Spectrum Computing

The TZX tape dumps of 10 Computer Hits 5 are already in the database, therefore I don't see a reason not to include the +3 DSK disk dumps as well.

StooB wrote: ↑Wed Apr 29, 2020 2:03 pm Run Baby Run

Original publisher should be Micro Gold as mentioned here, and the price was £2.75.

I'm not sure about this one.

The article from December 1983 says "it will be retailing its first releases, two Spectrum games called Race Ace and Run, Baby, Run, at £2.75".

It sounds it was just their plan. There's no confirmation that's how it really happened in the end.

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Mon May 11, 2020 12:34 am
I'm not sure about this one.

The article from December 1983 says "it will be retailing its first releases, two Spectrum games called Race Ace and Run, Baby, Run, at £2.75".

It sounds it was just their plan. There's no confirmation that's how it really happened in the end.

from the "Sinclair For Show" Facebook group:

StooB wrote: ↑Mon May 11, 2020 10:49 am

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Mon May 11, 2020 12:34 am
I'm not sure about this one.

The article from December 1983 says "it will be retailing its first releases, two Spectrum games called Race Ace and Run, Baby, Run, at £2.75".

It sounds it was just their plan. There's no confirmation that's how it really happened in the end.

from the "Sinclair For Show" Facebook group:

Awesome, thank you!

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Thu May 07, 2020 2:37 am I recently added Legends Of Bytes to ZXDB. This magazine is an excellent source of information about Speccy game authors! Someone fluent in Russian should be able to obtain lots of useful information still missing from our database.

It's currently published by a guy called Gennadiy. If someone has his contact information and could invite him to our forum, I bet he would enjoy participating in this thread

I noticed a printing mistake in this magazine: David Taylor's nickname is "Tink", not "Pink".

Except for this, everything else seem very accurate!

Publishers Michael Orwin, M. Orwin and Orwin Software (UK) are the same person. Please can they be merged? I had the Spectrum Michael Orwin tapes when I was much younger. Wish I had kept some as they are MIA.

Evidence to back up change request:

Please can these ZX81 Michae Orwin entries have the category of 'Compilation' completed?

Thanks

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=31550
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=31552
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=31553
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=31554
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=31555

PeterJ wrote: ↑Tue May 12, 2020 3:40 pm Please can the ZX81 Michel Orwin entries have the category of 'Compilation' completed?

Thanks

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=31550
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=31552
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=31553
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=31554
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=31555

Yes, please add them Main reason is that we only have the main title registered when we linked to zx81stuff site. I've already aligned with [mention]Einar Saukas[/mention] on how to add the content for those compilations, by adding each title separately - something that is on my current work list.

/Thomas

Centipoid Plus 3 should maybe become genre 'Compilation', rather than 'Arcade Game: Action' as it was four titles on one tape:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=9592

Evidence for request: Review in Home Computer Weekly:

Don't know if this is the right place but here goes.

The Spanish version of Sam Mallard currently in the database is 1.1 however the latest one is 1.11. The game can be downloaded from the link in my signature.

Also the game 'Elite' doesn't have an "Can be edited with" entry for 'Mostly Harmless – an Elite Save Game Editor'. Likewise 'Mostly Harmless' hasn't got "An editor for: Elite" entry.

Cheers [mention]Ersh[/mention]
[mention]druellan[/mention], I've got the spanish file (might be too late for the imminent update, if so then the following one).

R-Tape wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 7:06 pm @druellan, I've got the spanish file (might be too late for the imminent update, if so then the following one).

You mean the Sam Mallard translation Ersh mentioned?

druellan wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 8:51 pm

R-Tape wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 7:06 pm @druellan, I've got the spanish file (might be too late for the imminent update, if so then the following one).

You mean the Sam Mallard translation Ersh mentioned?

Yep exactly, sorry, I should have quoted so that it's clear for you.

(Are you okay with the bugfix? I didn't know that 'can be edited' was a thing until now!)

Thanks for adding my extras to the database. I have reviewed the entries now and there are three little things which should be fixed:

- VAT is missing Tomas Rylek as an Author. This is most important, as he really is the original author, I just improved it a bit.

- Amiga emulator demo is assigned to "Scorpion [2]", instead of "Scorpion (Czech)". If it helps, Space Crusaders Demo uses the correct Scorpion.

- Gandalf is listed as 1990, but it should be 1991.

Thanks a bunch again!

Patrik

Just looking at Batz 'n Balls:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=28501

The comments are 'Inspired by Arkanoid'. Should this not be inspired by Atari Breakout, or even Pong?'

PeterJ wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 4:10 pm The comments are 'Inspired by Arkanoid'. Should this not be inspired by Atari Breakout, or even Pong?'

It was directly inspired by Arkanoid, though. It directly lifts elements from Arkanoid that aren't in Breakout or Pong.

8BitAG wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 4:38 pm

PeterJ wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 4:10 pm The comments are 'Inspired by Arkanoid'. Should this not be inspired by Atari Breakout, or even Pong?'

It was directly inspired by Arkanoid, though. It directly lifts elements from Arkanoid that aren't in Breakout or Pong.

I sort of understand that, but without Pong there would not be Arkanoid. It was just an observation. Feel free to ignore.

PeterJ wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 4:51 pm I sort of understand that, but without Pong there would not be Arkanoid. It was just an observation. Feel free to ignore.

It's an interesting conversation to have... and there probably should be some consistency in the ZXDB; but often genre is a more accurate indicator... especially as taken to its logical conclusion any references of inspiration might have to be traced back through the various videogame family trees.

Thank you for the largest database of programs for the Spectrum. There is where to rummage
There are some minor inaccuracies on my page (Andrew771):
1. You need to specify the second (or rather, the first) author of the Z demo: Bugsy from Hackerz' Design Software group, who drew the entire graphic. I coded everything to it's moving. Demo was written in 2018. It is planned to make a game.
2. I wrote a Doom demo not in 1995, but in 1997. This was my first project in assembler and the last on the hard Spectrum before leaving for the PC, until I returned in 2010 and completed this demo in the ZXOOM game. By the way, the ZXOOM could have been colored, but the perspective would have been slightly distorted.
3. Missing the game: Sexwords, 2014, authors: ALKO, Andrew771, Splinter.
4. For Euphoria 2D there is still an update of 2015
5. ZX Like Pascal - the first official version will be released soon.

Russian game Babylon 5:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=12749

is just an unfinished demo but it is currently classified as full game. It isn't mentioned anywhere in the game that's a demo but
at some quite early moment in the game you cannot progress anymore (see my submission to Rzx Archive).

Also a loading screen could be improved. Currently we have:

which comes from the hacker and yet is hard to call it a loading screen

I suggest using this screen which appears during loading/immediately after loading:

Russian Dizzy mod Dizzy&ZX:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=26534

is a very similar case as the game from my last post.

It's a demo, full version was never released.

And loading screen could be improved:

]

Ralf wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 8:26 pm Russian game Babylon 5:
I suggest using this screen which appears during loading/immediately after loading:

The game will be released in 2261, everything is logical, then update the database

Ralf wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 8:32 pm Russian Dizzy mod Dizzy&ZX:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=26534

And loading screen could be improved:

Hello [mention]Ralf[/mention],

Can you take a loading screen image with Fuse or similar in .scr format please and we can change it. Just pop it up to Dropbox or similar and PM me a link.

Peter

[mention]PeterJ[/mention]

Sure, Here are screens for Babylon 5 and Dizzy&Zx

https://www.sendspace.com/file/uwhd5x

Ralf wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 8:26 pm Russian game Babylon 5:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=12749

I suggest using this screen which appears during loading/immediately after loading:

Done [mention]Ralf[/mention]