Jetboot Jack

So saying you like the work, hope to see more and think it alludes to a type of game sorely missing from the A8 catalogue is somehow bad? sTeVE

Sorry I should have been more clear Irgendwer and you;re right to pull me up I was being rather facetious. There are many wireframe A8 games, but most are terrible, very low frame rates or turgid simulations with all the fun sucked out of them - nothing with the pace or innovation of the other 8bit classics like Elite - aside from Blaster and Mercenary IMHO. ​And seeing something like this, with a more freeform scenario rather than a simulation seems a great direction to go in. sTeVE

Are there many 3D games like this demo on the A8? Aside from Mercenary and Blaster I really don't recollect any stand out wireframe (or solid poly) games on the little A8 - I think the demo you've put out Dr.Sid is really neat - like a few people have said on this thread, it's an area that seems ill explored on the A8 - yet well represented on other 8bit platforms (ZX spectrum etc).. I for one would love to see more! sTeVE

But what if the hardware assist was in game's cart, like Nosty's Tomek project - then the acceleration would be available to all users, no special hardware required. Kinda like SFX chips in SNES games, or the DPC chip in 2600 Pitfall 2. That would be the best way to go IMHO if one could not achieve the results alone. sTeVE

My dictionary link said "fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners" I stand by my assertion that by attributing a negative connotation to a person you identify geographically is racist. You could have said "Let me guess, it belonged to someone who was born into opulence, while the people down the road couldn't afford to have running water?" But instead you invoked a cheap stereotype "someone in the Middle East" implying that the their ethnicity was important in your statement. You can call me a bully (I dunno know why, I'm just telling you how your post made me feel) - but I stand by my assertion - and I might add I am free to do so - that your post offended ME for those reasons. Sorry to be upset, but I am by your post - I'm no being politically correct, just made unhappy by your post...

Fair enough - I guess it worked, consider me baited! sTeVE

That's what happens when an idiot like me decides to be offended by typical internet hate speech - or do you think casual racism is acceptable? sTeVE

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xenophobia Not fear, but hatred - racism, you know the casual type where you throw in a comment that is deeply offensive. Your poorly composed post could have just said wealthy fool, but you chose to use a racial stereotype to make your point - nasty! sTeVE

wow - that's a pretty shitty xenophobic post there fujidude - I think that needs reporting as offensive! sTeVE

Very, very cool track - awesome result.. sTeVE

That "corrupted text" is correct on the interstitial screens - it resolves into the message level by level. However the version of Bristles in the A8 game pack is broken - running under either emulator provided, your character when hit and does the head bob animation can get stuck doing this animation, not the roll, but the head bob and become jammed against the screen edge bobbing manically until a random joypad input frees them up.. sTeVE

My copy just arrived all safe and sound - absolutely wonderful package, superbly made cartridge, delightful extras and packaging! It reminds me of the games that got me hooked on gaming, the ones I used to buy from ads in the back of computer magazines in the early 80's from the myriad small and highly original software companies - hand made, full of character and always intreguing. Opening the box was like a little time machine, like those infocom games of old in some ways, or an ultima game, a box of delights - an absolutely great piece of work - more please

Looks out of focus. I think the hand drawn stuff for the remaster on the C64 is quite a bit nicer than the tool based conversions - whatever the machine's palette limitations those images by Mermaid are absolutely lovely! sTeVE

I know JK - I can ask.. sTeVE

FYI - "Wonder if Tony Crowther still has or had knowledge / code of this from a conversion of TRAP" - the A8 version was done by Russell Knight, as was the Barbarian Demo (ay my behest).. sTeVE

The ones I really wished I had not lost were or got copies of when I saw them were: Trap (Alligata) - I had this on disc Barbarian (Psygnosis) - only a demo, but I had this on disc Winter Games - I saw that at Atari UK UFO (7800) based on the Gerry Anderson TV show - I saw that at Atari UK Black Lamp (2600) - I saw that at Atari UK sTeVE

'-> Microprose: Gunship, Airborne Ranger;" - I know for a fact these were killed off prior to any work being done - simply no market for them apparently, that is from the horses mouth(s) sTeVE

Again I am not sure John would be that helpful, was he involved in the A8 version - not to my knowledge, and I never spoke or interacted with him when we were stumbling through work on LN2. Chances are if there were any A8 LN activity it was out of house, not diverting attention of the in-house team onto less profitable formats. sTeVE

From my experience with System 3 Mark was not very hands on at all with developers doing conversions, all my dealings with them were handled by Roger Large. It would also be fair to say that asking for details of long lost projects from nearly 30 years ago is genuinely likely to result in a blank stare - someone whose business is publishing games would probably not remember the ones that never happened? sTeVE

I would love to see the correct artefact settings and proper hi-res versions of these titles in the gamepack! sTeVE

okay - yeah total failures, especially that are classics, re-done well I understand. For instance Green Beret - I would pay for a good A8 version. And indeed why not have the best on the best :-) But I am not keen on tinkering with classics or fixing up games already good enough. sTeVE

But why - better versions already exist of all those titles, just not on the A8 What is the advantage of a better version of game we've already played? What is interesting about "Pitstop II (should look and feel like the C64 version)" - just play the C64 version! Take Arkanoid - don't fix the version we have, it's what it is - sadly. Instead do an all new Arkanoid II that is as good as it could be on the A8 - that way we get the best software and a new interesting experience... Just my 10c of course! sTeVE

Quite torn on this idea - I'd rather see new material than changes to old games. Games are a reflection of their time, to add coloured sprites to Star Raiders, would in my option, be sacrilege - kinda like painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa - leave the original art alone. Now porting titles that never made it to the 8bit is cool, like Elite (hint hint) - never before released old titles are always exciting (coulda, shoulda, woulda) or better still developing a stinking new Star Raiders III - now those would be great ideas! sTeVE

I genuinely am amazed by the naivety of the majority of people on this thread - these games are commercial products, the cost to develop vs the potential sales income 100% defines the quality of the game for the majority of titles. What good is creating the best game in the world, for a tiny audience, making no income and going bust?!? We really need to be realistic about the market environment in 1980's games publishing - and whilst I would LOVE every A8 game to be wonderful as a creator if there were 100 times as many sales on C64, that's the version I would prioritise. sTeVE

I'm not going to name drop - but I have and do talk to most of the people involved in UK games development form the 80's onwards quite regularly. I knew the publishing team at BT (Firebird, Railbird etc) - there was NO money in making A8 games, at £1.99 or £9.99 - they tried a few and that was their conclusion. I worked with them much later (Microprose) - so their recollections were a few years old, but I do not doubt what they said. It was the SAME story at every UK publisher I ever met, and I have asked a few both back in the day and in more recent years over a beer at various industry events. There was just not enough "market" to justify the investment - remember after you have made the software, you have to test it, master and duplicate it, package it and distribute it - the costs of making a game are usually less that 1/4 of the cost to retail - which is typically 30/35% less that the retail price - you do the maths on a £1.99 game! sTeVE