Type-in games: unofficial translations, plagiarism and derivatives

[druellan]

The question is, as I said in the post, I don't know if the MH game was a plagiarised version of the SU game, the C+VG or if it was published by permission of either one mag or the other.

I can't remember if a booklet was included with this cassette or not. I want to know if this game was internal from the redaction or sent by a reader (that must be for sure plagiarism).

Anyway, I think Cazafantasmas should have its own entry (and be included in the MH Cassette #1 list).

Yes, first, because it is part of the compilation, but also I think that derivatives, and I include unofficial translations, must have their own entry and a comment linking them to the original source.

[druellan]

Overall I think we can start adding comments to the games as needed, like "A spanish-translated version of..." or "A spanish-translated derivative of ..." in case the game has some major changes.
And for games we KNOW are officially or unofficially translated: "Unofficial Spanish translation of ...".

[Juan F. Ramirez]

I can't remember if a booklet was included with this cassette or not. I want to know if this game was internal from the redaction or sent by a reader (that must be for sure plagiarism).

Yes, it came with a booklet (every issue did). Just check (if you don't know it) the great Microhobby Forever web. Go down by the left frame till 'varios'. Click on it and you'll see the scanned booklets of every issue, among other stuff.

In the editorial, the magazine encourage readers to send their own programs and win 15,000 pesetas. So I assume this first issue's programs weren't made by any reader, just by internal staff. Nothing about if the game was published in any other magazine before.

[druellan]

Yes, it came with a booklet (every issue did). Just check (if you don't know it) the great Microhobby Forever web. Go down by the left frame till 'varios'. Click on it and you'll see the scanned booklets of every issue, among other stuff.

OMG! Didn't noticed that! Excellent.

So I assume this first issue's programs weren't made by any reader,

Yeah, that's also my thought, I'm checking the booklets right now and none of them seems to include information about the original author, so is not a reliable source of information anyway. Also, the editorial has no information about a UK license agreement.

[djnzx48]

I noticed a few of these a while ago but I didn't get round to posting them.

Interesting! I'm now pretty suspicious about the rest of the games on that compilation, hehe.
Seems interesting that the games from the first compilation are from Virgin Books and the second from Sinclair Programs. Can be an indicative that perhaps some kind of agreement was behind, or perhaps Microparadise just bought the books
The inlays are sadly not too informative, and the small text illegible.

Well the first three games are all from the same book, Games for your ZX Spectrum. I have a feeling some of the other games are taken from somewhere else too, but I don't recognise any of them.

[StooB]

Anyway, I think Cazafantasmas should have its own entry (and be included in the MH Cassette #1 list).

Yes, first, because it is part of the compilation, but also I think that derivatives, and I include unofficial translations, must have their own entry and a comment linking them to the original source.

Is there really enough of a difference between these programs for them all to have separate entries? It seems to me that it would be better to just have the entry for the original C&VG type-in. The SU release should be Release #2 and the MH cassette as a "Compilation featuring this title", along with a comment about the legitimacy of the other versions. ZXDB is much more flexible for cases like this than WoS was.

Incidentally, the tap file claiming to be the Sinclair User version isn't the Sinclair User version. The "Please waite a moment" message at the start shows it's another version of the C&VG listing but with bad spelling.

[druellan]

Is there really enough of a difference between these programs for them all to have separate entries?

Well, in this case perhaps no, because we don't have an author for the translated version and the title is close enough, but on other cases there are usually some kind of attribution and major changes on the title and perhaps other not-so-evident changes, so, I was aiming to simplify the process: think of unofficial translations as counterfeits or derivatives and add them as individual entries, but, I don't have a good insight on the ZXDB, so this is a completely open proposal

[zxbruno]

Astor software translated many games to Portuguese and released them with a Portuguese name.