A guy over at The ZZAP! forums has said that the venue was too small, the prices were high for car-boot quality hardware and that the music was rubbish.
It was awfully tight in there. The music was also a bit pants. The prices varied. There were some absolute bargains to be had there, but there was one stand who was charging stupidly high prices for hardware. You can guess which stand emptied first!
All in all though, quite enjoyable. I did have to leave at about 4.30 as something came up I had to attend to, and matthew Smith was a no-show until then, I assume he didn't show at all, which was a massive shame!
They had a guy who got the first ever perfect score on Pac-Man there, and seriously, he was stuck in the 80's with his appearance, it was so funny to look at!
A working ZX80 with bits and bobs was up for grabs at ?150... if only I could spare the cashflow right now...
The show wasn't bad - good talks, but not too much on the stands that I was interested in. Still, finally met Gerard after helping out each other over the past eight years :)
VERY warm, though.
Would I go again...? Depends on the guest speakers, upon which I think that show will live or die on. Plus where was the old computer exhibition? I thought that was the initial reasons for CGE's existance?
Also, next year I'd like to help out some Speccy/SAM stalls in some way. I spent four or five hours there as a visitor and I can't see how I personally could spend all day there without having something else to do.
But, hey, very good value for ?10 on the door. Next year I'd like to see the old computer museum, and lots more old arcade machines.
Well the preservation team managed to pick up some very nice MIA's at low cost.
We managed to meet a few people and get a few extra contacts.
Overall opinion.
Venue - Far too small
Music - On the crappier side of Crap
Organisation - What that ?
Fun Factor - Great day out and a chance to meet a lot of people.
People - With the exception of one pain in the arse absolutly fantastic.
Prices - If you were selective there were some excellent bargins to be had but generally on the high side of Ebay.
And, yes, the organisation left a lot to be desired. No list of times of the talks, for instance, leading to minus-five-minute warnings for the game-player-record-breaker-people thingy.
The programmer Q&A should have gone for longer, too, although I'm not sure how. After 45 minutes, people's attention-span breaks down.
Edit: And what was Retro-soft's big announcement anyway? All I saw a a few sheets of A4 saying they've struck deals, but didn't go into any detail.
Edit: And what was Retro-soft's big announcement anyway? All I saw a a few sheets of A4 saying they've struck deals, but didn't go into any detail.
Heh. I was just about to ask that! Did Matthew Smith actually show up at all? I heard that both Retro Gamer and the Ocean guys pulled out prior to the show, so were there many special guest left?
On 2005-08-13 22:54, Spector wrote:
Anyone see Swainy with his Double Dragon remake demo?
The Double Dragon Forever game is a PC version, we should have a playable demo ready within a few days. The remake of Speccy Double Dragon is still coming though, honest!
[ This Message was edited by: Swainy on 2005-08-14 09:36 ]
We have struck a deal , which means that a large quantity of Spectrum , C64 and Amiga games will be coming ASAP to the PS2 , PC CD , PSP and GBA. (there will be other news as well soon to !)
We thought this was a pretty big announcement anyway. It has certainly taken a lot of work.
OUR special guests did turn up and I would like to thanks Ian Williams , Manjinder Singh , Jonathan Cauldwell , and David Shaw for turning up and signing the special Retro-Soft CGEUK 'one off' disc. Adrian Shaw wanted to come but was being interviewed by a London radio station and so could not make it at the last minute. The discs which did not sell on the day but we got the guys to sign will be for sale for WORLDWIDE delivery tomorrow if I get a chance , on the www.retrotrader.com site , (they will be randomly picked in terms of numbers from the original 200) so you might get any number from the ones left ok , if you were interested in getting one of these signed discs (wonder how long before they are being auctioned off on ebay when the PS2 etc. ones come out and they become wanted by worldwide collectors after japan players get them on their PSPs !!)
We had a great time , met loads of nice people , and we personally sold all new , all low price items at the show based on what we learnt from last year , plus we had a lot of games playing (including Manic Miner !) within the limits of what we could bring , as we bought and returned the six pinball machines , plus all our own kit.(in fact we were the very very last people to leave , as with the help of Nutts (big thank you to him) we had to dismantle and load up the pinball machines before we could load our own kit , we did not leave the venue till nearly 10pm (having got there at 8am in the morning and driving down the day before and unloading from 4-6pm also !) , long after the organisers had gone home. We hit the pillow at about 1am , and have got to unload and then drive the pinballs back yet today !!
Anyway from our point of view it was a success , and hope people liked what we did.
It doesn't take much to impress me, and this was the first time I'd been to such an event. It was alright - pity I didn't meet anyone I know on here - I wanted to go to the WOS stand and have a gossip but Emma (my 7 year old daughter who wanted to come) was getting bored and Hermione (baby daughter) was getting restless and Amy (the missus) was getting fed up. They couldn't have gone because I can't drive!
We have struck a deal , which means that a large quantity of Spectrum , C64 and Amiga games will be coming ASAP to the PS2 , PC CD , PSP and GBA. (there will be other news as well soon to !)
Yeah, that's what I saw. No specifics though - who with? what games?
On 2005-08-14 10:21, Retro-Soft wrote:
Hi - yes the announcement was this -
We have struck a deal , which means that a large quantity of Spectrum , C64 and Amiga games will be coming ASAP to the PS2 , PC CD , PSP and GBA. (there will be other news as well soon to !)
We thought this was a pretty big announcement anyway. It has certainly taken a lot of work.
OUR special guests did turn up and I would like to thanks Ian Williams , Manjinder Singh , Jonathan Cauldwell , and David Shaw for turning up and signing the special Retro-Soft CGEUK 'one off' disc. Adrian Shaw wanted to come but was being interviewed by a London radio station and so could not make it at the last minute. The discs which did not sell on the day but we got the guys to sign will be for sale for WORLDWIDE delivery tomorrow if I get a chance , on the http://www.retrotrader.com site , (they will be randomly picked in terms of numbers from the original 200) so you might get any number from the ones left ok , if you were interested in getting one of these signed discs (wonder how long before they are being auctioned off on ebay when the PS2 etc. ones come out and they become wanted by worldwide collectors after japan players get them on their PSPs !!)
We had a great time , met loads of nice people , and we personally sold all new , all low price items at the show based on what we learnt from last year , plus we had a lot of games playing (including Manic Miner !) within the limits of what we could bring , as we bought and returned the six pinball machines , plus all our own kit.(in fact we were the very very last people to leave , as with the help of Nutts (big thank you to him) we had to dismantle and load up the pinball machines before we could load our own kit , we did not leave the venue till nearly 10pm (having got there at 8am in the morning and driving down the day before and unloading from 4-6pm also !) , long after the organisers had gone home. We hit the pillow at about 1am , and have got to unload and then drive the pinballs back yet today !!
Anyway from our point of view it was a success , and hope people liked what we did.
Regards
Paul A
hmmmmmmmmmm sounds like hes bigging the same old crap up tbh, im getting fed up of hearing about it...........and ive had a scoot round your site and aint found that cd and im fed up of looking :)
i dont wanna buy speccy games on the ps2, psp, gba tbh either :)
Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
I wrote today , that the cd should be on the site tomorrow , which by my calender is Monday.
You dont want to buy PS2 , etc. versions , thats your choice , I am sure that lots of people all around the world might want to , time will prove me wrong or right.
As per my main post , thanks to all the positive comments from people. Details will follow , as and when we schedule the final details. It is not one game knocked out on one tape , so takes a little more planning than that. Funny all the authors who are signed up , and all the authors who have actually started contacting us since yesterday seem excited that people from around the world , and a whole new generation will be playing their games on these new formats. I cannot see why anyone would not , nor why they feel that authors who write these games do not have the right to do what they want with them. There is no valid reason that can be put forward , unless you are saying the authors are trying to make a quick buck from their hard work , which is what various people imply . That Atari , that ubisoft , they are so selfish wanting to make a profit from honest gamers....not. Welcome to the real world Mel.
Just thought some of you might want to know , especially if you did not get a chance to go to the show , that we have some of the CGEUK 2005 special edition retro-soft discs left and we have an ebay auction for them (which you can find via the link on http://www.retro-trader.com , there are a few , so the top bidders will get them.
Thought it was easier to offer worldwide via ebay than just the retrotrader shop.
On 2005-08-14 21:25, Retro-Soft wrote:
Just thought some of you might want to know , especially if you did not get a chance to go to the show , that we have some of the CGEUK 2005 special edition retro-soft discs left and we have an ebay auction for them (which you can find via the link on http://www.retro-trader.com , there are a few , so the top bidders will get them.
And what's on the disc, exactly? Not sure I'd be all that bothered about 7 TZX files. Surely that's not all that's on there?
A floppy would have been a better choice :)
Oh, and when I click the link to browse your ebay stuff, it logs me in as "pa" so I assume that I am logged in as you, password and all.
Another plus was seeing ICABOD before & after a rather long session in the pub. He was very happy to be there towards the end of the afternoon!
Hehe, I did consume some beer, yes :p
Was good to meet some people from the forums too - considering Gasman couldn't make it, I was surprised that anyone spoke to me at all... I'm usually an "oh, this is icabod" after standing next to a loooong conversation about Spectrums. Hehe.
In case anyone wants a very quick read of the show, I've mentioned it a bit on my website: http://raww.org/2106 -- I think my description of Billy Mitchell is rather accurate. No offence to him, of course.
And sorry if I got anyone's name wrong in the greets.
Comments
For the first such event I've been too, it wasn't bad.
I think there should've been a gathering of some kind for all of us.
A guy over at The ZZAP! forums has said that the venue was too small, the prices were high for car-boot quality hardware and that the music was rubbish.
Anyone?
All in all though, quite enjoyable. I did have to leave at about 4.30 as something came up I had to attend to, and matthew Smith was a no-show until then, I assume he didn't show at all, which was a massive shame!
They had a guy who got the first ever perfect score on Pac-Man there, and seriously, he was stuck in the 80's with his appearance, it was so funny to look at!
https://discordapp.com/invite/cZt59EQ
The show wasn't bad - good talks, but not too much on the stands that I was interested in. Still, finally met Gerard after helping out each other over the past eight years :)
VERY warm, though.
Would I go again...? Depends on the guest speakers, upon which I think that show will live or die on. Plus where was the old computer exhibition? I thought that was the initial reasons for CGE's existance?
Also, next year I'd like to help out some Speccy/SAM stalls in some way. I spent four or five hours there as a visitor and I can't see how I personally could spend all day there without having something else to do.
But, hey, very good value for ?10 on the door. Next year I'd like to see the old computer museum, and lots more old arcade machines.
We managed to meet a few people and get a few extra contacts.
Overall opinion.
Venue - Far too small
Music - On the crappier side of Crap
Organisation - What that ?
Fun Factor - Great day out and a chance to meet a lot of people.
People - With the exception of one pain in the arse absolutly fantastic.
Prices - If you were selective there were some excellent bargins to be had but generally on the high side of Ebay.
Generally a very interesting day out.
ADJB
And, yes, the organisation left a lot to be desired. No list of times of the talks, for instance, leading to minus-five-minute warnings for the game-player-record-breaker-people thingy.
The programmer Q&A should have gone for longer, too, although I'm not sure how. After 45 minutes, people's attention-span breaks down.
Edit: And what was Retro-soft's big announcement anyway? All I saw a a few sheets of A4 saying they've struck deals, but didn't go into any detail.
_________________
Nick Humphries
The Your Sinclair Rock'n'Roll Years: http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/
The YSRnRY Documentary (1985 in progress): http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/tvprog/
The Tipshop: http://www.the-tipshop.co.uk/
[ This Message was edited by: NickH on 2005-08-14 00:58 ]
Heh. I was just about to ask that! Did Matthew Smith actually show up at all? I heard that both Retro Gamer and the Ocean guys pulled out prior to the show, so were there many special guest left?
The Double Dragon Forever game is a PC version, we should have a playable demo ready within a few days. The remake of Speccy Double Dragon is still coming though, honest!
[ This Message was edited by: Swainy on 2005-08-14 09:36 ]
We have struck a deal , which means that a large quantity of Spectrum , C64 and Amiga games will be coming ASAP to the PS2 , PC CD , PSP and GBA. (there will be other news as well soon to !)
We thought this was a pretty big announcement anyway. It has certainly taken a lot of work.
OUR special guests did turn up and I would like to thanks Ian Williams , Manjinder Singh , Jonathan Cauldwell , and David Shaw for turning up and signing the special Retro-Soft CGEUK 'one off' disc. Adrian Shaw wanted to come but was being interviewed by a London radio station and so could not make it at the last minute. The discs which did not sell on the day but we got the guys to sign will be for sale for WORLDWIDE delivery tomorrow if I get a chance , on the www.retrotrader.com site , (they will be randomly picked in terms of numbers from the original 200) so you might get any number from the ones left ok , if you were interested in getting one of these signed discs (wonder how long before they are being auctioned off on ebay when the PS2 etc. ones come out and they become wanted by worldwide collectors after japan players get them on their PSPs !!)
We had a great time , met loads of nice people , and we personally sold all new , all low price items at the show based on what we learnt from last year , plus we had a lot of games playing (including Manic Miner !) within the limits of what we could bring , as we bought and returned the six pinball machines , plus all our own kit.(in fact we were the very very last people to leave , as with the help of Nutts (big thank you to him) we had to dismantle and load up the pinball machines before we could load our own kit , we did not leave the venue till nearly 10pm (having got there at 8am in the morning and driving down the day before and unloading from 4-6pm also !) , long after the organisers had gone home. We hit the pillow at about 1am , and have got to unload and then drive the pinballs back yet today !!
Anyway from our point of view it was a success , and hope people liked what we did.
Regards
Paul A
Yeah, that's what I saw. No specifics though - who with? what games?
Gee thanks. :)
I had a good time. Just meeting people from the forum was good. I even managed to get a drink out of Starglider which can't be bad.
Another plus was seeing ICABOD before & after a rather long session in the pub. He was very happy to be there towards the end of the afternoon!
Everyone I met on the day turned out to be decent chaps.
I'd go again next year. Look out for some pictures in ZX Shed issue 2.
Necros.
hmmmmmmmmmm sounds like hes bigging the same old crap up tbh, im getting fed up of hearing about it...........and ive had a scoot round your site and aint found that cd and im fed up of looking :)
i dont wanna buy speccy games on the ps2, psp, gba tbh either :)
I wrote today , that the cd should be on the site tomorrow , which by my calender is Monday.
You dont want to buy PS2 , etc. versions , thats your choice , I am sure that lots of people all around the world might want to , time will prove me wrong or right.
As per my main post , thanks to all the positive comments from people. Details will follow , as and when we schedule the final details. It is not one game knocked out on one tape , so takes a little more planning than that. Funny all the authors who are signed up , and all the authors who have actually started contacting us since yesterday seem excited that people from around the world , and a whole new generation will be playing their games on these new formats. I cannot see why anyone would not , nor why they feel that authors who write these games do not have the right to do what they want with them. There is no valid reason that can be put forward , unless you are saying the authors are trying to make a quick buck from their hard work , which is what various people imply . That Atari , that ubisoft , they are so selfish wanting to make a profit from honest gamers....not. Welcome to the real world Mel.
*wakes up*
just doesnt "do it" for me, like all your previous "announcements" make out
and ive just got jaded by all your previous 1001 announcements advertising - nothing, as yet
Also, I think a gathering of some kind should be organised for us specchums on the day too after the show.
Thought it was easier to offer worldwide via ebay than just the retrotrader shop.
Regards
Paul A
ADJB
And what's on the disc, exactly? Not sure I'd be all that bothered about 7 TZX files. Surely that's not all that's on there?
A floppy would have been a better choice :)
Oh, and when I click the link to browse your ebay stuff, it logs me in as "pa" so I assume that I am logged in as you, password and all.
You might want to do summats about that :)
D.
Was good to meet some people from the forums too - considering Gasman couldn't make it, I was surprised that anyone spoke to me at all... I'm usually an "oh, this is icabod" after standing next to a loooong conversation about Spectrums. Hehe.
In case anyone wants a very quick read of the show, I've mentioned it a bit on my website: http://raww.org/2106 -- I think my description of Billy Mitchell is rather accurate. No offence to him, of course.
And sorry if I got anyone's name wrong in the greets.