Spectrum Computing

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 7:43 pm A new ZXDB update is available!

As usual, many thanks to @R-Tape, @pavero, @druellan and @kolbeck!

Thanks everyone. Update applied.

PeterJ wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 8:08 pm Thanks everyone. Update applied.

That was fast! Thank you!


PS: [mention]R-Tape[/mention] stay safe!

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 8:13 pm That was fast! Thank you!

Its down to having a 10 second trip home from work (study to kitchen), rather than 2 hours each way!

Another ZXDB update is now available!

This time we didn't have much time to add recently released titles, but there are new screens (some of them for the SAM Coupé and Next) and tons of additional information (mainly author credits).

Special thanks to [mention]PeterJ[/mention], [mention]druellan[/mention], [mention]pavero[/mention], and [mention]kolbeck[/mention]!

A technical note for anyone running websites and apps based on ZXDB:

Column "magrefs.feature_id" is now obsolete and it will be removed in the next ZXDB update. There's already a separate table called "magreffeats" to store this information.

I doubt anyone is using this column, but I always provide notice in advance for all upcoming ZXDB changes, so everyone has enough time to update their systems accordingly!

Thanks [mention]Einar Saukas[/mention]. Database being updated now. The main site will not work whilst I do this.

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 6:57 pm Another ZXDB update is now available!

This time we didn't have much time to add recently released titles, but there are new screens (some of them for the SAM Coupé and Next) and tons of additional information (mainly author credits).

Special thanks to @PeterJ, @druellan, @pavero, and @kolbeck!

Sophistry, SAM MOD player and EFTPOTRM loading screens have all incorrectly been classified as 'opening screen' - what's going on?

Hi [mention]Stefan[/mention],

The team were having a discussion about the traditional loading screen and screens that appear as soon as the game has finished loading. This came to the forefront when I started taking screens for Next games.

Do Sam Coupe titles have the same concept as Spectrum games in terms of loading screens?

Note that in terms of ZXDB a game can have either loading screens or intro screens and not both. This is because our game detail layout allows for two screens to be displayed.

I assumed they were intro screens. If not it's my error and I apologise and we can fix in the next update.

Stefan wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 10:00 pm Sophistry, SAM MOD player and EFTPOTRM loading screens have all incorrectly been classified as 'opening screen' - what's going on?

"Loading screen" is the image that's display on screen while a program is loading. It's typical of Spectrum games loaded from tape.

"Opening screen" is the image that appears on screen immediately after a program is loaded. It's common for program loaded from disk, or ZX81 titles that cannot display a loading screen while loading from tape.

We have decided to add "opening screens" to our database based on a recent discussion here. If we have classified these screens incorrectly, or you have a different suggestion, please let us know!

PeterJ wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 10:21 pm Do Sam Coupe titles have the same concept as Spectrum games in terms of loading screens?

Yes, even when using a disk drive, the larger amount of data that needs to be loaded can still take enough time to want to stare at something nice.

PeterJ wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 10:21 pm I assumed they were intro screens. If not it's my error and I apologise and we can fix in the next update.

No problems, they are loading screens - when I submitted them the opening screen concept was still being fleshed out.

Stefan wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 10:47 pm No problems, they are loading screens - when I submitted them the opening screen concept was still being fleshed out.

Thanks for the information! I will change them back to "loading screen" for the next ZXDB update.

If you notice anything else wrong, please let me know!

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 7:19 pm A technical note for anyone running websites and apps based on ZXDB:

Column "magrefs.feature_id" is now obsolete and it will be removed in the next ZXDB update. There's already a separate table called "magreffeats" to store this information.

Thanks for the heads-up, I'll figure out with next ZXDB release

ZXInfo + API updated to latest release

/Thomas

kolbeck wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 11:01 pm Thanks for the heads-up, I'll figure out with next ZXDB release

If you are using "magrefs.feature_id", then you can already modify your site. The information that was previously stored in this column is already available in table "magreffeats" now. You would just need to use "magrefs r LEFT JOIN magreffeats f ON r.id = f.magref_id".

Stefan wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 10:47 pm No problems, they are loading screens - when I submitted them the opening screen concept was still being fleshed out.

We also have "opening screens" for Bowin and the Count Dracula, Batz 'n Balls, Boing!, and Booty.

Are they really opening screens, or loading screens?

Stefan wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 10:47 pm Yes, even when using a disk drive, the larger amount of data that needs to be loaded can still take enough time to want to stare at something nice.

Thanks. It's going to be important to load disk games at real speed to sometimes tell if a screen is loading or intro.

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Thu May 28, 2020 1:23 am

Stefan wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 10:47 pm No problems, they are loading screens - when I submitted them the opening screen concept was still being fleshed out.

We also have "opening screens" for Bowin and the Count Dracula, Batz 'n Balls, Boing!, and Booty.

Are they really opening screens, or loading screens?

• Bowin and the Count Dracula: opening screen (I think - screens have incorrect file extension)
• Batz 'n Balls: loading screen
• Boing: opening screen (screens have incorrect file extension)
• Booty: don't know, never seen it (screens have incorrect file extension)

Stefan wrote: ↑Thu May 28, 2020 7:57 am

• Bowin and the Count Dracula: opening screen (I think - screens have incorrect file extension)
• Batz 'n Balls: loading screen
• Boing: opening screen (screens have incorrect file extension)
• Booty: don't know, never seen it (screens have incorrect file extension)

Thanks!

I had already fixed the incorrect file extensions, but we will have to wait for the next ZXDB update to get these fixes. Sorry!

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Thu May 28, 2020 8:05 am I had already fixed the incorrect file extensions, but we will have to wait for the next ZXDB update to get these fixes. Sorry!

No problem. Are the extensions going to be the old ss4 or the new ssx?

When the changes to SimCoupe were announced last week, [mention]moroz1999[/mention] kindly said he would work on an .ssx filter. In future I will use SimCoupe for screens, but I will need to do testing first, then change the code behind the scenes, so you won't see anymore new screens for a while.

Those .ss4 screens that you and I produced will need to be retaken in .ssx format when the filter is available and has been tested.

PeterJ wrote: ↑Thu May 28, 2020 8:34 am Those .ss4 screens that you and I produced will need to be retaken in .ssx format when the filter is available and has been tested.

Sorry, I didn't realize [mention]Stefan[/mention] produced some of these new screens so I failed to mention him in the last ZXDB update.

Thank you very much [mention]Stefan[/mention]!

Yet another ZXDB release is available!

Special thanks to [mention]R-Tape[/mention], [mention]druellan[/mention], [mention]pavero[/mention], and [mention]PeterJ[/mention]!

Another ZXDB version is already out!

This release contains mostly little fixes. Lots of them

Thanks [mention]Einar Saukas[/mention]. Update applied.

And another ZXDB release is out!

With special thanks to [mention]druellan[/mention], [mention]pavero[/mention], [mention]kolbeck[/mention], and [mention]PeterJ[/mention] this time!

Assuming that the database model has not changed but only the contents - maybe split this into two. A topic with content updates and a topic with database model updates?