.
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R-Tape
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by R-Tape »

Kweepa wrote: Mon Mar 26, 2018 6:12 pm I started poking at 2008... I hadn't 'played' any of these before I don't think, so it's pretty fun.
Is there a deadline? I'll probably only manage 4-5 a day, so I might not be the best person to tackle the problem.
No deadline and please take your time, we've already had a lot of stuff that will need a bit of time to sort out.
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Kweepa
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Kweepa »

Advanced Lawnmower Simulator Add-on Pack
Advanced Purple Loading Simulator!?
Aargh!
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R-Tape
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by R-Tape »

Kweepa wrote: Mon Mar 26, 2018 11:20 pm Advanced Lawnmower Simulator Add-on Pack
Advanced Purple Loading Simulator!?
Aargh!
16 "Advanced" titles that year, making 13% of that year's entries. I wonder if that's a record.

I really hope ZXDB can become easily searchable for vital statistics like this!
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Digital Prawn
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Digital Prawn »

Kweepa wrote: Mon Mar 26, 2018 6:12 pm I started poking at 2008... I hadn't 'played' any of these before I don't think, so it's pretty fun.
Is there a deadline? I'll probably only manage 4-5 a day, so I might not be the best person to tackle the problem.
Thank you Kweepa for looking at the 2008 archive. It's probably better that this is done by someone who hasn't played them (or loaded them up) before.
Kweepa wrote: Mon Mar 26, 2018 11:20 pm Advanced Lawnmower Simulator Add-on Pack
Advanced Purple Loading Simulator!?
Aargh!
I had forgotten about all of them. Maybe 'B' onwards is not so bad - on second thoughts...

There were a few interesting entries that year though.

Some of them may possibly be out of scope of ZXDB though - we really stretched the definition of Sinclair related machines that year.

If I remember correctly there was an entry for the Jupiter ACE, and another one for the Cambridge Z88. Possibly even something for the ZX80 - although my memory of it all is a bit hazy after ten years.

I suppose just getting the ZX Spectrum & ZX81 entries sorted initially would be a very good effort. Of course, were you to abandon it all at 'A', I wouldn't blame you at all. :D

On top of that there were the CSSCGC 2008 tape magazines (also in the zip file). Would it be relevant to update them in the archive too? Not really sure TBH.
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R-Tape
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by R-Tape »

Digital Prawn wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 5:05 pm On top of that there were the CSSCGC 2008 tape magazines (also in the zip file). Would it be relevant to update them in the archive too? Not really sure TBH.
I haven't looked at those in detail before, they should definitely be added, it looks like they don't have ZXDB IDs yet so I'll take care of those. Didn't some of them have inlays?
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Kweepa
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Kweepa »

R-Tape wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 5:40 pm
Digital Prawn wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 5:05 pm ...tape magazines...
I haven't looked at those in detail before, they should definitely be added, it looks like they don't have ZXDB IDs yet so I'll take care of those. Didn't some of them have inlays?
April has an inlay in the (zip) archive, but no others.

How about any zx80 games? I'm going to assume that Jupiter Ace games are not going in ZXDB.

I have gotten as far as the Dharma Initiative Computer sim... :)
Adding the tape magazines to the list (presumably one screenshot will be enough there).
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Einar Saukas
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Einar Saukas »

Kweepa wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 6:16 pmHow about any zx80 games?
Yes! Actually we already have a few ZX80 titles:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... machine=18

Kweepa wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 6:16 pmI'm going to assume that Jupiter Ace games are not going in ZXDB.
I think it should. This machine is "Sinclair-ish" and we already have some Jupiter Ace material inherited from WoS, for instance:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... id=2000524
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PeterJ
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by PeterJ »

ZX80 and Ace titles would be great but I would probably want the inclusion of a tick box to opt in to including them in searches.
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Einar Saukas
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Einar Saukas »

PeterJ wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 6:49 pm ZX80 and Ace titles would be great but I would probably want the inclusion of a tick box to opt in to including them in searches.
Excellent idea.

This site should also have a tick box to include crap games in searches (disabled by default).
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Guesser
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Guesser »

The 2009 compo had an entry for the ZX81. Screenshots for other machines will be an issue - need another amendment to the screenshot policy ;)
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Kweepa
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Kweepa »

Einar Saukas wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 6:54 pm This site should also have a tick box to include crap games in searches (disabled by default).
Crap ZX Spectrum games are Spectrum games too :(
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Einar Saukas
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Einar Saukas »

Kweepa wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 10:27 pm
Einar Saukas wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 6:54 pm This site should also have a tick box to include crap games in searches (disabled by default).
Crap ZX Spectrum games are Spectrum games too :(
Sure. Thus the reason we are cataloguing them all.

But we don't want occasional visitors to search for a few titles and conclude that most Spectrum games are crap. People should only get crap titles when they are intentionally looking for crappiness!
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Guesser
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Guesser »

Some c.g.c entries are more playable than some of the stuff shovelled out in the 80s though :lol:
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Einar Saukas
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Einar Saukas »

Guesser wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 6:58 pm The 2009 compo had an entry for the ZX81. Screenshots for other machines will be an issue - need another amendment to the screenshot policy ;)
Good point.

Standard ZX81 screens should use SCR format. You can ask Thomas for help on this if needed, he's our resident ZX81 expert.

For other machines, please ask here!
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Einar Saukas
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Einar Saukas »

Guesser wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 11:20 pm Some c.g.c entries are more playable than some of the stuff shovelled out in the 80s though :lol:
Agreed. Thus the reason a few games like "R-Swype" can be searched, despite the fact it's a CSSCGC game.
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Guesser
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Guesser »

Einar Saukas wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 11:28 pm Standard ZX81 screens should use SCR format.
You mean convert screenshots to spectrum screens?
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Einar Saukas
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Einar Saukas »

Guesser wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 11:33 pm
Einar Saukas wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 11:28 pm Standard ZX81 screens should use SCR format.
You mean convert screenshots to spectrum screens?
I mean SCR format represents screens of 256x192 pixels, so it's appropriate for both Spectrum and ZX81 standard screens.
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Guesser
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Guesser »

Einar Saukas wrote: Wed Mar 28, 2018 11:57 pm I mean SCR format represents screens of 256x192 pixels, so it's appropriate for both Spectrum and ZX81 standard screens.
Should a "house style" be defined for the attributes when converting the screenshots, i.e. bright on or off?
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Einar Saukas
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Einar Saukas »

Bright off.

Thomas has been already generating ZX81 screens this way.

Regards,

Einar
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Kweepa
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Re: Help wanted - CSS CGC entries

Post by Kweepa »

Is there an emulator we can use to generate SCR from zx81 games?
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