The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

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PeteProdge
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The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by PeteProdge »

And yet another poll.

Yes, milking this concept further, I'm going to discover the best (er, based on your highly subjective preferences and this FPTP voting system) Speccy game by a particular software label.

As Manic Miner won the poll of polls, I thought I'd kick this off with that game's publisher. The problem is though, it had two publishers, Liverpool-based Bug-Byte, and then slightly tweaked for Software Projects (a company founded by Manic Miner's author Matthew Smith, which got to re-release Manic Miner due to a loophole in Matthew's Bug-Byte contract). Of course, I'll start off with Bug-Byte, then do Software Projects for the next poll.

And I could well just start the voting off, as Bug-Byte's Spectrum output appears to be just the 34 games I'm listing in this post. However, I may have missed something out, or someone might want to point out an error, or something. Plus we can get to discuss this peculiar software house in detail, in this phase. Bug-Byte isn't that familiar to me, as a latecomer to the Speccy (having got a 128K +2 in late 1987).

There's an oddity in that 1987's Nick Faldo Plays The Open could be a contender for this poll, as the inlay certainly displays the Bug-Byte logo and name, but Spectrum Computing's database attributes the publisher as Mind Games Ltd and the copyright on the loading screen is Argus Press Software Ltd. More on that later...

Obviously, when we cover bigger software houses, like Ocean and US Gold, well, they'll have a back catalogue of hundreds of games, and the poll settings only allow for 127 different options, so these discussion phases are needed to agree on what we should omit.

Oh, and it's very likely that Bug-Byte's most famous release will win the poll anyway. You know, the subterranean platformer that already topped the poll of polls. There's hardly any competition for it, after all. I think what will be interesting is what comes second in the poll!

To summarise Bug-Byte's history, it emerged at the start of the 1980s, when the ZX81, BBC Micro, Vic 20 and Acorn Electron were seen as sensational machines. Like many labels of the time, it issued a fair few arcade knock-offs for the Spectrum. In 1983, programmer Eugene Evans and two senior staff left Bug-Byte to set up Imagine Software. As mentioned earlier, 1984 saw the release of Manic Miner, which sold like hot cakes and then its author left to set up Software Projects, where the game was re-released there.

Bug-Byte went into voluntary liquidation in the middle of 1985, and was bought up by Argus Press (the previous year, Argus Press bought Quicksilva). Virtually all Argus Press staff left, with managing director Rod Cousens leaving to set up Electric Dreams. In 1987, Argus Press's managing director Stephen Hall bought out the company and renamed it Grandslam Entertainments.

There were quite a few games released on a label named Bug-Byte Premier, which was a re-release label (in the vein of Ricochet, Kixx and The Hit Squad) that re-released five games from Grandslam's back catalogue - mostly the ones coded by Teque. I don't count these as proper Bug-Byte releases.

Anyway, this is what I'm proposing for the vote next week. I think I've got it right, but do tell me if I haven't...

Antics
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Aquarius
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Birds And The Bees, The
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Bomber Bob In Pentagon Capers
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Castle, The
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Cavern Fighter
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Dogsbody
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Flyer Fox
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Fridge Frenzy
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General Election
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Headstart
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Hectic
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Kung-Fu
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Manic Miner
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Miami Dice
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No 1
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Piggy
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Plum Duff
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Rapscallion
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Roboto
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Rupert And The Ice Castle
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S.T.I.
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Sbugetti Junction
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Sodov The Sorcerer
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Spectral Invaders
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Spectres
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Star Trader
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Stay Kool
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Styx
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Transnitron
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Turmoil
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Twin Kingdom Valley
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Wildwater
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Zoot
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by DouglasReynholm »

Turmoil was a pretty decent platformer as I remember it, but I still couldn't honestly vote against the obvious winner!
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by Pegaz »

I like this kind of pools.
Here we have the chance to choose the best games of the most important publishers, you cant be wrong with it. :)
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by PeteProdge »

Pegaz wrote: Sun May 12, 2019 4:29 pm I like this kind of pools.
Here we have the chance to choose the best games of the most important publishers, you cant be wrong with it. :)
Cheers.

And I absolutely love exploring the history of these quirky software houses. When Retro Gamer magazine does an in-depth article on a software house, that's what makes me buy the mag.

I came across a lot of Bug Byte's stuff when my friend got a +2 a few months after I did. In his deal from Curry's (or was it Dixons?) he got a massive tape compilation, the bulk of which appeared to be loads of stuff from Grandslam and its acquisitions/imprints (Bug-Byte, Quicksilva, MC Lothorien, Mind Games)
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by Fahnn »

Manic Miner's going to win again, though, isn't it? It's not that I particularly dislike the game, it was great in its time and is undoubtedly iconic, but nothing else will stand a chance here.
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by PeteProdge »

Fahnn wrote: Sun May 12, 2019 5:42 pm Manic Miner's going to win again, though, isn't it? It's not that I particularly dislike the game, it was great in its time and is undoubtedly iconic, but nothing else will stand a chance here.
Well, at least there'll be a different poll next time, which is going to be Software Projects, where, er, Manic Miner will, um, win again.

As I said, all eyes on what comes second!
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by Hank Scorpio »

PeteProdge wrote: Sun May 12, 2019 5:52 pm
As I said, all eyes on what comes second!
With Styx being on the list is there a chance that Matthew Smith could claim the top two spots?
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by StooB »

PeteProdge wrote: Sun May 12, 2019 5:52 pm
Fahnn wrote: Sun May 12, 2019 5:42 pm Manic Miner's going to win again, though, isn't it? It's not that I particularly dislike the game, it was great in its time and is undoubtedly iconic, but nothing else will stand a chance here.
Well, at least there'll be a different poll next time, which is going to be Software Projects, where, er, Manic Miner will, um, win again.

As I said, all eyes on what comes second!
For consistency, if you're ignoring the titles that Bug-Byte re-released, like DefCom and Nick Faldo, then you should ignore the Software Projects Manic Miner as that's a re-release too.
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by PeteProdge »

StooB wrote: Sun May 12, 2019 7:18 pm
PeteProdge wrote: Sun May 12, 2019 5:52 pm Well, at least there'll be a different poll next time, which is going to be Software Projects, where, er, Manic Miner will, um, win again.

As I said, all eyes on what comes second!
For consistency, if you're ignoring the titles that Bug-Byte re-released, like DefCom and Nick Faldo, then you should ignore the Software Projects Manic Miner as that's a re-release too.
That's a really good point. I've never viewed the Software Projects version as a re-release, but now you mention it, that's pretty much what it is. I think I'll have to agree with that.
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by spider »

I think Aquarius was likely the first game I saw/played by Bug-Byte however as others have said the likely winner is obvious ;) Even though it apparently was not "owned" by them hence why it moved over to Software Projects.

Mind you Turmoil I did quite like I must say. :) , I have a vague recollection of playing Rupert/Ice Castle it was either on a mag cover tape or a friends ahem tape. The others I should mention were original! :)

It is actually sometimes surprising when you list via a software house to see how many titles they actually *do* have.
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by stupidget »

Sodov ( Oh how I laughed when I was kid) was a staple game when we used to go round my mates house at lunchtime whilst chomping through cheese and branston sandwiches.

The only other games I played in the list were Styx and Manic Miner. MM is still up there in my top games of all time.
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by DouglasReynholm »

spider wrote: Sun May 12, 2019 7:53 pm Mind you Turmoil I did quite like I must say. :)
Well, it was very slick
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by R-Tape »

DouglasReynholm wrote: Sun May 12, 2019 8:47 pm Well, it was very slick
Image

:lol:
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Spectral Invaders has the charm of being considered one of the first Spectrum games, published in 1982.

And Styx is a simple but funny game.
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by Metalbrain »

Could you you add Pi-R Squared to the list?
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=3734

I'd vote for it (although the winner in this poll is quite clear).

PD: Never mind, I see now it's just a re-release of Bug-Byte Premier, so no need to add it.
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by PeteProdge »

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Sun May 12, 2019 11:34 pm Spectral Invaders has the charm of being considered one of the first Spectrum games, published in 1982.
Yeah, from doing research for this, I've learnt that Bug-Byte (and its future labelmate Quicksilva) had games ready for the Spectrum pretty much off the bat. QuickSilva especially so, according to this story from an employee.
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by ZXDunny »

Well, as MM won in the last poll I'd be interested to see what else will win if we disregard it this time around. I've not played all the games in this list but the absolute stand-out gems have to include Turmoil and Antics.

Actually yeah, Antics is almost certainly gonna get my vote. Exploration, fluid if at time exasperated movement, discovering destructible walls... It had so much to offer. In fact, I kinda get the feeling that it was the Nodes of its day. What a game.
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by DouglasReynholm »

PeteProdge wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 1:17 pm Yeah, from doing research for this, I've learnt that Bug-Byte (and its future labelmate Quicksilva) had games ready for the Spectrum pretty much off the bat. QuickSilva especially so, according to this story from an employee.
That's a fascinating article, should have a thread of its own if it doesn't. I didn't realise quite how seminal Quicksilva were. I think my second ever tape was Mined Out.

edit: still haven't got the hang of these apostrophe things..
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by djnzx48 »

Antics reminds me a little of Kokotoni Wilf, but more mazelike and with smoother movement.

I'll probably be voting for Styx, as even though it's quite short and simplistic it's still pretty playable. It's another Bruce Lee type of game where you can just loop it over and over, and the technique of using only a third of the screen to save memory was clever. Turmoil was also another one that I enjoyed playing.

As for Birds and the Bees, I always thought Matthew Smith had been involved with drawing the sprites, since the adverts used to state "with graphics by Matthew Smith (of Manic Miner fame)". But apparently that's not the case ;) According to the programmer Adrian Sherwin,
P.S. The only involvement Matthew Smith had in the development of The Birds and
the Bees was to talk Bug-Byte into providing me with a TRS-80 Model 3, and a
graphics editing tool (hence "Graphics aided by Matthew Smith" in the title
screen). That and a few programming tips...
So it seems that they just used his name on the ads to popularise on the success of his earlier games.
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by Nick »

Antics is a fantastic game with a huge, for its time, map to explore. It's one of those games that I have come close to completing on more than one occasion.

A special mention for Fridge Frenzy too as it's quite a fun and addictive game, almost a maze version of MM.
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

PeteProdge wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 1:17 pm
Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Sun May 12, 2019 11:34 pm Spectral Invaders has the charm of being considered one of the first Spectrum games, published in 1982.
Yeah, from doing research for this, I've learnt that Bug-Byte (and its future labelmate Quicksilva) had games ready for the Spectrum pretty much off the bat. QuickSilva especially so, according to this story from an employee.
Nice read, Pete. Thanks for sharing!
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by hitm4n »

Cavern Fighter wasn't bad, even enjoyed Kung Fu now and then, slow as it was. Styx also a good one, but Manic Miner stands tall. When i think about Manic Miner though, i would always think "Software Projects" rather than BugByte, maybe thats the version i had. Interestingly, what were the differences in the 2 releases?
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by PeteProdge »

hitm4n wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 10:16 pmWhen i think about Manic Miner though, i would always think "Software Projects" rather than BugByte, maybe thats the version i had. Interestingly, what were the differences in the 2 releases?
According to Wikipedia...
  • In Processing Plant, the enemy at the end of the conveyor belt is a bush in the original, whereas the Software Projects one resembles a PacMan ghost.
  • In Amoebatrons' Revenge, the original Bug-Byte amoebatrons look like alien octopuses with tentacles hanging down, whereas the Software Projects amoebatrons resemble the Bug-Byte logo - smiling beetles, with little legs up their sides.
  • In The Warehouse, the original game has threshers travelling up and down the vertical slots, rotating about the screen's X-axis. The Software Projects version has 'impossible triangle' sprites (i.e. the Software Projects logo) instead, which rotate about the screen's Z-axis.
  • The Bug-Byte cheat code was the numerical sequence "6031769" - based on Matthew Smith's driving licence. In the Software Projects version this changed to "typewriter".
  • Internal code changes meant that a new POKE was required for infinite lives.
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by zxbruno »

Maybe I'm using rose-tainted glasses, but I've always been fond of The Birds and The Bees. I discovered the game even before I learned about the birds and the bees. :mrgreen:
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Re: The best Speccy game by Bug-Byte: discussion

Post by Turtle_Quality »

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere at the time that Spectral Invaders was written for the Spectrum before Bug Byte received their first Spectrum, using the manual to understand the screen layout. May have just been marketing fluff but I was seriously impressed. But I never thought Space Invaders was interesting to play.

A friend of mine wrote to Bug Byte to ask what Styz was like and they sent him the game free !

Strangely enough I spent more time playing Bug Byte Pool than any other title over the years, it was soothing and quietly addictive. Though of course Manic Miner was a revelation and an addiction when it appeared, but like others here I thought it was Software Projects. We can't let it win best game for two software houses can we ?
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