I know some of you are a fan of the CPC, and while I never saw the real deal back in the days (no cpc whatsoever in brazil) I´m really enjoying the latest batch of indie games on it.
This goes for Ian Price:
http://www.babas-palace.com/
You guys also must check these two here: EL TESORO PERDIDO DE CUAUHTÉMOC and PROFANATION 2: ESCAPE FROM ABU SIMBEL
https://www.4mhz.es/el-tesoro-perdido-de-cuauhtemoc/
https://www.4mhz.es/profanation-2-escape-from-abu-simbel/
Really great stuff, exactly the kind of games I enjoy and the CPC gfx and sound is just superb!
Wow looks super - will install on my Android device :)
@Erico - I downloaded it when it first came out. It's a really nice puzzle game.
I do try to keep up with CPC/C64 and Speccy homebrew development, even now. It's getting harder actually as more and more games are being released every year.
Looks very nice. Profanation has its source available and it's an interesting read too, :good:
Yep very very nice and funny... is done with CPCtelera (Is comming CPCtelera 2.0, seems will be awesome).
Take a look to the Scene of Amstrad, is comming a couple of games this April awesome, done for ESP Soft.
https://soundcloud.com/mcklain/lady-phoenix (Lady Phoenix song)
And Malasobra images.
Recently also im have follow Battle of the Ports on youtube with RetroCore. Its also seen many of the arcade games that came to Amstrad is often quite very slow, often slower than the Speccy version. But there is few and some excellent arcade ports he did praised very well.
Today, recently Im have recently done some tunes for Spectrum as well even a arcade game, both as AY tunes (sometimes single AY, sometimes Dual AY). AY is no where good as SID. But im have to admit, its very fun to do tunes in AY as well, property due a excellent tracker.....
For Amstrad and Spetrum tunes, im do use Vortex 2.5, which is a excellent tracker software, which can done music for those computers. Just to have in mind, Amstrad AY sound clock is lower than the Spectrum AY, which cause the pitch to been totally wrong. They need to been transported to sound close as possible. But its not a issue really...... You can transport all patterns at once here as well.
Babe Palance seens like its such a game, that suit Amstrad just perfectly and very well done.
PS. Also Dragon Attack, another Amstrad game from 2016, is also very cool too. Personly im do not into this kind of game, but its stiil cool anyway and like the music as well.
I agree that the SID is the king of the 8bit sound chips but I have a very soft spot for the AY in the CPC. First time I heard Rob Hubbard's Monty On The Run on the CPC it blew me away, spent an age listening to it(More than playing the mediocre game that MOTR). Still the version I prefer, something very pure in the AY tone, even today.
To me the SID is a very mixed bag - some SID music (like AY and any other - electronic or physical) is fecking awful. The SID masters though can make it really sing (as can the AY in good hands), when done properly. To me though, the melody of a piece is more important that what it's being played on. A good tune carries far - whether played on violin or piano. ;)
While I agree with the melody point of view, I have a soft spot for the super cheap distorted guitars you usually hear on neo geo games of the early 90ties.
Also, Simon has done some excellent job pushing some complex music on the trs80-color (no sound chip, processor stuff) that sounds so grainy I love it.
Music is by Dya, from Desire demo group.
It's certainly clever getting music out of a machine without a soundchip and it has a catchy beat, but then have you heard the Imperial March played on a floppy drive?
See what I mean, when you master something, you can do the (seemingly) impossible!
Hehe, yep I´ve heard it and others too. Always impressive.
Makes me wonder if someone has already done music with the sounds of the tape-loading on the ancient 8bits directly just by coding... ;)
Here's one that does exactly what you mentioned, erico.
I have seen/heard another, properly programmed music from "loading", although it wasn't ever an actual program - it just used the data code specifically to play music as it loaded. I can't find that right now though. :(
[EDIT]
Here's one - not the I was thinking of though -
Strangely enough it's another Imperial March!
Nice, that is exactly it, I never thought it would be possible, though I should know better when it gets global.
I guess the imperial march is like a "can it play doom" thing when it comes to music. :D
You're not wrong! :P
Bit of trivia - Code listing for playing Imperial March was included in the Steve Vickers ZX Spectrum Manual
Cool. I have to admit, it is one of my fave pieces of music (and not just because I'm a Star Wars fan). John Williams is a musical God, IMHO :D
Sorry, totally got it wrong - 'Funeral March' in ZX Manual not Star Wars!
Quote from: Ian Price on 2018-Apr-16
Cool. I have to admit, it is one of my fave pieces of music (and not just because I'm a Star Wars fan). John Williams is a musical God, IMHO :D
But I agree Williams music is class! I also like Vangelis' music.
Yep he is excellent, but there are a lot of movie musicians I enjoy, James Horner being one of them too (commando soundtrack for example).
I love the Commanda OST. Jamers Horner also did great work in several other films that I enjoy, including (especially) Aliens, cocoon and Willow to name just a few.
Speaking of Vangellis - I watched (the first hour) of Bladerunner 2049 the other day and the lack of the famous Vangellis BR OST really let it down! :D :rant:
Recently I'm have head a starwars concert. It's was very cool to hear it live.
Also loading music is somewhat much better on c64, which could do even do a loading mini game first while loading the main game (take that, Namco) with music and all. I'm also seen few games (like dracon lair) that loaded the next level while playing.
On disc I'm was also quite impressed with the katakis fast loader. It's took just about 2-3 secs to load a level. The game was also little bit buggy in one of the levels.
Amstrad had a number of games that played muic while loading too - Thrust, Harvey HeadBanger, Spiky Harold to name just a few. There were also games that played a mini-game while loading too - After The War was one that I recall off the top of my head. There were others that showed a real-time countdown too.
I really don't get how Namco fought and won the patent about mini-games in loaders; must hace just been a console thing, as computers were doing that in the 8bit days, loooooooong before Ridgeracer, Tekken et al did it on PSX.
Yes I'm did heard them. But sid is still best in sound area. C64 did have a better interrup system here. I'm so only talk about loading here. There is good games on all systems.
Funny I'm have follow battle of the ports on you tube. Most arcade ports on amstrad is quite slow. Howover I'm do like hell copter game and space Harrier vector graphics.
There were good and bad ports for CPC; same as the C64. Loads of slow, shite C64 ports too. They all depended on the person/company doing the port and time give to complete it. The strengths and weaknesses of each machine were often not the reason a game was crap for a particular machine.
As for sound, SID was not always the best as has been clearly stated before.
I'm did also seen very crappy speccy ports to c64.... Only few games escaped with a good game play despite a speccy port. Here c64 and spectrum is quite different. I'm did newer liked the crappy beeper on spectrum, but today when ay done right, its quite cool.
I'm did a tune in single here today for a spectrum next game.
Quote from: erico on 2018-Apr-17
Yep he is excellent, but there are a lot of movie musicians I enjoy, James Horner being one of them too (commando soundtrack for example).
James Horner, good call Erico, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan composer, amazing soundtrack, wonderful production.