Spectrum Computing

Maybe it would want to be 1 pixel wider so it fits snugly on the exit though? There's also no reason why it shouldn't animate (or change image when it is in angry state, as well as or instead of flashing white/black). Easy enough to widen it if needs be. The SAM version of Manic Miner was originall...

Note that in the original game the first vertical guardian (although also referred to as a "special guardian" in the original since I think it used a separate code routine - my 2010 version just had it as a modifier to the enemy type) is Eugene Evans Just bashed out a quick adaptation of ...

Obvs when air supply runs low the tune should go into "peril" mode and speed up. ... Might think about doing checkpoints in MM too (or having an option where if you die items on a level stay collected) - that would make the game probs too easy though if you had enough lives to play with. ...

I'm a lot better at the SAM version than the Spectrum, as I proved by failing to prevent Wayne Robbins winning the Manic Miner competition at RetCon ;) Very curious to see how you handle some levels... not least in the light of this little snippet from an interview with Matthew Smith: The game used ...

If the sprite is updated, you could also consider updating some other aspects of the player sprite and control: 1. Custom sprite for 'standing still' 2. Custom sprite for 'jumping' (or just freeze while jumping) 3. Idle animation? 4. When jumping, forward motion doesn't stop until you land or hit s...

While we didn't quite reach the dizzy heights of 2022, when we had (I think) 5 SAMs in one room, nor did we attract the full pantheon of SAMazing, we had a strong enough presence. The Amstrad Anniversary table may have had pride of place at the entrance, with Roland Perry on the endtable, but the SA...

PS Is the conveyor going the wrong way on the first level deliberate? It does make it quite a bit easier. I think there's an oddity in some Spectrum (and other) adaptations of MM whereby the conveyors don't function as one-way-only platforms, and it's possible to walk along them 'backwards'. This d...

This looks amazing! I was lucky enough to get to play the Sam version at RetCon last year and was very impressed, it's very cool to see the Sam logo on a spectrum screen! Are there any plans to make a version of the full game to work on the Sam? As a 128k game it will need some help to get it runni...

OK, the mystery deepens again... Or maybe not? Given the issue with the SCART socket, I suggested to Steve that we scrutinise the floppy drive port in the second drive bay, just to make sure none of its pins had been clipped. Thankfully, it all seems intact, so that's one less thing to worry about. ...

The plot thickens further: The issue with the drive activity light on my original Atom seems to be down to the CF card rather than the wiring. When using my old 256Mb card, the activity light is permanently on. When using Steve's 4Gb card, the light blinks when the card is accessed. The issue with g...

Not much progress on last night's meet: the material I copied over to Steve's 4Gb CF card still isn't working properly via the Atom interface he was given. There's some glitching in file and record names, and several of the disk images I transferred over reported Track/Sector errors, or 'End of File...

Bit more news about this year's show: Kevin Toms has unfortunately had to pull out, but the full guest list is now available. Alongside ESPectrum , an ESP32 SoC-powered recreation of the ZX Spectrum, making its UK debut, and our regular Sinclair and SAM Coupé contingent, we have: Just confirmed: Rol...

I recently posted about the announcement that Rob Evans/wubsoft will be giving his SAM version of Arkanoid II its public debut at RetCon this year. His plan is to make it a tribute to Imagine Software's home conversions - borrowing assets from the Atari ST version, much like the SAM versions of Rick...

Just published on the Facebook page is the news that SAM Coupé stalwart, Rob Evans (aka wubsoft) will be giving his latest project - Arkanoid II: Revenge of Doh - its public debut at RetCon this year. It's a tribute to the Atari ST conversion, by Imagine Software, and will support the SAM Mouse inte...

Haven't yet fixed my old Atom interface, but I was at least able to use SAMDisk to transfer a few extra bits and bobs to Steve's 4Gb CF card ahead of this week's meet... But not a single thing worked. RECORD correctly listed all the disks I'd transferred over. RECORD [number] didn't encounter any 'I...

Quite a difficult choice between two, for me... Atomic Robo-Kid looked fantastic, and played pretty well as far as the demo went, so I was surprised and disappointed that it wasn't completed and published. Could have been another R-Type level conversion. Dominion seemed like it could have been an aw...

Was interest to see something HoH related at RetCon too :) I really need to get a closer look at that, assuming Colin Porch is there again this year. His sequel looks interesting, but I have to admit that I'm glad the Next version actually has solid walls and floors, rather than following the examp...

The Plot Thickens! I had to miss the Club meet on 28/3 due to illness, but I'd loaned my SCART cable to Steve at the previous meet, so he could wire up his own cable to match. He reported that, having done so, he got no picture on any TV he tried, using his own cable, or mine. At this point, my ins...

The computer is called 'the SAM Coupé'. If it wasn't the label on the shell would have been just 'Coupé', or 'MGT Coupé'... Coincidentally, this was posted in the SAM Users Facebook group this morning: https://i.postimg.cc/WFh068mR/01-computer.jpg from https://www.nickhollanddesign.com/projects/ind...

I understood that the computer is not called "SAM Coupé" and "SAM" has nothing to do with the computer? Was that true or did I read the adverts wrong back then? I remember the same ads... adding to the confusion by treating the SAM robot as something entirely separate from the c...

Thank you, Spud ! Aside from reinstating Eugene, improving Willy's animation and fixing the Game Over screen, I think my imperatives were replacing the system font - the use of unaltered system fonts in games is an absolute bête noire of mine - and the brick textures, most of which were no better th...

Awesome presentation! Not the usual text adventure style, and I particularly appreciate the subtle changes to the font!

I may have shot down my own arguments here. Just asked my girlfriend - who is not a gamer unless you count The Sims or those rollercoaster games - to name a videogame character. Without the slightest pause: "Lara Croft".

I'm a little nonplussed by folks who don't think Miner Willy should be on a BAFTA list of iconic videogame characters... It's the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, after all. Granted, most videogames are coming out of development sweatshops in the US or Japan these days, but that d...

Will you be tarting up the level graphics at all also? The Cold Room is an abolute eye-sore - those melting platforms particularly. Yes - the whole game has had a facelift. Compare and contrast... https://i.postimg.cc/PLgXm7tc/The-Cold-Room-Original.png https://i.postimg.cc/S2cyVGRK/The-Cold-Room-R...