Microhobby Semanal 29-32

General software. From trouble with the Banyan Tree to OCP Art Studio, post any general software chat here. Could include game challenges...
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Microhobby Semanal 29-32

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Here we are with another thread about reviews of MH BASIC games for you, my dear ermmm... lovers of pureness that there are in these kind of games ('masochists gamers I'd call them!' - Ed).

This time we have Microhobby Semanal 29-32. The last thread I made was about MH Cassette, an electronic magazine sold on tapes. But the parent publication, Microhobby, released some tapes (only to subscribers, IIRC) of the BASIC lists from its paper issues. One of them is the one I'll review.

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I chose 29-32 because it includes the first issues of this paper magazine I started buying just some days after I got my brand-new Spectrum Plus. They included many lists in its BASIC section (many of them I typed up in that summer of 1985!).

Let's start with:

El Barman by Julián Arranz

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This a very special game as it's the first one I typed. It was not too long, which encourages me to type it up. The result was a nice impression.

It's a frogger-like game in which you're a waiter and must serve drinks to the customers sat in the tables on the down side of the screen (O.O.O. etc). The problem is the cafeteria is at the other side of the street (upper side of the screen) so the waiter must cross a crowded four-lanes avenue (yes, 4 lanes!!!) to accomplished its mission. Then, back to the cafeteria (a white little square up the screen) crossing the avenue again to get another drink to serve another table, all in a limited time (avoid time units reach 600) with five lifes.

Keys are O-up, W-down, Q-left and P-right (yes, only Ultimate made it harder defining playing keys!).

In the original list background of game (PAPER) was white instead of blue, what makes it looks better, IMO. You can see the original list in paper here (upper side of the page).

Some conclusions I had after first playing this game:

- BASIC games can be cute and funny
- The cafeteria proprietor studied in Harvard Bussiness School, definitely.
- The waiter served in Vietnam some years before.
Last edited by Juan F. Ramirez on Fri Nov 09, 2018 12:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Heh. I love games that pass off an absurd plot/premise as if it were normal. I think even Amazon employees have more rights than this poor chap.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Músculos (Muscles) by Angel Salanguera

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This is an educational program to study the human muscles. If you've always wanted to know what are their spanish names (I presume nobody here!), this is your program. So press reset and load next game.

First of all, it asks you to load a previous file. Just press N. Then a new screen asks you if you want to study (1) or make a test (2) of: head muscles (C), trunk muscles (T) or limbs muscles (E). Make a combination of both groups in the INPUT answer. Then the program will ask you to correct (?) the selection. Press N.

It's curious to see how the Spectrum BASIC can draw parts of the human body well, in spite of its limitations.

One of the games that justified that...

We bought it to help with your homework
We bought it to help with your homework
And the household accounts
etc etc
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Obstáculos (Obstacles) by José V. Monrabal.

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Drive a glamurous sports car in an horizontal-scroll racing game on a road, trying to avoid obstacles. Well, actually trying to pass through where the gap is, because every obstacle occupy the whole road (Walls on the road? WTF?)

The flickering movement of the car and the rest of graphics don't avoid to find it surprisingly addictive in the first games, moving the car through the gaps becomes an obsession but once you get the hang of it it becomes boring.

The crappy feature is that you didn't even know the score you get when you crash as there's no PAUSE command when the score is displayed (line 5010), it returns directly to the 'stop the tape' starting screen.

Q - up and A - down is all you need to drive the car.
J = play
S= reset
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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I love these reviews. Thank you.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Astro by Manuel Orcera

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This was also reviewed in the MH Cassette thread I opened last april as it appeared in both tapes. Anyway, it's time to remember it!

Weird game in which you control an astronaut along some screens. First one, a labyrinth. If you touch the walls, you're dead, what is highly likely due to the difficult control of character. Frustrating.

Then, a new screen in which you must avoid and shoot stars. Strange level, as you're supposed to lose a life if collide with any stars, but sometimes you collide and nothing happens. I think I'm missing something.

Then, two new screens similar to the latter ones. If, after those four screens, you don't get a minimum of 27.500 points, you can't go to the next screens (it seems there are six in total). The problem is there's no points counter on the screen.

If you get that amount of points (of make use of the GO TO command :mrgreen: ) you go to the next screen, in which you must avoid and shoot a sort of space objects. This time with points and oxygen counter (whenever you collide with an object, your oxygen counter decreases). Probably the best level.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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PeterJ wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 6:38 pm I love these reviews. Thank you.
You're welcome.

Try the games and tell!
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Monitor by Francisco Coto

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It's a programing utility that let you write programs in machine code, hexadecimal and debugging.

You must have the cursors in C mode (capitals) to introduce the commands: C, K, M, G, ... that according to the instructions in the magazine page, makes stuff coders find exciting but I have not idea what it is about. The mentioned page is this one.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Acorralado (Cornered) by Carmelo Rubiano

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This is a maze game. In the mag description (issue 32, page 26) it is only says that you're cornered and must get out of the maze, finding the door. A very detailed instructions, as you can see.

The game starts with the maze being built, it takes some time. Some time to read a book, do the ironing, have a walk, travel to Alaska, actually.

When the maze is finished, there a time counter up-left, and a step counter and monsters counter down-right. And a little red square that's supposed to be you moving through the maze. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are the keys (I had to look for them in the BASIC list to guess it!) and you start to move.

From now on it's up to you to guess what's going on. I just move and only some 'o' is flashing (are they the monsters?). But it seems I'm always at the same place of the maze.

Just try... if you can!
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Puntos (Points) by José L. Selvi

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It's the usual game we used to play on a squared paper. Basically it was: by turns, you vs the Spectrum, mark one side of any square, when you mark the last side of any square, a point for you. The player with more points wins.

An INPUT command awaits your turn. You must input a 3-digit number:

- number of horizontal row in which the line will start
- number of the vertical column
- 1 if the line you draw will be vertical, 0 if it's horizontal.

Seems a nice game (similar to 'Tramas', reviewed in my first MH thread in april). The problem is I'm trying to imput my first movement but the program can't understand me. I tried sevel combinations of digits, but no one worked. So if any hero can try and explain how it works, it'd be great.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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La Nave (The Ship) by José L. Rodríguez

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Called as 'Nave Estelar' in the starting screen. Cool game in which you must cross the screen from left to right in a space ship avoiding the flashing guys and catching the other graphics that give you points. Also a gunner that fires you from different positions. Whenever you cross the screen you get extra bonus and start again.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Azatoth by José L. Villalba

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Maze game in which you must find the cup shown in the instructions screen. Then, select the level of difficulty and then you appear in a maze when you can get points by catching objects.

The view, as you can see, seems inspired by Atic Atac. Even there are some holes in the ground that let you fall to a lower level of rooms, with similar visual effects, as in the Ultimate hit.

You start with five lifes, you lose any if all the doors in a room are closed. The map is made randomly, so random that if you enter a room and leave the room back to the previous, is different again! :D
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Senet by José A. Elosu

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This interesting game is based on Senet, the board game from ancient Egypt.

You can play vs Spectrum or vs another player. Basically the aim is to get the five tokens out the board, made of a 3x10 grid. Every token moves in an inverted 'S' movement.

Opcion 1 in the menu goes to the instructions. Option 2 is Spectrum vs human mode. Option 3, human vs human, option 4 load a previously saved game (using letter G) and 5 reset.

The game starts rolling the dice. Select square by typing A,B or C and 0 to 9.

At the end of the instructions, the program warns you: 'DON'T TRY TO CHEAT, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO!' :shock:

Feel like pharaohs playing this game 4,000 years ago ;)
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 7:33 pm Monitor by Francisco Coto

Image

It's a programing utility that let you write programs in machine code, hexadecimal and debugging.

You must have the cursors in C mode (capitals) to introduce the commands: C, K, M, G, ... that according to the instructions in the magazine page, makes stuff coders find exciting but I have not idea what it is about. The mentioned page is this one.
"We bought it to help all your code work.."
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Runge Kutta by Jordi Viñas.

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I thought, before loading this program, that because of its name, it was about an exotic adventure in the deep african jungle, wild animals, dangerous natives, beautiful ladies to be rescued... but no, it's an utility program about the Runge-Kutta method to solve ordinary differential equations.

If there's still anyone reading this (I don't think so), you must know the program first asks you consecutively (with INPUT commands):

- enter the function (x and y as arguments)
- starting and final values of X
- starting value of Y
- number of points
- "do you want to print the points?"
- "do you want the same scale for both axes?"

The result is a weird group of points and numbers on the screen.

As you can guess, very exciting, but, remember again...

https://youtu.be/Ts96J7HhO28
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Ransom by Marco A. Arroyo

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After solving so many differential equations (see last post for details) it's time for some action with this nice game.

You're a hero who pilots a chopper and must rescue people and take them back to the aircraft carrier. Beware of the enemy chopper and the explosions from a tank in the castle. Also keep an eye on the fuel level.

Q - up
A - down
I - left
P - right
O - stop the chopper

When the game is finished, to play again press 'S'.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

Post by R-Tape »

If there's still anyone reading this
Reading, but not playing :-)

Of course when we were young, we'd have spent hours learning about the Runge–Kutta method, rather than swiftly moving on to the next fast gratification action game. Kids today...
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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I looked up "Runge Kutter" on Wikipedia.

Saw the words "Wiener process" and started sniggering.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Desensamblador (Disassembler) by Antonio Ocón

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As its own name says, this program let you disassembly machine code. Literally, 'show the list of mnemonics corresponding to the machine code along with the address of the main instruction'.

Right then, an excellent program that shows the list of mnemonics corresponding to the machine code along with the address of the main instruction.

If you press a key, the program asks you the starting address, then the number of bytes and finally the program shows you, incredibly, the list of mnemonics corresponding to the machine code along with the address of the main instruction.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Tron by Juan M. Picazo

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The usual Tron game for 2 players only.

Controls:

Player 1: Q-A-Z-X
Player 2: P-L-N-M

The program asks you the name of player 1 & 2. Then the number of games (recommended between 5-25) and finally the speed (1-10).

In spite of the BASIC limitations, it can be a nice game to play.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Morkin wrote: Sun Nov 18, 2018 12:11 pm I looked up "Runge Kutter" on Wikipedia.

Saw the words "Wiener process" and started sniggering.
I'm still thinking about it...

Runge-Kutta II: The Revenge might be a great sequel. Definite Integrals this time? Lineal regression? Any ideas?
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Cuatreros del Espacio (Space Horse Thieves) by David Sapuerta

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In this game you travel to planet Orion to steal horses. OPQA are the keys. You control a ship that must catch the horse avoiding the static and moving dots and go back to the ship.

It's really hard to control the ship and catching the horses, but a nice game in general.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Picnic by Luis Ayuso

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This game can be included in the 'animal cruelty' sub-genre. You're in the country enjoing a delicious afternoon snack when hordes of ants are trying to steal your fruit. So you control a foot that must step on any ant before it reaches the piece of fruit. When a number of ants reaches the piece, they grab it and leave, you lose a life and then another piece is shown, starting again. A cool feature is that a different piece of fruit is shown every time.

Stepping on an ant is really hard, you must calculate the exact moment you must press the key so that the foot reaches the ant, what makes the game surprisingly addictive.

The keys are O - left, P - right and M - step on.

This topic reminds me of Yogi Bear cartoons, when he used to steal food from campers. But if you had to step on a bear to defend your food in this game, it had been another story, maybe the game would be included in the masochistic gore sub-genre.
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

And I have bad news for you...

All the games have been reviewed. The thread is finishing!

https://youtu.be/Qy9_lfjQopU

Now it's time to you to test the games and share your dissapointments views with us.

But I also have great news for you! Microhobby Semanal 33-36 thread is coming soon in this forum! (whaaat! please stop! - Ed)
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Re: Microhobby Semanal 29-32

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Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Thu Nov 22, 2018 7:00 amA cool feature is that a different piece of fruit is shown every time.
...We have REALLY low expectations for these games...! :lol:
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