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Author Topic: am on the lookout for zx spectrums  (Read 10226 times)

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Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #14 from previous page: January 25, 2007, 07:28:58 PM »
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Vincent wrote:
If you're still nostalgic about Spectrum games, I'd strongly suggest you pick up a copy of The ZX Spectrum Book - 1982 to 199x.


Ooh! Thanks for the info! I'd have missed that otherwise!

Colour clash rules!!!  :-)

 - Ali
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #15 on: January 26, 2007, 08:26:22 PM »
Get it fixed!!!

What doesn't work on it? Does it start up with randomly coloured/flashing squares all over the screen? Or no picture at all?

Actually, monochrome vector graphic games were one area that the Spectrum beat the C64  :-o  - faster CPU helped, though the Speccy's "interesting" screen layout negated that a bit!

 - Ali
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #16 on: January 27, 2007, 12:00:09 AM »
I guess I really ought to check out my Speccies at some point... Haven't powered up a real Spectrum for ages, so I wonder how many of mine still work?!

I guess the +2A/+2B/+3s are the most reliable as IIRC they've got far less components than the earlier designs (especially the old 48Ks with their 30000000 resistors and other discrete components!)

 - Ali
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #17 on: January 27, 2007, 10:23:33 PM »
Quote
Vincent wrote:
The fact that it was faithfull to the 16 bit versions just with crappier sound and graphics...


I'd guess the sound was probably the same as the Atari ST, given they both used the same soundchip! Not actually played the Speccy version of Lemmings but some lovely screenshots are here!

 - Ali
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #18 on: January 30, 2007, 02:05:14 AM »
That's true!! 128Kb in bank-switched chunks via a 3.5MHz 8-bit CPU vs 512Kb flat via an 8MHz 16-bit CPU meant that the cheap and nasty sound chip could at least be tortured a bit more on the ST to get something approaching reasonable! :-)

Going even further off topic: I have a (very battered) March 1986 issue of Byte magazine, where the 1040ST was reviewed, and there's an interview with Atari's R&D president at the time (Shiraz Shivji). From the text...

Quote
We had a project here ... a chip called Amy. And the ST was designed to have the Amy. But the Amy did not happen... Amy was a chip that had 16 bits of information coming out. So you could have 96dB of range. What you could hear! Amy was a complete digital sound chip... We were going to have the Amy, and then it didn't happen... That's how the MIDI came in... So the Yamaha chip is in there just to give it the basic sound? Yes. Just the basic sounds you need.


So basically, Atari's soundchip design didn't work so it stuffed in an AY-3-8910 clone (Yamaha YM2149) and the MIDI ports to cover for it.

Oh well! The rest is history!

 - Ali

P.S. That same issue has a full colour full page ad from Commodore for the Amiga 1000, as well as several for the extremely dull monochrome-screened CP/M machines and IBM PC compatibles of the time...
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #19 on: February 02, 2007, 09:01:35 PM »
Shame about the keyboard!

You could always run a Speccy emulator on your A4000! Might need something faster than a stock '030 though.

 - Ali
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #20 on: February 04, 2007, 08:56:52 PM »
You've probably seen the large amount of Spectrum-related stuff on Aminet?

ZXLive  is the most up to date (20th Jan 2007!) though ZXAM (plus update) also works well.

 - Ali
 

Offline InTheSand

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Re: am on the lookout for zx spectrums
« Reply #21 on: February 05, 2007, 12:37:46 AM »
Hi,

It seems ZXLive isn't the only Speccy emulator still in development! ASp has also been updated this year!

Both ZXLive and ASp run 48K and 128K games, with the added bonus that ASp has full 128K sound emulation (go AY!) whereas ZXLive requires a real hardware AY-3-8912 to be connected.

 - Ali