Spectrum Computing

(Apologies if this is in the wrong place.)

Runestone (id 6913) was originally released by Games Workshop and later re-released by Firebird.

According to CRASH, the Firebird rerelease is noticeably different. "Its chief deficiency then was its slow speed and this has been corrected by removing the slow BASIC routines."

Only the Firebird release is available or even listed. Should the Games Workshop verison be considered MIA?

He's right, you know.

First version is notably different looking https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.ph ... 4&page=100

to the second version https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.ph ... 92&page=83

(and, as a curious aside, looks like Crash added some false colour to those last screenshots resulting in the illusion of impossible attributes)

An earlier version of the game was sent out for review but Games Workshop pulled out of the software market before the game was released (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.ph ... 862&page=4) so, apart from those review copies, it's not really missing.

StooB wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 8:42 am An earlier version of the game was sent out for review but Games Workshop pulled out of the software market before the game was released (https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.ph ... 862&page=4) so, apart from those review copies, it's not really missing.

Actually the article says nothing about the game being pulled before release. It was certainly advertised by Games Workshop in 1985, a year before the Firebird release, so there might be copies out there (especially as it was apparently available for mail order directly from Games Workshop).

Rorthron wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 11:44 am 1. Runestone. The original Games Workshop version was released in 1985, not 1986. (The Firebird release is from 1986.)
2. Runestone, Key of Hope, Tower of Despair, Talisman, Chaos and D-Day. Ad in White Dwarf 65 (Jun 85) p55

You can see the advert here:

https://videogamegeek.com/image/4803115/runestone

Incidentally the advert seems to show the exact same screen shot as the Crash review, which, to judge from the colours, might actually be from the CPC version. Whether this casts doubt on the existence of the Spectrum version or merely points to laziness by Crash I don't know.

Rorthron wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 9:25 am Actually the article says nothing about the game being pulled before release. It was certainly advertised by Games Workshop in 1985, a year before the Firebird release, so there might be copies out there.

"originally developed for release but then a buyer was sought" implies it was not released.

StooB wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 9:35 am "originally developed for release but then a buyer was sought" implies it was not released.

It does not necessarily mean it was not released. The quotation makes no statement about whether it was released or not.

Rorthron wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 9:38 am

StooB wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 9:35 am "originally developed for release but then a buyer was sought" implies it was not released.

It does not necessarily mean it was not released. The quotation makes no statement about whether it was released or not.

They could have simply said "released last year", why say "developed for release" if it had been released?

Perhaps the writer was unsure if it had been released. There are several reasons why the writer might not have mentioned the release, including the one you mention. But the key point is that we don't know what the reason was. An argumentum ex silentio cannot prove the matter, and we cannot definitively rule out that it was released. It simply remains unclear whether the game was released or not.

Thanks [mention]mjwilson[/mention] and yes! Here or the ZXDB Fixes is the correct place to discuss this.

I think we have thought information to add three notes to the title: one regarding the fact that the game was quickly pull out the shelves and probably never released to the public. Second one regarding the fact than the Firebird version is a different and improved one. Finally, we can add a note regarding the MIA status for the first version. Is no the first time a review copy appears somewhere.

Also, the game is part of the group "Hot!" related to Firebird's line of software. We perhaps can improve the group name?