I really wouldnt say Minters games were amazing though or absolutely spectacular. Also the USSpeccyFan saying Jeff Minter was the greatest british developer EVER i think was personally a bit OTT.
The variations on classic games by Minter are very good but compared to retro greats like Knight Lore etc i wouldnt say his games were some of the best ever and he was the best developer.
Half of the reason he gets all this praise i think is because of his 'different lifestyle' etc. The whole Llama type stuff hypes him up as well. Theres a ton of other games out there just as good or if not better but because those programmers arent huge in the public eye and dont go around with a 10 foot beard and hanging out with their boyfriend they dont get the praise they deserve.
He did do some very good games, very very playable but greatest british developer ever ? Nah
On 2005-06-12 13:52, osgorth wrote:
As for Speccy vs C64.. Tired debate. Why don't people just realize that both machines are wonderful?
Er... because it's not true? :D
Seriously, as the excellent link by WIWC shows, the Speccy was a cut above the commode in every way. Yes, the two machines both had their share of good games, but the Speccy was, in every sense, a home computer meant for everyone. Bedroom programmers never had it so good!
Seriously, as the excellent link by WIWC shows, the Speccy was a cut above the commode in every way. Yes, the two machines both had their share of good games, but the Speccy was, in every sense, a home computer meant for everyone. Bedroom programmers never had it so good!
Bit biased there !
I love the Speccy through and through and there were many 128k games espcially with great sound but whatever you think in the great retro war, the C64 did have far better sounds/tunes.
I'm not blown away by them though, to me its about playability which i've said time after time, the blocky graphics on the C64 are quite retro as i quite like those style of graphics on the old Atari games.
But as many people have said because of emulation i like to try games on many platforms, still love the Speccy #1 but do enjoy trying games on lots of other machines also
But as many people have said because of emulation i like to try games on many platforms, still love the Speccy #1 but do enjoy trying games on lots of other machines also
Yes, but I'm not talking about just games. I'm talking about the entire home computer aspect. The Speccy was far more approachable and easy to use than the brown thingy. To me the simplicity and elegance puts it way ahead of the league of any similar 8-bit machine.
On 2005-06-13 15:18, Necros wrote:
What about Pete Cooke, Mike Singleton, Matthew Smith, Steve Turner, The Austins and The Stampers?
Have I been wrong all this time in considering them the cream of the speccy game programming crop? :)
Yes, yes they were all great (especially the Stamper Brothers for introducing the word to "Conker's Bad Fur Day"!) but there was something different about Yak. He made one of the few games that didn't suck on the Jaguar: "Tempest 2000" and "Defender 2000" as well as the only game worth buying on the awful VM Labs Nuon; "Tempest 3000".
Tempest 2000" and "Defender 2000, remakes..good remakes but remakes none the less. I think if your trying to identify the greatest game developer you should be looking for originality.
[ This Message was edited by: beanz on 2005-06-15 19:38 ]
On 2005-06-13 15:18, Necros wrote:
What about Pete Cooke, Mike Singleton, Matthew Smith, Steve Turner, The Austins and The Stampers?
Have I been wrong all this time in considering them the cream of the speccy game programming crop? :)
Yes, yes they were all great (especially the Stamper Brothers for introducing the word to "Conker's Bad Fur Day"!) but there was something different about Yak. He made one of the few games that didn't suck on the Jaguar: "Tempest 2000" and "Defender 2000" as well as the only game worth buying on the awful VM Labs Nuon; "Tempest 3000".
BUT the majority of his games are based on tempest or defender or that moving round the edge of the screen shooting in type games.
good but too samey to be exceptional for my likings.........and doing the best game on a doomed before its time console does not the best ever programmer make :)
close but no cigar.
Professional Mel-the-Bell Simulator................"So realistic, I found myself reaching for the Kleenex King-Size!" - Richard Darling
Some of Jeff Minter's games did have origianl gamepaly - Superdeflex was pretty much the first indirect-control game, for example.
A lot of great C64 games either weren't converted ot the Spectrum or were badly converted - things like Maniac Mansion, Wizball, Gyruss and so on. Both systems had strengths and weaknesses - as a rule the C4's graphcis were a lot more advanced, if a bit blocky. On a technical level the Amstrad CPC was probably the superior machine, as it had the best bits of both.
"Sinclair Zx Spectrum: Absolutely Smaller, Blacker, Rubberier and more ZXy Than Commodore 64, which is bigger, browner, more plasticy, and more SIDier"
Apart from these things, I don't know how people can DEFINATELY choose one over the other.......I had fun with both.
ASpec.
"I should use simulator loosely 'cos I don't think it's quite like this on the beach with helicopters and fires and the jumping beach buggy" - paulisthebest3uk 2020.
The CPC struggled with fast graphics. It was impossible to have graphics that moved at a respectable pace without having them stupidly low res, and scrolling was always juddery and horrible. The C64 often had the same problem with blocky graphics, but at least it had the smooth scrolling. The Spectrum had the benefit of being able to shift detailed graphics at decent speeds, but had the attribute clash to bugger up its day.
On 2005-06-27 15:09, jamyskis wrote:
The CPC struggled with fast graphics. It was impossible to have graphics that moved at a respectable pace without having them stupidly low res, and scrolling was always juddery and horrible.
A good comparison is Nebulus. The Amstrad version is really slow and blocky compared to the excellent Spectrum version. Bloody awful - a real dog's dinner. (A pity the Spectrum release lacked the Amstrad's AY music, though).
A good comparison is Nebulus. The Amstrad version is really slow and blocky compared to the excellent Spectrum version. Bloody awful - a real dog's dinner. (A pity the Spectrum release lacked the Amstrad's AY music, though).
... and the bonus submarine section. I'm sure JMP could have included that if he wanted.
A good comparison is Nebulus. The Amstrad version is really slow and blocky compared to the excellent Spectrum version. Bloody awful - a real dog's dinner. (A pity the Spectrum release lacked the Amstrad's AY music, though).
... and the bonus submarine section. I'm sure JMP could have included that if he wanted.
Necros.
They could have included both the AY music and the submarine section on a 128k version.
A lot of Spectrum owners seem to have been living in cloud cuckoo land from my experiences over the years.
The Spectrum is a fine piece of kit with some superb games which just ooze playability and charm. On the rare occasion it may even outdo the C64 and CPC in graphics but this is indeed RARE.
The Speccy's main weapon in the 8-bit wars was it's games' playability and vastness of software, along with affordability.
I will admit some games were better on the Speccy but overall the C64 was superior from graphics to sound and lastability.
Not a popular comment but one that needs to be said.
I must point out that I owned ALL THREE aforementioned 8-bits and I loved all of them. They still all sit with pride of place in my collection of computers throughout my life and I do not see the point in all this bickering over "my computer is better than yours" when they were all great. I just can't understand why stubborn Speccy owners actually believe the Speccy has superior sound and graphics when it clearly does not.
Hmm I see a lot of complaining about that the "C64 has blocky graphics"... In fact, it can display any graphic the Spectrum can display. It has a hires bitmap mode of 320x200 with 8x8 color cells... Very similar to the Spectrum graphic mode. Each color cell can have any of the 16 C64 colors as back- and foreground color, no restrictions here.
So... ANY Spectrum graphic can be displayed by a C64. The reason why C64 games and graphics often use the lower resolution multicolor mode is just the bigger freedom of color use, it's a design decision. Btw, the C64 can even mix hires and multicolor on the color cell base.
Design decision or not most of the games featured blocky squashed pixelated sprites with an overdose of garish colours. There are a couple of C64 games I have enjoyed (and I admit grudgingly) both both have them stayed within the limitations of the machine and didn't try to go overboard with the colour. Case in point Ultima 4. Oodles of gameplay but no song and dance about the competent graphics and sound.
Luckily, us Specchums know exactly what difference gameplay can make. The Speccy is a superior machine precisely because the games took full advantage of the capabilities (within limitations) of the machines and churned out games with excellent gameplay. So there!
Comments
The variations on classic games by Minter are very good but compared to retro greats like Knight Lore etc i wouldnt say his games were some of the best ever and he was the best developer.
Half of the reason he gets all this praise i think is because of his 'different lifestyle' etc. The whole Llama type stuff hypes him up as well. Theres a ton of other games out there just as good or if not better but because those programmers arent huge in the public eye and dont go around with a 10 foot beard and hanging out with their boyfriend they dont get the praise they deserve.
He did do some very good games, very very playable but greatest british developer ever ? Nah
right on. Minter is Britian's greatest game designer.
Have I been wrong all this time in considering them the cream of the speccy game programming crop? :)
Er... because it's not true? :D
Seriously, as the excellent link by WIWC shows, the Speccy was a cut above the commode in every way. Yes, the two machines both had their share of good games, but the Speccy was, in every sense, a home computer meant for everyone. Bedroom programmers never had it so good!
Bytes:Chuntey - Spectrum tech blog.
Am i crazy? :)
Bit biased there !
I love the Speccy through and through and there were many 128k games espcially with great sound but whatever you think in the great retro war, the C64 did have far better sounds/tunes.
I'm not blown away by them though, to me its about playability which i've said time after time, the blocky graphics on the C64 are quite retro as i quite like those style of graphics on the old Atari games.
But as many people have said because of emulation i like to try games on many platforms, still love the Speccy #1 but do enjoy trying games on lots of other machines also
Have you noticed that of all the games Chaos mentioned none of them had the word "Spectrum" in brackets behind them?
Have you actually played any Speccy games apart from Jeff Minter's?
_________________
I wanna tell you a story 'bout a woman I know...
[ This Message was edited by: karingal on 2005-06-14 11:53 ]
Theres no point holding back. Why don't you tell us what you really think?
And he loves Britian and all things Britianish.
Yes, but I'm not talking about just games. I'm talking about the entire home computer aspect. The Speccy was far more approachable and easy to use than the brown thingy. To me the simplicity and elegance puts it way ahead of the league of any similar 8-bit machine.
Bytes:Chuntey - Spectrum tech blog.
Yes, yes they were all great (especially the Stamper Brothers for introducing the word to "Conker's Bad Fur Day"!) but there was something different about Yak. He made one of the few games that didn't suck on the Jaguar: "Tempest 2000" and "Defender 2000" as well as the only game worth buying on the awful VM Labs Nuon; "Tempest 3000".
[ This Message was edited by: beanz on 2005-06-15 19:38 ]
BUT the majority of his games are based on tempest or defender or that moving round the edge of the screen shooting in type games.
good but too samey to be exceptional for my likings.........and doing the best game on a doomed before its time console does not the best ever programmer make :)
close but no cigar.
Putting camels and llamas in games is not the work of a genius only of someone who can't design a decent spacecraft...
A lot of great C64 games either weren't converted ot the Spectrum or were badly converted - things like Maniac Mansion, Wizball, Gyruss and so on. Both systems had strengths and weaknesses - as a rule the C4's graphcis were a lot more advanced, if a bit blocky. On a technical level the Amstrad CPC was probably the superior machine, as it had the best bits of both.
Apart from these things, I don't know how people can DEFINATELY choose one over the other.......I had fun with both.
ASpec.
... and the bonus submarine section. I'm sure JMP could have included that if he wanted.
Necros.
They could have included both the AY music and the submarine section on a 128k version.
Daren
Nebulus on Amstrad CPC, Spectrum and C64
http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/2236/nebulus9xe.png
The CPC-shot is a bit higher up in the tower, so it doesn't show the water.
[ This Message was edited by: ivarf on 2005-07-05 00:37 ]
The Spectrum is a fine piece of kit with some superb games which just ooze playability and charm. On the rare occasion it may even outdo the C64 and CPC in graphics but this is indeed RARE.
The Speccy's main weapon in the 8-bit wars was it's games' playability and vastness of software, along with affordability.
I will admit some games were better on the Speccy but overall the C64 was superior from graphics to sound and lastability.
Not a popular comment but one that needs to be said.
I must point out that I owned ALL THREE aforementioned 8-bits and I loved all of them. They still all sit with pride of place in my collection of computers throughout my life and I do not see the point in all this bickering over "my computer is better than yours" when they were all great. I just can't understand why stubborn Speccy owners actually believe the Speccy has superior sound and graphics when it clearly does not.
Robbo.
Quite apodittic.
Rock on the 8-bits!
Robbo.
So... ANY Spectrum graphic can be displayed by a C64. The reason why C64 games and graphics often use the lower resolution multicolor mode is just the bigger freedom of color use, it's a design decision. Btw, the C64 can even mix hires and multicolor on the color cell base.
Luckily, us Specchums know exactly what difference gameplay can make. The Speccy is a superior machine precisely because the games took full advantage of the capabilities (within limitations) of the machines and churned out games with excellent gameplay. So there!
Bytes:Chuntey - Spectrum tech blog.