Little bugs in the database 5

[druellan]

The same blog entry credits Andy Walker for Arc of Yesod, (zxdb has Keith Tinman) - although with a somewhat qualified "if I remember correctly" statement:

Thanks! we found Keith Tinman referenced as the author on this article (that has many errors already) https://planetsinclair.meulie.net/indus ... rviews.htm and couple of wikis (here and here.). If Andy is the author of the driver, I tend to think he might be at least the author for the 48k version. but yeah, the information is kind of contradictory.

[8BitAG]

Enter at Your Own Risk
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/1 ... r_Own_Risk

Currently has two versions archived.

EnterAtYourOwnRisk(different).tzx.zip *marked different
EnterAtYourOwnRisk.tzx.zip

It perhaps should be noted that the EnterAtYourOwnRisk(different).tzx.zip is the most complete version of the game. It includes both a minor difference to the other file in part one of the game (in that the toilet death routine is included) and also a major difference in that it includes the second part of the game.

The EnterAtYourOwnRisk.tzx.zip only includes part one!

(Both these versions were created after the Crash review, as they both include the VOCAB command mentioned as being added in a later Crash release)

[wallyweek]

Just to avoid doing twice the same job:
will all this fixes be directly committed to zxdb or should someone enter them using the preservation forms?

[druellan]

Just to avoid doing twice the same job:
will all this fixes be directly committed to zxdb or should someone enter them using the preservation forms?

Hi! We move them directly to the ZXDB, so, yeah, initially there is no need to enter them on the preservation forms, BUT, reports that require to change or upload new files to an entry, we process those using the preservation tools to streamline the upload process.

So, if you have time and want to take a look (to this thread but also the Little bugs #4), any report that requires upload or replace files, can be added using the form: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/zxdb/ad ... _files.php

Thanks!

[8BitAG]

Unlisted game...

The Golden Crown
Type-in
Text Adventure
Julia Battle
Let's Compute, Number 7, February 1991
Database Publications
https://archive.org/details/LetsCompute ... +Battle%22

Previous published for ST and BBC
See: http://solutionarchive.com/game/id%2C23 ... C+The.html

The Let's Compute version gives modifications to the base listing for ZX Spectrum and C64

[druellan]

Pretty sure Peter Helcmanovsky https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/list?label_id=11316 and Peter Ped Helcmanovsky https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/list?label_id=19990 are the same person. Also, not sure if Ped is a nickname, since his handle is @Ped7g.

[StooB]

Murder Off Miami

is inspired by the book "Murder Off Miami" (CASA, ZX Computing) not "Three Inquisitive People" which seems to have come from old Wos.

[StooB]

Snooker Manager

Image Software re-released this in 1990 at £2.99 - see here and here.
The current inlay is the 1990 inlay, shown here with the (C) 1990 notice, the inlay of the original £7.99 mail order release from 1989 is missing.

(nb - the small changes form doesn't allow a re-release from the same publisher and says "Re-releaser 'Image Software Ltd' already exists for this ZXDB title!".)

[Alessandro]

Edizioni JCE (ID 4260) and Edizioni Jacopo Castelfranchi Editore (ID 4261) are the same publisher and should then be merged.

[8BitAG]

Dragnet aka The Dragnet Case
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/1 ... um/Dragnet

Should be listed as The Dragnet Case (with an aka of Dragnet if you wish) as that's the correct title according to the game.

I've extracted some additional data and details from the supporting program and the game database itself.

The game was released (or at least planned for release) by
Taskmaster Software
28 Upper Station Rd, Henfield, W.SUSSEX, BN5 9PJ

I can't currently find any adverts or small/classified adverts promoting the game.

However, the author, E. Toovey was asking for playtesters in Mike Gerrard's Your Sinclair #34 column.


Aside from the address matching, E. Toovey is confirmed as the author in the game database itself. I'm not sure if there's a way of triggering this location message actually in the game...



R.POWELL should be listed as an additional author.

The entry in ZXDB lists the game as text-only, but in fact there are a handful of graphics in the game.











Of the two files currently listed for the game in the ZXDB, I would suggest that the "alternate" one be considered the main one as it includes an additional loading program that gives details of Taskmaster's planned next releases.

ie.

Murder, Mystery and Suspenders
A three-part prequel to The Dragnet Case, following Sam Boon's early years as a private detective.

The Plastic Man
Written with GAC
This adventure will send you off on a journey to a man-made planet orbiting the moon. It has you trying to destroy a computer which is in control of a race of androids.

The Feud
This is the final game in the Sam Boon trilogy. It continues from The Dragnet Case and has you battling your wits against the fiendish mind of one of the great underworld kings.

P.O.W. Camp
A game set in a small P.O.W. camp. This game will feature no less than 3 PSI (hopefully more) and have lots of different ways to complete it. Once out of the camp you will have to battle through the hardships of making your way to a safe border.

I presume that The Plastic Man is the GAC game mentioned in the YS column. I don't think I'd personally add entries into the ZXDB for these, necessarily, as they may not have got past the planning or title stage!

You may wish to add this to The Dragnet Case's entry: "Originally envisaged as part of a trilogy. It's unclear if the prequel ("Murder, Mystery and Suspenders") or the sequel ("The Feud") ever made it passed the planning stages."

[8BitAG]

Andy Hackett
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/list?label_id=1034

author of...
Qwerty Goes Counting https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/2 ... s_Counting

is the same person as

W. A. Hackett
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/list?label_id=15259

author of...
Acorn's Quest https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/1 ... orns_Quest (AH Software)
To the Manor Bourne https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/7 ... nor_Bourne (AH Software / Central Solutions)

I would suggest combining them both as W. Andrew Hackett

Andy was the owner/proprietor of...
AH Software
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/list?label_id=268

Andy's game
To the Manor Bourne
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... garry_Hall


had a minor engine and graphical overhaul to become

The Deeds of Glengarry Hall
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... garry_Hall


one of the games on the Merlock the Mede compilation
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/6 ... k_the_Mede

[As an aside, the other game was...

The Ashes of Alucard
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... of_Alucard
By Peter Dwyer and B. Aldred
(I presume B. Aldred is the "B.A." credited on the loading screen for both Merlock games; which might explain their credit in the game code of Alucard) ]

Andy's Acorn Quest
later got a remake for PCW

[spider]

Unsure if this is intentional or accident, but the recent poll on Elephant Software brought it to my attention.

There seems to be two entries for this software house, I'm not sure they are different though ?

Elephant Software

Elephant Software 2

[Einar Saukas]

We currently have separate entries for "The Six Keys of Tarkus" and "The Seven Keys of Tarkus", but they seem to refer to the same game.

[Einar Saukas]

We also have 2 entries for "Pearl Diver". Can I merge them?

[StooB]

Unsure if this is intentional or accident, but the recent poll on Elephant Software brought it to my attention.

There seems to be two entries for this software house, I'm not sure they are different though ?

Elephant Software

Elephant Software 2

#1 is in Berkshire and #2 is in Lancashire.

[8BitAG]

We currently have separate entries for "The Six Keys of Tarkus" and "The Seven Keys of Tarkus", but they seem to refer to the same game.

The BBC Micro version, from Adventures for Your BBC Micro by Alex Gollner has six keys; The Six Keys of Tarkus. https://stardot.org.uk/forums/download/ ... 02335c32ba

I've not checked a scan of the corresponding Spectrum book Adventures for Your ZX Spectrum by Clive Gifford, but presumably the Spectrum version has "seven" as that seems to match the typed-in version/download. (It seems to be "sedam"/seven in the Slovenian/Yugoslavian translations of the books linked to in the DB.

Edit: I also can't see any obvious reason why you can't merge the two Pearl Divers (a type-in from the same book).

[Einar Saukas]

About War-Lord:

Old WoS says it was released, but release date is unknown.

CASA says it was never released.

We know it was never released by Zenobi as intended. Was it released independently? Or never released but later recovered?

[8BitAG]

About War-Lord:

Old WoS says it was released, but release date is unknown.

CASA says it was never released.

We know it was never released by Zenobi as intended. Was it released independently? Or never released but later recovered?

Definitely not released by Zenobi. Presumably just passed around the scene. Will keep my eye out for references, but would go with Doreen's solution comments as "never published" as she was a convention regular; like Jon. Jonathan Scott is definitely someone I'd like to have a chat to about his, and Stephen's, games... This has prompted me to shoot him a message.

Here are Doreen's comments about the game from the CASA forums...

Can I suggest this game to all interested.

It is a spectrum games available from WOS

I know this game has not been published - but I can tell you it will be good.

This game would have been published by Zenobi - had the publishers not finished.

It is written by my very good friend Jon Scott. I have only just seen it on WOS - and realised what the game was.

The correst name of the game is Wartorn Land.

I notice that we don't have the correct name on CASA either, at the moment.

[Ivanzx]

Circus Games should have an AKA, as per the inlay of the game:

"Kenneth Feld The Greatest Show on Earth - Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey"

https://ia800604.us.archive.org/view_ar ... sGames.jpg

[StooB]

3 Coin Op Classics

Currently marked as MIA, but it is a box set of 3 games (Breakthru, Crystal Castles and Kung Fu Master) in their original packaging as this review points out. None of those games are MIA so therefore this isn't either.

[druellan]

Some roles and credits for Legend (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/6 ... rum/Legend) from inside the game:

Andrew J. Glaister - Code
John Lambshead - Game Design
Gordon Paterson - Game Design

✓ Reviewed

[druellan]

The Fourth Protocol (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/6 ... h_Protocol)
I think we are crediting more people that we should

David Jones - Spectrum code for third load
Ray Owen - Graphics third load
Andrew J. Glaister - Spectrum code for first and second load
Paul Norris - Special thanks
David Dunn - Music, but the Spectrum version has no music
John Lambshead - Design
Gordon Paterson - Design

For consistency, we can remove Paul Norris, because we don't credit "thanks", and David Dunn, because the Spectrum version has no music, and he is credited for C64 on other DBs.

✓ Reviewed

[druellan]

Some roles for After the War (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/alt/101 ... er_the_War):

Enrique Cervera Mateu - Code
Snatcho [Ignacio Ruiz Tejedor] - In-game graphics
Luis Rodriguez Soler - Not mentioned in the inlay, but he usually helped with in-game graphics
Deborah [Carmen Ferrer] - Loading screen
MAC [ES] (Spain) - Music

@Ivanzx @Audionautas do we know who "MAC" is?

✓ Reviewed

[StooB]

Space Crusade

the version on the Your Sinclair cover tape is a playable demo of the first mission, not the full version.

[Audionautas]

Some roles for After the War (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/alt/101 ... er_the_War):

Enrique Cervera Mateu - Code
Snatcho [Ignacio Ruiz Tejedor] - In-game graphics
Luis Rodriguez Soler - Not mentioned in the inlay, but he usually helped with in-game graphics
Deborah [Carmen Ferrer] - Loading screen
MAC [ES] (Spain) - Music

@Ivanzx @Audionautas do we know who "MAC" is?

✓ Reviewed

Hi @druellan

I just asked Jesús Martínez del Vas through Whatsapp, and he told me he has no clue about who MAC is. He said that might be is an alias for Maniacs of Noise, credited for the C64 music, but, I think it's too risky take that for granted. Therefore, until we don't have a solid evidence, I would leave it as it is.

Regards


PS. Jesús added to the Maniacs of Noise on C64: "Maybe the composition is still the same and they adapted it. Also, there is too much resemblance in the name, it seems like a lot of coincidence".