› ›

Beaver Bob In Dam Trouble (Never Released)

def chrisdef chris
edited November 2013 in Games
http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0012432

just stumbled on this yesterday. intrigued as to why Gremlin never released this game?

seems the game was completed, and not only that but there was a competition to design the loading screen in CRASH with ?100 for 1st place and ?25 for 2 runners up which were all chosen by gremlin staff

http://www.tzxvault.org/Spectrum/Images/BeaverBobInDamTroubleCrashCompetition.jpg

(the 2 runner up's are clearly better than the winner :lol:)

in-game screens were printed in CRASH! July '85: http://www.tzxvault.org/Spectrum/Images/AGremlinInTheWorksFeature.jpg

had a quick google around and couldn't find anything about why this never came out? seems a bit weird tbh. the winner of the loading screen comp must've been gutted!
Post edited by def chris on
«1

Comments

  • ZagrebZagreb
    edited June 2013
    Not too impressed with the loading screen that won the competition in the end. The others look much better.
  • def chrisdef chris
    edited June 2013
    top right one actually took the time to do the gremlin logo. the winner just typed it out in caps, lol
  • fogfog
    edited June 2013
    I liked 2nd place more.. the other 2 looked like they went to a fancy dress shop and asked for beaver, for modelling purposes
  • leespoonsleespoons
    edited June 2013
    This Crash article suggests that Christian Urquhart (author of Beaver Bob) was directly employed by Gremlin at the time. However 4 months later another Crash article mentions his new company Alphabatim (publisher of Robot Messiah) so perhaps it was the programmer's equivalent of "musical differences".
    The comp.sys.sinclair crap games competition 2015
    WhenIWasCruel wrote: »
    "Let's not be childish. Let's play Spectrum games."
  • def chrisdef chris
    edited June 2013
    cheers lee. not sure how these things work but could it be that gremlin had the rights to the game but once he wasn't on their books any more he had the right to deny them releasing it - or maybe they couldn't put it out once he wasn't working for them, or something like that?
  • VampyreVampyre
    edited June 2013
    Iirc it ended up as a c64 only game
    ZXSR - Speccy Mags Reviews
  • Mark R. JonesMark R. Jones
    edited June 2013
    Nah, I don't think it came out on anything in the end.
    Mark R. Jones
    Ex-Ocean Software graphic artist -
    Download my FREE PDF 'LOAD DIJ DIJ' (180,000+ words): https://ko-fi.com/i/IG2G3BEJZP
    ZX Art page: https://zxart.ee/eng/authors/m/mark-r-jones/
    https://twitter.com/MarkRJones1970
    https://www.facebook.com/OceanSoftwareLtd/
    https://www.facebook.com/ultimateptg/
  • RalfRalf
    edited June 2013
    The more noise they make, the less chance is that it will actually happen.

    Proved true on many occasions.
  • ewgfewgf
    edited June 2013
    Zagreb wrote: »
    Not too impressed with the loading screen that won the competition in the end. The others look much better.

    Yes, funny that. I do think the bottom right picture was the best of the three.

    Was I the only one, by the way, who on clicking on that link to the jpg of the crash pages, was taken back to the 1980s? For a brief moment it reminded me of what it was like, when the few newstand magazines were our only real contact with upcoming games (this was before even game demos on magazine cassettes), and how great it was looking through the latest issue of Crash or Your Spectrum/Sinclair.

    I know that realistically we're much better off nowadays than then, in gaming terms, but technology does so often take one step back when it takes three forward, and I do miss some things from the old days, such as the excitement of recieving the latest issue of Crash (until 1989 or so, when it lost it's 'enthusiast' feel and went thin and commercial.
  • def chrisdef chris
    edited June 2013
    ewgf wrote: »
    Yes, funny that. I do think the bottom right picture was the best of the three.

    Was I the only one, by the way, who on clicking on that link to the jpg of the crash pages, was taken back to the 1980s? For a brief moment it reminded me of what it was like, when the few newstand magazines were our only real contact with upcoming games (this was before even game demos on magazine cassettes), and how great it was looking through the latest issue of Crash or Your Spectrum/Sinclair.

    I know that realistically we're much better off nowadays than then, in gaming terms, but technology does so often take one step back when it takes three forward, and I do miss some things from the old days, such as the excitement of recieving the latest issue of Crash (until 1989 or so, when it lost it's 'enthusiast' feel and went thin and commercial.
    Kids today eh!

    I agree with you obviously. Same with albums. The buzz that would be created by reading your favourite band's new album is on the way in the mags, scouring the pages, bits of info popping up here and there, memorising song names before you'd even heard them. Now it's just 'click here and listen to snippets'/stream full album/download this... Everything is so on-tap that the buzz of anticipation is no longer a thing.
  • SokurahSokurah
    edited June 2013
    def chris wrote: »
    Kids today eh!

    I agree with you obviously. Same with albums. The buzz that would be created by reading your favourite band's new album is on the way in the mags, scouring the pages, bits of info popping up here and there, memorising song names before you'd even heard them. Now it's just 'click here and listen to snippets'/stream full album/download this... Everything is so on-tap that the buzz of anticipation is no longer a thing.

    It's the same with movies, trailers and general information about them.

    In the old days you'd see a poster in the cinema and wonder what it was - perhaps look forward to it because Arnold was in it (or not, lol), but these days you know when the story has been optioned, who gets to write it, what happens in regards to casting, who directs...and when it's set to open more than a year in advance. And then you have 1-2 years of news articles before the movie is out - and trailers, teasers...and teasertrailers FFS...and when it finally does come out you already know everything about it.
    ...and your expectations are usually so high and they seldom live up to their potential...and certainly isn't very surprising as they were "back then".

    *sigh*

    :)
    Website: Tardis Remakes / Mostly remakes of Arcade and ZX Spectrum games.
    My games for the Spectrum: Dingo, The Speccies, The Speccies 2, Vallation, SQIJ.
    Twitter: Sokurah
  • MorkinMorkin
    edited June 2013
    I remember that Crash article, I was amazed that people could just come up with loading screens like that just for a compo.

    Strange that none of the winning screens seemed to contain the full title of the game on them.
  • Rebelstar without a causeRebelstar without a cause
    edited June 2013
    Why is Monty Mole in the bottom right one?

    And how come we're on the 2nd page of the thread and there's been no beaver jokes?
  • def chrisdef chris
    edited June 2013
    Sokurah wrote: »
    And then you have 1-2 years of news articles before the movie is out - and trailers, teasers...and teasertrailers FFS...and when it finally does come out you already know everything about it
    Yeah Mark Kermode was having a rant the other day about how difficult it is to avoid finding everything out before you've seen a film now.

    Rebelstar without a cause wrote: »
    And how come we're on the 2nd page of the thread and there's been no beaver jokes?
    I can feel one coming...
  • PopoCopPopoCop
    edited June 2013
    Author of the game saw the winning loading screen and deleted all his code ;-)
    ZX Spectrum +2 & PicoDiv SD,
    Timex 2048 & divIDE 57c
  • Rebelstar without a causeRebelstar without a cause
    edited June 2013
    This game needs to be made!
  • Mark R. JonesMark R. Jones
    edited June 2013
    Christian Urquhart is on FB. Why doesnt someone ask him?
    https://www.facebook.com/chris.urquhart.395?fref=ts
    Mark R. Jones
    Ex-Ocean Software graphic artist -
    Download my FREE PDF 'LOAD DIJ DIJ' (180,000+ words): https://ko-fi.com/i/IG2G3BEJZP
    ZX Art page: https://zxart.ee/eng/authors/m/mark-r-jones/
    https://twitter.com/MarkRJones1970
    https://www.facebook.com/OceanSoftwareLtd/
    https://www.facebook.com/ultimateptg/
  • def chrisdef chris
    edited June 2013
    cool. don't use facebook myself, but if anyone does then please give him some 'massive respec inna area' for Daley Thompson's Decathalon :smile:
  • Gennady DemidenkoGennady Demidenko
    edited June 2013
    I send this link to Christian at Facebook.
  • def chrisdef chris
    edited June 2013
    Nice one, perhaps the mystery will be solved...
  • ANDREW RYALSANDREW RYALS
    edited June 2013
    thats pretty cool, would be nice to ssee what he has to say on the subject.
  • MattLambMattLamb
    edited June 2013
    def chris wrote: »



    I can feel one coming...

    Well done.
  • Gennady DemidenkoGennady Demidenko
    edited October 2013
    Ok , I have news from Christian Urquhart:

    ...not much to tell really, I finished the game and I did another game for gremlin after that and then I set my own company up, why they didn't release it I'm not sure.
  • GilbyGilby
    edited October 2013
    I was in touch with Chris a couple of years ago re Beaver Bob, the game was finished but he's been unable to locate it. Possibly been lost during house moves or something.

    Steve
  • def chrisdef chris
    edited October 2013
    thanks for the info Gennady and Gilby.

    oh well... guess that's that then. :cry:
  • dm_boozefreekdm_boozefreek
    edited October 2013
    Now we just have to find out if anybody ever got their hands on a copy of Fishy Dick? :lol:
    Every night is curry night!
  • carlssoncarlsson
    edited October 2013
    For what it is worth, here is an interview with Ian Stewart, upon the question about cancelled titles primarily mentions Beaver Bob in Dam Trouble:
    http://www.retrovideogamer.co.uk/index.php?topic=1845.0

    I particularly like the tidbit about Gremlin Graphics' agreement with Warner Bros to exist as long as they never developed/published a game about gremlins.
  • smogitsmogit
    edited November 2013
    You can now get official mugs of unreleased games it seems

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beaver-Bob-in-Dam-TroubleOfficial-Gremlin-Graphics-Merchandise-Spectrum-etc-/400513584789
  • def chrisdef chris
    edited November 2013
    smogit wrote: »
    You can now get official mugs of unreleased games it seems

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beaver-Bob-in-Dam-TroubleOfficial-Gremlin-Graphics-Merchandise-Spectrum-etc-/400513584789

    brilliant! how surreal is that though... And what's the pic, cause it's not one of the loading screen images. Possibly the design they were going to use for the cassette inlay?
    carlsson wrote: »
    For what it is worth, here is an interview with Ian Stewart, upon the question about cancelled titles primarily mentions Beaver Bob in Dam Trouble:
    http://www.retrovideogamer.co.uk/index.php?topic=1845.0

    I particularly like the tidbit about Gremlin Graphics' agreement with Warner Bros to exist as long as they never developed/published a game about gremlins.
    sorry , forgot to say thanks for this. I liked that gremlins bit too
  • smogitsmogit
    edited November 2013
    The pic is used in the adverts.
Sign In or Register to comment.