https://planetasinclair.blogspot.com/20 ... n-mia.html
Quest for the Crown
Moderator: pavero
- Andre Leao
- Bugaboo
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Quest for the Crown
An old adventure from 1986 found and preserved by the author...
https://planetasinclair.blogspot.com/20 ... n-mia.html
https://planetasinclair.blogspot.com/20 ... n-mia.html
✓ PROCESSED
DH 08/05/23- Andre Leao
- Bugaboo
- Posts: 3105
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:28 am
- Location: Portugal
- Contact:
Re: Quest for the Crown
Created a .tzx and .tap, on the itch.io page now
Re: Quest for the Crown
Excellent recovery - thanks to the author. The release has been impeccably timed, it could describe King Charlie's predicament this very morning as he wakes following yesterday's bender.
It's classic oldschool - the first action is GET LAMP! I like it so far, some charming GAC pics and the puzzles are manageable so far.
It's classic oldschool - the first action is GET LAMP! I like it so far, some charming GAC pics and the puzzles are manageable so far.
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- Microbot
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:02 pm
Re: Quest for the Crown
Just got this! 40/250 so far, that bloody snake!!!!!
Re: Quest for the Crown
Yeah same here. I've found lots of problems to solve, and I've got an idea how each one can solve the other, but I can't find the first way 'in'. Time for a walk inbetween bank holiday showers, that might help.
EDIT - aha! progress!
Re: Quest for the Crown
followed by bloody quicksand
A fun game.
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- Microbot
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:02 pm
Re: Quest for the Crown
Loads of problems a bit further on. I just need to make a map, it's actually not bad for a GAC game and it looks quite like a Quill game.
60/250 progress!
60/250 progress!
Re: Quest for the Crown
Two days after Charles I have been crowned king of Zaphris. Thank goodness for modern emulators and snapshots as on route I died a thousand horrible deaths
Glad this was saved from the lost tapes of time.
Glad this was saved from the lost tapes of time.
Re: Quest for the Crown
No I'm the rightful King of Zaphris!
Scored 240/250, the 308 turns is moot as I used a few snapshots too. I wonder where 10 points went astray?
Re: Quest for the Crown
I think that's down to the number of turns - I just did a quick runthrough and it scored the full 250.
Great game. Coded in 1986, who knows how few eyes saw it since then, to resurface in 2023!
If the author's reading - could you give us a bit of background on this game? From coding to recovery 37 years later. I couldn't find any evidence of it in the archive, so it'll have a new ID in ZXDB.
Re: Quest for the Crown
The author posted on Facebook World of Spectrum yesterday.
"So I managed to rescue one of the tapes of my own games "Quest for the Crown" that I created back in 1986 and it now exists in the form of a .sna / .z80 file. It's a graphic/text adventure - is there much of a market for these types of games these days? It has a very retro feel (obviously!) and I was thinking of possibly putting it out there for say £2 ish in digital only format - good/bad idea? It'd be nice if I wasn't the only person to play it Sample screens below. Interested in what people know about the homebrew market nowadays. "
Among the replies were suggestion to contact PlanetaSinclair and upload the game to Itch.io. I'll message him to pop in over here.
"So I managed to rescue one of the tapes of my own games "Quest for the Crown" that I created back in 1986 and it now exists in the form of a .sna / .z80 file. It's a graphic/text adventure - is there much of a market for these types of games these days? It has a very retro feel (obviously!) and I was thinking of possibly putting it out there for say £2 ish in digital only format - good/bad idea? It'd be nice if I wasn't the only person to play it Sample screens below. Interested in what people know about the homebrew market nowadays. "
Among the replies were suggestion to contact PlanetaSinclair and upload the game to Itch.io. I'll message him to pop in over here.
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- Drutt
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon May 08, 2023 2:43 pm
Re: Quest for the Crown
Hello everyone - glad it's bringing some fun to a few folks at last
It was a school holiday project in 1986 - took a few weeks to put together and no-one ever saw it. I do remember sending a couple of copies off to some software houses but got no reply. I recently found the tapes in storage prompted by my Mum in Law about to throw away the last working cassette player in the house. After finding out that I could load it up from a wav I decided to try and rescue it. It took around 8 attempts but finally got it to load!
It was a school holiday project in 1986 - took a few weeks to put together and no-one ever saw it. I do remember sending a couple of copies off to some software houses but got no reply. I recently found the tapes in storage prompted by my Mum in Law about to throw away the last working cassette player in the house. After finding out that I could load it up from a wav I decided to try and rescue it. It took around 8 attempts but finally got it to load!
Re: Quest for the Crown
Welcome @frankster1970!
That's more productive than any school holiday I remember. Great work. Maybe you would have had a better chance at being published just a few years later when the adventure boom started with Zenobi. I'm well chuffed it was saved - I shudder to think how many of these never-played symphonies do end up getting binned.
Sending you a PM btw.
That's more productive than any school holiday I remember. Great work. Maybe you would have had a better chance at being published just a few years later when the adventure boom started with Zenobi. I'm well chuffed it was saved - I shudder to think how many of these never-played symphonies do end up getting binned.
Sending you a PM btw.
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- Microbot
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:02 pm
Re: Quest for the Crown
can someone send me a spoiler with respects to using dynamite to open the mine entrance, just can't seem to get the wordss.
Re: Quest for the Crown
After all the sudden deaths, I was convinced this would kill me.ANDREWRYALS wrote: ↑Mon May 08, 2023 7:48 pm can someone send me a spoiler with respects to using dynamite to open the mine entrance, just can't seem to get the wordss.
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- Microbot
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:02 pm
Re: Quest for the Crown
I think I've got all the other problems sorted. I'm just lacking in money for the pedlar.
Re: Quest for the Crown
ANDREWRYALS wrote: ↑Mon May 08, 2023 8:22 pm I think I've got all the other problems sorted. I'm just lacking in money for the pedlar.
Spoiler
You need to PLAY FLUTE to the old man. He gives you a coin (don't give the coin to the blacksmith)
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- Microbot
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:02 pm
Re: Quest for the Crown
Yes I'd worked that out, I think I've done a puzzle in the wrong order. Back to the drawing board.
Re: Quest for the Crown
I like the way most items have 2 uses leaving your inventory fairly empty by the end.
Re: Quest for the Crown
Yeah me too. Normally I'd be stressed out by that, especially with the red herrings, but there's something about the way this is structured that left me comfortable it wasn't going to be a nightmare. Having fair puzzles certainly helps!
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- Drutt
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon May 08, 2023 2:43 pm
Re: Quest for the Crown
Really nice to see people solving these ancient problems
Re: Quest for the Crown
Are you tempted to make a new game? With all the tools available these days you won't even need to dedicate a full six week summer holiday to it :–)frankster1970 wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 3:57 pm Really nice to see people solving these ancient problems
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- Drutt
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon May 08, 2023 2:43 pm
Re: Quest for the Crown
Perhaps. I really enjoyed the process last time - I'd have to look at what tools are around these days.
As I've mentioned Quest was written during the summer of 1986. I was living at my Grandmother's house at the time. I had a small room upstairs at the back of the house. I can remember the distant sound of the factories through the open window combined with the soft rustle of the leaves that lined both sides of the backings outside. Many hours were spent attending to the graphics for the game - of course in those days on a small black and white portable TV. Fond memories.
As I've mentioned Quest was written during the summer of 1986. I was living at my Grandmother's house at the time. I had a small room upstairs at the back of the house. I can remember the distant sound of the factories through the open window combined with the soft rustle of the leaves that lined both sides of the backings outside. Many hours were spent attending to the graphics for the game - of course in those days on a small black and white portable TV. Fond memories.