The Michael Brown 100 Disk Collection - PROBLEMS!!

[leenew]

Hi Richard,
Just tried "Curse of the Middle Kingdom".
Works on Beebem
does not work on real beeb without DTRAP, but DOES work on real beeb WITH DTRAP (which is how it should be).
Curious.
Richard try the old "turn it off and on again" trick then re-load it.

Just disc 60 then we are up to date (with just the small matter of Mick implementing all the changes )

Lee.

[richardtoohey]

Hi Richard,
Just tried "Curse of the Middle Kingdom".
Works on Beebem

Hmmm, on mine I get "Disk changed" and "Bad Program".

Will try again on the real BBC+DC with/without DTRAP and turning off and on.

[richardtoohey]

*IMPORT -02 MB059.DSD
*DTRAP
[restarts]
CH."!BOOT"

and choose it in the menu - I get " at line 3"

Shift-Break and choose the menu option - it works.

[richardtoohey]

My Beebem issue - guessing because I am using DFS 0.9? [EDIT: yes, if I try with Watford DFS 1.44, it's fine.]

The " at line 3" seems to be because the loader checks for page being &E00. Something along those lines, anyway.

So it works if you use *DTRAP and Shift-Break.

[leenew]

OK, I am sure that can be tidied up

[Michael Brown]

Got as far as amending the spelling up to disc 029.

Shadowfax is Morder on the inlay on the Spectrum World Site, so I will leave that one as it is for now.

Will keep amending, but may take some time.

Also want to post discs 061-070 as soon as possible, but still working on disc 070.

regards,
Mick.

[Michael Brown]

now amended the spelling mistakes up to disc 050.

should also have finished the work on the instructions for Holed Out on disc 070 so should be able to post discs 061-070 on Sunday for checking.

thanks again to everyone who has helped with this task.

regards,
Mick.

[richardtoohey]

Did "we" get anywhere with this?

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7172&p=72512

I'm keen on learning more about my DCs (just using them to load games is a little bit of a waste) so if I can help out, just shout.

[Michael Brown]

Hi Richard, as you can see from the DC post, Mark gave me the code required to implement a DTRAP detection.

However, in the end I opted for simply putting a (D) in the menu beside the title that needed DTRAP to be on as adding the code alters the integrity of the game as I am trying to keep everything within the time frame of each disc's original release date.

However, if enough people believe that the simple detection code and warning should be hidden somehow, somewhere in the loader of the game so that it only pops up when using a Datacentre, then it would not be too hard to add it.
I would still keep the (D) in the menu, because this also means that the game re-activates the disc.

regards,
Mick.

PS I will have to re-post some of the discs yet again for re-checking as some new instructions are being added to some of the titles.

[leenew]

*IMPORT -02 MB059.DSD
*DTRAP
[restarts]
CH."!BOOT"

and choose it in the menu - I get " at line 3"

Shift-Break and choose the menu option - it works.

*RUN !BOOT Richard, all the !boot files are *run I believe.
*LOAD IT and set PAGE to &1900 if you want to see the BASIC Menu.

Lee.

[leenew]

Hi Mick,

I hope these help you to speed things up.

01 to 50.zip

(33.21 KiB) Downloaded 75 times

I have made 50 BLANK 400K DSD's.

I have named them Disc001, Disc002, Disc003 etc.
I have activated the discs with *OPT 4 2
*have *TITLE'd the discs DISC 001, DISC 002, DISC 003 etc. on both sides 0 and side 2.

It should just be a case of FILE/LOAD DISC 0 and load the blank image in.
then FILE/LOAD DISC 1 and load your remastered disc in.
Then *BACKUP 1 0 and *BACKUP 3 2

This should make them, all completely datacentre friendly

Lee.

[Michael Brown]

thanks Lee,
I will take a look on Sunday when I get a whole day to myself.

Mick.

[leenew]

Thanks for upping 61 to 70 Mick,
I will try to check the first few tomorrow.

I have been looking through some notes I made before, and have found a couple of issues that I don't think have been mentioned:

Disc 19 CRYSTAL CASTLES (LE), what is the (LE) in brackets on the menu??
Disc 19 STAIRCASE STAMPEDE instructions says "plagueing" which should be "plaguing" but I think this may be in the original instructions??

Disc 20 STAIRWAY TO HELL - my copy of disc 20 does not have (D) in the menu. Have I not got the latest one or has it been missed off??

Also, I have noted that, SPACE INTRUDERS from Disc 17, SENTINEL from disc 18 and CRAWLER from disc 18, the cursor is on on BEEBEM.

Cheers,

Lee.

[Michael Brown]

Hi Lee,

The LE for Crystal Castles stands for Limited Edition version which the US Gold version is taken from. There is another version of the game which takes a bit longer to draw each screen and the LE version is the faster version.

I have amended Staircase Stampede on Disc 019 as well.

Once I have got all the instructions in place, then I will re-submit the discs again in multiples of 10 for re-checking as I have added quite a lot of inlays recently.

regards,
Mick.

PS All re-submitted discs will be finalized and on 400k images.

[richardtoohey]

Just finished with MB060 - I'm not sure how to test Dunjunz on the DC - it didn't like the machine's set-up (I think I need sideways RAM ... and the machine is stuffed with ROMs!)

Otherwise OK apart from Caterpillar instructions - they say "Guide the caterpilla" (might have been intentional?!) and then "You start ... you score ..." should really be two sentences, not one. I think a full stop and then "You score"

But if those are the original instructions, guess they should be like that.

Lee, let me know what I can test next or what else I can do to help out.

[Michael Brown]

Hi Richard,
Dunjunz needs available sideways RAM in slots 4 and 5 to work.
As for Caterpillar, I think it would look better if the word "you" is replaced with "and" so it reads and score points. No need for a full stop as space is limited.

thanks again
Mick.

[leenew]

Hi Richard,
I will take 61 to 65 and if you could take 66 to 70 please.
If we could stay as up to date as possible now then that would be good.

[leenew]

Results for discs 61 to 65

All good, except disc 62 Beeb-Beep, the instructions are just sloppy with no spaces after commas or full stops and missing full stops etc.
I don't know if these were the original in game instructions or typed in though???

Apart from that, all fine
Come on Richard, I said we had to keep up to date - Slow coach

Lee.

[richardtoohey]

Eh? I'm just out of bed! I'll test that lot tonight.

[leenew]

Eh? I'm just out of bed!.

Well that's your fault for being on the wrong continent

[richardtoohey]

PAH, BAH! At least we have sunshine here.

MB066

Circus Games

Part 1 Tiger Training "have to get all of the big cat" - should be cats.
Trapeze instructions "creditted" - should be only one t? I think.
Part 3 Tightrope "the performer commences walk automatically" - should be walking.
Part 4 "in the centreof the display" - needs a space between centre and of.

Jumpers

Think this is in-game so might not be worth changing - "Bounce the man ... as they jump" - so should be "men ... as they" or "man .. as he jumps"

Satellite Havoc

English wasn't the author's first language I would guess - but as in-game instructions leave as is?

Rock-Race

Again, in-game, so just mentioning "colecting" is missing the 2nd "l". (Interesting as a MODE 7 game.)

Thanks.

[richardtoohey]

MB067 - all OK, a few problems with the in-game instructions spelling. Didn't have a joystick attached, so didn't test the (J) games throughly.

Millepede "From time to time yellow some mushrooms" and "Avoid flys [sic], screen boarder [sic]"

Ballooning "rapid lose [sic] of altitude"

Wallie's Castle - apostrophe on the menu, not on the game title page. Apostrophe seems right (assuming the castle belongs to Wallie!) but just pointing out that there is a difference.

I'll try and pick up speed on the others (only 3 more to go) - but aiming to get at least ONE done a day.

[leenew]

Hi Richard,
With the quality of games being so high on these later disks, sorry "DISCS", don't you find it a pure pleasure to test them all?
soon be finished.....soon be finished.....soon be finished.....soon be finished

I think this is going to motivate me to start another thread soon (I actually started it last year but got no replies ) asking people for all the BEST games for a condensed collection.
I think the best stuff from the big hitters ACORNSOFT, SUPERIOR, and MICRO POWER, plus all of the nominations from the high score challenge, plus stuff that was really popular BITD like Dare devil Denis (I still like that one ) but I may ommit SNACKMAN and other such pap.....

Do you have 32K SWR Richard?, as I think you may be the ideal candidate to sort out the couple of SWR games that Michael is having problems with (DUNJUNZ - disc 60, and HOLED OUT - disc 70)

Also, try to complete at least one level of HUNCHY - disc 69 as I have problems if the main sprite jumps and misses the bell - he lands one row lower and completely walks through the walls! that can't be right

Cheers,

Lee.

[richardtoohey]

The best (arcade?) games sounds like a great plan ... but no doubt there will end up being per-category discs (shooter, arcade conversion, platformer, whatever.)

I'll look at the ones you've reported, and I do have SWR but possibly not in the machine with the DC (yes, getting to the stage where I've got more machines that I can remember what's what and where! )

And I'm keen on my personal projects of B+ and Master conversions ... but that's the 5-10 year plan so don't wait for me!

[Michael Brown]

All spelling amended up to disc 067.

Just re-checked Confrontation on disc 068.
You have to select option 7 first and load the scenario otherwise the screen will display a white blank screen as nothing has been loaded yet.

Could have done with some instructions for this, but...

[leenew]

Richard, I have an hour spare so I will do disc 70 so if you do 68 and 69 that should get us back up to date
Cheers,
Lee.

[leenew]

DISC 70

PASS GO - Loads as Computer Monopoly. Could you put a subtitle on the menu??
HOLED OUT - Graphics corruption (I have 32K SWR fitted)
DUGDIG - Character does not respond to key presses on real beeb and on beebem.
STUNTMAN - instructions "THEGAME" should be "THE GAME"

That's about it for disc 70

[richardtoohey]

I'll get the last two done today (but will be later) - well today NZ-time which will be tomorrow morning your time ... you guys are breathing down my neck!

[leenew]

No pressure!! I was going to go out tonight but I have changed my mind seeing as it is blowing a hurricane outside so I will try to do 69 later tonight Richard so check back in here before starting any!!
Cheers
Lee.

[Michael Brown]

Hi Lee,
Holed Out requires RAM in slots 4 and 5 to work.

DugDig works OK on my version of BeebEm.
Are you sure nothing is interfering with it?

regards,
Mick.

PS Will start work on re-mastering discs 071-080 towards the end of March as I am away to the USA shortly.