Spectrum Computing

Alessandro wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 7:16 pm

StooB wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 6:21 pm Black Lamp

The tap file BlackLamp.tap.zip contains the MCM version, "Black Lamp (MCM).tap", not the original Firebird version.

I suppose that's because the MCM re-release was recorded with the standard ROM loader instead of the Firebird Bleepload. TAP files made from software recorded with the Firebird Bleepload are practically useless because they won't load with a CF/SD-based interface, and nowadays TAP files serve exclusively this purpose since all emulators can handle the TZX file format.

Yes, there's no issue with the tap file being the MCM version, I was probably a little vague. The bug is that ZXDB has it listed as the Firebird version, release_seq 0, when it should be release_seq 1.

"ForestOfDoom" series should be renamed "Fighting Fantasy series"

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain should be #1.

The Forest of Doom should be #3, not #1.

Temple of Terror should be #4 (original book #14)
Seas of Blood should be #5 (original book #16)
Rebel Planet should be #6 (original book #18)
Sword of the Samurai should be #7 (original book #20)

Spitfire 40 + Strike Force Harrier - should be Again Again as publisher

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/zxdb/si ... arrier.jpg

The SAM version of The Golden Sword of Bhakhor is misspelled in the database...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=34994

...missing the second H... It should match the spelling of the Spectrum version...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6380

The publisher of the following games should be Mandarin Adventures NOT Mandarin Software...

Time of the End
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=7107

The Minister for Alien Affairs
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=11907

Into the Abyss
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=11808

*All* magazine references to these titles, list Mandarin Adventures, a homegrown publisher from Woking. Mandarin Software was a division of Europress.

Further information...

The Minster for Alien Affairs and Into the Abyss were the planned two halves of the sequel to Time of the End; The Bottomless Pit. Adventure columns list these "two" games as being released either on the same tape (see C&VG October 1986) or as being made available as separate releases (see Your Computer, Vol 6 No 10, October 1986).

Add the additional information "Part one of The Bottomless Pit" to ...Alien Affairs, and "Part two of The Bottomless Pit" to Into the Abyss?

Both games appear to have never been released.

8BitAG wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 1:52 pm

druellan wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 1:42 pm "Rescate" https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=15034 the 1991 version, has a comment:
"Finalist of the Concurso de Aventuras de MicroHobby."
The game was not a finalist but pre-selected for the competition, as stated on this page: https://archive.org/details/microhobby- ... 1/mode/2up

Quite a controversial competition, that one, as I'm sure you know... and I guess it depends on your definition of finalist. It certainly got on to the initial shortlist. There were over 100 adventures submitted and it was one of just fifteen chosen to proceed. These fifteen were then narrowed down to seven semi-finalists which all ended up being declared as the winners.

http://wiki.caad.es/Concurso_de_aventuras_de_MicroHobby

Labelling it as "On the final shortlist of the Concurso de Aventuras de MicroHobby" might be more accurate, I guess.

In ZXDB (from old WoS), those 7 final games have a comment "Winner of the Concurso de Aventuras de MicroHobby" and the other 8 chosen games have a comment "Finalist of the Concurso de Aventuras de MicroHobby". I think these comments are accurate for this case.

StooB wrote: ↑Fri Mar 06, 2020 8:31 am "ForestOfDoom" series should be renamed "Fighting Fantasy series"

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain should be #1.

The Forest of Doom should be #3, not #1.

Temple of Terror should be #4 (original book #14)
Seas of Blood should be #5 (original book #16)
Rebel Planet should be #6 (original book #18)
Sword of the Samurai should be #7 (original book #20)

Should I also list The Citadel of Chaos as #2?

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 3:31 am [
Should I also list The Citadel of Chaos as #2?

It already is.

The two magazine references for ASP Software have nothing to do with ASP Software.

Tubaruba

The author, Tooba Zaidi, is linked to "ASP Software" which means Tubaruba is in the search results for ASP Software. However, that ASP Software is Argus Specialist Publications and the ASP for Tubaruba should be Advance Software Promotions as can be seen from the original Amstrad cover:



(sources: https://www.genesis8bit.fr/amstrad/game ... og_id=5042, https://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?pag ... s&num=2308)

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 3:31 am

StooB wrote: ↑Fri Mar 06, 2020 8:31 am "ForestOfDoom" series should be renamed "Fighting Fantasy series"

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain should be #1.

The Forest of Doom should be #3, not #1.

Temple of Terror should be #4 (original book #14)
Seas of Blood should be #5 (original book #16)
Rebel Planet should be #6 (original book #18)
Sword of the Samurai should be #7 (original book #20)

Should I also list The Citadel of Chaos as #2?

Well, I'm not so sure about this change...

I mean, all these games are based on the Fighting Fantasy series of books. This is the reason these games are listed together under a group called Fighting Fantasy theme.

However they are not a series of games. For instance, the game The Forest of Doom is not supposed to be a sequel to the game The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, or vice-versa.

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 8:34 pm
Well, I'm not so sure about this change...

I mean, all these games are based on the Fighting Fantasy series of books. This is the reason these games are listed together under a group called Fighting Fantasy theme.

However they are not a series of games. For instance, the game The Forest of Doom is not supposed to be a sequel to the game The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, or vice-versa.

Yes. This makes sense.

StooB wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 9:14 pm Yes. This makes sense.

Same logic applies to the James Bond series.

The "BarryMcGuigan" series is just the games released on the Gamestar label, not an actual series at all.

Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 3:01 am In ZXDB (from old WoS), those 7 final games have a comment "Winner of the Concurso de Aventuras de MicroHobby" and the other 8 chosen games have a comment "Finalist of the Concurso de Aventuras de MicroHobby". I think these comments are accurate for this case.

Agreed, the problem is not the comment, but the fact that it was used also for pre-selected games, which is not accurate.

On Darius+ https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=1254 there are more credits on the manual:

Spectrum coding - Christian Pennycate
Graphics - Mark Healy
Music - Consult
Game enhancements design - Tim (Doc) Langdell

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=14183 - this is T.E.A.M. Software, not TERM. Bratislava, Slovakia

The first, earlier version of The Secret of Little Hodcome...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6949

...was released on DigitTape's Your Sinclair issue 7 "listings" cassette...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=20789

So that, perhaps, should be listed on the Hodcome entry as the original release and the release date for the title should be set at 1986 in line with that version.

(The actual game, from the loading screen on the Digitape version, was written in 1985)

Edit: In addition, Richard Hewison is credited for providing the poem, title, and inspiration for the game...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... l_id=12242

The Black Tower by Diane Rice
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6012

Appears to have been confused at some point with the similarly titled Dollarsoft release from 1984...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6015
...and so has been tagged, incorrectly, with a 1984 release date.

The Black Tower was written in 1992 (as mentioned in the game itself), and was first released by Zenobi in 1993 so *all* the 1984 date references on that page need to be changed to 1993. (Later dates can stay as they are, as they are correct)

In addition, Shaun McClure's credit should be moved off the main game to the loading screen credit section. (If that sort of credit exists?) [In reality, most of the Zenobi games where Shaun is credited for the loading screen were produced by John Wilson, reusing and repurposing art that Shaun had provided for some of the early Zenobi releases.]

Something redundant in Everyone's a Wally:

- 'Poster', from a recent update
- 'Game Additional Material #5' , from WoS. It's the same pic but with a lower resolution. I think it should be removed from the DB, as 'Poster' is enough.

Kobyashi Naru...
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=6545

Was definitely *not* created with the PAW.

Some of the Artic´s adventures like Adventure B: Inca Curse (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=5914) have a small comment stating they are also know as "Adventure ...".

Seems that the adventures where published using 3 naming conventions, ex:

Adventure B
Inca Curse
Adventure B: Inca Curse

Since they are added to the ZXDB using the last naming, on this example "Adeventure B" and "Inca Curse" must be added as alias, and removed from the comments IMO.

druellan wrote: ↑Fri Mar 20, 2020 2:46 am Since they are added to the ZXDB using the last naming, on this example "Adeventure B" and "Inca Curse" must be added as alias, and removed from the comments IMO.

A few more aliases need to be added to some of the other versions. The original ZX80/81 versions also had different in-game subtitles: Adventure B had the subtitle Inca Treasure before it became Inca Curse (only Inca Treasure is listed as a name, although Inca Curse is listed in the files section). Adventure C on the ZX80/81 was originally subtitled Alien Spaceship, in-game, before the later subtitle Ship of Doom was used.

Could Davide Bucci's author entry (19354) have his website added please:

http://davbucci.chez-alice.fr/

Taking a look at Star Trader released by Bug-Byte: https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 96&id=4833
The entry has no accreditation, but on the instruction's transcript we can see:

Program design: Trevor Hall
Coding:
Spaceflight sequence: Joey
Adventure section: Rob Phoenix
Graphic design: Gary McNamara

That "Coding:" looks pretty odd, my interpretation is that the code was developed by Joey and Rob Phoenix, and Trevor Hall provided the game design.
BUT! Star Trader is in fact a basic game published in 1974 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trader) so, the design for sure was inspired by that title.

Edit: Also, I'm not able to run the second load, the game freezes at the end.