Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

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Rorthron
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Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Rorthron »

2017 is over. Perhaps we could celebrate the best games of the year with some awards: Best Game, Best Graphics, Best Sound, Best Gameplay.

Any thoughts?
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Blerkotron
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Blerkotron »

I made my own top ten list over on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Blerkotron/status/9 ... 2059983874), but a proper discussion and vote with multiple categories would be a super idea!
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Whacker »

Seconded! there's been some excellent titles made over the last year, to the point where I've started buying cassettes again!!

Lets get some finalists up here!
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Rorthron
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Rorthron »

OK, I'll take Blerkotron's top 10 and honourable mentions as the first nominees:

Baby Monkey Alba
Dizzy VII - Crystal Kingdom Dizzy
Horace and the Robots
Ooze
Pixel Quest 2000
Robot 1 in the Ship of Doom
SokoBAArn
Sword of Ianna
Three Octopuses
Twilight
Circuitry
Doodlebug
Foggy's Quest
Pilot Attack
Space Junk
Terrapins
That Sinking Feeling
Vallation 128

Let me know any other nominations.

What categories? I suggested the following:

Best Game
Best Graphics
Best Sound
Best Gameplay

Do others agree?
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R-Tape
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by R-Tape »

Sounds good. Maybe a few daft categories?

Barmiest backstory.
...
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Juan F. Ramirez
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Not played all these games, but I think Sword if Ianna will win the 'best game' award, definitely.
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Rorthron
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Rorthron »

We could also add categories for:

Best Loading Screen
Best Real-Media Release
R-Tape wrote: Mon Jan 01, 2018 5:07 pmMaybe a few daft categories?

Barmiest backstory.
...
Any others? Oddest Title? The Development Hell award for long-running projects that did not appear in 2017?
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Ivanzx
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Ivanzx »

Good idea! What way are you planning to do it? As a poll here in Spectrum computing forums? We could try the way that reaches out to the max number of people :)
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Rorthron
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Rorthron »

Ivanzx wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 8:28 am Good idea! What way are you planning to do it? As a poll here in Spectrum computing forums? We could try the way that reaches out to the max number of people :)
I thought we could do it by a series of polls here. I can set them up, if we get some agreement on categories and nominees.
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Rorthron
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Rorthron »

I didn't very far with this earlier, but we could at least vote for a best game of 2017. Would people be interested?

I have drawn up a list of candidates that I think contains all the Spectrum games released in 2017 (according to ZXDB). I have excluded demos. Let me know if anyone spots any errors or omissions.

ABU SINVER PROPAGATION
B-SQUARED
BABY MONKEY ALBA
BEAMS OF LIGHT
BISCUITS IN HELL
BLIMPGEDDON
BOXES
BREAK/SPACE
BREAKANOID
CROSS CHASE
CANSINO PAC
CASTLE CAPERS
CATTIVIK NEVER DIES
CHRISTMAS CRAPMAS
CHRISTMAS PUDDINGS ATTACK
CIRCUITRY
CLOUD HOPPER
CODE ZERO
CRAZY KONG CITY - EPISODE 2: SAVING KONG
CRYSTAL KINGDOM DIZZY 2017
DEAD SPACE
DEEP BLUE
DOODLE BUG
DREDD OVER EELS
EGGHEAD 6: EGGHEAD GOES TO TOWN
EL ATAQUE DE LOS TERNEROS COSMICOS
EL CHATARRERO GALACTICO
EL MATADERO
FOGGY'S QUEST
GUP
GENBLAST
GERRY ANDERSON'S UFO
GLOBUS
GRUMPY SANTA
HORACE & THE ROBOTS
HYPERKILL
I'M DREAMING OF A BLACK AND WHITE CHRISTMAS
JILLY'S FARM VOLUME 1 - SOKOBAARN!
JOHN MOCOWELL
JUANITA & PAQUITO VS THE EVIL ALIENS
JUBBLES
KNIGHT HERO
KNOCKABOUT
LEFT BEHIND: ESCAPE FROM MARS
MAG THE MAGICIAN
MAZERACT
MINESWEEPER 16/48
MONKEY J. IN: THE TREASURE OF THE GOLD TEMPLE THAT WAS LOST IN THE FOREST UNTIL HE (OR SHE?) FOUND IT
MONTY MOLE AND THE LOST SOULS
MONTY'S HONEY RUN
MORITZ
OMELETTES FOR BREAKFAST
OOZE
PICKAXE PETE
PILOT ATTACK
PINK PILLS - MANIC MORITZ AND THE MEDS
PIXEL QUEST 2000
PUMPKIN POE
QBOX
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
RETROFORCE
ROBOPROBE/48
ROBOT 1 IN... THE PLANET OF DEATH
ROBOT 1 IN... THE SHIP OF DOOM
RUNAWAY CAR
SANTOS' CHRISTMAS ADVENTURE
SOPHIA
SORCERESS
SORCERESS 2: THE MYSTIC FOREST
SPACE ESCAPE
SPACE INVADERS EMULATOR
SPACE JUNK
SPECCY PONG
SQUARES
TWINLIGHT
TAKEOUT FREAKOUT
TERRAPINS
THAT SINKING FEELING
THE 12 DAYS OF SPECTRUM
THE ADVENTURES OF JANE JELLY: THE TREASURE OF HOTMARMALADE
THE ADVENTURES OF JANE JELLY: THE TREASURE OF ZEDIN
THE BIG JAVI'S ADVENTURE
THE DARK HOSPITAL
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING PROFESSOR
THE SWORD OF IANNA
THE TREASURE OF LUMOS
THREE OCTOPUSES
TOPO MIX GAME
VADE RETRO II: LOS SECRETOS DEL DOCTOR MALFARIO
VALLATION 128K
WALKABOUT
WOLFCASTLE MCBAIN
WUNDERWAFFE
XELDA 1: QUEST FOR THE GOLDEN APPLE
ZABIJ DUCHA
ZUKINOX
[MOD] JET SET MINI
[MOD] JET SET MIXUP
[MOD] JET SET WILLY II+
[MOD] MANIC MINER HARD
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Ast A. Moore
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Ast A. Moore »

Ahem. :evil:
|
v
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.

Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
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R-Tape
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by R-Tape »

Yankee in Iraq was first released in 2016 wasn't it?

(A 2017 poll would be a great idea)
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Rorthron
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Rorthron »

A Yankee in Iraq? I'll add it to the list. ZXDB lists it as a 2016 game. Is that not correct?
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Nomad »

It is very encouraging to see so much activity with the Spectrum, so many good games and it seems that interest in the platform is actually increasing. If you had told me 10-15 years ago that so many new titles would have been released for the Specy I would have thought you nuts. Not just the amount but the quality of release.
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Ast A. Moore
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Ast A. Moore »

Rorthron wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 1:51 pm A Yankee in Iraq? I'll add it to the list. ZXDB lists it as a 2016 game. Is that not correct?
Nope. ZXDB keeps changing every now and then. Right now it lists the 2016 BASIC version only. The 2017 machine code version is missing. Last time I checked, both versions were listed with the loading screens missing. Before that, it linked to an outdated version as well. It’s kind of a mess. :D
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.

Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
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Rorthron
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Rorthron »

OK. I will make sure it is included in the list.

[mention]R-Tape[/mention], how can we get this fixed?

[mention]Ast A. Moore[/mention], can you give us the correct information to include for both versions, if we need it?
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Ast A. Moore
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Ast A. Moore »

Sure. Somebody send me a PM with a form to fill out.
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.

Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
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Einar Saukas
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Einar Saukas »

Ast A. Moore wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:11 pm
Rorthron wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 1:51 pmA Yankee in Iraq? I'll add it to the list. ZXDB lists it as a 2016 game. Is that not correct?
Nope. ZXDB keeps changing every now and then. Right now it lists the 2016 BASIC version only. The 2017 machine code version is missing. Last time I checked, both versions were listed with the loading screens missing. Before that, it linked to an outdated version as well. It’s kind of a mess. :D
Both BASIC and Assembly versions are available here, including their corresponding loading screens. I believe all these versions are up-to-date, if not then please let me know.

This page says "Original release year: 2016" because that's the release date of the first version, although later versions are dated 2017. This is the same way old WoS archive worked, see for instance here.

Makes sense?
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Ast A. Moore
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Ast A. Moore »

Einar Saukas wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:39 pm Make sense?
Well, no. The 2016 release is just a resurrected version of the BASIC game I originally wrote in 1992. The 2017 version is a separate game written from scratch in machine code. Either make them two separate entries, or remove the BASIC version entirely.
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.

Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
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Einar Saukas
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Einar Saukas »

Ast A. Moore wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 3:38 pm
Einar Saukas wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:39 pmMake sense?
Well, no. The 2016 release is just a resurrected version of the BASIC game I originally wrote in 1992. The 2017 version is a separate game written from scratch in machine code. Either make them two separate entries, or remove the BASIC version entirely.
OK, I will change it in the next ZXDB release.

Just notice that, when you released your Assembly version, you announced it as an improved version of your original game. You even kept the same tittle. Thus you made it sound as a new version of the same game, instead of a separate game. Even your reply here refers to "the 2016 release" and "the 2017 version", as if different versions of a game, not different games. IIRC your first Assembly release was called v1.01 to distinguish from your BASIC version 1.0. The current ZXDB information simply reflects this information.

However, since you prefer separate entries, I will change everything accordingly. Would it be OK if I named them "A Yankee in Iraq" and "A Yankee in Iraq 2017"?
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Ast A. Moore
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Ast A. Moore »

Einar Saukas wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 4:37 pm IIRC your first Assembly release was called v1.01 to distinguish from your BASIC version 1.0. The current ZXDB information simply reflects this information.
Ah, I see now where the confusion comes from. No, the first MC release was a 1.0, and the BASIC version never actually had a version number.
A quick overview. After I dug up my 1992 BASIC game, I cleaned it up, added the missing assets, and released it in August 2016. Had no plans of revisiting it it.

Months later, however, in early 2017, I decided to redo the whole thing in assembly. Released that on March 15, 2017 (v1.0.0). Made five updates to it since then.

Not sure where the “BASIC is v1.0.0, assembly is v1.0.1” originated, really.
Einar Saukas wrote: Sun Feb 04, 2018 4:37 pmHowever, since you prefer separate entries, I will change everything accordingly. Would it be OK if I named them "A Yankee in Iraq" and "A Yankee in Iraq 2017"?
Sweet, thanks! I’d put 2017 in parenthesis, though, A Yankee in Iraq (2017), as it’s not part of the title. And, if possible, the in-game screen for it should represent the latest version, as well.
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.

Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
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Rorthron
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Rorthron »

To return to the original topic, please let me know of any other errors or omissions in the list of candidates for best game of 2017. I will put together a poll shortly.
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Joefish
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Joefish »

Should the 'Loading Screen' category also include things like redrawn loading screens posted to ZXArt, as well as the screens of game releases?
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Rorthron
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by Rorthron »

Joefish wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2018 12:37 pm Should the 'Loading Screen' category also include things like redrawn loading screens posted to ZXArt, as well as the screens of game releases?
Yes, I think so. What do others think?

We'll have to put a list together of redrawn loading screens.
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R-Tape
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Re: Golden Rubber Keyboard Awards

Post by R-Tape »

I agree, it'd be a shame not to include those rather splendid redone SCREEN$.
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