Didn't push the hardware? What like isometric scrolling.. Hmmm ;;)
*Cough! Cough!...…..Sandy White *Cough Cough!...….1983 :p
Yep he did it as well. :) goo point! Although to be fair, Ultimate upped it by having large walls and rooms etc. But as I said I don't think anyone is saying only Ultimate did such things, they just got a lot of magazine hype.
Didn't push the hardware? What like isometric scrolling.. Hmmm ;;)
*Cough! Cough!...…..Sandy White *Cough Cough!...….1983 :p
Yep he did it as well. :) goo point! Although to be fair, Ultimate upped it by having large walls and rooms etc. But as I said I don't think anyone is saying only Ultimate did such things, they just got a lot of magazine hype.
But Ant Attack was a much better game!
I'm in the camp that thinks their games were crap:
Knightlore: Boring tech demo
Underwurlde: Frustrating and crap
Lunar Jetman: Frustrating and crap
Sabre Wulf: Looks nice, boring gameplay
Trans Am: Utter turd
I love Ant Attack, but different sort of game. THINKS: Nightshade is a shooty shooty bang bang collect the things, whereas ant attack is find the girls with some throwy bombs bombs... oh ok, not that too far apart as arcade games. ;)
Now if we are calling out early games, that one really hits the spot.
Was it the earliest isometric? Did crystal castle come first in the arcades (they are both 1983). Come to think of it, when did Q-bert come out? Hmm, 83 as well.
Was it the earliest isometric? Did crystal castle come first in the arcades (they are both 1983). Come to think of it, when did Q-bert come out? Hmm, 83 as well.
Zaxxon came out first in 1982; followed by Q*Bert also in 1982.
Sabre Wulf is gash. Not by 2019 but by 1984 standards too.
I can confidently say this because when I got my first Speccy, I got They Sold a Million at the same time. So basically I owned less than ten games, most of which were bad Sinclair/Psion games.
Even then, with hardly any other good options Sabre Wulf always sucked.
The combat was terrible and awkward. Your sword felt flimsy and the animation was stupid. The level design was just a maze, which isn't real level design at all.
It looked beautiful and in a way still does, but smooth movement and a lot of colour seemed to wow people back then no matter what the gameplay was like.
For fairness though I think Atic Atac is just as gash.
Didn't push the hardware? What like isometric scrolling.. Hmmm ;;)
*Cough! Cough!...…..Sandy White *Cough Cough!...….1983 :p
I shouldn't have to say this (and you know it ;) ), but the Ultimate games scrolled pixel(ish)wise and Ant Attack scrolled blockwise. That does make things a lot easier ;) Still , pretty damn good for 1983 :)
I’m surprised nobody called me out on the tech side of the scrolling the moment I posted that tbh :))
But even if ultimate did smooth things out it kind of caused treacle syndrome, of course that doesn’t surprise me as the flip screen games moved like you were on the moon with concrete boots as well :))
Didn't push the hardware? What like isometric scrolling.. Hmmm ;;)
Of course no-one here is saying others didn't do as well as Ultimate. There was plenty of skills out there, some just came a bit later. but that was down to age.
I never understood the QWERT key layout, that seemed so lazy when spending so much effort on a game like Jetpac. (It meant you only needed a single IN statement to read in all of the key presses for the player.)
Maybe they just thought everyone would have a joystick.
I was talking about the Speccy Beeper!
Ultimate did not push this piece of hardware at all. I thought mentioning Follin would have made that crystal clear! ;-)
Ah, the beeper, sorry missed that. I tend to do that sometimes. Plays havoc at work. :)
Interesting it is coming clear the Ultimate pushed in some directions but not all. I'm not a fan boy or anything but I still think they are up there with the rest. And that is quite a long list.
I have never, ever liked Sabre Wulf. It looks pretty nice but even back in the day I found it a tedious and frustrating game to play. Its flaws are numerous:
You can only attack left and right, leaving you totally defenceless going up and down.
Enemies frequently spawn on top of you, killing you before you can react.
You can get instantly killed by enemies you can't see when moving onto another screen.
Sprawling, dull map with way too many tight, boring corridors. Atic Atac felt more structured and explorable than this.
Everywhere looks exactly the same! Maze games are fine if there's actually landmarks or variation in the scenery.
Maybe if the obvious gameplay problems had been fixed, and the map divided up into areas (jungle, village, wetland, etc) with an amulet piece in each, it would've been more varied and interesting to me.
I honestly can't see why the game was released to such acclaim, nor why it's still held in such high regard today. I'd be interested to hear your opinions/insults :)
I admit when I first played it I was a bit disappointed, and thought it was over-rated but I prefered it to Underwurlde as I found it a bit easier to get into. It grew on me I think. I agree there could have been more variety in the backgrounds and a few more landmarks as you say. Its a tough call between it and Atic Atac, but I got more enjoyment out of Atic Atac.
The "3-Dimensional Scenario" graphics are mentioned in the inlay, though I'd never noticed it until recently either. I was always annoyed by the itty-bitty exit at the top of the screen when the bottom had a gaping hole.
Featuring: On Screen Scoring!! Wow, look mum! I don't remember other games of the time coming with a paper scorepad, or a plastic slot the numbers in board? :))
I played Sabre Wulf for my channel a few weeks back and was really worried that, having not been carrying the weight of nostalgia on my back for 30 years, that it would feel pretty lacklustre. I was incredibly surprised to find that I really, really enjoyed it. It's got a certain feel to it that I absolutely dig, though I noted the same faults that you did - namely the enemy spawns and the lack of vertical attacks.
I dunno, every game isn't designed around every person I guess! I could look past the issues I had with it (especially for the time it was made) but I could also fully understand why someone would hate it.
I played Sabre Wulf for my channel a few weeks back and was really worried that, having not been carrying the weight of nostalgia on my back for 30 years, that it would feel pretty lacklustre. I was incredibly surprised to find that I really, really enjoyed it. It's got a certain feel to it that I absolutely dig, though I noted the same faults that you did - namely the enemy spawns and the lack of vertical attacks.
I dunno, every game isn't designed around every person I guess! I could look past the issues I had with it (especially for the time it was made) but I could also fully understand why someone would hate it.
That's the thing. I never 'hated' it, I just didn't really like it. The same goes for most Ultimate titles apart from Jetpac; that's a game I did enjoy a lot.
The rest I though looked great.... But ultimately left me cold and once past the visuals... they were nothing special.
I love Sabre Wulf but prefer Atic Atac (although it's too easy to finish). As far as Ultimate go, I have to admit I'm a big fan of them. As such, I always loved their games but I admit I did struggle with Knight Lore as I disliked the transformation bit, I much preferred Alien 8.
Lunar Jetman was a game I always thought should be great but I found it incredibly difficult at the time. I've been playing it recently and seem to be much better at it than I ever was so I'm actually getting some enjoyment out of it.
And I loved Underwurlde because of the atmosphere it created and the way he jumped was cool.
Jetpac was the first game I owned so I think Ultimate just got under my skin right from the start,
Everywhere looks exactly the same! Maze games are fine if there's actually landmarks or variation in the scenery.
The scenery may not have varied much at all, but the animals did. As you progressed further into the game, you would come across creatures you hadn't seen before.
Cheers for all your replies. It's been interesting to see all your opinions, for and against. Perhaps I can appreciate Sabre Wulf a bit more now even if I'll never properly "get it" and I'm glad it's not just me being heretical :)
Cheers for all your replies. It's been interesting to see all your opinions, for and against. Perhaps I can appreciate Sabre Wulf a bit more now even if I'll never properly "get it" and I'm glad it's not just me being heretical :)
There are heretics everywhere on WoS, so you're in good company.
Is Sabre Wulf 'a bit naff'? No, I think it stands up as well as any of the early UPTG releases. The gameplay is fast and smooth and there's been plenty of effort put into the character and background designs. Quirks like the sword only working horizontally serve to add a little interest to the way attacks have to be made. It fizzes along even though the only thing you need to do is constantly hack through the enemies.
Where it does get stymied is that it falls victim to the trend that plagued Spectrum games since the release of Jet Set Willy for more screens over more detail. The constant hack and slash does get repetitive and what the game needs are some puzzles - locked areas, special screens (perhaps swamps with narrow paths), intelligent enemies, objects needed to get past adversaries etc. But the way software companies seemed determined to push their games at the time was "More screens!"; and that's what we got, as opposed to more content.
Thanks! ZX81 kid from back in the day, graduated to the Spectrum in time for the early/mid 80's glory years. Amazing how may of those games stick in the mind.
I'm sure the board has plenty of this sort of thing but FWIW here's my take on UPTG's classic-era oeuvre...
Jet Pac 10/10 - It's perfect, isn't it? There's not a single change you'd make or extra feature you'd introduce that could be accommodated by 16k.
PSSST and Cookie 8/10 - of a muchness these two, both wonderfully playable... Cookie perhaps just has the edge for the craziness of the enemies being bounced around the screen.
Trans Am 9/10 - Love it. A 16k game that lets you drive around (almost) the whole of the United States (even if most of the cities are represented by a gas station). Mad Max-tastic (yes I know that was set in Australia)
Lunar Jetman 10/10 - Didn't realise this one took so much flak! For me it's got everything - the exemplary graphics and fast game-play of course, but also variety (so many enemy types, all with their own moves), strategy (go base bombing? or wait for the missile? use the teleports..?), and the most valuable thing a game can ever have: tension. If you're on a bombing run, you're pressed for time. If the missile has launched and you're flying or waiting by a teleport terminal, you're never quite sure when it's going to appear at the edge of the screen. Sure the controls are a little complex but they don't take long to get used to. The only drawback? I love flying Jetman but his fuel runs out too soon!
Atic Atac 9.5/10 - The most 'complete' UPTG game. The alternate characters and their own secret passages are a great touch, as are the coloured keys. The only tweak I'd make would be to give some of the miscellaneous objects a bit more purpose. Oh and perhaps make each character's weapon behave a bit differently. But can't fault it really.
Sabre Wulf 7/10 - See above
Underwurlde 9/10 - OK despite what i said re. Sabre Wulf about number of screens out weighting unique content, I do love this sprawling but ostensibly monotonous platformer. Why? The fantastic conceit of the bothersome enemies not killing you directly but propelling you to a vertiginous death. Which is massively frustrating, especially when you've almost reached the top of a climb, and gives the game its 'try, and try again' addictivity.
Knight Lore 7.5/10 - Graphically stunning, yes, but the slowing absolutely wrecks it. Played on an emulator at a snappy pace it's good fun.
Alien 8 8/10 - Like the theme better then Knight Lore, there are no transformations, and little touches like the remote control droidlets are nice.
Nightshade, Gunfright 6/10 - There's no point in doing isometric if the game's just a flat runaround! The sprite designs are still cool but the playing areas are way too large and featureless to maintain interest.
Cyberrun 8/10 - I like this one! It's a back-to-basics effort (albeit probably a polished-up re-hash from the bottom drawer) but that kind of works in its favour. It's playable if nothing spectacular, and I like the weirdness of the ship piling on its bizarre accessories. Of course I'd rather be playing Starquake...
Comments
Yep he did it as well. :) goo point! Although to be fair, Ultimate upped it by having large walls and rooms etc. But as I said I don't think anyone is saying only Ultimate did such things, they just got a lot of magazine hype.
@luny@mstdn.games
https://www.luny.co.uk
But Ant Attack was a much better game!
I'm in the camp that thinks their games were crap:
Knightlore: Boring tech demo
Underwurlde: Frustrating and crap
Lunar Jetman: Frustrating and crap
Sabre Wulf: Looks nice, boring gameplay
Trans Am: Utter turd
I never liked their Snes games either!
but different sort of game. THINKS: Nightshade is a shooty shooty bang bang collect the things, whereas ant attack is find the girls with some throwy bombs bombs... oh ok, not that too far apart as arcade games. ;)Now if we are calling out early games, that one really hits the spot.
Was it the earliest isometric? Did crystal castle come first in the arcades (they are both 1983). Come to think of it, when did Q-bert come out? Hmm, 83 as well.
@luny@mstdn.games
https://www.luny.co.uk
Zaxxon came out first in 1982; followed by Q*Bert also in 1982.
I can confidently say this because when I got my first Speccy, I got They Sold a Million at the same time. So basically I owned less than ten games, most of which were bad Sinclair/Psion games.
Even then, with hardly any other good options Sabre Wulf always sucked.
The combat was terrible and awkward. Your sword felt flimsy and the animation was stupid. The level design was just a maze, which isn't real level design at all.
It looked beautiful and in a way still does, but smooth movement and a lot of colour seemed to wow people back then no matter what the gameplay was like.
For fairness though I think Atic Atac is just as gash.
Thanks cole.
@luny@mstdn.games
https://www.luny.co.uk
My games for the Spectrum: Dingo, The Speccies, The Speccies 2, Vallation, SQIJ.
Twitter: Sokurah
But even if ultimate did smooth things out it kind of caused treacle syndrome, of course that doesn’t surprise me as the flip screen games moved like you were on the moon with concrete boots as well :))
I was talking about the Speccy Beeper!
Ultimate did not push this piece of hardware at all. I thought mentioning Follin would have made that crystal clear! ;-)
Interesting it is coming clear the Ultimate pushed in some directions but not all. I'm not a fan boy or anything but I still think they are up there with the rest. And that is quite a long list.
@luny@mstdn.games
https://www.luny.co.uk
I admit when I first played it I was a bit disappointed, and thought it was over-rated but I prefered it to Underwurlde as I found it a bit easier to get into. It grew on me I think. I agree there could have been more variety in the backgrounds and a few more landmarks as you say. Its a tough call between it and Atic Atac, but I got more enjoyment out of Atic Atac.
Featuring: On Screen Scoring!! Wow, look mum! I don't remember other games of the time coming with a paper scorepad, or a plastic slot the numbers in board? :))
With you on all of that apart from Trans Am. That was, I think, the second Speccy game I ever played and I still have a soft spot for it.
All the rest are gash though.
I dunno, every game isn't designed around every person I guess! I could look past the issues I had with it (especially for the time it was made) but I could also fully understand why someone would hate it.
Or music composing software.
That's the thing. I never 'hated' it, I just didn't really like it. The same goes for most Ultimate titles apart from Jetpac; that's a game I did enjoy a lot.
The rest I though looked great.... But ultimately left me cold and once past the visuals... they were nothing special.
Lunar Jetman was a game I always thought should be great but I found it incredibly difficult at the time. I've been playing it recently and seem to be much better at it than I ever was so I'm actually getting some enjoyment out of it.
And I loved Underwurlde because of the atmosphere it created and the way he jumped was cool.
Jetpac was the first game I owned so I think Ultimate just got under my skin right from the start,
muchat all, but the animals did. As you progressed further into the game, you would come across creatures you hadn't seen before.If you choose the interface II option, up & down are the other way round. (Still not great keys, though)
Having said that, I'm not a big fan, I much prefer Atic Atac.
There are heretics everywhere on WoS, so you're in good company.
You damned heathen.
Where it does get stymied is that it falls victim to the trend that plagued Spectrum games since the release of Jet Set Willy for more screens over more detail. The constant hack and slash does get repetitive and what the game needs are some puzzles - locked areas, special screens (perhaps swamps with narrow paths), intelligent enemies, objects needed to get past adversaries etc. But the way software companies seemed determined to push their games at the time was "More screens!"; and that's what we got, as opposed to more content.
I'm sure the board has plenty of this sort of thing but FWIW here's my take on UPTG's classic-era oeuvre...
Jet Pac 10/10 - It's perfect, isn't it? There's not a single change you'd make or extra feature you'd introduce that could be accommodated by 16k.
PSSST and Cookie 8/10 - of a muchness these two, both wonderfully playable... Cookie perhaps just has the edge for the craziness of the enemies being bounced around the screen.
Trans Am 9/10 - Love it. A 16k game that lets you drive around (almost) the whole of the United States (even if most of the cities are represented by a gas station). Mad Max-tastic (yes I know that was set in Australia)
Lunar Jetman 10/10 - Didn't realise this one took so much flak! For me it's got everything - the exemplary graphics and fast game-play of course, but also variety (so many enemy types, all with their own moves), strategy (go base bombing? or wait for the missile? use the teleports..?), and the most valuable thing a game can ever have: tension. If you're on a bombing run, you're pressed for time. If the missile has launched and you're flying or waiting by a teleport terminal, you're never quite sure when it's going to appear at the edge of the screen. Sure the controls are a little complex but they don't take long to get used to. The only drawback? I love flying Jetman but his fuel runs out too soon!
Atic Atac 9.5/10 - The most 'complete' UPTG game. The alternate characters and their own secret passages are a great touch, as are the coloured keys. The only tweak I'd make would be to give some of the miscellaneous objects a bit more purpose. Oh and perhaps make each character's weapon behave a bit differently. But can't fault it really.
Sabre Wulf 7/10 - See above
Underwurlde 9/10 - OK despite what i said re. Sabre Wulf about number of screens out weighting unique content, I do love this sprawling but ostensibly monotonous platformer. Why? The fantastic conceit of the bothersome enemies not killing you directly but propelling you to a vertiginous death. Which is massively frustrating, especially when you've almost reached the top of a climb, and gives the game its 'try, and try again' addictivity.
Knight Lore 7.5/10 - Graphically stunning, yes, but the slowing absolutely wrecks it. Played on an emulator at a snappy pace it's good fun.
Alien 8 8/10 - Like the theme better then Knight Lore, there are no transformations, and little touches like the remote control droidlets are nice.
Nightshade, Gunfright 6/10 - There's no point in doing isometric if the game's just a flat runaround! The sprite designs are still cool but the playing areas are way too large and featureless to maintain interest.
Cyberrun 8/10 - I like this one! It's a back-to-basics effort (albeit probably a polished-up re-hash from the bottom drawer) but that kind of works in its favour. It's playable if nothing spectacular, and I like the weirdness of the ship piling on its bizarre accessories. Of course I'd rather be playing Starquake...
By PS4 standards maybe... by Speccy standards it's a very playable wee game that I've always enjoyed and often go back to.