tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post3639183649187749587..comments2024-03-28T13:59:51.408-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Game 437: Dungeon of Ymir (1986)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-8618036186158155552021-10-26T11:22:43.915-04:002021-10-26T11:22:43.915-04:00Way back when, I played a dirt bike game in my unc...Way back when, I played a dirt bike game in my uncle's ZX81 that had the same controls and didn't find it easy either.Maurohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13967394039678741273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-14604634732577710812021-10-25T12:59:05.282-04:002021-10-25T12:59:05.282-04:00No, all games are rated against each other regardl...No, all games are rated against each other regardless of the capabilities of the platform or even the capabilities of the era. CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49847311948857066842021-10-25T11:59:55.701-04:002021-10-25T11:59:55.701-04:00Great post, and great video! You are right that th...Great post, and great video! You are right that the ZX81 wasn't well served for RPGs (neither, for that matter, is the ZX Spectrum).<br /><br />Do you take into account the system's capabilities when giving a Gimlet score for graphics? And dmx says above, the system isn't supposed to be capable of hi-res graphics or even user-defined characters. So compared to the offerings on systems of later years, the 1 score is fair, but compared to what the ZX81 usually achieved, the visuals are almost mind-blowing.Cyningstanhttp://dos.cyningstan.org.uk/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-27002642088722686202021-10-24T14:06:06.297-04:002021-10-24T14:06:06.297-04:00I feel compelled to mention that "Timewarp&qu...I feel compelled to mention that "Timewarp" is a reference to "Rocky Horror Picture Show" for the younger readers.ERobertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10100273633659655294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-41117103346608718342021-10-23T12:35:34.506-04:002021-10-23T12:35:34.506-04:00I actually had a Timex-Sinclair 1000 myself. I bou...I actually had a Timex-Sinclair 1000 myself. I bought it from a neighbor for $80 and hooked it up to an old black-and-white television. I learned the basics of BASIC programming on it, but I seem to recall there were some BASIC keywords that it didn't support. My mother used to bring me home printouts of code from programs at her office. Sometimes I could get them to run, sometimes I couldn't.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-64702368589501720932021-10-22T14:34:04.803-04:002021-10-22T14:34:04.803-04:00And here I thought the horror of Sinclair machines...And here I thought the horror of Sinclair machines was thankfully limited to the UK. My deepest condolences to anyone in the civilized world who had to own one of them instead of a real computer growing up. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-87345916609981846202021-10-22T12:50:08.796-04:002021-10-22T12:50:08.796-04:00Oops, I see you explain all that in more detail on...Oops, I see you explain all that in more detail on your entry on Nemesis. Carry on!<br /><br />BAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-25738465103283985232021-10-22T12:48:41.473-04:002021-10-22T12:48:41.473-04:00Isn't the source for ur-viles Stephen Donaldso...Isn't the source for ur-viles Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Covenant series? The first book came out in 1977 so it seems plausible to me that the author got it from the source (the ur-text, if you will...)<br /><br />BAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-58519479200189848812021-10-22T08:23:54.058-04:002021-10-22T08:23:54.058-04:00That was just about when my family (in the U.S.) g...That was just about when my family (in the U.S.) got our Timex Sinclair at a garage sale, and it was our first computer. I was only 5, but remember trying to play Lunar Lander and Merchant of Venus. The chemistry quiz tape was equally entertaining, which might say something about the quality of the games, or about me... or both!Walter Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03330883867672142212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-47983989722997751542021-10-21T19:48:31.735-04:002021-10-21T19:48:31.735-04:00I used the same composition software when I was a ...I used the same composition software when I was a teenager and loved “Caverns of the Heart” (as well as playing the Moonlight Sonata sample at top speed, but this is off topic). <br /><br />I did not realize that the author of this game was the same person till I got to his tribute page and recognize having seen it many years ago. It is very sad that he died so young.Vaubannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-49828713993841875202021-10-21T19:10:01.604-04:002021-10-21T19:10:01.604-04:00There are quite a few Timex Sinclairs floating aro...There are quite a few Timex Sinclairs floating around in North America, both ZX81 and Spectrum rebadgings, but what anybody ever played on them seems like a mystery. As you say, a game released in '96 for the ZX81 is unusual, especially since I understand there wasn't a lot of software for it back when it was new. I'm sure at least the Speccy rebadgings could have their software imported...if you were for some reason really dedicated to it.MorpheusKitamihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16591271981112642781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-32206618856536337522021-10-21T15:25:17.453-04:002021-10-21T15:25:17.453-04:00That's a touching tribute page. Thanks for lin...That's a touching tribute page. Thanks for linking to it.Buckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07270991090065636515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-9012034898907343792021-10-21T14:54:47.479-04:002021-10-21T14:54:47.479-04:00He mentioned it in the video, it needs a 16k RAM e...He mentioned it in the video, it needs a 16k RAM expansion to run.Iffy Bonzooliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07519858732154180575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85045970523324250152021-10-21T14:47:09.012-04:002021-10-21T14:47:09.012-04:00Hahaha I also took note of that phrasing :DHahaha I also took note of that phrasing :DMayhaymhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10379607747655676744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-14670311631336953882021-10-21T14:21:06.334-04:002021-10-21T14:21:06.334-04:00Those black & white screenshots look like embr...Those black & white screenshots look like embroidery.Damienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01292483318253446632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-77535323233357129902021-10-21T13:09:18.219-04:002021-10-21T13:09:18.219-04:00There were some around for sure. I had a friend wi...There were some around for sure. I had a friend with a Timex Sinclair (as it was more commonly called here) in Calgary. Pretty sure it was purchased locally.Inebrushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06034088229996129697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-56460084450882279162021-10-21T11:48:23.029-04:002021-10-21T11:48:23.029-04:00Wow... Fred Nachbaur also wrote the song I used fo...Wow... Fred Nachbaur also wrote the song I used for Realms of Antiquity "Caverns of the Heart".<br /><br />I first heard it because it was supplied as an example MIDI for song composition software in the early 00's. I got permission from his daughter to use it in the game.<br /><br />His music tribute page can be found here: http://dogstarmusic.ca/tributes.htmAdamantyrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14962009901412877763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-20249541138490099292021-10-21T03:59:21.646-04:002021-10-21T03:59:21.646-04:00Wow, I've learned something new about the ZX81...Wow, I've learned something new about the ZX81. I always thought it is not capable of true graphics, and it can display only the built-in set of characters (which includes characters for drawing frames etc.) But it seems that there are some major hacks that allow you to do hires graphics:<br /><br />https://retrocomputing.stackexchange.com/questions/6134/how-do-high-resolution-graphics-work-on-the-zx81<br /><br />https://www.sinclairzxworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=1918<br /><br />Just for scholarly completeness: I assume that this program requires a memory expansion and does not work with the 1KB RAM of the standard model. Maybe note this somewhere where you mention that the platform is ZX81.dmxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-76719282428212623112021-10-21T00:03:04.428-04:002021-10-21T00:03:04.428-04:00New PC-98 game translation for 1994:
http://www.ro...New PC-98 game translation for 1994:<br />http://www.romhacking.net/translations/6138/<br />This uses the Might and Magic 3 engine, so it'll be interesting to see what gets kept and what gets changed. Although of course, the graphics and story are already totally new.P-Tux7https://www.blogger.com/profile/03201162995038006540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4774561871377858642021-10-20T23:24:08.279-04:002021-10-20T23:24:08.279-04:00It is bizarre that a Canadian would develop a ZX8...It is bizarre that a Canadian would develop a ZX81 game, especially as late as 1986. At that time, I was actively reading computer magazines and otherwise following new developments. The ZX81 had utterly no market presence in Canada; I first saw one in-person in about 1997 at a computer flea market, and that system had been imported from the UK by the owner. I wonder how many copies were sold. Jonathanhttp://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ab443/home.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62401577684408399422021-10-20T18:25:28.956-04:002021-10-20T18:25:28.956-04:00I also reside in the home province of the late aut...I also reside in the home province of the late author of this game. Kaslo and indeed Ymir itself are also small communities in the interior of British Columbia.Rowan Lipkovitshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08691096685515251681noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-55079677342321650732021-10-20T16:58:35.911-04:002021-10-20T16:58:35.911-04:00I had the same thought on the Time Warp. Let'...I had the same thought on the Time Warp. Let's do it again Peeps!<br />arthurdawghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04269435724709435094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-48243452293386161502021-10-20T16:26:11.382-04:002021-10-20T16:26:11.382-04:00I remember firing up Nemesis (1981) for the CP/M a...<i>I remember firing up Nemesis (1981) for the CP/M a few years ago, seeing that one of the classes was "ur-vile," and ultimately determining that not only was the game adapted from the PLATO Oubliette, but also that the authors had attended the University of Illinois and thus had been exposed to PLATO games.</i><br /><br />Yeah, that comes with the territory of being our generation's foremost expert on CRPGs. Seeing that the man has literally <i>played them all</i>, after that happens you get to connect the dots like this. And he took us all along for the ride.<br /><br />My favorite moment of clarity from this blog I liked so much I bookmarked it so I can quote it on command.<br /><br />"Arborea was covered in several Amiga magazines, which predictably focused on the graphics, sound, and music rather than the actual gameplay elements. (The May 1991 review from CU Amiga begins by giving thanks that "the days [are gone] when a role-playing game meant little more than a great leap of the imagination, a plot with trolls and gameplay along the lines of a special maths paper." You want to know when RPGs started getting "dumbed down"? This is it, right here.)"<br /><br />-- The CRPG Addict, <a href="http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2014/10/game-166-crystals-of-arborea-1990.html" rel="nofollow">http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2014/10/game-166-crystals-of-arborea-1990.html</a><br /><br /><i>The ability to maneuver is vital to survival, which makes it all the more unforgivable that the movement is mapped to the number keys like this:</i><br /><br />vi users would have no problem with those. :D<br /><br /><i>The game occasionally yells, "Time Warp!" and prevents you from moving for a few rounds. I don't know what the purpose of that is supposed to be.</i><br /><br />It's just a jump to the left...and then a step to the ri-i-i-ight. <br /><br />Hooray for another video! Super informative and we can really see how the game plays! And the narration is great. Harlandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-44324926111493420762021-10-20T12:48:55.687-04:002021-10-20T12:48:55.687-04:00"One of the parts of this job that I love bes..."One of the parts of this job that I love best..."<br /><br />You heard him, folks, it's officially no longer just a hobby ;)BESTIEunlmtnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22725812515160850582021-10-20T12:29:16.684-04:002021-10-20T12:29:16.684-04:00I mentioned that in the video but forgot to put it...I mentioned that in the video but forgot to put it in the text. In any event, the game requires such quick reactions that I don't know the little pictures would have helped.CRPG Addictnoreply@blogger.com