Help Needed - The Type Fantastic

vanpeebles · Post by **vanpeebles** » Tue Oct 13, 2020 8:41 pm

Works fine without.

Einar Saukas · Post by **Einar Saukas** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 2:00 am

All type-ins from this page are missing from ZXDB:

https://proyectobasiczx.wordpress.com/r ... /tu-micro/

Just a few IDs already exist in ZXDB, although listed as MIA:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/list?label_id=14858

Frankie · Post by **Frankie** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 7:29 am

I’m currently transfering all games I typed in back then to TAP files, and I’m surprised how many of them isn’t online here. Even if stuff from TF is added, there’ll be a few gems to be uploaded once I’m done.

Just going through these tapes, and remembering some of games is so much fun

PeterJ · Post by **PeterJ** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 5:22 pm

I'm still working through cross checking the type fantastic website with ZXDB and sometimes come across some real gems. This is one of them.

This one is Merlin (Written in pure machine code) by Justin Staines, which was published in the September 1986 issue Computer Gamer:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.ph ... 96&page=78

It will get added to ZXDB soon, but if you want to play it now, pop over to the Type Fantastic website.

It's absolutely impossible to play, but looks great!

cmal · Post by **cmal** » Sun Apr 11, 2021 11:39 pm

Since typing out "Washing Line" last week from Sinclair Programs issue 10 - Aug'83, I realized it was actually available at TTF but listed as "Hang out the Washing!"

Anyway, it was good practice and I found a few typo errors in the TTF version, which I corrected and submitted the corrected version back to TTF.

So I decided I may as well get some more programs typed out which are not typed out yet. My goal is to get all the programs in Sinclair Programs issue 10 - Aug'83 typed out. If anyone else has typed out anything from that issue that's not published yet, please get in touch with me so we don't duplicate efforts.

This morning I typed out Alpha Attack, which is very short and quite a fun little game.

Washing Line and Alpha Attack can be downloaded below. I have named the files according to TTF's naming convention but let me know if I should change that when uploading future entries to SC. I'll post everything I type out here and also send to TTF.

Also included in the download is a machine code gem from SP issue 13 called Laser Bikes aka. Stron. I had typed it out when I was a kid and was delighted to see it eventually available at TTF.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kp1iyfz45cqjr ... s.zip?dl=0

Justinstaines · Post by **Justinstaines** » Thu Aug 12, 2021 8:50 pm

Hi Peter Great to see my game on your site. Yes it is very difficult but can be completed ! I originally did this for my O level in Computer Science which I took 2 years early when I was 14! I submitted the game and wrote my name at the top of the paper and got a C grade lol. All the questions on the O level were about punch cards! I’m still programming you can take a look at my GitHub https://github.com/justinstaines but nothing will ever beat Merlin or the ZX Spectrum. Great machine from Uncle Clive and put lots of us in the 80’s onto programming.

Take care

Justin

PeterJ wrote: ↑Wed Oct 14, 2020 5:22 pm I'm still working through cross checking the type fantastic website with ZXDB and sometimes come across some real gems. This is one of them.

This one is Merlin (Written in pure machine code) by Justin Staines, which was published in the September 1986 issue Computer Gamer:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.ph ... 96&page=78

It will get added to ZXDB soon, but if you want to play it now, pop over to the Type Fantastic website.

It's absolutely impossible to play, but looks great!

8BitAG · Post by **8BitAG** » Fri Aug 13, 2021 10:12 am

The two text adventures from the Home Computer Advanced Course don't seem to have yet been typed in.

Namely Digitaya and Haunted Forest
See:
pp.766-768 (issue 39), pp.792-793 (issue 40), pp.813-815 (issue 41), pp.826-828 (issue 42), pp.846-848 (issue 43), pp.866-868 (issue 44)

The base listings are for the C64, but there are amendments given for the ZX Spectrum and BBC Micro.

PeterJ · Post by **PeterJ** » Fri Aug 27, 2021 3:26 pm

Justinstaines wrote: ↑Thu Aug 12, 2021 8:50 pm Hi Peter Great to see my game on your site. Yes it is very difficult but can be completed !

Hi [mention]Justinstaines[/mention],

Sorry I missed your post. It's great to hear the backstory behind the game. I will give it another go!

8BitAG · Post by **8BitAG** » Sun Aug 29, 2021 11:10 am

Additional sources for type-in programs...

There are quite a few ZX Spectrum/ZX-81 type-ins in this, May 1984, issue of New Zealand's Computer Input magazine...
https://retrocdn.net/images/5/55/Comput ... 984-05.pdf

...and the September 1984 issue...
https://retrocdn.net/images/f/f4/Comput ... 984-09.pdf

...there is a ZX-81 program in the November 1983 issue...
https://retrocdn.net/images/3/32/Comput ... 983-11.pdf

...and ZX-81 and Spectrum programs in this December 1983 issue too..
https://retrocdn.net/images/e/e9/Comput ... 983-12.pdf

(I don't know if there is an archive of this magazine anywhere... it's really interesting and useful for research purposes, so I'd love to find more issues)

sho · Post by **sho** » Tue Oct 25, 2022 11:28 pm

The Vespozian Affair was released as a type-in in the 1984 C&VG Yearbook.
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.ph ... 82&page=74

For some reason according to the DB it was released by Melbourne House.
I can only assume it applies to a book, but it is not clear by the context.

8BitAG · Post by **8BitAG** » Wed Oct 26, 2022 6:42 am

As you pointed to with your link, the original was by Keith Campbell and Terry Pratt for the Dragon 32K. As well as Ron Portkin's Spectrum version, there were additional ports for BBC B and Atari 400/800.

At CASA, we don't have any such reference for Melbourne House, so I'm not sure where that came from. (Always interested to update the entry on the solutions site if it's true).

Keith Campbell did write The C&VG Book of Adventure for Melbourne House... https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/2 ... _Adventure
But that is a different thing to the C&VG "book of adventure" supplements.
https://www.everygamegoing.com/litem/Th ... enture/88/

That book does include a demonstration adventure, created while working through the main body of the book. I'm not sure if that is yet captured in ZXDB...
http://solutionarchive.com/game/id%2C75 ... nture.html
It is *not* The Vespozian Affair.

sho · Post by **sho** » Wed Jan 03, 2024 2:02 pm

8BitAG wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2021 11:10 am Additional sources for type-in programs...

There are quite a few ZX Spectrum/ZX-81 type-ins in this, May 1984, issue of New Zealand's Computer Input magazine...
https://retrocdn.net/images/5/55/Comput ... 984-05.pdf

...and the September 1984 issue...
https://retrocdn.net/images/f/f4/Comput ... 984-09.pdf

...there is a ZX-81 program in the November 1983 issue...
https://retrocdn.net/images/3/32/Comput ... 983-11.pdf

...and ZX-81 and Spectrum programs in this December 1983 issue too..
https://retrocdn.net/images/e/e9/Comput ... 983-12.pdf

(I don't know if there is an archive of this magazine anywhere... it's really interesting and useful for research purposes, so I'd love to find more issues)

More Kiwi stuff wanting to be preserved, dumping it here for posterity

https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/bi ... sue2.8.htm

It relates to this entry (p. 58, gives author's full name)

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... _Drop_3000

Spectrum Computing

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