Little bugs in the database 2

[R-Tape]

[mention]Einar Saukas[/mention]

As djnzx48 says, Waiting for Sproggo definitely participated in the 2013 CGC. It's in the blog and I remember reviewing it (and the tedious royal media coverage from the time!)

I'm fairly sure that Speccy Rally did not compete in any CGC. I can't remember if I included that info in ZXDB originally. Yoshiatom did send games of similar quality to the CGC around this time, but I seem to recall Speccy Rally was emailed to me outside of the CGC—that's why it's at my old CGD blog.

In summary:
Waiting for Sproggo - definitely CGC 2013
Speccy Rally - quite sure not CGC at all

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[StooB]

Black Lamp

The tap file BlackLamp.tap.zip contains the MCM version, "Black Lamp (MCM).tap", not the original Firebird version.

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[Alessandro]

Black Lamp

The tap file BlackLamp.tap.zip contains the MCM version, "Black Lamp (MCM).tap", not the original Firebird version.

I suppose that's because the MCM re-release was recorded with the standard ROM loader instead of the Firebird Bleepload. TAP files made from software recorded with the Firebird Bleepload are practically useless because they won't load with a CF/SD-based interface, and nowadays TAP files serve exclusively this purpose since all emulators can handle the TZX file format.

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[moroz1999]

@moroz1999 do you think this is correct or adequate? Perhaps the author does not want to have his real name in the database?

@druellan, I'm afraid that Artem Orlov is just one more pseudonym, and it cannot be used with 100% confidence. I believe that Oleg Origin is a real person, and he is not alone in Zosya Entertainment, but that'[mention]moroz1999[/mention]

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[druellan]

@druellan, I'm afraid that Artem Orlov is just one more pseudonym, and it cannot be used with 100% confidence. I believe that Oleg Origin is a real person, and he is not alone in Zosya Entertainment, but that's all.

Thanks, Moroz! And yeah, we got a second confirmation about that, and besides, as I said, I'm not sure if it is adequate for us to expose his real name. One thing is to be known on the scene, and another is to dig the identity of someone that has no intention to make it public. Thanks again!

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[StooB]

Black Lamp

The tap file BlackLamp.tap.zip contains the MCM version, "Black Lamp (MCM).tap", not the original Firebird version.

I suppose that's because the MCM re-release was recorded with the standard ROM loader instead of the Firebird Bleepload. TAP files made from software recorded with the Firebird Bleepload are practically useless because they won't load with a CF/SD-based interface, and nowadays TAP files serve exclusively this purpose since all emulators can handle the TZX file format.

Yes, there's no issue with the tap file being the MCM version, I was probably a little vague. The bug is that ZXDB has it listed as the Firebird version, release_seq 0, when it should be release_seq 1.

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[StooB]

"ForestOfDoom" series should be renamed "Fighting Fantasy series"

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain should be #1.

The Forest of Doom should be #3, not #1.

Temple of Terror should be #4 (original book #14)
Seas of Blood should be #5 (original book #16)
Rebel Planet should be #6 (original book #18)
Sword of the Samurai should be #7 (original book #20)

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[pavero]

Spitfire 40 + Strike Force Harrier - should be Again Again as publisher

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/zxdb/si ... arrier.jpg

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[8BitAG]

The SAM version of The Golden Sword of Bhakhor is misspelled in the database...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=34994

...missing the second H... It should match the spelling of the Spectrum version...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6380

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[8BitAG]

The publisher of the following games should be Mandarin Adventures NOT Mandarin Software...

Time of the End
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=7107

The Minister for Alien Affairs
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=11907

Into the Abyss
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=11808

*All* magazine references to these titles, list Mandarin Adventures, a homegrown publisher from Woking. Mandarin Software was a division of Europress.

Further information...

The Minster for Alien Affairs and Into the Abyss were the planned two halves of the sequel to Time of the End; The Bottomless Pit. Adventure columns list these "two" games as being released either on the same tape (see C&VG October 1986) or as being made available as separate releases (see Your Computer, Vol 6 No 10, October 1986).

Add the additional information "Part one of The Bottomless Pit" to ...Alien Affairs, and "Part two of The Bottomless Pit" to Into the Abyss?

Both games appear to have never been released.

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[Einar Saukas]

"Rescate" https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=15034 the 1991 version, has a comment:
"Finalist of the Concurso de Aventuras de MicroHobby."
The game was not a finalist but pre-selected for the competition, as stated on this page: https://archive.org/details/microhobby- ... 1/mode/2up

Quite a controversial competition, that one, as I'm sure you know... and I guess it depends on your definition of finalist. It certainly got on to the initial shortlist. There were over 100 adventures submitted and it was one of just fifteen chosen to proceed. These fifteen were then narrowed down to seven semi-finalists which all ended up being declared as the winners.

http://wiki.caad.es/Concurso_de_aventuras_de_MicroHobby

Labelling it as "On the final shortlist of the Concurso de Aventuras de MicroHobby" might be more accurate, I guess.

In ZXDB (from old WoS), those 7 final games have a comment "Winner of the Concurso de Aventuras de MicroHobby" and the other 8 chosen games have a comment "Finalist of the Concurso de Aventuras de MicroHobby". I think these comments are accurate for this case.

[Einar Saukas]

"ForestOfDoom" series should be renamed "Fighting Fantasy series"

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain should be #1.

The Forest of Doom should be #3, not #1.

Temple of Terror should be #4 (original book #14)
Seas of Blood should be #5 (original book #16)
Rebel Planet should be #6 (original book #18)
Sword of the Samurai should be #7 (original book #20)

Should I also list The Citadel of Chaos as #2?

[StooB]

[
Should I also list The Citadel of Chaos as #2?

It already is.

[StooB]

The two magazine references for ASP Software have nothing to do with ASP Software.

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[StooB]

Tubaruba

The author, Tooba Zaidi, is linked to "ASP Software" which means Tubaruba is in the search results for ASP Software. However, that ASP Software is Argus Specialist Publications and the ASP for Tubaruba should be Advance Software Promotions as can be seen from the original Amstrad cover:



(sources: https://www.genesis8bit.fr/amstrad/game ... og_id=5042, https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?pag ... s&num=2308)

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[Einar Saukas]

"ForestOfDoom" series should be renamed "Fighting Fantasy series"

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain should be #1.

The Forest of Doom should be #3, not #1.

Temple of Terror should be #4 (original book #14)
Seas of Blood should be #5 (original book #16)
Rebel Planet should be #6 (original book #18)
Sword of the Samurai should be #7 (original book #20)

Should I also list The Citadel of Chaos as #2?

Well, I'm not so sure about this change...

I mean, all these games are based on the Fighting Fantasy series of books. This is the reason these games are listed together under a group called Fighting Fantasy theme.

However they are not a series of games. For instance, the game The Forest of Doom is not supposed to be a sequel to the game The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, or vice-versa.

[StooB]

Well, I'm not so sure about this change...

I mean, all these games are based on the Fighting Fantasy series of books. This is the reason these games are listed together under a group called Fighting Fantasy theme.

However they are not a series of games. For instance, the game The Forest of Doom is not supposed to be a sequel to the game The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, or vice-versa.

Yes. This makes sense.

[StooB]

Yes. This makes sense.

Same logic applies to the James Bond series.

[StooB]

The "BarryMcGuigan" series is just the games released on the Gamestar label, not an actual series at all.

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[druellan]

In ZXDB (from old WoS), those 7 final games have a comment "Winner of the Concurso de Aventuras de MicroHobby" and the other 8 chosen games have a comment "Finalist of the Concurso de Aventuras de MicroHobby". I think these comments are accurate for this case.

Agreed, the problem is not the comment, but the fact that it was used also for pre-selected games, which is not accurate.

[druellan]

On Darius+ https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=1254 there are more credits on the manual:

Spectrum coding - Christian Pennycate
Graphics - Mark Healy
Music - Consult
Game enhancements design - Tim (Doc) Langdell

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[moroz1999]

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=14183 - this is T.E.A.M. Software, not TERM. Bratislava, Slovakia

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[8BitAG]

The first, earlier version of The Secret of Little Hodcome...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6949

...was released on DigitTape's Your Sinclair issue 7 "listings" cassette...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=20789

So that, perhaps, should be listed on the Hodcome entry as the original release and the release date for the title should be set at 1986 in line with that version.

(The actual game, from the loading screen on the Digitape version, was written in 1985)

Edit: In addition, Richard Hewison is credited for providing the poem, title, and inspiration for the game...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=12242

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[8BitAG]

The Black Tower by Diane Rice
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6012

Appears to have been confused at some point with the similarly titled Dollarsoft release from 1984...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6015
...and so has been tagged, incorrectly, with a 1984 release date.

The Black Tower was written in 1992 (as mentioned in the game itself), and was first released by Zenobi in 1993 so *all* the 1984 date references on that page need to be changed to 1993. (Later dates can stay as they are, as they are correct)

In addition, Shaun McClure's credit should be moved off the main game to the loading screen credit section. (If that sort of credit exists?) [In reality, most of the Zenobi games where Shaun is credited for the loading screen were produced by John Wilson, reusing and repurposing art that Shaun had provided for some of the early Zenobi releases.]

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[Juan F. Ramirez]

Something redundant in Everyone's a Wally:

- 'Poster', from a recent update
- 'Game Additional Material #5' , from WoS. It's the same pic but with a lower resolution. I think it should be removed from the DB, as 'Poster' is enough.

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