Spectrum Computing

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Mon Oct 21, 2019 8:58 pm The ZX-Art link also mentions Nikolai Rodionov.

I can store one name as original, others as nicknames. But which one is the "original"?

Nikolai Rodionov is a real name, Nicolas Y. Rodionov or Nicolas Rodionov was a nickname. Nikolay Radionov is not actually used anywhere, that's a typo on database, I've checked that software, it mentions Rodionov, not Radionov.

Rupert and the Ice Castle

Original publisher should be "War On Want (UK)" and the original publication type should be "As part of a compilation". It appears on the WOW Games compilation which was released several months before the Bug-Byte version. Confirmation in this review.

Rocman/Rockman

The UK release was first previewed as a £2.99 Alligata release in Sinclair User January 1987, then reviewed as a £2.99 Budgie release in Sinclair User March 1987 and reviewed again as a £1.99 Alligata release in Sinclair User October 1987. The Crash and ACE reviews are both for the £1.99 Alligata version in September/October 1987.

As there is no Budgie cover, and Budgie were owned by Alligata, it's probably safe to assume the Budgie release never actually happened and Alligata, for unknown reasons, decided to put it out on their main label.

Headcoach

There are two Sinclair User reviews listed for the original 1986 release:

this one is right:
Sinclair User #55 - 1986/10 p69

this one is wrong:
Sinclair User #56 - 1986/11 p69 5/5

Battle Command

was released in 1991, not 1990. All the reviews are from 1991, and there are even two Sinclair User reviews with the October 1991 review basically admitting that the version they reviewed in May 1991 wasn't finished.

International Speedway

The price of the original Silverbird release should be £1.99 rather then £3.99 according to these reviews:

Sinclair User: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 84&page=61
Your Sinclair: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 62&page=50

If the Code Masters re-release actually happened, which seems unlikely, then the year should be 1993 and the price £3.99 not £1.99 according to these reviews:

Sinclair User: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 21&page=19
Your Sinclair: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 95&page=18

Vectron

Both the tap file and the tzx file labelled as the original Insight Software release are actually the Firebird re-release. The original version should have the loading screen shown in the Crash review which has the Insight logo and uses different colours to the Firebird version (assuming it was actually released).

moroz1999 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2019 7:41 pm Omega label is composed of 3 different labels
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=10558

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=7461 - Hollis-Buster is made by Omega Software GFX (Czech) (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=10562)

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=25262 - Macro Modem is published by Omega Group (group from St Petersburg, Russia)

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=31629 - Galactic Patrol is re-released by some more Omega (I know nothing about it)

Hi!
Are this 3 "omega" groups independent groups, or part of the Omega (10558). In other words, I need to tie them together or are they truly independent groups that just have a similar name? Thanks!

French and Physics from Insight Software in 1984.

This company is based in Kent (advert) and is a different company to Insight Software of Merseyside, whose first release was Subterranean Striker in 1985.

moroz1999 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 10:31 pm https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=11374
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=18017

Peter Vitray and Peter Vitrai seems to be the same person.

Also, Nautilus(19078) and Ocean Conqueror(3482) seems to be that same game, that means, Ocean Conqueror was first published by OCTA Soft (Hungary) in 1986, and the 1987 publication by Rack-It (UK) is a re-release.

druellan wrote: ↑Sat Oct 26, 2019 1:15 pm Hi!
Are this 3 "omega" groups independent groups, or part of the Omega (10558). In other words, I need to tie them together or are they truly independent groups that just have a similar name? Thanks!

I can surely say that Omega Group from St Petersburg is different from Omega Software GFX (Czech), totally different people. Can't say for sure about who re-released Galactic Patrol in 1984. I don't thing Czech Omega or Russian Omega Group existed at 1984 and made some official re-releases, so it's most probably some third label (some commercial company?).

druellan wrote: ↑Sat Oct 26, 2019 11:47 pm Also, Nautilus(19078) and Ocean Conqueror(3482) seems to be that same game, that means, Ocean Conqueror was first published by OCTA Soft (Hungary) in 1986, and the 1987 publication by Rack-It (UK) is a re-release.

I totally agree, looks like this.

Journey's End

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... id=2644

Original release by Games Workshop & re-released by Mastervision (a Mastertronic Company).

The question is in both inlay and instructions of the supposed Mastervision release appears Mastertronic in credits instead, not Mastervision.

I think it should be considered a Mastertronic re-release.

However, games like Se-Kaa of Assiah are really a proper Mastervision production as the brand clearly appears both in inlay and instructions.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... el_id=1850 - BrainWave is a group from Yoshkar-Ola, Russia, not from Ukraine.
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=15168 - Virtual is alias of Alexey Malov, Yoshkar-Ola, Russia, coder from BrainWave. His other alias is Vivid.

There is one more Virtual: Pavel Nikonov, Samara, Russia, he is not in ZXDB currently, but I leave this info here just for any case.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... bel_id=133 A. Soft [3] is not a company, it's alias of Vladimir Konovalov from Accept Corp group (Russia). Vladimir's other alias is Azzimandius Soft (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... el_id=1430). So A. Soft [3], Azzimandius Soft and Vladimir Konovalov are the same person.

There were at least two labels Virtual Reality:
One is a group from Belarus, Grodno, it's not in ZXDB yet as far as I know.
Second one is Evgeniy Tristan, Ukraine, Smila. https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=15171 - this label has is Evgeniy, so not company and not from Russia.
In Master Copy he names himself Evgeniy Tristan from Virtual Reality Ltd, but there is absolutely no evidence that there was anybody else in Virtual Reality Ltd, so I'm sure that this is still his nickname.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=12782 - Color Lines:
Virtual Reality (Evgeniy Tristan) - code, graphics
Pro Soft (Vitaliy Bryndak Ukraine, Smila) - music
OK Software (Alexander Krut, Ukraine, Smila) - algorithms


Just to mention, Pro Soft (Russia) - is not the same Pro Soft as made music for Color Lines. Not yet sure whether Prosoft from Russia is a person or company.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=14281 - Taras Slobodyanik, Ukraine, Smila.
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... el_id=6245 - Ilya Fisher, not Illya. Ukraine, Smila.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=12779 Grepan (Russia), author of Color Lines, are actually three people:
Vadim Grepan
Sergey Grepan
Svetlana Kolganova
All three are from Moscow, Russia.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=1015
Denis Ryabtsev (D.J. Dens) - Code, Graphics, Texts, Idea (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... el_id=3686)
Andrey Smirnov - Code (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... el_id=1010)
Anna Mohova (Rybinsk, Russia) - Music
Sergey Mohov (Rybinsk, Russia) - Music
Mikhail Shestakov (Rybinsk, Russia) - Help
Andrey Gordeyev (Rybinsk, Russia) - Help

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... el_id=4101 - Evgeniy Milun, Samara, Russia, coder from Stas Of Keladan.
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... abel_id=92 - Alexander Korolyov, Samara, Russia, coder from Stas Of Keladan.

Just for information: rules of cyrillic names transliteration are different in different countries. In 90-es many authors used transliteration without any rules.
That's why Evgeniy (modern) can be Eugene, Evgeny, Evgenij and so on.
Korolyov could be Koroljov, Korolev.

I'm not sure what to use for Alexanders. Alexander is basically Aleksandr in English.

Jet Ski Simulator isn't an "upgraded" version of Jet Bike Simulator. It's a budget re-release of the CodeMasters Plus "mid-price" release. It's missing all the Coasts courses of the original because it's only on one tape.


(left: Jet Bike Simulator, right: Championship Jet Ski Simulator)

Similarly, BMX Simulator 2 is the budget re-release of Professional BMX Simulator from CodeMasters Plus. This version has 10 circuits compared to the 15 on the double tape release.


(left: Professional BMX Simulator, right: BMX Simulator 2)

Some (minor) bugs from the last update.

Super Mario Bros 128K contains five worlds, not three.

The files marked as 'source code' from Time Blaster are not source code, but listing and symbol output files from SjASMPlus.

Here are some author role fixes via email from Pedro:

Varina: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=34618
Mário Viegas - Game Design, Screen Art
Filipe Veiga - Graphics, Code
Pedro Pimenta - Music
André Leão - Beta Tester, Promoter, Manager (if none of these are choices, could Andre still be included but without a role)


Droid Buster: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=34679
Ariel Endaraues - Game Design, Code
Pedro Pimenta- Music
Juan Antonio Fernandez - Screen Art


Moritz Strikes Back: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=34680
Sebastian Braunert - Game design
Uwe Geiken - Art, Code
Pedro Pimenta - Music
Andy Green (2) - Screen Art

BTW, if and when it feels right to move to a new "little bugs 3" thread, could someone let Peter or me know.

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=10100 N. Novgorod (Russia) Is not an author, it's Nizhniy Novgorod, a city in Russia.
Authors are AGE & EGA (a group):
AGE - Andrey Yegorov
EGA - Grigoriy Yegorov
Both from Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia.