Spectrum Computing

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]

PeterJ wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 4:10 pm Just looking at Batz 'n Balls:

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

Nice! Since when did SAM Coupé screen shots start appearing?

Glad you like it [mention]Stefan[/mention].

It's new today.

viewtopic.php?p=36962#p36962

Ralf wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 9:12 pm @PeterJ

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

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

Thanks Ralf, will sort later in the week.

Hi, i just saw that some credits are missing:


https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=35772
Andy Green was deeply involved in the game.


https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=35793
Lobo did all the graphics.


If you could add their names to the credits, it would be awesome.

Thanks

Ralf wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 8:26 pm 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).

Thanks! I will reclassify it as "never released".

There are 2 TRD files (with corresponding TAP versions). Only one of them is currently marked as "demo". Are they identical? What's the different between them? I'm wondering if I should mark both as "demo", or keep one as "demo" and maybe mark the other as "incomplete"?

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

I tested all 4 playable files. In none of them, this screen appears while loading. In every case, this screen appears immediately after loading. This is literally the definition of an "intro screen".

I'm sorry, but I don't think it's appropriate to show a different image than the loading screen that a program actually uses, just because it would look better.

I'm sorry, but I don't think it's appropriate to show a different image than the loading screen that a program actually uses, just because it would look better.

Okay.
In my opinion "loading screen" becomes a bit blurry idea when we talk about disk only games. Loading takes only a second or two there so a distinction if some title screen appears during these two seconds or after these two seconds doesn't matter much.

But I understand your purist approach. So in such case this game doesn't have a loading screen.

The "demo" version differs from normal version as I could notice in such way that it runs in autoplay mode. Load it and the computer will play for you. I hope I'm not messing things up.

SUPERMORITZ wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 11:19 am Hi, i just saw that some credits are missing:

I'm trying to guess the exact roles. Can you please confirm?

SUPERMORITZ wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 11:19 am https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=35772
Andy Green was deeply involved in the game.

Sebastian Braunert - Code & Game Design/Concept
Andy Green - In-game Graphics & Load Screen
Uwe Geiken - ?
Lobo - Load Screen
Richard Hollins - Music & Sound Effects (beeper)
Pedro Pimenta - Music & Sound Effects (AY)

SUPERMORITZ wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 11:19 am https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=35793
Lobo did all the graphics.

Sebastian Braunert - Code & Game Design/Concept
Uwe Geiken - ?
Lobo - In-game Graphics & Load Screen

Ralf wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 4:51 pm The "demo" version differs from normal version as I could notice in such way that it runs in autoplay mode. Load it and the computer will play for you. I hope I'm not messing things up.

That's it! Thank you!

Birdy Cantabile not listed as MK1 engine game - https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=34799

Ralf wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 4:51 pm

I'm sorry, but I don't think it's appropriate to show a different image than the loading screen that a program actually uses, just because it would look better.

Okay.
In my opinion "loading screen" becomes a bit blurry idea when we talk about disk only games.

What about a third category "opening screen", besides "loading screen" and "running screen"?

We could use it for disk-only games that don't have a loading screen.

Whenever a game doesn't have a loading screen, sites like SC could easily display the "opening screen" instead.

What about a third category "opening screen", besides "loading screen" and "running screen"?

I like this idea. It could apply not only to disk games but also to tape games that have some title screen in the game. I could search
for some examples later.

But maybe there wouldn't be many such cases so please decide if it's worth the effort.

Ralf wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2020 10:37 am

What about a third category "opening screen", besides "loading screen" and "running screen"?

I like this idea. It could apply not only to disk games but also to tape games that have some title screen in the game. I could search
for some examples later.

But maybe there wouldn't be many such cases so please decide if it's worth the effort.

It will be also useful for ZX81 games that cannot have a loading screen.

Yes, I think it's worth it

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 1:54 pm
It will be also useful for ZX81 games that cannot have a loading screen.

Yes, I think it's worth it

I used to have what can be classified as an opening screen as the -run-1 for ZX81 entries, that had a nice opening screen - and since it was not a loading screen, so it would be displayed on the overview when searching on https://zxinfo.dk - having opening screen, would just make it a bit easier. So I agree.

/Thomas

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 6:35 pm

SUPERMORITZ wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 11:19 am Hi, i just saw that some credits are missing:

I'm trying to guess the exact roles. Can you please confirm?

SUPERMORITZ wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 11:19 am https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=35772
Andy Green was deeply involved in the game.

Sebastian Braunert - Code & Game Design/Concept
Andy Green - In-game Graphics & Load Screen
Uwe Geiken - ?
Lobo - Load Screen
Richard Hollins - Music & Sound Effects (beeper)
Pedro Pimenta - Music & Sound Effects (AY)

SUPERMORITZ wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 11:19 am https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=35793
Lobo did all the graphics.

Sebastian Braunert - Code & Game Design/Concept
Uwe Geiken - ?
Lobo - In-game Graphics & Load Screen

Sorry, missed that you have answered. Yes, you guessed right
Uwe Geiken was doing graphics.

Thanks a lot,

Seb

Corrections and links connected to...
Kevin Maddocks

King Software
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... el_id=8082

shares the same postal address as (the later) Sigma-Soft/SigmaSoft
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=13268

See the early advert, which also lists J. Maddocks [Kevin's father?] as the contact name & cheque recipient...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 91&page=50

So King Software and SigmaSoft [2] need to be linked in the database in some way.


K. Maddocks
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... el_id=7796
and
Kevin Madocs
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... el_id=8029

are both actually
Kevin Maddocks

("Kevin Madocs" was misspelled on the Gilsoft's Characters packaging. He was later credited correctly in the Gilsoft PAW manual; as the fonts were reused in that utility. The character sets in the SigmaSoft Characters Collection are the same as the ones in Gilsoft's Characters)

Kevin Maddocks is a missing credit from the
Professional Adventure Writer
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6825
where he should be credited for graphics (as mentioned in the manual)
along with...
Dicon Peeke
[who really should have a database entry... Dicon appears to be missing off some games too, so I will address that at another point]
and...
A. Williams

Kevin Maddocks' text adventures...

Dwarfs Domain
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6238

and

Elfindor
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6244

are almost identical.

The later game, Elfindor, has some changes to a few parts of the map, tweaked message text, the inclusion of a help command, and a more generous inventory limit.
http://8bitag.com/temp/dwarfs-elfindor.pdf

Eureka!

Please add these credits:

Devised by Ian Livingstone, programmed by Donát Kiss and András Császár (Andromeda)
Per advert

Rorthron wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2020 7:29 am Eureka!
Please add these credits:
Devised by Ian Livingstone, programmed by Donát Kiss and András Császár (Andromeda)
Per advert

The credits of the game are listed in the manual... András Császár shouldn't necessarily be included as he did the C64 version not the Spectrum one. There are potentially other names to add.

Also, re Eureka, there is this Big-K feature on the game, which mentions Katalin Matsa as having worked on the game (not sure which version)
https://archive.org/stream/12-big-k-mag ... 9/mode/2up

Golf (Virgin)

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=2092

Due to a recent update, a better inlay was added. But it seems the old one remains [golf(virgin).jpg]

Nixy and the Seeds of Doom needs adding to the group 'ULAplus support.

Evidence here:

https://vintageisthenewold.com/nixy-and ... s-support/