Actually Larry 1 could fit in 128 kB Spectrum in single load from tape. Or maybe even 48 kB if we simplify graphics and reduce number of text.
It has only about 20-30 locations, some not full screen. With some compressions graphics would take about 60-80 kB, leaving the rest of memory for code and text.
And actually some Spectrum text game called Larry exists which I suspect to be a clone of Larry by Sierra:
I always wanted to play a Graphic adventure in the Spectrum.
I also wish Monkey Island and Toki will some day be converted for the spectrum.
Graphic adventures, yes, but with nice screens! I don't mind if they're drawn from scratch or digitised, but we're starting to see more and more digitised screens that are used without being improved first.
Actually Larry 1 could fit in 128 kB Spectrum in single load from tape. Or maybe even 48 kB if we simplify graphics and reduce number of text.
It has only about 20-30 locations, some not full screen. With some compressions graphics would take about 60-80 kB, leaving the rest of memory for code and text.
And actually some Spectrum text game called Larry exists which I suspect to be a clone of Larry by Sierra:
It seems the game was made in Brazil, not in Portugal, and the author used a translated version of GAC. I'm trying to obtain more information about the author (to try to obtain a TZX or at least the loading screen) but all his webpages are gone... :/
The text file included with the snapshot file says graphics were done by Jairo de Benedicto Filho.
Webpages that can be seen via the way back machine:
The company he mentions in larry.txt is also gone from the web. To find the original author/s will be a little bit hard.
Words from the author taken from a post by him at emuparadise:
Hi everyone. I'm Luiz Cressoni Filho, the writer of this software. It is a text adventure game for the ZX_Spectrum based on the "Leisure Suit Larry" series and was written using the "Graphic Adventure Creator". I'm not sure, but I believe I wrote it around 1986.
The goal is to find a 'date'. Walk around, talk to people, buy and give things... Just like real life.
Frank, from that quick translation I can see the words have the usual byte thing added to the last letter, which in my case make the whole translating thing a little bit more difficult. :( There are also traces of the adventure creator itself in the game, which I find odd.
edit: I just found Jairo's page and there's a good chance he's the authors brother. There's no e-mail address but I might make an international phone call just to see if I can find some answers. :D
What about the commands? Is it possible to modify it so it "W" for West instead of "O"?
The original loader was in a REM statement at 23796. I would like to see (and understand) what this loader did. :)
I'm not going to promise a recording of the game because I'm terrible at that, but I would be delighted to go through a list of words in a text file if someone else was able to help with creating that text file and copying the translated words back into the game. But you explained that translating wouldn't help. :(
If Gasman can stream a whole episode of Simpsons, nothings seems impossible anymore. It will never fit into 48k memory, but PC or Amiga versions also always loaded in next levels.
If Gasman can stream a whole episode of Simpsons, nothings seems impossible anymore. It will never fit into 48k memory, but PC or Amiga versions also always loaded in next levels.
as far i know Gasman's video player is built on Divide (which is not standard thing - i wish it would be more common but it is not) with custom firmware (as usually, we have 4 firmwares for divide - tape/snapshot loaders and ports of archaic file systems - i do not wonder that most people use divide just as quicker tape.)
as far i know Gasman's video player is built on Divide (which is not standard thing - i wish it would be more common but it is not) with custom firmware (as usually, we have 4 firmwares for divide - tape/snapshot loaders and ports of archaic file systems - i do not wonder that most people use divide just as quicker tape.)
That?s why I don?t like the Divide. It makes a Dia projector from the Spectrum, the MB02 for example makes a real work machine. Files on the Spectrum should be the standard BASIC and CODE, not just TAP or Snaps.
But this goes off topic, so back to the first question: Adventures like Maniac Mansion appeared on the C-64, so it should be possible on Spectrum too. However, it will be never in one memory and it is impossible to create it from Tape, just when moving forward and backward you have to have long tape loading and sometimes seek the right part on your tape. Such a game can only exist on a floppy disk (or other media). But at least it is possible, maybe even for +3 (two disks probably).
However, it will be never in one memory and it is impossible to create it from Tape, just when moving forward and backward you have to have long tape loading and sometimes seek the right part on your tape. Such a game can only exist on a floppy disk (or other media). But at least it is possible, maybe even for +3 (two disks probably).
Devices like Divide can seek through TAP files VERY quickly. I have converted quite some multi-part games from TRD to TAP and use headerless files with the FLAG byte as a "file descriptor" and the file seek is very fast, you don't even notice it. With this method you can have 255 different files in the TAP file, otherwise you can always go with normal Header files to load different blocks and basically have unlimited number of files within the TAP.
But this goes off topic, so back to the first question: Adventures like Maniac Mansion appeared on the C-64, so it should be possible on Spectrum too.
but i think that c64 version dont use unique picture for every location. it looks much more like it uses just a tileset. something similar was done in Jmeno ruze. unfortunately (for most people), it is in czech language and it would be hard task to translate it (basically, it is a bit adult and humorous adventure where inspector Closeau visits monastery similar to place where Eco's placed his Name of rose and it uses jokes based on czech dubbing of Pink Panther series.
another rather good attempts were Zombi and Sidewalk.
actually, this list shows that there were notable attempts to bring graphic adventure on zx.
what i was thinking that using handdrawn pictures for every location would quickly fill all available memory. with packed screens 256x128 i estimate about 3K per screen.
48K - 10 screens
128K - 30 screens (which i guess is reasonable for small adventure)
+3 disks with capacity of 170K doesnt look very helpfull, 360K or 720K floppies sounds much better.
so i was thinking that direct conversion of Larry to spectrum is very unlikely possible. some kind of remix would be perhaps better.
btw. i was always thinking that it would be nice to see real adventure with NPC and many objects build on engine similar to freescape.
Devices like Divide can seek through TAP files VERY quickly. I have converted quite some multi-part games from TRD to TAP and use headerless files with the FLAG byte as a "file descriptor" and the file seek is very fast, you don't even notice it. With this method you can have 255 different files in the TAP file, otherwise you can always go with normal Header files to load different blocks and basically have unlimited number of files within the TAP.
May I ask you for that ex-TRD Files? I am MB02 User, with my Discinterface I can convert TAP-Files and run them like a tape, but from disc (same routines work).
I might contact authors of very good games if I can convert them and include in our disk-magazin...
You surely can contact me via the Sintech-website or just send PM.
Comments
Come on ! Download a utility to create games either on the Speccy or PC and have a go yourself.
Do you really think after all your 'best game to play whilst listening to....' people are really gonna say yes to your idea ?!
Try not to be a pain first and then ask people if anyone wants to remake that game
[ This Message was edited by: psj3809 on 2005-05-24 15:28 ]
Not only that, this is after telling an active Spectrum developer "how about getting a life", too.
Agreed indeed!
That 'Doom' demo was almost 1/2 a step in the right direction, theres always a way to convert :lol:
I might have a go..
Nice news!
I always wanted to play a Graphic adventure in the Spectrum.
I also wish Monkey Island and Toki will some day be converted for the spectrum.
It has only about 20-30 locations, some not full screen. With some compressions graphics would take about 60-80 kB, leaving the rest of memory for code and text.
And actually some Spectrum text game called Larry exists which I suspect to be a clone of Larry by Sierra:
http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0006560
But it is in Portugese so I cannnot confirm if it is THIS Larry and if there are any girls pictures later.
Graphic adventures, yes, but with nice screens! I don't mind if they're drawn from scratch or digitised, but we're starting to see more and more digitised screens that are used without being improved first.
Unsure about the girls bit, but if you tell me how to extract the text from the .Z80 archive I would gladly translate it.
The text in this Portuguese Larry is actually uncompressed. I include my quick,dirty text rip.
Judging by words like preservativo, prostituta or afrodisiaco I am sure now that Larry Laffer himself visited the Spectrum universe :)
Translating the text won't be much useful as it's practically impossible to complete a text game in a language that you don't know.
But you, as a Portuguese speaker, could make a recording of this game to show us how it looks on Spectrum.
I tried some direction commands like N,S,E,O and there are graphics for each location, so maybe there are girls too ???
Just use a solution to Larry 1, I guess and be careful so nobody sees you playing it :)
The text file included with the snapshot file says graphics were done by Jairo de Benedicto Filho.
Webpages that can be seen via the way back machine:
www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/3215
http://www.cressoft.hpg.ig.com.br/
The company he mentions in larry.txt is also gone from the web. To find the original author/s will be a little bit hard.
Words from the author taken from a post by him at emuparadise:
Frank, from that quick translation I can see the words have the usual byte thing added to the last letter, which in my case make the whole translating thing a little bit more difficult. :( There are also traces of the adventure creator itself in the game, which I find odd.
edit: I just found Jairo's page and there's a good chance he's the authors brother. There's no e-mail address but I might make an international phone call just to see if I can find some answers. :D
What about the commands? Is it possible to modify it so it "W" for West instead of "O"?
The original loader was in a REM statement at 23796. I would like to see (and understand) what this loader did. :)
I'm not going to promise a recording of the game because I'm terrible at that, but I would be delighted to go through a list of words in a text file if someone else was able to help with creating that text file and copying the translated words back into the game. But you explained that translating wouldn't help. :(
I've found the authors and they're both delighted with the preservation effort. They're trying to find the cassette as we speak. :)
If Gasman can stream a whole episode of Simpsons, nothings seems impossible anymore. It will never fit into 48k memory, but PC or Amiga versions also always loaded in next levels.
That?s why I don?t like the Divide. It makes a Dia projector from the Spectrum, the MB02 for example makes a real work machine. Files on the Spectrum should be the standard BASIC and CODE, not just TAP or Snaps.
But this goes off topic, so back to the first question: Adventures like Maniac Mansion appeared on the C-64, so it should be possible on Spectrum too. However, it will be never in one memory and it is impossible to create it from Tape, just when moving forward and backward you have to have long tape loading and sometimes seek the right part on your tape. Such a game can only exist on a floppy disk (or other media). But at least it is possible, maybe even for +3 (two disks probably).
Regards
Thomas
Great, Bruno!
Have they written anything else?
And maybe they could tell you how to complete this game?
Devices like Divide can seek through TAP files VERY quickly. I have converted quite some multi-part games from TRD to TAP and use headerless files with the FLAG byte as a "file descriptor" and the file seek is very fast, you don't even notice it. With this method you can have 255 different files in the TAP file, otherwise you can always go with normal Header files to load different blocks and basically have unlimited number of files within the TAP.
another rather good attempts were Zombi and Sidewalk.
actually, this list shows that there were notable attempts to bring graphic adventure on zx.
what i was thinking that using handdrawn pictures for every location would quickly fill all available memory. with packed screens 256x128 i estimate about 3K per screen.
48K - 10 screens
128K - 30 screens (which i guess is reasonable for small adventure)
+3 disks with capacity of 170K doesnt look very helpfull, 360K or 720K floppies sounds much better.
so i was thinking that direct conversion of Larry to spectrum is very unlikely possible. some kind of remix would be perhaps better.
btw. i was always thinking that it would be nice to see real adventure with NPC and many objects build on engine similar to freescape.
Yes. It is implemented like that in all current firmwares. It allows exactly this functioanlity... :)
May I ask you for that ex-TRD Files? I am MB02 User, with my Discinterface I can convert TAP-Files and run them like a tape, but from disc (same routines work).
I might contact authors of very good games if I can convert them and include in our disk-magazin...
You surely can contact me via the Sintech-website or just send PM.
Regards
Thomas