Description
Issue 64
| Item | Author | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Menu | David Zambonini | |
| Editorial | Happy Christmas, Sam Vision, SimCoupe, Gossip | |
| Letters | Sam C, Scads, Grubbing For Gold Review | |
| GI_Mon | Paul Horridge | Version 3 Incredible Machine Code Monitor |
| Tringle | Peter Vinnicombe | Nicely Animated Shoot-Em-Up |
| Comet 2 Ascii | Simon Cooke | Converts COMET assembler Assembly To Text |
| Nucleus | Matthew Vowles | Flashy Mandlebrot Demo |
| 'The' Interview | Colin Anderton | With Simon Cooke |
| E-Tunes | Robert Pain | More Musical Melodies |
| Jellytext | Matt Round | Ho Ho Ho Ho Hoooooo |
| E-Gatherer | Andrew Collier | Compiles E-Tunes For Fred's Player |
| Modules | Martin Fitzpatrick | Converted Amiga Mods |
| Stereomove | V H Taylor | Slidy Puzzle But With A Stereogram |
Magazine
CA Eight Squared (See, that proves I do a degree)
Hello. Let me clear my throat. Hang on a
sec. La. LA. LAAA. Dooo raaayyy meeeeee. OK, that's good.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
** FRED is here today,
** "Oh what fun FRED is" I cried, _____
/\ "The best on the SAM Coupe!". / \
/* \ / \
/_ _\ Sixty four, sixty four, *******\_\
/ \ Don't the issues fly? ! ! *
/ * \ Thanks for everyone's support, ! o o !
/__ __\ (It makes me want to cry). ! v ! Ho Ho
* / \ * ! \_/ !
/ * \ Colin A & Colin M, \___/
/ * *\ Would like to say to you,
/________\ "Have a Merry Christmas Time, ↑
* !! * And a Happy New Year too!". SANTA
!!
CA (Grubbing For) Gold, FRED and Errrrr...
Hello again. I hope this has got to everyone in plenty of time
for Christmas. We won't mention last years little mistake.
Grr. There's more news about Christmas orders in the news
section, so if that's the only reason you were skimming through
my editorial, then press EDIT and you'll be told what page to
skip to. Cry.
Anyway, this month has been devastatingly busy for me. Not only
have I had to do hours and hours of work, but I've also had to
do The Best Of FRED, which was really time consuming because
every game I considered putting on, I played for about three
hours. But the time has been worth it - it's a really amazing
disc and a must for anyone who either doesn't own every issue of
FRED, or wants to remember the SAM and FRED with this superb
collectors item. Order the FRED pack now (in time for Xmas).
The internet hasn't helped either. I've spent hours e-mailing
dozens of people rather than finishing my computing assignment,
not to mention the odd play on clever web pages.
CA Eddy Torial
Some person has also kindly deposited his Super Nintendo in my
room, and I've managed to restrain myself from smashing it up
(somehow). It does have its uses, though. I've now made some
"friends". The only problem is that my SAM seems to be falling
in love with it. I've tried to explain that they're not
compatable, but will it listen? Tish.
Desk space is a pain, and I've had to resort to doing work on my
bed because after all, the SAM, TV and video have to take
preference. I've been looking out for a little telly stand that
can sit around the video and let the TV sit on top but Argos
only have massive things that stand on the floor. Anyone know
where I can get a little one from?
My bank account is feeling the blows of too many weeks of
enjoyment. I've already used over half my £500 overdraft which
means I'm going to have to find a job over Christmas. Sigh,
life isn't fair.
CA A few pricks...
A few weeks ago, a German measles epidemic erupted on our
campus, which was a little irritating. When some bloke on my
floor came down with German measles, I was thrown into the
Health Centre and advised to get a jab, which I did. I prefer
to call it a Rubella jab, because that sound worse and makes me
sound brave. You'll all be impressed to hear that I didn't cry.
However, when looking at my medical record, they realised that
I'd conveniently forgotten to go back for a painful BCG jab and
told me to go back in a week for a Heaf test. A heaf test is
where they stick a million needles in your wrist and inject you
with the virus and wait to see if it starts killing you before
deciding whether to give you the vaccination.
So, like the brave person I am, I went in the next week and they
were ready to give me the injection when someone recognised me
and asked whether they could do a Heaf test so close to a
Rubella jab. After reading the instructions on the label, they
told me I couldn't have the test for a few weeks! Gulp. That
was a bit scarey. Imagine if I'd keeled over and died. Blimey.
CA An Apology
It has been brought to my attention that I may have used some
offensive language in last months editorial. In particular, the
line in which I said, "I talked to some bird" has been brought
to my attention. Apparently "some bird" is offensive (it's all
above me), so I'd like to apologise to anyone out there who took
offence. Although I don't know why. The nearest FRED gets to a
female reader is when MacColin wears his kilt.
Ho ho ho.
And before I go onto the next page, I'd just like to say that
SAM BASIC is the best BASIC in the world, and QBASIC on the PC
is the most rubbish product ever. I hate it.
Grrrr.
CA LAZY
OK, I've tried being nice. I've tried begging with you. But
will you listen? No. So, don't even THINK about touching that
right arrow button. Sit there, read this and take notice. This
doesn't apply to everyone, but it does apply to 98% of people.
You're all lazy. Lazy, lazy, lazy. I've had to ask for people
to write things far too many times over the last few months.
It's something I don't enjoy doing because I want everyone to
enjoy FRED, rather than have to read moans. But it doesn't
work. You don't care. You assume that other people will write
things. But they don't. And I end up being late while I'm
waiting for things to be sent, so that I can fill an issue.
Luckily, I'm still getting just enough to make sure FRED's
quality stays high. I'm not going to be that lucky forever.
Stop being lazy. You can think of ideas, you can program. Even
if it's not much. I don't even have many Bits n Bobs items.
Let's make sure the contributions pick up again. Start writing.
Don't leave it all to the few, please. Thank you.
CA News
The good news is that FRED is now able to sell complete hard
drive packs. Rather than buying just the interface and software
from SD Software, you can now buy a completely set-up hard drive
that you only need to plug in. For your money, you will get:
Interface + Software (as from SD Software)
Power Supply Unit (with cable)
Connecting IDE cable
84 Megabyte Conner Hard Drive
All this will cost £150 (including postage). As usual, we've
managed to keep the costs down, and we hope you'll agree that
this is good value for money.
Eighty Megabytes is probably big enough to store as much as
you'll need (80 Megs would store 102 issues of FRED!). If you
want more memory, we are also selling 120Mb packs for £180 and
170Mb packs for £220. Cheques should be made payable to FRED
PUBLISHING and orders sent to the usual address.
CA News
There's also still time to buy the amazing FRED packs. For
those of you who need a reminder, it will include :
A designer FRED T-shirt
A wonderful FRED pen
A resourceful FRED diary
A beautiful FRED badge
A useful FRED calculator
The ridiculously amazingly brilliant 'Best of FRED' disc
All of this will cost you just £20. It's an absolute bargain,
and a must for those of you who want to remember the fond
memories they have of FRED and SAM. Please make any cheques for
this pack seperate from any other order, as it can't go ahead
unless we get enough orders.
The Best of FRED disc will also be on sale on its own for the
bargain price of £2. It's the best disc in the world, and
you're a fool if you don't buy either the pack or the disc!
CA News
And now some, er, humorous (?) news.
Chris Pile, who wrote ProDOS on the SAM and helped Balor Knight
with Dyzonium and Astroball has made his way into the record
books. He's the first guy in Britain to be jailed for writing a
computer virus! On the 15th November, he was sent to jail for
18 months. He was also the first person in the world to be
convicted of inciting others to write viruses!
His lawyers assure us that there are no viruses in ProDOS....
Brian Gaff from BG services has retired from the SAM scene. He
will still be selling the Speccy emulator for PC's, but will no
longer be doing Spectrum or SAM stuff. Someone may be taking
over his stuff.
Which is spooky really, because it was BG Services that
published ProDOS.
CA News
Allan Skillman, who wrote Driver mines (included on FRED 63) is
working on a SAM emulator for XWindows - the GUI system that
runs under UNIX. At the moment, it sort of works - Driver,
Samdos, Masterdos, Bats n Balls & SAMTape work. Lots of demos
don't work but apparently that's because they use lots of sneaky
techniques that aren't implemented yet.
Next we have a bit of news that is probably for the best. Dave
Ledbury has stopped running Phoenix and handed his operation
over to Malcolm Mackenzie (who used to be Dave's mail order
person). Life had been getting Dave down, and he was unable to
keep up with orders, even to the stage where we were getting
complaints about him at FRED. Malcolm Mackenzie has named his
new set-up as Persona, and wants to make sure the software lives
on....
He will try to honour all orders placed with Dave, so people
should get in touch with Malcolm if Dave owes them anything.
CA News
Dave will still be writing stuff on his SAM, but will not be
getting involved with the business.
For people wanting to get in touch with Malcolm, his address is:
[redacted]
Colin Piggot has finally covered development costs for his new
Quazar Surround system, and has been able to reduce the price to
just £53.99!
IF this gets to you before Christmas, then I'll breathe a huge
sigh of relief. But also, if you want to order anything very
quickly indeed, you can do the usual trick of ringing Colin at
the same time as sending a cheque and he'll send the order down
immediately.
Including the FRED pack, and the 'Best Of FRED' disc (hint).
CA Disc Contents
For some bizarre reason, this issue has turned into a utility
fest. Normally, I'm begging for a utility to be sent to me, but
only get games. However, this issue, I was hoping for games!
Blimey, isn't life strange?
Anyway, in slot D we have an amazing utility for machine coders.
It's a monitor program and is designed as a WIMP program, and so
looks and plays (uses?) beautifully. It's called GI_Mon v3 and
is written by Paul Horridge. Even if you can't program in
machine code, I suggest you have a look at it - there's a
calculator on it, so that might be something you could play
with. But when you load it up, you'll want to learn to program
machine code just so you can use this monitor program! Thanks
Paul.
Next up, we have a game (phew) from Peter Vinnicombe. And it's
a lovely game. I won't use the word shoot-em-up because that's
not fair. It's a fire-bullets-but-not-from-a-ship-em-up game.
The main character is a triangle that walks about the screen in
CA Disc Contents
an amazing fashion. You must shoot the things that fall down
and diagonally and make sure they don't hit you. Fortunately
it's not one of those dead easy games you complete straight
away, so there are probably some really good baddies that I
can't get to. The animation is superb, and my undying thanks go
to Peter.
Comet 2 Ascii is another utility for those machine coders out
there, and I think the title gives it away. The good news is
that it's from Simon Cooke - about time we saw his face on FRED,
isn't it? Actually, you probably don't recognise his name.
Erm, Simon was an early machine coder who did impressive little
menus and demos in machine code. But of course, he's also been
interviewed this issue, so you can read all about it (as they
say). Anyway, erm, I can't really say much about Com2Asci.
It's all dead obvious. If it isn't, write in and complain. Ho
ho ho. Thanks to Simon for this, let's hope you get back into
the rhythm of writing things for FRED, eh? Eh, Simon? Eh?
Hint, hint.
CA Disc Contents
The next one is called Nucleus Demo and is (trumpety sounds) a
demo written in SAM C (wahoo) by Matthew Vowles. It's really
flashy (literally) and why am I telling you? You've already
loaded it, I know you have. And wasn't it good? And in SAM C.
Thanks Matt.
As I've already said, The Interview is with Simon Cooke. Give
yourself a while to read this because it's long - but it's very
good (as if you expected less).
E-Gatherer ia another utility for you to play with and allows
you to stick e-tunes into one big chunk for use in the all new
e-tunes player. What may be a little more useful is that you
can save out the files in the e-tune chunk to seperate, normal
e-tunes which you can do what you will with them. Of course,
this utility has been written by the new e-tunes player king,
Andrew Collier. Cheers, Andrew.
Make sure you take a look at adverts again...
CA Disc Contents
Finally, as we don't have enough items to make a Bits n Bobs
section (note the plurals), we have another main menu item.
It's an autostereogram program, but it's..... ANIMATED! Yes,
you heard it right. And it works, too! There aren't many
frames of animation, but it works beautifully. Thanks go out to
Mr. V H Taylor for this. Cheers!
Woah, I nearly forgot the menu. The excellent menu was by the
world famous David Zambonini. You've all seen in, so you'll
know it's amazing. I love it. It's as if Christmas was
happening in my own TV set. Aaah. Thanks, Dave.
Of course, we also have our usual splattering of screens,
modules, e-tunes and everything else that makes FRED the best
disc magazine in existence.
THANKS TO EVERYBODY....
CA * * Thanks * * * *
* * * * * *
Editor: COLIN 'Cheery little elf' ANDERTON *
Main Man: COLIN 'Fatty McSanta' MACDONALD (oh dear, they
* * * * get worse)
* * * * *
A CHRISTMASSY MESSAGE OF THANKS GO OUT TO: *
* * * * *
* Rob Pain * * Victor Cooper *
Andrew Collier Martin Fitzpatrick
* Peter Vinnicombe * Matt Round *
* * Doug Young * Simon Cooke * *
* Mark Sturdy * Paul Horridge *
* V.H. Taylor * David Zambonini *
* * * * *
FRED 65 will be * -> FRED Publishing, * ***********
out (on time) on -> [redacted] * HAPPY CHRISTMAS *
January 15th-17th, -> * ***********
and is available -> * * * * *
from this address * *
* * * * * * Stuff>>>>
DY Music Reviews (Hurrah!!!)
MUSIC REVIEWS - MOSTLY SINGLES
BAND: BON JOVI
SINGLE: LIE TO ME
RUNNING TIME:4.43 (EDIT)
B TRACKS: SOMETHING FOR THE PAIN ( LIVE ) 5.30
ALWAYS ( LIVE ) 7.18
KEEP THE FAITH ( LIVE ) 7.22
THIS IS THE THIRD SINGLE TO BE RELEASED FROM BON JOVI'S FOURTH
NUMBER ONE ALBUM, THESE DAYS.
THE SINGLE DEBUTED AT NUMBER TEN IN THE UK CHARTS, MAKING EVERY
SINGLE THAT HAS BEEN RELEASED OFF OF THESE DAY, BE A TOP TEN
HIT, IT WILL PROBABLY RISE A FEW PLACES UP IN THE CHART THOUGH.
THE SONG ~LIE TO ME~ IS A TYPICAL BON JOVI LOVE SONG, AND IS
VERY MUCH IN THE STYLE OF ALWAYS ( HIS SO FAR MOST SUCCESSFUL
HIT ), AND IS QUITE GOOD.
THE B TRACKS ARE ALL LIVE. THE FIRST BEING RECORDED AT MIAMI
ARENA AND THE SECOND AND THIRD FROM WEMBLEY STADIUM, ALL OF THE
PERFORMANCES ARE OF A HIGH QUALITY.
WELL WORTH CHECKING OUT IF YOU'RE A BON JOVI FAN, ON THE SPECIAL
LIMITED EDITION VERSION, YOU GET A FOLD OUT A2 SIZE 1996
CALENDER.
RATING 8.5/10
MUSIC REVIEWS - MOSTLY SINGLES
BAND: OASIS
SINGLE: WONDERWALL
RUNNING TIME:ABOUT 4 MINUTES
THIS IS A PERFECT SONG, IT HAS A TREMENDOUS STILLNESS ABOUT IT,
AND IT DELIVERS A GREAT VIBE TO THE LISTENER.
ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN OUT FOR A FEW WEEKS IT IS STILL PRETTY HIGH
UP IN THE CHARTS.
IN MY OPINION THIS IS DEFINETLY OASIS'S BEST SINGLE TO DATE, AND
I THIS IS SAYING SOMETHING, AS I REALLY LOVED ROLL WITH IT.
RATING 9.5/10
MUSIC REVIEWS - MOSTLY SINGLES
BAND: MEATLOAF
SINGLE: I'D LIE TO YOU ( .. AND THAT'S THE TRUTH )
RUNNING TIME:5.58 MINUTES
THIS IS MEATLOAF'S FIRST SINGLE FOR OVER A YEAR. LAST YEAR HE
HAD AN EXCELLENT TIME IN THE CHART AROUND THIS TIME OF THE YEAR,
BY HAVING TWO SINGLES IN THE TOP 5, THOSE OF COARSE BEING; I'D
WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR LOVE ( BUT I WON'T DO THAT ) AND BAT OUT
OF HELL ( THE THIRD TIME ! ).
AFTER THE SUCCESS OF ANYTHING FOR LOVE ( WHICH WAS THE LONGEST
LENGTH FOR A SINGLE THAT HAD REACHED NUMBER ONE EVER ) AND THE
SUCCESS OF THE ALBUM BAT OUT OF HELL TWO: BACK INTO HELL ( THE
BEST SELLING ALBUM OF 1993 ) THIS SINGLE HAD A LOT TO COMPETE
WITH.SO MEAT WENT OUT AND SPENT A FEW MILLION ON AN EXCELLENT
VIDEO , DONE IN THE STYLE OF INDIANA JONES.
THE SONG IS GREAT, IN PARTS TOO MUCH LIKE ANYTHING FOR LOVE, AND
IN OTHERS TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
RECOMMENDED TO ANY FANS OF GOOD ROCK MUSIC.
RATING 9/10
MUSIC REVIEWS - MOSTLY SINGLES
BAND: BLUR
SINGLE: THE UNIVERSAL
RUNNING TIME: 3.42 MINUTES
THE FOLLOW UP TO THE SMASH HIT NUMBER ONE FROM THE ALBUM THE
GREAT ESCAPE, THAT OF COARSE BEING ~COUNTRY HOUSE~ ( WHICH WAS
BLUR'S FINEST HOUR YET ).
THE UNIVERSAL DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE THE EXCELLENT FEEL THAT
COUNTRY HOUSE HAD AROUND IT, THE SONG IS ALSO A BIT SLOW AND
UNINTERESTING.
ALTHOUGH THE SONG ISN'T INTERESTING, IT IS STILL QUITE A GOOD
SONG AND HAS DEBUTED AT NUMBER FIVE IN THE CHART.
NOWHERE AS GOOD AS COUNTRY HOUSE.
RATING 8/10
DY Articles...
THERE FOLLOWS A SELECTION OF VIDEO REVIEWS,THEY HAVE EITHER JUST
BEEN RELEASED OR THEY ARE JUST REALLY GREAT VIDEOS AND ARE
WORTHY OF A REVIEW.THERE ARE ALSO A LOAD OF FILMS REVIEWED TOO.
BATMAN FOREVER.
CERTIFICATE PG
PRICE 12.99-14.99
THIS IS THE LATEST INSTALLMENT IN THE BATMAN SAGA. THIS TIME
THE CAPED CRUSADER IS VAL KILMER, NOT MICHAEL KEATON, AND FOR
THE FIRST TIME HIS SIDE KICK ROBIN IS WITH HIM, PLAYED BY CHRIS
O'DONNELL.
THERE ARE TWO MAIN BAD GUYS IN THIS FILM AND THEY ARE TWO - FACE
(HARVEY DENT) AND THE RIDDLER.TWO-FACE IS PLAYED BY TOMMY LEE
JONES AND THE RIDDLER IS PLAYED BY HOLLYWOOD'S BEST PAID ACTOR,
(AND FUNNIEST) JIM CAREY. THIS PAIRING OF BAD GUYS, COMBINED
WITH THE PAIRING OF ACTORS, MEANS WE END UP WITH A TOUGH GUY AND
ALSO WITH A FUNNY (INSANE? ) GUY.
BOTH OF THE PREVIOUS FILMS HAVE HAD A LOVE INTEREST FOR BATMAN
AND THIS ONE IS NO EXCEPTION. TAKING THE REIGNS IN THIS FILM IS
NICOLE KIDMAN.SHE PLAYS DOCTOR CHASE MERIDAN, SHE IS A SHRINK
TYPE OF PERSON, AND SHE FALLS IN LOVE WITH BATMAN, BUT IT IS
BRUCE WAYNE WHO FALLS IN LOVE WITH HERR, A LOVE TRIANGLE WITH
ONLY TWO PEOPLE INVOLVED.
KIDMAN LOOKS VERY GLAMOUROUS AND PRETTY SEXY TOO, SHE IS PRETTY
WELL CHOSEN FOR THE PART. THAT IS SAID FOR ALL OF THE ACTORS IN
THIS FILM, THEY ALL GIVE GOOD CONTRIBUTIONS AND WERE PRETTY WELL
SELECTED.
THE FIRST BATMAN FILM WAS ALRIGHT, THE SECOND WAS ABOUT THE SAME
REALLY BUT BATMAN FOREVER REALLY KICKS BATMAN WELL AND TRULY
INTO THE NEXT CENTURY.
ITS GOT PLENTY OF ACTION, EXCELLENT SPECIAL EFFECTS, YOU SEE ALL
OF THE BAT VEHICLES ( BATMOBILE, BATWING, BATBIKE ADD THE BAT
SUB ), THERE IS A PILE OF EXCELLENT COMEDY ( MAINLY BROUGHT TO
YOU FROM JIM CAREY, BUT THEN AGAIN HE DOES DO IT BEST ANY WAY!
), NICOLE KIDMAN LOOKS GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT ( AS WELL AS A LOT OF
OTHER THINGS, SHE DYED HER HAIR SHINY BLOND FOR THIS FILM AND
ALWAYS WEARS SHORT TIGHT BLACK DRESSES ) AND IT'S ALSO GOT A
PLOT.
OVERALL
AN EXCELLENT FILM AND A MAJOR IMPROVEMENT ON BOTH OF THE
PREVIOUS BATMAN FILMS.
RATING 90%
----------------------------------------------------------------
JADE
CERTIFICATE 18
RUNNING TIME 98 MINUTES
THIS FILM HAS BEEN WRITTEN BY JOE ESZTERHAS, THE WRITER WHO
WROTE THE FOLLOWING FILMS, BASIC INSTINCT, SLIVER AND SHOW
GIRLS.
AS IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY GUESSED WHAT THIS FILM IS ABOUT YOU
MUST BE QUITE DEAD ACTUALLY, YEP IT'S AN EROTIC THRILLER , WHICH
A FAIR PROPORTION OF US LOVE.
THE MAIN STARS IN THIS FILM ARE DAVID CARUSO ( N.Y.P.D BLUES )
AND HOLLYWOOD'S NEWEST SEX KITTEN - LINDA FIORENTINO ( KNOWN FOR
STRIPPING IN VARIOUS B-MOVIES, BUT MAINLY KNOWN FOR SEDUCING
PART IN THE LAST SEDUCTION ).
AS IN BASIC INSTINCT THE FILM HAS A MURDER COMMITTED IN IT AND A
COP HAS TOO FIND OUT WHO DID IT ( AS THEY DO ) BUT ALSO AS IN
BASIC INSTINCT THE COP FALLS FOR THE MURDERER ( WELL THE
MURDERESS ).
FIORENTINO PLAYS A WEALTHY PSYCHIATRIST WHO DOUBLES AS A
HOOKER.AS WITH ALL OF HER PREVIOUS FILMS SHE DOES A LOT OF HER
ACTING IN THE FORM OF HAVING SEX AND SEDUCING OTHER PEOPLE,
ALTHOUGH THE FILM HAS A DODGY PLOT , FIORENTINO DELIVERS A
PRETTY GOOD CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE FILM, AS DOES CARUSO. BUT
THESE ARE REALLY THE ONLY TWO ACTORS IN THE FILM WHO DO.
THE FILM CAN BE DESCRIBED AS BEING BASICALLY ( NO PUN MEANT HERE
) BASIC INSTINCT , BUT THE MURDERER IS A BRUNETTE INSTEAD OF A
BLONDE.THE FILM IS IN A BIG WAY TOO MUCH LIKE BASIC INSTINCT (
AND IN A WAY SLIVER ) IN THE FACT THAT WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN IT
ALL BEFORE.
EVEN STILL THE FILM IS FAIRLY ENJOYABLE, PEOPLE WHO ENJOY EROTIC
THRILLERS WILL ENJOY THIS QUITE A BIT, BUT IF EROTIC THRILLERS (
AND THIS FILM, LIKE BASIC INSTINCT, DOES CONTAIN FAIR AMOUNT OF
EXPLICIT CONTENT ) ARE NOT YOUR CUP OF TEE , THEN STAY WELL
CLEAR.
A FILM THAT ISN'T VERY GOOD, SOME WILL LIKE, SOME WON'T, THE
GREATER PROPORTION WILL BE EDGED TOWARDS THE DON'T LIKE SIDE
THOUGH.
RATING 70% ( AND THAT'S IF YOU ORIGINALLY LIKE THIS TYPE OF FILM
).
---------------------------------------------------------------
CLUELESS
CERTIFICATE 12
RUNNING TIME 98 MINS
THE DIRECTOR OF THIS FILM IS AMY HECKERLING AND THE STARS ARE AS
FOLLOWS: ALICIA SILVERSTONE, WALLACE SHAWN, TWINK CAPLAN,
BRITTANY MURPHY AND STACY DASH.
CLUELESS IS A NEW ROMANTIC COMEDY, WHICH HAS BEEN ONE OF THE
SURPRISE HITS IN THE US THIS YEAR. IT IS WRITTEN BY AMY
HECKERLING WHO AMONGST OTHER CREATED LOOK WHO'S TALKING ONE AND
TWO AS WELL AS FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HILL.
CLUELESS COULD SAID TO BE AN UPDATE ON TEENAGE CHAOS, THIS TIME
FOCUSING ON TEENAGE GIRLS WHO ARE WORLDLY, RICH AND
HYPER-HORMONAL.
SUMMING UP HER CHARACTER, SILVERSTONE, SAN FRANCISCO-BORN
DAUGHTER OF BRITISH PARENTS, SAYS"CHER KNOWS SHE'S THE MOST
BEAUTIFUL, MOST OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE WORLD - HER
WORLD - YET SHE DOESN'T REALLY KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD.
EVENTUALLY, SHE GETS TO SEE THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN THAN HER
WARDROBE AND THAT SHE'S BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE OF WHO SHE IS INSIDE
AND NOT OF HER APPEARANCE.
CLUELESS IS TOTALLY BRILLIANT ( WELL THIS BEING FROM MY TEENAGE
POINT OF VIEW ANYWAY ) , THE ACTING IS REALLY HIGH CLASS AND THE
FILM IS TOTALLY EXCELLENT AND PACKED TO THE TOP WITH GOOD
COMEDY.
GO SEE THIS WITH YOUR MATES OR GIRLFRIEND AS THEY WILL LOVE IT,
THE FILM WILL MOSTLY APPEAL TO THE TEENAGER POPULATION BUT A FEW
PEOPLE THAT ARE SAY 40 MIGHT STILL LIKE IT ( THEY WILL START
THINKING ABOUT THERE TEENAGE LIFE, AND SAYING ' WE NEVER WOULD
HAVE GOT A WAY WITH THAT WHEN I WAS A CHILD' AND ALL OF THAT
PARENTY STUFF ).
ANYWAY OVERALL GOES LIKE THIS
EXCELLENT ( ALICIA SILVERSTONE IS BEAUTIFUL AND WILL BECOME A
LOT MORE FAMOUS AND THEN MAKE A LOT OF GOOD FILMS, WELL PROBS IF
YOU GO BY THIS FILM )
A REALLY RECOMMEND THIS FILM RATING 96%
----------------------------------------------------------------
JUDGE DREDD
CERTIFICATE 15
RUNNING TIME 95 MINUTES
DIRECTOR DANNY CANNON
STARS SYLVESTER STALLONE, DIANE LANE, ARMAND ASSANTE, JURGEN
PROCHNOW, MAX VON SYDOW AND ROB SCHNEIDER.
JUDGE DREDD FIRST APPEARED IN THE SECOND ISSUE OF 2000AD AT THE
END OF THE SEVENTIES.DREDD QUICKLY BECAME ONE OF THE COMIC'7S
BIGGEST STARS.
OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES, A LONG AND DETAILED HISTORY FOR DREDD
AND THE CITY OF MEGA-CITY ONE HAS DEVELOPED.
DREDD IS PLAYED BY SYLVESTER STALLONE AND IS ACCOMPANIED BY
JUDGE HERSHEY PLAYED BY (WIFE OF HIGHLANDER STAR CHRISTOPHER
LAMBERT) DIANE LANE.
DREDD IS THE FIRST FILM IN THE CINEMA TO FEATURE DIGITAL SOUND,
FROM MY OWN PERSONAL EXPIERENCES OF THIS I CAN TELL YOU THAT IT
IS TOTALLY TREMENDOUS, UNLIKE SURROUND SOUND, YOU REALLY FEEL AS
IF YOU ARE RIGHT IN AMONGST THE ACTION, IT'S ALSO AS LOUD AS
HELL TOO, WHICH AMPLIFIES THE EFFECT OF THE DIGITAL SOUND, THIS
WILL BE THE WAY FOR MOST FILMS TOO GO IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
THE PLOT FOR THE FILM WAS WELL THOUGHT OUT ( THERE WERE BITS
TAKEN FROM VARIOUS PARTS OF THE COMIC BOOKS, BUT THERE WASN'T A
STORY THAT THEY COPIED ) AND CAME OVER TO THE AUDIENCE VERY
WELL.
THE FILM HAS ( IN MY OPINION ) BEEN FILMED IN A WAY VERY SIMILAR
TO CLIFFHANGER ( A OLDER FILM OF SLY'S ) , THE FILM STARTS WITH
A GREAT DEAL OF ACTION AND THE PACE EITHER REMAINS THIS LEVEL
OR IT INCREASES.
THIS IS A TREMENDOUSLY EXCITING FILM, ALTHOUGH IT DOES HAVE A
PRETTY NAF ENDING, THE ACTION JUST SEEMS TO SUDDENLY STOP, THIS
IS JUST AFTER THE ACTION IS AT IT'S HIGHEST.
OVERALL AN BRILLIANT FILM
RATING 94%
----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
UNDERSIEGE 2
CERTIFICATE 18
RUNNING TIME 98 MINS
THIS IS OF COARSE THE SEQUEL TO UNDERSIEGE AND CONTAINS THE
FOLLOWING STARS: STEVEN SEAGAL, ( FOR SOME REASON I ALWAYS SEEM
TO WANT TO WRITE SEAGLE? )ERIC BOGOSIAN, KATHARINE HEIGL ( THE
LOVELY LOOKING LADY OF THE FILM ), EVERETT MCGILL AND MORRIS
CHESTNUT, THE FILM IS DIRECTED BY GEOFF MURPHY.
WELL WERE SHOULD I START? WELL HOW ABOUT THE PLOT? WELL OK THEN
HERE GOES.
UNDERSIEGE 2 PITS SEAGAL AGAINST A BRILLIANT BUT MANIACAL
TECHNO-EXPERT CALLED TRAVIS DANE ( ERIC BOGOSIAN ) WHO, WITH THE
HELP OF A CRACK CADRE OF MERCENARIES HAS HIJACKED THE GRAND
CONTINENTAL, AMERICA'S MOST ELEGANT TRAIN.
AS THE LOCOMOTIVE BARRELS THROUGH THE ROCKIES, DANE PLANS TO
TURN THE TRAIN INTO A MOBILE COMPUTER CENTRE CAPABLE OF
HARNESSING THE POWER OF A DEVASTATING SUPER-WEAPON HE ONCE
HELPED CREATE.
WELL THIS MEANS THAT ALL OF THE ACTION IN THE FILM ( WELL NEARLY
ALL ) TAKES PLACE APON A TRAIN, NOW I BET YOU'RE THINKING THAT,
WELL YOU CAN'T REALLY GET ANYTHING INTERESTING TO HAPPEN ON
BOARD A TRAIN, WELL THAT'S WERE YOU ARE WRONG.
THE ACTION IS FAST AND PRETTY SLICK, ALTHOUGH THERE IS ONE SCENE
IN THE FILM THAT HAS BEEN TREMENDOUSLY BADLY CREATED, THE
SECTION IN QUESTION IS WHEN RYBACK AND THE PORTER ARE HANGING
OUT THE EDGE OF THE TRAIN WHILE IT IS GOING OVER A BRIDGE,WHICH
IS A BRIDGE OVER A VERY BIG DROP, AND GUESS WHAT? YEP YOU CAN
SEE HOW BADLY THEY HAVE JOINED THE TWO SHOTS TOGETHER ( LOOKS
LIKE SOMETHING DONE IN THE SEVENTIES ).
SOME OF THE FIGHT SCENES ARE PRETTY GUTSEY , I.E BLOOD AND GUTS
AND YOU DO SEE QUITE A BIT OF BLOOD, BUT THIS COULD JUST BE SAID
THAT IT MAKES THE FIGHTS MORE REALISTIC.
THE END FIGHT IS JUST PATHETIC THOUGH, IT'S TOTALLY
UNEXPLAINABLE, IT BASICALLY INVOLVES THE TWO ACTORS NOT
FIGHTING, ENDING UP IN A **** FIGHT.
THE SCENES WITH THE SATELITE AND THE STEALTH ARE EXCELLENT
THOUGH AND THESE BRING THE FILM UP TO A MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE
LEAGUE.
OVERALL NOT AS GOOD AS THE FIRST FILM, ALTHOUGH IT'S WORTHY OF A
GOOD WATCH,EVEN THOUGH IT HAS SOME RATHER BADLY CREATED SCENES.
SO THE RATING IS 82%
----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
NINE MONTHS
CERTIFICATE 15
RUNNING TIME 103 MINS
DIRECTOR: CHRIS COLUMBUS ( THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD ACTUALLY! )
STARS: HUGH GRANT, JULIANNE MOORE, TOM ARNOLD, JOAN CUSACK AND
ROBIN WILLIAMS.
THE MAIN STAR IN THIS FILM IS HUGH GRANT.THE FILM, NINE MONTHS
IS A ROMANTIC COMEDY ( IN THE STYLE AS THE HUGELY SUCCESSFUL
BRITISH BLOCKBUSTER, 'FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL' )
THE FILM IS ABOUT A PAIR OF PEOPLE WHO SUDDENLY GET THE HAPPY
NEWS THAT THEY ARE AWAITING A BABY.THIS IS WHERE THE FILM GETS
QUITE GOOD AND ALSO PRETTY FUNNY.
THE COMEDY IS IN THE SAME TASTE AS THE COMEDY IN FOUR WEDDINGS
AND WORKS PRETTY WELL.
OVERALL PRETTY FUNNY AND PEOPLE THAT LIKED 4 WEDDINGS WILL LOVE
THIS RATING 93%
---------------------------------------------------------------
Letters & Reviews
Letter From Peter Vinnicombe
Dear FRED,
SAM C..... All very well, but it's a shame I haven't got
a clue about how to use it. I think it would be an excellent
idea )and I reckon many other readers would to) to have a
monthly slot dedicated to helping us slow learners )even the
info on issue 60 about the printf command was a great help).
Failing to do that, perhaps an extra manual could be published
especially for SAM C )I've tried the library, and for some
reaspn the books on C are always out).
Also, did you say that there would be another disc sent out to
all those people who bought SAM C, free of charge, that would be
bug free and improved?? If so, when's it being sent out?
(sometimes I get a strange message on SAM C that goes something
like this:
129 e,30:1
Letter From Peter Vinnicombe
what does it mean? Is it jibberish? Can I stop it?)
Onto a different subject - Lemmings.
Am I really thick or is level 23, tricky, impossible? 'Cause
lately my brother bought an A600 (BOOO!!!) and I played Lemmings
on his, and because of the differnces in speed, his version is
possible to do. All you have to do is dig through the big
rectangle in the middle, some die, but you still have enough
left to complete the level - on the SAM it doesn't seem to
work!!!
If it is possible on the SAM, how do you do it??? While I'm on
the subject of Lemmings, can I have the password to level 4 of
Mayhem, (I know.... I'm crap!)
Is there an issue of FRED with all the codes? If so, what is
it? My next question is... Does 'Oh No, More Lemmings' have
better graphics and any other different features from Lemmings
Letter From Peter Vinnicombe
1?
And do you need Lemmings to load Oh No More Lemmings or can it
be loaded from scratch? And why the difference in price between
the two?
Did you like Whirlygig? - Cheers for putting it on the disk, I
was right proud!!! Is there any way in which you can make SCADs
run faster?
What happened to the SAM sound sampler? Is it still around and
where can I get one?
Is there any chance of bringing out an improved E-Tracker where
samples can be used?? (The Spectrum could do it, so why not the
SAM?).
Can someone explain to me clearly how to use all the missile
comands in SCAD's, as I'm making a new game (which is looking
Letter From Peter Vinnicombe
god) and I got my little bloke to fire but when the bullet hit
the nastie they both froze and didn't animate off the screen
(ANIMOFF command).
Let me know if you want anything reviewed and I'll get typing!!!
Keep up the excellent work!!!
Peter Vinnicombe
PS. How's the hard drive, does it come with software? And
what's West Coast up to lately?
CA Reply to Peter Vinnicombe
This'll make Peter feel important - Colin Macdonald has done the
reply to this letter! Although probably only because he's got
to explain about SAM C and I'd only mess it up. Anyway, take it
away Colin Macdonald...
CM Reply to Peter Vinnicombe
SAM C - We did all we could in the manual for SAM C, we gave a
couple of little examples and tried to explain the basics of C,
as well as recommending books for learning C properly. However,
we are trying to encourage C programmers to write anything for
FRED, and we have now arranged for Carol Brooksbank to do an
introductory series to learning C.
Yes, there was supposed to have been an update disc winging it's
way to you by now. Unfortunately, I havn't been able to find the
time to do it, so Terry and Steve at Jupiter Software are
helping us out by making sure the new version is worthy of
sending out, as well as preparing the new library for release.
More details seperately, but if you havn't heard anything yet,
you soon will.
It seems SAM C has problems with SAMDOS - the bugs are actually
in SAMDOS but Marian can't find a way around them. The problems
do not occur in MasterDOS so as all serious SAM users should
have a copy of MasterDOS I recommend using it with SAM C
CM Reply to Peter Vinnicombe
The levels do vary slightly from format to format because the
graphic displays are widely different. However, all the levels
are possible and if you can't do it the same way, try another
technique! The codes for all the levels appeared in FRED issues
48, 49 and 50.
Oh No! More Lemmings is basically a data disc for the original
Lemmings. It does have different graphics and levels, but it
requires the original Lemmings because it still uses the bulk of
the code. I can't remember the specifics, but when we developed
SAM Lemmings, we ported the Amiga graphics down to SAM, but the
quality wasn't good enough so we added extra palette colours and
touched up a lot of the graphics! So, the SAM version is
technically graphically better than the Amiga version.
The price difference? The original was a complete game, the data
disc is simply a data disc and I felt I couldn't charge the same
as the original game.
CM Reply to Peter Vinnicombe
Yes, I did like Whirlygig - almost as much as Colin A liked it!
There was supposed to be a SCADs compiler but it has never
surfaced, and is unlikely to do so now.
The Sound Sampler was made by the original Blue Alpha, but has
been out of production for a few years now - you could probably
pick one up second hand though!
Yes - if someone approached me with a music package which could
use samples, I'd probably arrange to have it published.
Anyone help with SCADs?
The hard drive is set to be unleashed at the Edinburgh Show - it
will come with software (it would be pretty useless otherwise)
but expect a barrage of hard drive utilities once it is
released. West Coast are continuing to manufacture and support
SAM (eg by supporting the hard drive) but everything takes time.
Letter From Doug Young
Dear Colin,
Hello, its me ( again ), 4 in a row, that means I've
got connect 4 ( ? ). Well let me take this moment to say a very
big Happy Christmas to all of the FRED readers, and of course,
yourself.
Well it's that time of year again, you know, it's time.... to
dig out issue 52 of FRED and play Santa Goes Psycho 2. God that
game is so good. Back to what I was saying, yes it's Christmas
time, so there's happyness in the air, so I have a question for
you, a question that only a person of your intelligence could
possibly hope to answer ( a quite good attempt at flattery !).
So here it is....
A few issues back you told me how to get Archimedes disk from
SAM and vice versa ( 3 issues ago I think ). Well what I am
wanting to know is how do you convert Archimedes MODS, so that
they can be played on the SAM via a MOD player, or converted
further and loaded (and changed) into E-Tracker.
Letter From Doug Young
I have no problem with the mods, or the transfer, but I am
asking you if you know ( as you have an Arch don't you ) how I
can get the MODs working on the SAM.
Can I just say (this will mean something to a few FRED readers),
thanks to Louise J Donald for the inspiration for Virtual Death
Ross Burt for ideas and Marvel Comics (Copyright).
Well anyway that will do for this month I think, I center
justified the text as I think it looks cooler than text which
has just been justified, I take it this format is still cool to
send in though. [Oops. I've just gone through it all and left
justified it. It's your own fault for writing in capitals - CA]
WELL MERRY CHRISTMAS AND BYE.
DOUGLAS YOUNG - DAFT - M.D.L SOFTWARE
P.S Hey guess what? A letter from me with no plugs [No plugs,
Letter From Doug Young
but Doug did include a rather nice fuse - CA]
P.P.S Although anyone that wants any info off of me (about M.D.L
SOFTWARE) can write to my address in the adverts, and they will
get an info pack and ( if I feel like it ) a Christmas card.
Of course, you and FRED will get a card [I should hope so! - CA]
P.P.P.S A last point that some people may find useful, some
E-mail addresses.
BABYLON5 - HTTP://WWW.ASTRO.NWU.EDU/LENTZ/SCI-FI/B5/HOME-B5.HTML
MUSIC - HTTP://WWW.HK.NET/~PRS/MIDI.HTML
PULP FICTION - HTTP:/WWW.KEAN.EDU/~LISAJOY/PULPFICTION/
Do you know of anywhere I can get the following:
A video digitiser compatable with Sam (the thing that the "Total
Recall" demo was done on), the Total Recall demo, the Aliens PD
Demo Disk (Arcadia disk).
CA Reply to Doug Young
Well, as you were so nice to me, I suppose I can put some effort
into answering your question.
I can't understand why the MODs don't work on the SAM. If
you've successfully converted them over, then they should play
immediately from Stefan's MOD player. Some types of Archimedes
music can't be converted (even though they may play on a MOD
player - some of the players can read other types). For
example, you won't be able to convert the music from Sensible
Soccer because it's been messed about with.
If you're skipping Stefan's MOD player and converting them
straight to E-Tracker, then you'll need to define your own
instruments because the converters can't convert the instruments
or samples.
Going the other way, almost every MOD I've converted from SAM to
Arch has worked (probably 99% of them). If you're still having
troubles, write back telling me what happens.
Letter From Mark Sturdy
Dear Colin and Colin (I'll never understand how this system
works. I write a letter to one of you, the other one replies.
But anyway.)
Greetings. Firstly, I must express my profound and sincere
regret that I didn't get to the show in Edinburgh. As soon as I
work out how it is that Clarkson was there plugging 'Crashed'
while I was at home with a vague, nagging feeling that I should
be somewhere else, repeatedly ringing up his answerphone and
wondering where he'd got to, I'll let you know. [Oh dear, sounds
like a domestic - CA]
The last few issues of FRED have been exceptionally fine, by the
way. Although I'm not sure what to make of the fact that in
that Asteroids-with-people-from-the-Gloucester-show game a few
months back, I was the only sprite that shoots back. Hmm.
'Chaos' is superb incidentally. I reckon we should definitely
do some kind of tournament thing at the next show. Although,
Letter From Mark Sturdy
going by my past record for getting to shows, I'll probably
spend the entire day in the bath wondering where I'm supposed to
be. Ho hum.
CA Reply to Mark Sturdy
I completely understand about the show. Colin didn't tell me
about it either, that's why I didn't go. Can't think why
though. Anyone would think he was embarrassed of me...
But I thought you weren't involved with Crashed any more???
A Chaos tournament would be excellent, but there's not much
point because we already know that I'd win.
You were right - on the exact same day that you sent this
letter, there was a free SAM Coupe giveaway just round the
corner from your house. Still, I bet the bath was nice.
Letter From Victor Cooper
Oi Colin,
Are you aware you have caused great distress to Fredder #115064?
How so, you wonder. Well wonder ye not, for I shall tell thee.
FRED issue 63, the contents page, no mention of item K (alias
'Lair of the I-Spy Bugs') so leaving unknown the author of this.
I only wanted a line (or seven thoushand, wibble) saying this
wos it by so and so.
Yours insecurely,
Victor Cooper
CA Reply to Victor Cooper
Oh, no! Remorse! Remorse! How could I? I have offended a
reader of FRED, the most important beings in the world!
Please forgive me...
Erm, yes, I forgot. Things were rushed, time was short and the
dog ate your disc. Oh, hang on, our dog died years ago and that
was in Evesham. OK, things were rushed, time was short and the
disc blew all the way to Evesham, went into the ground and fell
in the dead dog's mouth. Honest.
Anyway, does this make up for it?
VICTOR COOPER VICTOR COOPER VICTOR COOPER VICTOR COOPER
WROTE THE WROTE THE WROTE THE WROTE THE
SUPERB GAME SUPERB GAME SUPERB GAME SUPERB GAME
L.O.T.I.S.B L.O.T.I.S.B L.O.T.I.S.B L.O.T.I.S.B
Letter From Martin Fitzpatrick (I think)
Dear FRolin,
Hello, how are you? Are you feeling frilly today?
No? Well I'm here to make sure you get your daily dosage of
special frill powder. Now open wide...
..Sorry, wrong address, wrong person, wrong day, wrong planet.
Just plain wrong.
I'm back, I'm back, I'm back for good (I want chu back, wanna
chu back for good).
Oh hello, oh theres people around, ah, hello.
Sorry, about that, slight problem, it's the workload, first I go
to the Gloucester show, then up to Scotland the following week
(the wrong week for the show mind) to see Skye (not sky - you
can see that out of my window). So I get back, start school (we
have funny holidays (not funny funny ha ha)) and then they tell
me I've got Media, Maths, English coursework to finish in three
Letter From Martin Fitzpatrick
days. Apparently we were told before the hols, never mind,
finished now - just in time to be told of a science test in 2
weeks, erm, why did no-one tell us? Oh it was a suprise. Witter
witter.
Hello, I'm here. The Gloucester show was good. I bought
SC-Word Pro, subscribed to FRED & Zodiac, gave Derek my game,
drunk cups of tea spent my mums money. Met numbers of people
including you Colin, although I didn't strictly meet you, more
like you met my mum and she pointed at me.
I forgot to buy cheap (sorry: good value) disks so I have none.
I saw the Hard Drive (Disk? (Disc?)) and it was good, very nice
indeed.
I also saw Mr Colin Piggot himself who let me have a go on a
Light Cycles type game which I wan't very good at, ho hum. The
Quasar was hooked up through some nice cardboard boxes but the
Letter From Martin Fitzpatrick
sound was still good, and better than Sam sound. He also had a
Quasar Video running, which may some day bring the dreaded word
'interactive' to the Sam.
The Quasar is actually very nice indeed, and so I think it is
well justified the price, considering the money Colin put into
producing it, buy it now. Mmm slight change of opinion from me
there, but I can honsetly say that once you've heard it it
really hits you how good it is.
Along with that he was playing a "Ah ha Ah ha stayin' alive"
sample which by some freaky co-incidence me and my mum had been
talking about. So buy it on it's fortune telling merits alone.
(Hurrah).
Has anyone seen my hamster?
I think I shall go now, I've wittered enough, bye.
CA Reply to Martin Fitzpatrick
I'm taking a guess that this letter is from Martin Fitzpatrick.
For some strange reason, Mr. X forgot to put his name on
anything, including the letter, so it's a bit dodgy. However,
Colin 'Sherlock Holmes' Anderton noticed that the disc it was
sent on was a high density disc, and only about three people do
that. Also, Martin writes games for SAM PD, the letter is very
Martiny (not Martini) and it could well have been his mum I
spoke to. And what a lovely chat I was having before Simon
Cooke grabbed me. I don't know, some people have no manners.
Anyway, no-one cares about that.
Am I feeling frilly? Well, not frilly, but I am pretty chilly.
My window lets in cold air as if it wasn't there. But the
radiator pipes go behind my desk so I can keep my feet warm on
them.
You can also see sky from my window, unless it's cloudy. But I
suppose there's still sky there. But I can't see it of course
CA Reply to Martin Fitzpatrick
because it's invisible. So I suppose I can't really see sky.
You must just have wierd eyes that can see invisible things.
I'm glad you enjoyed the show. I'm sure you'll be pleased to
see that FRED will be selling hard drives. Something to spend
your Christmas money (and saving if you don't get enough) (and
bank overdraft which you don't tell your mum about if you don't
have any savings).
You accidentally posted your hamster with the disc. He's dead
now (the Post Office stamped the envelope where his head was),
but I'll send it back anyway.
CA Review Of Grubbing For Gold
Revelation Software : £9.99 : By Dave Handley
At last, a new release. After a quiet few months, finally
things are beginning to look up on the SAM games scene, with
Grubbing For Gold being released and a number of new releases on
the horizon.
No doubt those of you who saw the screens of Grubbing For Gold a
while back were a little confused by it all, but I'm sure you've
all watched Going For Gold on the telly (go on, admit it!).
Well, Grubbing For Gold is a blatant rip off of that, complete
with an identical presenter, the Going For Gold music, all the
rounds, the holiday preview and the phone in competition.
The game begins with the music from the show being played, as
well as the words written on the screen for you to sing along
with. The players are displayed and the music dies off in
superb fashion. Once the players have filled in the
questionairre, they can begin the game.
The game can be played by 1-4 players. In one player mode, the
aim is to win each show and progress through the rounds to the
final, where you can win the star holiday. With 2-4 players,
you have to simply win the program.
The rounds work in the same way as on TV - first you have to
answer one question to get through, then score 6 points to go
through, then you've got the 4 in a row round and finally the
board thing where you can only answer in your own zone.
The game looks stunning with graphics done by Stephen Pick. As
well as Stephen and Dave, Matt Round (design) and Tomkin (music)
were involved with the game. A lot of planning has gone into
the game. The questions appear in a different way in different
rounds to suit the way you need to read them and the game feels
very polished, as well as being very funny.
Playing with as many human players is the better way to get
enjoyment out of the game. The first time you play, it's
hilarious - all the jokes are new and it's great to play.
Although the jokes do tend to wear thin after playing it for
great lengths of time, great hilarity is always guaranteed when
the presenter asks you about the rather dodgy (and probably
down-right rude) hobby you put in on the questionairre.
However, it's not perfect. Playing against the computer can get
irritating when they manage to answer questions before you can
even read them. It's the most irritating thing if you're
winning the last round by a clear 3 points and you only need 1
point to go through to the final (for example...) and the
computer "guesses" the question in the four zone when only six
letters of the question have appeared and he gets it right.
And I lose. AAAARGH.
Can you guess what happened when I played it this morning?
Maybe if you and the computer were unable to answer the
questions until they had fully appeared. If you could only
select the answers which are visible, then it would stop the
game turning into a guess-a-thon.
The only other problem is that there isn't really that much to
the game and if you only played it on your own, it'd soon get as
boring as cleaning your teeth. Four human players never loses
its playability, but you can't instantly whip up 3 friends.
There are four sets of questions provided, so you shouldn't be
able to memorize all the questions too quickly. However, also
included is a very user-friendly question editor, and hopefully
we'll get some new sets of question on FRED in the future.
However, the game has amazing and humorous graphics (a guy who
played it didn't believe it was a SAM game!), the game is great
fun to play and the presenter has a lovely green suit.
Playability: 70%
Lastability: 51% Overall: 68%
Graphics: 88%
Music: 91%
Interview: Simon Cooke
'The' Interview
COLIN: Hello Simon. It's Colin. I've been asking around for some
dirt on you, but all everyone can say is, Simon's a bit
embarrassed about not finishing anything. Snore. Anyway, here's
a bit of mild entertainment. Best of luck (and answer them NOW).
In a reply thing if possible.
If you could mail me this and the replies by Thursday, that
would be amazing.
SIMON: Here you go.. be warned -- it's LOOOOOOOOOONG.... :)
COLIN: Simon Cooke is a man who has delved into many a project
over the last, erm, some years. It all began on the Spectrum (I
think) where Simon played around with hardware and even wrote
the techy column in Your Sinclair. He then brought his skills
onto the SAM, forming a group of coders and artists and
musicians, and called it Entropy (but with a clever E). He's
gone on to start lots of software and hardware projects, but
we'll find out about them later.
Welcome, Simon Cooke...
1) How's things?
SIMON: Well, I've recovered from the awful flu that I was dying
from at the last Gloucester show... ("What do you mean?" --
reader who didn't go to the last Gloucester show).
Well... if you were there (and obviously you were not if you
don't know what I'm going on about), then you'd have seen me
trying to explain how the SAM Accelerator worked through the
mental equivalent of a heat haze, with bones and joints aching,
nose running, and my throat feeling as if someone had just given
me the oesophagal equivalent of a good scrubbing with some rusty
barbed wire.
Unless, of course, you wandered by shortly after I was
physically upped and displaced to the pub across the road by
Geoff Winkless and Allan Skillman because they thought I wasn't
looking too well, and that I could do with some food an some
nourishment.
Needless to say, I spurned the beer -- in that state, it'd only
have made me worse, so I had a large glass of coke and scampi &
chips instead.
COLIN: 2) What are you currently doing with your life in
general?
SIMON: Currently, I'm sitting in the dining room, typing answers
to a questionnaire on my 486...
COLIN: There's always one smart arse, isn't there... :-)
SIMON: Oh, you meant in more detail and more generally than
that... Well, okay then. :)
At the moment I'm chock smack bang in the middle of a Physics
with Electronics Degree. In fact, I'm in my last year which is
causing all sorts of consternation and things like that --
namely because I can't remember things that I should be able to
remember. Like my name, or, in fact, any of the Physics that I
should have been doing in the last three years.
Other than that, I'm way over deadline on an article for
Internet Today (well... they gave me a week in which to do it,
and this being the 3rd year, what do they expect?), and I'm busy
programming Termite (my SAM Comms software, fact fans), putting
the finishing touches to the Based On An Idea
(Rooksoft/Entropy's hi hly-technical programming/soldering
magazine) with Martin and Maria Rookyard.
Oh, it's a fun life. And I should really get out more. No,
really - I'm this horrible pasty white colour - like some kind
of dead fish, or moisturising cream. Yuck. That's what I get for
spending so much time in front of computers I guess. And my eyes
hurt.
I'm a martyr for my cause. Honest.
Umm... what else? Well, I'm doing my 3rd year project (Short
Wave Radio Fax reception), which I've cunningly convinced my
tutor to let me do on the SAM. ("No, really, there is no other
way to do it... it'll take me at least forty years to learn
enough C to do it on the PC, and you want it this Christmas").
So there you go.
COLIN: 3) What was your first connection with a computer?
(nothing rude please)
SIMON: Well, it involved a large tub of lard and a small
chi'hua'hua... Ummm... seriously?
My first connection with a computer was a friend (Simon
McCaffrey -- not that you'd know him) at primary school. He had
a ZX81, and was playing hang man on it... and I thought it'd be
a really good idea for me to have a computer too So, aside from
programming the school's BBC micro (I don't know why they
tolerated me -- I was 8, and they let me skip lessons to program
the computer :) ... they must have been clairvoyant or
something), I wandered around the computer shops until I saw a
Tandy TRS-80 Colour machine which someone was playing chess on
and thought "Aha, that's the machine for me".
The machine I actually ended up with was a ZX81, with 16k Ram
Pack (wobble, wobble), and (shock, horror!) a PROPER KEYBOARD...
I programmed a fair fe things on that in BASIC, began to learn
machine code (along the way I typed in "that program" which let
you produce sound from your ZX81 by flipping the TV on and off,
and I wrote a Cops & Robbers game where you were a thief running
after a pound sign, chased by a Cop... alas, I got it wrong, so
whenever you moved, the pound sign moved AWAY from you, so there
was no way to get the money... oh well).
Shortly after those halcyon days of monochrome graphics and no
sound (unless you count the strange farting noises which "that
program" was able to produce), the power supply died on it,
(which could have been fixed... if only I knew then what I know
now!), so I didn't have a computer for a while. Back to
programming the school's Beeb.
Around oooh... must have been 85, I saw a friend's Commodore 64
nice Blue Moon? Crazy Comets? game that I played for ages) and
thought it was quite nice... I also saw another friend's ZX
Spectrum (with Jet Set Willy, no less), which too was brill. And
another's, which was playing Danger Mouse for most of the time.
But the next machine which I got was a Commodore 16 -- namely
because my best friend had one, and it seemed quite good. Xxap
being a brilliant game, amongst a whole host of other goodies.
We ended up starting to write a Rockman/Boulderdash style game
called "C.I.D. -- City In Distress", and got quite far (without
understanding what the pokes I was copying from a book were
doing, other than that with a bit of THIS and a little poking of
THAT, we could get some quite good graphics working on it).
Great fun. And then my power supply blew (seems a regular
problem for me), so that was the end of that. No more Xargon
Wars, Squirm, Scramble or Big Mac for me, matey. (Which reminds
me... anybody want to convert any of the above games to the SAM?
Scramble especially, if you can manage it? I know the scrolling
would be a pain, but could you try? I just don't have the time
these days to even consider doing it...)
1986 came and went, as did 1987 and 1988, which is when I was
presented with a brand new ZX Spectrum +2 (grey case,
snap-in-two-soon-as-look-at-them cassette recorder keys). It's
amazing the amount of time I spent coaxing the tape recorder
with the business end of a screwdriver as an alternative to
pressing a play button which I no longer had. It was also around
now that I got back into writing machine code, because I had a
machine with a groovy processor again -- the Z80, wahey!
So I kitted myself out with LERM, and started writing stuff...
including Amazed In A Maze In A Mazda (my first ever game...
featuring the music from Zub, and very eclectic gameplay...
wander around a maze of tiles, avoiding bombs and collecting
fruit unti you get to the exit), which was nicked from my bag at
school. I also started converting the Games Workshop game Space
Hulk, wrote Twistalock (a nifty little encryption program), and
wrote Messageload - a program which loaded Speccy stuff at the
same time as printing a text message on the screen - kind of a
rather inelegant Alkatraz loader. Oh, and I used to bring my
Speccy into school on open days and run a simple St Ambrose
College spinning 3D graphic affair, which I'd stored in the Ram
Disk.
It was around now (early 1989) that I began to see adverts for a
new and mysterious breed of computer called a SAM Coupe, which
would run using a faster Z80. I thought "this is the machine for
me -- I can convert Outrun to this" (I was much more naive in
those days), and proceeded to attempt to buy one... I started
getting one at the beginning of November, and due to the
crapness of the computer shop, ended up only getting one when I
swapped to a computer shop which is a stone's throw from my Uni
(or rather, its building is - they closed down a while ago). I
remember going up there with my deposit in hand, and seeing one
that they had in the back room where they used to make Amstrad
CPC sound amplifiers (their trading name was Siren Software if
that rings any bells for anyone familiar with the Amstrads).
While they tried to order one, I had great fun reading through
the BASIC manual. I was astounded by it - I thought it was
absolutely brilliant!
So, one Saturday morning, around the beginning of February 1990
I think), I finally got my mits on one of these SAM thingies...
256k of memory, and tape only, but I was happy! I've been
questioning the decision to buy one / my sanity / the structure
of sub-atomic particles ever since.
And the tape I got with it was a bit crap... no Speccy emulator,
so the first program I wrote after long phone conversations with
Gary Thomas, was a Speccy Emlator. Surprisingly similar to a
program which Bob was jumping up and down about in FORMAT
recently because someone had written in with a similar one,
claiming they had come up with it. Well, I mean, how many
different ways are there of writing "DI:LD A,160:OUT (250),A:LD
A,4:OUT (252),A RST 0"? Not many, I can tell you. In fact, short
of rearranging the order of the OUT's, that's the ONLY way you
can do it.
Pah.
COLIN: 4) How did you first get involved with Your Sinclair? You
must have been pretty young. In fact, how old are you?
SIMON: I first got involved with YS through FRED, believe it or
not... at least I think that's how I got involved with it. Way
back before I had a SAM, I wrote a letter to Andy Ide, asking if
I could write a Z80 Machine Code tutorial column for him... He
said that there were no plans to do that at the moment, but
here, have a nice YS badge, and we'll be in touch if we decide
to do that.
Nothing more was heard, so one editor later, I wrote off to Andy
Hutchinson asking him if I could write him a machine code
tutorial. I got no reply, which I was a bit miffed about, but
never mind...
And then, in the summer of 1992 (about a month before SAMCo
died, I got a phone call... but I'm kind of pre-empting your
next question, so I'll wait a while and tell you my age. I'm
actually 20 (my Date Of Birth for all those with their wallets
burning holes in their pockets and a generous nature, is the
10th of August... and I was born in 1975). So when I was asked
to do the column I was actually a mere slip of lad aged 16. (By
the time I appeared in print, I was 17 though...)
COLIN: 5) And, presumably, the job of Spec. Tech person was soon
to follow?
SIMON: Kind of... around the summer of 1992 (June ish), I got a
phone call from Linda Barker... actually, I was at school when
she rang, so my mum took a message, and I had to call her back.
The first thing that went through my mind when I heard that
she'd rang was "Heck, they want me to do that Machine Code
column I was talking about ages back... my letter hadn't been
ignored after all!
That wasn't actually the case though. So far as I can gather
(though I've not asked Linda or Jonathan about it, so this may
be wrong), they'd seen the irrelevancies which I'd written in
FRED -- about how digitised sound works on the SAM sound chip,
etc etc, and the demos, and thought "Aha... here's someone who's
probably techy enough and will have enough spare time on their
hands to do our column". God knows how many other people they
asked before me though - I was too interested in the fame,
fortune and money to care. Ooops... did I put money twice, in
two different ways? silly me...)
So I phoned Linda back, and she said -- she has an absolutely
gorgeous voice by the way... if you ever get the chance to talk
to Linda, take a tape recorder or something... however, if
you're not quite as sad as me, don't -- "Adam Waring's off on a
world cruise... so there's a job writing the technical column if
you want it". I thought "Great!" and realised that I had no idea
what she was talking about, because the last YS I'd read was in
1990, when I started buying Crash, and New Computer Express
(grrrrrrr...) and ACE, and Sinclair User, and... Your Sinclair
just kind of got left off my shopping list... So I went out and
bought a few copies, and got back into the swing of it.
COLIN: 6) Was it before this that you first got involved with
the SAM?
SIMON: Oh yes, well before that... I got the job writing for YS
because of the SAM, rather than that I got the SAM because of
the letters from YS! Don't you read your FRED's man? I was
writing for FRED back in issue 11, which must have been around
1991...
COLIN: Hmm, that was a bit of a dappy question, wasn't it?
Someone might catch on that I've done no background reading at
this rate!
7) What was your first SAM program? (and don't start plugging
certain Entropy Experience discs, you scallywag)
SIMON: Ummm... not including the Speccy Emulator, my first SAM
program was a multiface-type-addon for the ROM emulator... argh!
I thought I wasn't including the Emulator... ho hum.
Well, okay then, it was a multiface type thing which let you
press break, then change the palette, jump back to basic, poke
around, etc etc... Didn't work particularly well, but it was
good for what it was... until I lost the tape it was on. I wrote
a fruit machine game which I lost all the graphics for and gave
up on (my Dad said "time for bed", and I was a bit too late so I
ended up having it switched off on me... tape based, y'see) Oh,
and I started converting Rainbow Islands before I realised that
it wasn't feasible - at least, not running in a frame.
So I wrote a map and graphics editor, and painstakingly copied
the graphics, pixel for pixel, out of issues of The One
magazine. You can see the results on the screens section of FRED
11A, I think... I did them all by hand, not a graphics converter
in sight... As with all the other screens which I had on that
disk -- including the Space Hulk one (done by hand, converted
from the Speccy version of the screen which I did when I was
converting Space Hulk...), and the Ocean Logo (painstakingly
done from the back of the Bat-Man box).
COLIN: 8) In the early days, you had a close involvement with
FRED. In fact, you were a pretty regular contributor. So what
printable explanations can you give for not contributing as
regularly?
SIMON: Time? Money? Laziness? Ummm... well, around issue 24 or
so (perhaps earlier), I started writing for S.C.P.D.U. [BOO! -
CA] -- which may have been a bad idea, but I got a Meg interface
out of it, so I'm quite happy overall with the result. The
reason I did this was because I was running out of ideas, or
rather, I wasn't getting much feedback from Colin's direction.
(No disrespect intended, but it's true... And then this Justin
Ash guy starts feeding ideas in like he's got nothing better to
do... So I was much happier. Um... which was a big mistake
really. I'm with Steven Pick on this one (but I won't say any
more because it's potentially libellous).
After that I wrote for YS monthly for a year, which was a bit of
a time suck, and also around then it was A-Levels time, and the
start of University... and then I got involved with SAM Prime
("Oh No!" -- A reader) ... ummm... really, it's a lack of free
time.
COLIN: 9) Of course, now that you and I are good friends (eh,
Si, my old buddy), I take it that you're planning on writing a
few more little things to put on FRED in the near future....
SIMON: Welll... perhaps. But I probably won't be writing any
demos for good while -- if at all.
I'm not promising anything, because I really don't have the time
nowadays. I *am* going to do a new text reader for FRED... some
day... errr... I'll try. I can't say fairer than that.
COLIN: 10) The ASCII to Comet thing doesn't count, because I
hear that you had to write that anyway. Why is this???
SIMON: Well, it's all explained at the end of the ASCII to COMET
docs. Actually, after hacking the file format (by writing lots
of test files and hacking the token out of COMET) to write the
COMET to ASCII part, it was all really easy to do. Well, I mean,
the easy part was COMET to ASCII, the hard part was writing the
ASCII to COMET bit (involving lots of Flow Charts! -- bet you
never thought you'd ever find a use for them.. well, I did :)
whenever I do really complex coding, I tend to break it up with
flow charts... makes it all a lot clearer).
To duplicate myself (which is a fun trick that everybody should
learn - great at parties), the reason I wrote it was because
around May 1993 I was offered a job writing Jaguar and Game Gear
games in Chicago, with a company called High Voltage Software.
In order to prove that I was up to the job, they needed me to
email them source code of stuff I'd written... which I did --
but of course, to do so I needed to get my code in ASCII format.
So I wrote the COMET to ASCII converter, to allow them to read
it all.
Well, I was all ready to go, the flight was paid for (well... it
would have been paid for), and they had their lawyers working on
the visa... and I decided that I'd be much better off getting my
degree. Well, it wasn't just because of that... I think I might
have been wanting to go to America for the wrong reasons, and if
everything had gone wrong I'd have been stuck there without a
degree -- which in America is bad. Also, after 9 days trial,
they could have dumped me without so much as a second glance,
and without paying my air-fare back to the UK. The wage wasn't
much (by American standards) either -- or at least that's what a
friend over there told me.
So I stayed here, to get my degree. Much to the derision of
Jonathon Nash, who thinks that I was a fool for passing it up,
and to most of my friends -- but they understand that I'm better
off getting that little white piece of paper first, and having
the opportunity to throw my mortar board in the air while
wearing a long black robe.
As for the ASCII to COMET part... well, I needed to convert some
source from a CP/M machine, (written by Andy Wright... so you
can probably guess by a process of elimination what the source
code is... there's only really three SAM things that it could
be). So eventually, I sat down and wrote it in about a week of
hard slog... and bugs.. god the bugs were a nightmare. In fact,
there's still a wee one in there - it'll sometimes leave extra
spaces at the end of lines, but you can get rid of them by
running it through ASCII->COMET, then taking that file and
running it through COMET->ASCII, then back through ASCII->COMET
again.
That's if you really want to.
COLIN: 11) Going back a bit, were you the main man behind the
creation of Entropy?
SIMON: Sort of... it was a kind of half and half thing with me &
Si Hindle. He came up with the name (I think... or it might have
been me... I know that it was originally going to be Infinity),
and I came up with the logos and the arty side of it all. I
can't remember which SAM things I've named now, actually -- I
mean, I named Noesis (the company that did Boing! and SAM
Print), which not a lot of people know.
Basically, we decided to do a SAM and Amiga demo coding group -
but Simon's half (the Amiga side) never really materialised, and
it ended up that I was doing all of the ground-breaking, whereas
he was putting together some REALLY awful tunes on E-Tracker,
and writing some scrollies. Needless to say, him having the
title of "joint-head" of Entropy is a bit laughable.
COLIN: 12) What sort of response did you get when Entropy
started?
SIMON: Quite good overall... except for Colin, who seemed to
take it as a bit of a threat to his monopoly magazine. Dunno why
though; we only ever set out to write some demos and utilities
and things, not to overthrow the SAM world.
COLIN: 13) How is Statues of Ice coming on? (Chuckle, chuckle)
Maybe you'd like to explain what it is (was).
SIMON: Well, Statues of Ice is/was going to be a really good
megademo, of legendary proportions. In fact, I wrote
considerable chunks of it (as did other people, including Geoff
Winkless, Stefan Drissen, Gordon Wallis and Roger Hartley), but
it all seemed not to materialise -- my fault, rather than
Stefan, Gordon or Geoff's... as for Roger -- any chance of a
copy of that demo you were writing? :)
I still have all the disks which people sent me for copies of
Statues... and in fact, if they want I'm more than willing to
send them back with something else on them, I'm just not sure
what yet. (I've got about 15 or so disks in a box upstairs ready
to ship). Unfortunately, I can't see it being finished in the
near future -- unless I decide one morning to pop down to Macro
and buy lots of bulky containers filled with dehydrated free
time (just add water).
Also, ask yourself this: if it's a matter of seeing a flashy
demo and finally having the prophecy fulfilled (whether or not
it's as good as you expected it to be... and after all of the
hype, it'd better bloody well be), or alternatively getting
comms software, hardware, and all manner of things to prolong
the useful life of your SAM, which would you prefer? No doubt
there will be people still wanting the demos, and there will be
still others calling me everything under the sun for what
appears to be bowing to Bob Brenchley (which I'm not - I still
reckon there's a use for demos in learning the innards of
machine and building up your coding confidence), but I reckon
that I'm doing the right thing in trying to keep the ball
rolling.
I did plan an Entro 3 at one point -- entitled "Statues of Ice -
the Myth Perpetuates", but I might rename my novel-in-progress
"The Chronos Theorem" that instead -- God knows I've been
working on it long enough. Three years, and I'm still stuck at
the 27,000 word mark because I've simply not had the time to sit
down and do any more work on it. Also, it needs a good rewrite
on the old plot side. Some people like it, some don't... Si
Hindle hates it - he thinks it's derivative etc etc... but I
reckon that's just because I was doing it before he was :) Same
with the journalism really. We're not exactly on good terms
these days...
Overall on the demo front though, unless the other Entropy bods
do them, I think that you'll probably find that the only Demo
coding group still largely active on the SAM is the brand new
and incredibly funky Mnemotech...
Namely because the Entropy mob have their sights set on the
utilities...
Stefan's been working on his amazing Mod Player, and the Entropy
Member's list is decidedly full... I mean, who have we got in
Entropy? Well, there's (supposedly) The Wombles (though I've not
heard anything from them in ages), Chris White, Nigel Kettlewell
(both inactive on the SAM it seems, Geoff Winkless, Allan
Skillman, Gordon Wallis, Stefan Drissen, Martijn Groen, Robert
Van Der Veeke, The DVB (seemingly inactive), Jonathan Taylor
(CP/M hacker extraordinaire), Martin Rookyard, Roger Hartley,
Simon Owen (he of Turbomon fame), Luke Trevorrow, Steve Pick,
Ian Slavin, Graham Goring and Andy Insanity... *gasp* no doubt
I've probably forgotten a couple of people, in which case,
PLEASE get back in touch with me :) I should really write to
Gordon Wallis -- it's been a year now since he last wrote to me,
and I've just had no time to write back :( And Pat Spencer...
heck... umm...
Regarding Mnemotech though... I think you're in good hands there
In fact, there's this coder, called David Zambonini... he does
the most amazing demos (you'll know which ones I mean). Nothing
technically astounding, and I can see how it's all done, but
polished to such a glinting sheen that the moment I saw it,
combined with Dan Zambonini's music (I'm talking about Chaos 2),
I thought -- don't need to do any more demos now. David's stuff
impresses the hell out of me, it really does. The man is driven
by a demon to come up with the most optimised code in the world,
and it shows. Very aesthetically pleasing too :)
COLIN: 14) Is it true that you won the "I_Bet_I_Can_Start_More_
Things_Than_Anyone_Else_And_Not_Finish_Them" Award? :-)
SIMON: Not just the award, but I also got a nifty merchandising
deal out of it. Wanna buy a badge?
Most of the projects are still under way in one form or another
- for example, the SAM version of PKZIP is waiting for a DOS of
sorts at the moment, and the time necessary to convert the C
across into machine code.
As for other projects, Termite is waiting for a DOS and some
memory jiggery pokery... the new document reader is waiting for
memory management and GUI library routines, the DOS is waiting
for me to sit down and design a file system, the MultiROM has
the init routines on there, but I've not got time to bodge
Turbomon to work with it, and besides its been merged with the
Accelerator project now... *gasp* Should I go on, or do you get
the idea? :)
COLIN: Hmm. I'd best just stick something in here about none of
these being guaranteed to be released. Don't write to us at
FRED asking about them, we'll update you when something happens.
15) How involved were you with Prince of Persia and Lemmings?
SIMON: Well... with Prince of Persia, not too involved -- you
know where the screens fade in and out on the intro? Well,
that's my fader routine, which has been used on every Chris
White game since -- including some of his Game Gear and Master
System ones - in one form or other. Even Lemmings... and it was
on FRED 13 too, if you can work out how to use it :) I may
document it some way, but it doesn't use tables -- maths all the
way. In fact, in Chris's "Learn to write a Space Invaders game"
tutorial, when he describes the methodology behind writing a
fader routine, it's mine he's describing...
Lemmings... well, you know that tiny green font? That's mine,
that is... Lemmings originally had a split screen approach --
the play area took up the left hand side of the screen, and the
status and info was on the right hand side... I told Chris that
there was no way on earth that it should look like that, so he
started re-coding it after I played around with it to show that
it was possible if you shrunk the font to fit it all onscreen.
I also helped code and debug the status box (you know, the
little coloured map), got Chris to let you use the right-hand
mouse button to do fast scrolling, convinced him to try and put
music in (though I reckon other people had a hand in that one),
and I also helped out with the design of the password system.
And I never got a credit! Barstool. Still, I don't begrudge him
that much. Especially when he's buying the drinks in the pub
down the road.
Chris and I also started work in 1993 on the Spectrum version of
Prince of Persia - I did all the graphics, and Chris did all the
programming, but Domark wouldn't take us on -- they just didn't
think there was a market for it. Never mind though. If you've
got some space around on this disk, there may be a couple of
screenshots that I could give you...
COLIN: 16) Is it true that you started writing a Kick Off game,
and a Zub game? What happened to those?
SIMON: Well... I looked at writing a Kick Off style game -- but
I think Steve Taylor got further writing one than I did. I did,
however, start writing a conversion of Zub -- I ripped out the
music (writing my 128k music converter routine in the process)
from the Speccy version, got all of the graphics and recoloured
them, and then I played it for about four weeks non-stop with
pen & paper in hand drawing maps of the teleport system, and
finding out what happened where.
I wrote a good deal of it -- in fact, those of you with Internet
access can see where I got up to with it if you look on
ftp.nvg.unit.no in the pub/sam-coup /demos directory... It's in
there somewhere. The only problem was that I was getting
miscellaneous crashes in a variety of strange fruit flavours,
and I couldn't track them down, so I gave up on it. It was only
a few years later that I realised that the problem wasn't with
my code as such, rather it was that I was using David Gommeren's
screen cruncher from FRED 4 to store all the screens inside the
program -- and because I didn't know quite how it worked, it was
trampling all over my program when it decompressed the screens
-- thus the bugs.
I want to finish it one day -- it's one of those games that
deserves to come onto the SAM.
[Chance to take a breather - CA]
Keep going-->
Allan Skillman was running it on his SAM Emulator (what, you've
not heard of it??? Well...)
the other day, and he was shocked because it was so close to the
original, yet it was coded
from scratch - he thought that I had to have had the source or
something. But I didn't... it
was all my own work.
If I get the time, I wouldn't mind doing Defender some time
either...
COLIN: 17) Sources have told FRED (sounds professional, doesn't
it?) that you had a nasty experience with the Mirror and an
article concerning you and a certain American acquaintance of
yours. What happened there?
SIMON: Sounds very professional... And it was the Daily Mail
actually (even though the Mirror did ring up a few weeks after,
asking for an interview -- after the Daily Mail fiasco, I said a
firm NO).
COLIN: Oops. Oh well, carry on.
SIMON: Basically, I was at one point going out with a woman from
the US (I'm not at the moment, not for want of trying...
grumble... bitterness... grumble), and I wrote about it in .net
magazine (issue 3, "Love Over The Wires") as part of a bigger
article about Long Distance Relationships over the Internet.
Clare Campbell of the Daily Mail's Femail section found out
about this, and wanted to do a story about it. Like a fool, I
agreed... and she got it all wrong. All of the information was
wrong. She spelled Debby's name wrong, got her physical
description wrong... loads of factual errors... It was a
nightmare. And I'm sure that it was one of the reasons that I'm
now no longer actually going out with said Debby.
If there's one thing that I'd change in my life, it's that
interview. The amount of publicity it sparked off was amazing
too -- I was in Wales with friends when it came out, and it's
amazing the number of phone calls which were made to UMIST
(where I'm studying).
The answerphone overflowed... GMR (Greater Manchester Radio --
the BBC's local one round there) wanted me to go on the show and
be interviewed, Radio 5 Live wanted me to go on and be
interviewed (and act as a kind of Long Distance Relationship
guru)... I turned them all down because of the bad experience
with the Mail. I can't help but think that I should have done
it, and taken the opportunity to set the record straight.
I did end up going down to London *before* the Daily Mail thing
at the BBC's expense, to appear on an Open University radio show
-- "Maths Miscellany" -- about how mathematics can be used to
find your perfect mate! (Others in the series were about
gambling, and other virtues and sins... quite an odd series, but
for a light-hearted look at mathematics, it was a good idea).
Really good fun too -- they put me up in a room at the B&B where
I'd been staying the week before, paid for my food & train fare,
and gave me a fee on top of that.
Great fun!
COLIN: 18) More recently, and more SAM related, you became
involved with a paper based magazine on the SAM - the infamous
SAM Prime. What on earth happened to that magazine? [Spookily
enough, this was written a week before Dave Ledbury packed in
Phoenix! - CA]
SIMON: Ummmm.... well, it's still out there! It's actually just
waiting to be printed as soon as XXXXXXXXX (shall remain
nameless) gets around to it. Actually, there's a few personal
problems (not mine) creeping in to cause havoc at the moment, so
it's probably going to come out on disk for the next couple of
issues, courtesy of Steve Pick and Malcolm MacKenzie.
COLIN: 18a) If you have said it is still around (which I'm
guessing you will), then could you explain why it takes a year
for each issue to be released, when Phoenix have claimed on
numerous occasions that it should be out every two months?
SIMON: Other than printing problems, PC crashes, etc when I've
been involved, I can't explain it.
It seems that Phoenix are pretty bad at keeping to deadlines...
but at the moment, all I can say is that I tried to do the DTP,
but when the content of the mag kept changing under me, there
wasn't much I could do. I know it takes ages for Prime to come
out, but Dave Ledbury's heart's in the right place.
COLIN: 19) Moving along now, you've been delving into hardware
over the last couple of years with Martin Rookyard. The first
thing we heard of was a hard drive. I hear this has been shelved
to make way for Nev Young's and also because you're now working
on an accelerator. How is this coming on, and will you break the
won't-be-finished tradition?
SIMON: You mean you didn't hear of the MiDGET or the HominROM or
the MultiROM? (HominROMs being the version 3.0 SAM ROMs [just
the same as the v3.1 ones, fact fans], where you can specify a
32 character message to appear on boot-up... and all for 7
pounds 95... much cheaper than the West Coast Computers
equivalent, and just as above-board... and you can get them from
ROOKSOFT, at 1 Dovey Close, Astley, Tyldesley, Manchester, M29
7NP, cheques payable to Martin Rookyard... mine says "ENTROPY
ROM v3.0") Ahem.
The accelerator IS going to be finished. There's no doubt about
that -- it's just a matter of when. And we're hoping to have it
out for 100 pounds or less not the 150 pounds which has been
reported in some quarters. If you saw it at the show, then I'm
sure you'll be impressed :)
About the hard-drive... yep, we shelved it temporarily to let
Nev's one test the water...
Also, we thought that Nev probably has the resources of West
Coast (whoever they may or may not really be) fully behind him,
so he's probably in a much better position to produce one.
I'll also take this opportunity to tell everyone to buy a
hard-drive from Nev, and persevere with the DOS... who knows? I
might even do a DOS myself (those four words again... if I get
time).
COLIN: 20) What is the accelerator capable of? How long do you
believe it will be before a prototype is finished?
SIMON: Well, the prototype phase III is finished (there's five
phases, and you saw phase III at the show). For those of you who
didn't make it to the show, the current interface is about a
foot long, with billions of gorgeously elegantly placed wires,
it's a work of art -- when it comes to creating prototypes,
Martin is a genius and a very highly skilled craftsman. It's the
BT engineer in him, or so I've been told). On the board is 512k
of static RAM, an 8MHz CMOS Z80 (which we overclocked to 10MHz
at the show), and a lot of glue logic to handle SAM->Accelerator
interfacing. I came up with the original design and Martin and I
have worked on it into the form it's in now. It's quite odd
really -- neither of us want to take the credit for it (though I
acknowledge that I came up with the original schema behind how
it all actually speeds things up). A typical argument goes like
this: (MR = Martin Rookyard, SC = Me)
SC: It's not fair... you've got to come to one of these shows
some time and see how people react to it. After putting all that
work in, and people seem to think that it's mostly my idea...
MR: Well, it was mostly your idea - I just built it up.
SC: But I didn't have any idea how to - I had an inkling of how
it all fitted together, but there's no way I'd know the nitty
gritty behind how it all ticks Take the clock stuff for
example...
MR: That's the easy stuff though. I'd never have even thought of
trying an accelerator if you hadn't come up with the idea
though.
At which point we started breaking down into a fisty-cuffs fight
South-Paw rules, over who did the most work on it -- each
claiming that it was the other. And then we'd start talking
about certain other people who seem to claim that every bit of
hardware we've done was Based On An Idea by them... the
difference being that when either Martin or I have an idea, it's
in a nearly complete form, with an idea of how to do the
internal logic of the thing, and how it all works in -- if not
complete, then nearly complete -- detail. When this other person
comes up with it, it's along the lines of "Wouldn't it be a good
idea to have one of these..." and that's where it seems to end.
I'm going to go on the record and say that Martin has put more
work into the accelerator design than I have; no doubt if you
interview him, he'll claim exactly the oppposite. The world may
never know the truth...
Rant over... erk... where was I? Ah... what's it capable of?
Well, the finished version will run with a Z380 processor
(originally we were going to use an ARM 710 chip, but we
couldn't get a price, and it wouldn't be as instantly
compatible. We're sticking a 96-pin euroconnector on the back to
allow interfaces access to the entire 16-bit data bus and 32-bit
address bus of the Z380... it'll also avoid memory contention
(using a mirror-RAM idea from the original Accelerator design)
for everything but writes to SAM screen memory, and I/O
instructions... and it'll run at 18MHz. Not bad eh? Oh yes, and
there should be sockets for the MultiROM on the board (you pay
for the ROM, you just plug it in... no mess, no fuss), and also
possibly for some other things, but we'll keep them a secret for
the moment as they could affect other people's projects -- which
we don't want to do. We want to play fair at the moment :)
So basically, you'll end up with a SAM running at about 8 times
its current speed - possibly more, especially considering that
the Z380 has an architecture where each Z80 instruction takes up
about 2 cycles on average, and it's all pipelined... so that's a
doubling in speed even at the same processor speed. And there's
Multiply and Divide instructions on-chip, 32-bit registers...
We're putting a virtual-port system in too, so if we run out of,
say, SAA1099 sound chips, or VL1772-02 disk controllers, we can
just rogram a driver to do the same job with a different chip,
and intercept all of the I/O.
The only thing that people will need to watch out for is the
fact that the processor uses the undocumented instructions for
other things -- you can still use the index register ones
though, as they're still in. Just things like SLL; OUT (C),0; RR
(IX+0),B won't work, and in some cases could crash your code --
so try to avoid them. Also, the R register won't work in the
same way (though we may feed it with a random number to help
people out), as on the Z380 it's just an 8-bit register. So be
careful :)
Other than that, the only thing left to say about the
accelerator is that you'll be able to switch between Native and
Flat mode -- Native mode using the ASIC's banked memory
structure, Flat mode allowing you access to an address space of
up to 4Gb... And you'll be able to plug SIMMs in to the board as
well (though probably not 4Gb worth, unless you've got much more
money than sense). [I've got more money than sense, and I'm
£300 in debt! Ho ho ho - CA]
COLIN: What Simon means by all that technical stuff which none
of us normal people understand is that it runs Lemmings
perfectly, but probably messes up with dodgy m/c tricks people
shouldn't really be doing anyway. Probably.
21) Any other plans for the future (not killing me I hope)?
SIMON: The SAM squared? A SCSI hard drive interface, new comms
interface, new video hardware...
A wordprocessor is on the cards too, as is the PC Keyboard
Interface which we've been working on in the attic (nearly
finished and ready to appear -- use a PC keyboard on your SAM
Coupe!) I'd like to program a PIC to act as a compact SAM Mouse
interface, letting you use PC serial mice on the SAM too... you
can do that with the SAM as-is, if you've got a Comms interface,
but it's nasty (interrupt latency... yuck), so I'd like to see a
much more elegant solution. And there's our
programming/technical magazine "Based On An Idea...", which is
coming along stormingly, and should be out very soon too. Great
fun, essential reading for all techy people, and the perfect
compliment to FRED.
I've also been asked to reprise my role as Spec Tec Jr in
CRASHED magazine, and there's a couple of book ideas on the
horizon, as well as lots of writing for Internet Today (need
Internet & Comms Today) magazine... and there's that Nobel prize
with a lot to do about Klein Bottles, Cross caps, Mobius Strips
and twists and timelike loops in space-time...
Or am I just dreaming?
COLIN: 22) Many thanks for this interview, Simon. I think that
this on has been the most aggresive interview I've done yet, but
you need something to challenge your writing skills, don't you?
SIMON: Yep... and needless to say, I have severe RSI now, you
bast! Is this the longest interview that you've printed? I think
it might be... Still, what's life w thout a little aimless
dribble, and a nice nurse wiping the drool off your chin while
making you swallow the Prozac capsules? (Lovely little yellow
pills)... Argh... Someone's switched reality off on me while I
was looking the other way... My mind is going... I can feel
it... I'd like to sing a song for you now. "Daisy Daisy give me
your answer............"
COLIN: 23) Bye for now Simon. The vouchers are in the post...
SIMON: Excellent... I'm looking forward to buying something at
HMV..... Whaddya mean they're not that kind of vouchers? I'll be
speaking to my lawyers you know.. Call yourself an editor?
I'll show you w..... ... .. ... ... ... . .. .. . . .. .
(Cookie is dragged off into the sunset by two men in white coats
(tm), only pausing to pick up his floppy hat).
If anyone wants to email me, I'm at[redacted], or
lternatively you can Netmail me on Fidonet at 2:250/124.2 ... my
web pages are on http://jumper.mcc.ac.uk/~simonc, and if you
feel the need, you can send me stuff through the post to:
[redacted]... Toodleloo! And
thanks for reading to the end... unless Ando get's the last word
in :)
[Of course! - CA]