swainy
Vector Runner
Posts: 26
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Post by swainy on Oct 23, 2011 6:48:56 GMT -5
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Post by VectorX on Oct 23, 2011 9:30:13 GMT -5
Great to hear of more homebrews Get pics if you can! I'm hopefully going to an annual one here in town in a few weeks. I have the money to go but transportation's iffy.
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Post by sokurah on Nov 3, 2011 17:32:03 GMT -5
Well, I'm going to the Replay Expo too. Swainy already knows this (from World of Spectrum) but my latest game is a ZX Spectrum game called Dingo, so I'll be there having a look around a selling a few physical copies of the game.
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Post by VectorX on Nov 3, 2011 17:54:33 GMT -5
Good luck with the sales!
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Post by gamezone on Nov 4, 2011 8:01:51 GMT -5
I know I can get details about the 128k Spectrum online but it would be nice to know more from a first hand point of view. Any details would be helpful?
Thanks!
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Post by sokurah on Nov 4, 2011 10:58:28 GMT -5
What sort of information are you looking for?
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Post by gamezone on Nov 4, 2011 13:30:19 GMT -5
Thanks for getting back sokurah. I am looking for info about the controllers and some more game info and more about what the system can do?
The screenshots above look really good. Thanks for the link above.
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Post by sokurah on Nov 4, 2011 15:15:55 GMT -5
Thanks for getting back sokurah. I am looking for info about the controllers and some more game info and more about what the system can do? Here's a crash course on the Spectrum 128K... It's not really "a system" - it's a computer. Turn it on and you get a prompt and it'll let you program in the Basic language. So, you can program it Basic on it, but most people just play games on it. To load those games you'll need a tapedeck to load them (and to save anything you may make yourself), but eventually, like with most computers from that time, various discdrives would become available. Not that it improved things a lot since only VERY little software came out for those discsystems. That didn't really happen until Sinclair was bought by Amstrad and they came out with the Spectrum +3 (which is basically just a 128K with a discdrive bolted on). A little software came out on discs for that one, but not that many titles. The difference between a Spectrum 48K and a 128K computer is; more memory, a (somewhat) better keyboard, and an AY-something soundchip that improved its sound capabilities. A lot of games came out for the 128K machine, though. Most were just expanded versions of the 48K games, but some "pure" 128K games were released too. The Spectrum 128K did not have a joystick port, so you were stuck playing with the keyboard, or having to buy a plug-on joystick interface - the Kempson being the most popular one. It has never really been utilized very well by homebrewers though. Swainy's Double Dragon project is one of the very few homebrew 128K games made.
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Post by VectorX on Nov 4, 2011 18:31:41 GMT -5
Yeah I don't know much about the Sprectrum but I didn't think it had much of a homebrew scene. So that's a bit of a surprise to have a new game out for it!
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Post by gamezone on Nov 5, 2011 8:04:06 GMT -5
Thank you sokurah. Crash Course was right on! I learned more in those few sentences then I could scouring the internet. From what I had read I thought it looked like you needed a joystick add-on.
I am a big fan of Double Dragon so it surprised me to see such a nice screenshot of a computer I did not know much about.
Dingo looks equally impressive! Nice Job to you both!!
If I can continue to pick your brain with questions.
Was the Spectrum a world wide release or just a certain region? Does the keyboard hold up after heavy use? Is the tapedeck any good? What are some of your favorite titles past and present? Does the system have arcade ports?
I do not mean to ask so many questions but I have an Atari 400 C-64 and Vic-20 all with tape decks. Maybe it is the nostalgia factor but I miss using a tapedeck.
Blame VectorX!! He had to show pictures of the Atari 2600 tapedeck add-on player. I call it the Supercharger but what ever name it goes by it is still a cool unit.
My interest has been peaked so I appreciate any more info about the ZX Spectrum.
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Post by VectorX on Nov 5, 2011 13:26:59 GMT -5
Blame VectorX!! He had to show pictures of the Atari 2600 tapedeck add-on player. I call it the Supercharger but what ever name it goes by it is still a cool unit. Oh yeah, it's all MY fault Yeah, it's called the Supercharger. Lived up to its name too, I think.
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Post by sokurah on Nov 11, 2011 19:01:06 GMT -5
Thank you sokurah. Crash Course was right on! I learned more in those few sentences then I could scouring the internet. From what I had read I thought it looked like you needed a joystick add-on. If I can continue to pick your brain with questions. Was the Spectrum a world wide release or just a certain region? Does the keyboard hold up after heavy use? Is the tapedeck any good? What are some of your favorite titles past and present? Does the system have arcade ports? My interest has been peaked so I appreciate any more info about the ZX Spectrum. Sorry for being so late with an answer, but I've been crazy busy all week. Here's some answers, though. The Spectrum was English and used the PAL system, so it was only available in Europe. However, there was an American version called the Timex Sinclair 2068 which DID have the AY-3-8912 sound chip and joystick ports, but it wasn't 100% compatible with the UK computer and I don't think there was much software for it and it pretty much bombed. The rubber+membrane keyboard on the UK computer wasn't the best to type on - certainly not as good the the one on its main competiton - the C64, but it was okay and excellent for gaming. The membrane under the rubberkeys will get worn out after years of use, but it can be replaced. I just replaced it in two of my machines for £15 each. The tape deck on the +2 is pretty crappy and you're better off with an external one. Almost any one can be used - normal 3.5 mono jacks are used. The computer has loads of arcade ports. Read a bit more in this thread: www.worldofspectrum.org/forums/showthread.php?t=28296&highlight=arcade+portsBut some of the really good ones are Bomb Jack, Space Harrier, Renegade, Rod-Land, Chase HQ, Bubble Bobble, R-Type, Green Beret, Gauntlet, Rainbow Islands, and many more. But there's lots more than just arcade ports. Star Strike 3D which is an awesome Star Wars clone, Knight Lore which is a legendary groundbreaking isometric game, and...arrgh, I hardly know where to start, but try here: www.worldofspectrum.org/bestgames.html - the "top 100 best Spectrum games" list that are compiled automatically each day, based on the scores that the games in the database gets. Notice that my game, Dingo, sits at position 44 as the only game produced after 1994 - and that the entire database has more than 10.000 games and spans 29 years. Not bad. ;-) Personal favourites are games like Knight Lore, Sabre Wulf, Atic Atac (all from the same company as Dingo emulates being from), Cobra, Highway Encounter, Manic Miner, Rod-Land & Nodes of Yesod.
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Post by VectorX on Nov 11, 2011 19:42:11 GMT -5
Notice that my game, Dingo, sits at position 44 as the only game produced after 1994 - and that the entire database has more than 10.000 games and spans 29 years. Not bad. ;-) Sucks that that's been the only game in that time, but cool to be unique though
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Post by gamezone on Nov 12, 2011 22:59:48 GMT -5
I have heard of the Timex Sinclair. I appreciate your time sokurah. Lot of games!!
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Post by sokurah on Jan 6, 2012 18:48:07 GMT -5
Notice that my game, Dingo, sits at position 44 as the only game produced after 1994 - and that the entire database has more than 10.000 games and spans 29 years. Not bad. ;-) Just thought I should post this. Dingo has dissappeared from the TOP 100 a long time ago - pushed out by many better games being voted higher, but that's okay...just wish I'd grabbed a screenshot while it was there. ;D What warms my heart, though, is that it's reviewed in the latest issue of Retro Gamer Magazine and scores a nice 91%. I've blurred the text so I don't step on anyones toes by posting scans from a magazine that has only just come out. ...now if only I could find the arcade PCB.
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