Devfinitive Edition (Costa Panayi): discussion

[PeteProdge]

Pretty sure almost all of the ten tangible ZX Spectrum games by Costa Panayi have ended up on Sinclair User's covertape at some point...

Android One by Vortex
Android Two by Vortex
Collision Course by Americana
Cosmos by Abbex Electronics
Cyclone by Vortex
Deflektor by Gremlin
H.A.T.E. by Gremlin
Highway Encounter by Vortex
Revolution by US Gold
T.L.L. by Vortex

Let me know if I have made any mistakes with this list. Poll should start this time next week.

[Vampyre]

Looks spot-on to me.

Some 8-bit classics in that list - I always feel Costa gets a little left out in great Speccy coder discussions. Highway Encounter is one of the greatest 8-bit games of all time, never mind just on the Speccy. So you can guess where my vote will be going .

[Joefish]

That full-colour open-world 3D style that started with Android 2 and improved with TLL and Cyclone was brilliant. I'd have loved to see more of that. Maybe the ability to get out of a vehicle and walk around in a zoomed-in version to give you more ways to interact, either to battle with enemies or as an RPG adventure.

[Andre Leao]

He is a genius... As Cooke and Gollop...

[hitm4n]

Looks spot-on to me.

Some 8-bit classics in that list - I always feel Costa gets a little left out in great Speccy coder discussions. Highway Encounter is one of the greatest 8-bit games of all time, never mind just on the Speccy. So you can guess where my vote will be going .

A great list of games, quality output. If only the list was longer. Highway Encounter is another top 10 for me. My top ten has 100 game sin it though

[8BitSC]

For me, it was T.L.L., Cyclone and the Alien Highway/Encounter games which really lit my fire.

Yet another ace programmer from the hotbed of computer games (Manchester).

I’m reminded of him every time I buy a toasted roll from my local coffee house.

(A Costa Panini)

I’ll get my coat…

[Timmy]

I have never heard of Cosmos but I must have all the others on some Covertape.

This list is so good I could probably made a top 10 out of it

[toot_toot]

I have never heard of Cosmos but I must have all the others on some Covertape.

This list is so good I could probably made a top 10 out of it

Sinclair User had a couple of great cover tapes which were essentially an anthology of Costa Panayi’s work, including Collision Course.

This is also one of my favourite compilations



But my actual favourite Costa Panayi game isn’t on it… Cyclone. While TLL is a fantastic game, I love the more open ended and slower pace of Cyclone. It’s similar to Turbo Esprit, you can pretty much do what you want and just fly around.

[toot_toot]

@PeteProdge based on that compilation above, another topic what would be a “Best Of” compilation? Take the top 4 or 5 results from the polls and make the ultimate “Best of” compilation, as voted by readers of Spectrum Computing!!

[PeteProdge]

@PeteProdge based on that compilation above, another topic what would be a “Best Of” compilation? Take the top 4 or 5 results from the polls and make the ultimate “Best of” compilation, as voted by readers of Spectrum Computing!!

The idea is already in the works!

I think it'll go along the lines of...

Best compilation from Ocean
Best compilation from US Gold
...and so on.

Then pit the top compilation of each company together in a poll.

Not a perfect plan (I'm wary that quantity might beat quality in some cases), but still mulling it over.

[worcestersource]

You could run a worst game of too! At least all the hard work compiling the lists would have been done.

[PeteProdge]

You could run a worst game of too! At least all the hard work compiling the lists would have been done.

Naah, we're never gonna get through the best of EVERY software house and the worst as well! I doubt we'll even complete every software house anyway.

[sn3j]

I only had TLL and Highway Encounter back then and later Deflector on the ST, but all of those games where just great.

[hitm4n]

I think it'll go along the lines of...

Best compilation from Ocean
Best compilation from US Gold
...and so on.

Then pit the top compilation of each company together in a poll. Not a perfect plan.

I wouldn't. The polls have already decided top 3 from publishers, authors etc, the tape would just be that top 3 (or 4 or 5). It would be like doing the same polls again and doesn't give anyone any new useful data. Lets mix it up and take the already compiled top games and pit those against each other, allowing say.... 6 games on a compilation. A voted for "top 200" games list out of all of this would be cool too.