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Main forum => Off Topic => Topic started by: spacefractal on 2017-Dec-07

Title: Spectrum Next
Post by: spacefractal on 2017-Dec-07
Yes im not and newer have been fan of the Spectrum machines and have newer really been that. Howover im have do some spectrum port projects etc.

Spectrum Next which some people just have got the dev boards have got arrived, so its seen that kick start project is one of them that dont go wrong. Spectrum Next does have some extended modes, which im actuelly like, example trible AY chips as well a FM chip. The sid chip is howover gone, which is good. Spectrum using Sid would fell very weird anyway. But doing Dual AY tunes is actuelly fun.

Howover im also got asked to write some music to a Spectrum Next game. Its a port from the Nintendo DS with new fancy graphics, found the Atari 800 tune of the original, which im approvede to use Dual AY and much more. Im guess many of you know Warhawk :-).

Also im have done few tunes for fun in either Dual or Single AY. Im post them later when converted and uploaded in the Spectrum section on my homepage.



PS. Its based on the Atari 800 version, but im approvede and extended it.
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: MrPlow on 2017-Dec-07
Cool!!
The game looks and sounds great!

I am getting my ZX Next in January providing the orders are not delayed... :)
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: erico on 2017-Dec-07
Sounds awesome! I heard this tune a billion times on slayradio. :D
Well done!

I´m not surprised about the competence on the spectrum next campaign, the 2 brazilians on the team are very pros (which is a rare thing to find around here).
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: bigsofty on 2017-Dec-07
Rob Hubbard, maybe my no 1 chiptune artist of all time, nice one!   :good:
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: Ian Price on 2017-Dec-07
Rob Hubbard was indeed the 8bit Music Maestro; Thing On A spring, Monty On The Run, Bounder etc. etc. Awesome stuffage.
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: spacefractal on 2017-Dec-08
three is various other tunes in this game as well, etc a boss fight tune and more. Its more or less based on the Nintendo DS version of the game.

we did have some memory issues here and there. hope Michael Ware got finished his game on time as well Manic Maker.

in the ingame, here we pretty much use the Atari 800 original where im have added the intro and some missing patterns from the Atari 800, which the tune is based on. Hence we credits X*Agon as well me, which created the Atari version of the tune. Im extended it for the title tune, which its use 6 channels.

So this is techinal second time have have do Spectrum 128 music for a game.

PS. Warhawk gonna to been a hard game :-). Hope fully we got implement a least a refill powerup for causel players.
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: Hark0 on 2017-Dec-08
Hi!

Welcome Spectrum Next to new FPGA 8-bit computers!  :good:



I'm are one of the ZX-Uno Team (http://www.zxuno.com)... developers of another FPGA ZX-Spectrum open source/hardware computer clone. (We are delighted with the arrival of this new machine ;-))

If are interested... you can find some info in the link attached.... or searching for our group in Facebook.


I'm currently finishing my first game for ZX-Uno (basically a ZX-Spectrum 48 kb with OUR NEW video graphic mode called "Radastan").

(I don't  know if the Next have support for this new video mode).


Features of Video Mode Radastan are:

128x*96 screen pixel... without color clash.
Each pixel have single color of a 16 color palette (based on Ulaplus - https://sites.google.com/site/ulaplus/home)
And we have, INT video raster, scroll.... and some other features.

I upload some snapshots...  :)


Videos:

On Emulator (ZEsarUX):


On real Hardware:


Developed using Z88DK. (https://www.z88dk.org/forum/)

;-)

PS (For a long time I did not enter this forum ... it's a pleasure to stop here again  8))
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: Ian Price on 2017-Dec-08
Wow! Looks great =D

Keep us informed :)
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: Hark0 on 2017-Dec-08
Quote from: Ian Price on 2017-Dec-08
Wow! Looks great =D

Keep us informed :)

Of course!!!  ;)
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: spacefractal on 2017-Dec-08
property im should split it, since its not a Spectrum Next, but more about a another spectrum clone. Anyway your game looks very cool too. The game would been more than possible do on Spectrum Next As well.

Yes im get a lots of demos of Warhawk of course. That game run in full 50/60fps with a loads of sprites onscreen. Spectrum Next have hardware sprites as well.

But cool anyway :-) and im like the graphics and style. So just keep us informed.

Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: spacefractal on 2017-Dec-08
Next is using a mode called Layer 2 with 256 colors graphics, hardware sprites as well 3xAY sound. So property not Radastan, since im have newer heard about it nor mentiod it on the Spectrum Next forums. Warhawk Next is gonna to been a big spectrum game with around 1mb size.
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: MrPlow on 2018-Jan-02
Great to see some Speccy appreciation on here!
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: bigsofty on 2018-Jan-04
I'm really interested in how these work out, it would be nice to be able to break out my old copy of HiSoft DevPac and know there's more than just an emulator market. Good luck guys!  :good:
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: spacefractal on 2018-Jan-10
edit:
The Radastan ULA is not supported on Spectrum Next, but its support a quite simular ula, Radasjimian instead using same resolution. But rather using 4bit per pixel (16 colors), its use one byte per pixels and using two "screen buffers" to draw the screen with. So its not the same ula, but does a similar trick.

On Spectrum Next for that game, im would not use Layer2 at all, since that graphics mode is too slow for all those tiles animations (even with cpu overclocking), so im will use the same Radasjimian ula for a Spectrum port as well would using a hardware sprite for the main hero to speed thing up.

That is what im would do with Return's to Holy Tower to support Spectrum Next. Its will require some work here. Mostly on the draw engine.

Lowres here does really have its charm for some games!!!!



Recently im have done some more dual AY Warhawk music as well to a ending and also seen that scene. Cool little one with a lots of particles used.

Just before new year im did music for this little demo (which here only use one AY chip, but the volume is a bit low for some reasons):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/o06w55attthisj4/Happy%20New%20Year%20-%20Spectrum%20Next%20Demo.mp4?dl=0

music its self:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/285apz9d79mfmxc/Rush%20of%20Time%20-%20Happy%20New%20Year%21.mp3?dl=0


Yes im did newer liked Spectrum in its ealer day, but... there is some very nice spectrum games when done right.

Also we have also got a license from a another cool game, which im did have a hold of the C64 version (of course). howover the C64 version was a direct Speccy port, which is normally a no goo.... but gameplay was nice and im actuelly liked both the simple graphics and style of it and matched the theme nicely.... that is most important here. Howover im do by now cant talk about the game, since they not started porting it yet.

PS. Im sorry if im bashed your game,  Hark0. its was newer meant.
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: bigsofty on 2018-Jan-11
I enjoyed the ZXSpectrum but I was a Amstrad CPC man though and through. I must admit though, the ZX cause me some resentment back in the day due to some extremely dodgy arcade conversions from the ZXSpectrum to the CPC(since they were both Z80), reducing the colours/res, they even emulated colour-clash  :D!?!
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: Ian Price on 2018-Jan-13
Yeah, I was a CPC guy too, but I still have a soft spot for the speccy and C64.
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: spacefractal on 2018-Jan-14
They all have advance and limits.

Spectrum next will fell like old dos games.

Warhawk is closer to been released for Next. and it created by the same original c64 coder :-).
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: bigsofty on 2020-Feb-24
Nice review here and it looks great!

Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: MrPlow on 2020-Feb-25
I will opt'd for the Accelerated version so I am at the end of the queue.

Can't wait...
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: MrPlow on 2020-Feb-25
Actually, I got it wrong - I got the Plus version (Wifi / RTC extras)

Mine just arrived!!! Hooraaay!!!
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: spacefractal on 2020-Feb-26
great. Look like people like what they have done. So im should get one when the second kickstart starts.

Now im wonder how many physical presale of the 3 games (Warhawk, Baggers in Space and Tyvarian)? hehe. Yes im have done tunes for those games.

Mine dev board also got wifi too, but its did do interfere the sound, so im disabled it. but its could have been fixed long time ago of course.
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: MrPlow on 2020-Feb-26
I'm interested to see how good it is with the extra soundchips etc.
They sound very nice on videos
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: MrPlow on 2020-Feb-26
Also, based on the kickstarter - I expect the second round to a multiple of the first x3 or more I would expect.
Lot's of normal retro fans are looking to get a ZX Spectrum Next now too, it seems
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: MrPlow on 2020-Feb-26
Well, still 1.6k of backers still have yet to get their accelerated boards :)

I for one will be buying Warhawk and Tyvarian, etc.

:)
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: spacefractal on 2020-Feb-26
im do guess the wait time after second kickstarter should been much shorter than this one that was a long overdue as they do have anything done now.

Howover Spectrum Next did do since the kickstarter do added some new features like tiles (Layer 3) support as well 28mhz cpu speed. All missing is a better sound dma.

Also im did do played some Warhawk today.
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: bigsofty on 2020-Feb-26
After being scammed by the handheld Spectrum barcarole  :rant:, I held back on the kickstarter for this one. I will definitely be on the second one though.
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: MrPlow on 2020-Feb-27
I lost on that handheld too...but I had to back the Next just in case!!  :D
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: bigsofty on 2020-Feb-27
Good for you man!  ;)

BTW I assume, since it's at its an FPGA, there may be the possibility that more cores for other systems could be loaded onto the Next?
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: spacefractal on 2020-Apr-02
im missed this one. yes its possible. the fpga also released as open source as well.
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: spacefractal on 2020-Aug-19
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spectrumnext/zx-spectrum-next-issue-2

they are now doing a Issue 2 kickstarter of this machine. Look like they got funded in just 5 minuttes.

Also im property got need to do something music/design in two of the sctrect goal, hehe as im is part with Rusty Pixels.

Also look like people liked our games.
Title: Re: Spectrum Next
Post by: Marmor on 2020-Aug-20
like it. like the case a lot