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Amstrad CPC questions for AndyC and anyone

ewgfewgf
edited June 2008 in Chit chat
Right, I've been using CAPRICE32, the Amstrad CPC emulator, and I have some questions regarding CPC games:

1) AndyC, are you the same bloke who wrote Jetset Willy+ (or JSW2+, as I've seen it called)? If so (the author is called AndyC according to the acompanying text file), can you (or anyone) tell me how to load the game? I can load all other games on other .dsk files OK, but when I insert the JSW+ (or JSW2+) .dsk file and type

RUN "disc.bas

I get the following menu:

1. Jetset Willy+
2. Manic Miner+
3. Manic Miner 3+

(or similar, I've downloaded three or four different versions, with slightly different menu systems)

But when I press [1] (or [2] or [3]) then the screen clears, and after a time a few pixels turn red or white, and then nothing else happens at all.

Help!



2) Can anyone tell me where I can download the manuals for Get Dexter 1 and 2?



3) Can anyone tell me the names of some good 2D or 3D platform games on the CPC, the good isometric games, and the good arcade adventure games?

Thanks for any answers.
Post edited by ewgf on

Comments

  • AndyCAndyC
    edited June 2008
    1) One and the same. I actually have a more up-to-date version than any on the net and a couple of weeks off work during which I'm hoping to finally dig out my toolset and finish the darn thing. :)

    As to why it isn't running, it requires a 6128+ and AFAIK Caprice doesn't emulate the Plus range. Try using WinAPE instead.

    2) No idea, I'd have suggested www.cpczone.net but that doesn't appear to have them. You could try asking on the forums there.

    3) Probably lots that you'll already recognise from the Speccy: Robocop, Batman, HoH, Dizzy etc. For a few worthy CPC specifics try Titus the Fox, Super Cauldron and Prehistorik II.
  • Matt_BMatt_B
    edited June 2008
    2) Try searching under Crafton & Xunk and L'Ange de Cristal which are the original French titles. I know there are some instructions for the ST versions on one of the Pompey Pirates disks, at the very least. I guess it shows that we're really a bit spoiled with the preservation efforts made for the Spectrum; most other machines don't seem to get nearly the same level of activity.

    3) What AndyC said. Most of the best CPC games are generally similar to the best Spectrum ones but with prettier graphics, at least where the conversions weren't rushed and/or badly botched. Anyway, a few more I'd recommend would be Spindizzy (a rare CPC original ported to many other machines), Jet Set Willy (JSW II is a back conversion of this), Sorcery Plus (an enhanced version of Sorcery, barely recognizable compared to the Spectrum version), Gryzor (the CPC could handle some great arcade conversions) and Fluff (a technically advanced platformer released when the machine was past the end of its commercial life.)
  • ewgfewgf
    edited June 2008
    AndyC wrote: »
    1) One and the same. I actually have a more up-to-date version than any on the net and a couple of weeks off work during which I'm hoping to finally dig out my toolset and finish the darn thing. :)

    Great! Though since I've not yet seen it, I don't know what it's like now, so I can't really offer an opinion (though if you slip me a tenner then I'll declare it a classic of modern retro gaming!).
    As to why it isn't running, it requires a 6128+ and AFAIK Caprice doesn't emulate the Plus range. Try using WinAPE instead.

    Ah, the PSP doesn't have another CPC emulator, so it looks like it won't be running on the PSP. Does JSW+ really need a 6128+, or can it be converted to run on a lesser machine? Alright, so it's probably a stupid question, but you can't blame me for asking ;)

    Anyway, I'll download WinAPE (funny name:smile:) and try JSW+ again, thanks.
    2) No idea, I'd have suggested www.cpczone.net but that doesn't appear to have them. You could try asking on the forums there.

    I've just found them on:

    http://www.phenixinformatique.com/CPCGAMES/index.php

    but in French. Since I don't speak French I'll have to see if I can find a translator.
    3) Probably lots that you'll already recognise from the Speccy: Robocop, Batman, HoH, Dizzy etc. For a few worthy CPC specifics try Titus the Fox, Super Cauldron and Prehistorik II.

    Thanks, I've downloaded the ones you mention, from:

    ftp://ftp.nvg.ntnu.no/pub/cpc/games/

    in the /ARCADE/ section (Super Cauldron is called Caulron 3, in the file listing).


    Please let us know when JSW+ (or is it JSW2+) is finished, and no doubt Andrew Broad would be interested too.


    Matt_B wrote: »
    2) Try searching under Crafton & Xunk and L'Ange de Cristal which are the original French titles.

    Thanks for that, I've got them both now. Just in French (have to get them translated, sadly).
    I know there are some instructions for the ST versions on one of the Pompey Pirates disks,

    There's not (I've got every PP disc, apart from the last few non-menu discs (the menu's only went up to Lotus 3). PP only contained the docs for games that appeared on their discs, and GD 1 or 2 never did, unfortunately. If you can remember which disc the docs do appear on then I'd be very grateful.
    at the very least. I guess it shows that we're really a bit spoiled with the preservation efforts made for the Spectrum; most other machines don't seem to get nearly the same level of activity.

    Oh yes, we have a lot of people to thank for the huge amount of work they put in (and to think that in the early nineties I thought that I was the only Speccy fanatic left on Earth!).
    3) What AndyC said. Most of the best CPC games are generally similar to the best Spectrum ones but with prettier graphics, at least where the conversions weren't rushed and/or badly botched. Anyway, a few more I'd recommend would be Spindizzy (a rare CPC original ported to many other machines), Jet Set Willy (JSW II is a back conversion of this), Sorcery Plus (an enhanced version of Sorcery, barely recognizable compared to the Spectrum version), Gryzor (the CPC could handle some great arcade conversions) and Fluff (a technically advanced platformer released when the machine was past the end of its commercial life.)

    Thanks for those, I've just downloaded them.

    Incidentally, should anyone want any CPC games, then I've copied and pasted the following text (including links) from ZX81's site (ZX81 is the name of the bloke who ported CAPRICE32 to the PSP, at:

    http://zx81.zx81.free.fr/serendipity/

    All that follows ic copied and pasted from his site:



    Thanks to Gryzor you can find here a set of snapshots in snz format.

    If you look for disk images you can find most of them here

    Want to know which games are good ? here is a good site !

    If you are a real CPC fan (as i am) have a look on the awesome GBCPC project from my good friend Loic Daneels :

    GBCPCV3Full.rar
    GBCPC update V4.rar
  • AndyCAndyC
    edited June 2008
    ewgf wrote: »
    Ah, the PSP doesn't have another CPC emulator, so it looks like it won't be running on the PSP. Does JSW+ really need a 6128+, or can it be converted to run on a lesser machine? Alright, so it's probably a stupid question, but you can't blame me for asking ;)

    'fraid not, it really did need the full 6128+ to run. Hopefully when you've tried it you'll think it's worth it. :)

    I'd suggest getting in touch with the Caprice authors, but judging by the lack of activity on Sourceforge I'd guess it's a dead project, sadly.
  • Matt_BMatt_B
    edited June 2008
    ewgf wrote: »
    There's not (I've got every PP disc, apart from the last few non-menu discs (the menu's only went up to Lotus 3). PP only contained the docs for games that appeared on their discs, and GD 1 or 2 never did, unfortunately. If you can remember which disc the docs do appear on then I'd be very grateful.

    According to here, it's on disk 19. I've not got it on hand to check though.
  • ewgfewgf
    edited June 2008
    Matt_B wrote: »
    According to here, it's on disk 19. I've not got it on hand to check though.

    Ah, I see - it's on Sewer Software disc 19, not Pompey Pirates disc 19 (which has Commando, Lancaster Bomber, and DASH on). Thanks for that, I'm downloading it now.
  • Matt_BMatt_B
    edited June 2008
    ewgf wrote: »
    Ah, I see - it's on Sewer Software disc 19, not Pompey Pirates disc 19 (which has Commando, Lancaster Bomber, and DASH on). Thanks for that, I'm downloading it now.

    Doh! Should have read it more carefully. Anyway, have fun with the game. It's a cracker.
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