Modern Retro Games for The ZX Spectrum

[vintage-mike]

Hi Everyone,

Back in April 2020, like many, I found myself with a little more time on my hands than I might have expected... viewtopic.php?p=71005#p71005

So I decided to go back to where my interest in technology began, and try some ZX coding again. Some significant 'mission creep' then set in... and after creating some games (and then an emulator) for my own amusement, I've now decided to make them available to a wider audience through a small business - Vintage Software Systems Ltd.



Super Alien Blast and Super Meteor Blast for the 48K ZX Spectrum are provided as audio files suitable for loading directly into original vintage hardware, tzx and tap files for ZX Spectrum emulators, and also as ready-to-run binaries for Linux.

I have always felt that the display technology of the time is integral to the vintage game aesthetic, so the ready-to-run binaries also include a CRT emulation with adjustable controls.

Please feel free to take a look, over at Vintage Software Systems Ltd

Mike

[PeterJ]

Welcome [mention]vintage-mike[/mention],

I have moved this to our commercial forum. Good luck with the business, and glad you are supporting Linux!

[vintage-mike]

I have moved this to our commercial forum. Good luck with the business, and glad you are supporting Linux!

Thanks - sorry for posting it in the wrong place

[R-Tape]

As a digital download these maybe too pricey for many, but I have to say they games are really high quality. To be so polished for a first return to ZX coding is quite an achievement. Custom loader too!

[akeley]

I don''t know...a fiver for a decent game sounds about right to me. I guess we have been spoilt with so many quality free games though...

I wouldn't mind buying one, or even both, but they look a tad generic, and while I like shooters, I prefer other genres. Big kudos for implementing a CRT filter though. Overall, if you're serious about selling them, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to post a few more scr$ and/or a video trailer too. Also, putting them on itch.io would vastly increase their exposure.

[vintage-mike]

As a digital download these maybe too pricey for many, but I have to say they games are really high quality. To be so polished for a first return to ZX coding is quite an achievement. Custom loader too!

Thank you, that's very kind - I hope they're not too expensive, £5.00 is about the minimum I can ask for and it still be viable (once you take out VAT / sales tax - depending upon the customer location - e-commerce fees, webhosting, and just keeping the lights on - especially as this is kind of a niche market...) for that you don't just get a .tap file, there is also the standalone linux binary for PC as well - a version for Windows is in development, possibly also RPi, and the plan would be to offer those versions as a free upgrade to existing customers if / when they become available)

I don''t know...a fiver for a decent game sounds about right to me. I guess we have been spoilt with so many quality free games though...

I hope its about the right price point where people won't mind taking a chance on it - and - i hope - not be disappointed!

I wouldn't mind buying one, or even both, but they look a tad generic, and while I like shooters, I prefer other genres....

I guess that's my personal preference showing... To me there's a kind of elegance in the simplicity of some of the classic early arcade games - I love the fact you can just play without necessarily having to get too deep into the complexities of the game (though I'm also a huge fan of platformers and more strategic games - I remember the countless times I must have 'rage quit' the technically brilliant but insanely frustrating isometric offerings from Ultimate etc)

[bobs]

Good luck with your store. Personally I have found there’s a trade-off between wanting people to play your games, and wanting to people to pay for them. With all my games on Itch I have the stats that point to only 1 in 50 people paying for a download, and usually then choosing the lowest price point available. When I had ‘pay only’ games available they were largely ignored, so I decided long ago that given the time spent on them I’d rather more people actually play my games, rather than having an exclusive few who’d pay for them.

[patters]

I hate to say it but I think the moment to make any money off a Spectrum release may have passed. Even the very best (such as the Zosya games) tend to be free, with the option to buy on physical media for collectability. I think pride and kudos are the enduring currencies.

[vintage-mike]

I hate to say it but I think the moment to make any money off a Spectrum release may have passed...

Perhaps... I am terrible at getting around to things, so I guess 40 years or so isn't bad going for me... I'm not really on one side or the other when it comes to the discussion about free vs paid software - I like free games and I also pay for things. For me these games started out as something for my own entertainment, and then I decided I wanted to present them in a particular way, so, if a nominal price covers the cost of making them available - and maybe leaves something left over to encourage further development (and keep old hardware running) then that's fine by me. I'm not trying to take over the world or anything - I just hope people enjoy them - that's the main thing - after all, games should be fun, otherwise there's not much point in making them at all

[Mousey]

Any chance of gameplay videos? That would really help in making a purchasing decision.

[cmal]

For starters I just purchased the second game, Super Meteor Blast, mainly because I'm a fan of Asteroids type games. I'm not disappointed at all. It's enjoyable and addictive and certainly a high quality polished game.

Although the price is a bit higher than your average Speccy game these days, I'm happy to pay a higher price if I'm a fan of the genre or the game turns out being good. Developing a quality game takes a lot of time and if the payment encourages the developer to develop more software, I'm all for it.

[vintage-mike]

The price is fine but asking folk for money on the back of a single static screenshot, hmm.

On the website if you click on the screenshot you actually get a carousel of three or four - attract screen, in-game, title page etc. Companies used to ask folk for money on the back of a single page (or smaller) magazine advert back in the day, or a few grainy screen captures in a magazine review. This would have been considered the kind of advertising bling even a company like Imagine could only have dreamed of back then (hmm perhaps not the best comparison... )

[vintage-mike]

For those wanting to see some in-game footage (and a superb example of how badly I play my own games...) you can now find a short intro and game play video for Super Meteor Blast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL97v-PrFpA

[scoppack]

There are now vids of both games by 'Modern ZX-Retro Gaming' on Youtube. I was curious too on the actual gameplay.
I have currently had only 50 purchases across my 3 games but well over a 1000 downloads. I didn't do them to make money but if i made more from them, that pot would go straight back out to support and buy others.

[vintage-mike]

There are now vids of both games by 'Modern ZX-Retro Gaming' on Youtube. I was curious too on the actual gameplay.

Great - thanks for mentioning that, I didn't know there were already some vids up on Modern ZX-Retro Gaming. There's now an 'official' (for some value of 'official' ) in-game video of Super Alien Blast here too (once again showcasing my shockingly inept game play. As soon as I hit the record button my reactions fall to bits and I loose all coordination it seems )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glIWoG-_rHk

[vintage-mike]

Just a quick update - both Super Alien Blast and Super Meteor Blast for the 48K ZX Spectrum are now only £4.95 each - a great value arcade inspired treat for your favourite vintage home micro (or Linux PC - complete with CRT emulation - for the full vintage effect)

[vintage-mike]

Both titles now also include a standalone Windows version for PC - Illustrated here in a screenshot of the config / settings headup display / overlay for Super Alien Blast, where you can set up joystick controllers, and adjust the CRT emulation settings etc.



For anyone who already has a download link, your original link should be valid and also include the Windows version, or if not, please contact me using the Vintage Software Systems website contact form and I'll be happy to provide a new link.

Try it today for only £4.95 (or the price of a ZX microdrive cartridge back in 1983...)

[vintage-mike]

Now only £2.95 - what more can I say - an essential addition to any retro game collection, get 'em while you can